Why was it whenever he wasn't looking at the world, the world decided to make stupid decisions?
First it was the World Engine and allowing a domestic government to take possession of it. That already spelled disaster right there. Batman was tracking where A.R.G.U.S. was taking it so that he knew where to find it if he needed to make certain it was inoperable. Cyborg's encryption should keep them busy for some time, but that was still a ticking clock.
The moment he set foot on the Watchtower for what felt like the first time in a long time, he learned what the second dumb decision was.
Diana had been there to greet him as he arrived in a flash of blinding light. It was how they used to greet each other once upon a time, though it was mostly the Amazon that did it. Considering she spent more time of the satellite than he did and usually arrived before, that made sense.
He wasn't certain if he liked them falling back into old habits.
"Welcome," Diana greeted him, a professional tone in her voice. "I don't suppose you've heard the news."
"Which one?" Batman replied as he stepped off the teleportation platform, walking towards the dark-haired woman. He didn't break stride as he passed right by her. The Amazon just turned and began walking lockstep with him.
"J'onn's announcement to the U.N."
The vigilante frowned. Since when had J'onn made the effort to watch a governing body? The Martian preferred the Watchtower to a room full of bureaucrats—most sane people did. "I must have missed it."
"He said he was going to go fight Despero."
The Dark Knight came to an abrupt stop, his head jerking to look at Diana. "You can't be serious," he questioned incredulously.
"It's making the rounds on C-SPAN if you want to see," she told him. "We've been trying to talk him out of it, or at the very least take backup. He seems determined to go through with it."
That was a surprising turn, but not one Batman was all too happy about. Considering everything that had happened lately, that was one ally of his that was taking himself off the board, and a powerful one at that. J'onn had really stepped up against the brainwashed Justice League, so his leaving took away one of their best defenses.
"I know, not exactly what you wanted to hear," Diana continued as if she could read his mind. Once upon a time, she knew him so well that she could speak in such a way. Again, Batman found himself feeling weird about it.
"That's putting it mildly," he finally responded to her, resuming walking with the Amazon at his side. "What the hell is he thinking?"
"That he wants to end Despero's threat as quickly as possible. I cannot fault him for such thinking." There was a pause. "I'm considering going as well."
That caused the dark-clad man to raise an eyebrow as he glanced towards her. "Why you?"
"I can't in good conscience allow J'onn to go out on his own. We know what happened the last time with Superman and Brainiac how well that works out. From all outward appearances, J'onn isn't going to be dissuaded from this course of action, so we might as well give him the best shot we can."
Clearly Diana had given this some thought. Batman couldn't find it in himself to fault her logic. If J'onn was going no matter what, they might as well give it their best showing. "What about the Kalanorians' telepathy?" he inquired.
"That is something we need to take into account," she acknowledged. "And I think I may have a solution. But that just means the two of us. I can't think of anyone else that would be able to resist mind control."
"Hawkgirl is immune to telepathy," Batman murmured, which earned himself a curious look from the dark-haired woman. "During the Kalanorian Invasion, one of the Kalanorian re-educators tried to brainwash her just like the rest of the League. None of it worked, no matter what they did. J'onn mentioned he hadn't ever been able to read her mind."
"And knowing Hawkgirl, she'll demand to go," Diana finished.
"No doubt, but I could make the argument that she'll want to stay on Earth since her people arrived. She could very well receive orders to stay too, taking the choice out of her hands."
"That's possible as well," she agreed. "The Thanagarians do seem informed of Earth's capabilities, do they not?"
"Yes, they do." Batman had a sneaking suspicion the Thanagarians had been briefed on Earth's defenses and weapons networks. All of intel pointed to one person getting it for them and he didn't like the implications of it. Where he had been keeping a close eye on the League since…well, before they were even a team, to think he missed a fellow spy doing the same as he was...
It seemed a lot of things were slipping by him lately.
"How about you?" Diana suddenly asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Will you try to persuade J'onn out of his commitment, or will you force yourself onto his mission?"
He shook his head. Even if he had a more potent way to keep the Kalanorians out of his head this time, they couldn't send everyone to go confront Despero. "No, I'm needed here. There's still much that needs to be done."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Luthor, for one. With the Tamaraneans and now the Thanagarians, he's been lost in the shuffle. We can't afford to let him operate without scrutiny, nor let him think he got away with fracturing the League."
That was another thing he had been up to. Ever since the defeat of the Amazo robot, he had been keeping an eye on LexCorp. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if it were business as usual. However, there had been a virtual conference that had taken place during the battle against the Tamaraneans and the World Engine, one linked to many different governments and organizations world-wide. No doubt it had something to do with Luthor's robot. In fact, he had managed to hear word that many of the participants hadn't been impressed with Amazo, a complete embarrassment for the Metropolis billionaire.
That must have had something to do with the manner in which it was defeated. Considering it had been handling not only the Justice League, but the Teen Titans and the Tamaraneans single-handed until the last moment, that there wasn't more interest in the project that produced Amazo spoke volumes. It was just the latest in a line of weapons Luthor had designed to get rid of Superman, only for it to fail. It was that history that was their saving grace, dissuading curious onlookers from encouraging of building more Amazos.
That was at least a silver-lining. However, Luthor wasn't one to lick his wounds for long. He must be up to something in light of Amazo's defeat. Then there was also the matter that the business tycoon knew his secret identity…
There were a lot of loose ends that needed to be handled, and delicately at that. He couldn't take a heavy-handed approach to Luthor, not with his damning knowledge—and more importantly, proof. He also couldn't stay away either lest Luthor think he had the ultimate upper hand on him. The two would collide at one point or another and the resulting collision would have far-reaching implications.
"Won't he be expecting you?" Diana then asked. "I know you've had recent encounters with him."
Batman nodded. "Which is why I can't take any current action without making certain I have leverage on him."
"What will you do then?" She gave him a knowing look. "I know you won't let anything stop you from getting what you need."
"Let's just say I'll be…out-sourcing this part of my investigation."
It seemed the Green Lantern Corp was putting down tent pegs.
They weren't literally putting down tent pegs, so much as taking over an abandoned building in the outskirts of Jump City and calling it home base. The locals may have a problem with it, but there wasn't much they could do to run them off. All that needed to happen was one Lantern put up a shield around the building and there was nothing local authorities could do to get in.
John Stewart walked through the ranks of the Corp. There were some that were resting, using cots they had procured from…somewhere. A couple were training, making as many different constructs as they could imagine as they honed their minds. Others were fortifying the building, improving on what were definitely poorly maintained walls and support beams.
Ganthet had returned here following J'onn's announcement at the U.N. Having witnessed the Martian's determination, he was pretty certain this needed to be brought to the Guardian's attention.
Fortunately, Ganthet was not all that hard to find. In fact, it seemed pretty obvious the Guardian was expecting him. "John Stewart," the short man greeted him the moment the two caught sight of each other.
"Ganthet," the dark-skinned man returned.
"What news comes from your Justice League?" the Lantern leader asked.
"J'onn's determined to see this through," John reported. "The League's coming to the conclusion a strike team needs to form to back him up."
"A wise deduction," Ganthet murmured. "Has such a team been constructed?"
"Not right now, but J'onn is agreeable to one. I'm certain it'll be formed rather quickly. I'm going to be volunteering."
Surprisingly, Ganthet shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that."
A frown appeared on the Green Lantern's face. "Why not?" Even as petulant as that sounded, it was the only response he could come up with at a moment's notice.
"Because you are needed here with the presence of the Thanagarians. Though Despero approaches your sector, you need to see to its defenses more than venturing to another sector."
"Meanwhile Despero wreaks havoc all over the universe as he comes this way? With all due respect, that doesn't sound like a good plan."
"We already have Lanterns in the general vicinity of the Kalanorian forces," Ganthet said. "If all goes well, whatever precautions we may take here will be of little consequence. You must have faith in your fellow Lanterns to overcome this obstacle."
"And if they don't?" John pressed.
"Then the Thanagarians' Defense Shield Generator will be all the more important. One must never put all their efforts into one endeavor when they have the option of multiple."
Which was a roundabout way of saying don't put all of your eggs into one basket. John understood the argument, but he was not one to let others fight his battles. It just wasn't who he was.
But orders were orders and he reluctantly nodded his acceptance. "I couldn't help but notice you weren't too surprised by J'onn's announcement about his defeating Despero."
"Because you informed the Corps of this when the invasion occurred," Ganthet pointed out. "In fact, such actions became a boon for Earth, you must admit. Hostile worlds like the Citadel avoided the planet because of the mystery surrounding Despero's first defeat. Oa even allowed these rumors to persist to deter further invasions. It is not the first time we have taken advantage of superstition and it will not be the last."
John couldn't fault that. However, before he could say anything, there were exclaims of surprise towards the entrance to the warehouse. Both John and Ganthet turned to look in the direction of the open doors, curious as to what was going on.
The surrounding Green Lanterns began to part and much to John's shock was the apperance of Katma Tui. She looked as if she had seen better days, her uniform being torn at random places, her normally slicked back hair disheveled with strands of it hanging in front of her face. She was limping as well, another Lantern acting as her crutch as she headed right for Ganthet.
For just a moment, her dark eyes glanced to John, but then they went right back to the Guardian. "Ganthet," she gasped.
"Katma!" the short, blue man exclaimed in return. "What happened?"
Katma slumped down to the ground, her fellow Lantern doing their best to help her down, but she went too fast. She was practically a heap on the floor, to which John rushed over, helping to maneuver her into a more comfortable position. For a moment, the dark-haired woman shared a thankful smile with him before she grimaced. "The…the Kalanorians," she managed to spit out after a moment.
John found himself jerking his head up to gaze at Ganthet. Katma was a part of the force Ganthet had been talking about?
"We…we couldn't stop…them…" she slowly spoke, trying to catch her breath, but failing. "They tore…right through us."
Worried murmurs spread throughout the Corp. John found himself clenching a fist in frustration. Katma had been one of his teachers upon becoming a Green Lantern. They were tight, close some could say. Even after everything that had happened between them, he was still fond of her. To see her like this…
"Tell me everything," Ganthet urged. "Spare no detail."
"Is this the time for this?" John growled back. "She's clearly hurt and needs medical attention."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Katma that responded. "He…needs to know. They all do." The Korugarian began to shove herself up, incidentally pushing herself away from him, but she didn't get too far, collapsing back into John's arms.
So she didn't fight any more than she needed. "They started with…conventional weapons. Plasma cannons…and such. We handled those easily. But then…they unleashed…warriors.
"They were Kalanorians…able to survive in space…like Lanterns. They had…some kind of power. Our rings were useless…against it. The battle turned then. Many Lanterns fell. I'm…I'm the only one that was…able to retreat."
There were more hushed whispers, making it difficult to hear just what anyone said. John only found he had eyes for Ganthet as he took in this news.
"This is most troubling," he finally said, the understatement of the century. "We must speak with the Martian. If he is going to face such forces, he needs to know of what has transpired. If he is to succeed, he cannot go in blind."
It had taken just a little over three hours for Waller's flight from DC to her arrival at her personal stronghold. Anyone on the outside would not consider Belle Reve in those terms, but anyone in the know knew what was hidden in the depths of the prison.
When not playing with politicians and bureaucrats and helping to clean up their illegal messes, Belle Reve was where she truly got down to business.
Entering her domain was standard, moving through checkpoints and having her identity scrutinized. These were all processes she herself had ordered implemented, and she included herself to undergo the same procedures because when you exist in a world where metahumans were a factor, you could leave nothing to chance. Plus, she had always been a patient woman. These were mild inconveniences at worst, but absolutely necessary.
Part of her route took her through the part of the prison that the public knew about. All hardened criminals here, some celebrities rerouted here who she thought had promise, and all she needed to do was play the waiting game with their appeals process before offering a deal. There were also the more generic murderers, serial killers, rapists, heist men, arsonists, you name it. Just for a change, she had recently pulled some strings to have a fraudster who had recently made the news. It was a whim and throwing the inmates here some fresh virgin meat went a long way to sating their appetites.
Then she entered the more restricted sections. The first area was for solitary confinement, and this place tended to be somewhat larger when compared to other prisons. She preferred strolling through this section because it was quieter and she could think easier. Next was another restricted area, one for the worst of the worst who hadn't cracked yet, but that was a matter of time.
Last, there was an elevator that was placed where it shouldn't be. Going through this checkpoint took time, but then she was riding down it to the lower levels that the public was not aware of.
In these levels, this was where the true worst of the worst was kept, but they differed in only one area. These were the inmates she owned.
As soon as the doors slid open, Waller stepped out into the gathering of Task Force X. Already assembled and waiting for her, she barely paid them a glance as she moved through the bodies. These inmates stepped aside for her, knowing better than to literally cross her, including her path.
"What's the mission now?" Deadshot started the briefing. The world-renowned sniper was thought to have entered retirement, but if only people knew where he actually was. His skills and unexpected leadership abilities had so far proven acceptable.
Multiple footsteps followed after her. "It's a simple reconnaissance. I want intel on our latest extraterrestrial visitors."
"Shit, I can tell ya this. They're from space, they have space weapons, and if we tick 'em off, they'll use those space weapons all Independence Day style. Can I go back to my cell?" Smart alek Captain Boomerang was not as humorous as he thought he was.
"And I want something more in depth than that. I want to know their intentions, their plans, if they intend to remain permanently on Earth, or if, as unlikely as it is, they will leave once the current threat is neutralized," Waller stated. "You will not give away your presence and if you get caught, if the Thanagarians don't kill you, I will. We'll explain you're a group of opportunists who got in over their heads. Do not give me lip, Force."
The science experiment in a red and yellow bodysuit growled, but kept his tongue. Having to sneak about was not this man's forte, and while a team needed muscle, it needed brains more often than not. Still, if he was caught, Force could potentially destroy all evidence of the Task Force X program out in the field. You could not investigate what was obliterated, and so Force was the last resort, though not in the way he saw himself as.
Arriving at a set of doors, she completed one last request for identity, and then passed through the opened threshold. Waller stalked her away through this section, one that was nearly seven stories tall, each floor lined with a catwalk, and the best made cells lining every inch of it. Most had occupants, and many were drawn to watch her move through this block.
All of them were Task Force X, though not all of the cells were filled. This was her collection, all members of multiple Task Force Xs because just having one was ridiculous. You needed backups, whether it was backup members or backup teams. Normally, all she needed to do was send one team out, but if necessary, she could send out multiple teams.
There was no worry for any runners. A button would solve that problem immediately.
As they passed by one cell, its occupant slammed against the Plexiglas wall, drawing the attention of at least Major Force. The man on the other side was a big one, muscular and rugged. He glared down Force, and snarled out, "I can do everything you can, but better."
Force didn't take that lightly. "Why you—"
"Shut your trap, Force, and knock it off, Peacemaker," Waller snapped, not even looking over her shoulder.
She didn't need to see it, but the self-styled Peacemaker backed away and lowered his head, saying sullenly, "Yes, ma'am."
"Since ve are venturing here, I presume you vish to expand our ranks," Count Vertigo inquired, asking a question without asking it.
"Just rounding you out. This is a big job, and many hands make for lighter work, or so I'm told," Waller replied, leading the team deeper.
"The new recruits?" Vertigo pressed his luck.
"Only one, maybe two if things work out. There's one other, but I'm waiting until he can eat solid foods again. You don't send a shark man out unless he can use his teeth. Otherwise, he's worthless." Reaching the end of the block, the vast hallway took a sharp right turn, and led to other areas, one of which was the Induction Room. Connected with their med bay, it was here that new members of the task were, for lack of better words, inducted, and it was here that she gave the full briefings. Two new members were waiting with one, one of whom could be identified with pure simple deduction.
She wanted to break in Killer Frost, and the sooner the better. If she turned out to be a wild card in every sense of the word, then she could be dealt with.
The credits were rolling, which meant now came the criticism.
"Those effects were horrible. I mean, the blood didn't even look realistic," Victor complained, gesturing out with a hand towards the TV.
"I kinda like that one guy's head got bitten," Garfield commented. "Didn't decapitate instantly and you saw all the tissue and sinew under the torn skin."
"You're going to make me barf, but it'll be worth it," Bart cut in. "Can anyone please tell me why they stuck around, and didn't, you know, leave? Everybody told them not to go, but still!"
"That's how these movies work," Tim tried to explain, reclined back into the couch. "People do stupid things and then pay for it with their lives while we get to watch."
"But—" Bart tried.
"Has anyone ever told you not to do something and you did it anyway?" Cassie cut in, head propped up on one arm while looking bored.
Their resident speedster was silent for a good two seconds, an eternity for him, before he looked down and said in a whisper, "Yes."
"I have issue with the, um, creature," Kori spoke up from where she sat on an end. "I know of no lifeform with that kind of anatomy, who possess these exact predatory skills, and would stalk after its prey one by one as such."
Out of curiosity, Terra asked, "There aren't? But isn't the universe, like, a big place? There's gotta be something like that."
A human would have shrugged their shoulders, but that was a gesture that Kori was unfamiliar with. "The one species that is comparable is much larger, has more limbs, and is able to capture multiple lifeforms with a single bite. Ah yes, and its salivary glands secrete an acid that is capable of dissolving carbonite."
Garfield jerked his head up. "Wait, carbonite is real?!"
The Tamaranean looked at the green shapeshifter with a little confusion. "Why would it not?"
True to his prediction, things were quiet in Jump, and this afforded the opportunity to have a movie night, one in which Garfield had insisted they all intend. A phone call home had Tim being able to do so, and he had felt "why not?" That was one of the reasons why he was still in the tower.
Another one, perhaps more important, was keeping an eye on Kori. The promising nature of a movie could distract their resident Tamaranean from recent events, maybe even give her an escape from it all for a few hours. Time to allow herself to compose and then face what was causing her grief. It seemed more than him picked up on that, and that was why they had such a turn out.
Once Garfield revealed that he had picked several horror movies for them to watch, Raven had ducked out, claiming that "life was the greatest horror movie," and if she wanted to be scared, she'd watch a documentary on the failing education system.
So it was just the seven of them and they had just finished a creature feature. The teen vigilante saw it as a good sign that Kori was asking questions, offering her own criticisms even though she did not realize that was what she was doing. It was one of the oldest criticisms, the good ol' "that wouldn't happen in real life."
Considering everything about her, Kori might as well be that kind of authority, though.
"So do they have Rancors?" Garfield was pressing when Tim tuned back in.
"What is this Rancor? Perhaps if you described it?"
"Knock it off, Grass Stain. Not everything from the movies has to exist," Victor admonished.
"Dude, I need this," Garfield hissed at his larger friend, then turned back to Kori. "Okay, a Rancor is this huge monster, like with a big head, but no neck, gnarly teeth, these long arms with long fingers, and it eats whatever it catches, and it stands on two feet!"
Kori tilted her head to the side. "You will need to be more specific."
"I don't know what a Rancor is, but are you saying there's a lot of them out there that look like that?" Bart both commented and asked, eyes wide.
Garfield looked like he had been sucker punched with the truth that Santa didn't exist. "How do you…? Okay, okay, um, any of them have a hunched back?"
"You will still need to be more specific."
"You can't pin all you know from one movie," Cassie remarked. "They never showed a Rancor in its natural habitat. So you don't know how it hunts or anything, you know, stuff that might help Kori narrow it down?"
Tim, along with many others, found himself staring at the blonde. "You watched those movies?"
Cassie with her dead blue eyes gave him a deadpanned look. "Who didn't?"
Touche.
"I didn't!" Bart called out, waving a hand.
Deadpanned turned into a grimace. "Didn't Kori also say anything about how that monster hunted down those meat bags one by one or something?"
"I did," Kori confirmed, nodding her head a bit too enthusiastically. "Most creatures that size capture multiple prey in one attack. The hiding, the lurking, and the ambushing are not documented behaviors."
"All of that is just to heighten tension, get the audience on edge," Victor pointed out. "It's supposed to get you anxious, make you afraid. That's what they are trying to do with horror flicks."
"I do understand that. I may not understand why someone would intentionally make themselves afraid, but to me, it appears that humans find some kind of pleasure doing so," Kori explained.
"It's like getting an adrenaline rush without having to do something dangerous, like fighting crime and metahumans," Tim said.
"Ah, so it is a means of safely using the fight-or-flight reflex with no consequences?" The Tamaranean looked pleased with herself at coming to such a conclusion, not that she was far off or anything. She might as well have hit the nail on the head.
"Think about it. When is anyone going to deliberately go to a place with poor lighting and lots of ways to get ambushed?" Victor said, a little contempt in his voice.
Currently, with the exception of Raven, they were all gather in a room with the lights off, the only light source coming from the TV where the credits still rolled, but they were coming to an end. Ambiance was the reason given, though Tim did wonder how Garfield knew that word.
"Plus, you have to have someone or something that just happens to be in such a place, somehow lived long enough for our cannon fodder to wonder around like idiots. Doesn't make any sense."
Because the lights were off, much of the large rec room was filled with shadows, many of them not given any attention to by the teens. From one such shadow, something began to emerge from it.
"Yeah, and they don't seem to know they're being watched? How does that happen?" Bart added his two cents. "I can feel when eyes are on me. It makes you get those little bumps on your arms."
"Goosebumps?" Cassie suggested.
"Is that what they're called?" Bart wondered.
It stalked closer, unseen and undetected, eyes laser focused on the gathering.
"Nobody wants to talk about the jump scares? I think they overused them," Terra butted in.
"Yeah, you do that too many times, it loses its edge," Garfield immediately agreed.
"And how often do those things happen in real life?" Victor added. "You saw it, right? They're all hyperaware, looking around, and somehow they don't see the monster, and they're always surprised! If you're that aware, you should be able to figure out you're in danger and that one room is not safe!"
"We need to talk."
Abruptly, all of the assembled teens whipped their heads about to look behind them and found Batman lurking over them all.
It was perfectly understandable why they all screamed like little girls.
Yeeeeah, so when AV and I were making the Belle Reve scene, The Suicide Squad had been out for awhile. Could not help tossing in a Peacemaker cameo.
To Guest: As powerful as Fate is, it didn't make sense not to have him detect Raven at any point. He would want answers, though preferable removing Raven as a potential threat. He just didn't expect the resistance he received.