The headquarters of the Advanced Research Group Uniting Superhumans, commonly known as A.R.G.U.S.
At this point, Amanda Waller had not yet risen to a senior management position, but she had already uncovered a strange piece of information.
"I suspect something unusual is happening near the primeval forests of South America."
Amanda reported her findings to her superiors.
"Tell me what you think, Amanda," came the boss's tone, tinged with clear disapproval.
"First, we noticed some strange mutations in the celestial phenomena four hours ago," she began. "According to meteorological experts, this kind of abnormal weather is theoretically impossible."
"Then, based on satellite imaging, we discovered that during this period of meteorological anomalies, there were significant fluctuations in local energy peaks."
The boss remained unhurried and unimpressed. "So, Amanda, what exactly are you trying to say?" he asked. "Why don't you get to the point?"
Amanda's patience waned at her boss's nonchalant attitude, but she still dutifully pressed on.
"We have reason to believe that a supernatural event took place here," she said, her voice steady.
The boss chuckled dismissively. "No, no, no, it's not what you think. It's what you think, dear."
His tone was flirtatious, and his eyes lingered on Amanda in an inappropriate manner.
At this time, Amanda Waller was not yet the hardened figure seen in Suicide Squad. Instead, she was slim and confident, resembling the version of Amanda from the Arrow TV series.
Unlike the character portrayed in Suicide Squad, she had not yet fully embraced her darker persona. Still, she had endured her share of office politics, with the unspoken rules of the workplace being all too familiar.
She resisted the urge to recoil from her boss's behavior and continued with her findings.
"We've also lost track of Dr. June Moone."
Her boss's disinterest was evident. "Are we really going to focus on that right now?"
"Amanda, why don't we do something a little more fun? Just you and me," he suggested, his voice dripping with insinuation.
Amanda paused, a wave of disgust washing over her as she glared at the man in front of her. She had had enough of his nonsense.
"No, sir, perhaps I'm mistaken," she said flatly.
Amanda stood up, grabbed the papers on the desk, and ignored the man calling after her as she made her way back to her seat. She opened a folder on her computer, deliberating over her next move.
After a moment of thought, she decided to send the findings up the chain of command. The man didn't need to know that she had a file on him, filled with his less-than-savory actions.
Amanda had been keeping him around for a while, but her patience had worn thin.
She sent the email with a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of quiet victory.
needed to think about how to handle what came next. No organization would welcome a whistleblower, and she knew the consequences could be severe.
After sending the email, the weight of her decision settled heavily on her. She began to worry about her future. She suddenly found herself feeling somewhat ridiculous. She had worked so hard for so long, enduring the unspoken rules and her incompetent boss, all to end up with... this?
Absolutely not.
A strong wave of resistance burned in Amanda's chest. She needed to prove herself. She had always believed that the A.R.G.U.S would need her, that the world would need her.
But now, under the leadership of mediocrity, the needed to think about how to handle what came next. No organization would welcome a whistleblower, and she knew the consequences could be severe.
After sending the email, the weight of her decision settled heavily on her. She began to worry about her future. She suddenly found herself feeling somewhat ridiculous. She had worked so hard for so long, enduring the unspoken rules and her incompetent boss, all to end up with... this?
Absolutely not.
A strong wave of resistance burned in Amanda's chest. She needed to prove herself. She had always believed that the organization would need her, that the world would need her. But now, under the leadership of mediocrity, the organization was failing to contribute meaningfully to global security.
Amanda knew she had to find a way to turn things around, to find someone who could help her. The question was: who?
Then, a name flashed into her mind: "Justice Society."
Although often mistaken for a "pirated version" of the Justice League in the DCEU, the Justice Society had actually been founded long before the Justice League. Despite its history, the group was notably low-key.
Amanda had consulted the archives, and learned only a few details about the Justice Society. She knew of three members: Doctor Fate, Hawkman, and Atom. However, Atom was retired, and now very old. He likely wouldn't be able to help, but Hawkman and Doctor Fate were still active.
The only problem was that the relationship between the A.R.G.U.S and the Justice Society was bad, a result of the incompetence of current management. This meant that Amanda would have to reach out to them on her own.
Just as she was preparing to make her move, something new caught her attention.
"Umbrella Inc.? Where did this come from?" Amanda muttered to herself.
At the sixth hour of the energy anomaly in the South American jungle, a group of people calling themselves "Umbrella Logistics" had entered the region. They claimed to be helping local victims and refugees, even offering to station there long-term.
As someone with a keen eye for intelligence, Amanda sensed something was off. She decided to investigate the company.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find any useful information. She dug through her resources, but nothing came up.
It was no surprise. Dane had ensured that Umbrella Inc.'s operations were tightly controlled. Financial records and business intelligence were completely confidential.
While the employees appeared to be ordinary people, the organization was being managed with the precision of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, thanks to Cortana's influence. Amanda, with her limited intelligence network, was completely out of her depth.
Even when she resorted to unauthorized hacking techniques to breach Umbrella's systems, Cortana detected her immediately. And when Cortana found out, Dane found out as well.
Following the trail, Dane discovered that the IP address had originated from A.R.G.U.S.
he had no idea that their technical capabilities were no longer the best in the world. They stored much of their confidential data across a sprawling network of servers, making it easier for Dane to find gaps in their security without triggering alarms.
After some investigation, it became clear that Amanda Waller was the one who had been snooping around.
"Interesting," Dane mused. "I didn't expect her to notice me."
He paused for a moment. If Amanda weren't so paranoid about transhumans, she would actually make a great fit for the Justice League administration. Her skills were undeniable.
Dane browsed through her work computer and discovered why she had been tracking Umbrella Inc.
"She must have noticed something in South America."
This was actually an accident. Normally, the South American jungle wouldn't attract much attention from A.R.G.U.S.
But for some reason, the A.R.G.U.S had been monitoring June Moone. When they discovered she had traveled to South America, their focus on the region intensified.
However, this wasn't the right moment to be targeted by the A.R.G.U.S, an organization that was riddled with the arrogance of American-style law enforcement.
Dane had planned to wait until the Justice League was fully established before making contact with the Justice Society.
Upon noticing Amanda's whistleblower letter, he decided to create some trouble for her.
He made a copy of the email and resent it to the person she had been accusing.
While this wouldn't change the outcome of Amanda's eventual downfall, Dane believed it would teach her a profound lesson, slowing her down.
At this moment, Amanda had no idea she was being targeted. She had come alone to St. Roque, Louisiana.
There, she knew Hawkman was stationed, residing in a vast manor.
Hawkman, whose real name was Carter Hall, was a reincarnated soul. His first life was that of an Egyptian named Khufu, the son of Ramses II during Egypt's 19th Dynasty.
Legend had it that he and his wife, Chay-Ara, had discovered a spaceship made from Nth metal. They used the metal to forge an artifact that granted them powers beyond those of mortal beings and the ability to reincarnate their souls.
With this ability, Carter had accumulated great wealth over the centuries, and even agencies like A.R.G.U.S. were careful in their dealings with him.
Amanda gathered her thoughts and walked through the gates of the manor, preparing to meet him.
---------
"Do you have ten bucks, Carter?" Amanda asked.
"What for?" Carter replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I want to keep reading this fanfiction and support the author on Patreon," Amanda explained. "They post four to five chapters daily for early access subscribers."
please support on patreon: patreon.com/StylishSlayer
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