Eagle Manor was vast, but it wasn't overly populated with servants. This wasn't just Carter Hall's home; it also served as the base of his operations as Hawkman.
Those who stayed here were all loyal subordinates, fully aware of Carter's true identity and willing to serve him.
"Hello, are you Ms. Amanda Waller?"
An elderly butler, having confirmed her identity, bowed and gestured for her to enter.
"Mr. Hall is waiting for you in the hall. Please, follow me."
Soon, Amanda was face-to-face with the wealthy superhero. To her surprise, Hawkman was also a Black man.
"I hear you're looking for me, Amanda Waller of the A.R.G.U.S."
"Yes, Mr. Hawkman."
Carter signaled for the butler to step back, an amused smile crossing his face.
"I've looked into you, Ms. Waller."
"It seems A.R.G.U.S. hasn't authorized you for this visit. Did you come in a personal capacity?"
Carter turned and casually sat on the couch, crossing his legs.
Amanda, unfazed, found a seat of her own. She replied coolly, "I know about you, Mr. Hawkman. I also know a bit about your Justice Society. I'm here today as an ordinary person, hoping to get your help."
Carter paused, thinking. He didn't answer immediately, but he didn't refuse either.
"Before anything, shouldn't you explain what's going on?"
Amanda's heart lifted—his open-ended response gave her hope. She quickly retrieved the documents she had shown her superior earlier and handed them over to Hawkman.
Unlike the bumbling individuals she was used to dealing with, Carter could quickly extract useful information. As he perused the documents, his expression darkened.
"Shouldn't you have given this information to your superiors at A.R.G.U.S.?"
"Trust me, Mr. Hawkman, I tried. But the only reaction I got was him staring at my chest," Amanda replied with a wry smile.
Carter seemed briefly stunned, before looking at her with a hint of sympathy.
"I see what you mean. I'll take the time to look into it."
Though Carter could seem arrogant, he didn't hesitate when it came to dealing with threats involving supernatural forces.
Amanda had done her research, and she knew Carter's decision was likely. But as an ambitious woman, she wasn't ready to let go just yet. She pressed further.
"I've heard that you and Doctor Fate make a good team..."
"Ms. Amanda Waller!" Carter's voice turned stern, cutting her off.
"Doctor Fate has nothing to do with this topic!"
Amanda didn't relent. "I just think that if you and Doctor Fate joined forces, this matter might be more certain."
"It's just an investigative matter, isn't it? That's enough for me alone," Hawkman said, ignoring her growing frustration.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the hall.
The butler reappeared at that moment.
"Ms. Waller, would you like any services?"
"No, thank you."
After leaving the manor, Amanda Waller departed with little fanfare. Hawkman had made his unspoken dismissal clear, and she wasn't about to press further. With no ill will, she exited Eagle Manor.
Meanwhile, Hawkman descended into his underground base, a high-tech facility crafted from N-metal.
The unique properties of N-metal gave Hawkman's technology an edge, on par with the advanced Kryptonian tech wielded by Umbrella.
Yet, Hawkman's reliance on this metal left his tech development lopsided, especially when it came to artificial intelligence. His underground base, for all its technological wonders, fell far behind the capabilities of Cortana—an AI that had recently evolved to a independent intelligence.
Cortana's rise had made her a formidable. Now, any network firewall was as fragile as paper in front of her. As a result, Dane regularly accessed jor-EL Al's memories for research, improving his own tech. When he discovered Amanda's interest in the anomalies in South America, he had Cortana track her movements, which included hacking into Hawkman's network unnoticed.
While Amanda conversed with Hawkman, Cortana used Wi-Fi to infiltrate the manor's internal systems. Hawkman's every move was now visible to Dane.
Dane had no intention of allowing Hawkman to interfere too quickly. He had recently discovered an unstable portal to another dimension where the witch and her brother had been sealed—an entrance that was not well known, even among the supernatural community.
The witch herself, while deadly, adhered to some kind of order, but Dane feared that darker, more chaotic beings from that dimension might emerge.
As Shazam, it was his duty to prevent interdimensional threats, and he couldn't allow Hawkman to get involved just yet. Hawkman was a superhero driven by procedural justice, which meant he would likely interfere under the guise of righteousness.
Dane didn't want to be in direct contact with him, as Hawkman's sense of justice could complicate matters.
When Hawkman piloted his N-metal ship into South American airspace, he was warned by local fighter pilots.
"Unknown aircraft, you have entered our country's airspace. Please identify yourself immediately!"
Carter Hall cursed under his breath. Who would have thought that air traffic control extended this far into the South American jungle?
Not wanting to reveal his true identity or sour relations with the local authorities, Hawkman circled the area briefly before returning.
However, his time wasn't wasted. His N-metal tech allowed him to tap into satellite feeds and track energy anomalies across the region, pinpointing several locations where unusual events had occurred.
Dane, monitoring the situation from afar, could clearly see that these were the sites where the battle had taken place. But that was all he could ascertain for now.
Despite his long association with the supernatural, Hawkman's expertise was more in technology, and he lacked the depth of knowledge needed to investigate the magical disturbances.
"Maybe I should ask Kent for help?" Hawkman muttered, feeling frustrated.
On the one hand, he was unwilling to escalate things with the authorities, and on the other, he wasn't uncovering much more by staying.
"In the future, I need to make this plane invisible," Carter muttered, vexed.
The presence of fighter jets and military pilots in such a remote region wasn't a coincidence. It was Umbrella's doing. In countries unable to manufacture their own arms, the best way to ensure military cooperation was to offer assistance in return.
Dane had pulled a few strings with the local government, leveraging his influence to get the military's cooperation. The taste of wielding such power was sweet, and Dane began to wonder if he should take control of an entire nation.
His thoughts turned to Kahndaq, a small African country with a rich history of magic metal, now under the thumb of an international gang with a powerful military presence. The A.R.G.U.S. and the Justice Society had turned a blind eye to the politically charged issues in Kandak, and Dane saw an opportunity.
"Why should I care about politics?" he mused. "I'm just a businessman."
...
Meanwhile, in London, Batman had finally picked up Constantine's trail.
It wasn't a case of Constantine suddenly being careless or wanting to be found. Instead, it became evident that something was weighing him down, holding him back.
One night, in a shadowy alleyway, Batman stepped out to block Constantine's path. The dim streetlights flickered as a damp chill hung in the air.
"When are we going to stop playing this game?" Batman's gravelly voice cut through the silence. "After all this chasing, you should know by now—I mean you no harm."
Constantine, leaning casually against the brick wall, lit a cigarette with a flick of his worn Zippo. He didn't respond immediately. His silence was unusual. Constantine was rarely at a loss for words, and his deflections were usually sharp and witty. But this time, he seemed distant.
Batman's brow furrowed under the cowl. He wasn't used to seeing Constantine like this. Something was off.
"You're in trouble, aren't you?" Batman probed.
Constantine let out a bitter chuckle, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Yes, yes, you're bloody brilliant, mate. Why don't you go ahead and solve my problems, then?"
The sarcasm in his voice was familiar, but it lacked its usual bite. Batman crossed his arms, studying him carefully.
This wasn't their first encounter. The two had danced around the idea of Constantine joining the Justice League before, but progress had been slow. Constantine was too unpredictable, too slippery, and too much of a wildcard for Batman's taste. Recruiting him was proving harder than wrangling a rogue supervillain.
Still, Batman was nothing if not persistent. He liked to keep a close eye on everyone who could be a potential ally—or a potential threat. And Constantine was both. His reputation was a tangled web of deceit and dubious choices. Batman couldn't help but feel uneasy knowing that even demons from Hell considered Constantine a scumbag.
"You've tangled with forces you can't handle, haven't you?" Batman pressed, his tone sharper this time.
Constantine smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You're a quick study, Bats. But don't flatter yourself into thinking you can untangle my mess. My problems aren't the kind you can solve with your fancy gadgets and bat-shaped throwing stars."
Batman ignored the jab, his mind already piecing together the possibilities. Whatever Constantine was dealing with, it had shaken him enough to drop his guard. That alone was worth investigating further.
"I'm not here to lecture you or clean up your messes, Constantine. But if your problems are spilling into my world, we're going to have a problem."
Constantine flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, crushing it under his boot. He met Batman's gaze with a weary, almost resigned look. "Well, aren't we already in a fine mess, then? Welcome to my world, Bruce."
----
stone please.