Marvel 1919 : Rise of an Empire

When George returned to Gotham, Bruce, Diana, and the others gathered once again to discuss the possibility of resurrecting Superman.

"He's dead," Aquaman stated bluntly, clearly not optimistic about their chances of bringing Superman back from the grave.

"The Mother Box brought Victor back to life," Diana countered, believing it was entirely feasible to resurrect the Man of Steel using the same alien technology.

"Victor wasn't actually dead when the process began," Aquaman argued. "The situation isn't comparable at all. Life is binary—either one or zero, either alive or dead. It can't be both simultaneously."

"Can you actually operate the Mother Box, Victor?" Bruce asked, directing his question to Cyborg across the table.

"Of course I can interface with it," Cyborg replied, though his tone carried obvious concern. "But we don't understand Kryptonian biology nearly well enough. Who knows what unintended consequences could occur?"

"Alright, but we have to try this, right?" Barry interjected with characteristic enthusiasm. "We have to at least attempt it. What other realistic options do we have?"

"There's a significant problem," Diana warned, her tactical mind identifying the critical flaw. "The Mother Box must be fully awakened to attempt the resurrection process, and once it awakens..."

"Steppenwolf and his forces will detect it immediately and converge on our location," Bruce continued, finishing Diana's ominous thought. "The Trinity will be complete, and the end of the world will begin."

"So we'd essentially be handing the entire Earth over to aliens who want to exterminate all of humanity," Barry said with nervous sarcasm. "That's absolutely fantastic news."

"Even if Superman does come back," Aquaman pressed, "who's to say he'll be powerful enough to defeat them?"

"The Mother Box itself suggests he can," Bruce analyzed, drawing on his detective skills. "Victor's father activated a Mother Box over a year ago, when Superman was still alive, and it didn't summon Steppenwolf to Earth."

"Steppenwolf wasn't summoned by any Mother Box until..." Bruce paused meaningfully.

"Until after Superman died," Diana realized, understanding Bruce's logical deduction.

"Exactly. Until after Superman died," Bruce confirmed with conviction.

"Because they're genuinely afraid of him?" Barry asked, seeking clarification.

"Precisely. They fear him," Bruce looked around the circle of assembled heroes and continued with determination. "This is our only viable option. This team should have seven members, not six. Without him, there is no us."

"Agreed," Diana said firmly.

"Agreed," Aquaman reluctantly conceded.

"Agreed," the remaining team members echoed in unison.

George agreed with the plan to resurrect Superman. But he also knew from experience that even if the resurrection succeeded, Superman wouldn't be fully conscious initially. This could potentially cause catastrophic chaos.

George felt it was absolutely necessary to warn them about this critical detail to prevent the situation from spiraling completely out of control.

"There's one more crucial thing we need to address," George interjected.

"What's that?" Barry asked with obvious curiosity.

"Even if Superman is successfully resurrected, if his consciousness isn't fully restored immediately, can any of you actually control him?" George looked pointedly at Bruce. "Some people have extremely volatile tempers when they first wake up. We need to implement appropriate limiting measures."

"Alright, let's divide our responsibilities," Bruce said, taking command. "Diana, George, Aquaman, Cyborg, Barry—you go retrieve Superman's body from his grave. I'll design and construct containment measures to prevent any potential accidents."

"Actually, I'll stay here and assist you instead," George volunteered. "I know numerous magical containment techniques that could prove useful. The others can take the Mother Box with them since they'll have more people for the retrieval operation."

George knew there wouldn't be any significant problems with the grave excavation. But he genuinely disliked the idea of disturbing someone's final resting place.

Additionally, George was preparing to enhance Batman's capabilities. Bruce was still fundamentally human, and his years of relentless crime fighting had left him with numerous hidden injuries that needed addressing.

After everyone else departed, Bruce turned to George with purpose. "Let's go. We're still missing one crucial material for this operation."

George understood that Bruce must be referring to Kryptonite—the only substance that could truly limit Superman's incredible power if things went wrong.

"Wait a moment, Bruce," George called out, stopping Bruce as he turned to leave.

"Is there something else, George?" Bruce asked, pausing.

"Something for you," George said, producing a tube of blue reagent and tossing it to Bruce.

"What exactly is this?" Bruce asked after catching it and examining the unusual substance carefully.

"A strength enhancement potion," George explained matter-of-factly. "It can increase your current physical capabilities by at least three times their baseline levels."

Since Bruce already possessed peak human physical qualities, George believed that even a threefold increase would make him comparable to Captain America's enhanced physiology.

"Was I enhanced in your timeline as well?" Bruce asked with genuine curiosity.

"Yes, in exchange for your Flying Fox technology," George replied, then released Bruce's modified aircraft from his dimensional storage space.

"Impressive work," Bruce noted with professional appreciation. "I didn't expect you to have perfected the modifications so quickly."

While the exterior appeared unchanged, the additional weapon ports and defensive systems were clearly visible to Bruce's trained eye.

"Oh, and you'll need to consume substantial amounts of nutrients after the injection," George reminded him. "The enhancement process is quite demanding on the body."

"What do I need to provide in exchange this time?" Bruce asked, examining the test tube in his hand.

"Let's discuss compensation after we survive this crisis," George said with a knowing smile, patting Bruce on the shoulder.

"Fair enough. Tell me if there's anything specific you want," Bruce agreed.

After retrieving the Kryptonite spear from his secure storage, the two began constructing specialized equipment to counter Superman if necessary.

Alfred arrived to assist. But after witnessing George's elaborate magical enchantments in action, he decided to focus on modifying Bruce's Flying Fox instead.

Bruce realized he couldn't contribute much to George's mystical preparations. He went to find a secure location to undergo his physical enhancement. He needed to complete his final preparations before the decisive battle.

On the other side of the operation, Diana successfully led the team and retrieved Superman's body from his tomb without incident. After finalizing their infiltration plan, both parties agreed to rendezvous at S.T.A.R. Labs for the resurrection attempt.

In the early morning hours, disguised as a routine military supply truck, Barry drove the camouflaged vehicle containing Superman's body to the laboratory's exterior.

Bruce and George, after changing into their battle suits, also arrived at the facility from the opposite direction.

Without any major complications, the entire team successfully entered the laboratory complex. To ensure Superman's resurrection process wouldn't be interrupted, Cyborg activated a predetermined virus alarm according to their plan, clearing all personnel from the sensitive areas.

There was one small complication that could have derailed everything. The virus alarm was nearly exposed by Cyborg's father, Dr. Silas Stone.

Fortunately, George remembered this potential plot point at the last minute and located the doctor beforehand to temporarily restrict his movements until Cyborg and the others could enter safely.

The older man saw that his own son was directly involved in the operation. He didn't ask any questions and simply allowed them to proceed. After they passed, he even actively provided cover for Cyborg and the team's activities.

Barry carefully transported Superman's body and carried the Mother Box to the Kryptonian spaceship's repair chamber. The advanced healing fluid would accelerate Superman's recovery process.

"This technology is absolutely incredible," Cyborg said in amazement, studying the pool filled with glowing repair fluid.

"This plan is still completely insane," Aquaman muttered, though he had already donned his battle armor in preparation.

"Now you decide to mention that it's crazy?" Barry asked with nervous humor.

"You lunatics better know exactly what you're doing," Aquaman said grimly, accepting the risks they were about to take.

The artificial intelligence system aboard the Kryptonian spaceship seemed to sense Superman's presence within the coffin and began reacting instinctively to his proximity.

George stood quietly behind the others, observing everything unfold while maintaining his vigilance. His primary attention was divided between monitoring Lois Lane's approach and watching the security guards posted at the facility's entrances.

Only when Lois finally arrived at the plaza outside the laboratory did George redirect his full attention to the resurrection process.

At this critical point, Victor had successfully hacked into the Kryptonian ship's control systems.

"The ship's AI is identifying the Mother Box as a hostile entity," Cyborg reported after completing his analysis. "I can override the security protocols, but there's insufficient time to repair all the power damage that Lex Luthor inflicted on the main capacitor."

"Can you explain that in plain English?" Aquaman requested, having no patience for technical jargon.

"Not enough electrical current to properly awaken the Mother Box," Cyborg simplified his explanation.

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