3rd Person POV:
Gray clouds covered the sky over Gotham city. A strange quiet had overtaken the once crime ridden city with everything grinding to a halt in the wake of the Black Tusk attack.
Though the coup was short lived, its effects were devastating. Missiles had slammed into several cities including Gotham, killing just over 500 people in a massive blast.
JTF losses were way higher and still unknown. Between the Black Tusk hidden within the task force and casualties taken during the battle, the JTF lost around 85% of its personnel.
The Division was shattered. Agents were scattered across the country and had sabotaged their bases as they fled so they wouldn't fall into Black Tusk hands. The survivors scrambled into hiding with no way of communicating with any other agents.
The Justice League was able to swiftly disarm the Black Tusk and allowed what remained of the military to arrest them.
The surviving members of congress quickly appointed a new administration and they regained control of the military with help from Kelso and a few other high ranking agents.
Blake's mangled corpse was brought to Gotham General hospital. The League carefully examined the body with the Atom leading the autopsy team. Despite everyone's best efforts, they couldn't get (Y/n) to leave the observation room. The agent watched everything like a hawk and wouldn't let any samples of blood be taken away for study.
Batman, Kaldur, Tigress, Oracle, Zatanna and (Y/n) were standing in the observation room above the autopsy room. The group stayed mostly silent, waiting for the Atom's report.
Eventually the report came in, the tired voice cracking over the observation room's speaker.
Atom: "Yeah, he died of a heart attack alright. I'm not exactly sure what's in the cocktail of drugs they gave him, but it definitely caused his death. These bullets barely pierced his skin and he had no broken bones."
The room stayed silent. As the heroes were wrapped up in their thoughts about the drug, (Y/n) gently grabbed Zatanna's hand and rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand.
Zatanna let out a sigh of relief. She desperately wanted to help (Y/n) during his fight with Blake and was forced to use his rifle after having her neck injured to the point where she couldn't speak.
Atom: "We will have to take samples of his blood for further study."
(Y/n): "No. Everything about that drug should be destroyed. Every Reach corpse and every trace of research ever done."
Atom: "You're going to have to get over your past with the Guest House and the Reach blood. If it has the potential to save lives, we need to study it."
Images of the Guest House flashed through (Y/n)'s head. His own voice, begging to die, cried out in his head. He saw the blinding surgical light and the reflection of the large surgical machine performing open brain surgery on him as clear as day.
He felt his body start to lightly shake and was only pulled out of his flashbacks by Zatanna gently squeezing his hand. That second (Y/n) snapped back to reality and continued the conversation without skipping a beat.
(Y/n): "No. I won't let anyone else go through what I did. That drug isn't meant to be used by us. There are too many side effects. If they didn't wipe my mind, I would've gone insane. The pain I suffered was ungodly and I'll die before I let you experiment with that drug."
Batman: "I agree. The risks are too great, it needs to be destroyed."
(Y/n): "Make sure Blake's body is properly disposed of. I don't want any trace of it left."
Without waiting for a response, (Y/n) led Zatanna out of the room and brought her to the ER. She tried to protest and say that she's fine, but her voice was still weak and she could barely get a few words out.
Zatanna: "I-I'm... fine."
(Y/n): "You're almost as bad as me when it comes to lying about injuries. You are going to stay here and have your neck looked at by someone who won't lie about the damage."
The magician groaned in annoyance and slumped down in a chair. (Y/n) sat beside her and less than a minute later Zatanna was leaning on him and resting her head on his shoulder.
The waiting room was crowded, almost every seat was full and the hospital staff were running around like crazy.
(Y/n) couldn't help but notice people staring at them. Zatanna's magician uniform was covered in dust and small cuts while his combat gear was slightly worse off. Dry blood was splattered all across his chest and hands but he couldn't care less, he just wanted to sit down and rest.
Fortunately the staff at Gotham city had grown used to dealing with large catastrophes and the wait time was less than an hour.
Soon the pair were led to a small room and Zatanna was forced to lay down on the hospital bed after groaning and pouting like a toddler.
Nurse: "A doctor will be with you shortly."
(Y/n): "Thank you nurse."
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*Western Mongolia*
Deep inside Vandal Savage's lair, the Light is in the middle of a heated discussion. Every member but Gretchen Goode was present, communicating through computer monitors.
Vandal is closely monitoring the discussion but talking little. The recent events have forced them to re-evaluate their plans and ensure none of their operations are harmed in the backlash towards the Black Tusk.
Luthor: "It stands to reason that the Black Tusk was the largest group within the American Government and they appear to be defeated."
Queen Bee: "On a similar note, the Division appears to be finished. Its agents are scattered and their bases are destroyed. Not to mention the public will blame them for letting the Black Tusk get out of control, after all, it was (Y/n) who requested the JTF be formed in the first place."
Deathstroke: "It will take the Division a long time to recover, if they are even able to at all. Now onto our more pressing issue. We went to a lot of trouble to place Tara Markov with the heroes."
Ultra Humanite: "There is no way we would honor Jace's terms, even in trade for Halo. But Jace didn't and still doesn't know that."
Deathstroke: "I gave Tara an antidote chip before Jace could take her, so that the Markov's could believably break free on their own. Keeping both exactly where we want them."
Ultra Humanite: "That may soon be irrelevant. It's no wonder Darkseid insisted you give him Halo. The galactic balance of power will shift irreversibly once Granny hands over this living key to the Anti-Life equation."
Savage was shocked. He snapped the small tablet in his hands as fear gripped his body.
Savage: "We must ensure Halo never reaches Darkseid. We need to break her free."
Ultra Humanite: "That could start an all out war with Apokolips, and we are in no position to win that conflict."
Savage: "I'll handle it. We still have a few cards left to play."
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*Three Days Later*
The Outsiders, Conner, Artemis, Dick, Zatanna and (Y/n) were spread throughout the Outsider's Penthouse. The Team and Outsiders were sweeping up the abundance of shell casings and shattered glass while Conner and (Y/n) dragged any destroyed furniture to the landing platform.
The small pile of bullet riddled couches were ready to be loaded up into the bio-ship along with anything else that couldn't be repaired.
Superboy: "Thanks for your help."
(Y/n): "Don't mention it. I'm sorry things played out the way they did."
Superboy: "But you're not sorry for doing it."
(Y/n): "Look, I wasn't initially included in their scheme, and after I found out about it I was too busy to do anything about it. I know it hurts being lied to but they only wanted to keep you safe. You can't fault them for that."
Superboy: "They should've told us from the start."
(Y/n): "Maybe, but take a look at what just happened. The Division is gone, Kelso's told me that it's going to be disbanded next week. I can't protect you guys from the government anymore. Doing this gave you all plausible deniability. Like it or not, it was the right play."
Superboy: "I need to talk with M'gann."
The agent sighed as he watched Superboy slowly walk back inside the penthouse. The wind howled and sent a chill down the former agents back. He felt bad, he hated this part of the job. He remembered how upset he was when he found out about Artemis faking her death, Superboy has been thrown through that same feeling twice now. (Y/n) couldn't even imagine what was going through his friend's head.
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Zatanna was pressing an ice pack against her neck. Her voice had mostly returned but her neck was still bruised. Artemis and Zatanna were sitting at the kitchen table while Dick was grabbing a drink from the fridge.
Artemis: "I thought you were confined to bed Mr. Low Grade Fever."
Dick: "Can't keep a boy wonder down."
(Y/n): "You're no good to anyone if you collapse. You should be resting."
Zatanna glared at her agent and rolled her eyes, fully knowing that (Y/n) would be and has been moving around every time he's been injured.
Dick: "I'll be fine, I finally convinced Barbara to go home. She's been by my side for the last three days."
Kaldur: "That was after (Y/n) and I agreed to watch over you."
Dick: "Of course you did."
(Y/n) sat down beside Zatanna on the island stool and gently cupped her face with his hands, forcing her to look up and away from him so he could see her injury.
(Y/n): "Does it still hurt?"
Zatanna: "A-a little..."
The magician's face was incredibly red as (Y/n) took the ice pack and gently pressed it against her neck. Zatanna shivered in her chair as she leaned into (Y/n)'s other hand.
(Y/n): "You'll be alright, just try to keep from talking as much as possible."
Zatanna: "My magic comes... from talking."
(Y/n): "Well then, I guess you're going to have to take a break from missions for a bit."
As Zatanna was in the middle of rolling her eyes when (Y/n) quickly slipped out of his seat and gently grabbed her chin. He pulled her close and whispered into her ear. Zatanna's face instantly flushed red.
(Y/n): "Now, be a good girl for me and keep quiet. I don't want you getting hurt and if I have to, I'll bench you."
As (Y/n) leaned back and stood up, he smiled as he admired his magician. Zatanna's face was bright red and the agent couldn't help but laugh.
(Y/n): "Any luck on raiding Gretchen's property?"
Tigress: "The Team, League and Outsider's searched every building in Goodeworld Studios. Halo isn't there."
(Y/n): "With how busy we were dealing with the Black Tusk, it wouldn't surprise me if they moved her off world."
Tigress: "Our thoughts exactly."
The room fell silent for a moment as (Y/n) found himself gazing out the kitchen window.
Tigress: "Are you going to keep using the watch?"
The agent slowly turned to face his friends, a curious look formed on his face before he remembered that he still had Keener's watch on. His gaze drifted down to his wrists and he stared at the watch with its glowing red ring.
(Y/n): "For now... I'm not exactly in a trusting mood. Everything I've ever known was just ripped out from under me, and I find out that half the people I've fought beside have secretly wanted to overthrow the government for decades. I think I'm going to keep Keener's network activated for a while. At least until I'm comfortable enough to sleep soundly at night."
Suddenly the intercom buzzed and everyone walked out into the living room.
Forager stepped forward and answered the intercom. A second later the doorman's voice rang out.
Forager: "Yes, doorman Kirby Jacobs? How can Fred Bugg assist you?"
Kirby: "Hey, Fred. Uh, there's a... a gentleman here in the lobby to see you guys."
Forager activated the security cameras in the lobby and the heroes were completely shocked at what they saw.
Vandal Savage was standing in front of the elevator and looking directly into the camera.
Kirby: "He says his name's Savage... should I send him up?"
(Y/n): "Yes, thank you Kirby."
(Y/n) unholstered his handgun and moved towards the elevator.
Several minutes later the heroes were all in costume and waiting for Savage. The elevator door dinged as it opened and the leader of the Light stepped into the penthouse.
Not even half a second later (Y/n) had his rifle pointed at Savage's head.
(Y/n): "You've got a lot of nerve coming here. I should shoot you on the spot for what you've done."
Savage: "You hesitated to kill Natalya Sokolova when you had the chance. Given what she's done to you and your family, I'd say you've gone soft and that you'd hesitate to kill anyone."
(Y/n): "I'm about to prove you wrong."
Kaldur: "Enough. What are you doing here?"
Savage smiled as he casually took a step closer. (Y/n) squeezed the grip of his rifle tighter and rested his finger on the trigger. He desperately fought the overwhelming urge to pull the trigger back and send a round right through Savage's forehead.
Tigress stepped forward, putting herself at (Y/n)'s side and pushing Zatanna behind the agent's back. The magician gently grabbed (Y/n)'s shoulder and got him to slowly lower his weapon.
Savage: "I believe you're shepherds who have lost a sheep."
Geoforce: "Tell us where Halo is!"
Savage: "That is precisely why I am here. I know you have a Motherbox. I'm here to offer coordinates, so that you can boom tube to Ms. Harper's location."
Superboy: "What's the catch?"
Savage: "The catch, as you put it, is this. You promise to tell her abductor exactly who sent you."
(Y/n): "And why would you want her to know that?"
Savage: "Did Ellie tell you nothing in Limbo?"
(Y/n): "Choose your next words carefully or I swear to god they will be your last!"
Savage: "I require an answer."
Superboy: "You have our word. We will tell Halo's abductor you sent us."
Savage smiled and took out his Fatherbox. (Y/n) was so furious
Savage: "I will transmit the coordinates now."
———————————————————————
Several hours later the sun was setting as a fierce debate raged between two lovers.
(Y/n): "Absolutely not! You can barely speak, I'm not letting you go on a mission that could be a massive trap!"
Zatanna: "Oh, so it's okay for you to be stupid?!"
(Y/n): "Zatanna you are staying here and that's final!"
Zatanna: "You're not the boss of me!"
(Y/n): "I may as well be! If the roles were reversed you wouldn't let me out of the house, so deal with it!"
Zatanna: "Nightwing's going."
(Y/n): "Well I'm not engaged to Nightwing and he shouldn't be going!"
Nightwing chimed in from across the room as he checked the last of his gear.
Nightwing: "I'm traught, whelmed, and feeling the aster. I'm going."
(Y/n) groaned in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. Zatanna simply crossed her arms and smiled.
Zatanna: "Shut up and gear up, pretty boy. I'll be waiting with the team."
The magician blew a kiss to her man as she walked by, purposely swaying her hips for the first couple stride just to tease him.
(Y/n): "It is so not fair that your inability to act like a reasonable adult helps you get your way."
Zatanna: "Deal with it."
Kaldur: "Let's be reasonable, we couldn't keep either of them here if we tried."
The agent only groaned again as Superboy arrived through the zeta tube carrying a large weapons crate.
Superboy: "Is this everything you need?"
(Y/n): "Yeah that should be enough. Thanks."
As Superboy went to talk with Geoforce in the kitchen, (Y/n) tore off the lid to the weapons crate and took out several ISAC gadgets and explosives.
(Y/n): "ANNA, connect to these gadgets and stand by for deployment. Friendly forces will be marked through our comms network."
ANNA: "Link established, standing by for deployment order."
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"It will all be my garden... my beautiful garden...."
A slender man stumbled down a dark alley in Southern Ireland, his limbs extended to unnatural lengths before retracting to their normal size at an alarming rate. His fingernails extended over six feet and became sharper than swords.
The man had no hair on his head, his skin was as white as snow with a bright yellow flower mask.
"Such a strange sensation.... I WILL HAVE IT ALL!"
Brother Blood: "Then all you have to do is follow me."
The flowered faced man turned around. Brother Blood was straightening his white tie as he stepped closer to the human-like figure.
"Why should I.... help you?"
Brother Blood: "Because we can give you exactly what you want. The power to shape a corner of the world into your perfect garden."
"How... can I trust you?"
Brother Blood: "The artifacts we're gathering will irreversibly tip the scales of magic in our favour. You will just have to trust me, I have just as much to gain as you. It will take a significant amount of time, but these are our first steps."
"Where are we going?"
Brother Blood: "Back to our home fortress, we will meet up with the rest of our little "team" and discuss our plan in detail."
Brother Blood started walking towards the alley's exit. The slender and disfigured man started following, his razor sharp nails dragging off the pavement and sending small sparks in all directions.
Brother Blood: "I never got your name."
"I lost my name long ago... you may call me Bloom."
Brother Blood: "Well, Mr. Bloom, we have a long journey ahead of us and I think your skills will be most useful for our cause."
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*Outsiders Penthouse*
As the final preparations were being made for the Team's rescue mission, (Y/n) was marching through the living room towards Kaldur.
(Y/n): "I need to borrow your communicator."
Kaldur was initially confused but soon handed the small device to the agent as he pushed for an answer.
Kaldur: "May I ask why?"
(Y/n): "Just a backup plan. I've got a bad feeling about our mission."
The agent took the device and quickly retreated out of earshot.
The second he was alone he activated the device and punched in the information. Less than a few seconds later the communicator successfully established a connection.
(Y/n): "Hello, Nabu. I need a favour."
Dr. Fate: "I am not one of your agents to call upon whenever you feel, I have important work to do."
(Y/n): "Well if you don't listen to me, you're going to be extremely busy. Not to mention you need me, I learned all about your plans in Limbo."
Dr. Fate: "Fine, what do you need?"
(Y/n): "How quickly can you get me something from your tower?"
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Several minutes later Zatanna, Tigress, (Y/n), Aquaman, Miss Martian and Superboy were assembled in the main living area.
Superboy: "Mother Box has Savage's coordinates locked in."
Nightwing: "Good, then let's go rescue Halo."
The former Robin joined the group with Geoforce, Tara and Forager at his side.
(Y/n) loaded his rifle and quickly glared at Nightwing for bringing Tara along with the group. The agent was still against including the known mole in any of their plans but his protest routinely fell on deaf ears. Nightwing awkwardly scratched his head and the agent quickly looked away before anyone noticed.
(Y/n): "I don't need to stress the fact that this could be an ambush. So watch your backs and remember your training."
Superboy outstretched his arm with the motherbox and opened a boom tube. Everyone rushed in and a moment later they were in a large alien hangar.
Alien weaponry and spacecraft lined the walls with dark grey crates scattered throughout the large hangar bay.
Tara: "Mother of goat, what is that smell?"
Superboy: "Parademons. They're close, stay on guard."
Several suppressed thumps erupted from (Y/n)'s rifle as he rushed to the front of the group. A few parademons fell from the sky, crashing down with a loud bang as the agent lowered his weapon.
(Y/n): "Well, they know we're here. Get moving."
Geoforce: "Is Violet here?!"
Superboy stepped forward, waving the mother box around until it beeped.
Superboy: "Savage was being straight, Mother Box has a lock on Violet's position. She's close."
Miss Martian: "That's odd. I can't reach her sense her psychically. But (Y/n)'s right, they know we're here. Beta squad, you know the plan. We provide the distraction while you find Violet."
Superboy: "Geoforce, you're leading Beta. If you get into real trouble, use Mother Box to boom tube home. And remember-"
Geoforce: "Keep my head, do my homework and be in bed by ten. Got it. Seriously, I'll keep them safe and we'll bring Violet home. I'm honored you put your trust in me. Let's go!"
Geoforce rushed down the closest tunnel with Forager and Tara right behind him.
(Y/n): "That was our only Mother Box. If they get into trouble and boom tube home, we'll be trapped here."
Superboy: "I trust that they'll come back for us."
(Y/n): "Oh boy."
Superboy rolled his eyes and (Y/n) smiled, tapping his watch and activating ANNA.
ANNA: "All subsystems online."
(Y/n): "Deploy our gadgets for a static defense and start chipping away at their network, I want control over everything we can get our hands on."
ANNA: "Connection established, alien network copied, running decryption."
Aquaman: "We have a problem."
(Y/n): "Only one? We're already doing better than I thought."
Tigress smacked the back of (Y/n)'s helmet. Zatanna followed suit and smacked him as well, the agent brought up his hands to feign surrender as the girls glared at him.
Aquaman: "Behind that ship, the Javelin. Which means we are almost certainly aboard Granny Goodness' asteroid base. The League was staging a raid here today to liberate dozens of captive meta-teens. I'm sending an update to Beta."
Superboy: "I don't hear a battle."
Miss Martian: "I've reached out psychically. Meta-teens, the League, I can't sense any of them here. Not even my uncle."
Nightwing: "We know from the Markov's that Granny can potentially use Violet's power to control anyone without a fight."
Zatanna shifted uncomfortably and (Y/n)'s heart skipped a beat. The thought of the strongest members of the League being taken down without a fight sent a chill through the heroes.
Tigress: "Then... then we assume Granny's got them. And we'll just add the Justice League and over a hundred meta-teens to the rescue list."
(Y/n): "We're outmatched, we need to withdraw and gather reinforcements."
Aquaman: "We do not have time. The intel Vandel provided will be outdated if we leave. Granny will almost certainly move her base to another location."
Superboy: "Parademons, and lots of them. About thirty seconds before they spot us."
(Y/n): "Alright, let's go to work."
The group spread throughout the large mountain of crates. Hiding until the parademons were well within range.
Zatanna: "Who are those girls leading the parademons?"
Aquaman: "They are called Furies. They serve Granny and are incredibly capable warriors. Use caution when fighting them."
(Y/n): "ANNA, let's make our presence known."
ANNA: "Engaging hostile forces."
The second the parademons entered the hangar, the large number of turrets (Y/n) scattered throughout the hangar opened fire. Bullets flew towards the tunnels and cut down row after row of the parademons while the heroes swiftly dealt with any that slipped past the bottleneck of bullets.
The Furies charged forward, bullets bouncing off their armour and bodies.
(Y/n): "I hate it when they're bulletproof, KALDUR ON YOUR LEFT!"
The co-chair of the Justice League dodged just in time. A blonde fury in white armor slashed down towards him with a giant sword. The impact easily split the metal floor and sent a deafening bang through the battle.
Zatanna: "Gninthgil fo eht sdog!"
Lightning blasts shot from Zatanna's fingertips and crashed against the endless wave of parademons.
Nightwing: "One of three entrances sealed. I'll close another to keep them coming from one direction."
Another Fury jumped towards Kaldur, swinging her electrified whip down at him. Kaldur easily dodged the strike but before he could counter attack the fury was sent crashing to the ground after being hit by a grenade launcher.
Superboy jumped up and grabbed the furies leg, throwing her into the far wall before she hit the ground.
ANNA: "Communications jammer detected, unable to restore communications and decrypt alien network."
(Y/n): "Forget the coms, focus on getting control of this space station! M'gann, coms are down, link us up!"
Miss Martian: 'Link established!'
A small explosion erupted from the mountain of crates Nightwing was standing on. Debris went flying in all directions, crashing down and sliding all across the floor.
(Y/n) pushed forward. Making it to Tigress's side as she took down three parademons with an explosive arrow.
As the agent riddled a parademon with bullets, his head started to violently throb. Waves of emotions washed over him and he was helpless to stop it. Every other hero in the hangar felt the same and suddenly a familiar voice called out to them.
Wally: "Dude, monkeys must love you because you are bananas if you thought the Wall-Man would stay back in the cave and miss this!"
(Y/n)'s eyes widened as he and Artemis spun around to face the voice. They saw Wally standing in his kid flash uniform helping up Dick who was back in his old Robin costume.
Artemis found herself in her old costume and (Y/n) was in the black suit and tie he wore when he first met the team. A black plate carrier was overtop of his jacket and his helmet was gone.
(Y/n)'s ISAC watch was back on his wrist with the signature orange ring glowing around the face of the watch.
Robin: "Kid Flash, you're here!"
Kid Flash: "Well, duh. A mission to fight space babes and giant space bugs, on a giant space station in space! Try to keep me away!"
The battle resumed, (Y/n) and Artemis turning to face the parademons and fighting them off with their old weapons. (Y/n) wanted to call out to anyone he could for help but his voice wouldn't work. His body was on autopilot and continued to fight off the parademons without an issue.
Kid Flash: "Oh, hey, the newbies. The agent's alright but I'm keeping my eye on the archer."
Artemis: "We heard that!"
Kid Flash: "Oh and you know my fantasy first date with Miss M has us taking down space baddies together!"
Kid Flash raced over to Kaldur and Zatanna, the pair each wore their old uniforms and had massive smiles on their faces as they tore through parademons.
Kid Flash: "Hey, (Y/n), you ask our friendly magician to marry you yet?"
(Y/n): "W-What?!"
The agent's voice called out but he had no control over it. He found himself looking at Zatanna while Kid Flash held in laughter nearby.
Kid Flash: "Alright I'll let you off the hook this one time, but you owe me."
(Y/n): "Fine. But can we please focus on the mission."
Kid Flash: "If you insist, let's beat up some bad guys!"
The speedster raced back to Robin's side as the boy wonder climbed to the top of a large crate.
Robin: "Well then KF, looks like todays the day!"
The Team grouped up, using their training to smash each and every parademon that attacked.
Superboy: "Shh, listen."
Parademon screeching was coming from one of the open tunnels and getting louder each second.
Miss Martian: "Hello, Megan! We forgot to close the second tunnel!"
Kid Flash: "No way! Check this out!"
Aqualad: "Kid wait!"
By the time Kaldur finished his sentence, Kid Flash was already on top of the Javelin.
Kid Flash: "Souvenir, I'm calling souvenir!"
Robin: "KF, you're brilliant!"
Artemis: "I wouldn't go that far."
Kid Flash: "I heard that!"
(Y/n): "Just get a room already."
Kid Flash: "Hey I could say the same about-Uhh hey, Rob, why did my souvenir just eject little thingies?"
The boy wonder's signature laughter erupted from the mountain of crates as the battle dragged on.
Robin: "To subject some space monsters to a little Team-style shock treatment."
As the Javelin's weapon systems activated, Robin's laughter grew in volume. Soon the parademons were falling before they could get to the Team. Less than a minute later the Javelin's weapon systems had eliminated every parademon in the hangar.
The agent felt himself get control of his body once again as everything returned to normal. He and Tigress shared a worried glance as the heroes gathered in a small circle.
Suddenly Miss Martian crashed to the floor, holding her head in pain.
Superboy: "M'gann!"
Miss Martian: "I-I'm alright... I had to shut down the link, Nightwing's fever dream... it hijacked the link. I-I didn't know that was possible. I'm so sorry."
(Y/n): "It's alright, where is he?"
The group retreated to the mountain of crates where they found Nightwing sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall with sweat dripping off his face.
Nightwing: "I hacked the Javelin."
Miss Martian: "Your fever dream also hacked into old memories, old feelings... we all experienced it."
Nightwing: "I-I'm so sorry..."
Tigress: "Don't be. Wally's always fighting at our side, and always will be."
The mountain of rubble started to shift as parademons clawed away at the debris. The agent loaded his weapon and checked his gear as Kaldur stepped forward to help Tigress lift Nightwing up.
Aquaman: "We have to move. Dick, if you are not one hundred percent in the game-"
Nightwing: "Are you kidding? I haven't felt this good in years. Let's go say hi to granny."
(Y/n): "I wouldn't have it any other way."
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*Tower of Fate*
Zatara felt helpless. Here he was, the great Giovanni Zatara, bearing witness to the end of the universe and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
His mind inevitably wandered to his daughter and how terrified she'd be if she knew what was about to happen.
Nabu: "What you suggest is not order! It is stagnation!"
Though his body was in the Tower of Fate, Zatara's mind was with the spirit of Nabu before the Lords of Order.
"We can not interfere! We need not remind you of what happened last time the Lords fought on such a scale."
Nabu: "No, I have spent my time telling my host body the same thing. But we can not let our vessel of order fall to the forces of darkness for any length of time."
"This battle will not be his last. You need not worry Nabu."
Nabu: "You forget, we are not the only forces acting upon the mortal plain! The Chaos Lord Klarion reports to the forces of the Light. The Light is no longer the tools of order we thought them to be. They plan to unleash chaos upon the galaxy with a war that will rival the destruction we once brought."
"Why do you tell us what we already know?"
Zatara: "So you do not forget!"
The eyes of the Lords of Order suddenly turned on Zatara and he felt his throat dry up. Despite every battle he fought with the league, this was the most tense moment he had ever been in.
Zatara: "Do you not think that the Chaos Lords will sense his corruption if he is enslaved? Do you not think that Klarion will act upon his advantage knowing that our vessel of order has been captured and corrupted by the Lord of Apokolips?"
"What do you suggest we do?"
Zatara: "If you wish to keep the advantage we have and keep the vessel's identity hidden, we must intervene and stop his capture."
Nabu: "He has already asked for my help, but without your power infused in the anchor, it will do nothing. It has sat idle for too long."
"Then we must act quickly."
The Lords agreed and a bright flash overtook Zatara's spirit. He soon found himself back inside the Helmet of Fate and sighed in relief knowing his daughter wouldn't be subject to the horrors of Apokolips.
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ANNA: "Closing in on power source. Alien network mapping at 73%."
(Y/n): "Can't these things go any faster?!"
The heroes were all on small flying platforms used by the Furies. Tigress was driving with Zatanna and (Y/n) crammed on the back.
Kaldur drove his own with Nightwing and Superboy riding beside him.
Tigress: "Do you want to drive?"
(Y/n): "Just get us there as fast as we can."
The group was silent for a moment as they continued to race towards the center of the space station.
Miss Martian: "My link with Beta's been severed. For just a moment I sensed my uncle's mind touch. But J'onn's mind wasn't his own... it was different, empty almost."
Superboy: "Superman and the other Leaguers?"
Miss Martian: "Nothing. Nothing on any of them. Not even J'onn now."
Tigress: "No doubt they'll all be under Granny's control."
Nightwing: "Stay traught. We just need to level the playing field."
Aquaman: "Yes. M'gann, the moment we enter, brain blast everyone. Render all unconscious, friend and foe alike."
Superboy: "That won't work on everyone, especially those Granny has under her sway. A puppet doesn't need a mind if someone else is pulling the strings."
(Y/n): "I'm sorry Conner, but we don't know that for sure and she's the only one who can tip the balance of power in our favour."
Aquaman: "You must do to them what you once did to me."
Superboy: "You are not suggesting she brain-fry everyone! Don't you know the effect it has on-"
Aquaman: "Believe me! I understand the consequences to our friends, but-"
Superboy: "What about the consequences to M'gann!"
Miss Martian: "Conner... W-What about the consequences to the universe? If Granny succeeds in using this Anti-Life Equation, then billions throughout the galaxy will be enslaved. I'm prepared to sacrifice my soul to save their lives. I love you so much."
Superboy found himself speechless as Miss Martian couldn't bring herself to look away from his eyes.
Zatanna's hand subconsciously took hold of (Y/n)'s and squeezed it tight. Her eyes locked onto his and they could instantly tell how terrified the other was. (Y/n) hid it behind a confident smile but she saw right through it.
(Y/n): "It'll be alright, we're professionals."
She couldn't help it, he knew just how to make her smile in any situation. When the small smile eventually formed on Zatanna's face, (Y/n) felt some small amount of relief wash over him.
He had no idea if it would be alright or if they would even survive the next few minutes, they knew almost nothing of Granny's secret weapon and that fact terrified him. But if he could reassure Zatanna that they'd be fine, and see her smile one more time before they jumped into a desperate battle for survival, that would be more than enough to keep him going.
Tigress: "I can see it, we're almost at the station's core!"
Aquaman: "Get ready."
The group flew into the station's core, a large machine was in the center of the room. A glowing ball of yellow energy was floating in the center of the room surrounded by several large metal spikes that angled in like fingers prying at something inside.
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Moments earlier, Beta squad was subdued by the mind controlled Justice League. Superman easily stripped the Mother Box from Geoforce's hands and Martian Manhunter held them in place with his psychic power.
Granny was standing on a large platform surrounding the heroes and her machine. Halo was kneeling beside her with a piece of alien technology placed on her head, covering her eyes and keeping her enslaved. The alien device had Apokoliptian markings carved into it, the markings glowed a dull red colour each time Granny gave Halo an order.
Forager: "How is Beta squad to fight the Justice League?"
Laughter erupted from the upper levels. Granny leaned onto her control panel and smiled down at the helpless heroes.
Granny: "Oh child, you're not fighting them. You're joining them. So too, the entire population of your world, well, the meta population. They are the only ones who will survive. Non metas suffer from the process in a way that metas do not. You perhaps noticed a difference in the residual effect of the Ghost Dimension upon your Richard Grayson, as opposed to Jefferson Pierce or Kaldur'ahm?"
Beta squad desperately searched for any way to free themselves from Manhunters hold but no obvious solution presented itself.
Granny: "Now, imagine every non-meta in the galaxy suffering that way, before eventually dying. It's truly glorious to contemplate."
Geoforce: "Violet! Please snap out of it!"
Granny: "Oh take heart little prince, you and your Violet will spread Anti-Life throughout the Galaxy. Until death do you part. Overlord, cube please."
Granny and Violet were encompassed by a red holographic cube. The servant of Darksied smiled as she bagan typing on her control panel.
Miss Martian was the first to charge into the room. She called out to her friends and begged them to hurry as she used the full extent of her powers to attack everyone physically.
Aquaman: "Target that device!"
(Y/n): "I'm on it! ANNA DESTROY EVERYTHING!"
ANNA: "Launching attack drones."
Several explosive drones detached from the agents bag and flew towards the deceive, dropping their explosives all across the large open room.
(Y/n) took aim, his rifle making a powerful thump as he shot at Granny. The bullets bounced off her cube shield but accomplished what he'd hoped. He needed to keep Granny pinned down while the drones targeted everything in sight.
Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, the device activated. The yellow ball of energy expanded faster than anyone could comprehend. The second it touched the drones they shorted out and crashed.
The heroes fell one by one, screaming in pain as they collapsed.
With pain surging through his body, (Y/n) managed to roll onto his back and take out an explosive charge. The c4 explosive was the size of a cell phone and his last ditch attempt to destroy the machine.
Granny's laughter echoed through the room as (Y/n) used what little strength he had left to throw the charge at the machine. It never made it. Halo blasted it out of mid air, shooting from Granny's side. The charge was gone and with it any hopes of destroying Granny's Anti-Life machine.
Zatanna: "Dleihs su!"
A small dome encompassed Zatanna and (Y/n), only offering them enough room to push themselves to their knees.
The agent drew in rapid breaths as Zatanna managed to push herself to one knee, desperately putting every bit of energy she had into maintaining the shield.
Zatanna: "(Y/n)... what do we do?"
(Y/n): "I-I don't know..."
Cracks started forming across the dome and in response Zatanna drew the pocket watch out from her jacket. It started glowing a bright white and boosted her power. The dome repaired itself as the two lovers desperately searched their surroundings for anything they could use to destroy the machine.
Zatanna: "I-I'm going to try a spell... the shield may drop. Be ready and brace yourself."
Up at the control panel. Granny was angrily watching the pair. Expecting Zatanna's shield to break after a few seconds, she was enraged when the magician repaired it and gained some strength back.
With one unceremonious push, the servant of Darkseid shoved Halo outside of the cube. A second later Halo was calling out in the language of the old gods and the Anti-Life equation sprung forth.
The wave of purple energy shot out encompassing the entire station and spreading out into the galaxy.
Despite the equation, Zatanna's shield held, which only further enraged Granny.
Zatanna: "(Y/n)! I-I can't hold it!"
The dome started cracking at a rapid pace. The ungodly forces of the Anti-Life equation chipping away at Zatanna's magic.
(Y/n): "I-I don't see a way out of this, Zee."
The dome shrank, forcing both the agent and the magician onto their backs.
She took one last look at (Y/n), her eyes watering as he took the glowing pocket watch from her hand and gently tucked it into her jacket.
(Y/n): "It's okay... I love you so much. Just remember that."
Zatanna tried to respond but she couldn't find the words. Tears ran down her face as the dome shattered and the Anti-Life equation enslaved them both.