"The greater the calm, the deeper the fury beneath it."
---
The Watchtower Observation Deck
In orbit above, two silhouettes stood before a wall of monitors. Their reflections framed by the planet's slow turn.
Batman's voice broke the quiet.
"He's in the volcano again."
Superman's gaze followed the infrared feed: a lone figure standing amidst rivers of magma, his heartbeat calm, breathing steady.
King's bare hand reached into the molten glow, drawing out a raw diamond and shaping it in his palm.
Batman folded his arms. "He digs through hell as if it's a backyard garden."
Superman's jaw tightened. "He's not hiding. He's working."
"For what? He doesn't need money."
"Not for himself." Clark said. "He sells the gems to small craftsmen. Jewelers, artists, local workshops. Keeps their lights on. Keeps them alive."
Bruce's voice lowered. "You almost sound proud."
Superman turned, his expression unreadable. "No. Just… conflicted."
On the monitor, King walked barefoot through the lava tunnel, light dancing across his scarred face.
Superman's eyes glowed faintly as he zoomed in. "You ever seen someone that strong… look so alone?"
Batman didn't answer. He didn't need to.
He had seen it once before—in the mirror.
The Volcano, Same Night
King stood outside the crater, setting his satchel of gems beside him. The air shimmered with heat.
He looked upward, faintly aware of eyes in the sky watching him.
"You can come down." He said, voice calm, almost tired. "I can feel the weight of your conscience from here."
A gust of displaced air rippled through the smoke as Superman descended, boots touching the blackened rock.
Clark studied him for a moment. "You knew we were watching?"
"I always know when someone carries guilt that heavy."
Superman exhaled. "You could be the greatest ally this planet's ever had."
King looked toward the horizon where the volcano met the ocean. "Or its greatest heretic."
Clark frowned. "You killed Black Mask."
King's gaze didn't waver. "No. I ended what he'd become."
"There's a difference?"
"There's every difference, Clark. One is cruelty. The other is mercy without hesitation."
Before Superman could respond, a cold blue beam split the air. An orbital projection of Bruce.
"Clark. Incoming transmission. Luthor just made his move."
King didn't turn. "Lex Luthor… the man who thinks control equals understanding."
Batman's voice was dry. "He's mobilizing Task Force X."
King smirked. "Ah. The disposable ones."
LexCorp Command Suite
The Suicide Squad sat around a holographic display of King's profile. Harley Quinn (now tattooed, her floral designs peeking from her sleeves) frowned.
"Boss, that's a bad idea."
Lex's expression didn't change. "You work for the government, Miss Quinn. Not for your conscience."
She folded her arms. "Yeah, well, my conscience knows that guy's untouchable. Plus you guys don't accept resignations."
Deadshot loaded a magazine. "Untouchable's just a word. Everything bleeds."
"Does it?" Lex asked. "Then tell me, how do you bleed a man who walks through magma and sells volcanic diamonds to local jewelers?"
Silence. Only the hum of machinery.
Lex smiled. "He's not invincible. He's human. Every human has leverage."
The Observation Deck (Again)
Batman's hands tightened around the console. "Luthor's sending them to provoke him. Not capture. Provoke."
Superman's eyes narrowed. "If they do, they'll die."
"That's the point." Bruce replied. "To prove he's a monster."
Clark's shoulders tensed. "Then we stop it."
Bruce shook his head. "Not yet. I need to see what he'll do when tested not by choice but by betrayal."
Superman turned sharply. "You're playing chess with a man who can punch with the force of a nuclear explosion."
"And you're hoping he's human enough to care." Bruce said quietly.
His tone was not mocking. Just… mournful.
The Volcano Plains
Hours later, the Suicide Squad arrived.
A stealth carrier dipped low, cloaked by smoke. Harley sat silent, fingers brushing the ink on her wrist—floral vines wrapping around a quote King had once told her.
"Mercy without fear is power absolute."
Deadshot broke the silence. "Orders are to draw him out."
Harley muttered, "Orders are suicide."
The hatch opened. They stepped into the heat.
King stood there already waiting. Calm. Almost amused.
" Sending broken tools to break something unbreakable is cruelty."
Harley stepped forward, voice trembling with sadness. "We don't wanna fight, King."
"I know." He said gently. "But he does."
And before she could speak again, Lex's voice thundered through her earpiece.
"Now!"
Explosions erupted. Bullets tore through smoke and heat only to melt midair. Fire washed over King, swallowed by his aura.
He sighed once, disappointed.
Then, he moved.
One step. The earth cracked.
Another. The blast wave threw everyone backward.
When the dust cleared, he stood at the center. Untouched.
Only Harley remained conscious, staring at him in awe and sorrow.
"King… what are you?"
He looked at her. "A man who remembers what the world forgot."
The Watchtower
The screens flickered—feeds from the Suicide Squad's body cams cutting to static.
Batman stared silently, then turned the monitor off.
Superman spoke first. "He didn't kill them."
Bruce nodded slowly. "No. He let them go."
"Why?"
"Because he's sending us a message."
Clark frowned. "Which is?"
Bruce looked at the Earth below, his reflection cold in the glass.
"That he doesn't need to prove anything anymore."
The Volcano's Edge
King stood once more, watching the sunrise paint the sky red over the lava flows.
He took a deep breath, the smell of sulfur and sea air mixing in the dawn.
"Let them watch." He said quietly. "Let them doubt."
He opened his hand. Another gem forming from molten dust.
"I have work to do."
Read 22 chapters ahead on P.A.T.R.E.O.N
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