See No Evil: Bigger Fish (ch. 74) (Patreon)

"We have a notice from Concerned Citizen," Barbara informed the Team, catching Jason's attention as he lowered his gloved fists, prompting Dick to do the same. They were in the training area of the Mountain, doing group workouts for the first time in what felt like forever. Something they were able to do thanks to Vergil pulling about a dozen teams of super heroes out of his ass and sending them out everywhere that was affiliated with the UN.

And, through Concerned Citizen, Vergil had a number of black ops teams running in places that didn't have a UN agreement. The team was pretty split on how to feel about the Sentinels or the various heroes under its banner, but everyone was in agreement that their help was much appreciated. Jason got to sleep for a full eight hours last night for the first time in months.

"Are we going to like this news?" Wally questioned, running a hand through his red hair as he stepped off one of the treadmills that was designed for mach speeds. He didn't have any luck increasing his top speed, but it wasn't for a lack of trying.

"It's an alert. We never like the news," Conner remarked, crossing his arms over the shielded S on his black long sleeve shirt. It was pretty much the only thing he wore. He was spotting Cassandra Sandsmark, but everyone called her Cassie or Wonder Girl. And from the look of it, she didn't need a spotter as she effortlessly lifted about ten tons like it was ten pounds on the bench press.

"And you won't like it now," Barbara remarked, and Jason could practically hear her mind churning over some info that she had gotten. "The Reach are working in conjunction with the Light to help take over Earth. Only the Light intends to betray the Reach, steal their technology, and announce humanity's presence to the universe by punching the biggest bully on the block."

Jason walked to the ropes of the ring he and Dick were sparring in, grabbing a bottle of water and squirting it in his mouth. "The bad guys are betraying each other? Shocking," he muttered, earning a huff of laughter from Dick before Jason passed him the bottle. "But, that was the assumption already when the Reach went to Lex Luthor first. CC usually doesn't tell us what we already know."

Concerned Citizen was becoming a prime source of information. Especially in the last couple of months, with his own admittance that his resources were vastly expanding, as was his information network. Oracle was just as good, though. So far, when they worked together, any piece of information that the heroes might want, they either already had it or they would get it in short order.

In response to his remark, a hologram appeared in the middle of the room. It was a video of a group of familiar people chatting a bit before a Boom Tube opened up. There was a deafening silence as they all watched the video that ended with Vergil St. Jude tilting his head back as if he were looking directly at the camera.

"Vergil is working for the Light?" Jason questioned, feeling more than a little caught off guard. That was the very last thing that he expected.

"It makes sense," Artemis spoke up, grabbing the towel that hung around her shoulders with white knuckles. "Their goals line up pretty well." There was an odd note in her voice as she looked at the hologram, but before Jason could think on it further, Barbara continued.

"The video feed came from one of SE's satellites. All signs point to Vergil wanting us to get the information," she informed. And that, Jason thought, made more sense.

"He's playing a double agent? Risky," Dick muttered. Jason guessed that the plan of sending Kaldur to infiltrate the Light through Black Manta was no longer needed. "Why is he telling us now? What does he gain by telling us?"

Conner frowned at the hologram, "Better he tells us than we find out the hard way." Conner wasn't Vergil's biggest fan. Or a fan at all. He could say it was because Vergil was untrustworthy because he always had to gain something from every interaction, but everyone knew it was because of the trap he put Megan in. He might have broken it off with her for some reason, but that didn't mean he didn't care. He did. A lot. Enough to hold a grudge.

Dick sighed next to Jason, "Wish Bats was here," he mumbled to himself, because all eyes drifted to him. Dick had been the leader of the Team for years, and with the Justice League on another planet, everyone looked to him for guidance on what their next move would be. There was a time when he would have envied Dick, but now he just felt bad for him. Because, underneath that confident and thoughtful expression, Jason knew that he was panicking.

"He told us because he wants us to know," Jason spoke up, giving his opinion and making all eyes turn to him. "Vergil does shit like this all the time. I say that we use him as a double agent like he wants us too."

Conner frowned deeply, "And if he's a triple agent?" He questioned sharply. Jason saw that question mirrored in everyone's eyes, and it wasn't easy to give a simple answer. Vergil was viewed as a lesser evil by most of the Team. But that lesser evil was working with the greater evil and trying to work with the good guys at the same time. Vergil had put himself in a tricky spot.

"I doubt it," Dick decided. "This might be the wedge we were looking for. Vergil is too ambitious to settle on being number two in anything. Odds are, he'll make the Light tear itself apart as he works his way to the top. Him reaching out is a backup plan in case he bites off more than he can chew."

Things had changed. No one could deny that. Not anymore. Honestly, so much had changed that it was almost hard to pick out a single thing to point to. The Fair Play Act was all but null and void. It wasn't officially repealed, but it's teeth had been taken out, so nowadays it was just ignored unless it became convenient to not ignore it. Everyone was using Saints Quartz as money and by virtue of that, everyone was using Sainthood Enterprises tech because it was cheaper. Humanity was looking to mine the asteroid belt. There were teams of heroes across the globe…

Things had changed a lot. Almost too much. But, those changes weren't bad. If it had been Superman or Batman behind them, the Team would be all for them. However, they weren't and everyone knew that Vergil made sure he benefited in some way with every action he took. It was that that made it so difficult to trust him and his intentions. Because if Vergil was benefiting, that usually meant that someone was else was losing out, and if people couldn't immediately tell who it was they assumed it must be them.

"Regardless, we know now that he's working with the Light. Keep an eye on what he ends up requesting. What I know of him, he won't be the Light's biggest fan. He's using them because they're convenient," Dick decided.

Jason and Artemis both knew that Vergil was already making plans to pull the rug out from underneath Lex Luthor. A plan that had a different feel to it now that they knew Vergil was part of the Light. Their gazes met for a moment, an unspoken message passing between them without needing telepathy.

Conner scowled, "Just like he's using us." No one argued the point because everyone knew that was exactly the case. Vergil's rise had been meteoric -- a handful of months ago, and he was a no one everywhere except for Gotham. Some people might know his name back then, but now, the people that didn't know him were a shrinking majority. From a no one to one of the dominating forces on the planet.

"Like we're using him too," Dick pointed out. They were. The Team trusted Vergil about as far as they could throw him, but they had learned to trust his intentions over time. The good outweighed the bad, so they used him to pick up the slack now that the Justice League was out. Though, if Jason was being honest, no one expected him to pull dozens of heroes out of his ass. He took a mile when given an inch and it remained to be seen if that was a bad thing. "No matter what, it's actionable intel. We have proof that the Reach were here before they announced themselves and they're working with the Light."

Dick squared his shoulders, "The Reach have already begun their campaign to be accepted on Earth. Thanks to the heads up, and after doing a background check, we know that the Reach need to have an invitation from Earth to stay or they otherwise risk outright war with the Green Lanterns. Babs, do we have starting points?" he asked and in response, the hologram changed.

The lead Reach leader was an alien simply called Diplomat. He was making a tour of the world, meeting with world leaders while starting a culture campaign by introducing Reach food with a human flair to it -- things like soda, teas, snacks, and full course meals. Their intel suggested that Sainthood Enterprises handled all of the production and shipping. Which, given that they had the Reach's playbook, meant that they were adding influencing agents to brainwash the public.

The Reach was also setting up shop in unstable parts of the world on aid missions to bring advanced medicine to people that needed it. Or, so they claimed. They broadcasted Reach shows and were in talks of linking the Reach empire's economy with Earth's given that they arrived just after every single currency in the world collapsed.

"We'll check them all out," Dick decided, launching himself over the ropes and out of the ring. "We knew that this was coming. We need a smoking gun and enough evidence that even Lex Luthor is forced to resend the invitation to stay on Earth. Then we need to prepare for any parting gifts that the Reach leave us. But, I'm confident that we can get the job done."

"And with a little luck, this stunt will be the final nail in the Light's coffin." Jason added, earning nods all around. For so long, they had been on the defensive when it came to the Light. They had traded blows for years now. But, the Team was looking for a way to knock out the Light -- Queen Bee, Klarion, Lex Luthor, and Vandal Savage. Take them out, and the Light would lose its teeth.

And Vergil might just be the nail that they needed.

…

"Things are progressing smoothly," I told Diplomat as we lounged in my office. That was an outright lie. I was fucking him at every turn. The Reach made their announcement and the backroom deals were set into motion. The Light was using my company instead of Lex Luthor's. Why was evident enough. When the wool was pulled back and the people saw that the Reach intended to take over the planet, that steaming pile of shit would be left at my feet. "Repurposing a number of plants was a simple task."

Diplomat smiled thinly, "I do admire your efficiency, Vergil St. Jude. You would do quite well in the Empire, I believe. Some of your compatriots, less so, if you don't mind me being honest." And there was the purpose for the meeting. It was a game of balance and influence. Just as we were undercutting the Reach's influence on Earth, they were trying to divide and conquer. To fracture the Light so that our influence would be mitigated by infighting.

I returned the smile, "Not at all. Some spots are… on rotation, so to speak. A member chosen for something they can bring to the table, but when there's no need for them…" I made a chopping motion, earning a polite chuckle from Diplomat.

"I trust that your spot is not one of them?" he questioned, trying to place a needle of doubt that he could work with down the line. "It would be quite a shame. It's a very rare thing for a species that we discover to be on the cusp of the space age, let alone solely because of a single man."

Flattery. Always nice to hear, but ass kissing had lost it's charm after so much of it. "Oh, I'm quite certain that my spot is a temporary one. No one likes a rising star, after all. But, I don't take it personally. It's just business, and betrayal… well, that's a cost of doing business." Diplomat offered a small nod of his head, his gaze just a bit sharper, but he didn't remark on the hint that I dropped.

I had given the briefs a look over and I wanted to fucking strangle Vandal Savage and shoot him into the sun. The Reach was fuckoff levels of powerful. They controlled a double digit percentage of the entire universe. That was hundreds of quintillions of trillions of billions of planets. A number so big that I couldn't even picture that many zeros in my head. They were an intergalactic Empire and despite the shackles placed on them by the Green Lanterns, they were still growing.

The plan was a decent one. Earth smacking them away would put Earth on a lot of maps because it was a true David and Goliath moment. Except that the sling had been the medieval shotgun and Goliath never actually stood a chance, whereas the Reach very much did. Worse, even after we managed to give the Reach the boot, it wasn't like they had to just take the kick in the teeth. There would be repercussions.

In the show, Earth had been seen as a desolate wasteland with humans as a slave race. I didn't think that was because the Light failed to prevent the Reach influence. I was becoming increasingly certain that it was because they failed to prepare for round two with the Reach.

"Yes, it unfortunately is. It's good to be practical about it. Emotions never mix well with business," Diplomat said, an honest distaste in his voice. I think he actually meant that. "To that end, I would suggest that you keep a close eye on Queen Bee. I have Intel that suggests that she intends to have you killed this afternoon."

My smile widened, "Thank you, but I'm quite aware. She's not nearly as subtle as she likes to think she is. Still, she's useful." I think there was genuine respect in Diplomat's eyes as he regarded me, as if looking at me in a new light. I guess brushing off an assassination attempt for practicality's sake was respectable in his eyes. I wasn't sure how I felt about me getting on with Diplomat, who was here to enslave my race and take over my planet. But, I kinda did.

It was for the same reason that I kinda genuinely liked Lex Luthor. Sure, we were trying to fuck each other over, but that was just the name of the game. It wasn't personal.

It was just business.

But, there was no chance that I would sell Earth out to the Reach. The Reach Empire was way, way, way too big. Any influence that I had would be swallowed up by the sheer enormity of the empire and I might as well be starting out as a street bum again when it came to shot calling. I was a hypocrite in that regard, I could admit without any shame. I had power in my hands and I was reluctant to let go of it. The cons outweighed the pros by a landslide.

Which is why I had to win this little contest of influence of ours. I was still the dominating influence on the planet, but I wasn't so ingrained that my seat couldn't be usurped. And the Reach were trying to usurp me, even as we spoke. They were making moves left and right, moving like a well oiled machine when it came to subverting the power of local leaders and the opinion of the population.

All the while, I had to prepare for the Light stabbing me in the back when they betrayed the Reach. And I had to prepare for their preparations because I knew that they knew that I knew they were going to stab me in the back. Things were light and friendly for the moment, but there was only an inevitable crash that awaited us. I had to make sure my safety belt was clicked in place while undoing theirs.

"Then I shall say nothing more on the subject. The last order of business was the mobilization of our fleets, but… I believe it would be best to keep that to myself," Diplomat said, earning a smile and a nod.

I knew exactly where his fleets were. Hundreds of thousands of spaceships nesting at the bottom of the ocean thanks to a clever use of the Boom Tubes. It was tempting to forward that info to the heroes, but you never lay down all the cards up your sleeve until it was the end of the game. When the heroes needed direction, I would give the fleets to them and let them take action.

"I understand completely," I told him. My own preparations were being made. Because I knew where his ships were, I could get scans of them. With those scans, I could reverse engineer them. Or, even better, subvert them and take control of the hundreds of thousands of drone spaceships. "It's been a productive meeting, Diplomat. I hope that this is a hint of what is to come," I said, reaching out and shaking his hand.

"As do I, Vergil St. Jude," he returned before excusing himself. I settled into my chair after he left and pursed my lips.

The Reach needed to get their legs swept out from underneath them. One card I had up my sleeve were the fleets of battle ready ships they had on Earth while their official stance was that they only had one without any offensive capabilities. However, I was looking to slide a few more cards up my sleeve. The exact sequence of events escaped me, but I knew that the Reach would be kidnapping kids to activate their metagene. For the purpose of isolating the gene so they could implement it in their own race.

The Light was arranging it for them as one of the points of their agreement, but I had exactly zero interest in helping human trafficking. Despite my wishes for the contrary, I wasn't omnipotent when it came to all matters on Earth, so I haven't found any evidence of the kidnappings yet. Which, I suspected was because they hadn't started. When they did, I would be relaying that info to the heroes.

But, there were other things that didn't quite line up with canon yet. Jaime Reyes was a teenager in New Mexico with no signs of being Blue Beetle. The only Blue Beetle I knew of was Ted Kord, but he wasn't using Reach tech. I think I remember something about Ted Kord dying, and that somehow led to Jamie becoming Blue Beetle, but the info itself was what I had absorbed through osmosis. I didn't know how or why. But, Ted Kord was still alive if his visits to my expo was any indication. I think the Light killed him originally, so I suspect that No Man's Land had saved him.

So, it was possible that there was a Reach Scarab up for grabs. I wanted it.

Another ace I wanted was the Warworld. A massive planet sized spaceship with armies of drones. Why I wanted it couldn't be more obvious. I couldn't recall if it was the Light that had the Warworld pointed in Earth's direction or not, but given that all bad things in the show were generally their fault, it felt like a good assumption. Meaning that Vandal Savage wanted the Warworld. If I wanted to take it from him, I needed to be in a position to do so.

Taking the Warworld would tip the balances too far in my favor. That action very likely would result in my brief stay in the Light coming to an end, but with a planet busting spaceship, I think I would be fine despite their enmity.

My fingers drummed on my desk as I made my plans. I had dozens of them taking shape. Some would end up getting repurposed, but I had a decent idea of how I was going to take the Warworld. And how to sweep the legs out from underneath the Reach. And how to spin the Light's betrayal in my favor. A sigh escaped me as my contacts gave me an alert. "Can't be late for my own assassination," I remarked, watching Queen Bee's agents as they returned my white phosphorus bomb.

Queen Bee really was too dramatic for my taste. With a roll of my eyes, I walked out of my office. It was a rare thing for me to be alone these days, but I was. 2B was socializing with her fellow androids on account of the fact that they viewed her as some sort of leader since all their designs were based on her. Tifa was handling her own business as a pimp and the spokesperson for a lot of our nature initiatives. Miranda was handling Checkmate, fostering the growth of the conspiracy. Revy…

"Hm," I muttered, frowning ever so slightly. It had been too long since I last spoke to Revy. Now that I noticed it, it felt like she was avoiding me or something, because I made sure to take time off now. I could only guess why. I would have to make the effort to reach out to her. With Jack gone, I've only known Tifa longer, now. If something was bothering her enough that she was avoiding me, then I wanted to fix it.

Cassandra, on the other hand, was currently at ballet practice. Through one of my cameras, I watched her go through the motions, a pleased smile on her face as she moved gracefully in her light pink tights, and watched others do the same. She had started not long after No Man's Land ended and she loved it. Her first official recital was coming up, so I made sure to free that day up.

Time management wasn't easy, but I was getting there. The ball was rolling. My factories we're set up below Lowtown, the teleportation tech was being implemented everywhere I could put it… despite all the irons in the fire, things had leveled off to where I could take a small step back. I mean, sure, I was about to walk into an assassination that was doomed to fail, but my personal life was doing pretty great.

However, that pleased smile was quick to drop off of my face when the video feed from Cassandra's ballet class caught something on tape. Before my very eyes, I watched a Boom Tube open up underneath Cassandra, her foot falling into the wormhole before she could react. In a split second, Cassandra vanished from view and my heart went still in my chest as the ballet class began to panic.

Cassandra had just been kidnapped. And I knew who and where.

My expression didn't so much as twitch as I continued walking down the hallway, but I could only see red.

Infinity Island. Cassandra was on Infinity Island, and by the time I was done with the League of Shadows, there wouldn't be anything left of them.