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The sound of a jet engine hummed low over the coastline as the sleek, black silhouette of the Batwing descended from the sky, its wings glinting in the light of the rising sun. Batman sat in the cockpit, his eyes narrowed behind the cowl, already processing the situation before the craft had even touched the ground. Next to him, Cyborg's systems were running hot, his sensors sweeping the area, scanning for any signs of the unknown figure who had overwhelmed the team. The information was minimal, scattered, and far from comforting.
The moment the Batwing's landing gear hit the sand, Batman was already out of the cockpit, his cape billowing behind him as he approached the scene. His eyes darted over the beach, immediately taking in the aftermath — the scattered, wounded members of the Justice League, some still groaning from their injuries, others lying in the sand, their pride wounded more than their bodies.
Hawkman was already rushing toward the group, his face pale with worry as he knelt beside Hawkgirl, gently lifting her head, cradling her in his arms. "Kendra?" His voice was soft, laced with concern. "Are you okay?"
She blinked up at him, still dazed from the blow that had knocked off her helmet. Her hand reached up to touch the side of her head, wincing slightly. "I'm fine… Just... don't tell me I got knocked out by a rock."
Wonder Woman arrived in a blur of motion, having abandoned her training session with the Young Justice team the moment she'd heard what happened. She surveyed the scene, her face creased with concern. Her eyes lingered on the scattered members of her team — Green Lantern, Red Tornado, Atom — all nursing bruises and injuries far more serious than they would admit.
With a sigh of relief, she glanced toward Batman, her voice carrying a slight edge of frustration. "At least no one was killed."
But Batman wasn't looking at her. His eyes were locked on Green Lantern, his face shadowed under the cowl, unreadable but unmistakably tense. Without a word, he stepped toward Lantern, his cape brushing the sand as he closed the distance in deliberate, measured steps. Green Lantern, who had been sitting up, nursing his bruised wrist, met Batman's gaze reluctantly.
"Start talking," Batman's voice was low, but it carried with it the weight of command. "What happened?"
Lantern grimaced, casting a quick glance at the others before speaking. "We made contact. He was… calm, at first. Completely indifferent, just staring out at the ocean. I tried talking to him, but—"
"You didn't just talk to him," Batman cut in, his voice cold, sharp. "You engaged him. And he took all of you down in under a minute."
Lantern's jaw tightened, his pride bruised more than his wrist. "Hawkgirl thought he was reaching for a weapon. She moved first."
Batman turned his gaze to Hawkgirl, who was sitting up now, still holding her head where the stone had struck. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her wings twitching defensively. "He picked up a rock, Bruce. I reacted."
"You overreacted," Batman snapped, his voice like steel. "And it nearly got you all killed."
Hawkgirl glared, but didn't argue. She knew better than to push back right now. The truth was clear — they had underestimated him. And he had disarmed and incapacitated them without breaking a sweat.
"He could have killed you," Batman continued, his voice lowering but no less intense. "If he had wanted to, you wouldn't be here. None of you would."
A heavy silence fell over the group. Even Wonder Woman's expression had darkened, her worry deepening. The thought of how close they had come to death — how effortlessly the stranger had defeated them — weighed heavily on all of them.
Batman Grumbled and muttered to himself Where the flash when you need him? to which Cyborg replied "I heard that there were weird sightings of ruins near Star City and he went to investigate" With a sigh Batman turned his back to Hal
"What else do you know?" Batman asked, his gaze shifting back to Green Lantern. "What is he?"
Green Lantern shook his head, his frustration evident. "He's not Kryptonian. He doesn't have their weaknesses. The heat vision was similar, with his strength and speed but the way he fought? That wasn't Kryptonian at all. He's not a Tamaranian either — no star bolts, no energy absorption. And his strength and speed don't match the Martians. I tried reaching out telepathically, but... nothing."
"Not Czarnian? mutayed one?" Batman asked, frowning deeply.
"No," Green Lantern confirmed. "The Czarnians were wiped out, and besides, their biology is… different. This guy? He's something else entirely."
A knot of paranoia twisted inside Batman's gut. His mind raced, already running through possibilities, contingencies, and countermeasures. The League had encountered powerful beings before — some of them near invincible. But the level of skill and power this individual had displayed was on another level. He hadn't just overpowered them. He had outclassed them in every way, as if fighting them was little more than an afterthought.
And that dagger… the kryptonite. He had reacted to it, but not with fear or pain. Just irritation. It was clear now: this stranger was not Superman, nor any other species they had encountered.
Batman's frown deepened as he turned his attention back to Green Lantern. "What did you say to him? How did you approach?"
Green Lantern ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "I approached cautiously, tried to open a dialogue. I told him we'd been watching him, that we knew he wasn't from here. But he didn't seem to care. He just kept staring at the sunrise. When I pushed for more information, that's when it all went south. Hawkgirl reacted, and… well, you saw the result."
Batman's eyes narrowed. This had been their first contact with the stranger, and they had botched it. Badly. He turned away from the group, his mind racing with possibilities, trying to anticipate the next move. Who was this being? What was he doing on Earth? And more importantly, how dangerous could he be?
His voice, when he spoke again, was quiet but laced with a cold intensity. "This was your fault. You misread the situation, you provoked him, and now we have no idea what his true intentions are."
Hawkgirl shifted uncomfortably, while Atom hung his head, the weight of Batman's words sinking in. Green Lantern opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it.
"Bruce," Wonder Woman whispered began, her tone gentle but firm. "We made a mistake, yes, but he didn't kill them. That has to mean something."
Batman didn't respond right away. His mind was already turning to the next steps. "You were lucky this time," he said finally, his voice grave. "But next time, we won't be. He's not Kryptonian, not Tamaranian, not Martian, not Czarnian. We don't know what he is, but he's more powerful than any of us."
He turned back to face the team, his expression hard. "And we need to find him before anyone else does."