"The timeline may have drifted again," Barry said grimly. "Arthur Curry might end up destroying the world—just like he did in Flashpoint."
The apocalyptic memories of that alternate timeline still haunted him. To back up what he was saying, Barry pulled out the one tangible proof that Flashpoint had ever existed at all: a letter Thomas Wayne had entrusted to him—meant for Batman.
"Batman… this is for you."
It was his final link to that world, and the only thing left that proved it had been real.
"In Flashpoint, your father didn't die. He became Batman. He asked me to give you this."
Batman accepted the envelope. His expression didn't change—but the signature on the front hit like a silent punch. Since his parents' deaths, Bruce had spent years in his father's study. He'd read every note Thomas Wayne ever wrote. That handwriting was something he would never forget.
"Thank you, Barry," Batman said quietly. "This really is my father's writing."
He tucked the letter away, then pulled out a file that hadn't been discussed earlier and slid it out for Cyborg to scan and project.
To prepare for future global-level crises, the League needed more heroes. For that reason, Batman had hacked the A.R.G.U.S. database and obtained records of people who—outside the main battlefield—had stood up to protect civilians during the Darkseid invasion.
One name on that list was Arthur Curry.
"As for your concern," Batman told Barry, "you can relax—for now. Arthur Curry is someone I intended to recruit early."
There was one complication: the data matched the name, and it confirmed Arthur could breathe underwater—but this Arthur didn't look like the King of Atlantis.
"Based on what I've found, he's a first-rate hero," Batman continued. "During Darkseid's invasion, he protected local fishermen and routinely intervened when pirates attacked merchant ships. But there's nothing in the intel tying him to Atlantis."
Everyone studied the projected file. There was no doubt Arthur was heroic, and no one objected to bringing him into the League.
"We can use this as an opening," someone said. "Invite him to join the Justice League—and have him help investigate."
Whether or not Arthur had any real connection to Atlantis, he was a surface human who could breathe underwater—perfect for this situation, and a natural candidate to recruit.
With the room aligned, Batman didn't waste time on speeches. He simply assigned teams.
"After this meeting, Superman and I will go see Arthur. The rest of you will investigate Atlantis's location—and the missing missiles from the submarine."
Hal immediately pounced on the obvious hole.
"Fine," he said, glaring at Batman. "Tell me this—how exactly are we supposed to get to Atlantis?"
Shazam tried to lighten the mood and offer a lead.
"I saw a TV program a few days ago," he said. "There was an expert who's studied Atlantis for years—"
"We don't need that much trouble," Cyborg cut in, projecting a map of the Atlantic. He zoomed in on a red dot. "Ben had me plant tracking devices on the Atlanteans who attacked us. Once they wake up, we follow them."
Problem solved—at least on paper.
Now they still had to answer the bigger question: what actually happened before the submarine went down, and where the missiles went.
Cyborg pulled the 3D model of the submarine back up.
"Before they wake and return to Atlantis," he said, "I recommend we focus on the damaged submarine. It might give us a path to the missing missiles."
Just as he started outlining how they could reconstruct the fight using impact traces and internal damage, Hal raised his hand and looked straight at Ben.
"Hold on. Don't we have someone here who already knows the answers?"
All eyes turned to Ben.
Ben's face went flat. "I'm not some walking wiki. I remember the broad plot, not every tiny detail."
Then he added, deadpan: "I know who the mastermind is. I don't know where the missiles are. Who watches superhero movies to memorize the boring logistics?"
Barry leaned forward, curiosity overtaking his anxiety. "So… what happened in Atlantis?"
Ben exhaled, then searched his memory carefully.
"If the original plot holds," Ben said, "Arthur's half-brother stages a coup and becomes king of Atlantis. He works with pirates and tries to spark a war to invade the surface. In the end, Arthur beats him, becomes king, and stops the war."
If this world's timeline hadn't been scrambled by Ben's presence, then—ironically—Aquaman should still be the "happy ending" solution.
"And honestly," Ben continued, "Atlantis's tech is so advanced that if they wanted to invade, they've got weapons way beyond a stolen nuke. The missile is probably just a tool for a warmonger to light the fuse."
Barry immediately latched onto the operational priority.
"Then we have to find the missing missiles before anyone uses them to trigger the war."
The room fell heavy. With Ben's spoiler-level overview, they finally had multiple investigation routes:
go straight to Atlantis and confront the would-be usurper king
trace the pirate network tied to him
or—best of all—get hard evidence first, so they don't accidentally hand the enemy a "Justice League provocation" to justify open war
Because charging into Atlantis screaming "your king is plotting war" without proof could be exactly what the real mastermind wanted.
Right then, Ben's watch finished cooling down.
He knew his next move.
He was going to turn into Upgrade, merge with the submarine, and restore its surveillance footage. If they could recover the sub's internal recordings, they could trace the missiles' path—and confirm whether the submarine truly fired first, or whether that "attack" was manufactured to frame the surface.
Ben pressed the watch, scrolled to Upgrade's silhouette, and slammed it down.
Green light flared.
His body started to morph—black, white, and neon green—circuit-like lines crawling over a dark surface as the transformation took hold.
And the hunt for the truth finally moved from theory to evidence.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter35)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter35)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter35)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter35)
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