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DCU: Blacklist

The kids is that flush gang poker people right? Ace and company, and she probably went ballistic when she saw people being trained the same way as she was trained.
 
Chapter 16 - Fury of a Woman Scorned New
Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my
patreon page

Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever,

Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU,

Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon,

and
DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world

All stories are six chapters ahead now.




Metropolis

Miles closed the door behind him, hung his coat and hat, and walked to the living room, where Claire and the teens were watching TV while eating pizza.

"Hey, how did it go with the Feds?" Claire asked after swallowing her bite with some soda.

"Nothing to worry about; it was just the FBI. How about you three?" This wasn't his first tango with the federal authorities, and most likely wouldn't be the last.

"They picked their rooms, and we're going shopping in an hour."

"Good. In the meantime, here are your IDs as citizens of the United States of America." Miles handed the teens two envelopes containing the beginning of their new lives.

As Zalika and Baraka tore the paper apart with grins, Miles took a slice of pepperoni pizza and sat down.

"I have documents to sign for the company while you take Zalika and Baraka to the mall. I don't believe I need to warn you about keeping a low profile."

"Don't worry, we'll be back without a fuss." Claire waved away his concerns, sure that a shopping trip couldn't end badly unless a villain attacked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mary-Anne Loraine had already bought a medium-sized building for EnviroCorps, and the paperwork for the company to begin its operations only lacked the signature of the corporation's owner.

"Mr. Beckett, great to see you again."

"Just call me Miles, Mary; Mr.Beckett was my father." He couldn't help but feel as if his father was there whenever someone called him Mr. Beckett.

"As you wish. I have all the relevant documentation here, and then we will have to talk about who you want on the Board of Directors and how to enter the market." Mary had several documents in her hand, most likely her plans and ideas.

"In order, I don't have any names for the Board of Directors except myself and you, obviously. If you feel it is necessary to fill any positions, ensure the candidates don't cross me. As for the market, we are going to break in with advanced fusion reactors, starting with hydrogen, and when we have orbital infrastructure, we will switch to deuterium reactors."

He was legally obligated to have a board of directors by law, but no pencil pusher would tell Miles how to run his company.

"Research into fusion reactors is new and nowhere near ready to be commercially available." Mary did not make any plans for that, thinking they would be doing something less complex than fusion reactors.

"You let me worry about the scientific and technological part; I want you to focus on preparing the groundwork and facilities and gathering the closest thing we have to experts on the subject." Miles sounded so sure that the CEO could only shrug in response.

If he could not deliver, Mary did have several backup plans.

"Yes, sir, now, here are the documents requiring your signature."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reading and signing the documents took less time than one might expect, as Miles was a fast reader.

He was riding to the Metropolis Mall to meet with Claire and his new charges while planning to talk with Hawkgirl about assisting Thanagar in winning the war against the Gordonians.

For a price, of course.

But it could afford to wait while he perused the mall.

A heatwave hit him as soon as he entered through the door, and coupled with people running in terror, Miles had an idea who the culprit was.

Avoiding the panicking masses, he eventually came across Claire, who was shooting up a pillar of fire to the sky in her fury.

Zalika and Baraka had taken cover in a shop, shouting at her to calm down, which did nothing.

The target of Claire's flames was none other than the couple standing before her, a brown-haired man dressed in a suit and a woman with hair coloring eerily similar to the pyrokinetic, and seeing as she was totally out of control, his bodyguard had crossed paths with her parents, and she wasn't happy about it at all.

"Claire, enough." His voice cut through the screams and the chaos of the situation.

"They abandoned me, and now here they are, strutting around as if nothing happened." Clare screamed, hoarse and hurt, and she was about to make it someone else's problem.

"You can't kill them because you will regret it, and you, rightfully so, can't forgive them. The only choice you have is to get over them, because any other decision you make will only harm you, no one else."

"He is right; stand down now." Just as he thought this day couldn't get any worse, Supergirl had to come floating down, and if he did not manage it well, the two volatile, superpowered individuals could start a fight.

"Supergirl, sorry to ruin your debut, but it would be for the best if you let me handle it." This couldn't have been a worse time for the young Argoan to make her first appearence as a hero.

"Who are you?" Kara hadn't even introduced herself and wondered how the man even knew her.

"Miles Beckett, perhaps Superman mentioned me?" At least he hoped Clark did, otherwise convincing her could be a hassle.

"You are him?" She said, not expecting to meet the man so soon and like this, " Alright, I'll let you handle this." Kara backed off, thinking about how her first attempt at being a hero went in a completely different direction.

Miles slowly approached Claire through the blistering heat, getting between her and her parents.

"I can't begin to imagine the pain you are feeling right now, but it is up to you to leave that part of your life behind and move forward." He finally got through to Claire as the flames slowly died and she began to take deep breaths.

Tears of rage, which were evaporating before, slowly trickled out, and Claire turned back, marching to the car without saying a single word.

Leaving him, Supergirl, the teens, and a lot of terrified civilians that he had to silence.

"My apologies for the damage and scare this family issue caused to everyone. Allow me to make up for it. I'll pay for everything you fine citizens of Metropolis buy for the next hour as compensation." His declaration was met with hesitant silence.

Miles motioned the siblings to go out after Claire while he cleaned up this mess.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He talked with the manager of the mall, paying for the damages Claire caused while also guaranteeing to pay for all the purchases the visitors did in the next hour, which caused a frenzy as people rushed to buy the most expensive things they could.

When the officers arrived, people were too happy and busy to be making a complaint, and they left after trying and failing to get a statement from anyone.

Claire's parents, John and Natalie, however, stalked him like bloodhounds, asking questions about their daughter.

"Look, you saw how Claire reacted. Unless she approaches you first, going near her will not end well for you." Miles warned. He was more worried about Claire going to prison than anything else at this point.

"But…" Natalie Selton started to object, but Miles cut her off.

"No buts, you left her to the mercy of an institute that gave her up to the government." He didn't know how much Claire's parents knew about what happened to her, but unless they didn't check at all, they should have known about her disappearance.

"We only wanted to help her." John Selton said, his voice so small and broken at seeing how much his little girl hated him.

"Unfortunately for you, the road to hell is paved with good intentions." They nodded helplessly, leaving without further objection.

"So, who was that, and why was she so angry?" Supergirl asked, dressed in a white blouse with the red S at the center and a red cape, a blue skirt, red shoes, and white gloves.

"My bodyguard, Claire. Her parents sent her to an institute so she could control her powers, only for the government to try to make a weapon out of her."

Perhaps those Kara and Claire could be friends rather than enemies in this timeline.

"I see." Kara didn't know what to say to that and chose to say nothing at all.

"At any rate, while I would love to stay and chat, I have to go and make sure she is fine."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Claire was sitting inside the car, her head leaning on the window, her puffy eyes looking far away with barely dried tears.

Miles drove home without saying anything, stopping to pick up some ice cream on the way.

She did not make a sound the whole way and immediately went to her room, silent as a grave.

"Miles, do you think she is alright?" Zalika was worried, but seeing Miles keep his silence, she and Baraka did the same to give the young woman some time.

"Claire is strong, and I believe she will be fine, eventually. In the meantime, get settled in your rooms while I go see how she is doing."

He knocked on the door to no answer and went inside anyway.

"I am not in the mood to talk, Miles." Claire was lying on her back with an arm over her eyes, not even having bothered to change her clothes.

"Then let's not talk. Here." He held out the ice cream and a spoon, and after a couple of seconds, Claire slowly moved her arm to look at what Miles was offering.

"Ice cream?" She might have found it irrelevant to the current mood but still took the offered bucket.

"What better way to increase your dopamine levels?" The amount of sugar and chocolate in the bucket certainly would.

"Thanks."

"You know, I once had the chance to taste Turkish ice cream in a local restaurant. They make it with goat milk, orchid bulb flower, and sugar. It is dense enough you can cut it with a knife and eat it with a fork like a steak. Perhaps it was the best ice cream I have ever eaten." One side of not having mandatory attendance to college was he could go and travel the world while only coming back for the exams.

"What are you, a connoisseur of ice cream?" She took a spoonful, enjoying the taste.

"I enjoy the finer things in life."

The ice cream was eaten in silence after that, and while she wasn't ready to talk yet, Miles could see Claire was feeling a bit better.

"When you are ready to talk, I will be there to listen."

"What a generous and thoughtful boss I have." Claire snarked with no bite behind it.

"Don't think of me as your employer right now, but as someone you can lay down your troubles to."

Claire nodded, laying back down, and Miles left to give the young woman some time to get her thoughts together.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do we have to go to school?" Baraka asked out of the blue, since they didn't want to talk about Claire without her present.

"Do you want to?" With all the teenage drama, hormones, bullying, and the current state of the American public or private schooling, it was an unappealing thought to Miles.

"Not really." Zalika shook her head. The only education she and Baraka had was what they picked up while trying to survive. Luckily, their parents had taught the two how to read and write before their deaths.

"I can hire you private tutors for any subject you wish to learn, and you can go to college if you wish." It would be good for the siblings to study subjects they were interested in. All work and no fun made for a terrible habit and lowered productivity.

"We'll get back to you on that." Baraka didn't have any dreams beyond saving Zalika and himself from the gang; now that he was in a whole different country, he had no idea what to do for himself.

"Understandable. Now." Miles pulled out the laptop he had bought, booting up the high-end device. "It is time to see what you can do with your powers." He pulled the chair next to him for Zalika. She took a deep breath and sat down, ready to test herself.

"I am going to run you through some exercises so you can get a feel for your powers."

First, he had her open random tabs and hack the camera and some of the neat little hacking techniques he had learned, all without even pressing a single key.

Interfacing with the computer was like a second nature to the young technopath, as if it was just another part of her, and half an hour later she had already accessed his banking information, highlighting just how dangerous her ability could be.

Of course, since the laptop wasn't exactly secure, Miles kept Zalika from going into more dangerous places. In this world, you might never know what was lurking on the internet.

With a supercomputer, Zalika could possibly watch every city, every street, every unencrypted phone call, message, and basically every place on this planet that had CCTV or access to the internet.

Surveillance capabilities the technopath could offer would be invaluable.

That wasn't all, though. She could empty bank accounts, track financial trails, and hide Miles' activities.

Zalika could be the master of the internet.

Working for him as a loyal friend.







In the next chapter:
Since Batman was unlikely to not monitor every room in the Watchtower, going down to Earth was their best choice.

They were in his car, driving to a place out of sight, when Sheara spoke, "You may have offered to help, but Thanagar already has plans in motion." which Miles shook his head at.

"Ah yes, the insipid little Hyperspace Bypass Generators plan. Really, it is something straight out of the plot of a second-rate sci-fi movie." There was actually an old movie like that, but he couldn't remember its name now.

Shaera's confusion was understandable, though what General Talak was thinking when he sent in an agent to infiltrate a planet's defence forces without giving clear mission parameters wasn't clear.

Explaining the plan to Shaera, who had thought she was only here to assess Earth's defences to prepare them against the Gordonians, Miles offered a better alternative.

"Fortunately for you, I have a much better idea to defeat the Gordonians. I just need to speak to your commanding officers, someone with the authority to make deals." Shaera naturally had her doubts, as it was her promised who had sent her here, though she agreed to relay his offer.


Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.
 
Last edited:
nipping the traitor Shayera issue with Thanggarian and Gordianans war in the bud ,Miles trying unsuccessfully though.
Guess we'll see how it goes next time for Miles and Black list adventure.
Continue on
Cheers!
 
Chapter 17 - Agent Orange New
Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my
patreon page

Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever,

Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU,

Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon,

and
DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world

All stories are seven chapters ahead now.




Watchtower

The Javelin docked in the hangar of the Watchtower, and Claire followed Miles out to go and find Hawkgirl.

His reason?

To help Thanagar win their war against the Gordonians.

Claire had a suspicion it wasn't for purely altruistic reasons.

Said alien woman was in the training room, turning metal training posts to scrap with her Nth metal mace. Miles decided not to interrupt the heroine's training, and the two sat down in the observation lounge, waiting for Hawkgirl to finish.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miles." Shaera nodded at him while cleaning her face with a towel.

"Shaera. We didn't really have any opportunity to talk. How are you doing?" Miles couldn't read anything from Shaera's face, as years of war and military training gave her an excellent poker face.

"I am well."

"And how is the war against the Gordonians going?" That got her eye to twitch, and he could guess it wasn't good.

"I thought you knew everything." Snark was strong with this one, though Miles couldn't blame her.

"I know a lot of things, certainly, but I am not omniscient."

"How can I help you?" Miles shook his head at Sheara, "Actually, I was going to offer my help, though perhaps we should speak somewhere more private?"

"Agreed."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since Batman was unlikely to not monitor every room in the Watchtower, going down to Earth was their best choice.

They were in his car, driving to a place out of sight, when Sheara spoke, "You may have offered to help, but Thanagar already has plans in motion." which Miles shook his head at.

"Ah yes, the insipid little Hyperspace Bypass Generators plan. Really, it is something straight out of the plot of a second-rate sci-fi movie." There was actually an old movie like that, but he couldn't remember its name now.

Shaera's confusion was understandable, though what General Talak was thinking when he sent in an agent to infiltrate a planet's defence forces without giving clear mission parameters wasn't clear.

Explaining the plan to Shaera, who had thought she was only here to assess Earth's defences to prepare them against the Gordonians, Miles offered a better alternative.

"Fortunately for you, I have a much better idea to defeat the Gordonians. I just need to speak to your commanding officers, someone with the authority to make deals." Shaera naturally had her doubts, as it was her promised who had sent her here, though she agreed to relay his offer.

"And why should we agree to this?" The Thanagarian female did not pull her mace but was still holding it tightly.

Miles stopped the car as they had arrived. "Why? Because you can't deceive or defeat the Justice League if they know you are coming." and turned around to give Shaera an "isn't it obvious?" look.

He spent the next hour explaining his plan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four days later, General Hro Talak came to Earth on a shuttle built for clandestine operations.

Shaera had to burn a lot of goodwill to convince the general to step away from the war and come to Earth, claiming it could end the war faster than the Hyperspace Bypass program.

He finally agreed against his better judgment.

"General Talak." Miles gestured to the seat, but the Thanagarian general preferred to stand.

He was tall, muscled, and wore green, black, and red armor with the golden-winged helmet covering his head and, most importantly, his scar.

"So, you are the one Shaera says can end this war. Tell me, why should I even bother to listen to someone whose species hasn't even left their solar system?" Talak was angry at having been taken away from war, all just to listen to a human.

He only agreed because of Shaera but wasn't happy about it at all.

"Because Gordonians will take Thanagar before you can finish your generators. Even if you defeat the Justice League and take Earth without any issues, it will be too late." Hro's eyes narrowed at the mention of their secret plan, though he opted to observe for now. "I, on the other hand, offer you a much faster and more immediate solution to this war." Miles explained, and the general finally took a seat.

"Even if your Justice League agreed to help, it wouldn't be possible." Shaera had sent him records on the Justice League, as it was her mission, and while they were impressive individuals, they weren't enough to defeat the Gordonians.

"What if a Lantern Corps decided to help you, General?" Miles had the general's attention now as Hro began to consider it, especially if the human was as dangerous as Shaera reported him to be.

"Green Lanterns? They can defeat the Gordonians, but the Guardians would never agree to it." They had, in fact, reached out to the Guardians before but were met with refusal.

"I had the Orange Lantern Corps in mind." His claim was met with confusion. Claire didn't know any other lanterns than the green ones,

"Orange Lanterns? Never heard of them." Hro had heard rumors of other lantern corps, but not these Orange Lanterns, and if they existed and were strong enough to destroy the Gordonians, they should be well known across the galaxy, just as the Green Lanterns are.

"You wouldn't. The Orange Lantern Corps has only one member, as he killed the rest and took all the power for himself. He is extremely dangerous and volatile, so much so the Guardians had no choice but to make an arrangement with him rather than destroy him and his rings." Larfleeze had some ridiculous feats, and for all their strength, Gordonians shouldn't be able to match him.

"Who is this individual?" Anyone the Guardians were wary enough of would make a worthwhile ally.

"His name is Larfleeze. He is one person Lantern Corps, and believe me, Gordonians won't stand a chance against him." Miles was confident enough that General Talak decided to listen more.

"Let's say I am interested. What do you want in return?" Nothing in this galaxy was ever for free, and Hro didn't think this human was an outlier in that regard.

"Here is a list of what I need."

Hro Talak took the list written on Sheara's data pad and began to read. It was a list demanding technical and scientific assistance in developing several technologies this planet did not have yet.

"You want a lot of things." They were not important enough to outright refuse, but Hro didn't trust the human.

"General, are you telling me winning the war is not worth that list?" His offer was too good for the general to not at least consider it, but he was just playing coy right now.

"It is, and I can guarantee everything you need. The problem is, can you deliver on your claims?" Hro took a couple of steps forward, staring the human right in the eye with a cold gaze.

"I need Gordonian prisoners and transport to Okaara, and you will see." Miles returned it with equal force.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vega System

"If this does not work, I will kill you myself." Tolak warned as the small ship, with a much larger prison ship following, approached the Vega system.

The human's plan was simple and, if his knowledge of Larfleeze was correct, could have a reasonable chance to succeed.

"Duly noted, general."

General Tolak gave Miles a scrutinizing look before getting back to guiding the ship to Okaara. Hra started to scan the planet for large energy sources to detect the Orange Lantern central battery, which didn't take long due to the sheer power it was radiating.

The prison ship's engine suddenly blew up due to a malfunction, and it was caught by the gravitational pull of the planet.

It began to accelerate out of control, heading close to the cave entrance leading to the energy source they detected while the Thanagarians evacuated the ship.

All part of the plan.

Thanagarians aboard the ship had already evacuated, and upon crash, all doors unlocked, letting the serpentine aliens out. They watched as the aliens tried to commandeer the vessel, only to find out all systems were dead, before abandoning it as one of them took charge.

Hro opened fire on the prisoners, missing on purpose to herd them towards the caves and into the tender mercies of Larfleeze.

Gordonians scattered, following their leader away from the ship and into the cave ahead.

Now, it was time to wait.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Without a strong enough mind, it was easy to be corrupted and drawn by the orange power rings.

The unassuming Gordonians felt the pull and moved deeper into the cave, a primal desire in their hearts guiding them forward.

Too bad Larfleeze didn't like to share.

When one of the serpentine aliens picked up a ring and almost put it on, Larfleeze woke up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larfleeze blasted an orange beam from his ring and destroyed the top half of the last thief before he noticed the vessel landing close to him.

Thinking it was more enemies, he got ready for a fight but stopped when he detected a green power ring.

Four people came out of the ship, though only one was carrying a ring.

"Green Lantern! Why are you here?!" Larfleeze approached, snarling at having the deal he made with the Guardians broken.

They would leave him in peace, and Agent Orange wouldn't leave Okaara in return, but one was here now.

"I am no Green Lantern, Larfleeze. I came here to warn you about a danger to your treasure, but it seems they got here first." The pink male said, raising his hands in surrender.

"Danger? Them?" Larfleeze scoffed; the thieves weren't dangerous to him, they were mere bugs.

"That was just a scouting force. Gordonians want to use your rings to fight the Green Lanterns, and as soon as they are done with Thanagar, "The one speaking motioned towards the Thanagarians, 'they intend to target you.'"

Larfleeze growled. No one would have his treasure; it was all his, his, his!

He would kill anyone who would try.

"Here, an offering of peace." The pink male held out a green power ring, and Larfleeze's eyes glowed, well, glowed even more, as Agent Orange desired the ring. He snatched it from the human, who didn't offer any resistance, and he began to corrupt the ring, slowly turning it from green to orange.

"What will you do now?"

Larfleeze snarled. He couldn't let those thieves attack him, but the deal with the Guardians forbade him from leaving the planet.

"If you are worried, I have cleared it with the Guardians. You can leave Okaara for this instance, though you will have to make your decision now, as it won't be possible after I leave, and the Gordonians will be too close to your treasure." The pinkie said, "A human," his ring claimed, and took out a datapad from the Gordonian corpse and held it out. Larfleeze scanned it, revealing the Gordonians' plan to target his treasure, including the time of their assault, which was approaching closely.

"They'll die; it's all mine!" An energy blast sent wind in all directions, and the pinkies covered their eyes.

"Yes, they will, but why risk one of them getting lucky and taking a ring? Why not destroy the Gordonians before they even have the chance?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larfleeze began to pace up and down, considering Miles' words.

Agent Orange was most likely stuck between agreeing to destroy a danger to his treasure and being away from the said treasure.

"We are leaving now, and remember, this is your only opportunity to destroy the Gordonians before they come for you." Larfleeze was getting more unhinged, greed fueling his fury at the thought of the Gordonians coming.

"Where are they?" Agent Orange growled, and Miles smiled.

So easy.

"I am sure he can give you the coordinates to their homeworld," Miles nodded at Hro, who held a datapad out to Larfleeze, letting the ring scan it, "but you should start with the Citadelians, their allies who are in this star system and won't hesitate to target your rings when you are gone." Taking the Citadelians would leave the Psions in a place to take over the Vega system, but that was a problem to be solved later.

Perhaps he could convince Larfleeze with something valuable enough later on to destroy them as well.

Larfleeze blasted off to space, turning to an orange streak so fast Miles was sure he would annihilate the Citadelians before they even reached there.

"General, shall we?"









In the next chapter:
As he entered through the door and showed his ID card, something on the noticeboard caught his eye.

A photo of a blond preteen with dark grey eyes was pinned under the banned section of the library.

Artemis Lian Crock.

"Oh dear, what did Artemis do to be banned from the library?" He asked the librarian, who took her eyes off the computer to look at him.

"Destroyed one of the computers. You know her?" She sounded irritated, either at his interruption or at remembering the destroyed computer.

"Why yes, I actually knew her mother. Would it be possible to rescind her ban if I were to donate computers? I mean, I used them once, and they are too outdated to be used in any library." He wasn't joking about the computers being outdated, as it was a miracle he even managed to hack GCPD with them.

"Well, sure. How many are you going to donate?" The librarian stood up, smiling now that the library was getting donations.

"How many do you have?"

Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.
 
Ares/Athena watching Miles using Orange Lantern to end the Gordians and Citadel Species (Dominators have fucking deserved it!):
"Is that one of my Champions?"
Tim the Hawkperson opposed to the Hyperspace Corridor Plan:
"SEE, WE WARNED YAH. TERRANS ARE MAD AND WE SHOULD LET THEM ALONE!"
 
TFTC.
Perhaps he could convince Larfleeze with something valuable enough later on to destroy them as well.
Talak, put down the idiot ball, slooowwwly!

Seriously, what is it with some people thinking they can consistently control an extremely powerful creature or person that is little better than a rabid dog? Larfleeze is a one-time use, fire and forget weapon, point blank period. Any thoughts otherwise will almost certainly lead to said dog turning on you.
 
TFTC.

Talak, put down the idiot ball, slooowwwly!

Seriously, what is it with some people thinking they can consistently control an extremely powerful creature or person that is little better than a rabid dog? Larfleeze is a one-time use, fire and forget weapon, point blank period. Any thoughts otherwise will almost certainly lead to said dog turning on you.
Control ? No, more like point him in a direction away from you, and straight to your enemies.
 
Control ? No, more like point him in a direction away from you, and straight to your enemies.
Exactly! That sort of tactic more often than not only works a handful of times, if at all. Larfleeze isn't stupid and Talak might have better luck playing Russian roulette than trying to utilize the same trick more than once to take out his enemies, because he's gambling with lives of everyone in and around Thanagar, if the orange lantern realizes he's being played.
 
Last edited:
Chapter 18 - Back to Gotham New
Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my
patreon page

Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever, is 7 chapters ahead

Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU, is 7 chapters ahead

Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 8 chapters ahead now

and
DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world, is now 8 chapters ahead.





Vega System

Claire whistled, really impressed and more than a bit scared.

Citadel Homeworld was surrounded by a ring of asteroids that had been turned into fortresses, offering an impressive amount of defense for the planet.

Larfleeze had smashed through everything, turning the fortresses and the ships into wrecks floating freely in the vacuum, and the planet was burning right now.

Hro and Shaera were monitoring Larfleeze through the sensors and long-range visuals. They watched as he summoned hundreds of energy constructs of the dead Orange Lanterns, sweeping the Citadelians' defenses aside like they were nothing, and no amount of weapons, which were familiar to the Thanagarians as the Gordonians used them as well, did not seem to deter Agent Orange at all.

The Citadelians fought and died in droves, and Hro Talak could imagine the same thing happening to the Gordonians.

Perhaps he had judged the human too harshly.

Overall, the attack was short but extremely brutal, and Larfleeze once more blasted off into space, heading to confront the Gordonians.

"Shaera, you will take the humans back to their planet while I monitor the situation with the Gordonians. If the situation changes, I will contact you." This could be the end of their long war, and Hro would not miss it for anything.

His promised nodded, and Hro left for the prison ship.

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Earth

"Will you tell the Justice League about Thanagar's plans?" Shaera still had her mission, and unless the Gordonians were destroyed, it would proceed, though she would stand against Thanagar if victory came at the cost of innocent lives.

"There is no reason to, for now." There was still time for Thanagar's invasion, but none of that mattered with Larfleeze out there, fighting the Gordonians.

"Then let's hope your plan succeeds."

"It will."

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Miles wasn't idle while waiting to hear from Hro Talak. Talking with Claire regarding her parents, testing more of what Zalika could do with her powers, and helping Baraka find out what he was good at.

What he didn't expect was to get a call from one Roman Sionis.

Black Mask, one of Gotham's most notorious gangsters.

"Am I speaking to Miles Beckett?" A voice he did not recognize came, which he expected to happen sooner or later, as this number could be accessed easily through public channels.

"Depends on who you are?"

"Roman Sionis. I have a business pro…" Miles ended the call, wrote down the number, and snapped the phone and the SIM card before pulling out another phone.

"Zalika, see if you can track every call this number has made." He handed the paper to her, and Zalika nodded, starting her first official business for Miles.

She had made great strides getting used to her powers in a short amount of time, and this job should be simple for her.

"This number is only used once, but I am tracking other calls made from the same location." Her eyes were glowing blue now as her powers gave Zalika unmatched power and speed on the web.

"Check any numbers registered to Roman Sionis and calls made from his company." She nodded before more tabs began to pop up, showing phones registered to his company, though

"Got it." She began to inspect the numbers. "There are a lot." and most of them were for the legal front of his business.

"Any calls with someone from Metropolis Gold Exchange or its branches?" It was either them, or the FBI had a leak, but Miles had his bet on the former one.

Where there was money, there was a way.

"Found one. It's a call made last week by Charles Lopez, a mid-level executive at the Metropolis Gold Exchange." So, Roman had informants to keep an eye on wealthy individuals.

Miles could appreciate the idea, though not when he was the target.

"Well done. Claire, let's pay a visit to dear Charles."

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Metropolis Gold Exchange

Autopark


Charles unlocked his car and got in, ready to go home. He cracked his neck and put his key in to turn on the ignition.

Just like every other day, he had been working in this company for the last ten years.

"Neck troubles, Charles? Sitting too long, hunched before a computer could do that. You should be more physically active." A distinguished voice came from the backseat, startling Charles.

"What the fuck!" Charles jumped on his seat before the passenger's door opened and a red-haired young woman sat down.

"Who are you people, and what do you want?" He scrambled to open the door before the woman held him by the collar, and her hand burst into flames, a clear warning to him.

"Sit down, Charles." The man in the hat warned him, and Charles took a good look at him from the rearview mirror.

"Shit, you're that Miles guy." Charles had seen the photos and didn't think he was more than just another rich boy but obviously was mistaken.

"Yes, and you seem to have a second job, working for Roman Sionis. Doesn't the company have rules against that?" He said playfully, though Charles guessed it was just a front.

"It's nothing personal, I swear. Roman Sionis isn't the type of person you can say no to." He pleaded. Black Mask had made some very real threats he wouldn't hesitate to carry out, and coupled with

"I know, that's why you are alive. But we can't have you going around telling people about my wealth now, can we?" The men held out a gun, though it looked nothing like any weapon he had seen before. Charles didn't think the man would just wave a toy to scare him.

"I swear I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Not enough." The man shook his head, and Charles could feel dread pooling in his stomach. "Tell me, Charles, how long have you been working for Metropolis Gold Exchange?" Charles gulped, realizing what the man was going to want.

"Ten years, going on eleven."

"Any ambition for higher places?" The woman next to him lowered her hands, though she still kept an eye on him just in case.

"I wish. Too much corporate politics for that." He attempted to be a branch manager several times, but it didn't work, and he stopped trying.

"Maybe we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement where you won't have to worry about Black Mask anymore." Miles offered, and Charles knew he was in dangerous waters now.

Refusing Miles could see him dead at worst, or the man could oust his deal with Black Mask, and he would be in a heap of legal trouble, not to mention Black Mask wouldn't just let him live long enough to testify.

On the other hand, if Black Mask was gone, working with Miles could offer him better prospects.

A man as wealthy as Miles could definitely have Charles rise in the ranks of the corporation.

"I am listening."

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"You think that's going to work? What if he just runs to Black Mask?" Claire asked as she and Miles were sitting at the back while Baraka drove, as he was the only one besides Miles who knew how to drive.

"Charles will either sink with the ship or change ships; there is no alternative. I have a feeling he isn't the type to go down with it." The man was practical, and when Miles got rid of Black Mask, that would leave him in a position to have Charles work for him.

"Is that so?" Miles was observant, and Claire would take his word for it, though not without doubts.

"I also bugged him." Miles pulled out his phone, giving it a little shake.

"That's more like you. What now?" Claire chuckled at the admission.

"I should probably take out Black Mask. He is too unhinged to accept my refusal." Considering the man had burned down a mansion with his parents inside, Roman Sionis didn't take kindly to no.

"Take out as in?" Claire knew about his no-kill rule, but there was more than one way of taking out someone.

"You'll see."

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Miles set up a higher-end computer for Zalika and had the teen try tracking Black Mask's operations, accounts, calls, and everything else she could, down to hacking his company's security system to access the cameras and servers.

Sionis was smart enough to not keep any record of his illegal dealings on computers, but money still could be tracked.

His offshore accounts, as well as the accounts of his shell companies, couldn't escape Zalika, who, with each dive into cyberspace, was getting better.

The problem was to get evidence to put Sionis behind bars permanently.

Without operators on the ground to trail and gather evidence, Zalika's efforts would not be enough.

It was time for him to start building his network, starting with Gotham.

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Gotham

His first step was the library, not for any business reason, but he did set up a computer for sabotage, and with how busy the library was, someone must have burned the computer when they plugged it in.

As he entered through the door and showed his ID card, something on the noticeboard caught his eye.

A photo of a blond preteen with dark grey eyes was pinned under the banned section of the library.

Artemis Lian Crock.

"Oh dear, what did Artemis do to be banned from the library?" He asked the librarian, who took her eyes off the computer to look at him.

"Destroyed one of the computers. You know her?" She sounded irritated, either at his interruption or at remembering the destroyed computer.

"Why yes, I actually knew her mother. Would it be possible to rescind her ban if I were to donate computers? I mean, I used them once, and they are too outdated to be used in any library." He wasn't joking about the computers being outdated, as it was a miracle he even managed to hack GCPD with them.

"Well, sure. How many are you going to donate?" The librarian stood up, smiling now that the library was getting donations.

"How many do you have?"

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Contacting a local computer shop, he had all the old library computers changed with brand new ones in a couple of hours, paying extra for fast delivery and installation.

"Thank you so much. We'll give her a call and return Miss Crock's library card." The librarian shook his hand vigorously.

"I am heading to her home right now; would it be possible for me to deliver it?"

"I mean…" It was official business, and handing it over to someone, even if it was a donor, was against the regulations.

"Please, I insist. You are already busy enough; let me take this off your shoulders." Miles smiled charmingly, bending his knees a bit to look the aging woman in the eyes.

"Alright, but she'll have to sign some papers when she returns." She blushed a bit, handing him the library card.

"I'll be sure to let her know."

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"Who is Artemis Crock, and why are you so interested in her?" Claire asked as they stood before the entrance to the apartment.

"Her father is Sportsmaster, and her mother is a former criminal named Huntress. She hates her father and has the makings of a hero if carefully guided." Miles hadn't intended to seek any of the future members of Young Justice, but one had been affected by his actions and sought to remedy it.

"Planning to recruit a sidekick?" Claire asked humorously as Miles told her to wait outside.

"No. Just helping an aspiring hero to be."

Miles unlocked the door of the apartment building entrance and walked up to the indicated address. He was about to leave the laptop and the library card on the door before going down and ringing the bell from outside, but to his luck, Artemis herself opened the door, ready to go out.

"Are you Artemis Lian Crock?" He asked, pulling his phone out to check the information, posing as cargo delivery now that she had seen him.

"Who are you?" She nodded, half ready to shut the door, suspicious of him.

"Special delivery from one Miles Beckett to you." He held out the package, waiting for her to take it, though Artemis did not even reach out to accept it.

"I don't know who that is." She shook her head. Perhaps it was someone her mother knew?

"It has already been paid for, and there is a note for you, as well as a library card, I believe." Artemis finally took the bag, confused about who the man was and why he would send her anything.

"Have a good day, miss." Miles walked back down to the entrance without looking back.

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"Wait a minute." Artemis muttered to herself, thinking this might just be something from her father, and ripped the package apart, finding the mentioned note inside and her library card.

"My apologies for the little mishap at the library. Don't worry, this has nothing to do with your father. Say hi to your mother and enjoy." There was nothing else on the note, besides a smiley face at the end.

She gently pried open the box, finding a brand-new laptop inside, and whistled.

"Mom, you need to see this."









In the next chapter:

The crew of the ship was brought out at gunpoint, and the leader spat at his feet. "I don't know who you are, boy, but you made the last mistake of your life."

The mercenary behind the man slammed his face to the dirt in return. "That is rich, coming from someone stupid enough to sell drugs in Batman's territory. Perhaps I should hand you over to him and see how long it takes before you sing like a canary." Miles mocked, knowing these criminals didn't have the mental fortitude to resist the Dark Knight.

"We aren't afraid of the Bat." Another one scoffed, and Miles just shook his head.

"Yes, I wager you aren't smart enough to feel fear, but an interrogation session with him would do wonders for your intellect." Miles turned to Captain Neuman, handing him a piece of paper that would lead them to a safe place to hide the ship. "Take the ship to this location, and keep them locked inside until I call you."

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