| Chicago - September 28
Joseph sat on the ledge of the Willis Tower, the afternoon breeze blowing past his Nova suit as he gazed at the city below. In his hand was the Fatherbox he'd stolen from the Brain.
"You sure you can't integrate it into the nanites?" Joseph asked Nova.
//The Apokoliptan technology is too advanced and may possess sentience. Further research is required, even with the upgrades to my processing power.//
After integrating Silver Swan's nanites with Atomica's shrinking tech, Nova had miniaturized and dispersed thousands—perhaps millions—of quantum processors that ran its core in parallel, even at microscopic scale. And their numbers were only growing. You could never have too much speed in a computer.
Nova's already formidable processing power had been boosted by several orders of magnitude, allowing it to do things like cross-reference five years of Gotham CCTV footage, apply pattern recognition and biometric profiling, correlate communications metadata, and trace financial movements across digital trails—all in the background for Joseph's upcoming plan against Gotham's gangs. Where a human analyst would drown in endless hours of raw footage, Nova could parse, connect, and prioritize it all in seconds.
If Batman—or some government agency—was running a comparable system on a state-of-the-art supercomputer, Joseph wouldn't be surprised. It might explain how Waller had tracked down Silver Swan so quickly.
He'd also instructed Nova to monitor CCTV feeds globally. If Savage or any of his allies surfaced anywhere, Joseph wanted immediate warning. He could almost forgive Luthor for the years of nightmares; after all, he'd gained Nova who had become his greatest weapon. But for those who had targeted his mother, only death awaited them.
'Yeah, yeah. We'll visit the Team and you can explore Sphere's body all you want,' Joseph muttered with a sigh. He hated awkward situations and with recent revelations, going to the Cave right now was bound to be awkward.
//…//
At least he knew how to use the Fatherbox to open boom tubes, courtesy of the Brain's stolen memories. Still, he refused to rely on it unless it was life or death. The Watchtower could detect boom tube signatures instantly, and Joseph wasn't about to hand over his tech. He didn't know if the energy spikes could be masked—or what else the Fatherbox was truly capable of yet.
He turned his thoughts to other matters. Like his increasing urge to follow the family tradition of patricide.
Lex's proposal had been laughable—transparently manipulative. By now Joseph knew what kind of man Lex really was. A narcissist, jealous that the world admired an alien like Superman instead of him. Lex cloaked himself in rhetoric about "human evolution" when, in truth, he just couldn't stand not being the center of gravity.
And now, with his reputation shredded by scandal, the man had pivoted. No longer trying to make humanity look up to him, but to his legacy.
Lex had announced Joseph as his successor, and now Joseph's life was a circus. Hundreds of strangers hounded his inbox and even knocked on his apartment door—none of whom he'd ever given that information to.
He'd had to move, currently staying in a hotel in Metropolis. It was only a matter of time before some genius tried to abduct him for ransom.
He'd ultimately decided to accept Lex's proposal to take over LexCorp. Doing so not only stripped Lex of his power, but it also aligned with his long-term plans for BellCorp, allowing him to accelerate several of his projects by several years.
He still made sure to place a tracker on Lex and have Nova bug all his tech. He'd be ready for whatever scheme he was concocting and would end him if necessary.
Joseph covered the Fatherbox in nanites and triggered Atom's shrinking tech, compressing it into his body.
A convenient trick. He could now store everything: Bullseye equipment, tents, rations, even his entire apartment's contents. Like Batman's utility belt, except practically infinite.
Atom's technology did have a drawback: shrinking objects required an immense amount of energy. As a result, his Nova Force was almost always depleted. However, this was a minor issue for him, given his suite of other powers.
He winced, thinking of Artemis and her mom. Their apartment floor would become ground zero for journalists and grifters. The noise alone would be brutal.
His HUD buzzed with dozens of unread messages. He ignored most, answering only the ones that mattered.
The Bwoizzz Group Chat
Andrew: You didn't tell me u were the owner of Bell Studios! I must've looked stupid trynna put you on MyCraft when u made the game. Holy aura loss :broken_heart_emoji:
Joseph: mb about not telling you guys. Just didnt want the friendship to change
Jackson: No worries gang. we gotchu. Anyway, you doing alright with the whole situation about your dad?
The Joker's attack on the U.N. had killed the Secretary-General and dozens of delegates. Now, emergency protocols were in full swing: FBI, Interpol, and the U.N. Security Council were digging in. With Lois Lane's exposé tying the Light to countless events, Lex had been an obvious target.
The League, backed by U.S. and U.N. authority, apprehended him immediately. Congressional hearings, subpoenas, media firestorms—Lex would drown in them.
Legally, Joseph knew Lex wouldn't be tied directly to Joker's massacre. But the Light? That was another story. Investigations would last months, maybe years depending on how much concrete evidence the League can turn over and how airtight Lex's countermeasures/lawyers are.
But Lex is Lex Luthor. He doesn't just have lawyers—he owns half of them, has judges in his pocket, and can stall cases for years. If the U.N. and U.S. nail him to the wall with irrefutable Justice League evidence, he could face a 25–40 year federal sentence. But with money and influence, he'd serve 5–10 years at most.
If his lawyers succeed in pinning everything on Savage and Benson, framing Lex as a duped corporate sponsor, he'll plead down to fraud or obstruction. That would mean a 5–10 year sentence, of which he'd only serve 1–3 before parole. Either way, his reputation will keep tanking, LexCorp stock will keep collapsing, and his influence will be diminished.
Joseph: I haven't known he was my father for long. We're not really close. And thanks to his announcement I'm gonna be super busy for a while so I don't think I'll be able to meet up too often for a while
Jackson: that sucks. Quick question tho. U gonna go bald to match your pops?
Joseph: bro. Don't even mention that. I hope Lex's baldness isn't hereditary 😭
Andrew: yo I have a question too! can I get an exclusive official skin on MyCraft since we're buddies?
Joseph chuckled wryly.
Joseph: Aight gtg ttyl
Andrew: Yo?
Andrew: dont leave me hanging bruh 😭
Jackson: 😂