บท 61: Chapter 61 We Need To Talk
"That was..... Weird". Clark frowned deeply.
Turning his head towards the sky, he couldn't help but activate his telescopic vision.
The Man Of Steel's line of sight penetrated the clouds, giving him a perfect view of the Earth's upper atmosphere.
Nothing.
Seeing that there was nothing within view, Clark frowned even deeper.
"Was I mistaken?" He wondered to himself…
"Eh hem". However, a loud, irritable voice calling out to him drew him out of his subconscious thoughts.
The Man Of Steel turned his head back towards the expressionless soldier who was holding a tablet in his hands. On the lit screen was the picture of a frowning Amanda Waller, hands crossed, brows knitted and an inexplicable expression of annoyance.
"Am I distracting you, Superman?" Being drawn was from his thoughts, coupled with the sarcastic tone, Clark felt slightly irked.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. This wasn't Clark attempting to be rude, but it was the first time the two of them had met each other.
Or rather, she knew who he was, but he didn't.
"And also, where's Lane? He needs to give me an explanation".
"It's a shame to inform you that I'm the one you will be dealing with from today". Waller remarked uncharacteristically through the screen.
"My name is Amanda Waller, Special Agent of the United States government and the new acting director of America's Department Of Defense".
The fat on her face jiggled lightly as she introduced herself.
"New?..... Acting Director?" Clark's eyebrows furrowed.
Since when did the DOD get a new secretary? Furthermore, what happened to Lois's dad?
"But Sam Lane is.....".
"Missing, unfortunately". Waller interrupted with creased eyebrows.
"How? Where? When?" Clark asked solemnly. He didn't have a good impression of the General who had tried to capture him more than once and supported that criminal, Lex Luthor.
However, the fact remained that he was Lois's father. And Lois was his close friend.
That automatically made the situation his problem. Too bad, someone else didn't think so.
"That is classified information, Superman. General Lane is one of our own, and this incident will be handled by us without your assistance".
Her face was plain, portraying no emotions with a firm and decisive tone.
Clark frowned.
"If you need help, I can...".
"None required. Military matters do not require the League's interference". Looking at the stern expression on her face, Superman felt slightly annoyed.
"Now I understand".
"Understand what?"
"How tonight's incident even happened. I've been around Lane long enough to know his character. He isn't pleasant to get along with, but at least he wouldn't overlook the whole picture just to prove his own capabilities".
Waller's expression crumpled slightly.
"What are you trying to say?"
"It's simple really. Lane goes missing, then someone takes over and transports what should be the most dangerous weapon on earth without alerting the Justice League, all so they could showcase their capabilities".
"Honestly, I don't know whether it's pride, prejudice, or incompetence". Clark said with displeasure.
He wasn't annoyed about her tone. He could already judge from the first sentence that this fat lady would be even more difficult to get along with than the stubborn general.
People in power could be like that, he didn't mind. But the fact that Amazo was lost due to someone's ego pissed him off.
As long as the League was informed, no matter how stretched thin they were, someone would have been on standby in case anything went wrong.
He had cooperated with Lane concerning similar matters several times.
And now..... Into the hands of someone like Bruno Mannheim, for that matter. Who knows who that guy would sell the Android to.
Maybe Diana was right, Perhaps they should have pushed harder and refused to give up the Android.
And now, this happens.
Clark felt regret and worry.
Amanda Waller on screen looked like she had eaten a fly.
Her chest heaved up and down as she tried her hardest to pacify her fury before remarking.
"We had the situation under control ... Unfortunately, our team had ..... Complications".
The thought of a traitor being within her strike team made her clench her fists and gnash her teeth.
The operation date, and route, was tightly guarded. No one but her and her team knew when the transport was supposed to take place.
As long as the location wasn't leaked, then everything would be fine.
But the heavens seem to have a grudge against her.
There was nothing she could say about this. The Android was lost, and she would definitely bear the brunt of it.
Those enemies she had made in Congress certainly wouldn't forfeit the chance to inflict serious injuries on her career....
The more she thought of it, the angrier she became.
Amanda had already made up her mind. That Goddamn traitor would undoubtedly die, and she would be the one to kill him herself.
"Let's cut to the chase. I have to get back to the league and inform my team on the missing Android. AMAZO is now out there, and I feel we all have something better we could be doing with our precious time, so what did you call me for?" Clark cut in sharply.
For this character, Superman certainly wouldn't give a good face.
Silence...
Looking at the screen, Waller's silence lasted for a few seconds, before she finally spoke.
"We need you to contact him". Her tone sounded slightly exasperated.
Even when asking for something, she refused to use the word "help". It could be seen how "anti-hero" this lady was.
"Who?"
".... The Alien".
"..... You don't mean..." The Man Of Steel had his eyes flash with slight surprise before his face grew stern.
"..... Exactly who you think". The day woman replied.
"Why?" Clark said with a hint of displeasure. The thought of meeting Amari after all that had happened, honestly didn't sit well with him.
It had only been more than a week. Clark would honestly not want to involve himself with him anytime soon.
Also, what gave them the idea that the Justice League was on good terms with him to initiate contact?
However, Waller replied to the Kryptonian with silence. Her expression slightly unsightly and somewhat gloomy.
"... It's classifi....".
"Then find someone else to do it. I'm Superman, not a messenger". Clark rebutted bluntly.
Now he was really getting pissed.
Waller's eyes narrowed, her dark, fat face squished together slightly when she frowned.
"... The DOD have reason to believe that the capture of General Lane is far from simple. It's been a week and until now, we have no idea who kidnapped him or if he's still alive at the moment. Whether it's the work of an individual or a group. All we can tell is that they operated using a new generation aerial carrier designed with cloaking technology, giving them the ability to escape the watch of our satellites and all surveillance methods. We can't find them, we can't track them, we have no idea who they are, or what they want....".
"So, basically, you need our help?" Superman asked in puzzlement.
"Like I said, we won't require League assistance. What we want isn't you, but him".
"And what does "he" have to do with this?" Clark couldn't help but ask.
"According to the unofficial records I could find, Apart from your Justice League, Sam Lane is the only one who has made contact with "The Deviant". Apparently, they made a special transaction and some business negotiations".
"Let me guess.... They're classified?" Clark raised an eyebrow with a deadpan look.
Amanda ignored him and continued.
"The first and only transaction was something of strategic importance to the military with huge investment potential. It was also the only way through which we could make contact. With Lane gone...."
"You're cut off. That's why you can't do it yourself".
"Correct".
Clark could understand what Waller wanted. Although he didn't know what Lane traded with Amari, the part that stated "strategic importance with huge investment value" practically said it all.
Since they couldn't communicate with Amari, then the traded item wasn't in the military's possession. Maybe only Lane knew where it was or had the ability to use it.
It could also be the reason Lane was captured. Of course, this was all hypothesis.
But the meaning was clear. If Amari gave it, then the chances that he was probably the only one who could find it.
And for the military to value it so much, then it was most likely dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands.
Clark's brain immediately analyzed everything he could from the short conversation.
"But his base is outside Gotham, why not just go there?" The thought came to mind, prompting him to ask with slight confusion.
Waller's face, that had somewhat eased up, turned ugly again.
"We tried".
"And?"
"..."
Silence.
Receiving no response, Clark somewhat understood.
Most likely, Amari didn't answer them. There was no way. an energy barrier surrounded the whole area.
Touching it would mean certain death for regular people. Without any way to contact him, they would probably have to stand in front of the dome yelling and waving.
From the sound of it, they tried, and he likely didn't respond.
Which is..... Kinda normal when you think about it.
From what Clark learned, what they were seeing wasn't the real deal but a projection across dimensions.
It would be weird if he could hear them and even if he did, he could choose not to respond.
Thinking of this scene, Clark felt a bit of pity. The image of a group of government agents standing outside the barrier throughout the day or throughout the night, yelling and waving for hours, came to mind.
"... Fine..... but we can't....". Superman responded, but was interrupted Midway.
"Hold on one second. Superman to Justice League, what's the problem.....?" The man of steel excused himself before placing two fingers on his ear.
".... The base? What..."
Clark frowned.
"I see, I'll be right there".
Clark said solemnly before turning the tablet screen.
"We'll pick this up another time, Miss Waller. I have somewhere I need to be".
BOOM!
Without saying another word, the Man Of Steel took off to the skies, turning into a blur, breaking the sound barrier and disappearing into the night sky.
"Wrap it up here". Waller said blandly to the soldier holding the tablet before ending the video chat.
Back in the monitoring facility, Wally sat in an office with the flat screen TV in front of her turned off.
Her grim expression remained unchanged as she picked up a folder from the table, placing it beside another.
On one were the remnants of operation Task Force X.
Unlike the first, the second was new, recently printed and on the front was the word "CLASSIFIED" written in all caps, colored red.
Opening the first page, the first thing that came to sight was Three words.
Project Steel Soldier.
Numerous thoughts passed through her mind.
Apart from contacting Amari to find Lane and retrieve the Red Queen, Waller took higher interest in the second off the books negotiation Lane made with Amari.
The real reason why The US Government would legalize the citizenship of an alien which they had no information or control over.
Controlled Human Weapons.
The kind that Cadmus had promised but fails to deliver on for so many years.
Waller looked at the two folders and put them together.
A special strike force of powered individuals, all under the service of the American government.
Waller's eyes lit up momentarily at the prospect.
The desire for such almost matched the intensity of the old General's.
...
Mount Justice
Happy Harbor
Rhode Island
Superman tore through the air at his fastest speed, crossing hundreds of miles in seconds.
Appearing over Mount Justice, he descended sharply, his figure a blur, and landed in front of the cave entrance.
The ground wasn't cracked, nor was there a commotion due to his descent.
"Cave Computer, open....." Clark stopped his words before moving his head to the side.
He felt it again. The feeling from earlier.... Like something was watching him.
Only this time, he couldn't pinpoint the source. It felt like it was coming from everywhere.
Activating telescopic vision, X-ray vision, microscopic vision, Clark examined his surroundings, yet no result.
"I know you're there". Superman called out.
"What do you want?" Pushing his senses to the maximum, Clark felt slightly uneasy.
"Show yourself".
This was the first time something like this had happened.
"Who said I'm hiding?" A voice entered his ears.
He knew that voice.
Sure enough, the space a few meters away distorted, followed by the appearance of someone he hadn't seen for a while.
"It's you". Clark said with a frown.
He just discussed with Waller about him, and they met less than a minute later.
Coincidence?
"In the flesh. You respond pretty fast". Amari said casually.
Clark's eyes narrowed.
That sentence..... He knew he would be here.
How? Wait, why was he here? Was he the one responsible for the incident?
Clark's face was turned unsightly.
"Was it you?" He asked in a cold tone.
"No, it wasn't". Amari shook his head.
Clark furrowed his eyebrows with a bit of scrutiny. The unchanging expression left him with nothing to grasp but ....it didn't seem like it.
The expression on his face eased slightly.
Judging from Amari's character, it shouldn't be the case. But questions had to be asked.
"Then why are you here?"
"Sigh! To make a second drop-off". Listening to his words, Amari sighed lightly.
Twice in one night.
"Drop off?" Clark was confused.
"You'll understand soon enough. By the way, we need to talk". Amari shook his head before looking at Superman seriously.
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing".
....
Thank you to all those who wished me well.
Expect a new chapter anytime from 10pm today to 1am
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