Finding Vigilante

I think he was angry because he wasn't getting the results he wanted. 

I don't know. Something about the way he reacts doesn't exactly scream empathetic or in grievance compared to everyone else. The agents were the most affected by it all; they see things day in and day out that are beyond our everyday comprehension. At one point they were followed back by these little goblin things, which all had to be put down for security reasons. Another time they were chased by literal zombies. One door even had this bizarre world with a giant skull with spider-like legs behind it. None of it made sense yet all of it was dangerous. But Director Flag simply didn't care. Not for the danger of the mission or the welfare of his people. His only goal was…..whatever it was. 

Around noon, he declared that everyone should take a lunch break. There was a food truck outside ready to serve us so we could go help ourselves to whatever was on the menu. I stayed behind to finish up a document and overheard an interesting conversation from my "coworkers" at the computers behind me. They were talking about the quantum chamber, which was the name of the room I dubbed as the waiting room. The one with all the doors inside. They mentioned that there was a certain world that Flag was searching for and it wasn't for resources (red flag right there, no pun intended). They didn't say much else after that only because people were returning back to their places as lunch was ending but they did make a comment about Peacemaker and the machine that he willingly gave up to them. "Motherfucker was too dumb to see the incredible opportunity he had in his hands". 

Speaking of, Peacemaker was arrested that night ARGUS raided the Chase home. It was front page news in the Evergreen Gazette the next morning and Ms. Chase even got a say in the story. "I didn't realize what was going on until one of those agents explained to me what they were doing afterwards. After the arrest. I thought they were there for Adrian. Turns out they were there for his friend, Chris". Chris was sent to state prison until further notice and even upon requesting to visit him to get a quote that could prove whatever innocence he had, security told me he wasn't accepting any visitors, not even from his friend group. Flag also refused to say anything when I casually brought Chris up in a conversation. Something told me that he didn't do anything wrong and all they wanted was the machine he had that accessed the quantum chamber. Using whatever means necessary to get it, even if that meant illegal arrest and confinement. I didn't put it above ARGUS to do something like that but the way they imprisoned an innocent man all because of some alien technology he owned got under my skin for some reason. It was wrong. All of this felt wrong. 

Thankfully though, Smith was released on bail. Someone with a buttload of money apparently bailed him out on millions of dollars and was released a few days after being arrested. After speaking with some of the prison officers, they didn't even know why Smith was there in the first place. He didn't commit any crimes aside from running from ARGUS who never gave him a valid reason as to why he was wanted. He was being wrongfully imprisoned, basically. And claiming he was arrested due to having alien technology isn't exactly a prison offense. But I guess if you're ARGUS and someone has something that you want, it is. 

Update on my new "job". We sped up the process on trying more doors in the waiting room. Today was a whirlwind; black holes, giant skull creatures, zombies and more. And with every turn of a doorknob, someone always came back either brutally injured or dead. Agents were dropping like flies yet the person who was responsible for overseeing their safety didn't seem to care. Director Flag only showed disappointment (or at this stage in the game, anger) every time the group came back with nothing. I'd catch him roll his eyes or sigh heavily whenever one of his agents would be put on a stretcher or inside a body bag. I wanted so badly to tell him if he wanted results, go in there himself and look for them. But that would get my ass fired immediately. So I had no other choice but to keep my mouth shut and keep on keepin' on. Sitting there made me realize that I've never seen so much death concentrated in one place in my entire life. Death, sure. I've had friends and family pass away. But to have people die from the same cause continuously and make the same mistakes over and over again that caused their deaths was disturbing to watch. I just wished they'd close the door and never open it again. 

But here's the other thing that I've made a mental note of. Aside from the disappointment that Director Flag showcased, he also celebrated whenever they'd find something of interest in there. Despite people coming back hurt or dead as I've previously mentioned, if they came back with results he'd cheer and celebrate with his peers. Never mind that someone returned with a limb missing or was dead. That wasn't relevant to him. Instead he'd crack open a bottle of wine and pour one to the people around him. He might not have noticed this but I did: the shared looks of disgust as he'd clap people on the back and smile and laugh as if nothing was wrong and no one had just lost their lives. It made me want to vomit. I also wanted to vomit when I took notice of a file on the table beside me with a sticky note signed by none other than Lex Luthor himself, which was quickly taken away from my field of view before I could read what it said exactly. It couldn't have been anything good if it was written by Lex. But it also brought up the question as to what part he played in all this. Was he funding this little science experiment? Did he have Flag in his back pocket? The longer I'm here, the more questions pop up and not enough answers are being found. 

Today was weird. Or weirder than usual. The tall glasses freak randomly broke out into really shitty jokes as everyone was working and I couldn't help but feel that he was trying to be a distraction from something. Or for someone. So as discreetly as I could, I leaned forward and glanced around the room to see who was acting suspicious and as luck would have it, I noticed the blonde later that was with Smith when he was arrested and Flag's right hand lady both leaned over a computer while peering around to see if anyone was watching. They didn't see me sneaking glances at them and I didn't want them to get caught either so I just sank back down in my chair and continued the work at my own desk. They left shortly after (as did glasses man, who was as red as a beet when he walked out) and I just hoped to whatever God was out there that they were doing something for the good of others and not whatever ARGUS was trying to do. 

Later that night, I called Gary to let him know that ARGUS finally found something. When Gary asked what I told him that it was a world that looked like ours and was breathable; the final door we opened today. Flag celebrated more than usual, taking some of the crew out to an expensive dinner. I also told him that his right hand lady stopped me at my car tonight and said she knew who and what I was. I panicked at first but she told me not to freak out. She believed that the world needed to know what was happening here and warned me to be careful. If she knew about my secret operation, then there might be others too. I also warned Gary that the file on that particular world might be encrypted on the ARGUS servers and to keep an eye out for it. Gary agreed, wishing me a goodnight before hanging up. I then sent him a photo I snapped earlier that day of a file to see if he could read what was on it (no doubt the file of the new world that was discovered). 

Edit: squeezing in entries that otherwise would've been new posts 

It's currently April 21, 2025. The old community center in town suddenly had a new sign out front. No one knows who bought it but according to Mary and several other residents in town, they saw Smith and other people coming in and out of the building, carrying office supplies, furniture, etc. Adrian Chase was one of those people, so I've been told. The building went from Evergreen Sports and Recreation Center to "Checkmate". Again, there's a lot of secrecy surrounding this new place and when I reached out for a quote, I was only told that they were "trying to make the world a better place". It wasn't exactly helpful and cleared absolutely no air whatsoever but I took what I could get. I guess only time will tell as to who they really were. 

A quick update on the Sons of Triumph. They're still up to their same bullshit but more and more people have been standing up to them. When they tried to arrest a woman in Star City, about a hundred civilians stepped in and nearly beat their asses. The video that circulated online showed a gentle stepping and forming a literal protective shield around her; a solid bubble that separated them both from the Triumph boys (and no, before you start making assumptions, it wasn't a Lantern. The guy had no ring on any of his fingers and the bubble appeared to emit from his body). He was deemed a hero that day and the public's opinion on metas seemed to shift more towards a positive view after that. People were still upset that ARGUS funded them and the government showed general support and showed no signs of slowing down with protests. Everyday, a new town and city across the US put their distaste for Triumph on blast and it almost always went viral. Even Superman chimed in by saying that (and I quote): "Metas aren't the enemy. Keep up with the acts of domestic terrorism, extremism and fanaticism and you'll see yourself become one". The internet went wild with that quote and he once again showed the world why he's everyone's favorite superhero. 

Speaking of the Sons of Triumph, my story was accepted for the front page at the Daily Planet. My first ever front page news. Perry had called me and said my coverage of the Sons was an incredible insight as to what was going on around the country. The people deserved to know what was happening and my story displayed an unbiased opinion on the events. After he congratulated me, I hung up the phone and danced around in my kitchen in celebration. I almost popped open my parents' wine but knew they'd probably kill me if I did. So I settled for a cup of coffee. But it was too early to celebrate just yet. The Sons of Triumph were still around and still active, so celebrations would have to wait until they were fully disbanded and categorized as a terrorist organization by the government. Only then could the country cheer for their downfall. 

As for my other story, ARGUS, that one was turned down for obvious reasons. Perry said it was too dangerous to publish something like that. It would put everyone at the Planet in jeopardy, especially myself even if I chose to have it published anonymously. But what Perry didn't mention was posting it on my own time on my own blog where it was probably still just as dangerous but at least it would just be myself in danger and no one else. He never brought that up. So for everyone reading this, the following are my findings regarding the government organization ARGUS:

Led by Director Rick Flag Sr, his goal was supposedly finding rare minerals and resources for our planet

Under his watch, dozens of ARGUS agents were maimed and/or killed on site due to the multiversal door that allowed travel between worlds

An alliance with Lex Luthor was made but for reasons unknown 

After working undercover, his true intentions were made clear after scouring through ARGUS servers: he wasn't looking for resources. He was looking for a place to imprison metahumans

He's found that world and plans to send people there as a form of punishment 

I'm fully aware that this information will endanger myself and the people who helped me obtain it. They're aware as well. But we firmly believe that this information needs to be shared publicly so that something may be done about it before innocent people start going missing off the streets. Men, women, children; no one would be safe from the tyrannical Rick Flag Sr if he gets his way. 

Now. With that out of the way, I think it's safe to say that I need to leave town before I get swatted by ARGUS themselves. Gary made sure both my identity and IP were all hidden from them, but that's not to say that someone out there found a hole in the firewalls and managed to get my information. So leaving town was probably the safest bet right now. It was one hell of a journey and I'm thankful for the town of Evergreen for rekindling my love of searching for the truth, and reminding me that everyone has a story, no matter how big or small it may be. Farewell, Evergreen. I'll miss you. 

Edit: it's currently almost 4 am. You'll never believe what I was doing for the last four hours. At midnight, I finally went upstairs to go to bed after watching tv in the living room and in the corner of my room I could see a figure sitting at the chair by my desk. I reached for my baseball bat but a voice yelled out "don't shoot! Or hit me! I come in peace!" and then the light on my desk turns on. 

And it's freaking Vigilante sitting there. 

He eyes me behind the red visor before speaking. "I've been reading your blog–which blows my mind because I thought the art of blogging died years ago. But yeah I've been keeping up with it and I think I owe you an interview. Sorry for bailing on you three years ago. I sort of panicked. Thought you were going to expose me to the world–I'm pretty famous, you know".

Then he reaches up and takes off his mask. My jaw drops, my suspicions confirmed. He offers a small smile, looking exhausted

The front door was open and there were a group of people standing on the front lawn with their hands raised. A few of them I recognized; Christopher Smith was one. The big tall creepy dude from the van was another but the one that I really recognized was Vigilante. Why was he here? Did ARGUS want him too? Or was he just there because his buddy Peacemaker was? So many questions were speeding through my mind and it pained me that I couldn't ask any of them. Especially to Vigilante who was a mere twenty feet away from me and I couldn't sit him down for an interview. The universe truly hated me right now. 

This morning started off like any other. Breakfast, coffee, contemplation of all my life's choices. After the usual, I got in my car and made my way to the ARGUS building. There I was greeted by a young woman at the front door. She explained to me that while I did have a desk ready to begin work, as of right now I was to be taken to another location to help with something there. I wasn't aware I'd be working out of the office but I agreed to it anyway. She introduced me to my driver (a guy with an ARGUS uniform) and wished me luck on my first day. So far so good. My driver (we'll call him Mike) wasn't a chatty person but he did ask me why I applied to ARGUS considering they're hated by the general public right now. I told him I wasn't the one out there welding a gun and threatening people. He fell quiet after that. 

We eventually pulled up to this huge warehouse. There were many other vehicles parked outside the building and when I got out, a sense of dread fell over me. Like something was seriously wrong or something was about to happen that would change me as a person forever. Mike urged me inside and led me to a huge computer setup, the desk covered in graphs and papers and scribbles of writing that I couldn't even make out. He said that Director Flag would be with everyone in a moment so "get comfortable" before we begin. I didn't get a chance to ask begin what when I noticed that the entire setup was arranged so that it faced a door. Just a singular white door in the middle of the warehouse. There were machines also beside the door, monitoring God knows what but from where I stood and from what I could see, it looked like different environmental levels. Oxygen, temperature, etc. All this for a door seemed outlandish. But as weird as I thought it was at first, it was about to get so much weirder. 

They began running "tests" once Director Flag arrived. The man was intimidating; he wasn't a tall man but he had a presence to him that commanded everyone's full attention. He was serious about this entire operation (whatever that was) and this random door seemed very important to him. When everyone assumed their positions, he told them to begin the test. Looking back at it now, I just thought they were going to perform the usual tests on the door. Check the hinges, doorknob, that sort of thing. But no. All the wires that were connected to it all picked up on readings I never thought would come from a random white door. Someone called out "it's ready" and then another person opened the door….and it was unlike anything I've ever seen in my whole life. I may have been seated a fair distance away but I could still clearly see what was behind that door. As ARGUS sent in a drone, I watched the camera on the big screen and couldn't help but gasp. It was a large white room filled with seemingly alien-like machinery….and other doors. Doors of all shapes, sizes and colors filled that room but how was it possible? The door in the warehouse had nowhere to go behind it. It wasn't connected to another room. Before I could quietly ask the employee next to me what this was, we could hear Flag say "Incredible. Absolutely incredible. This is the future, ladies and gentlemen. Let's get to work". 

So I began to do the work I was hired to do. I took down oxygen levels, temperature, everything they were measuring in what they jokingly called "the waiting room". They seemed everything normal and safe enough for people to enter (which they couldn't pay me enough to do even if it wasn't my job) and to my surprise, they had agents geared up in hazmat suits enter the waiting room complete with GoPros attached to them so we could see what they were seeing back at the base. They were actually going to see what was behind their other doors. But for what purpose? "Resources mostly" the employee next to me said. "We only have one planet and it's dying. So why not seek out one similar to ours and see what we can find that's of use?" and this made sense to some degree. Our earth was dying and we needed something to counteract the decimation we as humans were causing. But the question that raised alarm bells in my mind was: who would actually benefit from this? The already rich and comfortable? Or the working and poor classes that are already suffering enough as it is?

The agents in hazmat suits stepped through, closing the door behind them. Their GoPros showed on the big screen them walking through the massive array of doors and weird machinery that seemed to hum and buzz around them. One of the agents joked that it was too quiet and they should've brought some music with them but no one laughed. I think the air was so tense and they were so nervous that they were almost scared to laugh or make any kind of sound in there. All jokes aside, they kept walking until they came across a door that resembled what used to be something fancy looking but now looked decrepit. The agent in the front looked back at the crew and said they should try that one just to see what was behind it. The group agreed and did a countdown before wrenching the door open. It was pitch black inside. And quiet. Too quiet. They were about to close it again when fingers began to wrap themselves around the doorframe. A figure slowly made its way out of the darkness; clad in all black, seemingly leather, and white makeup with sloppy red lipstick covering its face. You couldn't see their eyes because it was covered with a mask that resembled a spiked collar and oddly enough, Batman. But that wasn't the thing that gave everyone in the warehouse the chills. It was the undeniable fact that whoever (or whatever) this was had the biggest, toothiest smile that was becoming more and more unnerving the longer the GoPros were pointed at it. 

"Has anyone ever told you that it's rude to enter a man's abode without knocking first?"

The figure let out a maniacal laugh which caused the agents to scream, punch it in the face, prompting the figure to fall back into the darkness as they slammed the door behind it. They began to yell whether or not the door was locked as they sprinted back towards their own door that led back here. It was a struggle to get back through as they all tried to get past the door at the same time before shutting it behind them. Everyone then glanced at Flag for further instruction, who just sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Not exactly a first good impression" he said to everyone. "But one bad door doesn't mean they're all like that. Let's keep going". And that's exactly what we did. All day we rinsed and repeated; go inside, check a door, close it if it wasn't what they were looking for. There were no further incidents after the first door and the agents around me called it a success. No injuries. No deaths. Great readings and results. They couldn't ask for anything better than that. 

It wasn't until late when Flag ordered everyone to go home and get some rest. We'd be continuing our search in the morning so he needed everyone well rested and prepped for the next day. As I was gathering my papers to put them in a folder, a woman with blonde hair approached Flag and spoke to him in a quiet voice. I caught a few things here and there, one of them being "ready to start work tomorrow" and "you're lucky you're not in trouble for aiding Smith". I recognized her as the woman standing outside Chase's house alongside Smith and others, so I took this as working here for punishment for going against orders. We made eye contact for a split second and all I could do was offer a small smile. She didn't smile back but instead stormed away and exited the warehouse along with everyone else who was getting ready to leave. As I was about to leave, I looked back at Flag (who at this point was the only one left in the building) and caught him staring at the door. Just staring. Nothing more. Like he expected something to come through or was just imagining all the possibilities it stored inside. Either way, it creeped me out a little and I refused to stick around any longer than I had to. 

So now I'm finally home after a long day of seeing some really weird shit that I never thought existed. I sent some quick notes over to Gary so he can safely archive them. He asked if there was anything of note that happened today and I told not really. Flag would get mad if a door didn't showcase something he wanted but other than that, it was a normal-ish workday. When Gary what did Flag expect I told him I had no idea. But it was clear to anyone paying attention that Rick Flag Sr had something in mind that he wanted to encounter beyond those doors. Something more than just "natural resources". Gary then said keep my head down and just do the work I was meant to do but at the same time, be attentive. And be careful what I say on the blog because there could be someone on the staff that might read the blog. I said if that were the case, I wouldn't have made it through the whole day. Hell, I wouldn't even have gotten the position if they read it and knew my true intentions. So I doubt any of them did.

"Hey uh it's me. I know it's pretty early on the west coast right now but I thought you should hear and see what I found in the ARGUS servers. I wasn't detected but there was something in there making security rounds. No clue what it was but I got out before it even knew I was there. Yeah so I sent you the files if you wanna take a look at them and call me crazy but….instead of following breadcrumbs, why not apply for the data entry position and get inside the bakery? So to speak? Anyway, call me back when you get this and I'll give a little breakdown of my discoveries. Stay safe out there"

Mary was somewhat skeptical about the application, saying it could be a way to sniff people out or use them as a scapegoat if things went sideways. I'm not gonna lie but the thought crossed my mind as well. With the NDA attached to it and no one to help bail you out, this could be extremely dangerous for anyone who managed to get the position. Mary asked if I was crazy enough to apply and yes she's right. I am. I'm getting tired of following breadcrumbs as Gary called them. The whole bakery was right in front of me and they were practically waving me in. Plus it didn't hurt that I do have experience with data entry. It was before I worked at the Daily Planet, during my college years. I took a data entry course and did transcriptions for the police department in Metropolis. I could lie and say that I had even more experience than that because what are the odds that they'll actually check my credentials? Both Mary and Gary already agreed to be my "employers" from previous jobs and Gary even offered to create fake sites for them if needed. So it wasn't like I was flying blind. It was a solid plan. And it's crazy enough to possibly work. 

In other news, there was another Sons rally today. Much smaller compared to the other night but somehow just as loud and obnoxious. It was a beautiful summer day and the locals were out enjoying the nice weather but these guys were on the street yelling bullshit about metas trying to start a war with Canada (where they got this information from, we may never know). I could see on people's faces that they were annoyed, irritated even, and just plain sick and tired of this group's buffoonery. But no one said anything because due to the fact that the Sons of Triumph now had a foot in the door with ARGUS, they had guns on them. And because this was the good ol' U S of A, this was deemed normal and totally fine to do. Nevermind that there were children around and parents trying to avoid them on the streets. I didn't stick around long enough to see if they were "arresting" anyone for being a meta (which oftentimes you can't tell the difference) but I'm sure if something were to happen, the entirety of Evergreen would hear about it within minutes. 

After the disastrous junk food trip, I returned home to work on my fake resume. With a bowl of Doritos and some soda, I was ready for the long day ahead. It had to be perfect otherwise they'd see right through it and know something was fishy. Thanks to Gary, he forged both a website for a made-up workplace and a university degree for office administration with experience in data entry with my name on it. I've never heard of an employer actually contacting a university to ask about alumni but I'm sure Gary had that area covered too. Mary even offered to be a reference in case they called to ask about my previous work experience. With all the bases seemingly covered, the plan felt flawless and I was confident that I got the job. 

When that was finished, I stretched out on my computer chair with my legs on the bed, looking at my Vigilante board. I realize that this blog didn't really cover him much this time around but I feel like there's bigger fish to fry than trying to uncover who a local masked murderer is. Between both the Sons of Triumph and ARGUS, my hands are full. Besides, I don't think I'd get any further than I did the last time. Every time I got info, I'd hit a wall that I couldn't get around. It was very much a one step forward, two steps back sort of situation. So finding Vigilante had to be put on the back burner for now. 

Just after 7 pm, my phone dinged. I thought it was an email but it was just a text from my boss at the Daily Planet, Perry White. He had heard that I was in Washington covering the Sons and ARGUS and wanted to know what the fresh hell was I thinking coming here with no press certifications or badges to let them know I was press. I decided to call him and explained that I didn't originally come here for them and that the story more or less found me. He mentioned remembering that there was a serial killer in my hometown and I was looking into him three years ago. The story was pretty much dead, I told him. This felt more important for the world to know about than some masked guy. He sighed heavily, warning me not to stick my nose too deep into the pie. Said if I needed anything, call him, and if this story was a success I'd be looking at a raise and a promotion from the sports department.

It's currently 11:24 pm and I still haven't heard anything about the job position. I became nervous and started to think I didn't get it. I needed this. This was the only opportunity I had to get behind enemy lines at ARGUS and find out what they're really doing. If I didn't get it, this all would've been for nothing. Time and precious resources wasted. But I calmed down before going to bed, reminding myself to just be patient and think positive thoughts. Otherwise I wouldn't get a wink of sleep. 

Edit: my phone went off just now at 2:13 am. It was a reply back from the hiring department of ARGUS. I got the job. 

Juggling the Triumph situation while trying to dig more into ARGUS was proving more difficult than I thought. ARGUS has an unbelievable security system at their headquarters and trying to get into their files online was impossible. But not too impossible for Gary, my archival guy back at the Planet. As we spoke over the phone today, he revealed that he too was a meta. His powers? The ability to transfer his consciousness into any piece of technology and control it. Or in my case, get info that's otherwise hidden behind impenetrable firewalls. "I'll see what I can do but agencies like this usually have parameters put in place for people with powers like mine. But I'll dig up what I can" is what he told me over the phone. Thank god for Gary. I would never have been able to do this without him. 

Mary asked me to meet her at the park. She said she had some news from a contact on the inside that was working with ARGUS and there was no way I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to hear what she had to say. When we met at the park, she said her contact made her aware of something that they overheard from Flag in passing. Something about finding another universe using Smith's device. When I asked her what device, she just shrugged and said she had no idea. The contact she's in touch with was only a lackey and filed paperwork. They didn't have the clearance for that kind of information. Which was fine. Having any information at all is a good start. And this only confirmed my suspicion that ARGUS actually did want Smith for something and they weren't just breaking into his house for shits and giggles. He had something that they wanted. And they were willing to do anything to get their hands on it.

How do I know this? Not even five minutes after we wrapped up the conversation and gathered our things, chaos broke out at the park. Suddenly there were agents everywhere trying to take down Smith, who happened to be there as well talking to this blonde lady. Everyone screamed and ran away from the scene but Mary and I ducked under the picnic table that we were seated at to avoid being shot at from any direction. We watched as Smith threw an agent over his shoulder and aimed a gun at the people that had surrounded him. One of them shouted "Christopher Smith this is ARGUS! Put your hands up!" but Smith didn't comply. When another agent approached with her gun raised and pointed right at him, the blonde woman sprang into action, knocking him down and then choking him to the point of unconsciousness. After that, they cuffed him and dragged him to the back of a van. Mary was too stunned to speak, as was I, but luckily I recorded the entire thing while no one was looking. It wasn't going up on the internet or anything. It was purely for my files only. 

There was another rally last night but this time in Star City of all places. I always believed that city to be the most progressive out of all the meta friendly places in the US, always welcoming those displaced by their own families and even sometimes their town/city. The rally actually didn't turn out very well on account of counter protestors interrupting the hate train with music and dancing. As loud as the Sons of Triumph tried to be, they simply weren't loud enough. The counter protestors danced and sang to music, some even showed up in Superman shirts saying "Kindness is punk rock" and did their thing in the streets for several hours until the Sons left. Videos circulated online of the protestors cheering while shouting "Kindness is punk rock, Triumph kiss my ass". One video showcased a metahuman setting off sparklers from their fingertips with a huge smile on their face. It was beautiful to see the Sons being knocked off their high horse for once. 

But as with all good news, there's always bad news that's trailing not far behind. ARGUS announced they'd be working closely with the Sons of Triumph in terms of sniffing out bad metas and we all know how that's going to turn out. The outrage online and outside of ARGUS buildings all over the US perfectly demonstrated how upset both metas and non metas were with the collaboration. Now the Sons were really armed and had full permission to "investigate" those they suspect are meta criminals. To counteract this in the public eye, a beautiful video surfaced online. It was a montage of metas helping clean up Metropolis after the Lex Luthor incident. One person touched a large piece of cement and it began to float into a dump truck. Another was handing out sandwiches to the workers and those who had lost their homes due to the destruction; they gave their hands a shake and the sandwiches doubled, tripled or into however many was needed. They did the same to the tools being used by construction workers so more people could volunteer. The video ended with #FriendsNotFoes to remind everyone that not all metas were bad. It had over a billion views in less than 15 hours and even made appearances on billboards in all the major cities around the country. 

The ARGUS headquarters in Evergreen was bustling with activity when I pulled up into the parking lot. Just as I was getting out, I could see Smith limping his way out with the tall creep helping him walk. A car was outside waiting for him and Adrian Chase got out to take Smith from the tall guy, wrapping an arm around Smith to help him. Smith looked like he'd seen better days; his entire face was busted up and covered in blood which only led me to one conclusion: they messed him up good in there. And I don't mean good in the sense that it was a good thing they did. I mean good in the sense that they had fun. Or at least someone did. I felt bad for him as he got into the car and it pulled away, leaving the tall guy outside by the main entrance. I quickly approached him and asked if he could give a quote on the recent collaboration with ARGUS and the Sons of Triumph. He looked annoyed at first but shook his head. "I'm just a computer guy. But from an outside perspective, we're all in deep shit" was all he said to me before heading back inside. It wasn't much to go on nor did it actually help, but I'll take what I can get. 

Currently back home sitting at my desk and waiting for a call back from Gary. He said he had some goodies from his trip inside the ARGUS servers so what he meant by goodies is a mystery. Could be a good thing or a bad thing. Part of me wanted it to be a good thing. Like what the hell ARGUS actually wanted with Christopher Smith and what this "device" really was. But for now I had to play the waiting game. 

Alongside the unmarked vehicles, a black van pulled up and agents filed out of that as well. I recognized a couple of them from the hospital; tall creep, the agent that I spoke to for a quote and the probable cultural appropriation guy. From a first glance you would never say any of them were actually agents but then again people were full of surprises. Also there was a little green man that looked oddly familiar like I'd seen him somewhere before. 

I watched them break down the door and enter the house from the front while other agents went to the back. The only thing going through my mind at the time was "what did Smith do to deserve ARGUS to bust down his door like this?" and truth be told, he could've done anything. Maybe he pissed off the wrong person somewhere. Who knows. But seeing his home broken into like this without a warrant or even as much as an explanation was just sad. All the posts I'd read online about ARGUS overstepping boundaries and abusing their power seemed to be true. I'm witnessing firsthand what they're capable of. 

One thing that was important to make note of was seeing an eagle fly around in the sky and all of a sudden fall from the sky after a gunshot went off. I couldn't help but gasp. Hunting eagles was extremely illegal in the US so who in their right mind would do that? Especially when it was a man's pet (also probably illegal but it seemed to be well cared for and loved). I almost picked up the phone to call 911 to report all of this but the sad reality is that the police were probably in on it and allowed them to do this. Dirty pigs. 

It eventually grew quiet. No one exited the house with Smith in cuffs so I had to assume that he wasn't home or that he escaped somehow. A few AGENTS just wandered around the yard, looking around and talking to one another. I could see from my bedroom window that a few of my neighbors were also poking their heads out their doors or windows to see what the commotion was again but none of them dared to come outside. Which was smart because there was no telling what would've happened. So we all had the collective sense to stay indoors where it was safe. What were they doing inside? Searching the place? I couldn't imagine Smith having anything dangerous in there other than the occasional drug or two and maybe his weapons stash. But other than that, he didn't strike me as someone who had secrets in there.

Before I continue with August 13, there was a sonic boom of some sort that came from the northeast part of town in the woods. It was recorded by the local meteorologist and announced on the radio that afternoon. It caused a small quake of 1.5 on the Richter scale and was pretty much an isolated event. No one in town was affected and no severe damage was done to that part of the forest. So what caused it exactly is unknown. 

Mary texted me that night and said there was a rally happening down by the old warehouse. Members of the Sons of Triumph were getting the town together to try and sway people to join their cause and I guess in order to do that without being caught and arrested, they had to do it discretely. What better place to host a hate rally than an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town? Of course I had to go. Getting pictures and recording what was going on would play a huge part in my story. It would also put me in the most dangerous situation possible but that was all part of the job. This was real journalism. 

Unrelated side note: on the way to the warehouse for the rally, I passed by Lowe's and caught a glimpse of Adrian Chase coming out of it carrying a door. No idea what that was about. 

The rally started at midnight under the cover of darkness. I almost couldn't find a parking space until I got the grand idea to park away from the crowd and further into the woods. You could still see the warehouse from where I was so it wasn't like I was hiking through brush in order to get there. Everyone else, however, were going to have one hell of a time trying to get out of there in case anything happened. But parking aside, the place was packed inside the warehouse. What was once a logging space, it had turned into a hideout for a crime group before Vigilante got his hands on it (he blew it up. With a rocket launcher, apparently). So now there were just remains of the walls and a little bit of ceiling leftover. No one seemed to mind that the place could fall apart on top of them at any given moment. 

I had to be discreet with my photos and videos. Something told me that the Sons of Triumph didn't take too kindly to anyone taking unwanted media of them. So I hid my phone in my jeans pocket and did the best I could with capturing evidence. When the rally began, it started off with a guy standing on top of a large crate and a monologue. Thankfully I recorded what he said. The following is the transcript:

"My fellow humans! Long gone are the days where non metas sat in positions of power! Long gone are the days where our police force, firefighters and other first responders are trusted to protect us. Now we're expected to rely on super powered beings to save us. What happens when one day they don't? Or they turn on us instead? *crowd yells in agreement* Why should we listen to powered beings in government positions that can't relate to us normal folks? Enough is enough! The Sons of Triumph have had enough of this meta bullshit being pushed on us! Send all metas to a place where they can't hurt us anymore! No more metas! *crowd begins to shout "No more metas!"*

It didn't take long for the police to show up and disperse the crowd. Everyone made a break for it except for me. I wasn't guilty of wanting a group of people gone, and when the police approached me with questions, I flashed the good ol' Daily Planet badge and told them I was here for a story. They eased off immediately but asked me nicely to vacate the premises as this was a dangerous location. 

I checked the photos and videos when I got home and was surprised to see so many familiar faces from in town. Faces I never thought to see at a hate rally. No one covered up their mugs to protect their identities so everything was on full display; that kind man at the grocery store, the lady who always snuck you a candy at the doctor's office, that neighbor who always said hello in the morning. You never really know who people are until they take off their proverbial masks. It was actually astonishing how many people I knew showed up at the warehouse tonight. Frightening, almost. That these people probably have so much hatred built up inside them. Enough for them to attend something as horrible as this. 

Despite the intention of the rally, I felt good about the evidence I captured, enough for me to send copies of the photos to my archive guy back at the Planet. He was surprised when I sent him a late night text with copies attached and wondered where the hell I was. When I told him I was home, he was double surprised. He replied by saying "I didn't expect the Triumph boys to have reached the midwest so quickly" in which he follows up with "hate spreads fast". Sadly, he was right. 

The blog also had links to posts made by people around the world that showed this group being hateful and oftentimes violent to metahumans. One even showed a meta fighting back, seemingly able to manipulate the earth to block their smoke bombs to protect his family that stood behind him. If this hate group had found their way to Evergreen, then any metas living here were in deep trouble, whether they were out or not. 

In other news, it's becoming increasingly unnerving exactly how many ARGUS agents were in Evergreen. To the normal tourist, you wouldn't even notice it. To them they just looked like a regular person. But to the locals, it was too obvious who and what they worked for. The deadpan often mean stare, the concealed weapon which they always had a hand on at all times, the same black outfits. They weren't fooling anyone. The barista at the coffee shop was even shooting me looks that screamed "get me out of here" when an agent came in and took a seat by the window. I mouthed "I'm so sorry" to her, watching as she telekinetically placed my coffee on the counter and said it was on the house. 

Evergreen was a hotspot for metas. It always has been. The older folks will deny it and say it isn't so but the younger folks will swear up and down that they personally knew at least half a dozen metas. I only ever knew one and it was a girl that I had gone to high school with. Her power was…destructive. The police on the news explained that the palms of her hands produced explosive residue that allowed her to make things explode with a clap of her hands if she touched an object. "Boom Baby" is what our classmates called her. She had tried to blow up a section of our high school but got caught and is apparently serving time at Belle Reve. She should be finishing up soon, actually. It'll be interesting to see someone walk around town with oven mitts on again. 

My street was buzzing with excitement this morning. The residents had all gathered around outside Smith's house to peer at the damage that was done by the ARGUS agents last night. Smith's neighbor, a little old man whom I remembered loved to gossip to anyone who'd listen, said he saw Smith's eagle attacking the intruders from his bedroom window. Took them all out "easy peasy" and then they all quietly left before dawn, bleeding and injured. "If I had to guess, they're probably all at the hospital by now," he said. "That bird really did a number on them". I made a mental note to drop by the hospital later for a quote from an uninjured agent or from their supervisor. But right at that moment I had research to do. 

Mary (my acquaintance from the previous blog post) had me intrigued with the Sons of Triumph. The town has seen hate groups in the past, the KKK being the biggest one, so this wasn't unknown territory for locals. What was unknown for them though was the targeting of powerful individuals that may or may not have powers of devastating levels. Even the people with powers that pose no risk to others are in danger because of this group. Since this morning, I've been speaking with different community members and what their opinions were of metas and it was a mixed bag. Some said they didn't mind just as long as they didn't use their powers for evil. Others said we need to get rid of them as they're a risk for both people's lives and apparently a strain on taxpayers whenever they are thrown in prison. Didn't know that metas were exempt from taxes. They're people…just with a little something extra in them. 

Then I somehow managed to stumble upon a meta owned business except no one knew they were metas. They never used their powers except in store when no one was around and at home where they felt free to be themselves. It was a family owned store, and it was fitting of them considering what their powers were. The owner (who requested that I also keep him and his family anonymous, including the store name) could open his mouth and an entire symphony would come pouring out. His wife could listen to a song, "record" it in her mind and then play it in a way that was similar to her husband's. But their son's powers were a little different and could be considered dangerous. He played the drums except the drums caused the earth to shake. Seismic powers, basically. They kept to themselves and always contributed to the community whenever someone was in need but naturally, they were afraid of the Sons of Triumph, ARGUS, and what the world thought of them. I left their store telling them that they were a beautiful family. Their smiles I'll never forget. 

I arrived at the hospital later that afternoon hoping to get a quote from someone. Anyone at this point. The parking lot was packed full of vehicles (some official and some not) and I noticed that the creepy van was one of them. Inside, the waiting room was also crowded full of patients and staff running around like chickens with their heads cut off. ARGUS agents were littered here and there so I took this opportunity to sniff out their supervisor. Turns out it was a woman with dark hair and brown eyes and a very commanding presence. I approached her, said I worked for The Daily Planet and wanted a quote about last night's incident at the Smith's. She studied me for a minute before asking how I knew it was the Smith's house and I explained that I lived across the street from him and many of the residents on that road wanted to know what happened last night. She seemed hesitant at first but eventually gave me this:

"What happened last night at the Smith's home is nothing to be concerned about. We had reason to believe that he was concealing a dangerous weapon and was not prepared for what was inside. His pet eagle attacked and my agents had no choice but to retreat. Residents should remain calm as we will sort this out ourselves. We don't need any civilians interfering with ARGUS business."

So that was that. I managed to get my quote which I was pleased with. On my way back out to my car, the same supervisor exited the hospital with a group of people, one of them being the tall creep who was peeping into the windows during the orgy, and another man dressed in Native garments. I wasn't sure what to make of it at the time because you really can't judge these days unless you know a person, but it was odd to witness and my curiosity was piqued as to who he was. 

I'm now home and writing this live (or using to speech to text actually) as it's happening and holy shit ARGUS vehicles just pulled up to Smith's and there's like a dozen agents all making their way towards the house with their guns ready and I can see a few of them that I've seen before like the supervisor and the tall creep so something's going down and I don't know—

This morning was like any other. Got up, took a shower, turned on Netflix to finish off Bridgerton while I made breakfast. Realized that the fridge was completely out of milk so I decided to head to the pharmacy closest to me real quick to pick some up. Not a big deal, right? It's a normal thing to do. Until it wasn't. My day was going so smooth right up until I set foot into the pharmacy and heard a conversation happening an aisle or two away. Two women (or one woman, from the sounds of it) were talking until one of them began yelling. Pretty much everyone in the store stopped to watch and listen. Because I'm a nosey person, I peeked around the corner and saw a woman with blonde hair go up to the cash register with a bag of chips and some dip. I ducked away when she turned and made her way to the entrance, stopping to look at something on the door before exiting outside.

That was only the first weird thing of the day. Naturally it had to have a follow-up as soon as I got home to put the milk away. But before I get into that, I did take a closer look at the van that was parked across the street. "Meaner Cleaner" was written on the side but that didn't take away from how suspicious it looked to everyone else. My source said it had been parked there for a while and according to the people they spoke to, no one on the street was getting any cleaning done at the time. So that adds to the suspciousness of it all. I pressed an ear to the side to see if any sounds were coming from inside but I heard nothing. So I snapped a quick photo of it to share here in case anyone has any information about it.

I scurried back across the street to my house when I heard people talking from inside. After that I tried to be as normal as possible about my day but as I was loading the dishwasher, I could see someone approach Smith's front door. It was a woman that I'm pretty sure I've seen before. Then it hit me: Waller's daughter. Leota? I think that was her name. She was the one who exposed both Task Force X and Project Butterfly three years ago. Evergreen was a hot mess after that with scrutiny from the government and the press, but it quickly quieted down after a few months. I was surprised to see that she and Smith were still in contact after all this time, and my busybody self couldn't help but watch from the kitchen window to see what was happening.

Smith opened the door, in which that weird eagle came out and flew away. Then he and the woman sat down on the front step and talked. It looked like it turned pretty heated at one point because Smith got up and started waving his arms around dramatically before sitting back down again. Then she showed him something on her phone and that's when he showed up.

Adrian Chase. It was odd to see him out of his usual work setting. He was dressed casually while carrying a duffel bag that looked stuffed from what I could tell. While that was thrown over one shoulder, in his free hand was a cleaning caddy filled with cleaning supplies. But that wasn't what caught my attention. Let's say he was there to help Smith clean up. Why was there a bolt cutter attached to the side of the duffel bag? The cleaning supplies I understood but that I didn't get. What kind of orgy did Smith even have last night that required bolt cutters? As the possibilities were being tossed around inside my head, I watched as Leota left and both Smith and Adrian went inside the house. I never saw them again after that. But my power did flicker again shortly after they went inside.

I got a text from my source saying they wanted to meet. It helped that they only lived a few houses down from my own so we met up immediately. We'll call her "Mary" as she's asked to keep her identity a secret on the blog. We sat down in her backyard and began to talk about the recent happenings in town. She said the van had been parked there for a while and brought up the fact that it did indeed belong to ARGUS. Whenever someone tried to confront one of their agents, the agent would just brush them off and say it was ARGUS business that they didn't need to concern themselves with (which ironically, was concerning). Then she began to tell me about something that I've never heard of. Apparently throughout Evergreen and several other states, there has been a group called Sons of Triumph on the rise. Mary didn't know a whole lot about them other than their name so I told her I'd look into it as soon as possible. Could be a story there.

We parted ways about an hour or two later. Fast forward to around midnight. This just happened minutes ago so the event is still fresh in my mind. I was getting ready to go to bed when I saw a group of people exit the van. Maybe it was just the sleep taking over but they looked like a tactical team complete with guns and all and it seemed like they were headed to the back of Smith's house. So they were there for Smith after all. That confirmed my suspiscions. It was quiet for three minutes. Then that's when the gunshots began. The entire house lit up like a Christmas tree and even from where I was sat watching horrified out of my mind you could still hear the screams of terror coming from inside. It went silent after a few minutes before I could finally see the figures of the agents crawling and limping their way to the front lawn. I was tempted to call 911 to give them a hand but anyone crazy enough to try and break into the house of a man who owned a bald eagle was bound to get attacked. Somehow, an eagle protecting its home seemed like the most normal thing that's happened so far since I got back.

Edit: it's after 2 am. My power flickered yet again.