The New 52 Redux

by YouKnowItMakesSense

What if Flashpoint hadn't changed reality and the New Earth continuity had persisted? Time and space still tried to assert itself in the form of Eobard Thawne returning to the present as Eddie Thawne, a messiah of resurrection for the world six months after the Blackest Night. And he really does want to change the world.

39. Seven Soldiers of Victory

The Rock of Eternity

It was always cold coming here. The Rock was a dank place. Devoid of life except for one arrogant old man who had lived too long. He was millennia older than Ra's al Ghul and was born in the land of Palestine before the prophets Ibrahim and Yaqub came there. He had come into the world with the name Jebediah nine thousand years ago. A shepherd boy whose parents were slaughtered by nomads. They had sheep and land which made them prey to any of the wandering tribes. To avenge them he had appealed to some of the gods. One of the stronger tribes were known as gods to primitives like him. These ones had names which were lost to history. Marsosh, Arel, Ribalvei, Voldar, Elbiam and Lumiun. By saying 'Vlarem' this mighty mortal had gained an aspect of each of their abilities.

Centuries passed as Jebediah served them. Then one day he fell in love with a woman from another world. A Daemon, she called herself. She convinced him the six gods were his inferiors, since he had an aspect of each of their powers, making him worth all six of them. And so, with his new lover, Jebediah slew the six gods. She had only made him the enemy of their kinsfolk, and fled with their unborn twins, who would return to haunt their father and his later champions. Jebediah used his powers then to create something more powerful than those gods to protect himself. He used one rock from Heaven and another from Hell to form his nigh impenetrable fortress, the Rock of Eternity.

He continued his battle with the ancient gods and was known as Vlarem the God-Killer. Many assumed the gods of old were lost to history due to a lack of written records before a certain time. In reality, they had all been killed by Vlarem. The others submitted to him and withdrew from the world only impacting certain cultures descended from their original mortal followers. Vlarem was later known to history as Shazam. A name he did not disavow. There came a time when he felt willing to share his power, and chose an Egyptian prince given governorship of the province of Kahndaq as his first champion. Teth-Adam, son of Ozymandias himself. The power corrupted Adam as it had Shazam though. Only children could hold his powers without growing arrogant and lusting for power. Shazam knew that only those who had lived for millennia like him or those who had not lived at all could use his power responsibly. His relationship with the Daemon was proof enough of that.

And so, when Adam became a tyrant, Shazam trapped him in a scarab and gave his former champion the name of Black Adam, in order to relegate his name to legend and hoped mortals forget about Adam as they had him. It took him another three millennia to find another champion. And he did in an American boy named Billy Batson. Billy was around the same age Jebediah had been when he met the gods and gained his powers from them. Not an arrogant teenager as Adam had been. Unlike Billy, Adam only had a neglectful father with untold numbers of young. Billy and his sister had been separated from one another when they were orphaned and subsequently shipped through various care homes and foster families. Yet still he was brave and not consumed by revenge, which made Shazam realise he was better than he had been.

And Billy was a great champion for Shazam. Captain Marvel. He defended the world against an untold number of threats. And Shazam was proud of him. And of his sister, Mary, who joined them in their crusade. He grew to love them both as his own children. Freddy Freeman too when he joined. Then the Spectre came to destroy him. And he did. Shazam was killed. And in his absence, his charges had let him down. Billy stepped up as the new wizard, whilst Freddy with powers independent of the wizard, became the new Captain Marvel. But Mary lost her powers and turned to Black Adam to restore them, corrupting her. Eventually, Billy was overthrown from the Rock by Adam and his wife, Isis, and turned to his old colleagues in the JSA to stop them. In the process, Shazam's soul was pulled from the netherworld and in his rage at what they had done stripped Billy and Mary of their powers and petrified Adam and Isis. He managed to slowly but surely break Freddy's independent hold on his powers until finally he had no further opponents to his dominance. In death, the Wizard had come to realise what his inaction had wrought, and now he knew humanity needed to be crushed. He had thought the gods were the enemy when he was younger, but now he knew it was the mortals who had placed them on a pedestal. He needed to save humanity from themselves by becoming the noble and interfering god they deserved by force.

But how would the Wizard do such a thing? He could not destroy them himself. He needed to destroy the world through events which would seem as if he had no hand, act or part in it. And so, he reached through time and ensured that two people did not pass on. He defied the Endless themselves surreptitiously. Krona and Eobard Thawne. One of whom died impossibly. A Green Power Ring cannot kill a Maltusian. And Eobard Thawne was killed by a dead man in a timeline that never existed. Pulling them from the nether regions was easy. He told each the other spoke to them. He pointed them in the direction of Death, and then the Entity, without either of them realising his part in it. Now he had given Thawne a modicum of sanity and slowly helped his cause through various mental manipulations, coupled with Thawne's own efforts concerning the Black Mercy. Letting Thawne get confident, Shazam had been the one to convince him to ambitiously play mental games of chess with all these different people. Dangerous people who would bring his downfall. Now he had created a spell which was being weaved over the Green Lanterns, delaying their arrival now that the grand assault had failed.

Thawne's overreaching would bring the end of the world. He had turned Brainiac against him, earned the ire of the Atlanteans and Amazons, and now had an organised resistance against his reign within the United States, made up of several super-powered beings. Once Thawne had swept away human civilisation, Shazam would descend to take over the remnants. A perfect plan, with only one flaw. Shazam did not foresee the New Gods returning. Not to mention, he didn't realise how little the Entity disliked being chained. Knowing Shazam was behind this, the Entity had sought out their own champion to defeat Thawne. A champion ironic in its choice. That champion was Freddy Freeman. By completing his quest with Black Adam, Freddy had become someone who would forever remain a thorn in Thawne's side and save the world before he could destroy it for Shazam. His actions all had ripples which would affect the grand flow. By releasing Ares, Freddy had allowed the God of War to help the Princess Diana channel her powers and defeat the Kryptonian forces attacking her home. Now Freddy was going to stop Shazam himself, and unknowingly deprive Thawne of his all-powerful backer. In an antechamber away from his throne room, three intruders appeared magically in a flash of lightning.

"It's so freaking cold in here," Billy said, without a hint of subtlety, as his sister laughed at him. They both had red outfits on now, Billy and Mary Marvel, standing beside Captain Marvel, Freddy Freeman. "My brother still needs to improve his vocabulary despite once having infinite wisdom," she rolled her eyes. "You said it, Mary," Freddy added as Black Adam appeared with Osiris and Isis at his side. Turning to Captain Marvel, he asked, "You have secured our transportation then, Freddy?" "Obviously, Adam," Freddy confidently patted his friend on the shoulder. "Still getting used to the courage of Achilles like Amon, I see," Adam smirked, "Come along, there is much to be done. Wizards to kill." They passed the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man still in their petrified form as they approached the throne room of the Wizard. There, on his throne, the old man sat looking into a scrying pool. A pool which observed events on Earth.

"Keep weaving your web, Thawne," the Wizard seemed to say to himself, "While I prepare your undoing." "At 9000 years old, you'd think you'd know better by now, Shazam," Adam said with a vain glory in his voice. "Teth-Adam?" the Wizard did not sound as surprised as his words suggested, "So, you and your beloved have escaped. I should have hunted down that brother of hers long ago. And who are your companions? Freddy Freeman and the Batsons. You are all very foolish in doing this. How did you get here?" "Freddy has the sponsorship of the gods themselves," Adam confidently spoke in their defence, "Zeus fears what you're up to, and he wants a loyal warrior in Freddy." "It's more complicated than that, Adam," Freddy interrupted, "I've shown myself capable of being a loving and caring champion of the gods and saving the world. Stand down now, Shazam, and we might not have to imprison you."

"You will have to kill me, Freddy. I am not surrendering. Not a chance."

Shazam then uttered some words silently to himself and the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man arose from their petrified state. Freddy and Adam rushed the Wizard as Billy, Mary, Osiris and Isis took on the Sins. The monsters were large behemoths but the others were able to hold them off. Shazam screamed "VLAREM!" and unleashed his full strength against his two former champions. "You are nothing, Freddy," he now gripped his former champion by the throat, "You cannot hope to stop me. I am eternal. The world will be mine!" "What do you mean the world will be yours?!" Captain Marvel struggled. "My plans are already in motion," the Wizard chuckled, "Eobard Thawne will destroy human civilisation and people will turn to me, the Great Wizard, as their new leader. Submit now, Freddy, and I will allow you and the Batsons to live. Adam and his family will suffer, though." "No," Freddy swatted away Shazam's hand from his throat, "I can't do that, Shazam. Not if it means letting you cause all this destruction."

"It seems I chose too well all those years ago. I will not enjoy killing you, Freddy."

The burst of power between both enemies ricocheted around the whole Rock destroying the Seven Enemies and knocking out Amon, Adrianna, Billy and Mary. As it reverberated around the Rock, the Earth itself seemed to darken. It had taken weeks to prepare themselves for the battle, the Marvel and Black Marvel families training for their revenge. The dead gods Shazam drew his power from cascaded across the entire Rock as they clashed with the gods Freddy served. Edging through the multi-coloured flashing of light, Freddy edged slowly but surely towards Shazam and landed a punch in his face, knocking the ancient man to the ground and ending the battle almost as soon as it had begun.

"You lost, Shazam," Captain Marvel stood over the wizened, prostrate figure wiping blood from his lip, "Because we worked together against one old fool and his prisoners. Now surrender the Rock…or allow us to live in peace and help us stop this game of yours." "Never," Shazam shook his head, "You will have to kill me, Freddy." Freddy gulped at the prospect. He wasn't going to kill anyone. He never wanted to kill. It all seemed so…wrong. This whole situation. Shazam had been their friend, their mentor. Now he was going to kill him mercilessly. He closed his eyes only to feel the hand of a new friend on his shoulder. "I believe I will shoulder this burden, Freddy," Black Adam solemnly told him, "You've already done enough." Freddy nodded and turned around fighting back tears as Adam advanced on the Wizard. "You will only doom the Earth by your actions, Adam," Shazam screamed at him with what little defiance he had left, "I hope when Thawne leaves you all screaming for mercy you will appeal to me. But I will be a corpse once more because of your weakness!" "Shut up, old man," Adam said before snapping the Wizard's neck.

Freddy roused Mary and Billy, the former greeting him with a passionate kiss. "Did we do it?" she asked after coming up for air. "Adam killed the Wizard," he nodded, "I didn't want it to come to this, but it's as we feared. The old man had gone mad." "But that must mean you're the Wizard now Freddy," Billy noted. "No," Adam raised his voice as Osiris and Isis came before him, "There can be no more Wizard. The old man grew mad shouldering the responsibility on his own. One soul cannot be trusted with the powers and responsibilities of six gods. Not really. Not without sharing them. There are six of us. I propose a council to control the Rock of Eternity. All six of us ruling from the Rock, with Freddy as our leader." Billy, Mary, Amon and Adrianna all smiled at that idea and Adam proclaimed, "All hail, Captain Marvel!"

Netherspace

An eight-year old, blonde haired boy stood with his non-aging grandfather in their little interdimensional throne room. AJ didn't age himself in this atmosphere, even if he wasn't truly one of the homo magi like Atlan. He was the eternal child king of this land. He did miss his mother, Mera, who had given birth to him in this world but returned to be with his father in the real world. Well, he had forced her. He wanted them happy again. They hadn't been happy since his older brother and namesake Arthur Jr. had died. He hoped they had found happiness in the years since he had left. He still enjoyed the company of his grandfather and of his aunt, Debbie when she had lived with them for a while. Recently, his grandfather had come to tell him that Debbie would be returning with her husband and children. AJ was surprised that his aunt had married but was overjoyed at knowing his father's ward, Garth was her husband. But now, Atlan was about to reveal his purpose in conceiving Debbie. Atlan had lived for thousands of years and did not conceive children without purpose. He had conceived AJ's father for the purpose of allowing Atlantis to have a king when the royal line was dying out and Orm because Arthur needed a rival to his claim. Atlan could see all of his country's history, and knew that the defining moments came from brotherly conflict. But he had never told anyone why he had fathered Debbie. Debbie had grown up assuming Neptune Perkins was her father but had been disavowed of that notion as soon as she showed a hint of interest in Arthur. Atlan had summoned AJ here as for the first time in many millennia, he was at a loss as to what action he should take.

"Who are we going to see, Grandfather?"

"Someone ancient and powerful who can perhaps shed a bit of light on our situation."

An eerie stillness rocked across the Netherspace as the ghost of Crispus Allen appeared before them animated by an ancient spirit which overwhelmed anyone with its awesome might. The Spectre. "WHY DO YOU SUMMON ME, ATLAN?" the Angel of Death boomed, but did little to cow the old sorcerer. "Like myself, Spectre, you have been conspicuously absent from affairs in the real world," Atlan addressed him with consideration, "Still, I feel that is because you are still afraid of yourself. Afraid someone like Father Thawne can manipulate you as Eclipso, Superboy-Prime and Luthor Jr. did. You destroyed my home, you know that? Poseidonis. The city I was born in." "AND FOR THAT I AM..SORRY," the Spectre's voice continued to boom as if to keep trying to cow grandfather and grandson. "Cease the melodramatic prattling, Spectre," Atlan rubbed his brow in frustration, "I know who and what you are, and like the rest of the world we know you are no longer imperfect. Speak with the voice of your host. I am here to talk to Crispus Allen as much as I am to Aztar."

"Very well," the Spectre replied in a deep voice not as menacing as the ethereal one he had been speaking with, "What do you wish to speak to me about?" "Crispus?" Atlan asked, "Oh, nothing. Your spiritual voice merely scared my grandson." "Did not," AJ said only to have his hair playfully tousled by his grandfather. "Spectre…it is high time you redeem yourself in the eyes of the magical world," Atlan spoke with great seriousness, "Killing Shazam as well as Arion among others has tainted your image. It is necessary you supplicate yourself before those I have summoned here." Six people arrived behind Atlan. Six soldiers he had chosen for a battle to save Atlantis. And now the Spectre was the seventh. They were Ryan Choi, Frankenstein, Etrigan the Demon, Natasha Irons and Doctor Fate.

"My Seven Soldiers of Victory assembled. Some of you have good reason to despise the Spectre as I do. But he will be necessary in our fight to defeat Eobard Thawne. He holds the power of the Entity. We have been unable to attack Atlantis due to various factors. But I have sensed the death of Shazam and know we are safe to act. He has restricted ancient sorcerers in our action, and now he is gone I will be able to save my son."

"What the hell am I doing here?!" Natasha shouted, "And who are you?" "Miss Irons, please," Atlan replied, placing his hands on her shoulders as an attempt at assuaging her, "I am here to help you, Vaporlock, grow into a worthy heir to your uncle. That is something you have strived for, for a long time, my child. Trust me. I am Atlan, father of the hero known as Aquaman. I will owe all of you a debt if you help save my son. Each and every one of you will be in my debt." Natasha sighed at the strangeness of it all and just nodded, knowing that this man was powerful but his intentions were good. Somehow she just knew that. Etrigan just laughed like a fool in the corner before beginning a little soliloquy, "Ooh, the fool thinks he can trust us, Not knowing we will be quite a fuss." "I didn't bring you here to talk, Etrigan," Atlan sternly grimaced, "Only for your powers. Jason Blood has already spoken to me on this."

"Being used again to fight? I'm used to it," Frankenstein shrugged, recognising who he was fighting alongside. "Beats being dead I guess?" Ryan Choi laughed, thinking of his time trapped in the Microverse after Deathstroke and his Titans apparently killed him. Doctor Fate moved to address Atlan, "Our endeavours are working, old friend. I have business at a funeral though." "No, you don't," Atlan replied, "You have business helping me liberate my son and defeating Eobard Thawne. You have seen the timelines. You know there is only one way we can win." Dr Fate nodded solemnly, knowing that he would lose good friends in the coming battle. "What is your plan, sorcerer king?" the Sorcerer Supreme asked the Atlantean. "We must allow time to pass in Xebel," Atlan told them all, "In a greater flow than it has prior. That way Garth can lead an army worthy of liberating New Atlantis and building the greatest empire for my grandchildren to inherit. I need you all to help him face his battles." AJ walked towards his grandfather. "I don't want an empire." "And you won't have one, my lad," he knelt down to speak to his grandchild, "Instead you will be a prince under it and shall know your mother and father again. Be the son they deserve. And a brother to your sister."

Oa

A mass funeral was being held for all the Lanterns of the various corps who had fallen in the grand assault. Officially Ganthet had been declared dead in the assault as was Morro. Though the causes of their death were never revealed and no one had any time to question it, as they knew things were more important than that. Each corps had their Power Battery restored from the ruins of Brainiac's ship, and given Ion's protection in returning home. A large, solid gold statue of Sodam Yat was erected over the remains. Katar Hol and Shayera Thal returned for the funeral with their child, a small, handsome boy named Katar Hol also. Katar was recognised as Emperor of Thanagar by now, with Shayera as his legal wife, and Katar the Younger their heir. There seemed to be no Tamaraneans left, and Kyle Rayner hoped Kory and Mar'i had escaped. Thanagarian troops had captured Blackfire and held her on Thanagar Prime, promising to stall a potential execution until her child was born. There was no news of Starfire or her child. Word from Rann revealed that the government had resumed control, naming Sardath as President. He sent a delegation to honour those fallen in the grand assault but would not attend due to his own need to recover from all he and his family had witnessed.

An edict was issued by the Guardians of the Universe immediately afterwards, declaring Brainiac a wanted criminal in all sectors to be captured dead or alive, even putting a bounty on the Coluans head for the first time in the history of the Green Lantern Corps. Though his ship had been destroyed, neither Lobo nor Krona's body was found, though both were assumed disintegrated. Even though Brainiac's dead body was found there. And Ryand'rs. Many knew better than that. Brainiac was not gone. He was just rebuilding. And was likely now at the head of a gestalt. And Lobo had hopefully escaped though no one really knew how. The decimation of the Psions into an endangered species had been considered a necessary evil and earned Sodam Yat a position as a hero throughout the universe. No Kryptonian survived the explosion. Apart from Mon-El lingering in the Phantom Zone, the Daxamites were seemingly extinct. The grand assault had seemed to be a victory for the Green Lanterns. But in the end, everyone had lost. Whilst most Green Lanterns had survived the attack somehow, over a third of them were now dead, including brave warriors like Sodam Yat. It was assumed Superboy-Prime had returned to Earth, as the galaxy had been scoured for his presence with no sign of him.

"Sodam was one of the damnedest good poozers I ever whipped into shape," Kilowog mused to those assembled to honour the fallen Torchbearer, "He'd not want us to look back with sadness. He died saving the Corps. Saving the universe maybe. A fine way to end it all. I'm just sad he's left a good gal like Arisia on her own. I hope that John can live up to everything Sodam was. I don't hope, I know. John's a damn fine Lantern, and no one else deserves to succeed Sodam and Kyle as our torchbearer." Kyle stalked away for a bit to his quarters and started crying thinking of Sodam. And not just Sodam but all he had lost. Everything about him was losing a grip on reality at the moment. He had just been experimented on by Brainiac. He had begun by starting and restarting his heart to see could he find a way to achieve immortality for the human form. That kind of trauma doesn't leave the body let alone the mind. He dare not think what became of his friends. To cope, he had just run from Brainiac and joined the battle outside. Doing nothing to protect his friends in the process. And in his time of death, he had kept thinking of Donna Troy. And that made him feel guilty. He'd let Donna down before. He was nothing. But why think so much of Donna? The woman he loved was Soranik, surely. He'd stopped the Black Lanterns out of his love for her. Didn't he? He wasn't sure anymore.

"Kyle," Soranik said coming in, "Are you alright?" "Oh, fine, Sora," he lied, "Just thinking about Sodam and how we were both Ion. A part of me in a way since I was its first host. Hard to come to terms with losing him." "I can only imagine what the filthy Coluan did to you," his lover stroked his cheek, "We lost so many Lanterns to him…I had to tend to so many dead or dying. How can so much life be lost so quickly?" "I don't know," Kyle said holding her hand, "I don't want to lose anyone or anything again, Sora." "We don't control the universe, Kyle," she reassured him, "We may be powerful but we can't change how things are." "Can't we?" he asked, not expecting a reply, "You should see what that preacher on Earth was doing. The one who's working with Brainiac. He's been bringing people back to life. By sheer force of will. Why can't I do that? Why can't I bring Mom back? Or make it so that Alex didn't die and I wouldn't feel the guilt of what Major Force did to her still?"

"Because you're not God, Kyle."

"Well, I haven't felt in charge of my own life for a very long time, Sora. I want to go on a trajectory that I can control. I want to marry you."

"Marry me? Kyle, I—"

"There's nothing for me on Earth. Just other, better heroes who've forgotten about me. I'll help them stop this guy when we're ready, but I want to know you'll be there for me when I get back."

"I—"

"Just listen, Sora. I know you have doubts, but I've lost too much to not have something to come back home for. My real home. Oa. I need to know love will be waiting for me. The Guardians redacted the law on no inner-corps romances. So, why not get married?"

"Kyle, we've been going out for a year."

"Your parents went out for less. Korugarans marry young. I want to have something to come back here for. The Corps is slowly becoming the only thing I have left. Please, Sora."

"Very well, Kyle Rayner. I will marry you. And like my parents before us we will build a union between two noble races."

Sinestro was at first reluctant to grant his blessing but agreed to his daughter's wishes knowing it would go some way to mending their rift. The ceremony was officiated the evening after the funeral by John Stewart, in order that their forces could head for Earth as soon as possible. They then assembled their forces for that attack. John began meditating by himself in order to better understand the nature of Ion the evening of Kyle and Sora's nuptials. "Are you really Kyle?" he asked the disembodied voice. "Yes, and no," it replied in Kyle's voice, "I am something more than the human soul that was once and will be part of me. I am willpower itself." "But is this true of the other embodiments of the Emotional Spectrum?" John asked pointedly. "Yes," Ion replied, "Parallax was Hal Jordan."

"What?"

"We were all from Earth once."

"All of you were from Earth?"

"Yes, in the birth of this universe we were reborn as the Emotional Spectrum, John. Life did not really begin on Earth, but we are Earthlings."

"I see. So, then who is the Entity?"

"Do you really want to know, John?"

"Yes, I feel like I should."

"Very well."

DEO, Washington DC

"Are the shields ready, Kuttler?" Thawne demanded of the Calculator as his eye twitched. "Yes, sir" the hacker squirmed, "The technology we salvaged from Brainiac has allowed for a forcefield which is impenetrable from any and all forces. Even potentially Brainiac himself now that Checkmate have provided the right technology to jam his signals." "Perfect," Thawne said as he nodded for Kuttler to arm the device on his computer, "That should keep any pesky aliens out of the way. Dr Hurt, we have our new Suicide Squad developed, yes?" "Indeed," the demonic figure hissed, "A far greater and superior army. Dr Light, Felix Faust, Circe and the Ultra-Humanite have signed on as leaders. Not to mention Talia has given us Merlyn along with her Man-Bats. Giganta, Count Vertigo and General Eiling have been brought in by Waller." "Excellent," Thawne rubbed his hands together with excitement, "And Vandal Savage has agreed to a treaty if he gets aid in attacking Joan Garrick's funeral?" "Absolutely," Hurt nodded. "Well then," Thawne smiled, pleased with the new state of affairs, "Everything is going according to plan."

"For once."

"Shut up, Simon."

Fawcett City

Thaddeus Sivana sat in his mansion with his children Magnificus and Beautia by his side. His marriage to their stepmother, Portia had broken down due to his recent absences, and he had lost custody of his children with her, Tad and Georgia. His elder children were adults still interested in his legacy, though his daughter's attraction to Captain Marvel still irked him. He had been waiting in his mansion for months for news of Freddy Freeman and Black Adam defeating the Wizard. This evening, an unexpected guest arrived at his door, and he assumed it would be his old foes. It was actually another bald, evil genius who desired power just as much as he did. "Hello, Lex," the diminutive scientist squawked in greeting. "Thaddeus," his guest nodded entering the house, "I haven't seen you since we blasted Libra with that ray of yours. I take it you were expecting someone else?"

"It's a very long story."

"I'd be happy to hear it all."

As Lex and Sivana sat down over tea, the topic of discussion grew more and more heated until eventually Lex revealed a dossier he had previously given to Lucy Lane, to Sivana. "I have a plan, Thaddeus," the billionaire smirked, "A plan that will create a new triumvirate behind the Presidency, to replace Hurt, Ra's and Thawne. One dedicated to the betterment of mankind rather than its subjugation. We are men of learning, Thaddeus. The true rulers of the world. The President could use a scientific advisor like yourself. I do not disagree with Thawne in how he has risen to power, but I know he is a madman. A madman who has foreseen how I will end him. Thankfully, time in the Phantom Zone has allowed me to shield my mind from him. He doesn't even know where I am."

"Why should I help you, Lex?"

"You have to admit to feeling snubbed by Thawne for not even considering you as part of his Cabal," Lex played to his counterpart's vanity, "You're a genius, Thaddeus. He fears you. And I have a person in the government who can help bring us to power and supplant him. I just need you to be part of my triumvirate." "Who will the third person be?" the mad scientist asked quizzically. "Someone I've worked with before," Lex dismissively answered him with a handwave, "The foremost authority in protecting the Earth from extraterrestrial threats. But I'm going to need you to get them on side, Thaddeus. In that dossier are my notes to all the work on cybernetics done by Silas Stone. With it, we can create someone worthy of ruling from the shadows alongside both of us." "Brilliant, Sivana smiled as he rifled through the dossier, "But I will need some guarantees, Luthor." "I have already taken them into consideration," Lex smiled, "Your children have struggled in the real world due to most people believing the calumnies that their father as a demented super villain. Once I am back in the public sphere, I will marry Beautia, and give her the wealth and power she deserves. Magnificus will be given a prestigious position in the military as you always wanted, and Tad and Georgia will be enrolled at the most celebrated of academies to harness the genius they've inherited from their father."

"Excellent. I have wanted to get at Thawne ever since I heard he'd had Slade Wilson use my creations as weapons."

"That's also what I wanted to talk to you about, Thaddeus. And I think you'll like this clause most of all. I want access to your Mister Mind replicas. Because for the plan to work, we're going to need a weapon. Someone powerful enough to take Thawne and his goons on. And I know just the person to be that weapon. I take it you're intimately acquainted with the youngster known as Billy Batson?"

Gotham

Bruce Wayne and Helena Kyle were going for a stroll through the snow one day. "How was patrol last night?" he asked, curious as to his daughter's activities since her return to his time. "Fine," she answered perfunctorily. "What's wrong, 'Lena?" her father wondered. "Nothing, Dad," she dismissed him, "Just…it's been hard adjusting back here." "I know," Bruce said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Why were you with Mom the night we met Mar'i?" she pointedly asked him. "She and I were—" he began. "Dad, I'm a big girl," Helena interrupted her father, "I know what you were doing. But why? Do you love her?" "Yes," he answered honestly. "But are you in love with her?" was the question which caused Bruce Wayne to hesitate for a moment.

"I don't know."

"That's part of your problem, Dad. You were never very good at being in love."

"Yes, well, you would struggle to if you were the Batman."

"Oh, I get that. But it's not good of you to just mess with Mom's feelings like that."

"Your mother and I have played this dance many a time, Helena. If anything, she hurts me just as much as I do her, because neither of us can really settle down."

"You say that now, but what about in years to come?"

"I can't say. Life has always surprised me. Never thought I'd have this large a family one day because of my actions as the Batman. Selina's a big girl. We're better off with things the way they are now."

"Well, have you two ever thought about me in all this?"

"What?"

"I'm your daughter. I don't care if I'm from some future you didn't want to happen but you still took me in. I don't care if what you want is the little girl. She's in Metropolis right now."

"I could never want that, Helena. We spent a year together in the World of Tomorrow. You're as much my child as Dick or Tim or anyone. That girl, you, though I care for her, I'm making sure she's alright. She's better off without us. You aren't, and you know that."

"You're only saying that because of how we met."

"Absolutely. Now you have a family, Helena. A family who adore you."

"Look, Dad. I know I'm not a conventional kid. You and Mom not being together is the least of my worries. But at the same time, no kid with separated parents wants their hopes rising up only to come crashing down like that. If it's not too much to ask, I don't want a toxic on again off again relationship for either of you. I'd much rather you found someone to love and cherish. Because that's the kind of man you are. You're committed, you're driven. Is there never anyone you've loved, who's not like Mom or Talia, in that you can actually be with them properly?"

"Well, I've had many girlfriends."

"Yeah, and most of those were airhead socialites you didn't care a jot about except for your playboy image."

"Not true. In high school, I went out with a girl named Rachel Dawes. Smart, cute and funny. She became a lawyer and married another one. Then she died. Long story."

"I'm sorry. But a high school sweetheart? Dad, you're over forty, come on."

"Alright. Silver St. Cloud."

"Yeah, Alfred and Dick mentioned her. Another dead one. Sorry."

"Sasha Bordeaux is alive."

"And working for Checkmate if what Alfred says is true, not to mention fairly tight with Mr Terrific. And from what Al also says it seems to have just been mutual infatuation, not even a relationship."

"Vicki Vale then."

"Yes, because the woman you love is an obsessive-compulsive journalist. You're supposed to be the opposite of Clark, aren't you? And unlike Lois she loves Batman. You're just an object. Name someone who loves Bruce Wayne. Who was able to see through the façade and love my father for who he truly is?"

"Well, there was one. I haven't seen her since before Dick came into my life. Julie."

"Julie Madison? Oh yeah, Alfred said she really impressed you. Really impressed. Like you were so dark before Dick was here. But she managed to cut through that. What happened?"

"She knew I was Batman. But her father was a haunted man, I tried to help. He became convinced the Batman was stalking him. It led him to try and kill Sal Maroni. Julie found out who I was the same night and left to join the Peace Corps in Africa."

"You never kept up contact?"

"She needed space to grieve."

"Yes, because people grieve for two decades. Wait a minute, I forgot who I was talking to. How old was she when you went out with her? Alfred said she was a kid. Eighteen? Nineteen?"

"Yeah, I was twenty-three when I started as Batman. She was the first woman I met who could match me wit for wit. Younger than me, but on the same level intellectually."

"There has to be more to it than that, Dad. Sasha was clever, so's Talia and my Mom. There must be something more to why you loved Julie. What did she do?"

"She was a law student. Ahead of her time. Started college at fifteen. And she had such compassion for everyone in Gotham. I felt like I could talk with her more about my philanthropic desires than others. I used to hide aspects of it, for the sake of anonymity. I felt with other people I'd have to act like I was just doing it for my image or the tax breaks, and in separate cases I acted like it was all my guilty conscience as a merchant prince. With Julie, it was like talking to a kindred spirit. Your mother never had that spark with me, in that she came from a different world. Julie, like me, was wealthy but compassionate. Your mother was a thief when we first met, and it took years to make her a better woman. By the time she came around I was too paranoid. I could have been a father and maybe a husband, if I hadn't let myself be consumed by grief. As for Talia, her obsession with me was psychotic and only inculcated by her father. I'm just glad that whatever love we had created Damian, and not something more sinister."

"It's early days, yet."

"I know. But yes, I loved Julie with all my heart. And I miss her every day."

Helena hugged her father. "It's sad to see this," she said into his chest, "I mean so many people around us are happy now with loved ones, it can't be easy on you. Maybe you should try it out with Diana?" "We tried," he laughed, "It didn't work. I think Diana has stopped caring for mortal men. It's not easy for her knowing she's going to outlast him, the man she loves." "I'm sorry about that, Dad," Helena held his hand then while in an apartment nearby Cissie King-Jones and Oliver Queen got to talking properly for the first time. "So," Arrowette said, avoiding eye contact, "You're my father." "Yeah," Ollie replied, "I knew." "You knew?" she lost her composure then, "You fucking knew?" "I always suspected. Bonnie and Bernell were never a match made in Heaven," he admitted, "And me and Dinah weren't together when…you were…made." "Wow," Cissie threw her hands up in the air, "just wow." "Hey, Bernell was a good dad," Ollie reminded her, "I didn't want to break whatever you had with him." "Yeah, he was a good dad," she nodded, trying to hide how upset she was, "And he died one. He was my dad. Doesn't make a difference whether he fathered me or not. But the way I see it now I need to live up to Mom…and you and him. That's why I went to Dinah and joined the Birds. They've been good to me. I'm never going to call you Dad, but you can be damn well sure I'm sticking with this family."

"Of course. And I don't care if you call me Dad or not. I haven't earned the right to that. But you've more than earned the right for me to call you daughter."

"Thanks, Ollie. I guess that's a start."

As this was happening, Dinah was at Barbara and Dick's place having a cup of coffee with Dick. "So, Babs is okay with your weird alien baby being here?" she coyishly asked her friend's husband. "Absolutely," Nightwing laughed, "She's really fond of Mar'i as you can see. And she's not with us 24/7. Yet. She's still spending time with her Mom. Kory's finding it hard to adjust to everything in space, but Mar'i still wants to get to know us all in the family. It's a shame. Knowing how highly-strung Kory is, this could divide them. Tamaraneans think with their hearts not their heads, and Kory despite knowing better than that can't help it sometimes. She's going to force Mar'i into an ultimatum she doesn't want." "Damn, I can't imagine this," Black Canary shook her head bemusedly, "Learning you're a father to a girl going through puberty and dealing with custody with her Mom who didn't know about her either and has the same feelings of possessiveness. Not fun. Even though you didn't change her diapers, soon you'll have to worry about her liking boys." "Ugh, I really hope that doesn't come for another few years," he blanched. Barbara then came outside from her office. "Dinah?" she raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Dick you should have said." "I didn't wanna' disturb your work, honey," he saluted her with his mug, "And besides, I put some coffee on."

"Well, you'll want to see this, Dinah. You don't mind if Dick sees this, do you?"

"No, it's fine. If I trust you, I can trust your husband, Babs."

"What is this exactly?" Dick asked. "I had a kid," Black Canary told him, "Years ago. Barbara went searching for her for me. I hoped maybe I could find her again, or at least make sure she's alright." "Oh, well" he stammered. "I think you might be able to empathise there, Dick," she looked at him knowingly. "Course," Dick awkwardly nodded before turning to his wife, "Anyway, honey what did you find?" That earned a deep inhalation from Oracle to show the import of what she'd been researching. "I've been at this the last couple of days and last night I made a breakthrough," she indicated a folder in her lap, "Your mother registered the birth as Drake, her maiden name. Dinah Drake III." Barbara handed a birth certificate for Dinah Drake III with Dinah Laurel Lance listed as mother and father's name unknown. "Oh my God," Dinah said, putting her hand to her mouth and crying a little, "My little girl? What happened. Is she okay?" "She was adopted and her name changed," Oracle told her, "A young couple from San Francisco. Phyllis Hester and Kevin…Dearden. Phyllis walked out on them when she was young, meeting another man and Kevin was quite abusive. They gave the girl a name, Dinah. They called her Mia. Dinah, Speedy is your daughter."

"Holy shit."

Blissfully unaware of this conversation, Mia Dearden lay her head on Connor Hawke's chest post coitus. "Wow," she exhaled happily with a little satisfaction, "Have I ever mentioned that you're awesome." "I do my best," he smirked. "I mean…sorry," she apologised, patting his chest with her hand, "it's just great to be with a guy like that who's not using me. Richard and the others were just paedos with guns or money. I thought he loved me and I needed to trick myself up and walk the streets for money, not caring about wrong or right, to make ends meet for both of us. He was a fucking pimp. It was so awkward with your Dad being nice to me. I expected a guy his age would just want something from me, and all he wanted to do was take care of me. It was great. He's great. You're great. I do love your family Connor. You've all been beyond amazing. Beyond anything I could have ever imagined. And now you're my boyfriend. At least I hope that's the case…"

"Of course. You know me, Mia, I don't go for the casual stuff. I wouldn't do this if I didn't have feelings for you."

"Thank you."

"Why thank me for being attracted to you? You're not a charity case, Mia. You're a confident, attractive young woman I wish I had the courage of. You're so enlightened. Whatever happened when you and my Dad were in time…it's only made you stronger and more gorgeous than I could have imagined."

As Connor and Mia kissed, Bruce Wayne found himself and Helena coming upon a helicopter landing nearby in Park Row. "How did Barbara not pick that up?" Batman asked. "Maybe she did and it's harmless," the Huntress told her father, "Or it isn't and you just keep forgetting your phone." "I don't need a phone," he replied in that serious manner of his, "I'm Batman." "Last I checked Batman wasn't clairvoyant," Helena reminded him. Out of the helicopter came a woman. A woman with dark brown hair, mid to late thirties, looking very confident and wearing a uniform saying 'Peace Corps'. "I don't believe it," Bruce said dumbfounded. "What is it, Dad?" Helena asked. "It's Julie," he managed after a second of disbelief, "Julie Madison." "Well, Romeo," she nudged him in the arm, "Go over and talk to her."

Helena pushed her father out into the middle of the snow and he awkwardly waved his hand at Julie when she noticed him. "Hello, Bruce," she said with a warm smile, "It's been a while." "Indeed, it has" Bruce said with his voice breaking as Helena laughed at him. His face was very red now. "What brings you home?" he stumbled out those words. "More to the point," she responded, "How long have you been back in Gotham?" "A while," he smiled, "It's a long story." "Dark Knight related?" his ex-girlfriend queried.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Bruce. I've had a long time to think about what happened between you and me. It's good that I got to see you as soon as I could. I wanted to tell you I forgive you for my Dad. I did a long time ago I just couldn't bare to see your face."

"Why? Julie, I loved you. It would have meant the world to me to see you again."

"I know. And I followed the news on Gotham a lot after I left. All those things. The earthquake, Bane, the Black Glove…Every time I saw some catastrophe, I started planning to fly home. Then Batman would recover from whatever was hurting him and save my home. Bruce, I learned that for some people, love is a weakness. Without my Dad and our romance keeping me here, I became an international lawyer and saved so many lives. And without my romance holding you back, you became a better Batman. Love holds us back. Held me back. I'm glad we can see each other now to see us both at our strongest. I've never loved anyone like my family or you since then. And I wanted to say that I'm proud of you."

"You're wrong, Julie."

"What?"

"Love is a strength, not a weakness. Without your father's love, you'd have never overcome your mother's death. Without your love, I likely would have become psychotic living my pretend playboy life of Bruce Wayne those first couple of years. And when you left me, I became dark. Very dark. Because of everything I saw. Then I met a young boy who was a lot like me and took him in."

"Robin?"

"Indeed. He taught me to smile again. My love for my children has made me a better man and driven me onwards. Without someone to love I'd have become suicidal. I lost a child a long time ago, and despite my best efforts I became a Machiavellian psychopath who trusted no one. Loving people and being loved in kind has always pulled me back from the brink. I can see you're a stronger woman than who I knew, Julie. But if you could stay and just get to know me better and the people I love, I hope I can change your mind."

"Well, I'm here to help Gotham. And if the Batman wants to help in that I'm game."

"Best news I've heard in weeks," Bruce said as he went up and hugged this amazing woman he hadn't seen in years. The hug turned into a brief, romantic kiss until they both pulled away awkwardly like a pair of teenagers. Julie hugged the back of her head with her hand in embarrassment. Helena laughed from a corner behind them and fist-pumped in victory. She had given her own father successful relationship advice. Damian would never hear the end of it.