"Maybe he just heard something funny." The Deep suggested as he walked, and A-Train carried himself in his crutches to Homelander's room.
"I saw him walk out of the conference room. He's cracking." A-Train told them.
They entered the room and saw Homelander looking out the window. His room was crowded, supes everywhere, primarily young. Some wore God-U shirts, and they recognized Blue Hawk and other older supes.
"A-Train, Deep, you're here." Homelander said.
"You wanted to see us, sir?" The Deep asked.
"Close the door." He told them.
A-Train shut the door before they sat down in front of Homelander. He turned around to face them, his face devoid of emotions. They found themselves surrounded by the crowds, anxiously waiting to hear what he had to say.
"So what is this all about?" A-Train asked.
"Maeve has betrayed me. She plans to hand over a videotape of what happened on Flight 37 to The Joker." Homelander told them.
The Deep looked worried. A-Train looked around. Homelander had just mentioned Flight 37 in front of all these people. None seemed curious or surprised.
"We should probably look for her." The Deep said.
"We did, she's gone. So is Noir." Homelander said.
"Noir's gone?" A-Train asked.
"Not the first time he betrays somebody. Soldier Boy is alive, Noir sold him out to the Russians back when he was in the Payback. He backstabbed him, Soldier Boy… My father. He knew all those years and never told me." Homelander said.
A-Train noted that Homelander appeared to be showing no emotion whatsoever. Despite all that was happening. Noir had betrayed his trust, and his reputation was at risk.
"So what are we going to do?" The Deep asked.
"We kill as many people as possible once the news gets out." Homelander casually said.
A-Train was silent, but The Deep laughed. He kept laughing, waiting for the rest of the people to laugh, but all the supes in the room looked very serious upon hearing Homelander's words.
"I'm serious." Homelander said.
The Deep's smile disappeared.
"What?" The Deep asked.
"I'm being serious. We are going to kill as many people as possible." Homelander said.
"But the Justice League…" A-Train spoke up.
"Fuck the Justice League. What we do will be on them. They want to 'save' our world. Well, too bad they pushed us to do this." Homelander said.
A-Train was silent as Homelander walked up to them, his gaze on A-Train especially.
"That won't be a problem with you, A-Train? I mean, you have killed before there was Campbell's girlfriend and Popclaw. Especially with Popclaw because I was the one who told you to kill her in the first place. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, are you?" Homelander said.
A-Train could practically hear his heart beating. His mouth started to dry as he felt sweat. Homelander had just revealed A-Train's murder in front of everyone.
"Man, you're really leaving this shit in the air for everybody to hear. What are you-." A-Train said.
"A-Train, A-Train," Homelander interrupted. "I think that massacre will be in Trenton. Your brother's apartment would be a great place to start. I even know the address, too, if you were curious." Homelander said.
His gaze turned to the Deep.
"Deep." He acknowledged.
The Deep was silent.
"You know it's funny. How did Maeve get that videotape? Last I saw it go down in the middle of the Atlantic." Homelander remarked.
"I… I h-have no idea, sir." The Deep said.
"Really? That's odd because I think I might know how she managed to get that video. Would you be willing to take a guess?" Homelander told him.
The Deep looked like he was about to piss himself.
"Go on, speak up." Homelander encouraged.
"M-maybe she got a submarine?" The Deep said.
"Really, I suppose that does make sense. I thought she told you to find evidence of what really happened, so she could hold it over my head." Homelander said.
A-Train looked at the Deep, who looked to have soiled himself.
"I want the both of you to know something. When the company first put me in front of the cameras, they told me I was gonna get my very own team. I wanted so badly for that team to be the family that I never got. Then I got you. You are nothing more than a bunch of fucking disappointments. If either one of you so much as thinks of running away, then you'll be first." Homelander told them.
"Ok, Homelander, think about it." A-Train cautiously said, trying to reach Homelander's rationality. "The Justice League probably has an eye on us all the time. They'll probably stop you before you even begin. Then what will you accomplish? And what will we do? This fool right here only has one arm, and I can't fucking run right now."
"Not right now." Homelander said, and revealed a syringe with Compound-V.
"Homelander, come on, man, last time I tried that, I got a heart attack."
"Hold him tight, children." Homelander ordered with a wicked smile on his face.
The God-U students grabbed A-Train from behind and pinned him on the floor. They broke his casts and revealed his broken legs as Homelander approached with the syringe. The Deep watched it unfold powerlessly.
Hughie was brought to the Watchtower and was brought before the League.
"So Luthor made a version of Compound V. It allows him to control whoever is injected with it for twenty-four hours. He controlled Butcher like a fucking video game character, and there was nothing we could do to break Luthor's control of him." Hughie told them.
"Thank you, Mister Campbell. We are done here." Wonder Woman told him.
Hughie was surprised to hear this.
"But there's more I can tell you." Hughie told her.
"You have been through a lot. It is time for you to take a rest." Diana told him.
Hughie was escorted by Green Arrow and Black Canary.
"But there's more." Hughie said.
"No, there isn't." Dinah said.
"Look, Hughie, we are giving you a moment to yourselves." Ollie said.
"Ourselves?" Hughie asked.
The cell they brought him to had an occupant, Annie. Hughie rushed into her arms as they kissed one another. After what felt like an hour, they broke the kiss.
"Are you alright?" Annie asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Hughie told her, smiling.
"Are the others safe? Are they here too?" She asked.
Hughie's smile disappeared.
"I'm not sure. It was really fucking bad." Hughie said.
"What happened?" Annie asked.
Hugie told Annie everything. Joining the Suicide Squad, getting lost in the Multiverse, going to Russia, Soldier Boy, it all.
Annie looked at Hughie.
"How did you escape?" She asked.
"I'll be honest with you, I have no idea. In Task Force X, they put these explosives in the back of your head. So if you disobey Waller or go AWOL, they detonate it. We were sent to the CIA, our CIA, to get something Vought made V24. For some reason, the bombs did not go off when we disobeyed Waller." Hughie said.
"V24?" Annie asked.
"It's a variant of Compound V that grants the user powers for twenty-four hours. Or so we all thought. Homelander and Stormfront showed up, and Butcher used it to give us time to escape. There's a video of it. I'll show it to you." Hughie said.
Hughie showed her a video detailing Butcher's fight with Homelander.
"Butcher practically on par with Homelander? How did Vought even make this?" Annie asked.
"They didn't. Lex Luthor made it. That's not even the worst part." Hughie said, starting to get choked up. Sensing his discomfort, Annie ran her hand down his back.
"Speak." She told him.
"There's something in it that allows Luthor to control the user so long as their superpowers are active. Luthor has Butcher under his control. He even spoke through him like a fucking puppet before having him try to kill us." Hughie said, his eyes starting to water.
"That's horrible." Annie said.
"I had to leave. I already got their blessings to go to the League." Hughie said, defending himself.
"You don't need to justify that. I can understand." Annie said.
"I'm fucking sick of it! Being so weak and everyone I care about has to suffer for it!" Hughie said, tears starting to flow.
"You're not weak, Hughie. You are one of the strongest people I know!" Annie told him.
"You are so better than me." Hughie said.
"No, I'm not. I told the Justice League about the motorist. I killed an innocent man." She replied as tears started to form.
Hughie remembered the incident despite nearly bleeding out.
"It wasn't your fault." Hughie said.
"It was, there were ways I didn't have to, but I did." Annie said.
"It was an ugly situation." Hughie said.
"It still doesn't change it." Annie said.
"Are you going to go to jail?" Hughie asked.
"I don't know, yet. I spoke with Superman." Annie said.
"What's he like?" Hughie asked.
"He's nothing like Homelander. He said that despite what I did, it's not the end of the world. He was not judgemental." Annie said.
"I think there's still a chance." Hughie said.
"Maybe." Annie said as she turned to look at Hughie.
She passionately kissed him on the mouth. He was surprised for a brief moment, but Hughie returned her kiss just as passionately, if not more.
"I love you." He said before realizing what he had just said.
"I love you, too." Annie replied.
They kissed once more, this time including their tongues as well. Soon, the couple began to remove their clothing before lying down on the bed.
The Boys were brought to the Society's base laboratory. Thawne immediately put them in devices that restrained them.
"What is this?" Arkillo asked upon seeing their captives.
"Consider them our new inside men." Luthor told him.
"I recognize them, the anti-superhero vigilantes. What use could they serve our plans?!" Sivanna complained, his children beside him.
"They have ties to the CIA, who presently have and are experimenting with V24." Luthor said.
"They are fugitives!" Sivanna said.
"I say we kill them." Thaddeus Junior suggested.
"Beats lookin' at the inbred family." Butcher remarked.
Sivanna pulled out what looked to be a raygun.
"Enough." Luthor told his rival mad scientist, taking the gun.
"I understand your concerns, Thaddeus, but these fools are useful to us. As for their current legal predicament, I've already thought of a way to exonerate them." Luthor said.
"What is it?" Sivanna asked, sounding unimpressed.
Luthor leaned into his ear and whispered. The Boys could not hear what Luthor was saying, but it seemed convincing enough for Sivanna. Sivanna walked away, grumbling to himself as his children followed him.
"You are certain these airbreathers are of use?" Ocean Master asked.
"I'm positive, Homelander is due to snap. Finding out the criminals he had been chasing for a year have been pardoned is just one more log in the fire." Luthor said.
"What about the boy? He is missing." The Brain asked.
"The weakest links are of no major concern." Luthor said.
He pressed a button on his arm. Four machine arms carrying syringes of V24 were brought before the Boys. A wall formed in front of the Society members barricading them from what could potentially be destructive.
At this point, the Boys desperately struggled trying to free themselves. Frenchie screamed once he felt the needle tip enter the back of his neck.
"Wait!" Frenchie spoke up.
Luthor and the others seemed to pay attention.
"What about Kimiko? She already has Compound V. What happens to her then? What then?" He asked.
MM seemed to realize this along with Butcher.
"Well then, if you ever find yourselves freed, consider her our insurance. Beginning injection now." Luthor said.
They felt the V24 entered their system. They screamed from the pain it brought to their bodies and the horror of losing their free will. The screams lasted only a minute before they were dropped from their restraints.
"Stand." Luthor ordered.
All four stood up, their faces showing no emotion whatsoever.
"Follow my hand." Luthor ordered.
Slowly Lex raised his hand as the Boys looked up at it. He slowly brought it down and they followed. Lex moved his hand side to side, and they obeyed.
"Excellent, Mister Milk and Serge, you are to go to the testing grounds just up ahead. Miyashiro and Butcher follow me." Luthor ordered.
MM and Frenchie walked to the testing grounds while Butcher and Kimiko went to Luthor.
"Vocal commands, Mister Butcher. Can you speak?" Lex asked.
"Yes, sir." Butcher said.
"Good." Lex said.
Luthor turned to Kimiko.
"The femme is stated to be mute." Mallah said.
"Thank you Mallah, I am well aware of that. She's only mute due to trauma, but with my nanomachines active, those won't get in the way. It will even get past any language barriers upon hearing my commands. Although I can speak Japanese if you would prefer?" Luthor said.
"No." Mallah said.
"Good, now, Miss Miyashiro. Can you speak?" Luthor asked.
"Yes, sir." Kimiko said.
"Excellent." Luthor said.
Batman, Batgirl, and Robin followed The Joker's car from the rooftops of Gotham City.
"So I've been looking into the signals Joker used for his broadcasts on Earth Seven. The signal is erratic, to say the least. However, I looked into your suggestion of looking at specific TV stations, and I found a match." Oracle told them.
"Have you managed to pinpoint a location?" Batman asked.
"I am working on it, by the way. Homelander received an interesting call earlier, from Soldier Boy." Oracle said.
"Soldier Boy, why?" Batman asked.
"It looks like your theory for why Vought got rid of Soldier Boy was right. However, as it turns out, Soldier Boy is Homelander's father." Oracle said.
This surprised Batman.
"What else happened on the call?" He asked.
"It's pretty brutal. Soldier Boy basically disowned Homelander. Not for any of the horrible stuff he has done, but mostly for well his need for love and the milk incident. And he knows Ryan exists." Barbara said.
"Luthor." Batgirl assumed.
"More than likely, he was in the same location at the same time frame as Luthor." Batman said.
"He also knows, or at least suspects, the League has taken Ryan. I think Homelander is planning something. Something horrible." Oracle warned.
"He won't do it, not now. It likely has to do with whatever Joker got from Maeve. Whatever Joker has, we make it seem like it was destroyed." Batman said.
"Tt. He's an idiot, father. I thought we all believed in that assumption." Robin said.
"No, he's not. His plans are short-sighted, but they do work. It's only until you look at his plans from a long-term perspective they fall apart. Homelander is more clever than he lets on, but he is nowhere near as clever as he would like to think." Batman said.
"What about Maeve?" Oracle asked.
"I'll let Diana settle that matter. Right now, we need to stop Joker." Batman said.
"What about Campbell and Miss. January? They might know what Joker has." Robin asked.
"They're a bit busy at the moment." Oracle said.
"Tt." Robin said, irritated.
"Wait, hang on! I think I found something." Oracle said.
"What?" Batman asked.
"I was looking at the various hideouts Joker was using or suspected of using. They form a smiley face. Except there's no nose." Oracle said.
"How far away are we from where this nose is?" Batman asked.
"Not far. It looks like it's an abandoned TV Studio. Murray Franklin used to host his show there." Oracle said.
"Joker stole memorabilia from an auction relating to old comedy shows four months ago. We've got him! Thank you Barbara." Batman said.
"Any time, give him hell." Oracle said.
"We're not far from there. Tell Jim I think we've gotten him." Batman said.
Hughie slowly collapsed onto Annie as she embraced him in her arms. Hughie nuzzled against her neck as she stroked his hair, their skin glistening from perspiration. Hughie moved up on the bed as Annie cuddled next to him. The couple's panting echoed throughout the cell as their mind tried to break away from whatever euphoria they felt.
"I needed that." Hughie spoke up first before kissing her on the forehead.
"Same." Annie replied, kissing him on the cheek.
Annie pulled the covers over them, and they started to rest. Until they heard the door open up, waking the pair. It was Becca, who seemed rathered flustered at the moment.
"Oh my god! I'm sorry!" She said before walking out of the room.
Annie looked down and realized that she had accidentally pushed the blanket for the bed off them entirely. The mortified look on Hughie's face confirmed her fears.
"Sorry!" Annie shouted as she and Hughie scrambled off the bed and started to put their clothes back on.
"You can come in now." Hughie called, still embarrassed.
Becca walked in.
"Why are you here?" Annie asked.
"The Justice League told me they had to inform us about something urgent. I heard you were here." She said.
"They put you in a cell?" Hughie asked.
"What? No! They gave me a safehouse in Delaware for a while. Ryan just moved in." Becca told them.
"As in Homelander's son… They stole Homelander's son." Hughie said.
"My son." Becca stressed.
"You're right, I'm sorry." Hughie apologized.
"How did that happen?" Annie asked.
"When he was getting his ass kicked by the Legion of Doom. Robin and Superboy snuck him out of the tower." Becca said.
"Where's Billy?"
Hughie didn't speak up, but Becca knew from the look in his eyes that it was not good news.
"Oh, my god…" Becca said, tears started to well in her eyes.
"He's not dead. I can tell you that." Hughie said.
"The Justice League might have a better idea. Hughie already told them about what happened." Annie said.
"Oh, ok." Becca said though she was still hesitant.
They followed her out of the cell and returned to the central hub of the Watchtower. Becca glared at Guy Gardner, who had entered the cell block.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault I was kept out of the loop. You wanna get mad at someone, get mad at him." Gardner said.
"So, is Ryan here too?" Annie asked.
"Yes." Becca said she pointed at the brown-haired boy looking at everything in awe. He turned to Becca, a look of unconfirmed recognition directed at Annie.
"Aren't you Starlight?" He asked.
Annie was taken aback by this.
"I was." She said.
"Cool, are you joining the League?" The boy asked.
"I…uh…" Annie stammered trying to think of a response.
"Ryan, why don't you explore the Watchtower a bit?" Becca suggested. "They want to speak with us in private." She explained.
"Okay." Ryan said as he flew around the space station.
"Nice kid." Hughie remarked.
"Thank you." Becca said.
They reached the Justice League's meeting room. Sitting there was Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman.
"Thank you for joining us. We have something urgent to discuss." Wonder Woman said.
"Is it about Billy?" Becca asked.
"Yes, and more." Diana said.
"We couldn't find them." Flash said.
"I looked everywhere in the forest, but they were not there. I'm sorry." Flash said.
The Earth Seven natives were silent.
"Do you think Luthor killed them?" Hughie asked.
"We don't know." Wonder Woman said.
Martian Manhunter entered the room.
"J'onn?" Diana asked.
"I looked through Manchester Black and King Sharks' minds. Black overheard Luthor talking to someone, Thawne." Martian Manhunter said.
Flash's remorseful look turned to one of anger.
"Are you sure?" Flash asked.
"I am sure." Martian Manhunter said.
"Thawne? Who's that?" Becca asked.
"I read about him at the museum. Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash. He's like an evil Flash from the future. I thought he was dead." Hughie said.
"We always do." Wally remarked grimly.
"Luthor and Thawne are working together. Do you think there might be more?" John asked.
"Besides Stan Edgar, you mean?" Annie asked.
"We don't think Luthor considers Edgar to be a partner. They have different end goals. One is motivated by greed, the other pride." Aquaman said.
Oracle's icon appeared on the screen.
"Homelander is also on the verge of a mental breakdown, and a bad one, at that." Oracle said.
"What?" Annie asked, sounding worried.
"He knows about Ryan?" Becca asked.
"It's likely that along with other factors. One being the Joker has something on him. We don't know what it is." Oracle said.
"It could just be another embarrassing video." Hughie suggested.
"It's possible, but there is something else you might want to know. Soldier Boy is Homelander's father." Oracle said.
"Really?" Annie asked.
Hughie winced upon hearing that remembering his relationship with Liberty.
"That explains so much." Becca remarked.
"What does?" Green Lantern asked.
"When I was pregnant with Ryan, every time I asked about Homelander, specifically about his parents, they would always avoid the question. I remember hearing stories about Soldier Boy being unstable, and one time I overheard Vogelbaum argue with Edgar. Vogelbaum sounded like a guilty mess, but Edgar said they knew Homelander's father would not be a significant improvement." Becca explained.
"Vought sent him to the Russians." Hughie realized.
"Russians?" Becca asked.
"It's a long story, but when the guys and I were in the Suicide Squad they sent us over to our Russia to find a supe weapon. There we found Soldier Boy, and Waller turned him into the squad's boss." Hughie explained.
"Are you sure?" Becca asked.
"He is. During his call with Homelander, he confirmed that his teammates attacked him." Oracle said.
"So what are they going to team up?" Hughie asked.
"No, Soldier Boy disowned Homelander. Homelander doesn't fit his idea of masculinity, and he saw the milk video." Oracle said.
"Can I hear it?" Becca asked angrily.
This caught the League by surprise.
"Maybe later, anyway, Soldier Boy is probably still after his former teammates. Crimson Countess, we know, but Mindstorm and Noir have gone off the grid." Oracle said.
"Black Noir left?" Annie asked, sounding incredulous.
"He apparently initiated the attack." Oracle said.
"Hold on? How did Joker get this video?" Annie asked.
Wonder Woman let out a sigh.
"We have reason to believe that Queen Maeve is under the influence of Circe." Diana explained.
Annie was silent.
"Circe, like from the Odyssey?" Hughie asked.
"The very same. Circe likely did this as a way to try and hurt me. I can handle her." Wonder Woman explained.
"What about Maeve?" Annie asked.
"I will try to reason with her, I pray to Hera, that Maeve still has enough of a conscience." Diana said.
"Homelander is on the verge of a meltdown. Do you know where he might attack?" Green Lantern asked.
"You don't think he'd try New York?" Becca asked.
"That's too obvious. He knows he can't beat us. This is nothing more than a destructive tantrum." Aquaman said.
"Where is Maeve from?" Hughie asked Annie.
"Blowing Rock, North Carolina." Annie said.
"Too far. He is likely planning to bring others with him. Most of them likely would not be able to fly." Green Lantern asked.
"Not to mention, that seems too small. Homelander is a narcissist. He'd want to attack someplace big, but wants to be cautious to kill as many civilians as possible before the League arrives." Oracle said.
"We'll find him, hopefully, before it's not too late. Batman intends to hold onto the video just to be safe. In fact, there is something else, we need your help with." Wonder Woman said, looking at Hughie and Annie.
"What is it?" Hughie asked.
"Annie mentioned you recovered photos and documentation of Stormfront's past. We need you to go and recover them alongside three friends of Superman." Diana explained.
Annie and Hughie looked at one another unsure.
"We understand you have been through a lot, but we need those documents. I know at the end of the day, you want to do what is right, so please help us." Diana pleaded.
Annie sighed.
"We'll do it." She said.
Batman jumped through one of the windows in Joker's hideout, Robin was told to wait in case of a trap, which was more than likely. It was dark, not a light in the building was on. Batman walked through the building. His cowl obviously allowed him to see in the dark. He eventually found himself on a stage with Murray Franklin's props. Batman looked around and saw something that seemed out of place. It looked like a clown head with an open mouth, his eyes widening, Batman tried to move only to get wrapped up in red fabric from the mouth. Batman was constricted. He managed to protect his neck, and soon the lights turned on. As the door opened stood The Joker, Harley Quinn, and a couple of his henchmen.
"Well, look who's decided to crash at our place." Joker remarked.
"You better of wiped your feet before you came in here, B-Man! I just cleaned up the joint!" Harley scolded.
Batman glared, he had been in this situation before, he would get out of it again.
"I know you're probably upset about me bullying super fraud, but trust me, we both want the same thing." Joker said.
"You want Homelander to rampage and kill innocent people." Batman said.
"Yeah, and you want him locked up. He kills several people, then you and your superfriends show up to beat him like a piñata, and he spends the rest of his life in the slammer. It's a win-win." Joker said before putting on a more thoughtful expression. "Well, maybe not a win for you." He added before letting out a chuckle.
"What's on the video?" Batman asked, wanting to exploit Joker's vanity.
"What do you mean this video, right here?" Joker asked, showing the camera to Batman with a smug grin.
Batman said nothing only glaring at his captor.
"Okay, fine, I'll tell you. You see, last year on Earth Seven, there was a plane crash. Trans Atlantic Flight 37." Joker said.
"I've heard of it." Batman cut him off upon realizing Robin had entered the building.
Joker frowned at his arch-enemy.
"As I was about to say, Trans Atlantic Flight 37 crashed into the ocean thanks to a bunch of terrorists from the Middle East. Of course, that's the official story. The truth is much more publicly damning for a certain flying Oedipus complex." Joker said.
"Homelander caused it." Batman said.
Joker turned to Harley.
"Look at him, Harley, the World's greatest detective at work." He told her.
"I know right." Harley said.
"Let me tell you something, Bats. This video is a doozy." Joker told him, a sadistic smile on his face.
"Why focus on Homelander?" Batman asked.
"Why it's simple, really. I kind of like the guy. Sure, he's kind of a disappointment in a lot of areas, like his dairy preferences, for one. HEH! But he is such a psycho I can't wait to see him cut loose. You see, I want to help the poor sop. Let him be his true self just this once." Joker explained. "Don't tell me you're getting jealous, are you?" He asked.
"Hardly." Batman replied.
"Sure, like you sending Billy-what's-his-name and his belligerent buddies to Arkham wasn't trying to get me." Joker said before catching himself. "But I digress." He added.
"So what, are you finally going to kill me?" Batman asked, realizing Batgirl was on the balcony to his right.
"Well, the thought had occurred to me, adios Batsy!" Joker said, getting his gun out.
Only for his hand to get hit by one of Robin's shurikens, he dropped his gun. Robin swung down on the rafters kicking one of Joker's men, causing them to knock into each other. Batgirl used this opportunity to free Batman from his bondage. Batman soon dropped a smoke bomb at Joker's feet. Their coughs echoed throughout the room as they all blindly fired their guns at where Batman was. When the smoke dissipated, an irritated Joker looked around. He noticed he still had the camera on him. Meanwhile, Batman was fighting Joker's men.
"Nice trick, Bats. Too bad I still got the video." Joker remarked.
Robin landed in front of him and tried to take it from him.
"Hey!"
"Release it, clown!" Damian said.
"Oh god, you know, I miss the old Batman and Robin days. Whatever happened to the contrast between the dynamic duo. You know who I blame for that, bird boy number two. I hoped that beating him to death would beat it out of any successors." Joker said.
Robin angrily slugged him across the chin, causing him to let go.
"What still too soon?"
Only for Harley to shoot Jason with the string from her cork gun.
"Someone oughta teach ya some manners kid." Harley said.
"There is absolutely nothing you could teach me, Quinzel." Damian said.
Joker pulled out a crowbar.
"Okay, let's see if this works out the second time." He said, brandishing it. As Joker pulled it over his head, he felt someone hold it back. Joker shyly looked back to see a none-too-happy Batman as the culprit. He let out an awkward chuckle.
"Sorry." He apologized.
Only for Batman to punch him in the face sending him back to Murray Franklin's desk. Joker turned away from Batman, and as the dark knight grabbed the clown, he was struck in the head by a glass mug.
"That was an antique! You made me do that, and I'm supposed to be the bad guy!" He yelled.
Batman punched Joker in the gut before punching him in the chin. Harley tried to rush at Batman with her hammer. Only for Batgirl to throw a line at her feet, causing her to throw the hammer at Batman. Only for Batman to duck and head straight to The Joker.
"Oh no." He said before getting hit.
The hammer knocked Joker through the set walls.
"Puddin! Are ya okay?!" She asked, concerned.
"Harley…" Joker weakly let out, raising a hand.
"Yes." She said hopeful.
"You're an idiot." Joker weakly let out before his hand fell down.
A despondent Harley let herself get handcuffed by Batgirl. Batman approached the collapsed stage walls and lifted them off his worst enemy. He was still alive, but looked to be out of it. Until he looked at his outstretched hand. In it was his electric joy buzzer which he tried to bring down onto Batman. Joker laughed as electricity emanated from it, only for Batman to knock the joy buzzer to the floor. Joker let out a few embarrassed chuckles before frowning.
"Kill joy." He muttered.
Batman knocked him out with a punch across the face and handcuffed him. One down, more to go.
"You have the camera?" He asked Robin.
"I do." He said, handing it over to Batman.
Batman broke the camera and took out the memory card. They heard police sirens as the GCPD entered the room, surrounding those down on the ground. Commissioner Gordon walked in and approached Batman.
"Looks like that report I was told to say was accurate." Gordon said.
"I have the video card." Batman said as he uploaded it to his gauntlet.
"That's good. I take it that it was important?" Gordon asked.
The video then played from the display on Batman's gauntlet.
"You stay the fuck back, or I'll laser you, god damn it, I'll laser every fucking one of you!" Homelander's voice from the video shouted. His eyes glowed red as the terrified passengers backed away.
Batman looked at Gordon. Despite years of serving on the force and being a frequent supervillain target, he was shocked and horrified to see this. Both of them imagined the horror flashing through the minds of those innocent people as their protector showed his true face to them. All while the inevitability of death looked clear. Batman clenched his fist in anger. Whatever sympathies he had for Homelander, small as they were, died at that moment.
"Jesus…" Jim said.
"We'll stop him, Jim. I promise you." Batman told him.
"I know. It's just that for a moment, a part of my brain made me see…" Jim trailed off.
"Superman would never do that. You and I both know that." Batman told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, makes you realize how we lucked out with our man in the sky." Gordon said.
"More than you could ever know, be safe Jim." Batman said as he walked away.
"Well, this is something I never thought I'd see, Master Bruce." Alfred said.
"What?" Batman asked.
"You actually finished a conversation with my Dad." Oracle said, her grin was evident from the tone of her voice.