Chapter 16 Steve Trevor

Earth, Washington DC, Hall of Justice.

It had been five hours since the showdown in coast city. And now, the current location, the famed Hall of Justice primarily known as the headquarters of the Justice league to the public, was now being swarmed.

It was already as late at eleven o'clock, yet the area around the hall was stalked by a sea of reporters, journalists, and cameramen all taking pictures, giving out news reports live or just trying desperately to get some inside information.

Many of these poor souls were working their asses overtime just for the slight chance of a big scoop. Many more had their jobs hanging on the line.

Something, anything relevant concerning the mysterious alien that appeared on Earth, would be good enough. And news that he had appeared in coast city and beaten up its resident superhero had spread like wildfire.

Many more were on their way to make up the addition.

Unfortunately, they were destined to be disappointed. As far as the eye could see, although the Hall wasn't under lockdown, it was being terribly guarded by military personnel.

Police, Army, Special forces, you name it. Dozens of military soldiers stood on guard, with many more forming a do not cross perimeter with their bodies to keep away the crowd that were no less than bloodthirsty sharks at the moment.

The chances of a fly successful making it through the lobby were slimmer than Lex Luther suddenly growing hair overnight.

It only made the minds of the reporters all the more ravenous. What kind of scoop could they get if they unravel the meeting currently going on between the infamous alien and the League's leaders?

The minds of the reporters were wild.

Inside the hall, however, the atmosphere was extremely depressing. The members of the Justice league, all those who were considered important enough to be here, sat at a round table.

And today, they all had something similar in common. None of them had pleasant expressions on their faces.

Batman, Wonder woman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Zatara, Shazam, Flash, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Cyborg.

Even Captain Atom was here as well. Each and each one of them had their gaze on a single figure.

He wore casual clothing, a hoodie on his head, purple eyes and an indifference to complement it all. They weren't the only ones in the room.

There were also some indispensable figures representing the United States.

Justice league spokesperson and representative, Colonel Steve Trevor.

He didn't sit on a chair alongside the rest of the league as, quite frankly, he wasn't qualified. Even though no one among them would mind.

Due to his rather complicated relationship with Wonder Woman, he was hence the closest person to the Justice league within the military and helped bridge the sides as their spokesperson.

Amari looked at this man with a bit of curiosity. This version of Steve Trevor wasn't young. In fact, he looked close to General Lane in age, as he was already in his forties.

But if this guy truly fought alongside Wonder Woman in World War II, then logically speaking, he should be older.

Amari casually used energy to peek into his history and discovered what had happened.

"I only have one question. Why?" Batman said, liberating the room from the suffocating silence. The depressed atmosphere had gone nowhere, though.

"An extraterrestrial life from whom we have no knowledge about was suddenly granted access to live on earth soil without our knowledge". Batman continued to speak, his tone cold and indifferent.

His gaze drifted from the alien before settling on the other important person in the room.

"Do you care to explain why, General Lane?" Sam Lane was expressionless. Every member of the league was looking at him with intense gazes bordering on glares.

"The World Council were the ones who made their decision after careful consideration. I'm just here to pass the word". He replied solemnly.

"Bullshit! You guys are getting more reckless with each passing day. Do you even know what you're doing? Letting him actually walk free on Earth?" Flash exclaimed in outrage.

The other members of the league didn't say much, except for a few expressions and cold snorts. But it was enough to express the displeasure deep within their hearts.

"Careful consideration? After everything we've seen, this situation is clearly far from being carefully considered'.

Superman said with tightened fists.

"That is not my call to make. In a few hours, the world government will issue a statement to the whole world on live television, confirming his citizenship".

"Impossible!" Many exclaimed in unison.

"That won't work". Batman's eyes narrowed. "He's too dangerous to even consider such an option. The league won't allow it".

"You're making a mistake if you think that you have a choice in this matter, Batman. The leaders of all nations in the council have unanimously agreed on this matter. There is nothing the league can say that will change that". General Lane turned to Batman and spoke coldly.

Out of all the members of the League he had come into contact with, he hated Batman the most.

This guy wasn't as powerful as Superman or fast as the flash, yet his tone was borderline dismissive and arrogant.

And this was coming from someone who couldn't see eye to eye with Superman.

"It's the League's Job to deal with extraterrestrial threats. And if I recall correctly, it was unanimously decided as well that the world government wouldn't interfere in League matters when it came to dealing with alien threats". Bruce didn't back down as he exchanged tit-for-tat.

This was something he had specifically fought for when the world government first appeared. The last thing he wanted was to be held back from taking action by a group of snobby, useless politicians during a time when the fate of the world was at risk.

"That's correct". Sam said. Bruce could already see the 'but' coming.

"As you've said, threats. But Amari has done nothing to be labeled as such. Plus, the nation's of the world have the right to permit inhabitance of an extraterrestrial if they deem it fit". Lane replied with a strong stance and impeccable fluency.

"Amari, huh?" Batman thought inwardly and made a mental note. He wasn't the only one either, as the others took notice that the alien had a name.

"Done nothing? You can't be serious, right?" Shazam asked in astonishment.

"Does attacking residence areas, crippling civilians and severely injuring a member of the league count as nothing to you? Or does the military take us for fools?" Diana said with a heavy frown as she looked at General Lane.

Superman was particularly edgy around the part of crippling civilians, while flash twitched at the thought of the injured Hal.

Several league members felt their stomachs churn with anger. Was Lane belittling their intelligence, or was he making fun of them.

Even Clark frowned, as he didn't expect Lois's father to be such a man. Although they were only co-workers, he knew enough about her to know that this general was her dad.

This alien was clearly dangerous, so why were they hell-bent on protecting him?

Batman had a similar thought process as his brain wondered what this... Amari had done that, caused every nation on the planet to agree to his citizenship.

"That's a heavy accusation you're laying on me. I don't think you want to go down that road". Amari, who had been quiet since the beginning, suddenly, interjected.

His posture was incredibly lazy as he sat with his eyes half closed and his head tilted backwards.

He looked as if he would doze off to bed at any moment. And his conveniently relaxed posture only made the displeasure and distress in the hearts of everyone present grow stronger.

"And what do you mean by that?" Bruce faced him immediately with a strong glare.

"Take my word for it when I tell you, you don't want to know, the result will be less than pleasant for all of you". He said softly.

But his words falling on the ears of the league only irritated them further.

"Such Insolence! Who do you think you are?" Hawkman let out with a roar as he tightened his grip on the handle of his mace.

"Many things, but your superior should suffice. And I suggest for you to stop squawking, bird, or I might just decide to cut off your wings". Still the same light tone, still the same indifferent aura. As if he couldn't even be bothered to listen to all this.

"Ok, that's enough! You better watch your tone right this minute, or it won't end well for you, alien. You came into our planet uninvited, disappeared for a week, with only God knowing what the hell you were up to. And then you show up out of the blue only to cripple a teenager, severely injure several kids and harm a Leaguer. I don't know what you are, but you're truly pissing me off".

Superman suddenly erupted from his seat. His eyes turned red as he glared at Amari with strong intent to attack.

"Ok everyone, why don't we just calm down a bit and talk this through before we do things we might regret". Steve Trevor suddenly stood up and spoke at that moment.

Unfortunately, a pissed off Clark wasn't listening. The other members of the team were also getting ready for battle. The big fight that should have erupted didn't happen, with the interference of the military.

And what was happening now was getting on their nerves. Not to mention that Hal was still injured by this person, it made them even more irritable, and they wanted to vent their anger.

Presently, they all wanted to forget about the consequences and attack right here and right now.

Save for the calmer members like Martian Manhunter, Captain Atom and surprisingly, Batman.

"I think I've listened to what the military has to say long enough. So give me a good reason why I shouldn't bury you in the ground right this instant". Clark said imposingly.

Of course, when he said bury, he didn't really mean kill. He just meant he would smash him into the floor.

Bruce watched and didn't stop him. He needed Clark's move so they could regain some dominance in this discussion.

"You keep calling me an alien and emphasizing how I'm a danger because I'm not from earth. That leads me to ask, how many people in your 'Justice League' are actually humans to begin with?"

Amari's face didn't change at the threat. His sober voice asked a question while continuing to laze about like an adorable koala.

Once again, the air froze. Batman was now very suspicious. How did this guy manage to do this almost Every time he opened his mouth?

Superman lost his aggressive posture slightly as the question caught him off guard. The rest of the Leaguers also seemed to swallow an ice block as the aggressive atmosphere dilated.

When you truly thought about it, how many people within the Justice league could still be considered human.

"You say I came to your planet uninvited, but you aren't even a human, so how does this count as your planet?" Amari continued to question.

"Superman is different. Although he isn't an earthling, he was raised on Earth and has humanity in his heart. Plus, Superman would never try to put others in harm's way, much less actively hurt them".

Barry said with the intent of coming to the rescue.

"And yet how many people have died indirectly due to his mere presence being on this planet?" Amari asked again.

His voice, unknown to others, was slowly leaving its soft state.

"That's…. That's not…."

"That's not true? Is that what you want to say? Then what about Zod and his army of kryptonians? Metallo, or the recent Lobo? He would never think of putting others in harm's way, but his mere presence makes sure people will always be in danger. Just imagine, Superman who saves speeding trains, falling planes and stops tsunamis is literally a walking safety hazard. Whenever he is there, there must always be a large-scale fight. Who knows how many people will die before he can solve the issue".

His voice wasn't sarcastic, it was plain like it had no other intentions. But all the league could hear in them was mockery.

The worst part is they couldn't logically refute.

"That's not the point of focus, and don't try to change the subject. This isn't about Superman, it's you we're worried about". Batman quickly shifted the topic back on course. He was worried that Amari would create a repeat of what happened on TV.

"I don't know what your endgame is here, but we will find out when we bring you in for questioning. Your actions on Earth show that you can't simply be trusted and left to your devices. Until we deem you no longer a threat, this citizenship will not happen". Batman said with a tone that said end of discussion.

"Hehehe…." Bruce expected a clever retort or a stern rebuttal from lane, but Amari's response surprised him to say the least.

He was laughing, chuckling rather in amusement.

"Oh Batman....." His voice trailed off as he spoke.

"I did warn you not to tread on this road. But looks like you won't call it quits until you see the body up in smoke".

As he finishes, a phone appeared in his hand from thin air. No, it wasn't a phone but a holographic projector.

Amari didn't say a word as he lightly tossed it into the air. The rectangular shaped object froze after reaching a certain height before it began to display holographic screens.

"I find the Job of a lawyer in your world quite interesting. So let me enlighten you in a few minutes on how your actions last week could spell possible destruction for planet Earth".

Meanwhile, The League who had locked up a certain white Alien remained blissfully unaware of the chaos raging in the universe and howit would soon find them.