Understanding more

He appeared at Jason Todd's apartment, which housed the many members of the Justice League Dark: Zatanna, John Constantine, Jason Blood, and John Constantine. Neither Detective Chimp or Bizarro were here. Aaron suspected they were out investigating something. The mood was damp and contemplative. The negativity worsened as he appeared.

"And here he is," Jason muttered. The God Killer sword was leaning against his side table, glimmering at the sight of its true owner.

In his presence, there were stares of confusion. As his gaze swept across the room, he saw an unfamiliar woman wearing a skintight white and starry black superhero costume. She was Sri Lanken, from what the Collective **** was telling him, and her name was–

"Doctor Multiverse," Aaron said. "Maya Chamara. You are here too."

The short-haired woman was taken aback by the use of her real name. "Oh wow, you must be the Concealer. I'm Doctor Multiverse, yes."

Doctor Multiverse, a hero from Earth 8 who possesses the powers of the Multiverse. Despite the infinite universes and timelines, no alternate version of her existed. She was an anomaly, similar to Aaron.

"We called her over because we suspected what the Justice League Incarnate had been fighting might be related to whatever happened to Punchline," Zatanna explained. She gestured at the muscled brawn in Aaron's arms. "Is that…Bane?"

Aaron nodded. "Yes. One of the villains that was in the presence of Punchline and the Joker. He is not dead, fortunately. I believe if his transformation had completed, that would not be the case."

"What about that chick, Punchline?" John asked. "Find anything from her?"

"She is still in a stasis," Aaron lied. "I do not want to risk waking her up and causing her to destroy everything again."

"Mind if we see her?" Doctor Multiverse asked.

Aaron calculated her proposition and the potential outcomes. He didn't want to raise suspicion but he also didn't want to hand Punchline over. Her pussy was too good to pass up on. On the other hand, not giving them anything wouldn't be right either.

Therefore, through a culmination of the Speed **** and the Sixth Dimension, he constructed an exact copy of Alexis Kaye–the Punchline. He closed his eyes and time slowed. Memories and personality based on the real version set inside her.

The fake Alexis Kaye floated in front of him, wrapped in a white hue. Everyone else assumed he had teleported her here but the reality was different. He had created another human being.

For a moment, he felt strange. Too powerful. Too godly. Creating humans on a whim…just what was Aaron Reigner becoming? When would he hit his ceiling?

"I don't really feel anything from her," Doctor Multiverse admitted. "It must be because time has passed. But Bane…I can feel it. I can see the cracks in his body."

She must have meant metaphysical cracks because there were no physical cracks on Bane. Aaron squinted at Doctor Multiverse behind his mask, analyzed her body, specifically her eyes, and then copied it.

He looked back down.

'Cracks. I see them too now.'

Like dark wisps, they covered Bane in erratic patterns. All the lines and cracks led to Bane's heart, which was imprinted with a dark, foreboding hand.

It seemed nobody else but him and Doctor Multiverse could see it.

"It's fictive energy," Doctor Multiverse explained to the others. "It's like…remember when I told you about Earth 33? How no powers can exist there because of the Fictive Membrane? How the people on that Earth manipulate other Earths by writing comic books? This has that same signature except it's darker and deeper. Only one creature in the entire multiverse can do this."

"Only one?" John asked.

Doctor Multiverse nodded, breathing shakily. With a shudder, she said, "Empty Hand."

Empty Hand. A name that, despite not hearing it before, managed to ring a bell in his soul.

A chill came over the room. Everybody could feel it.

"Bloody hell," John Constantine muttered, "did the AC suddenly turn on or something?"

The owner of the apartment unit frowned. "I have it off at the moment."

At the cornerstone of his vision, Aaron saw a goth woman with her arms crossed. No one could see her, it seemed, besides Aaron.

"I think I know what's happening. The Joker killed Bane, Punchline, and the others and then brought them back to life with something else. A power." Aaron's eyes focused on ****. Her arms were behind her and her black eyes were sending a message. He finally understood. "The Anti-**** Equation."

"Capable of transforming and corroding anything from the laws of physics to even beings as powerful as Monitors," **** finished. This time, everyone heard. This time, **** revealed herself to the mortals. "It turns its victims into gruesome and evil creatures who are incapable of dying."

"And who the fuck are you?" Jason Todd asked, standing up. Artemis was beside him and joined him in sync. But Aaron could see the difference in their eyes. Jason must have felt it–the chill. The nauseating scent of ****. He had experienced it once before, after all.

"I am ****." Her black lips curled upwards. "I doubt I need to elaborate any further."

"D-****," Jason repeated. "You're ****?"

"****?" John said, blinking. "Blimey. This week just keeps getting weirder. What's someone of your calibre doing with us rotting corpses?"

"The Anti-**** Equation is my enemy and your enemy, therefore I think it is wise for us to team up." **** maintained her smile.

"Huh. Weird, ain't it? Superman has come back to life, Jason boy over there has come back to life–hell, I'VE come back to life." John dropped his cigarette and grinded it under his boot. "So…again? Why now? Why is this so much different than anything else?"

"Because if the Anti-**** Equation spreads throughout the Multiverse, I will cease to exist."

"So it's a matter of living, eh?"

"Ironic," Artemis chimed.

"Like it matters. What should concern you is Empty Hand and the Anti-**** Equation. It revives deceased individuals in a process known as "Gentrification". They become mindless zombies that only follow the will of the Gentry. Immortals, almost."

"And they render you useless," John quipped. "How quaint."

"Zatanna Zatara, you sensed it, didn't you? The near collapse of the Sphere of the Gods," **** said pointedly. "It's true. All of it. Empty Hand has taken over and he's not going to stop."

Zatanna looked at Artemis and lowered her head apologetically.

"So are all the gods dead?" Artemis asked quietly.

"Yes. And no. Many have been Gentrified."

"I see…"

Artemis was a woman that believed in her gods deeply. To hear of their defeats must have been disheartening.

"So how do we stop this Gentrification?" Jason Blood questioned. "There must be a way to defeat it."

"Killing the Gentrified means to defeat the Gentry first. To defeat the Gentry means to bring Empty Hand to his absolute peak. All their lives are inextricably connected. Unless all are killed equally, in sequential order, everything in existence will be doomed. This won't be another Crisis, this will be the end."

****'s words brought pause and tension. This went way beyond expectations.

"Something worse than a crisis, eh?" John grinned. "Count me in."

"Me too," the eager Doctor Multiverse added. "I'll inform the Justice League Incarnate. I'll get every single hero in the multiverse to be stationed here. Wait, it will happen here, right?"

"Madame Xanadu and I have been seeing visions of an Empty Hand engulfing our Earth," Zatanna muttered. "So it has to be here."

"Etrigan might be able to bring some demons from hell to help," Jason Blood said, looking at the Concealer. "Is there a way to arrange that, Sir Judge?"

"No issue." Despite never having done it before, Aaron felt like he could open a portal to hell anytime, anywhere. "Speak and I will do it."

A chuckle erupted from John and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Look at that, the team is coming together and making a plan. How nice. I'll call the old monkey and Bizarro and tell 'em to stop searching for the Riddler and the other baldwins of Gotham. Seems like you've got it handled, Mr. Judge. You've got the easy job, you know that?"

Aaron nodded. "I will do my best."

**** gave him a knowing look and dissipated into nothing.

Aaron checked the time. Before the Riddler, he had a plane to catch. Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn were up next.