"Didya miss me?"
Batman's eyes narrowed behind the cowl at the first two words Lucas uttered. He already had a bad feeling about the course of the conversation.
"Oh well, I'm sure you did. I'm also sure that most of you have noticed the recent crisis that has fallen our beloved Egypt. My agents tell me that there have been several attempts to break through the barrier that surrounds the nation directly along its political borders, and all have been unsuccessful. The field is impenetrable, and nothing can get through. This unwelcome ostricization would no doubt have disastrous effects on the nation, finding itself unable to import or export, tourists trapped in country, no one and nothing able to get in or out. . .your own analysts have probably confirmed as much.
"Luckily then, that this is only a demonstration. That's right, I will have the field lifted in precisely three days, as I feel I have already proven my point. I am not someone to mess with, and I have no qualms about causing permanent ecological damage with the power that my agents wield. Remember that. I will make another address shortly, detailing my demands."
The screen went blank.
"Now tell me about this intruder," instructed Lucas once he had terminated the broadcast.
"Intruders, plural," corrected his security chief, a beautiful, auburn- haired woman slightly above average height. She wore lightweight, formfitting body armor and a Uniblaster strapped in a holster on her right thigh.
"How did they get in?"
"We don't know. The integrity of the force field wasn't breached, so somehow they bypassed it altogether."
"How? There aren't any gaps."
"Well, technically, there are."
"Really?"
"Yes. Thousands of feet below the water's surface, but they exist nonetheless."
"Are you telling me they scuba dived under them?"
"No, the pressure would have killed them. We've ruled out submarine units too, the gaps aren't that big."
"What are we left with?"
"They went unaided, somehow surviving the pressure."
Lucas was tired of hearing secondhand information. "Okay, skip to the chase. Who is it? Where are they? Whats being done to stop them. If you don't know, find out."
Alaina, the security chief, nodded and stepped back. She was an Adept, the title that Lucas had given to anyone on the island who exhibited supernatural abilities, and they did exist, especially in light of the nuclear testing the U.S. had conducted decades ago on nearby islands. Alaina was one of the most powerful on the island, and like most of the Adepts, she possessed superhuman strength, reflexes, stamina, sight, hearing, and smell, among other things.
His two most powerful Adepts were in Egypt. Just them. They needed no assistance. The one, Kari, was an Adept whose powers extended beyond even the norm for her peers-far beyond-and was in Superman's class at least when it came to raw power. The other was an aberration, she possessed no physical power to speak of, and was rather weak, suffering under average vision acuity due to albinism, but that was more than made up for with her vast telepathic and telekinetic talents. Olivia was the only Adept to have such powers, and as such was worth more than a dozen of her peers, no question.
They had delivered him the demonstration he needed. Some countries, the poorer ones, would succumb quickly. They would be devastated for life should Lucas do the same thing to them as he had done to Egypt. Others, like the U.S., would be far more reluctant. We don't negotiate with terrorists, that was their official line, and they no doubt considered him a terrorist by now. Nevertheless, empty rhetoric would not stand well against cold hard enforcement, and Americas attitude would soon change when it found its crops devastated, its water gone, or perhaps a few hundred simultaneous earthquakes, all topping the Richter scale. The possibilities were endless.
He leaned back and waited.
Two Justice Leaguers walked down the street, although no one would have recognized them. Green Lantern had simply used his ring to revert back to his street clothes, and Hawkgirl had wasted no time in waylaying some poor woman in one of Grenat's numerous alleys and taking her cloak. It was uncomfortable, but the cloak hid her notorious costume and the hood covered her hawk's head cowl. They made for an odd couple, but 'Don't ask don't tell' seemed to be an unwritten rule in this place. At least on the streets.
"Now what?" whispered Hawkgirl.
"We watch," whispered John right back.
Hawkgirl snorted. '"What good will that- Hey!"
She whirled around, causing John to follow. The object of her attention seemed to be a man in a dark suit and hat who was walking away, obviously not having realized he was being watched.
"What? What is it?"
"I've seen that guy before."
"Where?"
"I don't know. I just remember-"She paused. "Shade, that's his name."
"The thin guy with the wand that creates darkness?"
"Yeah, I'd recognize that face anywhere."
"But what would a low-level supervillain be doing in-"Green Lantern stopped, cut off by his own astonishment. There, walking into one of the identical gray buildings along the street, was another supervillain he knew all too well. The Cheetah, perennial foe of Wonder Woman's who had also crossed claws with the JL at times. Now SHE was certainly one of a kind. There weren't many other ladies walking around with spotted fur and tails these days.
"What the heck is going on?" Hawkgirl wondered aloud. Its like Supervillian Central or something."
"Strange," agreed Lantern. He gestured towards a nearby tavern seems like the kind of place to find out some information."
"From knocked out drunks?"
"Alchoholic beverage is a very good tool to use, especially when seeking uninhibited information."
"Uh, OK," said Hawkgirl. "Not quite sure whatcha mean there, but OK."
The tavern was every bit as seedy and dingy as Hawkgirl had imagined. The smoke was so thick that It was nearly impossible to open your mouth too wide without going into a coughing fit. At one of the tables, a large creature with horns and green skin was mercilessly beating a smaller guy who was begging for help. Hawkgirl's hand inched instinctively towards the mace under her cloak, but John halted it, giving a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. "No need to draw attention to ourselves now," he whispered.
Hawkgirl frowned, but withdrew her hand, following John to the counter where the bartender was serving up drinks. When he saw the two, he frowned.
"You new around here?" His voice was raspy . . . sinister.
"No," said John.
"Never seen you before."
"Then you need to look around more carefully," said Hawkgirl.
The bartender regarded them both carefully. Then, finally, he began to reach for two glasses. "What'll you have?"
John shrugged. "Surprise us. What we really want though is information."
"About what?"
"A man," said John, accepting the drink the bartender slid over to him. "A man named Lucas."
The change in atmosphere was so sudden that John had to wonder if it hadn't been carefully rehearsed. The music stopped. The chatter ceased. Every tenant, including the bartender, pulled out a weapon. Knives, pipes, and even the occasional firearm.
John glanced down at Hawkgirl, a smile on his face but clearly worry in his eyes.
"Was it something I said?"
Senator Brian Lee was in his element now. Surrounded by flashing cameras and inquisitive journalists, he still maintained his calm demeanor and disarming smile. The cameras loved him, the journalists loved him. Soon, perhaps, the American people would love him enough to go along with what he had to say.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the press," said Lee. "As you know, I have called another press conference to discuss something that I believe to be a growing threat.
"Earlier today, a man known only as 'Lucas' apparently engineered the creation of an impenetrable barrier across the political boundaries of Egypt, including a good deal of the Suez canal. Already, the consequences of this disastrous development have made themselves known. Countries that have dealings with Egypt, including the U.S., are suffering enormous financial and industrial problems. All of this, reportedly, is because of a duo of metahumans, agents of Lucas who have managed to effectively neuter an entire sovereign nation, if you will forgive the bluntness of my analogy. This is a perfect example of what I have been saying for years now. Metahumans are powerful . . .too powerful, and what's to stop them from committing more atrocities such as this one. Guns? Tanks? Airplanes? Childs playthings to the metahumans!
"Some have compared the measures I propose to the Internment of the Japanese to Manzanar, among other blights in our nations history. This comparison is vastly disproportional at best. There was not one example of a nationalized Japanese person committing one traitorous act, yet there are dozens of examples of metahumans who feel free to walk among us while causing billions of dollars of property damage, pain suffering, and countless threats to the planet. These people are ticking time bombs, and the government needs to sever its relations with any and all of them." He let the veiled reference to the Justice League sit for a while, giving the audience time to ingest what he was saying.
"We have, for too long, supported these people while they continue to do nothing but destroy our cities and sacrifice innocent lives. It is time we were able to keep these creatures in check, before they grow to be a problem beyond our capacity to handle."
He looked around. Reporters were frantically jotting down notes, and photographers were taking photo after photo. He had warmed his audience, now it was time for the icing on the cake.
"Now we'll open for questions," he said, smiling.
Batman's eyes narrowed behind the cowl at the first two words Lucas uttered. He already had a bad feeling about the course of the conversation.
"Oh well, I'm sure you did. I'm also sure that most of you have noticed the recent crisis that has fallen our beloved Egypt. My agents tell me that there have been several attempts to break through the barrier that surrounds the nation directly along its political borders, and all have been unsuccessful. The field is impenetrable, and nothing can get through. This unwelcome ostricization would no doubt have disastrous effects on the nation, finding itself unable to import or export, tourists trapped in country, no one and nothing able to get in or out. . .your own analysts have probably confirmed as much.
"Luckily then, that this is only a demonstration. That's right, I will have the field lifted in precisely three days, as I feel I have already proven my point. I am not someone to mess with, and I have no qualms about causing permanent ecological damage with the power that my agents wield. Remember that. I will make another address shortly, detailing my demands."
The screen went blank.
"Now tell me about this intruder," instructed Lucas once he had terminated the broadcast.
"Intruders, plural," corrected his security chief, a beautiful, auburn- haired woman slightly above average height. She wore lightweight, formfitting body armor and a Uniblaster strapped in a holster on her right thigh.
"How did they get in?"
"We don't know. The integrity of the force field wasn't breached, so somehow they bypassed it altogether."
"How? There aren't any gaps."
"Well, technically, there are."
"Really?"
"Yes. Thousands of feet below the water's surface, but they exist nonetheless."
"Are you telling me they scuba dived under them?"
"No, the pressure would have killed them. We've ruled out submarine units too, the gaps aren't that big."
"What are we left with?"
"They went unaided, somehow surviving the pressure."
Lucas was tired of hearing secondhand information. "Okay, skip to the chase. Who is it? Where are they? Whats being done to stop them. If you don't know, find out."
Alaina, the security chief, nodded and stepped back. She was an Adept, the title that Lucas had given to anyone on the island who exhibited supernatural abilities, and they did exist, especially in light of the nuclear testing the U.S. had conducted decades ago on nearby islands. Alaina was one of the most powerful on the island, and like most of the Adepts, she possessed superhuman strength, reflexes, stamina, sight, hearing, and smell, among other things.
His two most powerful Adepts were in Egypt. Just them. They needed no assistance. The one, Kari, was an Adept whose powers extended beyond even the norm for her peers-far beyond-and was in Superman's class at least when it came to raw power. The other was an aberration, she possessed no physical power to speak of, and was rather weak, suffering under average vision acuity due to albinism, but that was more than made up for with her vast telepathic and telekinetic talents. Olivia was the only Adept to have such powers, and as such was worth more than a dozen of her peers, no question.
They had delivered him the demonstration he needed. Some countries, the poorer ones, would succumb quickly. They would be devastated for life should Lucas do the same thing to them as he had done to Egypt. Others, like the U.S., would be far more reluctant. We don't negotiate with terrorists, that was their official line, and they no doubt considered him a terrorist by now. Nevertheless, empty rhetoric would not stand well against cold hard enforcement, and Americas attitude would soon change when it found its crops devastated, its water gone, or perhaps a few hundred simultaneous earthquakes, all topping the Richter scale. The possibilities were endless.
He leaned back and waited.
Two Justice Leaguers walked down the street, although no one would have recognized them. Green Lantern had simply used his ring to revert back to his street clothes, and Hawkgirl had wasted no time in waylaying some poor woman in one of Grenat's numerous alleys and taking her cloak. It was uncomfortable, but the cloak hid her notorious costume and the hood covered her hawk's head cowl. They made for an odd couple, but 'Don't ask don't tell' seemed to be an unwritten rule in this place. At least on the streets.
"Now what?" whispered Hawkgirl.
"We watch," whispered John right back.
Hawkgirl snorted. '"What good will that- Hey!"
She whirled around, causing John to follow. The object of her attention seemed to be a man in a dark suit and hat who was walking away, obviously not having realized he was being watched.
"What? What is it?"
"I've seen that guy before."
"Where?"
"I don't know. I just remember-"She paused. "Shade, that's his name."
"The thin guy with the wand that creates darkness?"
"Yeah, I'd recognize that face anywhere."
"But what would a low-level supervillain be doing in-"Green Lantern stopped, cut off by his own astonishment. There, walking into one of the identical gray buildings along the street, was another supervillain he knew all too well. The Cheetah, perennial foe of Wonder Woman's who had also crossed claws with the JL at times. Now SHE was certainly one of a kind. There weren't many other ladies walking around with spotted fur and tails these days.
"What the heck is going on?" Hawkgirl wondered aloud. Its like Supervillian Central or something."
"Strange," agreed Lantern. He gestured towards a nearby tavern seems like the kind of place to find out some information."
"From knocked out drunks?"
"Alchoholic beverage is a very good tool to use, especially when seeking uninhibited information."
"Uh, OK," said Hawkgirl. "Not quite sure whatcha mean there, but OK."
The tavern was every bit as seedy and dingy as Hawkgirl had imagined. The smoke was so thick that It was nearly impossible to open your mouth too wide without going into a coughing fit. At one of the tables, a large creature with horns and green skin was mercilessly beating a smaller guy who was begging for help. Hawkgirl's hand inched instinctively towards the mace under her cloak, but John halted it, giving a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. "No need to draw attention to ourselves now," he whispered.
Hawkgirl frowned, but withdrew her hand, following John to the counter where the bartender was serving up drinks. When he saw the two, he frowned.
"You new around here?" His voice was raspy . . . sinister.
"No," said John.
"Never seen you before."
"Then you need to look around more carefully," said Hawkgirl.
The bartender regarded them both carefully. Then, finally, he began to reach for two glasses. "What'll you have?"
John shrugged. "Surprise us. What we really want though is information."
"About what?"
"A man," said John, accepting the drink the bartender slid over to him. "A man named Lucas."
The change in atmosphere was so sudden that John had to wonder if it hadn't been carefully rehearsed. The music stopped. The chatter ceased. Every tenant, including the bartender, pulled out a weapon. Knives, pipes, and even the occasional firearm.
John glanced down at Hawkgirl, a smile on his face but clearly worry in his eyes.
"Was it something I said?"
Senator Brian Lee was in his element now. Surrounded by flashing cameras and inquisitive journalists, he still maintained his calm demeanor and disarming smile. The cameras loved him, the journalists loved him. Soon, perhaps, the American people would love him enough to go along with what he had to say.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the press," said Lee. "As you know, I have called another press conference to discuss something that I believe to be a growing threat.
"Earlier today, a man known only as 'Lucas' apparently engineered the creation of an impenetrable barrier across the political boundaries of Egypt, including a good deal of the Suez canal. Already, the consequences of this disastrous development have made themselves known. Countries that have dealings with Egypt, including the U.S., are suffering enormous financial and industrial problems. All of this, reportedly, is because of a duo of metahumans, agents of Lucas who have managed to effectively neuter an entire sovereign nation, if you will forgive the bluntness of my analogy. This is a perfect example of what I have been saying for years now. Metahumans are powerful . . .too powerful, and what's to stop them from committing more atrocities such as this one. Guns? Tanks? Airplanes? Childs playthings to the metahumans!
"Some have compared the measures I propose to the Internment of the Japanese to Manzanar, among other blights in our nations history. This comparison is vastly disproportional at best. There was not one example of a nationalized Japanese person committing one traitorous act, yet there are dozens of examples of metahumans who feel free to walk among us while causing billions of dollars of property damage, pain suffering, and countless threats to the planet. These people are ticking time bombs, and the government needs to sever its relations with any and all of them." He let the veiled reference to the Justice League sit for a while, giving the audience time to ingest what he was saying.
"We have, for too long, supported these people while they continue to do nothing but destroy our cities and sacrifice innocent lives. It is time we were able to keep these creatures in check, before they grow to be a problem beyond our capacity to handle."
He looked around. Reporters were frantically jotting down notes, and photographers were taking photo after photo. He had warmed his audience, now it was time for the icing on the cake.
"Now we'll open for questions," he said, smiling.