บท 17: Chapter 17 War Of The Bounty Hunters 1
Batman POV.
...
"No matter what you plan to show us, I don't think there's anything that can change our opinion on this matter". Batman said with indifference.
His body lay firmly on his seat with that usual commanding air around him. His mind, however, was a sharp contrast to the calm and composed picture he portrayed on the surface.
Bruce was many things. He was a great detective, a master strategist, a billionaire, a Playboy, a genius, a hero and many more. He was a questioner who always thought several steps ahead to make sure that he was never caught off guard.
Furthermore, he trusted no one and suspected everyone. Not only that, but he was hard on his enemies and even harder on himself.
It was all these things combined that formed the core of Bruce Wayne.
A very, very paranoid control freak who was wary of everyone and everything apart from himself and Alfred.
With such wariness engraved in his bones, he created a sort of instinct which allowed him to read people. Estimate their character, their limits, their behavioral patterns.
It was how he knew whom to place his trust on. It worked splendidly most of the time, and the Justice league was a good example.
This instinct rarely failed him.
But now, he didn't know what to think anymore. This man..... This alien, he couldn't read him. His actions were just completely inconsequential, so much that they made no sense.
It was all hazy, but whatever he did, gave Bruce the feeling that it was part of a well-calculated plan.
It was throwing his superb sixth sense into a chaotic cesspit. For someone who literally lived in a place like Gotham, that's saying something.
Bruce could attribute this to lack of information as even until this moment, the information they had on him was practically bare bones.
Even the world's greatest detective needed something more than a gut feeling to go on if he wanted to solve a case.
This was what made Bruce unable to accept what the government intended to do. Their actions were plain and utter madness to him, and he would fight against it to the very end.
Yet, that's where the unnerving feeling of despair hit him. He was calm, calculating and always thought several steps ahead. That was why he knew that the league had been caught in a bind on this one.
The world council had agreed on this decision. A proposal signed on by numerous Nations, all to give Amari the right to walk alongside them.
And the League was effectively powerless to stop it. They could refute all they wanted, but even if they fought against this decision, there was nothing they could do to change it.
Batman knew, Wonder Woman knew it, Cyborg knew it, the majority of them knew it. They were trapped by the very same laws that they tried to uphold.
Bruce found it to be somewhat poetic yet ridiculous.
The Justice League, made up of powerful individuals, some powerful enough to rank in the forefront of the universe, were shackled by the law of their planet.
It was absurd if you think about it.
The World Council couldn't interfere in League matters, and likewise, they had to stay out of matters of the council.
Superman was the face of the league, but the League wasn't the leaders of humanity. They defended it, but they didn't have control over the nations and couldn't rewrite the laws anytime they wanted.
That would completely go against everything they stood for. Freedom and protection.
If they used their power to force the world to cower to their terms, all in the name of ensuring peace and safety, then they would be monsters no better than the villains they protected the people from.
That would be Tyranny, and Batman would never let that happen, even if it meant letting snobby politicians have some form of power.
It was the only law that was equally important as his no kill rule.
Superman wouldn't agree to it as well.
It didn't matter much before, as there was no way they could exercise any authority over them that he would care about. Apart from restricting their movement in some countries where they weren't welcome, the world council was good for nothing else.
As they say, in front of absolute power, all tricks are meaningless.
But now, things have changed drastically. They were now exercising that right to shield a dangerous alien, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Batman could already imagine the smug faces of those politicians when they saw their scrunched faces on live television a few hours ago.
"Those petty bastards!" He thought inwardly as he looked at Amari.
All of this was his plan. Batman was already sure of it. He was calm, composed, powerful, and worst of all, scheming.
It reminded him of Lex Luthor and the joker, but worse. At least the other two were limited in the danger they posed. One was a crazy clown obsessed with death and destruction. His true nature was already all out on display.
While the other was an incredibly smart, scheming rich man who had caused the league numerous headaches.
Batman was still wary of Lex Luthor, especially when the guy was running for president. This was another thing that Batman wanted to stop but couldn't due to his moral values stopping his hands.
He had the capability, but the resolve was absent. Nevertheless, Lex Luthor was manageable. Even with all his smarts and wealth, Lex was a person who would adamantly refuse to empower himself.
He heard lex's ideas concerning how humans shouldn't rely on the power of outsiders to protect themselves.
The fact that he hadn't strengthened himself in some crazy experiment was one of the few things that Batman was honestly thankful for.
If not, with smarts and power, it might truly be possible to succeed in killing Clark.
Amari was worse than Luther as he was powerful. As strong as Superman according to the latest update on his abilities.
His teleportation and intangibility abilities were another headache to deal with. And now there was a new update on a power he had released. Capable of destroying a green lantern's construct, open contact.
Batman had a headache again. It irked him that he couldn't possibly estimate the full extent of his capabilities. Alongside the way he was acting, being in the presence of the world's strongest yet still looking like he couldn't be bothered to deal with them, Bruce was positive that he was either certain that they wouldn't attack or still had more powerful means up his sleeve.
On top of all this, he was as smart as lex Luther. It hurt even more just thinking about it.
The fact that he wasn't like other aliens, trying to use brute force to end all opposition against him made Bruce even warier of him.
He wasn't human and didn't have the passion for humanity like Clark did. He clearly knew about them and what they stood for, yet he didn't seek the league.
His actions were brutal, and Bruce could state with a fact that he had no squabbles on ending human life. Why he hasn't killed anyone yet is beyond his knowledge and honestly, somewhere deep down within, Bruce wished that Amari had killed someone. If he did, it would give them the necessary means to stand their ground against the council. But the fact remains.
It was for these reasons that Bruce could and would never trust him.
But now, he was tied. As soon as the military appeared on the scene, Bruce knew that the matter was over and this was no longer the league's territory. Unless Amari did something to step out of line, there was nothing he could do.
This was why they were currently sitting in the Hall of Justice's mission room. In an attempt to win an argument against this alien and the military, give themselves enough momentum to reasonably reject the stance of the world council without damaging their principles.
All this was what was going on in Bruce's mind. Unfortunately, he had made another enormous mistake.
.....
General POV.
"Let me be honest with you, Batman. Quite frankly, I don't give two shits about your opinion of me. As I can state confidently, that you changing your mind or not won't add an inch of mass to me, nor does it matter in the grand scheme of things". Amari said as the holographic projection began to unfold.
"As General Lane said, my certification as a citizen has already been decided, meaning your opinion and the opinion of the league doesn't matter. In other words, your thoughts can all go to hell". Bruce's face turned ugly, as did the rest of the Leaguers.
Many of them boiled with incessant fury, but they couldn't refute.
"That isn't necessarily the case. We would have no chances of doing anything about it on regular cases". Batman said as he began to drop his pitch while the rest of the league listened.
They knew that at times like this, whenever it came to politics, Batman was always the most reliable member the league had.
He continued.
"However, your proceedings, while I admit being very clever, have a loophole. And that is, your actions in heavily injuring green lantern and attempting to kill him prove that you can't be left to walk free".
"In addition, you crippled the arm of an innocent youth as well as injuring several teenagers. Not to mention the property damages caused, these actions alone are enough for us to deem you dangerous". Batman tapped his fingers on the table lightly.
He calmly and rationally analyzed the facts like a well-trained lawyer who been in thousands of courtrooms and won hundreds of cases.
"I remember clearly when you arrived in Metropolis. You said that you as an alien weren't subject to the laws of us humans. I would admit that you were right during that time, but now it's coming back to stab you where it'll count. You applying for citizenship effectively nullifies your previous claims and therefore leaves you in a vulnerable position to be tried for your recent actions which by this point are safe enough to be considered crimes unlike back in Metropolis".
Batman said coldly, and the rest of the league agreed.
"So quite frankly, unless the military intends to incur our anger as a repercussion of shielding you, effectively breaking all ties it has with the League and leaving us to use heavier measures, you Amari can and will be tried in court. The crime of attacking a leaguer makes sure that we have the right to be involved in this and therefore, since you are an alien, gives us the right to detain the highly classified risk factor otherwise known as you".
Batman finished.
Everyone turned their gazes towards Amari.
General Lane also looked at the lazy figure. He wasn't worried one, but about the league actually able to succeed today. The time he had spent with the alien assured him that Amari wasn't one to suffer a loss.
Now what was really on his mind was how much would the Justice league lose in this exchange.
"Oh? Right, I do remember saying those words back then. Speaking of which, how is Lobo doing?"
Amari asked with interest. Batman frowned.
Why was he asking this?
"Information about Lobo is classified, but you don't have to worry concerning him. He will receive what he deserves, as will you when this is all over". Batman replied.
"Hehe, assuming he wakes up soon enough to get it before he dies. These guys, they seriously kept Lobo on Earth. Even going as far as nursing him to keep him alive instead of quickly handing this plague away to the guardians. They literally have no idea how screwed they are when they come looking for him". Amari said to himself with surprise.
He wasn't gloating, but was intrigued to see how they would react when they discover they actually doomed the earth with their own hands.
"Oh will I know? Well sorry to disappoint you Batman, but there will be no need to convict me for anything. By the time this meeting is over, you'll all see that we won't even have to step in court". Amari said candidly.
The holographic projector finally finished its work, causing his lips to curl upward.
"And what could possibly cause such a scenario". Batman asked with narrowed eyes. He knew things weren't going to be so easy and this was the point where things would probably start to get ugly.
"Simply because the majority of your claims on my actions are wrong". As soon as he said those words, a picture appeared on the screen, showing a male youth with dirty blonde hair.
"Let's first address this person. The one who, according to you, I crippled his arm which I have no intent of denying. Name, Franky Gaines, a twenty-year-old college student with above-average grades, decent family background and a seemingly bright future". Everyone looked at the screen.
"That's right, I've confirmed it's him. But what, how does this change anything?" Batman agreed, and so did flash. After all, he was the one who ran him to the hospital.
"In your eyes, I just ruined the future of an innocent teenager for no good reason. However…." More pictures began to flash, the videos, then text messages.
The league viewed all of it…. Their faces grew more unsightly with each passing second.
After a minute,
"By Hera... how disgusting. What filth…." Diana let out a series of curse words, the best she could come up with. Everyone else was gloomy as well.
The kid Franky looked no different from a regular male but underneath all that, he was a sadistic rapist, bully and had pushed numerous girls so far that most committed suicide.
There were sex videos, bragging text messages, and even threats to expose them if they didn't do what he wanted.
To think that such a young man was actually all this.....
Batman was equally stunned.
"Let's not forget that he had ill intentions towards me, are my actions in crippling this kind of person the reason you consider me a threat? Please don't misunderstand, I didn't do this because of that as I couldn't care less of his actions, but doesn't your race emphasize heavily on morality?"
"You actually sympathize with such a person and let him live despite claiming to be defenders of Justice?" He finished and looked at the League.
The result was exactly as he had expected. They were all suffering in silence. Diana had the most outraged expression, while Batman had his offensive cut off. Superman looked at the screen with the boy's picture and gritted his teeth madly.
This..... This... This.....
Silence reigned for a few seconds.
"... I admit that this can't be used to hold you eligible to standing trial. This young man is nothing short of a monster due to his actions. However, you crippling him is not right, nor is it in your right to do so. He should have been handed to the authorities". Clark finally spoke up.
He looked at Amari, his tone no longer as aggressive and challenging as it was before.
After all, this was the kind of person whose actions would slip under the Leagues' radar if nothing special happened.
And right now, Clark was feeling awful. Still, he didn't forget to add his opinions. His voice was firm on it as well.
"So you're saying I'm heavy-handed? Then why don't you tell the same to Batman, who literally does the same thing to Gotham criminals, sometimes going as far as branding them?" Amari looked at Superman with curiosity.
"I....." Clark was a little embarrassed. He did say something similar to Bruce, but Batman wouldn't change. Not to mention…
"It's different. Gotham is a terrible place and it needs heavier measures. Not to mention, although he is vile, he is still young". Bruce interjected.
"So a kid who has committed such things on women can't be out in the same class as Gotham criminals because of his age? Don't you find your words hypocritical, Batman?"
Again, silence filled the room. Bruce didn't say anything, Ashe was momentarily short of words.
He felt many eyes in him, two being particularly intense.
Diana and Hakwgirl in particular were eyeing him intensely. Bruce realized he had used the wrong words again and was now in a bind.
He could only helplessly change the topic while shamelessly saying.
"Don't change the subject, this young man will pay for his actions accordingly. But your matter hasn't been settled…"
"Oh I know with the teenagers I injured as well as Green Lantern, right". Amari smiled a bit.
Batman immediately knew something was wrong. This guy was always expressionless and indifferent. He never smiled and whenever he did, even a little, it signified that something was wrong.
"The fact that you still use those kids against me shows that you didn't bother to check on their situation and ask them some questions. Maybe the boy wonder didn't have enough time to spread the word and is still unconscious. But apart from the military in the room, everyone else knows that those teenagers aren't just teenagers, wouldn't you agree, Batman?"
Amari asked again.
Silence.
Everyone in the league was looking at him with different emotions in their eyes.
Mostly wariness.
Amari snapped his finger. The screen changed again as what played was a recording. A recording of everything that had happened in the café. How he threw the blonde out the window and everyone else ran out.
Except six youths who stood still while facing him from beginning to end. The hologram had an audio function so each and every one in the room could hear what as happening.
Their faces grew serious as well as a confirmation playing out in their heads.
Bruce gritted his teeth in irritation. This alien didn't just know his identity, he knew the identities of the league's proteges. And if he knew the identities of the proteges, then he knew the identity of the whole league.
"You can probably guess from this that I already know your secret identities. Each and each one of them. Steve Trevor should already know so it doesn't matter with him, General Lane, however, if I'm not mistaken, should....." He didn't finish his words, but everyone understood.
While the video didn't explicitly say who they were, it had left some clues down to track. If General Lane decided to use all military resources to crack down on this lead, it would be a matter of time before the identities of the league would be exposed one after another.
In that case, the league and everyone they cared about would be in danger if the government knew their identities.
Everyone except Victor Stone, as many already knew he was a cyborg.
Everyone turned to look at General Lane. The man truly was worthy of being a competent general, as he was already giving instructions over his phone.
Panic began to stem in their hearts. Bruce looked ugly.
The only solace in this was that Amari had blurred the pictures of the faces of the proteges in this video, so Lane didn't know so exactly they were, but it wouldn't be difficult to find out.
After all, there were other shops and establishments in the vicinity. Some of them also had cameras that could have caught parts of the sidewalk.
"Ok let's focus here. We are not done, are we. The video hasn't even concluded". Amari said with a slight smile. Bruce felt a bit cold. Things weren't proceeding anything close to what he planned.
General Lane was attentively listening to the video.
[Of course, that won't be enough to base your assumptions on. After all, you could all just be ignorant kids with a thing for superheroes. That changes however for someone who knows about a certain black Ops team doing things in the shadows for the league that they, due to their hypocritical moral integrity and the fact that it would cause trouble for them if the United Nations found out, can't]
As soon as he heard this part, General Lane, who was usually expressionless had his face harden considerably. A cold light flashed though his eyes as his gaze turned towards the League Members.
"Shit!" Batman cursed inwardly. Things were developing very wrongly.
....
Currently fourth place in monthly rankings and 35th in all time rankings when I last checked. Thanks for your support.
Hope you enjoy.
BTW, although I love faceslapping, I will tone it down a lot after his matter with the league is done.
Also, I won't make the Justice league all arrogant and oppressive on the MC when he slaps there faces with hard facts. After all, people like Superman are compassionate and will realise their wrongdoings when they see there are wrong.
It won't change their built in morals but they won't be as aggressive.
Also thanks to the fan SPECTATOR for giving me the idea for a possible arc that will follow in the next few chapters and last for a few more.
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