Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jefferson Pierce was currently standing on the top of the Seahorse Motel in Freeland, currently dressed in his new and improved Black Lightning suit, since even though he'd been retired from that life for nearly a decade, things changed when the main crime gang in Freeland, the 100, broke into his school, Garfield High School, and abducted both of his daughters, his college medical student Anissa and his teenage daughter Jennifer, which had led to him finally becoming Black Lightning again, if only to save his daughters and all the other people that were currently being held captive by the 100 in this motel.

But no matter how good it felt to be back out there again, he had to remind himself that this was a one time thing, since Lynn had only given him her blessing to be Black Lightning again just this once in order to save their girls and he wasn't going to risk finally putting their family back together over being Black Lightning. Not again. Though he couldn't deny that it almost seemed cruel to the people of Freeland to give him a small piece of hope in his return, only to take it away from them again, but he had to put his family first.

Or at least that's what he was thinking until he heard the sound of someone somehow landing on the rooftop and turned to see a black man in some kind of weird black and red suit with a black cape walking up to him.

"Who the hell are you?" Black Lightning asked, making sure his voice modulator was on.

"Jefferson Pierce, we need to talk." the man said, to Black Lightning's shock.

"Why would you think that's my name?" Black Lightning asked.

"Don't worry, this will all make sense in a minute.'' The man said as his eyes glowed red and before Black Lightning could blast him, the man moved at an impossible speed and placed his hand to Jefferon's temple and his eyes glowed red and suddenly Jefferson got a killer headache and a surge of new memories entered his mind, including this man's identity.

"Was the headache really necessary J'onn?" Jefferson asked as he looked around before removing his goggles.

"Sorry Jefferson, it's an unavoidable side effect of waking you up to the truth of this reality. Especially considering all the troubling things I learned when I restored your memories. Particularly about this ASA." J'onn said.

"So, you saw them in my memories?" Jefferson asked.

"I did and I'm going to use some government contacts of my own to look into this group, since it's clear that if they still exist on this earth and the fact that you have your powers is a clear sign that they do, they clearly need to be dealt with before they start a military occupation again or expand their efforts to places like Central City, since the metahuman population there is even larger than it is here and those metas are stable." J'onn said and Jefferson shuddered.

"Yeah, hopefully we can get the ASA shut down before they set their sights on other cities, since it's bad enough they sank their hooks into Freeland." Jefferson said and J'onn nodded.

"I'm assuming you want me to restore the memories of other people in this city?" J'onn asked and Jefferson nodded.

"Specifically my daughters Anissa and Jen, my best friend Bill Henderson, my ex-wife Lynn Stewart and my foster father Peter Gambi." Jefferson said.

"In other words your team and I'm assuming your daughters are on the list only because they have powers and they're gonna use them whether you like it or not." J'onn said and Jefferson nodded in agreement.

"I take it you're speaking from experience." Jefferson asked.

"I had two daughters of my own before I lost them." J'onn said, making it clear that they did not have the kind of relationship that warranted that discussion.

"Understood. And J'onn, thank you. Now that I know what's coming, I can stop it before it happens." Jefferson said and J'onn nodded as he left to restore the memories of the people that Jefferson had asked him too.

Chapter Text

Jennifer Pierce was currently scared out of her mind as all she could do was float around inside her safe space, her mind reeling from the revelations she'd learned from her alternate selves, both of whom went to extremes on either side, since one version of her had robbed every other meta in Freeland, including her father and sister, of their powers and the other version of her had gone completely evil as Odell's lap dog. And she didn't want to be either of those people, since she knew that if it hadn't been for whatever the hell it was that sent her into her safe space in the first place that caused her to learn her lesson, then she likely would've become the evil version of herself. But now she knew better.

Of course none of that mattered if she couldn't figure out how to get out of her safe space, since as far as she could tell, she was stuck in her safe space and unlike the previous times she'd been in her safe space, this time she'd been sent into by accident and she had no idea how to get out of it.

Then suddenly, she felt her body literally start to dissolve and turn into pure energy. At first she panicked, then she remembered that this was just another aspect of her powers, she just didn't know why this was happening as her body completely turned into energy and it was at that point that she finally felt herself leaving her safe space, though she didn't understand why until she suddenly found herself in what looked like her bedroom, the only thing was, there was another her inside it and she was feeling drawn to her, though she didn't understand why.

At the same time this was happening, the new Jennifer Pierce was currently sitting in her room, trying to come to grips with the fact that she'd just been abducted by the 100 gang and nearly killed. And then of course, there was the fact that Jen had actually seen Black Lightning in person. Before now, she'd only ever heard stories about him and seen photos of him, but until now, she'd never truly believed that he existed, though when she did see him, she couldn't help but feel some kind of connection to him, like she'd met him before, but she didn't know why.

But that was the least of her worries, since suddenly, Jen began to feel a strange presence in her room and suddenly, she saw some kind of weird golden energy floating around her.

"What the hell is going on?" Jen asked as before she could even scream, the light flew towards her and actually went straight into her, causing her entire body to erupt in light as she actually felt herself being lifted off the ground as the light fully encompassed her and suddenly, she suddenly felt a killer headache as another person's consciousness began to merge and take control of her's.

"What the hell just happened?" Jen asked as she realized that she'd escaped her safe space and finally settled into this new body, more confused than she was before she left her safe space, but what she did know was that she was out, which meant now she could find her dad and tell him the truth about her now former partnership with Agent Odell, since now that she knew where that path led, she finally understood that her family had been right about the ASA all along and she'd do whatever she had to in order to make things right.

But first she needed to make sense about what was going on, especially since when she checked the date on her phone, she found that she'd somehow gone back in time to the year 2012, though she was still the same age she'd been when her powers had surfaced, which meant that she'd been born earlier for some reason. This was all very confusing to her, so she decided to head to the Sanctum, hoping her father might have some answers.

Chapter Text

After J'onn left, Black Lightning had to make his way back to the Sanctum, though he found it very annoying that Gambi hadn't yet upgraded his current suit so that he could fly, since he'd gotten so used to it, he'd forgotten how inconvenient it was to have to sneak around Freeland to avoid drawing attention to himself. He made a note to himself to that he'd need to make sure Gambi got on that, along with making a suit that was a bit less bulky than the one he was currently wearing, since while he hated the ASA, he couldn't deny that those bastards knew how to make a good supersuit.

Anyways, as he continued to make his way back to the Sanctum, Black Lightning reflected on everything he'd learned about the life he'd led on this new world before J'onn had woken him up. The biggest change in his life being that in this reality, in addition to being the protector of Freeland, Black Lightning had also been a part of an elite superhero team known as the Justice Society of America back in his early days as Black Lightning. He'd been close friends with several of the members, including Jay Garrick, the first Flash of this universe and now Jefferson knew who the new Flash would be, since he remembered Barry and that they'd definitely been on their way to being friends before he'd been killed.

Anyways, unlike the rest of the JSA, Jefferson had managed to avoid to being wiped out during the massacre nearly a decade, simply because he'd been the one JSA member who'd refused to come back after the team had gotten back together following it's dissolution and it was because of a reason that he still agreed with.

The JSA had killed an innocent man, regardless of their reasons for it, in Jefferson's opinion, killing was never justified and since he couldn't leave Freeland and his family unprotected, he'd refused to return to the JSA's ranks when the call had come out to fight their enemy, the Injustice Society of America. So that had caused him to miss the massacre of his friends and while Jefferson was happy that he was still alive, he did regret that he hadn't been able to do anything to help them. His biggest regret was that he'd abandoned his friends when they needed him the most, though Lynn had tried to comfort him, telling him that while it may not be easy, he'd made the right choice, since if he'd been there, he likely would've been killed too.

Unfortunately that thought did little to comfort him, especially since he hadn't even been invited to the funerals for his teammates, which meant that whoever it was that had been in charge of those arrangements knew that he'd abandoned the team and felt that he didn't deserve to be at the funerals and Jefferson couldn't help but agree with that sentiment, since he had abandoned his team and that was unforgivable, though he'd do everything he could to try to atone for it. Starting by liberating Freeland from the gangs that were terrorizing it, starting with their leader. The albino asshole, Tobias Whale. It burned him up inside as he fully realized that right now, Tobias Whale was free, not only free of prison, but also free to do whatever the hell he wanted and he couldn't go after him without proof. Luckily, he knew where to start. But he'd focus more on that later. Right now he was focusing on getting back to the Sanctum, since he was hoping that by the time he got back, J'onn would've restored everyone's memories by now.

When Jefferson returned to the Sanctum, he found Jen waiting for him.

"Jen, what are you doing here?" Jefferson asked, not sure how much she knew.

"I was hoping that you could tell me, since one minute, I'm in my safe space, the next, I'm turning into energy and then taking over the body of another me." Jen said and Jefferson realized that Jen had somehow woken herself up in this new reality.

"It's a long story that I'll tell you once Gambi, your mom, Anissa and Henderson get here." Jefferson said, since he only wanted to have to tell this story once.

"Dad, please. I'm freaking out about everything I saw while I was in my safe space." Jen said.

'What do you mean?" Jefferson asked.

"I mean I saw other versions of myself, including one that showed me what would happen if I continued on the path I was on." Jen said.

"And what does that mean?" Jefferson asked.

"Before whatever happened, Odell managed to recruit me into helping him fight the Markovians." Jen said and Jefferson now had to work to control his anger.

"He what?" Jefferson asked.

"Look dad, I'm sorry but between you and mom being stuck in the Pit and Anissa and Gambi being so busy with the Resistance, I felt isolated and alone and Odell, he made me feel seen and he showed me things that made me feel special." Jen said, tears in her eyes as Jefferson pulled his daughter into a hug.

"Jen, I am so sorry that we ever made you feel that way, but you know that we love you?"Jefferson asked.

"I do, but still, Odell took advantage of how vulnerable I was, since everything that happened was added on top of the fact that I was still grieving Khalil." Jen said and Jefferson sighed.

"Jen, I am not mad at you, it's not your fault, but I need to know exactly what Odell had you do, so I know how badly I need to beat him up once I find proof of his crimes." Jefferson said, since he was pissed about Odell going back on their deal and turning his daughter into a weapon.

"Well, I did light up those agents who beat you up, but I'm not losing any sleep over that, since they had that coming." Jen said and Jefferson rolled his eyes, but so far it wasn't too bad.

"What else?" Jefferson asked as he noticed how nervous Jen was.

"Odell used me to blow up a Markovian cyber center where they were doing cyber warfare. I think I killed people." Jen said and she could see the anger in her father's eyes.

"Jen, I'm so sorry, but it wasn't your fault. And it hasn't happened yet and now that we know what's coming, we can make sure it doesn't happen again." Jefferson said and Jen nodded as she felt her father pull her into another hug as they waited for the rest of their family to arrive.

Chapter Text

Martin Proctor was currently looking over the plans to have a new drug be inserted into the streets of Freeland in an effort to restart an abandoned ASA program to create an army of metahuman super soldiers when Agent Clovic walked up to him.

"Agent Proctor, I have a report I think you're going to want to see." Agent Clovic said.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Proctor asked, annoyed, but he looked at the report regardless and it definitely got his attention.

"New outbreak of metahumans in Central City." Proctor said.

"Yes sir and according to these reports, it looks like the metahumans there are perfectly stable. It might be worth looking into." Clovic said.

"Maybe. In more ways than one. However, Central City is not Freeland. After all, Freeland is a relatively small southern city with people that no one really gives a damn about. Central City on the other hand is  a big city with lots of media attention, especially since that particle accelerator exploded. It's something that we'll need to consider carefully, especially if we want to keep this our little secret. The more noise we make, the more attention we draw to ourselves and I don't want to draw attention until we have something to show." Proctor said.

"I'll send a few scouts to Central City to begin determining the best way for us to begin retrievals." Clovic said.

"Good. And also, send word to our asset in Blue Valley. Depending on how our operation here in Freeland goes, we might need to use him too." Proctor said.

"Yes sir. But are you sure that's a good idea, since that could draw more attention to us." Clovic said.

"Worth the risk, since he'll blend in." Proctor said and Clovic nodded, knowing it was better to just agree with Proctor than to argue with him about things like this.

"What about our current operation to find stable metahuman DNA?" Clovic asked.

"Continue as planned. Especially since there's no way of knowing if the DNA from any Central City metahuman we do manage to acquire will be compatible with our metahumans. Which means that for now, we need to keep our current operation going, since even if it does prove viable, we can never have too many weapons." Proctor said.

"Yes sir." Clovic said as he walked away while Proctor went back to looking at the reports he'd been looking at before with a new smirk on his face, since this was going even better than he could've hoped. Now all he had to do was pull it off before his higher ups discovered what he was up to before he could show real results.

At the same time Proctor was planning ways to expand his operation, Black Lightning and his team were rallying to find a way to stop it before it ever started, since by this point Lynn, Gambi, Anissa and Henderson had all joined him and Jen in the Sanctum and Jefferson had brought Lynn up to speed on everything Jen had told him and while she comforted Jen, Jefferson decided he needed to have a word with Anissa about how she'd spent her time before Crisis, which was why he pulled her to the side.

"Dad, what's going on?" Anissa asked, since she could tell he was angry with her, she just didn't know why.

"We need to talk about how you spent your time while your mother and I were in the Pit." Jefferson said angrily.

"You know I was working with the Resistance, what's the problem?" Anissa asked.

"My problem is that you spent so much time being Blackbird and a responsibility, you forgot about an even more important responsibility you had." Jefferson said.

"What?" Anissa asked.

"Your sister. Your mother and I didn't have a choice about going into the Pit, since it was the only way to keep Odell from throwing you and Jen in there too, but you have no excuse for not being there for Jen when she needed you, since she was going through the toughest time of her life, dealing not only with your mom and I being gone, but also Khalil's death and instead, you chose to spend your time breaking bones and putting all of us in danger. I know you like helping people, but family comes first, something I thought we taught you growing up, but clearly, you did not get that message. At least not as clearly as I thought. And because you weren't there, Odell was able to manipulate Jen into becoming his weapon and by the time your mom and I came home, she was already hooked. It's only because of what happened to her in Crisis that she came to her senses, but there's a good chance that she never would've fallen under his sway if you'd been there for you like you should've been." Jefferson said as Anissa paled at what she'd allowed her baby sister to become on her watch.

"Dad, I made a mistake, but it's not like you're innocent of protecting the city over our family." Anissa said.

"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse you putting being Blackbird over being a sister. That's why until I say otherwise, Blackbird is grounded. Thunder can go out as long as she has Gambi in her ear, but I don't like the person you are when you're Blackbird, so until further notice, Blackbird is gone, especially since she's not needed anymore." Jefferson said and Anissa looked like she wanted to protest until Lynn walked up.

"Before you even think about arguing Anissa, you should know that I agree with your father. He and I may not be perfect, but we trusted you to protect your sister while we were gone and you dropped the ball, though I'll admit that Jen wasn't the only one who let themselves be manipulated by Odell." Lynn said, since it was something she'd been thinking about since J'onn had restored her memories.

"What do you mean?" Jefferson asked.

"Jeff, the reason I was so irritable after we left the Pit was because I was using Green Light. I thought it would help me find a solution to the meta cure problem and while it did, I also realize that Odell manipulated me into doing it so he'd have a way of keeping me under his thumb, but I guess when J'onn restored my memories, he also gave me a detox." Lynn said.

"That's fortunate, but let's just add that to the list of reasons to take the ASA down." Jefferson said.

"Speaking of which, if you guys are done having family talks, can we start talking about taking down the ASA before they take over the city." Henderon asked as they all came together.

"Agreed. And we start by taking down Proctor before he can release Green Light into the streets." Jefferson said.

"I'll also start working on a location for Tobias, since we need to take him out of play before he gets too powerful." Gambi said.

"I'll call my sister-in-law, see if she can offer any help with that." Jefferson said.

"What can Aunt Lyla do?" Jen asked.

"She runs another top secret government organization that's a bit more trustworthy called Argus." Jefferson said, since J'onn had passed that bit of knowledge onto him during the memory transfer.

"Let's talk." Henderson said as they continued their discussion.

Chapter Text

After their team meeting, Jefferson and Lynn decided to go back to the house so that they could finally do what they should've done several times before in the old reality. Talk.

Luckily the girls had enough tact to know to steer clear, since they probably would not want to hear their parents' conversation, so Anissa had gone out to get drinks and maybe even find Grace while Jen had gone to hang out with her friends.

"Jeff, is there any way I can talk you out of keeping the suit on?" Lynn asked, finally starting the conversation after a long awkward silence between them.

"The fact that you even asked me shows just how little you've paid attention to everything that's happened both in this world and the old one. Maybe if you'd asked me before the brain dump, I might've said yes, but now, no way. Not when I can prevent so many innocent people from dying. I've already sat idly by for a decade and let the 100 and Tobias terrorize this city. And Lynn, in case you've forgotten, the girls know the truth now and they have powers of their own. There's honestly no reason for me not to be Black Lightning anymore, especially since I never should've given it up in the first place. This city needs me. Something I thought you'd finally come to understand." Jefferson told her angrily.

"And I did. Then we woke up here and I guess I was holding on to a small piece of my counterpart's hope that you becoming Black Lightning again would just be a one time thing." Lynn said.

"Lynn, this is who I am. It's always been who I am and I understand that you're worried about me, but you have to stop letting that worry and concern control you. All the other heroes I met during Crisis, a lot of them were in relationships too. The Flash, Superman, Atom, White Canary, even Green Arrow, all their significant others never tried to stop them from being heroes, hell, from what I heard, they actually not only encouraged their partners to go out, but sometimes they actually went into the field with them and before you say anything, Superman had a son even younger our girls. Not sure if he still does in this reality. And from what Barry told me, his wife was the reason he ran, the reason he kept running and the reason he had to come home." Jefferson said and Lynn sighed.

"Maybe it's easier for them to process it, but I can't help it if I always see every worst possibility when you put the suit on. Especially since I grew up in a military family. My parents were soldiers, my mom died when I was a kid, my dad's still enlisted, my stepmom is a veteran and both of my brothers served and one of them died. You remember the toll Andy's death took on my family right? How much it screwed John up." Lynn asked.

"I remember, Lyla nearly left him before he pulled his head out of his ass." Jefferson said.

"And don't forget that Andy left behind a wife and a son and every time I see Carly or Andy Jr, I can't help but wonder if you'll end up putting the girls and I through that every time I see you put on that suit." Lynn said and Jefferson sighed.

"Lynn, I saw another version of John during Crisis and from what J'onn told me, that's the version of him we'll meet in this world now. The John I met was a hero, since he didn't have any powers, but that didn't stop him from trying to stop the Crisis. He put his life on the line, even though he's also a husband and father. How can I do any different, especially since the girls know who I am now and they've both got powers of their own. I can stop so many bad things from happening. I can save LaWanda before she gets killed, I can prevent Khalil from being shot by Tobias and maybe we can even take down the ASA before they take over the city." Jefferson said and Lynn sighed but nodded.

"I know and Jeff, I do support you being Black Lightning, it's just with this new world and the memories of my counterpart, along with everything else, I just need some time to adjust to the idea, since I did finally realize that whether I like it or not, Freeland needs Black Lightning as much as our family needs Jefferson Pierce and they're both parts of you and I was wrong to force you to choose one or the other. I may not like it, but I know that I have to learn to share you with the city and most likely the rest of the world." Lynn said.

"And I'm willing to give you that time, but we need to make sure that we stay on the same page. Our biggest issue was that we were constantly on different pages of our relationship." Jefferson said and Lynn nodded.

"I agree. And I also think that part of that means being on the same page of telling Gambi not to make Anissa's suit until she proves to us that she can keep her priorities in line, since she clearly failed in- the old reality." Lynn said.

"I already told him not to and he agreed. I'm gonna reach out to Barry in Central City to see if he has anything we can use to dampen Anissa's powers if we need to, but I'm hoping that it won't come to that." Jefferson said and Lynn nodded.

"And see if he knows anyone who might be able to help me come up with an alternative stabilization cure for the pod kids, since I don't want to have to rely on Tobias's bone marrow for it." Lynn said and Jefferson nodded.

"I will." Jefferson said.

Chapter Text

"Okay, so why did you call this family meeting?" Anissa asked as she and Jen took seats in the living room of Jefferson's house where their parents were waiting.

"Your dad and I are going to Central City this weekend, since he has an old friend there he needs to catch up with and I am going to meet up with a new colleague there to help with a new version of the metahuman stabilization cure." Lynn said.

"Okay, so who's staying here with me, since I'm assuming that considering how badly Anissa blew last time you trusted her to watch me while you two were gone, she won't be the one to do it and you don't trust me not to throw a party while you're gone?" Jen asked, though that last part was more as a joke.

"You're right about that on both counts. Gambit is going to be staying here with both of you so that he can keep tabs on you in case Anissa's powers resurface." Jefferson said.

"I still find it unfair that while you two got to keep your powers, I lost mine." Anissa said.

"That's actually one of the reasons why we're going to Central City. I want to see if your metagene has just been rendered dormant or if you lost it all together, since that will determine if you'll get your powers back." Lynn said.

"Not that she'll be able to use her powers when she gets them if what I heard is right." Jen said, since she'd overheard a bit of her parents' conversation earlier.

"What is she talking about?" Anissa asked as her parents looked at each other.

"Did you really think that we'd trust you with powers after what happened? An apology doesn't undo your careless actions. You need to prove to us that we can trust you again, since you lost our trust." Lynn reminded her older daughter.

"Barry offered us power dampening tech if we need it if your powers do surface." Jefferson added.

"I don't get it. Jen acted reckless too when she was on the run with Khalil and yet she isn't getting this kind of treatment? And don't say that it hasn't happened yet, because by that logic, you shouldn't be punishing me like that either." Anissa complained.

"Hey, I was trying to help Khalil escape from Tobias, but I'll admit things got a bit out of hand, but I was doing it for the right reasons and if it weren't for me, while things didn't go according to plan, we still got some good intel out of it." Jen pointed out.

"She has a point, Anissa. Besides, I think that losing Khalil like she did was punishment enough." Jefferson reminded Anissa.

"And who knows, maybe if you'd been more concerned with taking care of me instead of trying to be Freeland's new hero, it would've been harder for Odell to sink his hooks into me." Jen said.

"You mean the same Odell who turned Khalil into an assassin and nearly killed me?" Anissa asked, causing Jen to look at her.

"What?" Jen asked.

"Dad didn't tell you?" Anissa asked, causing Jen to look at her father.

"Jen, before you get too mad at me, I didn't find out about Khalil until literally right before Crisis and I didn't tell you about him in this one because since it hasn't happened yet, I didn't see any point in rehashing that particular part of the past." Jefferson defended himself and Jen calmed down.

"I guess that makes sense. But what the hell is Anissa talking about?" Jen asked, needing to know what Odell did to Khalil.

"He implanted Khalil with new cybernetics and some kind of operating system that turned him into a living weapon, including poison touch. Gambi and I both knew too, since we found him in the Pit and I asked him not to tell you, because I didn't want you to know until I found a way to save him, since we found proof that the real Khalil was in there underneath the ASA's programming and I didn't want to get your hopes up until I found a way to bring him back." Lynn said, hoping Jen would understand.

"Honestly mom, if you had told me, I probably would've gone on some kind of suicide mission against the entire ASA to get him out, so you did the right thing, keeping it from me. But I'm guessing you weren't planning on telling me this now?" Jen asked and her parents shook their heads.

"No and I thought that Anissa agreed not to tell you and this clearly wasn't the right time or place to do it. You only brought this up to hurt Jen." Jefferson said, turning to his older daughter.

"I know and I'm sorry, but I just got so angry that you were all ganging up on me that it just slipped out." Anissa said, since she regretted saying what she did the minute she said it and she also knew that she'd crossed a line. One she'd probably never be able to uncross.

"It doesn't matter Anissa. I can understand you keeping this from me since it happened in another reality that no longer applies, but telling me like this just because you were mad I wasn't taking your side? You're lucky you don't have your powers right now, because if you did, I'd be blasting you at full strength and I'm still considering doing that anyways. You had no right to cross that line." Jen said, electricity coursing through her eyes.

"Jen, go to the Sanctum and blow off some steam. I'll meet you there later." Jefferson said and Jen nodded as she walked out of the house and they heard her take off.

"Anissa, you had no right to go at your sister like that. It was uncalled for." Lynn said.

"Mom, I didn't mean to." Anissa tried to defend herself, but her parents wouldn't hear it.

"Anissa, it's clear that you let all the so-called freedom you had during the occupation go to your head, because the old you never would've crossed that line." Jefferson said.

"Dad, I made a mistake. Why are you holding it against me?" Anissa asked.

"Anissa, you lost our trust and that's not something we can just let go of. You need to earn it back. But in the meantime, you make more than enough money from my lab to be able to afford your own place. I suggest you start looking for one, since I don't think Jen will be in any mood to live under the same roof as you right now." Lynn said.

"Wait, are you kicking me out?" Anissa asked, shocked.

"You didn't seem to have problems getting your own place in the old reality, so why not do that again." Jefferson said and Anissa knew that her parents were right and she also knew that she'd need to earn back her family's trust and she also knew that her mom was also looking out for her health, since Jen was likely not going to be forgiving her for what she said for a while.

"Okay, I'll start looking for my own place." Anissa said.

"I know you probably think we're being hard on you Anissa, but we're doing this out of concern for you, since honestly, you lost your way. We're hoping this will help you find it again." Lynn said.

"No, you're right, I did lose my way and while this may seem harsh, it is the kick in the ass I needed to find it again. I hope that I can earn back your trust and Jen's forgiveness." Anissa said, right as Jefferson got a text from Gambi.

"I need to go. Gambi needs me at the Sanctum." Jefferson said.

"Is something wrong with Jen?" Lynn asked.

"No, it's something else. I'll be back soon." Jefferson said as he headed out.

When Jefferson arrived in the Sanctum, he found Jen's attention captured by her practicing her powers when Gambi approached him.

"What's going on?" Jefferson asked before he noticed what Gambi was holding.

"Is that?" Jefferson asked.

"Your old JSA communicator, yeah. It started going off randomly right before I texted you." Gambi said.

"That's impossible. The JSA was wiped out, that thing shouldn't be receiving any kind of signal." Jefferson said.

"I know, but this thing is going off, but only you can access it." Gambi reminded him as Jefferson took the communicator into his hand for the first time in years and entered his verification code 30648 to unlock it.

"What's the message?" Gambi asked.

"It's some kind of location signal. I think it's the location of where this message is coming from." Jefferson said he showed it to Gambi, who went over to the computer and entered the coordinates.

"It looks like those coordinates lead to a residence in Blue Valley Nebraska, but why would it be sending you coordinates there?" Gambi asked.

"I don't know, but I need to figure this out. Which means going to Nebraska now." Jefferson said.

"Good thing I just finished upgrading your suit for flight." Gambi said.

"And it's a good thing I don't need a suit to fly, since you realize there's a good chance this could be a trap." Jen said.

"Jen." Jefferson said.

"I've already finished a prototype of Jen's suit that should work." Gambi said.

"There's no talking you out of this is there?" Jefferson asked and Jen shook her head.

"Fine, I'll text your mom and let her know what's going on." Jefferson said as they went to suit up.

Chapter Text

Anissa Pierce was not happy. Before her dad and younger sister Jen had left for Blue Valley, since before they had, the Pierce family had gotten a visit from her aunt Lyla, who in this reality was the director of a government organization called Argus and she'd come bearing a gift for Anissa, but it wasn't one she wanted. It was one her parents had asked for and it was currently locked onto her wrist.

A metahuman power dampening cuff that had been refashioned to look like a typical bracelet, but the effect was still the same. It meant no going Thunder and Anissa could not figure out how to get it off. She still felt like her parents were overreacting. Yes, she'd made some mistakes, but so had Jen and yet they weren't dampening her powers. Then again, she wasn't sure if power dampening tech even worked on Jen.

"I see you're looking at apartments." Lynn said as she entered the living room of the Pierce house, since Anissa was still living with her dad in this reality and that was one thing she could at least change.

"Yeah, after all, if I'm not living under your roof, I don't have to play by your rules." Anissa said and Lynn rolled her eyes.

"Nice try, but even if you do move out, the dampener stays on until your father and I decide otherwise and I know you've already discovered what happens if you try to remove it yourself." Lynn said, since she'd heard Anissa's reaction to the zap function the bracelet had.

"Yeah. I still think this is overkill. I know I made mistakes, but so did Jen and she's not on lockdown." Anissa said.

"Anissa, I think that when it came to you, your father and I gave you too much freedom and you exploited it. We didn't give Jen enough of it and she rebelled. Besides, Jen's mistakes were a result of her being manipulated by Odell due to you caring more about being Blackbird than you did being a big sister." Lynn said.

"I don't even have my powers yet and you're already dampening them?" Anissa pointed out.

"It's for your own good. We're taking steps to prevent your powers from resurfacing until we're sure we can trust you with them. The only reason we're letting you move out is because Jen likely isn't going to want to spend any time with you after what you said about Khalil, since that crossed a line. At least how you said it did. And knowing her, she's likely going to rub it in your face that she has her powers while you don't have yours." Lynn said.

"It's funny since she never even wanted her powers when she first got them." Anissa said, remembering how reluctant Jen had been to suit up or even use her powers when they'd first surfaced.

"Well she wasn't like you. And honestly, in case you've forgotten, you kept trying to force her to put on a suit before she was ready. I think that having your roles reversed will be good for you. It'll teach you some humility and also teach you that your actions have consequences." Lynn said.

"Great. This would be better if I could at least find Grace." Anissa said.

"No luck with that yet?" Lynn asked.

"No, but it's only been a day or so and since she likely still has her powers, it will be hard to find her. But, do you think dad would be upset if I asked Uncle Gambi to use his resources to find her?" Anissa asked and Lynn chuckled.

"No, but just in case, I'll tell him that I gave you permission to do it, since I have to admit, I did like the person you were when Grace was around. She brought out the best in you." Lynn said.

"On that we agree. It broke my heart to send her away like I did, but I had no choice. I couldn't risk the ASA getting her. Someone with her powers who's also a stable meta, they'd see endless potentials for weaponizing her." Anissa said and Lynn nodded as she had a thought.

"Wait, what if the reason you haven't been able to find Grace yet is because someone else already did. What if the ASA already found her?" Lynn asked.

"Then that just makes it even more important that I get to Uncle Gambi's. Apartment hunting can wait." Anissa said.

"I'll see if I can narrow down the options for you." Lynn said, since she did agree with Anissa that this took priority and she was sure that Jefferson would agree as well.

Chapter Text

"Wait, are you sure this is the right place?" Jennifer Pierce asked her father as they arrived at coordinates in Blue Valley that her father's old Justice Society communicator had given them and it was for some big house.

"Yeah, Gambi confirmed that this is the place, though why we're at a private residence is beyond me." Jefferson said, right as he got a call from Gambi.

"I did some digging and I found something on that house that I think you'll find very interesting." Gambi said.

"Go on." Jefferson said.

"The owner of the house is listed as a Sylvester Pemberton." Gambi said and now Jefferson was on high alert.

"Are you sure?" Jefferson asked.

"Positive. And I've checked security cameras in the area and it turns out that another old friend of yours has been seen going in and out of the house over the past few weeks." Gambi said.

"Who?" Jefferson asked.

"Pat Dugan." Gambi said.

"Okay thanks Gambi." Jefferson said, feeling a bit less nervous since at least that was confirmation that this wasn't some kind of trap.

"Good luck Jeff." Gambi said as he hung up.

"So, what's going on?" Jen asked.

"The owner of this house is Starman." Jefferson said.

"Wait, as in the former leader of the JSA?" Jen asked, since her dad had told her more about the JSA on the flight out to Blue Valley.

"Yeah. And according to Gambi, security camera footage has caught Sylvester's old sidekick moving in. Whatever this is, it's not a trap." Jefferson said.

"Great, now how do we get past the gate?" Jen asked as Jefferson hit the buzzer.

"Can we help you?" A woman's voice asked over the intercom.

"Yes, my name is Jefferson Pierce, I'm here to see Pat Dugan. We're old friends." Jefferson said and for a few moments there was silence before they heard a buzzing sound and the gate opened.

"Well, that's a good sign." Jen said and Jefferson nodded as they headed onto the grounds and into the house where they found a familiar face, or familiar to Jefferson at least, waiting for them at the front door.

"Pat." Jefferson said as he and Pat rushed forward and hugged each other.

"Jefferson. It's so good to see you." Pat said.

"You too. Though I have to admit, I didn't think you'd be so happy to see me considering how I abandoned the team when they needed me most." Jefferson said.

"And if you'd been there, you would've ended up like everyone else that night. Besides, unlike the rest of the JSA, you were actually known as being the protector of your hometown. Your priority was protecting it. But should we really be talking about this around your daughter?" Pat asked, surprised that Jefferson was so open about this.

"So him Jen." Jefferson said and Jen grinned as she powered up her hand.

"Wait, so your daughter inherited your powers?" Pat asked.

"Technically, I think I'm an upgrade, since every test we've run back in Freeland shows that I'm way more powerful than my dad ever was." Jen said smugly.

"Come on in. I think we have a lot to discuss and I think that Jen is really going to enjoy hanging out with my stepdaughter Courtney and her friend Yolanda." Pat said.

"Why?" Jefferson asked.

"Because Courtney is Sylvester's daughter and Yolanda is Ted's niece and goddaughter and they both take after them." Pat said and now Jefferson understood.

"Okay Jen, let's head inside, I think you're going to enjoy this." Jefferson said, since he had to admit, one thing he thought might've helped Jen out in the old reality was if she'd been around other people her own age with abilities like her, it might've made her feel less alone.

"Wait, are you saying there are other kids my age with powers?" Jen asked eagerly.

"Kind of. Yolanda does have metahuman powers that give her the same abilities Ted's Wildcat suit gave him." Pat said.

"And let me guess, Courtney was chosen by her father's staff." Jefferson said.

"Yep. Come on, I think they'll be happy to meet you." Pat said as he let them in.

"Jefferson Pierce, Jennifer Pierce, meet my wife Barbara Whitmore." Pat said as they entered the den to find Barbara waiting for them.

"Nice to meet you." Jefferson said.

"You too. It's nice to finally meet you, Sylvester spoke very highly of you Jefferson." Barbara said as Jefferson recognized that she was the one who'd let them in.

"You knew Sylvester?" Jefferson asked.

"I'm Courtney's mother and Sylvester was my first husband. My father was actually the one who created the cosmic staff." Barbara said.

"I never knew Sylvester was married." Jefferson said.

"We kept it a secret to protect me and more importantly, our daughter Courtney from his enemies, though keeping that secret has come back to bite me since now Courtney wants nothing to do with me." Barbara said.

"Why?" Jen asked, though she had an idea.

"Barbara lied to Courtney about why her father disappeared and let Courtney think that her father just abandoned them instead of telling her the truth. She only found out the truth after the staff picked her and she's still mad that Barbara let her think that her dad didn't care about her, when in reality, he loved Courtney more than anything." Pat said.

"She'll get over it. Trust me. Jen was pissed at me when she found out I was Black Lightning and she discovered her powers." Jefferson said.

"Where is this Courtney girl anyways?" Jen asked, eager to meet another teenage superhero.

"She's downstairs in the Citadel, apparently Sylvester built a JSA base under the house without telling any of us." Barbara said.

"What brought you here anyways?" Pat asked.

"This." Jefferson said he pulled out his old JSA comm.

"Your old JSA comm?" Pat asked, since even though he'd never been given one himself, he recognized the device immediately.

"Yeah, yesterday it started going off and showed coordinates that led us here." Jefferson said.

"You think that maybe the AI downstairs sent out the signal?" Barbara asked and Pat shrugged.

"It's possible, but there's only one way to find out. Come on, let's head downstairs." Pat said as he and Barbara led Jefferson and Jen into Sylvester's study and Pat placed his hand on the photo scanner, which lit up green, revealing the hidden elevator.

"Wow, this is cool." Jen said, amazed as she was the first one to step into the elevator.

"Going down." Pat said as the adults joined her in the elevator and headed down to the citadel.

Chapter Text

Anissa was sitting on the couch, still trying to find both an apartment and any trace of Grace in this world when her mother entered the room.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Anissa asked.

"I just wanted to let you know that you're getting an extension on the amount of time you have to find a place." Lynn said.

"What do you mean? There's no way Jen will have forgotten what I said this soon or forgiven me for it yet." Anissa asked.

"True, but she's actually the one moving out." Lynn said, much to Anissa's shock.

"What do you mean? She's only 15 years old?" Anissa asked.

"No, she's moving in with an old friend of your father's in Blue Valley, since it turns out that signal they followed was being sent due to the rebirth of the JSA, only with a younger generation, since most of the members now are legacies of the original JSA who are around Jen's age. Your father and I agreed to let Jen move there, since honestly, from what he told me, he let her spar with one of the other girls there and she looked happier than he'd seen her be since her powers developed. He and I both think that it will be good for her to be around people like her who are her own age. It might help her feel less alone, since honestly, I think one of the reasons she always had so much trouble with her powers is because she felt isolated from everyone, since she couldn't exactly fit in with kids her own age, since she had to keep her powers a secret from them and she was so much younger than anyone else she did know who had powers. This way, she has a way to be herself with people who are more like her." Lynn said.

"I guess that makes sense. But still, I can't believe that you're really letting her do this." Anissa said.

"Well, we also want to get her as far away from Freeland as possible before Odell starts trying to sink his hooks into this city." Lynn said.

"I agree with that. I still feel like an idiot for not being able to keep her from his thrall, since I know that if I'd been the big sister I should've been to Jen instead of being so caught up with being Blackbird, I could've kept her from Odell's clutches. Blackbird was not a good look for me." Anissa said and Lynn nodded.

"No, she wasn't. She was rash and reckless and basically everything your father taught you not to be." Lynn said and Anissa nodded.

"Come and help me pack her stuff up, since we need to get her ready to move by the time she and your father get back, since we need to get her moved out there in time for school to start. Your father's also bringing home all the paperwork I need to fill out to make Mr. and Mrs. Dugan, the people Jen will be staying with, as her temporary legal guardians in Blue Valley." Lynn said.

"Have we come up with a cover story about why we're sending Jen away to live in Nebraska, since it's not like we can tell people the truth." Anissa said.

"We're still working on that, but come and help me pack." Lynn said and Anissa nodded as she got up off the couch and followed her mom up to Jen's room so that they could start packing up her stuff.

After Jefferson and Jen returned to Freeland, they spent the rest of the weekend packing up Jen's room, though Anissa was a bit upset that Jen seemed to be going out of her way to avoid her, though she couldn't blame her, but Anissa was hoping that she'd get the chance to make amends with Jen before she left.

However, now it was Jen's last night in Freeland and now the Pierce family, plus Gambi, were sitting in the dining room of the Pierce house where Lynn had made all of Jen's favorites to celebrate her last night in Freeland.

"So, what exactly is the cover story we're putting out for me moving to Blue Valley, since people won't buy that I'm doing it for no reason." Jen asked her parents.

"We're going with a version of the truth. Telling people that after you were kidnapped by the 100, we're sending you to live with a family friend out of state until that gang is finally taken down." Jefferson said.

"Wait, won't they ask why you're not doing that for me too?" Anissa asked.

"We considered that, but Anissa, there's also the fact that you're technically a legal adult and you've made it clear that you never run from a fight, so people won't question why you're staying." Lynn explained and Anissa nodded, since that made sense.

"Are you looking forward to your new school?" Gambi asked Jen.

"Actually I am. For starters, Courtney told me that Blue Valley High does not have any kind of uniform policy, which is a major improvement over Garfield, not to mention I won't have to deal with the reputation of being the principal's daughter." Jen said.

"You looking forward to working with this new JSA?" Anissa asked, honestly a bit jealous of her sister, not that she'd say that.

"Yeah. Oh and Uncle Gambi, you might be getting some new business, since I think Courtney might send her father's suit here for you to alter to her, since she wants to wear her dad's suit to honor his memory. Especially since it and the staff are all she has left of her dad." Jennifer said.

"I'm more than happy to do it. Tell her that I'm more than willing to come up to Blue Valley at any time." Gambi said.

"I still think it's crazy that all this time, there were other JSA legacies out there. Who knows, maybe dad wasn't the only survivor." Anissa said.

"You never know." Jefferson agreed.

"I am looking forward to being able to spend more time around kids my own age, since honestly, before I felt like the only people I could talk to were related to me and that's not healthy." Jen said.

"No it isn't. Part of why your dad and I agreed to let you do this is because we think that it would be better for you to be around more kids your age who are like you." Lynn said and Jen nodded.

"And I'll be coming home for the holidays, but I am looking forward to life in Blue Valley." Jen said.

"Jen, can we talk in private for a second?" Anissa asked.

"Sure." Jen said, deciding that she might as well get this over with before she left until Thanksgiving.

"Thanks." Anissa said as she and Jen walked into the living room.

"Well?" Jen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Jen, I really am sorry about what I said. You had a right to know, but not like that." Anissa said.

"Anissa, if it had been done under different circumstances, I would be fine, but you told me about Khalil just to hurt me. What kind of sister does that?" Jen asked.

"A sister who was jealous that you still have your powers and I don't have mine and also one who felt guilty about letting you down. I was so caught up in my own hype that I lost sight of the fact that you needed me more, since you were alone, mom and dad were in the Pit and you were still mourning Khalil. I should've been there for you." Anissa said and to her surprise, Jen actually hugged her.

"I just wanted to hear you say what you did. Anissa, I do forgive you, but I think that moving to Blue Valley is the right move for me, since I never really fit in here. But I will miss you." Jen said and Anissa smiled as she hugged her sister back.

"I'll miss you too. You'll have to call me every day and let me know if you need any dating advice." Anissa said.

"You really think I'd talk to mom or dad about that?" Jen asked.

"Hey, at least I never announced to them where and when I was going to be losing my virginity. I still can't believe you did that." Anissa said.

"I learned my lesson about that. Trust me, when it does happen for me, I'm gonna put off mom and dad knowing for as long as possible." Jen said.

"Spoken like a real teenager." Anissa said with a chuckle.

"One thing though." Jen said.

"And that is?" Anissa asked.

"When you do find Grace, and I know you will, get her the help she needs and then put a ring on her. You were always your happiest when you were with her and I want to be able to gloat about that during my maid of honor speech at your wedding, since I will be your maid of honor right?" Jen asked.

"Of course. Now, is there anything else you want to talk to me about or can we go back to dinner?" Anissa asked.

"One more thing. My two new teammates, Courtney and Yolanda, I think they play for the same team as you if you know what I mean." Jen said.

"Really." Anissa said.

"Yeah, Courtney is already out and proud, but Yolanda is still so far in the closet I don't think she even knows it, but it's clear to anyone else that they're crushing on each other. I thought that maybe you could help, since I don't think it's a good idea for there to be that kind of tension in the team." Jen said and Anissa sighed.

"If they were both out, then yes, maybe I could help, but I'm not going to force either of them out if they're not yet, since I more than anyone understand a person's desire to come out when they're ready. Let me know when they're both out and then we can go from there." Anissa said and Jen nodded in agreement.

"Come on, let's get back to the table before mom and dad come and check on us." Jen said and Anissa nodded as they headed back to the table.

Chapter Text

Agent Percy Odell was currently going over reports Martin Proctor had sent him about the new wave of metahumans appearing in Central City and he had to admit, Proctor's proposal was an interesting one. However, it would have to be carefully executed, since one wrong move could bring all kinds of scrutiny down on the ASA and reveal the truth about what they were doing to the world. Something Odell was trying very hard to avoid.

However, he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the door to his office be forced open and saw the new director of Argus, Lyla Michaels, come storming into his office with a very large tact team.

"Director Michaels, what's the meaning of this?" Odell demanded, wondering what she could have on him.

"I just thought you should know that I spoke to the President earlier today and he's agreed that due to the existence of both Argus and the DEO, the ASA is no longer necessary. And you are under arrest." Lyla said as one of her agents moved to cuff him.

"On what charges?" Odell demanded.

"Manslaughter, funding and abetting criminal organizations, conspiracy, illegal human experimentation, child abduction, the list goes on and on." Lyla said.

"It's a pity you're not Amanda Waller. She understood that sometimes in order to keep the world safe, you have to do things people don't agree with." Odell said.

"And that kind of thinking is exactly why Amanda Waller is rotting in a grave right now. And unless you want to join her, I suggest you keep your mouth shut." Lyla said.

"You need me to help stop the fights that are coming." Odell said.

"You mean the Markovian threat? We're well aware of that and Argus is taking jurisdiction, since I think we're better equipped to handle this threat. I have agents looking into that situation as we speak and I'm also consulting with the best doctors in the country to help the metas you've abducted and placed in your pods over the years." Lyla said, disgusted by Odell's actions, especially since Jefferson had told her about how Odell had weaponized Jen in the old reality.

"I'm a patriot. If you think I regret my actions, you're wrong. I'm trying to ensure that our nation survives." Odell said.

"You're delusional if you think that justifies what you did." Lyla said as she gestured to her men to take him away.

"I'm just curious, how's your family doing? After all, your brother-in-law, sister-in-law and nieces, I'm sure that they'd be tremendous assets to our cause." Odell said, causing Lyla to punch him.

"Keep your mouth shut. Especially since I'm not the only one with family. Nice little hustle your daughter has going on in Akashic Valley. Maybe I'll bring her in too. Especially since I'm sure that she's just like you." Lyla said.

"You'd really arrest Maya?" Odell asked.

"There's a team on route to get her as we speak. Only way she's avoiding jail time is if she agrees to testify against you." Lyla said.

"You really think that she'll testify against me?" Odell asked.

"I think that just like you, she'd choose to save herself over you in a heartbeat. Now shut your mouth and save your words for your trial. Maybe you can convince them to give you something less than a life sentence, but make no mistake, you are going to prison for the rest of your life. And so are your right and left hands, Sara Grey and Carson Williams. Though we may show Williams some leniency, since you forced him to become what he is now. And once we find a way to study him, we may offer him a role in Argus. But you will never see the light of day again. Now get this man out of my sight before I shoot him." Lyla said angrily, taking so much joy at watching Odell be dragged out of the Pit.

"Director Michaels, what should we do with this place?" Another agent asked her about the Pit.

"Take all personnel into custody until we can question them, since I have a feeling that some of these people aren't like Odell. They were just following orders. Download all significant information from the hard drives and confiscate all technology the ASA has been developing. Then burn everything else. I want this base wiped off the map." Lyla said as she walked away.

Chapter Text

Tobias Whale was not a happy man right now. He'd been called into Lady Eve's office and he had a feeling he knew why. His entire future was at stake because of one stupid ass neon lit up negro. Black Lightning. Tobias had built his entire criminal empire and reputation on his claim that he'd killed Black Lightning 10 years ago and until now, he thought he had.

"Lady Eve." Tobias said coldly as he entered her office, wishing that he didn't feel like he was being called into the principal's office.

"Welcome Tobias. I'm sure you know why I called you here? Your reputation is at stake." Lady Eve told him.

"I've heard the rumors." Tobias said.

"Tobias, they are not just rumors. Your entire reputation was based on the fact that you killed Black Lightning and now the underworld thinks you lied about that and are wondering what else you lied about." Eve said.

"I thought I did kill him 10 years ago. I beat his broken down negro ass so much I was sure he was dead." Tobias said.

"And I'm betting he thought the same thing about you considering the state we found you in after that brawl. You better hope that this doesn't impact your reputation, especially since I know you have aspirations to join me here on the Shadow Board and I have to admit, the timing of this could not have been worse for you." Lady Eve said.

"What do you mean?" Tobias asked.

"Oh, you haven't heard? The ASA was just brought down, which means that there is now a seat on the shadow board available, though I can't back you for it when you're at risk of losing everything you've already built." Eve said.

"What do you expect me to do?" Tobias asked impatiently, though in the back of his mind, he was thinking of ways to exploit the fall of the ASA for him.

"Damage control. Starting with your man Lala. It's because of him that some of our best sellers are in jail and we've lost the Seahorse Motel." Eve said.

"Joey Toledo is already handling it and I've got Syonide working on finding out where I can find Black Lightning, since while this negro is going to die, I need to find out if he's the real deal or just some weakass pretender who got lucky his first time out." Tobias said and Lady Eve nodded.

"At least you're already on top of this." Lady Eve said.

"Of course. Just like how I'm also thinking about how to exploit the fall of Odell and Proctor for my benefit." Tobias said.

"Careful Tobias. You shouldn't get too ambitious yet. If I were you, I'd focus more on the problem at hand. You have one week to reestablish your street credit or I will replace you with someone who can and call in a professional to deal with this Black Lightning problem." Lady Eve said.

"He's mine. No one else touches him." Tobias growled.

"Then prove it and deal with him like you should've in the first place." Lady Eve said.

"He will be." Tobias said, though he was also thinking that maybe Black Lightning wasn't the only one who needed to go.

At the same time as this, Lyla was informing Jefferson and his family of the downfall of the ASA.

"What are your plans for the pod kids?" Lynn asked, since she was still worried about them.

"I'm reaching out to an old friend who has particular expertise in metahuman biology. Dr. Caitlin Snow." Lyla said.

"Really, I was on the verge of discovering a stabilization cure in the old reality, so I was thinking that I could help with it in this reality." Lynn said.

"Don't worry Lynn. Caitlin is just going to be consulting. Since we're going to be keeping the pods here in Freeland, I was hoping that you'd be willing to head up the project, since I can see how much you care about those kids and that's the kind of person I want running this program, since I want the people on the project to remember that these kids are not weapons. Once they've been stabilized, they'll be able to start building new lives, though they will be given the option to stay with Argus, but I won't force any of them too. They're not weapons, they're human beings." Lyla said and Lynn smiled.

"And I can already tell this will work out better than it did under Odell, since I can tell that you actually do see these metas as actual people." Lynn said, very happy about that.

"Considering how many arguments John and I have had over the years about the ethics of Argus, yeah, I'm trying not to be Amanda Waller or Percy Odell." Lyla said.

"And I'm sure that you're not." Jefferson said.

Chapter Text

Gambi was currently working on a suit, a regular suit, up in his tailor shop when he saw Argus director Lyla Michaels walk into it.

"Director Michaels. What brings you to my humble abode?" Gambi asked her.

"Well, as I'm sure Jefferson told you, Argus is going to be establishing a presence here in Freeland until the pod kids are stabilized and the Markovian threat is eliminated, but don't worry, we have no intention of starting a military occupation, I'm trying not to be like the guy I just locked up." Lyla said.

"I heard. I also heard that you're putting Lynn in charge of the pod kid project, which is very smart." Gambi said.

"Yes, but I still need someone to oversee the entire operation, since I need to return to Star City to run Argus as a whole." Lyla said as Gambi realized why she was here.

"And you want that to be me?" Gambi asked.

"You're the logical choice. You've already got the tactical and technical skills required due to your past with the ASA and more importantly, I trust you, since Jefferson and Lynn told me about all the things you did for their and by extension, my family in the old reality, even when they weren't my family then. That's earned you my trust." Lyla said.

"I'm not sure if I want to get back into the life that I got out of for a reason." Gambi told her.

"I understand your hesitations, but remember, Argus is not the ASA and I will never let it become anything like the ASA. That's part of why I want you to run the operation. Because your moral compass told you when to leave. It'll keep you from crossing lines that aren't meant to be crossed." Lyla said and Gambi sighed.

"I don't know." Gambi said.

"It would mean having a much larger budget for the operation you have going on downstairs and access to Argus resources for anything you need, including creating upgraded suits to keep Jeff and the girls safe, even though from what I hear, Anissa won't be suiting up any time soon, even if she does get her powers back." Lyla said.

"That is true. She's definitely lost her superhero privileges, though I'm just as guilty of abandoning Jen." Gambi said.

"You have the excuse of needing to pretend to be dead until you could find your killer. You had to lay low, which meant you couldn't spend a ton of time around Jen and Anissa without drawing attention to yourself. Anissa has no excuse for neglecting Jen." Lyla said, making it clear that she was on Jefferson and Lynn's side of this argument.

"Do you promise that Argus will leave Freeland once things have settled down here and the pod kids are stabilized?" Gambi asked her.

"I promise that our presence here will be like it is everywhere else. No one will know we're here unless they need us. You should ask John. His team takes advantage of Argus resources all the time." Lyla said and Gambi chuckled.

"Fair enough, but I want to be clear, my loyalty is to the Pierce family first, not Argus." Gambi said.

"As it should be. People come first. Especially since my loyalty is to my family first and I'm not just talking about the Pierce family. I'm talking about John and our children, even though we don't have them yet in this reality and even John's team, especially Oliver, since those two are brothers in all but blood." Lyla said and Gambi nodded.

"And also, is there anything you can do to help us bring down Tobias Whale?" Gambi asked.

"Believe me Peter, if I could, I would, but Tobias Whale is legally dead and even if he wasn't, there's no proof of him being involved in anything criminal. I can't just go locking people up without evidence. I literally just locked a guy up for doing that." Lyla said and Gambi nodded, understanding that her hands were tied and honestly, her ethics like that made Gambi more willing to work with her.

"I can understand that, but if we get proof?" Gambi asked.

"Then I'll make sure that he's locked up in another government prison where he'll never see the light of day again." Lyla said and Gambi nodded.

"Okay then, I accept your offer, though I'd still like to keep my shop open." Gambi said.

"Done, but now there's something else I need to talk to you about. Are you familiar with an organization called Hive?" Lyla asked.

"I heard some rumors about them during my old ASA days, but never gave them much thought. Why?" Gambi asked.

"Because Hive is real and very dangerous. They're a global terrorist organization bent on causing a nuclear apocalypse so they can rebuild with a chosen few. They nearly succeeded in the old reality and even then, it was close. And Team Arrow lost a valued team member in the process." Lyla said.

"But that's not why you're telling me this is it?" Gambi asked, knowing that there was more to the story.

"You're right. One of the members of Hive was someone who we all thought was dead. Andy Diggle. John and Lynn's brother." Lyla said.

"What?" Gambi asked.

"Hive faked his death as part of his recruitment and then he infiltrated our ranks and betrayed us. I'm telling you this and not Jeff and Lynn because I don't want to ruin Andy's memory for Lynn if he really is dead, but you need to be prepared. Andy's betrayal nearly destroyed Oliver and John's friendship and it drove John down a very dark path." Lyla said and Gambi nodded in understanding.

"I'll keep this to myself." Gambi said.

"Good. Hopefully Hive will remain a Team Arrow problem so you won't have to deal with them, but I want to be prepared." Lyla said and Gambi nodded.

Chapter Text

Anissa had spent the past few days doing a lot of thinking. Ever since she'd had her memories restored by that J'onn J'onzz guy, she'd been feeling something she hadn't felt before. She felt useless, since she couldn't help the city as Thunder or Blackbird, not that she'd want to be Blackbird, since looking back on it, her parents were right, that persona was a bad influence on her and it had caused her to abandon her little sister at a time when she needed her, but she also felt useless as Anissa Pierce, since she didn't think that participating in the same protests she'd used too before she got her powers would be a good way to earn her parents' trust back, so she felt like she couldn't do anything.

Or well, almost useless. She was still working at Freeland Hospital, but it just wasn't as satisfying as it used to be. She didn't even have Grace. Honestly, Anissa felt like she'd lost everything in this new timeline and she wasn't sure where to start getting it back.

Anyways, right now, Anissa was currently in her room at the Pierce house, talking on the phone to an old friend of hers from medical school, Dr. Caitlin Snow.

"So, you're not really feeling fulfilled by work in a regular hospital anymore?" Caitlin asked her.

"Not really. I just wish I could figure out what would make me happy now." Anissa said.

"Well, you could always come work with me in Central City." Caitlin said.

"No offense Caitlin, but if I wanted to work for some big corporate lab, I'd be working with my mom right now." Anissa said, thinking that Caitlin still worked for Star Labs.

"Did you not hear that Star Labs was shut down after the accelerator explosion?" Caitlin asked.

"I did, but I figured you went to work for another big lab like them." Anissa said.

"Actually, while I had an offer from Mercury Labs, I decided to go a different route." Caitlin said.

"How so?" Anissa asked, curious.

"Since metahumans have started emerging in Central City since the accelerator explosion, I noticed that a lot of them are discriminated against and not given basic human rights like access to decent medical care, so I decided that instead of working at another lab, I opened up a medical clinic in Central City that's meant solely for the use of Central City's metahumans and also the more underprivileged citizens of Central City who can't afford to go to a real hospital. My clinic is funded by Mercury Labs, but that's just because one of my first patients was Christina McGee's stepson." Caitlin said and Anissa was honestly impressed, since honestly, if the ASA hadn't been a concern in the old reality, she might've thought of doing something like that herself.

"I have to admit, that is impressive. And it's working?" Anissa asked.

"With complete support from the CCPD, since if they come across injured metahumans, they usually bring them to me instead of to a hospital. I think that this clinic is the first step to establishing actual human rights for metas." Caitlin said.

"Wow, I bet you never imagined your life would be that back when we were in med school?" Anissa asked her.

"No, but I'm glad it did. Especially since the reason I started my clinic was a personal one." Caitlin said.

"Really, why?" Anissa asked.

"My first patient was a little girl who was abandoned by her parents after they discovered she was a metahuman. And that girl is now my daughter." Caitlin said.

"Oh my god. Please tell me those parents are in jail?" Anissa asked, since that sounded very similar to how metas in Freeland were treated.

"Oh yeah. And my fiance and I both adore our new daughter." Caitlin said.

"Right, looking forward to the wedding." Anissa said, since she'd been invited.

"You still haven't told us if you're bringing a plus one and we need to know soon." Caitlin said.

"I'll let you know soon Caitlin. Thanks for the talk. It really did help." Anissa said with a smile, since now she actually had some idea of what she wanted to do with her life.

"You're welcome, but remember Anissa, the sooner you get back to me, the better." Caitlin said as she hung up and Anissa smiled, since now she just needed to figure out how to convince her parents to support her new passion, though she didn't think that would be too hard.

Chapter Text

That night, Anissa found her parents having dinner together and she was very happy about that, since it seemed like her parents were finally on the road to getting back together and even getting remarried.

"Anissa, what's going on?" Lynn asked.

"I have something I need to talk to both of you about and no it's not about the dampener or my powers or anything like that." Anissa said.

"Okay, then what is it?" Jefferson asked.

"I've been thinking about leaving the hospital." Anissa said.

"And doing what instead exactly?" Lynn asked, hoping that her daughter wasn't becoming a couch surfer.

"I've been talking to an old friend from medical school, Dr. Caitlin Snow and she gave me an idea about what I really want to do with my life." Anissa said.

"And what is that?" Jefferson asked.

"I want to start a free clinic in Freeland that tailors specifically to the impoverished side of Freeland and also the metahumans, since from what I remember in the old reality, even before the ASA took jurisdiction, metas weren't exactly treated kindly around here." Anissa said, surprising both of her parents, since that was not what they were expecting her to say.

"Really?" Lynn asked, honestly impressed.

"Yeah, I mean it was a thing before when the ASA was a threat, since starting a clinic like this would be basically like shooting ducks in a barrel for them, but now that they're no longer an issue." Anissa said.

"I think this is a great idea. And it's definitely a step in the right direction." Jefferson said and Lynn nodded in agreement.

"We both support this idea, Anissa. It'll allow you to start helping and healing people again, instead of hurting them." Lynn said and Anissa smiled at her parents.

"Thank you, though now I need to figure out how I'm going to fund it, since something like this won't be cheap." Anissa said.

"You can speak to your aunt Lyla about helping with government funding, since any facility that takes care of metahumans will need to be properly reinforced to accommodate their powers and I think that Argus could help with that. Also, you could reach out to your friend and see if whoever's funding her clinic could at least recommend someone to fund yours." Jefferson said, very proud of his daughter for thinking of this.

"Maybe." Anissa said, wondering how she was going to bring her idea to life because it cost money that she didn't have and while she loved her aunt, she didn't know if she wanted that government organization involved in her clinic, no matter how good intentioned they were or who they were run by. Her experiences with the ASA had left her permanently disillusioned with government organizations.

At the same time this was happening, Maya Odell was currently in hiding on the streets of Akashic Valley, wondering if her contact would ever show up, since she'd been in hiding ever since that nuisance Lyla Michaels had arrested her father and brought down the ASA and she was getting tired of it. Agent Michaels was responsible for losing everything. First her mother Amanda Waller's death and now her father's arrest, both of them only doing what they had to in order to protect the country.

However, Maya wasn't concerned about that right now. She was more concerned about when her new contact would arrive.

"Finally." Maya said as she saw her contact approach.

"You'd better have a good reason for calling me here Ms. Odell? You know I do not trust your family." Markovian Colonel Yuri Mosin said as he approached her.

"Relax. I'm here because I have information I'm sure you'll find interesting. The ASA has fallen." Maya said.

"Really. This is good to know." Mosin said.

"Yes, but before you start making any plans, you should know that another agency has taken jurisdiction and is keeping the metahuman pods hidden. I can tell you where they are, but it comes at a price." Maya said.

"How much money is worth betraying your nation for?" Mosin asked, since if this was genuine, he knew Markovia would pay her however much she wanted.

"No, I don't want money. I want you to get me the hell out of this country, since with my father's arrest, there's also a warrant out for my arrest unless I testify against him and I won't do that. I tell you how to get those pods and assist in your invasion plans and you offer me safe haven in Markovia. That's the deal I'm offering." Maya said.

"That is a big ask. Before we can agree, we need a sign of good faith to know you are serious." Mosin said, since his boss would likely need proof before he agreed to allow a member of the Odell family to set down roots in Markovia.

"How about the location of someone else I know that is of high interest to you." Maya said.

"And who might that be?" Mosin asked.

"Dr. Helga Jace. I know where she is." Maya said and she could tell that she had his interest.

"Give me the location. Once we confirm it is accurate, then we will be in touch about offering you safe haven in Markovia." Mosin said and Maya nodded, knowing that was best she was going to get as she gave him the location.

"We'll be in touch." Mosin said as he left about as quickly as he came.

Chapter Text

"You wanted to see me?" Jefferson asked Gambi when he entered the Sanctum a few days later.

"Yeah, thanks to my new resources as the head of Argus's Freeland base, I was able to have this put together for you." Gambi said as handed Jefferson a familiar watch.

"Is this what I think it is?" Jefferson asked as he put the watch on.

"Yep." Gambi said as Jeff charged the watch up and sure enough, his newer, lighter suit formed around his body.

"I'm working on nanotech models for the girls too. I'll send Jen her's once it's done and I'll give Anissa her's when she not only has her powers, but also earns the right to use them again." Gambi said.

"Yeah, I think she might be on her way to earning that privilege back." Jefferson said, very proud of Anissa for her clinic idea.

"Good to know." Gambi said.

"Anyways, I think it's time to do some whale hunting." Black Lightning said.

"You gonna head straight to Tobias's office?" Gambi asked, since they knew where he lived.

"Not yet. If I do that, then Black Lightning is accused of attacking a random civilian. We need proof of Tobias's crimes. No, I'm gonna start by finishing off the ASA's operation. Starting with taking down their Greenlight operations before anyone else decides to pick up where they left off. Let's just hope that Tobias doesn't know that Greenlight is a viable way to create metahumans." Jefferson said.

"Well, somewhat stable." Gambi said.

"Still. At least he hasn't tried to make a move in Central City or literally any other city in the country." Jefferson said, since Freeland seemed to be the only city in America where the metas weren't naturally stable.

"Anyways Jeff, time to get to work. Freeland needs Black Lightning back." Gambi said.

"Yep. Do me a favor and not act smug around Lynn about winning that fight." Jefferson said.

"Don't worry I won't. Especially since as long as she's on Argus's payroll, I'm her boss and I want her to not hate Argus like she does the ASA." Gambi said.

"Well, just don't condition her to take the most addictive drug on the planet and you should be good." Jefferson said and Gambi nodded as Jefferson checked out the suit's functions and sure enough, he found he once again had flight capabilities, since while his powers had been advanced due to the ASA's testing in the old reality, he still could not fly without it, something he found very annoying, especially since Jen could fly without a suit on. Then again, as has been stated numerous times, Jen's powers were definitely an upgraded version of his, since while he could only absorb electricity, she could generate it. He just hoped that she'd be able to control it without him there to siphon off the excess energy, though to be fair, he was pretty sure some of the times she'd had trouble controlling her powers was just because they'd picked the wrong way to help her control them. Hopefully Jen's new team would be able to help her in ways that he and their family hadn't before.

"Time to go to work." Jeff said as he activated his goggles and Black Lightning headed out to start bringing hope back to Freeland.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Everyone associated with the ASA is currently in lockup? Why are we continuing with Odell's plans?" one of the ASA's former drug pushers, LaShawn asked his boss.

"Because this drug is still highly addictive and highly valuable. Who cares about what the ASA was planning, honestly, them going down was a blessing in disguise, since now we've got all the dope we want and we don't have to play by their rules. Plus now we can keep all the money we make." the boss, Darius, said.

"Still, this seems like a very risky move." LaShawn said.

"Sometimes business is risky. And this is worth the risk." Darius said, only for the doors to literally be blown off their hinges as Black Lightning entered the warehouse.

"Sup fellas. Miss me." Black Lightning said as he blasted them both back.

"You were saying Darius?" LaShawn asked as they both struggled to get up.

"Now, I know I've been gone for awhile, but last time I checked, drugs were illegal and those who sold them belong in jail. So I'll give you one guess about what happens next." Black Lightning said.

"Please, I'm only trying to support my family." LaShawn said.

"I can understand that. But there has got to be other ways to support them." Black Lightning said, only to be shot by Darius.

"You really think I give a damn about you? The world thought you were dead, might as well make it real." Darius said as he tried shooting Black Lightning again, only to watch the bullets bounce off his suit.

"Yeah, no." Black Lightning said as he blasted Darius back.

"Where's Tobias?" Black Lightning asked.

"Who?" Darius asked.

"Tobias Whale. The albino asshole who runs the 100. Where is he?" Black Lightning demanded as he continued blasting him.

"We don't know any Tobias. We barely associate with the 100. We're just low level guys." LaShawn said as Black Lightning stopped zapping Darius and turned to him.

"I believe you. But what about Lala? Any clue where he is?" Black Lightning said.

"If he's not still in jail, chances are he's holed up at Club 100." LaShawn said as Black Lightning.

"You get a pass for telling me this and because I respect you trying to support your family. But find a new job. Next time you won't get a free pass from me." Black Lightning said.

"Thank you." LaShawn said, nodding and running out.

"You on the other hand. You're coming with me. After I do a little house cleaning." Black Lightning said to Darius as he used his powers to spark an electrical fire to destroy all the drugs before yanking Darius up and flying him out.

Henderson smiled as he watched Black Lightning drop a 100 gangbanger in front of him outside the precinct.

"Any trouble?" Henderson asked.

"His partner gave me some intel on Lala, along with the fact that he was clearly a family man on his first run. I gave him a shot to turn things around. This guy however, book him. Especially since he shot me." Black Lightning said.

"And he's still conscious." Henderson asked.

"I figured he'd be more useful to you not barbecued." Black Lightning said.

"Fair enough. And the Greenlight warehouse?" Henderson asked.

"Freeland FD should be getting a call about the fire any minute now. Those drugs are gone. Now, I'll let you handle this piece of trash while I go have a little chat with Lala. One that's honestly very overdue." Black Lightning said and Henderson nodded as he took Darius into custody while Black Lightning flew off.

Chapter Text

Latavious Johnson, better known on the streets as Lala, was currently holed up at Club 100, trying desperately to avoid the attention of his boss, Tobias Whale, at least until he could find someone to push the blame of the loss of the Seahorse Motel on, especially since that had resulted in the return of Black Lightning, someone who until now all of Freeland thought was dead and he knew how much of a hit Tobias's rep would take now, but unlike most people who'd just stop taking Tobias seriously, Lala knew that would just make him pissed, so he was taking serious precautions.

"Yo Lala." one of his thugs said and Lala grinned as he saw two of his most trusted goons drag his dumbass cousin Will into the room.

"So, you finally found the dumbass who's responsible for all this." Lala said.

"Sorry it took so long boss." the lead thug said.

"What's important is that you found him before Tobias found me." Lala said as he pulled out a gun.

"Lala, please, we can work this out." Will said.

"No. You know the rules. The Pierce girls are off limits, their father is considered Black Jesus in this town, and Garfield was a safe zone. And if that wasn't bad enough, your dumbass brought those girls back to the Seahorse Motel, which we've now lost and worst of all, your dumb black ass brought Black Lightning back from the dead." Lala said, right as the lights flickered and suddenly, Black Lightning appeared.

"Thanks for the intro Lala." Black Lightning said as he then proceeded to blast Will for abducting his daughters before turning his attention to Lala.

"You really want to do this?" Lala asked as he aimed his gun at Black Lightning.

"Lucky for you, you're not the one I'm really after and I'll give you one guess about who it is I really want." Black Lightning said angrily.

"Tobias Whale." Lala realized.

"Yep. So if you want a chance of just going to prison, you'll tell me where he is." Black Lightning said.

"I don't know where he is, you think he's dumb enough to let anyone not in his inner circle know his address?" Lala asked.

"Then tell me why I shouldn't barbecue your black ass?" Black Lightning asked.

"Because I can give you other information. I may not know where Tobias is, but I do know a lot of other things about his operation, but I'm not telling you." Lala said.

"Oh, I think you'll tell me." Black Lightning said.

"No, I'll tell the police in exchange for them putting me in protective custody until you take that albino son of a bitch down, since he's already pissed at me for losing the Seahorse Motel, if I tell you anything, it'll just make him want to kill me more." Lala said and Black Lightning nodded, since he could understand that.

"I'll take you to the station now so you can work out the details with Inspector Henderson. But your cousin is going to jail." Black Lightning said, though he doubted Lala would care about him.

"Do whatever you want with Will. I was gonna kill him before you showed up anyways." Lala said, since he was already going to prison anyways, he didn't see any point in denying it.

"Let's go." Black Lightning said as he grabbed Lala and flew him off to the precinct.

Chapter Text

Henderson had been thrilled that Black Lightning had been able to bring in Lala and even more so that Lala was willing to testify against Tobias in exchange being placed into protective custody and knowing what he knew about Tobias, Henderson did not blame him in the slightest.

That was why he was arranging with the Feds for Lala to be placed into protective custody, though in a different state, since he didn't trust anyone in the state of Georgia, so it was best to get into a different city.

He was actually talking to Jefferson's ex-sister-in-law, Lyla Michaels, who he knew was in charge of the ASA's replacement, Argus, since from what he heard, Argus was probably the safest place for Lala, since there was no telling how much of the Freeland PD and maybe even the FBI Tobias had in his pocket, so Argus was the safest option.

Anyways, Henderson was doing everything he could to keep Lala protected, since he was refusing to give up any information until he was safely secured at a government safehouse or even a government prison, just so long as it was far away from Freeland and far from Tobias's reach, since he already had a target on his back in Freeland, he had no interest in making it larger, which while Henderson didn't necessarily like it, he understood it.

"So, you'll take him in?" Henderson asked Lyla.

"Yes. I'll have Gambi send a team to collect him immediately, though you should have Jefferson on standby just in case." Lyla said.

"He's already agreed to it considering what happened the last time we tried to escort a witness against Tobias into protective custody." Henderson said.

"What happened?" Lyla asked.

"Tobias ripped the kid's spine out of his back and nearly killed him." Henderson said, since Jefferson had told him about how the ASA had turned Khalil into a weapon instead of letting him rest in peace. Just another reason to be glad that the ASA was gone, since doing that to a kid was horrifying.

"My god." Lyla said.

"Yeah. The one good thing the ASA did was that they saved the kid's life, but then they ruined that by putting a chip in his head and turning him into their own private weapon." Henderson said.

"Wait, that actually sounds familiar." Lyla said, alarmed.

"What?" Henderson asked.

"Yeah, I feel like I've read about that sort of thing being done before in one of the ASA files we seized." Lyla said.

"Wait, what?" Henderson asked.

"Yeah, I'm hoping that I'm wrong, but I'm gonna need to go back through our files to be sure." Lyla said.

"Great. That's all we need. I'll let Jeff know." Henderson said, though he was hoping that they wouldn't have another Painkiller situation on their hands.

"Also, I thought you should know after going through the notes on the original vaccine program and I was thinking about bringing Dr. Helga Jace in to help with stabilizing the pods kids." Lyla said, since even though she knew that Jace was imprisoned for her crimes, she couldn't deny how useful she'd be to the cause of stabilizing metahumans, not to mention it was better to keep her in Argus' custody than to risk Markovia getting their hands on him.

"You should talk to Lynn before you commit to anything like that and you should also make sure that Jace is tagged before you bring her in, since from what I heard, her loyalty is only to herself, but she also works with whoever benefits her the most." Henderson said.

"Sounds like a real charmer. Let me guess, she'd betray us for another cause as soon as she determined that it suited her better." Lyla asked.

"Pretty much. And she and Lynn had a history in the old world. She won't be happy to hear Argus is taking Jace on." Henderson said.

"Even if we do relocate her to a more secure prison, I doubt we'll actually let her near the kids. Unlike my predecessor or Odell, I understand that mission is to save lives, not destroy or end them." Lyla said.

"I hope so, since I like you Lyla, but I don't want to have to deal with another Odell situation." Henderson said, since he and Lyla had met each other a few times before due to Jefferson and Lynn's relationship.

"And I will never become that." Lyla promised.

"Good, but you still need to keep the Markovians at bay." Henderson said.

"I've got drones and stealth units running as much reconnaissance and gathering as much intelligence as possible so I can make a plan of attack and expose Markovia for what it's really doing before they end up starting World War 3." Lyla said.

"Yeah, they definitely seem like they're ambitious enough to become the next Hitler." Henderson said.

"Anyways, the transport to pick up Lala should be there soon. Just keep him alive until then. Do not allow anyone to have access to him, since you don't know who you can trust." Lyla said.

"Already done." Henderson said, since he knew he couldn't trust certain members of his police force around Lala and he wasn't going to lose the best asset they have to build a case against Tobias.

Chapter Text

Lynn had to admit that she was impressed as Lyla showed her and Gambi through the newly established Argus base, which was really just the Pit repurposed, though it was clear that it had already received an Argus upgrade and right now Lyla was showing Lynn her new lab that was focused solely on her work with the pod kids and it was decades ahead of anything she'd ever seen the ASA have.

"Lyla, this equipment is incredible. I didn't even know some of it existed." Lynn said and Lyla smiled.

"Argus is a much larger organization than the ASA was, so we get more funding and more toys. Not to mention better access to geniuses." Lyla said.

"This equipment should help Lynn find a way to stabilize the pod kids without having to rely on Tobias Whale's bone marrow." Gambi said.

"I was pressed for time and options. I'm hoping that between the larger timetable I'll now have, better resources and access to more scientific minds, I should be able to come up with something a bit more practical. Especially since we don't have Tobias in custody." Lynn said.

"Yet. Right now I've got a squad of Argus commandos escorting an informant against Tobias into protective custody outside of Freeland. Once he gets there, I can use his information to start building a federal against Tobias." Lyla said.

"Still. Have you by any chance been able to contact Dr. Caitlin Snow? My daughter Anissa is actually friends with her and while it sounds like she's diverted her attention to other matters right now, I was hoping that she might have some thoughts about where to begin in the process of stabilizing the pod kids." Lynn asked.

"I've tried, but she's currently unavailable with a much more pressing concern." Lyla said.

"What concern?" Lynn asked, wondering what could be more important than saving these lives.

"Saving her daughter, who was kidnapped by a maniac." Lyla said.

"Yeah, that comes first." Lynn agreed, since that was a good reason.

"She did promise to reach out to you to consult as soon as she could, but right now, her attention is on saving her daughter, which is where it should be." Lyla said.

"Agreed." Lynn said.

"On a different topic, what did you tell your superiors at the Pentagon about this operation?" Gambi asked, wanting to know exactly what he was getting into.

"They don't even know the pod kids exist and I intend to keep it that way for as long as I can. These kids are safer without the government knowing they exist. If they did, I'm not sure I'd have enough pull to stop them from being weaponized." Lyla said.

"Exactly what I wanted to hear." Gambi said, since both he and Lynn were relieved to hear that.

"Ever since I became director of Argus, I've tried to be better than my predecessor Amanda Waller. I won't let these kids be turned into weapons, though after they're stabilized, I would like them to remain in Argus custody so that they can be educated on what's happened in the world while they were asleep and they should at least know how to control their powers so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else. But that's it. I swear." Lyla promised.

"And I can agree with that, since you're right." Lynn said.

"Any word from Jen?" Lyla now asked.

"She's already loving Blue Valley. She's a big fan of not having to wear a uniform to school." Lynn said with a smile, though Lyla could tell that Lynn missed her younger daughter.

"It's what's best for her." Lyla said.

"On a different topic and this is me thinking more long term, but have you thought about where all these kids are going to end up after they're stabilized and reacclimated, since their families are likely gone by now." Gambi asked.

"One problem at a time Gambi." Lynn said and Gambi nodded as they continued their tour.

Chapter Text

Jefferson was currently sitting at his desk at Garfield High, thinking about how he'd had to find a way to explain why his daughter had transferred schools, since while he'd stated that it was because of her abduction by the 100, but now he was trying to convince the school board not to assign extra security, since he did not want Garfield to become a school like that when he was interrupted by his secretary informing him that he had a visitor and he was surprised to see it was that LaShawn guy he'd busted up as Black Lightning.

"Mr. Pierce." LaShawn said.

"Can I help you sir?" Jefferson asked, wondering why the former drug dealer was in his school.

"I saw that you have a job opening for a janitor?" LaShawn asked and Jefferson smiled, since now he knew that he'd made the right choice by giving LaShawn a chance to turn his life around.

"You sure you're up for that? Most people wouldn't be volunteering for the role of a high school janitor?" Jefferson asked.

"I'll do whatever I need to in order to support my family. Besides, it's not like there are a ton of employment opportunities for people with my background and I need work to help support my family." LaShawn said and Jefferson nodded.

"Luckily, you should make enough to do that here, since I get it." Jefferson said.

"Thank you. Black Lightning gave me a shot to turn my life around when he didn't arrest me for making some stupid choices and I realized that there had to be a better way to support my family, since I realized that I couldn't do that from prison. Sure I'd be taken care of, but I'd leave my family in an even worse spot." LaShawn said and Jefferson nodded.

"You know that you might have to stay late somedays?" Jefferson asked.

"I'll do whatever I have to make enough money to support my family." LaShawn said.

"And I respect that." Jefferson said.

"Also, is there any chance that my kids could enroll in Garfield? Right now we're doing a combination of home and online schooling, since with me not working, they had to help pick up the slack, but now that I'm getting a job, I want them to finish their education, especially since I never did." LaShawn said.

"Give me names and I'll make sure they're enrolled in our school before your first day." Jefferson promised.

"Thank you." LaShawn said, happy to finally be getting his life on track and ensuring that his children had a brighter future.

"Have you ever thought about going back to finish your education?" Jefferson asked.

"I don't have the time to." LaShawn said.

"I could help you find time." Jefferson offered.

"Why? No offense, but most people wouldn't care about someone like me?" LaShawn asked.

"I think that everyone deserves a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families." Jefferson said.

"If you're serious about that, I'd appreciate it." LaShawn said.

"I'll send you a copy of a contract later on today and you begin orientation tomorrow." Jefferson and LaShawn nodded at him gratefully as he walked out of his office and Jefferson smiled since he could hear him on the phone with his wife, telling her how he was turning things around and Jefferson smiled at how he was helping people as himself and not just as Black Lightning. He was bringing some hope back to Freeland in more ways than one.

Chapter Text

Jefferson was currently having a sip of scotch after work at home while Lynn was drinking some wine when they heard Anissa enter, since she'd been at the bank, hoping to secure a loan to help her at least start up her clinic, since while Lyla had promised to try and secure her some government funding, it wouldn't be easy for her to do without proof of concept, especially since right now, the government didn't exactly see the point in giving metahumans the same benefits that regular humans did, so Anissa had decided that instead of waiting for a miracle, she'd do what all normal people do when they want to start a business. She went to the bank to apply for a loan.

And considering the fact that when they heard her slam the door behind her, they were guessing it didn't go well. As evidenced by the angry look on her face when she entered the kitchen and promptly tossed the business plans she'd spent two days putting together for this presentation into the trash.

"So, I'm guessing it didn't go well?" Lynn asked.

"No it didn't. I swear that loan officer is so lucky that I don't have my powers right now." Anissa said as she began looking through the fridge for a drink.

"What happened?" Lynn asked her.

"That loan officer is so racist, he barely let me get through my presentation before he shot me down. Said that what I was proposing was bad business, but in reality, he just didn't want to deal with a black woman." Anissa said angrily.

"Anissa, you'll find a way to get your clinic off the ground." Jefferson said.

"How? Even without race being a factor, it's not like I'm the most desirable person to give a loan to right now. I'm a woman who just finished school, I'm unemployed and I still live with my parents. There's no way anyone will back me like that. Especially since metas are still considered second class citizens. No one cares about them. At least not the way I do." Anissa said as Jefferson put his on his daughter's shoulder to try and help calm her down.

"I could reach out to some friends of mine who happen to have some deep pockets, maybe they could help?" Jefferson asked.

"Thank you dad, but I don't want to resort to that yet. I want to try and get this funded on my own before I resort to taking handouts from my dad or his friends." Anissa said.

"I understand that. But I will talk to Lyla to see what the status is on that government funding she promised you." Jefferson said.

"Thanks dad." Anissa said, happy that her parents were respecting her desire to do this herself.

"Have you given any thought about where you're going to put your clinic, assuming you find the funding for it?" Lynn asked her daughter.

"Well, I was thinking that I'd put it in the building where the pods containing those Masters of Disaster were being kept before the ASA was shut down so that we can keep an eye on them." Anissa said and Jefferson nodded.

"I see you're still thinking tactically." Jefferson said and Anissa nodded.

"That is assuming I can ever find someone to fund it, since this will require money that I don't have and not many people will be willing to give me." Anissa said as Lynn picked her presentation paperwork out of the trash.

"Anissa, if you really care about this, don't give up on it. Find a way to make it happen. You're a fighter Anissa. You always have been. Just put the same kind of effort you have into your protests and your actions as Thunder and Blackbird and you'll be fine. You're a smart, compassionate and dedicated young woman. Everything a good doctor needs to be." Lynn told her as she handed the paperwork back to her.

"I'm not giving up mom, I just don't know where to start, since there's no way any gofundme I start will make enough money to fund this clinic." Anissa said.

"You'll find a way and remember, my offer still stands." Jefferson said, since both he and Lynn were thrilled that this was what Anissa was putting her time and energy into now. Trying to help people, not destroying things. It almost made them both hope that she didn't get her powers back, since they didn't want to see that undo all the progress she was making.

"Thanks dad. But do you mind if I go out for some drinks tonight? After the day I had, I need it." Anissa said.

"Go. Though you do know you don't need to ask for permission." Jefferson said.

"Still." Anissa said as she walked up to her room to change.

"I think it might be time to consider taking that cuff off Anissa so that her powers actually have a chance to manifest." Lynn said and Jefferson nodded, since they were both liking the new Anissa they were seeing.

"Yeah. But let's be sure. Maybe we can give her a trial period. We'll talk about it more later. But I was thinking that since Anissa has earned some freedom and Jen is still in Blue Valley, we have house to ourselves tonight, so maybe date night?" Jefferson asked and Lynn nodded in agreement.

At the same time, Tobias Whale was currently in his office, going over what his contact at the first bank of Freeland had told him about a girl who wanted to open up a clinic that specifically tailored to the metahumans of Freeland, something that his contact thought that he'd want to know and he was right. Tobias could definitely see the value in this, especially to his bank account, since while it would likely cost him a lot in the beginning, he could see how he could more than make that back, since he'd essentially get free access to all the metahumans in the city.

And he had just the person for the job to convince this Anissa Pierce to let him help her. Not that he'd tell her who he was. No, this was a case where anonymity would be his friend. If no one knew he was involved, then he could silently play puppet master from the shadows. He had his men following Ms. Pierce now so that he could find out everything he'd need to reel her in.

Chapter Text

Jefferson was smiling as he saw his new janitor start his first day of work.

"Well LaShawn, welcome to your first day at Garfield." Jefferson said to the former drug dealer.

"Thank you for giving me a shot at this Mr. Pierce. I really want to set a better example for my kids. And I really appreciate you enrolling them here." LaShawn said.

"My pleasure." Jefferson said before he noticed LaShawn's face and saw that it looked beaten up.

"Something happen on your way in today?" Jefferson asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" LaShawn asked, trying to change the topic.

"LaShawn, this is a safe space. What happened?" Jefferson asked, though he had a guess.

"The 100. They weren't happy when they found out I wanted out and when I refused to use my new job to get drugs into this school, since it's the only place they haven't been able to get their drugs into yet and weren't happy about it." LaShawn said.

"You should go to the police." Jefferson said.

"I can't do that. I shouldn't even be telling you, considering they threatened my family. Besides, even if I did go to the police, the cops find out that I was working for the 100 and they take me away and my family has no one to support it." LaShawn said and Jefferson sighed, since he knew that LaShawn was right, no matter how much he didn't like it, but maybe he could do something else.

"LaShawn, go to Inspector Henderson, tell him I sent you. He's an old friend of mine. I promise you he will not let you go down for this." Jefferson said.

"I don't know." LaShawn said.

"What if I took you there and vouched for you." Jefferson said, since this would also give him a way to know who Black Lightning was going to be paying a visit too.

"You'd do that for a guy you barely know?" LaShawn asked.

"You told me Black Lightning gave you a second chance and I want to make sure you get the chance to make the most of it. I'll call Bill and ask him to come here." Jefferson said.

"Thank you." LaShawn said, since there was something about Jefferson that made him trust him. He just hoped that Jefferson could do what he promised.

"So, you knew that your new janitor used to be affiliated with the 100 and you still hired him?" Henderson asked after he arrived at Garfield and now he, Jefferson and LaShawn were sitting in Jefferson's office.

"I'm giving him a chance to turn his life around Bill. He was only working with the 100 to support his family." Jefferson said, hoping that Bill would agree that LaShawn didn't deserve to go to prison.

"Relax, I know you wouldn't have hired him if he was dangerous to this school or its students. Besides, I trust your instincts. And who knows, maybe he can help us build a case against the 100." Henderson said.

"I'll do whatever I can to help, but I don't know much." LaShawn said.

"Any little detail helps. Now, what's going on?" Henderson asked as Jefferson caught him up.

"Can you give me any details about the people who attacked you?" Henderson asked LaShawn.

"Not much. It all happened so fast." LaShawn said.

"Anything?" Henderson asked.

"I was driving my kids to school today when I noticed someone having car trouble on the side of the road and I thought that a good way for me to use my second chance would be to help him out, so I pulled over, got out of the car to help and then the next thing I know, I'm getting beat up by a pair a thugs while another guy just watched." LaShawn said.

"Do you remember what they looked like?" Henderson asked.

"The thugs, no, it happened too fast, but I do remember the guy I pulled over to help, he was the one who just watched. He was a white guy with long black hair, his face looked kind of ghoulish." LaShawn asked as Jefferson and Henderson exchanged looks with each other.

"Did he look like this?" Henderson asked as he showed LaShawn a picture of Joey Toledo.

"That's him." LaShawn said.

"Okay, I'm gonna have you and your family put into protective custody. Did he say anything else?" Henderson asked.

"Just that the big boss wasn't happy. Whoever that is." LaShawn said.

"Okay, Jeff, I want you to dismiss his kids immediately, we're gonna stop by his house to pick up his wife and then I'm gonna take them to the station so LaShawn can give an official statement and then I'm gonna put him and his family into witness protection." Henderson said.

"We have to relocate?" LaShawn asked.

"It's not safe for you here? I know you were hoping to leave this kind of life behind, but this is the only way to keep them safe until we can bring down the 100." Henderson said.

"Okay." LaShawn said.

"I know it isn't great, but now the police have a place to start hunting down the 100. And I promise, when you do come home, since I know you will, you'll have a job waiting for you here." Jefferson promised.

"Thank you Mr. Pierce. For everything." LaShawn said as Jefferson went to dismiss LaShawn's kids before LaShawn followed Henderson out of his office.

"Guess I'm going hunting tonight." Jefferson said, since now he had a place to start hunting for Joey Toledo and Joey would lead him to Tobias.

Chapter Text

"Jeff, are you sure that you can't go after Joey Toledo now?" Henderson asked him.

"Normally I would, but Lyla asked me to help oversee the transport of the pod kids and that seems like a bit of a higher priority right now, since not only are those kids sick, but they're also in very high demand to every criminal and rogue nation on the planet. We need to get them from the ASA holding site to the new Argus facility and I need to make sure that no one tries to get them." Jefferson said.

"If you want, I could try to arrange an extra police escort if you can get Lyla to give me the route." Henderson said.

"No, remember, we don't know which cops are in Tobias's pocket and we both know that he'll have his eyes set on getting his hands on those pods. We can't let that happen." Jefferson said.

"I agree. Though it would be helpful if Thunder could assist." Henderson said.

"While Lynn and I are loosening Anissa's leash, she still hasn't shown any sign of regaining her powers yet." Jefferson said.

"What about Jen? Not only does she still have her powers, but from what you've told me about her training in Blue Valley, she's a lot better off than she was before. She has a lot more control now." Henderson said.

"Even if that were an option, Jen is too far away and I don't want to risk her revealing herself with a cross country flight." Jefferson said.

"Still, it would be nice if Freeland had two superheroes again, a divide and conquer situation." Henderson said.

"I agree, but you're gonna have to get used to the idea that until Anissa's powers resurface, it's just me. Like it used to be." Jefferson said.

"I know, but still, Freeland needs Black Lightning, especially since you're back for good this time right?" Henderson asked.

"Yeah, I'm back for good. Especially since the reason I hung up the mask in the first place was a lie, since Tobias is still alive. And I promise that once the pod kids are secure, we'll get back to hunting him down." Jefferson said.

"We already know where he's operating out of though." Henderson reminded him.

"True, but right now not only does the world not believe that Tobias is guilty of anything, they don't even believe he's alive. We need to be smart in our game plan with him. Remember, Tobias sees every fight as a game of chess and he's master at it. We need to plan our next move very carefully. We can start by proving his connection to the 100. If we make one wrong move and he turns the whole city against me. Again." Jefferson said.

"True. And I do agree that those pod kids are a higher priority right now. Which reminds me, we're going to deal with Markovia right?" Henderson asked.

"Lyla's working on that as we speak." Jefferson assured him.

"Good. I don't want to have to go through another occupation, since while I know that Lyla and Argus are better than the ASA, I still don't want to have to put our city through another occupation." Henderson said.

"Neither do I. But now I need to go. Let me know what you find on your end." Jefferson said and Henderson nodded as he headed out.

That night found Black Lightning standing on top of the train Lyla had commissioned to transport the pod kids from the Pit to the new Argus facility, thanks to Gambi having added magnetic grips to his boots and gloves to allow him to stay on the train. Lyla had spared no expense in making sure that this transport was secured, since honestly, Black Lightning could sense energy coming from the train's new experimental power core from where he was and that was saying something since the core was on the other side of the train.

He didn't understand the science, but apparently it was a new prototype courtesy of Mercury Labs tech genius Cisco Ramon. The power core used prometheum to generate more energy than the entire output of Freeland's entire power grid and for good reason, since in addition to powering the train itself, the core also powered the support systems that were keeping the pod kids alive, with Lynn and a team of Argus techs supervising inside, he wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he knew better than most that Lynn was a force to be reckoned with when it came to these kids, and along with the stealth the train used, which included both cloaking and silencing to keep it from being seen or heard and of course, the interior of the train was equipped with an extra strong power dampening system, which was why Black Lightning was outside of it, so it wouldn't affect him. It also helped that Gambi had also used Argus resources to upgrade his suit with his own stealth mode that was basically his own version of cloaking. Not to mention Lyla also had some of her top Argus commandos on the train, constantly reporting in and she had Argus drones flanking the train on all sides. She wasn't taking any chances with their safety, something that was a definite improvement over Odell, who'd rather kill the kids than let them fall into enemy hands.

"How does everything look on your end?" Black Lightning asked Lyla from where she was watching everything at the Freeland Argus base with Gambi.

"No fluctuations so far. What's the status of the power core?" Lyla asked, since another reason she wanted Black Lightning on this was so that he could use his powers to monitor and if need be stabilize the power core, since it was still experimental and the only reason she was using it at all was because of the amount of power this train required.

"Stable so far and as long as we don't push it any further we should be good. How do the kids look?" Black Lightning asked Lynn.

"Stable so far. The Argus med team, technicians and I are keeping a close eye on everything." Lynn said.

"Good. But we're not out of the woods yet. You've still got at least another mile left before you reach the rendezvous." Gambi said.

"Don't jinx it old man. Lynn, you okay?" Black Lightning asked, since he could hear the sadness in Lynn's voice.

"It's just, these kids are Jen's age and yet they had their whole lives taken from them because of their powers. It just makes me even happier we sent her away, since not only can she explore her full potential in a safe environment, she'll be protected from Markovia if they attack." Lynn said.

"Agreed. I do hope that Anissa gets her powers back soon though, since I'm gonna need Thunder by my side if that does happen." Black Lightning said.

"I know. But for now let's stay focused on the goal at hand." Lynn said.

"Copy that." Black Lightning said as they got back to the mission.

Chapter Text

Anissa was currently going for a walk out through Freeland, trying to clear her head due to how much trouble she was having getting her metahuman clinic off the ground, which she was currently venting about to her sister over the phone.

"Sounds like you're having a real hard time finding a way to build this clinic of yours." Jen said.

"Except it's not just a clinic anymore. I decided to take it one step further." Anissa said.

"And why does that not surprise me Harriet? What are you doing now?" Jen asked.

"First off, I never thought I'd say this, but I've missed hearing you call me Harriet. Secondly, I'm thinking of making it into a community center. A place that we could've used when we first got our powers. A place where metas can come and use their powers freely without worrying about being judged or bullied. A safe space for them." Anissa said and she could hear Jen smile on the other end of the call.

"You never cease to amaze me Harriet. You've certainly changed from the trigger happy Blackbird I remember you were when we arrived in this world." Jen said.

"This time without my powers has helped me reflect on the kind of person I was when I had them and I admit that I was out of control. Especially since I let you fall through the cracks and right into Odell's hands." Anissa said.

"It all worked out, since right now Odell is rotting in government prison and Aunt Lyla is now in charge of the organization charged with protecting Freeland and we know we can trust her." Jen said.

"Yeah, but I do admit that even though I'm not the same person I was a few months ago, I still miss my powers, which is why I'm glad that you moved to Blue Valley so you wouldn't be able to rub it in my face that you still have yours." Anissa said.

"I wouldn't have done that forever. Probably only for like a month." Jen said and Anissa rolled her eyes.

"But seriously, no one's happier that I moved to Blue Valley than I am, since honestly, I'm happier here than I've been since before I got my powers. I finally have a group of people my age that I can relate to." Jen said and Anissa smiled.

"So JSA training is going well?" Anissa asked.

"Yeah. I'm having a blast. Though I do have something I need to talk to you about. Something that you cannot tell mom and dad about. At least not yet." Jen said.

"I'm all ears." Anissa said.

"When did you first start to suspect that you liked girls more than boys?" Jen asked and Anissa was shocked when she heard her sister ask that.

"Wait, Jen, are you saying?" Anissa asked.

"I don't know. I just know that ever since Jay Garrick's daughter joined the team, I've found my mind focusing on her a lot more than it should. There's just something about her." Jen said and Anissa smiled.

"Sounds like you've at least got a little crush on her. What's her name?" Anissa asked.

"Chloe Allen." Jen said and Anissa could hear the blush in her sister's voice. She'd certainly never sounded that way around Khalil.

"Tell me more about her." Anissa said.

"Well, she's smart, talented, pretty and she's got one hell of a voice." Jen said.

"Really. She's into music?" Anissa asked, since she knew her sister had quite the singing voice herself and had suggested on more than one occasion that Jen should go professional.

"Her parents turned their basement into a huge music room for her. She plays practically every instrument imaginable." Jen said and Anissa smiled.

"You've got it bad for her don't you?" Anissa asked.

"Maybe. I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure if this is just because we're both new girls or if it's like it was or Khalil, but I spent so much time obsessing over boys, I never gave girls much thought." Jen said.

"Jen, it happens differently for everyone, but just because you never gave girls much thought doesn't mean you weren't interested in them. You just never really had time to give it much thought, between your powers, the ASA and Khalil. I guess another good part of you moving to Blue Valley is that now it's easier for you to have the full teenage experience. Let me know if you need any tips asking Chloe out." Anissa said with a smile.

"Shut up. I'll talk to you later Anissa." Jen said as she hung up.

"Bye sis." Anissa said with a chuckle before she noticed some 100 thugs intimidating a family of homeless people, who she could tell had only bothered them because they were desperate for food and money. She saw them pointing a gun at the family's pet dog.

"Oh hell no." Anissa said, since powers or no powers, she wasn't going to let this happen as she quickly pulled up the hood on her jacket and grabbed a sheet she found on the ground to cover her face before she quickly jumped into action.

"Back off or get your asses kicked. Your call." Anissa said, only to have the thugs laugh in her face as they then proceeded to attack her, though unlike the homeless family, Anissa put up one hell of a fight, even without her powers, she was winning, until one thug got one in one cheap shot.

"You put up a good fight, whoever you are. But it was all for nothing." the leader said as he aimed his gun at the smallest child and Anissa's rage became so strong she felt like something was being unlocked in her. Something familiar and that she'd missed as she took a deep breath and felt her old strength return to her as she quickly used it to knock the thugs holding her aside and then send the leader flying backwards.

"Run if you want to live." Anissa said, though it was clear that it was the lack of suit that was keeping her from going full Thunder.

Now that they knew they were fighting a meta, the thugs were quick to flee before Anissa turned to the family and pulled some cash out of her wallet.

"This should be enough for a decent meal and a roof over your heads for a night." Anissa said as she handed the cash to the father.

"Thank you so much." the father said for both the money and the save.

"Any time." Anissa said before rushing off to tell her parents that her powers were back.

Chapter Text

Tobias Whale was currently beating up Joey Toledo, since Joey had gone against his orders when he'd attacked LaShawn, since before LaShawn would just be seen as another paranoid black man in Freeland, looking over his shoulder in fear of what was to come and that was how Tobias liked it, since that fear would make sure he kept his mouth shut. However, Joey's attack had ironically been the thing to get LaShawn to open up his mouth and now he was beyond Tobias's reach in federal witness protection. And honestly, Tobias hadn't wanted to make a big deal over one puny little drug dealer going rogue on them, since LaShawn didn't know anything important and wasn't worth the headache.

But now Joey had forced him to become a priority since now the police would be gunning after the 100 harder than ever, which would make it even harder for Tobias to reach his ultimate goal of a seat on the Shadow Council.

"So, one more time, let me remind you what happens when you step out of line." Tobias said as he punched Joey's bloodied face again.

"I'm sorry boss. I thought that you'd want that loose end cut." Joey tried to apologize, but Tobias was not listening.

"LaShawn wasn't worth that headache. He was a newbie who knew nothing, we had nothing to lose by cutting him loose, since he knew nothing. But now he's been turned into a martyr and the police are gonna come after us harder than ever. And even if I had wanted him dead, I thought I taught you never to do it in the light of day with plenty of witnesses. That's just sloppy. Especially since now the Freeland PD have a warrant out for your arrest, since you were identified as one of his attackers. Now you need to find a way to fix this before Argus and that negro bastard Black Lightning come charging in here, guns blazing." Tobias informed him.

"I'll fix this boss." Joey said.

"You'd better. Especially since I've already called in an old friend of yours to help clean up your mess. In fact, here she comes now." Tobias said as a familiar face to both of them walked in.

"Syonide." Joey said to Tobias's adopted daughter.

"I'm only here because you screwed up." Syonide reminded him.

"And I need someone here I know is competent to do the job. Speaking of which, have you reached out to Tori?" Tobias asked, referring to his sister.

"She's already en route. She agreed that you'd need someone to keep you a bit more level headed with Black Lightning back in the game." Syonide said.

"Perfect." Tobias said.

"However, not all the news I bring is good." Syonide said.

"Well, luckily I'm already in a good mood now, since between your arrival and announcement of Tori's trip here, plus taking out a lot of my anger on Joey here, I'm feeling a little more reasonable. I'm assuming this has to do with the metahuman transport." Tobias asked and Syonide nodded.

"Argus took too many precautions and we haven't been able to infiltrate them yet, so none of its agents are on our payroll yet. Which means that we couldn't get any intel about the transfer." Syonide said and Tobias waved her off.

"As expected. Besides, maybe it's better this way." Tobias said.

"How so?" Joey asked, risking a question.

"Because based on the intel we were able to recover from the ASA after they went down, all the metahumans that were being transported are unstable, which means that right now they're useless, since the more they use their powers, the faster they die. We'll let Argus take their time to stabilize them, since that will give us more time to successfully infiltrate them and learn more." Tobias said.

"That's actually smart." Syonide said.

"Don't sound so surprised. In the meantime, Syonide, take a team to what's left of the ASA assets here in Freeland and see if there's anything that Argus overlooked when they were picking the Pit and all other assets clean." Tobias said.

"You got it boss." Syonide said as she walked out.

"See, now that's an employee who knows how to take pride in her work. I suggest you take lessons from her. I suggest that you redeem yourself by tracking down Lala, since he's a loose end we actually do need to take care of and who you should have been tracking." Tobias said to Joey, who knew when he was being dismissed and quickly walked out before Tobias decided to resume beating on him.

Chapter Text

To say Jefferson and Lynn were surprised when Anissa told them that her powers were back was an understatement, but they had to admit, they weren't jumping to dampen them like they thought that they'd be, since Anissa had clearly regained the sense of balance she'd lost while fighting the ASA, though Jefferson would still be keeping a close eye on her to make sure she didn't fall back into her bad habits.

However, first, Lynn had taken Anissa to her lab to run some tests to double check and sure enough, Lynn found that Anissa's metagene had been reactivated, which meant that once Gambi finished making her new and improved suit, Thunder was back. And luckily, thanks to his new job at Argus, Gambi now had access to an unlimited budget and some of the most state of the art tech on the planet, which meant that just like how he'd already created the new version of Jefferson's Black Lightning suit that was basically the same version the ASA had made for him in the old reality, complete with all it's new features, including being able to turn into a watch and Jen was currently wearing a similar nanotech version of the Lightning suit in Blue Valley.

Anyways, Anissa was currently standing in the newly upgraded Sanctum, since Lyla had insisted on having Argus upgrade the Sanctum with more advanced technology and none of them could a see a reason to argue with that, since even Gambi couldn't deny that the Sanctum's tech was a bit outdated, especially from what he'd heard from Jen about the JSA's Citadel, not to mention all the other superhero bases he'd heard about on this earth.

"Are you almost done?" Anissa asked Gambi as he continued to take measurements on her.

"I know this is taking awhile Anissa, but before I can make your new suit, I need to make sure I know exactly what I'm dealing with, including making sure that your powers are completely back to normal." Gambi said.

"Not to mention designing some kind of safeguards in the suit so mom and dad can keep an eye on me?" Anissa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Can you blame them? Especially since they don't exactly trust me to keep tabs on you either, since as far as they're concerned, I encouraged and enabled you to become Blackbird and make the reckless choices that came with it and they're not wrong. They just can't control me like they can you." Gambi said.

"We both lost sight of our priorities during the occupation. Thank god Odell's in jail and Jen is safely away from him in Blue Valley." Anissa said, since she still felt guilty for abandoning her sister during the occupation.

"So she's doing well there?" Gambi asked with a smile.

"Are you kidding, I doubt she'd come home for the holidays if mom and dad aren't going to make her. Though it helps that Blackbird will never exist on this earth. There's too much temptation in being her. Thunder is a hero. Someone who's held to certain standards and has to live by them and a code. But Blackbird, she's too much freedom and loses sight of the line between hero and criminal." Anissa said.

"Good to know, since I agree. I think that without your dad here to remind us of our true mission, we lost sight of it and the same could be said about Henderson, since it wasn't until Black Lightning joined the Resistance that we began to find ourselves again." Gambi said and Anissa nodded, right as she heard her phone buzz.

"Do we have time to take a break so I can answer that?" Anissa asked and Gambi nodded with a smile as Anissa got off the platform and walked over to pick up her phone and saw it was an unknown number.

"Hey, do me a favor and trace this call." Anissa asked, her paranoia kicking in, but Gambi nodded, nonetheless as he did exactly that as Anissa answered the call.

"Hello?" Anissa asked.

"Hello Ms. Pierce. I'm speaking to you on behalf of an angel investor who heard about your community center and would like to help fund it." a man on the other end of the call said.

"Can I ask who this angel investor is?" Anissa asked, looking at Gambi who gestured to her that he was still tracing the call.

"A firm called Monovista International. It's a very large tech company that's looking to diversify its holdings." the man said.

"Tell them I'd like to speak to them in person before I agree to anything." Anissa said.

"Completely understandable. My job was just to make sure you were interested. They'll be reaching out to you to set up an actual meeting and you can bring someone with you if you'd feel more comfortable." the man said.

"Thank you. We'll be in touch." Anissa said as she hung up.

"So, what was that about?" Gambi asked.

"A company called Monovista International wants to be an angel investor for my community center and while I'm gonna take their money, can you please dig deeper into them, since there has to be some kind of hidden agenda." Anissa said.

"Done." Gambi said, since he agreed, since from what he already knew about Monovista, this seemed out of the ordinary for them to show interest in something like Anissa's community center.

"Thank you." Anissa said, though she was happy she could finally start to get her community center off the ground.

Chapter Text

Anissa was currently walking around the building Monovista had bought for her clinic/community center, since her meeting with them had gone very well and even better for Gambi, who'd recognized the woman they'd met with, Lauren Caruso, who, to Anissa's amusement, was actually his ex who clearly was not over him and it was clear that the feelings were reciprocated.

Anyways, Anissa was very happy with the location she'd picked, since she'd chosen it for more than one reason, since before Monovista had bought it for her the clinic had been owned by the church, though Anissa had convinced Reverend Holt to sell it due to the that with Monovista's funding, the clinic would be able to do even more good for the community than it currently was.

But the real reason Anissa wanted this particular location was because she wanted to be able to control what was hidden in the basement. The one ASA asset that Argus had yet to find. Four metahuman pods unlike the ones her mom was working on right now, since these pods contained the most dangerous metahumans the ASA had ever created. Their most elite kill squad, the masters of disaster. She just hoped that when she revealed their existence to her aunt Lyla, she wouldn't try to weaponize them, since they were way too dangerous, considering three of them had tried to kill her and her dad in the old reality.

However, she was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her parents enter the clinic.

"I have to say Anissa, this place is very nice." Jefferson said.

"Yeah, it will be great once we get everything up and running. Monovista is currently working on reinforcing this place to handle metahuman powers and they've given me a large enough budget that in addition to the current staff now getting a salary, I can hire more people. Not to mention, this is only phase one of my plans." Anissa said.

"I'm sorry, phase one?" Lynn asked.

"Phase two is establishing housing for the homeless." Anissa said.

"Damn, I think you might be gunning for my position as Black Jesus." Jefferson said with a chuckle, which Anissa shared.

"I'm good just being Harriet. But there is another reason I picked this place for my clinic, besides the fact that it was already one, it just needs some upgrades." Anissa said.

"And that would be?" Lynn asked.

"This clinic is where the masters of disaster are hidden and they're the only ASA assets Argus hasn't accounted for yet. I just don't know where they're hidden, though Uncle Gambi is looking into that." Anissa said.

"Actually, I might know a better, faster way to find out where they are." Lynn said, though she couldn't believe she was even considering this.

"What is it?" Jefferson asked.

"We ask someone who already knows and I'm not talking about Odell." Lynn said.

"Then who?" Anissa asked.

"Someone who worked on the original program. Dr. Helga Jace." Lynn said.

"Wait, you want to talk to Jace about this?" Jefferson asked, since the last time Lynn had been in the same room as Jace, she'd smacked her.

"No, but I think we need to get her into Argus custody before the Markovians snatch her up again, since while she's insane, she is brilliant and the last thing we need is her in Markovian custody. Which reminds me, I need to talk to Lyla about an op to extract the Markovian metas to be stabilized and allowed to choose their own lives, since I won't allow the Markovian military to weaponize them." Lynn said and Jefferson nodded.

"I'll tell Gambi to set up a meeting, since as the highest ranking Argus agent in the city, he should have the clearance needed to arrange a visit." Jefferson said and Lynn and Anissa both nodded.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lyla asked Lynn as they approached the prison cell that a familiar face to Lynn was being held in.

"No, but we don't have a choice. She's too valuable to risk falling into the wrong hands." Lynn said as she glared down at the face of Dr. Helga Jace, who looked at them with a bored expression.

"Well, well, Dr. Lynn Stewart. Yes, I know who you are. I've managed to keep tabs on your work even from here. It's quite impressive. However, I don't know your friend." Jace said to Lyla.

"Lyla Michaels, Director of Argus and I know who you are Dr. Helga Jace and if it weren't for the current situation, I'd be letting you rot here." Lyla said.

"Meaning what?" Jace asked.

"The ASA has been shut down and all of its assets, including the kids you helped turn into metahumans that are currently in pods are now in Argus custody. Dr. Stewart here is the scientist we have in charge of the operation in stabilizing them." Lyla said.

"And you need my help to stabilize them." Jace said smugly.

"Nope. We have plenty of other geniuses who don't cross ethical lines who specialize in metahumans to consult with." Lyla said and Lynn looked very smug about that.

"Then what do you want from me?" Jace asked.

"Because according to our intel, there are still four pods unaccounted for. An old ASA team called the Masters of Disaster, which never should've existed. We've located the building the pods are contained in, but due to the renovations that have been made since the program was activated, we don't know where they are in the building, but I believe that you do." Lyla said.

"And what's in it for me, since I'm doubtful my freedom is on the table." Jace said.

"You're right about that. But name your price of anything else within reason." Lyla said.

"Then I want visitation with my son, a more comfortable cell and most importantly, protective custody." Jace said.

"The first two are done, but what do you need protective custody from?" Lyla asked, but Lynn knew.

"Markovia." Lynn said.

"You did your research on me didn't you doctor?" Jace asked.

"I did. I know that you helped create the Markovian metahuman program and that they really want you back." Lynn said and Jace nodded.

"It's only a matter of time until the Markovians discover where I am and I'd prefer to not have to go back there and be forced to work for them again." Jace said.

"That will cost you more than just the location of project MOD." Lyla said.

"What else do you want?" Jace asked.

"Intel that I can use to prepare for Markovia, since I have people working on that already, but you spent years working with the Markovians before the ASA helped you defect, you must have some information we can use." Lyla said.

"How does the reason the Markovian metahuman program started in the first place sound to you?" Jace asked, and she could tell she had them hooked.

"Like a good start. Keep talking." Lyla said.

"I'm also the one who created the serum that's used by one Tobias Whale." Jace said and Lynn's head perked up, since that was info even she hadn't known before.

"Tell us everything you know about that albino son of a bitch right now." Lynn said.

"I would if I could, but sadly, I haven't seen Tobias since he was one of my test subjects over 40 years ago. But I've heard rumors." Jace said.

"We've already got a cell waiting for Tobias Whale once we can find a way to make the charges against him stick, but any help you can provide with that will be treated as such. A bigger cell with a few luxuries of your choosing." Lyla said.

"We have a deal." Jace said, knowing this was as good as she was going to get.

Chapter Text

"Well, well, how the mighty have fallen." Gambi said smugly as he entered an interrogation room in the Pit to find the monster called Martin Proctor sitting there in handcuffs and a prisoner uniform at the table.

"Peter Gambi, when I asked to speak to the person in charge of this base, I didn't think it would be you? I thought that you'd be in hiding to keep yourself from ending up like me." Proctor said and Gambi chuckled.

"Nope, I'm in charge of Argus's operation in Freeland and unlike you, I actually have regard for human life. I saw what you were planning on doing before the ASA was shut down and you were arrested. You were planning on restarting the metahuman experiment and putting even more kids in pods. I don't even want to know what the hell made you think was a good idea, but you'd better tell me what the hell was so important that I needed to give you the time of day." Gambi said angrily.

"I did what I felt needed to be done to keep America safe and make it great again." Proctor said with no regret in his voice.

"You sound like Odell, only with more emotion. Now tell me what the hell you want." Gambi said.

"I want to help you take down a target that I know is a much higher priority to you and Argus than little old me." Proctor said.

"Talk." Gambi said.

"Tobias Whale." Proctor said and he could tell that he had Gambi's attention.

"I'm listening and depending on what you say, it might be worth a deal." Gambi said.

"Tobias worked with the ASA for years, who do you think put him in charge of the 100?" Proctor asked and Gambi honestly couldn't believe that he'd forgotten about that.

"And I think you just reminded me of someone else who's much more likely to talk and can give me a lot more information on him and doesn't make me quite as sick to deal with." Gambi said.

"What are you talking about?" Proctor asked, panicking that now any chance of a deal he might've had was gone.

"You're forgetting that I trained Tobias's handler. Lady Eve." Gambi said with a grin, since while he and Evelyn had their problems, especially since he suspected that she might've had something to do with the attempt on his life in the old universe, but that hasn't happened yet in this reality and now he had something to offer her that would get her attention.

"You really think that she'd deal with you?" Proctor asked, trying to find a way to get a deal for himself.

"I'd rather deal with her than you, since she's someone I can tolerate." Gambi said.

"What if I could give you something else." Proctor asked, desperately trying to get himself out of this cell.

"What else could you have to offer?" Gambi asked.

"The briefcase." Proctor said, causing Gambi to look at him, his curiosity peaked.

"What is so important about a briefcase?" Gambi asked, since he remembered that both the ASA and Tobias had been obsessed with some kind of briefcase in the old reality, but they'd never found out why.

"The briefcase is the master control of the ASA's metahuman operations. It has everything you need to prosecute Odell." Proctor said.

"Keep talking and make sure your words are important." Gambi said.

"That briefcase is linked to the pods that you recovered from the ASA. It contains the genome of every metahuman the ASA has come in contact with, including Black Lightning. It's the key to opening those metahuman pods properly and so much more. Trust me, once you see what's in it, you'll see the ASA in a whole new light." Proctor said.

"I can think of a few problems with that. For starters, this briefcase, if it really is everything you claim, it was lost when the ASA was taken down, so we don't know what happened to it and even if it is still intact, I'm assuming that we'd need you to unlock it?" Gambi asked.

"Unless you know someone who can hack through it, yeah." Proctor agreed.

"Tell me how to find the briefcase. Once we find it, you confirm your story and then we'll talk about a deal for you." Gambi said, since while he hated Proctor, he knew that this was too good for them to pass up and they couldn't let something like the case fall into the wrong hands. Again, since he knew that Tobias had it in the old reality and now he knew why it was valuable, if what Proctor was saying was true.

"I put a tracker on the case when I heard the ASA was going down, since I figured that something like this could be my golden ticket to freedom." Proctor said.

"I wouldn't go that far. But if your information checks out, then maybe I can talk to the Argus director about getting you a deal." Gambi said and Proctor nodded, knowing that he was in no position to demand anything in advance and should consider himself lucky that Gambi was willing to offer him anything at all, so he didn't push his luck. For now anyways.

Chapter Text

"So you want to make a deal with Martin Proctor?" Anissa asked Gambi in shock after he'd told her and her parents about his talk with Proctor and she could tell that her parents felt the same way about that as she did. That it was insane.

"Want is a strong word, but Proctor's offering up information that's too available to not consider." Gambi said.

"What information could possibly be worth making a deal with that lunatic for? What Tobias isn't enough for you old man?" Jefferson asked him.

"He's offering up information about the briefcase Tobias stole from the ASA in the old reality and it sounds like it serves the same function in this one and now I know what that function is." Gambi said.

"What could be so important about a damn briefcase?" Anissa asked, still thinking her uncle was out of his mind.

"According to Proctor, that case is the master control to the ASA's entire metahuman operation. It has every little detail about what the ASA was up to, maybe how the program was started. It's too valuable to leave in the wind." Gambi said.

"I hate to say it, but he's right. That intel is too valuable to leave in the wind." Jefferson said and Lynn nodded.

"That information could help me come up with a new stabilization serum that doesn't require Tobias's bone marrow to make, since this time he's taken down, I never want him to see the outside of his cell again." Lynn said.

"I guess that information is too dangerous to leave in the wrong hands. Especially since I'm guessing that's how Tobias learned about the masters of disaster before. Thankfully Dr. Jace cooperated and Aunt Lyla is having Argus transfer those pods out of my clinic as we speak." Anissa said.

"And you're hoping that the case might have information on Grace if they've come in contact with her." Lynn said, knowing her daughter too well.

"I thought that once I got my powers back, then maybe this void in my life would be filled, but it's not. Even becoming Thunder and Blackbird again wouldn't help, because this void existed since I had to let Grace go to protect her from the ASA in the old reality." Anissa said.

"Because you love her." Jefferson said and Anissa nodded.

"Which is why I want to tell her our secret when we find her. Not about the old reality, but about us being metahumans. After all, she's a meta too." Anissa said and both of her parents smiled.

"And she's the one person we'll let you tell, since she's basically family already, but you should make sure that she loves you in this reality, since she won't remember what you two had in the old one." Jefferson advised and Anissa nodded.

"You're right, I got ahead of myself. But I've been using Uncle Gambi's setup to search the whole city for her, but since she's a shapeshifter, it's proving to be difficult." Anissa said.

"Anissa, I promise we will find her. Though I was surprised that you asked your Aunt Lyla, since she can't exactly use Argus resources for personal matters." Lynn said.

"Normally she doesn't, but Aunt Lyla agreed that since Grace is a metahuman shapeshifter, she's worth making an exception for, though Argus isn't having much luck either." Anissa said.

"We'll find her eventually. You just have to have hope that if things are meant to be, you'll find your way back to her." Jefferson said and Anissa smiled at him thankfully.

"Speaking of Thunder, we've been talking and I think you've earned this back." Gambi said as he handed Anissa a watch.

"Wait, are you serious?" Anissa asked with a grin, since she didn't think her parents would really let her suit up again this soon.

"You've proven to us that we can trust you. You've earned the right to be Thunder again. But no Blackbird. The moment she shows up is the moment that watch becomes a power dampener." Jefferson told her.

"I told you, Blackbird is retired. I'm not gonna lose myself in her again." Anissa promised.

"To activate the suit, densitize and then snap your fingers." Gambi said and Anissa nodded as she did exactly that and while her suit materialized, she was very happy to see that she'd gotten an upgrade, since now her suit was a bright purple.

"I like the new look." Thunder said and Gambi smiled.

"I thought that purple was more your color." Gambi said.

"You were right. Now it's time to get back in the game." Thunder said and Jefferson grinned as he summoned his own Black Lightning suit so they could get back in the field together.

Chapter Text

"Where are we headed?" Anissa asked her father, eager to finally get back in the field as Thunder.

"Now that you're back in the game, I figure it's time to take care of a problem in Freeland that we've been ignoring for too long." Jefferson asked as he suited as Black Lightning and Anissa did the same thing as Thunder. She seriously loved her new suit and she saw that Gambi had even built her a new motorcycle to match her suit's new color and with the larger funding he'd gotten from Argus, he'd promised that it included some new toys, not that he'd had a chance to show her them yet.

"And that would be?" Thunder asked as she got on her bike.

"Looker. The hateful racist woman who's basically reinstated segregation in South Freeland." Black Lightning and Thunder grinned as she remembered.

"The Perdi and the Sange." Thunder remembered, having helped a Perdi woman give birth and remembering Looker. Honestly, she was really happy that her first mission back as Thunder was taking that bitch down.

"Plus your mother thinks she can use Looker's silver element to help stabilize the pod kids." Black Lightning said.

"And how do we know that she won't try to turn us into her puppets?" Thunder asked, even though they both knew the answer.

"Because there's no way in hell that woman would ever want her precious silver in a black person." Black Lightning said.

"Just another reason I'm gonna enjoy that bitch in the face." Thunder said and Black Lightning chuckled as they headed out.

"Gambi, what do you have for us?" Black Lightning asked as he and Thunder headed towards South Freeland.

"Not much. Just like in the old reality, both the Perdi and the Sange live pretty off the grid to avoid being tracked." Gambi said over the comms.

"Wait, from what I remember, the Sange were also involved in some illegal weapons dealing while the Perdi dealt with illegal weed and I know which one I'd rather take down." Thunder said.

"Just don't tell your sister, she doesn't need her own connection for that." Black Lightning said and Thunder chuckled.

"Copy that. But let's get back to business. You look for the Sange, I'm gonna go check to see if the Perdi farm is in the same place it was in the old reality and if it is, see if they know anything that can help us find the Sange." Thunder said and Black Lightning could hear the anger in her voice.

"There's a reason you're going for the Perdi and not the Sange right now isn't there?" he asked his daughter.

"I'm less likely to do something I may or may not regret around the Perdi, since the idea of the Sange and what Looker made them into disgusts me. She's a despicable human being, even for the South." Thunder said.

"I appreciate that you recognize how angry you are with her. It shows growth. Which is why you're not confronting her without me there to talk you down." Black Lightning said.

"Agreed. And while it may not be as personal as your hatred of Tobias Whale is, I think I found my own archenemy." Thunder said.

"I'll allow it, since you're not the only one who's angry at what Looker has done. Check on the Perdi, make sure they're secure and see if they have any ideas on where to find Looker. Gambi and I will keep searching for the Sange, since they're a more direct link. Once Looker is secured, I'll call in Lyla to take her into Argus custody." Black Lightning said and Thunder nodded in agreement.

Chapter Text

Thunder was currently riding her new motorcycle towards Perdi country, wanting to find any leads she could about Looker, since while she doubted that they'd know anything about Looker, but she did feel like she owed a debt to the Perdi for all they'd done in the old reality, not that they'd need to do that again now that the ASA was shut down and Odell was rotting in prison where he belonged. And even though Markovia was still an issue, she knew her Aunt Lyla would never put Freeland under an occupation.

Anyways, it turned out that while she'd been out of the game due to her powers having gone dormant, Gambi had taken the time to upgrade all her gear, including upgrading both her suit and her bike with stealth mode, allowing her to ride undetected. Or so she thought.

Even though she was in stealth mode, Thunder found that she still had to quickly swerve to avoid a leopard pouncing at her out of nowhere.

Wait, a leopard?

Thunder brought her bike to a stop as she turned off her suit's cloaking device and turned to see a very familiar leopard growling at her.

"Grace?" Thunder asked, in shock, since this was the last place she expected to see the love of her life, but she had to remind herself that this version of Grace hadn't met her yet. And while she didn't want to hurt her, she also knew that this version of Grace wouldn't hesitate to attack her to defend herself. Though she was curious about how Grace wound up living with the Perdi in the first place was the leopard continued to eye her and Thunder prepared to go on the defensive, since while she wasn't planning on using any powers besides her super strength and invulnerability to protect herself from Grace's leopard attacks.

However, after sniffing her, Grace just walked away, still in her leopard form and unless Thunder was mistaken, it almost seemed like she was gesturing for Thunder to follow her, so she cautiously followed the leopard towards the Perdi camp.

When they arrived, she watched the leopard turn into Grace as they reached the Perdi camp.

"Grace Choi." Thunder said.

"How do you know who I am? Are you with the ASA?" Grace asked, wondering if she'd made a big mistake by leading this woman to the camp.

"No. The ASA was shut down." Thunder said.

"What?" Grace asked.

"My name is Thunder and my father is Black Lightning. The ASA was shut down a few weeks ago and he and I, along with a different and better organization called Argus, have been working on cleaning up their messes. Though we did notice you were in their files, I swear, we weren't looking for you. As long as you weren't causing problems, we didn't care what you did." Thunder said, telling her a version of the truth and hoping that Grace's damn leopard sense wouldn't detect any lies.

"Then what are you doing out here?" Grace asked skeptically.

"Looking for a different meta who is wanted for numerous crimes. Calls herself Looker." Thunder said.

"You're trying to take down Looker?" Grace asked.

"Black Lightning and looking into the Sange now, since we've heard about what she's done to this community and she's been able to get away with it for far too long. She needs to go." Thunder said.

"Good. With the ASA gone, I have a chance to get my life back, but I'm not leaving the Perdi until I'm sure that they'll be safe, since they're the ones who took me in after I escaped from the ASA." Grace said.

"I understand that. Think they can help me find Looker?" Thunder asked.

"Maybe. But regardless, when you do find Looker, there's no way in hell I'm sitting that fight out." Grace said and Thunder smiled.

"From what we've heard, Looker has claws, so it will be good to have some of our own." Thunder said.

Chapter Text

Grace led Thunder into the Perdi farmhouse, where she was immediately greeted by hostile faces from the Perdi, including some familiar faces like Anaya, Thierry and Batina. Thunder was happy to see Batina alive again, but didn't dare show it.

"Grace, why did you bring this woman here?' Batina asked her practically adopted daughter and one of their primary protectors against Looker and the Sange.

"It's okay, she's not here to hurt us. This is Thunder, she works with Black Lightning." Grace said, since even out here, they knew about Black Lightning.

"I thought Black Lightning was dead?" another Perdi member, Thunder remembered his name was Joshua, said and Thunder had to stop herself from glaring at him, since she remembered how much damage he'd caused in the old reality, starting a war with the Sange just because Anaya had chosen one of them over him.

"He's alive and he's back in the game. Now that the ASA has been shut down, he and I are helping tie up loose ends, including Looker." Thunder said.

"You're trying to take down Looker?" Anaya asked hopefully.

"Yes. Black Lightning is heading into Sange territory now to look for her. I came here in the hopes that you might know something that can help us find her." Thunder said.

"And I want to help you do it." Grace said.

"Absolutely not. Black Lightning and Thunder can go after Looker if they want and I wish them the best of luck if they do, but they don't live under this roof Grace. You do and as long as you do, you will listen to me, since by now the Sange have to know that you're one of us and I will not risk starting a war with them, since it will wipe out the Perdi." Batina said.

"Because of their illegal weapons dealings?" Thunder asked.

"You know about that?" Anaya asked.

"Another reason we're taking them down with the support of the US government organization Argus, which while it serves the same function as the ASA, is run by someone with actual morals. We've already gotten their word that once the last of the ASA holdouts are wrapped up, they'll withdraw from Freeland unless the need for them to return comes." Thunder said, thinking of Markovia and wondering if they'd still attack since now America was home to Superman and Supergirl too.

"It's still way too risky." Batina said.

"Batina, the Sange aren't all bad. A lot of them don't really want war with us, it's Looker controlling them through whatever it is she's putting in them to control them. I think that if she's taken out, we might have a shot at peace with the Sange." Grace said.

"Mom, it's worth the risk. Besides, it's not like the Sange know what Grace can do or else Looker likely would've come for her, since she's an obvious threat to her." Anaya said, wanting to end this fight.

"And while I appreciate everything you've done for me, I'm tired of hiding. I want my life back." Grace said and Batina looked at her husband, who nodded, since Anaya had been communicating everything to him through sign language.

"Fine, but only Grace will go and Thunder, you are responsible for her. Grace is Perdi, you're not and you'll be held accountable if anything happens to her." Batina said.

"I swear on my life that I won't let anything happen to her." Thunder said, meaning that completely.

"Good, because if something happens to her, well, it would be best for you to never come back here for your safety. And don't come back until Looker is no longer a threat. I won't risk my people being drawn into a war." Batina said and Thunder nodded.

"Trust me, I'm not coming back until Looker is in custody. But once she's down, maybe you should consider trying to make peace with the Sange. After all, I'm sure not all of them are that bad." Thunder said.

"Maybe." Batina said, but she didn't look convinced.

Chapter Text

When Black Lightning met Thunder at the border between the Sange and Perdi territories, he was surprised to see that she was not alone.

"Who's this?" Black Lightning asked his daughter, even though he recognized the woman that he knew would one day be his daughter-in-law, but couldn't tell her that.

"Meet Grace Choi. She's a shapeshifter and an honorary member of the Perdi after she escaped from the ASA." Thunder said.

"And I'm here to help take down Looker." Grace said.

"Any help is welcome. But Grace, do you mind if I talk to Thunder in private for a moment?" Black Lightning asked.

"Yeah okay?" Grace asked, wondering what that was about as Black Lightning pulled his partner aside.

"Everything okay?" Thunder asked him, even though she knew what this conversation was about.

"I can see the way you're already looking at Grace, but you can't forget that this version of her doesn't know you. She doesn't know the same history that you do and you can't force that on her. You can't force her to be the Grace that you loved." Black Lightning said.

"I know that, but that doesn't mean that I can't get this Grace to love me like the old one did." Thunder said.

"You can't force those feelings onto her and it's not fair to her if you're only using her to replace your Grace. And it's not fair to you either in that regard." Black Lightning said.

"Dad, I lost her once. I can't lose her again." Thunder said.

"Except this isn't the Grace you knew. You have to let her go." Black Lightning said.

"What do you mean let me go?" Grace's voice asked, drawing their attention back to her.

"Were you listening in on us?" Black Lightning asked.

"I have enhanced senses from my leopard form, including hearing. I couldn't help it, especially after I heard my name be mentioned. But why were you two talking like you know me?" Grace asked.

"It's complicated." Thunder said, since this was not how she wanted to have this conversation.

"Then uncomplicate it. I'm not doing anything without answers and you need me to get inside Looker's compound." Grace said.

"Wait, you know where it is?" Black Lightning asked.

"Shapeshifter, remember. I've done some recon on the Sange to make sure that they weren't planning any moves against the Perdi. But I'm not telling you anything until you tell me what the hell is going on here. How do you know me, since I can from the minute Thunder saw me, she recognized me. What are you not telling me?" Grace asked as Black Lightning and Thunder exchanged looks, wondering if Thunder was gonna have to use her strength to restrain Grace while Black Lightning used his powers to wipe her memory if they had no other choice, since they'd forgotten about Grace's leopard hearing.

"Instead of telling you, allow me to show you." a new voice said and Black Lightning couldn't believe it, but he was actually thrilled to see the Monitor appear out of nowhere.

"Who the hell are you?" Grace asked.

"Someone who can make sense of what they're saying for you." Novu said as he simply tapped Grace's forehead and suddenly the look that Jefferson recognized from when Lynn, Anissa, Gambi and Henderson all had after J'onn had restored their memories and Thunder quickly moved forward to catch her before she fell.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why did you do that?" Black Lightning asked the Monitor.

"For the same reason I restored Anissa's powers." Novu said.

"Wait, you're the one who took my powers away?" Thunder asked as she held a now unconscious Grace.

"You'd lost your way. Forgotten why you became a hero in the first place. You needed to earn your powers back by relearning the lessons your father taught you. Restoring Grace's mind is your reward for passing my test. And also a way of doing my penance for the role I played in the original crisis, which never would've happened had I simply controlled my towering ambitions." Novu said.

"But you're not going to be restoring anyone else's minds will you?" Black Lightning asked.

"No. Grace Choi is the last one needed. Now, you have things to do and I have other matters to address." Novu said as he vanished.

Chapter Text

Thunder smiled as Grace regained consciousness and gave her a look that she was so used to seeing. The look of love.

"Anissa." Grace said.

"Hi Grace." Anissa said, thrilled that she didn't have to act like she didn't know Grace anymore and quickly proceeded to kiss her, a kiss that Grace eagerly reciprocated.

"Okay, as happy as I am that you two are back together, can you please save the reunion until after Looker is behind bars?" Black Lightning asked, reminding them that he was still there.

"Sorry dad." Thunder said, clearly not sorry at all.

"I get that you're excited Anissa, but we do have a job to do. And Grace, I know that you probably have a thousand questions, but this isn't the time or place to answer them. Once Looker is behind bars, then you can ask any questions you want." Black Lightning assured her.

"Copy that. Though honestly, I'm feeling a little left out. Give me one second." Grace said as she closed her eyes and suddenly her appearance shifted slightly so that while she still looked the same, now she was wearing a pitch black leather suit with a half mask and her eyes had gone leopard and Thunder whistled appreciatively.

"Nice look." Thunder said.

"Thanks. I didn't want to feel left out of this little costume party. Besides, if we're going after Looker, I need some better protection and this way, she can't get her silver stuff in me." Grace said.

"I'm assuming the only reason she never tried to infect you in the first place is because you're white." Black Lightning said, since all three of them knew how much of a racist bigot Looker was.

"Yep, though I have to admit, I do have a bit of a personal score to settle with Looker." Grace said.

"What did she do?" Thunder asked, wondering just how badly she was gonna need to pound Looker before she allowed her father to hand her over to Argus.

"It was about a year ago, I was stealing some supplies from the Sange to give to the Perdi, extra food beyond what the Perdi could grow and medical supplies, nothing I hadn't done before, but this time, Looker noticed and she got curious about how I was able to get passed all of the Sange's security, so she took me prisoner and tried to force answers out of me and she even tried to infect me to get answers that way, but it didn't work." Grace said.

"What do you mean?" Black Lightning asked.

"Another bonus about my powers now that I've fully gained control over them is that they let me heal a lot faster than most people. Almost as fast Anissa can. My healing abilities somehow shielded me from Looker's silver. Plus, she wasn't exactly thrilled to have to put her silver element in someone who wasn't white, so she turned to a much more preferred version of interrogation instead." Grace said.

"Torture." Thunder said and Grace nodded.

"I've still got some scars, since my healing ability does have its limits and it's not as advanced as yours is. Hence why I created this protective suit." Grace said.

"What did she ask?" Black Lightning asked.

"That's the thing, she didn't even ask questions at that point, she was just trying to send a message to warn me to back off. And then, when my injuries were too severe to heal quickly, instead of killing me, she dumped me back in Perdi territory as a warning to any others trying to take what she feels is hers." Grace said.

"It's sad that nothing about that surprises me. Though still, I'm surprised she wouldn't try to control you and then force you to take a form that better suited her needs." Black Lightning said.

"Didn't want to waste the effort I guess, not that I'm complaining, but now I'd really like to put that bitch behind bars. Especially since it sounds like this Argus group is what the ASA was supposed to be when it was founded, not that it ever was." Grace said.

"Very true. And while I won't kill Looker, I am gonna see how much she likes to be on the receiving end of a super strength punch and see how quickly she can heal from it." Thunder said.

"And as long as you don't kill her, it's open season." Black Lightning said, since he understood his daughter's rage towards Looker, but he wouldn't let her become a killer.

"Oh she'll live, but I can't guarantee she'll walk away after I break both her legs." Thunder said.

"Enough. Grace, show us the way." Black Lightning said, getting them back on track.

Chapter Text

I know I said I wouldn't do this again, but I am, since honestly, after nearly two years, I don't think this series is going anywhere, despite my claims otherwise, so since I'm sure someone is interested, consider this series up for adoption, reach me on any site this story is on to discuss. I have an idea for a new series in the works that I've started planning, but do not know when I'm going to post it, since this one will be a little different than my previous works and hopefully that will be a good thing. And also hopefully by the time I get the new series up, Fanfiction will be sending email notifications again. Thank you for your patience with me and I hope that my new series will be worth the wait and any possible frustrations.