Chapter 214: The Dangers Within Heroics Part 2

At exactly 6 p.m. Atlantic time, a helicopter landed atop Arias's yacht, out in the open seas.

On the helipad, Arias was present with Ivy and Dr. June by his side, one frowning and crossing her arms while the other looked nervous and unsure.

"There's your lift. Just follow the plan, and everything will work out."

"Hmph." Ivy didn't reply and just strutted toward the helicopter, whose blades were still spinning, ready to take off at any moment.

Dr. June, however, looked a bit unsure.

"What happens if the plan fails? Or if we get caught... or worse?"

Worries upon worries flooded the poor woman's mind, but Arias simply gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder and reassurance.

"Don't worry. Worst-case scenario, there's a plan for retreat. Just focus on the mission, and when it's time, let Enchantress do her task."

Dr. June took a deep breath as if to encourage herself and nodded. "Right, okay, I can do this. Alright."

After a few more nods, she sighed and began walking over to the helicopter with caution, finding this whole experience quite foreign and nerve-wracking.

With a bit of help from Ivy, she got on board and strapped in before the chopper took off.

Arias watched it leave for only a few seconds before returning inside the yacht, where he found Cheshire waiting by a mini-bar, with Raven seated quietly on a stool next to her.

"Nervous?"

Arias approached the duo and asked this of Raven, but she simply shook her head. "Just worried I might lose control."

"Well, mistakes are part of learning. And to get a better understanding of how we can best help you, we need to see you in action."

Raven didn't show much reaction to those words of encouragement but nodded along, giving a somewhat forced and awkward tiny smile.

Cheshire, on the other hand, was feeling bloodthirsty and so she asked, "When do we set off, boss?"

To which he replied, "We're already on our way."

...

Meanwhile, in the now somewhat chaotic streets of Metropolis, a fight had broken out in a lone alleyway.

"What the fuck, get her—Argh!"

A man wearing a ski mask with a bat in hand was charging toward a young girl with malicious intent, but he was sent flying in the next moment.

The girl, small in frame, also wore a very peculiar mask, resembling a toy accessory one could buy at any store.

She wore a simple and lackluster attire too, with a white form-fitting top, short blue skirt, and bright red boots. All topped off with what looked to be a red cape.

To anyone who saw this, the first thought would be that it was nothing more than just another kid playing dress-up as their Metropolis hero, Superman.

After all, the outfit itself was something one could simply buy off the internet.

And yet, this young girl, with bright blue eyes hiding behind the mask and long blonde hair flowing down her back, was beating the men around her with ease.

The alleys, especially in the poorer districts of Metropolis, had become a very dangerous place, especially for young women or children who regularly fell prey to either assault or kidnapping.

The mysterious girl was seen as yet another target, a stupid one at that, who tried to play hero, and thus they had cornered her from all directions.

And yet... they were the ones getting beaten.

"Ah!"

The beating itself was nothing short of dominating, as the men stood no chance.

It only took one simple punch after another, hurtling them back in the direction from which they came, stopping only upon collision with the walls or rummage scattered in the alley.

"Not so tough, are ya now?" The girl spoke in a somewhat reserved tone, making it clear that she was trying to force a tough act out of herself.

And although the fight was one-sided, her motions lacked any technique whatsoever.

Despite this, the speed and strength behind her punches proved impossible for the group of petty thugs, as they were completely knocked out in a few minutes.

"I did it!" A minor squeal of excitement escaped her mouth as she hovered off the ground and raised her hand valiantly, only to look worried in the next moment. "Oh no, are they still alive?"

Worrying over this, her body flew over to each knocked-out thug, where she checked for pulses, only sighing in relief afterward. "*Whew* Dammit, I need to get the hang of this already. I know I can be just as good as Clark."

She muttered under her breath while dragging the bodies into a pile and tying them up.

Afterward, she unceremoniously took one of their phones and made a 911 call before flying off.

Just as she reached the sky, though, she was stunned as an explosion in the distance caught her attention.

"What the heck was that?"

She hovered in place and looked in the distance, soon seeing a building on fire. However, rather than immediately rush there, she showed hesitation.

*Dammit, if I go there, I might get seen on camera. But there might be people in danger... dammit, Kara, what are you doing?*

No longer hesitating, the girl flew off in that direction.

...

The building from which the blast had originated just so happened to be Metropolis's S.T.A.R. Labs central branch.

This branch in particular was best known for its design and inventing of containment systems for superhumans. Thus, aside from being a research laboratory, it acted as a temporary holding area for supervillains as research was made on how to better contain them.

With the lab's central control here, a heavy atmosphere of smoke loomed as a panicked scientist crawled on the floor.

"No! Stop this! These monsters will destroy the city!" The middle-aged man begged as he struggled to move, his body aching everywhere.

Behind him, the familiar suit of Arias could be seen slowly walking over, before he caught up with the man and lifted him off the ground by the collar.

"Perhaps that's exactly what I want."

The man's eyes widened in horror as he looked at the mysterious figure, his own face reflecting off Arias's helm, as it would be the last time he saw it.

Without warning, Arias flung his body through a nearby window that overlooked the holding and testing area of the facility, where some of Metropolis's most notorious villains were kept as new methods of containment were studied and tested.

The man's body shattered through the glass and fell several feet down, before dying on impact.

This sight drew the attention of a nearby figure, whose entire head was nothing more than a bright glowing eerie skull.

It was one of the city's most infamous villains, Atomic Skull.

He looked at the window from which the member of staff had been thrown but didn't let his gaze linger.

Whatever it was that was happening and caused his restraints to be broken, he knew it had to do with that. And an enemy of an enemy, for most criminals, was a friend.

And more importantly, he only had one thing on his mind, like so many of the villains kept there:

*Superman... I'm going to kill you for putting me in here!*

Although his face lacked expression, Atomic Skull definitely looked angry as he stretched his hand out toward a nearby door and blasted it open using an atomic blast, leaving nothing but radioactive carnage in its wake.

Back in the control room, which was stained with the blood of guards and two scientists, Cheshire could be seen leaning against the control center's panels while Raven simply stood by the entrance, draped in a dark cloak as her head looked around the bloody room with confusion.

The last thing she expected to happen when Arias had her open a portal into S.T.A.R. Labs was this.

However, she didn't say anything in protest.

It was only Cheshire who grew curious about the purpose of this incident, wondering if it really was just a distraction.

"Well, do we leave now? Those flying sticks-in-the-mud will definitely be here soon."

Considering that Arias normally stayed his personal hand and worked mostly from the shadows, Cheshire expected that it was time they leave. However, she was wrong.

"Then let them. In the meantime, let's look over what secrets this place has."

Contrary to what most thought about Arias, the facade he had built had served its purpose.

He had a billion-dollar mega-corporation left in good hands, his subordinate was on a path to becoming president, a puppet monarch, and he won the hearts of millions of children, with many of them housed in his Ark Academies, grateful to him for forever changing their lives.

To top it off, he disassociated himself with all these, meaning his actions no longer represented them. But in truth, many knew otherwise, yet what could they do? Break their own laws? Wouldn't that lead to further anarchy?

He had thoroughly set his foundation, and now there was no longer a need for him to hide who he was.

It was time the world finally understood just what sort of being he was.