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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.
—
Apokolips
Darkseid sank into his throne, grunting as he felt his broken bones set themselves right.
"Explain to me, DeSaad. How did we end up in that demon's dimension? Where did Earth go?"
"It is the humans, master. They must have sent the Mother Box there."
"Find out which ones. Now!"
"Your command will be done, Master."
Once DeSaad was out of the room, Darkseid slammed his fist on the throne's armrest, shattering it to pieces. His beastly roar shook the room, and the Parademons became the targets of his fury.
—
Metropolis
Beckett Residence
"You shot a version of my cousin with enough kryptonite to kill him in seven minutes," Karen said, putting down her empty noodle box to reach for water.
Miles smirked. That part was actually fun. "He was a despot with a fetish for lobotomizing people, and I value the current state of my brain."
Her smile matched his. "Not bad." Letting a Kryptonian with less than good intentions get that close, only to shoot him with kryptonite, required guts.
"How is the company business going?" She had already received her share of the bounty, as had Claire and Baraka. It wouldn't be long before she was the CEO of a brand new company.
"I already applied for several patents and chose a name. I am going to be really busy for a while."
"Got a building in mind?" he asked. He would have to check the restaurants near her.
"Yeah, why?"
"Thought I'd visit whenever I had time."
Claire made cooing noises.
"I'll let you know if I finalize the deal," she said, sitting closer to him. Just in time, his phone rang.
"Excuse me," he said, seeing the name on the screen.
"Paula, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Some people have been tracking Artemis. I also saw men watching our house," she said, her voice tight.
Miles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It appears the League of Assassins was acting up.
"Are they? You know what, I'll handle it. You guys just stay at home for now," he said, ending the call.
"Who is Paula?" Karen asked. The name was vaguely familiar.
"Paula Crock, Sportsmaster's estranged wife. She turned a new leaf with her daughter, Artemis, but the League of Assassins seems to be hovering around her now."
She frowned, finally remembering at least one name. "Artemis Crock? She was a street-level hero in Gotham if I remember right. Had a sister too…" she stopped, rubbing her forehead, trying to remember.
She wasn't involved with the sidekicks and their adventures.
"Jade Nguyen or Cheshire. They think she is dead. Seems the League wants to recruit Artemis after Sportsmaster was put out of commission."
She leaned back, her left brow rising slowly. If the League thought Cheshire was dead, then her death was faked. If Sportsmaster was out of commission, then… "Did you kill him?"
He winked, his lips stretching out and up. "Goodness no. We wiped his mind, and he is spending the rest of his days in a mental hospital."
"Doesn't sound like something the League would approve of."
He winked. "I won't tell if you won't."
She winked back, making a zipping motion.
"Claire, get that tape, will you? It's high time we speak to someone high enough and get Ra's al Ghul off the Crock family's back."
"Want me to come? Ra's is dangerous for a reason," she said. That bastard whose expiration date had long passed was a pain in the ass. If Miles could take him down a peg, she would help.
"You are already busy, and it's not like we are going to start a fight. Just a small exchange." He could always blow up Infinity Island and call it a day.
After extracting Damian, of course.
Karen shook her head. "Alright, Mr. Spy, whatever you say."
—
To get Ra's al Ghul to back off, he would have to arrange a meeting first. He couldn't call Infinity Island and put a meeting request with the Demon's Head. Instead, he sent a message to Talia, who left her number for Batman should her beloved ever wish to contact her.
He sent her a short message, wanting to meet Ra's, presenting several of the names and related evidence Leonard had gathered.
She had not called immediately. She would be a fool to do so. Instead, Zalika tracked the League of Assassins' attempts to figure out just who was trying to blackmail them. She had taken them on a wild goose chase. All Talia had found were a dozen juvenile and obscene names.
It was exceedingly amusing to watch the high-and-mighty assassin's fumble like a toddler trying to walk.
Though, she had eventually given out a neutral address to meet.
—
Atlantic Ocean
The Ouroboros
He docked on the yacht, watching the assassins for any sudden moves. Ra's had chosen a location right outside the jurisdiction of the United States. No one would even know if they had died here.
Not that he was unprepared.
The android army was above them, floating, invisible. Should the Ra's act out, there would be a massacre. He was going to kill or put them all in prison, eventually, but now was not it.
"Welcome, my mysterious foe," Ra's greeted, standing on the deck and watching the ocean.
He huffed, gesturing at Claire and Baraka to stand back. "Foe? I've come to bargain, not to fight."
"So you say," the Demon's Head spoke, turning around to face him. "I am Ra's al Ghul. You wanted to speak; let us speak."
With his Fu Manchu mustache, chopped muttonchops, and slicked-back hair with streaks, he was exactly the one he had watched in the Young Justice show. Even his clothing, down to his green cloak, black robe with white sleeves, and brown sash, was the same.
"Raymond Reddington," he introduced, giving out his fake alias.
Ra's smirked, taking a couple steps closer, getting into striking distance. "I have never heard of that name. Either it is not worth hearing or you are well hidden."
"I am not here to play twenty questions. I have this," he pulled out the USB stick, "retrieved from Leonard Penwell, which has evidence that would bring your media manipulation efforts in the United States down."
The old man's eyes locked on the small device, barely the size of his index finger. To imagine it carried knowledge that would ruin the work that had taken years to cultivate.
"What do you want in return?" Nothing in this world was free after all.
"The Crock family. You, nor the League or any other subordinates you might have, will have any contact with their members in an attempt to recruit, blackmail, or threaten them. I want it to be as if you never knew them, except Lawrence. I don't care about him."
"Curious," Ra's said, stroking his chin. "First someone kills Cheshire and then turns Sportsmaster into a vegetable. Now, someone wants me to stay away from them. I sense a connection, as well as something left unsaid."
Miles rolled his eyes. Ra's would have to be a fool to think whoever killed Cheshire would want her sister and mother to be safe like this.
"Is that a no?"
Ra's shook his head. "Very well, we will stay away from young Artemis and Paula."
"As well as letting Jade go," he added. Ra's had named them on purpose. He wanted to see if Jade was alive. If Miles revealed it, he would learn Jade's fate. If he did not, then she would still be fair game.
"You deceived Sportsmaster into thinking she was dead."
"We both can agree Lawrence wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed."
"She knows too much to be set free."
"You wouldn't have survived this long if a low-level operative like her knew anything important. Especially one that only joined because she was forced to."
"Give me your word in writing, and I'll give you the evidence. I am sure we both have more important matters to attend to."
Ra's turned to one of the attendants, his head jerking towards the cabin. The attendant bowed and left. He returned with a golden paper, a parchment, once he looked closer. Ra's wrote on it, signing it with his own blood. He held it out but, just as Miles reached for it, pulled it back.
"Though I wonder. How am I supposed to trust that you haven't copied this information?" Ra's asked, his men suddenly tensing.
He ignored it, reaching for the parchment with a smirk. "Returning the evidence was a sign of goodwill. It is the secrecy of your little operation that will ensure you keep your end of the bargain. If your plan is revealed and you can track it to this evidence, you'll have no reason to stay away from Paula and her daughters."
"A mutually assured loss of assets as it were," he summarized, gazing into the old man's eyes.
Ra's let go. "Very well."
—
"No offense, boss, but are you sure this was worth it?" Baraka asked as they sped away from the yacht on their boat.
"Of course. In fact, it's better for us that Ra's keeps his little operation going," he said.
Claire, who was watching the yacht, turned her head sideways, glancing at him. "Say, what are you going to do with Galaxy Communications?"
He winked at her. She was learning. "Why, use it as a force for good? Now that I know who works for Ra's and what angles they are using to manipulate the public through the media, I can expose their efforts."
Claire's eyes slightly widened, though her smile shone. "Which will make the rebranded Galaxy Communications good guys."
"Good guys that you own," Baraka finished.
Miles raised his index finger to his curled lips.
—
Gotham
"They left," Paula said as she opened the door, checking the area for any hostels.
He grinned. "Not even a hello, Paula?"
She shook her head and rolled her chair back, letting them in. "Sorry. I've just been on edge. Come in."
Artemis and Jade were sitting in the living room on opposite sofas, glaring at each other.
"How did it go?" Jade asked, forgoing any thoughts of greeting Miles.
"Here," he handed out the parchment. "A written decree from the Demon's Head. He won't go after any of you again. At least not to recruit, threaten, or blackmail."
It would protect them in their civilian lives.
"Does that mean?"
"He knows about you? Yes, Ra's was quick to figure that part out. On the other hand, you are free."
"How?" she asked, feeling her throat dry. Not many would be able to meet with Ra's al Ghul. Even fewer could ever hope to strike a deal like this.
"That's my little secret."
Paula clapped her hands, bringing her daughters out of their haze. "This deserves a celebration. Would you three like to join us?"
"I think you should enjoy this as family. I have some other arrangements," he said. After so long, they could finally take a breath without the weight of Lawrence, the League of Assassins, and Cheshire.
It was best if it were just the three of them. Especially when the mysterious saboteurs targeting the renovation of the Crime Alley were awfully familiar.
Paula smiled, her eyes moistening.
—
Metropolis
He didn't actually have anything to do. Not until he received a message. Karen had rented a small office building in the financial district. She would start setting the place up today.
He called in several seniors from the management of EnviroCorps to assist her while he went to bring her gifts. Androids for security, research personnel she was interested in, and office supplies.
Along with a large cake.
"This is a lot," she muttered, taking her plate and glass.
He shrugged, stabbing his fork into the chocolate cake. "Help me save humanity from itself, and I'll call it more than fair."
"How did it go with you know who?" she mentioned offhandedly, standing to the side, away from everyone else.
"He agreed to leave them alone, and in return, Raymond gave him something."
"You really know a lot, don't you?"
"That's my job."
The pleasant atmosphere was interrupted when his League communicator beeped. He answered immediately as Karen got in front of him, blocking everyone else out.
"Miles, Doomsday is attacking downtown Metropolis. We can't reach Amazo. Can you send your androids?" Batman requested. Miles left the room, and Karen followed, having heard the message.
He activated his watch, ordering the androids to move out. "They are on the way."
"Doomsday? That's not good," Karen said, zoning out with her vision.
"Amazo is off-planet in search of some spiritual answers," he said, having completely forgotten about Doomsday.
Her jaws clenched. "I am going too."
"You don't have to. The League and the androids can handle it."
"Oh please. Doomsday won't go down that easily. They can always use more hands."
He looked into her unwavering eyes.
"Another heavy hitter is on the way," he said to the communicator. Karen activated her watch. The armor covered her in the blink of an eye, and she left through the window, invisible.
—
Downtown Metropolis
The first thing she saw was Doomsday slamming a younger-looking version of herself aside.
"Hey, ugly," she bellowed, slamming both outstretched fists onto Doomsday's back, forcing him forward, right into Superman and Wonder Woman's fists. The behemoth was flung back. The rest of the members attacked, along with the androids.
Lantern's constructs, Batplane's rockets, improvised projectiles from Flash, and the elemental attacks of the android siblings and three sets of heat visions slammed into Doomsday.
Doomsday continued to scream in pain but still tanked everything.
"We need something else to defeat him. This won't work forever," Wonder Woman said.
"Phantom Zone Projector. Where is it?" Karen asked.
Superman's heat vision stalled for a moment. He turned to her, nodding after a moment. "I'll go get it, you guys keep him occupied," he said, taking off.
Karen turned to the beast, who was pushing against the combined attacks, and dived into the fray. The systems were scanning Doomsday's attack patterns and displayed from which direction the next attack would come.
She twisted to the left, dodging the kick. Her left hook sent Doomsday stumbling. Wonder Woman attacked from the right with a kick, sending the beast the other way.
Green Lantern wrapped him in chains, trying to pull him down. Wonder Woman was quick to join, lassoing the beast around its neck and pulling it down. Karen and Supergirl went for the back of his knees, kicking until he went down.
Flash's punches created afterimages, appearing as if he had multiple limbs. Batman wrapped several cords around Doomsday and handed them to the androids.
The combined strength was barely enough to bring the roaring monster to his knees.
"You think this can stop me forever?"
"It won't have to," Superman's voice returned, holding a device in his hands.
All the League members let go at once. Doomsday flexed his arms, setting himself free.
Only to be hit by a white beam.
—
In the next chapter:
Zalika kept a tab on Waller's movements as part of her job. Incensed by the raid and the loss of the Kryptonian DNA samples, she had increased security on all of Cadmus' bases. She had gone a step further by deciding to have the Royal Flush Gang relocated to Alaska.
He was going to hijack the plane and free them.
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