The room was dim with mood lighting.
The light screens shone in the place, giving the room a not so gloomy atmosphere.
Through them, however, some very particular faces could be seen.
Several faces that practically any Justice League member would be able to recognize at first glance. On top of the League's priority Target list.
"This is.... Intriguing. I must admit". The owner of the voice said firmly. His stature was tall, his body build was muscular, and his eyes shone with calmness and serenity.
Dressed in a gentlemanly Englishman blue suit, Vandal Savage in the light screen observed the video that played before him and his cohorts with interest.
".... It is an unexpected development". A female voice inclined.
"Now lays the important question. Could it be of any use to us and our cause, or..."
The voice paused, adding a bit of tension.
".... Will this Deviant pose a stumbling block on our path?"
Lex Luthor, who was present within the room in his actual body and not a light projection, tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair.
"A proper answer to that question cannot be given for the time being". Lex said with a serious look on his face.
"Hey Hey! Does it matter much? It's not like there haven't been others who stood in our way". The voice of the maniac Witchboy, Klarion entered into their ears.
"For once, I agree with Klarion". Ocean Master added indifferently.
"We continue our operations. It would be best for the alien to keep to himself, as he has usually done. If not, a lesson should be in order".
"Bold talk, Ocean Master". Queen Bee retorted. The light screen showed her sitting on a throne, looking regal and beautiful. She had an imposing aura around her mixed with a hint of charm.
"Last time I remembered, you couldn't even defeat your brother, Aquaman. He was a half-blood, if my memories do not fail me. Has your magic made outstanding improvements recently? Considerable enough to give you the courage to face off against five Leaguers and come out victorious?"
The voice was dripping with naked sarcasm.
Orm's hand gripping the Trident tightened. He bit back on the rude rebuttal that threatened to leave his lips at any moment, forcefully controlling himself from exploding in anger.
His loss to his half-brother, Aquaman, was what he considered his greatest shame.
"During the battle of the Atlantean army against the surface world, I single-handedly took down the Justice League on my own. With the Trident of Atlan, even Superman wasn't my match".
"The league underestimated you. And Superman's weakness to magical energy wasn't even known to himself at the time. Besides, they aimed to incapacitate you, not kill you. While you failed to kill them even after trying your best".
The Brain blandly rebutted the shallow remarks of the Banished Prince. Even without hands, he gave a fatal blow to Ocean Master's fragile ego.
In Brain's view, with Superman's speed and power, crushing the Banished Prince was something that could be done from a mile distance.
If Ocean Master could truly destroy the league on his own, what did he need them for?
Before Orm could fume, Lex jumped into the conversation.
"I'll have to agree with Brain on this one. Since you were so powerful with the Trident Of The Sea, would you be able to get rid of the Justice League once and for all if we successfully retrieve it for you?"
Luthors tone was neutral and devoid of any ridicule, but in the ears of Orm, the mockery could be heard, seen and felt clearly.
Orm was about to explode from anger. He was a prince, a royal prince. Rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis. How dare these people mock him? How dare they ridicule him?
"No?" Queen Bee asked with a visible sneer.
"You have no confidence to do that, but your bragging abilities look quite capable".
"Enough!" Seeing the way things were developing, Savage quickly put a stop to it.
"We are all partners here with a common cause. Such squabbling among ourselves is beneath us".
He said so without turning his head or shifting his gaze. It remained focused on the video of Amari squaring off against Batman and the rest of the league.
"Where did you obtain this from?" Savage asked in a plain voice.
"The clone, of course". Lex said with a "matter of fact" expression. "It was gotten straight from the Justice League's watchtower".
"Explain". Savage said.
Luthor frowned at his tone, but explained nonetheless Amari's situation with the League through Red Arrow's understanding.
"The actions of the League are... Strange, to say the least".
Savage said after a moment of silence.
Lex nodded at his words. "I Agree. It is not in line with Batman's principles to act in such a way".
"And yet, he did".
"What do you think could be the cause of this?"
"Unknown".
"Perhaps Batman's control issues have finally overwhelmed him".
"Whatever be the reason, it does not change the fact that this..... Deviant, as they call him, is not to be trifled with easily".
"Indeed, according to the insider, the power of Martian Manhunter and Shazam is infinitely close to Superman's. His shown ability to defeat them with the inclusion of the Green Lantern and a Magician is concerning".
"What do you think, Luthor?" The light screen showing the picture of The Brain turned its attention to Lex Luthor and threw out a question.
"While the Deviant is truly a cause for concern, he has not actively threatened any of our interests. I doubt you called for this assembly just to let us know the League has taken a beaten".
"You are right". Lex nodded and pressed a button. The screen changed to show a detailed report that the Light's insider, Red Arrow, had given.
"I wouldn't call you all here if it were just that, but we will need to consider our advances in the following steps of our plan. As not only did he defeat five League members, but made five more disappear". Luthor went on to explain the situation.
"..... So you mean that the Justice League is currently understaffed?" Queen Bee asked with a bit of incredulity.
"This does change things". Brain uttered.
"You are proposing we take advantage of the League's absence and speed up our plans, Lex?" Savage stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"It is a window of opportunity. An unexpected one but still valuable nonetheless".
"Are the missing Leaguers dead?"
"It is currently unknown".
"Our council is incomplete yet. With The Demons head absent due to several circumstances, we cannot take a vote to decide on moving ahead of schedule. Plus, the timeframe is too short, and the advantage is unreliable. Who knows whether Wonder Woman and the rest would suddenly appear the following day. We should wait for a while to determine the situation". Savage said calmly.
"I am more interested, however, in this alien that has come to our notice".
"Do you intend to contact him?" Queen Bee couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"I am considering it. Such a person could make a wonderful addition to our cause". Savage said with a bit of a fiery look in his eyes.
Ocean Master frowned. He had watched the video and read the reports, so he naturally knew how powerful Amari was.
"That was not in our plans". He voiced his disapproval.
"Maybe not, but still. I suddenly have a feeling of cherishing talents. With the abilities he has shown, it would be such a waster if we can't pull him to our side". He replied as he stroked his beard that was full all over his chin.
"Those powers are precisely what makes him a considerable threat". It wasn't Orm who spoke this time, but Queen Bee.
"We have had no prior contact with him and have no idea of his motives. Exposing ourselves to him could very much be counterproductive. Especially if, through him, the League gets wind of us".
"The league have already gotten wind of us. Even if they don't know who we are specifically, Batman knows that someone is playing behind the scenes. And since when do we fear being exposed to the light?" A chuckle escaped from the lips of the several millennium old fossil.
"It will be different if we expose ourselves prematurely for the League's notice when it is completely unnecessary".
Orm however wasn't going to back down. The interests of the light were not in his mind when he uttered this sentence. He simply didn't want the addition of another powerful individual into the council that could pose a threat to him.
Orm was someone who was most confident in his personal strength. In a one-on-one battle, he believed the only one who could trump him among those present was The Lord Of Chaos, Klarion.
Although the rest had some backhands, considerable power and influence, all that was trivial in the face of the Atlanteans vast numbers and technology.
Once he became king, the Light could and would be disposed of. Then he would lead the Atlanteans to return to their peak, wiping off the surface dwellers, and become the ruler of both land and ocean.
But all that was still in the far future. For now, he needed their help and couldn't afford to fall out with them. He had to endure and make sure that things didn't turn unfavorable for him.
And fighting against someone who was practically immune to magic, how was that in any way favorable?
So he strongly resisted the addition of Amari.
With a blank, indifferent expression, Orm continued.
"Apart from adding more muscle, Amari cannot bring anything more valuable to The Light's cause. We already have numerous associates when it comes to top combat power, but those of us seated here who truly having the decision-making power have different spheres of influence respectively".
"I hate to admit it, but the fishman is right". Queen Bee said with a stretch of her hand.
"While power is important, the core of our organization is based on the individual networks each one of the seven original members control. If that weren't the case, then someone like Black Adam would also have the right to sit alongside us just by virtue of his powers alone. While Amari's personal strength does surpass the ruler of Khandaq on the surface, his influence on Earth does not. One is an alien while the other is a ruler. And from my judgement, I doubt this…. Amari will be willing to become a subordinate member of Light. And that is only the surface issues".
Stretching her waist while sitting, the curves of her body looked tantalizing, giving off a seductive sight that could make regular men drool.
Too bad, no one among them was a regular man. Lex's mind that was burdened with so much knowledge had greatly overpowered his sexual emotions.
The same could be said for the millennia old caveman, who had practically lived from ancient times till date.
Only Ocean Master could be a little moved, but as a former Atlantean king, he had seen many beauties. His former fiancée, Mera was on the same level, if not surpassing Queen Bee.
"The fact also remains that he is currently an uncontrollable factor. With his personal strength, he could even pose a threat to you Vandal. After all, he has already taken away the immortality of someone else".
Queen Bee's eyes sparkled with amusement, looking at Savage as if wanting to watch a good show.
The League files were accessible to almost every official member. Except for some strictly guarded secrets which only people like Batman had access to, others were for public viewing.
Amari's danger files included his feat of taking away Lobo's immortality. Something that was easily accessible to Red Arrow.
Sure enough, Vandal Savage faltered when it came to this. The fiery passion in his eyes dwindled significantly.
You must know that the core of Savage's significance was not only the connections he had laid down over the past thousand years, but also the fact that he was able to live that long.
His immortality was the core of his being at this point, if not, Savage would have died to Klarion millennia ago when he battled with the Lord Of Chaos.
His physical capabilities were beyond ordinary beings for sure, but in front of a Chaos Lord, Savage would have died a thousand lives wouldn't be enough to sustain him if he weren't immortal.
It was also for this reason that he was able to strike a bargain with Klarion. If not, how could just anyone have the capability to make such a powerful being agree to work with him.
If, for some reason, he lost his immortality, his influence, and prestige would be inevitably reduced. At that time, he didn't know if he would be able to prevent these ambitious members from having any funny ideas.
Seeing Savage remain silent, Queen Bee continued.
"Not to mention his origins are questionable. Even the Justice League have no idea who or what he is, where he's from and how far his powers go. Mysterious in my eyes".
She finished with a smile.
"When out that way, it does sound unnecessary". The Brain voiced his opinion.
"The practical value that can be added can't outweigh the risks".
Savage also thought similarly.
However...
"That may not necessarily be the case. This alien might be more valuable than you think". So said the voice of the bald genius.
....
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