Mount Justice.

Med Bay

............

“I have another theory”

“Kara”.

“Your kidding right”.

“Looks to me like he has a soft spot for your cousin”.

“Doesn't strike me like that kind.....”.

“The secret force is behind this......”.

“We're short on manpower, Bruce….”.

“....... He's hunting them.....”.

The sound waves fell into the ears of the young kryptonian sitting on the bed. Her eyes were wide, and her expression made her look like she was in a daze.

Despite knowing, she wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping on her cousin's conversation, Kara couldn't help it.

“Maybe we should recruit new members”.

“....... Not now. We still have a lot on our plate”.

“...... Agreed. There certainly are more pressing matters at hand. The breaches for one”.

“We need to figure out how to close those before something we can't handle gets through”.

“Speaking of which, we need to get in touch with him. I don't know how we're gonna convince him, but his dimensional base has got to go”.

“…. Huh…. Wait a minute. What?”

“The breaching of his Energy shield created the breaches. Even if we can find a way to close them, all that's needed is someone stupid enough to cause the same situation to happen again. This time was just breaches, next time, the world might be sucked into a black hole. I doubt Amari would do anything to fix it even if he could”.

“..... I...... I get that but still”.

“...... Honestly, I agree with Superman on this”.

She heard the voice of that unlikeable bat fellow who kept his cowl lined with lead.

“You're all crazy. You know that right?”

“Lantern.......”.

“And what would happen if he says no”.

“….”

A bout of silence.

“You can't be serious”.

“He literally defeated five Leaguers in less than ten minutes. Do you still not get what that means?”

“…”

“I would rather not be that guy right now, but Giovanni practically turned useless ever since he had his power drained. Now, the only way he can help out is as the wearer of doctor Fate's helmet. Shazam......... I don't even know where to begin. Batman almost had his mind destroyed and the way this is going, Superman's probably going to be next”.

“There's no telling what he will do if you tick him off”.

Unlike Superman who believed blindly in his view of Justice and Batman whose whole being was practically based on being uncompromising, Hal was much more realistic.

“..... I”.

“Hey there!”

Kara who was eavesdropping was startled at the voice. She snapped her had in the direction of the door and discovered Miss Martian standing there with a smile.

She was no longer dressed in her mission costume but in regular clothes and normal skin tone.

Likewise, she gave off the vibe of the cheerful daughter of your neighbor next door.

“Oh..... It's you Megan”.

“Yeah, sorry I startled you. Hey...... You ok?” Megan couldn't help but ask.

“Oh! It's alright. I'm fine”.

Kara said while running her hands through her hair.

“How'd the briefing go?”

“You were eavesdropping, weren't you?”

Kara blushed slightly and lowered her head.

“It's alright. I won't tell”. The green miss giggled.

“How's the rest of the team?”

“...... Better. Superboy is adjusting to the incident. Kaldur as well. Batman asked him to take a breather and have his mind cleared. And Artemis should be back on her feet any day now”.

The green archer didn't follow them on their mission to Bialya.

After all, she had a neck fracture.

Everyone decided it would be for the best if she stayed back to rest, much to her protest.

Honestly, Megan was glad she did. The blonde had experienced too many shocks in a short period of time.

Who knows if her mentality would collapse if she had joined them on this mission.

“Phew… I'm glad”.

“Me too”. Miss Martian stood up from the bedside and walked towards the exit.

“I'm thinking of making a batch of cookies to cheer everyone up. Wanna come to the kitchen with me?"

“Oh! Do I?” At the thought of eating Megan's cookies, her eyes lit up like stars.

“Well, come on. Just remember not to touch anything this time”. She turned to Kara and waved her hand in a beckoning motion.

Supergirl's face was slightly red from embarrassment. The last time she followed Megan into the kitchen........ Green lantern had to make out time to renovate the kitchen.

Still, at the thought of delicious treats, she got up and followed.

Both girls walked in the hallway.

At that moment, a spherical metal object rolled towards their direction making special noises.

“Hey, it's you….”. Seeing the Genisphere, Kara exclaimed.

The sphere stopped in front of her before cycling around the blonde teenager.

“Hehehehe. Looks like it likes you”. Megan giggled.

“What is it?”

“We don't know yet. According to Batman, it's probably what caused the extraterrestrial disturbance in Bialya. Poor thing was being tortured and experimented on”.

Upon the topic coming back to Bialya, Kara fell into thought.

“Do you think it was him?” The question caught Miss Martian by surprise.

“..... There's a high possibility”.

“Yeah...... This would be the third time he's saved me”.

“Hehehehe..... Who knows, maybe he likes you”. Megan teased with a strange light in her eyes.

Thinking of what she heard in her cousin's conversation, Kara couldn't help but blush slightly.

Unknown to the young kryptonian, her subconscious thoughts were slowly but surely nudging her into a certain path. Of course, it was unnoticeable now.

“So...... Have you thought about it yet?”

“I'm sorry, what?”

“Did you forget? I mean school. If you want to go to school with us, that is”.

A look of realization struck her face.

Superman asked if she wanted to go to experience the human school life with the team, or if she needed more time to adapt.

Kara at that time said she would think about it.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Oh that! I haven't really thought about it yet. I mean, it's exciting to...... Hey Superboy!” Seeing Conner and Aqualad appear from a corridor, Kara paused before smiling and waved.

“Oh! Hey.....”. Connor greeted awkwardly.

“Hello”. Kaldur greeted calmly.

His eyes fell on the sphere right beside his Kryptonian relative, and he couldn't help but show a touch of envy.

“...... Cool souvenir”. He said while looking at them.

“Um…. Thanks. It's not actually….”

Her words were interrupted as a gust of wind blew on their faces.

“Hey guys, have you seen the news?”

Who else would it be besides a ginger haired hyperactive speedster

“Wally. I thought we talked about your speed sprints”.

“What?” Wally was dumbfounded, before he shook his head.

“Never mind that now, you've gotta see this”.

And so, he took out the tablet in his possession and pressed the play button on the video shown on the screen.

“It's a live announcement going on at the White House. The president's giving a formal declaration straight to all of America”.

Wally uttered with no pauses in his sentences.

“What..... What's special about that?” Aqualad moved forward a bit and asked with some confusion.

“Special? Of course, it's special. Because he's talking about us”.

........

White House, Washington, DC

September 5, 12:00 EEST

“......... And not the least of the problems we face, are that of the continuous threats of aliens and the destruction caused by our own so-called Superheroes who act on their own as judge, jury and often executioner”.

Looking at the massive crowd gathered below the podium, Lex took the liberty to adjust his tie slightly.

His narrowed eyes looked sharp and gave off a sense of solemnity and oppression.

“This year alone, the United States has experienced more extraterrestrial disasters than it has in past years. Property damage, casualty ratings and death tolls are at an all-time high”.

He paused for a second before continuing.

“All of this even when we have beings of the likes of Superman and the Justice League supposedly protecting us. Well..... I don't think so”.

He stretched out both arms.

"These accidents have skyrocketed ever since the superhero inception. How many times have the Justice league incurred one world ending disaster after another on our planet that has nothing to do with us? If this continues, we might have to rebuild all of America one day. Well, no more".

Both outstretched arms turned into fists and came ramming down on the solid pulpit.

"It's time we had enough of “heroes” acting on their accord, doing what they feel is “best” for us. They have been given too much freedom and influence. I intend to curb that influence as much as possible".

“No one is above the law. I learned that from myself many years ago. But not everyone seems to think so. I just received word that a United Nations country that did not sign the Justice League's UN charter was infiltrated by powered individuals on the grounds of suspicion of working with extraterrestrial forces. Wreaking havoc within this nation's territory and escaping unscathed. Individuals with abilities can now publicly defy the power of a nation? What's stopping them from running into the streets and ordering the world to bow at their feet?”

Cameras flashed rapidly from all directions.

Lex paused and kept a calm look for the shutters.

“How outrageous in my opinion. Like I said, no one is above the law. And now this principle will be the driving force of my presidency. But times have changed and the advantage of deterrent power is no longer with us. To counter this point, I have already taken steps to bring some of these superhumans into the service of our government. Where their unique powers will be utilized for the benefits of all Americans”.

And so, Lex turned to look at his side where several individuals stood.

“They are, Black Lightning, Katana, Plastic Man, Icon and Major Force”.

As he called out names, each corresponding superhero took several steps forward under the camera flashes and received the applause of the audience.

Lex applauded as well.

“I think it is time we have our own Justice league. One truly determined to see the peace and development of the planet”.

“I hope that in the months to come, many more will follow and voluntarily make the choice they made. And if they don't, they will find that they are not as far much above the law as they think”.

..........

Dimensional Space, The Axiom

September 5, 15:36

Amari stood on a Cliff's edge.

Beneath the edge and going forward was a boundless sea within the dimensional space that seemed to extend for eternity.

Behind him, was an endless land of vegetation and light.

Before him was the disabled body of the Android with the head placed right beside it.

“Are you sure you want to do this now?” Facing Alice's inquiry, Amari didn't respond.

As usual, his face was completely expressionless, carrying not even a slight crumple. It had been with him since the moment he left Bialya till this very second.

“Important matters should best be taken care of first”. That was all he had to say as he stretched his hand towards the Android.

With the will of his mind, a complex circular purple pattern similar to a spell circle appeared below it, exuding bursts of pressure.

Amazo was engulfed in dazzling purple lights and soon disintegrated to form a ball of energy consisting of myriad colors.

“I see”. He muttered softly and beckoned.

The energy ball flew towards him, spinning above his hand like an obedient blue fireball.

The amount of power and energy emanating from it would be enough to give Superman a shock.

“With multiple abilities integrated in one, it's just like parasite”. Stretching out his other hand, another energy ball appeared out of thin air. It gave of a glow and pressure in no way inferior to the previous one, but the colors were many purple and yellow. Not as colored as the previous one that looked like a circular rainbow.

“Your calmness in the face of the unknown is strangely concerning”.

“Oh! And why is that?”

“Because you can clearly know what you want to if you want to, but you don't. From what I can tell, something doesn't add up”.

“Well you're my unofficial assistant. Why don't you give me your take on the whole thing”.

Amari continued to examine the balls of energy without showing much care.

“...”

“Alice? Cat got your tongue? What's with the sudden silence?”

“...... Your level of indifference at times astonishes even me”. The voice of the AI sounded with utter marvel.

“Literally anyone or anything else would be different”.

“Well I'm not just anyone else. Does that explain why I'm so indifferent?”

“Not in the slightest. Your origin explains your indifference no better than it does your erratic behavior”.

“Erratic?” Amari raised an eyebrow. That term was new.

“Do you not notice?” She sounded genuinely puzzled this time.

“Your actions are completely inconsistent. You do things and treat similar cases with different levels of severity. You are completely indifferent to something major and react severely at times to something minor. Some of your actions have no distinct purpose whatsoever. Even on your established principles”.

“I know”. Amari answered nonchalantly.

“Couldn't it just be attributed to personality change?”

“....... I don't think you have a personality”.

“........ Then maybe it's because I do what I want”.

“You want nothing”.

“...... True”.

“Then why don't you find it disturbing”.

“I don't know”.

Neither spoke. Amari stared away from the two pulsing balls of energy and turned his gaze to the vast ocean.

He wasn't being too lazy to answer.

He truly didn't know what was wrong with him.

Honestly, this was a first. And normally speaking, he should want to know. Not for anything, just to satisfy his own curiosity.

After all, Alice's words were not unfounded.

He was indifferent, not blind. Amari had realized it as well. His actions were strangely inconsistent, constantly changing depending on the situation.

Occasionally, he would kill without a word. At other times, he would watch things play out under the excuse of boredom.

He did things that didn't make sense for no reason whatsoever.

These were all problems on their own.

But strangely, after he left Bialya, he wasn't curious about this at all. His mind seemed to automatically drift away from the topic of how he felt.

Or rather, he didn't feel the need to find out.

This was where the issue was. Up till this point, Amari never knew to what extent his indifference could reach at times.

He clearly had the power to know, but he lost all interest in discovering why.

For something concerning himself, this wasn't the slightest bit normal. Even for him.

Why would he feel indifferent to this yet feel propelled to hunt down the Light for sport? He could watch thousands of Gotham citizens get slaughtered without the urge to make a move yet would protect Kara from possible death.

It was weird.

Almost like his subconscious wanted him to focus on something else. Weirdly enough, it was working.

Initially leaving him incapable of mustering up enough interest to care.

Now that he came to think about it, he had never thought about a lot of things. Things like his own existence.

There were a few details that didn't add up.

Why did he feel like this? Why was he so indifferent?

Why did he care for nothing?

“Oh well! Since I can know, let's just find out”.

And so, Amari turned his gaze towards his right hand. The tattoo accounting for the amount of energy accumulated was something he barely paid attention to recently.

His physiology was set to automatically absorb all energy forms he could come in contact with. Even solar energy, similar to Clark's Kryptonian cells.

So as long as he was out of the Axiom, he was accumulating every day. If he ever needed more, he would simply fly into the center of the sun and suck it dry.

Then go around the universe, doing the same thing from star system to star system. The news would spread, he would probably receive attention from the guardians of Oa, the Gods of New Genesis and Apokolips.

Maybe he would even get a cool, feared nickname. Something like “The Star Devourer, Star Eater, Destroyer Of worlds, Monarch of Suns” and the like.

Then maybe after he destroyed this universe, he would move on to the next one. And the next, and the next until he destroyed everything created by time itself.

Point being, he had long stopped paying attention to his reserves.

'What's wrong with me?'

And so, he willed with his mind.

A moment later, the Energy reserves began decreasing. From single digits to double digits to three digits, four digits, five digits........

Ok, this was unexpected.

Wasn't this just a simple question?

Seeing the amount in quantifiable terms exceeding ten thousand, Amari raised an eyebrow.

“If it keeps going at this pace, probably all my energy will be consumed”.

He didn't really mean it, but the next development caused his eyes to widen.

The pace didn't slow down at all and continued devouring his energy reserves.

In a moment, more than half had been consumed.

This level of power, if transformed would be enough to create close to a dozen Supermen.

“You've got to be kidding me”.