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Rated M for Mature
Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.
New Crisis, Chapter 2- The Enemy Within
Secret Society Headquarters, Somewhere in Arizona
A group of villains have gathered around the table, discussing what’s just recently happened. In the events of Luthor’s death, there were whispers among these bad guys and figuring out who would kill him and why. Grodd felt relieved that Lex was finally gone. He was always getting tired of his visionary speeches, how he’s going to control the entire world. He got up from his seat, staring at the rest of the group, talking, arguing, and telling some unnecessary jokes. He lifted his right arm and slammed it on the large round-table.
“SILENCE!” Grodd spoke loudly, just to get the entire group his attention. Grodd has been the enemy of the Flash. Time and again, he has been beaten by the red-suited superhero. But he never gives up. He pushed that thought aside and concentrates on the current events.
“As you all know,” Grodd said with his hard voice. “Lex Luthor is dead. Does anyone here like to claim who would become the next leader of the Secret Society?”
Everyone was silent. One of the villains, the Psycho Pirate was about to raise his hand up. But he was quite afraid that Grodd will control him and use his emotional powers against him and the other villains. He couldn't even stand the fact he could maintain all the emotions of every villain in this very room. They were running wild in his head. The Psycho Pirate concentrated on his thoughts and let them go away. He did this by thinking himself in a quiet, place of darkness.
“I guess not,” Grodd said, facing a bit away from the Psycho Pirate. “Well, then. I will be your new leader!”
“Not so fast,” a yellow-suited figure just popped out of nowhere in the room. The other villains stared at him. It was the Reverse-Flash. Grodd didn't like this. Every time, he had to come with some idea to beat the superheroes, the Reverse-Flash always steps into the spotlight.
“What is the meaning of this?” Grodd said angrily right at the yellow-suited speedster. “I demand an answer! Or else...”
“Or else what, Groddy?” the Reverse-Flash said. “You’re going to control my mind and beat all these useless fellows into a pulp? Guess not. Heh! Heh!”
Grodd launched himself on the table, growling like a wild animal. The Reverse-Flash swept like a cheetah and caught up with him from behind his large back. He shook his right arm vibrantly, phasing it into Grodd’s back. Grodd cried out loud. Everyone stepped aside from the table. The Psycho Pirate was crying like a baby. He felt Grodd’s pain.
“That’s enough, Zoom,” a man stepped out of the shadows. There was a secret entrance where the man came from. The Reverse-Flash looked back at him, nodding, and stopped the vibrant pain.
“Good,” The man said. He walked towards the light, revealing himself to be Vandal Savage, an immortal caveman or once a caveman who could never die. He took Grodd’s seat, looking at the big, angry gorilla. This was something unexpected coming out of the man who lived centuries before all the villains here. Not only that, Vandal Savage had been a scientist, a businessman, and among many other things. He even acquired skills throughout the centuries, making him a formidable opponent. The other villains have wondered how Vandal could be killed unless his head can be taken off. That was something these villains may have to think about, even Grodd.
“Allow me to introduce you our new leader,” the Reverse-Flash bowed his hands away to Vandal Savage. “Heh! Heh!”
“Why you...” Grodd said still recovering his pain. He couldn't imagine how the Flash had beaten his evil version.
“I’m sorry to say this, Grodd,” Vandal Savage said calmly. “But it has to be someone who had more experience than anyone here. Not to be too offensive. However, you can still work with me. If not, then you probably wouldn’t be safe out there. There’s someone waiting to kill all of us. We have to be extra careful. With my help, I can bring this order of the Secret Society to a new level. Even Lex Luthor would have liked it. But he’s not here any longer. So...What do you say?”
The Psycho Pirate raised up his hand. He smiled. Everyone looked at him, even Grodd.
“Psycho Pirate,” Vandal said. “It seems you’re happy with my decision.”
“I’m very happy,” the Psycho Pirate said. The others looked at him as though he was crazy, but they also thought the same thing.
“We’re with you, Vandal,” Merlyn said. He bowed down before the immortal as if though he were still part of the League of Assassins, following Ra’s al Ghul’s orders. The rest nodded and this made Grodd very angry.
“Arghh! You are all fools! Just because he’s more experienced than anyone of you, including me, doesn't mean he has to take the leadership role. You have no brains at all. None!”
“Are you finished?” Vandal Savage said.
Grodd looked at the immortal. He just stood there, clenching his fists. Everyone thought he was going to pounce on Vandal this time. But it didn’t happen. Grodd left the room, entering another exit. The door shut behind him.
“Well then...” Vandal Savage got up from Grodd’s seat, looking at the villains around him. “Let’s start with a new plan. Shall we?”
Club Desaad, Gotham City
“Oh yes, Ohhh yes...Please...Please come to my soul.” A woman was feeling satisfied at the moment. Her hands clenched on the naked man’s chest. He was young, so young that he could sleep and play with all the beautiful ladies in the world. This woman here was just a college girl, who liked to play at wild games. Her friend insisted her to visit Club Desaad.
Club Desaad was owned by Desaad himself. Even though people come here to live their darkest fantasies, he sometimes controls them by his own will. He received these dark powers from the Dark God himself, Darkseid. But Darkseid was long dead. Now, Desaad was stuck here on Earth without serving a purpose and that purpose is to live on and act like a normal person.
He also felt the sensation of the desire coming from the girl. She moaned a bit louder. But he used his dark powers to calm her. The skin from his young body was beginning to peel off. He knew the risk, whenever he used his powers more than usual, his body gets deteriorated. So he had to be careful in using his powers.
The woman opened her eyes, saying sexual things to Desaad. Desaad may look young, but the truth is that he transferred his mind into a young man’s body. The young man, who used to be a rock star, got his mind corrupted by the powers of Desaad. The rock star couldn't resist the temptations around him. He f***ed a lot of women, he then kills them. He even tortures these women after luring them into his house. By the time, the young man reached his insanity to complete level, Desaad took over his entire body. But the possession of one’s body came with a price.
As the woman stared at him, she began to notice something wrong with Desaad. Desaad’s sweat was flowing through his skin. His eyes were closed as if though he didn’t know that the college girl was staring at him in confusion. The girl felt the skin coming off while she took her hands away from Desaad’s chest. She screamed.
Desaad opened his eyes as the girl got up from him. She backed away, feeling the shakiness of her body. Desaad got up from the bed. He looked at his own body, the pieces of his sweaty skin falling down on the floor. There was also blood, revealing the side of his body. The college girl stared in horror. She screamed loudly, hoping that someone could help her. Desaad calmed her down, and then walked up towards her. At the moment, the girl was silent staring blankly into the wall.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Desaad said in a whisper, almost kissing her left cheek. “You’re so pretty. I wish I could make you forget. But I can’t. You see...My body is rotting away. And...if I use my powers on you, I might die. I will go away just like my master. He was gone too, you know.”
The girl didn’t say anything back at him. It was time to end this pointless conversation. He holds her head, twisting it towards to her right. She fell down on the floor like a dead doll.
A door opened, and out came a security guard. He opened his jaw in surprise. By the time, he held out his gun aiming at Desaad’s face. Desaad raised his hand, commanding the security guard to go back to his old duties. The guard nodded and went back.
This was a bad timing for Desaad. He should have been more careful in using his powers. He had to find a new host, but that would mean the same thing, rotting like a zombie.
Then a voice came to him. A dark, familiar voice was calling out, reaching to his mind. Desaad couldn’t make sure of the voice. It took a few seconds to realize who it was.
“Desaaad...Desaaad...” The voice kept flowing through his mind. Desaad tried to come back to his senses. There’s no way he could be alive.
“Desaaaad!” The voice still trailed out. “I neeeed youuu! Desaaad!”
“No! NO! You can’t be alive! You can’t...” He stared at his rotten skin. “AAAARGH!” The pain was there and he couldn’t bare it. What was he trying to do? Torture him? Or was he trying to tell him something?
“Desaaaad! Look into my eyes. Looook!”
“NOOOOO!” Desaad cried out in madness and faced an illusion where he saw the remnants of Apokolips. But it didn’t feel like an illusion. This was something real.
“Desaaad!” The dark voice said. “I need you to come back home, more than ever.”
“But you’re...dead,” Desaad said with a sweat. “You’re dead!”
“Noooo. I’m not. You will see once you get here. The Mother Box, Desaaad. The Mother...” the dark voice faded away. Desaad thought about the Mother Box, which was kept inside his dark vault. He always tried to open the Mother Box before. What made him to think that he could open it this time? No matter. He had to obey him. If anything is possible, then he could find a better body and maintain his dark powers at the same time. He had to go back.
He put on his clothes, looked at the dead girl. He might have to clean up this mess later. At the moment, he commanded the visitors and the guards not to come to his private room. He left the room, and went downstairs into the dungeon. There, the bookshelf was covered with slight cobwebs. It looked so old that nobody would bother coming here.
He touched one of the books on the shelf, activating the switch. The door beside the bookshelf opened. He went inside the vault, witnessing the Mother Box. The Mother Box was a device that allowed one person to travel from place to another, which included from Earth to Apokolips. But there was no telling how many people the device could transport them. It all matters now that he had to go back alone, no matter what the circumstances are. Darkseid had called out to him. He touched the Mother Box, feeling the need to activate it. He hoped he could open it somehow and return to his homeland. Then a switch clicked somewhere in the Mother Box. Desaad disappeared into thin air along with the device.
Central City Police Department, Central City
Barry Allen had been examining the corpse all night long. He had a partner, an autopsy expert to help him. There was no denying the fact that Lex Luthor was killed. But who would ever do such a thing, which Barry couldn't help thinking about it. This is something that the Flash has to get the job done faster than he can.
“Anything, Jill?” Barry said. He hoped to see some results coming from a new colleague who just joined the CCPD a few months ago.
“Not that I could think of,” Jill said. “This is far beyond any evidence than I could imagine. Barry, I’m afraid we’re looking at the big case here.”
Well, duh! Barry thought. Lex Luthor was the big picture here. He helped countless civilians from starvation in Africa. But that turned out to be a lie when the Africans were being used as super-soldiers to combat any threat coming to their country.
Barry looked at the corpse. The lifeless out of him, made Barry a bit nervous. What would happen if Clark Kent were here? He must be kind of shocked that his former nemesis has been killed by some intruder or a super intruder.
“I’m taking a break,” Jill said, taking her gloves off. “Do you want to eat something?”
“No thanks,” Barry said. “You go ahead. I’ll do some more examining.”
“Okay,” Jill said. She wanted Barry to have a late-night dinner with him. It seems that Barry was fully concentrated on the dead Luthor, like he was on another mission. Not that Jill knows his secret identity.
“See you later,” Jill said. “I’ll be at Jitters for a while. Let me know if you have anything.”
“Okay,” Barry said, without looking at Jill. Jill walked outside the examination room.
Barry looked at the photos of the dead bodies back at LexCorp. These photos were taken by Jimmy Olsen, who had come all the way to Central City for delivery. Barry knew Jimmy was Clark’s best friend. He always talked about Superman saving him so many times.
“There has to be something...” Barry thought. What would Bruce say? It’s funny that Barry had to think of him at this time after he claimed to kill the Berserker back in Gotham City. That was a lie, which every hero knew and including Superman.
He took out his cell phone, dialing Bruce Wayne’s private number. While waiting for the dial, an explosion from the side of the wall erupted. Barry pushed the corpse away from the explosion to prevent the damage. A group of four Rogues entered the picture, Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, and the Weather Wizard.
“Oh no,” Barry said with a sigh. “Not you again.”
“Yes, us...” Captain Cold said, raising his cold gun. “It’s been a long time since we've met.” He smiled, walking over the pile of rubble. He looked around, hoping to see the Flash arriving any time soon.
“Hey look!” Heatwave said, pointing towards the Luthor corpse. “It’s Lexy and he sure looks sexy.”
Captain Cold glanced at Heatwave and said, “You’re sick.”
“Hey! I’m trying to light up my fire here,” Heatwave said.
“You can light up your sorry @$$ elsewhere,” Mirror Master said. “I’m going to trap this blond boy into one of my precious mirrors.”
“Enough, you trippy clowns,” the Weather Wizard said. “It’s time to calm down before the storm.” He took out his wand, creating a cloud of electricity around the examination room.
Great! Barry thought. I have to do something. I can’t run fast and reveal to them that I’m the Flash. There has to be a way. He looked at his phone on the floor, thinking that Bruce might have answered the call. But the phone looked broken.
Well, there goes my new iPhone, Barry thought. He can’t leave the Luthor corpse either. Something tells him that the Rogues were sent here to retrieve the corpse. But there wasn't time to think about it now. He had to think of other options on how to stop the Rogues.
Think Barry, think...
Jitters, Central City
Jill Walters sat on a seat, drinking her hot coffee. She looked at the news, detailing the events surrounding Lex Luthor’s death. She couldn't believe it. After all the cases that she solved in her early years, this case of a famous, powerful man proved to be harder than expected. For a moment, she thought she could find an easy solution in finding out things in tough cases. But this case was entirely different for her.
She sipped the coffee, listening to the news. The news of Luthor’s death is all over the place. It’s like a big effect, which rippled throughout the universe. She recalled that Barry said something about it.
While she was about to eat her sandwich, a call came from Barry’s iPhone. She shook a bit, thinking that Barry had found something in the crime laboratory. But it wasn’t a call. It was a message.
“Meet me outside at the back of Jitters.”
What? Jill thought. Why would Barry arrive there? She thought it could be a secret that Barry couldn’t risk revealing to anyone. But that’s something out of the ordinary. Whatever it is, she had to know. She got up from the seat, walking away from Jitters. She then reached at the back of it. Barry stood there.
“Barry?” Jill said almost surprisingly. Jill walked over to see that the man was Barry Allen. Barry quickly came to her.
“Jill...There’s something I have to tell you.”
“What is it?” There was some sort of excitement in her eyes. She waited for Barry to say what he had found.
“This...” Barry took out a sharp knife and stabbed inside her gut. Jill’s eyes were wide open, not realizing that Barry could do such a thing. She looked at him, confused. Barry looked serious. He walked away from her. She fell on the ground, feeling the pain. She looked at Barry who was just now gone. She tried to reach her phone and call 911. The pain overwhelmed her. She began to feel dizzy and then the world around her turned black.
To be continued in New Crisis, Chapter 3- Survival of the Fittest.
What the heck? Jill just got stabbed by Barry? If Barry stayed in the CCPD, then who was the other Barry? An imposter? Vandal Savage has taken over Secret Society now that Lex Luthor is dead. But will it last? How long does Grodd can handle it? Then Desaad keeps hearing the dark voice, Darkseid. It’s something he couldn't believe. But it’s true. What will be the revelation that Desaad is brought back to Apokolips? What does Darkseid want from him? Find out in the later chapter of New Crisis.
Next, Oliver Queen also known as the Green Arrow returns to the island to find that Deathstroke has some information regarding Lex Luthor’s death. What will Oliver find out? Or can he get the information out from the deadliest bounty hunter ever? Martian Manhunter along with Mister Terrific watches over the Watchtower in space. But a technological threat has appeared in their midst, the OMACS. Can the Martian Manhunter and Mister Terrific deal with the threat without the rest of the heroes? Find out in the next chapter of New Crisis.
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