Worlds Away

The Bat-Jet slowed to a stop, landing roughly on the ice and snow. Tim unbuckled the straps securing him to his chair and got out, exhaling a thick fog as the Arctic air hit him. His mind flashed back to the meeting at the Watchtower the previous night. 

“Thanks to satellite imaging, we have evidence that they’re being kept in a large, golden tower. It likely doubles as the device Luthor has been working on, but we could be wrong,” Batman rumbled. “The images aren’t the clearest, but we are able to make out where we think the magicians are being kept.”

A diagram of the blurry tower was brought up, with red circles appearing near the top. “Since it’s so high up, we need those that can fly to be waiting at the top for when we are able to deactivate whatever stasis field is keeping them in there,” Batman continued. 

Glancing to his left, Tim could see the Javelin making a similar landing, and over a hundred heroes being flown in using the different Green Lanterns the JL kept handy. They were just a few yards away from the tracker’s last known coordinates, and while they were close, it wasn’t close enough for Tim’s liking. Still, he knew they had to have some iota of stealth, otherwise they would likely have even more villains to deal with than the army they were already likely going to be facing. Kon landed next to Tim, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to find him.”

Tim nodded, choosing not to respond beyond that. He knew Kon meant well, but Tim was aware that they were going to find Peter, that’s not the problem. The problem lies in whether they’re going to find him alive. Tim shoved that thought out of his brain. Not the time. Peter can’t be dead, Luthor needs him for his plans. He can’t be dead. And if he is? Well, then Tim was going to recover the body and make sure his partner got the funeral he deserved. It was the least Tim could do for Peter after all Peter had done for him. Tim ignored the tears that were gathering at the very thought of it.

Batman stood at the front of the group, his gravelly voice just loud enough for everyone to hear. “Flash and Kid Flash will scout ahead and report back to this location with any information they have gathered. If they are not back after a half hour, we are to assume they are compromised and will move in regardless. If they come back, we plan from there.”

The group of heroes nodded and with a tap of their suits, the speedster’s costumes turned white, helping them to blend in with their surroundings. They were off with a two-fingered salute and a “Be back in a Flash!” that everyone rolled their eyes at.

In just a couple of moments, the speedsters returned. “They’re being kept where we thought they were,” Flash reported. “But that’s not all…”

“Peter is at the top of it,” Kid Flash continued, glancing at Tim. “He’s strapped into this device that kinda looks like a tuning fork with these metal restraints. He looked like he was half asleep, but I couldn’t tell.”

Tim froze— how could he have forgotten? Peter was likely entering diapause, since it was so cold. He hadn’t had his super suit on, which meant the only protection he was getting from the cold, Arctic air, was whatever he was wearing at the moment. Fuck. 

“What else?” Batman asked. “Did you find a control panel for the containment fields?”

“I think so,” Flash answered. 

“Good. What about Luthor? Did you see anyone else there?”

“Didn’t see Luthor, but I did see Deathstroke and Talia al Ghul guarding the panel.”

Batman nodded. “Alright. Nightwing, you, Starfire, Cyborg, and Changeling will move to take out Deathstroke. Green Arrow and Black Canary, you will take out Talia. I will find a place to plug in the USB that will give Oracle access to override the code keeping that stasis field in place. Anyone that can fly, the second that those fields go down, you move in and take the magic users out of there. We don’t have to take them very far, since as soon as they are out, they will likely be able to teleport themselves away while we stop whatever it is that Luthor is up to.”

“And Peter?” Superman asked. 

“Kon-El and Red Robin will go to the top of the tower and get the restraints off. Then we get to one of the magic users, Raven, preferably, and have her teleport him to the Bat-Bunker. Is everyone cle—”

Batman was cut off with pained grimaces coming from Superman, Supergirl, and Kon-El. “It’s Peter, he’s screaming,” Superman grunted.

Kara shook her head. “No,” she whispered, “it’s all of them.”

“Move out, now,” Batman ordered.

Alex reappeared in a portal, stepping back towards the console for the tower and flipped several switches before slowly pulling a lever down. Peter cried out as every fibre of his being started shrieking with pain. Purple lightning traveled down the tower, hitting Peter first before travelling down the rest. “At last, it will be undone.” 

Peter watched through tears in his eyes as a dark, purple black hole looking thing opened in the sky, growing bigger and bigger with every second. Peter could hear all the screams of the people below him, could hear and feel their pain, because it was his pain too. 

“Alex, please,” Peter begged. “You know this is wrong.” 

Peter could have sworn Alex flinched a little, a glitch in his impassive facade. “You can’t create something there’s infinite of, you know that. Krona is using you!”

Finally, an emotion appeared on Alex’s face as he snarled at Peter. “I’m going to do what you could never be strong enough to— I’m getting my family back, little spider, even if it tears these worlds apart.”

It was hard, but Peter could feel the falsities in Alex’s words. “No, you’re not like that, are you? You’re a good person. Don’t let what happened to you change who you are.”

The energy was flowing through Alex now too, but instead of hurting him, it seemed to empower him. The madman cackled, his eyes filled with the purple lightning that was coursing through Peter’s being. “Oh, like you have any room to talk. I studied who you are, little spider, who you were. You and I are the same.”

“If we’re the same, prove it. Stop this— don’t let Krona command you.”

There it was again, that twitch in Alex’s face. Alex groaned, clutching his head. Another wave of sharp, hot pain raced through Peter, making the hero gasp and strain against the metal holding him down. “Would they have wanted this?” Peter whispered, tears streaming down his face.

With a roar, Alex fell to his knees, clutching his head. “GET OUT!”

Strange’s magic quavered around Peter, feeling something begin to be expelled out of Alex, when a staggering punch knocked Alex off the tower altogether, sending him careening to the ground. 

“NO!” Peter cried. “I was so close…”

“Peter?” 

Peter turned his head as best he could, smiling slightly. “Hey, Tim,” he choked out. Peter was barely able to finish his sentence as a fresh wave of agony coursed through him, making him cry in anguish. 

A familiar portal opened once again, and an enraged Alex stepped out, Krona almost completely overtaking him. Alex’s voice was combining with a darker, more sinister one. “Finally,” it rasped. “Finally I will be able to see it begin.”

Tim swung a fist, uppercutting the being, only for him to fall away with a cry, clutching his likely broken hand. Conner was right beside him though, throwing the next punch. 

“Alex,” Peter croaked. “Come on, fight it.”

The being’s head twitched to the side as Alex’s eyes formed into pupils again for a split second, only to vanish to the purple once more. “You shall not win,” Krona intoned.

“Bet,” Peter spit, shaking in place as another wave of pain crashed through him. “Alex, who destroyed your universe?”

The pupils were back, flicking to Peter with desperation. “Nekron.”

“Nekron?” Tim asked. Peter could practically hear the gears turning in Tim’s head. “Nekron… Alex, Nekron is contained in prison! He has been for years, he couldn’t have destroyed your universe! It was…” Tim’s eyes grew wide. “It was Krona.”

Alex roared in wordless anger, clutching his head. In a flash, Alex was back in control of his body, leaving him groaning as he fell to his knees.  

Peter couldn’t stay awake anymore, it was too hot and too cold and too loud and too quiet and—

Peter’s head lolled to the side, and Tim stood up, making his way to the panel. He pulled the lever downward with all his strength, ignoring the pain in his right hand. Kon moved to join him, helping pull the lever down as best he could. Slowly, ever so slowly, it dragged back down. Peter convulsed again, and Tim turned to see Raven flying Signal up to them. With Duke’s powers, Alex was able to stagger back to his feet. The redhead stretched his arms towards the sky, and a dark energy was collected at his fingertips. Alex pushed it into the pseudo-black hole and turned to Kon. “Throw me up there.”

“What?”

“Throw me up there. I can stop this.”

Conner nodded and grabbed Alex by the wrist, flying him upwards before spinning him in a circle and releasing him, sending Alex soaring into the center of the lightning. Energy blasted out of his hands and all but enveloped the now shrinking purple hole. Alex spared one last glance down at them, and it closed around him. 

The purple lightning stopped, and Kon was prying the restraints off of Peter in an instant, scooping him up and flying him over to Raven, who opened a portal. The half-demon created a platform which Duke and Tim stepped on to, following their fellow heroes to wherever it was they were all going.