Superman flew swiftly across the city skyline, descending upon one unassuming barbershop. Deep inside, Lex Luthor was hidden in a room under the ground working with the Atom on a new weapon to counter Amazo. As the Man of Steel entered, all chatter died down.
"The danger is no more," Superman said, his voice even but weary.
Lex turned to him with a skeptical look. "So, you managed to defeat Amazo?"
Superman hesitated. His jaw tightened slightly before he responded. "We… couldn't beat him."
Lex narrowed his eyes. "Then why didn't he come here? Or are you going to tell me he wasn't coming after me in the first place?"
Superman's face shifted to something unreadable, a mix of disbelief and residual awe. "The android came across Ashborn," he said slowly, like the words still didn't make sense in his own mind. "And Ashborn… convinced him. Somehow. Into this adoption plan. Amazo agreed to become his son and left with him."
Lex blinked, his face frozen in shock for a moment before it twisted in anger. "I'm not a fool, Superman. That's absurd. You expect me to believe that?"
Superman didn't respond. He simply stared at Lex, unblinking.
From the side, The Atom stepped forward studying Superman's expression. "You're being serious?" he asked quietly. "Ashborn Black adopted that… god-killing android? And they just left together?"
Superman nodded slowly. "I watched it happen with my own eyes. Ashborn declared him his son, and they walked away. I still… I still can't wrap my head around it."
Lex clenched his fists, looking between the two of them with disbelief. "If that's true, if this actually happened, how did he convince him? And why would he do it?"
Superman remained silent.
He had no answers.
___________
"This is ridiculous!" Rex exclaimed, arms thrown up in disbelief. "Who would even allow this?"
Ashborn, seated calmly on the couch "He's my son," he said simply. "And he's underage. I want him to attend school."
Standing beside him, Amazo, still in his younger, human form, spoke with a flat tone. "I have nothing to learn from school. I am beyond that level."
Rex gestured to the android. "See?! Even he objects to this!!"
Ashborn remained unfazed. "Just go do the paperwork," he said with a faint smile. "Leave him to me. By the time you come back, he'll be looking forward to it."
Rex groaned, muttered something about insanity, and stormed out of the house.
Once the door shut, Ashborn turned his attention to Amazo. "You can learn things from the most unexpected places."
"I've evolved beyond the limit of this planet," Amazo replied, expression neutral. "There is nothing here that could teach me or help me evolve further."
Ashborn smiled, his eyes beginning to glow a brilliant purple. "Then let's put that to the test."
Amazo tilted his head, intrigued, as Ashborn continued. "You will fight me with everything you have. If you lose, you go to school with Ace."
"I've evolved to the point where the entire Justice League can't challenge me," Amazo said with certainty. "You alone can't do anything."
Ashborn chuckled, standing up as the shadows at his feet began to writhe. "I like your confidence," he said softly. "But it won't help you."
The shadows beneath Ashborn surged, expanding outward in an instant and engulfing Ashborn, Amazo, and Ace in one fluid motion. The world around them twisted, and then they were elsewhere.
The sky was a swirling canvas of purple and black, shimmering with cosmic depth. The land stretched endlessly in all directions, covered in jet black terrain. Beneath their feet, a white marble yard contrasted the darkness. In the distance, a giant white palace rose above the landscape, pristine and radiant.
Amazo looked around, analyzing the surroundings. "Where are we?"
Ashborn's voice was calm but firm. "This is my realm. A realm hidden in the shadows. I don't want to fight you on Earth, so we'll do it here instead."
Amazo's golden eyes flickered as he scanned the space. All around them, though distant and unmoving, were countless beings cloaked in darkness, watching in absolute silence.
Ashborn noticed his gaze "Ignore them. They won't interfere. This is between you and me. Let's see how far you've really evolved."
With that, Amazo's body shifted, golden plating spreading over him like flowing light, his full android form manifesting. His systems preparing for combat.
From the side, Ace watched quietly, her eyes wide with curiosity. She'd known the existence of this place, but this was the first time she had seen it with her own eyes. And now, she was about to witness Ashborn fight. For real.
___________
High above Earth, within the orbiting fortress of the Watchtower, the Justice League gathered in the central meeting chamber. The large holographic display projected images of Amazo, now in human form, alongside the ever unpredictable Ashborn.
"We need to go down there and deal with that android," Wonder Woman said firmly "It's too dangerous and too unstable to be left unchecked."
Hal Jordan leaned back in his chair and sighed. "And how exactly do we do that? We lost badly if you don't remember. Even with the whole League, we couldn't stop him."
Flash zipped into the conversation, arms gesturing casually. "Yeah, and now the android says it wants to live as someone's son and go to school. Honestly? Why not leave it be?"
Wonder Woman's eyes narrowed. "And when that machine gets bored of playing family and student?" Her tone was sharp. "What do we do then?"
Hal shrugged, but nodded. "You got a point. But still, we've got no way to destroy that thing. Picking a fight just for the sake of it is suicide."
Flash waved a hand. "I'm against picking unnecessary fights. And it's not just the android anymore, it's with Ashborn. The last time he paralyzed you and that was him being nice considering he didn't decide to sue you"
Superman joined with a thoughtful tone. "I think we should talk, for once, instead of fighting. Ashborn didn't confront the android with force. He talked to it. Just… talked. And Amazo changed paths. He's done this before with villains, with the Preserver kidnapping, with Ace. He doesn't solve problems by throwing the first punch. I think we need to learn from that."
The room fell silent. The Justice League, used to action, were forced to confront the unsettling truth: Ashborn's nonviolent approach was working. Often better than theirs.
Batman, who had been quietly listening, finally broke the silence.
"I'm with Superman and Flash on this." His voice was calm but absolute. "Ashborn has magical artifacts we don't fully understand. Ace is a powerful meta-human and a threat to all of us. And now he has Ivo's android, a being none of us could stop.
He's tied to the military, to elements in the government, even some villains. And let's not forget the Shadow Monarch, we don't even know where he fits into all of this yet.
Right now? We lack intel and we are outgunned. And starting a fight would be unwise."
No one challenged him.
At last, Superman gave a nod. "So we're agreed, then?"
There were murmurs, nods, and reluctant agreements.
___________
For the first time in her life, Amanda Waller was confused. That alone was cause for alarm.
She sat in her private office, silent and still, her sharp eyes fixed on the folder laid open on the desk in front of her. It was stamped and filed properly, like any other legal document. The adoption papers were valid, signed, witnessed, and processed.
Ashborn Black had formally adopted an android.
Not just any android. Amazo, the synthetic being capable of mimicking and evolving beyond the abilities of the entire Justice League. A creation feared to be unstoppable. And now, legally, a teenage boy with a new guardian.
Her fingers tapped the desk slowly, rhythmically, betraying her inner storm. What is he thinking...?
Cadmus had always prepared contingencies, plans stacked atop backup plans, for the event the Justice League ever turned rogue. years of funding, research, and weaponization had all been moving toward one goal: balance through power. A safeguard.
They still weren't there.
And yet, Ashborn, in what seemed like a short period, had built a faction so eccentric and powerful, it arguably rivaled or even surpassed the Justice League itself. His circle wasn't filled with traditional heroes. No, ex-villains, metas, and now a godlike android made up the core of his strange, unassuming empire.
He wasn't even subtle about it.
Waller's instincts screamed that something was wrong. And yet, the facts betrayed no foul play.
She had eyes on Ace, the powerful metahuman girl Ashborn adopted first. Instead of being molded into a weapon or hidden from the world, the girl went to school. Had friends. Lived a normal life.
And now… now her reports told her that Amazo, the terrifying, unpredictable entity that defeated seasoned heroes, also attended school.
Every weekday. No incidents. No violence. Nothing but… high grades and an apparently unnerving politeness.
Amanda Waller leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes at the ceiling as if it might offer answers the world couldn't.
"Who sends a godlike android to a school?" she muttered aloud.
Was Ashborn some mad philosopher? Was he playing a long game no one else could see?
Or worse… was he truly an insane person?
She didn't know. And that frustrated her to no end.