Final Crisis (2/4)

Jonah stalked through thick vegetation for hours following the sounds of gunfire. The jungles of Nicaragua were extremely biodiverse and filled with life. Usually, this is a good thing, but it was becoming increasingly inconvenient for Jonah. The tall, green canopies blocked satellite imaging, thereby hindering his ability to portal to anywhere he saw. Additionally, the beautiful calls of birds, monkeys, and other creatures blended with the dull sounds of human ****.

The information the UN gave Jonah through the Justice League was outdated at best and utterly useless at worst. Apparently, the Nicaraguan government had been fighting a guerrilla rebel/cartel group for some years. It wasn’t until a UN task **** intervened that a ceasefire could be established, preventing the **** from spreading further to the populace. The federal government proved that it couldn’t beat the rebels, and international observers couldn’t allow a terrorist organization to gain control of the Central American country. The UN did its best to resolve the situation. Unfortunately, for most situations, the UN’s best isn't too much.

By the time Jonah arrived at the first UN checkpoint in a small village, it had already been destroyed. The villagers had fled or hid, but the Peacekeepers were not so lucky. Jonah crouched and carefully scrabbled around the scene.

He investigated as best he could. Not a single survivor. The dead men were Bangladeshi. There were plenty of bullet holes all around. They came from multiple directions. Most of the UN guns weren’t fired. Ambush.

Strangely, one of the bodies had been nearly bisected. A long blade must have been used to inflict the wound, but Jonah couldn’t figure out why somebody would use such an archaic killing method.

“You getting all of this Watchtower?” Jonah spoke into his suit’s built-in communication system.

“There’s a little interference, Porter, but we can still read you.” Spoke the controlled voice of Mister Terrific, who had just started his Watchtower supervisor shift. "It appears that you are gaining ground on the perpetrators. Gather as much data as possible and then proceed. Your location has been flagged for local officials.”

“Roger that.” Jonah acknowledged the corpses and moved on.

An average person would have struggled to navigate the thick jungle vegetation for such long periods, but Jonah was no ordinary person. While not the most efficient power set for this mission, Jonah was able to circumvent the worst of the obstacles with his portals and enhanced physique. He jumped from portal to portal in small bursts by picturing the edge of his vision.

Landing on a tall boulder, Jonah paused and listened to the jungle around him. As he did, a group of birds broke the silence, flying off in a group with the distant fluttering of their wings. Following the bird's flight, more sounds broke the peace of nature. The distinct pop of gunfire and the echoing creaking of a tree falling.

Jonah quickly changed directions and approached the sounds of battle.

Trees and heavy foliage slowly thinned as the footprint of limited human civilization appeared. Manufactured clearings, small buildings, and simple foot paths led Jonah to a small village. The town was alight in **** and fire. Rebel fighters fired at an unidentified target. Men in dark camo with specialized equipment.

“Watchtower, are you-” {first_name }'s ear filled with static noise before he could finish his warning. Something was blocking his communication—audio and Visual.

Without needing further instruction, Jonah jumped into the fray. What most of his opponents failed to realize is that Porter’s portals are entirely silent. No sound pierces the invisible veil between locations—just light and the forceful physical objects that surround him. The first enemy that Jonah hit had no idea he was coming. He was just a form born of a shadow. He went down quickly, and Jonah moved on.

It was only after Porter had dispatched five men that the rest of their squad figured out what was going on.

“We have an unknown variable. Metahuman. Regroup on the ingress point Alpha.” One of the soldiers said into a headset before spraying a round of bullets at Jonah.

Jonah stepped away before he could get shot. The man escaped. Jonah briefly investigated the **** bodies of one of the soldiers. There was no indication of name, rank, or nationality. A black op. He pulled back the man’s hood and saw a thirty-something Caucasian man with a short haircut.

“Huh, you don’t look very Nicaraguan.” Jonah guessed with his admittedly limited understanding of what Nicaraguans should look like.

Without much time to waste, Jonah quickly repositioned onto the tallest building in the small village. He clung to a sheet metal roof and observed the town square. It would be a massive understatement to say that what he saw disturbed him. Battling in the middle of the fray was a young warrior. In one hand, he expertly bore a flaming sword, and in the other, he gripped a glowing amulet which transformed the volleys of bullets fired towards him into inert ash. It was Crusader. The misguided zealot whom Porter had defeated many months ago.

“You should be in prison!” Jonah unwisely revealed his position.

“Oh God,” Crusader muttered with fear in his eyes.

Porter positioned himself close to Crusader but outside the reach of his sword. “Stop this massacre. This isn’t your MO at all.”

“I don’t have a choice.” It looked like somebody was whispering in Crusader’s ear, and he had to listen. A stern grimace etched its way onto his face. “Just get out of here, Porter. For your own good. I will defend myself.”

“I put you away once, I’ll do it again.”

“Please.” Crusader mouthed to Porter alone.

Jonah suddenly dashed and tried to strike Crusader on his backhand swing with his sword. Crusader quickly ducked and kicked Porter in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. Rolling in the mud, he placed a portal beneath him. The portal was above the ground so that Jonah could swing his legs down and land on his feet.

By the time that Jonah had recovered, Crusader was running away. Whether it was a retreat or reposition did not matter as Porter would pursue.

“Get back here, Crusader! You can’t escape me. I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.” Jonah passionately yelled. Despite being vitally important to the political balance of a Central American nation, he ignored the firefight around him. Crusader was his responsibility. He was the one who arrested him, and he saw the good that could exist in the teenager.

Crusader didn’t respond, he instead continued running and talking to the voice in his ear. Jonah chases in the shadows and the alleys of the buildings, waiting for just the right moment. When Crusader turned a corner, Jonah placed a portal on an intercept course with him. Since he was running full speed, Jonah was able to hit the holy warrior with the **** of a linebacker.

Placing a portal under their fall, Jonah grappled Crusader in the air and slammed him onto the ground. He tore the holy weapons from his hands and pulled Crusader into a chokehold.

“How did you get here?” Jonah began his interrogation.

“I won’t tell you anything. I can’t.” Crusader declared.

“You will. One way or another. If I don’t get it out of you, the Justice League has many more efficient ways of information extraction.” Jonah promised.

“You don’t understand Porter. This is way above me.” Crusader pleaded.

“Just tell me. I can protect you.”

“You can’t Unde- I can get out of this. I can escape.” Crusader was speaking to somebody else. Somebody that Jonah couldn’t see or hear.

With the desperation of a cornered animal, Crusader bit Jonah’s hand. Shocked by the brutality and fearing the loss of his fingers, Jonah released his grip.

“No, no, no, I can fix this. God, he’ll aid me.” Crusader stumbled back. Crusader was told something that shattered him. His eyes widened with a look of fear that would live in the dark recesses of Jonah’s mind for the rest of his days. He could see every wrinkle and blemish on the young man’s face as it drained of all color. He could see the weight of the world that had pushed Crusader to this point. In Crusader, he could see himself. “Porter, listen to me. This was the US. I work for the US government. It was Amanda Waller. It was Wa-”

Crusader’s head exploded. In a gruesome display of barbarity Crusader’s head was blown apart by a small explosive device. His blood and grey matter sprayed on Jonah’s suit. He was dead in an instant. He could not confess to Jonah, but his last words would not be wasted.