Across the city in a penthouse apartment with a view of Gotham's skyline, Selina Kyle studied surveillance footage on three monitors.
She'd been tracking unusual shipments through Gotham's port for two weeks. Her network of informants had flagged something big moving through the usual smuggling channels. Weapons. High-tech. Extremely valuable.
Selina had made a career out of knowing what was worth stealing. And these weapons were worth millions.
The footage showed the warehouse complex she'd been watching. She'd planned to hit it two nights ago, actually. Had even gotten close before that new vigilante, Sovereign, interfered and the whole place went up in flames.
But Intergang wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. There had to be other facilities. Other stockpiles.
Her contacts had confirmed it. A secondary warehouse in the industrial district. Smaller operation. Fewer guards. Still plenty of alien tech.
Selina pulled up the building schematics she'd acquired. Studied the entry points. Guard rotations. Security systems.
"Tonight," she decided. "Before they relocate everything."
She began suiting up. Black catsuit. Goggles. Claws. Whip. All her usual equipment.
Sovereign had been interesting. Strong. Fast. Surprisingly pragmatic for a hero. He'd given her that alien power cell as a gift after saving her life.
That device was currently locked in her safe, worth a fortune. But one device wasn't enough. Not when there was a whole warehouse full of technology waiting to be acquired.
Selina finished her preparations and headed for the window. Time to see what else Intergang was hiding.
---
In the warehouse complex on Gotham's east side, security chief Viktor Dragunov watched his monitors with cold eyes.
Two nights ago, someone had hit their main facility. Stolen a power cell. Professional work. Then the whole complex had gone up when that vigilante and the cat burglar triggered their contingency protocols.
Boss Mannheim had not been pleased.
Viktor's instructions were clear. Secure the remaining assets. Eliminate any further threats. And prepare for tomorrow night's distribution with extreme prejudice.
He studied the monitor showing the perimeter. Thermal cameras. Motion sensors. Armed guards at every entrance. The secondary facility was locked down tight.
His phone buzzed. Encrypted line.
"Status report," Bruno Mannheim's voice came through.
"Facility is secure, sir. All assets accounted for. Distribution vehicles are ready for deployment tomorrow night at twenty-one hundred hours."
"And the security breach?"
"We've identified the thief as the vigilante called Sovereign. Enhanced individual. Superhuman strength and speed based on witness reports."
"Can he be eliminated?"
"With conventional weapons, unlikely. However, we have Apokoliptian armament available. I've assembled a hunter team. If Sovereign or anyone else attempts interference tomorrow, we'll field-test the weapons."
"Good. The Gotham operation is critical. Darkseid himself has taken interest in establishing this beachhead. Failure is not acceptable."
Viktor's expression remained neutral despite the weight of that statement. Darkseid. The New God himself was watching this operation.
"Understood, sir. We will not fail."
The call disconnected.
Viktor turned to his second-in-command. "Double the guard shifts. I want eyes on every approach to this facility. Anything unusual, I want to know immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Viktor looked at the monitors again. Somewhere out there, Sovereign was planning his next move. The vigilante had proven resourceful. Dangerous.
But Viktor had survived worse. He'd fought in three wars before joining Intergang. Had killed enhanced individuals before. One more wouldn't make a difference.
Let Sovereign come. Viktor would be ready.
---
James returned to his factory base after the meeting with Batman. Thirty hours until the raid. He needed to maximize every minute.
First priority: equipment check. His Sovereign suit needed maintenance after the warehouse escape. Several armor plates had taken damage from debris. The grappling gun's cable had frayed slightly.
He spent two hours in his workshop. Replaced damaged components. Upgraded several systems. Added additional shielding to his gauntlets after seeing how the Apokoliptian energy weapons performed.
AEGIS provided continuous updates. "Suit integrity now at ninety-eight percent. All systems operational. Recommend field test before mission deployment."
"Agreed. I'll do a patrol run in a few hours."
Second priority: studying the Apokoliptian devices more thoroughly. James set up both power cells for simultaneous analysis. AEGIS had made progress on understanding the zero-point energy extraction, but there had to be more.
"AEGIS, focus on potential tactical applications. Can we disrupt these devices remotely? Override their safety protocols? Use them as weapons ourselves?"
"Analyzing. Devices contain fail-safes against external manipulation. However, fail-safes operate on specific frequency bands. Theoretical possibility: electromagnetic pulse tuned to precise frequencies could destabilize power cells. Effect would be catastrophic detonation."
James considered that. "So we could turn Intergang's own weapons into bombs?"
"Affirmative. However, detonation would be uncontrolled. Significant collateral damage likely. Not recommended for use in populated areas."
"Noted. Keep it as a last resort option."
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