(OOC: Hello everyone. It's Historyman again. It been a long time, but I have a great work to give to the world. This is a DCU Collaborative by me, Randomideaguy, ajm, and theg*ddam*hoi2fan of Alternate History Discussion. The question has been ask: A world with the Trinity, what would it look like? Well, this story is all about one way of going about it. And now sit back, like, and review this work of art of the DC world.
BTW: I do not own anything of DC. Just posting this story.)
Somewhere...
"Have you done it?"
"Yes, the timeline has been altered. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are no longer a threat to us."
"Really, it's amazing we've never done this before. Such an elegant solution."
"Occam's Razor is certainly in effect here, yes. Now our plans will proceed?"
"Certainly. Now no one can stop us."
Jump City Police Department, New Timeline
"Hello Miss, what brings you here today?" Officer Grant leaned down towards the statuesque blonde with fire in her eyes and dirt in her face. She had already been through about half of the tests involved, and indeed it sounded like she had done well.
"I'm here to join the JCPD, Officer Grant." She replied, matter-of-factly. He glanced down at his name-tag, remembering that it was there. This woman looked familiar. Grant grinned at her - this was his part of the test.
"I know that. I mean why? Why would you come here after what happened to your father?" Grant asked. That got a glare from the woman. She looked different after all these years, but Ted Grant couldn't forget Laurel Lance, the daughter of his late partner.
"I'm here because of him, because I want to make a difference. Be a hero, just like him." Laurel replied, her eyes steely. Grant sighed, looking down at the ground.
"Was the beat not exciting enough for you in Gotham?" He asked, a little irritated himself as he stalked around her. Laurel sighed.
"I just want to make a difference. There's not much of a difference to be made in Gotham." Laurel replied.
"So you found Gotham boring? Not enough criminals to beat down? Or not enough vigilantes?" Ted Grant asked, narrowing his eyes at Laurel, "Quentin's daughter or no, the people in my unit are not here for some cheap thrills. This is not a place for adrenaline junkies or the weak willed. And it's not for people to fulfill their personal vendetta against masked vigilantes."
"Then give me the test. I know I can pass." Laurel said simply, confidently as she stared right into Grant's face. He sighed, walking to the edge of the room and removing his coat. He turned to face her, arms wide.
"Your final test then, is to beat me in a fight." Ted said. Laurel paused only for a moment, but it was enough for him to see the fear - Laurel knew Ted was once the greatest boxer in the world, and that was before he started heading up SWAT in Jump City. Still, she flew at him with all the fury she could muster; and that was enough for Ted to know she could make it.
But he wouldn't make it easy for her. Meanwhile...
Iceberg Lounge, Jump City
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Mr. Luthor." Oliver Queen said to the scrawny red-headed kid across the table. Though they were both trust fund kids, they couldn't look more different. Lex was thin, gaunt and flushed. His face dotted with freckles and his eyes constantly shifting about. His clothes looked tattered, worn like an afterthought.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Queen. It's not often I get to find new ways to displease my father." Lex responded, giving Oliver an awkward smile which he did not return. For his part, Oliver was the opposite of Lex. His eyes cold, his figure large and imposing. He was the subject of lots of rumors after he disappeared on an island some years ago. The truth was far worse than what anyone could imagine.
"So, I will cut to the chase. I am staging a hostile takeover of your father's company. You have reached out to me with an offer to help. I am willing to compensate you for your assistance. I'm aware that you pride your work in the Special Technologies sub-divison at LuthorCorp. It is woefully underfunded." Oliver Queen explained, briefly pausing to let the implication hang in the air.
"And a way to keep me out of the way." Lex suggested, mainly talking to himself. Oliver ignored him.
"Queen Consolidated has long been a champion of advanced technologies. I know that you have disliked your father's foray in the weapons industry. Indeed, my mother has not been very trusting of accepting his help on behalf of the Senate, either. I do have one condition, though -" Queen explained.
"You don't want me leading the company." Lex looked directly at Queen now, and Oliver leaned back a little surprised. Maybe a little bit of the father had passed to the son after all.
"You understand, with the rumors..." Queen implied.
"Yes, I get it. Just leave me with my inventions and you can have the bank accounts." Lex replied. Queen nodded, smiling for the first time. He held out his hand.
"Then we have a deal?" Queen asked. Lex grabbed his hand, shaking heartily.
"Let's put my dad in jail."
Across the bar in the private section, a different sort of meeting was taking place.
"Tell me where he is!" The brunette woman snarled as she held the fat mobster up against the wall with one arm. Oswald Cobblepot sputtered, looking frantically between Helena Bertinelli and her bodyguard Sal.
"Don't look for sympathy from me." Sal said with a smirk as Helena let go of Cobblepot, allowing his mass to drop to the floor. He heaved in a few breathes, looking up terrified as Helena towered over him.
"Cassamento, now!" Helena said, and Cobblepot nodded - he didn't need any more convincing.
"Anything for an old friend." Cobblepot sputtered as he grabbed his phone from his pocket. Sal chuckled, shaking his head.
"Yeah, an old friend whose family you sold out." Helena said, her eyes fiery. Cobblepot turned his phone towards Helena, with a location highlighted. Helena took one look at the information and then tossed the phone back onto Cobblepot's lap, where he was still catching his breath.
"If I find out you're lying to me, we'll come back here and kill you." Helena said, turning and walking away.
"That certainly won't please Mr. Grayson." Cobblepot coughed out. Helena paused at the door.
"You're friends with that clown? Him and his freaks are not a problem for me." Helena said flippantly. Cobblepot chuckled now.
"You'd be surprised. Us Gotham boys stick together." Cobblepot said. Helena shook her head.
"I'm sure you do." And she left. Elsewhere...
LexCorp Tower, Jump City
"Oh, quiet you!" Lionel said at the horrid green creature in the glass box, "MERCY, turn on the heater for our guest." He said. Suddenly the box turned black and there were muffled screeches. He didn't shutter, but simply moved past the box.
"Today's not your day." Lionel said as he reached into a metallic box and grabbed what appeared to be a simple ring. But upon closer inspection there was a faint green glow. He turned over the small thing in his hands, briefly examining the lantern shaped symbol at the center of it. He then placed it in his pocket, turned and walked out of the room and into a nearby express elevator.
It carried him upwards, through a few hundred feet of solid rock and steel to the basement of his tower which served as the headquarters for his company. He was met at the door by his bodyguard, who gave him a quick nod. They exited through a back way, heading out towards the company garage as multiple cars awaited outside. Lionel smiled as he saw the large group of men with guns and suits surrounding a few vehicles.
"Santo! It's good to see you." Lionel said, walking towards the man standing at the center of the group. A heavyset Italian man approached him and the two shook hands.
"Lionel. I had begun to thought you had forgotten about us." Santo replied, nodding at the bald-headed head of LuthorCorp. Lionel shook his head, reaching into his pocket and fiddling with the ring.
"I don't forget anything, Santo. I was merely keeping my head down for a bit." Lionel responded as he produced the ring from his pocket. Santo didn't react.
"A small package for a large price." Santo said simply. He was wondering what the catch was. Lionel smiled.
"A large price for discretion. You know the rules, Santo." Lionel said as Santo gently took the ring from his hand and turned it over carefully in his hand. He shrugged, pocketing the ring simply.
"Fair enough. I know when not to look a gift horse in the mouth." Santo said. Lionel smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Atta boy. Now, I need you to take this. To the docks. A man named Ivo will meet you there, he'll transport that ring elsewhere. You'll find that half the cash is already in your bank account. The rest will come when Ivo confirms that he got the ring." Lionel explained the plan quickly. He was becoming antsy already - he didn't like to spend too much time in such an obviously suspicious setting.
Santo nodded quickly, already bored. It seemed simple, like all of the other drops Lionel had paid him to do under the radar over the years. It didn't matter to him. Soon he and his gang, colloquially known as the Cassamento Syndicate, got in their cars and rolled out. From nearby, Officers Grant and Lance watched quietly from their car.
"That's interesting." Laurel said, sipping her coffee. Grant stared after the departing gang, silent. Soon his car followed after. Above them on the rooftops, a figure also moved silently in the shadows. Well, right until they crashed into another figure who had also been silently hiding.
"Who the hell are you?" Green Arrow and the Huntress asked simultaneously. They had both brandished their weapons - clearly finding a masked person hiding on a roof must be crazy and dangerous. And neither of them found that thought ironic.
"You first!" The Huntress demanded.
"I'm tracking Luthor's dealings so I can put him behind bars." Green Arrow admitted.
"And I'm trying to bring down Cassamento's Syndicate." Huntress replied. They both turned and looked as the Cassamento Syndicate's convoy was quickly slipping away. The Huntress holstered her knife. After a moment, Green Arrow reluctantly did the same.
"Maybe we can work together, then?" The Green Arrow suggested with a silent smile. The Huntress stared at him for a moment, before sighing.
"Whatever, as long as you stay out of my way." She replied.
"How can I trust you?" The Green Arrow asked as the Huntress was already stalking to the edge of the roof.
"You can't." The Huntress said, and soon she was off. The Green Arrow followed in hot pursuit. It didn't take them a long time to catch up to the convoy. They simultaneously brandished their weapons and fired an arrow at the lead tire of the convoy. The arrows collided and bounced off of each other, causing the heroes to look at each other and scowl.
Unfortunately they didn't go unnoticed, and someone from one of the middle vehicles stuck a machine gun out of the window and unloaded at the rooftop where the arrows had come from. Green Arrow and Huntress dove away. Down below, Laurel brandished her gun in the hidden police car, but Ted grabbed her hand.
"We're not dying for a couple of vigilantes, we're here to get evidence. Stay quiet." Ted told her, his eyes focused closely on the road ahead as he tailed the Cassamento convoy. Soon the group of cars was already at the docks and the aforementioned vigilantes found themselves hiding on top of a group of boxes.
"Alright, we're just going to keep getting in each other's way without a game plan." Green Arrow suggested, crouched next to her.
"Then leave already." Huntress replied, looking through a pair of binoculars. Green Arrow shook his head.
"Not a chance. Besides, there's too many men for you to take on by yourself." Green Arrow said.
"You want to bet?" Huntress set the binoculars down and looked at Green Arrow. She sighed.
"Fine. Let's do this." She said.
For their part, Ted and Laurel parked quite a safe distance away from the group where it wasn't conspicuous and they were now silently watching as a ship floated into harbor.
"Stay sharp. I'm sure those freaks in masks are still on our tail." Santo Cassamento said as he stepped out of his car. He held the ring quietly in his hands as the ship came to port right in front of them and behind him his men formed a protective ring. Lots of firepower here, but that's just what Lionel had ordered. Typically this didn't happen and Santo had simply thought Lionel was a paranoid old billionaire. It seems this time he was justified in hiring Santo to work for him.
Professor Ivo stepped off of the ship, a normal, dapper looking middle aged man in a gray suit. Santo walked forward to hand him the ring. That's when the shots rang out - a sniper rifle cut right through Santo's midsection and the same bullet ripped through Professor Ivo's leg. Meanwhile, the two vigilantes were working their way at the edges of the Cassamento's perimeter.
"Who the hell has a sniper rifle!?" Green Arrow asked incredulously as he slammed a goon's head into a nearby car, rolled away from bullet fire, and buried an arrow in a nearby assailant. Huntress didn't seem to be listening as she ducked, weaved, and dodged several assailants. She broke bones and put them all on the ground, her eyes frantic as she focused on Santo Cassamento.
"No one can kill that bastard but me!" She said as she rushed away from the now half-broken perimeter leaving the Green Arrow to his own devices. The goons were quick to turn their collective fire on him, and he was forced to take cover with a scowl. As Huntress ran towards the downed Cassamento, another figure also approached with a sniper rifle on their back and a hood over their head. Huntress dove at them, screaming as they both fell to the ground.
Over by the ship, Cassamento breathed helplessly as he clutched his chest while Ivo began dragging himself back towards his ship with the ring clutched desperately in his hand. Nearby Huntress rained down blows at the masked assassin, whose hood fell down to reveal a strong-jawed black man.
"No one takes this moment away from me!" She said, but the man responded quickly, clocking her in the jaw and knocking her off. He jumped onto his feet, sprinting towards the ship when an arrow planted itself in his back and knocking him back to the ground. The Green Arrow sprinted from his spot atop the unconscious bodies of half of the Cassamento Syndicate as he approached the sniper.
"Stop interfering!" The man yelled, grabbing an object from his pocket. The Green Arrow's vision was suddenly filled with light and he was blinded. He heard the sounds of the sniper rifle going off a few more times, and also the sound of it bouncing helplessly off the hull of the ship as it got farther and farther away. By the time his vision recovered, two police officers were approaching behind him.
"Hands up!" One of them said.
This is quite possibly the worst night of my life. Green Arrow thought. He turned quickly, firing off an arrow that knocked the gun out of one of the officers hands. The other unloaded on him as he leaped and rolled away as quick as his adrenaline could bring him, back towards where he saw the Huntress sprinting away from the scene as well.
Ted Grant fired after him a few more times, but quickly realized it was useless. He turned to Laurel as the two looked at the various bodies all around them. The chaos they had just witnessed was amazing, simply put. They approached Santo Cassamento quietly as he glared at them.
"Will he live?" Laurel asked.
"Unfortunately." Ted responded.
Farther away, the Green Arrow finally caught up with Huntress.
"Leave me alone! You've already ruined enough." Huntress exclaimed. The Green Arrow held up his hands.
"You want to catch him, right?" He said. Huntress was quiet for a second before nodding carefully. She produced something metallic from her pocket.
"The idiot had this around his neck. I ripped it off." She explained. The Green Arrow nodded.
"That's wonderful. I have someone who can use that to track him." The Green Arrow explained. Huntress scoffed.
"With a dog tag?" She asked. Green Arrow nodded.
"Yeah. We can work together." Green Arrow said, Huntress rolled her eyes, handed him the dog tag and folded her arms. The Green Arrow looked at it.
"Now lets find out who you are, Sergeant John Stewart."