Inside the watchtower, Flash walked slowly. As the fastest man alive, he always felt like he was in high gear, so this was a rare sight.
Thinking about Hal had him depressed.
The former Green Lantern, losing not only his powers but also his arm, was a terrible outcome.
In this line of work, you live knowing death can come at any moment, you learn to live with the danger.
Still seeing Hal realize he couldn't be a pilot anymore and getting the message from Oa telling him that his ring couldn't be reformed as there was nothing left, was something that haunted him.
His friend joked around and tried to lighten the mood, while everyone knew he wanted to scream and cry.
Being a test pilot and a superhero was everything to him; his identity, his goals, his friends and almost every aspect of his life were tied to being a Green Lantern.
The once confident and brave person the League knew was now depressed and lost. As much as they wanted to help him, they didn't know how.
Black Canary was visiting frequently to talk, Batman used his resources to create a credible story behind the lost arm and others helped in small yet meaningful ways.
It was the best they could do and that was frustrating.
Flash wanted to run all over the world and find 18. He wished he could finally defeat and capture the Android.
Not in revenge, that isn't what the league does, even if some are eager to seek retribution.
Barry Allen wanted to stop the Android because it was the right thing to do, to finish the job his friend started.
Thinking of this, he arrived at the control center, where John Jones was monitoring the operations.
"Anything good?"
"We have been working in pairs for safety, but that has decreased our efficiency. Batman has already started the process of looking for new members and the others are also searching for suitable candidates to join the League. Hopefully, when we finish the workload is going to be more manageable."
"If we are lucky, some of the new members will be able to help us in the fight against the Android."
"Plans are being made, Stark Labs is already working on recovering the data lost on this incident and each active member of the League is looking for ways to become stronger."
Superman started training with Diana, his martial arts skills were becoming more refined and she was pushing herself against a stronger opponent.
The remaining Green Lantern went to Oa to get special training and also to attempt to convince the Guardians of the need to stop the android.
Batman and Green Arrow were working on new tools and weapons that would be more effective against her.
Even Flash and Martian Manhunter were pushing their limits in their own ways.
The fact that 18 was now able to stop their distress signals and that she was actively hunting the heroes was a motivator to become better versions of themselves.
"Why do you think she didn't finish him up?"
"She must have expected him to die when she destroyed the facility; if the doctor wasn't there, Hal would have been inside when the explosion happened."
"That is true, but she got him depowered and defenseless and instead of taking his head, she cut off his arm; that is weird for someone who killed so many."
"We cannot know the thoughts of the enemy, but the results are the same. She tried to kill him and he survived."
"You know is ironic that you said that, right?"
"I meant it literally. Her mind is strong and her thoughts are protected, unless she lets me in, I'm not getting anything out of her."
"That resilience is problematic."
The Android was a tough adversary; her defense was insane, so much so that Superman confessed that he struck her full strength every time and he didn't fear that he would kill her for even a second.
Superboy, after hitting her describe it as slamming his fist against an indestructible wall.
It wasn't only a matter of reaching her, but it was about actually causing any harm to that incredibly sturdy defense.
Her speed and multiple abilities, including long range attacks and her fighting skills, took her from troublesome to nearly unbeatable.
If they could find her and have her constantly on the ropes, they may be able to pull out a win, but she was hidden by some of the most influential members of the underworld.
She could do a lot of damage and disappear again.
Everyone was on edge and to make it worse, they learned that there may be another Android hiding somewhere.
If this one somehow got here from the other universe and they joined forces, maybe not even the full might of the League could stop them.
It was a stressful situation, considering the villains and even regular crimes had skyrocketed.
The heroes were overextended and cautious, the ones who normally hid away became bolder and now robberies, drug sales, organized crime, super criminal activity and more became common.
Not to mention the hit they took to their reputation, the world stopped seeing them as an effective and trustworthy source of protection.
News, online forums and conversations became filled with criticism against them. Batman was sure someone was manipulating the reaction from the shadows.
Still, there was a lot of real voices behind the scrutiny; with tension this high, they needed a win.
John moved his hand and opened a new report he got. The terror twins were found and Batman sent a proposal.
Flash checked the information and his eyes went wide.
"That is crazy."
"If our suspicions are correct, this could be a good chance to stop the Light's plans before they escalate."
"The risk is very high."
"Megan and Superboy understand the danger."
A few hours later, the plan to allow the teens to replace the terror twins went well and they arrived at Belle Reve, where Waller welcomed them.
Amanda was in a good mood; her access to information and resources had been increased after her success with Task Force X and plans for a second team were already on standby. She scrutinized every new arrival like a kid trying to pick a new puppy.
The twins especially caught her attention.
(These two could be useful; nothing is more motivational than protecting family, they would probably do anything if I threatened to kill the other.)
She smiled as she explained the rules and shocked them for good measure.
Mr. Freeze, Icycle Jr and the fake twins were guided to their cells. In the first few days, they learned the rules and got acquainted with the hierarchy of the prison, while also investigating the moves of the prisoners.
They learned about 3 criminals who managed to escape the jail: Riddler, parasite and gorilla Grot. They took the chance 18 created by crashing into the wall and working together, they quietly left the facility.
It was a stain on the previously clean records of Belle Reve and now more than ever the supervillains were itching to get out as well.
Icycle senior was moving in the shadows and getting ready to act.
He was one of the most influential prisoners and he was gaining more allies as time passed.
Inside one of the cells, Floid Lawton was throwing a ball, making it bounce around in various angles yet always landing back in his hand.
He stayed still and waited and it always came back to the same point. Deadshot smiled as if he didn't have a care in the world.
The opportunity came much faster than expected, not much longer and they will be able to complete that annoying mission.
Harley was probably already doing her part, just thinking of Waller's face when it all comes down, was a great feeling.
The other prisoners got curious about how King Shark, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang were for some reason, hanging around each other.
The 3 changed a lot recently; they behaved like model inmates, even Shark, who used to get into fights all the time, was now very tame and quiet.
As soon as the alarms started flaring and the lockdown started, Deadshot threw the ball one more time and got up.
The other cells got locked, leaving a few unfortunate guys trapped and unable to join the riots.
Lawton's cell didn't close and he walked out yawning.
He encountered Icycle senior and his gang marching together with many others.
"Hey, you are going the wrong way."
"Ok."
He just continued walking.
"Didn't you hear me? The escape route is this way."
"Sorry, not interested."
"You..."
Icycle Senior spoke, annoyed.
"Leave him, we don't have time for this."
As soon as they turned the corner, Capitan Boomerang let out a chuckle.
"Bunch of wankers."
"Let's just go, we don't want the boss to be mad at us, right?"
"Don't even joke about it."
They both felt a chill remembering the moment 18 gave them the instructions.
At the same time, Giganta and Harley were moving on the woman's side of the prison, they saw Miss Martian getting knocked out and put in ice.
They ignore it and move on.
Giganta was moving at a fast pace.
"We need to do this fast; we don't know how long we have before this is resolved one way or another."
"Relax, the previous plan required us to run around like crazy; now we have a perfect window to do as we pleased, isn't that lovely?"
Gate after gate let them through until they arrived at the armory.
"Oh, look is my sweetie. I miss you, baby."
Harley grabbed a mallet and hugged it. Giganta held her like a cat and talked softly but sharply.
"Focus, clown, remember why we are here."
"Yeah, yeah, understood."
She reluctantly let go of her weapon and they both went deeper until they found what they were looking for.
Minutes later, they exited and returned to their cells.
In another part of the facility, inside an almost frozen cell, Amanda was going crazy; all her success in keeping criminals in and also the effectiveness of her Task Force won't save her if Belle Reve suffers a mass breakout.
If she didn't fix this, not only her job but all her influence would be lost,
Dr. Steven Strange saved her life, and now that the escape was about to happen, they left 2 regular guys to guard her.
(There must be something I can do.)
As she was thinking she heard 2 shots being fired.
The guards outside fell to the ground and someone arrived.
"Hello Waller, what a coincidence finding you here."
"Lawton, if you are going to kill me, do it already; it won't help you get out of here."
"Kill you?"
He looked very confused.
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm here to make a deal."
"Deal."
"I want out, Waller, but not to be on the run. I want to be legally free and go back to my daughter, so here is my proposal: I'll work for you, I do your missions and you reduce my sentence, but no more bombs or other bullshit like that."
"What makes you think you are in any position to negotiate?"
"Is not a bad deal for you as well, think about it, you get a success story of rehabilitation and I can get you to the control center, so what do you say?"
Strange was observing; he needed Waller to fail, so he spoke.
"Deadshot is not exactly trustworthy. Maybe we should wait for..."
"No, we don't have time to waste, I agree, so get me out of this cell."
Amanda used her access to move through the prison and open several closed doors. She also released the trapped prison personnel, and they walked together towards her objective.
She found Boomerang and King Shark on the way. When they arrived at the control room, they saw Mr. Freeze and other criminals incapacitated.
"Waller, so you are the reason the collars on the woman's side reactivated."
Icycle jr was now aiming his hand at her, but before he could attack, he got shot on the shoulder and Shark slammed him into the wall.
Boomerang leaned on the wall and smirked.
"Easy there, mate, we just got here."
As soon as they finished subduing the ice teen, someone else exited the control room.
"I'm done, let's go back."
Superboy looked at King Shark holding jr and was about to fight when he noticed Waller.
"You are the head warden?"
"Yes and that is my office."
"I'm Superboy. I was sent here by the League to stop the escape attempt."
Jr opened his eyes wide.
"You are who?"
Amanda didn't believe him right away.
"Go, check."
Captain Boomerang went inside the office and confirmed that the collars were back on.
"We'll talk about the League sending spies inside my prison later; for now, we need to recapture any inmate that didn't get knocked out by the collars."
"I have to go save Megan."
Amanda nodded to one of the regular guards who was with her, the officer and the teenager hero ran in the direction of the women's section of the prison.
Amanda used her authority in the system to turn all the defenses on and release the guards. The few criminals left were recaptured, bringing the incident to an end.
The government wasn't very happy with the superheroes meddling on an official site and considering that Waller was about to retake the prison, they saw it as the League overreaching, worsening the relationship between the country and them.
Vandal Savage was disappointed. Strange should have become the new warden of Belle Reve, but due to her, Task Force Waller managed to keep control.
Now they would need to modify plans, with that and the identities of two members already revealed to the League, he was debating if they should even bother with their next move.
In the end, he decided to continue after all, there were a few hard to control members who would prefer to do the show anyway.
Close to the center of Coast city, inside the headquarters of the recently founded blue tie corp.
18 was sitting in front of a computer.
"How did it go, 16?"
"The virus included in the information that Task Force X delivered to the Warden did its job. I am currently in control of most of the systems in Belle Reve. The squad has also completed the preparations, we are ready to move at any time."
"Good, now they just need to filter those who work for the Light and we can start."
It wasn't exactly what she expected; they changed the order of the objectives, but it was still very good and they were taking initiative by working during the riot, which was great.
The digital form of 16 gave her a lot more freedom to move by herself and now she has some agents that can move while showing no connection to her.
For now, she was building a foundation, getting her pieces in order.
Of course, she will not run from a fight, but now she was entertaining herself by manipulating from behind the scenes; it was a new kind of thrill.
She actually felt bored with the mindless destruction. Now knowing that it was an artificial high, she understood that if it wasn't for Gero's little trap, her constantly destroying cities would have gotten old long before now.
She wondered what her life would look like if she didn't fall for the trick. She tried to imagine a normal life, maybe a husband or even kids and she just couldn't picture it.
No, she wasn't destined for normal; she was going to turn this world upside down and find her own definition of freedom and for that, she decided to get other types of power.
Money, influence, subordinates and more, she will rise to the top of all aspects of this world.
She wasn't a rampaging psychopath anymore.
She was 18 and she was free.
As 18 was getting ready to make her move, Zatara was at his home writing notes while reading an ancient looking book when his daughter knocked at his door.
"Come in."
"Dad, you should rest for a while; you have been at this for hours."
"Sorry, I was absorbed in this ritual, it is used to restore lost limbs, but it has demonic properties."
He closed the book while massaging his neck.
"If I clean it and keep the function, maybe I could..."
"I know you want to help him, but even our magic had limits, you told me that yourself."
"Thank you for worrying, I know my limits well and I won't be reckless, trust me."
She didn't seem convinced but kept it at that.
"We should have dinner soon."
He watched as her daughter left the room and couldn't help but worry.
(Is she going to be ok?)
He did ask his friend to look after her; he trusted him with his life and knew the others would do anything in their power as well.
(it's that enough?)
As he put a letter on his desk and got up, he looked at the vault inside his room.
(One more normal dinner.)
The next day, on the watchtower, the League was having a discussion about the candidates to become new members.
There were three empty seats, one belonged to Hal, who lost his powers and arm, another to Red Tornado, who was reprogrammed and forced to betray the league in a recent attack to mount justice and the other.
"Where is Zatara? It's not like him to be late."
Martian Manhunter answered Hawkgirl's question.
"He said there was something he needed to do and that he would be late."
The League was planning to grow, but instead, they had lost 2 members and were more vulnerable than ever.
Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow.
"Is it wise to be alone?"
"He assured me it wasn't dangerous; he needed to handle his duties on the Tower of Fate."
Captain Atom inquired next.
"Should we wait for a while longer? His opinion is important."
In that moment, a light illuminated the entire room and from a golden portal dr Fate passed inside.
"There is no need to wait, Zatara has relinquished his seat at this table to me, now we can begin."
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