The number was twenty-four.
Twenty-four vampires, scattered throughout three different cities, found through meticulous swatting efforts over a span of seven days.
Ethan sat in the ready room of the mountain base, going over notes in the League's database. His fingers hovered over the screen, going over and over and over the number in his head. Central City had provided nine. Star City, seven. And Washington D.C., eight. Added to the five from Metropolis, one destroyed and four captured, and that was twenty-nine vampires in the United States alone. And that didn't include the west coast, the midwest, or anything overseas.
Twenty-nine was not a number that happened randomly. Twenty-nine was a number that represented infrastructure.
Ethan skimmed the reports that Batman had compiled on each of the captured vampires. The League always acted with precision and swiftness. After finding a vampire, they took the time to do research and then swept in and captured the enemy agent and took them back to the mountain, where the cells were hastily reinforced with UV lights and special blessed water. Everything happened quickly. Everything happened before the forty-eight hour mark that Batman had set as a self-imposed deadline. The results of the research were varied and all went into one neat dossier for each vampire.
The financial records were what caught Ethan's attention.
Wealth. The vampires had wealth.
A staggering amount in some cases. The vampire that had worked in the financial district had assets totaling over twelve million dollars in various accounts. The one that had worked at the nice waterfront restaurant had almost seven figures in assets. Even the ones that had looked like they were from the middle class residential area had assets that rivaled the clean-cut civilians.
Twenty-four vampires working in three different cities, all relatively close to the source of power. Wealthy. Educated. Influential.
Ethan stood up and paced the room, reeling in the connections in his mind. The nice young waiter at Sal's Seafood, who Ethan had taken notes on while doing his initial stake out in Metropolis. He was a vampire. A well-dressed young man that worked in the service industry, earning barely enough to afford his own home and car. And yet, he had assets that rivaled the middle class. And when Ethan had gone to look at his full file, he had found one more interesting fact.
Sal's Seafood was the favorite restaurant of Gerald Whitmore, a seventy-three-year-old billionaire businessman. Mr. Whitmore dined at Sal's Seafood twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and always ordered the same thing. And this had been happening for over a year.
A vampire working as a waiter at Sal's Seafood, reporting to a seventy-three-year-old billionaire philanthropist.
Ethan pulled up the files for the other vampires. The ones from Central City and Star City and Washington. He cross-referenced their names with databases and found that they worked in places frequented by the elderly and wealthy.
One vampire was a nurse that worked for a senator. Another was a financial advisor, handling assets that totaled over ten billion dollars. Yet another was a personal trainer at an exclusive fitness facility. Same with the ones from Star City and Washington; they all worked in the fields of elderly care and the financial sector.
And what did these elderly patrons all have in common?
They were old. Very old. Most of them were in their seventies, eighties, or even nineties. Wealthy beyond imagination, old beyond reasonable reckoning, powerful enough that they could snap their fingers and buy entire countries if they banded together. They had lived lives of comfort, of luxury and leisure. And now, that was changing. They were facing their mortality, their frailty, their fear of the inevitable end.
They were afraid, Ethan realized. They were afraid because the one thing that they had spent their long lives amassing was meaningless in the face of death. They would die, and everything that they owned and everything that they had done would amount to nothing. All of their power and prestige and influence would be meaningless against the reaper of death.
They're not vampires. That thought hit Ethan hard, as if someone had landed a physical blow to his gut. They're not hunters. They're recruiters. The power that money couldn't buy, that influence couldn't purchase, that any politician, soldier, or billionaire would kill for. Eternal life.
I should have seen it before. I was right there with Batman when we found them, and instead of doing any research at all, I just stood there staring at the numbers in shock. Vampires don't spend so much time and effort tracking down a single human for a snack. Not unless that snack is something special. And the things that these vampires were looking for? Wealth, power, influence. The things that defined a person, the things that a person would do anything to obtain. Those were the things that money couldn't buy. The things that any vampire, even one from the upper echelons of vampire society, wouldn't be able to obtain through a single feeding.
Ethan took a steadying breath. His chest was still tight, his heart beating heavily in his ears. He had to be calm. He had to be rational. The world was not ending, not yet. There were still people that could keep the planet from being overrun by an army of blood-sucking monsters. But what he had seen, what he had put together, was still a sobering reminder of the kind of fight they were up against.
They're turning the rich and famous into vampires. Ethan swallowed hard. The words tasted foreign in his mouth. He couldn't believe that, not really. Vampires had power, yes, but compared to the league I doubt they would have much to contend against and maybe that's why they choose this method.
And the people that the vampires had selected for conversion were the ones that could stop the league from doing anything to them.
It was a terrifying prospect. A quiet, insidious sort of takeover, done not by force of will or number, but by numbers and leverage. By turning the people that ruled the top of the planet into vampires, the enemy could rule the planet itself. And the people that had the power to be influencers and leaders in the mortal world would, in their infinite arrogance, be the first to fall to the enemy.
Ethan's breath was coming fast and shallow. The feeling that he had had before was returning, stronger this time. Maybe it was because he knew the truth now. That they weren't hunters, that they were recruiters. That they didn't spend all that time and effort looking for regular civilians to drink their blood. That they were after something far more valuable.
I need to talk to Clark. Ethan turned away from the computer screen, his hands shaking slightly. He took a step forward, towards the door, and then paused. He needed to think. He needed to think clearly, to formulate the next course of action. But as he turned around, his communicator flared to life.
"All priority personnel report to the main conference room immediately," Batman's voice rang out, devoid of emotion. There was something else there, something that Ethan couldn't quite put his finger on. A sense of urgency, perhaps. A feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong.
---
The conference room was smaller than the main chamber, a satellite meeting space meant for classified briefings that only permitted limited attendance. Ethan arrived to discover that seven others had already taken their seats at the oval table in the center of the room.
Batman loomed over the head of the table, his cowl secured tight, with a multitude of holographic displays already projected behind him. Superman sat on Batman's right, arms crossed, the look on his face betraying that he had likely been in on the conversation that was about to take place. Wonder Woman sat opposite of him. The Flash occupied one of the seats at the center of the table, his typical liveliness suppressed in a way that suggested he wasn't enjoying this particular meeting. Martian Manhunter stood near the far left wall, his red optics fixed on some undefined point. Green Lantern lounged near the far right wall, his ring casting a dull green glow. Green Arrow took the seat nearest the door, a distinctly unease look on his face.
Seven heroes. Plus Ethan
No other members of the League had arrived, nor any affiliated heroes.
The absence was an intentional and ominous one.
Ethan took the remaining empty seat, his heart still thudding in his chest from the long walk through the reinforced corridors of the mountain. The sensation of the Sun's warmth pulsing through his veins had little effect on the tightness in his chest, the ragged quality of his breathing. Panic had taken root somewhere deep in his marrow and refused to be dislodged, despite the fact that Ethan could very reasonably explain the cause of his distress. Beyonder physiology should have overridden the sensation completely, but there was nothing in his experience that could prepare him for the feeling of genuine, justified terror.
"Thank you for coming quickly," Batman began. "What I am about to tell you does not leave this room. Not any of you. Not to other members of the League. Not to any of your affiliates. Not to anyone. Is this understood?"
Nods of agreement rippled around the table.
Grim expressions. Universal among them.
"As of this past week, Ethan has helped us take down twenty-four vampires in Central City, Star City, and Washington D.C. Combined with the ones we've detained in Metropolis, that's twenty-eight vampires in protective custody." Batman paused to tap a key on the console before him, sending the holographic images on the wall into motion. "I've spent the past seventy-two hours reviewing the backgrounds of every vampire we've captured, and I believe I found a pattern in their behaviors."
"Each vampire we've taken into custody holds a position of power or influence. Not literally, mind you - not presidents or CEOs or ministers. But they serve those who possess great wealth and influence."
The holographic images zoomed in on particular faces, circling key phrases.
"The vampire that worked as a waiter at Sal's Seafood in Metropolis had been regularly assigned to take care of Gerald Whitmore, the founder of Whitmore Industries. A four billion dollar businessman. Our vampire was his usual waiter, assigned the same table every Tuesday and Thursday for fourteen of the past months. The vampire in Central City was a nurse employed by retired Senator Harrison Caldwell. Mr. Caldwell is eighty-one years old, and served as the Chair of the Armed Services Committee prior to his retirement."
The display zoomed out to show more names and more photographs.
"Washington D.C. has two vampires embedded as staff assistants in the capitol. One works for Congressman Morrison, member of the House Intelligence Committee. The other for Senator Park, the Ranking Minority Member of the Judiciary Committee."
Batman let the images speak for themselves for a moment before isolating a portion of the information with a deft flick of his wrist.
"They all have something else in common."
The display changed to show new images, these of elderly men and women.
"Their age. Every one of these vampires' targets is over seventy years old. Most are over eighty. Several are in their nineties."
A tense silence filled the room.
"They're not hunting," Wonder Woman observed.
"No," Batman said evenly. "My best guess is that they're recruiting."
The tension in the room thickened. A palpable sense of apprehension, of foreboding.
"They're targeting influential people," Green Lantern said. "People with assets. Wealth and status. If they offer these people immortality, they'll have an army of undead millionaires and billionaires on their side."
"That's essentially a takeover," Green Arrow muttered. "Complete and total conversion of the governments and economies of every nation involved. Just on a much slower, subtler scale."
"Precisely," Batman said. "Within a century at most, the vampires will have accumulated a critical mass of political power and economic assets, to the point of being nearly unstoppable. Their influence will stretch across every nation on Earth, but the population at large will be completely unaware of the vampiric infiltration."
Flash paled. "That's... that's horrifying. That's actually the most horrifying thing I've ever heard of, and I've fought Reverse Flash."
"It is a long term proposition," Batman continued. "The vampires we've captured are not young. Most have been around for at least half a century, some for three centuries. They are patient predators, and they've been patient for a very long time."
Clark raised a hand. "Who's running this?"
"It is unclear," Batman said. "The vampires we've captured have proven resistant to interrogation, and the few who have spoken refuse to identify whomever they serve. It is safe to assume that there is an individual or individuals in charge, and that they have been directing this effort for some time."
Diana's hand twitched at her side. "Ancient vampires?"
Batman nodded. "The eldest of their number would have been alive during the earliest days of recorded history."
The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken implications.
There was another matter that needed to be discussed, however, and Batman's voice was tinged with unease as he brought it up.
"There is one other factor that needs to be taken into consideration," he said. "One that presents a serious complication."
The display changed again, this time to show a series of dates along a timeline.
"As of this past week, twenty-eight vampires have been captured. Assuming they were operating under the same guidelines as the ones currently in protective custody, that means we've disrupted twenty-eight vampire nests and infiltration efforts. If my hypothesis is accurate, that means we've interrupted a long term effort to infiltrate."
The implications of that assessment were not lost on anyone in the room.
"That's not a bad thing," Flash said.
Batman's gaze swept the room. "Isn't it?"
The question lingered in the air for a moment, before Martian Manhunter finally spoke.
"They will not continue their efforts in the same manner."
"No," Batman said. "They will have to adapt their tactics. If they are to continue their efforts, they will need to change the way they operate."
An uneasy hush fell over the room.
"They will need to adopt new procedures and protocols," Martian Manhunter continued, "procedures that account for increased security measures and greater awareness among the human population. That means their efforts will no longer be covert."
"Meaning they'll have to become more aggressive," Green Arrow said. "More unsubtle. Instead of waiting for these wealthy old men to fall for their tricks, the vampires will have to go to them."
"Or," Batman said, "they will have to turn to more direct methods of acquisition."
A heavy pause.
Green Lantern exhaled sharply. "You're saying they'll make a play for the governments of every nation on Earth?"
"If it comes to that, yes," Batman said. "An organization of that size and complexity will not be able to sustain itself through subtlety and infiltration alone. Once their assets have been acquired and assimilated, expansion will become necessary."
Diana's sword hovered at her fingertips. "You're suggesting an invasion."
"I'm suggesting that we consider all options with open minds and make appropriate preparations," Batman said.
His gaze swept over the room again, lingering on each hero in turn. "Are there any questions?"
Ethan was the first to speak, although the words that came out of his mouth were not what anyone expected.
"This is my fault," he said, trembling. "I messed everything up."
Every head in the room turned to regard him.
"What do you mean?" Clark asked. "Ethan, you've done everything right. You've helped us take down dozens of vampires and countless nests."
"If they were doing it quietly," Ethan said, "if they were trying to take over the world one tiny little bit at a time, then at least the world would still be functioning. Things would still mostly work like they always have. There would still be a status quo of sorts. Maybe it would be horrible and corrupt and monstrous, but at least it would remain stable."
He was breathing heavily, but it wasn't rage or fear that made his voice shake. It was something deeper, something in his very bones.
"I destroyed their plans. I stopped them. Every vampire I've seen, every nest I've helped to destroy - I ended their plans to take over the world. And now, instead of doing something slow and subtle and sneaky, they'll have to do something much worse."
Clark blinked. "Ethan - "
"If I had kept my head down," Ethan said, "if I hadn't gotten involved in the first place, if I'd just pretended to be normal and kept on singing and kept on living the life I always have, then maybe they'd still be doing their thing. Maybe the world would still be going along like it always does, but with vampires in charge instead of humans. Maybe that would be a bad thing. Maybe it would be a much worse thing. But at least it would still be going. The world wouldn't just stop and reset like this."
"Ethan," Clark said carefully, "you're not doing this to yourself."
"I stopped them, Clark!" Ethan said, and for the first time since arriving at the mountain, his voice cracked. "I stopped them and now the world is ending and it's all my fault and I - I can't do this, I can't do this, I - I - I - !"
"Stop."
The single word was enough to halt Ethan's spiraling thoughts, and Clark leaned in close enough that the only faces visible were Ethan's and his own. Clark's fingers curled around Ethan's shoulders, anchoring him, steadying him, pulling him back from the brink.
"You did the right thing," Clark said, his voice softer than the room had ever heard it. "You always do the right thing."People might die because—"People were dying," Clark said. "Every vampire that's ever fed on someone has taken a life. Every vampire that's turned has stolen a soul. If these vampires had done what you're suggesting - if they'd turned over every single one of the people they've ever fed to - then the death toll would be far higher than it already is. As it is, we've eliminated dozens of murderers and predators who would have continued to spread their sickness and misery long after they were dead."
"But if they go to war - "
"Then we'll win," Clark said simply. "That's what we do. We're warriors, Ethan. It's in our blood to protect the innocent and to stop the monsters from spreading their poison. You didn't make this happen. The vampires did. And the fact that it happened at all is a testament to the strength of the people we are."
"Clark's right," Diana said, her voice a soft rumbling from across the table. "Evil that operates in the dark does not cease to be evil because it has been revealed. You have done the noble thing by exposing what these vampires have been doing, but the nobility of your actions does not erase the cruelty of theirs."
"Neither does the threat of exposure negate the danger an enemy presents" Batman said. "Once the option of subtlety and infiltration has been eliminated as a viable method of conquest, the only alternative is to make the enemy stronger and more capable. We will be forced to arm ourselves, to prepare for a confrontation that could very well span multiple governments."
Ethan swallowed hard. "I'm not a monster," he said. "I'm not a killer or a murderer. I don't enjoy this, Clark. I don't want this! I - I - I just - I wanted things to stop! I wanted to find this place and these people and this - this home and this family and - and - "
"Hey," Clark said, squeezing Ethan's shoulder again. "You listen to me. You are not the villain of this story, Ethan. You never have been and you never will be. Don't let this consume you. I know it's hard. I know it hurts. It terrifies you, doesn't it? To realize that you're capable of such monstrous things?"
Ethan's breathing was slow and steady, but his body still shook. "Yes."
"It gets better," Clark said. "It always does. You learn to deal with it, to move past it, to understand that the most important thing you can do is protect the people who matter most to you - which, by the way, includes me."
Ethan closed his eyes. "Okay," he whispered. "Okay."
Clark released him and returned to his seat, and Ethan quickly followed suit, rubbing at his damp eyes with the backs of his hands. A few more deep breaths, and the crisis point had passed.
"Sorry," Ethan muttered. "Didn't mean to - "
"None of us have any problem kid," Green Arrow said, shaking his head. "You just found out that you may very well be responsible for an invasion of historic proportions. That's understandable. The rest of us are just not showing it but we are all in the same boat."
A few people chuckled, and Batman allowed himself the barest hint of a smile.
"We'll continue our sweeps of the city," he said, bringing the discussion back to practical matters. "We'll continue to find nests and take vampires into custody. We'll gather as much intelligence as possible on the organization that's behind this, and we'll be ready for if - when - they come looking for a fight."
Ethan nodded. "Everyone keeps talking about this like it's already happening."
"We might be wrong," Batman said. "This entire theory could be wrong. We have no proof that anything I'm saying is true aside from a few hunches and the fact that we've captured twenty-eight vampires who all happen to have jobs that allow them unrestricted access to the people they're targeting."
Clark's jaw tightened. "If they're targeting these people, then they're going to be coming after more than just the politicians and executives we've already removed from circulation. They're going to come after everyone eventually."
The room went quiet, the realization settling heavily on all of their shoulders.
"If they're going to keep doing this," Diana said quietly, "then they're going to have to keep getting new vampires to do their bidding. New vampires who won't have the same patience or skill as the ones we've captured. That means more blood will be spilled before this is over, and if they're targeting influential people, that means more politicians and executives will be turned before this is all said and done."
"They're not just going to turn these people," Green Lantern said. "They'll recruit armies of soldiers and mercenaries and special operatives from every nation on Earth. They'll have access to every secret weapon and every classified defense system those nations possess. They'll have the full power of every major corporation at their disposal."
"And they'll use it to kill us all since we are a thorn on their side" Green Arrow muttered.
"That's certainly a possibility," Batman said evenly. "Something we will have to be prepared for."
Ethan wiped at his eyes again. "We could be fighting the entire world."
"We may have to or we may not" Batman said. "It depends on what happens next."
Outside the mountain, the sun was rising. Ethan could feel it. It had been a long day, and he could no longer keep his eyes open.
"Dismissed," Batman said.
One by one, his fellow Leaguers departed the chamber, Flash the first to disappear with a faint crackling sound. Green Lantern followed soon after, his ring casting a dim green glow as he exited the mountain through the internal passageways. Wonder Woman stopped long enough to clasp Ethan's shoulder in a silent gesture of solidarity before vanishing as well. Green Arrow lingered in the doorway, casting a thoughtful glance over his shoulder.
"Hey, kid," he rumbled. "For what it's worth, the hornets were always going to come out eventually. You just made sure we saw the nest before they did."
The last to depart was Martian Manhunter, his form dissolving into nothingness as he phased through the wall. Then it was just Ethan and Clark.
Superman stood at the table, regarding his brother with an expression of quiet concern.
"You going to be okay," he asked.
"Yeah," Ethan said. "Yeah, I think so."
"Good," Clark said. "Because it's not the kind of thing you really want to do in front of the League."
Ethan managed a faint smile. "I'll try to schedule my breakdowns more conveniently."
"Good," Clark said, smirking. "Because there's still a lot we need to discuss, and I'm not going to discuss it with you on your knees."
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A/N: Was it too much for the mc to have a panic attack? I feel like it fits since as I have previously said he was a normal human before getting transported here and him being a shard is also not helping him since the pathway itself is subtly affecting him and magnifying his good side to a very high level is affecting him so I think it fits. But what do you guys think? ALSO GIVE ME POWER STONES AND COMMENTS
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T/L: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. WHY ARE THE CHAPTERS SO LONG?AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. HOW THE HELL DOES HE HAVE A FULL TIME JOB, WIFE AND KIDS????? HOW???????