The Watchtower's main monitor was a mosaic of chaos. Dozens of video feeds played in silent, simultaneous carnage: news helicopter footage, traffic cams, and terrified cell phone videos, all centered on the dissolving LexCorp Tower and the scaled, glowing figure moving through the devastation like a guardian spirit.
The Justice League was gathered, the air thick with a silence more profound than the void outside the station's hull.
Batman was the first to speak, his voice cutting through the quiet like a shard of ice. "Gateway City. Four hours ago. The temporal terrorist, Chronos, has escaped. Casualties: minimal. Property damage: extensive. The sole reason the former isn't catastrophic is standing in the center of your screens."
He zoomed in on a single, crystal-clear frame: Cade, in his full hybrid form, his body a bridge between two collapsing sections of the building, his clawed hands gently passing a child to safety. His jade eyes were blazing with intensity, but his expression was one of focused determination, not mindless rage.
"Analysis," Batman commanded.
"The subject identified as Cade Rex, formerly Project: Chimera Prime," Red Tornado stated, his synthetic voice devoid of judgment. "Biometric and energy signature match is 99.9%. He has not only maintained control over his metamorphosis but has refined it, using a spectrum of partial to full transformation to suit the tactical need."
"He moved through that disaster like it was a choreographed dance," The Flash added, a note of awe in his voice. "The agility to run on falling debris, the strength to support collapsing structures, the spatial awareness to calculate dozens of rescue trajectories at once... He wasn't just reacting. He was solving the chaos."
"He's a child," Wonder Woman said, her voice firm but laced with empathy. She pointed at a close-up of Cade's face, smudged with soot and streaked with effort. "Look at his eyes. That is not the face of a weapon. That is the face of a hero. He did today what every one of us swore an oath to do."
"And he did it with power we barely understand, Diana," Hal Jordan, Green Lantern, countered, crossing his arms. "He's a walking bioweapon who can look human. Chronos is one thing. What happens when the public sees that? What happens when the government sees an untapped, unregistered WMD living in a laundromat? We're looking at a potential international incident."
"He's not a 'what,' Hal. He's a 'who.'"
All eyes turned to Superman. He had been silent, his gaze fixed on the screen, on the image of the boy saving lives.
"He's twelve years old," Superman continued, his voice quiet but carrying the weight of his conviction. "He spent his earliest years being tortured in a lab, and the last four in hiding, terrified of being discovered. And when the moment came, when innocent people were in danger, his first and only instinct was to protect. He didn't attack Chronos; he focused entirely on saving lives. That tells me everything I need to know about his heart."
"The potential for catastrophe remains," Batman insisted, pulling up schematics of the Chronos tech. "His abilities are a strategic-level variable. His emotional state is a product of severe, prolonged trauma. We have no data on his long-term stability."
From the periphery of the room, where the Team had been observing, a voice broke in.
"We have data."
Miss Martian stepped forward, her hands clasped tightly. "When we found him in Cadmus... his mind was screaming. But not with rage. With fear. And loneliness. What we saw today wasn't a monster emerging. It was a person finally, finally being who he was meant to be."
Superboy nodded, his jaw set. "He didn't run from the fight. He ran into the worst of it. He used everything they did to him, not to destroy, but to build. To save. That's control. That's more control than I had at the start."
The room was divided. The old guard saw a risk to be managed. The newer members saw a reflection of their own struggles.
Batman processed the arguments, his gaze flicking between the data and the image of the rescued child in Cade's arms. The calculus of justice versus security warred in his mind.
Finally, he turned to the Team.
"The Justice League's response will be one of cautious observation. Official channels will note an 'unregistered meta' and classify the incident accordingly."
He then focused his attention on Superboy and Miss Martian.
"But the window for a purely League-led approach has closed. You made first contact. He trusts you, as much as he trusts anyone. This is now a mission for the Team. Find him. Not as an asset to be assessed, but as a person to be offered sanctuary. Bring him to Mount Justice."
He looked back at the main screen, at the frozen image of Cade's glowing, determined eyes.
"His name is Cade Rex. The world now knows a version of him. It's time he was given the chance to define himself. The question is no longer if he is a threat. The question is if we are worthy of his trust."
The decision was made. The Justice League would stand back. The Team would step forward. The hunt for the boy who saved a city was about to begin, not with weapons, but with an outstretched hand.