| Happy Harbor - August 8
"Reflux, you fucker. I'll kill you!" Black Spider roared, enraged.
'Guess everyone and their grandmother knows I'm Flux now.' It made sense—Leviathan had recognized him the moment he returned still wearing Black Spider's stolen suit. Then they'd sent Atomic Skull and Wotan after him.
He kept laughing. It felt like a full-circle moment. Wally and M'gann gave him odd looks, unsure why he found it all so funny.
Black Spider's continued cursing only made it worse. Joseph had beaten both him and Captain Hook with barely a few months of experience—and no Speed Force. Now? There wasn't much either of them could do to scratch him, unless their shady organizations started hiring real heavy hitters.
Joseph finally knocked Black Spider out. The man was getting loud.
Captain Hook sat silently, unreadable.
"Do you know these guys?" M'gann asked.
Joseph's laughter faded as he nodded. "Yeah. Speedy mentioned it earlier. I used to go by Flux. Took both of them down back in the day."
"Back before you had your current powers?" Wally asked.
"Yup. Though it wasn't really fair. I had a different set of powers then. Still didn't need the Speed Force for these guys."
Nova turned to Captain Hook. "So… you're League of Shadows, huh? Is Cheshire here too? Or Nosferata? Last I checked, Catwoman wiped the floor with them, literally."
Captain Hook clenched his jaw but said nothing.
"Fine, stay quiet. I just captured Professor Ojo. If the League wants to throw more bodies my way, tell them I'm available."
That earned him a glare.
[I've captured Nosferata. How about you guys?] Kori said over the mental link. Wow, they actually had sent them again.
[I got Black Spider,] Kid Flash replied.
[And I've got Captain Hook,] M'gann added.
[Cheshire got away,] Artemis said, guilt in her tone.
[Heh, leave it to the newbie to fail at their only task,] Wally gloated at Artemis.
[Kid Flash,] Kori said warningly before continuing.
[Artemis, the Fog is destroyed and Roquette's safe—thanks in part to you. You did great. Welcome to the Team.]
**
| Infinity Island – August 9
Inside a minimalist Japanese-style chamber, Sensei addressed the holographic members of the Light.
"Ojo has been captured. He failed to transmit the STAR Labs intel… and the data from WayneTech. The Fog has also been destroyed in its entirety."
"These young heroes are becoming a problem," a deep voice growled. "Especially Nova. We need to put them down."
"Patience," another voice replied smoothly. "All in due time. Let's take solace in the fact we have an operative on the inside."
"On to other matters," a woman chimed in. "What's our stance on the U.N. approving the Thanagarian proposal for a planetary force field?"
"Our goal remains the same," a male voice said. "To usher humanity into its next evolutionary stage and elevate it on the cosmic stage. In the long run, this helps us."
"Soon enough," he added, "the world will see the Light."
**
| Gotham City – August 9
Past midnight, Joseph finally returned home. He'd hugged Kori goodbye and said his farewells to the rest of the team. Physically, he rarely felt fatigue—thanks to the Nova Force—but mentally? He was spent.
He and Artemis stepped out of the Zeta-tube into a back-alley phone booth. Neighbors. It was convenient.
"I still can't believe you're a hero," Joseph said.
"And I can't believe you're Nova," Artemis replied. "Was that when you disappeared for a month?"
"It's a long story," he said. Then paused. "Now that I think about it… your dad seems familiar. Are you really—"
Artemis's bow was drawn in a flash.
"Green Arrow's niece? No, she's not," came a voice from the shadows.
A figure stepped out—Red Arrow.
Joseph had written him off as a random homeless guy, lingering too close to the alley. He didn't expect it to be Red Arrow. Meh, close enough.
"Green Arrow and Batman must have their reasons for lying," Red Arrow said. "I won't expose your cover—but don't hurt my friends."
He glanced at Joseph. "That goes for you too, Flux."
Joseph was growing tired of the disrespect. He stepped forward, staring down at the archer—two inches shorter.
"Even back when I was Flux, I could've taken you and Robin," he said coolly. "Now? There's nothing in this world you can do to me. And if you really cared about your friends, you would've joined them instead of calling them a joke while playing solo.
Do us all a favor—go back to whatever hole you crawled out of. Let's go, Artemis."
Joseph brushed past him, Artemis falling into step beside him.
A punch-arrow flew toward Joseph's back.
It stopped—suspended mid-air, inches away.
Joseph didn't turn around. "That was strike one," he said, his voice low. "There won't be a second."
He walked off, an apprehensive Artemis beside him, leaving Red Arrow rooted in place, drenched in cold sweat.