Sorry to keep you all waiting. I would've gotten this out way, way earlier, but someone else had their own plans for a certain group of characters that will feature in this story. Regardless, I've kept you waiting long enough.
Infinity Crisis: Lightyears Ahead
Chapter 2: In Loving Memory
Earth-1992, Neo-Gotham City
It shouldn't be a coincidence that this terrorist group struck Gotham on the day of Bruce Wayne's death, the Batman of the future known as Terry McGinnis thought to himself as he raced through numerous explosions causing buildings to crumble down while saving whatever bystanders he could find. But who could've done this, and why is their idea of a calling card some kind of teddy bear?
As Terry stopped on a rooftop to take off his mask and catch his breath, he glared up at a holographic billboard depicting a teddy bear that was black with a jagged red eye on the left half of its body and white on the right half, letting out a sinister "Upupupupupupu!" as Neo-Gotham continued falling to chaos.
"Whoever's behind this, they got another thing coming!" Terry declared before he turned to discover a portal opening behind him, followed by six color-coded animals appearing out of it. Their leader, a yellow-furred rabbit carrying a sword over his shoulder and eating a carrot, had only one thing to say.
"So this must be Oith-1992." the rabbit said while Terry's jaw dropped at what he was looking at. "Eh, what's up, doc?"
High above the chance encounter between the Batman of the future and the defenders of Acmetropolis, Lightyear sat in an easy chair on the rooftops of what was once Wayne-Powers Enterprises, helping himself to a bowl of Cheetos while watching a sporting event on Earth-72413.
"Man, this Earth is so underrated!" Lightyear chortled to himself with a mouthful of Cheetos as he watched Nozomi Kaminashi clash her ample chest with Hanabi Kawai's when he realized he was being watched. "Uh, this isn't what it looks like!" he stuttered while trying to cover his screen with his hands to no avail. "Come on, there's more to it than just beautiful anime girls fighting each other with-okay, you got me." Lightyear then got out of his chair and made the screen disappear with a snap of his fingers while looking out at the chaos below him. "Now, if you live in Gotham City, no matter what Earth it is, you'll never find a more wretched hive of superstitious and cowardly scum and villainy living in fear of the Dark Knight. But this occasion is a rather unique one, as now this Earth has some unusual visitors."
Snapping his fingers again, Lightyear presented an image of the teddy bear from the billboards, but now he was standing below a gyaru girl who had her tongue stuck out in a deranged smile. "This is Junko Enoshima of Earth-2010D, or at least a Variant of her that didn't die. Instead, this version of Junko comes from Earth-100709, where the fifteen Super High School Level prisoners of Hope's Peak Academy all survived the Killing Game and escaped, but it came at the cost of being forced to give up the talents that gave them their Ultimate titles. Now, Junko has discovered the fate of her prime self and is plotting to spread her brand of despair across the multiverse. And wouldn't you know it? She just had to come to Gotham. But before I can say anything else, let's rewind a bit."
November 10th, 2062. Bruce Wayne was dead.
While many versions of Bruce either died gloriously in a final battle with his archenemy or faked his death to retire peacefully, this particular Bruce simply died of natural causes, later confirmed by Dr. Jada Thompkins to be a combination of intestinal cancer and kidney failure, the very same affliction that caused Terry to discover he was Bruce's biological son. Naturally, Terry was there to preside over the former Dark Knight's funeral with his wife Dana, their son Paul, his elderly mother Mary, and Terry's brother & former Robin Matt.
"In many ways, Bruce was like a father to me, one that I desperately needed after the loss of Warren." Terry said to a crowd of hundreds of Gotham citizens, his various allies, and superheroes that managed to make it to the ceremony. "We didn't always get along, but that's what happens when you're working alongside an old man like him. But even as he grew older, Bruce's dream of a Gotham that would never see another eight year old boy lose everything to some punk with a gun never stopped. He was a lot like Batman, in a way. The Batman doesn't compromise. He keeps this city safe. Even if it's safer by just one person. And he does not ever give in or give up. Which is why, with the fortune I have now inherited from Bruce, I am pleased to announce the Warren McGinnis Foundation, a charity organization devoted to cleaning up Neo-Gotham in ways Batman cannot and ensuring a brighter future for the people of this city."
The funeral's audience gave a slow, mournful clap for Terry's good deeds as the Batman of the future gazed at Bruce's coffin. "Good night, Bruce. Thank you for everything." Terry then walked away from the procession to get some alone time with the grave of his father Warren, the namesake of his new organization. "Dad? It's me, Terry. Sorry I haven't been able to talk with you lately. I was just so busy being Batman, trying to be a good dad and husband, taking care of Mom, and now I've got this whole charity set up. Makes me wish for someone like you or Bruce to give me a pick-me-up in these times."
"I wasn't aware you saw dead people, McGinnis." Former GCPD commissioner Barbara Gordon snarked as she rolled up next to Terry in her motorized wheelchair. "But you're right. It's not going to be the same without Bruce. It must be like losing your father all over again."
"Right." Terry sighed before he got a call. "Max, what's up?"
"So glad I could call you Terry, and I'm sorry for your loss." Max Gibson responded. "Listen, word on the street is that some of your old foes are being gathered together for some reason at the abandoned warehouse on Bader and Burnett."
"Let me guess, the Jokerz?" Terry dryly asked.
"No, more than that." Max continued. "I'm talking the Royal Flush Gang, Spellbinder, Inque, Willie, Curare, even the Brain Trust and all that!"
"Wait, them too?" Terry's eyes widened in shock. "Haven't fought those guys in ages. Looks like this is something I should check out."
As the Batman of the Future said his farewells to Barbara and his family, Lightyear watched the funeral end with a sad look on his face. "Always heartbreaking to see one of the multiverse's mightiest heroes die like this. Almost reminds me of my trip to Earth-8345 and how that Suicide Squad decided to kill the Justice League after they were brainwashed by Brainiac. At least this Bruce got a proper sendoff." He then shook his head before cracking his knuckles. "But more to the point, let's see what those criminals are up to."
Elsewhere at the warehouse on Bader and Burnett, sixteen of Neo-Gotham's greatest villains had all assembled under one roof with no idea as to what they were doing here or who brought them together.
"So, you got the invite too, huh, Billings?" Inque said to Spellbinder as they, along with fourteen other rogues, were all huddled together in the dark.
"Inque, I was convinced you skipped town." Ira Billings said to the ink-like saboteur before the two turned to face Shriek and Stalker. "Haven't seen either of you in a while either. Weren't you all part of some Iniquity Collective last time I saw you?"
"Indeed." Stalker answered. "Only one missing right now is that Parasite. Which one was he again, Joshua Allen?"
"I thought it was Raymond." Walter Shreeve added. "Can hardly keep track of all these Parasites running around now."
Suddenly, everyone turned their attention to the sound of a large spotlight being turned on by a group of teddy bears that were half-black and half-white, and the spotlight shone down on a young woman with one of the teddy bears reclining in her lap with a glass of wine in its paws. The girl in question had an hourglass figure to rival Inque's, light blue eyes, long, thick, bleached strawberry-blonde hair tied into pigtails, a heavy amount of makeup and an extravagant fashion sense for someone her age. "Welcome, villains of Neo-Gotham. I am Junko Enoshima, and I'm so glad you all received my invitation."
"We practically had no choice in the matter." Willie Watt stated. "Those freaky bears threatened to kill us if we didn't answer."
"Well, you're not dead now, buddy boy!" Junko began speaking through the bear, Monokuma. "I couldn't BEAR to see anyone feel so alone! Upupupupupu!"
"Okay, lady, who are you and what business do you have thinking we can just sit down and take orders from a teenager?!" Chucko of the Jokerz gang exclaimed.
"I am so glad you asked, Chucko." Junko replied professionally, suddenly tying her hair into her ponytail while putting on glasses and holding up a clipboard and pen. "As I'm sure you may know, the one known as Batman is believed to be a symbol of hope for the people of a crime-ridden city like Gotham. Naturally, there have been many villains who have sprung up over the years to bring despair to this city, most famously the one known as The Joker."
As Junko continued her speech, Terry was spying on the gathering of villains from the dark shadows of the warehouse, his eyes widening beneath his mask at the ones he immediately recognized. Aside from Inque, Spellbinder, Willie Watt, Curare, the Brain Trust, and what he assumed to be a new Royal Flush Gang, he could also see Stalker, Shriek, some members of the Jokerz, Mad Stan, Ratboy, Abel Cuvier, Repeller, and even Vendetta. However, what surprised him the most was that they were all listening to the rhetoric of a teenage girl of all people. "Max, you seeing this? How old is that girl?"
"I have no idea, Terry." Max continued over his intercom. "I can't seem to find any data on her. It's like she came from another world or something!"
"Or another universe." Terry realized. "Bruce once told me about his trip to Earth-99 and how he sent that world's version of him to the Phantom Zone. Maybe this girl is the same."
"Why hello there, Batman." one of the Monokumas standing guard at the warehouse ominously greeted Terry. "Upupu, naughty, naughty, Dark Knight. Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop?"
"Gotta run, Max. The teddy bears found me." Terry muttered fearfully to Max.
"I'm sorry, a teddy bear?" Max gasped incredulously. "What the fu-" Terry ended his call as he faced the Monokuma.
"Okay, Yogi, you got five seconds to talk before I take you to Ranger Smith!" Terry threatened the Monokuma. "Tell me, where did this girl come from and what does she want with all these bad guys?"
"It's simple, Batman, she wants to spread her despair to this Earth too." the patrolling Monokuma snickered. "Ever since she met a kindred spirit who rescued her from the destruction of her Earth, my master has been working on making sure everyone feels her love of despair as she extinguishes hope throughout these infinite Earths."
"Whatever your boss has planned, I'll be there to stop her!" Terry declared while pulling out a Batarang to throw at the Monokuma, who retaliated by pulling out a baseball bat and hitting the Batarang back at Terry.
"What the?!" Terry yelled as the Batman Beyond dodged the Batarang and tackled the Monokuma through the window, causing the two to fall into the warehouse, with Terry using the robotic bear to break his fall.
"A body has been discovered!" another Monokuma exclaimed as Junko and the villains turned their attention to Terry.
"Well, who would've guessed I'd get my own legion of doom someday?" Terry laughed weakly as he got up to face his old enemies while cracking his neck. "Been a long while since I saw most of you, huh? Y'all look like you haven't changed a bit!"
"Ah, the new Batman, I see!" Junko exclaimed as she got up from her throne and marched towards Terry, now wearing a crown on her head and speaking in an over the top British accent. "I am delighted to see that you've come today, old chap! Unfortunately, peasant, you're just a little too late."
"Okay, kiddo, I want some answers!" Terry growled as he grabbed Junko by her jacket collar. "Who are you?! How did you find this Earth?! And more importantly, what do you have planned?"
"Aw, you wouldn't hurt a little cutie pie like me, would you?" Junko asked, switching to a voice that almost made Terry gag from how obnoxiously adorable she sounded before switching to acting like a rockstar. "What are you, dense?! Are you a dumbass or something? Who the hell do you think I am?! I'm the goddamn Ultimate Despair, Junko Enoshima!" she introduced herself to Batman while making the sign of the horns with her crossed hands and sticking her tongue out with a maniacal laugh.
"Okay, you're starting to give me a headache already." Terry groaned at Junko's rapidly switching personalities. "What was all that about despair earlier? Is that your gimmick, that you live to make other people miserable?"
"Ding ding ding, you got it right!" Junko laughed. "Monokuma, show him what he's won!"
"That's right, Lady Junko, Mr. Batman has won an all-expenses paid trip to Ultimate Despair!" Monokuma declared like Terry had become an unwilling game show contestant. "We're going to make him watch as the new Ultimate Despair wreaks havoc across Neo-Gotham and run him ragged as he tries to save his beloved city and everyone who lives in it, including his loved ones, from being burned to the ground!"
"You monster!" Terry yelled angrily at the thought of anyone he cares about, especially Dana and Paul, getting hurt by any of his villains. "Why would you do something like this?!"
"Why does anyone do anything?" Junko responded in a stoic monotone. "Sheer, absolute boredom. Spreading despair is the only thing that could ever bring me fulfillment in life, and it has become my life's goal to teach everyone that same fulfillment, starting with you."
"Maybe if we take off that mask, we can really find ways to make everyone he loves hurt." Shriek chuckled as Terry was restrained by the Dee-Dee Twins. "Anyone care to do the honors?"
"No, you wouldn't!" Terry yelled in terror as Stalker volunteered to expose the Dark Knight.
"Do not fret. This will only take a moment, Batman." Stalker declared before ripping the Batman's mask off, exposing his identity as Terry McGinnis to his rogues gallery. "Or should I say Terry McGinnis?!" Everyone gasped at this newfound knowledge while Terry grimaced at how now that these villains knew who he was under the mask, there would be no stopping them from hurting his family and friends. "It seems you've grown since last we met."
"Being a father can do that to you." Terry snarled at the hunter. "And I swear on my life, if any of you hurt my family, you're going to wish you were up against Bruce."
"That's the idea, fool, because we shall now take your life!" Junko laughed in her queenly persona as the villains surrounded the unmasked Terry. "Execute him, my knights!"
Eager to get back at Terry for the years of putting them away, the new Ultimate Despair began overwhelming Terry with their sheer numbers. However, even with the odds severely against him and the lives of everyone in Neo-Gotham on the line, Batman knew these foes well enough to keep them all at bay while he tried thinking of ways to escape the warehouse.
"Don't let him escape!" Timothy Walker, current King of the Royal Flush Gang and son of Melanie Walker, commanded his Gang as they tried to restrain Terry. However, Terry yelled with all his might as he freed himself from A.C.E's grasp and delivered a flying kick to the robot's face, only to find himself tied up in Inque's slimy grasp.
"Oh, Batman. I never knew how ruggedly handsome you were under that mask." Inque purred in admiration before trying to choke Terry to death with an inky tendril around his neck.
"Sorry, dollface, I'm already spoken for." Terry gasped for air while ripping his way out of Inque's arm, dodging a grenade from Mad Stan, blocking a punch from Willie, and running his way through all the other enemies before facing Stalker, who was still holding his mask. "Hey, before I leave, there's a little something I forgot to mention. You know that cowl you're holding, Stalker?" he asked. "I actually rigged it to act as a flashbang in case I was ever unmasked, and it's going to go off any second now."
"What?!" Stalker yelled in alarm before he looked at Terry with a smirk. "Clever move, Batman."
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU IDIOT?!" Monokuma screamed while all the other villains began panicking. "THROW IT AWAY!" Unfortunately, the cowl burst into an explosion of light that caused all the villains to go blind while Terry used the opening to take back his cowl and make his escape.
"Thanks for the heartfelt reunion you guys, I'll keep in touch!" Batman taunted as he escaped before the light fizzled out, leaving Ultimate Despair to stumble about as they regained their vision.
"He's gone!" Curare exclaimed once everyone in the warehouse realized that Terry had vanished before glaring at Stalker. "And this is all your fault!"
"I recognize that, my comrades." Stalker admitted as he took a knee to Junko. "Lady Junko, I apologize for my recklessness. You may punish me as you please."
"Sorry Stalker, but you're the one who got us into this mess." Junko whined while making mushrooms grow on her head. "And you'll have to get us out of it!"
"Understood, Lady Junko." Stalker obeyed the Ultimate Fashionista's commands and turned to pursue Terry before Junko faced the rest of her army.
"The rest of you, your job is simple." Junko stated in her sophisticated persona. "Cause as much chaos and despair in Neo-Gotham as possible, do not stop until this entire city knows nothing but despair." However, she picked out one villain in particular to stay behind with her as her new Ultimate Despair began leaving the warehouse. "Not you, Cuvier. I have a job for you."
"What could you require my skills for, Miss Junko?" Abel said as the geneticist became the only villain left with Junko.
"First off, we're going to the graveyard." Junko smiled ominously. "I know of a way to break little Terry's heart."
"And now we return to present day." Lightyear finished his recap of everything leading up to this point in time. "Though Junko Enoshima has died on Earth-2010D, her legacy still lives on in other Earths, and one of those just so happens to have gathered some of Terry's enemies together to drown Neo-Gotham in despair while they grieve the death of Bruce Wayne. Okay, I might've taken a few liberties with how I told it, but I still got the point across regardless."
Terry couldn't believe his eyes. Just when he thought his day couldn't get any weirder, Batman was now faced with six color-coded animals that looked like they were ready to spend a Saturday morning fighting men in goofy monster suits with a giant combining robot. Aside from the yellow rabbit who greeted him, there was also a girl rabbit in pink, a duck who was dressed in orange, a purple Tasmanian devil, a green coyote, and a red roadrunner. It was at this rate that Terry wondered just how badly Ultimate Despair beat him up.
"What's the matter, bub? You look like you've seen a ghost." the yellow rabbit asked before extending his hand. "Name's Ace Bunny. And you are?"
"Uh, I'm Bugs Bunny, I mean, Batman." Terry stuttered. "Sorry, it's just that you remind me of those old cartoons."
"Oh, Bugs? Funny you should mention that, he's my ancestor." Ace casually revealed to the Batman of the future.
"Shut! Up!" Terry gasped before looking at Ace's companions. "And let me guess, your friends are descended from other Looney Tunes as well?"
"What tipped you off, Pointy-Ears?" Danger Duck commented dryly with the trademark lisp of Daffy Duck.
"I mean, come on, you're literally just Daffy!" Terry said to Duck before looking at the other heroes. "And I'm pretty sure the others are the Tasmanian Devil, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, and I think Lola Bunny."
"Correct on all fronts." Tech E. Coyote said as he stepped forward to shake Terry's hand. "Greetings, Batman, we're the Loonatics from Earth-1930."
"Name's Terry McGinnis, I'm the Batman of this era." Terry replied while tugging at his cowl. "Listen, you guys have to help me get the people of this city somewhere safe. There's a deranged teenager and her robot teddy bear minions who are tearing Gotham apart for shits and giggles!"
"Teddy bear?" Slam Tasmanian grumbled confusedly while scratching his chin.
"Trust me, guys, it'll all make sense once I explain everything, just follow me to Wayne Manor. Or I guess you can call it McGinnis Manor now." Batman stated as he hailed his Batmobile to help in his escape. "And about time too, we got trouble!"
"No way, is this your version of the Batmobile?!" Rev Runner excitedly asked while Lexi Bunny grabbed his shoulder.
"Yeah, it certainly looks cool, but look over there!" Lexi exclaimed while pointing at the Stalker spying on the group from a few rooftops over.
"They're onto me!" Terry yelled as he prepared to take off in the Batmobile.
"Don't worry Bats, I got it covered!" Ace replied before firing his laser eyes at Stalker, who deflected the beams with his staff while locking onto the bunny with the lens in his eye before Ace cued the Loonatics to retreat.
"Looks like rabbits and bats are in season." Stalker coldly declared as the Loonatics escaped Neo-Gotham alongside Terry.
Stately McGinnis Manor
As part of Bruce Wayne's final will and testament, in addition to Terry inheriting the Wayne family fortune, he was also given ownership of Wayne Manor and the Batcave by extension, allowing Terry to move his wife and son into a newer and much fancier home.
"And coming up on our tour of Neo-Gotham, it's the one and only Batcave, the mostly secret lair to the Dark Knight himself, the Batman." Terry imitated a tour guide as he returned the Batmobile to the cave, with the other-dimensional heroes following behind as he got out and took off the cowl with a heavy sigh. "Whew, home sweet home."
"Well, look who made it back in one piece." Dana McGinnis laughed in relief as she welcomed her crimefighting husband back from one of the most harrowing experiences of his life. "I missed you, Terry."
"Missed you too, Dana." Terry replied to his wife before turning to the Loonatics. "Hey guys, I'd like you to meet my wife!"
"Uh, Terry, are those the Looney Tunes?" Dana asked regarding her husband's new acquaintances.
"Loonatics, to be precise." Ace corrected Dana while shaking her hand as he examined the inside of the Batcave. "Wow, never knew you'd get to have all of Bruce Wayne's wonderful toys!"
"Obviously, Batman would be host to some technical marvels the likes of which no man has ever seen." Tech added in wonder while picking up a Batarang. "Might need to take some inspiration for my tech."
"Welcome home, Terry." Max greeted Terry as he and Ace walked over to meet her at the Batcomputer. "And hello to you too, you wascally wabbit."
"Charmed." Ace replied. "So, about that teddy bear thing from earlier. Is this another one of those crazy C-tier supervillains?"
"I don't even know." Terry replied with a groan. "While I was spying on Junko Enoshima earlier, she was gathering together some of my villains and having them listen to some speech about despair versus hope before they unmasked me."
"Unmasked?!" Max and Dana gasped.
"Yeah, it probably won't be long before they track us here and try to put all of you in danger." Terry stated. "We have to stay alert in case the worst happens." Just then, Rev appeared in the Batcave in a flash of light, leaving a flaming trail behind him. "You, road runner, where have you been?"
"Oh, just taking my own little tour of Gotham, seeing the sights, stopping those freaky bears, and trying to get more info on the bad guys." Rev answered rapidly, true to his name. "By the way, I was able to bring one of the bears back with me." He tossed a damaged Monokuma onto the ground at Terry and Ace's feet. "I hope you don't mind that it got a little smashed, had a few bumps in the road on my way here."
"Perfect, this is just what we need to stop her!" Terry grinned as he picked up the broken bear and handed it to Max, who hooked it up to the Batcomputer to examine the data within. To their surprise, the data contained a video of Junko that they knew just had to be key to stopping her.
"This may come as a shock to you, Miss Enoshima, so allow me to elaborate." a white-skinned reptilian alien with purple jewels on his body said to Junko in the video. "My name is Frieza, and I am one of the leaders of the multiversal organization known as the Conquerors' Cabal. Consider yourself lucky I was able to save you and your little pets from the antimatter waves that destroyed your universe, because I have a proposition for you."
"Antimatter waves?" Ace asked while raising an eyebrow. "Why does that sound familiar?"
"Because these are the same waves that have been threatening the multiverse lately." Tech answered his leader. "It seems whatever Earth Junko came from, it no longer exists. This is the same situation we've encountered on a few other Earths we've discovered too."
"That's right." Lexi added while presenting holograms of many Earths that Terry presumed were also destroyed by antimatter. "For example, this is Earth-81123, one of the many Earths that's home to a version of the hero Spider-Man. We tried our best to help him, but unfortunately, we were too late."
"Hey, is that Superman in one of those Earths?" Terry asked regarding an image of a Superman who looked more like he was a guy wearing a Superman costume with fake muscles.
"Correct, this is Oith-72523, which has its own version of Superman." Ace stated. "You can probably guess what happened to that one." Slam made a loud raspberry sound behind Ace's back, indicating to Terry that this Earth was yet another one destroyed by antimatter. "Yeah, that."
"It's been happening all over the multiverse ever since that Thanos guy made everyone vanish for a couple hours!" Duck exclaimed. "One moment, exactly half of everyone in Acmetropolis is gone, that's where we live by the way, and the next people are just casually moving back and forth between other universes! But don't worry, Danger Duck shall be the hero the multiverse needs!"
"Though maybe not the one it deserves." Ace chuckled while playfully elbowing Duck in the arm.
"Wait, there's more!" Max said as the video continued.
"So I can help you conquer the remaining Earths and you'll let me spread despair throughout them all?" the hologram of Junko said to Frieza. "Sounds like a plan!"
"This is getting boring, let's see if there's anything else we can use." Duck complained as he fast-fowarded through the data on Monokuma till they found a shocking secret.
"This has got to be it, Junko's big weakness!" Terry exclaimed before the hologram displayed what seemed to be an ordinary boy with brown hair and eyes, a dull green hoodie beneath a black jacket, black jeans, and red and white sneakers. "Just some guy?"
"Not just any guy, this is whom Junko believes to be the Ultimate Hope in a world not unlike hers." Tech continued. "And it's not just this boy that can be called that too, the title has been shared by numerous harbingers of peace and justice across the multiverse, namely many incarnations of Superman." As Tech continued his explanation, more holograms appeared of what Junko considered the Ultimate Hope of their respective universes. It wasn't just versions of Superman, but also Batman, Wonder Woman, and numerous other heroes Terry assumed he would become familiar with someday.
"Wait, I think I know what this means." Terry analyzed. "Junko gave a speech about how Batman was a symbol of hope against the crushing despair of Gotham at that warehouse. This must be what she was talking about." Just then, there was an explosion from McGinnis Manor, alarming everyone as Terry and the Loonatics instinctively prepared for battle.
"Looks like they found us." Terry declared. "Okay, here's the plan. Ace, Duck, Lexi, you guys go with me. Slam, Tech, and Rev, make sure nobody finds their way into the Batcave."
"Sounds like a plan!" Rev agreed with Terry's tactics.
"You can count on us, Batman." Tech added.
"Good to know Gotham is in good hands." Ace smiled with a hand on Terry's shoulder. "Let's jet." As Terry left with Ace, Lexi, and Duck, however, a phone started ringing.
Just as Terry, Ace, Lexi and Duck made it to the foyer of the mansion, Stalker was waiting for the four of them with Inque, Spellbinder and Curare, ready to collect the bounty on Terry's head. "It didn't have to end like this, Batman." Stalker said. "Simply turn yourself over to Lady Junko and no one else will have to get hurt."
"Sorry doc, but it's supervillain season now." Ace said as he drew his sword and clashed it with Stalker's staff. "Bet you never hunted a rabbit like me before, huh?!"
"Never, but I'd be happy to make you the first!" Stalker grinned as he welcomed the opportunity to fight Ace, the enhanced hunter clashing with the anthropomorphic rabbit superhero while their companions went to town on each other.
"So, this is where you're living now?" Inque purred while coiling her slimy body around Terry. "I love a man of wealth and taste."
"Can't you take no for an answer?! I'm spoken for!" Terry yelled as he wrestled his way out of Inque's grasp and throwing a Batarang to the villainess's face, leaving a clean scar across her eyes that she quickly recovered from only to find that Terry was charging straight at her.
"So what are you supposed to be, the Swirly Man?" Lexi quipped while dodging laser blasts from Spellbinder's floating eyeball with her gymnastic skills.
"You may call me the Spellbinder, I am no mere gag villain!" Spellbinder bragged. "Allow me to demonstrate my superior abilities." However, when Spellbinder's floating eye began to project illusions, Lexi fought back as she deflected the illusionary assault with her telekinesis, locking the two into a literal battle of minds.
As for Duck, he was having less than stellar luck with Curare, the best he can do is lead her in a chase around the foyer while the assassin cut down his explosive eggs. "Stand down so I can slay you, duck!" the assassin cursed.
"Easier said than done, lady!" Duck exclaimed before he teleported away and reappeared standing on Curare's shoulders, causing Curare to try and swipe her sword at the duck's legs. Instead, however, Duck toppled over just as the sword reached his ankles, falling backwards on the floor behind the two. "I bet you were expecting someone else, huh?"
"I expected a mighty hero to challenge, not a buffoonish cartoon character." Curare groaned with frustration while pointing her sword straight at Duck's neck. "You have done nothing but waste my time. But hopefully, you can at least die knowing you never had any dignity to die with."
"Hey, I have plenty of dignity, babe!" Duck exclaimed before he conjured up another egg. "Like so!" He then threw the egg straight at Curare's face, exploding on impact and sending her flying into a wall. "And that's how we Ducks get it done!" Danger cheered as Curare got back up, revealing that most of her niqab had been burned to ash, revealing that the beautiful woman underneath had quite a horrificially-scarred face. "Ay yay yay, you don't look too hot! Did my eggs mess your face up that much or were you just born that way?"
Curare said nothing, the only thing she responded with was a shout as she launched her sword straight at Duck with every intention of skewering her. When Duck dodged, however, the sword began bouncing around like a pinball and knocking down all the villains in the process, finishing them off in an amusing if also anticlimatic manner.
"Well, that was a little too easy." Terry commented as Inque slowly retreated. "Gotta hand it to you, Duck, you certainly found a way."
"I didn't even plan on that, I just dodged and then it hit the wall and then started flying everywhere!" Duck exclaimed as Stalker got back up and straggled towards the heroes.
"You and your friends have fought well, Terry." Stalker said respectfully. "But know that this is not over yet. Lady Junko has far bigger plans in store." He then turned to the other villains. "Everyone, retreat!"
As the five villains left McGinnis Manor, Tech emerged from the Batcave with the phone in his hands. "Hey Tech, something the matter?" Ace asked the coyote.
"We got a phone call earlier, and well, let's just say our caller wants to talk with someone." Tech answered as Ace answered the phone, his eyes widening at who was on the other end.
"Something the matter, guys?" Terry asked while taking off his mask to catch his breath.
"There's someone who'd like to talk with you," Tech said as he handed the phone to Terry. "but you're not gonna like it."
Terry bit his lip in anxiety as he answered the call. "Uh, who is this?"
"Hello, Terry McGinnis." Junko politely greeted Terry over the phone while she held Mary and Matt hostage on the other end of the line. "When are you coming home?"
McGinnis Family Apartment
As soon as Terry hung up, he made a mad dash for his mother's home with the Loonatics following behind him. Thankfully, by the time Terry reached his old apartment, Junko didn't harm either of them, yet Terry was not happy to see the Ultimate Analyst in his home.
"Terry!" Matt yelled in relief. "You gotta help us, that Junko lady we kept hearing about just burst into our home and-" One of Cuvier's Splicers shut Matt up before he could finish.
"Oh Terry, I'm so glad to meet you!" Junko said in her cutesy voice, making the Batman grit his teeth in anger. "You're just in time for the big surprise!"
"Cut the crap, Junko, just let my mom and brother go or I'm throwing you in prison where psychos like you belong!" Terry yelled furiously.
"Please Terry, just do whatever this girl wants so she can let us go!" Mary yelled in terror while Junko slapped some tape on her mouth to shut her up.
"Typical profiling, Mr. McGinnis, I thought the Batman was better than that." Junko replied while putting on her glasses. "You think I deserve to be in prison just because I'm insane instead of getting the mental treatment I need? Answer me this, Terry. Do you believe I am evil because I am insane, or am I insane because I am evil?"
"No, you're insane because you're literally putting millions in danger for funsies!" Ace exclaimed as the Loonatics charged into the apartment after Terry.
"Listen, lady, either let the nice family go or else we'll have to get our hands dirty." Ace said while cracking his knuckles.
"No you won't, you wouldn't hurt an innocent little girl like me!" Junko continued in her cutesy persona.
"Yes we will!" Ace argued back.
"No you won't!" Junko declared.
"No we won't!" Ace seemed to change his mind with a smirk on his face.
"Yes, you would hurt a cute little girl like me!" Junko replied before realizing that Ace played her like a sucker and groaned angrily. "Fine! If you won't play my game, let's raise the stakes a bit." She then turned to a shadow hiding in the front door. "Cuvier, if you please."
"With pleasure, Lady Junko." Abel smirked. "Now, bear with me, Batman, what you shall see might be very shocking indeed." Just then, a Batman-shaped figure stumbled into the apartment with a zombie-like gait and a ridiculous looking red, yellow, and purple costume. But what really set Terry off was the man's voice. "Zurrrr, Ennnn, Arrrrrh." the other Batman slurred with the voice of none other than Bruce Wayne, making everyone's eyes widen in horror at this bastardization of the corpse of a great man like Bruce.
"You, you repulsive bitch!" Terry snarled in anger before choke-slamming Junko against the wall. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"
"I thought that Mr. Batman could've used a makeover, and Dr. Cuvier was happy to help!" Junko laughed maniacally. "How do you feel now, Terry? Do you feel angry, depressed? Are you trapped in despair, even?!"
Rather than answering Junko's question, Terry roared like a furious predator as he tightened his grip on Junko's neck, fully intending on strangling the Ultimate Despair till she can breathe no more. It was true that Terry was on the brink of despair from Junko's sheer cruelty towards the deceased man that Terry saw as a father to him for much of his life, but that was second to all the other emotions he was feeling. Emotions of pain, of anger, of rage, disgust, sadness. But one thing stood above them all in his mind.
VENGEANCE.
"Terry, put the kid down and help us stop your old man." Ace tried to calm the future Batman down. Unfortunately for the leader of the Loonatics, Terry didn't listen.
In a loud crash, Terry flew out of his family's apartment with Junko in his grasp, smashing her through building after building so she could feel all the pain and suffering she forced Neo-Gotham to endure this day. Junko screamed in agony as she was slammed through every structure in the city before Terry finally stopped and slammed her into a dark alleyway unlike anything she had seen in Neo-Gotham. As the Ultimate Analyst got back up and hacked up blood on the ground, she realized she was standing on top of two chalk outlines of a man and a woman lying on the ground with a plaque reading "IN MEMORY OF THOMAS AND MARTHA WAYNE" on it. "What is this? Where the hell did you take me?!"
"Welcome to Crime Alley, Junko." Terry said ominously. "The place where two good people went to die, where Batman's story began. And the exact place where your story ends."
"So, you plan on killing me, huh?" Junko sneered as the two were surrounded by an army of Monokumas led by the zombified Batman. "Well, go right on ahead, let's give it everything we've got! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME! AAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I can do this all day." Terry snarled as he immediately started tearing down Monokumas left and right, ripping all of them apart in a rage not seen on him or even Bruce Wayne before while Junko took sadistic glee in the future Batman's fury. The Dark Knight was completely blinded by anger, not just at Junko's cruelty, but also at the sheer audacity of violating Bruce's corpse for her own devious ends. Between the villain attacks and the Monokuma invasion of Gotham, Terry just about had enough. Not even the timely arrival of the Loonatics was enough to snap him out of it.
"Terry, it's us!" Ace called out, but the Batman Beyond wasn't able to listen. "Aw great, he's too angry to pay attention."
"Uh guys, more supervillains at twelve o'clock!" Rev yelled at the rest of Ultimate Despair gaining on the Loonatics as they marched through the chaotic streets of Neo-Gotham. "Man, what I wouldn't give to have some version of the Justice League show up right now."
"You won't have to worry too long, Rev, I made some calls." Tech confidently said as the Ultimate Despair came face to face with Superman, Aquagirl, Big Barda, Green Lantern Kai-Ro, Warhawk, Micron, Static, Gear, and the Flash, the Justice League Unlimited.
"Heh, it's like you can read my mind or something, even though that's usually Lexi's thing." Rev smirked before he spotted Danica Williams running circles around the Brain Trust. "Hey, is that a Flash?! I always wanted to race one of those!"
"You can have your race later." Superman said to the Loonatics. "One of you, go calm Terry down. The rest of you are with us."
"Can I just say that it's an honor to meet you, Superman." Duck said while taking a selfie with the aged Man of Steel. "You know, I always imagined you with a little less cheekbone."
"Well, guess it's up to me." Ace said as he slung his Guardian Strike Sword over his shoulder. "Wish me luck, folks." Ace then charged into Crime Alley, slashing away every Monokuma that got in his way until he was close to Terry continuing to vent his rage against the Ultimate Analyst. "Terry, calm down! It's me, Ace!"
"I'm sorry, you wascally wabbit, but I'm afraid your friend is gone." Junko taunted the Loonatics' leader. "All that's left now is utter anger and despair. If you're dumb enough, he might even vent it all on you. You wouldn't want that, would you? Not unless you killed him!"
"If it gets to that point, I guess I might have no other choice." Ace sighed with exhaustion as the living corpse of Bruce Wayne got in his way. "Move aside, gramps. I got a friend to save."
"Zurrrr, Ennnn, Arrrrrh." Bruce groaned as he tried to reach for his belt and presented a makeshift Batarang that looked like it was ready to explode. "Zurrrr, Ennnn, Arrrrrh."
"Not on my watch!" Ace yelled as he snatched the Batarang away and tossed it over his shoulder before shoving Bruce out of the way as he tried to get closer to Terry. "TERRY!"
"WHAT!?" Terry roared angrily. "Ace, I need you to get out of my way before I hurt you too! I'm only out to kill Junko!"
"Come on Terry, you know Batman ain't the killin' type!" Ace tried to break through to Terry while holding the Batman by his shoulders. "Even if Junko is a psychotic maniac, do you think your old man would appreciate you taking a life?"
Slowly but surely, Terry began to come to his senses. Perhaps this is what Junko wanted, to force Terry to retire as Batman by making him break the Dark Knight's code as Bruce did when he accidentally pulled a gun on his last night as Batman. Even if he did kill the Ultimate Despair, she would still have the last laugh by ruining the Caped Crusader's legacy and make him no better than all the other scum and villainy that polluted Neo-Gotham. He would be no better than the man who killed his father Warren.
With a heavy sigh, Terry regained his sanity and smiled at Ace. "Of course he wouldn't. Neither of them would." he declared before turning to Junko. "So, was this your plan this whole time? Make me kill a man and drop the cowl so you'd have the honor of destroying Batman? And for what reason, boredom?! Sheesh, how petty can you get?"
"What did you just say to me, boy?!" Junko snapped at the Batman of the future.
"You know, funny enough, I'm starting to get bored." Batman replied. "You're boring me."
"Batman, seize them!" Junko commanded her zombie Batman slave, but Terry, with a newfound confidence, quickly dispatched of the undead Dark Knight. "What?!"
"You know, you kind of remind me of someone else I knew." Terry stated defiantly. "He was also a psycho clown who terrorized Gotham for shits and giggles. And guess what? He didn't like being laughed at too."
"I mean, your plan's kinda stupid if you think about it, doc." Ace agreed. "I mean, attacking Gotham with a bunch of bloodthirsty Care Bears? How is anyone going to take you seriously with those little guys."
"Do you two have any idea who you're insulting?!" Junko laughed, feeling her already broken mind slipping at someone, anyone, daring to question her logic. "I am the Ultimate Despair, I will bring misery to the multiverse no matter what it takes!"
"Ah yes, the teenage girl who thinks she can bring entire universes to despair." Terry rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do once you don't have your little robot friends to defend your fragile ego, make fun of everyone like some kind of high school mean girl? Come on, give us your A-game!"
"Y'know, I'd find you really funny, but you're more pathetic than hilarious." Ace mused. "Aw, what the heck? I'll laugh anyways!" The bunny then let out a laugh at Junko's expense, and Batman soon joined in. Junko couldn't fathom what was happening to her. Was she starting to feel despair too? No, this can't be! She's the Ultimate Despair, she should be the one making everyone feel despair! Yet, as the two heroes mocked her motivations, there was only one thing she could do right now.
Scream.
Junko then let out a wail that sounded like a mix of an upset child and a dying animal, true to her childish nature, as she haplessly threw trash at the Batman and the descendant of Bugs Bunny. Unfortunately for her, neither of them seemed fazed by it. In fact, they found her desperation very cathartic. "Go ahead, run." Terry sneered pridefully. "I'd kill you where you'd stand, but I'd just be giving you what you want."
With nowhere else to go as the Loonatics, the Justice League Unlimited, and the authorities all crowded around Crime Alley ready to bring her and her allies to justice, Junko scampered away as quickly as she could. "Don't let her get away!" one of the policemen commanded as a few SWAT enforcers followed the now despairing Ultimate Despair deeper into Crime Alley. She was brought into this world as its next biggest threat, but after her encounter with Batman, Junko had no choice but to realize that to an experienced hero like him, she was just another member of his rogues gallery to punish and send to prison.
"Frieza! Frieza, save me!" Junko screamed for help as a massive spaceship emerged from a portal in the sky, much to the alarm of everyone present as Junko's masters descended from above to confront their cohort.
"Oh, Junko, what do you need saving from this time?" Frieza sneered before he noticed just who she was running from. "Ah, I assume you must be that Batman he was talking about." the emperor of evil greeted Terry. "Greetings my boy, you may call me Frieza, supreme ruler of Universe 7 and soon to be overlord of what's soon to be left of the multiverse."
"Wait, who are you talking about?" Terry wondered before a familiar face emerged from behind Frieza. "No, it can't be!"
"Hello again, Batman." Blight sneered as he came face to face with his archnemesis for the first time in forever. "How long has it been since we last tangled? Twenty three years? I must say, you've grown quite a lot, I'm almost proud of you."
"Blight, you should be dead!" Terry said in horror. "I could've sworn you went down with that ship!"
"I did, before he saved me and brought me onboard his little crew." Blight said before Lord Dominator, Rassilon, Thragg, Mother Brain, Odalia, Venjix, and Shredder revealed themselves. "I'd love to stay and chat, but we have more pressing matters to attend to." He then grabbed the defeated Junko by the neck as she was wreathed in green radioactive fire. Junko couldn't do anything but scream as she was burned to a crisp by Blight's powers, but her cries in agony were just as quickly silenced as she was reduced to an irradiated corpse that he dropped on the ground.
"Let this be a warning to you, Batman." Blight said with his arms folded behind his back. "We will be back someday. I hope you're ready." The Conquerors' Cabal then left for their ship before it took off and soared into another portal, leaving Earth-1992 altogether as Neo-Gotham went from screaming in terror to speaking in hushed whispers over the return of Derek Powers and his mysterious associates.
"I can't believe it." Terry muttered, still reeling from seeing Powers alive. "But then again, I did have a feeling he might come back someday."
"Friend of yours?" Duck asked the Batman.
"He's the guy who had my dad killed, that's what." Terry replied. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be standing here today as Batman fighting alongside all of you guys. By the way, thanks. You've been a real big help."
"Nothing to it, big guy." Ace smiled before he and the other Loonatics looked over at Bruce's costume-clad corpse. "So, what do we do with the Dead as a Doornail Knight here?"
"I say we take him back to Wayne Manor and get that costume off before putting his body back where it belongs." Terry suggested as he knelt down and shut Bruce's eyes one last time. "Rest in peace, Bruce. I'm sorry all of this happened, but at least Gotham is in good hands now."
"And so ends this tale of Terry McGinnis as he overcame impossible odds with some unexpected new friends to face off against the ultimate enemy to Bruce Wayne's legacy." Lightyear narrated as he watched Batman and the Loonatics standing atop a building as a new day dawned on Neo-Gotham City. "The Ultimate Despair may be no more, but the superstitious and cowardly lot that infest the criminal underworld of Neo-Gotham terrorize the common folk while the corrupt upper-class sit above in their towers, blissfully unaware of the hellhole below them."
As if on cue, Terry got a message from Max on his earpiece. "Terry, we got a Terrible Trio hold-up at the bank! They got a little squad of Monokumas backing them up."
"Well, guys, back to work." Terry smirked at his looney new partners as they prepared to lift off, unaware that they were being watched.
"Even on the brink of despair, when society has been shaken to its core and mankind is at its worst, there is a light that will cut through the darkness." Lightyear continued. "Where there is apathy, greed, corruption, and power ruling the streets, there will always be one man willing to fight for hope, honor, courage, and justice." As the Terrible Trio, a threesome of Splicers resembling a vulture, a fox, and a hammerhead shark, collect their stolen money while the Monokumas hold everyone in the bank hostage, they receive some unexpected intruders.
"Well well well, look what we have here." the Batman Beyond smirked while crossing his arms and propping his foot on a fallen Monokuma.
"What's up, docs?" Ace added while brandishing his Guardian Strike Sword.
"It's the goddamn Batman!" the hammerhead shark Splicer cries out.
"You got that right, Splicer." Lightyear said confidently. "The Batman lives on. Today, tomorrow, now, forever, and BEYOND."
At long last, it's finally finished! More than a year of procrastination and just being a little discouraged about whether I can keep up with everyone else have all led up to this! I think maybe I have two or three more chapters left in me before I decide to take a break for a bit. Now then, onto fun facts!
* If the date this chapter takes place in wasn't any indication, this installment is not only set a few years after the events of the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue", but it's also forty years after the unfortunate passing of Kevin Conroy almost two years ago. When I got the idea to visit the Batman Beyond era of Earth-1992, I thought it was necessary to give that version of Bruce Wayne the proper sendoff he deserved. In addition, Terry and Dana's son Paul is named after DCAU co-creator Paul Dini.
* Jada Thompkins is originally from the Gotham Knights video game, which also centered on the death and legacy of Bruce Wayne where she appeared as Leslie Thompkins' daughter. But given how far into the future Batman Beyond takes place in, I believe Jada could be her granddaughter in this universe.
* By this point in time, Barbara has gone full Oracle by riding around in the wheelchair due to her old age instead of being paralyzed by the Joker.
* While Junko Enoshima originates from Danganronpa, she's long dead in the main universe that the series takes place in. This Variant of Junko hails from a universe based on the cut "Another End" alternate ending of the first Danganronpa, where the prisoners of Hope's Peak Academy all escape after the first week at the cost of being forced to give up their talents. Since at the time of this ending, Junko has replaced herself with Mukuro Ikusaba in disguise, this leaves her free to leave this Earth just before it was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor and cause havoc across the multiverse. Also, I called it Earth-100709 after the original version of Danganronpa called "DISTRUST", which was developed between October 2007 and 2009 before it became the franchise we know today.
* Speaking of which, it was a little hard to choose which villains would join Junko. Some like Inque, Spellbinder, Stalker, Shriek, Willie Watt, Curare, Mad Stan, the Jokerz, and the Royal Flush Gang were all pretty easy since they appeared in multiple episodes of Batman Beyond, but then there were others like Ratboy, the Brain Trust, Repeller, and Abel Cuvier who all only appeared in one episode each, some getting more screentime in the tie-in comics.
* Bader and Burnett are named after Hilary J. Bader, who wrote multiple episodes of Batman Beyond, Superman the Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, and The Zeta Project in addition to being one of the main writers of the Batman Beyond comic series, and Alan Burnett, who doesn't need that much of an introduction other than being one of the main producers of the DCAU and writing legendary episodes like "Two-Face" from Batman the Animated Series, "Meltdown" from Batman Beyond, and "Brave New Metropolis" from Superman the Animated Series.
* Yes, Lightyear was seriously watching Keijo. For those who don't know, it's like if you take the utterly ridiculous action of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure but replace all the muscular men of questionable sexuality and over the top fashion sense fighting each other with super-powered ghosts with young women fighting each other with their boobs and butts. Yes, it's just as insane as it sounds.
* Part of Terry's eulogy is taken from dialogue in the "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" story, which also features a funeral for Batman, and I think it really fits the scenario here since Bruce had spent almost his entire life protecting Gotham, both as the Dark Knight and as Terry's mentor.
* The mention of Matt being a former Robin is an allusion to when he filled that role in Batman Beyond Rebirth.
* Barbara being in a wheelchair at this point is meant to be a nod to Oracle, an identity that Barbara never took on in her youth during BTAS or TNBA. There were plans to do something like that in Justice League Unlimited that would've featured the Birds of Prey, but due to the Bat-Embargo, that episode was eventually turned into Double Date and Barbara was replaced with Green Arrow & The Question.
* Yes, Junko did just paraphrase All-Star Batman and Robin. She also quotes a bit of Alastor too from the Hazbin Hotel pilot, which I think fits Junko's character perfectly.
* Part of the reason why it took a while for another chapter to come out, other than working on other stories and graduating from college, was that Ben2Dartmouth also had his own plans for the Loonatics that didn't really align with what I wanted to do. So after some back and forth and SC8 accidentally hijacking the Loonatics, Ben decided to let me use the Loonatics as I intended just as long I didn't use the Martians or Mastermind. That's a lot off my shoulders.
* Earth-81123 and Earth-72523 are the worlds of the infamous fan films Spider-Man Lotus and Superman Solar. Much like Velma, nothing of value would be lost from sacrificing those worlds to the Anti-Monitor.
* Bruce being resurrected into the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is a nod to the Batman: A Death in the Family animated film, where one of the endings that has Bruce dying instead of Jason Todd has him end up being revived by Talia al Ghul as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh.
* While much of the Justice League Unlimited roster come from BB's "The Call", along with the future versions of Static and Gear from the Static Shock crossover, I also added Danica Williams, the future version of the Flash from the dubiously canon Batman Beyond comics published by DC in the 2010s. You know, the ones where Barbara Gordon was pregnant with Bruce's child before she miscarried, among many other things. Yeah, that part isn't going to be adapted at all, obviously.
* The entire final confrontation between Terry and Ace against Junko is basically Terry's final battle with Joker in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, complete with completely wrecking Junko's sanity and making fun of her goals through one snarky quip after another.
* Since the Terrible Trio were normally depicted as three guys dressing as animals, it would make sense if their Beyond counterparts were Splicers, essentially turning them into their counterparts from The Batman in the process.
Earth-467, Cognito Inc.
"Okay, let's see what we brought in today." a brown-haired Asian American scientist muttered to herself as she walked down a hallway alongside a handsome, childlike man in a suit who gazed over her shoulder at a clipboard in her hands. "Ah, a magical princess from another dimension who was arrested for committing genocide. Dammit, I gave up on a day off for this."
"Wait, magical princess?" the man asked eagerly. "Are we talking Harry Potter magical or Sailor Moon magical?"
"I don't know, the point is according to that anonymous tip, this chick caused the deaths of hundreds, maybe thousands of otherworldly species and all she cared about was her toxic-codependent relationship with her little Latino boy-toy who somehow has the mind of a thirty-something year old man!" the woman yelled as they approached a set of closed doors guarded by two men in suits, one with black hair and mustache and the other with brown hair. "Powers, Trigger."
"Ridley, Hand." Agent Powers said as he opened the doors and guided Reagan Ridley and Brett Hand to their prisoner. "You know Miss Ridley, if we had captured this princess while she still had magic, she might've proved a challenge for us." As the three walked down the hall, they were greeted by other extraterrestial lifeforms Cognito kept under lock and key, like a sentient black substance hungering for a host, a skinny robot with a television for a head, a strange object in a jar labeled 'KISHIN EGG', a frog-like machine, a robot that looked to be made of junk and spoke with Weird Al lyrics and Monty Python jokes, and a ghoul-like creature with ratty blonde hair. "Unfortunately for her, our sheer numbers proved to be a match."
The trio then approached a glass cell behind a fortified door labeled "PUBLIC ENEMY #1, KEEP OUT" that housed a blonde teenage girl with soulless blue eyes and a white prison uniform. "Prisoner #12-26-91, turn around and face me!" Powers commanded the girl, who did as she was told in an ominous, zombie-like fashion. While Brett winced at how creepy this girl was, Reagan couldn't help but notice how the light had left this teen's eyes, almost like she was a completely different person in the past. "I'll leave her in your capable hands, Reagan."
"You have my word, Powers." Reagan nodded as she pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the girl. "Star Butterfly, was it?"
"Why should you care?" Star muttered grumpily.
"Let's talk." Reagan stated with a professional glare in her eyes.
To Be Continued on Earth-467