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High atop a towering skyscraper, Grayven stood, his arms crossed as he scanned the battle below. His inhuman eyesight allowed him to watch every movement between Diana and Steppenwolf with perfect clarity, but his mind was elsewhere. His wrist scanner flickered, the signal from the Motherbox he was tracking fading in and out, growing weaker by the second.
"Cunning mortals," Grayven muttered, his brow furrowing as realization dawned on him. The Motherbox signal wasn't weakening because it was running out of energy—Motherboxes never depleted their power. No, this was something more deliberate, more strategic.
"They've masked the signal somehow," he murmured, his voice laced with irritation. Humans couldn't possibly decrypt the Motherbox's encryption on their own. It's impossible.
Yet, here they were, deceiving him and Steppenwolf into focusing on the wrong target. Grayven's mind worked quickly, piecing together the truth. They had carried something that mimicked the Motherbox's energy signature, luring them into this battle. A diversion.
"Tch..." Grayven clicked his tongue in annoyance. Falling for such a ploy vexed him, but what was worse was the presence of that child below—Jorno Jovanna. Steppenwolf had mentioned him. The boy with blonde hair and red eyes who, despite appearing nonchalant, constantly glanced near Grayven's location.
He's aware of me, Grayven thought, narrowing his eyes. How?
Jorno wasn't looking directly at him, but it was clear he was tracking Grayven somehow. Was he using the air currents to sense shifts in density? Could he hear Grayven's heartbeat through subtle changes in the atmosphere? The precision of his ability troubled Grayven. This boy wasn't just some random nuisance—he was a real threat.
The Battle Below
On the ground below, the sound of clashing steel echoed as Diana of Themyscira and Steppenwolf battled fiercely. Diana's sword met Steppenwolf's axe in a flurry of sparks, each strike sending shockwaves through the area. Civilians had long since fled, leaving the battlefield open and isolated.
Despite the intensity of the fight, Grayven remained detached, his mind weighing his options. Should he intervene? It would be easy to jump into the fray, but that might be exactly what the humans wanted. Grayven had always favored calculated actions over brute force, unlike his bloodthirsty brother, Steppenwolf.
But what kind of mind had devised this plan? It was cunning, methodical, and precise. His thoughts drifted, considering who could be orchestrating such a complex strategy.
Underground: The Plan in Motion
Beneath the surface of the city, far from the chaos above, Batman stood in a darkened chamber, watching as his carefully crafted plan unfolded. His sharp mind had run through the steps five times already, but he needed to be sure—absolutely sure—everything would go perfectly.
"Alright... do it," Bruce commanded, his voice cold and authoritative.
Barry Allen, the Flash, began to run, his body becoming a blur of yellow lightning as he tapped into the Speed Force. Energy crackled around him, the air around the chamber growing heavy with static as Barry gathered momentum.
In the center of the room, Victor Stone—Cyborg—stood over Superman's lifeless body, which lay suspended above the Motherbox. Cyborg's mechanical arms twitched as he prepared to execute his part of the plan. The Motherbox hummed with power, ready to respond to the energy surging from Barry's run.
Batman's mind raced, calculating every possible outcome. The plan was simple in theory but immensely complex in execution. Barry would use the Speed Force to generate enough energy to briefly breach the Motherbox's defenses. From there, Cyborg would channel that energy into the Motherbox, replicating the process that his father had used on him—but this time, it wouldn't be to create a machine. It would be to resurrect Superman, to restart his vitals, and bring him back from death.
The risks were enormous. The Motherbox was unpredictable. There were unknowns—too many, for Batman's liking—but there was no other choice. The fate of Earth rested on this gambit.
"Batman... I'm ready," Cyborg's voice crackled through the comms. His mechanical eye glowed as he monitored the power readings from Barry's speed.
"Now!" Bruce ordered.
In an instant, Barry reached critical velocity, the speed of his run sending arcs of lightning shooting through the room. He angled himself toward the Motherbox, his entire body glowing with the energy he had built up. Just before colliding with it, Barry transferred that power, sending it into the Motherbox like a lightning rod.
Cyborg's systems immediately kicked into gear, his hands manipulating the Motherbox's energy with surgical precision. The energy surged into Superman's body, bathing him in an otherworldly glow. For a moment, the chamber was silent, as if the entire world held its breath.
Bruce's heart pounded in his chest, but his expression remained stoic. If this didn't work...
The Moment of Truth
Grayven, still high above the city, narrowed his eyes as his wrist scanner blipped erratically. Something was happening underground, something that his tech couldn't quite detect. It was clear the heroes had something far greater in mind than just a distraction.
"They're up to something," Grayven muttered. His gaze shifted to the boy again—Jorno, who had kept scanning for him.
He felt the air shift again. The winds were changing.
Back in the Batcave
The glow around Superman's body intensified, and then, for the briefest moment, his chest heaved. His heart, silent for so long, thundered to life. His eyes shot open, glowing red for a split second before returning to their familiar blue.
Cyborg's scanners went wild. "It's working! He's alive!" Victor exclaimed.
Barry, who had come to a stop, breathed heavily, his body still crackling with residual lightning. Batman, though expressionless, felt the slightest pang of relief. But it wasn't over yet.
Superman, still disoriented, blinked, his body tense as if unsure of where he was. But he was alive. The plan had worked. The world had hope again.
But so did their enemies.
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[Auther: See ya, later dude.]