Outside the Wasteland Universe, the House of Mystery.
With his mastery of portal magic, Tony Stark could travel freely across the universe, making his hero-gathering mission significantly more convenient.
While he was off in Attilan searching for Batman, several heroes on his invitation list had already gathered in the meeting room, waiting for quite some time.
In the dimly lit room, the burly and muscular Jason was lounging in a chair, his feet propped up on the table—hardly the image of a hero.
"It's been a while since we've all met up, hasn't it?"
Breaking the silence, Jason's words made Nightwing, Dick, nod slightly as he took a sip from his cup.
"There's too much work in the Wasteland. I've been busy."
"Busy?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked, the Justice League was stationed right next to the Hulk Gang, acting as their overseers. You guys barely have any work to do, and I hear you even get special rations."
"Exactly!" Damian chimed in.
"The Hulk Gang is long gone. They lost a bunch of people clashing with Clark last time, and the rest were scared out of their minds. Dick, you really landed yourself a 'sweet gig' there."
"You guys actually believe those rumors?"
Hearing the sarcasm from his brothers, Dick could only shake his head and sigh.
"We were supposed to be rebuilding the Justice League, but what happened? Quicksilver and Venom Woman ran off to join the Overseers, so they're never around.
That's fine, I guess—the Overseers do important work. But then Shazam left to become the Guardian of the Sanctum, and now I can't even put together a full seven-member team! Where am I supposed to complain about that?"
Shaking his head, Dick continued, "And now I hear magic is returning, and Lady Thor is preparing to rebuild Wasteland Asgard. Tell me, how am I supposed to lead a team like this?"
Jason smirked. "Oh, come on. Don't act like you've got it rough. Luthor's favorite is still Superboy, Conner.
Don't think I don't know—the job of overseeing the Hulk Gang was originally meant for Hawkman. But Luthor pulled some strings and put you guys there instead. Do I really need to spell out why?"
"If that's how you want to put it, then maybe we should talk about your Avengers team," Dick shot back at Jason. "Lady Shiva and Colossus were supposed to be in the Justice League. So tell me, how did they end up with you?"
"Oh, please, do you even know the kind of recruits I've got?"
At this, Jason gritted his teeth in frustration.
"You know how young Ant-Man is? Same age as I was when Bruce took me in. What's that supposed to mean? That the Red Hood is now a babysitter?
And then there's Valkyrie and Nova—both total rookies, zero experience. The only one with any real skills is Hawkeye, and guess what? She used to be the captain of the second Hawkeye's personal guard.
Great, right? She acts like she outranks me, constantly nitpicking everything I do!"
"Alright, enough about that. At least you guys get to lead teams in the field. What about me?"
Damian, resting his chin on one hand and tapping the table with the other, looked absolutely miserable.
"I asked you guys to put in a word for me so I could stay in the Wasteland—maybe even form a Titans team. But what did you do? You dumped me on the Watchtower!"
"And the Watchtower is a bad place to be? Plenty of people would kill for that position," Jason said casually.
"Wanna switch?" Damian shot back immediately.
At that, Jason turned his head away, pretending not to hear him.
Rolling his eyes, Damian continued, "I have to handle diplomacy with aliens all day, study different cultures and etiquette. Do you guys think that's something I should be doing? I'm Robin! The scourge of criminals! And now I'm stuck playing some glorified intergalactic ambassador—"
"Alright, Damian, Bruce personally assigned you to that role. I think it's a valuable experience for you. You can't stay Robin forever—Bruce probably wants to prepare you for the future," Dick said.
"Exactly," Jason added. "The Wasteland is striving for stability and progress. Pretty soon, superheroes like us will be obsolete.
What you need to do now is find your place before the new era arrives."
Hearing that, Damian's expression grew more and more suspicious.
"New era? Obsolete? You two know something, don't you?"
At his question, Dick and Jason exchanged glances before turning to look at Damian.
"Since you've been stuck on the Watchtower, it makes sense you wouldn't have heard. Luthor is planning to integrate superheroes into a planetary defense initiative.
In the future, heroes and ordinary people will become more and more distant."
"What does that mean? Aren't we supposed to protect people? How does that lead to us being separate from them?" Damian frowned in confusion.
"It's because of the other civilizations in the universe. After our battle with the Church of Truth and Galactus, the entire galaxy is focused on Earth now.
Luthor predicts that the planet will face even greater challenges in the future."
Dick's voice was serious. "So in preparation for that, heroes need to be on the front lines.
In the future, our battlefield won't be the Wasteland—it'll be beyond Earth itself."
Jason nodded. "As for the Wasteland, Luthor is establishing new organizations, what we call the 'Hero Reserves.'
He plans to select promising individuals—fighters like us, mutants, or other superpowered beings—and train them.
While we're handling crises in space, they'll be responsible for maintaining stability on Earth.
And once they grow strong enough, they'll eventually join us out there."
"It's still just a proposal at this stage—no concrete plans yet. But I think there's a very high chance it'll happen," Dick said, looking at Damian. "That's why your work is so important. In a way, what you're doing now is exactly what we'll all be doing in the future."
"Is that so…?"
Damian opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
He hadn't expected things to develop this far. The times were changing—fast. Even for young heroes like them, the fear of being left behind was real.
Damian might have been an experienced veteran by now, but transitioning from Gotham's street-level vigilante to a key player in cosmic affairs… that was a huge leap.
"Look at Kate. She's been traveling all over the galaxy with the Guardians. Honestly, she and you are the only ones in the Bat-Family with the talent for this.
Damian, you've got to step up and set the example."
Hearing that, Damian nodded, finally taking their words seriously.
Previously unaware and often complaining, Damian now realized the significance of his work after hearing his two brothers' words.
This could very well establish the guidelines for how superheroes would operate in the new era. After all, once the wasteland was fully rebuilt, Earth was bound to enter a phase of rapid development—perhaps even expanding its reach into the cosmos.
However, as he thought about this, Damian's expression turned puzzled. Curiously, he asked, "If my work is this important, and you two are the leaders of the most powerful organizations in the wasteland, then why did Tony Stark suddenly call us here?"
Before Dick and Jason could respond, the doors to the conference room swung open from the outside.
"Because you all now have an even more important mission to undertake."
Tony Stark stepped through the door, scanning the room as his gaze passed over Damian, Dick, and Jason before striding further inside.
Accompanying him was none other than Batman—Bruce Wayne—who had just returned from Attilan, still in his battle suit, not even having had the time to change.
Seeing him, both Dick and Damian instinctively stood up, while Jason, true to form, remained lounging in his chair, showing no regard for appearances.
After leading Batman into the conference room, Tony Stark quickly moved to the center, motioning for everyone to take their seats before clearing his throat.
"I've already explained the reason for this meeting to Batman, but to make sure you three are fully prepared, I'll go over it again."
Hearing this, Dick, Jason, and Damian immediately focused, their ears perked up and their eyes locked onto Tony Stark, afraid of missing any critical details.
Tony, satisfied with their attentiveness, continued speaking.
"As you all know, the wasteland universe is suffering from extreme material shortages. To get everything back on track, under Alex's initiative and guidance, the wasteland has established long-term interdimensional trade with a parallel universe known as 'Flashpoint One.'
In other words, these two universes will now be fully allied and engage in extended trade and communication. To demonstrate their sincerity, the other universe has already sent two shipments of supplies to support the wasteland.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a mutually beneficial arrangement. However, their universe has recently encountered a major crisis—they've caught Darkseid's attention."
"Darkseid?!"
The three former Robins immediately sat up straight, their expressions serious.
"Yes," Tony confirmed. "In their first battle against Apokolips, their Batman was severely injured and left comatose, and many of their other heroes were also wounded. Under these conditions, their chances of repelling Apokolips' invasion are close to zero."
"So…"
Tony nodded. This time, he abandoned his usual casual demeanor and spoke with rare solemnity.
"To ensure the continued supply of resources and to protect our allies, the Federation and the Overseers have decided that the four of you will replace Pietro and Kara in that universe as stationed defenders.
Your mission is to take over Pietro and Kara's responsibilities, remain in Gotham City of that universe, and maintain constant communication with the wasteland.
If there are any signs that Darkseid is preparing to attack, you are to report immediately and make all necessary preparations. While working alongside the Justice Society's heroes to defend the city, you must hold your ground and wait for reinforcements from the wasteland."
.....
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