9
Nyssa al Ghul was watching with some satisfaction as her Injustice League routed the Gotham City Police SWAT team. The survivors limped back to their headquarters...for all the good it would do them. But the Major Crimes Unit was still on scene directing the uniformed officers who were swiftly becoming demoralized. Not even Lt. Barbara Gordon or Detective Sgt. Harvey Bullock could rouse their subordinates.
The morning had begun inconspicuously enough. The Penguin had deployed dozens of his more expendable hoods to simultaneously rob more than a dozen banks...including the four controlled by the mafia. The mob banks had better security and safeguards but throw enough bodies at a problem and they'll simply crawl over their dead to reach the objective. It was a principle best perfected by ants and emulated by the Chinese in the Korean conflict between 1950-1953.
Penguin himself was lying low. Considering he'd slit Black Canary's throat and Two Face had killed Green Arrow, it made a great deal of sense for them to avoid this brewing conflict. Still, their presence would unbalance the Justice Leaguers and she'd take any advantage she could get.
Their true objective for being in Gotham was to kill Batman. But Nyssa knew, but her pawns didn't, that Nightwing had abandoned his costumed persona at the close of the recent debacle revolving around the UN's World Army. In turn, Dick Grayson had joined the United Nations Intelligence Agency, code named Spyral. Batman had objected to Grayson's involvement. An already damaged relationship was pushed further over the brink and the League of Assassins had Batman in Brussels approaching Ulla Paske, the Danish hero known as the Little Mermaid. She was also Dick Grayson's significant other. Obviously Batman was seeking to recruit allies in his cause.
With Ra's al Ghul's mind inhabiting the body of her sister, Talia, the prohibition from killing Batman had been lifted. If Ra's could not have Batman as a son-in-law, or Damian as a grandson, then there was no use for him. It struck Nyssa odd that no had yet determined Ra's occupation of his daughter's body despite her obvious sexual reorientation. Even though his male mind was now wearing a feminine body, Ra's hardly found it appealing to have sex with men. Yet Talia had never slept with a woman until Ra's took her mind for his own.
It all proved to Nyssa that blindness to the obvious facts was a universal condition. But past Lt. Gordon's position, Nyssa spotted several blue flashes marking the use of a teleportation device. Nyssa advised her force regarding the JLU's arrival on scene. Then she began designating targets before repositioning herself to focus on her own chosen victim.
Nyssa fought the urge to sigh over the fact David Cain wasn't present. David was in Hong Kong tracking down his daughter Cassandra. Cassandra had defected from the Injustice League and joined Batman, Inc. with the moniker and costume of the Black Bat. Nyssa had given David twelve weeks to bring the girl in before she dispatched a force to kill her.
Cassandra was the finest prodigy the League of Assassins had ever trained but loyalty was demanded and she'd failed that test. David still had eight weeks left but Nyssa considered moving assets into the region to standby until needed. Batman or no Batman, Black Bat stood even less of a chance against Nyssa then she did against all of the Triads.
Shayera Hol was first on the scene and the first to be engaged by an Injusticer. Lady Flash raced forward and stuck Shayera with a column of air. Shayera was knocked out of the sky and bounced off of a nearby pickup truck. Lady Flash blew the Thanagarian a kiss and then darted off towards the George Washington Bridge. Predictably, Shayera pursued.
Lady Flash generated a sonic boom that blew apart windows, windshields, and tripped alarms all the way to, and down the length of, the bridge. Stopping halfway across, the Russian waited to see if her alien opponent would track her down. She wasn't disappointed.
As Shayera swooped in and drew back her mace, Lady Flash began twirling her arms in tight circles. The concussive effect of the air rams that motion generated smashed Shayera into one of the stalled cars on the bridge thoroughfare. Shayera was too busy recuperating to notice Lady Flash repositioning.
Twirling her arms again, Lady Flash created an air ram that knocked Shayera senseless even as it threw her over the railing. Lady Flash streaked over to the rails and looked over. Satisfied when the Hawkgirl hit the waters below, Lady Flash sprinted off towards Gotham City again.
White Lightning tossed her bone white platinum tresses about as Booster Gold landed near her, "Like what you see?"
"Sure, what's not to like? But I'm strictly spoken for," Booster advised her.
"You're not going to care, stud," White Lightning warned him.
"How do you think you're going to play this?" Booster wondered.
"I m going to tell you what to do and you'll do it. It's that simple," White Lightning proclaimed, "As a demonstration, stand on one foot."
"Not happening," Booster said smugly.
"Check again, dumbass," White Lightning snickered.
Booster looked down to discover he'd obeyed her. White Lightning smirked, "Now hop on that foot."
Booster grimaced as he began to do so. White Lightning shook her head, "Okay, stop that. I want you to completely freeze until I say otherwise. Got it?"
Not getting an answer, she grinned, "That's right. You can't talk if you're frozen. I'll be back for you later. Tootles!"
White Lightning sauntered off leaving Booster behind to mentally curse at her.
Steel found himself being crushed by Magenta's magnetism. He'd heard of her being a hero loosely associated with the Flash in Central City. But then she'd vanished and gone from being blonde to raven haired it seemed.
Whatever was the case, Flash didn't say much about her. That implied they'd been close and things ended badly. Given she occasionally asked the air around her questions trying to clarify points being directed at her, Steel could only imagine why things had soured between her and the Scarlet Speedster.
He'd engaged his structural integrity field in order to keep his armor from imploding. He'd already reversed the magnetic polarization of it as well. That had only loosened her invisible bonds for a few seconds.
Now he was physically straining his arm in order to activate the actuator servos and receive a power assisted boost to raising his arm to aim his gauntlet blaster at Magenta. She seemed to have deduced what he was up to. That marked her as potentially crazy and not stupid. But they were at an impasse and neither one seemed inclined on flinching.
Mad Dog was getting angrier and more feral by the moment. Mr. America had totally disarmed him with his hyperkinetic bullwhip. He'd also knocked Mad Dog back off of his feet. Given this was the man that had killed the Ray, Mr. America wasn't inclined to go easy on him.
At that precise moment, Mr. America was focused on keeping Mad Dog at a distance. He looked wilder than a rabid wolf but he moved like a trained martial artist. So the greater the distance between them the better.
"Calm down," White Lightning enjoined Mad Dog, "I'll deal with him."
Mad Dog visibly relaxed despite himself. White Lightning skirted the edge of Mr. America's striking range, "Stop! Coil your whip and listen to me."
Mr. America couldn't believe he was complying with her every wish. White Lightning crooked a finger at him, "Follow me and not a word."
Red Beetle had this to say about Annalea Cain, she'd gone round the bend several times. She'd seemed so sweet and unassuming...until she'd started trying to kill Red Beetle. Annalea was down to employing two Chinese Antler Knives in trying to gut Red Beetle. But so far the assassin hadn't enjoyed much success.
Suddenly a seeming freight train struck her between her shoulders. Red Beetle was sprawled and desperately trying to get up, "What the hell?"
Red Beetle rolled over onto her butt. There Mr. America stood poised with his whip but it was White Lightning that ordered, "Kill her already."
Red Beetle rolled end over end to arrive on her feet even as Mr. America's whip cracked the concrete. It was obvious the white haired bitch was in charge. Fine, Red Beetle could cope that that data.
Then Annalea's hand clamped over Red Beetle's mouth and a steel blade punctured her abdomen just below her diaphragm. Annalea whispered into her ear, "You probably think I'm just some blonde bimbo. But I was born to be in the League of Assassins. Of course, they eventually kicked me out. Want to know why?"
Red Beetle's struggling kicked up a notch as Annalea drew the blade across her stomach, "It seems I didn't favor quick, clean kills. Talia didn't like that at all but fortunately I work for her sister now."
Red Beetle finally fainted on that note. Annalea dropped her limp body and pouted, "Too bad."
"Let's go," White Lightning insisted, "She'll bleed out soon enough on her own."
Then White Lightning patted her leg like she was calling a dog as she addressed Mr. America, "Here boy toy. Come!"
Mr. America was disgusted with himself as he followed her back to Mad Dog's position.
Inertia ran asymmetrical circles around Plastic Man trying to twist his pliable limbs into knots. Meanwhile Sun Girl raised Plas' internal temperature by several hundred degrees. Plas was utterly bored.
He shape shifted into a wall and Inertia ran headfirst into him. Sun Girl was outraged, "How dare you?"
Sun Girl waited for Plastic Man to step away from her boyfriend and then she ignited the air all around him. Since Plas didn't need to breathe and couldn't be consumed by fire, it was a wasted effort. So he bopped her on the head with a mallet shaped fist.
Inertial literally went ballistic. Sprinting into Plas at the speed of sound, he unexpectedly ended up on his ass. Plastic Man gave him a dubious look.
"Look, it's obvious you two are...close," Plas wryly commented.
Inertia tried punching him at nearly the speed of sound. Each blow rebounded which just infuriated Inertia even more, "Die, damn you! Die already!"
"Kids these days," Plastic Man said as he stretched in an arc as Sun Girl's flame blast missed him and caught Inertia.
He raced off screaming. Sun Girl was horrified, "I didn't mean to..."
"You never do," Plas told her.
"You don't even know me," she sullenly replied.
"I know your type," Plastic Man told her, "Angry, misguided, you want to tear apart the world to vent the rage you feel but it's never enough."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Sun Girl realized.
"That's because I am," Plastic Man admitted, "Now grab your guy and just go. No one will come looking for you if you just leave."
Sun Girl tentatively nodded, "Okay, I think."
"And by getting out of here, I mean right now," Plas clarified, "There's a big hole in the police cordon right now but it won't last."
"Right!" she said with much more enthusiasm.
Sun Girl scampered off while communicating with Inertia on a private channel. It seemed to be more of an argument actually but since she kept leaving, Plas assumed she was still winning. But that was when he spotted White Lightning leading Mr. America, Annalea Cain, and Mad Dog away and Red Beetle lay on the ground bleeding out.
Plas immediately transformed a hand into a pressure bandage while he communicated with Penny with his signal device, "Penny, we need an immediate medical evac. Red Beetle is critical. After we get her delivered to medical facilities then I can go get the creeps that just tried to gut her."
"Roger that, lover," Penny drawled as she piloted her Orb-14 in, "Ah'm en route and comin' straight at you."
Plas had a few choice words for the cowards that had left Red Beetle to die. Once upon a time, in the Forties, Patrick "Eel" O'Brien had been a mobster before becoming Plastic Man. Even as a mob enforcer he'd never been as cold as this. He'd give them a reason not to ever be so brutal again.
Ri positioned her Kwan Dao Dragon Head knife blade that was affixed atop a spear to be prepared to intercept Syonide's whip. Tightening her grip, Ri watched as Syonide loosened her electrical bullwhip and laughed at the Chinese operative, "You really think that little spear is going to stop me?"
"I believe you shall be surprised," Ri predicted.
Syonide cracked the whip and its stinger wrapped around the shaft of Ri's spear. Syonide wore a gleeful smile as she electrified the whip. And then she was crestfallen as she realized the charge had no effect upon Ri.
"Fiberglass is wonderfully nonconductive," Ri simply stated.
Syonide snarled as she twisted her whip and yanked it back. The stinger released and Syonide drew the whip around her and cracked at Ri again. This time Ri caught the whip's length with her Dragon Head sword point.
Ri abruptly pulled the spear away from Syonide. Severing off the whip's stinger, Ri cast it aside even as Syonide began cursing at Ri calling vulgar names for female sexual anatomy parts. Syonide used the remaining tip of her whip as a blunt instrument and simply knocked the spear out of Ri's hands.
Ri stepped back even as she drew her Shuang Guo Hook Sword from the scabbard on her back. Catching the whip's length with the blade of her sword, Ri cut off another segment of the wire laden, leather lash. Syonide uttered more profanity as she cast her ruined weapon aside.
She then pulled two tomahawk styled axes from her shoulder blades and came at Ri expertly swinging them in a destructively rapid fashion. Ri was good with a sword but nowhere near Katana's caliber. She wasn't surprised when her sword was ripped from her grasp.
Ri pulled the two Butterfly Short Dao Swords from the sheaths strapped to her legs. Each blade was as a long as her forearm. Now Ri was on even footing with Syonide.
Syonide lost one axe and then the other. Ri held a Butterfly sword to Syonide's throat, "Yield."
"Never!" Syonide shouted as she shot Ri twice in the chest with her holdout derringer that had been hidden in a wrist holster inside her glove.
Syonide retrieved her axes and the scooped up the Shuang Guo Hook Sword. Deciding to keep it as a trophy, Syonide left to rejoin her comrades. She never saw Ri's body begin to glow.
Lightning streamed a solid bolt of electricity across the storefronts Merlyn moved past. He ducked into one and disappeared. Lightning waited for him to reappear.
Merlyn exited the building's roof access. Taking aim, he fired an explosive arrow at a nearby hydrant. As he expected, the liberal spray of water resulting from the detonation shorted out Lightning's powers.
A simple razor tipped arrow placed in her leg brought Lightning down on one leg. Merlyn nocked his second hunting arrow and took careful aim.
Nyssa had already disarmed Nemesis of no fewer than three pistols with arrows fired from her bow. He had managed to avoid her killing shot. Now she was following him into an alley.
"You survived KGBeast in Manhattan three weeks ago even after he took hostages," Nyssa recalled aloud, "Which is doubly impressive since his trap had you in mind and you were wounded. Wounds that are still slowing you down. I won't be suffering a similar fate as the unsuspecting KGBeast."
Nyssa suddenly jerked her bow upwards and fired an arrow at the upper fire escape landing. Nemesis went from leaping off of it to twisting to evade her shot. He hit the ground poorly and fell face first. Panting for breath he was amazed as Nyssa placed her drawn arrow back into her quiver and she hung her bow on a hinge attached to the dumpster placed against the building next to where he'd landed.
"You deserve a warrior's death," Nyssa proclaimed, "I shall be happy to provide one."
"Who are you anyway?" Nemesis asked as he slowly got up.
"I am Nyssa al Ghul, sister to Talia and daughter of Ra's al Ghul the Demon," Nyssa answered, "I am also the founder of the Injustice League that your force now faces."
"I thought Ra's al Ghul died," Nemesis admitted.
"He has," Nyssa didn't reveal her father lived on in another body.
"Everyone knows about Talia being his daughter," Nemesis was testing all of his limbs and twisting to limber up after his fall, "Where were you kept hidden?"
"I was born on the Russian Steppes and spent time there before being handed over by Stalin's men to Hitler's forces where I spent the Great War in Auschwitz," Nyssa said dispassionately, "Afterwards I finally met my father and I learned at his knee until I assumed control of the League of Assassins."
"I take it he fired you," Nemesis surmised.
"The League was rather...constraining," Nyssa said diffidently.
"You found a society devoted to killing to be too restraining?" Nemesis was aghast.
"You should study the history of assassins, Mr. Tresser. They weren't always simply devoted to killing for lucre," Nyssa chided him, "Now; you've had your questions. Prepare to meet your deity of choice."
"I'm sorry it's come to this," Nemesis admitted, still wondering how she'd uncovered his real name.
"You'll only be sorry for a few seconds," Nyssa promised.
Twenty seconds later, Nyssa emerged from the alleyway alone. She decided to regroup the others and take stock of their current mission.
"Hey lootenant!" Bullock shouted across the hood of the unmarked car he shared with Barbara, "HQ just called in. Apparently some more costumed wack jobs are tearin' the place apart. They're callin' all available units. Sawyer personally asked fer us."
"Pack it up, Harve," Barbara decided, "Leave a cordon but leave Ramirez in command. The rest of the Major Crimes Unit converges on HQ in five minutes. Got it?"
"What about these here spandexed squirrels?" Bullock asked.
"Tell Ramirez to buy the JLU time to regroup and come up with an appropriate response," Barbara ordered, "That shouldn't take too much longer."
"Ya hope," Bullock retorted.
"You're right about that," Barbara confessed.