The doors to the waiting area swung open, nearly flying off the hinges, as a diverse group of young men and women dashed for the receptionist. The blonde boy in partial armor, jeans, and black hoodie banged his fist madly on the call bell. The silver-haired young woman behind the counter looked up with concern, asking suspiciously, "Can I help you?"

Jaune was doubled over with hands on knees from the exertion of the run to the hospital, panting and trying to explain, "JNPR...friend...Ruby...Team RWBY...hospital...ugh..."

A red-haired girl stepped before him, stating, "I'm sorry, we're here to see our friends. Ruby and Yang. We heard they were in bad shape."

"Ah, yes. To my understanding, one is in critical but stable condition and the other is fine...physically." the receptionist said.

"What do you mean 'physically'?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well..." she began.

"No time for chit-chat, Pyrrha, our friends need us! Come on, where are they?!" Nora impatiently demanded, slamming her fists onto counter.

"Room 33, sixth one on the right down past that door." she replied, pointing to the correct door.

"Thank you so much." Pyrrha said in passing as they ran for the door and their friends' room.

Team JNPR stared down the door that had the number 33 inscribed on a small, silver square at eye-level. Jaune tentatively reached his hand out to open the door, the handle jimmying around before his grip and the door slowly swinging back on itself, revealing a man in black towering over them, everything below his neck hidden under a thick cape that wrapped around his body. Jaune gulped with fear, barely able to utter, "Uh...hi?"

"I assume you know these two?" the man spoke.

"Yes, we heard about Ruby and Yang and got here as fast as we could. Are they alright?" Pyrrha inquired.

The masked man merely turned and led them into the hospital room, looking over his shoulder at a sight that made Team JNPR paralyzed. Yang was huddled up with her knees in her chest and arms wrapped around them, rocking back and forth as she stared blankly at the wall her bed was slid up against. Her rocking continued on in the same rhythm and speed despite their entrance, unaware of any presence in the room at all or, at least, unaffected by it. "What happened to her?" Jaune asked, breathless.

"Fear toxins. A criminal known as Scarecrow did this to her, those toxins cause vivid hallucinations of one's worst fears. Just a drop can drive a man mad. And it looks like it might be too late for her," Batman drew off, his arm parting his cape before him as he pointed at the curtain wrapping around the sounds of pumps and beeps, "Your other friend is over there. Prepare yourselves, it isn't pretty. When you're ready, come talk to the rest of their team, myself, and Superman, we have to come up with a plan to deal with the people who did this to your friends. They're planning to do something else, something far worse."

With that, the caped crusader headed for the door, stopping only as Jaune called out, "Hey, if you helped them in anyway, and for what you're doing for us, thank you. What's your name?"

Batman merely looked over his shoulder with a squinted eye, responding, "Who I really am is of no concern to you. But, for cooperative purposes, just call me Batman."

The hero exited with that, Jaune sputtering and cocking his eyebrow as he scoffed, "Batman, pfft, where do they get these people?"

Jaune's attention was brought back to his group as he heard their collective gasps of shock. He turned to find Pyrrha and Nora with hands clasped over there mouths, Ren looking to the side to avert his eyes. Before them was Ruby, kept alive by machines running their veins through the flesh of her arms atop the bed sheets and into her veins, their blood mixing to keep her alive, and tubes filling her mouth, nostrils, and even her airway. "Oh, my God..." Jaune whispered.

Unable to stand the sight anymore, Team JNPR left the room as quickly as they entered, the closing of the door catching Yang's attention enough break her trance as she looked over her shoulder.

The huntress swung her legs over the edge of the bed and rose from the mattress. She strolled past the door and over to her sister's side, her face growing sullen as tears escaped her eyes. She slowly placed her hand on Ruby's, gently gripping it as her facade switched to determination. She leaned over and placed a kiss on Ruby's forehead, putting her forehead against her sister's as she closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Ruby. I promise you, I'll get the people who did this to you and make them pay. I'll make what they did to you seem like nothing. I'm going to hurt them, so bad."

"Yang..." her sister weakly uttered, as if asking.

Yang rose up high, shocked to hear her little sister's voice. Ruby's eyes began to flutter before she managed to squint up at Yang, a weak but cheery smile on her face. It was her little sister, alright. Yang could not contain her smile nor herself as she hugged her sister, another tear streaming down her cheek. Ruby slowly wrapped her arms around Yang, whispering, "Yang...I need one thing from you."

"What is it, sis? I'll do anything."

"I need about tree-fitty," Deadpool said in a poor Scottish accent, once more in his den in a fancy coat and throne-like chair, corncob pip in one hand and book in the other, feet kicked up on an ottoman, "It was about this time I realized my little sister was actually an eight story tall crustacean from the Paleolithic era. That goddamn Loch Ness Monster tricked me again!"

"Deadpool, goddammit, this scene is actually supposed to be meaningful and serious!" DAM shouted.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?! I haven't hardly made an appearance these last few chapters and you won't be updating this for a while since this is that last one in your stupid five-five-five system before you switch over to Grand Theft Auto: Vale! A totally original story and plot, might I add. What are me, Tony, Spidey, and Brucey supposed to do?!"

"If you keep this shit up, so help me God, I will hire Christian Bale to direct this to keep you in-line!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me, Wade."

"Ugh, fine. Where was I...oh, yeah. 'Be safe.' Ruby managed before slipping unconscious once more. Yang gently lay her sister back in against her pillow, stroking her hair and smiling before turning for the door. Just as she took the handle, she turned and look back at her still-resting sister, turning once more to the exit and heading out to find her friends. Wow, good writing skills. Let's see, lame, boo, cringey, worse writing skills than Hideo Kojima, and all that negative crap you deserve. Now, let's see what those rascals of Team JNPR are up to!"

Team JNPR entered the lobby they had come from once more, finding the other members of Team RWBY in a corner near a television, the Batman and a man in red and blue conversing to the side. Weiss and Blake rose from their seats and greeted Team JNPR with a group hug, all knowing what the others had seen and endured. "How are you all doing?" Ren asked.

"We're fine but that isn't what matters. You saw Yang...you saw Ruby, right?" Blake blankly replied.

"Well, making ourselves feel worse about it will do nothing! Come on, guys, power of positive thinking?" Weiss interjected.

"I never thought I'd see you trying to cheer us all up." Blake cracked with a smirk.

"Oh, shush, you. Anyway, those two said they had something to speak to us about, we may as well cut the catty remarks here."

"Oh, good one." Blake said, rolling her eyes.

"She's right, though. We have a lot to discuss," Batman cut in, "This is Superman, he'll come in quite a bit of handy."

"And you've all met Batman, I assume, nothing but joy and smiles all around." Superman jibed.

"We're willing to do anything it takes to get the people who did this to our friends. So, what's the game plan...ugh, Batman?" Jaune offered.

"You've got them drilled almost as well as Robin, and they've only just met you."

Ignoring his comrade's comments, the Dark Knight continued, "Do you have any ideas where any known criminals could be hiding out?"

"Well, we know criminals, just not where they are."

"Looks like we'll have to start looking high and low for wherever they could be. Luthor clearly has something big planned. The sooner we find him, we stop him and his accomplices from pulling whatever it is they're planning. Who in this city could he be working with?"

"It has to be Roman Torchwick," Pyrrha interjected, "He runs pretty much all of crime in the city. He was stealing dust before, then pushing Grimm into the city, he's the only one who they could go to, if these people are as powerful as you say they are. But he could be anywhere in this kingdom, our outside it for that matter."

"Trust me, all very dangerous in their own unique ways. As soon as we can, we should go searching for them..."

Batman was interrupted as sirens began to drone on outside, a purple-haired woman and "BREAKING NEWS" appearing on the television in the corner. "This is Lisa Lavender with breaking news," the camera cut from her to the abandoned buildings on the outskirts of Vale, an immense mass of blackness moving on like a legion, "We have reports of a massive army of Grimm descending on the city, having broken through our first few lines of defense."

Outside, the city began to panic as screams and blaring sirens melded together, hysteria engulfing the populace. The group was drawn back to the broadcast as a man spoke, his camera swaying outside the door of a helicopter, "Yes, Lisa, we are right over the massive swarm of Grimm approaching the city. We will need any and all armed, well-trained fighters we can get to repel this force. Hold on a second," the man paused, the camera in swiveling forward to catch a large, gray shape at the head of the army, "It appears a large, ape-like being leading them. I don't believe this."

A beowolf lunged onto the creature, who reared back and revealed the Grimm had impaled itself on it's shoulder protrusion. The behemoth ripped the wolf from its back and hurled it up at the helicopter, the anchor screaming until the wolf collided, the feed dying instantly.

The TV instantly began an endless bleep, off-air color bars plastering the screen. The group was dumbfounded, fixated on the dead TV and the sound it made, unable to even hear the panic growing in the city streets. They were brought out of their collective trance as Batman called out, "Superman, wait!"

The hunters and huntresses-in-training turned as the air seemed to leave the room, rising to their feet as they saw Yang, turned to the side as she looked at the still swinging doors.

"Superman, wait!" Batman insisted, following the Man of Steel as he made his way down the halls.

He paid his comrade to mind, continuing down the hallway and for the building's exit. Just as they reached the outdoors, standing amidst the chaos of citizens scrambling for safety, Batman grabbed Superman by the shoulder, forcing him to face him as he ordered, "Clark, listen to me!"

"I'm not wasting anymore time with your plans, Bruce, they're the whole reason we're in this situation in the first place." Superman coldly replied.

"It was either this or letting Luthor and his Arkham connections run around unhindered. But you have to think this through. You left him to die at the end of time, not even the entropy death of the universe could kill him. What are you going to do to stop him?"

Superman sighed, looking off into the sky as he answered, "I hesitated at the portal when we first saw him. I was afraid. That's the reason he's here in the first place. I won't make that mistake twice."

"Clark, I'm begging you, don't do this."

"Who else is going to stop him?"

With that, Superman batted Batman's hand aside and reared back into a crouched position before hurling into flight high over the city, looking in all directions for any sight of where Doomsday and the Grimm army could be. He did not have to search long as he found a massive column of dust and black, sludge-like smoke rising into the air. Superman reared back and shot off in its direction, fists aimed out before him.

Ever since we first met...

Superman soon found himself right over the top of the horde of blackness following his nemesis, a few individuals snapping out at him and were promptly put down by the savage beast at their vanguard. Superman's eyes began to glow red, letting out a bestial war cry as he unleashed a massive laser stream from his eyes, engulfing Doomsday and several cohorts of the Grimm that surrounded him in a haze of crimson heat.

That first time we fought tooth and nail...

The heat ray slowly dissipated, revealing charred earth and smoke billowing up from the crater blocking his vision. Doomsday sailed up from the cloud, spearing Superman and sending them both plummeting down to the ground. Superman clubbed his fists together and slammed them, over and over, onto Doomsday's head, finally getting some free ground as Doomsday held him by the head in one hand, clubbing him in the chest with his other spiked fist. Superman doubled over as Doomsday clocked him upside the head, slicing his cheek open with his claws. Superman retaliated with a backhanded fist as he righted himself before Doomsday, the only result was Doomsday's head being turned to the side. Doomsday clasped his massive hands around Superman's head, driving him skull-first into the earth as they impacted the ground.

When I fought without holding back...

Doomsday stood with Superman in his embrace, crushing him in a giant bear hug. Superman strained to pry himself free or gain any sort of breathing room, but Doomsday's grip was inescapable. He stared Doomsday in his frightful, hate-filled eyes and blasted them with beam of heat. Doomsday released Superman, hands clasping his eyes and holding his smoldering face in agony as he roared. Superman flew at Doomsday, sending Doomsday dancing back form side-to-side with hook after hook. Doomsday merely held his face the whole time, finally sent sailing back with feet carving up the earth from a haymaker directly to the center of his face. Refusing to part his hands, Doomsday continued to rock about in pain as Superman sped at him once more, only for the beast to bring back one arm and backhand Superman, sending him careening into the Grimm that now encircled them.

When you made me experience fear...

Doomsday continued to cup his eyes, thrashing about in the fury of his pain. Superman, meanwhile, was in his own small, open circle surrounded by Grimm. An ursa came barreling towards him, only to be knocked onto its back by an uppercut that hit the air with a sickening crack. Superman turned and seized a beowolf by the throat just as its snapping jaws came within inches of his face. Superman wheeled around and hurled the beast into the crowd behind him, taking several rows back down with the speeding Grimm. He turned once again to snarl as another beowolf clawed through the S on his chest, leaving 4 large rakes in his costume. Superman stumbled back, holding his chest as a boarbatusk sped at him in ball form, ramming its tusks into his back and flooring him. Soon, the Grimm from all directions converged on him.

I knew it'd be a fight for my life...

Just as he was overwhelmed, Superman rose with a shout and flexed his arms out, Grimm for several yards around him flying in all directions. He clubbed his fists over his head and brought them down onto the skull of a beowolf that sprung at him, crushing it into the earth, before turning and hooking the spinning boarbatusk in the top of the head as it revolved at him. The beast's body sailed back and skewered the chest of an ursa on its hind legs, dropping the beast onto the boarbatusk to further impale itself and crush the Grimm. He turned once more as the ground began to shake, a massive scorpion with a golden stinger towering over him. The beast's tail rose up before sailing down from its zenith to impale the Man of Steel.

I thought it'd be the end when we both fell on that day, for us both...

Superman caught the stinger before him, his feet digging back through the ground several feet. With a grunt, he flung the deathstalker into the air, maintaining his grip on the golden stinger as he swung the armored Grimm in a circle all around him, clearing out the Grimm surround himself and making Doomsday visible again. The beast had a large beowolf throttled before him, his free hand clasping over the crown of its head as it yanked upward, ripping its head from its shoulders. Doomsday looked back to find Superman with the tail in his arms, the deathstalker on its back flailing and screeching to get back upright. Doomsday cast the corpse aside and charged for Superman as he readied to swing the gargantuan scorpion back at the monstrosity.

I didn't think it would go anywhere near as far as it had gone...

Doomsday was sent flying as the deathstalker slammed into him, Superman halting the revolution as his back was to the still-ascending Doomsday. He turned and swung the deathstalker over top of himself, bringing it down onto Doomsday and smashing him into the dirt under the rocky monster. The lights in the deathstalker's eyes went out on impact, Superman no sooner releasing the tail than did Doomsday fist shoot out of the top of the deathstalker's head. Soon, the monster climbed up through his gory canal and stand atop its body, roaring as he and Superman collided once more.

To force me to go to the lengths I've had to go to to stop you...

The beast caught the Kryptonian's fists in his monstrous paws, bones cracking his Superman's hands as the bear traps tightened ever more on his hands. Desperate, Superman sailed up and crashed the crown of his head into Doomsday's mouth, jarring his haggard teeth loose as he was taken off his feet. Superman grabbed Doomsday by his hands and somersaulted over his head, planting both boots into the back of his head before smashing him face-first into the ground once more under hes feet. Taking one hand in both of his own, Superman began to wheel Doomsday overhead and slam him about like a ragdoll before Doomsday caught him with an uppercut as he was thrown up into the air once more. Superman sailed back before the front lines of the encroaching Grimm, Superman grimacing in pain as Doomsday took him by the leg and began to swing him around and wildly smash him into the ground.

Pushing me to limits I never knew I had...

Doomsday slung Superman into the air, bored with slamming him about. The hero managed to right himself in the air and face down at the mob that had gathered around he and his nemesis. Superman flew straight down at the Grimm beneath him, turning at the lest second so that he sailed over their heads and towards Doomsday, fist brought back. They met fist-to-fist, Superman being stopped abruptly as he brought his other fist back, only to be impeded by Doomsday's own. The tow locked into a stalemate test of strength, Superman now on his feet and slowly being bushed back with each step Doomsday took. Beads of sweat formed on his head before Doomsday abruptly reared back with a pained bellow. A beowolf had lunged onto him, claws dug into his chest and sunk its teeth into his shoulder. Superman took the advantage and charged at Doomsday, only to have the beowolf flipped over Doomsday and slammed onto him. Doomsday rose his foot and began to stomp the Grimm and Superman to nothing. His foot finally drove a hole through the beowolf's chest and out its back directly to Superman, leaving no protection for the hero from the pounding.

Making me dread every encounter I knew was bound to happen...

The beowolf's corpse finally dissipated, giving Superman the chance to grab Doomsday's foot as it was brought up once more. Superman rose as Doomsday wobbled on his unsteady foot, Superman hauling him face-first into wound-up right hook, Doomsday's body sailing out from under him as his body sailed out from under him. Superman brought his fist together once more and clubbed them into Doomsday's face, driving the back of his skull into Superman's knee as it shot up. Superman shoved Doomsday's head back before booting him in the side of the head, his body tumbling through the air, his shoulder blades slicing numerous Grimm apart on his launch path. Doomsday dug his fist into the earth and carved his way to a stop before hurling himself through the Grimm around him straight for Superman again. His gnarled, jagged hands reached out for Superman as he was in his grasp, only for the cross-armed Man of Steel to vanish in an instant. Doomsday was suddenly grasped from the back around the chest by the reappeared hero, who flew on with the enraged monster his his grasp through the Grimm mob.

Making me aware of just how mortal I was...

Doomsday and Superman shot through the ranks of the Grimm like a bullet, Doomsday's wing-like shoulder bones cutting every Grimm in their path in two, or his hard head smashing them to death on impact. Doomsday finally managed to get his arms back over himself and grab Superman by the shoulder, ripping him off of him and driving his face into the ground, making his body curl back over itself to the point his feet nearly touched the back of his head. Superman's face plowed into and through the dirt before finally stopping he and Doomsday's momentum. Doomsday rose Superman before him by his cape, the hero barely keeping his eyes open until they flew wide-open as Doomsday hurled a fist into Superman's abdomen. He did so again, and again and again, each time more ribs creaking and splintering in Superman's chest. Doomsday dropped Superman, the hero landing on all fours as a fountain of red poured from his mouth. The hero panted, unable to rise as Doomsday's foot swung up into his face, hurling him further into the crowd of Grimm.

I always knew one day would come...

Superman tumbled end-over-end, finally landing on his feet on a three-point stance before speeding at Doomsday for another round. He managed only to sail into Doomsday's rising knee, slicing his forehead, bridge of his nose, cheek, and chin open in several areas and angles. Superman wrapped his arms around Doomsday's leg and spun him around at high speeds before hurling him away, desperately trying to gain room to regain his composure and think. He got none as a massive white force slammed down on him, Superman screaming in pain as one end of the king taijitu closed its jaws over his shoulder, chest and back.

That I couldn't beat you...

Superman glared down at its eye and blasted through its head with his heat vision, blood, bits of skull, and brain matter exploding out the exit wound. The black end of the snake wheeled over as Superman freed himself from the dead white end's clutches. The serpent struck, but Superman managed to catch it by the snout and lower jaw just as it tried to engulf him, turning and hurling it at Doomsday in an attempt to slow him down. Doomsday lowered his head and charged straight at the gaping mouth of the serpent that sped at him. He went into the head first into the maw of the beast, but his shoulder plates caught the edges as he continued charging down the snake's gullet, slicing both sides open and bisecting the snake upon is exit out the other head. Superman's eyes widened with shock as Doomsday stomped on after him. Superman shook his head and regained himself as he met Doomsday head-on. He ducked a wild swipe of his hand before rising up and uppercutting Doomsday in the jaw. Doomsday stumbled back as Superman floated before him, unloading fist after fist onto each side of his head, clubbing his fists together and swinging side-to-side. Superman finally relented, Doomsday stammering on as the hero panted in exhaustion. Doomsday finally gained his footing as he and Superman eyed each other down, the monster abruptly cocking his head to his left and right, cracking his neck each time.

That I'd be at my limit and you'd barely even started...

Superman soared at Doomsday as he spread his arms out wide, as if to embrace him again. Doomsday's arms snapped together like a trap, crushing Superman's head between his fists. Superman collapsed before Doomsday, trembling as he tried to push himself up. Doomsday assisted him by raising him up before his face by his cape, rocketing Superman into the air with an uppercut. Superman managed to keep himself in the sky and keep distance between himself and Doomsday. Noticing the black mass all around them, Superman drew in a long, deep breath before unleashing a powerful gale from his mouth.

That even when I pulled all the stops

The hurricane coming from Superman's breath blew innumerable Grimm through the air, Doomsday digging his feet into the earth and crossing his arms before him in an X-shape as the wind broad-sided him. Doomsday would not budge, had it not been for the Grimm that bombarded him in the wind storm, merely making him grunt and lose a few steps. As the wind began to relent, Doomsday sailed back with Superman's fist under his chin, the thunderous crack following. Superman throttled the monster and drove him into the ground, plowing him through the earth but did nothing Doomsday from seizing his throat in his paws. Superman let loose another blast of heat vision into Doomsday's open mouth, the creature gagging and clutching his own throat along with the hero. Superman took the chance and rose high into the atmosphere, Doomsday now embraced from behind once again as he struggled to reopen its throat from the charring blast. The rose higher and higher into the atmosphere until they were in its periphery. Finally, Superman turned and sped back into the earth, the duo catching fire along the descent. The pain outdid that that was in Doomsday's throat, the beast thrashing madly to get free, Superman only holding on tighter and descending faster. The duo were driven into the earth, the explosive force of the landing being heard back in Vale over the wailing sirens, citizens turning to look at the dusty mushroom cloud that rose into the sky.

Even if I held absolutely nothing back...

The Grimm in all directions were either torn apart by the force or flung everywhere. Doomsday and Superman lie prone at the bottom of the crater. Superman slowly stirred, pushing himself up tentatively to his feet before falling to his knees, arching back in pain. The shift of earth made his head slowly, begrudgingly turn to see Doomsday rising as well. Reaching his limit, Superman could only force himself to his feet and face Doomsday, the monster slowly approaching the hero as he raised his fists. Superman threw his fist ahead, only to be caught in Doomsday's massive palm, and Doomsday backhand slapping Superman aside, slicing his other cheek open. Superman skidded along the crater, getting to a vertical basis, albeit doubled over, and was unable to see Doomsday crashing both feet down on top of him, crushing him into the rocky earth. Doomsday leaped from Superman's back and picked him off the ground by his cape, bringing a fist back and smashing his spiked, rocky knuckles into his face and the cape bringing him back for another like a speed bag until it tore. Superman flipped through the air and crashed chest-first on the other side of the crater. He tried desperately to push himself back up to his feet, his arms weaker than he had ever known and whole body trembling madly. He was promptly stamped back down when Doomsday's foot crashed onto the back of his head, driving him into the ground until his head was buried. Superman lie helpless, blood flowing from his mouth, the gashes on his face, and the other wounds on his chest and stomach at the hands of Doomsday.

You'd finally beat me...

Doomsday took his foot of Superman's head, the hero slowly and shakily rising his head from the divot it was driven into. The monster glared down at Superman, it's hateful, furious expression as present as ever. It rose its fists up high and slammed them down onto Superman's back, pain jolting through the hero's body. The beast grasped the fabric over the Man of Steel's lower and upper back. Doomsday swooped Superman off the ground and rose him high over his head, the hero limp in his grasp.

And break me...

Doomsday threw Superman down before him and shot his knee up at the exact same instant, the jutting bone impaling him through the lumbar of his spine and out through his stomach, blood painting the blade that ran through his abdomen. Superman was folded over the monster's leg, letting out a long, ear-piercing scream in agony, muffled only slightly by the blood filling his airway. Doomsday lowered his leg and his knee blade sunk back out of Superman's body, a sickening, slow slice of flesh ringing through the air. Superman cringed and gagged for air in Doomsday's arms, the beast glaring down at his helpless foe. Before he could initiate the final blow, Doomsday took notice to the blaring sirens of his objective he currently ignored. He turned his attention ahead at the glowing city in the distance, the one he had come so long to reach. "N...n-no!" Superman managed to utter through his blood-filled mouth.

Doomsday's angry snarl contorted into a sick smile, the beast dropping Superman and racking his back further in torment. Doomsday stepped over Superman as he writhed on the ground, his legs felt as though weights were on them that not even he could lift and lie useless and limp. He continued on his way to the city, the Grimm filing in behind him and closing in on the helpless, broken Man of Steel.

I always knew it would come to this.