A/N: Before this story starts, I must admit that I've been extremely hesitant with the idea of posting a John-centric story that takes place within any DC or Marvel property. John is a character where the focus is best directed towards his development rather than his powers, and I've honestly never been too comfortable with placing him in a universe where he'd be so hilariously outgunned that he's basically pointless unless he gets exponentially stronger.
That being said, I have thought about it, and after a commenter on Ao3 proposed an idea of sorts like this, I said screw it. If people like it, yay, if not, okay.
Just a small notice: while this story does follow the Injustice comics, it's not going to entirely be accurate. Some elements of this story have been changed, and a lot of the knowledge I draw on outside of the comic's story will be from the wider DC Universe.
But with that said, on with the story.
John
You know… I've been in this game for ten years. When I found out I was a superhuman so long ago… hell, it was fantasy brought to life.
Now we live in a world where there's some guy in tights around every corner. And I mean that too. Comic books like Warrior Angel and shit suddenly seem a lot less fictional.
Of course, I kicked it off. With the appearance of the Juggernaut and the exposed existence of superhumans, a bunch of people started coming out of the woodwork. Next thing you know, there's demons, angels, aliens, and beings from other dimensions roaming around, with tangible proof to their existence.
Of course… there were some that were present long before me. I'll never forget the feeling of seeing Superman first appear when I was a kid. The guy was my favorite anything. Superhero, celebrity, you name it.
Only person I ever looked up to more was my grandparents.
Rest in peace, Mamaw and Papaw.
Anyway, Batman and Superman were around way before I was. Wonder Woman came not long after, and then all was quiet till I came along. Then a bunch of guys came out of the woodwork.
It all started out with the militia. And to this day, that remains my best connection. Me, Pete, and Rach ended up forming our own little team. The militia's best and brightest, our military designation is the Omega Team, but most people just call us the Dream team. Been a little inside joke for years.
But I digress.
I've been in this game since I joined the militia when I was fifteen. I've seen people come and go, I've watched comrades die in battle, and I've met plenty of different superheroes and shit in my time.
I'll never forget the day I found out Batman was Bruce Wayne. That had not been who I was expecting when I tore that mask off.
I've worked alongside a couple of them too, but that's only been on rare occasions. Me and Bruce butted heads at first when I was sent after Jones, and he actually tried showing up at my place to arrest me for murder.
Didn't exactly go too well, but we had an understanding of sorts when he found out that I was government certified.
You see, the militia is a bit finicky. Ever since it's existence was revealed to the public (Thank you Lex fucking Luthor), there's been an ongoing debate as to whether or not joining up at such a young age is acceptable.
Granted, the militia does help people control their powers after they've been discovered, but once you turn thirteen, any superhuman is legally allowed to join up.
The issue is that… well… you know… thirteen? Hell, we still can't drink till we turn twenty-one, so why should we be allowed to join the military at a much younger age because of our abilities?
Since then, we've had a lot of changes. Anyone under the age of sixteen can't go on any missions without supervision, and anyone under the age of eighteen isn't getting any solo missions either.
But that's neither here nor there.
It's been a long ten years. I've been through a lot of scrapes, pushed my limits, grown stronger than I'd have ever imagined. We've had a lot of different things happen, a lot of world destroying threats, shit of that nature.
I've teamed up with so many different people over the years. Between all of the galactic warlords and madness inducing monsters, I've lost count of how many people I've fought beside.
I'll never forget the day me and Pete were sent to help the Justice League when Doomsday showed up. I took a hit from Hell and it mangled me worse than anything I'd ever experienced at the time.
Of course, Darkseid's agony matrix beat that by a large margin.
Anyway, it took me about five minutes to pull myself back into a standing position. About an hour in, my own adaptation had basically put me well above Doomsday, and me and Supes ended up taking his head off.
Now if the sorry bastard could stay dead, that would make things so much better.
Yeah, it's… been a long time.
It hasn't all been bad though. I've made a few friends here and there.
But… I suppose that's what makes everything that much harder.
Me and Bruce… we had an understanding. He'd taken an oath to never take a life, and leave the issue of justice to the legal system. As I'm a part of that legal system, with full authorization to eliminate threats at my discretion, me and him had come to the understanding that even if he hated it, he wouldn't interfere if I made a call that ended with a corpse.
But… well, there was one disagreement we had.
Pissed him off bad when I told him that the next time Joker got out and caused damage, I'd be back. And I'd meant to follow through with it too.
Well, till Bruce pulled some strings. Next thing I know, I'm banned from going anywhere near Arkham.
The sad thing is… I listened.
And three weeks ago, that crazy son of a bitch destroyed Metropolis.
I still remember vividly what happened when I heard the news. I was out working on the truck when Amara started hollering for me, and I came rushing into her pointing at the TV with tears in her eyes.
About ten minutes later, I got a call from Maddie. She'd been let off work when she heard the news, and in record time, she was here helping me calm down Amara. And considering what happened, I wasn't exactly eager for work myself. There was gonna be a lot of panic.
And then… Bruce called.
Turns out that the whole thing was an attempt to get back at Superman. And it worked. His wife and unborn kid were killed, and his city was gone, so Supes put his fist in Joker's chest and returned the favor.
I… wasn't sure what to think. I mean, Metropolis has been wiped off the map, the guy I look up to has killed a man in cold blood… things had gotten a lot more real.
It's funny. All the world ending, reality bending threats we've faced… and none of that shakes the world up more than a goddamn nuke going off.
Granted, it was in the home of fucking Superman… but these are the kind of weapons humanity can create. It was only a matter of time before someone tried something like this.
Hell, me and Maddie have had to let Amara sleep with us because she's too damn scared that someone's gonna blow us all to Hell like someone did to Metropolis.
But then I got the call a day later.
Maddie was sitting in the living room watching cartoons with Amara. We'd managed to get her hooked on Transformers, something that honestly made me very happy considering my own love for the fictional aliens. I'd just finished washing my hands when the house phone rang.
"I got it!" I called Maddie when I heard her shuffling up off the couch, waving for her to sit down as I tossed my rag onto the oven's door handle. I picked the phone up off the charger, and took a glance at the Caller ID.
Peter.
Not sure whether to expect bad news or a new mission assignment from Alex, I answered the call. Chances are I'd still have time to spend with Maddie and Amara on the chance I did find myself going into work.
"Hello?" I greet, and I barely have the word out before Peter's voice comes through the phone.
"You need to turn on the news right now, John." There's a serious tone in his voice, but there's a kind of… frantic way about it. Something's actually got him spooked.
"What's going on, Peter?" I ask even as I turn to do as he says, making my way out of the kitchen and into the living room, casually leaning over the couch and surprising Maddie and Amara as I swipe the remote from between them.
"See for yourself, and then you'll understand." Peter says as I pull up the guide. I put in the numbers for Local 12, expecting some kind of news report coming across screen as I click on it.
Amara lets a moan of disappointment escape her as I drop the phone back onto the couch. When the channel pops up… we all go silent.
On the screen is… Superman. It looks like he's standing in front of the United Nations… Wonder Woman is standing next to him, and there's some older guy sitting on the ground without a shirt, looking up at the Man of Steel in pure terror.
Superman has a look of utter sadness on his face, all kinds of pain and anguish right there for all to see. And when he speaks… he sounds like the broken man he is.
"I'm so sorry." He says. "We failed you." He brings his head up to look at the massive amount of world leaders in front of him.
"What's going on?" Maddie asks as I quickly circle the couch, taking a seat without ever taking my eyes off the TV.
"No idea." I answer quickly as Superman starts speaking again.
"My name- my Earth name, is Clark Kent." Well… okay. I'm not sure what to think of that one. I liked the guy, but I never actually knew him. We had occasional interactions here and there, but never anything that really made us close friends. "I am… was a reporter for the Daily Planet."
I can't help the way I recoil slightly when I see the look of pure contempt on his face after that. Superman's always been the world's number one boyscout, so seeing him with such a look on his face is jarring more than anything.
My eyes are pulled away from the TV when I feel a weight pushing up against me, and I turn my gaze down to see Amara wrapping her little arms around me, looking at the TV with an uncomfortable gaze. I let an arm come down to rub her back, hoping to soothe her as best as I can.
By the time I turn back to the TV myself, Superman is well into speaking once more, and I can't say I like what I hear.
"-happened yesterday can never be allowed to happen again." He says, his grip on the podium tightening slightly. I'm pretty sure I can see the damn thing cracking. "Monsters can no longer roam free among us."
"I don't like the sound of that." Maddie says, and now she sounds a bit nervous too.
I don't blame her.
She's a normal human, living in a world of gods, superheroes, and monsters. And the most powerful man in the world is on the news, sounding like he's losing it in front of almost every world leader in existence.
Hell, I'm nervous, and I've been called in to scrap with the guy on occasion.
"Come here." I say as I switch ears with the phone, robbing Amara of my hand as I place my other one around Maddie's shoulders and pull her close, leaning down and offering a reassurig kiss to the top of her head.
In the time it takes me to switch focus on my family and back, Superman continues his speech, and by the time I turn my attention back to the TV… it sounds like it's taken a dark turn.
"-or your beliefs. I don't care about your petty squabbles." He says, his eyes narrowing in a downright threatening gaze. Coming from fucking Superman… It's understandably unnerving. "I don't care if you're a madman or a terrorist, a king or a president. You do not have the right to take innocent lives."
Um… fair, I suppose. But I'm still not sure I like where this is heading.
And you know what? I hate being right.
"I am calling for an immediate world-wide ceasefire." When he demands that, my jaw drops. That… isn't something he really had the power to do. Not unless he… wait, who the hell is the guy on the ground again? "All hostilities will stop immediately, or I will stop them. It's over."
"That's the Bialyan President on the ground." Peter says to me over the phone, his voice deadly serious as my eyes fly wide. "He doesn't care about international regulations anymore. He just went over and liberated the country."
"I mean, can you blame him?" I can't help but to ask aloud, causing both Maddie and Amara to look up at me in confusion even as I focus on Peter. "We've been looking for authorization to head over that way for a while, haven't we?"
"John, it's not just Bialya." Peter says with a small sigh, causing me to think I may have messed up somewhere. "And it's not good either. He isn't you, he's a broken man who's lashing out, and he's got the power to take drastic measures without any consequences."
I get what he's saying, and he's got a point. Someone like Superman going off the deep end is a very bad thought process, but I suppose I'm trying to cut him some slack. Seems like his main focus is still saving lives, and he just lost damn near everything. His family, his city… it's only been a day.
"John, I know you feel for him, I do too." Peter assures me, and I don't doubt that for a second. "But we need to keep an eye on him. What happens when he really goes off the deep end? He's already killed the Joker."
"Alright, can you really blame him on that one?" I retort, raising an eyebrow. "Look, I get it. It's a terrifying prospect. But I was banned from Arkham for a reason, and can you really blame anybody for wanting to kill that crazy fucker?"
"John, this isn't just another man, it's Superman." Peter replies calmly. "This guy has been a damn boyscout since he came into the public eye, and now he has no problem intervening in other countries and killing people? Things he swore up and down that he'd never do?"
I get what he's saying. Can't really argue with it either. Although I personally disagree with that first remark, everything else he's saying is spot on.
But… come on, it's Superman. Nobody's shrugging off that kind of trauma, and he's always had one of the strongest wills in the world. It broke him, but there's no way he's gone off the deep end… right?
I want to come up with a reasonable argument, I really do. I have way to much respect for the guy, and he deserves time to mourn. But as much as I hate to admit it… Peter makes a very good point.
Like it or not, this is Superman. And this whole thing can definitely cause quite the panic considering one of if not the most powerful man in the world is starting to directly police it.
I just really hope he doesn't push it too far.
"Well, we gotta keep an eye on him either way." It is the militia's job to police the entire superhero population. And that unfortunately means keeping a close eye on Superman at the moment. As much as I feel for the guy, it is my job to monitor him at the moment. "So just keep doing that, and we'll step in if we feel the need."
"Are you really sure it's that simple?" Peter asks, sounding less than enthused with my response. Clearly, he's a lot more unnerved than I am.
"Look, the guy's hurting, but he's trying to do some good." I tell him, because I'm not entirely sure Peter knows how deep this goes. He isn't getting a phone call from Bruce like I would. "So no matter how uncomfortable anyone is, protocol states that we only monitor him. Alex's rules, remember."
"Yeah, I remember." Peter answers with a sigh. "It's just… scary."
"No doubt about that." No sooner than the words leave my mouth do I feel Amara tugging at my shirt, and I move my gaze down to her to see her looking up at me with… fear in her eyes.
"Daddy, I want to watch Transformers."
I meet Maddie's gaze for a moment, and she gestures none too kindly for me to put Transformers back on.
"Look, Pete, I'm about to watch some cartoons with Maddie and Mara." I tell him as I grab the remote and put the show back on. "So unless there's a mission assignment, the only advice I can give you is to relax. Stressing over it ain't doing you any favors."
There's a moment of silence on the other end, before Peter let's a small sigh escape him.
"You're right. Of course you're right. I don't know, I guess I'm just paranoid."
"Going to Hell has that effect." Thank you John fucking Constantine. "Pete, I'm not writing off your concerns, but there's no reason to drive yourself nuts right now."
"Alright." Peter says, his voice wavering slightly. Since that whole business with Lucifer himself, Pete ain't exactly had it easy. Ended up getting himself stuck in one of those Hell loops…
I don't know too much of what happened, but I do remember throwing down with Etrigan trying to splatter Constantine all over the floor when I found out what had happened to Peter.
"Alright." Pete says again, sounding much more confident that time in an attempt to reassure himself. "I just… you know what, I'll leave you alone. I got Levi to bug about this shit."
"Hah!" I can't help but laugh slightly at that one, but nonetheless I appease his wishes. "Alright then, tell him I said hi."
"I will. Thanks… for talking to me." Pete says, and I can't help but to smile.
"You, Levi, and Rachel have helped us through a lot of shit, Pete." I reply with a chuckle. The tense atmosphere in our living room has slowly gone away as the sound of cheesy eighties dialogue and Peter Cullen's voice fill the room. "I'll be da- um, screwed… if I don't return the favor."
"Smooth." Pete remarks dryly, causing me to laugh once more. "Alright John, I'll trust you on this one. Just… be careful, alright?"
"I will. Take care Pete."
"See ya."
With that, I hang up the phone, leaning forward and tossing it upon the coffee table before leaning back against the couch.
"Now." I say, addressing the two special girls in my life with a smile. "Let's enjoy some Transformers for a bit."
If there's one thing that makes me feel better, it's spending time with my family.
And Transformers. God I love Transformers.
"So what was that about?" Maddie asks, curling her feet up onto the couch and leaning into me, resting her chin on my shoulder as she looked up at me. "Pete sounded worried for a bit."
"This whole thing with Superman has him worried." I answer as I meet her gaze. "And I don't really blame him, but I feel for the guy at the same time." I admit as my expression falls slightly.
"Bruce said he lost everything, right?" Maddie asks, and when I nod, her own expression falls as she turns back to the cartoons. "That… that's horrible."
"Yeah, it is." I agree, because it is. "And considering how powerful Superman is… well, people have justified reasons to be scared."
"You don't seem to be." Maddie noted, raising an eyebrow as she turned her gaze back to me. "You don't sound worried at all."
I can't help the small but confident smile on my face as I meet her gaze.
"It's Superman. He'll break like any other man, but he's as tough as they come." I don't like how callous I sound when I say that, and I quickly rectify it. "So long as he's got a proper support system… well, I honestly think the worst we'll get is these couple of incidents. He's in a bad place, but he'll recover."
"I don't know…" Maddie admits, turning back towards the TV with a skeptical gaze. "He looked serious on the TV. And who was that guy?"
"Bailyan president." I answer, and Maddie's understandably aghast with that answer. After all, it's not like he went and dragged some random crook to the UN. It's an official world leader.
"And you aren't concerned about that?" Maddie asks, looking up at me in disbelief.
I open my mouth to answer, but I don't get the chance, as Amara speaks up before I do.
"Beat him up, Optimus!" She cheers at the TV, causing both me and Maddie to look at her for a moment. Considering the fact that she's likely still a bit scared over Metropolis, we share one look, and postpone the conversation for later.
After that whole debacle, a couple of weeks went by with no issues. No big news on Superman, or anything else really. Outside of memorial services and tributes to the people of Metropolis, and the stuff with Superman and the Joker… it was actually pretty quiet.
I honestly let myself assume that Superman had recovered a bit more, considering there had been nothing about him other than the constant debates over whether he should've killed Joker.
But… well, nothing can ever go right, can it?
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Sleep is rather hit or miss for me. My body doesn't function like a normal person's, and I can go weeks without an ounce of sleep before it starts to affect me.
Doesn't change the fact that I hate it when something like a knock at my door wakes me up.
My head rolls a little, but I keep my eyes closed and snuggle back up against Maddie after a few seconds of silence.
But then the knocking comes again.
Considering how frantic and harsh the knocking sounds, something tells me the unexpected visitor doesn't plan on leaving.
A gravely sigh of irritation escapes my lips, but I nonetheless sit up, giving Maddie's sleeping form a quick peck on the temple before throwing the cover off and sliding my feet off the bed.
When the knock sounds out again before I've even left the bedroom, I actually have to restrain the urge to growl. Both Maddie and Amara are still asleep, and I ain't looking for either of them to get woken up by some asshole.
Hell, the sun ain't even up for christsakes.
I march through the house at a brisk pace, and I don't even see who's on the other side of the door when the knocking starts again. A fist hits the door once, before I fling the damn thing open and shout at whoever is on the other side.
"What?!" The fury on my face is none too hidden and I glare at whoever is on the other side. I feel a small bit of surprise when I see that it's Bruce of all people, but that's heavily overshadowed by my frustration. "Motherfucker, it is-" I pause and glance over at the digital clock on the stove. "-five in the morning. What the hell are you doing here?"
"We've got a problem." He tells me, and I happily await the explanation. "The Kents were kidnapped a couple of hours ago."
Considering I'd just woke up and I'm still a bit frustrated, I can't say that really explains the situation.
"And who the hell are the Kents?" I ask, the past couple weeks completely slipping my mind at the moment. "Should I know them?"
"Superman's parents." He answers, and that answer hits me like a freight train.
I stare at him like an idiot for a moment, frustration fading quickly in place of a surprise before I finally shake myself out of my stupor.
"Come on in. Just be quiet, Maddie and Amara are sleeping." I grumble, shaking my head as I realize that this is not going to be a very good day. "Who kidnapped them? Lex Luthor?"
"Luthor died in Metropolis." Bruce corrects me as he takes a seat on the couch, his perfectly brushed hair and piercing blue eyes creating a false image of complete control. "And I don't know just yet, but I have a hunch."
"And that brings you to my door… why?" I ask as I swipe a bottle of Gatorade and a Hershey bar from my fridge before turning back to him. "Outside of all those big fights, me and him have barely said more than two words to each other. Why the hell are you coming to me?"
"Because I think it's the government." Bruce admits plainly. If there's one thing I appreciate about him, it's that he doesn't fuck around. "And I'm hoping you'll be willing to find out for certain."
"If it's the government, I would've been notified if the militia was involved in any capacity." I point out as I take a seat in the recliner next to the couch. "And I still have people I answer to, so I can't make any promises."
"Maybe not on that front." Bruce agrees. If there's one thing he's learned about me, it's that I'll tell you point blank if there's any flaws in your plan. "But that's not the only reason I'm here."
"Then spit it out." I say as I peel open the candy bar and take a bite. "It's five in the morning, and you just woke me up to drop a bombshell on me. I ain't in the mood for games, Bruce."
Bruce isn't the type to play games like this, and I can admit that bit of aggression is undeserved. But I'd like to think that I'd be forgiven, given the circumstances.
"I'm worried about Clark." Bruce admits plain as day, his face never changing in the slightest. Funny enough, that's part of the reason I know he's being serious. "He's falling down a rabbit hole, and this might just trap him in it."
"Again, don't know what you want me to do." Yeah, my patience is a bit thin right now. "Only reason I know the guy at all is because of you and that shit with Darkseid. Best I could do is help find his parents."
"Then do it."
A humorless chuckle escapes me at that.
"You know better than anyone how bad of an idea it is to order me around like that, Bruce." I say, fixing him with a dead stare as I narrow my eyes.
Bruce holds my gaze for a moment, before sighing,
"I want you to help them, yes… but I also want you to help Clark in general, if you can." He admits, relaxing slightly and finally letting a little bit of emotion through. "What happened in Metropolis has made Clark unstable. His world has fallen apart, he's lashing out, and he's emotionally fragile right now. And I think that some interaction with you will do him more good than anyone else."
"Why's that?" I ask for clarification, raising an eyebrow. "He'd prefer you over me. Every time you're mentioned, you're his best friend."
I don't even need to know Supes personally to know that. Any time Bruce is brought up in an interview, he's always talking about how they're best friends. Hell, Bruce has said as much himself.
"That's why I'm asking you, John." Bruce says as he cups his hands together. "I know how I'd deal with it, but you would be a kindred spirit."
I can't help the deadpan stare I give him when he says that. The Juggernaut and Superman? Kindred spirits?
"He was a boy scout. You were there when I killed Croc. Need I say more?"
Bruce let's another short chuckle escape him, before fixing his gaze on me once more.
"You can deny it all you want, John, but you and Clark are the most powerful men in the world. And yet, some of the most human, too."
"Others would disagree." I point out, but I find myself a bit shocked when Bruce waves that off.
"We don't see eye to eye on how to deal with some criminals." Bruce admits, shaking his head as he does so. "That being said… I may have rushed things on Joker."
"Alright let me stop you there." I interrupt him, crushing the candy wrapper in my hand as I lean forward and look him in the eye. "We had our disagreements, yes, but you ain't responsible for someone else's actions."
"If I'd have-"
"Don't talk, listen," I interrupt him once more, causing him to shoot me a look of irritation. "I know better than anyone how easy it is to fall into that line of thinking, but I'm telling you that what happened in Metropolis ain't your fault."
"It's my job to handle my rogues-"
"A self-appointed job that is both illegal and dangerous." I can tell Bruce isn't pleased with my constant interruptions, but I ain't gonna stop till I've made my point. "When we make mistakes in our line of work, people die. You know it, I know it. There's nothing we can do but move on and make sure it doesn't happen again."
"I made a vow to never kill. It makes me no better than my enemies." Bruce reminds me, causing me to chuckle. "But I don't hold some people-"
"If you had ever started, then I'd have probably crippled you for life the night we met." I cut in bluntly, raising an eyebrow. "It's not that it makes you no better, it's that it keeps you from crossing a line you don't want to." I have a lot of blood on my hands from the past decade. I can and am more than willing to turn into a monster when I deem it necessary.
If I can spare someone else the baggage that comes with that regardless, I most certainly will.
"And now Metropolis is a memory."
"For the love of god, Bruce." I shake my head in frustration. If there's one thing I've always hated about Bruce, it's how fucking stubborn he can be over literally anything. "Look, you don't make the choices for Joker. It's the legal system that failed, not you, and it's about time you quit taking blame that ain't yours."
"My job is to protect Gotham." Bruce retorts with a sigh, shaking his head slightly. "But it was always about us. I never thought he'd-"
"Bruce, let me tell you something." I say, a small chuckle escaping me as I lean forward and cup my hands together, offering him a small smile. "You get on my nerves to hell and back. Me and you have a lot of differences, and there are plenty of time where I want to lay your ass out and be done with you. But if there is one thing I've always respected, it's your code." I admit freely. "Without that code, there is no Batman."
Bruce stares at me for a moment, expressionless. But after a few seconds of silence, he finally speaks once more.
"There is another reason I'm asking you." Bruce admits, causing me to cock my head to the side in confusion. "I don't… look, Clark needs emotional support right now. And let's be frank, we both know that's not my forte."
"But it is mine?" I ask and joke both, leaning back into the recliner and swiping my Gatorade up off the table. "What makes you say that?"
"Just now is a good example." Bruce admitted bluntly. "You've given me a lot to think about since it's happened, and like you just said, I'm one of the most stubborn people you know. Besides yourself of course."
"Guilty as charged." I joke with an amused smirk.
"But the reason I think you're better than anyone else is because you understand him more than you think." Bruce explains, gaining my full (confused) attention. "You're both gods among men, and yet your strongest values have been nothing above that of a normal man. You have lives to lead, wives to-" Bruce realizes how that might be a bad bit of phrasing from the deadpan stare I give him. "...people to fight for… but in the end, you both value normalcy more than anything."
I still find myself stunned by all that. In all the years I've known Bruce, he's never quite said anything like that to me. In fact, no one has now that I think about it.
My silence gives Bruce the opening to continue speaking.
"Believe it or not, a lot of our peers look up to you for the same reason they did Clark." Bruce adds on, causing my eyes to widen even further. People look up to me? Really? I'm too sure I believe that. "You have no issues with killing, that's the big difference. But it's honestly scary how similar the two of you are when you think about it."
"I guess…" I'm honestly still trying to process all that, but I don't think I really get what he's saying.
"But your biggest strength is what he's missing right now: your ability to see people."
"Okay, now you lost me." I admit freely, because I have no idea what he means by that. I don't have some ability to see people.
Bruce actually grins when I say that. A true, genuine grin.
"You treat someone as a person from the moment you meet them. Raven's a good example."
"She's just a kid." I reply, shrugging my shoulders because I really don't see what the big deal is. "She was scared, and she needed someone to talk to."
"John, do you have any idea where she went before she came to you about Trigon?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow as he shoots me an amused look. "She came to the League, but Zatanna shut her down because of the demonic energy inside of her."
"Really? Zee?" Zatanna's many things, but I honestly can't recall judgmental being one of them. And I'm honestly not even sure that's the correct term. "She's just a kid, what does that matter?"
"Not everyone is as open minded as you, John." Bruce retorts with a small shake of head. "Even Clark said no when Zatanna told us about that. So did I."
"Well… shit…" I never knew that. When Raven popped up at Area 51, she was begging for help. Said that her father was gonna destroy the world, and nobody would help. Hell, an inside joke we all share is that the world was saved because I asked who Trigon was.
Yeah, uh… well, we tried to help as best as we could, but I ended up taking her over to LA for help. Raven damn near had a shit fit when she found out the person who was gonna help was the Devil himself.
"Well, I still didn't end up helping her either. Had to go to Lucifer for that." I point out, looking at Bruce in confusion.
Bruce just raises an eyebrow. "And you don't see how that proves my point?"
"Nope."
Bruce just chuckles in response. "Well, nonetheless, will you help him?"
"Well, I doubt his parents did anything to warrant a government abduction." I say with a shrug as I stand to my feet, downing the last bit of Gatorade I'd drank over the course of the conversation. Once finished, I pop the candy wrapper inside the bottle and toss it into the trash can before turning back to Bruce. "I'll get dressed, head out that way. See what I can do to help."
Despite the ulterior motive, Bruce seems satisfied with that response, standing to his feet with a small smile. "Well, I really do appreciate it, John."
"Yeah, yeah." I wave off his words with a small grin, before fixing him an amused expression. "Now get the hell out of here. You figure out who did it, and I'll see what I can do to get Mama and Papa Kent back."
Bruce nods his head, and with that being the end of the conversation, he's out the door almost immediately while I make my way to my room.
Bruce has been like that for as long as I've known him. The guy wouldn't know the meaning of the word relaxation if you boot him through a crash course.
Nonetheless, I make my way into our master bedroom, making my way over to the closet and immediately opening it up. I find my usual outfit easy enough, and it's no time at all before I'm all dressed.
Though, I do accidentally wake up Maddie when I sit down on the bed to put my boots on.
I got the first one on and i'm in the middle of putting on the second when Maddie's tired voice flows into my ears.
"John?" When I hear her, I spin around to face her with an apologetic look on my face. Admittedly, that wasn't part of the plan, but it's definitely better than the alternative.
"Sorry." I apologize as I lean down, bringing a hand up to brush some hair behind her ear as I kiss her temple. "I got to go. Something's come up."
"What happened?" Despite the drowsy tone, there's a small bit of worry in her voice. Considering my line of work, there's no question as to why.
"Superman's parents were kidnapped." I answer with a sigh as I sit up straight on the bed, shaking my head with a humorless chuckle at the situation. "Bruce just stopped by and asked me to help the rescue efforts."
"Be careful, okay?" Maddie's never liked me being with the militia, let alone doing all this superhero business. Nonetheless, she raises a tired hand and rests it upon my forearm, and I couldn't stop the soft smile on my face if I tried.
"I will." I assure as I lean back down once more, offering a kiss which she gladly accepts before standing to my feet. "Will you let Amara know when she wakes up?"
"Mhmm." Maddie answers with a nod, already struggling to hold her head up as sleep threatens to take her once more. "Just don't get hurt." She mumbles as sleep finally claims her once more, and I chuckle as I turn around.
"No problem." I mutter quietly, staring at her for a few moments before turning and grabbing my phone.
Wallet too, since I have my CIA badge in it.
With those two on my person, I quietly leave the room, silently shutting the door behind me before cracking my neck a little.
"Well, this isn't how I like to start my days." I mutter to myself with an eye roll.
But nonetheless… I'll help where I can.
A/N: Before anyone says anything about inaccuracies to the Injustice story, remember that this story doesn't draw exclusively from Injustice.
Also, yes. The Lucifer mentioned in this first chapter is the Lucifer you think.
That being said, I'll see what the response is to this before I actually put plans in place to continue. What with my own hesitance of putting John in DC or Marvel, I'd much rather wait to see the response to this chapter before actually dedicating any time to this story.
That said, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one if this story gets enough positive reception.