Chapter 30
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you."
Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Watchtower hovered high above the Earth. Silent. Majestic. Orbiting like a watchful sentinel. A symbol of power. Unity. Hope.
And fear.
Inside its gleaming white halls, the greatest heroes of Earth gathered around the central meeting chamber. The Justice League. Titans in their own right. They stood tall, but their expressions were grim.
Batman arrived last. His cape swept behind him like a shadow. His jaw set. Eyes narrowed.
The others were already there:
Superman.
Wonder Woman.
The Flash.
Green Lantern.
Martian Manhunter.
Hawkgirl.
Aquaman.
Cyborg.
Zatanna.
Each one of them had seen the worst of the universe.
None of them looked ready for what was coming.
Clark stood at the head of the table. His face calm, but the muscles in his jaw were tight.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began, his voice carrying across the chamber like a steady drumbeat.
No one interrupted.
"This isn't a false alarm. And this isn't some interplanetary thug."
He paused.
"This is real. And it's bad."
Bruce crossed his arms. "Who?"
Clark met his eyes. "Darkseid."
The name echoed in the silence like a bullet.
Zatanna's face paled slightly. "You're sure?"
"I've seen him," Clark answered. "I was patrolling near the edge of the Vega system when I found a destroyed fleet. Dozens of ships. All vaporized. No survivors. No atmosphere. Just ash and silence. And then I saw it—his mark, burned into the surface of a moon."
Flash spoke up, trying to lighten the mood, but failing. "Okay, well, that's… subtle."
"Why now?" Diana asked, stepping forward. "Darkseid hasn't moved in years. Apokolips has been silent since our last war."
"That silence was a lie," Superman said. "He wasn't resting. He was preparing."
J'onn stepped forward, voice calm and cold. "What's his objective?"
Superman turned, activating a display behind him. The image shifted to a planet. Blue and green. Familiar.
Earth.
"He wants this."
A beat passed.
Everyone stared.
Clark continued. "According to what I found—and what the Green Lantern Corps confirmed—Darkseid is seeking the Anti-Life Equation again. And this time… he believes it's on Earth."
Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, slammed a fist on the table. "Of course it is. Because why not?"
"Are you sure?" Batman asked. His voice was sharper than before.
Superman nodded. "I wouldn't call this meeting if I wasn't."
Aquaman leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. "What's the plan then? We wait for him to come knocking?"
"No," Bruce said immediately. "We prepare. We don't know how long we have before he strikes. Could be days. Could be hours. We need to harden Earth's defenses now."
Cyborg pulled up schematics on the screen. "I can reactivate the old shield systems we built during the Brainiac invasion. They won't stop Darkseid… but they'll slow his forces down."
"What about the people of Earth?" Diana asked. "Do we warn them?"
Bruce shook his head. "Panic will kill more people than Darkseid will in the first hour. No public alert. Not yet."
Hawkgirl stepped forward. "What about the new guy?"
Everyone turned to her.
She clarified. "The Raven of Death. Matthew Vale. He killed the Joker and shut Gotham down without even trying. I've read the files. He's not like us. But if Darkseid's coming, maybe we need monsters on our side."
Superman hesitated. "I've thought about it. But something about him…"
"He's unstable," Batman finished. "I've seen it up close. He doesn't belong in a team. He doesn't follow orders."
"He doesn't need to," Diana countered. "He follows instinct. And that may be exactly what we need when a god of death comes knocking."
For a moment, the room fractured—half of them intrigued, half wary.
Bruce finally spoke again, voice low. "He ate a man's heart, Diana."
"And?" she said, staring him down. "Have you met Darkseid?"
Superman raised a hand. "Enough. We'll decide on Matthew Vale after we know more. Right now, we need to focus on preparing the Earth."
Zatanna closed her eyes, feeling the magical threads of the world tighten.
"Something is already moving," she whispered. "There's… shadow on the edge of the veil. I can feel it. Like fingers scratching at the fabric of reality."
Everyone looked at her.
"What kind of shadow?" Cyborg asked.
She opened her eyes. "Something is coming through. Something ancient. And angry."
Superman turned back to the screen. "Then we start now. Hal, alert the Lantern Corps. Martian Manhunter, begin scanning for Apokoliptian signatures. Zatanna, prepare magical defenses. Diana, coordinate with Themyscira. Arthur, handle Atlantis. Bruce…"
"I'll go see the monster," Batman said before Clark could finish.
---
Back on Earth…
Matthew Vale stood on the roof of Harley's apartment.
The wind tugged at his coat. His glasses reflected the full moon. He lit a cigarette, the red ember glowing in the night.
He didn't feel peace.
Not really.
He felt… something else.
Like the sky was holding its breath. Like the stars were watching.
He exhaled smoke.
"Something's coming," he said softly.
Behind him, Harley leaned out the window. "You good, puddin'?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then he turned.
"Yeah," he said. "Just thinking."
She tilted her head. "That's dangerous."
He smirked.
And far above them… in space beyond space… on the edge of cosmic fire and nightmare—
Darkseid stood on the bridge of his warship.
His eyes burned red.
His hands clasped behind his back.
His voice rumbled like thunder spoken through stone:
"Soon."
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