Trial and Judgement of Malcolm Merlyn
Chapter 10 :
The Fighter
Author's note: I return with a powerful one , people!
Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators of Arrow.
Warnings: violence, gore, angst, some language.
XxXxXxX
Malcolm entered his penthouse through the back door, as Oliver usually did nowadays.
He had a strange feeling of unease, of loneliness. His mind travelled back to the dynamic Oliver had with his team, of the brief sense of belonging their cooperation for the past few days had brought him.
And yet, a single harsh truth remained. He was alone in all this. They wouldn't ever accept him as anything else than a villain whom they could use to cooperate.
The infrequent calls he could allow himself to make to Emily and his friends, the formal smiles of his employees, the awareness of his responsibility to them, the cold distance Tommy kept from him, Oliver's terms, the veiled threats, the demands of the Group, the toll of his own far-from-perfect physical condition, the threat of Ra's Al Ghul, the drug withdrawal symptoms, the need to keep up his image of being perfect, his multiple, compounding responsibilities…
Alone. He breathed in, but he felt the avalanche of practically everything falling upon him and reached for one of the sedative pills he always kept by, washed it down with some water.
Another panic attack to try to live through.
He waited for the pill to start working, then clicked his telecom and called one of his secretaries. He made some lame-ass excuse for her to come to the office, only because he simply couldn't STAND a second longer without any human contact.
Eleanor came in several minutes later, with a stack of documents. He'd managed to calm down enough, but still knew he wasn't his usual self.
"Are you feeling alright, Mr Merlyn?" She asked, noticing his paleness.
"Oh, um, a little stressed, I think, what with all the catching up with things at the company after my sabbatical. The increased cooperation with Q Consolidated." He faked a chuckle.
"Oh, yes, these things tend to pile up, don't they?" Eleanor remarked.
"Not only on me," Malcolm added."You and the rest of the assistants must have had a hell of a time dealing with all of this."
Eleanor stood up, suddenly intimidated. "Mr Merlyn, if you think our work hasn't been up to par in any way-"
"No, no, calm down, Eleanor. It always has been and continues to be excellent," he rushed to put her at her ease. "Which is the reason why," Malcolm made the decision on the spot, "All the assistants are getting a raise. Double the amount of what you are paid now, starting next month."
He made the necessary authorising call to the salary division. Eleanor sputtered out a shocked 'thank you'.
"You're welcome, you deserve it," Malcolm said after he finished the call. "I have a favor to ask from you today, though. There is a tonne of paperwork I need to go through after my sabbatical and I'd appreciate it if you'd stay here at my office and help me. Your own paperwork, too. More productive this way. Free coffee is in the bargain." He laughed, somewhat afraid she'd think he was hitting on her, but soon realized she was actually relieved at the offer.
"Of course, Mr Merlyn." She went out for a while to get her own documents, and Malcolm used the time to text Oliver to warn him to wear his 'non-Hood clothes' if he decided to stop by today, because he was working with an assistant.
Oliver texted him a quick 'alright'.
Eleanor came back with a stack of documents and they went through it pretty quickly. She thanked him politely for the coffee and the raise in her salary, then exited to take on some boring office phonecalls.
Malcolm felt lonely again so he returned to mundane businesswork. He had to fight on, again.
XxXxXxX
Japan, fighting school in the Hokkaido region.
Emilly sat in one of the temple rooms, breathing in the scent of incense.
She reflected on what she'd been through recently, the toll it took on her.
She missed her friends, her family, her pursuits, her Malcolm. Everything she knew had been taken hostage by an unhinged Oliver Queen. Each day was a struggle. It did not seem to get better with time. She woke up with tremors, sweats, pains and aches. She even began to think about her previous life and the life she dreamed of as a pitiful joke, her efforts futile, her training a pointless exercise.
Still, she continued on, somehow.
"Sensei," she said, when she heard Makashi approach after she'd taught another one of her Hop Gar training sessions.
"You have been struggling, Emily," he remarked without preamble. "I don't mean your combat skills, I mean your emotions. You are full of doubt."
"I agree, Sensei. My doubt is staring to cloud my mind, and I have no idea what to do about it," she admitted.
"Fight," Makashi replied in a simple statement. Fight, fight and fight and then fight again. You have aced many tests, but you need to be tested further. I have thought of the perfect way.
"You will face the League of Asassins,' he proclaimed.
"What?!" Emily exclaimed in shock.
"We send them a warrior, from time to time, not as a potential member, but as a someone they want to battle."
Emily balked.
"Sensei, as I told you, Oliver is blackmailing Malcolm BECAUSE he has defied the League's code, We want to AVOID getting killed, not court getting killed or whatever it is you are doing to me."
Makashi smiled. "If you want to protect your loved ones, if you are really a fighter, you will do it. You've been wasting away here long enough. They won't kill you if you are valiant enough in a fight. So, prepare yourself for a challenge of a lifetime. It is the only way you can really rescue yourself from the struggles you have been facing. Now, pack and on you go to a flight to Nanda Parbat. Improving your Arabic wouldn't hurt." He threw her a dictionary.
Emily grabbed it, then went into her room, put on her combat outfit, packed a change of clothes, hygiene essentials; sent coded messages to everyone she liked or loved, ditched her satphone, took a clean smartphone with camera capabilities, loaded a first aid kit into her backback, then boarded the private plane, which took her straight to Nanda Parbat.
She was angry with her Sensei for throwing her into deep water like this, but chose to learn some Arabic phrases during the flight instad of dwelling on it. She had a knack for languages; now was the time to use it. She memorised everything she suspected she might need. When the plane landed, she was led to the main entrance of the fortress. Nyssa Al Ghul was there with a group of League warriors.
Emily recognised her as the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul from the pictures Malcolm had shown her some time earlier. She greeted her in Arabic after Nyssa's warriors patted her down for weapons.
"You have shown some skill in Arabic and a respect for other cultures," Nyssa commented as she let her in.
"Thank you for your compliment." Emily nodded at the woman and was led into the presence of none other than Ra's Al Ghul himself.
She followed Nyssa's lead, bowed politely as she greeted the leader of the League of Assasins.
Ra's nodded as he dismissed Nyssa and the other attendants.
Emily noticed a table stocked with enough food for a feast. Ra's beckoned her towards it, then helped her into her seat. She tried to banish the 'oh shit oh shit, I'm in the company of Ra's Al Ghul, he's SO going to kill me' thoughts from her head. She thanked him politely.
"So, here you are, the famous Emily Carson," Ra's said, studying her after sitting down.
"Well, I must really be famous in order to capture the attention of a man of your stature in the world." Emily had no idea how she managed such a calm tone.
Ra's smiled at her. "Al-Saher has informed me about you," he said, while at the same time pouring her some wine from a pitcher. She was grateful Malcolm managed to act on her coded message before she arrived at Nanda.
"I am sure my Sensei has informed you about me as well," she said in Arabic, then switched to English. "Al-Saher thinks very highly of you, so does Masashi. And I am certain you have quite an amount of additional intel on me, which you gathered on your own." She took a bite of some of the food, then a few sips of the wine.
He nodded. "Quite an astute observation, Ms Carson," he nodded.
Emily chose to comment on their meal. "Rare steak, with just a hint of spices, a splash of lemon, to make it original, and Portugese wine... I'm guessing vintage 2002?"
"Perfect guess," he praised. "So, how did you come to be associated with the martial arts in the first place? I know you love Malcolm, have a publicised history of drug abuse and partying. Then you somehow appeared on Sensei Masashi's radar and-"
Emily knew where this was going, so she dared to interrupt him. "I am aware you are perfectly acquainted with my life history. There have been some moments in it I would rather not discuss. The nightmare of my drug abuse being one of the main ones."
"Ah, a few soft spots there. We all have them," Ra's remarked.
Emily chose an honest, yet cheeky approach. "Well, I am not acquainted with any of your 'soft spots', which will be to your advantage in our inevitable duel, probably sometime after we enjoy this delicious meal. However, to answer your question without going into painful specifics, I have tended to feel like a victim most of my life and eventually found this attitude tiresome and unproductive. Martial arts became my path towards enlightenment, rediscovering strength and fulfillment, regaining control of my life."
"Admirable choice," Ra's praised. "Practicing martial arts teaches you patience, resistance, power, focus, among many other things."
"I have found it to be so," Emily confirmed as she took a forkful of some very oriental-looking salad. "Oh, this is truly delicious," she exclaimed spontaneously.
"You are a very intriguing woman," Ra's said. "You're not afraid of trying new things," he observed.
"Well, as a famous author once wrote, 'fear is the mindkiller' and someone else said something along the lines of 'courage is not the absence of fear, but learning to control it.' I might be misquoting the second saying." She smiled a little sheepishly.
"Well, sometimes things even random people say agree with our mindset." Ra's smiled as well. He was really taken with this woman. She had a natural charm about her, an innocence, despite the disillusionment and some tendency towards depression he also sensed with his well-honed abilities.
Then his tone turned more businesslike. "Emily, you know you are courting death by coming here."
"I court my own death every day. My lifestyle as a mercenary requires it. My Sensei informed me of what I would be facing." She nodded and took a sip of her wine, her tone coming in calmer than she'd expected. "The League is known for giving gruelling exercises and you are a teacher who pulls no punches. Be at ease, I came here aware of what I might be getting into."
"Very well, let us discuss the details of our duel. I shall give you several hours of preparation, then my daughter will lead you to the place of our combat. Oh, and there is an issue up for negotiation. Would you rather wear your own outfit for the fight, of the one worn by the League, as is custom for fights with other organisations?"
Emily thought for a while before responding. Her own outfit was somewhat based on Malcolm's and she also knew every detail of his, but she wasn't about to admit it.
She chose the diplomatic approach when she formed her reply. "I respect your customs and traditions and, most importantly, it would be an honor to wear League armor."
Ra's nodded, flicked his fingers and one of the servants rushed out, already knowing what to do. "Well, then," he said, rising from his seat. "I shall give you time to prepare. My servants are at your disposal, should you need any asistance." He took his leave quickly to prepare for the duel.
Emily made her way to her chamber, requested the servants bring her some incense.
She was potentially about to face the fight of her life. A fight against some of the most formidable warriors in the world.
'Don't freak out', she reminded herself. The servant arrived with the items she needed.
Emily breathed in the incense, preparing for the battle ahead. Then again, she had faced struggles before. She was tired of feeling defeated, weak, helpless, feeling like a cog in the machine which tried to chew her up. She was through with fear and struggles.
She breathed in the incese a little deeper, then started her own chant.
"I am not my past. I am not my future, I am not my weakness. I am not my fear. I am the now. I am not a victim, I am the predator. I know hate, but also know kindness. I am my own, unique self. A being who claims their rights, who fights for what it loves, for what it desires. I shall stand tall for my beliefs, I shall meet my enemies with my weapons ready, my conviction firm.
"I will protect those who need protection.
"I respect the strength and knowledge of my teachers, I am aware of the power which courses through me. I respect my opponents and grant them a fair combat.
"I will overcome any weakness, for I have been forged to be strong and NEVER, EVER give in.
"This is my motto, I choose it and arise in strength."
Emily finished, stood up and stretched, made a few movements to prepare her muscles, then turned to change into her League uniform. She didn't need any instructions as to how to put it on, where each small weapon went, where the hidden pockets were. Malcolm had had his own version of the armor customised, but he had taught her how to improvise.
She was well aware there was no cheating in this fight, but also knew what 'cheating' in League terms meant.
Her suit had additional pockets for small knives, an additional layer of fabric underneath to make potential blows less painful.
She finished dressing and waited calmly until Nyssa came to collect her.
Emily regarded the other woman calmly, as she regarded her.
"You still have time to claim defeat by forfeit, return to Masashi's school." Nyssa said.
"No, I am not one to give up," Emily replied very firmly .
"Alright," the other woman said with some admiration. "Follow me, then, don't be tardy."
Emily complied, and Nyssa led her to a huge hall, filled with weapons.
Ra's Al Ghul was already waiting. His helpers removed his outer robe and he faced her in his battle uniform.
Emily drowned out her inner voice saying 'oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shiiiiiiiiit!' inside and approached him.
He surprised her by starting their conversation in English.
"Emily Carson, well, here you are. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure you wouldn't decide to flee instead."
"You think I'm a coward?" Emily challenged.
"No, just a girl, slightly out of her depth," he laughed.
"Well, if you thought this CHEAP strategy of trying to belittle me because I'm a woman would make me withdraw, you are very wrong." She snarled a little.
"Well you are a woman in a man's game," Ra's sniped.
"Oh, and here I thought you were a sophisticated, not chauvenistic leader, Resh." She smirked. This earned her an approving chuckle from Nyssa and several female warriors.
"Why don't you put your money where your feisty mouth is and face a challege." He withdrew several paces as a contraption was lowered from the ceiling. She knew it form Malcolm's stories. The tunnel of death. A bunch of swinging, maiming weapons one had to make their way through to get to battle the mighty Resh.
A cheap trick on Ras's part to weaken or exhaust his opponents, in her mind.
She had to face it though, so she grabbed a Katana from one of the racks, and attacked the machinery. She dodged, kicked, punched, cut the lines of some of the swinging weapons before they could reach her. She channeled the feral part of her personality. She went through them like a machine, remembering her instructions, not giving in to her fear, choosing to fight instead. She was one with her Katana. She sliced her way through the 'tunnel' with an animal growl, in record time.
"Impressive," Ra's commented. "Now it is time for you to face me."
"Well, finally," Emily gasped, then put the Katana back on the rack. She knew it was customary for Ra's's opponent to choose their weapon and if she was allowed this choice, she would choose one she preferred. A Lion's Head sword.
Ra's only bowed at her, with yet another smirk. "You have learned our customs well," he commented. "And you've chosen a weapon which is one your lover also favors."
"I don't think we are here to discuss my love life," Emily said.
"All right, let us get to business, then. As a formality, I will reiterate the rules: According to the ageement the League of Assassins has with Sensei Masashi of Hokkaido, Emily Carson and Ra's Al Ghul of Nanda Parbat are to engage into a duel. It is a courtesy to Sensei Masashi for one of his own to be allowed to fight with the leader of the League. Ms Carson enters this battle fully aware of the risk to her life. Should she happen to win the duel, she has no claim to the throne of Resh, as it is only a duel meant to further the League's efforts of cooperation with our allies. If she fails, it is Ra's Al Ghul's right to decide whether she should live or die." He turned to her then. "You are allowed to make some additional stipulations, now, Emily Carson."
"Except for the fact that I must say the rules are very skewed in your favor, which is rather a comment than a stipulation, I don't really have anything else to contribute to this cheap chit-chat here," Emily said, surprsing herself at how cheeky she sounded, how furious she might have made him.
Ra's just gave a nod to Nyssa.
"Let the battle begin," she said in an official tone.
Emily's heart skipped a few beats, but she decided to use her adrenaline rush to prepare for her opponent.
It's just another warrior!
No, oh, shit, I'm facing Ra's Al Ghul!
I must conquer this!
I'm a fighter, I aim for victory!
She forgot the room for a moment, channelling the techniques she had been taught, the calm voices of her teachers ingrained into her mind.
Ra's went in wild and heavy with his sword, striking hard and without mercy. She remembered her legwork lessons, parrying each blow, sparks from the swords flying.
Ra's was angry, his ego bruised by her earlier comments. She had done it on purpose, though. Malcolm, her father, her Sensei, and the teachers from other combat schools she had attended had taught her as much. Ego was one of a person's greatest weaknesses.
She noticed he was surprised by her resilience, that it had drawn him to make more brutal, more merciless attacks.
She felt alarmed for a moment, but then decided to listen to her teachers' voices, abandon the fear of pain. She chose a strategy; adjusted it to what she noticed from his movements; noted his weaknesses, his distractions, caused by his now obvious attendance to how he would appear before his servants.
Her focus was now razor sharp.
"Emily, never give in, become aware of and then use your instincts." -Malcolm.
"Emily, your intellect is your greatest strength." -Her Father.
"Ems, bad rice and all, you know you've got it in ya!" -Sabrina Snow, her best friend.
"Emily, girl, remember you're a force to be reckoned with." -Kevin.
"You are a survivor." -Sensei.
"Emily-chan, go for the killshot." -one of her archery trainers.
"Emily, you are capable, always trust it." -Her uncle.
There was a multitude of voices inside her head now, somehow thrown together into a victorious symphony.
She taunted Ra's with another offensive comment, then forced him into a manouver, a very risky decision on her part. She managed to trap his sword with her own, then jump out, disarming them both. It was a unique trick she had learned from Malcolm.
Her mind was on fire now. Ra's was clearly furious, engaged her into hand to hand combat with lightning speed.
It was what she'd been expecting and counting on. She employed her Hop Gar technique, noticing that while Ra's was rather proficient in it, she had an advantage there. He seemed to prefer something else, and she also had a taste for Krav Maga, so she mixed the two. She landed many well aimed punches, making him all the more furious.
She had explored an avenue in Hop Gar with Malcolm which was sort of custom-made, and which really improved on the technique. If moving was supposed to be like water, she was now an untamed waterfall; if hitting the most vulnerable spots was one of the rules, she hit them with the precision of a surgeon.
It made Ra's cry out in pain, which he clearly considered somewhat of a disgrace. She withdrew a litte. Pretended to be very winded. She couldn't afford to make him think she was too much of a threat.
He attacked again and she took several punches, letting him think he was winning. She heard him grunt in satisfaction, but wriggled out of his grasp in an yet unnamed manouver she'd practiced with her teachers.
She jumped up, took her stance, allowing him to recover from his surprise, giving him the dignity of covering the fact he was not able to attack right away.
He rasped, then charged at her like a bull. She considered her options as he went in for the punch. It could potentially damage her stomach. She braced for it, used her muscles to jump upwards and roll over his back. His momentum made him lose his balance as she used the seemingly tedious exercises with Malcolm to maintain her own, swishing to a stop next to the wall. She moved to a strategically comfortable position, while he gathered his bearings.
He decided to leap towards the swords; Emily leapt to retrieve hers. They engaged in an exchange of blows, but Emily chose to use her intellect along with her muscles. She allowed the strikes to come, parried them, went into a vehement attack Ra's barely deflected. He made an vicious move then, in pure anger. She easily manouvered around it, earning herself a mutter of approval from the people watching. All the while, she knew she couldn't allow herself to appear to win, even though it was actually happening.
She was winning against Ra's Al Ghul.
He mounted another attack against her, but she kept relying on her Hop Gar technique. She was flowing water again, moving here and there, unpredicable, unable to capture.
Ra's struggled for footing again, growled in frustration, went after her in a huff of anger. She decided to let him disarm her, uttered a traditional Arabic phrase of surrender.
Ra's Al Ghul held both blades to Emily's throat. Her fate was literally in his hands. She had been through so much lately it made her care little for her life. She also knew Malcolm's and her family and friends' lives were in the balance. She had to placate Ra's.
"You are a very skilled teacher, Resh," she panted, using the honourable version of his name. "You can be a chauvenist sometimes, but it has been an honor, getting the amazing opportunity to duel or train with you, even if it gets me killed in the process. I shall accept it with dignity. After all, I came here ah-aware of the rules." She gasped, waiting for his final strike, not even sure if it would come.
She was surprised when he grabbed her instead and helped her up, grinned, then lifted her arm up in a triumphant gesture. "Everyone, recognize the SURVIVOR in our annual contest with our friendly martial arts school in Japan!"
Emily forced a grin of her own, surprised at the applause that exploded. Apparently, she gained a lot of appreciation within the League.
"Now, as is custom for our visitors from Masashi's school, I shall enjoy a private dinner with Ms Carson," Ra's said. "You are all dismissed."
XxXxXxX
Emily returned to her room to change for her dinner, trying not to even think about the fact she almost defeated the Leader of the League of Asassins. Well, 'almost' was the imperative word. If rules had been diferent she would have become the new Ra's.
A servant delivered to her a black gown, embroidered with silver.
She had her thoughts about it, but there wasn't enough time to really entertain them. She decided to style her hair into loose waves, applied the minimal amount of makeup.
Ra's met her her at the entrance of the dining room, dressed in his formal tunic and trousers. dismissed the servants with aflick of his fingers.
"Ms Carson," he beamed. "You're a vision to behold, even after a battle like the one we've had."
She thanked him for the compliment, let him lead her to her seat. "It was a very enjoyable battle," she said as he poured her some wine. She took just a small sip, all too aware she needed to be very careful with each word she uttered.
They engaged in some smalltalk.
Suddenly, he regarded her with a curious expression, which made her uneasy. "You could have killed me today," he claimed.
"What?" Emily asked.
"Come on, Ms Carson, I know you pulled your punches. If you had followed through with your strike, it might have been a killer blow, or might have wounded me seriously. Why did you hold back? Why did you risk getting killed by me instead?" he demanded.
Emily did some very quick thinking. "First of all, I think a skilled and experienced warrior like yourself would certainly find a way to deflect the blow." She decided to stroke his ego a little, then make sure she stressed Malcolm's alligance to the League. "Also, I was aware of the rules of our duel. Why would I unnecessarily harm the person whom I am allied with, who has extended me the courtesy of training with me, who has helped Al-Saher become the man he is today, who has shown him nothing but kindness?"
Ra's kept looking at her. She held his gaze firmly. Suddenly he broke into a smile, which didn't put her at ease at all. "Alright, let us eat, we will talk more later." He dug into his own meal and Emily did the same. The fight had made her kind of famished but she paced herself, remembering she shouldn't get too full. It tended to numb the senses, and she needed all her wits about her.
"So," Ra's resumed as they started the dessert. "There is a casual offer I would like to make you, Emily."
She put away her fork, giving him her full attention. "What offer is that?"
"An offer to join the League of Assassins," he said, and Emily was glad she had put away her fork, or she would surely have sent it clattering or choked on her pastry from shock.
"Um." She stopped herself for stammering, her mind on rocket speed to process this. "Why would you think me even worthy of such an honor, Resh?" she asked, stalling for time.
"I noticed things about you, from the very first second we met, and then on. You are gutsy, you speak your mind, you are polite, you are a warrior who would put some of the best in the League to shame. Your fierceness and courage impressed me, and your natural kindness hasn't allowed me to be fully angry with you even as you were taunting and defeating me on the battlefield. Then, you took your victory with grace and did not humiliate me in front of my people."
"Why would I humiliate you?" Emily asked. "I respect you, and ours was a battle on terms I might not have been fully alright with, given the fact they favored you, as I mentioned, but I agreed to them. Rules will be rules, even though I'm not a stickler."
"No, you're not." Ra's approached her and touched her hair gently. "Don't worry, I am not trying to seduce you," he reassured her.
"You are a FIGHTER, vicious warrior, but deep down, an honest person and a force to be reckoned with."
"Oh, I have been known to lie. I am not perfect, Resh," she breathed as she gave into the gentle embrace.
"None of us are. So, have you decided about becoming a member of the League?" he asked.
Emily knew her response. "Resh, I am very honoured by your offer, however I have for years been a free agent and enjoy it.
"Although, having said this, I-I am not refusing you. I am not disrespecting you." She suspended her voice. "I have heard tell of such a thing as becoming an official friend of the League?" she queried briefly as he nodded in confirmation. "If you would have me, then I would be honored to participate," she said, then waited for his response.
"You know what it involves, Emily. Malcolm did it as well, upon his release. You get your freedom, but you still abide by our code, swear a slightly altered oath of allegiance."
Emily knew what she was risking. She managed to control her breath, though. "I know and I am happy to do it."
"You are?" he queried. "You said you were a free agent."
She knew how to answer this. "Freedom is nothing without allies. What is the definition of freedom, anyway? And who is ever truly free?" she asked. "Even you, Resh, aren't truly free."
"I'm not?" he queried.
"No. You have multiple responsibilities, leading an organisation such as the there are all these employees, contacts, friends, feasts, formal occasions, tedious negotiations you have to go through each day. Being a leader is not easy. I am sure it has required some personal sacrifice. And as to what being free means to me, it's... Letting go, untamed by all the above, unconcerned, oblivious, released." She sighed. "So no, you are not free. You have the power to give people freedom, BUT, do you have the power to give yourself freedom?"
Ra's surprised her when his brow furrowed as he really thought about this, realised she was right, then helped her rise. He was amazed by how astute and kind she was. "This has been a riveting conversation, Emily. Now, it is time for your pledge of allegiance."
She nodded. He flicked his fingers for his warriors.
Emily went through the friendship pledge in a flurry of motion, had a brief tete-a-tete with Ra's, then went to pack her bags for her flight back to Japan.
She was surprised when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it only to see Ra's standing there.
"Resh," she made the required gesture of respect.
"I'm not intruding, am I?" he asked, perfunctorily as he entered the room.
"Certainly not, I was just preparing for my plane trip to Japan," she explained. "You are always welcome, Resh." She dropped an item of clothing into the suitcase and turned to him.
He made some smalltalk, then decided to cut to the chase. "Emily, as a favour to the League, I require you to kill someone for me."
"Ah." Emily's heart skipped a beat, but she feigned a business-like tone. "Well, who is this person? "
"A drug lord in Japan; Hikichi Aneiko is his name. He's straight up your emphatic alley. Hurting the innocent, profiting from it. He is also annoying me. Here is the information on him." He handed her some documents.
Emily nodded, then read the file he handed her. Aneiko was a scumbag like very few she had ever encountered. However, now, Emily was more focused on how she could turn the entire situation to hers and Malcolm's advantage. Here she was, one of the most influential men in the world, the very man who could rescue Malcolm and herself from Oliver. She decided to use it.
"Consider it done, Resh," she said. "However, I would like to invoke the Sadiqua Superior option of our friendship agreement." It meant she would have the most prestigeous status League friends could ever be granted, and be allowed to ask a favor from him in return, a major one, although one which would not probably do much to help her remove the bounty Ra's would put on hers and Malcolm's heads if he ever found out about the failed Undertaking. Still, it was something rather than nothing.
Ra's smiled. He did have a soft spot for her. "Request granted, the Sadiqua Superior option has been activated. Is there a favor you need granted now?" he queried.
"No," she lied with a smile. "However, in my line of work as a mercenary, one never knows when they might need a favor from a friend. I shall reserve mine for the future."
"Well, except from being an impressive warrior, you are a very skilled tactician." Ra's was positively beaming now.
"Well, I learned from some of the best. And they learned from the best." She made a veiled reference to Malcolm, which Ra's recognised with a nod.
"I need to make my way to the plane, soon. Um, Resh, I want you to know how much I enjoyed my stay here and that you can count on me to perform any tasks you need, while I am in Japan, or wherever, really. I might be somewhat knowledgable in the ways of the League, but, um, I don't know how we will keep in contact in case you need me. I know the League has global reach, however…" She trailed off confusedly.
He smiled at her again."You are very astute, Emily. The League has many means of communication, including smoke signals, but we also sometimes use quite modern ones."
He surprised her by handing her a burner phone. "It only has one number on it, for when you need to contact me. It cannot be traced anywhere. A sort of anti-gps, if you will."
She laughed at the joke, and made a mental note to have her friendly hacker in Japan check it for bugs. She packed it right away into a muffling sachet, meant for potential hacks, then put it in her suitcase and turned to Ra's.
She didn't quite know how to make her leave of him for the moment while at the same time retaining or reinforcing his soft spot for her, so she went with her instinct, a very wild one, perhaps.
She thanked him for their duel in Arabic and then, plain on hugged him.
He was taken by surprise but returned it, maybe by some sort of instinct.
She kept it brief, and fumbled a little after she withdrew. "I' um didn't mean to overstep any boundaries, or make it seem like I'm hitting on you, I uh, well, am a 'hugger'. I tend to hug my friends, it is a whole thing with me, which, well, might have weirded you out."
'Gosh, I must sound so idiotic,' Emily shouted at herself inwardly.
Ra's thought her attitude was quite refreshing. Hugs were a rare commodity in Nanda Parbat.
"No, it doesn't weird me out. Although, if I were to give you a special assassin name now, it would be 'Emily the Hugger'," he smirked.
"Well, at least make it 'Emily the Lethal Hugger,'" She went with the joke. "So it sounds, um, 'assassiny'."
He laughed with pure untamed glee then, surprising himself at the sudden realisation it had actually been years since he had laughed this way.
"Well, then, come along, Emily the Lethal Hugger," He chuckled as he led her to the airstrip.
Some of the League were there. Emily shook Ra's' hand formally, then boarded the aircraft.
On her way to Japan, Emily considered her options, what she had truly accomplished at Nanda Parbat.
Yes, she managed to get Ra's Al Ghul to feel a soft spot for her, to even get a sort of IOU from him by becoming a 'friend of the League'. However, would it be enough to help her and Malcolm if Oliver decided to reveal the Undertaking? Not by a long shot, she suspected. For the present moment, it earned her nothing in terms of leverage against Oliver tormenting Malcolm. In the long run though, if she continued to work for Ra's, it might bear fruit. She felt depressed, but decided to continue on the path she had taken.
She ordered the pilot to take a brief detour to a hacker she knew in Japan. Upon entering his shop, she just handed him a shitload of cash and a note saying 'Have device, potentially bugged, need it checked.'
He knew her from her earlier time in Japan, performed his task without question.
"The device's not bugged, Emily chan," he said out loud, letting her know it was safe to speak. "Shitload of tech, though. You still into the merc business?" he ventured.
"Something along those lines." She smiled as he poured her a glass of Sake.
"Let me guess, lots of shit happening?" he asked amicably as he handed her the glass.
"Yeah, and it's the reason why I need some additional equipment." She specified the requirements.
"Aw, sure, I will gt you set up, girl." He went into the secret stash room to get what she'd requested as she downed her Sake. He came back with the merchandise.
Emily smiled and packed the stuff. She knew it was top quality."Need to get going. We keep in contact through the usual channels?" she asked.
"As per usual. Enjoy yourself, always a pleasure, Emily chan!" he shouted warmly at the woman as she exited.
XxXxXxX
She returned to the plane, spent the night at the school in Japan.
She studied the file Ra's had given her. It almost made her sick to her stomach when she learned the full extent of what the man Ra's had ordered her to kill had been involved in. It topped the Undertaking ten times and then some. Human trafficking, child prostitution, drugs, weapon trading, the works.
She read up on his habits, easily figured out where he'd be the next evening. She calculated her strike, refused to even speak to her Sensei. She was too angry with him for not being able to help at all with her fight to free herself and Malcolm from the threat of Oliver Queen.
Next evening came all to early. Emily performed her exercises, made a satphone call to Malcolm, informing him of her recent association with the League, then similar calls to her dad, Kevin, Sabrina, Tim, some of the secret aquaintances she'd developed during her work as a mercenary.
She hid her satphone, donned her combat clothes and snuck out of the fighting school. She made her way to the club she knew Aneiko would be at. Hiroshi, her Japanese hacker friend, had helped her to figure out the kingpin's exact schedule.
Emily waited in a back alley staircase, knowing he would be coming out sooner or later, needing to make a phonecall to his seedy vendors.
She waited for hours, her patience tested.
Finally, Aneiko emerged from the club, quarrelling over the phone with someone about some 'shit quality' mechandise.
His bodyguards were not present. Clearly, he wanted privacy for this conversation.
Emily stood up from her seat after he finished his business. She notched her arrows and shot them at him, with lethal precision. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Emily didn't really enjoy killing, but, well; life had brought her where it had brought her. Or maybe she secretly did enjoy it? No, no use to dwell on it. She was a killer for hire, and that was it. She needed to dispense of any trace of her kill having been done by an archer. She approached the dead drug lord, removed her custom-made arrows, the tips of which were covered with artificially reinforced ice-like compound coating.
Ice Archer, some of her acquaintanes at the school called her, when they all chose their nicknames. Blue Archer, Red Archer, The Panther, The Iris, The Venom, they called themselves. In the end, these names were just nicknames. In reality, Emily Carson was a fighter.
She dealt with the gore of removing the arrows form the body, the blood, managed to find a barely functioning excuse of a fountain, washed herself off, then went into a secluded area, away from the scene of the crime and called Ra's.
He answered on the first ring.
"Resh, the task is complete," she breathed into the phone. "I covered my tracks well."
"In record time, I must admit." He sounded impressed and weirdly enough, his voice made her feel somewhat calmer. It was paradoxical, twisted even, in a way. However, she was on a mission to make Malcolm's and her chances against Oliver stronger. "Resh. I am staying in Japan for now, so if you have any tasks for me in the region, I'd be happy to oblige." She managed not to sound too eager.
"Certainly. There are some I can think of right now. It involves the associates of the man you just killed and his opponents. Do you have pen and paper handy?"
"Of course, Resh, tell me what you need." She always had a notebook and pen on her, it was one of her rules. Ra's told her the details of what needed to be done.
She disconnected after saying some warm, respectful words to Ra's in Arabic.
She returned to the school and remained there, but her dynamic with the Sensei changed. She was distant; she trained hard. However, her routines and training sessions became increasingly vicious. Not violent enough for him to protest against them or challenge her methods, but violent enough to make him worried.
He refrained from commenting, though, not wanting to antagonize her further.
Emily had decided that now, when she and everyone she loved were facing both the unhingement of the Starling Vigilante and the potential wrath of the League, she had no other choice other than to prepare to be able to fight it as best she could.
She was a fighter, after all.
Authors note: There you have it, people! It is a very pivotal chapter. As always, enjoy, review! :p