As he patrolled the city, Joseph had another text pop up on his HUD.
Selina: So… Lex Luthor Jr., huh? That's one hell of a stage name, kitten.
Joseph: not funny
Selina: I'm not laughing. I'm smirking. Big difference.
Joseph: i didn't know. u believe that right?
Selina: Relax. If you had known, you wouldn't have tried your amateur heist tricks on me. Don't let the headlines mess with your head. You're still you.
Joseph: thanks. I appreciate it
Selina: Anytime. But since you're "the heir to a fortune," and my birthday's coming up, I expect an expensive gift.
Joseph: I know your bday's March 14th. why are you lying lol
He smirked. After catching her… tangled up with Bruce Wayne, he'd later snooped her apartment to confirm details, this time making sure no one was in it. Amid the pink walls and stuffed animals in her bedroom, he'd found her documents: fake IDs with names like Selina Calabrese and Irena Dubrovna, her real passport, and with that her real birthday.
Selina: …Seems I need better security. I taught you too well. Later, Joey.
**
After having apprehended some muggers, an incoming call blinked on his HUD: Kori.
He accepted.
"The Team saw the news," Starfire said, her voice warm but concerned. "They are worried for you. I am worried. Will you come to the Cave? We can talk."
"I appreciate it, really. But not right now," Joseph said quietly.
"You do not have to carry this weight alone."
"I know. I just need time. Space. With the Harpers there, it'll get messy. And I'm not ready to deal with all the fallout tied to… my father."
"Understood. I will tell them you need time. But remember—" her tone softened—"you are not him. You are you. If you ever wish to talk, I am here. Always."
"Thanks, Kori. See you soon."
Her words stayed with him after the call ended. For all the chaos, he was grateful to have people who cared.
Dismissing the flood of random messages on his HUD, Joseph was left with three that mattered.
One from Mercy, telling him Lex had told him to come to LexCorp so he could be shown the ropes.
Another from Harvey Dent, reporting that he had seized full control of the East End—Two-Face's gang had consolidated their resources, turfs, and recruits, cutting out the disloyal and leaving only the loyal core. They were now ready to target the bigger players.
And the last was from the increasingly famous Lois Lane, requesting an interview.
Joseph rubbed his temples. Decisions for another time.
His thoughts were cut short when his senses instantly picked up a powerful vibration from afar.
//There is a disturbance causing an earthquake—a magnitude 6.9. The origin is likely not natural.// Nova said.
Carla Viti had told him rumors that Mayor Wallace Cole was connected to quakes damaging buildings. He hadn't had a chance to investigate since no earthquakes had occurred—until now.
He should've just asked the Mayor outright while reading his mind at the same time. But things just kept distracting him.
Joseph sped toward the source of the quake. The old buildings nearby were already cracking.
Screams echoed as people rushed into the streets. He had to end it now.
Focusing his Nova Sense, he reached out for the source of the massive kinetic energy. Sensing kinetic energy was harder than tracking thermal, electrical, or radiation signatures—but with a source this large, it was easier to lock onto.
It was coming from an alley between two buildings.
Joseph descended, casting his shadow over the cause: a man in gray-and-copper power armor stomping on the ground.
The earthquakes stopped as the man looked up.
Joseph stared him down. "If you stop, take off that armor, and turn yourself in to the police, I won't hurt you too badly."
Joseph could hear the man debating internally. Unfortunately, he made the wrong choice.
"Shockwave bows to no one!" the man roared, leaping at Joseph, his armor-clad fist vibrating at an extremely high frequency.
It seemed the armor enhanced both strength and durability, channeling ultrasonic vibration tech powerful enough to trigger earthquakes.
Nice. More tech for the taking.
Joseph dodged a sudden blast of ultrasonic force with opposing sonic waves. That kind of vibration would have torn a normal human apart.
He grabbed Shockwave by the helmet, threw him six feet into the air, then ducked under him and unleashed his own sonic scream, blasting the villain skyward.
Shockwave's armor resisted most of the sonic counterattack—it was designed to withstand feedback—so he remained conscious instead of collapsing with bleeding ears.
As the man ascended Joseph followed, stripping away pieces of the armor with his hands, holding them aloft with his anti-gravity field to prevent further damage on top of the destruction already caused by half a minute of earthquakes.
By the time Shockwave reached the peak of his ascent, he was completely stripped of the suit—reduced to a wifebeater and stained brown underwear, utterly defenseless. He was only human, after all.
Then he crashed down onto a nearby rooftop with a heavy thud.
"Did the Mayor send you?" Joseph asked, hovering over him.
"No," the overweight, middle-aged man stammered, terrified without his armor.
'Yes,' his mind said, betraying him.
"You built this armor yourself?"
"Of course. I'm a genius mechanical engineer," he said proudly. That, at least, was true.
"You could've used it for a demolition company, earned legal money—or sold the design for millions. Instead, you chose crime and ruined your life. You're not a genius. You're a two-bit simpleton."
"Damn. That's actually a good idea. Wait—hey! I'm not a two-bit simpleton! Take that back!" the man barked, indignant.
"Whatever. You wait here. I'll deal with the Mayor." Joseph blasted off with the man's armor.
"Hey!" Shockwave shouted from the rooftop. "How am I supposed to get down?"
Joseph ignored him as he shrunk the Shockwave armor after enveloping them in his nanites for Nova to improve his sonic capabilities. 'Nova, pull up data on all buildings damaged by these earthquakes.'
**
Joseph flew straight to City Hall, landing at the Mayor's office window.
It was locked, but his nanites slipped into the mechanism and opened it with ease.
The bald, black man with a graying beard and expensive suit jerked back in shock. "What the—how did you—"
"Did you send Shockwave to destroy buildings?" Joseph cut him off.
"I don't know what you're talking about." The denial was immediate—but the man's thoughts betrayed him. That confirmed it.
"The historic buildings you want are protected—or too expensive to buy and demolish legally. So you hired Shockwave to damage them. Now they'll be condemned as unsafe, torn down as part of 'disaster cleanup,' and the land will be scooped up for a fraction of its worth through rigged auctions or eminent domain. Then you and your partners get your skyscraper or luxury condos.
"And if you and your allies own failing old properties, Shockwave helps you commit insurance fraud by wrecking them for a payout. Did I nail it?"
The Mayor tried to keep a poker face, but shock flickered before his anger flared.
"I don't know who you think you are, storming in here with false allegations, Nova. You're not even Justice League. You and all the other vigilantes playing above the law will end up behind bars, same as Prankster. This is Chicago—we don't take kindly to—"
Joseph tuned him out as the rant dragged on.
'Nova, expose this man.'