Chapter 05
The Escape Part 2
Author's notes.
Sorry for another delay. Between a friend passing away and having a bad reaction to medicine for my chest I have been in a constant state of depression for about 2-3 months and I am now off sick from work and there is a chance I'll be fired so I am not in the right state of mind all the time right now so updates might be more sporadic than ever now.
Also this chapter has been split into multiple, smaller parts as it is growing quite large.
Site Two, Unknown Location.
19:21PM
Amanda Waller settled into her new office as quickly as she could, there was a lot to do and not much time to do it. It was smaller than her last office, less than half the size, but its position gave her quick access to all the important parts of the facility via her private elevator.
It had been a few hours since her departure from Site One and Site Two's skeletal crew were working overtime to get the rest of the facility up and running. Not long after they had started working, the scientists, their work and soldiers began beaming in via the zeta-pad, bringing everything she had worked for since the Apokolips Invasion two years ago. All except for the remains of the Alpha Project, her team and everything from the west storage block.
"Where the hell are they?" she said tensely.
They were meant to be the last to arrive but it had been an hour and still no sign of them. Had the Justice League found Site One already? If so she had just lost a large portion of her research and inventory. And most of it was irreplaceable. Though that wasn't as worrying as losing the Alpha Projects and her team.
Everything had been going great till Zaniel had told her about the alien. After that everything started going to hell. And if she were to be completely honest with herself it was all her own fault. She should have never trusted Zaniel. After he went after that alien and bought those wannabe heroes back with it she was forced to run with her tail between her legs and that thought galled her to no end. But with the possible threat of discovery and interference from the Justice League it was the best course of action. She wished she could have just loaded those brats onto the zeta-pad and sent them back, or even just kill them. But she had other priorities. Her work must be kept secret at all costs. Luthor had made that clear that if she was discovered that he would not be bought down with her.
She needed to know what was going on at Site One. If anything fell into the League's hands then her life was pretty much forfeit.
Waller left her office and took her elevator down to security. The elevator journey took only a few seconds and it was so smooth it felt like she hadn't moved at all. The doors opened and she stepped into the security office. Unlike Site One, which had several of them throughout its complex structure, this was the only office here, though at least it was a good size.
Two dozen men and women sat at computers in a circle around the central computer, each watching several screens. Every one of them had a small battalion at their beck and call should anything go awry. She walked passed everyone, and to their credit they did not acknowledge her, they just did their job and kept their eyes on their work. She stopped at the central console, where the commander of her security force, a woman in her mid-thirties with dark hair and a stern expression on her face, sat overseeing everything around her via four holographic computer screens that surrounded her.
"What's the situation with Site One?" Waller asked her, trying to hide her anger but not succeeding very well.
"Unknown, ma'am," she replied with a French accent. "We are trying to contact them now. But the zeta-pad is interfering with our signal."
"I don't want excuses, I want results," Waller snapped.
"Understood, but we still haven't figured out how to use our communicators at this range while the zeta-pad is active. And if we shut it down it will take a while to power it up again."
"It's too risky to shut it down just yet," Waller told her. "We need those projects, they are too valuable to lose, especially Zero. With out him this whole operation will fail."
A nameless worker behind them spoke up. "Ma'am, I've gotten access to the cameras from Site Two."
"Send it to me," the woman barked. The man typed away on his keyboard and the camera feed from Site Two appeared on the four screens around Waller and the woman. The footage was done in double speed so they could catch up with what was going on. What Waller learned enraged her to the point where she thought she'd pass out.
Omen and Zaniel had betrayed her, not that Waller expected loyalty with them, hence the need for the explosive implants. But the fact that they managed to escape the facility with such ease meant that they didn't have the bombs anymore, or maybe they never had them to begin with, and they had been using her. For what she didn't know but when she found them she would take great pleasure in extracting that information from them, painfully.
The video then switched to the Titan's and the alien girl. They had somehow managed to escape their confinement, take everything of value from the west storage block and fought their way through the remaining guards like they were nothing. They had even managed to team up with that psycho, Harley Quinn, and removed her implant.
Waller held onto a nearby rail and took out her anger on it, crumpling the metal bar as though it were a paper cup. The woman in charge saw this but said nothing, she didn't even seem surprised at it. The video feed switched to a more reassuring one. The remaining projects were placed on the zeta-pad and were safely sealed in their containers. Two of the guards loaded the alien's space pod onto the pad as they watched which was a bonus. All was not lost just yet.
"Can we activate Site One's zeta-pad from here?" Waller asked.
"Yes, but it will take time," the woman told her. "We'll need to hack into our own systems and the zeta radiation will make it difficult from this range, but I am confident that we will get it done before the Justice League finds it."
"Good, get it done," Waller started to walk back to her office but stopped halfway to the elevator. "What's your name, Commander?" Waller asked the woman.
"Laura DeMille, ma'am," she told Waller. "Code name, Madame Rouge."
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Site One
19:21pm
The Titan's followed Harley, though they were still unsure if she was leading them into a trap or not. But they had little choice on the matter. Every corridor was almost identical to the last and every turn could lead them to a dead end or back where they had come from. So they were forced to trust her for now.
They were all on edge, they hadn't seen hide nor hair of any guards since their last encounter and the alarms had gone deathly silent. The only sounds to be heard were the sounds of their footsteps and whispered chatters. They couldn't risk talking any louder with the threat of an ambush waiting around every corner.
Seriko, on the other hand, didn't seem to care and was walking along happily enough. She was still walking around like a monkey but at times she'd switch to two feet for a bit then going back to all fours all without realising it. She was so happy in fact that she kept trying to get head pats from everyone, even the psycho clown girl, who was happy enough to oblige.
Dragon was about to call Seriko to get her away from Harley when they rounded one last corner and came to a long corridor and at the end of it lay a large metal door. It took them a few minutes to get to the end of it and when they finally got there, there didn't seem to be any way to open it. No keypad, no lock, not even a door handle. Hack couldn't even find anyway to interface with it, there was too much zeta-beam radiation interfering with his suit and even his abilities. That was something he didn't know until now, he'd have to upgrade his suit, or find a way to boost his powers. Either way he would enjoy the challenge.
"Here we go, give me a sexy second and I'll open it up," Harley told them. She walked up to the pair of massive pair of doors and stood still for a moment, her arms and legs spread wide in stance that reminded them of a ringmaster in a circus. A slot opened at the top of the door, emitting a thin beam of red light that passed over her. The door opened slowly, making an ominous grinding noise as it did. "Ta-da," She said cheerily, striking a pose for the Titans as she did. She walked in and the Titan's trailed behind.
As they entered the room Hack noted that it looked similar to the zeta-tube room on the Watchtower. There were three other doors identical to the one they came through leading off into what must have been the other wings and a huge reactor sitting between two of the doors. It was almost identical to the zeta-beam room in the Watchtower in every way, except for one thing. It was nowhere near as advanced, and neither was its security. Ideas flashed through his mind faster than a human eye could blink. While he wasn't in Titan's Tower for long, he was sure they didn't have access to zeta-beam. The benefits of having access to it were great, though the thought of being able to freely experiment with the technology was his driving thought here. He extended his awareness through the room and copied every single piece of data in the time he took three steps. This would make over one-hundred terabytes of highly encoded data he had taken from here already. Even with his skills it would take some time to get through it all. Once he was done he noticed the five pods sitting on the zeta-beam pad in front of them, along with the remains of Seriko's space pod. The others waited for Seriko to flip out on seeing it, but she had no reaction to it, in fact she didn't even acknowledge it existence.
"What's with the pods?" Blue asked.
"It's a space pod," Harley told him. "The one you're monkey friend came here in. You stupid or something?"
"The other ones moron," Artillery snapped.
"Oh, those. They're some of Fatty's experiments," Harley told them. "Never really took notice of them, 'cept the ones she let out. And Zero that is," she pointed towards the larger of the five pods.
"Bad, bad, bad, very bad," Seriko whimpered and hid behind Dragon the best she could. It was as though she sensed something terrible inside the Dragon petted her to try and keep her calm.
"Don't wet yourself," Harley said. "He's nice and safe inside that… pod." While the pod that contained Zero was still sealed shut, there was a big crack up the side of it. "Umm… we better get going."
"How bad would it be if Zero got out?" Hadari asked her.
"On a scale of one to ten I'd say you'd have a more enjoyable time shoving one of those giant cacti up your bum" she elaborated.
"Thank you for that disturbing image," Satana told her.
Hack checked the files he downloaded earlier for any data on this Zero. Thankfully there was. But like everything else it was heavily encrypted. Not as much as some of the other files but enough that it would take him a few minutes. But he was interrupted from this by the task at hand.
"Hack, get the zeta-pad online," Hadari told him. "We need to get going before something bad happens."
"On it," he said. Hack leapt onto the control panel and set about getting the zeta-pad back online. "Ok, good news, bad news and terrible news."
"What's the good news?" Satana asked.
"Well, I can get the zeta-pad working again," He told them. "The security here is a joke compared to the rest of this place."
"And what's the bad news?" Artillery asked.
Hack was still typing away. "It'll take twenty minutes for this thing to warm up, there are only two other pads logged into this and I can't program any other destinations into it."
"Anywhere is better than here," Hadari said. "But what's the terrible news."
"There are three small armies of guards heading our way, each one is being lead by what I can only assume are some of Waller's superpowered goons," Hack told them. "And they'll be here in fifteen minutes."
"Can you lock them out?" Hadari shouted.
Hack reached out with his power but nothing happened, the zeta-beam radiation was still interfering with his powers. He'd have to do it the old fashioned way. But he was more than up to the challenge, and in moments he was in and had locked down the room. Not as fast as it would have been with his powers but it was good to exercise his own skills once in a while.
"Ok, done," he said. "But I don't know for how long, I don't know what powers those guys have."
"Ok, Harley tell us everything on these guys, now," Dragon said.
Harley put a finger to her temple as though in thought. "Let's see, Waller likes to put the powers of others into her pet projects, specifically the Justice Brigade. The silvery chick, Bombshell's her name I think, has Captain Atom's and the kid, Mazahs has Captain Marvel's. Huh, didn't know they were both captains. And I never once saluted them."
"Focus, dumbass," Artillery said. "What about the third guy?"
"Oh, Molotok, he absorbs kinetic energy and turns it into strength," she told them.
"Do any of them have bombs in them like you did?" Hadari asked her.
"Just the kiddies, Molly is doing this because he likes Waller, gross I'm I right."
Hadari's mind flared as he thought of a battle plan. "Alright everyone, if it wasn't obvious already we're going to have a fight on our hands. Get whatever you can use for cover and move it into positions between the pad and the doors. It won't do anything for the big guys but for the normal guards it will give us some additional protection from their guns. Hack, can you remove their bombs like you did Harley's?"
"I don't think so. If they have the same abilities as the two Captains then my tools will not be able to cut them out," he replied. "But I know how to disable them now so taking them out won't be necessary."
"Good. Ok, here's the plan, we divide and conquer, it's simple but I think we'll stand a better chance this way. I'll fight Bombshell, I know Captain Atom's powers and I my armour should stand up to her strength. Satana can you take on Mazahs?"
"He shouldn't cause me too much trouble," Satana answered. "My magic will be far superior to his borrowed one."
"Good, our abilities should be the best bet for tackling them. Hack, when you see an opening disable their bombs, hopefully that will get them on our side. If not, join whichever of us needs the most help."
"Understood," Hack said. "And now that I know how the bombs work I should be able to deactivate them faster."
Hadari nodded. "Artillery and Harley, can you take on Molotok, at least until we have dealt with our lot?"
"No problem," Artillery told him. "But I won't need her help," she said sneering at Harley.
"Aww, what's wrong, afraid I'll show you up?" Harley taunted.
"In your dreams."
"Enough you two, we need to work together to get out of this," Hadari chided them.
Neither of them said anything but nodded in agreement.
"Good. Remember, he absorbs kinetic energy so rely on hit and run tactics till we can assist you."
"What about me and Dragon?" Blue inquired.
"You two run support, keep us healed up and take out the small fry," Hadari told them. "Once they are dealt with help whoever needs it."
"Wouldn't it be better if I fought Molotok?" Dragon asked. "My fire breath would roast him."
"I know, but Artillery isn't bulletproof and I have no idea how much punishment our gear will take. You are our best bet to take them out."
"Fine," Dragon said, sounding disappointed. But she understood his logic.
"What will Seriko do?" Satana asked. "She seems to be scared of that big pod," She pointed to where Seriko was hiding, behind a large piece of equipment, peaking out and staring at the pod containing the aforementioned Project Zero in fear.
Dragon walked over to her. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked in a soothing tone.
"Bad," she said pointing at the pod.
"Don't worry, I'll… we'll protect you," Dragon assured her. "We're you're friends, and friends look after each other."
"Friends," Seriko said happily. She had heard that word a few times now and while she hadn't truly understood the word she knew it meant something special. She came out from her hiding place and stood with the others.
"Can you helps us move some stuff?" Hadari asked her.
"Yes," she nodded, looking more confident now.
"Ok, Hack, let Seriko know what can be moved and what needs to stay for us to get out if here," Hadari asked.
"Got it," Hack replied. "Come on Seriko, lets rip some stuff up."
Seriko had a big smile on her face, whether it was from helping the others or the idea of ripping stuff up, Hadari didn't know but either way their odds for getting out of this in once piece just got better.
Unbeknownst to them all, the crack on Zero's pod widened and inside it's prisoner chuckled, unheard by the Titan's or Harley.
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Zaniel and Omen had finally arrived at the Boss's headquarters, much to the latter's relief. Omen's teleportation power wasn't the most comfortable form of travel. It felt like thousands of insects crawling over his skin every time they jumped. And they hadn't done it once, but about a dozen times, Omen's teleportation power was limited to a dozen miles at a time and each time felt worse than the last.
"Thank god that's over," Zaniel said, trying to supress a shudder and failing. The crawling feeling still lingering on his skin.
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Omen teased. "There are worse ways to travel."
Zaniel disagreed but kept quiet, he wasn't going to rise to the bait. Instead he focused his attention on the room they had teleported into. It looked like they had ported right into the Boss's office. It always surprised him by how sparsely decorated it was, then again the Boss was always a practical man, never showing off more than was necessary. It was large enough for about a dozen people to stand in comfortably, there were several . on the walls, all under a false name of course but impressive nonetheless. Two large windows took up two sides of the room, staring out into darkness.
In truth, it was not really any different from the millions of other offices in the world, but there was an intense aura of authority that emanated from every inch of it that was unmistakable. There was also a dark undertone, something that told whoever stood in this room that the Boss was not one to be messed with. It was either obey or get out of the way if you valued your life.
At one end of the room there was a solid oak desk with a computer, several folders stacked neatly on it, a silver tray, and three office chairs, two in front of it and one high back behind it. The high back office was turned away from them, looking out of the northern window and the only thing visible of the Boss was his left arm. He didn't say anything but gestured towards the empty chairs. Omen and Zaniel took the hint and sat down. There were sat there in silence for a minute before the Boss spoke up.
"Did you get what I asked for?" the Boss asked. His voice was strong but his accent was hard to pin down. It sounded halfway between a British one and a Texan.
"Of course," Omen replied, placing the flash drive on the silver tray.
Zaniel followed suit and carefully placed the vial of green liquid next to the flash drive. "May I ask why you made us wait so long to take them?" he asked. "We could have grabbed them months ago."
"I needed her to reach a certain point with her research," the Boss explained to Zaniel. "If you had taken it too soon then the data would have had nothing of value on it, and the serum would have been as useful as a flu shot. While my intelligence far outstrips hers, and everyone else on this backwater world for that matter, the sheer number of scientists she had at her disposal meant that she could acquire what I needed in half the time I could do on my own. She just needed a nudge in the right direction."
"So you've been manipulating her from the start?" Zaniel asked.
The boss chuckled. "Manipulated, guided, both words for the same thing. That's why I practically handed Zero over to her. As useful a tool as he was he served a better purpose as her guinea pig. Oh, that reminds me, Omen, did you place the transporter on his pod."
Omen chuckled. "I did, you can recover him whenever you want. Though his pod got a little damaged when I attached it so he "
"That will be no problem. If he gets out my son can take care of him," the Boss said with confidence.
"You think your son can handle him?" Zaniel questioned. "That's insane. You know what will happen if he gets close to anyone of significant power."
"Do not insult me, Zaniel," the Boss said dangerously. "You are a mere tool and I will dispose of you if you prove useless to me, or if I think your loyalty towards me wavers. Now, are you loyal?"
"Y-yes sir," he said, barely holding himself together.
"Good. It may seem like an unwise decision but I have my reasons. Should he prove too much of a hassle I will deal with him myself. Now, tell me about the alien."
"Not much to say," Zaniel told him. "She was strong, tough, fast and could shot energy out of her hands. Oh and she had a weird monkey-like tail."
The Boss spun in his chair to face them. He was wearing a black hooded cloak that covered his whole body from head to toe and a white featureless mask that didn't even have eye holes. Zaniel didn't know how he could see through it but he guessed it was something the Boss had built.
"Did you say monkey-like tail?" he growled.
"Y-yes."
"Impossible, they should be extinct. How the hell is there one on Earth," The Boss looked at his computer, as though it held answers. He turned his attention back to Zaniel and Omen and regaining his composure, "No matter. She'll be dealt with if necessary. For now though, you two are being assigned to a new task. I need you two to find a man named Michael Killian and offer your services as bodyguards. Do not take no for an answer, coerce him if you have to, his work is the final key to my project. But do not force him to speed it up, he needs to reach his goal naturally for it to work. Last I heard he was working somewhere in Greece, use that as a starting point."
The two of them took that as they were being excused. They stood and went to leave when the Boss called to them.
"Oh, and If, by some mysterious fate, you run into the Titan's or that alien again you are to run, do not engage. They are important to my plans too. Do I make myself clear," he said firmly.
"Yes sir," They both said
He sat in silence for a few minutes before he booted up his computer and started to type away. "So, there is still a living member of that species, it's almost impossible to believe," he said to himself. "She could proof either beneficial or detrimental to my plan. I'll have to tread carefully with this one."
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End of Chapter 05