Chapter 106 Deal, Danger
At that point, he realized what Bruce meant, prompting him to fold his hands across his chest.
“So...... You're actually going to go through with it?”
“Yes”. Bruce replied. “Amari has made a deal with the US Government before. It should be no problem for us to make a request”.
Clark frowned, not liking the idea one bit.
“I don't approve”.
“...” Batman was silent.
“Clark........ We can't do this on our own. At least not with the way we are now”.
“Have you discussed with the rest of the League on this?”
“We don't have to”.
“Bruce!” Clark yelled.
“Are you listening to yourself?”
“We're running out of time, Clark”. Batman retorted.
“The Earth will always be in danger as long as those breaches are open”.
“We'll find a way......”. Batman wanted to roll his eyes at Clark's almost naive optimism.
“We don't even know how many they are yet. What's stopping another Gotham tragedy from happening right under our noses in another city?”
“If something happens, I'll handle it”. Superman's brows were unusually furrowed.
“As fast as you are, Clark...... You can't be everywhere. We need you here…. In this universe when things go bad”.
Bruce paused.
“Amari stated it clearly. We have a mole, and recently, Red Tornado has gone missing”. Batman carried a heavy face and a solemn tone.
“You know....... Two of his…. Siblings, attacked The Cave. With his recent actions, there are high chances that Red Tornado is the mole. That also means we're down another Leaguer. Canary's hospitalized, Batson is out of commission......... Clark...... We need..... Help”.
Those sentences came out in a bitter tone. The Caped Crusader hated his emotions at this moment.
The Justice League, a team of the most powerful individuals on the planet who had fought against countless threats...... Actually required help.
Especially from an individual they once attacked. It was ironic really, but at this point, Bruce really couldn't see any other way.
The Secret society was still out here, so we're the breaches and whatever threats might march out one day, a teammate was trapped on a distant earth, and small irrelevant pieces of information that Batman had gathered stated something he really didn't want to hear.
Lucifer existed.
Aqualad had reported that Amari mentioned something about a man named Lucifer after resurrecting the Joker from hell.
If it was the same Lucifer that the Legends spoke of....... Batman felt a pit rising in his stomach.
They needed to solve this issue, as well as the one with the breaches. But closing portals that lead to other universes wasn't something that could be accomplished in a short period of time.
They had their brightest minds at Star Labs working on this for weeks now and still no result.
No. Bruce couldn't wait.
What if another invasion took place in a city. Carrying an army much stronger than the one Gotham experienced?
It would be hell on Earth. The damage unleashed would be too great to bear before the League could arrive and fix it.
Just like this plant incident.
They couldn't close the breaches, that didn't mean someone else couldn't.
As for sending in available Leaguers for a rescue mission across world's....... Bruce never had this thought. Anyone could say anything about him, but the situation just didn't permit it.
Another Superman existed on the other side. A brutal version of him. One with just as much strength..... perhaps even stronger than their resident Kryptonian.
Sending available Leaguers was nothing more than warming them up for their graveyards when they return. If..... They return with a body that is.
As for Kryptonite..... It was an option but not a safe one.
Clark could kill an opponent who could wield kryptonite from a distance. His enemies just got the better of him due to his nature.
Clark always held back. Rarely ever used his full strength.
This new Superman wouldn't be like that in the slightest.
As for sending in Clark........ What a joke.
If their enemies got news that Superman was out of this world for an indefinite period of time, Bruce was sure that all hell would break loose.
Clark wasn't going anywhere. And even if he did go, unless this Superman was weaker than him, Bruce knew Clark would lose. Because Clark always held back, he never fought with his full strength, for fear of killing his opponent.
Two Supermen, one was restrained, and the other went all out. The outcome was obvious.
If Clark did go all out and killed his opponent....... Then they might have a problem if Clark had..... Personality changes after returning.
None of it was worth the risk. And if they could take a detour, Bruce would definitely choose to do so.
Clark took a look at Batman. Within that staunch figure and expressionless face was a thick wave of helplessness.
He opened his mouth, but the words that came out were......
“I can't talk you out of this, can I?”
“Apart from what you just stated, is there any general issue about it that concerns you”.
“......... No”. Clark was uncomfortable, but he knew that Bruce had a point. They were really too stretched thin.
And the Breaches weren't disappearing anytime soon.
If another disaster happened...... Clark didn't want to see it happen.
“Good”. With a nod, The Dark Knight turned his head to the side. They had already sent the team to handle villains on the level of Black Adam and Wotan. This....... Shouldn't be too much harder.
“Now, we need to inform him of our....... Proposal”.
“Ok....... But I think you forgot something”. Clark raised an eyebrow.
“How are you going to find him?” Amari's whereabouts were elusive. Ever since his base disappeared, no one knew where to find him.
“There's no need to locate him”. Clark swore he saw amusement within his eyes.
“Your cousin already did”.
............
France, Paris.
Oct 3: 18:43.
Two figures sat on top of a tall building, looking at the huge landmark in the distance.
The Eiffel Tower was the symbol of the French city and France as a whole. Under the dazzling evening lights of the French city, it looked particularly glorious and awe-inspiring on regular days.
Not today, though. Paris was one of the major cities that the plant incident took place in. The Eiffel Tower had suffered the brunt of it while wrapped in large, almost never-ending vines.
Now..... It looked miserably bent.
“..... I have to admit. Not as amazing as I thought it would be, seeing it in person”. Kara muttered while looking at the iconic architecture that as currently out of order.
The area surrounding it had been sealed off, waiting for the time Green Lantern was free enough to aid in reconstruction.
For those who had heard about it, it literally killed the vibe.
“Hehehehe. What were you expecting after it?” Amari chuckled, causing Kara to throw him a weird look.
“Hey....... Forgive me for asking. But what's wrong with you?”.
“Huh?” Amari turned to her and raised an eyebrow.
Supergirl waved her hands.
“Hey! Don't get me wrong. I just mean...... You're acting a lot different since our last…. You know”. Following which, her bright blue eyes shone with curiosity.
“Really?”
“Yeah. You're laughing a lot more. Unlike before, you always looked so…. Stoic. Like the world owed you money or something”.
“You don't say”.
The night was far spent.
It had been a few hours since they left Gotham city. After which....... They went everywhere they thought of.
The Amusement park in New York, The Great Wall of China in..... Well, China. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Rhode Island for Ice Cream and now, they were here.
The whole time, her eyes were wide open, taking in everything she saw for the first time.
She knew of all of this, but had never seen it.
All in all, it was a very relaxing outing.
“Personality crisis”. Amari waved his hand casually, not wanting to delve deeper into the matter.
“Ok”. She squinted suspiciously before uttering.
“I like it. It's better. This new you you're giving off. You used to act like an airhead”.
"Yeah? Don't get used to it". Amari said casually.
His mind couldn't help but drift to the crack in his mental space. It was still there. Ignored, but not forgotten.
At that moment, Kara spoke again.
“Hey..... What happened to the Axiom?” Her head was visibly lowered as she asked.
“Oh? Transported”.
“Ok. Then to where?”
“Beyond the multiverse. To the realm of Gods and Demons”.
“....... What?” Kara was dumbfounded. Where did this come from?
“Sigh! What an uneducated little girl”.
“Hey!” Annoyed, she threw a punch at his shoulder.
He didn't flinch.
The night returned to silence. Kara's face showed a bit of hesitation to speak.
“Alright. What is it?”
“I...... Can you take me there?”
During their time after Gotham, Amari had explained the general concept of the DC multiverse. How there was more than one of them out there.
Her eyes shone with a bit of anticipation at the thought.
Amari felt amused.
“You just got together with your cousin. Now you want to leave?”
Silence.
The blonde opened her mouth, but no words could come out.
She didn't know what to say.
Amari was also in thought. Ever since that day, he hadn't returned to his Axiom. Or to be more precise, his new realm.
Previously, it was just a dimensional space. Now, it was a full realm within the Sphere Of Gods. A realm that belonged to him. Just like Morpheus had The Dreaming.
It was a lie if he said he didn't want to go and take a look.
As for taking Kara with him.......
It happened then. The sound of a Jet breaking into the atmosphere fell into his ears.
Kara's face changed slightly as he raised her head up.
“Well, we have company”. Amari stated with a raised eyebrow.
“What's a Jet doing in Paris?” Kara's face wrinkled slightly.
“It's Batman's, and I'm not talking about the Jet”. The reply she received however surprised her..... Until it didn't.
A streak of yellow lightning streaked through the streets of Paris before running up the building and appearing before them.
Clad in a red costume and yellow lightning bolts, Flash stood behind them as they say in the building edge.
“It's you….”. Kara raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”
“Hi”. Wally waved to her before turning to Amari.
“Can we talk...... in private”. Hearing this, the face of the Kryptonian wasn't looking good.
“Where?” Amari didn't mind. If the Earth -1 Flash was here, then he wasn't here alone.
“Follow me”. And with that, his body turned to a speeding bolt. Racing into the far distance.
“You're leaving?” Seeing Amari stand up, Kara couldn't help but ask with a frown.
“I'll be back. And don't try to follow”. His figure turned into a blur and disappeared from sight in the direction where the Flash just ran off to.
..........
Meudon Forest, Paris.
The Bat Jet landed on an open field. Since the original had been destroyed, Bruce had to bring out a spare.
Luckily, he was rich.
Anyone else playing the role of Batman would probably be neck deep in debt from the first jet crash alone.
He leaped out of the cockpit. His feet barely landing on the floor when two whooshes caused a large gust of wind to almost sweep him off his feet.
Two men appeared in front of him.
One red, one......
“Amari”.
Batman called out.
“Alright Bruce. I'm here. What do you want?”
Amari looked around the place for a while. His gaze never focusing on The Dark Knight.
“You seem to be having fun with Supergirl".
The first word that came out was...... Odd.
“And? Why do you care?”
“Nothing.....”. His tone drawled.
“Just confirmation of a thought”.
“Well maybe, maybe not”. Amari shrugged.
“But I doubt you called me out here to judge me on what I do in my personal time right?”
“He didn't”. Clark's figure appeared in the air. His face was unusually stern at the moment.
Seeing that Clark was here, Bruce put down his intention to probe.
As for whether Amari knew or not........ Now was not the time.
Kara's incident should be kept from Clark until the final moment.
Superman landed on the ground with his two feet. His long cape swept the grass behind him as the wind blew.
“That can be discussed later. For now, we have something more important to deal with”.
“Ok..... I'm all ears”.
Amari gestured. Flash turned to Batman, who gave him a curt nod.
This was his approval. And so, Wally West of Earth -1 turned back to Amari, took in a deep breath and began.
“We need your help”.
“For what?”
“To save my world”.
..........
Back In Paris.
Sitting on top of the building, Kara's face wasn't so good-looking.
Across her beautiful features, the frown couldn't be concealed.
'Should I..... Eavesdrop?' She thought to herself whether to attempt using Super hearing to see if she could overhear their conversation.
However, she wasn't proficient in it. Most times, her ears would get filled up with all types of sounds. It was uncomfortable, disorienting, and sometimes painful.
Just when she was contemplating giving it a go, on the roof of the building where she sat, a glowing orange portal suddenly appeared behind her, instantly alerting the Kryptonian.
Kara sprang to her feet. A flash of white light appeared from the portal as the body of a woman was formed.
“Hello young one”.
Aurélie called out with a smile.
“And who are you?” Kara looked wary and stood on guard. Her body flew into the air, and she eyes the new arrival without blinking.
“Oh? Isn't that obvious. Well, it doesn't matter. Because......”.
Two more boom tubes appeared beside her and two figures stepped out of them. Mad Harriet and Gilotina.
Each with a smile on their face.
“...... We're going to take you home”.