The Joker organization has already been turned upside down, yet its leader, Jason, remains completely in the dark.
In the New York headquarters conference room, he was coordinating the deployment for the upcoming mission via video with Chloe. Snatching two treasures like the Scepter and the Tesseract was no small feat. This time, they weren't just facing S.H.I.E.L.D.—the military, the government, and even the Asgardians were likely to get involved. Although the Joker organization was packed with powerhouses, facing so many enemies meant they had to go all out.
It was finally time for their high-end combat units to make their debut. While the organization mobilized its main force, they also had to ensure their home turf wasn't left vulnerable to opportunistic rats and snakes. Jason didn't want to work hard to get the treasures only to find his nest had been raided, so he was being meticulous with the personnel assignments. He needed to secure the items while maintaining a solid base defense.
Because his mind had been buried in logistics for days, he hadn't thought twice about John's proposal for a comrades' reunion. In his view, it was perfectly reasonable for the members to want to cut loose after being apart for so long. He also understood why they hadn't invited him; as a former subordinate under Kingpin, Jason knew through experience that people don't truly have fun if the boss is hanging around.
As the sky began to dim, the party-hardy core member finally emerged from the bar to head back to the base. When Jason received word of this, he was slightly surprised. The sun wasn't even fully down yet—why were they back so early? Did they miss their Big Boss that much?
Still, since they were early, he decided to throw a welcoming dinner for them. Half an hour later, several Cadillac Escalades pulled up at the base entrance. The members filed out one by one as the base staff stepped forward to greet them. If one looked closely, they would notice a lack of genuine joy on the faces of these high-ranking figures.
Despite the tight schedule, the banquet was ready. Jason had specially changed into a fresh suit and sat in the grand hall, waiting. As Franklin had noted, it had been years since every core member was in the same room. Even someone as cold as Jason felt a stir of emotion. It was a shame the reunion wasn't complete—Stanfield and Chloe still couldn't be there.
The hall doors swung open. Watching the familiar faces walk in, Jason's mood brightened, and he stood up to greet them personally. The members broke into smiles and crowded around him. The atmosphere in the hall was immediately pleasant, showing no signs of anything being amiss.
"Honey!"
Harley, standing at the door, let out a shout and sprinted toward him with open arms.
Jason caught her in a hug with a wide grin. "Welcome home!"
She looked a bit tanner after a year apart; clearly, she'd had a rough time in Africa. Feeling a pang of sympathy, Jason pulled her head close and, as her eyes widened in a flicker of shock, planted a deep kiss on her forehead.
Whoa...
The eyes of the surrounding members lit up, staring at the couple without blinking.
"Honey... I'm hungry... let's eat first," Harley said, breaking free from the embrace and looking up with a smile. To a micro-expression expert, the smile would have looked incredibly forced.
This Harley Quinn, of course, was Loki in disguise. He hadn't used the real Harley because he feared that if she touched the Scepter too much, the mental thrall might be disrupted. Aside from the first victim, Franklin, who was handled by John, Loki had personally converted every other member.
"Fine, food first."
Jason patted Harley affectionately on the head and took her hand, leading her toward the table. The long, luxurious table was draped in gold cloth, adorned with fresh flowers and fine wine, with leather chairs capable of seating thirty. Jason took the head of the table, with Harley on his right and Christine on his left.
Once they were seated, Jason tapped his spoon against his glass. The professional chefs—top-tier talent recruited from across the globe—began pushing in the carts. For them, preparing a high-end dinner for a dozen people was child's play.
As the expensive and mouth-watering dishes were served, the banquet officially began. Jason raised his glass first, congratulating them on their achievements over the past year and sharing his vision for the organization's future. Once the opening remarks were done, he dropped the work talk. This was a celebration; talking shop would make his subordinates feel like they were in a meeting, killing the mood.
Less than fifteen minutes into the meal, Harley began to look deeply unnatural. Since entering the room, Jason had been holding her hand. For a man like Loki, being held by another man was as eerie as it could get. To make matters worse, Jason affectionately cut a piece of steak and offered it to her mouth. This couple PDA made Loki feel like he was sitting on a bed of nails.
Gradually, Jason noticed something was off. He assumed Harley felt guilty about the lack of progress in Africa. He set his fork down and took both of her hands in his.
"Harley, you worked hard in Africa. Don't blame yourself."
Dammit, one hand wasn't enough? Now you're using two? Loki felt goosebumps erupting all over his body. He pulled his hands back with a forced laugh.
"I know, thank you. But that trip wasn't for nothing. I found something incredible, and I wanted to give it to you as a gift."
To escape Jason's clutches, Harley stood up quickly and took a long wooden box from John's hands. Jason stopped eating, looking at the polished piano-black box with anticipation.
Harley slid the lid open and said with a flourish, "Look! It's a scepter!"
In an instant, Jason looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. The smile on his face froze into ice. He stared straight at the scepter in Harley's hands.
"Honey, what's wrong...?" She asked with feigned concern.
Jason recovered instantly, asking tonelessly, "You found this in Africa?"
"Yeah," She nodded naturally. "It's supposed to be a treasure from a certain tribe, hundreds of years old. I thought it suited your style perfectly, so I took it."
"..." Jason nodded but didn't speak.
"By the way, Honey, this scepter has a magical function. Let me show you."
As she spoke, Harley leveled the scepter, slowly moving the tip toward Jason's heart. Every core member went rigid with tension, their hands gripping their silverware, eyes fixed on the scene.
The tip successfully pressed against Jason's chest. Harley gave it a gentle stroke, and the gem instantly flared with a brilliant blue light.
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500 power stones.
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