Chapter 44: 44

Joseph woke to dim lighting. For once, the bed he was lying on after getting his ass kicked was actually comfortable. His helmet and the top half of his suit were gone—disintegrated from the fight. He looked around. Kori wasn't in the room. Good. Hopefully, she'd made it to Themyscira without hearing a word about what happened to him. If she found out, he doubted she'd hold back from killing Wotan and that energy-beam bastard. A few moments later, Batman walked in. "Joseph. We're in the Hall of Justice. How do you feel?" Joseph would normally be a little more wary of Batman, maybe a little more respectful. Right now? He was too exhausted to care. "Like the universe chewed me up, swallowed me, and then shat me out." Batman paused for half a second. "...I understand you're tired, but I need to ask you some questions." Joseph sighed. "Sure." "Around the same time you were attacked, Selina was ambushed by Cheetah, leader of Leviathan, and Whisper A'Daire of Intergang." Joseph's exhaustion evaporated. "What?! Is she okay?" "I was there. We neutralized them together. Selina's fine." Joseph exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders. "Earlier today, J'onn arrived on the scene and caught you, Atomic Skull, and Wotan falling from the sky. Do you know why they were after you?" "They were hired by Intergang and Leviathan." He didn't elaborate. Batman probably already knew—he'd helped Batwoman and Catwoman bust a Leviathan meeting and take down some big names in the underworld, including Intergang's boss. Not to mention his recent bust exposing Intergang's trafficking operation for the Citadel. Batman gave a short nod. "That's all I need. Wotan and Atomic Skull will be in Belle Reve for a long time. And the League will be preparing to crack down on Leviathan and their associates." Joseph nearly snorted. Right. Like any of the crazies the League put away ever stayed locked up for long. Still, something nagged at him. Batman hadn't asked about his powers, how he'd managed to take down Wotan and Atomic Skull. Either the World's Greatest Detective had already figured it out, or he was biding his time. Joseph wasn't sure how to feel about that. "...Hey, Batman." Batman turned back. "Can I help you take down the gangs?" Batman was silent for a moment. "You're not ready—" Joseph floated up, anger flaring. "Not ready?!" 'After everything I've been through—' "—yet." Batman's voice was firm, unwavering. "If you want to join us, you'll have to follow orders. We need to know you'll be an asset, not a liability. You can't jeopardize the operation. I'll accept—if you have someone mentor and vouch for you." Joseph blinked. That... wasn't what he was expecting. Mentor him? Would this lead to him officially joining the League? What did that even mean for him? Still... it wasn't bad. He'd idolized these guys as a kid. And honestly? No downsides. Maybe someone could help him figure out the Nova Force, and hell, maybe he'd even get a new suit out of it. He had no idea what tailor Superman used, but he could use something that didn't disintegrate every time he got in a fight. Besides, Intergang had killed his mother. This wasn't just some mission to him. It was war. And he wasn't stopping until they were wiped out for good. Joseph smirked. "I accept. Does the offer come with a new suit?" He gestured to his bare upper body, his suit barely managing to regenerate pants. Batman didn't hesitate. "Tell me what design you want. I'll handle it. Rest here a bit longer." Then he left the room. ** Batman knew something was off. This wasn't Cheetah's usual style. She was too psychotic, too animalistic to orchestrate a coordinated ambush. It felt like she'd been used—then discarded. But why? There was another hand behind this. He was sure of it. And he would uncover it. At least Selina and Joseph—formerly the thief Flux, now calling himself Nova—were safe. The boy had potential. At first, Batman had pegged him as a small-time metahuman with wall-crawling powers. But after his kidnapping and experimentation, the footage and J'onn's reports suggested something far greater: superhuman strength; accelerated healing; energy absorption; and a localized anti-gravity field he could use to fly among other things. Batman normally wouldn't have let an untested superpowered teenager operate freely without close supervision. But he had seen Joseph's actions firsthand—the kid had a moral compass. Saving children from burning buildings. Rescuing hostages from Joker's twisted games. He had a strong will. And he still had humanity. That was clear every time he looked at Starfire. J'onn had scanned their surface thoughts during their first meeting in the Hall of Justice. They were telling the truth. No ill intentions. It also didn't hurt that Batman had a soft spot for orphans. Still, caution was necessary. Batman had confidence Joseph would do the right thing. But just in case... He would have contingencies. No one ever suffered from being too prepared.