17 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::------------------------------------------::
(General P.O.V)
The once-great city of Gotham lay in ruins, a smoldering wasteland of twisted metal and shattered concrete. In the midst of the destruction, a group of National Guard officers had set up a command center to coordinate the search and rescue efforts.
Colonel Erwin Dean, a high-ranking officer, was busy briefing his team on the latest developments when agents from ARGUS arrived on the scene, disembarking from the black colored armored chopper.
Sasha Bordeaux, a stern-looking woman with dark hair and a sharp chinned face, strode purposefully towards the command center, her eyes were hidden behind black glasses. Her gaze fixed on Colonel Dean.
The Colonel looked up from his briefing and frowned in confusion at the party led by the woman in a black pantsuit.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his tone curt and businesslike.
"Greetings Colonel. My name is Sasha Bordeaux, and I'm with ARGUS," the agent replied, her voice cold and clipped. "We're here to take over jurisdiction of this operation."
Colonel Dean looked taken aback. "Excuse me? I ask for reinforcements to deal with those freaks and they send me the Superhuman FBI to take over my command?"
Sasha's expression remained impassive.
"Yes, Colonel. You need to understand, this is no longer just a national emergency. It is a global threat. We need to ensure that all necessary resources are being utilized to find out what caused the explosion and turned the Justice League hostile."
'ugh, they didn't even warn me!'
The Colonel bristled. "I understand the gravity of the situation dammit! The Amazon almost took out one of my squads for getting closer to the Dome. Not to mention soon after, we had reports of Superman going on a rampage, a huge snake slithering around and more Leaguers fighting. Regardless, I have kept it all contained."
He smacked the table.
"I have search and rescue teams combing through the rubble for any survivors and we're working with what's left of the local law enforcement to do more. My people have also set up a perimeter to secure the area around the dome. So who are you to come in and tell me what to do?"
Sasha nodded, her gaze unwavering. "That's all well and good, Colonel, but we have resources and expertise that can help speed up the process. Rescue people faster. We can bring in more advanced technology and intelligence gathering methods, translation: we can deal with the dome and the League while nothing you throw at thise problems will work."
She looked around the tent.
"We need to ensure that every possible avenue is being explored and no offense but your men are not really equipped to deal with whatever this is. You've done a splendid job, but now let us take over."
She snapped a finger and the men behind her, spread out through the room to begin setting up.
The Colonel hesitated for a moment, she wasn't wrong. Over 2 decades in his career and he'd never seen something quite like this. Even the Apellaxian invasion was tame in comparison to this. An entire city, destroyed.
Still, he wasn't just going to let someone swoop in and take over his command.
Colonel Dean sighed.
"I understand you have your orders, but we have a duty to the people of Gotham to see this operation through. We've been working around the clock to save as many lives as possible. You only just got got here. After all the heavy lifting."
Sasha's expression softened slightly. "And we appreciate your efforts, Colonel. But this is bigger than just Gotham. We need to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
"Fine. I am not opposed to cooperation between us."
The Colonel finally laid his cards on the table.
Sasha frowned in thought.
"I agree just as long as you promise to keep me in the loop. Also, I'll be taking full command while on the field. The priority is getting to that Black Dome. Now what do you know about that?"
The Colonel shrugged, pointing at the map.
"Not much. I was in the middle of organizing a second team after the first one ran into Wonder Woman and came back with more than a few broken bones."
"Possession?"
Sasha asked, walking to stand next to the Colonel.
"They said she had four red eyes and pink skin with black lips. If that's not possession then I don't know what is."
The Colonel said.
'I do.' Sasha thought to herself. They could be imposters. Clones or parallel versions.' Her job allowed her to come across many weird things.
"And is it the whole League that is acting strange?"
She questioned.
"No, so far we have confirmed that the Hawk people are on our side. Then footage from the Daily Planet News crew showed Black Canary fighting the Atlantean king..."
'That's a political disaster.' Sasha thought.
"...And we also have more footage showing Superman fighting an unknown Metahuman."
"And then there's the snake."
Sasha said, looking at the choppy video footage showing a massive form slither past the camera.
"Wait, back up a little."
She told the soldier, pointing at the huge display near the walls of the tent. The Colonel nodded to the soldier.
"There. stop."
On the screen was a figure clad in a purple one piece costume, a long white half coat and a red mask on his face.
"We've designated him as the Scarlet Demon."
Sasha Bordeaux removed the glasses on her face.
'Bingo.'
"That's a high level target Colonel." She addressed the old man.
"Any chance you get, take him down. Alive."
"Who or what is he?"
The Colonel asked with genuine interest. This was the only instant the unflappable agent had shown a real reaction.
"That's classified."
Sasha replied, taking the offered seat before leaning back.
"Ok Colonel, what's your plan of attack?"
Clearly he wasn't going to get any more clarification on who the figure was. They could go up against Superman and hold their own. The Colonel wondered what Sasha meant by 'taking him down'?
The Colonel tapped the table, swiping his finger on it. On the screen display, a 3d map of Gotham appeared. A yellow route begun pulsing through the destroyed streets.
"The first group only got within 120 feet of the Dome. The second Alpha team, will use the underground tunnels to go under the dome."
'If it's even possible. The dome could extend through the ground and form a perfect sphere. Then again, maybe it didn't.'
"What about air support?"
Sasha asked.
The Colonel sighed, swiping the screen once more. Another footage, this one taken from the air showed Hawk-man crash into the rotor of the chopper, after being thrown by Captain Atom. Hawk-woman snarled, moving in from Captain Atom's blindspot to attack. The image froze.
"I decided to hold back on the air support for now."
He reported.
Sasha could understand why.
"Most of our intelligence is gathered and pieced together from my men on the ground and the News crews filming."
The Colonel added.
"I see. What about communication? Have you tried to reach out to the League members on our side?"
The stern Woman asked.
"No. I was more focused on ensuring we rescued everyone we could. Let the Gods and Monsters fight it out."
He huffed.
Sasha's unimpressed stare made the Colonel frown.
"I'll have my people begin broadcasting a radio signal. Luckily with the transmitter and generator, we can cover the whole area."
"Good."
Sasha said, getting to her feet. There was work to do.
"Get that broadcast airing. They should pick up on the frequency. Meanwhile I'll need to see your mission log and speak with your team to get a better understanding of the situation on the ground."
10 minutes later, a squad of Argus agents were dropped into Gotham.
The drop of point for Alpha team was a street away from an emergency zone. A group of local authority from the Gotham hospital had managed to use a bomb shelter to set up a relief point. Few places survived the explosion.
There was the Stadium and the GCPD building. Any other notable building structure in Gotham was behind the dome, like Wayne Tower.
There was a rumble from the ground and Alpha team stopped.
The first encounter they came across was not any of the possessed Leaguers, it started when hundreds upon hundreds of Man Bats rose off the ground and started terrorizing everyone they could find.
"Hold!"
Sasha told the soldiers at her back as they crouched behind the corner of the building. Screams begun ringing out afresh from the emergency zone. Bullets sang from the officers manning the perimeter. But it was doing little to stop what was happening. The creatures were grabbing anyone they could find and carrying them away towards the direction of the dome.
"How far away are we to our destination?"
She asked her second in command.
"About 3 blocks."
The soldier answered.
'What do I do? Should I abandon the mission and help save these people? It will surely be a blow to ARGUS if it gets out we left people to die.'
"Okay listen up..."
Thwwoop!!
Something shredded the air above them.
"What the fuck was that?!"
Suddenly all of them were shielding their eyes from the dust, hearts hammering in high alert.
The severed head of one of the creatures fell on the street right before them, bouncing away. Then something else landed with a wet smack. This time they got a good look at one of the creatures. It was gutted with it's entrails hanging out.
It mewled pitifully.
Sasha blinked, her hands tightening on the repulser rifle as she raised it up and pulled the trigger, blasting apart it's brains with a blue bolt.
"Control room to Alpha team. Come in."
There was static from the radio. Two clicks and the radio went silent. They were in a combat situation after all.
Sasha looked around the corner and saw 'him.'
He was nothing but a blur. The dozens of Man Bats couldn't hold it against him. His sword flashed out and every instant one of the creatures would be dead. In 3 seconds, the whole area around the Emergency Zone was covered in flesh and gore. He took them out singlehanded.
Never materializing enough for someone to see who he was but Sasha knew. Argus knew.
And it was only a matter of...
A pair of boots appeared before her. That speed. It's like he'd teleported.
Davian's hair swayed in the gentle breeze as he looked down at the team of agents hiding behind the corner. In his hands was a struggling Man Bat, held by the neck.
His eyes swept across the 15 of them before they landed on who he thought was the leader. The woman with short black hair at the lead.
"Coordinate with those people to set up a perimeter. I'm going to try and deal with the bulk of the creatures but you will have to pick off the stragglers."
He immediately begun speaking, not even taking the time to ask who they were.
He pointed at an unfinished building.
"That perch right there is a perfect vantage point for snipers. Regular bullets don't work on their tough skins, so you'll need to have something powerful."
The Man Bat's claw raked across Davian's face but failed to penetrate his skin. A cold light flashed across the young man's eyes underneath the red mask.
"Annoying."
There was an audible crunch and it's neck folded, head popping into blood and brain matter.
He threw it's body away like trash.
"If you see a giant snake, it's on our side. Oh and stay out of my fucking way."
After saying, that Davian disappeared in another burst of superspeed.
Sasha Bordeaux blinked.
"Ma'am?"
Her second in command called out.
Sasha looked back and saw the faces of her men.
"You heard him."
17 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::------------------------------------------::
(General P.O.V)
The once-great city of Gotham lay in ruins, a smoldering wasteland of twisted metal and shattered concrete. In the midst of the destruction, a group of National Guard officers had set up a command center to coordinate the search and rescue efforts.
Colonel Erwin Dean, a high-ranking officer, was busy briefing his team on the latest developments when agents from ARGUS arrived on the scene, disembarking from the black colored armored chopper.
Sasha Bordeaux, a stern-looking woman with dark hair and a sharp chinned face, strode purposefully towards the command center, her eyes were hidden behind black glasses. Her gaze fixed on Colonel Dean.
The Colonel looked up from his briefing and frowned in confusion at the party led by the woman in a black pantsuit.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his tone curt and businesslike.
"Greetings Colonel. My name is Sasha Bordeaux, and I'm with ARGUS," the agent replied, her voice cold and clipped. "We're here to take over jurisdiction of this operation."
Colonel Dean looked taken aback. "Excuse me? I ask for reinforcements to deal with those freaks and they send me the Superhuman FBI to take over my command?"
Sasha's expression remained impassive.
"Yes, Colonel. You need to understand, this is no longer just a national emergency. It is a global threat. We need to ensure that all necessary resources are being utilized to find out what caused the explosion and turned the Justice League hostile."
'ugh, they didn't even warn me!'
The Colonel bristled. "I understand the gravity of the situation dammit! The Amazon almost took out one of my squads for getting closer to the Dome. Not to mention soon after, we had reports of Superman going on a rampage, a huge snake slithering around and more Leaguers fighting. Regardless, I have kept it all contained."
He smacked the table.
"I have search and rescue teams combing through the rubble for any survivors and we're working with what's left of the local law enforcement to do more. My people have also set up a perimeter to secure the area around the dome. So who are you to come in and tell me what to do?"
Sasha nodded, her gaze unwavering. "That's all well and good, Colonel, but we have resources and expertise that can help speed up the process. Rescue people faster. We can bring in more advanced technology and intelligence gathering methods, translation: we can deal with the dome and the League while nothing you throw at thise problems will work."
She looked around the tent.
"We need to ensure that every possible avenue is being explored and no offense but your men are not really equipped to deal with whatever this is. You've done a splendid job, but now let us take over."
She snapped a finger and the men behind her, spread out through the room to begin setting up.
The Colonel hesitated for a moment, she wasn't wrong. Over 2 decades in his career and he'd never seen something quite like this. Even the Apellaxian invasion was tame in comparison to this. An entire city, destroyed.
Still, he wasn't just going to let someone swoop in and take over his command.
Colonel Dean sighed.
"I understand you have your orders, but we have a duty to the people of Gotham to see this operation through. We've been working around the clock to save as many lives as possible. You only just got got here. After all the heavy lifting."
Sasha's expression softened slightly. "And we appreciate your efforts, Colonel. But this is bigger than just Gotham. We need to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
"Fine. I am not opposed to cooperation between us."
The Colonel finally laid his cards on the table.
Sasha frowned in thought.
"I agree just as long as you promise to keep me in the loop. Also, I'll be taking full command while on the field. The priority is getting to that Black Dome. Now what do you know about that?"
The Colonel shrugged, pointing at the map.
"Not much. I was in the middle of organizing a second team after the first one ran into Wonder Woman and came back with more than a few broken bones."
"Possession?"
Sasha asked, walking to stand next to the Colonel.
"They said she had four red eyes and pink skin with black lips. If that's not possession then I don't know what is."
The Colonel said.
'I do.' Sasha thought to herself. They could be imposters. Clones or parallel versions.' Her job allowed her to come across many weird things.
"And is it the whole League that is acting strange?"
She questioned.
"No, so far we have confirmed that the Hawk people are on our side. Then footage from the Daily Planet News crew showed Black Canary fighting the Atlantean king..."
'That's a political disaster.' Sasha thought.
"...And we also have more footage showing Superman fighting an unknown Metahuman."
"And then there's the snake."
Sasha said, looking at the choppy video footage showing a massive form slither past the camera.
"Wait, back up a little."
She told the soldier, pointing at the huge display near the walls of the tent. The Colonel nodded to the soldier.
"There. stop."
On the screen was a figure clad in a purple one piece costume, a long white half coat and a red mask on his face.
"We've designated him as the Scarlet Demon."
Sasha Bordeaux removed the glasses on her face.
'Bingo.'
"That's a high level target Colonel." She addressed the old man.
"Any chance you get, take him down. Alive."
"Who or what is he?"
The Colonel asked with genuine interest. This was the only instant the unflappable agent had shown a real reaction.
"That's classified."
Sasha replied, taking the offered seat before leaning back.
"Ok Colonel, what's your plan of attack?"
Clearly he wasn't going to get any more clarification on who the figure was. They could go up against Superman and hold their own. The Colonel wondered what Sasha meant by 'taking him down'?
The Colonel tapped the table, swiping his finger on it. On the screen display, a 3d map of Gotham appeared. A yellow route begun pulsing through the destroyed streets.
"The first group only got within 120 feet of the Dome. The second Alpha team, will use the underground tunnels to go under the dome."
'If it's even possible. The dome could extend through the ground and form a perfect sphere. Then again, maybe it didn't.'
"What about air support?"
Sasha asked.
The Colonel sighed, swiping the screen once more. Another footage, this one taken from the air showed Hawk-man crash into the rotor of the chopper, after being thrown by Captain Atom. Hawk-woman snarled, moving in from Captain Atom's blindspot to attack. The image froze.
"I decided to hold back on the air support for now."
He reported.
Sasha could understand why.
"Most of our intelligence is gathered and pieced together from my men on the ground and the News crews filming."
The Colonel added.
"I see. What about communication? Have you tried to reach out to the League members on our side?"
The stern Woman asked.
"No. I was more focused on ensuring we rescued everyone we could. Let the Gods and Monsters fight it out."
He huffed.
Sasha's unimpressed stare made the Colonel frown.
"I'll have my people begin broadcasting a radio signal. Luckily with the transmitter and generator, we can cover the whole area."
"Good."
Sasha said, getting to her feet. There was work to do.
"Get that broadcast airing. They should pick up on the frequency. Meanwhile I'll need to see your mission log and speak with your team to get a better understanding of the situation on the ground."
10 minutes later, a squad of Argus agents were dropped into Gotham.
The drop of point for Alpha team was a street away from an emergency zone. A group of local authority from the Gotham hospital had managed to use a bomb shelter to set up a relief point. Few places survived the explosion.
There was the Stadium and the GCPD building. Any other notable building structure in Gotham was behind the dome, like Wayne Tower.
There was a rumble from the ground and Alpha team stopped.
The first encounter they came across was not any of the possessed Leaguers, it started when hundreds upon hundreds of Man Bats rose off the ground and started terrorizing everyone they could find.
"Hold!"
Sasha told the soldiers at her back as they crouched behind the corner of the building. Screams begun ringing out afresh from the emergency zone. Bullets sang from the officers manning the perimeter. But it was doing little to stop what was happening. The creatures were grabbing anyone they could find and carrying them away towards the direction of the dome.
"How far away are we to our destination?"
She asked her second in command.
"About 3 blocks."
The soldier answered.
'What do I do? Should I abandon the mission and help save these people? It will surely be a blow to ARGUS if it gets out we left people to die.'
"Okay listen up..."
Thwwoop!!
Something shredded the air above them.
"What the fuck was that?!"
Suddenly all of them were shielding their eyes from the dust, hearts hammering in high alert.
The severed head of one of the creatures fell on the street right before them, bouncing away. Then something else landed with a wet smack. This time they got a good look at one of the creatures. It was gutted with it's entrails hanging out.
It mewled pitifully.
Sasha blinked, her hands tightening on the repulser rifle as she raised it up and pulled the trigger, blasting apart it's brains with a blue bolt.
"Control room to Alpha team. Come in."
There was static from the radio. Two clicks and the radio went silent. They were in a combat situation after all.
Sasha looked around the corner and saw 'him.'
He was nothing but a blur. The dozens of Man Bats couldn't hold it against him. His sword flashed out and every instant one of the creatures would be dead. In 3 seconds, the whole area around the Emergency Zone was covered in flesh and gore. He took them out singlehanded.
Never materializing enough for someone to see who he was but Sasha knew. Argus knew.
And it was only a matter of...
A pair of boots appeared before her. That speed. It's like he'd teleported.
Davian's hair swayed in the gentle breeze as he looked down at the team of agents hiding behind the corner. In his hands was a struggling Man Bat, held by the neck.
His eyes swept across the 15 of them before they landed on who he thought was the leader. The woman with short black hair at the lead.
"Coordinate with those people to set up a perimeter. I'm going to try and deal with the bulk of the creatures but you will have to pick off the stragglers."
He immediately begun speaking, not even taking the time to ask who they were.
He pointed at an unfinished building.
"That perch right there is a perfect vantage point for snipers. Regular bullets don't work on their tough skins, so you'll need to have something powerful."
The Man Bat's claw raked across Davian's face but failed to penetrate his skin. A cold light flashed across the young man's eyes underneath the red mask.
"Annoying."
There was an audible crunch and it's neck folded, head popping into blood and brain matter.
He threw it's body away like trash.
"If you see a giant snake, it's on our side. Oh and stay out of my fucking way."
After saying, that Davian disappeared in another burst of superspeed.
Sasha Bordeaux blinked.
"Ma'am?"
Her second in command called out.
Sasha looked back and saw the faces of her men.
"You heard him."
