#a.r.g.u.s.

[schrijverr]

Tomorrow Will Be Different 14

Chapter 14 out of 26

Instead of managing to meet up later, Oliver has to keep running with Akio. The only way to keep them safe is to go public with Oliver being alive, leaving him back home in charge of Akio, while Tatsu and Maseo are still in the wind

In this chapter, the end seems to be closer and closer and Oliver has to begin looking for a conclusion to his story with A.R.G.U.S.. He also maybe needs some friends.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~

Chapter 14: The Ex-Wife’s Old Friend

They’ve found Amanda.

Diggle comes over the second Oliver has hung up after telling him about it. He has the satellite phone that Oliver takes immediately. The talk with his mom has been nice to clear the air, but he has forgotten about all of it in the moment, too focused on dialing the number.

It’s not Lyla, but Amanda’s voice that greets him mildly and professional: “Mr. Queen, how nice to hear of you.”

“Amanda,” Oliver greets back, managing to contain his surprise at hearing her voice and able to sound collected.

“I must say that I had high hopes from you when I recruited you, however, agent Micheals’s report of your role in handling this situation has exceeded those. If you ever want to escape the stifling existence of high society, A.R.G.U.S. has a place for you,” she says.

“Just tell me where you are with getting Shrieve and finding Tatsu and Maseo,” Oliver replies, not deigning her with an answer. Despite the friends A.R.G.U.S. brought him, he has little affection for the organization after his time spend with them.

Oliver has learned Amanda never shows any emotion, so he can’t tell what she thinks of his reply when she says: “We are in contact with the right people. General Shrieve should be in custody and in front of an American judge in two weeks.”

It pleases Oliver to know that the man will face justice for what he attempted. If they hadn’t been able to stop him, he is sure he would have done something he might regret to the man.

However, Shrieve isn’t his priority, Akio is. So he asks: “And what are you doing about locating Tatsu and Maseo?”

“Ex-agent Yamashiro and his wife can come out of their hiding place once General Shrieve and his men have been apprehended. They have cut ties with A.R.G.U.S. and are none of our concern right now.”

He hates how disinterest and cold she always sounds, but while Oliver might have expected differently from Lyla, he has no such illusions of Amanda. Oliver knows that Tatsu and Maseo are capable and will likely resurface after the danger against them has passed. He would have liked more certainty, but he can go look for him on his own if it takes too long.

So, he sighs and moves on. “Alright, what will be the story. I assume the United States government doesn’t want China to know what Shrieve nearly did to them. So how will this all be covered up?”

“Bio weapon experiment gone wrong. No survivors,” Amanda answers in a clipped tone. “It fits with the fake backstory of human experimentation you and agent Micheals came up with and it neatly ties up everything without leaving potential witnesses for the media to hound.”

“What about Tatsu and Maseo?” Oliver asks immediately, forehead pulling into a frown.

“They will have to tragically die once found and continue life under a different name.”

“No, you can’t do that. They still have Akio, they can’t take him with them if they’re dead. People will ask questions if he suddenly disappears, his face has been all over the news.”

“That was your choice.”

“It was the only way to keep him safe,” Oliver snaps, hating her callousness.

“Then tell people other family of his have been located and you have relocated him to be with them,” Amanda dismisses.

“I can’t,” Oliver grits. “I got custody of him because he has no other living relatives. That day in court has been publicized too.”

Amanda inhales sharply and any other day Oliver would be pleased he got an emotion out of her, even if that emotion is annoyance. However, today he is just annoyed right back. “Well then, Mr. Queen, maybe you should tell everyone that you couldn’t handle it and had someone adopt him privately. I’m sure no one would bat an eye at that with your reputation.”

Now Oliver is just offended. “I would never do that to Akio. And that still won’t stop my mom and sister from asking questions. Nor Tommy. It’s not a story that will hold. And not a story a reporter worth their salt won’t investigate to hell and back.”

“What would you have me do, then, Mr. Queen? Like you said, the betrayal of General Shrieve is not one we want people to know about,” Amanda says tersely. He’s getting all the emotions today and he can’t even bask in it.

Oliver thinks as fast as he can, knowing that despite her attitude Amanda is giving him an opportunity to come up with something to be able to return Akio home. She isn’t a complete monster, she just values the lives of the many over the comfort or lives of the few. Her ends will always justify her means. Her giving him this moment to give her something that will satisfy them both shows the respect she has for him. Or at least her feeling of owing him a debt after he saved her life.

“Tatsu and Maseo were immune,” he offers after a beat. “I mean, Tatsu has a background in medicine, it won’t be crazy to say they stole whatever weapon when they took her and her family as well. She could have immunized her family against it and it would soothe people’s mind to know that whatever weapon is out there, we have a cure.”

The more he speaks, the more he thinks this story will work out, enthusiastically he adds: “And the time we need to find them after the story is public can be explained as them being in quarantine just to be safe that they’re not contagious and actually safe.”

Amanda is quiet for a moment and Oliver holds his breath.

“Hm, that can actually work,” Amanda hums. “Alright, I will see if I can get this version approved, but I do not make any promises.”

“Naturally,” Oliver replies, fighting an eye roll. He is already grateful enough that she’s willing to try, no need to test her. Before she can change her mind, he asks: “Is there anything I can do from here or is it still a waiting game?”

“This was only a check in,” Amanda tells him. “You’re on stand by until we need more information or extra hands.”

“I can drop anything if you need me,” Oliver promises, not even caring that it might be a promise to the devil. Amanda is going to find Tatsu and Maseo, he can’t wait to tell Akio when he wakes up tomorrow.

His chest feels light when he hangs up and he has the first good night of sleep since he returned home that night.

The next morning, the feeling stays. Akio is indeed ecstatic and they go out to eat ice cream to celebrate together. He just chatters the entire time about all he’s going to tell them about when he sees them again.

Oliver can’t help but keep smiling at him, sharing the happiness. When Tatsu and Maseo are here, he’ll have completed his mission. The whole time he’s been worrying if they were right to trust him, but the end is now in sight and Akio is content. He did well.

It’s not until the days start passing that Oliver realizes that the end is getting in sight. This will be over soon.

He has been so wrapped up in this mission, in getting Akio reunited with his parents alright, that he has barely been picking up his life back here. He’s been trying more, of course, but it’s still not smooth going. Oliver isn’t sure how well it will go once Akio isn’t here anymore. Does he still know how to live without the kid?

Yeah, he has been making up with Tommy and Thea, even his mom, but what does he have outside of that? Does he need more than his little sister and best friend?

If he thinks about it, the thought of more of a social life doesn’t sound very appealing. He doesn’t like crowds that much anymore, knowing how easy it is to be an unnoticed danger in them, and most people here can’t relate to him and he not to them. His life has become too different.

With Akio here, he has something to talk about, something to distract him and an excuse to leave if he doesn’t want to be there anymore. However, once he is gone, he’ll have to do it by himself and that sounds incredibly daunting.

Still, his mom, and Thea before her, are right, he’ll need to pick up his life a little bit, enough to actually live. He can’t just become a hermit and never socialize outside of his immediate family and Tommy.

Diggle has become somewhat of a friend. The man knows about his circumstances, the truth about who he is, and as a solider himself, he understands Oliver better than anyone. Oliver trusts him with Akio and with himself, allowing Diggle to be his back up.

However, this is a job for Diggle, a favor he’s doing for his ex-wife, because it is about something big, something dangerous. Oliver can’t expect him to hang around after.

No, if he wants to prepare for life after this mission, he’ll need to make new friends. Or rekindle old friendships that don’t want to make him tear his own hair out with their ignorance and lack of awareness of the world.

Despite how it ended, he misses Slade in that moment.

Slade understood him better than anyone and has been there by his side for years. But Slade isn’t here right now and if he were, it would probably be bad for Oliver. So, instead Oliver finds himself at CNRI.

After hearing the good news from Amanda and realizing what that’ll mean for him, he’s been trying to ween off always being with Akio. So, he’s by himself while Diggle keeps Akio company at home.

He’s a little nervous, standing in her place at work to invite her to lunch. It’s nothing romantic, he doesn’t think he’ll have the mental capacity for dating anytime soon and after everything that has happened between them, he thinks it’s best to leave that chapter closed. She is just a person he still knows, who he holds in high regard and who is the kind of person from his old life that he still wants in his life now.

Laurel knows that life isn’t fair, knows that not everyone has the privilege to get everything, and she fights to make it more fair. Oliver respects that.

Despite his complicated feelings about it, it felt good to feel like he helped when working with A.R.G.U.S.. He doesn’t have any qualifications to continue that like Laurel is and he doesn’t want to go back to A.R.G.U.S. like Amanda offered. Maybe he can do something with charity, but Oliver isn’t sure. It’s something to talk to Laurel about.

… If she, you know, wants to talk to him.

He is very nervous waiting on her at her place of work. She hasn’t been out of law school for long and he doesn’t want to cause a scene at her workplace, but he figured it would be better than showing up at her house. That will send a kind of message that he doesn’t want to send. He wants to be her friend. Just her friend.

She’s coming back from something, smiling and talking with her friend. Oliver tries not to let the guilt chase him away when that happy expression drops from her face the second she spots him.

“Ollie, what are you doing here?” she says in lieu of a greeting.

Hearing himself be referred to as Ollie is weird. Thea and Tommy still do so, but the name has become unfamiliar to him over these past few years. It makes him feel nostalgic and melancholic in a way.

“Hi, Laurel,” he says, cringing at how awkward he sounds. “I was wondering if you’d like to eat lunch. With me. To catch up.”

“To catch up?” Laurel repeats, obviously not buying what he’s selling. “Just because we used to date before you died, doesn’t mean you get to pick that back up. Or did you forget why we broke up?”

“It’s not to get back together,” Oliver protests.

“Really?”

“Really,” he assures her. “Look, I know I might not be your favorite person, truly, I get that. But my life got… well, it got completely destroyed. There’s not much left of what I had. And I don’t want to get that life back. I’m trying to make different choices. Better choices. The people I had in my life aren’t people I want in it now, except for Tommy and Speedy. And you.”

Laurel is still very skeptical, that much is obvious. However, she is also listening to him, which is more than he’d hoped for. “You want me in your life again.”

He nods. “Yeah. Laurel, you are an amazing person, far better than I ever deserved. These past few years I wanted nothing more than to make it up to you.”

To prove it, he digs around in his pocket, much like his father’s notebook, the picture is something he has always carried on his body. While he lost his bow and everything he still had left from the island when Shrieve double crossed them at the docks, this he still has.

“Here,” he says, handing her the photo. “I kept it to remind me of what I had to stay alive for, what I had to make right.”

“Ollie…” Laurel gasps, trailing off in shock.

“Please, Laurel, let me make it right. Let me start over,” Oliver begs. “Just one lunch to get to know the current versions of one another. If you still want to hate me and want me to stay away, I’ll respect that. I promise.”

Laurel still hesitates, though her eyes are slightly wet. Oliver holds his breath as he watches her thumb the photo, waiting for what she’ll say.

After a moment, she inhales a loud breath, then lets it go slowly. She meets his eye again, determination hardening them, despite the sadness that still lingers in the form of unshed tears. “Okay, one lunch. But I get to pick the place and you pay.”

“Of course,” Oliver agrees immediately, smile crossing his features.

[cigamfossertsim]

sammy: you should open with a neg. tell her shes too tall

steve: you dont neg the princess of the amazons!

[icedteaandoldlace]

Personally, I envisioned The Flash's series finale involving a scene with Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco all teaming up in the field again, with Iris on comms in the Cortex, Kamilla and Joe helping somehow from the S.T.A.R. Labs van, close to where the O.G.s are doing their thing, the JV Squad being Somewhere Else, idc where, just not in this scene, Mark being long gone past the point of anyone mentioning or thinking about him, and Starlight by Muse playing in the background.

[imxthexhandler]

( @blizzardmuses​)

With the discovery her best friend was back from the grave, it slowly meant reacquainting herself with the Wayne family-- in particular Alfred and Dick. Alfred always was kind to her, and in some ways, there were aspects of his personality that reminded her of her late-grandfather. And when Amelia was lost in her grief, the Wayne ward, Jason’s “big brother” was a comfort.

In so many ways, it was like old times. Including Jason dragging Amelia to stuffy charity events as his plus one so he wouldn’t be bored.

It was here Amelia was reunited with Dick and meet so many others- Barbara, Stephanie, Cass, Duke, Tim, and Damian. Amelia thought it went well (though she did want to ask Jason what Damian meant by “she seems adequate, congratulations Todd”). A little overwhelming to be surrounded by so many, but it was still an honor finally meet them.

Of course, in just as many ways, things had changed.

Amelia was no longer a teenager, she was an adult woman, a federal agent, and though shy around Jason still, not nearly as bashful as she had been growing up. She arrived in a long red dress, a stark contrast to the usual softer colors she wore when she was younger, not something to blend in with the crowd. Because she solely just wanted to look pretty, not show off or make her best friend do a double take, because that would be ridiculous...wouldn’t it? She actually talked with people other than Jason, not remaining glued to his side like a skittish fawn the whole night.

So, when Dick asked her for a dance, she accepted, not thinking anything of it honestly. After all, Amelia loved dancing. Why not accept? And Dick was a good dancer. She enjoyed it--she enjoyed being spun around the dance floor, being told his bad puns. It was fun.

Which is why she was so thrown off when the song ended, and Jason walked up, looking as though he was about ready to murder Dick, to ask Amelia if she wanted a drink, lock arms with her when she accepted, and all but drag her away from his older brother.

Now, the pair were standing at the bar, Jason with a glass of whiskey, Amelia sipping a French 75. He very pointedly was not looking at her with a scowl on his face, almost pouting. It reminded her of when they were children, when she was partnered up with another classmate for an English project. Amelia waited to see if he would say anything, but Jason didn’t.

She finished her drink, placed the empty glass down gently, staring at him intently. “What’s wrong?” she questioned, ignoring his denial. “Don’t lie to me, Jason Todd. You’re sitting there, pouting like a jealous Mr. Darcy--”

“Jealous?” he had interrupted her with a scoff and forced bark of a laugh. “I’m not jealous. I don’t have any reason to be jealous.”

“You’re right--You don’t,” Amelia curtly responded, her gaze never wavering. Her sharp tone came from Jason lying to her, hiding secrets from her again, exasperated by the fact she truly did not understand why he was sulking. While her younger self may have moped about it before pestering him incisively until they ended up in an argument over it, present-day Amelia did not have that kind of patience.

“Unless there’s something you’re not telling me?” she posed the question, challenging him to answer her, look at her, something to acknowledge her.

[comicsage007]

DC

TEAM, SQUAD & GROUPS OF DC UNIVERSE (PART-1)

[unreliablesnake]

Somebody like you – part II (Harry Wells x reader)

Summary: You left the day after Harry kissed you and now he believes he chased you away. But when you return, you don’t hesitate to explain yourself.

Note: part 1 / If you want to know when I post new stuff, follow @unreliablesnakefics.

Harry kissed you one time out of instinct and you fled right away. He thought you liked it too, he thought you felt the same way, but apparently you didn’t. You returned to A.R.G.U.S. where you had worked between the black hole incident and the day the team called you back soon after he arrived, and conveniently went no contact with him due to security measures there.

And now there he was, anxious and worried to death because Zoom had his daughter, and also because you were out there, out of his sight, basically served on a silver plate for the evil speedster. If he knew about you, he could easily kill this version of you as well to torture him even more than he already was.

You never explicitly told him he was the reason why you left, but he could feel that it was all because of that stupid kiss. He didn’t believe the whole “they just called me back to help with something I used to work on” excuse you came up with. It was too big a coincidence to believe. It bothered him, he blamed himself for chasing you away, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Even after they freed Jesse, after he had entirely new things to worry about, Harry often found himself thinking about you. If you were only there to support him, to be by his side and ease the pain he felt–but you weren’t. You were hiding somewhere far from him, and on worse days he wondered which member of this little team kept in touch with you to keep you updated about whether or not he was still here.

“Look who’s back!” Harry heard Cisco’s voice from the cortex one day.

He pushed himself away from the desk he was working at to see who it was, and when he saw you standing there, he almost lost his balance with the swivel chair. It was you. It was really you standing there with that big and happy smile on your face, hugging the team as a greeting.

“How are things at A.R.G.U.S.?” Barry asked you with a laugh once he let go.

Whatever you said in response, his brain didn’t register your words. He didn’t care–he couldn’t care–when every cell in his body was ready to move towards you. All he had to do was stand up and walk over to where you stood. It wasn’t hard. Yet he couldn’t get himself to move because his brain was telling him you would only push him away, and he didn’t want his daughter and the entire team to witness that.

Yes, his ego was in the way.

Harry knew he was staring at you, but despite this he wasn’t really paying attention to what you said or did, this is why he only realized you were on the move when you were standing right in front of him. He gulped as he stood up and watched you with a nervous smile.

“Welcome back. How long will you stay?” he asked you hoarsely.

“As long as I can,” came your answer. “I’m done with that project, I have no reason to be there anymore.”

The others were watching you, he could see that over your shoulder, but it didn’t matter now. Maybe it was time to let go of his fears, maybe it was time to start an honest conversation. “Why did you leave?” Your eyes narrowed in confusion. “I kissed you and the next day you announced you were leaving. Why did you leave?”

You suddenly started laughing, almost causing him to jump from surprise. “Harry, I didn’t leave because you kissed me. If I could, I would have called you, but the A.R.G.U.S. facility I was in has very strict rules,” you told him, slowly leaning closer. “To be honest, I thought about that kiss and you quite a lot.”

“Is that so?”

“I missed your grumpy attitude,” you whispered.

“I’m not grumpy,” he defended himself, but you only shook your head with a smile. “Yeah, maybe I am, but never with you.”

It was you who reached out to pull his head down and kiss him gently on the lips, drawing a series of whistles and claps from the team in the background. He couldn’t care less about the audience when he finally had you in his arms again. Safe and happy, just the way he wanted.

He pulled away for a second to take a better look at you, appreciating the view for the millionth time since you had met here the first time. You tilted your head to the side as you watched him, probably trying to figure out why he stopped, but he only smiled at you briefly before pulling you into a tight hug and rested his chin on top of your head.

Jesse was by now deep in a conversation with Caitlin, her eyes occasionally falling on him as they talked. He knew she was probably asking about you and he couldn’t blame her. She knew your doppelgänger, and knowing how smart his girl was, she probably had her suspicions already.

“They are staring, aren’t they?” you asked quietly.

“Of course they are,” came his response that lacked the usual hint of disapproval or sarcasm. He had grown to like these people, and while he wasn’t about to call them family, they were still more than simple friends. “Ready for the questions?”

You hummed in agreement as you let go of him, but you couldn’t even turn around before Jesse arrived. Harry was a little worried that she would disapprove of this thing you two had, but he was pleasantly surprised when her lips curled into a wide grin.

“Can I talk to you, Dad?”

And with this question the pleasant surprise turned into pure terror. You didn’t seem to notice and he was honestly grateful for that. You told them you would go over to the others, so he soon found himself feeling cornered by his own daughter.

“Please tell me this is not happening only because you lost our version of her,” Jesse began in a hushed voice. “I always knew you had feelings for her, I saw how badly her death hurt you, so don’t blame me for worrying about this version being nothing more than a cheap replacement.”

“Don’t call her that,” he warned her.

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I just want to make sure you really like her for who she is here, and not for what her doppelgänger was like.”

Harry drew in a deep breath as he thought about this. She was clever and she was right, and he had never had the time to truly get to know you. Sure, he paid attention to you even when you were avoiding him, so in a way he learned a lot about you, but he wasn’t sure if you saw past the little detail that he was your old crush’s Earth-2 counterpart.

Gulping loudly, Harry looked over at you and let out a groan. “I like her for who she is,” he said, and although he wanted to finish the sentence, he decided to fall silent instead.

And this silence was louder than he assumed it would be. “You’re not sure if she likes you for who you are,” Jesse pointed out, earning a nod from him. “I can ask her.”

“Or I can keep whatever this is going on and we’ll find out along the way,” he suggested with a smile.

“That might work too,” Jesse agreed with a shrug.

[7-wonders]

‘laying wide awake at night after watching a horror movie that left them unnerved’

could you do that prompt with the reader being the one who can’t sleep and Adrian comforting them and promising he’ll keep them safe?

I had two people request this prompt, thank you! Man I've MISSED writing for Adrian, this was so fun.

You've made a lot of dumb decisions in your life, though that's not specific to you. No, being human is about making dumb decisions. What is life if not a string of dumb decisions, one after the other?

Still, letting Harcourt and Economos pick The Exorcist: Believer for a team movie night instead of fighting harder for your and Peacemaker's choice, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, probably ranks up towards the top of your list of dumb decisions.

It probably wouldn't have even been that scary of a movie if you weren't watching it in the movie theater! Yes, The Exorcist scares you (you don't know a person who isn't scared by that movie), but it doesn't terrify you—there is a distinct difference between the two. Watching it in a darkened room, in surround sound, with 100+ other people just as scared as you are? That's terror at its finest.

After the movie was over, every member of The 11th Street Kids excitedly talked about how good it was, how scared they remained. Yet none of them looked affected or like they actually were still scared, so you pushed down your own fear and laughed it off as well. You went out for a couple of after-movie drinks, kissed Adrian goodbye as he went on patrol with Chris, and went home.

Now you're here, lying paralyzed under the covers and staring through the dark room intently as you try to discern if you're actually seeing something lurking in the inky blackness. Are those the yellow eyes of one of the possessed little girls, glowing dimly in the dark? If you strain your ears enough, can you hear the Latin of the exorcism? Your body begins to shake in fear, and you slowly draw the covers up over your head.

So wrapped up in your own mind are you that you miss the quiet sound of the door slowly opening. After having worked at A.R.G.U.S for a few years, it should be second nature to catch on to the feeling of the air shifting outside of your safe haven. But fear is a very powerful thing.

When something grabs the blanket and tugs it down, you scream.

The lights flick on as you do so, blinding you momentarily. When you blink the brightness out of your eyes, you come face-to-face with Adrian, your boyfriend. He's still in his Vigilante costume, which means he's just come back from patrolling. His mask is pulled off, and he's staring at you in bewilderment.

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you up!" Adrian apologizes profusely.

"You didn't," you assure him, even as you try to get your heart to stop beating in your throat. "I wasn't able to fall asleep."

"Really? That's weird, you're always asleep by the time I come home." He hits the screen of your phone, lying on the nightstand, to check the time. "Do you know that it's three thirty right now? You're supposed to have a full eight hours of sleep to function healthily, and you're not gonna be able to get that."

Your lips twitch up in a smile. "I know."

"Then why aren't you asleep?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise!" His face is so earnest, and you wonder why anybody would think that your open book of a boyfriend didn't have emotions.

"It's because of that stupid fucking movie."

"Which stupid fucking movie?" he asks cluelessly.

"The one that we saw only a few hours ago?"

Clarity dawns on him. "Oh, that stupid fucking movie! I didn't know it scared you that bad, pumpkin!"

You appreciate the seasonal term of endearment, probably one of the more tame ones that he's come up with. "You mean it didn't scare you?"

"It was a little scary, I guess. Maybe I'm just built different."

"You almost cried when we went on 'It's a Small World,'" you remind him, referencing your trip to Disney World.

"Hey, those dolls are fucking scary and definitely have the souls of children trapped in them!" Adrian defends. He must see something in your face that betrays just how scared you've been since you arrived home, because his own softens. "Man, that movie really scared you, huh?"

You nod, and he nods back.

"Alright, then." He sits on the bed abruptly, pulling you into his arms and laying down on the mattress with you.

"What—Adrian, you're all sweaty! You need to go shower!"

"Not until you fall asleep. I'm gonna stay right here and keep you safe."

"You know that I know the movie's not real, right?"

"I know. But your fear is. So I'm gonna make sure that you fall asleep, and then I'll fight off any nightmares if they try to come knocking."

He's so sweet sometimes that it makes your teeth ache. "What about your eight hours of sleep?"

"Screw that, I can catch some zzz's at the office tomorrow."

You laugh. "When you're supposed to be doing the mission paperwork that you've been putting off for over a week now?"

"Pssh, paperwork, shmaperwork."

Your conversation dies down, and Adrian reaches a long arm over to turn the lights off. Despite your best efforts, your eyes close from the heaviness of sleep calling to you, Adrian's humming and his hand rubbing your back helping to get you there. The memory of fear zings through your brain, however, and you jolt with a sharp gasp, feeling like you do when you're about to sleep and have the sensation of falling.

Adrian's immediately holding you tighter, making sure that you feel him with you. "Don't worry, I'm right here."

You nod and settle back into him. "Love you."

"I love you more...my moonlit lake." You chuckle, and that's the last thing you remember before finally falling asleep.

True to his word, Adrian makes sure that no nightmares bother you tonight.

7-wonders Halloween Spooktacular

[demifiendrsa]

Suicide Squad ISEKAI Official Trailer 3  (with English captions)

Suicide Squad ISEKAI will premiere in 2024. Mori Calliope is performing the ending theme song “Go-Getters”.

Key visual

Cast additions

Taku Yashiro as Rick Flag

Kujira as Amanda Waller

Chika Anzai as Katana

Reina Ueda as Fione

Mamiko Noto as Aldora

Jun Fukushima as Cecil

Previously announced cast members

Anna Nagase as Harley Quinn

Yuichiro Umehara as The Joker

Reigo Yamaguchi as Deadshot

Takehito Koyasu as Peacemaker

Jun Fukuyama as Clayface

Subaru Kimura as King Shark

Staff

Director: Eri Osada

Character Design Draft: Akira Amano

Character Design: Naoto Hosoda

Screenplay: Tappei Nagatsuki, Eiji Umehara

Music: Kenichiro Suehiro

Animation Production: Wit Studio

Synopsis

In the crime-ridden city of Gotham, Amanda Waller, the head of A.R.G.U.S., has assembled a group of notorious criminals for a mission: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Peacemaker, Clayface, and King Shark. These Super-Villains are sent into an otherworldly realm that’s connected to this world through a gate. It’s a world of swords and magic where orcs rampage and dragons rule the skies—an “ISEKAI”! With lethal explosives planted in their necks, there’s no running or hiding, and failing the mission means a one-way ticket to the afterlife! Can Harley Quinn and her crew conquer this perilous ISEKAI realm?! Brace yourselves for the pulse-pounding saga of the elite task force known as the “Suicide Squad” as they embark on a jaw-dropping adventure!

[deadliestfishinthesea]

Love always comes back (like a boomerang)

How you meet Captain Boomerang while working undercover for A.R.G.U.S. (and eventually fall for him)

Part 1.

Boomerang X Y/n

CW: swearing

2.600 words

You can also read this on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54019207/chapters/136749250

___________________________________________

“I am aware that you are already well informed of the system I have put into place. But I will warn you again, Dr. Y/n. These people are not your allies. If they see a chance to take the upper hand, they will take it, even at the cost of your life. I hope you keep that in mind if you are to get the chance of working with Colonel Flag on the field.“ Amanda Waller's everlastingly stern voice rang out trough the speakers. Y/n looked at the screen, directly into the woman's cold eyes.

“Yes, ma'am. Of course.“ Unwavering calm ran though her own voice, a skill she obtained with years of communicating with people in power.

“Good. You have been granted access to inmate 117-12-60. Direct contact isn't allowed.“ As if she'd want to be in any kind of direct contact with a dangerous convict.

“Copy that, ma'am.“ The woman disappreared from the screen and Y/n leaned back from the table where the laptop sat. She turned her head to her side, looking at Aaron Cash, one of the main guards around here. He offered her a derisive smile, nodding his head once.

“Ready to swim with the sharks?“

“From what I heard there's only one shark in here.“

Cash let out a short chuckle, crossing his arms in a way that seemed to convey his superior knowledge on the matter, but Y/n wasn't sold on that just yet.

“Oh he ain't the deadliest fish in this sea.“

_____

For the rather unimpressive amount of time she worked in the facility, Y/n had seen with her own eyes a good portion of prisoners be admitted into the so called shithole named Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. And if she was honest, she had to partially agree with the nickname – it definitely was a shithole, just more so for the inmates than it was for her.

One of the prisoners she witnessed being brought in was George 'Digger' Harkness himself, alias 'Captain Boomerang'. Whatever the case was, in this place he went by 'inmate 117-12-60' as stated in the official reports.

She distinctly remembers the man, restrained with metal clasps around his ankles and hands on something resembling a box cart that the guards used to manouver him around. He was unsuccessfully trying to set himself free, cursing at the guards the whole time.

“Piss off ya' fucken' mongrel!“ Colorful, she thought as she watched from a distance. 

“Now that's some fresh meat. Had a bit of trouble finding this guy.“ Cash stood next to her with a smug expression on his face as he spoke.

“Get a dog up ya', ya' wristy-“ One of the guards grabbed him and the clasps opened, nearly sending him to the ground, „Ah, 'coff ya cunt!“

Y/n had a hard time understanding what he was saying from this distance. She frowned as she watched the scene unfold. Once inside the cell, a beep of the comms on the guard's chest could be heard, followed by a few words exchanged, and the laser beams on each side of the cell's entrance lit up, finally imprisoning Captain Boomerang.

She watched the convict with curious eyes the whole time she was leaving, and the last thing she remembers is him turning his head and looking directly at her before she fully turned around.

The memory ended then, and she was back in the present, listening to her and Cash's boots echo on the ground as they walked the halls. Once in front of the big metal doors, they opened with a loud clang and she squeezed her clipboard as they entered the penitentiary, spotting her targeted cell in the corner.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself of her task, glancing at her clipboard. Go in, talk to the inmate, see if he has potential for Waller's plan, get out.

“I think I'll be okay from now on.“ She told Cash with a turn on her head.

“You sure?“

“Yeah.“ She looked ahead at the cell. She needed to do this alone. With a shrug and a mutter of 'okays' and 'fines' Dixen left for the door, leaving her to walk alone towards the guard standing in front of the cell.

While walking she remembered that at this hour, most of the prisoners were sent out for yard time, so nearly every cell in the block was empty. But not Boomerang's. Y/n wasn't sure why he wasn't also outside, and she questioned if the rumors the guards were passing around were actually true. Apparently, a fight breaking out in the yard a couple of days ago resulted in three guards being dropped unconcious and Boomerang being sentanced to lockdown for the rest of the week. Given the place they were in, Y/n considered that an almost merciful punishment. She wondered if that really happened, or if her request for privacy had been granted so they held him back for her arrival.

The entrance to the cell was seethrough thanks to only the lasers acting as doors, but from her angle it didn't show Harkness yet. She approached the guard standing next to the entrance.

“You can go.“ An all access security card was already in her hand, hovering in front of his face.

“But-„

“I said go.“

He turned with hesitation, but didn't say anything as he walked away. When the guard was out of range, she looked at the cell, but still couldn't see Harkness. She had seen him before, though, even if only once. She stepped to the side, now facing the cell entrance, and Captain Boomerang himself.

Boomerang's back was turned to her, but when he heard the boots outside his cell finally walk up to him he turned around. She instinctively took note of his issued white t-shirt and orange sweats. His hands were in his pockets. He didn't say anything, just stared at her, which created an uncomfortable pit in her stomach that she hoped she hid well enough with her neutral gaze. He started walking right up to her and Y/n realised with every step she wasn't prepared as well as she'd thought. He was huge up close. Not only taller but much bulkier than she remembered. He was so close his body was nearly touching the lasers, and she started to wonder what would happen if he did touch them.

Even with his surprising proximity she didn't move, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was caught off guard and frozen, or she didn't want to seem intimidated by stepping back. He stared down at her with his eyebrows drawn in an almost captivating frown and his head cocked to the side in intrigue. Y/n quickly realized he was checking her out, comparing and assesing how much of a threat she was. Should she be offended if he didn't see her as one?

“George Harkness?“ She finally broke what felt like a minute long silence.

“Who's askin'?“ He spoke in a low tone, never breaking eye contact.

“My name is Y/n, I'm a licenced psychologist.“

“Yeah, I remember you. You were the sheila staring at me when I came in here.“

Her eyebrows raised, but she hid the slight embarassment she felt, “Yes. I was sent here to… evaluate some inmates by the request of the warden.“

“Ah, what? I send a couple assholes to medical and all of a sudden I'm qualified for a drongo?“ He scoffed.

“So you did cause a fight in the yard?“ It was true after all, and Y/n realised she could use it to her advantage.

 “Oh, I'm not confessin' anythin' to ya, missy, but you're in the wrong spot. See, I ain't got a 'roo loose in the top paddock like some of these nutcases.“

“I don't think you're crazy. But I was sent here to prove it. If you want to be let out of lockdown you'll have to answer some of my questions.“

He leaned back and glanced around for a moment, “Then shouldn't these therapeutic sessions be done in uh… I don't know, not in the middle of a cell block?“

“Well, I'm afraid it's hard to provide a seaside view lounge on such short notice. We'll have to make due with what we have.“

“Aw, killer. I'm best relaxed when out of handcuffs. Well, most times, that is.“ He sneered. She tried her best to ignore his comment.

“My first question-“

“So they let you in this shithole with no security jus' for a questionaire?“, he squinted at her.

“I asked for a private conversation.“

„That's why you ordered ol' guard here to fuck off like you're his boss?“ Her eyes widened slightly at his words. Did he just figure out she wasn't here for that kind of evaluation? Maybe doing this without Cash by her side wasn't such a good idea.

Harkness saw the way she was caught off guard and chuckled low and taunting, “You aren't just some psychiatrist, are ya, love?“

“Psychologist.“

“Yeah, yeah, but what else?“

She sighed, “It doesn't matter what I am. What matters is if you want to-„

“I'll tell you what I want.“, he lowered his head to match her height, “I want out of here. And not just out this cell, out the whole place. An' if you can't do squat about that, then your questions won't be much help to ya', doc'.“

“You're right. I can't do that.“

Y/n was quiet for a moment.

“Well then, I guess we're done here.“ She spoke quietly.

“Yeah, we are.“ He nearly whispered.

Both of them were quiet for a few seconds, still looking at each other, but when she caught herself observing the loose strands of hair on his forehead she abruptly broke the silence.

“Thank you for your cooperation, George Harkness.“, her proffessional tone cleary got on his nerves, but he stayed quiet. He backed away from the lasers then, and she turned around to leave.

When the big doors opened again, Cash was waiting on the other side. He shot her a questioning look. She started walking down the hall.

“I need to make a report.“

____

“All in all, you have the upper hand. He is motivated to get out of here, by any cost, and if you grant him that hope I don't see how he wouldn't be willing to do your bitting.“

The woman on her laptop screen nodded approvingly, “Good work, Dr. Y/n. Your next evaluation will be with inmate 00-10-94, so called King Shark. He is the newest added member to our little circus.“ Waller went over some details about the shark, and as she was explaining Y/n looked over to the folder next to her. Captain Boomerang's records.

She knew they were all convicts, guilty of all kinds of crimes. She aimed her attention back to the screen, trying not to think about the conversation she had with Boomerang. It was all just standard procedure she had to follow to work with Rick Flag and the task force Waller wanted so damn much. Still, gathering information to find out whether they would risk suicide for freedom made her stomach turn a little. She knew about Waller's contingency plan, but she didn't know how exactly she planned to make the criminals do anything she wanted. It wouldn't be good enough if she just promised them shortened sentances, they would all escape the moment they stepped foot outside. Y/n could imagine just how far Waller would go to ensure that doesn't happen.

­­____

Less than a week later Harkness was let out of lockdown. Y/n spotted him outside during yard time when she was making her way from the north wing to the penitentiary. It was pretty cold out and there was a slight fog in the distance, thouh he was playing basketball. In shorts. He palyed with three other inmates, laughing at them whenever they missed their shot.

She looked to the fence, where an inmate was arguing with a security officer. Y/n approached the fence and a guard opened the entrance for her, letting her into the yard.

“Doctor.“

“Hey, Gary. What's with the First Amendment over there?“ she watched the argument between the officer and the inmate get more heated.

“Oh, that guy? We call him Rango. Just got him in a couple weeks ago.“

“Hard time adjusting to prison, it seems.“

Before she could reach the door to the building Rango punched the guard he was yelling at across the face, sending him stumbling backwards and nearly bumping into Y/n. It was as Rango went to take another punch which would've hit Y/n that Digger Harkness socked him across the jaw. Where did he come from? Digger landed another uppercut before Rango hit a right hook to his temple.

“Get him, Boomerang!“ she heard an inmate yell before a majority of them started cheering.

Y/n watched in disbelief as they went crashing into a table. Guards quickly ran up to pull Harknss off of the guy, yeling at both of the convicts in the process.

“Really, Harkness!? After you just got out?“

“Give him a break, man, he just really misses his cell!“

Y/n's eyes were on him the whole time as they dragged him away. Did he really just save her? He didn't have to. They both knew he was on thin ice since he fought those guards, now he was definitely up for lockdown again just because he saved her. Holy shit, she thought, he's up for lockdown because he saved her. She had to stop the guards.

After a short time she made her way over to the medical facility. There were a couple of officers standing in front of it and before she could go in one of them spoke up.

“Y/n!“

She turned to him, “Gary!“

“You okay?“

“Yes, I'm- Where's officer Ryan? I need to talk to him.“

“Uh, broken nose, he's in there. But be careful-“

“Thanks, I know.“ She was already opening the door to the building. When she found the room officer Ryan is supposed to be in she stepped in and walked past Boomerang. He was sat up in the adjustale hospital bed, tied to it with leather restraints around his ankles and wrists, and when he looked up at her surprise spread trough his features, but she didn't have time for that as she walked right by him.

Boomerang couldn't hear any voices coming from the other rooms, so he imagined she already left, but after some time she walked back into the room.

 “Well, fuck me dead, if it it isn't miss pretend doctor?“

She rolled her eyes, stopping at the foot of the bed. She could look at him up close now and notice his black eye, along with a slight bruise on his jaw. He had a couple of stitches on his shoulder, and she could only guess there was more on his back.

“You look like shit.“

“Hah, then you clearly didn't see the other poor bastard. Oh, and you're welcome, love.“

“No, you're welcome. I talked to the guards, they should… shorten your lockdown.“

“Hey, fair suck of the sav, doc'.“

“What?“

“I saved you from a nasty bruise, but I did the paw patrol a favor too, ya know. That wanker Rango's been up their asses two weeks now. And all I get is a fifty percent isolation discount?“

“You broke a table. And I never said it was fifty percent.“

 He groaned, his head falling back on the pillow. He looked at her, not moving his head, and to Y/n he looked like he was resting on a deckchair on a nice remote beach rather than recovering from a fight in a prison yard.

“Betcha wouldn't even untie me if I asked.“ He wriggled his hands around in his cuffs to emphasize his point.

“You're right.“  

He looked at the ceiling in defeat, but his eyes found her again when she spoke up.

“But.. I did want to thank you.“

“Well, let's hear it, then.“

“You just did.“ she said as she walked out of the room.

[samgirl98]

Zombie Son 2/2

Prev

Batman stared at the pictures of Joker’s dead body. Something wasn’t adding up.

The official reports said that Joker had been killed by a guard at Arkham when there had been a breakout. However, Batman had never seen that guard before, and he disappeared right after killing Joker.

The shot had been a single bullet to the head. Almost like an assassin had done it instead of a random security guard who would’ve been scared mindless. Something told Batman this had been done professionally; it was too clean, too quick.

“Still looking at the pictures of Joker’s body?” Dick walked in wearing a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt, “maybe you should let it go and count your blessings.”

“Hn,” he grunted. Batman, no Bruce, couldn’t let it go. This is the man that killed his child. Joker was dead now, and he had to know who and why. Batman pulled up the death report again, and he heard Dick sigh.

“Seriously, can you at least go to sleep? The case will be there when you wake up tomorrow.”

He ignored Dick; Bruce didn’t want to admit to his eldest that sleeping had become an ordeal after Joker’s death. He only saw Jason’s limp body; he heard his son’s cry asking for him, only to get there too late. No, working on the Joker’s murder was more productive than sleeping.

“Bruce, you’ve been up for almost thirty hours; go to sleep.”

Bruce looked up when he heard the ping. He had run the guard’s face through a facial recognition program, and it had finally found a match.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Dick said.

It was time for Batman to talk to Waller.

____

Amanda Waller was drinking a cup of wine when Batman entered her office.

“What do you want, rich boy?”

“You put a hit out on the Joker. Why?”

Waller sipped her wine and answered, “I have no idea what you mean.”

Batman threw two pictures on her desk.

“Mark Burkhardt, he works for you, and he was the one who shot the Joker. So, once again, why did you put a hit on the Joker?”

“Listen, Batboy, what the US government does is none of your concern.”

“Anything that happens in my city is my concern.”

“I would’ve thought you’d be happy he’s dead, considering what he did to Robin number two.”

Batman clenched his fists. Waller knew she was playing with fire but couldn’t help herself. Riling Batman up was just so much fun.

Batman suddenly slammed his hands on her desk, “Why did you kill the Joker?”

She sighed; Amanda had told Alicia Batman wouldn’t let this go but, oh well, she did her part. What happened next would be none of her concern.

“It was a favor to an old colleague of mine. It was done off the books; officially, the US government had nothing to do with this though they did turn a blind eye to it when they found out it was that terrorist.”

“Who put the hit out?”

“Alicia Walker,” she did tell Amanda to send Batman her way if he ever showed up.

“Why did she put a hit out on him?”

“I don’t know; you’d have to ask her. Now get out of my office.”

Amanda took another sip of her wine, and when she looked up, Batman was gone.

“Hmph, good riddance.” Amanda picked up the phone and dialed Alicia, “The Bat was here. Be prepared to see him soon.”

She hung up before the other woman could respond.

____

Alicia Walker, retired A.R.G.U.S agent, brought up her shotgun and pointed it at the shadowed man in her little cabin.

“I’ve been expecting you; what do you want?”

A lesser person would be coward by the looming shadow of the Batman, and indeed, he was a terrifying figure, what with all the black kevlar and white-out lenses. Alicia wasn’t a lesser person.

“You put a hit out the Joker. Why?”

“Why not,” she retorted, “he was the scum of the earth. Considering what he did to your bird, I don’t know why you care.”

Batman tensed.

“What makes you say that,” he growled.

Alicia rolled her eyes.

“I was part of the US government; we know everything, Wayne.”

Alicia turned her back to the man to get her moonshine. When she turned back around, Batman was gone.

“Hmph,” she took out her phone, “he’s been here. Be prepared to have him appear at your doorsteps. And say hi to my niblings for me.”

____

“Do you think it’s really him?” Dick asked in a whisper.

“Hn,” was Bruce’s brilliant response.

In front of him was a picture of the Fenton family. There was the mother, the father, the daughter, and two sons.

It was the youngest that had caught their attention. It was Jason. A little older but him. Bruce would recognize his son anywhere.

He had pulled up the adoption papers the Fentons had signed. They had found ‘Jay Fenton’ comatose in the streets of Gotham. The only thing the boy would say was ‘Bruce.’

The boy was allowed to be adopted by the Fentons after they pulled some strings.

“It’s him. I know it is.”

“So, what are we going to do now?”

“Now, I’m going to Amity Park.”

____

Jason knew that Bruce, that Batman, would show up sooner rather than later. That doesn’t mean he was prepared to find Bruce standing in his parents’ living room, demanding to let them see Jason.

“What are you doing here?” Jason asked with vitriol.

This was the man that had not avenged him, that had let his murderer walk free. If it hadn’t been for the Fentons, that sorry excuse of a man would still be wasting oxygen.

“Jay lad,” Bruce whispered. He took a step toward Jason; Jay took a step back.

“What do you want?”

Bruce gulped, “I want my son back.”

Jay snorted.

“I’m not your son; I stopped being your son when you let that clown walk the streets. I am the Fenton’s son.”

“Jay lad, please.”

“No! You let my murderer live! How, why?”

“I don’t kill, Jay lad. I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t? You have such an antiquated moral code that you let murderers roam the street and take more innocent lives!”

“Jason, please, I’m sorry I let you die—”

“You think this is because you let me die? Bruce, I forgive you for that, but why in good God was the Joker still breathing? I come back and—and my killer is still around. Nothing changed. No, wait, you put a different kid in the Robin suit. You replaced me rather quickly.”

“He isn’t a replacement, Jason! No one could ever replace you; you’re my son!”

“No, I’m not.”

Jason walked up to his mom.

“I’m their son, and I suggest you leave, Bruce.”

Bruce stared at Jason before nodding reluctantly.

“Very well, but please take this. If you ever need anything, call me.”

Bruce turned to walk away and then turned to look at Jason one more time.

“I’m glad you’re alive, Jason. I missed you.”

“Get out,” Jason said.

When Bruce closed the door behind him, Jason turned and hugged Jack and Maddie, crying.

“It’s okay, sweetie, we’re here.”

“Yeah, Jay,” his dad bellowed, “we’ll always be here.”

Jason let himself be comforted by his parents. He looked down at the card Bruce had left him, crumpled it up, and then put it in his pocket.

@fisticuffsatapplebees @suppengott @mur-ururu @daemonlogical @aikoiya @learning-to-fly-on-my-own @rubber-ducky-your-the-one @overtherose @thegatorsgoose @kisatamao @emergentpanda-blog @skulld3mort-1fan @why-must-i-be-like-this @nappinginhell @onlyhereforthechaos @mlpizza @currant-owo @hoarder-of-gender @malice-of-the-sunrise @regressor-marina @joseph557 @stargirl1331 @yjfk @fandomnerd103

[schrijverr]

Tomorrow Will Be Different 19

Chapter 19 out of 26

Instead of managing to meet up later, Oliver has to keep running with Akio. The only way to keep them safe is to go public with Oliver being alive, leaving him back home in charge of Akio, while Tatsu and Maseo are still in the wind

In this chapter, Diggle observes Oliver as they scout the habor Tatsu and Maseo should be arriving at and gather intell over what will happen to him. The Oliver on a mission is different from the Oliver he knew in Starling.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: blood, torture and minor character death

~~~

Chapter 19: Setting Up and Gathering Intell

They have successfully fooled the pilot into taking off without them and are now in Japan. Here Oliver can properly disappear and he relishes in it. He didn’t realize how much he missed being anonymous, until he is able to be so again.

With their flight they lost about the rest of their day, along with getting from Tokyo to Osaka, where they ship would come to harbor. So it is evening as they make their way to a cheap hotel that they got a room at under a false name.

It’ll only be for two nights and with their history of the island and the army, neither had much modesty, so they have one room with two beds.

Diggle watches Oliver curiously. He’d slept on the plane, since Oliver wanted to hit the ground running, but he isn’t sure if Oliver did the same. The kid never seems to sleep much to start with.

If he hasn’t, he’s hiding the exhaustion well, efficiently stripping out of his tourist disguise and pulling on black tactical clothes, before rooting through his stuff to pick out the proper gear he wants to take with him. Diggle does the same.

He wonders what this trip will be like. It is clear that Oliver will lead the operation and if Lyla hadn’t given him some details before asking the favor, he would’ve never let Oliver do so. Without knowing, he would be just another rich kid to Diggle, but now he can see the fluidity in his movements and the awareness in his eyes.

In a way it is strange, to have a client who is probably more skilled than he is. A.R.G.U.S. doesn’t fuck around with the talent they scout.

With his longer blond hair framing his face and the bit of baby fat that still clings to him, Oliver doesn’t make the most intimidating figure. It’s what makes him good at going up in a crowd and getting people to trust him, like that I.T. girl, who knew he was lying but helped anyway. It’s only when you look into his eyes that you see he is dangerous.

Diggle has seen what a person looks like before and after they’ve seen death, he has also seen what eyes look like after they killed. Oliver’s eyes hold both.

He knows that what Oliver has told the press and his family is a lie and he’s willing to bet quite a bit that the reality was much harsher. That it was kill or be killed. That Oliver went through worse than being forced to work or experimented on.

However, Diggle also knows about coming home and not wanting to talk about what happened, not wanting to admit to what you’ve done. So, he doesn’t ask and hopes that whatever Oliver went through makes him qualified to lead this mission.

The bow throws him off slightly, but he is comforted by the gun Oliver also carries. He can’t imagine the bow being an effective weapon in any fight that involves a gun, but Oliver seems confident and Lyla included it in his gear, so it must have some merit. Diggle will have to see.

They hide their gear the best they can, before slinking out into the night, sticking to the shadows and away from the cameras as they make their way to the harbor.

Diggle is pleased to learn that Oliver knows military hand communications. It makes their sweep of the harbor silent and efficient.

The docks are mostly abandoned this time of night, so they locate a hub of movement easily. Diggle can spot weapons on the people moving and figures this is the Yakuza they’re looking for.

Oliver comes up next to him, peering around the corner and studying them for a bit. His voice is lower than Diggle has heard it before when he says: “It’s not the Yakuza. That guy right there is Triad and the movements are the same as they are in Hong Kong.”

“Yeah?” Diggle asks, not sure he wants to know why Oliver knows Triad movements or members.

He’s pretty sure Oliver catches onto his apprehension, but he doesn’t say a word, just gives Diggle a quick glance, before looking back to the Triad members. After a beat he says: “The harbor is probably divided in territories. Won’t surprise if the Bratva had a part too.”

“How do we know where the Yakuza is then?” Diggle asks.

Oliver thinks for a second, then asks: “Do you have a picture of some sort with you? Or an envelope?”

“No.”

“Wait here,” Oliver says, with that he slips away before Diggle can reply. It’s both annoying and kind of creepy how he just disappears like that.

When Diggle agreed to come with, he knew what he was getting into. Oliver is A.R.G.U.S., or was at least. It never was going to be not dangerous and Akio deserves a chance to see his parents. It would have meant the world to Diggle if someone had tried to save Andy, he’s not letting up the chance to do that for someone else.

However, he has discovered that Oliver on a mission is very different than Oliver at home. Outside of his usual context, it’s clear how much he tries to be more present, more palatable, for those around them. And how much communication he does for Akio’s sake.

Right now, a soft veneer seems to have been stripped away and when it’s just Diggle who will worry, he is a lot worse at saying where he’s going or explaining what he’s doing.

Oliver also startles Diggle when he suddenly reappears and for his own dignity, he’s going to pretend he doesn’t see how the kid grins at that. Dick.

“Found a lone guard. I need a look out while I talk to him.” He holds up an envelope as if that explains everything.

Diggle feels annoyance, but Oliver is already moving before Diggle can comment on it. It leaves him to hurry after him, getting stationed a container from a lonely Triad member.

“What are you going to do?” he asks Oliver, watching him tie a bandanna around the lower part of his face and tugging a hood to shroud his face in darkness, making his eyes – the only visible distinguishing feature – difficult to make out.

“Pretend to be Triad too,” Oliver says.

“What the hell. You’ll never-” Diggle cuts himself off, because Oliver is already gone. No use trying to tell him it’ll never work.

Diggle curses a bit more under his breath, raising his gun and looking around while keeping one eye on Oliver. He doesn’t know what the fuck he is thinking. They’re never going to buy it, so he has to ready himself for a fight.

However, Oliver surprises him by greeting the man in a language that sounds East Asian. He watches in surprise as the Triad member greets back with only minimal hesitation, fully lowering his gun when Oliver shows him the envelope and says something. The surprise grows even more when the Triad member starts pointing as if he’s explaining the way. Oliver nods his head, then disappears into the direction he was pointed in.

For a moment, Diggle thinks Oliver has left him there. He wants to go after him, but also knows that it could be for a reason, since he has no clue what was just said. Besides, the docks are practically a maze, if he leaves, they might not be able to find each other again.

Luckily, Oliver appears once more, this time not startling Diggle, thank you very much.

“Where did you go?” he demands.

“Had to circle ‘round so he wouldn’t suspect, I wasn’t alone,” Oliver explains. “Now come on. I know where the Yakuza is holed up.”

“He just told you that?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he thinks I’m one of China White’s couriers,” Oliver informs him smugly.

Diggle has no clue who China White is, nor why this person needs a courier, nor why the Triad guy would believe that Oliver is one of said couriers.

However, Oliver is already moving and, no matter how much he disagrees with his leadership style, Diggle knows the importance of a chain of command in the field and focusing on the mission. He’ll ask his questions and air his grievances when they’re back at the hotel. So, he sighs to himself and follows after him.

After some twists and turns, they come to another hub of activity despite the hour. When seeing them, Diggle must admit they look slightly different from the Triad from earlier. They look more local.

It’s a small difference, Diggle only spots it due to his training. Oliver is clearly trained too. Diggle can’t help but wonder how long Oliver has been working for A.R.G.U.S.. He knows the story they fed to the press is entirely false, but that knowing the Yamashiros for a year is probably true. Still, Oliver could’ve been working with others before that. How long did Waller have him work for her to earn his way back home? What happened before that made him interesting enough to recruit?

Not the moment, he tells himself as Oliver starts to gesture. When he needs something from Diggle, Oliver is a good enough communicator.

Together they corner one of the Yakuza members. Diggle first gets the man’s attention, luring him away from the site, before Oliver appears turning it into a chase.

Now, Diggle can appreciate the lack of sound a bow has. They’re far enough away that yells can be anything, so no one really comes to check, aided by the lack of gunfire. He also sees that Oliver is a really good shot, because he easily disarms the man from a distance, taking his gun, before immobilizing him with an arrow.

Diggle moves in to keep the man in place, while Oliver makes his way over. “Keep watch,” he orders and Diggle takes his place at a good vantage point.

Oliver shoots another arrow, this one in the man’s shoulder. Without hesitating, Oliver says: “Tomorrow night a ship will come in. It has two captives on board. What’s the plain with them?”

“I’m not telling you anything,” the man says defiantly.

Without skipping a beat, Oliver grabs the arrow and twists. “What is the plan with them,” he repeats, voice low.

The man groans in pain, but stays quiet. Diggle commends him for it, though that is mostly overruled by the shock of seeing billionaire, playboy, media darling Oliver Queen torture a man without hesitation.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Waller trains all her people well and Oliver has been working for her for at least a year, but after only knowing Oliver from the media and as responsible for Akio, it’s still disconcerting to see him like this.

Oliver sees that the man isn’t talking. He twists more and threatens: “If you ever want to be able to lift this arm again, you’ll tell me what I want to know.”

“Fuck you,” the man spits, the glob hitting Oliver’s face.

To his credit, Oliver doesn’t even flinch, giving the arrow a sharp tug with one hand, while covering the man’s mouth with the other to muffle the scream. The arm now hangs limply on the side. Seems like it wasn’t a bluff.

Mercilessly, Oliver pulls the arrow out and stabs it into the other side. “Let’s try this again. What is the plan with the two prisoners arriving tomorrow?”

Even from his post a little further down, Diggle can see the fear in the man’s eyes. His eyes dart around and he swallows convulsively a few times. “They can’t know I talked.”

“They’ll never know,” Oliver promises, sounding like he means it. Diggle is suspicious, but the man obviously isn’t.

“The woman will go to the brothels and the man will be used for a kamikaze hit,” the man gasps. “It is that or watch his woman get killed after being enjoyed.”

The snarl on Oliver’s face makes it clear that he’s as disgusted by the man’s words as Diggle is, but he keeps a level head. However, Diggle can only describe his voice as lethal when he asks: “Tell me exactly what will happen when the ship gets to port.”

“They’ll be unloaded along with the rest, then put on transport. We’re not told to where. After that they’re never going to be seen again,” the man rushes out, cowed by Oliver’s intensity.

“Will they be unloaded first or last?” Oliver asks.

“Last,” the man cries.

“Good,” Oliver says, but it doesn’t sound like praise, it sounds cold, almost arrogant, like there was no world where the man wouldn’t answer his questions.

Diggle sweeps their surrounding again, but his eyes snap back when he hears a gurgling sound. Oliver has slit the man’s throat. The cut looks to be clean, no hesitation. There are blood splatters on his face, but his eyes are emotionless.

It’s not the first death Diggle has witnessed. Far from it. However, he’s used to bullet wounds, a chaotic battlefield. Not cold blooded murder. He feels a little ill at how easily Oliver did that, how unaffected he seems as he uses his bandanna to ensure the body won’t leak blood everywhere, before he pulls it into a fireman carry.

He sees Diggle looking. Diggle has no clue what Oliver thinks he’s thinking – hell, he doesn’t even know what he’s thinking – but whatever Oliver sees, he ignores it or thinks it’s fine. Gruffly, he says: “We need to dump the body.”

Right, emotions will matter once they’re back in the hotel. Then Diggle will have many questions about the murder. “Have a place in mind?”

“There’s a quiet spot on the north side. We’ll weigh it down and let it sink,” Oliver says, and Diggle wonders when Oliver noticed the spot and if he picked it out before this all happened. If it was planned.

“Watch my six,” Oliver says, before taking off.

Both are quiet as they make their way across the docks. Diggle is glad Oliver has designated him as look out – even though it would usually be a blow to his ego – since now he doesn’t have to search the body for anything useful, before tying some of the debris left out there to weigh the body down, so he can tip it in the water.

Oliver watches it sink for about two seconds, before washing as much blood off his hands and face with the harbor water.

He was wearing gloves, but the blood leaked through. He gets most off, but it’s still there in the grooves. His face is a similar story. The dark clothes he is wearing hide the stain on his shoulder, but Diggle can make it out because he knows. And he’s sure Oliver can feel it.

Once he is done, he straightens up. Diggle watches as Oliver takes a look at himself in the reflection of the water where the body was dumped a minute ago. In that moment, a shadow comes over his eyes and the veil is briefly lifted, allowing Diggle to see the pain and guilt that remains there.

“Was the plan always to kill that guy?” Diggle hears himself asking, instinctively taking advantage of the moment of openness.

Immediately the walls come back down. Oliver’s expression is unreadable when he looks at Diggle and shrugs: “Promised no one would know he talked, didn’t I?”

And with that he brushes past Diggle and starts making his way back to the city. Diggle follows, trying to ignore how Oliver’s shoulder that brushed against him left a smear of blood on his arm.

[androxys]

Task Force What? An Incomplete (Yet Still Very Long) Guide to Some of the DCU’s Government Groups [Part 1]

So, you’re reading DC comics and a government agency pops up that you’re reasonably sure doesn’t exist in the real world. Who are they? What’s their deal? Here’s a quick primer on some of the groups that you may encounter.

A few notes and disclaimers: This writeup is primarily based on post-Crisis, pre-Flashpoint/New 52 comic canon. I’ve tried to note every exception to that general rule. Also, several of these groups and comics use historical markers tied to the real world, which makes less and less sense as we-as-readers get farther away in time from when these comics were originally published. DC eventually stopped using real people and events so frequently in comics to help with their timelessness, but I’m going to include the historical figures and times as depicted in the source material, even if that means the same Batman is supposed to have been active in the 70s and also in 2011. Just don’t worry about it.

This writeup is split into three parts, described below. This section is the most dense, dealing with the history of 13 agencies, some of their key players, and the organizations' general missions. Special thanks to my editors and beta readers for helping me shape this up.

Part 1: Organization Descriptions and Histories

Task Force X

Argent

The Suicide Squad

Checkmate

Central Bureau of Investigation

The Agency

Project: Peacemaker

Department of Extranormal Operations

All Purpose Enforcement Squad

Project Cadmus / The DNA Project

Human Defense Corps

A.R.G.U.S.

Spyral

Part 2: Timeline

Part 3: Reading Suggestions

Task Force X

One of the most famous of DC’s government groups, Task Force X is sometimes used interchangeably with “The Suicide Squad.” However, that’s (at least originally) not quite accurate! Task Force X was a government program that housed two clandestine programs: Argent and The Suicide Squad. Task Force X was originally started in the 50s by President Truman to make up for the disappearance of the Justice Society of America after Senator McCarthy summoned them before his House of Un-American Activities Committee and tried to force them to unmask. Task Force X was designed to deal with the “extraordinary” (read: metahuman and alien) threats that might face the U.S. government. Argent was the domestic program, while the Suicide Squad was international. The leader of Argent took his team and disappeared in the 60s, while the Suicide Squad disbanded soon after due to budget cuts.

Task Force X would be revived in the 80s when then-congressional aide Amanda Waller would present to President Reagan a plan to revitalize The Suicide Squad, this time utilizing supervillains for high risk, clandestine missions in exchange for reduced prison time. Waller also envisioned the reorganization of intelligence group The Agency, which would become the intelligence-focused division of Task Force X. The Agency would be led by former Doom Patrol member Valentina Vostok until its reorganization into Checkmate, at which point Harry Stein was named Checkmate’s King. Although Central Bureau of Intelligence leader Sarge Steel had significant reservations about Task Force X, the President ultimately approved the project. 

After an inter-departmental war known as the Janus Directive, Task Force X was dissolved as an umbrella organization. The Suicide Squad and Checkmate were made fully independent of one another, with Sarge Steele assuming direct control of Checkmate from Waller, who stayed on as the director of the Suicide Squad.

Argent

Argent was the U.S. based division of the original, 50’s Task Force X that dealt with domestic and civilian “extraordinary” encounters. Originally led by a man named only as “Control,” Argent went underground after Control killed a man connected with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Control’s vision for this new, even more secretive Argent was an internationally focused spy agency for justice, though little is known about how effective he was. Presumed defunct, Argent was not revived when Amanda Waller proposed her new Suicide Squad. Eventually, the new Suicide Squad made contact with the remenants of Argent, and were witness to the ultimate end of the program.

The Suicide Squad

Originally, the Suicide Squad was the self-given name of WWII platoon with a depressingly high fatality rate. Over the course of the war, the squadron found themselves on Dinosaur Island, which certainly didn’t help those numbers. Richard Montgomery Flag Sr. was brought in to help lead the group, turning the squadron around into a highly decorated division of the Army.

In 1951, after the Justice Society was driven underground, President Truman created Task Force X to be able to combat “extraordinary” threats now that there were no costumed heroes to rely on. Truman requested that Flag Sr. lead The Suicide Squad, which focused on international threats. This group was largely composed of veterans of the WWII Squadron S. This version of the Suicde Squad was disbanded after the death of Flag Sr.

A third version of the Squad was created by General Stuart, tapping Rick Flag Jr. to be its leader. This team continued to deal with extranormal threats, but disbanded after a mission in Cambodia that saw the loss of half the squad. It was also revealed that regardless of the fatalities, budget cuts demanded the end of the program.

The most famous version of the Suicide Squad was proposed by congressional aide Amanda Waller to President Reagan in the 1980s, following the Legends event. Waller envisioned a revival of Task Force X as an umbrella program, with the new Suicide Squad being staffed by incarcerated supervillains. These villains would undertake high-risk, clandestine operations in return for reduced prison sentences. Part of the appeal of this model was the deniability: in the event that an operation went poorly, the government could simply blame it on the supervillain. President Reagan approved the program–Waller was the leader of Task Force X, which included both the Suicide Squad and The Agency, which was soon remade into Checkmate.

This Suicide Squad operated out of Belle Reve penitentiary, which was a maximum security prison specializing in holding supervillains. The initial administration of the Suicide Squad consisted of Amanda Waller as its director, Belle Reve’s warden John Economos, psychologist Simon LaGrieve, bureaucratic assistant Flo Crawley, and pilot Briscoe. Waller brought in Rick Flag Jr. to serve as her field leader and Ben Turner, the Bronze Tiger, as second in command. While the Squad certainly lived up to its name and reputed high mortality rate, notable team members include Eve Eden, Nightshade; Floyd Lawton, Deadshot; June Moone, Enchantress; and George Harkness, Captain Boomerang. I’m not going to spoil the whole Oracle plot for you, but know that Barbara Gordon actually debuted as Oracle in the pages of Suicide Squad, so consider this your sign to go read Suicide Squad (1987).

After the events of The Janus Directive, Task Force X was dissolved as an umbrella organization. While Waller was left as the director of the Suicide Squad, she no longer had any leadership in Checkmate, which had passed into the control of Sarge Steel, director of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

After a number of missions, Waller eventually disbanded the Suicide Squad, finding herself disillusioned with the Squad’s goals. However, because this is comics, the Suicide Squad would not stay dead for long. Waller would periodically create new incarnations of the Squad to address spontaneous issues that would arise, often crossing over with other superheroes' adventures. During Lex Luthor’s presidency, Waller would be appointed Secretary of Metahuman Affairs, taking Sarge Steel’s place.

After Checkmate was rechartered as an United Nations organization, Amanda Waller took a position as the White Queen. To limit conflicts of interest, this effectively meant that the Suicide Squad was permanently disbanded, as Waller was prohibited from operations and could not be involved in the leadership of both organizations. This didn’t stop her, however, and Waller formed a new incarnation of the Suicide Squad that began Operation: Salvation Run. This project involved rounding up all supervillains and deporting them to a prison planet via Boom Tube (yes, really) where they were supposed to stay indefinitely. Waller was eventually ousted from Checkmate, but not before she and her Squad managed to deport the majority of Earth’s villains. The Suicide Squad would have to confront its ghosts during the Blackest Night event, when zombified fallen members of the Squad came after living members, but further adventures were cut off by Flashpoint.

Checkmate

Checkmate started from The Agency, a quasi-independent intelligence focused division of Task Force X led by former Doom Patrol member Valentina Vostok. Vostok brought in former NYPD lieutenant Harry Stein, who soon reorganized the group into Checkmate. Borrowing from chess’ hierarchy, Stein was King, working with his Queen counterpart to coordinate various agents. Bishops oversaw Rooks, who planned missions for support agents–Pawns–and special agents–Knights. Checkmate operated out of Konig Industries in Shelby, Virginia until the events of the Janus Directive. During that event, Checkmate lost roughly 40 Knights and its Konig cover was blown. With only a third of its agents, Checkmate was subsequently forced to relocate to a NORAD base in Colorado.

Harry Stein resigned as head of Checkmate after his son was shot, leading Sarge Steel to promote Phil Kramer to King and Kalia Cambell to Queen. They would lead Checkmate against Jade Nguyen, the assassin known as Chesire, during the time she took control of several nuclear warheads and bombed the nation of Qurac. At some point Checkmate would establish their division between black side, which ran operations, and white side, which was primarily intelligence.

Bishop Jessica Midnight recruited Sasha Bordeaux, Bruce Wayne’s former bodyguard, into Checkmate. Bordeaux had been imprisoned due to suspicion that she was an accomplice to Bruce Wayne's alleged killing of Vesper Fairchild. Checkmate faked Bordeaux’s death in prison and provided her with plastic surgery to assume a completely new life as a Checkmate operative.

After Kramer, former Knight David Said would become the new King of Checkmate. He would lead Checkmate against Batman in Gotham City, a campaign that saw them abduct Helena Bertinelli, the Huntress, and install her as Queen in an attempt to have her share secrets from Batman. This arrangement was actually a plan between Batman and Huntress, however, and Bertinelli ended up serving as a mole for Batman on Checkmate. 

For this next section, I choose to believe that Checkmate was a victim of Superboy-Prime’s altering of reality in the leadup to Infinite Crisis. Checkmate is suddenly headed by Maxwell Lord, Said and Bertinelli are nowhere to be seen, and Lord’s motivations are massively different from any of his previous appearances. Regardless, under Lord, Checkmate amassed information on every metahuman on Earth with plans to eliminate them. To do this, Lord was given access to the Brother Eye satellite, and together they controlled over one million OMACs–civilians that had been injected with nanotechnology to make them unwitting cyborg sleeper agents. When Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, discovered what Lord had been up to, Lord killed him and instructed Bordeaux to dispose of the body.

Sasha sent Blue Beetle’s goggles to Batman, alerting him of Kord’s death. Once Lord knew that Batman was on his tail, he accelerated his plans, using his mental manipulation powers to take control of Superman and send him on a rampage to keep other heroes occupied. When Wonder Woman caught up with Lord, she bound him in her Lasso of Truth and commanded him to tell her how to set Superman free. The only option he gave her was for him to die, so Wonder Woman snapped his neck. Upon Lord’s death, Brother Eye immediately activated all OMACs and began the King_Is_Dead protocol, which involved killing every current Checkmate agent. Bordeaux, who had been imprisoned by Lord after he discovered her subterfuge, escaped, though not before her own unique OMAC programming activated. Lord had intended for her, as his Knight, to be a special type of OMAC, leaving her somewhere between human and machine. Later, Bordeaux would team up with Batman and other heroes to take down Brother Eye.

After Infinite Crisis, Checkmate was recharted by the United Nations to be an international group with a stronger system of checks and balances. Checkmate operated under a system of twos: two Kings and two Queens, with a Knight and Bishop for all four royals. Most specifically, the U.N. charter set out a Rule of Two: each position had to be balanced with meta and non-metahumans. As before, Black side was operations while White was intelligence. Bishops advised their royals, while Knights were special agents. Rooks were an elite Black Ops unit, while numerous Pawns were standard agents.

At the time of its chartering, the new Checkmate had the OMAC enhanced Bordeaux as its Black Queen, Taleb Beni Khalid as its unpowered Black King, JSA Green Lantern Alan Scott as White King, and Amanda Waller as White Queen. After Scott resigned as White King his Bishop, fellow JSA member Michael Holt–Mister Terrific, took his place.

This Checkmate frequently clashed with Kobra, the international cult intent on bringing a new age of chaos to the world. However, they also had a non-insignificant amount of infighting. Significantly, Waller was forced out as White Queen after she tried to preemptively remove Bordeaux and Holt, knowing that they were getting close to uncovering her illicit Suicide Squad and their Operation: Salvation Run.

After the events of Brightest Day, Maxwell Lord returns from the dead and uses his power to make nearly everyone on Earth forget about him. He immediately begins to try to regain control of Checkmate, beginning a misinformation and discrediting campaign against Checkmate’s leadership.

Central Bureau of Intelligence (C.B.I.)

The Central Bureau of Intelligence is a sort of corollary to the Federal Bureau of Investigation within the DC Universe. The organization primarily focuses on information gathering from domestic and international sources, then utilizing that information for operations. However, while other groups are focused on “extranormal” threats, the CBI is primarily concerned with “normal” missions. When special assignments do come up, special agents are dispatched.

The CBI was known to be active when Task Force X was being revived by Amanda Waller. While Sarge Steel was both known to be involved in the CBI and important enough to sit in on Waller’s meeting with the President of the United States, it is not clearly stated that he was the director of the CBI at that time. However, Sarge Steel would officially be the director of the CBI by the time of the Janus Initiative. Despite the massive reorganization at the time, the CBI was left largely alone. Steel would be promoted to the Director of Metahuman Affairs, a Cabinet level position wherein he would oversee all metahuman related operations for the federal government.

Among the most notable CBI agents are the aforementioned Sarge Steel, King Faraday, and former Teen Titan Roy Harper. After leaving the Titans, Harper would work for the CBI as a special agent–it was during this period he met Jade Nguyen, the assassin known as Chesire, and conceived their daughter Lian.

Eventually, the CBI would be incorporated into the Department of Extranormal Operations.

The Agency

The Agency was a group led by former Doom Patrol member Valentina Vostok that aimed to monitor superheroes. When Amanda Waller presented her plan to reform Task Force X, the Agency was reorganized into Checkmate. Among its divisions was Project: Peacemaker.

Project: Peacemaker

Project Peacemaker was the program that created and maintained Christopher Smith’s activities as Peacemaker. Originally, Project Peacemaker was a division of the Agency. When Task Force X was revived under Amanda Waller’s proposal, the Agency was reorganized into Checkmate, and Project Peacemaker is implied to have been made its own entity. However, when Task Force X was dissolved after The Janus Directive, Project Peacemaker became folded into Checkmate under the supervision of Sarge Steel.

The Department of Extranormal Affairs (D.E.O.)

In terms of real-world publication, the DEO began in 1998 as DC’s effort to begin consolidating all of the various federal metahuman organizations under one umbrella. In this author’s opinion, this was for the better.

The Department of Extranormal Operations is the U.S. government’s most modern and comprehensive agency to assess and combat metahuman threats through intelligence gathering, field operatives, and their own research.

The DEO conducts extensive research on metahumans and extranormal entities, with various degrees of transparency or consent. The DEO has been depicted to hold individuals against their will in order to study them, to the point of sending either their own agents or other affiliated groups to hunt down subjects that escape. This research seemed to be, in its early depictions, its primary focus. However, the DEO would take broader forays into intelligence, using that information for good… and sometimes to blackmail heroes into working for them.

In most depictions, the DEO is led by Director Bones, a former member of Infinity Inc, who reports to the federal Director of Metahuman Affairs. Bones is the direct supervisor of operative Cameron Chase, who has proved herself an exceptional agent. Through Chase, Kate Spencer–the Manhunter–was brought in to work for the DEO for some time.

The DEO is expansive enough to have several subdivisions within it. One such group was the Department of Metahuman Affairs, where Wonder Woman would work after Infinite Crisis. This subdivision would focus specifically on gathering and preparing intelligence on active metahumans, should the government need it. This subdivision would be led by Sarge Steel, who had left the White House upon the election of Lex Luthor and Luthor’s subsequent appointment of Amanda Waller to Secretary for Metahuman Affairs.

Another group known to be active during Luthor’s presidency was Knightwatch, a more militaristic division that responded to possible metahuman attacks on federal personnel and buildings.

The DEO’s research facilities are detailed in various comics across the 90s. It is gradually revealed that the DEO either maintains or sponsors a variety of training camps and research facilities, sometimes called “orphanages,” that hold metahumans under various states of duress. One example is Secret, the Young Justice member who is shown escaping from a DEO orphanage, and later gets Young Justice’s help shutting down similar experimentation programs. A group of metahumans who escape from the DEO collectively get taken in by the Titans. Conversely, some of the individuals who go on to be the Relative Heroes are depicted to be in a more traditional fostering environment, though it is still connected to the DEO. 

Within the continuity of the Supergirl TV show, as part of the Arrowverse, the DEO is a governmental organization that specifically deals with extraterrestrial threats and encounters.

All Purpose Enforcement Squad (A.P.E.S.)

The All Purpose Enforcement Squad is an international, interdepartmental group of highly trained special agents. APES features most prominently in the Young Justice series, represented by Donald Fite and Ishido Maad. 

While APES has connections to international organizations such as Interpol and Scotland Yard, they seem primarily U.S. based, as APES was the primary group trying to recover Secret, a metahuman who escaped from a DEO research facility.

Project Cadmus

Project Cadmus, sometimes also known as the DNA Project, is a government supported genetic research lab. Cadmus is involved with cloning and gene sequencing for the purpose of creating new life, with their most famous creation being Superboy.

Originally led by Director Paul Westfield, Cadmus employed various scientists engaged with genetic manipulation. The most notorious of these scientists was Dabney Donovan, who created “DNAliens” with inhuman powers. These DNAliens include Dubbilex, the grey skinned, horned telepath who would serve as a mentor to Superboy. Cadmus also employed the adult members of the original Newsboy Legion. These adults cloned themselves to create a new Newsboy Legion, and additionally cloned former NYPD officer Jim Harper–the original Guardian. This new cloned Guardian would serve as head of security of Cadmus.

Donovan was eventually fired from Cadmus due to the extremity of his experiments. Donovan would go on to align himself with The Agenda, another genetic lab responsible for their own Superboy clone: Match. Cadmus would also have an enemy in the form of the Evil Factory, led by Mokkari and Simyan, servants of Darkseid.

After a virus affecting clones and DNAliens breaks out, Cadmus began to receive intense scrutiny. A purification by fire was attempted, with missiles aimed to destroy sections of Metropolis and stop the virus. After the missiles were stopped, Donovan revealed himself to be the mastermind of the virus and killed Westfield, leading Mickey Cannon to be named the new administrative director of Cadmus. This scrutiny forced Cadmus to withdraw from the public eye, going deeper underground.

Under Cannon, Dabney would be kept imprisoned in Cadmus to serve as a scientific advisor under armed guard. Cannon also brought in Serling Roquette to be the new head of genetics–Roquette would eventually be responsible for curing Superboy of the genetic quirk that kept him from aging. Cadmus would continue to withdraw from attention, especially under the presidency of Lex Luthor.

Human Defense Corps

The Human Defense Corps was a group started under President Luthor’s administration with the goal of having an entirely non-metahuman taskforce that could respond to meta-level threats. This was in line with Luthor’s goal of reducing dependency on superheroes, and as such only recruited from decorated military veterans.

A specific subgroup within the Human Defense Corps was Squad K, a division specifically armed and trained to take on Kryptonian targets.

A.R.G.U.S.

You may have noticed that I didn’t put what A.R.G.U.S. stands for up above. That’s because sources disagree. According to the wiki, A.R.G.U.S. stands for Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-humans. A.R.G.U.S. was created post-Flashpoint to be a governmental organization associated with the Department of Homeland Security. Specifically, A.R.G.U.S. aims to support super- and meta-human endeavors, rather than having an antagonistic relationship with the superhuman community.

A.R.G.U.S. took on a life of its own within the TV Arrowverse shows, where it’s called the Advanced Research Group United Support. There, A.R.G.U.S. is the de facto government agency for dealing with metahuman threats. It was formerly led by Amanda Waller before leadership passed to Lyla Michaels. 

Spyral

Before I start to give the details on Spyral, I have to disclaim a few things about it. Spyral was first mentioned in the New Earth timeline, during Grant Morrison’s time with Batman Incorporated (2011). This was immediately before Flashpoint and the New 52 reboot. However, this run of Batman Incorporated kept going within the New Earth continuity past when Flashpoint happened, meaning that the comics had to disclaim that they were still the old continuity, even though the reboot happened. But then! Batman Incorporated (2012) was a direct sequel to the New Earth run, even though this Volume 2 explicitly happens in the post-reboot continuity.

All of this to say, Spyral is an organization that has roots in the New Earth continuity, but was largely fleshed out in the post-Flashpoint universe. Because of the relative lack of information in the pre-Flashpoint continuity, however, we can assume a lot of the later established details can be retroactively applied.

Technically, Spyral is not a U.S. agency. Originally, Spyral was founded during the Cold War to be a United Nations affiliated spy group. The U.N. made former Nazi spy Otto Netz, under the pseudonym Agent Zero, the head of the organization. He was subsequently tasked with recruiting Spyral’s agents and building the organization for the U.N.

Spyral continued into the 80s, at which point Netz was revealed to be a double agent and imprisoned in a lighthouse. Though the organization seemingly collapsed at that point, Spyral’s operations continued. At some point before his imprisonment, Netz recruited Gotham City socialite Kathy Webb Kane into Spyral and tasked her with discovering the identity of the Batman. Kathy developed the Batwoman persona to get close to Batman, though the revelation that Netz was her father caused her to break off contact with both Batman and retreat from Spyral. Kathy Webb Kane was believed to have been killed by Ben Turner, the Bronze Tiger, during his period of being controlled by the League of Assassins.

Netz would be broken out of his imprisonment by the Leviathan Organization, which is a militaristic group led by Talia al Ghul, after her estrangement from her father Ra’s al Ghul. Leviathan seeks to undo much of modern society in order to rebuild the world in a “better” way. Talia set Netz up as Doctor Dedalus to combat Batman and his Batman Incorporated initiative, designing elaborate traps across the globe to keep Bruce Wayne and his operatives occupied. Netz was eventually killed within one of his traps by Damian Wayne, who was attempting to save his father.

It was revealed after Netz’s death that Kathy Webb Kane was still alive, and had faked her own demise in order to become the secret headmistress of Spyral. After Netz’s death, the U.N. officially reactivated Spyral in order to combat Leviathan’s continued growth.

Spyral operates out of St. Hadrian’s Finishing School for Girls. Initially in the New Earth continuity, the school had been a Leviathan facility, training young women as infiltrators and assassins. It was the site of Stephanie Brown’s mission as Batgirl on behalf of Batman Incorporated, and she and Batman managed to stop the Leviathan plot. In the post-Flashpoint continuity, St. Hadrian’s is Spyral’s base, where elite students are trained as spies. It’s assumed that Spyral just took control after ousting Leviathan.

After Dick Grayson was publically unmasked as Nightwing, he joined Spyral to investigate the organization. During this period, he worked with Helena Bertinelli, who was working as the Matron of Spyral. Grayson would continue as Agent 37 of Spyral for some time, until his identity was restored. At that point, he and Bertinelli both returned to Gotham to take up the mantles of Nightwing and Huntress, respectively. With Bertinelli’s departure, directorship of Spyral and the title of Patron passed to Agent-1, the operative known as Tiger.

[aveaveria]

Wonder Woman and Agent 37 for @grayson10yearslater

The nice thing about Janín's same face syndrom is getting to edit this as Dick by simply erasing some harsher facial features!

Putting Diana and Dick in a Spyral setting has been on my mind since forever. So much so that I back then mistook the original artwork for them! (Fuck Maxwell Lord anyway.) For all of those who don't know, Diana has had her own tenure as Agent Prince of A.R.G.U.S.

Time for a team up!

[finniestoncrane]

Line of Duty

KTJL!Waller x Fem!Reader, word count: 1.3k eheheh i am obsessed with the idea of this woman literally using me, she is my daddy, she is my mommy, she is my everything 🖤 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: oral sex, sub/dom dynamics, secret relationship, degradation, mommy kink, lil bit of electrostimulation, praise, minimal aftercare like she's a busy gal

Not even a long draw from her cigarette could ease the building tension in Amanda Waller's chest. Rage and stress, rising in equal parts like bile into her throat, her disbelief, and yet worrying proof, of the incompetency of everyone around her were driving her to what she knew was going to be either a breakdown or a medical emergency. There was always plan B, however. The other, sure fire method of stress relief. Riskier, yes, but far more effective than chain smoking or some harmless flirting with Lex Luthor.

Exhausted, and resigning herself to the inevitable, she leaned back against the desk behind her. She took her phone from her pocket, ignoring the countless missed calls, most of them from the President, the needy, relentless fuck, and typed a message to you with one hand.

"I have a job for you."

It wasn't a code, necessarily. She just found it simpler to speak in the terms she was most familiar with. It made it more exciting for you though. Made you feel like one of her assets. Something she might dismiss, toss to the side, if you didn't do a good enough job for her.

But you always made sure to do your best to please.

Rushing along the corridors of the temporary A.R.G.U.S. base within the Hall of Justice you tried to avoid eye contact with any of your colleagues. It was an inevitable part of the rumour mill. You were Waller's pet, her favourite. She treated you no different to anyone else, except you were invited into her office more than the others. You were still subject to the same berating dished out for anything less than perfect outcomes, the same shitty tasks, the same uncomfortable living quarters. But everyone seemed to know there was something there, something between you. An extra task on your to-do list. And if at any point one of them flashed you that smug, knowing smile on your way to her office, you would have blushed, cementing their beliefs, giving yourself up. You couldn't imagine how pissed Waller would be then.

Thankfully, you managed to make it to her office unscathed, only bumping into one other person, who was so focused on their own work, their face buried in a file so deep you didn't notice who it was.

Knocking lightly on the door, you spoke in a hushed tone.

"Miss Waller? You wanted to see me?"

"Do you think I have time to answer such a stupid question. What did you think my message meant?"

You entered the room sheepishly, keeping your eyes directed at the floor. Pissing her off was a surprisingly easy achievement, and something you were skilled at it seemed. So, still avoiding eye contact, you felt it was better to get to work than waste any more time.

As she leaned back against the wall, you took your place on your knees in front of her, doing your best to keep your nerve, to hold your fingers steady as you unzipped her pants and pulled them down along with her underwear to rest midway on her thighs. You had to be quick. In and out. Much the same way she operated the missions of TFX.

Sighing softly, warm breath heating her core, you pressed your nose to the carefully trimmed stripe of dark, curled pubic hair, letting your tongue slip over your lips and make contact with her. Amanda shuddered, leaning into the wall, her palms against it as she balanced herself, clinging to it to try and minimise her reaction to the pleasure.

As you circled her clit with your tongue, you let your lips cup the hood, sucking gently as she ran her fingers through your hair and gripped close to the scalp, pushing you into her. You weren't sure when she had lit it, but in her free hand she held a cigarette, puffing it intermittently between her soft sighs and moans. Her shoulders were flush to the wall as she lifted her hips up and jutted them out, thrusting slowly into your face as she let you fuck her with your tongue. You kept it moving, flitting over her as she ran herself over it at her preferred pace, groaning with pleasure as you lapped every drip of her up.

A guttural groan forced it's way from her throat, deep, hot. Her grip on your hair loosened slightly, and she let her body relax and sink to the wall. You followed her though, leaning in to keep licking, not as frantic, more languid and gentle as you devoured her taste.

"You really are the best of a bad bunch. Much more useful than than the rest of those idiots."

It felt like a slip of the tongue, her praise, as dry and tenuous as it was, still seemed like something she had said by mistake. But she tugged your mouth from her cunt, sticky strands of her arousal and your saliva coming with you as she forced you to look up at her. Without looking, she tapped her cigarette against the edge of the ashtray on the desk and leaving it there, picking up a tiny, cylindrical gadget with a light blue button on the end.

"That's why you get the special button."

You suddenly remembered the tiny little chip she had installed in your neck. Not quite as consequential as the ones that were implanted into the squad members, of course. Just a little one, enough to give you a pleasant zap. As you cast your mind back to the tests she had done on it, you began to drool, nodding slowly, subconsciously.

More often than not, Amanda liked to be in control, doling out the pleasure rather than receiving. And the tingling that suddenly travelled down your spine was a reminder of the control she had over you, and all the others. Not that she ever had to employ any other methods to convince you of that. The fact that you could feel yourself getting wet any time she shot you a glance was telling enough of the power she had over you.

"Good?"

"Yes, Miss Waller."

"Are you wet?"

"Yes, Miss Waller."

She smiled at the slight blush on your cheeks, the corners of her mouth twinging, pulling at her pout.

"Show me. Put your fingers in your panties and let me see how wet they are."

Everything she asked was so matter of fact, like she was giving you orders. And you realised that she was. So, ever dutiful, you dipped your fingers into your underwear and ran them up your warm, wet slit, collecting your arousal on them and bringing them back out, splaying the two of them apart so she could see the clear, viscous strands stretching.

"Hm..."

It was hard to tell if it was a questioning sigh or one of satisfaction, but you barely had time to ponder on it, as Amanda hit the button again, the hair on your body prickling as you whined, trailing off into a small giggle.

"Do you want more?"

"Yes, Miss Waller."

She leaned down, her large, dark eyes cutting through to your soul.

"Then beg me."

"Please, Miss... m-mo-..."

You stammered, unsure of what she wanted to hear from you. Luckily, she was clearly in a good mood, as she gently placed her hand under your chin and kept you still as she spoke.

"Who's your mommy?"

"You are."

"That's damn right. And who's your daddy?"

"You are."

"Good girl. You're one of the few around here who don't disappoint me."

Despite knowing your place, you couldn't help but beam with pride. But Amanda wasn't smiling as she stared down at you.

"I didn't say you could stop, did I? I push your button, you push mine."

[imxthexhandler]

"You are a little bit late agent... I already have this handled " He said cockily motioning toward the men spread about the scene. His handlers have told them about other agencies butting in from time to time

"They call me the Metropolis Kid...and you are ?"

(@fallen-sons)

( @fallen-sons)

"The 'Metropolis Kid'? So, what, you're like Superman's kid?" Amelia asked, her tone slightly sarcastic, but she was serious.

"Agent Davidson from the Advanced Research Group United Support," Ameli introduced herself, flashing him her badge clipped onto her belt briefly before she goes to investigate one of the unconscious men. "I don't suppose you talked with any of them before knocking their heads in, did you?"