Jack POV
"Well… that was easy," I said, staring out at the pile of unconscious villains scattered across the floor.
"Why are we even here?" Track Star complained from behind me. "You took them all out in less than sixty seconds."
He wasn't wrong.
The moment we arrived on Earth-3, right inside Lex's floating base, it was chaos. Villains everywhere, tearing the place apart before anyone could react.
Then I moved.
One step, one breath… and everything slowed down.
I blurred through the room, striking pressure points, dropping bodies before they even realized I was there. No wasted movement. No hesitation. Just clean, precise hits.
Now?
They were all tied up. Out cold.
And we were just… standing here.
I rolled my shoulders a little. "I could've ended it faster," I said casually, "but I didn't feel like killing anyone today."
I glanced around at the mess again, then smirked. "Besides… this isn't the real fight. These guys? Just warm-up fodder. When we hit the bosses, things should finally get interesting."
"You already took down two of them," Lex said.
I blinked. "Wait… what?"
He pointed toward two bodies.
"That's Owlman… and Superwoman. Two of the Crime Syndicate's top members."
I looked at them.
Then back at him.
"…You're serious?"
Lex didn't even blink.
I let out a small breath, rubbing the back of my neck. "Man… they went down way too easily."
I glanced back at the unconscious duo, frowning slightly.
"I thought this was gonna be fun," I muttered. "Like… actual fights. Push me a little."
I sighed, clearly disappointed. "At this rate, I'm not even gonna get a decent challenge out of this."
Silence.
I turned and immediately noticed everyone staring at me.
My team. The others. Even Lex.
All of them were looking at me like I'd just said something completely insane.
"Boohoo, cry me a river," Track Star said, crossing his arms. "Now what are we gonna do with these guys? We can't just leave them here; they can break out and warn the others."
"He's right," Stormfront added, her eyes flicking toward me. "Especially now. If we want to keep Jack a secret, we can't risk tipping them off."
Lex adjusted his gloves slightly. "We can't take them to my other base either. That's too much of a liability."
Blonde Blazer shook her head. "And if we leave them here, they'll wake up, break out, and alert the rest of the Crime Syndicate. After seeing what Jack can do? We have no idea how they'll respond."
Captain Atom folded his arms. "And if we move them and they escape while we're gone, that's a whole different disaster."
Everyone started talking over each other after that.
Problem this. Risk that. Worst-case scenario, everything.
I let them go on for a few seconds… then sighed.
"Alright, chill," I said, raising a hand. "I've got a solution."
That stopped everything.
Every single one of them turned to look at me.
"I just need… a container," I said.
Flash blinked. "A… container? Why?"
"It'll make sense when you see it," I replied with a small grin.
They still looked confused, but Flash and Track Star didn't question it. Both of them vanished in a blur, racing around the base.
A second later, Flash reappeared, holding a large decorative vase.
"…This work?" he asked.
I took it, inspecting it for a second before nodding. "Perfect. Even got a lid. Makes this way easier."
I set it down right next to the pile of unconscious villains.
Then I stepped back.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then I raised both my hands.
A blue aura flared around me, crackling softly as the air itself seemed to hum with energy.
"Evil Containment Wave."
The moment I said it, a swirling, emerald-blue vortex erupted from my hands—like a controlled tornado of energy. It surged forward, wrapping around the villains, lifting them off the ground one by one.
Their bodies floated, glowing faintly as the energy tightened around them, compressing them together.
Then, with a sharp motion, I directed the wave, and they all shot straight into the vase.
One. After another. Clean. Controlled.
The moment the last one disappeared inside, I moved fast, snatching the lid and slamming it shut.
A faint pulse of energy echoed from inside.
I held up a finger, forming a small, bright beam of energy at the tip, and began tracing glowing symbols across the surface of the vase, sealing it.
A few seconds later, the light faded.
Done.
I straightened up, dusting my hands off like I hadn't just stuffed a group of supervillains into pottery.
"Alright," I said casually, "they're sealed. That'll keep them locked up as long as we want."
I pointed at the lid. "Just… don't open it. Unless you feel like letting them all out at once."
Silence.
I looked up.
Everyone was staring at me again.
Wide eyes. Slightly open mouths. Completely baffled expressions.
"…What?" I asked.
"What the fuck was that?" Guy Gardner asked, staring at the vase as if it might explode.
I shrugged. "It's called the Evil Containment Wave. Designed to trap pretty much anything inside a sealed container." I smirked a little. "Learned it from an old pervert."
That didn't help their confusion.
"Anyway," I clapped my hands once, "let's not hang around. Lex, lead the way to that other base."
They clearly had a lot of questions, but for once, nobody pressed me. Probably because they were still trying to process what they just saw.
A moment later, Lex stole Owlman's Invisible Jet. Some of them boarded; the rest of us just flew alongside it.
Didn't take long, about thirty minutes.
When we arrived, I made sure to set the vase somewhere safe. You know… far away from anyone curious or stupid enough to open it.
Then I joined the others.
They were all gathered in front of a massive screen.
"These are the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate," Lex said.
He pressed a button.
Six figures appeared on the screen, but three of them were marked with red X's: Owlman, Superwoman… and a green Martian.
"Thanks to my friend, the Jester, J'edd J'arkus has already been eliminated," Lex continued. "And thanks to Jack taking down Superwoman and Owlman, we're left with three primary leaders."
The screen zoomed in.
"Johnny Quick. Ultraman, and Power Ring."
Lex folded his hands behind his back. "It's only a matter of time before they realize Owlman and Superwoman aren't responding. We need to act before they regroup."
"Now you're speaking my language," Guy said with a grin. "Let me guess, we hit their operations first? Cripple their money, weapons, all of it?"
Lex nodded. "Exactly. I've already prepared multiple targets. We strike all at once."
I tilted my head slightly. "That's great and all… but even if we take everything down and lock them up, what's stopping them from just breaking out again?"
I leaned casually against the console, absentmindedly petting a small monkey in a jester outfit that had somehow appeared in my arms.
"Please tell me you've got something that can actually suppress their abilities."
There was a pause.
"…Where did that monkey come from?" Superman asked, staring at it.
I glanced down at the little guy, then back up at him.
"…You're asking the wrong questions."
"I have blue Kryptonite to deal with Ultraman," Lex said.
I nodded slowly. "Alright… that handles one problem."
I glanced back at the screen, eyes narrowing slightly. "But what about Power Ring and Johnny Quick? You got a speed dampener? Something that can shut down a power ring?"
Lex didn't hesitate.
"…No."
I stared at him for a second.
"Then maybe," I said, pushing myself off the console and putting the monkey down, "you should work on that first before we go in guns blazing."
Captain Atom frowned. "So what, we just sit here and wait? We've got enemies to take down. And as Lex said, it's only a matter of time before the others notice something's wrong."
"I get that," I replied, holding up a hand. "Trust me, I want a fight just as much as you do."
I paused, my tone shifting, less casual, more serious.
"But I've learned the hard way… charging in without a plan? That's how people die."
That got their attention.
I gestured toward the screen. "Let's say we win. We take them all down. Then what?"
Silence.
"They break out," I continued. "Or worse, someone lets them out. Government gets scared, cuts a deal, thinks they can control them."
I let that sink in.
"And next thing you know? We're back here again… except this time, a lot more people are dead."
I folded my arms.
"We don't just need to beat them, we need to end the cycle."
A few of them shifted uncomfortably.
"We need something permanent," I said. "A way to lock them down so completely that breaking out isn't even an option."
I glanced around at everyone.
"A prison. A system. Something that makes them stay down."
The room went quiet.
No jokes.
No arguments.
Just everyone is actually thinking about it.
Good.
"What do you suggest?" Lex asked, turning toward me.
I shrugged slightly. "Well… it just so happens my sister has a dimension specifically designed to hold superpowered criminals."
That got everyone's attention.
"I'm thinking," I continued, "after we take them down, I'll bring them back to my Earth and lock them up there."
"…What?" Lex said, narrowing his eyes.
"Think about it," I replied calmly. "Eventually, someone here is going to be dumb enough to try and break the Crime Syndicate out, either for power, fear, or to earn their favor."
I gestured toward the screen.
"We already have the tech and the systems to hold people like them. Permanently. No escapes. No second chances to hurt anyone."
Lex went quiet, clearly weighing it.
"I don't know if I can ask you to do that," he said after a moment.
I smirked slightly. "Good thing you're not asking. I'm offering."
I stepped forward a bit.
"You've already seen what I can do. I handled that group without killing them, and I can do the same to the rest. We came here to help you… So let me help."
Lex was silent for a few seconds.
Then finally, he nodded.
"…Alright."
"Good," I said. "Once we take them down, I'll transport them to my Earth. They'll be locked away for a long time."
I paused, expression flattening slightly.
"Maybe they can be redeemed someday… but I'm not holding my breath."
"I don't like the idea of you taking criminals from this world without discussing it with the rest of us," Captain Atom said, arms crossed.
I glanced at him.
"…Didn't really see the point," I replied bluntly. "You're not the ones keeping them contained."
His eyes narrowed. "And what happens if they escape your prison?"
Before I could answer.
"They won't," Stormfront said calmly.
Everyone turned to her.
"Hope designed that dimension," she continued. "And she doesn't do anything halfway. She's got fail-safes on top of fail-safes."
She smirked slightly. "She even made contingency plans… in case you guys ever go bad."
"…What?" Captain Atom said.
"Yeah," Stormfront added casually. "She came up with those after the whole Batman situation. She's still annoyed about that."
I blinked. "Wait, is this about the Thanagarian invasion?"
Stormfront nodded. "Yeah."
I couldn't help it, I laughed. "Man, I heard about that. Hope knocked him flat, didn't she?"
"Yep," she said. "After that, she decided if another crisis happens and someone refuses to cooperate with the plan… she'll take them down herself and lock them up."
Her eyes drifted toward Captain Atom.
"Why are you looking at me?" he asked, already irritated.
"Because she calculated a 76% chance you'd make things worse in a future crisis."
"…What?"
That did it.
Captain Atom stepped forward, anger flaring, fists clenched.
The room tensed, but I was already moving.
I appeared right in front of him.
The sudden shift made everyone freeze.
"You don't want to do that," I said quietly.
He squared up, energy starting to build. "You think I'm scared of you?"
"I don't care if you're scared or not," I replied, voice flat. "Take one more step toward my teammate…"
I leaned in slightly.
"…and I'm putting you on the ground."
For a split second, it looked like he might actually swing.
I was ready, then.
"Enough."
Superman stepped between us, his presence instantly cutting through the tension.
"We are not each other's enemies," he said firmly.
That pause… was enough.
Captain Atom exhaled and slowly dropped his stance.
The energy in the room eased, just a little.
Superman looked around at all of us.
"Look," he continued, calmer now, "I understand why some of you don't like the idea of contingency plans. But they're not new."
He glanced at Captain Atom, then the others.
"Batman has them, too. For all of us."
No one argued.
"We're powerful," he went on. "And that means there's always a risk, mind control, manipulation, coercion. Any of us could be turned into a threat."
He looked back at me.
"I may not know Warrior," he admitted, "but I do know Mage King. He's proven, time and time again, who he is."
Then he nodded slightly.
"And Hope… from what I know about her, she is a good person as well and won't use those plans recklessly."
The room fell quiet again.
But this time… it wasn't tension.
It was understanding.
Captain Atom narrowed his eyes at me. "Then I hope those plans of yours can handle me," he said coldly. "Because if even one of those supervillains escapes… I'm holding you responsible."
I didn't even flinch.
"Fair enough," I said with a small shrug. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."
I cracked my neck slightly as a grin spread across my face.
"But enough talking."
I looked around at the team, energy shifting back to that confident, ready-for-war vibe.
"Let's get out there…"
My grin widened.
"…and go kick some supervillain ass."