White House
The meeting began with grim numbers.
"Civilian casualties stand at 87 dead and 259 injured, mostly from coastal regions impacted by the tidal surges Atlantis generated," the FEMA Director reported, voice low and heavy.
The Secretary of Defense followed immediately.
"We also lost 200 servicemen and servicewomen, including twelve tanks and nine Humvees. Our forward coastal defense positions were hit first and hardest."
A large monitor flickered to life, displaying destroyed buildings, overturned military vehicles, and flooded sectors of Boston, Maine, and parts of Queens. Infrastructure buckled, bridges twisted like paper.
"Infrastructure and property damage sits at 3.7 billion dollars," the NSA added.
The President exhaled sharply.
"What was the reason for the sudden aggression?" he asked.
General Lane stood straighter, hands folded behind his back.
"It was the result of a coup by the former Atlantean king, Orm. Intelligence indicates he pursued a personal agenda—specifically, a preemptive strike against the surface world. He saw conflict with us as inevitable and aimed to force the issue."
A murmur spread across the table.
"And the new king?" the President asked.
"Arthur Curry. Half-human, half-Atlantean. He overthrew Orm and assumed the throne."
The Secretary of State tapped her pen. "We've received informal diplomatic signals from him,claims he seeks peace."
"But after an attempted invasion?" the President asked, tone skeptical. "Intentions don't erase consequences."
The CIA Director nodded.
"Curry's forces pulled back the moment he took power. All Atlantean troops withdrew. The Justice League confirms he prevented further escalation."
General Lane added, "Without the League's intervention, we might be looking at mass flooding along the entire eastern seaboard."
The President leaned forward.
"What are our options?"
The National Security Advisor glanced at the digital folder in front of him.
"Option one: open diplomatic negotiations. Establish an embassy channel, ideally through the League."
"Option two: strengthen coastal defenses and submarine surveillance."
"Option three: prepare contingency protocols in case Atlantis fractures internally again."
The President rubbed his forehead.
"We're dealing with a superpower that lives underwater and covers most of the planet. I want all intelligence agencies monitoring for internal Atlantean political shifts. If another coup happens, I want to know before they breach the surface again."
Heads nodded around the table.
"Are we expecting any retaliation from Orm's loyalists?" the President asked.
"We don't know yet," the CIA Director said. "But it is a possibility. The League is also on alert."
The President sighed.
"All right. If there's nothing else, let's-"
A shrill klaxon interrupted him.
BEE–BEE–BEE–BEEP.
Every light in the Situation Room shifted from white to pulsing red.
The wall screens switched to a bold alert:
INTRUDER ALERT-WEST WING BREACH
Everyone froze.
Then
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
Gunfire.
Inside the building.
The Secret Service Chief snapped upright, fingers pressing against his earpiece.
"Echo Team, report! We heard—"
Static.
Then a scream.
"multiple casualties! Hostiles inside sublevel A! They-"
The transmission cut.
"MOVE THE PRESIDENT!" an agent barked.
Two agents grabbed the President, pulling him from his chair as papers scattered across the table.
"Sir, head down! We are evacuating NOW!"
Another agent slammed a hand against a hidden wall panel.
A steel-lined escape corridor slid open.
More gunfire erupted,closer this time.
Someone pounded against a door somewhere beyond the Situation Room.
"Seal the perimeter!" General Lane shouted.
"Not yet,we don't seal it until POTUS is clear!" a Secret Service agent countered.
The President, breath tight, asked, "What the hell is happening?"
"We don't know, sir," the lead agent said. "Hostiles are inside the West Wing. We need to get you underground."
Then-
BOOOOM.
A heavy impact shook the Situation Room door,metal groaning under pressure.
Everyone turned toward it slowly.
The President swallowed.
"What was that?"
The lead agent chambered his weapon.
"Unknown, sir."
He pointed toward the escape tunnel.
"GO. NOW."
They moved fast.
Boots thundered down the narrow staircase as Secret Service agents pressed the President low, shielding him on all sides.
"Move! Move! Hurry!" General Lane barked, pushing ahead and locating a disguised panel at the end of the passage. He slapped it aside, revealing a thick alloy door,seven inches of reinforced metal masked to look like part of the wall.
Two agents rushed forward, each inputting separate codes. Another scanned a chip embedded in his wrist.
A hiss of decompression followed, and the door slid open.
"Inside!" Lane ordered.
The President was pushed in first, followed by cabinet members and Secret Service agents. Lane entered last and slammed his fist against the interior panel.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The door sealed.
Multiple internal locks clamped shut in sequence, echoing down the chamber until the final bolt sank into place.
Then silence.
The panic room swallowed every vibration. Nothing from outside could penetrate the soundproof walls.
The room itself was plain—secure consoles, oxygen recyclers, survival racks, and at its center, a wide circular platform embedded in the floor.
The escape elevator.
Their last hope.
Lane exhaled. "Alright. Let's get her to the train. We evacuate through the subterranean-"
He stopped.
The elevator's interface flashed a violent red.
ACCESS DENIED.
OVERRIDE DETECTED.
One of the officials scrambled to the console. "Sir,someone's hacked the system!"
"From where?" Lane demanded.
The man swallowed.
"From inside the building."
Lane's jaw tightened, but before he could react.
BANG.
A deep metallic clang reverberated through the room. A small dent,shaped unmistakably like knuckles bulged inward from the center of the door.
"Back!" Lane shouted. "Get the President behind cover!"
Agents formed a human shield instantly.
Then-
WHOOSH-SHINK!
A glowing blade punched through the steel, red-hot along its edge. Gasps rippled through the room as the weapon began to move—slowly, surgically tracing a perfect circle through solid alloy. Sparks rained across the floor, each one sizzling as it died.
The circular cut groaned, wobbled and fell inward with a heavy THUD, stirring a cold draft.
"Open fire!" General Lane roared.
Gunfire exploded in the chamber. Dozens of bullets tore into the darkness beyond the hole, shell casings clattering across the floor.
Ten seconds of deafening chaos.
"Cease fire! CEASE FIRE!" Lane shouted.
The guns went silent.
Agents began reloading—when a sharp series of whistles sliced through the air.
Small projectiles—fast as hornets.
Shhk-shhk-shhk!
Needles stabbed into necks, arms, ribs. One by one, Secret Service agents stiffened, trembled, and collapsed. Tech staff followed, dropping in rapid succession.
Lane dove aside, barely avoiding a dart that hissed past his cheek.
He scrambled to the President, who was trembling on the floor, and raised his pistol toward the circular opening just as the intruders stepped through.
Nine masked figures entered first, each clad in sleek black combat suits, swords drawn, movements eerily synchronized. Their masks were expressionless smooth, featureless plates of matte obsidian.
Then the tenth man entered.
A black cloak.
A white mask marked with concentric rings.
Eyes glowing cold, mechanical white.
The air in the room changed.
Even the President felt it,an instinctive chill that screamed predator.
General Lane steadied his weapon. "Who the hell are you… and what do you want?"
The masked figure spoke.
"My name is Pain."
"And what I want…?.well how about I want it all."
BATCAVE
The Batcave was quiet except for the soft clatter of keys as Batman sifted through encrypted files Talia had leaked. Her intel was sparse but concerning:
The new League leader didn't eat.
No one was allowed near him at night except Ra's.
His movements were restricted and hidden.
But last month? Everything changed.
He began eating.
Appearing at night.
Meeting people freely.
Before he could dig deeper, the Batcomputer blared a priority alarm.
Cyborg's face appeared on the screen, urgent.
"Batman, the White House is under attack. Multiple intruders. The President may already be taken. I've alerted the league — Flash, Superman, and the others are heading there now. But I can't reach Wonder Woman. At all."
Batman didn't waste a second. He grabbed his cowl, already moving.
"I'm on my way," he said, voice clipped. He turned toward the Batwing.
He barely took two steps before a voice came from behind him:
"I'm coming with you."
Damian stepped out of the shadows, already in uniform.
Batman didn't slow. "No. Stay here."
Damian scowled. "I'm not a child you can leave behind whenever you want. You did the same with Nanda Parbat. You wouldn't even let me help deal with the imposter leading the League. I still don't know if my mother is alive or what that monster is using her for."
Batman stopped at that, but only for a moment.
"Damian," he said firmly, "charging in with no intel gets you killed. And gets everyone around you killed. You need to think first. Not act first."
Damian's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.
Batman stepped into the Batwing.
"Monitor comms," he said as the canopy closed.."and don't do anything stupid "
The engines roared to life, echoing through the cave.
Damian watched him go his fists clenched.
He turned to the consoles with a sharp exhale.
"Fine," he muttered. "But one day you'll stop treating me like a child as he pulled out a white feather from his pocket."
The Batwing shot out of the cave and into the night.
End of Chapter.
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