It wasn't Batman's first time infiltrating Lexcorp; he rather thought it wouldn't be the last.
With the discovery of Luthor having involvement with the future footage broadcast, it was time to get some answers. Luthor had an endgame by releasing it when he had, an ulterior motive that needed explaining.
However, Luthor was not one to rest on his laurels. No doubt he would have been smarting from the missing Brainiac robot he had been keeping, so he would have adjusted his security, which he had.
Nothing was impenetrable, however, and that was how Batman came to be standing behind Luthor's desk as he worked diligently on paperwork for his company. The vigilante just stared at his back, assessing the situation. There were security guards on the other side of the office doors, just waiting to be called in should their boss need it. Glancing at the window revealing the Metropolis skyline, Batman came up with a couple of solutions should he need to discourage trigger-happy tendencies.
Feeling he had wasted enough time, the dark-clad man growled out, "Luthor."
The bald billionaire jumped in his seat before spinning around, eyes wild. "You!" he exclaimed the moment he caught sight of him.
Batman stepped forward, pulling away from the shadows that had gathered in the office corner. "We need to talk," he continued, ignoring the man's startled behavior.
Unsurprisingly, Luthor quickly collected himself, turning his chair around to face him, resting his elbows on the armrests so that his fingers could entwine with each other in front of his face. "To what do I owe this visit?"
Moving a hand out from beneath his cape, he revealed his PDA, on its screen the video of the broadcast. It was silent at first even as the video played, but with a push of a button, the volume turned on. "They went from being reactive to proactive. Military hot spots, politically tense regions, crime-ridden cities, they went into all of them and began systematically stopping all conflict."
Luthor gazed at the screen. "It's rather shocking," he admitted after a moment. "Not that I'm surprised. I always knew Superman and his friends were capable of such atrocities."
"I rather doubt you're stunned by this considering it was you who released it," Batman rebutted.
The bald man raised an eyebrow. "And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"It wasn't easy," the vigilante admitted, "but I traced the signal's origins here."
"So naturally it had to be me. That's a rather—"
Batman took a step closer to Luthor, one that also put him right next to the desk. With a fist, he slammed it onto the desk, cutting the man off. Though he hadn't hit it as hard as he normally would have, there were noticeable cracks in the wood surface, a result from the 5-93-U-R still in his system. "Cut the crap," he growled. "Nothing happens in this building without your knowledge. You know it; I know it."
"Or what?" Luthor challenged, a knowing look on his face. "Are you going to rough me up? Pull my fingernails? Record a confession on that glorified body cam on your person?"
That caused the Dark Knight to narrow his eyes. The business mogul knew about the camera lenses in his mask. Something wasn't right here.
When he stayed silent, Luthor shook his head like a disappointed schoolteacher. "No, I'm afraid I won't make such incriminating statements for you. I'll admit, it's rather ingenious of you to have that feature. If someone weren't in the know, they could tell you everything and you would have it documented for the police. However, I am not your typical street punk. I didn't get to my position by being stupid."
"Then how do you explain the broadcast frequency originating from here?" he pressed.
"I have no earthly idea. Perhaps a technician of mine decided to share with the entire world just what a menace Superman truly is. It wasn't that long ago we saw that alien's true colors when he nearly demolished this city."
That was a fair point, but a rogue technician? Luthor must think him a moron if he thought he'd believe that. No one did anything without Luthor's approval here. "And naturally you've hired as many anti-Superman employees as you could, even if most of them barely have a high school degree. Not exactly the people you would think could develop high tech computer systems and weapons."
"And where are you getting that demographic?" the man questioned. "Stereotyping is an early phase of prejudice, after all."
Batman then leaned in, his face closing in on Luthor's. "Where did you get the video?"
"And again, my first time seeing it was when it was broadcasted," he replied coolly.
"So it would have nothing to do with your time spent on Brainiac's ship."
There was a slight narrowing of Luthor's eyes. Before he could refute the accusation, Batman continued, "I saw your Lexwing when you showed the League your research lab. I also saw that same ship enter Brainiac's during his invasion. I've also noticed you've beefed up your security, some of which comes right from Brainiac's ship; I know, that's the only place I've ever encountered such measures. So unless you have people that are as brilliant as a computerized alien in your employ, you've made an incredible leap in technological advances in a near impossible timeline." He leaned closer. "I'm not buying it, Luthor."
"I do have access to the Brainiac technology," Luthor finally relented. "But as far as collecting it from its source, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Our friends in Washington thought I was an excellent choice to study the tech and harness its potential." He then turned his chair slightly so that he could reach a hand to his computer's keyboard. Hitting a few buttons, a window popped up on the monitor, Luthor's email account. He continued typing one-handed as he did a search and brought up an email that came right from an email address Batman recognized as belonging to the military. The words he saw after briefly skimming it backed up Luthor's story.
"You can't blame a man for utilizing some of the amazing advancements we've developed. Security is and always will be a necessity in this business, so using the best only makes sense to discourage successful infiltrations."
"How is that helping you now?"
The amusement in Luthor's face faded. "It was doing quite well until today. Out of professional curiosity, how did you bypass them?"
"You have your secrets; I have mine."
A small smile appeared on Luthor's face. "I've nearly forgotten what it is like to challenge an intelligent mind; that's another thing I must blame Superman for since his usual solution is to hit something as hard as he can."
"I'm also persistent," Batman warned him.
"Quite true and I have no doubt if you tried, you'd find some skeleton I keep in my closet," the billionaire said. "But there is quite literally nothing you could use against me. They may be more lenient when it comes to vigilantism in Gotham, but in Metropolis, such tactics will not work. Any evidence you gather against me will be thrown out of court as being unlawfully obtained. You can't blackmail me with that same evidence either for the same reason. If you lay a finger on me, I can press charges and you can bet that cape of yours I will."
"And those are the same charges I have waiting for me in Gotham," Batman replied. "Gotham PD has been trying to arrest me for as long as I've been active and as you can see, they haven't been successful. I doubt Metropolis PD would fare any better."
"Point, but any incursion of yours will be deemed trespassing and there isn't a court around that would deny me my right to protect myself. With the cutting edge technology I have here—the military technology—I can use that to protect myself against you. I doubt you'll fare better than Superman since you're just a man."
Batman couldn't help but clench his fists beneath his cape. Luthor was toying with him. No matter what angle he came at him with, he was ready and able to counter him. It was like getting into a game of wits with the Riddler, or even Hugo Strange. The only difference was that Luthor didn't allow his arrogance to get in the way of reality. He didn't allow his own perception to cloud his judgement. He had prepared himself for another encounter with the Dark Knight, considering every angle that could be used against him.
Challenging an intelligent mind, indeed.
"Careful, Luthor," he warned then, drawing back. "When I find something—and I will—I will be back, and nothing will stop me from getting the answers I want."
The bemused look on the bald billionaire never left his face. "Then you'll be sorely disappointed. Now, if you don't mind, I have business matters to attend to, specifically at my newly acquired Gotham property."
While Batman was dealing with the big man himself, the rest of his little team was sneaking into the bowels of LexCorp. This was nothing like finding dirt on mobsters, or charging into the lair of one of the big bads of Gotham. This was far more high tech. Security was...something else.
Passcodes that were changed by the day if not the hour. Visible and not so visible camera with motion sensors attached. Lockdown features that could turn the entire building into prison-like fortress at any time.
Difficult to get into and to infiltrate, but not impossible.
Batman had lent them some toys and those toys were what had gained them access to the lower levels of LexCorp. They were the parts that weren't part of the tour, in case you were wondering, so logically this was where if there was any dirt to find, this would be it.
They split up, a team for each floor they could get to. Nightwing found himself with Black Canary on the second sub-basement, slipping around cameras as they snuck around. Security here was, in a word, insane. Nightwing had never seen anything like it. Yes, there were reasons, but he didn't care about a single one of them. They were making a hard job even harder, but it needed to be done.
The worst part was that neither of them knew what they were looking for. It needed to be something out of the ordinary, or simply didn't belong. Naturally, that was hard because how were they to know what did or didn't belong here?
Every room required some kind of clearance. Each passcode was restricted to some keycard only employees here were granted and highly guarded. It had crossed the vigilante's mind to take one, but that could possibly alert security here. This wasn't a place where "I forgot" was an acceptable answer. No, "I forgot" meant a total lockdown of the floor until the keycard was found.
That was where Batman's toys came in. No, they were not as fast as a keycard, but they could bypass the cybersecurity to get them to the places they were not supposed to be.
Hopefully Batman was doing his job in keeping Luthor distracted. That was part of the plan, you see. Someone with Batman's reputation would draw and keep attention wherever it was, and in front of Luthor's face should definitely be distracting. That had been Nightwing's idea and surprisingly Batman hadn't argued against it.
The gadget did its work once more on yet another door, though it nearly took a whole sixty seconds to do so. It really made him appreciate everything Oracle could do. Unfortunately, the hacker wasn't able to help this time, and not for lack of trying. She had already gone into the Pentagon before, something she would never explain, but this time she came back saying she was effectively blocked out. They were on their own.
However, once the door was open, he slipped in with Black Canary on his tail. He could see a couple of researchers in white lab coats, both of them working on something alongside the far end of the room. Their backs were facing them, so neither were the wiser. But, they could be a problem soon enough.
Slipping out a couple of throwing stars, one small and laced with a strong sedative, he took care of both of the researchers with a throw of his arm. Two stars flew out, connected, and the reactions were nearly instantaneous. Two bodies jerked, one tried to stand up while the other leaned forward, then one fell to the floor while the other slumped.
There, now they had some privacy. Not quite though, what with the camera in the corner…
Huntress drew security detail. While they were still trying to avoid the cameras in the hallways, because better safe than sorry, for the most part, in here, they should be able move with some freedom. If they were caught, Huntress would have control of the security station and wipe their presence clean.
"See anything?" he asked in a hushed tone of voice.
Canary was already searching through the nearest of tables. "Not yet," she answered with the same volume.
This was lucky room number five and so far nothing that really stood out. Oh, they were recording, of course. The lenses in their masks had cameras, something Batman had insisted on for this mission. Maybe it was to have a leg up on the Metropolis billionaire, who knew, but Nightwing couldn't blame the Dark Knight.
Luthor was not a mobster. He wasn't a mad scientist despite all the science here. He didn't have the same mental problems that most of their enemies tended to have. He wasn't even an invader. He was different for the Gotham natives and that meant having to adjust big time.
They found nothing here, so it was on to room number six. Naturally, the sleeping researchers had to be propped up at their work stations before they left. Sleeping on the job was more common than you thought, after all.
It took until lucky room number seven before either of them finally found something that resemble a bombshell. It wasn't a massive room like some of the others, and while there was quite some tech in here, it was clear that it was all focused on one project. In this case, it brought back some memories.
"Is that what I think it is?" Nightwing asked as he approached several headsets.
At his side, Canary nodded her head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say these look like Omnicrons."
Looked like? No, practically identical. Propped up on some stands were indeed the virtual reality headsets that had caused so much trouble. After their brush with them with the Riddler, virtual reality was not something Nightwing had any interest looking into. The nightmares from that situation were only just going away.
Nightmares aside, they needed to know what they were doing here. A computer terminal was booted up, a flash drive inserted with some hacking programs that would make it easier to bypass security, and they were in. Finding anything on the Omnicron was as simple as a quick search. There were a lot of copied files from Computron, not surprising. What were they doing in a sub-basement instead of upstairs in Research & Development, though? He might be out of the loop concerning corporations and big business, but that did not answer the question.
Next came some newer files and these brought a frown to his face. Glancing back to the headsets, he studied them, then looked back to the computer. According to this file, LexCorp had been developing some new Omnicrons, Omicron 2.0 to be precise. Some more digging got him some schematics and doing a comparison with the original Omnicron 1.0 brought up quite a few differences.
Time to make copies—lots of them. Luthor had some plans for the Omnicron, and Nightwing found he trusted none of them, whatever they may be. You know what, since they were here, they might as well check that out. What were Luthor's plans for them?
"I don't like this," Black Canary muttered, staring at the Omnicrons. "I don't like what they're doing here."
Her and him both. Before he could add that thought, he found something. A program was loaded up into the Omnicron 2.0, and out of curiosity, he looked into it.
"The hell…?" he hissed.
"What is it?" Black Canary looked away from the Omnicrons to zero in on him.
Not taking his eyes off the monitor, he raised a hand and gestured for her to come over. "Look at this."
Once beside him, she looked over his shoulder. "What is that?"
That was footage, specifically footage from that damn broadcast, though it was mixed with so much else. A lot of it was focused on Superman and apparently it was supposed to be loaded up in one of the Omnicrons.
Why?
"We knew he had the footage, but it looks like he was doing a lot more with it," the vigilante said slowly, his voice picking up speed with each word he spoke. "He made another version and has it programmed into one of those Omnicrons." Pausing, he looked a little more into it and soon found other versions of the footage. "Correction, he made multiple versions. Each one has been loaded with them."
"Why?" Canary asked, asking the same question he thought only seconds ago.
Shaking his head, Nightwing said, "No idea, but whatever we do, don't put one of them on. If they're anything like the ones Riddler used, we could be trapped by one of them. Let's grab one and return to base, see what else we can't get from it. I'm betting Batman will be very interested."
Bupkis so far, but that was to be expected. Manhunter had ideas about LexCorp, but this went beyond her wildest dreams. There was such advanced tech here, it almost made her feel her staff was out of date.
There had been the briefing before, but really, what could prepare you for everything? Trying to find anything that could link Luthor to everything that was happening, especially to that broadcast, was the number one priority here. Seeing the kind of things that Luthor was keeping under wraps had her fingers itching. Whether it was to take a picture, or to take some for herself was up for extensive debate.
Between herself and Huntress, the two of them had drawn the short straws. With Huntress securing security, that meant the vigilante was on her own, and damn if she didn't know what to look for. You heard the stories, some made national news, but then you turn to the evils on your front doorstep and not to those in Metropolis.
It was times like these where one could feel out of their depth. This wasn't crazy from Arkham, this was one of the richest people in the world, and one that was always one step ahead when it counted.
Manhunter had been DEO before going to Gotham and settling down. There was some advanced tech there, her staff being an example of that. LexCorp was taking it to the next level, that was for sure.
No, no, she couldn't let herself be overwhelmed. There was too much happening and too much at stake. She needed to calm down and think; lean to her strengths and use that.
Her strengths came from her knowledge of the legal system. That's what she added to the Birds of Prey. Black Canary offered leadership, Katana her skills, and Huntress gave both leadership and knowledge of the criminal underworld. With legal, that meant Manhunter knew what the Birds needed to look for and find, anything that would hold up in a court of law. That helped with their own investigations.
So how could she look at LexCorp legally? More importantly, what could she find that would be admissible…?
She found a computer terminal and got to work. One of Batman's gadgets helped with the hack while exposing how much she relied on Oracle to do such work. That was going to need to change in the future, but not now.
A flash drive was inserted into a port and then she was going through directories and files. She looked for anything that could be involved in recent events, put in keywords and all, but there was just so much. A multibillion international company naturally had a backlog of files and projects that it would numb the mind and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Maybe it was luck, or some kind of fate, or a complete accident, but she found something that stood out. She had given up with projects and had moved on to day-to day operations. Was there something happening recently that stood out? Well, again, luck or fate—she'd have to check in with that Dr. Fate guy about that—she found herself finding some call logs.
Nothing too major. There were a host of calls, all happening by the minute. So many were long distance. International calls, calls from one end of the country to the other, many that were within the city, you name it, and none of that was really important. You had to make calls, you know, to keep up a healthy business and all.
Here was the thing: there were only a handful of them, but...why were there calls going to Slaughter Swamp? There was nothing in the Okie-Phanokie Swamp. Yes, Luthor was into real estate and a major developer, but the swamp had a reputation too.
So many developers had come in, wanting to develop the swamp and always failed. It was like the swamp resisted any and all human encroachment. So many fortunes gone, sunk to the bottom of those murky waters.
So who was Luthor talking to that happened to be in that swamp?
It didn't take long. The swamp was in the Gotham neighborhood, so those records would be in a Gotham database. There, she came upon another piece of the puzzle.
Some time ago, and so low key it went under the radar, Luthor had purchased the land rights to Slaughter Swamp.
But after that, nothing. A guy like Luthor, he would have bragged about developing that swamp, even if it was a financial money pit. There was nothing, though. No bragging, no advertisement, nothing. That was so far out of Luthor's public persona that it was downright suspicious.
Maybe it was nothing, but Manhunter wasn't going to let this fly under the radar. Definitely, this needed more investigating.
The door was not opening, not that it looked like it would.
Getting down to this sub-basement had been a bitch. Yeah, Queen Industries had some sub-basements of its own, you know, for reasons, but the security here was beyond anything Green Arrow had ever encountered.
You could chalk it up to it being in a city with Superman and all the threats that coincidentally happened to show up, but this was Lex Luthor, archenemy. The Star City vigilante wouldn't be surprised if all of this security was supposed to keep Superman out rather than run of the mill monsters and corporate espionage.
He was paired with Katana, and the two of them had managed to get this far, though not easily. The elevator hadn't wanted to cooperate, so it was down the shaft instead. Now there was this door. So many biometrics were involved with this thing from retina scanners, voice recognition tech, and cutting edge of DNA scanners.
This was advanced, more so than anything Queen Industries had produced. Arrow had to give credit where credit was due. That didn't mean he had given up yet.
Naturally, that's when he learned how much of a Wi-Fi dead space this place was. It took a lot of struggling, but soon enough he figured out that there was no way to communicate with the outside world from beyond those doors. They looked thick too. How thick? Realistically, maybe thick enough to give Superman trouble.
"Well, I'm out of ideas," the Emerald Archer announced. "The gadgets Batman leant us aren't working,"—because there was nowhere for those gadgets to plug into. There were no keypads either—"there's no internet connection so hacking's not going to work. I don't think I have an arrow for the door,"—a look back and see his thoughts on the thickness once more—"and I'm going to be honest, this set up, this is next level. This is beyond anything I saw at the Watchtower."
Katana was eyeing the door, her hand on the handle of her sword. There was a thought that maybe she could cut her way through, somehow, but after she had laid a hand on the door, she hadn't even bothered unsheathing. All she did offer was, "There is something here."
"What, is the question," he agreed. From the corner of his eye, he noted the black dome in the ceiling where the security camera was watching. Hopefully that eye in the sky was blind right now because the two of them were standing out in the open.
Not that you could call this open. It was a short hallway that led straight to this door from the elevator. They already knew this place was big in size, so that meant there had to be something huge on the other side of those doors.
But what?
Shaking his head, "I hate to say this, but we might want to check elsewhere. Neither of us have what we need to get in."
"Did you find anything that indicates what is here?" the sword-wielding vigilante asked.
Arrow shook his head. "No. There's nothing in the directories, both the public and the one Luthor keeps to himself. There's nothing here either to say what's here. He went out of his way to make sure this all is off the grid. If anyone knows, it's in their heads. Since Martian Manhunter isn't here, we can't have him poke around. We can't go any further from here."
Katana gave a nod, her impassive face giving nothing away about her thoughts. "Is there anything new about it? Increase in movement? Activity?"
"Without doing a stakeout and watching this place for days, if not weeks, it's hard to say." A shrug of his broad shoulders emphasized his point.
"Then we withdraw and try another approach." Katana turned on her heel, heading back to the elevator shaft.
That was pretty much the short of it. There was something behind those doors, his gut was sure of it.
Whether it was important to their investigation, he didn't know, but he knew what his gut said.
It had been some time since Superman had met with the Martian Manhunter. J'onn had been hard at work, diligently following whatever leads he could find while the rest of the League had been floundering around. It was a trait of his the Kryptonian found he had missed since he had discovered the man had gone traitor.
Now was a time for a second chance.
After the announcement of Batman as a prime suspect and for his arrest, Superman had chased down the Martian. If there was anyone that could be a voice of reason, it would be him. J'onn had certain advantages that allowed him to view things differently. If he were to fall in line with the others, he would be a valuable asset.
Of course, he needed to be careful about this. J'onn was a mind reader after all. If he detected subterfuge, it would make him resistant to falling in line. No, the dark-haired man needed to be cautious and convince his former friend to pick the right side once more.
He managed to find J'onn heading back to the infirmary, no doubt to check in on the comatose Girder. That was in line with everything he remembered about the man. However, Hawkgirl was in there too following the fight at the Batcave. He was probably checking in on their comrade as well. "J'onn," Superman called out, causing the Martian to come to a stop and turn to face him.
"Superman," the green man acknowledged. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Superman came to a stop in front of him. "During the meeting, I noticed you were surprised by my...announcement. I wanted to make certain you were alright."
J'onn nodded his understanding. "I do admit I was shocked by your declaration. It—"
"You have to understand," Superman interjected. "If there was another way, I would do it. But this is Bruce we're talking about. I swear, sometimes he goes out of his way to make things more difficult than they should be."
J'onn allowed the ghost of a smile to appear on his face. "I believe I know what you mean. Our dueling investigations into the Pantheon speak for themselves."
"Exactly!" J'onn seemed to know exactly what he was talking about!
"I do have to ask, however, the exact reason why you, John Stewert, and Hawkgirl went to the Batcave," the Martian suddenly asked, killing the vibe as suddenly as it appeared. "Unless there was an emergency, the three of you hardly ventured there. Why the change?"
That was not an unreasonable question, unfortunately. However, perhaps he could use recent events to his advantage. "I was unable to locate either you or Diana. I know the two of you have had closer relations with Bruce than anyone, but you've been absent as of late. I know it has to do with your investigation, but the timing was just wrong."
"Timing," J'onn repeated.
"We needed to know what was going on with Bruce's side of the investigation. He had gone dark on us and we were all at dead ends. So we went to speak with him."
"Despite the tension between John Stewert and Batman as of late?"
If Superman didn't know any better, it seemed as if J'onn was picking his story apart. Perhaps that shouldn't have been so surprising as he did have the mindset of a detective. Damn it, he was screwing this up. "I'll admit, that was a misstep on my own. I hadn't taken into consideration their mutual dislike for each other at the moment."
"I see. What caused the altercation, if I may ask?"
"Upon our arrival, we encountered a transmission between Bruce and someone in the Legion of Doom. Bruce cut off the transmission the moment we arrived. When we pressed him for more information, he attacked."
A frown had appeared on the Martian's face, his brow furrowing. "That is most troubling," he admitted after a moment. "Are you certain it was a communique? Not that Batman had tracked one of them down?"
"That's...plausible, I suppose," Superman begrudgingly agreed. "But considering his hostility, I rather doubt it. He was determined to take us down."
J'onn was quiet for a few seconds. "Would you like for me to locate him? No doubt he has gone underground."
That was true. "No," Superman said, shaking his head. "What you are doing is too important to be stopped because of one man. Perhaps as a last resort."
"Understood." J'onn then began turning away.
The Kryptonian stopped him as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "J'onn, I understand you have an...understanding with Bruce. I know all of this comes as a shock, but you don't need to isolate yourself from us. We're all in this together."
A wider smile appeared on the Martian's face. "I know, Superman. It's something we all tend to forget in trying times like this."
Indeed. For now, he felt as if he had made as much headway as he could. He had made his point and it was time to allow J'onn time to consider everything and come to the right conclusion.
The trick would be keeping him on the correct path this time.
There was very little they had learned. Kid Flash had returned some time ago, unable to locate the Flash. His frustration was easily visual, though his disappointment was much harder to locate under the optimism that the young male would "find him next time."
Red Robin was keeping the rest of them coordinated. Raven, Beast Boy, and Terra were on "monitor duty," meaning they were in charge of securing their island. Should anyone with ill intent approach, Raven would detect them; if anyone set foot on the island, Terra would know; and if they did not leave, Beast Boy would watch and report.
Wonder Girl was assigned as the initial blockage, along with herself. If anyone attacked the Tower, they would be the first to respond. Starfire would have to be on alert, if that was the correct term, and until such an incursion occurred, she was on standby. Her time would be spent close to Cyborg's side, whom was doing an assignment of his own. Keeping track of the Justice League and monitoring their movements as best as he was able from this Earth-based location.
Everyone was stressed from the current situation. Such distrust towards their benefactors was placing them at their limits. They were all young and unaccustomed to this scenario, and Starfire felt her heart breaking for them.
However, she was not the only one who had observed the stress. As she wandered through the hallways of the tower, her path merged with that of her sister. Komand'r had spotted her and was waiting for the younger sister to continue on her course, or to take another hallway.
It was only the two of them, and Starfire recognized this moment for what it was: an opportunity, one that could be kept from the others. They needed to be focused on the League right now and not any problems that existed between herself and her older sister. Their trip into Jump City had been promising, but there had been one subject that had not been broached.
It needed to be broached.
The younger Tamaranean kept true, angling herself to her sister who continued to remain in place. The black-haired elder was the one to greet first. "Your little friends seem distracted lately, Sister Dear. Anything I should know about?"
Starfire shook her head. "It is matters that are native to this planet. They are none of your concern."
It was a smirk that was lazy that marred her sister's face. "I think it might. I am a dignitary, yes? Anything that might cause problems while I remain on this planet should be my concern, should they not?"
"If you feel that your life is in jeopardy, you may leave and you will not be faulted," the younger Tamaranean sibling answered. "Before you make such a choice, this is one topic that I feel needs to be addressed."
Komand'r gave no indication that she was worried or concerned. "And what is on your mind, Koriand'r?"
By now, Starfire stood before her sister who had a slight height advantage, requiring her to tilt her head back ever so slightly. Her shoulders were set into position indicating that she was prepared for a struggle. The two of them were close, closer than they had ever been, and that was including the tour of the human settlement of Jump.
"I would like answers, Komand'r. I would like to know why you set into motion that coup."
She did not know what she was expecting, but the raising of an eyebrow was not meeting any of them. Her sister's demeanor was casual and not in the least tense. "What? Is it keeping you up during the nocturnal hours?"
Starfire's jaw clenched, muscles tightening. "I have never been given a satisfactory explanation, Sister. Why? Why did our kinsmen have to die? Why did you condemn me to a life of slavery? Why did you do any of it?"
The dark-colored eyebrow lowered and facial features became...blank. Empty? They expressed nothing, an expression that Starfire had seen very often whenever she had tried to interact with her sister during their days of youth.
Swallowing, "Do you not have an answer for me?"
Eyes that were shades away from being purest black gazed back at her, unwavering. Subtly, Komand'r's posture straightened even though she remained leaning against the hallway wall. Arms remained crossed, almost like a shield or a defense.
"Sometimes I forget how naive our people are," Komand'r said, her tone of voice calm and even.
Her fists began to clench. "What are you meaning?"
The elder Tamaranean sibling shook her head back, throwing black hair over her shoulder. "We're so proud. Our pride in our strength, our fighting prowess. We are strong. We can fight anything and everything. We own our world and no one can take that away from us."
Then Komand'r pushed herself away from the wall. No, no it wasn't quite Komand'r, was it? No, it was more like the Blackfire persona she adopted when having to deal with others, no matter their species. Blackfire now stood before Starfire, impressive in her regality.
"Except we aren't as strong as we think. Do you not remember the Warlords of Okaara? Remember their training? We, strong Tamaraneans, thrown face first into the dirt with no effort? Do you know that Galfore once trained under them? So many of us have. Our strength was tested and found wanting.
"And do you remember whom the Warlords are loyal to? They are but servants to the Citadelian Royal Family. They've trained so many, and are allowed their autonomy because the Citadelians love a good fight, love watching a good fight, and what would happen if you had no one to train more? There are so many ways a Tamaranean can be beaten. Our strength always has been an illusion.
"You don't even need the Warlords to prove that. A mere virus can do so much worse. Look at me, Sister Dear. Look what that virus did to me. Flight, our most precious of gifts, stolen by something that can't even think. I was landchained before I could learn what was taken from me. And let's not forget about Kysarr, the Citadel's own birthday gift to me, when I was still wailing like an infant. In fact, I was one. When they destroy that city, filled with our kinsmen as you call them, and then said it was all for me.
"How they turned against me. I didn't even know anything. But it was my fault. My fault. That's our people and I should love that? No. Why should I love a people who blame me for starting the war between the Citadel and Tamaran? I was only just born. Oh yes, our parents, they were so kind to shield me from much of the hate. At least they did that. But once I became useless, when that virus struck me, they cast me aside and named you their heir. Remember? Of course, you would be heir provided a coup didn't overthrow Father first. He'd been getting better at fighting them off."
Starfire couldn't help it, she looked down. Royalty among Tamaraneans was...complicated. No one was truly "royal," not when coups were so common. It was once enshrined in law that to be considered royal, you need but conceive and give birth to a single child with non-interruptions into the rulership. So many children conceived, but denied royalty because their parents could not hold on to power long enough. Their family was the first in over one hundred years—Tamaranean years—to accomplish the feat, and did so with Komand'r.
Their parents, as loving and doting as they could be, were also pragmatic. You had to be if you could prove your rule was true in the face of those who thought they could do better. She had not wanted the title because that was her sister's. Why was it being given to her? She did not want it, but it was being forced onto her and now...her sister wouldn't…
"You ask me why? Why I led that coup? Because despite the hatred...I do still love our people. Before that virus, I had loved them, even when I didn't understand the looks they gave me. I had to beg to be allowed to train on Okaara. They did not corrupt me, but merely opened my eyes. They opened my eyes to the reality that is the Vega System.
"Did you know at that time, the Citadel was already fighting multiple fronts when they picked a fight with Tamaran? At least thirty planets were they fighting, because they so love a good fight. So many worlds under invasion and we were just another. I still remember the day when I learned that one of the fronts had ended and the Citadel had successfully conquered a planet. It was almost hilarious how quickly the second and then the third fell. With each new victory, the Citadel could redistribute its forces, reinforcing other invasion battalions, and winning everything."
Blackfire looked over Starfire, looking into a world that the younger sibling was not privy to. "It occurred to me, right then, that Tamaran's turn was coming. Each new victory only strengthened the other fronts. In time, the Citadel would be able to level its strength against our home. Against the full might of the Citadel, Tamaran didn't stand a chance."
Immediately, Starfire wanted to argue. No, it wouldn't have been that way, they wouldn't be conquered by those invaders! Those sick Citadelians who cared for nothing but their pleasures! They would have won! They would have repelled them and guaranteed their planet's freedom!
Pity met her defiance. "Have you ever seen the stronger weapons that the Citadel employs? Do you know how many they have? Do you know...that at their full strength, they would have driven our people into extinction in less than one day? They don't need us alive to rule. Why fight when you can set the atmosphere aflame? Annihilate cities with the press of a button? No amount of hand-to-hand combat would have sufficed. I knew what was coming.
"So I did the only thing I could to save our people. I cut a deal with the Citadel."
A gasp, a swift intake of air. "You didn't!"
"I would conquer my own world. If I did so, the Citadel would spare us. If I offered our autonomy, they would not enslave us. So long as I sit on the throne, and pay a tithe, they would not interfere in our affairs. They would own us in name only and only on a piece of paper. No one would ever need to know. That is why I enacted the coup. To make sure no one would disrupt the peace I was creating for them, I had to kill. To spill their blood. So that everyone else would be saved. That is why they died."
Starfire was shaking her head, her body trembling. This tale, it was too much. It could not be true. She didn't want it to be true. They could have, no, they would have fought off the Citadel. There were so many of the Earth movies with such outcomes. For subterfuge and deceptions like what Blackfire was claiming, it was not the Tamaranean way! It could not be!
Blackfire tutted, shaking her head now. "Do not look at me so. You don't have the same moral standing like these children you play with. I know about the Gordanian you killed during your escape to this planet."
Her heart seized and her stomachs clenched. The memory of her Starbolt blasting through her captor flashed through her mind condemningly.
Leaning forward so her lips were close to the younger Tamaranean's ear, Blackfire spoke, "You are no different from me. We have both taken lives. There is no shame in it. We did what we had to do. But if you think you can lord moral superiority over me, think again. I allow much, but I will not allow that.
"And if you think I am keen to remain under the standard of the Citadel, then you underestimate me," her sister continued, pulling away and putting some space between them. "In the end, it only buys time, and I plan to use that time planning a scheme to free us. To do that, the Citadelian royals have to die."
The elder Tamaranean stood taller, head tilted back, expressing familiar smugness. "You don't know how long I searched for a weapon to do such a thing. Then I found it, hidden away and forgotten about. So I took it. The Citadel's rule will soon be over, if it isn't already. I will strike the killing blow if I have to, but I will do it to ensure the survival of our people.
"And for perhaps the first time, I ask but one thing from you. When the time comes, and I act, I hope that you will stand aside. There is enough bad blood between us that to add more would be an act of redundancy. Think about it. For you. For me. For Tamaran. Now, I'll give you some time. You look like you've had your whole world shaken. I know the feeling; I've felt it on Okaara. Take care of yourself and we will speak later."
The next thing Starfire knew, she saw the white cape that flowed behind her sister's strong and mighty form facing her. So pristine in its color and it rippled with every step Blackfire took as she strolled away.
"One more thing." The Grand Ruler of Tamaran came to a stop. "I enjoyed our time in the human settlement. It was...pleasant. Maybe we shall do so again, on Tamaranean streets."
There may have been more words, but Starfire was not sure if she heard them.
So much information had been relayed to her. So much of it she did not want to accept or agree with. But she did know there was truth in those words. The destruction of Kysarr as it was blasted out of existence, coinciding with the presentation of her sister's birth to the people, solidifying her family's status as royal. A war that had raged against the Citadel and her people that had lasted longer than she was old. How her sister was kept out of the eyes of the people, access restricted except in unavoidable situations.
She herself had been protected from the whispers, but that was the nature of whispers. They carried through even the greatest of shields and she had heard them. She did not, did not want to, believe any of them. This was her sister, her Komand'r, and she was her big sister and…
Why did it feel like there was still more? There was still more that Blackfire was not saying?
And what did…
"When we have them again."
What did that mean?
To Guest: I hope this chapter answers that question for you. As for the rest of your review, I think it gets lost in a lot of stories that Batman is a man. While he does a good job controlling himself, he still has moments that he does indulge normal urges. I like to include little moments of those in each story
