Not long after Arias's plane took off, an all-black, heavily armored car appeared on the runway, racing toward the spot where Arias had taken off. Its sight was familiar to almost any resident of Gotham—it was the Batmobile.
In it, Batman sat in what could only be described as the cockpit, with Robin in the second seat below.
"We're too late; he's gone," Robin remarked. But Batman continued driving at a rapid pace, answering, "That's not why I'm in a hurry."
Nearing Arias's vehicle, which had been left behind, Batman drifted to a stop. The duo's attention turned to the lone figure lying on the ground in a small pool of blood—Superman.
"What...?" Robin looked at the sight in disbelief, while Batman frowned and acted fast. He exited the vehicle and rushed over to Superman.
Stopping nearby, Batman tapped the side of his mask, enabling a different view. Carefully, he flipped Superman over and saw a hole in his suit around the abdomen area—but no visible wound.
He furrowed his brows and tapped the side of his mask again, enabling an X-ray feature that allowed him to see inside Superman's body. It was then that he saw a glowing green bullet lodged in Superman's spinal cord. What was even more perplexing was that the areas around the bullet kept bleeding nonstop.
"What is this..." Batman muttered, puzzled by the situation.
Robin soon joined him, concern etched on his face. "What's going on?" he asked, voice tinged with worry.
Not fully understanding the situation himself, Batman didn't reply. Instead, he pulled out a sharp scalpel-like tool from his utility belt and attempted to cut into Superman's side—but the blade broke, failing to penetrate Superman's skin.
"This is bad," he muttered before standing up and tapping another part of his mask.
"J'onn, we have a problem. How familiar are you with Kryptonian physiology?"
…
Later that day, Arias's jet had long left American airspace and was approaching the red zone in the Caribbean territories, notorious for their drug dealings and trafficking. Arias's destination was a private island in the middle of all that chaos.
Following Slade's suggestion, he had prepared an island paradise in a danger zone, fully equipped with its own private army. It was amazing what one could achieve with enough money.
Arias had gone to great lengths to sell the image of being a normal billionaire who just happened to be a metahuman. The entire point of having security was to protect oneself. As long as he kept this façade, his enemies would continue to underestimate him.
But after his display in Gotham, even though he hadn't invoked his true powers, the world now considered him powerful. He could have easily left without anyone being the wiser, but he had chosen to leave grandly to send a message.
During his time as a hired killer, Arias had never been able to touch the criminal underworld that revolved around people with superpowers. They were a cruel, ruthless bunch who only respected strength. It was the type of place where money alone wasn't enough to get what you wanted. Knowing this, Arias had purposefully humiliated the agents sent after him single-handedly.
As they approached his private island, Harley lounged in her seat, watching the leaked video footage of his display. What wasn't leaked, however, was Superman's fall. This didn't concern Arias. He knew the government wouldn't want the world to know that their strongest ally, Superman, had a vulnerability—and that it was in the hands of the man they had just put on their most-wanted list.
It would be a national embarrassment. As Arias sat, contemplating his next moves, he could imagine the eggheads in the White House praying that he wouldn't reveal that he had taken down Superman. There was only so much damage control they could do, and the chaos that would erupt in Metropolis alone would be immense. The sheer thought of it gave them headaches.
Like clockwork, Arias's private line—existing on the Leviathan network—rang on his satellite phone. The caller ID wasn't displayed, but Arias smiled regardless, recognizing the opportunity.
"Hello? Arias speaking," he answered casually, curious as to who had reached out first.
**[Greetings, Mr. Markovic. A mutual friend of ours passed your line to me. But forgive my manners; I am Vandal Savage, a man very impressed by your recent exploits.]**
The name immediately rang familiar to Arias, a name he had learned from Slade and knowledge he had gained from Lex—a name that belonged to the leader and founder of the organization known as **"The Light."**
Even with Lex's vast knowledge of Vandal Savage, Arias could only summarize that Savage was a powerful, immortal man with ambitions that extended far beyond the world.
Arias cracked a smile and replied casually, neither moved nor intimidated. Instead, his mind began weaving a web of lies and manipulation.
"I simply do what I must. But I doubt you went out of your way just to tell me this. Feel free to share why you called, Mr. Savage."
**[A direct man. I like that. To be frank, my associates and I have been keeping an eye on you and your actions. 'Impressive' isn't enough to describe what you've achieved in such a short time, but we had our doubts. Your most recent exploits, however, have cleared them all, and with that, I'd like to extend an invitation to our group of like-minded individuals. It just so happens a spot opened up after one of our best members met an ill-fated demise.]**
Savage's tone was knowing, and his words seemed suggestive, as though he was trying to gauge Arias's nature firsthand.
From the way Savage spoke, Arias could tell he was referring to Lex, subtly suggesting that he had played a part in his death. But by not mentioning it outright, Savage was implying he didn't care.
This didn't surprise Arias. From what he knew, thanks to Lex, Vandal Savage was someone who believed in survival of the fittest and despised weakness. Arias could only assume that Savage saw Lex's death as a sign of weakness—nothing more. A truly ruthless man. Just the type Arias was looking to associate with.
"I consider my time valuable. So for you to offer this, you must be sure that your organization's goals align with my own," he remarked, not jumping at the offer for obvious reasons.
Savage, enjoying the conversation with a fellow man of intellect and bold nature, let out a subtle chuckle.
**[Isn't it obvious? From what I've seen, you truly recognize where humanity's future lies and want to see it rise to its true place in the cosmos—to make everyone see 'The Light.']** Savage spoke with pride in his words.
In reply, Arias chose to agree.
"I'm mildly impressed, but you are right to some extent. The world as it is now is flawed, and I intend to change that."
Savage, hearing what he wanted, gave his final welcome.
**[Then I welcome you to The Light, Arias Markovic. I look forward to what we can achieve, united.]**