(General P.O.V)
The ocean passed below him in a blur, the environmental shield around his body dealing with the drag and friction in spite of the Super Sonic speeds he was flying at.
As he did, he gazed at the holographic panel before his eyes, projecting a map of the Caribbean Sea, with Infinity Island marked as his destination.
"Robin's files were inconclusive. Ring, give me the latest intel on Infinity Island."
The green lantern ring emitted a soft glow depicting the island and its surroundings.
The ring was connected to a satellite, providing him an almost omniscient view of the Island.
"Infinity Island is shrouded in uneven spatial patterns. Additionally, I detect the presence of theta energy, a form of exotic energy, emanating from it."
Batman narrowed his eyes, processing the information.
"Theta energy... The League of Shadows must be up to something big. Or maybe...its not them at all."
He didn't want to jump to conclusions but the only people he knew who had access to theta energy or Spirit energy in simple terms, were Deadman, a fellow hero and Davian Mabuz.
Otherwise known as the Scarlet Devil. The leader of the PRT.
"Prepare for infiltration. Give me a real-time analysis of the island's security systems."
"Affirmative, Batman."
The ring answered before the holographic projection zoomed in, revealing intricate security systems, guard patrols, and the layout of the League of Shadows headquarters.
He slowed down once he got was closer to the island.
"The island's security is formidable. Thermal sensors, motion detectors, and high-frequency alarms are scattered throughout. Guard patrols are stationed at key locations. Exercise caution."
The ring advised.
"How many?"
Batman asked.
It wasn't his first time here and Ra's knew that, so he usually randomly reset the security measures.
It wasn't unusual for there to be hundreds or even thousands of shadows in the Island at a particular time.
...(scanning) The ring took on a more mechanical tone.
"17 hostiles detected."
The ring replied.
"That is less than I expected." He stated, a bit surprised.
"Ring, deploy the cloaking effe..."
(ALERT!)
(ALERT!)
The ring interrupted him with a series of warnings.
Batman immediately came to a stop in mid air.
"Report."
He growled at it.
"In accordance to the Green Lantern treaty on extinction level weaponry: Protocol 6722, issue 31#..."
"Get on with it!"
Batman barked, his environmental shield pulsing from the outpour of his will.
"Spatial patterns suggest the presence of a level 12 galactic energy source. Probability the Theta energy contained within to explode is...calculating...4.5%."
Batman narrowed his eyes.
"How much yield is in a Level 12 galactic energy source?"
"Were it to explode, I estimate complete extinction of all life in the local sector and the spread of cosmic radiation waves to the entire galaxy. A minimum of 28 quadrillion lives would be lost in the next 200 years."
The ring answered.
Batman's jaw tightened upon the news.
"Can you accurately determine it's location?"
(...Scanning)
"Negative."
Okay, infiltrating the island was immediately out, he couldn't waste any more time.
"Understood. Time to level the playing field."
Batman stated, raising the hand the ring was on.
*******
A pulse rippled out from his position, encompassing the entire island.
Immediately, every electronic device in the Island shut down, including the cameras, radio and the power feeding into the security grid.
"E.M.P successful."
The ring intoned.
"Good."
He couldn't rule out that the theta bomb could be activated by the mere press of a button.
By deploying an electromagnetic pulse and killing every device within range, he had eliminated that possibility.
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Now to find out where the damn thing was located. For that, he would need to calibrate the ring's scanning features to pick up on the exotic energy signature.
Infinity Island was a mid sized Island, which meant the landmass was a bit extensive with a rocky terrain that became more apparent the deeper you moved in.
Perfect for hiding anything you didn't want easily found.
Fortunately he was Batman.
"Ring, initiate upgrade sequence. Reroute all auxiliary energy to the scanning feature."
The green lantern ring emitted a soft glow, acknowledging Batman's request.
"Understood. Initiating upgrade sequence. Rerouting Auxillary power."
A holographic interface appeared in front of Batman, showcasing complex algorithms and scanning protocols. Batman started inputting commands, tweaking the ring's settings.
The Guardians would have been appalled to learn that Batman had not only hacked the most powerful weapon in the universe but had also intuited it's functions to the point he could do anything with it.
The glow from the environmental shield around him lessened somewhat.
"Ring, cross-reference the theta energy patterns in the island with external data sources. Prepare to integrate satellite scans."
In the Batcave, thousands of miles away, the main monitor displayed a live feed from a satellite positioned above the Caribbean Sea, with Infinity Island as its focus.
Batman then pulled the real time feed onto the screen projected above the ring, searching for any thermal or radiation anomalies.
There was nothing that stood out.
He frowned.
"Ring, enhance the thermal and radiation sensors on the satellite. We're looking for all unusual readings."
"Boosting satellite sensors. Scanning in progress."
Came the confirmation from the ring.
On the holo feed, the satellite's view zoomed in on Infinity Island, capturing the dense jungle, the League of Shadows' headquarters, and the surrounding terrain.
Then the image changed to show heat signatures and a rippling wave of radiation pulsing around the island.
"Got you."
Batman muttered to himself.
"Isolate and analyze any abnormal thermal or radiation signatures."
The holographic projection updated with a detailed analysis of the thermal and radiation patterns detected on the island.
"Thermal and radiation analysis complete. Correlating data with uneven spatial patterns. Theta energy source identified, Batman. Coordinates locked."
The Ring informed him.
"Good work."
Batman responded before he leaned forward and shot towards the Eastern section of the island.
He made it there in 3 seconds, finding himself looking out into a very familiar training yard.
Only this time, something was off.
His eyes could spot nothing strange. Even a general scan of the training yard and a flyby revealed nothing of substance.
However, his skin shivered from something in the air.
"Whatever is here, is completely concealed. But now that I know it's here..."
He trailed off, stretching out his fist and pointing it out into the training yard.
"...I just need to search for a different frequency. But I'll need a boost."
He clenched his jaw, knowing what he would need to do but not liking it.
He had known it would sooner or later come to this.
With his voice steady and full of resolve, he begun his chant.
"From Gotham's darkness to farthest star,
I wield this ring, both near and far.
With power untamed, I embrace the fight,
In brightest day or blackest night,
I rise as the Green Lantern, the Darkest Knight!"
A torrential amount of power escaped the ring, dispelling all the shadows in the training yard and revealing something shimmering.
A conglomerate of green Crystals that was taller than any tree on the island. And before it, something was floating in place.
"Ring, what is that?"
He questioned.
(...searching database...)
"Entity appears to have no normal biological functions. 78% chance of entity being a security measure. 6% chance on entity being..."
"Dismiss further information. Reroute all power to the Combat Matrix."
He interrupted.
He couldn't waste anymore time. He needed to find a way to deal with the theta energy bomb before it exploded.
"Confirmed. Godspeed Batman."
The ring complied and it's wielder immediately jumped in.
The first thing he did was create a batarrang that dispelled the guardian construct easily.
Then he reached out with his ring to try and create a membrane around the crystal in a bid to teleport it away, when he froze.
For starters the crystal formation went too deep into the island.
However the thing that made him pause was...
Those eyes.
Davian stared at him from within the crystal with murderous intent.
(ALERT!)
(ALERT!)
(ALERT!)
The ring immediately begun going crazy.
Batman's breath hitched as a crack ran down the crystal. Potent energy begun wafting out of the crack in waves.
"Ring what is..."
(ALERT! ALERT! CRYSTAL CONTAINMENT FIELD IN DANGER OF BEING BREACHED! 10 SECONDS TO FULL BREAKDOWN)
The highly mechanized voice from the AI informed him.
Batman's eyes widened.
The ring on his finger glowed as he pushed it forth, allowing a blast of will energy to wash down on the crystal, fixing the crack.
There was a slight buzz from the comms in his ear. He tapped it with his other hand almost absentmindedly.
"Bruce, what is going on? The Watchtower's sensors are going haywire?"
Superman's voice came from the other end.
"Extinction level bomb threat. I'm attempting to contain it as we speak."
Batman responded, watching as the will energy did little to stop the cracks from forming around the crystal.
"Rate of deterioration slowed. 10.5 seconds to total meltdown. 10.5555 seconds to extinc...
The ring rattled off before with a flex of his will, Batman shut off the notifications, grinding his teeth.
"Clark...it's too much. I-I don't think I can do it like this. I need Barry."
There was a brief silence.
Superman sucked in a deep breath.
"You know that's not possible, he's..."
"The only one fast enough to do what I need him to."
Batman cut him off.
"Clark, you know me. I would never in a million years ask for this if it wasn't the only way."
(Central city - Star Labs)
The Flash had been keeping up with the League's missions.
Not once or twice had he failed to read up on the mission reports made available to him by the Jay Garrick.
"Are you sure?"
Iris rubbed his shoulders. She had followed him on his weekly check up when the Caribbean disasters had struck, necessitating them to follow the events closely.
Then the communications between Batman and Superman had reached him on his league comm device.
He looked at her. At his future wife and the life she was carrying.
"I have to. For us. For...them"
He added rubbing her belly gently.
Iris nodded and hugged him. He smelled the scent of her hair before stepping back and with a solemn nod he was off.
"I'll do it."
The Flash's voice came the next second, beside Batman.
If Batman was fast, then the Flash was speed incarnate. He had cleared the long distance in under a second.
Batman to his benefit took it all in stride.
"Good..."
"Wait, is that?!..."
The Flash suddenly asked horrified, pointing at Davian who was contained in the crystal.
"No time Flash! I need you to run around the Island and carry it off to the end of time."
Batman explained.
"You need me to do what?!"
The Flash exclaimed in shock.
"Bats...you can't be serious. On my way here I saw people, we would be condemning them to..."
Batman sent out a small e.m.p. shutting off both their comms, ensuring that the conversation happening was only between the two of them.
"I have run the calculations Barry! We don't have a god nearby. And that's about the only thing that can stop this thing from exploding."
He motioned at the crystal with his chin.
"I can't even separate the crystal formation from the Island!"
He turned his gaze at the Flash, both men knowing what saying yes would mean.
Batman's voice turned soft, his eyes still staring deep into the speedster's.
"You and I...have a lot to redeem ourselves for. Doing this, will save the families of the men we killed. Doing this...will save Iris, Barry. It will save your unborn child."
The Flash shook his head.
"You manipulative..."
"So run. Run Barry, Run!"
Batman ordered.
The Flash threw a scathing look Batman's way and then sped off in a trail of red and yellow lightning.
Batman then heard a crack as more of the crystal shattered.
He looked at Davian within the crystal and saw him carving something onto its surface.
"I WILL KILL YOU."
Establishing eye contact, both men stared at each other. One with conviction that what he was doing was justified and the only way to save trillions of lives and the other?
He was furious, filled with hate that could not be extinguished.
"I'll be waiting."
Batman informed him and then begun ascending, never breaking eye contact until the Island disappeared in a tornado of speed force.