The Black Sheep
Chapter 2 "Bother"
(Doris' apartment three days after her death.)
Thomas looked at the sheets in his hands. He took them toward the bathroom and grabbed a pair of scissors. Slowly he cut a square from the sheets and treated as though the square may disappear or suddenly vanish. He then placed the square behind a picture of Doris and placed both items into his wallet. Standing there in her apartment he pulled out every form of identification he had. Walking outside he threw all of it into a burning barrel and looked at the darkening sky. Everything was darker than it had been before. He was darker than he had been. He walked back into the warehouse and opened a closet that Doris had told him about. Inside of the closet was a small collection of guns and knives. He grabbed a long distance rifle and two hand guns.
He walked back outside and looked up at her apartment. This was the last time he would be back and he knew it. He once again faced the road and started the Harley. It roared to life and he took off toward Casey's Bar. The bar was a known dive where bounty hunters and hit men would come to and talk about old marks, current bounties, and of course women. He walked in and no one noticed him. His clothes smelled as though he had been on the road for a while and being the place this was no one seemed to care. Slowly he made his way to the back of the bar and sat down behind a group of hit men that where all talking about a big score.
"I'm telling ya this Daggett guy is offering some big money for the head of James Gordon." One of them said
"Not interested Tone. Not only was the guy police commissioner once, but he's the freakin' mayor now! I don't need that kind of heat." The main hit man said as he got up and left.
Tone said there cursing himself for even trying. No one would want to mess with James Gordon anyway since he was protected by the bat. He looked at his drink and gulped it down. Daggett wanted James Gordon dead now and if no one else did it then he would have to. He turned to see a biker walking closer to him. The biker sat down and took out a small dagger from behind his back.
"How much is big money?" He asked.
"The cut for the kill would be two million. That's with his head brought to Daggett and me." Tone said as he tried to swallow down the lump in his throat.
"I'll have his head in here tomorrow. Come to the back with the money." He said as he got up and walked out.
Tone watched the biker and wondered if he would actually be able to do it. After all Gordon would have protection around, but if he did pull it off then it got him off the hook.
(James Gordon's house one hour later.)
Thomas left the Harley a few houses down so that it wouldn't alert anyone in the house to his presence. He walked up to the house and looked it over. The house was a two story, but he saw a window in the attic. Looking at the side of the house he climbed the ivy lattice until he reached the bottom of the attic window. He pulled himself up and looked into the attic. It was dark which told him that the room was empty. He forced the window up and climbed in. He silently moved through the attic and waited until he was sure everyone was asleep.
He lowered the latter from the attic and began to walk through the house. Finally he found Mr. Gordon's room and stepped inside. He walked over to James Gordon and pulled out the dagger he had earlier. He held it and looked at the man laying there. He began to think about not doing it, but then he considered the fact that doing this would separate himself from his family. He drove the dagger down into Gordon's neck and into his spin. James Gordon's eyes shot open, but he didn't move.
Thomas cut Gordon's head off and put it into a pillow slip. He walked down the stairs and to the front door. He opened it and stepped out into the dark. Walking outside he ran toward the Harley and realized how many times he should have been caught by now. That's when it occurred to him that he wanted to be caught. He wanted someone to catch him and kill him.
(In the back of Casey's bar the next day.)
Tone looked at the biker as he sat there. Both he and Daggett walked to the table and the biker brought up a bloody pillow slip. He untied it and let the slip fall so that Daggett could see the head of James Gordon.
"Well kid you did it." Roland Daggett said as he placed a large brief case on the table.
"Two million. I wouldn't be paying it, but Gordon tried to put Daggett Industries out for good. Now he won't bother me anymore." Daggett said as he turned and started to walk away.
"Tone grab our trophy. And kid I'll keep you in mind when I have special orders like this." Daggett said as he headed out the door.
Thomas looked at the money and realized that he could do this for the rest of his life. The money didn't matter, but it would allow him better weapons and he could find a way of being with Doris again.
(Two months later)
Thomas looked around at the old brownstone apartment building he had bought with James Gordon's hit. The apartment building served as both living quarters and training areas. He had stopped being a bounty hunter for the most part. If a bounty was higher than the hit then he would bring them alive, but if not then their asses where grass.
He walked over to his computer. Since starting as an assassin he had kept in touch with Tone and the man had set up appointments for him occasionally. Of course Thomas had also found some jobs himself and now he was looking at a brand new hit. There on the screen was a picture of Nightwing.
(Dick Grayson and Koriand'r's apartment)
Koriand'r walked out of the shower and tapped on the bed room door. She looked in to see her husband and smiled. They had been married going on twenty years, but everyday she loved to watch him get out of bed. He had kept the mantle of Nightwing and so she had kept up being Starfire. She thought of their own daughter who was currently on the watchtower being tested. The girl was only fourteen, but she had some serious talent. She watched him as he stood up and then suddenly there was a sound of the glass breaking behind him. She watched as he jerked forward and then suddenly something burst through his forehead.
"DICK NO!!!" She screamed as she ran toward him. She looked at his lifeless body and then looked out the window and saw a man with a hood over his head across the street duck back into the room he fired from. She screamed in anger and burst through wall of the apartment and flew to the building where the man had been.
"Where are you…? You KLORBAG!!!" She roared as she crashed through the building. Inside she looked at a tall man dressed in biker clothes and wearing a black hood over his face. He didn't raise a gun, but pulled out a knife.
"Why?? Why did you kill him?!" She demanded as they circled.
Thomas took out a picture with the amount attached to it. He threw it on the ground and watched her green glowing eyes widen.
"He was worth more than you." He said as he charged her and pushed her to the floor.
Koriand'r struggled but found this man stronger than her-self. He placed the knife to her throat and pressed causing a little blood to trickle down the blade.
"I could kill you, and one day I will when you are worth it." He said as he slammed his free hand against her head and knocked her out. He got up and walked out of the building and over to the apartment where Dick Grayson was at. Once inside he began tearing out the walls and found the Nightwing costume. He then walked over and took a picture of Dick Grayson with the mask on his face and left with the suit.
Once outside he heard the cops and took off toward the darken alleys. He had made it nearly three buildings down before he felt something hit him. He jumped around the corner and looked at his arm. One of the bat clan had tried to capture him. He turned to look and saw Batwoman or to him his sister Athena.
"I know that you are here." Athena said as she looked around the area.
"Course I am." He said as he pulled out a tranquilizer gun.
"Thomas… Hera no…" She said as she stumbled back.
"They abandoned us Athena. She died because they didn't like her. And I am what I am because of her… their lack of caring." He said as he turned and shot the tranquilizer gun at her. She raised her arm, but the dark stuck into flesh of her hand. She pulled it out, but could feel the effects of strong drug inside of the dart.
"I'm not going to kill you little bat, but I am going to use you to send them a message." He said as she drifted off to sleep.
(Three hours later in Crime Alley.)
Diana looked down at her daughter whose face had been painted to look like Harley Quinn's and attached to her Batsuit was a note along with a digital recording. She picked up the note and suddenly the recording started playing.
Wish I was too dead to cry, my self-affliction fades. Stones to throw at my creator. Masochists to which I cater. You don't need to bother; I don't need to be. I'll keep slipping farther. But once I hold on, I won't let go until it bleeds.
"Hello 'mother' if you are reading this then I was right in thinking that you would be the first one to find her. Funny you came to Athena far faster than you came for me that night. But then I'm not a girl am I? Being an Amazon you seem to protect her more. Now you have a problem and that is a pissed off male with your strength, his father's intelligence, and who's quite good at being a hired killer. Turn me in if you want, and you should tell dad about this if he doesn't already know. But know that one day I will settle the score. One day I will come and make sure that you can't help the one you love the most. It will be up to them to get away." The note from Thomas read.
Diana closed her eyes and felt her heart breaking. Her son, her flesh and blood hated her and wanted to watch her suffer as he suffered. She lifted her daughter and tried to keep from wanting to find Thomas and take him home.
(Batcave thirty minutes later.)
Bruce struck the table in front of him when Diana showed him the note. He looked at their daughter who was finally starting to come to.
"We have to find him." Bruce said.
"Dad, Thomas isn't who he was." Athena said as she walked over to the sink and started washing her face off.
"I know, but he's a danger every minute he is out there. Not only that, but if there is a chance to reach him we need to." He said as he turned to the computer.
"Bruce did we cause him to be like this?" Diana asked.
"'Princess' we didn't approve of her. We both had our reasons, but we didn't ignore where they were to just make sure that she died. Thomas blames us because we didn't make it in time. I ask myself everyday if I could have been there quicker and I honestly don't know. What I do know is that our son has taken a step into a dark place we may never bring him out of." Bruce said as he slumped into the chair.
