In Malrick's impression, Gotham was a city soaked in sin. It breathed corruption; even the mist at night seemed to whisper madness. The laughter of criminals echoed faintly through the streets, as if the city itself had gone insane.
Calling it "Gotham" felt too kind. You could just as easily call it Batman, Two-Face, Penguin, Joker—every villain and vigilante here had left their mark. Dark. Chaotic. Greedy. Deranged. Those were the true names of this city.
If this were the Gotham from a typical DC universe, then stepping outside at night in a combat suit might have earned Malrick an encounter with some clown-faced lunatic asking, "Why so serious?" Or perhaps a black car would drift to a stop in front of him, and a gravelly voice from the shadows would growl, "Do you bleed?"
But this was no ordinary Gotham. In this altered reality, the city thrived. The skyline gleamed. People laughed. Even the sewers beneath the streets gurgled like they were humming a peaceful tune.
Tony and Malrick stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the highest suite in a Gotham hotel, overlooking the brilliant lights below. The city was alive—cars flowing like rivers of fire, neon signs flickering across rooftops.
"Three days here, and I still can't believe this is Gotham," Tony muttered, his tone halfway between disbelief and boredom. "The Batman here? He's Michael Keaton. No no-kill rule. The guy straight-up murders bad guys."
Malrick chuckled. "What's strange about that? With the Flash running around, reality is optional. You said yourself we came here to use Gotham's chaos to hide our presence. It's not chaotic, but nobody's found us, so… mission accomplished."
Three quiet days passed. The Kryptonian threat in space had vanished without a trace. People on Earth were uneasy, but the danger seemed gone, so life resumed.
After Lex Luthor's death, the U.S. had already opened peace talks with Atlantis, while pretending to hunt for Luthor's supposed killer—someone they never intended to find. Malrick, Tony, and Kara had been hiding in Gotham all this time, unbothered. Meanwhile, Tony's research into extracting the Life Codex from Kara progressed slowly but steadily.
Unfortunately, the genius billionaire was getting restless.
"I wanted to meet Batman before," Tony said suddenly, staring out at the skyline. "The plan was to find the Joker, maybe Killer Croc, take them all down, and then dump the bodies in front of Bruce Wayne. Just to prove his precious 'no-kill rule' was nonsense."
He smirked. "But now? This Batman doesn't even have a rule. All the Jokers and Penguins are long gone. Where's the fun in that?"
Malrick sighed, shaking his head. "You're unbelievable. Can't you focus on finishing the Life Codex extraction instead of trying to outshine Gotham's local legend?"
Tony gave a sarcastic laugh. "Hey, even geniuses need entertainment. Besides, inspiration doesn't come from thin air. Why not have your super brain think of a solution? The framework's been built for three days. You calling that slow?"
"Absolutely," Malrick replied smoothly. "That's where you'll never beat Reed Richards."
Tony turned, mock-offended. "Mister Fantastic? Please. That guy only looks smart because writers gave him cheat codes. In the comics, I literally have a Wisdom Stone in my head."
"Yet here you are, whining about boredom," Malrick shot back.
Tony chuckled. "Touché."
They stood in silence for a moment, both gazing out at the city. Below, Gotham shimmered like a jewel—beautiful, deceptive, dangerous.
The extraction experiment required precision. Kara couldn't be harmed in the process, so Tony refused to rush. For now, all they could do was wait.
A soft knock interrupted their quiet. Kara entered the suite, her expression calm but alert.
"Someone's here," she said. "They claim to be Batman and the Flash."
---
In the living room of the luxury suite, the clock ticked steadily on the wall.
Malrick, Tony, and Kara sat opposite two unexpected visitors. The first was an older man with snow-white hair and sharp, calculating eyes. Despite his age, his posture radiated strength and quiet menace. One arm rested lazily over the back of the sofa, but there was a constant readiness about him—as if the smallest noise could make him spring into battle.
Beside him sat a nervous young man, his hands clasped between his knees. Every few seconds, he flashed an awkward grin that did little to hide his unease.
Malrick finally broke the silence. "So, what brings Gotham's finest to our door?"
The younger one blurted out before the older man could answer. "It's, uh—it's like this! We're here to deal with the Kryptonian threat. This is Batman. I'm Barry Allen, the Flash."
Barry's rapid-fire words spilled out in a rush, shattering the tension. "In the Batcave, Bruce's supercomputer detected your movements. We, uh, also hacked into several global networks and… saw the reports that you, um, killed Luthor."
He waved his hands quickly. "Not that we're reporting you or anything! We actually came to help. We want to rebuild the Justice League—with you!"
Malrick and Tony exchanged a glance.
"Rebuild the Justice League?" Tony echoed, raising an eyebrow.
Barry nodded vigorously. "Yes! I came from the future—I know things. Important things!" He pointed at Malrick. "You're Clark Kent—Kal-El. Superman!"
Then he pointed at Kara and Tony. "You're Wonder Woman and Cyborg! Diana and Victor!"
The three of them just stared at him.
Barry continued, voice full of desperate conviction. "Please, listen! I used the Speed Force to travel back in time to save my mom, but everything changed. The timeline's a mess! You all haven't become heroes yet, but we have to unite now! If we don't, the Kryptonians will destroy Earth!"
He clenched his fists, his words tumbling out faster with every breath. "This time, Bruce won't target you, Clark. You won't die. Steppenwolf won't invade Earth! We can stop all of it. We can keep this world safe forever!"
He finished breathlessly, hope gleaming in his eyes.
Malrick leaned back slightly, considering him. "That's… quite a story," he said slowly. "And some of it actually makes sense, Barry."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "Except for one thing."
Barry blinked. "What's that?"
"The Kryptonian's already been dealt with," Malrick said calmly. "By me and Kara. And my name isn't Clark."
He paused, letting the words sink in. "The Clark Kent you're talking about… is already dead."
Barry's eyes widened, his jaw dropping as the reality of it hit him like a lightning bolt.
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Milestone
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
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