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Chapter Text

Project Multiverse: World’s Finest

“Gotham City was a disaster. That’s the short way to describe how it was. The long way would no doubt mention the alarming crime rate, the increasing corruption in the police force, and the fact that there was nothing anyone was going to do about it. That’s what Gotham was.” Bruce Wayne said to the reporter sitting across from him.

“And how would you describe what Gotham is now, seven years after your return?” the reporter asked.

“Well, the crime’s gone down, and there’s a better employment rate than any in Gotham’s history.” The billionaire responded cheerfully. The reporter raised an eyebrow.

“And you claim you’re responsible for this change?” he asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Bruce Wayne smiled. “I’d like to think so, yes. The construction of the new Wayne Towers has given thousands of people jobs, and we’re hiring new employees every day.”

“So, you deny that there’s a human bat patrolling Gotham’s streets.”

“You’re referring to ‘The Batman?’”

“Yes, I am.”

Bruce Wayne pondered this for a moment. “No, I don’t think he exists. I can assure you, Gotham City is free of any vigilantes”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.” There was a hint of menace in Bruce’s voice. The reporter decided not to continue this line of conversation.

“So, the latest rumors say that you’ve adopted a son. Would you care to shed some light on that?”

If Wayne was surprised, he didn’t show it. “Yes, I have. His name is Grayson. Dick Grayson.”

“May I ask why?”

A shadow fell across the billionaire’s face.

“No, you may not.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s fine. Just drop it.”

The reporter continued to ask Wayne questions for the next 10 minutes. In that time, they discussed politics, Gotham City, and Wayne Industries.

“Thank you for your time, Mister Wayne.”

“The pleasure was mine, Mister…”

“Kent. Clark Kent,”

“Well, Mister Kent. I hope you got the information you wanted.”

And with that, Kent left the office and then the building.

That evening, Bruce Wayne was sitting in his office, brooding. And while there would be no doubt that this man was the famous billionaire, the expression on his face was unrecognizable. It was a mixture of anger, guilt and fear, and rage seemed to emanate from him. The door behind him opened and a child, a boy of about 9 years walked in. He was dressed in a red and green outfit, and wore a black mask. A yellow cape was draped across his shoulders.

“So when are we going on patrol?” the kid asked, before noticing the expression on his mentor’s face. “Bad day?”

Wayne grumbled an affirmation.

“I think I met Superman today.” He said after a lengthy pause.

Robin’s eyes lit up. “What was he like? Did he show you his powers? Did he tell you his real name?”

“I’m not sure if it was him or not. It looked like him. It sounded like him. But I’m not sure.” The billionaire pressed a button on the front of his chair. Computer screens rose up around him.

“Computer. Where is Kent staying in Gotham?”

“No temporary residence found.”

“Interesting. Compute-“

He was interrupted by two laser beams cutting across the office. The room exploded in sound and heat, the force of the blast knocking Bruce out of his chair. A figure floated in, his eyes glowing red. His hair was black, and he was dressed in jeans and a blue t-shirt. A red cape was tied around his neck, and in the center of the shirt was a red and yellow emblem.

“Wayne. Where is Batman?”

Robin lunged at Superman. The Man of Steel batted him aside like a fly.

“You lied to me earlier. Why?! Are you protecting him? He’s a criminal!”

Superman’s voice was a deafening roar.  Bruce slowly stood up, never taking his eyes off the intruder.

“He doesn’t exist Kent.” Bruce said, his voice remaining calm.

For a moment Superman looked confused, before taking on an expression of pure fury."You slipped. You said I lied to you earlier." Bruce explained.

Superman’s furious expression didn’t change. “Where. Is. he?” And with these words, Superman appeared in front of Wayne and grabbed him by the neck. The billionaire struggled for a moment before realizing that there was only one way to survive this encounter. He closed his eyes and said three words.

“I am Batman.”

The next thing Bruce knew, he had hit the floor hard. He looked up to see Superman standing above him, his expression one of disgust and distaste.

“Get up.” Clark ordered

“What next? Do you turn me in?” Bruce asked, complying with the order nevertheless.

“Yes. No one should be able to take the law into their own hands. Especially not a maniac like you.” Superman said authoritatively.

“I’m not insane.” Bruce said, his voice slowly becoming harder and rougher.

“Tell that to the dozens of criminals you’ve put in the emergency room.” Superman said, glaring at the billionaire.

“I do what needs to be done. You seem to think every city is like Metropolis, all shiny and clean. This is Gotham. It’s a downtrodden pit that is one step away from destruction.” Bruce said, the guise of careless playboy gone. He strode over to his desk and opened a secret drawer. Inside was a bundle of gray and black cloth. “You know, Clark, I’ve always respected you. You’re the hero I can never be. But I’d be an idiot if I didn’t think that someday you’d come for me. So I did some research.” He pulled a green rock from under the bundle of cloth. “And do you know what I found?” he held up the rock so Superman could see it clearly. “This. Element Kr., better known as Kryptonite.”

The full impact of what Bruce had just said dawned on Superman slowly. “How did you get that?” he asked.

“It’s amazing what people will do for a large sum of money.” Bruce said simply. “Now, are you going to leave peacefully, or am I going to have to use this.”

Superman paused for a moment, his eyes darting from Bruce to the shard of Kryptonite. He opened his mouth to speak, when a loud boom rattled the building.

“Stay here. I’ll deal with you later.” Superman ordered.

“This is my city. I’ll deal with it.” Bruce replied, entering a side room to change into his costume. A few seconds later, Batman emerged. He walked over to the still unconscious Robin. “Get up.” He commanded, and an instant later the Boy Wonder was on his feet. “Time to go to work.” Batman said, and the dynamic duo exited the building, using their grappling hooks to swing between buildings, with Superman flying close behind.

They reached the site of the explosion within minutes, the destination being near the beach. There, a huge sea creature had destroyed a warehouse, which had presumably contained explosives. On top of the creature stood a man, dressed in regal orange and green armor. He was tall, and it was obvious to all that saw him that he was a king. After seeing the three heroes, the man spoke.

“I am Orin, King of Atlantis. And I declare war on you surface-dwellers.”

Chapter Text

“I am Orin, King of Atlantis. And I declare war on you surface-dwellers.”
Batman, Robin, and Superman stared up at the Atlantean King. Batman and Robin began to attack when Superman held up a hand. “No. Let me try to talk some sense into him. Maybe find out what he wants.”
Superman slowly flew up to the orange-clad man and hovered a few yards in front of him. “Are you the king of these humans?” Orin asked, his voice betraying his amusement.
“No. They have no king, and if they did, it would not be me. But I defend them, and now you’re here declaring war on them. I’ve saved them from aliens, supervillains, terrorists, and criminals. I have saved the planet a thousand times over. And now I have just one question for you, mister. Why?” Superman said, with his rage evident in his voice. Batman noted how out of place the anger sounded coming from the hero.
“For decades, your people have polluted the oceans, killed its inhabitants, and irradiated its depths. And I have been patient. I have waited for you to mature, to see the error in your ways. But now I have had enough. You are unfit to rule yourselves. So I shall do it for you.” The king said, years of grief and pain behind his words. “At this very moment, my forces are amassing near the coasts of your major cities. Unless you surrender, they shall destroy them.”
Superman didn’t answer. Instead he flew at the Atlantean at a breathtaking speed, knocking him across the river and into a building on the other side. The impact left massive crater in the building.
“Call off the attack.” Superman said threateningly.
“No.” Orin said decisively, retaliating with a punch of his own. The blow landed against Superman’s chest, sending him flying.
The Kryptonian landed against the ground, hard. He was trying to get up when his opponent landed on his back, the amphibious king’s feet digging into his back. Superman was able to flip him off of his back and slam him back against the building, creating another crater in the side of it.
The crater grew exponentially when Superman hit the king again, and shattered when he hit him a third time. The building started to collapse immediately, Superman moving faster than the eye could track to save everyone inside, before throwing himself at his opponent again. However, this time Orin was waiting for him. He struck Superman with his trident, the points digging into Superman’s chest. The Man of Steel looked down in surprise and shock.
“You…. Hurt… me….” He said, before falling backwards.
The ocean king watched as his opponent fell, and a sense of sorrowful silence filled the air. The king strode towards the fallen hero, and after pausing but a moment, he yanked the three-pronged weapon from his enemy. He then turned to look at the surrounding people.
“You have two days. Choose wisely.” He said, his voice calm with a tinge of regret.
And with those words, he started to walk back to the river. He paused as a low rumble filled the air. Orin’s trident sparked. In the distance, windows were shattering as a lightning bolt sped through the streets, landing against the king with a loud smack. The bolt then paused and hit him again and again, each impact sending the king flying. After about a dozen blows, the king was able to deliver a punch to the bolt, sending it flying, The light faded as the bolt hit the ground, revealing a man in a red and gold suit.
“Um, hi.” The Flash said, with a sheepish grin.
The Atlantean King was not amused. He stomped over to the speedster and lifted him by the collar.
“You dare to strike me? You shall be the second to die in this war.” He said, lifting his weapon into a killing position. He was just about to strike when a voice interrupted
“Who was the first?” said a voice from behind the two superhumans.
Orin turned, and saw Superman standing there. His blue T-Shirt was torn, and there was a red stain blurring his symbol. Despite his injuries, he was grinning. The Man of Steel lunged at Orin, and delivered a devastating punch to the king’s face. This time, it was the Atlantean who fell, releasing the Flash in the process.
“So, what do we do with Aquaman here?” the speedster asked cheerfully.
“Aquaman?” Superman asked, confused by the nickname.
“Yeah, you know. You’re Superman, he’s Aquaman.” He explained. “Cause he rules the ocean.”
“I’ve got it.” Superman said quickly.
Suddenly a shadow dropped from the roof above them.
“Next time try to avoid destroying one of my buildings.” Batman said, pointing to the destroyed Wayne Enterprises tower.
“At least no one died. And I didn’t see you helping stop him.” Superman retorted.
“I had business. I had to erase the news footage they got of me.” Batman explained.
“Wait, that’s Batman? He’s real? When were you going to tell me this?” Flash said, his words just barely slow enough for comprehension.
“You ‘had’ to erase news footage? People could have died because you weren’t helping!” Superman shouted.
“You had it under control. I’m not giving up my greatest advantage just because you didn’t think you could handle it..” Batman said angrily. “And when exactly were you going to notice that Aquaman has disappeared?”
The two other heroes looked down to see that it was true. They turned to look towards the river to see the king reaching the water.
“I got him” Flash said, and disappeared, turning into a red blur moving towards the water. He reached the river within seconds. However, even the Flash has his limits, and his speed was not enough. By the time he had reached the river, Aquaman had already mounted his sea creature and sunk beneath the waves. Within moments Flash returned to where Batman and Superman were waiting.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t catch him.” Flash said apologetically.
“It’s fine.” Superman said. “So, what do we do next?”
“We seek out others.” Batman said.
“Others?” the man of steel asked.
“Other heroes. The three of us aren’t enough.” Batman said. “We’re good, but to stop this threat we need more.” He turned to leave.
“Wait! What are we supposed to do?” Flash asked.
“Wait. I’ll contact you when I find something.” Batman said, and with those words he pulled a grappling gun from his belt, he fired it at a nearby building, and swung away.