Chapter Text
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Batman stood, or perhaps stand was the wrong word… Batman drifted (though he would much prefer to be standing on something solid), hand latched onto to the point where Superman's cape meets his uniform, as his eyes searched for a place for them to grab. Superman's hold on them was gone, hands covering his ears, clearly overwhelmed by the sound. Batman could say for sure what he was hearing that they weren't only that, but it seemed to be hitting him hard. ‘We need a place to regroup, somewhere quiet.’ Batman thought to himself, inwardly glad that the mental line between them seemed to fall again. It would be dangerous if they were still linked to Superman, as he would have accidentally compromised them as well. There was seemingly no way to propel himself in any one direction, nothing to push off of. Bruce was privately pissed at Hal for putting them in this situation, to begin with, but that anger was no help right now. ‘Focus.’ Batman thought to himself, eye scanning again and again for a place- there .
“Flash on your left; grab it!” Batman ordered, glad they still seemed to be able to talk. Bruce wondered how long that would last. It seemed as though everything here shifted on a whim at a moment's notice. A small section of Batman's brain was curious about how to use this experience to create better training simulations for the Justice League, but he tabled that thought for another day.
“Got it!” Flash called out, hand latched onto it. ‘a new plane of existence?’ Batman wondered as he observed the Crack as Bolt had called it. He didn't miss the interesting fact that they had gone left. Again. Just as Bolt had instructed. ‘How far ahead was this planned? Are we helping or falling into someone's trap?’ He thought, disliking the unpredictability, the strangeness of this. He had little time to prepare or plan. The lack of information clawed at his anxieties.
“Superman report.” There was the sound of heavy breathing, as Superman trembled ever so slightly in Bruces arms. “Kal-El, report.” He repeated, tone softer. That finally prompted a reaction.
“I'm Okay, just... Adjusting dials, " he explained, shakingly. It was… loud. Everything was too loud, " he added with a murmur.
“Hey guys, have you looked at what's going on on the other side?” Flash interrupted, and Batman followed his gaze, peering in to see their view looked like they were watching from down a hallway, their perspective stretched and altered to focus on the children sitting on a rug.
“Using your powers is cheating!” Marvel announced, evidently disgruntled at losing whatever card game they were playing.
“It is not! It part of who i am!” Voltage replied back quickly, jumping to stand.
“Can you two be quieter? I'm trying to focus.” The as-yet-unnamed child interrupted. His dark charcoal-colored suit looked out of place with the bright colors of the others. His hood was drawn up, casting shadows over his face.
‘Vortex there reminds me of Batman.’ Hal thought, watching lil’ cap as he had taken to calling Captain Marvel and the other boy play a mystery card game.
“Vortex, come play with me. Voltage cheats, and Tempest just wants to read books.” Marvel groaned, flopping backward to lay on the patterned rug, that was attempting to cover the stone floor.
“No, I’m trying to do this.”
“What are you even doing?” Marvel asked, sitting up, and Voltage glanced behind him to look at Vortex who was leaning over something, turning his back to the hall where the justice league lingered trapped in the shadows of archways.
“I'm Making stuff for the wedding, " he answered, and for a brief moment, Marvel and Voltage's faces were wiped clean. The smile was returned just as quickly but for a moment…
‘Batman. That was fear.’ Barry thought quietly, feeling a growing tension build in his gut as he caught the flash of emotion spread across Marvel's face before the smile returned, more strained now than before.
“Oh.” Marvel said quietly.
“Hey Marvel, I need gift ideas for your birthday. Happy early 11th birthday, by the way. You get to be snake's eye age.” He cheered out. Marvel rolled his eyes.
“You're just excited because your birthday is after mine.”
“That is a vile accusation. I am totally not just waiting for my birthday.” Voltage argued before laughing. “I'm looking forward to your birthday cake! There's a difference.”
Bruce was briefly distracted by memories of his own childrens birthdays. Alfred helped put the cakes together, and the candles blew out. Fond memories. His forced his attention to return to the children, and it was to see that somehow, a small but playful fight had broken out between Voltage and Marvel, which escalated to involve Tempest rather quickly. Mrs.Marvel was sitting to the side playing dolls with Bolt, and Vortex just looked irritated by the entire thing. Looking at them, Bruce couldn't help but think: Family. These were brothers and sisters sitting and playing.
“Daddy?” came Bolt's soft voice, and Marvel stopped what he was doing after a beat and walked over to take her from Mrs.Marvel, who was watching him impassively.
Batman watched, feeling a trickling sense of apprehension lace his system. As he peered through the cracks, he felt a growing sensation that something was wrong with more than just their living situation.
“What's up?” he asked, awkwardly smiling. Bolt looked confused for a moment, but understanding swiftly dawned on her, and she went quiet. She held her arms out for a hug, which he easily wrapped her up in.
“Can I have a snack?”
“We can't, Bolt, remember the rules?” Tempest murmured, but Marvel lifted Bolt and rested her on his hip.
“I can do it,” Marvel answered confidently.
“But-”
“Different rules for me now, remember?” He said cheerily, silencing the protests of the other children and instead filling them with glee.
“Food time!” Voltage cheered as he followed them out of view.
As they moved, the hallway they were peering down to see stretched and warped, reaching out as far as the eye could see—just floor, floor, floor . Gone was the view of the children, then the sounds of their voices, and gone was the hallway. They lost their grip, or rather, the thing they were griping lost them. Once more, they found themselves adrift; this time however no strange noise accompanying it, only a strange emptiness akin to drifting through space where sound couldn't travel. And yet…
“Little Cap is such a good big brother, immediately switched into playing house with Bolt no questions asked,” Hal commented, and Batman shared a side glance with Flash. Evidently, he was not the only one to pick up the strangeness of their interactions with each other. “Hey, look we can talk again!”
“I'm just glad that noise isn't back,” Superman said, glancing around as though there was some source to identify. How many of these do you think we need to watch?” Superman wondered, frowning. “Because as fun as it is to see a young Cap, we can't sit here and watch him grow up; it will take too long.”
“I don't think we will,” Barry responded his arm still firmly looped around one of Superman to keep himself tethered to the group. Hal clung to his other arm, and Batman was at Superman's back ‘like some demonic version of a koala bear.’ he thought.
‘Heh, uh Superman, heads up mental link is apparently back.’ Hal thought as he revealed the fact that Superman had just called Bruce a Demonic Koala bear. Batman grunted, and Superman felt a rush of shame.
‘Hello, can you hear me?’
‘Johnn that you?!’ Barry's eyes went wide as Martian Manhunters' mental voice could be heard in their minds.
“Ah I have reached you. The mental connection is tenuous and difficult to maintain. I have put much of my effort into ensuring your connections remain preserved. As a result, I’m not up to date on your current situation. What is your current status?’
‘We made it to the rock of eternity, but it's not much of a rock. I traveled through some weird stuff, and now we are in what I can only best describe as if Outer Space got shoved in a blender with a mall and the concept of time travel.’
“What?” Superman looked over at Hal confused.
“Window shopping,” Hal said, not helping Superman understand any better. “You look through the window to see it, but you can't actually get it or interact with it. It's like that but with time travel and Outer Space. Only creepier? Sprinkle in some nightmare fuel.”
“I hate how you described this entire experience, and I don't feel that it's accurate,” Barry stated flatly.
“Oh it’s entirely accurate.” Hal counted.
“Batman?” Martian Manhunter inquired. “Status.”
“Unharmed, Superman experienced distress earlier due to an influx of auditory stimuli but is recovered. ” He reported before pausing a moment. “Can you ask Zatanna about any information you have about a place called ‘The Isle Of Desolation’? We are acting on the advice of Bolt to watch what we are currently assuming to be glimpses into Captain Marvel's past, but we meet her there.”
“I will contact them to ascertain if there are any concerns regarding that and report back when I can. I will attempt to reconnect often and frequently, but I may not be able to.”
‘Understood.”
“Look there,” Hal said, gesturing as sounds could be heard from a new fissure of reality catching them in a spider's web. Barry was disturbed to realize they were quite literally viewing everything from a spider's web, hanging distilled in air and upside down. Their voices betrayed them once more.
‘I think I'm gonna hurl.’ Barry thought quietly to himself.
‘Please don't. If your throw up I’ll throw up.’ Hal thought
‘Lantern, Flash Focus.’ Batman interrupted, focusing on what lay before them.
“You have performed well in accomplishing your mission, Captain.” An unfamiliar voice spoke out of view.”
“Thank you, My Lady.” Captain Alara replied standing at attention in what appeared to be a empty conference room. The floor was scuffed, and there were no visible chairs or tables, on the indents and stains of where tables and picture frames might once have been.
“I was not finished speaking.”
“Apologies.” Alara bowed as she spoke, rigid and formal.
“Your mission was a success. This much is true, but failure still clings to you. You have not yet succeeded in your other task.”
‘Sounds like a feminine voice. I can't quite place her age, though. Mid thirties maybe?’ Flash, though, preserves and listens intently to the new voice, the voice they have no face for yet.
‘Possibly older. Clearly a person with authority.’ Batman replied before carefully, slowly, inch by inch, Batman attempted to right himself. To reorient what he was seeing and it was then he realized he couldn't. Try as he might, twist and turn as he wanted his view point remained steadfastly and consistently upside down.
‘I don't think window makes a good metaphor here. We aren't passing through time like you would pass by a window. Otherwise, we’d be able to adjust how we see things, what we see.’ Flash thought as he processed the discovery Batman had made.
“I don't ask for apologies; I demand results. Another attempt must be made tonight. Do not fail.” There was a beat of silence and then a sigh as the teenager adjusted the peculiar smile she had been wearing the entire time, relaxing out of attention. Then, the sound of small feet steps as the captain, their captain, Captain Marvel, entered from where he had been, evidently hiding in the doorway.
“Marvel, you know you're not supposed to listen in on these conversations.” She warned, and that strange smile that didn't match her eyes was still in place, she ran her hand through her hair a gleam of gold catching the light as she did so.
“Sorry,” Marvel apologized as he approached her, smiling. It was unsettling to look out; nothing like the calm, comforting smile that the Captain normally wore. Something thin and gold glinted from his hand. “I just want to know if there was a plan for dinner.”
“Tell the kids to eat the leftovers. You and I are to report to Hera and Himeros tonight so we wont be able to take care of dinner for them. You remember what I told you?” Alara asked
“Yes.”
“Good. ” Alara took a steadying breath.
‘Bruce. Those are wedding bands.’ Clark thought hands tightening on them, a rare righteous fury crossing his face. Superman was a good man, a kind man, but superman had gone and it was Clark Kent, reporter and human at heart, watching this with them. Clark Kent could get mad.
The faint golden gleam from the wedding bands shone brightly as though promising salvation.
It felt like damnation.