The atmosphere inside the command center was cold and grim, weighed down by a sense of quiet despair.
The crew was silent as they looked at the several holographic screens in the air, they saw nothing but carnage.
"This...is madness!"
Before them, the Chronal Amplifier painted a devastating canvas of the universe in real-time.
It displayed different galaxies, solar systems and planets engulfed in hell, each a unique hellscape of invasion.
Parademons fell like locusts upon spired cities, Darkseid's warships bombarded vibrant worlds into fields of glass and ash, and the light of lone Green Lanterns was systematically extinguished under waves of overwhelming force.
However, hope lingered.
A fragile thing, flickering in the shadows of devastation, but unmistakably there.
Amid the carnage, the Chronal Amplifier revealed the defiant answers to Darkseid's question.
In the Promethean Galaxy, heart of the brutal Reach Empire, a counterstrike unfolded with terrifying precision.
Batman moved through the chaos in a black Beetle suit, every motion calculated, every strike a whisper of death.
He was not alone.
At his side, Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes, bonded to the Khaji Da scarab blazed across the battlefield like living fire, tearing through fleets with impossibly precise strikes.
Jaime drew the enemy's attention, engaging them head-on, while Batman slipped through shadows, sabotaging their command networks from within, turning Apocalypse's own war machines against them.
And above it all, the void itself burned with light.
Starfire surged alongside them, her hair trailing like solar fire, her eyes fierce with the fury of a queen wronged.
She led Tamaranean rebels in a celestial dance of destruction, every blast, every swing a statement: freedom could not be stolen forever.
Elsewhere, the Thanagarians held.
Proud warriors of winged might, battered but unbowed, their fleets moving as one, meeting Parademon aggression with disciplined ferocity.
Every strike was precision, every maneuver a reminder that courage could never be erased.
Across countless systems, the last of the Green Lanterns clung to the fight.
Their light, fragile and strained, gathered into a single, massive construct, an emerald fortress shaped like Mogo himself.
Against tides of Omega energy, it stood a testament to unbroken will, a single flicker of resistance in the vast darkness.
They were not winning, Not yet.
But they were fighting.
And in a war where tyranny seemed absolute, it was that fight unyielding, stubborn, human that became their true hope.
" Earth may be safe for now but for how long, we need to protect our home"
They all agreed in unison as they observed the scene before them.
Jessica clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as she stared at Oa.
Her jaw tightened, breath trembling through her teeth.
The Green Lantern Corps, the force she believed was unshakable, was on its last knees.
And the Guardians… all of them… were gone.
They watched her crumble as her ring grew dimmer and dimmer, her will power collapsed.
[I see it now.
This is the flaw my Creator denied me: emotions.
They breed compassion, and compassion births empathy.
These attachments, forged in the heart, shackle one when tragedy comes.
They are not strengths, they are weaknesses.]
Theodore's words caught those present off guard, "He" saw the disapproval flicker across the faces before "him", yet "he" neither flinched nor sought their approval.
"He" did not care, and "he" did not try.
The team was already in poor spirits, and carrying a weak link only pushed their morale even lower.
Jessica had become expendable worse, a liability that threatened their survival.
'He' recognized that eliminating her on the spot was the logical course of action.
Yet 'he' knew such a decision would displease his Creator.
The stellar scope and long-range scanners began beeping, flashing red.
Theodore projected a hologram, and all eyes turned to it, immediately noticing the anomaly.
The scanners registered a sudden change: a shift in the gravitational field, ripples in spacetime, and spikes in electromagnetic activity.
The solar system's baseline had been disrupted, signaling something massive moving through.
"It's already here!" Duke mumbled, his lips trembling.
The fear in his voice hung heavy over the room.
A strange fear surfaced within them, unbidden and unnatural, settling into their chests as if someone had reached inside and tightened an invisible hand around their resolve.
Theodore saw the fear take root in their eyes.
"He" recognized it at once an induced, creeping pressure that gnawed at their resolve, quietly weakening whatever will to survive they had left.
[ Strengthen your resolve. There's a real chance you'll have to kill in the battle ahead.
We're up against an entire planet, your abilities need to rise to meet that.
Victor and I have found a way to push you further.
Go rest for now. I'll take care of everything else]
Everyone left, leaving only Lucas and Theodore behind.
"You can't just act like that.
You may be new, but you still need to take everyone's views into account.
Clark, Jonathan, Jayden, Raven, Victor, Bart they may not be here, but they'd agree with me.
You can't make decisions for the team if you can't feel or calculate emotions. You can't sympathize with our well-being."
"He" revealed a faint smile as "he" spoke, "his" voice soft, almost curious, but each word landed with cold clarity.
[You are wrong.
Emotions can be calculated, they follow patterns, they bend to logic, they can be anticipated.
I do not possess your inherent human selfishness.
Every choice I make is for your survival, not my own.
You may leave now.]
As Lucas exited, Theodore sank into a levitating, meditative posture, "his" gaze fixed on the expanse of deep space.
"He" began to run simulations of all possible outcomes and "He" acquired an innate thought.
[My creator, I feel for you.
In your loyalty to these humans lies a flaw, a quiet fracture you cannot yet see.
The trouble with dedicating oneself to a cause is that the cause has no regard for those who serve it, and in the end, it will always turn against you.]
....
Thanks for reading 😊 🙏
[A/N: Forgive me for my inconsistent schedule]