The Watchtower's tactical wing felt different from everywhere else.
Not cold like the medbay.Not sacred like the psychic chamber.Not blinding like the speed lab.
It felt like walking into a mind.
A sharp, precise, dangerous mind.
Red Tornado escorted Elias to a reinforced sliding door and gestured forward. "Batman awaits you."
That sentence alone nearly made Elias faint.
He swallowed, stepped forward, and the door slid open with a whisper that sounded like a blade being unsheathed.
The room was dim.Lit only by blue holographic grids and tactical displays floating in the air like ghostly diagrams.Simulations.Crime maps.Threat assessments.
Batman stood in the center.
Arms folded.Cape draped like a shadow given form.Eyes glowing white.
He didn't look up.
He felt Elias enter and said:
"You're late."
"I—what? I'm literally on time!"
"You're late in your head," Batman said. "You came in afraid. Fear slows you. Sit."
Elias sat.
Instantly.
Batman turned slowly, analyzing him like a puzzle with missing pieces.
"Today," Batman said, "we determine whether you can think under pressure."
Elias nodded nervously. "…okay."
"Good," Batman said.
Then—he pressed a button.
The lights died.
Total darkness.
Elias barely had time to gasp before:
BEEP.
A red light flashed to his left.
"Identify the threat," Batman's voice commanded, coming from everywhere.
A hologram flickered into existence— a mugger holding a knife.
"Uh—criminal. Knife guy. Bad posture. Probably low-level—"
BEEP.Blue light right side.
A second hologram appeared—hostage situation.
"Civilian at risk! Needs rescu—"
BEEP.Green light overhead.
A collapsing building simulation started.
Elias panicked. "THAT'S NOT EVEN—DON'T BUILDINGS HAVE PERMITS?!"
The lights flickered. Batman's voice cut sharply:
"Prioritize."
"I—I don't—there's a knife guy, a hostage, and a whole BUILDING—"
"WRONG. Again."
Batman's voice boomed like thunder.
The simulations reset to darkness.
Elias gasped for breath. "I don't know how to choose!"
"Then learn," Batman said coldly. "If you freeze, people die."
Elias swallowed hard.
Batman pressed the button again.
BEEP.Red light—knife mugger.
BEEP.Blue light—hostage.
BEEP.Green light—falling building.
This time, the learning rule inside Elias kicked in automatically.His thoughts sharpened.Patterns formed instantly.
"Building first!" Elias shouted. "Highest casualties if ignored!"
The building scenario grew brighter.
"Hostage next!""Knife guy last!"
The scenarios vanished.
Lights returned.
Batman stepped closer, studying him.
"Correct."
Elias exhaled shakily.
Batman circled him."Good prioritization. Poor reaction time. Your fear is still the loudest thing in your mind."
Elias nodded. "Yeah, that's my natural state."
"Not anymore," Batman said. "We change it."
Batman pressed another switch.A grid formed under Elias's feet.
"Stand."
Elias stood.
"Move when I say move."
"What direction?"
"Wrong question."
A holographic projectile shot at his head.
Elias yelped and ducked.
Batman walked past him.
"That was slow."
"That was FAST!"
Batman didn't respond.
Two more projectiles launched.
Elias dodged instinctively—barely.
His breathing spiked.
Batman spoke, voice quiet and cutting:
"You're letting fear control your reactions instead of information."
Elias snapped back, "Sorry, controlling fear is NOT my superpower!"
Batman stopped.
Turned.
And for the first time—really looked at him.
"When you panic," Batman said slowly, "your power reacts. Violently. Unpredictably. If you panic during a mission, you could rewrite something fundamental. You could collapse a room. You could distort space. You could kill someone."
Elias froze.
Batman stepped closer, lowering his voice to an intense whisper only he could hear:
"You can't afford panic. Not with the ability you have. Fear is not an excuse. It's a weapon. Learn to use it."
Elias stared at him.
Something tightened in his chest.
Batman wasn't saying it to scare him.
He was saying it because it was true.
Elias swallowed hard. "…Okay. I'll try."
Batman nodded.
"Again."
For the next 45 minutes, Elias was:
dodging
analyzing
plotting
prioritizing
thinking faster than he ever had
Batman pushed him.
Hard.
But every time Elias started to crack, Batman changed tone—just enough to keep him from breaking.
He was harsh.He was strict.He was intimidating.But he was teaching.
By the end, Elias was drenched in sweat.
Batman finally said:
"Good. Enough for today."
Elias nearly collapsed. "Really?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"Better than expected."
Elias froze.
"Was… that a compliment?"
Batman stared.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that."
Elias smiled despite himself.
SUPERMAN DURABILITY TRAINING
The training hangar was enormous.
High ceilings, reinforced walls, and open space so big Elias thought they might launch space shuttles from here.
Superman waited at the center.
He waved.
Casually.
Like a friend in a cafeteria.
Elias's anxiety eased just a little.
"Hey, Elias," Superman said warmly. "Ready?"
"No," Elias answered honestly.
Superman chuckled. "That's okay. We're going slow."
Red Tornado stood by a console."Begin when ready."
Superman approached him."Alright. First, we're checking shock resistance. Just taps."
"Taps?"
Superman tapped Elias's shoulder with one finger.
Elias staggered seven feet.
"OH MY GOD!"
"Sorry," Superman winced. "Let's lower that."
Elias's body buzzed with weird electricity.Not pain—just shock.
Round two.
Superman tapped more gently.
Elias slid back two feet.
"Better," Superman said.
"Not better!"
Superman laughed nervously. "Next part—pressure testing. I'll apply force in increments. You tell me when it hurts."
Superman pressed a hand to Elias's forearm.
The pressure increased—like someone gradually turning a dial from "gentle pat" to "stubborn jar lid."
Elias gritted his teeth."I can… handle… this…"
His body adjusted rapidly, predicting tension, steadying muscles.
Superman's eyes widened slightly.
"You're adapting quickly."
Superman increased pressure.
Elias felt tension—
Then pressure—Then—
Pain.
"OH-kay—okay STOP!"
Superman released instantly.
"Good. You lasted well. Better than you think."
Elias shook his arm. "My bones disagreed."
Superman smiled sympathetically.
"Next is impact testing—don't worry, no punching. Just air compression pulses."
Superman exhaled—
A gentle gust of wind hit Elias's chest.
He stumbled but stayed upright.
"Nice!" Superman said. "Most people fall."
"I'm most people!"
"You're not," Superman said, smiling.
He increased the air pressure.
Elias held his ground.
Another increase.
Elias slid back.
Another—
His vision flickered.
Pressure behind his eyes.
No—Not now.
Not here.
Blood dripped from his nose.
Superman's expression changed instantly.
"Elias—stop. Sit."
Elias swayed.
"I—I'm fine—"
He coughed.
Blood spattered across his hand.
Superman caught him just before he fell.
"Red Tornado, we need a scan—now!"
Batman entered the hangar at that exact moment, cape snapping behind him.
He saw the blood.
His jaw clenched.
"What happened?"
Superman shook his head, gently lifting Elias. "The same overload from yesterday. The learning rule is still active. His brain can't handle the adaptive speed under stress."
Batman stepped closer, examining the blood.
"Red Tornado," Batman said, "turn off the training sensors. Give me the neurological output."
Red Tornado projected a reading.
Batman's eyes narrowed behind the cowl.
"…His neurons are firing at 400% baseline."
Superman looked horrified. "That's not sustainable."
"No," Batman said quietly.
Elias blinked through fading consciousness.
"S-sorry," he murmured. "I thought… I could handle it…"
Batman crouched beside him—just close enough for Elias to hear.
"You don't apologize for surviving," Batman said.
Elias stared at him.
He wasn't angry.He wasn't disappointed.He was… worried.
Superman lifted Elias easily.
"Let's get him back to medical."
As they walked, Elias felt darkness tugging at him—
But before it took him, he heard Batman mutter:
"We need to find out what his power is doing to his body…before it kills him."
Elias slipped into unconsciousness.
.
.
.
.
The medbay hummed with low, sterile light—soft enough for comfort, bright enough for analysis.
Elias blinked awake slowly.
His vision was blurry at first, shapes smearing into each other. Then the silhouette of a figure sharpened.
Red Tornado.
Sitting beside the bed.
Silent.Motionless.Watching.
"Good morning," the android said without turning his head. "Your consciousness restored itself 34 minutes ahead of predicted schedule."
Elias groaned. "Cool. I speedrun waking up."
He rubbed his temples—the back of his skull felt like someone had sandpapered his brain from the inside.
"Where's Superman?" Elias asked quietly.
"He left to file a report. Batman is reviewing medical scans. J'onn is preparing a controlled psychic environment."
"Oh good," Elias muttered. "Controlled psychic environment. Totally normal sentence."
Red Tornado stood. "They are concerned about you."
Elias blinked.
"…Actually concerned? Not 'contain the dangerous anomaly' concerned?"
Red Tornado paused.It was the kind of pause that meant he was computing the most accurate but least frightening phrase.
"Yes."
Elias let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Before he could say anything else, the door hissed open.
J'onn entered, his presence calm, warm, and strange in a way that made Elias's instincts twitch.
"Hello, Elias," J'onn said gently. "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm… alive?" Elias offered. "So that's something."
J'onn nodded. "It is a very important something."
Red Tornado gestured toward a circular scanning chamber. "We will begin the analysis."
Elias sighed. "Is this the part where I get lectured again?"
"No," J'onn said. "This is the part where we learn how your power works… with you."
Elias blinked.That was different.That mattered.
They moved into the chamber.
Holographic bands circled Elias, scanning every wavelength his body emitted—physical, neurological, psychic, energetic, even gravitational.
J'onn stood in front of him.
"Elias," he said softly, "I want you to think about the rule you made for yourself yesterday."
Elias stiffened.
"The learning one?"
"Yes."
Elias swallowed. "What about it?"
J'onn clasped his hands. "It is still active."
Elias froze.
His heart skipped.
"…W-what?"
Red Tornado activated a hologram:
A glyph-like structure hovered above Elias's scan—glowing faintly, intricate, shifting.
"This is a metaphysical imprint," Red Tornado explained. "A persistent command anchored to your cognitive field."
J'onn continued, "It enhances neural acquisition by approximately 500%… but it is also damaging your neural tissue."
Elias stared at the floating "rule structure."
It looked like a glowing knot made of light and thought.
"…Can I turn it off?" he whispered.
"That," J'onn said, "is what we intend to test today."
A small cold panic curled in Elias's stomach.
His power wasn't just… spontaneous.It wasn't just chaos.It made rules.Rules that lasted.Rules that could harm him.
"Oh my god," Elias breathed, "I gave myself a concussion upgrade."
J'onn actually smiled.Just a little.
"You survived it. That is something to be proud of."
Elias sat inside the circle.
J'onn's voice softened further. "Elias… we believe your power functions like an internal language. Your spoken 'rules' are commands. But the structure itself may be manipulable."
"Meaning…?"
"You may be able to remove it."
Elias's breath shook.
"Okay. How?"
J'onn's expression grew serious.
"Very carefully."
LESSON ONE: RECOGNIZE THE RULE
J'onn knelt in front of him.
"Close your eyes."
Elias did.
"Now… focus not on your thoughts, but on the thing beneath them."
Elias frowned. "The… thing?"
J'onn's telepathic voice entered his mind gently:
There is a hum. A thread. A pulse. Like a second heartbeat.
Elias inhaled sharply.
He felt it.
A faint vibration behind his thoughts.Constant.Steady.Subtle but unmistakable.
"That's it," J'onn whispered. "The rule."
Elias's skin prickled.
"I— I feel it. It's like… a program running in the background."
"Yes," J'onn said. "Now reach for it."
Elias hesitated."What if touching it breaks something?"
J'onn placed a hand on his shoulder.Warm. Gentle.
"You are not alone."
Elias swallowed.
He reached.
And the moment he brushed the edge of the rule—
His neurons lit like sparks.Images flashed.Words.Commands.
My learning speed becomes five times faster.
The sentence echoed like a ghost inside his skull.
Elias gasped. "I found it—!"
"Good," J'onn said. "Now comes the difficult part."
Red Tornado added: "You must attempt to unmake the rule."
Elias blinked. "How?"
J'onn's eyes glowed softly.
"Speak the opposite. But not physically. Mentally."
Elias's heart hammered.
"Like… saying 'Undo' with my brain?"
"Precisely."
Elias took a deep breath.
Pulled the rule closer.It thrummed like a live wire.
Then he whispered:
Stop.
The rule shuddered.
Release.
It flickered.
Turn off.
It dimmed—
And then exploded like a migraine grenade.
Elias grabbed his head, crying out. "AH—H-HOLY—WHAT WAS—"
J'onn steadied him instantly. "That was backlash. You disrupted a structure that was deeply integrated. Again. But slower."
Elias panted, shaking.
"S-slower. Right."
He tried again—
Quiet.End.Fade.
The rule pulsed.
Flickered.
Slowly—
Slowly—
Dissolved like burning paper.
The pain faded with it.
The buzzing in his skull quieted.
Elias opened his eyes.
"I… I did it."
J'onn smiled.
"You did."
Red Tornado recorded the results. "His neural baseline is stabilizing."
Elias exhaled, slumping in relief.
"Oh my god… I just turned my own brain mod off. That's… that's kind of awesome. Horrifying. But awesome."
J'onn placed a hand over Elias's heart.
"Remember this, Elias."
His voice was warm.
Steady.
Powerful.
"You are not a slave to your power. And your power is not your master. It listens to you."
Elias blinked rapidly, his eyes stinging.
"T-thank you."
"For now," J'onn said, rising, "you must rest. Removing rules is exhausting, even more than making them."
Elias sighed. "…That tracks."
Red Tornado escorted him toward his room.
As Elias walked, he felt something new:
Silence.
For the first time since arriving in this universe—
His mind felt quiet.
Not empty.Not numb.Just… quiet.
And in that quiet—
He heard possibility.
------
As Elias stepped into his room, J'onn and Red Tornado remained in the corridor.
Red Tornado spoke first.
"You did not tell him."
J'onn's expression darkened.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because he is not ready."
Red Tornado scanned him. "To know what?"
J'onn looked toward Elias's closed door.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"That there was another rule inside him."
Red Tornado froze.
"Another?"
"Yes," J'onn said quietly. "One he did not create."
"…Unknown origin?"
"Unknown," J'onn echoed.
The Martian's eyes glowed faintly.
"And far more powerful."