Liar
Ray Palmer finally found an exit. He didn't know where it leads but he just needed to stretch his legs. He pulled out the thin slip of metal that pressed up against his thigh like a threat. He had to be careful how he held the makeshift tool as it could slip out of his hand and poke his eye out or cut an artery in his hand. It took a couple minutes to undo the ventilation opening for him to slip out.
He stuck his head out to check if the coast was clear and to figure out where he was. All he saw was a a large row of capsules filled with liquid lit up by red lights that imitated sunlight shone down on their captives, Meta humans who had broken the law. 'i'm in the phantom zone' thought Ray as he pulled himself from the ceiling vent and dangled in the air as he pulled his feet below him. Sure that he wouldn't break his foot or ankle Ray jumped down. He landed wrong as his foot turned left and he collapsed to his face.
"OW!" he said as he rubbed his pink face. As he was rubbing his face he noticed a faint yellow light that contrasted the red. He slowly pulled himself up using one of the capsules. The capsule belonged to the unconscious body of Hawkman. Ray felt a tug of regret as he stared at his former friend. But then he notice the sliver of gold light had shimmered and then disappeared.
Ray turned to Hawkman's eyes closed face, "i'll free you soon, Carter." Ray then went over to the wall that originated the odd color. Ray bent down to his knees and saw that there was a centimeter of space from the wall to the floor. It would amaze that Ray could identify tiny things like that but he was the Atom whose job was to look at things too small to notice.
Ray stuck his fingers along the bottom of the wall outlining its surface. He followed it up to its left side when he felt a small latch. He pulled it and the wall became a door leading to a room bathed in blue and yellow light.
"What the..?" Ray gasped. There was a large monitor that took up the far wall that was connected to four large grey cabinets that beeped and booped flashing red and green led lights. On the Monitor's blue screen was a large red eye.
"My god, Felicity...no" muttered Ray as he stared at the active Brother Eye. Ray ran out of the room found an exposed pipe and using leverage broke it. Now equipped with a weapon, Ray ran back into the room ready to destroy this abomination. He raised the pipe above his head as he began to trash the computer. He didn't stop or dared not to. He smashed and ripped at any exposed computer parts and wires. Ray breathe heavy as his swings began to lose power and accuracy.
Finally he dropped the pipe and fell to the floor with a quick breath. 'Felicity knew he was still here.' the thought disturbed and angered Ray. Oliver was right after all these years they became the very thing they were trying to prevent. 'we still got our goddamn secrets.' he then turned to the "phantom zone", then again that isn't new. He got up but stopped as he realized the yellow light was coming from another sectioned off part of this room. He moved over to it and opened it.
"What the hell!" gasped Ray.
"Eye can't let Palmer leave" came a mechanical boyish voice from every corner of the room. Ray turned around to see the computer monitor and the UNIVACS had repaired itself.
"Brother Eye, No!" screamed Ray as he ran at the computer but a blast of red energy incinerated Ray Palmer only leaving a single atom of dust. The side compartment closed itself. The room that housed Brother Eye's main computer frame sealed itself.
Nothing was out of place in the Phantom Zone, except for a missing piece of pipe.
4 Years Ago
Red streaks of energy crashed into buildings and blasted fleeing pedestrians on the street.
"What the hell is it doing, Felicity?" demanded Palmer as he used his own white dwarf star energy to counter the red.
Felicity and Michael Holt typed furiously on their computers.
"Brother Eye...its misinterpreting it's primary function." Michael answered for felicity looking up from his computer. The whole country had become a battle ground as a satellite orbiting just a few miles above the earth's surface was incinerating current and possible progenitors of meta-humans. It was all hands on deck, the entire Enforcers and any wanted Meta-Humans were given temporary pardons to deal with this threat.
Jesse Quick of earth 2 was racing around grabbing citizens and taking them to the enforcer's safe bunker that was just a few miles from there. Black Lightning a new recruit was also doing his best to counter brother eye's attacks.
John Diggle and Roy Harper were leading a group of army soldiers to attack the mainframe that was on earth while firestorm and fighter jets went after the satellite doing the attacking.
"We reached the main frame." came Diggle's voice over the radio.
Felicity didn't say anything instead focusing on her typing and implanting and unplugging USBs. Michael looked at Felicity before responding over to the radio, "Alright Spartan, Arsenal you and the other's need to place the C-4s along the..." but Michael never got to finish the sentence as a red thin beam punctured his chest.
Michael looked up from the radio in surprise as a single tear fell from his eye before leaning backward. Falling out of his chair.
"Michael!" screamed Felicity as she dropped next to her protégé. Ray growled and didn't notice that another beam was heading right for him. It was intercepted by an arrow. Ray turned and found the source of the weapon.
"Oliver!" ray shouted pleased to see his former friend now an ally again.
"Focus on the mission, Palmer." Green Arrow said in his growl. He hopped off the building going to rescue a few other citizens.
"Hello!" came Diggle's voice over the radio, "What do we...what the fuck are those!?"
In the large building that housed one of Brother Eye's cores came out the Omacs. Blue cyborgs with red orbs as faces began to stream out of the building and attacking any threats.
That's how John Diggle and Roy Harper Died. The Mainframe was blown up by a soldier named Rene 'Wild Dog' Ramirez who died in the explosion.
It was firestorm who finally destroyed the satellite but what was his reward when he landed back on earth. He was immediately neutralized and placed in the phantom zone.
Oliver Queen quickly disappeared when it was over. He held a personal funeral for Roy. Thea left Star City and joined the enforcer's under the new code name 'Arsenal'
Jesse Quick also died during the fight. The death toll from Brother Eye's onslaught had reached 3,200 with another thousand missing.
Ryan Choi had reported the disappearance of Ray Palmer. Linda Park was not happy.
"Where the hell could he have gone?" demanded Linda as she looked over the blue prints of the Enforcer's HQ.
"It seemed he slipped through the ventilation." offered Black Lightning as he pointed at the blue print. Linda sighed as she put her hands on her hips.
"I thought you're holding facilities were inescapable."
"No prison is inescapable unless you count the phantom zone" said Thea offhandedly. Felicity who was going through the HQ's video feeds whirled around in her seat.
"We weren't going to put him in that! and how dare you even mention it." she growled. Thea didn't back down, "i'm just answering the question, felicity,...did you have something to do with Ray's escape.
felicity scoffed and turned to her computer. She hadn't but if she wasn't so pissed with Ray's selfish decision then maybe she would have been able to help him.
"Answer the question." demanded Linda her attention now on the blonde woman.
"I didn't." said Felicity slowly, "and i'm ashamed that anyone of you would believe i would." 'Because I would' she thinks to herself.
"This is just...fucking fantastic." said Linda rubbing the bridge of her nose. "We got a missing asset, one of our own assisted the assets escape and now he's missing too." No one said anything keeping their eyes on their own tasks or on Linda's growing frustation.
"Do you know I have to do the goddamn paper work while you guys get to blast and shoot bad guys, I have to sit at a desk for ten hours a day and write reports?" Linda asked. No one responded but it had slowly become quiet.
With a sigh, "Maybe the enforcer's have outlasted their needs." with that last comment Linda walked out.
"Do you think...she's really going to disband us?" asked Thea.
Black Lightning crossed his arms, "No offense to the sacrifices we've endured but we haven't really faced anything that threatened this country or the world."
"But we did it with efficiency and with the support of the public and without pissing off any of our country's allies or enemies." Felicity interjected.
Ryan thought this was the opportune time to interject some resistance' concerns, "True but we pissed off the meta-humans who are either locked up in the phantom zone, internment camps or forced to consume pills that dampen their minds and powers every twelve hours."
"That's to protect them and us." defended Black Lightning weakly as he stared at his own hands.
Six Years Ago
Jefferson Pierce A.K.A. the Black Lightning was defending his hometown of Cleveland when he saw it on the news. A monster made of green glowing energy. Wherever it stepped steam rose from the ground.
"Wait Jefferson." said his wife urging him to stop. He should've listened. But he was new, and confident with his powers. He raced out of the living room to the basement that he jokingly dubbed the "Lightning Rod". Sadly it had not done well with his wife and mentor. He had practiced a hundred dozen times of putting on his suit. It was a simple two piece blue, yellow, and black shirt and pants with bullet proof padding around certain parts of the clothing.
He rode his motorcycle to the crime scene.
the monster was there waiting for him, flinging goops of green at things which caused whatever it hit to melt.
"Okay big boy time to stop!" said Black Lightning as he flipped off his bike and landed in front of the monster. It scream was garbled and slammed with full force at Black Lightning. He quickly created a electric shield on his forearms to block the attack. While he wasn't burnt or melted he felt his arm crack under the force.
"Shoot" hissed Black Lightning as he stepped back away from the monster. The monster roared in approval and began to fling a large gunk of green at BL. BL rolled away in time but was instantly ticked off when he realized where the gunk had hit. His motorcycle fizzled and popped as it melted into metal soup.
"Okay time to zap you to dream land." BL said as he created a small amount of black and blue electricity and sent it spiraling to the monster. The blast connected as the monster roared charging at him but stopped. BL ceased his attack as the monster grunted with almost a child like feminine sound before it collapsed. The green pulsing energy turned a dark brown as it lay still.
"No way." said Black Lightning in surprised fear, "no, no, no, It can't be dead it wasn't enough juice to kill anything." Black Lightning touched the dead monster and felt a surge of pity and shame but it would not end there.
He had join the paramedics as they took it to Star Labs to be analyzed by caitlin Frost, the leading medical scientist on all things meta.
The sudden humanly cry replayed itself over and over in his brain. It became louder a few hours later when Caitlin went out to meet Black Lightning out in the hall.
"She's dead." Caitlin said with as much conmfort as she could holding back her own tears, "she was a thirteen year old girl with a heart condition." caitlin explained. The dying scream of the monster sounded louder and clearer in his brain.
"Oh god no." groaned Black Lightning as he fell back into his chairs, tears streaming down his face.
"Her family reported her missing after her field trip to the museum of natural sciences, where the police believed her meta-powers activated." But Black Lightning's grief and anger, and shame drowned out Caitlin's words. Any other hero could've stopped her without killing her.
Now
"Our powers can be a curse." Jefferson said as his final argument clenching his fist. Ryan watched Black Lightning as he left.
Opal City
"You gotta be fucking kidding me." growled Garfield that sounded more feral than human.
Jeremy was sucking on a cigarette as he rolled his shoulders, "I wish i was Gar." Garfield shook his head.
"That just means I got to stay here with my family now more than ever." Gar defended.
Jeremy smirked a bit, "You think I'm here to persuade you to join" Jeremy started, "I'm here to warn ya as a favor for all the shit you pulled to save our bacon's." Garfield turn to Jeremy unsure if what he was saying was true.
Jeremy read the look on Garfield's face and sighed, "I'd rather have some uncanny and weak metas focused on the resistance's goals than one strong meta whose main concern is his family who are hundred miles away. "
"You mean it?" asked Gar.
Jeremy smile got bigger, "of course now give me a hug goodbye and say a small prayer for us will ya." Gar smiled and nodded his head. He went over to hug Jeremy. As there are closed around one another Gar felt a small prick on the back of his neck.
"Wha...!?..." but Gar's shock died in his throat as he felt a dizzying effect and lost all self control.
"Sorry, Gar, but if I can't have you willingly with us, well..." Jeremy looked down at the mini-injector that fit in the palm of his hand. 'Thanks Vertigo' thought Jeremy as he looked at the dazed and paralyzed Garfield Logan A.K.A. Beast Boy.
"Come with me Garfield, we got a world to save." Garfield obeyed.
Edmaster2: I hope everyone likes this chapter. Let me know what you think or what I can improve on in the reviews. Hopefully I'll have Chapter 10 up in a week or 2.