章 164: HEROES MEETING
[Meeting room]
After that incident with the Atlanteans, Bruce called the heroes for a meeting. In the room, Bruce, Pamela, Diana, Kara, Flash, and Clark were present in person. Deadshot, Selina, Mr. Freeze, Alice, and Oliver were projected via the hologram.
Diana explained to the team about the Atlanteans who in the past had unlocked the key to unlimited energy, and had access to automotive and flying machines. This prosperity was ruined, however, after a test with the Trident of Atlan, backfired, creating a shockwave that ruined the city and sunk Atlantis into the ocean. She also added how the Amazons don't see eye to eye with them due to the war between them thousands of years ago. She also gave them some information on their abilities.
Bruce shared his thoughts on why the Atlanteans caused the recent floods and threw up all the waste materials back on the land.
"Wait! So, in short, they messed themselves up a long time ago? And now they are back because the oceans and seas are getting polluted, affecting their homes and lifestyle?" Selina was the first to speak. "Well, that's kinda messed up. I mean, they have the power to drown cities overnight... Countless lives are at risk."
"Exactly," Clark spoke with a grim expression, "Instead of talking things through, the first thing they do is cause a flood. Many died, some are still missing, and some were injured. We must not allow them to do something like this again."
"They will never listen to our explanation," Diana said, "It doesn't matter what we say or what the actual truth is, they have already assumed we are their enemy. Trying to reason or negotiate is impossible without causing a conflict."
The others nodded their heads, agreeing with Clark. They can't just do nothing. The loss of life, destruction of the environment, and the pain inflicted were too much to leave it off like that.
"But people did dirty their home. You seen the details? They found barrels of radioactive materials, missiles, and other dangerous things from the wastes the flood carried on the land. Many of their people must have died too and now they are angry," Barry reminded the team.
"Which makes both sides seem innocent yet guilty," said Oliver. "If I were the president, I'd start the negotiation process to smooth out any misunderstanding and then act when necessary, or I could blame it on others, point my finger somewhere else, and hide the truth of the accident from everyone. But the blame game has gone too far," he continued, shaking his head.
"If we intervene, even as a single person, one misstep can end the negotiations," Alice warned.
"Don't you have some tech that can clean the waters? You know, take out the wastes and somehow dispose of them all," Floyd suggested, looking toward Bruce.
"And you think that will work in the long run? Who will monitor the countless beaches around the world and stop people from throwing garbage in the ocean? Yeah, we can issue an emergency alert, but give or take a few years, and they will be back there polluting the waters. And not to speak of those oil rigs that dump their waste right in the water, and let's not forget about all the nuclear plants around the world." Pamela pointed out. "I mean, let's be realistic here. In a year or two, the same thing will repeat again and then these Atlanteans might not give another warning like this one."
Mr. Freeze finally spoke, "Batman, you think it is possible to fix their genetics so that they could live on land again?" His words caught everyone's attention. Bruce saved Mr. Freeze and fixed his genetic structure, so, they thought that it might be possible to fix the Atlanteans too.
Bruce smirked after hearing Mr. Freeze's suggestion, and addressed his question, "There is always a way, but first, we must deal with the people of Atlantis. A cure like that doesn't grow on trees, we need to buy more time first. We need to establish contact with them. I need to speak with Aquawoman. So, we can either go under the sea and find them or..." He looked toward Diana, "Maybe you could help out contact them?"
"My mother can, but not me..." Diana replied.
"And...?" Kara raised her eyebrows, "You can just go home and ask her. Simple."
"Well... I kinda beat her up in combat and left Themyscira never to return again," Diana said with a sad expression. She felt kinda useless for not being much of a help to her friends.
"Just apologize," Clark said as if the answer was the most obvious one. "We all made mistakes at some point in our lives, but that doesn't mean we should just give up, quit and do nothing. Or, you can stick to your beliefs and just ask for help.If the Atlanteans decide to flood the world, then I doubt Amazons will be safe even if they hide on some mystical island," he reasoned.
"You don't know my people. They would rather go to war than to resolve anything peacefully. And we are talking about Atlanteans," Diana sighed as she shook her head.
"You really think they are still holding on to thousands of years of grudge?" Floyd questioned.
"I mean, they could be," she answered.
"Haaa... Diana, just give it a try," Bruce rubbed his eyes tiredly. "War only brings destruction. Your mother should know that. And if she doesn't listen to you, I'll talk to her. And even after that if she doesn't listen to us, then, I'll find another way to solve this Atlantean problem."
"I can tell from your expression that you are thinking of destroying Themyscira if they refuse to help out," Diana said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Bruce.
"Who? Me? C'mon, I could never do that. It's your home, how could I possibly think of dropping a nuke in there?" Bruce smiled innocently before saying, "But your words kind of inspired an idea that would keep their ego intact without putting a weapon or war against Atlantis."
"O-kay, you and your crazy ideas scares the hell outta me sometimes," she shuddered slightly upon seeing Bruce's evil grin, and added, "I'll talk to them. In the meantime, hope those government guys don't do anything stupid."
"Don't worry, they won't. Alfred is keeping an eye on their movements for now. If they try to do something stupid, I'll stop them," Bruce assured the princess. "Ok. That's the initial plan. But just in case things don't go as planned. We'll have to make a tough decision that might weigh heavily on our conscience..."
"You aren't thinking of..." Clark's voice faltered upon seeing the man's expression.
"If our plan fails and the Atlanteans declare war on the land, then we'll have to choose who to save. Land or Sea..." Bruce said grimly.
Everyone sat quietly after his words. That would be a hard choice to make, but no one protested against it. They understood the consequences, the possibility of the risks, the loss of life, and the choice that lies before them. If a war did break out, then they wouldn't have any choice other than to destroy the Atlanteans to save the land.
"But, there might be another way..." Bruce broke the silence. "I'll tell you when the worst comes... For now, Diana will go home. Kara and Pamela will also go with her." He glanced toward Kara, "Do whatever takes to convenience that mother of hers and try not to kill anyone."
"Have some faith in me, man," Kara fumed, making the group chuckle.
"The rest will stay alert until Diana brings back good news or bad news."
The heroes were dismissed after the briefing.
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Next, Ch: 164: Girls departing for Themyscira
Ch: 165: Skylar's new body
Ch: 166: Ongoing events
Ch: 167: Sophia's life
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