Chapter 16: Watchtower
"Find a magic user?"
Diana hovered in mid-air, the wind tousling her long hair.
"The world of magic is deep and treacherous. Most practitioners are reclusive by nature and dislike being disturbed by outsiders."
Luka held a hand over the pocket at his chest. Through the fabric, his fingertips felt a faint warmth radiating from the Golden Apple. A sign that the lingering magic had not fully subsided.
"I know. But the Goddess of Discord falling to me this time was more luck than anything else. Maybe it helped that gods tend to underestimate mortals. Still, that doesn't mean I can count on things going my way every time."
His tone was resolute. Someone who had survived the life-or-death trials of Viltrum would never sit back and wait for fate to decide.
Diana looked at the unwavering resolve in his eyes. Strangely enough, that unflappable composure felt more reliable than the impulsiveness of certain League members she knew.
"Alright, I'll contact Batman."
Without further hesitation, Diana activated the encrypted communicator on her wrist. The metal bracelet glowed with a soft blue light, and after a few seconds, Batman's deep, habitually cold voice came through.
"What is it?"
"Luka is in trouble. He's been targeted by the Goddess of Discord, Eris, and he now has her divine artifact, the Golden Apple."
Diana summarized the situation concisely.
"We need to consult some magic users, figure out how to deal with the Apple, and prepare for Eris's retaliation once she revives. Do you have any leads on where to find them?"
A moment of silence hung over the communicator before Batman's voice, tinged with an almost imperceptible gravity, broke through.
"The Golden Apple? Eris's artifact?"
"Yes. Luka confronted her directly and destroyed her mortal avatar. But her true form remains in the God Realm, and she could revive at any moment."
"We'd like to speak with you in person. Should we go to the Batcave?"
"No." The refusal was immediate and absolute.
"Do not bring him to the Batcave."
Luka raised an eyebrow, his keen senses picking up the guarded tone in Batman's voice.
Diana was equally surprised.
"Why? The Batcave's security is more than adequate."
"During the exact timeframe you encountered Eris, my surveillance system in Boston experienced a complete signal interruption. For a full four minutes and twenty-three seconds."
A chill permeated Batman's voice.
He paused, then aimed his next words squarely at Luka.
"Afterward, I heard your entire conversation, Luka. You displayed a level of intellect, foresight, and strategic mastery far beyond your apparent age."
Batman's meaning was clear: Luka's analytical abilities, foresight, and control of the situation perfectly embodied the image of an alien agent.
Luka's threat level on the watchlist had just been upgraded again.
"You're really going to say that in front of a kid?" Diana cut in, unable to hold back.
Batman was unmoved. "Do you really think he's still a kid? He seems more mature than Green Lantern and Shazam combined.
Luka, for his part, didn't seem offended in the slightest. He spoke calmly, his voice carrying through Diana's communicator.
"We have a shared problem right now. It would be better to deal with the immediate threat first."
The line went quiet. Batman was clearly weighing his options.
After a moment, he offered an alternative.
"Meet me at the Watchtower. I've sent the coordinates to your communicator."
"The Watchtower?" Diana was taken aback. "Didn't you say it was still under construction?"
"Bring him there."
Batman gave no explanation and cut the connection.
Diana put away the communicator, her expression puzzled, but she nodded at Luka nonetheless.
"Let's go. Can you operate in space?"
"...Ms. Prince, I come from a cosmic-level warring race. Haven't you even looked at my file?"
Diana was feeling somewhat helpless by now. She even felt that sometimes Luka was a bit like Batman. In fact, given his youthful appearance, his pointed questions could be even more disconcerting than Batman's interrogations.
"I only knew someone needed help, so I came."
They accelerated together, tearing through the clouds and shooting toward outer space.
Before long, a massive structure came into view, suspended in Earth's geosynchronous orbit.
The Watchtower was entirely silver-gray in color, its design intensely technological. Huge solar panels gleamed with a metallic luster under the sunlight, and it was surrounded by several layers of energy shields emitting a faint blue glow.
They passed through the energy shield and entered the interior of the Watchtower.
Diana marvelled at the technology, while Luka didn't seem particularly impressed.
Viltrum had even more grandiose satellite fortresses.
Inside, the corridors were wide and immaculate. Intricate instruments lined the walls, holographic projections flickered in mid-air, and the entire station ran with seamless efficiency. There was no trace at all of something that was supposedly "still under construction."
Even as Diana marveled, her brow knit tighter. Following a guide robot toward the conference room, she muttered under her breath, "That man really has been lying to us all this time."
Luka glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
"Batman has always told us the Watchtower was still in testing and construction," Diana explained with a note of frustration. "That it wasn't officially operational yet, so the Justice League had no choice but to hold meetings at the Hall of Justice in New York."
She let out a quiet sigh. "You know what that means. A group of superhumans gathering in a densely populated city. The United Nations almost always sends warning notices, claiming it could cause public panic and pose potential risks."
Her voice softened, tinged with weariness. "Most of the others operate under aliases, but I'm the only one with an official public role as Themyscira's ambassador. Every one of those warnings comes straight to me. All that pressure lands on my shoulders."
As they spoke, the two entered the conference room.
Batman was already seated at the head of the table, his black suit blending into the dim environment, with only the bat symbol faintly visible under the lights.
Seeing them enter, he merely gestured for them to sit down, offering no explanation about the Watchtower.
Diana was about to demand answers when Batman cut her off.
"Let's get down to business first. Do you have the Golden Apple?"
His gaze locked directly on Luka's pocket chest.
Luka nodded.
"I have it. Ms. Prince told me about its dangers, so I decided not to entrust it to anyone else to avoid complications."
"You want to find a magic user to neutralize it," Batman continued, "or at least a way to deal with Eris."
"Yes," Luka replied bluntly. "I need a list of magic users. Since you're monitoring even a fourteen-year-old alien castaway, I assume you're the only one in the League capable of providing that list."
Batman's eyes darkened slightly, but he didn't deny it.
He raised a hand and keyed a few commands into the console before him. A holographic screen materialized in the air, displaying two separate files.
"I won't give you a complete list," Batman stated coldly. "Some magic users are no less dangerous than Eris herself. Contacting them would only invite greater trouble."
In short, these two were the ones he deemed relatively controllable and likely to be helpful.
Luka's attention shifted to the screen.
The first file bore the title: Doctor Fate.
Below it was a location. Salem, Massachusetts.
The profile noted that Doctor Fate wielded immense mystical power, but his whereabouts were unpredictable. Salem itself had exhibited signs of spatial anomalies, which made tracking him particularly difficult.
Still, Doctor Fate had appeared before the public on several occasions, using magic to resolve major crises. There were also indications that he had ties to a heroic organization that was no longer active.
Seeing the name, something stirred in Luka's mind.
From memories of his previous life, he knew Doctor Fate was an extraordinarily powerful figure. He had already planned to prioritize seeking him out, but had never known where to start.
Now, with Batman's precise information, Luka silently committed both the name and Salem's location to memory.
He moved on to the second file.
This one was far more sparse. It contained only a blurry surveillance image of a slender figure in a gray robe. Judging by the silhouette, the individual was likely female.
According to the data, she occasionally appeared in Gotham City at night, with no fixed pattern of movement, and was highly skilled at concealing herself through magic.
"I've been tracking this gray-robed figure for a long time," Batman said. "She shows no real aggression. Occasionally steals food, but there are three confirmed cases where she helped homeless people who were on the verge of freezing or starving."
"Among all known magical entities, her threat level is the lowest, making her relatively safe."
Luka stared thoughtfully at the blurry screenshot.
Gotham. Batman's territory. If even Batman couldn't pin her down, her ability to hide herself was no small thing.
"These two files should be enough to get you started," Batman concluded, shutting down the holographic display. "If you run into problems you can't handle, contact me. But remember, don't provoke other magic users recklessly. Earth's magical community is far more complicated than you realize."
Diana finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"So you're really not going to explain the Watchtower?"
"That can wait," Batman cut her off again, his tone final. "Our priority is the Golden Apple and Eris. This meeting is over. You're free to leave."
Luka glanced at the two of them, then rose to his feet.
"I'll head to Salem to find Doctor Fate first. Thank you for bringing me here, Ms. Prince."
With that, he turned and walked toward the Watchtower's exit.
Diana shot Batman a frustrated glare before reluctantly following after Luka.
The conference room fell silent once more. Only a lone, black-clad figure remained seated at the head of the table, the stillness around him heavy enough to suffocate.