Injustice 3: The Might of Magic (Book 3)

Kara:

"This is absolutely disgusting," Selina says, her voice echoing all over the tunnel. Selina stops and looks at her hand. If it's anything like my hand, it's also covered in dirt and rust. "Aww. I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Don't," Firestorm yells. "We're right underneath you!"

"Hey," Selina says as all of us keep climbing down the tunnel toward Old Gotham. "Why don't you two just fly down?"

"This is too narrow for anyone to fly," The Man answers from somewhere below. "There's barely enough room for us to squeeze down here in the first place. Hey! Watch where you step! That's my hand, you moron!"

Despite how far I am from The Man, I can still hear him punching someone.

"Ouch," Barry cries out a few seconds later. "Hey! Don't hit my feet! I'm trying not to slip here!"

"So am I."

"Enough," I yell, shaking the dirt and rust from my own hands before grabbing the ladder again. "This tunnel is small. It's crowded. Let's just get out of here fast."

"I couldn't agree more," The Man says. "Watch your steps, Flashy. Otherwise, I'm going to be using my broken hand to pull you off the ladder."

It takes some time, and a lot of threats from The Man, but finally, we all reach the bottom of the tunnel. With my feet hitting solid ground, I turn around and see something almost unbelievable.

"Welcome to Old Gotham," The Man says, clapping his hands clean before turning around and spreading out his arms.

Despite its name, its age, and the whole city being buried, Old Gotham is still standing tall and strong. There aren't any lights but the massive buildings are still shiny. Mostly made from bricks or stones, the buildings are all lined with either iron, gold, or both. The iron and gold appear to be only a little rusted. The windows are only covered in a little dust and nothing seems to be broken.

"Oh my god," Harleen says after climbing down the ladder. "This is Old Gotham? It's not old at all."

"Yeah," Cheetah says, joining in. "Look at the streets. And the stores. And even the cars. They're all fine. Almost in working condition."

"Like someone just froze Old Gotham in time," Slade says. "I can't believe all of this is right underneath Gotham City."

"Neither can I," Poison Ivy says. "And I lived in Gotham my whole life."

"Come on," The Man says, waving his hand. "This way."

We all follow after The Man as he leads us down a small hill right into the forgotten city. As I step into Old Gotham, I can't believe my eyes. Everything is set up like everyone is just minding their own business. While passing a dinner, I see plates and cups are properly set up. Across from the dinner, I see a new stand with papers all evenly aligned.

"I don't get it," I say. "Why was this Gotham buried? I mean, looking around, I don't see anything wrong. Everything looks fine."

"Better than fine," Jason adds. He reaches into one of the buildings nearby and turns on a light above the door. "This place had electricity?"

"Shouldn't," The Man says, stopping and turning around. He walks over to where Jason is and examines the light himself. "Black Mask and his men must have fixed the city's generation. If that's true, then the guardians must have power too."

"The guardians," Flash repeats. "What's the guardians?"

"It's one of these," The Man answers, pointing to something nearby. Nudging his head, we all follow The Man as he leads us across the street to a glass display with the word "wonder" written in bold across it. In the glass display is some sort of robot with brown and green armor. It had a cone-shaped head and yellow eyes but no mouth. On its back are what looked like pipes.

"These are the guardian robots," The Man starts. "They were the wonder of Old Gotham."

"Look like something from an old sci-fi movie," Firestorm says.

"Why are these considered the 'wonder of Old Gotham', Jaime asks, his helmet coming off.

"It's because these aren't just for decor."

"Wait, wait, wait," Harleen says, shaking her hands. "You can't be serious. Are you saying these--"

"Are actual robots that can move? Yes. A combination of both steam and electric power, these robots can not only move but also fight."

"Fight," Reverse-Flash repeats.

"They were called the guardians for a reason. They worked with Gotham's coopers for a few years until they were all deactivated and put on display."

"Why were they deactivated," I ask.

"It's because they were too strong," The Man answers, turning back to look at the old robot. "According to over a hundred reports, these guardians would break people's hands, arms, and legs, almost killing them in many instances. Despite being a marvelous innovation, for the time being, they were also a danger."

The Man taps the glass before walking out into the street.

"Okay," he shouts, "Black Mask is somewhere in Old Gotham, and we need to find him fast. Split into teams, the same as before, pick a direction, and go in that direction until you see something. Once you see something, call the rest of us, and we all come charging your way. Understood?"

Black Mask:

"Hey boss," one of my hackers says. I turn around from my men as they prepare both the artifacts for the ritual.

"What is it," I ask, walking over to him.

"Motion sensors in the robots just went off," my hacker answers. "You need to see this."

My hacker turns his laptop and shows me the whole Insurgency in Old Gotham.

"Son of a bitch," I say, grabbing the laptop. "The whole Insurgency is right here. How? How did they even get in?"

Increasing the volume, I practically slam my ear against the laptop so I don't miss a single word any of them are saying.

"Aye aye, Captain," Harleen says, saluting someone before leaving with Black Canary and Cheetah. One by one, they all leave each other and go in different directions.

"Son of a bitch," I say again, throwing the laptop back at my hackers. "They're all going in different directions. No doubt they're looking for me. Fuck."

I turn back at my men. According to what I've learned, the ritual is almost ready, but I still need some time to prepare everything.

"Lady Shiva," I shout. "Where the hell are you? Lady Shiva! Get over here now!"

A few minutes later, Lady Shiva appears before me.

"What is it," Lady Shiva asks.

"The Insurgency is here," I say. Lady Shiva shakes when she hears this.

"Is...he here too?"

"I can't tell. He didn't appear in the recording, but it won't matter if he is. Once the ritual is done, then I will be the one with powers."

I rub my shoulder as I think about the man in the sunglasses.

"For now, gather any men you need and stop them from coming here. And you."

I turn to my hacker.

"Unleash the guardians."

My hacker nods his head and starts typing on his computer.

"It's done," my hacker says after a few minutes. "The guardians have been unleash."

I look toward the main part of Old Gotham as I hear the sound of glass breaking.

"Bye-bye Insurgency."

Flash:

Skidding to a stop, both Reverse-Flash and I look around.

"What is that sound," Reverse-Flash asks, the sound of something breaking echoing throughout the whole city.

Blue Beetle:

"Is that...glass breaking," Red Hood asks, pulling out two pistols.

"I think so," I say, activating my arm cannos. "But why?"

"Guys," Supergirl says, pointing at a glass display as the guardian inside moves.