Batman: Kill the Justice League

Chapter 1: The Kindest Man I Ever Knew

I sat perched atop the iconic Daily Planet building, gazing out over the city of Metropolis. The city of golden light, its usual vibrancy was eerily silenced; it was as still as a graveyard. Except for the surreal sounds of battle far off in the distance. My ears, well-attuned to the chaos below, listened to the cries of terror and clashes of warfare echoing within my cowl. Braniac's mind control had turned the city's protectors against itself and its people, and I could not decipher its power. I clung to the shadows like a wraith, my muscles coiled with restrained fury, as I heard Wonder Woman's heroics and the desperate pleas of the innocent. Every nerve screamed for the fight, but I had to wait, patient and still, for the right moment to strike. Even as I burned within.

Though I was not alone in my waiting.

In the skies a colossal alien ship loomed ominous, as if it held dominion over us all. I had seen the impossible in our world before - the League itself embodied it - but there was a menacing darkness to the machine's presence that made my insides churn. Seemingly born from the pages of science fiction nightmares, Braniac's ship was a terrifying spectacle - purple eyes glowed from a metallic skull, while spiked tentacles pulsed with violet light like a reaper. The ship's gaze seemed to pierce through the city, inimically watching us without any overt hostility.

As I analysed the situation, my mind raced in frantic attempts to decode what I saw. The Batcomputer's inability to read the mothership confirmed its extraterrestrial origin. It was not from our world. Yet, I couldn't dismiss the feeling that Diana's transmission was little else but a trap, designed to lure me out. Her words may have been truthful, but that did not mean she was free of Braniac's control. For now, I had to operate in isolation until I knew more.

And so, I continued to wait. For the moment that he would appear, as I knew he would.

If the Jusice League, the earth's greatest heroes, had fallen, then reckless action on my part would get me killed. However, after a twelve-hour vigil, I had not seen any signs of Superman or Green Lantern - no hint of a sonic boom in the skies, and no emerald glow on the horizon. Aquaman's oceanic kingdom was too far away to pose an immediate threat. Logic dictated to me that if Braniac was an intelligent machine, then it would have neutralised Cyborg first, taking him off the board. A calculated gamble I had no choice but to take. I had to trust my limited intelligence and rely on assumptions to establish any kind of order in which to act.

That left only The Flash, the one I was searching for.

Hours of surveying from the rooftops soon paid off when my cowl's radio caught a key phrase on an analogue channel.

"Iris West."

I traced the signal to the Metropolis Museum in the centre of the city. I launched myself from the top of the building; my cape billowing behind me as I went into a swift glide. I used my grapple gun and its powerful boost to cover the distance quickly. I crashed through the museum windows feet first, blowing glass shards in every direction. Subtlety was pointless with the music of war echoing in the distance. Besides, I knew exactly who I was about to meet and I didn't need my cowl's detective tool to find what I sought. I approached the statue of Julius Caesar and shook its hand, causing a secret door to slide open. I began my descent, ready for any unwanted surprises.

At the bottom of the stairs I saw a man standing with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at a large computer screen. He did not turn around when I entered.

"The apocalypse has been written a thousand times, and yet mankind could not have predicted it quite like this."

I stopped.

"Isn't that right, Mr Wayne?"

Lex Luthor turned to face me with a confident smile.

I removed my cowl and held it at my side.