The Batwing soared through the air, heading towards the Brainiac ship. Inside the cockpit were Batman and Catwoman.

"The others are engaging the fleet, and Superman and Supergirl are almost here. Shouldn't we be in Gotham instead?" Catwoman questioned why they weren't in Gotham, given that Superman and Supergirl were almost there and the others were handling the fleet.

"Brainiac controls the entire fleet from that Skull Ship. Take him down, take them all down." He answers.

The Batwing's engines hummed steadily in the silent cockpit as Batman, his voice strained with tension, analyzed the ship's defenses on the monitors. The sleek black hull of the ship was nearly invisible against the night sky, a testament to its stealth and advanced technology. Catwoman nodded, aware of the gravity of the situation; the fate of Gotham rested on their actions that night.

Selina observes the radar and announces, "There are contacts straight ahead!"

Batman, skillfully dodging laser blasts and returning fire, continued his pursuit of the Skull Ship as a fleet of Beta ships descended upon them. The arrival of the Kryptonians shifted the tide of the battle. They unleashed their heat vision upon the Beta ships, effectively breaching their defenses.

"They provided us with an opportunity!"

...

The Skull Ship is being locked on by Batman. Three missiles were fired at the ship. The missiles hit the ship but caused only minor damage. Brainiac, inside the ship, observed the damage.

"Activate shields," Brainiac commanded.

...

The shields on Brainiac's ship activate. They don't just protect the ship; they also emit a blast of energy that disrupts the Batwing's controls, causing it to plummet towards the ground.

"Impact in five seconds!" exclaimed Catwoman.

"Prepare to Eject" Batman yelled, preparing for the escape.

"Three seconds," Catwoman exclaimed.

Superman suddenly flew in and held them up, though he was upside down.

"You are welcome," Superman said as he spun the Batwing around, allowing it to hover, "What happened?"

Batman explained, "Brainiac's force field is generating a concussive feedback loop."

Superman then realized, "So the harder we hit it, the harder it hits back."

Supergirl, not hearing the warning, flew towards the ship and tried to punch it. The ship's shields zapped her with electricity. When Superman attempted to help, he too was blasted by the shields. Both Superman and Supergirl were then knocked to the ground by the force of the blast.

Brainiac commanded, "The Kryptonians are neutralized. Proceed with the extraction."

The Daily Planet was the next building to be consumed by the ship. Inside, Brainiac smiled as he observed a digital replica of Metropolis materialize - the city was now his.

Superman and Supergirl were sprawled in a crater miles away from the remains of Metropolis. The impact had knocked them both out, but Superman was the first to regain consciousness. He groaned as he rose and checked on Supergirl, using his X-ray vision to confirm that her heart was still beating.

His eyes then moved to the Skull Ship hovering above, and rage surged through him. As he looked down at the city below, he was struck by a chilling sense of déjà vu. Metropolis lay in ruins, a massive crater mirroring the devastation caused by the nuclear attack almost a decade ago. The memory of killing Lois to trigger that event flooded back, and Superman roared in anguish, "NO-O-O-O-O-O-O!"

The Batwing ascended as he repeatedly flew into the ship, attempting to penetrate its shields.

"Move faster than the force shield can, and you might be able to break through it," Batman advised. "It concentrates its energy at your point of attack."

"Got it," Superman replied.

Superman, capable of traveling many times faster than the speed of light, initiates a hit-and-run strategy. He lands powerful punches and swiftly repositions himself before the resulting shockwave can reach him. As he circles the ship with increasing speed, Brainiac, though jostled within, maintains his composure.

"Creative...but insufficient… Decrease shield refresh interval to ten picoseconds."

Superman is knocked into Metropolis crater by a concussive feedback punch, but remains conscious. As the ship descends, a tentacle blasts him with a powerful ray, causing him pain but not knocking him down. Supergirl awakens and flies to his aid, but multiple tentacles blast him, forcing him to his knees and causing his skin to crack. As Supergirl approaches, an explosion knocks her, the Batwing, and Brainiac's ship backward. Supergirl recovers quickly, but is visibly worried about Superman's condition.

Supergirl yelled "Kal!" as she flew into the blast to search for him.

Moments later, the smoke cleared, and the Batwing touched down in the crater. Supergirl sat there, looking defeated. Batman and Catwoman emerged from the ship and entered the crater, finding no trace of Superman. In the distance, Flash arrived to survey the damage. Shazam, having teleported to the scene and witnessed the events, joined Batman in approaching Supergirl.

"I couldn't find his body... can't hear his heartbeat. I was supposed to protect him from this... from YOU! And now he's gone! I'm sure that's the best news you've heard all day," Supergirl said sadly.

"I'll miss him, too," Batman replied.

Supergirl turned in confusion, "You mean that?"

"He was a good friend once. I trusted him with my life. But the Joker got to him... and I wasn't there to stop it. I lost my friend, Clark. And... I've missed him ever since," Batman said.

Batman's words surprised Kara. As the tension between them eased, she nodded in agreement.

Shazam said to Batman, "You're not the only one who feels remorse for Superman, Bruce..."

Supergirl turned around and said, "You too, Billy?"

Kara noticed the faded laser marks on Billy's forehead after he carefully removed his hood. These marks were evidence of the betrayal he endured against Superman.

"Superman was my idol," Shazam confessed to Supergirl, his voice heavy with sorrow. "He was always there for me, even at my lowest. He inspired me to become a hero."

He paused, the weight of his memories pressing down on him. "Even after the Joker incident, I stood by him. I believed he truly wanted the best for everyone. But he crossed a line... Betrayed Bruce... Betrayed his friends… Lex… And… Me." Shazam's voice cracked. "We lost Clark that day. And I've blamed myself ever since."

Kara's empathy was stirred by Shazam's evident pain. She instinctively reached out to console him, but the arrival of Cyborg, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, Batgirl, Bat-Kid, Green Lantern, and Aquaman through a Boom Tube interrupted the moment.

"Gotham City?" questioned Batman.

"We're sorry, father," apologized Bat-Kid. "We failed."

"All of you did your best," Batman said, his voice strained with anger and pain. "It's not your fault, Damian." Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention to the others. "Atlantis?"

Aquaman lamented, "Gone… I didn't heed the warning... Now, we all perish together."

"We're not giving up, yet. Has anyone been in contact with the other Teen Titans?" Batman inquired.

Kid Flash and Starfire of the Teen Titans arrived, shocked by the destroyed city. Kid Flash, his speed aura fading, explained, "We've been fighting his drones everywhere, but we couldn't reach the source of the issue."

Despair filled Starfire's usually vibrant eyes as she surveyed the devastation. "There's nothing we can do..." she murmured, her voice fading into the ruins.

"We can't let Brainiac win!" Shazam declared, his fist clenched in resolve. "There must be another way!"

Kid Flash inquired, "Billy, where are Freddy and Mary?" His eyes searched the group for them.

Starfire's voice was filled with anxiety as she added, "Blue Beetle and Firestorm aren't here either."

Shazam's fist clenched as he declared, "My siblings are in Facweet City, attempting to hold back the fleet."

Mary Marvel, carrying a thankfully still-alive Harley Quinn, and Shazam Jr. flew to where the group was standing and landed.

Supergirl's face registered shock and concern as she questioned Harley's presence, "Harley?! What are you doing here? I took you to the hospital after Wonder Woman stabbed you!"

"Diana did WHAT?!" Batman and Shazam exclaimed simultaneously.

"Oh, darling, you know me, I never miss out on a good party," Harley quipped, wincing in pain. "But seriously, I had to get out of there. Brainiac was getting closer, and I had some juicy gossip to share. Besides, I'm not about to let you all have all the fun!"

"Is-Is Fawcett City...-" Shazam's voice caught in his throat as he struggled to maintain his composure.

"Gone... Y-Yeah... Brainiac's drones... they've taken it," Shazam Jr. responded, his voice shaking.

"W-We tried to stop them... but there were too many," Mary Marvel's voice was shaky. She looked at her brother, Shazam, her eyes glistening with tears. "It's just... gone."

"Our... Our family... They were in there..." Shazam spoke, realizing that the rest of their siblings, as well as their parents, were trapped in Brainiac's collection.

The three Shazam heroes started to mourn, but Batman's voice cut through their grief, "We've lost much, but we can't lose hope. We need to regroup and form a new strategy."

Wonder Woman and her allies landed nearby, and she shouted at Bruce, "This is your fault, Bruce! Kal and I were close to defeating Brainiac! You should have listened to us!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! No fighting in front of the children!" Harley Quinn exclaimed with a hint of sarcasm, despite the pain from the stomach wound Wonder Woman inflicted. Limping slowly, she positioned herself between Batman and Wonder Woman, preventing further conflict.

"Shut it, Clown!" snapped Wonder Woman, her eyes flashing with fury, "Kal should've killed you along with the Joker on that day when he had the chance!"

Kara, tired of her former mentor's half-truths and lies, as well as her blaming everyone else for their current predicament, walked past Batman and shoved her, "Stop it, Diana! Millions of people are trapped on that ship! We have to save them!"

"Not with him..." Wonder Woman retorts while glaring and pointing at Batman.

A hologram of Brainiac materializes and remarks, "Such discord. It's no surprise that humans haven't been able to expand their civilization past this small planet."

"Did you call in just to gloat?" retorted Green Lantern.

."My Betas have been positioned all over your planet and will detonate simultaneously in one hour," Brainiac declared. "They will ignite the Earth's atmosphere, leaving this world a desolate moon. Unless... you surrender Kara Zor-El."

Kara was stunned by the revelation.

He continued, "She is the last survivor of Krypton, and my final chance to examine the effects of a yellow sun on Kryptonian cells. Surrender her, and I will spare this world."

"We absolutely will not!" Shazam declared, his eyes blazing with anger and resolve as he approached the hologram.

"Even if I thought you'd honor that deal, we wouldn't take it," Batman declared.

Brainiac retorted, "You have an hour to rethink your decision," and then vanished.

"Thanks for giving the new girl a chance," Supergirl said. "But maybe I should go."

"No way!" Shazam disagreed. "If we're going down, we're going down fighting!"

"He's right," Batman agreed. "We'll find a way to take down Brainiac's shields. We have to."

"We could try shorting them out. But we'd need to generate an insane amount of power." Cyborg suggested, his robotic parts whirring as he analyzed the situation.

Black Adam floated down and stated, "Science may not be the answer."

As Black Adam landed, Batman approached him and said, "He could be vulnerable to a magic attack."

Shazam was suspicious of his archenemy and asked, "Adam, what are you thinking?"

"I can drive the immense magical power from the Rock of Eternity through the gateway in Kahndaq. But I need an artifact, a medium to channel it...something that can withstand the power." Black Adam's gaze was intense, his plan clear.

"Too bad the Wizard that gave us these powers has his wand. Even if that wasn't the case, I don't think he'd be willing to help ya." Shazam Jr. said skeptically.

"How about the Trident of Atlantis?" Aquaman suggested, holding the weapon up.

"Yes...that could work." Black Adam nodded, his eyes gleaming with a mix of hope and greed.

"We get the shields down...THEN what? Cyborg says Brainiac controls that ship with his thoughts." Catwoman pointed out the obvious.

"But I *did* cut him off from Brother Eye," Cyborg spoke up, referring to their previous battle back from the Batcave, "It's possible I could make a signal disrupter that blocks his neural network. If you get Brainiac's shields down, we can disarm those Beta bombs."

"Then that's our plan. Aquaman, Adam, get to Kahndaq." Batman said, "The rest of us will hold off the fleet and keep an eye on Brainiac's ship."

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Sorry that I'm posting the chapter late. Had a lot of things happening. Anyways, we're very close to the ending of the story! I want to thank the people who supported me from the beginning from the two stories:

Temporal King

Spectacular Webhead 11

drewhutchison00

Winnie the Drunk

wtroy479

mui goku

RonaldM40196867

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ethanparker952

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You guys are the best! I'll see Y'all later for the next chapter, which will get personal by the minute, and I'm not talking about Black Adam and Aquaman! MAY GOD BLESS US, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR!