71 Chapter 59

-Eight years ago before Terry became the new Batman-

Shhhhhh.... Pang! Pang!

It was evening and a storm was raging. Flashes of lightning illuminated the dark corridors of the Wayne Manor.

Eeeeek....

A man drenched in the rain opened the door and went inside.

"Where were you?" A friend of the man that was waiting for him asked.

"I was just... doing some experiments." The man said as he clutched the pocket of his raincoat and glanced at it.

"We're all waiting for you, Bruce."

"I know, John." Bruce replied almost apathetically before taking off the raincoat and disappeared into a small gap in the wall.

John Jones, The Martian Manhunter, followed closely behind.

They got down the stairs and arrived in the Batcave where five other people were waiting for them.

"Bruce..."

"Diana..."

Diana and Bruce shared a kiss as soon as they got reunited.

"I hope what you were doing just now can help us with this." Superman interjected.

"I hope so too..." Bruce Wayne replied.

"Even you're not sure."

"I don't always have the right answers, Clark." Bruce replied with a faint smile.

"Ugh!"

"What is it, Barry?"

Barry Allen suddenly groaned and grasped at his head. "I-I felt something... I suddenly just got lightheaded."

"Are you okay?" Cyborg asked.

"This is nothing. I think I just need something to chow on."

Zzzz! Zzzz!

Barry Allen, The Flash, zipped out and in the batcave and came back with two candy bars.

"I can't get over how large your fridge is, Bruce." Barry said as he took a bite of the already opened candy bar.

"Now that we're all here, do we have a plan?" Cyborg asked.

"There's not much time for a plan." Bruce said as he leaned his back on the hellbat suit. The suit opened up and started attaching itself onto Bruce.

"So, beat up the bad guys, hack into their doomsday device and hope for the best?" Aquaman sarcastically remarked.

"Typically, yes." John transformed into his martian form.

"We don't know what exactly Gorilla Grodd made for the Legion of Doom this time. All we know is that the device's reading is similar to Darkseid's Omega beam, in larger proportions."

"We don't have much time. Let's go." Superman said in urgency before turning around.

All seven of them hastily went out of the batcave, through the waterfall and into the lake.

Aquaman jumped upwards from the lake and Cyborg caught him.

As the rest of them flew, The Flash ran just below them, running on water.

"Even if the flash can't fly, at least he gets to travel not looking like a loser." Aquaman said as he watched the flash running across the lake while being carried by Cyborg.

"You look cool when travelling underwater."

"Most of you can do it too!!" Aquaman ranted.

And as if to prove his point, Batman, donning the hellbat suit, can be seen travelling under water like a torpedo. His red eyes shone under the water before surfacing and flying next to Cyborg.

"I hate that suit. You remind me of someone I know." Aquaman said. He was referring to Black Manta. One of Aquaman's enemies. The red eyes of the hellbat suit was reminiscent of him.

Batman ignored him and accelerated to fly next to Wonder Woman just behind Superman.

"Hey." Wonder Woman said with a smile as she saw Batman next to her.

"Hey." Batman replied.

"What do you plan to do after this?"

"I'll tell you later....I hope we make it until then."

"Don't be so pessimistic. We always make it back in the end, don't we?"

Batman gave her a smirk. "...yeah, we do."

"We're almost there. Everyone, get ready." Superman said.

They were headed to somewhere in the middle of Gotham.

----

An hour later, only three people in the team were standing. The rest were knocked unconscious along with members of the Legion of Doom.

"Can you stop it?" Superman asked.

"I can't. I can only limit the area of the blast up to the entirety of this lot." Batman replied as he typed away on the Omega Bomb.

"Shit! If only Cyborg didn't took a punch for me earlier. This would be way faster if he did it." Aquaman said as he wiped blood off his nose.

Even Superman didn't get through the battle without getting any bruises. That's how fierce it was.

"It's more than enough. This building is already set for demolition anyway. We just need to get out of here before it blows up." Superman said.

"Start getting them out of here." Batman said without turning his head.

Aquaman and Superman started leaping in and out of the building to get all of the unconscious people out of the blast zone.

When they successfully evacuated everyone, Superman made Aquaman stay outside to look after everyone as he went back to where Batman and the Omega bomb was.

"Still not finished?"

"I don't think I'll make it, Clark."

Superman widened his eyes at Batman's statement. "What are you saying? Is it the suit? I know it drains your life force! Can't you handle the bomb without the suit?"

"It's not the suit..." Batman tapped his chest and the suit came off. "It's the bomb."

"So, you lied earlier about limiting the blast zone." Superman said with a dejected look.

Bruce scoffed. "I didn't lie. But it constantly resets to it's original settings once I let go of it. Like the machine is fighting me. It's taking all of my energy to focus on this thing and talk with you at the same time right now."

"Can I do it?" Superman said with a regretful look as he tried to offer his life instead.

"I'm sorry, Clark."

"Just when we finally got to say that we're friends, you leave? Is that it?"

"I already considered you a friend since before we got to have a good conversation."

Superman furrowed his brows in pain. "...What do I tell the others?"

"Tell them that I...I don't have any regrets working with any one of them. It's been an honor and a pleasure."

"...and Diana?"

"Tell Diana...that I love her very deeply...and that I considered retiring to spend the rest of my life with her..."

----

"Uhhhh" Wonder Woman groaned.

"Diana! You're awake!"

"Where are we-" Wonder woman widened her eyes and shot up when she remembered what they were doing. "What happened?!"

"Calm down. It's already over."

Wonder Woman scanned the area and found the members of the legion of doom tied up. She continued to scan the area and saw other league members on the floor but the two that came with them weren't there.

She panicked again. "Where's Bruce?!"

"Batman and Superman are still inside. They're handling the bomb."

"I need to be with Bruce." Diana furrowed her brows in determination before turning around.

But before she could fly away, she saw Superman coming out of the building, seemingly carrying Batman.

Superman slowly flew towards Wonder Woman and Aquaman with regret in his eyes.

Diana is visibly worried for Bruce as she patiently waited for them to arrive.

When Superman finally descended, Wonder Woman and Aquaman ran to them.

"What happened? Is he okay?" Diana asked Clark.

Clark couldn't answer or look at Diana.

"!!" Diana snatched what Clark was holding and shook it. "Bruce! Are you okay?!" Tears started to form at the sides of her eyes."

"Diana..." Aquaman uttered in worry before looking at Superman who still couldn't make eye contact.

"Bruce!" Diana frantically searched for the button to open up the suit.

When she finally found it, she opened the suit, only to find a hollow shell.

Diana immediately looked up at Superman and hoped that it was a joke because Bruce wasn't in the suit.

"I'm sorry, Diana."

But Superman's words proved her wrong.

She widened her eyes. "Bruce!" She tried to fly away but Superman grabbed her leg and pulled her back to the ground, embracing her. "No!!" She banged on Superman's chest as she struggled.

Then, a very bright red light consumed the building behind them. When the light ceased to exit, so did the building and everything in it.

"NOOOO!!!!" Diana flew towards the remains of the building when Superman finally let her go.

When Superman's eyes met Aquaman's, he was met with mixed emotions of pity and disdain.

But what can he do? He just has to take the blame for it all as their leader for what happened.

He treated it as his retribution.

The whole world mourned as it lost one of it's greatest heroes.

All attention was on Gotham as they held a funeral for Batman.

The Gotham Police and even the military were there in attendance. Along with the whole Justice League, even the ones that weren't part of the mission were on the stage for presentation. Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, and even the Titans.

When the ceremony was over, Wonder Woman was the first one to leave the stage.

Seeing this, Superman chased after her backstage. The other League members saw this and left them alone.

"Diana..." Superman called out to her.

"I...hate you." Wonder Woman said without turning around to face him.

Superman stood there silent and prepared himself for the words that Diana was about to unleash.

"I hate that you got to be with him in his last moments instead of me. If only I was as strong as you. Or maybe even stronger."

"You're plenty strong enough, Diana-"

Schwiing...

"Don't you dare console me, Kryptonian!" Wonder Woman pointed her sword at Superman.

Superman took a step back as he felt Diana's words stab his heart. He knows that explaining would only deepen Wonder Woman's pain.

Cling. Clang.

She dropped her sword and her knees gave out. She started sobbing.

Seeing this, Superman's guilt only became worse.

But he knew he still had to deliver Bruce's last message to Diana.

"I...don't have any words of consolation. Knowing that I was there and still couldn't save my friend....but at least hear me out...not even as a friend... just as a messenger for Bruce..."

Superman proceeded to give out Bruce Wayne's last message to Diana and stayed with her until she stopped crying.

Wonder Woman picked up her sword and put it in it's sheathe. "Consider this as my resignation from the League." She threw the Justice League ring on the floor near Superman.

Superman couldn't do anything to stop her from leaving.

The heartbroken Diana decided to spend the rest of her days in Themyscira.

After that, the sentence for the Legion of Doom were death sentences carried out by the government with the help of the Justice League.

Gorilla Grodd, Braniac, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Giganta and Sinestro were all put to death and the plans for the Omega Bomb were destroyed.

Or at least, to their knowledge, that the only copy of the plans for the Omega Bomb was destroyed...