Advanced chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.
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-General P.O.V-
"Your knee's digging into my kidneys, Kent."
Robin's voice was tight, his discomfort palpable in the cramped pod. He squirmed, trying to find some relief.
"We're almost there. Stop being such a baby."
Jon shot back, shifting slightly, though it hardly helped.
The Watchtower loomed ahead, a silent sentinel against the backdrop of space.
They guided the small craft into the hangar, the bay doors sliding open thanks to Robin's remote hacking.
The craft drifted to a halt beside the League's spaceship, its landing barely a whisper in the large docking chamber.
Silently, the two boys slipped from the craft and melted into the shadows.
Jon's senses flared as he scanned their surroundings, his breath hitching as he tried to penetrate the thick walls of the Watchtower with his X-ray vision.
"Anything?"
Robin whispered low.
"We're clear, for now."
Jon muttered, his voice strained.
"I can't see through the walls though. They're too thick."
Robin grinned in the dim light, eyes fixed on the flickering screen of his wrist computer,
"Budget Superman," he teased, fingers flying across the controls.
"I have the map. We're in the hangar. Starro has to be somewhere his puppet Justice League can protect him. That's where we need to go."
Boy Wonder explained.
They moved swiftly, disabling security feeds as they went.
After rescuing his mother and the others, Jon had worked with Robin to devise a plan.
The invasion was spreading, the spores infecting more and more people, their control growing with each new host.
AI Jor-el had confirmed their worst fears: Starro, a parasitic alien with a hive mind, was orchestrating the entire invasion.
They had to destroy it before the entire planet fell. Finding Starro's location was easy with the information Lois had. According to various reports- the spores had come from outerspace.
By triangulating the impact zones, they traced the path of descent back to the source, which happened to be the Watchtower.
The only issue left had been how to get there without Starro knowing they were coming- the Batwing was a no go.
Once again, his mom came in clutch, revealing to Jon the location of the Space-Pod his Dad had come to Earth on as a baby. And now an hour later, here they were.
"Almost there."
Robin murmured, his fingers dancing over the security pad. A soft buzz signaled his success, and the door slid open with a hiss.
They froze. Five Justice League members stood on the other side, Starro's spores writhing on their faces.
Robin smirked, his cockiness almost palpable.
"The Martian, Arrow, Canary, and Atom. We can take them—"
But Jon was already in motion.
He grabbed Robin, yanking him upwards as he tore through the ceiling, rocketing them through several floors until they burst into the Watchtower's meeting hall.
Alarms blared, the sound echoing in the vast chamber as Jon landed, setting Robin down beside the long table.
Robin shoved him off, frustration and worry warring on his face,
"What the hell, Kent? You just announced our presence! If we'd fought them—"
"We would've been captured!"
Jon snapped, the tension between them crackling in the air.
"Five Leaguers, Robin! We wouldn't stand a chance, not with Manhunter and Atom on their side."
They glared at each other, a silent battle of wills, until Robin sighed, his shoulders slumping.
"Fine. But it would've looked damn good on our resume if we'd taken them down. Sorry for almost getting us caught though."
Jon's anger softened,
"I'm sorry too. I should've kept my senses on alert. I'm… not great at this hero thing. You should take the lead."
Robin gave a small, tight smile.
"Don't sell yourself short, Kent. You've got the instincts for the job. Just have to sharpen them."
He glanced around the room, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"Though I'm not sure what we do now that Starro knows we're here."
A low rumble shook the chamber, the floor beneath them shattering as Atom burst through, his body glowing with nuclear energy. Starro's spore pulsed on his head, feeding off his power.
Jon's heat vision flared, clashing with Atom's energy beam in a fierce battle of wills.
"Robin, find out where It's hiding. I'll keep the puppets busy!"
The beams collided with a deafening roar, light and dust exploding in all directions.
Jon used the chaos to his advantage, slamming an uppercut into Atom's jaw and searing the spore from his head with a focused burst of heat vision.
Meanwhile, Robin darted to the long table, connecting his wrist computer to the League's system. Fingers flying, he was too focused to notice the door sliding open behind him.
Green Arrow's arrow whizzed through the air, narrowly missing Robin's head but striking the terminal, sending a surge of electricity through the system.
"Dammit."
Robin cursed, rolling away just as another arrow sliced through the space he'd occupied a moment before.
He palmed and threw a couple of Battarangs at the couple, only for them to go wild under Black Canary's scream.
Her sonic wave split the air headed for Robin, but Jon was there in an instant, his hands clapping together in a thunderous boom that neutralized the sonic attack.
"Thanks for the save."
Robin muttered, his eyes flicking nervously between the two heroes. "What about Atom?"
"Dealt with."
Jon replied, his voice tight as they backed away, only to stop, their retreat cut off by Martian Manhunter phasing through the floor.
And with the other two Leaguers closing in, their escape routes shrunk with each step.
"Got a plan?"
Jon's question hung in the air, their backs against the wall.
"Not really."
Robin admitted, ignoring Jon's remark of, "Budget Batman" as he continued,
"But I did find Starro's location before Green Arrow fried the system. The problem is getting there."
"Can't you just blast the spores like before?"
Jon shook his head, his expression grim.
"I used up most of my solar reserves on Atom. I don't have much left."
His mind raced, eyes darting between the advancing heroes.
"Wait… I've got something. Close your eyes and stay behind me."
'I was saving this for when I absolutely needed it, but screw it.'
He thought, tensing in preparation.
""" It Is Time. """
The puppeted heroes started chanting in unison, their voices hollow and creepy.
Jon held his breath, waiting until they were close enough.
With a swift motion, he ripped the crystal pendant from his neck and twisted its base. A blinding flash of UV light erupted from the crystal, flooding the chamber in an intense white glow.
The heroes recoiled, their screams of pain echoing off the walls as they staggered back.
They fell like puppets with cut strings, the scorched spores detaching from their heads.
Jon then absorbed the light, his cells drinking in the solar energy until his body was nearly shining with power.
When the light finally dimmed, Robin blinked, staring at his friend in shock.
"Dude, you're glowing like a magical girl."
Jon grimaced, the energy coursing through him almost too much to bear. "I had to do something desperate. I can't contain all this power. I've only got a few minutes before… well, let's just say it'll be bad."
Robin's concern deepened.
"Are you really okay?"
"I'll manage."
Jon said, his voice strained but determined.
"We need to move fast."
Robin nodded, and without another word, Jon grabbed him and shot through the Watchtower, tearing through walls and floors as they followed the map on Robin's wrist computer.
A few turns and twists later, they skidded to a halt before a massive vault door, the League's most secure chamber.
Robin quickly accessed the security panel, his hands shaky as he connected his computer.
"We're here."
he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the vault's heavy doors creaking open.
The chamber beyond was vast, filled with all manner of dangerous artifacts and weapons.
But their attention was immediately drawn to the massive creature at the far end, its single yellow eye fixed on them.
"Starro."
They breathed in unison, the word heavy with dread.
Standing before the alien horror, guarding it with lifeless eyes, were Batman and Superman, Starro's spores twisting grotesquely on their faces.
Jon's jaw tightened.
"The spores weaken them. They're about 20-30% less powerful under Starro's control."
Robin's eyes widened.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Jon nodded, his glowing skin casting eerie shadows across the room.
"We could take them."
"But we don't have the time."
Robin finished, understanding the urgency.
Jon jerked his head in another nod. He was a ticking time bomb, and every second counted.
He stepped forward, resolve hardening his features.
"I'll handle this. Close the vault behind me, and don't open it until it's over."
Robin grabbed his arm, concern and desperation in his grip.
"You don't have to do this alone."
Jon met his gaze, his voice soft but unyielding.
"I'm the only one who can. It's the only way, Dick. For the world, for Ma and Pa."
With a final, determined look, Jon shrugged off Robin's hand and stepped into the vault.
Robin watched, helpless, as the doors began to close. The last thing he saw was Jon's strained smile, a silent farewell before the doors sealed shut with a deafening clang.
-Jon's P.O.V-
The vault door sealed behind me, the sound final and ominous.
My eyes immediately locked onto Dad, heart twisting at the sight of him standing there, puppet-like and lifeless, under Starro's thrall.
The spore on his head obscured his eyes, his face a mask devoid of the warmth and strength I knew.
I wanted to say so much, but there was no time. Starro's presence pressed against my mind, its will probing, trying to dominate me.
But I was stronger with Torquasm despite being a beginner in the art, my mental training holding firm against its assault.
"You cannot deny me."
Starro's voice rasped through Dad's mouth, the sound a mockery of the man I knew,
"Countless worlds have fallen before me. Yours will be no different. It is Time."
Beside him, Batman echoed the words, the two of them chanting in eerie unison.
The anger I'd been holding back surged, hot and fierce, threatening to break through the tight control I maintained.
My vision blurred with red as I glared at Starro's massive, unblinking eye.
"Shut up." I growled, my voice low and taut.
The chanting ceased instantly, replaced by the ominous sound of two approaching figures—Superman and Batman, the world's greatest heroes now reduced to puppets.
"What hope do you have where your betters have failed?"
Batman's voice was cold and flat, mocking.
"Join us, son. It's foolish to resist. With Starro, the world is safer."
Da- Superman urged, his voice calm but insidious. Almost like him, but not...
"Crime has vanished."
Batman continued, taking another step closer.
"You could have your Father at home with you and your mother, every day, every night. The world wouldn't need Superman anymore."
"Isn't that what you want, son?"
Dad pressed. The word "son" twisted in my gut like a knife.
They stopped just before me, their mouths parting to reveal the writhing, alien spores within.
The sight turned my stomach, but I kept my gaze locked on Starro.
It must have thought me insignificant, allowing its puppets to close in like this.
But I was far from insignificant. I was done holding back.
"At the cost of his free will?" I spat, shaking my head as the air around me crackled with energy, growing hotter by the second.
"That wouldn't be my father. Just a cheap imitation."
My fists clenched as the heat inside me built to an unbearable level.
I glared at the monstrous creature behind my father, my voice dripping with defiance,
"And here's something you might not know, Starro: we Earthlings prefer the real thing. Welcome to Earth, you overgrown space squid."
With that, the energy inside me exploded outward, a blinding, scorching wave that sent both Superman and Batman flying back.
The force of it made the air between us seethe and shimmer.
I focused every ounce of that energy into my eyes, channeling it into a searing blast of blue heat vision.
The beam lanced through the air, too fast to dodge, too powerful to block, piercing Starro's central eye with devastating precision.
The creature didn't even have time to react before the beam drilled through its grotesque body, tearing through the Watchtower's walls and into the cold void of space.
In that moment, there was only the hum of my power, the smell of ozone, and the final, dying shriek of the alien invader as its hold on Earth—on my father— was obliterated.
Then another problem became apparent, we were being sucked into outer space.