The Fall of the Light
It had only been a few weeks since Lex Luthor's resignation as General Secretary of the United Nations. When he left so too did any enforcement of his anti-Justice League policies. Much of the world celebrated the lifted restrictions of the Justice League and Outsiders. Yet on the streets of Brightshore the mood from its greatest mind was dark and concerned.
Those feelings had to be suppressed for the sake of this mission, as Shadowmind watched her groups of police officers gear up to take on a lead on Cassandra Savage. Despite her best efforts to remain hidden, Shadowmind had identified the daughter of Vandal Savage leaving her previous base of operations on Santa Prisca a few days ago. Her network at the docks had identified the ship Cassandra had boarded arriving in Brightshore. The fuel record confirmed that the ship had headed straight to the city from the Island without stopping or detouring. Finally, a witness at the docks had described a woman matching Cassandra's description entering a taxi, making it unlikely she was headed too far from the city. Likely to avoid drawing attention as having too many Light members in one place likely would have been suspicious.
Unfortunately for her Shadowmind had contacted the company and the driver, who had told Shadowmind of the young girl's location. It was this room that would be their target. Shadowmind had prepared two squads for her immediate arrest which was why she was watching this squad gear up from her drone's cameras. This drone served as her primary interaction with the world. It hovered silently and could emit a black humanoid silhouette for some minor social interactions. But mostly it served as a camera from which she could view events.
When Shadowmind had arrived in Brightside the police force had been regular donut eating policemen. Armed with tasers and more interested in working with the community than adapting to fight superpowered criminals. Not unreasonable, but sadly that type of police enforcement was no longer viable in a world where any murderous psychopath could become a one-man army. Brightside had a high concentration of metas and while most of these were simple citizens, it still left many to become superpowered criminals. Brightside used to rival Gotham and Bludhaven's criminal activities, but the existence of superpowers had forced them to adapt. When Shadowmind began to advise the Chief of Police that adaptation took place.
Shadowmind had changed everything when she had taken a job as a police analyst, becoming a voice behind the police chief. But her skill as a detective alone wasn't enough, she had reequipped the police forces beyond simple pistols and tasers to advanced assault rifles, sniper rifles and armour. Extreme to be sure, but the threat she went up against often had powers exceeding atom bombs, so she felt it was necessary. Besides, given the lax gun control laws in the US a lot of what she bought was available in local stores. So, she felt she was justified. She had then taken another step, training policemen with tactics and training not out of place within certain militaries. Thanks to her, Brightside had shaken itself of its old reputation and was now a place that criminals would avoid.
"Hey Shadow, what would you have us bring?" asked one of the Sergeants. Shadowmind would be sending two groups to take this woman in.
"Team one will be making the arrest so take assault rifles, team two will provide lookout. There will likely be League of Assassin members in the vicinity so you should take sniper rifles. We'll also be taking smoke bombs, gas masks, thermal goggles, flash bangs and also screamers." Screamers were her own invention, basically making an incredibly loud noise that made it close to impossible to hear anything else. Even a gunshot.
"Understood," he replied as he relayed the orders to his team.
"This woman could be meeting with other members of the Light so be prepared for them. Do not rush this, wait for my lead," she ordered before blinking out. "But don't take too much time. We don't want to lose her."
As the squads prepared to move out Shadowmind was deep in thought. The Light had no operations in Brightshore as far as she knew. Yes, Luthor had purchased a handful of warehouses in the city, but she believed that they existed for tax purposes. Nonetheless the site was still bugged in accordance with the oversight Luthor had permitted but so far, all Shadowmind had been able to find in the place was carpentry equipment.
Other than that, nothing, which either meant Shadowmind was incredible at her job or much worse than she'd like. Not that it was relevant for now, she simply didn't see why the Light would come to Brightside of all places. Her contacts in the criminal world made it clear that most criminals preferred to avoid Brightside, so the appearance of the daughter of Vandal Savage was most unusual.
"Shadow, we're approaching location. We're preparing for the arrest," growled the Sergeant.
"Split up. Team two will watch from afar, the League of Assassins are likely to be here to protect her; team one will make the arrest," she responded down the line.
"Understood." And they did just that. It was the dead of night, so few were there to see what was happening which would allow her officers to gain the drop on her. Things like this wouldn't have been possible once upon a time, but metas were always armed and dangerous and Shadowmind knew that law enforcement would need to adapt.
"Wait, target is moving. She's heading downwards. Should we move in to arrest?" asked her officer.
"Yes," she replied, "she will reveal all under interrogation."
As if on cue one of Shadowmind's computers started beeping, an alarm for one of the Luthor buildings she had wired. Opening the wires and security cameras remotely it was either the best case scenario or the worst case scenario. Why would the Light gather all its members here? Were they regrouping? Brightside had a reputation among criminals, particularly metas, they might think this was the last place anyone would look.
"On second thought, I've seen that the Light are having a meeting at a warehouse just a short distance away from here. It… it seems to be a full house…" Shadowmind explained, trailing off. Every member of the Light was smart, and many of them could take down her entire squad in a fair fight. But then again, she should have the element of surprise.
"Move to 23rd Boxsworth Street. That'll give you a view of the warehouse," Shadowmind ordered to the squad. They didn't shift.
"The entire Light? There's more than a few metas there," said the Sergeant. They were clearly uncertain about whether they wanted to go through with this.
Shadowmind herself had a different outlook. They were metas sure but, with the exception of the boy, none were on the unmanageable level. And the boy's weakness was clear, the cat.
"The streets should be abandoned at this time of night. If you see anyone else through thermals, then it may be League of Assassin back up. I don't need to remind you to check your fire," she ordered, unfazed.
"Wait we're actually going through with this?" asked another of the policemen.
"Would you rather they kill you by succeeding in whatever plan they have?" she responded quietly. There wasn't much of a response to that and without a word they moved towards the address.
As they began to approach the building silently, Shadowmind shifted her focus to a different monitor. Bringing up several files, the first was of the warehouse where they were meeting. A small one barely larger than a house, two floors and a skylight. The place was ostensibly being used to hold carpentry equipment, and Shadowmind had confirmed presence of that stock.
As for the other files, they consisted of information on the Light, and her own analysis of the individuals composing the members. The first was the leader of the Light: Vandal Savage. Also known as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Blackbeard and Sun Tzu. And it was in his past that his tactics and weaknesses were shown/revealed. Always preferring to engage as a light strike force rather than a slow-moving juggernaut. This was reflected in the calibre of the Light's membership. None of the chief members were heavy hitters with exception of Ultra-Humanite. They preferred to depend on skill and strategy. They could be killed, with Shadowmind's resources.
Vandal Savage's past armies also displayed a weakness that may be exploited. Two in fact. His desire for a light force operating at a distance meant if he was taken by surprise and surrounded many of his tactics were doomed to fail. The second flaw was one of long-term thinking, or lack thereof. Both the Mongol Empire and the Hun Empire collapsed due to ill thought out succession policies. Though why Savage had not become the immortal ruler of these two empires was beyond her.
All this likely translated to the Light. They were used to being one step ahead, if taken by ambush the Light would be vulnerable. Similarly, the arrest of Vandal Savage and his inner council's destruction would likely cause the disintegration of their entire operation. A plan formed in her mind.
Turning back to her drone camera she could see that the two squads had moved to their two positions. Shadowmind's drone had been carried by the Sergeant when it reactivated.
"I have a plan. We will not attempt an ordinary arrest, that would be suicide. Split up the two teams, one team will take the roof, there is a skylight and on my mark you will need to fire at the cat to banish the kid. Team two will take the main and fire entrances, you will on my mark throw smoke grenades and screamers in. Both blinding and deafening our enemy," she explained, the plan taking shape.
"They can fight blind you know," mentioned one of the rookies.
"Perhaps. But in such scenarios they rely on memory to remain coherent of their surroundings. Disorientating them will negate this ability. All the while I imagine you would be unhindered due to your thermal scopes," Shadowmind explained. "Humans are dependent on their five senses, robbing them of two key ones will undoubtedly put them on the back foot. Combined with the element of surprise we will have the advantage."
The group of officers looked to each other at Shadowmind's plan, nodded, and began to move. In her room however Shadowmind leaned back in her chair, fingers pressed together. Waiting to make her move.
Vandal Savage
His daughter was late. Not enough to be worried but still late. A likely result of her inexperience. Around him stood each of the members of the Light, standing patiently. Examining the group carefully he noted that they seemed to be dangerously at ease, it seemed they had overlooked a few essential details
The first was simple; he had agreed to hold the meeting here at their advice, but he was uneasy about it. While the Light had managed to remain hidden from all the world's authorities with ease (if one didn't include the Justice League) there had been dangerous rumours in Brightside. There was no hero who protected this city, but the police were harsher here, adapting well to the meta-humans' existence. It was the last place the Justice League may check but nonetheless the city wasn't a place where criminals could blend in easily. Nonetheless he had followed their suggestion, to discuss the disaster at Markovia here.
Finally, the entrance of the warehouse the door began to open, announcing the arrival of his daughter Cassandra. She seemed slightly uncomfortable due to her lateness when bowing to him.
"Apologies Father, I wasn't informed about this meeting until just now," she said, not blinking yet clearly she had rushed here to be on time. Like a young child late for class due to the bus being late.
"That will be dealt with later, for now take your spot next to Shiva," was his order, to which she complied. Eyes darting nervously, she walked to Shiva's side, joining the circle of the Light. From his left the Light were arranged thusly, Ultra-Humanite, Shiva, Cassandra, Klarion, Luthor, Queen Bee, Deathstroke and finally Baazovi to his right.
"Now that we are all here, we should begin to consider how best to compensate our losses in the Makovia incident," he began.
"Losses? I believe that, all things considered, the incident has worked out nicely for the Light," Luthor interjected.
"Is that so? I do not see how it is beneficial for the Light for so much of our organization to be revealed. Our coup in the country to fail, and for our mole to turn traitor. I do not see how that benefits our aims," he replied, his voice soft but hinting at his true anger.
"I believe you are forgetting that we managed to place our own puppet on the throne of Makovia," Luthor reminded him coldly.
"Indeed, it's fortunate that Mr Baazovi could provide damage control there, but nonetheless the Prince's loyalty is questionable at best. And he may still attempt to oppose us if he were given the chance. His Uncle would have made a far better candidate," Savage said. Baazovi had indeed performed admirably but this did not change facts. "I sincerely hope you're not making excuses Luthor."
There was a small silence when Klarion, his cat curled around his shoulders spoke up, "Ooo now things are getting interesting. What do you have to say for yourself Lexy boy?"
Luthor seemed to splutter momentarily before composing himself. "He will come around soon enough, and if nothing else we have deprived the Outsiders of a key-"
BANG!
A gunshot. From above. How?
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
More of them. The cat was dead. Four bullets had hit it. Klarion phased out. Horror and confusion etched on his face. Swords were drawn. Guns were loaded.
CRASH!
The door behind them swung open. Several men in masks threw something. Grenades! His colleagues ducked. Savage did the same instinctively. No explosion came. Only smoke. It was thick. So thick he couldn't see. He could still hear gunfire. He remembered the layout of the room. He charged the entrance. Then a noise. It was loud. So loud he couldn't hear anything. It sounded like a fire alarm only it was louder than gunfire. He couldn't hear the attackers anymore. Nor could he see. But he remembered where they had come from and rushed towards them.
But unable to see or hear, he had no way of noticing the flashbangs being thrown. Not until they detonated right in his eyes, bright even through the smoke. Disoriented, buzzing in his ears, he tripped. Something fell on top of him. He could feel fur. It was larger than him. Ultra-Humanite. He was dead.
Savage had no time to react. A bullet had struck his eye. Even as he kicked the corpse off, he had no way of knowing where anything was. He was forced to simply fumble in the dark. Bullets burrowed into his skin, like having splinters shoved into his skin repeatedly. All the while completely unable to do anything.
It felt like a half an hour. Possibly shorter. Bullets were constantly fired at him. His healing saved his life, but he didn't know about his allies until finally the smoke began to clear. What he saw was a disaster.
Towards the entrance Shiva and Deathstroke had been captured. Put in handcuffs that chained both their arms and legs. The same was true with Luthor and Baazovi as they were dragged out of the warehouse. Ultra-Humanite was dead, Klarion was banished, Cassandra had been shot through the leg and immobilized, and Queen Bee had been shot through the hip. She lay there struggling to breathe.
The Light had been beaten. Badly.
"Who are you?" he demanded, standing to his feet. Anger dripping from him like venom. They would pay for this.
There was no answer, but he spotted badges on their uniforms. Policemen? Simple Policemen? Impossible.
"You're not smart enough to do this. So, who is? Let me speak with him," he demanded, he needed to know more.
The policemen looked at each other, before one pulled out a small drone. No bigger than the palm of his hand. When turned on it floated around shoulder height, then emitted a humanoid black silhouette.
"So, what do you want?" it asked, voice distorted beyond recognition.
"A name to begin. Mr.?" he prompted.
"Shadowmind," was his response, nothing more.
"Why are you doing this?" Savage probed further.
"Is it not obvious?" was his only response.
"Are you like the Justice League?" Savage demanded, but the he already knew the answer. This one was ruthless; he hadn't hesitated to kill the most dangerous members of the Light. The Justice League had no members like this in their ranks.
The gaze shifted from him though, this 'Shadowmind' became distracted. When he spoke it wasn't to him. Instead pointing at Baazovi, "Knock that one out. He's a psionic."
Before anyone could say or do anything the side of a gun hit Baazovi's skull, knocking him out immediately.
"I'm no friend of the Justice League," Shadowmind responded, cool and calm. As if he hadn't just ordered one of Savage's subordinates beaten.
"I didn't think so," Savage replied, choosing to overlook the previous incident. "You are ruthless, cunning, and intelligent in a way that the Justice League are not. Virtues that could serve us very well."
"You intend to recruit me?" he asked, his arms folded. As before, nothing could be inferred from his voice.
"Yes. I have an eye for talent and yours would be wasted as a mere officer of the law. You have potential. Let us see it put to use," he offered. It was a true offer. It was always better to recruit than to destroy.
"I know the goals of the Light very well. But I have no interest in creating an intergalactic Human Empire. Such a project is doomed to overextension, just like the Huns. And the Mongols. Do you ever learn from your mistakes?" Shadowmind asked coldly. "So I'm afraid I must decline your offer. Now, Sergeant!"
mmediately Savage heard the all too recent familiar sound of a grenade rolling to his feet. Sighing, he simply kicked it aside, the flashbang detonating behind him somewhere as he charged the nearest officer. The man had only a moment before Savage charged into him. Tackling him to the ground, the force certainly caused something to break.
Bullets were fired again but he shrugged them off. Then someone was dumb enough to charge him. The man was treated to a punch to the stomach, coughing up blood from the impact. In the man's hand was a grenade. Savage was slow; blinded again. A knife buried itself deep into his back.
The fool retreated, but the knife remained, broken at the hilt. He could feel his muscles tear as he stretched. His right arm wouldn't move and felt numb. Painful, but nothing he hadn't felt before.
"Do you know nothing?" he asked, his left arm reaching to the wound to remove the blade. But as his fingers pressed across his shoulder, he didn't feel a wound. His skin had grown over the entry point.
"I know that you can feel it. Can't you? You can't heal from the wound if the knife's still inside you. And it seems your skin has healed over the knife. It's not like a bullet, it isn't merely forced out as you heal. It's too deep. Too big. Have you ever been in a fight you couldn't heal from?" Shadowmind gloated, the drone floating out of his reach. The pain was unbearable, he was becoming disorientated.
So disorientated that he didn't notice another of the damn grenades rolling at his feet. He was thrown backwards. And even with his powers it blew a hole in his body. This one though was rapidly healing.
"Puncture the lungs. If they don't heal then the rest of the body will shut down due to oxygen deprivation," Shadowmind ordered, as one of the officers approached. Having his insides blasted apart left Savage unable to do much at all as something was forcibly jabbed into him. Whatever the object was, as his body recovered, he could still feel the foreign object inside him. And he could do little more than choke as his vision clouded.
It wasn't possible. The Light destroyed?
A/N: Special credit to Gina-Tsukiko for beta-reading this story.
I got the idea for Shadowmind when I noticed a common trend among Superhero stories. That being that when there's a conflict between Superheroes and Governments that the Governments are always portrayed as stupid, war hawkish and corrupt. Which kind of acts as a sort of strawman fallacy, this story asks the question of what if the Government was not represented by the brutal Waller or the incompetent Ross but instead by a genius, principled Shadowmind. And what reasons someone like that may choose to go against the Justice League. Because I feel too many stories go against the Government when this subject arises.