May 3rd, 1998

General POV

Atop a massive tower in Metropolis, a handsome bald man in a tailor-made suit was watching his 90-inch TV with a glee in his eyes. Lex Luthor had never been able to take Superman down, but today, he’d finally watch as the world was against him. Even with a public statement from the President and the rest of the Superhero community about him being under mind control wasn’t enough to sway the public’s fear. They were afraid. They had seen firsthand the danger Superman was if left unchecked. Finally, some people were beginning to see what he had always seen when he looked at the man of steel.

“People never fear what they’re told about. They only fear what they're shown. I’ve heard a lot about you. Are you here to kill me, Omni?” Lex Luthor said with a calm smile, turning around to Omni floating behind him.

“I’m here to talk but not to you. Call Vandal.” Omni(Trey) demanded quietly. Lex shrugged.

“I don’t know who you're talking about. Am I supposed to know who that is?” Lex fired back sarcastically.

Whoosh! CLUTCH!

“Don’t play games with me, Luthor. I’m not the Boy Scout or Bats. If you don’t tell me I can kill you, then go to the next member of your so-called Light. I chose you first because you don’t have an army or a super soldier like the rest. Call Savage now!” Omni growled, holding Lex by the throat. He released just enough pressure so he could speak again.

“I don’t have an army, but I do have Mercy,” Lex said with a pained smile. Mercy his burnette-haired assistant, burst into the room. She lifted her hand, and it morphed into a miniaturized rail gun.

BANG!

She fired off a powerful purple blast at Omni’s right. Omni then threw Lex into the wall in front of him while reaching out towards the blast with his other hand.

WOOOOM!

“Impossible!” Mercy screamed in disbelief at what she was seeing. Mercy’s railgun was powerful enough to harm Superman. Lex had used it before in another robot. It had blasted Superman more than a mile away, but Omni had somehow blocked the attack. Mercy couldn’t see his face under his suit’s mask, but it looked like he did so easily. Omni lifted his free hand toward her before she could react.

WHAM.

Mercy was slammed into the door and knocked out cold. Then, while still holding the railgun blast, Omni walked towards Lex Luthor, who was recovering. Holding the blast right in front of Lex’s face with his eyes from his suit glowing menacingly, he called out to him again.

“Call him now,” Omni demanded for the last time. Lex Luthor nodded begrudgingly as he walked to his computer. As he made the call, Omni inside his suit sighed in relief.

‘Thank god I didn’t know how much longer I could contain this blast. I’m barely holding on. I’m using Nen, The Force, and my Biotic powers to hold it down.’ Omni thought as he threw the blast outside towards the sky. Lex grumbled as his expensive windows were once again broken when the call connected. Vandal appeared on the monitor. He took a sideways glance at Omni before giving an annoyed glare at Lex.

“Vandal, I had no choice. He wishes to speak with you.” Lex said before stepping back.

“To what do I owe the pleasure? What do you want, Omni?” Vandal asked as his expression turned calm again.

“I know you Vandal. You are not as mysterious as you think you are. The brotherhood knows your full history. I know about Nabu, Atlantis, The Light, and many more of your secrets.” Omni said calmly. Vandal was shocked at this revelation but outwardly remained as stoic as ever.

“Thanks for the history lesson, but I assume you didn’t call me just to say you know things about me?” Vandal questioned back. Omni shook his head.

“No, I came to tell you something. Creed, I, and other top-ranking members of the Brotherhood know of your deal with Darkseid. It is this deal that has protected you from us all these years. Despite all the evil you have committed, your deal and your bottom line to help humanity has always saved you. It was one of the main reasons I, Creed, and others left the order. You had quite the number of supporters when I left.” Omni explained, lying through his teeth to build up the mysteriousness of the Brotherhood.

“Had? I assume I’m no longer in their good graces.” Vandal said without a care.

“Yes, your actions betrayed your words. The Vandal they knew could kill his own son or daughter if it was for the betterment of humanity. You threatened to slaughter entire worlds for having the thought of attacking Earth. That’s the Vandal they knew, but you changed in the last few years. Since the arrival of superheroes, you got soft. You let Darkseid attack the planet three times, and you did nothing! What is the purpose of your deal if he can break it at any time? Why should we let you live if you serve no purpose in protecting the Earth?” Omni growled in a fury.

“Watch your tone! I’m the great Vandal Savage. You know my history and still think you can threaten me!” Vandal boomed back at him.

“Not a threat but a promise. The Brotherhood and I don’t see eye to eye on everything, but on this, we can agree. I don’t care about you working in the shadows or attempting to beat the heroes. The only thing I care about is protecting the planet. If we are attacked again, and you or anyone from your Light don’t help to defend the planet, then you’ll have to answer to me. I promise you, Vandal, what awaits is a fate far worse than death!” Omni said sinisterly as he vanished.

SMASH!

Vandal wiped his hand free from the broken monitor. He took a moment to calm his growing anger. Once he calmed down, he shot a glance at his daughter Cassandra, kneeling, awaiting his command.

“Call everyone for a meeting. I want everything we have on Omni and the Brotherhood. Oh, and once we're done, call Kaliback and tell him I need to have a chat with his master about the terms of our arrangement.” Vandal commanded. Cassandra saluted and swiftly left to carry out his orders.

 

Elsewhere in Washington D.C., on the White House front lawn, the press conference had begun with all the heroes being awarded for their efforts in stopping the invasion. President Clinton gave a small speech commending them before handing the floor to the heroes. Batman nodded to the side to a tall figure who was waiting for his chance to speak. Everyone from the reporters, heroes, and government officials all turned to watch Superman walk to the podium. He gave a sad smile and began to speak.

“To the people of Earth, my fellow Americans, and the to the city of Metropolis, I’m sorry. Allow me to express my most sincere apology to you all. I was under mind control, but that cannot excuse my actions. My condolences won’t bring back the 137 people who died in this recent attack. I promise you I will never let this happen again. I will be taking a temporary leave of absence. It is my hope I can regain your trust when I return. My thoughts and prayers are with  all who were affected in this tragedy.” Superman finished with a sad look on his face. He was about to fly off when a figure landed in front of him. Both Green Lanterns, Flash, Green Arrow, and Black Canary prepared for a fight. Batman and Zio had calm smirks, knowing who had arrived.

BOOM.

“Leave of absence my ass! If anyone gets to take a break, its me.” Creed said jokingly. Before Superman could respond, his cousin flew into Creed’s arms.

CRACK!

“Supergirl, you’re hurting me,” Creed said with a pained groan. The girl smiled through her tears and gave him one more squeeze on purpose before letting go.

“That’s for not answering any of my calls, you jerk. I’m going to do the same to that brother of yours when I see him, too. You are lucky Zio showed us a live feed of you being treated, or I would have tracked you down.” Supergirl whispered before flying back to the line-up. Creed inwardly wondered if it was the best idea to become friends with a girl who could break his bones so easily. He shook his head and looked over at Batman, who was smiling. Something he rarely saw from him. Creed nodded at him and everyone else before turning back to Superman.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sorry for what I did to you and Omni.” Superman said with regret on his face.

“That wasn’t you. That was Darkseid in control of your mind.” Creed said, shaking his head.

“It doesn’t excuse what I did,” Superman said with his voice raised in frustration.

“Actually, it totally does,” Creed said totally disagreeing with him.

“It doesn’t…” Superman continued but was cut off.

“It does.”

“It doesn’t”

“It does!”

“It doesn’t! How can you forgive what I did to you so easily!” Superman's voice boomed in anger. Everyone went silent in shock at his outburst. The world had never seen the man of steel like this. Creed looked hard at him before pulling up a hologram. A video began to play of Superman’s fight vs Creed and Omni. Creed blocked out his and Omni's faces but kept everything else. The video started from when he used the eight gate all the way up until Vader came and saved them. (He excluded Sinbad because the world doesn’t know he has powers yet) The crowd watched in horror as Superman beat both of them to an inch of death. Some were shaking in fear. Superman, by the end, had his head down in shame.

“Look up Supes. This is what you did to us, but I forgive you because I know it wasn’t you. Remember what Bats said that night when I almost lost it? He told me to have faith and used you as his best example. I know you, and I know you’d never do something like that of your own free will. I know you want to leave because you fear some of the public will hate you or blame you for what happened. Some will, but most will still believe in you. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I and many others all still have faith in you. Believe in all of us that believe in you.” Creed said, patting him on the shoulder. Superman looked around at all of the heroes, who smiled or nodded in encouragement. Superman sighed but smiled for the first time in a long while.

“Glad you are back. Brooding is more Batman’s thing.” Supergirl said with a chuckle. Batman did his patented glare at the girl. She then super sped behind her cousin’s back trying to hide from the Dark Knight. Superman chuckled at this before hearing Creed cough as he grabbed everyone’s attention again.

“Supes I’m glad you're back to your old self, but I actually didn’t come here to cheer you up. I came to make an announcement.” Creed explained.

“The floor is yours then,” Batman said, pulling Superman and Supergirl to the side. Creed then pulled up his hologram again and showed the black hypercube and the explosion that went off. He played it slow so everyone could see the massive explosion. He then snapped his finger as a small pop was heard.

Pop.

25 Black Hypercubes floated in the air above him. He removed the top part of his mask so everyone could see his eyes. Everyone in the world felt a chill down their spine looking at each hypercube. Knowing each one held enough power to blow up countries and was strong enough to hurt Superman. The man in question wanted to say something, but Batman put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

“Sorry for startling everyone, but I need to make a point to certain people. These are the ones who have power and didn’t send any of their forces to help protect the planet. Some think themselves above the rest of us. Some think they have hidden themselves away from the rest of the world. Some think they can do whatever they want. Olympus, Amazons, Atlanteans, Court of Owls, The League, Brotherhood of Evil, H.I.V.E, Task Force X, Constantine, Fate, Savage, everyone else with power that did nothing, and even you Light-Bringer. If you live on this planet and we are invaded, everyone with power must help to defend the Earth. I hereby announce a new emergency response organization to Protect the world that everyone must join called Chaldea. Every country, organization, or person with power will join. Its only goal is to protect the planet at any cost. Failure to comply will result in me dropping a hypercube where you live.” Creed said joyfully, and that creeped out everyone who was watching. He let everyone take in what he said before snapping his fingers again, taking away the hypercubes. A few people in the crowd sat down and took deep breaths. A lot inwardly had a sigh of relief now that the danger was gone.

“I nominate myself, Omni, my Guardians, Zio, Batman, Superman, Supergirl, The Green Lantern Core, Flash, and Team Arrow as its first members. I will share more in the coming weeks about our democratic system, representatives, protocol and our headquarters. I look forward to working with everyone.” Creed finished as he started to hover in the air.

‘Bats, there’s a file back at the cave with an outline of what I want for Chaldea. Feel free to edit or change whatever you feel is necessary to make the organization work. Also, Trey and I will only be back for training four times a month now. Something else will occupy most of our time. I’ll see you soon. Tell Dick I said Hi.’ Creed Telepathically told Batman as he flew off.

“Is it just me, or did we just get drafted into an army without our consent?” Flash questioned. Everyone had a laugh at his question.

“We all already signed up for this the moment we chose this life.” Green Arrow said with a solemn smile. This was the life they chose.

 Around the same time back at the Tower the Carter’s and the rest of the council finshed watching the press conference. They all waited for Trey and Desmond to arrive. Everyone was quietly talking amongst themselves about what just happened.

“So does anyone know what today’s meeting is about besides Chaldea which I’m sure they’ll dicuss?” Tyson asked looking around the room.

“I have a hunch, but I’ll let them announce it when they get here.” Reddington said with a quiet smile. A moment later, Trey and Desmond walked in.

“Thanks Red. I appreciate you all coming here on short notice. I want to give special thanks to Sinbad and Anakin for saving us.” Desmond said, walking into the center of the room with Trey.

“Compared to what you’ve done for me that was nothing. I’ll always be willing to help you.” Anakin promised as he held Padme’s hand. Both we’re grateful to get a second chance at being together.

“Same here, my friend.” Sinbad chimed in as well. Trey grinned before taking a moment to collect himself for this speech.

“We have been through a lot these last couple of years. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together. I truly appreciate all the help each of you has given me. The outside world thinks Chaldea is some new organization I’m forcing everyone to be a part of. In my heart, you are all the real Chaldea. The true team I’ve put together to protect the planet when I’m not around.” Trey said with a reassuring smile on his face.

“You’re leaving?” Elizabeth with tears forming in her eyes asked.

“Yes. Effective immediately. I leave Reddington in charge in my absence. Ezio I’ll still have you join us once a month for training. Edgar, before you think I’m breaking my promise to show up more, I’ll leave some shadow clones before I go.” Trey promised. When he finished a couple of people started walking over to him. One small figure barreled into him, knocking him to the floor.

“No!” Kyla cried, hugging her brother tightly. Alexandra and Tyson also had sad looks on their faces after hearing the announcement.

“Even though we figured you’d do something like this it still hurts to hear that your leaving, son.” Tyson commented as they came to his side. Trey mouthed I’m sorry as he picked up his sister. At the same time, Jamie had a glum look on her face, walking up to Desmond.

“Is this my karma for abandoning Sherlock? I finally have someone who intrigues me and likes me back, only for him to run away days after our first kiss.” Jamie sighed, looking deep into Desmond’s eyes.

“I don’t want to leave you, but I must. We have to get stronger. This last fight proved we’re still weak. I don’t want to scare any of you, but Superman in this Multiverse's hierarchy of power is much closer to the bottom than the top. There are people who can blink away entire universes. We need to be strong enough to protect you.” Desmond said, pulling her into a kiss. Jamie blushed slightly at the public display of affection before turning back into her old self.

“I’m not happy about it, but I understand,” Jamie said as she took Desmond’s hand. Alexandra smiled at their interaction before turning her attention back to Trey.

“I know I can’t change your mind. You are just as stubborn as me sometimes. However, I do have one question. Do you have to leave completely? Can’t you come back once a week?” Alexandra asked hopefully. Trey rubbed the back of his sister, who was still clinging to him and shook his head.

“Where I’m going, I won’t be able to come to any of you. You might be able to come see me once a month.” Trey explained, confusing his family more.

“What do you mean?” Kyla said, still not letting go but addressing him for the first time. Desmond and Trey shared a look, then raised their hands together towards the back of the meeting room.

WOOOM!

“This is the Subspace from Tsukimichi Moonlit Fantasy. We each have one of our own. Each is our own pocket dimension that will grow in power as we get stronger. We will be training in here until we at least break through to the Planetary tier. The subspace will be turned into the harshest environment for us to train in. Once a month, we will reset the subspace for a week to plan out the next month of training. During that time, I’ll open the portal so we can spend time together. I’ll also leave some shadow clones, so I’m not truly gone from you all.” Trey reassured them. Tyson, Alexandra, and Jamie we’re happy with that. Kyla was not having it.

“I don’t want a clone. I want both of you to stay.” Kyla cried, not wanting to see them go.

“What if I took extra time off for your birthday and the holidays?” Desmond asked. Kyla still shook her head.

“I’ll give you some Digimon to keep you company.” Trey offered. Kyla once again shook her head.

“When we get enough points, we’ll buy a smartphone that can connect us. We’ll call once a month?” Desmond asked again, hopeful she would cave on this.

“No.” Kyla huffed cutely.

“Once a week, and we’ll throw in everything else we offered you,” Trey asked using his secret technique, the puppy dog eyes on her. To the shock of everyone who thought she’d finally agree, she shook her head again. Desmond and Trey deflated, thinking nothing would satisfy her when she tapped Trey grabbing his attention.

“Everything you offered, and you call Mom, Dad, and Jamie too,” Kyla asked. When Trey nodded, she finally let him go and ran over to Jamie and her mother. They all high-fived like they just won a game. The rest of the room all burst into laughter at how easily Trey and Desmond were played. Tyson put his arm around the boys and shook his head.

“You two have a lot to learn,” Tyson said. Trey and Desmond could only sigh and agree with what he said. They had a lot to learn.