Fighting the Steppenwolf and the parademon army wasn't the most troublesome part; the real challenge came after the battle, dealing with the aftermath.
In a war, there's no need to overthink; you only need to focus on how to kill the enemy in front of you. But once the battle is over, all sorts of troublesome issues emerge.
The battle on the outskirts of Wayne Manor was heard throughout Gotham City, and even some nearby building windows were shattered by the shockwave.
It was impossible to hide this incident, but fortunately, the previous press conference provided a good cover and shut the mouths of many who might have tried to exploit the situation.
Previously, on Batman's instructions, Rex had held a press conference on behalf of the Justice Society regarding the destruction of the Mother Box. During that conference, he had revealed that some alien entities were eyeing Earth and attempting to conquer it.
What had initially been a move to trick the Steppenwolf turned out to be a huge help.
Thanks to that press conference, even if Congress wanted to stir trouble for the Justice Society, they couldn't do much. Even those interested in Apokolips technology no longer had a reason to get close.
Although some lawmakers still hoped to use political pressure to get control of some Apokolips weapons for themselves or the military, that was only an idea. Putting it into action would be far too difficult.
After all, the Justice Society had earned a huge favor from the entire world.
Though the details of the war were unclear, everyone remembered the incident when the Steppenwolf and parademons had destroyed the STAR Laboratory. Without the Justice Society, things would have been far more complicated.
Luckily, the enemy was defeated, and people were able to continue with their lives.
No one knew that at that very moment, the heroes of the Justice Society were gathered in the living room of Wayne Manor, their faces filled with concern and the atmosphere heavy.
"So Bruce had already thought of this step. A press conference solved two of our problems at once. Killing two birds with one stone," Billy, who had reverted to his childlike form as Shazam, sighed deeply.
The mention of old Bruce Wayne made the atmosphere grow even more somber.
After a moment, it was Wildcat who first broke the silence. "Is Bruce alright?"
Wildcat had also been injured in the battle. His left arm was sprained, and a laser had grazed his back. Now, after removing his armor, his body was wrapped in bandages.
"When we helped Bruce remove his armored suit, the blood inside had already frozen. His injuries are very severe. If he hadn't been treated in time, I'm afraid..."
Doctor Mid-Nite sighed heavily as he spoke, his face filled with concern.
As a doctor, no one understood Bruce's injuries better than him. If Bruce were a young man, it might have been manageable, but his age made his body unable to handle the trauma.
"The treatment equipment was used for Red Robin, and the backup in the Batcave was an outdated version. Fortunately, Mr. Stark helped us; not only did he stabilize the injuries with magic, but he also modified the equipment."
Tony Stark, sitting in the corner of the room, raised his glass but remained silent.
The atmosphere remained heavy, and Rex turned to look at Doctor Mid-Nite.
"I heard he'll never be able to stand again?"
"Mm," Doctor Mid-Nite lowered his head, not hiding the truth.
In fact, it wouldn't have been hard for Bruce Wayne to stand again, at least not for Tony Stark. He could easily install mechanical aids or even create a full exoskeleton.
If that didn't work, dark magic could also be used to make it happen. With Stark's current abilities, it was completely feasible.
But he didn't bring it up.
Tony Stark didn't not want to help them, but he personally felt that rather than having Bruce Wayne get back on his feet, it would be better for him to stay in this condition.
Although he hadn't met this old Bruce Wayne, Stark had done plenty of research, and from the records, he could see that Bruce Wayne wouldn't be able to sit idle.
If the world were in danger, no matter how old he was, he would activate the signal and keep fighting until he died. So, rather than letting him rush into battle and die, it might be better for him to rest in a different way.
"The situation has stabilized now, but Bruce is still in a coma. No one knows if he'll wake up," Doctor Mid-Nite said solemnly.
"Gotham can't do without Batman," Tim, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
He had just regained consciousness, but he couldn't walk normally yet; his injuries were too severe to recover quickly.
Before, due to concerns that the battle might affect Tim, Bruce Wayne had arranged for him to be brought to the place where Dr. Silas lived. Now that the war was over and Tim had awakened, he immediately returned here.
"Don't worry, Tim. I'll take care of Gotham during this time," Robin said seriously, gently holding Tim's hand.
"But..."
"Don't worry, Tula and Victor will help me," Robin said with a forced smile, turning to look at Tula and Victor, the two new allies.
Originally, Victor Stone (Cyborg) hadn't wanted to join the Justice Society, let alone the Teen Titans, but after this event, he realized that Earth wasn't safe, and he had a responsibility to act.
With his father, Dr. Silas Stone's guidance, Victor eventually agreed to join the Teen Titans and followed Robin to Wayne Manor.
"The most critical issue now is not Gotham, but the whole world," Rex spoke up seriously. "The enemy's hand is already on our heads. If we don't do something, Earth is finished."
"Yes, the Steppenwolf once said that Earth holds a secret, and this secret is likely the main reason Darkseid came here," Black Adam said in a deep voice.
"A secret? What secret?" Green Lantern asked, a bit confused.
He had been away from Earth for some time and wasn't aware of what had happened. He even wondered if something valuable had been born on Earth while he was gone.
The others in the room all shook their heads.
"There's no secret. If there were really anything, with the Justice Society's intelligence, we wouldn't have no clue," Wildcat couldn't help but say.
"Could the Steppenwolf be referring to the Mother Box?" Cyborg asked.
As soon as he spoke, Hippolyta immediately denied it.
"Impossible. The Mother Box is a product of Apokolips. When the Old Gods united Earth's forces to fight against Apokolips, the Mother Box was our trophy. The Steppenwolf is talking about Earth's secret, so it must be something native to Earth."
The battle from years ago had already been shared by Hippolyta with everyone present. After hearing the ancient tale, the group realized that Apokolips and Earth were actually "old enemies."
"This is how I see it. We don't need to worry about the secret of Earth right now. After all, we can't make sense of it in the short term. What I think we should focus on is uniting more forces."
Hourman looked around and continued.
"The enemy is getting closer. No one knows when they will make their move. If we don't prepare in advance, the events of Themyscira and Atlantis may happen again."
"You're right." Hippolyta nodded. As someone who had experienced it firsthand, she could understand the strength of the enemy.
The powerful Steppenwolf, along with that strange sonic portal, could destroy any country at will if they wanted to.
"I've made my decision. The Mother Box from Themyscira will be kept with the Justice Society," Hippolyta spoke up. "I will stay here and fight alongside you humans."
"And I too," Tula added.
After receiving magical treatment from Doctor Fate and recovering over time, Tula slowly regained her memories. She softly spoke.
"The Steppenwolf killed the King of Atlantis, and now the ocean's tribes are in chaos. But they understand the gravity of the situation.
The former Queen of Atlantis, Queen Atlanna, has retaken the throne. She's already contacted me, determined to stand with humanity and face Darkseid's forces together."
"That's great! This way, everyone will be united again," Barry Allen said with a smile.
But Hourman slowly shook his head. "It's not enough."
With those words, everyone's gaze turned to Hourman.
He raised his head and looked at Pietro, who had been silent, seemingly lost in thought.
After a brief pause, Hourman stared at Pietro and softly spoke.
"Mr. Pietro, I know you're helping us purely for Bruce's sake, but I hope you'll help us once more, to get through this crisis."
"Rex..." Wildcat started to speak, but was immediately interrupted by Hourman raising his hand.
He looked at Pietro and spoke slowly, each word deliberate.
"Believe me, if we weren't at our wits' end, I wouldn't be saying this.
We've already lost Bruce. No one knows when he'll wake up. And Apokolips is something we cannot withstand. This isn't a matter of pride or saving face.
As the leader of the Justice Society, I must take responsibility for my world. I must take responsibility for the safety of people everywhere.
I don't want to diminish our own resolve and increase their power, but the truth is, we are probably no match for Darkseid. So...
I don't want to dig into how you came from other universes, or whether you'll affect this one. That's something for politicians and the military to worry about.
I just hope that we can become friends, comrades, and trust each other, just like Bruce trusted you."
"I know my request is excessive. This isn't your battle. You have no obligation to help us fight. But what I want to say is, if you help us...
From now on, the Justice Society will be your eternal ally!"
.....
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