Friday
Jason navigated the halls of the White House with his…. escort. Taking in the rapid movement of interns and office workers as they busied themselves with running the administration. Many would pass by him with their faces in phones and documents, completely oblivious to the heavily armored and armed assassin. Others would look up and see the walking shadow and do a double take before staring after him as he passed. He must be the first Nemesis Agent to ever meet with the President. Or the first one ever to be seen meeting the President.
When he had zetaed to the White House, he expected to be met with five men in dark sunglasses and finely tailored suits. Then be told to disarm and come with them, as they beelined it through back hallways and entrances to the Oval Office. Instead he was met with a young woman, Evelyn, who was far too awake and perky for 9:00 am on a Friday. He was half convinced she was high on something, but quickly realized she had probably been downing coffee like it was water since she woke up. He'd seen her finish her large cup and then just hold it out like some random person would take it away. Which someone did as they passed by, not breaking stride at all. A few seconds later, someone else would pass by and just hand her an identical cup. Which she would take and start drinking immediately as if this was a completely normal pastime. He could only think Tim would die happy here. Overworked and over-caffeinated.
They had reached the door to the Oval Office by the time Jason had realized that:
Not one person had asked to confirm his identity. A mute point with the helmet and gear. But still something he expected.
That he still had all his guns, knives, grenades, and ammo as he was about to meet the President.
And Evelyn had been speed walking to get him to the office as fast as possible. As she seemed slightly out of breath indicating this wasn't her normal morning.
It painted a picture in his mind of some sort of rapid deployment. He would probably be leaving straight from here. Which meant whatever mission they had, they were either desperate enough to offer any terms or knew he'd agree. He didn't know which he liked better.
"I'll be here when the meetings conclude Agent Knight. I've been instructed to give you this tablet to mark down any supplies you'll need for your mission." Evelyn spoke while thrusting a tablet toward him. Jason took the tablet, not liking that it was assumed he was already on mission, and walked through the door.
He was met by the sight of Waller and Slade sitting on opposite ends of the couch facing his door. A grimace carved on Slade's face. While Waller had her usual blank look on with slightly narrowed eyes. Meaning she wasn't fully on-board with whatever mission the President had. President Wright Jackson was a stout man. Built like he worked out but still enjoyed the finer things in life, like a robust palette. He was 6ft even and completely bald. His fair skin indicates he spent more time inside than out and about. A fair result of being President.
"Ahh, Agent Knight. It's a pleasure to meet you." President Jackson greeted Jason as the door closed behind him.
"Mr. President, it's an honor to meet you." Jason responded while knitting his hands together behind his back in an at-ease position.
"I'm afraid I don't have much time to properly meet my country's top agent, as I'm sure you've noticed." President Jackson said as he pulled a contract from his desk. "I have a dual asset protection mission up in the North Atlantic. I need an agent in place to oversee the protection of these assets while extraction teams ready proper containment for transport. You will also be working with a JLA consultant."
"Respectfully sir, mixing Nemesis Agents with the JLA is inadvisable. We're meant to be their executioners should it be needed." Jason answered.
"I agree, but the stakes for this mission are too high and public to not bring them in. We'd send a fireteam of agents, but it'd be too difficult to explain away a group of highly trained individuals appearing from thin air to the JLA. Thus, we have elected to utilize our best agent with the cover of you being the first of a next generation of super soldiers. It'll explain your abilities in the field and will push interest onto a possible genetic augmentation program that doesn't exist. Instead of a growing group of assassins under the umbrella of the United States." President Jackson explained.
"Your handlers have expressed strong refusal in this mission and argued that any JLA member will hamper your abilities in the field. Thus we have agreed on the following terms:
Double your usual rate regardless of mission success.
Seven R projects overseen by you for any specific weapons or gear you'd like to invest in. Along with zero charge for replacement and or repair of these weapons.
This repair and replacement statute will be applied retroactively to your current suit.
Should the JLA interfere with your methods and cause the mission to be a failure, you'll be given an additional three R projects.
The JLA will not pursue any leads on you and your identity. Should your identity be discovered, they will never speak of it under threat of being charged with treason. This statute is non-negotiable and will be applied regardless of mission success.
Should the mission fail due to your actions, all above terms besides payment and identity protection shall be void.
It's a good deal for one mission with a JLA member." President Jackson outlined.
Jason paused, turning to Waller and Slade. "It's your initiative. I won't risk the others without your go." He stated.
Before joining his fellow agents he would have jumped at such an opportunity to bolster himself. But now, he was a part of an elite team that he was fully accepted in. Rose would also be impacted by this contract, as a lot of attention would be focused on him and his potential background. It could mean Bruce tracking him down to Colorado. He wouldn't pass up such a deadly threat, even under the potential charge of treason.
"Take the contract. The mission is too important to the nation to risk not having some form of intervention by Nemesis. We'll plant false leads and ghosts to throw off any investigation, in addition to keeping you out of the field for five months to let the heat die down. Worst case, we can "lose" a few supervillains here and there to distract them." Answered Slade as he read the mission briefing.
"We'll be acting as support from here. The containment chamber should only take three more days. We expect an attack prior to this though. The research station isn't militarized and presents the easiest opportunity for attack." Waller explained. Her eyes alight with possibilities known only to her. Appearing fully onboard in stark contrast to her earlier look.
Jason hesitated for another moment. The money wasn't the main draw. He had more than enough from his previous missions. The R projects were the real carrot. A new sword designed by him with the assistance of DARPA and no maintenance cost for his highly specialized gear was too good to pass up. He'd still have six projects he could utilize at later times to adapt to new challenges and environments. Finally, full protection from investigation by the JLA was something Jason could only dream of. It wouldn't stop the bats, but would be effective enough to hamper any investigations as their peers worked to maintain the political peace.
"They're forecasting the first snowfall in Colorado next week. It's supposed to drop five inches overnight. A great way to start a five month vacation, wouldn't you say?" Slade smirked up from his tablet. The only response he received was a slight turning of the faceless visage in his direction. That's the last time Jason asks for permission in anything related to Slade's daughter.
Jason took the contract and signed. "Excellent! The briefing is on your tablet and our other guests should be here in a few minutes. Please make yourself comfortable." President Jackson proclaimed. Jason looked around the room and spotted a dark corner where the rounded bookshelf ended and the morning light was casting a shadow. He quickly walked over and ensconced himself in shadow. A comforting measure, that would allow him to collect his thoughts for whoever the President invited. He proceeded to connect the tablet to his wrist pad and review the prepared briefing on his HUD.
He was half way through the briefing when a knock resounded on the door interrupting his thoughts and list. The door opened to reveal three figures that were NOT part of the JLA.
xxxxxxxxxx
Dick Grayson was having a rough day. It started with Garfield running into his room in the tower as a dog and licking him till he woke up. When asked what the hell he was doing, Garfield answered that Batman had called earlier and needed to speak with him and Donna.
This started his day on the wrong foot as his relationship with Bruce was cold and unfeeling at best and absolute hellfire at worst. After the nightmare that was reigning him in, the team had lost several key assets. Mainly the mansion and the Batplane after Tim managed to pilot the plane into Vandal Savage and his meteor. The Batmobiles were toast and Bruce's fortune lost to the breeze.
Bruce had recovered in the previous years, financially. The fruits of being good at business and networking apparently. He had started to rebuild the mansion and was working to be the JLA's number 1 private backer. A publicity stunt to make it look like he went broke because of being too selfish and ignorant. A true but still woefully inadequate way to describe the Gotham War as it was now known. The wealth also helped him build his own network of systems that were isolated from the rest of the family as Babs wasn't letting him within five miles of Duke, Tim, and Damian.
Not that Tim needed any help in that regard. After destroying Savage and accidentally killing Selina in the explosion. Tim just said he was sorry and left to join his friends in Young Justice. No one but Bernard had been able to get him to meet with the rest of the batfamily outside of emergencies. Even when he did show, it was a somber affair. His eyes would drift to the chair that sat empty at every family meal.
Duke wasn't much better. He had taken to his new role as Crime Alley's protector with Damian as support. The first years were…. rough. Homeless kids asked about Father Hood and the prostitutes all but shunned him after the city had learned of what Batman did to Hood. The rest of the alley wasn't much better. Regular calls of "No Bats!" echoed in the neighborhood. Muggings turned into impromptu ambushes, as the residents faced the bigger threat of being rewritten by Batman and his "Allies" over losing a few dollars. The last year had settled down, but he was still outmatched. All he wanted was some advice from his predecessor, but everytime he turned to ask he was met by an empty chair. Jason having disappeared from their lives like a ghost, and honestly. Duke was considering following suit.
Damian had mellowed out some bit. Being raised as Babs and Dick's surrogate child. They claimed it was good practice for when they had children, until Damian pointed out that having a girl would throw all this practice out the window. Babs is four months pregnant and Dick couldn't be happier, while Damian was trying to wrap his head around being an uncle at sixteen. He was constantly reading baby books and trying to learn as much as possible for the baby's development. When Dick asked why, his response was that Todd always knew how to be good with kids and still teach valuable skills like other languages and social ques. He had been raised in and conditioned by the league for years. But now that he was older, he realized that most of what he is came from Todd, Dick, and Umi. He wants to do the same for Dick's daughter.
Babs had also erected staunch barriers between the girls and Bruce. Cass spent most of her time between Hong Kong and the dance studio. She had the makings of a potential Olympic athlete and was teaching other girls while pursuing that dream. She still donned the cowl, but it was less often and only with Steph and or Tim. Babs had asked one day when it was just the two of them in the tower about the large shift in direction. Cass had answered that when she saw Jason that final time, it looked like a completely different person had emerged from that machine. He had always been tense and narrowed eyed around them. Quick to defend himself and, after what Bruce put him through since he came back, she couldn't blame him.
That final time, he was relaxed and calm. She didn't know if it was because he was glad it was almost over. Or if he had felt safe for the first time in years around them because he knew it was the last time he'd see them. But she did know that when he said he wanted to find what Dick and Barbara had, he was lying. He already found it, and just didn't know it yet. Cass wanted to see if she could find her not knowing it yet too.
Steph was probably the most affected by Jason's departure. Just going to Duke's new safehouse to see the fully modded bikes that Jason had built for them had Duke and Steph using all their willpower to keep themselves together. The bikes were painted eggplant purple and yellow and were designed with speed in mind. They outclassed anything they had rode before.
If just a bike had her struggling to keep her tears in check, the apartment broke her the first time she was there. She had received an email stating her books had been delivered to the penthouse. When she reviewed the order in confusion she noticed an unknown credit card was used to pay for them. Further, the books were brand new according to the picture and she knew she couldn't have afforded them.
So after a call to Tim, Duke, and Cass. The four of them went to explore her new penthouse. When she arrived, the landlady in the apartment's office instantly recognized her name and offered to lead her to her parking space and then her door. When asked about rent, the old lady simply stated that she owned the penthouse and parking space. She was only responsible for utilities. Trying to digest that gift, she nearly missed the SUV in her spot. It was a 2020 Land Rover, painted white with a thin purple stripe down the side and black interior. When asked if it was in the wrong spot, the landlady offered a sad smile and said nothing while guiding them to the elevator.
After a short ride up to the penthouse, the landlady cleared her throat. "You have the entire upper floor. All the remaining furnishings are yours and we delivered a box that came in this morning to your island inside. Trash is on Wednesday and there's a chute right next to the elevators." She paused as she looked away for a second.
"I knew Jason Head, he was a good young man and I'm sorry for your loss." She stated as he had basically given everything he owned to this girl in front of her, and she couldn't imagine another scenario.
Steph fought through the lump in her throat and said, "I am too. He was my big brother in all but blood."
Realizing after that, it was exactly like he had died. He offered her to call him if she needed it, but she would never do that. He had fought too hard and sacrificed so much for the batfamily. She wouldn't be the one to drag him back in and ruin his first chance of happiness in a long time.
With that the landlady left and the group entered the penthouse. It had high vaulted ceilings and modern architecture. There were double doors off to the side of the open concept kitchen/family room. A separate door was placed on the opposite wall that led to a fully decked out gym and adjoining office. She had a large walk-in closet and a master bedroom to die for. But none of this caught her eye. She was drawn to the single envelope on the island. Shakily opening its contents, she discovered that it was a series of invoices and receipts. After a few seconds of reading through the invoices she realized these were confirmation of payments being made on her student debt.
She found that the last page was a handwritten note on a card. All it said was, "Senior year is all yours Blondie. Welcome to your new home. - proud brother of a future doctor, Jason T".
The sound of plastic hitting the floor at her feet had her reaching down to grab a key fob.…. It was for a Land Rover…. She didn't have the strength to get back up.
Cass had tore into the kitchen from her exploration of the gym, having heard a sound of pain from Steph that would haunt her in the coming days. Steph was huddled against the cabinets of the island. Clutching a card in one hand and a key fob in the other. Arms crossed across her chest and legs tucked up as she sobbed uncontrollably on the floor.
After that, Steph had thrown herself into her studies with so much gusto she graduated magna cum laude. Later following it up with getting into Duke University's Doctor's program. Which she was still attending. Being Spoiler took a back seat to real life and she visited every so often. But she made the family promise to not let Bruce within 50 ft of her without someone else there. She couldn't trust herself not to kill him. She also lost some of her spark, as well as her original ways of pranking the family brought up late night visits of battle planning and watching Mean Girls. She missed her brother.
Dick had taken his sweet time getting ready and dressed. He had only been visiting the tower for the week. Helping get the new protocols in place for the "Generation 2" program. Under this new program, young heroes would enter a training regime designed by the best fighters in the JLA to properly train self defense. The recruits would start with Young Justice and be formed into small teams that would be assigned a sector to patrol. Missions would be assigned based on skill and proficiency. Recruits who demonstrated clear understanding of a hero's mission and combat prowess, would be promoted to the Titans. With the Titans, recruits would be given individual and specialized training to bolster their abilities. The goal was to make the recruits know more about themselves than any villain could possibly dig up. While further improving their combat abilities. From there, it would be a waiting game of having their names brought up in JLA recruitment meetings and eventually full member status.
It was a good feeder system for the next generation of heroes and was due to begin its initial run soon as the first class was to start with Young Justice in January.
Dick approached the computer, noting the lack of a sun through the windows. It was too early to be dealing with Bruce. Donna was poised beside the computer. A slight scowl on her face. How Garfield woke her up and lived, Dick would pay to see. He powered up the computer and proceeded to login. He was immediately alerted to an incoming call from the watchtower. He glanced quickly at Donna to make sure she was ready before clicking the connect button.
He was met by the cowl of Batman and his perpetual scowl. Already turning his day to shit.
"Good morning Nightwing, ." Batman greeted in a monotone voice.
"It's not morning yet here Batman, and it's a bit early for us. What do you have?" Dick cut through the niceties.
"The President has requested a JLA member for a mission in the North Atlantic. They will be assisting an asset, designated by the President, to protect a scientific discovery. We have reason to believe the asset in question will be Captain Atom as he has been pulled back into active deployment within the previous week. We felt it was best to hand off the offer to your team, so a younger member can gain experience with Atom." Batman answered.
"What if it's not Atom? The US is a big country. You run the risk of appearing to not take the President seriously, and throwing an inexperienced hero to the wolves." Dick questioned with his brow pinched.
"Current flight patterns have Captain Atom traveling back and forth from the North Atlantic repeatedly. He hasn't deviated from this route. When asked he said he was patrolling an upcoming flight plan. We believe an Atlantean would best serve as a secondary line of defense. His path, constantly over the ocean. Only Tula is available at the moment due to….. personal reasons for Aquaman." Batman responded again.
"There's a lot of assumptions there B." Dick observed. He was concerned as the op sounded like an escort mission with those facts. But the President had indicated defense of an asset which he thought meant protection of a static point. It could go either way.
"The JLA has reviewed the evidence and designated Tula as the best candidate." Batman imposed.
"Was any counter argument brought up or did they just trust your judgment? This is the President. They usually leave us alone unless something big has come up." Dick fired back.
"The decision has already been made. You have one hour to get ready. Make sure you're presentable. Watchtower out." Batman growled out as he cut the transmission.
Donna just rolled her eyes as she went to wake Tula. Dick stared at the screen for a few more seconds. A large scowl painted on his face. Ever since Jason, Dick had maintained a fair distance from the man. Babs had ordered that the only communication between the father and son be for "work" purposes. They both feared the lengths he would go to in order to be a part of his grandchild's life, and would not risk their future for his happiness. In the time since Jason left the family, the full group had only met once. It was for an invasion of some sort and personal grudges paled in comparison to the fate of the planet. They all stayed professional, but it was a near thing with Steph almost losing it when Batman mentioned that Hood hadn't been seen at all during the invasion. Her fury was incandescent at the cold observation and implied care for her brother. It took Cass physically dragging Steph out of the cave and Tim immediately hacking into the new bat computer with the threat of revealing their entire family to the world to prevent bloodshed.
He shook his head at the new forced arrangement of the family. He then decided that he can't be tired for a Presidential meeting and elected to use the time to get some rest. He awoke forty five minutes later to Donna poking his face with a smirk.
"You're such a child." He muttered as he rose from his nap.
"Your face fidgets when you sleep. I wanted to see what expressions I could get out of you." Donna answered with a giggle. Her face then slowly became more somber.
"It'll get better and easier in time Dick." Donna informed Dick, as she saw his troubled expression for his siblings.
"It's been three years, Don. I know that some of this will go away when Babs gives birth and the family rushes to be the favorite aunt or uncle. But, I don't think we'll ever be back to the same closeness as before." Dick ruminated.
"Maybe, but you're all still talking. A good sign for the future. Don't forget the rest of the Titans will be here and vying for that favorite position as well." Donna assured him. Drawing out a real smile.
He joined her as they made their way to the zeta room. Tula already present in her orange and green armor, covering her from her neck to her feet and leaving her arms sleeveless. She also had her vambraces on and the traditional crown of Atlantis upon her head, covering her cheekbones. A bag thrown over her shoulder containing additional cloths and toiletries.
Powering up the tube, they emerged into the White House's zeta room. Quickly meeting Evelyn, who turned to escort them to the Oval Office.
Evelyn was downing her coffee with such efficiency, Dick was concerned for her safety. He had lived with Tim and his nonexistent sleep habits. But this woman put the fear of god into him as she downed the coffee and grabbed another cup just sitting out on a table. He didn't think it was meant for her. Before he got a chance to ask why she needed all the caffeine, they had arrived at the door to the office.
"They're already waiting for you. We'll have the helicopter ready by the time your meeting is complete. Whoever's going will stay with me while an aid will escort the rest of you back to the zeta room." Evelyn explained as she took Tula's bag.
"Thank you, we promise to be out of your hair in no time." Dick responded with his trademark grin.
Donna entered the room first, followed by Tula and then Dick. He nearly ran into a stiff Troia as he entered the room. He quickly glanced at her, noticing she was glaring at something in the room. It took him a few seconds to guess what that was.
"Hmmm, not who I thought they would send." Slade Wilson said as he lounged on one of the couches next to Amanda Waller.
"What are you doing here?" Donna growled out as she shifted slightly in front of Tula. Dick immediately copying the movement on her opposite side.
"Currently….. waiting to start the briefing." Slade answered carelessly. Dick turned to the President, who was watching the two sides size one another up.
"Mr. President, it's an honor to meet you, but we must apologize. We cannot in good faith work with this man as your asset." Dick said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.
"Mr. Nightwing, that is perfectly alright, as he is not the asset. Agent Knight will be overseeing this operation." President Jackson responded while waving a hand to his right.
It was at this point, he and Donna noticed the shadow across the room move. It shifted and out stepped what could have been a clone of Death Stroke. Decked out in midnight black armor and weapons strung across his body. The faceless visage taking them in. Speaking in a deep modulated voice that instantly dropped the temperature of the room to the heroes.
"You're not the Justice League."
