"Are you alright?" Wally West asked.
The three members of Young Justice were on their way back to their HQ. Superboy was staring at Megan, who was sweating in her seat. Her expression was determined.
"I'm fine. There's just a lot of work to be done. Clearing his bounty won't be easy." She commented.
"You still want to fix things after what just happened? An entire city almost got wiped off the map!" Wally exclaimed. Superboy nodded in agreement.
"...You don't understand…none of you understand…" She commented under her breath.
Only Superboy heard it with his improved senses. His fist tightened on the hand rest, leaving a dent. He didn't know why he felt so irritated when she spoke about the guy…but the face she made pissed him off.
Upon reaching Mt. Justice, the group descended from the plane. Aqualad, Red Tornado, and Artemis were there to greet them. Upon touching the ground, Megan stumbled. Superboy caught her before she could fall.
His expression darkened. Now that he was holding her, he could feel it. Megan was trembling. Her limbs were weak. Her breathing was shallow. The girl's eyes were turning bloodshot.
"Megan? What's wrong?" He spoke up. Everyone turned their attention to her.
"Nothing…I…just need…some rest…"
As soon as she finished speaking, she collapsed onto the ground. The group crowded around her in worry. Bringing her to the medical bay…her situation was revealed.
"She's fallen into a coma." Red Tornado said.
"What?!" Everyone exclaimed. Artemis grabbed Wally by the scruff.
"Tell me everything that happened." She growled.
As the story was explained once again. Superboy thought back to that single moment. Megan was crying while looking at Tobi. Tobi was smiling at her. Was it a smile…or was it a smirk?
'That bastard…I'm going to kill him!' He thought angrily. There was no doubt in his mind that Crosscut was at fault.
Unknown to everyone…a small fragment of something had latched onto Megan's mind. She had not left Tobi's mindscape injury free. He might've been okay with letting her in…but the concept of sorrow disagreed. It had lashed out at her quietly, seeping into her brain. Only now was it rearing its ugly head.
Megan wouldn't wake up for several months. Mild concern turned into full blown panic. Alerts were sent up the chain of command. Batman had been alerted alongside Superman. Martian Manhunter and the Flash were also called in. Tobi had finally attacked a hero.
After a discussion with the main members of the Justice League…it had been decided. A global manhunt would now be underway. Tobi would be found, captured, interrogated, and placed in an anti-space cell within the Watchtower.
One act of kindness had doomed Tobi to the life of a fugitive. He had no idea. The young esper was too busy pursuing his own goals.
…
…
…
'Metropolis huh.'
It was warm here. The breeze was peaceful. It rustled his clothes and hair. The hustle and bustle of cars in the distance. The sound of pedestrians on the sidewalk. An orderly freedom.
Tobi stood on top of a skyscraper. His feet were halfway off the roof. With his hands in his pockets, he gazed at the skyline. The young man wasn't happy to be here. He didn't want to be anywhere near this country…at least not until he was mentally ready.
This esper was in no shape to be playing with costumed freaks. It seems the past did indeed catch up to you no matter what you did. How else would a major battle take place an entire ocean's length away?
Just what was it that made people want to bother him over and over? Did they take him for a pushover? Tobi had been polite enough in the beginning to allow Batman to track his phone. What did it matter if he couldn't catch him? Now…he wasn't so sure he'd be so kind. Times change and so do people.
He'd gotten used to the life of free reign. Used to not speaking with others. Used to being…alone. Gazing at the stars with only a drink in his hand. Spending money how he pleased. Stealing dirty money from dirty people. Amassing a fortune.
'If I had enough money, I'd never work again.' Mom had once said during a moment of weakness. She lied down on the couch and cried. Tobi had soothed her that day.
Before his mind could spiral back down into the abyss…he steeled himself. Not right now. There would be time for endless self-loathing later.
He just couldn't fucking help it. A single question kept digging into his mind. Constantly eating at his will when he let his guard down. It haunted him. Why was he the one who survived? Why did it have to be him? Why not Gummy? She had a whole future ahead of her.
Maybe Denny? She deserved to live more than Tobi and his father. Both men would've taken one for the team any day. Especially if it meant greatness for the one who survived.
Tobi's abilities were reaching that level. Greatness. A miracle…but it came with so much baggage. Was it even worth it at this point?
Damnit…he was spiraling again. His attention went to the city. It didn't take long for his senses to find Lexcorp. How could you miss it? The buildings were tall as hell and built in a unique way.
Two skyscrapers connected by a bridge that acted as a testing room. Lex Luthor was in there right now. Yelling at his subordinates for working too slow. A black haired woman stood beside him, her body rippling with nanobots. Was that supposed to be protection? Against who?
ZMMM
Tobi appeared behind Lex. Nobody in the room batted an eye. They were too busy trying not to get yelled at.
"Switch the damn screening to 15C! Idiots! Why do I have to do everything myself?! What am I paying you all for?"
"15C! Up and running!" A worker exclaimed.
"Progress on the DNA splice?"
"It's at 75% sir! We need more time…"
Lex Luthor swept everything off the table in front of him. Glass shattered on the ground. Papers and folders fell everywhere. Workers shuddered.
"That's not enough! It's been a week. Get. Moving."
"Yes sir!"
"Pick up the mess!" Lex barked.
People scrambled onto the floor to help pick up the shattered glass. Catching the papers. Shivering all the while. Knowing how much the job meant to them. Knowing that it could all go away from just saying the wrong thing. Looking the wrong way. Making the wrong expression.
Tobi's gaze went to the ceiling. The American higher ups never changed. It was always like this. Even the nice ones had their moments where the people beneath them were thought of as trash. Different city, same structure. Definitely not as bad as Gotham due to Superman's intervention…
'But human nature doesn't change. Not under a corrupted system.' He thought.
"Next screening is 32A! Put it on the big screen!"
"Yes sir!"
Lex Luthor tapped his foot with impatience. He thought about his plans of besting Superman. He thought of Tobi who had been able to evade the alien. The anticipation of experimenting on his body…it thrilled him.
"Hurry it-" A hand landed on the man's shoulder. His voice disappeared from the room.
There was a moment of silence in the room as the orders stopped. After more than a minute, they finally looked around. Even the nanobot enhanced woman grew confused. What the hell? One moment he was there…and the next…he was gone.
…
…
Lex Luthor landed face down. He got a mouthful of sand. His mind was spinning. He felt nauseous. Dizzy. Finally, he vomited. His lunch splattered onto the sand beneath him.
Only then did he look around. Endless desert. As far the eye could see. It was scorching.
"...You must be confused. I'm sure the pieces are coming together quickly." Tobi said.
The bald man's gaze snapped behind him. Then he saw someone that made his blood run cold. He knew what it meant to be in front of this…this…metahuman. There was no such thing as a safety precaution for an ability like Tobi's.
The military would pay a fortune for such an easy way to spy, go past enemy lines, and breach highly defended political rooms. Teleportation was unfair. It was something only Lex should be able to have.
"....." Lex didn't speak. Only staring at him with hatred. With envy.
"...Don't look at me like that. You forced me to come here. I know that you wouldn't give up even if I killed anyone you sent. You would've annoyed me endlessly."
"You don't understand…Tobi. With your abilities, the Legion-"
"I'll stop you right there. I said it to Black Mask…and I'll say it to you." Tobi interrupted. His pistol aimed at Lex's head. "I hate to hear people like you speak. It's sickening."
"Wait, Tobi. I'll leave you alone! We can talk this out. STOP!"
BANG
Headshot. Lex Luthor's corpse slid down the dune, rolling and tumbling like a ragdoll. Tobi only watched as he fell. Killing people like this was so easy…it was almost anticlimactic. Tasteless. The man's body would eventually be covered in sand. Nobody would find the body. Not out here.
Just like that…someone deemed important to the country and its politicians had been quietly snuffed. They wouldn't even know he was dead. Just missing.
"Now…how do I take his money?" He muttered to himself.
It would be dangerous to mess with anything digital. His bank accounts were definitely monitored by several people. Heroes and politicians alike. Looks like he would have to just settle for off the books money. Liquidated cash.
After ruffling through his pockets and finding his phone…and destroying it…the process of assimilation went the same way. Systematically searching each location until a stash was found…and find it he did.
A room full of drawers. Almost like a storage facility. Upon pulling one open, the young esper was greeted by neatly stacked bands of cash. Neatly pressed and freshly minted. Definitely money used for illegal shit.
There were hundreds of drawers in this building. Oh…he would be swimming in cash now. Spending so much in his lifetime might be impossible…but he wasn't going to stop here. He didn't know what it meant to have enough money. He would never know. His family never had that luxury of teaching him that.
If there was anything good about this, it was that whoever Tobi decided to put on his will, wouldn't have to work for generations. They would be free of society's rules. That was the only thing he knew he could offer his kids.
Either way, Tobi got to work. Money was put in bags. Bags and bags and…okay. He didn't have enough bags. Time to get something bigger. A van full of bags was soon teleported into the building.
Yep. This was his first time teleporting something that large. His teleportation wasn't meant to be used like this really…so it drained him of a good chunk of energy. It was mostly used for himself or a few people.
Long story short…Tobi watched as the numbers in his bank account went up. Up and up. Skyward. The sky is the limit.
Days went by as his shady dealer converted all the money into usable funds. It was a slow process. Ten million added to his account per day. He would most likely keep seeing an increase for months.
Tobi was eager to see what the total amount would be. Awakening as an esper had changed his life in a short time. Both in a bad and good way. Still, the young man couldn't help but wonder.
'How long until Superman looks for his archnemesis?'
Lex and Supe had a…close…relationship. Just like Joker and Batman. Best friends forever. What would he make of this situation? He was curious to know but didn't want to be there to find out. America was left behind once more.