The aircraft touched down at Wayne Manor as the sun set over Gotham.
Bruce stepped out first, still marveling at the lightning that danced under his skin.
Clark followed, his reduced powers making him more cautious than before.
Diana, Barry, Victor, and J'onn emerged, all bearing wounds from their battle with Darkseid.
But they were alive. They had won.
Ojaga was the last to exit, exhaustion finally catching up with him.
"Home," he said simply. "We made it home."
The mansion was too quiet.
No lights in the windows.
No sounds from inside.
Bruce's enhanced senses picked up something wrong immediately.
"Where is everyone?" he asked, frowning.
They approached the front door cautiously.
It was unlocked—unusual for Wayne Manor's security.
Inside, furniture was overturned.
Tables knocked over, chairs scattered.
Signs of a struggle, but no blood.
Ojaga ran to the communications center.
"Jarvis!" he called out. "Jarvis, respond!"
Silence.
The AI system was completely offline.
Victor interfaced with the mansion's backup systems.
"All data has been wiped," he announced grimly. "Someone took everything."
"Security footage, communication logs, even basic operational files."
Clark's face went pale. "My parents. Where are my parents?"
Diana checked the guest rooms. "Thomas and Martha Wayne are gone."
"So are Jonathan and Martha Kent."
Barry's hands shook. "What about my father? Where's my father?"
Bruce's eyes began glowing with barely contained lightning.
"Someone took our families."
Ojaga's ki started flickering around his fists.
"Who would dare?"
J'onn J'onzz placed his hand on the wall, reading psychic impressions.
"Multiple attackers. Military-trained. They knew exactly where to find everyone."
"This wasn't random," he said gravely. "This was planned."
Victor's cybernetic eye suddenly activated.
"Incoming broadcast signal. It's... everywhere. Every channel, every network."
The mansion's surviving screens flickered to life.
News anchors appeared, all reading the same script.
"This is Global News Network with breaking coverage of yesterday's alien invasion."
The screen showed footage of the Antarctic battle.
But something was wrong.
The video had been edited, altered.
It showed Darkseid's arrival, the heroes' defeat.
But when it reached Ojaga's Super Saiyan transformation, the footage cut away.
Instead, the screen showed a different figure.
Lex Luthor, in a high-tech suit, battling parademons.
The footage made it look like Lex had secured the Mother Box.
Like Lex had driven Darkseid away.
"What the hell?" Barry muttered.
The anchor continued:
"Lex Luthor, CEO of LexCorp, coordinated Earth's successful defense against the alien invasion."
"Working with global military forces, Mr. Luthor secured the alien technology and prevented planetary destruction."
Diana stared in disbelief. "This is completely fabricated."
But the broadcast wasn't finished.
"However, concerning reports have emerged about the alien known as 'Ojaga.'"
"Witnesses describe him as violent, unstable, and possibly aligned with the invading forces."
Clark's jaw dropped. "They're calling you the enemy."
The screen showed more edited footage.
Ojaga's battle with Darkseid's forces, but presented out of context.
His rage-fueled attacks looked savage, uncontrolled.
The narrative painted him as a threat to humanity.
"Military advisors recommend treating this alien entity as extremely dangerous."
"Shoot on sight protocols are now in effect."
Bruce's fist clenched, lightning crackling.
"Luthor did this. He recorded everything with those drones."
"Then edited it to make himself the hero and you the villain."
Ojaga stared at the screen in shock.
"But we saved the world. We stopped Darkseid."
"Doesn't matter," Diana said grimly. "The public believes what they're told."
Victor's systems detected incoming military signals.
"Multiple aircraft approaching Gotham. Army, Navy, Air Force."
"They're surrounding the city."
Through the mansion windows, they could see helicopters circling.
Searchlights swept across the grounds.
Military vehicles were setting up roadblocks.
J'onn shape-shifted to look outside.
"Hundreds of soldiers. Tanks. Missile launchers."
"All pointing at the mansion."
Barry checked his speed force powers.
"They're not giving us a choice, are they?"
Clark's reduced strength made him feel vulnerable in a way he hadn't experienced in years.
"What do we do?"
On every screen in the mansion, Lex Luthor's face appeared.
He was giving a press conference, surrounded by world leaders.
"The alien threat to humanity is real," he said calmly.
"That's why I'm announcing a new global defense initiative."
"Advanced weapons systems, powered by the alien technology we recovered."
"Every nation will have access to these defenses."
"For a reasonable fee, of course."
Bruce understood immediately.
"He's using our victory to sell weapons to the entire world."
"And he's using you as the boogeyman to justify it."
Diana's face hardened. "We're not just heroes anymore. We're fugitives."
The military loudspeakers outside crackled to life.
"Attention alien entities. You are surrounded."
"Surrender immediately or face lethal force."
"You have sixty seconds to comply."
Ojaga looked around at his friends.
"So much for being Earth's protectors."
Bruce's eyes flashed with divine lightning.
"Luthor has our families. He's turned the world against us."
"And he's profiting from the fear he created."
Victor's scans detected weapons powering up outside.
"Energy signatures spiking. They're preparing to fire."
Clark stepped toward the window.
"We can't fight Earth's military. These are good people following orders."
"Then what?" Barry asked. "We just surrender?"
Ojaga's ki began to build.
"No. We find our families."
"And we show the world who the real enemy is."
Outside, tank guns rotated toward the mansion.
Helicopter gunships took firing positions.
Soldiers raised weapons designed to kill aliens.
The heroes who had saved Earth from Darkseid were now Earth's most wanted.
Diana drew her sword.
"Then we do what we've always done."
"We fight for what's right."
" Shazam ! "
Bruce's transformation lightning began crackling.
"Even if the whole world is against us."