James let a beat of silence pass before answering, choosing his words with care. "I'm concerned. Believe me. But panicking doesn't solve anything, and right now we have a network to dismantle before whoever sent those orders gets a chance to try again."
Batman accepted that, though James could see the question hadn't been fully set aside. Just shelved for now. He didn't care though, he's not Batman's sidekick.
"We finish this," Batman said. "Then we figure out who's hunting you."
James appreciated the concern. Batman actually wants to help.
'Hero mindset I guess,' he thought.
They turned to the relay device together. AEGIS had already mapped its structural weak points during the approach.
"Detonation risk if damaged incorrectly," AEGIS warned through James's helmet. "Recommend Batman's specialized EMP charge over conventional force. Probability of containing the energy release: eighty-three percent."
James relayed the information. Batman produced a small device from his belt, exactly the kind of specialized countermeasure James expected the world's greatest detective to have prepared in advance.
"This will overload the relay's containment field," Batman said. "Should sever the connection to the broader network without triggering catastrophic release. We'll have maybe ten seconds to clear the area after activation."
"Then let's not waste them."
Batman attached the charge to the relay's base. Set the timer. They retreated together toward the tunnel entrance, moving at a pace that would have been impossible for normal humans.
The countdown reached zero.
BOOM!
The explosion was contained, mostly, a brilliant flash of blue-white light that washed over the platform and died as quickly as it had risen. The rhythmic hum that had filled the station since they arrived cut off entirely.
Silence followed. Heavy, sudden silence.
James looked back. The relay device sat dark and inert, its casing cracked open, energy fully dissipated. Around the platform, the surviving guards had either fled or lay disabled from the fighting. Viktor Dragunov was nowhere in sight, having apparently used the chaos to retreat through one of the secondary tunnels.
"Network severed," AEGIS confirmed. "Cross-referencing status updates from Superman and Flash's operations. Both report successful completion. All ten distribution hubs neutralized within a forty-minute window."
James let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "It's done."
"For tonight," Batman said, surveying the wreckage with the same careful intensity he applied to everything. "Mannheim will rebuild eventually. Whoever's actually backing this operation will find new avenues."
"But the immediate threat is handled."
"It is." Batman turned to face him fully. "Which brings us back to the question you didn't quite answer. Someone wanted you specifically. Captured if possible. That's not a casual interest, Sovereign. That's the kind of attention that follows a person."
James met his gaze through the helmet, genuinely unsure how much truth he could afford to share. "I don't have a clean answer for you. I wish I did. All I know is what happened here tonight, and what happened here tonight tells me this wasn't Intergang's idea. Someone further up their supply chain decided I was worth the trouble."
"And you have no idea who."
"None that I'd bet my life on." It wasn't quite a lie. James genuinely didn't know if it was Desaad specifically pulling these strings, only that the pattern fit something cosmic rather than criminal. "But I intend to find out before they try again."
Batman held his gaze a moment longer, clearly weighing whether to press further. Then, unexpectedly, he nodded.
"Keep me informed if you learn anything concrete. Whatever's hunting you tonight might come back around to hunt all of us eventually."
"Agreed."
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