27 Chapter 25: Breaking Point 2

"talking"

'thinking'

<ROBOTIC VOICE>

"Foreign language"

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Middle East, August 10, 17:03, 2016

In a subway complex, many armed men were manufacturing explosive devices, biological weapons and so on. There were also many men working on large computers, hacking into bank accounts or obtaining black market information.

This was the OASIS terrorist group, a major terrorist group at the time, and the cause of many attacks in Europe and the Middle East. The authorities were looking for them, but they always slipped away.

Out of nowhere, everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard a loud sound of thunder approaching at high speed. Everyone tensed up, and got ready. They loaded their weapons, explosives and so on. The sound of thunder could be heard closer and closer. But when the men expected the threat to arrive, as if by magic, the sound stopped.

The men were confused at this, but could not relax, when a loud bang opened the secret gate of the complex.

"BUUUUM!"

Landing at high speed, a man appeared before the sight of these terrorists. He wore a dark blue suit, almost black, with an 'S' embroidered on his chest. On his left arm, he had an embroidered raised fist. This was Superman. The previous leader of the Justice League, and the current face of the Liberation Front.

"Sorry to show up unannounced, did you start the party without me?"

The men stood still at the sight, but then, reacted to the situation.

"Attack!"

Rain of bullets, small explosives, and small missiles were launched at Superman's humanity. Smoke started coming out, due to all these explosions. After a good couple of minutes, in which the men used up every bit of ammunition they had, they finally stopped attacking Superman's humanity. However, the sight before them made them freeze in fear.

Superman was there, without a scratch on him. His suit had small marks on it, but otherwise, everything was fine.

"That was rude" Superman commented.

The men realized there was nothing they could do. Faced with this, the men opted for the best solution. They each knelt down and raised their hands in surrender.

"We surrender" said the leader of the group, in a strong foreign accent. Superman stood there, watching them surrender... when out of nowhere, he began to laugh.

"hahahahahaha, oh, hahahahahah"

The men puzzled at this situation did not know what to do. But they did not move, nor did they rush. They simply watched such a scene with disbelief and nervousness.

"What's funny?"

"I don't know"

"Excuse me guys, but it's really funny. You thought I was coming to capture you?" When the english lenguaje reached the leader's head, he finally realized the situation.

"Wait, please have mercy-"

He wanted to beg for mercy, but it was too late.

A powerful red laser shot out of Superman's eyes. All the kneeling members, started to be killed, by this laser.

Some, who were further back, got up and started to run, but Superman reached them, at a speed, faster than the human eye could register, and with his bare hand pierced their chests. Some had their heads cut off, and others were simply dismembered, like rag dolls. It was a complete butchery.

When Superman finished, his suit had bloodstains from the carnage, but otherwise, he had a bored look on his face, as if the situation did not disturb him in the least. A voice sounded in his ear.

"My calculations predict with 99.38% that you should have finished the mission. Is it done?" a male voice, almost robotic, addressed the 'superhero'.

"Your calculations, as usual, are right on, Thinker. I'm done here. The OASIS group, they no longer exist. They will no longer be an obstacle to Zazzala"

"Perfect. I'll let her know. Good job...Henshaw"

That's right, the one wearing the Superman suit was not our beloved Clark Kent. Instead, it was Hank Henshaw. Someone for whom Superman was an idol, but, in an unfortunate accident, where he asked for and expected the help of said idol, almost lost his life.

He was saved by The Thinker, who enhanced him, turning his body into 70% machine. All the abilities he had were copies of Superman.

Unfortunately, although he hated to admit it, his strength and power did not match that of the original Superman. That's why, he was always upgrading and improving himself, in order to live up to the superheroic symbol. NO, correction, he would be better. Better Superman than the original. The Superman the world needed.

"I told you to stop calling me by that name. Hank Henshaw died in that accident. I'm Superman now"

"Well, 'Superman', Killer Frost, or White Snow, or whatever she calls herserlf now, is requesting you. Come back soon"

"Roger that. I'm on my way. Hey Thinker, any news on that bitch reporter?"

"Negative. My analysis predicts there's already less than a 10% chance we'll find her in the next few days. And a 100% that this is Batman's fault, like all the other disappearances of persons of interest, that we wanted to capture"

'Damn it. How could she possibly have found me out. My acting was so good!'

Hank had been pretending to be Clark, for a long time now. He thought everything was fine, until he found out that Lois was investigating the Liberation Front, and him. It was amazing, how a woman with no powers, no special abilities, could get so close to the truth, with so little information.

Obviously, Hank tried to capture her, but Batman and the winged heroes, Hawkman and Hawkwoman came to her rescue.

There, he realized, that, perhaps the files they had on all the former League members were not as reliable as they thought.

Hawkman and Hawkwoman, beat the crap out of him. Their strength, their skills, everything was better than he expected. Sure, it was two against one, but, still, he was supposed to have Superman's abilities, and he was defeated so easily. In the end, he had to run away, living with that defeat.

Then, when he went to look for the other hostage, aka, Clark's mother, Martha, she too had been taken to safety, clearly also by the Bat. Now they no longer had any bargaining chips against the Kryptonian.

'When we fight again, it will be different'

"'Superman', are you still there, I told you Killer Frost needs you, NOW" The Thinker interrupted his hateful thoughts.

"I'm coming" Before he left, he turned to look at the carnage behind him. And with a smile he thought.

'Another victory, for Superman'

With that, he shot off into the sky. A loud sound of thunder was left as he flew.

-------------------------

Cameroon, August 2, 18:42, 2016

"You're telling me, the dissolution of the League was your idea all along?" Victor asked in disbelief. He had asked for all the information, and Batman, provided it to him.

All the files on The Light, all their profiles, all their plans, at least part of it, was huge and had left Marie as well as Victor totally numb, wondering.

'How is it possible that we haven't seen it?'

But what the conversation that followed was more surprising to Victor, because Batman had claimed that his plan all along had always been for the League to disband.

"I don't understand. Please explain yourself, Bruce" Marie requested. Lois was at his side, but she didn't seem so surprised, apparently Batman had told her a little of his plan, or she was already aware of it.

Batman took off his hood, revealing his Bruce Wayne face. This was so they could see the sincerity in his words and actions. The last thing he wanted was to antagonize possible allies, at least not at this critical moment they were living.

"I became suspicious some time ago, with the massive shipments and exports of weapons, through San Francisco, Gotham, and New York. I knew there was something linking Intergang, H.I.V.E. and other small but important criminal groups. My research led me to this man" he said pointing to the Vandal Savage file. "You recognize him, don't you?"

"He was the former general of Markovia, and is now the strategist for the Liberation Front"

"That's right. His resume, is impressive to say the least... but his life, ALL of his life, is almost a myth" Batman began to show historical records of several key figures throughout history. Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, among others. "He is the main union, and leader of the group, The Light"

"Okay, I understand this. And I understand their great power. They practically ruled the entire underworld. But I still don't see why you didn't say anything. The League should have started to face such a threat" Victor protested.

"You still can't guess, why they were always 10 steps ahead of us. Why we couldn't dupe said exported weapons, or why they always appeared more and more dangerous threats when we got closer to the truth?"

The realization hit them at that moment. Marie incredulously said.

"There was a traitor..."

"Mmm, Red Tornado" Batman confirmed.

"Impossible. We programmed him to be loyal to the League. You and I did"

Victor couldn't believe it. Red Tornado, was a threat they faced at the beginning of the League's formation. The robot was wrecked, due to the League's intervention, but Cyborg put it together, along with Batman and reprogrammed it to become a superhero. He was the only member who could patrol 24/7, as he did not need to sleep, eat or the other basic needs that a human always has. That he was engaged was almost impossible for him to think about.

"Technically, even he didn't know he was a spy" Batman said as he pulled out a device so small, that a magnifying glass was needed to get a better look at it. It was a small circuit, but so intricate, that despite its size, it was quite powerful. Quite a modern piece of technology, even in today's age.

"This, it was inside his visual chamber. Their eyes were optical cameras. We focused so much on the programming, we didn't check thoroughly his operational parts. Sure, the weapons and so on, yes, we checked them, but the eyes, we didn't. At least not thoroughly. It was a mistake, and I regret not doing it sooner"

When Red Tornado was destroyed by Duke, Batman took the opportunity to analyze and confirm his suspicions. There, he was able to find the said piece of technology. He regretted very much, not having been thorough earlier.

"They don't emit any electromagnetic waves" Victor proceeded to analyze said component thoroughly. "It's practically an invisible piece"

"That's right. The manufacturer, is a member of The Light, named Clifford Devoe. A genius to say the least. He is a technopath, on par with yours. He manufactured Amazo, and the other dangerous robots we have encountered. And, for that matter, he made Red Tornado, or at least had a hand in making it. He was thorough. Said device, would only turn on at very brief intervals of time, so as not to arouse suspicion in you or me"

"When was the device activated?" Marie interjected. She didn't understand technology like the two of them, but she could still follow the thread of the conversation. In short, a camera spied on them, but only at specific times.

"At League meetings. When everyone's attention was on missions and so forth. Practically, they knew about our missions or the cases we were working on. They were 10 steps ahead of us... However, something didn't add up, and that's why I decided not to intervene, at least not at the time" Batman had a look of doubt on his face.

"What was it?"

"Red Tornado, he could have reported our missions. But they went a step further, and found and investigated our identities, our weaknesses. They couldn't get it from Red Tornado. There was another spy" Batman concluded.

"Who was the other one?" Marie said with a lot of venom in her voice.

Bruce was right. Red Tornado was a robot, therefore, the League treated him as such. It sounds bad, but, outside of the League environment, there was no more interaction. Also, in meetings they were always formal, and called each other by their superhero name. There were no revealed identities involved.

"After thoroughly investigating... I was able to find that the traitor was Captain Atom..."

"That bastard"

"I knew that government dog couldn't be trusted-" But they could no longer protest when Batman dropped the bomb.

"And Black Lightning was a traitor too"

"What?"

"IMPOSSIBLE. Jefferson is OUR friend. We went to his daughters' birthdays every year. We went out drinking at his bar all the time"

Marie and Victor couldn't believe it. They knew there was something off about Captain Atom. He was secretive, and he was the link to the U.S. government. He was very formal with everyone, like a loyal soldier. It wasn't really surprising to see that he was a traitor, since the U.S. government always hindered the League.

But Jefferson Pierce, he was a great friend, a great father, who killed himself taking care of his young daughters. He couldn't be a traitor. They refused to believe it.

"Research says so" pictures of Jefferson and another man could be seen. Jefferson almost always passed him a memory in the pictures, clearly where he had evidence. "Also, he was one of those, who accepted the invitation to the Liberation Front. Practically, that confirmed my suspicions"

"But, how?"

"Actually, he didn't want to be a spy. He was being threatened with his daughters. That man's name is Neil Emerson. His name is not well known, but once upon a time, he was the cause of the destruction of St. Jones Hospital in New Orleans"

"The hospital that, overnight, was destroyed and crushed like a soda can?"

"That's right. He's a metahuman with magnetokinesis. He was sentenced to prison. Practically, from there, he was a model prisoner. He was well behaved. He showed no signs of insanity like other metahumans. But he escaped, or was released in the Stryker prison break. I now know that he was recruited by The Light, and became a leading member. Our information tells us that he operated as a biology teacher at Jefferson's daughters' school. He practically watched over them until he came close to threatening Black Lightning. His powers are such that he doesn't need to be around to kill someone. He can use anything made of metal or that has a magnetic field and use it as a weapon. We know of Jefferson's love for his daughters, he had no choice but to cooperate"

"Damn it"

"Why didn't you say anything Batman? We could have backed him up"

"I couldn't investigate thoroughly, because I was also being watched. A lot of the information, I didn't even gather myself. I left it all to Green Arrow. I didn't want to arouse suspicion. Without knowing The Light group's plan, I didn't want them to think we already knew about them. They'd jump the gun and cause a bigger disaster"

"Why Oliver?"

"Queen Enterprise earns almost as much as Wayne Enterprise. It has a lot of resources on par with mine. And it didn't arouse suspicion, like me. One of the members of the Light was my former teacher. He is one of the few people I can say, who knows me better than anyone else. He knows how I operate, and he knows how I research. So I preferred to leave it to someone else. While I preferred to divert his attention, and present more and more problems to The Justice League. You're not wrong that it was my fault everything that happened. As I said, I did everything I did, but I did it because it was necessary"

Marie, and Lois who were listening to the conversation now understood everything. Batman had just been a complete jerk to the whole League. He became paranoid. Excessive. He alienated Diana, and even Arthur.

Practically, the League disbanded, not because of the government's heavy-handed treaties, but because the group began to fracture over Batman's nefarious behavior.

After the defeat by the Ghost Rider. Batman accused Diana of colluding with Ghost Rider by letting him go.

Also, he signed the monster as a global threat. This made Diana almost want to disembowel him with her sword. Something the members had to intervene to stop it from happening.

Some time ago, he had requested that everyone wear microphone-activated cameras on patrol, so that the League would be aware of the members' actions. Obviously he was denied, but as if he didn't care, Batman did it anyway and installed such cameras in the costumes of the League members. This was clearly a violation of each member's privacy rights.

When the members found out, they requested that Batman be permanently terminated. Superman intervened and did not escalate the matter. But Batman was far from apologetic. He said he wanted to avoid threats and situations like the one that day with Ghost Rider.

From there, his behavior went from bad to worse. Practically, before the Liberation Front agreement came, Batman had already been discharged from the League. But the problem was already done. There were irreparable fractures in the League.

Everyone was accusing each other of mistakes. Already the united group was completely broken. It didn't even last two weeks after his departure when the group fell apart.

Diana was not even in the group. She requested indefinite leave due to a situation on Themyscira. Aquaman requested the same, when problems arose in Atlantis. And Dr. Fate, he never came back either. Nobody knew where he was.

Apparently, it was all due to Batman's grand plan.

'A tree that was rotten, could only be cut down by the roots'

This was understood by Lois and Marie. Victor, however, was left pensive by the conversation. Something Batman said left him in deep thought. Finally he asked Batman.

"Your master... is he the one who killed my father?"

Bruce just stared at him. But in the end he could only say with a sigh.

"Sigh… yes. He is"

"Where is he? ..."

"Victor, revenge is not-"

"WHERE IS HE?" Victor exploded. His eye began to glow redder than usual. A small sword materialized in his hand and pointed at Bruce's throat.

Marie had a worried look on her face, but chose not to intervene. This was a delicate matter. Bruce had brought this situation on himself. Whatever her beloved did, she would accept it.

"I don't know. I swear. I confronted him a long time ago, but after that, he moved his entire base of operations. I don't know where he's hiding. It's the truth"

<PIP, PIP. NO HEART RATE FLUCTUATIONS FOUND. BRAIN WAVE HE TELLS THE TRUTH>

"Damn it" Victor stopped pointing his gun and slumped back on the couch. He had a defeated look on his face. Bruce decided to intervene.

"When I became Batman… I was just looking to find my parents' killer and get revenge. In the end, I discovered that their killer were killed in a gang fight. However, I discovered that Falcone was the one who gave the tip-off for the death of my parents. My father was going to be Mayor of Gotham and was gaining a lot of popularity. Do you know what happened when I finally found him?"

"You let him go…"

"No. I killed him... beat him to death. It was the only death I've ever recorded to my credit. But do you know what happened after I did?"

"No..."

"I felt empty, Victor. All those years of training, for that revenge, but then, what? I had nothing to live for anymore. In the end, I asked myself, if my parents would have been proud of who I became. The answer is NO. My father was a respected doctor, he saved lives. My mother helped poor people with charities, she helped lives. So…,I decided to become Batman"

Bruce looked at his mask

"I decided to use what I had learned and become this symbol. I am not proud of everything I have done, but I live peacefully knowing that I am doing the right thing. I didn't tell you who the culprit was because I didn't want to raise suspicions, but I also didn't want you to go into that world I went into at the beginning. Revenge leads nowhere, Victor"

"You didn't have the right to decide that for me, Bruce. It was my decision"

"....You're right. I'm sorry"

Victor just got up and left. Marie followed him to comfort him. Lois and Bruce stayed in the living room. Lois finally said to him.

"He's right, Bruce. Not everyone is the same as you, or lives the same experiences as you did. He's an adult now to decide for himself, and live with his mistakes"

"I know..." Bruce said no more. He simply closed his eyes, letting the matter drop.

Thousands of thoughts were running through his head. At this moment, more than anything else he realized that he was just a human. A human with elite training, but human nonetheless.

----------------------

The next day, Victor and Marie packed their things, ready to leave for Batman's base of operations.

As such, Bruce was not idle. He secretly began to divert important resources with Oliver's help to find a base of operations. At that base, there were all the people Bruce collected who could be kidnapped or used by The Light. Some scientists, family members of the League, and even reporters who sought the truth, and were almost silenced, by members of The Light.

"Are you sure the place we're headed to, is a safe place?"

"It has advanced magical protections made by Zatara, and fairly powerful cybernetic protocols. Even, when you arrive you can help reinforce them"

"Perfect. I'd like that" Victor commented to Bruce.

He still didn't forgive him for keeping the information from him, and even thought he never would. But he understood why he did what he did. It wasn't his right, but at least he was watching out for what he thought was best for the young hero.

Lois and Marie also came out dressed in a comfortable dress, ready to go.

Then as they left the house. Said house began to shrink and fold up as if it were magic. In the end, only a small multi-colored cube, the size of Victor's palm, remained.

"Impressive. It follows Atom's compartmentalization principles, doesn't it?" Bruce exclaimed impressed.

"That's right, it doesn't shrink molecularly, but structurally. I'll improve it, when Ray comments to me and provides his nano technology"

Marie interrupted they tech geeks.

"Let's go. The sun will soon be at its maximum. I don't want to fly with the light hitting me directly in the face"

"Right... What did you say the name of the place was?" Victor asked Bruce.

"Lian Yu"

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Markovia, May 13, 20:55, 2015 (1 week after the fight)

In a large office, Vandal was watching a replay of Ghost Rider's fight with the League. He replayed each scene several times, thoroughly analyzing every detail. A man entered the room at that moment.

He had long black hair, with gray lines that contrasted his image. He had a neat, trimmed beard. He was a handsome man, and tall. He wore a purple suit with golden embroidery, giving him a majestic, regal image. He was the Lord of Chaos, Mordru. And a good friend with Vandal Savage.

"You called me?"

"Old friend, are you acclimating well?"

"My magic is returning. I'm feeling more and more powerful. I can only thank you for bringing me back to the world of the living. Being dead is horrible. I don't know how that Ras kid likes to die so many times and come back to life with that magic pit"

"Technically you weren't dead, old friend"

"You're right. Being stuck in limbo, it's worse. Being a spirit, with no power at all.... Just thinking about it, makes my hair stand on end"

Vandal smiled slightly at his friend's behavior. Who would have thought that this person, who behaved so childishly, was one of the wizards, who bent, almost everyone with his power, in his time. Finally, Vandal became serious, and said to him.

"Did you see the fight of the League, with that being, that the news called him Ghost Rider?"

"Oh, yeah. On that square thing...as you call it...television. Yeah, it's always refreshing to see a bunch of kids, fighting each other"

"So, what do you think...?"

"I liked it. I would have done things differently. But otherwise, it was entertaining"

"That's not what I wanted to tell you-"

"I KNOW, what YOU wanted to tell me" Mordru's demeanor changed completely. His playful countenance, was no longer visible. At this moment he was showing his demeanor for which he was so feared in Camelot's time.

"If you want to know, if said being, is going to ruin your plans. The answer is NO. The future has not changed. You have one year, 5 months so you can do and undo, all you want. No one will oppose you. After that... the future is uncertain"

"Mmm, time is enough to act" Vandal nodded in satisfaction at his friend's words.

"I still don't understand your whole plan, Vandal. You have a powerful group, and, when I recover, with me, you're practically unstoppable. I don't know why you take so much time and work, to realize your plan"

"Old friend. You are powerful, but you lack the strategic mind, which I do have, and have acquired throughout my long life. Kings fall. Dictators fall. Empires fall. All for one simple factor...for taking things by force"

"You are right. Politics and government don't interest me. Arthur and Morgana were better at that, than me. Me?, I sought power. I found it, and conquered"

"But, you fell in the end, didn't you?" Vandal said with a smile, which Mordru could only scorn.

"All because of my brother... Nabu. He betrayed me. He locked me up. I hate him so much. Unfortunately, I can't do anything. If I were to face him in my current power, I would lose resoundingly. In fact, he's the cause of not being able to dig deeper into the future, and that worries me...and it should worry you, too"

"Why do you say that?" Vandal raised an eyebrow at this. If anything affected his plan, he had to neutralize it no matter what.

"He knows I'm here. He knows you summoned me. But, even so, he hasn't decided to act. That being, or Ghost Rider, as they call him, is not going to act against you, because Nabu prevented it. That is, he will let you do whatever you want in the time I give you. But after that... my brother will act. And surely, Ghost Rider, be with him"

"Ghost Rider... do you know what he is?"

"If my assumptions are correct, I believe he is something, that even my master Merlin would hesitate to attack or face. A being, who has the power, to destroy all your plans, Vandal"

"If you had all your power, could you defeat him?"

"If you ask if I can kill him. The answer is NO. It's easier to kill you and that's already saying a lot. But lock him up and contain him, I might be able to. At least in its weakened version"

Vandal started to think about this. He didn't like what he heard.

'Weakened version' the realization hit him. Then, he remembered, that the fight changed outright to an all out massacre when his fire changed blue.

"You're talking about when he switched to his blue fire, that's his ultimate version, right?"

"hahahahaha, Oh NO... that blue fire, that's also his weakened version. This thing, it has power like no other, Vandal. Its real power, it can easily destroy the world. After all...NO ONE can stop a Horseman of the Apocalypse"