Watching June Moone actually follow through, Amanda Waller's gaze burned with barely contained fury.
Each slap landed with real force behind it—June might have looked reluctant, but she wasn't holding back. Amanda's hand twitched toward the bomb remote several times, fighting the urge to press it. She couldn't tell whether Jack Kadere was certain she wouldn't dare, or whether he genuinely didn't care if Bette Sans Souci lived or died.
If Bette died, getting slapped would be the least of her problems.
So despite her rage, she held back.
After a dozen or so slaps, Jack called a lazy halt. June stepped aside, head lowered, hiding whatever satisfaction she might have felt. Amanda struggled to her feet, blood pooling in her mouth. She glanced at June's bowed head, then at Dinah Lance—also picking herself up off the floor—and in one fluid motion, drew her sidearm, turned, and opened fire on the kneeling soldiers.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Her marksmanship was precise and unhesitating. Gunsmoke drifted from the muzzle, sharp and acrid, as each soldier dropped with a bullet through the forehead.
The action stunned everyone present.
Everyone except Jack Kadere.
Bette Sans Souci had braced herself for a bullet—she'd assumed Amanda would shoot her to vent her fury. She hadn't expected these soldiers to die instead. Dinah Lance, who'd worked under Amanda for years and understood something of how she operated, was visibly shaken. June Moone's body trembled, and she lowered her head even further.
Amanda's expression remained blank. She discarded the gun, walked over to Bette, and removed the explosive collar from her neck. Then she turned to face Jack.
"If you've had your fun," she said flatly, "we can discuss business."
"Admirable. Truly admirable." Jack clapped slowly, a chuckle escaping him. "You've put on quite a show for me."
Amanda Waller hadn't risen to lead A.R.G.U.S. through kindness—the agency specialized in dirty work, and she was harder than anyone under her command.
"Considering how thoroughly you've entertained me," he continued, "go ahead. What did you want to discuss?"
Amanda didn't answer immediately. Her gaze drifted toward the doorway, where Laurie stood with the freshly showered Thea.
"That's Oliver's sister, isn't it?" she asked quietly.
"I'll send her back once I'm done playing." Jack took over the conversation before anyone else could respond.
He meant the psychological torture of making Green Arrow and Black Arrow worry about Thea's safety—but clearly Amanda's mind went somewhere else entirely.
That was understandable. Not many people would guess that Thea had willingly cooperated in her own kidnapping.
"I can pretend this never happened," Amanda said. "That I never came here. I'll return Bette Sans Souci to you as well." She watched Jack's expression remain unmoved and added another incentive. "Going forward, A.R.G.U.S. can look the other way on whatever you do."
"Those terms don't particularly interest me." Jack's tone stayed casual. "But let's hear what information you're after first."
Amanda considered her words carefully before speaking. "Are there aliens on Earth?"
"What did A.R.G.U.S. discover?" Jack's interest sharpened instantly.
Amanda Waller wouldn't risk coming here to ask this question without cause. Even discovering unusual individuals wouldn't automatically point toward extraterrestrial origins—meta-humans ran rampant in Central City, and other cities had their share too. She'd need something more concrete than anomalous abilities to leap to aliens.
So what had she found?
Had Superman been discovered? Unlikely. At this point, Clark Kent probably hadn't even figured out his own origins. Any unusual abilities he displayed would be attributed to meta-human mutation, not alien biology.
Which meant... General Zod.
One of the few surviving Kryptonians after Krypton's destruction. Former military commander, imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for attempting rebellion. He'd escaped when the planet exploded, and afterward became singularly obsessed with rebuilding his civilization and locating Krypton's supreme treasure—the Codex. When Zod eventually learned that Kal-El was on Earth, he would come for him, intending to terraform the planet into a second Krypton while claiming what he sought.
General Zod's arrival would mark the true beginning of the Justice League era.
If Jack remembered correctly, in the original timeline, the United States first received an alien signal at Ellesmere Island.
"The answer." Amanda's voice cut through his thoughts, her gaze sharp. "Tell me the answer."
When she'd asked about aliens, Jack's reaction had been strange—curious, surprised, but not in the way of someone hearing this for the first time. More like someone intrigued by how she'd stumbled onto a secret he already knew.
He definitely knew something.
"You've already guessed, haven't you?" Jack replied lightly, a faint smile playing at his lips.
"It's—it's real?" Amanda's composure cracked. "There really are aliens? What else do you know?"
"I've already given you your answer."
Jack's smile widened—that I know, but I'm not telling attitude that made Amanda want to grind her teeth to dust.
"If this concerns the safety of the entire Earth," she said through clenched jaw, "I don't care how heavy the losses are. Including my own life."
"Do you believe that before any aliens arrive, I might destroy Earth first?" Jack's eyes narrowed with amusement. "Go ahead. Guess whether I'd do it."
"No." Amanda's response came without hesitation. "You won't. If Earth is destroyed, where would you go? Even if you survived, everything that makes existence worthwhile would be gone. You'd die of boredom."
"Perhaps." Jack nodded agreeably. Amanda exhaled—but he wasn't finished. "Or perhaps I wouldn't destroy Earth at all. Just the United States. You can't stop me. No one can. The power of a single nation?" He chuckled. "Your vision is too small. So run along, Director. Gather your intelligence. They... will be here soon."
They.
More than one alien.
Amanda gave Jack one last resentful look, then turned to leave.
"Don't forget the corpses," Jack called after her.
Amanda's only response was a cold snort. She gestured for Dinah Lance and June Moone to load the bodies into the vehicles. The three women departed in two cars, taillights disappearing down the villa's drive.
Laurie and Thea approached as the engine noise faded.
"Them..." Thea's voice dropped low. "Who were they?"
"A.R.G.U.S.," Jack answered casually. His attention shifted to Bette Sans Souci, still standing where Amanda had freed her. "Now—tell me. How exactly did you get caught?"
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