The desert night had long since given way to dawn, the first rays of sunlight spilling over the endless horizon.
Both Kara and Satoru remained where the fight had ended, gazing at the bleeding sky. Kara still lay on her back in the crater, her hair scattered across the sand like strands of molten gold.
Her voice broke the silence; it was soft but edged with self-mockery. "Say, Satoru… what do you think when you look at me?"
He turned his head toward her. She hadn't moved her gaze from the sun, but the question carried a burden of someone desperate for an answer she already feared.
Satoru answered without hesitation, "someone desperately trying to prove to herself that she isn't something she never was in the first place."
That made her finally turn. Her pale blue eyes locked with his, deep blue, searching for something, and finally daring to ask, "and what do you think I am not?"
He answered flatly, without a trace of doubt. "A weak person."
Kara chuckled, but it was a tired, brittle sound. "Is everything to you just about strength?" She sounded more curious than angry.
Satoru leaned back on his hands, his own gaze drifting toward the brightening star in front of them. "Maybe not everything. People, connections, all that stuff exists but…"
He paused, then tilted his head toward her. "Ever heard of Rüppell's Vulture?"
"The highest flying bird," she muttered, brows furrowing.
"Right. And why do you think it flies higher than anything else? To prove something? To show off that it's better than every other bird?" His tone was casual, but his eyes were sharp.
Kara blinked at him, saying, "how would I know?"
He chuckled, turning head to the endless blue above and said, almost whispering, "it's because it can."
She gave him a look that screamed, 'wow, thanks for stating the obvious.' But he continued with a calm, with an almost distant voice.
"You know what I mean. Up there, it doesn't prove a damn thing to anyone. Doesn't waste time worrying what the rest of the birds will think. It just does what it does best; flies high and free."
She studied him, the way his expression held none of the chains that had always pressed her down. His was a face unburdened, eyes too free, too unbound.
And in that moment, she envied it. Also with a budding question in her head. "But isn't that a bit too lonely?" she asked quietly.
He looked back at her, lips quirking. "Who said there's only one Rüppell's Vulture?"
That cracked her composure. A soft laugh slipped out, half amusement, half relief. "You really are impossible." She said.
"Thanks for the compliment," he gave a natural wink. Along with a smile that made her heart skip a beat.
Confused, she shook her head, still smiling faintly as she sat up, brushing sand from her torn clothes. She looked him, asking, "how come your clothes are completely fine after all that?"
"Infinity," he flexed his fingers.
"Of course," she groaned. "That infuriating barrier of yours, why not?"
He stood, dusted himself off, and offered his hand. "Well then, shall we? We have ourselves a psycho killer to catch, after all."
She eyed his hand, then waved it off with a small smile. "You go on ahead. I need to do some things first. And get a change of clothes too." She motioned at the shredded fabric clinging to her frame.
She rose gently from the ground, the air rippling as she gained height. And then, with a thunderous crack of the sound barrier, she shot off into the sky.
He watched her trail vanish into the clouds, that faint smile still tugging at his lips.
Back at Isley's residence:
Satoru arrived first and at Bruce's request, he returned to base in USA and warped the team in. Everyone but Patrick hated the experience.
Their faces were pale, as they staggered on the floor barely steadying themselves on their feet. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Satoru said with a smile.
"Nope, not doing that again." Selena shook her head, both Huntress and Batwoman agreeing with her sentiment.
"Man, you really get us into some deep shit," Patrick muttered as he fell in step with Satoru on the way to the meeting room.
Satoru only smiled. "Well, then let's get ourselves, and everyone else, out of it."
"No rest for the heroes, huh." Patrick sighed, shrugging.
Inside, the room filled quickly. Batman and Satoru laid out the situation for the new arrivals. They had already been briefed before Bruce made the new plan.
Bruce finally looked up at Satoru and asked in usual his deep, sharpened tone, "Where's Supergirl?"
"She had something important to do," Satoru casually replied. "Don't worry, She'll be back." The others exchanged glances, but didn't ask anything else.
"Here's the plan," Batman said. "We will launch a nationwide search. Oracle will triangulate every possible location and will be our intel and back up."
"You can count on me," Barbara's voice echoed through the comms.
"Catwoman, Harley; you both are with me." He looked at the two.
"Really?" Harley piped up, clapping her hands like a kid.
Batman's voice flattened. "Don't make me change that-"
Oracle's voice suddenly cut in, she sounded serious and hurried, "Uh, Batman… this is bad… you need to see this."
The central console blinked alive, and a live feed opened up. The visual was grainy at first, then clear, displaying the skies above Cairo.
A colossal white portal tore itself open above the city, and from it spilled wave after wave of figures in glowing yellow armor. Hundreds already, spreading like locusts across the skyline.
"What?" Selina leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Yellow Lanterns? How-?"
"Zeta transporter," Batman said with a grim voice, "Superman and Sinestro, they've brought them in from deep space. We couldn't have known."
"But why here?" Huntress asked.
"Oracle?" Batman spoke, not knowing what to answer to that.
"Already more than nine hundred," Barbara answered, "and still rising."
Bruce turned to Barry, but the speedster was already upright, he spoke, "I'll go there first. If things go south, I'll prioritize the evacuation."
Bruce gave a short nod and turned toward Satoru, but he was already gone.
A moment later, his voice hummed through the comms, "I'm already here. You guys work out backup plans. For now, I'll keep watch. They're just spreading across the region."
Satoru stood on the roof of a battered apartment block, gazing upward. The sky writhed with golden light. A thousand rings burning like false stars, and more Lanterns kept pouring through the portal.
A while earlier…
Ra's al Ghul stood with Athanasia, as they were discussing their plans. "Any word from Lazlo?" Ra's asked.
She shook her head, saying, "None since last night. The assassins with him have gone silent too. And the feeds from his laboratory are gone."
Ra's clicked his tongue. "Then assume he's been compromised. Take an elite unit and-" He stopped mid-sentence, sensing some disturbance.
His eyes flicked upward and in the same instant, both of them leapt aside as the ceiling collapsed, concrete and steel crashing into the floor.
From the dust emerged a towering figure; four arms, skin like cobalt, the yellow emblem of fear glowing across black-striped armor. Two more Yellow Lanterns followed, their rings humming with power.
Athanasia went for her blade, but a construct wrapped around her waist and legs, pinning her to her knees.
"Your schemes end here, Ra's al Ghul." He heard a commanding but familiar voice of a woman.
A golden lasso cracked through the haze, coiling around his chest and arms before he could resist. Wonder Woman stepped through the dust, her face set in grim authority.
Athanasia's eyes narrowed. "How…?"
Diana reached behind her and pulled out a mask; which was cracked and smeared with dried blood. The pig's mask of Lazlo Valentin. She dropped it at Ra's' feet.
"Your hatred for Superman led you to revive and ally with this monster," she said coldly. "You should have stayed in your grave." She spat, a gesture as sharp as her words.
"Ra's al Ghul and Athanasia al Ghul." Her voice rose, formal and unyielding. "By decree of the Regime, you are guilty of murder, abduction, and human experimentation. Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"
Ra's looked her dead in the eyes. His face didn't show anything, but hatred radiated from him in silence. Then he spat onto the ground. Athanasia said nothing, her defiance was a mirror of his.
Diana's lips thinned and she turned to the Lanterns. "Take them to the ship."
They were lifted into the air, bound and helpless and carried through the broken ceiling into the open skies above.
When they reached Cairo, the scale of it was something that they never imagined. The city's horizon swarmed with Yellow Lanterns.
Hundreds, perhaps more; a tide of glowing soldiers blotting out the heavens. And above them, a colossal warship cast its shadow on the city below.
Its hull and side was painted with the blood-red crest of the House of El. The portal shimmered one last time before collapsing, leaving only the ship and its army.
Athanasia stared in horror, "What is the meaning of this?"
Diana, flying beside them, glanced down with the faintest smirk, "Superman has had enough, that's what it means." With that, they surged ahead toward the ship.
Ra's exhaled slowly, eyes sweeping over the spectacle. His muttered with a low voice but it was enough for them to hear, "You never retreated… not truly. You just stepped back to see who grows the most restless."
One might ask, why in this continent? Because here, resistance had roots older than the Regime itself. Ra's immediately understood that the Regime was ready to burn that resistance out of the ground; to make an example the rest of the world would never forget.
His gaze hardened, the calm of a man who had seen empires rise and fall, as he thought, 'And we are the forefront of it all, they will start with us.'
'But how did they find out? We had everything under our control, everyone…' He gritted his teeth, not understanding when and where he made a mistake.
Athanasia turned to him, to see if he had any answers, but he did not meet her eyes; his attention was locked on the ship that swallowed half of the sky.
Inside the Regime's warship:
The throne hall glowed with pale bluish-white light. Superman sat draped across a high-backed throne of steel, chin resting on his fist. Cyborg stood beside him, fingers gliding across a cascade of holograms.
"Superman," Victor said in a clipped voice, "both Ra's al Ghul and Athanasia al Ghul are in custody. Their associate, Lazlo Valentin; Professor Pyg... Diana terminated him on-site."
Superman's eyes narrowed. "And the victims of his work?"
"All from places across Egypt," Cyborg replied. "Every one of them are dead. They had been operating here for some time."
Superman's jaw tightened as he spoke; his voice was carried like stone dragged across steel. "This is exactly what I swore to prevent, Victor."
"I know," Cyborg answered quietly.
"But year after year," Superman continued, "all I've faced is opposition, obstacles and rebels who would rather watch the world collapse than allow me to save it. That ends now. This charade ends here, today."
Victor gestured to the files still hanging in the air. "And them?" he asked, Ra's and Athanasia's images hovering in front of them.
Superman straightened and replied, "we will begin with their public execution. The world will see exactly what they are, what they've done. Then we will dismantle every organization like theirs, burn them out at the root. Anyone who resist will be executed."
Cyborg nodded grimly. "The troops are all well and rested. With the Lantern Corps as their support, we won't fail."
Just then, the massive doors to the throne hall groaned open, steel echoing against steel. One by one, the Regime's members entered into the chamber
First came Sinestro; his sharp features carried that familiar, arrogant curl of satisfaction. Beside him strode Nightwing; Damian Wayne.
He was followed by a mountain of a man, Bane, glowing emerald lines pulsed through the tubes across his muscular frame.
From a dark shadow on the floor, slipped a woman; Raven, draped in cloak, her violet eyes glowing faint with sinister energy.
Cold mist coiled through the doorway before Killer Frost revealed herself. Her skin gleamed pale blue, ice crystals breaking across her arms and shoulders .
And finally, the thunder of wings filled the chamber. Hawkman entered in full Thanagarian armor, golden and jagged, his massive wings furling behind him.
They assembled before the throne, flanking either side of the hall awaiting their command. Cyborg stepped down from Superman's side to join them.
They all stayed silent until the final presence appeared. Wonder Woman strode in, dragging the lasso that bound Ra's al Ghul and Athanasia, forcing them forward into the chamber.
"On your knees," she ordered, looking at the two but neither of them moved. They locked their eyes on the throne.
Diana kicked the backs of their legs and the two dropped heavily to the floor. Athanasia's teeth bared as she glared up at her captor. Diana only stood taller, turning to Superman with a nod.
Superman leaned forward and looked at his allies; his voice dropped into an iron whisper, "I thank you all for standing with me, through every trial, every betrayal. You have not wavered."
He then looked at Victor, who spoke with a nod, "the broadcast is now live. The whole world is watching."
Superman rose from the throne. The pressure of his presence alone was felt by every soul in the hall. He stepped forward until he loomed over the two kneeling figures.
Above Cairo, a colossal holographic projection of the hall shimmered, in the front and below the ship. Across the world, every screen flickered, seized by Cyborg's override, until billions of eyes were forced onto this moment.
Superman spoke, his voice carrying across the planet. "For too long, the world has been poisoned by people like these."
"Parasites who toy with human life, who cloak their cruelty in ambition. They prey upon the weak. They murder the innocent. They rot nations from within."
"No more." His voice was laced with more power.
"The Regime exists to cleanse this world of such plagues. We will not tolerate their experiments, their conspiracies, their games of power."
"Every corner of this planet will know order. Every life will be free from the grip of criminals who believe themselves untouchable." He gestured down at Ra's al Ghul.
On a rooftop in Cairo, Satoru watched the feed play across the sky. His lips curled into a small, amused smile. The irony was too much to ignore.
A tyrant condemning monsters, a dictator branding others as monsters, even as thousands had already perished under the shadow of his so-called salvation.
Back at Isley's, the team watched in stunned silence. Batman's eyes hardened as he learned this way, that both Ra's and Athanasia were still alive.
He didn't care about Ra's that much, but Athanasia was his daughter. A flash of memory hit his head, the day Superman had killed them, including Talia.
This was all the more shocking because of the bigger revelation that superman just made. Ra's and Athanasia had been colluding with Lazlo Valentin.
Abducting innocents, experimenting on them and butchering them for years. The mystery of all the missing people. The cases of unanswered disappearances, solved just like that?
Satoru narrowed his eyes at the display, looking at the two captives as suspicion flickered beneath his smirk. Not that the Regime had staged it, but that something important was missing.
Superman stepped forward, his presence filling the throne hall and every screen across the world. His voice thundered across Cairo, across continents.
"For too long, we have allowed them to thrive; behind borders, behind laws, behind the excuse of sovereignty."
"Today, before your eyes, two of the most notorious conspirators will pay the price for their crimes. Their punishment is not vengeance. It is justice and it is order."
"To those who already stand with us, remain as steadfast as you have always been. You are the backbone of this new world. Together, we will end this disease."
"And to every government still clinging to independence, still pretending their weakness protects them; you have until this continent Submits to our command."
"Cooperate, join us in forging a single world, united under the Regime. No more borders. No more divided voices. Come forward for one world, unified government and one law."
"Defy us… and share their fate." He gestured toward Ra's and Athanasia, still forced to their knees, the golden lasso binding them in the gaze of billions.
Batman's stomach turned. This wouldn't just be a public execution; he understood that it was a template. Superman would keep killing and purging, until nothing remained but his iron hand.
"Satoru." Bruce's worried, voice hissed through the comms, "Do you hear me? Satoru, respond." But no reply came back.
Satoru stood silent atop a rooftop in Cairo, a slow smirk curved across his lips. "Well," his voice finally drifted through, cool and amused, "aren't you a bit late."
The Insurgency's screens flickered. A black speck hurtled downward from the sky. Faster than sound, breaking the air apart with thunderous cracks, it smashed into the warship's flank like a missile, tearing through metal.
Inside, Superman was mid-stride, eyes glowing with heat vision, as he was ready to laser the two in half, when the something flung him off his feet and out through the hull, ripping the ship from the other side.
On the rooftop, Satoru chuckled softly. "Full black, huh… good taste." He lifted his gaze into the sky; the lantern soldiers were flying towards the smoking ship.
"Alright," he murmured, stretching hands and back, as the city below trembled, "let's get to work."
To be continued!