The night was cloaked in opulence. Gotham's elite gathered in the crystalline halls of the Lazarus Tower, a newly minted structure nestled in the city's eastern financial district. It bore the fingerprints of the enigmatic Jacob, whose meteoric rise to power was as perplexing as it was brilliant. With a company valuation stretching into the multi-billions, and rumors whispering of global influence touching every continent—from the corridors of Wall Street to the back alleys of Caracas—Jacob had arrived.
This gala was no accident. It was a statement.
In attendance were the great and powerful, masked behind their tailored tuxedos and haute couture gowns. The wine flowed freely. Laughter crackled beneath chandeliers. But behind the charm and the waltz, paranoia swam like blood in the water. Hidden eyes and cloaked intentions watched every move.
Bruce Wayne, impeccably dressed and wearing the face of Gotham's billionaire prince, arrived with Selina Kyle at his side. To the public, they were Gotham's golden couple—scandalous, charitable, impossible to predict. In truth, they were two of the few who knew what might be behind Jacob's mask.
Bruce's gloved fingers brushed the inside of his cuff, activating microscopic surveillance insects crawling out into the gala hall. Every pillar, vent, and statue was a potential listening post. Yet none of them would succeed.
Because Jacob had prepared for this.
Up above, in a private suite shielded by quantum dampeners and cryptographic scrambling fields, Jacob watched the gathering unfold. Hidden beneath his calm expression was knowledge. He had traced the pattern of Justice League infiltration strategies over years. He knew how Bruce operated, how Diana's diplomatic ties functioned, how J'onn camouflaged. They had underestimated him.
In the shadows of this gala, Jacob had already neutralized every Justice League bug and cloaked every key passage with false feeds. He didn't need to guess what they would do. He had planned it before they had.
Meanwhile, in a remote observatory beneath the Baltic Sea, the Light convened.
Lex Luthor leaned over a digital table, watching the gala from hacked satellite feeds.
"So, this is the boy who unnerves the Bat," he mused.
Vandal Savage's ancient voice answered, "Not a boy anymore. He has amassed more in a year than most do in a lifetime. Networks, banks, tech, influence. He's embedded like a parasite in every level of commerce and digital security."
Ra's al Ghul, silent until now, finally spoke. "He trained in the ways of the Demon. Not completely. But enough to be dangerous."
Luthor narrowed his eyes. "He reminds me of a younger version of myself."
"Then you should be very afraid," Savage said flatly.
Back at the gala, Jacob raised a glass of crystalline wine. "To new beginnings," he toasted.
Selina Kyle watched him carefully. Something in the way he moved reminded her of someone—calculated, subtle, viciously intelligent. Bruce's thoughts mirrored hers.
Jacob turned, as if he heard it. He smiled.
The lights dimmed. A hologram bloomed in the center of the ballroom, showcasing his company's new global projects. Green energy in Nairobi. Water purification in Mumbai. Lunar communications relays orbiting Earth.
The people clapped.
Bruce narrowed his eyes.
Something was coming.
Jacob's speech followed—harmless to the ears of the common man. But to trained minds, there were layered meanings.
"We rise together," he said, "not because of who we were, but because of what we've become. In a world of shadows, clarity is power."
The Light watched. The League watched. And somewhere in the folds of his mind, Batman finally understood:
Jacob wasn't just building influence. He was baiting the gods.
And he was ready for war.
---
Selina's gaze lingered on Jacob's figure, the man who had once been a lost boy in her bar. Ten days of informal mentorship—teaching him the delicate art of subterfuge, platforming, and silent takedowns—had blossomed into this: a genius mind refined into a weapon as sharp as any dagger. She remembered his wide-eyed determination, the speed at which he absorbed each lesson, and the uneasy pride she felt when he first leapt from that rooftop.
Now, seeing him command the room, orchestrate global projects, and hold the world's greatest thinkers in thrall, she felt a chill of dread. This was no longer the hopeful spark she had nurtured. This was completion of a design she barely recognized—a future she feared she had helped set in motion.
Selina tightened her grip on Bruce's arm. "He's more than a threat," she whispered. "He's a force of nature."
Bruce's jaw tightened. "I know," he replied grimly. "And we have to stop him before he decides what becomes of us