The meeting room in the Watchtower started to feel smaller than it actually was.
Maybe it was all the tension in the room. Maybe it was the weight of what we were about to hear. Or maybe it was just the fact that we were all crammed around this massive circular table with Omni-Man standing at the head of it, preparing to tell us about the horrors that were coming for Earth.
The windows behind him showed the curve of the planet below, peaceful and blue and completely unaware of the conversation happening in orbit above it. The stars beyond seemed cold and distant.
Nolan stood there in his handcuffs, his posture straight despite the restraints. He looked older than I remembered from the footage I'd seen of him. Not physically older, Viltrumites aged slowly, but there was something in his eyes. Something that spoke of experiences that had changed him fundamentally.
Not that I cared for the character arc he or Mark will have in this life. I didn't hate them, but part of me would never trust them, and that was because I knew I would need there help.
Mark sat to Nolan's right, his expression unreadable. While a boy sat on Nolan's left, the young pink-skinned boy looking nervous and out of place among all these powerful heroes. I wonder who he was?
The Justice League occupied one side of the table. Superman sat straight with his arms on the large table, his expression serious. Wonder Woman was next to him, her eyes were sharp and analytical. Batman was at the far end, his white lenses fixed on Nolan with that unnerving intensity he was known for. Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern John Stewart, Hawkwoman, they were all there, watching, and waiting.
The Titans occupied the other side. Dick sat closest to the League, his role as bridge between the two groups evident in his positioning. Wally was next to him, still crackling with residual energy from his earlier anger. Donna sat with her arms crossed, her was expression guarded. Conner's eyes kept flickering red, like he was constantly fighting the urge to use his heat vision. Kara sat next to me, her jaw clenched, her hands flat on the table like she was grounding herself. I could tell she was frustrated more from the pheromones than the situation.
And I sat there, my mind still reeling from everything that had happened at Themyscira. But I pushed all of that aside. Right now, I needed to focus. Right now, I needed to hear what Nolan had to say.
Because if the entire Justice League had brought him here, if they were willing to work with a mass murderer to protect Earth, then whatever he was about to tell us was important enough to put aside our hatred.
At least for now.
Nolan took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling. Then he began to speak, his voice carrying across the room with the authority of someone who had lived through the history he was about to describe.
"It started a few millennia ago," Nolan said. "Long before my time. We call it the Reformative Years of the Viltrum Empire. Through constant generations of eugenics, selective breeding, and purging of the weak from our gene pool, we became the empire known as Viltrum."
I felt my stomach turn at those words. Eugenics. Selective breeding. Purging the weak. It sounded like something out of a nightmare.
"We had our standard abilities that we're known for," Nolan continued, his voice steady and clinical, like he was reciting facts rather than describing atrocities. "Superhuman strength. Invulnerability. Flight. Accelerated healing. Enhanced lung capacity. Decelerated aging. Dominant genetics. And with the help of our technology and unity, we set off into the stars."
Wonder Woman leaned forward slightly, her expression hardening. "But why? Why set off into the galaxy only to conquer it? Why not share your knowledge? Help other civilizations advance?"
Nolan looked at her, and for a moment, I saw something like regret flash across his face. But it was gone quickly, replaced by that same clinical detachment.
"Viltrumite society is survival of the fittest," he said. "Our planet has 1.25 times the gravity of Earth. After the resources were used up, we had to be smarter, stronger, better in every way possible. That mentality is so ingrained in our culture that it's the foundation that drives us. Because you're the strongest, you should take it. Whether it be resources, lovers, or even power itself."
The room was silent for a moment, everyone processing that.
Dick spoke up, his voice carrying a note of disbelief. "Strange how a society like that even manages to stand as long as it did."
Nolan nodded slowly. "The empire met multiple civilizations over the centuries. Some that could be conquered easily. Others that could fight back due to their technology or similar power sets. This went on for centuries. Some planets became allies or trade partners, though those relationships were always... complicated."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Superman and Supergirl.
"Krypton was actually one of the few planets we were most interested in," Nolan said. "Your planet had a very harsh environment, and your technology was so unique and advanced that the empire wanted to subjugate you."
Superman's expression darkened. "Why didn't you?"
Before Nolan could answer, Kara stood up, her chair scraping against the floor. Her eyes were blazing with barely contained fury, and I could see the muscles in her jaw working as she fought to control her anger.
"They tried," Kara said, her voice sharp and cutting. "Krypton was invaded by the Empire multiple times over the centuries even during my time. But our technology saved us every time. Our planetary defense systems, our science, our unity, we fought you off again and again."
Nolan nodded, not denying it. "That's correct."
Kara took a step forward, her hands balling into fists.
Nolan continued. "Then at one point, the council decided to change their methods and create a 'union' between our worlds."
"Unoin!"She spat the word 'union' like it was poison. "You mean you infiltrated our planet and sired children with members of the military sect who were staunch believers of the Empire's propaganda. Do you dare lie in front of me about my people? It may have been over a thousand years ago but you still did it every now and again."
The tension in the room ratcheted up several notches. I could see Superman tense, ready to intervene if necessary. Wonder Woman's hand moved slightly toward where her lasso would normally be. Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl.
But Nolan just shook his head slowly. "I'm not lying. That is what the empire considered a union. Over the years before that, the Empire was losing more warriors than the worlds we were conquering. We needed to adapt. We needed to become stronger."
He paused, and his expression became even more grave.
"That's when we met them," Nolan said. "And everything changed."
I leaned forward slightly. "Met who?"
"The New Gods."
The room went completely silent.
John Stewart spoke up, his voice tight. "I already told them that story."
Nolan looked at him, and there was something almost pitying in his expression. "You probably only know what the so-called Guardians of Oa know. But I'll give you the full facts."
He turned back to address the room as a whole.
"A generation before our last Emperor was born, the Empire met the New Gods. But to be more specific, we met Darkseid."
My eyes widened. Darkseid. The name alone carried weight. I'd heard stories about him from the League, about the horrors he'd committed, about the threat he posed to the entire universe.
"He shared the New Gods' essence with the empire," Nolan continued. "By doing that, it made us stronger by thirty percent compared to our old version. And it allowed us to create hybrids. But at the time, those unions were extremely rare."
I felt my mind racing, pieces clicking together. The New Gods' essence. That's why Viltrumites were so powerful. That's why they were such a threat.
I spoke up, my voice cutting through the silence. "I have a few questions. First, why did Darkseid share the New Gods' essence? Second, what did the Empire give in return for this? And third, what are the trade-offs?"
Nolan paused, and I could see him choosing his words carefully.
"Darkseid saw the potential in the empire," he said. "He said that through this alliance, the two factions would not help one another, but would not go against each other as well. A non-aggression pact, essentially. But he also wanted something specific."
"What?" Superman asked, his voice hard.
"He wanted a child created from the strongest family on the planet."
Wonder Woman's eyes widened slightly.
"The Grand Regent is a descendant of Darkseid himself," Nolan said, and the words hung in the air like a death sentence. "He is the strongest of us. But above him is the first generation of this alliance. The Golden Generation. The one which Emperor Argall hailed from."
Conner spoke up, his voice uncertain. "What was special about this emperor? Was it a blood thing, or was he just the strongest?"
Nolan's expression became almost reverent. "Argall was the first and only Viltrumite pureblood to be born with meta-gene powers."
That made everyone's eyes widen, including mine.
"I thought it was nearly impossible for two full-blooded Viltrumites to create a child with meta-gene powers," I said.
Nolan nodded. " Only a one percent chance of that happening. The council saw him as the future, so they groomed him as they prepared the Grand Regent's line as well. Argall was not only powerful but wise as well. He was a Viltrumite through and through, but he knew how to see different possibilities that others didn't."
Batman spoke up, his voice analytical. "You speak as if you knew him personally."
"No," Nolan said, shaking his head. "I never officially met him. But I was educated by the Grand Regent when we were both younger, before he became Regent serving under Emperor Argall."
Superman leaned forward. "What were the Emperor's powers?"
Nolan shook his head, and for the first time, I saw something like awe in his expression. "I honestly don't know. Whenever I saw videos of his former conquests, he moved so quickly I couldn't see. Some say he had our abilities pushed to a hundred times that of a regular Viltrumite. He could bend light and space like it was nothing."
"But someone managed to kill him," Batman said, his voice flat. "Otherwise, the Regent wouldn't be the Grand Regent."
Nolan's expression darkened. "Yes. The Betrayer. The Emperor was found dead, nothing but a head remaining. And the betrayers name was purged from the empire's records. After that, the Regent took over as the Grand Regent, until the Emperor's descendants could be found. The Emperor had hidden his sired children in fear that some would use them as a way to cause a civil war to try and overthrow him."
He paused, and his voice became even heavier.
"After that, the Great Purge took place. The Grand Regent ordered that we purge the weak and disloyal from our society."
I felt my blood run cold. "You mean every planet occupied by the Empire killed its own people without a second thought?"
Nolan nodded, and I could see the weight of that history in his eyes. "Everyone looked at him with horror and disgust."
Hawkwoman stood up, her wings flaring slightly. "Savages!"
Flash spoke up, his voice tight with anger. "You're saying his first order the day of his coronation was to kill a number of your people?"
Nolan nodded slowly. "Yes. A society of six hundred million became four hundred million. And after the scourge virus, we became less than one hundred."
The room was silent, everyone processing the magnitude of that genocide. Six hundred million reduced to less than one hundred. It was almost incomprehensible.
I spoke up, my voice steady despite the horror I was feeling. "I have a question. What about the hybrids? Who are they?"
Nolan looked at me, and there was something in his expression that made my stomach drop.
"The strongest currently is the Grand Regent, who hasn't revealed his full power yet," Nolan said. "But as far as we know, he has no actual weakness, mainly because he is a second-generation Type Two hybrid."
I raised an eyebrow. "Second generation? I thought there were four classifications of hybrids?"
Nolan nodded. "Yes. Mark is a Type One. You and Oliver are Type Two."
I felt my breath catch. Me and Oliver. I looked over at the pinkish-red-skinned boy who looked like a teenager, with black hair and blue eyes. He gave me a small, uncertain wave.
Wait that's Oliver? And Nolan of course had a kid while being wherever the hell he was and name him after Debbie's father? The prick has some nerve. I couldn't help myself. Especially The words came out before I could stop them.
"Wait, did you have a kid while being wherever the hell you were and name him after Debbie's father, you sick fuck?"
The whole room went quiet. The awkwardness was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. Mark looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor. Oliver's eyes went wide, and he looked between me and Nolan with confusion. Superman pinched the bridge of his nose. Wonder Woman's expression was carefully neutral, but I could see the disapproval in her eyes.
Batman, ever the pragmatist, spoke up. "We can save this for another time. But right now, we need to know who are the strongest among the empire and their powers. So continue, Nolan."
Nolan took a breath, clearly grateful for the redirect. "Right. Well, I'll say the names and explain everything else first. After the Grand Regent, there is General Zod, but he is known as Conquest."
My eyes widened. What the fuck? Zod is a hybrid in this world? Oh shit.
Nolan continued, seemingly unaware of my internal panic. "Zod is one of the oldest hybrids from the Emperor's generation. He has the textbook Viltrumite and Kryptonian abilities, but combined. He does have a crippling weakness to Kryptonite, but it's more of an annoyance than crippling. And if you get him under a red sun, he will be slightly weaker, but not powerless."
Superman and Kara exchanged glances, both of them processing this information.
"After him is his daughter, Anissa," Nolan said. "She is a Type Two second-generation hybrid. These hybrids can be a mixture of multiple species with different power sets. She is a Tamaranean who has all three power sets, but she is considered a powerhouse. She is the queen of Tamaran and is known as the Dawnfire. As well as the ancestral mother to Princess Koriand'r."
I stood up so fast my chair nearly fell over. "Wait, what?"
Anissa is his Conquest daughter, and starfire's ancestor, what the fuck!
Nolan looked at me calmly.
"Is that why you wanted her so bad?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes. She is a Type Two third-generation hybrid. She has all the powers of her ancestry, but hers are significantly stronger. Plus, she was supposed to be the Grand Regent's bride or bear his children when she came of age. But she ran away when she was young."
I felt my mind reeling. Kori. Sweet, kind, powerful Kori. She was a third-generation hybrid with the powers of four different alien races. That's why she was so much stronger than I thought she should be.
"When Mark told me about her, I thought she was just a regular Tamaranean who just came to Earth," Nolan continued. "But when I got the full details about her, things changed."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This explained so much. Why she was so much stronger when we were younger. She had all the abilities of four superpowered alien races running through her veins.
"Well, moving on," Nolan said, like all of that didn't matter. "We have the purebloods, which are like me, maybe stronger or weaker depending on who you fight. Roughly 50 of them, whit a few hundred of type three's. But then you have the Type One hybrids Ursaal and Onaan."
Wait. I knew those names. They were Thragg's children in the comics. Wait, they already exist here in this world?
"These two are the Grand Regent's twin children," Nolan said. "They have their family's powerful genetics, and because of their mother's side of the family, they have incredible fighting capacities. But they are consider type ones and not two's."
I leaned forward. "What do you mean?"
Nolan's expression became almost respectful. "When the Grand Regent was younger, he fought a great warrior who was known as the champion of Battle World, Battle Beast."
I sighed internally. Why do I feel like I won't like where this is going?
Nolan continued, "He and Battle Beast destroyed the war planet, and when both were on the verge of death, when neither could even battle anymore, he was hit by the pheromones when he came in contact with Battle Beast's daughter. And the rest is history. Those two are his children. The girl is more like her father, while the boy is like Conquest, well, from his younger days, is what I was told."
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache building. "Are there any more hybrids?"
Nolan paused, and his eyes locked onto mine. There was something in his expression, something that made my stomach drop even before he spoke.
"Yes," he said slowly. "One more of note. And she is probably the third strongest. Her name is Gaia. She is a Type Two hybrid with Daxamite lineage."
He paused, and the silence stretched out.
"And Caius," Nolan said, his voice carrying across the room. "She is your older sister. From before your father and I came to Earth."
The world seemed to stop.
Everyone in the room turned to look at me. Superman's eyes widened. Wonder Woman's expression shifted to concern. Batman's lenses narrowed. Dick looked shocked. Wally's mouth fell open. Donna's eyes went wide. Conner just stared. Kara reached out and put a hand on my arm, but I barely felt it.
My eyes were wide, my breath caught in my throat, my mind completely blank except for one thought that kept repeating over and over:
I have an older sister....I have an older sister who is one of the strongest warriors in the Viltrumite Empire.
I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. My hands were shaking. My heart was pounding in my chest. Everything I thought I knew about my family keeps unraveling before I can process it. I'm not to shocked but for some reason, I couldn't process it.
Nolan looked at me with something that might have been sympathy. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Caius. But you needed to know. Because when the Empire comes, she will be with them. And she will be looking for you."