| Metropolis - October 2
Joseph sat comfortably in Lex's old office, lounging in his father's luxurious chair with a faint smile as he read a book. He wore black dress pants and a crisp white shirt — both formed from his Nth nanites. The penthouse remained largely unchanged; say what you would about Lex Luthor, but the man had impeccable taste.
The book in his hands was a self-help guide for entrepreneurs written by billionaire Maxwell Lord. Joseph wasn't reading for entertainment — he wanted to understand how a man who had recently begun donating massive sums to the Justice League thought.
Sure, Nova could've downloaded the book directly into his mind, but that would've been dull. Sometimes, the old-fashioned way was better — a reminder to enjoy the finer things in life. Besides, he'd already uploaded every major business management text ever written into his mental archives.
He closed the book after ten minutes. Even reading manually, his brain processed information far faster than any normal human's.
Lord's argument for ruthless management strategies was interesting — especially given his new philanthropic streak. Strange. But Joseph didn't have time to personally investigate every slightly suspicious person on Earth. He wasn't trying to become a megalomaniac overlord who violated minds at the first sign of threat.
He'd once thought the Justice League too cautious, but now he understood the value of restraint — checks against the kind of arrogance that came with power.
His gaze drifted to the sleek monitor on the desk — a mere prop, since he could process far more internally. On-screen was an unfinished report proposing the integration of BellCoin, his cryptocurrency, into all LuthorCorp operations. It detailed benefits like financial efficiency, ecosystem control, and improved customer retention.
BellCoin had already proven successful within BellCorp, which Joseph planned to keep separate from LuthorCorp until he was sure Lex hadn't handed him the company as part of some grand scheme. The primary challenge was volatility — something easily mitigated by pegging it to a stable fiat currency like the U.S. dollar.
His ultimate vision was for BellCoin to unify global economies under a single digital standard — much like other advanced civilizations across the galaxy. Greater stability. Greater efficiency. Total integration.
If successful, it would make him the most powerful economic figure in history — a walking monopoly. Countless people and shadow organizations would want him gone, especially those manipulating global events behind the scenes. But he didn't care. Nothing could stop him.
Joseph had no interest in ruling as a king. But he had no issue guiding from the background. Truth be told, he might have joined the Light if they'd genuinely wanted to improve Earth rather than bring intergalactic conflicts to Earth to force the evolution of humanity.
And there was also the fact they'd killed his mother. That debt would be repaid in full.
'Nova, any updates?'
//Using global security cameras in conjunction with mirror-gun technology to peer into reflective surfaces, I've located several agents of the Light. Key figures like Ra's al Ghul and Vandal Savage remain undetectable, likely due to experience avoiding surveillance. The Light appears to be operating worldwide, seeking something — often clashing with the League but favoring retreat.//
'Good. Inform the Blacksmith. Have her use the Network to dig deeper. Let me know when someone important surfaces.'
Other than that, things were going well. No one from Apokolips or New Genesis had come seeking vengeance for Desaad's death. His actions seemed destined to go unpunished.
And then there was what he'd been up to yesterday.
Joseph leaned back, resting a hand over his hair with a smile.
'Smiling through it all. Can't believe this my life.'
The sound of heels clicking across marble broke his reflection.
"Joseph? What are you doing here? It's Saturday. There's no meetings scheduled." Lena Luthor stepped into the room, holding a folder of documents.
"Oh, hey Aunt Lena," he greeted easily. "Just finishing a report for the next board meeting."
"I see. It's good to see you so proactive. Honestly, I thought you might be overwhelmed, but you keep surprising me." Her gaze softened. "You looked pretty happy when I came in. Something good happen?"
"You could say that," Joseph replied, sitting a little straighter, trying not to grin. He was a man now.
Lena studied him, eyes narrowing with a knowing smile. "You should introduce that girlfriend you mentioned in that interview."
Joseph blinked. "Uh, sure... Why are you here again?" he asked, coughing lightly, trying to quickly change the subject.
"Lex finalized the transfer of all his shares under your name. Sixty-eight percent." She handed him the folder. "You won't be able to purchase or manage them until you turn eighteen next year, so I'll handle operations until then. I just wanted to drop off the documentation."
She paused. "By the way, have you found a place in Metropolis yet? If not, you don't need to stay in that hotel. My house has a spare room."
"Thanks, Aunt Lena. I appreciate it, but I'll pass," he said. He'd just bought a modest home he liked earlier in the morning. No need to flaunt wealth with mansions when he wouldn't even be home most of the time to enjoy it. Plus, he could carry his most valuable belongings with him, conveniently miniaturized with Atom's shrinking tech.
Lena tilted her head. "Hmm. Is this because of your hidden girlfriend? I hope you're using protection when you—"
"Woah!" Joseph interjected, cutting her off before she could finish.
**
| Chicago - October 2
Having finally escaped his aunt's teasing, Joseph quickly found himself battling boredom.
All the power in the world couldn't fix that.
Before gaining the Nova Force, his days had been consumed by jobs—flipping fishburgers at a fast-food place owned by the Penguin—leaving him no time for hobbies or leisure. And after gaining Nova and his powers, his life had been filled with crime-fighting, leaving little room for personal enjoyment.
What did he even like to do for fun?
Eating good food and watching movies was enjoyable, but those were reserved for dates with Kori. Watching movies alone would get boring fast.
Hanging out with friends was fun but they were busy with their own lives.
Fighting in the Dream State was a good way to pass time before Nova downloaded all the necessary knowledge into his brain.
He continued to ponder the question in his Nova suit, patrolling the skies over Chicago.
Today was slow. Quiet. Boring. Not like yesterday, when a series of chaotic events had kept him on his toes. Perhaps it was for the better.
Carla Viti enforced his rules efficiently, and criminals in the city were rightly terrified of him. There was unlikely to be any action here.
Waiting for crime to happen was tedious. He wasn't a cop; he was a superhero. He should be handling only the threats beyond the reach of ordinary humans.
With a sigh, he hovered in place. Perhaps he should just move his belongings from the hotel in Metropolis to his new home—but even that felt dull.
'Nova, any suggestions?'
//You could explore the Mirror Dimension, have more interc-//
"That's it!" Joseph exclaimed.
He didn't want to involve himself in alternate dimensions and suddenly feel obligated to fix their problems. Call it cruel or selfish, but he belonged to this universe—and only this universe was his responsibility. Any other version of himself, if they existed, would have to fend for themselves.
Curious about where his body ended up when he became intangible, he decided simply to observe. He resolved not to interfere with whatever was happening there.
Willing himself invisible, he then willed himself into the mirror world. Nova obliged.
There was no sensation of displacement, yet the world around him had flipped into a mirror inverse. Words could not adequately describe the strange, disorienting feeling of the world reflecting itself.
Everything appeared duller. Quieter.
His Nova Sense, which had previously detected multiple living beings, picked up nothing. It was as though the planet were devoid of life, yet everything was a perfect replica of his own Earth.
Looking down, he saw cars parked on the road with no one inside them.
"Nova, connect to all networks and signals. Any signs of life?"
He sped across the country and circled the globe. Nothing. Descending into the Pacific Ocean, he found not even fish.
Nova finally responded.
//There are no signs of life. Information appears, but everything except audio is reversed compared to our Earth.//
It was eerie, seeing these buildings exist seemingly without reason. Even more unsettling was the fact that, to his knowledge, he was the only living being in this universe.
And yet… it was undeniably neat. Definitely a cheat code.
Here, he could visit any place he wanted, unrestricted. This entire universe was his to explore.