Only barrister aka Silly_Rules_Lawyer noticed the new novel cover or at least brought it to my attention. A little this and that makes me feel like my writing is being read and my work is seen. Thank you.
The moment Lex mentioned Superman's betrayal and the meeting was concluded inside the dimly lit resistance bunker, tension hung thick in the air like the heat before a summer storm.
The overhead lights that flickered back on gave the whole setting a half-abandoned feel despite the high-tech panels and secure defenses built into the walls. Every operative, hero, and villain, that filled the room was already buzzing with conversations, murmurs rising in crescendos and dying down in nervous bursts.
Despite the information they'd received—that Superman, once their guiding light, was now Superwoman and had apparently defected to Raven's side—it was Aquaman who remained quiet.
It was like as if the noise or chatter around him blurred out into a ringing sound in the air. He just moved past his allies as if he were in a trance until he stopped.
Arthur stood still in the middle of it all, Trident in hand, his gaze distant.
He could still feel the phantom sting of that revelation—the sharp pain that comes not from betrayal, but from the slow, unravelling disbelief that follows it. Superman had been a pillar. If the world were collapsing, you could always count on two constants: the sea would rise with the moon... and Superman would stand on the frontlines with you.
Now?
He barely wanted to believe it. He didn't want to be here. The conversations, the cold war-like atmosphere, even the flickering hologram screens felt alien now… more like a distant humming sound at the back of his head, like someone about to have a panic attack.
Arthur clenched the Trident until his knuckles turned pale.
His liquid hand shimmered a bit, but not so much that anyone in the room noticed it. Then his heartbeat once—he vanished.
"Wait—what?" Red Star was the first to notice, glancing about with a sharp jerk of his head.
"Did… anyone see that?" Jericho signed frantically, looking like a ninja from a particular world trying to summon a giant toad.
"I didn't feel any dimensional rip…" Tala muttered, her voice low with intrigue.
"Interesting… interesting indeed," Lex murmured with a sly smirk as he rubbed the smooth underside of his bald chin. "A teleportation without prep, no circle, no incantation, not even displacement residue. Poseidon's gifts are truly divine."
Arthur materialized out of thin air in a muted flash, particles of bluish mist still dancing off his shoulders, almost like the effect of Nightcrawlers' teleportation, the burst of black mist. The hum of high-frequency technology greeted him immediately, followed by the heat from the massive forge towards the lower floors and the sweet and crispy smell of something delicious.
Around a long stone table, a feast was underway.
It was almost as if no one knew he was here as he looked at his Trident, his left hand and back at the feast not too far from him.
"Oh, I wasn't expecting your arrival so soon, Sir Arthur." Alfred greeted, passing him by with some empty plates, empty pizza boxes, cutlery and such.
"I will be with you in a minute." Alfred assured him and gestured for him to join the others at the table.
Black Adam bit clean through a sizzling cut of medium-rare steak. Right there on the table was a Japanese-style grill where he could heat his steaks just the way he liked them and took full advantage of that, eating them right off the grill without even waiting for the steak to sit in its juices. Some might say that is uncultured, but rather impressive, he could eat something that hot without burning his tongue.
Shazam had a mountain of pizzas and was currently nursing an oversized ice cream sundae. Etrigan laughed, his sharp teeth glinting as he drank from a bronze goblet filled with firewine. And Constantine? The Brit was hunched over a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, washing it down with a suspiciously glowing glass of red.
"Oh. Arfur. You're back," Constantine said nonchalantly between mouthfuls, slurping another meatball into his mouth. "Thought you'd still be shaking hands with Lexy and the choir of cautious bastards."
"How did you.." Arthur asked but stopped himself from asking further to a person who was eating.
"Washn't shat da plan hoalong?" Constantine continued giving no fucks about manners.
Arthur blinked. The stark contrast between the gloomy, dark cave and the diversity in this feast was almost disorienting. Batman really thought of the mood when making this Batcave.
Shazam nearly choked on his sundae when he noticed Constantine was talking to Arthur. "What the—!"
"I barely felt the shift in space," Black Adam noted with a faint grin. "You've grown stronger, Seaman. Hehehe."
Arthur sighed, "Don't call me that."
Still, the smell of food teased him. His stomach answered with a growl, betrayal after betrayal today. He just couldn't keep up.
Screw it.
He sat.
He ate.
And for a moment, they weren't enemies. They were warriors sharing a meal before the end of days or the start of a new era.
Minutes passed.
Arthur wiped his mouth, then leaned back. "Where's Batman?"
"I'm here," came the gravelly voice from directly behind him.
Arthur jolted, choking slightly on a leafy mouthful of salad. "GAK—!"
"How… How the fuck does he do that?" Constantine coughed as he pointed a rolled fork of spaghetti in Batman's direction and shook his head.
"It adds to his persona, a midnight knight," Etrigan rhymed with delight.
"I was testing something," Batman said, stepping forward. "Anyway, have you gotten a hold of your powers yet?"
Arthur frowned. "I… I don't know. I can use them but they are not under my control yet. What about you?"
"I think serious face here already has a handle on that mate." Constantine added.
"Really? How? So fast." Arthur turned in amazement.
Batman gestured toward the console. "Let me help you, try to work with me here. If you say you don't know how your powers work… Then how did you leave the bunker? How did you return?"
He tapped a few keys and brought up surveillance footage. A video played of blue light—pure, shimmering light—blazing away from the beach. Then another clip: a blurry distortion of the skies of Metropolis. " How did you even do that? Do you know how fast you were moving? Because no camera on Earth can even register what you did."
"Light speed." Constantine mused. "Or beyond. Not quite the man in red spandex, Flash-tier—but close."
"And how would you know that? You are but a mortal. You have magic, yes, but physical superiority or super speed, I think not." Black Adam asked, dipping his sizzling steak in BBQ sauce.
"I worked with the man himself." Constantine answered and drew a cigarette from his coat, then lit it.
"Not here." Black Adam said as lightning sparked in his eyes, which was Constantine's cue to take a break outside the dining area. He didn't want anything but the fine smell of perfect steaks reaching his nostrils.
Arthur stood. "When I left the bunker at Lex's, I wanted to leave. Deeply. And then… when I thought of this place… I arrived."
Batman nodded slowly. "That confirms it. Your new abilities are thought-triggered. Instinctual. But right now… You need practice."
"I need practice." Arthur repeated.
"Agreed," Constantine added on his way out. "But wait—why did you want to leave? Anything we should know?"
Everyone was now intrigued after Constantine's deduction, as all eyes were on Arthur now.
Arthur's face darkened. "There's something you need to know. Something terrible. About—"
Outer Space.
An obsidian ship zigzagged between asteroid clusters and space debris, black against the stars. Inside the pilot—a lone figure with cracked armour—gripped the helm.
Behind them, glowing crimson cruisers gave chase.
"Stop in the name of the Goddess Raven! You are not registered as a follower of our divine queen!" the patrols blared, neon language scrolling across their hulls. "Submit peacefully and reduce your criminal tally!"
In no time flat, they already put a hole on the fleeing perp thanks to their plasma guns mounted on their ships.
"That was the hull thruster! I am losing speed! Aarrggghh!!"
The figure spat. "You brainwashed fuckers… Just because we lost doesn't mean we bend the knee. Where is your Tamaran pride?!"
Two homing missiles launched—slamming into the side of the black ship.
"Damn it—ugh—!" Alarms flared. The ship twisted violently. Warning lights bathed the cockpit in red.
Another barrage approached.
A final curse escaped the pilot's lips—then nothing but silence as the ship exploded.
Shards scattered across space, but among the chaos… something glowed with power. Unyielding.
You know... It's funny none of you asked where The Flash or Piccolo--I mean, The Martian Manhunter was all this time... such readers I have, tsk, tsk, tsk. Be Better.
Stay ahead as the Raven fic is blowing up on the patreon on patreon.com/futamommy