Inside The Meeting Room:
The table was ringed with familiar faces, the glow from the monitors washing the room in pale blue. Batman stood at the front, debriefing the team with his usual clipped precision.
"This morning, Harley, Zatanna, and Black Lightning were sent into Gotham. Regime soldiers had taken several civilians, along with a number of convicts."
"They executed anyone who resisted." His voice was low. "The convicts are scheduled for execution. The civilians' fate will depend on how they respond. The Regime rarely keeps any prisoners." The room tensed at that.
"Evacuating the civilians shouldn't be a problem," Batman continued, "but the complication comes in the form of these two." He motioned with his hand and two holographic images popped up above the table..
"Flash and Wonder Woman were both in Gotham. Our comms went down when Black Lightning triggered a large-scale EMP."
Plastic Man leaned back in his chair, arms folded. "So, bottom line; you've got no clue what their status is right now."
Oracle's voice came through, steady but edged with concern. "The only update we had was Harley rerouting a group of civilians before the EMP went off. Our sensors also registered active magic from both Zatanna and Wonder Woman."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "I already have a plan. I've prepared contingencies for Flash. Catwoman, Huntress; you'll reinforce Harley. Plastic Man, you handle Wonder Woman."
Patrick raised both hands. "Whoa, whoa, timeout. You've got files for everyone, sure; but that's assuming Flash gives you the time to breathe, let alone pull out your secret anti-speedster toys."
He let that settle in and added, "I know it's Gotham, Bats, and I get you've got extra skin in the game, but seriously; don't let your head get cloudy."
"I'm as clear-headed as I've ever been," Batman replied, unflinching.
"Clearly not," another voice said.
Heads turned toward the corner of the room. Satoru leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, as though he'd been there all along.
Catwoman's brows arched. 'So that's the new guy,' she thought.
Patrick blinked. "Bro- when did you get here?"
"What do you mean?" Satoru asked, pushing off the wall. "I've been right here the whole time. You just didn't notice. But that's not the point."
He started walking toward the table, his sunglasses catching the light. "Patrick's right. The Regime's primary target has always been you, Batman. What happens if you walk into this one personally?"
Catwoman rested her chin on her hand. "Either Superman shows up… or Sinestro. Maybe both. Feels too deliberate not to be a setup."
Batman's tone sharpened. "Setup or not, there are civilians in danger. The longer we debate, the longer they stay at risk. I'm not going to stand by while-"
"I'll go," Satoru interrupted. Every eye turned to him.
Catwoman spoke first. "Excuse me? We don't even know who you are, let alone what you can do-"
"Bro," Patrick cut in, squinting. "You sure you can handle yourself?"
"We'll find out soon enough, won't we?" Satoru said with a shrug.
The room paused; not because of him, but because Batman didn't reject the idea outright.
Patrick scratched his chin. "Alright. In that case, I'll take Flash. Got a couple ideas cooking. If I can, I'll throw Black Lightning your way as backup." His gaze flicked toward Huntress and Catwoman.
Huntress looked to Batman. "Are you really sure about this?"
For a long moment, Batman was silent. Then his eyes settled on Satoru. "You understand what Wonder Woman can do, right?"
"Read up last night, I have a few tricks up my sleeve," Satoru replied lightly. "So yeah, should be fine."
Oracle stood from her chair, speaking out loud. "Then let's move. The aircraft's waiting. I'll feed you the rest of the details en route." The meeting dissolved into motion, footsteps echoing across the chamber as the mission began.
On the way to Gotham:
The aircraft cut through the sky in near silence, its cabin lit only by the faint glow of the comms table at its center. Satoru sat beside Patrick, legs crossed, sunglasses over his eyes.
Above the table, holograms of Batman and Oracle flickered, their voices crisp over the comm link. They had already run through the assignments.
Huntress and Catwoman were to track down Harley. Plastic Man would rendezvous with Black Lightning. Satoru's target was Zatanna. Each of them gave a curt nod in acknowledgment.
Oracle leaned closer to her feed. "Once you're close to Gotham, your devices will triangulate the locations of your targets. Stay sharp and stay hidden until at least Flash and Wonder Woman are busy, the city's overrun with Superman's troops."
Batman's gaze shifted across the table. "Satoru. Your abilities; are they similar to magic?"
"I wouldn't say so." Satoru shrugged. "I don't know how magic works in this world, but what I'm using, I haven't felt it from anyone else here."
The others, already briefed on his origins, didn't flinch. To them, another dimension wasn't even the strangest thing they'd seen.
Batman folded his arms. "Our scans say your energy frequencies are close to magic. Diana's weapons and equipment are magically enhanced, each one carrying different effects."
"Meaning," Satoru said with a faint smirk, "possibility of disruptions. Got it, thanks for the heads up."
Batman's voice echoed across the cabin with its usual depth. "Everyone, stick to the plan. If things change, adapt. Civilians remain the priority, always."
Oracle added, "Good luck out there. And all of you; try to come back alive." The feed cut, leaving only the quiet hum of the aircraft.
Catwoman was the first to break it. She leaned back in her seat, legs crossing smoothly as she looked at Satoru. "So, how do your powers work?"
Satoru smiled, tilting his head. "It's just sorcery."
Plastic Man blinked. "Wait, didn't you just say it wasn't magic?"
"Depends how you look at it." Satoru waved a hand. "Think of it as… a different kind of fuel. I channel it into spatial abilities. Magic or not, it gets the job done."
Huntress's eyes narrowed slightly, interest piqued. "What kind of fuel?"
Satoru glanced at her. "Negative. Energy born from negative emotions."
Their expressions turned curious, if not a little unsettled. He elaborated with another shrug. "Back home, we call it cursed energy. When negativity lingers long enough, it manifests as something worse. We fight the things born from it; Cursed Spirits."
For once, the cabin was quiet, all eyes on him. They weren't brushing it off; he could tell they were listening like kids hearing ghost stories.
Patrick chuckled, shaking his head. "Man… any chance this world is overflowing with those things. Cause I'm pretty sure we aren't short on Negative Emotions."
Satoru smirked. "I wouldn't worry. When I woke up in this world, I felt plenty of negative energy, dense as hell. But not a single cursed spirit. My guess is that the rules of your universe don't allow them to form. Or maybe I just haven't sensed one yet."
That thought lingered longer than he expected; especially for Batman and Oracle, both listening silently from their end.
The conversation tapered off after that. The silence stretched until the pilot's voice cut through over the comms. "Approaching Gotham. Prepare for descent."
They straightened in their seats. A minute later, the aircraft shimmered out of sight, cloaked in invisibility as it descended toward the western harbor. The ramp opened to the salt-stained air, and the team split in silence.
Huntress and Catwoman peeled away, their signals already guiding them toward Harley.
Satoru froze mid-step, his senses spiking. Energy from two individuals brushed against him; somewhat familiar. Extremely similar to the Positive Energy.
"Found them," he said, his voice calm. He took a step forward and was gone, vanishing from sight.
Patrick blinked at the empty space he left behind. "Right. Guess it's just me now." He stretched his arms, grinning to himself. "Alright, Scarlet Speedster. Let's see how you handle this."
He leapt, body stretching and snapping forward, landing smoothly on the roof of the nearest building.
Near Gotham Woods, close to the city outskirts; Behind an Old Church:
The dim sunlight dripping from the dark clouds, slanted over a broken stone as Zatanna leaned against the cracked wall of the ruined church, her magician's tuxedo clinging to her like soaked paper.
Blood seeped from her side, streaking down her hip, a line of crimson cutting across her forehead. Each breath came shallow and ragged.
A few meters away, Diana stood tall, sword and shield resting across her back, the golden lasso swaying at her hip. Her arms folded, her gaze sharp and unyielding.
"Impressive work throwing around flashy tricks," she said, her voice calm but edged with irritation. "But you'll need more than parlor magic to defeat an Amazon."
Her eyes narrowed further. "Stand aside, Zatanna. I would rather not kill you."
Zatanna gave a bloody laugh, her hair falling into her face. "A bit rich, isn't it? Suddenly caring about one insignificant life; when you murder hundreds without blinking."
Diana didn't flinch. "And you? Are you proud of defending rapists and killers with your life?"
Another laugh, harsher this time. "Do you even hear yourselves anymore? I'd love to know what the criteria are. What's the new bar for turning innocents into monsters; 'insubordination'?"
Diana stepped forward, annoyance darkening her face.
Zatanna winced, her voice dropping lower, more venomous. "Drawing it out was your plan from the start, wasn't it? Testing how long you could play around before Batman showed up."
Diana's jaw flexed. She lifted her leg, ready to crush Zatanna through the wall.
"Funny though," Zatanna added, her voice cracking but her smirk intact, "how your latest 'fling' is so threatened by a human."
That broke her composure. Diana's fist tightened. Instead of a kick, she swung her shield free, her eyes blazing as she raised it to smash Zatanna's skull; but the strike froze inches from its mark.
Another hand was there. Fingers loose, palm raised, the simmering space in front of it catching the shield. White hair brushed the breeze, shades glinting faintly under the dim sunlight.
Satoru flicked his wrist, and a dense orb of Blue energy bloomed in front of him. The compressed sphere yanked violently at the world around it, dragging dirt, stone, and shattered wood inward.
Diana threw her shield up, bracing as the pull shoved her backward. Her boots carved deep furrows in the soil before she slammed the attack away, scattering the energy in a burst of distortion.
Gojo dropped his hand, smirk curving across his lips as he glanced down at Zatanna. "You really meant to piss her off, huh?" His voice carried casual amusement, "I think I like that," he added.
Zatanna blinked up at him, disoriented. "Who the hell-"
"Satoru Gojo," he replied smoothly, turning back to Diana. "Temporary Insurgency guest star. Saving your ass, apparently."
Diana brushed dirt from her armor, her eyes narrowing. 'That hair. Those eyes. The one Kara saw in Brazil.' She thought.
"Human," she said coldly, "I don't know who you are, but I won't let you-"
"Satoru Gojo," he cut in, louder and playful tone echoing across the place.
Her brow furrowed. "What?"
"You said you didn't know me. Now you do." His grin widened. "Make sure to remember it properly, babe." He finished it with a wink.
The smirk barely faded before she moved. In less than a second, Diana was in front of him, fist a blur of scarlet and gold. Her punch halted a breath from his face, but everything behind him exploded.
The shockwave of her strike blasted the earth backwards, leveling the forest, cratering the ground. The church was gone, Zatanna, shielded only by the angle of Infinity's field. The forest beyond had simply ceased to exist.
Gojo's grin twitched, eyes flicking toward the devastation behind him. 'That speed… that raw physical strength.' He thought, amazed.
Zatanna's heart dropped. Her stalling tactic was over. Batman wasn't here yet, and she knew she'd pushed Diana to the brink. 'I'm fucked, royally,' she thought grimly.
But Diana wasn't unshaken either. Her fist, hung suspended in front of Satoru's face, space itself shimmering faintly between them.
Her eyes narrowed. 'A barrier?' She could feel it; her fist hadn't come to a complete halt. It was moving, slower than slow, dragged down to a crawl instead of hitting a 'wall'.
Diana leapt back, her eyes never leaving him. She was reassessing him. Satoru, meanwhile, crouched slightly beside Zatanna.
His palm pressed lightly against her back. She flinched at the sudden contact, a bit confused; until her eyes widened.
A cool sensation surged through her body. Wounds knit closed, the bleeding stopped, strength seeping back into her limbs.
Her head cleared as if she had been submerged underwater and dragged back into air. Satoru's grin turned thoughtful. 'I knew it. I've got way better control over RCT now.'
Zatanna blinked, breath catching. 'Healing magic? No… this somehow feels so different. It's like-' Her thoughts cut off when his voice broke in, casual as ever.
"Alright. Time to go back home." He clasped his hands together, and before she could react, Zatanna vanished from the place.
She staggered, blinking, and found herself standing in the open grounds near the hidden entrance to the Insurgency base.
Dumbfounded, she turned and hurried inside, bloodstains still drying on her clothes. A few minutes later, she was seated in the comms room with Batman and Oracle.
"It felt like magic but different at the same time, I don't how though," she admitted, rubbing at her flank where only faint soreness remained. "The guy just shows up, says his name, heals me like it's nothing, and then-"
She clasped her hands together in demonstration. "Just like that, I was here." She shook her head, bewildered.
Batman turned toward Oracle, "The EMP field?"
She glanced at her monitors. "Still up. If he's still engaged against Flash, then Black Lightning must still be sustaining it, but-" Her fingers froze over the keys. "It's down! Field's collapsed!" She began working furiously.
"Drones and cameras coming back online," she added quickly. "Communications re-established."
Batman leaned over her shoulder, his eyes narrowing on the streams of data flooding back. "Did Plastic Man find him?"
"Seems like it, they're close to each other," Oracle replied, her hands flying.
"Don't interrupt him," Batman muttered. "I know his play. If he catches Flash by surprise, it'll work."
Oracle frowned. "What about Selena and the others?"
Batman checked another feed. "Together. A nearby drone confirms they're escorting civilians. But Gotham is crawling with troops."
"I'm triangulating escape routes," Oracle said, refocusing. "I'll steer them around Regime patrols."
Zatanna, still restless despite her healing, pushed off the chair. "Since I'm good now, I can head back out; maybe help cover them."
"No," Batman's reply was sharp, leaving no room for argument. "What you need to do is rest."
"I can still-" She stopped mid-protest, her body betraying her. Pain screamed through her muscles, the adrenaline that had carried her earlier now gone. Every nerve burned in protest.
"Fine." She sank back into her chair, sighing, her body slumping despite her defiance.
Batman was already motioning to Oracle. "Pull up the live feeds. Give me Gotham's south sector and track Satoru."
A dozen screens flickered, rerouting camera angles, drones, and satellite eyes toward the coordinates.
"Satoru, what's your current status?" Batman spoke on the comms, but no reply came back.
Oracle froze, pointing to one of the largest screens. "Oh… I don't think he'll be too keen on answering you right now."
Satoru's face filled the display, feral grin stretched wide, his eyes lit with pure excitement. Though most of the feed struggled to keep up with their speed as they collided in a blur.
A few minutes earlier, right after Satoru had warped Zatanna away:
He turned, his hand falling back to his side, grin returning as he found Diana studying him. She moved first.
The lasso came free, golden light swirling as she spun it into a tight circle. In the blink of an eye she was gone, reappearing meters to his flank. The lasso whipped forward, glowing rope arcing through the air toward him.
Satoru had planned to hold his ground; but the moment the lasso's energy grazed his Infinity, his senses flared. Something in the resonance of its energy was tugging at him.
His grin sharpened as he tilted his head, eyes locked on the lady as he gracefully shifted to the side, avoiding the lasso.
Diana snapped her hand back, the lasso whipping through the air as it recoiled. Satoru shot upward at the same moment, vaulting clean over the rope. For an instant it brushed against Infinity, close enough for him to feel it.
'That lasso… it messes with my cursed energy.' He thought. It didn't break the physics of Infinity itself, but it threw his CE flow off, like static buzzing through his veins.
The Six-Eyes fixed it almost instantly. Controlling his energy was second nature; CE spilled out of him, boosting his physical status beyond what he had ever achieved and until every muscle felt like it was pulsating with raw power.
In a blink, he was gone from where he stood. Diana twisted in midair with a fluid and precise motion. She spun the lasso around again and hurled it straight at him.
Satoru reappeared close, his fist cocked for a punch, but she moved with him, cutting the attack short. He leapt back instead, blasting toward the tree-line.
She chased him without a second thought, her flight ripping the sound barrier apart behind her. The two of them streaked across the forest's edge.
Satoru a flash of bluish-white, Diana blazing gold. Every time they clashed, shockwaves rattled the ground, trees splitting and air buckling under the force.
His blows were blocked by her defenses, hers melted against Infinity. To anyone watching, it would look like two blurs colliding, nothing but explosions and their echoes in the sky.
But Satoru could feel the truth. She was way stronger and faster than him. Without Infinity, she would've folded him a dozen times over.
And yet, with every exchange, he felt his own strength pushing higher. His cursed energy was flowing at levels he couldn't have imagined back home. His speed, his power; he was already beyond the man he once was.
He'd thought about breaking limits before, but actually feeling it was something else entirely. He wasn't bound anymore.
The old rules of his world didn't apply here. One by one, he could feel the chains inside him were snapping apart.
As they tore across the battlefield, ripping up everything in their path. Diana noticed it too. 'Not just his powers. His skills, instincts, his sense for combat… he fights like someone who was born and bred as a warrior.'
She lunged at him, unleashing a rapid flurry of twisting kicks midair. Each strike blurred into the next, but he deflected and dodged every attack, that crazed grin never leaving his face.
His movements told another story though; his sharp movements, calculated reflexes and flawless executions. Every reaction hit the mark, even with that feral, brainless excitement written across his face.
Diana pulled back, spinning her lasso so fast it kicked up a storm of dust and wind. She vanished, then snapped into place right beside him, tossing the loop with insane speed.
Satoru moved, guided by instinct and the perceptive advantage from the Six-Eyes, he vaulted straight through, slipping out a fraction before it closed around him, executing a flawless escape.
His grin widened. This was it. This was what he lived for. A fight where he was outmatched in so many ways, but every second lit him up inside.
Nothing else mattered. Not Batman trying to cut through the comms, not strategy, not anything outside this moment.
His sunglasses were long gone, his eyes exposed; blazing, bottomless, alive with cursed energy so intense it seemed to distort the very air.
Diana had been studying his barrier the whole time, testing it with the lasso, watching the way it was stopped no matter what. Still, the rope disrupted the energy he gave off but never cracked the barrier itself.
She knew it already that it wasn't some simple wall. And was now sure that there was only one possible way that she could do this.
Her decision made, she holstered the lasso back on her waist and reached instead for her sword and shield. The metal gleamed in her grip as her expression hardened.
"You've definitely managed to impress me, human. But this is where it ends."
Her fingers tightened around the hilts, and then she was gone; faster than before, moving at a speed that outstripped even her previous bursts.
Satoru barely registered her vanishing before she was already on him, her blade stopped inches from his chest. No aftershock followed, no clash or kinetic energy that rippled behind Infinity. For the first time in this fight, his eyes truly widened.
For a fraction of a second, he saw the sword's edge glowing, a golden light unlike the lasso's radiance. And in that light, he felt it; real danger, heavier than anything he'd ever stood against.
Infinity didn't flicker, nor did it collapse. It stayed unbroken, never even going out. Yet the blade still cut straight through, biting into him.
Pain ripped across his chest as the sword gashed him wide open, the strike carving through flesh and slicing off his right arm clean at the elbow.
The momentary shock froze him long enough that he didn't react to her kick that followed, crushing into his ribs and launching him across the ground.
His body tore through stone and dirt until he slammed into a hillside, the impact detonating into a wave of dust and debris.
Wonder Woman stepped across the severed forearm that lay useless on the ground, her eyes locked on where he had fallen.
Slowly, she floated forward, closing the distance with a graceful patience. When the dust finally cleared, she found him slumped against broken rock; his head bowed.
Blood poured from the gaping wound in his chest, streaming from the stump where his arm had been and dripping down his forehead, painting his face and white hairs, red
The ones watching stayed silent for a while. Oracle and Batman's voices cracked through his comms, calling for him to answer, to retreat if he could but he didn't respond.
Diana touched down softly in front of him, raising her sword, her shield braced tight. "You fought well, human warrior. But your-"
Her words cut off as she staggered, suddenly dragged downward by a force she couldn't see. Her eyes snapped wide.
Satoru's left hand was raised, wrapped in a shimmering blue aura, his fingers curled tight as if gripping the air itself. And then she saw it.
At the end of his right stump, where his arm should have been, a blazing red sphere pulsed into existence, throbbing with intense energy.
The energy coming off it was so overwhelming her instincts screamed at her, every alarm in her body going off at once.
"Got you!" Satoru growled, a feral grin tearing across his bloodied face.
To be continued!