American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

343. Infiltrating Apokolips.

Apokolips.

Under a chaotic and ominous sky, smooth, jet-black platforms connected various bizarre structures, stretching out to the horizon.

The air was thick with a suffocating stench of decay. This planet, shrouded in darkness and despair, seemed an unlikely origin point for any New Gods.

Returning to Apokolips, Clark was filled with complex emotions as he surveyed this familiar yet alien landscape. His eyes were a mix of sorrow and determination.

The last time he led the Justice League here, things didn't end well. Two years ago, he lost his closest friends on this very world and paid the ultimate price. But this time, he wouldn't fail. It was his responsibility to make amends, to keep his promise to Alex, and to bring the Justice League members back safely.

"This is it, Apokolips," Clark murmured in a low voice.

Jason cracked his neck, producing a series of pops, his eyes blazing with anticipation. "According to our plan, Apokolips should have no defenses at the moment, so let's make some noise while we have the chance."

"Jason, don't be reckless," Black Canary cautioned him seriously. "While Darkseid and his Parademon army may not be here, this is still the enemy's stronghold. There could be countless hidden traps that we're unaware of."

"Canary's right. I'm already trying to hack into Apokolips' internal network, though it might not be so easy, especially with Batman as their current cybersecurity expert," Damian said, tapping on his Bat-watch.

As part of a high-tech civilization, if the team wanted a stealthy infiltration, disabling the enemy's network would be like blinding and deafening them, giving a huge advantage to their mission.

But within moments, Damian shook his head in frustration.

"Ugh, remote network infiltration is proving too difficult. If I could get my hands on a computer or something here to transmit data, I might stand a chance."

"Looks like we'll have to rely on our 'old tricks' for this one," Dick shrugged, not surprised.

Seeing this, Black Canary looked over at Superman, Clark, and asked, "You've been here before; do you know where the central command and power stations are?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure." Clark sighed. "We don't know enough about Apokolips, which is part of why we failed last time. Thankfully, Luthor gave us a map of Apokolips; that should help."

"A map of Apokolips, then we're in luck."

Black Canary nodded, then turned to the three Robins, hoping to get directions from the map. But as soon as she turned, she was surprised to find that Jason, Dick, and Damian had seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

After a moment's pause, Black Canary rubbed her temples with a sigh. "What can I say? Guess that's what you'd expect from Batman's apprentices. Looks like they've really inherited Bruce's skills."

As one of the street heroes walking in the shadows, Black Canary now wielded the mighty power of Thor, though she had never abandoned her past combat experience. But even she hadn't noticed when the three of them disappeared.

"Dick probably has the route figured out. Time's short; let's move. I can still hear their heartbeats," Clark said.

Clark and Black Canary exchanged a look, then both stepped onto the vast black platform and ran forward into the unknown.

The platform was long, like a high-altitude walkway, connecting to a bizarre, towering structure with a flat top that reached the sky. Looking out from the platform, the scenery was dominated by darkness, with occasional glimmers of deep red light as accents.

Below the structure, molten lava bubbled with heat, and each popping bubble in the flowing magma emitted a sound reminiscent of a wailing spirit.

Clark and Black Canary sprinted across the platform, and if one looked closely, they would see three shadowy figures ahead, moving separately in the darkness, flashing intermittently.

"Something feels off…" Clark, who was running at full speed, suddenly felt a sense of danger.

Hearing this, Black Canary immediately prepared for combat. Though Clark could be unreliable at times, his Kryptonian senses were frighteningly sharp; if he sensed danger, it meant something was indeed approaching.

Clark scanned the surroundings and then looked up sharply at the sky.

"They're coming!"

Following Clark's gaze, Black Canary spotted a strange figure breaking through the clouds, flying straight toward them. It was a humanoid creature with wings on its back, carrying another person.

"That… that's Hawkman?!" Black Canary exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's not just him." Clark's brows knit tightly; unlike Black Canary, his enhanced vision allowed him to see their true forms from a distance.

Hawkman released his grip, and the person he was holding plunged downward, drawing a blade aimed directly at Clark and Black Canary below.

"Diana…"

Clark muttered through clenched teeth. But this wasn't the time for questions. He quickly prepared for battle and turned to warn Black Canary.

"Be careful. They're clearly not the people we remember."

Just as the two were focused on Hawkman above, a puddle of water on the side of the platform suddenly came to life, transforming into an icy spike that hurtled toward Black Canary's head.

Whoosh—

Clang!

The ice spike was sliced in midair by a blade, and Damian appeared from the shadows, intercepting the ambush.

"I noticed it earlier. A random puddle of clear water on this grim platform? Way too suspicious," Damian sneered, casting a taunting look toward the source of the water.

"Water manipulation… reminds me of Aqualad. This should be Atlantis magic, but could it be…"

He pointed his blade at the mist, and sure enough, from within the vapor, Mera gradually emerged. However, the sight of Mera's current appearance stunned Damian. His grip on his blade even relaxed momentarily.

Mera's face was only half-intact, the rest replaced by Apokolips machinery. Her once fair skin was now a metallic plane, with Apokolips' insignia glowing red on her chest. Her lower body had been replaced by a mechanical serpent.

Each slithering movement Mera made produced a faint, chilling sound of grinding gears.

Damian's face twitched, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief.

"What… what is this monstrosity?!"

.....

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344. Cyber-Metal Justice League.
345. Hamster Flash.
346. Ruthless Actions.
347. Batman's Fury Against Everyone.
348. Darkseid’s Arrives!!!