"Who?" The single word left his mouth in confusion, his final thought spoken aloud.
A blur cut through the air. David moved, his body a streak of motion as he shot forward. In an instant, the glass wall shattered apart, fragments scattering as David's hand reached out and secured the baby. The child was now safely within his grasp, protected, shielded completely by the untouchable barrier of Infinity.
"To hold someone's child as blackmail… death is too kind for you," David said coldly, his voice carrying the weight of final judgment. He drove his fist into the man's chest with brutal force, the impact sending a sharp shockwave straight through his body. The blow shattered the man's spine instantly, dropping him into unconsciousness before he even hit the ground.
"It's… you?" Superman said in shock, his voice unsteady as his eyes widened at the sight of David.
David turned his head toward him, a faint smile resting on his lips. "Get going. The gateway out of here can't hold on for long. I'll stay behind and take care of everything."
Superman hesitated, his expression torn, but after a second, he gave a single nod. He had no time to argue… oh, if he knew what David was planning.
But Superman took the baby into his arms and left alongside Metamorpho, while David acted as the shield that cleared their path. He unleashed Blue, the energy surging outward and sucking in the guards who rushed forward to stop them. The pull dragged bodies helplessly into its grasp, swallowing their resistance in an instant. Even so, one guard managed a desperate strike, landing a hit that sent the weakened Superman hurtling backward into the anti-proton river.
Yet Superman was built differently. What would have shredded another being into nothing was to him little more than a stream to wade through. He emerged almost immediately, unharmed, the baby still secure within his arms. Not a single droplet of anti-proton touched the child—Superman had shielded him with absolute care, his focus never faltering.
Meanwhile, David moved with relentless precision. His fists slammed into the spines of every guard that came close, each strike crippling them from the neck down. There was no hesitation, no mercy in his movements. He felt no sympathy for them, for these men were not ordinary workers simply doing a job to feed their families. They were people who had long ago sold themselves, committing unspeakable acts for money while turning a blind eye to the slaughter of innocents. If they could accept that for the sake of money, then they should expect the same cruelty turned back on them.
"Where is the white-haired guy who went in?" Mister Terrific called out, his eyes fixed on the gateway as it began to close. Superman and the others turned toward it as well, their expressions uncertain, unsure if David had made it back through.
"I'm right here… though I have to get going to speak with the president." The voice came from behind them, and Superman and the others spun to see David standing there.
He had teleported out effortlessly, and with him were all those who had been held as prisoners. The criminals, however, were unconscious, their bodies sprawled out where he had left them.
"Thanks," Superman said, his tone carrying genuine gratitude. He held Krypto carefully, as the god might jump on a human and end up killing them if they were to play with it.
David gave only a small nod in return before his figure vanished once more. In the next instant, he appeared inside the president's bedroom, materializing silently just as she was preparing to go to bed.
"Please don't make this a common thing," she said with a tired sigh as she watched David merely appear in her bedroom. He paid her no mind; instead, he produced his phone and checked the recording he'd been taking the entire time. She took the phone and scrubbed through the footage, eyes narrowing, and her frown deepened at each frame she watched.
"Luthor is going to die by my hands. Over and over again. This system allows people like him to do stuff like this? This system somehow allows someone like him to create a whole dimension that puts Earth at risk of destruction," David said calmly,
"At the rate things are going, I will slaughter everyone in power and from the ashes; I shall have a new system built," David said as he rose, his movement deliberate as he prepared to leave.
"I understand what you're saying… but this takes time — months, maybe even years," she replied, biting her thumb and struggling for a plan. "I will use what we have to speed things up and push for new laws against criminals… but even then, Luthor holds vast power and will do everything he can to block any law that threatens him." She paused, visibly unsure what to do. She did not support Luthor's actions and would gladly see someone like him removed from the picture, yet his influence and reach made the problem far more complicated.
"So, I should take matters into my own hands?" David asked, his voice low as he watched her consider the weight of the choice. She thought for a long beat before finally letting out a resigned sigh.
"Let's create a special force," she said at last, her tone hardening with resolve. "Amanda Waller can run one, and as president, I have the authority to do that and more." Her words carried the gravity of someone who understood the stakes. David allowed a small, satisfied smile to cross his face. He returned home that night, and the very next day, he met with the president again as she walked him through the plans in detail.
In many ways, David would become the opposite of Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad. Where her team operated from the shadows, hidden and expendable, David would move openly in the light, carrying out his actions without secrecy or disguise. While speaking with the president, he even outlined a few potential plans, though for the moment, he kept them set aside. With the discussion finished, he headed home, where the quiet darkness of his room awaited him.
He sat there without bothering to turn on a lamp. He had no real need for light; his vision was sharp enough to see with even the faintest trace of illumination, and in the absence of it, his other senses compensated. Every sound, every shift in the air, every faint vibration was as clear to him as sight itself. His senses were honed to such a level that he could navigate complete darkness as easily as daylight, his body no longer dependent on his eyes alone.
So David sat quietly in the darkness, the silence of the house pressing down with a heavy stillness. He made no effort to break it, simply lying back and letting his body sink into the quiet until sleep gradually overtook him, his mind drifting and wandering without focus.
But hours later, he stirred awake at the sound of footsteps approaching his door. Rising smoothly to his feet, David moved without hesitation. By the time the figure reached the threshold, he had already opened the door, not giving them the chance to knock.
"…You changed."
A beautiful blonde-haired woman stood there, dressed in expensive, regal clothing that spoke of wealth and influence. Her eyes widened slightly in shock at the sight of him, her gaze sweeping over his frame as if reassessing who he had become. Her attention lingered on the blindfold covering his eyes, silently questioning how someone bound by such a thing could open the door with such skills, as though he had seen her approach all along.
"What do you want?" David asked sharply, his tone carrying no warmth, no interest in entertaining this woman's presence.
"My daughter died, and you didn't tell me anything…" she said softly, her voice trembling at the edges. "You told my mother, but not me? I had a right to know, a right to be there and say my goodbyes."