CHAPTER 175

Under the dimly lit night sky, shadows danced across the stone walls as a hulking figure loomed over Hawkman. The air thickened with tension, and the metallic scent of blood hung in the air. Hawkman's hands were stained crimson, evidence of the tragedy that had befallen him.

"May we find ourselves again in our next life. But for now, I have to take vengeance in your stead," he whispered, cradling Hawkwoman's lifeless form in his arms. A somber kiss on her forehead preceded the gentle placement of her body on the cold ground.

"I understand your grief, and believe me when I say it is nothing personal," he declared, standing tall as he approached Hawkman. The ominous figure dragged an imposing axe along the ground, the harsh scraping sound accentuating the gravity of the impending confrontation.

Blinded by rage and the searing pain of loss, Hawkman's gaze burned with resentment. The hulking figure spoke with a hint of pure arrogance, "Now that's the look of a man willing to fight to the death."

Unyielding, he watched as Hawkman, with a solemn grace, carefully arranged the body of his fallen lover. Mounting his mace, Hawkman took a retaliatory stance, yet his opponent remained unfazed.

 "As a show of mercy, I will quickly reunite you with your dead lover. But even in death, remember the name... Steppenwolf." The ominous declaration echoed through the chamber, setting the stage for a battle that transcended the realms of grief and vengeance.

… 

TWENTY FOUR HOURS EARLIER…

It was the day of Christmas Eve, and in the spirit of Christmas people were either eating too much or getting drunk. 

Everyone was either spending the eve with family or loved ones, even the heroes did so. Family held an important value to each of them, so they took a break from hero duties to spend time with family and friends. But they kept their guards up and would resume their duties once it's called for. 

Some villains even held parties to celebrate a successful year of crime with their involved partners and colleagues in the same line of work. 

Well, everyone was resonating with the holiday spirit and doing accordingly. Except for Batman, along with Tom and his crew of merry men. 

Batman was too paranoid to overlook one night of crime. Maybe it was just Batman being Batman but he had a lingering gut feeling throughout the day.

He assumed the feeling to be the aftermath of how him and Jason Todd had left things the other day. But to be on the safe side, he stayed watch deep in the Batcave and with Alfred by his side as they went over certain matters together. 

The thought of Lex Luthor going through with his plans, disturbingly nagged at him. Something wasn't adding up and he's been trying to figure out 

how Lex intends on taking over the Watchtower. 

Lex needed the Watchtower for his plan to be successful at a panoramic scale, he's been carefully scheming for months now and only had one try at it.

If something was to go wrong or out of line in his plans, then everything he's been working on for a long time now will blow up right back at his face. 

He was going to strip humanity of one of the most precious entitlements given to us by our creators, the right to one's own mind. 

But he knew Lex would be smart enough not to attempt manually overriding the Watchtower's system, or else it was game over for him. 

His other option was using one of the heroes to get him access to the Watchtower, so for weeks Batman had been keeping a watchful eye on the heroes. 

Batman had the League members and a few from the younger team wear a headpiece which could easily be covered with a scarf, a head warmer or with a hoodie.

It was a perfected version of the tech he had been working on, so it protects its wearer against the mental probing of psychic attacks. 

He had them wear their headgear just so they are on the safe side if they weren't fast enough to stop Lex before he launched his plan. 

Batman couldn't go head on and offensively restrain Lex Luthor or stop him, but the best offense was always a better defense. 

So he invested more energy into defense, patiently waiting for a slip up from Lex so he could apprehend him, reveal him to the world and clear their names off the bounty placed on them by Lex. 

For the most part, he prepared a counter strategy for however Lex intended to make it into the Watchtower. Batman even prepared a special suit for the purpose of fighting against Superman, leaving no leaf unturned in order to seal Lex's defeat. 

His only fear was of Lex getting hold of Jason who knew more than enough information about most hero's and at a personal level. 

Doing that could compromise a lot of heroes. Hoping Jason doesn't get mind fucked by Lex Luthor and get screwed into another one of his lapdogs like he did Superman. 

Or worse, he could willingly partner up with Lex due to the deep resentment he held against Batman for not getting him the revenge he deserved against Joker. 

"Master Bruce, I know exactly how worried you might be at the moment. Especially since humanity's fate rests literally on your shoulders. But I'd advise you take a short break to rest up that mind of yours, while I continue to keep watch in your stead."

"That's okay Alfred, but I can't take a break until I personally escort Lex Luthor to the islands of Lian Yu." He turned to look Alfred in the eye as he continued. "Not a single fiber of my being would be able to relax until I see him locked up behind the bars of The Supermax prison A.R.G.U.S specially built for people as dangerous as he is." 

Batman retreated into his chair as he clicked a button on his keyboard, sending a message to the members of the Justice League. 

They each responded with a code he had personally given to them in order to confirm their safety and report if anything unusual was happening. 

"As you can see Master Bruce, they are fine." Alfred chimed in as he handed him a cup of tea to help calm his nerves. "Even if Lex was somehow able to gain access into the tower, I am certain you would do everything in your power to stop him. Even if it meant activating the tower's emergency self-destruct functions."

Alfred reassured him, trying his best not to bring up the matter with Jason as Batman already had a lot on his plate. 

"Besides, it would be foolish for anyone to attack the base of the strongest individuals in the world." Batman said as he took a sip from his tea. 

Batman patiently awaited the next move Lex Luthor might make, fully ready to stop him at any cost. Lex was on a treasure hunt and Batman was one of the guardians who safely guarded the treasure he was after. 

… 

While the majority celebrated the day of Christmas Eve, Lex had set his plan for domination into its final stage. 

Superman had his orders and knew exactly what he needed to do, so Lex could have his way. 

A knock at the door of his office cut their debriefing short. After some seconds, the door opened as Mercy ushered their guest inside and offered him a seat. 

He could barely avert his gaze from Superman. Although Superman publicly announced his support for Lex in a news report, he refused to believe certain things reported by the media until he confirmed them for himself. 

"Don't worry, you can relax a little, we aren't his enemies." Lex reassured the Calculator. He had just witnessed the truth of the rumors flying about Lex Luthor gaining control. 

Few sources on the dark web had shared the information on Lex having the ability to push thoughts into the minds of others and without their knowledge of it. 

However, rumors or not, he came prepared wearing the subtle psychic wave nullifying earphones he purchased from the black market. 

"As you've clearly seen already, I'm backed up by powerful and highly influential individuals." Lex said as Superman just gave a subtle nod before walking out of the office. 

He was with Lois that day when he got a call from Lex and immediately came up with an excuse to disappear for a while. 

Lex Luthor's once greatest foe now does however he commands, he served Lex's cause to the best of his abilities and he did so without questioning Lex no matter how inhumane his orders might be.

Superman's mental will was so strong that Lex feared he might break the hold he had over him. So to ensure full compliance without the slightest resistance, he would push a series of objectives into Superman's head on a weekly basis.

"Over here." Lex said as he gestured for his guest hacker to follow him. 

There was a setup of different computer screens and some laptops on a wide desk which encircled half way around itself, with an office chair right at the center. "Just as you requested." Lex said, wanting him to get to work as soon as he possibly could.

The terms of their agreement stated that he wouldn't ask detailed questions on anything concerning Lex's plan and things he saw during the course of their short operation. 

Even when Lex handed him the mother box, it took a lot of willpower to stop himself from asking questions and geeking over such a rare piece of tech. 

As president of the United States by status and yet to be by title, he gave the Calculator temporary access to the nation's satellite which was closest to the Watchtower. Well, under the watchful supervision of the State's cyber security.

If he tried anything fishy, it would immediately be reported to Lex and the guard at the door side had been given strict orders to put a bullet through his head if he ever did so. 

Lex couldn't help the grin which crept across his lips as he watched the Calculator get to work. Every move he had made over the past number of months including his deal and betrayal with Gorilla Grodd, all lead to that very moment. 

Now his long labor was finally going to bear him the fruit to the ambitious seed he had sown.

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