Chapter 60: The Real Mastermind

Advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

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(General P.O.V)

Suddenly, Waller began laughing.

"You think you can scare me?"

Widow raised her gun, pointing it at Waller, but Angel intervened,

"Easy, Nat."

Waller scoffed, holding up her chained wrists,

"What's wrong, Natasha? Afraid I might hurt your precious 'young master'?"

Natasha frowned but stepped back.

"You're mistaken."

Angel said, leaning closer to Waller, his hands slamming onto the table.

A sheet of ice spread up the chains around Waller's wrists.

"I'm not here to stop Natasha from going too far. She's here to grant you a quick death when I...go too far."

Sweat began to appear on Waller's forehead.

"Oooh, I'm sooo terrif—"

Before she could finish her sarcastic comment, the ice climbed up her palms, freezing them solid.

"My hands..."

she stammered, trying to move her fingers, only for cracks to appear.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Angel advised.

"Too much tension, and the ice will shatter. Since it's seeped deep into the bone, you'll lose your hands."

Waller glared at him.

"You think this is enough to break me? Think again."

Angel shook his head, adopting a smile.

"You didn't let me finish. In a few seconds, the pain will become unbearable. When your hands inevitably shatter..."

He leaned in even closer,

"I'll just heal you right up, and then we'll start over."

True fear crept into Waller's eyes as she tensed. Her hands shattered, forcing out an unexpected cry of pain.

"Right on cue."

Angel chuckled, directing the nanites he had snuck into Waller to heal her.

The nanomachines used Waller's own fat and flesh to regenerate her palms. He didn't see a point wasting precious nanites on an enemy.

Wonder and horror warred inside her as she stared at her fully functional palms.

"Ready to talk now?"

Breathing heavily, Waller bit out, "Never."

This time, the ice spread up to her forearms. Waller tensed again, and her hands shattered like before. Her scream filled the air.

-0-

Watching from the control room, Jinx's face twisted in disgust. "Boss can be...terrifying sometimes."

"Yeah, well, she deserves it," Cheshire said, though her tone suggested she found the whole thing abhorrent too.

Ravager remained unaffected, having witnessed worse during some of Angel's interrogation sessions.

"I'm gonna see how Killer Frost is settling in, maybe train or something..."

Goku excused himself.

Ravager watched him leave. Goku struggled with some aspects of their work. But that was fine; he didn't have to like it as long as he was loyal.

As Waller's screams got louder, Ravager was only glad Candie was in another room playing with Laura. Despite their harsh upbringing, this was not meant for children to witness.

"Not to question the Boss, but wouldn't it have been easier to read her mind using Psimon?"

Jinx wondered.

"I get the torture part as punishment for going after Candie, but what's the point of interrogating her?"

Cheshire glanced at her.

"Sounds like you're questioning Angel."

"Wait, no, that's not what I—"

Jinx immediately got flustered.

"Relax, just messing with you." Cheshire continued in a more serious tone, eyes falling on Ravager,

"I gotta admit though, Jinxie has a point. Kinda unusual for the Boss, don't you think, Rosey? Unless you know something we don't."

Ravager felt the other two girls' sharp gaze on her. They had grown closer over the three years, to the point she considered them sisters.

There was no point in hiding it anymore,

"Psimon tried to read her mind and was knocked out for 2 hours. When he woke up, he told Angel, 'Waller's mind is filled with a billion crazy voices, all shouting at their loudest in a billion different languages.'"

It was a testament to how heavy the implications were that Cheshire did not crack a joke.

"And no, it's not a power. She's not a meta. It's also not technology. The nanites confirmed both."

Ravager added.

"You mean...someone doesn't want us accessing her memories?"

Jinx questioned, and Ravager nodded.

"which means Waller wasn't acting on orders from a few unruly government factions. I doubt they have access to someone stronger than Psimon. Spider's Web intel would have informed us otherwise."

Cheshire surmised.

"That doesn't narrow it down at all," Jinx shook her head. "We should assume it's any telepath. Off the top of my head, I can think of Doctor Psycho, Manchester Black, Gorilla Grodd, Brainwave, or even a rogue Martian."

"I checked with Widow. They are all accounted for. Maxwell is still catatonic from the clash with Superman a few years back. Doctor Psycho lost his powers and is now a law-abiding citizen teaching law at NYU. Gorilla Grodd went missing some months ago. Brainwave is in Belle Reve, and while it's possible it could be a Martian, Psimon ruled that out. He's fought Manhunter before and is familiar with his species' brand of telepathy. This instance of mind manipulation felt chaotic to him. All power and no finesse. Like giving an amateur access to nuclear codes just so they can destroy a mosquito."

Ravager finished.

Immediately, space froze around them, rendering their bodies immobile.

"My dear, I'm hurt by that analogy." a preachy, snotty voice hissed from their backs, steady steps climbing up the stairs to the control section.

"Though, you're not wrong about the mosquito part. You are all insects to someone of my calibre after all."

Ravager's neck muscles strained against the invisible hold. But even the nanites in her suit were in a frozen state.

Whoever this person was, they completely held control over everything in the room.

From the reflection on the screen, her eyes captured Clayface in his orange prison uniform.

His eyes glowed red, and his body presence exerted a pressure that the three of them felt deep in their souls.

'Impossible. Clayface does not have that kind of power.'

Ravager thought. Which made this 'Clayface' an imposter. Or...he was possessed. That only left the question of where Psimon was. An answer was quickly provided.

Clayface stopped behind them, a limp Psimon's neck held in his grip.

"The security in this place...tsk tsk...in all my immortal years, I have never witnessed such an impeccable blend of science and the mystic. Truly impressive."

With a flex of Clayface's fingers, Psimon's head exploded, brain matter shooting out from the top of the cranium, painting the girls and screens.

The corpse was dropped to the floor, catching on black flames that devoured Psimon's remains, leaving not even ash behind.

Veins jutted across Cheshire's forehead, the same anger and hatred shared among the other two. Psimon was a friend. Family.

Clayface, unbothered by the hostility, walked forward and stopped before Jinx, face stretching into a smile that reached the corners of his eyes.

"Hello there...now where should I send you, daughter of Unluck? Mmhh...how about...a place where bad luck won't help you?"

Clayface's hand shifted into a broad sword that speared right through Jinx's torso, shredding her heart.

A trail of blood dripped down to her chin, shock in her eyes. Like Psimon, Jinx's body caught on dark fire, burning without heat yet destroying her entirely.

'No...'

Ravager felt a piece of her heart break. A tear dropped out of Cheshire's eye.

Clayface came in between Ravager and Cheshire next, amusement coloring his completely red eyes. Cold hands landed on their shoulders.

"'Why did I kill your friends,' you want to ask?"

A multicolored snake slithered out of his left eye, winding through the air and hissing at Angel's figure on the screen.

"Your master is a showoff, that's why. This is a lesson as to why nobody likes show-offs."

With that, Clayface's body broke down into thousands of snakes. All red. As the multicolored serpent watched, the snakes swarmed Ravager and Cheshire.

Fire consumed what was left of them.

-0-

Unknown to Laura and Candie, three of the Kingsguard had been taken out.

Candie noticed the sudden

disappearance of everyone's minds but chalked it up to them leaving on a mission.

She was about to beat Laura in a video game anyway. After losing to Widow's protege several times, Candie was determined to win this round.

A knock sounded on the door, and Harley Quinn popped her head in, eyes zeroing in on the massive screen.

"Ooh, that looks fun. Can I play too?"

Pausing the game, Candie made eye contact with Laura before turning to Harley.

Wasn't she supposed to be locked up? In any case, Candie was powerful. If Harley tried anything, she was going to burst apart her head.

"You any good?"

Candie asked.

Harley smirked, entering the room with a blood-covered bat on her shoulder.

"Oh I'm better than good, Kiddo."

-0-

"Still not gonna talk?" Angel asked for what seemed like the tenth time. He was growing tired and bored of repeating the same question.

Waller, now almost unrecognizable after losing close to 20 kg, stared back defiantly. Her skin hung loosely from her frame, and Angel's ice had spread to her shoulders and legs.

"F-fuck you, brat…" she muttered.

"Wrong answer."

Angel replied coldly.

With a flick of his hand, the ice around her limbs shattered, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from Waller.

"Boss, maybe we should just kill her."

Widow suggested, something close to pity in her eyes.

"Not until she tells me what I want to know."

Angel insisted.

He was aware of the possibility that Waller might be under a mental geas, preventing her from revealing anything. But he hadn't pushed her far enough yet.

As the nanites began restoring her, Shade's voice spoke into Angel's ear.

(Master, I've lost contact with my copies inside the Kingsguard's shadows. Permission to investigate?)

"Granted."

Angel allowed, feeling Shade's presence fade.

-0-

Shade moved through the shadow realm like a fish in water.

Over the years, the Young Master had helped him gain control within the realm, enhancing his abilities.

He could now travel to any location with shadows and create copies of himself to act as spies.

The copies he had placed with the Kingsguard were meant to protect, so he was concerned when he felt the connection abruptly cut off.

Just as Shade was about to emerge from a shadow in the control room, he sensed a presence behind him.

He turned, eyes widening, "You!?"

-0-

"F-fine… I-I'll talk."

Waller finally broke.

"See?"

Angel said to Widow, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Eventually, everyone talks."

An ice throne appeared, and Angel sat facing Waller.

"Well, Amanda? I'm all ears."

Waller, now a shell of her former self, stared back with lifeless eyes.

"No matter how hard you try, you will never be like Savage. You are not HIM."

The temperature dropped further after Waller's statement. Widow glanced at Angel, noting the stiff smile on his face.

"Was that meant as an insult? It's not. But if you intended to make me mad, you succeeded. I'm angry at you for wasting my time, Waller."

He created a sharp ice spike in his left hand.

"Maybe I should start slicing instead of freezing."

A slow empty laugh escaped Waller. "Physical pain. That's your answer when things don't go your way. But soon, you'll know a different kind of pain."

Angel remained silent, prompting Waller to continue,

"You want to know who ordered the attack on your sister? I can't tell you that. But I'll say this, it would have been better for you had we taken her."

Bang!

"Boss!"

Widow yelled, grabbing his hand and stopping the ice blade mere inches from Waller's neck.

"You promised."

"I know. Sorry Nat."

Angel apologized, still staring at Waller. He had almost killed her.

A red portal appeared inside the cell, depositing Klarion and his familiar.

"Oops, is this a bad time?"

The Chaos Lord asked, noticing the tension in the room.

"Yes, it is, Klarion," Angel snapped, shrugging Widow off.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"

Teekl meowed, prompting a frustrated sigh from Klarion.

"I don't have bad timing, you damn cat. Stop saying that!"

Bam!

Angel stabbed the ice blase through the table, lightly slapping Waller to bring her focus back to him. "Ignore him. Tell me what I want to know. Was it Lane? Did he put you up to this because I refused the military contract? Was it Maxwell Lord? Or maybe Batman?"

Waller's face showed she was about to pass out, so he grabbed her chin tightly, his tone shifting into a menacing low whisper,

"Tell me what I want to know, or I'll make you suffer, Waller. On my dead mother's soul, I swear. Speak!"

"It was us. We put her up to it."

Klarion suddenly said from behind, his voice serious.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Angel turned around to find Widow on the floor, clutching her stomach in pain. Blood pooled beneath her. Her gun in Klarion's hands.

"Boss…"

She reached out, only for black flames to devour her body, leaving nothing behind.

"Don't worry. She's—"

Klarion began, but Angel was past listening. He slammed into the Chaos Lord at high speed, driving him to the wall with a hand on his neck.

Teekl grew large and with an earthshaking roar, colliding onto Angel, driving him back.

"Wait!"

Klarion called out, jumping to the floor while rubbing his neck. "There's no time to—"

"Klarion!"

Angel interrupted with a yell, wrapping his hands around Teekl's head and throwing the tiger away.

A red portal swallowed the familiar, bringing it back to Klarion's shoulder in cat form.

"Angel! Wait! I-"

Klarion abandoned the statement, erecting a red barrier at his front.

Angel's Blaze cut through it, the blue sword nicking Klarion's cheek. The latter sank into a hasty portal, fear flashing in his eyes.

The portal emptied him behind Angel, but Angel's speed caught him off guard.

Blaze was inches from Klarion's eye when space froze and Angel found himself immobilized.

Hissing sounds came from the door.

A bunch of red snakes entered the room through small gaps, merging into a tall man with green hair, red skin, and white tattoos.

He wore a long black snake coat that shimmered in the light.

His eyes immediately fell on Angel, and he clapped his hands.

"Well done, Klarion, you have him alone… I didn't believe Lord Mordru when he said we could count on you."

Passing by Waller, who had passed out, a snake formed from the stranger's green hair and bit her neck.

Waller's skinny form melted into green sludge, dripping off the chair and onto the ground.

The sludge bubbled and popped, gathering into a fleshy egg. More red snakes emerged from within, fusing with the man's body.

"You've outlived your usefulness, human. May your soul find fulfillment in the bosom of Chaos." he said, not even glancing her way.

Angel was confused and angry. How was he immobilized? Where was Shade? Who was this snake man? And why did Klarion kill Natasha?

From the man's statement, Angel came to the conclusion that Klarion was a traitor.

He wished he could move. And when he figured out what was locking him down and broke the hold, he would rain hell on Klarion and his accomplice.

The man stopped before Angel, snickering at his frozen state, sword stretched out toward Klarion.

"So this is him? Angel Savage, the human boy who created a new branch of the Mystic Arts."

The multicolored snake emerged from his eye, it's forked tongue licking Angel's cheek.

Angel shuddered internally, trying to move his Mana.

"Taste's divine. How disgusting."

The man spat out.

"Mmhm."

He cleared his throat, stepping back as of he had remembered something.

"Pardon my bad manners. I am the third-ranked Lord of Chaos, the Serpent, Tormock. A pleasure to meet you, Angel Savage."