| A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters - October 16
Lois Lane spoke as she reported the news.
"In an unexpected turn of events, Asim Muhunnad and Queen Bee are getting married. With their union, Kahndaq and Bialya will merge to form Greater Bialya. Given Queen Bee's speculated affiliation with the group known as the Light, people across the world have thoughts and concerns—"
Amanda Waller switched off the TV and looked at the two operatives standing before her desk.
"You've seen the news. We need you to investigate and find out what's going on."
Leonardo Lane had been trained as a secret agent from birth by his father—until Leviathan murdered him. The loss left Leo with a bitter grudge that drove him to join A.R.G.U.S. solely to dismantle the organization. Operating as Daemon Rose, he became one of the most skilled operatives alive. But after Nova eliminated both Intergang and Leviathan, Waller could see he had lost much of his purpose—and his heart wasn't in the work anymore.
The only thing keeping him from resigning was the woman beside him: Agent Isabelle "Dizzy" Cordova. She'd grown up in the roughest barrios of Chicago but had found her direction and identity within A.R.G.U.S.—and she excelled at it.
Waller frequently paired them together to keep Leo grounded long enough for him to stabilize. She wasn't completely heartless; after everything he'd done for them, she would let him go when he asked. But until then, she intended to keep using him.
"This affects political stability, counterterrorism and containment, and humanitarian and diplomatic interests in the region," Waller continued. "Head to the mission room for the full briefing."
Both agents nodded and left.
"Anyone ever tell you that you look like Lois Lane?" Waller faintly heard Dizzy joke as the door clicked shut.
Waller opened her laptop and initiated a secure call.
Wade Eiling's stern face appeared on-screen.
Of course, the government masked its true motivations behind sanitized language. In reality, their interests included geopolitical and military control of the Sinai Peninsula, exploitation of resources like oil and unique mineral deposits, and safeguarding national security—especially with both Bialya and Kahndaq considered major threats due to Queen Bee's ties to the Light and Black Adam's volatility.
"This may involve Black Adam. Why not bring that boy in again?" Eiling asked.
"Nova declined participation in this operation," Waller replied.
"Just like his mentor Captain Atom stopped obeying orders from his country. This is why I say enhanced individuals should be subject to a UN-backed framework requiring registration and government control. Shame the president won't hear me out—too enamored with the blue boy scout and his Justice Gang." Eiling sneered.
Waller ignored his usual ramblings. Like many in power, he hid his need for control behind patriotic rhetoric.
Waller herself held no particular hatred for the League, but she recognized the risk they could pose and prepared countermeasures accordingly.
One was the Krotan drug they had reverse-engineered from Byth Rok, though the survival rate was abysmal.
The other was their mole inside the League.
Someone had to ensure beings with the power of gods never turned on humanity.
**
| Mount Justice - October 16
"Today, you will all undergo a psychic exercise. Martian Manhunter will construct a telepathic dreamworld in which the Team will complete a mission. You will each be aware that it is a simulation," Batman instructed the assembled group, including Zatanna.
The League never knew the Team had snuck out and pinned the destruction in Yellowstone and the Red Tornado's return entirely on Joseph since the android hadn't snitched. The only consequence was a mild warning from Captain Atom to report his actions going forward.
Though Batman likely knew regardless—Joseph could easily imagine the man discreetly hacking Tornado's systems. That fit everything Joseph had learned about Bruce's paranoia and contingencies.
Joseph leaned against a wall in casual clothes, watching them. Cassandra was at school, and there were no tasks for him at LuthorCorp—something increasingly common. Having an advanced AI that handled almost every inconvenience with minimal user input freed up huge swaths of his day.
So he observed the Team's training. He'd been invited to join, but he declined, preferring to watch. He had undergone thousands of such simulations in the Dream State. Not to toot his own horn, but he was a mature hero in his own right—statistically the most successful, with the highest crime reduction rates, minimal collateral damage, and a high criminal-containment index.
And he didn't have a villain problem. All his enemies were contained and with his boom tubes, there was no where they could hide.
With Nova's access to worldwide surveillance cameras, Joseph had expanded his operations to cover all of Illinois—intervening in human trafficking, gang violence, and meta cases beyond what the police could handle.
Even that left him with time to spare, since Nova handled the investigative grunt work. He was even considering operating nationwide. Something to talk to Waller about in the future.
Martian Manhunter instructed the Team to lie on the benches arranged in a circle as he began constructing the simulation. Batman approached Joseph, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I want to know more about the time you fought T.O. Morrow's androids. Let's talk in another room."
Batman didn't ask—he commanded. It was part of his persona that allowed him to demand respect from Gotham's worst criminals to the League's strongest members. Once you spent enough time with him, you realized it wasn't personal—that was simply how he operated treating everyone with some disrespect.
"Sure thing, boss man," Joseph replied, following Batman into the kitchen area and hopping onto the table. The intimidation Batman once held over him had long since faded. It was hard to fear someone you knew you could physically crush—and harder to respect someone who maintained secret contingencies against all his friends/colleagues.
Joseph understood the necessity of such plans, but when the leader of an organization made unilateral decisions like that, it raised the question: Who kept him accountable? And should someone who trusted no one be in that position?
Joseph wouldn't have put it past him to try—
//Dormant malicious nanites detected attempting system infiltration.//
—Motherfucker.
"How did you redirect the ash of the Yellowstone supervolcano and return it to a dormant state?" Batman asked.
"You really think I'm going to tell you after what you just tried?" Joseph replied coldly. It was one thing to know the man had contingency plans in case he went rogue, but it was entirely another for Batman to preemptively install a virus on him.
Batman stiffened slightly. Nova had already hacked into his suit and informed Joseph that Batman had initiated a program to record their conversation and transmit it to the League if things escalated.
He truly was the world's most paranoid man.
"You want to explain yourself before I tell the League what you just tried to pull?" Joseph asked. "Don't worry about being overheard—I've already set up a sound barrier." It was a subtle threat—Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado wouldn't arrive in time to save him if things went south.
Batman didn't back down or show fear.
"You're one of the greatest threats in the world. Some precautions are—"
"Don't tell me things I already know," Joseph said, hopping off the table to stand face-to-face with him. Bruce Wayne stood at 6'2", but the Batsuit's design added inches, placing him at the same height as Joseph's 6'4" in casual clothes. "Why would you do that when I haven't done anything?"
"Yesterday, in Casey, Illinois, you stopped a sex-trafficking ring. In Oblong, you broke up a massive cocaine shipment. In Nauvoo, you exposed a cult," Batman began.
"And?" Joseph replied.
"You're too efficient—too precise. It's unnatural. Even the best of us can't achieve what you do. So I deduced that you hacked surveillance cameras and built a program that analyzes crime patterns. Today's events confirm that theory—and that the program must be localized to you, given that you detected my nanites.
I'm wary because you have a history of crossing the line. You've already shown you're willing to kill. The sudden transformation of Chicago—from one of the most crime-ridden cities to one of the safest—is suspicious. Numerous corrupt officials and politicians have died over the past year, while the members of one Carla Viti have remained largely untouched and consolidated control of the entire city's gangs, likely with your cooperation."