Chapter 1:

Undisturbed cities
A quiet and cold night, a solitary farmhouse stands
in the middle of a cornfield. The debris from the
justice league watch tower stands as a tomb of
failure in the distance. It has caught rust and has
become a haven for snakes. The ghostly field and
the house are surrounded by equally dark military
and pick up trucks. A band of masked men come
out of the house with bags on their shoulders and
throw the bags into the trucks. The trucks have
machine guns on them capable of killing
parademons.

‘ it’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the

most intelligent, but the one most responsive to
change'

Sam:(after throwing every bag inside) Look at

that..
Mike: At what?
Sam: that thing, the part of their cosmic space
station. Full of rust and what not.
Gary: (on the truck)They made sure your daughter
gets to live Sam, let’s not forget that.
Sam: Live like what? Like this? Under a fucking
alien warlord? It’s a nice world me and me
daughter are living in. You know, before this I was
a fucking accountant, felt boring at the time and I
wished I could have anything else. I remember
saying I would give the world for this...I did
Mike: Well I got news for you motherfucker, you
ain’t the only one in this. You ain’t the only one
who’s killing daughters to save daughters. So stop
fucking whining and get on the bloody truck,
pretty sure you don’t want your daughter to die
now.
Sam: was that a threat?
Mike: No it wasn’t asshole. If you die, the dogs in
the camp would do horrible things to her and we
won’t be able to protect her, so get on up here.
(Same gives them a sour look and climbs in)
Gary: Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest
in peace.

Sam: God doesn’t care about the living, what

makes you think he cares about the dead?
Gary: Love always, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.(He clicks on a button that blows up the
house) Let’s go(the truck starts moving and the
others follow).

Everyone: Amen.

The trucks starts moving and follows a path into

the woods.
(Inside the truck)

Daniel: alright men, you got some full bags here,

what we got here(he opens the bag), bloody
fucking bastards these guys were hiding some
fucking treasure up their asses!
Sonny: the shit they had while people around them
starved, too bad the kids had to die because of
their parents.
Daniel: ain’t that always how it goes?(chuckles)
Sam: Did we have to kill the children?
Daniel: we had to kill the parents didn’t we? And
then what raise rabid pups so that they could bite
off our dicks later? Hell fucking no. It’s either our
children or theirs.
Sonny: we could’ve sent the kids to the boy scout's
camp.
Daniel: are you idiots listening to yourselves? I
don’t want the Man of Tomorrow lasering my ass.
Neither do I wanna go to Gotham, not after what
happened in 52nd street and Cicero
Mike: we could raid the boy scout's camp. They
say he’s weak now.
Daniel: listen buddy...there’s a reason why even
the parademons won’t go there. If the spawns of
Darkseid don’t go there, I won’t either.
Everyone looks at him shocked...
Daniel: Aww fuck...
(A demonic screech fills the air and they hear
aggressive flapping of wings)

Sam: you had to say it...you bloody had to fucking

Mike: Get on the gun Sam.

Each of them picks up a gun and aims at the sky.

Hordes of parademons round up over them and
shoot at them. The trucks start accelerating and
moving erratically so that the demons miss their
shots. Sam and their comrades shoot down a few
of them but there are too many of them. One of the
parademons flies into the truck and crashes under
the tires. Another one follows him and is killed by
raging spits of bullets. The third one gets in and in
and tackles down Daniel who’s horrified. As he’s
about to get killed, a bullet pierces the skull of the
demon and it drops dead.

The bandits look outside. The dark sky was

shrouded by canopies of pine trees. In between the
jarred leaves moving in and out and the still sky,
were the parademons, darker than the sky or the
leaves, howling and screeching. But...

But there was another creature above them. It was

darker than the darkest object that night, and was
accompanied by countless bats. It’s speed of flight
had matched that of the parademons and within the
motion blur of canopies, suddenly the parademons
vanished. The eyes of the creature glowed, as if
light of redemption came out of it. It was dark and
winged...like a bat.
Daniel: STOP THE TRUCK! STOP THE
FUCKING TRUCK!
Sam had forgotten amidst the chaos that a large
tank had blocked their way ahead. Men in red
hoods and orange and black millitary vests stood
ahead of them with guns pointed. One of them was
an old man with an eyepatch.
Mike: You know who it is we can’t stop... we
can’t fucking stop or it’s over...AAAA
(The truck flips over and skids to the Red Hood,
stopping right at his feet. The other trucks stop
too)
Men come out of the truck and point their guns at
red hood and Deathstroke.
Red Hood: an year in and you’ve forgotten this
mask...
Spectates the people toting guns at him.
Red Hood: But no one ever forgets what follows.

Canons, turrets and machine guns pop out of the

batmobile behind them makes for more than their
match.

The bandits are tied up and thrown on the ground.

Some bloody, some unconscious, some both, some
neither but not one dead.

Batman looks over them. Behind him stands Red

Hood, Deathstroke and Harley Quinn(Now known
as the Scavenger).
Red Hood(walks up to them and crouches): let’s
see...uhh this one I remember from Blackgate,
Daniel Pensburg. My man here worked for the
little bird cobblepot. (He gets up and faces
batman)
Red hood: their crimes; killing a child of 12 and 8
along with their parents and stealing whatever
resources they had. Then they blew up their house
to distract the parademons.
Deathstroke: We know what happened
Red Hood: doesn’t seem like we do. We couldn’t
save the family that needed saving but I’m sure
Bruce here wouldn’t allow killing these people.
Scavenger: and are you sure the father of those
kids, killed no one? Would you want us to kill him
too? How would that make us different from these
guys or the fucking parademons?
Red Hood: I still don’t get why we keep you with
us. After all you did.
Red Hood: You know what? I’ve changed my
mind, let them live(looks at Batman) at least
they’re fathers who would kill for their children.
Batman glares back. He turns back and moves to
the Batmobile.
Batman: Scavenger, make sure the bandits are tied
properly. Place a signal for Superman.
Scavenger: (To Red Hood): You heard him
Red Hood: To the Boy Scout’s camp,
unbelievable. You act as if nothing has changed
Bruce. There aren’t laws anymore. There is no
Gotham to save, no law to uphold. Nothing stands
anymore.

Batman: (without looking back) That’s what The

Joker would say.

Dick is driving and Victor is sitting beside him.

Gar is in the back lying under a heap of fabric.
Victor: There
Gar stays on the truck, Dick and Victor make the
reluctant bandits climb into their pickup trucks.
Dick: It’s quite cozy in there gentlemen, you can
snuggle up to our friend there, he can turn into a
nice fuzzy teddy if you feel like it(Gar turns into a
Bear for a moment scaring the bandits). Off to the
farm then
Victor looks at the sour faced bandits, turns and
smiles at them.
Victor: what’s with the foul face guys?
Daniel: You’re taking us to Superman
Victor: yes we are my guy
Mike: So one overlord takes over, we gotta live
under another? That’s the big plan?
Dick: You’d work for a daily wage there and you'd
be able to afford food and supplies. Along with
whatever the government drops you guys will be
just fine
Sam: taking handcuffed men to a ranch, where
have I seen before.
Dick stops the car and gets out of it. He walks
back to the carriage and pulls Sam out by the
collar and starts kicking him. Then pins him to the
ground with his batons.
Sam: Yeah we get it, you guys are no different.
Armed men patrolling the wastelands, you’re no
different from us
Dick: You should be thankful we patrol these
lands because there are characters around who
wouldn’t be so forgiving especially after what you
people have done. Any pretty behaviour you’re
getting from us is because we do get it. Times are
tough and you did what you did or at least you
thought you did.
Sam looks at Nightwing who has a ghost of a
smile on his face and gasps. Nightwing throws him
back into the carriage and goes back to the driver’s
seat.
Gar: I know exactly what you guys need. Hit it up
victor

The truck passses by a broken sign that says

‘Smallville'
Dick and Gar: ... Light a fire, a fire, a spark
Light a fire, a flame in my heart
We'll run riot
We'll be glowing in the daaaaaaaaark...
Gar: ooh ooh ooh
Victor: All the boys, all the girls
Gar: All that matters in the world
Dick: All the boys, all the girls
All: All that matters that occurs
All the highs, all the lows
As the room is spinning, oh

Dick: God I love this song

Victor: Me too man(to the bandits at the back) you
guys know what’s it’s about?
(They don’t reply)
Gar: Wasn’t it about children and drugs?
Victor: Exactly, it’s about this kid who’s sad and
depressed because of bullying or bad parenting
Dick: like Charlie Brown?
Victor: Exactly like Charlie Brown. The line
“Stole a key, took a car down town where the lost
boys meet", he’s stealing a car and he’s meeting
the lost boys
Gar: the drug dealers
Victor: Saw the lights go out indicate his
intoxication to the drugs
Dick: Fucking love this song more now
Gar(to the bandits) Guess what’s Victor’s
favourite album?
Dick: To pimp a Butterfly
Victor: used to jam that during football drills
Dick: I love to pimp-
Victor: You love to pimp?
Gar laughs hysterically
Dick(smiles): That was clever and immature at the
same time
Gar: You can say that’s another banger
Dick: Some dude when I was in highschool called
me gay for listening to One Direction, it’s not an
insult to call someone gay
Victor: yeah like if you call an electrician a
plumber he’s not gonna take it as an insult, he’d
just say “I fix wires not pipes"
Gar: yeah I vibrate I don’t pipe
Victor: We never told him that his jokes are bad.
Gar: Hey!
Dick: Yeah, we should’ve.
It’s the earliest in the morning as the sun is
peaking through the horizon, tinting the sky orange
to mauve and darker as it slowly rose upwards.
The truck stops at the fence of Kent farms.
Gar: alright guys, this is our stop, let’s get down
now
(They’re nervous and they refuse to move)
Garfield turns into a tiger and roars and they all get
off.
As they’re nearing the Kent household, Jaime
Reyes and Donna Troy approach them. Gar jumps
on Jaime and starts licking him. Donna goes in to
hug Victor and chuckles till she looks at the
refugees.
Donna: You’re right on time Victor. Two of those
harvesters need fixing. What have we got here?
Dick: the same old, bandits and foragers. They’ve
killed a family and were on their way to their
hideout when they ran into a group of Parademons.
Donna: Would’ve served them right, they
Would’ve got what they deserved
Jaime: Y’all said the forbidden word didn’t you?
Anyways, follow me inside, we have jobs for
you(they go inside the storage). While you’re
under the house you work for wages, you’ll be fed
like you’re in a boarding school but guess what if
you do your job well you’ll go to other places
where you’ll be able to spend your wages. Grab a
broom or an equipmemt all of you and start
cleaning and arranging. The barn should look as
clean as the sky above Mojave.
The reluctant men start cleaning. As Sam goes
forward to pick up a broom he’s cornered by Dick.
Dick: Excuse us guys, I have a word with this
man.
He takes him outside and behind one of the trees.
Dick: Do you smoke?
Sam looks at him confounded. Dick punches him.
Dick: (calmly)The environment maybe feels jail
like but I didn’t ask you to drop your pants. I asked
did you smoke?
Sam: No-no I mean I used to
Dick(offers him a cigarette): here
Sam looks at him reluctantly.
Dick: Take it, take it or I’ll punch you again
Sam takes the cigarette.
Dick: I’m not a smoker myself, I keep a pack
around for the interviews. You have a lighter I
hope. (The man pulls out a lighter and lights his
cigarette) You somehow convinced your mates
that the house didn’t need burning didn’t you?
Sam gives Dick another wide eyed stare
Dick: Look at you now. You’re like all of them.
every measure of bravado leaves their soul when
they realise how fruitless such a back and forth is.
When they realise that the examinee already
knows all the answers and he’s just asking the
questions to see the colour of your face change.
It’s quite marvellous you know, sometimes it’s
yellow, white, red. I’ve seen purple, sometimes it’s
just sweat and interestingly enough green. Just a
tinge though.
(Dick stares at the man and smiles)
Sam(keeps crying)
Dick: What were you thinking leaving 2 children,
barely some years old alive when you stripped
their family off of everything they had?
Sam:(sobbing) I swear I didn’t kill her parents!
Dick: I know. You look too clean for a guy who’s
killed someone. What were you an accountant
before all this? Just wanted to hear it from you.
Dick: Your daughter would be returned to you and
we’ll ship your family to the abandoned wayne
manor. She’ll get teachers there, there’s no point in
stopping the kids from preparing.
Sam cowers down on the ground and starts crying.
Sam: Gotham? Please
Dick: Wayne Manor is the safest place on this
planet I assure you. It’s hard expressing yourself
you know? And when you don’t know how you
just resort to violence. It’s like a desperate attempt
to get people to understand you. And then people
turn against you. But it’s Gotham you know, you
just can’t help, no amount of words or speeches
gets them. You can’t help but be angry. We don’t
want our kids to be like that do we?
Sam: what do you wanna know?
Dick: The murders at Cicero and 52nd street
Sam(eyes widen): He’s- He’s back...bodies, bodies
everywhere. Children and women and-
children...decorated and...
Dick: I see. Go back to the farm and pray you
don’t become the bill of her story.
Sam trudges back to the farm with a bloody nose.
Dick pulls out a bottle of antidepressants and gulps
a handful. He walks to the phone booth and the
dials are numbers from 0 to 10, the club of ace,
king, queen and jack. He clicks on the ace and
picks up the phone.
Dick: Yeah...Bruce?
(In the batrover)
Bruce: I see. Thanks Dick(to his team) It’s not
him.
Scavenger: Told ya
It’s a room with a large center table. There are
computers, chemistry sets and other things.
Opposite to the table a holographic screen shows
the pictures of the crime scenes.
Jason: How is it not him? The pictures prove it’s
him, it’s his style.
(Jason picks up a remote from the table)
Jason: Look at the smile scars. The forensic test
matches the chemicals with those used by the
Joker. It matches with every other joker murder
from before. All the victims are from the narrows,
East Arkham, it’s Joker’s area
Bruce: No. Doesn’t make sense. What defines
joker is his reasons. All of this is just unnecessary
grand standing. The Joker would never do this
Charles Manson family cult shit. This is a different
guy with a penchant for uhmm grandiosity.
Jason: even though the tests say otherwise? He
might’ve changed. Maybe he’s calling for us.
Scavenger: that he is for sure.
Jason gives her a sour look
Bruce: let’s see when Slade comes back. You
might be right.
Jason: all these years and you still patronize me.
Bruce(turns back): Excuse me?
Jason: the evidence is right in front of you. It is
him. We can get him right now but no “that’s not
the joker because it’s not his ideals", do you even
listen to yourself? You sound like her.
Bruce: I don’t like to hear myself blabber like you
do Jason. You’re talking about all these years? All
these years and you don’t know that it’s just
chemical equations that anyone can cook up. Do
you just wanna go in and clip every single no
gooder you see because it reminds you of your
past? You wanna clip the wrong guy and miss
everything we have? Huh? How many times have
we tried to catch him but it was all a gag by the
REAL joker? How many fanatics of his have you
seen?
Jason: Oh I don’t know, the one standing right
fucking next to me?
Bruce:(comes close to Jason’s face) you’d speak
properly to her
Jason: Why? Because both of you share the same
lover?
Bruce: Because she has overcome her past and can
look forward. Something you clearly haven’t learn
or wish to because it gives you an excuse to pull
the trigger
Jason: jesus christ, Bruce listen to yourself. What
is it you used to say? It’s not who you are
underneath but what you do that defines you? Fuck
you. You let people die because it doesn’t fit your
morals and you don’t wanna get your hands dirty.
And then you get people like Harley
Quinn(Scavenger closes her eyes for a moment)
and fucking Deathstroke on your team so that you-
(Bruce hits him and knocks him down on the
shelf)
Bruce picks him up by the collar and pins him to
the shelf before it falls
Jason: Yeah that’s what you are-
Bruce: LET’S RUN IT BACK! Let’s run it back
for you shall we? You’ve been running your
mouth for a long time Jason and everyone is sick
of it. “It’s not who you are underneath but it’s
what you do that defines you”. So you’re a fucking
murderer Jason. Shit, you’ve killed more people
than some of the prisoners in Blackgate and
Arkham. You have more body count that some of
the inmates in both the institutions combined. You
have killed more people than Calendar man or
polka dot man. There’s more chance that someone
would be shot by you than they’d get eaten by
Killer fucking Croc. It doesn’t matter who you are
underneath Jason! How benevolent and pure your
intentions were, you’re a murderer. You’re worse
than your Narrow Junkie father, you couldn’t save
your mom and you couldn’t save Alfred.(let’s
Jason go, who just collapses on the ground and
looks at Bruce with resentment)
Bruce: yeah that look. I’ve seen that same look on
that same face for years. Wearing a red helmet and
going around blazing guns, it’s a cry for attention
if I’ve ever seen one.
A radio static turns on and Slade's voice can be
heard.
Slade: I’ve got him.
Bruce: Scavenger, let em in.
Scavenger: On it boss.
The door slides open and slade pushes in a man,
bound in a straight jacket and masked.
Slade pulls the mask off with a gun behind the
Joker’s head.
Joker: You know, Brie Larson is so hot...I
might’ve to call her Brie Arson(starts laughing
affably)
Chapter 2: The best
of times
poor and all of them. Don't they need god? Why
should good people need god? Why must a god
favour them Clark? That's like saying the doctor
needs healthy people. No, the doctor needs sick
people Clark because sick people need the doctor.
God created an unfair world Clark. If gods are all
powerful, they're not all good.
Clark: You sound like Lex.
Bruce: Maybe I do. Why do priests exist Clark?
Why should a third person decide how I get to god
huh? Why does god pick and choose?
Clark: You see one priest and you think you know
everything
Bruce: Last time I checked he was married to a 13
year old in Thailand.
Clark: Then what you don’t need teachers,
bankers, governments, lawyers? Why should a
third party decide what should you do with your
life. I’m pretty sure many teachers are evil, heck
one of the teachers in Smallville Junior high
harassed a student and forced him to commit
suicide. But that doesn’t mean we should strip the
entire institution.
Bruce has no answer for that.
Bruce: The difference, Clark is that some things
are mandated by science and legislation. And some
things aren’t.
Clark: Oh come on Bruce, everyone follows a set
of beliefs that aren’t true. The calendars we use
today were made by Jesuit Priests who were anti
semitic by today’s standards. Our language and
history is embedded in religion. What’s the
difference between lord of the rings and
mythology?
Bruce: Time
Clark: The ideals stand true
Bruce: And as we develop we choose to abdicate
that. Why is that Clark? Why weren’t they happy
to know that their god has created a world bigger
than their imagination? That their god made the
earth round for their safety? That their god created
such a variety of people from different cultures
and of different color and creed, No, but instead
they decided to discriminate and pillage and kill
and start wars under a guise of holy gospels. Isn’t
that biblical, Clark? Devil playing tricks on Jesus?
(Shows the Joker on the ground laughing,
Deathstroke and Scavenger holding Red Hood
back)
Clark: The USSR imprisoned priests. They called
them Kulaks. They declared the state to be atheist
Bruce: Don’t pull Solzhenitsyn on me alright? I’m
not an atheist, Clark. Whether or not God exists, I
still have to put on my cape and cowl and knock
the shit out of a goon trying to feed his family.
(The Joker gags and coughs up joker cards)
Clark: People need to believe in something, Bruce.
An ideal, something supernatural, something that’s
greater beyond them so that they can follow that
and improve.
(Zoom in on the Joker cards)
Bruce: Is that what you tell yourself when you put
on that costume? Red capes and underwears? Is
that what your folks told you? That you want to
change the world for the better?
(Red Hood breaks free and tries to attack the
Joker)
Clark: I don’t want to change anyone, Bruce.
Change is not synonymous with improvement. I
don't think changing people necessarily makes
them better. Trying to change people, as if anyone
should have complete control over someone's life.
Whether someone changes or not that's up to them
(Bruce fends both off)

Tim is sitting next to Black Canary and Renee

Montoya.
Tim: And?
Dina: Well it doesn’t matter what you say, if you
guys succeed at whatever the heck you’re
planning, all of these would be wiped off the
records right?
Renee: Funny how you guys can just(flicks her
hand) turn back time and stuff.
Tim: What’d you wanna know?
Renee: About Bruce and what he does.
Tim: He puts on a mask and terrorizes criminals,
what else do you wanna know?
Renee: Your time with him, how long did it last?
Before Red Robin?
Tim: Let me think, uhm...can I get a beer? 12
pack? Modelo?
Dina moves out of the room
Tim: Thanks Dina. So Bruce’s parents die when
he’s 8 and he becomes Batman when he’s 25. It
was the fall of 2005 I think when we first heard on
the news about a big bat like creature terrorizing
Gotham in the narrows. He was 28 when he took
Dick under him, Dick lasted like 3 years then he
became Nightwing, Jason lasted an year maybe.
Then I came along-thanks Dina(opens the can of
beer and starts drinking). I was there for 4 years,
the longest till that brat came along.
Dina: Damian. He’s missing now, you must’ve
heard?
Tim: Yes I did... what is this all about?
Dina: Bruce is working with Slade Wilson and
Harley Quinn and he has recently captured the
Joker.
Tim: You think he’s plotting something?
Renee: That’s Bruce, he’s always plotting
something.
Tim: You don’t trust him?
Renee: Well he’s never trusted us. If he did he
wouldn’t have worn that cape and cowl in the first
place.
Tim: Yeah like you guys would’ve taken down
Bane or Joker or Killer Croc
Dina: Every time he went out even when not in
uhmm costume, he had a Kryptonite in his pocket-
Tim: well those are the moments when you least
expect things to go down.
Dina: -endangering everyone in his vicinity of
Kryptonite poisoning.
Tim: If Bruce really wanted you to get Kryptonite
poisoning, you would’ve.
Renee: Just saying, the leagues been planning a
comeback for an year and no one really knows
how the anti life equation works
Tim:(sighs) are you implying that Bruce is under
mind control because he’s working with the Joker
and Deathstroke?
Renee: It’s just a bit funny don’t you think?
Tim: Funny. That’s a weird word when you’re in
Gotham. You guys(pointing at Renee), have
worked with people on both side of the tracks
haven’t you? Cops going junkie and junkies going
agents?
Renee: That’s naive Tim. The Police department
and jurisdiction is a reputable institution that can
be trusted. It’s democratic and not one man
waging war on the hinge of his sanity. It’s not that
easily pregnable
Tim(smiles and scoffs, takes a swig of his beer):
Who’s being naive, Renee?