-STARLORD ZACK UNIVERSE -
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Another Universe – A Vibrant Space Cantina
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BeastBoy and Cyborg sit at a neon-lit bar, the futuristic hum of alien chatter and soft music in the background. They're across from another Zack Summer this version with messy blond hair, a cocky grin inside his helmet, and wearing a rugged Star-Lord jacket.
Zack (Star-Lord) pats Beast Boy's back with an awkward chuckle as Beast Boy melodramatically sobs into his shoulder.
Star-Lord Zack: Man, that's rough... Are you telling me.... me in your universe stole your girl and then turned into some fiery god-bird thing? Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about, but... hey, I'm listening.
BeastBoy dramatically wipes his eyes, sniffling exaggeratedly.
BeastBoy: (he lets out a dramatic sob)Yes! She cheated on me! On YOU wait, I mean, another you, from my world! You know, my world... It's just too much, man... too much.
Zack awkwardly pats his back again, trying to process.
Star-Lord Zack: Wow. Uh, welcome to my world, I guess. Out here, you can do anything fun in space no cheating drama, just good times. But quick question though... what's my power in your universe? 'Cause my story? I was abducted by Thanos when I was a newborn baby?
Both Beastboy and Cyborg pause at the mention of the name.
Cyborg: Wait... Who?
Star-Lord Zack: (laughs in disbelief) You don't know Thanos? My father?! The dude who's obsessed with death? What kind of world are you guys from?
Beastboy and Cyborg exchange confused glances.
Beastboy: Uh, we... don't really know who that is, but we have Darkseid in my world.
Star-Lord Zack's eyes widen in surprise, nodding in understanding.
Star-Lord Zack: (he squints, genuinely curious) Darkseid? Interesting, I've never heard of him before. But... you guys know Doctor Strange?
Beastboy and Cyborg glance at each other again.
Beastboy: We have Doctor Fate in our world.
Star-Lord Zack's eyebrows raise in surprise.
Star-Lord Zack: Fate? Nah! What about Giant-Man?
Cyborg shrugs.
Cyborg: We've got Atom Smasher, I guess?
Star-Lord Zack lets out a thoughtful hum and taps his chin, looking between the two of them.
Star-Lord Zack: (he grins widely) Alright, alright. How about Spider-Man everheard of him?
Beastboy and Cyborg freeze for a second before speaking in perfect unison.
Beastboy and Cyborg: Black Spider.
Star-Lord Zack's jaw drops, his eyes wide with shock as he throws his hands in the air.
Star-Lord Zack: WHAT IS EVERYTHING!?
Beastboy, still half-worried and half-exasperated, wipes his eyes and looks at the other Zack.
Beastboy: I'm seriously starting to think our worlds are all over the place, man. Like... what's going on with all these versions of people we know?
Cyborg: Yeah, I'm starting to think this multiverse thing is a bit too much for my circuits to handle. (He taps his head as if trying to process the infinite possibilities)
Star-Lord Zack, clearly amused but slightly overwhelmed by the absurdity of the conversation, crosses his arms with a smirk.
Star-Lord Zack: (He raises his eyebrows) You know, if you guys need to take a breather, I totally get it. But, hey, we all got our version of heroes, and I gotta say your version of me? He sounds like one intense guy. But, I guess it makes sense. I mean, what's a superhero without a little drama, right?
Beastboy sniffles, trying to keep it together.
Beastboy: Yeah... drama's right... but no more Phoenix drama for me, okay?
Star-Lord Zack chuckles, clapping him on the back once more.
Star-Lord Zack: You've got it, buddy. But hey, you know... if you're gonna deal with the multiverse, you might want to buckle up. It's about to get even weirder.
Beastboy and Cyborg just stare at him, still trying to wrap their minds around this strange new reality.
His head slowly tilted upward, eyes widening as the massive form of Sanctuary II loomed overhead, casting an ominous shadow over the landscape.
Star-Lord Zack: What...?
The massive ship descended with a terrifying presence, its engines roaring like thunder as it hovered just above the ground.
Panic surged through Zack as he turned sharply toward Beastboy and Cyborg.
Star-Lord Zack: Get to my ship now! Hide in the Milano! I'll handle this!
Without hesitation, Beastboy and Cyborg sprinted toward the Milano, their steps echoing in the tense air. The ship's ramp closed behind them just as Sanctuary II landed with a seismic thud, dust and wind blasting outward from the impact.
The hatch of the monstrous ship opened, and a familiar figure stepped out Nebula.
Her cold, calculating eyes locked onto Zack as she strode forward with lethal intent.
Star-Lord Zack tried to play it cool, putting on his usual cocky grin.
Star-Lord Zack: Hey... sister. Long time no see. How are you?
Nebula didn't waste time. She lunged forward and grabbed Zack by the jacket, yanking him so close that he could practically feel the rage radiating from her.
Nebula: Zack... What the hell did you do this time?
Zack's bravado faltered for a second, eyes darting around nervously.
Star-Lord Zack: What are you talking about? I didn't do anything recently...
Nebula didn't even blink. She turned her head slightly and pointed behind him. Zack slowly turned to look and his heart sank.
Galactus had appeared, towering like a god over everything, his colossal form blotting out the sky itself.
The air around them seemed to warp from the sheer magnitude of his presence, and every instinct in Zack screamed at him to run.
Nebula's voice cut through the fear like a blade.
Nebula: Zack... Is it true? Did you break Galactus' daughter's heart? You made her cry!?
Star-Lord Zack's mouth fell open as his mind raced through every possible outcome and none of them looked good.
Star-Lord Zack: Okay, look... I might have said a few things, but it wasn't? Okay, maybe it was a little harsh, but I didn't think she'd go crying to her dad! I mean, she's literally a cosmic being how was I supposed to know she had feelings!?
Nebula's grip tightened, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
Nebula: You idiot. You're going to get us all killed.
Star-Lord Zack, realizing the gravity of the situation, glanced back at Galactus looming like a cosmic nightmare.
Star-Lord Zack: Yeah... okay... fair point.
He swallowed hard, attempting to muster whatever charm he had left.
Star-Lord Zack: So, uh... any chance I can apologize and, you know, not get obliterated by a literal force of nature?
Nebula shoved him back, her expression icy and unamused.
Nebula: You're going to do exactly what I tell you. Or that's the last joke you'll ever make.
Zack straightened his jacket, muttering under his breath.
Star-Lord Zack: Yeah, sure. No pressure at all... just my entire existence on the line. Great.
Nebula's grip on Star-Lord Zack tightened again, dragging him close with a glare sharp enough to cut through steel.
Nebula: What did you even say to her?
Star-Lord Zack, trying to play it cool despite the cosmic doom looming over them, shrugged weakly.
Star-Lord Zack: I, uh... I might've called her a worm.
Nebula's eyes widened with horror and disbelief.
Nebula: You what?!
She let go of him, stepping back and running a hand down her face in frustration.
Nebula: Great. Now we're truly dead. Do you realize what you just did? You insulted the daughter of a cosmic force who devours entire planets!
Star-Lord Zack: Hey, hey! It wasn't personal, okay? It just... slipped out. You know, friendly banter?
Nebula shot him a glare so fierce it could've vaporized him on the spot.
Nebula: Friendly banter? You're insane. We're all going to die.
Ignoring her panic, Zack took a deep breath, adjusting his jacket and striding forward with forced confidence toward the massive shadow looming over them. Galactus's palm descended like a mountain, casting everything in darkness.
Star-Lord Zack: Alright, alright... I'll fix this.
He approached the colossal hand slowly, stopping right beneath it as if standing before a god.
Star-Lord Zack: Hey... uh, sir? Big guy? I was wondering if—uh you could let me meet Galacta again. Just to apologize, you know? Smooth things over?
Galactus's voice rumbled like the fabric of the universe tearing apart.
Galactus: No. And you die.
The giant hand began to fall toward him, ready to crush Zack like an insect.
Star-Lord Zack: Aw, c'mon, really? No second chances?
Without wasting another second, Zack's instincts kicked in. His jet boosters flared to life, launching him away from the crushing force just in time. The ground behind him shattered under Galactus's palm, sending shockwaves through the area.
Zack rocketed toward the Milano, landing with a hard thud on the ramp and sprinting to the cockpit.
Star-Lord Zack: Not today, big guy!
He slammed into the pilot's seat, flipping switches and starting the engine as fast as possible. The ship roared to life, lights flickering on the dashboard.
Beastboy: What the hell did you do!?
Cyborg: Zack, don't tell me you made it worse!
Star-Lord Zack: Worse? Pfft, I just barely escaped getting flattened by a cosmic pancake. Now hang on tight because if we don't get out of here now, we're going to be space dust!
The Milano blasted off the ground, engines screaming as they rocketed away from Galactus, who watched silently his fury only beginning.
The Milano tore through space at full speed, stars stretching into blinding lines around them. The engines roared, shaking the ship with raw power as Star-Lord Zack gripped the controls, his eyes focused on the endless void ahead.
Beast Boy, gripping the back of Zack's chair with white knuckles, tried to keep his voice steady but couldn't hide the panic.
Beast Boy: Zack! Please, can you tell us what just happened back there? Because I really, really don't wanna die out here!
Star-Lord Zack didn't even flinch, still keeping his cool as if this was just another casual day in deep space.
Star-Lord Zack: Relax, green bean. I just... you know... smashed and got engaged to the daughter of a cosmic being. No big deal. Nothing to worry about.
Cyborg's head snapped around so fast it could've unscrewed.
Cyborg: Oh yeah? Then why the hell is that thing following us!?
Zack frowned, his confidence faltering for the first time.
Star-Lord Zack: Hm? What're you talking about?
Cyborg pointed toward the viewport.
Cyborg: That?
Zack turned his head slowly... and froze.
Outside the Milano, the endless darkness of space was swallowed by a terrifying sight. Galactus himself loomed like a living void, his colossal form cutting through the stars. His eyes, glowing with an ancient hunger, were locked directly on them. Each step he took seemed to bend the very fabric of space around him, drawing them closer to inevitable doom.
Star-Lord Zack: Oh, crap.
Beast Boy: Tell me that's not who I think it is!
Cyborg: Zack, you idiot! What did you even say to his daughter?!
Star-Lord Zack: Okay, okay! Maybe calling her a worm wasn't my brightest idea!
Beast Boy: You called the Cosmic God's daughter a WORM?!
Star-Lord Zack: It was a joke! I didn't think she'd take it personally she's the daughter of a cosmic god! I figured she had thicker skin!
The ship suddenly rocked violently as Galactus's voice echoed through space like a planetary quake.
Galactus: You cannot outrun judgment, Zack McCulloch. You will pay for breaking my daughter's heart.
Beast Boy: We're gonna die because you couldn't keep your mouth shut!
Cyborg: Zack, whatever you're doing do it faster! This guy eats planets for breakfast!
Star-Lord Zack: Alright, alright! Time for Plan Z boost everything we've got, and pray this bucket holds together!
He slammed the throttle forward, pushing the Milano to its absolute limit. The ship jolted forward like a missile, engines screaming as it surged through space trying to outrun the wrath of a god.
The Milano surged forward, cutting through the stars like a blazing comet. Star-Lord Zack gripped the controls tighter, his eyes narrowed with determination as the ship's engines strained to their limits.
Star-Lord Zack: Did I get him? Please tell me I got him.
Beast Boy and Cyborg both leaned toward the viewport, eyes wide with hope only for that hope to be obliterated in an instant.
Galactus, untouched and unfazed, loomed closer than ever, his colossal form casting an endless shadow across the stars. His eyes still burned like dying suns, locked directly on them.
Star-Lord Zack: Oh, great.
Before anyone could react, a massive meteorite, caught in Galactus's gravitational wake, slammed into the side of the Milano with a deafening CRASH. The ship spun violently, alarms blaring as systems flickered and died. The lights dimmed, the engine's roar turned into a pitiful whimper, and the whole ship went eerily quiet.
Cyborg: Systems offline! Power's down we're dead in the water!
Beast Boy: This is it! This is how we die in space! Because some genius couldn't keep his mouth shut!
Star-Lord Zack blinked at the darkened controls, let out a slow, dramatic sigh, then turned to the others with the most nonchalant grin imaginable.
Star-Lord Zack: Welp... we're doomed.
Beast Boy: That's it?! That's all you've got to say!?
Star-Lord Zack: What? I mean... unless you've got a miracle in your back pocket, I think we're about to find out what squished by a space god feels like.
Cyborg: You're unbelievable!
The ship floated helplessly as Galactus's towering form loomed larger and larger, filling the view like an unstoppable force of nature. The silence in the Milano was deafening except for Star-Lord Zack's awkward chuckle.
Star-Lord Zack: So... anyone got any really good last words?
-INJUSTICE UNIVERSE-
Zack Summer stood atop a ruined skyscraper, his blue Cyclops suit gleaming under the dim red glow of the sun.
Holding his visor, he peered through the cracked lens, locking onto Superman in the distance. The Man of Steel was hovering in the air, speaking to a figure in a yellow suit, the glow of their conversation radiating across the broken cityscape.
Cyclops pressed two fingers to his comms.
Cyclops: Target in sight. I see Superman... but he's talking to someone. No idea who.
Batman's voice crackled through the earpiece.
Batman: Who is he talking to? Describe them.
Cyclops adjusted his visor, zooming in slightly.
Cyclops: A man in a yellow suit. The color looks... familiar. Same shade as Mr. Hal's?
Batman's tone sharpened.
Batman: That's Sines—
Before he could finish, Cyclops gasped as something coiled tightly around his neck. A golden lasso burned against his skin, pulling him off balance. His comms fizzled with static as Batman's voice shouted something, but the sound was cut off when Zack was yanked backward with brute force.
His visor flew from his hands, spiraling through the air before landing with a metallic clank on the debris-ridden ground.
Zack barely had time to react before he was slammed to the pavement. A powerful presence loomed over him. He looked up, his breath catching.
Wonder Woman stood before him, her eyes locked onto his with an unreadable expression.
Wonder Woman: You shouldn't be here.
Zack's body trembled as the golden lasso coiled tighter around his neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. He gasped for air, his mind racing with the impending sense of dread. His heartbeat quickened, but he fought to remain calm, knowing that Wonder Woman had him trapped in her unrelenting grip.
Zack's voice broke as he pleaded, his words nearly choking on the fear building in his chest.
Zack: Please, Diana! I beg you, don't...
Wonder Woman's eyes darkened, her expression unwavering as she held the lasso taut.
Wonder Woman: Now, where is Batman?
Zack swallowed hard, his throat constricting as the heat of the Lasso of Truth burned through his mind, digging into his very soul. He fought to keep his composure, but his thoughts were tangled.
Zack: I... I don't—
The lasso's glow intensified, and Wonder Woman's stern gaze hardened as she scrutinized him.
Wonder Woman: The lasso says you're lying.
Zack's eyes widened in shock as the truth spilled out of him, his body involuntarily shaking as the magic of the lasso took hold. His thoughts flickered through images familiar, haunting faces flashing before his eyes. Dick Grayson laughing with Barbara in the Tower. The sound of his voice, their conversation echoing in his mind.
Zack's lips trembled as he whispered under his breath, the weight of everything pressing down on him.
Zack: Looks like I'm joining you, bro...
As he spoke, the lights dimmed around him, his pulse slowing. The cold grip of the lasso left him feeling detached from his own body. He felt as though he was slipping away, his connection to the world growing fainter.
Meanwhile, in the darkness of a hidden hideout, Batman stood alone in front of a series of monitors. His face was grim, his gaze fixed on the heart rate monitor displaying Cyclops' vital signs.
The rhythmic beeping began to slow, its once steady pulse now faltering, then halting altogether.
Then, in an instant...
"Flatline."
Batman's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing.
Batman: No...
-CURRENT-
Donna Troy stood in the dimly lit bunker, arms crossed, her expression a mix of disbelief and barely contained anger. The tension in the air was thick as she stared at the man in front of her the Batman of the Injustice universe. His face remained unreadable, his demeanor as cold and calculating as ever.
Donna: You're telling me that Cyclops in this universe was murdered... by an alternate version of my sister?
Batman: Yes.
His response was blunt, devoid of emotion. He didn't sugarcoat it, didn't offer any words of comfort. That wasn't who he was.
Donna's hands clenched into fists at her sides. The idea of her sister her Diana doing something like that made her stomach turn.
Donna: That doesn't make sense. Diana wouldn't—
Batman: Your Diana wouldn't. But this world's Diana? She's not the same as the one you knew. She's changed. She became a warrior without restraint, a soldier in a war that never should've happened.
Donna took a step back, shaking her head.
Donna: And Zack he was just caught in the middle of it?
Batman exhaled, his voice lowering slightly.
Batman: He was a threat. At least, she believed he was. The moment he sided with me, he was as good as dead in her eyes.
Donna's breathing was heavy, her thoughts racing. Zack Summers a.k.a Cyclops was someone she had fought beside before, someone she had trusted. The idea that her own flesh and blood had taken his life was almost too much to process.
Donna: And you? You just let it happen?
Batman narrowed his eyes at her, his jaw tightening.
Batman: I tried to stop it. I failed.
The words hung in the air like a weight pressing down on both of them.
Donna turned away, running a hand through her hair, trying to push down the wave of emotions crashing over her.
Donna: Where is he now?
Batman hesitated before answering.
Batman: Gone. There was nothing left to recover his body when the day he was killed.
Donna closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath.
Donna: Then I guess there's only one thing left to do.
Batman watched as she turned back to him, fire in her eyes.
Donna: Take me to her.
Batman stood firm, his arms crossed, his gaze unwavering as he watched Donna Troy wrestle with the reality he had just laid out before her.
Batman: I can't take you to her. But I can help you build a multiverse device to send you back home.
Donna's fists clenched, her eyes burning with frustration.
Donna: No! Not until I meet my sister!
Batman let out a slow sigh, rubbing his temple before looking at her again.
Batman: If you're willing to stay, then you have to fight the Regime. You can either go back to your universe... or you can stand against your sister and everything she represents now.
Donna's breathing was heavy, her body tense. She didn't want to believe it didn't want to accept that her sister was beyond reasoning.
Donna: There has to be another way.
Batman: There isn't.
Silence filled the room, the weight of his words pressing down on her. She wasn't afraid of a fight. She had fought countless battles before. But this wasn't just another enemy. This was Diana her sister.
Batman: Make your choice.
Donna closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking up, determination set in her expression.
Donna: Then I fight.