Chapter 215: The Dangers Within Heroics Part 3

The S.T.A.R. Labs facility had now become a complete chaotic mess. Aside from the non-stop buzzing alarms, one could hear the screams and shrills of staff members as they fell victim to numerous villains that had escaped their holding cells or restriction mechanisms.

Despite this ongoing chaos, the facility's lower levels were actually quite calm and quiet. It was here that Arias, Cheshire, and Raven were casually making their way to the facility's three most important areas: the server room, the sample vault, and the prototype storage unit.

As the names suggested, the server room housed the entire facility's digital data. Given the nature of this particular lab, the data it held was centered largely around superhumans and aliens.

The sample vault contained actual samples for study, ranging from strands of Superman's DNA to alien limbs and organs. As for the prototype unit, this was where potential tools, weapons, and devices were kept, their uses, of course, revolving around meta-humans and aliens.

Security at such a place was incredibly tight. So much so that even measures against Superman were employed, in the form of kryptonite lasers. All in all, it was made to stop even the most powerful of superhumans, and yet…

*Boom!*

At every checkpoint the trio encountered, Arias bypassed it using sheer force and destructive means. Not once was he slowed down, and upon reaching so dangerously close to that information, an omega-level security alert rang across all S.T.A.R. Labs branches.

Such a massive alert couldn't travel far without being intercepted by those with capable enough tech—Batman and the government, for one.

Batman's alert, unfortunately, came at a point where he wasn't even in the country. Rather, he was attempting to not only track the remnants of the HS terror group but also to locate Arias. To do this, he chose to infiltrate Markovia with a stealth-focused team made up of himself, Flash, and Black Canary.

They were currently hidden behind storage containers at Markovia's biggest port, a good place to start looking for clues regarding the trafficking of meta-children.

As he hid, he received the alert and took out a small digital screen that summarized what was happening.

Black Canary was right beside him, and soon, the Flash's figure zoomed there as he reported, "All the containers over there are clean. Do I check the rest? Hm, what's wrong?"

Seeing Batman looking more serious than usual, the Flash couldn't help peeking over at Batman's screen. Canary didn't say anything, but she too glanced over at Batman's device.

"This is bad," Batman said only this in a low tone before tapping his communication device immediately.

"J'onn, the omega-level breach just went off at the main S.T.A.R. Labs branch in Metropolis. More importantly, the criminals kept there are loose. If they make it out to the streets, Metropolis will turn into a bloodbath. Have everyone who's ready and able to help contain the situation immediately."

[ I've already done so, Batman. Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Hawkwoman should all be there within 15 minutes. I'm getting no response from Aquaman and Dr. Fate. However, the majority of the junior team is closer, and they should be there in 3 minutes. ]

"Alright, have Robin and his team focus solely on evacuating civilians. Unless absolutely necessary, they shouldn't engage the escapees until backup arrives."

[ I'll pass on your instructions. ]

***

While Batman and the League were more concerned about the loss of innocent lives, the government had bigger concerns.

"What do you mean omega-level breach? Weren't those labs built to withstand even an attack from Superman?"

Within the White House's war room, an angry and agitated President Ross yelled at the top of his lungs. The individuals adorning military uniforms also looked greatly upset as one added, "We cannot allow the information kept there to risk falling into the hands of terrorists or other nations. Is there no failsafe measure, Dr. Stone?"

The man spoke while looking toward a large screen where a dark-skinned man with short hair, strong facial features, and brown eyes appeared. The man wore a pair of glasses and a lab coat while looking more panicked than anyone else as he shook his head.

"They've all been breached. We can't even remotely wipe the servers because something is interfering with the command signals. Mr. President, omega-level is what we chose to call our updated security after we saw firsthand what the being known as Darkseid was capable of. This beta-security system is far from completion, given just how little we know about Apokoliptian technology. If the security has been breached to this extent, then…"

*Bam!*

Angry at what he was hearing, the President slammed his hand into the table. "You're telling me the infiltrators could be part of those things that tried to invade our world? Dr. Stone, you don't need me to tell you that the only reason we survived was due to the interference of superhumans. What will happen if this Darkseid gets a hold of that information?"

Dr. Stone remained silent and looked incredibly worried; his look, however, spoke volumes, and everyone could guess what it meant.

In the next moment, though, Dr. Stone looked even more concerned as a young-looking woman, also wearing a lab coat, rushed over to whisper something in his ear. Immediately, she stepped away, and the President and everyone else saw the look of worry he had.

"What's the matter now?"

"Superman, sir. He's broken out of the solar capsule he was recuperating in. It's safe to assume he's going to Metropolis…"

***

At around the same time, Arias had just managed to break through the incredibly secure door leading to the server room. While standing at the entrance, he tossed Cheshire a small device.

"Just plug this into the main console and let it do its work. It'll flash red when it's done." After giving those instructions, Arias turned to look at Raven and gestured for her to follow him elsewhere. "Come along."

The two didn't need to walk far until they reached another door in the maze of underground passageways. This time it was the sample room, and once again, Arias didn't hesitate to break the door by exerting focal force so tremendous it made nukes pale in comparison.

With this amount of force, he merely lodged his fingers into the steel-like door and folded it, as one would with a piece of paper.

Now, a brightly lit sterile room stood before them. The room itself was incredibly large, with numerous glass containers embedded in walls that spanned several floors. The sight was so impressive that it made the usually quiet Raven curious, as she asked, "What is this place?"

"A library of sorts. If something man doesn't understand has the potential to be studied through science… it's kept here. Be it private or government-owned, after all, S.T.A.R. Labs is unmatched in this sector."

"Will…will we find something that will help me here?" Raven, who didn't know much about the plan to begin with, assumed all this correlated somehow to finding a way to stop her father.

It was only because of this reason that she felt no hesitation despite the extreme actions she witnessed and the consequences they would likely bear. Compared to a world where Trigon invaded, it was a small price to pay.

"Unfortunately, most of the things kept here are either technological or biological. The items believed to be more mystical are kept elsewhere and are studied less. Don't worry though, that part has been covered too."

"Oh…"

Not knowing what else to add to the conversation, Raven kept quiet again, feeling content with just knowing things were going according to plan. Arias, however, was also curious. He had at least expected some degree of faltering from Raven, which he planned to use as a reference point in understanding her moral stance.

But since she exceeded expectations, he now saw some more potential within her.

"Tell me, Raven, what comes into your mind when you hear 'A perfect world?'"

"A perfect world?" Raven lowered her hood and showed a puzzled face upon hearing the question.

She had not been on Earth that long to begin with, but during that period, she knew nothing but suffering. The pain of carrying the guilt toward the deaths of those who tried to help her. Because of this, she struggled to find an answer to the question but tried nevertheless.

"I guess, a world where peace exists. Where people are safe and free from disaster."

Raven answered in an unsure tone, but that was the best she could think of on the spot. Quite the generic answer, and the type most would give if asked. But Arias was seeking a more personal answer.

"That answer indeed describes a perfect world. But not *your* perfect world, Raven. Did you know that each and every person has their own selfish dream for the world? A dream very few ever think of pursuing due to just how impossible it seems to bring into reality. I want to know *your* perfect world."

Arias's breakdown of what Raven thought was a simple question did indeed make her think more deeply about it. But before she could answer, Arias cut her off and added, "You don't need to give me an answer now. In fact, I doubt you could. It's not an answer one reaches without first truly understanding what it is they want. It requires an unprejudiced self-judging of oneself to honestly answer that question. And when you do finally have an answer and the will to pursue your vision for the world,

 the burden you carry will fade away."

Raven found it tricky to understand the meaning behind Arias's words at first, but considering what he was implying, she saw some sense in it. She also became curious about something.

"I'll do that. But… what's *your* idea of the perfect world?"

Not expecting for the question to be asked back to him, Arias showed a light smile under his helm. He didn't hesitate to provide the girl with an honest answer.

"Quite frankly, I don't believe in a perfect world. My aims are instead much more selfish. You see, I believe that the world is incredibly flawed and unfair, to an extent that it's almost laughable. History tells us we come from a long line of individuals in power forcing down their beliefs onto those who were either ignorant or too weak to resist."

"We believe what we believe because of the environment we grow up in and the knowledge fed to us as we grow. Those who follow these beliefs that were created by another man are called model citizens, while those who try to forge a path of their own are called criminals. But it's understandable, after all, most of these beliefs only exist to maintain some modicum of order while providing absolute benefits to those atop the hierarchy."

"I simply aim to do what so many have done before me in history: to spread my beliefs and shape the world as such. These beliefs, whether good or bad, will always be seen as bad due to the simple fact that they contradict other beliefs. However… when all contradictions are destroyed and only one sole belief exists—*my* belief—then I would have achieved something close to a perfect world."

Arias's honest answer was both frightening and enlightening to Raven.