DC X LOTM: A Beyonder in DC

Aeternum Industries was growing fast—too fast.

What had started as a business meant to provide financial security and cover for his real activities had evolved into something far bigger. In just a few months, the company had already developed technology that could reshape Gotham's economy, and that kind of progress never went unnoticed.

LexCorp wanted them crushed.

Wayne Enterprises was watching.

Gotham's underworld had started whispering his name.

And worst of all?

The Joker had taken an interest in him.

Alex sat in his office, fingers steepled, as he went over the reports scattered across his desk. Joker had marked him. That alone was enough to turn an ordinary life into a nightmare. The Clown Prince of Crime wasn't like other criminals—he didn't move for power or money. He moved for chaos.

And Batman?

Batman was a different kind of nightmare.

Joker was unpredictable, but Batman was relentless. Once the Dark Knight set his sights on something, he never stopped until he had complete control of the situation.

Right now, Alex was a variable Batman didn't understand.

That meant Batman wouldn't rest until he had answers.

Which meant time was running out.

The door to his office swung open, and Evan Drake stepped inside. The company's acting CEO wasn't smiling. His usual sarcastic energy was replaced with something colder.

"You're distracted," Evan said, taking a seat across from Alex. "And I don't like that look on your face."

Alex exhaled, rubbing his temples. "We got full interest of Joker now."

Silence.

Evan blinked. Once. Slowly.

Then, after a long pause—

"You're still alive," Evan muttered, leaning back in his chair. "So I assume that means Batman also showed up."

Alex nodded.

Evan let out a long breath. "That's worse."

Alex frowned. "How do you figure?"

"Joker's interest in you is bad, sure," Evan said, tapping the desk. "But Batman?" His expression darkened. "Batman isn't just some lunatic who plays games. He's a strategist. He studies. Plans. He doesn't let mysteries go unsolved."

"And I'm a mystery," Alex murmured.

"You're a problem."

That made Alex's fingers tighten against the desk.

Evan wasn't wrong.

Batman wouldn't stop until he had every answer.

And when he realized that Alex Kent wasn't just a businessman, that he was hiding something deeper—what then?

"That's not even the worst part," Evan continued. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a playing card.

Alex's eyes narrowed.

The Joker card.

The same one Alex had found in his jacket after their encounter.

Alex had left it behind. He hadn't brought it home.

But Evan had still found one.

"This was on my desk when I walked into my office this morning," Evan said. His voice was even, controlled—but his grip on the card was too tight.

Joker wasn't just playing with Alex.

He was playing with Aeternum.

Evan's jaw tightened. "We're on his radar. And that means we're on Batman's radar. And if Batman is watching us?"

"Wayne Enterprises will be watching too," Alex finished.

Evan nodded.

Which meant they were out of time.

Strength in Shadows

Aeternum's private laboratory was silent except for the soft hum of holographic displays. In the center of the lab, encased in a reinforced glass chamber, was one of their most ambitious projects yet—a self-repairing polymer that could reinforce infrastructure.

A material that could repair itself at a molecular level.

Dr. Lena Vasquez, his lead researcher, tapped the glass casing. "We need a public demonstration," she said. "Investors don't throw money at theories."

Alex considered for a moment. "We'll set up a live test. Something dramatic. A simulation of a real-world disaster—earthquakes, heavy impact forces. Make it so convincing that even skeptics have to believe."

Lena smirked. "That's going to cost."

"Then it's a good thing we're not broke."

But even as he spoke, his mind was elsewhere.

He could feel something shifting in the air around him.

Joker. Batman. LexCorp. Wayne Enterprises.

The weight of Gotham's attention was pressing in from every angle.

He needed to be ready.

The Invitation

That same night, as Alex left the lab, his phone buzzed.

An encrypted message.

Meet me at the docks. Midnight.

No sender.

But the pattern was familiar.

A potential informant? A trap?

Either way—he needed to investigate.

At exactly midnight, he arrived at Gotham's East Docks.

The place reeked of salt, rust, and the lingering stench of crime. The air was thick with fog, rolling in from the bay like a living thing.

A lone figure stood beneath a flickering streetlamp—tall, wrapped in a heavy coat, face obscured.

"You came," the figure rasped.

Alex folded his arms. "You went through a lot of trouble to get my attention. Start talking."

"You're making enemies, Kent."

The name sent a jolt through him, but he kept his face impassive.

"LexCorp isn't the only one watching. There are people in Gotham who don't like disruptions to the status quo."

Alex's gaze sharpened. "Let me guess—the kind of people who operate in the shadows?"

The figure stepped forward, revealing a scarred face.

"You're smart. But smart doesn't mean untouchable. Watch yourself. Gotham has its own rules."

Alex met his gaze, unwavering. "I make my own."

The man grunted, tossing a small flash drive onto the pavement.

"Consider this a courtesy. Proof that you're already in deeper than you think."

With that, he turned and vanished into the night.

Alex picked up the drive and slipped it into his pocket.

Whatever was coming?

It was big.

And he would be ready.

The Warning

Back at Aeternum Industries, Alex and Evan plugged the flash drive into a secured, offline terminal.

Encrypted files filled the screen—schematics, blueprints, surveillance footage.

Someone had been tracking him.

Images flickered—his movements in Gotham, his meetings with investors, his encounter with Joker.

But it was the symbol that stopped him cold.

Hidden in the metadata of one of the encrypted files.

A circle with an eye in the center.

Evan inhaled sharply. "This is the same symbol that was on that card," he muttered.

Alex's stomach twisted, but his face remained calm.

If someone knew his secret—that he wasn't just Alexander Kent, CEO of Aeternum—

If they knew what he really was—

Then they weren't just watching.

They were coming.

And he needed to be ready.

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