The Next Day; Inside the Insurgency Base:
Satoru lounged in the hall, half-sprawled on the sofa with a bored expression plastered across his face. With one hand, he tossed a small ball into the air, flicking it up toward the ceiling.
It shot up, accelerated down with a blue shimmer, stopped mid-fall by Infinity, then launched back up again with a red repulsion burst. Over and over, the same cycle.
Across the room, Black Lightning was stretched out on a larger couch, looking like a man who'd been run over by a truck.
His was in casual clothes, his wounds were sealed; Satoru had healed him when they returned the night before, but the exhaustion still weighed on him. Jefferson didn't even bother pretending to move.
Satoru sighed. He wanted to head out, explore this new world, maybe stir up something interesting. But for some reason the motivation just wasn't there. Felt like too much hassle and effort.
The ball dropped back into his palm. He flicked it upward again only to blink, as a face suddenly appeared above him. Harley leaned down from over the back of the sofa, her grin wide and mischievous.
"Yo, pretty boy!" she chirped. The ball smacked against the back of her head as gravity did its thing.
"Ow!" She rubbed the spot, scowling. "Rude."
"You interrupted me," Satoru said with a shrug.
She pouted. "Excuse me for trying to liven things up." He just let the silence hang, clearly unbothered.
"Anyway!" she said suddenly, hopping around the sofa to plop down beside him. "Have you been on the internet?"
"Not since yesterday. Why?"
Her grin stretched wider. She whipped out her phone and shoved it toward his face. "Because you're famous. Like, insanely famous. People all over the world are losing it over your fight yesterday."
That perked him up. Satoru tilted his head, curiosity finally lighting in his eyes. She tapped a video; YouTube feed filled with shaky phone footage of his fight.
There were multiple angles, uploaded by different people. Millions of views had already been accumulated.
The reactions were exactly what he'd expected, and exactly what he enjoyed. Half the internet was terrified, calling him a new supervillain who dared oppose the Regime.
The pro-Superman crowd especially wanted his head. The other half hailed him as a new symbol of resistance, someone bold enough to stand toe-to-toe with gods.
A few more calling him a madman; and then there were the ones just gawking. Harley scrolled through comments, reading some out loud with a laugh.
"(Did you see that? He brawled with one arm. One fucking arm!)" She snorted. "(Dude's a psychopath, look at that grin. I'm having nightmares for a week.) Oh, and here's a thirsty one. Yikes. People are weird."
Satoru smirked, sitting up straighter. "Guess I'm the new superstar then."
"That's underselling it," Harley said, swiping again. "You've already got memes. Look; (Lights Out for the Amazon.)" She cackled as she played a clip of him knocking Diana out, cut to dramatic music.
"And this one; oh man, (One vs. the two Wizard Bros.) Internet loves you, baby." Her head tilted curiously, wide-eyed. "So? What do you think?"
Satoru just shrugged with a subtle smile, "cool, I guess. But nothing too unexpected."
"You're no fun," Harley pouted, folding her arms.
But Satoru added, "Although, we can make another short clip and upload it everywhere. Just to troll them… Sounds actually fun, you know?"
"Right-" Harley chimed with an excited grin, but was interrupted.
From across the hall, Jefferson groaned and pulled the pillow over his head. "Excuse me. Man's trying to sleep here."
Harley stuck her tongue out in his direction. "Pfft. You're just jealous. What happened to your room anyway?"
"My AC's busted."
"Excuses, excuses…" she shot back, shaking her head.
Jefferson didn't rise to it, burying his face deeper into the pillow refusing to acknowledge the circus around him.
A While Later; Inside the Comms:
Batwoman stood behind Batman and Oracle; She was wearing a white top with black pants. Her shoulder length, slightly curly black hair glinting under the dim light of the room
She watched the two work over the glowing screens. Their expressions were tight, hands moving with mechanical focus.
"Why do you two look so tense?" Selina asked, leaning lightly on the back of Batman's chair.
It was Oracle who answered first. "Lex has gone offline. He was in touch since yesterday afternoon, but a few hours after that, his signal cut off. The timing lines up too well to be a coincidence."
Selina tilted her head. "I keep forgetting he's technically on our side. By the way, what timing are you talking about?"
Batman spoke up. "Before Shazam and Black Adam retreated, I heard Shazam say something had happened with Superman. Hours later, Luthor went dark."
Selina didn't need more than that. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Something had gone down on the Regime's side, and whatever it was, it definitely wasn't something small.
She kept quiet, even though a part of her had hoped to drag Bruce away from the screens for once. But this was not the time.
To break the silence, she asked, "By the way, how are those videos of our 'intern' still up? I figured Cyborg would've erased them by now."
This time, both Oracle and Batman smirked, Oracle replying, "We couldn't beat Cyborg at his own game head-on. So we spread the videos across the entire web before he could put everything down."
"Billions of downloads, mirrors, reposts, it was already too much to wipe out, even though he could have. But the damage was already done." She had a proud smirk.
Selina gave a low whistle. "Geez, you guys actually fought back this time. Impressive, considering most of the net's under Regime's control."
"Not anymore," Oracle said, fingers pausing briefly over the keys. "We've been developing counter-systems for Cyborg's tech. Give us time, and he won't own the net anymore."
Batman broke in, his voice as gruff as ever. "Don't celebrate yet. The work isn't finished yet and we've got a more urgent problem; finding out what happened to Luthor."
Selina sighed, rolling her shoulders as she turned to leave. "Fine, you two keep glaring at screens. I'll go check on the kids."
Down in the main hall, the atmosphere was the complete opposite of the comms room. Harley, Jefferson, Patrick, and Satoru were huddled around a card table.
Harley leaned halfway across the table, eyes squinting at Satoru's hand. He blocked her with one arm, not even bothered in the slightest about her cheating attempts.
Patrick's rubbery fingers snaked out, clearly trying to peek at Jefferson's cards, while Jefferson himself looked like a man trapped in purgatory, silently begging for an escape.
Selina arched an eyebrow. "Really?"
She walked over, plucked the cards from Jefferson's hands, and pressed them against his chest. "Go rest, soldier."
His look of relief could've rivaled a man being saved from a burning building. He shuffled off toward the couches like she'd just handed him his freedom.
Selina slid into his empty spot. Within seconds, the game devolved further. Harley complaining as she accused Satoru of cheating.
Patrick stretching himself into impossible angles to sneak glances, Satoru fending them both off with the same focus he'd shown fighting gods the day before.
It was chaotic, loud, and completely unfair. And yet it all flowed so naturally that no one stopped to question how Satoru fit in so easily.
Whether it was his charm, his grin, or just the sheer madness he carried with him, he had already folded into their weird little team without much trouble.
The Next Morning:
Batman was still at the comms, hunched over the screens, his eyes were fully bloodshot. He'd been running search patterns all night, combing for any trace of Lex but was coming up with nothing but silence.
There were only two conclusions; either Lex had been outed and killed, or he was playing some dangerous game alone. Bruce didn't like either possibility.
The sound of footsteps broke his focus. Oracle stepped into the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stopped at the sight of him still glued to the monitors.
"You need to rest, Bruce," she said softly.
He leaned back in his chair, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Before he could reply, one of the screens pulsed red. Sirens blared, alarms flashing across the board.
Oracle immediately dropped into her seat, fingers flying. The feed on one of the screens, switched to the exterior cameras.
Outside the forest entrance stood two figures; Flash and Supergirl.
Barry's expression was unreadable, hidden by his mask. Kara's was stoic, but Bruce saw past it instantly; the cracks in her composure, the exhaustion and grief, mirroring his own
The alarm had roused the others. Doors opened down the hall. By the time Bruce stepped out into the hallway, the rest of the team was already gathering, after which, they collectively gave a nod and strode out.
Outside, floating just ahead of the two visitors was Satoru, as if he'd been already waiting for them. "So, finally up for a diplomatic talk, are we?" Satoru said with a smirk.
Kara's eyes flicked to him. Recognition flashed across them, but she said nothing. Her jaw just tightened. Barry's gaze lingered too, he spoke with a steady but clipped voice. "We're here to talk. We need to speak with Batman."
Satoru's smirk faded into something softer. He could feel it; the raw, conflicting emotions radiating off of them both. If this was some new play that they were about to use as a tactic, it was a damn convincing one.
A few seconds later, Batman emerged with the others at his back. Tension rippled through the Insurgency members, who went alert and on-guard, save for Bruce, who strode forward calm as a stone.
He passed Satoru, who simply gave him a nod and a subtle smile.
"How did you find us?" Bruce asked immediately.
Barry gestured toward Kara. "She knew about this place."
Kara gave Bruce a pleading look, then her voice cracked, just slightly, under the weight of her emotions, "Batman… please. It's important you hear and see this. You can decide what you want afterward."
The team shifted, their eyes narrowing with obvious mistrust, but Bruce didn't hesitate. He gave a single nod, "Inside." He said, as they followed him in afterwards.
The group moved back into the base. In the comms room, Kara and Barry stood on one side, the Insurgency gathered beside them. Satoru leaned against the wall behind them, arms crossed, as he silently observed the situation.
All eyes were onto the biggest screen as the video file loaded; playing the evidence Kara had brought.
The first clip flickered on. Superman walked into a well-furnished office, somewhere in New Metropolis. As he spoke, the tone in his voice was brisque. "Lex, you said there was something important to discuss."
Lex Luthor was standing by the table, with a calm posture, as he spoke with a steady voice. But the ones watching the clip could notice the edge in it. The way his hands twitched, the faint shift of his expressions. He was preparing to risk everything.
Superman kept his distance; his eyes never left the man. It was clear that he knew Luthor was up to something. After a brief few seconds of a tense silence, Superman took a step forward.
And right then, a shot was fired from the wall on Superman's left side, straight at his head. His hand snapped up, catching the projectile midair.
His expression hardened. "Really? A big bullet is all you could think-" however, before he could finish speaking, the casing cracked, and a green mist hissed out of it.
It was Kryptonite gas. Superman staggered, the air rushing out of his lungs as the poison filled them and his knees hit the floor.
Lex didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, a dagger glowing sickly green clenched in his grip.
Superman's hand shot out, catching his wrist. His strength was draining fast, but not completely gone. They wrestled; each inch of that blade was being fought for.
Superman forced him back, chest heaving, but not before Lex managing to slice a gushing line across his chest, drawing out a lot of his Blood.
Feeling significantly more weaker and in pain, Superman fell to his knees again, and Lex moved towards him, fully committed on ending him. But then, the wall exploded.
A blaze of yellow light filled the room, as Sinestro floated in, armored in the glow of his ring. "I told you to wait," he snapped at Superman, snaring Lex in luminous chains.
With a flick, he ripped the dagger from his hand and hurled it aside. But Superman's eyes weren't on the weapon anymore. They burned with rage, and literally too; two beams of red-orange igniting as fury overtook him.
Before lex could blink, the heat vision cut down; his legs vanished from below the knees, severed in an instant. Sinestro let go of the man in that same instant and looked at the scene with his eyebrows raised.
The scream that should have followed from Lex never came. Superman was already there, hand clamped around Lex's throat.
Without warning, he swung him through the air like a ragdoll, slamming him into the floor with a crack that rattled the camera.
Once, twice, thrice, four times. When he finally dropped him, Lex's body was broken and limp, like a discarded toy. Sinestro hung in the air, watching with a rare flicker of surprise on his face.
Superman threw his head back and screamed; a raw, animal sound that shook the building. Then he took off, Lex's mangled body clutched in his hands. The recording then cut to static.
Silence fell in the comms room. Everyone had known Superman could kill. But this; this was totally different. No grand speech, no symbolic judgment.
Just rage, and a man tearing another apart with his bare hands. Bruce's jaws were locked tight, his teeth gritted. His voice was low when he asked, "Where did he take the body?"
Kara shook her head. "I don't know. I was gone for hours, and everything had completely changed. Maybe he threw him into the space, or sun. He was furious, beyond furious."
Batman's fists curled against the table. Then Barry's voice, much heavier than before broke the silence, "This isn't even the main reason we came to you." He pointed to the second file.
With a heavy heart, Oracle played the second video file. It was something that would end up churning their stomachs.
Superman had stormed into the Watchtower, fury radiating off him in waves. He called for an emergency meeting, dragging everyone into the chamber.
His voice shook with rage as he declared an all-out war against the Insurgency. Shazam was the first to speak up. The only one sane enough to protest.
"This is madness," he said, standing firm, even when Superman was staring down at him. "You're letting your anger decide everything. Can't you see the deaths, each time we try to enforce something? When will this stop? Where will you stop, superman?"
To their horror and the surprise of the others in the clip, Superman responded with cold and merciless brutality.
He froze Shazam's mouth shut, silencing before he could say anything else, then burned through his eyes with heat vision. His brains splattering out the back of his skull.
The body collapsed on the floor as they all watched in shock. More so, because no one expected Superman to just outright murder his own team just for speaking up.
The video was now still; the frame paused on Shazam's lifeless body on the floor. The room now fell into a suffocating silence.
"…Wait." Catwoman's voice cracked. "Shazam- wasn't he, a kid?"
No one answered. Satoru just raised his brows, more curious than shocked. He didn't know about Shazam being a kid.
"Batman…" She spoke but the man remained silent, "Bruce!" Selina's voice grew louder, desperate.
Bruce leaned hard against the table, head lowered, eyes fixed on the screen. For the first time in years, he had nothing to say.
Kara's composure cracked. "He was just seventeen…" she muttered, voice shaking. She leaned on the table, staring at the floor. "And I wasn't even there. I should've- Fuck-"
Before she could finish, Batwoman snapped. She stepped forward, her voice was sharp as a blade. "Really? Now? Now's the moment you finally see the ugly truth?" Kara flinched at the bite in her words.
"For five years… For five fucking years," Katherine spat, "you followed him like puppies. You watched him break this world, and now you finally get it? Did you think we were fighting for fun?"
Her anger boiled over. She grabbed Kara by the collar, pulling her close. "Answer me!"
Kara didn't fight back. Her eyes flicked aside, shame burning through her, but words refused to come. What would she say? That it is was because Kal was his only family?
It made her feel disgusted of herself, considering how true that argument was. She clicked her tongue and shoved Katherine's hand away; not with strength, just enough to break the hold.
Frustrated, Batwoman turned on Barry. "And you? Fastest man alive, right? What stopped you, huh?"
Silence was the only reply she got, "Tsk… Fuck this shit!" She stormed out, the door slamming behind her.
Selina and Huntress stayed silent, their anger muted for now, trying to be the calmer voices. Harley, out of her depth, mumbled something no one paid attention to.
Batman hadn't moved. Finally, he forced out a question. His voice was low and tired. "Any idea why he hasn't acted yet?"
Kara swallowed, steadying herself. "They probably don't know yet. As flash said; we didn't even try to argue about this to them. We came straight to you. But… it won't be long. And Kal's already more than ready to wage an all-out war against you."
The weight pressed down again. The uncomfortable silence stretched across the room. Satoru pushed off the wall.
His voice, for once, was plain, bordering serious. "Give the man some time to think. And you all look like you desperately need some rest."
Harley broke the moment with a sigh. "Better late than never, I guess."
Bruce gave a small nod. The group drifted out. Harley tugged Kara and Barry along, while Selina and Huntress slipped away to find Katherine.
Oracle shut off the screen, with slightly eyes hollow eyes, and left without a word. And so did Patrick and Jefferson, none of whom had anything else to add on, at this moment.
Only Batman and Satoru remained in the room. "You sure you'll be okay?" Satoru asked.
Bruce didn't answer at first, then gave a low hum. Satoru scratched his head, awkward. 'Not great at pep talks.' He thought and settled for a pat on Bruce's shoulder, saying, "You should get some rest too," then turned to leave.
He didn't need to say more. If there was anyone who could pull himself back together and find the next move, it was Batman.
By evening, the silence from the Regime's side finally broke. Superman appeared before cameras in a press conference; his voice echoed with cold and absolute words.
He declared Lex Luthor a traitor, executed for his betrayal. He named Flash and Supergirl alongside him, stripped of their titles, branded enemies of the Regime.
And with them, every other member of the Insurgency; were marked traitors and dangerous terrorists to "law and order."
The world of course, reacted in chaos. Some cheered, as they always had, blind loyalty drowning out any doubt. Others demanded answers, but like always, their questions faded into silence.
In a single day, the five year ongoing war had shifted again. And no one; not even the ones silently watching from the shadows; knew how far the fall would go.
To be continued!