The stench of Apokolips seared into Batman's nostrils. Two years. Two fucking years of hell. Granny Goodness, the sadistic bitch, grinned as she cranked up the pain. Batman's muscles spasmed, his jaw clenched tight.

"Come on, dearie. Scream for Granny," she cackled.

Batman spat blood. "Go to hell."

The voice in his head chuckled. "Nice one, kid. But we're already there."

Darkseid rises above him, eyes blazing with cosmic fire. "Your resistance is… impressive, Batman. But futile."

Batman's laugh is all razor blades. "You don't get it, do you? You can't take what I am."

Darkseid's fist crashes into Batman's ribs. Bones crack. The Reading System flashes warnings, calculating damage, initiating repairs.

"I am Darkseid. I am the end of all things. Your power will be mine."

Batman locked onto the tyrant's stare. "Listen up, stone face. I have seen worlds you couldn't imagine. I know how this story ends. And you? You're just a footnote."

Rage twists the dark face of Darkseid. "Insolent worm! I will break you!"

The voice whispers, "He's scared, kid. Push harder."

Batman grins through bloodied teeth. "You want the truth, Darkseid? Here it is. I'm not from here. This whole universe? It's fiction where I come from. And you? You're just ink on a page."

Silence falls. Even Granny Goodness looks shocked.

Darkseid's voice is a low rumble. "Impossible."

"Believe it, asshole. That's why you can't win. I'm the wild card. The anomaly. The goddamn Batman."

The New God's eyes narrow. "Then perhaps. a bargain is in order."

Batman's laugh echoes through the chamber. "Now you're talking. What's the game, Darkseid?"

"A contest of wills. Your mind against mine. Win, and you go free. Lose."

"And you get what's in my head," Batman finishes. "Deal."

As Darkseid readies the mental battleground, the voice chimes in. "Ready to mindfuck a god, kid?"

Batman's grin is feral. "Let's dance."

The mental battlefield rages. Darkseid's will, a fucking mountain. Batman's mind, a razor's edge.

"You cannot win," Darkseid booms. "I am inevitable."

Batman grinds his teeth. "Heard that before, asshole. Didn't buy it then either."

The voice whispers, "He's strong, kid. But we're stronger."

Darkness swirls. Batman feels his grip slipping. Darkseid's laughter echoes.

"Give in, mortal. Your mind is mine."

"Fuck... that." Batman snarls.

Suddenly, power surges. The Darkest Knight's presence, a cold fire.

"Remember who you are, George," it hisses. "What you know."

Images flash. Comic panels. Story arcs. Worlds upon worlds.

Batman's eyes snap open. "I see you, Darkseid. I see all of you."

The tide turns. Batman's will, a fucking tsunami.

Darkseid's eyes widen. "Impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible," Batman grins. "Not for me."

The mental battle crescendos. Batman pushes harder. Darkseid falters.

With a roar, Batman shatters Darkseid's will. Victory.

Reality snaps back. Darkseid stumbles, panting.

"How… how did you."

Batman spits blood. "Told ya. I'm the wild card."

Darkseid's face contorts. Fear. Rage. Resolve.

"You… you cannot leave. Too dangerous."

Batman laughs. It's a bitter sound. "Figured as much. What now, rocky?"

Darkseid stands upright. "Eternal imprisonment. On Apokolips."

The voice chuckles in his mind. "Well, kid. Looks like we're in for the long haul."

The smell of desperation clings to the cell walls. Batman's muscles ache; his mind is a razor's edge. Big Barda stands at guard, a goddamn warrior goddess in armor. Her eyes, cold as space, flicker with an unspoken question.

"Enjoying the view, Barda?" Batman's voice is gravel and iron.

Barda's megaron slams against the wall. "Silence, prisoner!" But there's hesitation in her tone.

Batman chuckles, the sound like broken glass. "C'mon, we both know you're too damn smart for this circus."

Her eyes narrow, curiosity battling with duty. "What do you know of it, human?"

"I know everything," Batman growls. "I know you're strong. A fighter. A leader." He leans in, voice dropping. "I know you've got doubts."

Barda's hand tightens on her weapon. "Lies!" But uncertainty creeps into her voice.

Relentless, Batman pushes forward. "I've seen worlds where you break free, Barda. Where you become a hero. Where you find purpose beyond Darkseid's shadow."

The voice in his head hisses, "Careful, kid. Don't overplay your hand."

Barda's eyes flash with something - longing? Rage? "Impossible. Darkseid is… everything."

Batman's laugh is a harsh bark. "Is he? Look around you. This hellhole. Is this all you want from life?"

For a moment, Barda's mask slips. Doubt. Yearning. Then it's gone, replaced by fury. "Enough!" she roars.

As she storms away, Batman sees it. A crack in her armor. A seed of rebellion planted.

He grins, teeth bared. "Game on, Darkseid," he mutters. "Let's see how loyal your dogs really are when they smell freedom."

The cell door clangs shut, but Batman's mind churns. He's planted the seed. Now he has to watch it grow.

* * *

Big Barda, the ever constant guard has her eyes locked onto Batman, her massive figure an image both of threat and promise. The air crackles with tension like an atmosphere thick enough to choke on.

"You've been… different lately," Barda growls, suspicion and curiosity mixing in her voice.

Batman's lips curl into a half-smile. "Observant. That's good. It'll keep you alive when shit hits the fan."

Barda's brow furrows. "What are you implying, prisoner?"

"Cut the crap, Barda," Batman snaps, his voice razor-sharp. "We both know you're too damn smart to buy Darkseid's bullshit forever."

Her megaron slams against the wall, inches from Batman's face. "Watch your tongue, or I'll—"

"You'll what?" Batman breaks in, never flinching. "Kill me? Torture me? Go ahead. It won't change the truth."

Barda tightens her grip on her weapon, her knuckles white. "And what truth is that?"

Batman's voice drops to a dangerous whisper as he leans forward. "That you're a slave. That every breath you take, every move you make, is dictated by that stone-faced bastard."

For one pulse-beat, Barda's mask slips. In her eyes, doubt flares like flint across a dark canvas. "I… I serve Darkseid willingly."

"Bullshit," Batman growls. "You serve because you don't know any better. But deep down, you hunger for freedom. You ache for a life beyond this hellhole."

Barda's breath catches. Her shoulders slump, ever so slightly. "Even if that were true…what choice do I have?"

Batman's hand shoots out, gripping her arm. His eyes burn with intensity. "You always have a choice, Barda. Always."

The megaron clatters to the floor. Her hands shake, her voice barely a whisper. "Show me. Show me there's another way."

Batman's grin is fierce, triumphant. "Now you're talking. First things first—we need to get the hell out of here."

Barda nods, her resolve hardening her features. "I know a way. But it won't be easy."

"Nothing worth doing ever is," Batman responds, cracking his knuckles. "Let's make some noise, shall we?"

They start planning their escape. Just then, right in the middle of outlining this plan, the ground starts shaking, sinister prelude to chaos. Batman's obsidian eyes locked upon Barda as her face was a battlefield of conflicting emotions. It was TDK, laughing cackles of perverse glee in his mind. "Your pal Superman has assembled a bunch of heroes to come save you over the past 2 years it would seem."

"Shit's hit the fan, Barda," Batman growls, his voice a gravel pit of tension. "Justice League's crashing our little party. Time to pick a side."

Barda's eyes flare, a supernova of determination. "I choose you," she snarls, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.

Her lips crash against his, hungry and desperate. Not gentle, not romantic—it's raw need, primal and electric. Batman freezes, his mind racing. Then something animal takes over and he's kissing her back with equal ferocity.

When they finally tear apart, both gasping for breath, Batman's mind is a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. "Well, that's one hell of a choice," he mutters, tasting blood where her teeth grazed his lip.

Barda's eyes are wild, vulnerable in a way that makes his chest ache. "I've never… Darkseid was all I knew," she whispers, her voice cracking.

The weight of her words hits Batman like a Kryptonite fist to the gut. He sees Scott Free's face, a ghost of what should have been haunting at the edges of his vision but then he blinks it away.

"Yeah, fuck", the realization slams into him. "I'm rewriting everything." This isn't how it's supposed to go.

Heaviness increases; urgent voices resound along the corridor. Batman takes Barda's hand, and his grip is like iron. "We gotta move. Now."

Batman's mind races faster than his feet as he sprints toward an uncertain future and dances with fire, juggling timelines like they were goddamn hand grenades. But every so often, when he looks over at Barda, her face set in the same sort of determination as his, he can't find himself able to regret it. Not wholly.

It's a goddamn meat grinder here. Parademons scream and Furies howl, and at the middle of it all, a colossus stands: Batman. His eyes, black as pitch, take in the chaos.

"About time you showed up, Boy Scout," Batman growls as Superman lands beside him.

Superman's eyes widen as he takes in the roadmap of scars that seem to crisscross Batman's body. "Christ, George. What the hell did they do to you?"

All teeth and violence, Batman's grin punctuates the void. "Nothing I couldn't handle." He catches the suit Superman tosses his way, so casual about putting it on it might as well be a second skin. "Thanks for the threads. Was getting tired of the prisoner look."

Superman's eyes are hot with anger. "I'm gonna turn Darkseid into paste for this."

Batman's hand closes, tight as steel, around Superman's arm. "Save it for later. We've got work to do." He nods toward Barda, already knee-deep in Parademon guts. "Meet our new ally."

Superman's eyebrows shoot up. "Big Barda? What in the-"

"Long story," Batman cuts him off. "She's with us now. That's all that matters."

The Furies descend with the force of their parademons, a whirlwind of rage and betrayal. Lashina's voice rings through the din, dripping with venom. "Traitor!" she shrieks at Barda. "You dare to turn your back on Darkseid?!"

The megaron nestles the tiniest hum of rekindled energy into its crackling maw. "I've seen the light, sister," Barda snaps back. "And it ain't coming from here."

He erupts in an explosion of sound into the battle. Batman moves like a demon; each strike is a masterpiece of lethal precision. His mind races—analyzing weaknesses, predicting moves, exploiting openings. It is a rush unlike any other.

Fighting back to back with Barda, he can feel her heat against his. His fists are raw; knuckles bleed through his gloves. He spins away from Barda, diving into the thick of things.

"Watch your six, Lantern!" Batman roars, dropkicking a Parademon that was sneaking up on Green Lantern.

Hal Jordan grins, cocky as ever. "Thanks for the save, George. Nice to finally put a face to the legend."

"Save the schmooze for after this," Batman growls as he's already moving on to his next target.

Wonder Woman is there, her lasso singing through the air. "By Hera, you fight well, George Wayne. Your reputation does you justice."

Batman grunts, slamming a Fury into the ground. "Wish we could've met under better circumstances, Princess."

Flash zips by, a red blur of motion. "Holy crap, you're huge! How'd you get so jacked, man?"

"Not the time, Barry," Batman snaps, but there's a hint of amusement in his voice.

The battle rages on—a symphony of violence. Batman stands at the very center, his actions a whirlwind of calculated brutality. His mind is racing at every move, strategy.

"You're loving this, aren't you?" rings TDK's voice in his head, gleeful and manic.

Batman doesn't say anything, but the grin on his face says it all. He stands there, surrounded by legends he used to read about. Now he fights with them, changing history with every punch.

The tide is finally turning. The heroes are taking back the fight, and their combined might is getting too much for even Darkseid's forces to handle.

"We've got 'em on the ropes!" Cyborg yells, firing his blue cannon.

Batman nods, his white lens scanning the battlefield. "Don't let up. We end this now."

As they press forward, Batman can't help but feel a surge of pride. This isn't just a team—it's becoming a family. And for better or worse, he's right in the middle of it all.

* * *

Parademon corpses are everywhere, their green blood painting the earth. Batman's black eyes scan across the carnage.

"That's the last of 'em," pants Superman, wiping sweat from his brow. "Helluva fight, George."

Batman nods, grim satisfaction on his face. "It's not over yet, Clark. We've still got the Furies to deal with."

As if on cue, the air splits with a banshee-like scream. The Furies finally jump in.
"Bring it on, you Apokolips bitches!" Hal Jordan shouts, his ring flaring with emerald energy.

Batman's lips curl into a snarl. "Watch your mouth, Lantern. These aren't your average thugs."

The battle starts up again & Batman reads everything until there's nothing to be read either he already has it or a variant of it.

"On your left, Diana!" he barks. Wonder Woman spins, her bracers deflecting a blast from Lashina's whip.

"My thanks, George," she calls back, her fist connecting with Lashina's jaw.

The fight's brutal, dirty. No holds barred. Batman's in his element, drawing on every skill, every trick he's learned.

"Having fun yet?" TDK's voice cackles in his head.

"Shut up," Batman growls, ducking under Mad Harriet's claws.

Flash zips by, a red blur. "You say something, Bats?"

"Focus on the fight, Barry!"

But then it all feels like hours before the tide finally turns. The Furies, formidable as they are, cannot match the combined might of Earth's heroes.

Stompa goes down to a combined assault from Superman and Wonder Woman. Lashina is taken down by Green Lantern and Flash. Gilotina is overwhelmed by Cyborg's sonic cannon.

They all come down, and finally, as the dust clears, Batman stands over the unconscious form of Mad Harriet, his chest heaving, blood dripping from a dozen cuts.

"It's over," he says, low rumbling.

Superman lands beside him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "We did it, George. We actually did it."

Batman lets himself smile a little. "Yeah. We did."

The sky just fucking opens up like it did on Earth. Darkseid steps through, mountain of malevolence made flesh. His eyes glow red, promising death.

"Well, well," Batman growls, spitting blood. "The big man himself."

Superman tightens his fists, veins of anger bulging. "You hurt my friend, you bastard."

Darkseid sneers, curling his lips. "Ah, the Kryptonian. Still playing hero?"

Out they go, the Omega Beams—a crimson stream of annihilation—side by side and hitting Superman square in the chest. And do hardly anything at all.

"What?!" Darkseid roars, genuine shock in his stony features.

Superman grins, all teeth and rage. "My turn."

The battle is Titanic, apocalyptic, world-cracking. Apokolips has resounded. The planet-utter splinters. Everyone is watching two fighting gods go at it.

Meanwhile, Batman watches, calculating with his white lens. "Clark," he shouts over the din, "You can't kill him. He's not just a being. He's an idea."

Superman pauses, fist raised for another blow. "What do you mean, George?"

"He's evil incarnate. You can beat him, but you can't erase him."

Understanding now blossoming in Superman's eyes, a flicker of hope revives the will within him.

The duel carries on, but the murderous intent is gone.

At last, Darkseid is beaten, bloody, and finally retreats. "This isn't over."

"What-fucking-ever—it is," snarls Batman. "For now."

A retreat is ordered, and with it, the Justice League has won as they return to Metropolis where it all began.

Batman looks at Superman, a rare smile. "Not bad for a farm boy from Kansas."

Superman chuckled, looking grim. "Not too shabby yourself, silver spoon from Gotham."

Batman can't help but think: This is just the beginning. And he wouldn't have it any other way.