T/L: Get the power stones to 100 and get another chapter or wait
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The Mediterranean wind blew through Diana's hair as she speed past the clouds at amazing speeds that could leave even mortals planes in ruins.
The heavy medallion pinned on her chest by her armor glowed a unnatural warmth over her heart. It had been two hundred and thirty years since Aurelia Vespera had fallen into darkness and been asleep and Hippolyta had kept her secret well until now.
Batman's voice came through the communicator in her right arm as she changed direction slightly.
"Bruce. It's Diana."
"Go ahead," Was all Batman said.
"I found some information. Important information. My mother told me about a vampire queen that will change all of our--"
"Stop."
Diana stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart hammering in her ears. What had she done wrong now?
"It's not that you can't talk about it over the communicator, it's just that all of our communications are highly encrypted and while most computer geniuses say that it's imposible to decrypt, given the right resources and time it isn't."
Diana cursed under her breath. She really needed to work on her communciations protocol. It wasn't like she hadn't messed up before when she had gotten caught up in Hippolyta's mystery. That would not happen again. "Sorry, I forgot completely about the protocol. Now tell me Bruce, where do you want me to go?"
"The base. Now. Superman and I are on our way. I'm going to inform the others. Green Arrow, Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. The inner circle. We'll talk in the secure room."
"How long until they get there?"
"An hour at the most. Hurry please."
The line went dead and Diana turned northwest going faster than ever. She would not fail her friends again. No matter what it took, no matter how long it took she would avenge Hippolyta. She would make sure that the vampire queen and her followers would pay for what they did to her. All of them. In a secure room, behind soundproofed walls.
The mountain base's conference room was empty when Diana arrived.
It wouldn't stay that way.
The moment she settled into her seat, the building's internal sensors picked up two biosignatures on the approach. The doors slid open to reveal Batman and Superman, the latter still muttering to himself as they strode in with all the subtlety of a pair of people who had been in the middle of a conversation.
"-still think Constantine's timeline could be off by a century," Batman was saying as he crossed the threshold. "Infernal record-keeping isn't exactly peer-reviewed."
"His timeline could be matched with Diana's" Clark said. "If Two independent sources corroborating the same history. That's significant."
"If It's consistent. Even than Consistent isn't the same as confirmed." Batman took his place at the head of the table, hands already on the console built into its surface. Holographic projections bloomed to life, displaying maps, files, and the fruits of weeks' worth of intensive research. "Diana. You came at a good time."
"I was motivated." She arched a brow at him. "The others?"
"Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Martian Manhunter are all en route," Clark said, taking the seat at Batman's right. "They should be here within the hour at most."
He barely got the words out before a shock of red electric (Speed Force) energy rang through the room. The Flash arrived in the doorway, panting. Electricity crackled in his costume, still smoking from the exertion of arriving at super-velocity.
"Sorry if I'm late," Barry Allen said, settling into the chair with all the languid ease of a man who'd been running at near-light speed for the last five minutes. "Had something to deal with in Central City. Rogue situation. Not a big deal, really, but the timing was-"
"You're not late," Clark said. "We just got here ourselves."
"Oh." Barry visibly relaxed. "Good. So what's the emergency? Batman's summons said priority alpha, which either means the world is ending or he's discovered a new font he doesn't like."
"The world isn't ending," Batman said flatly.
"Yet."
That wiped the smirk off Barry's face.
They waited. The mountain's environmental systems thrummed. Holographic panels rotated lazily, sending bands of pale light skimming over blast walls.
Green Lantern came first, a comet of green streaking into the hangar bay, constructs falling away from his ring as he landed. He stepped into the conference room without caring about anything.
"Bats. Boy Scout. Princess. Lightning Boy." He gave a short nod to each in turn, ignoring Barry's muttered complaint about the nickname, then leaned back against the chair instead of taking the seat offered. "Brief me, will you?"
"Two more on the way," Batman said, not looking up from the console.
Green Arrow arrived twelve minutes later, a man and his signature scent (leather and bowstring wax) wafting into the room.
"Traffic was a nightmare," Green Arrow muttered to no one in particular. "Some of us don't have super powers or magic rings to get us here faster."
"You have a motorcycle that does five hundred miles an hour."
"Did use that to get here," Green Arrow said. "It still took me twenty minutes to get here from the restaurant. Traffic was a nightmare."
Martian Manhunter was last, phasing through the Door and into the rokm
"I apologize for my lateness," J'onn said, his voice vibrating with his usual subtropical lilt. "I was tracking vampire activity when I got the summons. I wanted to finish my current sweep before coming here."
"Any sign of interest in vampire hunting?" Batman asked.
"An uptick in psychic impressions from supernatural beings around the world," J'onn said. "Most are sensing a change in the winds. A sort of anxiousness. The supernatural community is... percieving a shift in the balance of things. Aside from the current difficulties with vampires, that is."
Batman tucked that away with a barely perceptable nod, then stood.
The room fell silent, awaiting to listen. Six heroes, all of them giving their undivided attention to the man without powers, without a ring, without an ancestral legacy outside the reinforced concrete and steel beams surrounding them. They had learned in the long years struggling against forces far older and stronger than themselves to pay attention when Batman stood in a priority one meeting.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Batman said, his voice flat, level. "We have two items of business today. First, I believe it is time that you were brought up to speed on intelligence recieved from two independant sources over the last seventy-two hours. Second, we need to make a decision that will necesssary involve all of you."
He punched a key. The holographic field shimmered as it pulled together another display, this one was marked with dates, locations, and names.
"Through our research, we were able to discover who the top of the vampire hierarchy is. The vampire founder. Leader of the vampire nation. Created the system that protected them for hundreds of years, and made them obey her every command while hiding them from humanity."
A name appeared on the display.
AURELIA VESPERA.
"She's considered one of the strongest supernatural entities to ever walk the earth. She's someone who singlehandedly shattered a hell dimension, killed the Hell Lord responsible for creating vampires and led the entire nation of vampires from slavery to freedom. She established laws, systems of government, and an economy from nothing, all while ruling over it all."
Batman let the display speak for itself. The sheer scale of what this one woman had done in her life made even the Justice League feel minuscule.
"This is the situation we're in. The vampire activity we've been observing, this isn't in line with their usual behavior. It goes against everything their leader has put into place. So how does that affect us?"
He turned to Wonder Woman. "Wonder Woman knows. Diana."
Wonder Woman rose from her seat. The medallion on her chest seemed to pulse from the energy in the room.
"I returned to Themyscira to research this development. What I found wasn't in any of our archives. What I found was in my mother's memory."
She detailed for them the events surrounding Hippolyta and Aurelia's friendship, the campaign that freed the vampires, the wound that nearly killed Aurelia, the healing sleep she has been in for the past 230 years, and the promise Hippolyta had made to watch over the vampire people. The gradual abandonment of that promise as Themyscira became more insular and isolated.
"The vampire council has decided, rightly or wrongly, that their queen is incorrigible. That she will never return to them. Without her laws, without her rule, without the one being whose word holds the vampire world together, they've decided to ignore her and enact their own agenda."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
"So, its a coup, then. The vampire queen falls asleep and her underlings decide to try and conquer the world in her absence?"
"That's putting it rather simply, but yes. That's essentially what's going on. Now, here's what we're going to do about it."
Batman pulled up another display, this one was a map with a single blinking dot, strategically hidden.
"Diana has a way of finding where the queen is. If we can get to her, if we can wake her up, she'll be the fastest solution to this problem. Someone the vampires will obey, who can restore order to her people, who can stop them from making any more of their kind. That would solve this crisis without having to come to any kind of conflict with the vampire nation at all."
"Big if. It might not even be possible, you realize. Its been 230 years of healing sleep and she still hasn't woken up. This should already tell you things." Green lantern said this without a hint of belief that she might be alive
"We'll worry about that if and when we find her. We need to find her, and we need to do it as soon as possible. The longer we wait the more time the vampire council has to prepare, and the more time they have to realize we're investigating them. We can't afford to lose either of these things."
Batman turned to Superman. "Clark. Bring Ethan."
Superman straightened slightly. "You want him on this mission?"
"He'll be useful. If there are vampires where Aurelia is, his tracking will be invaluable. And more importantly, if she really has been on her own for 230 years, then the vampires will have taken measures to keep her hidden. That means security measures we won't be able to get past with standard equipment. Given Ethan's detection he might be the single most useful asset we have to detect her even if we have the supposed Key that leads us to her."
"Tell him everything. The vampire queen. The healing sleep. The medallion. Give him all the details. He's coming with us, he deserves to know what we are going to do." Batman's gaze swept across the full table. "Now. Onto the more practical matters. Which leads me to logistics."
He stood up, and something in his posture changed. Subtly. From analyst to commander. From investigator to general.
"This mission will require every person in this room. We don't know what defenses we will encounter. We don't know if the vampire council knows where Aurelia is. We don't know if hostile forces are waiting for us. What we do know, is that the risk is worth using our entire inner circle for this operation."
"That means we'll all be out of commission," Barry said slowly, "at the same time. From our cities, from our patrol routes, from public display."
"Which is why we have to think of a solution to that problem before we do anything else. " Batman pulled up a new screen, one that made a surprised Hal raise his eyebrows to his hairline. "Everyone here needs to call their protégés and tell them to keep up their patrol routines at reduced efficiency, visible enough to assure these cities that their heroes are around, and not visible enough to draw attention from the wrong people. No big missions. Not even solo missions against major threats. Just the petty crimes."My protégés can handle that," Oliver said. "Roy and Dinah understand the protocol."
"Nightwing and the Titans can cover Gotham and the east coast," Batman said, "supergirl can keep Superman's image in Metropolis fresh, and kid flash can keep Central City safe."
"What about the optics on this?" Clark asked, his brow furrowing. "Everyone who's paying attention, from the vampires to the media, will notice if every member of the core league disappears at the same time."
"Which is why I've activated Plan 3613."
A stunned silence followed.
"Plan what?"
Batman punched in a series of numbers. In the mountain, deep in the mountain, old machines woke up from their slumber.
"Plan 3613 is contingency plan for the exact situation we're anticipating. When it's activated, a set of robotic replicas of every core member, will appear throughout their cities of residence, and will keep up their appearance and patrol routines."
A holographic projection of the replicated heroes appeared on the table. In intricate detail, every hero at the table was duplicated.
The conference room exploded in chatter.
"You built robot copies of us?" Hal's ring glowed a bright green for the first time since they'd arrived (which, as everyone knew, was never a good sign). "When did you do that? How does that work? Why didn't you tell anyone?!"
"I built them when I thought it would be good to have them. I didn't tell anyone because the less people who know about them, the less chance there is for them to go wrong."
"Bruce, that is so wrong on so many levels," Barry said, staring uneasily at the robotic duplication of himself, "seriously, I don't think I look like that. That jaw doesn't fit. I look more handsome than this."
"The replicas aren't armed with the combat capabilities that you all possess," Batman said, ignoring the outburst, "however, they are programmed to copy our basic moves. My replica, for instance, can fight but not plan. Superman's replica can fly and shoot heat beams, just on a lesser scale."
"What about mine?" Barry asked.
"You and I both know it would be foolish to try and trap lightning in a bottle," Batman said, "as it were, the speed force isn't something that can be replicated currently. The flash replica uses a special fuel that allows him to mimic your powers, but on a lesser scale. It wouldn't stand to close inspection by anyone with eyesight similar to Superman or the alike, but it should hold up under normal scrutiny."
"Currently being worked on, you mean."
"Excuse me?"
"You said currently. As in, it is not something you can do right now. As in, you're working on it."
Batman chose not to dignify that with a response.
"The reason I have made these replicas is so that we can maintain our public visibility should we not be present to do so ourselves. They conduct standard patrols. They deal with standard crimes. They give the illusion that the League's core membership remains fully operational."
"What if they're attacked?" Clark asked. "Confronted by something stronger than they are?"
"They fall back and call for reinforcements in the form of the protégé teams. These replicas were built to avoid direct confrontations with threats above and beyond standard criminals." Batman fixed Clark with a steely look. "They're a distraction. That's all they're good for, which is why this mission must be carried out expidiently."
Oliver leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Robotic doubles. Secret contingencies. Sometimes I forget how truly terrifying you can be, Bruce."
"You should never forget it."
"And here I thought your mind was set on the matter," Batman continued, his voice suddenly laced thickly with an altogether different kind of menace. "Your protégés need to know about these replicas. They need to understand that the people they see on television newscasts are not who they think they are, and further that they are to keep a wary eye on their own heroism for the duration of this engagement."
Clark frowned. "You want them to scale back their efforts as well?"
"I want them to be cautious," Batman replied. "If the vampires determine that the core League has vanished in pursuit of their queen and that their doubles are only partially competent facsimiles, they may attempt to target our protégés and networks of support. Tell them to keep up their appearances but to hold back when it comes to individual operations. Standard patrols only. No solo adventures."
"You think the vamps would attack our people?"
"I believe that an ancient conspiracy that has existed throughout recorded history, amassing resources and influence with every passing year, and has seen twenty-eight of its number captured and imprisoned in a span of seven days is perfectly capaple of doing anything at all to achieve its goals, and that believing otherwise is a sentiment that has gotten far too many killed and for far too less."
The room was silent, taking in Batman's words, nodding along in grim understanding, as they all knew full well that Batman was only saying this because he genuinely wants nothing to happen to them or anyone for that matter
"Isn't this a bit of an overcaution?" Clark finally asked, his voice quiet. "The replicas, limiting the protégés' activities... don't you think that you're taking this a bit too far? This operation may only take a day or two at best maybe a week if we stretch it too long"
Batman's response was to level a piercing gaze at the reporter.
"Better safe than sorry. If the vampires should determine that we are all absent from our posts at once, pursuing their queen and not otherwise available, they may very well use that opportunity to do whatever they can to prevent us from interfering with their plans. Not only at Aurelia's doorstep, but everywhere we hold dear."
Clark thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"You're right. Better safe than sorry."
"I'm always right. It's a burden I bear with grace." The delivery was so deadpan that it took Barry three full seconds to realize Batman had made a joke.
"Did he just—" Barry whispered to Hal.
"Don't acknowledge it," Hal whispered back. "It only encourages him."
Batman ignored them both with the serene indifference of a man who had mastered the art of selective hearing.
"We deploy in twelve hours. Use that time to contact your protégés and secure your operational sites. Then we prepare for an extended op in the unprepared. We don't know what awaits us at Aurelia's resting place. We don't know what defenses that might be in place. We don't even know if the vampire council knows exactly where she's buried. What we do know, is that recovering this queen and re-establishing legitimate ruling authority over the courts of vampire lords is our best option to end this before it erupts into open conflict."
He straightened.
"This mission may prove the most critical individual commitment any of us makes."
The room began to empty out, heroes standing up from their seats at the idea, some already reaching for communicators and sending quick text strings to their younger charges, instructing and informing as they went
Barry paused at the door, turning back to the Dark Knight.
"Batman"
"What?"
"The robotic version of me. Does it tell really good jokes?"
"It tells your jokes. You draw your own conclusions."
Barry opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and walked out. Hal exhaled, shaking his head as he followed the speedster out.
"Walked into that one, Flash."
Oliver was the next to exit, muttering something about checking his shafts. J'onn simply phase out of the room, without so much as a backward glance. The Amazon paused at the threshold, her armor clanking softly as she ran her gloved hand over her medallion, pausing until she nodded to Batman in farewell
There was only one left.
Clark hovered at the side, watching his oldest friend run diagnostics on the holographic replicas of each member of the team except himself. The lights from the projections played over the Batman's face, making his smirk seem almost benevolent.
"Bruce."
"Clark."
"Thank you. For doing this, for caring enough to find another way."
The Dark Knight's fingers stilled over the console
"Conflict resolution is inefficient."
"Can be effective."
"Can be, yes." He went back to work with the controls, summoning a new image. "Inform your brother of our intentions. Brief him."
"I will."
"Good."
Then Superman paused, studying his oldest friend. "Plan 3613. Your replicas. How long have they been ready?"
"Since after the founding of the league. I made robot versions of all our members within 4 months. Actually it took 2 months and 17 days to be exact. It took me too long to design the Green lantern and Flashes Robots. The rest of the time was spent on making sure it can function and improving the initial designs"
Clark stared at him for a long moment.
"Goodnight Bruce."
"Goodnight Clark."
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T/L: If you guys find any problem with the translation or anything that can be improved in this chapter tell me. I didn't do any second reading to check for any problems in this one and give me them power stones