FIC: "Necessary Force" Part 2 (JLA)
Hello! *waves paw* Here's the second part of my JLA/Superman/Batman "Epic", Necessary Force. :-)
(and now with original artwork by darkj3 attached!)
It's quite a short section, I'm afraid, as it was originally a kind of prologue to the next chapter. As Part 3 is pretty long in contrast, (and I couldn't break it up any longer without breaking the flow of the story there) hopefully the brief and the lengthy will balance out all right!
Thank you to everyone for your outstanding support and encouragement on this project! Hope you enjoy!
Pax, Starting to Feel A Bit Writerly Again! :-)
Fic: "Necessary Force" Part 2: "Ex Hypothesi"
Author: Paxwolf
Fandom: JLA
ARTIST: darkj3 (original artwork is attached at end of the part below)
Note: This fanfiction story originally was begun some years ago, and is therefore set current to the (comic book version!) JLA lineup at the time, specifically during the Grant Morrison and Mark Waid runs on the title, and with certain details from that era still intact. It is therefore ‘old’, and has taken several years to see fruition, and therefore be aware that certain discrepancies and dated information - in terms of continuity - may still be contained within.
Disclaimer: The Justice League of America and its associated characters are owned and copyrighted by DC Comics and Time Warner. No income is being generated by the internet publication of this story.
Original characters do also exist in this fic and I suppose that might make them owned by me. ;-)
Warnings: Violence, Some Language, and Mature Themes. Readers’ Discretion is advised.
Rating: R (for Violence)
Characters: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Plastic Man, Oracle, Black Canary, other Leaguers, Original Characters.
Thanks To: kungfunurse, without whose skilled beta-reading and sweet encouragement this epic may never have been posted, and to the kind and helpful (years-long!) feedback supplied by the gracious Gwil and the lovely Janet Coleman Sides, both of whom stepped out of their own fandoms (Stargate:SG-1 and Gatchaman respectively) in order to read about the denizens of the DC Universe. Some additional beta-reading by jen_in_japan in the first 3 parts too.
And recent thanks to darkj3 , for her unexpected birthday gift of a piece of original fanart for this very chapter! So gorgeous! :-)
Additional Thanks to: pervyficgirl, jen_in_japan, arch_schatten, cmer, mendax, and tmelange, for forming a posse of hounding-ness, and got me to get over my reluctance and post this darned thing, old and rambling as it is. It was originally meant only as a kind of doodle, to pass a boring stretch of time at work at a Comicshop years ago, and never meant for public consumption, but I was eventually convinced otherwise, thanks to them. Enjoy!
Icon Thanks to: The ever-talented damo_in_japan, who made me two wonderful custom icons to go with this story!!! :-)
Summary: The Justice League faces one of its most dangerous adversaries to date, and events start to strike very close to home for a few of the members, and the true meaning of heroism comes to the fore.
JLA
“Necessary Force”
By Paxwolf
Part II:
“Ex Hypothesi”
“I told you I’m back to normal!”
“Run the diagnostic anyway. Now.”
“Again?”
“Again. And yet again, until we know.”
“Fine. But it’s really not necessary.”
“Just do it.”
Green Lantern rolled his eyes and reactivated the computer in the weapons lab. Batman folded his arms across his chest and glowered down at him as though he were personally responsible for all that had gone wrong since the League had first stumbled across Ayestrom’s name.
“And how many times do we have to do this?”
“Until we figure out what caused it to behave unresponsively during the attack,” Batman said, as if lecturing a child. “I don’t like such unpredictable factors, particularly in the midst of battle.”
“Yeah, well, you and me both,” Kyle grumbled. “Didn’t much care being such easy pickings for those hired thugs.”
“More importantly, we need to know we can depend on the Ring’s power when we bring the fight to Ayestrom.”
“I know, I know,” Kyle sighed, and once more stuck his hand under the scanner. The schematics window on the monitor once more lit up, displaying all facets of the Oan weapon.
Batman leaned down, staring at the monitor impassively.
“See?” Kyle couldn’t resist, spinning his chair to glance up at Batman. “It’s still showing green. Pardon the pun.”
Batman only scowled at the diagnosis, turning away towards the door at the approaching sound of J’onn’s voice.
“You really must rest, Kal-El,” J’onn was entreating, entering the room with his colleague, who was walking in all apparent health, clad in a fresh uniform. “The injuries you sustained this afternoon may have superficially healed, but the past several days’ accumulated stress, physical and mental efforts, battles, and wounds,” he gave a strategic pause, “ … have placed a great strain on your system. Perhaps dangerously so.”
“J’onn, I’m fine. An hour under the sun and I’ll be up to par. Seriously.”
J’onn and Superman paused beside Batman, looking down at the screen’s schematics.
“Any progress?”
“Nothing discernible.” Batman studied Superman for a moment, who only met his gaze steadily, and then flicked a look at J’onn. “I take it his exam went … well.”
“He does not make a very good patient,” J’onn commented, turning a dark eye on his companion.
Superman shrugged.
“Look, guys,” Kyle stood up, stretching a bit. “My Ring’s up to par too. Neither of us will let you down again. And it’s high time this Ayestrom jerk gets what’s coming to him.”
“Agreed,” Superman said, his expression instantly darkening. “Those hostages aren’t getting any safer.”
“And time does not seem to be in our favour,” Batman interjected morbidly. “The enemy will be working on yet a third Drill to threaten the planet’s stability - with which to hang over the UN’s head. And he will be aiming it somewhere entirely new. There are too many locations where the Earth's crust is thin enough to deploy this weapon.”
"Approximately one hundred and forty seven projected vulnerable sites,” put in Superman, calculating quickly, equally grim.
"We may not be so fortunate to reach and stop it again in time," Batman added with another scowl. "Accomplishing the feat twice now may have been pushing our luck."
“Boy, you guys sure know how to cheer a fellow up," Kyle groaned. "That’s a helluva lot of planet to cover.” A miniature green-tinged Earth bloomed to life near the lab’s ceiling. He admired his Ring creation for a second before raising his eyebrows pointedly at Batman as if to say ‘I told you so’.
Batman ignored him.
Kyle sulked.
“Persistence does seem to be an attribute Ayestrom cultivates,” J’onn observed.
“Well, it’s a good thing it’s one that we do as well,” Superman responded, brows drawing together. “Time to knuckle down to it." He looked up and speared the other three with his laser blue gaze. "JLA Briefing Room. Ten minutes. Everyone come armed with ideas, no matter how far-fetched. It’s past time we became proactive on the situation, not reactive.”
The other three Leaguers nodded at Superman’s strident tone. They were going to put an end to this mega terrorist’s current reign of terror, and start now.
It was what the League did.
As the others stepped out of the laboratory, intent on their thoughts, Superman pulled Batman aside with a look. Batman paused obligingly, waiting for Superman to speak. But Superman seemed a million light years away for a precarious moment before turning back to his teammate.
“This isn’t going to be an easy one, is it?”
“No. It’s not.” Batman eyed Superman curiously. “But when has it ever been?”
Superman shook his head, glancing away as if to hide whatever his expression revealed. “You’re right, of course.”
“I am,” agreed Batman implacably. “It would behoove you well to remember that I am nearly always right.”
At that, Superman’s head shot up and he searched Batman’s inscrutable face, until at last a flash of warmth lit up his eyes. But the smile did not reach Superman’s mouth.
"I'll bear that in mind,” he said dryly.
“As well you should.”
Superman gave a light snort but let the remark pass. He cocked his head towards the door, and stepped out into the long corridor. Batman moved into place at his side, watching him carefully without being obvious about it. Generally Superman always caught on whenever he was being observed, no matter how surreptitious Batman was, but today he seemed lost in another world.
Batman frowned.
"So when are you going to talk about it?"
Superman stiffened. "I have no idea what you mean."
"Don't play games, Superman," Batman growled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
For a moment, Superman said nothing. Then, "I was under the impression we had resolved all that."
"Your impression was wrong." His gaze narrowed as he studied the man before him, seeing the taut muscles quivering almost imperceptibly. "You took an inordinately long amount of time to heal this time," he said bluntly.
Superman's mouth tightened further. "I'm fine now. That's what counts."
"Are you? Because that's not what it lo ..."
“Can you contact Oracle?” Superman interrupted, twisting to face him finally. “Bring her up to speed. Any information she can dig up concerning suspicious activity in the Netherlands …”
For a moment, Batman paused, watching him, wanting to press the issue. Then he let it drop - for the time being. “Already done. She’ll be delivering her report within the hour.”
“Good. Have her pipe it directly to the Briefing Room. I want everyone on the same page with this.”
“Very well.” Batman paused, then added, “It is, however, already the prior arrangement. I assumed we'd need all members to be simultaneously informed on everything she’ll have discovered.”
"Of course.” Superman gave a tight grin this time. “Should’ve known better than to even ask.”
Batman very nearly gave a half smile of his own. Nearly. “You’re catching on.”
But Superman’s brief grin had already faded. He halted and seemed to be staring at nothing for several seconds. Batman stopped too and looked at him. For a gut-twisting moment all he could see was how he had looked at the bottom of that smoking pit, unbreathing, bloody, pale … lifeless.
“We can’t afford to stumble like this again, Bruce,” Superman was saying quietly, and Batman shook himself savagely out of the memory. Superman was here, now, breathing. Alive. “This … madman, this ... 'Lord' Ayestrom, seems to be two steps ahead of us at every turn. And the demands he made to the UN …” He shook his head and seemed to somehow slump slightly, though outwardly his posture had not changed.
“Then obviously, we shall simply have to out pace him and stay three steps ahead.”
“Yes. Guess we’ll have to.”
Their eyes met for an instant, each seeing the tension and the fatigue in the other. Batman started to open his mouth when Superman abruptly turned and stared out the west viewport, eyes trained at the moonscape below.
A shining crescent Earth hung over the silvery barren foreground, and Batman turned slightly to follow as Superman's gaze fixed on it. Together they watched the Earth rise over the horizon, the Sea of Tranquility lying in a glinting expanse below. For several long moments, they stood there, unspeaking.
Superman moved. Batman watched as the Kryptonian placed his hands on the narrow sill, and leaned his weight forward on his arms heavily, as if he were too exhausted to stay upright any longer. The reflected earthlight without served to highlight the drawn lines and shadows under his eyes.
Batman hesitated, his own brows knitting together.
“We still know next to nothing about Ayestrom himself,” Superman murmured, gaze trained on the planet above and voice so low that Batman was forced to step closer to hear. “Who is he, really? Where is he from? Is he native to Earth, or is he extra-terrestrial?" He sighed and rubbed a hand across his brow. "At the onset of the attack in Metropolis, I'm sure I heard that big, super-powered general of his claiming that Ayestrom was some kind of royalty.”
"I believe he also claimed that he was a god," Batman interjected, a slightly sardonic note to his voice.
Superman cast him a look. “Yes.” He again gave a slight shake of his head. “And if he is a metahuman, does he possess any major superhuman powers? If so, what sort? What would be the source of his power? And damnit, he is powerful - his following alone gives credence to that. And those weapons ... that kind of technology isn’t anything we’ve seen before.”
“No,” Batman said, eyes narrowing. “It’s not.”
Superman closed his eyes, his head bowed. “There’s too much we don’t know. Too many questions. What’s he really after? And why has he used hostages, only to allow us to fight his troops without stated harm to them?”
Superman’s fist clenched in frustration, the titanium port sill crumpling unnoticed under his grip.
Batman noticed.
“We will find out the answers to those questions,” he said firmly, reflecting inwardly how revealing it was that this man, usually so aware of his incredible strength, leashing it in iron control, now seemed completely oblivious to the damage. He stepped even closer. “And, Clark, we will defeat him.”
Superman slid a sideways glance back at him, the corner of his mouth curling up infinitesimally.
“Seems our roles are reversed today. Usually I’m the optimistic one.”
“And if we’re both grim and withdrawn, how will the others cope?”
That elicited a slow but almost genuine smile from Superman, who turned to face his partner squarely.
“Maintaining a balance at all times.”
Batman inclined his head a fraction.
“You’re right.” Superman gave a wry snort at Batman’s ‘of course’ expression. “I’ll try to do better.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Superman gave an actual full smile this time, and it was as if the sun had suddenly come out from behind a dark bank of clouds. “I hope not.”
Batman turned away abruptly and began to stride down the corridor. “To the briefing, then?”
He could hear the rustling of the cape as the Man of Steel bowed slightly and gestured with an expansive arm, as clearly as he could sense the lingering smile. “After you.”
But the moment of warmth fled only too quickly, as the grim news that only minutes later they received wiped any lingering smiles from both their faces, and settled a fist of ice tightly around each of their hearts.
Artwork is by the fabulous and talented darkj3 .
For Part 1, "In Terrorem", please head back Here.
(x-linked at
worlds_finest,
batfic,
jla_united,
jl_fic)
(and now with original artwork by darkj3 attached!)
It's quite a short section, I'm afraid, as it was originally a kind of prologue to the next chapter. As Part 3 is pretty long in contrast, (and I couldn't break it up any longer without breaking the flow of the story there) hopefully the brief and the lengthy will balance out all right!
Thank you to everyone for your outstanding support and encouragement on this project! Hope you enjoy!
Pax, Starting to Feel A Bit Writerly Again! :-)
Fic: "Necessary Force" Part 2: "Ex Hypothesi"
Author: Paxwolf
Fandom: JLA
ARTIST: darkj3 (original artwork is attached at end of the part below)
Note: This fanfiction story originally was begun some years ago, and is therefore set current to the (comic book version!) JLA lineup at the time, specifically during the Grant Morrison and Mark Waid runs on the title, and with certain details from that era still intact. It is therefore ‘old’, and has taken several years to see fruition, and therefore be aware that certain discrepancies and dated information - in terms of continuity - may still be contained within.
Disclaimer: The Justice League of America and its associated characters are owned and copyrighted by DC Comics and Time Warner. No income is being generated by the internet publication of this story.
Original characters do also exist in this fic and I suppose that might make them owned by me. ;-)
Warnings: Violence, Some Language, and Mature Themes. Readers’ Discretion is advised.
Rating: R (for Violence)
Characters: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Plastic Man, Oracle, Black Canary, other Leaguers, Original Characters.
Thanks To: kungfunurse, without whose skilled beta-reading and sweet encouragement this epic may never have been posted, and to the kind and helpful (years-long!) feedback supplied by the gracious Gwil and the lovely Janet Coleman Sides, both of whom stepped out of their own fandoms (Stargate:SG-1 and Gatchaman respectively) in order to read about the denizens of the DC Universe. Some additional beta-reading by jen_in_japan in the first 3 parts too.
And recent thanks to darkj3 , for her unexpected birthday gift of a piece of original fanart for this very chapter! So gorgeous! :-)
Additional Thanks to: pervyficgirl, jen_in_japan, arch_schatten, cmer, mendax, and tmelange, for forming a posse of hounding-ness, and got me to get over my reluctance and post this darned thing, old and rambling as it is. It was originally meant only as a kind of doodle, to pass a boring stretch of time at work at a Comicshop years ago, and never meant for public consumption, but I was eventually convinced otherwise, thanks to them. Enjoy!
Icon Thanks to: The ever-talented damo_in_japan, who made me two wonderful custom icons to go with this story!!! :-)
Summary: The Justice League faces one of its most dangerous adversaries to date, and events start to strike very close to home for a few of the members, and the true meaning of heroism comes to the fore.
JLA
“Necessary Force”
By Paxwolf
Part II:
“Ex Hypothesi”
“I told you I’m back to normal!”
“Run the diagnostic anyway. Now.”
“Again?”
“Again. And yet again, until we know.”
“Fine. But it’s really not necessary.”
“Just do it.”
Green Lantern rolled his eyes and reactivated the computer in the weapons lab. Batman folded his arms across his chest and glowered down at him as though he were personally responsible for all that had gone wrong since the League had first stumbled across Ayestrom’s name.
“And how many times do we have to do this?”
“Until we figure out what caused it to behave unresponsively during the attack,” Batman said, as if lecturing a child. “I don’t like such unpredictable factors, particularly in the midst of battle.”
“Yeah, well, you and me both,” Kyle grumbled. “Didn’t much care being such easy pickings for those hired thugs.”
“More importantly, we need to know we can depend on the Ring’s power when we bring the fight to Ayestrom.”
“I know, I know,” Kyle sighed, and once more stuck his hand under the scanner. The schematics window on the monitor once more lit up, displaying all facets of the Oan weapon.
Batman leaned down, staring at the monitor impassively.
“See?” Kyle couldn’t resist, spinning his chair to glance up at Batman. “It’s still showing green. Pardon the pun.”
Batman only scowled at the diagnosis, turning away towards the door at the approaching sound of J’onn’s voice.
“You really must rest, Kal-El,” J’onn was entreating, entering the room with his colleague, who was walking in all apparent health, clad in a fresh uniform. “The injuries you sustained this afternoon may have superficially healed, but the past several days’ accumulated stress, physical and mental efforts, battles, and wounds,” he gave a strategic pause, “ … have placed a great strain on your system. Perhaps dangerously so.”
“J’onn, I’m fine. An hour under the sun and I’ll be up to par. Seriously.”
J’onn and Superman paused beside Batman, looking down at the screen’s schematics.
“Any progress?”
“Nothing discernible.” Batman studied Superman for a moment, who only met his gaze steadily, and then flicked a look at J’onn. “I take it his exam went … well.”
“He does not make a very good patient,” J’onn commented, turning a dark eye on his companion.
Superman shrugged.
“Look, guys,” Kyle stood up, stretching a bit. “My Ring’s up to par too. Neither of us will let you down again. And it’s high time this Ayestrom jerk gets what’s coming to him.”
“Agreed,” Superman said, his expression instantly darkening. “Those hostages aren’t getting any safer.”
“And time does not seem to be in our favour,” Batman interjected morbidly. “The enemy will be working on yet a third Drill to threaten the planet’s stability - with which to hang over the UN’s head. And he will be aiming it somewhere entirely new. There are too many locations where the Earth's crust is thin enough to deploy this weapon.”
"Approximately one hundred and forty seven projected vulnerable sites,” put in Superman, calculating quickly, equally grim.
"We may not be so fortunate to reach and stop it again in time," Batman added with another scowl. "Accomplishing the feat twice now may have been pushing our luck."
“Boy, you guys sure know how to cheer a fellow up," Kyle groaned. "That’s a helluva lot of planet to cover.” A miniature green-tinged Earth bloomed to life near the lab’s ceiling. He admired his Ring creation for a second before raising his eyebrows pointedly at Batman as if to say ‘I told you so’.
Batman ignored him.
Kyle sulked.
“Persistence does seem to be an attribute Ayestrom cultivates,” J’onn observed.
“Well, it’s a good thing it’s one that we do as well,” Superman responded, brows drawing together. “Time to knuckle down to it." He looked up and speared the other three with his laser blue gaze. "JLA Briefing Room. Ten minutes. Everyone come armed with ideas, no matter how far-fetched. It’s past time we became proactive on the situation, not reactive.”
The other three Leaguers nodded at Superman’s strident tone. They were going to put an end to this mega terrorist’s current reign of terror, and start now.
It was what the League did.
As the others stepped out of the laboratory, intent on their thoughts, Superman pulled Batman aside with a look. Batman paused obligingly, waiting for Superman to speak. But Superman seemed a million light years away for a precarious moment before turning back to his teammate.
“This isn’t going to be an easy one, is it?”
“No. It’s not.” Batman eyed Superman curiously. “But when has it ever been?”
Superman shook his head, glancing away as if to hide whatever his expression revealed. “You’re right, of course.”
“I am,” agreed Batman implacably. “It would behoove you well to remember that I am nearly always right.”
At that, Superman’s head shot up and he searched Batman’s inscrutable face, until at last a flash of warmth lit up his eyes. But the smile did not reach Superman’s mouth.
"I'll bear that in mind,” he said dryly.
“As well you should.”
Superman gave a light snort but let the remark pass. He cocked his head towards the door, and stepped out into the long corridor. Batman moved into place at his side, watching him carefully without being obvious about it. Generally Superman always caught on whenever he was being observed, no matter how surreptitious Batman was, but today he seemed lost in another world.
Batman frowned.
"So when are you going to talk about it?"
Superman stiffened. "I have no idea what you mean."
"Don't play games, Superman," Batman growled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
For a moment, Superman said nothing. Then, "I was under the impression we had resolved all that."
"Your impression was wrong." His gaze narrowed as he studied the man before him, seeing the taut muscles quivering almost imperceptibly. "You took an inordinately long amount of time to heal this time," he said bluntly.
Superman's mouth tightened further. "I'm fine now. That's what counts."
"Are you? Because that's not what it lo ..."
“Can you contact Oracle?” Superman interrupted, twisting to face him finally. “Bring her up to speed. Any information she can dig up concerning suspicious activity in the Netherlands …”
For a moment, Batman paused, watching him, wanting to press the issue. Then he let it drop - for the time being. “Already done. She’ll be delivering her report within the hour.”
“Good. Have her pipe it directly to the Briefing Room. I want everyone on the same page with this.”
“Very well.” Batman paused, then added, “It is, however, already the prior arrangement. I assumed we'd need all members to be simultaneously informed on everything she’ll have discovered.”
"Of course.” Superman gave a tight grin this time. “Should’ve known better than to even ask.”
Batman very nearly gave a half smile of his own. Nearly. “You’re catching on.”
But Superman’s brief grin had already faded. He halted and seemed to be staring at nothing for several seconds. Batman stopped too and looked at him. For a gut-twisting moment all he could see was how he had looked at the bottom of that smoking pit, unbreathing, bloody, pale … lifeless.
“We can’t afford to stumble like this again, Bruce,” Superman was saying quietly, and Batman shook himself savagely out of the memory. Superman was here, now, breathing. Alive. “This … madman, this ... 'Lord' Ayestrom, seems to be two steps ahead of us at every turn. And the demands he made to the UN …” He shook his head and seemed to somehow slump slightly, though outwardly his posture had not changed.
“Then obviously, we shall simply have to out pace him and stay three steps ahead.”
“Yes. Guess we’ll have to.”
Their eyes met for an instant, each seeing the tension and the fatigue in the other. Batman started to open his mouth when Superman abruptly turned and stared out the west viewport, eyes trained at the moonscape below.
A shining crescent Earth hung over the silvery barren foreground, and Batman turned slightly to follow as Superman's gaze fixed on it. Together they watched the Earth rise over the horizon, the Sea of Tranquility lying in a glinting expanse below. For several long moments, they stood there, unspeaking.
Superman moved. Batman watched as the Kryptonian placed his hands on the narrow sill, and leaned his weight forward on his arms heavily, as if he were too exhausted to stay upright any longer. The reflected earthlight without served to highlight the drawn lines and shadows under his eyes.
Batman hesitated, his own brows knitting together.
“We still know next to nothing about Ayestrom himself,” Superman murmured, gaze trained on the planet above and voice so low that Batman was forced to step closer to hear. “Who is he, really? Where is he from? Is he native to Earth, or is he extra-terrestrial?" He sighed and rubbed a hand across his brow. "At the onset of the attack in Metropolis, I'm sure I heard that big, super-powered general of his claiming that Ayestrom was some kind of royalty.”
"I believe he also claimed that he was a god," Batman interjected, a slightly sardonic note to his voice.
Superman cast him a look. “Yes.” He again gave a slight shake of his head. “And if he is a metahuman, does he possess any major superhuman powers? If so, what sort? What would be the source of his power? And damnit, he is powerful - his following alone gives credence to that. And those weapons ... that kind of technology isn’t anything we’ve seen before.”
“No,” Batman said, eyes narrowing. “It’s not.”
Superman closed his eyes, his head bowed. “There’s too much we don’t know. Too many questions. What’s he really after? And why has he used hostages, only to allow us to fight his troops without stated harm to them?”
Superman’s fist clenched in frustration, the titanium port sill crumpling unnoticed under his grip.
Batman noticed.
“We will find out the answers to those questions,” he said firmly, reflecting inwardly how revealing it was that this man, usually so aware of his incredible strength, leashing it in iron control, now seemed completely oblivious to the damage. He stepped even closer. “And, Clark, we will defeat him.”
Superman slid a sideways glance back at him, the corner of his mouth curling up infinitesimally.
“Seems our roles are reversed today. Usually I’m the optimistic one.”
“And if we’re both grim and withdrawn, how will the others cope?”
That elicited a slow but almost genuine smile from Superman, who turned to face his partner squarely.
“Maintaining a balance at all times.”
Batman inclined his head a fraction.
“You’re right.” Superman gave a wry snort at Batman’s ‘of course’ expression. “I’ll try to do better.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Superman gave an actual full smile this time, and it was as if the sun had suddenly come out from behind a dark bank of clouds. “I hope not.”
Batman turned away abruptly and began to stride down the corridor. “To the briefing, then?”
He could hear the rustling of the cape as the Man of Steel bowed slightly and gestured with an expansive arm, as clearly as he could sense the lingering smile. “After you.”
But the moment of warmth fled only too quickly, as the grim news that only minutes later they received wiped any lingering smiles from both their faces, and settled a fist of ice tightly around each of their hearts.
Artwork is by the fabulous and talented darkj3 .
For Part 1, "In Terrorem", please head back Here.
(x-linked at
worlds_finest,
batfic,
jla_united,
jl_fic)