Chapter 168: A Diabolical Mind Part 2
Time flew, and preparations were underway for the Justice League. Given the notoriety the Human Supremacy group had gained, this mission was extremely important.
With only a few hours left until the operation began, the Justice League members gathered in the Hall of Justice to review the plan one final time.
Though Batman had already been thorough in his explanations earlier, some members didn't see the need to go over things again—particularly Green Lantern, who was laid-back as usual.
"How many times are we going to go over this? Storm the compound, capture the bad guys, and save the kids. Simple—just another Tuesday," Green Lantern remarked nonchalantly, crossing his arms.
The other members didn't have a chance to reply before Batman spoke up almost immediately.
"No. It gets more complicated with this variable."
Following Batman's words, the large holographic screen above the center of the table flashed and revealed an image of Arias. Alongside it were images of landscapes, armed figures, and high-tech weaponry, forming a sort of collage.
The other members showed more worrisome expressions upon seeing this, with Green Arrow asking directly, "What is this?"
Batman glanced his way for a moment and began to explain.
"Although our main objective is to stop the Human Supremacy group's activities, Arias Markovic is undoubtedly the second-highest priority. As you already know, the base we're targeting is located in the Bialyian desert, which, thanks to the current civil war, is considered unclaimed territory. It'll be a rare chance to capture Arias Markovic without all the political red tape we'd encounter if we tried this on another country's soil."
Once Batman clearly stated his intent, the others began to understand the greater importance of the mission. However, doubts still lingered naturally.
This group had barely operated together for more than a month. Their relationships and interactions were still fresh, and so was the trust they had in one another. Most of them chose to keep their concerns to themselves.
Superman, however, couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure this will work? I doubt he'll let his guard down, especially in these conditions."
Despite his hatred and paranoia toward Arias, Superman had had time to calm down and analyze his opponent more objectively.
Arias was shrouded in mystery. Although much was known about him, too much remained unknown—his alliances, his true intentions, the extent of his abilities, and his past actions. Despite Batman's best efforts to investigate, there were too few clues, and he often hit dead ends.
Being the intellectual that he was, Batman had a better understanding of just how dangerous Arias was. He even had some evidence of Arias's involvement in certain important events over the past few months, but it wasn't concrete and wouldn't hold up if used openly against him.
Thus, in Batman's mind, it was better to have Arias arrested under U.S. government claims. This would at least provide him with time to investigate Arias's actions more thoroughly.
To ease the worries of the other members, Batman feigned complete confidence in his plan.
"I'm more than 90% sure it will work, as long as nothing unexpected happens. He'll be subdued," Batman stated, carefully wording his response to show confidence while leaving room for error.
In his mind, whatever happened would provide valuable insight. Batman had devised this plan using the current data and information he had on Arias. If it succeeded, it would confirm his understanding. If it failed, they would gain valuable knowledge about the variables Arias had yet to reveal, allowing them to plan for the future.
The other members, unaware of Batman's true intentions—to gather data not only on Arias but on them as well—stopped questioning the plan and agreed to move forward.
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A few hours later, just after 9 PM, the League flew toward the rendezvous point in Batman's stealth jet, avoiding detection by enemy or government satellites.
The rendezvous point was located near a collection of rocky mountains in the desert, too high up for most to see—especially during desert storms, when any form of surveillance was practically impossible.
Batman took advantage of these storms to land undetected, keeping the jet in stealth mode as the main door opened and the League members began to exit.
In the lead was Superman, whose x-ray vision allowed him to see figures and structures even in the storm.
Upon exiting the jet, his vision spotted two figures not far away, resting under one of the many overhangs in the mountains.
He furrowed his brow but spoke without hostility. "They're over there."
Soon, he and the group approached the two figures—Arias and Harley—dressed in traditional desert trekking gear. Harley sported an assault rifle in hand and a baseball bat strapped to her back, while Arias was unarmed.
Their attire blended in extremely well with the surroundings, so much so that the League members without special abilities couldn't see them until they were close.
Arias, his mouth covered by a cloth, lowered it and stood up from the rock he was seated on, speaking casually, "I was beginning to doubt you'd show."
Superman, in the lead, didn't hide his disdain for Arias and glared at him. It was then that Batman took over.
"We had to go over some last-minute things. Is everything ready?" he asked.
Arias snickered and waved him over. "Come this way."
Arias led the group through a narrow path in the rocky mountains while explaining, "Their base isn't just the compound built into the side of the western mountains. It extends underground—far more complex, with four layers of lead-lined gorilla steel. It's practically a fortress."
Hearing this new information, Batman frowned and asked, "Why am I only hearing this now? And how did you get this information?"
Arias laughed at the question, replying, "It's not like you've told me everything you know either. But truthfully, it came recently and was hard to acquire. With the right price and sources, you'd be amazed at the kind of information you can buy."
While Arias revealing this new information made Batman anxious, it would have been more concerning if Arias hadn't gathered his own intel.
After walking for a bit, the group was halted by Superman, who warned, "There are two people up ahead, standing guard, but... it looks like they're just protecting rock... lead."
Superman realized that despite being able to see the compound on the surface and its occupants, he could only see the mountain as just that—a mountain.
Despite the warning, Arias continued walking and gestured for the others to follow. Soon, the group encountered two armed men dressed in near-identical attire to Arias and Harley.
The two men raised their weapons, but Arias made a unique set of hand gestures, prompting them to lower their guns. One of the men spoke anxiously, "Quick, quick, you must be quick. A new rotation of guards will be coming soon."
Arias nodded casually and turned to Harley. "You can give it to them," he instructed.
In the next moment, Harley pulled out a pouch and a piece of paper, tossing them to the men. The men looked nervous as one opened the pouch, revealing solid gold coins. The other unfolded the paper, revealing a map.
Arias spoke, "I've arranged a few camels there as promised, with enough food for you and your families to make the journey out of the desert."
The two men clutched the map more tightly than the gold and bowed slightly to Arias. One said, "Thank you, thank you," in a thick accent, struggling with the English words.
The two men scurried off, casting worried glances at the League members as they left.
This scene created a different image of Arias, unlike the one Superman and Batman had of him. To those with strong moral compasses, like Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Flash, Arias's actions painted him in a different light.
However, this wasn't Arias's main goal, just a minor benefit that could prove useful in the future.
For now, Arias opened the hidden entrance the two men had been guarding and looked toward Batman.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked.