A few moments later, Daniel reappeared in the Batcave with Victor Stone standing beside him and the third Mother Box resting in his other hand.
Everyone's attention immediately shifted to the cube.
"Good news. The third Mother Box is safe, thanks to Victor." Daniel gave Victor a light pat on the shoulder.
Victor looked around the Batcave, still trying to process what was happening. The people surrounding him were the same heroes he had only ever seen on television, and he hadn't expected to meet them, much less stand in the same room with them.
Clark looked at the Mother Box. "So, as long as we keep it away from Steppenwolf, Earth is safe?"
"Not exactly." Daniel looked down at the cube in his hand.
"This is Alien technology. We don't fully understand how it works. Even if it's dormant now, it could reactivate at any time and establish a connection with the other two Mother Boxes."
"They're essentially living supercomputers — capable of sensing their surroundings, adapting to changing conditions, and communicating with each other across vast distances."
Bruce folded his arms. "So hiding it isn't a permanent solution."
"Exactly. The moment it becomes active, Steppenwolf will know where it is." Daniel had already tried placing it inside his inventory, and the system had simply refused.
The Mother Box was one of the most powerful artifacts ever created by Apokolips — his system couldn't treat it like an ordinary item, and he had no way of knowing when this dormant cube would awaken and reach out to the other two.
"And currently the enemy is also hidden, so this is basically a ticking time bomb," Clark said, his eyes still on the Mother Box. "We don't know when it's going to go off."
Daniel nodded. Barry looked at the cube for a moment before speaking. "Um... if it's that dangerous, why don't we just destroy it? If it's gone, whoever's looking for it won't be able to find it."
"Good idea, Barry, but..." Daniel raised his hand. The Mark of Nexus activated as space around the Mother Box began to distort. Immense gravitational force compressed the cube from every direction, enough to bend the surrounding air and crack the stone floor beneath it.
Several seconds passed. The distortion disappeared. The Mother Box remained completely untouched.
Daniel lowered his hand. "Yeah. They're not easy to destroy. As far as I know, the only reliable way is throwing one into a black hole."
Victor looked around at everyone gathered inside the Batcave, still struggling to understand why he had suddenly been brought here. "So... what are we? Some kind of super-powered team?"
Batman answered before anyone else could. "No." His voice was calm and firm.
"We're the last line of defense when a threat can't be handled by conventional means. Armies exist to fight wars. Police exist to protect civilians. When neither of those is enough, that's where we come in."
Daniel nodded. "And that's why we're all here. Right now, we're the strongest people on Earth. If an enemy capable of destroying this planet arrives, fighting separately only guarantees we'll lose. The only chance we have is to face him together."
Clark looked around the Batcave before speaking. "If Earth is in danger, then you can count me in. Protecting this planet is my responsibility, and if stopping this invasion means fighting alongside all of you, then that's exactly what I'll do."
Diana nodded. "I made my decision the moment I learned Steppenwolf had returned. The Amazons defended this world once before, and I'll do it again."
Barry rubbed the back of his neck. "You know... I'm okay with all of this, but shouldn't we at least get to know each other before we fight an alien invasion together?"
Bruce looked at Barry for a moment before reaching up and removing his cowl.
Barry blinked. Then his eyes widened.
"...Wait." He stared at Bruce's face for several seconds. "Bruce Wayne is Batman?" His voice echoed through the Batcave. "The billionaire? The guy who's always on magazine covers?"
Bruce remained completely unfazed. "Yes."
Barry shook his head slowly. "I've literally seen you on TV. I did not see that coming."
After the introductions were over, the atmosphere inside the Batcave relaxed slightly. Daniel looked around at everyone gathered.
"Well, the Justice League is officially formed."
Victor glanced at the group. "Um... who came up with the name?"
Daniel shrugged. "Don't know. Definitely not me."
Victor gave a small nod, though one question still lingered in the back of his mind — when exactly had he agreed to join?
*****
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