Read your replies, so unnecessary ideas will be cast aside. As for the love interest thing.... Let's just see how it goes as I write it.
.....
Gotham....
Strader Pharmaceuticals....
....
The atmosphere was particularly oppressive.
"I see". Slade said lightly, his expression slightly constipated for a second before returning to a normal poker face. However, with his mask on, they couldn't see his face, so they wouldn't know.
It happened then. The sound of helicopter whirs fell into their ears. Following which, a black chopper hovered over the roof of the building.
Due to the shattered ceiling, small gusts of wind blew into the building, causing the capes of those who had them to billow.
"Well..... Looks like our ride's here". Deathstroke muttered audibly while taking a look upward.
Lowering his gaze to meet Batman's, there was a moment of silence before he spoke again.
"So, are you going to try to stop us?"
"You're free to leave". Alice replied.
"Batman?" Hearing the AI's approval, Robin looked at Batman anxiously.
Bruce didn't respond as countless thoughts were processed within his mind in seconds.
He was pondering the feasibility of actually capturing Slade in this scenario. The so-called cure within the case was valuable.
Add that to the Pheno Drug... Now that was something that could cause actual problems if left unchecked.
Slade had murdered everyone in this facility just to get it. Whether it was to stop whatever plans they had before they could complete them or because of the numerous souls who died here today, batman would be darned to let Slade escape with both serums in his possession.
But the situation wasn't in his favor. They were outnumbered.
And their overall power advantage wasn't any better than the other party. If Slade wanted to escape, there was little that Bruce could do to stop them.
The odds were unfairly placed.
And so, Bruce remained silent, his gaze turned to the AI on the screen before returning to Slade.
"Let them go". In the end, Bruce didn't live up to the Boy Wonder's expectations.
"Batman...".
"Enough Robin". The Caped Crusader cut him short, leaving him unable to utter another word of retort.
"Good". Slade nodded and shot out a grappling gun towards the ceiling.
Seeing their boss leaving, the goons did the same, so did Cheshire and Sportsmaster.
Dick watched them leave with a bit of incredulity. He turned again to his mentor and father figure, only to see Bruce watching with narrowed eyes.
His gaze drifted down to see The Dark Knight's left fist tightly clenched.
The chopper departed under his watchful eye.
Following which, Batman turned his gaze back to the Artificial Intelligence.
"You…".
"Hello Batman. A pleasure to see you again". The change surprised the two teens present. Did Batman know of this AI before today?
"Wish I could say the same". Bruce uttered flatly. His first and last encounter with the Red Queen was in General Sam Lane's Penthouse. That was before the guy was kidnapped.
"Now would you mind telling me what exactly Amari is doing again in Gotham?" His voice took a slightly colder tone.
"I believe my owner said it to you before. Business Ventures. The same thing you do under in your other mysterious identity".
"He bought Strader Pharmaceuticals". Bruce took a look. "And here I wished he was kidding".
"Which puts an error in your previous sentence. He isn't here in Gotham "again". He just never left. This was his investment that day".
"Why?" Bruce asked in a grave tone. "Why a Pharmaceutical company with a history of developing deadly serums?"
"Due to many conveniences, but that's not what you mean, is it?".
"No".
"Then If you must know ... It's simply to fulfill an agreement".
A hologram appeared before them.
"Let me remind you in case you may have forgotten, but my master's stay on your planet is not unconditional. As was clearly stated in the agreement he had with your World Government".
"The outbreak of super powered disasters have risen exponentially in recent years, with more death tolls and destruction of public property. Even with your Justice League trying their best to prevent these accidents.... They still happen". The hologram played various disasters that had taken place since Amari's appearance.
"And so, your leaders are scared. Frightened, if you will, that one day, a disaster will come that even you can't protect the earth from. Or worse..... Your Justice League becomes that disaster".
Her words fell, and Batman's plain expression grew gloomy.
"As can be seen from how President Luthor has taken matters into his hands by appointing a task force of Super powered individuals".
"They wanted a force of their own to give them a sense of security against greater threats.....".
"So Amari offered to give them one". Bruce interrupted.
"Correct. He made a deal in which he would be granted residence in your world in exchange for biological weapons capable of destroying The Justice League. One's completely under their control".
Not to mention Batman, even Robin and Artemis had completely shocked expressions on their faces.
Biological weapons capable of destroying the Justice League?
"Which is why Strader Pharmaceuticals was acquired. Under the form of business, my Master plans to complete the failed Super soldier project and sell them to every government in the world. The kryptonian blood of Miss Zor-El is the key component. In imitation of Cadmus facility's creation of Project Kr. A serum capable of giving anyone injected with it all the capabilities of a kryptonian, with none of the weaknesses. No vulnerability to Kryptonite or red sunlight. Every country will have their own Supermen and women to guard their Territory".
"And yet, why is it that I fail to see just exactly how what Amari plans to do is a good thing?"
The growl in his tone was almost audible.
Despite still wearing that indifferent expression, Robin knew that right now, Bruce was voicing his disapproval.
"I never said it was". The apathetic voice replied to him.
"There are reasons why only on Superman exists. The consequences of what he's about to do will bring more chaos than Amari knows. There will be war". Bruce's face had never been so gloomy.
Blockbuster, Bane's serum, Cobra Venom, Project Kr... All these were attempts to create a super soldier serum by villains.
A serum capable of turning people into full-fledged Kryptonians with all of their strengths and none of their weaknesses was something Bruce didn't even want to imagine.
If their enemies got their hands on such a thing, then the Justice League was in for harsh times.
"You are right. There are reasons why this power shouldn't be spread. Reasons that my master hardly care for".
"Does Amari bother to think of the negative impact if this falls into the wrong hands? Any random villain would have the ability to mass produce Kryptonians with a simple injection".
At this point, the Red Queen shook her head.
"I apologize in advance for whatever effect this Serum will bring to your world, but nothing you say will change anything. Unless you can get your government to change their minds, there is no stopping this".
"Then let me talk to Amari himself".
".... That can be arranged". Alice said after a moment of silence.
"I will inform him of your intentions to talk and let you know. Is there anything else?"
Her question received an affirmative response.
"You said Amari isn't in this dimension. So where is he?"
"...".
This time, Alice didn't answer, but stared at Batman with intense scrutiny. The Dark Knight returned her stare without so much as a blink.
"Outside the multiverse that your universe resides in".
The Caped Crusader was silent.
"Now, I believe I have answered your questions to the best of my abilities. Hence, my work is done. Goodbye, and good luck. Believe me, you will need it".
These were the last words before the red holograms turned off.
All the screens went dark and what was left was a building full of corpses.
Robin and Artemis were quiet.
Silence once again returned, but was quickly broken.
"You can go". His gruff voice held no emotion.
"Huh?" Artemis and Robin were startled.
"Robin, go outside, contact the police to appear at the scene and go back on Patrol. I'll take it from here".
"You're serious?" Dick was surprised.
"I am".
Hearing this, the Boy Wonder could only nod and leave.
"You too Artemis". Artemis, who was wondering what to do next heard Batman's voice.
"I think you've done enough patrolling for one night. Remember, you must tell no one about what you have heard tonight".
Artemis frowned. Her mouth opened, wanting to say something, but she held back in the end. Nodding, she turned around and walked towards the exit with a poker face.
On the inside, however, she wasn't as calm as she looked
Batman watched them leave. His eyes lingered on Artemis for a long while. Eventually, it turned towards a certain corpse a distance away.
This one had an arrow sticking out of its chest. Seeing this, The Dark Knight frowned even deeper.
The next moment, however, the thought was cast to the back of his mind. For now, Artemis's problem could wait.
He had more important things to deal with.
.....
Meanwhile, At the same time somewhere else.
Near The Atlantic Ocean...
Coast City...
The ocean roared, and the waves battered against the rocks before retreating ..... and returning a moment later.
The sky was dark, and the moon refused to give its light in this part of the world.
As the cold temperature continued to seep into the very soil itself, the sound of footsteps made itself known near the barren rocks.
Following which, a foot emerged from the darkness, stepping on the solid ground a moving forward.
The sound of water rushing towards the shore in the distance fell into Amari's ears, but Amari didn't pay it any heed.
Right now, his attention was on something else.
"Are you sure about this sir".
Alice's voice once again sounded in his ears.
"Why are you still asking me that?" His voice was tinged with a hint of curiosity.
"It doesn't matter anymore. I've decided. What's done is done".
"You know very well that I do not mean the Dreggs".
A week had passed since Amari's appearance at the Apokolips.
"Hehehehe, They're gods, Alice. Give them their due respect". Amari couldn't help but chuckle.
"They tried to kill you on sight".
"I'm still standing. And the one who did isn't".
"That aside, do you think it would be wise to introduce another race into the Axiom?"
"Sure. Why not?" Amari shrugged.
"It's empty anyway".
"The Old Gods have not been subdued yet. Adding another race will only be more trouble".
"Do I look concerned?"
At this point, he was already at the shore. His eyes shone with a strange light as he looked into the distance.
"Deathstroke has broken into Strader Pharmaceuticals".
"Oh! And?"
"Everyone within is dead. The cure was stolen, as well as the Pheno Drug".
"…".
"What do you plan to do to him?"
Amari didn't respond.
Just looked into the distance as the seconds elapsed.
"Just keep an eye on his whereabouts. As well as everyone who is remotely related to him. We'll get to the bottom of this after I'm done here".
His eyes seemed to see deep into the infinite ocean.
Thrum...
"Huh?" Amari raised an eyebrow.
"Is something the matter?" Alice asked.
"Yes". Amari turned his gaze away from the sea to look into the distant land where a valley filled with rocky hillsides lay.
"Alice, you marked the position of all the Breaches in the world, right?"
"That is correct". The day Amari discovered each breach, Alice had marked each of them.
With telescopic vision, his eyes peered through a great distance, landing in a secluded area of the valley where a massive portal floating above the ground could be seen.
The Breach emitted an energy blast that swept the surroundings, causing the earth to tremble
Following which, a man fell through it.
He wore a gold-plated battle suit that encased his entire body save for the base of his neck upward.
The head once full of red curly locks was completely devoid of hair, making it particularly eye-catching.
"Well, it looks like we're about to have new guests".
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