A few minutes later, Joseph had crossed over a million miles of empty space, Alien Excalibur blazing gold in his right hand as he closed in on Lobo riding his Spacehog.
The Czarnian had already recovered, his face completely unmarked despite taking a punch strong enough to level a city. The chain Joseph had severed earlier was gone; Lobo had simply pulled another hook and chain from the storage slung across his back.
They sped toward one another like medieval knights in a cosmic joust, weapons outstretched.
But Lobo's bike could only reach 2% of the speed of light. Joseph was faster.
As they closed in, Joseph feinted a swing at Lobo's neck—then dropped low, diving under the Spacehog and driving his sword deep into its frame.
Lobo couldn't fly. The bike was his only means of space travel. Joseph intended to take it from him.
A torrent of electricity surged through him from the bike, voltage beyond lethal for almost any being in the universe. Joseph clenched his teeth against the agony.
Then he absorbed it.
His body crackled with stored energy as Nova Force converted pain into power.
In an instant, Joseph's nanites extended from his embedded sword, enveloping the entire bike. Using Atom's technology, he shrank the Spacehog for later study.
With the bike gone, Lobo lost the strange aura that had been blocking Joseph's anti-gravity abilities.
Quick on the uptake, Lobo lashed out with his new hook and chain, but Joseph immediately smothered it with nanites and shrank that too—leaving the Czarnian weaponless, stranded in space, and without transportation.
He should have done this first when Lobo's chains initially bound him. But the suddenness of the Czarnian's counterattack had scattered his thoughts. With so many abilities and so few real chances to use them in combat, picking the right one on instinct was still difficult.
Lack of experience wasn't an excuse, though. He'd need to correct it with Dream State simulations.
This was the first time he'd used Atom's shrinking tech offensively. Its potential combined with the nanites was both dangerous and limitless. He hadn't forgotten Atom's warning about shrinking organic matter—living beings eventually exploded after a short time at miniature scale. He could have tested that on Lobo but decided against unleashing millions of Lobos across the galaxy.
Focusing back on the Main Man, Joseph found him no longer attacking, just staring at him awkwardly, waiting. Joseph gestured, tapping his helmet with a finger, and opened another psychic link.
This time, Lobo accepted, allowing telepathic communication. His mind was still heavily fortified with no weaknesses exposed.
[Give me one reason why I shouldn't send you flying into the sun?] Joseph asked in Interlac.
[Uh… because it was just a job. Nothing personal. Nobody got hurt, and we had a fun little workout, didn't we, you bastich?] the Czarnian replied with a shameless grin and a thumbs up. [Anyway, can you return Romona?]
[You named your bike Romona? Really?]
[You try riding across a thousand systems with someone and not get attached. Romona's a beauty. Sweet curves. Reliable. Loyal. More than I can say for most women.]
'Damn,' Joseph thought. Who hurt him?
Whatever. Enough entertaining this psycho.
[I'm not convinced. I guess this is it for you.] Joseph's tone went cold.
He could think of only one reason to keep the Czarnian alive. Lobo's physiology was unique—superhuman strength enough to knock out Superman, invulnerability, practical immortality, thermal immunity, self-sustenance, and bio-fission. If Lobo bled, even a drop could spawn a new Lobo.
There was even an old saying: only a Czarnian can kill a Czarnian.
But that same physiology was also why Joseph wouldn't risk it. He had no intention of accidentally becoming Lobo if even a fraction of that DNA ended up in him.
[Wait! I'll do whatever you want, free of charge, for one year!] Lobo's expression turned serious. Even he wasn't sure he could survive the heat of a star—and if he could, it would be agony, with no way to escape.
[That would've been a good idea if I had a way to guarantee you'd obey. But with your mental fortitude and physiology, my mind-control nanotech won't work. It's really a shame.] Joseph replied.
Then he blasted off toward the sun once more, Lobo pulled helplessly along inside his anti-gravity field.
[Wait! Let's talk it out! No! You fraggin' bastich!!!]
**
| Vlatavastok - September 29
At night, Red Arrow, Green Arrow, and the real Speedy—now calling himself Arsenal—tailed King Josef Vladek and his daughter, Perdita on their way to an opera house.
Red Arrow had received intel that the League of Shadows had accepted a contract to assassinate the king.
Arsenal was outfitted with a cybernetic arm, a gift from Lex Luthor delivered to the Hall of Justice as "compensation." Batman had thoroughly inspected it for bugs before allowing Roy to attach it. The arm was more than a prosthetic: it housed a rocket launcher, grapple, taser, enhanced strength, and a powerful laser activated through cylinders in the red ports along the arm.
In the past, Red Arrow would never have called for help, determined to prove he could handle everything alone. He had been a mess then—though he now accepted that not everything had been within his control, some of it had been.
And he was still a mess. Learning he was a Cadmus-created clone of the original Roy Harper—and that he had been unwittingly used as the Light's sleeper agent to infiltrate the Justice League—he had spiraled into depression. The life and purpose he thought were his had been a lie designed to hurt others.
He felt like an empty carbon copy, unworthy of attention or care. Without the support of Green Arrow, the Team, and Black Canary's counseling, he would likely have turned to drugs—or worse.
The real Roy Harper had shown no resentment, assuring him he had done nothing wrong, lifting some of the weight but not all. Red Arrow wasn't the only clone. Jim Harper, head of Cadmus security and known as Guardian, was chronologically younger but force-grown to adulthood and implanted with false memories that he was the grandson of the original Guardian also named Jim Harper.
Red Arrow didn't know how Jim was coping. As for himself—he was angry and depressed. He would hunt the Light down, even if it cost him his life.
The night air over Vlatavostok crackled as the assassins struck. Sportsmaster, Merlyn, and a disguised Count Vertigo moved like shadows, cutting down guards. Chaos erupted as security scrambled to protect the royals, but the attackers' skill kept them on the defensive.
From the rooftops, Green Arrow signaled the counterattack. He dropped between Merlyn and Perdita, firing a volley of arrows. Sparks flew as Merlyn parried with his bow, smirking.
Red Arrow traded blows with Sportsmaster, who didn't waste time with small talk and instead muttered, "broken arrow." That was the control phrase Cadmus had implanted and fully encapsulated how he felt at the moment. But Sportsmaster knew the Light had been exposed and the phrase would've already been cleansed from his mind. He did this solely to provoke him, and it worked.
Red Arrow froze for a split second in his anger allowing Sportsmaster to punch his throat. As he coughed from the blow, Arsenal intervened, firing a rocket that Sportsmaster barely dodged. Red Arrow, quickly recovering, followed with a taser arrow, bringing the assassin to his knees.
Count Vertigo targeted Arsenal, unleashing a flurry of psychic energy that dropped the two to their knees from dizziness.
Arsenal, aimed his cybernetic arm at Count Vertigo but the dizziness caused his aim to be off, the launched rocket veering towards a surprised Merlyn who had no time to dodge.
Then Red Arrow felt his head clear slowly.
The night ended in partial victory: two assassins captured, one escaped, and the royal family safe.
He'd make sure none of the Light's plans succeeded.