Hunters of Justice

by trestwho

Remnant has fallen, its cities captured and its greatest defenders defeated at the hands of the alien conqueror, Brainiac. In the aftermath of his victory, the people of Remnant's last hope lies in the hands of two teams of students, whisked away to another world. A world where Gods walk among them.

61. After Action

Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)

Chapter 45: After Action

December 9th, 8:12 AM (Eastern Standard Time)

Watchtower, Geosynchronous Orbit, Earth

Ruby sat upright on her hospital bed, hugging her knees close to her chest as she stared out the window, giving her a nice view of Earth. She couldn't be bothered to find it pleasant, though, as her mind remained transfixed on the events that occurred the night before. Not just in Fawcett City, but across the entire Middle East.

Physically, she and the others were fine. Jaune's newly awakened Semblance, which he had already dubbed Aura Amp, had boosted her Aura high enough to where her injuries, which normally would've taken a day to fix on their own, were healed in just a few minutes. Thanks to his notably high Aura reserves and the lack of any injuries more serious than Nora's burns or Yang's broken wrist, he was easily able to heal the others as well with only a couple of short breathers. This normally would've been a time of celebration, especially since Jaune had been working to unlock his Semblance for months now, but not even he could find himself in a mood to celebrate.

"Reports are still coming in from across the Middle East, but the estimated death toll has risen above ten-thousand," the reporter announced. Ruby tried not to look at the wall-mounted television, but her attention was focused on it regardless. "We can only expect the number to continue to rise as more information is gathered. Most of the casualties so far have been civilians, with entire villages being destroyed, although considerable attention is being given to the near destruction of Parwan Airbase in Afghanistan. Just prior to the Grimm attack, the United States airbase was assaulted by fear gas, leading to the deaths of nearly seven-hundred soldiers out of the thousand stationed there. No groups have claimed responsibility so far."

"I feel sick," Weiss noted, watching the televisionas she paced back and forth across the room.

"We should've been there," Ren glumly added, frowning deeply while tightening his grip on the bedsheets.

"What could we have done?" Blake asked, turning her head towards Ren. "We were halfway across the entire world. None of us knew this was coming. Even if we did, there wasn't anything we could do. Mr. Mind made sure of that."

"We could've been better prepared," Ren countered, shooting his head over to Blake. "We could've done something. Instead, we were caught completely off-guard, we let a murderous metahuman go on a rampage without stopping him, and Nora nearly died!"

Ren hung his head, his breathing harsher as he tried to calm himself down. Across from him, laying in her own bed, was Nora. She was looking at her partner and boyfriend despondently, clearly blaming herself for his current emotional distress. At the same time, everyone else was glancing at her, and the fresh electric scars that now danced across her body. While Jaune's Semblance had managed to heal her for the most part, nothing he did made those scars go away. They now covered her shoulders and went down to her thighs, dull lines that would forever serve as a reminder of how close to death she came.

"We have also received confirmation that General Asim Muhunnad, and his entire cabinet, have been killed," the reporter continued. "His killer is reportedly the same metahuman who devastated Fawcett City hours before while fighting another team of metahumans, whom the Kahndaqian Liberation Army claims to be the legendary Teth-Adam himself. While the veracity of this cannot yet be verified, what is confirmed is that Teth-Adam has crowned himself as King of Kahndaq, and has called for an end to the civil war that has plagued Kahndaq for the past three years."

The eight Remnantians frowned at the latest bit of news. Not only were they unable to do a thing to help stop the Grimm in the Middle East, but they also weren't even able to stop Black Adam. There was no telling what he would do as King of Kahndaq, whether he'd truly be their savior or yet another brutal tyrant. Either way, it would be their fault.

That's what got Ruby the most. She could understand not being able to help in the Middle East, as there was no realistic way they could've intervened. What's more, had they not been in Fawcett City to help Billy and his family, there was no telling that they would've been able to stop the villains' diabolical plans. But even then, they failed to stop any of it. Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivanna had completely pulled the rug out from under them, successfully accomplishing their goal of unleashing Black Adam back onto the world. Then, when the former champion was unleashed, he proceeded to utterly trounce them, with Ruby, the informal leader of the entire group, being taken out first like she was nothing. Besides Billy, who was beaten half to death in the effort, a light scratch from Yang's collapsible punch-daggers, and a Shazam-boosted Nora who also nearly perished, none of them were able to do a thing against him. Yang's contribution ironically made Ruby feel even worse, as her own weapon was also outfitted with a Nth metal blade. She could've chopped Black Adam's leg off and ended the fight right then and there, but she completely missed the opportunity.

It was disheartening, humiliating, and many more complicated emotions that swirled about in her head which made Ruby hug her knees even more tightly than before.

Beside her, she heard Yang scoff in disgust, then the Golden Dragon remarked, "Ugh, can you believe this?"

"Believe what?" Pyrrha asked, and Yang held up her scroll for everyone to see.

"What this guy's been saying," Yang answered, then pressed play on the embedded Twitter video.

"What's going on right now, both in Fawcett City and the Middle East, is only further proof that the Justice League has completely failed in its self-appointed task," a sharply dressed blond man with piercing blue eyes angrily declared. "They said that the Grimm were eradicated months ago, yet here they are plunging entire countries into chaos still. And what do they do instead of solving the problem? They waste time standing on their soapboxes to talk about so-called 'civil rights issues.' I'm not paying you, Wonder Woman, to hear you talk about women's rights! Just go out and do your job, which you and the rest of the Justice League seem incapable of doing."

"Okay, first off, none of us are getting paid for this," Weiss retorted, a frown on her face as she huffed and crossed her arms. "Least of all by him. Second, how Diana chooses to use her platform is entirely up to her, not him."

"Oh, it gets better," Yang dryly replied, then unpaused the video.

"But let's not forget the truth of the matter here," the man continued his tirade. "The Grimm are not native to Earth. They are alien monsters brought to us from the planet Remnant, who arrived along with eight aliens who the League took into their care immediately afterwards. Aliens who admittedly trained their entire lives to take them down, which was a job they got paid to do back on their homeworld."

The man held up his hands and adopted an inquisitive look on his face. "Now, I'm just putting it out there, but it sounds to me that these so-called 'Huntsmen' couldn't stand to lose their primary source of income. So what do they do when they come to Earth? They bring their problems with them. Now we have to suffer the consequences, and what's worse is that the Justice League is trying to hold them up as heroes. They're nothing more than glorified mercenaries who not only brought killer monsters to us, but they also just unleashed a brutal tyrant onto the world. A metahuman who's apparently as strong as Superman, who immediately took over a country after killing its entire government. Isn't that a lovely thought?"

"Is…is he seriously…?" Blake sputtered, her eyes going wide as her ears atop her head straightened and the video ended. "Is this guy saying we purposefully brought the Grimm here?"

"Yeah. Apparently, this isn't even the first time he's done it," Yang revealed, her scowl intensifying. "That's what all the retweets are saying, at least. Never been this vitriolic, though."

"Who is he?" Weiss demanded. "I want to know who's slandering us."

"His name's Gordon Godfrey," Yang firmly answered as she collapsed her scroll. "I only watched two videos of his, and I already want to punch him in the face."

"I'd advise against that," they heard a voice call out, causing the young heroes to jump slightly and turn towards the door. There, leaning against the frame, they saw Superman looking at them, his arms crossed over his chest. "Even if it would feel good. All he'll do is use it to prove how 'right' he is."

"I take it you're familiar with this 'Gordon Godfrey' person, then?" Pyrrha asked, and Superman reluctantly nodded as he stepped into the room.

"Unfortunately. He's the host of a popular primetime news talk show on Lex News called Glorious Godfrey Tonight," Superman answered. "He uses it as a platform to rail against superheroes, the Justice League, how metahumans are replacing humanity, and anything else he can spin. He's nothing more than a demagogue, stirring up hatred for his own benefit."

"Why don't you put a stop to him?" Nora asked, a slight frown on her face.

"As much as I would like to, he has the right to say what he wants," Superman replied, letting out a sigh. "The only thing we can do is fight his propaganda with our own actions, discrediting him. It's why, despite all his attempts to interview us on his show, we refuse to give his platform any more legitimacy than he deserves. My advice is to just ignore him. People pay more attention to actions than words."

Superman shook his head, then looked back at the Remnantians and said, "But I'm not here to talk about annoying news hosts. How are you all doing?"

Ruby and the others looked at each other, then Ruby pursed her lips and offered, "We're…fine, I guess."

"You don't sound fine," Superman pointed out, and Ruby sighed.

"It's just…" Ruby paused to collect her thoughts. She then continued, "We lost, Superman. Badly."

Rather than nodding at her, Superman shook his head and countered, "No you didn't. You guys won."

"Yes, we did," Ruby insisted, then began to count on her fingers. "We didn't stop Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivanna, we couldn't stop Black Adam, and now he's taken over his entire country. How is that anything other than a loss?"

"Ah, I figured you guys would be fixated on that," Superman mused, nodding to himself before grabbing a chair, pulling it over, and sitting down on it. He stared into Ruby's silver eyes, then asked, "Ruby, why did you become a Huntress?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow, then answered, "To…help people. To make Remnant a better place."

Superman hummed and nodded, then continued, "Good. That's a good answer. Now then, when you and the others got to Earth, why did you decide to take us up on our offer and become superheroes?"

Ruby didn't answer at first, then replied, "To…help people…"

"Exactly. Knowing that, I have to ask you: what is the job of a superhero or a Huntress? Is it to beat the bad guy and put them behind bars, to kill Grimm, or is it to protect people?"

Ruby looked at the rest of her team, who were silently contemplating the answer before she turned back to Superman to say, "They're supposed to protect people."

"Right again. You see, Ruby, being a superhero or a Huntress is more than just fighting monsters, criminals, and supervillains," Superman explained. "Those are part of the job, yes, but that's not the reason why we do what we do. We fight the monsters, the criminals, and the supervillains in order to protect people. That takes many different forms. Sometimes, you do have to fight something to protect others, but other times it's as simple as lending an ear or giving comfort when someone needs it. The reason why you and the others fought Black Adam wasn't to beat him. That's what he was trying to do. What you were doing was trying to protect the people of Fawcett City, which is exactly what you did."

Ruby's eyes widened slightly as she tried to ponder what Superman was saying. Beside her, she heard Pyrrha say, "So, despite losing to Black Adam in the fight…we actually won?"

"Yes, you did," Superman answered, proudly smiling at them. "You realized that you couldn't beat Black Adam in a straight up fight, so instead of giving up or mindlessly throwing yourselves at him regardless, you got him to leave of his own volition. Not only that, but you were also able to keep civilian casualties to a minimum thanks to Darla evacuating so many people. There were only around a dozen or so injuries despite the intensity of the fight, with only one actually requiring hospitalization. When going up against a man as powerful as me, that's an amazing accomplishment that you should be proud of."

Superman stood back up, and smiled warmly as he looked out at all of them. He then proclaimed, "Yes, the battle was hard and took its toll on you, and I wish I could've been there to help. But you all performed admirably in Fawcett City. Take this as a lesson: When it comes to being heroes, beating the bad guy isn't the goal. It's merely one of several ways to accomplish that goal. Never lose sight of that, and you'll all become the great heroes I know you can be."

Once again, Ruby looked at the rest of her team. Their forlorn attitudes were slowly ebbing away, although not entirely. Even she still felt critical of her performance, but at the very least Superman's words had put their actions in a new perspective. One that only reinforced her deepest held beliefs. After a moment of silent contemplation, Ruby smiled and looked back up at the Man of Steel.

"Thank you, Superman. I…we needed to hear that," she admitted, and Superman nodded.

"I know, that's why I came down here," he replied, then sat back down and leaned forward. "Now then, I haven't had the chance yet to introduce myself to Billy and his family, but before I do I have to ask: how do you think they're going to react?"

"Oh, Freddy's going to lose his mind," Nora immediately replied, the others nodding in agreement.

"I believe he already has," Superman confirmed, and a warm round of chuckles filled the room.

---

"Dude, I can't believe we're actually in the Watchtower! With the Justice League!" Freddy proclaimed as he and the rest of his family sat in the Watchtower's cafeteria, his eyes wide and a jubilant smile across his face. None of them were transformed, sitting comfortably as their normal selves. Given how the League already knew who they were, they didn't feel there was any point in maintaining a secret identity at the moment.

"That's the tenth time you've said that," Darla dryly pointed out, eating out of a bowl of cereal.

"I know, it's amazing!" Freddy replied. If he had even recognized what Darla was saying, he didn't show it as he instead focused on absorbing all the sights around him.

There weren't that many superheroes around them. Most were on-duty, helping to stabilize the Middle East in the aftermath of the Grimm attack. A few were sent down to Fawcett City to survey the damage they caused during their fight against Black Adam, but luckily it didn't look like there were any fatalities. Only a few injuries, which all of them took great relief in. Still, Billy couldn't help but feel sullen, hardly even touching his breakfast as he rested his face against his propped up, clasped together hands.

"You okay, Billy?" Mary asked. She had a feeling that she already knew what was on Billy's mind, but figured actually talking about it together would be for the best.

Billy shifted his gaze towards her, then he sighed and shook his head. He then said, "I can't stop thinking about last night. Mr. Mind, Dr. Sivanna, Black Adam. Yes, we stopped them in the end and kept the people safe, but they won everything else. Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivanna completely outsmarted us, and Black Adam nearly killed us."

Billy let out another sigh then held up his arms. Looking at his hands, he declared, "I was granted all this power, yet I could hardly do anything. I was just Black Adam's punching bag."

"I wouldn't say that," Eugene countered. "I mean, you got a few good hits in, and none of us could actually take him on."

"That wouldn't be so bad if we didn't outnumber him twelve-to-one," Billy pointed out, lowering his arms against the table. "Which is another problem. I was the strongest person there. It should've been me taking the brunt, but that didn't happen. Red Reaper, White Knight, and their teams did, and they nearly died because of it."

"So did you," Mary dryly stated, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the large bruise that covered Billy's left cheek. Although the powers of Shazam had apparently included enhanced healing abilities, it was still taking time for Billy to fully recover. He had practically collapsed as soon as they brought him and the others onto the Watchtower. They said he'd be fine in just a few more hours, but the fact that he nearly got to this point in the first place made Mary think.

She knew from the beginning that being a superhero was a dangerous occupation. Anyone with a brain could figure that out, what with all the supervillains running amok, criminal groups, natural disasters and more. All of which superheroes were expected to deal with. That had left her unsure of whether they should even be superheroes from the beginning, but somehow she had deluded herself into thinking that everything would be fine. That while they would definitely have to deal with extremely dangerous situations, those would only happen once they settled into their powers more. That was the argument they successfully gave to their parents when Mary persuaded the others to come clean, at least. Instead, they faced the magical equivalent of Superman in their second week on the job.

Part of her wanted to say that they shouldn't do this anymore, that they were too young and inexperienced. Especially Darla and Eugene, and Pedro to a lesser extent. It was an outright miracle that neither of them were hurt during the fighting, and she didn't know what she would've done had Black Adam actually killed them like he wanted to. Yet, at the same time, the rest of her knew that while her family was definitely shaken and disturbed by what had happened, none of them were willing to back down. Not even Billy, for how much self-blame was evident in his face. If anything, he looked more determined than ever before.

"So, what do we do?" Freddy asked, coming down from his jubilant high to focus on the task at hand.

Billy looked at him, then answered, "For as much of a self-righteous jerk as Black Adam is, he was right about one thing. We don't actually know how to use our powers, not like he did. He made that pretty clear last night. I don't know if we'll ever actually fight him again, seems like he's pretty focused on Kahndaq at the moment."

"By the way, I really hope we didn't just let an even worse tyrant take over," Pedro muttered under his breath, giving voice to a fear that all of them shared.

"But even if we don't," Billy continued unabated, "it's obvious that we can't just do what we've been doing. Just playing with our powers in an abandoned factory isn't going to cut it anymore. We need actual training."

"My thoughts exactly," they suddenly heard a deep, masculine voice reply. The young heroes yelped in fright, then turned around to see Batman staring them down.

"Oh my God, it's Batman!" Freddy exclaimed, his excitement returning no matter how much he tried to keep it down. He then quickly pulled out his superhero scrapbook and held it out for him, and asked, "Can I have your autograph?!"

Batman glanced at him for a moment. Then, without saying a word, he took the scrapbook, opened it to his own dedicated page, then signed his signature with a pen he pulled out of his utility belt. Freddy squealed in a pitch none of the others even felt was possible as Batman handed it back, but the Dark Knight didn't let it distract him.

"How are you all feeling?" Batman asked. The siblings looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at Batman and nodded.

"We're…fine, for the most part," Mary admitted. "How's Red Reaper and her team?"

"They're recovering. Superman's talking to them now," Batman answered. Shifting subjects, he then said, "I wanted to talk to you about your performance in Fawcett City. You all did good work, kept casualties to a minimum, and apprehended two dangerous supervillains."

"Speaking of, where are they?" Billy asked.

"Both Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivanna have been moved to Stryker's Island. Their metahuman containment facilities will be more than enough to hold them. Their trials are currently set for next week. Life sentences are expected," Batman revealed. "In any case, while you are to be commended for apprehending those dangerous criminals, with your powers it is obvious that you need specialized training."

Freddy's breathing hastened as he caught on to where this was going, and Batman continued, "We've talked it over, and the Justice League is prepared to offer you access to specialists who will be able to adequately train you."

Their eyes widened as Batman's offer slowly sunk in. They looked at each other, neither saying a word yet all of them worried that Freddy was about to pass out. After a moment, Mary swallowed, then turned towards Batman and asked, "Why?"

"We've seen what you're capable of, and we're impressed," Batman succinctly answered. "We're not expecting an answer right away. The last thing we want is for you to jump into this. But, if you still want to continue being superheroes, the Justice League and its resources will be here to help."

Batman pulled out six League membership cards and placed them on the table. The plastic cards weren't personalized yet, with only Billy's actually having his chosen superhero name on it. Yet, as they picked them up, they felt heavy with all the implications and responsibility they meant. They stared at them for a few moments, then turned back up towards Batman.

"Thank you, Bat-Where'd he go?" Billy asked, looking around to try and spot the Dark Knight. He had inexplicably disappeared, confusing all of them on how he was able to do that with none of them hearing or seeing him leave.

Except for Freddy, who squeaked out, "The famous Batman Disappearing Act…and he did to us!"

"Are you just going to fanboy over everything?" Darla asked, and only received a squeal in response.

From the other side of the cafeteria, they heard a door open. Turning their heads, they saw Red Reaper and the others, sans costumes other than their masks with fashionable civilian clothes, walking towards them. Nightshade flinched in pain from Freddy's high-pitched squealing as they got closer, prompting Pedro to lightly bump him in his shoulder to get him to stop. Freddy jumped slightly, then sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head once he noticed the others who had joined them.

"Thank you," Nightshade replied, and Pedro gave a quick nod.

"Let me guess: you met Batman and he disappeared on ya?" Golden Dragon suggested. When Billy and the others nodded, Golden Dragon nodded back then added, "Yeah, he does that. It's super annoying, not to mention rude."

"Well Freddy here, the massive superhero nerd that he is, loved it," Darla revealed, and Golden Dragon smirked and shook her head.

"Figured, what with all the high-pitched squealing," she remarked. She then sat down in the booth with them, prompting the rest of the Remnantians to do the same.

"You guys doing alright?" Red Reaper asked, and Billy nodded. He idly noted that this was the first time he'd seen her without her hood up, and there was something distinctive about her hair color and style that felt familiar to him, but he decided not to pull on that thread.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he replied, and Red Reaper smiled lightly.

"Better. Still…processing everything," she admitted. Mary couldn't help but steal a glance at Pink Lightning, noting her visible scars that danced across her skin. She also remembered what she'd said before she got them, how her only worth was in hitting things hard. Part of her wondered if she should let them handle it, but the rest decided otherwise.

"Pink Lightning, I know I only met you two days ago," Mary began, "but even I know that you're more than someone who's strong and hits stuff. If you ever want to talk, I'd be willing to lend an ear."

Pink Lightning looked at Mary, surprised at first while the rest of her team looked at her with sad faces. Especially Verdant Lotus, who looked angry at himself more than anything. After a moment, Pink Lightning smiled wistfully, then nodded and said, "Thanks, Mary. I'll…consider it."

"That's good enough for me," Mary replied.

"Also, my name is Nora Valkyrie," Pink Lightning suddenly revealed, throwing Mary and the others for a loop.

"What?" Billy muttered, not quite sure that he heard her right.

Pink Lightning promptly peeled off her mask and repeated, "My name is Nora Valkyrie. We figured after everything we've been through together, you guys deserved to know."

Nora then began to point at the rest of the Remnantians, listing them off as they each removed their own masks, "That's Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Together, they're team RWBY. My team is JNPR, led by my fearless leader Jaune Arc, myself, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren."

"Sup," Yang greeted with a quick nod while Ruby gave a little wave and Weiss and Blake rolled their eyes. Jaune and Pyrrha echoed Ruby, while Ren gave them a polite nod.

The siblings looked at each other for a moment, then at themselves. Finally, they each smiled and turned to face them, and Billy spoke for all of them, "Well, I'm happy to meet you guys."

"And speaking of meeting you," Ruby grinned at Billy. "Congrats on finally figuring out your superhero name! Captain Marvel is a snappier pick than our other suggestions, though I'm not sure where the 'Captain' part comes from?"

Billy sheepishly chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, admitting, "Spur of the moment, really. Thought it sounded cooler and more official."

"It does enhance the name," Ruby replied with a nod and pursed lips. "Calling yourself just 'Marvel' sounds kinda simple and plain."

"That's what I was thinking," Billy said. The fact that said justification came after the fight against Black Adam went unspoken, but it appeared that Weiss, Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha picked up on it regardless.

Billy then narrowed his eyes and studied Ruby's face more closely. The thread he had previously discarded was right there again, and now it was impossible to ignore. Ruby seemed familiar, like he had met her before their introduction. Beside him, he saw Freddy scrunch up his face as well, undoubtedly feeling the same thing.

"Wait a minute," Freddy muttered, then his eyes widened and he pointed his finger at Ruby. "You're the girl who ran into me the other day at the mall!"

Ruby awkwardly chuckled and looked away, telling Billy and the others that Freddy's accusation was correct. Billy then exasperatedly asked, "Wait, that was you?"

"Yeah…" Ruby admitted, an embarrassed blush creeping up on her face.

Billy and his family stared incredulously at her, with him and Freddy mentally slapping themselves in the head for not recognizing her voice earlier. Mary then asked, "Is that how you found out who we were?"

"We were just as surprised as you are," Weiss admitted with a huff, and Ruby smiled sheepishly at her partner.

Darla giggled at the revelation, while Eugene and Pedro smiled. Mary merely rolled her eyes, smirking slightly at how utterly accidental their discovery turned out to be. She'd thought it had taken a more dedicated surveillance with satellites, tapping phone lines and internet connections, security cameras and more. Part of her even felt embarrassed that it was that simple.

Not that she particularly minded. That accident led to their meeting, and now she honestly thought of RWBY and JNPR as being among her friends. Looking around her, she knew that the rest of her family felt the same way.

"Speaking of Captain Marvel," Jaune spoke up, then leaned across the table, "have the rest of you thought about your own superhero names now that Billy has his?"

Freddy excitedly nodded, then puffed out his chest and dramatically declared, "I have, actually! You may call me…Captain Thunder!"

The others looked at him, Ruby and Jaune's eyes widened in appreciation. Then Yang snorted and remarked, "Freddy, I'm sorry but I don't think that's going to work."

"What? Why not?" Freddy asked, taken slightly aback. Yang then succinctly pointed at Billy, drawing everyone's attention towards him.

"Captain Marvel over here already has Captain in the name," she pointed out, "and I think it's pretty clear that he's the leader of this super-team."

Yang then smiled and added, "You might as well be calling yourself Captain Marvel, Jr."

The others snorted, and Jaune, Ruby, and Darla began to laugh while Freddy sputtered. Billy had to keep himself from laughing, especially as Freddy turned red.

"No, I'm not…! That's completely…!"

Billy could no longer hold himself back, and he joked, "Freddy, I'm honored that you would name yourself after me, but—"

"I did not!" Freddy protested, and the dams burst as the others finally joined in the laughter. Embarrassed, Freddy crossed his arms and remarked, "You guys suck!"

Smiling to herself, Ruby replied, "It's fine, really. Just funny, is all."

Changing subjects, Jaune then asked, "Well, now that Freddy's out of the way, anyone else think of something?"

"Ooh, ooh! I know what I want to be!" Darla happily exclaimed. "I want my superhero name to be fabulous and magical! Like Princess Sparkles or Speed Queen!"

Ruby nodded and tapped her chin, then replied, "Tempting, but I think we can workshop it a bit. What about you, Pedro?"

The embarrassed boy merely shrunk in on himself, then answered, "I'll just let you guys come up with something."

Jaune bobbed his head in sympathy, then moved on to Eugene. Before he even had to ask, Eugene answered, "I thought maybe Grey Lightning or Conduit, since I'm apparently a technopath—"

"Still want to know how you got that and none of us did," Freddy remarked, but Eugene ignored him.

"—but they just don't…click with me, you know? I mean, we're supposed to be a team, a family of superheroes fighting side by side. Shouldn't our names reflect each other?"

Mary and the others looked at Eugene, pondering his suggestion. Slowly, Mary smiled and nodded, then declared, "Eugene, you are absolutely right. We're doing this together as a family, and that's the most important thing."

"Ooh, like a naming theme!" Jaune excitedly suggested, and Mary nodded. Eugene smiled proudly at himself, especially as the others nodded and murmured excitedly among each other at the prospect.

"Themed around what, though?" Blake asked, cutting into the mood. "Yang already pointed out how Captain isn't going to work."

"Hmm," Billy hummed and pinched his chin, then suggested, "What about Marvel? I'm sure we can modify that word easily. Just slap a word in front of it like I did."

"Like, with our powers?" Billy asked. He then grimaced slightly and added, "I don't know about you, but I'd rather be called Captain Marvel, Jr. than Flying Marvel."

"No, no, not like that," Billy replied, shaking his head.

Mary then hummed again, and thought about the name Billy already settled on. Captain Marvel had an air of authority and power to it. The word 'Captain' also had an almost military edge to it. As her thoughts went down the rabbit hole, she rubbed her chin then realized that Billy's spontaneous addition was perhaps just the naming theme they needed.

"Let's just follow what Billy did," she spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to her. "He called himself Captain Marvel. What's below a captain?"

"A…lieutenant…" Freddy answered, slowly realizing where Mary was going. He then smiled to himself and snapped his fingers, declaring, "That's it! I'll be Lieutenant Marvel!"

"Why do you get to be Lieutenant?" Darla asked, narrowing her eyes accusingly.

"Because I was with Billy since the beginning, which obviously makes me the second-in-command," he answered smugly. Darla scrunched up her face at her older brother for a moment, then reluctantly nodded in acceptance.

"Guess that makes me Sergeant Marvel, then," Pedro said, happy to have his name practically handed to him.

"Then I'm Corporal Marvel!" Eugene happily added, and Darla couldn't help but groan.

"Aw, I don't wanna be Private Marvel," she complained, hanging her head while Mary to comfortingly pat her shoulder.

"Sorry soldier, but since you're the youngest that's just how the ranks work out," Freddy reasoned with a slightly teasing tone, but Darla didn't seem all that convinced.

"Then how does that work with Billy being the leader with the highest rank when Mary's the oldest?" she pointed out. "It feels like we skipped her."

Billy then turned to Mary and said, "Guess that means you're Commander Marvel, Mary. Or does Major Marvel work?"

To their surprise, including RWBY and JNPR's, Mary sadly shook her head. She then pointed out, "While I'd love for that to be my superhero name, I don't think that's going to work."

"What? Why?" Darla asked, then her eyes widened. Softly, she asked, "Do you…not want to do this anymore?"

"No, I do," Mary quickly countered, then sighed and rubbed her forehead. "It's just…I'm leaving for college in a few months. After that, I don't know what I'm going to do. Either I focus on my schoolwork, or I keep working as a solo hero."

"Which means tying yourself so intrinsically to the team might send the wrong message," Blake finished for her, and Mary reluctantly nodded.

One by one, the others sadly nodded as well. They could understand where Mary was coming from. The name 'Commander Marvel' or "Major Marvel' would imply that she was the leader of this team, when it was supposed to be Billy. If she were to leave and not continue being a superhero, her absence would leave a noticeable hole that people would pick up on. Or, if she kept up her work as a solo hero, people would ask questions as to why Commander Marvel was split from the team. Either way, it wouldn't be a good look.

Pyrrha then offered, "Why not Lady Marvel, then? You'll still be tied to the rest of the team, but not a set part of it. That way, no matter what you choose to do, you can still be your own."

"I was going to suggest Mary Marvel, but on second thought that's the opposite of a secret identity," Nora added. "Don't want to just yell your name out there, especially when you don't look all that different between a hero and a civilian."

"No, that would not be good," Mary admitted through a slight chuckle. Then then repeated, "Lady Marvel. I think…that can work."

Ruby and the rest of the Remnantians smiled, especially as the rest of the foster family gave each other high fives. She then remarked, "Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family. I think that's going to work marvelously."

Yang snorted at the pun, and the others smiled as well while Weiss rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, if they're just going to put the fact that they're a family in the team name, then I think The Shazamily is snappier," Yang quipped, and she snickered as everyone else booed her suggestion and tossed napkins at her.

Their spirits lifted, the young heroes began to chat among themselves, truly getting to know each other as Superman and the rest of the Justice League watched over them.

"Are you sure it's wise to bring them in?" Wonder Woman asked, a slight frown on her face. "They nearly died."

"They're not going to stop," Batman pointed out. "At least with us they'll know what they're doing. Besides, you saw how strong Black Adam was, and they have the same powers. Once properly trained, they can achieve great things. Or terrible things, which is why they need direction."

"I know, it's just…" Wonder Woman sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes it feels wrong to expect people this young to do these sorts of things. They're children. All they should be worried about is school, dating, and growing up, not supervillains."

"As much as I agree, we of all people know that sometimes the world doesn't allow that," Batman declared, a sad tone in his voice behind the seriousness. "It's their decision. Whether they want to put this behind them, or continue being a part of this life. Either way, we'll be there to support their choice."

Wonder Woman could agree with that. Leaning further onto the railing, her face hardened and she asked, "Any updates?"

"Estimated death toll's risen to over thirty-thousand across the Middle East," Martian Manhunter revealed. "We're waiting for verification before we inform the news media. Incidentally, while we were dealing with the Grimm, there was a break-in at S.T.A.R. Labs in Metropolis."

"What did they take?"

"Various experimental technologies, including a miniaturized particle accelerator."

"And the Mother Box?"

"Housed in a different wing than the one that was broken into," Martian Manhunter confirmed. "It's still there, but all tests on it are being put on hold until the damage is repaired and inventory properly secured."

"Dammit, Luthor," Superman cursed under his breath. It was obvious that there was only one man who would be brazen enough to break into S.T.A.R. Labs, and the fact that it was done when the League was completely unable to intervene just supported that suspicion. There was no telling what he could do with a particle accelerator of that size. Yet, at the same time, it seemed too simple.

"What is his angle?" Superman asked himself, rubbing his chin.

"Do you want us to confront him?" Hawkgirl asked, but Superman shook his head.

"You and I both know we don't have any proof, even if it's obvious that he was behind the break-in," Superman sullenly replied, then stood back up. "Still, we should increase our monitoring of his activities. Luthor is up to something, and as far as I'm concerned he's responsible for everything that happened down there."

"The question is, what does he want? Surely he has to realize that letting the Grimm loose on the planet isn't in his best interest," Hawkgirl wondered aloud, and Superman sighed and shook his head.

"Luthor probably thinks he has it under control."

"What I saw yesterday was anything but 'under control,'" Hawkgirl hissed, clenching her fist tightly. "The man's playing with fire, and he's going to get himself and everyone else around him burned."

"Which is why we have to stop this," Superman declared. "Our only saving grace right now is that the Grimm aren't as established on Earth as they were on Remnant. But that only goes so far. Remnant's entire infrastructure was built around keeping people safe from the Grimm. Earth's isn't. We're not built to handle them. If we let the Grimm spread on Earth, billions could die and entire countries could be wiped out."

The members of the Justice League frowned as they pondered the loss of life. Yet, despite all their efforts in containing them, nothing was working. The Grimm were exponentially increasing in size and strength. The attack on the Middle East was only the beginning. All of them knew that. What they didn't know was what came next, nor how to stop it. The Grimm were unlike any enemy they had faced before. Even Darkseid had to worry about supplies, exhaustion, and had a limited number of troops. But the Grimm never ate, they never slept. All they did was kill sapient creatures, as though they were nothing more than living engines of pure destruction. They'd collectively killed thousands of the creatures across the region to end the crisis, and yet all they'd done was cull the worse of it.

After a moment, Superman shook his head, then started floating down towards the children. He said, "Well, we should probably go say hello."

The others nodded at that, then began moving towards RWBY, JNPR, and the Marvel Family as well.

---

11:30 AM (Standard Afghanistan Time)

United States Operating Base, Parwan Province, Afghanistan

Luke Fox sat on the edge of his cot, staring out of the open flap of his tent. Outside, he could see soldiers scurrying about as helicopters and planes patrolled overhead. Everyone was on high alert, keeping careful watch for any signs of Grimm activity. After the hell that was last night, they couldn't afford to let their guard down for more than a second. Even the rest of his squad was out on patrol, whereas he and Violet were requested to stay behind for a personal debriefing.

Seven-hundred and thirty-five. That was how many people died because of the fear gas and the Grimm. A nearly seventy-five percent fatality rate. The number would've been even higher had Violet not been there and managed to heal the survivors. Still, as proud as he was of Violet and eternally grateful for her invaluable help, Luke couldn't focus on that. Instead, his mind raced to try and comprehend the scale of the attack. Luke couldn't think of any others that had killed so many U.S. soldiers. It was certainly the deadliest in the past few years, and it wouldn't surprise him if it was the deadliest since the Second World War.

"Luke?" he heard Violet softly call out, shaking him from his thoughts. He tilted his head slightly to look at Violet, whose face was soft with concern. After a moment, Luke sighed, shook his head, then gave her a soft smile.

"Sorry, I was just…thinking," Luke demurred, and Violet nodded in understanding.

"About the attack last night," she said, and Luke nodded. She nodded back, then admitted, "I've been thinking about it, too. All that…death and destruction, friends turning on each other…I was scared."

"Yeah," Luke softly replied. "I was scared, too. To be honest, part of me didn't think we were actually going to make it."

"Really?" Violet asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "But you seemed so brave?"

"Hehe, no. To tell you the truth, Violet, I was terrified," Luke earnestly declared, giving a mirthful laugh and shaking his head. "Terrified of the fear gas, of the Grimm. Mostly, though, I was terrified that I was going to fail. Not that I would die. As a soldier, you learn to accept that risk as part of the job. But that's not the same as the fear that everyone else, not just in the base but across the entire country, would follow suit if I failed. I guess that's why I was so motivated."

Violet stared at Luke for a few moments, contemplating his words. Then she nodded in understanding, and replied, "Yeah, I see what you mean."

She then held up her hands, narrowing her eyes as she regaled, "Seeing those soldiers attacking each other, followed by the Grimm…I felt helpless and…angry at what was happening. I was infuriated, which made me want to do more. Not just sit back and let everyone else die around me when I could do something about it."

"Well, you certainly did that," Luke said, giving Violet a soft smile. "We wouldn't have gotten out of there alive if it weren't for you, and I think everyone else would agree. Hear they've been calling you Halo lately?"

Violet sheepishly nodded and scratched her cheek, then admitted, "Yeah, a few of them have. They said when I use my powers it looks like a halo is enveloping me. It's silly, but I kind of like it."

Luke nodded. The name 'Halo' did have a certain ring to it, and was definitely more creative and meaningful than the spontaneous name he came up with. What astounded him, though, was just how varied Violet's powers appeared to be. Not only did she have healing, but she could also outright resurrect people if their bodies were still fresh and relatively intact. And that was just when using her purple halo. When she shifted to red, she started flying around and shooting heat beams from her hands, and it also looked like she was covered in a force field. Something told Luke that wasn't the end of Violet's powers, that there was more to it than what they had seen thus far, but he had no idea where that road went.

At the same time, though, he couldn't help but worry. His thoughts drifted back towards the attack as he charted out the sequence of events that led up to it and immediately afterwards. It was no coincidence that the Grimm attacked so soon after the fear gas enveloped them. After all, the Grimm were reportedly drawn to negative emotions, and an entire airbase consumed by fear might as well been ringing the dinner bell. But there was more to it than that, and the implications made him scowl.

"Attention!" he heard several men shout from outside the tent. Shooting his head back up, Luke saw a bald, mustachioed man walking towards them. He was wearing a dark green service uniform that was adorned with numerous medals and patches. Atop his shoulders were four gold stars.

Immediately recognizing the man as General Wade Eiling, Luke shot up to his feet and flashed a salute. A startled Violet took a moment to understand what was going on, then copied Luke as General Eiling entered the tent. Two MPs escorting him closed the flap behind him, leaving the three alone in relative privacy.

"At ease, Lieutenant," General Eiling ordered, folding his arms behind his back.

Luke immediately complied, keeping his back ramrod straight as he pinned his arms to his side. Once again, Violet copied him, not quite sure what was going on but knowing that this strange man was important. Eiling spared her a quick glance through narrow eyes, then he turned his attention back towards Luke. At first, his expression was stern and contemplative, then it softened as he gave a fatherly smile.

"That was a hell of a thing you did, Lieutenant," Eiling declared. "We got caught completely with our pants down, there's no shame in admitting that, yet you managed to rally our forces and secure a victory regardless. All those men and women out there are alive because of you."

"Thank you, sir," Luke replied, smiling proudly before shifting his gaze over to Violet. "But it wasn't just me. All of us chipped in to help. Even then, if it weren't for Violet, we wouldn't have been able to clear the fear gas in the first place or hold off the Grimm. Without her, we'd have been overrun."

Eiling hardened his expression slightly as he turned to face Violet. She nervously gulped as the elderly man stared her down, then he said, "So, this is the metahuman you found? The one who came back from the dead?"

"Yes, sir. We found Violet a few days before the attack. She proved essential to determining where the local insurgents came from, and I already told you how invaluable she was in defending the base."

"That so?" Eiling asked himself, continuing to stare down Violet. After a moment, his face relaxed, then he said, "In that case, the United States owes you its gratitude. Thank you for helping to save my men."

"You're welcome, General, sir," Violet replied, flashing a quick salute.

Despite himself, Luke couldn't help but chuckle slightly, but General Eiling looked more annoyed than amused. The reaction rubbed Luke the wrong way, but Eiling's negative views towards superpowers in general weren't exactly a secret. He likely didn't appreciate how Violet, a foreign metahuman, proved instrumental in saving their lives. Part of Luke wanted to speak up about it, but he knew better than to do that to the General's face.

"In any case, I'm not just here to offer congratulations, no matter how well-deserved they are," Eiling admitted, his body standing straighter as his face grew stern and serious. "I was told you might have some insight regarding the attack. Mind sharing it, Lieutenant?"

"Of course, sir," Luke replied. "Just before the attack, the entire base was preparing to move out and assault the insurgents that massacred Violet's village. As we were loading onto the Black Hawks, I noticed an increased number of fuel tanks scattered around the base. There were far too many of them to just fuel the helicopters. That's when they exploded, releasing the fear gas."

"You mean to say that the fear gas was smuggled in?" Eiling asked, scrunching up his face and frowning.

"Precisely. I don't know when they got into the base. My guess is they arrived on one of the supply runs we got before the attack, or they were slowly gathered over a period of time. Either way, whoever planted them waited until we were all armed and gathered up in one place. That way, when the fear gas went off, we'd all be affected."

"Damn bastards," Eiling growled, scrunching up his face even more. "I don't care if most of the casualties came from the Grimm. As far as I'm concerned, every single one of those deaths are because of them, and they'll pay for it."

"I couldn't agree more, sir," Luke admitted, a hint of anger leaking through his voice. He then added, "But I'm concerned about the supplier of the fear gas and how they got in."

"Really? I would've thought the answer to that was obvious," Eiling replied. "If what you're saying is true, then whoever smuggled that fear gas into the base must've belonged to a highly sophisticated terror network. One with both the supplies and resources to acquire the fear gas along with the skill to sneak it in. There's only one terrorist organization in the world who could pull that off: the League of Shadows. Besides, we already caught them using Grimm as terror weapons against isolated villages and small communities. This is just a further escalation of what they were already doing."

Luke supposed that made sense. In fact, his first thoughts had drifted towards the League of Shadows being responsible. But, as he thought over it more and more, Luke found that things didn't add up.

"While that's certainly a possibility, General, I'm not so convinced," Luke admitted. "I've seen firsthand what the League of Shadows can do. They've attacked Gotham City dozens of times over the past twenty years."

"Yes, ever since Batman and Superman arrived onto the scene," Eiling confirmed, then raised an eyebrow. "Given your personal experience, I would've thought you'd agree. Do you not think the League of Shadows would attack a U.S. military base if they could?"

"They absolutely would. Ra's al Ghul is a madman who would send us back to the stone age if it meant preserving the planet," Luke admitted.

"Yet you don't think they did it?"

"No sir, I don't. Or at least I'm not entirely convinced."

"Why is that, Lieutenant?"

"It's too big of an escalation," Luke explained. "Ra's is insane, but he's not stupid. He's been around for centuries, and he knows better than to attack a dedicated military target. All that would do is invite retaliation. Batman and the Justice League would exercise restraint, but a country wouldn't. Besides, attacking a military base doesn't fit their MO. The League of Shadows attack vulnerable cities and try to bring them to their knees. Had they attacked Kabul, I would've been more inclined to believe it was them, but attacking Parwan Airbase doesn't accomplish any of their goals."

"Hmm," Eiling hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. He then asked, "Then, if you don't think it was the League of Shadows, then who did smuggle the fear gas in and kill our soldiers?"

Luke took a deep breath and exhaled. He knew that what he was about to say wouldn't go over well with the General, but at the same time he knew it had to be said.

"Sir, I believe this was an inside job," Luke declared, and Eiling's eyes widened. Seizing the opening, Luke continued, "I don't know who, and I don't know why. It could've been someone inside the air base itself who died in the attack, or it could've been someone else. God forbid it was someone higher up on the chain of command. But either way, that person or group of people brought that fear gas in, hiding them in plain sight with our fuel, then attacked us with it."

Eiling's eyes were wide as he took Luke's shocking statement in. He then scowled deeply and rubbed his chin, and murmured, "A traitor…"

"If I'm right, and I pray to God that I'm not, this person wouldn't be anything less," Luke admitted, frowning to himself.

Eiling then frowned asked, "Do you have any proof to back up your accusation?"

Luke shook his head and admitted, "No, sir. Just a hunch, but I've learned to trust my instincts over the years. They've saved my life and the lives of my squad more times than I can count."

General Eiling looked to the side and at the floor. Then, after a moment, he shook his head and declared, "That is…concerning, Lieutenant, but I've served in the U.S. Army for over thirty years. Never once have I seen anyone entertain thoughts of treason of this magnitude. I find it easier to believe that one of our enemies did this to us rather than our fellow countrymen. Apologies, Lieutenant, but I can't launch such an investigation with zero actual evidence nor a proposed motive to support why someone would betray our fellow countrymen like this in the first place."

Luke wanted to protest, but bit his tongue and nodded. He then said, "Of course, sir. I just wanted to raise the possibility."

"And I thank you for discussing it so openly with me," Eiling replied. He then straightened himself and added, "I'm afraid that's all the time I have. I'd best be off."

Luke nodded and saluted his superior officer once again, Violet echoing the action. Eiling nodded back, then turned around to exit the tent. As he opened the flap, however, he stopped and looked over his shoulder back towards Luke. He then declared, "Oh, and one more thing. I've taken the liberty of putting your name forward as a recipient of the Medal of Honor. I can think of no other award worthy of what you did."

Luke's eyes widened in surprise at the news. He hadn't even considered the possibility of being bestowed the nation's highest honor until now. While Violet didn't quite know what a Medal of Honor was, she could tell that it was a big deal and so gave Luke Fox a toothy smile. General Eiling gave him a nod, then exited the tent, the flap closing behind him.

Luke Fox stared at the tent for a moment, a swirl of emotions going around his head. At first, he felt pride over the honor he could potentially receive. Then his thoughts went back to his observations, and the excitement went away in favor of anger and frustration.

"What's wrong?" Violet asked, surprised at how quickly Luke's demeanor shifted.

"Nothing, it's just…" Luke sighed and shook his head. "I could see it in his eyes. The General didn't want to believe me about even the possibility of there being a traitor. Even if I had evidence, he would've dismissed it out of hand."

Violet pursed her lips slightly as she glanced at the tent flap. She then looked back at Luke and asked, "Do…you actually think there is a traitor?"

Luke turned his entire body to face Violet, and after a moment, he nodded. "I do, I really do."

"As do I," a new voice spoke up, surprising both Luke and Violet who didn't hear the man enter.

Turning towards the flap, which was now falling shut once again, they saw a man who appeared to be roughly ten years Luke's senior, with short brown hair, piercing brown eyes, a small bushy mustache and a trimmed beard with a strip on his chin. Black gloves covered his hands, and he was wearing an armored vest over a tan BDU, the sleeves rolled up slightly to expose his forearms. On the vest was a nametag which read 'Flagg,' and on his shoulders was the insignia of a US Army colonel.

Snapping up a salute again, Colonel Rick Flagg waved Luke down and said, "No need to worry about formalities at the moment, Lieutenant. I'm just here to talk, and extend you an offer."

Slowly, Luke lowered his arms and glanced at Violet. Getting the message, she prepared to leave, only for Rick Flagg to shake his head. He looked at her and gave a warm, comforting smile and said, "It's okay. My offer goes to you as well."

Now Luke was getting concerned, and Flagg straightened himself and looked him right in the eyes. He started to say, "While General Eiling doesn't appear to put much stock in your theory about a traitor, my superiors at the DEO think otherwise. In fact, they believe the exact same thing that you do: that there's a traitor in the US Army, one who murdered seven-hundred and thirty-five people."

Luke narrowed his eyes slightly, then asked, "While I'm glad someone's treating this seriously, what is it that you want with me? And Violet?"

"The two of you are the most important factors in the base's survival. I don't think that's in question," Flagg pointed out. "If you two weren't there, every single person in Parwan Airbase would've died. There's no doubt in my mind about that. Then, given how you already figured out that a traitor was likely behind this…"

"That makes us a target," Luke finished, and Flagg forlornly nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. If this traitor does exist, it's likely that they had numerous connections both in and out of the military to enable this attack. If only to cover their tracks, they'll come for you. Violet, too."

Violet shrunk in on herself, and Luke's frown deepened. Breathing in and out a few times to calm himself, Luke asked, "Alright, what is it that that you want?"

"My superiors can take you two off the grid, out of the sights of whoever did this," Flagg explained. "This isn't witness protection, though. The DEO is planning on conducting a thorough investigation on this, and we're going to find the bastard and put them down. I'm offering to let you two take part in that."

Luke stared incredulously at the colonel, then shifted his gaze over to an equally surprised Violet. He then narrowed his eyes and declared, "While I'm more than happy to accept, Violet is out of the question. She is a child, one who has hardly any memory of her life before this. The last thing she needs is to be forced into another combat zone."

"Normally, we'd agree," Flagg admitted, then pointed at her. "But you saw firsthand what she can do. She can heal otherwise fatal injuries, bring people back from the dead, and incinerate the Grimm like they were made of tissue paper."

"She's sixteen," Luke hissed, glaring at the colonel for even entertaining the possibility. "Put her into witness protection, but there's no way in Hell I'm going to let—"

"I'll do it," Violet interrupted, cutting Luke off.

"What?" Luke asked, turning his head to look at her. Flagg did the same, equally surprised that she accepted so quickly, yet he immediately rolled with it.

"I said I'll do it," Violet repeated, mustering up as determined a look as she could. "I want to help."

"Absolutely not," Luke countered, shaking his head and swiping his hand to the side. "Violet, do you realize what you are asking to be a part of? You're asking to go into a warzone."

"Yes, I do," Violet clarified, nodding her head. "It's not like it would be the first time."

"You weren't meant to be in one in the first place. You're a civilian, not a soldier," Luke pointed out.

"And yet, she saved hundreds of lives and killed hundreds more Grimm. All without any combat experience or training," Flagg spoke up, causing Luke to turn his head back towards him.

"Do not support her on this," Luke growled, pointing his finger at the man. "She's a teenage girl, not some kind of metahuman weapon. She shouldn't be worrying about this kind of stuff. She just lost her entire village and her memories. She should be living in a nice, stable, safe home."

"I agree, but unfortunately that isn't an option. It hasn't been ever since she woke up in that mass grave," Flagg grimly said. Luke breathed in harshly and prepared to shout, only for Violet to speak up once again.

"Luke, I… I know you don't want me to do this," Violet began, causing both men to look at her. "Believe me, the idea of going out there, on purpose, is scary. But…I can't just sit back and do nothing while people fight my battles for me. Whoever did this needs to pay, and I want to help."

Violet's body flashed red and she floated a few inches off the ground. She then added, "And with this, I know I can."

Luke stared at Violet, a despondent look on his face. He wanted to protest further, but one look at Violet's face told him that she wasn't going to back down. He then felt a hand gently grab his shoulder, and Luke turned his head to look at a sympathetic Flagg.

"Believe me, I don't like this either," he admitted. "If it were up to me, I'd put her in witness protection and leave her behind. But my superiors want this, and in exchange for her help, they're willing to offer her American citizenship. They'd move her into a nice home in the States, where she'll be safe and happy."

Luke looked at Flagg for a moment, a frown crossing his face before he glanced back at a pleading Violet. After a moment, he released a sigh then looked back at Flagg. He then said, "Alright, fine. But she's not going on the frontlines."

"I wasn't going to put her there, anyway," Flagg answered. He looked at both Luke and Violet and gave them crisp nods. Flagg then announced, "I'm going to report this to my superiors, tell them that you're in."

"What about the rest of my squad?" Luke asked, but Flagg shook his head.

"Unfortunately, we can't bring them on, too," Flagg reluctantly admitted. "With Violet, she has no records of any kind. In the eyes of the world, she's a nobody, and nobodies are easy to disappear. With you, the public hero of this entire thing, it's a bit harder but manageable. That isn't possible with your entire squad. If we do that, the person we're trying to hunt down might get tipped off. There's only so many of Uncle Sam's finest that we can reassign while staying under the radar."

Luke didn't like that answer, although he couldn't find an argument against it. After a moment, he gave a quick nod, and Flagg nodded back before leaving the tent. Rick Flagg continued to walk away from the tent, past patrolling soldiers and under the careful eyes of watchtowers. Only when he reached a relatively private spot did he activate his secure comm channel, speaking into the radio clipped to his vest.

"They're in, but Fox isn't happy with it," Flagg reported.

"He'll learn to live with it," Amanda Waller tersely replied, and Flagg frowned.

"Are you really certain bringing the metahuman along is a good idea? For God's sake, Amanda, she's sixteen."

"Need I remind you of how many young superheroes there are active in the world?"

"I have issues with that, too, but they're not soldiers. Especially not soldiers under my command."

"You deal with homicidal maniacs on a near daily basis. I'm certain you can deal with an overly devoted child with potent metahuman abilities. Abilities we don't know the limits of yet. What we do know is that her powers are extremely potent against the Grimm, and right now we need all the advantages we can get."

Rick Flagg breathed in harshly, then admitted, "I know, but that doesn't make it right."

"I'm not asking you to put her into combat," Waller said, though the unspoken 'yet' was obvious. "What I am asking is for you to observe her. Train her on how to use and expand her powers, if possible."

"I haven't the first clue on how to do that."

"I'm confident you'll figure it out. You're more than capable," Waller declared, and Flagg snorted. He supposed that was the closest thing to praise he'd get from her. She continued unabated, "In any case, right now our biggest priority is determining who was responsible for this attack."

"I'm surprised you care this much. Weren't you planning on them dying anyway?"

"There is a difference between sacrificing soldiers, Colonel, and killing them. The former has strategic value, the latter is just pointless murder. Dousing an entire military base in fear gas completely ruins any data we might've been able to gather about how our current armaments and soldiers fare against the Grimm, and whoever did this needs to be taken down before they do so again."

"And here I thought you were suddenly growing a conscience," Flagg sarcastically replied.

"Don't kid yourself, Colonel. It's beneath you," Waller succinctly stated. "Have yourself, Lieutenant Fox, and the metahuman brought to one of our bases in the region. There you'll be given your first assignment. Don't expect assistance from Task Force X on this. Their mission is separate from yours."

"Of course, ma'am," Rick Flagg replied, then turned off his comm.

---

10:45 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

Metropolis, New York, United State of America

"Fifteen minutes until we're live, Mr. Luthor," the assistant called out, looking into the dressing room from a partially open door.

"Thank you," Lex replied, checking himself over in front of a vanity mirror as he adjusted his green suit and purple tie.

The assistant, a cute brunette whose hair was tied up into a ponytail, nodded before closing the door. Lex Luthor didn't bother sparing a glance in her direction, continuing to ensure that his appearance was as immaculate as ever. He was about to go on live television, and the last thing he needed was to look anything less than perfect. There wasn't a single wrinkle or fold on his suit, his shirt and tie were neatly pressed, his TV makeup had already been expertly applied, and even his bald head had an extra shine to it. Everything looked to be in order.

Still, despite knowing that he looked perfect, Lex continued to check himself in the mirror. Mostly to occupy himself, as his mind was focused on other, more important matters than his upcoming interview. Namely, the chaos that nearly consumed the Middle East. Even he was surprised at how large of a scale the Grimm attack was. Thousands of Grimm nearly consuming entire countries, leaving thousands dead along with entire towns and villages wiped off the map. Once it started, Lex' attention was glued to incoming reports as he monitored the situation. At its height, an inkling of apprehension even emerged over the prospect that he might be losing control of the situation.

Then, after only a few hours, the situation was handled. Both by the nations themselves but also with assistance from the Justice League. Only then did Lex allow himself to relax, confident that everything was playing out according to his expectations. Sure, the Grimm briefly got out of hand, but that could be corrected with some minor adjustments in distribution and production. For one, he would start significantly reducing the amount of Grimm he would sell to any one group or individual, or even to any specific region across the world. Far too many Grimm had been sold and transported to various terror groups across the Middle East, too many to be adequately controlled. In retrospect, it was only a matter of time before it reached the breaking point. He'd also limit the production of any alphas to limit the Grimm's coordination. They may be mindless beasts, but alphas complicated that. Complications were risky and bad for business.

He'd also have to adjust the sale contracts to limit what would be acceptable targets. Lex didn't care if a no-name village or small town got overrun by the Grimm. He wouldn't even mind if a large city was assaulted, as he could turn that into marketing opportunities to sell his anti-Grimm weaponry as well as further discredit the Justice League as an added bonus. But a US military base was something else entirely. While he had a pretty good inkling as to who was responsible for that mess, it was utterly irresponsible. Especially since whoever did it used fear gas as the opening move. That was a patently obvious sign of human direction and would only provoke retaliation, and he wouldn't be surprised if the US government was already working hard in tracking the culprits down. Given how that formula of fear gas disperses on its own after a few hours, the attacker likely hoped that the entire base would be wiped out by the Grimm to cover their tracks. Clearly, that did not happen.

Which posed a problem for him. If his connection to the perpetrator was uncovered, his entire operation would be put at risk. That couldn't be allowed to happen, by any means necessary. Already he had sent men to snip that thread, no matter how many bodies it took. He had not come this far just to be undercut by someone else's reckless actions.

At the same time, Lex also focused on another development that not even he had foreseen. During the chaos that enraptured the world's attention, a pair of enterprising individuals used the opportunity to eliminate their rivals in Fawcett City, cutting it off from the rest of the world to unleash an ancient, powerful metahuman. One who nearly killed twelve Beta and Alpha-ranked heroes by himself, including the Remnantians. The metahuman, Black Adam as he was reportedly called, had proven to be nearly as powerful as Superman himself, with the skill to back it up and without the boy-scout's hesitation to get his hands dirty.

Their plan, as he understood it from his gathered intelligence, was utterly brilliant. But the two villains responsible for unleashing Black Adam back onto the world failed to consider his true motives. They focused only on the surface details, which told of a violent man consumed by a lust for power and desire for vengeance. Even a cursory glance at his history would've told them that Teth-Adam considered the people of Kahndaq to be his top priority, and the justification for which he did almost everything. It was obvious that he would leave once he learned of Kahndaq's plight, even without the Grimm, although they certainly expedited matters. The fact that it never even crossed their minds said a lot about their long-term planning abilities.

At the very least, he could easily use what they had done for his own purposes. Both the knowledge of the Grimm's ability to destroy powerful sources of magic, as well as the fact that Black Adam was now unleashed on the world. Already he had taken over and crowned himself king of Kahndaq, providing Lex Luthor an ample opportunity to show the truth of his innermost conviction. That, for all the so-called benevolence that superheroes like Superman and the Justice League proclaimed, they could just as easily take over the world as they could protect it.

Still, while Lex was certainly caught by surprise by the previous night's developments, it wasn't as though he let the opportunity the chaos provided go to waste. The entire Justice League focused on one region in the world, leaving a valuable prize open for the taking. They might as well have been begging him to seize it. Besides, it wasn't as though S.T.A.R. Labs was truly using it to its true potential.

The light on top of the door blinked green, breaking Lex' thoughts and drawing his attention towards it. Outside the door, he heard a roar of applause as the show began.

"Showtime," Lex told himself, giving one last spot check of his person before confidently striding out of the room. Almost as soon as he opened the door and entered the backstage hallway, he was assaulted by sounds of the audience's cheers and applause, all directed towards their boisterous host.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Glorious Godfrey Tonight! I'm your host, Glorious Gordon Godfrey, and I must say that this is truly a glorious night. Isn't it?" Gordon Godfrey asked, sitting in his chair behind a large wooden desk that looked grand and imposing but was actually just a cheap façade.

The audience, transfixed by the apparent spectacle, cheered and applauded regardless, and Gordon Godfrey's toothy, snake-like smile widened as he spread his arms wide.

"Yes, yes it is!" Godfrey declared, then gestured towards the opposite end of the stage. "Well, I'm happy to tell you all that it's about to get better. Please welcome perhaps the greatest living example of the American Dream in our entire great nation's history. He was born into abject poverty right here in Metropolis's Suicide Slums under abusive and drunken parents, with nothing but his mind to his name. Now, he's the richest man in the world, and he has a lot to say about how to make it better. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Lex Luthor!"

The audience erupted into cheers and a standing ovation as Lex Luthor emerged from behind a curtain. He flashed a confident smile and wave at them, basking in their adulation. Even Godfrey joined in, but both understood that this was just part of the program.

"Thank you, thank you," Lex said as he sat down, giving one final wave and a smile before turning to face Godfrey. "It's a pleasure to be here again."

"No, no, the pleasure's mine," Godfrey insisted, leaning back into his chair and interlocking his hands. "After all, a man like yourself has to have a busy schedule, so to take the time out of your day to come onto my show means a lot."

"Well, I am a busy man," Lex admitted, giving a soft chuckle. "Running LexCorp takes nearly all of my attention to keep its position as the world's largest company. But, in times like these, I've learned that it's best to apply a more personal touch. Especially for something this important."

"Wise words," Godfrey somberly declared, nodding along and bringing his clamped hands up near his face. "What's going on in the world right now is a tragedy."

"'Tragedy' is too light a word, in my opinion," Lex sadly countered, theatrically releasing a sigh and shaking his head. "Thousands of lives lost, all because of inhuman, alien monsters. Monsters that the Justice League failed to stop."

"So you're saying that this is the Justice League's fault?" Godfrey asked, leaning in and resting his hands against his table, and Lex straightened his shoulders.

"I'm saying that the Justice League failed to contain the Grimm when they were at their most vulnerable," Lex clarified. "The Grimm are not from this world, and only arrived months ago during their attack on Metropolis. The Justice League had a chance to eliminate them right then and there, but they didn't. Not only did they fail to stop the Grimm then, but they then turned around and told us that the Grimm were exterminated. Needless to say, that was a false assertion. The people whose lives were lost last night, in my opinion, are merely the latest instance of their failure to keep us safe."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Godfrey declared, nodding fervently. "For all their claims of protecting us, the Justice League and so-called superheroes have done the exact opposite. If anything, the world's even more dangerous now than it was when superheroes first emerged. Supervillains certainly didn't exist before then, yet now we hear about the latest supervillain attack nearly every other week."

"The world was certainly simpler back then," Lex affirmed, giving a firm nod. "Sure, there were criminals and terrorists, but we didn't have to worry about mass-murdering clowns and alien warlords capable of destroying entire cities all by themselves. Their existence is only because of the Justice League. Knowingly or not, they invite challenge, and unfortunately some have risen to accept that challenge with innocent people caught in the crossfire."

"So you think the Grimm are yet another example of people challenging the Justice League?"

"No, the Grimm are simply a mistake that we're paying the price for," Lex admitted. "But you won't see them being held accountable by anyone. The Justice League answer only to themselves, not any government or outside power. Sure, they get their authority from the United Nations, but we all know they just rubberstamp anything they do with little to no oversight. That, to me, is the biggest problem. If you concentrate all that power and resources into one idealistic entity, the question is raised as to who can possibly stand against them should they decide that they can 'fix' the world better than we mortals can."

"Are you suggesting that the Justice League might attempt to seize power?" Godfrey accused, and Lex furrowed his brow.

"I'm suggesting that if they did, we wouldn't be able to stop them," Lex declared, any ounce of joviality stricken from his voice. "Look at Kahndaq just last night. A metahuman who, by all accounts, appears to be as strong as Superman vanquished the entire Kahndaqian government and military in a matter of hours. Nothing they did so much as slowed him down. This 'Black Adam' has subsequently declared himself the absolute monarch of the country, all in the name of 'protecting his people.'"

Lex raised a finger in emphasis, then added, "His rise to power is exactly what I have been warning people about for years. Just like Black Adam, Superman and the Justice League claim that they work to protect the people while spreading ideas of truth and justice wherever they go. Those are noble causes to be commended, yes, but idealism can be dangerous. It wouldn't take much to convince them that governments can no longer be trusted to do what they believe needs to be done to secure their utopia, and once they get to that point…"

Lex trailed off, not needing to finish his sentence to get his meaning across. Godfrey played along immediately, warping his face into one of abject horror and apprehension. The audience caught on quickly, light gasps and murmuring coming from the stands. Lex had to force himself not to smile; once again, he was manipulating people like putty in his hands. Granted it was hardly his most subtle façade, but nuance was wasted on the general public anyway. Now all he had to do was seal the deal.

"But, as terrible as last night was, it did show us real heroes," Lex revealed. "As I'm certain you're aware, last night the United States' airbase in Parwan, Afghanistan was brutally and viciously attacked. First by fear gas, that terrible concoction made by the disgraced Arkham psychologist Dr. Jonathan Crane, or Scarecrow as he prefers to call himself. Brave men and women in uniform who proudly volunteered to protect our country, reduced to savages attacking each other. To make matters worse, the Grimm pounced upon them, attracted to the fear like flies to honey. With all the chaos, and with everyone else preoccupied, Parwan Airbase should've been completely destroyed. Yet it wasn't. Instead, nearly three hundred American soldiers were able to rally, remove the fear gas, and drive the Grimm back. All without League assistance."

Lex Luthor dramatically stood up and turned towards the enraptured audience, and the billionaire proclaimed, "They did not need help from gods, or goddesses, or aliens or otherwise. They did the impossible by themselves, all because of one man. The son of one of my esteemed competitors, Lieutenant Lucas Fox, who overcame the effects of the fear gas and rallied his troops regardless. His heroism should be an example to all of us: that mankind, with his wits and ingenuity, can overcome any obstacle that stands in his path without the help of those who call themselves gods.

"I want to announce that, effective immediately, LexCorp will be following Fox' example and lending our full support into doing what the Justice League could not: exterminating the Grimm," Lex announced. "It will be hard, and as with many things it will likely get worse before it gets better, but in the end we will prevail. LexCorp will also be starting a relief fund to support the victims of this tragedy, and I have personally donated one-hundred million dollars to the cause."

Loud gasps sprang out from the crowd, followed by rapturous applause. Lex allowed himself to smile as the entire studio was consumed, throwing heaps of praise upon him. After that highlight, the rest of the interview passed by quickly. It was all very standard and otherwise unremarkable, but Lex gave it his full attention regardless. Once it was done, and the show concluded, he left the stage alongside Gordon Godfrey to return to his changing room.

"Lex, Lex! That was wonderful!" Godfrey declared, smiling widely while throwing out his arms to the side. "The audience was eating you up! If I didn't know any better, I'd be worried you were out for my job."

"There's no need to worry about that, Gordon," Lex replied, checking himself in the mirror one last time. "You're much better suited to be in front of the cameras than I."

"True, true," Godfrey admitted, arrogantly nodding to himself. "What can I say? The camera just loves me."

"You do have a knack for words and convincing an audience," Lex continued to feed him, and Godfrey smiled and gave a short bow.

"You're too kind, Lex," Godfrey said, then smirked and wagged his finger towards the billionaire. "And don't worry, I'll make sure that anyone who watches my show understands exactly what's at stake here."

"Make sure you play it up. Really hammer it in," Lex suggested, and Godfrey gestured to himself.

"Don't I always?" Godfrey asked, and Lex nodded.

That was one of the good things about hiring Gordon Godfrey. While he certainly believed what Lex was paying him to say, he was more than willing to add more emphasis to his points. Godfrey was the perfect mouthpiece for Lex, willing to say anything that his benefactor desired with an uncanny ability to get people talking about it. Whether for him, or against him, it didn't matter. Either way, it got people talking, and whittled away at the League's support bit by bit. Plus, Godfrey's over-the-top ways of conveying his point made Lex appear far more reasonable by comparison, making himself look better in the process.

With their business concluded, Godfrey excused himself to go back onto the air, and Lex left towards the private helipad on the building's roof. A helicopter was waiting for him, along with Mercy Graves who was standing in front of the passenger door. She welcomed Lex in, and sat onto the seat next to his as the doors were closed and the aircraft took off, flying towards Lex Island.

"Has Ra's al Ghul sent a response?" Lex asked as they were flying over the ocean.

"Yes, he's not happy about the reduced shipments of Grimm for his operations," Mercy answered, and Lex scoffed.

"Tell him he can either accept it or he doesn't get anything at all," Lex ordered. Mercy nodded as she jotted the directive down onto her notepad.

He then took the opportunity to stare out the window at nothing in particular, his mind running over any and all possibilities. Lex hardly even noticed when his helicopter landed at Lex Island, but once it did he shifted his focus immediately. Together with Mercy, they traveled aboard the tram to the central station, heading straight towards the laboratories.

As they walked through the halls, he momentarily stopped to observe Superboy training against combat drones. They were firing live kryptonite ammunition at it from multiple angles, their artificial intelligence enabling them to operate as though they were actual people. The drones were using tactics, acting as trained soldiers as they covered each other and kept Superboy pinned. Superboy itself was taking cover behind a large concrete pillar, not even flinching as the crystalline bullets rained all around it, chipping away at its cover. In its hand was the upper torso of one of the drones, the arms ripped off and the spinal column dangling underneath.

Briefly, Superboy glanced up at the window that Lex was observing him from. Then he refocused himself and aimed at one of the drones. Just as it poked its weapon and upper body out from behind cover, Superboy threw the mangled torso at it. The impromptu projectile curved through the air, going around the active drone's cover and nailing it in the side with enough force to send it flying back against a wall, causing it to shatter. Using the brief window, Superboy zoomed past with a quick burst of super-speed, shattering the concrete floor beneath his feet where he previously stood and kicking up small bits of dust and rubble in his wake. The drones attempted to turn and fire their rifles at him, but Superboy's eyes glowed bright red as he picked up the discarded rifle. A moment later, twin red beams of intense heat shot out, bisecting one drone while he expended the rest of the rifle's magazine into the heart of another. The heat vision continued, only stopping against another concrete wall that began to melt.

With two of the drones incapacitated, Superboy ceased firing his heat vision and threw away the empty rifle then dove back into cover. At the same time, the remaining drones reoriented themselves and fired again. Some attempted to flank the human-kryptonian hybrid, but Superboy watched them move through the concrete with his x-ray vision. He picked up a large chunk of broken concrete and primed his arm back, waiting for the first drone to show itself. As soon as its green and purple head poked out from behind cover, Superboy threw the chunk straight into it, popping the head clean off. The other drone drew back, then turned and began firing its weapon through the concrete barrier at Superboy's general location.

Forced to leave again, Superboy fell back with another burst of superspeed, becoming nothing more than a white and green blur that moved too fast for the drones to fully track. They were able to quickly relocate him, however, and already were firing on his position. One even pulled out a kryptonite gas grenade and threw it towards him, enveloping the clone in a green cloud of toxic gas. Superboy coughed violently, covering his mouth as his eyes and skin burned. Although he wasn't as affected by kryptonite as his father, a benefit of his human DNA, it was still toxic to him and prolonged exposure could result in his death.

He needed to get away, yet he knew that simply jumping out into the open would only leave him exposed. Instead, Superboy clapped his hands together as hard as he could, pushing the air around him and forcing the kryptonite gas to disperse. He coughed a few more times, and he could see that some of his veins were enlarged, but otherwise Superboy knew he'd be fine after he got some sunlight.

Frowning to himself and deciding that this farce needed to be ended, he turned himself around to face the concrete pillar serving as his cover. He threw a light punch into the center, cracking it slightly. A few more strategic punches were thrown, breaking the concrete exactly as he wanted it to. Quickly looking it over, Superboy calculated the proper trajectories and waited for as many of the combat drones to expose themselves as possible. A few seconds passed, then five of the remaining seven drones briefly exposed themselves to fire at him.

Superboy punched the pillar in the center once again, shattering it and sending the pieces flying out the other side like buckshot. The bits of concrete and rebar struck the drones, embedding into their armor and through their vital systems. Sparks shot out of their bodies as they sputtered and dropped their weapons, and moments later the drones themselves collapsed. With only two left, Superboy flew high above, firing his heat vision into one and reducing it to melted slag. The last drone backed up and attempted to fire at him. It only managed to get a few shots off before Superboy zoomed around it and thrust his hand through its chest, ripping out its mechanical heart. Black oil oozed around the clenched fist, and the drone sputtered and sparked before going inert. When Superboy withdrew his limb, the drone finally fell to a heap onto the ground, and he stared harshly at it. Then he let out a grunt of pain, and he glanced at his shoulder to see a fresh bullet wound. A small chunk of kryptonite was sticking out of his flesh, its green glow radiating everything around it. Veins began to pop out and his skin burned, and Superboy grit his teeth.

Then, without saying a word, he carefully pinched the exposed shard and pulled it out. Half of the kryptonite was smeared with his blood, and even holding it made his skin itch. Superboy tossed it away in a huff, then pressed against his wound as technicians rushed over.

"Superboy eliminated two-dozen combat drones operating under Spec-Ops programming in five minutes and fifteen-point-twenty five seconds," Mercy reported, looking at the data sent to her electronic notepad. "Beat his previous time by three-point-zero two seconds."

"Still too sloppy," Lex countered, frowning and folding his arms behind his back. "Superman would've taken them out without getting hit. Have the Project Krypton staff clean up the training room and patch him up. Once Project Krypton is recovered, pit him against the drones again. He isn't to stop until he manages to successfully clear this course multiple times perfectly."

"Yes, Mr. Luthor," Mercy immediately replied then began directing the order to the appropriate individuals.

As she did, Lex watched Superboy be tended to, medics cleaning its wound and making sure there weren't any shards of kryptonite left inside. Superboy itself wasn't focused on them, however. Instead, the clone stared up at its progenitor through the window, matching Lex' gaze with its own. Man and clone stared at each other, and only when the technicians began ushering Superboy away was eye-contact broken. Lex Luthor watched as Superboy disappeared behind a retractable doorway, and only when it closed did he turn and walk away.

His thoughts drifted back towards Project Krypton's conception. When Superman arrived onto the scene nearly twenty years ago, he immediately knew that he wanted such power on his side. With it, he could've changed the world. But Superman was far too small-minded, instead choosing to oppose him rather than work with him. Lex had no other choice than to destroy him, not just for his own sake but for all of humanity once Superman's true threat made itself known. Once conventional methods proved inadequate, Lex decided that the only way to defeat Superman was to use Superman himself, or rather a clone of Superman that had all of his powers. Unfortunately, his first attempt did not come out correctly, a result of Superman's unexpected alien physiology. The process gave birth to Bizarro, a disfigured clone of Superman with all his abilities but reversed. Freeze vision instead of heat vision, flame breath instead of freeze breath, and so on. His mental faculties were also significantly impaired, viewing everything as the opposite of what it normally was. Good was evil, left was right, hate was love, and more.

That wasn't to say Bizarro wasn't a success. To the contrary, he had proven himself to be a valuable asset and a formidable opponent to Superman over the years, along with the Justice League who had finally managed to capture and imprison him two years ago. Lex had even grown fond of the clone, who viewed him as his father. But it wasn't enough, and two years after Superman's arrival Lex started Project Krypton, intending to create a stable clone of Superman that would fall under his control. It took a lot of trial and error, along with copious amounts of money that was enough to bankrupt a small country, but he got it to work. By taking an egg donated to him by Mercy and merging Superman's DNA with his own, he was able to produce a human-kryptonian hybrid. One whose abilities weren't as powerful, but able to use them with the mind of a Luthor. So far, once Project Krypton's body was fully stabilized, it had proven to have been a worthwhile investment. All he needed now was to ensure perfection, then he could pit his superior creation against Superman.

Lex' mind shifted once again as they neared their destination. Leaning next to the doorframe was Slade Wilson, his helmet off and smoking a cigar.

"Mr. Luthor," he announced as he dropped the cigar and stomped it under his foot.

"Mr. Wilson," Lex replied. "I assume it's in there?"

"Your scientists are already working on it," Deathstroke confirmed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Did you have any trouble acquiring it?"

"Just a few guards. Nothing I couldn't handle," Deathstroke answered, giving a nonchalant shrug.

"And the decoy?"

"Placed, as instructed. It won't fool them forever, but the fake should last until they start running tests again. I give it…two weeks, maybe three."

"Good," Lex said, giving the mercenary a quick nod. "Your payment has already been transferred to your account. You are dismissed for now."

Deathstroke gave a curt nod, then walked away down the hall. Lex and Mercy didn't even bother watching him leave in favor of entering the room. True to the mercenary's word, dozens of scientists were already hard at work, analyzing the device with numerous tools and apparatus.

"Ah, Mr. Luthor you're here!" one of the scientists proclaimed. "I must say, this machine is incredible. The possibilities it opens for us are endless!"

"That they are," Lex confirmed, staring at the object with an intense, calculating glint in his eye. "Can you use it to track down wherever the interference in the Grimm is coming from?"

"Yes. With its processing power, we should be able to pinpoint a location in two weeks, give or take a few days."

"I want it to be found by Christmas Eve," Lex ordered, frowning slightly. "The sooner we find out what is interfering in our Grimm operations, the greater our chances of success."

"Of course, Mr. Luthor. I'll dedicate my entire team to this task," the scientist affirmed.

Lex nodded at the man, then began walking up to the device. As he approached, he could feel the power pulsating in the air, along with a faint hum. Stopping just a few inches away, he stared down onto it, then he shook his head.

"To think, at one point S.T.A.R. Labs had another of these," Luthor remarked. "The things I could've done with two, but no. They bowed to the demands of the so-called gods and just gave it away. What fools, but I won't make the same mistake they did. Mark my words, I'm going harness its full potential."

Nodding to himself, Lex carefully picked the Mother Box up, staring deeply into the metallic cube which, for reasons not even he could fully understand, seemed to stare right back.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice! Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for helping to bring this chapter to life!

A much calmer chapter, but still very much important. The Shazam Interlude is now complete, but the story is still ongoing. What's more, the events of this mini-arc have wider repercussions, ones that will be felt in the story going forward. We also finally got to meet Gordon Godfrey. Before anyone asks, Gordon is human in this continuity similar to the DCAU. We thought about making him into an actual Apokoliptian, but we decided that it would make the harm he does more impactful. If he was an alien purposefully riling things up to prepare for a future invasion, you could just dismiss anything he says out of hand. Since he's completely human yet still doing this, it has deeper implications.

I'm really glad that you guys liked the last chapter so much, and our interpretation of Black Adam. We put in a lot of work there, and it always makes our day to see people praise our efforts. Now, I want to bring something up. I know that you guys like my story and frequently tell me that, which I welcome and adore. That being said, I do not take suggestions for either this story or any of my stories. I also do not take suggestions towards writing a story. Any story I write is something I come up with and want to write. With fan suggestions for my story, this is my story to tell. I want my vision to be maintained. So please refrain from sending me suggestions in the future.

Let us know what you guys think. I hope you enjoy!