"What is this?"
Adrian asked, his gaze fixed on the black crystal Bart was holding, curiosity flickering across his features.
"I'm not entirely sure," Bart replied, fidgeting with the uneven stone. "I got it from Luther Manor. Don't know its purpose, but it feels… nice to touch."
He held the crystal out to Adrian. "At least it's got one redeeming feature: it's cool to hold. In summer, it could double as an ice cube to cool you down. Too bad…" He shook his head. "It's winter now."
Adrian turned the black crystal over in his hand, sensing an aura that felt oddly familiar. Its energy resembled the Kryptonite he had seen before, yet it wasn't identical to the fragments he had encountered at Hamilton's. A relic connected to Krypton, perhaps?
A thoughtful frown crossed Adrian's face.
"Don't go near Luther Manor again."
He tucked the crystal away and spoke firmly.
"Why?" Bart countered, shrugging. "The owner of Luther Manor is gone. Lex Luthor supposedly died in a plane crash. If the place is abandoned, why not let someone else claim its treasures?"
Adrian's gaze was sharp enough to cut glass. Bart fell silent immediately.
"Fine," Bart said reluctantly. "I'll listen. I won't take anything. After all, I am now the Flash."
Having seen Adrian's capabilities firsthand, he had learned not to overstep.
Tidying his new MP3 player, Bart added, "By the way, this is my first time meeting your brother. Mrs. Kent said Clark was kind… I thought he'd be decent, but he seems like a bit of a jerk. If he were my brother, I don't think I could handle him."
"Nobody can stand you either, Bart," Adrian replied, a hint of dry humor in his voice. "Neither of you knows your place."
They stood in the barn's so-called "Secret Fortress." Clark had once used it to observe the night sky and Lana through a telescope, though his enhanced vision made such instruments redundant.
Adrian leaned against the railing, gazing at the moon. Its light spilled across the ground, illuminating him as the latent "Moon Essence" pulsed within his body.
"Have you seen Lex Luthor?" he asked Bart, eyes fixed on the half-moon.
"No, only that he's extremely wealthy," Bart replied, adjusting an old telescope he'd dragged out. "Bald, right? Very rich, very bald."
Adrian ignored the rambling and picked up a newspaper from a nearby box. Flipping through, he found Lex's photograph.
"Lex may not be dead. I'll give you the probable flight path of his plane. Your mission: find him. He could be stranded on a deserted island."
"Find Lex Luthor?" Bart asked, eyebrows raised. "That's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Not a needle," Adrian corrected, voice low and sharp, "but a man on an island."
The farm was silent. Winter had muted even the crickets. Night enveloped the land in a deep, suffocating quiet.
Later, Adrian lay on his bed before springing upright, eyes on the distant glow of Metropolis. He had installed a security alarm at the Justice Society Headquarters. Any unauthorized entry would ping his phone, a gift from Catwoman.
The alert lit up the screen. One intruder.
Adrian moved toward Bart, who slept lightly in a corner of the barn.
"Bart."
The younger speedster rolled over, waking immediately. "Something's wrong?"
"You're always this nervous?" Adrian asked, noting the tension in his posture.
"Cough… usually, when I'm asleep, I feel the most helpless. Once asleep, I'm ordinary. That makes me vulnerable."
"Go to Justice Society Headquarters," Adrian ordered. "Someone's inside."
---
Metropolis – Justice Society Headquarters
A dark figure moved silently through the pitch-black halls. The intruder's silhouette blended with shadows.
On their hand glowed a faint green light—the unmistakable power of a Green Lantern Ring. Its energy radiated, filling the space with authority and menace.
Following the power, the intruder reached a cabinet.
Bang!
A beam of emerald energy tore through the cabinet door. The figure retrieved the power battery inside.
"This is the tool that charges the ring?" a female voice murmured.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the room.
She turned—and froze. Bart, in his Flash uniform, crossed his arms, staring down the intruder, appearing no older than she.
"You'd better put that back," Bart said.
Though a new Justice Society recruit, Bart already considered this space his territory.
"I—I'm sorry," she stammered. "W-who are you?"
"That should be my question. Who are you?" Bart's tone was hard, uncompromising. "This is my territory. You broke in, damaged things. Do you know how I feel about thieves?"
The girl lifted her ring, firing a green beam. Bart dodged effortlessly, the super-speed realm making her motions crawl in his eyes.
He surged forward, reaching her in an instant. His right hand shoved her back while his left snatched the Green Lantern Ring. He understood immediately: the ring was the source of her power. Remove it, and the fight would end.
Bang!
Energy erupted, blasting Bart backward. He tumbled across the floor, finally coming to rest, chest aching from the impact.
The girl, pushed by his speed, slid across the floor. When she stood, her eyes widened, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
How could anyone move like that?
Her ring hovered in her hand, ready to fire, when the air shimmered.
Adrian appeared before her.
She froze, stunned. The ring was now gone from her hand, held firmly by Adrian.
A palpable aura emanated from him, suffocating and intense, far beyond Bart's.
"I… I apologize for the damage, sir," she stammered, hands raised. "I didn't mean to fight. I—just lost control."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Losing control? No. You're a thief."
Bart pushed himself upright, indignation flashing in his eyes.
"I'm not stealing. I'm reclaiming my father's property," Adrian said coldly.
"The person you call your father?" Bart asked, bewildered.
"Yes. Alan Scott."
The girl swallowed, voice shaking. "I… I am Jenny Scott."
---