Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
To the attention of the readers who enjoy reading an intelligent main character like Miles will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Earth-2
Gotham
The Justice League crossed into the alternate dimension once again, this time prepared. The androids followed in a line, spreading out to cover the Batcave.
The remaining Justice Lords, the Martian Manhunter and Batman, had gathered all the robotic replicas of Superman to stop the League. They were naturally aware of what had happened, and two groups were locked in a tense standoff.
"If you are as smart as our Batman, then you must know you can't win," Superman said, eyeing the robots.
The Justice Lord Batman narrowed his eyes. "You also should know we won't go down without a fight."
"So be it."
Batman and Manhunter faced their counterparts while the rest of the League and the androids clashed with the Superman replicas.
Except for Green Lantern, who left to find Hawkgirl.
—
The Dark Knight knew they would be evenly matched. Same training and mindset, though the latter was only up to a certain point. They knew each other's next move: when to punch, kick, or dodge.
It was a chess game without an end.
"Wonder Woman, switch," he said, throwing down smoke bombs to disengage. He had no reason to fight this protracted battle, not when there was a path to victory.
Diana heard his call. She slammed the lassoed robot another time and leaped for Justice Lord Batman. Batman took her place, pulling out two electroshock knuckles.
The Amazon princess didn't have a glaring weakness like the remaining League members did. As good as a fighter Batman was, she had centuries of experience and the body of a demigod.
Without time to prepare, he could not hope to win.
It still wasn't an easy fight by any means.
Batman ducked, letting the punch sail over his head. Wonder Woman followed with it, twisting her body. She put her hand on the ground and spun, aiming a kick at his ribs. He twisted his body as well, but the kick grazed his back, sending him spinning out of control.
—
Martians fought to no avail.
Good thing his purpose wasn't to win but to stall.
The androids had proven to be superior to Superman's replicas. With the rest of the League, they would all be defeated soon.
His counterpart would see reason and surrender.
—
Flash nabbed a robotic arm halfway through the small army. His knuckles felt the strain of punching through the tin cans. He swung the arm, transferring all the kinetic energy into the next robot's head.
It broke into metal shards the size of his pinky, circuitry, and grease. He grabbed the now-defunct robot by the arm, spinning around with it like a deadly flail.
Superman was less graceful. He barreled through the robots, breaking the metal shells apart. His fists were quickly covered in black grease, but he didn't stop. One of them got the jump on him, wrapping its arms around his neck. Before he could snap them off, Batman threw a batarang. It wasn't sharp enough to cut, but his aim was superb.
It pierced the skin, stuck between two plates, and exploded.
Superman was unharmed, but the robot's internal mechanisms were destroyed. It fell, smoking from all the orifices.
He nodded, firing his thermal beams to neutralize a robot flying at Batman.
The red android siblings were working in tandem with their lesser brothers to mop up the replicas. Their teamwork was superior, and they had superior numbers. The replicas didn't stand a chance.
—
John flew over the city, tracking Hawkgirl. There weren't many places they could send her to. Since they were imprisoned, she too would be held somewhere secure.
Somewhere like Arkham.
The thought that she might be imprisoned among the sick bastards of Gotham's worst made his stomach churn.
He had been to Gotham a few times. Seeing this version with clean streets, the sunny, bright sky, and no slums made it difficult to believe it was the same city. It was a massive improvement, but he didn't think the price of being ruled by a fascist justice league was worth it.
He landed on Arkham's gate, looking around to make sure it was the correct place. There were no guards, no walls, no barbed wire, not a single security measure. He wouldn't even know it was Arkham if it wasn't for the sign.
He flew in, tensing as he saw the faces inside, especially the clerk.
The Clown Prince of Crime.
"Ah, Green Lantern. How may I help?" Joker asked, his voice lacking the disturbing, mad edge it always carried.
"Hawkgirl. I need to see her," he said, glaring at the madman. Whatever the Justice Lords had done to him and the remaining criminals, they all seemed docile.
"Of course." Joker turned around, walking to the door at the back. He pressed several buttons, turning back to them.
"One little thing. Today's password?"
John blinked. He visualized an arm, wrapping it around the Joker, sending him to the side. He sent thin tendrils, piercing through the walls. He ripped the door out and walked inside, ignoring the blaring alarms.
He froze at the sight of her.
She was secured to the bed by her wrists, unresponsive. His jaw ached with how hard he gnashed his teeth. His hand unconsciously rose to touch her cheek, feeling her warmth. He released the straps and took her, leaving the asylum.
Whoever did this was going to pay.
—
Earth-1
Watchtower
"There is something I don't understand. Why didn't we have a version of you in our dimension?" Superman asked Miles.
All five were tied up and disarmed. They had mental inhibitors stopping them from moving unless allowed. Amazo, along with several more androids, stood as guards over them.
He raised an eyebrow. He was only entertaining their request to speak out of curiosity. "I am flattered you think so highly of me that I would know the reason for it."
"You must at least have an idea."
"Maybe I don't exist in your dimension. Maybe we are not the same person. Maybe he didn't think you would make good partners."
"You said Luthor wouldn't become the president. How are you so sure?" Wonder Woman asked. They too did not think he would ever reach so high.
"That is my little secret."
Manhunter raised his head. He has been silent so far. "You were prepared for us."
"Your dimension is collapsing, and the first thing you do is open an interdimensional portal to call for help while having no idea about the source and sending the one member whose mind our Manhunter wouldn't be able to read to another dimension. Tell me that doesn't sound suspicious to you."
"It does when you say it like that." Lantern admitted. Rather than creating an elaborate excuse, they relied on the urgency of the situation to draw the League to their dimension.
"That's it then. The League breaks our control, and we are sent to prison for life."
Superman's summary was correct, if a bit too optimistic. After being under their yoke for years, the world governments would do more than just imprison them. This also had the potential to turn into a witch hunt for all metahumans, aliens, and otherwise enhanced people.
After all, if the Justice Lords went all fascist, who's to say the rest would not?
"I am not omniscient. The government might just execute you. Or you might escape and take control. Once we do our best and you are back in your dimension, it's no longer our problem." There was enough trouble in this dimension already. He did not want to deal with the problems of another.
Green Lantern came out of the portal, carrying an unconscious Hawkgirl. His face was blank, but under his costume, the tensed muscles were visible.
"Which one of you did this?" he asked. He didn't scream or raise his voice. Still, the even tone gave them the chills.
His counterpart turned to him. "It was me. She tried to…."
John ignored the rest of what he had to say. He handed Shayera to Amazo and walked to his counterpart. The thunderous look on his face said more than words could. He swung his fist, nailing the counterpart in his eye.
He grabbed him by the throat, fists coming down repeatedly. The first one drew blood from the nose; a cracking sound came with the second, and John Stewart showed no signs of stopping.
Miles landed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it.
He got up and left without a word.
"Thanagarians," the beaten Green Lantern hacked, "they are going to invade Earth."
Claire chuckled at that as Miles explained. "That situation has been resolved. They won the war against the Gordonians, and Hawkgirl already told the League the truth."
"How? Did the League join the war or something?" Superman asked. After Shayera had returned, they knew that the Thanagrians had lost.
It wasn't even close.
"Gordonians had the brilliant idea to steal a power ring from Larfleeze. He proceeded to destroy their empire for it," he said, relaxing his face muscles so the jig wouldn't be up.
"Larfleeze?" they asked.
Since he was created after the cartoon shows ended, right around 2008, Larfleeze technically didn't exist yet. As it was a well-kept secret, the Justice Lords had no reason to know him.
"The sole member of the Orange Lantern Corps, something the Guardians went into great lengths to keep a secret."
"I believe this is enough chit-chat. I have work to do," he said. He had received reports of suspicious individuals trying to sabotage the construction in Crime Alley in Gotham.
—
Earth-2
Gotham
Manhunter looked at his counterpart, assuming his humanoid form once again. "You have lost. This does not have to go any further."
"Perhaps, or perhaps not," he said, still ready to continue.
He closed his eyes. His counterpart only had the Justice Lords. He wouldn't stop fighting until he was rendered physically unable to.
J'onn would do the same.
"In my dimension, there are Martians, alive far beneath where our most secure sanctuaries were," he revealed. If he had another option, his counterpart would fold.
His eyes widened. "What?" That couldn't possibly be true. All the sanctuaries were destroyed.
Unless they were kept extremely hidden.
"It is possible for it to be true in this dimension as well. Our niece, M'gann, and her parents are alive as well," J'onn said, relaxing his mental barriers.
"Look into my mind. You know I am not lying."
His counterpart did so. Images of M'gann, of all the other living Martians, flashed in his mind. "I…I must go." He took off, flying to his ship and then to Mars.
"Was it a good idea to tell him that?" Superman asked, dusting his hands. With all the robots gone, it was time.
He watched him go. "Our people, if they are alive here, will not let him get away with his actions." If not, he would fight his counterpart once more.
"What do we do now? The government is under their control, and we can't stay here long enough for elections," Flash said. Simply defeating the Justice Lords wouldn't solve the problem. Not when they had supporters.
Batman approached the computer, an exact replica of his. "We let the people know the Justice Lords are defeated and they are free. The rest is up to them."
If the Lords had total control, then they were controlling the media as well. They had to have a clear picture of the situation to proceed.
—
The situation wasn't as dire as they expected it to be. There was a sitting president, who, along with the population, was being led along with promises of an eventual election. The League, along with their prisoners, contacted him and the rest of the world's governments.
Seeing two of every hero had them suspicious that the Lords were fishing for dissidents. Seeing Flash, alive and well, convinced them otherwise. They still wanted proof he wasn't a robot.
He provided it by cutting a small wound on his palm.
They were quick to take the Justice Lords into custody. Immediately, the draconian restrictions on media and freedom of speech were lifted. The streets were flooded with the civilians.
Not all for the good.
A sizable part of the planetary population was happy with the rule of the Justice Lords. They had brought order and peace to the world. They eliminated hunger, poverty, and homelessness. There were more than enough people happy with how things were.
Regardless of the cost.
The Justice League was taken back. While they didn't expect the transition to be smooth, the idea that so many would defend the Lords was shocking. Regardless, they returned home.
—
Earth-1
Watchtower
"Aren't you all a sorry sight? What happened?" The League, for all that they had won, were down in spirits.
Superman shook his head. "Nothing. We just didn't expect the Justice Lords to be defended by so many."
"If half of their accomplishments are true, then it is natural." He, unlike his compatriots, expected this kind of response.
"They turned their world to a utopia at the cost of all civil liberties," he continued as all eyes turned to him. "But here is the crux of the matter: civil liberties don't mean much to the hungry, the poor, the homeless, or the destitute. There is a hierarchy of needs. Filling their stomachs, having a home, and being safe are the first tier. Unless they are fulfilled, civil liberties aren't important to those people."
Superman hung his head down, Flash looked away, and everyone else was in a different world, thinking.
"But it shouldn't have come at that cost," the boy scout said.
"You are right," he said, rising from his seat. He stopped at the door, back turned to them. "I wonder, what does that say about our world? We have the resources to create a utopia but not the unified will to see it through. And as long as the majority are kept complacent, then change will be slow to come."
—
Metropolis
Beckett Residence
A welcome guest opened the door. "Hey, where have you been? These two wouldn't say anything."
He looked inside, seeing Claire and Baraka sit around the table. Several boxes of takeout sat there, unopened.
He took her hand, kissing her knuckles. "A fascist version of the Justice League came to take over our world and implement their rule. We were dealing with them."
"What?!" she hissed, pulling him inside. "Why didn't you call me?"
His lips curled upwards, an easy smirk gracing his lips. "What for? They didn't even get to walk out of the Hall of Justice."
"Yeah. We bagged them at the entrance. He even shot the evil boy scout with kryptonite," Baraka said. Karen turned sharply to him and then back at Miles, who felt the need to clarify.
"That I stole from Luthor."
Karen sighed, rubbing her temples as she took her seat. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"
Zalika came from the kitchen with Raven, carrying glasses and a bottle of soda.
"How about we eat first? The Watchtower doesn't exactly have an open buffet." Now that the crisis was averted, he was starving.
—
In the next chapter:
"You shot a version of my cousin with enough kryptonite to kill him in seven minutes," Karen said, putting down her empty noodle box to reach for water.
Miles smirked. That part was actually fun. "He was a despot with a fetish for lobotomizing people, and I value the current state of my brain."
Her smile matched his. "Not bad." Letting a Kryptonian with less than good intentions get that close, only to shoot him with kryptonite, required guts.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.