Broken(DC)

Sleep never came to me. All night, I was haunted by images that left me deeply unsettled. Early in the morning, I sat in the hotel restaurant, eating breakfast. I felt an overwhelming hunger and kept ordering more and more food, yet the feeling of fullness never came. It had been a long time since I'd experienced such ravenous hunger.

"Enjoying your meal?" a voice broke the silence. Turning my head, I saw the woman from the room where the rescued girl had been.

"And you are?" I asked.

"The Nightmare Nurse, or just Asa, if that's easier for you," she replied. "Mind if I join you?" She gestured to the seat across from me.

"Of course," I said.

"I didn't come here by chance. Here's an address—you'll find Constantine there. Trust me, he's an irresponsible and unpredictable man. He's more likely to get drunk and forget his promises than to actually fulfill them. For some reason, I decided to help you out a little," she said, handing me a slip of paper with an address on it.

"Thank you," I said, looking at her.

"One more thing: don't get involved with him again. He'll only lead you to ruin. That's his nature—to destroy everything he touches," she said, raising a glass of wine and draining it in one go.

"So, you've known him for a while?" I asked.

"I wish I'd never met him, but yes, we've known each other for a long time. Want to know more about him?" she asked. When I nodded, she continued:

"He's a man of extraordinary talents. He can draw a circle and summon a terrifying demon using nothing more than some cheap charlatan books and sheer determination. That's undeniably a gift, but unfortunately, it's brought nothing but horror to him and everyone around him. From that moment on, he's been deeply entangled with the dark world, unable to escape while his soul remains blackened and burdened by the sins of his mistakes. Heaven will never accept him, and Hell is eager to devour him.

"Lately, his mind hasn't been right, as if he's lost himself. Day by day, he's slipping further, and it's only a matter of time before he becomes completely unhinged. The weight of what he's witnessed in the otherworld is too much to bear," she finished.

"Thank you for telling me, but I can't stand by while demons roam our world," I said.

"Full of enthusiasm, just like John. Soon enough, you'll realize it's a pointless fight. Evil will always exist within humanity, and that's the demons' main source of sustenance. They'll be drawn here like moths to a flame," Asa said as she rose from the table. "Farewell, Brian Forman. May you never face the horrors that John Constantine has endured." She waved and walked away.

Watching her leave, I twirled the fork in my hand, recalling a phrase: To defeat one evil, you must become an even greater one. In the reflection of the glass, I caught a glimpse of my face twisted into a monstrous visage. What if it's true?

"Would you like to order anything else?" the waiter's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"No, I'm good. Just bring the bill," I replied. After settling the payment, I headed to the address written on the slip of paper.

The path led me to a crumbling building that looked like it had been built half a century ago and hadn't seen a single repair since.

Inside, it was no better. The corridors were in desperate need of cleaning and restoration. Following the shabby hallway, I arrived at the apartment. Without knocking, I stepped inside.

The stench of alcohol and cigarettes hit me immediately. In the middle of the room, surrounded by bottles, lay John Constantine. Asa had been right—he hadn't even bothered to get up.

Approaching him, I ignored the reek and slapped him across the face a few times.

"Ugh… mmhghh…" he mumbled incoherently.

I went to the bathroom, filled a bucket with water, returned, and dumped it over his head.

"Ahhh!" he yelped, suddenly awake.

"Good morning," I said.

He wiped his face, pushed the water away, and glared at me.

"You know, I could curse you so your dick falls off," he muttered.

"Not a problem—it'll grow back. But if I rip yours off, I doubt it'll regenerate," I replied.

"Fine, you win. What do you want? Let me get some rest," he said, fumbling among the bottles until he found one half-full and took a swig.

"We need to destroy the remaining demons," I said.

"Sure, I'll make you a portal, and you can go to Hell and take care of it there," John retorted.

"I could go get another bucket of water," I said. Being around him in this state was unbearable, especially with the stench.

"Alright, alright, give me a moment to pull myself together. What was it again? Abracadabra, demons beware… Sorry, kid, they're not that easy to find," he muttered, collapsing back onto the couch and closing his eyes.

Grabbing him by the collar, I dragged him to the bathroom and shoved him under the running water.

"Wait, wait, stop! Alright, I get it—you're not going to leave me alone. Let's skip the theatrics," John snapped, shaking the water from his hair.

He looked at me now with sober eyes. Apparently, he was quite good at pretending.

"Kid, you think it's that simple? Step outside, torch everything in sight, and call it a day? No, you have to lure them out, gather them together, and take them all down at once. Otherwise, you'll never find them all," he explained.

"Then let's start now," I said.

"Before we do, let me make one thing clear: they're no weaker than Nergal. I don't know about you, but they'll rip me apart in seconds. If anything, I'll be your backup—you'll be the one doing the killing," John said.

"I agree to this," I said. Even if he hadn't suggested it, I wouldn't have let him participate in the battle. For me, it had become a personal duty to rid the world of these abominations.

"Then let the hunt begin," John grinned, a flicker of darkness gleaming in his eyes.

From then on, we wandered through various abandoned places. John chanted spells, or so he claimed, and left messages for the demons. He offered them deals too tempting to resist, hoping to lure them to where he wanted. But the problem was that they could be anywhere, and there was no guarantee they'd respond or even receive the message.

As a result, we had to confront several demons that I couldn't kill—lest we scare off the more important ones.

The meeting place was an abandoned church, a rather unusual choice. It seemed holiness had long since deserted this place, leaving behind only shadows and a grim atmosphere. The building was dilapidated; its windows and stained glass were shattered and boarded up.

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching John Constantine as he busied himself sprinkling something on the windowsills and doors.

"Making sure none of them escape if you fail to take them all out at once," John replied, moving his hands in precise gestures. Symbols appeared on the marked areas, which he then covered with fabric. "Now, we just need to disguise you," he said thoughtfully, eyeing me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You reek of demon rot. You're covered in their blood, and your power practically radiates off you," he explained. Suddenly, he waved his hand, conjuring a beam of light that struck a rat scurrying nearby. Grabbing the creature, he slit it open and began smearing its blood on me.

If he was telling the truth, this was a necessary measure. If he was lying, he wouldn't live to regret it.

"There, now you look and smell like bait for rats," he finished with a grin. The blood on me began to bubble, dissolving and disappearing, though the stench lingered—awful and inescapable.

As night fell, we sat inside the church on one of the less broken benches. John smoked, his gaze fixed on the crucifix at the center of the hall.

"How long have you been practicing magic?" I asked, trying to pass the time.

"Magic? I'm no wizard. My domain is the occult," John replied.

"What's the difference?" I asked.

"The difference is that wizards are born, while the occult is about rituals and borrowing power from others," he explained.

"Well, well, the man himself—John Constantine," a raspy voice echoed from the church doors.

"Our guests have arrived," John said, not even raising an eyebrow. He didn't get up.

The demons began emerging from every corner, filling the room.

"We're here. The offer was too tempting to resist. Is this the soul?" the demon asked, staring at me. I had a sinking suspicion that John hadn't hidden me but had instead made me the bait.

"Exactly. Enjoy yourselves, I won't get in your way," John said surprisingly calmly. Shrugging at my glare, he turned and started walking toward the exit.

"What a sweet scent," the demon said, stepping closer to me and sniffing the air.

"Soon, you'll feel it for real," I replied, and with a swift strike, I smashed his head. "Enjoy it while it lasts." My hand ignited with flames, incinerating him completely.

"You tricked us!" one of the demons screamed in fear and tried to flee but slammed into the barrier, unable to escape. Realizing there was no way out, they decided to attack me.

But their fate was sealed—to be consumed by my flames. They screamed in agony, but my punishing hand showed no mercy. When the last demon fell, I surveyed the results.

"If I had a buddy like you in my pocket all the time, life would be so much easier," John said, staring at the scorched remains of the demons. "My promise is fulfilled. You've wiped them all out."

"In this city, yes, but there are others," I said.

"Whoa, slow down. It's too early to start a crusade. After this, they'll run back to their little hellholes to hide from you," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Time works differently in hell. Maybe they'll wait for you to die of old age, or maybe they'll find a way to speed up the process. Who knows? And besides, the world is full of crap besides demons," John added.

"You kept your promise, and that's what matters," I said.

"Take care, kid," John said, waving me off lazily, as if telling me to just go.

"Until we meet again," I said.

How did my vacation turn into yet another mess? All I want now is to get home and finally get some proper sleep. So, when's the next flight to Star City?

*******************

Once home, I collapsed onto my bed, hoping for the long-awaited rest. But Elizabeth quickly brought me back to reality, reminding me of the tasks that had piled up during my absence. A meeting with LexCorp representatives had everyone working at their limit, as there was much to be done. In a month, a scientific exhibition was set to take place in Central City, attracting the greatest minds and immense public attention. New technologies across various fields would be showcased there. We were tasked with presenting our prototype. Lex demanded that the test model be completed before the exhibition, as it would significantly ease its introduction to the masses.

There were, of course, unpleasant moments in this collaboration. Lex had taken a keen interest in our research. He managed to visit while I was still on my short vacation. He spent all his time observing the work of our team. Elizabeth said they couldn't pique his interest much, and he kept asking about me. It seemed that someone as sharp as Lex had begun to suspect something. I had to confirm some of his suspicions, as he was extremely persistent and wouldn't leave Elizabeth alone.

Returning to the routine work that had accumulated over the past few days, I found myself enjoying the process of contributing to something that benefitted humanity. With a tired smile, I finished my tasks, rubbed my eyes, and headed to the kitchen to grab my divine cookie. I munched on it, pondering what to drink. Spotting a bottle of juice, I drank straight from it.

Scrolling through the messages that had piled up on my phone, I froze at one. It was from Garfield:

"The Arrow team is looking for you. They're keeping tabs on all the places you've been."

It seemed they were starting to piece together who was behind everything that had happened. So that's who had been so determined to hack into the company servers lately. It wasn't hard to connect the dots. After all, I was practically the only surviving leader among the gangs.

But I had an alibi: I was at home, and the patrol that had been monitoring my house regularly reported seeing me in my apartment. Of course, they were on my payroll and tied to me in ways that would make things worse for them if they tried anything. The law had no claims against me, but someone beyond the reach of the law might have found a lead—or perhaps they were just bored now that all criminal activity had ceased.

The key was not to give them any reason to arrest me. All their other attempts would be futile.

********************

POV Green Arrow

Drawing the bowstring once more, I released the arrow, hitting the target dead center. Without hesitation, I kept improving, though I knew I was nearing the inevitable limits of my human capabilities. I couldn't compete with monsters like Superman or those aliens. My arrows were effective, my skills gave me an edge over humans, but they weren't human. I needed better weapons than just arrows. Yet, I didn't want to go down that path.

"You're unusually grim today," said a voice I could never tire of hearing. Dinah—what would I do without her? She was wearing tight jeans and a black leather jacket, but the moment I thought about her costume, all my thoughts scattered.

[image]

"Sorry, love, just thinking about what happened in Metropolis again. Sometimes it feels like giving up would be easier," I said, trying not to let my worries show too much.

"You're still haunted by that defeat," Dinah replied.

"That too. You read me like an open book. It felt like he was mocking me, giving me a chance while knowing the whole time that I couldn't beat him. I can't stop them—they killed so many people," I said.

"But they were all criminals," Dinah added.

"Yes, they were. But how many innocent lives were lost? I've seen where that path leads. I saw it clearly in the League of Shadows. It took me time to walk away from that path and stop punishing criminals outright. I can't cross that line. Even though I hate seeing how futile my actions sometimes feel," I said.

Dinah stepped closer, kissed me on the cheek, and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest.

"We'll handle everything together," Dinah said softly.

"Yeah," I replied. We looked into each other's eyes, our lips drawing closer.

"Could you not do that here?" came a voice from the computer.

Dinah's mischievous smile appeared instantly as we pulled away. I had completely forgotten we weren't alone. Damn, she was irresistibly charming.

"Sorry, Felicity," I said awkwardly, feeling embarrassed in front of my assistant. "So, what's the update on the case?" I tried to change the subject.

"I'm almost powerless. He's becoming more elusive by the day, and my knowledge and skills aren't enough to crack even a single layer of his defenses," Felicity said. Her words surprised me—I didn't know anyone better than her in this field.

"So, MedicForm is connected to him after all?" I asked.

"Seems like it. But should we really try to tie him to them? They seem to be focused solely on life-saving medicines," Felicity said with hesitation.

"Or it's just a cover. We need to investigate. If the Lame is somehow linked to this company, it's clearly not simple. He's the last person in the city with power over armed forces. We don't know what he's planning, and we can't risk a tragedy," I said firmly.

"Alright, I'll try. If I could bypass his defenses before, now it feels like we're thinking on entirely different planes. I don't understand the symbols in his code, and much of it is incomprehensible to me," Felicity admitted.

"Then we stick to the old-fashioned method—surveillance and espionage," Dinah said.

"Perfect, let's go with that. We need to monitor all the places he shows up. How do we infiltrate their company? Felicity, can you try to get a job there?" I asked.

"But I already work for your company," she replied.

"That's fixable. You're fired," I said. Her mouth dropped open, and I could see the shock on her face. "Don't worry, it's just for appearances," I quickly added. She was too sensitive; I needed to stop joking around with her like that.

"Phew, you scared me. Alright, I'll give it a shot," she said.

"Then we have a plan. Let's move," I said.

End of POV