10 advanced chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
"Tell me about our first guest."
Angel said as they walked along the path.
"He has tried escaping 4 times. Once by inducing a black out, a second by trying to bribe me and the other two times were instigated by his assistant. I had to put them in separate cells for the reprogramming."
Psimon answered.
"Good."
Angel nodded in approval as they stopped before the first cell.
The energy shield before it was powered down by Psimon, and within the cell, chained to a desk was a bald man in a white shirt, pants and bare feet.
He was reading a book, making no indication that he had noticed them.
"Anything else you want to add?"
Angel turned to Psimon.
A complicated look fell upon the Telepath.
"Just that out of everyone else, his mind shield was the toughest to get through. I had to brute force it, as a result...he might be missing a few key memories."
"Key memories like what?"
Shade questioned.
Psimon threw a look at Shade before nervously turning to Angel and raising his hands.
"Ah...Boss, I really tried my best but he might not even remember who you are...let alone who he is."
"You broke his mind?"
Widow asked incredulously.
"That wasn't in your report, Psimon."
Shade growled out dangerously.
"I messed up, okay?! But Luthor is a genius, he has trained his mind to resist mind control. It was all I could do to keep his knowledge intact."
Psimon hurriedly justified before the irate Right Hand man, who was looming over him with killing intent.
To Shade, there was nothing worse than actively lying to the Young Master. That carried the risk of jeopardizing his plans.
"Failure can be tolerated. But lying is a different matter..."
Shade coldly informed the Telepath, who was wisely backing away.
"Actually...Shade, hold on a minute."
Angel's voice cut through the tense air.
Looking back at the young master, Shade was surprised by the conniving grin he was spotting.
"This could work in our favor."
-0-
On a gentle sunny beach, under a midday cloudless sky, a bald man could be seen sitting with a book.
The metal desk and chair he was using, seemed out of place in the beautiful setting, the sound of the ocean water lapping gently on the shore adding to the tranquility.
To his front, a few feet above the water, a door suddenly appeared, swinging open. Through the entrance, a 10 year old boy stepped in.
"Hello, you mind if I join you?"
Angel greeted with a cordial smile and a wave.
The man looked up from his book, calmly studying Angel before returning to his reading.
"Sure. Just as long as you remain quiet."
He added in an even tone.
Angel nodded, walking forward with measured strides before sitting down. A chair made of ice conveniently manifested below him.
He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, bright eyes set on the bald man.
The two of them remained silent, yet the man could feel the stare boring into him, making it hard to concentrate.
With a sigh, he placed the book on the table and regarded Angel.
"What do you want child? Are you lost?"
Angel shook his head, staying quiet. His eyes seemed to contain a certain glint. Not quite curiosity but more than a little interest.
The bald man frowned.
"Did they abduct you too? Is that why you're here, disrupting my reading?"
Angel shook his head once more, still staring at him.
"Then who are you?"
The man questioned.
Angel leaned back on his Ice chair, a contemplative expression settling on his face.
"You really don't remember me, do you?"
"Remember you? Should I?"
The man asked, looking around.
"I woke up here a day ago. This strange looking fellow told me I had been abducted and that they were waiting for a ransom to let me go. Maybe they kidnapped you too. Either way, I've never met you in my life."
An annoyed look passed Angel's face, surprising the bald man.
"Psimon. That idiot..."
He cussed with a shake of his head.
"Um, sorry? Who's Psimon?"
The man asked, confused.
"Oh,"
Angel turned his way, face shifting to an accomodating smile.
"I apologize for my outburst, Mr. Luthor, it seems one of my employees tried to play a prank on you. The truth is, we are the ones that rescued you from your captors. Your Bodyguard contracted my Private Security when you were abducted by the League of Shadows-"
"Wait wait, Who's Luthor?!"
Luthor cut him off,
"And the League of Shadows? What are you talking about Kid?!"
He yelled, trying to stand up, only for the chains on his hands to pull him back down.
"Let me get that for you."
Angel offered, grabbing the chains with his left hand and freezing them.
The metal links hissed and cracked apart, clattering on the table.
Luthor backed away in fear, staring at Angel. His eyes particularly trailed over the receding ice on his left side.
"W-who are you? W-what are you?"
"Calm down Lex."
Angel raised his hands to appease him.
"You took a nasty bump when we were springing you out, so I understand why you wouldn't remember me. My Name is Angel Savage. You're a friend of my Father's, that's why Mercy came to me for help. You remember Mercy right? Mercy Graves?"
Luthor frowned, then a look of realization dawned in his eyes.
"Mercy...my bodyguard, no...assistant..."
He whispered, clutching his head.
Angel secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, he had Psimon tweaking Mercy Graves's memories to fit in better with the narrative he was spinning.
"Good news Lex, she's here."
Angel revealed, the air above the ocean reforming into the door he had used to enter the cell.
Mercy stepped through, a worried gaze on her face, eyes set on Luthor.
"Sir!"
She hurried inside.
"Mercy? I- Is it really you?"
Luthor asked in a hopeful voice.
Off to the side, Angel scrunched his nose.
'He's really lost his memories. The real Luthor would never act like that.'
But then again, this was a blessing in disguise. With Luthor's memory gone, it would make it easier for him to gain more control of Lexcorp.
Angel was particularly eyeing Cadmus which was at the center of most of the Young Justice plot. At least the first season.
He quietly left the cell. Mercy already had a set of instructions to follow in her head. Instructions that would paint him in a favorable light. This wouldn't be the last time Angel would see Luthor.
Now it was time to deal with the other 3.
-0-
"Nice touch with the simulated cell Shade."
Angel complimented as they moved on to the second cell.
"It was Widow's Idea."
Shade replied.
"She thought a calm and conducive environment would help when dealing with someone like Luthor "
Angel understood her intention.
Depending on how he chose to handle Luthor, the beach scene would have been perfect for putting the Supervillain at ease and in a relaxed state.
The calm before the storm so to speak.
And then when Luthor least expected, it would turn into a hell of Angel's making. The perfect method of psychologically breaking someone.
But now Angel had decided to shift the plan. He would have to forego the more brutal vengeance he was planning. Torture wasn't something he was new to afterall.
However, Luthor losing all his memories was sufficient revenge. Because now, he had control of one of the smartest people on the planet.
"Good work Widow."
Angel nodded her way.
"I aim to please."
She responded.
"Tell me about the next one."
Angel turned to Psimon, just as the five of them stopped before the second cell.
"French bastard been cussing your name out loud Boss..."
Psimon grunted, dialing in the access code on the side of the cell. The energy shield dropped.
"...And moaning about his Gorilla Malah. Damn animal almost bit my hand off. I put them together, but the Gorilla is sedated."
He finished.
And true enough, through the open bars, The Brain could be seen separated from his mechanical body. His brain along with the stem were placed in a glass casing filled with liquid.
Malah the Gorilla was attached to the wall by manacles that closed over all his limbs.
"Was the reprogramming successful?"
Angel asked, the bars to the cell retracting and granting him entry.
Psimon nodded.
"Good to hear."
Angel replied, holding out his hand to Black Widow,
"Your gun Natasha, let me borrow it for a second."
Natasha complied, a curious look on her face. The expression was shared by the others. They were all wondering what he was planning.
Angel wrapped his hand on the cool grip of the pistol, fully stepping into the cell.
"Brain Brain Brain..."
He said in a lazy tone, pulling the hammer back and cocking the gun,
"Not as smart as Luthor, not as politically influential as Queenbee and not as useful as Ocean Master."
He aimed the gun at the Brain and pulled the trigger, not once or twice but five times.
The shots loudly echoed through the cell.
At the end of it, the brain inside the glass capsule was reduced to pieces of mucous dripping gray matter, which spilled onto the floor along with the liquid from the shattered capsule.
"Frankly speaking, you had the least knowledge about me, yet you chose to side with the rest, showing no hesitation."
Angel spoke, staring at the Brain's remains.
"That shows a lack of foresight. And signs of a traitor. In other words, I have no use for you."
Amidst shocked looks, he accurately shot the manacles off Malah, dropping the Gorilla onto the floor, right on the pieces of his friend's brain.
"Shade, send the Gorilla back to where it belongs."
Angel ordered, turning around and leaving the cell.
Behind him, Malah's body was swallowed by its shadow. When it woke up, it would find itself in the jungles of Africa, with no memory of The Brain. The reprogramming had essentially regressed its mind to that of a normal Gorilla.
"Who's next?"
Standing on the hallway, Angel asked.