Alex reshaped his features, blended into the crowd, and successfully evaded the SHIELD and police dragnet to return to the base. After passing through the biotric security check, he headed straight for his room; he was dying to dig into the "harvest" from tonight. Whenever his body underwent such a massive change, he needed ti to adapt and learn—but first, he had to deal with the intense feeling of being overstuffed.
He had only been in his room for a few minutes when a knock ca at the door. The base manager stood there, bracing himself to speak. "Sir, Ms. Quinn is here. She wants a word with you."
Alex sat cross-legged on the bed. "About what?"
The manager shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
"I'll go now, then."
Although he hadn't been with the Joker organization for long, Alex had heard plenty about the core mbers. They were all superpowered individuals, each with strength. Take Harley Quinn, for instance; her spatial teleportation was powerful and unpredictable, and she could manipulate the very rules of space to launch attacks.
During their first eting, she must have had a screw loose because she decided to give him a welcoming gift right off the bat. She had frozen him in place instantly and then proceeded to leisurely explain the organization's rules. Even though Alex was a far cry from the man he used to be, facing an unfathomable power like space manipulation left him with no choice but to kneel and look up.
If a woman was this terrifying, the other mbers were surely even more inscrutable. With these thoughts racing through his mind, Alex arrived at the base's lounge.
This lounge was off-limits to most; only the top brass and core mbers could use it. Harley was wearing a flashy hoodie and shorts that stopped at her knees, her pale legs crossed. Several boxes of takeout sat on the table next to two bottles of beer—this girl certainly knew how to enjoy herself.
Alex pushed the door open. Harley didn't even lift an eyelid, her gaze fixed on the tablet on the table. Seeing this, Alex didn't dare speak; he knew she was intentionally icing him out. Since he didn't speak, she didn't bother acknowledging him, acting as if she were the only person in the room. She sat there, legs swinging, eating her midnight snack and binge-watching a show, bursting into fits of laughter at the funny parts.
Do all these big shots enjoy psychological torture this much?
Alex stood there like an idiot, not daring to laugh or speak, only complaining internally. After waiting a full half hour, the damn show finally ended and the food had gone cold. Harley wiped her greasy hands with a wet wipe and turned to stare at Alex.
"Do you know why you're here?"
Alex breathed a sigh of relief and subtly stretched his ankles. "Tonight's operation wasn't reported."
"When we first t, did I or did I not teach you the rules?"
"You did. I was wrong. I accept the punishnt."
Harley waved a hand dismissively. "We're both core mbers. I don't have the authority to punish you across ranks, nor do I have the interest. Just call Jason yourself and apologize."
Harley's words were grandstanding at its finest. While they were both core mbers, she was Jason's woman, which effectively made her a level higher than the rest. If it had been anyone else standing there, Alex's explosive temper would have turned this into a brawl long ago.
"Understood. I'll call the Boss imdiately."
"Mm. Now beat it."
After standing at attention for half an hour, Alex finally made it back to his room. "That woman..." He shook his head helplessly; he truly didn't want to deal with her again. He used a specially encrypted phone to dial Jason's number. It rang five tis before connecting.
"Boss!"
"I actually got a call from you. I thought you were dead." Jason's tone was flat, devoid of joy or sorrow.
Alex felt a pang of disappointnt. He had hoped his status in the organization might be a little special, but it seed he had overthought it. "Boss, I was wrong about tonight. I'll take the punishnt." He was incredibly apologetic, offering no excuses. If his old rival Steve could see him like this, his jaw would hit the floor.
"It's good that you know you were wrong. The organization hasn't reached the point of being invincible yet, and with your current strength, you don't have the right to be arrogant. Next ti there's an operation, you must report it."
It seems the Boss is in a good mood; he's not going to punish . "Understood. It won't happen again."
"Mhm. Any gains tonight? You managed to draw out the Iron Legion."
"I absorbed over a hundred people at the Captain Arica Museum, killed nearly a thousand, and had a bout with the Captain. I held a slight advantage." Alex reported his success, feeling quite satisfied with his night's work.
"The Captain again. Why are you always picking a fight with him?" Jason asked without emotion, as if Alex's massacre was as mundane as walking a dog.
"He got the better of a while back, so of course I'm going to retaliate. I already have a plan." Alex proceeded to lay out his entire plan to Jason—consider it an advance report.
"I knew I didn't misjudge you. The plan sounds interesting. Go ahead and do it."
Receiving Jason's approval, Alex was thrilled, thanking him repeatedly.
"By the way, rember to report the plan to Harley. Also, don't just think about flying solo. You're a core mber now; learn to use the organization's resources and learn to get along with the others."
"Understood, Boss!"
Hanging up, Alex let out a long breath, but then a new headache set in. Reporting! He had to go see that woman again. After two etings and two lessons, Alex was starting to develop a psychological shadow.
*
In front of the museum, Steve sat on the steps, looking utterly dejected. The surrounding roads were choked with police and agents, and coroner vans arrived one after another; they had to clear all thousand-plus bodies before dawn.
Steve looked up at the dark sky, his mind a void. Since his transformation from the little guy from Brooklyn into Captain Arica, this was the first ti he truly doubted himself. He had thought joining SHIELD would help eliminate the Joker organization. He hadn't expected that a regular core mber of theirs could suppress him and slaughter a dozen agents right in front of him.
Alex is getting stronger. If we et again, can I really win? Steve wasn't sure. He was torn, and his logic told him the answer was likely no. He had been asleep for seventy years, and the future had outpaced his imagination; it was completely out of his control.
What would the agents think of him? What would the families of the victims think? An old man? A relic? Or sothing even worse? Fortunately, I haven't learned how to use the internet yet, otherwise my sanity might actually snap.
"Captain!" A New York SHIELD agent walked over.
"Status?" Steve asked, forcing himself to look alert.
"Nothing for now. The ground spikes are being transported back to HQ for investigation." The agent hesitated, then said, "I just wanted to say... Don't bla yourself too much. The Joker organization's strength is unfathomable. Don't take all the failure onto your own shoulders."
"I know." Steve managed a weak smile and stood up, patting the man on the shoulder. "If there's nothing else, I'm going ho."
He was Captain Arica, after all. He didn't need a junior to comfort him.
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon/GreenBlue17
500 power stones.
Top 100. All ti.
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