My fingers tapped the edge of my leather seat rhythmically as I processed the sheer implications of the fight I'd just witnessed.
It was Tyler-san's son.
Negative.
Julius Spencer. The boy the news was raving about. He was taller, faster, and stronger, but it was still him.
Sionas told Lily all about him.
He had some type of damage nullification technique paired with a space-related one. Separate, they might not be the stuff of Special Grade power, but together—and with access to Reversed Cursed Technique—he could be just as powerful as Neal. Probably more so, considering who his father is.
The heights he could've reached by now if only his father had trusted me enough to bring him into the fold. I saw how he grew up. Tyler's self-righteousness robbed us both.
There was a loud snap, and I looked down to see the armrest broken. I hadn't slipped like that in… years.
"Artisan?" I heard Lex Luthor's precocious voice sounding from my computer. Right. The conference.
"Something the matter?"
"A curiosity," I said, my voice even, but I knew I'd already given too much away. They were a ruthless bunch—the Light. Individually, they were an inconvenience, but together… they could bring the world to its knees.
Had I thought they could've been willing soldiers, I would've offered an olive branch. But they were too heady, too lost in their machinations—as was I.
All of us had our goals, none seemingly contradicting each other—until they did.
"I would've thought you were overcome by the boy's display of sorcery," a low, raspy voice said. Vandal Savage. "The binding magic he used is very specific. His healing was quite impressive too."
I'd expected them to dance around the issue longer.
"You have an agent working against us?" Queen Bee asked.
"Practitioners aside from my… coven do exist." The word felt disgusting, but it was a necessary inconvenience while I conversed with my global 'allies.' "They're typically not as competent."
"I find that hard to believe," Savage said. "In all of my years, I've never quite encountered your flavor of magic. Neither has Klarion."
A burst of noise preceded the Witch Boy's voice. It was shrill, mocking, and sing-song.
"Their thread magic is boring… Chaos should have more flavor… character. Isn't that right, Teekl?"
A cat mewed in the background, much to my annoyance. He never went anywhere without that thing. It was obviously connected to his powers, but the details elude me.
"Reservations notwithstanding, I think Artisan is most equipped to deal with this brand of sorcery," Lex Luthor said. "Bind him to us just like you've done the recruits."
Power hadn't been what got me a seat at the table; ambition and strategy were.
Vandal Savage had stumbled on my little collection ring in Singapore, recruiting children with an abundance of negative energy, and recruited me to do the same for the Light—but with slightly different parameters.
We'd gone after wounded soldiers and those born with the metagene. Perfect candidates for biochemical experimentation and stress therapy designed to produce meta-humans.
I struggled in the beginning, especially with the soldiers.
Many candidates reached their physical threshold with the slightest of pushes, and the end result proved to be entirely unremarkable and unsustainable. Their lifespans were cut short, and most didn't adjust well to the radical physical change.
As for the metas, the bulk of them didn't evolve. They died, writhing, screaming messes in my hands.
Out of the few that did, only a handful ended up with any worthwhile mutations. And of those few, only a fraction proved better than a handgun or didn't harm themselves in some way.
The bindings on the survivors were never forced.
Queen Bee saw that they agreed willingly in exchange for a stipend, a generous donation to their families, or some other vague, easily achievable promise.
We split the survivors more or less equally, though some were favored over others by certain members.
Naturally, the practice had been a boon for my Cursed Technique. I'd improved my creation process. I could more easily create sorcerers now. The sky-high Cursed Energy reserves were completely optional.
I'd been ready to play the slow game, gathering sorcerers over the years until I was ready to strike… but Desmond's successes and cloning technology made me reconsider my timeline.
What would be retained during the cloning process? The Cursed Energy reserves? The metagene? And just how powerful would I or one of my sorcerers become if we imbibed the Blockbuster Venom serum Brain was developing?
"Of course," I finally responded. Then I asked, "And what of the clone? Is it wise to leave him in the hands of the League? The discovery of CADMUS will set us back months on the Kr project."
"An acceptable loss," Savage said. "It will allow us to monitor his development before proceeding with the next iteration."
"And what of the Genomorphs?" I asked. I found their data especially fascinating. It was a wonder how Luthor missed the signs. I took one look at them and instantly knew they were going to rebel.
"They will serve like they were made to," Lex proclaimed a bit too harshly.
"In the meantime," Brain interjected in his thick French accent, "we will have plenty of… distractions to occupy the League. Word has returned from Santa Prisca. The experiments were a success. Our new soldiers will be able to shift like Desmond did."
I grinned. "That is fantastic news."
"Indeed it is," Savage said. "And could prove useful for our other problem."
The screen at the center of the conference hall shifted, displaying the children that had stormed the building alongside Julius.
--
POV: Julius
My fingers drummed on the window as I drowned out the noise with music. I was on a bus back to Austin.
Metropolis had been one big fucking ass pull. I still couldn't believe I made it out of there alive, and with no concrete plan with the Justice League, no less.
What was I thinking?
We made such a fucking ruckus, I'd be surprised if the sorcerers didn't know I was involved with Cadmus or Lex Luthor. Zatanna had made it pretty clear they weren't going to be covering for me, but I could get lucky…
Batman was too paranoid and compassionate to let my enemies take me if it came down to it, and most of the junior team would at least return the favor… hopefully.
I chewed my finger.
No. I can't rely on charity. That hasn't exactly been a winning strategy for me.
What I needed was preparation, strength, and a shit ton of clout.
I swallowed.
The League of Shadows had all three in spades… but they are also shadowy assassins who've overthrown governments and destroyed lives.
If Lex Luthor or the sorcerers paid them enough, they'd hand over my head gift-wrapped.
No, I had to get all three myself. I'd always toyed with the idea of smuggling professionally. Maybe it was time I gave it a real whirl.
At the very least, it would be very dangerous and help me reach First Grade.
--
POV: Robin
I followed Bruce as he trailed behind the other Leaguers. One by one, they vanished into the Zeta tube terminals with a flash of light.
"You wanted a word?" he asked, turning back to me. We were the only ones left on the terminal now.
"About the vow in Cadmus—"
"I would've made the same choice," he said. "You were in a bad situation, and you had to cut a deal with a dangerous sorcerer."
"Julius is not dangerous," I found myself admitting. "He's just… desperate, and angry, and a bit of an asshole."
I still can't believe he packed a grenade launcher. He's crazy.
"He is a survivor," Batman said. "And he'll manipulate you again, if you let him. But then again, if you hadn't gone into Cadmus without backup or informing the League—"
I frowned. "But you gave us Mount Justice. You introduced Miss Martian and let Superboy stay. Everyone's picking out a bed right now."
"Because we understand that we cannot stop you, so we're helping you," Batman said. "And while what you all accomplished was impressive… Cadmus was our worst nightmare. What if you'd died? What would the Flash tell Kid Flash's parents? What would I tell Artemis's mother? This life is dangerous enough without you taking unnecessary risks, especially under our watch."
Batman let out a short breath. I'd never seen him this upset. He hadn't raised his voice. He hadn't yelled. But I'd spent enough time with him to know for certain. Things will be different with us from now on.
"Your next mission cannot go like the first," he said. "Take the coming days to practice. Train together. Learn from each other."
He turned around, ready to leave.
"What are you going to do about Julius?" I asked.
"He's dealing with forces he doesn't understand," Batman said, "and he's been lucky so far. I'm going to make sure he doesn't end up dead."