562. Nightmare!!
Flashpoint Universe -
The scorching lava flows across the ground like the blood of the Earth, leaving behind grotesque scars all over the surface. Rivers of molten rock burst forth, pooling into a scene of total devastation.
Volcanic ash fills the sky, thick smoke covers the sun, casting everything in a grim, shadowed light. The yellowish, hazy sandstorms drift freely, completely obscuring any signs of life in the world.
The forr Gotham port is now abandoned and decaying. The once-thriving ocean has been evaporated by the lava, exposing the dried seabed beneath, with only scattered bones and shells remaining to tell of its past.
The drainage outlet of the Gotham sewers, which once served as a channel for waste to flow into the sea, is now dry and desolate. The only thing that remains is the unyielding stench.
Old Bruce Wayne peeks his head out, his gaze flickering between the scorched, waxy sky. After a long pause, he lets out a heavy sigh, finally relaxing a little.
"How's it look outside?" A dirty, disheveled girl, no older than a child, walks up behind him, asking the question.
Bruce doesn't answer imdiately, continuing to stare at the sky before he slowly turns to face her, sighing again.
"It seems quiet, but we can't let our guard down. We don't know if those creatures are out there, watching us right now."
Before the girl can respond, the Doctor Mid-Nite, who's standing nearby, takes over.
"I don't think that's likely. After we shook them off, we've been undetected for over twenty days. No signs of exposure. If they had been watching us, they would've attacked by now."
"That's not certain. Those creatures aren't the type to give up easily. Doctor, you should understand their capabilities better than we do," Bruce says, casting a sharp glance at the Doctor Mid-Nite.
The Doctor Mid-Nite falls silent, a touch of sorrow in his expression as he lowers his head.
"Here, have so water," the dirty girl, Cleo, pulls out a water bottle and offers it to Bruce.
"I'm fine, thanks. You drink it, Cleo."
Bruce waves his hand dismissively, declining the offer. His brows are furrowed, his face under the mask showing signs of aging, wrinkled with ti. His body no longer bears the strength it once had; he now seems a bit hunched.
The atmosphere is heavy, thick with tension. The only sounds are the howling wind outside and the deep, labored breaths of the four people present.
Seeing everyone else lost in their own thoughts, and the tension between them palpable, Cleo licks her cracked lips and hesitates. Ultimately, she doesn't drink but instead hands the water bottle to the last person besides herself and the others.
"Stephanie, you should have so water."
"Enough!"
The girl nad Stephanie snaps, abruptly opening the bottle.
Her lips quiver as she looks at Cleo. The action clearly provokes her.
Stephanie glares at Cleo, tears welling up in her bloodshot eyes.
"If it weren't for you—"
She takes a deep breath, her hand clutching the Robin emblem on her chest.
"Tim... Tim he…"
In the dim light streaming from the opening above, Cleo can see that Stephanie is wearing a Robin costu—though it's obviously a male version, and one that looks old and worn from the first generation.
Hearing Stephanie's quiet sob, Cleo slowly lowers her head, unsure of what to say.
"Robin." Hearing the commotion behind him, Bruce Wayne's pain only deepens. He turns slightly to face the group. "Don't say it."
"What? Did I say sothing wrong?"
Stephanie stands up, not caring that her mascara is smudged from the tears. She points at Cleo and speaks through gritted teeth, full of rage.
"Don't pretend to be the victim here! If it wasn't for you, Tim wouldn't have died! You're just like your useless father—both of you deserve to be with rats!"
"Shut up! Stop talking!"
Bruce Wayne interrupts her sharply, his voice filled with anger.
The room falls silent.
Stephanie, breathing heavily, tightens her fists. Though her anger is boiling over, she refrains from arguing with Bruce. Instead, she gives Cleo a cold, hateful stare.
Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Bruce Wayne gradually regains composure. He looks at the two young won, around twenty years old, before his gaze rests on Stephanie.
"...Stephanie, I understand your anger, but you need to realize—it's not just you who's lost family and loved ones. Tim was also my family, Cleo has her own family, the doctor has his... Everyone standing here has endured the pain of losing loved ones."
"So what, Bruce?"
Stephanie steps forward, standing right in front of Bruce.
"Tell , what were you doing when disaster struck? When the Justice Society fell, where were you?"
Stephanie pointed at the Robin emblem on her chest, her voice sharp and asured as she questioned Bruce.
"Looking at Tim's uniform, tell , Bruce, where were you when Tim sacrificed himself? Where were you when your family was killed?"
"I..." Old Bruce Wayne opened his mouth, trying to say sothing, but no words ca out.
In his mind, the image of Barry Allen sacrificing himself to save him flashed. The Flash hadn't even realized he was dying, his face still frozen in the joy of saving Batman.
The image shifted, and Tim's death, his unblinking eyes, haunted Bruce's mind.
He could never forget the scene when he returned to the Batcave after great hardship. The Batcave had been completely destroyed, and Tim's body was strung up at the top of Wayne Manor. The blood dripping from the body had long since dried, leaving only the lifeless form of Tim with a determined expression.
Old Bruce Wayne closed his eyes, his face contorted in agony.
"Enough, Robin. Bruce has his own burdens," Doctor Mid-Nite said, gently pushing Stephanie back a few steps before continuing.
"I couldn't save my friend either. Hourman died right before my eyes, along with Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Shazam. Those events are in the past. If you really want to avenge your man, then you should focus on staying united, venting your anger on our enemies, not tearing each other apart."
"Turning the tide?"
Stephanie gave a bitter smile.
"Just the four of us? We're just ordinary people. Even if we call ourselves superheroes, what difference does it make? Everyone knows, and you know too, that the only reason they've kept us around is because we pose no real threat to them."
"Maybe we still have reinforcents?" Doctor Mid-Nite suggested, looking toward Batman.
"Reinforcents?"
Stephanie shook her head. "We can't count on Green Lantern anymore. The ring is gone, I saw it with my own eyes the night the Bat-Signal was destroyed."
"No reinforcents, Doctor. None."
"No."
Old Bruce Wayne spoke up.
"We have reinforcents."
He opened his eyes, his expression becoming more resolute. He turned his head to face Stephanie and t her gaze with unwavering determination.
"Believe , Stephanie, we still have reinforcents, and that is..."
Boom—
Just as Old Bruce Wayne was about to speak, a loud sonic boom echoed from the sky.
The four of them instantly tensed, and even Cleo couldn't help but stand up, joining Doctor Mid-Nite.
"He's found us," Doctor Mid-Nite said, staring anxiously at the sky.
Batman and Stephanie already had their weapons out, preparing for the threat that was about to arrive.
"This can't be. We've shaken them off for over twenty days. How could they have found us now?" Cleo said, her voice trembling as she pulled out a small knife.
"Who knows? It's possible, like Batman said, that they've been watching us this whole ti. Maybe they've been waiting for us to gather together, then they'll strike all at once," Doctor Mid-Nite said, shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter," Stephanie stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bruce. She turned to look at him and muttered without expression, "Anyway, I have nothing left to lose."
When she looked up again, a shadow blocked out the light from the drainage outlet, looming overhead.
Cleo took a deep breath, seeing a muscular man in black, incredibly strong, with a rusted lightning bolt emblem on his chest.
His tattered cape hung down his back, and he hovered in mid-air, his eyes locked in a complicated gaze with Bruce Wayne, who stood in the front.
At the sight of him, Batman's expression darkened.
"Teth-Adam."
"Long ti no see, Bruce."
Teth-Adam spoke slowly, but his eyes were filled with madness and loss of control.
"You should know, Kahndaq was the most important thing to . But you allowed it to fall into ruin."
"Adam, I..." Batman started, wanting to say sothing.
"I trusted you, Bruce," Teth-Adam's face twitched before returning to a calm, cold expression.
"You've deeply disappointed ."
He slowly raised his hand, and destructive lightning crackled around his palm.
Seeing this, the expressions of everyone present changed instantly.
Before Batman could react, blinding white light surged toward them, filling his vision—
"No!"
A cold shiver ran down Batman's spine, and he jerked upright from his chair.
.....
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