Author Notes: Definite warnings for this one. For those that know, darkspawn aren't exactly shy about what they do with their 'slaves', so expect a lot of blood, gore, violence, and examples of monsters eating people. The 'other stuff' darkspawn are known for will be coming later. You have been warned.
Into the Darkness
War is coming
War is crying out
The world is shaking
The sky is falling down - the sky is falling down
The Phantoms: Into the Darkness
The Watchtower, geosynchronous Orbit above Earth
November 23rd, 2016
4;00 PM
"Superman is currently offworld." Batman declared from the holographic screen as he looked impassively at his protege, having since been informed of the situation at large. "Most of the League is further tied down by events all around the globe, riots, attacks by metas, and worse. We suspect that these seemingly random acts, are a part of a diversionary campaign orchestrated by what's left of the Light, something that's allowed things in Metropolis to escalate as far as they have."
"Why?" Zatanna asked aghast and looked from Nightwing to Batman and back. "What could they possibly hope to gain from this?" Whether she meant the creatures themselves or the Light was hard to say, but in the end it didn't matter.
"Unknown, but as long as it remains unclear as to what these things are, we can't dismiss anything. It might even be a potential bioweapon gone wrong, we simply lack the information to be certain." Batman informed them and glared at them hard, the already dark confines of his cowl darkening further. "Your team is ready to defend Metropolis, but the sheer scale of what you sent me indicates that you lack the manpower to handle this alone. We'll need to alert the authorities to this situation. Nightwing and Aqualad, you have full command of this operation until further notice."
"Understood, where will you be?" Aqualad asked, somewhat confused since he had expected the older hero to take command. Still, if this threat was as big as they feared, then they'd need to have everyone on the same page, working together to drive this newest invasion back. No easy feat with the likes of Gilford G. Godfrey prepared to try and sow dissension and distrust among the population, which would no doubt be aimed at the League and the team.
But Batman's monotoned response pulled Kaldur back to the present. "This is Metropolis, I'm going to get ahold of Luthor and have a chat with him."
"Got it, might wanna ask him if he knows anything about Arsenal since you're gonna go after Lex anyway." Nightwing chimed in, the grim set of his jaw making it clear he wasn't any happier about the situation than any of them.
"I'll see what I can do." Batman promised them with a curt nod. "Batman out."
"So… who of us is gonna break it to the boys in blue that they've got monsters crawling beneath the pavement?" Nightwing asked with a humorless chuckle once Batman's face had vanished from sight. "Probably best if Zatanna does it, she looks pretty even if she's the bearer of bad news."
"Gee thanks." Zatanna groused back and lightly hit his shoulder with the palm of her hand.
"Ow." Nightwing playfully pouted as he made to rub at his 'bruised' shoulder.
"Oh, stop it you big baby. I'll take care of informing our friends, and you two take care of everything else." Zatanna told him and marched to the nearest zeta beam transport tube. "Good luck, Dick." While her cyan eyes had fallen on both Kaldur and Richard equally, no one doubted her first thought was for the boy in black as she disappeared in short order in a gold flash of light.
"Thanks Zat." Nightwing said to the empty transport tube and turned to Aqualad. "You ready for this?"
"Are you asking me if I am ready to coordinate an entire city during such a crisis? I doubt it." Kaldur replied honestly, unable to help the trepidation in his voice. Despite this, the grim determination in his pale green eyes and the firm set of his jaw said he'd still do his best to do exactly that.
"Yeah, me neither." Richard agreed easily and stretched his arms over his head, a small groan leaving his mouth as he bent back. "Well, no point complaining about it. Let's get to it." Turning to the large group of ex sidekicks and heroes in their own right, which numbered even those that had once 'allied' with Lex Luthor for a time, Dick crossed his arms over his chest before jerking his head to the large screen behind him just as Barbara pulled up the live feed. He waited for the dumbstruck, horrified reactions to die down before going into what little they actually knew about the creatures in question.
"Alright, now that I have your attention, let's go over what we know. These things have been abducting people for about five, six days tops, and apparently they aren't shy about killing innocent civilians and forcing them to work for them beneath the city. We don't know why they're doing all this, how they got here, or what they're here for. No idea about their strengths or weaknesses, let alone what they're capable of. That said, I don't plan on letting it stay that way." Here he paused and looked at all those present. All were watching him with rapt attention, clearly taking the situation very seriously. Good, they couldn't accept anything less. "To counter our lack of intelligence, I'll be leading a team of volunteers into the Metropolis underground, our target will be at least one of these creatures so that we can give it a thorough examination and hopefully interrogation."
"Which means," Kaldur began as he took a step forward, drawing everyone's gaze on him at the same time, "we'll need to take one of these entities alive if at all possible. Blue Beetle, do you think you can handle it?"
"Yeah jeffe, we'll get one of 'em locked down." Jaime stated firmly, his mask's glowing amber eyepieces fully fixed upon the Atlantean's face. "Once we're in close, the scarab should be able to do a pretty in-depth scan of these things, giving us a better idea of what we're up against."
"What about the civilians?" Impulse asked and stepped forward. "I mean we can't just leave them down there!"
"I agree, trust me I do." Dick told him firmly, but shook his head just as quickly. "But we can't simply rush in there until we know more. If we die down there, we'll help neither them or any other potentially future victims."
"I- I gotcha." Impulse muttered quietly and clenched his fists, clearly unhappy with it, but he was unable to come up with a counter argument either. He perked up only a little when Jaime put a hand on his shoulder, but the grim mood was still palpable between the two of them.
"Good." Nightwing told him and fixed him with a serious look. "Impulse, I want you, Robin, and as many volunteers as you need to patrol the streets, rescue those in need if you can, and keep your distance otherwise."
Tim Drake, the current Robin, nodded his head before glancing towards several of the assembled heroes. "We'll get it done Nightwing."
"Alright. Until we know more, I want each and everyone of you to be cautious, try to keep them at range if you can."
"Got it." Jaime replied with a thumbs up. "And since you asked for volunteers for the sewage trek, I'm your first one."
"Good to know, anyone else?"
"Uh… me?" Garth said hesitantly and lifted his left hand above his head. "Though… I'm not sure how much help I'll be if I can't touch them." He mused, his usual trademark grin no longer present as he tapped at the bottom of his chin. "Hmm….tricky now that I think about it."
"You'll figure something out." M'gann reassured him as she stepped forward, no longer Caucasian as her skin changed to its much more traditional green, her clothes similarly shifting to her black superhero costume with its red X on its front. "If Blue can't get one to talk….I can try to mind link with one of them. That and my camouflage would allow me to get close without being noticed, provided they aren't able to see through it." The slight waver in her voice was heard by Conner, Kaldur, and Dick, but they chose not to comment on it.
"Alright, so Jaime, M'gann, Garth and me." Nightwing noted with a short nod. "Sounds good to me. We need to be discreet and a large group would make that impossible. The rest of you follow Aqualad as he devises strategies depending on the information we can get him. While Zatanna's already getting in contact with the local authorities, it might not be a bad idea to call any friends and family in the city and tell them it might be a good idea to leave town for a few days." No one argued his logic on that point, not with what was brewing beneath Metropolis's streets.
Once they began to disperse to gather their equipment and to take care of other, more personal business, Tye Longshadow, one of Jaime's oldest friends, approached the pair as he adjusted the feathered headband he wore around his dark skinned forehead, his jet black hair falling over his slender shoulders. "Be careful down there Jaime."
"You too Tye. You head down to Metropolis, do your best to keep each other safe." He said as he nodded towards Tye's own 'team', all of them having been formerly allied with Lex Luthor after the Reach had kidnapped and experimented on them all. Still, that had been several months ago now, and Jaime had made his own share of dumb mistakes, allowing a Reach controlled Green Beetle to trick him into rebooting his scarab chief among them. They'd all grown for the better since though as he held out his right hand to the young man before him.
"You too." Tye replied as he grasped the offered limb, his 'shadow' showing its face in the form of an orange astral projection as it emanated outward for a brief moment, only emphasising the point he was trying to make. "As for us, we'll manage."
"You got that right." Virgil declared cheerfully as he leaned an arm on Tye's right shoulder while Eduardo and Asami grinned, making their thoughts known in their own way. Static Shock was all smiles, but it was easy to see he was just as worried as the rest of them. "Still, I ain't envious of what ya got goin' for ya Jaime. I'd rather have the soft gig, what with gettin' people to safety and all."
"Yeah, can't blame you for that." Jaime agreed easily and chuckled. "I mean at least I got the beetle between me and the monsters, you wouldn't be so lucky." Jaime grinned though when Virgil raised his right hand, and summoned an orb of crackling electricity. "'Course, you and your ability to control anything with a magnetic charge makes ya pretty nice to have around in a tight spot."
"And don't ya forget it BB. It helps Black Lightning's been a pretty good mentor to me and the guys." Virgil said as he jerked a thumb to the rest of Tye's group. Just as quickly though, his smile faded as he closed his hand, dismissing the crackling orb before grasping Jaime at the shoulder as he did the same. "Watch your head out there."
"You too Virgil. Well, better get to it." With one last wave over his shoulder, Jaime's armored back began to bulge outward before two, translucent, gossamer like wing frames appeared that allowed him to fly over to the zeta beam platforms just as Dick, M'gann, and Beast Boy assembled, with Nightwing punching in the coordinates for Metropolis. Casting one last look at the rest of the groups as they bid farewells to their fellows, Jaime couldn't help but wonder who they'd be losing this time if things went badly.
Dick for his part, locked eyes with Robin, and they shared a grim nod with each other. They were of the Bat family of heroes, if anyone truly had a grasp of what they were walking into, it was them, and they'd already calculated the odds as they stood. And at the moment, it didn't look good.
As for Conner, he didn't need to meet M'gann's gaze to feel her in his head as he too boarded a zeta platform with a large group of their fellow heroes. Come back to me, M'gann
I will Conner. She promised, and in the next instant, they were surrounded by gold light...
Metropolis, Illinois: City Underground
November 23rd, 2016
4;17 PM
"Ugh dude...can't say I missed the smell, hermano." Jaime groaned as he waved a hand in front of his face since even through the Scarab's mask, the filters did little to cut down on the stench as he floated a foot off the ground, with Garfield riding on his shoulder as a carrier pigeon. M'gann too kept her feet from touching the steel, slime covered tunnel they were trudging through, but to look at Nightwing, one would think he was strolling through a park as he determinedly walked forward without a word.
At least I have a perch this time instead of having to become an alligator again when we were chasing down Clayface. Beast Boy replied happily, able to 'speak' at all despite having transformed thanks to M'gann having established a telepathic link between them, both so he could actually share his thoughts, but also so that they could remain as quiet as possible as they got closer to where their unknown assailants had set up shop.
So far there's no sign of them. Nightwing noted as he looked the over the walls. Considering how much they've already dug, I'd expected some sign of their presence to show up by now.
Like what jeffe? Jaime asked, although he could make a few educated guesses as his flight jerked to the side when a large dollop of green sludge fell from a grate just above his head. Ugh...on the other hand, I'm not sure I want to find these things since you'd have to be pretty loco to want to live down here.
Perhaps we simply haven't reached the edge of their domain? M'gann offered, her gaze hardening as she jerked her head to the right. Hold on, I think I have something. It….feels like rage. She shivered despite the steel in her voice as she put a hand on Nightwing's shoulder, a silent gesture to indicate they were getting close to something. To make it worse, the rest of the team could feel, just on the edge of their psychic link, a veritable wave of anger and worse. It was like a miasmic cloud, threatening to choke them all until M'gann strengthened her mental defenses, lessening the effect it had on them at the same time.
Alright Miss M, you heard her. Alpha Squad, be careful, let's just hope this is a small patrol we're coming up on. A grim nod later, and Nightwing looked up to see a narrow vent shaft that would take him to the tunnel M'gann had since pointed down as they stopped at a four way junction. Jumping up into the shaft, Dick disappeared from sight, silent as his namesake while the rest of the team found their own ways forward. Garth stayed on Jaime's shoulder as he flew down the tunnel, sticking to the shadows as best he could. M'gann however, phased right into the wall, choosing to bypass traditional methods entirely. And Garth, be careful. She called out once she had disappeared completely into the tunnel's steel wall, her voice full of concern for the young shapeshifter that was, despite not being related to each other in the slightest, her 'blood brother'.
I'll be careful, you too sis. Garth replied, his gaze narrowing somewhat as he tried to muster the same quiet determination all of the senior heroes seemed to naturally radiate with every breath. Turning to Jaime as they reached the end of the tunnel, they shared a look when they heard soft growls and grunts some distance ahead and to the left.
Landing on the edge of this newest junction, Jaime raised his right hand as his blue and black gauntlet transformed without a sound, becoming his 'staple gun'. Attempting to translate, the scarab stated, its words only audible to Jaime even through the mind link as both he and Beast Boy tensed in anticipation of whatever came next. It only took about twenty, thirty seconds, but the scarab growled something that sounded suspiciously like a curse to Jaime before saying, it is no use, they seem to lack a comprehensible form of communication. All I can hear are unintelligible growls. Not compatible.
So, what's the word? Dick asked as his masked face appeared some distance further along the tunnel as he looked down from the vent shaft, having found another exit in the time it'd taken Jaime to eavesdrop.
No go jeffe, either the scarab simply can't understand them or they have no language to speak of. Not compatible, to quote the scarab. Raising his staple gun, Jaime waited for the signal as he peered around the edge of the tunnel. What he saw had him wishing he hadn't. "That….is just nasty." He whispered as loud as he dared.
You're telling me. Dick replied as he too grimaced, biting back what had been about to bubble forth from his stomach.
At the end of the left tunnel, which emptied out into a large, square chamber, which in turn split off into yet several more directions, one of which went further down, a rusty metal ladder going further down, a metallic grate serving as the floor. It was here that they saw several of the monsters, all of them dressed in the crude flesh, bone, and metal armor that seemed commonplace for them, gathered around a pile of mutilated corpses. Among the blood, dirt, and sludge, something else had begun to take over parts of the sewer, centered around the metal grate at their feet. A purple and fleshy, writhing fungus of some kind had begun to slowly creep over every surface as it grew up the sides of the center tunnel, filling in parts of the grate and the spaces between the ladder itself. Some of it had taken the shape of orb like protrusions, several inches wide, with dark purple tendrils of the same spreading outward in every direction.
Okay I am officially whelmed. Beast Boy's thoughts made it clear he was as disgusted and sick as the rest of the team, his pale green eyes as wide as saucers as the dark green feathers around his neck puffed up, clearly agitated by what they were looking at. It didn't help the humanoid creatures were busy gorging themselves on the corpses around them, noisily chewing rended flesh and pieces of bone while one seemed content to wring out every drop of blood it could from an arm it held above its mouth before devouring the limb. Once it was gone, it picked up a fresh limb and began to repeat the process. I think I'm going to be sick…. Garth groaned, and lowered his beak to the side.
Transmitting data. Dick told them and used the holographic interface on his arm to send the video feed directly to Aqualad, making sure to zoom in on the strange protrusions and dark purple tendrils on the ground as well as the monsters. Blue Beetle, see if you can get any data from here. If not, be ready to engage them. Miss Martian, hold back for now, your earlier reaction to them touching our connection concerns me.
R-right. M'gann offered in response, remaining hidden in the wall of the tunnel for the moment as she pulled back the reach of her telepathic field so that it was only the team that felt her presence.
On it. Jaime replied and pointed one of the more sophisticated scanners, his off hand transforming into a multi pronged gun of sorts, which emitted no detectable energy of any kind. Waving it over the creatures as best he could while remaining hidden, Jaime cocked an 'ear' to the Scarab as it began its scan. The seconds ticked by with the only sounds audible being the creatures as they continued to gorge themselves on the flesh of their victims. Huh? What is this? He muttered and frowned at the results as the scarab ran through what it'd detected. I get basic data back, like a bone structure similar to that of humans, breathes oxygen, muscle seem to be roughly the same if not a bit stronger, more dense, but beyond that it's like their blood is giving me white noise. Not compatible again. This is starting to sound familiar. Either Apokoliptian tech or magic blocks the Scarab like this, and I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's the latter.
Great, better let Zatanna know. Dick noted and sent every bit of gathered date back to the Watchtower, including notes such as their suspected magical nature. That done, he turned back to the pair. Anything else?
Aside from that they don't seem to have anything special going for them, jeffe. Blue Beetle told him with a shrug. Or at least nothing I'm picking up on, their armor and weapons seem to be ordinary metal, well...what metal they used anyway.
Well, no time like the present I suppose. Having put it off long enough, Nightwing tensed, prepared to spring out of the vent shaft, but he paused, his gaze falling to an understandably pale Garth. Beast Boy, get it together. We need all hands on deck and I'd rather know now if you'd rather head back.
With a shake of his feathered head, Beast Boy narrowed his pale green eyes on the just visible leader of the team. Huh? No way! If M'gann's stayin', I'm staying.
Satisfied that Garth was focused on the task at hand, at least for the moment, Nightwing wasted no more time as he shot out of the vent, silent as a shadow. Blue Beetle and Garth followed just behind him, the armor's gauntlets changing mid flight as Jaime aimed at the furthest of the group ahead of them, while Nightwing went in for the closest with Garth flying over his shoulder to scout out the area ahead, disappearing into the tunnel at the center of the next chamber. M'gann remained hidden, but they knew she'd find her place in the coming battle.
True to his namesake, Nightwing's first few strikes went completely unnoticed as the closest creature was hammered into the metal grate as he vaulted over its large shoulders, kick flipping off the front of its head on his way by before landing on a second some distance off. The rest stopped feasting to screech and scream in rage at having been interrupted, leaving them completely exposed as Jaime fired into their midst. Three more were soon pinned to the nearest wall, several glowing pieces of metal slamming into them, the sharpened ends of the 'staples' ensuring they wouldn't be going anywhere as arms, necks, and chests were trapped in place. The last two inexplicably found themselves a foot off the ground before they were forced to hit the ceiling hard, cracking the concrete with how hard they impacted before they were dropped. A split second later, M'gann phased into the room.
Among the midst of the blood splattered room, Nightwing's earlier smirk was nowhere to be found as he got up close to one of the unconscious monsters. "If this thing was ever human, it'd be impossible to tell without taking one of them back home." He mused even as he waved a hand in front of his nose. The stench was atrocious, a combination of filth, gore, and worse, but he did his best not to let it bother him as his high tech domino mask scanned the entity in its own way. While he didn't have the same level of sophistication as Jaime's scarab, Nightwing still had his own methods, courtesy of the WayneTech seeded through every Bat family superhero costume. "No detectable advanced tech, definite signs of some kind of freakish mutation. Liver, heart, lungs, at least those seem normal, but without getting it back to a lab, I don't think we're going to learn anything else here."
"Uh guys? We're missing one." Jaime said and pointed to where one of M'gann's slammed enemies had been, only for the three to see it had gotten up and slunk off.
"What the- I was sure it was out cold." M'gann protested as she spun in place, just in time to give a shout as a dagger was thrown from the shadows. She only had a split second to react as time slowed down to a crawl.
Her eyes began to glow an emerald green, and both Nightwing and Blue Beetle could only stare as the blade passed right through the martian. Having phased herself, it slammed into the wall, quivering in place as the blade found a new home in the concrete directly behind her. She didn't give the bald headed monster a second chance as her right hand shot up, and she jerked it back towards herself, about the same time the short, stout creature was pulled directly towards her. Nightwing was there to meet it, his right hand wrapped tightly around one of his black escrima stick. Catching it just below its wrinkled, gaunt chin, the creature fell onto its back before M'gann's feet, unmoving. "Now it's out cold." M'gann stated, certain of it now as the glow to her eyes faded.
"BB, secure it, just in case." Nightwing ordered and watched as Jaime fixed the creature to ground with his staple gun. "We underestimated them once, I'm not doing it again."
Beast Boy to Nightwing, you need to get down here. You're gonna want to see this. Before they could ask what it was he'd discovered, Garth sent a mental image of what he was looking at. Perched on a pipe that overlooked the hole, the same hole that the darkspawn had found their way up into the city sewers if they were to guess, Garth's revulsion was impossible to miss as they soon discovered the reason why once they had descended the central shaft.
Nightwing, having to stick to the ladder, was the last one down, but he too could only gawk when he saw what they were looking at. I'd say this is a territory marker…. He managed at last as his eyes took in the 'statue' that overlooked the edge of the hole that opened up into the earthen chamber below. To call it a statue was a bit of a stretch since it was more of a crude figure, roughly the shape of a dragon if he were to judge, made out of bones, human bones as he could easily discern with both his training and experience.
Some of them were a pearly white, meaning they were fresh, brand new, while others had begun to show signs of wear and decay, visible cracks and bite marks all too easy to see where the marrow had likely been sucked out. As he stepped closer he could make out some sort of strange carvings in their surface, what it meant, if they even had a meaning he didn't know, but the marker certainly destroyed any lingering hopes of being able to reason with these beings.
He wrinkled his face in distaste as he saw pools of blood in front of the marker, and the clear hallmarks of bodies that had been dragged away. Perhaps for some sort of ritualistic sacrifice, or perhaps just a warning to any intruder bold enough to challenge them. Whatever the case, they needed to be stopped, and Nightwing looked towards his three companions, his face set in stone. M'gann only nodded her head while Jaime sighed, but he too didn't say a word as his glowing eyepieces narrowed in silent acknowledgement. Turning to Garth last, Nightwing was both proud and saddened by what he saw in the youth's green eyes as he alighted on M'gann's shoulder, the martian reaching up to soothingly run her fingers down his feathered back.
"Kaldur, I hope you're seeing this." Nightwing said quietly and shook his head with disgust.
"I am old friend." Kaldur's voice was a reassuring presence to the team. "Proceed with caution."
Whispering an acknowledgment, Nightwing knelt down on the edge of the hole, one hand at his right ear. "We're going in, keep your eyes peeled." Down into the depths they went, but if not for the fact there were plenty of naturally occurring stalagmites and rocky outcroppings, they would have been discovered right away as the team made their way to the back of the chamber. Peering out from beyond the rock formation that had been left untouched, they stared into the swarm, much closer than they'd have liked with what they'd seen so far. "Looks like there's several types of these things." Nightwing whispered as loud as he dared as his domino mask's eyepieces zoomed in, allowing him a better look at the activity below. "Those short, stocky ones we saw up top seem the most numerous."
"More humanoid looking ones further in jeffe." Jaime chimed in as he too swept over the immediate area, his gaze more focused on the digging 'crews' he could just see through the horde, hemmed in by noticeably taller, better equipped creatures that were just as twisted as their shorter compatriots. "Looks like they got the healthy lookin' abductees tunneling for 'em, just like in the video feed we saw at the Watchtower. Don't know what they're after, but they're industrious, I'll give 'em that." He did find it mildly curious that the forge they'd seen, with its attending monster, was nowhere to be found. He must have moved his little workshop.
Whatever the case, M'gann had since slipped through the floor, and found herself in another large chamber below much like the one above. I think we're dealing with some kind of hive. There's more tunnels below, a lot more from what I can see from here. The image she sent back showed the rest what the martian could see, her head just hanging through the rock above the horde, the rest of her hidden safely away in the ceiling. Slowly scanning the perimeter of the large cavernous space, they saw the numerous tunnel exits and pathways that wound away into the darkness, where yet more of the creatures came pouring out of at every turn, some leading away more of their captured slaves.
Any ideas on their numbers? Asked Nightwing, all business despite the steel in his voice as the mental images faded away, allowing him a chance to process what she'd sent back.
A lot. M'gann told him, apologetic, all too aware that it wasn't a lot of help. If this goes even further down, and each time we got chambers and tunnels like these…
Yeah, I got it. We have a serious problem. Nightwing agreed with a slight grimace. Looks like the worst case scenario right now. We're gonna need the League on this one.
Assuming they can get the Light's minions under control, by then it might be too late to do anything! Garth protested as he once more landed on Jaime's shoulder. No sooner had the thought left his 'mouth' though, did they hear a large, ominous rumble. Looking to the far end of their cavernous chamber, they saw a large, horned, purple skin giant ambling out of much larger passageway, just big enough to allow it to stand to its full height of nine feet, easy, not counting its onyx black horns that curved upward, almost like a ram's. Large, thick metallic vambraces covered its muscle packed arms, and teeth as large as bricks filled its mouth as it walked upright on two legs despite a slight bend to its back. It wasn't the only one either as a second, third, and a fourth followed, making it clear the one in front was some kind of alpha because, even at their distance, they could see the lead giant was notably bigger than its brethren. We definitely need Superboy down here for those things.
I'm starting to agree with you Beast Boy. We can't engage these things on our own anyway, not without being overrun. M'gann, pull back, we need to regroup.
One moment Nightwing, I think I might have found something. Another image followed of M'gann having since slipped down to a third cavern, this one markedly….different, from the previous ones. For one, the walls and floor were absolutely covered in more of the fungus like growth that had begun to take over parts of the sewer and the caves below, large, pulsating 'orbs' of the stuff making it difficult to navigate the passageways into the chamber itself. The second was that a large, crude stone dias was being carved out by more of the monsters and their abductees, where M'gann wondered if something of great importance to the horde would be placed later since she couldn't see anything already present to suggest otherwise.
Mark it on the map, looks important to them. We better destroy it when we get the chance. Nightwing ordered her and took mental note of the information M'gann had presented him with, not liking what it potentially meant one bit. The whole chamber was built like it would eventually house something important to these things with a very limited number of ways in or out. Furthermore, it was deep underground, which meant it wasn't easily accessible and the chamber itself only had a single entrance in comparison to all the others, meaning it was also easier to defend. M'gann get back, we're leaving. He told her resolutely, unwilling to risk any further delays.
On my way. Withdrawing now. M'gann stated as she stepped back into the wall and phased through it before flying up through the stone once more. Appearing between Nightwing, Blue Beetle, and Garth, who visibly relaxed upon seeing her, she smiled, briefly, before meeting Nightwing's gaze. I don't know what these things are, but we need to stop them.
We will. We'll take one of them with us on our way out. From there we'll make our next move. M'gann mentally grimaced since she didn't need to see Dick's thoughts to know their next move would involve her trying to read their own captive's mind, something she wasn't looking forward to for several reasons, the cloying, almost suffocating air of intense rage and blind hatred chief among them. But if he noticed her discomfort, he didn't comment on it as Nightwing led the way back up and out of the sewer.
The Watchtower, geosynchronous orbit with Earth
November 23rd, 2016
5;21 PM
Stepping out of the decontamination shower, although it was safer to call it a laser light show of sorts since there was no water filled with antibacterial mists or sprays to speak of, Nightwing breathed a fair bit easier as he and the team were cleared to enter the rest of the orbiting satellite, having zeta beamed back up into a sealed section of the station. Their 'guest' was thankfully still out cold as it was rolled out on its back on a steel gurney, stripped of anything that even remotely resembled a weapon, although they could hardly confiscate claws and teeth.
"Alright, get him in the lab, I want him secured and ready for questioning ASAP." Nightwing told the few heroes that were left in the Watchtower as M'gann, Jaime, and Garth went their own way, and lifted a hand to his ear, tapping at the communicator hidden there. "Kaldur, we got one. Is Zatanna back yet? We could use her expertise, Blue Beetle thinks they're magical in nature, and I'm inclined to believe him."
"She should return soon, but she ran into a few problems." Aqualad told him after a moment of hesitation as he made his way to the central chamber of the station, passing through a number of hallways, with heavy, airtight doors moving out of his way, serving to cut off parts of the space station in the case of a hull breach.
"Great, what now?" Nightwing grumbled, his patience having worn very thin after everything they'd born witness to in the last hour, hour and a half.
"We have no idea how it happened, but apparently one of Gordon's informants heard her talking to the police about what's going on, and now we have the media hounding us for answers." Kaldur'ahm answered, clearly unhappy with the situation they found themselves in. Stepping into the central chamber about that time, Nightwing was the first to see the news broadcast the Atlantean had pulled up for them.
G. Gordon Godfrey was a well known thorn in the Justice League's side, so Nightwing wasn't all that surprised to see the well maintained head of blonde hair set in the Caucasian man's lightly wrinkled face. Dark blue eyes set into his otherwise distinguished, handsome face swept from side to side. as if he were looking at a crowd rather than a set of cameras, his arms thrown out at his side. Dressed in a gray suit and matching gray tie, a pair of black suede shoes adorning his feet, Godfrey presented an image of professionalism with a knack for uncanny observations, but it was a well known fact he had an intense dislike for the aliens among the League and the team, yet he always seemed to know just a little too much about certain events. It hadn't taken much investigative work to establish a link between him and the Light.
True to form, his latest rant was just as 'well informed'. "It would seem the Justice League and their team of sidekicks are at it again folks! We've just received word that an unknown lifeform has been unleashed beneath the streets of Metropolis, and everyone's big blue boyscout is oh so coincidentally, conveniently, absent! The images we're about to show you strongly suggest that this isn't a new problem either." Godfrey ranted on the holographic screen and glared at the camera as part of his feed showed another cave, much like the one the team had discovered. Unlike theirs, this one was freshly dug out, with the creatures pouring out into an underground warehouse of some sort before the feed went dead when a stray arrow fired into the catwalks above, where a security guard was located, instead slammed into the camera itself. "I think we have a right to know why the Justice League hasn't done anything to inform, let alone protect us. In the city of tomorrow no less! I must warn our viewers the next images are extremely graphic." Following his declaration, the screen switched to the very same images Barbara had picked up of the monsters forcing humans to do their bidding as well as beginning to kill, and in some cases, eat those too weakened to continue working.
"How did he get his hands on that footage?" Nightwing muttered angrily as his masked eyes narrowed to slits.
"It seems most likely that the Light has kept its own eye on the situation developing beneath the streets of Metropolis." Aqualad supplied gravely, his face a calm mask that barely managed to hide his own anger at that tidbit of news.
"A logical deduction." Both young men jerked as Lex Luthor's bald head appeared beside the running commentary from Godfrey, which was automatically muted when the new transmission started. Lex Luthor was tall and was in good shape, being moderately built, a surprise given the fact he was a CEO of a multinational corporation called LexCorp. Long ago, his hair had all fallen out, leaving him bald, but his green eyes and high cheekbones hid an immense intellect and business savvy, wrapped in a seemingly polite, warm and charismatic persona that hid his shadowy inclinations from the general public. Dressed in a similar, perfectly tailored suit and tie, the powerful businessman was seated behind a metallic desk, his hands folded just beneath his strong chin, a small little wry smile on his face. "Nightwing, Aqualad, you boys look like you're having a long day. I just had a nice chat with Batman by the way, but as I told him before you start pointing fingers, you've begun to investigate what the Light has also discovered."
As much as they naturally suspected Luthor was lying through his teeth, Nightwing at least was willing to hear him out since the white collar prince of crime had informed them during the Reach's last moments on Earth, that the Light wanted to control Earth, not destroy it. Their interests, while ultimately self serving and unmistakably evil, meant that they'd do their part in trying to preserve their home as much as the heroes did in their own way. That didn't mean he would take anything Luthor said at face value though. "And you just happen to call just as Godfrey is giving us the third degree on international news. Gotta say Lex, your timing is a little too convenient, to quote your friend."
"Godfrey serves his purpose, and if nothing else he keeps you folks honest….well, more honest, than you tend to be otherwise." Luthor replied smoothly, as usual as unaffected by the veiled accusations as ever. Straightening his black tie, a new image appeared on Luthor's right. It was the warehouse they'd seen on Godfrey's broadcast. "This was taken in one of my storage facilities just an hour ago. From what our own scientists could tell, they're not particularly bright but they have quite the hardy constitution, and they seem to have an a strong, aggressive response to anything not like them, as you've no doubt determined for yourselves. We've since sealed the breach they made, but if they're truly tunneling beneath my old hometown, then it'll only be a matter of time before they hit a densely populated area. The Light has already deployed several teams of our own to kill and capture as many of these creatures as we can, for further study naturally, but I figured you'd want a chance to do your part. Unless of course you don't mind if my philanthropic efforts be the only ones the public remembers once the crisis is passed."
"We already have teams on the ground, but you no doubt knew that." Kaldur stated flatly, not finding the businessman's dry sarcasm amusing in the slightest. "And while you have the public fooled into believing you're an angel, we know otherwise."
"Better the devil you know than one you don't, eh boy?"
"In that we can at least agree." Kaldur replied before letting his arms fall to his side. "I take it Black Manta's troops are already on the move?"
"As are the League of Shadows, led once more by Ra's Al Ghul now that he's recovered, and Doctor Ivo's machines, yes, spearheaded by Deathstroke who's serving as our field commander. Klarion, Icicle Jr, Killer Frost, Psimon, Shimmer, Mammoth, Devastation, and the Terror Twins are also present and accounted for. All hands on deck, as they say, but if you wanted to know the status of your father, Aqualad, all you need do was ask instead of trying to cleverly beat around the bush." Lex smirked knowingly as Kaldur's eyes narrowed. With a wave of his hand, the warehouse feed was dismissed and quickly replaced with a live feed from one of Ivo's machines, its optics affixed on Deathstroke himself as he and his assembled troops marched into another of the sewer tunnels. "Deathstroke, the former sidekicks are curious about your progress, as am I."
"Don't call us sidekicks." Nightwing grunted through clenched teeth even as he too turned his gaze to the screen in question. Ignoring the sight of Mercy, Lex's cybernetic bodyguard and 'secretary', he affixed his gaze on the new feed.
Deathstroke, also known as Slade Wilson, one of the most dangerous mercenaries to ever walk the planet, only chuckled. "I see. So the young heroes have blundered into this mess and now they want us to do the dirty work since they're unwilling to get their hands bloody. From what I've seen Mr. Luthor, these things have a penchant for total war, which means we'd be smart to return the favor." Punctuating his point, Deathstroke's hand snapped up just as a dagger was thrown from the darkened cavern before him, followed closely by several of the short, stocky rogue types. He spun the blade in his black gloved fingers and threw it back, nailing the lead creature in the neck, a gout of black blood spilling forth as it fell back, ignored by its companions. "Now if you'll excuse me." Not waiting for a response, Slade charged forward, a heavy broadsword in his right hand the next instant, already in mid swing.
They didn't need to hear the sounds of battle to know who was likely winning, Kaldur and Nightwing having since returned to glaring at Lex. He merely smiled amenably despite the dying screeches and agonized growls coming from Deathstroke's live feed as he and his minions cut down everything in front of them. Deciding to go for it, the two shared a subtle glance with each other before Nightwing asked, "I take it you know we're looking for Arsenal."
"Batman also asked about your former associate. I was genuinely curious if you'd get to Mr. Harper, but of course I should have known better." Lex, much to their surprise, nodded to Mercy, who made no visible movement, yet the feed from Deathstroke's cam was changed out for a new one, an all too familiar beam of red energy cutting through several of the monsters like a hot knife through butter. Lex didn't bat an eye even as Kaldur and Dick paled slightly as the slain creatures fell to the stone, their upper halves falling first. "Mr. Harper, your former allies are inquiring as to your wellbeing."
"Tsk, after Zatanna's failed attempt to capture me you mean?" Roy Harper scoffed derisively as he used his metal arm as a shield, a shower of sparks erupting from where the sword hit, before he punched the offender square in the jaw with his still human off hand. Just as quickly he brought a heavy, black boot down on its face, spinning and ducking as another tried to take his head off in the next instant. It too fell when a black clothed swordsman, a League of Shadow assassin, cut it across its waist as it passed. "Well you can tell Nightwing I'm fine right where I am, and that I'm not coming back anytime soon, not after he booted me from the team for doing what was necessary."
"You know exactly why I had to kick you off the team, Arsenal," Nightwing retorted as his eyes narrowed to slits behind his mask, "but that doesn't matter right now, not with Metropolis under siege."
"At least we can agree on something." Roy spat out, surprising the pair with just how angry he sounded despite Nightwing having seen what the former archer had been capable of first hand some months ago. But he'd hoped some time off would have calmed Roy down, instead it seemed the opposite was true as he fired again, the laser weapon attached to his cybernetic arm cutting another bloody swath right through the creatures' front ranks. "If you're planning to send teams down here, make sure they're actually willing to get their hands bloody, otherwise you'll just be getting in the way, Boy Wonder." With a contemptuous jerk of his hand, Roy had the feed cut, leaving the rest to stare at the snow covered screen.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jaime, having since returned to the central chamber, mouthing 'asshole' at the static screen with a shake of his head as Nightwing turned his attention back to Luthor. "Now then, Nightwing, Aqualad." Lex began, smiling like they were discussing the weather rather than talking about a legitimate threat to the safety of Metropolis. "I'm right to assume that you will soon join with our own forces?"
"We'll be there." Was all he'd say on the matter, while Kaldur merely nodded his head.
"I'd already sent several teams into the sewers, but they were merely scouting at the time. Now that we have a better idea of what we're up against, orders will change to reflect our unfortunate but necessary change to how we approach this new threat." Kaldur didn't have to finish the thought for them to know what he was thinking. As much as it didn't feel right to Dick, he knew better than to argue since this was a hostile invasion, and they'd have to deal with it the only way they could if things didn't get better. "Now if you'll excuse me Luthor, we have a war to prepare for."
"At least you understand the stakes, Kaldur'ahm. Your father will be happy to hear your time with his troops has paid off in making you more ruthless." The barb was met with a just audible curse in Atlantean before Lex's call ended.
A hand on his shoulder drew Kaldur out of his darkening mood somewhat as Dick turned to Jaime. "You and the others doing okay?"
"Y-yeah, although Garth and M'gann have locked themselves in her room for the time being. Can't say I blame 'em though, jeffe, these things are just…." Running an armored hand across the back of his neck, Jaime trailed off, unable, or unwilling, to finish his thought. Not that he needed to since it was a sentiment shared by all of them.
"I know, and as much as I hate to agree with Luthor of all people, we might not have a choice in how we drive these things off." The very thought was sickening to Nightwing, especially since he was deathly afraid of just how far he'd be forced to go before this was over, that they'd all be forced to go, but the alternative was even more terrifying with what little they'd seen from the monsters beneath Metropolis. Pushing such thoughts aside for now, Dick sighed and let his arms fall to his sides. "Let's hope M'gann's ready to interrogate our prisoner. I don't want to force her to do something she'd regret, but we need every bit of intel we can get our hands on."
"Then it's a good thing you won't have to convince me." Seeing an uncomfortably familiar gleam in M'gann's eyes as she phased through the floor to stand between them. Dick nodded grimly as the hard set of her jaw softened somewhat. "I appreciate your concern, Dick, but I was there, same as you were. I might not like it, but we need to know what we're up against."
"Alright, Miss Martian," Kaldur stated before Dick could try to talk her out of it, "we trust you to get the job done." Whatever his own discomfort about the woman between them, Kaldur was able to push them aside for the sake of the people below. Besides, what he'd told Barbara had been true, he didn't begrudge M'gann's actions during his time undercover. Having said that, he couldn't let her go to the lab without some measure of reassurance. "If something goes badly during the link, we'll try to pull you out."
"If these things really are a psychically linked hive mind consciousness as we suspect, you won't have long to intervene before I lose my sanity. Hopefully just scratching the surface will be enough to get what we want." Putting a hand on Kaldur's skin icons, eel like tattoos that ran the length of his muscular limbs all the way down to his hands, the Atlantean got the hint as to what she was asking him to do.
Dick, for his part, tapped at the high powered taser he had on his belt, having gotten the same message. "Only as a last resort." He promised, but the growing hole in the pit of his stomach widened somewhat at the dread possibility of throwing M'gann to the wolves if this ended poorly.