Chapter 11
I woke up on the couch, still in Jason's arms. I glanced up at his face to see that he was still asleep with his hand placed in the empty popcorn bowl. I snaked out of his arm and patted his chest a couple of times. He woke up with a start but relaxed when his eyes landed on me.
"Get up, Sleeping Beauty. We've got work to do," I said as I began brewing some coffee.
"Who won the jet ski obstacle course challenge?" he was asking about the episode of HHA we watched last night.
"Ugh... Bryce," I gripped the edge of the counter, my knuckles turning white, "I hate him so much! What he did to Cassandra was such a low blow."
"Yeah, that guy's such a tool!" Jason laughed.
"I much as I hate to say it, he's probably going to win..." I thought the vacation for two, "And he's probably gonna take that bitch, Michelle, with him."
"Those two are definitely made for each other," Jason made his way over to my kitchen table.
I sat down next to him and slid him a coffee mug. We both sipped our drinks in silence, pondering over how we were going to defeat Ivy. I only hoped Dick and Barbara had made some headway with those creatures Ivy created. My mind soon drifted to Harley. Seeing Ivy like that devastated her. Jason was right, I was the only friend she had left; however, I've never been good at the whole comforting thing. I usually just drink my problems away, or just sleep with some guy at the bar. Jason must have seen my long face because he placed his hand on my shoulder reassuringly.
"We'll stop Ivy, and then this will all be over," he said.
"Until the next super-powered weirdo shows up," I got up from the table and walked to my room.
Jason followed me and stopped at the doorway, "That may be true, but it comes with the job. Being a hero isn't easy work."
"Yeah, I probably should have read the fine print, huh?" I joked as I slipped into some tight jeans and a sheer top.
"No one reads the fine print," he took another sip of coffee, "Besides, it changes every night,"
"We should probably head the cave; get a sitrep from Barbara and Dick,"
"Lead the way,"
Jason and I entered the Batcave only to find that we were the first ones there. We waited around for an hour or so before Barbara and Tim arrived. Dick showed up shortly after. The four of us absentmindedly "worked" for a long while before I finally spoke up.
"So... anybody come up with any ideas over the night?" I looked up from polishing my bike.
Nightwing gave the punching bag a final hit before steadying it, "I called Swamp Thing and asked about if he had any experience in this field,"
"And?" I asked.
"He said that based off of our descriptions, whatever was left of those... things that were once human is long gone. They seem to be under some sort of hive mind,"
"A hive mind that originates from Ivy?"
"Bingo,"
"Okay, so they're immune to our attacks and just follow Ivy blindly. How do we stop them? She has an army, and there's only four of us in the field,"
"Actually, I may be able to help with that," Tim chimed in, "I brought a few friends from the Big Apple. Let go make some calls,"
A few minutes later, Tim returned to us. He relayed that a few of his teammates from the Titans would be arriving soon. We skimmed through more files in the meantime, but there was no precedent for what we were up against. The security camera flashed up on the screen showing a group of young people all carrying duffle bags.
"Batcave, open," I commanded.
"Recognized: Selina Kyle, Batwoman" it replied as it opened the doors.
The group filed in and Tim met each of them with a hug.
"Everyone, meet Roy, Connor, and Lilith. Titans, everyone," Tim gestured to us.
"Selina, or Batwoman, whichever you prefer," I shook each of their hands.
"Selina? As in Kyle? As in, I guess formerly, Catwoman?" The red-haired young man stepped up to me. He was thin, but toned, light scruff, "Roy Harper, Arsenal."
"Superman fan?" I shook the hand of the taller guy. He had short black hair and steely, blue eyes. He was quite handsome, almost too handsome.
"Connor Kent, Superboy," he flashed a quick smile.
The girl stepped up next. She was a little shorter than me, red hair, green eyes. Her skin was pale but pretty, "Lilith Clay, my team calls me Omen."
As she spoke the second half of her sentence, her lips didn't move and the sound echoed in my head.
"Nice to meet you, Omen" I didn't say Omen out loud, but I could tell she heard it.
The rest of the team made their introductions and we all conversed to pass the time. Lilith stood up from her seat with a pained expression on her face.
"I hate to be a downer, but I'm getting some very depressing readings from you guys' auras," she looked down at her feet.
"Yeah, the last couple of days have been... exhausting, to say the least," I said.
"I actually called you guys up because we need your help," Tim stood up next to Lilith.
"Poison Ivy's back, and she's angry. Very angry," Dick said.
"Not to mention she has an army of unkillable, zombie, human-plant monsters," Jason said, leaning against the wall.
"If you two don't mind," Lilith looked from me to Jason, "I'd like to read your memories, that way I can get a clear idea of what we're dealing with."
Jason and I looked at each other before I stepped up, "Go ahead if you think it will help,"
Lilith placed her fingers on either side of my temples and her eyes glowed bright green, "Just relax your mind, suppress your emotions if you can,"
I closed my eyes, draining out all the emotions going through my head. Then I felt her presence in my mind. It was painful at first, but that feeling soon subsided. Lilith and I were standing on a platform of nothingness in an empty void. All around us was an endless void so dark it wasn't even black; it was just empty.
"You're doing great, I need you to think back to your first encounter with Poison Ivy," I heard Omen's voice. I looked over at her only to find that she had been replaced by a figure wearing a black and green cloak. Their eyes glowed green as Lilith's had, but I couldn't see any more of their face.
I thought the first time I went back to the Botanical Gardens. I was walking through the lobby, and it smelled like those beautiful Asters that Ivy loved so much. It was like I was watching from some outside perspective, meaning I couldn't control my own movements. All I could do was observe. When my memory-self opened the doors to the viewing chamber, my perspective shifted into first person. I started speaking to Ivy, but the words I were saying weren't coming out. Instead, my memory-self spoke for me.
When things started heating up, that's when Jason showed up and rescued me. The small device exploded and Jason shot at Ivy. Then, we were ripped out of the memory and we were standing in the void again.
"Okay, now think back to the second fight with her. You're doing very well, by the way," Omen said.
I thought back to last night. There I was, with Harley and Jason as we walked through the lobby once more. Harley plucked a rose and put it behind her ear. We went into the viewing chamber. Harley and Ivy exchanged a kiss. But things went South quickly. I remembered how Ivy just tossed Harley aside like she was nothing, and the rage started boiling inside of me. The memory started shaking violently. I heard Omen's voice trying to call out to me, but it was muffled by my shouting. The memory shattered around us, and I was thrust back to the real world.
I was gasping for air and had brought my hand up to my heart. Barbara wheeled over to me.
"Selina! Are you okay?" she shot Lilith an accusatory glare, "What did you do to her?"
Lilith threw her hands up in surrender, but I spoke before she could, "It's... okay... it... was... my fault... I just... need to... sit down..."
"Her emotions got the best of her when she witnessed her friend get hurt," Lilith wiped a tear from her eye, "But I got what I needed."
"Let's just get this over with," Jason stepped up to Lilith.
"But, Jay—" Dick started.
"We need all the help we can get, Dick. I'll be fine," he turned to Lilith, "Only take what you need to,"
Lilith nodded weakly and her eyes began glowing as she raised her hands up to Jason's temples, "Just relax. Suppress your emotions as best as you can."
Jason closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were glowing like hers. They stood there, having a mental conversation, not unlike ours was if I had to guess. Jason's head snapped back and he started gasping for breath as the glowing in his eyes faded. I made my way over to him, and he leaned on me for balance.
"Okay, so you two remember both scenarios fairly differently," Lilith said.
"What does that mean for you?" I asked as I steadied Jason.
"It's actually very helpful. From you, I was able to gauge the more emotional side of the experiences, and from Jason, I got the more objective point of view," she replied, "However, without access to Poison Ivy's mind, I'm afraid I can't really determine a weakness for these creatures. Sorry..."
Tim placed a hand on Lilith's shoulder, "It's okay, Lil. You did the best you could."
"Well," Roy stood up and clapped his hands, "I guess it's time for my plan."
"And what would that be?" Jason asked, standing up straighter.
"Well you said that these... things were immune to your attacks, but I think I may have a solution. There's this gunrunner Ollie and I used to rough up back in the day. His name is Damien Darhk, but most people called him Baby-Face," Roy replied.
"You're speaking my language, kid. I like guns," Jason let a smile creep across his face.
"Darhk ran more than just guns. We're talking the latest in military and underground weapons tech. GA and I caught him selling a rocket with the explosive power of a small nuclear bomb to mob boss one time,"
"I'm guessing you think this Damien Darhk guy may have something that can help us defeat Ivy's army?" I asked.
"Precisely," Roy eyed Jason and me, "And it just so happens that, due to a source that will remain anonymous, Darhk is in Gotham this week attending the grand opening of a new club!"
"Cool, so when does this club open?" Jason asked.
Roy took a second to respond, "Tonight..."
"Tonight!?" we all said at the same time.
"Don't worry! You still have plenty of time to get ready, but you might want to grab a plus one if you want a better chance of getting in," Roy smiled.
"I guess I have to get ready for a night clubbing," I walked to my bike, "I'll give you guys a call later,"
Back in my apartment, I was rummaging through my closet looking for something to wear tonight when my phone buzzed. A text from Jason: Still need a plus one?
I replied: You interested? I didn't peg you for the clubbing type.
I'm not. But guns... that's definitely my style: was his response.
You better get dressed then. It's almost time.
I set my phone down and fingered through more of my clothes. My hands found a long black dress with a low-cut chest and a slit down the left leg. It was the dress I wore when I first met Bruce at a masquerade ball held at Wayne Manor. It was a Wayne Foundation sponsored event for underprivileged children, but I was there to steal some artwork from who I thought was just a douchey, rich air-head. He caught me sneaking through the halls while I was looking for the art gallery. I made up a bullshit excuse about trying to find the bathroom, but he saw right through me. He took off his mask and gazed at me with his pretty blue eyes.
I took my mask off too, and we instantly formed a connection. Not of love, but of lust. He led me to his master bedroom, and we hooked up in the middle of his charity gala. I didn't know he was Batman at the time, and he didn't know I was Catwoman; however, I fell after that night, he had his suspicions.
I shook away the memory and put the dress on. It still fit me and accentuated my curves in all the right ways. I did my makeup: Smokey, gray eyeshadow and Red Wine-colored lipstick. I did my hair up in a top-bun and grabbed a silver necklace that held five onyx gemstones with matching earrings. I completed my look with a pair of black stilettos and elbow-length gloves. As I walked out of my room, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it to see Jason standing there.
He was wearing a black two-piece suit with a black shirt and tie. His hair was slicked back in a pompadour style. He smiled at me as I opened the door.
"You clean up nice," I said.
"I figured I should dress up a bit, gain the respect of the gunrunner and all that," he laughed as he looped his arm around mine, "Come on. Car's waiting."
The ride to the club was rather short, only a couple of blocks from my apartment in Drescher. When we reached the place, a sign read: GRAND OPENING! THE HOTTEST CLUB IN GOTHAM: MYSTIQUE! Jason and I filed in line. A few minutes later, we were up next, but when Jason tried to step through, the bouncer stopped him.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna need to see your invitations," he said.
I acted like I was searching through my purse, "Oh, dear! I seemed to have left it at home!"
"Sorry ma'am, I can't let you in without an invitation,"
I sashayed up to the man and ran my finger under his chin, "Please, it would mean the world to me to see this new club..."
"I really and sorry, but rules are rules," he waved in a group of patrons.
I leaned in close, nibbling on his ear, "If you let us through, I'll make it up to you after your shift."
I bit my lip and eyed the bouncer coyly. He seemed to think over my words and then sighed, "Alright go ahead, but if anyone asks, Brad let you in."
"Thank you, so much!" I flashed him a wink and led Jason into the club.
The music pulsed through my body as we entered the building. A waitress approached us with a tray of champagne and offered us some. We both grabbed a glass and took a long sip of the bubbly beverage.
"Nice moves back there," Jason shouted over the music.
"Meh, tell a guy you'll sleep with him and they'll practically let you get away with murder," I took another sip, "Now before we find, Darhk, I wanna dance!"
"Absolutely not, I don't dance," Jason protested as I drug him out to the dance floor.
"Oh, lighten up, you big baby! Just follow my lead, it'll be fun!"
I dragged him to the center of the dance floor and started moving my hips to the beat. He stood there for a second before slowly joining me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and slipped in a little closer. He gripped my waist as we grooved to the music. I look into his sapphire-like eyes and bit my lip. I turned my back to him, taking his hands in mine and leading them over my body as I swayed my hips against his. I reached up and caressed his face as he brushed his lips against my neck. A moan escaped my lips, made inaudible by the loud music. We danced together for a couple more songs before making our way to a booth in the corner. A waitress brought us another tray of champagne, setting it down on a table before leaving with a smile.
Jason pulled out his phone and looked at the picture Roy sent him, "Alright this is our guy. Roy says he'll most likely be in the VIP section."
"Any ideas how we can get in there? Security's probably pretty tight," I said.
Jason thought for a second as a bouncer passed us, making his way to the front doors. I noticed that he and Jason were dressed in similar clothes.
"I thought of something, see that bouncer there?" I pointed to the guy guarding the stairs to the VIP area.
"Yeah, what's up?" he said.
"I bet you could convince him to go on break, and we can sneak up there while he's gone,"
"That just might work, but what if he doesn't budge?"
"I could always promise to sleep with him," I shrugged.
"Alright, so that's Plan B," Jason laughed.
We started walking toward the VIP section, but I stopped short at the bar and pretended to order a drink while Jason sauntered up to the guard.
"Hey, man how long you been on duty?" Jason asked.
"A few hours. My feet are killing me, bro!" the bouncer replied.
"Well you're in luck, boss says it's time for your break. I'll take over for you,"
The guard studied Jason's attire for a second, "Never seen you before. You new?"
Jason nodded rather confidently and crossed his arms, "First night. Don't worry I won't let anyone through,"
The man considered Jason's words, "Sweet! Later, bro!"
The bouncer walked off and slipped by him as he passed me. Jason and I ascended the stairs up to the second level. There was a lot of high-society people up there. I noticed a few Knights players, a few actors, and crime bosses. I spotted Darhk in a corner booth. I nudged Jason and pointed.
We made our way over to Darhk but were stopped by a bodyguard, "Hold up. This area's reserved. "
"Oh! Sorry, we just need a minute of Mr. Darhk's time. It won't take long. Promise," I gave the man a smile.
Damien Darhk stepped up beside his meat shield, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"Irena Dubrova, a pleasure to meet you," I extended my hand, "This is my husband, Marko,"
Darhk motioned to his bodyguard who proceeded to pat me and Jason down. Upon finding no weapons, Darhk shook my hand.
"Right, Mrs. Dubrova," he studied me for a second, a smile dancing in his eyes, "Come, sit."
We took our seats in the booth and Darhk offered us some wine.
I leaned in close so Darhk could he hear me, "I've got a problem, and I heard you were the best man to help deal with it."
"Well, it depends on what kind of problem you have," he smiled as he took a sip of his drink.
"There's a rival gang encroaching on our territory," Jason chose his words carefully, "And our current weapons don't have the firepower to penetrate their armor."
"Right, we're losing ground fast, and I'd really hate to see my father lose all he's worked for," I put on my best pouty voice.
"I'd be glad to help you two out, but the weapons required to deal with such a force are not cheap," Darhk took another sip.
"Money is not an issue for us," I took his hand in mine, "Please, Mr. Darhk, we would be very grateful!"
I forced a tear to fall from my eye, and he considered me for a second, "Very well. I hate to see such a beautiful woman upset. Follow me, if you will."
"Marko, dear, call the driver and tell him to meet us around back," I said.
"Of course, my love," he smiled as he pulled out his phone.
Darhk led us around the back of the club into an alley. A van was parked with a group of guards surrounding it. Darhk waved them off and they dispersed away from the van. He opened the back to reveal a large assortment of different armaments. Guns, grenades, blades, you name it. He dug around and produced a briefcase. Using his fingerprint, he unlocked the case and grabbed one of the small bullets.
"I believe this will be of great help to you," he smiled as he handed Jason the round.
"What does it do? If you don't mind my asking, Mr. Darhk," Jason asked.
"These little guys are called 'Stinger Rounds' and boy do they pack a punch. I could give you a demonstration if you like?"
"Are you sure it's safe to shoot a gun out here?" I asked.
"It will be fine," Darhk snapped his fingers, and a guard showed him an open case with a pistol in it. He grabbed the gun and attached a suppressor to the barrel.
He loaded a magazine into the gun as a couple of other guards set a thick sheet of metal against the wall. The guards stepped back as Darhk took aim.
"You may want to get behind something," he said.
Jason and I crouched behind a stack of crates and peeked above it. Darhk fired the gun at the sheet and the bullet was stopped about ¼ of an inch in. Jason and I exchanged a look as the bullet began drilling itself into the metal until it was no longer visible. A guard placed a small metal cover over the bullet hole and turned his back. Just then, there was a muffled BOOM and the guard raised the cover to reveal the meal around the hole melting.
"That's... certainly something. How much for a case?" I asked as I opened my purse.
"A box of one hundred will run about $100, so we'll say $1,500 for the entire case," he smiled at me.
"We'll take two," I said as I produced a few stacks of bills, "A little extra, on behalf of the Dubrova family."
Darhk counted the cash and pocketed it. He kissed the back of my hand, "Pleasure doing business, Mrs. Dubrova. I hope to help you again soon."
He made his way back into the club, and a few minutes later, Roy backed into the alley. Jason opened the back doors and stepped in with the briefcases. He took my hand and helped me into the van. We closed the doors and Roy began driving.
"So, what'd we get?" Roy asked.
"Stinger Rounds. These little bastards oughta put some hurt on Ivy's army," Jason said as he examined the case.
"Oof, those things are bad news. H.I.V.E. says they've got enough power to puncture even Cyborg's armor,"
"Let's just hope it's enough," I sighed as we rode back to the cave.
A/N: So, this was a fun chapter to write. Selina and Jason got to flex a little of their more subtle sides. It's clear that Jason's pretty excited about his new toys, as well. Only a few more chapters to go before the final showdown with Poison Ivy. With Red Robin and the Titans here to help, Selina may just yet win. However, one more person will fly back to Gotham to help out. Who will it be? Stay tuned to find out!