Shadows of War
Chapter 1
The stifling heat had eased as the sun dipped under the horizon and the moon slowly crept higher. A breeze blew in from the ocean, cooling the air a little more. The residents of New Gotham welcomed the respite; summer time in the city was akin to an oven.
The ocean lapped lazily at the dock of a seemingly abandoned warehouse. Inside the warehouse stood a lone table, a wooden chair and a drum. A figure stood nearby. His head tilted up to soak in the silver moonlight that shone in through a hole on the roof.
A group of men materialized near the entrance of the warehouse. The man didn't turn as he open his mouth to speak.
"Your timing is impeccable Mr Bouche, I must congratulate you," he said.
Bouche smirked as he stepped forward, "Timing is my business Monsieur."
The man turned around and walked towards the table, the small lamp illuminating him even more than the moonlight. Hammon Gideon could have easily been mistaken as a giant. He stood to almost 7 ft 3, his eyes the same color as his dark African skin. His face was square and strong and his body rippled with bulging muscles..
"I trust your delivery has met your expectations?" he asked.
Bouche lifted his chin a little, "Yes I am most pleased," His smile grew maliciously, "Ah, but I'm afraid I have changed my requirements." He settled a briefcase on the table.
"As agreed, I will hand over our little treasure but the price has increased," he said opening the briefcase.
Hammon's face did not falter as the Frenchman gazed smugly at him, "How unfortunate."
With a slight flick of his hand, red dots appeared on Bouche's henchmen, "As you can see Mr Bouche, I anticipate every small thing, including unwise business dealings." He flicked his wrist again and Bouche's men fell to the ground. Bouche spun around to watch his last bodyguard fall to the floor. He turned back to Hammon and stared down the barrel of a silenced 9mm caliber pistol.
"Merde," he whispered as the bullet left the chamber and bored itself through his head.
"Touchdown," Helena said softly into the air as she melted into the dark quarters of a guard house. Her eyes scanned the exterior of the warehouse. "It's a little quiet here."
"Advise precaution, Reese is a minute away," Barbara's voice replied over the comm..
Helena inched forward, remaining the in shadow of the various surrounding buildings. A movement in the corner of the eye halted her. She watched as Jesse peered around the corner.
"Reese, Huntress is a yard to your north west. I suggest you flank the warehouse on its east side, Huntress to go west," Barbara directed.
Helena turned softly and stepped quietly around the corner.
In the clocktower the lights were dimmed slightly to allow a clearer view of the various monitors surrounding the heart of Delphi. Barbara's eyes were focused on the feed from the gps and the only camera feed from a neighboring factory.
The quiet made Barbara uneasy, so had everything else lately. Since her recovery Barbara had checked and double checked everything she and the girls said and did. She no longer felt secure and felt she was dangerously approaching paranoia. Delphi along with every other major piece of equipment had undergone rigorous scans and diagnostics before Barbara convinced herself that at least the clocktower was secure enough.
"We're about to enter the warehouse," Jesse's whisper broke the silence.
"I'm not reading any heat signatures inside but that doesn't mean it's been vacated," Barbara warned as her fingers worked furiously on the keyboard.
She was holding her breath, she only realized she was when Helena's voice come over the comm.. "It's empty, there's nobody here."
"Just keep your eyes and ears open," Barbara's voice advised. Helena rolled her eyes as she strolled carefully around inside the warehouse.
Jesse turned around slowly, his eyes scanning every square inch. "Oracle, when did you say the last tenants left?"
"2 months ago, the warehouse belonged to ProAlloy, an alloys and metals company. The warehouse stored their products bound for international clients," Barbara replied.
"There definitely was someone here, the floor's not that dusty and there are a few patches where it's been cleaned," he said as he bent down examining a clean patch of concrete. Helena bent down next to him. She frowned as she sniffed the air.
"You're right, it's been washed with bleach," she said turning to face him.
"Swab the floor," Barbara ordered, "Then get back here."
"Aye aye," Helena replied smiling as Jesse ran a cotton swab over the floor and slipped into a plastic bag.