Author's Note: Damn! Some serious shit happens in this chapter lol. This is basically setting up the story arc were in now. Where no hero is safe. To tell the truth, I didn't really think this story arc through so it won't be as good as the others. It also might be short which might be good for ya'll because what I have going on in Season 4 is going to be Legend-wait for it-Dary! lol. I don't think you guys will enjoy this story arc but please bear with me. Anyways, today's episode consists of many things. The Suicide Squad (Strike, hopefully I can get you to like them. They're good in the comics, at least lol) Tess and Madison, Alex and Ella, even Ethan and Lucy. Hope you guys enjoy. Also, next episode will be on Sunday so you guys won't have to wait long. I really can't wait until Season 5 because shit goes down, hard! lol. Also, after the timeskip, I have so many things going on it's crazy! I'm super excited. And that excitement inspires me to continue to write until I get to that part. I truly think I can't run out of plot ideas. Chapter ideas are a different thing. Planning each chapter is kind of difficult but I will prevail! Remember when I said Nightmare wouldn't show up after his next appearance (Which is soon) Well, you guys will be extremely happy when you find out why after the timeskip. So much is planned for him and I know for a fact that you guys are going to love it! Plus, Beta vs Alpha and the Justice League conflict. Oh god! I can't wait! I should probably stop spoiling it for you guys lol. Sorry. To tell the truth, I didn't expect this chapter to be this long. Seriously, I wanted it to be short and You'll see it during the fight scene. I just wanted to get it over with. Didn't anticipate it to be this long though.
Strike OOO, Yeah, I got what you said about explosions lol. Unless you was trying to clarify for the government lmao. So you're sticking with us for the next four years? I need a commitment lol. Yeah, I probably was trying too hard but I wanted Alex to fully explain to Dick every single fact he dug up. Sorry :( Yay! I knew you would have said that arc but for you to say it was my best work :'( You got me crying man (Not really lol. Just a little...) Yeah! Magmazon is finally a thing! lol. But for how long? Just kidding. Wanted to torture you. Dude, like I said, I would blow the Friend-Zone the fuck up. Literally. I've been stuck in it for 6 years. It still tortures me to this day even though I don't talk to the girl anymore. It just sucks and it's made me change my way of approaching girls. But you're right, you won't lose a true friend but it makes things weird when you confess your feelings. Ugh! I hate it! Not sure how that bromance is going to work but I'm going to work on it lol. Nope, I'm not trying to make you want Ethan and Lucy be together. As far as I'm concerned, Madison and Ethan are going to be a thing. I just like fucking with my characters heads lol. As you will see in this chapter :p How are they being cutesy? lol. Tyreese will be back to help when things get overwhelming for Beta. Don't worry. Hopefully this chapter won't be boring for you.
Lia, Do I like crushing your hopes and dreams? You dream and hope for Dante? That's a bit weird lmao. But I understand and to be frank, hell yeah I do! I love torturing you guys because you guys come back for more. I tease and keep you guys in suspense and you come back and read this story to find things out. It's my way of keeping you guys involved with the story lol. Hopefully, the teasing and torture will come to a end soon. For now, I'll continue to torture you guys lol. Oh! What kind of dynamic did Aiden bring? I like hearing you guys answer. How is he different from Beta? Do explain :) Well, at least you're not like Luke who always says, "This is so cool!" Don't you just love the fanboys of our stories? I love Alex and Luke lol. Speaking of Luke, EVERYBODY CHECK OUT THE TEAM BY LIA AND I. IT'S ON FICTIONPRESS AND THE LINK IS ON BOTH OF OUR PROFILES. THANK YOU! Bam! Advertising our story :p Speaking of story, I still haven't read yours. I completely forgot. I'll go read it now. Yeah, I'm going to continue on Alex's and Ethan's relationship. Hopefully it will get better. I think Tula's death already happened in my story. Since Aqualad betrayed Alpha. So that's a no. As for Alpha recruiting, yeah, I'll have them make cameo apperances. Like, I might have Jason Todd have a discussion with Alex or something. You know? But they won't be showcased because this is all about Beta. Probably after the timeskip they will be. It's even referenced in this chapter that Alpha is currently recruiting, so I'm starting on it right now.
Also, I have to advertise a website I found on the internet that allows me to read comic books online, for free with no download. If you want to read the new DC comics books that have been coming out, you can go there. The dude doesn't exactly have Marvel, with only like three select ones, but if you're into DC he has all the new ones. I highly recommend this site and I even introduced it to Lia. You guys would love it. Give it a look! The site is called: xcomix..tk (Remove one of the periods. I put a extra one so FF would allow me to put it up.) Just google it and it will be the first one that pops up. Use it guys, its the best!
Anyways, enjoy the show guys and remember to read, review and rate!
See you on Sunday!
Underground Facility Below Washington D.C
September 9th, 2013 10:00 am est
"I hate this dump." Captain Cold said as he entered the dining area of the base.
The base was fairly old and was once a underground bunker during the Cold War. But it is abandoned. The government saw no use for it. Amanda Waller thought it was the perfect place to hide from plain sight. Especially since she is going after the very people that put her into her position in the government. During the months people thought she was dead, Amanda Waller had been sending out her Suicide Squad to figure out what truly happened to the old President of the United States. Through her missions she was able to gather information on what truly happened. Heroes hadn't killed the President. It was members of this villain organization called the Light that had done it. She also figured out that the current President, the former Vice President is a puppet used by the Light to do anything they wish of him. Amanda didn't know if they had something on him or he willingly decided to cooperate with them. Whether it's the former or the latter, Amanda had to get America back in the hands of the people. No matter what she has to do in order to do that.
The base was dimly lit, smelly and had old broken down walls. Captain Cold and other members of the Suicide Squad felt as if the whole facility was going to fall on them. Poison Ivy didn't like the facility because she was far away from any kind of plant life. Bane didn't like it because it reminded him of the prison he was once in before becoming the man he is today. Count Vertigo and Deadshot didn't really have a problem with it. And Amanda tolerated anything as long as it didn't stand in the way of her mission.
"You really do complain a lot, Leonard." Count Vertigo said not so eloquently.
Captain Cold, Poison Ivy, Count Vertigo and Bane were all in the dining area eating old food that they found laying around. As long as it wasn't spoiled, they would eat it.
"I would expect you to do the same, Vertigo. You came from royalty and I think it's funny how low you have gone. Your people no longer want you. The Light no longer wants you. You're just stuck in this hole with the rest of us with a bomb in your head."
"Boy's let's all calm down. Let's not let the cabin fever set in. Wouldn't want any of you to go on a killing spree. I don't plan on cleaning up the brain matter you will lose when your heads explode." Poison Ivy said, having to be the voice of reason to this testosterone filled team.
"Who says she still has the remote? She's supposedly dead. Who knows if we're serving her for no reason. I say we ice her and leave this place." Captain Cold countered as he addressed the group.
"Go ahead and try, amigo. I'll be waiting to see if you live or not." Bane replied after eating a scoop of his food.
Captain Cold scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You'll see. She's just playing us. We're wasting our time with her."
"Then by all means, Leonard, prove us all wrong. Walk out of here. If you live, we'll join you. If you don't-" Count Vertigo said but was interrupted.
"Then it was nice knowing you." Poison Ivy interjected.
"Not really." Bane added.
Captain Cold stared at his fellow comrades in disgust. He would try it but they had a point. But he too had a point. Amanda Waller is dead to all people except the ones in this god forsaken base. What if someone else had the remote with the button that blows up their heads? She hasn't exactly threaten them like she used too about blowing up their heads. Something was up and Captain Cold didn't like it one bit. He was always about the score. With his Rogues, they would steal what they wanted when they wanted. Nobody had to die. Captain Cold didn't like to kill. It's dishonorable. He was always about the score and he made sure his Rogues didn't kill as well. With the Suicide Squad however, Captain Cold had to kill more people than he ever wanted to kill. He didn't like it one bit. It went against his code. If there was a way out of this little team, he would find it and leave in a heartbeat. Too bad his current team members don't share the same goal. They seem content to help Amanda for some reason. Maybe because of fear or maybe they want to clear their conscience by killing the people Amanda sics them on like a bunch of dogs. Cold didn't know their real motive for sticking around with this woman but Cold wasn't going to standby and take any orders from her or Deadshot (The self proclaimed leader of the Suicide Squad).
Cold swore Deadshot and Amanda Waller were in bed together. Figuratively of course. For some reason, he was the most loyal out of all of them. They would formulate plans together and Deadshot would bark orders as if he was the one holding the remote that decided their lives. Who was he to order Captain Cold around? Nobody did that. Not the Light and most definitely this Deathstroke wannabe. The two kind of have this competition. Deadshot and Deathstroke both claim to be the most deadliest assassin in the world. And they continue to one up each other. Deadshot also has this weird fantasy in which he wants to die in a spectacular fashion. So with the early release and his weird fantasy, he has become a loyal member of the Squad even though he has a bomb in his head.
Speaking of early release, how would they get it? Amanda no longer worked for the government and with her crusade to rid America of it's 'corrupt' President, how would she be able to release them early? Was that a ruse just to get them to side with her. As if putting a bomb in their head and forcing them to work for you wasn't enough. Captain Cold knew Amanda Waller was all talk. She didn't have the remote and the Suicide Squad was too precious to her to just let them all go. No. She wants them forever. Even when Amanda figuratively comes back from the dead and takes back her position in the government, she wouldn't let them go. They are too valuable and Captain Cold thinks his other team members know about this. But they decide to do nothing about it. A bunch of idiots they are!
"And I thought the Rogues had it bad." Captain Cold remarked as he took his seat and started to finish up on his food.
"Had what bad?" Poison Ivy asked curiously.
"I thought our base was bad. But this place sucks even more."
"You mean to tell me that you make so much money on your heists that you can't even spend a little bit of it on your own base?" Count Vertigo questioned.
"We hardly use the place and the money we receive from our heists are money split down the middle to suit our needs. We don't need to upgrade our base. It's just a meeting place and a place to hide. Nothing more and nothing less."
Count Vertigo grew agitated. "Please stop talking now, Leonard. I don't think I can handle anymore of your constant bickering."
"All of you should shut up and eat your food." Bane replied with a annoyed expression.
"Bane, honey, play nice with the other fools." Poison Ivy said as she looked at Bane.
"We are all fools for following Amanda Waller." Captain Cold ended the conversation as they all grew silent and deep in thought.
Elsewhere in the base, Deadshot and Amanda were standing over a map that was laid out on a old wooden table.
"You sure this plan of yours is going to work?" Deadshot asked as he was out of costume just like the rest.
"It has too. America depends on it." Amanda countered as she looked at him.
"I admire your patriotism," He said sarcastically, "but this plan is suicidal."
"Suicidal missions is the reason why the Suicide Squad exists. Don't tell me your scared to die, Floyd."
Deadshot chuckled as he took a sip of water from his Styrofoam cup. "I'm not scared to die, Amanda. But the others won't be happy about this."
"Since when have you been concerned about their well being? All you care about is yourself. You let me handle them."
Deadshot smiled wickedly. "I'm sure they will go along with it even though they don't know that you don't have the remote. Meaning, you don't have a hold on us."
Amanda narrowed her eyes. "If you know, Floyd, then why not do something about it? Why not step out and do your own thing?"
"If I know one thing about you Amanda, it's that you always have a plan. You may not have the remote on you right now but I think you know someone who does."
Amanda grinned. "I guess you will never know until the time comes."
"I don't want to go out that way so I'll remain faithful."
"For now."
Deadshot looked down at the map of the White House and all the ways to get in and out of it. Amanda had gotten access to it by calling in some favors using a secure line. The people were shocked to find out that Amanda was still alive and then they began to question why she was looking for blueprints and escape routes of the White House. Amanda had to lie her way out of that one but it was also the reason why Deadshot didn't do anything to get out of the team. One of the people Amanda had called could have been one of the people that had the remote. Meaning, Amanda still had a tight grip on the Suicide Squad. But with the Squad becoming restless, can she still control them?
"So we're really doing this? I think this would be my biggest job yet."
"Killing the President of the United States should look good on your resume."
Mount Justice
3:30 pm est
Two weeks after the battle with the FIVE and Tyreese's departure was enough time for Beta to rest. It also meant that they had to start preparing for school. Yep, another year of high school for each member of the team. Today was the first day of school and when the team came back to the base, they weren't happy. Even with the FIVE ruining most of their summer they had a somewhat fun time. And now the fun was going to end because of school. The only one who enjoyed school the most was Ethan for some reason. Especially since Lucy was stuck with going to his high school. So he got to show her around and meet some of his weird friends.
"Today was a good day." Ethan proclaimed as he and Lucy entered the base. It seemed like the two were the only ones that were in the base.
"Good for you, at least. I hate it." Lucy countered as dragged her book bag on the floor and reluctantly followed Ethan.
"Hate it? How can you hate it?"
"How can you love it? I swear, you're the weirdest guy I know."
"Well, you don't know many people so I'll take that as a compliment."
"I hope I didn't like school before the whole pod thing happened to me."
"If you hate it so much now, I'm guessing you did back then."
"I think the only thing I want to find out is how long I was in the pod."
"I think if you ask Alex, he can figure it out."
"Why can't you do it?"
Ethan shook his head. "I'm not good with that whole computer hacking thing. Victor may be able to help. Or maybe even… Superboy."
Lucy couldn't control her laughing. "Superboy? Ha! I don't think I or anyone in the base has seen him use a computer."
"He's not a caveman. He's perfectly capable-"
"Wait," Lucy interjected after laughing, "Why did you say Superboy's name like that?"
Ethan raised a eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Like you're disgusted by him."
Ethan waved his hands around frantically as he shook his head vigorously, "No, of course not. I like Superboy. He's a cool dude." He placed his hands on his hips and leaned toward Lucy. "Why would I have a problem with him?"
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me."
"No, no reason at all. He's awesome." Ethan lied about the last part. Didn't particularly get along with Superboy. He didn't like the strong and silent type. Good thing Tyreese didn't turn out like that. Would have made things awkward.
"Okay." Lucy said as she continued walking.
Ethan nervously wiped some sweat off his face. "Good."
Lucy pointed at something that was inside of the kitchen. "Look. It's Emma." She looked at the tired, nervous expression on Ethan's face but chose to ignore it. "Want to go bother her?"
Ethan shrugged sheepishly, "Sure."
The two entered the living room and walked toward the kitchen where Emma was cooking something for her to eat.
"Hey, Emma." The two said in unison as they sat down at the dining table in the middle of the living room and kitchen.
Ethan placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his two hands. "Whatcha doing?"
"Cooking." Emma replied without looking.
"Whatcha cooking?" Lucy asked as she mimicked Ethan's pose.
"Food." Emma replied in a annoyed tone.
Ethan looked at Lucy. "She got a sense of humor now."
Lucy smiled childishly. "So I see."
"Seen Tyreese lately?" Ethan inquired.
"No." Emma countered.
"Why not?" Lucy said.
"Haven't been on a date or anything?"
"No."
"Strong, silent and beautiful. Now I see why Tyreese is so infatuated with you. You're a female version of Superboy." Ethan stated which made Lucy snicker.
Emma turned her powerful gaze toward Ethan. "Excuse me?"
Ethan gulped while Lucy watched on in amusement. "I think what Ethan's trying to say is that he is surprised that you two haven't gone on a date."
Ethan nodded quickly. "Yeah, what she said."
"We haven't gone on a date because we haven't had time to go on one. Also, we are taking things slow."
"So…. When's your first date?"
"I don't know and I don't care how long it takes to have a date." She narrowed her eyes on the two. "Don't you two have a date to plan?"
"What?!" Lucy astonishingly exclaimed.
Ethan chuckled. "I see some of Tyreese has rubbed off on you."
Emma glared. "Nothing of Tyreese has rubbed off on me."
Ethan flailed his hands in the air frantically. "No, I didn't mean it like that." Geeze, this was a bad day for him when it came to talking to girls.
"Hey!" Lucy shouted at Ethan. "How can you be so cool about her saying we're going on a date or something?"
"Why are you so tense about it? She's just joking."
"I wasn't." Emma cleared up as she turned to her food with a grin.
"Did you tell her we were dating or something?" Lucy interrogated.
"No! Why would I?"
"Good. Because you know it will never happen, right?"
That truly hurt Ethan. Not only did she over react but she hurt his feelings in the process. Did she have to go so far as to tell him he will never have a chance with her. As if he didn't already know that. It was totally uncalled for.
Ethan stood up, his face dark in the light. "Where are you going?" Lucy asked as she looked up at him.
"Away from you." Ethan said and grabbed his book bag from the floor and walked away.
"It looks like you two have some things to work out." Emma added her own two cents into the situation.
Lucy glared at Emma for a moment but continued to watch Ethan walk away. Did she hurt his feelings or something? Did she go too far? Why did she always have to be so defensive when someone said something about her and Ethan. They were friends. The best of friends. Whenever someone mentioned her and Ethan dating she became overly defensive. As if she was so disgusted with the concept of them being a couple. Was she that shallow? Was that how she was before she was in a pod? Ethan was a great person. So why didn't she consider him as boyfriend material. Was it his weight? She didn't like him like that though. It seems like he had some amount of feelings for her. Or he was so hurt that she would deny him so harshly as if he was a disgustingly freakish monster. Lucy figured she either hurt Ethan's feelings or self esteem. She won't know for now. Ethan needs his space from her.
Star City
3:00 pm pst
Madison finally got out of the first day of school with her friend Tess. The two hadn't seen a whole lot of each other during the summer but with the way Madison was during the summer, she was glad that she didn't see Tess. In her depressing state, Madison wouldn't have been able to handle Tess and her overly energetic ways. But now that Madison is better, she can hang out with her friend. The thing is, she has to explain why she hadn't taken any of Tess's calls during the summer.
Tess decided not to ask what was up with Madison because she knew something must have went down. She had been depressed during the end of the last school year and Tess tried calling her to cheer her up but Madison wasn't picking up for any reason. Tess could have been dying and her last phone call could have been to Madison and Madison still wouldn't have picked up.
As the two walked out of the school, it was the only time the two truly had a chance to talk.
"So, how was your summer?" Tess asked.
"It was okay, I guess."
"Just okay?"
"Yep."
"Any romantic flings?"
"Romantic flings?"
"Y'know, summer love. You meet a boy at camp and you fall in love, etc etc."
"Um, no. But I'm guessing you did."
"Yep!" She exclaimed proudly. "Met him over the summer."
"How is that going?"
"It's going good. Be had to, uh, go away to a different part of the country. So it's a long distance thing."
"That's good. I'm happy you found somebody."
"You are?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you seem to be a person that doesn't care about others as much as they care about you."
Madison was a bit taken back from that. "What do you mean?"
"I've been calling you the whole summer to check up on you. You could have died and I wouldn't have known. You wasn't on Facebook or anything. What happened?" Tess knew it wasn't the right thing to ask but she was concerned for Madison even though Tess went through many things during the summer as well. Madison was still her friend no matter how bitchy or annoyingly silent she was.
Madison frowned and looked down. "I'm sorry. I was just going through some bad things. I just didn't feel like talking to anyone. You know?"
"Yeah, I know. But sometimes it's best to talk about your problems. Getting things off your chest sometimes makes you feel better."
She should know, she had to reveal to Joseph -or Nightmare if you want- that she was using him the whole time she knew him. But after that weekend, everything had changed between them. So in a way, it was for the best that the two teamed up. After recovering from his battle with Ra's, Nightmare left Tess's house to go on his own path. He never told her where he was going or why but the two remained in contact over phone and sometimes during a rare occasion, via video chat. Each time Nightmare would be in a different location. The last time they spoke he was in the Middle East from what Tess could see.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry… Okay?"
Tess nodded with a smile. "It's okay."
"So what's the boy's name?"
"Joseph."
"Sounds pretty boring." Madison stated with a grin.
Tess laughed lightly. "Believe me. He's far from boring."
"So you say it's a 'summer fling'. Did you fall in love?"
Tess shook her head. "I wouldn't say I'm in love with him but I care about him deeply. It's not love but it's getting there, I guess."
Madison placed a hand on Tess's shoulder. "Tess, that's called love."
Tess blushed slightly but pushed Madison away from her playfully. "Shut up."
"So you are in love." Madison said with a grin.
"No… maybe? I don't know." Tess squinted her eyes at her friend. "What do you know about love?"
"A little bit too much for my liking."
Tess perked up with interest. "With who? Anybody from school?"
Madison shook her head. "No. Well, he used to go to school with us but you didn't know him."
"I might."
"You don't."
"So what happened between you?"
"It's a long story. Basically, he had a girlfriend and he, uh… died."
Tess's eyes widened. "Oh, my god. I'm so sorry, Madison."
Madison nodded sadly. "It's alright." Madison was a bit surprised that she would tell anyone outside of Beta about Dante's death and how it affected her. Since Tess was honestly trying to be a friend, why not tell her?
"Is that why you were-"
"Yeah."
"Damn, Madison." Tess said sympathetically. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Want to get some pizza and talk about it?"
"At the usual spot?" Madison asked with a small smile.
"Where else serves the best pizza ever?"
"Have you been to Gotham?"
Gotham City
6:30 pm est
Alex and Ella sat on Ella's couch that was placed in the living room with the only thing illuminating the dark room is the TV screen they weren't exactly paying attention two. Instead, the two were more focused on perfecting the craft that is Making Out.
Ella backed away from the kissing frenzy to catch her breath. She looked at Alex with a worried expression. "You okay?"
Alex nodded as he leaned back in the couch. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you've been different during the summer."
Alex kept his calm look steady but became a bit nervous. Had she noticed his suspicious looks? Did she know that he was looking into her? That he knows she may or may not be a meta. That he figured out that her apartment is under her name and not under the name of her foster parents. That she didn't even have foster parents. How can a landlord let a child live alone in a apartment in Gotham? Either Ella had some serious power over him or someone more powerful than her threatened or paid off the landlord to allow her to live alone. But why would she keep that a secret? That she lives alone. That she has been lying to him for as long as he has known her. Did she truly have powers? Alex was so conflicted, knowing he had to bring this up eventually. But how? How would he do it without sounding like a stalker or some crazy ass guy. How can he do this and maintain the relationship in the process. Was he just being paranoid? Or was he right about everything.
"Earth to Alex. Hello." Ella said as she waved her hand in front of his eyes to wake him up.
"Huh?'
"See. You've been so distant and deep in thought. What's going on? Is there something you wan to talk about?" She frowned and hugged herself. "Do you want to break up? Is that what it is?"
Alex shook his head. "No. Of course not. I don't want to break up with you."
She looked him in the eyes, "Then what is it? Why are you so distant? Tell me."
Alex frowned, not knowing what to do. He can't reveal it to her now. It would just make things worse. Alex had thought he was concealing his emotions this whole time but he underestimated Ella. She was too smart for it. She knew something was up. This is so difficult. He wants to tell her but doesn't know how to. He's also scared of how she would take it. The information he has is enough to ruin their relationship. But how does he continue this relationship while lying to her. Relationships is about honesty and communication. But he can't be entirely honest or communicate effectively with her. Not when he has all of this information stored in his head. Making his head want to explode in guilt. Guilty because he is lying to her.
"I-I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"I just can't."
"Are you cheating on me?" She questioned sadly.
"No." He moved his hand to grab hers but she moved it away quickly. He sadly looked into her eyes. "I would never cheat on you, Ella. You mean too much to me to do that."
"Then what is it, Alex? What's wrong? Is there something wrong with me? Do you not like something in the relationship? Talk to me, Alex. Please." She pleaded with a look that crushed Alex's soul.
Alex rubbed his forehead as he looked down in shame. He needed to get out of here. Things were getting worse by the second. He couldn't handle it anymore. If he stood here any longer, he would confess, and if he confessed, it could be the end of his relationship. He stood up and grabbed his book bag off the coffee table in front of him.
"I'm sorry. I got to go." Alex walked over to the door.
"Why are you leaving, Alex? Why can't you talk to me?"
Alex paused in front of the door and gritted his teeth as he cursed at himself mentally. He finally left the apartment in shame and quickly made his way out of the building. Feeling like shit, Alex left the building but looked up toward Ella's window to see her head peeking out to watch him leave. She waved goodbye sadly and Alex did the same. He felt like beating himself up as he walked toward the nearest zeta tube. Wondering if this guilty feeling was going to stay as long as he was with Ella. But if he was to break up with her, would it go away? He would also have to stop being her friend. Something he couldn't bring himself to do. Trying to avoid Ella is like trying to forget about Dante. It just can't happen.
Mount Justice
7:00 pm est
Alex entered the base to see that Madison entered at the same time on through the zeta tube next to the one he used.
"Hey." Alex greeted halfheartedly.
"You look like shit." Madison complimented.
"I feel like it."
"What's up?" Madison asked as she followed Alex.
"Ella."
"Ah, girl problems. Gotta love them, huh?"
"Not really."
Madison noticed the deeply conflicted sad face on Alex's face. "What's wrong?"
"I have some information on Ella that I can't exactly interrogate her on. I supsect that she is a meta, according to the details Artemis gave me when she and Wally took on Adam with a meta Adam was going after. It fit's the description of Ella. So I dug into Ella a bit more and found out that she has been lying too me. She doesn't have any adoptive parents. She lives alone. So not only might she be a meta, but she has been lying too me for as long as I have known her. I can't exactly bring these things up without revealing my own secret identity. Since, I presume, Artemis has been the only hero to see Ella out of her costume. If she has any."
Is she a villain or a hero? Does she even fight or create crimes? There is so many things I do and don't know. And so many more I do and don't want to know. I'm just so conflicted. I don't know what to do. And to top it all off, she has noticed me being distant. She called me out on it today. She kept asking questions I couldn't answer." He looked at Madison with sad eyes, "I don't know what to do."
Madison sympathized with Alex's situation. "You're going to have to tell her eventually. If you don't, she'll think you're hiding secrets from her. Girls don't like it when guys hide secrets from them. If you don't tell her, she might end the relationship. In the end, she'll resent you. You might as well confess everything you know about her." She thought back to what Tess had told her. "Sometimes getting things off your chest makes you feel better. If you do, you won't be as conflicted as you are now."
"But how do I tell her? Without risking my secret identity or coming off as a stalker."
Madison frowned. "I honestly don't know. But you're a really smart kid, Alex. No one has ever told you that. I'm sure you'll come up with something."
After walking with each other in silence, Alex finally spoke up. "Did you hear about Artemis and Wally leaving?"
"Yeah. I'm going to miss Artemis, surprisingly. Since she basically hated me for a while."
"In a weird way, I'm going to miss her too. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be a archer."
"I wouldn't exactly call you a archer but Dante would be proud of you nonetheless."
Alex smiled when she said that. "So you think Alpha will be recruiting?"
"Most definitely. With Aqualad going rogue and Wally and Artemis out of the equation, they are running thin on members. So are we in a way."
"Yeah. With Tyreese gone there is only seven of us."
"Seven is a good number. But I think we should recruit some more members."
Alex shook his head. "Batman won't let us recruit members. Because of what happened with Aiden. He'll only allow people that have been sidekicks to League members for several months or a couple of years. To deem them trustworthy."
"They let Lucy in." Madison pointed out.
"Yeah. But only because she was connected with Natasha. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't be in here at all."
"That's true, I guess. But it sucks that Alpha can recruit and we can't."
"Batman obviously trusts Alpha more than he trusts us."
"Another good point." She smirked at Alex. "Maybe you should make friends with Batman so he'll allow us to recruit."
"Not going to happen."
Madison shrugged. "Worth a shot."
"I need all Beta members at the super computer at this minute. I repeat, all Beta members report to me at the super computer." Batman's gravely voice announced throughout the base.
"Speak of the devil and he shall come." Alex stated with a chuckle.
"What do you think he wants?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure we're going to find out."
Beta did as they were told and met in front of the super computer just as Batman had asked.
"Another mission?" Alex asked.
"Please tell me the FIVE aren't back." Lucy stated as she looked at Ethan from afar with a frown.
"No. I've received reports that Deadshot and his group of villains are planning a attack on the President of the United States." Batman replied as he looked at each and everyone of them.
"That's incredibly bold of them. They must have a lot of faith in that plan of theirs." Alex said as he looked at Batman with his arms crossed.
"It's suicidal." Victor spoke up. "The President has the best security in the world. How in the world would they be capable of getting to him."
Madison looked at Victor. "Before you joined the team, Sportsmaster, Chesire and Nightmare infiltrated with White House with the help of DeathStroke. It's entirely possible."
Hector snapped his fingers. "That's was before Superman and Flash showed up to offer protection with the League's help."
"It's also when DeathStroke swapped the real President for a robot created by Professor Ivo." Alex added.
"According to Dante. But we still don't know if that's a fact." Batman interjected.
"Dante wouldn't lie about that." Alex countered with a glare.
Batman narrowed his eyes on Alex but chose to end that battle where it stands. "Nevertheless, we have a job to do."
"How are we going to protect the President?" Ethan asked.
Washington D.C
8:00 pm est
"Remember what I said. Don't kill anyone. Just the President." Amanda's voice commanded through the headsets each member of the Suicide Squad were required to use.
"It's about time we stop killing people." Captain Cold spoke up.
"I wonder if any of the people you've frozen over the years died of hypothermia." Count Vertigo asked his annoying comrade.
The Squad managed to inflitrate one of the many escape routes that led out of the White House and into the city. The tunnels also led to the underground bunker where the President would hide in case of a threat. Through the bunker, they could make their way up to the office of the President and the job will be done. No casualties of course.
"I made sure that they didn't." Captain Cold countered.
"How so? Did you freeze them to a certain temperature? I would love to hear your method of freezing people to death."
"Shut up, Count!"
"All I am doing is pointing out that you should stop acting like you're better than us because you have never killed. You are still a criminal no matter how you put it. You put people's lives in danger in order to get what you want. Stop being a hypocrite, Leonard."
Cold stopped walking and prepared a attack on Count Vertigo. "Stop saying my name!"
"Bane." Deadshot commanded for what seemed like the hundredth time since Amanda formed this squad.
Bane stood in between the two and picked them up from their shirts. He slammed the two the wall behind them. "Enough!" Bane shouted in anger, getting annoyed with the two just as much as they were getting annoyed with each other.
"I swear to you, Count. You will be the first man I'll ever kill!" Cold threatened as he glared at Count Vertigo.
"The first of many." The Count countered with a smirk.
"Boys we have a mission to do. Let's complete it and you two can go back to killing each other. I just want to do this damn mission so I can already be released. I mean, how many missions have we done together already? I think this would be the last." Poison Ivy stated as she looked at the individuals in front of her.
Captain Cold calmed himself after remembering a key fact. "Ivy is right. This will be the last mission."
"How can you be so sure?" Ivy inquired.
Captain Cold smiled happily for the first time. "I'm sure of it."
"Let's stay on track, fellas. We have a mission to complete." Deadshot reminded them.
The group made their way through the tunnel until they saw a bright light ahead of them. The small light was a little hole that was left so the President of anyone else hiding in that specific tunnel is able to see what is going on on the other side of the wall that hid the tunnel's entrance. Bane broke down the wall but no alarms went off. The group knocked out any guards they came across as they made their way out of the bunker. Captain Cold would freeze two or three guards while Bane would knock out the others. Any more guards that showed up had to deal with nausea as Count Vertigo put his powers to good use. Poison Ivy would happily use her babies -plants etc- to knock out any remaining guards while Deadshot would disable them by shooting them in the leg or arm. Anywhere that wouldn't be severe enough to kill them. The group stepped into a elevator that led directly to the President's office.
"It feels so good to stretch my legs out." Poison Ivy said as she petted a plant that seemed to attach it's self to her. "It's so good to be with my babies again."
"I've always hated elevator music." Deadshot stated as he looked up to see where the music was coming from.
"I'm surprised we could fit in a elevator with Bane." Cold added.
"Just be happy that you're neck isn't in my hands." Bane countered.
"I'd prefer if that happened." Count Vertigo said.
"Don't worry," Bane said as he looked at the Count. "You would be next."
"Enough with the small talk. It's time." Deadshot stated as he heard the sound the elevator made when you've finally arrived on your floor.
The group stepped out and noticed they weren't in the Oval office. Instead, the group is just a small hallway away from reaching the man they were sent to kill. The corrupt man that promised to help America first while in reality, he's helping the Light and doing their bidding. Once they made it to a white double door that led into the Oval Office, Bane smashed the door in, breaking it into pieces. The Suicide Squad entered the office and were a bit surprised that the President wasn't fearing for his life. For some reason, he seemed confident as he smoke his cigar and looked out the window of his office.
"It's about time you've shown up. I've been waiting patiently. I expected you to arrive sooner but I presume you ran into trouble." The President stated without looking at the squad behind him.
"It's over Mr. President." Amanda said as she entered the room through the same way the Suicide Squad came through.
Deadshot looked at her in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
The President chuckled. "I think I should be the one that should be asking that question." He turned around. "But Amanda, enlighten us."
"You're reign of treachery has come to a end." Amanda said with anger.
"Reign of treachery?" He laughed lightly in a calm manner. "It hasn't even started yet." The smoke from his cigar covered his blue eyes as well as the somewhat wrinkled face of his. He was a old man but looked young for some reason. His hair wasn't fully gray but was gray on the sides.
"You think I don't know what you have planned?"
"Please, go ahead and tell me. I'd love to hear a story for someone that is allegedly dead."
"You're working for the Light. I know it! You had the President killed so you can take his seat. You handed him straight to the Light."
"Now, now. Such assumptions should come with evidence. Do you have any evidence of my alleged betrayal to this great country of ours?" He observed Amanda's face. "Of course not. How can a ghost acquire the things she need? It's great to see you alive, Amanda, it really is. It's just so sad that I have to put you in jail for treason."
"You won't get away with this!"
"I've always admired your patriotism and your dedication to this country. But that, inevitably, can be a negative trait. You're on a fishing expedition." He chuckled. "I truly don't know what you're talking about, Amanda. It's so sad to see a great agent like you betray this country."
Amanda turned her gaze to Deadshot. "What are you waiting for? Do the job!"
"Before you consider killing me off. Might I make a proposition? See, you're puppet handler claims to have the strings attached to make you dance for her. But in reality, she doesn't have any power over you. All of you are free to do anything you want. All I'm saying is, I'll happily compensate you if you kill Ms. Waller here for me. Don't worry," He took a puff from his cigar. "Your brains won't explode."
"He's lying!" Amanda pulled out something from her pocket. "I have the remote. Disobey me and I'll kill you!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's no way of handling your troops. I would think you would know better than that. Since you was once a troop. Until you sold out for a suit and played Game of Thrones with everyone in Washington."
"Shut your mouth!" Amanda yelled at the President. She looked at Deadshot. "I gave you a order."
Captain Cold pointed his freeze gun at the President. "I hear ya loud and clear." As soon as he finished speaking, he grinned as he turned the gun toward Amanda and shot a beam at her which instantly froze her in place.
Deadshot pointed his wrist mounted gun at Captain Cold. "What the hell are you doing?"
"He's doing what he was paid to do." The President replied for Captain Cold as he jabbed his cigar into the ashtray. He left the cigar where it belong and walked around his desk, now standing in front of the Suicide Squad.
"It turns out that bitch didn't have anything on us. Like I said, she doesn't control the remote." Captain Cold clarified.
"I do." The President said as he pointed at himself. "So I suggest you surrender peacefully or else things are going to get messy for you." He grinned. "And I wouldn't want to mess up my carpet."
Just as Deadshot pointed his gun at the President, Emma came crashing through the wall and tackled Deadshot into the next room. Lucy appeared below Bane and grabbed his legs, phasing him downward until his feet were trapped to the floor. She phased her way up until she was now standing in front of Bane who was immobilized. She punched him a couple of times with density shifted punches but it didn't seem to phase him. He may not be able to move his legs but he was able to move his arms. He swatted Lucy away as if she was a bug which launched her into the air and out of the hole Emma created.
Ethan stretched out his arm to catch Lucy like a baseball and he lifted her back up to the office while he elongated his legs to reach up to the office. Once inside, he punched Poison Ivy as she was about to attack Emma from behind. As Ethan's stretched out arm return to his body, Bane pounded on the floor that trapped his legs until he was finally free. He charged toward Ethan and tackled the rubber band freak out of the office and on to the lawn outside of the White House. Chaos ensuing and alarms nearly deafening the super powered individuals, Alex came out of the shadows to help Amanda Waller. Someone he and everyone else thought was dead. It turns out, from the look of it, Amanda Waller was leading Deadshot's rag tag group of super villains. It also seems like she commanded them to kill the President.
The President was behind his desk, acting like he should, pressing the red button below his desk to alert the Secret Service.
"I'm not sticking around to get arrested. Not again!" Captain Cold said to nobody in particular. He just jumped out of the office and on to the ground while Ethan and Madison battled Bane.
Alex placed a device on the ice that covered Amanda. The black device turned red as it started releasing enough heat to release Amanda from her captivity. Amanda knelt on her knee, shivering and cursing to herself for trusting Captain Cold. The twins in blue and red blurs ran up the building until they made it up to the office to help Emma out against Deadshot and Poison Ivy.
The President watched with a smile on his face as Beta and the Suicide Squad battled each other. Just like he had planned. The Light would be proud of his little plan to lead both teams here so they can battle it out. All to serve the greater purpose of the Light. The President continued observing as Amanda managed to get out of Alex's grips and commanded her troops to retreat. While Secret Service agents flooded the area and started shooting at anyone that was in their sight. Alex tried telling them that Beta was on their side but they wouldn't listen. A barrage of bullets made their way toward Beta members in the room. Alex commanded his troops to retreat after his words weren't getting to the agents. Now, the President was alone with twenty or so agents carrying firearms, shooting out of the hole Emma created so they could take down the people that tried killing the President.
"Mr. President, are you okay? Are you hurt?" The lead agent asked after giving the all clear to his fellow agents.
The President used the acting skills he learned in college. "They, they tried to kill me. All of them. They… they fought each other just to decide who would kill me. Why… why would they do this?" He played the innocent bystander that just suffered a traumatic experience perfectly.
Mount Justice
9:00 pm est
"Well, that was a complete failure." Ethan proclaimed as the team entered the base via the zeta tubes.
As everyone was walking toward Batman and unmasking themselves, Lucy pulled Ethan to the side. "Hey, you're bleeding." She inspected the wound. "Did you get hit? They shot you?"
Ethan shook his head. "No. It's just a graze. I'll live." Lucy touched it and he winced. "Hey! That hurts."
"Sorry." Lucy replied with a frown. "I'm sorry about everything. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings earlier."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "It's okay. You made things perfectly clear." He walked away from her.
She ran up to him. "Ethan, it's not like that."
"Then what is it like?" Ethan asked.
As Lucy was about to respond, she was interrupted by Batman clearing his throat. "You two can save your problems for later. Right now, we have bigger problems."
Ethan walked away from Lucy once again. "What's up?"
"The bastard is claiming we attacked him." Alex clarified for Ethan.
"What?!" Ethan exclaimed with anger.
"It's true. He's holding a press conference to discuss it all." Batman said to the group.
"My fellow Americans," The President said, still acting like he is shaken up by the whole situation, "today is a horrific day in American History. Today, the people we once trusted have sided with the ones we hate most. Yes, as I speak, heroes and villains are working together to bring down this government." He took in a deep breath as if to regain his composure. "Today, they started their attack by coming after me. They failed in their assassination attempt thanks to the service of the agents of the Secret Service. Without them, I would be seriously injured or dead. It's a sad day when the people we trust, these so called heroes, try to take me down just like they did my predecessor. What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment? Is it because when my predecessor died, I spoke out against them. Is that why? They've finally come to shut me up."
"I assure you that I will not shut up. What they have done today is treason! They should suffer for what they have done to me, the late President and you, the people. No more will we suffer while they 'fight justice'. No more will we be innocent bystanders in their war against villains. Who's to say they are any better than those we fear most? All heroes do is put innocent people in harms way and cause millions upon millions of dollars in damage. Do they pay us for the destruction they cause? The lives they take in the process of serving justice to so called villains. I think they are the villains. It's about time we stands up for our selves and take the fight to all heroes. Today, I regretfully announce that I will be banning all super heroes. If anyone sees a person in costume, they are to inform the police. Police officers, if you see any costume heroes, you are to shoot on sight. Today, we make a difference. No longer will we stand idly by while heroes destroy our country. No more!"
"I beg of you my fellow Americans. Follow me into this new war on terror. A terror very close to home. Today, I announce! That heroes are terrorist and are to be stopped. For we are the United States of America. And we are not to be trifled with."
Beta watched on as the President started answering questions from the press. "Holy shit." Alex muttered as he watched on.
"We're totally fucked." Hector pointed out.
"What are we going to do Batman?" Madison asked.
Batman looked at the worried expressions on each of their faces. Even during the President's speech, he felt his heart sink into infinite darkness. How was the Justice League or any costume hero suppose to operate while watching their backs? The President branded them Terrorists! How do you come back from that? As the young teens in front of him started to ask questions, he blocked them out of his mind. Knowing, he had no answer to their questions. In the game of Chess, the Heroes are the white and the villains are the dark. It seems like the dark has done a move that is worthy of saying Checkmate.
In the next episode of Young Justice: Beta...
What's Aiden up too in prison? Well, we'll find out as things go utterly wrong in the prison. So wrong in fact, that a scared Beta comes to the rescue. But is it truly a rescue? Find out what happens in the next episode of YJ:B
