| September 24 - Khüiten Peak

"Do you sense it?" Wonder Woman asked, sword and lasso at her side.

They hovered in the cold early morning sky, cloaked by darkness.

Captain Atom could sense energy fluctuations on a planetary scale, though refining those impressions into anything useful beyond a few miles required familiarity unless it was a massive power spike.

"Yeah," he replied, eyes narrowing at the Mongolian mountain range below. "There's definitely a generator under there."

"So Nova was right. Well, let's go down and teach Savage a lesson," Captain Marvel said, brimming with his usual enthusiasm.

Wonder Woman shot him a patient look. "Stick to the plan. The goal is to capture Savage."

With that, she tilted forward and descended.

**

| Infinity Island - September 23

Batman had always known the location of one of his greatest foes: Ra's al Ghul's stronghold.

Weeks earlier, Red Arrow had infiltrated the island alone to rescue Roquette. It had been surprising at the time—an archer going through an army of trained assassins while escorting a target. But the revelation that he was a clone explained much.

Ra's al Ghul was no ordinary terrorist. A radical eco-zealot, his life had stretched across centuries thanks to the Lazarus Pits. He viewed humanity's corruption as a planetary plague and sought to erase it by whatever means necessary. Through his League of Shadows, he manipulated wars, governments, and economies to serve his vision.

This ideology had put him into frequent conflict with Batman, one of the few men Ra's respected enough to consider a peer. Discovering Bruce Wayne's identity only deepened that respect—and obsession. Ra's envisioned Batman as both heir and son-in-law, trying to bind him to his daughter Talia. Their relationship had always been complicated, especially with Selina Kyle in the picture. Even after rejection, Ra's clung to the fantasy.

His radicalism never waned. Just last month he orchestrated the hijacking of a rocket, swapping its research payload for a diamond lens capable of channeling solar energy into a city-destroying weapon. He offered Batman a deal: join him, and Gotham would be spared. Batman refused and as planned, while the two debated, Robin dismantled the lens. When Ra's realized it, he lunged to reclaim the device—only to fall from the launch tower to his apparent death.

Appearances meant little. With lifetimes of martial skill and the Lazarus Pits at his disposal, Ra's al Ghul was never gone for long.

Batman had considered raiding the island before but the Justice League was bound by U.N. charter. Member states that hadn't signed—including Bialya, Markovia, Russia, Santa Prisca, and Infinity Island—were off-limits. This oversight was irritating at times but essential, preventing abuse of power. The loophole had been the creation of the Team, a group of young operatives the League could plausibly deny directing. But sending children into danger remained a moral compromise.

Now, however, they had evidence linking the island directly to the League of Shadows. Brain's memories might not stand up in international court, but they gave the League enough justification to act.

In the Bat-Sub, Batman rose from his chair. Behind him waited Black Canary, Green Arrow, and the Flash. Their uniforms had shifted into stealth palettes, dark and muted. The team were specialized for infiltration. Flash lacked the traditional stealth of the others but with the Speed Force augmenting him, he could go so fast he practically became invisible.

The time was 12:34 PM. Nightfall would have been preferable, but urgency outweighed subtlety. If the Light learned Brain had been captured, they would adapt swiftly.

"Remember the mission," Batman said as they entered the lockout chamber. "We're here to apprehend Ra's al Ghul."

The hatch opened, seawater rushing in. Without hesitation, Batman dove into the depths. The others followed.

**

| Madinat Altharwati - September 23

At night, Superman floated high above the glittering lights of a Bialyan city.

His presence here wasn't about Queen Bee, though her influence in Bialya remained an ever-present concern. Because the nation had not signed the U.N. charter, the League lacked jurisdiction. And unlike with Infinity Island, deposing her could create further instability in the region and cost millions of lives.

At most, they could compile evidence of her involvement with the Light and present it to world governments. Perhaps the ICC would act but unfortunately, no one takes the ICC seriously. More likely, she would vanish deeper into Bialya, untouchable.

Still, with the Light dismantled, her power would wane.

No—tonight Superman's telescopic vision was honed in on a LexCorp Robotics facility.

Lex Luthor was the embodiment of charm and calculation, outwardly soft-spoken and courteous. To the public, he seemed benevolent, a visionary entrepreneur. In truth, every move he made was driven by greed and his festering hatred for Superman.

Luthor's ego could not abide an alien overshadowing humanity. To him, only a man like himself deserved to stand as Earth's protector. That obsession had birthed Superboy—a hybrid of Kryptonian and Luthor DNA. It was both a twisted attempt at replacement and an assertion of legacy.

For Superman, that revelation had been deeply unsettling. Though he knew compassion was the right path, every glance at the boy stirred feelings of violation. He kept his distance, even as he recognized the parallel to how his own adoptive parents had embraced him.

But the Brain's memories had revealed the truth: Luthor planned to make Superboy dependent on him by giving him shields that could suppress his human genes, allowing him to experience the full set of a Kryptonian's powers. His scheme had been to hurt the boy, to force him to believe Superman would never accept him and then have him change sides to serve the Light. Seeing that manipulation laid out had shaken Clark.

It also galvanized him. He couldn't view Superboy as a son, but he would at least try to be a brother—or a friend. He would make things right. After this.

"You ready?" Superman asked over comms.

In Seoul, Zatara and Plastic Man stood poised to breach another LexCorp factory.

"Am I stretchy and grippy?" Plastic Man shot back cheerfully.

Zatara sighed. "Yes. We're ready."

The plan was simple. Using the Brain's knowledge, they pinpointed specific LexCorp robotics facilities. Their mission was to infiltrate these sites, secure definitive proof of the illegal nanite experiments that had killed so many years back, and destroy all nanite serums. Lois had once reported on the scandal, but the evidence had since been buried; now, with this documentation, they could publicly expose Luthor's crimes and his ties to the Light.

His reputation would collapse. International scrutiny would follow. Prison was possible. At the very least, he would lose the freedom to manipulate so openly.

What they lacked was evidence tying him directly to terrorist arms deals. That trail would take longer to uncover. Still, crippling Luthor's influence was victory enough.

Superman tucked his chin and dropped toward the factory, determination hardening his features.