Lex Luthor sat in his luxurious office, overlooking the city skyline. He was deep in thought, poring over his latest scheme to finally defeat his arch-nemesis, Superman. His trusted secretary, Mercy, entered the room and approached his desk.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Luthor," Mercy said, taking her place at the desk. "Is there something I can assist you with?"

Lex looked up from his notes and gave her a sly grin. "As a matter of fact, Mercy, there is," he said. "I've been working on a new plan since the last one was a complete burst, and I believe I've finally found a way to take down Superman once and for all."

Mercy leaned in closer, intrigued. "Please tell me more, sir," she said.

Lex leaned back in his chair and began to explain his plan in detail. He had constructed a mechanical suit that emitted radiation from kryptonite, the one substance that could weaken and harm Superman. The suit also had the ability to convert physical attacks into kinetic energy, making it twice as powerful and fast as before.

But the challenge that Lex was currently facing was that the Justice League had collaborated with the force to confiscate and guard his old lab thoroughly, the lab housed a set of weaponized kryptonite he had hidden in a safe beneath the basement, and any attempt to break in and steal anything would be traced back to him, potentially jeopardizing his entire plan because if they scan the safe the radioactive signature of the kryptonite will be discovered and it would put superman on high alert.

"I need to find a way to get my hands on that set of kryptonite without it coming to the notice of the police and of course Justice League," Lex said, frustrated. "If I use my usual accomplices and thugs, it will only be a matter of time before the Justice League discovers my involvement if the theft was discovered."

Mercy thought for a moment before offering a suggestion. "What if we hired a team of mercenaries from another city, someone who doesn't have any ties to you or your organization?" she said.

Lex considered the idea before nodding his head in agreement. "Yes, that could work," he said. "But we need to make sure that they don't know who they're working for. We'll have to use an intermediary, someone who can hire them on our behalf without revealing our identities."

Mercy nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "The only ones suitable for this job and description would have to be the mercenaries we hired for that job in Central City last year," she said.

"That's an excellent idea, contact them and fill them in on every detail they would need to execute the job." Right away sir, Mercy responded to Lex's orders and was on her way out of his office.

"Oh and one more thing, tell whoever's in charge that if the job has any hiccups along the way, it'll affect their total pay." He added as he gestured in the direction of the door, letting her know that was all he had to say.

"Understood sir." Mercy replied, she walked out of his office then closed the door behind her.

Lex leaned back in his chair, feeling confident that they were on the right track. With a team of skilled mercenaries on their side, he knew that they could finally get their hands on the kryptonite and set their plan in motion. Superman would finally be defeated, and Lex Luthor would finally emerge as the victor.

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The League had destroyed the synthetic kryptonite he had used against Superman in their previous battle, he was sure they won't expect an attack from him soon.

…

[Justice League Headquarters]

The Justice League was gathered in their headquarters, seated around a large table, discussing recent events in the world. Superman, who was seated at the head of the table, suddenly brought up the topic of The Joker. "I heard that The Joker was defeated by someone and lost his senses," he said. "He's now locked up in Arkham. Does anyone know anything about this?"

Wonder Woman, who was seated next to Superman, leaned forward in her chair. "I heard the same thing," she said. "But I don't know who could have done it. The Joker is a dangerous villain."

Green Lantern, who was seated across from Wonder Woman, nodded in agreement. "It's true," he said. "The Joker is one of the most unpredictable and dangerous criminals in Gotham City. Whoever defeated him must have been very skilled."

The Flash, who was seated next to Green Lantern, added, "I heard that The Joker was completely out of his mind when they took him to Arkham. He was laughing hysterically and couldn't even speak coherently."

Martian Manhunter, who was seated at the other end of the table, chimed in. "I believe that whoever defeated The Joker must have been very powerful. He's not an easy villain to defeat."

All eyes turned to Batman, who was seated in his usual spot at the far end of the table. He had been silent throughout the entire conversation, but now he spoke up. "It was an unfortunate incident," he said, waving off the conversation. "The Joker is where he belongs, and that's all that matters."

The other members of the league exchanged glances, wondering why Batman was being so evasive. But they knew better than to press him for information. Batman had always been secretive about his methods, and they respected that.

Superman nodded, accepting Batman's answer. "Well, whoever did it, we should be thankful that The Joker is off the streets," he said.

The conversation moved on to other topics, but the members of the league couldn't help but wonder who had defeated The Joker and put him in his current state. But they knew that Batman would never reveal the answer, and so they let the topic drop.

…

Tom had been living in Gotham for several months, trying his best to steer clear of trouble and stay off the radar of both Batman and the authorities. However, it seems that the Dark Knight has his eye on him now, and Tom realizes that he'll need to be even more discreet with his activities.

He knows that he can no longer afford to draw attention to himself and must present a façade of a normal teenage lifestyle to the public. Tom has to convince Batman that he has no interest in either heroism or villainy, and that he just wants to stay out of trouble.

But things are not as simple as they seem in Gotham. Tom knows that danger lurks around every corner, and he needs to be cautious about who he meets and trusts. With Batman watching his every move, he must navigate the treacherous underworld of Gotham, all while trying to keep his true identity as Ghost hidden.

Suddenly he received a call on his burner phone and it was none other than his old crime partner, Leo, a.k.a Captain Cold. Tom smirked a little as he answered the phone, not knowing what to expect but he knew it would be an interesting call.

"Tom, my old pal, how's it hanging?" Captain Cold's voice crackled over the line.

"I see you haven't been locked up yet Leo." Tom said.

"Ouch, you know I won't be caught that easily. And if I do get caught,I'll just get out again." He replied Tom with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, accompanied with a glimpse of reality.

"It's rare to get a call from you man, I'm sure there's something cooking over at your end."

"That's quite true kid." Captain Cold said. "Listen, I've got a job for us. It's from one of our previous employers. They need our skills once again."

Tom's pulse quickened at the thought of getting back into the game with Leo. "What's the job?" he asked eagerly.

"We need to break into one of the labs owned by Lex Corp," Captain Cold said. "Our employer has some package they need to retrieve, and they're willing to pay us handsomely for it."

Tom felt a thrill of excitement at the thought of pulling off such a high-stakes heist. "I'm up for it," he said, sounding cool and collected.

Captain Cold chuckled. "I knew you would be," he said. "We'll need to move quickly on this one. I'll send you the information we'd be needing for the operation."

Tom hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, feeling a sense of excitement towards another job with someone as efficient as Leo was. He knew that breaking into a Lex Corp lab would be no easy feat, especially with the high surveillance over the lab currently but he was ready for the challenge. He eagerly awaited the details from Captain Cold, determined to make this job a success as he usually does and it was a great opportunity to get to see the insides of a Lex Corp laboratory.

=================

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