27 INTERLUDE 1: The Immortal Light

A lone woman stood before seven screens, arranged in a semi-circle around her. Each screen projected a silhouette, obscured entirely by light. And though the expressions of the people on the other side of the screens were impossible to make out, it was clear that the majority of them were… currently unpleasant.

Amanda Waller's expression — the lone woman — was much the same. She was a hard woman. Both in demeanor and in how she dealt with the issues her role presented her with. Ruthless and intensely pragmatic, to Waller, the ends always justified the means.

'The Wall' was unflinching and rightfully feared. Those who threatened her slept with both eyes open. And those who threatened what she was tasked to protect were discreetly and efficiently removed from the equation. ALL equations…

That was how she found herself creating and controlling the legendary Suicide Squad. She ran that program with an iron fist, keeping its criminal participants in line with both carrot and stick. And now, she had come to report to these figures, their real identities unknown even to her.

At least, they should have been. Fortunately, Waller was a scarily competent woman. Enough so that even Batman was forced to acknowledge her, though he was far from agreeing with her methods. The true identities of the group she now partially worked for hadn't escaped her attention.

She couldn't be considered — by nearly anyone who even heard of her infamy — to be the most pleasant person on the planet. The same could be said for almost everyone associated with these screens of light in this isolated and secure room.

The Council of Light was not an evil organization. Nor was it a purely good organization. It wasn't much of an organization at all, in fact. It could more reasonably be equated to a secret society — an alliance of seven powerful individuals, all with their own motives and resources to bring to bear. One of convenience, shared benefit, and profit.

The largest commonality shared between them was their connection to humanity. They tasked themselves with protecting the Earth from threats of all kinds. Threats that many others wouldn't even consider until it was too late. They were some of humanity's ultimate minders and guides, the Light in the Shadow.

Even a dangerous and feared woman like Amanda Waller was only an agent of the Light. She was, however, the Light's most effective agent. One with connections and resources that could potentially match the core members of the Light. As such, she was kept on a tight leash by men and women beyond her ken.

Behind silhouettes of white light, the Council waited for Waller's report. Coordinating such powerful people was not an easy task. And none there were willing to waste their time. Well… MOST there were not willing to waste their time…

The original creator of the Light projected himself in the middle of the meeting. He was a man beyond mortal reasoning. The oldest human being alive by a wide margin. An immortal. A tyrant. An Emperor in all but name. Vandal Savage was humanity incarnate.

Savage was a complex man of nearly unknowable motivations. In disparate names and personas, he left his mark on history. Without him, humanity may well be unrecognizable from its current form. One motivation of his was clear though, for he was not shy about his belief in humanity. He was to guide the world and lead humanity to its peak potential. Savage believed humanity to be supreme — special in the unflinching universe. In many ways, he wasn't wrong…

To that end, he founded the Light alongside the goddess Ishtar. Many, many years had passed since its founding. Throughout the group's history, influential figures of humanity passed through its ranks.

Gilgamesh, Alexander the Great, Archimedes, Plato, Sun Wukong, Oda Nobunaga, Cu Chulain, and King Arthur were only a few of the Light's members. Heroes and villains, great fools and geniuses. Savage could not claim all of history's named characters. But he and his Light could get damn close.

Even in modern times, Savage claimed many of the world's most influential humans. Ones who shared at least some of his views and beliefs. Most importantly, that of humanity's true strength and potential.

Centuries ago, one of Savage's immortal peers was recruited directly. Ra's al Ghul was nowhere near as ancient as Savage. In fact, compared to Savage, the Head of the Demon was merely an immortal teenager. Even then, Ra's al Ghul was one of the most dangerous and legendary men to ever walk the Earth.

If Savage was feeling particularly candid that day, he would have spoken of Ra's almost fondly. While the other immortal was yet young, he was a peer. Someone Savage could potentially call a friend. Perhaps one of the only humans he could relate to on such a level.

The younger immortal very blatantly didn't feel the same way about Savage. He felt a certain rivalry and necessary competition with his 'peer'. But that 'rivalry' was quite one-sided.

Savage simply didn't care. Youthful rebellion, he would say. Savage had that kind of bullish personality. If he claimed someone as a friend and ally, their protests would fall on stubborn ears. And on this day, Savage was feeling generous enough to claim Ra's as a friend. And so it was. Simple as.

The other current members of the Light weren't nearly as ancient as Ra's and Savage. They were all relatively recent recruits. That did not make them meaningless though. Each one had proved themselves to Savage in one way or another. He had deemed them worthy of sitting in his Light.

Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke was a worthy warrior. Mercenary though he may have been, Wilson was a prime example of what Savage looked for in humanity. In ages lost to time, he would have gladly stood with sword in hand beside the World's Greatest Assassin.

Lex Luthor was also a prime example of humanity in Savage's eyes. Just in a different direction. Instead of peak physicality, Luthor relied on more subtle methods. Brains over brawn. Levers over brute strength. He reminded Savage much of ancient Archimedes. Give Luthor a lever big enough and he would move the world.

It also quite helped that Luthor was the one other in the Light who most closely mirrored Savage's belief in humanity. He didn't know nearly as much about human nature as Savage had learned during his long life and so had lost his faith in much of humanity.

But that wisdom would come with age. Savage went through a similar phase. Now, he knew it was just in humanity's nature to live and love and lose. To be cruel and kind, malicious and benevolent. And to war and peace, create and destroy until the sun went out.

The most important part was that even after losing his faith in human nature, Luthor believed in humanity. He was a staunch supporter, of the belief that the species could do anything it set its mind to. He resented alien influences, most notably the influence of Superman and his kin. In his resentment, Luthor would fight even harder for humanity. Lex Luthor was a brilliant and driven individual, a quiet pinnacle of human evolution. Err… apart from the baldness, of course…

The other members of the Light were less significant in Savage's mind. Still paragons of humanity, just less interesting to Savage personally. Queen Bee was a prime example of Humanity's will to rule, effective and strong of will and mind.

Ultra-Humanite was perhaps Savage's least favorite of the current Light members. Savage found the man-turned-mutant-gorilla to be misguided and quite foolish. Even then, he was still a prime example of humanity's ability to adapt to anything.

And finally, there was Klarion the Witch-Boy. He was-… actually, Savage wasn't quite sure why he was now a member of the Light. A prime example of humanity's magic, perhaps? The Witch-Boy's story from Limbo to Earth was certainly intriguing but Savage was unsure why he'd initially recruited the boy-shaped offshoot of human evolution.

Oh, well. He was the First Man. He surely had a good reason, even if he couldn't currently remember it.

Unknown to Savage, even Klarion didn't know why he was included in the clandestine group. He certainly brought enough to the table to warrant his inclusion but it was still a strange scene that saw him — by all appearances a 12-year-old boy — recruited by an immortal. He was, however, VERY amused by the whole situation.

"Get on with it," Luthor ordered, his tone curt and to the point.

"Yes," Ultra-Humanite grunted, the ape-like quality of his voice coming through even the obscured silhouette. "Some of us have important things to be doing. My tinkering time is suffering here."

"Do not we all~?" Queen Bee drawled lazily.

"I'm sure my work is much more important than yours," Ultra-Humanite bickered back at her.

Savage cut them off before they could start, speaking with a voice that was both dangerously soft and deceptively rough at the same time, "Enough. I'm quite interested in what Miss Waller has to present to us. Let the Wall speak."

Waller didn't even bother thanking him. To be fair, he didn't expect her to. She was not the kind of woman Savage usually got along with. But she happened to be immensely useful so he let it lie. Not every woman was worthy of being added to his harem — the FIRST harem!

Waller nodded, "A potential new piece has entered the board. My taps in the Justice League's system revealed a visitor to the station, brought in the company of Batgirl and Supergirl. Him being able to keep up with Supergirl — as happened later during their visit — was what prompted me to dig deeper.

"I managed to secure some additional information on the subject. But in doing so, one of my fingers in their metaphorical pie was snapped clean off. As expected. Batman is always worryingly competent. He has not discovered the rest of my taps just yet but I will need to move some of my assets around.

"Regardless, the League had a file on this visitor that I was able to acquire. They have him labeled as one 'Mr. Barkeep'."

Suddenly, Deathstroke interrupted her with a snort, a brief muffled laugh somewhere between amusement and disbelief. Ra's al Ghul was silent but his amusement would have been clear to see to anyone who saw his face. Though he wasn't heard by the others, Klarion also had to muffle laughter.

He grinned behind his white silhouette, 'Oh, this is going to be GOOD~!'

"Yes?" Waller asked, raising an eyebrow on an expression that might as well have been made of concrete. "Do you have something to add, Sir?"

"Forget it," Deathstroke grunted, still muffling his humor. "Continue, Waller."

Savage and the others wondered what that was all about. Waller continued, "Mr. Barkeep AKA Sean Caine runs a bar in Gotham that caters to heroes and villains just as readily as it caters to regular citizens. As such, he quickly came to the attention of the Bats. Positive contact has been made and Mr. Barkeep has established himself as a neutral party in Gotham's scene.

"He claims to be human. The powers he has openly demonstrated challenge that claim. As do the experiences he has openly shared with those who visit his bar. He seems to like telling 'stories'. Most of those stories match nothing in my records, nothing I've ever heard of. They are potentially concerning if they are as true as the Justice League seems to think they are."

"Could the heroes be falling for a con?" Luthor asked.

"Unlikely," Waller answered. "These reports come from Batman or through those he's trained. They are very thorough in vetting this kind of thing."

"Can you give us some examples of this Mr. Barkeep's stories?" Ra's asked, honestly curious. He'd heard of his new step-grandson-in-law's stories but he was still in the dark as to their exact contents.

Waller's face and tone were utterly dead as she gave the Council just a taste of the Dead End's stories, "Impossible, unknowable, Eldritch knowledge. Beings and Entities of unimaginable power. Tales of war and conquest to an unfathomable extreme. Feats and deeds that contradict written history. Crystalized extinction events and casually game-changing trophies. 'Infinite' threats to the universe itself that were tamed through spankings and sweets."

Oho~? Now, that got Savage's interest. He'd been listening with half an ear but the more he heard of Mr. Barkeep, the more curious he grew. If even one of those aspects described by Waller were true, Mr. Barkeep was exactly Savage's kind of man! But if they were true, why was he only hearing about the man now…?

"How fascinating…" Ra's mused.

"That… sounds like a lot…" Queen Bee's blink of surprise was heard more than seen.

"It is," Waller stated flatly. "Quite a lot. I've already started compartmentalizing what I've read. If any of you dig into the report, I suggest you quickly do the same."

"So why is this important," Luthor snapped. "Another impossible or crazy individual? In Gotham, at that? That sounds like par for the course. Why should we care?"

"Well, he's also essentially started his own faction, with recruits including Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Mister Freeze, Black Alice, and most recently, Solomon Grundy and Killer Croc."

"Black Alice? I've certainly never heard of her," Luthor scoffed.

"She's relatively new on the magical scene. But there was a momentary stir at the chaos she released just by existing. According to the Justice League's mages, she was a threat to the fabric of magic itself," Waller explained. "According to my sources in the community, to say people were unhappy with her would be an understatement. Several groups were looking to kill the 16-year-old girl in what basically amounts to cold blood."

"Tough," Ultra-Humanite grunted.

That caused even Savage to frown slightly. He was no stranger to doing what was necessary but even he would have hesitated to murder a young girl. Mostly for just that reason. There was no honor in slaying defenseless women. Nothing like the glory of proper combat and conquest.

"I actually know something about that situation," Klarion put in without revealing who he truly was behind the screen. "Miss Alice's powers were stabilized before the less savory members of the magical community could act and she was adopted by Mr. Barkeep and the Dead End. So you can consider him a potent mage as well as the rest of the things Waller has reported if you wish."

Though she showed nothing on her face, Waller stared down the screen Klarion was behind. She had… opinions on the chaotic magical nuisance. But she wasn't about to voice them here and now. Ever, really, if she could help it. She wasn't compensated nearly enough to dig into the inner politics of the Council.

"That is what the League's report reads as well," She simply said. "Either way, she is a potent addition to Mr. Barkeep's growing faction. And her situation revealed even more of his power."

"I still don't see how any of this is relevant. At most, this makes him a regional power. Not someone we should reasonably concern ourselves with," Luthor said.

"Did I mention he finally managed to kill the Joker? For good this time," Waller hid an internal smirk. She wished to get something from this meeting, at least. Personal amusement would have to do.

Her statement gave Luthor pause, "… You did not."

"Well, he killed the Joker. In front of Batman. And 'Heroes-Don't-Kill' Batman didn't lift a finger to stop him. I'll let you do the rest of that math. It should be simple arithmetic."

"Your lip is unappreciated, Waller," Luthor forced out through audibly gritted teeth.

Waller played the unoffensive subordinate so well it became offensive again, "Noted, Sir. And there is something else I seem to have forgotten to mention. Death works at his bar as a waitress."

Queen Bee scoffed loudly, "Surely, you jest. Death. Ha! I've heard more believable claims from my country's insipid faux-despotic princes."

"Truly?" Savage asked curiously. "Death walks among mortals consistently these days?"

"You can't be serious?!" Queen Bee gaped at the interruption from the Council's leader.

"Death of the Endless is no mere jest. No mere myth or legend. She is a kind mistress. Relatable. I would not put it past her to work in her free time," Savage asserted.

"My agents report something similar about Lady Death," Ra's added. "My primary has even made positive contact with her and claims she is quite agreeable."

"That… does change things," Luthor considered intently. "I must apologize, Waller. You were correct to bring this to our attention. Now, how can we use this information."

"Indeed," Savage said, just as thoughtful. "Death would be quite the coup. And I find myself quite, quite interested in this Mr. Barkeep and his stories. Perhaps we could match blades?"

"Yeah, nope. Just nope. I'm out. If you fools want to poke Sean, Didi, and the Dead End, that's your funeral. Literally. I'm out," Deathstroke immediately, firmly, and quite intelligently refused to be a part of any action against the Dead End.

He didn't even wait for a reply, simply disconnected from the meeting with due haste. His screen — his Light — went dark. The others were left blinking, nearly reeling in surprise. And finally, Klarion couldn't contain his humor and amusement any longer.

He laughed straight in their faces, "Hahahahaha~! Goodness, he's much smarter than I give him credit for! Trying to scheme around Sean and Lady Didi is a terrible idea. If any of you are even a modicum as smart as him, you'll heed that wisdom. The Joker fucked around. He'll get to 'find out' for eternity now."

"Seriously, don't. That goes for even you, Savage," Klarion said, deadly serious as he broke the Council's anonymity without care. "I believe Ra's already knows why 'fucking around' is a bad idea. And he doesn't have much reason to, considering his daughter has gotten their family an in with the Dead End. For the rest of you… Well, try something if you wish. I shall be watching for you to crash and burn with a bucket of popcorn in hand."

With that, he disconnected as well. Behind his own screen, Ra's nodded. He quite agreed with the Witch-Boy's advice.

"I believe I will heed his wisdom. I have nothing to gain from going against my new step-grandson-in-law. It is, in fact, unthinkable. He is family. As such, I am the only one here who can validly claim Lady Death as my family as well. Suck eggs, Savage."

The Head of the Demon disconnected from the meeting, making three Council members in less than as many minutes. Speechless didn't even begin to describe the state the rest of the Council was left in. There was much confusion, much disbelief, and just as much dread for what the rest of them had gotten themselves into that made nearly half of their members abandon ship before they even started planning.

Then Savage laughed a raucous, booming laugh that came from the bottom of his soul, "AHAHAHAHAH~! Very good, Ra's! Very good indeed! Oh, yes! I think I quite like this Mr. Barkeep! I simply must meet him! Must, I say!"

"What. Is. Even. Happening…?" Queen Bee asked in utter confusion.

"I may need to get tested for hallucinogens," Luthor muttered to himself.

"No, Sir, that won't be necessary," Waller reassured 'helpfully'. "According to the report, this is just the effect that Mr. Barkeep seems to have on the world. As Batgirl put it, 'Even where he doesn't go, he brings insanity with him'."

"This meeting has been deplorably unproductive," Ultra-Humanite grunted, disconnecting without further fanfare.

"I've decided!" Savage declared boisterously. "No one will approach Mr. Barkeep! This duty shall fall to me and me alone! How spectacular! I must get my sword! And my bow! And my axe! Our battle shall be legendary! As will the drinking and feasting that follows! Meeting dismissed! I must prepare…"

Savage disconnected from the meeting. Queen Bee followed, still stuck in silence and confusion. Only Luthor and Waller remained.

"God, make it make sense," Luthor sighed behind his screen. "Just how exactly did it come to this?"

"You're the one who decided to work with an insane immortal, Lex. I know you must have expected this much to happen eventually," Waller said.

Luthor rubbed his brow to hold back a building headache, "You aren't supposed to know that, Waller."

She raised an imperious eyebrow, "Do you expect me to work for someone if I don't know who they are? Really, Lex? You know me and you know how stupid that sounds. Just try to add those two things together and make sense of the answer you get."

"Just… Just get out of here, Waller," Luthor had to try very hard not to groan. "The meeting has been dismissed. And for once, I agree with the gorilla. This has been entirely unproductive."

Finally, Waller shrugged, "Fine by me. I didn't want to be here in the first place. You're the one who agreed to this whole secret society business. As if that's EVER been an effective tactic for getting ANYTHING done."

She left the secure room and Lex Luthor was left to sigh into the silent darkness, "Don't I fucking know it…"