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Cyborg stared at Wonder Woman, his grip tight on the Lasso of Truth, waiting for an answer.
Just then, the feral rage in Wonder Woman's eyes vanished. As if the Lasso had burned away the madness, she became perfectly still, her expression serene and ancient. The violence was gone, replaced by a chilling calm.
"It's not possible…" Cyborg breathed. He knew the Lasso worked on the infected—he'd used it to force Black Adam to say "Shazam." But he never imagined it could restore someone's sanity.
"You foolish man," Wonder Woman spoke, her voice smooth and articulate, completely unlike the mindless rage of the other infected. "The answer is elementary. Where the plague begins, there you will also find the cure." She looked directly at him. "It has always been inside of you."
The realization hit Cyborg like a physical blow.
It all made sense. The so-called Anti-Life virus wasn't just a pathogen; it was the Anti-Life Equation itself, spreading its consciousness. When someone was infected, their own mind was merged with that ancient, terrible power. And the entity that would know the most about the Equation was the Equation itself.
The virus was born from the Mother Box technology within him, a dark twin to his own power over life and data. This meant that while he was the source, he was also the only one completely immune. The cure had been in his blood all along.
They had all missed it. Or rather, they had intentionally avoided it, terrified of what else they might unleash by experimenting on him. They had missed the simplest solution because they were afraid to look.
If only we had known sooner.
Desperate, Cyborg loosened his grip on the Lasso of Truth. He scrambled to the cliff's edge, screaming into the empty sky, hoping his voice might reach Jon Kent's super-hearing across the solar system.
"COME BACK! EVERYONE, WE FOUND THE CURE!"
But his call was lost to the void. The two Arks, under the protection of the Green Lantern Corps, had already left the solar system, fleeing a star that was rapidly beginning to die. There was no response.
The only one who heard was Diana.
A shadow fell over him. Freed from the Lasso's hold, she moved with a demigod's silent grace. Before Cyborg could react, her hands closed around his head. His advanced body was still fragile against her immense strength.
There was a sharp, sickening twist, and then only darkness as his headless body tumbled into the endless abyss below.
The few human survivors left on Earth now faced a new threat, perhaps even greater than Superman: a rogue demigod whose only purpose was to kill.
After a journey that felt like an eternity, the two Arks carrying the hope of humanity arrived at a new star system. Before them was a blue planet, a world of green land and azure oceans that looked so much like the home they had lost. This was to be their future.
On the observation deck, Lois Lane stood with Jon Kent, gazing at the beautiful, pristine world.
They knew the danger wasn't truly gone. The monster that had taken their Superman was still out there, somewhere in the dark. But for this moment, they had a new beginning. Their story, and the story of humanity, would continue here.
Meanwhile, back in Kansas, Reed Richards stood alone at the edge of the chasm. He had already persuaded the curious onlookers to leave—an easy task with a little help from Franklin's abilities.
Just as he finished preparing his equipment to investigate the crater, his phone rang. He frowned, recognizing the caller ID. It was a call he didn't want to take, but had to.
"What is it?" Reed's tone was sharp with irritation. "I distinctly remember taking a leave of absence. My nephew is missing. Am I not allowed any time to handle my own affairs?"
The voice on the other end was professional and clipped, ignoring Reed's complaint entirely. "We've detected a massive energy signature in Kansas. According to our tracking, you're right on top of it. I assume your investigation has already begun?"
Reed glanced into the abyss. "You wouldn't believe me if I said no. And after this call, this phone is getting destroyed."
The voice continued, unfazed. "In that case, proceed with the investigation and report your findings. The rest of the team is en route to your location."
The line went dead.
Reed sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. If he and Ben had just started their own venture sooner, he wouldn't be tangled up in these messes. Still, he couldn't deny his own curiosity. What was it that had fallen from the sky like a dying sun?
After making his final preparations, he began to rappel down the cliff face. His movements were precise and efficient, more like those of a seasoned field agent than a laboratory scientist.
Soon, he reached the bottom. But what he found there made him freeze in shock.
"How can this be?"
Ben had told him they'd been caught in a tornado. He had been knocked unconscious, and when he woke up, Clark was gone. Reed had been searching the area for days.
He never thought to look down.
Lying at the bottom of the chasm was his nephew. The iconic 'S' symbol was still faintly visible on the scorched remains of his chest. Reed's wildest, most outrageous guess suddenly seemed to be true.
"Superman… huh…"
He had always dismissed the idea, even with the strange parallels. After all, Superman was a character from comic books. But now, staring at the impossible truth, he had no choice but to believe.
Reed gently picked up his nephew's body, now frail and thin from the massive expenditure of energy. At that moment, the roar of helicopter propellers echoed from above.
His troublesome organization had arrived.
Realizing he couldn't let them find out Clark's secret, Reed acted without hesitation. He smashed the ringing phone against a rock, silencing its tracking signal, scooped the body into his arms, and disappeared with his nephew into the shadows of the chasm below.