grumpywolf
patreon
[Emissary] Chapter 24 - Clean Up
🕑 Added 2024-05-27 17:30:13 +0000 UTCAN: graphic depiction of violence in this chapter. I've warned you of such scenes from the beginning of the fic but I'll put up a warning here too, just in case.
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂
Chapter 24 - Clean Up
An oval room, a resolute desk with three tall windows behind it, dark yellow drapes, an oval blue rug, two light cream-coloured couches, a fireplace on the opposite side of the desk, and several paintings depicting former presidents of the United States hanging on the walls. It was the Oval Office.
Currently, the president of the United States was seated at his desk and talking loudly on a landline telephone. He was almost shouting.
"I need some answers, Superman! Why exactly did the Justice League destroy a high-security CIA facility?"
"We didn't know it was a CIA facility. And we traced the metahuman criminals back to that factory," came Superman's voice from the other end of the line.
"Are you implying that the government was behind the assassination attempts on you and your colleagues? Is that supposed to be some kind of Kryptonian humour?" the president barked, not amused.
A poignant silence followed before Superman replied.
"...No sir."
"You guys have saved the world more times than I've shot under par, so we've been giving you a lot of slack despite all the property damage you're causing. The addition of that new hero, Emissary, gave me hope that things would continue getting better. But you just had to prove me wrong. Nearly 100 CIA agents lost their lives when the scientists' specimens broke out of their pods. Human lives, people who cannot be brought back from the dead!"
In the end, the president sighed before continuing:
"I've read the reports. I am not oblivious to the fact that several members of the Justice League were attacked by metahuman criminals the previous night… I understand your circumstances, but my people are now going to investigate this case. If it turns out that Cadmus is connected to the deaths of Captain Atom and Rocket Red and the attempts on the Justice League's lives, they will face the consequences. However, it goes the other way too. Just keep in mind, Superman. There won't be a second time. Next time the Justice League does something so outrageous, I will take it as a hostile action against the United States, and you will have the full might of our military to deal with."
"Understood," Superman replied succinctly, and the line went dead.
Momentarily, the president was startled, not having expected Superman to shut the phone in his face.
"Jesus…" he let out a groan as he put the phone down.
He had tried to play the self-righteous card and make it look as if the Justice League were in the wrong, but he could tell from Superman's tone that the Kryptonian was barely restraining himself. The fact that Superman ended the call so abruptly only confirmed to the president that his facade did not fool him in the least.
When the phone rang again, the president picked it up and answered after the third ring.
"Mr. President? This is the new head of the CIA, Roger Williams."
"I've been waiting for your call," the president said. "How did it go?"
"General Eiling decided it was in the government's best interest to retire."
"Hmph. At least he understands where he stands now. And what about Waller and the rest?"
"We took care of them. Amanda Waller 'committed suicide' in the morning. Doctor Moon lost his life in a riot on the first night he was imprisoned," the head of the CIA said meaningfully. "As for Professor Hamilton, we have taken him in custody at Cadmus' second secret facility. He's too valuable to be disposed of."
"Indeed. Good job, Williams. As for Lex Luthor and Maxwell Lord-" the president trailed off.
"You don't need to worry about them, Mr. President. We have enough dirt on them to not only ruin them but even lock them up for life. They will be silent because they understand they have too much to lose."
"I see. Wipe out all the remaining traces of Cadmus so it cannot be traced back to the CIA or, worse, me."
Once he put the phone down, the president buried his face in his hands for a few seconds.
"Darn it!" he shouted and threw the phone off the desk in an outburst of anger.
Cadmus was supposed to be a secret. Cadmus wasn't supposed to make a move on the Justice League so early! It was supposed to be the government's ace in the sleeve, their ultimate weapon against not only aliens but also the Justice League.
However, everything blew up in his face spectacularly. Not only that all their efforts and the immense sums of money that they had invested were wasted, but Cadmus failed to take out the Justice League, and he was now in danger of having all that traced back to him too.
"Quite the temper you have, Mr. President."
The sudden voice startled the president so badly that he jumped.
"Who is that?!" he shouted.
The air shimmered, and a man appeared out of thin air. Dressed in pitch-black robes and wearing a skull mask on his face, the man was sitting casually on a couch with his legs crossed, his elbow on the couch's armrest, and his chin resting on his fist as he looked at the president as if he were watching a spectacle.
If the sudden appearance of an uninvited, invisible person in his office was not enough to terrify him, the intruder's skull mask certainly did the trick.
"I can see you trying to reach for the panic button. No sudden movements, Mr. President," the man said lightly.
Beads of sweat started forming on the old man's forehead.
"I recognise that mask…You're Emissary! W-What have you come here for?" the president asked, swallowing his saliva.
"I wanted to have a chat with you. Come, have a seat on the couch in front of me."
"I don't know what you think you're doing, but this won't be tolerated! Security! Securi-"
"Crucio!"
The old man burst into agonising cries and fell to the floor.
"Aarrrgh! Aaaargh!" he foamed at the mouth. His entire body was convulsing uncontrollably as he screamed himself hoarse.
The spell lasted only three seconds, but, to the old president, it had felt like an eternity. He was almost catatonic when the torture finally ended.
As Emissary pointed his wand at him, the president found himself hoisted up to his feet.
"Come, let's have a chat. Or, perhaps you need another encouragement?"
All the arrogance and confidence that came with being the president of the most powerful country in the world vanished from the president's mind after being subjected to the horrors of the Cruciatus Curse. His face as pale as a sheet, his clothes soaked with cold sweat, and traces of spit staining his mouth and chin, the old man walked toward the couch on shaky legs.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.
"Are you really trying to play the fool now? I've been watching you for over 15 minutes," Harry said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
The president had to interlock his fingers in order to stop the shaking of his hands.
"You see, Mister President, I'm quite old. I'm actually old enough for your grandpa to call me 'grandpa'. I don't easily open my heart to other people. Yet one particular person managed to break through and make me fall for her. Power Girl—does the name ring a bell? I'm sure it does. Your people tried to assassinate her three nights ago."
The skull mask on Harry's face vanished into smoke, revealing his young face to the president. However, instead of being relieved at the scary skull mask disappearing, for some reason, those cold green eyes struck terror into him.
"Cadmus operated without my knowledge! I didn't order Waller to make any moves, she did it out of her own volition! That's why I had her executed!"
"It looks like you aren't lying about the first part," Harry remarked. He was using his Legilimency on him to see if he was speaking the truth or not. A muggle's defenceless mind was like an open book to him. "But you're lying about the second part. That's not why you had her silenced; you're just erasing your tracks. If Cadmus had succeeded in killing the Justice League, she would have become a hero."
"I did it for the American people!" the president shouted. "You, and the rest of the Justice League, are too strong to be left unchecked! You cannot be trusted! Your actions now further prove that we were right to fear your kind! You are no heroes! You are a hazard waiting to happen!"
Harry laughed coldly.
"Colour me surprised again, you actually believe the words you're saying. You're convinced that you were doing the right thing. It was for the greater good, am I right?"
The president didn't answer because the tone of his voice had set him on edge.
"You see, Mister President, I'm not a hero. I don't think I ever really was one."
He had killed his first person at the age of 11. And he had used the Cruciatus Curse twice, as a teenager, even before the decades of war against Voldemort had twisted him into the remorseless killer that he was now.
"So I don't care about your sense of duty to do what's right for your country. I know one thing: your people tried to kill the one person I care for."
"So what now? Are you going to kill me here, where I stand? Do you think your actions will go unpunished? Do you think I don't know your real identity, Harry Potter?" the president said it loudly and clearly, seemingly having regained his backbone despite the torture he had endured not long ago.
Harry snorted.
"Shout louder if you can. All that your tapes will record is an unintelligible buzzing sound."
The old man stiffened as Harry pointed the Elder Wand at him.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. If you died in an inexplicable or violent manner, the blame would likely be put on the Justice League. I won't turn you into a martyr. No, you're going to kill yourself. An accidental, unfortunate death that could happen to anyone. Imperio!"
The old president's shivering stopped, and his terrified visage smoothed, an expression of calm appearing on his face.
"Now, before you go home, tell me where to find Professor Hamilton."
⁂
Even among the impressive buildings making up Metropolis' spectacular cityscape, LexCorp Tower stood out as the tallest building in the city, like a testament to Lex Luthor's wealth, pride, and sense of superiority.
Lex Luthor's office was located at the very top of the building, on its highest floor. The windows which were as tall as the ceiling offered him a fantastic view of the metropolis spreading out below his feet.
"Lex?" came Mercy Graves' voice as she opened the door. "Maxwell Lord IV is here to see you."
"Maxwell Lord? I didn't hear any of this!" Lex Luthor said in annoyance. "I certainly didn't make any appointments at such a late hour."
It was well after the end of office hours. It was dark outside; considering that it was the middle of August, it had to be nearly 10 o'clock.
Lex Luthor himself didn't have the habit of staying at the office that late normally, but the Cadmus fiasco had left him in quite a precarious situation, so now he was hard at work to cover his tracks and plan for the future.
He closed his laptop and rubbed his temples with his fingers.
"...Invite him in," he said eventually.
He couldn't simply turn Maxwell down and tell him to scram because the two of them had been involved with Cadmus together. He had to hear him out.
'He must've had a good reason to come meet me directly, and uninvited at that.'
As the door opened again, a rather tall and muscular man stepped in. Even with the stylish suit he was wearing, at first glance, he didn't give the impression of being a businessman, much less the Head of Chimtech Consortium with a net worth of over 1 billion dollars. He looked more like a handsome model or a fitness instructor.
"Why are you here, Maxwell? Especially in these times, after the Cadmus thing blew in our heads."
"Relax, Lex. They have nothing on us. And even if they do find something, what are they going to do about it? The Justice League's hands are tied because the government is on our side. They can't do anything about it."
Lex Luthor blew out a long sigh as he pressed a button to black out the windows of his office, preventing any would-be spies.
"Well, spill it out. I don't know about you, but I'm a very busy man," Luthor said impatiently.
Maxwell put his briefcase on Lex's desk and opened it to reveal an expensive bottle of whisky and two rocks glasses.
"What the f-... is that cocaine?! Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" Lex Luthor screamed at him, a look of utter disbelief on his face as he glanced at the contents of the suitcase and saw the pack of cocaine next to the bottle of whisky.
At that moment, the air seemed to distort, and a new person appeared in Luthor's office out of nowhere.
In spite of his shock, unlike the president, Lex Luthor instantly tried to press the panic button under his desk. However, his finger was only half an inch away from touching the button when his entire body froze completely, as if he were paralysed.
But that was just a momentary paralysis. Two seconds later, Luthor was made to sit on his cushioned chair against his will.
"What's the meaning of this?" Luthor asked after he regained control of his body.
Nonetheless, he didn't dare move an inch from his spot.
"What a stark difference…" Harry muttered as he looked at Lex Luthor.
If Lex Luthor from the other dimension had been a just, courageous, and self-sacrificing person, the Lex Luthor of this world, the one standing in front of him, could not be any more different. One glance into his eyes was enough to let Harry feel just how vain, conceited, proud, hateful, selfish, and consumed by envy he was.
"I've been told you're a smart man, Luthor. A genius, even. It shouldn't be hard for you to guess why I am here," Harry said.
"Good old-fashioned revenge, I suppose?"
"Bingo," Harry confirmed.
While the two of them were talking, Maxwell started unpacking the goods he brought with him and preparing them for consumption. He poured some whisky into glasses and then started making lines of cocaine on the desk.
"What's that buffoon doing?" Luthor asked when he saw Maxwell continue with what he was doing as if he were unaware of Emissary's presence or what he had just said.
"He's doing what I told him to do."
"Mind control?" Luthor asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "I didn't know you had that sort of ability."
"What can I say, I'm a man of many talents," Harry shrugged his shoulders.
Luthor was silent for a few seconds, but Harry could tell through Legilimency that his mind was the complete opposite of his outward calm.
"I don't buy it," Luthor said confidently.
"What?"
"You didn't come here for revenge," Luthor pressed on. "I'm a very good judge of character. I can read most people with a glance. You may be hiding your face with that mask of yours, but I can tell that there is no anger in you. There is no hate."
He even smirked as he said:
"You didn't come here for revenge. You came here to make a deal. Let's talk openly. Everybody has a price. How much do you want?"
Harry actually burst into laughter. It was hilarious how good he was at bluffing because Harry knew that, in reality, Luthor was panicking at how close to dying he was now. It was nothing short of impressive that Luthor could maintain his outward calm despite his inner state.
"Out of curiosity, how much is your net worth?"
Luthor's smirk widened when Harry asked that question.
"Officially? 70-80 billion. But I'm afraid that it won't be easy to pay you that much in such a short period of time. Most of my assets aren't liquid. However, even that money is not too much for me. It will take me some time, but if that's how much you want, I will give it all to you. My life is more important than any amount of wealth or treasure."
In response to that, Harry chuckled mockingly.
"You won't be buying your way out of hell this time, Luthor. Your money means nothing to me."
"Imperio."
⁂
Three days have passed since Cadmus' attack on the Justice League. It was the 25th of August. Fall was just around the corner, but it was still blazing hot outside.
"Papa! I caught a bird! What bird is this?"
Much to Harry's amazement, even though only three days had passed since Astrid gained consciousness, she was already capable of talking fluently.
"Astrid! I hope you didn't hurt this bird too!" Harry said sternly.
"No, no, I didn't! I promise!"
"It's a woodpecker… but please let it go. Let it be free."
"Why?" she asked, tilting her head at him.
Harry crouched so that he was at the same eye level as her and said gently:
"This woodpecker has a family too. He needs to go back to his children."
"Why?" she asked again.
"Hmm, let's put it this way: how would you feel if, one day, mama went to work and didn't come back?"
Astrid's eyes became as wide as saucers.
"No! I don't want that!"
"I know, me neither," Harry said, nodding in agreement. "You will miss her, and you will feel sad if she doesn't come back, right?"
"Yes. I love mama!"
He smiled at how innocent she was.
"The children of the woodpecker will miss him too if he doesn't go back. They would feel sad, and they would cry if their father disappeared. Do you want the baby birds to cry?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't…"
She opened her hands, and the woodpecker bolted away in the blink of an eye.
"Papa, do all birds and animals have children too?"
"Yes, they do. Remember the videos of cats you watched a few days ago? They were baby cats."
"Ah! That's why they were so small! They were many times smaller than their parents!"
Once the little girl let go of the bird, Harry patted the rug as a sign for her to come sit next to him.
The two of them were currently having a picnic on the shore of the Lake of Carces. They were in Provence, France.
"How do the babies of animals and birds come to be? Are they also made in a glass pod?" Astrid asked.
Her question broke his heart. But he didn't want to lie to her. He also knew that Astrid was too intelligent to be fooled by half-assed explanations.
"No. Normally, babies are made when a man and a woman love each other."
"Do you love mama?" she asked.
"Of course I do."
Astrid fiddled with the chicken wings on her plate for a while. There was a look of hesitation on her face when she asked:
"If mama and papa loved each other, why did I wake up in a laboratory?"
For a moment, Harry was at a loss for what to say.
"Mama and Papa love each other… but bad people stole you from us."
Technically, it wasn't a lie. Cadmus had stolen Power Girl's DNA and used it to clone her.
"They stole me? Why did they do that?!" Astrid gasped.
"It's because you have special powers that most people on Earth do not. But don't worry. From now on, nobody will ever steal you again. Papa and Mama will protect you from everyone."
⁂
Starrware Industries, New York, Wall Street.
As was always the case, the CEO of the company, Karen Starr, and her employees were working tirelessly to develop new technology.
"It's time to have a break," Karen said, and a chorus of relieved sighs was heard in the laboratory.
As hardworking as their CEO may have been, she never cut into their rest time. She understood the importance of breaks.
Most of the employees headed to the canteen, and Karen went with them too. She didn't always do that, but once in a while, she liked being together with her subordinates and socializing with them.
Suddenly, someone let out a loud gasp.
"What's wrong, George?"
"Holy cow! You won't believe this!" the man in question said, showing his friend what he found on the internet.
Half a minute later, it wasn't only the two of them who were gawking at their phones, but the rest of their coworkers also started accessing the various media outlets that they trusted because the news that they had just gotten was simply too outlandish to easily believe them.
James Adams, the President of the United States, reported dead
In an unexpected twist of fate, the president was reported dead today, in the morning. An official cause for his death has not been disclosed, but our inside source sheds some light on the circumstances of this incident [...]
"Ain't no way…" an older man muttered when he finished reading the article.
"This is crazy. Falling down the stairs? What the hell?!"
To make a long story short, the president simply missed a step and fell down the stairs. Due to his old age, he didn't react in time to brace himself for the fall. He landed with his temple on the corner of the stairway's fence. He died on the spot.
But that wasn't all.
Maxwell Lord IV and Lex Luthor overdose on cocaine
It came as a surprise to us as well to hear that the two billionaires were so close to each other that they would party together. But even more surprising than that is to hear that Lex Luthor, a man known for his work and genius, would be a consumer of illegal drugs.
The two billionaires were found today, in the morning, dead in Lex Luthor's office. According to the initial forensic reports, Maxwell and Luthor died of cardiac arrest.
Upon being questioned by authorities, Mercy Graves, Lex Luthor's secretary, said visibly distraught:
"Maxwell Lord came to LexCorp yesterday, very late in the evening. Mr Luthor asked me not to disturb them and allowed me to go home for the day. I have never expected something like this to happen!"
James Adams, Lex Luthor, and Maxwell Lord: the president of the United States and two billionaires. They were some of the most influential people in the world, yet they all lost their lives on the same night.
But the string of uncanny and unfortunate incidents didn't end there.
General Eiling died on his private golf course
According to the mass media, the old general lost control of his golf cart and drove straight into a lake. His golf partners rushed to rescue him, but they were all of similar age and not very athletic. They didn't manage to save him in time. General Eiling drowned.
Power Girl recalled what Harry told her two nights ago:
"I'm going to kill all the members of Cadmus soon."
'How did he do it?' she couldn't help asking herself.
She knew that Harry could make himself invisible, read other people's minds, and teleport, so infiltrating a VIP's residence undetected was hardly an issue for someone like him.
However, all their deaths appeared to be accidental. Other than the times he was in his bedroom with his wife or when he was using the bathroom, the US president was under his security team's protection 24/7. Therefore, the moment when the president fell down the stairs and died was witnessed by his own bodyguards.
'Why would General Eiling just drive straight into a lake? Even if he lost control of his golf cart, they aren't particularly fast; he could have jumped out of it. And, of all people, Luthor and Maxwell overdosed on cocaine?'
She had known Maxwell Lord for a while because he used to be the main sponsor of the Justice League of Europe. She knew for a fact that Maxwell was not the type to abuse alcohol, let alone indulge in drugs. Lex Luthor, too, for all his character flaws, was a very disciplined man who practised martial arts and meditation. Yet, for some reason, the two decided to have a little party and snort cocaine until they died.
'No matter how I think about it… nothing other than an ability to control their minds could have made this possible.'
Comments
Hadrian v.E.
Huh, Harry acts even more ambitiously than I predicted in the ch. 23 review 😆.
Ry Swtng
Oh no don't tell me she might think he's mind controlled her id be paranoid af if superman finds out he can do that Great Rao! Hera give him strength!
Kelevra
A little seed planted in her mind here at the end maybe 🤔
Grumpy Wolf
Gotta take the trash out once in a while
Grumpy Wolf
Nope, hos stance on killing had not changed. If it does, we will get the Injustice route
Sciny
Harry clearing house, great chapter!
TyrantGod
Ohk, same here. Never understood the no killing Joker bullshit. Just wanted to know if there will be an ending to that plot point. How is Superman’s attitude to killing now onwards will he be more pragmatic?
Grumpy Wolf
I'm not a big fan of the whole Batman thing in general. Batman, the bat family, their rogue gallery and so on. So I don't want to give any of them too much screen time my fics
Grumpy Wolf
There may be something about the Joker but he won't have an entire arc dedicated to him
TyrantGod
So what about Joker and Gotham? You mentioned or hinted they might play a role in your later chapters?
Grumpy Wolf
I am not focusing on the bat family. They will not have much screen time in my fic
TyrantGod
Then will it be in the next chapter and what will Superman’s reaction be? And any update from the Bat family, not much is known after Batman’s death?
Grumpy Wolf
Off screen probably because I'd like to start setting up the upcoming arc in the next chapter
TyrantGod
Will Hamilton’s fate also be shared or will he be killed off screen?
