Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this whatsoever. I write for my own fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my works.
Note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been working on some other projects and that combined with work has chewed up a lot of my time. Also with those other projects I've been working on the premise that I would finish them completely before posting them but that is proving to be a mistake. Instead I've chosen to just release them all and update as needed. So expect quite a few new titles from me in the next while but as for the updating of those new stories it will probably be random which ones will be updated in the weeks and months that follow.
Three Days Later, Washington, Justice League Embassy, Omega Containment Chamber, Evening
Xander's POV
"Did you fare any better this time, Xander?" Dr. Fate asked as he shook his head at the broken arcane artifacts arrayed around the young man's containment chamber.
"Nope. She's still ignoring me," he replied with some annoyance. "You'd think the embodiment of the planet would be a little bit friendlier with her people. All I'm asking is for her to take her power back or give me more control over it. That's not asking too much, is it?"
"Not in my opinion but, as I've said before, goddesses and other such beings do not think as you and I do. They live for hundreds or thousands of years and can perceive things far beyond what even the most skilled mortal can see," replied the man with the golden helmet. "When you add to Gaea's reclusive nature up until a little while ago, persuading her to do as we ask will be difficult. We must be patient."
"Yeah, well, I hope that she decides to deal with me before someone else does and not in the Jerry Maguire sort of way." He said not very optimistic about his unofficial boss lady coming around to his point of view.
"You're concerned about the people you fought at the construction site?" Fate asked with some curiosity.
"Them and Ross. I know Supes said that the top brass have decided to give you guys control over me but that fossil didn't strike me as the sort to give up easily," he replied, remembering all too well how stubborn the general could be.
"Do not worry. While the League wishes for nothing more than to get along with the United States Government, we will not permit you to be removed from here against your will." Dr. Fate said with honesty.
"Thanks." He said even though he had a sneaking suspicion that there'd be a limit to how far the League would be willing to go with him.
While some people might buy into the whole hero image that the League often employed, he was more realistic. They were people first and foremost, which meant that while they might aspire to do good, it was all too likely that the reality of a situation would force them to make a hard decision. He just hoped that before that time came he'd be able to get rid of the Hulk or gain enough control to fight his way free of whatever the military tried.
"In any case, I must return to my abode to repair these artifacts if we are to make another attempt at communicating with Gaea." Fate said upon picking up the final piece of the artifacts they'd used. "I think I will also look into strengthening them so that they do not break quite so easily."
"Yeah, it must be a real pain having to fix them for the… thirteenth time?" he asked, not sure how many times the baubles had been shattered since the first communication attempt.
"Fourteenth, actually, and it's not that much of a bother," replied the Doctor with a smile in his voice. "Sleep well Alexander."
With that the Justice League's go-to guy for magic left and he began to ponder what he would do to kill some time before he went to bed. They'd moved a TV in and some videogames but he wasn't sure what to do first. Being hooked up to the JLU's systems meant that he had just about every channel on the planet but that just made choosing a show that much harder. The games were few enough that he had an easier time making a choice but the difficulty came from figuring out which one suited his mood best. He was about to choose a military themed game when he heard the doors to the room slide apart and this was odd because normally no one came to see him after Dr. Fate left. Turning away from the games and to the entrance to the room, his eyes widened for a moment when he saw who it was but when memories started popping up he guiltily averted his eyes.
It was Supergirl.
He'd never seen her before now, not with his own eyes, but he'd heard what the Hulk had done to her in Las Vegas. The green brute had hammered her head into the pavement until she'd lost consciousness, leaving her bloody and bruised for others to find. Judging by her appearance she'd made a full recovery since then but that didn't change the fact that he'd been the one that'd hurt her. It didn't matter that he hadn't been in control of the body at the time. All that mattered was that it was his body, magically empowered by Gaea, that had beaten her into a hospital bed and reminded him a little too much of how things usually went towards his parents. His father was no Hulk and his mother was definitely not Supergirl but it was a sadly common occurrence in the Harris household for the former to injure the latter enough for hospital care to be required. Ever since the first night he'd witnessed his father's brutality, he'd sworn that he would never allow himself to do the same. He promised that he would become a better man than his father could ever hope to be so that when the bastard finally died he might feel at least some shame.
Now he could only imagine his father laughing at him and calling him a hypocrite.
He felt like trash at that moment.
"So you're not going to even look me in the eye?" she asked, sounding more than a little angry.
He merely shook his head 'no' in return not trusting his voice at the moment.
"You blame yourself for what happened in Las Vegas?" she asked with her anger doubled in her voice.
He nodded since that was the only response he could justifiably give.
"Well that's just…STUPID!" she yelled as she marched right up to the not-glass tube that made up his cell. "Only a complete idiot would blame himself for something he had no control over!"
"Huh?" Oh, real articulate.
"What? You think you're the first person to be taken over by your power?" she asked sternly, like she would a spoiled child. "The League's met dozens of people who lost themselves to their power and have members who need to watch themselves so they don't wind up doing the same. No one blames you for what happened, least of all me. So just get over yourself already! Nobody likes a brooder."
"HEY! Now that's a low blow!" he exclaimed, annoyed at being called the dame thing he'd called Angel.
"Maybe but that doesn't make it any less true." She said seeming to calm down a little bit.
She had a point, no matter how much he wanted to say otherwise. He had been brooding about what he'd done as the Hulk, when he was alone, and that was a little too close to what Deadboy probably did on a daily basis. Still, what could he do when faced with a problem that seemed so insurmountable? He was cursed with the ability to turn into a dimwitted giant capable of leveling entire cities with his bare hands the moment he lost his temper. He still clung to the hope that he could eventually convince Gaea to help him out but every day he waited only served to remind him of what a ticking time bomb he was.
Still, I'd sooner drop dead then start imitating Deadboy! He thought as he mentally grabbed his worry and tossed it into the nearest imaginary volcano.
Then, in an effort to lighten the mood, he turned to face her then gave her body a once over just like he would've in high school not too long ago. Mid-riff baring top with long sleeves, a mini-skirt that didn't quite reach the knees, a red cape and boots made for quite the outfit. The fact that the top was tightly clinging to every curve and the skirt looked like a strong enough wind would have her flashing everyone within range didn't hurt.
"Then I guess I should find something else to focus on," he said putting on his trademarked lopsided grin. "Isn't it a little drafty in that skirt?"
For a moment she got the angry look just about every female got whenever a guy acted like a complete pervert but, when he wiggled his eyebrows at her in a comical way, she seemed to realize he'd meant what he said in a humorous way.
"Funny thing about being invulnerable is that you don't have to worry about being hot or cold." She replied with her own half smile.
"Guess not. Besides which, I guess only an idiot would say something you panty flashing people." He said his grin turning into a smile, "After all, you'd have to be pretty stupid to say something like that to a girl who's got ten different ways of smacking you around."
"A few jerks still say things like that but I don't let it bother me," she said with a voice that implied she was recalling a few such incidents. "Why bother with them when their low IQ will probably do them in for me?"
"Smart move," he said, agreeing that morons like that don't need any help in the pain department since sooner or later they'd do themselves in. "No sense wasting energy on people who don't have enough brain cells to understand what you're doing."
The conversation that followed took about an hour but it was enough to raise his spirits and get him to forget his troubles if only for a little while.
That she was easy on the eyes helped improve his mood as well.
The Streets of Washington, Same Time, Megan's POV
"So far, so good," she said as their car continued down the street unobstructed. "Any chatter on the police and military frequencies, Void?"
"None that would indicate a problem for us, Megan," replied the sentient computer in her human disguise. "However that does not necessarily mean that they are unaware of us."
"I know. I wish I could risk running a telepathic scan but that'd be like sending up a flare for the Martian Manhunter." She said with a bit of bitterness in her voice, "Let's just hope for the best."
As it was they'd already put their plans into motion so it was a little late to turn around and abandon their mission.
Void had already inserted programs into the city's communications network that, in twenty minutes, would completely isolate the JLU embassy from everyone else. She'd even arranged it so that the top four transmitters surrounding the embassy would work on synch with one another to emit a jamming frequency to ensure that the League wouldn't be able to get out an SOS. Unfortunately, though, the programs had been devised in a bit of a rush so that once the other side realized what was going on, they'd at best have thirty minutes before everything was back to normal. Turning around wasn't an option because the enemy would learn of their efforts and security would tighten more than it was already. If that happened, rescuing Xander would be impossible and that they could not permit.
"Cessily? How does the gear look?" she asked the girl of liquid metal in the back seat who was going through a large bag.
"I've followed Void's instructions to the letter," Cessily replied, looking away from the bag. "The small stuff is assembled and ready to go and the big stuff is ready for assembly."
"Good. Be ready to move the second we get there." She said before focusing her attention back on the road ahead.
As she navigated the streets to their destination, she went over the plan once more in her mind. Step one was that they would arrive at an alleyway two blocks away from precisely five minutes before the programs were set to come online. There they would arm themselves using the weapons Void was able to construct using the crude materials available on Earth. They weren't pretty and probably wouldn't last past this one mission but, if everything went the way they wanted, it wouldn't be necessary for them to. Once the programs took effect they would make for the western entrance to the embassy where Void would interface with the gate controls to open it. Once they were inside, Cessily and her would set up the mobile attack drones and prepare to keep the Leaguers present occupied. While they did this Void would infiltrate the building to free Xander and the others, using her avatar abilities along with some devices she made to take care of internal security. Based on the scenarios the A.I had put together, the members of the League present on base could be kept at bay for a maximum of forty-two minutes. That would be how long Void had to locate, free and then escape the building. If they took longer than that then the odds of failure went up dramatically since, not only would the better trained League begin to wear them down, but their allies would likely clue in to what was going on. By Void's calculations, their plan had a seventy-two percent chance of success and, had she been given more time to prepare, she could've worked up a plan that would have a ninety-nine percent chance of success.
Time, however, was not on their side and so they would have to make due with what they had.
There were also plans for escape if things turned out really bad but she personally hoped that they didn't have to use them because not one was sacrifice free. For as long as she could remember, she'd hated strategies and tactics that called for the sacrifice of precious lives. People who condoned such plans had caused her pain enough already and she had no desire to be included in the same group as them. Still… she wasn't willing to risk the deaths of her new allies solely because of her own past and current beliefs.
Looking ahead, she spotted the alleyway entrance that would take them the last fifty yards and thus, with smooth driving skills, she entered it. Fortunately for them she knew this area of town reasonably well so she didn't expect any obstructions that would interfere with the plan, like new fences or a brick wall. There were a few new pieces of graffiti on the walls but nothing she needed to be concerned with. As she came to a stop, she checked the clock on the dashboard and saw that it was coming up on the final ten minutes until Void's programs went into effect.
"Alright, girls! We're here." She said, turning off the engine before removing her seatbelt. "Start assembling the big toys while I do a little scouting."
Turning herself both invisible and intangible, she slipped through the front of the car and flew towards the JLU embassy so she could take a look away. It'd have to be a quick one but she'd have time enough to get a basic grasp of things as well as see if there'd been any new changes in the last twenty-four hours. As her head passed through the final wall, she looked in all directions around the Embassy and was about to return to report nothing odd when the sound of several powerful engines rolling down the street. Turning towards the sound, she watched as three large APCs turned onto the street, their loud engines proceeding right up to the front gates of the Embassy. She couldn't tell much more than the fact that they were definitely military and judging from the fact that they were soon let into the Embassy it was safe to say they had the necessary clearance.
Not good but also not unexpected. She thought as she began to make her way back to the others.
It had been one of the factors that Void had included in her scenarios: an unexpected increase in the military presence. It'd been a given that, as long as General Ross was involved, the military would do everything they could to maintain a tight grip on Xander. If they couldn't have sole control they'd have enough men on site to ensure that they could take control of the situation should the League provide them with an opening they would be able to take full advantage of it. As far as their plans went, it'd just mean additional distractions for the League which could be a big help in helping rescue the others.
"So what's the situation?" Cessily asked, sliding the final part of what looked to be the sci-fi version of a grenade launcher into place.
"Everything's pretty much as we expected except more troops just came rolling in," she replied as she set her feet on the ground.
"Were there any distinguishing markings on their vehicles?" Void asked from her cross-legged position mid-air.
"Nothing I could see. Probably just more of Ross' people." She replied, moving over to extract a few of her own 'party favors'.
"Perhaps." Void said as her eyes glowed with an eerie white light.
Looking at the shiny, silver-clad entity, she had to wonder just how much the female knew and just how smart she was. Sure, she'd heard enough to know that she was a ship's avatar and computer core wrapped into one package but there had to be more to it than that. Unfortunately, even if her personal code didn't prohibit her from reading the minds of good people, the fact that Void was essentially a machine made her telepathy useless. Still, it was also nice since it meant that she'd be able to get to know her like a normal human.
Once all of the devices were properly strapped to her body, she looked at her watch that had been counting down since Void had initiated her programs. They had a little over three minutes before everything would fall into play so it was time to move to the launching point of their strategy.
"Let's go, girls. The curtain's going up in three." She said before walking to the alleyway entrance that would make the beginning of everything or the end.
Personally she was hoping for a big victory celebration followed by a more private one involving her and Xander.
It was something to look forward to.
The Washington Justice League Unlimited Embassy, Several Minutes Later, General Ross' POV
"General Ross. To what do we owe the visit?" The Leaguer known as Green Arrow asked in a less than sincere manner.
"Intelligence reports have come across my desk that suggests outside parties are preparing to assault the Embassy tonight in an effort to acquire the Hulk," he replied according to the script Agent Hill had provided. "As a result I've decided to bring more troops to reinforce this position. It'd be quite the bit of trouble if that kind of power fell into the wrong hands."
"I think we can handle things here well enough," stated the archer with a costumed fool's usual bravado.
"A little overconfident, don't you think?" he said with a bit of skepticism. "Waller and her Cadmus crew almost managed to take down your castle in the sky not too long ago. If she'd put someone better in charge of the operation instead of that pet clone of hers, it probably would've been a sure victory."
The truth of the matter was that he really did believe that the Justice League space station could've been taken if a proper soldier had been put in control of the attack force. A proper leader would've set goals, designated targets in order of priority and taken steps to ensure that even should they be defeated they could achieve a measure of victory. Instead the clone designated 'Galatea' had simply reduced it to a free for all to cause enough chaos to allow her to penetrate the reactor room with the intention of blowing it up.
A waste of resources no matter how you look at. He thought with a disapproving frown at the archer.
"Considering some of the things the Justice League has taken down, I don't think you're giving us enough credit," said Green Arrow with admirably little reaction to the General's provocation.
"Perhaps. It doesn't change the fact that I've been given full support by the federal government to reinforce this location." He said as he took a thick envelope out of his coat pocket. "See for yourself."
The Robin Hood imitator took the envelope and, after reviewing the documents inside, a satisfying grimace of reluctant acceptance formed on the blonde's face. He'd taken a look at the documents himself and even he had to admit that, had he not been told that they were forgeries, he'd have believed them to be genuine as the so-called superhero in front of him. True, if the League contacted the higher ups to verify their authenticity there'd be problems but Hill had assured him that the relevant people would be 'indisposed' for the next twenty-four hours at least.
That would be plenty of time for the mission to come to a satisfactory conclusion.
"Fine. Just remember whose place you're walking in," Green Arrow said before turning away to attend to League business.
He waited until he and the troops were alone before turning to the man that Agent Hill had assigned to him as second in command of the group.
"Begin phase one but be sure not to arouse suspicion." He ordered as a soldier and a leader should, "I will be in the control room. Signal me when you've finished preparations."
"Yes sir!"
Watching the troops assigned to him begin to disperse, he mentally reviewed the plan that had been laid out by Agent Hill. Phase one involved the planting of various devices throughout the Embassy that when activated would disrupt any attempt by the League members present to form a unified defense. While as a group they would be formidable, they could be dealt with quickly enough when broken into groups no larger than three. It would be when phase two was enacted that things would get interesting but reconnaissance of the Embassy at the very least had provided a means by which they could neutralize Harris. According to the intel, the League had installed gas vents in the target's chamber that were rigged to release a potent knockout gas that would keep him unconscious for hours. That would allow them to successfully transport him to their fallback position where a custom-made mobile containment vehicle would be waiting to take him to what would most likely be his abode until his death.
Naturally he had devised secondary plans with Agent Hill to compensate for the unknown elements that intended to acquire Harris for their own purposes and he was confident they'd suffice.
When he entered the control room for the Embassy, it was unsurprising that he found Black Canary at the main console. According to his knowledge of the League, Green Arrow and her were often paired together for missions so it was little surprise that since one was assigned to Washington the other would sign on as well. Fortunately the soldiers with him had gear that would prove effective against the two of them once phase two began.
"What's the status on the prisoner, Ms. Lance?" he asked as he arrived at the main console.
"Mr. Harris is just fine. Watching a little TV at the moment," Replied the woman, clearly disliking his presence and the label he'd assigned Alexander Harris.
"Oh? Treating him a little too well I see." He said disapprovingly as he shook his head.
"He's not a prisoner here, General Ross," Black Canrary said firmly in order to get her message across. "He's a young man who just had the bad luck of driving into your testing area. The League already has its top mystics working on a way to help him."
"Oh really? Any progress?" he asked genuinely interested on the status of such a venture.
"Not yet but it's only a matter of time." Ms. Lance replied before turning away from him.
Good. If they're as far from a cure as I think, then I've got nothing to worry about. He thought as he moved next to her pretending to look at the video feeds on the various monitors.
The truth of the matter was that he needed to be in close proximity to the console in order to use the device hooked onto his belt. With a flick of a switch and an almost invisible flicker on the monitors, looped footage began to run with the Justice Leaguer being none the wiser. This would allow his soldiers to move about without being electronically monitored, leaving only live people for them to be concerned with. Fortunately the suits the soldiers wore beneath their fatigues would hide them from sensory-based powers and their training would take care of the rest.
Hopefully by the time that the resident League members realized something was up there wouldn't be anything for them to do but curse their own arrogance.
The Bus Stop North of the Embassy Walls, Same Time, Willow's POV
I hope I haven't forgotten anything. She thought as she unzipped the duffel back hanging off her shoulder.
She'd gone through the contents for the fifth time to make sure each bottle of liquid, each container of specially mixed herbs and each piece of tech she'd acquired was in just the right spot to make for easy use. The reason for the multiple checks was because, despite sending a message to AESE for help, she hadn't heard a word from him all day. That meant that the odds were high that she'd have to bust into the Embassy on her own and one against ten or more members of the Justice League, as well as an unknown number of soldiers.
Not the best of odds, especially since she wasn't a Slayer or a superhero.
Still, she would take action just the same because her best friend was counting on her to save him and after being so much with him she'd die before failing him.
Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm her nerves, she prepared to cross the street and begin her infiltration of the Embassy. However, in order to ensure that she wouldn't be spotted, it was time to use the first of her potions. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she felt around for the right one before taking it out. One quick throw to a spot five feet ahead of her and the bottle shattered, releasing a plume of grayish mist. Running through it, she took some satisfaction as she watched her arm fade from sight, after which only the occasional blur could be seen letting her know where it is. Unfortunately the 'Mists of Avalon' potion wasn't meant to last five minutes so she had that amount of time to get over the wall and to the first of many hiding spots she'd picked out by looking at the plans she'd acquired online.
Upon reaching the base of the wall, she muttered a chant under her breath and, thankfully, the spell didn't require the user to speak loudly. Then with a single jump she managed to clear the wall and land on the other side without making a single noise. Thanks to the potion she'd treated her shoes with half an hour ago, she was able to reduce gravity's pull on her just enough to allow her to leap as high as any Slayer could and then land without making any noise. Without a moment of hesitation she went behind the nearest tree and it was a good thing she did because the Mists of Avalon dispersed, rendering her visible again, so too did the potion she'd put on her shoes, but that was okay because she hadn't expected either concoction to last more than few seconds each. The ingredients used in their creation hadn't been the best and, with the time constraints she'd been under, the potions hadn't been allowed to mature like the recipes recommended. As such their effects weren't as potent or as long lasting.
Peeking her head around the tree, she took in all she could see so she could decide which would be the best route to take.
She could see pairs of soldiers all over the place with none of them being out of sight of another duo for more than three seconds. She wouldn't be able to simply slip by them when they weren't looking so that meant she had to make them focus their attention on one spot long enough for her to sneak past them. Fortunately she'd figured that she'd have to do something like that fairly often and she had the perfect artifact for the job. Reaching into her bag, she withdrew a mirror and, as moonlight touched the reflective surface, the surface began to ripple like the surface of a lake. Raising the surface so that she appeared in it, the ripples quickly settled and then she turned the reflective surface away from her to trigger the rest of the mirror's power. Three feet in front of the mirror the air began to churn and then, like a sci-fi bird of prey becoming visible once more, a detailed image of her appeared. If an enemy got too close they'd see enough inconsistencies to realize the truth but, from a distance, there'd be no way to tell the difference. Best of all, though, was the fact that it was sustained by moonlight so she wouldn't need to waste energy keeping it going AND, unless something larger than a bowling ball went through it, nothing could destroy it.
"Go." She whispered to her copy, only to see it nod in acknowledgement before running off.
Almost immediately the alert sounded amidst the soldiers as they gave chase and, despite what they probably thought, putting their hands on her double wouldn't be an easy task. While not strictly speaking sentient, it was smart enough that it could play keep away with the best of them and, when you added that to the fact that it wasn't hindered by a corporeal body, you had the perfect decoy. Peeking out from behind the tree, she saw with satisfaction that more than half the guards had left the area, with the remainder sticking close to the entrances to the main building. Despite what some might think, this was what she wanted because the closer together they were the better her next move would work.
Reaching with both hands into her bag she withdrew two of the largest bottles from within before popping the tops off. Then, with a slow roll along the ground, she sent them to the feet of the soldiers all of whom had just enough time to take aim at them with their guns before the contents took effect. It was not gas within or some sort of liquid but rather crooning voices that ensnared its victims through their sense of hearing, causing them to ignore everything else. It was a bit of a parlor trick and anyone with experience with the supernatural would be able to fight their way through it, but to the G. it might as well have been the sirens of Greek myth.
When she was sure that every guard within range was otherwise distracted, she advanced on the door she'd picked out as the most likely to be close to the room she'd predicted Xander would be in. Once in front of it she took out her laptop and prepared to hook it up to the electronic lock when she noticed one very troubling fact.
The lock on the door was NOTHING like any of the versions she'd researched.
One of the things she'd researched was the most advanced security devices developed by the top security tech firms on the country. She knew that a lot of the League's tech was probably custom made but it had to have elements in common with the more mass produced versions available to various companies. Yet, no matter where she looked, there was no access port nor did she find any other way to interface with the lock to make it open.
NO! I can't be stopped this early! She thought clenching her right hand into a fist. Xander's counting on me and I won't let him down!
In a spike of rage she slammed her fist into the lock that was keeping her from her best friend's side and, upon contact, something happened that she hadn't expected. A crackle of crimson energy left her fist and shot into the lock light lightning, causing the display as well as the status lights on it to flash chaotically. When the lights finally went out the door popped open, leaving her wondering what the HELL just happened. She knew what she'd been told by the shop owner about what she wore on her head but, in all the time since she'd acquired it, she hadn't been able to do anything useful with it. A few odd occurrences and maybe something turning out differently than experience told her it should have, but nothing more out of the ordinary than that. Not once had she managed a lightshow like what had happened in the store yet, just now, she'd managed a crackle of energy strong enough to fry the lock on the door.
Shaking her head, she knew that now was not the time to be thinking such things. She had to keep moving before the soldiers running after her copy figured out the truth and returned. Pushing the door open, she entered cautiously into the Embassy, following the map she had memorized in her mind from the data she'd acquired online. It had been like putting together a puzzle with over fifty pieces and even then there were gaps in what she knew that she'd been unable to fill in the time she had. The most serious concern now, though, would be the security cameras and other systems that monitored the interior of the building. Reaching into her bag as the first security camera came into view, she removed a cylindrical glass tube and flicked it with her finger to awaken the spirit within it. At first nothing happened but then a crackle of golden electricity went from the bottom of the tube to the top and then another did the same. Over and over it crackled until it took on a vaguely humanoid form with what looked like lightning bolt wings.
I just hope this little guy doesn't cause too much chaos. She thought before throwing the tube at the camera.
Upon the shattering of the tube, the little lightning sprite gave out a mischief-filled cackle before entering the camera and causing it to short out. However it didn't stop there because, as it travelled through the surrounding wiring, it continued to short out whatever devices were connected to the wiring. It was her hope that such chaos would distract anyone who might get in her way buying her the time she required to find Xander and free him.
She didn't even want to think of the alternative: a direct fight between her and the opposition.
A fight like that she would almost certainly lose.
The Rooftop of an Apartment Building South of the Embassy, Attica's POV
"Well isn't this interesting!" Glory said looking down at the chaos taking place in the JLU Embassy. "Maybe I'll enjoy the floor show before taking center stage."
I don't know who was in charge of handing this lady her brain but it's clearly gone bad and not in an evil way. Attica thought as the five of them looked down at the mess that was the developing below them. Still, money is money and as long as she doesn't do anything too crazy, I'll do my job.
It had been about two weeks before the crazy lady had shown up that he, H.A.R.M and Slagg had been approached by Darkwell for a job. The fedora-wearing creep didn't go into much detail but the info that was crucial was there so he didn't mind. They'd been told that they were to help one of the man's comrades acquire a piece of merchandise. They'd been told that they would receive several 'enhancements' free of charge to aid them in their job. They would be paid five times what they usually charged for their services. They would get a chance to get revenge upon the warriors Grifter and Zealot. That had been more than enough to get the Troika to sign on for the job and, so far, he had no reason to regret the decision to take on the job.
Sure, the person in charge of the job was obviously a few beers short of a six pack but it seemed that her head was together enough to keep things from spiraling out of control.
The only thing bothering him now was the fact that they hadn't been given the order to attack and join in on the fun going on in the Embassy. Aside from the money, the other thing that he liked about his job was the action. The fighting, the destruction and the death gave him quite the adrenaline high. It was like a drug and being this close to getting his fix and not being able to grab onto it was turning into an itch that was slowly driving him mad. Still, it wasn't quite bad enough that he was willing to risk the crazy woman's wrath by diving in on his own. He'd wait until she gave the order… for now.
All of a sudden his cybernetic HUD display notified him of anomalous movement and so he turned to see what it was. After zooming in on what his implants were informing him of, he had to smile because it meant that he would no longer have to deal with his itch. Racing towards the Embassy were three dark clad ladies but one of them was giving off an unusual energy signature that matched the file that the boss lady had provided for the target.
"Looks like the guests of honor have arrived, boss lady," he said, pointing in the direction of the target. "Let's give them a warm welcome."
"Hmmmm… I guess so," Glorificus said with a little disappointment. "I was hoping to enjoy the show a little longer but I guess there's no time for that. Let's go!"
Sometimes he just couldn't figure the woman out and that was taking into account the fact that she was more than a little cracked in the head. One second she was almost fanatical about capturing the target, the next she was treating the whole operation like it was a diversion meant to entertain her and nothing else. Hopefully these mood swings of her wouldn't screw up the mission, otherwise he just knew she'd shift the blame to him or one of the others. With a sigh indicative of bad feelings, he leapt from the roof to the ground below and, thanks to his cybernetic enhancements, it was any worse than leaping down an entire flight of stairs. As he began to charge across the street, he both felt and heard the beast that had come to be referred to as Abomination striding along behind them. The thing hadn't said a single thing since they'd left Sterns' place but it was smart enough to follow orders, so it wasn't some dumb animal. Whether it'd live up to the hype that its creator had thrown up they'd find out in the next couple of minutes.
Turning his attention to the stone wall ahead, he watched as Glory shattered it with a single punch and no sign of damage on her fist afterwards.
Okay, so maybe this won't be as hard as I thought. He thought as he reconsidered what might happen if the League heavy hitters showed up.
As soon as he entered the Embassy grounds he got to see first hand the chaos that he'd previously observed from afar and couldn't help but smile at how it tipped things in his side's favor. With a bloodthirsty smile he began to liberally use his plasma gauntlets to mow down everyone other than his team and the target. He could only chuckle with glee as the armor of the soldiers vanished like lit toilet paper under his barrage, their armor meaning nothing before his newly gained power. True, the two girls who were working with the target were managing to keep from being hit so far but, since they hadn't launched a single attack yet, he wasn't too worried. If all they could do was keep themselves alive then he only had to wait until they tired themselves out before delivering a killing blow.
It was only when parallel beams of red light struck his arm from above that he began to think that he should reign in his fun a bit.
As the beams cut out, he looked up and spotted a figure that his targeting computer instantly identified as Supergirl. Fortunately, when Sterns designed his cybernetics, he made sure they were made from an alloy with enhanced resistance to extreme temperatures. It wasn't foolproof and sustained exposure to heat vision would eventually succeed in melting it, but so long as he kept his movements erratic that wouldn't be a problem. Sending a signal to H.A.R.M on an encrypted frequency, he watched as the machine unloaded some of its more high-impact weaponry on the blonde girl of steel. He didn't think that it'd be enough to pierce through the teenager's invulnerability but the force of the impacts on her body should be comparable to physical blows directed at a normal person. Watching as the weapons succeeded in hitting their target, the effects weren't quite as satisfactory as he would've liked but they were successful in knocking the woman from the air.
Hearing movement with his audio sensors, he turned to see the duo of Green Arrow and Black Canary come around the corner of the building. Almost immediately the archer opened fire, hitting him with an explosive arrow on the first try but missing with what appeared to be electric properties. The damage the first projectile had done to him was negligible but that didn't mean that he was just going to stand still and take everything they threw at him either. Deciding to change weapons, he opened a hatch on his shoulder, bringing out a cylindrical device and, using the targeting system, he trained it on the Leaguer on his right. With a smile he fired it, unleashing a complex sonic attack that assaulted its foe on more than one frequency making it almost impossible to counter.
That was why, despite the Black Canary using her own sonic scream as a counterattack, she still fell to her knees under the barrage of sound.
What came afterwards was exactly what he knew would happen.
"Black Canary! Why you-!" yelled Green Arrow as the Robin Hood wannabe began to rapidly fire arrows at him.
With the archer's attention solely focused on him, a side attack from Slag caught the green clad man by surprise, so when his partner slammed into him with his rock hold, shoulder bones broke. Watching as the archer fell to the ground clutching his right arm, his attention was violently shifted in the other direction as he watched the target phase through the wall, causing Glory to scream in anger. Past experience had taught him that when his employers lost their cool, operations tended to follow them and that made for a mess afterwards. Deciding that it would be best to improve Glorificus' mood as quickly as possible, he used his plasma gauntlets to blow whole in the wall before running after the target. Attuning his sensors to the energy signature provided by Glory, he immediately began to follow the trail it left both in solid objects as well as the air itself.
"I've got a lock on her!" he said more to reassure the crazy blonde rather than the need to say it.
"Don't lose her! If you lose her, I'll rip out your new toys one by one!" Glory growled at him with an unbalanced look in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Boss Lady! Thanks to Sterns' hardware and software, I could track her to the other side of the planet if I had to!" he said as he continued to navigate the hallways, blasting shortcuts in walls where he had to in order to stay close to the target.
It took them a few minutes but eventually the target was once more in direct line of sight with them.
"You're not getting away, Kherabim filth!" Glory yelled before taking something out of a pouch that had been attached to the belt of her outfit.
He didn't get a chance to see what it was but, when a blast of crimson energy leapt from the same hand holding the object, he assumed it was some sort of weapon. The first two shots from it went wide but the third managed to hit the target's arm, causing it to fall to the ground from its previously airborne state. However, before he could get close enough to grab it, the target managed to get back to its feet and run away. Fortunately its running speed wasn't anywhere near as fast as its flying speed so, little by little, they gained ground on it.
It was then though that a new complication introduced itself in the form of a teenage girl dressed in tight fitting black and red clothes. The target and the girl collided surprisingly, causing both to tumble to the floor, but he didn't mind since that just made it easier to deal with both. Glory apparently thought the same because, without hesitation, she fired her weapon again, this time catching the target square in the chest and almost knocking it unconscious.
"Who the hell are you guys?" asked the curly haired girl with a panicked look on her face.
"Nobody you'll have to worry about any longer, kid." He replied as he primed his plasma gauntlet to take the teenager's head off.
At least that had been the plan but, with a stereotypical thrusting of her hands to ward off an attack, a completely unheard of event took place. With a blast of crimson energy from the girl's hands, he had only a moment's warning in which his HUD displayed a warning message before his right plasma gauntlet exploded.
"AARRRGGH!" he cried in pain as the explosion knocked him back against the wall.
"Out of my way, you incompetent fool!" bellowed Glory as she pushed her way past him.
It wasn't a fun experience to say the least, especially since it caused his body to leave an impression in the wall, but he didn't have time to dwell on it since the moment he got free of the wall a second blast of crimson energy was released by the teenager, flinging his entire team back down the hallway. The attack had the side-effect of knocking some of his cybernetic systems offline for a few minutes but Sterns was a skilled enough scientist that he had back up systems to take care of situations like this, so the errors were soon corrected. However, in the meantime, the target and the teenager had run off, leaving them to once again chase after them. Judging from the murderous look on Glory's face, it was going to get bloody the second the crazy lady succeeded in laying hands on the teenage girl.
Not that he minded all that much but it'd draw more heat down on him and his team after if things got too messy. At least with his plasma gauntlets the blood and the flesh were pretty much incinerated, leaving cauterized flesh behind. While horrible, it didn't have quite the same effect on the average person's mind as blood coating the walls and bleeding dismembered body parts scattered all over the place.
Guess I'd better think about which country without extradition treaties I want to go to for a couple of years. He thought as he tried to predict how long it'd take for cops and feds to forget him.
The Brig, Grifter's POV
Well, I think it's time I checked outta this dump. Cole thought as he felt the building shake once more.
He'd been steadily working his way towards an escape since the day he'd woken up in his cell, restrained as well as stripped of just about everything he could possibly use. He'd hoped that they'd be soft enough that they'd just settle for locking him in his cell but apparently his rep for being one of the best in the business preceded him. They'd left him with only his pants and nothing else thinking that that would be enough to render him harmless but they obviously hadn't heard of his little stint in Korea as a POW.
Too bad I can think of a less painful way to get outta these restraints. He thought as wrapped his index finger around his thumb.
With skill born of painful experience, he dislocated his right thumb with a muffled grunt of pain and waited until he'd recovered enough before beginning the delicate process of sliding his right arm out of the high tech manacle. Once it was loose he used his mouth to put his thumb back into its proper place and, while the pain wasn't any better than before, it allowed him to regain full use of his hand. Reaching down to the hem of his pants, he ripped it open to reveal a paper thin strip that was completely invisible to all but specialized sensors. Taking the strip out, he pressed one end of it to the manacle around his left forearm and then bent the other side so that he could press one side into the other. He withdrew his hand quickly after that and with good reason since, after the two ends connected, the substance detonated, taking a large chunk out of the manacle but only mildly burning the forearm beneath.
Not the prettiest of escapes but it'll do. He thought as he stood up and walked over to the door to his cell.
Feeling around the wall, he located all of the grooves of the metal plating within reach while mentally reviewing the more common characteristics of high tech jail cells. Despite the variety of the designs, there were more than a few similarities that were present in every single one that could be exploited if a person knew what they were doing. After finishing his examination of the wall, he tore the hem of his pants a little more and took out four inches of the paper thin strip still inside. Applying an inch to each of corner of the center panel, he bent each piece in two then quickly stepped back so as not to be caught in the four explosions that blew the panel to the floor. Looking at the wiring and circuitry inside, he smiled as he was quickly able identify four component configurations that he knew how to deal with and two that he was confident he could handle.
Crouching down, he prepared to use his skills to trigger the unlocking of the door but, before he could begin, the door slid open on its own to reveal Zealot clad in military fatigues that definitely didn't fit her. For a moment he considered asking where she'd gotten the clothes and where the clothes she'd been wearing at the apartment had gone but she just gave him 'the look' and he decided that it'd be best to leave those questions to the imagination.
"Guess this means I won't be pulling a knight in shinin' armor routine," he said as he stood up just in time to catch two pistols that his partner had tossed at him.
"A proper knight would never have taken so long to break out of his cell," Zealot said coldly as she checked the chamber on her AK-47.
"Ouch!" He said with mock offense and humor. "You sure know how to hurt a guy. Have you busted Pris out yet?"
"What makes you think she's here?" asked the Coda warrior as she casually looked about yet missed nothing.
"When Ross drilled me for info, he let slip that he'd be asking 'her' the same questions and it sounded like he was pretty optimistic about getting results," he replied, finishing his inspection of his guns. "He couldn't have been talkin' about you, Cessily and Megan struck me as tough girls and Void's got programming keeping her mouth shut, so that leaves only Priscilla."
"You may be right. However, in my appraisal of her character, she has no warrior instinct whatsoever and no training." Zannah stated coldly before walking down the hallway. "It would be best to leave her behind. The Justice League will likely release her eventually and it would be tactically unsound to bring a non-combatant with us."
"If it was just the League we had to worry about, I'd agree," he said, following her to what he hoped was the way out of the cell block. "But with Ross sniffing around, I don't want to take the chance that he'll drag her aside for some Q&A behind closed doors."
"Very well." Was all Zealot said and together they began looking for the cell that contained Priscilla.
It took a few tries since none of the cells had the convenient peek holes to look through but eventually they found the exotic dancer and, aside from being in a bad mood, the girl was none the worse for wear.
"C'mon! Let's get the hell outta here!" he said, extending a hand of invitation towards her.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" declared the girl as she got off the bed, "Where are the others?"
"From what we've managed to put together, only you, Xander, Zealot and me got nabbed," he said as they exited the cell block and began to navigate the hallways. "So as soon as we bust Xander outta whatever hole they tossed him in, we'll make our getaway and leave town."
"Any idea where to look for him?" Priscilla asked as she looked about the area like a newbie keeping an eye out for trouble.
"Not really but I'm sure we can ask the next 'helpful' person we come across." He replied with a bit of a grin. "Zealot can be pretty persuasive when she wants to be."
That was putting it mildly.
Both in battle as well as interrogation, Zealot was a stone cold bitch who could tear her target apart and not even flinch once at the screams she inspired. While she didn't go too far with simple rank and file soldiers, she could be inspired to do so if the need was urgent enough. Hopefully, though, a little intimidation would be enough to coax Xander's location out of the next person they met and then they'd be one step closer to getting out of the Embassy as well as Washington. What they'd do after that was anyone's guess.
They couldn't continue on with their original plan since after they left Washington it'd be a safe bet that everyone on the east coast from the Justice League to the military would be looking for them. The west coast would also be out of the question since by now Xander's home address would pretty much be common knowledge, so they'd keep satellite surveillance tight in that area.
It's looking more and more like someplace overseas would be the way to go. He thought as the group continued to cautiously move down the hallways. Guess I'll have to go through a list of old friends that might be willing to put us up or a few weeks.
Just as he was about to propose a few possibilities to Zealot, the wall ahead of them exploded like a dump truck had just slammed into it at full speed. As the dust cleared, he found that he was underestimating the destructive force because standing in the middle of a hole in a wall that was two feet thick was the ugliest sonuvabitch he'd ever seen. Almost twice as tall as him, covered in scales and enough muscle that made him wish he was armed with a bazooka or twenty the thing was definitely not a good thing.
In the end there was only one question he could give voice to.
"I don't suppose we could just talk this out, Big Guy?"
The response he got was a growl followed by a punch to the ground that opened a hole in the floor to the level below.
"Guess not!" He mused as he opened fire for any weak spot he could find.
Of course the fact that this monster seemed to be bulletproof only soured his mood even further.
At the rate things are going, Xander's gonna need to save us! He thought as the beast threw a chunk of cement his way.
The Center of the Embassy, Betty Ross' POV
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" yelled Rick as he scrambled through the doorway that was the only sanctuary available.
"We are if you keep spouting shit like that!" Randy yelled at his teammate before taking a peek out the door for a second before yanking his head back behind cover, "Now get your shit together or I'll personally throw you back out there to get fried!"
This, thankfully, had the desired effect of shutting up Rick and that let her focus on thinking a way out of the mess the three of them were now in.
It had started out well enough; with a little detective work they'd managed to locate the staging area for her father's forces and, thanks to the fact that she knew how her father thought, they were able to slip in unnoticed. After that, though, was the issue of procuring the right gear in order to disguise themselves as just another of the G.. For that they'd waited until three soldiers were out of sight of their comrades before using a knockout gas grenade to put them to sleep. While they were military hardware, you could get just about anything on the black market and, thankfully, they knew a dealer who cared enough about the environment to slide a couple their way. Once the soldiers were unconscious, they were stripped and their gear handed to whoever they fit best before being shoved into the nearest closet. After that, though, they didn't just slide in with the rank and file since the odds were high that the group were familiar enough with each other that they'd spot strangers immediately. Instead they'd slunk to the APCs and hidden themselves in cargo compartments meant for supplies or gear that couldn't be carried easily. It was a stroke of good luck that all three of them had been able to find an empty one to slide into, otherwise the chances of them being discovered would've gone way up.
It'd been difficult remaining perfectly still the entire time without making a single noise but, considering the fact that they'd managed to get all the way to the Embassy in one piece, was a point in their favor. It was only after they'd arrived that things had gone to hell with alarms sounding and an atmosphere of battle filled the air. At first she'd thought that her father had simply launched his offensive but, upon exiting the APC, she found chaos surrounding her. People she didn't recognize on all sides were fighting with group affiliations only loosely visible to her eyes making thinking up a plan difficult. In the end she, Randy and Rick had simply grabbed their borrowed weapons and tried to fight their way into the main building.
That had been a lot harder than most would think.
While she and her friends might have some training in the use of firearms and tactics, they weren't at the same level as her father's men. It had taken everything they'd had just to survive and then find the open door that the three of them had just barely managed to slip through minutes ago. Now that they were inside they had more cover to hide behind but that didn't necessarily mean that they were safe. This was the JLU Embassy and so far she'd only seen three superheroes when there should've been seven more assigned to the compound. Had everything just happened when there were so few present by chance or had her father somehow arranged for a distraction to empty the place a bit? Possible and she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth but at the same time she'd remain on her guard.
Reaching into a pocket on her flak jacket, she pulled out a PDA that she'd purloined off of one of her father's dead soldiers and began to access its contents. It only took a few minutes but she managed to find the information she wanted: the exact location of one Xander Harris. Most likely all of the soldiers had a similar device for use should they get separated as a result of the situation going FUBAR. Now that they had a map, she could formulate a plan.
"Alright, we've got a map and a place to go so let's get moving!" she said getting to her feet and holding her P-90 in the proper position, "On your feet you two!"
"Are you NUTS!" Rick asked before reigning in his fear under the glares he was receiving, "Look, I know we owe Harris for what happened out in the desert and for helping us get out of that base but don't you think we're a little out of our depth here? We've got soldiers blasting everywhere, monsters busting through cement walls like they're made out of snow and you know the League's going to get reinforcements sooner rather than later. Do you really think we've got a chance of getting Xander out of here with all that in the way!"
"Maybe we can and maybe we can't. All I know is that I owe Xander a debt and Betty Ross always makes good on her debts." She said running off in the direction of Harris' prison cell.
She listened for a moment to see if her two friends would follow her but, at the same time, didn't think that they would. As much as she knew about them and how loyal they were to their environment cause, she knew that this was more of a personal mission so they had only come this far out of friendship. With the risk factor on the rise, it wasn't unreasonable to think that they might bug out on her and she wouldn't hold it against them one bit. This wasn't their fight, not enough to risk their lives on anyways, so in her mind leaving was perfectly reasonable.
Therefore she could only smile when she heard the foot falls of two people fill the air behind her as it could only mean that the trio would not be broken up just yet. Looking down at the PDA, she began to navigate the hallways to their target while at the same time keeping an eye out for potential enemies.
Fortunately for her with map they were able to get to their destination a lot quicker than mindlessly wandering around looking for a door that had 'Xander is here' written on it. Looking at the high tech door that looked like you'd need a missile to crack it, she hoped that Randy's hacking skills were up to the job of cracking the lock.
Taking up a guard position next to the door, she watched as Rick did the same while Randy took out his laptop and hooked it up to the interface. A point in his favor was the fact that the African American's education was such that he had firsthand experience with advanced tech and it was this that would allow him to open the path before them. All she and Rick had to do was distract anyone that came their way and keep them back from the door until Randy was done. With the exception of a few members of the Justice League, most people would stay behind cover when they were being fired upon. Thus, with focus and determination, she used her sense of sight as well as hearing to ensure that she had as much advance warning of oncoming enemies as possible.
As the minutes ticked by, though, her worry began to rise since all would be for naught if they couldn't get past this final door. It was with some relief then that she heard the familiar sound of locks being undone and sliding doors parting from each other to reveal the room within. Grinning, she turned and charged with her friends into the room expecting to find Xander there but came face to face with more than they bargained for.
Vixen.
Batman.
The Flash.
Huntress
Wonder Woman.
"We're screwed." Rick said with surprising calmness.
"Yep." Randy said looking at the opposition in front of them.
As much as she wanted to say otherwise, this was one scenario she hadn't counted on when they'd entered the city. They'd known about her father's plans and event taken into account the possibility of another party assaulting the Embassy for some reason. Under those conditions they'd assumed that any superhero on site would immediately go to combat these forces, leaving Xander relatively unprotected. At most they'd thought that one or two people standing outside the glass-like tube that was imprisoning the person she'd come to save and so they'd prepared accordingly.
If she'd thought that they'd be facing five members of the Justice League, three of which were founding members of the group, she'd have 'borrowed' one of the experimental combat mechs.
"End of the road, Ms. Ross." Batman said with a serious tone of voice no doubt meant to be intimidating.
She was about to say more when, out of nowhere, the left wall of the room exploded inwards, creating a giant sized whole. Before anyone could think anymore on that another force broke through the wall on the right side of the room, making her look to the wall on the far side of the room since that was the only wall left in one piece. When nothing happened she looked to the clearing dust cloud on both sides of the room.
On one was a giant reptile thing looming over a woman with white hair, a young woman with black hair and a man with blonde hair. The trio on the floor looked pretty beat up and tired, making her wonder how much longer they'd last.
On the other side of the room was a woman clad from head to toe in some sort of shiny silver bodysuit who had red energy crackling over her body and a teenager with long curly hair holding her close. Then it was with the sound of four separate sets of footsteps that the final actors arrived making her think that maybe, just maybe, she should've just forgotten about Xander Harris.
If she'd done that, then maybe she wouldn't have hospital time or a grave in her future right now.