Beyond the Limit (DC)

| Mount Justice - September 23

"Recognized: Nova B-08." The computer's monotone rang out as the Zeta-tube's yellow glow faded.

Joseph stepped through in his new Nova suit, immediately noting the Cave's state of disarray. His HUD had already pulled up the comm chatter from the League—he knew the basics before he even set foot inside.

Icon, Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, and Captain Atom were hard at work repairing the damage left by Red Torpedo and Red Inferno. Green Arrow and Black Canary tended to the Team, who still looked rattled from the events—most of all from Red Tornado's apparent betrayal. If Kori hadn't been here, Joseph knew they might have been cleaning up bodies instead of debris.

He remembered the Team's very first fight—he hadn't been there for that one either, too busy grabbing pizza. Back then, a man named Brom Stikk had used a suit similar to Tornado's, calling himself Mr. Twister. He'd been looking for Tornado. Was this somehow connected?

Kori had struggled against Twister back then. This time, though, she had fought three androids of similar power levels working in unison—and held her own. She really had grown stronger.

With his enhanced senses, Joseph caught part of Kaldur's conversation with Batman. Sportsmaster had suggested there might be a mole on the Team, and Kaldur believed Tornado fit that role—whether willingly or under duress.

So that's why Kaldur had been looking at him strangely at that restaurant a few days ago. Did he really think Joseph might be the mole?

The revelation sparked a reaction. Conner suddenly grabbed Kaldur by the front of his uniform, voice low but seething, accusing him of endangering everyone—especially M'gann—by keeping this from them. The rest of the Team piled on, angry at Kaldur for his secrecy.

Everyone except Rachel. She stood off to the side, silent in her Raven attire—indigo cloak hiding her face, dark leotard and gloves blending into the shadows.

Joseph stayed out of it. On one hand, he understood Kaldur's reasoning—avoiding sowing paranoia until he had proof. It was something Joseph might have done himself. But the cost of keeping silent had been high, and Joseph would have at least confided in the League or the Team's leader.

Kori didn't step in to mediate either. Normally, she'd try to calm tensions, but now her expression was all business. She wasn't angry—just disappointed. Aqualad had kept critical information from his own leader. That stung.

Joseph moved to her side, resting an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him without a word, accepting the comfort. He felt a twinge of guilt. If he'd been here, maybe things would have gone differently. But BellCorp had consumed his time—its products were ready thanks to Nova, but hiring staff, securing offices, and building infrastructure had pulled him away.

And bureaucracy was hell. When he'd sketched out his five-year plan, he hadn't accounted for the mountain of tedious work that came with building a company. Certificates, licenses, patents, endless paperwork.

Back when Bell Studios was just a small game company, Nova could manage everything until Mr. Jack took over and ran it smoothly. Now, things were far more complicated. Joseph still had Nova handling the bulk of the paperwork, but more than once he'd had to push further—hacking into bureaucratic systems, nudging records, even implanting faint memories in a few key officials so approvals didn't stall for months. And that was only for the software side; anything outside that sector would take far longer.

He knew he was using his powers for personal gain, but he didn't feel too guilty. It wasn't like the memories he altered were permanent or dramatic—just subtle recollections of signing off decisions that happened to benefit him.

Even with a superpowered AI, though, the process still required human lawyers. Sure, Nova could forge airtight digital identities to play the role, but under deep scrutiny they'd collapse, creating more problems later.

What he hadn't foreseen was that their mentor would turn on them.

Batman's voice cut through the arguments like a blade, quiet but absolute. A stray memory of him and Catwoman made Joseph cringe before pushing it away.

"In Red Tornado's absence, the Team will have rotating League supervisors," Batman announced. "Captain Marvel will take the first shift."

Conner's eyes flashed with anger, vowing to destroy Tornado. Before he could extend that threat to Kaldur, Batman shut it down. Tornado was League business, and the Team would not be involved.

Instead, they were assigned to investigate a series of gorilla attacks, the most recent targeting Gotham's Mayor Hill. Robin stared at him, wondering aloud if this was a joke. Batman's reply was flat: he never jokes about a mission.

Kori was given orders to take the Team to India. Wally muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. Kaldur said nothing, his expression unreadable.

As they boarded the Bio-Ship, the Sphere rolled toward them. Conner sent it away without a second thought.

'It slipped my mind,' Joseph said in his mind. 'You wanted to study Sphere. When BellCorp settles, you can.'

//Understood, sir.// Nova's voice was calm as ever.

They had already tried to see if Nova could inhabit a nanite construct, but it hadn't worked. The AI couldn't stray far from Joseph unless near Dream or within the Dreaming. Its existence as both code and a dream seemed to anchor it in a unique way. Looking at a sentient machine like Sphere might help.

Captain Marvel entered the Bio-Ship with his usual good-natured energy.

"Nova! Good to see you again. Though, I liked your old colors better. Black and gold… bad memories."

"Good to see you too, Marvel. Maybe I just want payback for that punch you gave me," Joseph replied, grinning.

Marvel chuckled, looking a little sheepish. Joseph had no trouble joking with him—Marvel was one of the few League members who didn't carry himself like a stiff board.

Still, Joseph overheard Robin whisper to Wally that Marvel didn't trust them after the Tornado incident and was tagging along for oversight.

It made the mission feel strange. This was the first time they'd had a League member on a Team mission, and their roster was already strong—Starfire, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, Raven, and himself, Nova. Overkill, really.

The League had no reason to doubt his ability to work in a group, and Captain Atom had already hinted that when Joseph turned eighteen, he'd be eligible for League membership.

The truth was, he wasn't here for the missions. He was here for Kori. To watch her back. But she didn't need him for that anymore. She could handle herself as she had just displayed.

It was time to move on. Time to focus on his own objectives. The Team would continue thriving even without him.

This would be his last mission with the Team.