*Notice: all characters here are owned by DC Comics. What I have them do is, however, of my creation*

Chapter 1: Pushed Beyond the Edge

"I've drifted far beyond the edge….Give us a reason to believe again." –Evanescence, New Way to Bleed

*Gotham City, New Jersey, USA. Designation: Ground Zero*

11:36 AM EST, 16 April 2013

*Cue Epic Music*

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No words.

There were no words to describe this horror; this act of atrocity, this one stroke of death.

All in the name of business; of revenge, and lost pride.

A ball of flame and a city is gone.

The massive green shield made by Hal & Guy's rings have long dissipated, both having now created emerald protective coverings around themselves, their teammates, the villains who had tried to delay them, and whoever Barry had managed to speed to them in time. The newly created wasteland was highly radioactive. They had saved about 200 people, including 24 police officers; they were all who survived the wave of destruction.

A few dozen meters in front of them stood the charred, mutilated remains of Wayne Tower. The giant letters had mostly been disintegrated, leaving behind only a "W," an "A" and a "Y." The tower was among some of the giant infrastructures that had somehow had a skeleton of metal still standing, but were slowly beginning to crumble.

In the skies outside the zone, a number of helicopters flew, surveying the scene: some military, some rescue, some media. All in them were horrified at the sight before them, a sight now being broadcasted across the globe.

Dick, Tim, Cassandra, Selina, Helena and the other native protectors huddled together, trying to give each other the comfort they could not find for themselves, tears openly flowing as they watched their home burn before them, powerless to stop it.

From her temporary base in Metropolis, Barbara wailed in shock and horror. Realization struck home with a vengeance as she saw her home burning before her. Her father, mother…her family, dead and gone. And her other family…what of them?

The ones that had been saved by Barry, they couldn't bear to see what was before them. They all broke down, horrified by the fact that their loved ones had been wiped off the face of the planet, out of existence.

Even the villains, the very few who escaped the destruction, could not look at this horror without pain…save for the psychopathic clown cackling at the sight before him.

Martian Manhunter only stood staring at the carnage of metal and rubble before him, the remains of the home of one of his greatest friends and allies. He was overwhelmed by the turmoil of the rescued, of the young heroes…by HIS painful emotion.

Barry and Shazam tried vainly to comfort a sobbing Diana. She had come to see this city as a new home, a second home. She had fallen in love with it, as she did with its beloved guardian. But now it ceased to exist.

It was gone.

Gotham City was no more. Seven million lives…lost forever.

*Metropolis, Delaware. USA*

12:36 PM EST, 16 April 2013

The screens throughout the police headquarters flooded with images of the dead city. Few buildings were left in a condition to even stand; fires ran abundant all across the land. The broadcasts were that the League had managed to save only 200 Gothamites…the only ones left.

Already, Metropolis, the first of many cities across the nation, had pledged to send any kind of help, in anything they could do. It wouldn't matter.

Shock decorated every face in the room. Some officers could still not believe it. Gotham hadn't been destroyed; it just COULDN'T have been destroyed. Yet it was true.

Lex Luthor had unleashed a nuclear weapon upon Gotham City.

Political upheaval had broken out across the area, in DC, perhaps even the world, in response to this act of terrorism. But the Metropolis Chief of Police had more pressing matters in his hands. He barked out more orders, sending more SWAT units to the now heavily guarded door to the interrogation room, as per Superman's request. Not to let anyone in, leave the two uninterrupted.

Because now it was only a matter of time until Batman figured out were Luthor was.

Within the interrogation room, a smug Luthor sat with his hands bound in cuffs, as if that really matter. The hero standing in front of him was never letting him walk out. But it mattered not. For he had succeeded in getting his revenge upon Bruce Wayne, upon Batman for the humiliation of the downfall of Lexcorp, the humiliation of his defeat in their last battle by his hands. He was perfectly satisfied.

"Answer me, Luthor!"

The man refocused again on Superman, standing across the other side of the table, his clenched fists making dents into the cold steel in his anger.

"And what was the ques-"

"WHY DID YOU NUKE GOTHAM?! This has ALWAYS been between us! Why did you involve him?!" More than anything, Superman wanted to kill Luthor for what he had done, but he wouldn't. Even Luthor was not worth it to become such a monster. But Batman…Bruce's LIFE was Gotham; it was his world, his responsibility, and Luthor had taken it away from him. Superman was deathly afraid of how Batman would retaliate.

What he couldn't fathom was why. Why had this happened? Why had he himself not been targeted, as he has always been by this sadistic and evil minded man? What had made his best friend the victim of Luthor's evil schemes, and on such a devastating level? Why had it been Bruce and not him, as always, who was Luthor's target?

"You took his surrogate father…and his city," Clark continued, getting into Luthor's face. His own was contorted with pain for his friend, anger and hatred to Luthor, and grief for the dead city of Gotham. "Why, Lex?"

*Flashback*

It was becoming too difficult for him. The plots and the failures and running the company…all at the same time; LexCorp was falling apart, and he was losing everything as a result. And to add salt to the wound…that arrogant playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne had bought out the company, merging it with Wayne Enterprises. It was a death blow to his pride.

And then, in his attempt to go out with a bang and end Superman once and for all, Batman had foiled his plot…somehow finding a chink in his plan, saving the Kryptonian. He had humiliated him, shamed him….made him a fool in front of the entire world.

It was only in contemplating this after licking his wounds in one of his last undiscovered hideouts that his genius mind began to start deducing the truth. The facts began to present themselves…and in his heavy duty research and plotting…he discovered the truth. He had found out the greatest kept secret on the planet. The act was a lie…the money, the constant missing of meetings and appointments, the location, the build.

Bruce Wayne was the Batman.

Luthor smiled-this was something he could use to his advantage. The Batman was nothing if not obsessive about his city. It was his life, one could tell easily. He planned how to exact his revenge. LexCorp was his life…he had built it with his bare hands…as Gotham was Batman's life…he had been restoring it with his bare hands.

Wayne took the most important thing in his life away from him…and now, Luthor was going to take away the most important thing in his life…his mission.

And his most ingenious plan yet began to unfold.

*End Flashback*

"Why? Superman, must there be a reason?"

"This was always us. I am the one you always wanted to crush, to break. Why did you drag him into this?"

"Simple…I wanted a challenge," Luthor replied. "Fighting you can lose its appeal, Superman. I wanted a challenge, someone whose genius could compete against my own. When he took LexCorp from me and defeated me weeks ago, after all that research and my discoveries, I knew…who better than Bruce Wayne, the Batman?"

"Where did you get the nuke?"

"Oh please, Superman," said Luthor with a cold smile. "Where's the fun of telling you all my secrets?"

"Luthor, so help me, I-"

He paused, looking to the wall behind him with wide eyes. The guards by the door were useless, he knew, but they would've at least stalled Bruce long enough for him to get this scumbag somewhere else, if necessary; but no longer, as he heard the rapid beeping.

"Get down!" Superman cried as he jumped to shield his nemesis from an explosion that rocked the Metropolis Police HQ. Outside, people would wonder if Metropolis was now being attacked. The officers outside contemplated rushing in, but decided against it. Superman was…well, Superman, and he could handle it.

The Kryptonian rose up to see a gaping hole in the wall, sunlight pouring in; or trying to. Just outside the hole floated the jet black Batwing. Luthor now arose, too, smugly chuckling at the sight before him. Superman, however, could only look in terror.

There stood Batman, the Dark Knight of a now dead Gotham. His usual stoic and straight posture was gone, replaced by a slight shaking in his shoulders. The patented Bat Glare, however, was even more terrifying, his eyes holding a…feral look Clark had never seen before. His hand held a lone batarang. He wondered, did Bruce finally snap?

"Get. Away. From. Him." An iciness that was never heard before.

"Batman, I'm handling-"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Startled by the feral scream he did not recognize, Superman did just that. Batman walked up to Luthor, who was still standing with that smirk on his face. Batman took one look at that face before grabbing his throat and slammed him into the two-way glass, not letting go.

"Alfred…you made me…drugged…" Bruce could not find the words. The bloody image of the broken body of the man who he loved like a father was still seared in his brain, frozen in his eyes.

"Oh, Batman-or can I call you Bruce?-it was bound to happen sooner or later; some other of your enemies doing it, most likely. All I did," Luthor added with a malicious grin, "was speed up the timetable."

Infuriated, Batman raised his fist, dropping the batarang, aiming for his nose.

"Batman, don't! " Superman would not let his closest friend cross a line he always held so sacred, a line that was rapidly blurring before his eyes.

The cry was enough; barely regaining his control, Batman's fist merely collided with the glass, leaving a remarkable dent, and flung Luthor to the other side of the room. A sickening crack rang out, and Luthor released a short scream, his body having connected and his back now in incredible pain. Batman just stood there, trying to control the shaking his body was doing, picking up the fallen batarang. His gaze turned back to Luthor, his glare and silence screaming his hatred towards him.

"Oh seriously, Wayne, take off the mask, I know it's you under there," Luthor chuckled as he got back up, and began a slight limp back to his chair. "What did you expect me to do? Sit around and mope, let you get away with ruining my triumph over Superman as Batman, take LexCorp from me as Wayne? I built that company with my bare hands." Sitting down, he frowned at the Gotham Knight. "You take my life from me. I take your life from you. That's business, that's life; no matter how much you tried, you have failed, Batman. I win. So do what you must-arrest me, lock me away, hope it somehow reforms me. I will beat it, as I always have. It'll just give me time to plan for my next scheme. It won't be easy, for how does one top nuking a hero's home city?" Luthor added with a sick smile.

Batman had enough. With a roar, he grabbed Luthor by his neck again, hoisting him up and slamming him back into the wall, now raising the batarang. Superman immediately saw where this was going.

"Bruce, enough, you can't-"

"Batwing, secure Superman."

Immediately, two thick metal cords fired from the jet, looping onto Superman's arms. Made of titanium steel and Nth metal, the Kryptonian surprisingly found himself struggling to get free, until he saw the microscopic fibers of Kryptonite laced in the cables, just enough to weaken his strength levels.

"Admit it, Wayne," Luthor began laughing. "You lost. The Batman finally lost! You are now a ronin-a warrior without a master, a knight without a kingdom! You failed to protect them! You are nothing but a failure to Gotham, to your loved ones and to your parents!" he finished with evil laughter.

He was right. He had nothing to live for now. His life…was gone; taken by this monster, by this madman…this modern day Joe Chill. Everything was finally gone, taken from him. His purpose, his promise, his crusade, they all meant nothing now. All those he fought for, he protected, no longer alive. His mission had been ripped away from him. It was too much, and there was now only one way to end.

He had spent his lifetime, his life's work, his entire crusade, abiding by one single rule. His entire life and practice was founded on that one rule. He had been tested, tried and pushed past the limits of most men, but that one rule had kept him from falling into the abyss. It was his lifeline, his support, his one thread that kept him apart from the now dead scum of Gotham. At this moment, however, Bruce had no memory of it. At this moment, Bruce could care less about that one rule. It was foreign to him, insanity, and it was drowned out and away by a demand that rose within him for one thing, and one thing only.

Vengeance.

"Then I will be content to avenge."

The glint that appeared in Luthor's eyes helped Superman realize what his true plan realized. He was not fast enough, not strong enough.

"Batman, Bruce-NO!"

It was too late. The batarang was thrust into the jugular; a gurgle and then the end of yet another life as a body slumped to the floor. Clark saw in horror, watching as the villain's body convulsed and grew still, at the greatest scheme Luthor came up with.

He had succeeded in doing what no other villain could ever do, not even the Joker. With his death, Lex Luthor had corrupted the Batman.

Batman killed Lex Luthor, and Bruce Wayne…was lost forever.

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*cue black cut screen*

Reborn Dark Phoenix proudly presents

Vengeance:

Men Among Gods