Chapter 78: Chapter 72: An unexpected visit
MASS RELEASE!!!!!!!! YES, BABY, YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING?
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But I'm going on vacation so for two weeks (maybe three because I'm moving out), so there will be no more chapters for a while.
I will continue writing and uploading on P@treon, more relaxing, and where I will take my time to plan the story and bring you the quality content that I have always been known for giving you.
By the way, I'm looking for GOT and HP fics, I accept recommendations of all kinds.
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"Talking"
'Thinking'
<Mental Voice>
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Tower of Destiny, June 14, 07:45, 2017
In a room in the Tower of Destiny, where it had been set up as a kind of library, where dozens of ancient tomes were on large wooden shelves, the Outsiders were holding a meeting.
The reason for the meeting, nothing more nor less than the increase of cursed energy in the area of South America, India and the Middle East.
More than a month after learning that the Obscurus had a different leader than Sabbac, and that his level of demonic power was archduke rank, demonic sightings had begun to dwindle to the point where demonic energy had all but vanished. In short, the demons were hiding, either because they were afraid or because they had been asked to.
However, things were not so simple, as a buildup of cursed energy had arisen in different parts of the world. Evil and dark spirits had begun to emerge, causing problems in the cities of Chile, Peru, Argentina, India, Middle East.
And the Outsiders were charged with preventing more damage from being done.
Edgar divided them into three teams and quickly decimated these spirits. As they were recently summoned spirits, they had not gained as much power, and, therefore, had not presented much of a problem in stopping them.
The only problem was that there had been too many of them. Not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands of dark spirits hungry for negative human emotions. So they had to act fast.
Team A: Constantine, Katana, Deadman and Metamorpho quickly took over South America. Team B: Etrigan, Black Manta, Fire and Ice, took care of the Middle East. And Edgar took care of India alone. A separate team that in less than two days had destroyed all these spirits.
(AN: these will be the entire Outsiders team. Plastic Man. Firestorm, Dr. Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) and Mera went to the regular Justice League. And Orsi doesn't count because he is a priest and his duty is in the church)
It had even been found how these spirits had been summoned. Simple but powerful rituals where, unfortunately, numerous lives had been sacrificed. Needless to say, this was all because of the Obscurus to divert the attention of Edgar and his group.
Edgar knew this. The Obscurus were scared because he was getting closer and closer to finding the truth. Edgar was getting closer and closer to finding the 'nest' where these cockroaches were hiding.
But, still, that little bit that Edgar was missing to find the truth, felt like an eternal distance. Like an impossible obstacle to overcome for our beloved protagonist. And that frustrated him to no end. In fact, it frustrated the whole group.
Perhaps the Outsiders, in terms of work, were not as busy as the Justice League, as the League day in and day out fought numerous villains and threats to Earth.
But the Outsiders' paranormal cases were quite complicated to solve, which meant that they had missions that lasted for days. And then they would get together and have these sessions where, together, they would try to come up with plans to tackle the next missions.
At this point, they were trying to find a way to find out information from the Obscurus without asking the demons for information. The Rakash situation (the demon that exploded) had left a precedent in the group that demons were no longer an option as a source of information.
Everyone was tired. And they weren't coming to any conclusions. Not until Fire, the beautiful green-haired girl, spoke up excitedly.
"I got it, I got it, I got it!" Fire said as she clapped her hands excitedly. Her beautiful face had a wide smile of joy that infected the tired group. Many smiled when they saw her excited attitude, as it reminded her of a little girl when she was given her favorite candy.
Of the whole group, she was the most expressive. She didn't mind showing her emotions on her face when she got excited. Or to show her fury when she got angry. Contrary to Ice and Katana, the other women in the group, who were more reserved and serious. Ice was serene, but open-minded. And Katana was as hard as steel.
In fact, because of this personality, Edgar, at the time, was surprised that they stayed in the group. For, in terms of personality, Fire, and even Ice, did not fit in with the Outsiders.
The Outsiders had been created as a way to fight against The Light. Edgar never intended to continue with the group, but, thanks to Diana's arguments that he would never find the Obscurus alone, he continued with the team and made it an affiliate of the Justice League as a special group against paranormal threats.
Edgar gave them the choice of leaving, and becoming superheroes in the Justice League, or staying and supporting him.
And this group was the one that stayed. And surprisingly, Fire, Ice and Katana were in this group. All three making an argument that they could do more for humanity fighting these dark beings, than fighting bank robbers. A debatable argument, but a solid one. And Edgar accepted them gladly.
Smiling slightly, Edgar replied to Beatriz (Fire).
"Calm down, Beatriz and tell me what you're so excited about"
"I already have a way to find information on the Obscurus" this caught everyone's attention, who stopped what they were doing and paid close attention to what Fire was going to say. "The Obscurus are a grouping that has been around for millennia, aren't they?"
"That's right..."
"So, the only thing to do is to try to find records of people they have recruited who have been famous historically and from there follow their traces. Maybe we can find a clue to Obscurus intervention"
Bobo, the chimpanzee detective, who was meeting with the group as an outside helper, was the one who spoke up
"Lady Beatriz's idea is actually quite good. And it is not necessary to go so far back in history. There are many recorded cases of German, British, and American generals who have made satanic pacts in exchange for power to win their respective battles. These are rumors, but perhaps the Obscurus have something to do with it"
"But it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. And who knows if there is reliable information about it from those people" Metamorpho added. To him, the idea was rather laborious and will only make them delay the case further.
"But it's better than standing by and doing nothing" Ice defended her friend. It was fine for them to say it was a bad idea, but it bothered her that they didn't give another solution. "At least give a better solution, Rex (Metamorpho)"
"Well, how about we go to Dracula's coven and ask him for explanations as to why his beloved vampires are being recruited by the Obscurus"
The one who answered Metamorpho was not Ice, but Constantine.
"I already went and they don't know anything. All the vampires, who have been recruited, are renegade and weak vampires. In fact, they are recruited with the guarantee that they will become more powerful. The same with werewolves. They are werewolves without a pack"
"And you buy that excuse-"
"ENOUGH" Edgar interrupted before the situation turned into a fight. "This is a place for everyone to express themselves. I will not tolerate any fighting in this room. If you want to resolve an issue, wait until training day" The truth was that they were tired and it was a matter of time before tempers flared.
However, Edgar not only interrupted to calm the situation, but also because a mental transmission had come to him just at that moment, that said.
<Edgar, I'm ready to go> it was from Raven.
'Damn, I forgot' thought Edgar. He didn't remember that he had business with Raven today. 'Diana, she's going to kill me if she knows I forgot' Edgar turned to everyone and said.
"Look, guys. We're tired from the recent mission and we're not getting anywhere like this. We'd better go get some rest and we'll continue this meeting on training day with cooler heads. got it?"
"Yes, boss"
"Understood, Edgar"
"All right, mate"
"And Beatriz, your idea is a good one. In fact, I remembered that in Azarath, a record was kept of every person, or dark being, who became involved with the Obscurus. Give me a couple of days to remember what I had read and get it down on paper, and we'll see what we can get"
"Roger that, boss" Fire was happy at Edgar's words. She thought maybe her idea had been stupid, but she was glad it was actually well received.
"Okay, meeting over. See you guys next week..."
With that the meeting ended and they each went out the door to the room. The amazing thing is that as they crossed, a light was produced. In fact, this light was produced by the same door that served as a portal to take them to the place they wanted. And the fact is that each of them lived in different parts of the world.
Edgar had set up that room to be the meeting base. Members could reach that room from wherever they were with a simple code word. Magic solved a lot of life.
As they all crossed, the door vanished. Edgar turned and walked to the other side. Magically another door materialized in the wall. Edgar walked through the door and the world seemed to change completely. The atmosphere seemed to change to that of a simple home.
The library had vanished and now only a rather cozy two-story house remained. The house was beautiful. Mahogany wood, and ceramic tile flooring. Kitchen equipped with the best cooking utensils. And a living room with armchairs that made whoever sat there forget their troubles and their weariness. The rooms were also large and spacious.
It was not a mansion, but it was large and beautiful enough to be considered a beautiful home.
What wasn't beautiful, however, was the purple haired girl in a school uniform that had an embroidered 'Jefferson Pierce Academy' logo, who showed an emotionless look with only one eyebrow raised, but which, to Edgar, who knew this girl well, knew was a sign of anger.
'I'm screwed'
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"You forgot, didn't you?" asked Raven emotionlessly, but which, if you listened closely, you could sense a coldness in her voice that would make anyone's hair stand on end.
"Of course not..." Edgar wanted to lie, but there he remembered that with Raven this never worked. She simply raised her eyebrow more in a sign that she didn't believe anything he said. Sometimes, he cursed her powers that could discern truth from lies.
"Okay, you win. I forgot. I had a meeting all night and I forgot that today was the day I have to go to your school"
Like every school, there were days when parents or guardians were invited to attend and talk to the counselor, teacher or principal about their child's academic progress. And Raven's school was no exception.
Jefferson Pierce Academy, formerly named Metropolis Academy, where it had been renamed in honor of the late superhero Black Lightning, with the help of numerous monetary donations, had become an elite school. In this period of time it became the most prestigious school in the world for its high academic level and its renovated, but innovative facilities.
Not only did it have a first class innovative educational system, but it also had specialized facilities for young metahumans. It also had numerous scholarships so that people of limited means could study at this prestigious school.
Among the many students there were metahumans, young geniuses, promising athletes, and even some young royalty from different countries. One example was 16-year-old Princess Perdita Vladek, niece of the late Count Vertigo, and the one to be crowned Queen of Vlatava in the future.
Needless to say, the Teen Titans were enrolled in this school. At least, those who were still studying.
Edgar initially wanted Raven to study at home. With his and Diana's tutoring they could easily teach Raven numerous subjects that the current education no longer taught. Knowledge of literature, philosophy, mathematics, and other subjects could be taught by the couple without any difficulty. Even at a much more advanced level than the best school today.
However, Diana had convinced him to have Rachel enroll in a school because she had to learn to live with more people of her age, and not just the group of young superheroes. Which Edgar reluctantly agreed to.
Edgar, as Raven's legal guardian, was the one who had to go. Diana, as much as she wanted to, could not attend.
The first reason why she could not attend was because she and Edgar were not married, and, therefore, she was not the legal guardian. And the other reason was because today was also a very busy day for her. In fact, she had left the house quite early on her way to London on an mission.
Edgar sensed the conflicted feelings on Raven's part. He sensed a little sadness in her when he told her that he had forgotten her. It didn't take a genius to know why she was sad. Clearly, she thought she wasn't important enough to Edgar as his job. Which was quite the wrong thought.
So, to dispel her doubts, Edgar walked over to Raven and gave her a tight hug. Raven, quickly hugged Edgar back. To her, Edgar was already like her father. She had grown accustomed to his displays of affection.
"I'm sorry, Rae. I forgot. Can you forgive me?"
"Mmm" Raven didn't put up much resistance, and quickly nodded her little head. However, she never left Edgar's embrace. After a few seconds, when she had enough of feeling her 'father's' warmth, she released the hug. "But I want you to take me to eat at those pizzas down the avenue"
"Sure, sure" Raven started to smile "BUT" however, her smiles died when Edgar said the 'but', "only if your grades were excellent. If not, there is no special meal"
"That's fine. But before we go, take a shower. You stink of ashes and darkness" Raven waved her hand in a sign that Edgar's body odor was very potent. They'd had a mission, he clearly wasn't walking around presentable.
'I don't think it's that big of a deal...', Edgar sniffed his armpit and there he realized that, as Raven claimed, he stank. 'Fuck, I smell awful. Damn spirits, they impregnated my favorite jacket. Now I have to take it to the cleaners'
"Alright, give me 20 minutes and I'll be ready"
"Mmm"
With that, Edgar left to shower and change. A parents' meeting awaited him....
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European Hall of Justice, London, England, June 14, 11:37, 2017
The European Hall of Justice, the main headquarters of the members of the Justice League of Europe, commanded by Diana, and located in London. Like every day, it presented a flurry of activity in all its offices.
The building was not like the Hall of Justice in America, with a more classical design and architecture. Rather, their building was like any modern building that every company had. There were 8 floors, full of offices, where each floor was a different structural department.
Technically, it was like any other company. They had marketing departments, human resources, and even a small repair and research lab. Even had a forensic department to analyze evidence collected at crime scenes that the League investigated.
The Justice League had practically become a private security bureau. And as such, a whole team had to be ready, not only of superheroes, but of investigators and clerks to support the organization. And Diana was in charge of making this whole enterprise work.
As every day, people were coming in and out of this company. Some workers went out to eat outside. Others to leave complaints. And others to schedule meetings. Reporters also stood outside to 'catch' any news from this group that maintained security on the European continent.
At the top of the building, right on the 8th floor, which was intended for the boardroom and, where only the 'president's' office existed, i.e. Diana's office, a meeting was taking place.
Diana, who was seated at her mahogany wood desk, with Greek relief design, watched intently as the beautiful woman standing in front of her related her mission report.
The woman wore a rather clinging red leather outfit that fit her perfect curves. She wore a hood that covered her red hair, and a mask that covered part of her face. She was Vivian D'Aramis, or better known as the superheroine, Crimson Fox.
A French woman who had awakened her metahuman powers that gave her superhuman reflexes, strength and speed. Great senses of danger and the production of sexual pheromones that could control men, very similar to the power that the late Queen Bee had.
Vivian finished recounting the entire mission before Diana's watchful eyes, which at this moment showed no emotion, and only made her nervous, and said.
"That would be all, Wonder Woman. 4 captures of the new Royal Flush Gang criminal group, which has gained strength in these recent weeks. Ace, Ten, Jack and their leader, King, have been caught. Unfortunately, Queen, their last member, escaped. We have already sent our best tracking detectives to search for his whereabouts. They are also being monitored with drones and on cameras for suspicious movements"
Next to Diana, typing on a computer, was another beautiful woman with brown blonde hair. Her features were beautiful. She was wearing an office attire., with glasses covering her feline green eyes. She was writing down everything Vivian talked about for the official record.
Diana did not answer Vivian, but turned to look at the woman writing and asked.
"Barbara, did you capture everything?"
That's right. This beautiful woman in office attire was the former supervillain Barbara Minerva, or better known as Cheetah. She had survived Edgar's trial (the look of penance), and Diana didn't hesitate to help her reform and become a 'good' person.
With Diana's help, Barbara had given up her feline killer instincts and had become a 'normal' woman. She had stopped craving power and had returned to the way she was before her transformation. She was even starting to date boys in search of love. Although, so far, she had only had failed dates.
The problem was that her powers were irreversible. Right now, her transformation was unseen, but if she gave in to her instincts, then she could turn back into a bloodthirsty feline woman. She needed to be monitored and calm. That's why Diana offered her the position of her secretary. Of course, also offering her excellent pay and good benefits.
She could not offer her to be a superheroine because Barbara was not yet in control of her bloodlust. Maybe in the future, when she controls that transformation, she can become a superheroine. But only time will tell.
Barbara finished writing and said.
"Wait... and.... ready. I have everything. Every word"
It must be said that Vivian never stopped. She simply spoke and explained everything in detail without pausing. That Barbara was able to keep up with Vivian, while typing on the computer, only denoted that her body, which looked no different from any ordinary woman, still boasted superhuman abilities of strength and speed.
She may not have been able to show the strength and speed she had when she transformed, but Barbara was very strong and fast even without transforming. And she transmitted that in her work. A place where her skills made her a quite efficient secretary. Something Diana appreciated very much.
"Thank you, Crimson Fox. We have everything. We'll send the report to Central and let them decide how to proceed. Just keep an eye out on patrols for suspicious movements. The Royal Flush Gang may not be that powerful or troublesome a group, but they gained strength very quickly. We need to know if there's anything else involved. Well, if that's all, you can go"
"Understood, boss" with that Vivian departed and left the room. When she finally came out, she let out the long sigh she didn't know she had been holding back. She didn't want to admit it, but Diana, as a boss, was terrifying. She was, however, very good.
Like a good general, she had turned this group of mostly rookies into a well-oiled machine ready to work. Quickly becoming the most efficient Justice League group.
Europe had the lowest crime rate. And they had the highest arrest rate. And with higher efficiency.
Better than the African group, which Hawkman commanded, and much better than the Asian group which had the worst crime rate. Martian Manhunter was a good leader, but his passive nature made him rather complacent. Something that wasn't necessarily good for a group of rookie heroes. Good thing Black Canary was backing him up and their numbers were rapidly improving.
Superman commanded the American group. And he was pretty efficient too. But, oddly enough, they had a higher crime rate because there were more threats in America than in the other continents. The United States being the country that had the most villainy. Strange, but that's how the reports told it.
In fact. Recently Superman had fought a new metahuman called Atomic Skull. A fight that had left part of the city of Detroit pretty much destroyed. But where the beloved superhero emerged victorious.
This fight only added to the general statistic that crime had decreased, but that the emerging threats after The Light were twice or three times more dangerous and powerful. In short, there were no longer as many villains, but those that existed were more dangerous than their predecessors. And the Royal Flush Gang was proof of this for Barbara and Diana.
"This is the most difficult incident we've had. The Royal Flush Gang appear to be quite a formidable group. Each member had quite powerful powers and abilities"
"Yes. They had. Sigh. I wish they would have caught them all. Maybe if I had been there, Queen wouldn't have gotten away" Diana changed her stern face to one filled with weariness.
Being a boss was hard. More so when she had to send the reports to Central (The Watchtower) and they sent them to the World Legislative Office, and if the Office found any inconsistencies, it could bring severe sanctions and repercussions to Diana.
In the reports, any detail was important. That's why she was so severe with these cases and with her team. It's not that she liked it, it's just that the situation warranted it.
But with Barbara, she showed her true personality. In this time working together, she had become her confidant. Someone Diana was quite close to. Perhaps, she could even consider her her best friend.
They had a lot in common. Not only before they worked in museums and loved history, art and culture, but they both respected each other for being the strong women they were.
"Diana, you can't blame yourself. You were fighting that Italian villain called 'Angle Man'. Besides, despite his weird name, his powers allowed him to alter the perception of reality. Quite a dangerous guy. But, still, you defeated him. And easily. That's a big win. Your strength and power give the group quite a boost. A strong leader only brings a strong group"
Diana blushed with embarrassment at her friend's words. Smiling slightly she thanked her, "Thank you, Barbara. You are a good friend. And, most of all, an excellent secretary" Barbara smiled at this, however, the smile faded when she remembered something
"I almost forgot. Batman sent a request for you to allow Huntress to join him on a raid mission"
"Huntress… and why does he need her?"
"Grade 2 fugitive arrest. He's found Deathstroke's lair. He wants to launch a stealth mission in two days before he loses track"
Diana was surprised by this information. Not that they had requested Helena (Huntress), as she had extensive experience in tracking and stealth, perfect for this mission.
But because Batman had found Deathstroke. For, strangely, from a month to the present, Batman had found Shiva, Merlyn, and numerous other fugitives from The Light, who had escaped from them. This only made Diana wonder.
'How did he do it?'
What no one knew was that, with Batman's new surveillance project, OMAC, he could practically find everyone as long as there was technology with them. Deathstroke had been hiding well, but a camera had caught him in Siberia. Batman didn't hesitate to launch a capture mission. And he wanted Huntress backing him up.
Diana had no reason to refuse so she agreed. "Accept his request"
"Understood. I will inform Helena of her new assignment"
"Yes, please. By the way Barbara, When do I have a weekend off?" Diana asked curiously. Barbara quickly looked at her cell phone and Diana's schedule, and said.
"Mmm, let me see...you have a meeting in three days with the French Prime Minister. They want the Justice League to install a secure barrier on the treasure chamber. Then, you have an invitation to tea with her majesty in thanks for saving her from a near kidnapping, and.... done, you have no further business"
"Okay, schedule a weekend next week"
"An emergency meeting at the Watchtower?"
"Nothing like that. I want to visit my mother and Themyscira. I haven't heard from her and my home situation in a long time. Because of how busy we have been, I have not been able to visit her"
"I understand. I will schedule it now"
"Well, thank you, Barbara..." Diana stretched and yawned. Suddenly, a loud sound in her stomach was heard that made her cringe and turn red, and made Barbara laugh.
"I hear someone is hungry"
"Forgive me, it's just that I didn't have breakfast" Diana had left the house so quickly that she hadn't had breakfast. The worst part was that she hadn't seen Edgar, since he was in a meeting with his team. She hoped he hadn't forgotten that he had to go to Rachel's school today. Because if he did, he would be dealing with her....
"Shall I order you something to eat?"
"Emmm, no. We'd better go get some breakfast. I'll just change into something more comfortable than this armor"
"Sure-"
However, her plans were interrupted when a woman ran in.
"Miss Diana, there's a person at the front desk looking for you. I wanted to speak to your office, but communications had not been established yet" said the lady at the front desk with much urgency and apology.
When these reports were made, Diana would close communications so that no one would interrupt and no information would be leaked. Communications were supposed to be unhackable, but who knew if another 'The Thinker' might emerge. She preferred not to risk it.
"There is no meeting scheduled. Tell them to leave appointment and their information and we'll call them" Barbara added. She was handling all the scheduling and had nothing today for Diana.
Besides, hundreds wanted meetings with Diana every day. They couldn't just accept anyone who showed up. However, what the girl at the front desk said next, made both of them quite alert
"I know, and I told her the same thing. But the woman in question said she had information for Mr. Edgar. She said she had the current location of the Obscurus..."
Diana didn't need to hear any more
"Let her in. And call security. Have security monitor the person's every move. Activate code 2. But discreet. We don't know how dangerous this person is"
"Understood" with that, the reception woman departed. Diana took her sword, and her lasso and prepared herself. There was a lot of seriousness on her face. This was a delicate matter, not only for her beloved, but for the entire Justice League. If anyone had information on the Obscurus, then this person was no ordinary one.
"Barbara, you stay. Analyze the person and if your sense of smell picks up a non-human scent, you tell me immediately"
"Understood" as a feline, Barbara had a special sense of smell. If she smelled something strange she would quickly alert Diana.
After a couple of minutes, the person in question arrived. A beautiful brown-skinned woman in a beautiful gypsy dress. She wore quite a lot of ornaments such as gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings, which only highlighted her dazzling beauty. From her appearance, she didn't show more than 40 years old. But what made Diana nervous was her walk.
At this moment, she walked with a confidence and poise that Diana could only identify in someone of royalty. The confident walk she displayed, despite being escorted by security, only indicated to Diana that this woman was confident that no unfavorable situation for her was going to occur.
However, red alarms went off in Diana when she introduced herself.
"Greetings, Diana of Themyscira. And greetings, Barbara Ann Minerva. It is a pleasure to meet you"
It's one thing to know Diana as Wonder Woman. But Barbara was not known. Maybe Cheetah was, but Barbara's normal appearance was not. Diana drew her sword and pointed it at the woman's neck.
"You speak of the Obscurus, enemies of my beloved, as if you knew them. You introduce yourself to us as if we were your friends. You have 3 seconds to tell me who you are or I will cut your head off without hesitation"
The woman did not flinch at the sword. She only smiled slightly and raised her hands in surrender.
"I have no bad intentions in coming here. Believe me. I'm even willing for you to wear the lasso of truth on me so you know I'm telling the truth"
Diana didn't hesitate. She took the lasso and tied it to her arm. Glowing, it began to exert its power on her.
"Tell me, who are you?"
"My name is Madame Xanadu, and I come to help..."
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AN:
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TioIroh99 (10 chapters ahead)
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