Justice League POV
The Hall of Justice
Home/headquarters of the Justice league
A place where the public can see the world's mightiest heroes gather.
From time to time visits within the hall is possible, to tour the grounds where extraordinary men and women spend their time.
The stories of their heroics can be found throughout the hall, a testament of their devotion and commitment.
But what only a few know is that this grand building, is but a front.
A prop... a stage... designed to face the public.
The league's true headquarters loomed over the earth. A silent witness to all that occurs upon the fragile world.
A magnificent tower, using the greatest technological advancements known to humankind. Built with the help of the extraordinary and keep secret from the rest of the world.
Within this tower a weekly meeting was taking place.
Gathered around a large table, several members prepared to hear a report provided by the Flash and Batman.
"Alright lets get started." Batman stated
Typing on a holographic keyboard several screens appeared above the table. Each showed various images and written reports.
"Two weeks ago a series of phone calls were made to various law enforcement agencies across the state of Arizona, followed by calls to the National Guard and then us. The caller sounded frantic and spoke of large spiders attacking a small town called Prosperity. Most responded with skepticism or believed it to be a prank call."
"But you didn't?" Asked Green Arrow
"I had my doubts, but upon thoroughly analyzing the message, I grew suspicious. I had the Tower computer make several anonymous calls to various townsfolk, no response. I then commanded the computer to pull up any anomalous reports from the town.
"Did the computer find any?" Asked Wonder woman
"Yes. Mostly about missing animals and a few missing people, but the most interesting report was sent to the EPA by the local sheriff. The discovery of a barrel illegally dumped on the outskirts of the town. The EPA traced the barrel back to Viroanol Corporation, a chemical company with reach throughout the southwest."
By pressing a few keys, the reports were replaced by several images. Giant spiders of various sizes, both living and dead.
"Wow" said Green Arrow
"I know right. Trust me they look even worst in real life" commented Flash
"Flash" Said Batman
"Right... as everyone can see these are terrestrial spiders, all mutated to various sizes. The appearance of multiple species, some not native to the southwest, is because most derived from a spider farm located outside of town. The toxic waste barrel Batman mention was located a mile away from the farm. Unfortunately, the owner was the first to perish in this incident so we can only speculate how the spiders were exposed."
"Upon escaping the farm the spiders fled into the local mine that ran along and under part of the town. Then over the course of a week the spiders mostly preyed upon pets and local wildlife, before turning on the townsfolk." Batman continued.
"Although a few townsfolk grew suspicious, the town itself was caught unprepared. Out of a population of around 600, 63 confirmed dead and another 38 still missing. When Flash arrived on site he ran around the town first before entering."
"That is correct. I first came across two men running from a group of spiders, I carried them away to the outskirts of town. They were the ones who told me about the group hiding within the mall. When I reached the mall I could see the main entrance breached and feared for the group's safety, but upon searching both levels I could not find a single living person, thus I checked the basement and discovered the entrance to the mine system. Another discovery was the presence of multiple toxic waste barrels, each marked with the symbol of the Viroanol Corporation."
"So they were the one behind this incident?" Asked Black Canary
"Not exactly" Answered Flash "When the state police arrived the town mayor confessed to them about a deal he made with Viroanol Corporation about storing the toxic waste within the mine in exchange for funds to help revitalize the town. Actually the mall was built using those funds."
"Company records show that the waste was chemical byproducts that came from their main plant, but analysis of samples taken by the Flash and the EPA don't match any of the chemicals they normally use. For now I will leave the investigation into the discrepancy up to the EPA. The remaining spiders were eliminated by national guard troops and the mayor was taken in for questioning." Explained Batman
"Is there anymore information or questions that someone would like to share about this incident?" Asked Superman
... "I do" Answered Flash "A small girl went missing after I had arrived. I searched the town for her, but couldn't locate her, I left her description with the state troopers."
"Okay" Answered Superman "Then let us move onto the next item. Aquaman how is training going with your new protégé?
...
Carmen Sandiego POV
Two weeks have passed since I flew into the town of Prosperity. Probably one of the strangest incidents I have ever intervened in, but something tells me that there is more to come. Thankfully help arrived at the right moment, but so far each event I have participated in have been coincidental.
In my last life, each caper was planned before hand.
Everything was considered to ensure the success of the caper. Information, equipment, and even assets were all taken into account. And in moments of improvisation, I could always rely on my friends and allies.
But now I need to start from scratch. Thankfully I won't be starting from zero.
Ding!