Author's notes: Well, what do you know? I actually did manage to get the Thursday chapter published on a Thursday. Great timing, don't you think?
Little Hangleton, Riddle House
Even now, after all these years, this old house was still standing. As the Black Hand walked through it, he felt nothing. In life, back when he had been called Tom Riddle and he had taken to call himself Lord Voldemort, he had felt such contempt and disgust against the people who lived here. His muggle father, his muggle grandparents, the Black Hand had hated them so much, but now he didn't care or feel anything for them. The only reason he was there was because he had taken their lives, they were his to control now.
As the Black Hand exited the Riddle House and made his way towards the graveyard, he thought about the concept of Death and how in the past he had viewed it. As Lord Voldemort, he had feared Death and created Horcruxes in case he would die. But now as the Black Hand and the Herald of Death, he truly understood the power he had denied himself from by defying death. The power that the Spectre had denied from him by returning his humanity and locked away in purgatory, but now had thanks to the Guardian Scar, who was waiting for him at his father's grave.
''As their lives were taken, they will not be in peace,'' Guardian Scar said with her hands in her robe's sleeves. ''As your kin, they will serve as the link to the Dead to this world.''
''Avatar of the Grey!'' echoed out in the air as the Swamp Thing raised from the grass to confront the Black Hand. ''You will not spread your rot to the Green!''
''SPLOOOOOOOOORP!'' Guardian Scar spit out that said rot at the Swamp Thing, forcing to back down weakened. ''Alec Holland of Earth, RISE!''
''NO! The Grey will not corrupt me!'' the Swamp Thing protested as the rot begun to spread through his being. ''I am the Avatar of the Green! I AM THE-''
''The Green is another trespasser in the Universe, Alec Holland of Earth,'' Guardian Scar spoke over the Swamp Thing's protests as the rot took over. ''Besides, it is not the Grey you should be worried about. It is the Black!''
Gotham Cemetery
Thursday was that day in the Circle's first orientation week when the Security team had its training day for guards and students, magical and non-magical, to learn how to work together in their shared environment. It was also the first attempt for the inside people in the security team to make contact with the insiders in among the students. The trainees had to be on the ferry to the Circle tower 8.00 am, which had given one of the trainees time to make a stop before that.
''Who's Gloria Stanson?'' Helena asked approaching Jason as he laid flowers on a gravestone.
They were both wearing civilian clothes with duffel bags.
''She is one of the few people Batman and Robin didn't manage to save,'' Jason said still on one knee next to the gravestone. ''Back when I was still Robin, I mean. Before I had a meeting with the Joker's crowbar in Ethiopia.''
''Who killed her?'' Helena asked, obviously expecting to hear the name of some local villains, but-
''Felipe Garzonas, son of a Bogatagoan ambassador,'' Jason said, not looking back at Helena. ''A rapist and a cocaine addict with a diplomatic immunity. Bruce and I spent weeks shadowing him to catch him white nosed with a dealer to get him booked for his crimes and sent back Bogatago where his father Jose had run campaigns against cocaine, with the US supporting him.''
This is where Jason raised on his feet.
''Gloria had been Felipe's latest victim before we started shadowing him, I had saved her from Felipe and I stood there with her when he walked free,'' Jason said making a fist. ''Then when we got Felipe in custody for real and he was set to be sent back to Bogatago, he called Gloria and threated her. By the time Bruce and I got to her apartment she had hung herself, probably out of fear for what Felipe would do to her.''
''She didn't know he would be deported?'' Helena asked, understanding some of what Jason was talking about.
''All she knew was that he was out there and he had just threatened her,'' Jason said looking at Gloria Stanson's date of death. ''The Joker killed me and came back, but Gloria is still dead and I'm now older than she was.''
''We need to be on that ferry to the tower in the next 30 minutes,'' Helena said tapping him onto shoulder as means to tell him to come along, which he did. ''How is Felipe doing these days?''
''Word on the streets is he slipped and fell from his 52nd floor apartment's balcony,'' Jason said sounding like Felipe's fall wasn't an accident. ''Good ridd-''
Both Helena and Jason had been walking by the gravestones and the flowers left by them. It was expected to see them withered out as they had been pulled out from the ground and were old, but the grass and other plants next to them were in the same withered state as the flowers set by them. Not yet far from Gloria's grave, Jason turned around and returned to it to find the fresh new flower he had laid on it also withered and dying.
''We need to be on that ferry to tower, but we can't also ignore this,'' Jason said holding the aging flower. ''We contact Dick and Babs about this and then start going.''
Belle Reve
''I need my left hand freed,'' Ron said sitting from his chair.
Ever since he had been back from the 'field trip' with Professor Thawne, Ron had understood that it was better to do what he was told. Eobard Thawne was a powerful and ruthless speedster to be tried and fought against, let alone spoken back to. Having seen him go back in time and cause bad things to happen didn't encourage Ron to do anything but comply and that made Ron feel a lot of RAGE that now had to be compressed into learning how the Blood Magic worked.
Before their field trip, Ron had managed to grasp at controlling the blood in the vials given to him and now Ron seemed to be able to control it.
''Really?'' Professor Thawne said drinking up Polyjuice Potion to change his appearance again. ''Can you control the blood like Xebel warriors controls water?''
Ron answered by glaring at the blood in the vial and making it rise slightly.
''That's a start,'' Professor Thawne said nodding and put a folder on the desk next to the vials. ''Here's the research Doctor Thirteen did on Maleficarums and how their abilities can be used to create a phylactery.''
''Am I supposed to read that or-'' Ron was about to ask when Thawne spoke over him.
''No, we don't have time for that,'' Professor Thawne said opening the folder and started browsing through its pages. ''21st century technology, I thought you had iPads and Tablets with touchscreens by now. Here, read this and then start doing what it's said here to these vials.''
''Whose blood is this?'' Ron asked as Thawne released his left arm and tied restraints around his legs and waist to keep him in the chair.
''Members of the Task Force X,'' Professor Thawne answered. ''Waller and the US Government is looking for new ways to keep hold of their assets and tracking them with their blood sounded humane than these bombs. They wouldn't have anywhere to run when they can be tracked down this easily.''
''Phylactery…'' Ron muttered leaning closer to look at files in the folder. ''Wait, what's this other thing on this other page-''
''Don't WORRY ABOUT THAT!'' Professor Thawne said again beginning to vibrate with his speed as he spoke and his eyes turned red. ''These two pages are your homework for now. Class dismissed.''
The Circle Tower, pier
''Welcome to the Circle,'' Captain Cold said greeting the group of trainees as they got of the ferry. ''You boys and girls are going to be walking around here and keeping everything in check.''
''Rent-a-cops, that's us,'' Jason told Helena as they walked out the ferry with other.
''And then radio silence after we go in,'' Helena said, ''at least until we have contacted Red Bird and Potter about the current situation on the-''
''It's not much, we got distracted with all the-''
''Less chit-chatting over there!'' Captain Cold called out cutting Jason's sentence. ''Get in line, get your equipment and be ready for your orientation in the next hour.
And that's what the next hour was spent on. Standing in line, signing up in security detail with fake names Peter Hayward and Hel Roberts, getting their equipment and uniforms, going through the barracks to change into their uniforms and be back at the pier at the beginning of their first drill. It was mostly like a military exercise for new recruits for standing formations creating military discipline.
The whole day was mostly focused on that so much that Jason and Helena didn't get the chance to seek out Damian or get to see Potter.
Louisiana swamp areas
''So,'' John Constantine said lighting a cigarette, and so taking lyrium, as Hermione and Ginny scouted ahead at the cleverly hidden runway near the entrance to Belle Reve, ''I'm all ears for your plan in getting in there. Are we going to admit ourselves or steal some uniforms to go infiltrate there?''
''No,'' Ginny said revealing a cloth that looked like it was sewed together from water. ''I borrowed this from Harry. He shouldn't need it in his current occupation.''
''His invisibility cloak?'' Hermione said recognizing the cloth as John grabbed it for examination.
''It's old, part of Deathly Hollows and,'' John said poking the cloak with his cigarette without making any damage to it, ''resilient. It should go undetected by whatever wards they have placed around here since the mages got outed.''
''We are not all going to fit under there,'' Hermione said looking at the invisibility cloak and remembering all the times she had used it with Harry and Ron. ''Even with how much space we all take, once we find Ron, he would take too much of it and they could see our feet.''
''It's a heavily guarded government facility,'' Ginny said spreading the invisibility cloak and gestured Hermione and John to join her under it. ''If muggles like Batman can get in them, witches and wizards like us should be able to do it too.''
The first hardest part was getting through the marshes in the bog to the runway, the first solid ground they had stood on after the Swamp Thing had left them and there the Invisibility Cloak was put on them. Hermione and Ginny weren't that tall that they would have needed stay low, but John needed to crouch down a little to keep their feet from showing. Once they got to the fenced cage leading to the entrance, John used his roguish skills to pick that lock and getting to the entrance where it took three simultaneously used Alohomoras to open.
''Good news is that were in here,'' John said as they entered a dark hallway leading deep underground. ''And the bad news is, no way they haven't figured out we're here now.''
''I know you're here,'' a vibrating voice said in the darkness as the air around them begun to vibrate as well. ''The Professor will see you now.''
Circle Tower, Security Team Barracks' floor
''I never thought I would ever say this, but I have never been this tired,'' Jason told Helena as they met up in the hallway at the end of the training day. ''Did you manage see Red Bird or Potter?''
''No, and I can't believe the training routine's they put up in this place just for the security detail,'' Helena said flexing her arms and looking for chairs to sit on.
''Reminds me of something Roy told me back in the day, it's military discipline to break our spirits and harden us to be obedient,'' Jason said as they just sat down on the floor, put their backs against the wall and turned their phones back on. ''Radio silence is over for now, and I got a status update from Gloria's gravesite.''
''About the dead plant life around it?'' Helena asked as Jason opened the message.
''Not just that,'' Jason said with displeased voice and his eyes looking angry. ''Oracle says Dick and the Birds went to see her gravesite and found not only dead plants, but her grave opened among many others.''
Iceberg Lounge
''Everyone who coming to the cruise is already present?'' Oswald Cobblepot asked walking down the stairs to the hidden boathouse under his night club.
''Everything is planned and packed up ready, mr Cobblepot,'' team leader in a green suit said standing before a group of people. ''Everyone knows their part and what to do once we are there.''
''I remind, mr Nygma, I cannot be tied to what you are doing,'' Cobblepot pointing the team leader with his umbrella. ''I am a legitimate business man giving a tour to a group of paying customers with my yacht while I stay here. Its insurance should cover it's take over and pay me back my part of your operation.''
''Sure, Penguin,'' con flipping customer said sarcastically. ''Leave it to someone like you to find loop holes to keep your hands from getting dirty.''
''I have been well consulted about that field, mr Dent,'' Cobblepot replied taking a remote to open the boathouse's doors to the waters. ''Next time I expect to hear from you will be in tomorrow morning's news.''
''You will, Penguin,'' the leader said as a group including men and women entered the yacht and it set sail towards the Circle Tower built between the bay between Gotham and Metropolis. ''You and everyone from smart engineers and architects to witches and wizards who thought they would be so smart in building an impenetrable citadel on plain sight, they will hear and they will know that the RIDDLER IS BETTER THAN THEM!''
Author's notes: And in the next chapter the siege of the Circle Tower will commence. The end of this chapter showed how it will take place from Gotham's side and that siege will then work as a smoke screen for what Professor Zoom needs Ron's Blood Magic for. I will open the next chapter for that in Ginny's, Hermione's and John Constantine's situation as Thawne has now apprehended them and they will b there as witnesses for what Ron's Blood Magic will do and then everyone else will learn it when it's too late.
For the events that Jason Todd was talking about during his time as Robin, he was referencing to the events of Batman #424 which was from the time when Jason Todd was still Robin.
Replies to reviews:
Tiger 5: Professor Zoom's plan and need of Ron's Blood Magic is something tied to his appearances in the 1980s, Trial of the Flash and The Flash: Rebirth. When the Flash will be there to confront Zoom as this plan is revealed, I hope you all have seen Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them with Ezra Miller's performance in it to properly imagine the Flash's reaction to that revelation. As for your other request, I have learned the story of Harry Potter and the Curced Child, but I have not read it. If I get good ideas I might incorporate those ideas and story elements in a next story, providing that story will have an audience to read it.
Everyone else: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!