Marvel had Adamantium, Adamantine, Vibranium and all other sorts of metals with all sorts of wondrous properties. DC had Promethium, Kryptonium, Nth and Tenth Metal, Orichalchum, and a few more I knew existed but couldn't remember for the life of me.
I, on the other hand, had a way of strengthening inorganic materials, bringing their durability close to the indestructibility these metals boasted but couldn't name the device to save my life.
Since Captain Atom and Martian Manhunter's scans both dealt with matter and the manipulation of it, deducing a way to permanently increase the strength of materials by empowering the bonds between them had come up at some point.
Making the device hadn't been difficult, and using it much less so. I had reinforced a dagger and given it the ability to cut through everything I tested it on save for another sheet of metal I'd also reinforced.
Naming the device was all that was left.
"Mike, thought of a proper name yet?"
He shook his head. "I'm still of the mind that reinforcer is a perfectly fine name."
"No." It was my turn to shake my head. "What kind of name is reinforcer? That's like naming a prized horse 'Speedy.' It is lazy and uninspired. The device does something amazing and deserves better than that."
"I will keep thinking."
"You do that. Let's continue."
We resumed work and started on the ships' life support systems. Mini fabricators that recycled air and waste, medium sized ones that would be connected to the ship's storage facilities, and a bunch of other little things like climate control modules were all completed.
Just as we brought this section to a close, my watch prompted me about a message.
"It's Batman," I said to Mike and raised my hand, the tiny screen coming to life. I opened the lengthy message he'd sent, the holoscreen popping up above my wrist. I read it from top to bottom in silence, light blue holographic shapes dancing a short distance away to the tune of Mike's synthetic fingers.
There were four things I'd sent the dark knight for him to take a look at.
They were the super cuffs I'd designed with scans from my ability to cling to stuff, sedative, anesthetic and a few other drug advancements from Cyberpunk (along with the data about the tests and trials they'd undergone), armor advancements from the same universe, and the superior stun guns where each bullet was essentially a taser shot.
He'd accepted all of them, even the gun one and added a fifth item to the list—the improved and miniaturized Zeta-Tech. He wanted to pay me for it, and that struck me as odd since I'd already made the comms and platforms available to the League.
However, thinking about it a bit made me realise there was no way Batman with his unmatched level of paranoia would rely on just me, someone who was still on probation, for something as crucial as League communications and transport.
He likely wanted to build them from scratch and input his own safeguards, and to that I said go ahead. I would do the same if I were him. Besides, how could I complain when he included the exact amount I'd earned from all this; 54 million dollars.
My jaw didn't drop, but it quivered like a door with a missing hinge in a storm. Good god. This was way, way more than I expected. It turned out I'd been thinking too small.
I read through the message again, focusing on where the details of each product's offer price was stated. I knew I didn't read that wrong. It was the drugs. They were the ones responsible for this absurdly huge amount.
Drug dealing, be it professional or illegal it turned out, was very profitable no matter what universe you were in.
"Elliot?" Mike called out to me.
I shook my head and came to my senses, quickly forwarding the message to him and grabbing my jacket.
"Batman has reached the island. He wants me to meet him there. Read through what I just sent you and ask Tornado about scanning his powers. I'll be back soon," I said, whipping my jacket and leaving the room for the Zeta-Tube.
Once in the mission room and near the tube, I brought up the computer screen and input the new coordinates Batman sent along with the message and selected it as my destination.
The familiar sensation of instant translocation hit me—which was nothing really—and a drastic change in scenery overtook my senses. I was bombarded with a slew of stimuli one would not find behind concrete walls or anywhere on the mainland.
"Beach" would suffice to explain everything I could currently feel. The little sniffs I did upon arrival transitioned into full and deep breaths, the actions filling my lungs with that delightful scent of the sea.
My eyes were treated to a tropical paradise that stretched into the distance, the mountains behind them overlooking us on the beach. Beneath my boots, fine white sand crunched with my little movements and the winds blowing against me sapped what little fatigue I'd accumulated over the day.
As great and amazing as they were, none of these sensations could compare to the utterly unnatural one that had slipped into place within me as soon I stepped foot here.
How did I go about describing being connected to every inch of the island? From the trees, the soil, the wind, even to the landmass itself and the shape it possessed. It felt like a mixture of all my senses and more.
I wasn't aware of it at first, but it took a while for me to regain my bearings. Though the presence of John Stewart flying all over the place with his arm outstretched, taking scans with his ring and the addition of Wonder Woman and Zatara also helped.
~Whew. I exhaled and shook my head and entire body, tuning out most of what I could sense. Batman and the rest of the gang stood beside a jet black plane which could only belong to him.
They were waiting on me, I could tell, so I wasted no more time and marched in their direction, sparing a quick glance behind me at one of my Zeta-Platforms. Batman must've brought it here, but when did I get down from it?
I don't remember doing that.
"Hey," I waved and came to a stop near the senior leaguers. "Sorry about that. Got a little overwhelmed."
"No need to apologize," Wonder Woman replied first. "This is a beautiful place. The quality of the environment reminds me greatly of my homeland, Themyscira."
That came as a surprise, but in the maintenance of the transparency I'd shown since the start, I decided to clarify things.
"That's high praise," I said. "But that isn't what I was referring to. I am connected to this place. I can see and feel everything that goes on in here. And I can also do this…"
Temporarily strengthening the dulled connection, I turned a bit and fixed my eyes on the forest at the edge of the beach. Reality bent to my will and the trees parted, roots coiling beneath, within and above earth to shift the positions of the trunks they supported.
The demonstration ended when about two dozen trees had arranged themselves in twin columns leading deeper into the forest, the last two at the farthest end stuck midway and making the arrangement imperfect.
Back on the beach, I felt a hollowness deep within me, the sensation leaving me weirdly drained and utterly confused. Where did my absolute control go?
"That was magic," Zatara said suddenly, and I looked over to find not just his gaze fixed on me.
"Magic," I said, sounding a bit winded. "That explains it then," I continued, ending with a deep and loud exhale. "I used all my energy to do that. I can't even sense the island now."
"Your connection to it must be supported by your magical energy," said Wonder Woman.
Zatara nodded a few times. "It is as you say. The young man's patron is very generous."
Hey now—
"What do you intend to do with this place?"
As expected of Batman. There was no beating about the bush or bullshit with him. Here I was thinking about my unearthed magic aptitude and how I could leverage it in my craft only for the dark knight to yank me back down to earth.
"Frankly," I said and paused for a bit, sighing. "I don't know. I mean, what does a regular person do with an island this size? Look at this beach. I could make this place a private getaway for when I'm feeling bogged down, start a super secret and exclusive resort, or something along those lines."
"I could also build a bigger workshop, a larger building with more facilities and more space. There are so many possibilities. However, taking my head out of the clouds leaves me with only three next steps.
One, giving the Genomorphs a place they can call their own. Two, giving the League free reign and access so you guys can use it for whatever you need, and three, my workshop."
"You would open this place to us?" Wonder Woman asked, oddly surprised. Was this because of Themyscira and their policy on outsiders and men in general?
"Yes, I would. It may seem crazy to you, but to me, giving the people who are responsible for keeping the earth in one piece anything they want or need to be successful is no issue for me. How else am I gonna live a full, long life in this troublesome universe?"
"I cannot argue with that," said the Amazonian princess, her face and that of the magician displaying a mix of mild surprise and understanding. Batman looked the same as he did since my arrival.
"Has the Genomorph leader made contact?" he asked.
"Not yet. I'm expecting him to later tonight."
"Keep me in the loop."
"Yes sir."
A shadow covered our little group for a moment before John Stewart, wreathed in bright emerald light landed softly on the sand beside us.
"Hey," he threw a nod at me as his glowstick act ended before focusing on the others.
"Scans are complete. Apart from insects and small critters, we are alone here. Past a certain height, the ring has difficulty locking onto the island. It's not on any maps and attempts to determine its age failed. Readings came back as inconclusive. Either this place always existed or whoever put it here did an impossible job of keeping the process unnoticed."
"Present and past satellite scans of this location showed nothing as well," Batman added.
"Friends. On that, I think I may have the answer," Zatara chimed in.
I had the answers too, but it was better if someone they fully trusted gave it to them. Springing this one on them on top of the whole island itself was already too much.
"My earlier checks revealed a number of concealment spells cast on the island. They are the ones responsible for your inability to locate it with your various methods. They are strong enchantments, but they won't hold up against dedicated or powerful locator spells and physical breaches."
His words, however plenty, were easy enough to understand. If I or the League as a whole was serious about using this place, the wards would have to be strengthened. Speaking of wards though, someone came to mind.
"Has the sorceress told you anything yet? Is she out of the mirror?"
"She's been… forthcoming," said Wonder Woman.
"Not as forthcoming as you though," said GL2.
"You think she's hiding something?" I asked.
"Yes. Not everyone is interested in getting in our good graces," the lantern said and crossed his arms, his expression calm and serious at the same time.
"The ritual to free her will be conducted tonight, and as John rightly pointed out, caution will be necessary."
"I bet you guys have it handled. If you need help though, remember I have a sword that is the bane of all magic."
"Do not remind me," Zatara replied, seemingly bothered by that thought.
I chose not to comment on that and changed the subject to the Genomorphs, mainly to the supplies they'd need once they were free. I offered to pay for all of it out of the money I'd just made but Batman said it was unnecessary.
Choosing wisely to not argue with him, I took a long hard look at the teeming forest beyond the beach, fighting the urge to enter it and explore this place. It looked absolutely amazing in my head—swinging and leaping from branch to branch, dashing and weaving between the trees, but I knew reality was anything but.
My clothes and the current tools I had were not prepared with jungle exploration in mind. I also didn't want bugs or sand getting in any places they had no right to be in.
Having lost count of how many times I'd used Zeta transmissions at this point, the sudden shift from beach to cave was easily welcomed. Without wasting much time, I returned to my workshop to share what I'd learned with Mike.
When I entered the room however, my robot friend exuded such an air of seriousness from behind his workstation that it sent alarm bells ringing in my head. And he proved me right when he didn't let me ask what was wrong.
"We have a problem," he said and swiped his hand, a holoscreen sliding in the air towards me. I caught it and enlarged it, watching a live feed of Mark Desmond, the head scientist at Cadmus rush after a group of G-Elves with a test tube in hand, the blue liquid in it sloshing.
'How?' Is what I wanted to say, but we were way out of time if things had gotten to this stage.
"Ohh boy," I said and discarded the screen before rushing to my suit. "Contact Batman and inform him. I'll go ahead and prevent things from escalating. Tell him to send backup."
Cursing at the design of the suit and how long it'd take me to put it on, I simply grabbed the mask and my web shooters, threw away my jacket, and then rushed for the door. I grabbed the doorpost and dug my feet in the ground as a sudden thought hit me and I rushed back for the combat knife I'd reinforced.
With the items in hand I sped through the cave to the mission room, arriving there in mere moments to find one of the Zeta-Tubes in action. I ignored it and dashed for the other one, using my watch to input the destination.
The world around me changed to a much more crowded Genomorph City, and as though to herald my arrival, a loud, bestial roar carried over into the secret cavern.
"Fuck."
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