"Zatanna?"
Barbara called out, recognizing the woman standing before them.
"Mm-hmm, long time no see, Barbara, Laurel."
Zatanna adjusted her signature top hat and greeted them casually.
She had been staying at Cyborg's hidden base for the past few days, while Barbara and Laurel had remained in Gotham.
"Long time no see, Zatanna."
Laurel Lance, better known as Black Canary, frowned slightly.
"Do you always make an entrance like this?"
"Not always, only when I feel like it."
Zatanna shrugged with an amused smile.
"Once you have a more efficient way to travel, you stop relying on outdated methods."
"Zatanna, does Batman know about Homelander's speech?"
Barbara ignored the comment about transportation and focused on what mattered most.
"Of course," Zatanna replied. "That's exactly why I'm here."
Her expression grew more serious.
"But right now, the priority is getting out of here. This place isn't safe, and it's definitely not ideal for discussing strategy."
"Where are we going?"
Barbara glanced around. Gotham already felt secure enough to her.
"The Tower of Fate."
Zatanna folded her arms.
"It's safer there, and we can properly discuss our next move."
"You two go."
Laurel immediately rejected the suggestion.
She turned toward the exit, determination written all over her face.
"I still have unfinished business with Homelander."
Seeing her friend preparing to leave and throw herself into danger, Barbara stepped forward.
"No, Laurel, you can't."
Her voice sharpened with concern.
"Oliver wouldn't want you risking your life trying to avenge him."
Barbara reached out and grabbed Laurel's arm.
"Please, come with us to the Tower of Fate first."
"No."
Laurel shook her head firmly.
"This is our best chance. If we fail now, then what future is left for this world?"
Her voice hardened with conviction.
"I'm going to stop Homelander. Someone has to leave this world with something worth fighting for."
Barbara fell silent.
She knew that look.
Once Laurel had made up her mind, changing it was nearly impossible.
"Are you sure?" Barbara asked quietly.
"I am."
Without hesitation, Laurel walked out of the room.
The silence she left behind felt heavier than before.
Barbara sighed softly.
Neither she nor Zatanna said anything for a moment.
Meanwhile, at the Tower of Fate.
Bruce Wayne was in the middle of rehabilitation training.
Two of his ribs had been broken by Adrian, and the damage to his back had only made recovery worse.
"Ah!"
Batman gritted his teeth as he clung to a horizontal support bar.
Every movement sent waves of pain through his body. His chest and back felt like they were being torn apart whenever he pushed himself too hard.
"This will only make things worse, Master Bruce."
Alfred stood nearby, concern etched across his face.
"In your condition, simply walking is difficult. Attempting exercises like this is reckless."
He sighed.
"Your ribs are still fragile, and the injury to your spine has not fully recovered. You need proper rest."
"Don't worry, Alfred."
A woman's voice interrupted.
Alfred turned to see Zatanna entering alongside Barbara, who was pushing a wheelchair.
After glancing at Bruce, Zatanna smirked faintly.
"We both know Bruce isn't reckless enough to seriously worsen his condition."
Alfred clearly disagreed but chose not to argue.
Instead, he let out a tired sigh.
Batman lowered himself onto a nearby chair and wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Sometimes risks are necessary," he said evenly. "But Alfred is right about one thing, I understand my limits."
"Good at listening," Zatanna teased lightly, "but terrible at accepting help. Sounds familiar."
Batman ignored the jab.
He stood again, gripping the support bar as he slowly forced himself forward, using the opportunity to strengthen his upper body.
"They'll arrive soon, won't they?"
Barbara blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.
Then she nodded.
"Yes. Laurel said they should reach Earth very soon."
Batman remained silent for a moment before turning toward Zatanna.
"Are you absolutely sure there's nothing more you can do?"
"Yes," she answered immediately.
"Not completely nothing, though. I could use magic to help you move properly."
She paused.
"But if anything interrupts the spell, if I lose focus for even a second, you could collapse face-first."
Alfred looked genuinely horrified.
"Then absolutely not," he said quickly. "Master Bruce, I would rather not risk Miss Zatanna accidentally turning you into part of the floor."
"There's no time, Alfred."
Batman's voice remained steady.
He stopped walking and reached for the communicator resting on the nearby table.
Barbara had built it to connect every allied member still fighting against Homelander.
He activated the channel.
"Everyone," Batman began, his rough voice echoing through countless speakers, "the final battle is approaching."
Across Gotham, Commissioner Gordon paused in the middle of handling a violent riot alongside Harvey Bullock, who had enhanced himself using the superhuman serum.
At Cyborg's hidden facility in Washington, Victor Stone stopped assembling weapons and listened.
Elsewhere, Clark Kent sat with Amy at a café in Riverside, immediately reaching for his communicator when Batman's signal came through.
"The Green Lantern Corps will arrive soon," Batman continued. "And before anything else, I owe all of you an apology."
His voice carried unusual weight.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this war. I'm sorry for forcing you into something this dangerous."
He paused.
"But we all know this may be our only chance to stop Homelander."
"He's already proven how little human life means to him. He's aligned himself with Sinestro and the Yellow Lantern Corps. He rules through fear, crushing anyone who stands against him."
The room around Batman fell deathly quiet.
"I'm sorry," Bruce said, his voice lower now. "Some of us may not make it home tomorrow."
No one interrupted.
No one dared.
"I'm sorry you may have to say goodbye to the people waiting for you."
"For your family."
"For your friends."
"For the people you love."
"For your husband."
"For your children."
He paused briefly.
"And your wife."
The exhaustion in his voice was impossible to miss.
"Now it falls to us to end Homelander's rule."
His hand tightened around the communicator.
"I only regret that I can't stand beside you in this fight."
The transmission ended.
Silence followed.
Heavy, suffocating silence.
Everyone understood what this battle meant.
Everything would be decided soon.
"Miss Zatanna."
Alfred was the first to break the silence.
Straightening his posture, he looked at her seriously.
"I believe it is time. Please send me to the Batcave."
"Alfred?"
Bruce looked genuinely surprised.
"What are you talking about?"
Alfred adjusted his suit calmly.
"Did you truly think I would sit safely on the sidelines while everyone else risks their lives?"
His expression hardened slightly.
"I am not the sort of man who hides and pretends none of this happened afterward."
Bruce stared at him for a moment.
Then, unexpectedly, a faint smile crossed his face.
"No," he admitted quietly. "I suppose you aren't."
"Me too," Barbara added quickly.
"My dad is still in Gotham, Uncle Harvey's there too, and Laurel's heading into this fight."
She looked toward Batman.
"I'm not staying here behind a screen while everyone else risks everything."
Zatanna opened her mouth, probably intending to point out that Barbara could operate systems remotely from anywhere, but after noticing Bruce didn't object, she simply nodded.
"Teleportation spell, destination, Batcave."
Zatanna raised her hand.
Purple light spread across the air as reality itself rippled.
A glowing crack formed in space, expanding rapidly until it surrounded Alfred and Barbara.
Within seconds, both disappeared.
Only fading traces of magical light remained behind.
The room grew quiet again.
Now only Bruce and Zatanna remained.
Batman lowered himself into a chair and exhaled heavily.
"You're struggling more than you're letting on," Zatanna observed.
"Were you forcing yourself through the pain?"
"That isn't important."
Bruce took a slow breath.
"Zatanna, if something goes wrong…"
He looked at her directly.
"We can't afford to fail completely."
His expression darkened.
"We need a backup plan."
Bruce had never fully trusted in victory.
Not against someone like Homelander.
Especially not now.
Homelander had become even more dangerous after the Joker virus. Predicting him through normal logic was impossible.
Batman had learned long ago that hope alone was never enough.
There always had to be a contingency.
===
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