| Arlington - September 25
"Get him!" a man screamed before he and his associates unleashed a volley of red energy blasts at a black-and-gold clad hero.
Joseph had been at this for nearly a full day. He had crossed continents, infiltrated bases with the stealth training he'd picked up from Catwoman and Captain Atom, and ambushed enemy cells one after another. Each time, he extracted intel, incapacitated their operatives, and left them tied up for local agencies to sweep up before moving on to the next location.
With his speed, efficiency, and the intelligence gathered from Leviathan's headquarters—bolstered by data from both the League and A.R.G.U.S.—the work almost felt routine. Piece by piece, he tore their networks apart.
Eventually, his trail of clues led him to Intergang. Base after base fell in rapid succession, until at last his hunt brought him here.
Hours earlier, he had been briefed on the League's meeting. Their failure to capture Ra's and Savage made him sigh in frustration. Once again, if he wanted something done, he would have to do it himself.
The Light would slip up sooner or later, and when they did, he would find them. Just as he had done with Klarion, and just as he planned to do with the Brain—already tagged with a discreet tracker buried in his skull. For now, at least, Leviathan's infrastructure was in ruins, and half their networks crippled beyond repair.
Infinity Island had been abandoned, most of Ra's agents scattered as expected of a centuries-old schemer. But Intergang and Leviathan—those organizations were almost fully broken.
That brought him here, to the man he had chased through hundreds of bases and countless psychic dives.
Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim. The nickname was well-earned.
A stocky, thick-necked man of medium height with dark skin, narrow eyes, and black hair cut in a pudding-bowl style. A Fu Manchu mustache framed his square chin, capped by a thick unibrow.
Mannheim's men fired again, their Apokoliptan weapons glowing with red-lit seams in black metal frames—discs, whips, staffs, and cannons. Joseph dodged with ease, refusing to waste Nova Force on this rabble.
Instead, he drew upon the Strength Force, channeling it with his telekinesis and anti-gravity control to compress and hurl the very air forward with a punch. A shockwave exploded outward, flattening the gang like bowling pins.
Most hit the ground groaning, unconscious or too battered to rise. Only two remained standing: Whisper A'Daire, lashing out desperately with her energy whip, and Bruno, who abandoned her without hesitation, fleeing for his own skin.
Joseph wasn't about to let him.
With a flick of his will, both were lifted into the air. "Now kiss," he quipped, colliding their skulls together like a child smashing dolls. They crumpled instantly, unconscious.
Nova: //...//
'What?' he thought wryly feeling Nova's silent judgement. 'I've been at this for over a day. I need some entertainment.'
He pressed subdermal trackers into both of them before lowering their limp bodies to the ground.
It was done. One of his central goals achieved—Intergang dismantled, his mother avenged. Yet the satisfaction he expected never came. The emptiness gnawed at him. His mother was still gone. Capturing or killing her murderers would never change that.
With a weary sigh, he slipped into Mannheim's mind. He hadn't had the chance with Moxie, still in Interpol custody, but Bruno might know the truth. Why had his men opened fire on a STAR Labs truck in the middle of a crowded street? Why had his mother died?
In the Speed State, he skimmed Mannheim's thoughts. The man was impatient, paranoid, selfish, and utterly disloyal—as he'd just displayed. Joseph saw flashes of more Intergang bases and networks, intel he would hand off to the authorities.
Then came the answer that froze him.
It hadn't been a mistake. It hadn't been crossfire. The STAR Labs truck was never their target at all. The true objective had been him and his mother.
And the order had come from higher up.
From Vandal Savage.
**
| Bialya - September 25
Vandal Savage ground his teeth as the reports poured in.
Infinity Island compromised. His Mongolian base infiltrated. Ocean Master captured. The Cadmus clones retrieved, their hidden mole Red Arrow likely exposed. Leviathan's global infrastructure obliterated in a single night of coordinated raids. And Lex, along with much of the Light, soon to be dragged into the public eye.
All because the Brain had been taken in Northern India. The League—normally restrained about probing even a villain's mind—had stripped his clean, exposing everything. Centuries of careful maneuvering unraveled in days.
If Savage had known, he would have ordered Turtle to kill those League intruders on the spot, consequences be damned.
He exhaled slowly, reining in his fury. Millennia had taught him the value of patience. Anger burned hot but brief. Patience endured. And with his new ally, the scope of his plans was already evolving.
"So what now?" Queen Bee asked from across the table. "Will we still annex Qurac?"
"You mean will you, for your dream of a Greater Bialya," Savage's new ally cut in, his voice sharp.
Queen Bee bristled at the jab but did not deny it. The Light thrived on mutual exploitation; every member used the others for personal ambition. Still, being called out grated on her. She gestured disdainfully. "And what use is this… outsider?"
The man laughed, sharp and manic, before forcing himself calm. "Outsider. I like that name."
Savage ignored the outburst. "He commands powerful subordinates and seeks an artifact—Pandora's Box. With it, we can reshape reality, granting humanity new gifts, then sharpen them through conflict. He also informs us the League was tipped off by Nova."
He'd had several encounters with Pandora, another immortal. A shame she'd refused his friendship.
Queen Bee's eyes narrowed. "Him again! What of the assassin we hired?" She still seethed over the hero's theft of her prized asset, one dangerous enough to match Wonder Woman herself.
"Lobo was contracted," Ra's al Ghul answered evenly. "He is a popular mercenary, and traversing the galaxy takes time. He should arrive within a week. Though it is pointless since the League are now aware of it and will stop it."
Savage continued. "Our mind-control plan is lost. For now, we lay low, surfacing only enough to prevent suspicion, until Pandora's Box is found. When it is, the League's protection of Earth will no longer be required and we can dispose of them."
"And our funding? And members?" the Outsider asked.
Savage's lips curled faintly. "Lex is finished—the League will soon publish damning proof. Queen Bee is untouchable for now; toppling a monarch risks war that goes against the U.S. interests in the region. As for the rest…"
He gestured to the doors. They opened.
Black Manta strode in, his massive frame clad in armor, taking Ocean Master's vacant seat. Beside him came Ultra-Humanite, a large white gorilla with a gray face whose upper head had been replaced by a brain-like protrusion, already filling the Brain's role.
As for Klarion, he had a feeling his millennia-long acquaintance would soon make a reappearance, so that seat could remain vacant for now.
And last was a brown-haired man in a simple black turtleneck.
The stranger smiled faintly at seeing the lack of recognition among those present. "Since introductions are in order—I'll be handling the funds from now on. The name's Maxwell Lord."