Dakota City
May 15th 2017
16:30 CDT
Frieda Goren's pen tapped furiously on the cafe table. Baristas barked out names and patrons clacked away on their keyboards. Her leg bounced with anticipation as she looked out the window.
"Miss Goren, I assume?"
She jumped at the sound of a voice beside her.
Frieda snapped her head to the right. The voice came from a tall, well-built man in a suit. He smiled at her with perfect teeth. He reached out his hand to shake her's. In his other hand he held a briefcase. Embroidered on it in bright white letters was the word: LexCorp.
"Yes-yes, hi." She stood, stumbling over her words. She shook his hand. "Thanks for meeting with me today."
"Oh, no trouble at all." The man said with a smile, pushing up his glasses. "All part of the job."
"Of course," Frieda answered with a nervous chuckle. She reached into her backpack. She pulled out her voice recorder, a notebook, and a pen. "It's alright if I record this, right? It helps me remember later when I'm writing the article."
The man assured her it was perfectly fine. She smiled, asking for the spelling of his name, Otis Lang.
Otis was Dakota City's community liaison for LexCorp. His job it was to smile, look pretty, answer all questions he public had, and assure them that LexCorp never operated with ill intent...no matter what the charges.
So when a young girl asked to do a interview about the new Lexcorp branch opening Dakota City for her school paper, he, under contract of his job of course, couldn't say no.
Frieda inhaled a quiet breath through her nose, and exhaled all her nerves.
Showtime.
"So," Frieda started. "I guess I'll begin with, why does LexCorp have an interest in opening a branch here in Dakota City?" She smirked. "Interesting that LexCorp announced it, just after Wayne Enterprises announced that they were opening a branch here. Their grand opening is only a month before Lexcorp's actually."
Otis flashed his well-rehearsed smile. "Well, as they say, great minds do think alike. Great companies see the same potential in the same cities. But we had been planning to come to Dakota City long before it was announced."
"Interesting," she said. "So what potential does Lexcorp see in Dakota City?"
A booming city to pass out more Spark too, she thought. More metahuman kids to discover.
"Large cities tend to draw great minds," he answered. "We go wherever we can recruit those great minds."
Frieda found his corniness annoying.
"I see that Lexcorp has quite a lot of branches. Dabbles into everything." She said. "From military tech to even soft drinks."
"Yes Lexcorp is highly diverse in its services." Otis chirped back.
"Speaking of the soft drink, Lexaid, that used to be the 'Reach' drink didn't it?" She asked cautiously.
Otis narrowed his eyes at her.
"I-I mean." She backed off the acquisition in her tone. "All of the same facilities it was made in, was and are owned by Lexcorp."
Otis cleared his throat. He shifted in discomfort. "Yes well 'Reach' was an unfortunate business pursuit. We partnered with The Reach to give them a platform for spreading 'good will' to earthlings. Our idea was a to create a soft drink because, let's be honest, what person doesn't like one of those?"
"Our?" Frieda said looking up from her notes. "You said 'our idea'. The Reach drink was the brainchild of Lexcorp?"
"Well, yes. We gave them the idea. But once The Reach's plan came to light, we of course cut all ties to them. But it would be a shame to shut down all those factories because of it. Let all those resources, factories, and the jobs they created go to waste."
"So 'Lexaid' is the same as 'Reach', just a different name."
Otis paused before answering. Frieda could see the suspicion growing in his eyes. "Only in the sense that it has a similar recipe."
Frieda lowered her eyes, realizing she was coming on too strong again. She quickly threw on a smile. "That's kind of Lexcorp to keep it in production, and not create layoffs."
Otis's chipper face clicked back on. "Yes, we have Lexaid facilities in quite a few cities, anything to create income for hard working people."
"It has some interesting ingredients though." Frieda took a paper from her stack and placed it on top; a 'Lexaid' nutrition label. "A lot of stuff in here I can't pronounce but they seem to be natural relaxants?"
Frieda knew that was bullshit. There was nothing 'natural' about the relaxing agents at all. She just needed him to admit it contained some kind of dopamine polymerase and adrenaline inhibitor.
"I have real bad anxiety," She continued. "My doctor suggested Lexaid to me. I just drink a bottle when I start to feel anxious or worried and I feel so relaxed."
"Yes, yes that is the feedback we've been given." He answered, still smiling.
Frieda tried her best not to frown in frustration.
"Where those ingredients intentional? Given how stressed everyone is in light of all these events?" She asked.
"Well, Lexcorp thought it would be good to have a drink that covers different aspects of health, physical but mental too, of course."
"Oh absolutely. It's not good to be so stressed out all the time. With this I don't really worry. Lexaid makes me pretty passive to all that bad stuff."
"Yes that can happen with it."
Damnit! She thought. Give me something. She couldn't seem to make him stumble. She decided to cut right to the chase.
"Sorry I'm- I'm getting off track here." Frieda said, waving her hand in front of her. "So aside from making soft drinks, and supplying police with Inhibitor Collars, and housing metateens, I see that Lexcorp, also uh - provides biohazard removal?"
The grin fell from his face as he traded it for a small, pursed lip smile. "I'm afraid I'll need more detail in what you're referring to," he said.
"Oh, sorry." Frieda said as she put a different piece of paper on the top of the pile. She gave it a quick once-over. "I was doing some research for my paper and I was looking at companies Lexcorp owns. Hazard International?"
She looked up at him. All amusement drained from his face.
"A clean up crew. Usually for crime scenes." She continued. "That company was seen at every site where they found a dead body of an overdosed teen or metateen." She leaned in, interlacing her fingers and she placed her hands in front of her on the table. "Spark overdoses."
Otis paused, again, determining the right thing to say. "Yes, I'm sure you can find the crew for Hazard International in some newspaper photos. They do a wide variety of biohazard cleanup."
"Yeah but," Frieda said as she feigned curiosity, scratching her head. "It's not like they were a crime scenes with a lot of blood with gunshots or stab wounds. Why have not let the local CSI and coroners take care of the bodies?"
"They are not as equipped."
Frieda made a small noise as gave a few nods of her head. Her gaze trailed away from the table and out the window.
"A girl in my class overdosed on Spark, Gerri, she was sixteen." She said after a quiet moment.
"I'm so sorry to hear that." Otis said.
"Thank you." She answered, looking back at him. "You know, honestly I didn't really know her. But my mom has me bring food or flowers to her mom every now and then. Her mom told me they wouldn't even let her see the body in person when she did the identification. The Hazard workers took pictures of Gerri's face for her instead to verify. They wouldn't even let her come close to the body. She only had the choice of cremation or a sealed, lead-lined casket. Why is that?"
"If a person dies while Spark is in their system, the chemicals secreted during breakdown make the body highly toxic. It's is an unfortunate ending to a very unfortunate situation."
A snarl twitched on Frieda's lip "Yeah, it is unfortunate." She snipped. "Once the victim dies, Lexcorp is the only one who has any contact with the body."
A cold stare washed over Otis's face as well. It seemed he too knew they were no longer playing games. "And?" He asked.
"I guess...it's just sad in an almost morbid kind of way," Frieda answered. "A closed casket or...bodiless funeral is...unsatisfying in some way, I suppose."
Otis stared at her.
"It's a journalist's job to say things that are uncomfortable." She said.
"And you are certainly not afraid to speak."
"Only the truth."
Otis let out a frustrated breath through his nose. He shifted in her seat, his hands mirroring Frieda as he too leaned in, closing the space between them. "And what is your version of 'truth', Miss Goren?" He asked.
"I think it's convenient that Lexcorp helps trap, collect, and dispose of all these metateens."
"We offer a wide variety of services."
Frieda had had enough. "I also think it's convenient that many Spark lab raids are done so close to Lexaid facilities." She glared at him with challenging eyes. "I also find it convenient that Spark comes in the flavors of Strawberry Mango & Peach. Just like Lexaid. Just like Reach"
Otis stood up at his seat, annoyed and unamused. "Ok, we're done here."
He grabbed for his briefcase, but Frieda snatched his wrist in her hand, pulling him back.
"What is Lexcorp doing with the dead bodies?" Her booming voice and thunderous motions caught the attention of other patrons in the coffee shop.
Otis looked around before addressing Frieda. "Please remove your hand," He said calmly. "And lower your voice."
"Don't think I'm above making a scene." Frieda hissed, still clawed onto is wrist.
"That Miss Goren, I do not doubt." Otis said. He cleared his throat and nodded towards the voice recorder. Frieda groaned and rolled her eyes. Begrudgingly, she turned it off.
Otis sat down and leaned into her again. "I have a question for you, Miss Goren. Why, are you so intent poking this bear? Is this wild and...toxic endeavor something you really want to pursue?"
He signed. In an instant his demeanor changed. He slouched back in his chair and placed on arm over the back. He became lax and released. He was now a regular person, no longer constricted by the rules of LexCorp's public policy. Image can't be tarnished, if it's not recorded.
"Because frankly Frieda, I don't get paid enough to give a shit about you." He said.
Frieda's eyes fluttered in astonishment.
He huffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "But I also don't get paid enough to tell someone about you." He rapped his knuckles on the table. "But not every bear is as kind as me." he smirked. "Keep this up and you might find yourself in the den of a Grizzly instead of a Koala."
Frieda sneered at him. "Is that some kind of threat?"
Otis chuckled. He stood up, fixing his tie. "An advisement Miss Goren." He picked up is briefcase. "An advisement." Without a second thought, he walked out of the cafe.
Frieda sat alone in silent astonishment. She lunged her headphones into the recorded and played their conversation over and over again. She knew she was close. But she would never get anywhere unless she did something….drastic.
Bludhaven - The Warehouse
May 16th, 2017
17:00 EDT
"There, it's done."
M'gaan's voice rang in the air. Emily opened to her eyes to find herself, M'gaan, and Garfield in her room. A sliver of a headache sat beneath her skull as M'gaan pulled her psychic link out of their minds.
"Are you okay?" M'gaan asked, softly.
M'gaan watched Emily with a diligent eyes. She was hesitant when Emily asked her to dive into her mind; to make sure there were no other blocked memories. They spent an hour dissolving any residue of Black Bison's spell, giving her access to all her childhood recollections.
Which meant she had to relive the day her father tried to kill her.
Emily looked up at M'gaan. "You want an honest answer?" She said.
M'gaan got up from her chair and knelt in front of Emily. She took her hands in her's. "I know, this is hard." M'gaan responded. "But it'll get easier, I promise. You're not alone in this."
"Yeah, Artemis and Rose are part of the 'Bad Dad' club too." Garfield chimed, trying to lighten the mood. He chuckled, "They'll get you a membership card."
Emily however, could not be enlivened. She stood up, crossing her arms as she walked to the other side of the room. "I can't believe he tried to kill me." She muttered. "I can't believe my whole life has been a lie."
"Justice will come to him in time." M'gaan reassured. "Now that we know he was the one who almost killed you."
Emily spun around. "How?"
"Give it time."
"That's all anyone does here is just wait."
M'gaan felt to best to change the subject. For she too felt frustration in their recent theme of inaction. "Was there anything else you wanted help with?" She said with a kind tone. "While I'm here?"
Emily froze, looking at M'gaan with stern eyes. She paused before shaking her head 'no'.
"Emily," Garfield said. "You promised."
Emily shot him an angry look.
"Promised what?" M'gaan asked, confused. She looked between Garfield and Emily.
The two had grown accustomed to having full conversations without saying a word. Even without telepathy, they had gotten quite good at holding conversation just facial expression.
It was something that irritated M'gaan. She now understood what it was like for an onlooker not connected to her psychic link.
"No, don't do that." She scolded. "What did you promise to tell me?"
Emily looked at M'gaan as her eyes began to water. "I'm not-" She let out a shaky breath. "I'm not a monster."
"Of course you're not." M'gaan reassured with a tilt of her head. "Whatever you're about to tell me, I'm not going to think that. I promise."
Emily let out a long exhale. "I-I," She stammered. "I can't-," She finally locked eyes with M'gaan. "The treatments haven't been working."
M'gaan jarred a bit at Emily's statement. The 'treatments' Emily was referring to were the an exuberant amount of iron supplements recommended to her by Dr. Adam Strange.
In the aftermath of the nightmare in her head and the witness of her full shapeshifting abilities, Nightwing ordered a full biological breakdown of her DNA. Wally had outed her thirst for blood to the rest of the team. And Nightwing wanted to learn why, and how to stop it.
The test concluded that her shapeshifting, telekinetic, and telepathic powers (while wondrous), took a toll on her physically. While her hypermetabolism kept her weight off and allowed her to body to mature rapidly; it kept her on the verge of malnourishment. One of the main nutrients her powers sucked from her, was iron. And in this severe iron deficiency, is where she developed this hunger for blood.
They thought her daily added supplements would be enough. It seemed as though they were wrong.
"What do you mean?" M'gaan asked, nervous.
Emily fell quiet.
"Just tell her what you told me." Beast Boy said.
Emily looked at him for a moment and then looked down at the floor. She said, "The pills. They-they don't do anything. It's like this, overwhelming...need. It's like I'm parched and no matter how much water I drink, or how many pills I take, it won't help it."
She looked back up at M'gaan, meeting her curious gaze. She continued. "I went back to eating raw steaks and beef again. It helps push it away for a little bit but it always comes back. Sometimes I can't-" She swallowed hard. "Sometimes I can't even be around other people."
"What do you mean?" M'gaan asked.
Emily closed her eyes. She took in a quiet breath through her nose. "I- can- I can smell it," she said. "Under your skin. Under everyone's, it's constant."
Her eyes opened, and her gaze locked on M'gaan's throat.
"And I can hear it. I can hear it pump." She said quietly, eyes unmoving, unblinking. "And I can see it move in your veins," she whispered.
M'gaan's heartbeat pounded in Emily's ear. Her mouth watered as her mind dipped into a primal cavern.
A chilling sickness rose in M'gaan's belly, feeling as though she was about to be hunted.
Emily's lip twitched as she licked her canine. The warm smell over copper beneath M'gaan's skin roused a ravenous insatiation.
"It makes me...makes me…" Emily trailed off. Her eyes turned yellow. Her teeth pulled into fangs.
"Emily." Garfield interjected, seeing her begin to change. "Emily!" He barked.
Emily gasped. Her eyes and teeth changed back to normal. She took a step back, eyes to the floor, afraid to meet M'gaan's gaze.
"I'm sorry I-" She stammered and shivered. "I'm afraid- I'm afraid if I don't keep it...keep the urge satisfied, I'm afraid I'm going to….feed from someone."
"You've been keeping it satisfied with raw meat?" M'gaan asked.
"No," She answered, looking up at her. "That stopped working a while ago. Now I-" Water welled in her eyes. "Please don't be mad at me."
M'gaan looked at her with a sad tilt of her head. "I'm not sweetheart, I'm not, just-" She held her hands once more. "Just tell me the truth."
"I've been going to the local blood banks and getting it from there."
"How did you get in?"
Emily went quiet. Her gaze went to Beast Boy who had to look away.
M'gaan's eyes went wide. She dropped Emily's hands like they were hot coals. "You used your psychic powers to manipulate the workers there. Didn't you?" Her voice rose. "Emily! We do not-"
"M'gaan," Garfield snipped at her.
M'gaan reeled back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice." She said. "Touchy subject for me."
A knock came from the door. Mal Duncan opened it. "Uh, sorry. M'gaan?" He said. "I need to talk you quick. It's important."
M'gaan nodded. "I'll be right back." She said to Gar and Emily. "We're going to fix this, whatever it is. Okay?"
Emily gave her a nod and M'gaan brushed past her and out the door.
"See?" Garfield said as he closed the space between them. "That wasn't so bad."
"Why did you make me do that?" Emily snipped at him.
"I-I didn't-"
"You gave me an ultimatum remember? 'You tell them or I'll tell them'. Remember?"
Garfield's face crumpled with irritation. "No I said, 'You can't keep this a secret, it's getting out of hand'. I said that eventually one of us is going to have to tell them. Then you promised to do it today, remember?"
Emily paused. She let out a shaky breath but it did little to stifle her irritability. "What's wrong with me? Why am I still not better?" She looked at Garfield with pleading eye. "I'm not- I'm not sad anymore. I don't feel angry anymore but I can't stop-" She looked down at her shaking hands. "But I can't stop this-"
"Hey, we're gonna figure it out ok?" Garfield cooed as he took her hands in his. "You have M'gaan. You have The Team." He tilted his head. "You have me. We'll fix it, just like everything else."
Emily's eyes still looked to the floor. Garfield clawed through his mind for any reassurances to make her feel better.
He placed a soft hand on her cheek. "Come'er," he said. He placed a kiss on her lips, just as he'd done so many times before.
Only this time, she didn't kiss back.
He pulled away. "What's wrong?" He asked.
Emily swallowed hard, finding it difficult to meet his gaze. "Gar I-"
They jumped as the door swung open.
"Emily," M'gaam said. "We need you in the living room."
Emily and Gar exchanged confused looks before they followed M'gaan out the door. They followed her into the living room. The beginning of G. Gordon Godfrey's show sat paused on the television screen. Mal and M'gaan sood on either side of it.
"Okay, I need to show you something." M'gaan said slowly and calmly. "And I need you to promise to not...freak out."
Emily twinged at her comment. "You asking me to not freak out is already making me start to freak out." She huffed. "Ok, I promise. What is it about?"
M'gaan gave a quick, worried glance at Malcom before she answered. "It's about your father."
A sliver of rage snaked across Emily's skin. "What did he do?" She growled.
M'gaan chewed on her lip, a worried look reseted on her face. She paused for a moment, pointed the remote at the tv, and pressed 'play'.
G. Gordon Godfrey's voice filled the room. "We now have more definitive proof that The Justice League has minors, children, doing their dirty work as 'covert operatives'."
Godfrey sat on his designated arm chair on his set. The camera panned outward from him to include the guest chair next to him.
Emily's blood ran cold. There next to Godfrey, sat her father. Warren Griffith, known to the world as "Warren Briggs". Codename: Wolfpack.
He sat there still, his hands in his lap. He dressed in a button down and slacks; a rabib beast hiding in men's clothes.
What the fuck was he doing there?
"I have with me, Mr. Warren Briggs." Godfrey introduced. "Warren is well-rounded American man, a patriot, and an army veteran who has spent years of his life, serving our country. Now Mr. Briggs," Gordon turned to face him. "Why don't you tell the audience, tell America, why you are here today."
Warren looked to the camera. There was something unsettling about his eyes; small, sinister. As though his dark pupils took up the entirety of them.
There was a forced grief to his voice, as though he had not felt it for quite some time. He said, "Well, I'm here Mr. Godfrey because my daughter, Emily Briggs, has been kidnapped by The Justice League."
Emily's breath froze in her lungs as an ice filled her stomach. Her ears rang.
"For a year now," Warren continued. "Last June Emily disappeared while on a school camping trip. Myself and everyone else who loves her, thought she was dead. My wife," His eyes grew glossy. "Killed herself shortly after. She couldn't go on living without her."
Bile rose in Emily's throat.
"My God, I am so sorry for your loss." Gordon feigned comfort, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you," he answered. "After that I left town, quit the military, and went on to start a new life. I got a job working security for a Grace's metateen halfway homes. I thought- I thought I was going crazy, but she showed up there. Last month she, along with a handful or other underage metas, attacked the facility."
"An attack, my dear viewers." Gordon said, turning towards the camera. "That we have proof of."
The hairs stood on the back of Emily's neck. The screen played surveillance video of their failed mission at the meta halfway house; clips of them fighting off security and Debra Morgan's encompassing flames.
And finally, her time at the psychic wing. The footage froze and zoomed in on her in the moments before she attacked Gehenna.
"That is Emily, yes?" Gordon asked and Warren answered in affirmation.
"What happened?" Gordon continued.
"She attacked me. She was different. Attacked another kid too...I just-I" Warren's eye welled with crocodile tears. "I just want my daughter back. Why would they take her for me? Why would the Justice League take her from me?"
"An excellent question." Gordon brought his attention back to the camera. "A question that we have already asked The Justice League's liaison Miss Catherine Colbert. To which she responded with 'No comment.'"
Godfrey looked away from the camera for a moment, dabbing the corner of his eye with his palm. "You'll have to excuse me for a minute folks this- this one's hitting old Godfrey a little hard." He sniffled and then scowled back at the camera. "The Justice League is failing. They are failing to protect us. But more importantly they are failing to protect our children."
Godfrey stood, his voice booming, "How many metahuman children have died on their watch? How many more superpowered little girls do we have to watch tortured on live television before we realize The League has outlived its usefulness? How many more children do they have to kidnap before we realize that The League should not be allowed to exist anymore?"
"I will say this and I will say this boldly. The Justice League must be dismantled. The can no longer exist in the shadows. They are no longer providing aid, but they are kidnapping children." Why do we need them now that we have Lexcorp's metahuman police force? What use do we have of them now we have law enforcement with powers that we can hold accountable? All while with consent, instead of snatching up children in middle of the night."
"Change my friend, is always initiated by the people for the people. So if you agree with me, call your government officials, write to them. Dare I say, march in protest?! Something needs to change my friends. For the sake of our world, for the sake of our children we cannot allow The Justice League to get away with these transgressions. Something has to be done. And we can be that change."
Godfrey turned to address Warren once more, "Do you have anything you'd like to say?"
Warren nodded. "I do." He said, then looked at the camera. "This is for The Justice League who have held by daughter captive. Please let her come home to me. Emily is my kind, sweet little girl. Please don't turn her into a monster."
A sourness grew in Emily's belly. She growled.
"And Emily if you're listening, you're Dad loves you sweetheart. I'm going to get you back. I don't care who I have to go through. I'm going to get you."
A darkness grew in his smil. "I'll make sure you're taken care of."
Emily's eyes turned yellow. Claws sprang from her fingertips. She roared, grabbing the small coffee table next her her. She rose it over her head, ready to strike it down on the tv.
Garfield and Mal grabbed at the table and her arms, pulling her back.
"Woah woah woah!" Gar exclaimed.
"Emily, cool off!" Mal demanded.
They held back her writing, angry body until the growl in her throat subsided. Her chest still heaved with heavy breaths as she stared at the TV with slit-pupiled eyes.
What fucking right did he have to call her a monster?
'I'm going to get you,' His words replayed in her mind. 'I'll make sure you're taken care of.'
"Come on mother fucker." Emily hissed through her fanged teeth, finally realizing what it was that wouldl finally make her feel satisfied:
Retribution.
"Come and get me."
Dakota City Convention Center
May 20th, 2017
13:15 CDT
"I know, I know. Be there in a second!"
Virgil tapped the 'end' button on his phone. He huffed, shaking his head as he shoved it into his pocket.
A half hour prior, he received a phone call from a staff member at the Dakota City Convention Center. They stated that his sister was in the security holding station at the convention center, and that she would require family member to pick her up in order to be released. Otherwise she would be given off to police. Since Virgil's actual sister was across the country away at college, there was only one other person who could get into that kind of trouble.
Virgil finally made it to the Convention Center, plowing through the main doors. He looked around, searching for a map or staff member. He felt out of place among the rest of the occupants there. Towering figures in suits and pencil skirts scoffed at him as he walked past. Their disapproving gazes lingered on him; appalled by the pair of Jordans and baggy jeans among their presence.
Virgil felt the cold pressure of eyes on him. He looked around as best he could without making eye contact. Down the main hall, he saw a open window in the brick wall with a lit sign above it that said 'Security'. He trudged past the surrounding snubbed noses and made his way to the window.
Virgil stopped at the small opening in the wall with the security sign over top of it. Behind the window sat a security guard, reading a magazine. Just past him on a bench sat a sulking rehead. She stared furious daggers into the wall as her leg bounced. Her hands were zip tied behind her.
"Frieda," Virgil beamed through the window. "What did you do?"
Frieda looked up at him and then over at the security guard. "Only demanded answers the public deserves!" She shouted.
The security guard rolled his eyes, putting down his magazine. He looked over and raised a brow at Virgil. "You're her brother?" He said. He leaned back in his roller chair and asked Frieda. "This is your brother?"
Virgil gave him a wide grin. "What? You don't see the family resemblance?"
The security guard rolled his eyes again, unamused. He groaned. "Whatever," he said as he got out of his chair. He grabbed Frieda's arm and helped her stand. He ushered her out the side door of the security room and out to Virgil in the hallway. He pulled a box cutter out of his pocket and cut her bounding zip ties. Frieda rubbed her wrists.
"Just take her and get her out of here." The security guard demaded, clearly not being paid enough to deal with the likes of her.
"This is ridiculous!" She screeched. "Freedom of the press is a constitutional right! You can't throw me out just because he doesn't like my questions!"
"Kid, if you don't shut up I'm going to have to call the police." The security guard huffed, annoyed.
Frieda tried to get in his face. "Do it! I want you to call the police! My rights are being violated!"
"No! No she doesn't." Virgil said as he yanked her back. He grabbed tight onto her arm. "We're gonna go thank you somuchforyourhelpokaybye!"He talked faster as he pulled her away.
Frieda tried to yell something back to the guard. But Virgil yanked her in close as he lead her towards the doors. He hissed in her ear. "Seriously Frieda, I love you, but shut up."
They finally made it out the front doors.
"I can't believe them!" Frieda exclaimed as anger rolled off of her. "And they took my freakin voice recorder, damnit! Now I have to get a new one!"
"What exactly did you do to get hog tied by security and nearly arrested?" Virgil asked.
Frieda threw her hands up in the air. "The truth Virgil! I was only trying to get the truth!"
"From who?"
Frieda growled. She marched away from the convention center and down the sidewalk, her hands balled into fists. Virgil followed behind her.
"Just some shady CEO doing some shady work." She finally answered, guilt lingering behind her.
But she had to find out what exactly Lexcorp had Hazard International doing. So when she found out one of Lexcorp's CEOs was in the city for a press conference, she found a way to get a press pass. And in doing so, berated and barraged him with accusatory questions until she was escorted away by security. At least now other media outlets knew of Lexcorp's other shading dealings.
"You know, if you're going to be a journalist, you need to be less abrasive." Virgil advised, smiling at her.
Frieda looked over at him. She sighed. "I get really worked up don't I?"
"Too many emotions packed in your little body."
"Shut up." She smiled as she nudged him with her elbow.
Frieda tilted her head as her gaze shot past him. She squinted as she asked, "What is that?"
Virgil turned around. He searched the sky, trying to find what it was that Frieda saw. His eyes landed on something in the distance.
A black dot appeared among the clouds. With slow assurance, it grew wider in the sky. Two more black dots filled around it. They picked up speed. Soon it became clear that the black orbs were cascading towards them.
Virgil sucked in his breath. By now, he knew all too well what those orbs, those pods, meant:
Apokolips soldiers.
"Look out!" Virgil shouted as he grabbed onto Frieda, pulling her into his chest. He ducked them behind a blue mail box; shielding them from debris as the ships crashed to the earth. Screams filled the air as one collided just at the end of the block. The ground rumbled beneath them.
Virgil peeked from behind the mailbox. Smoke billowed from the crash site. A woman screamed as a carnal roar bellowed in the air. In a furious blur of red and black, the Apokolips soldier jumped from podial ship and onto the street. Drool dripped from its horrid snout. Pedestrians, panicked, sprinted down the road.
Virgil pulled his white mask from his pocket and tied it on. "Frieda, get out of here! Run! Now!" He barked at her before jumping up, and pressing on his earpiece communicator. But Frieda, terror coursing through her, remained still.
"Black Lightning!" Virgil called out on the comm.
"Saw them coming," Jefferson answered. "I'm on my way!"
Virgil's tried to to move his feet. But weighted, he found them, as though he were in a dream. His breath quickened in his chest. Sweat trickled down his brow as panic slithered through him.
Down the street, the monster slashed its claws at a shop window. Glass shattered into tiny pieces all around it. Screams and sirens filled the air.
Virgil's mind trailed to the highway. To the day of the Sink of San Diego. To the day of Victor Stone's accident. A cold sickness filled his gut, as guilt clawed its way to the surface. The last time he'd faced the Apokolips soldiers, he had failed. Not only himself, but Dakota City, Victor, and The Team. How much damage would his incompetence inflict this time?
Virgil was yanked from his sinkhole of self doubt, as the Apokolips monster snapped his head in his direction. Its lidless red eyes pierced him with a striking gaze. A growl rumbled in its chest for a moment before it charged at him.
Vigirl gasped, Sparks playing in his hands as the monster came closer. He looked up, winded, as he realized its masivity. It toward twelve feet above him. Its slimy cerulean skin sat protected behind its black and red-lit armor.
Panicked, Virgil looked around. He held out his hands towards a car beside him. Electricity shot from his hands and to the car. He groaned as his powers lifted the it from the ground. He tossed it as the monster's head, careful not to hit the self-destruct button on its chest. The car struck it and the monster yelped as it fell to the ground.
Virgil's quick smile dissipated as the monster did not stay down for long. It clawed its way back onto its feet. The red lights on the alien's armor glowed bright. Five red disks shot from the alien's armor and spiraled towards Virgil. Virgil shot his lightning towards them. They creaked with ghastly squeal as they tried to plummet forward. But Virgil's powers pushed them back.
Virgil cried out as something smashed against his left side. The tumbled to the ground, skidding across the asphalt. He groaned, his vision blurring in the corners of his eyes. He squinted, gaze finally coming to as another Apokolips monster crawled towards him. Virgil tried to move, but his stinging skin handicapped him.
The new monster squealed as a lightning bolt cascaded down from the sky, toppling him over. Virgil blinked his eyes into focus. Black Lightning stood where the monster had.
"Get Up!" Jefferson called to him. He shot another lightning blast at the monster to keep him back. "Static get up!"
Virgil finally came to. The sight of the bright sparks sent a shiver down his spine.
"Stop shocking them!" Virgil called to him "You can set off the bomb in their chest!"
"How are we supposed to beat these guys?" Black Lightning called back.
"I don't know, but we can't use our lightning!"
While Jefferson was preoccupied by Virgil's words, the second monster had charged him. He crashed into Jefferson's body, sending him flying down the street.
Virgil called out to him but was soon preoccupied by a roar to his right. The first monster, using its massive strength and size, pulled a light pole from the ground. It held it tight in each hand, and slammed it down towards Virgil.
Virgil held up his arms. His lightning pulsed through him just as the pole collided with his outreached hands. The electricity flowed from his arms and through the pole, pushing back against the monster's strength. Virgil groaned as a fire lit inside his arms. The struggled against the monster as he fell to one knee, pushing the pole up and away as the monster pushed it down.
Just down the street behind the mailbox, Frieda made it to her feet. She ran, burying away the terror. She bolted down the street.
As soon as she turned the corner, she was halted by the presences of the third Apokolips monster. Civilians screamed as it swiped at them. It looked up, making eye contact with Frieda in her frozen state.
She gasped, turning tail, running back the other way. She ran to the other side of the street, ducking behind the side of a car. She crouched down against it. In a desperate attempt to protect herself, she pulled her keys from her pocket, grasping onto the tiny pink pepper spray keychain.
Frieda clasped her hand over her mouth with her free hand, trying to stifle her panicked panting. She sat still against the car, hearing the Apokolips monster growl and grumble behind her. It went quiet.
A crash radiated from her left as the monster jumped on the hood of the car, peering its head around, spotting her. She screamed as it roared at her. Frieda aimed the pepper spray at its face.
"Get bent, ugly!" She yelled, pressing the top button on her pepper spray. A stream of orange liquid splattered over the monster's face. It reared back as it roared, clenching its face to its hands.
Frieda turned to run. Another crash came behind her as the monster freed one of its clawed hands, swiping it onto the car. Its watery eyes opened to a small line, looking at her. It clenched them shut in pain and roared.
Eyes closed, the monster tore after her. It bashed against cars and people as it ran. Frieda only made it a few steps before the creature grabbed her with his massive hands. She screamed.
The movement caught Virgil's eye. He looked over. His blood cold as the saw the Apokolips monster hold Frieda in its grasp. It unhinged its snarling jaw, bringing it close to her head. Only a few yards away, the other monster held Black Lightning down by his throat. It reared its other clawed hand back, ready to slice away.
"NOO!" Virgil screamed. Terror gave way to rage. He bellowed his own roar as he gave a final push of electricity through his body and against the light pole holding him down. He pushed back harder, the monster's knees gave way was he finally pressed himself back up. Then, with a final push, Virgil's lighting sent the monster crashing against a building.
Frieda writhed in the hands of the other monster but could not escape his clutches. She looked up, dripping fangs came closer as she stared down its rancid throat. She cried, waiting for its fangs to finally snap around her neck.
The monster gagged as someone reached their arm up and into its mouth. Frieda looked to her left. Pressing against her, was a man. He wore a black tank top and BDUs. On his head sat a black, wolf-head like helmet with glowing red eyes. The armor from the helmet slid all the way down the man's chest, his back, and over his arm.
He was one of Luthor's Warhunds. His arm gave way to a glowing red cannon, which now pressed against the back of the monster's throat. The mechanics of his armor whirls as the edges glowed a vibrant red. The cannon on his arm glowed brighter until; it fired.
A blue splatter of blood and brains swept across the street. The Warhund pulled his arm back, revealing the cinged hole at the base of the monster's head. The monster let out one final groan as it collapsed.
Frieda fell to the ground, the monster's hands no longer holding her. The lay there, panting and disoriented. Chills ran through her as the threat of death still lingered on her nerves. Her heartbeat pounded in her ear.
Frieda snapped her head to the left again as the other monster screamed. Next to it, stood another Warhund. Red, pulsating electrical blades sat top the Warhund's armor on its forearms and a few feet past its hands. The Apokolips monster's raised arm, now lay on the ground amputated. The other Warhund had sliced it off. And with another quick swipe, it decapitated the monster holding down Black Lightning. It fell to the side.
Virgil's jaw dropped in awe. But his attention was quickly taken behind him, as the final, massive, Monster screamed. It pressed the red button on his chest.
Terror slammed through Virgil like a tidal wave. It there wasn't enough time. The monster was too big.
They were all going to die.
The Warhund turned off its pulsating blades. It held out its right arm. Five wires shot from the arm and towards the monster. They latched onto it, a red light shot through them. The monster screamed in agony as the wires tasered him. The self-destruction light on its armor dissipated. The inside of the monster's armor caught fire. It squealed and screamed until it was silenced by the crackling flame. It fell to the ground, dead.
Breathless, Virgil turned towards the Warhund. It retracted its armor, face now in full view as the armor only covered his head and back of his neck.
"No way," Virgil said, recognizing him. "L-Leonard? Leonard Smalls?"
Behind them, the Warhund who rescued Frieda, turned towards her. He held out his hand. "Are you ok ma'am?" He asked.
Frieda's eyes squinted in the sunlight. The Sun's bright rays silhouetted around The Warhund's head. She held out her hand, letting him help her up. Hers eyes adjusted as the Warhund's armor pulled back from his face.
"Francis?" Fried said, aghast. She snapped her hand back.
Francis smiled a polite, lifeless smile. "I'm sorry, have we met?" He asked.
"What?" Frieda snarled. "Of course you know me, ass."
Francis looked at her for a moment. There was an emptiness to his eyes as he stared at her. He didn't seem to blink. "Yes, Frieda...I know you." He said slowly through his dull smile. "Are you injured? Medical personnel are on their way."
A shiver snaked its way up Frieda's spine. "N-no. I'm not-" There was an eerie feeling in her gut that something wasn't right. It was as though she were speaking to an empty shell.
"Francis." She said, studying his face. "Are you okay?"
"I am well. And I am glad you are not injured." He answered, smiling with clouded eyes. "If you could, please evacuate the area now. It is not safe."
A chill swelled in Frieda's gut.
Down the street, Leonard looked over to Virgil. His lips pulled into a smile, the kind that reminded Virgil of a puppet; stitched, fabricated. His glazed eyes looked into Virgil's but there was nothing behind their glossy haze.
"Everything is fine now. The threat is eliminated." Leonard said, abnormally pleasant. "Please steer clear of all debris. Medical personnel are on their way."
Leonard turned away from him. He reached down and held out his hand towards Black Lightning who still lay on the ground.
"Do you need a hand, sir?" He asked.
Black Lightning swatted his hand out of the way. He pushed himself up, anger swelling inside him of his ineptness to save the city. They had been outshined by Luthor's dogs.
A crowd formed around them. Leonard and Francis greeted them with calm, quiet, smooth voices. An uneasy feeling rose inside Virgil. Frieda came up to him, worry plagued her eyes. She did not need to say anything for Virgil to understand. Leonard and Francis's minds were now slaves to Lexcorp.
El Paso
May 21st
12:30 MDT
The blinding sunshine spilled around the city of El Paso. Summer heat already tapped against the windows. A wide array of sounds danced about the Reyes home. Chirps and chimes filled Jaime's room as he and Bart sat at the end of his bed, clacking away on the controllers of his video game console. Rose sat by the headboard, stabbing annoyed looks at the back of their heads as she tried to read a magazine.
Below them, the swift chiming notes of Lizst's La Campanella rose up the stairs from the living room piano. Jaime's mother, Bianca Reyes, smiled in awe as she watched Joey work the piece with diligent fingers. Joseph it seemed, a boy who could jump from body to body, was also damned near a music prodigy.
Though the music, it seemed, was no match for Jaime's woes.
Jaime's loud gripe bellowed from his room. "This game is stupid!" Jaime complained.
Bart chuckled, "You only think it's stupid because you're losing."
Rose shot them an annoyed look at them over her magazine. "How about this? You're both stupid."
Jaime rolled his eyes. "Remind me again why I invited you?" He asked.
"You didn't invite me, Kaldur's making us hang out." Rose answered. "Something about getting Joey acclimated to civilian life again."
"Ah yes," Bart answered with a click of his tongue. "Kaldur's infamous 'Go Be a Kid' orders."
Downstairs, the song on the piano ended. Bianca gushed praises to Joey so loud they charged up the stairs. She had always dreamed that her children would pick up piano, taking after her childhood prowess. Jaime though, turned out to be quite tone deaf. And Milago, his little sister, seemed far more interested in cartoons than anything else.
"I think Joey's giving your dad a run for his money." Bart teased, as his continued beating Jaime in the game.
"Shut up." Jaime growled through his teeth.
"He's always been a lady's man." Rose said with a smile.
"Hey, two dads means two Christmases." Bart joked.
"Shut up!" Jaime yelled, his frustration peaking at the death of his character, for the eighth time. The finale music rang in his ear, mocking him.
"You cheat!" Jaime griped at Bart. "With your powers you can process things at superspeed! That's cheating!"
Bart plastered on a cocky smile. "You want some fries with all that salt?"
Bart twinged as a small rumble rose beneath him. He tossed the feeling from his mind. Then after a few minutes, another tiny, quick shake formed and dissipated below him. Bart furrowed his brow in question. He looked behind him at Rose who gave him the same look. They felt another shake.
Bart looked over at Jaime who seemed to pay no mind to the movement. His eyes fixated on the screen, preparing to start a new game.
"Um, did you feel that?" Bart asked.
Jaime grunted in dismissal. "Eh, probably just a tremor. We get them out here sometimes."
Bart and Rose gave each other worried looks before turning their attention back to their previous activities. Five minutes went by before a cry rang out from downstairs.
"Jamie!" Bianca yelled, panicked. "Jaime!"
The trio looked at one another before darting from Jaime's bed and down the stairs. They filed into the living room. The television played a live broadcast with a red banner at the bottom. The words 'EL PASO - BREAKING' scrolled around it. Just on the outskirts of downtown, a swarm of Apokolips soldiers wreaked chaos in the city. They decimated buildings and attacked civilians with their glowing weapons and pointed claws.
"That's only a couple blocks away from your father's shop." Bianca said with wide eyes.
With a blur and a gush of wind, Bart put on his Kid Flash uniform. He smiled, "Alright! Time to kick some alien butt!" He turned towards Rose, an ornery smile pulled on his lips. "Race ya." He said before he sped off.
Rose rolled her eyes. "I change my mind," she said to Jaime. "He's more stupid."
But Jaime's mind was elsewhere with the notion of his father's safety in jeopardy. He charged out the back door, put on his Blue Beetle uniform, and propelled into the sky.
Rose grabbed her helmet off the dining room table and ran towards the front door. Joey followed behind her.
She snapped around, her hand on the doorknob. "You're not going," she barked at him.
Joey shot her an exasperated look. I can help. Nightwing's been training me, He signed to her.
Rose squinted her eyes at him.
Don't make me jump in you, he sassed back.
She let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Whatever." She burst through the front door, Joey trailing behind her. They jumped on her motorcycle and peeled out of the driveway.
A head of them, Jaime bolted in the sky. His heart beat in his chest as worry for his father plagued his mind. He screamed at Scarab, demanding it to push the armor's speed. With the threat of death of a loved one looming in the air, five short minutes felt like hours.
Billows of smoke flowed from the ground ahead. As he came closer, a body came into view a few yards away from his father's shop. A skidmark of ruptured earth slid to the body, as if it had been tossed across the ground. The body's bright yellow uniform came into view.
"Bart!" Blue called out as he descended to the ground. He landed by him.
Bart groaned, putting his palms on the ground next to him to try to push himself up. Jaime gently grabbed his arms, pulling him to his feet. Bart swayed, woozy.
"Are you okay?" Jaime asked.
Bart groaned, "I feel like a bag of crushed Chicken Wizzies."
A loud, gurgled cry grabbed their attention. Off a small distance, stood Jaime's father, Alberto Reyes, in front of his garage. A daunting Apokoplis soldier towered in front of him, its clawed hand raised.
But between them, stood one of Lexcorp's Warhunds. A large cannon pulled from the chest of the armor and fired at the monster's stomach. A shot right through, and the monster fell to the ground.
Blue Beetle ran up to them. "Dad-Uh sir! Are you alright?"
His father, however, was already being helped up by The Warhund. "Are you alright sir?" He asked.
"Y-yes," Alberto answered. "Thank-"
Alberto's words died out as The Warhund pulled back the armor around his face.
Jaime gasped. "Tye?" He asked.
Tye turned. A glaze sat in his eyes and addressed Jaime with a polite smile. "Hello," he said.
"Tye what, what's going on?" Jaime pause, studying Tye's face. "Are you okay?" He asked.
Tye paused, the smile still resting on his face. "I don't know what you mean. I am fine. The Warhound armor can protect me against any threat to myself or any civilian."
Jaime tilted his head. "Tye do-" he cut himself off. "Do you know who I am?"
Tye went quiet for a moment, still smiling. He blinked, slow. There was an emptiness to his gaze. As though he had to dig deep into the confines of his mind to grab the answer.
"Jaime." Tye finally said, his facial expression still the same. He stared at Jaime, smiling and blinking.
Water rose in Jaime's eyes. A tightness filled his chest. He realized what stood before him, was a near-empty husk of friend he use to have.
Tye tilted his head the other way, still sporting the polite grin. "Please evacuate the area now, it is not safe." It was as though he was an android in a suit of flesh. "The Warhunds will take it from here. We appreciate your assistance."
"Tye," Jaime's voice cracked. "What did they do to you?"
Behind them, Rose's motorcycle skidded to a stop next to Bart. Rose and Joey jumped off the motorcycle.
What they saw was the aftermath of a quick battle. Four dead Apokolips soldiers lay on the ground; shot or decapitated. Four Apokolips soldiers stood next to them, their weapons retracting. The armor around their faces pulled back to reveal toothy smiles. They sent shivers down Rose's spine.
One of the Warhunds spotted them and walked in their direction. Rose took a defensive stance. Her brows rose as a familiar face came into focus underneath the Warhound helmet.
Jenny Ravenhair stared at them with glossy eyes. "Please steer clear of the debris to avoid injury." She said, a small chime in her tone.
"Jenny?" Bart asked, his eyes narrowing.
Jenny looked at him with a smooth, almost unnatural turn of her head. The paused. "Yes," she finally answered. "Do you require assistance?"
Joey looked at her with curious eyes. He'd kept up on all of the reports with the Warhound armor. The team and The League worked night and day to dissect just what it was and what it did to the wearer.
And Joey, wanted to find out once and for all.
Joey snapped his fingers, gaining Jenny's attention. The whites of his green eyes turned black as Jenny met his gaze.
Contact.
Joey's body dissipated into a translucent purple haze.
"Joey don't!" Rose yelled, reaching for him. But it was too late. Joey had already jumped inside Jenny.
Jenny groaned, hunched over. "G-get. Get out! Get- OUT!" She yelled.
She remained hunched over, her teeth grit with vigor as her eyes clenched shut. Her body trembled.
"Joey? Joey what's going on?" Rose asked, worried.
Joey, through Jenny looked up at her with one squinty eye. With trembling limbs, he brought up a shaking 'okay' hand sign up to her chest.
"That doesn't seem very confident." Rose said with a cautious hand extended.
"I can't-" Joey spoke through Jenny. They finally managed to stand upright. Their fist clenched tight by their chest. "It-it feels so weird I-" They winced with pain. "It's like-"
Jenny's eyes went wide. A scream fell from her mouth as she clenched at her head, rocking her body side to side.
"Joey what's happening!?" Rose yelled, panicked "Joey get out of there! Get out of there right now!"
Joey's crystalline body fell from Jenny and toppled to its normal form on the ground. The red lights in the eyes of Jenny's Warhound helmet went out and she fell backwards.
Bart knelt down next to Joey. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"You idiot!" Rose chided, kneeling down next to Bart. "What were you thinking?"
A groan fell from Jenny's lips. She stumbled to her feet, her knees wobbling.
"What happened?" She asked.
Bart gasped. He stood, looking into Jenny's eyes. It was the first time that they seemed to breath any life.
Jenny looked around. "Where am I?" She asked. "How did I-" She placed her hand on her head. Her eyes went wide at the feel of the helmet.
She gasped. The mechanics of the helmet began to whirl once again."No. No!" She yelled, grabbing to pull it off. The red eyes of the helmet glowed bright once more.
Jenny jerked. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her body gave way to a small, standing seizure.
She froze. Her shoulders slumped as her head fell forward.
After a moment, she slowly lifted her head. And when she opened her eyes, she looked at them the a familiar empty gaze.
"Hello." She said, an eerie smile on her lips. "Do you require medical assistance?"
Dakota City
May 25th 2017
9:00 EDT
The sun shined down on the new Wayne Enterprises skyscraper. Frieda shoved her hands into her pockets to keep them from shaking. She followed her classmates through the revolving doors and into the lobby.
With the grand opening of its Dakota City branch, Wayne Enterprises invited a handful of the top students in each of the surrounding high schools for a tour. It was luncheon, meant to make the public aware of what the new building offered, and hopefully gain new applicants to for their junior internship program. Even Bruce Wayne himself was schedule for a speech and a meet and greet.
Frieda had been invited, of course. She had no interest in working for Wayne Enterprises. But the tour had interested her for another reason.
Sweat trickled down Freida's brow as she approached security. She was given her visitor's badge and told to walk through the metal detector. She held her breath, hoping nothing would trigger the alarm.
Silent; she was given permission to go along with the rest of the group. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she hadn't been subject to a pat down. She wasn't sure how she would have explained how a bag of Spark and a bag of ashes ended up in her bra. It all seemed a little lax, security wise. But then again, who would suspect a bunch of science geeks to be up to no good?
It seems they were not prepared for Frieda.
She followed along on the tour, her heart racing and they walked deeper into the building. Her stop was coming up. Frieda lagged in the back of the group, out of sight so her absence would go unnoticed.
Once their guide turned away from them again, she tucked quietly into a small hallway. She made sure she was in the clear before making her way down to the room at the end of the hallway.
She had studied the floor plans all night, making sure she would hit the right room. She peeked through the window on the door to make sure no one was there. She quickly and quietly opened the door and made her way inside.
Frieda gasped. The room was astounding; a shining menagerie of chrome and plastic. On the far wall, sat her main prize; The Wayne Tech Atomic Scanner. It could break down the components of any physical sample farther than any other computer on the market.
Frieda rushed up to the computer. A large, flat screen monitor sat on the wall as the computer idled. To the the left and right of the keyboard were two stainless steel plates with clear square hoods with a latch. These were the scanners.
Frieda undid the latch on the left scanner. She looked over her shoulder to indeed make sure she was alone. She pulled out the Spark bag from her bra and poured it all onto the scanner. She closed the lid and fastened the latch. She clacked away on the keyboard, initiating the scanning process. The machine whirled and the scanner box filled with a a gel liquid. A thin red liner laser glowed from the bottom of the scanner and moved up and down in the box. The liquid and laser worked together to break down the components of the sample, feeding it into the computer for analysis.
Frieda smiled, content. She pulled out the other bag and placed the a mound of Gerri Brauer's ashes on the other scanner.
"I assume you know you're not supposed to be touching that."
Frieda yelped, jumping at the sound of a young voice behind her. She turned her back to the computer, blocking the Spark sample. But the ashes were still exposed. Her eyes fell to a young man in sunglasses and a fine suit. He looked at her with his hands on his hips and a disapproving gaze.
"Oh!" A tingle of panic filled her chest. How the hell did she not hear him come in? "I-I-I was just-uh."
The young man crossed his arms. "Running a sample?" He asked.
"I-I just-" She racked her brain for a believable excuse. "Part of the tour?" She let out a nervous chuckle. "Seeing, how it works?"
The boy tilted his head down, peering over this sunglasses. He straightened himself. "You don't need that big of a sample."
Frieda fell quiet at his comment.
"Cut it in half, a fourth actually." The boy walked up, pointing to the ashes on the reader. "That's one of the most advanced scientific computers on the market. It doesn't need much to tell you what you need to know about every molecule in there."
"Uh-" Frieda stammered. "Oh-okay." She took out some of the sample, placed the the reader, and began the analysis.
The computer beeped and whirled away as numbers ran through it.
"You're name's Frieda, right?" The boy asked.
Frieda lost her voice for a moment. "H-how did you know?" She asked.
"There's actually a few people talking about your right now. Especially at Lexcorp."
"I don't understand."
"Major corporations have a watch list that get shared with each other. Any company that dabbles in technology has to be careful about people who might want to steal it or manipulate it." The boy closed the space between them. "And your name, popped up on Lexcorp's watch list." He looked at her with accusatory eyes ."They think you're an eco-terrorist."
Frieda burst into laughter. "What? Oh my god, are you kidding?" She said with a smile. "A terrorist? Oh my god I can't wait to tell V." She laughed again.
The boy furrowed his brows in confusion. That was...not the answer he was expecting.
Fridea turned away from him, typing instructions on the computer. "You know? I'm actually flattered. That makes me seem like a total badass. Frieda Goren: Eco-Terrorist." She chuckled, mocking the idea. "That makes no sense. They're idiots."
"Well…." The boy began, trying to regain her attention. "You can't just go around harassing Executives and sneaking into labs."
Frieda gave him a doubtful side-eyed gaze. "Well you're too short to be security, so you're not going to tase me." She raised her brows in cockiness. "Are you going to tattle on me, Mr. Fancypants?"
"I mean…" He said, as he took of his sunglasses. "I am head of the Wayne Industries Junior Internship Program."
"Oh shit." Frieda chirped, realizing she was in the presence of a minor celebrity. "You're Tim Drake. You're Bruce's new assistant."
Tim bunched his face in disapproval. "Assistant?" Now that was a new one. "I prefer intern, or protege, or I guess….ward?"
"Wait," Frieda said, pieces finally coming together. "You're Virgil's friend. Virgil Hawkins? You're his work friend."
Tim's face went cold. "Virgil doesn't work at Wayne Enterprises."
Frieda tossed him a sly smile. "At your other job."
Tim fell quiet, not sure if he understood her correctly.
Frieda kept her eyes glued to the screen as she spoke. "Don't worry, Virgil didn't tell me anything. I figured it out on my own."
Tim inquired, "And what is it you think you've figured out?"
"Oh, that you're Robin." She answered nonchalantly. "Who Dick used to be and how Bruce is-"
"UPBUHBUH I think that's enough saying enough secret identities out loud!" Tim exclaimed.
The room fell silent as Frieda continued to work, unbothered.
Tim as skeptical, "What is it that you want?"
Fridea turned, squinting her eyes at him. "I don't want anything from you. I just want to use your computer."
Tim rubbed his face in frustration. "What? Ok, first off. How-how did you figure all this out?"
"Oh, that was easy." She said with a smile and a wiggle of her head. "I figured every non-powered Leaguer had to be super rich because, how else could they afford all those gadgets?" Her voice picked up speed as she yammered on and on, still typing away on the computer. "Gotham only has one physically fit billionaire with an advanced tech company who's actually a good person. Plus, you're a different build than the first two Robins and the timeline of those matches when he switched out interns, or wards, I guess."
Tim looked at her with a slacked jaw. He finally spoke as he pushed away his dumbfoundedness. "You looking to be some kind of detective?"
"I'd like to be an investigative journalist someday."
"And now you're investigating Lexcorp? That's why you've been hounding them and got on their watch list."
All cheeriness faded from Frieda's face. "You know they're involved in all of this, they have to be."
Something just behind Frieda caught Tim's eye. In the other reader, slowing dissolving under the lasers and liquid, were the undeniable blue rocks of Spark.
Frieda sucked in a breath as she realized what he saw.
Tim thought for a moment, and finally put together his own mystery.
"A few months ago, we intercepted a Spark shipment." He said. "We had about 50 grams of the shipment go missing. And the pockets and gloves of Virgil's uniform tested positive for residue." He took a step closer to her. "I know Virgil isn't a drug addict or a pusher." He tilted his head in inquiry. "But you wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"
Fridea fell quiet, knowing that she was caught. Honesty would be her only salvation now. "They're connected, you know they are." She said. "Spark and Lexaid? They all have the same flavor, the same mitochondrial marker, the same dopamyne polymerase-"
"Frieda," Tim boomed. "Luthor is not someone you want to mess with. He's dangerous. His company is dangerous and the fact that you're on their watchlist? It means that they'll come after you if you keep this up."
"I'm not afraid of him." She said with a snarl. She turned away from Tim, working on the computer. She grabbed the mouse.
Tim snatched his hand on top of hers. "Let us handle it," he chided.
Frieda looked down at her hand, then back up at him in disgust. "You touch every woman without her consent? Or am I just super special?"
Tim flinched at her comment. He backed up. "I'm sorry."
She calmed herself and said. "Look, I'm just trying to help."
"You can help," Tim said. "Just give me what you've found and we can take it over."
"I can't,"
"Why not?"
"Because you're going to think I'm crazy."
"Frieda leave this to us and The League, please."
"I can help!"
"You're just a kid!"
"And you're not?"
The grating whirl of a printer broke their tension. Frieda jumped at the sound. Two printers each pushed a long sheet of paper from the console towards the floor as they wrote upon it.
"It's a printout of your results." Tim advised.
Frieda tore off the two papers, examining them. "What?" She huffed, perplexed.
"What? What is it?" Tim asked.
Frieda folded the papers quickly and stuffed them in her bag."I'm sorry," she said. "I have- I have to go. It was nice to meet you."
She stormed out of the room, leaving Tim alone with the buzzing computer. He turned to the computer, printed another copy for himself and left for the luncheon.
Washington D.C.
Saint Elias School for Girls
May 26th
7:35 EDT
Cassie sat in her mother's idling car. She stared at her hands, desperate not to look up or be recognized.
"Are you ready?" He mother Helena asked from the driver's seat. She looked around, making sure she had found the closest parking spot to the back door.
Cassie sighed, "Doesn't matter. I have to do it."
Helena looked over at her with worried eyes. Cassie took a deep breath, wrapped a scarf around her head, and exited the car.
In the few weeks since Inertia's broadcast, everything in her world flipped upside down. She returned to find her phone filled with hundreds of voicemails, texts, and messages. All ranging from concerns, to praise, to criticism, and even death threats. Consequently, she had to deactivate her phone number and social media accounts.
Reporters slithered outside her home, waiting for a new photo or a statement to fill their articles with. How strange it was to see her face plastered on the evening news and gossip articles. Americans seemed to have caught fever for more information on, as GBS called her, 'Wonder Girl - The Girl Wonder'.
Cassie's life was never going to be the same. And now she had to decode exactly where the pieces would fall in this new puzzle. If they would even go at all.
But for now, as odd as it seemed, all she wanted was to go back to school. She craved for some feeling of normalcy among the chaos.
Cassie took swift, quick strides up the sidewalk. Her mother followed in close behind her. She almost made it to the through the gates without being recognized. As soon as someone called her name, the reporters sitting in the parking lot, jumped to attention. Cassie and her mother rushed onto school property. The reporters couldn't follow but their voices still trailed.
Cassie marched up the back walkway and through the doors. Conversations whispered in the air as her classmates began to recognize her. She made eye contact with no one, plastering a look on her face that warded away conversation. Her name fell from mouths all around her.
Cassie and her mother finally made it to the Principal's office. An eerie quiet filled around them as they closed the door. The secretary looked up at her. Her jaw fell as her words died in her throat.
"We have an appointment with Principal Fenton," Cassie advised.
The secretary, star struck, muttered an apology then ushered them towards the Principal's office.
Cassie knocked on the door. An impatient voice inside yelled, "Come in!"
Cassie and Helena did as instructed. Principal Fenton snipped angrily away on the phone as they took the two empty seats in front of her desk.
"Just get them off my property or I'll have them arrested!" She barked and then hung up.
Principal Christine Fenton wasn't exactly everyone's favorite teacher at Cassie's school. She spent every waking moment on the edge of irritation. The volume of her hair and thickness of her shoulder pads, gave the impression that she longed desperately for her 80s youth.
"You're causing quite the stir here," She huffed at Cassie. "Reporters constantly hounding outside the gates heckling my students. Parking in my space. Quite the inconvenience you know."
Anger set fire to Cassie's nerves. Yes, how inconventinet the past few weeks must have been for her.
"I can only imagine." Cassie said with fragile composure.
"Principal Fenton." Helena said, taking over. "As you know we're here about Cassie's schooling. I know that she has been missing a month. But since her absence wasn't really by her choice...We're hoping you'll let her re-join without holding her back a year."
"Oh, oh no." Christine said, shaking her head. "Cassie won't be held back a year." She gave them a condescending smile. "She won't be enrolled back at this school at all."
"What? Why?" Cassie snipped.
"You're a liability my dear." Christine said with a click of her tongue. "Wonder Woman's protege? Attending my school? Why we'd be a huge target for every superpowered...hoodlum in the area."
"All due respect Principal Fenton." Helena said, cautious. "Any….hoodlum isn't going to be stupid enough to attack a highly populated area, in broad daylight, with a police station across the street and, well, with Cassie here." She placed a hand on Cassie's arm. "Cassie would be more than able to hold her own for the school if anything were to happen."
"Yes, well," Principal Fenton beamed, leaning back in her chair. "As long as whoever is attacking isn't that little green Inertia boy, right?"
Cassie gasped. Her jaw dropped at Fenton's blatant audacity. A sickness curdled in her belly.
"How dare you." Helena hissed, her lips pulled into a snarl.
"And what would the parents of the other students say if I let her stay enrolled, hum?" Principal Fenton asked. "They would pull their children from these walls knowing that they're taking class with a ticking time bomb."
"Excuse me?" Helena beamed, rage scratching beneath her skin.
"Not all metahumans are dangerous." Cassie answered, her voice surprisingly calm. "For most of us, all we really want to do is to help people." She took a moment to gather herself. "I just want to help people, go to school, and be as much of a normal teenager as I can. That's all I want."
There was a sliver a begging in her tone. Cassie was there on scholarship. With the school's $20,000 per year tuition, it was not as if she made the school any money. Being allowed to stay, would be a complete act of mercy.
The Principal leaned forward, tilting her head. "But my dear, you're not normal."
Though mercy it seemed, was in short supply.
Bile bubbled in Cassie's belly at the sound of her sour words. Her face twitched. A tilge rose in her nose as she came to the daunting realization:
She was not wanted.
"And frankly, I'm not comfortable with an open metahuman attending my school." Fenton continued. "To be honest I don't trust you, your powers, or the other metahumans that you choose to surround yourself with." A snarl pulled on her lips. "I don't trust your kind in general."
"'Your kind!?'" Helena shouted back.
"That's discrimination." Cassie beamed, her face growing dark.
"The law states that a student cannot be expelled based upon their race, religion, or sexual orientation." Fenton chirped, a smile in her voice. "There is no law protecting meta-humans."
Before Cassie and her mother could retort, the office door swung open. It crashed against the wall.
"Stop!"
Cassie snapped her gaze behind her. In the doorway, stood two of her favorite classmates; the twins Lila & Eve Brown.
"Girls!" Principal Fenton yelled, aghast. "What do you think you're doing barging-"
"Shh! Quiet! We're speaking now." Lila snipped back.
Cassie smiled.
Lila and Eve Brown where two of the richest students to ever attend St. Elias School for Girls. With two parents that found success on Wall Street, they were undeniably loaded. And with that, exceptionally bratty. But they were new money, with kind hearts molded by humanitarian parents. They took Cassie under their socialite wings since day one. And they had no qualms with pecking out the eyes of any predator that came close to her.
"You are not expelling Cassie." Eve boomed.
"What?" Fenton asked, shocked. "How could you know that?"
"Oh please," Lila said. "Your faculty gossips worse than us. You've been planning this for weeks."
"Cassie is not going anywhere." Eve repeated with a sassy cock of her hip. "She's staying at this school."
"You, girls, are not in control of who I let in this school." Fenton retorted with a furrowed brow.
Lila laughed. "Excuse me Principal Fenton but, we kind of are."
Fenton's jaw dropped, dumbfounded.
Cassie gasped at Lila's blatant disregard for authority. It wasn't uncommon for toss her spiny words the Principal Fenton now and then, but never like this.
Lila continued. "If you expel Cassie, then the we transfer out of this school. And if that happens you don't get our parents yearly donations. Donations that I know are a huge part of your $50,000 Christmas bonus."
Fenton's face turned white.
"Your yearly shopping sprees will be downgraded from Time's Square, to the outlet mall." Eve spat in a high tone.
"Young lady!" Fenton lost grip on her composure. "You will not talk to me like that!"
"My Daddy's yearly million dollar donation says yes I can, and I will continue to do so." Eve sassed back, staring daggers at her.
Principal Fenton went quiet as she shook with rage in her seat, as there was nothing she could retort.
Cassie tried to interject. "You guys, don't-"
But Eve shushed her. She held a finger up at Cassie, eyes never straying from Fenton. "Sh! Cassie. I love you, but shut up. We got this."
Cassie answered with a small smile.
"So, what is it?" Lila asked Fenton. "Do you want your pride, or money?"
"Girls, we-we can't-," Fenton struggled with her words, digging for justification. "She'd be a danger to this school-"
"I mean if Cassie hasn't knocked you out by now, I'd say she has a super amount of self-restraint." Lila said.
"Besides have you, like, seen our school's hashtag online? We're blowing up." Eve said, pulling out her phone. "Like, everyone knows this school's name now. Do you know how many famous kids are looking into us? Cassie's a celebrity now. And famous people want to be with other famous people. She's done more for this school in like three weeks than you've ever done. And she hasn't even been here."
Lila jumped in before Fenton could retort. "Bottom line: If Cassie goes, we go, and so does our parents money. And I'm sure once we're gone we'll be able to convince all our friends to take their tuition money somewhere else too."
Fenton pressed her lips into a fine line. She cleared her throat, speaking in a soft voice. "I suppose that having a celebrity at the school wouldn't be all bad. If it increases enrollment rates."
Lila tilted her head in victory. She smile at her as condescension dripped from her words. "That's right, just think of the potential long-term financial gain." She placed her manicured hand on Cassie's shoulder. "It'd probably be beneficial to keep her enrolled."
Fenton cleared her throat again, as if defeat left her parched. The room was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Cassie I-...repeal your expulsion."
Lila and Eve perked with victory. They turned and smiled at Cassie.
Fenton pulled on a smile that barely hid her irritation. "Now, please. All of you, out of my office, now!"
Lila & Eve said in unison, cattily, "Thanks headmaster." They ushered Cassie and her mother to the hallway before Fenton changed her mind out of spite.
As soon as they were in the safe confines of the hallway, Cassie wrapped them both in a bear hug.
"I can't believe-" She felt herself getting coked up. "You guys didn't have to do that for me."
They hugged her back. Lila said, "Of course we did. You're our friend."
Cassie let them go.
Eva looked at her with soft eyes. "We'd do anything for you….especially now that we know…." Her words trailed.
Cassie's eye fell to the floor, sadness pulling on her lips. Naive it was of her to think that her life could regain any sense of normalcy.
Lila grabbed her hand. "You just worry about taking care of the bad guys out there." She smiled and nodded her head towards the office door. "We'll take care of the witches in here."
Cassie smiled back. Perhaps, around the right people, she could learn to find 'normalcy' overrated.
Dakota City - Dakota City Public Library
June 1st
19:35 EDT
The heavy library doors locked soundly behind Frieda. It felt like a ghost, a lost soul departing a building long go forgotten. The dull orange hugues of sundown were muddled by gray storm clouds. She held the straps of her her backpack tight; filled to the brim with borrowed books.
Frieda's footsteps echoed down the empty street. Her eyes gazed down to the sidewalk in front of her, her mind lost in thought. She'd spent all day researching the lab results from the Wayne Enterprises laboratory a few days prior. She clawed through every part of her mind, trying to make understand everything she read. Yet none of it made sense.
The crunching tires of an approaching car rose behind her.
Frieda chewed her lip for a moment, mind replaying her actions at the lab. Had she done the tests right? Had she had a big enough sample? How could she be sure it wasn't tainted? Did she need more? God where was she going to get-
A sudden chill sank into the pit of her gut. A primal panic shot through her as she was overwhelmed with the notion that someone or something was behind her.
She swallowed hard, realized that the approaching car grew louder, but not faster.
She gave a quick look over her shoulder. A limousine drove slowly behind her.
She snapped her head forward. A shudder filled her breath. She quickened her pace to test if maybe she was merely being paranoid.
But the limousine kept a steady pace behind her. A tightness filled her chest. She bolted. The limousine screeched as it lurched forward. It made a sharp right on the cross street in front of her and braked, blocking her path.
Frieda's eyes went wide as her breathing waivered. She turned around to run the other way. Another car swerved and bumped up onto the sidewalk, blocking her path. Its black tinted windows were menacing against its shiny black exterior.
Frieda froze, eyes in a frenzy looking for an exit. A woman stepped out of the smaller car. Her brows were furrowed Her finely groomed hair sloped around the collar of her business suit.
"Frieda Goren?"
Frieda jumped as a man called her name behind her. She snapped her head around. A sharp inhale filled her chest.
She stood there for a moment, eyes blinking in astonishment. A man stood in front of the open limousine door. His tall stance radiated power as placed a strong hand on the open limo door. He took a few steps forward, closing the space between them.
"Pardon me young lady." He said in a polite tone, looking down at her. "But is your name, Frieda Goren?" He asked it already knowing, but didn't skimp on the pleasantries.
Frieda gulped, shaking her head up and down. It began to sprinkle now, small droplets tapped on his bald head and gray suit.
"Lex...Luthor," she managed to stumble out.
"Yes," Luthor answered with a smile. "And you have been giving my employees quite a shake down recently."
Frieda answered him with silence. The sickness in her stomach lingered.
Lex continued with a click of his tongue. "I thought, well, since you were so curious about LexCorp, why not give you an interview with the owner himself?" He motioned back to the limo's open door. "How would you like to take a ride with me? You can ask me anything you want."
A tightness rose in Frieda's chest. For once, she didn't feel like talking. All she yearned for was to run.
Frieda tried to take a couple steps back, "Oh I-I..I don't-". She jumped as two firm hands grabbed her shoulder. She looked up to see the woman from the other car, Mercy, giving her a cold look. Her nails clawed onto Frieda's shoulders.
"You could say this is a limited time offer. I'm quite busy," Lex said. "We would need to do it now."
Frieda was doused with the realization that she didn't have a choice.
"Okay." She answered, putting on her bravest face.
"Excellent," Lex respond.
Frieda's packback was yanked off her shoulders as Mercy set it down next to her. She tried to retort but Mercy's firm voice buried her irritation. "Arms out, legs apart."
Frieda did as she was told and Mercy patted her down. In absence of weapons, she found the voice recorder in her pocket and phone in the other. Mercy took them and zipped them inside her backpack.
"Mercy will have to hold onto your belongs for now, you'll get them back when we're done." Lex advised. "This has to be off the record, you understand."
"'Course." Frieda answered, actually not understanding at all.
Lex walked back to the limo and Mercy pushed her forward. Lex stood at the open door, welcoming her in. She slipped inside and Lex followed soon after. The driver pulled forward once the door shut.
Frieda sat on the section of seating in front of the partition. The soft leather was cool beneath her hands. The soft lighting shown from the string of lights from the ceiling and below the seats. A small refrigerator sat to her left. It held champagne flutes, Prosecco, short glasses, and what she could only assume to be an absurdly expensive bottle of whiskey.
"Can't offer you a drink I'm afraid." Lex said, noticing her eyes lingering on the bottles. "Twenty one and older only."
Frieda snapped to attention. "Uh no-no sorry. I don't- I don't really drink."
She had played this moment over and over again in her mind. She had day dreamed about the moment where she would confront Lex head on, catch him stumbling over her accusations, and coming out the victor. Every action before, every discovery, had been the fruits of her narrative. She was the hero, shedding light on evils and had all gone unchecked.
But now in small confines of that limousine, Frieda found herself extinguished. Face-to-face with the man she had thrown daunting accusations against, she no longer felt invincible. In those tight walls, she felt caged.
"So," Luthor began. He lifted his right leg to rest his foot on his knee. His fingertips touched one another as he placed in hands in front of him. "My employees say you've been giving them quite the head ace. Tell me, why is it that you're harassing them?"
"I'm not harassing anyone." She snapped in retort. "I'm just trying to get the truth. If they won't give it to me, I keep asking. Simple as that."
Lex gave a small smile. He reached for the beige folder on the seat next to him. He opened it. Freida's stomach sank as she saw her class picture paperclipped to the papers inside it.
"Frieda Goren." Lex said, examining the file. "Dakota City High School honor roll student. Habitat for Humanity Club President, Science Club Vice President, and Journalism Club President. Well that one's no surprise."
Frieda stayed silent. A tremle rose in her hands as she watched him sift through the file.
Lex looked up at her, "What? You thought you were the only person who could do research?" He looked back down at the folder, satisfied with her distressed expression.
"Oh, medical records?" He asked, feigning surprise. "Let's see. A tonsillectomy at 8. Sprained ankle at 10, softball? You don't strike me as an athlete."
"My dad made me." Frieda answered quietly, unamused.
Lex perked his brows, "Oh." He read another piece of paper. "It seems your latest visit you were checked in after a metahuman attack? I'm sure that was unsettling."
Frieda was not amused by false ignorance. "Yeah, Francis Stone." A snarl pulled on her lips. "Got high on your Spark, attacked me, then got swooped up by your goons before he could be tried. And now he's on your metahuman police force."
"I don't make Spark my dear," Luthor answered. "Criminals do."
"And you're not?" She barked back. "White collar crimes are still crimes."
"So many accusations." Luthor answered, casually looking through her file like it was the Sunday paper. "With such little proof."
"What do you mean? You had Francis give a speech at your UN meeting." She asked, astonished.
"Francis is a reformed young man," Luthor answered with confidence. "He's serving his community with my meta police force."
Frieda scoffed.
Lex looked up at her then back down at the file. "I see you have volunteer work at the Helping Hands Homeless Shelter downtown once a week. Very noble of you."
Sure, he could keep tabs on her all he wanted, but she was not going to back down.
"I get it, you know things about me, big deal." She snipped.
Luthor looked up at her.
She continued, "I already have everything figured out. I know everything about what you're doing."
"Do you now?" Luthor asked with a condescending smile.
"There's just one thing I can't figure out." She said with a piercing gaze. "I can't figure out Hazard International. I can't figure out what you do with the dead bodies."
She figured that her statement would have left him unfazed, had it not been sudden twitch of his lip. Luthor quickly buried the involuntary motion.
"My dear, we don't do anything with dead bodies." He answered. "Hazard International disposes of all dead bodies appropriately."
Frieda rolled her eyes. The entirety of their conversation was pointless. He was never going to admit to anything. He was a politician after all. He would only ever dance around the blazing building, never address it.
"Say whatever you want," Frieda said. "I know you're lying and I will get to the bottom of it."
Luthor ignored her, sifting through her file once more. "Ah, here's the section I've been looking for." He placed a sheet of paper on top. "Frieda Goren's parents: Frank Goren and Frema Goren." He smirked. "All 'F' sounding names? I do find that quite charming when families do that."
Frieda sucked in a sharp inhale. Her eye went wide.
Lex took notice of her sudden change of expression. He moved his pointed finger across the paper, reading. "Mother is a nurse at Dakota Methodist Hospital and father is a full time firefighter." He looked up at her with a small, pursed-lip smile. "Now that I must say, that is a delightful all-American family."
Frieda suppressed the wrenching in her throat. It took all strength she had to keep herself from vomiting the cold pit in her stomach all over the confines of the limo.
"Those are rather dangerous professions." He continued. "Always a chance of running into a burning building and it collapsing on top of you. Always a chance of a hospital admitting a disturbed, violent individual."
Frieda's lip trembled along with her shaky breaths.
All amusement fell from Luthor's face. He closed the file, set it down next to him, and leaned in. There was a dictator like-timbre to his voice; one that no doubt led to his success long ago. "Let me be clear when I say this to you Frieda. There will be no 'getting to the bottom of it'. There will be no more 'investigation' from you, because there is nothing to investigate. Do you understand?"
Frieda swallowed the lump in her throat. Her pride fell down with. She gave a small nod of her head.
"Excellent." Luthor responded with a smile. "I'm glad we had this conversation Frieda. I truly feel the air is cleared between us, wouldn't you agree?"
The limo came to a halt. "I think this is your stop," he said.
Frieda looked out the window. She was farther away from home than she was earlier; about 10 blocks away.
"Oh, yes I know it's not quite close to home but, I wanted you to have some time to really think about what we talked about." Luthor said with a tilt of his head. "Lots of time to think while you're walking back to 556 East Worthington Street, doesn't it?"
Frieda looked down at the floor. Unable to meet his gaze, not just because of fear. But she couldn't bare giving him the satisfaction of seeing her fearful tears well in her eyes. She nodded her head 'yes'.
"Superb," Lex responded with another smile.
The door of the limousine opened. Frieda could make out the edge of Mercy's frame and she waited patiently for Frieda to exit.
"I believe this is your stop," Lexor motioned courteously towards the door. "Mercy has your backpack waiting for you."
Frieda made haste at exiting the limousine making no eye contact contact. She jumped out and snatched the backpack out of Mercy's hand. Fat raindrops fell on her head.
And in an instant, Mercy shut the door. And the image of Luthor's smug face, was replaced with a reflection Frieda's startled gaze in the blackout window. She turned and charged off down the sidewalk.
Luthor's gaze followed her from the window. Once she was at the end of the block, nearly out of sight, he pressed down the button for the the partition window.
Next to the driver, sat Inertia in civilian clothing.
At the sound of the window lowering, he folded his arms over the divider and rested his chin on top of them.
"So," Inertia started with an ornery grin. "You think she's gonna stop?"
Luthor sighed and rubbed his temple. "Unfortunately, no I do not. I think I may have her spooked for a while but…she does have a pervasive spirit."
"So you're thinking a verbal threat isn't enough?"
"I don't think any words in the world could stop Frieda Goren."
Inertia licked his lips. He looked at Luthor with a tilt of his head. "So maybe a physical threat then?"
Luthor pursed his lips and looked over at Inertia with a scornful gaze. "I do not threaten people physically," He reached for the miniature refrigerator pulling out a chilled bottle of whiskey and a glass. "Even though other individuals may be able to," he added.
Thad looked over at him with a wicked smile.
Luthor took a moment to enjoy a sip of his beverage. "Such a poor time of night for someone to walk alone." He looked out the window in thought. "One never knows what unsavory characters they might run into on the way home."
Thad hummed with amusement. Lex never, ever, said anything incriminating. Always thought hard about what to say before it slithered from his mouth. Interia respected him for it. Manipulation of speech to his degree, took diligent amount of skill.
"I think I might take a little stroll," Thad announced with a venomous smile.
"You know who to look out for." Luthor said without looking away from the window. He took another sip of his drink.
And without another beat, Inertia phased through the limo and supersped off into the rain.
Frieda marched and huffed down the sidewalk. She wanted to put space as quickly as she could between herself and Luthor, but didn't want to look afraid. Even though anxiety dripped on her face colder than the misty air around her.
She recognized more buildings as she came closer to home; only six more blocks. A waft of spices and soy sauce filled the air as she neared her favorite asian takeout restaurant. She turned the corner to the back alley behind it, taking her familiar shortcut home.
She stopped by the back door, taking her backpack off. She knelt down and felt around for the important components in her backpack's side pocket. Her phone still sat where she left it. Frieda breathed a sigh of relief, holding it in her hand.
Frieda felt a rush of wind grace her face. She looked up to see a boy her age with wild blonde hair. He looked down at her with a dangerous smile. The vicious look in his eyes sent a bolt of terror through Frieda's spine.
She turned on her heels the other way, ready to jump up and run. But the boy, impossibly, was already on the other side of her. She shoved her phone back in the side pocket of her backpack and bolted upright. She turned the other way again to run. But in a blink, the boy as in front of her once more.
"You can't outrun me sweetheart," Thad chirped.
Frieda's breath shook in her throat. With that kind of moment, he had to have been a speedster. And judging by his hair and his size, he could only have been the one. The one she'd seen on the news. The one Virgil warned her about.
"You're-you're Inertia." She said.
"Guilty," he beamed with curled lips.
Her chest tightened. She took a step back but he only took one closer. "Did-did Luthor send you?" She stammered. "I already talked to him. He gave me his warning already."
Interia hummed with a tilt of his head, "Didn't necessarily send me but...made a suggestion."
Frieda's eye darted around her, looking for an out. Maybe she could buy some time.
"What so-so you work for him now?" She asked.
"Luthor, Vandal Savage, Ra's al Ghul," He answered. "Whoever can give me the best perks at the time."
Frieda's pulse pounded in her ear. A chill swirled in the pit of her gut; a primal instinct telling her to 'RUN RUN RUN'. But she would never stand a chance.
She did the next best thing she could think of. She sucked in a huge breath to scream.
But Inertia already saw her plan. She let out a muffled cry as Inertia super sped up to her and placed a clawed hand around her mouth. The other grabbed the back of her neck.
She froze. Her body stuff with terror; anticipating for the final moment. She waited for the very second Inertia would wring the life out of her.
"You scream." He hissed, his eyes inches from hers. "And I will snap your neck faster than you can even blink, get it?"
Water welled in Frieda's eyes as she shook her head in affirmation. Inertia let her go. She gasped, taking a step back. "What do you want from me?" She asked.
"I don't think Luthor's warning was clear enough," His irritation bubbled beneath his skin. "So let me add a little more spice to it."
He grabbed her by the front of her hoodie and shoved her against the brick wall of the building.
Frieda yelp, a sharp pain webbed across the back of her skull. She squealed and writhed under Inertia's closeness. He still grasped onto the front of her hoodie as he pressed her against the brick.
"Get your nose the fuck out of Lexcor," he snarled in her face. "Quit investigating Lexaid, and the dead bodies, and Spark, and all that other fucking shit that Lexcor is involved in, alright? Or I will fucking kill you. You fucking get it?"
Frieda couldn't speak under the rising in her nerves. Her shaking breath rattled in her lungs.
"Do you fucking understand me!?" Inertia yelled at her.
Frieda closed her eyes, forcing the tears that welled in them to fall. When she opened her eyes, a new found determination filled them. She was sickeningly terrified. But there were too many people counting on her. She couldn't miss the opportunity to get Inertia to talk. Not while she had him, well, while he had her in his grasp.
"You're a big man huh?" She snipped back, shaking. "Like to knock around girls? Like you did with Wonder Girl?"
Inertia huffed with amusement. "Some of my best work."
"Lex Luthor get off on getting little girls beat up too?" She said.
He smiled. "Luthor and Ra's needed a message sent to The League. And they knew I was the best man for the job." A darkness fell over his expression. "And I will do the exact same thing to you that I did to Wonder Girl if you don't stay in your fucking lane and shut the fuck up!"
Frieda closed her eyes for a moment, expecting a blow. But Inertia remained quiet. She opened her eyes to see him give her a peculiar look.
Inertia tilted his head to the side. His eyes fell from her face, to her shoes, then back up again. His lids drooped over his eyes as he licked his lips. "You know..." he crooned.
He let go of the front of her hoodie. His right hand slid up and gently caressed the side of her neck. His left hand slid over her breast. He said with a smile, "I always did had a thing for redheads."
Frieda froze under his slimey hands, a sour sickness rising in her gut.
He breathed her in as he pressed his lips to her ear. His had slithered down her stomach. "Maybe you wouldn't need to talk…" He said, his palm snaking between the denim on her thighs. "If we found a way to keep that mouth busy."
A heat flushed through her, a prickling rising in her chest and cheeks. Her fear snuffed out below a sudden tidal wave of rage.
No, not again. No man was going to try to take her again. This time, she would die before she lost.
Frieda snatched her hands in his hair. She turned her head to his exposed right cheek, and bit down with lioness savageness.
Inertia secreamed, his voice causing a ringing in her ear. He tried to shove her off, but she dug her nails into this skin as she fought to keep his head in close. Her clenched jaw felt aflame against his writing.
"Ughhhh!" Inertia yelp as he finally broke free. He stumbled back, pressing his hand against his cheek. He pulled his hand away, a bloody pool filled his palm. Red gushed down his cheek.
He snapped his gaze up at Fridea and snarled. "You fucking bitch!" He sped up to her, grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the dumpster next to her.
Frieda saw black as a pounding pain filled her skull. Colors began to swirl in her vision as Inertia picked her up and slammed her again against the dumpster once more.
She yelped on in impact but words couldn't form on her lips. She tried to stand and run but the world twirled around her.
Inertia picked her up and shoved her against the dumpster. His fist came into her blurred vision as it smacked against the side of her jaw and lip. She cried out. He grabbed her once more and and tossed her against the brick wall on the other side of the alley.
She fell to the ground. She caught sight of his footsteps and soon his was straddled on top of her. A primal, wicked rage filled his eyes as he brought his fist back. Frida shielded her face with her arms as best she could. But no blockage could stop all of his speedied punches.
He jumped off of her. Frieda moaned in pain as she rolled to her side and onto her stomach. Blood and swelling stung her eyes. Her head felt heavy and ablaze. She tried to crawl away.
Inertia swung a kick at her side. Frieda yelped a horrid, gurgled, yell. She curled into herself on her side. Inertia kicked over and over again. She did what she could to shield her stomach and face.
Finally Inertia stopped. The rain began to fall around them. Inertia huffed with exhaustion. Frieda shook in agony, curling to the fetal position. Her sobbs echoed against the grimey asphalt.
Inertia pressed his hand against his cheek. His other balled into a fist. "Next time bitch," he hissed. Anger rocked inside him. "You're fucking dead."
And in a blur he was gone.
Frieda lay there on the hard ground; the ripe stink of the dumpster and fat raindrops her only company.
She tried to cry out but her voice only died within her. She tried to crawl to the street but fell victim to the sharp daggers in her ribs. The rain colored the concrete around her red. The rain poured and poured for what seemed like an eternity. And she wondered, for a moment, how long it would take her to die.
The lights faded as Frieda finally lost consciousness.
