Samael61
patreon
Chapter 25 - Warworld and T.O. Morrow
🕑 Added 2025-07-29 20:02:07 +0000 UTCMetropolis
“Are you sure Superman didn’t hear us?” Claire asked as they entered the car and sped away from the scene.
“Believe me, he is not exactly the most subtle of caped individuals; if he had been, that conversation would have gone in an entirely different direction.” Unlike Batman, Superman preferred direct approaches, and if he thought Miles may have intended to shoot Anton, he definitely wouldn't stay silent.
“He has super hearing, right?” Claire did remember Miles mentioning how hard it would be to do business with Superman in Metropolis.
Miles nodded, slowing down as they were now far enough to not have to worry about the police. “Superman holds back a great deal owing to his upbringing. He has to consciously use his super hearing, as listening to a city the size of Metropolis all the time would cause sensory overload.”
“Now that the musclehead is bound for prison, what are we going to do?” She saw him using the computer in that room and knew Miles wouldn't do it for no reason.
“Take over the remnants of his network, and then have Poison Ivy start on her little gardening project.”
—
Officer Mason Carter groaned as he opened the door to his apartment, dropping his groceries in the kitchen before walking to sit down on the couch.
Mason’s hand went to his pistol as soon as he saw the man in a suit sitting in his place, before someone twisted his arm from behind and took his pistol, slamming the MCPD officer on the ground, and giving the pistol to the man.
“Adult magazines, Mason? You couldn’t find a partner with all that bribe money you took from Anton?” The man put down the magazines he was waving at Mason and took the pistol from the woman who now stood next to him, while Mason slowly got up, wiping his nose.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He denied the accusations, mindful of his own gun pointed at him.
The man chuckled, taking the remote from the coffee table and turning on the TV.
Dread pooled in his stomach as a video record of him taking bribe money from Anton played, with his face very recognizable.
“Would you like to keep playing the fool? Because your former employer did have a rather substantial archive of your activities.” In addition to recording his bribes, Anton also had videos of Mason’s sexual activities to use in case the police officer tried to double-cross him.
“You’re the one who sent him to prison; what the hell do you want from me?” The man pointed at the single seat, and Mason slowly sat down.
The man put down the gun, though the red-haired woman was still watching him. “I just came to inform you in person that there is a change in management.”
“You want me to work for you?” Not that he had a choice, because a dirty cop going to prison wouldn’t end well.
“And to inform everyone else that there is a new man in charge.” Most of Anton’s network were familiar with who worked for the small-time crime boss, which was just terrible management if you asked him.
Mason nodded; after all, it didn’t matter to him who had Anton’s place, as long as he got his money. “What about my agreement with Anton? Does that pass to you?”
“Mason, you prove your value to me, and I’ll make you rich beyond your dreams, and in that same vein, betray me, and prison will be the last of your worries.” The woman’s fist lit on fire, and even with the distance, Mason could feel the intense heat.
He visibly gulped, stretching the neck of his t-shirt. “Understood. Do you need anything from me now?”
“Just keep your eyes and ears open for any investigation into metahumans, the Justice League, and mentions of alien activity.” This was Metropolis after all; something along those lines was bound to happen, especially with Lex Luthor looking for new ways to kill Superman.
“Got it.”
“Well then, I am sure you need your rest.” The man got up, handing him the pistol after taking out the magazine and the bullets.
—
It was at the end of the week she had been given that Ivy finally made her decision.
“Commissioner Gordon, I pray you’re well.”
“Thank you, Mr. Beckett. It’s regarding Pamela Isley. I talked with the judge and put my neck on the line for Batman, so I want to be assured that there won’t be any problems. There are already enough people in places of power that don’t want me here; if Ivy does something to break her parole, I’ll be the one who faces the music.” James Gordon warned him, and Miles understood the position the GCPD Commissioner had put himself in, vouching for the good behavior of a repeat offender villainess.
He would be sure to not let the man down. “Batman wouldn’t support this endeavor if he didn’t believe that Miss Isley could be redeemed.”
“One more thing. The places Ivy attacked, their owners are pushing against her parole. There is literally a small army of lawyers at the courthouse.” Remembering her criminal record, Miles knew he would have to smooth some ruffled feathers.
“Fret not, Commissioner, I’ll convince them to back off.”
—
Gotham
After James Gordon gave him all the details, Miles called Mary to find him the best lawyer in Gotham and started tracking all the places Ivy wrecked and paid them off to drop the charges.
Ten million dollars lighter, Miles stood before Arkham as Commissioner Gordon escorted Pamela Isley out, with the guards of the asylum standing at the ready if Ivy tried something.
“Commissioner Gordon, Pamela.” They shook hands, though the green-skinned woman did seem to be in a sour mood.
“Terms of the parole have been explained to her; Miss Isley can inform you later. Now, Batman did mention some of your plans, but until her parole is over, she can’t leave Gotham, so whatever it is, you will have to do it here.”
“Noted, Commissioner. Shall we?” He turned to Pamela Isley, who nodded and got in the car.
—
“Care to tell why you look so down, Pamela?” Miles asked as he turned on the ignition and drove.
“I heard you paid all those rich bastards for the damages I caused.”
“Why yes.” Ivy scowled at the admission, angry that those people would continue to pollute the Earth, using the money of a man who claimed to want to save the world.
Patience was the key to dealing with a person who was very set in her ways. His speech at Arkham might have convinced Pamela Isley to reconsider her approach, but that didn’t mean she was there yet. “Pamela, I understand what you are feeling, but focus on the bigger picture. You can save this planet faster than the populace can pollute it, and when the time comes, the very people you want punished will be punished through legal means.”
“And when is that going to happen?”
“Patience, Pamela, you have work to do in the meantime.”
—
Miles took Pamela to her new house in Gotham, a large and cozy prefab on the plot of land he had shown her, where she would work and live until her parole ended.
He also brought in some animals to keep her company, along with a small staff, including a chef and a chauffeur so she could meet her parole officer as necessary.
She would rest for now before starting on her task of turning this dead soil to a lush grove, painting a piece of green land and clean blue sky on the grey and dreary canvas of Gotham.
The staff would also keep an eye on Pamela, but that was a given.
—
Miles answered his Justice League comm device. “This is Miles.”
“We have a problem. You need to come up.”
—
Watchtower
Hall of Justice
Miles walked in to find all the members of the League except Superman and Martian Manhunter gathered in the room.
Long story short, it was time for the Warworld, where Superman and Martian Manhunter were taken away by a slaver ship to fight in Mongul’s arena, with the League asking if he could find their location, as Hawkgirl and Green Lantern wanted to ask him first rather than go and investigate.
Since he technically wasn’t aware of where Superman and Manhunter would be right now, Miles would implore Lantern and Hawkgirl to follow the ship that took their missing members. “There is one place that comes to mind, but I can’t be sure of it without further investigation.”
“Where?” Batman asked in that calm voice of his, wondering who would visit their solar system, much less kidnap people, and for what reason.
“In this part of the galaxy, when individuals who show great talent in combat are somehow captured, they are usually taken to Warworld, a planet ruled by an alien named Mongul. He forces people to fight in his arenas to keep the populace distracted. Seeing as Superman is one of the two remaining Kryptonians, and Jon is a Martian, they could have been taken there, but following the trail might be our best bet.” That way, they would find Draaga and put him in the seat of Warworld, preferably with the giant death ray out of the equation.
John frowned, having heard of the Warworld only by name and not being familiar with its location at all. “Damn it, it will be hard to find someone to take us there. Could you manage something?”
“Not in a sensible timetable.” Not that he could at all, except maybe call in a favor from the Thanagarians, but it would be best for the things to progress according to the canon timeline, and he wasn’t going to owe Thanagar anything.
“Alright, I and Lantern will follow the ion trail then.” Hawkgirl wasn’t looking forward to spending more time with the Green Lantern, but if it was to save friends, she would do what was necessary.
“One more thing: Warworld has a death ray, a weapon meant to be used to destroy planets. Should you find Superman and Manhunter there, destroying it will have to take priority, as Mongul won’t hesitate to use it as leverage.” Small adjustments could be made; after all, there is no need to let Superman take a beating from Mongul any longer than he had to.
“A death ray? What’s next, alien starfish?” Flash said ironically, unaware how on the mark he actually was.
Speaking of Starro, Miles would have to check which origin the creature had on this dimension and its current whereabouts.
“Let’s go; the sooner we leave, the faster we’ll find them.” Lantern left, with Hawkgirl following after him.
There wasn’t much else Miles could do for the Boy Scout and Jonn, so he left the Watchtower.
—
Metropolis
A very interesting piece of intelligence from Metropolis had reached him, concerning someone purchasing rare and expensive materials related to robotics being shipped to Yellowstone National Park of all places.
Which could mean a lot of possibilities, but the only one he knew of was Thomas O. Marrow, the genius robotics scientist who for some reason made it his goal to destroy the Justice Society and then the Justice League for reasons that weren’t mentioned in Young Justice.
It would be for the best for Miles to go and see if he could be convinced to turn over a new leaf, but going there just with Claire would not be wise, which meant he had to find someone to help him.
And he just had the person in mind.
—
Finding Supergirl was simple, as he just had to wait for a crime to occur and for the young heroine to swoop in.
And since bank robberies were so common, it meant he had to wait for her to arrest the criminals inside before nodding at her and turning back for her to follow.
—
As he waited in a dead-end alley a couple blocks down with Claire on the lookout, Supergirl came flying down. “Miles, right? Where is Superman? I can’t reach him for some reason.”
“He is outside the solar system, but he is fine. In the meantime, there is a matter that I came to request your help with.” No need to mention the whole debacle with the Warworld, since the League had not.
“So did you want to talk about something?”
Miles nodded, explaining his reason for being here. “Thomas O. Morrow is a genius roboticist with a grudge against the Justice League. Recently I found some tracks that may lead to him, and if I am on the right trail, I’ll need a heavyweight fighter, and I thought you could use the experience of fighting more than just robbers with guns.”
Supergirl considered it shortly before agreeing. “Well, I can’t say I am against it, though what about the League?"
“Don’t tell me you never rebelled against authority? What the League doesn’t know won’t hurt them, and it's not like we are doing anything illegal.” A hotheaded teenager like her wouldn’t refuse the opportunity, especially with a protective cousin like Clark Kent.
Supergirl grinned. “I’m in.”
Comments
GameMage
Thanks for the chapter. Great work.
