#Waller did it so she could at least pretend to be a good mom

[bet-on-me-13]

Tucker's mom invites him to Take Your Son to Work Day

So! Tucker hasn't talked to his mom in a little while, he usually stays with his Dad and Step-Mom in Amity, but every once in a while he'll go over to Washington DC to visit his Bio Mom.

And she recently just called him to ask if he wanted to visit the White House on Bring your Child to Work Day. She works there as the Secretary of Defense, and he is actually really interested in what she does for work.

So, he get picked up and taken to Washington, where he meets up with his Mom.

Amanda Waller.

...

For the record, Amanda Waller knows she's not a good person, and Definitely not a Good Mom. But she thinks she is at least semi-decent, look, she even invited her son to Bring Your Child To Work Day!

And look how much fun he is having running around the Argus Labs! She knew he was a Tech Geek, but he is really getting into it.

Right now he's looking at their Confiscated Alien Tech, and the smile on his face is actually making Amanda feel a little happy. Oh, what's he doing now? What's he doing with the Coffee Maker? Why is he taking that Screwdriver from that Toolbo-

What is he doing with the Alien Tech?!

She rushes over to stop him, but stops dead in her tracks when she sees what he did. Somehow, he had just taken a Busted Alien Cooling Unit, took some parts from the Coffee Maker, and turned it into a Freeze Ray.

"Oh, sorry Mom. Do you want me to put it back the way it was?"

"...do you want a Job?"

"...I'm 14."

[hedgiwithapen]

MAWS prompt: Waller and the General kidnap Clark early in the season, before he's told anyone about his powers. Jimmy has to decide whether to tell Lois Clark's secret, and they have to figure out who could have taken him...

(I'm playing fast and loose with the timeline here. episode 4/5 but Lois never finds the article, Steve never left the weights, etc)

Flip peddled hard, panting.  She twisted the gearshift on her handlebar that was slightly too big for her hands. The 21 speed bike was a great investment, just like she'd told her mom. Usually, it was just so she could get her paper route done and still have time for both cartoons AND homework after school. This was a far bigger deal.  Without the bike, there'd have been no way she was getting up the hill. At least the way down was fast. she didn't even touch the brakes, screeching a warning as she flew past a stop sign. It was illegal, but this was way too important. 

"Lois! Lois!" she shrieked, pulling up to the sidewalk beside a familiar green-coat. One foot bracing her bike, she leaned her head on her handlebars, exhausted. "emergency!"

"Flip, forgetting your book report until last minute is not an emergency," Lois said.

"Not that--how'd you even remember that--wait, no, not the time." Flip gasped for breath. "Superman. they took him!"

"What?" Lois turned fully, eyes wide. Crouching partway, she grabbed the 4th grader's shoulders.  "Flip, what did you see? Tell me everything. Who took Superman?"

"Some guy with white hair. He had a sword, two swords, and, and he was doing flips, and there was a helicopter thing. He looked like a spy. or an assassin. A Spyssassin. Superman was fighting them, but they got really close to the freeway, and he was trying stop it from collapsing and people jumped out of the helicopter, and they took him!"

"Oh my god," Lois said. "Wait, Flip, did they see you?"

"No, I was hiding. We gotta find him! Lois, they had guns!"

"Flip, you  need to go home. I'll get Clark and Jimmy, we'll figure it out, okay?" Screw that she was just an intern--she was her father's daughter, too. Superman had saved their lives, they'd save him back. Somehow.

"I want to help!"

"You have. Flip, please. Go. Normally. Pretend everything's fine."

"But it's not fine!"

Lois nodded.  Impulsively, she hugged the kid. "Stay safe, ok?"

Then she took off running. 

*

Jimmy looked at the pieces of the alarm clock, and signed. This one was not going to be so easily fixed. Usually they broke in about the same way, and being more mechanical than digital, it wasn't that hard to replace a gear, or hammer out a dent. He'd actually gotten pretty good at it, thanks in no small part to Mr. Gotamco at the watch repair place down the street.  Honestly, if the whole photojornalist thing didn't work out, maybe that wouldn't be a half bad career.  His phone rang.

"It's Jimmy," he said, answering. 

"Oh, good," Lois sounded breathless. "Is Clark with you? He's not answering his phone. I'm on my way over right now."

"Why?" Jimmy asked. " It's our day off, isn't it? Did we have a meeting? Did I forget a--"

"No, no. Jimmy, focus. Clark."

"Uh, he went out to get lunch..." Jimmy looked at the clock and realized it was still broken. "Oooh, did he finally ask you out?"

"No! What? Open your door." Jimmy obliged, and Lois  slammed past him, red-faced from running. "It's about Superman."

"Yeah?" Jimmy asked, sweeping the clock parts to the side. He was going to have to buy a new one after all. "something I should put on Flamebird?"

"Yes, no, I don't know--where's Clark? We need him. Superman's gone."

"Gone?" Jimmy choked, putting down his phone. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Gone. Flip saw that guy from the city square take him. He could be hurt, or--we owe him, Jimmy. Say you'll help me."

Jimmy froze. Gone. Superman couldn't be...kidnapped... "Lois." He said, suddenly very quiet. "I need you to promise me you won't get mad."

"About what, Jimmy? Now is not the time for--"

"Promise," he said again. "You can't be mad."

"What did you do!?"

"Nothing. I--nothing. I just... know something. Something I'm not supposed to. And I shouldn't tell you but you have to know now so promise you won't be mad."

"Ok, I promise," she said too easily. Jimmy let it slide.

"Clark. He's Superman. I figured it out ages ago. Not that he was Superman, just that he was... you know. Different. but it's his secret and obviously he didn't want us to know but--if he's--"

"Clark?" Lois said, sitting hard on the couch. "Clark's... all this time, he's been...hiding--"

"You promised not to be mad," Jimmy said. "At either of us." She had not but it was implied.

"Oh, I'm mad," Lois said. "I'm mad at that... that..." she couldn't find the insult she wanted. "Asshole who took our best friend!"

Jimmy'd take what he could get. Clark couldn't be mad, either, right? Not if they were saving him.... Secret Identities were important, privacy mattered, but not when it was life or death. Jimmy really, really hoped that it was not life or death. 

"What's the plan?" he asked, jamming his shoes on. Lois deflated. "I don't know.  Look for clues, Flip said it was by the freeway. We could find something there, maybe?"

"Then let's go." Jimmy wasn't sure how they'd save Clark, after they found him. They had to find him. 

*

It wasn't hard to find the battlesite.  There were cracks in the support pillars of the overpass, all of them minor, or already sealed over.  patches of grass were charred or flattened.  Lois scoured the ground while Jimmy took photos of everything, hoping some clue might stand out. 

"I found something," Lois said.

"is it a clue? is it blood?" Jimmy asked, hurrying over and stopping at Lois's outflung arm. 

"Bootprints," Lois said. "I've seen prints like these before." Her voice was suddenly very un-Lois-like. Quiet. almost defeated. 

"In the tunnel, at the salvage yard?" Jimmy asked, squinting at the tracks. Maybe it was all connected to that tech. If it was, there had to be a way to trace it, they could find something that would lead them to Clark. Or Clark could get away on his own, maybe--he'd won the fight in the square before. Once he was in a place where innocents wouldn't get hurt, he'd have no problem kicking that guy's ass. "Or... the bank robbery?"

"No," Lois said, looking at her phone. The missed call log. Over and over, the declined calls. 

"Where, then?" Jimmy asked, staring at her, his camera lowered. "Lois?"

"My shoe rack, back home.  Standard issue. US Military. I...I have to call someone."

Her thumb hovered over the contact for 'dad' before pressing down with enough force to almost crack the screen. 

It rang, and rang, and went to voicemail. 

[xbadgerbearx]

your people will have our help

word count: 2.1k

Can’t Sleep: [1] … [3]

Of course you had to jump out of the aircraft into the cold water. What a perfect way to start the mission. Your team swam for a bit before wading through the shore as you approached the beach.

"Congratulations, Bloodsport."

"How'd you do it, Waller? There's no soldiers out here on patrol at all."

The beach was completely empty. There were no disturbances and more importantly, no enemies anywhere to be found. It was... peaceful.

"Let's just say they were distracted."

You only walked on the sand a couple feet before a large explosion erupted.

"Control, we have a disturbance south of here," Bloodsport reported after you jumped in surprise.

"It's just a diversion, Bloodsport."

Bloodsport seemed to weigh his options before speaking, "All right, we cut through the jungle to get to Valle Del Mar."

"Don't they have blockades at the city limits?" Peacemaker interjected.

"That's the word."

"How we getting in? Especially with Charlie the Tuna here," Peacemaker said while looking back at King Shark.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"You're the leader. You're supposed to be decisive."

"And I've decided you should eat a big bag of dicks, how's that?"

"You're being facetious, but if this whole beach was completely covered in dicks and somebody said I had to eat every dick until the beach was clean for liberty, I would say no problemo."

"Why would someone put penises all over the beach?" Ratcatcher II asked.

"Who knows why madmen do what they do."

"Chris, this is the second time you've made a comment like this today. Is there something you want to tell us?" You joked.

"Well, you know what I think?" Bloodsport started. "I think liberty is just your excuse to do whatever you want. Whether that's to eat a beach full of dicks or killin' folk."

"Oh, yeah? At least I don't kill men for money like you."

"Oh, here we go," Bloodsport sighed as he turned to face Peacemaker.

"There's something wrong with your skin," Ratcatcher II called out as she pointed to Polka Dot Man. You turned to see his face covered in bulging colorful... polka dots.

"It's just a rash."

"Oh, my- Abner, are you okay? You don't look so good," you said worriedly as you reached your hand out to touch him. You were interrupted by another loud explosion off in the distance.

"Never mind that, we need to continue forward."

You made it quite the distance before Bloodsport dropped his bag onto the ground. The entire time walking you watched Abner with both curiosity and worry.

"Alright, we'll camp here, and tomorrow we'll go straight through the city to get to La Gatita Amable by nightfall."

Everyone was laying out their sleeping equipment, in this case sleeping bags, as you figured out where you should lay yours.

"Why don't you lay over here, (L/n)? I could keep you warm," Chris offered with a laugh.

"Fuck no," you replied with the same humorous energy. "I'd rather you not roll over on me like you did last time."

"Last time?" Abner piped up timidly.

"It's nothing like that," you assured while rolling your eyes. "Me, Chris, and some of our other teammates at the time had to huddle up for warmth after Waller sent us on a mission somewhere in Siberia."

"Oh," Abner said, kind of relieved.

"I'll just put mine here," you placed your bag next to Abner's and DuBois. "It's near the fire."

You changed into your sleep clothes. Well, to be honest you just took off your shirt and slept in your tank top, but it was close enough. It wasn't long before you drifted off, however, you awoke some time later to some shuffling sounds and a quiet groan. Peeking under your lashes, you find yourself facing toward DuBois who was resting on his elbow, alert. You quietly sat up and turned to see what DuBois was looking at. A colorful light show was dancing on the leaves and tall grass. Almost as quickly as it happened, Abner appeared. He looked a little out of it, but quickly dawned a look of shock as he was caught doing... what exactly?

You got up to make sure your favorite awkward man was doing okay before you were cut off by a loud bang! Instinctively, you disappeared. Literally. DuBois kept shooting Nanaue until he was backed up against a tree.

"How deep of a sleeper are you?" DuBois asked Cleo, to which she responded sleepily, "I was having the most wonderful dream."

"If it was you about to be eaten by King Shark, then you're psychic," Chris said.

"I don't believe he would do that. He has very kind eyes."

Sebastian was saying what you could only guess was that Nanaue was, in fact, going to eat her.

"Hungry," Nanaue whined.

"You bastard!"

Rats from every direction emerged from the darkness as Cleo held up her glowing device. DuBois was looking rather uncomfortable.

"All right, calm down with the rats!" he yelled.

"What?"

"I have a thing with rats."

"You have a thing with rats?"

"Yes."

"And you're on a team with someone who controls them?" your disembodied voice asked.

He whipped around trying to find you before yelling, "What the fuck?"

As if suddenly remembering that you cannot be seen, you revealed yourself behind Abner whom you were using as a shield. As cute as he thought it was that you were using him as protection, it did startle him that you just appeared randomly behind him.

"Partnering up with someone with rats is not something I asked for!"

Peacemaker started laughing.

"What are you laughing at me for, man? Why the fuck are you in your underwear?"

You looked over and sure enough, Chris was in nothing but his underwear.

"Woah!" you yelled while burying your face into Abner's back. "Chris, put on some pants for fucks sake!"

"Tighty-whities? Really?"

"Now that's just racist."

"No, it's not racist! They're tighty-whities!"

"You didn't tell me you had a fear of rats, DuBois," Waller said over the comms.

"I'm an assassin! Why would I share my liabilities?" This was promptly followed by an uncharacteristicly girly scream.

"Aww, he's offering you a pretty leaf to show you he means no harm," Cleo cooed.

"Why the fuck would I want a leaf?"

DuBois was getting increasingly more freaked out while Chris started laughing again.

"Just get the rats out of here!"

Cleo turned off her device and all the rats scurried back into the jungle.

Peacemaker turned to DuBois and asked, "Hey, we gonna kill Megalodouche now, or what?"

"Nanaue's the strongest member of your team. You need him to get into Jotunheim."

"Yeah, well we can't function as a team if we gotta watch our back from one of our own eatin' our bollocks," Bloodsport replied.

"Nanaue," Cleo started as she kneeled down to his height. "Would you eat your friends?"

"I no friends."

"You have no friends? Well, if you did, would you eat them?"

Chris answered with a "yes" before he was shot a look from Ratcatcher II.

"No?"

"Then can we be your friends?"

Chris scoffed, "Come on, he's obviously lying."

"If I die 'cause I gambled on love, it will be a worthy death."

DuBois shook his head, "You are a little idiot."

So much for a full rest. It was nearly morning by the time the shark incident was resolved, so you decided to just pack up and dress yourself.

"Task Force X, you have an additional mission directive. We've located Colonel Rick Flag. He's been taken by the enemy."

"Rick Flag?" DuBois asked while your team made your way through the jungle.

"I know, you both served on special forces in Qurac that took down Avral Kaddam. Flag was the one who initially recommended you."

"You had other operatives in Corto Maltese and didn't tell us?"

"There was no tactical advantage, now there is. I've uploaded the location on your MTS. Terminate his captors with extreme prejudice. Kill anyone you see. These are dangerous people. Recover Flag before moving on to the city."

You eventually made it to a decent sized camp before DuBois MTS started beeping.

"That's where they're holding Flag."

"Nothing like a bloodbath to start the day."

"I thought they called you Peacemaker," Ratcatcher II questioned.

"I cherish peace with all my heart. I don't care how many men, women, and children I need to kill to get it."

Ratcatcher II turned to Polka Dot Man before whispering, "I thought you were the crazy one," which was swiftly answered by you lightly shoving her shoulder.

"I am."

"All right," Bloodsport said, getting everyone's attention. "Let's get it."

You and Nanaue crept behind a man who gave his cup to his buddy.

"Gracias," you heard the man say. Soon after, King Shark picked the man up and ate him as he started screaming. He dropped what looked to be a communication device. Nanaue smacked his mouth as the comms device went off.

"Cualquier cosa?"

As your nearby teammates looked in somewhat fear as to what to do, you picked up the dead soldier's comms and said "Nada, Señora" while perfectly mimicking his voice. Your team carried on.

You hastily turned yourself invisible as you scouted for Rick Flag. It took a couple of minutes but you managed to find the only white guy there. You assumed he was Rick since he was injured, but were they... laughing?

"Bloodsport," you whispered into your comms. "I found Rick Flag. He was laughing?" You sounded unsure.

"Most likely drugged," Peacemaker said. "Where's he located?"

"Northmost tent, past the watchtower." Right after you said that you saw a bunch of colorful polka dots disintegrate the watchtower.

"On our way."

You could hear some of your team's conversation as they approached your location. You made yourself visible again.

"I'm sorry it's so... flamboyant."

"It looks cool," you heard Cleo say.

"I don't like to kill people, but if I pretend it's my mom, it's easy."

"TMI, mate," said DuBois.

More laughter could be heard inside the tent as Bloodsport ripped open the tent curtain. An uncomfortable silence settled.

"DuBois?"

"Hey, Flag."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Bloodsport looked around confused. "Waller told us that you were... uh... are you drinking tea?"

Flag gestured to his female companion sitting across the table from him, "This is Sol Soria, she's the leader of the freedom fighters, the resistance trying to take down the current government. They-they saved my life."

"Oh. Wow."

Everyone put down their weapons.

"Why did my people not alert me of your arrival?"

You awkwardly hide yourself behind Abner again.

"We didn't see any people," Bloodsport swiftly lied.

"Yeah, I didn't see anybody on the way..." Peacemaker continued.

"There's no one out there."

"They were gone when we got here."

"I turned them into my mother in my head and killed them."

Everyone turned to look at Polka Dot Man. You just sighed and smacked his shoulder. To make matters worse, King Shark hacked up... was that a finger with a wedding ring? Sebastian squeaked out an audible "Uh oh."

Soria promptly lunged off the table and made her way outside. You and your team awkwardly stood amongst the destruction you caused while Flag and Soria looked in pain.

"Typical Americans. Just run in, guns blazing."

"I know, this is messed up. These guys, they're..."

Rick looked behind him to see Peacemaker and Bloodsport getting into a stupid cat fight, while Ratcatcher II was rubbing her face ashamed, and you and Polka Dot Man were looking off into the jungle having your own conversation and not even paying attention.

"They're fucking idiots, but right now our objectives aligh with yours. If Jotunheim contains the technology our intelligence says it does, then it could be used on the people of Corto Maltese as well as Americans. That's why we need your help to get into the city so we can stop 'em."

Soria just stared past Flag and asked, "Is that rat waving at me?"

Sure enough, Rick turned back around to see Sebastian waving at them. Cleo was messing with her hands, Chris and DuBois were looking around while tapping their feet, and you were admiring Abner's polka dots on his costume as he was awkwardly trying to accept your compliments.

"It appears it is."

"Why?"

"I'm gonna guess because it's friendly."

Soria thought for a moment, weighing her options, before speaking again.

"Luna and Suarez murdered my entire family. I'd make a deal with the devil to stop them." As if it physically pained her to say, she continued. "Your people will have our help getting to Vall Del Mar to apprehend this Gaius Grieves."