The team of Green Lantern John Stewart, the Atom, and Nova quickly neutralized the Leviathan headquarters.
There were only human assassins stationed below, the most notable being Goatboy and Breacher, both Leviathan operatives armed with Apokoliptan tech. But with John's constructs, Atom's martial arts and hacking expertise, and Joseph's psychic prowess, they caught Leviathan off guard and dispatched everyone in short order.
Joseph could have done the hacking himself. He had once told the League how he hacked into a Gordanian mothership's systems and used that access to collapse the subspace portals of five others mid-jump.
But that had been with Nova's help—help he had never revealed to the League. The AI remained his trump card, alongside the Strength Force.
As someone capable of swiftly incapacitating and peering into the minds of almost anyone, as he'd done repeatedly in the Leviathan headquarters, Joseph was keenly aware of how much trouble he would be in if the League were ever mind-controlled or if someone extracted memories of him to plan around his abilities.
Paranoid, maybe—but better to play it safe.
Of course, he now had enough knowledge in his head to hack without Nova's assistance. But if he handled the systems, Atom would be reduced to nothing more than an observer, and that felt like a dick move. Her abilities were better suited for classic infiltration. And with heavy hitters like a Green Lantern and Joseph himself, stealth wasn't necessary.
The only reason Atom and John were here at all was because Batman had insisted Joseph have proper backup. While Joseph appreciated the Bat's concern, he didn't need it. He could dismantle every Leviathan base in the country within an hour.
They uncovered a large portion of Leviathan's networks, but no clue as to where Talia or the other leaders were hiding.
After apprehending all relevant personnel, freeing captives about to be indoctrinated, and securing critical data, Joseph called in ARGUS.
The League already knew about his connection to the U.S. agency, ever since he'd crossed paths with them in the Gobi Desert while investigating the Thanagarian Hyperspace Bypass Generator. It wasn't incriminating—many League members had ties to similar organizations. John Stewart who was currently accompanying him had ties to the U.S. Marines.
While the League could dismantle Leviathan's networks themselves, the process would be slow. Better to let specialized organizations handle it while the League focused on global defense.
Now, back on the first floor of the headquarters—the store front—the civilians had been woken and escorted out, while assassins lay unconscious, bound in green construct rope.
Joseph sat cross-legged at the checkout counter, head propped in one hand, while Atom leaned against the wall nearby as they waited for ARGUS to arrive.
With a few minutes to spare, Joseph finally asked the question that had been nagging at him.
"Hey Atom, your shrinking ability is interesting. Is it tech-based, or is it innate?"
"Oh—no one's ever asked me about the specifics of my powers before," she admitted. Perhaps there was an unspoken rule in the League not to pry too deeply into each other's abilities or personal histories. Batman might know more than most, but even he hadn't pressed Joseph on the full extent of his powers.
For many members, the Justice League was a professional alliance—a coalition against threats too great for one hero. While the "Trinity" (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) shared deep personal bonds, others kept things cordial, more colleague than confidant.
Atom went on. "The size alteration comes from my shrink belt, but my physiology lets me survive down to subatomic levels. Normally, living things explode after a short time of being miniaturized—"
Time snapped into the Speed State. Joseph extended his arm, golden nanites unfurling from his forearm and infiltrating Atom's belt to copy and assimilate the tech. He wasn't interested in going subatomic himself—he simply wanted his nanites to shrink, allowing him to store more inside his body and lighten his overall mass.
A few subjective minutes later, Nova finished. The nanites retracted.
//Objective achieved. Excess nanites can now be stored in a miniaturized state for later use. Current body weight reduced to 350 lbs.//
His mass had been nearly halved.
Time resumed as he drew back his hand.
"Why are you asking?" Atom asked.
"No reason. Just curious," Joseph replied, and the conversation died.
Moments later, the ARGUS agents arrived—and Joseph immediately recognized two familiar faces. Were they now the official liaisons between him and ARGUS?
"Dizzy. Daemon Rose," Nova greeted, as other ARGUS operatives secured the perimeter and bound the assassins.
"Nova. Atom. Green Lantern. Thanks for calling us. We also received your intel on Hugo Strange. He'll soon be apprehended and removed as warden of Belle Reve," Dizzy said.
Strange had always posed as a well-intentioned healer for criminals, but beneath the facade, he was orchestrating schemes—like a breakout attempt with Icicle Sr. at the behest of the Light. Miss Martian and Superboy had foiled it, but Riddler had slipped away. When Joseph briefed ARGUS on the Light, he hadn't left that detail out.
"Good. With this raid on Leviathan's HQ, we've collected even more intel on their bases and agents, domestic and abroad," John said. Atom tossed Daemon a drive of extracted data. He slotted it into his wrist-mounted computer and began the upload.
"Thanks. We'll coordinate with other agencies and strike them all at once," Daemon said.
"And what about spies? The Light's reach extends everywhere," Joseph pressed.
"Unavoidable," Dizzy admitted. "But if we move fast enough, they won't be able to warn the others in time. Even if some do, Leviathan agents won't evacuate quickly enough. They'll have to abandon their bases and supplies. Our priority is targeting leaders and disrupting logistics and finances." She seemed at ease in her ARGUS role now.
Joseph frowned. "Why aim for disruptions? You saw what we did here. We can shut them down within a day—cut off all the hydra's heads before they realize what's happening. We have the intel, the speed, the manpower. We just need ARGUS for cleanup. Isn't that your agency's role? To support superhumans in the U.S.?"
"We can't move that fast," Atom said.
"In case you forgot," Joseph countered, "I have a connection to the Speed Force—the same thing that makes Flash move at impossible speeds. I can move that fast." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel※fire.net
"But you'd be doing it alone," John pointed out, "The plan was to stick together."
"That would be too slow," Joseph shot back. "You saw my efficiency. There's no danger, and no reason to give them time to escape."
John seemed to consider his words before relenting. "Then I'll trust you to do the right thing."
No killing. Joseph understood the unspoken command. But he wasn't an idiot. He'd discreetly placed subdermal trackers on every agent he'd seen. Let them rot in prison for all he cared. But if these unrepentant killers somehow escaped, he'd know. And then Bullseye would take them out permanently.
Joseph turned back to Dizzy. "Can you tell Waller to connect me with King Faraday at Interpol."
He had worked with Faraday before during his last raid on Leviathan. Now he wanted permission to operate beyond U.S. borders. As he wasn't a League member, he lacked the UN clearance others enjoyed, but with Interpol's help, he could coordinate with foreign governments and intelligence agencies.
One way or another, Leviathan would end today. And Intergang would follow.