No Scalpel: To All A Good Night
"Nigicalnack Hastionfarlock. Nigel Hastings. Scalpel."
"Right, the 'monster'. I bet all the idiots we locked up tonight would think a world without him would be a great thing."
"Do you?"
"Of course not. There's more to being a monster then how your visage presents itself."
"How true. How true."
The man was Robert "Gauntlet" Candide, but you wouldn't know it looking at him. For one, Robert Candide would never be caught in the cheap suit the man was wearing. He also lacked Rob's rich black hair, instead sporting a poor dishwasher blonde comb over. His chin was weak, his nose hairs were more obviously visible than any person would probably like, and acne had left its mark on the man's features. Anyone who was watching would have had to look very close to see where the truth lay, and Gauntlet had no intention of letting anyone get close enough to do that.
He didn't think anyone was watching the house (and Rob was good at telling these sorts of things), but the disguise would hedge his bets. Rob dragged the suitcase filled with vacuum parts up the stairs to the small apartment-based housing and rang the doorbell.
It took a long time for someone to answer, so long that Rob almost panicked and kicked the door down. Eventually, though, Rob heard multiple locks disengage before the door partially opened on a chain.
Penny Johnson had seen better days. Her brown hair looked unwashed, and her fresh face had dark circles under its eyes. At first, Rob was glad she didn't have any signs of injury, but that didn't last long.
"…I'm sorry, I'm not…"
"Are you sure young lady? These vacuum cleaners will make your house smell of elderberries!" Gauntlet said.
"…Rob. I thought it was you." Penny said. Her dull tone and lack of sparkle in her eyes immediately told Rob the best case scenario was already off the table.
"…is someone with you?" Rob asked.
"No…it doesn't matter." Penny said. "My sister's in the hospital. Some thugs took a baseball bat to her."
"Oh bleep. Is Karen okay? Wait, dumb question, you know what I…"
"Stop babbling." Penny said. "If you really cared for her, you wouldn't go around loudly declaring your real name to anyone who listened. She should recover…but we don't know how we're going to pay the bills. My dad's been fired. He was embezzling money, or so the company said. They haven't charged him yet, but it looks like they're going to."
"I…here, the JLU has a general superhuman health plan. Just give them this card and there shouldn't be any questions asked."
"I don't want it."
"But…"
"Smokey's dead, Rob. I came home last night and found him hanging off my Christmas tree. Gutted. I got a phone call ten minutes later. It said they don't know if they're done yet. Lot of 'gifts' to give out." Penny said.
"…I guess 'I'm sorry' isn't going to cover it."
"…just leave Rob. Maybe whoever you bleeped with will lose interest. Or maybe the accidents will actually start happening to you." Penny said. "Don't come back. Ever."
"I…I didn't mean for any of this."
"You wanted to be a hero, Rob." Penny said. "Hell is for heroes. The world is run by the devils who send them there. I know that now. You can't change it."
The door closed quietly. In the end, Penny didn't even have the energy to slam it. Rob heard a multitude of locks snap shut, and found himself standing on the doorstep for a long time after their noise faded.
He wasn't sure if he walked off carrying the case to keep up his disguise or if he was just in a daze. After a few blocks though, he finally disappeared into an alleyway.
Gauntlet emerged from the shadows, now dressed for business. Said business outfit was not a pair of jeans and a white T-Shirt: instead it was a loose grey full-body costume, with occasional yellow highlights, though the G symbol on his chest remained. His lower face was masked, a hood over his head hiding everything else save his eyes. Anyone who saw him would have immediately compared him to what he was.
Robert's mother had been a true ninja before his birth. Elsewhere, she had mostly given it up. Not everywhere, though. Not everywhere.
Gauntlet scampered up the wall like it wasn't there, taking to the rooftops. He had debated what he was about to do for a very long time. He no longer had any doubts.
And as he ran, he remembered.
"Welcome to Leaps of Faith. I am your host, Terry O'Donnell. The topic tonight is Metahuman Vigilantes: Required Or Relic?" Terry O'Donnell said. Some people might have aspired to more than having a local late-night discussion show, but Terry didn't think it was too bad a life. It paid the bills, anyway. "In recent times, many events have occurred around once-beloved superhero team the Teen Titans that has once again brought this issue to the forefront. Is a superhero team who sets up shop in a city worth the downsides of their protection? Joining me in this discussion is local attorney G. Gavin Gunhold, high school principal Sean Hopper, and head of the new SCDU organization Golden Silver Duilio Lycus. Mr. Gunhold, since you were one of the main voices supporting the…"
"Hold it right there O'Donnell, don't try and sway the issue before it starts." Gunhold said. "Really, the issue is fairly clear. It can be summed up in two words: Titled Events. How many times have the Titans nearly caused our city to be destroyed? Superman has operated in Metropolis for over a decade, and you don't see any local events in history with titles like The Final Night and The End of Metal."
"You know what city does have Titled Events? Gotham." Hopper replied. "The Contagion. The Cataclysm. The War Games. Why is Gotham still standing, not abandoned and left to become ruins? Because Batman and his ilk insist on staying to protect it. They may not always succeed, but they are not gods. Without them, yes, one could argue that no Events would have come to their city, but one could argue at the same time that said Events might have just spread beyond one city."
"So now you want us to be the pawns to be sacrificed on the world stage?" Gunhold said.
"I did not say that. Don't put words in my mouth."
"No no no, no need. Here, I'll take some words out." Gunhold said. "Crime statistics have remained virtually the same ever since the Titans set up operations here. In fact, studies have shown that the Titans have not actually stopped any crime. Instead, they've forced it to adapt to their actions. Made it harder for proper law enforcement to do their jobs. And put men and women at risk who wouldn't have been before if they hadn't gotten involved."
--------------
"Okay, it's our bi-weekly meeting. Or tri-weekly. There's an I in there somewhere, anyway, calling roll. Is anyone NOT here?" Robin asked.
"Nay." Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, Terra, Savior, Morgue, and Gauntlet said.
"Okay then…anyone have anything to report?"
"Yes, can we PLEASE do something about Rob's crazy stalker?" Terra said.
"Hey! Hey! Noriko is not a stalker." Gauntlet said. "She's just a dedicated fan. She latched onto me after we stopped Slade from making her Apprentice Kurai 2.0. I'll get around to letting her down softly soon."
"Right, anything else BESIDES Rob's lack of love life?"
"HEY! What about Penny?"
"You've had two dates with her. That doesn't count." Savior said.
"Well I got something." Cyborg said. "Maybe. I don't know."
"What is it?" Morgue asked.
"Well…it seems like there's been some issues in our prisons lately. Accusations that people are turning themselves in and testifying against people who they supposedly don't know. Well, that's what some criminals in jail are complaining about: they were framed via this process. But…that doesn't make a lot of sense. The people who 'made up' these stories are still criminals. Their testimony isn't going to get them off the hook. It's like they WANT to go to jail."
"How did you find this out?"
"Well, there's this guard I know, and he was talking about how these 'rats' were coming and certain gangs were accepting them. Prisoners HATE snitches. Yet instead of mass murder via shivs, we're getting this instead. Hell, there's been reports that contraband operations in prisons have even increased lately."
"That IS odd. Think it involves mental manipulation? Psimon pulling some stunt?" Savior said.
"Maybe. Might just be a string of coincidences." Cyborg said.
"Well, why would someone lie about knowing someone to send them to prison?" Terra asked.
"Perhaps it is a sacrificial maneuver?" Starfire said. "These so-called strangers go to prison for their crimes, but those who they testify against likely get more time. It could be a way to eliminate certain criminals."
"Star, these are criminals. Anyone who's smart enough to try and stunt like that isn't going to be screwing around with the riff-raff." Savior said.
Noel Collins had been very very wrong.
--------------
"I mean, if these children really want to help us, there are much better and safer ways to do it." Gunhold said.
"Oh, so send them through the army then? Beat all the spirit out of them, chain them to a rigid procedure? I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but when you can fly and walk through walls, there's a certain imagination needed that military training doesn't care for at all. It could be cutting off our noses to spite their faces."
"I didn't say that, Mr. Hopper. There's more ways to help with their powers than to just break things." Gunhold said. "What about the energy talent of the one called Savior? It can interact with nervous systems. He could have revolutionized neurosurgery, and instead he uses it to throw vehicles around. Hell, lawsuits had to be launched against the team primarily because of improper use of technology which did not belong to them."
--------------
"Whoa. Cy is TICKED." Beast Boy said, as he sat on the couch and watched his friend pour over the large amounts of paper that had arrived in the mail this morning.
"I noticed. WHY is he ticked?" Terra said.
"They're legal papers." Robin said, popping up behind the two. "Someone is trying to file claim on our tech. Well, the tech that Cyborg either inherited from his dad or built himself."
"WHAT? Can they DO that?"
"In straightforward terms, no. Which is why they tend to bury cases like this in endless paper and Byzantine loopholes. Try and force a settlement." Robin said. "I took a look, there are some gray areas in regards to things Silas Stone may have done while constructing some things, whether or not it applies to some agreement he had with a company that was recently bought out by another company. They claim that Silas was under contract to give them fifty percent of his designs and that they're retroactively claiming all the 'reneged' amount. There's also a mess over inheritance based on whether Cyborg is still Victor Stone due to factor this and legal nonsense that. We can hopefully make it go away, but it's the type of thing that raises blood pressure."
"…they can't like, steal Victor from us, right? Since he's MADE of a lot of that tech."
"That, Gar, is why I became a superhero and not a lawyer." Robin said. "I think fighting evil demi-gods is less painful than dealing with such nightmares like copyright law."
--------------
"I mean, please, can we not dance around this? These children, well they're not children any more, they have been breaking the law ever since they started. They are not licensed to enforce the law, they were not trained to enforce the law, they are taking the law into their own hands. Now, yes, so are Superman and Batman, but Superman travels all over the world, and Batman's base of operations has never been discovered. The Titans lived outside our city in a giant building shaped like a letter, and entered to arbitrarily insert themselves into the legal process where they were not invited or welcome." Gunhold said.
"So you're saying we should have just let the various empowered humans and creatures run roughshod over our city and have our police force die in scores trying to stop something that is out of their pay grade." Hopper replied.
"Of course not. I don't resent them the lives they save, the destruction they prevent…but Mr. Hopper, you should know well what happens when you allow children an inch. Our laws are in place for a reason, and children, even heroes, unrestrained by a system of checks and balances, cannot lead anywhere good when all is said and done."
--------------
"Put your hands up." The policeman said. Morgue's mask did not hide her confusion.
"Wait what? No no officer. I'm Morgue. The hero. This is Billy Numerous, the member of the HIVE. With the rap sheet. You know, the criminal."
"I know that Morgue." The police officer said, as several others joined him, guns drawn. "However, you're also being charged. You and all the Titans."
"With WHAT?" Savior said, dropping down.
"Multiple counts of reckless endangerment, trespassing, MANY counts of destruction of public property…"
"You must be joking." Savior said.
"Yeah! Come on! We're the good guys! The Titans! We…save the day…" Morgue said. The police officers did not lower their guns.
"…you're going to regret playing it this way." Savior said, and before Morgue could react he grabbed her and yanked himself out of the police's line of fire. Several shot at him anyway as he fled.
"Noel, what the hell!"
"Gustavson." Savior growled.
"What? What does the mayor have to do with this?"
"Come on Morgue! The cops suddenly try and arrest us after years of handing criminals over, testifying at trials, and visiting police hangouts? After we get a new mayor who ran on the typical tough on crime platform? What do you THINK caused this?" Savior snarled. "Well, if he thinks he's going to make political hay at our expense, he's got another thing coming!"
"…but…isn't he technically right?" Morgue said.
"…Morgue, you're a smart cookie, well when you're not being flustered by being abruptly dragged away from crime scenes." Savior said, heading back to the Tower. "There's the letter of the law, and then there's the spirit. And the day I let some yahoo use the courts to play political games is the day I hang up my jacket and start dating Gauntlet."
"…you're not g-"
"EXACTLY!"
--------------
"Mr. Lycus, we apologize, we've been excluding you somewhat. How do you wish to weigh in on the issue?" O'Donnell said to his third guest.
"Well, as Mr. Gunhold has said, I do respect what the Titans have done for this city. However, I really found they can't do enough." Duilio Lycus said. "They can't be everywhere at once, and they're not always here either. Sometimes, they run off to involve themselves in other matters, like the incident in Light City. It leaves Jump City exposed to the possible predations of the enemies and criminals that have sought out Jump, either for their own reasons or possibly due to the presence of the Titans. I wanted to, at least, provide an alternative to their presence when they were occupied. But my company is not one to do things by half-measures, and if what has occurred is due to that…maybe it's for the best."
--------------
"They did WHAT?" Robin said, sounding more confused than outraged.
"Yeah, whole Hive attacked. It was a madhouse." Beast Boy said. "But before things got really bad, the Neutralizers arrived."
"…so…what, these are…guys in mech suits? A bunch of second rate Cyborgs?" Gauntlet said.
"They're not random dudes off the street. They're police, ex-military, those sorts. I thought they were going to be a bunch of red-shirts who would make things even worse. But they weren't." Beast Boy said. "They beat back the attack, and then took the Hive apart. They didn't even lose one of their members. I was amazed."
"…why didn't we hear about this?!" Cyborg said, oddly cross.
"We've been occupied." Savior said, his tone grim.
"But…this is a good thing right?" Terra said. "Yeah, we'll check them out, and if it's an evil plot we're stop them, but if it isn't…we could always use more help, right?"
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Robin said.
"I'll keep an eye on the moon, Han." Gauntlet said, but even he felt the joke fell flat.
--------------
"Indeed, once the system was properly able to express itself, didn't things start going better?" Gunhold said. "The incident with the HIVE finally showed that we don't need amateurs, sorry, non-professionals, running around the city and causing as much trouble as they solve."
"The Titans have stopped at least a hundred and fifty separate threats, and without losing a single member in any of them. I would hardly call them lacking in professionalism."
"But that's the thing, Mr. Hopper. By law, and by the system, they are. They were just never called to task for it." Gunhold said. "Look at what happened once the SCDU was established and a closer look could be taken at the Titans. They were operating under a mountain of buck passing, looking the other way, and taking the simpler route. In a way, it's better that official organizations uncovered how weak they were. If one of their enemies did it, the result could have been far worse."
--------------
"WE'RE BEING KICKED OUT OF THE TOWER?!" Terra yelled, said tower vibrating from a brief earth tremor.
"…they cannot do this! This is our home! They cannot take our home away!" Starfire said.
"Let me see those papers." Savior growled, snatching them from Robin. "Blah blah legal ownership of land yadda yadda failure to pay entitlement fees something something…you can't be serious. Someone couldn't have just bought this land out from under us! We OWN it! Well Cyborg does, what the hell Victor!"
"My attention's been too divided…couldn't keep up with everything…" Cyborg groaned.
"…all right…crime becoming more elusive, supposedly fake criminals selling their allies out and sending them to jail, a whole new organization dedicated to fighting crime that's 'officially' a part of the police department, all THIS bull bleep, I don't have to be a genius to figure it out." Savior said.
"We are being attacked. In a very subtle, and potent fashion." Raven said. "I would almost admire it for its ingenuity, if it wasn't causing us such trouble."
"What do we do?" Terra asked.
"We do what we always do. We fight back." Robin said. "Even IF we have to move out of this Tower. It doesn't make a house a home, we do. Let's get ready to burn the midnight oil, Titans. Someone's coming after us, and we're going to meet them head-on."
--------------
"Heroes are not just in place to cut a colorful figure and have, regretfully, large destructive fights." Hopper said. "Their actions do more then protect a city, they can inspire it. Look at what Superman did, soon after his appearance. At how many have followed in his footsteps."
"But who elected Superman to do that? No one. He chose to do so himself." Gunhold replied. "I've spoken many times already of the possible troubles the Titans bring. The public was given their options when it came to the Titans and more stable options like Golden Silver, and they made their choice. If the Titans don't abide by that choice, then they really don't protect or inspire anything. They just do what they want."
"The public's will is fickle." Hopper said. "Oftentimes, it's not what they see that matters, but what they don't see."
--------------
At the time, Gauntlet had been reminded of an old familiar sight on the playground. The one clueless kid who, when he tried to play a game where people pretended to have powers, claimed to have all the powers that had already been listed, except better. Clueless egocentrism from a developing mind, which would hopefully develop A clue as they grew up.
In reality, it wasn't much fun.
They had no idea who the person was. Its costume was designed in such a fashion that they couldn't even determine gender. They'd thought they were getting somewhere in their investigation, finding the puppet master behind all this…and then the person had appeared.
It was like that child had grown up and somehow achieved his or her dream. The person seemed to have endless powers. In no time at all, they'd wiped the floor with the Titans.
And then they'd left. All without a word.
At the time, Gauntlet had thought of a kid on a playground. It had struck him as comically absurd.
The humor died rapidly, because that had been the trigger for the gloves to REALLY come off.
--------------
"Do you honestly believe what they were accused of? Seriously?" Hopper said. "It seems strange that after trying so hard to protect us, that our heroes would end up in bed with the people they were constantly protecting us from."
"Who can really say if you know someone? Especially people who are superhuman." Gunhold said. "The Titans were supposedly mortal enemies of Slade Wilson, Deathstroke the Terminator, yet some accounts have seen them WORKING with him. You really can't tell what these so-called heroes are thinking, most of the time. Maybe once the ability to play things on their terms was taken out of their hands, they decided they didn't want to play by the same rules any more. Which simply demonstrates that everything that happened to them was for the best."
"Assuming any of it is true."
"Truth is not what you want, it simply is." Gunhold said. "They had a good run. Did some good deeds. But so did Hitler when he was rebuilding Germany. No one either noticed, or ignored the warning signs about that before it was too late. If they ARE innocent, then it will come out. They're too smart for it not to, aren't they?"
"Have we not then, tried to fix a wound to the foot by cutting off our leg?"
"I don't know, Mr. Hopper. All I offer is my opinion. The real judge is history." Gunhold said.
"And what do you think history will say?"
"The Titans made their choice. No one made it for them."
--------------
"…this can't be happening." Beast Boy said, sitting on the dirty bed in the cheap hotel room, his face in his hands.
"Several eyewitnesses and forensic evidence. I'd say they could make a pretty strong case for the opposite." Savior said.
"WE DIDN'T DO ANY OF THIS! CAN'T ANYONE RECOGNIZE A FRAME-UP WHEN THEY SEE IT!?" Beast Boy yelled.
"Eyewitnesses makes it harder." Cyborg said.
"THEY'RE LYING!"
"Likely. That's not what matters." Raven said. "After the way our reputations have been torn to shreds, it's far too easy to make the case that we've started being hypocrites as well."
"We taking this to court then?" Morgue said.
"Not a good idea." Cyborg said. "From what Raven and I gleaned of the evidence and witnesses, it's right down to our word against theirs. The right lawyers, and it's pure Fatty Arbuckle. The truth won't matter, just who can make up the most tasty lies. We'd be ruined."
"…we are not being…manipulated mentally, are we Raven?" Starfire said.
"I checked that repeatedly Star. No. This is completely out of our hands. And whoever's playing…Robin, tell them."
"…Blackfire was attacked in the prison she's in. She's in critical condition." Robin said.
"…well that's bad, sorry Star, but…what does that have to do with us?"
"By itself, another tragedy. But the private school I once attended…just suffered a tragedy. Gas explosion. Or so they claim." Robin said.
The Titans were silent. The dots were beginning to connect.
"There was recently a mass shooting in a CollinsCorp facility. Done by a disgruntled ex-employee. Big mess over whether he should have been hired to begin with." Savior said.
"…why is this happening to us?" Morgue said, sliding down on the ground and pulling off her mask. "We were their heroes."
"And now we're their latest fallen idols. Too bad, so sad." Savior said. "What's the plan Robin?"
"…we have to get out of here." Robin said. He did not sound defeated, but it was the closest most of the Titans had ever heard him to it. "Get a fresh perspective. Call in some contacts. We'll figure this out. I just hope we do it before something REALLY bad happens."
"What ELSE could happen?" Terra said.
"I have learned well, this unfortunate lesson of our lives." Starfire said. "Do not ask that question. You will not like the answer."
--------------
And Penny. Sweet, kind Penny. Who's only mistake was loving a superhero.
Gauntlet didn't have love any more.
All he had left was hate.
And a goal. The Titans had been unable to nail it down, from all the chaos that had been inflicted on them…but they'd had a possibility. A slim possibility, that had to be handled carefully.
No more caution.
Justice would fly on bloody wings tonight.
The room was lit only by the moon, the figure in the chair looking out the floor-sized window behind her desk, a wine glass in her hand. Only moonlight illuminated the room.
The woman turned around just as Rob threw the shuriken.
It hit the chair just to the side of her head. The woman had turned in such a manner that her motion caused her to inadvertently (?) dodge the projectile. The fact that she didn't react to this near-miss was indication enough that it wasn't merely due to luck.
Gauntlet began to open his mouth…and stopped, his jaw hanging open.
"…Adeline Kane?"
"You made it all the way here, Titan. With murderous intent. Maybe you should not have been so hasty in assuming you knew all the facts." Adeline said. Her dark brown/black hair fell over one eye briefly before she brushed it back, still a good looking woman despite the passage of time.
For a moment, doubt, fear, and agony crashed through Gauntlet. All their work and investigation, and the Titans still hadn't wanted to make a move on their suspect. And now Gauntlet had done so, going where he knew he'd find them…and he'd been completely wrong. No grand mystery manipulator: the enemy was the ex-wife of their greatest foe, Slade Wilson. Occam's Razor had swung down, and it had…
…no. That couldn't be it.
"…no." Gauntlet said. "You're so damn smart to bring it to this, it wouldn't be past you to have cards up your sleeve even now. The way the chair's seat adjusts doesn't match your body's proportions. What's that, some stolen variant of our holopin technology?"
"…hmmmmm. Perhaps there is a brain inside your head after all." 'Adeline Kane' said, before her image vanished.
In its place, dressed in a fancy dark suit, Sophie Mathews tilted her head at Gauntlet.
--------------
"Where's Gauntlet?" Terra asked.
"He went to check on Penny before we go. I don't know if anything's going to come of it…" Savior said.
"He went to check on Penny for over an hour?" Robin said.
"…yes?" Savior said.
"…I have another bad feeling. Kory, Gar, Steph, head out, see if you can find him. I just hope he's not in trouble."
"Aye aye captain." Stephanie Brown said, before she pulled the stitched mask of Morgue down over her features and headed for the nearest building, grapple in hand.
--------------
"…Sophie Mathews. The new scion of Jump." Gauntlet said. "You know, I was there. That day at the parade. When you made that speech as you started constructing the new town hall. We all were. We thought you might be behind all the bleep that's happened to us. And look. We were right."
"Death threats can change one's perspective." Sophie said, glancing sideways at the metal star that was still sticking out of her chair.
"…you know, what really gets me is WHY. Did you really want power so badly? Or did you just decide that you wanted to hurt us? It won't change what happens, but it'll make me feel better." Gauntlet said.
"Some of both, I suppose. Lust for power crossed my mind sometimes, flashes of revenge at others. I'm not perfect, and give in to my baser desires on occasion. Wrath. Vanity. Greed. Gluttony. All long time associates of mine." Sophie said, producing a grape from somewhere and dropping it in her mouth. "My vanity, trying to make me look as good as I can, always fighting against my gluttony, while my wrath is at odds with my greed, as anger doesn't make for good business. All in all, I think after all the flowery speeches, you were an obstacle that had to be removed, for various reasons of personal health, wealth, success, and several others I could throw out."
Gauntlet was the one who cocked his head this time, as Sophie ate another grape.
"…what interesting doublethink. Is that the word?" Gauntlet said. "Well, since I expected a more traditional speech, I'll make it for you. Here we have someone clearly smart enough to make the world her oyster."
"I did."
"YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!" Gauntlet yelled. "You framed your rivals with false witnesses, used said witnesses' time in prison to actually form new businesses and connections, screwed up our lives so we can't do our jobs, helped fund a new police force you control to not just replace us but to take care of the random criminal factors you couldn't control who would surge up in the supposed boom market, which would just make you MORE popular. All while playing the great philanthropist and heart of the new Jump City. You even managed to make it look like we'd fallen in with crime because of our down-turn. Yet all that wasn't enough. You hurt my friends! You hurt my girlfriend! None of that was needed, AT ALL! What the hell is WRONG with you?!"
"Well…if you really must know. Part of me is actually concerned with the quality of Jump. I loved this city, a few years back when I was a simple mortician." Sophie said, lifting a hand. Somehow the motion caused a faint light to illuminate the room. The new light helped illuminate how stunning Sophie Mathews was: she had nearly flawless skin, pale and luminous, her long hair a dark blonde/brown made soft by expensive shampoos, and her figure a perfect hourglass, though Gauntlet could tell that it was from a corset. "Then my brother arrived on the scene, and stole everything from under me. I could say I was corrupted by it, or forced, or co-erced…but in the end the only certain thing was that I became disenfranchised with heroes. They weren't much help with the smaller, subtler problems, as proven by the difficulties you're having legally at the moment. So when I decided to take back what I wanted, and after that, anything else I wanted, I knew I'd have to deal with you. So I did. In the end, you fought the good fight…but I've shown you're not good enough. Or rather, good enough to do the worst thing possible, which is be unpredictable and stick every finger you have in everyone else's pies. THAT, as I have learned, is bad business. So that's why. You were dangerous, at the end of the day, and most of the time had no idea what you were doing until you did it. You're doing it even now, running in here and trying to kill me."
"I'm not done." Gauntlet growled, a yellow blade shooting from his arm.
"Then why are you here? You're not wearing a mike or a wire to record anything I've said, and I've not said anything that can even be remotely construed as evidence, save motive. Though it is not like anything you say could escape this building, or anything you do could do anything considering all the people I've acquired in the city. The rest of the team isn't here, you're on your own, and your opening line was to throw a star at the chair." Sophie said, sighing as she picked up the letter opener from her desk and pried it loose, taking care not to touch it. "So yes, you are. You don't have the stomach for getting blood on your hands. That's why you tried to kill me before I could supposedly see you. So you could try and avoid the messy part. And now that you've failed, you're going to run off with your tail between your legs. And leave my city."
Gauntlet said nothing, as Sophie picked up her wine glass and raised it to her lips.
"Also, if you think I didn't notice the poison pellet you shot into my drink that you tried to distract me from by that more overt offense, you're wrong." Sophie said, and as Gauntlet's eyes widened Sophie tossed the wine glass aside. Flashing Gauntlet a brief, wicked grin, she opened her desk drawer.
"Do you know when I started to learn what I could do?" Sophie said, withdrawing a sealed, chilled bottle of wine among copious amounts of chocolates and snacks. She paused a moment, and then pulled out a box of mini-Yule logs as well, before breaking both open and pouring herself some wine from a new glass she'd produced from the same drawer. "I was in the morgue one day, when my coffee was spiked with blood. Can you believe it? I wasn't paying attention and all I know is that the blood was pooling on the table and spilled over. As it turned out, the man on the table had a dormant metagene. Probability control."
Sophie ate a Yule log.
"I won the lottery after that. Then a mugger who tried to rob me ended up with a hemotoma that killed him as he attempted it. Completely out of the blue, all of it. Luck had become my play thing, and it was an exhilarating experience. I started trying to figure out where it all came from. With luck on my side, well…to spare the details I garner the powers of anyone's blood I partake. I've picked up a few nifty numbers due to my luck: pheromones has been the hardest to get used to, while eternal youth hasn't. It's a godsend, as it were, and I find I enjoy all the suitors for my affections the pheromones bring, as I continue down the path of altruism and philanthropy. I suspect if you weren't wearing that mask, you'd be under my influence now as well. It doesn't matter. I picked up plenty of battle-ready powers too. But after you, you know that. I gave you a sample, during my flight of fancy."
"Your luck has to run out sooner or later."
"Perhaps. But yours ran out long ago. When all is said and done, your reputation is in ruins. Even if you win the law suits and find the court cases going your way, which is unlikely given what you have proven already, you will be left with the scraps of what was, never to be rebuilt. I think it's about time you retired, maybe get a nice beach house and live out your days in Uberton or Maine." Sophie said, sipping her wine. "I don't hate people, Mister Candide. I just…wish it hadn't come to this. But I play to win, and I give everything I have. EVERYTHING. And considering you didn't even know I was here until after I wrapped your gilded cages in iron chains…that is that. Now, I think in honor of surviving this 'terrible encounter', I will fire my personal trainer, binge eat for a week, break my corset by gaining twenty pounds, have an attack of vanity, go crawling back to my personal trainer, and buy a new corset. Have a safe journey home, and good…eve…ning?" Sophie said, feeling at her neck.
Rob arched an eyebrow, and then his eyes went wide as saucers as Sophie clutched her throat, white liquid beginning to leak from her mouth.
"…how did you…the wine…how…?" Sophie rasped. "Knew you were here before you got within a mile of me, how did…?!"
And at that moment, Rob's instincts warred. He was struck by a desire to help the choking woman in front of him, or to at least express concern and ensure that she didn't die without a friendly face. And then he remembered the look on Penny's face. The thought of a dead pet, tortured and mutilated. Penny's sister, who had made Rob cookies on his birthday, in the hospital with no way to pay for it. Penny's father, as good and hardworking a man as Rob had ever met, unemployed and ruined professionally for no reason other than his daughter's choice of a boyfriend…
Rob gave in to the baser desire to twist the knife. He forced the look of horrified surprise from his face, replacing it with a twisted smile. Walking over to Sophie, who was still gasping on her desk and starting to cough up blood.
"Told you your luck would run out. Tell 'em Robert Candide sent you."
"…not YOU…!" Sophie gasped. "NOT…KNOW…!"
"Hey, you're babbling. Take a nap and we'll talk later. Night night…!…night…" Rob trailed off. He'd seen her.
And then, emerging from the shadows behind the flailing mastermind came…Noriko Kurai.
Noriko, the master of poisons, whose family teachings were the basis of Rob's own earlier attempts to take revenge for his team. And the Kurai family always kept some of the best secrets of their craft to themselves.
Noriko, who Rob was convinced followed him near constantly.
Noriko, who had never given up on trying to get Rob to love her.
Rob's own words played through his head.
"She's just a dedicated fan…I'll get around to letting her down softly soon."
Noriko, who had done what Rob couldn't.
"Oh lord…the 0.07 percent…always so low, never thought the odds…99.93 percent of this not happening…hah…all dance in the end to…!" Sophie garbled, before all her words were completely replaced with choking noises.
Noriko, who'd gotten past Sophie's luck and knowledge. Been Sophie's X-Factor.
Noriko…who despite it all, despite his bluff that had too much of himself in it…whose actions he could not accept.
Rob knew this poison by its symptoms. Sophie had about three minutes after unconsciousness before she was too far gone to save via the antidote Noriko was carrying if she wasn't completely crazy. Which, at the moment, seemed like a big if.
"…Noriko…what did you do?"
Noriko giggled. Its tone was manic. "Well, she hurt you and your friends. And I knew you wouldn't be able to do the job yourself. So I helped you along, lover. No one hurts my man."
"…Noriko…I'm not your boyfriend."
"Surrreeeee." Noriko said, like she was telling Rob she accepted that he hadn't taken the last cookie.
"Noriko, give me the antidote."
"What, after all the work to poison the cow? You'd undo it?"
"I'm not like her! I want the option!"
"Okay, okay, sheesh. You're no fun." Noriko said, and tossed him the glass vial. Gauntlet had to reach back a great deal to catch it, the liquid almost slipping past his hands and hitting the floor anyway. "But I don't know why you care. I mean, she hurt you, she hurt that little slut you were wasting your time with, she hurt your friends. I'll trust you'll do the right thing."
And Rob realized that he was dangerously close to becoming the woman who stood in front of him, who claimed to love him.
But if he saved Sophie…
Sophie had said it herself. She played to win. This wasn't a carefully arranged frame-up of smoke and mirrors. This was attempted murder, no laughing matter under any circumstances, and considering the storm of legal troubles already facing his team, he doubted severely Sophie would show the slightest bit of mercy if such a smoking gun was handed to her. As it was before, they could abandon Jump City and start fresh elsewhere, maybe even make inroads to returning. But now…
He could hand Sophie enough ammo to win a war.
Or he could share a secret with a giggling lunatic who would do anything to get him to love her…and in doing what she had done, had ensured he never could.
Either Sophie Mathews died, or the Teen Titans died.
He had the antidote…
And if he waited too long, the choice would be taken out of his hands permanently.
And Rob thought, last year, this was the night his team had gone looking for a Christmas tree.
"Enough. ENOUGH. I tried to stomach it, but it's too much, again. I don't care what choice he made, I don't want to know. It's over and done."
"As you wish. And so, we finally come to the original offer."
"I don't know if you have a ulterior motive, Stranger. But I'm not backing down now, after all of this. Let's go see what I did for the world.
Hit me with your best shot."