Amending the text of the treaty tired the people quite well, but if any of my companions thought that now they could relax and go about their business, for example, go for a walk around the capital of the States in the company of a charming companion, they were cruelly mistaken. We still had to endure a rather tedious photo shoot with shaking hands with the first persons of the state to demonstrate to the common people that the government has everything under control. And it wasn't enough for me to pose for the camera, but Gloomy Mouse and Superman decided to inform about the first official meeting of the League, which should be held right now to discuss the details of cooperation.
Obviously, such a serious meeting could not be held in the nearest cafe, despite my generous offer to provide the place with privacy charms, so it was necessary to use the services of Kryptonian airlines to transport the friendly company to the temporary headquarters of the League, deployed in an abandoned Gotham movie theater.
Almost nothing had changed since his last visit to this place, except for two things. The central room, aka the operations room, in addition to the holographic projector built into the table, had a huge plasma screen, and the compartment with the 3d printer and the minimaster, with Cyborg's efforts, now looked more like a high-tech laboratory, crossed with a blacksmith shop and a dumping ground for alien waste, because of the abundance of cyberjuk armor parts and electronic components from the control room of the black tower.
When everyone was seated at the round table, Bats pressed a couple of buttons on the touch panel and the screen displayed an image of a strange purple object hovering in Earth's orbit. It was as if someone had taken an asteroid and carved out of its top a vertically standing elongated hemisphere with blue slits on the flat side, leaving the bottom and some of the rock on the sides untouched.
"Allow me to introduce you to the main staff of the Justice League," Gotham's protector said proudly.
After another series of taps on the touch panel, the picture came closer and became translucent, showing that behind the unassuming appearance there was a high-tech shelter, which could be envied by the Umbrella corporation. I remember in one of the movies they made an imitation of an American town, and here, of course, everything was not so large-scale, but on one of the levels there was room for a whole park on more than five hectares! And I'm not mentioning a lot of related peripherals, including the most advanced medical center, automated cargo bays, hangars for space transport, laboratories and places for living.
And while everyone was frozen in shock, trying to digest the really unexpected news, what can I say, even I was a little stunned, because I was expecting a normal orbital station, not the flagship of Tyranids, Bats calmly continued:
"It's just a mock-up for now. Superman has already found a suitable asteroid and has begun processing it. Once the cloaking systems are up and running, he will move it into Earth's geostationary orbit.
"And why are some parts of the station painted gray? - Barry asked, raising his hand in a disciplined manner.
"It's good that you asked. This is exactly the reason why we decided to show a mock-up and not a finished version. The gray color means general-purpose rooms, but you can ask to decorate them to your taste. Just before you do so, consult with the Cyborg in charge of the station's internal systems.
"Why isn't Superman doing this? - I'm delicately stepping in. - As far as I can tell, Kryptonian space technology is much better than Earth's in every aspect.
The most curious thing is that humanity in this universe may have left my past world behind in most scientific fields, but things were less rosy in terms of space exploration. Unless you count private initiatives, of course. There's the Green Lantern flying around the solar system just out of boredom. But the satellite network, at first glance, has much less coverage here, and most space launches in practice are private initiatives of mega-corporations. Although the most modern international space station seems to use an experimental gravity system, which causes double feelings.
"And who said that only Earth technologies would be used in the construction? - Victor was sincerely indignant. - During the contact with the Mother Cube, my brain downloaded information on many technologies of the universe, including achievements of other advanced alien civilizations, such as Alsteira, Brilix, Coluan and Dominion. I'm not mentioning Krypton, it's obvious enough.
"That's good. But since we're talking about the knowledge you received from the Mother Box, I'm wondering why you're so sure there's no trap among them. For example, the codes to disable all security systems or trigger the destruction system? And you haven't mentioned Apokolips technology."
"I don't know if I'm the only one who's confused about the Joker being the voice of reason. - Flash asked Diana quietly, making the heroes at the table think hard. Even Cyborg hung back, staring at me with a blank stare, maybe actually getting the Blue Screen of Death, given that he had a supercomputer implanted in his brain. The pause didn't last long, though.
"I'll take the lead on this one," Superman snapped to attention. - I came to Earth in a special capsule in which my father placed all the knowledge of Krypton. Some may not know, but before the isolation, my race's expansion extended to hundreds of star systems, so we have the opportunity to double-check the information available to Cyborg and choose the safest and most reliable option, even if its efficiency is lower than that of similar solutions.
The answer calmed me down a bit and at the same time ignited a wild research interest. Although I hadn't quite figured out Earth's mathematics and physics, I wanted to touch the knowledge of other civilizations, because some extraterrestrial technologies were more like magic, and maybe even used magical principles, but not as clumsily as most wizards did. Take the Ring of Will, or programmable solar crystals that can not only grow under the influence of light, but also act as elements of a quantum computer. My eyes caught on the gray zones on the layout, which, according to Bats, we can arrange at will. But now I was more concerned not with another variation of "sex dungeon", where you can have a good time with Harley (although that too), but where all the stuffing goes.
"Hmm, the asteroid clearly contains various minerals, such as diamonds."
"That's right, just yesterday I extracted several tons of... - the Kryptonian who started to speak was interrupted by the sound of the cash register. - But most of the materials are used to build the base itself.
"And also their appearance on the market could trigger a financial crisis," added Gloomy Mouse.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy. I'm not gonna crash the world economy. I need the diamonds for my superhero activities, because I'm sick of wasting millions of dollars on supplies. Here you go."
As a demonstration, I took out a small green stone and drank mana from it sharply, then pumped it back in and drank it again. The diamond, which had survived the journey through the labyrinth of Geo Populus, still couldn't withstand such abuse, shattering into several pieces.
"Millions of dollars..." said Barry, who had to take out a loan against his apartment for the sake of one suit.
"A very large sum indeed," Cyborg stared at me with an extremely suspicious look for some reason. - Now I'm beginning to guess your real identity, though you've done a great job of hiding it.
"You shouldn't," Gotham's protector said sternly, giving the pathos a squeeze. But I had other plans, and Cyborg would not be out of place.
"Huh, okay. You would have guessed it soon anyway, so I'll make it easy for you."
I swipe my hand across my face, removing the illusion and revealing that all this time she was hiding the masculine face with the strong chin, dark hair, and blue eyes that one occasionally sees on TV or in magazines when some lucky reporter manages to get a picture of Gotham's first groom with his new lady of the heart.
"Bruce Wayne?!"
The shocked heroes had no time to digest the unexpected news, but Green Lantern was the first to speak out.
"You know, that actually makes sense," he said thoughtfully, looking at my face with a very complicated look.
"Oh, really?"
For the sake of that question, Gloomy Mouse even removed the palm of his hand from his mask, which he used to cover his twitching eye. I'll have to remember to ask Harley to prescribe him a sedative, because with this double life, he was getting a little too jumpy.
"Naturally! - Hal nodded his head vigorously. - Think about it. The Joker appeared about two years ago, and at the same time Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham, though until then he had been quietly running the company from somewhere abroad. And he's doing quite well, judging by the rising stock. But really, who in his right mind would want to return to the most criminal city in America, risking his life and health, if there is an opportunity to live in some tropical paradise and not deny himself anything?
"Wait, but the Joker's been in Arkham more than once. Hadn't anyone noticed the frequent disappearances of Gotham's most popular billionaire? - Bats made a futile attempt to glue the cracked picture of the world back together.
"In case you haven't noticed, Bruce Wayne rarely makes public appearances. Maybe at such times he was in the asylum? - Diana, knowing full well the real identity of Gotham's protector, added with a faint smile.
"One of the sponsors of the League's headquarters is Wayne Enterprises..." Cyborg said quietly, causing meaningful snickers from across the table.
"And remember the fundraiser that the Joker's replica came to? - Flash perked up. - The real Joker had shown up almost immediately after the attack, so it had obviously been one of the invited guests or the host himself.
"But the looks..."
"Magic," Clark shrugged. It looks like there's lead in Bats's mask, preventing Superman from using his X-ray vision, and Kryptonians aren't friendly with magic that hides my face. Though we shouldn't rule out the possibility that he, like the Amazon princess, is just having fun, or maybe too correct to use his powers on allies.
"Magic and money. Don't forget about the money that can be used to bribe the local staff and set up a real boarding house! Eh, now I see how Joker managed to fool you all the time, despite all your high-tech gadgets, - Lantern sympathetically patted on the shoulder of Mouse, who lost his pathos. - But don't worry. Superman's enemies are also billionaires with an awl in one place. It's probably a common feature of all rich people who lack thrills.
The beautiful half of the team burst out laughing, and I had a creepy grin on my face, which looked very unusual on the face of Gotham's first philanthropist.
At some point in the discussion I thought that a little more and Bats will really reveal his real identity, just to avoid listening to this nonsense, but he had nerves of steel, well, I did not continue to torment people with a smiling face of Bruce Wayne and returned the past illusion.
"I just realized now that we've overlooked one detail," Aquaman said suddenly.
"That the Joker can't be Bruce Wayne because his Arkham treatment time doesn't coincide with his public appearances as a billionaire? - The man in the latex bat suit clarified just in case.
"Well, to be honest, I don't really care," Arthur dismissed it. - I mean the location of our headquarters. It's in space! How are you supposed to get there? I'm just reminding you that Superman, Green Lantern, and Diana are the only ones who can fly.
"The bracelets can control gravity, so I'm more like floating, and not for long," said the Amazon princess. - That's not even enough time to reach the upper atmosphere.
"Oh, well, that means only Green Lantern and Superman will be able to use the headquarters properly. And while I'm on the subject of remarks, why did you paint the station purple?"
"As for the color, all questions to Joker's magic, - answered Cyborg, - and for delivery we plan to use Zeta-beam, or, as an alternative, a space shuttle.
Naturally, everyone was interested in the incomprehensible name, so Victor had to give a whole lecture explaining the principle of operation of the installation, developed by the race of the Ranneans. And what can we say in summary. The idea that you will be dismantled into atoms, "shot", or "sucked" the resulting substance, and then put back together when you arrive at the place, did not arouse a lot of enthusiasm among my comrades. Though, if to abstract from the pictures that my imagination draws, the thing turned out to be even more convenient and to a certain extent more reliable than magical portals, but it also had enough disadvantages. The main one is that normal teleportation is possible only within the direct line of sight of the space station. That is, for example, to send people to the other side of the planet is still not worth it. In addition, high-energy barriers can also prevent normal teleportation. Although, purely technically, the installation of the Ranneans can teleport a person even to a neighboring galaxy, but there is already a question in the reliability of this enterprise, because passing through solid massive objects, there are all chances to lose part of their atoms. And it's okay if it's hair or a suit, but it will be quite difficult to live without a brain.
However, it's like a toaster. If you follow the instructions, everything will be fine, but if you suddenly decide to take a bath with it in the bathtub, having previously plugged the device into the socket, there is a non-zero probability of skating off. It's just that this is DC's universe, so it's entirely possible the outcome could be gaining superpowers.
The first meeting of the Justice League was still going on for another hour, but various organizational issues, especially the delineation of zones of influence, were really being resolved. At this point, the comparison to a hunting ground came to mind. Still, supervillains and superheroes are a little bit crazy, and it's not about the desire to take a flashy pseudonym and wear a tight latex suit, but about the sense of ownership. What's the big deal about going to Lex Luthor's house if he starts freaking out again and punching him in the head? No-no, Superman is in charge of Metropolis, so he will deal with the current problems on his own. The situation is the same for Central City and Gotham. Fortunately, I didn't care about any of that because I was more focused on Zee's assignment right now, so I simply asked to be contacted in case of magical problems and even handed out small amulets that I immediately assembled from junk. They were small metal plates with diamonds in the center, a converter that absorbed demonic energy, and a firefly spell with a rune of heat. The artifacts were unlikely to react to small things, but the parasitic radiation from the average demon would be enough to make the complex work.
The pizza I had ordered through Alfred finally arrived just as we were finishing discussing and handing out the mascots. Really, we've been stuck at the secret base for almost two hours, so it would be nice to have a snack. This approach made Barry hungry, and also allowed us to break into small interest groups.
My faithful companion and I immediately took Diana aside to ask her why she was behaving so strangely. She clearly didn't mind our attention, and now she was just staring at Superman.
"Is it because he's wearing blue tights? - Harley started in, as soon as I cast the silence canopy that distorted the sounds.
"Pardon me for what? - The warrior darted her eyes amusedly.
"No, I'll admit that his figure looks pretty cool in that tight suit, but trust me, Mr. J. would look even cooler in one of those! Especially since he owes me a wish," the blonde said.
"No, it's not the suit... When I met with my mother, she reminded me of something. I guess it'll be easier for me to show you why we can't be together. Can I borrow your bat?"
When she received the requested item, she apparently tried to squeeze it, but there was a reason I had applied the strengthening runes. They shimmered dimly, holding back the Amazon's power with great difficulty.
"Whoa, easy girl! It's a gift from Mr. J, don't break it," the blonde promptly took her weapon away, handing her a simple metal bat instead. The demonstration was more obvious. The metal crumpled with a slight grinding sound, unable to resist the pressure of her graceful fingers.
"That's how it is, - Diana gave us the shattered sports equipment and under the dumbfounded silence hurriedly left the area of the spell, destroying it.
Hmm, so what I took to be embarrassment at Superman was more of an assessment of his... Let's go with "potential," and the usual admiration for strength shouldn't be forgotten. Still, she's a warrior, and personal power is not an empty thing to her. Unpleasant.
"Hmm, couldn't the strengthening runes be applied like a tattoo by accident? - Harley twirled the flattened bat in her hands, beginning to realize something.
"Unfortunately you can't, but I have another option to get stronger and more durable, but it will take a long time."
"Hmmm... Should we eliminate the competition then? Just in case. I know where to get kryptonite."
"That's too radical, and what were we resurrecting him for? Wait. Where are you gonna find kryptonite? I've been all over the Internet, but it's like they don't sell it on purpose."
Still, it wouldn't hurt to have a weapon on hand against Superman, in case some mage got wind of the Kryptonians' vulnerability to magic and subjugated the leader of the Justice League.
"There's still a couple of green dildos left in that store, and there's an anal plug with that stone in it," the Kryptonian standing at the opposite end of the not-insignificant room twitched oddly at those words.