| Genomorph City - November 5
Dubbilex removed Vandal Savage's body from an incubation pod in a dark cave while Joseph, dressed in casual clothes, held the Helmet of Fate.
What better body for the Helmet of Fate—which unnaturally ages its host, the reason Joseph now looked twenty—than an unkillable, immortal one?
And it was Nabu's father's body as well, so the compatibility was likely better than with any other.
Joseph repaired the crack in the Helmet of Fate using the last bit of spare Nth metal not already integrated into his body. As Nova reconstructed him using the Speed Force formula, even the Nth metal in his Alien Excalibur hadn't been spared.
Good thing he could summon his Soulsword in reality.
He would need to visit his mentor to help atomize his Nth metal Star Cruiser, which he no longer needed, as well as Deathstroke's promethium equipment, to further augment his capabilities and forge a new sword.
But Nabu had quite literally saved his soul, so he owed him this much.
Of course, he still had countless contingencies placed on Savage's body, just in case—but they were unlikely to ever be needed.
Nabu, unlike most agents of Order or Chaos, had once been human. He loved the Earth.
Joseph placed the Helmet of Fate onto Vandal Savage's body and watched as the eyes of the helmet lit up yellow.
With a flash of golden light, a long, high-collared cape appeared, fastened with two large buttons. Beneath it was a blue shirt with a golden oval set in the chest. He also wore a large golden belt with a circular centerpiece, along with deep blue pants and golden boots.
Looking at him, Joseph couldn't help but feel like he had borrowed heavily from this design for his own Nova suit. In fact, when he had worn the Helmet of Fate in Trigon's dimension, he had probably looked almost identical to Doctor Fate—except his suit had been black instead of dark blue, and lacked a belt and cape.
Maybe it was time for a redesign, especially now that Doctor Fate would be back—permanently.
A new costume to symbolize his evolved Nova Force.
He would take his time with it.
"You spent millennia shepherding the Earth toward Chaos, Father. Now your flesh shall finally serve a purpose greater than your own ego. You are the unbreaking stone, and I am the hand that carves the law upon it. Fate has returned. This body is no longer a man—it is a monument to Order," Nabu declared grandly.
Then he turned to Joseph.
"Thank you, Joseph. Though your powers derive partly from Chaos, you are an ally to Order."
"No problem, Nabu. We'll probably be seeing—and working with—each other a lot in the future, so take this as a token of our friendship," Joseph said, holding out the Ambre Jeune Perdu attached to a necklace. Nabu took it, and Joseph continued, "It has some Speed Force stored in it, along with runes to detect Chaos for Child's next appearance."
"Thank you… friend," Nabu said, as if the word had not passed his lips in millennia—which was likely true. "I will use this well. For now, I will return to the Tower of Fate. Until we meet again, as Fate wills it."
Doctor Fate then disappeared through a yellow ankh portal.
[Your friend is—] Dubbilex said psychically.
[Arrogant, I know,] Joseph replied, noting how Nabu hadn't even acknowledged Dubbilex's presence. Only their time together in Trigon's dimension had earned Joseph a measure of respect—enough for Nabu to consider him something close to an equal. [But he's a decent man. And a powerful, useful ally. Similar to you.]
[Fair enough,] Dubbilex replied.
[By the way, I've already purchased the land and started building a city for the Genomorphs. Is there a name you had in mind?] Joseph asked.
Dubbilex paused to consider before replying, [Geranium City. Geraniums symbolize friendship, good health, and protection—things you've given us. Thank you again.]
[You're welcome.]
**
| Saturn - November 6
Amid a drifting field of asteroids—the same location as their last fight—stood mentor and protégé.
Though, truthfully, the master felt like his student was already on the path to surpassing him.
"Really? You're not going to ask for a spar?" Joseph asked, dressed, for some reason, in casual clothes. Whatever happened to his nanite suit?
Trigon had really done a number on him. He looked like he'd aged years, and he'd been found naked and unconscious at the edge of the Solar System by Starfire.
Then again, dying an uncountable number of times in a time loop to force an interdimensional demon to back off would do that to you.
Among the League, there was a newfound respect for this boy—no, this man. Especially among the newer recruits who hadn't witnessed Nova handle the Child dimension alone during the Hour of Chaos.
Not only had he ventured into Trigon's realm alone, but before that, he'd upgraded the Teen Titans and deployed androids capable of defeating the Justice League.
If anyone had doubts before, they were gone now.
Captain Atom had known it long ago—Joseph was more than qualified to join the Justice League.
Though he'd refused. Again.
"It's only been a few days since your demon android literally beat the devil out of me. I'm good on sparring for a while."
Joseph laughed. "You sure it's not because you want to maintain your winning record against me? Scared you're gonna lose, old man?"
"I'm a bit too old to fall for taunting like that," Captain Atom replied.
Still, Joseph wasn't exactly wrong.
The evolved energy he sensed within Joseph now rivaled the Quantum Realm's power inside him. A serious spar between them could very well destroy Saturn.
"And why is it every time you call me nowadays, it's to help you break something down?" Captain Atom added. "What am I—your personal atomizer?"
"Well, it's in your name," Joseph said with a grin. "So… can you?"
Captain Atom sighed, then looked over the Star Cruiser—now stripped bare of its Nth metal, with fragments of it floating nearby—alongside several old weapons and blocks of miscellaneous metals, including a chain and hook.
"Fine."
He closed his eyes and concentrated.
Instantly, all the materials in front of him disintegrated into particles as fine as dust.
The faint cloud swirled—and then vanished, drawn into Joseph's hand as if pulled by a vacuum, guided by his anti-gravity field.
Captain Atom waited, but nothing visibly changed.
"No dramatic transformation into your costume like last time?"
"I'm thinking of making a new one since Doctor Fate is back. Haven't gotten around to designing it yet," Joseph replied.
That had been another surprise for the Justice League—the return of Doctor Fate.
Joseph claimed he had engineered a consciousness-less body for him. A simple, modern solution to the ancient problem of Fate's possession of hosts.
The Lord of Order himself corroborated the story, and since it was likely beneath such a being to lie, and Batman's DNA test yielded nothing, the League had accepted it—though they were still debating adding him to their ranks.
Joseph then rested his hand against the skeletal frame of his Thanagarian Star Cruiser and shrank it down.
After a moment, he looked back at Captain Atom.
"Anyway… you taught the Titans stealth and espionage before. What do you think about becoming a part-time teacher?"
**
| Amsterdam - November 6
Bloodsport and Deadshot stood at a secret base, mid-mission.
Since having explosives implanted in their necks, they had been under Joseph Luthor's control.
Their first assignment had been to implant the same nanite explosive into Samantha Vanaver—the secret leader of the Court of Owls and their former employer—the very reason Joseph's attention had fallen on them in the first place.
Ever since then, she had completely changed.
They didn't know exactly what Joseph had done, but it was clear he had her firmly under his control.
After taking over the Court of Owls, Joseph had stayed true to his word. He sent them to dismantle every other secret society in the world.
This was their first target: the Council of Spiders—a network of elite assassins and metahumans.
The reach of Luthor Jr.'s network was terrifying.
How had he even found this place?
Deadshot wasn't sure whether crossing paths with Joseph had been a blessing or a curse.
On one hand, he got to keep doing what he loved, earn good money, and secure his daughter's future.
On the other… he had an explosive in his neck.
Still, everyone was a slave to something.
It was only a matter of time before someone like him got caught or killed. Better to work for a businessman who saw his value than end up under some ruthless government agency sending him on suicide missions or something.
Deadshot cleared his thoughts and readied his guns outside the building.
"I bet I can get more headshots."
"Oh, please," Bloodsport replied over comms. "I can beat you with one hand behind my back."
"Alright. Bet," Deadshot said. "Let's start… now."
He burst through the doors, firing instantly.
Goliath—a metahuman with spider-like physiology—dropped, a bullet placed squarely between his four eyes.
"You bloody cheater," Bloodsport snapped, immediately firing his own shot.
Funnel, a poison specialist, fell just as fast—clean shot between the eyes.
The base erupted into chaos.
Operatives scrambled—some diving for cover, others rushing forward—but Deadshot and Bloodsport weren't among the world's top marksmen for nothing.
"Tangle," Deadshot said, calling his next kill.
"Sac," Bloodsport replied.
"Recluse."
"Wanderer."
Back and forth they went, cutting through the Council like it was nothing—picking them off one by one.
"The targets have gone deeper into the building," Bloodsport said, eyeing the dark corridor ahead after the gunfire died down. "Could get dangerous."
"That's what the Talons are for," Deadshot replied.
The Talons—elite assassins bred for absolute loyalty to the Court, now fully loyal to Joseph Luthor—burst forward like wraiths.
Gunshots. Screams. Silence.
Moments later, the four bloodied Talons emerged, exiting the building as silently as they had come.
"Anyway, I won the bet," Deadshot said, turning to leave.
"No, you didn't. We clearly tied—and I took out Wanderer, their leader. That should count for double," Bloodsport argued.
"No, it fucking doesn't."
One organization down.
Dozens more to go.