When fear outweighs faith, even heroes become jailers.
Scene 1: Justice League War Table – Emergency Protocol
Location: Watchtower – Red Room
Lights dim. Faces pale. The vote is cast.
Batman:
"All in favor of activating Protocol C-001: Containment of Elias Black?"
Superman (reluctantly):
"…Aye."
Wonder Woman (firmly):
"Yes."
Flash (nervous):
"I… Yeah."
Cyborg:
"He's dangerous. No more arguing."
Aquaman (gruff):
"Chain him. Before we bury more cities."
Martian Manhunter (appearing from shadow):
"And what if he resists?"
Batman:
"Then we end the resistance."
Silence.
They all know what that means.
Scene 2: Elias's Quarters – Alert
The door hisses open.
He's not surprised.
Elias (without turning):
"Let me guess. The vote was unanimous, huh?"
The League stands at the entrance.
Superman in front. Diana flanking. Batman in the back, cloaked in shadow.
Superman:
"You've pushed too far, Elias."
Elias (mocking):
"I told the truth. You just don't like the mirror I held up."
Wonder Woman:
"The world is on fire. And your words lit the match."
Elias:
"No. Your lies made the wood dry.
I just struck the flint."
Batman:
"You're being detained.
Until further notice."
Elias slowly rises from his chair.
Smiling.
Elias:
"'Detained'?
Wow. You guys are really leaning into the 'dictatorship in tights' aesthetic."
He looks at each of them.
"So this is how truth ends?
In a silent vote among the gods?"
Scene 3: System Notification – Triggered
[Threat Protocol Recognized: Oppression State]
[Emergency Override: LOCKDOWN SEQUENCE ACTIVATED]
[Suppression Break Estimation: Accelerated – 14 HOURS]
[Warning: Elias Black's Aura Reaching Threshold Level 3 – "Dominion Spark"]
Effects: Oppressors within 20 meters suffer hallucinations of worst failures.
Scene 4: The First Strike
Superman moves.
In a flash of blue and gold, he closes the gap and grabs Elias by the throat, slamming him into the wall.
But this time—Elias doesn't resist.
He just laughs.
Elias (rasping):
"This what Jonathan Kent taught you?
Or is this the Kryptonian part you hide behind the smile?"
Superman's grip tightens.
For a moment—just a second—he sees Zod's face flicker over Elias's.
He stumbles back, blinking.
Elias (to Diana):
"Go on. Tell me this is 'for peace' like you told the Axis powers in 1942."
Wonder Woman (furious):
"You don't understand what you're toying with!"
Elias:
"I understand perfectly.
You're scared.
Because I don't need gods to make the world shake—I do it with words."
Batman (activating device):
"Engaging neural dampener."
The walls pulse red.
Elias drops to one knee, groaning as his mind is flooded with pain.
But even kneeling… he smirks.
"All this power…
And still, you choose fear."
Scene 5: Flash Hesitates
Flash:
"Guys… maybe this isn't right."
Batman:
"Don't waver. He'll break us if we give him space."
Flash:
"He used to laugh. Now he bleeds.
That sound—it's not him anymore."
Scene 6: Final Lock – The Chains of Apollo
Diana raises the Lasso of Truth, but it's not for questions.
It's been blessed by Apollo for one thing:
Binding divinity.
She wraps it around Elias's neck.
And for a moment—he screams.
The lights flicker.
The system inside him goes haywire.
[Darkseid Signature Interference Detected]
[Suppression Break Compromised – Delayed by 10 Hours]
[WARNING: Unstable Divinity Core Detected]
[New Trait Mutating: "Resentment Engine"]
"The more they try to break him… the more power he builds in return."
Scene 7: Council of Gods – Watching
Celestial Warden:
"They chain what they fear."
Sky-Father:
"And in doing so, they forge a weapon they cannot unmake."
Watcher-God:
"When he breaks free…
He won't aim for vengeance.
He will aim for correction."
Final Scene: In the Dark Cell
Elias is thrown into the Null Chamber—a void space outside time and physics.
No sounds. No light.
Except… a voice.
A low, crushing voice…
Darkseid (via neural echo):
"Do you see now, child?
Mortals will always fear what they cannot own."
Elias (whispers):
"…Then I will never be owned again."
Darkseid:
"When you rise…
Let them kneel."