Let it be known that a Vasto Lorde and a Kryptonian fucking were anything but subtle... If the next morning's breakfast could be summed up as a single word, it would be awkward.
"So... Did you wear a condom?" Wally asked making my face twitch during the uncharacteristically silent breakfast we were all having.
"Nope," Galatea said with little to no care for Wally's question as she continued to eat her cereal with strawberries and other dried fruits added in.
Hearing Wally's blunt question, however, I didn't have the blunt social attitude Galatea had so I kind of blushed a bit as I realized with the way everyone was being awkward that we were most assuredly too loud... Then again, a metal bed frame crashing into the stone floor constantly, wasn't at all subtle.
"Sorry, if we kept you guys up," I said wanting them all to run off to be with their mentors so we could get past this.
"Eh, I just put in some earplugs, and the vibrations if anything helped me get to sleep," Conner said shrugging without much care but then Artemis having gotten bored of Galatea giving only grunts and one-word response to her incessant questions stood up from the table and moved over to Galatea
"Girl, come on you got to give me and Megan the details now!" Artemis said before dragging the distraught form of Galatea with her barely balanced bowl of cereal that was on the cusp of falling to the floor.
"Oooh, I want to know too! Girl time, no boys allowed!" Megan yelled as she flew out of the dining room where we were all eating breakfast.
"No seriously are we going to have to worry about some kind of half ghost half Kryptonian baby on the way?" Wally asked seriously before that 'serious' expression cracked like an egg would explode after being dropped off the Empire State Building... "Haha! Dude, you are so screwed, what if she actually does get pregnant?" Wally asked bursting out into laughter and honestly, I didn't really mind if Galatea got pregnant.
I had experience raising my much younger siblings in my last life and it's not like I was hurting for money though I could see Galatea herself not being happy with such a situation as not only myself, but the League would bench her so hard, she wouldn't be able to even go beat up a purse snatcher and would be on pet rescue duty.
Though our relationship itself most certainly wasn't at such a stage that we would be ready for such a thing as we had only been dating for a few weeks at this point.
"Think plan B could kill something already half dead?" I asked and not only Wally, but everyone choked on their food as they fought down horrified chuckles at my joke.
"Bro... That violates the League's no-killing rule so bad that I could see Batman dropping of a heart attack." Robin joked and we all laughed at the thought of the masked crusader dropping dead of a heart attack, at hearing the news of one of the League members getting an abortion.
"I assure you all... I am pro-life in this matter." I heard a gravelly voice speak and woodenly I looked up from my eggs and saw Batman hovering over the stock-still form of Robin who sunk into his seat with his shoulders rising up as though he could cover his ears with them and not hear the disappointment in his mentor/father figure's voice.
"We have a mission for you all, come to the briefing room now," Batman ordered with the same customary cold visage being shown from under his cowl.
Once we all gathered in the briefing room, we saw Black Canary also waiting alongside Batman with the girls already waiting for us.
"Hello guys we got an interesting couple of missions for you all." Black Canary started after clearing her throat and then she looked between me and Galatea for a brief moment before continuing on with her speech. "So, a lot has been happening recently but in total we have two situations we need your team to break into two teams to intercept and control said situation." Black Canary then spun on her heel and tapped the small wrist computer that she wore beneath her jacket to show the room's holograms and on one side was an overview picture of what looked to be a prison and several photos of life within the prison.
Yet on the other side of the holograms showed videos of a harsh jungle that had seemingly enhanced animals running around.
"We need a single or at most two participants for the first mission which is to go undercover within the Super Maximum Security Prison Belle Reve. We believe that a mega riot is being planned to mask an escape of the prison's many metahuman criminals. Your task should you be accepted to go upon said mission is to accept being incarcerated within the prison even with a metahuman collar on you to make you fit in with the prisoners within." Black Canary explained before looking to the other side with the overran jungle.
"Now this mission is a bit more straightforward really. We have already collected some information, and we know that the supervillain Brain has collected, and reverse-engineered some Kobra Venom and has wantonly injected it into the animals of India, enhancing them beyond what normal people and even less equipped military units can deal with. The parameters of this mission are to collect Brain's notes on his advancements of Kobra Venom so we can refuse his changes to the wildlife, and of course to apprehend the villain as well." After explaining the two missions to me I realized how different this world had become as normally at this point, there was supposed to be a big split in the team as Kaulder/Aqualad was called out for hiding the fact that there might be a mole on the team.
Hell, Red Tornado was never even attacked, and Ivo hasn't even made an appearance again with those extra androids that could control other elemental stuff not attacking this very mountain... Was my foreknowledge even still valuable?
I shook those thoughts out of my head as I focused on the missions in front of me while the team discussed who would be best to go on either mission before I raised my hand.
"I nominate myself to go on the Belle Reve mission. I am immune to the metahuman collars they use with my powers being spiritual in nature. Or at least I think so." I said and then my face twitched as Batman reached behind himself took out a collar with one hand and held a remote in his other hand.
"Prove it. If you are correct, then you would most certainly be the best to go on the prison mission but keep in mind even Superman is partially suspectable to these Metahuman collars, and the prison itself was built under Amanda Waller's strict supervison to be capable of holding a Kyrptonian for five minutes so the League could arrive to subdue them in theory." Batman explained holding out the collar and I took it and after a moment of hesitation I slipped it on around my neck.
Honestly it was best to test if such a thing could steal away my powers with all these League hero's rather than chance going around Amanda Waller and her little prison of Suicide Squad possible members.
Because remember if you were a metahuman criminal and you got a potentially life-long sentence, then you are going to Belle Reve as no other prison was rated to hold such pyscho's other than some black sites that even the League files didn't have much on. So super villains from across the US and even other nations across the world would be housed in that mega prison...
"Do you feel anything Jake?" Batman asked me and just to test I switched between my hollow and human forms a couple times without any issue and then even in my weaker human form I held out a finger and a small cero appeared on the tip of my finger without any issue.
"Nope the collar doesn't affect me other than being an uncomfortable ass collar slightly strangling me." I said dryly as Batman hummed in thought.
"Heads up!" He said and then with a loud flick I cursed as harsh sparks of electricity shot between my fingers and across my neck as the collar electrocuted the shit out of me.
"Cut it off dammit!" I yelled.
But Batman only responded with a hurried. "Remove it yourself, this is the same collar they use in Belle Reve and should the systems be taken over you need to remove it yourself." He warned me and with a snarl I coated my hand in spiritual energy and practically melted the collar off of my neck as I doubted attempting to rip it off would go that well.
"Fuck you Batman, that hurt dammit." I cursed rubbing my bruised red neck as Galatea stomped over to check on me.
"You, ok?" She asked with true care in her voice and I grimaced as she gingerly touched the bruises on my neck before I snorted as she laid a quick kiss on it as though that would make it better and then Galatea stepped away from me and gave a Batman an even stare that made me fear for the man's ribs as I had seen that considering stare on myself before Galatea attempted to sucker punch me in the nose or throat.
"Ok so Jake is going on the Belle Reve mission, does anyone else have a good reason they would fit in there?" Black Canary spoke and no one had an answer as anyone else with powers would be susceptible to the Metahuman collars or once the collars were disabled, they wouldn't be able to match the criminals within, who more often than not did have powers as well as a large numbers advantage.
Galatea however when she offered to go with me, was shut down as the team in India needed another heavy hitter with Kaulder having left the team to stick with his mentor, protect his mentor's pregnant wife, and be with his new Atlantean girlfriend.
"Alright well I guess I will be seeing you all later then." I said giving Galatea a hug as she and the rest of the team left to go to the bioship in order to head to India's jungles while I stayed with Batman and Black Canary for my 'arrest' basically.