In A Broken-Down Shack In The Middle of Slaughter Swamp

[jla_villains]

No, man. I told you already - the wizard heroes can't scan this place. Ley lines or some shit like that. They raid it every so often just to try and keep us down, but we just scatter before they show - same as with the Injustice Gang satellite or the Lexcorp tunnelworks or that bar in Vanity or all the other places we hang.

Fucking Trickster

Comments

[one_eyed_merc]

The room hushes as a large figure steps in from outside.

Okay, anybody seen Prometheus in the last few days? I want to have a chat with him. Friendly-like.

[jla_villains]

A lot of coughing, hemming and hawing, but finally -

Nobody's seen him for a couple days.

[fleet_feet]

Prometheus. Just attacked the Brownstone, trying to kill Superman's wife and child.

Just the thought makes his fists clench, and he can taste the bile.

[jla_extras]

The Psycho-Pirate, Roger Hayden, lurks quietly to the side, sipping a beer, listening intently.

Wotan gone, Tannarak gone -- he's alone and at loose ends.

He needs someone to serve, and Deathstroke seems a good bet.

[jla_extras]

Major Force leans against a wall with his arms crossed.

"Why you wanna talk to him, huh? You got somethin' against him taking the fight to Superman and his JSA buddies?"

[one_eyed_merc]

He walks right up to Force and stares at him, eyes to eye.

Let's get something straight here, Zmeck. I don't give a good goddamn if you walk up to Superman on the street and snap his neck. But you leave the family members out of it.

I know you in particular don't get that, Cliffy. But, for the sake of peaceful relations, I'm going to ask you once - just once - to try and come around to how I see things.

[jla_extras]

Zmeck doesn't budge. He's essentially indestructible and immortal. Man like that doesn't fear much of anything.

"Wow. Bet that scares most chumps in this room. You might notice my knees aren't knockin', Wilson."

Then, a nasty grin.

"Hey, how's that little Ravager doing these days, huh?"

[one_eyed_merc]

Hey, I'm the first to admit I can't kill you, Zmeck - but then again, everybody knows that it's easy to put you out of commission for months or even years at a time with a focused null energy discharge. Oh, wait, did I say "everybody"? I meant "people with serious contacts in the intelligence community."

He leans forward and whispers into Major Force's ear.

You can back down now, punk, or five seconds from now for you will be five months - and trust me, I'll make it a personal fucking mission to be sure you don't spend more than one or two days at a time with a fucking body. How's that sound to you, Zmeck?

[jla_extras]

The nasty grin doesn't fade.

"I'm immortal, jackass. Means I've got years to spare, and I'll be around long enough to rape your daughter on your grave before I break her into chunks and store her in my freezer so I can re-use her good parts later. So maybe you might wanna be the one to back down, huh?"

[one_eyed_merc]

Faster than most people can follow, what looks almost like a pistol-grip cattleprod is in Slade's hands and he's jabbing Force with it - and dark-matter starts swirling around it before the thug can even get a word out. He's paralyzed by it.

I forgot to mention, Zmeck - the laws of physics state that energy cannot be destroyed or created. That means you've got a finite amount stored up - and that means it can be transformed. I think you'd make an amazing battery, personally, and I know quite a few individuals who share the sentiment.

See you when you come back to Earth. It's a date.

The swirling intensifies, and Major Force disappears with a pop. Slade turns to address the crowd.

Anybody else got a problem with how I run things on my team, you can speak up now. I'm entirely reasonable.

[fleet_feet]

A couple of people are going to be happy to hear about that particular development.

Still, he remains as quiet as the buzzing of the Speed Force will let him be.

Wondering how often Slade has to use force to drive his point home with these people.

How solid his control really is.

[jla_villains]

He can see that over in another corner, quietly, several of those assembled do not look happy at all.

How long must we put up with his constraints? I am a warrior born, not a diplomat. This skulking disgusts me.

[jla_villains]

It is true, indeed - we have not had a major success in some time. Wilson does well for us financially, but striking where the heroes are not - continually - is boring, ja? I wish to melt their righteous hides.

[jla_villains]

Word on the grapevine is that Zod is hiring for something. Something big.

[jla_villains]

"Zod" means "dangerous."

[jla_villains]

And "lucrative." Besides, if you want safe, go be an accountant.