DCU: Blacklist

[KingSebast]

Hope he doesn't serve them information on the silver platter all the time but use it to sharpen their skills. Also he should warn the league of mind control

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Samael61]

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 five chapters ahead.

Thank you in advance.

---

Gotham

Meeting Nora Fries has been an experience to say the least.

Sweet, kind, caring and sincere, it was no surprise Victor would go so far for her.

"Victor told me he will be working for you now?"

"Yes, your husband has an extremely keen mind for medicine, as well as cryotechnology. I intend to have him work on treatments for incurable diseases as well as cancer, and use his technology to combat climate change" While they weren't very lucrative businesses, they would earn him something far more valuable.

Reputation.

"Speaking of, when will I start working?" Victor asked, not out of a desire to work, but to spend more time with his wife.

"It will take some time I am afraid, I have yet to set up a company. I will inform you as soon as possible" He would need to find a person capable of building a company from the ground first, of course.

"Yes, understood" Victor nodded, leaning closer to his wife.

"Now, while I would love to stay and chat, I have an appointment in Metropolis" It was best to give the lovebirds some space and time.

"Thank you again, Mr. Beckett. I can't tell you how grateful I am" Nora thanked, and the couple saw him off.

"Don't mention it Mrs.Nora. I am just glad to be of assistance"

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

Metropolis

Superman, it turns out, already busted the Project Firestorm, and Claire was in the wind. He had no idea how to find her, other than she would be robbing a yacht club, but he wagered her fencer, Donnie, would be easier to locate, provided she had already contacted him.

Before that though, steps would have to be taken to deal with Agent Kurt, permanently. Fortunately, he was on the FBI's wanted list.

He found an abandoned warehouse, wrote down the address, and bought a burner phone.

Finding Donnie was simple, just a small payment was enough for the location.

"Welcome to Donnie's Antique Store, how can I help you?" Blond, laidback man said, leaning back on his chair.

"Does the name Volcana or Claire Selton mean anything to you, Donnie?" Miles asked, moving to sit on the empty chair.

From the way his smile fell, Miles could say it did.

"Look" he began, clearly intent on denying.

Miles ignored him and dropped twenty thousand dollars on his desk.

"I am aware she is set on robbing a yacht club, and I am also aware nautical memorabilia is hard to sell on the market. So why don't you make things profitable yourself, and tell me where she is?" Miles said, dropping another twenty grand on the table.

"Let me write down the address" The fencer took a pen and paper, writing down the address of Volcana's target. He knew that rich people who could drop money like that only did first before resorting to more painful means.

He had enough scars to know it wasn't worth it.

"Good. Now some renegade government agents after Volcana will be here to threaten you. I want you to give them this address for your own sake"

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

Miles sat on a bench, waiting for the fiery woman to arrive, and enjoying the scenery. It wasn't long before a woman covering herself was walking towards the yacht and Miles moved.

"Miss Claire" He called out, stopping the woman in her tracks.

"Who?" She said, playing the fool, lowering her sunglasses just a bit to take a clear look at him.

"Perhaps you would prefer Volcana?" She twitched, assuming he was a government agent sent after her.

"What do you want?" She turned, pulling her hands out of her pockets, ready to torch him no doubt.

"Miles Beckett, I am here with a job offer you" He said, ignoring her hostile attitude.

"A job offer?" She asked confused.

"Yes, much more lucrative than robbing memorabilia, I mean you would be hard pressed to find a buyer for nautical items, much less one willing to obtain them illegally" Mention of her heist plan threw her off her game.

"You know?" She took on an even more guarded stance now, ready to fight or flight.

"Knowing things is my business, now, are you interested in hearing my offer or not?"

"Why should I trust you?" She had no reason to trust anyone after all.

"Here is one million reasons for you" Miles opened the briefcase, showing her the Benjamins.

"What offer?" She asked, stopping a moment to check if they were real and reached out for the case. Miles handed it to her without a fight.

To her, someone willing to give this much money like that was worth hearing.

"Perhaps we should speak in a less conspicuous place over lunch? My treat"

"Lead the way, rich boy" She said, one hand holding the briefcase, the other ready to attack should it be necessary.

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

Sitting in a small restaurant watching over the abandoned warehouse, Miles ordered half the menu and as the table was slowly filled, he took out his phone.

"Hello? I am calling regarding Kurt Baker, the one in your wanted list. I just heard him and his associates talking about capturing someone in the abandoned warehouse down the Founders Street near the docks. Yes, I am sure it was him, he had an eyepatch and one of the men called him by name. You're welcome" Miles ended the call, broke the phone in half, removed the battery and crushed the card.

"You know Kurt, where is that bastard?!" Volcana rose from her chair with a vengeance, a second away from bursting into flames.

"Kurt will be arrested by the FBI very soon, you don't need to bother yourself about him any longer"

"I want him dead" she hissed, her hands steaming.

"Kurt Baker was the head of a government sanctioned black ops project which failed monumentally, and if he talks a lot of high ranking officials will be in a heap of trouble. I can assure you, Kurt will be dead before he appears in front of a judge" Miles said with such conviction Volcana slowly sat down.

"You should try the lobster and enjoy the show"

Three cars approached the warehouse soon, all black and nondescript, and men wearing fire retardant suits immediately rushed out, along with Kurt who was waiting outside.

Right on time, FBI vehicles rushed down both sides of the street, intent on cutting the renegade agent off. Hessler tried to find a way out, but nothing sort of running on foot would save him, and so he started running.

The FBI surrounded the area really quickly, and seeing as they were outnumbered and outgunned, Kurt's men surrendered.

Two agents rushed after Kurt while the rest cuffed the prisoners, and moved inside the warehouse to check it out, coming out with the team sent to capture Volcana.

Kurt wasn't in top shape it seemed as the agents who went after him dragged the one eyed man to the car.

All in all, the FBI was very efficient and the agents were gone before anyone understood what happened.

"I wanted to kill him myself" Volcana muttered, taking a scoop of the oysters.

"Only thing that would achieve is you would be landing in prison and handing yourself to someone worse than Kurt" After all, people like Amanda Waller existed in this world.

"You think they can stop me?" She scoffed with a challenging tone.

"FBI? No, but Superman? He could swim in the sun and come out without so much as a single hair strand singed, you would stand no chance against him" Miles shook his head, and Volcana stood down, knowing it was true.

"Yet he didn't even come for them" The red headed would be villainess said.

"He isn't in the solar system right now" Miles mentioned off handedly, finishing his lobster.

"How do you know that?"

"Operating covertly when there is a man who can hear everything going around the city would have been impossible. So I gave him some valuable information and he is out there in a different star system, seeking the last remnants of his kind" Miles wiped his hands and mouth, satisfied with his food.

"You know Superman?" She sounded sceptical, knowing how secretive the Man of Steel was.

"We are friends, I even have him on speed dial" Miles said, calling the waiter for the check.

"So what is your offer exactly?" Matter of Superman was left aside in favour of money.

"I am in the dangerous business of information and I require protection. Specifically someone with powers who could take down large groups of armed personnel as well as other powered individuals" Miles explained himself, tipping the tired waitress generously enough for her eyes to widen.

He knew how hard it could be for college students like her.

"A bodyguard huh?" Volcana said. She could be a bodyguard.

"Indeed. I mean think about it, you could go and rob a bank right now, but Superman would send you to jail before you can spend even a single dollar of your ill gotten fortune. Alternatively, you can work for me and earn more money than you know what to do with" Miles made his pitch. It was actually something he considered before finding himself in Gotham, as to why the villains did not just use their powers or intelligence to earn money the legal way rather than try to rob a bank.

Besides the usual lack of opportunities the majority of the people faced, it also had to do with the lack of common sense in comic books and cartoons.

"How much are you offering?" If the amount he already handed her was anything to go by, the man certainly didn't lack money.

"One million dollars a year, with another million as a bonus depending on your performance" It might sound excessive, but Miles fully intended to make use of her abilities.

"Does the briefcase you give me count?" Volcana hoped not.

"As I said, that was just for you to hear my offer. If you agree I will give you another as your first paycheck"

"Damn, you must be rich to hand out that much money" She whistled, impressed.

"Rich enough. So what do you say, Volcana, or should I call you Claire?" Miles held out his hand.

"Either is fine, boss" She took it.

"Wonderfull, now let's head to the bank"

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

Waiting for his number to light up was annoying, but Claire didn't have a bank account, in fact, she didn't have an ID, so here he sat on the comfy chair the bank had with Volcana next to him, reading a magazine.

"Everybody on the ground now!" A voice shouted from the door as three armed men in ski masks entered the bank, carrying heavy weaponry. One of them slammed the stock of his LMG on the guard's face and took his gun, and chaos erupted.

Everyone but Miles and Volcana screamed and laid themselves on the ground, trembling with fear clear in their eyes. But they also had hope that Superman would come and save them.

If only he wasn't in a whole different star system.

"You have got to be kidding me" Miles put his hands over his eyes, sighing.

Bank robberies, the bread and butter of the villains and in his opinion one of the least profitable businesses out there, as most ended up in jail without spending a single dollar.

"I said get on the ground, do you think I am joking?!" one of the robbers shouted, pointing his gun at Miles.

"Don't kill them" He told and watched as his new bodyguard blasted the attacker with an exploding fireball, sending him crashing to the wall and turned her attention to the two other attackers and was faster on the draw, blasting both with fireballs as well.

Amateurs.

He got up and nudged the weapons away from the criminals with his foot, while the occupants of the room got up slowly and began to cheer for their savior, some even taking photos.

"Congratulations, you are a hero now"

Volcana looked like a fish out of water.

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

Fortunately, it wasn't all bad, as the bank and the people in line agreed to let him go first as a gesture of their gratitude to the woman they perceived as a hero.

He withdrew the money, and left, just in time for cops to come and take the criminals away.

"I didn't expect you to be a softy" She commented, examining the money. Not to count it, but to marvel at the amount she held in her hands.

"Softy?" He gave her a side eyed glance.

"Yes, isn't that why you didn't want me to kill them?" Volcana asked, puzzled. If he was friends with Superman, the biggest softy of all, he should be one too.

"My dear, here is a piece of advice for you, free of charge. Burning three people alive, armed or not, in broad daylight with a room full of witnesses and cameras is a terrible idea" He said with a straight tone.

God, did people in this world lack common sense.

"Wouldn't it be self-defense?" She asked, realizing he was right. No need to go to jail when she just earned two million dollars.

"It would be, I suppose, but Superman and the rest of the Justice League frowns upon killing, and that would land me in trouble with them" Miles said. He had no trouble killing someone for crossing him, but in a world with a detective like Batman, mind readers, objects that could make you confess the truth, people conversing with the spirits of the dead, and a myriad of superpowers that could expose him killing someone existed, it wouldn't be worth it.

Didn't mean he couldn't send them to the Phantom Zone, or lock them up somewhere with no possibility of escape.

"You just don't want your friends to hate you" She said with a mocking tone.

"Those friends are necessary to stop this world from becoming a toy in the hands of cosmic monsters and dark gods, so yes" He could trade barbs with her, but no need to break the fragile trust she had.

"No killing then?" she said after a couple of minutes, stunned at his proclamation.

"Don't worry, dangerous individuals will die, but not by our hand" He said, calling a cab.

"Whose?" Was he just going to use other people for his dirt work and absolve himself off the crime?

"Governments of course"

"Government? I wouldn't trust the government for anything" They had taken her life away, stuck her in a room where she was trained to be a living weapon everyday. If he was working for them, millions or not she would kill him.

"Neither do I trust a government whose president I didn't personally put on the White House" He gave her a look that told Volcana she wasn't as scary as she thought.

"Go on" She actually was intrigued by his words.

"Simple really, we won't kill, not unless it is unavoidable, but we will change the laws to ensure dangerous individuals like Joker or Lex Luthor will face the death penalty for the sake of public safety. We get to keep our hands clean, and they will still die, but it will take time to put my own men in the positions of power necessary to change the justice system so fundamentally "

It was a long but doable plan, a president who would see things his way in the White House, as a friend of his.

"You don't do small, do you?" She snorted, almost bursting to laughter.

"No, I don't"

They got on the cab, driving to a hotel.

 

[Samael61]

" My research, in the short time I have been in this world so far, showed me that the timeline in this world is a mess.

There is no Supergirl, and Superman hasn't met Darkseid yet, but Queen Maxima did apparently pay a visit to Earth to find a mate several weeks before the founding of the Justice League.

There was no intergang attack on Metropolis Gold Exchange, but Mr. Mxyzptlk did appear to torment Superman for his own amusement.

Which makes me curious what the Dark God of Apokalyps is doing, since he has yet to set his sights on Earth.

So this world, as far as I figured out, was a fusion of the Superman: The Animated Series and the Justice League cartoon.

This makes me question the accuracy of my knowledge, but Joe Chill was a spot on, and the events of the Justice League seem to be progressing as expected.

I claimed to be an information broker, because I honestly had no idea how to tell living, breathing, real people that they were merely cartoons in my world, meant to amuse the masses for profit.

How would one react to this? With disbelief? or perhaps anger? maybe they won't even be able to comprehend my words due to some meta effect?

Nonetheless I will build an information network, as the events of the future are bound to change due to my intervention.

For now, acquiring capital is my first order of business, after I find a bodyguard. Fortunately, Superman has yet to meet Volcana again, and her pyrokinetic abilities would be perfect"

 

[Raphiel]

"Simple really, we won't kill, not unless it is unavoidable, but we will change the laws to ensure dangerous individuals like Joker or Lex Luthor will face the death penalty for the sake of public safety. We get to keep our hands clean, and they will still die, but it will take time to put my own men in the positions of power necessary to change the justice system so fundamentally "

Click to shrink...

Harder said than done. Batman has probably done a lot to prevent government corruption, especially whatwith the light keeping Joker alive for some inane reason, and he couldn't make a dent. That's not even due to his own bias of killing, he still treats police personnel, self defence murderers, soldiers, etc the same despite them killing. He just legitimately cannot combat them politically due to their power and well hidden operations.

 

[KingSebast]

MC needs to get some mind and soul protection

 

[Lillie Jones]

Volcana no time no see since Superman animated series.
Saving Nora and Claire aka Volcana,which she was underutilized character on the Superman series, guessing now with miles in the mix she's to be a Reserve JL leaguer and legal revenge on people who made her by miles statements with worse punishment than death, probably a few deaths.
But we're not keeping count are now. mind and soul protection are needed .
Continue on
Cheers!

 

[MalKenDov]

Just found this and I very much enjoy it.
Watched

 

[Samael61]

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 five chapters ahead.

Thank you in advance.

---

Metropolis

Metropolis Grand Hotel

Spacious, gleaming from floor to roof in marble and crystal chandeliers, with a staff sharp as glass, every single part of the hotel was made to leave a lasting impression.

"So, what is the plan now, boss?" Claire asked, enjoying the rather lavish breakfast that laid before the two, having slept in the comfiest bed of her life.

A woman could get used to this lifestyle.

"Just Miles if you would, boss doesn't feel like me at all" He replied without lifting his head from the newspaper.

"Fine, Miles. What's next?" She leaned back, watching the area from the private booth.

"We are going to get you proper identification first before it becomes an issue. After that, I have business in outer space, and you will be staying in Metropolis" Getting into the hotel without her ID required a bit of coercion and cash, which would only take a single honest to god man to be a problem.

"Business in space?" She asked, blinking, wondering what could the man possibly be doing in space.

"Yes, I am selling information for a rather hefty price, and I need to be there in person"

"To aliens? You are even better than I thought" She said, impressed.

"Thank you. Now, while I am otherwise indisposed, you are not to cause trouble. Spend some money, enjoy the hotel, I paid for two weeks in advance, but do not do anything that may draw attention to you unless your life is in danger. You already had enough media coverage due to the bank robbers"

"Understood, and you don't have to worry, I'll keep myself occupied in a shopping mall"

"Excellent. All goes well, I'll be back with enough wealth to start my ventures"

"About that, how much are you expecting to earn from this?" She had no frame of reference for what information would be worth to aliens.

"A bit over a trillion dollars worth of gold, and some favours" Gordonians and the Citadel had to be eliminated, and he knew just the means to do it. Coincidentally, he was sure Thanagarians would be amenable to share their technology if he destroyed their enemies, or he could just blackmail them. Either option worked for him.

Claire almost shouted at hearing the amount, but a look from Miles stopped her.

"I can understand your enthusiasm, but there is no need for the entire hotel to hear it" He said with his ever calm tone.

"Sorry" She apologized, having almost lost control.

"It is fine, however do keep the matter quiet, the last thing I need is the IRS to come knocking on my door" He didn't want to draw the attention of the federal government, not while he wasn't powerful enough.

"You know, you just hired me but seem to be too trusting, don't you think?" She trusted the authenticity of the money, but humans were another issue.

"Claire, I believe dealing in honesty is a good way to earn a person's loyalty, but in the event you betray me, well, I am not one to suffer traitors, not for long" Miles stopped reading, his tone low and steady.

"Message received. What about after you return?" Claire could understand where he was coming from, having been betrayed by her parents, the institute and the Project Firestorm herself.

"I will need an individual who can build a company from scratch and we will move on from there"

"Here, I believe this column will have your interest" He handed her the newspaper and leaned back.

Suspicious Death of a Renegade Agent Under FBI Custody

Kurt Baker, a former government agent accused of treason who had been arrested yesterday following a successful operation by the FBI, has been found dead in his cell. Investigations are underway, but for now the cause of death is unknown. However, questions arose as to whether former Agent Baker had been silenced by the government….

"Huh, I still wanted to kill him myself" Claire said, feeling strangely unsatisfied. She thought with Kurt's death there would be a sense of relief, of freedom, but she didn't really feel anything besides emptiness.

"My dear, if it wasn't for the unwritten rules of the Justice League, I would have been all too happy to hand him over to you for due revenge, alas, you will have to make do with this" Miles didn't have an issue with killing people, but the League did.

"As long as he is dead, I suppose" She handed the newspaper back.

The jolly ringtone of his phone stopped Miles from getting back to reading.

"Yes? Good morning. I am glad to hear that, how is she? Good, let me know if you require any help with her, teenagers can be handful, even ones from a more advanced society. You're welcome" he said, ending the call.

"Who was that?" The last part of the call was strange enough for her to ask.

"The boy scout, apparently he found himself a surrogate cousin" Miles didn't want to openly say Superman, not even in a private booth like that.

"Really? So another hero like him flying around, saving kittens from trees?" Claire said, not meaning anything insulting by it.

"This one is a teenager with the trauma of losing her entire race stuck in a more primitive society" Supergirl would make her debut as a hero soon anyway.

"That sucks" What else could she say? What she had gone through was bad, but that? Claire couldn't imagine how bad it would be.

"Indeed" He nodded, finishing his orange juice.

"Now, as you are already in the system, it should be a simple matter to get a new ID card issued to you" He put down his empty glass, and called for the check.

"I am ready when you are"

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

Claire Selton filled the forms necessary for a new ID card, paid the fee and they headed back to the hotel. They saw Superman on the way back, as the Man of Tomorrow was busy saving civilians from a fire.

"Do you happen to know how to drive?" He didn't want to hire a chauffeur and increase the number of people he would have to explain his business to.

"Project Firestorm didn't really have any extracurricular activities" Claire said, just remembering those days took her back to the small room she was locked in whenever they didn't run tests or trained her till her bones cracked.

"You will have to learn until we have a faster method of travel"

"Like what?"

"Teleportation if possible, or portals" Thanagar did have teleporters in this continuity, it shouldn't be hard to acquire the technology.

"I thought you meant something like a private jet" Then again, she should have expected it, as Miles didn't do small.

"Justice League has Javelins, which are space capable crafts traveling well beyond the speed of any private jet"

"Spaceships huh?" Figures that the Super Friends League would have advanced toys like that.

"A step in that direction more like"

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

After returning to the hotel Miles called Green Lantern to inform him he was ready.

"Hello John, I just wanted to say I am available to meet the Guardians at their earliest convenience"

"Alright then, I'll give them a call and come pick you up" John said, as he had been waiting for this.

"Do tell them I am not giving the information for free this time" Miles said, reminding the Green Lantern of their previous conversation while on the way to Zamaron.

"Got it, I'll call you later"

"I'll be waiting"

Miles readied his briefcase of wonders, to bluff in case the Guardians decided this matter was too important to play ball, and waited. Not long after the call had ended John called him back.

"Man, you got the Guardians in a frenzy, they want to talk to you now, where are you?" John had never seen or heard the usually stoic and emotionless Guardians act like this.

"There is an abandoned warehouse down the Founders street on Metropolis docks, we can meet there " It was out of sight enough for them to meet without drawing attention.

"Be there in ten minutes, and you better be ready, we'll have to go really fast this time" John said, having received orders from the Guardians to make full speed to Oa.

"I am always ready"

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

They took a taxi down to the docks, stopping near the cafe where they had lunch. They got off, while the driver waited for Claire to get back in.

"You sure you don't need me to come?" She couldn't let her precious source of money die.

"Claire, believe me if the Guardians decide to do anything to me, you would not be able to stop hundreds of Green Lanterns. You will stay back for now, it shouldn't take more than a day or two"

"How are you going to get out of there if you end up in trouble?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan"

Claire blinked.

He was going to get himself killed, wasn't he?

"Have it your way"

"Before I forget, go buy yourself a phone and call me" Miles handed her a card with his number on.

"Understood, I'll be waiting, and please don't get yourself killed out there. That would be a terrible look on my resume"

"I am reasonably sure nothing will go wrong, now off you go"

She nodded and got back on the taxi, heading to her spa appointment.

Miles walked to the entrance of the warehouse, spotting John leaning on a street lamp.

"John, there you are"

"Miles, gotta say you really kicked of a hornet's nest, the Guardians almost came here but I convinced them it wasn't worth the trouble"

"Seems I have their attention"

"Yeah, they also ordered me not to speak of this matter without explicit orders again. Real hush-hush"

"Let's not keep them waiting"

They moved to the alley and seconds later shot upwards to space, heading to Oa, Headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps.

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

John was focused during the entire journey to Oa, moving way faster than last time the two of them had traveled together.

Miles didn't want to disturb the Lantern, and decided to recap his knowledge regarding the Guardians.

Having created the Green Lantern Corps with the sole purpose of bringing order to the galaxy, they all acted without emotion, only caring for the Lantern Corps as a whole, while Ganthet, the outlier, cared about individuals as well.

Chances are, they would use force to learn what Miles knew if they couldn't reach a deal.

Oa came into vision soon, a planet of white and blue, located at the center of the galaxy, with the extremely advanced technology of the Guardians and their beliefs making itself present on the planet.

The Guardian's city, with architecture so alien and skyscrapers taller than any on Earth doting the planet, was beyond the imagination of humanity. They entered the atmosphere at full speed, heading straight to the square where the Main Power Battery and the Guardians were.

John landed first, gently lowering the bubble to the ground and letting Miles out, who

Already, a group awaited them, Kilowog and the future leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps, Sinestro amongst several other aliens.

"So this is the human that warned us huh? He doesn't look like much" Kilowog, a towering alien with bulging muscles, a face remnant of a bulldog and a skin like a porcine, many considered the geneticist alien a brute with no intelligence, a fatal mistake on their part.

"Appearances can be deceiving Kilowog, you should know better than me" Miles rebutted, watching the alien nod in agreement.

"I am more curious about what you said that has the Guardians acting so out of the norm?" Thaal Sinestro, a tall Korugarian with a pencil moustache who looked extremely similar to a human with his red skin being the only difference, asked, watching Miles like a hawk.

"You couldn't meet my price Sinestro, best leave it to the Guardians" Miles said, while didn't have anything against Sinestro yet he definitely would if the alien came to Earth causing trouble.

Sinestro just turned his head to the right, watching the hundreds of Lanterns going and coming.

"Let's go in before the Guardians get impatient and come themselves" Kilowog said, leading them inside.

"Hey, don't piss them off" John called out in a joking manner.

"I'll try not to" He replied back.

He didn't come here to cause trouble after all.

 

[Mastersgt]

Is the MC planning to stay just a "normal" Human? Or will he be enhancing/altering himself at all? There are a TON of ways to change himself. From Technology to magic to Divine intervention. He could become a Kryptonian, then remove his weaknesses, he could study Magic, make himself Immortal in a number of ways, or just enhance himself with a serum or something.

 

[Samael61]

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 five chapters ahead.

Thank you in advance.

---

Oa

The Guardians' Council Chamber

If Miles had to describe the Guardians to a human who had never heard of them before, Papa Smurfs without the hats would be his first choice.

"Miles Beckett of Earth, welcome to Oa." One of the Guardians greeted. Miles wasn't even going to pretend to know their names.

"Thank you."

"Lantern Stewart has informed us regarding your knowledge of Blackest Night. We are listening." Miles was sure they forgot to ask what he wanted in return on purpose.

"Has he not informed you it wasn't free this time?" Half the reason he informed them about the Manhunters was to prove his reliability.

"You would bargain for the future of the universe?" The voice would have sounded offended if the Guardians weren't such staunch advocates for not feeling emotions.

"I am not bargaining. I have my terms: you either accept them and I relay to you what I know, or you don't and I leave, simple as that." Miles said this was a business transaction with clear terms; if anyone was bargaining, it was them.

"What are your terms?" One of them said after they discussed it for a couple of minutes amongst each other.

"100,000 Earth tons of processed gold in bars—now I know it is insulting to beings like you who are beyond material need, but Earth has barely learned to crawl, and we already have to deal with a ridiculous amount of threats, and that gold will be necessary. Also, I require a Green Lantern ring, and I need to take Larfleeze out for an errand. Of course, I will convince him myself; I just want you to not interfere." Miles knew the first part was easy; in fact, he could have asked for a planet made of gold, and the Guardians would have given it. It was his second and third terms that presented a problem.

"You know Agent Orange? Then you know it is vital he stays where he is." Larfleeze was a one-person Lantern Corps, which made him an extremely dangerous and lethal opponent, and the Guardians had to make do with convincing him to stay in the Vega system, as they had no other option that was worth the price they would pay.

"And he is vital to my plans, so if you want to know what will trigger Blackest Night, you will let him out, or you can try to figure it out yourselves." Miles said, knowing convincing the other side you will walk away if you don't get what you want would press them into a corner.

"Perhaps we should contain you until you are ready to speak." One with a receding hairline suggested, receiving contemplating glances.

"Do you know what is in this briefcase?" Miles held it out. If the Smurfs resorted to threats, so would he.

"Our scans detected nothing in it." Source of valuable information or not, the Guardians weren't going to let anyone walk into the Council Chambers before guaranteeing their safety.

"Because the object inside is from the Antimatter Universe, and your rings cannot scan something that shouldn't exist, you should know that, after all, Krona was the one who created it," Miles said, ruffling the figurative feathers of the Guardians.

"What is in it then?" The Guardians became alert. What the human said was correct: after Krona created the Antimatter Universe, they had ceased all the activities that might give their lost brethren a way back into this universe, and their knowledge of the inner workings of that universe was lacking.

"A beacon to summon the Anti-Monitor for a short while to this universe, and I won't hesitate to use it if you think you can imprison me." Miles said,

"Anti-Monitor? We are not familiar with it." The one who suggested imprisoning Miles said knowing anything from that universe would have dire effects on this one.

"An extremely powerful being capable of destroying universes, and already innumerable universes have met oblivion at his hands. Now, since he will be here for a short amount of time, the universe will be safe, but I can't say the same for Oa."

"You are bluffing." Miles could see the beginnings of worry in their demeanor. He had them.

"Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not. The only way to find out is to open the briefcase. If I am bluffing, nothing happens; if I am not, you will have to fight and risk your lives. So let me ask you, is it worth the risk? After all, Larfleeze is a known quantity, whereas Blackest Night and Anti-Monitor are not. Miles steered the conversation back to the matter.

The Guardians started to discuss the pros and cons of whether imprisoning the human was worth the trouble. The human knew things he had no business knowing; who could say he didn't have the means to actually bring a creature from the Antimatter Universe?

Better to fight the enemy they knew than the one they did not.

"You have made your point; you will have your gold, and we will allow Agent Orange to leave the Vega system for this one instance. However, rings are not given; they choose their bearers." The one with the Elvis Presley hair agreed for the entire council after they finished their discussion.

"You are the creator of the rings; I am positive you can hand me one." Not like he was going to use the ring.

"What is it that you want the ring for if you cannot use it?" Yoda's blue cousin spoke, wondering what fate awaited the ring.

"Personal business" Realizing Miles wasn't going to explain further, the Guardians looked at each other for confirmation; eventually, they all gave their consent.

"We agree to your terms."

"Then ask, and you shall receive."

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

Three Hours Later

Miles explained everything he remembered about Nekron, how he was in a dimension of his own, his powers, and how the death of an immortal would create a paradox and unleash the Lord of the Unliving into the universe so he may bring blackest night and end all life. He mentioned the Entity, which the Guardians were aware of, and how it created the White Lantern Corps by fusing with any existing Lantern, regardless of where they stood in the Emotional Spectrum.

As killing what was basically the ultimate death wasn't possible, the only way to defeat him was to seal the rift between dimensions with Nekron on the other side.

He couldn't mention Krona's death explicitly but did warn them that since the Maltusians were immortal, they should be extremely careful when putting themselves in mortal danger.

Even for the Guardians of the Universe, it was a lot to take, so they decided it was for the best if Miles stayed on Oa for a couple more days.

"I must say you have given us a lot to consider." A Guardian followed him, and from the way he looked troubled, Miles reckoned he was Ganthet, probably the favorite Guardian of many Green Lanterns.

"The multiverse could be a dark and dangerous place."

"Indeed." The immortal Maltusian sighed, knowing it was their scientific research that created it in the first place.

"I have also wanted to speak to you regarding your payment. When and where do you want us to deliver the gold?"

"I'll give you the coordinates, and I cannot stress this enough, but be extremely discreet. I don't want the Justice League or the government questioning why the Green Lanterns delivered thousands of tons of gold to me."

"Are you not allied with them?"

"I am, but I also have my own methods to ensure Earth's survival."

"We will be discreet then."

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

Sometimes in groups, sometimes individually, the Guardians came to ask questions about the prophecy, and he did his best to answer. At the end of day two of his visit to Oa, the Guardians had enough and thought it best to send Miles back to Earth.

"Miles Beckett, we are grateful for both instances you have supplied us with your knowledge, and you will have your negotiated fee. To that end, Ganthet will coordinate with you regarding the delivery. This communication device will allow you to contact him directly."

"That is wonderful to hear; nothing like a clean and simple trade deal to satisfy both sides."

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

"Finally done?" John was taken off duty for the duration of Miles' stay in Oa and had spent time with his fellow Lanterns while waiting.

"Yes, with how sensitive the whole matter is, no surprise it took a couple of days, but I am ready to go back to Earth. The sky here is dreadfully boring," Miles complained in a mocking tone.

"Hope you didn't tell that to the Guardians," John shot back, smiling.

"I am not daft, John."

"Let's go back then." John began to levitate, raising his ring.

"You did keep this matter silent, right?"

"The Guardians wanted it that way." John would have spoken to the League about the deal, but his bosses told him to keep it quiet, and it's not like he saw any harm.

"Well then, my interstellar chauffeur, take me back to Metropolis, please."

John shook his head, enveloping Miles in a green bubble.

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

Their journey back to Earth didn't require any haste, and John took the opportunity to ask more questions.

"So, how do we defeat this Nekron if he gets out?"

"You drag him back to the dimension he crawled out from and seal the breach."

"No other way?"

"John, Nekron is the final death for life; every single soul that dies passes through his dimension, regardless of their religion or lack of one. He is the physical manifestation of the concept of death as a cosmic certainty. As long as there is death, he will exist, so no," Miles replied, quoting the description he had read from the wiki.

"And here I thought dealing with the Imperium was bad."

"They are but a blip in the cosmos, John."

That didn't fill the Green Lantern with confidence.

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

Metropolis

Landing back on Earth after two days on Oa, Miles checked his phone for a call from Claire. He called the number back, and Claire answered after a couple of seconds.

"Hey, Miles. Glad to see you're alive." She spoke with a drawl, sounding incredibly relaxed.

"Claire, I hope you're not indulging in recreational substances out in the open."

"What?! No, I am just getting a massage, that's all," she replied, flustered and suddenly fully aware.

"Already enjoying the luxuries the capitalist system provides, I see. I will be at the hotel in half an hour; be ready by then." They would be heading to Massachusetts for the gold shipment.

"Understood."

Miles ended the call, calling for a taxi to the hotel.

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

Metropolis Grand Hotel

Claire opened the door for Miles as the young man got out of the car.

"What do you think?" She posed with her hands on her waist.

In a two-piece black and red suit showing her belly with a keyhole and no arms, along with red gloves and high-heeled boots, she cut a rather eye-catching figure.

"If you can fight in those boots, then I have to admit you are smoldering." Miles made a pun, watching Claire roll her eyes, but still pleased.

"So how did your business go?"

"Swimmingly, we need to be at Massachusetts for the Green Lanterns to bring the gold."

"Right, you did mention that last time, but who exactly did you meet out there?"

"They are called the Guardians of the Universe, immortal aliens who made it their goal to bring order to the galaxy, and the leader of the Green Lantern Corps."

"So, space cops?"

"Yes, most would describe them as such. Now, have you received your ID yet?"

"Here." She held it out, happy to have a part of her life taken by the society back.

"Perfect timing."

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

Metropolis International Airport

Renting a private jet and burning quite a bit of money to expedite the process, Miles and Claire were in the air in an hour.

Metropolis and Massachusetts were relatively close, so their flight wasn't going to take long.

"Mmm, this is rather good. Are you sure you don't want a glass?" Claire sipped the champagne, enjoying the expensive brand.

"No, I don't have good memories when it comes to alcohol." He refused, lying on the cozy seat with his hat covering his eyes.

"Why? Drunk father or something?" She asked, swirling the glass.

"Mother, actually, she married the college genius, unaware he only married her to fulfill the expectations our circle of acquaintances and my grandparents put on him. She resorted to drinking when I was four years old or so," he explained, seeing it as a good way to build rapport with Claire.

"What happened after that?" She lost her smile, seeing Miles was in the same boat as her.

"My father died when I was sixteen, and she disappeared with her young lover, taking most of the estate," he explained. Miles, having seen what a real family was from his friends in school, didn't shed any tears over either event.

"You too, huh?" She was sympathetic to his struggles, not that Miles saw them as such.

"Indeed."

"What did you do after that?" Knowing him, it was definitely something grand.

"I blackmailed a high-ranking banking executive, graduated college, and I am now busy trying to save the world." Claire blinked at the blunt admission, wanting to know the details, but she was more curious about the rest of his family.

"What about your grandparents? Didn't they offer any help?"

"Anything they offered would come with a leash around my neck, and I might have just strangled them with it." While they were worlds apart now, he still remembered the elitist, stuck-up old coots who cared more about their status than their children and ended up raising single-minded garbage in human form.

"That's brutal." She too had considered revenge against her parents but didn't know if she could do it, though something told Claire that Miles would.

"Suddenly getting cold feet, Claire?" Miles teased her guard.

"No, actually I find it rather hot. What about your mother? Aren't you worried she might show herself if you get famous?" She winked, bantering for the fun of it rather than any desire.

"We won't be seeing her again, ever." Miles said with certainty, knowing Claire would take it the wrong way, but it would stop her from getting nosy.

---

On the next chapter:
"Well said. Here, your ring, but as you had already been informed, you cannot use it, not unless the ring chooses you," Ganthet warned, handing him a green box.

Miles opened the box, seeing the ring sitting on a black cushion, before it floated up, glowing green.

"Miles Beckett of Earth," it began, before Miles raised the box and shut the ring back in.

"Oh my," Ganthet said with wonder, eyes shining. He was curious if the ring would choose the human; after all, someone with a weak will would not be able to stand before the Guardians and threaten them.

"Don't look too hopeful; I am not good at taking orders from anyone." Miles had no intention of playing space cop.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in my Patreon.

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Samael61]

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 five chapters ahead.

Thank you in advance.

---

Massachusetts

They would be spending a couple of days at the bunker; as such, supplies were necessary.

Food, water, entertainment, beds and furniture, replacing the kitchen cabinets, cooking utensils and cutlery, a gas stove, getting utilities back on, and, most importantly, an AC unit.

Miles rented a truck and hired people to carry and set up the furniture first while he and Claire were having a conversation away from any potential prying ears.

"How are you going to sell that much gold? I mean, is there anyone who has the money to buy it all at once?" Claire asked, leaning on the wall, observing as the workers lowered a bed down the hatch and hauled it off inside.

"Selling that much gold in a single transaction would make it virtually worthless, shake up the economy, and draw undue attention to us, not to mention it is impossible. I'll sell it over time, piece by piece; that way gold retains its value, and I will have insurance for decades in the event of financial struggles," Miles explained, having already planned to visit the local branch of Metropolis Gold Exchange to see how much they could buy.

"Thinking really long term then. What are we doing next?" She asked, getting bored just lazing around.

"Set up a secret operations base, recruit some more people, and start building the foundations of a spy empire and a company." Miles would need an operations base for a spy network, somewhere where people couldn't track him.

"Who is first on the list?" The pyrokinetic asked, itching for action.

"Zalika from Korogoro, Kenya. She is working with a gang right now and will be our hacker. Ratcatcher is currently stuck in Belle Reve, but I should be able to get her out with a good enough lawyer." Miles was sure Zalika could be convinced, whether by saving her brother if he was alive or offering her revenge if he was not. As for Ratcatcher 2, he had no information regarding the nature of her incarceration, but people with worse crimes got off with a slap on the wrist, provided they knew who to bribe or blackmail.

"Ratcatcher? What do you need her for?" Claire asked, having heard of the metahuman mentioned during Project Firestorm, as there were plans to weaponize her rats.

"Think about it, if a rat enters LexCorp to bug the place, will they think it is a spy problem or a rat problem?" Miles asked rhetorically.

"Can her rats do that?" She asked, They were rodents, after all.

"Strap a well-camouflaged harness on the rats with a camera; they can carry and drop the bugs somewhere discreet." He was going to need to find someone to work on surveillance devices. Perhaps he could find Ivo?

"Provided you can get her out and she agrees to work for you." She shrugged. Someone sent to Belle Rive wouldn't agree to play that easily.

"There is no shortage of people with meta powers to recruit Claire."

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

Close to night, when the city was slowing down, and after everything was settled, Miles activated the comms device given by the Guardians.

Ganthet answered, and a green hologram of his smiling face appeared over the device.

"Greetings, Miles Beckett. I presume you are ready for your end of the bargain?"

"Indeed, I am. You can bring the payment to my current coordinates." Miles nodded; he was running out of the ten million he earned from Bruce Wayne.

"Very well, several Lanterns will be bringing the gold and the ring, and worry not, as promised we will take great care to be discreet." Ganthet assured him, as the Maltusian wasn't as much a stickler for rules as his brethren were.

"I will be waiting then."

The hologram winked out, leaving him alone in the area they had designed as the living room.

"Good news, the Guardians are bringing the gold," he said to Claire, who had already started on the Chinese takeout.

"Really fancy place you found, Miles, besides the lack of sunlight." She swallowed the noodles, motioning around the room with her fork.

"Well built to withstand a nuclear winter and alien invasions to some degree, such a tragedy the man in question went bankrupt during the construction." Miles sat down as well, opening his noodles and taking the chopsticks out of the packet.

"You know, I was wondering something: why didn't you just convince Green Lantern to help you get the gold?" She was puzzled; after all, if those rings were that capable, why go to all that trouble in the first place?

"Ask him to hand me enough wealth to beggar the richest individuals on this planet, just because we happen to be friends? I don't know about you, but I am not the type to enjoy the thought of owing debts, much less to my friends," Miles said after swallowing his bite.

"Would it be a debt though, since you are asking a friend?" Come to think of it, she didn't have any friends, not since middle school.

"Asking a friend to buy you coffee is fine; asking him to give you a trillion dollars, even if it doesn't cost him anything, is not."

"Guess you're right." She shrugged, deciding her food was more important than a philosophical discussion over friendship.

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

Orbs of dim green light appeared in the distance after a couple of hours, approaching the bunker.

Ganthet and Green Lanterns of several different species carrying tens of thousands of gold bars with the power of their rings slowly floated down.

"Hello, Miles Beckett," Ganthet greeted with a shallow nod, examining the surrounding area as this was the first time he visited Earth.

"Ganthet, wonderful to see you again. You can start moving the gold inside; Claire here will guide the Lanterns," Miles said, gesturing to the fiery young woman with his hand.

"You as well." The Maltusian nodded, and the Green Lanterns began to follow Claire down the hatch.

It was a scene straight out of a cartoon as gold bars floated inside the bunker in a line, going on and on.

"This has been an interesting first experience for me and the rest of the Guardians as well," Ganthet commented, standing next to Miles and watching.

"One should always aspire to try new things to avoid a monotone life."

"Well said. Here, your ring, but as you had already been informed, you cannot use it, not unless the ring chooses you," Ganthet warned, handing him a green box.

Miles opened the box, seeing the ring sitting on a black cushion, before it floated up, glowing green.

"Miles Beckett of Earth," it began, before Miles raised the box and shut the ring back in.

"Oh my," Ganthet said with wonder, eyes shining. He was curious if the ring would choose the human; after all, someone with a weak will would not be able to stand before the Guardians and threaten them.

"Don't look too hopeful; I am not good at taking orders from anyone." Miles had no intention of playing space cop.

"Pity, I believe you would make an excellent Lantern." Ganthet smiled, delighted at Miles' displeasure.

"And I believe in having a good relationship with law enforcement; it doesn't mean I want to be a direct part of it." The profession, no matter the scope, had too many rules and regulations for him.

"Well, here is hoping for a fruitful future," Ganthet said, thinking along the same vein.

With the speed of the Lanterns, it took barely an hour for the entire fortune to be settled in the bunker, and they prepared to return to Oa, with wishes of further cooperation.

"You know, even watching this was tiring," Claire muttered. Seeing all that wealth float before her eyes, she was ecstatic at first, but after a while it got tiring.

"Take a room and rest, Claire; we have much to do tomorrow."

"My pleasure."

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

The next morning, Miles had awakened early and prepared breakfast, since Claire's skills in cooking were nonexistent.

The said woman came out, looking as if death warmed over, before sitting down and laying her head on the brand-new dinner table.

"Morning," she muttered, yawning.

"Not a good one, it seems," Miles commented, flipping the last pancake.

"Sue me, I had to adhere to a strict military schedule for years, but now I feel like I could sleep for days," she mumbled contentedly, eyes closed.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have to exchange some of this gold, and you are coming with me." Placing the last sweet goodness on the top, he added berries and poured maple syrup over it.

"How are we going to get it all out anyway? Are we hiring people again?" Claire raised her head, watching the man work his magic on the kitchen counter.

"No, that would be just putting up a sign asking to be robbed. There is a service lift at the back that needs repairs. We'll get it fixed, buy a forklift and a truck, and handle everything ourselves," Miles explained while adding a touch of butter on the top of the pancake tower.

"Maybe you should hire someone with enhanced strength?"

"You didn't think this job would be one of leisure and indulgence, did you?" Miles turned to her, giving a deadpan look.

"No." She yawned, eyes widening with appreciation as Miles passed a plate of fluffy pancakes to her, along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Hacker, information broker, an excellent cook, and rich? Whoever marries you is going to live like a queen."

"I will take that as a compliment."

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

Getting an entirely new supply lift was not easy, as the nearest shop was twenty miles away and booked for weeks.

Thankfully, money had a mysterious way of solving problems. Miles offered to pay thrice their hourly rate if they could bring his appointment forward and be at his address as soon as possible.

An hour later, the mechanics already started working on dismantling the old lift. Miles wanted it done fast, and they were delivering.

Once it was operational and the mechanics had been paid their due, they visited the nearest car dealership for a truck with a large enough trailer to transport literal tons of gold.

Thankfully he had the mind to register himself in the NDR and just had to pay a small fee to get a brand-new and, most importantly, legal driver's license.

A red semi truck later, they headed to a trailer dealership this time, buying one with a twenty-ton cargo capacity, which would mean about two hundred million dollars' worth of gold.

Next they bought a forklift and loaded it onto the truck, and at noon Miles and Claire stood before the Massachusetts branch of Metropolis Gold Exchange with a briefcase carrying a single gold bar as a sample.

A large, golden-brown building with a dome, it had two statues in front of it, one on the right and the other on the left.

The entrance had four columns of the same color, as if they were protecting the building, though none attempted to rob the place as it was well protected, and all the gold was shipped to the HQ at Metropolis at regular intervals.

The inside was noticeably cooler than the outside, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. The ground was pure white marble polished enough that one could see their reflection clearly.

Taking a ticket, Miles waited for his turn, watching lines slowly but steadily trickle away, and eventually his number lit up.

"Hello and welcome to Massachusetts Gold Exchange. How may I help you today?" The clerk smiled, though it did not reach her eyes.

" I wish to exchange large quantities of gold. Can you inform someone with the appropriate authority?" Miles said, and the clerk went on full alert now that such an important client had come.

"How much gold do you wish to exchange? Depending on the amount, we can call our branch manager," she mentioned, taking him seriously now.

"Depends on how much this fine establishment can buy." Miles leaned on the counter while the clerk—Samantha—hastily dialed the phone and called her superior.

---

Next chapter:
"Orm, King Arthur's brother, has been planning a coup for a long time, along with General Brak. He also has a WMD called the Doomsday Thermal Reactor and probably is using the plutonium to power it" Miles said after thinking for a couple of seconds, remembering the names.

"That doesn't sound good" Superman said, dread settling in his stomach.

"It was a last resort to melt the polar caps and flood the globe, should the worst befall Atlantis due to us surface dwellers. We need to inform King Arthur of the coup and put a stop to this" Miles warned, his tone making the team feel the danger the situation presented.

"How do we do that? We would just be strangers accusing his brother of treason" Wonder Woman asked, having met the King of Atlantis first hand, and saying he was aggressive would be a misunderstatement.

"Arrange me a meeting with him, I am sure I can convince him" Miles offered. Aquaman didn't hesitate to cut his own hand off to save his son, and would definitely take any threat against him seriously.
Curious about the next cahpter ? Please consider supporting me on my Patreon.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Samael61]

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 five chapters ahead.

Thank you in advance.

---

Metropolis Gold Exchange

Massachusetts Branch Office

The manager, one Anthony Laster, invited Miles and Claire into his office to discuss business. The duo sat on the leather seats while the branch manager took his seat on his desk.

"So, what can I get you two? Tea, coffee, something more stiff?" He offered it as a business.

"I'll take water, Claire?" Miles said, turning to his bodyguard.

"No thanks." She shrugged.

"Alright then, you said you wanted to exchange gold, Mr.Beckett. How much were you interested in selling?" Anthony Laster asked, after making a quick call and ordering a glass of whiskey for himself and a glass of water for Miles.

"Ten billion dollars worth, for a start." Miles said with a straight face, and the branch manager was taken aback at the amount, handing over the briefcase carrying the sample he had brought.

Opening the briefcase and taking the heavy bar, the professional began to examine it.

No hallmark or letter mark to identify it, which suggested it was most likely melted and cast privately.

Running some quick tests, the gold was real as far as Anthony could see.

"That is way more than I am authorized to buy, and I will have to call my superiors. May I ask how you acquired that much gold?" He asked, someone who wanted to sell one thousand tons of gold for a start couldn't have appeared out of nowhere.

They kept an eye on all the wealthy individuals, such as him.

"My family, using their considerable fortune and resources, has been hoarding gold for a long time due to their inherent distrust of government and fiat money." Miles lied, as the truth was inconvenient.

"I see, fascinating that we did not hear such a wealthy family's name uttered around our circles." Anthony poked further, trying to find any fault with the story.

"They did not go around bragging about their wealth, lest they draw unwanted attention." Miles continued his lie, not giving away anything. Establishing a cover story for his wealth was vital to cashing the gold through legal channels to avoid the problems that would arise from illegal dealings.

The door opened, and a young woman carrying a tray with the requested drinks handed Miles his glass.

"What changed your mind?" Anthony took the whiskey, sipping a little before placing it on his desk, watching Miles.

"I did not like the frugal and illogical lifestyle they led, not when all that gold could be put to better use." Miles shook his head, appearing to be frowning at the memory of it.

"An entrepreneur at heart, well, I can say with confidence you came to the right place. Now, if you can excuse me, I need to make a call. In the meantime, please call my secretary, Ms. Addams, if you need anything." Anthony smiled, taking his phone and leaving the room to make the call.

"Thank you." Miles said, watching the man leave.

The manager asked an awful lot of questions, but it was expected for him to ascertain the source of his wealth to not step into anything illegal.

Not even ten minutes later he returned, pearly white teeth shining in the sunlight, giving him a blinding smile.

"Good news, I have been authorized to make the purchase at market price while our chief operations manager comes here within the next twenty-four hours."

"Excellent. Now I can only bring about twenty tons of gold at a time, so we have plenty of time." Miles informed. By his estimates, he and Claire working together could make three to four transports a day, earning between six and eight hundred million dollars, and the entire sale would take close to two weeks.

"We can assist in the matter of transportation for a modest fee." Anthony offered, holding out his hand.

"I'll have to pass, I am afraid." Miles refused; he couldn't allow anyone to see the inside of his bunker and took the offered hand.

"You are the customer; how soon can you start bringing the gold?" He would have earned a significant bonus from the fees, but considering the amount he would get, Anthony wasn't going to push it.

"We will go and bring the first batch immediately." Miles said, the sooner they start, the better.

"Very well, I will inform the security, and you will be directed to a weighing station, and I will prepare the necessary forms to ensure a smooth transaction." The happy branch manager said, showing them to the door.

"Then let's not delay any longer. Come on, Claire, we have much to do." If they were quick enough, they could make two trips before the branch closed for the day.

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

Two Weeks Later

Bunker

After two weeks of loading thousands of bars onto a trailer and then driving the truck to the exchange center and signing endless papers, Miles and Claire were sitting around the sofa, resting.

"So how are you going to find someone to build a company like that?" Claire asked, eating a spoonful of ice cream from a tub.

"Advertisement in a newspaper." Miles said, checking his finances on the phone and paying his damn taxes.

He was definitely going to evade taxes rather than let the politicians use his hard-earned money to fill their own pockets.

"Isn't that dangerous?" She didn't think it was a good idea to let the whole country know you were rich and hiring.

"I would like to believe I possess the necessary abilities to choose someone trustworthy to lead my business." Miles didn't have the time to go and search for a qualified person, so why not let the person come to him?

"If you say so."

Miles' phone rang; checking it out, he saw it was a call from John Stewart.

"Green Lantern, how can I help?"

"You need to come in; there is a situation we need your help with." He sounded worried and angry.

"Understood, can you please pick me up?"

"I am on my way." The Lantern ended the call.

"Business calls, let's go."

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

Watchtower

Green Lantern was obviously skeptical about having Claire in the Watchtower, but Miles vouched for the young woman, and the rest of the League agreed as long as he was responsible for the pyrokinetic.

Superman was surprised to see the woman he had saved long ago working for Miles, and the said woman didn't hesitate to flirt with the man of steel, but it was cut short.

"So what happened?" Miles asked, but he already had an idea since, after the whole debacle with Ajuris 4, came Aquaman and Atlantis.

"USS Defiant, a nuclear submarine of the Navy, was sunk to the bottom of the ocean and sent a distress call. When we responded, we were attacked by Atlanteans of all things. Long story short, they released the crew but are keeping the submarine. What's more, I went and checked, and the plutonium was gone. Do you know anything that can help?" Green Lantern asked, concerned about the possibility of a nuclear attack.

"Orm, King Arthur's brother, has been planning a coup for a long time, along with General Brak. He also has a WMD called the Doomsday Thermal Reactor and probably is using the plutonium to power it." Miles said after thinking for a couple of seconds, remembering the names.

"That doesn't sound good." Superman said, dread settling in his stomach.

"It was a last resort to melt the polar caps and flood the globe should the worst befall Atlantis due to us surface dwellers. We need to inform King Arthur of the coup and put a stop to this." Miles warned, his tone making the team feel the danger the situation presented.

"How do we do that? We would just be strangers accusing his brother of treason." Wonder Woman asked, having met the King of Atlantis firsthand, and saying he was aggressive would be a misunderstatement.

"Arrange me a meeting with him; I am sure I can convince him." Miles offered. Aquaman didn't hesitate to cut his own hand off to save his son and would definitely take any threat against him seriously.

"Well, you are in luck." Superman said, gesturing to the screen where an anchorman was reporting how Aquaman forced his way into the World Assembly.

"An audience with royalty is coming up." Green Lantern said, watching the screen.

"We should hurry; this is the perfect opportunity if Orm finally decides to kill his brother." Miles warned, heading to the hangar.

"What do you mean?" Superman asked, wondering just how bad this situation would get.

"King Arthur died on the surface when he went there for peace. Orm will have all the justification he needs to usurp the throne and start a war."

The grim look on their faces told him they understood what was at stake.

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

Metropolis

Miles and Claire, along with Superman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman, quickly made their way to the building where the meeting was held.

"Claire, go out and watch the rooftops for any assassins; take no chances." Miles ordered, if they could stop Deadshot before he wounds Aquaman, Orm wouldn't have the time to take any action before Aquaman returned to his throne.

"Understood." The fiery woman replied, bursting into flames and flying up.

Miles followed the heroes inside the building to talk sense to Aquaman. He was left behind as all four of them could fly and decided to wait for Aquaman to come out.

With long, blonde hair and a muscled frame half covered by a green cloak, King Arthur certainly cut an impressive figure.

"Your Highness." He greeted the ruler of Atlantis with a nod, who stopped to look at him for a moment before ignoring him and continuing on his way.

"Orm has stolen the plutonium from the submarine and intends to use it to power the thermal reactor and melt the Arctic Circle." Miles said, stopping Arthur in his tracks.

"How do you know that?" The blonde Atlantean asked, walking up to Miles with a threatening posture, furious that such a secret had been discovered by a surface dweller.

"Simple really, I keep an eye on important places, such as Atlantis," he informed the furious king, who narrowed his eyes.

"Orm would do no such thing without my permission." Arthur denied Miles' claims, his trust in his brother absolute.

Or so he thought.

"Your love for him has blinded you to his true nature. Orm, in cahoots with General Brak, intends to stage a coup and take your throne while killing your son to ensure nothing can threaten his reign." Miles explained, angering the royalty.

"You dare?! I come to the surface for peace, and you accuse my brother of treason?" Arthur punched the wall right next to where Miles was leaning, and though he was powerless, he did not feel fear.

"Think about it, King Arthur. How could I know these things unless someone told me?" He asked, wanting the Atlantean to reach that conclusion himself.

"That's." Aquaman fumbled, unable to answer. He did not know how this mortal knew his brother, much less General Brak and the Doomsday Reactor.

"You need to go back to Atlantis and rally your men to stop Orm and General Brak before it is too late for all of us." Miles urged the royal, as the Justice League approached, listening to their conversation.

"Can you take responsibility for those words?" Arthur seemed conflicted, his gaze wavering.

"You can take my life if I am wrong, but if I am right, Orm will take your son's life." His words left the king with no choice but to consider the possibility of betrayal, especially at the mention of his son being in danger.

"Very well, follow me then; I will take you to Atlantis, and we will see the truth." Aquaman conceded, walking with a hurry in his steps that wasn't there before.

"Take the Justice League along with you; I guarantee you will need their assistance." Miles offered he was going too; after all, if they got caught like they did in the show, he and Claire could cause enough trouble to free them.

"So be it."

The sound of an explosion came from outside, and the League hurried to intervene.

---

In the next chapter

"I am Queen Mera of Atlantis. Who are you, and what do you want?" She asked the strangers, watching them warily, before the male approached, handing her a bundle.

"Your Highness, we are friends of your husband, here to save you and your son from Prince Orm," he warned, being careful to not make any sudden moves and irk the Queen.

Mera's eyes widened as she hurried to take the bundle, seeing her son, who should have been in his nursery, sleeping peacefully.

"How?" She asked, cradling him in her arms, worried how something could have happened to him.

"We found soldiers taking him to Orm and intervened. Now, while your husband puts down this little rebellion and takes his throne back, we should get you two somewhere safe," Miles warned, while Claire was busy making sure the soldiers were out.

"Yes, you are right."

Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on my Patreon.

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Samael61]

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 five chapters ahead.

Thank you in advance.

---

Metropolis



The scene outside was chaotic. Claire had captured someone, keeping the person on the ground with the threat of her flames, while there was a rocket launcher next to him and a crater left on the road.



Security forces surrounded them while cordoning off the area, demanding both to stand down.



"Claire?" Miles asked; he knew what was happening but wanted to let her explain to avoid suspicion.



"Found him on the rooftop with the rocket launcher; don't know his target though." She reported, the playfulness in her voice gone, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.



The man she had subdued wore a red suit with a gray mask that had a red visor on the right eye, a vest, boots, and two guns strapped to his forearms, which were damaged by Claire's pyrokinesis.



He was Deadshot, one of the best snipers in this world.



"Floyd Lawton, what an unpleasant surprise to see one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Tell me, who was your target?" Miles said, letting the man's name out as the Justice League convinced the law enforcement to stand down.



"I've got nothing to say to you," Deadshot muttered, refusing to speak as a professional.



"Really? You know, I always wondered, does Zoe know her daddy regularly kills people for the money she spends every day?" Miles smiled, crouching to look closer at the assassin, who thrashed at hearing the name of his daughter. Claire punched the ground next to him with a flaming fist as a warning, and Deadshot stopped.



"If you harm her," He spat with venom in his voice. Miles knew Floyd Lawton's one and only weakness was his daughter, and while he wouldn't stoop low enough to harm her, he would definitely use her to make Floyd more cooperative.



"My god, Floyd, I am not a monster who would target a little girl, though I won't hesitate to empty all those accounts you no doubt have for her." Miles said, offended by the implication, and then threatened the man with something that would hurt him. After all, without all that money and no one else to look after Zoe, she would be put in foster care.



"It was Aquaman." Deadshot gave up, weighing his choices, ultimately deciding it wasn't worth the threat.



"Who paid you?" Aquaman asked, pulling the assassin up with a single hand around his neck, eyes narrowed.



"I don't know; I don't ask these questions." Deadshot wasn't scared; he knew the Justice League wouldn't let him be killed.



"What did your employer pay you with?" Miles asked, though as they weren't close to the car the gold was in, he had no idea how Floyd would prove it.



"In gold, there is one in my belt," he said, and Miles nodded at Claire. Taking the message, she rummaged through his belt, eventually pulling a single gold coin out and flicking it at Miles.



Catching the gold coin, he raised it to get a better look before flicking it back to Claire.



"Spanish doubloons, you can either find them in the possession of a collector or at the bottom of the sea; my guess is it's the latter," Miles said to the King of Atlantis, who threw the assassin towards the waiting law enforcement.



"Orm," Aquaman said, sorrow in his voice, which gave way to anger.



"Yes, now, it is imperative you rally what loyal soldiers you have before Orm, in his idiocy, destroys us all," he urged the king while the Justice League gathered around, waiting for his choice.



"We must hurry."



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



Atlantis



Taking the underwater craft the League had to Atlantis, they did not meet any opposition on the way, as Orm was likely too busy taking control to send his troops out.



Miles had a different plan in mind, including Queen Mera and her son. He and Claire would ensure their safety, because as hostages at Orm's hands, they would be Aquaman's weakness, but safe and away from the fighting, the League and Aquaman, provided the King of Atlantis rallies his men, should have no problem dealing with Orm.



Docking in Atlantis, members of the League, along with Aquaman and Claire, quickly made their way to the palace.



"Your Highness" An Atlantean soldier bowed, worried at seeing King Arthur walk with a vengeance.



"General Alen, there is a great chance my brother Orm and General Brak have betrayed us; gather your soldiers, for they won't go down without a fight." Arthur ordered the general, who stood rigid at the claim, before saluting.



"Yes, Your Highness," he said, turning around and ordering his men to call their soldiers.



The city of Atlantis was straight out of a fairy tale, and any other time Miles might have stayed around to appreciate its beauty, but now wasn't a good time.



Martian Manhunter, Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman followed Aquaman inside, Miles and Claire trailing slowly behind.



Soldiers, gathered by General Alen, began to converge on the palace, and using the opportunity, they slipped away to go and secure the remaining royalty.



An idiot admires complexity, a genius admires simplicity, and whoever designed the palace certainly wasn't an idiot. Finding their way to Royal Quarters wasn't hard, if a bit time-consuming, but Miles and Claire knew they were at the right place upon hearing two Atlanteans talk about the infant prince right around the corner.



"Why do you think Lord Orm wants the Prince?" One of them said, carrying the baby,



"We don't ask these questions; just obey the orders. We'll take the prince to him, and that'll be that."



"Get ready," Miles whispered, and Claire nodded, hands at the ready.



The soldiers turned the corner, one carrying the infant, the other holding a weapon, and found two fists covered in a fireball inches away from their faces.



"You move, you die." She threatened with a bloodthirsty grin on her face.



"I am going to ask you only once to hand the prince over to me gently," Miles said, ripping the weapon out of the soldier's hands, who only put up a token resistance.



The soldiers looked at each other before the one holding the baby slowly held him out for Miles, who took the sleeping baby, checking him over.



"Excellent. Turn around and run now."



"Aren't they going to alert that Orm guy?" She asked, but an explosion rocked the palace, cutting her off.



"I have a feeling he will be too busy fighting."



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



Roaming around the palace in search of a safe place to bunker down, they came across Queen Mera, who was taken hostage at gunpoint by two soldiers.



"We will see if your husband is willing to fight once he sees you and your son in danger."



"I am sure he won't."



"Who?" They turned around, and a continuous torrent of fire pinned them to the wall.



Screaming in pain, the soldiers thrashed around, almost waking up the prince nestled in Miles' arms. Once their cries of anguish ended, Miles stopped Claire to avoid killing them.



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



Green Lantern blasted a soldier away and then manifested a shield to protect himself when several soldiers opened fire.



"I have your wife and son; surrender now, or they'll pay the price!" Orm screamed, swinging the trident at Aquaman, who ducked before punching his traitorous brother in the face.



"If something happens to them, you won't live long enough to regret it, Orm." Aquaman shouted back,



"Green Lantern, come in," Miles' voice crackled from his earpiece.



"Not the time, Miles," John said, focusing on keeping his cover-up.



"I have secured the Queen and the Prince," the latest addition to the League said, and John smiled.



They couldn't risk pushing Orm too much, fearing the traitorous prince would do something drastic if he was backed into a corner.



"What? Alright then, no need to hold back." He answered, pushing the shield forward and knocking the soldiers out.



"Aquaman, your wife and child are safe." The Lantern shouted over the sound of the fighting.



"What" two brothers shouted , one in relief, the other in fury. Aquaman, knowing they were safe, went on the offensive. Dodging another strike from his own trident at the hands of his traitorous brother, Aquaman reared his fist back and punched with all his might.



Orm's face contorted from the strength behind the punch, a tooth was knocked out, and he was sent flying to the wall, crumpling down unconsciously. The soldiers, upon seeing their leader down, were demoralized, giving the loyalists the upper hand.



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



"I am Queen Mera of Atlantis. Who are you, and what do you want?" She asked the strangers, watching them warily, before the male approached, handing her a bundle.



"Your Highness, we are friends of your husband, here to save you and your son from Prince Orm," he warned, being careful to not make any sudden moves and irk the Queen.



Mera's eyes widened as she hurried to take the bundle, seeing her son, who should have been in his nursery, sleeping peacefully.



"How?" She asked, cradling him in her arms, worried how something could have happened to him.



"We found soldiers taking him to Orm and intervened. Now, while your husband puts down this little rebellion and takes his throne back, we should get you two somewhere safe," Miles warned, while Claire was busy making sure the soldiers were out.



"Yes, you are right."





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



Gradually, the sound of fighting began to die down, while the two of them waited outside the room the Queen and the Prince were in, because the little one got hungry and started crying, and it wouldn't do for two of them to be inside while the Royal Queen herself fed her baby.



Hearing the sounds of people running, Miles and Claire readied themselves. Holding the weapon towards the end of the hallway, they waited to strike.



"We must take ships and head to the doomsday device; that is our only chance." A voice came, and three Atlanteans came running. Claire filled the hallway with flames, and no matter how resistant they were in general, the running soldiers didn't stand a chance, passing out from the heat.



"What is happening?" The Queen's voice came from behind the door, worried.



"Just some runaways, Your Highness, nothing to worry about," Miles called, assuring the woman of her safety.



"Very well."



Checking the soldiers closer, Miles recognized one of them from his garb in the show and that amusing-looking beard, which was burnt.



General Brak, Orm's supporter in the coup.



"Miles, Miles, come in." Green Lantern's voice came from the earpiece, and he answered.



"I am here; go ahead," he said, taking the weapons away in case they woke up and decided to take a shot.



"We have Orm, but General Brak managed to escape with soldiers. We don't know where he is going, but stay put with the Queen until we capture him." Green Lantern warned him, having just noticed that the Atlantean was missing.



"Don't bother, he and the escapees are neutralized; we are holed up at the eastern wing," Miles replied, and there was silence for a second as Green Lantern informed the others.



"Understood. Superman and Wonder Woman are on the way" Green Lantern ended the call, leaving Miles alone with Claire once again.



"So, satisfied with my performance?" She asked, quite proud of herself.



"Very much so."



"Good," she said; the part about her bonus went unsaid.



"Don't worry, Claire, you will receive your payment at the appropriate time," Miles said, hearing the whoosh in the air as Superman and Wonder Woman came flying.



"Are you two alright?" Superman asked, worried about Miles and Claire, though not so much when he saw the unconscious soldiers.



"Peachy. Can't say the same for the general, though." Miles looked at the downed Atlantean in amusement, his burnt beard and eyebrows making him look quite funny.



"Okay, are the Queen and the Prince safe?" The Man of Steel asked, gathering the fallen general and one of the soldiers, while Wonder Woman took the other.



"Not even a single scratch on them."



"We should go then; things are safe now, and I am sure Aquaman would like to see his wife and son," Wonder Woman said, holding the soldier up from his armor.



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



Soldiers were everywhere on the way to the throne room, with traitors tied up and taken away while the loyalists were ensuring the security, saluting their queen as she passed them, followed by the Justice League.



A herald announced her entry, and Aquaman rushed up to meet them after ordering his soldiers to return the stolen plutonium, leaving Orm to the Green Lantern.



"You are alright," Arthur said, his forehead meeting his wife's in a tender moment, while checking over his son, who giggled at seeing his father.



"I am in your debt, as is Atlantis." He said to the Justice League with a neutral tone that he was grateful, of course, but needing the help from the surface dwellers, when it was more of their kind who polluted the oceans, was still hard for him.



"There is no debt; we only did what was right. The only thing I ask is that you give diplomacy a chance," Superman said, attempting to establish a permanent peace between Atlantis and the surface world.



Aquaman looked at his son, at how close he had come to danger, and nodded resolutely.



"Very well, inform your leaders that I wish to initiate negotiations," he said to Superman, choosing peace for the sake of his son.



"You should join the Justice League." Martian Manhunter suggested. As a stranger to this world himself, J'onn thought he could help Aquaman acclimatize to the surface.



"What? Why do you want him to?" Green Lantern was obviously not pleased with the offer, given that he didn't like Aquaman very much.



"Simple, if you become a hero in the eyes of the masses, the politicians won't be able to dismiss you so easily if it means earning the ire of the populace. You can't be a full-time member due to your responsibilities, but helping every now and then shouldn't be an issue." All the eyes were on Miles as he explained the practical side of the offer.



"You are certain it will work?" Aquaman wasn't familiar with the culture and intricate workings of the surface world and wasn't sure if risking himself to help them was worth it.



"Superman's very presence scares the government, but they fear public backlash and are unable to act out against him openly." He added, and no matter how much he didn't like it, the Man of Steel knew it was the truth.



"He is right; you can show to humanity that Atlantis only wants peace." Wonder Woman added her piece, as she herself was trying to prove to Themyscira that mankind wasn't the same as before.



"Sounds reasonable enough." Queen Mera added, giving her husband a look that said it all.



"Very well, I will join your League." Aquaman conceded, still not sure, but at the least he would give it a try.

---

In the next chapter:
Back on the underwater craft, the Martian Manhunter was taking Miles and Claire to the surface, while Green Lantern, Superman and Wonder Woman retrieved the submarine and the plutonium.

Miles wanted to talk to the Amazonian about Felix Faust but it would have to wait.

Shores of Metropolis and the sunlight were a welcome sight, and the duo were off so Miles could buy a resident, as the interviews were going to happen in two days at the Metropolis Grand Hotel, and Miles wanted to get it out of the way.

A nice, two story modern manor with a large backyard later, Miles headed to the Hotel, as it was the only address he could give at the advertisement. He didn't even have the chance to read the CVs of the applicants, and was going in blind.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

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.

Thank you in advance.

---

Atlantis

Aftermath of the Orm's coup required clean up, which the Justice League had volunteered for. Soldiers had been taken to dungeons, awaiting trial, while the masterminds behind the coup, Prince Orm and General Brak had been brought before the King of Atlantis, so justice could be rendered.

"Prince Orm, General Brak, you have betrayed your vows, your king and all of Atlantis by staging a coup, targeting me, my wife and child, and almost doomed the whole world because of your foolish ambition. How do you plead?" Aquaman asked, his deep voice booming across the throne room.

"I only did what had to be done for the safety of Atlantis, which you have been too weak to do so." Orm spat out, unapologetic for his actions.

"Your Grace, Prince Orm forced us to do this! We are loyal to you, please, show mercy." General Brak cried out for his life, jumping ship the moment his life was in danger.

"Yet, when I returned you did not stand down as I had ordered, and took arms against me" Arthur glared at the general, who shrunk in on himself.

"I…" Brak stumbled, his excuse as weak as his courage was lacking, and hung his head.

There was nothing he could say to avoid punishment.

Aquaman conferred with his advisors and his wife, before tapping his trident on the ground to silence the murmuring crowd.

"The guilty shall be sentenced to death, for the severity of their crimes demand nothing less" The King of Atlantis decreed, to the shock of the many, who thought the General and the Prince would be imprisoned at worst.

Arthur, on the other hand, wasn't going to let the people who wanted to kill his son walk away with their lives.

"For trying to save Atlantis from the surface dwellers? You are a coward, one who will doom us all!" Orm shouted, struggling against the chains held by the soldiers.

Murmurs rose from the crowd, and while it was hard to pick up, Miles did not like how some of the crowd seemed to be agreeing with Orm.

"Once, there was a village. They decided to eradicate the snakes, believing them to be dangerous. But instead of the safety they were seeking, the villagers found something much worse, a rat infestation. The vermin ate the crops, spread disease, and made life miserable to humans, all because they wanted to be safe from the snakes." Miles said to the crowd, who were confused as to why the human was telling this.

"Now, I will explain it in terms so even an imbecile like you can understand. If you had succeeded, you would destroy the surface, yes, but Atlantis would soon follow. Why? Simple, human nations possess hundreds of nuclear warheads - a number far cry from its height due to the Imperium- and power plants. When you melt the polar caps and drown the continents, all those reactors will most likely go critical, releasing enough radiation to poison the world, including the very waters you live in. Now, you may have what you desire, but you will consign Atlantis to a very slow and agonizing death" Miles explained, his tone not wavering even for a second.

Just like most other villains, Orm did not think about the long term effects of his actions, only caring for the immediate gains he could have.

The crowd stopped murmuring as the realization came crashing down, and all those agreeing with Orm suddenly changed their minds, realizing how close they had come to danger themselves.

"And I can say with sincerity, the transparentness of your desire to take the throne due to your inferiority complex is hilarious, and it is only matched by your pathetic attempt to act as if the safety of Atlantis was your priority all along. " Miles finished his tirade, further galvanizing the crowd against the soon to be dead Prince of Atlantis.

Orm gnashed his teeth, furry bubbling up inside like a volcano, and with a show of strength threw the soldiers off, running at Miles, screaming his hatred out. The whole room tensed, ready to stop the Prince. Soldiers ran after Orm, and the Justice League got ready to protect Miles.

The human in question did not even bother to move, as a pillar of fire blasted the treacherous Prince away, sending him flying towards the soldiers.

"He can't even handle the truth, yet wanted to be the King. I swear, some people are just irredeemable" Miles shook his head, moving back to stand with the Justice League.

"Was that necessary?" Superman asked, leaning over to whisper to Miles.

"Some amongst the crowd looked sympathetic to Orm, I thought it would be best to nip it in the bud" Miles whispered back.

Superman nodded in understatement, watching as the soldiers took the Prince and the General away. He wanted to protest the punishment, but his friends thought it wasn't a good idea to try and influence the outcome of a trial in a foreign nation.

"As for the Justice League, they have proven to be allies, assisting me in taking my treacherous brother down, as well as saving my wife and son from grave harm. To that end, we will be initiating diplomatic relations with the surface world to air out our grievances regarding the water pollution" King Arthur declared, making the gathered Atlanteans wonder if the surface dwellers would even listen, much less do something about it.

"We are grateful to hear that, Your Highness, and it is my pleasure to inform you that as a sign of our personal commitment to ensuring warm relations between both sides, I will launch a project to clear the pollution in the oceans, though it will be a while before it comes to fruition" The Atlanteans gazed at Miles as the human stepped forward again. They had no reason to trust the surface dweller, but their King did and they would follow him regardless of their doubts.

"That is good news indeed, Miles Beckett." Arthur nodded. He too had his doubts, not that he would let his people see it, but Miles did not appear to be a liar.

"How are you going to do that?" Man of Steel asked, as it was no easy task to clean the different types of waste that polluted the oceans.

"I am starting up my own company to address environmental issues." Miles revealed his plan, though only a small part of it.

"Where?"

"Metropolis, since it is the city of progress." Miles wasn't entirely sure of it at first, as Superman's villains were known for their destructive capabilities, and it wouldn't do to have his holdings or employees face the heat.

But compared to other possible cities, Metropolis offered significantly more advantages in the forms of a highly educated workforce, a logistical heaven, ease of setting up a company and operating it, and it was a tax friendly city, making it the ideal place.

"There aren't many people willing to spend money for that." Superman, of all people, knew that rich people would do what filled their pockets, not what is good for the people and the environment.

Lex Luthor was proof of that, as the rich businessman would rather use his considerable wealth to bring Superman down, rather than do something helpful to the public with it.

"I have a substantial family fortune that I intend to put to good use." Miles continued his cover story with a straight face.

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

As Orm and Brak were taken away, Superman and Green Lantern spoke to Aquaman in the name of the surface world, agreeing to relay his desire to establish proper diplomatic channels to the appropriate authorities.

After that, it was time for the Justice League to leave while Arthur set his kingdom straight, though not before seeing them off.

"Once again you have my thanks for your assistance."

"We are glad to be of help." Superman said, giving his brightest boy scout smile, glad that this particular crisis ended without much trouble.

"Go well, and should the Justice League need my help, I will be there"

"Thank you, Your Highness"

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

Back on the underwater craft, the Martian Manhunter was taking Miles and Claire to the surface, while Green Lantern, Superman and Wonder Woman retrieved the submarine and the plutonium.

Miles wanted to talk to the Amazonian about Felix Faust but it would have to wait.

Shores of Metropolis and the sunlight were a welcome sight, and the duo were off so Miles could buy a resident, as the interviews were going to happen in two days at the Metropolis Grand Hotel, and Miles wanted to get it out of the way.

A nice, two story modern manor with a large backyard later, Miles headed to the Hotel, as it was the only address he could give at the advertisement. He didn't even have the chance to read the CVs of the applicants, and was going in blind.

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

Two Days Later

"Next" Miles said bluntly to the man smiling like he was the only reason the sun rose each day.

The man's smile fell as he got up and headed to the door.

Some of the applicants were good, some were not, and some were rats who thought themselves lions.

Final applicant entered the room while Miles checked her CV.

Mary-Anne Lorein, born in Metropolis, has a bachelor's degree in Management, and a master's degree in Business Development, her grades were excellent, if all he cared about was the result of some exams.

She had two recommendation letters from mid-level administrative positions with glowing reviews, a promising candidate so far.

Black hair tied to a ponytail, electric blue eyes, and a heart shaped face, she was dressed in a knee length black skirt, a cream blouse and a black jacket, and black heels.

From her face and stance, Miles could tell Mary-Anne was a serious individual.

"Miss Lorein, please take a seat." Miles gestured to the chair in front of him, while Claire yawned in the back, bored out of her mind.

"Thank you." She said with a calm and confident voice, sitting down on the chair and establishing direct eye contact.

Good.

"Excellent grades from excellent colleges, your academics are impressive, your work experience less so." Miles turned the pages of her CV, scanning through the important sections.

"Some people can't handle a woman doing their jobs better than them." She said, and, well, this was 2003, so Miles wasn't that surprised about it.

"Must have been frustrating." He commented, checking the rest of the CV.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle." Whether she was frustrated or not, Mary-Anne did not let it creep into her voice.

"The job will be demanding, Miss Lorein, as everything will have to be built from the ground, and I have other commitments, meaning I won't be able to oversee everything. I will give you objectives and resources, and expect you to carry them out." Miles explained, as he still had to negotiate with Thanagar, find Professor Ivo, who hopefully was working at Luthor Corp and could be convinced to work for Miles.

"Which field will we be entering first, provided I am hired?" Mary-Anne asked after considering the pros and cons, before deciding it was well within her capabilities.

"Clean, cheap, renewable energy and environmental pollution issues at the beginning, and then branch out from there." Miles explained, putting down her file, and giving Miss Lorein his undivided attention.

"There isn't much, if any, profit to be made from cleaning the environment." She noted, as even the clean energy sector was relatively new, with coal, oil and other fossil fuels dominating the market.

"Wealth is not an issue, Miss Lorein, and I am after something else." Miles wanted to let Mary-Anne reach her own conclusion, so he didn't give out much.

"Well, then what you most likely want is public recognition. The man that addressed the problems no one else would." She said, pondering on what the man could be aiming for.

"Sharp, I like it." Miles nodded, he always appreciated people with sharp instincts and minds, and Miss Lorein was proving the latter, and time would tell whether she had the former.

"How much is your capital?"

"For now, five billion dollars." Miles wanted to keep half the money for his own expenditures, and he could always exchange more gold later on.

"That is impressive, especially for someone so young." She wondered how the man acquired a fortune like that, but didn't want to risk anything by asking directly.

"Family wealth that I wish to use for the benefit of this world, rather than letting it collect interest in a bank, or invested somewhere just for the profit."

The interview continued for a while on matters such as the state of the clean energy sector, how to break into it, problems they would face, and each minute it was more likely Miss Lorein would be hired.

Half an hour later, the deal was sealed, and the new CEO of EnviroCorps would begin to set the company up from tomorrow on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the next chapter:
Buying a beat up truck, Miles had converted it to a self driving battering ram after duct taping the steering wheel with steel bars to ensure the truck would go straight and having two thick steel beams welded at the front to make it easier to punch through the wall of the warehouse.

"Ready?" He asked, waiting for confirmation from his bodyguard.

"Let's go!" Claire called out, sending two walls of fire through the roads, blocking the vehicles from crossing, and giving the truck a straight, empty line at the warehouse.

She had expected some sort of cunning plan from Miles, but citing something called the Occam's razor, her boss chose to go forward with brute force.

Already having secured the cryo bomb at the back with straps, Miles put a brick on the accelerator, and quickly closed the door.

Speeding up down the line and through the ineffective gun fire of the guards, the truck rammed through the wall, continuing inside the warehouse, before Miles pushed the button on the detonator, readying the Cryo Gun in case he needed it.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[doomqwer]

Just like most other villains, Orm did not think about the long term effects of his actions, only caring for the immediate gains he could have.

Click to shrink...

Yeah let not forget fresh water and salt water mixing almost always ends up fucking with sea life and killing off tons of it.

"There aren't many people willing to spend money for that." Superman, of all people, knew that rich people would do what filled their pockets, not what is good for the people and the environment.

Lex Luthor was proof of that, as the rich businessman would rather use his considerable wealth to bring Superman down, rather than do something helpful to the public with it.

Click to shrink...

to be fair not completely their fault as narrative forces aka the writers dont like solving problems like that cause it loses motivation for a lot of characters.

 

[Shepard131]

Thanks for the chapter.

Spoiler: Spelling and grammar

Aftermath of the Orm's coup

Click to shrink...

The aftermath of Orm's coup.

Superman nodded in understatement,

Click to shrink...

Understanding.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[G1 Convoy]

TFTC.

"I am starting up my own company to address environmental issues." Miles revealed his plan, though only a small part of it.

"Where?"

"Metropolis, since it is the city of progress." Miles wasn't entirely sure of it at first, as Superman's villains were known for their destructive capabilities, and it wouldn't do to have his holdings or employees face the heat.

But compared to other possible cities, Metropolis offered significantly more advantages in the forms of a highly educated workforce, a logistical heaven, ease of setting up a company and operating it, and it was a tax friendly city, making it the ideal place

Click to shrink...

If it were me, I would be going straight to Cental City instead. No offense to Supes and the job he does there, but we've seen firsthand how Luthor tries to sh!t on anyone whom he feels is trying to steal his shine and I want exactly none of that smoke.

"There isn't much, if any, profit to be made from cleaning the environment." She noted, as even the clean energy sector was relatively new, with coal, oil and other fossil fuels dominating the market.

Click to shrink...

He could also establish a salvaging company, as well as wind and solar farms in the ocean in conjunction with Waynetech and with permission/assistance of Atlantis.

 

[Samael61]

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.

Thank you in advance.

---

Metropolis

Miles was good with computers, especially at hacking, but he couldn't spare all his time with it, and who better than a technopath to do the job?

Finding an individual from Kenya selling information on the dark corners of the internet wasn't particularly challenging, though they wanted the payment in person, rather than through banking, completely understandable to Miles.

He wasn't going unarmed though, so he had called Victor up.

"Victor, I hope I am not disturbing you and Nora?" Even if he was, Victor was going to have to make some time for Miles.

"No, of course not. How can I help you, Miles?" Victor answered, his voice warm, and Miles could faintly hear Nora asking for something.

"I have business in Kenya, and the slums there are dangerous to go unarmed, so I was wondering if you could make something for me?"

"Sure, what exactly do you need?" Victor was puzzled, as the scientist doubted Miles was asking for his expertise in the medical field.

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

Metropolis International Airport

Private Jet

Acquiring two passports was easy, with a bit of incentive to grease the wheels, and hiring a private jet from the same company as last time since Miles did like their service, they were off to Kenya.

"That woman, Lorein, don't you think you trusted her a bit too fast?" Claire asked, putting down the remote after changing the TV to a news program.

"I checked her background, she is clean, and one constant matter the student counsellors say about her is that Marry-Anne is an ambitious young woman, one who wants to prove herself. I simply gave her the opportunity, though, I will be keeping an eye on her just in case." Miles wasn't going to hand anyone the task of starting up a company with five billion dollars capital without knowing the person in question extremely well.

"Ah, if you say so. So this Zalika, what makes her so special?" Claire remembered Miles mentioning her before, but he didn't give much in the way of details.

"Zalika is a technopath, a powerful one at that. I intend to liberate the wealth of less than desirable individuals, and use it for a good cause, and with the advanced tech I could give her, Zalika will be an extremely useful hacker in acquiring funds, evidence, and blackmail." With a technopath in his employ, the cyber front of his future operations would gain a valuable individual.

"How old is she?" She asked, because that sounded like a lot of responsibility and work.

"A teenager." To be honest, Miles wasn't sure of her age at all, since it was not mentioned, but by her appearance in the Suicide Squad comics, Zalika was in her twenties, since she had spent some time in prison after a Russian named Karla set a trap for the young technopath.

Right now though, she was still working for a gang, and if her brother was alive, there was a chance he could be useful as a hacker too, and if not, a way to earn the teenager's trust.

"What's the plan, then?" Claire naturally wanted to know how they were going to proceed to best protect Miles.

"She is working for a gang, forcibly, along with her brother. We take out the gang, offer the two of them a choice, and take them with us if they agree." Miles explained the barebones of his plan, as the details would be fleshed out later when they knew more about the gang.

"What if they refuse?" Claire might have agreed to join Miles, but that was because of the money he handed her, and the young pyrokinetic doubted he would just hand two teenagers the same amount of money.

"Not like they have anywhere to go." Miles said, as if the choices would be between working for him and moving to the States, or refusing and being out in the streets, where someone will definitely try to take advantage of them. The likely choice, especially if the brother was still alive was obvious, but if they refused, he wasn't going to force them.

"How are you going to get them to the states?"

"Getting out of Kenya is simple, as for entering the States, I made arrangements." Since this was 2003, the airport security was lax, and he already had a forger waiting for photos to prepare a passport, and creating an actual ID for Zalika, and her brother if he is still alive, would be simple.

"Alright, any idea what we are going to face when we hit the gang?"

"We'll be debriefed by the man I contacted." Depending on the numbers of the gang Zalika was being forced to work for, employing the weapons he had Victor built would be useful.

"How long are we going to stay there?" Claire realized that Miles was extra careful the ever since

"I just sold one thousand tonnes worth of gold, Claire. We are going to spend a couple of weeks outside the States while the heat dies." Selling that much gold wasn't a good idea, but Miles needed the initial capital, and spreading it over the years in smaller amounts wasn't possible as time was of the essence.

Alien invasions, super powered villains, and a myriad of other disasters wouldn't wait for his pleasure after all.

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

Nairobi

Kenya

The private jet landed at the airport in the morning, and after going through customs, Miles and Claire were greeted by the guide he had hired, Mohammed Otioeno, who was waiting for them with a black sedan.

Miles had done his research, and chose the most trustworthy one, one well worth the price.

First impressions mattered, and Juma had come dressed in a three piece black suit, well groomed black hair and a bright smile.

"Mr. Beckett, welcome to Nairobi." Juma held out his hand to Miles, and then to Claire.

"My pleasure, Mr. Otieno, this young lady is Claire, my bodyguard." Juma was curious as to how a young woman like her was supposed to protect anyone, he kept it to himself.

"You are here on business, yes?" Juma asked, opening the door for Miles and Claire, and getting on the driver's seat.

"Yes, here is the first address we need to visit." Miles handed the guide a paper with the address written on it.

"Of course, right away."

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

Miles had Juma stop the car away from the location his contact had given him, to keep the anonymity of the vehicle in case something went south.

Two muscled men were guarding the door to an unassuming building, looking quite bored out of their minds.

"Miles Beckett, I have a meeting with your boss." Miles introduced himself, and the guards looked at each other in the eyes, standing straight and alert now.

"Get in."The one on the right pushed the door open, allowing Miles and Claire to enter.

Entering through the door, they walked to the end of the hallway, where another guard was waiting, this one armed with an AK-47. He opened the door, and the duo came across the man Miles had contacted.

Sitting behind a desk with his feet up, dressed in khaki shorts, an aloha shirt and sandals, Joseph Masai was busy talking on the phone, while peeling an apple.

"Yes, yes, I told you, it will be done in time, now I have to go, there is a customer." He put down the phone, and then his feet, gesturing to them to sit.

"So, Miles Beckett, I have found the girl you are looking for, though I can't help but be curious as to why you want her."

"My dear parents, who have recently passed away, apparently owed her parents a debt, their last words were for me to find them and repay that debt. I don't have much to go other than the name of the girl, and that a gang had forced Zalika and her brother to work for them after their parents died." Miles fabricated a bullshit story, knowing the man wouldn't buy it, but in case either of them were questioned, they would have a cover story.

Not that he was going to be captured.

"Ah. I see, well, at any rate, here is the address of the gang's main hideout, along with everything you asked for. There are about fifty of them, so good luck getting them out." Joseph held out the dossier containing the information and Miles dropped the promised amount on the table.

"I am sure we can come to an agreement with them."

"Let me know if you need anything else." Joseph said, counting the stacks, happy with the haul.

"I will be sure to."

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

"So, fifty armed gang members. How do we deal with them?" Claire, no matter how much she hated to admit it, had learned a lot about tactics in the Project Firestorm, and while the young pyrokinetic could take them all by herself, they would all end up dead, which they wanted to avoid.

"I had Victor Fries, a friend of mine and an expert in cryo-tech, build a cryo-bomb, capable of neutralizing an entire building. We are going to deploy it, take Zalika and her brother before the ice melts, and we will be out before anyone knows what happened." Miles had Victor build several cryogenic weapons, in fact, including a beam weapon, grenades, and the cryo bomb, which were all stored in the cargo section of the jet.

He began to examine the photos of the hideout. It was a warehouse before they took over it after the building was abandoned, and now it was too much trouble to get the gang out, so the owner didn't even bother.

There were patchwork of repairs, wooden boards covering the broken windows, steel and iron bars welded to nails to close the holes in the walls. A thick steel door guarded the entrance, the rooftop had barbed wire at the edges and guards with concealed weapons stood guard around the building.

There was a small hole in the roof, but climbing there with the guards around, and the barbed wire, would be a problem, and there wasn't a building close enough to zipline on the warehouse.

It was time to get creative.

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

Buying a beat up truck, Miles had converted it to a self driving battering ram after duct taping the steering wheel with steel bars to ensure the truck would go straight and having two thick steel beams welded at the front to make it easier to punch through the wall of the warehouse.

"Ready?" He asked, waiting for confirmation from his bodyguard.

"Let's go!" Claire called out, sending two walls of fire through the roads, blocking the vehicles from crossing, and giving the truck a straight, empty line at the warehouse.

She had expected some sort of cunning plan from Miles, but citing something called the Occam's razor, her boss chose to go forward with brute force.

Already having secured the cryo bomb at the back with straps, Miles put a brick on the accelerator, and quickly closed the door.

Speeding up down the line and through the ineffective gun fire of the guards, the truck rammed through the wall, continuing inside the warehouse, before Miles pushed the button on the detonator, readying the Cryo Gun in case he needed it.

At first nothing happened, before a blizzard of ice and cold covered the building, blowing a hole through the middle of the roof, freezing everything in and around the hideout.

Quickly moving before the cold did any permanent harm, Claire melted the ice that had covered the hole left by the truck, followed by Miles. Ignoring the frozen but still alive gangsters, they quickly searched for the only female in the entire building.

Most of the members were gathered in the middle, where a man, the leader of the gang, who seemed to be beating a young man with a baseball bat, was frozen mid swing, his eyes darting around wildly, and their target was there, frozen while screaming, being held back by two gangsters.

"And just in time for the rescue." Miles said, motioning towards the girl, Zalika and the boy, whose name wasn't in the file since he didn't seem to be that important to the gang.

Claire melted the girl first, with Miles putting an emergency thermal blanket on her, followed by the boy, who didn't have the strength to stand because of the bruises on his face and body.

"Gentlemen, I will be taking those two with me, and while I would love to send you all to hell, I am a bit constrained for time." Miles winked, checking the remnants of the bomb, and deciding not to leave high tech like this laying around and ordered Claire to target the remaining parts.

Cold air and ice, exposed to Claire's fire, expanded too rapidly, causing an explosion that destroyed the remaining bomb parts.

Miles picked up the boy, and Claire hauled Zalika on her shoulders, heading outside so she could melt the ice to avoid any deaths.

They needed to hurry, because besides the chattering of their teeth due to the cold, Miles could hear the boy's wheezing, meaning he required immediate medical assistance.

Claire sat at the back with the teenagers, huddling them close to herself to raise their body temperature, and Miles hit the gas, speeding away from the crime scene before any law enforcement could even hope to arrive.

---

In the next chapter:

Baraka was going to be discharged today, so Miles and Claire made sure to pick up something extra nice for the occasion.

Entering through the clinic's door, the duo came across a pandemonium. Phones were ringing constantly, the computers were acting up, the screens were going on and off, and tabs were opening at random.

Heart monitors and every single digital medical equipment were operating on their own, and the staff panicked, unable to deal with the chaos.

"Come on." Miles hurried to Baraka's room, already having an idea of the cause.

Inside the room, Zalika was on the ground, heaving as she grasped her skull with both hands, and Baraka was shaking her, trying to bring his sister out of it.

"Zalika, look at me." Claire held the teen by both arms, looking deep into her eyes.


Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[JohnWolfie34]

Just read through this again, and I have to say I'm hooked.
Watched!

 

[Samael61]

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.

---

Kenya

A smash and grab in a slum meant there was no chase by the law enforcement or the defrosting gangsters.

"How is he?" Miles asked, focused on the road as he slowed down to not draw attention.

"Not good." Claire shook her head. She may not be a medical expert, but all that wheezing couldn't be good.

"First aid is not going to cut it. He needs a hospital." Miles knew enough to stitch a bullet hole; he had learned that much, but he couldn't treat internal bleeding.

"Isn't that going to draw attention to us?" Claire asked, as keeping their heads down was crucial to avoid problems.

"I am a businessman who was doing on-site research for investment when we came across gangsters beating the boy for trying to protect his sister. The gang members locked them up in a freezer, so we intervened." Miles came up with the excuse just now, and if it did not work, they could always bribe the hospital.

"Got it."

Five minutes later they found a private clinic, and Miles parked the car right at the entrance. Taking the boy in his arms, he rushed in, calling for help. The nurses brought a gurney, and Miles placed the boy on it, while Claire followed in behind with the girl still wrapped in the thermal blanket.

Explaining the situation as they took the boy away, Miles sat down on the chair, with Claire bringing Zalika to sit down as well.

"W-who are you?" Zalika asked, leaning into Claire for heat.

"Someone with a job offer for you, though it will have to wait until you and your brother are well enough to make a rational choice. How are you feeling?" Miles knew how some villains became so because too many people took advantage of them, and he wasn't interested in being the kind to exploit a teenager.

"Cold. Where is Baraka?" No matter how sleepy she felt, Zalika forced herself to stay awake for her brother.

"The doctors are looking after him." Miles assured the young girl, who nodded after a couple of seconds.

A nurse approached Zalika, asking some questions, before taking her away for a check-up.

"You know, this could easily blow on us." Two white people claiming to have saved two vulnerable teenagers from gangsters?

No matter how true it was, the whole situation looked like an amateur attempt at human trafficking.

"Let me worry about that."

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

Turns out Baraka did have internal bleeding, but since he had no insurance, the clinic was going to transfer him to a public hospital before Miles intervened, offering to cover the treatment costs for both teenagers.

Seeing the money, the hospital administration was all too willing to treat them.

Waiting in the hospital with nothing to do was boring, so Claire decided to question Miles.

"I noticed something. You seem really experienced when it comes to subterfuge." Claire was forced to take lessons in the subject, not that any of it stuck, but seeing Miles be ruthless enough to threaten a man one second and play the good Samaritan the other was something else.

"When you have to fend for yourself from a very young age, it becomes vital to deceive people." Miles may have learned these lessons the hard

"Like who?"

"Like my parents, grandparents, teachers, the IRS, and law enforcement." Blackmailing a banking executive wasn't his first illegal act, and naturally, he had to deceive a lot of individuals.

"Excuse me, about the teenagers you brought?" A female nurse with a chart in her hand approached, looking mighty suspicious.

"Yes, how can I help?" Miles rose slowly, establishing eye contact with the nurse, using his smile and body language to disarm the nurse.

"We need to ask you some questions for official forms." She said, smiling back weakly at Miles, her thoughts clashing over the charming smile and the suspicious situation.

"Of course."

"Are you their guardian?" The nurse asked, and Miles shook his head.

"No, me and my bodyguard were checking the site of my latest investment when we saw them assaulted by gangsters, who locked them in a freezer after they were done beating the boy. We couldn't just stand by and do nothing, and here we are." Miles said, his face laced with worry.

"Please tell me they will be alright." He asked with such innocence, even Batman would be taken aback.

The nurse smiled, lowering her guard now, and nodded.

"He had some minor internal bleeding, and we are treating him now. The girl, Zalika, can be discharged as her vitals are normal now that she warmed up, but Baraka will need some time to recuperate. He could be discharged within a week." The nurse explained, relaxed now that she believed Miles didn't have any ulterior motives.

"That is wonderful. Please, let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

The nurse shook her head, saying the staff were just doing their duty, and left after informing Miles and Claire they could see Zalika.

"For a second, even I believed your act." The bodyguard quipped, following her employer to the patient's room.

"What act?" Miles asked, smiling with his eyes closed.

Claire huffed, amused, but kept silent on the matter.

Zalika was on the bed with the thermal blanket still around her and an IV drip giving her the nutrients and liquids she needed.

"How is my brother?" She was barely coming to her senses, yet the first thing on Zalika's mind was her brother.

"The nurse said he will be fine; he just needs to rest for a week." The words comforted her, and Miles could see the young girl visibly relax on the bed.

"You said you had a job offer? What do you think I can do for you?" Zalika's only talent, and the sole reason the gang even kept them alive, was with technology, specifically, hacking to steal.

"Hacking." He replied, as if reading her mind.

"I am good with tech, but not that good." Zalika wanted to ask how this man knew her enough to come all this way to offer a job when she wasn't even an expert.

"Your true potential will surprise you, but as I said, let's wait until you are on your feet." Miles said, plunging the room into silence again.

Zalika blushed as her stomach grumbled, which was natural since Miles didn't think the gang cared enough to feed the siblings enough.

"Claire, could you go and get some food? No need to expose her to the sludge the hospital calls food." Miles didn't really know what Kenyan hospitals offered as food, and he didn't want to find out.

Snatching the offered stack of dollars, Claire headed to the pizza place she had seen across the road.

"Who is she?" The teen obviously didn't want to talk more about business, so she changed the subject.

"My bodyguard." Miles didn't elaborate, instead choosing to go for a demonstration when Claire returned.

"You look stronger than her; how is she supposed to protect you?" Zalika did believe him, since the woman deferred to Miles, but it didn't make sense to her.

"Appearances can be deceiving." Hearing the cryptic answer, she just decided to wait for the food rather than waste her energy trying to solve it.

Miles and Zalika continued their small talk until Claire returned with three boxes of large pepperoni pizza and some beverages.

Handing one of the boxes and a drink to the teen, Miles noticed that his pizza wasn't exactly hot.

"Claire, if you would be so kind." He held out the pizza box. Rolling her eyes, Claire held out her palm, and flames bloomed into existence, heating pizza in a matter of seconds. Blowing on the sizzling cheese and pepperoni, Miles took a bite, nodding in appreciation, while Zalika watched with an open mouth, amazed.

"How?" She asked, reaching out to hold Claire's hand to see what the trick was.

"Claire is a pyrokinetic; she can will fire into existence as easily as she breathes." Claire looked happy at the attention, since most of the time people looked at her with fear rather than amazement, as the younger girl was doing.

"Do you have powers too?" Zalika was still inspecting the hand but saw nothing besides the leather gloves.

"No, but I might get some down the line." Miles shrugged. Even if he didn't go out to fight crime every day, it would be necessary to have the means for self-defense. Perhaps he could find Professor Ivo and have the robotics genius build an Iron Man armor for him?

"You can do that?" Zalika might have said it, but Claire was thinking it as well, from the way she looked at Miles.

"Knowledge is power, and I do know quite a bit. Now, eat up and rest; we can talk further after you and your brother are up and ready."

"Okay."

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

Baraka was ready to receive visitors after three days. Miles and Claire stood behind to not interrupt the teary reunion of the siblings, watching from outside as tears flowed like a waterfall.

After letting the siblings have their moment, Miles stepped inside with a basket full of food and drinks.

"Didn't know what you would prefer, so I brought a little bit of everything." Miles approached the bedridden teenager, offering the basket to his sister.

Baraka and Zalika were similar in appearance, as the only thing keeping them apart was the gender difference. Both had black, curly hair, brown eyes, and diamond faces.

"So you saved us, why?" Baraka was mighty suspicious, as Miles expected, but at his sister's urging, he took one of the wraps and began to eat.

"I have a job offer for your sister." Miles sat down on the empty chair, while Claire was leaning on the door side, keeping an eye out.

"What kind?"

"Hacking."

"And what is she going to hack?" She was already forced to steal for the gang without seeing a single cent; no way was he going to allow it to happen again.

"Why don't we speak of the specifics away from any possible prying ears?" Claire might be keeping an eye out, but this was still too public for his tastes.

"If she refuses?"

"Then that's that. I'll just drop you off somewhere safe and be on my way. Do you have a place in mind?" The question from Miles had the siblings looking at each other. A silent conversation took place between them, agreeing that there wasn't a safe place they could go.

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

The next three days were routine. Miles and Claire brought food to the teens, talked about mundane matters, and generally spent their time building a rapport.

Claire's powers were fascinating for the teens, and the young woman was happy to show off her skills.

It was the last day that proved to be interesting.

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

Baraka was going to be discharged today, so Miles and Claire made sure to pick up something extra nice for the occasion.

Entering through the clinic's door, the duo came across a pandemonium. Phones were ringing constantly, the computers were acting up, the screens were going on and off, and tabs were opening at random.

Heart monitors and every single digital medical equipment were operating on their own, and the staff panicked, unable to deal with the chaos.

"Come on." Miles hurried to Baraka's room, already having an idea of the cause.

Inside the room, Zalika was on the ground, heaving as she grasped her skull with both hands, and Baraka was shaking her, trying to bring his sister out of it.

"Zalika, look at me." Claire held the teen by both arms, looking deep into her eyes.

"Take deep, slow breaths, and focus on here and now." Project Firestorm had taught her control, and in this moment, Claire Selton remembered those lessons all too clearly.

The authoritative voice got to her, and Zalika began to take deep breaths, focusing on Claire's voice.

Slowly, the out-of-control machines began to stop one at a time. Phones stopped ringing first, then the computers and the medical equipment, leaving the staff even more confused.

"What the hell was that?" Baraka asked, turning to Miles for answers.

"Your sister's technopathic powers just came into play, and since it was the first time, things went out of control." Miles kneeled down to make sure Zalika was okay, and aside from the elevated heartbeat, she was fine.

"You knew this would happen?" There was an edge to Baraka's voice, and Miles knew the wrong answer would set him off.

"That she would have metahuman powers? Yes. The little, unintentional outburst? No."

"If that offer is still available, I'll take it." Zalika slowly got off the ground with Claire's help, ready to go.

---

In the next chapter:
They were one of the larger gangs in the slums, but still, this was getting tedious.

"It's a matter of pride. They won't let us go until one side is dead. Damn it, there is a police checkpoint ahead." Baraka didn't know what to do and considered ramming through at full speed rather than being caught by the gang.

Several vehicles with heavy weapons mounted at the top were waiting ahead, and the dozens of heavily armed police were directing the vehicles to the side road.

"Slow down, Baraka; they know we are coming." Miles put the rifle back into the bag before reaching down and taking another bag, waiting.

"They are?" Claire didn't know anything about cops that were supposed to wait for them.

Miles smirked. "Of course."

Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[UndeadLord22]

Le first Netrunner into the fray.

 

[Samael61]

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.

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Kenya

Baraka was quickly discharged, and the group was heading out to the new SUV Miles had bought.

"There they are!" Miles turned to see the gangsters he had frozen a week ago, who were armed and ready to shoot.

And they came in force.

"Do either of you know how to drive?" He turned to the teenagers because two guns were better than one.

"I do." Baraka raised his hand, hesitant and worried, memories of his treatment at the hands of the gang flashing through his mind.

"Get in the driver's seat. We are going to the airport." Baraka did as he was told, and Zalika followed her brother and sat at the front, tying her seatbelt.

Baraka turned the ignition on and hit the gas, but before long three pickups were chasing them, and they weren't shy about making their displeasure known to Miles with guns.

"Keep your heads down." Miles warned, reaching to the duffel bag and pulling out a cryo-grenade.

"Ready?" Claire nodded, and Miles rolled down the windows and dropped the grenade. Three seconds later it detonated, covering the asphalt in ice and sending the vehicles out of control.

"That was easy." Claire had to jinx it, as more vehicles came after them.

"Just like that time I visited Vegas." Miles took out his cryo-gun this time and targeted the lead vehicle, while Claire melted the tires of two other pickups.

A white beam lashed out of the rifle, and the vehicle he was targeting veered to escape, but it was futile, and in a matter of seconds, he had frozen the engine block, stopping the car.

"What happened there?" Claire asked, taking cover inside as several shots passed where her head used to be.

"I cleaned out several casinos, and the owners took issue with that. We had a chase just like this, though at the time I didn't have weapons." Miles threw another grenade, and one more vehicle was knocked out of the chase.

"How did you escape?" The name Volcana was truly apt for the young woman, as she almost melted the asphalt while knocking several more vehicles.

"You'll see soon. Would you look at that, we must have really gotten under their skin." Miles commented on seeing more and more vehicles chase them.

They were one of the larger gangs in the slums, but still, this was getting tedious.

"It's a matter of pride. They won't let us go until one side is dead. Damn it, there is a police checkpoint ahead." Baraka didn't know what to do and considered ramming through at full speed rather than being caught by the gang.

Several vehicles with heavy weapons mounted at the top were waiting ahead, and the dozens of heavily armed police were directing the vehicles to the side road.

"Slow down, Baraka; they know we are coming." Miles put the rifle back into the bag before reaching down and taking another bag, waiting.

"They are?" Claire didn't know anything about cops that were supposed to wait for them.

Miles smirked. "Of course."

The SUV came to a stop, as did the gangsters. There was a tense silence before Miles peeked out of the window, knowing the gang members couldn't do anything with the police here, not unless they wanted the law enforcement to come down on them.

"Captain Juma, a pleasure." He had contacted the police captain beforehand to arrange a secure exit from the city.

"Ah, Miles Beckett, just in time, as you said." Juma was a tall man with a belly courtesy of all the bribes he took. He had risen to his current position by playing his cards right, and Miles had offered him more money for a single favor than the gang did in a year.

"Time is money after all, Captain." He opened the door and handed the duffel bag out to the police captain discreetly, who peeked inside for confirmation and nodded.

"Arrest the gangsters." He ordered his men. Dozens of rifles were aimed at the gangsters, outnumbering them significantly.

Since they were surrounded, and a shootout with the police would be a monumental mistake, the pursuers surrendered one by one.

"We had a deal, Juma!" A gangster still holding onto his weapon shouted in protest, and the police captain snorted in return.

"He offered a better deal." After that, the gangster appeared to value his life enough to surrender, considering it a futile attempt.

"You may continue; I informed my officers ahead; you'll pass without an issue." Juma took the bag to his car, motioning his men to open the road, and the vehicles ahead pulled to the side.

"Many thanks, Captain. Baraka, drive." Baraka took a look at Miles, shrugged, and drove, happy to be away from the gangsters.

"You know him?" Claire asked, relaxing into her seat now that the danger had passed.

"No. I did some research and found him to be highly susceptible to receiving gifts." The man's bank account told it all, really, because if Juma earned it all with his pittance of a salary, then Miles was Darkseid himself.

"Huh, really?" Claire crossed her arms as Miles hadn't told her anything about bribing the police.

"Of course, after all, knowing your audience is the key to success."

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Airport

Private Jet

"So are we going back now?" Claire asked after sending the teenagers to the small cabin in the plane to change into the clean and brand-new clothes they had bought.

"No, we are taking a small Africa tour." Miles pulled out a folder, showing several contact numbers, payment amounts, locations, etc.

"To let the heat die?" Though she didn't think all those documents were necessary for a vacation around the continent.

"I may have excused myself to the Gold Exchange, but the IRS and the FBI are different beasts. I need to create proof that the gold is legally mine." Even Joker wouldn't mess with the IRS, and there wasn't a limit to what crimes the Clown Prince of Crime would commit.

"I have a feeling that won't be easy." Her teachers at Project Firestorm didn't teach her how to do taxes after all.

"Once, my father brought me along for work, as he wanted me to carry on his legacy when the time came. He was going to inspect a construction site due to an anonymous tip. On paper, everything was up to the regulations. Yet, even I, with no knowledge of those regulations, could see that it was a barefaced lie. The construction site was in an appalling state." Miles stopped to let Claire absorb his little story so far. It was an eye-opening experience for him and one of the only times his father had passed on a valuable experience to him, even if it wasn't the lesson he was teaching.

"Two people, Claire, the foreman who cut corners to fill his own pockets, and the city inspector, who took bribes, gambled with the lives of all those workers with no one the wiser. And the only reason they were even caught? The foreman didn't pay a witness for their silence. Had he, my father wouldn't have done a surprise inspection, and the foreman could carry his corrupt little scheme to the end."

"Acquiring what you desire is as simple as that, if you know how to do it right."

"What are you two talking about?" The teen siblings, dressed in matching blue jeans and white t-shirts,

"Business. How are the clothes?" Miles could see that Zalika and Baraka were delighted to be finally leaving their old life, with all its hardship and pain, behind.

"Real nice, thanks again Miles, Claire." Zalika was glad to be rid of the rags the gang had given them; now if only she could have a shower.

"Don't mention it. Now, enjoy the flight. There is a TV, food, and some magazines." His phone rang just as Miles finished his sentence.

"Need to take this. Wonder Woman, is it a bad time?" Miles could hear the fighting from the phone.

The siblings, on the other hand, couldn't believe their ears. Wonder Woman?

"No, I can speak. How are you doing Miles?" If she was comfortable enough to call, then it was nothing to worry about.

"Same as usual. I heard a concerning rumor and wanted to warn you beforehand." An imminent attack on someone's home was more than a concerning rumor, but there was no reason to give everything away so easily this time, as he had already gained enough trust.

"What rumor?" His words must have worried her, because Miles could hear the fight end with a bang.

"Themyscira is about to have a very unwelcome guest."

"Who and for what purpose?" After all, while it was a paradise to the Amazons, it also didn't have much to offer to the outside world.

"Does the name Felix Faust sound familiar to you?" Faust was an annoyance, but one with the potential to be highly dangerous,nd it was best he was dealt with now.

"No, I don't believe so."

"A former archeology professor who dabbled in mystic arts, and seeks more knowledge on the subject."

"And he believes the Amazons can give him that?" Amazons were warriors, not magicians, so this Felix would have to be disappointed.

"No, not the Amazons." There was silence for a couple of seconds as Wonder Woman racked her brain before realizing what Miles meant.

"It can't be." There was only one other entity in this world that would require someone to come to Themyscira.

"I am afraid so."

"I must go, thank you, Miles."

With Diana on Themyscira, Felix Faust was in for a nasty surprise.

"You know Wonder Woman?" The teens asked at the same time with bright eyes, getting close to Miles' face. They were two of the many fans the League had all over the world for their heroics.

"He is a member of the Justice League." Claire let the cat out of the bag, enjoying the look on their faces.

"Keep it quiet, especially the events in Kenya, specifically, me bribing a police officer. That won't sit well with the League."

"Yeah, okay. But can you introduce us?" Baraka definitely wanted an autograph from Flash, the coolest member in his opinion.

"I'll see what I can do."

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Two Weeks Later

Metropolis International Airport

Two weeks of work, and Miles was finally satisfied enough to return to the states. Zalika and Baraka at least enjoyed the trip, treating it as a vacation since they had nothing to do with his business yet.

Felix Faust, courtesy of Wonder Woman, had been caught without even having the chance to step on the island and promptly been handed over to Olympos for trying to free Hades.

Since the Olympian gods were known for their over-the-top punishments, Felix was going to regret his choices for the rest of his life. And with how cruel the Greek gods could be, the punishment could last for an eternity.

Mary-Anne was working hard at setting up the EnviroCorps, and soon enough, they would be ready for the grand opening.

The ride home was uneventful, but the arrival was not so much.

A car was waiting across the road, and as soon as Miles left his car, two FBI agents left the vehicle as well. Dressed in the usual FBI attire, with the blue hat, jacket, and their badges hanging down their necks, they looked like the textbook definition of FBI agents.

"Claire, it appears my meeting with the feds is here. Take Zalika and Baraka inside, and help them settle in." The teens looked worried, but seeing as Miles himself wasn't, they followed Claire inside without any protest.

"Miles Beckett? FBI Agent Morris, and this is my partner, Agent Delecrux. We have some questions regarding your transaction with the Massachusetts branch of Metropolis Gold Exchange." Calling a lawyer would have been the right thing to do right now, but Miles didn't have one yet or need one for now.

"By all means, agents, let me pick up my bag, and we can go."

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The agents weren't conversationalists, and Miles had to endure a dreadfully boring ride to the FBI branch in Metropolis.

Now, he was waiting in an interrogation room, while the agents no doubt watched from the one-way mirror.

"Gentlemen, my time is valuable, so unless I am under arrest, I will be leaving if you don't start asking your questions." They simply wanted to question him, meaning he wasn't under arrest, nor was he charged with anything.

The agents that brought him in, Morris, the obvious veteran, and his rookie partner, Delecrux, entered the room.

"Miles Beckett, father David Beckett, deceased in a car accident; mother, Meredith Beckett, deceased due to alcohol poisoning. A master's degree in management, and sold ten billion dollars worth of gold, which is about one-eighth of the United States gold reserves. Tell me, Mr. Beckett, where did you find all that gold?" Agent Morris asked, getting real close to Miles' face in an attempt to unnerve him, which did nothing as the sole member of the Beckett family smiled blankly at the agent's face.

"Family wealth." Miles said without missing a beat, watching as Delecrux leaned forward with a frown.

"Your family had that much gold stashed away?" Delecrux did not believe it for a second. A family with that kind of wealth, and the FBI could find nothing on them except birth and death certificates dating back several generations? This stank.

"My direct ancestors mined more gold in Africa during the colonial era than the imperial powers of the time did." Miles had worked on this cover even before he received the gold from the Guardians of the Universe. He spent weeks hacking his family records into the system, along with creating fake references, such as people and places for the feds when they would inevitably research his background.

"How much exactly?" Miles didn't have to reveal the amount, but it wouldn't take a genius to piece together the amount from the records he handed over.

"Too much that if the amount was ever leaked, I would begin to worry for my life." Not that Miles was scared of anyone coming after him, it just would bring too much scrutiny for him to work behind the scenes.

"Bold claim. We will need to see proof of that." Dulacrux slammed his palms on the table, but Miles didn't even blink and just smiled at the rookie agent, unnerving him. He found the young agent's terrible act amusing enough to not call it out.

They owed him entertainment after that dreary car ride.

"This case should contain everything you need." Miles heaved the briefcase he had brought along on the table, opening it to reveal hundreds of tightly stacked documents.

"Mine property deeds along with mining, transportation, and delivery records." He took out the individual stacks, handing them over to the stunned agents, who slowly began to inspect the documents.

"These will need to be verified." Morris held back a groan, knowing this meant weeks of wrestling with bureaucracy, which he wasn't looking forward to.

"Countries in question should still have the relevant records." They actually had the records, since Miles spent enough capital to create them from scratch and ensure they were inserted in the correct places when someone—like the FBI—came asking.

"Speaking of records, we had a difficult time finding anything on your family history. Your parents had school records, but your paternal grandparents and those before had nothing but birth and death records." Meredith Beckett was an orphan according to the reports and had a more detailed background compared to the rest, but it yielded nothing.

"The Beckett family were staunch isolationists before my father. They had private tutors, doctors, and everything else you can imagine to keep themselves out of the system as much as possible to protect the massive family fortune." America was filled with all kinds of people, and isolationist nutcases like he made his family out to be were nothing new.

"So, they just sat on all that gold without doing anything? No investments or starting a family business?" To Morris, they were either idiots or totally mad, but if Miles Beckett was telling the truth, then it was the latter, and not the fun kind.

"No, and , if you ask me, it was a total waste. My ancestors could have built an empire that could sway the world but chose to do nothing." Miles shook his head, his smile not wavering even for a second.

The empire remark caught the attention of the agents, as that would mean the amount of gold Miles Beckett had might be higher than their estimates.

"What changed your mind?" Delacrux was still playing his little game, but Miles just leaned back, relaxing even more to irritate the agent.

"I want to make this world a better place, that's all." Neither of the agents believed it, but there was no sense in antagonizing the man before them without evidence to the contrary.

"How altruistic. Is that why you chose to name your company EnviroCorps?" The company was still in its infancy, so there wasn't anything to find besides the name and the amount of money spent for it.

"Spot on, Agent Morris."

"And you trip across Africa? Was it also to make the world a better place?" Delacrux ceased his painful act, sitting across from Miles and just examining the documents now.

"I was doing on-site research for investment." It was a plausible excuse.

"Really? Any tips for someone interested in investing ?" Ian Morris wanted to see if Miles would falter.

"The mining sector is saturated with big corporations; you should focus on clean energy and infrastructure. If you wish to learn more, I charge two hundred dollars an hour." Good thing he did study the investment opportunities in Africa.

The interrogation continued for two more hours, with the FBI agents trying to find holes in his story, but Miles had an answer for everything, and in the end, he was let go, while the investigation still continued.

Before he left, though, Miles had a choice of words for the young FBI agent.

"Agent Delacrux, I don't know who taught you how to act, but either you were a lousy student or they were a terrible teacher. If you ever need or want lessons, I know just the place for you." Delacrux's eye twitched, but Morris squeezed his arm, telling him to stand down.

"Good day, Mr.Beckett."

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"So, what do you think?"

"Either Miles Beckett is the greatest liar I have seen in twenty years as an FBI agent, or he is telling the truth. Don't know which is worse."

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In the next chapter:
"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.

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[Drageos]

Well that teaser is worrying.

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter