"Red Room Laboratory..." It wasn't just General Lane; several other hopeful successors bowed their heads in thought.
The Red Room Laboratory collected all the extraterrestrial technology the US had found around the world over the years. Dr. Silas Stone provided them with some results in civilian technology annually, but he always dragged his feet regarding the advanced weaponry they strongly demanded. Both the Pentagon and the White House were very dissatisfied with this.
Kicking the Red Room Laboratory out of Washington this time was partly intended to beat some sense into him. Thea had previously investigated the lab's recent move to Detroit; the situation was definitely not good. There were huge deficits in funding, personnel, and venue. Dr. Silas Stone went around begging for alms, but kept hitting dead ends.
The Doctor thought it was an economic problem, but in reality, it was a very obvious political problem. Thea simply wanted to use this event to plant a long-term foothold inside the laboratory.
Thea's wording was also very particular. She said "inject capital," the subtext being that she wouldn't occupy the dominant position. This was acceptable to the military men. Lane exchanged glances with the few most senior and hopeful candidates. This condition wasn't too big or too small; it fell exactly within their acceptance range. They all gradually nodded. Regardless of who the future Secretary would be, this counted as a collective opinion.
"The Department of Defense accepts Queen Consolidated's goodwill. Working together, we will surely defeat all enemies." General Lane made the decision on the spot. We agree to this, on the premise that you must join hands with us to resist the enemy.
Thea naturally had no objections. She put away her notebook and took off her plain glasses. "What do you want me to do?"
General Lane didn't quite know what to do either. Having "temporarily" taken over this position for less than a minute, he already felt a mountain of pressure bearing down on him. Unable to sort out his thoughts for a moment, he could only say vaguely, "Must stop them, uh... from provoking a war."
Thea nodded. She knew he had no idea, but she didn't point it out. Anyway, if you guys have no ideas, I'll just wait. I'm not the one who's anxious.
General Lane was very satisfied with her attitude. He inadvertently saw the black woman, Amanda Waller, and an idea immediately formed in his mind. "Commander Amanda, regarding the rescue of Steve, we still need A.R.G.U.S.'s assistance. Does A.R.G.U.S. have any good methods? We can communicate."
Amanda, who usually ran all over the world and flew around the globe three times a day, hadn't gone anywhere today. She had been waiting on the Department of Defense's bench for the men's inquiry. She wished Steve would kick the bucket right now, immediately, this instant! Rescue? Are you kidding?
But the honest truth couldn't be spoken. Besides, even if she had a method, she wouldn't say it. For every minute delayed, the chance of Steve dying increased by a fraction. The black-hearted woman pretended to be very weak, shaking her head, her voice even choking up a bit. "My mind's a mess; I have no solution."
General Lane was in a mess himself, so he didn't pay attention to her petty schemes. He nodded and went to discuss with his pile of think-tank subordinates.
"Where's Batman? Usually, he's essential for this kind of thing." Seeing no one around, Thea asked Amanda in a low voice.
"Don't know. His phone line was cut. He hasn't been seen in Gotham for three days, and we haven't been able to contact him." Mentioning this, Amanda was also a bit puzzled. Several agents undercover in Gotham's mob families said no one had seen Batman. This matter reeked of strangeness.
Thea chuckled inwardly. Master Bruce is most likely holed up somewhere, teaching Damian basic academics. For his son to have a bright future, he even stopped his crime-fighting, which he had persevered in for years. Being a parent really isn't easy...
She didn't lament for long before General Lane walked back. "Organize an elite squad to assault the enemy and wipe them all out. Can you do it?"
Thea thought for a moment. She shouldn't get too deeply involved in this. If Steve died, whose fault would it be? If secrets leaked, whose fault would it be? She would only act as a helper; she absolutely wouldn't lead the team. "I'm only responsible for those two supernatural guys. The regular troops and the aftermath are on you."
Lane agreed very readily; this was about the same as their plan. He looked at Amanda again. "A.R.G.U.S. must contribute too. How many candidates are left in your previous Plan X? I've approved the plan. Implant bombs in all of them and send them out."
This wasn't a discussion but an order. As a subordinate agency of the Department of Defense, Amanda had to agree. She replied briskly, "Understood, General."
Since she was participating in the operation, she certainly couldn't wear office clothes to fight monsters. Thea chose the Lantern Ring transformation this time. The Yellow Lantern Ring didn't conflict with magic spells. Wrapped in a long cape, she looked quite like an elegant mage.
The various parties acted very quickly. Thea only waited for half an hour before meeting her "teammates." It had to be said, the world was really small. There were two acquaintances inside, and the other two were also faces she remembered.
The most attention-grabbing one was a tall man, fully 1.9 meters in height. His physique was burly, like a wall. Even standing calmly, one could feel his chilling killing intent.
This person was Slade Wilson, codename "Deathstroke," whom Thea had fought on Purgatory Island (Lian Yu). He was a partner who was both teacher and friend to her own brother, Oliver. Just seeing him appear at the Department of Defense now with both eyes intact, one could guess that without Shado stuck in the middle, his friendship with Oliver hadn't broken.
The other acquaintance had a very ugly expression. It was Harley Quinn, whom Thea had arrested in Gotham. Barring any accidents, she was the one controlled by an implanted bomb.
General Lane gave her a brief introduction. He pointed to the two men on the left first. "These two are internationally famous mercenaries. The tall one carrying two swords is Deathstroke. The shorter, dark-skinned one is called Deadshot."
Deadshot? Thea sized up this guy who was debugging his firearms. This guy was dragged into this matter as a mercenary rather than a criminal this time? Thinking about it, it's actually kind of amusing. (Wonderful -> Amusing)
"On the other side are these two women. You might have seen Harley Quinn. The other one is an A.R.G.U.S. agent, codename Katana."
Thea couldn't help but look at Katana, who was wearing a white mask and Japanese-style half-body armor. The Yamashiro couple... They were also Oliver's good friends. Calculating the dates, this should be the time point where her son passed away and her husband joined the League of Assassins. Amanda actually sent her out right after she lost her son? That was truly cold-blooded. At least let her rest for a few days.
"Kid, what skills do you have to make us wait for you?" The first to speak was Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, who faintly acted as the leader of the group. Thea wasn't wearing that red outfit today, so he didn't recognize her.
Kid? Kid my ass. Slade was impressive in intelligence, skill, and bearing, but his only flaw was liking to act the senior, calling everyone "kid." Thea was a bit annoyed. Ra's al Ghul was over eight hundred years old; calling Thea "young person" was completely acceptable. But who do you think you are, Slade?