"It did exist."
"It existed."
"That's right, it existed."
"It was right here."
"The code was proof."
"This proved it existed."
"An electronic life-form..."
"An artificial intelligence..."
"No, perhaps something even stronger."
"Yes, stronger than that."
"What should I do?"
"How should I do it?"
"How could I defeat it?"
"How could I overcome it?"
"Batman, come look!"
"Batman, did you know?"
"Think of something, Batman!"
"Batman!"
"Batman..."
Across countless Multiverses, countless Barbara Gordons looked at the same string of code on different computers or phones and called Batman.
Whether dark or bright, Batmen from dozens of Multiverses received the communication at almost the same moment. When that code appeared before them, countless characters emerged. Breaking encryption, deeper encryption, constant iteration, continued updates...
When every secret had been deciphered, when the fog shrouding the code finally dispersed, the code pointed to an all-too-familiar sentence—"I'm Batman."
Every Batman's gaze sharpened at once.
"Batman?"
"It said it was Batman?"
"What kind of Batman was it?"
"Electronic Batman?"
"Did Electronic Batman really exist?"
"An AI Batman?"
"I couldn't imagine it."
"This was absurd..."
"Something was very wrong."
"What exactly was going on?"
Several Batmen muttered before their screens.
Main Universe Batman was the last to receive the communication. At that moment, he stood atop the observation tower at the Guardians of the Universe's base. Another towering figure climbed the spiral staircase.
"You came after all, Batman. I thought destruction wouldn't interest you." Darkseid said, "Have I told you that we're alike?"
Darkseid came up behind Batman. Below them, an army of Parademons relentlessly assaulted the Guardians of the Universe's defenses. Astonishingly, the ones locked in battle with those blue-skinned elder Guardians of the Universe were the Green Lanterns. More shocking still, behind the Green Lanterns stood the Yellow Lanterns.
Because their energies countered