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To the attention of the readers who enjoy reading an intelligent main character like Miles will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Metropolis
Miles had given the Kryptonian female an out-of-the-way location. Should it come to blows, which was unlikely to happen, but you never knew with the Kryptonians. The park was on the outskirts of the city and small. Any confrontation would not lead to casualties before the cavalry came in.
"Mr. Fedora," she said, sitting on the other end of the bench. The white blouse did little to hide her tensed muscular frame.
He pulled his hat down slightly. "Ms. Kryptonian."
"How did you even know I am a Kryptonian?" she asked. She had kept her powers secret. No flight, no super strength, no heat ray, nothing.
He flashed her a grin. "Did anyone ever say your appearance reminded them of Supergirl, only more mature? Like an older sister."
Put the two side by side, and anyone would assume they were family.
"Maybe," she crossed her arms. "No one ever assumed I was a Kryptonian because of it."
Miles waved his watch. "A simple DNA scan was all it took."
"What now?" She was ready to snap him like a twig if he attempted to blackmail her.
"What is an unknown Kryptonian doing on Earth, working as a waitress?" His question was perfectly normal, which only set her off.
"If you think I am a problem, it would be the Justice League's, not yours."
"I am a part of the Justice League, behind the scenes, of course."
"Bullshit," she scoffed. She knew everyone in the League, at least the one on her Earth. So far, everything in this dimension had gone exactly as she knew. The man next to her wasn't a part of it.
He pulled out his phone. "Would you like me to call Superman?"
"No, forget it." She shook her head. "You want to know why I am here? It was because my dimension was destroyed, and I had nowhere else to go. I came to this Earth by accident. Metropolis was the only place I knew, so here I am, trying to make a living."
Her explanation was the same as the background of Power Girl.
"My condolences." He removed the hat. "May I ask how it happened?"
"An antimatter wave," she said.
"Was it the Anti-Monitor?" That entity was the only one to release antimatter in an attempt to destroy the multiverse.
"You know that thing?" she asked, turning to face him.
He tilted his head down. "Krona, a rogue guardian, was responsible for the creation of the multiverse." The knowledge behind the creation of the multiverse was only known to few. Now, it includes Power Girl as well.
She cursed under her breath.
"What is your relationship with Supergirl?" he asked.
"I am Kara Zor-L; the Superman on my Earth was my cousin. I am her counterpart."
"Blood related?" He truly did not know whether she was or not.
"Yes?" she asked, her tone rising in pitch towards the end.
"Supergirl isn't blood related to Superman. She is adopted as the last survivor of Argon."
"Huh," she leaned back on the bench, "differences like that were bound to exist."
"Miles Beckett," he introduced, holding his hand out.
She took it, gentle to not crush his hand like a pulp. "Kara, or Karen, whatever you prefer."
"You haven't done anything except work during the time you were here, and I am inclined to agree that you are not up to anything. Should you want to meet Superman, give me a call. I know he'd appreciate having more family," he said.
She had kept a low profile. As an individual that had just lost her second home, her reluctance to interact with counterparts of the family and friends she knew was completely understandable.
"Thanks."
When she did not get up to leave, he put his hat back on. "If you have questions, feel free to ask."
"Who are you, exactly?" She crossed her arms. "There was no Miles Beckett in my dimension who was working with the Justice League."
"I am the spy," he said for the flair. "I keep an eye on dangerous individuals and groups. When it is necessary, I share what I know with the League, and they intervene. The operation against the Intergang was a part of my efforts."
Power Girl could be trusted as a future member of the Justice League.
"What are you working on right now, Mr. Spy? If I can ask, of course," she said, adding the last part after a second.
"We recently overthrew Zambesia's dictator."
She narrowed her eyes. "The League doesn't do that." As an organization solely focused on saving civilians from villain attacks, accidents, and disasters, the Justice League was nonpolitical. They abided by the UN charter on the League, which did include a prohibition on intervening in wars between or in nations as long as metahumans or otherwise enhanced individuals weren't a part of it.
His smirk was infuriating. "They don't."
"Whatever," she gave him a blank look. "I got the day off, so I am just going to sleep in."
"One last question. When was your universe destroyed?" he asked just as she rose from the bench.
She looked back, clenching her fists. "Around a month after the Justice League here was founded."
"Thank you."
That was unexpected.
—
The ride home was silent as he contemplated the bombshell Karen had just dropped on his lap. He did not believe it was a coincidence even for a second.
An antimatter wave had destroyed her universe, most likely along with many more, just a month after the Justice League had come together on this Earth. The earliest trace on Powergirl dated just three days after his arrival.
Considering it was an application for a job, she had to have spent time creating an identity.
Had the antimatter wave destroyed his universe as well, somehow deposing him in this reality? Or was it a mere side effect?
Entities that could give him an answer were not worth the trouble it would cause.
"You alright, Miles?" Claire asked. It was rare for him to be so contemplative.
"Yes, just considering her situation," he said with a light tone.
Rubbing his forehead, he made a call. "Zalika, find me the phone number of the warden of Stryker's Island Penitentiary."
"I put it on your phone. Do you want me to mask the call?" she asked. He checked the phone, seeing a new name, Draper, appear on his contact list.
"Yes, thank you," he said, ending the call to make a new one.
"Hello?" the voice on the other side asked.
"Mr. Draper, there is going to be a breakout in your prison." He was not in the mood to drag this out.
There was a pause. "Who is this?"
"My name isn't important. Containing the breakout is," he said.
"I don't know who you are, but there will be no breakouts on my watch."
Of course a man like Carl Draper would have to be so prideful.
"Let me make myself clear, you two-bit Saturday cartoon comedic relief character," he said, tone devoid of any inflections. "If you don't increase security, there are going to be inquiries into you allowing experiments on the inmates. Is that understood?"
Draper was silent again. "Yes," he answered, and he could hear the man's teeth grinding together.
"Good. If I hear any unfortunate news, you will be trading rooms on that island." He finally ended the call, rubbing his head again.
Claire chuckled. "I might be the pyrokinetic, but that was a nice burn."
"I aim to please," he said with a wry smile.
Deciding caution was the prudent choice, he called the Watchtower with his League communicator.
"Manhunter, I hope you are having a good day."
"I do. What can I help you with, Miles?" J'onn asked, getting straight to the point. Miles rarely called for pleasure after all.
"I received word of a breakout in Stryker's Penitentiary. I warned Warden Draper, but I wouldn't trust him to take care of a plastic plant."
"I see. I will watch the island and alert the members should it be necessary. Thank you once again."
"You are welcome." With that call, the situation should be contained before John Dee transforms into Doctor Destiny. If not, at least the League would have a much easier time managing the breakout.
"What are we doing now?" Bringing Maksai down was a quick affair. Since her boss left the matter of the breakout to the League, he must have a different idea.
Unless they were going on another break.
He made another call. "Zalika, what do we have regarding Kaznia? Specifically, King Gustav and his daughter, Audrey."
Following the breakout in Stryker's Penitentiary, Vandal Savage's attempt to take over Kaznia was the next chapter. He could get ahead of Savage by acting first. Gustav was old and would die soon even without his intervention.
Audrey could be an ally inside the European Union.
"King Gustav is making great contributions to the new international space station," she reported over the phone. "News says it increases Kaznia's standing on the international stage, but the citizens are suffering for it. As for Audrey, her father seems to be setting up a marriage for her. It's… oh boy."
Her hesitation at the end made it certain.
"Who is it?" he asked, waiting for the name drop.
"Vandal Savage."
Miles smirked, looking out the window of the car. "Seems a trip to Kaznia is in order."
—
Kaznia
The following day, he left for Kaznia along with Claire and Baraka.
It was a Balkan country ruled by a monarchy. The culture was similar to its neighbors, the language diverse, but unlike the rest of the Balkans, it was rife with political and military disasters.
The Northern Kaznians, the tribes that had never fit in with the rest of the nation, and the Southern Kaznians, the widely recognized legitimate government, were at war. It wasn't all-out battles but guerrilla movements by the Northerners and organized military actions by the Southerners.
Princess Audrey was a party girl. To find her, one had to find the party. In such an unstable country, acquiring an invitation to a party was done at the behest of Benjamin Franklin's likeness.
The most attended, expensive, and loudest party was held at the capital. The elite of Kaznia were present, along with individuals who bought their way in for one reason or another.
The world-class party girl was the center of attention. However, she would eventually be tired. He just had to wait for the opportunity.
In the meantime, he enjoyed the party with his companions.
—
"Oh, my head," Audrey groaned as she entered her room.
A glass of cold water was held out to her. "Here, the water will clear your head up a bit."
Watching the young man who held out the water, she then turned to the one in the fedora hat, sitting on her chair. "Thank you."
She took the glass, drinking it slowly. She sat down as the headache subsided slightly.
"How can I help you?" she asked.
The man, the leader, took his hat off. "You are awfully calm for someone who found three intruders in her room."
Audrey raised her shoulders and dropped them. "You are not Northerners, and this isn't the first time someone wanted to speak in private." Though it was the first time they did it in her room.
Offering her drugged water would be pointless when she was about to fall into a drunken sleep. Neither their accents nor looks painted them as Northerners or assassins.
"So, what is it? Some business idea you want to bring to my father?" she said, looking for a painkiller in her bedstand.
"What do you know about your future husband, Vandal Savage?" the man asked, and Audrey stopped.
She wasn't expecting that.
"I can assure you, my father doesn't care whether I know my potential husband or not. But he is older than me, terrifyingly intelligent as well as charismatic," she said.
Vandal had won the court and her father over in a short amount of time. It sent chills down her spine to see how easily the man made her father eat from the palm of his hand.
"He is fifty thousand years old. It does give one more than ample time for self-improvement," Miles said, waiting for Audrey to process it in her drunk state.
She sat down again, taking the pill without any water. "Am I too drunk, or did you just say fifty thousand years?"
"Ever wondered why he looked so primitive in a sense?" he asked. One look at Vandal Savage was enough to deduce that the man was different, and not in a known sense.
"Yes?"
"Savage is a caveman who had been mutated by a meteor and acquired immortality. Pity, you would think he'd share that with his future wife," he smirked.
Audrey's eyes widened before shutting as another wave of throbbing assaulted her skull.
"Okay, that's… I'll need proof," she said, massaging her scalp.
"His history does not matter as much as his latest actions do."
He didn't have a way to prove Vandal's presence and multitude of personas throughout history.
Which is why he displayed relevant documents and recordings of Vandal's scheme for time traveling to Nazi Germany for world domination. Everything seemed like a conspiracy to Audrey until she witnessed the time machine fail and Vandal's orders to abandon the project.
"I have no words. Though, it doesn't prove he is fifty thousand years old," she pointed out.
"Does it matter at this point? You are intelligent enough to see why he wants your hand in marriage. Once your father suffers a natural-looking death, you will follow the lead. By then, Vandal would be too beloved for the citizens to care. After all, Gustav's backbreaking taxes do not endear your family to the public," he said.
Even if Vandal wasn't in the equation, the people would only stand so long against Gustav's publicity display to cozy up with the international community.
"I know," Audrey groaned. "What do you want from me? I doubt my father would believe you or even care."
Vandal had too much clout over him for that.
"Let's be honest, princess. Your father doesn't have much time left. Even if Vandal Savage doesn't kill him, he is old enough for stress to be a dangerous factor. But you are young and full of vitality and the sole heir to the throne of Kaznia. You assist me in neutralizing Vandal, and I give you all the backing you need as the queen," he said. Audrey had actually turned out to be a much more benevolent ruler than her father. She would even manage to bring Kaznia into the European Union.
Gustav, on the other hand, was on a time limit.
She let out a wry chuckle. "Being the queen never seemed so great to me."
"Positions of power rarely come with more privileges than burdens. Though, if you want, I can arrange for you to enjoy parties for the rest of your life," he offered.
"And Kaznia?" She touched her country's location on the globe. "Am I supposed to just abandon everything?"
"Viva la Democracia."
"I think I'll stick around. What did you say your name was?" she asked. If she were partnering with an individual, she at least would know his name.
"Miles Beckett," he took his hat off, "a pleasure, Your Highness."
—
In the next chapter:
"Quite," she chuckled. "I actually wished to meet you for this." She opened the velvet box on the table, presenting the contents to him.
"A watch?" he asked. He knew Audrey's shopping habits. She had rarely bothered to buy a gift. Not even for her father. It appeared to be an attempt to get to know her future husband.
"Yes, a gift for our approaching nuptials."
"How kind of you, princess."
"Since I am calling you Vandal, I insist you call me Audrey."
"Audrey, I am grateful, but I have nothing to give in kind." It was the perfect time to play the benevolent fiancee.
"This was a surprise after all. Won't you put it on?"
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