Child of the Greek Chaos: How strong is this universes Superman like young justice Superman or Superman prime level.
NeoNazo356: Hmmm… Contextually, I'd like to think that "Earth-16H" Superman is about as-strong as his Earth-12 (DCAU) counterpart. Particularly, he's as-strong as when he fights Darkseid on Earth at the end of Justice League Unlimited, and for the same reason he can't USUALLY fight at his Full Strength. Definitely weaker than his Pre-Crisis, but not as OP as the "drag the Earth out of its orbit and survive being the filling of a planet sandwich" iteration that's come up in recent years.He also doesn't have the [Super Flare, so contextually speaking he's "weaker" than the New 52 Superman.
Maq (Guest): Maq:Its not bad but kinda getting boreing tbh vergil needs his history stated, like who his mother and father was (Big boss quiet virgil?) If his mum was quiet it'd be amazing to see some power from her in him or him just having new powers natural to him and him wanting to know if his blood parents had anything to do with it.
NeoNazo356: In the MGS5 Canon, Venom Snake aka "Ahab" and "Ishmael" aka The Boss both escape from the Dhekelia SBA Memorial Hospital in 1984. In the "Earth-16H" timeline, this event occurs in 1979, five years early, so that way the events of MGS4 take place BEFORE 2009.If Virgil was Quiet's kid in a direct fashion, on the Hypothetical that she'd given birth to him prior to the events of "Mission 43: Shining Lights, Even in Death" (after which she ran off into the Afgan dessert to commit suicide), he'd be in his 30s at-present, so no, Quiet isn't his biological mother.
Fireofargentis: i enjoyed this chapter quite a bit, but what i liked the most, and wich i am most exited for are the"InFamous" things i love the series but there is simply not enough things going around, i really hope that we get Cole in this story, hopefully with Trish and Zeke in good health.though i am confused, Kessler is alive... or in the present (whatever time travel bs) but the the DUP exist? idk i just pray for a happily married coinduit Cole timeline and hope for the best.p.s i really hope that Fetch is alive, with the whole Curdun cay thing...mhe we will see
NeoNazo356: inFamous was one of my favorite game series, which is why I made the Cameos in this story. As for the D.U.P existing, you have to realize that in "Earth-16H", Meta-Humans have existed for much, much longer, whereas in the version of Earth that the inFamous series takes place in, Conduits/Meta-Humans didn't exist until the Ray Sphere Explosion. Hence, circumstance would allow the D.U.P to form independently of the mainstream inFamous series' events.
LuckyShadowWolf: Now that was one heck of a satisfying cliff hanger! And whats more is I learned something new about Martian Manhunter!
NeoNazo356: Yeah, I was looking for a way to really sell that Martian Manhunter was "Superman" when he fought Augustine, and them both having [Heat Vision] and [Super-Breath] helped with that very well. It's kinda weird that they took away those abilities in Young Justice, since M'gann would be so cool with [Heat Vision] and [Super-Breath].But that, is a story for another day.
superpierce: First of all love that throwback to injustice one for all. Second why is Augustine already have her powers and the leader of DUP already? Thirdly does this mean Cole is in his teenage years right now?
P.S why Are Virgil's eyes still red?
NeoNazo356: Yeah, the Justice League throwback was an utter JOY to write. Your second question was answered in my reply to Fireofargentis; in this case she's a Meta-Human instead of a Conduit. As for the third question, there could be any number of reasons; Hecate could be screwing with him (as is the "price" of magic), the Glamour Charm could be defective, or he could have [Mystic Eyes] like out of Fate/Stay. Woooooooo~
Anime PJ: That was pretty awesome, mate. Loved that callback to Justice League at the end there, bloody spectacular. It was also good that you showed some serious psychological effects of Virgil's past. Not that I doubted they were there, of course, there have been plenty of implications, it's just that his flashbacks to Blackwatch making him a lot more bloodhungry here is a lot more upfront than previously.
Rather unfortunately, DC Universe isn't available here in the U.K. yet, so I still have to use second-hand streaming sites. T-T Only thing they've even had the decency to put on another streaming service is putting Titans on Netflix. This is starting to sound a lot more whiney than I intended; the original meaning here is that I'm happy for you being able to watch all the great DC shows without the hassle.
I think I've drolled on long enough. Looking forward to the next one.
NeoNazo356: As I said above, yeah, the Justice League throwback was a JOY to write.As for the psychological tells, a while back I got a complaint that Virgil was seemingly "unaffected" by what happened in NYZ, and the reason he seems that way is because, in a rather unhealthy matter, he's suppressing these feelings. Not everyone confronts their psychoses; Bruce Wayne ala Batman is a very clear example of this, that guy literally flunks his yearly Wayne Enterprises Psych Eval in the canon, every time. In Virgil's case, he's suppressing these feelings of rage and inadequacy until he can "bring them all to bear" on Blackwatch, or the nearest available proxy; provided he doesn't have a massive audience like in "Dam it All – Part 2".This is why he decided to walk the path of the mercenary and follow in the footsteps of Solid/Old Snake and his predecessors.
Moving on... This one isn't technically a REVIEW, but the exchange was interesting-enough that I thought it warranted a little more exposure. Maybe to answer some questions some of you had but haven't been able to ask.
Xhanti.m70: About the Hints to Virgil's background that you've been dropping... I have a couple of questions:
1) Is Vergil the lovechild of Punished Venom Snake and Quite from MGSV: Phantom Pain?
2)When Virgil does work with the team, how about giving him the name Phantom Pain? It's a very cool codename
3) Mystique seemed to recognize something familiar about him... Could he be a mutant too perhaps?Unrelated:
4) The cloak amd aspis he got from Athena seem like unnecessary add-ons to to me, I honestly think Virgil would be better off without them
5) Virgil is rather obnoxious... He's like the second Deadpool movie, I feel like hos character relies too much on profanity and dirty humor... I'm not saying sensor him, but I feel they should be toned down a bit... It seems as if he can'tsay a single sentence without saying the word "fuck". He's like today's comedy
NeoNazo356:1) No. In the Earth-16H timeline, instead of happening in 1984, the events of MGSV begin 5 years earlier in 1979, that way the events of MGS4/Guns of the Patriots can happen sometime BEFORE 2009. This being the case, if Virgil actually WERE conceived by Quiet Venom Snake, he'd be in his 30s in the 2010s.In the 16H timeline, Quiet still sacrifices herself so the English Strain of the Wolbachia/Vocal Cord Parasites can't propagate after any sort of radiation exposure would cause them to mutate into a form that could reproduce asexually, which is ultimately what makes the end of her arc so historically tragic. Following THIS, in the Earth-16H timeline, the "Deleted Ending - Secret Ending DLC" of Metal Gear Solid 5 also occurs, and it's at this point in the Fanon where the third and FINAL Wolbachia: English Strain is destroyed, putting an end to "the weapon to surpass Metal Gear". This and the "Nuclear Disarmament" ending; for a time.
2) Like Virgil said in "Dam It All - Part 2", he only intends to do the superhero spiel "recreationally". The Mercenary work he does for FoxCry is his job, his work for Real Fashions his cover/day job. Virgil isn't a "bleeding-heart altruist" like Spider-Man who puts everyone before himself, even to the point that it becomes self-destructive; the exact reason "Peter Parker" found so much professional success when Otto Octavius took over during the events of Superior Spider-Man. Virgil only does the "hero thing" when he becomes "self-motivated" about something i.e. needing to help someone he himself knows. Otherwise, he doesn't BELIEVE in putting HIS life on the line for "some rando" who might not even thank him for it in the end. He isn't a Soldier, and he isn't a Hero; he's a Mercenary, which makes him inherently "selfish" in the sensible way that all people are when they don't let it get the better of them.Also, the fact that The Team blow their cover/get caught EVERY TIME is just insulting to him as the next Snake.
3) He isn't a Mutant. What he IS in comparison to Homo Saipen is a little-more complicated than that.Then again, we're talking about a shared world between DC Comics and Metal Gear at the minimum. Shit gets weird.
4) Well, you have to remember that the Nanosuit he has NOW, the "Protosuit 0.0/Zero Point Zero" is the PROTOTYPE (part of why I introduced it amidst the series Prototype), and nowhere NEAR as Powerful or Energy-Effective as the Nanosuit you'll see in even Crysis, let alone Crysis 2. The Predator Bow from Crysis 3 is a deeply personal choice because it's less-bulky than a gun, and he can use "indirect fire" to do things with Trick Arrows that bullets simply can't. And of course, since the Predator Bow is being combined with the Nanosuit, the Draw Strength and Penetration easily surpasses anything Green Arrow can do.The Protosuit is still Weaker and Slower than its eventual iterations, so the OctoCloak helps "break up his silhouette" in the way that Gilly Suits do, while the Kinetic Aspis compensates for the fact that the "creamy center" can still be damaged even when using Armor Mode at this point in the Nanosuit's development.For the Full Nanosuit or Nanosuit 2, the OctoCloak or Kinetic Aspis would be like Optional Add-Ons, but only if someone chooses to over-specialize in Stealth or Offense. The Nanosuit's [Armor] and [Cloak] functionalities make it a very diversified piece of hardware, in addition to the "Armor Mods" you choose to invest in, so while you can become a "Jack of All Trades" in the Crysis games, the rewarding gameplay comes when you choose to "specialize" in something; whether that's being a silent "Wraith" or an unstoppable "Juggernaut" is what makes games like this all the more fun.
5) Well, you'd be like that TOO if you managed to wriggle your way out of the Red Zone in NYZ without being turned into some kind of bulletproof zombie; literally, in-game, the basic Infected can eat up a LOT of bullets before they go down.Anyway, Virgil didn't make it out of the Red Zone in one piece "upstairs", he's been suppressing a lot of the feelings he's been having, and having a Landlady like Moxxi, and being surrounded by the likes of Marcus, Moxxi, Balalaika, Scooter, Ellie, and now-recently the Fortune (Vault) Hunters doesn't really help matters. If anything it only exacerbates the various psychoses he has to live with, part of why he so-desperately clings to the "normal life" he's made for himself.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Hoover DamNovember 18, 13:34 PT
Police and state trooper phone lines becoming flooded with reports of a murderous Black Ops squad holding tour-goers hostage at the Hoover Dam was enough to call in pretty much all the cavalry; from both sides of the Colorado.
Patrol cars, mobile command centers, SWAT vans, and prison transport mobilizing in-full since the Hoover Dam was a much-beloved landmark, by the time help arrived, a great deal of the work had already been done, the first of the cars pulling up to the dam right as "Superman" finished beating the crap out of a giant concrete monster that threatened to level the entire dam and flood everything down-river.
It was only thanks to the more-recent retrofittings that the dam was even able to survive that kind of abuse, because the whole of the Hoover at the moment looked like the vase that knocked onto the floor and put back together with Elmer's Glue. Poorly.
"I'm glad everyone made it out of there alright," Zatanna sighed as tour-goers piled into the busses.
"Yeah. Usually when a murderous black ops squad goes on the bender, you don't get a happy ending," Virgil hummed.
"You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"It isn't pleasant. I don't want to talk about it," Virgil said crossing his arms.
"That's fine. We all have our secrets to keep," the girl replied, holding up her hands. "I'm glad nothing happened to M'gann," she said as she watched the "Caucasian" girl reunite with her uncle.
"Yeah. Me too. She's a good kid, if not a bit naïve."
"Yes, well… That's what friends are for," Zatanna said with a smile as "Megan" waved at them, a bright smile on her face.
"That reminds me for whatever reason; where's your dad?"
"I would be right here."
"Daddy!" Zatanna squealed as she ran up to him, wrapping him up in a tight hug. "Where were you?" she then asked with a huff, her hands on her hips.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Hoover DamNovember 18, 13:30 PT
"Uuuuugh…"
"Easy there, friend. Took a hard bashing to the noggin', didn't ya?"
"Hunter…?"
"The one and only."
"What… What happened?"
"Well, if you'll give me your attention for a moment, I'll be glad to tell you what happened," Rip stated as he pulled a chrome-colored cylinder with domed caps from his pocket. "This, is a Neuralyzer, a gift from some friends out of town. This red eye here will isolate the electronic impulses in your brain; more specifically, the ones for memory…"
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Hoover DamNovember 18, 13:35 PT
"A group of cultists wanted to rupture the dam and use the human sacrifices from downriver to summon a Water Elemental," Giovanni answered, acting on the false memories that Rip Hunter had given to him, all memories of his encounter with the "time fugitive" Kessler erased from his memory.
"So where're the bodies?" Virgil asked.
"Magical rebound. The Colorado sucked them up when they couldn't provide the sacrifices in time," Giovanni answered.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to have the sacrifices ready beforehand?" Virgil asked sarcastically.
"Certain rituals are time and context-sensitive," the magician answered. "In the ritual that was being performed, 'freshness' counted."
"Stop. I've heard enough," Virgil said raising up his hands. "The less I know, the better."
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Hoover DamNovember 18, 13:36 PT
"Ah. Good. The artificial memories took hold rather nicely," Rip Hunter hummed, watching Giovanni from a mile away using what the "locals" would call his "Future Scope", after the two time travelers had excused themselves from the proceedings going-on.
"Still, a 'Water Elemental'? Seriously?" Kessler asked with a raised brow. "Sound like something from my little girls' fantasy novels," he sighed wistfully.
"Well, you see, that's the thing about 'magic'," Rip returned. "With the right buzz words, people in the know can be made to believe just about anything, and this time period's rife with enough wibbly-wobbly stuff that 'anything' is an easy sell. Even moreso after The Devastation."
"Hm. I see," Kessler hummed, reflecting on how the tone of their fight had radically shifted.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Hoover DamNovember 18, 11:45 PT
" . . . Why did you knock him out just then?" Kessler asked as Giovanni fell to the ground.
"Because Giovanni Zatara doesn't need to be conscious for the conversation we're about to have," Rip Hunter answered as he holstered the pistol, the butt of which he'd used to knock the Homo Magi unconscious.
The Mirror Dimension still enveloped them, but it was something that could easily be remedied. Kessler could brute-force his way out, and while Rip's tech was capable doing the same, he figured since he was going to have to implant false memories into Giovanni's head anyway, he might as well let the eventual host of Dr. Fate do the heavy lifting.
"Your plan… It won't work."
"What are you-"
"Even if you did manage to kill Vandal Savage preemptively, even if that did manage to postpone or outright prevent The Beast from manifesting, The Light's partner would simply invade this planet early, and nothing about the end-result would be changed. And I'm not just saying this because I want to be the one that kills Vandal in the end," Rip explained.
"You…" *Sniff*Sniff* "You reek of Zeta and Chronotron radiation like I smell of ozone…" Kessler hummed, his uniquely-attuned senses picking up the unmistakable scent of time-centric particles surrounding the man and his equipment. "You're a time-traveler. Like me."
"Aside from the fact that I can go backwards and forward at will, then yes, I am a time-traveler 'like you'," Rip returned with a bit of wit.
"So what then? Are you going to arrest me? Take me back?"
"In a conventional case, you would be correct."
The arcs of electricity dancing up Kessler's arms showed he was very displeased with that answer.
"However, conventional wisdom doesn't hold true here," Rip went on to say with raised hands, lowering Kessler's ire. "See, when you used your 'Time Jump' ability, you didn't move backwards into your own timeline, you reverse-imported yourself into a near-identical timeline. One whose future events are predicated upon the arrival of 'The Man Out of Time' to influence future events. Since you're actually a part of this timeline's history in a 'predestined paradox' sort of way, there's no risk of the sort of paradox that'd need correcting, hence, you aren't really my problem."
"So my future really is lost then…" Kessler hummed. " . . . It's of no consequence. I'd already prepared myself for such an eventuality," he said after a few moments.
"Then why step back in time at all?" Rip asked with a raised brow.
"Because I'd like for there to be one future where this big, beautiful world, is more than a rotting trash heap in the middle-of-nowhere space," Kessler said as he looked out at the bright blue sky. One that'd been turned a smog gray by the coming alien occupation.
Also, it really sucked being the literal "last man on Earth", but Kessler suppressed those memories for a reason.
"I think that's something we can all agree on," Rip hummed, having come from a similar point in time.
Relatively speaking.
"So… What now?" Kessler asked, his attention turned to the still-unconscious Giovanni, before panning to the shimmering space surrounding them.
"Now… we wait for our magical friend here to wake up, get some false memories implanted, and go back home," Rip stated as he leaned on a nearby wall.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Hoover DamNovember 18, 13:37 PT
"So… What do you intend on doing now?" Rip asked.
"Until my moment comes, I'll simply have to wait. The Metahuman I'm looking for isn't here," Kessler said as he looked out at the Hoover Dam, Jon's bioelectric signature like a beacon to his electrokinetic senses.
One he'd mistakenly honed in on when he'd made his jump back in time.
His [Time Jump] wasn't like the DeLorean from Back to the Future where he could just "punch in" a date down to the exact day and minute he wanted to go and be on his way. He had to extend his senses into the timestream and feel out for the electromagnetic wavelengths that only another Electrokinetic could give off.
And on top of that, there was the matter of making sure he went far enough back in time that he could avert his own future in the first place. There were many Electrokinetics in the decades prior to him becoming "Kessler", but without some sort of "chronographer" he couldn't really measure how-far-back in time each signal originated from, nor could he parse out which one belonged to which Electrokinetic, so he had to put in a bit of guesswork before making his one-way jump based on the concentration of Electrokinetics that were around simultaneously at any given point in time.
And all things considered, it'd been better that he "overshoot" rather than under, because he had no way of knowing if his [Time Jump] was only a one-time thing, and he'd read enough science fiction stories with his best friend to know that messing around with space-time within the same timeline more than once was never a good idea, and even this had been the longest of long-shots.
God how he missed them…
"Probably for the best you didn't find him. Should probably let him mature a bit before you have your way with him," Rip hummed, already having some idea of what "Kessler" intended on doing. "Although, I have to ask. Why 'Kessler'?"
"When my Metagene was first activated, I had to insulate myself with a lot of copper wiring. That's all there is to it. No deep philosophical meaning behind it," Kessler answered simply, turning on his heel.
"Kessler… Ah, I see. Well, good luck to you then. Try not to time-travel too often," Rip hummed as he too turned on his heel, the two time-travelers parting ways on mutual terms; one returning to his duty of maintaining time, the other, his quest to alter it.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Hoover DamNovember 18, 13:38 PT
"So… Need I ask about…" Giovanni said gesturing to Virgil's choice of attire, as well as the fact that he was using his Glamour.
"Like I told your daughter before, I'd rather do the whole 'hero' spiel recreationally," Virgil answered.
His rather… eccentric choice of attire would certainly warrant that sort of inquiry.
"That's fair, I suppose. Not all Humans who can, choose to become soldiers, just like how most Magi don't choose to be heroes. Most of us bury ourselves in research and development of more magic."
"Which has me wondering what'll happen when the bubble bursts," Virgil hummed as he took stock of his surroundings.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, you don't seriously expect magic to remain hidden forever, do you?" Virgil asked condescendingly. "I mean, technology's getting better and more widespread, and if that doesn't put the nail in the coffin, someone, somewhere, with some magic, is going to expose magic to too many people for you Homo Magi to cover up, and then your asses are going to be left hanging in the wind as your pants fly away because you didn't get ahead of the eventual shitshow and come out of the closet yourselves."
"The magical community has taken every necessary precaution to-"
"The bubble always bursts. Always. Don't try and tell me otherwise," Virgil said as he turned his attention back to the goings-on.
Augustine had already been hauled off. In addition to the Inhibitor Collar they'd placed on her neck, they'd also placed her in a full-body containment unit, which might as well've been a big metal casket with a viewing port at eye level. As for the rest of the D.U.P, Augustine'd brought plenty of them along for the ride, and there were just barely enough handcuffs and restraints on-hand to keep them all in line. Especially once they started coming to.
The D.U.P were being marched in lines towards patrol cars and prison transports, their weapons stripped, but the bulk of their armor still on. Seemed kinda stupid, but then again, with how many clasps, belts, and buckles it took to keep those things on, it'd take all day to get them undressed, and the sooner they were taken away from their primary weapons, and potential hostages, the less damage they could pose.
"Damn, look'it that one," Brick said gesturing to one of the larger D.U.P, this one at least a foot taller than everyone around sans Brick, covered in heavier blast-resistant armor. Of course, compared to Brick, this one was "normally" proportioned, but that didn't mean he wasn't still pretty damn big.
The novelty of it wearing off, those that had stayed behind to oversee the carting-off of the D.U.P returned to their original cliques. Giovanni and Zatanna, "John" and "Megan", the Fortune Hunters, and Jon who hovered around Virgil.
For a moment, Virgil thought everything would end on a high note. That all the bullshit would finally come to a close and they could afford to let their guard down.
However, months spent in the Red Zone of NYZ had honed his sixth sense to a razor's edge, and though aforementioned edge had begun to dull in an environment where a single cut exposed to open air or extraterrestrial-looking fluid didn't immediately equate to "InstaKill", that edge was still sharp-enough that he knew something was about to go down.
His eyes darting to the D.U.P as they were being hauled off, his eyes eventually landed on the larger D.U.P, the rank emblem on his shoulder indicating some kind of higher rank.
He'd hoped he was just being paranoid. That things would finally calm down.
Those hopes would be dashed.
The giant of a man letting out a bellowing yell through his gas mask as he snapped the links of his handcuffs, Virgil's pulse quickened, heart pounding as adrenaline flooded his system like a boost of Nitros Oxide.
The world ticking by in slow motion as the colors around him brightened, Virgil's fingertips ghosted his side only for no weapon to be present.
The giant of a man ripping the gun out of the holster of the officer in front of him, Virgil carried out the only course of action his panic-addled mind could concoct on such short notice.
"Gninthgil Tlob!" he shouted, tongue nearly twisting itself into a knot in the process as he threw out a hand, the others turning to him with wide eyes as a blue lance of lightning leapt from his palm, striking the massive D.U.P soldier and sending him sailing through the air, the armor that'd caught the blast smoking as limbs flailed and muscles spasmed.
"Wow! Nice shot!" Zatanna awed. *Whump* "Wildcard? Hey, Wildcard!?" the girl yelped as she looked down, seeing her friend on his knees and back-down on the ground like a string-cut marionette. "WILDCARD!" she cried as she grabbed the lapels of his coat, the teen's eyes glassing over and his head lolling to the side.
*DAM IT ALL*
Bellagio Hotel
November 18, 13:45 PT
As a cursory examination by Giovanni later revealed, once they'd all been teleported back to the Bellagio, Virgil releasing a legitimate bolt of magical lightning from his hand had expended all of the Mana he'd begun to accumulate since first having any sort of rudimentary magical ability awakened.
Though there were many names for this condition, the most widely-used vernacular was "Magic Exhaustion", wherein all of a person's mental energies had been exhausted leaving them in the state Virgil found himself now; insensate and unresponsive to all external stimuli.
Being only-familiar-with the Ardescat spell, the most-logical step up from that should've been a fire-type spell like Fireball or Flame Arrow. Basically a "bigger and better" version of what he'd already known. In fact, all higher-tier spells were essentially "beefed up" versions of smaller spells.
However, Giovanni's opinion was that because what Virgil's mind most-commonly-associated with "magic" was "LARPers screaming 'Lightning Bolt'", and because he'd had a strong-enough "impression" of such, he'd been able to cast what most would consider an "advanced" spell, since Lightning-type magic fell beyond the scope of the Cardinal Elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water.
In most cases, when a spell caster "over-casts", they usually enter a state of Magic Exhaustion and die shortly after. However, because he wasn't by himself in a magical workshop somewhere like some kind of recluse so no-one'd steal the fruits of his research, it was a simple matter to force feed a Mana Potion down his throat so he didn't roll over and die as his brain lost the ability to tell his life-supporting organs what to do.
With that crisis averted, Zatanna and M'gann staying by his side while he recovered, this left Zatara and Martian Manhunter to their own devices.
"So… Were you able to get anything useful out of this Augustine woman's mind before she was taken away? Perhaps during the fight?" Giovanni asked, having been brought up to speed on everything he'd missed.
"While I was posing as Superman to prey on her worst fears of that exact confrontation, I began scanning her thoughts to predict her movements, thus making it seem like I was faster than I truly was," J'onn began. "When she was beginning to lose, she had a flashback that I was able to follow up on."
"Show me," Giovanni stated, J'onn nodding as he placed his hand on the magician's shoulder, transmitting Augustine's memories to his mind.
The suite around them blurring out as colors spilled across his sight like paint, Giovanni was privy to the worst moment of Augustine's life.
A patriotic soldier defending her country.
A Metahuman with explosive powers.
A collapsing building.
Two Metagene activations.
No other survivors.
A five-day march to escape the disaster site.
A line of soldiers at the end of their path.
A panicking Metahuman girl.
She was Meta.
She was military.
She couldn't be both.
An impossible choice.
A third option.
A betrayal of one.
Trust from another.
Walls of concrete.
Walls around her heart.
A plan she believed in more than anything else.
Missions.
Missions.
Missionsmissionsmissionsmissionsmissions.
A mission like many others.
A plan gone awry.
And then…
Her entire world… crumbling… away…
As the string of memories ended, Giovanni let out a gasp as reality took a hold of him once again, the magician falling into a nearby chair as he finished processing.
"All this time, Augustine had been deluding herself, justifying her actions in order to survive. Her complete and total defeat today forced her to accept reality," J'onn concluded. "The reality that what she was doing was wrong."
"Yes… I understand," Giovanni nodded. "The Metas and Mutant she captured… They've survived, but I wouldn't call that 'living'."
"I've prepared a report for the League. How do you think this will be handled?"
"Obviously, Curdun Cay will be investigated, top to bottom, no stone left unturned. They'll probably want to investigate the prisoners as well, and I imagine those being held against their will will have some rather choice words for the D.U.P's treatment of them," Giovanni answered. "In all likelihood, they'll seek asylum in Genosha. After the way they were treated, I doubt they'll hold much value in their American citizenship. Not with how their rights were so-readily trod upon."
"And with the number of hostages that survived with the knowledge of what was in store for them, I doubt Capital Hill can sweep this under the carpet like they have in the past," J'onn followed. "They'll try. They'll definitely try. But social media at the very least won't let D.C. get away with this."
"And what of those that choose to stay, despite what happened?"
"We can only pray for the best for them," J'onn stated, letting out a tired sigh as he too sat. "I had hoped M'gann would not be exposed to this darkness so soon…"
"I know how you feel. My daughter was held hostage by the Royal Flush Gang quite recently, and it was sheer luck I was able to get her out of there unharmed."
"And I take it that's where the boy came in. The one you gave the gift of Magic to."
"He… made a very compelling argument," Giovanni admitted. "All we can do now, is wait and watch."
"Curdun Cay, or the boy?"
"Yes."
"And what about the Meta? The Electrokinetic the D.U.P came for in the first place?"
"The poor boy exhausted himself, both physically and mentally after this harrowing ordeal, so he's resting in the guest room now," Giovanni said pointing off into his suite. "Once he's recovered, we'll see about sending him back home. Although… now that he's been ousted as a Meta, on top of being a Native American in this country… We may need to keep an eye on him and the nearby military base for the immediate future."
"Yes. To think that all of this could've been avoided if that sort of bigotry simply wasn't tolerated," J'onn sighed, having gleaned what he could from the boy.
Having been on this planet since the mid-50s, he'd "seen it all".
"Perhaps we should put him in touch with another Electrokinetic Metahuman. Maybe... Black Lightning," Giovanni hummed. "The government, more-specifically the military, would be more-receptive to the idea of leaving Jon be if he were taught to control his abilities through a reputable avenue."
"Yes. That is something to think about," J'onn contemplated.
Both had worked with Batman long-enough to know that that's exactly the sort of move he'd make, and preventing Jon from turning into some kind of Meta-criminal would put less of a burden on their respective proteges.
"What will happen to this Augustine woman?" Giovanni asked next.
"It's out of our hands. All that's left, is the right to due process," J'onn answered.
Of course, though the arc of the universe bent toward justice, said arc was still long.
*DAM IT ALL*
New Mexico HighwayNovember 18, 23:17 PT
It was nearing midnight, and two uniform-clad officers were overseeing the transport of Brook Augustine as they made their way to an off-the-books holding facility pending her trial. The normally hands-off approach the US government took with the D.U.P had been basically thrown out the window after the sheer mountain of negative testimony that came to light after the incident at the Hoover Dam, but seeing as how Augustine was still privy to national secrets, they couldn't hold her just anywhere.
The prisoner's transport was being overseen by two officers, one skinny with brown hair, the other buff and blond.
The latter of the two sitting at the wheel, the prior finishing the book he'd brought along for the ride, though lack of anything better to do, the brunette turned his attention to the man sitting next to him, the sheer size difference between them a bit of an intimidating factor.
"So uh… You're pretty jacked… You work out?"
"I play sports."
"Oh. Which ones?"
"All of them."
"Well… You certainly look it," the brunette replied, not sure if the man was joking or not. "So… you draw the short straw too?"
"Something like that."
"Yeah, well… Hey, at least we're getting overtime. Time-and-a-half over forty hours, time-and-a-half-and-a-half after sixty."
"Eeyup."
"So uh… What do you think's going to happen to her?"
"Who, the prisoner?"
"Well, there isn't anyone else in the truck with bad stuff on the horizon for them in the future, so yeah, the prisoner," the brunette replied, growing a little tired of the man's tone.
"Oh, I don't think she's the only one," the blond said as he rubbed his face.
"Look, I'm just trying to make conversation, alright? It's a long drive to the rendezvous and my book ran out an hour ago."
"You got a wife? Kids?" the blond asked.
"Single dad. Lost the missus last year to the Joker. Why do you ask?"
"Just deciding whether to kill you or not."
"Ha. Good one… Wait, you're not serious, are you?"
"Of course not. If I did, I'd get the finger pointed at me by default."
"Right, of course," the brunette returned nervously. "So, uh… about that prisoner."
"Well, the way I see it, we can either make her see the light, or…" he trailed off, "the boys upstairs can put her through something quite… sinister."
" . . . I think that last line right there was more-cryptic than the whole murder thing."
"Hey, gotta lighten the mood somehow. Still got a looong drive ahead of us," the blond chuckled, their prisoner transport driving off into the distance.