The Watchtower
November 16, 21:21 EST
"Recognized: Banshee, B-two-three."
The guy let out an exasperated groan as he walked out of the Tube. "Sorry I'm late, coming back from the meet took a bit longer than expected," he apologized to the group in the room.
"It is fine," Aquaman assured.
It looked like nearly everyone was there and waiting for the briefing. A couple of weeks prior, Halo, Geo-Force, Forager, and the new girl, Terra, finally joined the team. The reason Banshee was there was to add an extra member with experience with so many new teammates on one mission. But besides that, it looked as if they were just waiting for one more person.
Banshee nudged the blonde woman in his path as he walked by. "Glad to see you back," he said with a grin.
Besides their new members, Tigress had rejoined too. Although it wasn't long after Siren had left that Tigress did too, deciding it was too much to handle after she lost her boyfriend as a consequence of the life.
So seeing the woman back without her best friend, it was a little strange and admittedly sad. If she ever felt the same, she didn't let it show. "Glad to be back, Ban," Tigress said with a smile.
"Recognized: Beast Boy, B-two-zero."
Tigress smirked as the kid finally arrived. He, too, had rejoined the team, after learning about Gretchen Goode's little secret single-handedly.
"Oh, hey, you're a little late, Garf-"
Beast Boy cut her off her teasing, not even paying attention as he stormed past her. "Fifty-two takes. Fifty-two!"
Damn. "O-kay," Tigress said slowly. "We will talk about it later..."
She rejoined Aquaman's side, addressing the team as the briefing began. "Okay, everybody, Miss Martian was needed at the Meta-Human Youth Center, so she assigned me to lead Gamma Squad."
"This will be a covert mission. Recon only," the Justice League's co-leader reminded.
Beast Boy, obviously still pissed about whatever happened during shooting that day, scoffed as he leaned to stage-whisper to Forager.
"They always say 'recon only,'" he muttered. "It never turns out that way."
And obviously, Aquaman wasn't too happy about that little jab involving several past missions. "The mission had better 'turn out that way' since the League is not allowed in Russia without prior consent."
"Russia?" Geo-Force inquired.
A global map and video feed pulled up behind the two adults simultaneously. "We're being sent to investigate Russia's Ploshchad Fifty-Two base," Tigress explained. "We have intel of a possible government-sponsored meta-program there."
"No doubt the Russian equivalent of Bedlam," the prince said tightly.
Aquaman looked at him. "I understand Markovia suffered under the former Soviet Union, but do not prejudge. Yes, this may be Russia's equivalent to Bedlam, or it may be their equivalent to Taos."
Banshee crossed his arms. "So we go in, find out, get out, done, yeah?"
"Yeah," Tigress confirmed. "So switch to polar stealth, we leave in five."
Guess it's going to be a quiet night then.
~/~/~/~
Verkhoyansk
November 17, 23:23 VLAT
There was no sound other than the howling wind and crunch of snow as Banshee silently ran out of the Bio-Ship following Tigress' signal. Beast Boy had gone ahead, camouflaged as a bird, leaving the rest of Gamma to trail behind. Or rather, under, since the stealthiest option was to have both Markov siblings dig a tunnel from their position all the way to the end of the hill.
Once they reached the base, Beast Boy's feed showed that they were inside the perimeter and clear to move. With a single nod from Tigress, Geo-Force opened up a hole above them for Terra to lift them out of. As they came into view of one of the buildings just past the fence, Halo quickly threw up an illusion, hiding them from view.
Just in time too, a scientist standing just past the window glanced in the direction with suspicion. We're not here, we're not here, we're not here. Seeing nothing, the woman walked away.
The group silently moved closer, watching the conversation between two other people. A woman was wearing heavy-duty armor and a man was still unclothed but standing in front of a chamber.
"Welcome, Lieutenant Dmitri Pushkin, to Area Fifty-Two," the woman said, Banshee's new darkwear lens providing automatic translation. A good thing too since he knew a little Russian, but not nearly enough to follow fluent speakers.
The lieutenant saluted. "It is an honor, Colonel Olga Ilyich."
"It is an honor you have earned after volunteering and training. Soon, Lieutenant, you will take your place as the newest member of the Rocket Red Brigade."
Rocket Red Brigade? Banshee's brow furrowed as he looked on. The scientist had moved to the chamber, fiddling with it while the lieutenant and colonel spoke. Upon further inspection, the man had metal plates attached to his body along various joints. The sight wasn't all that comforting.
"The bonding of a Red to his armor is painful," the colonel continued, increasing Banshee's discomfort even further. "Fortunately, you will be in a drug-induced sleep."
The chamber opened wide, revealing an armor similar to the colonel's. It looked ready and primed for someone to step right into. Jesus.
"Understood," the lieutenant said. "And soon the Brigade will be revealed to the world...as heroes whose valor puts the Justice League to shame."
Banshee scowled, glancing over at Tigress to see what their next move would be. As expected, she signaled for them to head out, going back the way they came. It was like they were never there.
"Forager, prepare for extraction," Tigress called out over comms after they had returned to the tunnel. "Our mission's complete."
Banshee was still thinking about what they saw at the base. What is it with people trying to one-up the League? He wanted to run his hand through his hair, but the beanie camouflaging the dark strands prevented that. So, he opted to tug on his undershirt's sleeves, ensuring his tattoos were still hidden.
"It is?" Halo asked.
Banshee wasn't the only one frustrated, but Geo-Force was significantly more so. "Why are we not stopping this?" the prince demanded to know.
"Because it's not our business," Tigress said simply. "If volunteers want to be heroes, who are we to say no?"
"But their government will use them as super-soldiers for- for propaganda and who knows what. They want to be the Russian Justice League!" Geo-Force hissed.
"And that's not our business either."
She was right of course. Even though they wanted to strive to do better than the Justice League, they still had good intentions. Who was the team or even the League to deny them that?
Once they were moving back through the tunnel on a platform created by Terra, a video flashed in Banshee's vision. His stomach dropped when he saw who was visible.
"Tigress, Beast Boy's feed," Halo whispered urgently.
"Noted," the squad leader said. "I have confirmed IDs on Black Manta, Captain Boomerang, and Monsieur Mallah, all of whom should be in Belle Reve prison wearing inhibitor collars."
"I thought that place was supposed to be escape-proof," Geo-Force said incredulously.
Banshee couldn't help but snort. "It is."
"Did anyone tell them?" Halo wondered.
Tigress let out a sigh. "It looks like they're planning a little surprise party for the Russians."
Geo-Force looked at her. "And is that our business?"
Banshee eyed the video feed. "Whatever that answer is, it better be made fast," he warned.
Tigress' jaw tightened. "Terra, give cover to the base, now!"
Terra quickly thrust one hand upwards, sending a shield of rocks bursting out of the ground. It was perfect timing too judging by the near-immediate explosion and tremors that went through the tunnel as the squad shot back to the drop-off point.
They, too, burst out of the ground as they prepared to defend the base from its attackers. When the smoke cleared, one particular person wasn't happy to see them. Rather, see their leader.
"Tigress! You and I have a score to settle." Black Manta snapped.
With a Halo shield covering them all, Tigress' bow expanded, arrows poised as she glared at the man she once worked beside as a double agent. "Really?" she inquired. "'Cause I'm pretty sure your son and I settled that score two years ago."
The trio was the first to attack, gunfire, lasers, and boomerangs alike assaulting the shield. Banshee's squad held back, waiting for the right moment.
And that moment came when a green rhino charged at Mallah. Tigress and Banshee went after Manta while the rest ganged up on Captain Boomerang.
With a press of a button, Banshee's bo-staff split into two nightsticks with handles to hold them flush to his forearms. They acted as a type of bracer which was particularly useful against a man who could shoot lasers out of his helmet. That, plus his agility thanks to years of traversing Star City's rooftops, kept him from being scorched as he and Tigress circled Manta.
Tigress pushed off a boulder, firing an arrow in Manta's direction. It didn't hit him, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it went off, exploding in Manta's face which sent him flying backward. That gave Banshee a chance to drop down on the man's head so to speak, slamming the solid metal into the space between his helmet and suit. With a shove, Manta toppled back even further until he landed face down in the snow.
It didn't take long for him to get back on his feet, forcing Banshee to retreat. It became a dance between the three of them, Banshee and Tigress either attacking or pulling back to mess with Manta's mind and cause him to slip. It would be much easier if Manta weren't so damn competent.
"Halo!"
Banshee had bounced off a tree trunk to avoid a blast at the same time as Geo-Force had let out a panicked cry. Sparing a glance in their direction while Black Manta's lasers were focused on Tigress, the young siren saw Halo slumped against a tree with a boomerang protruding out of her sternum. Fuck.
In the short seconds that Banshee was distracted, a body was flung into him, sending them both flying backward. Then a boulder went sailing over their heads. As Banshee pushed himself up out of the snow, wiping the clumps of ice off his face, he was concerned to see their opponents starting to fall back per Manta's order.
"Boomerang, we need cover!" he called out.
The Australian man grinned. "Best idea I've heard all year." He quickly threw down the boomerang he had on hand, dark plumes of smoke instantly obstructing the squad's view.
"Gamma, HUDs on infrared," Tigress quickly ordered, a split second after Banshee had done just that.
"No need for that."
At the new voice speaking above them all, Banshee's head shot up to find the two Rocket Red soldiers hovering there, arms raised to fire their weapons at any sign of danger.
"Move and you'll die," came the colonel's voice.
If they didn't dip, they were screwed. Anyone associated with the League was not allowed to be there–the team included–so they were about to be in big trouble if they didn't disappear.
"Halo, boom tube?" Tigress whispered to the wounded girl.
Geo-Force had managed to pull his girlfriend to her feet, wrapping his arms securely around her as her violet aura did its magic. "She's still recovering," he informed, eyes narrowed. "So we fight."
Except Tigress wasn't having that. "No, stand down," she urged.
She held her arms up in surrender, turning to address the Russians. "We have no quarrel with the heroes of Russia," she called out. "We didn't come here to attack you. In fact, we prevented an attack."
"You expect us to believe this?" the lieutenant said incredulously.
Before anyone could answer or continue to argue, a missile came flying through the air and struck him down.
The colonel shouted, translated by the darkwear tech, "It's a trap!"
"No, it's not-" Another explosion cut Banshee off as a couple of more missiles hit Halo's shield.
Although Manta was trying to attack them, it was clear his focus was on the Rocket Reds. Between the gunfire blinding the colonel and a single boomerang exploding in her face, both soldiers were down for the count.
Quickly setting sights on the three villains circling up on those still standing, Banshee's muscles tensed involuntarily. Once they got closer, they began their assault. The bubble around all six heroes tremored as Halo fought to keep it steady.
"Can't...maintain...shield!"
Tigress' hand flew up to her comm. "Forager, now!"
Just above them, the Bio-Ship came into view as the bug inside began to fight back. With the new layer of protection forcing their opponents back, the squad had room to counterattack.
"Halo, drop the shield," Tigress ordered as Banshee slotted his bo-staff back to full length. "Gamma, go!"
Banshee all but pounced, following Tigress' lead as they returned to their battle against Black Manta. For a moment, it was a flurry of staffs and lasers as all persons involved threw all they had. Manta was ruthless, just like he once tried to instill into his own son, but Tigress wasn't having it.
It didn't take long for her to push back against the villain. It didn't take much for Banshee to grasp the fact that the fight was getting a bit personal. So he did ease up, allowing the archer to do her thing. And all it took was a mid-air roundhouse to the head to send Manta flying.
Finally reaching a point where she could finish the job, Tigress ran up to where Manta had fallen but didn't account for how winded he might or might not have been. Banshee saw it coming before she did, but there was no time to move or call out a warning before Manta fired at her.
When she fell back several feet away, Banshee raced to her side, dropping in front of her fallen body to guard her. He scowled at the man as he stood. Would really love to have my mask right now!
As if some higher power heard his silent pleas, both Rocket Reds suddenly dropped from above, one on each side of Black Manta. "Rocket Red Circuit Attack!"
Rocket Red what now?
Two guns jutted out of the shoulders of each Red and–before Manta could flee–sent out waves of electricity that sent Manta into a spazzing fit. He hit the ground with a soft thud, unconscious.
Finally. Banshee dropped his stance, immediately turning around to help Tigress stand. She clutched her wounded shoulder, leaning up against the kid for a moment as she got her bearings again.
Beast Boy shifted out of 'beast mode', resting a concerned hand on their leader's good arm while the rest of the team converged. They all watched with wary gazes as the colonel and lieutenant drew closer, weapons drawn. Banshee glared at them. Seriously?
One of them spoke after a moment. "Wait, aren't you...Tork?" he asked Beast Boy.
Normally, Banshee would laugh. It wasn't every day that a teammate was also the lead actor in a popular show–one he particularly enjoyed himself. But at that moment, he just rolled his eyes while Beast Boy groaned.
Tigress grunted as she straightened up. Banshee kept a hand on her upper back just in case. It was probably just a graze, but he would feel better after it got looked at.
"Again," Tigress said slowly. "We're not here to fight you. Which should be obvious, since our ship could've attacked you while camouflaged."
Banshee kept quiet, but he still itched to comment that she had a point. Even then, why would they have squabbled against another squad just to play up appearances? Why would we wound ourselves on purpose?
"All we ask is that you allow us to take these escaped convicts back to Belle Reve prison," Tigress added calmly.
"Do you think us fools?" the lieutenant snapped. "You American meta-humans have violated Russian sovereignty."
"We're not all metas," Banshee mumbled.
"We are not Americans," Geo-Force said a bit louder.
"And we're not your enemy," Beast Boy finished.
Tigress wasn't done. "You can take us in. We won't resist," she assured. "But word will get out that your top secret base was infiltrated by two separate covert American meta-squads."
Again, she had a point. And they knew it too.
The colonel lowered her arms, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Just go," she acquiesced.
~/~/~/~
Belle Reve Parish
November 17, 10:10 CST
They didn't stick around any longer than they needed to. After hog-tying their three captives and hauling them on board, Gamma Squad took off, heading straight for Belle Reve with Aquaman promising he'd be there to see to the return of the three convicts.
Hidden high in the sky, Banshee tugged off his beanie to shake his hair loose while they all waited. Able to listen and watch through Aquaman's comms and surveillance cameras respectively, they watched as Captain Boomerang, Mallah, and Black Manta were escorted back to their cells.
As the final villain walked to the entrance, he came to an abrupt stop once he laid eyes on his son that was overseeing.
"Kaldur'ahm," Black Manta greeted darkly. "Seeing you in those colors turns my stomach. Nearly as much as the memory of your relationship with that woman did."
Even though Aquaman's face wasn't visible, the just barely noticeable icy tone in the man's voice was unmistakable. "Then it is fortunate you cannot see them or her from your prison cell, Father."
Banshee's eyebrow lifted. Well then...
Manta grunted, saying nothing else as he was forced to continue on.
With no one around, Aquaman could finally speak to the team freely. "I spoke with Warden Economos about the three dangerous felons who escaped Belle Reve under his watch," he told them, mainly addressing one of his oldest friends.
Tigress tilted her head. "Let me guess, he had 'no idea they were gone'?" she surmised.
"He admitted nothing, but, yes, that was my impression. He claimed the situation was being 'handled' and promised to send someone up to explain."
Banshee scoffed, crossing his arms. Well isn't that convenient?
Tigress had the same train of thought. "Oh, someone other than the man in charge of the place?" she asked.
"Apparently." Then Aquaman changed subjects. "How did the new team members do on the mission?"
Tigress peeked at the kids in question from the corner of her eye. "Uh, you know they can hear you," she reminded.
"I do."
Banshee followed Tigress' gaze to the other one who had gotten injured during the battle. She had become abnormally quiet, lost in thought. Probably still recovering from that nasty attack.
"Halo got banged up pretty good, but the rest did okay," Tigress reported.
"And Terra?" Aquaman questioned, wondering about the newest hero.
Tigress smiled down at her. "She did fine," was all she said.
Beast Boy straightened up. "So, what now, boss?" he asked, intent on returning to the previous topic. "Press conference?"
"Tell the world Belle Reve is not as escape-proof as advertised?"
Before anyone could consider his rhetorical question, a new person made themself known. "I wouldn't recommend it."
No fucking way. Banshee leaned forward, eyes narrowing when he saw the woman that approached the Justice League's leader. What he would have given to see Aquaman's expression up close.
"Amanda Waller," the man greeted. "What is the former warden of Belle Reve doing here now?"
"My job and my duty," Waller answered. "When your people aren't interfering."
"So it was an op," Aquaman realized. "Manta, Mallah, Boomerang, all working for you."
Waller straightened her pristine tie. "Not for me. For the US Government, which I represent," she corrected.
"By tapping into Belle Reve's previously untapped source of meta-individuals?"
"To run hazardous missions we wouldn't risk our people on."
Banshee scowled. Forcing people you see as disposable to risk their lives to do your dirty work. So just a regular day at the office, huh?
Aquaman had another concern though. "And yet you risk loosing Manta on the world?" he questioned, thinking about the trouble his father had caused in the past.
"There are carrots and sticks. Very persuasive sticks," Waller waved off. "Our operatives know they're extremely expendable."
It was doubtful that their 'operatives' were one hundred percent willing to do whatever. As much as many of them wanted to create chaos and ruin whatever they could, Banshee had a feeling that not many wanted their lives to be the cost of doing so. I wonder if she's got some sort of leverage that's making it hard to say no.
Whether Aquaman had the same idea, he didn't let it be known. "I see," he said almost casually. "And if your...'suicide squad' is caught or killed?"
"They're disavowed. Task Force X does not officially exist," Waller said calmly.
"Then why reveal it to me?" Aquaman questioned.
Waller closed the gap between the two of them. "Clarity," she said simply, pointing at him. "You expose my operation, and I expose your little playgroup."
Banshee's eyes widened. She knows?
Finished with the little talk, Waller began to walk away. "Given current public opinion, the League has way more to lose than I," she said with finality.
Banshee's fists tightened as he glared at the empty space where she stood just seconds before.
Beast Boy wasn't happy either. "Big talk. She's totally bluffing!"
There was a small pause before Aquaman answered, "We all have secrets to keep."
Banshee let a puff of air escape his nose. And see where those got us before.
~/~/~/~
I wasn't going to upload early again since I did it last week, but someone reminded me that it's a certain Miss Lance's birthday at the time that I'm writing this end note (March 20th), so I thought, why the hell not? In that case, happy birthday to Jen! If you're curious to know how old she would be if she existed irl or if the show had a season that took place in 2023, she would be 29!
Anyways, the next chapter is a fun one and finally sets up for something big. Not sure if anyone's picked up on what that is (it's pretty obvious imo but who knows!) but it'll come to fruition soon.
Also, the writing stage of ASF is officially over! I finished the finale last week! I think this is the first time I've ever been so far ahead of schedule. We've still got quite aways until then though, so I won't go into any detail about the end of this fic until we get closer, but I just wanted to update you all on where we're at in the process!
See you next week!