AN: So we're back!
This story won the poll on my discord, so yep, good news, it's getting an update! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, and hope you enjoy!
Other than that please do leave a review if you liked it, or a critique if you think there was something I could have done better. I don't have a beta, so if you spot any obvious typos or gramatical errors please let me know!
Another thing while I am at it, is this. I am a part of a discord group, there's tons of others there, plenty of writers, admittedly mainly PJO, but other stuff too, including a growing number of writers from other fandoms too. Feel free to pop along and say hi, I'm always happy to chat about the stuff I am writing. So if you fancy it please do to join by sticking this: discord .gg / elibrary into discord, with no spaces, or using the link on my bio.
Thanks for reading and please enjoy.
I do not own Percy Jackson, DC Comics or Young Justice.
( - )
(Last Time)
Looking around, Batman could see the grim expressions.
They all understood the importance of the mission.
Just as they likely understood why Wonder Woman and Zatara were the only Leaguers going. The situation was important and dangerous and needed a swift response, but at the same time the rest of the world also needed protecting. There were only so many League members they could spare for any one mission, which is why they were drafting in some additional help from the Team.
"Are we all agreed?" Batman asked the room at large.
The response was unanimous.
( - )
Chapter 27
( - )
(With Artemis)
"Artemis…" A soft, plaintive voice called out.
In response, Artemis paused in her current task as she felt herself unconsciously tense up.
A heady mix of guilt, resentment and sadness swirled around in her gut at the familiar voice, even as she turned and saw her mum rolling into her room in her wheelchair.
"H-hey mum," She forced out, as she quickly tore her gaze aware from her mum, and instead continued to dig around in her closet, looking for clean clothing.
She didn't interact with her mum all that much these days. This being despite the fact that they still technically lived together.
With school, the team, and her extracurricular activities, she barely spent any time in the flat.
Most of her evening meals were now either with the team back at Mount Justice, or were after a late night patrol with Green Arrow, when her mum was asleep.
Nowadays, she only ever really came back to the flat to sleep, and even then, over the last week at least, she'd been spending more nights sleeping in her room at the base than she had in her mum's flat.
Things had been tense between them for a while now.
Sometimes she dreaded coming home, if she could even call her mum's flat a home any more.
"Sorry, mum, I can't talk long. I'm supposed to have a mission coming up, and need to grab a few things." Artemis replied quickly, forcing a smile as she quickly shoved some clothing into the waiting bag on her bed.
She didn't want to be here, nor did she want to be drawn into a prolonged conversation, or at least not right now anyway, not while her thoughts were so… muddled.
"Oh," Paula said softly, her dark eyed gaze shifting down to the floor and away from her daughter. "I…, I, well I thought we could maybe talk, perhaps over dinner?"
"I don't know, mum. I'm not sure that I have the time…" Artemis shrugged awkwardly, yet more guilt welled up in her stomach as she saw the sadness in her mother's eyes.
She didn't want things to be this way between them.
She loved her mum, or at least she was pretty sure she did.
Or at least she knew she didn't hate her.
But at the same time, it was difficult.
Her own upbringing had been harsh.
Her father had been a cruel and remorseless taskmaster in his training and testing of her and her sister. He'd been cold, hard and unrelenting, and yet her mother, at least when she had been around, had said nothing about it.
She'd never spoken up in their defence, she'd never told her husband to stop.
Instead, she'd just stood by and done nothing.
Artemis bit her lip, and forced herself to look away.
Her mum had been wheelchair bound for a few years now, but a part of her still had trouble reconciling the frail woman before her with the strong, powerful, cold woman that had raised her.
"It's just a little dinner. I can cook mac and cheese, your favourite." Her mother pushed, her voice laced with uncertainty.
Artemis had to hold back a grimace.
That wasn't her favourite meal.
It had been Jade's favourite.
Glancing back at her mum, and seeing her weak smile, she felt her stomach sink.
She should hate the woman, but she couldn't bring herself to.
Things hadn't been all bad growing up.
There had been a good times, rare though they were, and those good times had always involved her mum and Jade.
Like when they'd gone to the park and had ice cream.
Or when they'd gone to the circus
It hadn't all be bad.
"Sure, why not." Artemis replied softly, zipping up her bag.
The delighted expression on her mum's face was almost as painful to see as her barely hidden sadness had been.
"Great, I…, I will get cooking. Do, do you want to help?" Her mother offered softly, uncertainly. She was wringing her hands as she spoke.
Worrying her lower lip, Artemis eventually nodded.
"Sure."
"Maybe you could tell me about your team too. It sounds like you're having fun, you've, well, you've certainly been looking happier later." Her mother pressed on, still trying to sound chipper.
Forcing a smile, she nodded. "Yeah, they're alright."
Her mother had been the one that helped her get on the team.
When she'd found out that she had been going out at night, and trying her hand at being a vigilante, she'd put her foot down and tried to act like a responsible parent for once. Or rather, she'd used some of her few remaining connections, and had asked Green Arrow to intercede on her behalf.
An unpleasant sensation formed in her stomach as she followed her mum to the kitchen.
Her mum still thought she didn't know.
She thought she didn't know that her mum had all but begged Green Arrow to step in and offer to make her his sidekick.
Her hands clenched into fists at her side.
Initially, she'd been angry when she realised what her mum had done.
She'd felt resentful and angry.
Betrayed.
She'd thought her a hypocrite considering her mum's own past as the villain turned vigilante, Huntress.
But then she'd been reunited with her sister.
She'd met up with Jade again, fought with her, and had seen the way her older sister's life had gone.
Entering the kitchen, a pit formed in her stomach as she forced herself to make small talk with her mum.
She didn't say much, nothing that would compromise her friends in the team, or any of the missions they'd been on.
Instead, she kept the topics mundane and dull.
She told her what it was like going to the private school, Gotham High, and the basics of what it was like being a hero.
It was all so empty and meaningless.
But she did it anyway.
All the while, though, as she spoke she couldn't keep her mind off of the mission to come.
Batman had already warned her in advance that they would be running an operation in Belle Reve.
Belle Reve.
The same place her sister was currently incarcerated….
The pit in her stomach grew at the thought of her sister.
She had to tell her team the truth.
( - )
(At Mount Justice)
Artemis, Superboy, Red Rush, Batgirl and herself, they were all waiting around in the centre of the main chamber with their arms crossed.
As ordered, they were all in their costumes and waiting patiently as both Batman and Black Canary took their position in front of them, and prepared to brief them on their newest mission.
Percy, Aquagirl and Robin were all noticeably absent.
Not that she was surprised. After all, the other three members of the team had headed off earlier that morning to the Hall of Justice on a separate mission.
Just what that mission was, she wasn't sure.
All she knew, was that it was high priority, and involved backing up Wonder Woman and Zatara.
Her lips curved downwards at that thought.
She didn't like how the team had been split up again, even if it was for only a short time.
But then again, from what she could tell, none of them were all that pleased about it. Not after they had all only just been reunited, and not so soon after they had lost of their own.
Still, the mission was the mission, and after the long gap between missions, and following Kaldur's death, all of them were raring to go.
She especially just wanted to hit something, and vent her feelings.
On top of which, it was good to actually be doing something again, as nice as it had been to be reunited and to spend time bonding, it also felt good to be suited up once more.
Overall, it was safe to say that she had mixed feelings.
Part of her was excited about what was to come.
But a greater part of her was missing Percy.
She didn't to be separated from him, not now that they had been reunited.
She missed the constant, faint connection she had to his mind, as unlike all the others he had no problem allowing her to retain a constant connection, weak though it was.
It was a connection she cherished.
She bit her lip at that thought, and shook her head, her long red hair flailing back and forth.
From beside her, she saw Caleb sending her a sideways look at her actions, his brow furrowing in confusion.
The others, meanwhile, all continued to watch Batman as he activated an overhead screen and continued with his brief.
Pushing her distracting thoughts of their team leader away, she sent Caleb a smile, and returned her attention to Batman, even as he finished the initial societal niceties, and got started on the true reason behind the briefing, their upcoming mission to Belle Reve.
"This past fourth of July," Batman continued, looking around at the gathered heroes, "Four ice villains staged simultaneous attacks across the country. These villains; Mr. Freeze, Icicle Jr., Killer Frost, and Captain Cold, were all easily apprehended at the time."
His eyes narrowed as he looked up at the overhead screen.
On the screen were mugshots of the four named villains.
Eyeing them carefully, she took note of Mr Freeze especially, after all he was the big hitter of the group.
"Perhaps too easily." Batman added, his lips thinning. "Cold and Frost were sent to Belle Reve Penitentiary, which as you know is a federal prison designed to house super criminals. The 17 year old Icicle Jr., meanwhile, was sent to a juvenile facility, and Freeze, he went back to his usual cell at Arkham Asylum."
From beside her, she could see Artemis frowning.
She seemed angry, and also a bit nervous?
Wally, meanwhile, started drumming his fingers on his arm.
He felt confused, and also a bit worried?
Without delving into their minds, she wasn't sure exactly what they were thinking – she respected their privacy too much to do that without permission – but she was at least able to use her empathic ability to get a read on their current emotions. IT was one of the newer tricks she'd managed to pick up and hone while training with her uncle.
"But Freeze petitioned the court to be declared legally sane, and Junior sued to be tried as an adult. As a result, both now await transport to Belle Reve, which seems to have been the goal all along." Batman turned and approached the assembled members of the team. "Superboy, Miss Martian, I'm sending you two in to find out why."
M'gann frowned, her gaze flicking over to Caleb, who just met her gaze and smiled.
Feeling slightly better at his confidence, she sent him a slight smile back, before her returning her attention back to the emotional void that was Batman.
With her ability to shapeshift, she wasn't all that surprised that she was being sent to infiltrate the prison. Her abilities were pretty suited to espionage and stealth, more so than anyone else on the team, including Batgirl and Robin, both of whom were basically ninjas.
Sending Superboy though. That was more of a surprise. Caleb was a lovely boy, but he was brash, reckless, and not at all subtle. He was more suited to frontline fighting than stealth. He was a powerhouse, one of the strongest on the team, but he wasn't exactly well suited to infiltrating a gang of criminals in Belle Reve. Not when he was more likely to beat them up than he was to talk amicably with them.
Plus, considering the villains they were facing used ice, she would have thought that Percy, the son of a literal god of water was the natural choice, but then again that was just her opinion.
"Artemis, Red Rush, and Batgirl will be acting as backup." Batman continued, his gaze now shifting to the others. "Artemis will be the one in charge while you're in the field. Both Black Canary and I will act as support. Black Canary will be in immediate standby. But for the most part, you'll be running this operation yourself."
Looking sideways, she sent Artemis a smile.
She was happy for her friend.
She would be a good leader.
Both Superboy and Batgirl did the same, with Batgirl going so far as to pat the shocked and pleased looking Artemis on the shoulder, a bright smile on the redhead's face, even as Artemis returned the friendly gesture with a bright smile her own.
As for Wally, he just looked stunned.
Thankfully though, he didn't raise any objection, as he instead just forced a smile and sent the blonde archer a thumbs up.
Smiling wider now, Artemis took a step forward.
She looked far happier than she had done before the briefing.
Which was good, as she had looked pretty glum when she had first shown up at Mount Justice.
"Who inside the prison will know their true identities?" Artemis asked.
M'gann's smile widened.
It was nice to see the other girl already getting into the swing of things.
If Percy were here, she knew he'd be proud, too.
Plus, a part of her suspected that he'd probably welcome the ability to delegate some of the more tiresome responsibilities onto someone else.
"No one," Batman, ever the personality vacuum, replied bluntly, his expression as unchanged as ever. "We can't be certain the prison staff isn't compromised, and so we'll be acting with the upmost caution."
Artemis's smile faded slightly.
Her pride and happiness was now tempered by caution and worry.
Something about this mission was bothering her.
"How will we get in?" Caleb asked, his gaze on Batman.
Glancing over at the clone, M'gann once again felt his blazing confidence.
He wasn't at all perturbed.
In some ways, his confidence was quite comforting.
It wasn't quite the same as being around Percy, but it was better than nothing.
In response to Caleb's question, Batman shifted the image on the screen so it now showed a news feed.
The image on the screen was playing a recently won fight between her uncle, Superman, and a blonde haired man and woman. They were both heavyset, muscular, and clearly related. The banner running beneath the image named the duo, called them 'the Terror Twins'.
"The Terror Twins were recently arrested, and are now in custody. The plan will be to replace the twins with Miss Martian and Superboy, and have them sent to Belle Reve in their stead." Batman said. "Artemis, you, Red Rush and Batgirl will be remaining outside the prison. Your job is to prepare for an emergency evacuation and to create an exit strategy. If things go wrong, you're to move in and extract both Miss Martian and Superboy. Their safety is of upmost priority."
Artemis nodded her head, her expression tense and serious.
"Belle Reve prison is in the middle of the Louisiana swamplands, so the three of you will be using Miss Martian's bioship to remain inconspicuous whilst you wait outside. If all goes well, Miss Martian and Superboy will find out the ice villain's plot, and will then be safely extracted, whilst we set about foiling it. Worst case, they get found out and attacked, and you retrieve them by force." Batman continued, his eyes narrowing again as the screen overhead switched to the layout of Belle Reve and the surrounding area. "If the worst does come to pass, the League will be running interference."
"Also of note for this mission, Amanda Waller, the current warden of Belle Reve has taken a temporary leave of absence. She will not be at the facility when you infiltrate it. This is both a boon, as it means security will likely be lax, but also a concern, as this may make the villains themselves bolder." Batman pressed on, the image overhead once again changing to show a skinny, middle-aged black woman, with a gaunt face, short black hair and prominent cheek bones.
Staring at the image of the woman, M'gann frowned.
This mission was sounding more complicated than it initially had on the surface.
"Now for the villains themselves…" Batman once again started to speak, the image switching to show Mr Freeze again, as he then proceeded to run through a detailed bio of each villain, including backstories, personality traits, abilities and weaknesses.
Clenching her hands into fists as she listened in, M'gann steeled her nerves for what was to come.
This would be her first big mission.
She didn't count Biayla as that had been a complete mess.
Hopefully this mission didn't go the same way…
( - )
(With Percy)
Percy watched from his position in the centre of the Hall of Justice's private common area as the zeta tube flared to life.
At his side was Diana, Dick and Tula.
All four of them were in their costumes.
Or at least Diana, Robin and Aquagirl were.
His costume however was still completely wrecked after his mission to Bialya, which meant he was back in his Nemean Lion skin jacket, and a set of borrowed and thankfully adjusted Amazonian armour. Including a new breastplate, vambraces, greaves and chainmail.
He looked like a cross between a hoplite and a medieval knight. His outfit was complete with his bladed helmet, now coloured gold to fit in with the rest of his new look.
Honestly, he kind of approved of his new armour.
There was not much that offered better protection than his coat, and the armour Diana had procured from him was pretty top tier too by the looks of it.
Could Batman have designed something better?
Maybe.
But Batman was an asshole. Plus, he would have focused more on keeping the material lightweight to allow for fast movement than he would on how protective it was. For all that he tried to make himself out to be a utilitarian and practical, the guy had a brand, and definitely leaned into his broody edge-lord style.
Diana, however, at least understood what enhanced strength meant, and so hadn't bothered with keeping his armour lightweight.
Instead, she'd focussed on pure durability and function, which he found far more preferable, especially if he was unlucky enough to come across a big hitter.
His sword was currently strapped to his back in the same way Diana's was, and he also now had a pair of axes dangling off of hoops on his belt – he fancied testing out some new weaponry. Hanging off his back, partially covering his sheathed sword, he also had a round shield upon which was embossed the trident of Poseidon.
He was ready for war.
Was it overkill?
Definitely.
But considering how his last mission went, he wasn't taking any chances.
Especially considering the importance of his current mission.
Looking sideways, he could see his two teammates had obviously also had the same thought.
Robin was still wearing the same utility belt around his waist, only now he had a sword sheathed at his hip too. Additionally, his costume had also been updated, with it now having more armour and less spandex. The armouring for costume wasn't quite as heavy as his own, but it was better than the thinner material he had worn before. It was more akin to the kind Batman wore, only parred down, and with a slightly different style.
Tula meanwhile wore the same armour that she had before only now she also carried a golden trident too, it was similar to the design he remembered Aquaman wielding, only a little thinner and shorter.
More noticeable about the aquatic redhead than her new weapon though was her demeanour.
Where before she had been quite open and friendly, now she was quiet.
She hadn't spoken much when she had arrived.
Instead, aside from giving a perfunctory 'hello', she had remained quite withdrawn, and had stood off to the side from them.
From what he could tell, Kaldur's death had hit her hard.
As if sensing his gaze, Tula turned to look at him.
Giving her a smile as they made eye contact, he received only a wane one in response.
Yeah, she was definitely not her normal self.
It was a little worrying.
"Recognised 012: Zatara."
Returning his attention to the Zeta Tubes as the tinny voice rang out, Percy watched as Zatara – a bearded, rail thin, middle-aged man in a black tailcoat, dress trousers, golden waistcoat and black top hat – appeared in a flash of light.
Glancing around at them as he stepped out of the zeta tube, the older man sent them all a slight smile, before without a word he turned, opened a keyboard at the side of the machine and began to type.
"Access granted A01: Zatanna."
Another flash of light appeared as the zeta tube activated once more, only this one preceded the arrival of a teenager girl who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. The girl had shoulder-length, black hair and bright blue eyes.
She didn't look at all like Zatara, who he assumed was her father, even if she did seem to have a similar sense of fashion; as like the older man she was wearing a black top hat and tailcoat, a golden waistcoat, only unlike her father she had a black leotard-like getup on underneath, and a pair of black tights and knee-high boots.
It was an odd look, but honestly he'd seen worse.
"Good morning everyone." Zatara greeted, looking around at the all. "This is my daughter, Zatanna. Zatanna, I know you've already met Wonder Woman, but this is the rest of the team you'll be working with today," Zatara continued with a smile. His gaze flitted first to Diana, before it then moved on to the others, before finally coming to rest on him.
Taking the implied hint, Percy nodded and took a step forward.
Pulling his helmet off, he forced a smile on his face as he turned his attention to the younger girl. She was quite short and petite, over a foot shorter than him. "Hi, my name is…"
"Robin!" Robin interrupted suddenly, stepping in front of Percy with a bright smile.
Zatanna blinked in response, her gaze switching back and forth between the two of them.
Percy meanwhile only smiled at Robin's antics.
Laughing nervously, Robin scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean, I am Robin. This is Riptide, and over there is Aquagirl."
Tula gave a slight wave at the mention of her alias, a slight smile sliding across her face, even as she glanced over at Percy.
Returning the smile, he was heartened to see her perking up, or at least slightly.
"Hey," Percy nodded, returning his gaze to the younger girl. "I'm the leader of the team. Feel free to call me Percy, Perseus, or if you want to keep things professional, Riptide, I really don't mind."
"Yeah, and I'm Tula." Tula tagged on.
Zatanna smiled. "Hey, it's nice to meet you all, as dad just said I'm Zatanna, and yeah, that's just my name, I don't have a hero name or anything like that."
Her eyes drifted past Robin to look at the rest of the team, her blue eyes shifting first to Tula and then to him.
The look in her eyes was a vaguely familiar one.
It was a calculating look, like she was analysing and evaluating everything she was seeing.
"Dad's told me a little bit about each of you, but I'm looking forward to learning more in person. I'll admit I'm still a bit new to all this stuff, but Dad's given me a little training, and well, it'll be nice to actually put it to use." Zatanna continued, her gaze still shifting between them all, before finally moving to Diana.
"Well, you're more than welcome." Diana said warmly. "I know it's been a while since we last saw each other, but you've certainly grown a lot. I nearly didn't recognise you!"
Zatanna's cheeks went a little pink, and she looked away shyly.
Percy supressed a grin at her reaction.
It looked like his cousin had a fan.
Or maybe a mini-me, as the two certainly had some striking similarities, what with them both having bright blue eyes, sharp regal features, and long, raven black hair. They could be sisters, or at least cousins.
"So, are you joining the team?" Robin suddenly jumped in eagerly, excitement entering his voice now as he once again tried to attract the dark haired girl's attention.
This time, Percy failed to hide his grin as he saw Robin trying to work his 'magic' on a literal magician.
It was cute, plus in many ways it was actually quite refreshing to see him acting like a normal, awkward teenager for once, as opposed to trying to play it cool and act like a professional.
"Temporarily," Zatara said quickly, taking a step forward and cutting his daughter off before she had a chance to answer. His smile faded as he spoke, and his gaze became a little sharper he first looked at his daughter, and then turned his attention to the rest of them. "Think of it as a probation period. Zatanna wanted to gain some experience in the field, and since I was already joining Wonder Woman on the mission…, well I thought that bringing her along would be a good idea. As for what happens later… let's just say that that depends on how things go…."
He trailed off.
Percy frowned in response, his previous good humour waning slightly as he eyed Zatara up and down.
He didn't like Zatara's tone, or the way he spoke over his daughter.
Sure, she was only a teenager, but at the same time she deserved to have a say in her own life.
Zatara was either controlling or overprotective, he wasn't sure which. But either way, he didn't like it. It reminded him far too much of his own childhood, or at least what little of it he could still remember.
At his side, Diana gave him a sideways look.
Meeting her gaze, he raised an eyebrow.
In response, she shook her head.
"Alright, that's fine," Percy finally said, forcing a smile on his face and breaking the awkward tension that had followed Zatara's statement. "And since you just mentioned the mission, do you fancy sharing some more of the details? I know the basics, like how we're tracking down the current wielder of Fate's helmet, but that's about it. Do you have a lead yet on where this wielder is? Or any idea of who else is after him?"
Turning his attention to Percy, Zatara nodded, his previous smile once again back on his face. "Yes, thankfully we had a breakthrough, or rather Batman did."
"Oh?" Percy questioned.
"Yes, I was surprised too. But apparently, although the Helmet of Fate is able to shield its current wielder from any magical attempts to find him. It isn't able to do the same against more mundane attempts. I'm not sure of the full details behind just what he did – something to do with an algorithm, a satellite and facial recognition technology – but nor does it particularly matter. Instead, what's important is that we now have a general location. He's in New Orleans." Zatara continued.
"New Orleans?" Robin piped up excitedly.
"Have you been there before?" Percy asked curiously.
"No, but I've heard good things!" Robin grinned.
Tula merely shrugged. "Never heard of it before, but I'm guess it's a city?"
"Yes, it's a large and highly populated city in Louisiana." Diana said, the slightest of frowns on her face.
"Also famous for Mardi Gras!" Robin grinned.
"Which thankfully isn't on right now," Zatara cut in as he tried to get things back on track.
"Right, so New Orleans. It's a big city. Do you reckon you'll be able to use your magic to get a read on where he is once we get there? Or will helmet still block you?" Percy asked, his brow furrowed.
He didn't know much about magic.
It was a bit of a woolly subject, and one that he had already decided he'd need to learn more about.
"It's possible. But considering Maxum's previous profession…" Wonder Woman said, trailing off slightly as she glanced over at Robin and Zatanna. "Let's just say I have a good idea of where you, Tula and I can start looking, while Zatara, Robin and Zatanna try finding him through the magical route."
"Yes, I concur." Zatara nodded swiftly.
Noticeably, Robin didn't seem to object to getting the opportunity to spend more time ogling Zatanna, even if it meant just stand around while she and her father used their magic.
"Sounds like a plan. What about those pursuing him?" Percy asked, switching his gaze between the two Leaguers.
Zatara grimaced. "Well, that is something I can tell you…."
( - )
(On the road to New Orleans)
Alex Trent had always been an angry person.
This he knew as fact.
Personally, he blamed his mother for his natural disposition.
Not that he would ever call her much of a mother. After all, what kind of mother started experimenting on their own unborn child while he was still in the womb?
To any right-minded person, even the thought of it was insane. But yet his mother was that level of crazy as that exact thing had happened, and all because the mental bitch had joined up with the Aryan Brotherhood and had then decided that she wanted to create a 'superior breed of human'.
It was dumb, and yet in many ways her sick twisted experiments had worked.
He might've been raised by an embittered sociopathic racist, and treated like a lab rat for the majority of his life.
But in the end, she was dead and he had superpowers.
So fuck her.
He scowled to himself at that thought, his grip on the steering wheel tightening at the thought of his dead mother, even as he glanced up at the rearview mirror.
Yes, he'd always been a naturally angry person, but over the years he had learned to control his temper, and channel it into his work. Anger and rage it turned out were pretty useful when it came to mercenary work.
That said, he was beginning to feel his temper flare now, and this time it had nothing to do with his mother and childhood, and more to do with the four assholes he was currently driving around.
Blackguard, an energy wielding psychopath who thought himself to be in the big leagues. The guy looked like a sci-fi cosplayer with his stupid, futuristic, bulky green armour, and weird purple ponytail. The guy was a fucking joke, and yet had an ego that went way beyond his capabilities. The guy actually thought he was in the big leagues. What a fucking joke.
Then there was Copperhead, a cybernetically enhanced, snake obsessed freak show. The guy was a stone-cold sociopath and couldn't be trusted for a moment. It was something about his slitted green eyes, and the way he kept licking his lips. Honestly, if it was up to him, he'd put two slugs in the snake freak's mutated pale head and called it a day. Especially since the fanged fuckknuckle seemed to go out of his way to provoke people, including prodding at Blackguard's ever so fragile ego every chance he got.
After those two there was Scandal Savage, a short, girl in her late teens or early twenties, he wasn't sure which, with short black hair, a thousand yard stare, and a hard on for the wrist-mounted claws she seemed to like playing around with. The girl was, safe to say, a psycho bitch. She had no powers, or at least from what he could tell she didn't, but instead got by on sheer fucking ruthlessness. He knew he was a dick, but she made him look like a saint in comparison.
And sitting next to the pint sized lunatic was her girlfriend? Friend? He honestly didn't know, nor did he really care.
Especially since Knockout - the woman Scandal had shacked up with - looked like she could snap him in half with just her thighs.
The redhead was a giant of a woman and stood nearly seven foot tall. Her arms alone were probably wider than Scandal's entire body. Add to that her edgy looking green goth-armour, and the fuck-off big mace she carried around like a toy, and he really didn't want to pick a fight with her.
Grimacing at that thought, he returned his attention to the road ahead, even as he started reminding himself about the healthy pay check that lay in his future.
In the background, he could still hear his teammates bickering.
All he had to do was find this Steel Maxum cunt, kill him, take his helmet and return it to the Light, and then he was set for life.
No longer would he be living job to job, working for any idiot that could afford his services, but instead he'd get a full time gig as the Light's new enforcer.
Not only that, but he'd be taking on the role once held by the legendary Deathstroke.
He grinned to himself at that thought.
With the old man dead, it was now his turn to shine.
Soon enough the name Deathstroke would fade into myth as he, Bloodsport, took his place as the biggest, baddest merc of all time.
All he had to do was to keep his temper, keep the assholes he'd been assigned to lead in check, and his life would be set.
From behind him, he heard Copperhead cackle, even as Blackguard started swearing loudly and promising instantaneous death to all that crossed him.
Hazarding another glance in the mirror, he grimaced.
He didn't fancy his chances.
( - )
(In New Orleans)
Smirking to herself as she walked through the crowded streets of the Big Easy, Siobhan Smythe absentmindedly ran a pale hand through her white mohawk, pushing her silvery locks out of her eyes, even as she looked around.
Normally with a black skull tattooed on her face, her silvery mohawk, and pure white eyes, she'd attract a lot of attention.
It was why she often had to cover herself up with a hoodie or a cap, and wear big sunglasses.
Here though, in the middle of the New Orleans' nightlife, she barely even got a second glance.
It was surprisingly liberating.
Then again, the lack of attention being paid to her might also be because her two companion were significantly more distinctive than even her.
Mammoth, her largest companion, was a monstrous hulk of a man with bestial features, and who stood at well over seven feet tall. He looked like some kind of prehistoric mountain man that had wandered into the city to eat the locals.
Unfortunately, his personality matched his appearances.
After all, his mind was so addled from whatever had mutated him that he could barely string a sentence together.
Instead of words, he could only communicate through grunts and acts of violence.
The guy was a liability.
But unfortunately, she was stuck with him, or at least until the job was done and this Steel Maxum was dead.
She grinned at that thought, even as she turned her attention to her other companion.
The girl was in her late teens and would have looked like any other girl were it not for her grey skin, purple hair and the odd crystal in the middle of her forehead.
Add to that her purple cloak and her penchant for floating around like a ghost instead of walking like a normal human, and the other girl was almost as attention grabbing as Mammoth.
She was creepy too.
Her gaze was hollow and empty, and her tone whenever she did deign to speak was, devoid of all emotion.
It was like she was some kind of puppet or doll.
Personally, she didn't like her.
Then again, she didn't tend to like many people.
Fortunately, she wouldn't have to put up with them for long, after all their job was pretty easy.
All they had to do was kill this Steel Maxum, take his shiny helmet and deliver it to the boss, and they were done.
It was a cakewalk.
Grinning to herself at that thought, there was an extra skip in her step as she continued to lead her two companions through the heaving streets of New Orleans and to the nearest strip club.
They had work to do.
Tonight, a stripper took his last breath.
( - )
(Elsewhere in New Orleans)
Stepping through a boom tube and into a dark, dingy alleyway, Dreamer looked around at her new surroundings with ill-disguised interest.
This was her first time truly stepping foot on earth, actually it was her first time physically visiting anywhere that wasn't New Genesis.
It was exciting.
Closing the boom tube behind her, she looked around and tried to get her bearings.
Now that she was finally here, it was time to track down the one she'd come to meet.
A smile graced her features at the thought of the young god in question, even as she stepped out of the alleyway and joined the milling crowds.
A simple illusion later, and she was just another person in the crowd.
( - )
AN: So yep there we go. All the ducks are now in a line, and shit is once again going to hit the fan.
The next chapter will feature two consecutive missions. The one to Belle Reve will be quicker, but will involve some character development, and a bit of actions and some more canon derails.
The mission to New Orleans will be a bit longer, probably stretching into two chapters, and will involve some big lot stuff!
As you might have noticed there are a lot of things in motion, and several new and old characters will be coming into play.
So yeah, I hope you enjoyed the chapter as there is more to come.
Also I am on a discord with a load of other writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use the link in my bio.
Thanks for reading and if you have any suggestions or questions feel free to PM me or find me on Discord.
Catch you later.
Greed720.