Marvel 1919 : Rise of an Empire

"Alfred, I need the Nightcrawler!" Bruce commanded through his comms system.

From within the Batcave depths, Alfred heard Bruce's urgent call and couldn't resist a slight quip. "I thought you'd never ask, Master Bruce. I'll be right there, activating remote mode now."

Alfred initiated the remote control sequence. The vehicle they had arrived in suddenly began its transformation. Four thick, powerful mechanical arms extended from its chassis with hydraulic precision.

The Nightcrawler, now under Alfred's expert control, began climbing along the concrete wall toward Bruce's position.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Diana and Steppenwolf traded devastating blows in their epic duel. Diana was clearly fighting at a disadvantage.

Steppenwolf proved far more formidable than anticipated. After several brutal exchanges, Diana found herself overwhelmed by the alien general's relentless assault.

Steppenwolf's electro-axe came down in a vicious arc. Only Diana's quick reflexes allowed her shield to intercept the blow, giving her just enough time to attempt an evasive maneuver.

But Steppenwolf pressed his advantage ruthlessly. He strode forward with confidence, grasped Diana's shield with one massive hand and hurled her person and shield together across the chamber.

Diana's body crashed against the concrete wall with bone-jarring force. She left a human-shaped indentation in the surface, while her precious shield flew from her grasp to clatter uselessly on the floor.

Steppenwolf wasted no time. He leaped high into the air, his axe raised for what would surely be a killing blow.

Diana managed a clumsy dodge, but Steppenwolf's powerful kick sent her tumbling across the floor. The surrounding Parademons immediately swarmed toward her position, sensing an opportunity for the kill.

Diana found herself in mortal peril.

The energy weapon muzzles of several Parademons trained on Diana's prone form. Her protective shield lay far beyond reach.

Just as she appeared completely defenseless, several blazing fireballs erupted from George's position. The blasts sent those Parademons flying away from their intended victim.

Batman seized the moment of distraction to leap into the Nightcrawler's cockpit. He switched from Alfred's remote control to manual operation.

He immediately unleashed a concentrated barrage of machine gun fire at Steppenwolf's position against the wall.

"My turn!" Bruce declared with grim satisfaction.

The conventional ammunition couldn't significantly damage Steppenwolf's armored form. But the sustained fire bought Diana precious seconds to recover her bearings.

Batman's Nightcrawler successfully drew Steppenwolf's full attention away from Diana. The alien general responded by launching himself directly onto the mechanical walker and began hammering relentlessly at the reinforced cockpit glass with his massive fists.

Bruce had spared no expense on the most durable materials available. The transparent barrier withstood two thunderous punches from Steppenwolf's superhuman strength.

Diana used this reprieve to regain her footing. She retrieved her ancient sword from where it had fallen. With renewed determination, she leapt down from the observation platform, striking directly at Steppenwolf as he balanced atop the Nightcrawler.

CLANG!

The collision of sword against axe produced a ringing metallic sound that echoed throughout the chamber.

Diana's powerful overhead strike met Steppenwolf's massive electro-axe head on. But the Nightcrawler beneath them, piloted by Batman, couldn't withstand the tremendous force of their clash.

The mechanical walker began to fall under the combined weight and impact.

Diana used the momentum of the blocked strike to propel herself back onto the platform in a graceful leap. Steppenwolf, still standing atop the descending Nightcrawler, launched himself forcefully upward in pursuit of the Amazon warrior.

The unfortunate Nightcrawler beneath his feet plummeted even faster due to his powerful takeoff. Bruce had anticipated exactly this scenario. The walker's four mechanical arms scraped deep gouges into the concrete wall, slowing its descent.

Cyborg hovered in the air with his flight systems active. George positioned himself on the upper platform. Both saw Steppenwolf closing in on Diana's position. Without hesitation, they launched a coordinated attack at the airborne alien general.

Steppenwolf was suspended in mid-air at that crucial moment and possessed no means of changing his trajectory. He could only raise his massive axe defensively in front of his body to ward off their incoming assault.

Under the combined fire from both George's mystical attacks and Cyborg's plasma cannons, Steppenwolf began falling at an even faster rate than the damaged Nightcrawler below him.

BOOM!

The thunderous impact reverberated through the entire chamber as Steppenwolf crashed into the bottom of the underground cavern. His body created a substantial crater in the concrete floor.

The Nightcrawler continued its descent, appearing destined to crash directly onto the alien general's position.

But in the span of a single heartbeat, Steppenwolf had already rolled clear of his impact crater. He evaded the Nightcrawler's crushing weight as it slammed into the floor. He retreated strategically into the large drainage pipe behind his position.

George, Diana, Cyborg, and Flash materialized beside the now-grounded Nightcrawler containing Bruce in that same instant. For the first time since the battle began, both opposing forces faced each other directly across the chamber.

Bruce activated a small missile launcher mounted on the Nightcrawler's shoulder assembly. He fired a projectile at Steppenwolf's position.

The alien general caught the incoming missile effortlessly with one hand.

"You have all fought admirably," Steppenwolf acknowledged with grudging respect while examining the captured projectile. "But next time you encounter me, you will not be so fortunate."

Both sides understood that this particular engagement had reached its natural conclusion.

From George's perspective, unless he was willing to expose the true extent of his magical capabilities, they simply couldn't win this particular battle decisively.

Steppenwolf saw that the captive researchers had been successfully rescued. He could no longer extract any useful information about the Mother Box's location from them.

Continuing this engagement had become strategically meaningless. He had more pressing objectives to accomplish. Naturally, he had no desire to waste further time on a fruitless confrontation.

So instead of aiming the captured missile directly at George and his assembled team, Steppenwolf deliberately targeted the concrete wall adjacent to the drainage passage. Then he released the projectile.

Flash, observed Steppenwolf's tactical choice and instantly realized the implications. "Wait, what exactly are we positioned under right now?" he asked with growing alarm.

"Gotham Harbor," Cyborg replied grimly.

The moment Steppenwolf released the redirected missile, he activated his Mother Box teleportation device and vanished from the chamber entirely.

BOOM!

The explosive detonation against the structural wall created massive cracks in the concrete barrier. The instant Cyborg finished his ominous revelation, tremendous water pressure burst through the compromised wall. Torrents of harbor water flooded into the underground passage.

At that crucial moment, George noticed an additional figure entering the chamber alongside the rushing deluge.

As the seawater continued pouring through the breach, the hole in the wall expanded dramatically. The incoming flood became increasingly violent and chaotic. Everyone understood that if they didn't evacuate their current position immediately, they would be swept away by the powerful currents.

Bruce began maneuvering the Nightcrawler toward higher ground. He prepared to climb back up the chamber wall using the walker's mechanical arms.

At that critical moment, the mysterious figure within the rushing water revealed himself by moving to the front of the flood. It was Arthur Curry, Aquaman himself.

Aquaman gripped his mother's sacred weapon, the legendary trident. He employed his hydrokinetic abilities to halt the backflow of seawater, buying Bruce precious time to escape the flood zone.

The redirected water now flowed harmlessly beneath everyone's feet instead of threatening to sweep them away.

Cyborg observed that their immediate area was now secure from the flooding. But he understood that this crisis was far from resolved. After making what appeared to be a significant decision, he activated his flight systems and departed without looking back or offering any explanation.

"Where is he going?" Barry asked, watching their teammate disappear into the distance.

"Perhaps Victor has something urgent he needs to handle," Diana replied thoughtfully.

"Maybe we'll understand his reasoning soon enough," George said with a knowing smile as he removed his helmet.

The remaining team members exchanged meaningful glances before collectively departing the flooded area.

George understood that according to the timeline he remembered, the departing Steppenwolf would use the Mother Box he had already obtained to detect traces of the Anti-Life Equation's presence on Earth. Then he would report this momentous discovery directly to Darkseid.

When Steppenwolf returned for his next assault, his attack would be far more devastating and determined.

On the surface of Stryker's Island, the entire team had now successfully reached safety above ground.

"The Mother Box summoned Steppenwolf to our world," Diana explained to everyone, clarifying the mechanism that had enabled the alien general's arrival on Earth. "That same Mother Box is the one he managed to steal from us."

"Now he possesses two of the three," Aquaman announced, clearly bringing troubling intelligence. "He successfully raided Atlantis and stole our Mother Box from the royal vaults."

"Which means Steppenwolf now requires only the final Mother Box, the one that was lost by humanity ages ago," Diana concluded with obvious concern.

"He might already have obtained it!" Batman suggested grimly.

"Not quite yet, based on his behavior during the interrogation," George interjected. "He was still actively searching for information about its location. However, judging from what we witnessed, Cyborg's father definitely knows something significant about it."

"That assessment is correct."

CLANG!

Cyborg descended dramatically from the sky, carrying a distinctive square container in his arms. He executed a textbook superhero landing that left small craters in the concrete.

"You're right, because the third Mother Box is currently in my possession," Cyborg announced as he straightened up from his landing crouch.

"That's the actual Mother Box?" Barry asked with a mixture of awe and concern.

"Yes," Cyborg confirmed, placing the protective container holding the Mother Box directly in front of the assembled team.

"This location isn't secure enough for a detailed discussion," Bruce stated with his characteristic pragmatism. "I've already contacted Alfred to arrange our extraction. We'll continue this conversation at a more secure location."

George and the other team members all nodded their agreement with Bruce's sensible suggestion.

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