A Little Less Conversation, a Little More Action Please

A DCAU Plus fanfiction project

This adventure is set in Dakota during "Secret Origins". This section was written with help from TempestK

Darkest Night

Ebon felt his lips curl, not that it was really visible to anyone. He'd been secured up in one of his backup hideouts, killing time while his brother got all domestic, and the hero was distracted by the other petty players making their attempts at his throne. And then the god-damn sky came a-tumbling down. Alien invaders, worldwide. He remembered the footage from Metropolis, when the big blue boyscout had been brainwashed and in a conquering mood, but it hadn't had quite the same impact. But these pale fuckers were everywhere, like maggots on rotting meat.

Not that they were all bad, their preference for the dark made his range pretty much unlimited. He could open up a shadowport to any number of major scores, and no one would notice because they were too busy running around like fools with their heads up their asses, wailing for their Statics and Supermen to descend from on high and save them... He shook himself, sometimes he thought that incarnating as living darkness had affected his thinking. Either way, he'd been perfectly fine to just sit back and wait. Maybe offer his talents to the things if they won, always best to get your foot in the door if a bigger, badder crew was stepping up on your turf. Made it that much easier to take your place at the top.

But now he had Dakota's "favored son" glarin' at him, the traitors from his failed Night Breed having led him right to Ebon's door. He clamped down on his temper, seeing Adam at the kid's shoulder, along with their white-bread tagalong, Gear. And at the back was a masked girl; She-Bang, that's her name. Ebon's crew was at the ready, but he'd held up a hand. The hero was too noble to come here like this to start a fight, not openly. He was predictable like that. (He ruthlessly shoved the memories of this little punk getting the drop on him and making him look a fool down. He'd been letting his anger get the better of him too often, he was the one in control here!)

Steepling his hands, Ebon leaned forward, one brow arched. "Well, well, well. Look what the rat's dragged in." The Night Breed all flinched, Brick House visibly angry as she clenched her fists. He smirked, not that they could see it. "To what do I owe the pleasure, hero? I ain't been doing anything worth a personal visit. Shiv?" The psychopath made a show of checking a ratty notebook, before manifesting a set of spinning blades and turning it into confetti.

"Looks like your schedule's all booked boss. You want me to show em the door?" Some days Ebon wondered if Shiv had come away from their brief contact with the Joker more or less sane than when he'd first been recruited.

Static didn't look impressed. "Ebon, I don't know if you've noticed, but the world is ending up there!" he gestures overhead as a tremor passes through the ground and dust showers down. Ebon snorted.

"Just cause I like it dark don't mean I keep myself in the dark. So the norms are getting a taste of what it's like to be on the other end of fear for once. Matter of fact, I kinda like their style. Show the iron fist before ya give em the velvet gloves, yeah?" All of the Meta-Breed gave him sidelong looks, but he ignored them. Not even Hotstreak was willing to contest his control of the crew right now.

Static didn't look impressed though. In fact he looked angry. "Look, they don't care about any of our problems or differences! They want to wipe us all out! ALL OF US!" Ebon sat up straight at that, while Static continued. "They see us as roaches they have to gas to move into their new home!"

Internally, Ebon cursed, this wasn't as clean as he'd thought from listening to the radio chatter. But he persisted in digging in his heels. "You really think the pigs are gonna let us walk afterwards even if we do help you, provided we win?"

Gear and Adam gave him incredulous looks, while Static looked ready to tear out his dreads. "Is going to jail really worse than THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE BEING EXTERMINATED?!"

Shiv actually started to look concerned as more dust showered down. "Um, I hate to say it boss, but he's got a point. I don't think they're gonna see us as a side dish; just another plate on the buffet."

Static persisted, pointing at Ebon. "Priorities, man! You can break out later and go back to your turf wars if we survive! Can't do that when we're all dead, can we?!" He looked like he'd swallowed a lemon before continuing. "I'd prefer you not, but I have to take what I can get right now!"

Carmendillo slavered as the penny dropped. "Man, this'll pay my tab at food joints for months. And hey, maybe even get me a date! I'm in."

Hotstreak shrugged, flames licking at his shoulders and hair. "Ah, what the hell. Might was well go out like a supernova. Give those pasty freaks some nice burn scars to remember me by."

Static pressed his advantage as the rest of the meta-Breed wavered "I'm not asking you to reform. I'm asking you to see that if we don't work together, everything you ever wanted, needed, or had will be gone. Taken by a bunch of alien assholes!"

Ebon say the way the wind was swinging, and decided to go out on his terms. "Okay then, lets get one thing straight hero. We do this, I don't want any bitching about putting these freaks under. We play, we play street rules. Double-tap, you get me?"

Static looks pained, but slowly nods: "If that's what it takes... Then all right."

Hotstreak whistles, as Talon and Aquamaria both get wide-eyed. "Damn, he's not fucking around."

Gear spoke up at that point, looking like he desperately wished to be anywhere else. "Frankly, we need to go all out anyway. These things are approaching Superman levels of strength. And they can shapeshift." Static nodded "Yeah, that's why."

Ebony scoffed. "Copycat shit, nothing original about em. And they've given me a stacked deck." He turns to the rest of the Meta-breed. Time to hoist the colors then. "Open season gang! Lets show these fuckers a Dakota welcome!" The Meta-Breed howled, psyching themselves up, before Gear cut through the noise.

"Hang on! I've got a plan that gives us the highest possible chance of survival, but I'm going to need everyone's help." That caught some people's attention, putting a lid on the rising fighting spirits. Gear smiled devilishly. "I think I've figured out their weakness."

Static looked surprised, before shaking his head and making a 'go-on' gesture. "Well don't keep it to yourself!"

Carmendillo leans in, looking curious.. "I'm all ears too, no way I'm matching superman strength head on."

Gear's smirk expanded. It was actually a little creepy, even for Ebon. "The first thing these guys did was block out the sun. Those huge towers are a huge expense in terms of resources and energy. So why do it?"

Static snapped his fingers. "... They hate natural sunlight!"

Gear nodded. "Or can't stand it this close to the sun."

Shiv pouted, snapping his own fingers in disappointment. "And I left my tanning bed in the other hideout. Darn."

Talon rolled her eyes as people turned to look at the weapon generator. "The sad part is, he's serious."

Gear shook his head. "It wouldn't have been powerful enough anyway. But the fusion lab at Alva Industries can create a small, artificial sun strong enough it could kill every single Imperium in the city..."

Ebonscoffed. "Except for any fools underground. And trust me, I know the underground, there's plenty of places to hide."

Gear's smile took on a positively evil quality. "I've got that covered, too. Hotsteak can manipulate energized plasma, and Static can control electromagnetism. And you, Ebon, can open up crossrips between two places. Between the three of you, you can control the energy of the miniature sun and send it anywhere we need it." He continued, his pet robot projecting several complex diagrams into the air. "And we'll need Rubberband Man and Permafrost to keep the entire thing insulated and cool enough that we won't all die... and everyone else has to defend us while we get it ready."

Ebon looks dubious, before shaking his head in resignation. "This kills me, I better get a fucking monument right next to the EMTs."

Rubberband Man scoffed. "Feh, what are you worried about? I'll be the one absorbing millions of volts."

Ebon flipped him the bird. "Kiss off bro."

Static moved between them, looking serious. "It's risky. But it's this or repeat the Alamo. And I don't want to go out wearing a coonskin cap. Bad for my image. And if Gear says it's our best shot, it's our best shot."

Shiv clapped his hands together, grinning maniacally. "Lets cut to the chase then!" Groans echoed all throughout the hideout.

Static shook his head, giving Shiv a light glare coupled with a pitying look. "You hung around Joker the most, didn't you?"

Shiv just grinned as he formed serrated blades on his forearms.

Ebon rolled his shoulders, limbering up. This was going to be the fight of his life. He couldn't help the thrill that shot through him at that thought, a chance to prove how powerful he really was.

My only complaint? There isn't more.