Chapter XI: First Confrontation

Itachi along with the rest of the Regime sat around a table as Lex presented the Superpill. "Essentially, we're talking about a technology that will enhance the strength and durability of ordinary people a thousand-fold."

Damian raised a brow, "Magic pills? Really?"

Lex raised one in return, "It's not magic. It's something Superman and I have discussed for years. I just couldn't work out how to reverse engineer the Kryptonian nanotechnology."

"Yeah, I'm still only hearing Magic Pills."

"You're sitting on a space station high above the Earth with men and women who can literally move mountains and you have a problem with magic pills?"

Superman stood up, "I'm sure there are ordinary people in all of our lives we would trust with such power."

"I suggest we draw up a list of candidates."

Green Lantern asked, "You want us to ask our friends to help police the world?"

Superman said, "If we had more people when Apokolips attacked, think of how many lives would have been saved."

Lex Smiled, "We need people on the ground at all times. Or all of our good work could be undone."

"So you want a super-powered army?"

"Not an army, Green Lantern, a peace keeping force. You of all people should understand this."

"I'm sure there are many World Governments who won't see it that way. What if it fell into the wrong hands....?"

Superman's brow tensed, "It won't. And this technology isn't just about protecting the world, Hawkgirl. It's also about protecting you. It will make all of you stronger."

'Hmm, this Super Pill could be a problem. I'm gonna have to tell Batman about this.'- Itachi's thoughts were interrupted by Superman who walked towards him as the meeting was dismissed, "Speaking of getting stronger, what was that huge Chakra avatar I saw you in back in Tokyo? It looked like your Susanoo."

"It was my Susanoo. After a Uchiha fights enough battles with the Susanoo, it evolves multiple times. It started out as just a small ribcage."

Superman nodded, "Will it evolve again?"

Itachi shook his head, "No, the full Susanoo body is its final evolution. And I'm glad I achieved it when I did, or else I wouldn't have been able to protect Tokyo."

Lex came over, "Excuse me, Superman. I require your assistance with finalizing some things."

"I'll be right over. Bye, Itachi."

At night when no one was around, Damian snatched the super pill that was still on the table, and teleported to Gotham City, with Hawkgirl sneakily following him.

He went to the Batcave and walked up to Nightwing's suit stand, and put a hand on it. "I'm sorry."

"What was that?"

Damian turned around in a fighting stance, but eased up when he saw it was Alfred. "I suppose it's little wonder you're on edge, Master Damian."

"Alfred?"

"I trust you received my letter?"

"I did."

"That's good, it was hard to find the zip code for space. And were you planning on writing back?"

"I...I've started. It's not easy."

"No."

The Batmobile drove into the cave and Batman jumped out. "Damian. What are you doing here?"

Damian started leaving, "I should go."

"Master Damian...." Alfred whispered in Batman's ear, "Your guilt ridden son has just walked back into your home seeking redemption and forgiveness. Please try not to be you."

He took a deep breath, "Wait."

"Why?" Still not turning around with a tensed mouth.

Batman's eyes darted at Alfred before looking back at Damian, "I just want to talk."

Damian looked at him with his body still turned away, "You left me. At Arkham. You just left me there."

"You chose to stand against me."

"That's because you were wrong and Superman was right! You're just too full of yourself to see it."

"This isn't about me."

He pointed at him, "OF COURSE IT'S ABOUT YOU!" His whole face tensed, "It's always all about you. YOUR crusade. YOUR pain. YOUR parents who died. YOUR way. YOUR rules. YOUR legacy. YOUR IMPOSSIBLE STANDARDS!"

"Damian," Alfred put a hand on Damian's shoulder.

"Let go of me."

Please. Let your father speak."

"I said--" he shrugged off Alfred, "Let go!" Alfred flew into a collection of monitors. His brow tensed and he reached out to him, "No..."

Batman yelled, "Alfred!" His fist clenched and he looked at Damian with gritted teeth, "You!" He started approaching Damian, but was punched away and he collided with the giant penny. Which started to fall on him, but before it could crush him Hawkgirl stopped it and set it down."

Damian rushed over to Alfred who was bleeding, "Alfred! I'm sorry... I didn't know how strong I was."

"Bruce... Where's Bruce??"

Batman stood up and groaned. Hawkgirl put a hand on Damian's shoulder and started guiding him out, "I think we should go back to the Watchtower, Robin."

Batman stated, "No, leave him."

Hawkgirl stopped and turned around.. Damian remained stone faced, "Since when do you listen to Batman, Hawkgirl? Wait, what are you doing here? How do you even know where the cave is? After he took you. You came back. You came back and you gave us a message. Even today, you kept raising doubts over the pills. And the penny..." he started reaching towards his belt, "Hawkgirl is strong--but not that strong." He threw an incendiary on the ground that set Hawkgirl on fire, "You're not Hawkgirl!"

Batman covered himself with his cape while Manhunters disguise faded, "Manhunter!"

"I'm all right. Go."

"Wait! Damian!" He looked around but he was already gone, "Damn it."

Damian explained the situation to the Regime back at the Watchtower and Superman looked out the window down at Earth. "He has her."

Flash waved his hands around, "So, Batman attacked Shiera, took her away, locked her up somewhere, and had a shape-shifting alien take her place, just so that he could spy on us? I mean, that sounds crazy. Even for Batman that sounds"-Damian interrupted, "It sounds exactly like something he would do," Damian clenched his fist, "You don't know my father like I do... and I barely know him at all. No one does," he pointed at them all, "He will go to any lengths. I've seen the files he has on every one of you, on all of the Justice League. It's not just strengths and weaknesses. Those files include your past. Your friends. Your families," he looked down, "If he feels he needs to, he will use them against you. He will strike preemptively."

'I've already known about Batman's contingency plans for a while. And although this secures my safety as a spy, I'm cautious about how Superman will respond to Batman's plan he had.'

Superman walked towards Cyborg, "Cyborg, the emergency broadcast system. All devices."

"Where?"

"Everywhere."

Superman started to appear everywhere. On the screens at Times Square, people's tvs, their phones, etc.

"People of Earth. We have been betrayed. The hero known as Batman has taken one of our people. One of your heros. Hawkgirl has been abducted. An imposter was put in her place. Batman's spy has been among us for a week. Somewhere, Hawkgirl has been held, no doubt hoping for rescue, and we, her friends, didn't even know she was missing. Batman lied and kidnapped to get what he wanted. No more. He has taken one of our friends and allies, and I am taking something of his. I am taking his anonymity."

"Damn you, Clark. Protocol Icarus."

"Batman's true identity is-"-He was interrupted by Batman pressing a button that made all electronics go static worldwide. Along with the Watchtower.

Everyone started to float upwards. Cyborg exclaimed, "He's taken out the whole damn Watchtower!!"

Lex asked, "Is the teleporter working?"

"Everything is offline. Even life support systems!"

Flash went wide eyed, "He knocked out life support? His son is up here!"

Lex said, "We have to get the Watchtower down to Earth before we run out of Oxygen. We can't go outside without breaching the hull. Wonderwoman, Superman, I need you to"-"No."

Lex went wide eyed, "What do you mean no?"

"He wants our hands full. He wants his identity. He's buying time so that he can put some contingency plan in place. I'm not giving him that time. Let me finish addressing the Earth."

Cyborg stated, "The Watchtower doesn't have power, communications are out."

Damian pointed, "You're a living computer, and you're supposed to be the smartest man in the world. You're telling me we can't put four little worlds online?"

In the end Batman's contingency failed and his identity was exposed online. The Watchtower also landed on Earth.

In the Batcave Alfred started walking down the steps, "Sir, there are what can only be described as a ludicrous number of newscasters circling the Manor. I'm sorry, Alfred--for what's about to become of your life. I'm truly sorry."

Alfred handed him a piece of paper, "I'm a grown man, Master Bruce, and I'm also not an idiot. I've always known this day would come. I'm sure you'll have planned for every eventuality. Wayne Industries will somehow be secure. The trust funds and charities will be protected. However, I wasn't sure you'd have thought of this."

"What is it?"

"A list, sir. I have one for myself, too. Everything I thought you might want to take from the manor in a hurry. Your mother's pearls, your fathers stethoscope, photos of the boys..."

"Thank you. Alfred. It's all coming to a head. I... you shouldn't be around me."

Alfred held out a hand as a 'hold on' gesture, "Oh, what utter nonsense. I appreciate the noble self sacrificing gesture, sir. But I'm afraid you can't leave me, I'm the first thing on your list," he stated as he walked away.

Itachi was being carried by Green Lantern as he, Wonderwoman, Superman, and Flash were on their way to confront Batman, 'This is bad. If we end up meeting Batman I'll have to blow my cover, I can't risk him being captured.'

"Remember, we secure Hawkgirl's release and we leave. For now, this is a conversation. Not a fight."

Green Lantern stated, "We're bringing a lot of big guns for a conversation."

Flash replied, "It's still a conversation with Batman."

Wonderwoman landed, "He'll be expecting us. And, after we released his identity to the world, Bruce isn't going to be happy."

"How does this work? I've never been her uninvited. Do we just knock on the secret entrance?"

Diana walked towards it with clenched fist, "I'll knock."

But before she could, Batman came outside. "You took my life."

"You'll buy a new one. Where are you holding Hawkgirl?"

"I'm not holding Hawkgirl."

She narrowed her eyes, "Enough of your deception, Bruce. We know all about Martian Manhunter and"-"She's here. Hawkgirl is here at the Watchtower. We've confirmed it's Shiera," Lex informed them.

Flash asked, "So do we just leave?"

Batman stared at them all coldly, "Yes."

Wonderwoman pointed, "No. We're not leaving. This is your last warning, Bruce. I know you're too conceited to accept that we're working in the best interest of the world, but if you, or any of your team, act against us again, we WILL respond with force."

Batman turned around and started walking back inside. Flash started walking to him, "Hey! We're trying to talk to you!"

Itachi stated, "This wasn't part of the plan, Barry. Let's go."

"We're just talking. You can't walk away from me, Bruce."

"No. No, I suppose I can't," so he flew up into the air.

Barry looked up with a dropped jaw, "Well... that was unexpected."

Green Lantern exclaimed, "It's Manhunter!" As he, Superman, and Wonderwoman followed him into the sky.

Itachi manifested his Susanoo and followed them into the sky, 'Damn it! I'm not as fast as them when it comes to flying. This could end badly for Manhunter."

Up in the sky Manhunter hid inside of a cloud and knocked out Green Lantern before confronting Clark as Diana followed after Green Lantern.

"J'onn."

"Clark. Batman has left the cave. He's long gone."

"Why are you working with him? Why are you against me?"

"Because of what you could become."

"And what is that?"

"I'm going to show you something. I want you to feel something."

He started to show Clark his life on Mars under the White Martians. "What Is this?"

"This is what it feels like. When your planet is overrun. When you are part of a weaker species that is dominated by a stronger one. This is what it feels like to be ruled. This is what it feels like to be helpless. You know this feeling."

The things he showed Superman were interrupted by Wonderwoman who grabbed his head, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!!"

His head started to surround Wonderwoman's arm, "You never trusted me. Two aliens and you always followed the one who looked like you," he turned into some kind of slime and entered Wonderwoman's body as she and Superman tried to pull him off to no avail, "And you both always underestimated me. You see yourselves as Invulnerable. But right now I'm in your lungs. I can strangle your organs. I've been in your head, Diana. You've changed so much. I've seen the violence in you. Maybe the world would be safer if you weren't in it. I can make that happen. I can cut off the oxygen to your brain."

She gripped her head with wide eyes before looking up at Clark with a strained expression, "Do it, Kal! It's the only way."

Itachi came onto the scene, 'Wait, he's not going to do what I think he is....' Superman's eyes glowed red which confirmed it for Itachi as he went full speed, 'Damn it Manhunter! You should have just run!'

The heat vision touched Wonderwoman's body, but before it could envelop her, Superman's heat vision was stopped by the Yata Mirror, "MANHUNTER! GET OUT OF HER BODY RIGHT NOW OR YOU'LL BE KILLED!"

Manhunter phased out of her body and part of him was on fire as he screamed in pain, Itachi held up a hand sign, 'Thanks to my training I can manifest water out of the air now. It's not as good as the Lord Second, but it's enough to snuff out a flame,' but before he could complete the jutsu, Manhunter fell into the ocean below.

Superman's heat vision stopped and Itachi lowered his shield. But before he could speak his Susanoo received a crack to the back as Wonderwoman attacked him, "What did you save Manhunter for? Are you a spy too?!"

Itachi gritted his teeth, "No," he glanced at Superman, "You almost killed someone that you've fought alongside for years! What's wrong with you? Do we kill not just enemies but our friends too now?"

Wonderwoman glared at him, "He tried to kill me, it was nothing but self defense."

Superman approached both of them, "Enough. I doubt Itachi would betray us, he's had the right idea of how to deal with threats longer than any of us," He looked at Itachi, "But Itachi, he did almost kill her. Had you known that, would you still have protected him?"

Itachi maintained a straight face, "No."

And it was left at that, 'Something like hearing my heartbeat isn't gonna help Superman know if I was lying after all the time I spent as an Anbu. This was probably the best way that this could have ended, I've lost Wonderwoman's trust more than likely, but Manhunter survived. He's too valuable to lose, I'm sure that Batman has been observing from a distance and will save him.'