Superman and Flash rushed into the tunnel, arriving to the echo of Joker's deranged laughter. Ignoring it, Superman stepped forward.
"Cyborg, Batman,what happened down here? There was no explosion topside."
"Yeah," Flash added. "We didn't feel anything. Did you stop Joker?"
"Unfortunately, no. It was all a diversion," Cyborg said grimly.
Flash blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Joker's real target was back in the U.S. This was just to keep us busy," Batman answered.
Superman tensed. "Where?"
"It hit Jump City… and a remote forest region within the country," Cyborg replied.
Both Superman and Flash felt an involuntary wave of relief that their own cities were safe followed immediately by a crushing surge of anger at the realization: millions were dead.
Before either could speak, Batman cut in. "Our priority now is rescue. Superman, Flash,start searching for survivors. Secure the remaining warhead for Cyborg. I'll take Joker back to Arkham."
Cyborg opened three boom tubes,one leading to Jump City, one to Gotham, and one to the U.S. naval base where he would return the warhead. The team exchanged silent nods and stepped through their designated portals.
---
Jump City
Superman and Flash emerged from the boom tube into a nightmare. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern were already combing through the ruins, Lantern's ring projecting a massive scanning construct over the devastation.
It didn't take long for Superman and Flash to realize who Diana was desperately searching for. Their expressions darkened.
Superman approached carefully. "Diana… are you alright?"
She didn't answer. She hurled away a slab of concrete with trembling hands and rose slowly, her face streaked with dust.
"Where is Joker?" she asked, voice cold and flat.
"Batman has him," Superman replied. "He's taking him to Arkham."
Diana finally turned. Her eyes were fierce, her jaw clenched so tight the dust on her skin cracked. "Arkham?" she repeated. "After what he's done?"
"Diana… we understand how you feel. But right now we need you focused. Maybe Terra or Thena are still alive under the rubble. They need us. We have to keep searching." Flash said
"Alive?" she snapped. "Flash,look around you. Tell me how anyone besides Superman or Max could survive this." Her voice shook with fury. "He murdered millions today. And you're just going to take him back to Arkham?" She took a step forward, eyes burning. "Is this your idea of justice?"
Before Superman or Flash could respond to Diana's accusation,Nina arrived with a swirl of leaves.
"Diana," she said calmly.
Wonder Woman spun, momentarily startled,until she saw Nina's calm expression
"They're fine," Nina said. "Thena and Terra. I've already reached them."
The tension in Diana's frame shattered,replaced by stunned hope that she barely dared to trust.
"They're… alive?" she whispered.
Nina nodded. "They're injured, but stable. Joker didn't get the chance to finish what he started." Her voice hardened, a quiet edge of steel beneath it. "And as for him… he will get what's coming. Sooner than the rest of you realize."
Her gaze slid past Diana, landing on Superman and Flash.
Nina sighed softly and shook her head, as though their naïve belief in systems and restraints was almost painful to watch.
"If you want," she said to Diana, "I can take you to them. Right now."
Diana nodded instantly, stepping closer. Her earlier fury simmered down.
"Take me to them," she said.
Nina placed a steady hand on Diana's shoulder. Her chakra flared, a subtle hum building beneath their feet.
"Search what you can," she told Superman and Flash without looking back. "But don't fool yourselves. Justice isn't always found in the places you expect."
Before either hero could respond,Nina and Wonder Woman vanished in a blur.
Superman exhaled slowly.
Flash stared at the empty space where they had stood,a frown marring his face.
Thirty minutes earlier…
Zetsu stood in the filthy sewer water, scratching his head as he assessed the crisis before him. A device,clearly a bomb ,was strapped to the wall with thick layers of duct tape, its digital timer beeping ominously. He wasn't exactly an expert on explosives, but he knew enough to realize that this was bad.
What made it worse: the bomb was directly beneath the school where Thena and Terra were currently attending class. The thought made his non-existent pulse quicken. And time was running out. The timer read 3:39.
Zetsu considered his options. He could disguise himself as a civilian and call the League,but what could he even tell them? "Hello, yes, there's a bomb beneath the school, and I'm in the sewers for… reasons?" Even if help arrived, there was no way they would get there in time.
Decision made, he shook his head and leapt. Using the Mayfly Jutsu, he merged with the wall and surged upward, breaking through the floor of the classroom above.
Thena and Terra sat side by side at their desks. Thena sensed something and snapped her head around, alert. Zetsu's hands clamped firmly on both of their shoulders before anyone could react.
In an instant, he sank into the floor, dragging them with him.
Screams erupted behind him. One of Thena's classmates had seen him before he had fully transformed, shouting in terror as students scrambled for the exits, overturning desks and sending papers flying, causing the classroom to descend into chaos.
Zetsu's trajectory was straight down,a vertical plunge through the earth beneath the school. Thena and Terra were secured in his arms, wrapped in a cocoon of dark, sinewy branches that emerged from his body.
Thena struggled violently inside the cocoon, kicking and twisting, her panic making every second a battle. Zetsu cursed under his breath, muttering at how strong she was, every movement forcing him to adjust his grip.
Terra, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. She had seen Zetsu before and recognized him as someone who worked with Max. Her knowledge eased her fear; she knew he was taking them for a reason,or at least, that he had been sent by Max.
Zetsu emerged from the sewer walls, then leapt into the murky water below, disappearing beneath its surface along with the two girls cocooned in his branches. The splash sent ripples across the water
Meanwhile, Starling City, 28 minutes earlier…
Nina sat at her favorite ice cream stall, savoring every spoonful of the rich dessert. This was her daily routine after training. She loved it,thanks to her wealthy father, who siphoned money from the League of Shadows or "liberated" it from drug dealers. Occasionally, she indulged in these little adventures simply out of boredom.
Her moment of peace was shattered by a rumbling beneath the city. The glass table she sat at vibrated violently, as did nearby cars and building windows. Nina rose immediately, alert. Her enhanced hearing picked up a faint,beeping coming from a mailbox across the street.
In the distance, she saw a cloud of smoke rising. Her heart sank,Jump City. But her attention snapped back to the mailbox as the beeping quickened, panic flashing in her eyes.
Quickly, she pulled a kunai with a marker from her sleeve and threw it beside the mailbox. Before it even landed, she teleported next to it, pressing her hand against the mailbox. In an instant, she vanished with it.
She reappeared at her training grounds, placing the mailbox safely on the ground. Almost immediately, she vanished again, appearing at a distance in the mountains. Her suspicion was confirmed when a powerful explosion erupted below. The shockwave raced toward her, but before it could reach her, she vanished once more.
Thena appeared inside her home with a woosh. She immediately sat down in the living room and closed her eyes as green markings began to form across her face Sage Mode activating.
A moment later, she stood up and opened her eyes, then vanished and reappeared outside in an instant using Body Flicker. She shot into the sky and headed toward Jump City at high speed.
When she arrived and saw the devastation below, she couldn't help but clench her fist. Countless people had already died, while others were still dying,some barely clinging to life as their lifeforces dimmed.
Nina suddenly paused midair when she sensed the chakra signature she had been searching for a few kilometers away. She immediately flew in that direction, her heart pounding with urgency. She could only hope that Nina and Terra were fine.Or there would be hell to pay for whoever was responsible.
End of Chapter
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