142 CHAPTER 140
"Why would Raven be targeted and by whom?" The question raced through my mind, catapulting me into action. My fingers danced across the keyboard as I cloaked my IP, determined to thwart any attempts at tracking her last contact. Simultaneously, I breached their military-grade firewall, unveiling a chilling revelation: Raven had been shot with a tranquilizing dart and was en route to their base.
A slew of young heroes, including Superboy, Beast Boy, Wonder Girl, Impulse, Blue Beetle, and Kid Flash, were in their crosshairs. The League's remaining members were prime targets, while the younger ones were potential bait. I marked Raven's captors' location with an X—it was a countdown to their imminent obliteration.
Messing with other heroes was one thing. But involving my girl was an entirely different realm of mistake. Our connection had been a delicate dance, understanding the complexity of her mind while concealing my true nature.
I sought to shatter her self-doubt, freeing her from the shackles of undeserving happiness. She was haunted by her formidable powers, a legacy of her enigmatic father—someone whose name I struggled to remember, starting with a T or something. No matter, it was time for her to embrace her potential.
I couldn't outline the exact path, but her raw power held too much potential to be stifled by self-doubt. Rising from my desk, I strolled calmly to the living room. "I'll be back real soon, boys," I casually informed the duo lounging there.
"Another outing?" Leo quirked an eyebrow.
"Yup, just need to handle something real quick," I replied, already at the door. "By the way, do you two ever plan to step outside? It's been days."
"Coming from the guy who doesn't have real friends," Leo retorted with a smirk, exposing my solitary habits.
"Hilarious. My taste in friends isn't exactly conventional."
"Anyway, I'll be hitting the road soon. It's a mess out there, and Redhood has a date with destiny, cleaning up some of the city's more colorful characters. Gotham's a pressure cooker, and with Batman and Batgirl's wings clipped by the military crackdown, they can't roam freely anymore. If it weren't for their relentless street patrols, the city would've plunged into an abyss even darker." Jason stated, rising to snag his signature leather jacket.
"In any case, watch your step out there," Leo cautioned, adding a mischievous grin.
"I can't promise that, especially when trouble has its own magnetic pull," I retorted, nodding toward Jason.
"Somehow, trouble just follows this guy," Leo chuckled, his tone dripping with amusement.
"True enough," Jason interjected, feigning an attempted punch on my arm, only to have his fist deflected by my barrier. "I'd forgotten about this annoying shield."
Laughter ensued, shared between Leo and myself, while Jason grumbled. "Just remember to keep your head on your shoulders," Leo advised, his tone turning more serious.
Jason and I made our way out, his leather jacket donned as he hopped onto his bike. As he revved the engine, I soared skyward, the night wind whipping through my hair. The world outside was a chaotic canvas, colored by upheaval and uncertainty. But that's where we thrived.
…
After a few moments in the air, Tom tapped his watch, and nanotech began to flow over his body, enveloping him in its embrace, much like a symbiotic being akin to Venom from the Marvel universe. The transformation complete, he stood clad in his Ace costume, ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead.
Flying through the moonless night sky, the base's location materialized on the map only visible through his customized glasses. Before leaving, he had marked the spot with a pin, and Gwen, always on point, had sent him the coordinates without him needing to ask.
He surged forward with explosive speed, tearing through the air like a missile, his passage punctuated by a resounding sonic boom.
"General!!! Something's approaching us at high speed," a soldier reported as they picked up a rapidly moving object homing in on their position.
"Is it an enemy missile?" General Smith Kirby questioned his officers, concern etching his features.
"Negative, sir. It's moving faster than any missile we've encountered."
"How much time do we have until impact?"
"Not enough time, sir." The swift response came before a shockwave reverberated throughout the base, a nonexplosive bomb landing squarely in the middle of their operation.
Soldiers hurriedly converged at the scene, armed and battle-ready. To their astonishment, they found a figure shrouded in conflict, the individual bearing the highest bounty, surrounded by craters, exuding an aura of casual confidence that didn't seem perturbed by their encirclement.
Tom stood there, undaunted, and posed a single question that cut through the tension. "I've got one query for you all. Depending on how you respond, I'll take action. Where's Raven?" His gaze fixed on the unflinching General, a man who displayed an unexpected lack of fear in the face of a conflicted menace like Tom.
"I don't know how you got wind that we had her, but I can assure you that you won't leave here alive. I'll ensure that you regret ever barging into my facility." The General's words dripped with arrogance as he raised his hand, giving a signal that triggered a response.
Blue lights illuminated the base, an apparent trump card intended to deter Tom. He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by their theatrics. "All you've done is turn on some fancy lights. Should I be intimidated?"
"No, why don't you find out for yourself?"
Tom smirked, undaunted by his bravado. "You're really starting to annoy me. I couldn't care less about your childish tricks. If a single strand of hair on her head is harmed, I'll ensure you experience the slowest, most excruciating death imaginable." Each word dripped with a chilling resolve as he took a deliberate step forward. The soldiers hesitated, wary of the man who had dealt with Joker in a brutal and public manner.
"Tyrant Ace, it appears you're ignorant of your current predicament. Allow me to enlighten you."
"FIRE!!!"
The General issued the command, yet his soldiers found themselves shooting their comrades, writhing in agony as they fell victim to their own bullets. Others lay lifeless on the cold ground.
"What did you do?" The General's voice quivered, uncertainty replacing his arrogance. The unpredictable nature of Ace baffled him; the metahuman dampeners he activated should've neutralized Tom's abilities, but it seemed he had a few tricks up his sleeve.
"I suspect you're not familiar with my capabilities. Those were power dampeners. Perhaps you should test them on yourself," Tom taunted, while utilizing the X-ray vision in his glasses to pinpoint Raven's exact location within the base. This way, he could maneuver the chaos without inadvertently endangering her.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted as four snipers launched simultaneous attempts on his life. However, their bullets ricocheted off him, striking them instead. The excruciating agony that followed was poetic justice. The battlefield had transformed into a scene of desperation and confusion as he stood amidst craters, a determined figure with the highest bounty.
"Two snipers confirmed deceased, sir. Two others are injured due to self-inflicted gunshot wounds," the report crackled through the transponder device the General held.
Tom's gaze locked onto the commander, his crimson eyes piercing through the glass eye-hole of his mask, emitting an eerie aura that sent a palpable chill down the spines of the soldiers. Behind his mask, a wicked grin curved his lips. "As you've probably deduced, I'm not your typical metahuman. I am something else entirely, something infinitely more menacing."
"Care for a demonstration?" Tom's words dripped with narcissism as he tapped his foot against the ground, immediately triggering a transmutation of the earth itself. Sharp rocks erupted from the ground, bursting through the soldiers around him, impaling them and elevating their bodies like grim totems atop pillars of death.
The gruesome tableau elicited horror, causing the remaining soldiers to instinctively retreat to avoid his deadly reach. Unbeknownst to them, his influence extended beyond the immediate vicinity; the entire base was his dominion. Tapping his foot once more, armored tanks were propelled off the ground, soaring through the air before crashing into a sea of soldiers. The ensuing detonations transformed the base into a chaotic battleground.
Undeterred, the General signaled for three trucks armed with missile launchers to take aim at Ace. As they readied their attack, Ace remained unfazed, the sinister grin still tugging at his lips.
"Fall back," the General barked, and his troops scrambled to safer ground. Yet, Ace had no intention of relenting. He relished the opportunity to showcase his power, proving unequivocally that he was no ordinary metahuman, and that underestimating him was a dire mistake.
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