Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Intergang.
More advance chapters on [email protected]/Saintbarbido.
::-------------------------::
-General P.O.V.-
The debrief was over, and the room carried with it an air of accomplishment.
"Great work."
Batman nodded Jon's way then left.
The Dark Knight's departure left a silence that felt heavier than any lecture.
"Holy crap...did Bats just smile?"
Kid Flash asked.
"I think he did."
Even Jon sounded surprised.
"I am so Overwhelmed with shock. Is this real? Or am I in a dream?"
Robin stated, stunned at the approval they got from his father.
"Indeed, We did great. Not good. Great he said! Oh I wish I had a girl friend to gossip with!!"
Miss Martian meeped in both frustration and elation.
"I never doubted Jon."
Connor stated, matter of factly.
"His plan worked."
"And because of it, the delivery was a success and Dr.Ivo is in prison. This was our smoothest mission so far."
Aqualad had a wide smile on his face.
"This calls for a celebration!"
Kid Flash blitzed in and out of the room, returning in casual clothes, a party cone on his head, a bowl of popcorn and a game board in both hands.
"Whaddaya say Team? Who's up for a Dungeons and Dragons compaign? I found a set stashed in the storage room. Dibs on Wizard!"
"Bard."
Robin followed up, only for Wally, Jon and Aqualad to deadpan at him.
"What? Rogue is predictable, I want a challenge."
Boy Wonder shrugged.
"But you're Robin! It makes no sense..."
Kid Flash and Robin devolved into an argument over classes while Aqualad and Jon tried to mediate. The other two merely watched on.
"What are Dragons doing in dungeons?"
Miss Martian cluelessly asked Powerboy.
The latter shrugged.
"It's a popular game for nerds."
"I'm just saying! Rogue suits you more than Bard!"
"Argh! That's exactly my point! I'm always stuck playing Rogue! At some point it gets boring! Ever heard of change?"
"But you're great at it!"
Wally exclaimed.
"Robin, Kid, I do not think it matters that mu-"
""Shut up!""
Both yelled at Aqualad.
The Atlantean shrunk as if slapped.
Jon chuckled at the spectacle only to slap himself as he recalled something important.
"Wait wait...there's something I wanted to tell you guys."
Jon called out.
The arguing immediately ceased and everyone's focus shifted to the middle of the room. Towards the Leader.
Jon crossed his arms, his cape resting stiffly on his back.
"Before we break, I need to address something," He began, his voice calm and serious. "Batman told me something... unsettling. He thinks there's a traitor among us."
The reaction was immediate. Kid Flash gawked. Miss Martian's brows furrowed. Aqualad's lips thinned. Robin shifted, adjusting his gloves. Powerboy, stoic as ever, clenched his fists.
"Before anyone says anything," Jon continued, raising a hand, "I don't believe it. Not for a second."
"But why would he even think that?" Aqualad asked.
Jon's eyes flickered toward Conner. "Because of Cadmus. Batman thinks whatever mental programming they put in Conner could still be active, and that it makes him a liability."
"I...I'm the traitor..."
Powerboy flinched, his jaw tightening. Miss Martian stepped closer to him, her hand brushing his shoulder in support.
"Batman's wrong, Connor" Jon said firmly. "But he's not the kind to take risks, and neither am I. That's why I'm asking Miss Martian to work with Powerboy to remove any residual programming—slowly, just as long as you're okay with the mental intrusion Con."
Connor looked at his brother, a complex mix of gratitude and hesitation on his face. "I- I'll do it, but only if we keep it between us. The League can't find out."
"Agreed," Jon said. "We're a team. And every team needs its own secrets."
Robin tilted his head, a wry smile forming. "You've been spending too much time around me."
Jon smirked. "Learn from the best, right?"
"And what if there is another traitor?" Aqualad asked, his tone cautious.
Jon shrugged, his eyes steady. "If there's a traitor, I'd rather get stabbed in the back by one of you than destroy our trust by investigating. But for the record, I don't think any of you would betray us. I trust you more than I trust Batman."
The room fell silent, Jon's words sinking in. Wally flashed his way, slinging an arm over Jon's shoulder.
"Wow dude, I'm into girls so stop with the sweet talk."
Robin copied Wally.
"Seriously man, when'd you get this smooth?"
"I'm so Happy. Hello Megan! We need a picture. Group hug!"
"What? No wait, I didn't agr-"
Jon's plea went unanswered as he was burried in a heap of his friends.
Miss Martian captured the moment on her phone, remotely controlling it with her telekinesis.
"Too close...way too close..."
Jon breathed out, extracting himself by flying up.
"You're the right leader for this team," Aqualad finally said, his voice filled with quiet conviction.
Jon didn't respond, but his small, confident smile said enough.
-0-
Later.
-General P.O.V.-
Jon stepped into the kitchen of the Kent farmhouse, where Lois was rolling out dough for a pie.
"Mom, Connor and I are going to be training late at Mount Justice tonight," Jon said, leaning against the counter.
"All right," Lois replied without looking up. "But your father wants to talk to you when you get back."
Jon tensed but hid it with a casual smile. "I'll probably be too tired by then. Maybe tomorrow."
Lois raised an eyebrow but didn't push. "You can't avoid him forever, Jon."
"Watch me."
---
Hours later, Jon, Connor, and Robin stood on the rooftop of a building near the Metropolis docks.
Each of them wore black outfits and animal masks—Jon's was a grinning panda, Robin's a sleek fox, and Connor's a stoic wolf.
"Barbara, status update?" Jon asked, activating his earpiece.
From her lair in Gotham Academy's computer lab, Barbara's voice came through crisp and clear. "The warehouse is crawling with Intergang thugs. My drones have eyes on the leader, 'Ugly' Mannheim, and his lieutenant, Whisper O'Daire. They're near the docks. I've also pinpointed a truck at the back—checking it out now."
Jon confirmed 11 Intergang members with his X-ray vision.
"Perfect," Jon said. "And Barbara?"
"Yes?"
"We're calling you Oracle from now on."
There was a pause. Dick turned to Jon with a raised brow.
"Oracle? There's no way she'll-
"I like it!" Barbara exclaimed. "Now focus, gentlemen. It's go time."
-0-
The warehouse was dimly lit, the faint hum of machinery filling the air.
Intergang thugs patrolled the perimeter, oblivious to the three shadows moving silently among the crates.
"Now."
Jon gave the go ahead.
Dick sprung out of cover and took out two guards with precision, his collapsible staff spinning like a blur.
Connor leaped over the crates and incapacitated another group with a single clap upon landing, the shockwave sending them sprawling.
Jon, the Panda, strolled confidently into the center of the chaos. His bio-electric aura flickered faintly, blocking bullets before they reached his body.
With his men falling one after the other, 'Ugly' Mannheim stepped forward, armed with an Apokaliptian weapon around his brutish figure, dwarfing those around him. "You've got guts showing up here kid, and disturbing the peace. Who the hell are you?"
Jon tilted his head, the eerie smile of his mask catching the dim light. "I'm the Panda, and I'm here for your Motherbox."
Mannheim laughed, but it quickly turned into a snarl. "You have no idea who you're messing with!"
The weapon on his chest lit up in red, the plates funnelling energy into the barrel at the middle.
Jon blitzed forward and gripped the barrel crushing it, the weapon exploded from within.
Jon used his bio-electric aura to shield Mannheim from the worst of the blast, but it still left the latter draped in rags, hanging by the neck.
Tightening his grip, Jon brought Mannheim closer. "Intergang has been dealing with the New Gods. I know everything. Now, hand over the Motherbox, or things get uglier for you, 'Ugly' Mannheim."
Manheim's face twisted in rage. "Wh-Whisper, kill him!"
Whisper, a lithe woman with crimson hair, lunged out of cover, her twin energy blades humming.
Jon sidestepped her effortlessly and backhanded her. She dropped like a stone.
"Anyone else?" Jon asked, his voice mocking.
A manned robot lunged at him, but Connor tackled it with a thunderous crash and ripped the pilot out. Robin, meanwhile, used his grappling hook to secure Scarlet.
Jon turned to Mannheim,
"Now, where were we?"
"Found it!" Barbara's voice chimed in Jon's earpiece, surprising him. "The Motherbox is in the truck at the back."
"You sure Oracle?"
"What else is could be shaped like a cuboid and giving off more power than half of Metropolis?"
"Good point. Watch him, Fox."
Jon leaped away as Robin secured Manheim.
When Jon opened the truck, a rectangular device sat in the corner, glowing faintly.
"Jackpot," Jon muttered moving in and pocketing it.
They called the Metropolis P.D for Intergang before leaving.
-0-
Back on the rooftop of Gotham Academy, Barbara, examined the Motherbox with fascination.
"How do we use this thing to contact Metron?" Robin asked, his fox mask pulled back. After the successful heist, the four of them were gathered around the device on the ground. Above them, Oracle's drones hovered, running scans.
"No idea," Barbara admitted with a sigh. "But it's pulsing faintly. Maybe it reacts to—"
"I have an idea."
Before she could finish, Jon reached out and touched the Motherbox. If they were dealing with a mind, artificial or not, then he figured his aura could mentally connect to it, just like it had with Miss Martian's Bio-ship.
His bio-electric aura flared upon contact.
'Vhrooomp!'
A Boom Tube opened in front of them, its swirling energy illuminating the night and startling them.
"Whoa!"
"What the hell!?"
Through the portal, Jon saw a massive dark red throne room. And a figure in front of it, with his back to them, exuding a foreboding presence. One that Jon knew all too well but never thought he'd see this soon.
'DARKSEID IS.'
Heart racing Jon slammed the Boom Tube shut. "That didn't happen."
The rest were similarly shaken.
"It...it felt like Death."
Dick muttered with a haunted expression on his face.
Jon grabbed his shoulders.
"Don't think about it Dick...don't remember It. Forget about Him."
"Did- Did 'he' see us?" Conner asked, tense, his voice tight.
"I- I don't think so," Jon shook his head, pushing away his terror. "Ahem...let's try again."
"Y- yeah, good idea."
Barbara agreed, wringing her wrists as she did her best to follow Jon's advice.
Pouring his aura into his hand, Jon was careful this time and kept his focuse on their target's name and appearance, activating the Motherbox with specific intention.
'Metron..a path to Metron...'
This time, the Boom Tube portal opened to reveal a floating figure in a sleek chair—Metron, the New God of knowledge.
"It worked..."
Jon mumbled, face awash with the light of the Boom Tube.
"Ah," Metron said, his voice echoing with power. "What brings mortals to summon me?"
Jon stepped forward, discarding his mask. His voice brimming with confidence, he stared the New God in his black and red eyes.
"Jon-el, A son of Krypton summoned you, Metron. We need to make a trade."
::------------------------------------::
Pic on P@treon: Metron, creator of Fatherboxes and Motherboxes. New God of Knowledge.