One Year Later
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Leon/Crisis, and Bast.
Chapter 40: Hidden Secrets
Deadpool walked on stage,
"And here we are; the last chapter in this story arc. You know, I've got to say, it's been a nice run. I mean, I got to chop up some bad guy Nazis, steal nerve gas, and even watched as you totally destroyed Watchtower! All in all, it's been a great forty chapters!"
Don't get too comfortable, Wilson. The show's not over yet.
Superman groaned from backstage,
"Can we start this already? I don't know how much longer I can stand the suspense. Add to the fact that I was knocked out."
Chill out, Boy Scout. I've got this. And now, the conclusion of One Year Later…
At Wayne Manor…
The founders, minus John Stewart, were all meeting to discuss the next course of action. John Stewart, the Green Lantern that helped found the Justice League, was incommunicado and it was now down to five; Hawkgirl, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter.
J'onn said,
"There has been a needless loss of life today."
Batman growled,
"That's it. From now on, no more civilians involved. We put ourselves in danger, not the people that can't defend themselves. When we build the next Watchtower, we're doing it in a location that can't be compromised. Not like it was."
Hawkgirl nodded,
"I agree."
Diana asked,
"But, where would we build it?"
"The Moon sounds like a good idea."
Everyone turned and Nick Fury was leaning in the doorway. Superman stood up,
"How did you-?"
The one-eyed leader of the Howling Commandos chuckled,
"You should know by now I can go where I want, when I want. Besides, the security in this place was just as bad as Watchtower."
He sat at the table, not noticing the looks he was getting. Or simply not caring. He pulled out his cigar and was about to light it when Batman said,
"No smoking."
Fury took one look at the Dark Knight and lit up, defying the Caped Crusader right there on the spot. J'onn was a bit surprised,
"Are you sure that is wise?"
Fury looked back,
"It's my body. If you don't like it, open a window."
He puffed a little before leaning forward,
"I nearly bit of the kid's head for this. He screwed up."
Superman asked,
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Fury took out his cigar,
"Crisis made a deal to get this kid back from the Feds. He hand-delivered two canisters of nerve gas we stole from Kasnia, courtesy of the Red Skull and a guy named Colonel Rajak."
The room grew silent as Fury continued,
"Kid thought he had could deal his way to get what he wanted. Honestly, I can see why."
Diana shook her head in shock,
"And you let him do this?"
Fury scoffed,
"Kid did it behind my back. Believe me; he's feeling worse about this than you do."
Hawkgirl growled,
"He ought to! Innocent people died because of what Crisis did!"
The former head of SHIELD laughed,
"Oh, please. If the situation was you instead of Crisis, wouldn't you want to make a deal?"
Batman narrowed his eyes,
"The weapons would have been destroyed. You risked releasing that gas in Kasnia!"
Fury responded with a straight face,
"Better there than here, right?"
Superman grabbed the colonel by his throat and slammed him into a wall,
"You're a monster."
"Superman, put him down."
Captain America was standing in the doorway. He said,
"Superman, please."
The Man of Steel sighed and put him down. Cap looked at Fury,
"Nick, I'm sorry, but Superman does have a point."
Fury shook his head,
"Don't go there, Steve. I've done things as a member of SHIELD and as the head of SHIELD that would border on the inhuman, even by a villain's standards. The difference here is that I let you get all the glory because people look up to you. People actually respect you, all of you as heroes."
He looked back at the heroes,
"Don't get me wrong. You've all put your lives on the line, saving the day, putting the bad guys in jail. I have to deal with the cold reality of the situation that there are some people that are simply unwilling, incapable, or even fit the definition of a human being that have to be stopped. It was never about glory for me. It was never about being in the spotlight. It was always the trenches for guys like me. Guys like Crisis, too."
Fury sighed and shook his head,
"These are my decisions and I'll face the consequences for them when it's time. And, right now, it ain't time."
As he was about to leave, Batman asked,
"And when would that be?"
Fury looked back and said,
"I'll know. Believe me. I'll know."
Meanwhile…
Crisis was sitting in the infirmary bed at the Howling Commando base. He sat in a chair next to his girlfriend Farrah, who had fallen asleep after hours of labor delivering four beautiful babies.
Three of the babies were girls, but the fourth, her son, was born first. He looked like a normal human baby boy. Farrah smiled when she held him.
All the girls had red, cat-like eyes, but only two of them looked more feline, like their mother. The girls were all resting in separate cribs, but Leon was holding the boy. He looked at him and smiled. He shook his head, saying,
"So, you're my son."
Leon held the baby close,
"I can't believe you're actually my son. I mean, for sure, I thought…"
He swallowed and put the baby back in his crib. Farrah stirred at that moment and looked up at Leon,
"Leon, honey?"
Crisis looked back,
"Yes, Farrah?"
Persiana smiled,
"What do you think?"
"I think they're all beautiful children. Are they…?"
"I know they're not yours. But, that doesn't mean that you can't raise them with me?"
Leon nodded,
"Yeah."
His smile then faded as he looked back at Farrah,
"Have you thought of names yet?"
The white-haired cat-woman shook her head,
"Not yet. I was thinking of you naming our son."
Leon chuckled,
"I really haven't thought of one, to be honest."
Farrah curled into a ball,
"How about…Lance?"
Leon looked back,
"Really?"
Farrah nodded. Leon then looked at his son,
"Lance. I like it."
Two days later…
With plans to build the new Watchtower were being discussed, Crisis and Fury had got to talking to use one of the bases they had used earlier in their mobile travels. The base was located in the secluded area of the Rocky Mountains, which did not seem like much, but it was away from civilization.
It was also in this two day period that Barry Allen, the second Flash, had been revived and, as it turned out, he had a lot of catching up to do, from history and new heroes, to the situation involving Persiana's arrival and the other world that she came from.
Around this time as well, the heroes from the Justice League had all been gathered in one location and Crisis and Fury decided to address them. Leon said,
"I know we've been a bit hospitable to you because of your plight, and, I know that all of you are going to need to take time to mourn and rebuild what you've lost, so, feel free to use this base as long as you need to."
Fury then ordered,
"All right, commandos. Move out."
As the Howling Commandos left, Superman asked,
"What was that all about?"
Batman shook his head,
"I don't know. But, they are definitely not telling us something."
Captain America nodded,
"I agree, but I trust Fury. Whatever it is, he knows how to handle it."
In another hall, Troia asked,
"Why did you not tell them of the vision, Leon?"
The red-eyed commando explained,
"I don't know anything about this guy Daken's been taking orders from, and I don't want to have to tell Batman his son is with him."
Roy blinked,
"Wait, what? Batman has a son?"
Fury nodded,
"From what Talia said, I believe her."
A door opened and in stepped the commandos. A woman wearing a dark suit and dark black hair swiveled around in the chair. She purred an accented greeting,
"Colonel Fury."
Fury responded back coldly,
"Talia al-Ghul, Ra's al-Ghul's daughter."
Talia said,
"I thank you again for treating me and getting me out of that horrible prison."
Fury said sternly,
"Don't flatter yourself. You have information we need and this is only a mutual understanding. Personally, I'd let Crisis take a shot at you just to see if you'd break."
Talia looked a little surprised,
"Surely you would not take advantage of a woman of my beauty, would you not?"
Leon said,
"The thought never occurred to me. Besides, I've done some very bad things to people in this line of work."
Talia nodded,
"So I understand. All right, I will help you, but, I want your word that you will retrieve my son from my father and make me head of the League of Assassins."
Fury nodded,
"Sure. If it'll take down Ra's al-Ghul, then I'm all for it."
Deadpool grinned,
"And that concludes our story! Stay tuned, everybody! More insanity and more action coming soon!"
Talia blinked and asked,
"Is he always like this?"
Leon groaned,
"You have no idea."
End of One Year Later