Future State/Outsiders

Future State: Outsiders is a storyline that was a part of DC's Future State event. The Outsiders must reunite when Black Lightning arrives with a dire warning for Duke Thomas about his mission to liberate Gotham the Magistrate. It is written by Brandon Thomas and illustrated by Sumit Kumar, and is featured in Future State: The Next Batman #1 and #3.

Plot
Issue #1

On the Tri-Gate Bridge, the Magistrate's forces are engaged in a high-speed chase with Duke Thomas as he races toward the barricade separating Gotham from The Outside: Katana's domain. Though they're labeled Duke's "hostages" by the Magistrate, Duke is actually trying to get protesters who've been targeted by the state for attending his anti-Magistrate rallies to safety outside of Gotham. As he and his passengers make it past the barrier, some of the Peacekeepers still try to pursue despite their fellow officers' warning that they're going beyond their jurisdiction. Now in The Outside, they’re confronted by Katana, who quickly overpowers and forces the Magistrate's men back across the barricade. The peacekeepers vow to return to arrest Duke one day but retreat for the moment. Katana scolds Duke and tells him that he must choose to either stay in Gotham or operates outside of it, he can't keep doing both. After ensuring Duke and the passengers were safe, Katana leaves to investigate rumors that the Magistrate has infiltrated an area outside the city that is under her protection. Just as Katana arrives at the facility her jetpack runs out of fuel, having used the last of it to fly over to rescue Duke, and she crash lands on the roof.

Inside, after seeing that the rumors are true, Katana begins dispatching the Magistrate's agents as she works her way through each floor of the building. She eventually finds herself face to face with her former teammate, Kaliber, who now works for the Magistrate. The cybernetic soldier tells Tatsu the Magistrate is really interested in cybernetic implants to make their forces more powerful, boasting that sooner than later all the agents of the Magistrate will be enhanced cybernetically just like him. the two start fighting and Katana begins to gain the upper hand on Kaliber before the Magistrate soldiers arrive and turn the tides in his favor. Just as Kaliber is ready to deliver the final blow black electricity rains from the sky and strikes Kaliber, frying his cybernetic systems, before destroying the vehicles of the Peacekeepers. The Peacekeepers grab the fallen Kaliber and make a hasty retreat. The living lightning takes humanoid form in from of Katana who, out of fear, instinctively attempts to strike the being in front of her. She’s stopped by the electrical being, who reveals itself to be Black Lightning and has come with a warning. Jefferson tells Tatsu that Duke is in danger, stating that the Magistrate has planted a mole among the protesters Duke rescued.

Issue #3

At Katana's Keep, outside of Gotham, Tatsu speaks with Black Lightning. He notices the broken remains of her original Soultaker, now understanding she's been using its sister blade, and asks her what happened. She changes the subject, asking Jefferson what happened to him and what he knows about the threat to Duke. Jefferson explains that he was trying to do the right thing and was cursed for it, but will figure out how to fix it once Duke is safe. He elaborates that it's hard to fully explain but his presence is drawn to echoes of his former life and was able to watch over both her and Duke from above the city, but he felt something around Duke that wasn't right. He then reached out and was drawn in by the pull of his connection to Katana. Tatsu informs Jefferson that Duke has grown into a quasi-political figurehead for the people of Gotham and Jefferson expresses pride in Duke's development.

At a safehouse outside of Gotham, Duke speaks to the Gotham-mites he just helped escape about their current situation. He gives them the remaining supplies they'll need to remain safe until the next leg of their escape begins with his associates. As he leaves, Duke reaches out to Katana, who has been waiting to hear from him. He tells her that something isn’t feeling right, suspecting that the earlier incident on the bridge seemed too easy. Tatsu tells him about Jefferson’s warning of a Magistrate plant, prompting Duke to check the nano-tracers he secretly tagged onto the three refugees. As he realizes one of them is gone, the missing refugee smash-lands right in front of him, revealing he's been equipped with cybernetics from the Magistrate. Duke tells Katana to keep the channel open no matter what she hears on his end, and the two begin to battle. Duke easily evades the Magistrate spy's attacks and tags him with a signal scrambler, forcing the agent to have to flee on foot in order to hand over any data he collected on Duke and Katana's operations.

Tatsu and Jefferson are listening in and prep to provide an assist. Jefferson uses his power to re-forge the original Soultaker before inhabiting the sister blade, and the duo head out to help Duke. Katana meets Duke on the Tri-Gate Bridge and The Outsiders chase the mole, who's revealed to go by Agent Cullen, as he tries to make it back to Magistrate territory. Magistrate troops eventually arrive to assist Agent Cullen, led by Kaliber. Kaliber pulls Cullen into his vehicle and begins firing at the Outsiders with a cannon attached to his armor car, endangering the civilians on the road as they attempt to flee. Duke falls back to help those in need while Katana and Black Lightning handle Kaliber. Black Lightning uses his power from within Katana's sword and empowers Katana, who uses the boost to catch up with and obliterate Kaliber's getaway vehicle. The explosion knocks Katana off her feet and, before she can get her bearings, Kaliber takes the Soultaker II and tries to break it. Black Lightning emerges from the sword and bombards Kaliber with black electricity before stabbing him in the torso with the Soultaker II, subduing the threat.

Duke sees Black Lightning for the first time and is shocked by his appearance. Duke vows to fix whatever happened to Jefferson no matter what. After tying up the Magistrate goons, Duke wipes any data Agent Cullen collected from his system. He tells Katana he knows someone who might be able to help Black Lightning in Gotham and Katana entrusts Duke with the Soultaker II; as she no longer needs it now that she has her original Soultaker again. Duke reaches the border-entry checkpoint and is soon spotted and stopped by Magistrate soldiers. They draw their weapons, ordering Duke to surrender or they'll shoot. Black Lightning appears from Duke's Soultaker as Duke calmly tells them to shoot.

Featured
Duke Thomas

Continuity

 * This story references Black Lightning
 * Duke

Official Magistrate Transcript, File #38445
Duke Thomas speaking to a crowd of dissidents at the Armstead Theater

"I'm going to be honest with you..."