Batman Beyond 'Fan Fiction Story'
By Tayla Drago
Episode# 46 – The Call: Parts 1 and 2
The Justice League Unlimited heroes of the future, the best ones to be around to protect lives and stop bad guys:
*Mareena/Aquagirl - Like all Atlanteans, Mareena could breathe underwater and was a speedy and graceful swimmer. Her skin and strength were also tougher than a normal human's, to withstand deep sea pressures. Mareena inherited her father's ability to communicate telepathically with undersea life, including alien aquatic life forms like Starro. Her empathy gave her a more compassionate outlook than some of her comrades, though they sometimes dismissed it as naiveté. In the future, she also acquired hydrokinesis, a power her father also seemed to have.
*Barda Free/Big Barda - Big Barda possessed vast strength; sufficient she could lift a locomotive train with no difficultly. She also wielded a mega-rod. The Rod was durable enough to brace the shear forces of a collapsing building and could shoot powerful blasts and could also be used as a thruster. Barda made use of aero-discs; small Frisbee sized discs placed under her boots that permitted her to fly. In combat Barda wore armor that segmented over her body but when not in use retracted. Barda also has access to a Mother Box which allowed her to summon Boom tubes for interstellar travel. As a New God, Barda also possessed a natural degree of longevity, as she has shown no signs of aging in the years between the Apokoliptian Civil War and her time in the JLU.
*Kal-Ro/Green Lantern - Despite his young age, Kai-Ro showed remarkable maturity and wisdom. He had also been around the universe and exhibited excellent proficiency with the Power ring. It is unknown how Kai-Ro received his ring, though the possible scenarios are that the ring chose him after the death or retirement of Kyle Rayner or John Stewart, both of whom shared the duty of Earth's sector of space.
*Micron - Micron was capable of shrinking and growing his body to varying degrees, apparently at will. He was also able to fly.
*Rex Stewart/Warhawk - Being half-human, Warhawk lacked the organic wings of a Thanagarian, but he donned artificial wings harnessed in a remote retractable pollinized aluminum steel casing. However, Warhawk apparently inherited his mother's super-strength, showcased by nearly matching blows with Superman. His suit could cover his entire body in armor and could be piloted remotely. It also had retractable claws.
And the last two...
*Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman and *Helen Star aka Absorb Gal - Superman continued to manage the creatures he was previously imprisoned with to his Fortress of Solitude. One of these creatures seized control over Superman in the 2040's and held sway over him for several years. As Helen Star is half human to absorb elements to use and have super skills like Superman does.
In Metropolis, a commuter monorail loses control and starts speeding down the wrong track, on a collision course with another. Micron boards the train and manages to uncouple the passenger cars and evacuate the engineer to safety. However, as soon as Micron tries to exit the train, a force field pops over the door, making it impossible for him to escape.
"A force fields?"
In the ensuing crash, Micron is badly wounded. Something must've happened to be some type of set up...In Gotham City, Batman and Batwoman are chasing down Inque, who catches sight of a nearby civilian, and wraps herself around him to hold him hostage.
"(Batman! Inque has a hostage!)" Gwen was worried.
"Okay, you two. Back off. Unless you both want for me to put the squeeze on him." she said.
What can neither of them do...?
"Careful, Gweny. Bats. This witch means it." said Batwoman.
However, the 'civilian' spins at superhuman speed, splattering Inque in all directions, and revealing himself to be Superman — a bit older, a bit grayer, but still as strong and active as ever.
"(He took Inque out by weakening her with very hot spin-like movement.)" said Gwen. "(Who is he?)"
Now the two see Superman who was a bit old but looks better like he did a while back.
"Superman!" surprised Batman.
"Wait...They Superman hero from Metropolis? No way!" and Batwoman.
Terry is awestruck as was Gwen and her other self. But that's not all...
"Hey!" Helen Star as Absorb Gal appears to use Inque's powers against the villain. "Don't forget about me."
She looks a bit older too and married to Jimmy Olsen, but Helen still has the skills.
"(And Helen Star as Absorb Gal too!)"
Soon Megan appears to have Inque taken away and get the bounty price.
"Batman. Batwoman. Is everything..." she sees two familiar faces. "Superman? Helen?"
"It's good to see you too, Megan, you see him around lately?" Clark/Superman asks Megan.
The four returns to the Batcave, where Superman pauses to look at Bruce's more-familiar Batsuit in the display case before greeting his old friend.
"Hi, Bruce." Helen said to be hugging him.
For Megan was happy to see both Superman and Helen again, and Bruce to be smiling to be happy too.
"Nice to you both."
"You seem to be holding up pretty well." Superman said to Bruce.
"I could use some of that Kryptonian DNA." he makes a joke.
"You'll outlive us all, Bruce. You're too stubborn to die."
Kind of true, for Bruce sees Terry to be smiling about this for some strange reason.
"What are you smiling at?" he questions Terry.
"Nothing."
"It's amazing to see two other superheroes who Megan and Uncle Bruce worked for to still be friends." said Gwen. "Hi, I'm Gwen Grayson who's half human and clone with fire powers who's Batwoman. The other part of me to keep control of and stay strong. This is my boyfriend Terry McGinnis who's Batman."
Helen and Gwen shake on it.
"Reminds me of something..." said Megan.
"Yeah." Helen agrees. "The way I did when I was that young to control my powers to grow like my friend. Megan, I knew you would get married to Bruce."
"It was bound to happen sooner."
Those two were still friends to make another one like Gwen. Bruce requests that they cut through the small talk and asks Superman the reason he's visiting Gotham.
"I think it's time to ask your two Bat-family to join the Justice League with Helen and me." said Superman.
Superman responds that he wants to offer Terry and Gwen memberships in the JLU.
"The Justice League?!" surprised the two.
Helen explains it a bit more.
"Please...We need some help since there was some issues a few days ago with another member getting hurt."
Bruce ponders, due to Micron's injuries, if Terry is supposed to be a replacement, but Superman says that Terry has earned a spot and so does Gwen to prove on special she can be as herself or Batwoman. He asks Bruce to approve of it as Terry's mentor, but he feels that it's not up to him, and the two legendary heroes silently await Terry's decision.
"I think this is their decision to make." so says Bruce.
"What do you say, you two?" ask Megan. "It'll be worth doing like Bruce and I did."
Terry is taken aback but accepts Superman's invitation to visit the Watchtower for Gwen to join in too.
"Us in the Justice League, Terry, this will be a dream come true..."
"You sound happy, Gwen." Terry said to her.
"I heard so much about them when I was being studied on to be free at last to do something right. It's finally happening." said Gwen.
Terry and Gwen arrival are both immediately greeted with hostility from a surprised Big Barda and Warhawk, as Superman decided to invite them without first consulting his teammates first.
"Hey, we're sorry we did this, but we had some issues." said Helen. "I mean come on people."
Kind of old, but Helen still sometimes acts like a teenager by heart.
"And like it or not, they're staying."
So says Batman. For Big Barda, Warhawk, Kal-Ro, and Aquagirl will get use to both Batman and Batwoman on the team.
"Whatever."
"Just keep out of my way, junior." Warhawk said to Batman. "Hawks eat rodents like you for breakfast."
"Forgive us."
"It's not you two, it's how we work on certain things..."
Terry receives a more civil but no less suspicious reception from Kai-Ro and Aquagirl. Superman insists that his decision is final and Helen as well, and his teammates walk out, leaving Terry to think this was a bad idea.
"(Rude!)"
Gwen almost forgot to mention the other part about her to Superman and Helen.
"Sorry, she does this. Only those who know my secret can see and hear my other self in spirit of fire." Gwen tells them. "She's good at heart, really because she's me...Still, not a good thing to happen for me to see something I want to be part of."
Not a good start, huh?
"Maybe this was a mistake." said Batman.
"No, I need someone I can trust. And that's the two of you."
In private, however, Superman confides to Terry, Gwen, and Helen 'only' that he suspects one of the League members of trying to sabotage and kill the others.
"It's because of this, things will get worse if we don't do something and fast." Helen tells them.
Superman reveals Micron's current state, as he is recuperating in a stasis tank. Superman explains to Terry and Gwen that Micron was taken down by a method that only an insider would know how to use.
"It could be one of the team, and I need both of your help to find out who's responsible for this mess." he said. "Please, only from the Bat-Family detective skills can solve this. Normal lives, you two are in love, but as crime fighters to work together a lot more."
"Yeah, that'll make us friendlier." Batman said.
Well, what other choice do they have? This is very serious.
Terry is reluctant to suspect Earth's greatest heroes, but begins reviewing the files of each League member, even from Gwen's hacking skills to learn more about the members. Mareena (Aquagirl) appears and apologizes for her initial coolness and invites Batman to join her on her training swim. He politely declines, as he has a lot of JLU homework to catch up on and Batwoman was also busy.
"Listen, we would if I can get use to swimming in water." said Gwen. "(I doubt Mareena would be a bad person.)"
"(No thank you!)" Batwoman argued.
"I see...We have suits to allow you to go in." she said. "Maybe later."
Once Mareena leaves, Terry and Gwen watch her entering the tank through security cameras, along with the rest of the League in other parts of the tower: Big Barda and Warhawk are practicing in a training room, while Kai-Ro meditates in a quiet garden sanctuary.
"Got anything?" Megan contacts them first to check up.
Terry contacts Bruce, revealing he can't imagine how any of them could be traitors. However, having been betrayed before himself, Bruce tells Terry to continue to work as the answers are there somewhere.
"Keep looking, you two. Something might show up." said Bruce. "Terry?"
Having looked away during the conversation, Batman turns back and sees that the camera focused on Mareena has gone blank, rushes down, and sees her in trouble.
"Aquagirl!"
Something was happening for Gwen to get Batwoman to back her up.
"Okay, now you take over...Burning passion. Batwoman!" she transforms.
Terry and Gwen discover the tank to be malfunctioning as it's beginning to overheat, and the door refuses to respond to the controls.
"This is bad...!" said Batman.
"(I can't hack into the system to open the water gate for us!)" Gwen thought of an idea. "(Wait...The waters hot then maybe...Do it!)"
Terry's initial attempts to break open the door fail, he rushes to the training room, seizes Barda's mega-rod from her hand, then runs back and blasts the door open, flooding the antechamber with water for Batwoman to jump right in with some gadgets to use and rescuing Mareena.
"You got her!"
"Wow!" said Batwoman. "And for once, I'm not weaken by this type of water."
While alive, Mareena has been injured, and Barda demands Batman to explain 'what he did', but Mareena defends him revealing the tank malfunctioned.
"It wasn't their fault..." she said.
"Well, you should've called us." said Warhawk.
Warhawk asks why he didn't call them through the intercoms; Terry can only admit that he didn't think of it while Barda cuts him off.
"That's right, none of you did."
She takes Mareena from him and berates Batman for acting without the others and leaves with Warhawk.
"(We were only trying to help...)"
Superman, Helen, Gwen, and Terry investigate the tank's control panel, finding it has been sabotaged.
"It was no doubt done to be hacked like Megan's skills, but not in a good way, Clark." Helen checks it out. "The wires on this machine's busted to fix it to be a while."
"Even I can't pull it off." said Gwen.
"Then it's true...There's a traitor amongst us."
Superman confirms his suspicions: there is a traitor among the group. Later, Terry does a flyby patrol of Metropolis while at the same time confiding his feelings to Bruce, revealing how everyone in the League except for Aquagirl doesn't want him to join.
"Well, maybe Aquagirl." Terry/Batman explains to Bruce. "But I had to save her life to win her over."
By one member to trust in Batman and Batwoman so far that is.
"That's one way to make friends." Bruce says back.
Just then, a distress call comes, saying that a large portion of the city is threatened by a series of explosions.
"I can put out the fire!"
"(Then let's go.)" Gwen said to her other self.
The League, including Batman and Batwoman, help save civilians and minimize the damage even from Batwoman getting a lot of fire to absorb and Helen using some type of ice to cool the rest of it off.
"Hey, you're not bad, other half of Gwen." said Helen. "I'm glad you're a member."
"And I hope to do this a lot more later once we find the loser who's the traitor first." she said back.
"Oh, come on...That's my line."
On the other parts of town, Batman is accompanying Warhawk, who apparently receives another distress call on the JLU frequency. Batman, confused, says he is not receiving anything. Warhawk dismisses this and tells Batman to stay behind, while he flies up to meet the threat — an incoming ballistic missile. Batman ignores him and follows along in the Batmobile. Warhawk seals his armor and clamps onto the missile, pushing it off course. Batman congratulates him when suddenly the missile explodes, taking Warhawk with it and embedding his helmet in the windshield of the Batmobile.
"What just happened?!" Helen tries contacting Batman. "Batman? Can you hear me?! Is Warhawk with you?!"
"(Batman?!)"
The explosion from the missile causes the Batmobile to crash down to the city, where Batman retrieves Warhawk's helmet.
"Wait...Warhawk's dead?!" shock Batwoman. "Ah, man..."
"It can't be!" same with Helen.
The rest of the team arrives and are devastated over Warhawk's death for Gwen can't feel him out to be anywhere in the area.
"(I don't feel him out to be anywhere else...)" said Gwen.
Barda demands to know happened and Batman begins to explain, revealing how they were following a distress call, but the rest of the team reveal they never got a signal either.
"We didn't get a call." so says Barda.
"None of us did." said Kal-Ro.
And the same thing with Helen, Kal-Ro, and Aquagirl didn't get it either. Batman further reveals that only Warhawk got the message, but Barda doesn't believe him.
"Like they'll get you two anywhere." she said.
Superman arrives and tells Barda to back off on her accusation, telling everyone that once they find out who set the bombs then they'll be closer to finding Warhawk's killer.
"Helen, see that our friends get this from Gotham." he tells her.
"On it."
In the Batcave, Bruce and Megan try to work together as they review the footage from the Batmobile's recorder.
"Got anything, Uncle Bruce? Megan?" Gwen asks them.
More hacking to be done...
"Believe me, Gwen, I want to solve this one on my own while you do the other hacking job. I'm not an octopus here." Megan makes a joke. "Still, who would want Micron and Warhawk dead if it's one of the Justice League members...? None of this makes any sense, Bruce."
Terry speculates that the missile must have been on some kind of timer and Warhawk was unlucky, but Bruce doesn't buy it. Bruce applies a spectral analysis, which shows the missile being hit by a beam of some kind just before it exploded.
"Someone set it off to blow up the missile." he found something. "See? From the left side down below."
They found it to be a type of laser beam for Megan to pick up on it too.
"Yeah, I got it...Type of heat vision."
Bruce tracks the beam back to its source: Superman's heat vision.
"Superman...!" shock Terry.
"It can't be..." same with Gwen. "But how could he?"
"Ah, no way!" and Megan. "Does Megan know about this yet?"
"(I did not this that coming!)"
"Superman's the traitor..."
As unbelievable as it seems, the traitor is Superman himself.
Terry and Gwen prepare to go back to Metro Tower determined to warn the others, but Bruce states he needs to do more.
"Wait, you can't stop Superman like this. Let alone Helen can't do it alone." said Bruce. "If Jake were still alive, then...There is another way to stop it."
"Both Bruce and I plan this for a long time coming, just in case." Megan helps out her husband. "Gwen. Terry. You have to do this for us."
Bruce reveals a hidden vault behind the Bat costume display case, and unlocks an ultra-high-tech, high security system, giving Terry and Gwen their only recourse: inside a lead container lies a large sliver of Kryptonite about the size of a nail.
"This isn't the first time Superman's gone rogue, so I made sure I'd be ready if it ever happened again." Bruce tells them. "Megan and I always hoped I'd never have to use it."
Surprising, this was the only way to stop Superman's madness. Bruce explains that this is not the first time Superman went rogue, but even though he entrusted Bruce with the green mineral should anything happen to him, Bruce hoped he would never have to use it.
"Kryptonite."
"A very dangerous weakness to Superman and Helen, but for Superman as a traitor... (Are we willing to do all of this?)" Gwen was worried. "(I know I sense something far more than betrayal.)"
"This...This could kill him, right?" Terry asks Bruce.
"Do whatever it takes, but make sure you two stop him."
"And without getting Helen hurt on this one, she needs to know and the others somehow." Megan tells them.
While the radiation might prove fatal to Superman, Bruce orders Terry and Gwen to do whatever necessary to stop the Man of Steel. Reluctantly, Terry accepts the Kryptonite. Removing a belt compartment and extending a pair of retractable tweezers from it, he stores the shielded mineral at his waist. For the lovers both agree to pull this off and stop this for good.
"Gwen, we have to."
"I know, Terry, we do."
Tayla: By the way, remember Jake Star? Helen's little half-brother with magic powers he was trained by Zatanna after her father past away? Yeah, he died from cancer from his mother side to risk his life to save Supergirl, Superman, and Helen from the Kryptonite thing to end so soon. Sad huh? But his spirit lives on to give Helen the powers to heal her arm and absorb anything throughout her entire body to fight back. For her, Superman, Bruce, and Megan will miss him. Now, back to our story...
Batman and Batwoman show the footage to the rest of the JLU, excluding Superman.
"So, remember how the missile blew up...Well, this is how!" said Batwoman.
"(It's true, please believe in us...)"
For Helen didn't think Superman would do it again without being brainwashed for her had trouble accepting it.
"No way...Superman?!" she was shocked.
Barda, having known Superman the longest, refuses to believe it, instead suspecting Terry of fabricating it.
"Why would I believe in you, Batman." Barda questions him. "Even Batwoman here...How do we not know it was all a set up?"
"It's not!"
Not good to be fighting right now.
"(Stop! No more mean talk!)" said Gwen.
"This is pointless!" same with Helen. "Let's at least see what's causing Superman to be like this."
The two quickly begin to argue and Batman, finally having enough of Barda's attitude towards him, reveals they won't be able to figure anything out until she sees things clearly and stops being "pigheaded".
"Look, Helen's right. We need to think about this and not be so pigheaded about this."
Now he has done it...
"Pig head?!" angered Barda.
Angered, Barda attacks Batman but before she can do any further harm to him, Kai-Ro stops her and traps her with his ring, while Mareena tends to Batman.
"We got them."
"Enough is enough, please."
Barda demands to be released but Kai-Ro refuses until she calms down. They suddenly they hear a voice agreeing with Kai-Ro: Warhawk reveals himself to be alive and well.
"Yeah, Barda, calm down." Warhawk said.
"Hey, he's alive!" Helen was happy.
Everyone is overjoyed Warhawk is alive and when asked of how he survived, he confides that he became suspicious when he received a distress signal when Batman nor Batwoman didn't, and thus what tackled the missile was an empty suit of armor, remotely controlled.
"I wasn't in the armor. I was operating it by remote. That's the only reason I'm not dust right now."
"Very shrewd." said Kal-Ro. "Not like you."
Warhawk has also gained new respect for Terry and Gwen because of their refusal to stay behind and believes his suspicions of Superman.
"I told him not to tag along, but he disobeyed. I like that." he said.
"(I'm glad you're alive and well, Warhawk.)" said Gwen.
"Yep! Gave up kind of a scared." and Batwoman. "Now you believe in us, Absorb Gal?"
Seems like it...
"Then we have no other choice."
"Let's talk to Superman." Kal-Ro agrees.
"Fine, let him explain...And then I'll rip his arms off." said Warhawk.
The team confronts Superman, caught in the act of tampering with Micron's stasis field. Superman becomes defensive and denies their accusations.
"(Wait...)" Gwen was getting something. "(Don't go near Superman!)"
Mareena steps forward to reassuringly touch his chest, when to their shock an alien eye pops a hole in his tunic, and Superman attacks for no one not even Batwoman's fire powers or Helen's abilities can't stop him.
"Ew!" grossed out Helen. "What is that thing?!"
The others are no match for him like the two girls, and Batman is about to use the Kryptonite, but hesitates, and the belt compartment is knocked out of his hand. Micron, awakened from stasis, seizes hold of Superman, which allows Batman to retrieve the Kryptonite from a vent it fell in. Superman breaks free and knocks Micron out but is forced away from confronting Batman by Barda's mega-rod and flies away.
"Superman, that thing...!" Helen couldn't save her friend. "Wait!"
"I can't...!" he takes off.
So... Now what? Micron is returned to stasis while Warhawk is treated, and Kai-Ro searches for any news sightings on Superman but finds nothing. Terry admits his hesitation to Bruce, because of Superman being one of the greatest heroes that ever lived and thinking that there must have been another way; Bruce notes that now (because of Superman's power) Terry knows better.
"Bruce, don't blame Terry. Gwen's probably the same thing and Helen's sad." Megan tells her husband. "You save a friend than let Clark die, right?"
She makes a very good point.
"I know, Megan, but what if the thing on him can't be stopped?"
The others speculate that Superman has escaped to his Fortress of Solitude, and although none of them know where it is, Terry knows that Bruce does for Megan gives Gwen a map.
"Gweny, give this to Bats."
"(I'm sure this can help us.)" she said. "(Listen, Helen, we will save Superman. I promise.)"
Helen Star knows that Superman can be saved and stop the alien who's controlling him to take a lot of teamwork.
"If any case, I'm coming too. I better bring some led to protect me from the weakness you'll use on him. Do it right." Helen was in. "If I know for something to guide us, I too know where it is by flight."
The team boom-tubes to the Fortress, and find some cage was open to getting out, and leftovers.
"You see those blue things?" Kal-Ro points out to Batman.
"What is it, food?" he asked.
"Used to be."
It was poop to gross Batman out.
"Ha! Bats touched alien poop!" Batwoman laughs.
"Still, whatever got out, it could be dangerous in this place." said Helen. "Let's search around some more."
And that's where Superman waiting.
"(Helen!)" Gwen warns her.
She became led to protect herself in time.
"Do it, Batman!"
After a brief fight, Batman manages to disable him with the Kryptonite. Pulling off his tunic, they see a starfish-like creature planted on his skin.
"Whatever it is, it's gross." Batwoman tries to burn it off to hurt Superman a little. "And... That didn't work. Now what?"
Galactic travelers Kai-Ro and Barda have never seen one, and Kai-Ro doesn't know how they can separate an unknown alien from another alien being. For Helen might know what it is, and Gwen could so much hate to be powerful when controlling someone.
"Whatever it is, it appears to have somehow imbedded itself into his skin." said Kal-Ro.
"Any chance of getting it off?" Batman asked.
Same with Batwoman.
"Or me to stop it without hurting the Man of Steel himself?"
"I must remind you, this not just one alien species before us, it's two, and I do not yet understand the subtleties of their interaction."
So, they got a big problem...
"I'll take that as an: 'I don't know'." said Warhawk.
"Then there has to be a way..." same with Barda.
Then it came to Helen.
"Wait...Yeah, I think I know what it is. Superman and I saved this one and the other aliens here from the Collector!"
"(Excuse me?)" Gwen was lost.
"I think someone will explain for us." Helen asks for Aquagirl's help. "Mareena, use your powers to tell the others about this creature."
Mareena connects telepathically with it 'since she was born with a gift besides having powers from her father Aquaman's side', and they all learn of the strange alien's story:
Several centuries ago, the creature occupied an aquatic world, but was abducted from its home by the Preserver. The Preserver later kidnapped Superman and Helen, but Superman and her broke free and sent the Preserver into space to his death. Having no way to return the beings to their rightful worlds, Superman adopted the collection of creatures and housed them in the Fortress. Though it was still little more than a prisoner, now Starro had a plan: Starro decided to gain control of Superman since it witnessed the Kryptonian's strength. Since it couldn't work on Helen to have some powers given to the spirit of Jake, so Starro can't on a half breed. Aliens like Superman, yes it could. Decades later while Superman was feeding the star creature, it leaped onto his face and took control of his mind. It has been controlling him for years to be growing.
"It took over Superman's mind, it's been on him for years." she said.
"(So that's why Gweny was getting a funny feeling to have Superman good but control by something evil. Wow.)"
"I still think it's gross." said Helen.
The others ask why then it has waited so long before trying to kill the rest of them.
"Years?" questioned Warhawk. "Then hasn't it killed us yet?"
Mareena opens a door to another chamber, and sees hundreds, maybe thousands of the star creatures nesting in an underground pool; under the creature's direction, Superman was breeding them.
"There's a lot of them."
"Enough to be spreading all over the ocean." Batman points out.
"(So how can we stop them?)" ask Gwen. "(We have to do it now before it takes over everyone all over the world. It's like one of those monster movies, and I don't want to be part of it at all.)"
There are now enough of them to possess a large portion of the planet. As they look closer, several other creatures jump out of the pool and attach themselves to the other Leaguers.
"Hey, get off-!" Batwoman gets caught as well. "Crap!"
"(Batman!)"
Only Batman remains free, able to electrocute them off his Batsuit.
"Batwoman!" he sees his girlfriend was in danger.
Well, both he and Helen with her ice powers gets out of this mess.
"Not happening!" she was freed to see everyone but Batman to be mind controlled. "This is bad...!"
Superman is released, and the Kryptonite shard is flung away. The others attack Batman and Helen, but they flee in the Batmobile, sent by Bruce as a precaution.
"Better leave the flying to me, Helen."
"Either way, we'll save your girlfriend and the others, Terry, I know we will." she said to Batman. "Listen, Bruce. Megan. We got a code blue here, a very under water issue of chaos if we let those...things get out! Superman, the other members, and Gwen are all being taken over!"
This was bad.
"Not Gwen too!" shock Megan. "Bruce, we have to do something!"
Bruce can only suggest informing the military through Commissioner Barbara Gordon to ensure that the creatures don't escape; as their job would be to bomb the Fortress, Terry turns the option down.
"But they'll bomb the place!"
"That's their job." Bruce tells Terry/Batman. "I'm worried about Gwen and Superman to be stuck in this mess, believe me."
Starro/Superman pursues along with Starro/Batwoman joining him, while the others prepare to open an underwater door that will release the creatures into the ocean.
"Incoming double trouble!" Helene alerts Terry.
"What's the top speed on this thing?" Batman asks Bruce.
"Mach 3." he said.
A good thing there or not enough? That's what worried Batman.
"Is that faster than a speeding bullet?"
Starro catches up with the Batmobile and cuts off one side with Superman's heat vision and another from Batwoman's fire powers to melt the rest.
"This is really bad...!" Helen starts to worry.
Starro confronts Batman and Helen, offering them a chance to 'be one of us'.
"There's no way out of this one, Batman. You too, Helen, I want for you to understand like Batwoman has." he said. "Come, become part of us."
"No thanks!"
Batman declines, luring Starro close enough to hit it with a grapple from the Batmobile that electrocutes the creature, disrupting its control and allowing Superman to pull it off his chest and Helen have some electrical powers to help Superman break free.
"Superman! Fight back!" she said.
"Helen!" and he does.
With Superman freed, Gwen was next to have Helen take care of it once Batman cracks the watery ice to break.
"Free her!" said Batman.
With one cold waterpower to absorb next, soaking Gwen to feel weak, allowing for her and the other self to break free next.
"Oh, no you...DIDN'T!"
She couldn't use any fire right now, but Batwoman elbows Starro in the eye to killing it...Ew!
"Gwen!" Batman runs up to hug and kiss Gwen to be happy to have her back.
"Terry! I'm free thanks to you and Helen, thank you." she said. "But how's Superman doing?"
Like her, Superman recovers, not remembering what he's been doing.
"What happened...I don't remember..." weak but Superman recovers quickly.
Terry quickly fills him in as they fly back to the Fortress.
"We'll explain on the way there, think you can still fly?"
"Batman needs a ride, but for Batwoman and I can still manage." said Helen.
Three of them but one could fly...
"Yeah, I can recover quickly to fire up on those things..." said Batwoman. "Let's turn the heat up!"
The four arrived back to the place to stop Starro and free the others quickly. Superman attacks, freeing Warhawk, Helen uses her heat visions to do the same on Barda, and both Batman and Batwoman use their electric Batarangs on Kai-Ro from the spawn, while Batman dives into the pool to stop Mareena opening the door, but he is too late.
"(She's releasing the Starro armies!)"
"I don't think my powers can hold them all off!" said Helen. "This looks bad!"
Superman starts tearing huge rocks free and dropping them down, saying they have to block the exit at any cost, even if it means killing Batman and Mareena.
"He knew what he was getting into." he said. "Helen. Batwoman. Please help me. If those get into the world's waters, it'll be the end for all of us."
The others reluctantly aid him.
"I'm going to regret doing this!" Batwoman tries to warm up the waters on the side they were in. "This won't be enough to boil them all, but enough to slow them down."
They succeed in blocking the entrance and Batman to electrocute the rest allowing Batwoman's fire to weaken them with hot water a bit, knocking out Mareena, but Batman narrowly saves both her and himself. Superman's heat vision stuns the spawn attached to her for removal for Helen gets rid of it for good.
"We did it!" said the happy Helen.
"(Almost.)" Gwen says something else. "(We still need to do something to all of the Starro family so this will never happen again.)"
The League collects all of the creatures into a Lantern-construct tank, with Starro, struggling away from the electrified grapple, being the last one.
"So, where should I boom them to?" Barda asks Superman. "Some empty galaxies? Or maybe the surface of the sun?"
"Barda, these creatures never asked to come here. We have no right to kill them."
From the sound and looks of things, Superman was normal again to not be controlled anymore.
"Back to his old self again." said Warhawk.
Barda and Warhawk are all for exterminating them, but Superman refuses as it was never their choice to leave home.
"We should send them home." said Aquagirl.
"But how do we know where that is?" asked Kal-Ro.
Mareena communicates with Starro, and discovers the location of their home world for Helen to know of the name for Gwen to type it and get it.
"We got something."
"I think this is the place you're feeling out, Mareena." Helen shows her. "Try this one."
She borrows Barda's Mother Box and booms them to the coordinates, where Kai-Ro drops them into their native ocean. Starro is finally home, and with so many livings spawn, given a chance to reestablish its species from near extinction.
"(Goodbye, Starro family. We knew you were scared to take over us, but this planet is your real home. Live free. All of us have forgiven you.)" said Gwen. "(I'm glad it all worked out. And being mind control was scary...)"
As scary as it was, it all worked out for Superman's still good after all.
"Nah, we pull through didn't we? You and the others are fine." said Helen to pat on Gwen's back. "You and Batman on our team a anytime. Thanks again."
"(You're welcome, Helen.)"
Terry has now earned the heartfelt respect and gratitude of the other Leaguers and the same with Gwen, who are eager for them to join.
"You think you two can get use to it?" Superman asks them both.
But Terry can't overlook that the others almost sacrificed him and Mareena.
"It'll be fine."
"You guys do play it rough." said Batman.
Barda reminds him that joining full-time will put him one up on the first Batman, who wasn't always a team player, to which Terry coolly replies that maybe he and Bruce have something in common after all.
"Come on, it'll put you one up on the old Batman or his wife." Barda tells Batman and Batwoman. "He never made it past part-timer. Well, Megan Tsuki was a lot more."
"Yeah, he wasn't what you'd call a joiner."
True, Superman, but there's hope to always have people like Bruce and Megan, and a bit more from the two crime fighting duos.
"Maybe he and I have something in common after all." he said to then leave. "We might help out from time to time. Batwoman, let's go home for now."
"So much for that..." said Batwoman. "We'll be in touch. I'll give a good word to the old man and bounty hunter lady!"
For Batwoman to say that and Gwen bowing to everyone to see them again real soon.
"(Ah, we'll come back. And thank you for having us part of the team, you're truly heroes. And for stopping the aliens there to sealing the water hole, I know it had to be done. Helen, can we hang out sometimes...?)"
"If nothing bad's happening, then okay. But we have to bring Megan along for the ride." she said. "See you and Batman later, Batwoman in a half."
The two shake on it to becoming friends, and Gwen/Batwoman catches up with Terry/Batman to go back to Gotham.
"(Thanks...)" she catches up to her boyfriend. "(Hey, Batman! Wait up!)"
As Terry and Gwen walked away to the Batmobile, Superman fondly comment for him, Helen, and the other members see that Batman and Batwoman are always welcome on the Justice League, and they are. For Megan and Bruce to also help out from time to time to be happy for what did happen afterwards to hug, the two are needed more in Gotham. For their job and their love was strong, as Helen was still part of the team to be with her friend/father side of Superman always; along with Micron 'to be healed now', Aquagirl, Barda, Warhawk, and Kal-Ro.
"More than you think, son. More than you think." he said. "They'll be back like our old Batman and Megan did."
"You said it, Clark, we all need other superheroes on the team besides us." Helen said back. "And good friends."
Good point there to have the future of today's Justice League Unlimited group along with Batman and Batwoman in it sometimes too. I guess it all goes to show you – when you're a team player you learn sometimes to sacrifice for it, if needed be, to then saving many lives in the end once the threat is done like from Batman ad Aquagirl underwater, to do it for a real really. You know? Yeah, we all know it.