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DCU: Blacklist
- Thread starter Samael61
- Start date
Lillie Jones
Connoisseur.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
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- 26,870
Thanks for the chapter
Samael61
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2025
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- 397
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A small mistake on my part, removed it. Thank you for that.
G1 Convoy
Versed in the lewd.
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- Jul 23, 2021
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Thanks for another Great chapter. Glad to see Sports Master finally get his comeuppance.
Supes doesn't seem to be as bummed as I would have expected in the aftermath, so did he get to finish his fight with Darkseid or did things go down like in canon?
Kind of hard not to give someone the benefit of the doubt when they have (someone whom I believe to be) the Blue Boyscout vouching for them.
MasterDarkElf
Well worn.
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Gotta love Amazo just being like "This is my new father and role model now. Have I done good?", haha. Looking forward to more.
Chapter 60 - Vixens and Goofballs
New
Samael61
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2025
- Messages
- 397
- Likes received
- 19,537
Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
To the attention of the readers who enjoy reading an intelligent main character like Miles will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Gotham
Sportsmaster was left in a mental asylum. With his consciousness locked deep in his mind, he was no different from a lobotomized individual.
He had been found drooling in the street by a kind lady who had called the emergency services. Seeing his burnt-out state, they tried to reach out to family. Upon realizing the individual was a criminal and that the family wanted nothing to do with him, his fate was set now.
Miles knew the League of Assassins would be on the lookout for Sportsmaster. The fate of an agent, whether dead or gone rogue, could not be left uninvestigated.
He had given Artemis and her mother emergency transponders. Should the League of Assassins target them, he would send reinforcements.
He was about to leave for Metropolis. A purse snatcher, however, had a different idea. He had stolen from an old lady. Amazo was just about to interfere when a fist extended from behind them.
It knocked the would-be snatcher out cold.
He chuckled at the sight of Eel O'Brian, a.k.a. Plastic Man. The hero had stretched his legs up, waving at the crowd for the photos.
He should talk to the man soon.
—
Metropolis
There was a theft attempt on the Clean Energy Research Center by Captain Cold. The cryo tech developed must have impressed Snart for him to come to Metropolis. His cryotic armaments might work against Flash, but Superman was a different matter.
The security was recently switched to the latest iteration of Morrow's androids. Snart was caught before he could even enter the lower levels. It was a pity that his code made him unwilling to work under someone. His talents could have been useful.
"O Captain, my captain, trying to steal from me?" he asked.
"Just call the cops and get this over with," Snart replied.
Miles wagered the villain's costume would be awfully hot if they removed all the cryotech.
"How cold."
He looked down at the petty criminal. "The law enforcement is on the way. Don't let me see you around my property again, Leonard."
The human element of the security had already called the police, and they were minutes away. If the thief had disappeared, there would be too many questions.
It had paid off to have such an advanced security system.
—
"I don't know where you even found Thomas Morrow, but it is a good thing that you did. A theft would have been a blow to our prestige," Mary said.
He was visiting her office to discuss official business once Captain Cold was taken away. Meanwhile, Claire and Baraka were sweeping the building for bugs.
Amazo had left to consider the meaning of life on the moon.
"It would have been," he agreed.
"Your new friend is?" she asked, looking at the short, black-haired female dressed in a suit.
"This is Helix Aegis, your new bodyguard," he introduced. The android transformed her arm into a plasma cannon and back in demonstration.
"Do you think I need one?" She could do with hired security too. An Android seemed a bit overkill.
"Captain Cold's attempt was a sign that we have become important enough to draw the eyes of less than desirable people. Better safe than sorry."
Leonard Snart was the first, but by no means would he be the last.
"True."
"Ma'am." Aegis moved to stand at the corner of the room, waiting.
"She is an extremely advanced android. Coupled with the teleporter, you have nothing to worry about." The staff most likely to be targeted had emergency transponders to be teleported out of danger.
"Nice to have such a caring boss."
Once her security detail was updated, the matter turned to the company. The profit margin was off the charts. The advanced technology and the metahuman recruitment drive cut down on labor, energy, and material costs. Even with the above-market-rate salaries, the company had profited two billion dollars in just six months since the start of operations.
An incredible feat.
When it became evident just how much profit there was in having the metahumans work for you, just about every other company on Earth started the same. However, a simple advertisement campaign made the EnviroCorps the primary choice.
We don't recruit for profit; we recruit because we are against discriminating.
It had forced everyone else to offer far more than EnviroCorps.
The meteoric rise had the company and the competitors on edge. Especially when every inquiry and inspection came clean.
Now, the next part of the company's plans could begin. A fusion reactor for cheap, clean, and virtually limitless energy. Building the reactor in the United States was not possible due to the political climate.
The myriad of lobbies would never let such a revolution happen without having their share of the pie.
Which is why the first reactor would be built in Europe. A single reactor could power the electric grid of an entire nation, though several smaller ones would be better for redundancy. The danger of a nuclear accident did not exist as well. Mary suggested Germany as the location.
Europe as a whole was big on clean energy. A fusion reactor would be irresistible for them. Germany had the industrial base and a coastline for deuterium extraction from the sea.
Work on opening the EnviroCorps Germany branch had already begun. Once the fusion reactor that would power his holdings in Metropolis was online, it would be all the proof necessary for the world.
—
Pamela had cleaned the pollution in the Crime Alley in record time. Her breed of fungi was being sold to countries suffering from the same kind of environmental issues. All the profit was hers to do as she wished.
He, too, was buying her fungi to clean all the land he had bought for cheap.
Now, she had started her work on developing resistant crops for the famine-stricken parts of Africa. He would work on stabilizing the continent. Ending all armed conflict was the beginning.
Starting with Zambezi.
It was a country that did not exist on his Earth. Yet, the conflicts remained the same. Richard Jiwe, a reverend and peace activist, had been elected as the president. His half-brother, Mustapha Maksai, had staged a coup and executed the man.
Richard's daughter, Mari Jiwe, had escaped to the United States. Under the name Mari McCabe, she was a businesswoman and model who fought crime as the heroine Vixen.
She yearned for revenge but had yet to take it.
—
New York City
Vixen operated at night. The Tantu Totem allowed her to tap into the morphogenetic field of Earth, otherwise known as the Red. It made tracking her difficult.
She was currently chasing a drug dealer. The teleporter had landed him, Claire, and Baraka right on the path of the man.
Claire cracked her knuckles. The criminal was looking back for Vixen. When he saw something at the edge of his vision, it was too late. Her punch had slammed him to the ground.
The orange-costumed heroine came to a stop. Her brown eyes examined the trio before her.
"Thanks for the help," Vixen said. Her stance looked relaxed at first glance. He knew better.
"I abhor the thought of meddling in a hero's pursuit, but I wanted to speak to you. Miles Beckett, at your service." He took his hat off.
"Is this about the Tantu Totem?" she asked.
He knew those that practiced mystical arts would be on the hunt for the totem. Her suspicion was natural.
"While it is an interesting artifact, no. This is about taking down your uncle, Mustapha Maksai."
Vixen's wry smile vanished at the mention of the man who had killed her father.
"Why? What did he do to you?"
Maksai did not have a reason to send assassins after her. Either this person had a beef with her uncle or something to get out of removing him.
"Me? Nothing," he admitted. A common cause would have helped in earning Vixen's trust. "I have never even seen him in person. But his acts have reached my ears. I want him gone as a step towards putting an end to all the armed conflict in the continent."
She squinted her eyes slightly at the grand and altruistic-sounding plan.
"Why don't we speak somewhere else?" This was too important to speak about in a stinking alley.
—
Once the drug dealer was tied up for the cops, they found an empty park to sit down and talk.
"What do you get out of stabilizing the continent?" she asked. No one would try to stabilize an entire continent without earning something in return.
It was just a matter of knowing what Miles Beckett wanted.
"Ever heard of Darkseid?" he asked.
"No. Some new villain?" If so, the individual was either an edgelord or actually dangerous.
Miles smiled and played the recording of the battle between Darkseid and the Justice League. Amazo was kind enough to give these to him.
"He is the God of Evil from the planet Apokolips. He wants the entire universe under his tyrannical boot," he explained as the video progressed.
A small "oh" was all she could utter at the sight of a monster fighting the Justice League. Not only was this Darkseid holding his own, but he was also actually pushing the League back.
Even through the recording, her instincts screamed danger.
"Do you remember the incident at Jump City?"
"How can I not?" Over a thousand people dead due to the appearance of Satan was not something one could forget.
"The creature responsible for it was a mere avatar of the real deal," he said, showing Vixen the recording of Superman striking the four-eyed demon to no avail.
Her instincts were screaming again.
Vixen's exuberance was gone. These monsters were far out of her level. Which made them extremely deadly to the ordinary people.
"Is there some sort of secret power in Africa that can defeat them?" she asked with a creased brow. Otherwise, there was no sense in this man's desire to intervene in Africa.
"In a sense. The power of a unified Earth has the greatest chance to protect humanity from these extinction-level threats."
At least, that is what he believed. Taking the Anti-Life equation to wipe out evils such as Darkseid and Trigon.
"You want to unify the planet? Good luck with that," she scoffed. The politicians and dictators like Maksai would sooner bend over for Darkseid than unify to save the Earth.
"Do you want to free Zambesia, or not?" he asked. Vixen's belief in his plans was not necessary. Only her help in taking down the dictator of Zambesia.
"Why should I trust you?"
The assistance of someone who could acquire these recordings would be great.
If she could trust him.
"Hey there," a voice came from the sky. "Hope I am not interrupting."
"Superman?!" Vixen exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch. "What are you doing here?"
The Man of Tomorrow landed next to the bench, fist bumping with Miles.
"My friend here told me that a fellow hero might need an assurance," he explained. The conversation regarding Miles' plan to save a country from a dictator had not escaped his hearing. He still wasn't sure about interfering in a country like this, but Mustapha Maksai was a murderous despot.
If he could be brought to justice, then he was all for it.
"I, well," she stumbled. "I suppose you can't ask for a better reason to trust someone."
"Thank you, Superman, I appreciate this," Miles said.
Superman beamed. "Happy to help. Now if you excuse me, I have work tomorrow."
As quickly as he had arrived, Clark left New York City.
"What did you have in mind for Mustapha?"
The plan was simple. Zambesia was a poor nation. So were its armed forces. If Maksai and his generals were to be taken into custody, he could be forced to order his men to stand down.
However, there was a small issue.
There was no digital infrastructure for Zalika to hack to know Maksai's plans. This mission required an infiltrator to pull off a feat similar to the one at the Herrera family's estate.
He just had the opportunity to see one of the best infiltrators in the world in action.
—
Gotham
Vixen was putting her work on hold in preparation for her trip to Zambesia. Meanwhile, he would recruit the specialist.
It was relatively simple to get O'Brian's attention. If a person in need screamed in Gotham, rarely anyone except a hero would respond.
The second Plastic Man heard a maiden in despair, he came swinging, ready to fight. All he saw in the alley were three people waiting for him.
"Plastic Man."
"Is this my first ambush by villains?" O'Brian slapped his hands to his cheeks very deliberately, mouth open in a circle. "Man, I am getting more famous than I thought."
The clown act was just that, an act.
"I would have called, but Batman keeps an eye on you."
"Not an ambush? That's disappointing." Now the hero turned his head away, pouting.
Just as fast, he was back to smiling. "So, what do you guys want? An autograph? You didn't need to draw me here for that. I am always ready for my adoring fans," he said, pulling out a marker.
"I want your help in infiltrating the residence of a dictator and arresting him," Miles said.
Plastic Man sputtered. "Come again?"
Once O'Brian understood that the situation was serious, he dropped the act. As a former crook who had turned over a new leaf, helping arrest a dictator sounded cool.
He explained the situation in Zambesia. Starting with how Maksai had executed his half-brother, the late President Richard Jiwe, in a bloody coup. Followed by how the people suffered under his rule.
If Plastic Man helped, they could free the nation without spilling any further blood.
"Gee, man, I don't know. Who are you anyway? How do you know Batman?" Plastic Man's neck extended, and he looked down at Miles.
"We are friends. I would call him, but you know how he is about people, even if they are friends, moving around in Gotham."
"Yeah, you're right," he admitted, shrinking his neck back.
"What say you we take this to the Crime Alley? I want to see how the rebuilding efforts are going," Miles said. The Crime Alley, which would need a new name soon, was close to their location.
"Interested in Gotham, eh?" he asked.
For someone who had grown poor as he had, it was great to see that some things in this city actually change.
"I should be. I am funding half of the project."
O'Brian's eyes literally burst out of their sockets before going back. He knew that would interest the superhero. Once he saw the work in person, he would not need the assurance of Batman to join him.
In truth, he could handle the whole matter of Zambesia without Plastic Man. However, he was one of his favorites.
A goofball with the versatility to be one of the most troublesome superpowered individuals on the planet.
He wanted to be friends.
—
In the next chapter:
Once he was back home, Miles took everyone out for dinner. The sun was slowly setting down, and they deserved a treat after Zambesia.
It was going great. The place was fancy, the food was delicious, and the waiter was unnaturally beautiful. In itself, he would only question why she was working here rather than try her hand at modeling. If he was in a particularly relaxed mood, that is.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
To the attention of the readers who enjoy reading an intelligent main character like Miles will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Gotham
Sportsmaster was left in a mental asylum. With his consciousness locked deep in his mind, he was no different from a lobotomized individual.
He had been found drooling in the street by a kind lady who had called the emergency services. Seeing his burnt-out state, they tried to reach out to family. Upon realizing the individual was a criminal and that the family wanted nothing to do with him, his fate was set now.
Miles knew the League of Assassins would be on the lookout for Sportsmaster. The fate of an agent, whether dead or gone rogue, could not be left uninvestigated.
He had given Artemis and her mother emergency transponders. Should the League of Assassins target them, he would send reinforcements.
He was about to leave for Metropolis. A purse snatcher, however, had a different idea. He had stolen from an old lady. Amazo was just about to interfere when a fist extended from behind them.
It knocked the would-be snatcher out cold.
He chuckled at the sight of Eel O'Brian, a.k.a. Plastic Man. The hero had stretched his legs up, waving at the crowd for the photos.
He should talk to the man soon.
—
Metropolis
There was a theft attempt on the Clean Energy Research Center by Captain Cold. The cryo tech developed must have impressed Snart for him to come to Metropolis. His cryotic armaments might work against Flash, but Superman was a different matter.
The security was recently switched to the latest iteration of Morrow's androids. Snart was caught before he could even enter the lower levels. It was a pity that his code made him unwilling to work under someone. His talents could have been useful.
"O Captain, my captain, trying to steal from me?" he asked.
"Just call the cops and get this over with," Snart replied.
Miles wagered the villain's costume would be awfully hot if they removed all the cryotech.
"How cold."
He looked down at the petty criminal. "The law enforcement is on the way. Don't let me see you around my property again, Leonard."
The human element of the security had already called the police, and they were minutes away. If the thief had disappeared, there would be too many questions.
It had paid off to have such an advanced security system.
—
"I don't know where you even found Thomas Morrow, but it is a good thing that you did. A theft would have been a blow to our prestige," Mary said.
He was visiting her office to discuss official business once Captain Cold was taken away. Meanwhile, Claire and Baraka were sweeping the building for bugs.
Amazo had left to consider the meaning of life on the moon.
"It would have been," he agreed.
"Your new friend is?" she asked, looking at the short, black-haired female dressed in a suit.
"This is Helix Aegis, your new bodyguard," he introduced. The android transformed her arm into a plasma cannon and back in demonstration.
"Do you think I need one?" She could do with hired security too. An Android seemed a bit overkill.
"Captain Cold's attempt was a sign that we have become important enough to draw the eyes of less than desirable people. Better safe than sorry."
Leonard Snart was the first, but by no means would he be the last.
"True."
"Ma'am." Aegis moved to stand at the corner of the room, waiting.
"She is an extremely advanced android. Coupled with the teleporter, you have nothing to worry about." The staff most likely to be targeted had emergency transponders to be teleported out of danger.
"Nice to have such a caring boss."
Once her security detail was updated, the matter turned to the company. The profit margin was off the charts. The advanced technology and the metahuman recruitment drive cut down on labor, energy, and material costs. Even with the above-market-rate salaries, the company had profited two billion dollars in just six months since the start of operations.
An incredible feat.
When it became evident just how much profit there was in having the metahumans work for you, just about every other company on Earth started the same. However, a simple advertisement campaign made the EnviroCorps the primary choice.
We don't recruit for profit; we recruit because we are against discriminating.
It had forced everyone else to offer far more than EnviroCorps.
The meteoric rise had the company and the competitors on edge. Especially when every inquiry and inspection came clean.
Now, the next part of the company's plans could begin. A fusion reactor for cheap, clean, and virtually limitless energy. Building the reactor in the United States was not possible due to the political climate.
The myriad of lobbies would never let such a revolution happen without having their share of the pie.
Which is why the first reactor would be built in Europe. A single reactor could power the electric grid of an entire nation, though several smaller ones would be better for redundancy. The danger of a nuclear accident did not exist as well. Mary suggested Germany as the location.
Europe as a whole was big on clean energy. A fusion reactor would be irresistible for them. Germany had the industrial base and a coastline for deuterium extraction from the sea.
Work on opening the EnviroCorps Germany branch had already begun. Once the fusion reactor that would power his holdings in Metropolis was online, it would be all the proof necessary for the world.
—
Pamela had cleaned the pollution in the Crime Alley in record time. Her breed of fungi was being sold to countries suffering from the same kind of environmental issues. All the profit was hers to do as she wished.
He, too, was buying her fungi to clean all the land he had bought for cheap.
Now, she had started her work on developing resistant crops for the famine-stricken parts of Africa. He would work on stabilizing the continent. Ending all armed conflict was the beginning.
Starting with Zambezi.
It was a country that did not exist on his Earth. Yet, the conflicts remained the same. Richard Jiwe, a reverend and peace activist, had been elected as the president. His half-brother, Mustapha Maksai, had staged a coup and executed the man.
Richard's daughter, Mari Jiwe, had escaped to the United States. Under the name Mari McCabe, she was a businesswoman and model who fought crime as the heroine Vixen.
She yearned for revenge but had yet to take it.
—
New York City
Vixen operated at night. The Tantu Totem allowed her to tap into the morphogenetic field of Earth, otherwise known as the Red. It made tracking her difficult.
She was currently chasing a drug dealer. The teleporter had landed him, Claire, and Baraka right on the path of the man.
Claire cracked her knuckles. The criminal was looking back for Vixen. When he saw something at the edge of his vision, it was too late. Her punch had slammed him to the ground.
The orange-costumed heroine came to a stop. Her brown eyes examined the trio before her.
"Thanks for the help," Vixen said. Her stance looked relaxed at first glance. He knew better.
"I abhor the thought of meddling in a hero's pursuit, but I wanted to speak to you. Miles Beckett, at your service." He took his hat off.
"Is this about the Tantu Totem?" she asked.
He knew those that practiced mystical arts would be on the hunt for the totem. Her suspicion was natural.
"While it is an interesting artifact, no. This is about taking down your uncle, Mustapha Maksai."
Vixen's wry smile vanished at the mention of the man who had killed her father.
"Why? What did he do to you?"
Maksai did not have a reason to send assassins after her. Either this person had a beef with her uncle or something to get out of removing him.
"Me? Nothing," he admitted. A common cause would have helped in earning Vixen's trust. "I have never even seen him in person. But his acts have reached my ears. I want him gone as a step towards putting an end to all the armed conflict in the continent."
She squinted her eyes slightly at the grand and altruistic-sounding plan.
"Why don't we speak somewhere else?" This was too important to speak about in a stinking alley.
—
Once the drug dealer was tied up for the cops, they found an empty park to sit down and talk.
"What do you get out of stabilizing the continent?" she asked. No one would try to stabilize an entire continent without earning something in return.
It was just a matter of knowing what Miles Beckett wanted.
"Ever heard of Darkseid?" he asked.
"No. Some new villain?" If so, the individual was either an edgelord or actually dangerous.
Miles smiled and played the recording of the battle between Darkseid and the Justice League. Amazo was kind enough to give these to him.
"He is the God of Evil from the planet Apokolips. He wants the entire universe under his tyrannical boot," he explained as the video progressed.
A small "oh" was all she could utter at the sight of a monster fighting the Justice League. Not only was this Darkseid holding his own, but he was also actually pushing the League back.
Even through the recording, her instincts screamed danger.
"Do you remember the incident at Jump City?"
"How can I not?" Over a thousand people dead due to the appearance of Satan was not something one could forget.
"The creature responsible for it was a mere avatar of the real deal," he said, showing Vixen the recording of Superman striking the four-eyed demon to no avail.
Her instincts were screaming again.
Vixen's exuberance was gone. These monsters were far out of her level. Which made them extremely deadly to the ordinary people.
"Is there some sort of secret power in Africa that can defeat them?" she asked with a creased brow. Otherwise, there was no sense in this man's desire to intervene in Africa.
"In a sense. The power of a unified Earth has the greatest chance to protect humanity from these extinction-level threats."
At least, that is what he believed. Taking the Anti-Life equation to wipe out evils such as Darkseid and Trigon.
"You want to unify the planet? Good luck with that," she scoffed. The politicians and dictators like Maksai would sooner bend over for Darkseid than unify to save the Earth.
"Do you want to free Zambesia, or not?" he asked. Vixen's belief in his plans was not necessary. Only her help in taking down the dictator of Zambesia.
"Why should I trust you?"
The assistance of someone who could acquire these recordings would be great.
If she could trust him.
"Hey there," a voice came from the sky. "Hope I am not interrupting."
"Superman?!" Vixen exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch. "What are you doing here?"
The Man of Tomorrow landed next to the bench, fist bumping with Miles.
"My friend here told me that a fellow hero might need an assurance," he explained. The conversation regarding Miles' plan to save a country from a dictator had not escaped his hearing. He still wasn't sure about interfering in a country like this, but Mustapha Maksai was a murderous despot.
If he could be brought to justice, then he was all for it.
"I, well," she stumbled. "I suppose you can't ask for a better reason to trust someone."
"Thank you, Superman, I appreciate this," Miles said.
Superman beamed. "Happy to help. Now if you excuse me, I have work tomorrow."
As quickly as he had arrived, Clark left New York City.
"What did you have in mind for Mustapha?"
The plan was simple. Zambesia was a poor nation. So were its armed forces. If Maksai and his generals were to be taken into custody, he could be forced to order his men to stand down.
However, there was a small issue.
There was no digital infrastructure for Zalika to hack to know Maksai's plans. This mission required an infiltrator to pull off a feat similar to the one at the Herrera family's estate.
He just had the opportunity to see one of the best infiltrators in the world in action.
—
Gotham
Vixen was putting her work on hold in preparation for her trip to Zambesia. Meanwhile, he would recruit the specialist.
It was relatively simple to get O'Brian's attention. If a person in need screamed in Gotham, rarely anyone except a hero would respond.
The second Plastic Man heard a maiden in despair, he came swinging, ready to fight. All he saw in the alley were three people waiting for him.
"Plastic Man."
"Is this my first ambush by villains?" O'Brian slapped his hands to his cheeks very deliberately, mouth open in a circle. "Man, I am getting more famous than I thought."
The clown act was just that, an act.
"I would have called, but Batman keeps an eye on you."
"Not an ambush? That's disappointing." Now the hero turned his head away, pouting.
Just as fast, he was back to smiling. "So, what do you guys want? An autograph? You didn't need to draw me here for that. I am always ready for my adoring fans," he said, pulling out a marker.
"I want your help in infiltrating the residence of a dictator and arresting him," Miles said.
Plastic Man sputtered. "Come again?"
Once O'Brian understood that the situation was serious, he dropped the act. As a former crook who had turned over a new leaf, helping arrest a dictator sounded cool.
He explained the situation in Zambesia. Starting with how Maksai had executed his half-brother, the late President Richard Jiwe, in a bloody coup. Followed by how the people suffered under his rule.
If Plastic Man helped, they could free the nation without spilling any further blood.
"Gee, man, I don't know. Who are you anyway? How do you know Batman?" Plastic Man's neck extended, and he looked down at Miles.
"We are friends. I would call him, but you know how he is about people, even if they are friends, moving around in Gotham."
"Yeah, you're right," he admitted, shrinking his neck back.
"What say you we take this to the Crime Alley? I want to see how the rebuilding efforts are going," Miles said. The Crime Alley, which would need a new name soon, was close to their location.
"Interested in Gotham, eh?" he asked.
For someone who had grown poor as he had, it was great to see that some things in this city actually change.
"I should be. I am funding half of the project."
O'Brian's eyes literally burst out of their sockets before going back. He knew that would interest the superhero. Once he saw the work in person, he would not need the assurance of Batman to join him.
In truth, he could handle the whole matter of Zambesia without Plastic Man. However, he was one of his favorites.
A goofball with the versatility to be one of the most troublesome superpowered individuals on the planet.
He wanted to be friends.
—
In the next chapter:
Once he was back home, Miles took everyone out for dinner. The sun was slowly setting down, and they deserved a treat after Zambesia.
It was going great. The place was fancy, the food was delicious, and the waiter was unnaturally beautiful. In itself, he would only question why she was working here rather than try her hand at modeling. If he was in a particularly relaxed mood, that is.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
Mad_Smile2607
Making the rounds.
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2022
- Messages
- 26
- Likes received
- 294
Yeah, Plastic Man to me is an Insanely Broken Hero. I don't think he can even die properly anymore?
MasterDarkElf
Well worn.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2023
- Messages
- 6,786
- Likes received
- 71,248
Nice to see Plastic Man getting some love, haha. Ya know, kinda hope we just get some chapters of Miles and his superpowered friends (Superman, Plastic Man, Flash, etc.) just hanging out and enjoying some time to themselves. Bond a little, ya know? Haha, looking forward to more.
Chapter 61 - Down with the Dictator
New
Samael61
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2025
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- 397
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- 19,537
Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
To the attention of the readers who enjoy reading an intelligent main character like Miles will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Gotham
"Alright, you made your point. Now, what's this about a dictator?" Plastic Man asked. He had gone through the construction sites in the Crime Alley and saw that Miles was actually doing good work.
"Mustapha Maksai staged a coup and executed his half-brother, Richard Jiwe, the elected president. We are going to arrest him, neutralize his forces, and leave him to justice. Zambesia will be freed, the first step in stabilizing Africa."
O'Brian whistled. "That sounds big. Really big."
"It is. Scared?" he asked. Plastic Man may not take a lot of things seriously, but toppling a dictatorial regime was one.
"Me?" O'Brian's head grew to ridiculous proportions. "Absolutely not. I just don't think Batman will be happy if I suddenly start helping take down foreign governments."
Batman kept an eye on Plastic Man, both because he felt responsible and because of how dangerous he was.
"If all you need is his permission, I can call him," he said, pulling out his phone to call Batman.
"As if. We just have to be quiet, that's all."
Miles put the phone back in his pocket. People rarely took pleasure in requiring another individual's permission.
"Zimbase is poor thanks to Maksai. There will be no digital records of you. We also give you a bit of a makeover, and you are just another person that has elasticity as a superpower," he said. Claire handed over a black-colored suit to O'Brian.
Plausible deniability was a wonderful notion.
—
New York City
"You have teleportation?! Man, that's awesome," O'Brian said. The hero did not need much in the way of preparation. Officially, he needed some alone time. With the wonders of teleportation, he would be back in Gotham in no time.
"Can I rely on your discretion on this matter?" he asked.
"Don't worry," O'Brian said, turning his lips to a zipper and pulling it shut.
He turned to the shadows. "Now, we have one more companion to take with us."
He didn't have the sharp senses necessary to detect an individual like Vixen. But his new gear bypassed that necessity.
Mari stepped out of the shadows, tilting her head at the new, and rather vibrant, addition. "Who is this?"
The figure was somewhat familiar. Perhaps she had seen him on TV but couldn't remember more.
"Plastic Man, he is a local hero from Gotham and an acquaintance of Batman."
"Your infiltration expert?"
Plastic Man smirked. His body contorted, settling into the shape of a handbag, a chair, and a door, and finally, merged with the floor itself.
"Alright. I can see how that becomes handy," she said. No one would suspect a common household object to be an infiltrator in disguise.
"Is it just the five of us?" Taking Maksai down wouldn't magically free Zambesia after all.
"We will deal with Maksai and his inner circle. I made arrangements to take down the armed forces."
A small force of androids was already on site, waiting. Zambesia's armed forces were akin to thugs with machine guns.
—
Zambesia
D'Mulla
"You can teleport?" she asked. It took her a couple of seconds to get her bearings once the location had changed so abruptly.
"Yes. Welcome back to Zambesia," he said, holding out a hand towards the downtrodden city.
Vixen hung her head. "It looks worse than I remember." Her memories of Zambesia were brighter. Now, everything looked gray and depressing.
"I doubt Maksai ever cared to improve anything except his own comfort."
The mention of her uncle broke Vixen out of her musings. "Where is he now?"
His head tilted at the tallest building in sight. "Hotel Continental. It used to serve high-value investors in the past. While Maksai is mobile most of the time, he enjoys the amenities enough to make regular returns."
Locating Maksai proved to be easier than initially assumed. The hotel was one of the few places in the capital with proper utilities and was heavily defended. A creature of comfort like Mustapha Maksai was bound to be there.
Satellite imagery had confirmed as much.
"My time to shine," Plastic Man said, stretching his arms and legs before twisting his torso.
"He is on the top floor now."
O'Brian flashed a giant thumbs up and left to carry out his mission.
"Can we really trust that guy? He doesn't seem to take anything seriously," Claire asked after the man was out of earshot.
"It's a mask. Just enjoy the show."
There was a reason Batman saw Plastic Man as one of the more dangerous heroes should he go full villain.
—
He slipped through the gaps in the barbed wire surrounding the hotel. In the dark of the night, his new, deep black-colored costume made him appear like a shadow. The soldiers guarding the perimeter did not seem interested in their jobs. He could have just strolled to the hotel, but this was actually serious.
Squeezing inside the drainpipe, he wiggled upwards to the roof. He came out with the other hand and stretched his torso down to the window. Maksai was inside, sprawled on a queen-sized bed.
Eel forced his fingers beneath the window and pushed it up. Slithering up to the bed, he flicked Maksai on the nose. The dictator twitched but did not wake up.
"Wakey, wakey," a voice sang.
"Huh, what?" Maksai muttered, waking up. He went back into the la-la-la land with a punch.
He stretched his body, wrapping around the man like a cocoon. Climbing out the way he came, Eel reached the roof again.
Extending his arms on each corner of the roof, he walked to the other hand. He slingshotted himself to where his friends were waiting.
The guards were unaware of anything.
—
"Make way for delivery," O'Brian's voice came from the night sky. He had stretched into a parachute, gently floating down with Maksai.
Claire raised her hands with open palms. She didn't doubt Miles, but it was hard to take this guy seriously. Until now, at least.
Vixen was bristling. The bastard that had killed her father lay defenseless in front of her. For all the hot, blinding fury coursing in her veins, she didn't know what to do.
"Ta da, one dictator delivered as promised. Sign here, please," O'Brian said, holding out his fist.
Miles was all too happy to oblige.
"What do we do with this guy?" Baraka asked. Africa was filled with dictators like him. He would love nothing more than to make Maksai live a sliver of the hell he had brought down on Zambesia.
"His generals are dispersed over the city. We make Maksai gather them in one place. The rest will fall in place," he said. If they didn't, the androids would ensure compliance.
The plans on handling dictators were getting a bit repetitive, but as long as they worked, there was no reason to change anything.
He glanced at Vixen. "Care to handle it? I wager he'd fear you more than any of us."
Vixen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She did not want to do anything rash. Opening her eyes, she nodded.
Baraka dumped a bucket of cold water on Mustapha. The unconscious man was jolted awake, searching for a pistol on his belt.
His purple silk robe did not afford any.
"You," Maksai said, his voice trembling, just like his body.
He had hunted her and the Tantu Totem for years. He had killed her father. And now, he was at her mercy.
"Yes, me," Vixen growled deeply. She looked like a tiger ready to pounce and tear her prey to ribbons.
"You are going to summon all your generals and other high-ranking staff members."
"Why would I do that?"
Vixen touched her talisman. She must have chosen a rather large animal, because when she stomped the ground next to Maksai's feet, the ground caved.
Mustapha pulled his leg away, eyes wide open.
"Otherwise I will do that to you," she warned.
Miles threw a walkie-talkie to Mustapha. The general took it with shaking hands.
"One wrong word, uncle, and you will beg for mercy." Her threat seems to have done the job.
"This is General Mustapha. Summon all my staff for an emergency meeting right now," he ordered.
The response was quick. "As you command, general."
Vixen took another deep breath. Miles knew she would have killed him if the confrontation had been violent.
"You are a despicable waste of a human. My father was a good man; he only wanted the best for Zambesia. But you were a jealous piece of crap, and look where it led you," she said, letting out the hatred in her heart. Killing him was not worth betraying who she was.
Not that he had a problem with Mari killing Maksai.
"Will you kill me?" the cowardly man asked. Miles half expected him to beg.
"No. We are going to let the people of Zambesia decide your fate. You will be lucky if they stick you in a four-by-four hole for the rest of your life."
With those words, Vixen reverse kicked Mustafa back into unconsciousness.
"Hey, are you alright?" Plastic Man asked. His jubilant tone had given way to a somber one.
"I will be, as soon as we free Zambesia."
—
Hotel Continental
Next Morning
"Where is the general?"
"He is late. We will have to wait."
The chatter among the staff was interrupted when the door flew off its hinges. It slammed into a colonel, rendering him unconscious.
A woman dressed in an orange suit stepped inside, cracking her knuckles. "Don't worry, guys, we'll keep you company."
Bringing weapons to a meeting with General Mustapha was forbidden. They were unarmed, but so was this attacker. A colonel raised his chair, ready to throw it. Something reached down from the ceiling and caught it.
It swung the chair back into the colonel's face.
"Geez, didn't you guys learn any table manners?" A voice mocked them from above. The ceiling melted to the ground like wax, taking the shape of a man.
Two more people entered the room, covered in armor from head to toe. The female set her hands on fire, and the male glowed like a Christmas tree.
"I remember you. You are Richard's daughter, aren't you? Back for revenge?" One of the prisoners, a general with one too many medals pinned to his chest, spoke.
"I am back to free this country from you bastards."
"We can give you a couple of minutes with them if you want," Claire offered. In her position, she definitely would have.
"No. They aren't worth it."
Miles walked in, pushing Maksai forward. "Take a seat, general."
"The armed forces are down," he said. The androids had made quick work of the grunts. Now, there was only one objective left. "I am sure the people will appreciate it if one of their own announces Maksai's fall."
Mari took the phone.
—
The androids had placed holoprojectors across the city. The people, going on with their lives, stopped when the image of a woman appeared over the buildings.
"People of Zambesia, I am Mari Jiwe, daughter of the late President Richard Jiwe."
"A decade ago, my half-uncle, Mustapha Maksai, staged a coup and executed my father."
There were murmurs. Had Richard's daughter returned to free them?
"Today, his tyranny ends," she said. Her image was gone, replaced with a room where Maksai and his lapdogs were tied up.
"Maksai and his generals are arrested. I call on the people of D'Mulla to rise and take the presidential palace. To take our freedom back."
—
Mari's speech had the people marching on the palace, as well as administrative and military locations. Strangely, all military personnel in the bases were found tied up. Maksai's cronies in the ministries had to run. Those that did not met the fury of the people breaking the shackles.
This event would come to be known as the One Day Revolution.
"What do we do now? " Baraka asked. He might not be from Zambesia, but damn if it didn't feel personal to him.
"I have already prepared an aid and an investment package. A former minister in exile, Adam Kambale, is already returning to swear in as the interim president," he said, bringing out the man's picture.
He was one of the first ones to receive an anonymous message revealing the downfall of Maksai. Zambesia didn't have many connections to the rest of the world, so it would take a while for word to travel.
He would be long gone by then.
"My father always spoke highly of him," Mari said. Her father did not even have a proper burial. She would first search his remains and dig a grave for him. That is, if there was anything to find.
"Do you want to return with us or would you like to stay for a while?" he asked. She was bound to have some personal issues to handle here.
"I think I'll stay, just to be sure everything works out well."
Miles pointed at an android, then at Vixen. "I'll leave an android with you. When you want to leave, give me a call," he said, handing out a brand new phone to her.
"Thanks for everything," she said, taking the phone.
"Don't mention it."
—
Gotham
"Can't believe we freed a country in less than a day," O'Brian said. He had teleported the group to an alley with no cameras.
He smiled. "How does it feel? To save an entire nation from tyranny?"
"Good, real good," he replied, looking at the setting sun.
"Here. I know you are capable, but in case you ever need help, give me a call," he said, handing another phone out. His connection with local heroes would help in the future when the League expanded its roster.
"Thanks. And again, I won't tell Batman about this little adventure."
"I don't think he will ever ask," Miles said. Bruce was already swamped with work. He wouldn't have many reasons to investigate the events in Zambesia.
—
Metropolis
Once he was back home, Miles took everyone out for dinner. The sun was slowly setting down, and they deserved a treat after Zambesia.
It was going great. The place was fancy, the food was delicious, and the waiter was unnaturally beautiful. In itself, he would only question why she was working here rather than try her hand at modeling. If he was in a particularly relaxed mood, that is.
What set her apart was her similarity to an individual he knew.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, taller than him, she had the eyes of every male in the room, including him. Though, it was for a different reason.
His watch scanned her discreetly, and his suspicion was confirmed. She wasn't a human.
Taking out a piece of paper, he wrote down his number along with a question for her. If she didn't read it, he would contact her in a different manner.
He had an inkling of her identity, but for now, waiting was the preferable choice.
This was bound to be interesting.
—
In the next chapter:
"Oh, my head," Audrey groaned as she entered her room.
A glass of cold water was held out to her. "Here, the water will clear your head up a bit."
Watching the young man who held out the water, she then turned to the one in the fedora hat, sitting on her chair. "Thank you."
She took the glass, drinking it slowly. She sat down as the headache subsided slightly.
"How can I help you?" she asked.
The man, the leader, took his hat off. "You are awfully calm for someone who found three intruders in her room."
Audrey raised her shoulders and dropped them. "You are not Northerners, and this isn't the first time someone wanted to speak in private." Though it was the first time they did it in her room.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
To the attention of the readers who enjoy reading an intelligent main character like Miles will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Gotham
"Alright, you made your point. Now, what's this about a dictator?" Plastic Man asked. He had gone through the construction sites in the Crime Alley and saw that Miles was actually doing good work.
"Mustapha Maksai staged a coup and executed his half-brother, Richard Jiwe, the elected president. We are going to arrest him, neutralize his forces, and leave him to justice. Zambesia will be freed, the first step in stabilizing Africa."
O'Brian whistled. "That sounds big. Really big."
"It is. Scared?" he asked. Plastic Man may not take a lot of things seriously, but toppling a dictatorial regime was one.
"Me?" O'Brian's head grew to ridiculous proportions. "Absolutely not. I just don't think Batman will be happy if I suddenly start helping take down foreign governments."
Batman kept an eye on Plastic Man, both because he felt responsible and because of how dangerous he was.
"If all you need is his permission, I can call him," he said, pulling out his phone to call Batman.
"As if. We just have to be quiet, that's all."
Miles put the phone back in his pocket. People rarely took pleasure in requiring another individual's permission.
"Zimbase is poor thanks to Maksai. There will be no digital records of you. We also give you a bit of a makeover, and you are just another person that has elasticity as a superpower," he said. Claire handed over a black-colored suit to O'Brian.
Plausible deniability was a wonderful notion.
—
New York City
"You have teleportation?! Man, that's awesome," O'Brian said. The hero did not need much in the way of preparation. Officially, he needed some alone time. With the wonders of teleportation, he would be back in Gotham in no time.
"Can I rely on your discretion on this matter?" he asked.
"Don't worry," O'Brian said, turning his lips to a zipper and pulling it shut.
He turned to the shadows. "Now, we have one more companion to take with us."
He didn't have the sharp senses necessary to detect an individual like Vixen. But his new gear bypassed that necessity.
Mari stepped out of the shadows, tilting her head at the new, and rather vibrant, addition. "Who is this?"
The figure was somewhat familiar. Perhaps she had seen him on TV but couldn't remember more.
"Plastic Man, he is a local hero from Gotham and an acquaintance of Batman."
"Your infiltration expert?"
Plastic Man smirked. His body contorted, settling into the shape of a handbag, a chair, and a door, and finally, merged with the floor itself.
"Alright. I can see how that becomes handy," she said. No one would suspect a common household object to be an infiltrator in disguise.
"Is it just the five of us?" Taking Maksai down wouldn't magically free Zambesia after all.
"We will deal with Maksai and his inner circle. I made arrangements to take down the armed forces."
A small force of androids was already on site, waiting. Zambesia's armed forces were akin to thugs with machine guns.
—
Zambesia
D'Mulla
"You can teleport?" she asked. It took her a couple of seconds to get her bearings once the location had changed so abruptly.
"Yes. Welcome back to Zambesia," he said, holding out a hand towards the downtrodden city.
Vixen hung her head. "It looks worse than I remember." Her memories of Zambesia were brighter. Now, everything looked gray and depressing.
"I doubt Maksai ever cared to improve anything except his own comfort."
The mention of her uncle broke Vixen out of her musings. "Where is he now?"
His head tilted at the tallest building in sight. "Hotel Continental. It used to serve high-value investors in the past. While Maksai is mobile most of the time, he enjoys the amenities enough to make regular returns."
Locating Maksai proved to be easier than initially assumed. The hotel was one of the few places in the capital with proper utilities and was heavily defended. A creature of comfort like Mustapha Maksai was bound to be there.
Satellite imagery had confirmed as much.
"My time to shine," Plastic Man said, stretching his arms and legs before twisting his torso.
"He is on the top floor now."
O'Brian flashed a giant thumbs up and left to carry out his mission.
"Can we really trust that guy? He doesn't seem to take anything seriously," Claire asked after the man was out of earshot.
"It's a mask. Just enjoy the show."
There was a reason Batman saw Plastic Man as one of the more dangerous heroes should he go full villain.
—
He slipped through the gaps in the barbed wire surrounding the hotel. In the dark of the night, his new, deep black-colored costume made him appear like a shadow. The soldiers guarding the perimeter did not seem interested in their jobs. He could have just strolled to the hotel, but this was actually serious.
Squeezing inside the drainpipe, he wiggled upwards to the roof. He came out with the other hand and stretched his torso down to the window. Maksai was inside, sprawled on a queen-sized bed.
Eel forced his fingers beneath the window and pushed it up. Slithering up to the bed, he flicked Maksai on the nose. The dictator twitched but did not wake up.
"Wakey, wakey," a voice sang.
"Huh, what?" Maksai muttered, waking up. He went back into the la-la-la land with a punch.
He stretched his body, wrapping around the man like a cocoon. Climbing out the way he came, Eel reached the roof again.
Extending his arms on each corner of the roof, he walked to the other hand. He slingshotted himself to where his friends were waiting.
The guards were unaware of anything.
—
"Make way for delivery," O'Brian's voice came from the night sky. He had stretched into a parachute, gently floating down with Maksai.
Claire raised her hands with open palms. She didn't doubt Miles, but it was hard to take this guy seriously. Until now, at least.
Vixen was bristling. The bastard that had killed her father lay defenseless in front of her. For all the hot, blinding fury coursing in her veins, she didn't know what to do.
"Ta da, one dictator delivered as promised. Sign here, please," O'Brian said, holding out his fist.
Miles was all too happy to oblige.
"What do we do with this guy?" Baraka asked. Africa was filled with dictators like him. He would love nothing more than to make Maksai live a sliver of the hell he had brought down on Zambesia.
"His generals are dispersed over the city. We make Maksai gather them in one place. The rest will fall in place," he said. If they didn't, the androids would ensure compliance.
The plans on handling dictators were getting a bit repetitive, but as long as they worked, there was no reason to change anything.
He glanced at Vixen. "Care to handle it? I wager he'd fear you more than any of us."
Vixen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She did not want to do anything rash. Opening her eyes, she nodded.
Baraka dumped a bucket of cold water on Mustapha. The unconscious man was jolted awake, searching for a pistol on his belt.
His purple silk robe did not afford any.
"You," Maksai said, his voice trembling, just like his body.
He had hunted her and the Tantu Totem for years. He had killed her father. And now, he was at her mercy.
"Yes, me," Vixen growled deeply. She looked like a tiger ready to pounce and tear her prey to ribbons.
"You are going to summon all your generals and other high-ranking staff members."
"Why would I do that?"
Vixen touched her talisman. She must have chosen a rather large animal, because when she stomped the ground next to Maksai's feet, the ground caved.
Mustapha pulled his leg away, eyes wide open.
"Otherwise I will do that to you," she warned.
Miles threw a walkie-talkie to Mustapha. The general took it with shaking hands.
"One wrong word, uncle, and you will beg for mercy." Her threat seems to have done the job.
"This is General Mustapha. Summon all my staff for an emergency meeting right now," he ordered.
The response was quick. "As you command, general."
Vixen took another deep breath. Miles knew she would have killed him if the confrontation had been violent.
"You are a despicable waste of a human. My father was a good man; he only wanted the best for Zambesia. But you were a jealous piece of crap, and look where it led you," she said, letting out the hatred in her heart. Killing him was not worth betraying who she was.
Not that he had a problem with Mari killing Maksai.
"Will you kill me?" the cowardly man asked. Miles half expected him to beg.
"No. We are going to let the people of Zambesia decide your fate. You will be lucky if they stick you in a four-by-four hole for the rest of your life."
With those words, Vixen reverse kicked Mustafa back into unconsciousness.
"Hey, are you alright?" Plastic Man asked. His jubilant tone had given way to a somber one.
"I will be, as soon as we free Zambesia."
—
Hotel Continental
Next Morning
"Where is the general?"
"He is late. We will have to wait."
The chatter among the staff was interrupted when the door flew off its hinges. It slammed into a colonel, rendering him unconscious.
A woman dressed in an orange suit stepped inside, cracking her knuckles. "Don't worry, guys, we'll keep you company."
Bringing weapons to a meeting with General Mustapha was forbidden. They were unarmed, but so was this attacker. A colonel raised his chair, ready to throw it. Something reached down from the ceiling and caught it.
It swung the chair back into the colonel's face.
"Geez, didn't you guys learn any table manners?" A voice mocked them from above. The ceiling melted to the ground like wax, taking the shape of a man.
Two more people entered the room, covered in armor from head to toe. The female set her hands on fire, and the male glowed like a Christmas tree.
"I remember you. You are Richard's daughter, aren't you? Back for revenge?" One of the prisoners, a general with one too many medals pinned to his chest, spoke.
"I am back to free this country from you bastards."
"We can give you a couple of minutes with them if you want," Claire offered. In her position, she definitely would have.
"No. They aren't worth it."
Miles walked in, pushing Maksai forward. "Take a seat, general."
"The armed forces are down," he said. The androids had made quick work of the grunts. Now, there was only one objective left. "I am sure the people will appreciate it if one of their own announces Maksai's fall."
Mari took the phone.
—
The androids had placed holoprojectors across the city. The people, going on with their lives, stopped when the image of a woman appeared over the buildings.
"People of Zambesia, I am Mari Jiwe, daughter of the late President Richard Jiwe."
"A decade ago, my half-uncle, Mustapha Maksai, staged a coup and executed my father."
There were murmurs. Had Richard's daughter returned to free them?
"Today, his tyranny ends," she said. Her image was gone, replaced with a room where Maksai and his lapdogs were tied up.
"Maksai and his generals are arrested. I call on the people of D'Mulla to rise and take the presidential palace. To take our freedom back."
—
Mari's speech had the people marching on the palace, as well as administrative and military locations. Strangely, all military personnel in the bases were found tied up. Maksai's cronies in the ministries had to run. Those that did not met the fury of the people breaking the shackles.
This event would come to be known as the One Day Revolution.
"What do we do now? " Baraka asked. He might not be from Zambesia, but damn if it didn't feel personal to him.
"I have already prepared an aid and an investment package. A former minister in exile, Adam Kambale, is already returning to swear in as the interim president," he said, bringing out the man's picture.
He was one of the first ones to receive an anonymous message revealing the downfall of Maksai. Zambesia didn't have many connections to the rest of the world, so it would take a while for word to travel.
He would be long gone by then.
"My father always spoke highly of him," Mari said. Her father did not even have a proper burial. She would first search his remains and dig a grave for him. That is, if there was anything to find.
"Do you want to return with us or would you like to stay for a while?" he asked. She was bound to have some personal issues to handle here.
"I think I'll stay, just to be sure everything works out well."
Miles pointed at an android, then at Vixen. "I'll leave an android with you. When you want to leave, give me a call," he said, handing out a brand new phone to her.
"Thanks for everything," she said, taking the phone.
"Don't mention it."
—
Gotham
"Can't believe we freed a country in less than a day," O'Brian said. He had teleported the group to an alley with no cameras.
He smiled. "How does it feel? To save an entire nation from tyranny?"
"Good, real good," he replied, looking at the setting sun.
"Here. I know you are capable, but in case you ever need help, give me a call," he said, handing another phone out. His connection with local heroes would help in the future when the League expanded its roster.
"Thanks. And again, I won't tell Batman about this little adventure."
"I don't think he will ever ask," Miles said. Bruce was already swamped with work. He wouldn't have many reasons to investigate the events in Zambesia.
—
Metropolis
Once he was back home, Miles took everyone out for dinner. The sun was slowly setting down, and they deserved a treat after Zambesia.
It was going great. The place was fancy, the food was delicious, and the waiter was unnaturally beautiful. In itself, he would only question why she was working here rather than try her hand at modeling. If he was in a particularly relaxed mood, that is.
What set her apart was her similarity to an individual he knew.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, taller than him, she had the eyes of every male in the room, including him. Though, it was for a different reason.
His watch scanned her discreetly, and his suspicion was confirmed. She wasn't a human.
Taking out a piece of paper, he wrote down his number along with a question for her. If she didn't read it, he would contact her in a different manner.
He had an inkling of her identity, but for now, waiting was the preferable choice.
This was bound to be interesting.
—
In the next chapter:
"Oh, my head," Audrey groaned as she entered her room.
A glass of cold water was held out to her. "Here, the water will clear your head up a bit."
Watching the young man who held out the water, she then turned to the one in the fedora hat, sitting on her chair. "Thank you."
She took the glass, drinking it slowly. She sat down as the headache subsided slightly.
"How can I help you?" she asked.
The man, the leader, took his hat off. "You are awfully calm for someone who found three intruders in her room."
Audrey raised her shoulders and dropped them. "You are not Northerners, and this isn't the first time someone wanted to speak in private." Though it was the first time they did it in her room.
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Mesa_Ex_Machina
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Wait is that princess Audrey Diana's friend the one whose country got briefly taken over by Vandal Savage and then erupted into a civil war later on and we never heard anything about it?
Samael61
Not too sore, are you?
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Yes, that Audrey.