| Bialya - November 18
The world was flooding with new news stories.
Last month, Asim Muhunnad, leader of Kahndaq, and Queen Bee, leader of Bialya, had gotten married, and with their union, Kahndaq and Bialya were merged to form Greater Bialya.
The world was outraged, and tensions in the region rose.
Everyone knew from the report released by Lois Lane and the Justice League that Queen Bee had been planning to form Greater Bialya by annexing its neighbor, Qurac.
Two dictators joining hands put everyone on edge, which was why A.R.G.U.S. agents Isabelle "Dizzy" Cordova and Leonardo Lane (codenamed Daemon Rose) were sent to investigate.
Then there was the aftermath of the first LuthorCorp Expo. Some countries like Russia and China denounced the LuthorBots and LuthorDroids, even though the whole world knew that if they weren't already planning something similar, development would soon begin.
Other countries, like Japan, were enamored with them and preordered all types of LuthorDroids. They especially wanted their own Powerpuff Girls—for whatever reason.
And most recently, many Israeli millionaires, billionaires, and officials, along with Israel's primary superhero team, Hayoth, were slaughtered. The perpetrators weren't clear, but many suspected it was a prominent organized crime organization or a government task force, given how efficiently the job was done.
The official story from Israel's side was that it was the work of Hamas, with aid from Qurac, and that they would take action.
So the gradually rising tension in the Middle East immediately shot through the roof.
Why did Qurac get mentioned? That was because Bialya and Israel were actually allies—they were quite similar. The two most hated nations in the Middle East had to stick together.
So when the new monarchs of Greater Bialya said they were going to make a public announcement following Israel's statement, Dizzy and Daemon were at the scene, fully prepared for a declaration of war.
If that turned out to be the case, they had orders from Waller to be ready to kill them. While publicly America was Israel's staunchest ally, Amanda Waller didn't agree, so she was fully prepared to eliminate any entity that would encourage Americans to die in the Middle East pointlessly.
Dizzy stood in the gathered crowd, awaiting the speech that would come from the raised platform. As a Latina, she fit right in with the Bialyans, looks-wise.
By her side was Daemon Rose, who had finally revealed his real identity as Leonardo Lane to her recently, wearing immaculate makeup that helped him blend in as well. He wasn't touted as one of the most skilled operatives in the world for nothing.
She knew he looked way too much like Lois Lane for it to be a coincidence.
He didn't want to reconnect with his half-sisters, Lois and Lucy, to avoid having any of the numerous enemies he'd made while working as an agent of A.R.G.U.S. target them to get at him. But Dizzy had always found that reasoning flawed, considering it was widely suspected that Lois and Superman had a romantic relationship—based on the number of interviews he'd given her—and she had yet to be harmed.
But now that Superman was dead, it was a very real concern. They didn't know each other, hadn't grown up together, and didn't have a connection beyond sharing blood from their deceased father, so Dizzy didn't press him on it.
She just wished she had some family to go back home to.
At least Dizzy and Leo now had each other.
Dizzy had come a long way—from growing up in one of the roughest barrios of Chicago, to avenging her husband and toddler after they were gunned down in a drive-by by two corrupt officers, to eliminating corrupt officials in Chicago with Nova, to finally working internationally in a discreet U.S. government agency.
She had found her direction and identity within A.R.G.U.S., and she excelled at it. And she had found a reliable life partner too. While the past year had been touted as one of the worst in human history, for Dizzy, it had been the best year of her life.
Queen Bee stepped onto the podium, and the crowd quieted, a somber mood settling over them as they anticipated what was to come. They had lived it their whole lives.
War.
Then she spoke.
But Dizzy didn't understand, because she didn't speak Arabic.
She already spoke English and Spanish, and was conversational in French, Portuguese, Mandarin, and even Thanagarian—but she hadn't learned much Arabic yet.
Good thing Leo knew it.
"What is she saying?" Dizzy asked.
"She's been giving a speech praising herself and Greater Bialya so far," Leo said.
Suddenly, the crowd grew even quieter in disbelief before people began genuinely cheering.
"What did she say now?" Dizzy asked again.
Then a figure descended from the sky, and the cheering became thunderous.
It was Black Adam.
"She said that for his role in protecting Kahndaq and Bialya during the Hour of Chaos, Black Adam has been granted the title of State Protector, loyal to the crown of Greater Bialya," Leo said somberly.
And Dizzy understood why.
Black Adam had protected Kahndaq, Bialya, Qurac, and other parts of the region, earning the praise and trust of citizens across the Middle East.
If he was joining Bialya's side as its State Protector, other nations would resort to drastic measures. Missile bombardment wasn't the issue anymore. Now the Middle East also had to worry about metahuman warfare—unseen since World War II. Things could even go nuclear.
As Dizzy watched Asim Muhunnad place a black-and-gold cape on Black Adam, Amanda Waller's voice crackled through her earpiece.
"The plan proceeds to phase two as is, but you won't be the main handlers—just backup in case things go wrong. Matter of fact, prepare to evacuate immediately," Waller said.
Black Adam raised his fist, and the crowd cheered loud enough to rival a concert, certain of their victory in any war with him on their side.
'If not us, then who?' Dizzy thought, confused.
Dizzy looked at Leo, who had also heard the order to prepare to retreat.
Then suddenly, two shots rang out, and the crowd screamed and started to disperse.
The bullets struck their targets dead center in the forehead, and their heads exploded into a red mist.
Both Queen Bee and Asim Muhunnad were killed instantly, their extensive security—including metahuman mercenaries—having neither seen nor reacted to the threat.
But Black Adam turned his head and saw.
Leaving with a sonic boom, he returned seconds later, holding a figure by the neck with one hand.
It was Bullseye.
Even with Black Adam's grip tightening around his throat, the man didn't stop fighting. He pulled out a revolver and fired continuously into Black Adam's face—but Black Adam didn't even flinch.
Dizzy and Leo retreated with the crowd, quickly putting distance between themselves and the scene lest they be next.
"You know, I've been thinking about retiring lately," Leo said.
"Understandable. Maybe this isn't the right career path for me after all," Dizzy replied.
**
"People of Bialya and Kahndaq, we will find the culprit who sent this man to harm our nation."
Black Adam tore off Bullseye's mask, revealing a bald white man in his thirties.
"Who sent you?" Black Adam demanded, his face filled with rage as his new cape billowed heroically behind him.
But only Black Adam and Joseph knew everything was staged.
A while ago, Joseph had approached Black Adam with the objective of having Teth-Adam rule a greater Kahndaq. Teth-Adam had accepted.
Since then, Joseph had set several plans into motion.
With the mind-control nanotech implanted in both Queen Bee and Asim Muhunnad, he had controlled them into marrying and merging the two countries they ruled—regions that had historically once been part of a much larger Kahndaq.
Then he fanned the flames of war in the Middle East after having the Network attack individuals opposing him in Israel, killing two birds with one stone.
Finally, he projected his consciousness into a cloned body of Philo Zeiss stored in Genomorph City to assume the role of Bullseye and assassinate both dictators after they elevated Black Adam.
Unlike before, when his real body needed to be fairly close to maintain the connection, he could now sustain it from the comfort of his office—though it required constant concentration.
Ever since his rebirth, his Nova Sense's range and the amount of psychic energy he could handle at once had expanded greatly, to the point that he could perceive across continents if he chose.
Dying had allowed his soul to push beyond human limits and into something divine.
This had all been accomplished within two months—very rushed, especially considering he killed Queen Bee and Asim Muhunnad right after they placed a cape on Black Adam and declared him State Protector, without even outlining his roles, responsibilities, or authority.
But that was intentional. If events unfolded in rapid succession, everyone would be too busy dealing with the immediate consequences to have the energy to question how it all happened. By the time they did, it would be far too late—and even then, they might not find anything at all.
In the end, Black Adam would rule a greater Kahndaq and eventually bring prosperity to the entire Middle East—whether through diplomacy earned by saving lives across the region, or through force granted by the power of the gods.
"I'm going to kill every fucking member of the Light! You hear me? You don't know what they took from me!" Joseph shouted in Arabic through Bullseye, his face manic, his eyes wild, and his voice loud enough for the cameras to capture every word. He was putting on a show after all.
"I see."
Black Adam tightened his grip, cutting off Bullseye's airway. The body went limp from lack of oxygen, and Joseph withdrew his consciousness.
His role as Bullseye was done.