Chapter 11: Return of the Regime
Superman has escaped. And thanks to Diana's team and their efforts, his powers are restored thanks to Platinum Kryptonite. Now free and gone into hiding within the stolen ship from Brainiac's fleet. Now that things have gotten better for the Regime, they begin planning. But despite this, they are at a disadvantage. Superman and his Regime are hiding out in a forest far away from Gotham, where it would be impossible to track. While there, Superman has been caught up on what has happened while he was imprisoned.
"I'm impressed, Damian. Your assassin stealth skills have come in handy. And Cyborg's hacking skills never cease to amaze." Clark compliments the two and they fist bump. "So, besides Bruce, Kara, Hal and Barry, who do we have?"
"The alternate Green Arrow from another world, and our Black Canary. Selena Kyle, Mister Terrific and Harley Quinn." Black Adam said. Superman shows a bit of an annoyed expression upon hearing Harley's name, given that she indirectly helped the Joker nuke Metropolis, even though she wasn't aware that Lois was pregnant.
"Well there is that. After I was imprisoned, I noticed a few of the Teen Titans are nowhere to be found. I can only assume that Bruce got them out." Kal-El assumed.
"Yup. I kept tabs on them. Starfire, Superboy, Terra, Wonder Girl and they have Blue Beetle and Firestorm joining them." Cyborg mentioned.
"I see. Not surprised that Bruce has been doing more recruiting. I have been planning for a whole year during my imprisonment. But we have a problem. Even with the Titan's return and having some new recruits, we are at a disadvantage in numbers. An all out assault is not an option." Superman tells everyone.
"So we need to become stronger. But even with a lot of training and given how most of the Regime members are dead or turned traitors, it won't be enough." Diana pointed out.
"So I have some ideas. How did the other Oliver Green get here?" Kal-El asked.
"Doctor Fate. He brought him and our Dinah back here during the whole skirmish with the Society." Adam said.
"But he's dead now thanks to Brainiac." Damian said.
"And so is Brainiac himself. Assuming that everything has been restored. He is dead, but in our world." Superman said.
"Our world? What do you mean, Kal-El?" Diana asked.
"I remember when Bruce summoned duplicates of us to this world to face our One-Earth government. I thought, "What if there were more than just two worlds?" Superman suggested.
"I've read theories on interdimensional travel while we worked with Wayne. And I gotta say that's a big what if, Clark." Cyborg said.
"Kal. What do you suggest we do?" Diana asked.
"Think about it. If there were more worlds than the one where we faced our duplicates, then there must be a world that still has a living Brainiac. My plan was to bond with his ship and technology, but Bruce has more than likely destroyed the ship and taken all the cities." Superman answered.
"So we go to another world that still has Brainiac, we kill him and you can bond with his ship, becoming more powerful. I like it." Diana agrees with the idea.
"But Batman has hidden away his transdimensional technology beyond reach. And Cyborg cannot do this alone." Black Adam said.
"Yeah. I'm not as experienced as he is. But he's not the only genius on the team. Mister Terrific and Professor Stein are on his side. I could use one of them, or both to pull this thing off. I intercepted a transmission from Mister Terrific to the Titans tower. They still haven't updated the tower's security protocol ever since it was rebuilt. I'm all too familiar since I was one of them." Cyborg explained.
"What was the message he sent to the Teen Titans?" Damian asked.
"Mister Terrific is planning on giving them the trans-dimensional gateway tech for safekeeping, knowing it's too valuable for Bruce to keep." Cyborg said.
"So we force them to rebuild it. And that's where the Teen Titans will come in." Superman smirked. The team all nod and agree with his idea.
In the Legion HQ in the swamp, the mysterious man in the hood is contacted by none other than Darkseid.
"The Kryptonian is now free from his imprisonment as I predicted. Have you finished your objective yet?" Darkseid asked.
"Yes, my lord." The mysterious man removes his hood, revealing himself to be DeSaad. "The Earth's satellite has absorbed enough energy to find what you seek on the planet. You should trace its signal once you approach Earth. I've added your own technology to it just to be sure."
"You have done well, my disciple. Remain undercover until I arrive. I will be there. No one touches it but me. Am I clear?" Darkseid ordered.
"Yes, my master." DeSaad smiled evilly as he bent the knee before him. As he signs off, he puts his hood back on and walks away.
He meets with Polaris, Deadshot, Cheetah and Reverse Flash. They are losing their patience with DeSaad, but remain unaware of who he really is.
"By my calculations, with the right amount of energy, and the precise coordinates followed by the physics, we should be able to blow away part of the Earth's crust to reveal this mysterious item." Polaris said as he types up the math and science on the main computer. "Thanks to my expertise of magnetism, its shields and weapons you suggested, this baby is indestructible. Not even Batman's new kryptonian friend can't leave a dent in it."
"Yes. A friend of mine once told me, always plan for every contingency, no matter who the enemy is. Let's just say he is a master in strategy." DeSaad said while secretly referring to his master.
"The sooner the better. After this whole thing, I want out. This isn't what I signed up for, Polaris." Deadshot claimed.
"I still require your services, Deadshot. And I will tell you when they are no longer needed. No one exceeds better in marksmanship than you can." Polaris replied.
"To hell with your orders. First, Grodd and now you. I heard that you've been an insane scientist, Emerson." Deadshot poked a finger at his chest. Then suddenly, his head began to hurt severely. He screams as he falls to his knees.
"Neal Emerson is dead. I killed him because he lacked will." Doctor Polaris holds up his hand and tortures him. Deadshot tries to get up, but can't. "Oh? Did I forget to mention that before I recruited you, I added some minor modifications to your microscopic bomb in your brain? Consider this to be a warning. Step out of line and I could end your life in a second with a snap of my fingers."
Doctor Polaris smirked before he lowers his hand. Deadshot's vision is blurry and momentarily loses his hearing. He gasps for air. He felt like he suffered from some sort of seizure. He stands back up and walks away in silence and frustration.
"I have news from my outside." DeSaad gains their attention. "Superman has escaped his prison. With help from the wanted criminals. Wonder Woman, Black Adam, Victor Stone and Damian Wayne."
This gains the attention of most of the members of the group. Cheetah growls in happiness that Diana Prince has once again returned. Red Hood approaches DeSaad.
"So, the short-tempered asshole Damian has finally come out from the shadows, huh? Well then. Point me in the right direction cause I call dibs." Red Hood said in a serious tone.
"Calm yourself, hunter. You will each have your chance. After all, we share common foes." DeSaad calms Red Hood.
"If that is the case, then I suggest that we make our move before anyone finds us." Doctor Polaris said. "Alright, old man. Show us where to go, and leave me to do the work."
At the Titans Tower, Mister Terrific is using his T-spheres to carry all the cargo with some extra help from Starfire, Superboy and Wonder Girl. Things seem to be going good for them.
"So what do you plan on using these for?" Mister Terrific asked Professor Stein.
"Well, I was thinking about reprogramming these to study different forms of physics, so me and Jason can understand our powers better and what kind of potential we could have as Firestorm." Stein answered.
"Helpful. Good thing Bruce no longer has any need for these. After all, I helped him design this feature during the war against the Regime. Something I'm actually proud of." Mister Terrific said.
"You should." A voice said from above in the sky. Both Stein and Terrific immediately recognized that voice. They look above and it was none other than Superman. Accompanied by Wonder Woman, Black Adam and Cyborg. "Your tech is the reason why the Regime fell. And now, you're going to fix it for us."
"Clark?! Shit! So you did get out! Honestly, I didn't think you'd get out so soon. But why the hell do you want my tech for?" Mister Terrific demanded.
"You'll see soon enough. You and Professor Stein are both coming with us now!" Superman commanded. But of course, they don't listen. That is when the Teen Titans come out.
"You will leave here at once, Kal-El. It is bad enough that we must deal with the Legion. You will fail as you have before." Starfire said. "Titans! Attack!"
Everyone begins to fly towards the Regime while Professor Stein runs inside to find Jason. Starfire and Cyborg fight each other in the air, where their beams meet a stalemate after firing at each other.
"Victor. Why do you continue to fight for something that may cost you your life? We used to work together back in the days. Before Joker." Starfire pleaded with him.
"Those days are long gone, Star. Think about it. He took Kid Flash and Beast Boy away from us. How do you not agree with us?" Cyborg questioned her. But then, a big boulder came out of nowhere and knocked Cyborg away. Kori turns to see that Terra was responsible.
"You keep his name out of your mouth, traitor!" Terra shouted. Her head briefly began hurting again. Starfire places her hands on her shoulders to calm her friend down. Terra shakes her head and sighs in relief. Terra nods to her as a way of thanking her before they continue fighting and shooting at each other.
Blue Beetle and Wonder Woman swing their blades at each other. They're both holding their own against each other.
"Y'know, I was such a huge fan of you back in the day. Like before I found this scarab." Blue Beetle claimed.
"Was a huge fan?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Well, yeah. Before you went full Regime and stuff. I don't like to fight, but it's like Batman's orders." Blue Beetle said.
Blue Beetle shoots his arm cannon at Diana, which she easily blocks with her shield before she throws it. Beetle avoids it and rams her with his own shield before double kicking her away and uppercutting her. Wonder Woman may have lost to him last time, but she was ready. She brings out her lasso and wraps it around Beetle's arm cannon and pulls him towards her and punches him hard in the chest, knees his chin before doing a punch and kick combo to the face before wrapping her lasso around him before throwing him into the ground, nearly defeating him.
"Luckily for you, I don't kill children. Be thankful that I am letting you live." Wonder Woman said before walking away.
Superman and Superboy clash at each other. Unlike last time, Superboy seems to be holding his own this time. Kal-El is pretty surprised by how strong he has gotten ever since he was freed from the Phantom Zone.
"You've gotten stronger, Connor." Superman said.
"Hey, I gotta make up for the last time you kicked my ass and locked me up." Superboy said.
"But they won't save you." Kal-El replied. They fire their heat vision at each other and there was a small explosion. They both back away to recover. Before Superman can attack further, he hears Stain trying to find Jason, shouting for him. So he comms Damian Wayne. "Damian, don't let them fuse into Firestorm. Hurry!"
Superboy overhears this and tries to fly to the tower, but Superman was faster. He grabs Con-El's ankle, throws him and hits him with heat vision before engaging him again.
Inside the tower, Stein runs as fast as he could to find Jason, knowing that they're defenseless without each other. He looks around in the huge living room, searching every corner. "Jason! Jason, where are you?!"
"Looking for someone?" Damian called out to him. Stein turns around and sees that he is holding Jason hostage with his electric escrima sticks. "Well, well. How ironic. You guys being on guard duty keeping me and Victor in check. How the tables have turned. He's my prisoner now. How does it feel, hothead?"
"How the hell did you get in here?" Stein asked.
"Easy. Cyborg hacked your security systems and defenses long enough for me to sneak in undetected. Courtesy of all of the training we had." Damian explained.
Jason does his best to break free from his grip to no avail. He holds one of the sticks to his throat and smirks like a real assassin.
"Let him go! What the hell do you want?" Stein demanded.
"Go stand over at those windows, where Superman will take you and T-Man to a safe place. Do it, and I will let him go." Damian said.
"N-no, professor! Don't do it!" Jason begs him not to. But Stein looks on with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry, Jason. I can't let you die." Stein tells him.
Black Adam, who is holding up a defeated Wonder Girl and an unconscious Mister Terrific, zaps his lightning at one of the huge windows, shattering it. He throws Cassandra through the window and is tossed over the couch, tipping it over. He stares at the professor as he slowly approaches him.
Once he is at the edge, Stein turns around and is grabbed by the back of his shirt and jacket while Damian walks over with Jason. Adam flies off with the genius as Damian throws Jason to the ground before he jumps and Cyborg grabs him as they fly away. Superman and Wonder Woman grab all the tech that Mister Terrific was handing over as they leave the defeated Teen Titans behind.
They fly into the tower while helping Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl and Jason up. They all made sure that no one was seriously injured.
"Is everyone alright?" Starfire asked everyone. Beetle shrugs it off. Thankfully, the scarab's armor gives him enough durability to withstand strong attacks like being thrown into the ground.
"Not everyone. They took the professor. And Mister Terrific and his drones too." Jason tells her. "We gotta warn Batman about this."
"No problemo. I'm already on it." Blue Beetle flies over to the computer and starts typing to contact Bruce Wayne at the batcave. "Yo, Bats. Come in. We got a big problem. Like a super big problem."
"Jaime. What happened?" Batman commed.
"Supes is back with his Regime jerks. And they took the professor. And Mister Terrific. And the tech that they were trading." Blue Beetle warned him.
"Including the trans dimensional gateway. I've seen first hand what could happen if something like that could fall into the wrong hands." Batman said.
"What should we do? We cannot stand around here helplessly." Starfire said.
"You're right. With Superman back with Doomsday, things have gotten worse than I would have thought. We need all hands on deck. We must stop Superman from doing whatever he plans on doing and wherever he plans on going to. I may have a hunch." Batman said.
A strong energy signal suddenly spiked on both computers. This gains the attention of both the Justice League and the Teen Titans. It appears to be coming from the huge satellite that Starfire and Superboy discovered earlier.
In the Legion's HQ, Doctor Polaris smiles as everything seems to be ready.
"Excellent. All coordinates are set. The target is set to fire upon South America." Doctor Polaris smirked gleefully.
"Yes. Now you are one step closer to claiming the ultimate prize." DeSaad said to him.
Doctor Polaris presses the button. In outer space, the satellite fires a bright purple laser down onto the Earth's surface. In the area of Chilean Patagonia, the surface is hit and dirt and mud is flying in all directions. The impact was so loud, many animals nearby run away from the danger that was yet to come.
This gains the attention of the Regime and their prisoners. Superman was able to see and hear the large explosion-like sound from very far away.
"What was that?" Diana asked.
"I don't know. But whatever it is, this isn't something we should not ignore." Superman said.
"Superman. I traced it. It came from outer space. It fired some sort of laser onto the surface in Chilean Patagonia, South America. Whatever it is, it has to be something big." Cyborg reported to Kal-El.
Clark thinks for a minute. He could ignore the danger, but at the same time, he feels like it could be something that isn't normally part of the Earth.
"Change in plans. We head to South America. Follow mine and Victor's lead." Kal-El ordered.
"Are you sure this is wise, Kal? This could be a trap." Diana said out of worry.
"Maybe. But whatever it is, it could be something to do with those Legion guys I overheard the Titans mention earlier. We better get there quick." Superman replied to Diana.
Below the surface, this did not go unnoticed by the Atlantians. They could feel the shake from miles away and underwater. It appears that the laser is even more powerful and anticipated. This gains the attention of King Aquaman. He stands up from his throne.
"What in Atlantis was that?" Aquaman asked. "Whatever it is, Atlantis will not suffer. Not this time. All soldiers! With me! We leave immediately!"
In the batcave, Batman traces the source of the laser impact. He finds that it has landed in South America. Everyone from both locations have watched the firing. Batman activates his own satellite feed.
On the screens, this mysterious symbol is completely new to him. New to everyone. It looks like some sort of giant math equation. But he can't seem to make it out.
"Oh my stars and garters! What in the hell is that?!" Blue Beetle said.
"I don't know. This is completely beyond Earth. Beyond any scientific belief." Batman said. Supergirl approaches, placing a couple of fingers up to her chin. It took her several seconds to realize this and gasps.
"No. How is this possible? It can't be!" Supergirl said with fear in her voice.
"Kara? What's wrong? Do you know about this?" Batman asked her.
"We have to go. Now! I'll explain on the way!" Kara tells everyone. Both the Justice League and the Teen Titans are confused by her statement and tone. They wonder why she's so afraid.
Note: Things are getting closer to the crossover. And I didn't want to introduce too many characters in either universe. I didn't know what to do with Bizarro and everyone else. And John Stewart is canonically dead in the Injustice universe. He was killed by Sinestro, who is also dead. Soon, Darkseid will make his entrance.