Chapter 34: Emancipation 5

Well, I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind
I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time
But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
I feel there's nothing I can do, yeah

I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
After all I knew, it had to be something to do with you
I really don't mind what happens now and then
As long as you'll be my friend at the end

********

"Fury," Amanda greeted the dark-skinned man neutrally, not letting any emotion into her voice.

"Waller," the older man responded just as neutrally.

To the casual observer, it might have looked like a tense standoff between two 'rival' department heads. The PRT was US-based while SHIELD was international, but both operated as 'normal' bureaus that dealt with the 'abnormal.' Both directors were notoriously stubborn people, neither with powers of their own but managing to hold their high in the presence of heroes and gods.

There was some truth to that supposition that they were rivals, but it failed to capture all the subtext in that greeting. Neither let it show, but there was a wealth of knowledge and emotion conveyed in those two words.

A greeting between two former lovers.

An acknowledgment of the seriousness of the situation.

A silent request for support and an equally quiet answer in the affirmative.

Amanda didn't trust Nick completely, and she was sure he felt the same way about her. SHIELD and the PRT had worked together before, even if their jurisdictions were different, but you couldn't be too careful in the cutthroat world of politics and espionage. Nevertheless, both were the only two 'normal' people in this meeting, and a certain amount of solidarity could be expected to not be overwhelmed by the others present.

"Director," Rogers nodded at Amanda before doing the same to Nick with an amused smile. "Director. If you don't mind, we should call each other by name. Otherwise, things will get confusing."

"Good to see you, Captain," Nick shook the hero's hand firmly. Only Amanda's familiarity with the old man allowed her to notice the slight slacking in his jaw.

Nick Fury didn't like too many people, but Captain America was top of his list of those he did. Primarily due to their long familiarity during WWII. When Steve Rogers was first found and thawed, Fury was one of the only active people still around who were familiar with the time-displaced man due to his slowed ageing.

It was also thanks to Fury's recommendation that Steve Rogers was nominated for head of the Protectorate after Eidolon's leadership proved... lacking.

"Rogers," Amanda greeted the American icon neutrally. While not to the same degree as Fury, she still held some admiration for Captain America, as did anyone from her generation, but she wouldn't let that show. As a black woman with no powers, she could allow no weaknesses if she wanted to maintain respect and authority.

"Shall we head in," Rogers said, opening the door to the meeting room.

Though they were in the Hall of Justice, everyone knew that the building was but a facade of the proper League headquarters that allowed the public to feel secure in their ability to 'monitor' the international team. This meeting room wasn't one of the public ones, instead serving as a place where they could talk without being overheard while still being 'public.'

The wonders of international politics.

The room they entered was large enough to handle two dozen people easily, though only three seats at the large table were occupied.

Superman and Green Lantern were chatting with each other while Batman plugged away at a computer terminal. The Hero of Tomorrow noticed their arrival and stood to welcome them with a friendly smile.

"Welcome," he said as he shook their hands in turn before indicating s their seats. "Thank you for arriving at such short notice. I imagine you are all busy."

"We are," Amanda said as she took her place. Fury sat to her left, and Roger on his left in turn. Her words were curt and direct. Dictating the pace of the meeting was critical. "We have read the files. Let's get on with it."

"Very well." Never losing his affable smile, Superman nodded to Batman, who pressed a button on the table. "It is 2pm Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, October 21st, 2018. This meeting serves as a conjoining of information on the subject of designation: ELDEN LORD, also going by the name Mikael. This recording of this meeting is accessible to those with UN-13 security clearance. Participants are; Captain America as leader of the Protectorate, Nicholas Fury in his capacity as director of SHIELD, Amanda Waller in her capacity as director of the Parahuman Response Team, Green Lantern in his capacity as Lantern of Sector 2814, Batman as technical support, and Superman as coordinator. All accounted for."

When the Justice League was first formed as a body able to handle international incidents and galactic threats, there were concerns that it and SHIELD were too American-focused. Though many of its members hailed from other countries or planets, the headquarters were in the US, as were many of its founding members' hometowns.

To assuage this, the League went out of its way to keep other member nations abreast of ongoing efforts and situations by keeping detailed records so long as doing so didn't threaten security.

Amanda was sure most information was kept need to know, but the token effort did assuage many concerned nations to a degree.

She didn't buy it one bit.

"This meeting is a follow-up to the meeting on September 24th, 2018, in the wake of the events of the night of September 21st and the following days. For more details, please see the record." With the formal proceedings out of the way, Superman nodded to Captain America. "In order of chronological events, the following documented appearance of the Elden Lord was on October 11th in New York. Videos are in the record. Captain, if you would."

"The Avengers never interacted with the Elden Lord or his associates directly, and neither has any member of the Protectorate." Captain America's words were delivered with the measured efficiency of a soldier. He leaned over the meeting table and inserted a USB into the port as he spoke. And image two women, one tall and blonde and the other shorter with pointed ears, floated above the table. "We did gather intel from witnesses, including interviewing Spider-man and Stephen Strange. I will not go over everything as it can be found in the report on the incident. The talk with Stephen Strange is classified as UN-16 classified and thus will not be discussed in this meeting."

Amanda had read that report.

What a shit show.

She had torn the head of NY PRT a new one for their poor response time. If they had been better coordinated and not left things to a vigilante, sanctioned or not, they might have been able to confront the Elden Lord then and there. The effort might still have failed, but the option would have been possible, and they would have more information than they would now.

As it was, it felt like everyone was reacting to everything the crazy Dragon did rather than being proactive and dictating the pace of their encounters.

Needless to say, nobody at this table was happy being so out of their depth.

"At the time of the incident, Spider-man believed only Glynda and Medea were present." Steve continued professionally. "It should be noted that Raven, the umbrakinetic, has never been recorded on camera, and we are unaware of her range or the extent of her abilities and appearance. Mikeal was also using a Stranger power at the time, likely due to the inhuman nature of his form and a desire to remain inconspicuous. Either he was unable to, or unwilling, to spread that ability to his companions, so it has been graded at 2+ due to so many people proving immune. Spider-man commented that, while he could hear the Elden Lord's voice, he only perceived it as a doll at first. It was only after a considerable mental effort that he was able to connect the two."

"And Rhino? What is the situation with him?" Amanda asked, looking over the pictures of the Russian man in his new cell.

"Appears no worse for wear. He maintains the same strength as when equipped with the super suit, which shouldn't be possible." Batman grumbled. "Numerous doctors are keeping an eye on him and the suit itself. They have been unable to determine how the Elden Lord separated the two without killing Alexsi."

"The Elden Lord's group had the option of not revealing themselves." Captain America pointed out good-naturedly. "Cameras in the area indicate that they sensed the commotion well before Rhino first appeared, possibly due to the precognition Glory Girl mentioned. They stepped out of the way initially, but once they evaluated the situation, they stepped in. They stopped the rampage, saving civilians in the process, and also repaired the damage. Consideration should be given to their heroic leanings when making a threat assessment."

"Threat assessment is not a morality test," Fury said. "It is an evaluation of a being's or group's potential to harm society and humanity as a whole."

"But we cannot ignore the potential for good even if they could be a threat," Superman said seriously to the spy before turning back to Rogers with a smile. "Is there anything else you would like to put on record?"

"Only that the party had breakfast at a nearby cafe before proceeding to Stephen Strange's house," the head of the Avengers said. "We have interviewed a few of the people there, including a couple they talked to, but we could not dig out any new details."

"Thank you," Superman nodded at the Captain, who sat down. "Director Waller, would you mind telling us about the incident that occurred in the early morning hours of October 17th at Panacea Park?"

Amanda stood and slid her USB port into the console in the center of the table. Batman quickly pulled up the relevant files and projected an image of a dark park lit by fluorescent leaves. Ten figures, half hidden by the dim light, were visible. The two X-men, Amelia and Victoria Dallon, and the Elden Lord and his 'consorts.'

"The first indication of the incident was at 0200 when all cameras in Panacea Park went dark. Initially, it was believed to be a power issue. After contacting tech support, the agents determined that the cameras were still operating correctly. Following procedure, the agents reported the incident, flagging it as low priority and thus to be addressed in the morning. At 0211, Amelia Dallon arrived, and we got a good look at the situation. Our Tinkers and Thinkers are still looking over the trees to determine if they are a biological threat."

"Why was the Protectorate not alerted?" Batman asked, almost accusingly.

"One of the agents on duty was present during the Joker incident six years ago," Amanda bit back. Deflecting the topic to the Dark Knight's own failings and answering the question. "He was one of the few survivors of the battle with the Red Queen, his injuries removing him from the field, and had been sworn to secrecy on Operation Red-demption. He recognized Amelia Dallon and, understanding the significance of the footage, took steps to ensure the security of the information. He alerted the head of PRTENE, who made her way to headquarters. He also ensured the other agents knew that security leaks would be punished severely. Were it not for the mutant who leaked the news later, the incident would have been quietly contained, and he would have received a promotion."

"We have apprehended the woman," Fury said. "Going by the tag 'SeeingEYE,' this is not the first time she leaked confidential information. She is detained until further notice and tried for her crimes."

Bullshit, Amanda thought as she eyed the spy. The mutant would likely be 'persuaded' to work for SHIELD to lighten her sentence. It also rankled Waller that Fury had been able to capture her so fast. It had only been days since the incident.

"Were it not for her, this situation would be adequately handled, thanks to the actions of my agents," Amanda continued. "Further review of the cameras in the park revealed that the Elden Lord, Medea, and Glynda visited the day of the New York incident. It was not flagged due to the Stranger power. Piecing information together, the Elden Lord likely visited the park to revive Amelia Dallon and use her abilities to build himself a human body. He possibly learned about Operation Red-demption through communing with the dead and then approached her with the offer of resurrecting her sister for her compliance."

While most people were hung up on coming back to life and the knowledge of afterlives, Amanda was more concerned with the threat operational security would face if someone could talk to the dead. It meant silencing people would not be as simple as killing them but doing so in a way that ensured they couldn't convey important information after death.

"All other information is in the reports and video," Amanda said and sat down without prompting. Though this was supposed to be a conjoining of information, the PRT and Protectorate were US entities, unlike SHIELD and the Justice League. Sharing extra information was something she didn't do unless absolutely necessary. Fury could spout all he wanted about 'defending the world,' but Amanda held America's interests first.

The entire park had been placed under quarantine due to the trees counting as biotinker experiments. The other countries didn't need to know about the few drops of blood they managed to gather from the dirt that had fallen from Panacea's hands.

"Thank you, Director Waller," Superman said and nodded to Green Lanter. The space cop had been silent and only observed the situation until now. "Green Lantern has just returned to earth after investigating the Elden Lord in space for the last month. Captain Marvel has not returned yet from her investigations, but once she does, we will update the report."

"I am afraid I do not have too much news to share." With a wave of his hand, a green glow formed over the table. A large image was projected, egglike in shape and filled with stars. Grid lines separated the image into sectors. "This is a universe representation, categorized into 3600 sectors by the Green Lantern Corps." A small blue dot, out in the middle of nowhere, glowed. "This is sector 2814. Us."

A line flowed from the dot along the edge of the diagram. It didn't cross through the center but still covered a massive swathe of the chart. The line continued beyond the image into unknown territory.

"This is the route the Elden Lord took to reach earth, as best as I can tell. I have talked with the Guardians of the Universe, and they have no record of the being known as the Elden Lord before his appearance last month. This means he doesn't originate from the 3600 sectors but what is referred to as the Unknown Sectors, those not properly mapped by the Lanterns. As reported, on his way here, he was noted by another lantern by happenstance. Going on the premise of this not being his first visit to earth, it is possible that all past visits were not catalogued due to his travel speed. Over the last month, I have been combing along this trail to try and discover anything about past visits or other planets he has arrived at."

"That is Shi'ar territory," Superman said with a frown. Amanda was familiar with the big names in space, and the Shi'ar commanded one of the largest known empires.

"That was the main problem I faced," Green Lantern nodded. "The Shi'ar Empire recently skirmished with the Thanagarians. On top of that, one of their capital worlds was ransacked by a third force from a rogue planet, not from any empires. As you can imagine, they were not too thrilled to have external factors present, Green Lantern or not."

"So you were not able to get anything," Amanda said disparagingly.

"I could not get anything on the Elden Lord from the Shi'ar, though I was able to update the League's database on potential space-born threats that I discovered. The complete list can be examined later and isn't pertinent to this meeting. Still, a few of note are Orion, the one to ransack the Shi'ar, the Sun-eater's location, and Galactus' most recent meal in the Thanagarian domain. That was the spark of the conflict between the two civilizations. The trip wasn't completely wasted on the dragon front, either. I did manage to find one group that did have records of the Elden Lord. The Voldi."

"I am not familiar with the name," Fury said.

"I would be shocked if you were," Superman explained. "They are an old but tiny community. No military force to speak of. Despite being technologically advanced, they lean on the Shi'ar and Kree for protection and seldom leave their home. They concern themselves more with drinking, partying, and courtly intrigue. I cannot imagine them being more well informed than the Shi'ar."

"Well-informed would be a stretch," Green Lanter nodded, and his projected image shifted from the universe to a triangular spacecraft. "This is the Voldi Tear, their artificial homeworld. It is mobile and well-cloaked. I only discovered it by accident by following the trail of the Elden Lord who passed it by. According to them, this is the second time the race met the Dragon, though records of that incident are ancient. Millions of years old, to be exact and steeped in religious rhetoric."

"What did you find?" Amanda asked directly.

"To quote their records, translated into English, 'In the wake of the Void Falcon, the Heart of Voldi did travel, filled with gratitude and reverence. Though the pilgrimage was long and winding, the feathered people discovered the Sleeper. Shaped as a Winged White Serpent, it wrapped the Void Falcon in a loving embrace as it reposed. From their union, all Life is sprung.' The next few pages are pretty much love poetry about the union of the 'Void Falcon' and the 'Sleeper.' It is incredibly dense stuff, and I only connected the Sleeper to the Elden Lord because of a mural of a white dragon with six wings curling around a jewel."

"So they worship it," Amanda surmised.

"They do, though it is regarded as half myth, half real. Near the end of the 'chapter' of their religious text dedicated to it, a few things stood out to me. Firstly, they were 'guided by the Sleeper's Dream to a new pilgrimage.' In other words, the Elden Lord got rid of them while they were still asleep without destroying them. Not only that, but they could never find the 'mating grounds' again. Finally, the chapter ends with a prophecy. 'Once the Sleeper awakes from his Dream, the Heart of the Voldi shall overflow with Life as the Void Falcon joins its Lord in Holy Matrimony.' Also, records indicate the 'prophet' went mad in his later years, though how that was isn't recorded."

"What is this Void Falcon?" Amanda asked. "Another one of its 'consorts?'"

"The Voldi were very cagey about it," Green Lantern projected an image of a bird made out of stars. "They didn't have any pictures of it, despite insisting it was a real entity, only more murals like the Elden Lord. From my inference, they not only rever several 'deities,' such as the Void Falcon, but they also harvest some of the energies they leave behind to power their homeworlds. This would mean the Void Falcon is a real thing and powerful, but they don't want to attract its attention, so they stay away. Is it a 'consort'? I do not know, though it is likely. It could be Raven, the umbrakinetic we haven't seen, as it would fit the imagery. But we also must accept the possibility that the Elden Lord has consorts or other retainers not currently with him."

"Ranni mentioned 'conquering' worlds, so we have to assume he has a large resource base to draw on when making a threat assessment. We cannot let the earth become one of those," Batman chimed in harshly.

"Anything else?" Amanda asked the Green Lantern with pursed lips.

"No," he shook his head and sat down. "Other cultures, planets, or organizations may have met or seen the Elden Lord before, but I could not find them, and they didn't record it with the Oans. I was also unable to find any indication of the 'mating grounds,' though that is probably in the Unknown Sectors, which are nowhere near as populous as the 3600 known ones."

"Thank you for the effort, nonetheless. Batman?"

"Evaluations of the Island are ongoing," the cowled man said. "We have determined that those with 'malicious' intent can access the pocket dimension. Nobody who has done so has returned, and no information has been transmitted across the barrier. Those with neutral or even peaceful desires have been able to cross the barrier."

"They are letting enemies in but not allies?" Amanda said sharply. That was something someone would only do with a plan of some sort.

"So it seems," Batman said severely. "Estimates of the number of lives lost have reached the hundreds. No further information."

"Anyone have anything else to add?" Superman asked the table. Nobody answered. "Then we shall proceed with threat assessment. Please note that the Elden Lord is an extinction-level entity due to its size alone. By that token, it should be treated cautiously and not antagonized if possible."

"Something the League did before consulting the UN," Fury pointed out.

"They had limited time and information," Captain America rose to his friend's defence. "Given the situation, we would not be dealing with this headache if they could prevent the Elden Lord from arriving at the earth. The initial plan was to open diplomatic channels. Ranni's intervention was completely unpredictable and led to escalation."

"But they couldn't prevent it from landing," Amanda joined Fury's argument. She actually agreed with the League's actions. Earth was not a pit stop for every alien out there, and stopping it off-planet would have been ideal. Still, pressure on the League's failure indirectly strengthened her negotiation position. "Now we have a sleeping dragon in our backyard, which you all pissed off."

"Whether the League's actions were appropriate or not is not the topic of this meeting," Superman said, interrupting a potential argument before it got off the ground. "As mentioned, the Dragon is an extinction-level threat. That being said, it has displayed the ability to project an avatar while its main body rests in place. This is probably due to how inconvenient its size is in daily life and interacting with natives. Our current theory is that it lands on a planet, finds some way to assume the form of the main species to integrate itself with them and recruits its desirable members. It has been to earth before, after the Grecian heroic age, where it recruited Medea, Scathach, and an unknown Amazon that we only know about because of Ranni's comments to Wonder Woman."

"Have we heard from Thymescria?" Fury asked.

"We have not," Batman said. "With Wonder Woman... indisposed, communication has cut off for the moment."

"We can communicate and interact with the Elden Lord's avatar," Superman continued when Batman stopped. "That is the main focus of this meeting. What are the PRT's current classifications for it?"

"Based solely on what we have observed and deduced," Amanda bit out, not happy that the hero was shifting the topic, even if he was technically correct. "We have assigned these tentative ratings to the avatar of the Elden Lord, Mikael. Mover 7+, Brute 3+, Master 11+, Thinker 6+, Striker 5+, Trump 15+, and Stranger 3+. It should be noted that we have not seen the Elden Lord engage in any conflict. We have no idea how he fights, his combat abilities, or how he operates with his 'consorts.' All consorts are categorized as Mover 3+, Brute 3+, Thinker 4+, and Trump 6+ until further notice. Individual abilities will vary between them. Of note, Glynda is a 9+ Shaker, Yoruichi is an 8+ Mover, Scathach is a 7+ Brute, and Ranni is a Master/Striker/Trump 8+. All the pluses indicate the abilities are probably higher rated than recorded."

"And those are the only ones we know about," Fury sighed.

It was hard not to feel scared by those numbers. They were rated on the risk they posed to a skilled team of PRT responders. Strictly speaking, it wasn't the high numbers that were the problem. Many villains had even more egregious ratings. Superman was a Brute 10, and Batman a Thinker 9 by the PRT. That were just two of many heroes the world had to offer, and only some of their ratings.

The real problem was twofold.

The number of people under the Elden Lord and the unknown nature of their actual limits.

Even if they never discovered any other 'consorts' and the group didn't have any other hidden cards, the fact was that they had a potentially unlimited force. Mikael's ability to resurrect people meant they would never be outnumbered. It was like a worse version of the Fairy Queen, who only 'resurrected' powers in the shape of users and was hard-locked to 3.

Mikael did not have that limit and thus the higher Trump rating. The only reason the Master rating wasn't higher was that he hadn't shown a direct method of control over those he resurrected than simply holding their lives in his hands.

So far, at least.

More than that, as mentioned, the group had never been in a severe conflict. The few skirmishes with Rhino and Wolverine showed that even some decently powerful Supers would be easily handled.

Everyone at this table would rather deal with a powerful entity whose abilities were known than a weaker unknown variable.

"That generally matches the League's evaluation," Batman said. "We have also investigated the nature of the Dark Moon. As of now, there are no indications of any abilities or effects caused by its presence. The most common explanation by our magic and divine specialists is that it is simply a symbol of Ranni that appears wherever she is. Something common to gods, though its size and widespread nature, means she is very powerful. If she were actively using it in some fashion, we would know immediately and try to counteract it. We placed her at a 9+ due to the risks instead of an 8."

"Any disagreements," Superman asked the table and continued when no one spoke up. "Then those shall be the provisional ratings until further information is gained. What shall the operating procedures for interacting with the Elden Lord and his consorts?"

"Friendly," Captain America said immediately. "Not only has he not engaged in any hostilities unless provoked, but he has also shown a disposition for heroics rather than villainy. Until such time as shown otherwise, we should treat them as potential heroes."

"That is naive," Amanda said in response. "Not only does it disregard the potential threat they pose, but it also ignores the worlds he destroyed. We have yet to learn about his goals beyond his desire to meet someone on earth. For all we know, he will destroy the planet and move on once he does. We also need to consider his willingness to operate outside the law. The Justice League and the Protectorate can only exist within the bounds of the laws they are beholden to. He has made no overtures for diplomacy and has galavanted as he wishes. We need to consider countermeasures when he inevitably takes action villainously."

"That is under the assumption there are actions we can take," Green Lanter pointed out. "No matter what we have done, nothing we did while facing him proved successful."

"Because we were unprepared and flew off half-cocked," Amanda insisted. "Once we can figure out his ability to dimensionally shift and counteract it, we will be on an even playing field."

"It would be stupid to antagonize him before then," Fury said. "We have to treat this like the end of WWII. He is the US with nuclear weapons we do not have. He can destroy us without retaliation."

"Mutually assured destruction?" Rogers asked with a frown. "That is an extreme option, especially if he finds out we were researching how to 'nuke' him. Remember, he has been to earth before. Possibly multiple times, even. He didn't destroy the world then, and there is no indication he intends to now. He could be a great help with the Endbringers as well. We would lose out on a massive advantage if we antagonize him needlessly."

Everyone at the table grimaced at the mention of the Endbringers. They had all lost friends and family to the beasts, and the Elden Lord was the only one to have killed one so far.

"We cannot forget the popular support he is enjoying," Green Lantern pointed out. "People from all over the world travel to the outskirts of his pocket dimension. There are festivals named after him. I've only been back for a few days, but I have seen people half-worshiping him. He was already seen favourably due to the Simurgh but with his most recent stunt talk of him is almost deific. If we are seen antagonizing him recklessly and pointlessly, I fear we could have revolts in the streets." His point was countered by a surprising source.

"We cannot let his 'followers' interfere with this decision," Batman said. "What is the threat he poses, and what do we do about it? That is all we should be accounting for. The duty of the League has always been the safety of humanity, even if humanity doesn't want it. We have already established he is a threat to humanity, good-natured or not. We have to treat him as such."

Amanda was surprised by the Bat's interjection. Despite being intelligent and secretive, the caped crusader tended to side with the more merciful decisions due to morality issues. The slight widening of Fury's eyes also showed that the director of SHIELD was surprised by his hard-line stance.

"A foreign power," Fury repeated. "One with launch codes. Maintain basic diplomacy, limited engagement if possible, until we can deal some damage in the event of a conflict. We don't have to treat him like an enemy, but we should be prepared if he becomes one. We simply know too little now."

"Hope for peace but preparing for war ensures that war is inevitable," Captain America pointed out. "That being said, I cannot disagree about knowing too little." There were noises of affirmation from around the table.

"Then we can agree that gather information remains the priority?" Superman asked, and everyone agreed.

With a baseline established, the rest of the meeting passed without too many issues. They went into more detail on individual 'consorts' and drafted a primary 'first contact' procedure for when any of their groups met the Elden Lord or any of his group.

"Unless anyone has anything to add, we shall adjoin here." When nobody spoke up, Superman nodded. "Then we shall meet again at the summit with any further discoveries. In case of emergency, please contact the League for help."

Nobody at the table believed there wouldn't be another incident before the UN Summit after New Year. Their world wasn't so convenient to let months go without some sort of disaster. On top of that, the next Endbringer attack was expected in another month and a half or so.

Amanda stood up with the others. Superman pulled Batman off to the side, Green Lantern left for home, and Rogers started talking to Fury. She just walked out of the building and the Hall of Justice.

She had to stop by Cadmus on top of her usual duties as Director of the PRT. There was work to do today.

********

"Go home, Clark," Batman said as he typed away at his terminal.

The cowled hero had always been curt, even rude at times, but recently his manners had gone further downhill. Most probably didn't notice, but Clark was Bruce's best friend, and they had worked closely together for years.

While most would think it was due to an ongoing issue with the Elden Lord, Clark knew it had originated long before.

"I've ignored it for the last few months," Clark said seriously, verifying that nobody was around before continuing. "But you need to tell me what is going on with you."

"Nothing is going on with me," Batman did not even pause in his typing.

"Really?" Clark said doubtfully. "So you didn't just recommend we ignore the wishes of a good portion of humanity? That we attack someone unprovoked? That we get rid of our one shot at destroying the Endbringers?"

"The Justice League does not work on the whims of humanity but based on preserving it. Attacking the Elden Lord was not my argument. Investigating the means to do so was. And with the knowledge of the Cores, we do not need the Elden Lord to destroy the Endbringers." Batman said all that with barely a thought, still not looking at Superman as he worked on his project, a new base for the League.

They were all excellent points and perfectly in keeping with Batman's modus operandi.

They also were just excuses.

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"You called me Clark."

Batman stopped typing.

The Hall of Justice was the public-facing headquarters of the League. It was as secure as they could make it while staying available to the public.

That being said, it wasn't completely safe.

Secret identities were paramount to the safety of the heroes' loved ones. Superman and Batman had nasty enemies who would stop at nothing to hurt them. Because of that, it was common practice to never use personal names in the Hall.

For Batman, of all people, to call him Clark in a meeting room with recording equipment, even if he could edit it later, meant something was seriously wrong.

"I've ignored it for the last few months," Clark said as Batman made no move to speak. "I know how you operate and when you are on a case. You've been moving behind the scenes since May, and I want to know what about."

"As you said," Batman resumed typing. "It's a case."

"One that requires you to talk to every pre-cog you can find? I didn't say anything when you met Madame Web, Blindfold, or Destiny. I didn't even say anything when you went out of your way to find Circe or Morgaine. But ever since the Elden Lord appeared, you have not been yourself, and it has worsened in the last few days. Whatever this case is, tell us so we can help."

"Go home, Superman," Batman repeated. "I'm sure your family is waiting for you."

"They'll understand if I tell them I am worried about my friend." While Bruce could be incredibly stubborn, so could Clark.

Especially about his friends.

For minutes they stood there, Batman typing away at the blueprints for the space station and Superman staring down at his friend, willing him to understand this wasn't something he would budge on. The only break was when he waved goodbye to Steve and promised to invite him for dinner one of these days.

It took half an hour of being alone in the room, but eventually, Batman made a decision.

"Six months ago, I collaborated on a project with Parker Industries. One designed to allow us to fight the Simurgh. We called it the Clairvoyant."

"So we could predict her as she predicts us," Superman could see the logic. The problem with facing the Simurgh had always been the difference in information.

How do you fight someone who knows precisely what you will do?

"We never got the chance to try and deploy it in the field," Batman continued. "We did test it extensively. It can't be perfect, but we have determined what it predicts will happen 99.999% of the time." Superman let out a low whistle. For a man-made device, that was incredible.

"So you've been meeting with pre-cogs to refine it," Clark now understood why Bruce had been talking with Watchdog almost daily for the last few weeks.

"No," Batman refuted. "There will always be uncertainty when it comes to prophesy. That is simply how the world works. The only problem the clairvoyant faces is its power requirement. You can only use it daily with the equivalent of a Dyson sphere. We have been able to use Arc-reactor technology to streamline it to a degree and receive predictions once a month or so. We are still working on shortening the intervals while asking questions when it is charged. In May, we asked it when the next League member was going to die."

Clark tensed, not liking where this was going.

"It said that Superman would die before the end of the year."

A wealth of conflicting emotions filled the Kryptonian.

Disbelief due to the unexpected answer.

Relief that it was he and not his friends who were in danger.

Fear. A cold fear he rarely felt due to his abilities. There were very few threats that could harm him.

"Once we heard that, we took steps to gather more information," Batman continued his voice grave. "We not only consulted with pre-cogs and clairvoyants but also predictive thinkers. Only some future tellers have applicable abilities, and the Endbringers are a blank spot for many, but we could not disprove the clairvoyant even after talking to all of them."

"That's what you think would do it," Clark realized, his voice sounding oddly calm even to his ears. "The Endbringer attack at the end of the year."

"Initially," Batman gave a tiny nod. "We continued to question the device when we could. We narrowed it down to late November, and the cause of death would be brute force. We also determined that over fifty heroes and tens of thousands of civilians would die on the same day. The Endbringers were the most likely suspect."

"Were," Clark noticed Bruce's word choice.

"Were," Batman nodded again. "When the Elden Lord entered our dimension, all magical forms of clairvoyance stopped working. The magic community is calling it the Blinding. We only know it was caused by the Dragon because of Dr. Fate and Dr. Strange."

"That's good, isn't it? No prophecy, no fate, no problem."

"Predictive models still work," Batman bluntly answered. "Watchdog's thinkers and the clairvoyant still function because they use mathematical models, not magic. We tested. More than that, the predicted time frame has shifted. It is now supposed to happen sooner."

"...when?" Clark asked softly, his mouth dry.

"Within the next week," Batman said just as softly.

"What? A week! You've known all this time, and you only tell me now!" Clark started to pace, head spinning.

Some might feel surprised at the sight of Superman panicking, but he was still a man. A man who could feel fear and who had just heard his best friend tell him he had a week to live.

It was hard not to feel angry at Bruce, even if they were friends. He knew Batman was secretive, but this was not something he should have kept quiet.

"We initially still had a month left," Batman defended.

"If not for the Elden Lord... That is why you are so harsh on him. You think he will kill me!"

"We were able to determine the threat was extraterrestrial in nature, called The Ultimate, and it has destroyed worlds before."

"The title is different, but everything else could be the Elden Lord," Clark could see the logic. Elden Lord was but one of many titles Ranni had called Mikael. It wasn't unreasonable to think he had others, possibly from different cultures. "You must have investigated more than just that. Weaknesses, ways to mitigate the damage and lessen the loss of life."

"We did. We are aware of no weaknesses, though the best way to reduce loss of life is immediate evacuation using all available hands." Batman almost said more, but he paused, lips pursed.

"No more secrets," Superman said seriously, seeing his hesitance. Batman finally spoke after a moment. There was a deep sadness in his voice, one Clark had only heard when the man spoke of his parents.

"You win."

Two words.

Two words, telling Clark so much.

Though he would die, he would emerge victorious in the end. At the cost of his life, he would end a threat that destroyed worlds and killed thousands of innocent people.

More than that, it told Clark that only he could do it.

Batman was smart. He would have considered sending Clark off-world or trapping him to protect him. Keeping him from danger had probably been his first thought. Most likely, all these further consultations with prophets and clairvoyants had been searching for a way to achieve victory without Superman.

In other words, if Clark didn't fight, if he didn't die, then they wouldn't win.

Or win at such costs that it wasn't worth it.

The two friends stood in charged silence for a moment, a doom hanging between them.

The silence was interrupted by a ringing.

Batman's wrist-mounted computer blinked a grey light in rapid succession. The caped crusader frowned at Clark.

"Answer it," Superman said.

The fact it was ringing at all meant it was an emergency. Most of Batman's communications were set to silent to not break stealth if he was in the field. With a look that spoke volumes at his friend, Bruce lifted his gauntlet and pressed a few buttons. A holographic image of a masked face hovered in the air.

"Nightwing," Bruce said simply to his former protege and current leader of the Teen Titans, the branch of the protectorate in San Fransico.

"Batman," the former Robin said to his mentor. "We have a lead on the Elden Lord." Both League members tensed.

"Explain," Batman said as he sat back at his console and linked up his gauntlet. Superman followed, looking over his shoulder at the younger hero on the screen.

"Superman," the young man nodded to the Kryptonian in greeting before looking back to Bruce. "I wasn't the one who found it. Beast Boy was. I'll let him explain."

The image on the screen shifted slightly, and soon the heroes were looking at a young man with green skin. The shapeshifter had clearly not expected the shift and was staring at the screen with wide eyes.

"Dude," he said, looking off-screen at, presumably, Nightwing. "Not cool."

"Report," Batman said bruskly, not in the mood for delays.

"Yes, s-sir, Batman, sir," Beast Boy snapped his attention back to the screen as he stuttered out his words.

"Relax," Clark said, a smile on his face despite himself. "Nightwing said you found some information on the Elden Lord?"

"Right, I mean, I did, Superman, sir," the young hero nodded his head rapidly as he answered.

"What did you discover and how," Batman asked bluntly.

"Right, so, uh," Beast Boy paused, face flushing in embarrassment. "Are two familiar with, uh, streaming?" Clark blinked in confusion. Like water streams? Or was he talking about news streams? "I mean, uh, like, video gaming streams? Like, somebody is playing a game and recording themselves doing it?"

"I am familiar with the concept," Batman said plainly. Left unsaid was to hurry up and explain.

"Right, so, uh, a few days ago, I found a new streamer by accident. I mean, I was bored, and she was seriously cute, and she could sing and she was a mutant, which is rare in streaming, so she started getting pretty popular pretty quickly. It's only been a few days, and she has, like, a thousand followers, which is pretty good. She has this whole noble lady thing going on. Talks like one of those old plays, ya know? Real Shakespeare stuff. It's kind of neat. Old and new. Noble Nerd, someone called it once." Beast Boy babbled on, a slight stutter in his voice.

"Beast Boy," they heard Nightwing sigh.

"Right, right. So anyway, she is getting pretty popular, and she streams a lot, so I was watching her show last night and, at one point, she says Medea's at her door." The two League members tensed at the name, but the green hero babbled. "I saw the video, you know, the one in the park, so I was like, 'no way is that the same Medea!' And I was right! It turned out to be her cat, who was named Medea. But it got me curious, see. And then today, right, I was playing Super Smash Super while watching her stream, and she was answering questions and stuff. Anyway, somebody asked if she was single, right? And she says she's married. Which is cool, ya know? Good for her. But the internet is hard on girls in gaming, like, they were bugging her. Asking her all sorts of questions and stuff. Anyway, she said her husband was named Mikael, and he was also a singer, and I was all like, 'this is just another coincidence!' But then, uh, it's probably best I show you."

A link appeared on the terminal that Bruce clicked on, the screen splitting to show the young hero on one side and a video on the other. The video was marked as 'live' though it was rewound to a certain point and paused. Clark didn't recognize the website, so it was likely one of those dedicated to 'streaming.'

A pale woman was on the screen, holding a game controller and sitting at a desk. She was covered in a thick white robe, hiding most of her form. Her complete profile wasn't in view, but her face was visible. She had long white hair, and her eyebrows were tiny ridges of horns. Scales dotted her face and hands.

Batman unpaused the video.

"What say thee, chat?" The mutant said, putting her controller down. "Shall we begin another venture? I hath heard tell of a new fighter. Dawn of Justice, I believe it is called." She paused, looking at her screen as chat messages flowed. "I see thee wish to hear me sing once more? Very well. I must get in my daily practice, lest I disappoint Sir Bard." The draconic woman stood up, revealing a fur-covered tail peeking out from below her robe, and shifted the camera to focus on a microphone beside the desk.

"That's what she calls her husband most of the time," Beast Boy piped up helpfully. "Sir Bard. Supposedly he is the one who taught her to sing. She wants to be a singer, and she says streaming is a way to be a 'modern bard.'"

"What melody shall we sing today?" The woman asked herself as she fiddled with a tablet. "Hm, tis a duet. I shall save it for later. Ah, this one is fitting of my mood."

Music started, a tune Clark was unfamiliar with, and the dragon woman started to hum. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a door knocking before she could.

"Please enter," she called out, pausing the music.

"Hey Priscilla, I brought lunch since you missed it. Have you seen Melina? Ranni said she saw you with her earlier, and I need to talk to her." A voice asked from off-screen. A familiar voice, one Clark had heard dozens of times from rewatching the park video.

"Lady Melina has left me three hours hence," the draconic woman said. "I believe she intends to head inland to the drake mountains with the children."

"Alright, I'll head there." The voice said, getting closer.

"My thanks, Sir Bard. Please set it upon the desk."

"Sure," the man said, walking into view of the camera and setting a plate of food on the desk.

The Elden Lord looked almost exactly as he did from the park. He was wearing shorts and a floral print shirt with his chest exposed. He didn't look like the man who would kill Superman but like someone enjoying a vacation in the tropics.

He also looked tiny, everything in the room towering over him by a few feet at least.

The chat was going absolutely insane, flying by at speeds Superman could barely follow. Clearly, the heroes were not the only ones who recognized the man.

"Hm?" He asked, looking at the desk and the computer. "What's this? The project you were working on?"

"My setup," the draconic woman waved a hand at the computer even as she picked up a sandwich from the food platter.

"Is that a live chat? Are you... streaming this?" He asked in disbelief.

"I talked with Victoria while she was here. She had many ideas on how to become a bard on this world. While I desire to one day 'see my name in lights,' as she put it, this was the most expedient method as it only required what the Mansion could provide."

"Ugh," Mikael groaned, palming his face in his hands. "I just finished spanking Ranni, and now I need to spank Glory Girl too. It's one thing after another." He started chuckling under his breath in disbelief.

"Sir Bard? Mikael?" Priscilla asked down at the man, looking concerned. "Hath I done something wrong?"

"No, no, you wouldn't know. Besides, it's too late now." The man nodded to himself as if coming to a decision. Removing his hands from his face, he looked at the camera with a charismatic smile. "Hello world, I am Mikael. Priscilla's husband."

Between one second and the next, the Elden Lord grew. Before, he was a hobbit in a human's house. Now, he was the same size as the draconic woman.

"So you better not bother too much, m'kay? Only I can do that."

"Sir Bard!" Priscilla exclaimed, her face red with embarrassment.

"What?" He asked with a teasing smile, grabbing her hands in his. "Better stake my claim now. This is the internet, after all. Can't have them getting any ideas. And I can't have you forgetting poor little old me when you are a rich and famous superstar. You're my Floof-Dragon. That means no bulli from you, chat! Yes, that means you, Bruce!"

Batman tensed, his hands almost cracking the keyboard.

"Of whom do you speak, my dear?" Priscilla asked, looking at the computer.

"Hm? Oh, nobody, in particular, just a little prank. Statistically speaking, somebody named Bruce is bound to watch this someday if they aren't watching it now. I bet I really freaked them out right now."

"Thou art too much," the draconic woman sighed though she did lean into his touch slightly. "Wouldst thou sing with me? I found a duet we have yet to sing. I hath told my followers that thou art the better performer, and they doubt my words. As well as thy existence."

"Can't have that, can we," he said with a smile. "One song, then I have to go find Melina."

"Yay," Priscilla pulled the Elden Lord to the microphone with an exclamation of small joy and showed him her song choice.

"This one?" The Elden Lord asked as a guitar appeared in his hands from nowhere. "I like it, but it is a bit morbid."

"It suits thy voice," Priscilla explained. "I know thee prefer the deeper tones to higher notes."

"Fair enough," the man in a Hawaiian shirt started to strum his instrument. "Since this is the first time for this song, we can do it a few times to get it right before I leave. Jump in on the chorus."

"She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette
She broke his heart. He spent his whole life tryin' to forget
We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time
But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind
Until the night,"

He sang beautifully, hands down the best Clark had ever heard. He put so much emotion in his voice, such raw sadness and wistfulness that the Kryptonian would believe him if he said he wrote the song himself. Priscilla's lighter voice, contrasting with the Elden Lord's deep baritone, sang of guilt, of longing long gone.

Though the two heroes were watching the video to learn more about the Elden Lord, who clearly did not expect this to happen, they were nonetheless entranced by the performance.

Clark didn't know who Bruce thought of, but the song brought images of Lois and Jon to his mind. Of his wife and child.

His family.

His family he would leave behind if he were to die at the hands of the man on the screen.

"We laid her next to him beneath the willow
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la."

The couple, perfectly in tune with each other, did not need more than one take. As the song wound to a close, Bruce finally spoke.

"Go home, Clark," he repeated.

This time, Clark did as his friend recommended.

********

So this chapter? It was initially all one scene at the end of the last one. Then it grew and grew and grew, and here we are, 9K later.

As mentioned, finally turning our attention to some more comic plotlines and touching base with some well-known characters. For those who've read the comics, some of the stuff hinted at here is familiar to you, though I will warn everyone against thinking everything is the same. I'm still playing with perspectives, trying to flesh out those who are essential to the story, not just the SI.

My addiction to foreshadowing continues. Some of the groundwork I've set up in this chapter is critical for the entire fic. Will anyone get all the hints I laid out before the end of volume 3? I'm excited. I think we have two more chapters in Emancipation before the next Part of Volume 2.

I'll see you all next next.

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