Barry stared at Batman in disbelief.
"Hold on,you knew she might be alive and didn't tell us?"
Batman didn't respond right away. His eyes stayed fixed on the screen, the dim blue glow reflecting off his cowl.
"Yes," he finally said. "I knew. I kept it a secret because that's what Max wanted,for her. Max has too many enemies and too many eyes on him. I didn't want to risk the girl's safety by spreading unverified information." He paused, fingers tapping the keyboard. "And at the time, it was irrelevant to us. Besides, I wasn't certain whether if she was the one you saw get killed by max at Rose Island or just another clone created by some private organisation since max was under a disguise in the footage "
Barry frowned, crossing his arms. "You know, I felt guilty for weeks about not getting there in time to save that kid couldn't you atleast have hinted at it?"
"i still wasn't sure at the time ,I've only just confirmed it recently,a few hours ago to be exact " batman replied
. "I thought We talked about thisBruce, About your thing with keeping secrets and you're still doing it.when will you ever stop."barry asked in a tired voice
"I'll tell you everything that concerns League security or innocent lives," Batman said. "But I won't feed you incomplete or false data. I needed confirmation before saying anything,and I only showed you because I have it .which is why I decided to show you."
Barry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. "Okay, fine. I get your reasoning. But still,why didn't you tell Diana? She's seeing red right now, Bruce. I am sure all she can think about right now is revenge."
Batman's jaw tightened. "Because it isn't my place. Or yours. This is something that has to be resolved between Max and Diana as the girl's legitimate parents,what we should be concerned about is who broke in here to plant the drive."
Cyborg turned toward him, concern creasing his metallic features. "Bruce, what if Diana attacks Max and he retaliates?"
"He won't," Batman replied calmly. "He cares about the child. I don't think he'll harm her mother."
Barry shook his head. "I hope you're right… but we're not betting everything on that."
Cyborg nodded, stepping toward the console. "We're going after them, just in case."
He activated a Boom Tube, light swirling into a portal. Barry gave Batman one last look.
"Sometimes, Bruce… you're just too good at playing god."
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped through with Cyborg. The portal closed, leaving Batman alone in the dimly lit room, the footage of the girl looping quietly on the screen.
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Two blurs streaked through the sky, one a flash of red and blue, the other a comet of gold and crimson. Superman trailed a few meters behind, calling out over the roar of the wind.
"Diana, slow down. You're not thinking straight," he shouted.
Her voice cut through the gale like a blade. "I'm thinking perfectly clearly, Clark. Don't try to stop me or I swear by Hera's name, I'll take you down first."
He didn't flinch. He matched her speed and closed the gap until they flew side by side. "And what are you thinking about, exactly,revenge?"
"Justice," she said without turning her head.
"You don't even know the full story yet," he said.
"I know enough," she snapped. "Someone used his blood and mine to make a child our child. And he decided to kill her. He did it without my consent. I had every right to decide what would happen with her life as he mother. Even if I had chosen to not accept her as my own because she was born artificially, I would have never had chosen to kill her. What kind of sick, twisted man destroys an innocent child, Clark?"
Clark's voice softened. "Diana, I'm sure Max had a reason even if we might not agree with , but a reason nonetheless. We have to hear him."
"A child is a child, Clark. Nothing justifies the death of a child," she said, voice breaking on the last word.
He kept his eyes on her, pleading. "You're right. You're right. But what are you going to do?"
She slowed fractionally, eyes like flint. "If Max doesn't give me an answer I can accept, then I'll either end him today… or die trying."
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Max's clone sat across from Terra as she slowly ate, her eyes darting to him with every bite. He noticed the wariness in her gaze, the quiet tension in her posture. He couldn't blame her—after nearly being killed by an angry mob, trust didn't come easily.
"Mr. Max?" she asked tentatively, breaking the silence.
"Yes?" he replied calmly, maintaining a meditative trance-like posture to make her feel more at ease.
"Why… why did they attack me? I hadn't done anything… and do you know what's happening to me?" Terra asked, her voice small, trembling.
Max spoke gently, choosing each word with care. "Those people attacked you because you're special. The moment they sensed it, they feared it. People fear what they don't understand, what they cannot control or possess. And sometimes… they destroy it to make themselves feel safe, to satisfy their own insecurities."
"But… why me? Why did I become special? I didn't ask for this," Terra whispered, almost to herself.
"No one asks to be special," Max replied. "But… let's just say you were favored by fateor by the gates of destiny—and given something that most people don't possess, so that you could become something great."
Terra's curiosity shifted. "You said you have a daughter… where is she?"
"Yes," Max said, his eyes softening. "I do. She's around your age too. Right now, she's training with my real body somewhere else. But… you'll probably meet her soon."
"Is she… special like me?" Terra asked, a mix of awe and apprehension in her voice.
"Yes," Max replied.
Suddenly, a tremor shook the building. Max's clone's senses flared as he felt the barrier around the house fluctuate unnaturally. Someone was trying to breach it. Then he heard a familiar, angry voice from outside.
"Max!"
Turning to Terra, he said calmly but firmly, "Stay here. I'll be back soon."
He walked outside and moved toward the barrier and saw Superman and Wonder Woman hovering just beyond it. Wonder Woman's fists slammed against the barrier, leaving small cracks that quickly sealed up.
"What's wrong with you, woman? Have you finally lost it?" Max's clone asked, his tone level but laced with warning.
"Why did you kill her?" Wonder Woman demanded, eyes burning.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the Max clone replied, voice flat.
"You bastard. Don't play dumb with me!" Diana's hand clenched at her side.
Max picked his ear with casual disinterest. "Right now you're yelling and it's not helping anyone. So can you calm the fuck down and lower your voice? I can't hear a damn thing when you shout."
Wonder Woman ground her teeth. Superman stepped forward, voice low and even. "Stop playing around max. She wants to know why. Why did you kill Thena ,her child?"
"Ohhh," Max said slowly, like he'd just been handed the punchline to a private joke. "Now I see what this is about. Took you long enough." He spread his hands as if presenting an obvious answer. "If you want the reason I killed her its simple,I said this to your friends before,now I'll say it to you.The reason is that she was an abomination. A mimicry of life I could not stand. If I wanted a child, I'd have one the right way and not have a responsibility i did not make get forced on to me."
Wonder Woman's hands curled into fists, knuckles whitening. Her entire body trembled with rage. "How can you even say something like that about your own daughter? You truly are a monster and today… I'll either put you down like one or die trying," she growled, yanking the sword from her back.
"Wait, Diana, don't let him get under your skin," Superman urged, trying to calm her.
She didn't listen. In a blur of motion, her left hook connected squarely with him, sending him crashing into a passing car, its horn blaring as pedestrians scattered in terror. Without pausing, Diana slammed her fist into the barrier, spiderweb cracks spidering out from the impact. With a grunt, she thrust her sword into the fissure and slammed the hilt, forcing the blade through with a sharp crack.
Her eyes locked on Max. With a fierce quelch, her blade drove straight into his stomach. Oddly, no blood appeared. Twisting the sword, she watched as he coughed.
"You seem… rather determined to kill me," Max said, voice strained but teasing. "Too bad, because I'm just a clone. If you want to meet the real me… head north, about 279 kilometers from here. I'll be waiting for you there."
Before Diana could react, he vanished in a puff of smoke,his shadow clone dispersing into nothing. Wonder Woman clicked her tongue in frustration, muttering under her breath before taking off with a sonic boom in the northward direction. The breach she had created sealed behind her in a flash.
"Diana!" Superman shouted, propelling himself after her. Max's words sounded like setting a stage for a final confrontation, and given how dangerous he was, Wonder Woman could be walking into a trap. He tapped his earpiece, relaying the intel to the rest of the League for backup.
Meanwhile, Max sat, conversing with Nina, when he suddenly received the memories of his shadow clone. "Ahh, shit," he cursed, as he dragged a hand over his face.
End of chapter
Come on guys don't be stingy,just give me them stones.