Kara and him came to Earth carrying a sacred mission.
What mission could be more sacred and noble than fighting for the survival of one's own species?
At this moment, Joey couldn't think of any other answer.
"Tell me, Kara—when will they arrive?"
As long as Kara hadn't sent out Earth's exact coordinates, the Kryptonian fleet would still need time to find it.
Then Joey got an answer from Kara that filled him with despair—seven days.
In seven days, the Kryptonian fleet would reach Earth and completely wipe out all native life on the planet.
"Very well, Kara. It seems you really took what I said to heart—you've chosen your stance between all life on Earth and Krypton."
At this moment, Joey didn't even know from what position he could blame Kara Zor-El.
Back when he killed Gorilla Grodd and his dangerous ape kin, he had already explained this simple truth to her.
That telepathic silverback gorilla posed too great a threat to the humans living in Africa, so Joey ignored Kara's objections and wiped out the entire species without hesitation.
By the same logic, the relationship between humans and Kryptonians was the same. Humanity had simply, rather unfortunately, settled on land that now belonged to Kryptonians.
A paradise under a yellow sun.
"It's not like that, Kal-El! Krypton's arrival will bring Earth more advanced technology, a more stable order, and a better future!"
"The humans on this planet are too primitive. Without our intervention, they would have destroyed themselves. Only under Kryptonian rule can they be safe—"
"That's enough, Kara. A couple of Kryptonians ruling Earth and an entire Kryptonian empire ruling Earth are completely different matters."
Joey turned and cut her off. From her expression, he realized she was serious—
She truly believed that Kryptonians were morally and technologically superior to humans, and that their rule would make humanity better.
But morality only has meaning when judging individuals like Kal-El or Dru-Zod.
Applying moral judgment to an entire species—or an interstellar empire—is a luxury, especially when that species stands on the brink of extinction.
Kryptonians would clearly do whatever was necessary to ensure their survival.
"Kara, you talk about Kryptonian rule like it's a gift. But what if Earth refuses that gift? Will the Kryptonian fleet just turn around and leave?"
Having just witnessed Kryptonian ways from the Green Lantern Corps, Joey had no illusions:
"I ran into the Green Lantern Corps in another sector. They told me exactly how Kryptonian conquest works."
"Do you remember Tamaran from the Kryptonian database? Two years ago, its entire population was wiped out in a war with Krypton. Out of billions, only one girl survived."
But for some reason, when Joey mentioned the Green Lantern Corps, Kara's expression instantly twisted with rage:
"No! Kal-El, we are not like that! Don't believe anything the Green Lanterns say—they are nothing but dogs of the so-called righteous Guardians of Oa, the ones responsible for Krypton's near destruction! If you encounter them, you must eliminate them!"
The words 'Green Lantern Corps' made Kara tremble with fury. Joey stepped forward and held her shoulders, staring into her eyes. Her reaction made him realize something else:
"On my way back, I saw a wrecked Green Lantern ship near the edge of the Kuiper Belt—and the body of a Lantern whose ring had been removed. The ship's data said his name was Abin Sur."
Joey spoke each word slowly:
"Kara… tell me. Who did that?"
"..."
Her silence said everything.
"Kara…"
Joey felt his head buzzing. He couldn't make sense of this mess in such a short time. In his anger, he just wanted to be alone. He pointed to the sky:
"Kara, get off my planet."
····
"Ah, so you're here."
Wonder Woman left Themyscira and, unsurprisingly, found Joey in the Fortress of Solitude.
He was staring blankly at the countdown on the central computer: 6 days and 20 hours remaining.
The war between the Amazons and Atlanteans had ended—but the end of war only meant the beginning of politics.
The British royal family was condemning the Amazons at the United Nations, claiming their invasion had cost them the British crown.
And Arthur Curry, that idiot, was being demanded massive compensation by multiple nations for indiscriminately attacking ships at sea. The amount was so enormous that Diana doubted even recovering all sunken treasures could cover it.
But she had come for something more urgent.
With the war forcibly ended, she and Aquaman had an opportunity to renegotiate.
Investigations revealed that the hawkish factions—led by her aunt Penthesilea and Aquaman's brother Orm—had colluded, finally providing both sides with an explanation they could accept.
The problem was that the two masterminds had escaped the joint pursuit of Amazon and Atlantean forces and fled somewhere neither side could reach.
Wonder Woman handed Joey an Atlantean tech tablet showing their escape.
With a loud 'boom,' Penthesilea and Orm were enveloped in rings of white light. As the light contracted, they vanished.
Boom Tube.
A highly advanced point-to-point extradimensional teleportation technology from New Genesis and Apokolips.
Given the differences between the two worlds, Joey assumed—for now—that this was Apokolips' doing.
"So Apokolips wants in too?"
Joey was already struggling with the Kryptonian invasion and the conflicting accounts involving the Green Lantern Corps.
There was a living witness proving Krypton had wiped out Tamaran, but Kara's accusations against the Corps made everything more confusing.
In this universe, many things were reversed—good and evil blurred—and the Guardians of Oa were hardly spotless.
Yet Joey had seen firsthand that Green Lantern rings were powered by willpower, requiring immense mental strength. The Lanterns he met didn't seem like liars.
Now, with news of Penthesilea and Orm colluding with Apokolips, the pressure only grew.
Why are there more and more outside forces involved?
Was Earth really that unlucky?
Why were so many cosmic powerhouses suddenly interested in this remote planet?
Joey didn't even want to imagine fighting the Kryptonian empire while, at the same time, a Boom Tube opened and Darkseid arrived with millions of Parademons…
And then there was the Green Lantern Corps—perhaps well-meaning individuals, but their superiors, the Guardians of Oa, were another matter.
What kind of 'thriving' scene would Earth become then?
Everything should just implode… seriously, this is exhausting.
Just kidding.... The pressure forced Joey into action.
He began reallocating access permissions to the Fortress's systems, removing Kara's authority and cutting off interstellar communication channels.
Then he set out to visit Cyborg. After all, Cyborg practically had full control over Earth's networks.
With his help, many things would become much easier.
Joey believed… Earth might still be worth saving.