War is hell, a raging flame,

Innocent hearts caught in its deadly game.

Soldiers march with no true cause,

Fighting wars, breaking natural laws.

Why do we fight, why do we bleed?

Is it worth the pain, the suffering we heed?

For a cause that's fueled by greed,

In this cycle of war, what do we need?

Citizens caught in the crossfire's wrath,

Left to rebuild on the war's bloodied path.

Why should they suffer, why should they pay?

In the chaos of war, does anyone sway?

Why do we fight, why do we bleed?

Is it worth the pain, the suffering we heed?

For a cause that's fueled by greed,

In this cycle of war, what do we need?

Trapped in violence and hate,

We hold onto hope, it's not too late.

One day, peace will reign, we'll repair,

From the chains of war, we'll break free and dare.

Why do we fight, why do we bleed?

Is it worth the pain, the suffering we heed?

For a cause that's fueled by greed,

In this cycle of war, what do we need?

{Credited to ChatGpt}

A heavy music filled the crystal city. The very air distorted, shaking those who heard it to the core. The electric guitar caused static in the air, sparks flew across the floor. The room lit up like a disco ball, lighting in a different color.

The giant crystal on top of the high tower was a beacon for stars, guiding them to their destination.

Zion, wearing his costume, struck the strings with force. The meticulously made strings played notes that humans have never heard. The music was a symphony of emotions and chaos, one that struck the hearts of the listeners. The listeners resonated with the songs; those of the war-torn country were more than emotional; they were enraged.

They had gone through so much; what have they done to deserve this? They were just ants caught in the middle of an elephant's fight.

Zion finished his musical with a final stroke, sending shivers to those who heard. He had been playing for the past hour. He had crafted an electric guitar while he was bored, using all the advanced knowledge to make a guitar so perfect that physicists would go insane.

Zion then turned to the controls. A hologram floated about, showing his live recording. He was wearing a pitch-black tuxedo with a gold shirt, with a crystalline electric guitar in his hand. He was also wearing his helmet.

Zion was not just playing the music for himself, but for the whole of Earth. With Z.A.I's help, every electronic device was playing his song, only his song. In short, all of Earth's communication was hacked and was under his control. And for the last hour, they were only listening to him. This had already made humans go bombastic as they tried to search for the hacker, but couldn't. Not only that, they couldn't even communicate with each other. So, they were all like stranded survivors.

Of course, there was a way of communication left.

"Hello viewers, Did you like my song?" Zion questioned.

He was live streaming while also taking control of Earth. When the stream started, people were terror-stricken as their devices were taken over and only showed his stream. They could only watch the stream.

"I hope you did," Zion muttered as he sat back at his chair, his visor displaying an enigmatic smile.

This was a one-way communication.

"I know that all of you are confused," Zion muttered. "How did I take over your devices? Why can't you close the program? Why am I even here? Don't worry, I am here to answer."

Zion waved his hand, invoking a holographic control panel. He was now taking command of the stream.

"I am Neon from Mars. Nice to meet you, civilians of Earth.

Yes, from Mars, your sister planet. Yes, it's not a dead planet. And yes, there are aliens. I am one too, in a sense.

But what I am here for now is to inform you of something of most significance. Due to the atrocities humans have caused in the last few decades, I have decided to take control, on the fact that humans are too idiotic to handle themselves.

Do not worry, I am not going to be a dictator and your normal lives won't be affected by any means. I dare say that your lives would be improved. Think of this as a change in management. Yes, management.

Again, none of you who choose not to fight this change will be harmed in any way. All you got to do is stay home and watch the show. I hope none of you intervene as I do plan on a bit of pest control.

As for the government, what are you going to do? I literally have control over everything. I have your nukes, I have your missiles, I have your jets, I have your boats, I have your cars. What are you going to fight with? Bicycles?

You know what? I would love to see you guys fight on bicycles.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

For those who think that they could do evil because the network is down, think twice. The network is not down, just under different management and a tougher one. So I hope you mind your own business while the cleaning happens.

And for the Metas, you who had superpowers, don't intervene. Your whole system is rigged and corrupted. I am just cleaning. So, viewers, enjoy the fireworks. Don't miss it!"

The stream ended. Earth collectively had a moment of silence. The government still didn't have any mode of communication with their military, nor did the police force have communication with their respective teams. They could communicate and could only fend for themselves. But they had received orders, from military to the constable, had all received orders to evacuate the civilians and take them to safety. The cities were about to become a war zone and the civilians need to be removed to lessen the casualties. The masses reacted differently to the new age. Some panicked, some angry, some didn't care, while some hoped. Hoped for a better future.

Zion looked at the stars, they were similar to Earth's sky, yet different. He knew he had started another war with another species with his declaration. Those hidden in the dark would emerge, to fight him.

But What can they do?

He wasn't planning on giving them a chance in the first place. He was going to crush them in a single move. Leaving no chance to retaliate. After all, those who can combat his technology had yet to be born. Only the Meta-humans would retaliate, but they would be of help when a literal army invades. If his play was successful, he should be able to build a better a planet, a better place for both Meta-humans and humans. He will end crime and stop the cycle of hate.

"Time to roll," Zion said as he walked to the balcony of the high tower. He could see the vast horizon, the purple sky meeting the black land. Due to slight gravitational differences, 1.5 G. It was the violet light that scattered. Zion could see it, the heroes who would save this planet. Green Lantern was carrying them in his jet made of light, rendering the dehydration gun useless. It was good. They shouldn't be defeated yet. They have a role to play and they should play it right. Zion flew out of his tower, leaving his throne empty. He should greet the guests.

Zion came to a stop in the skies above the crystal city. The jet made of light approached fast and came to a halt before them. Green Lanterns morphed the jet around them to a sphere, lest they were attacked, unsuspected. The heroes looked at Zion intently, each displaying different emotions.

"Zion," Superman called.

"Hi Superman, What brings you here, a long distance away from home?" Zion asked.

***

- Gotham -

Batman hung on the guardrails, flung by the explosion.

"Need a hand?" An adolescent voice asked.

Batman looked up, He met the eyes of his protege. He took the hand and climbed up from the guardrails.

"What are you doing here?" He inquired.

"Heard you needed help?" Robin stated as he looked down the building.

The explosion had pushed the creature down the building, but it was not present in the alley. It had survived and immediately fled from the scene.

Robin turned to his mentor, "What was it?"

Batman turned to his wrist computer, "That's what I am trying to find."

"Then we need to track him down, in stealth," Robin said and pulled his cloak on him, vanishing from sight.

Batman's eyes perked up. Robin hadn't used a technique to vanish. He had turned invisible where he stood. He had already noticed the changes in Robin's dress, but he hadn't questioned since they had a bigger problem.

["Gift from your friend, Sir,"] Alfred answered.

"Zion," Batman muttered under his breath.

['He had sent quite a few gifts, I can't say I hate them. What should I do with yours, sir?']

"I will come check later," Batman answered.

["I would suggest changing into better gears, Bats,"] Z.A.I commented.

Batman ignored Z.A.I and called his protege. "Robin."

"Here," Robin appeared behind Batman, trying to surprise him, but completely failing.

Batman just gave his a hard look, scrutinizing Robin's new suit. This suit was a combination of his and Robin's uniforms. The suit was not bulky but had armor-plates like his Bat-suit. Instead of a Bat in his chest, Robin had a bird, its wings connecting to his shoulder. His cape was segmented like a bird's wings. He still wore a domino mask.

"Let's move," Batman stated before jumping down and using his cape to glide down.

Robin followed his mentor, replicating Batman's descent. Batman removed the sewer cover and jumped down, which was followed by Robin. Robin didn't show any discomfort of entering the sewers, after all, they had been fighting some crocodiles here.

"What's with the suit?" Batman finally asked.

Robin was a bit nervous about wearing the suit without permission. "Well, Zion informed that you might need help. I was about to put my suit, but Alfred brought this and asked me to wear this."

"Can you only camouflage?" Batman questioned.

Robin perked up, his nervousness lessening. "No, I got increased strength and speed, an in-built computer for analysis, anti-gravity boots, a minor force-field generator, a wrist blade, an in-built grappling gun, the cloak is bulletproof and can be used to fly, night-vision, thermal-vision, radar, and some others."

Batman came to a halt and lifted his hand in a fist. Robin instantly understood the gesture, halting his step and staying silent. Batman, leaning on the wall, looked around the corner. He saw the creature melting the wall and inject a cube into it.

["That's the stuff,"] Z.A.I commented.

Batman wanted to question but stopped himself. He needed to take down the creature first. He turned to his protege, he didn't need to convey his intent in words. Robin nodded back, turning invisible and crossing to the other side silently.

Batman pulled all his explosive batarangs and nodded to where Robin was. He jumped out of hiding and threw the batarangs at the creature. Robin didn't lag behind and used his wrist launcher, something he didn't have before.

The batarangs and mini missile collided with the creature in an exploding firework and smoke. The smoke filled the confines, covering all vision.

['The creature is not down! It's going to explode!'] Robin's panicked voice came through the Coms before Batman felt a force collide with him.

"FOR THE DARKSEID!!!"

*BOOOOOM*

The explosion shook the whole system, raining rocks and boulders into the murky waters. The smoke filled the tunnels even more, rendering everything invisible. One could not see clearly.

*Broom*

A slight vibration halted the expanding smoke before it dissolved the smog away. The sight wind blast was attuned to a frequency that made the smoke particles sink.

"Darkseid?" Robin questioned as he deactivated the forcefield.

"It was a war cry," Batman answered and walked to the center of the explosion. He saw the half-submerged metallic cube on the wall, unaffected by the explosion. He tried to pull the cube from from the wall, but it was stuck.

"What is it?" Robin asked as he helped pull the cube.

The cube easily dislodged from the wall with Robin's increased strength.

["It's a mother box,"] Z.A.I answered.

"Explain?" Batman ordered.

["Get to this location."]

Robin's wrist computer lit up, projecting a GPS signal to a location in Metropolis.