278
"What the hell do you mean the JLU is being attacked by OMACS?" Sue demanded to know from the command dais overlooking the Monitor Room. Staffers across the room flinched at the sound of her raised voice. Hula Hula stepped in to deflect Sue's mounting frustration over her daughter's being in danger.
"We don't know anything concrete," Hula warned her, "What we have is fragments coming in from Roxy. Kevin Kho, the man we knew as OMAC is dead. Now there are dozens of identically cybernetically enhanced individuals attacking the JLU teams. And Roxy says they're all controlled by a central AI calling itself 'Brother Eye'."
"What's 'Brother Eye' and who built it?" Sue was refocusing now.
"Roxy says Batman built it to catalog meta-human threats," Hula Hula said direly, "Which if that's true, and Brother Eye controls the OMAC forces, then they know everything there is to know about the JLU."
"Get on the horn to anybody you can and warn them," Sue directed, "Pull people from maintenance and the kitchen staff if you have to."
Hula Hula whistled at a nearby comm chief. Then he returned his focus to Sue. Sue was visibly impressed.
"Already one step ahead of me," Sue realized, "That'll serve you well when you take my place."
"But not yet," Hula demurred, "We need to come up with plans regarding Vandal Savage and Brother Eye."
"Has anyone identified the attackers who went after the Teen Titans?" Sue asked.
"Deathstroke seems to have assembled a decidedly lethal squad to strike at them. Satellite imagery reveals half the team is already down," Hula Hula explained, "But we can't identify three members of Deathstroke's team."
"Show me," Sue handed Hula a remote to control her visual feeds. Images of Ravager, Arsenal, and Gunslinger appeared.
"These three are literal unknowns," Hula described them.
"The man is a former JLU backup called Speedy," Sue said sadly, "The younger woman must be some kind of relation to Slade Wilson himself. She has the moves, the uniform, a missing eye, and even his white hair. God knows where he found her."
"Run the third through the police records the ISA assembled," Sue suggested.
"We've tried that already," Hula said with a slightly irritated edge.
"Not the criminal records," Sue elaborated, "Search the police personnel files."
Hula Hula looked thoroughly embarrassed, "Which brings us to Brother Eye and a potential problem."
"What kind of problem?" Sue was getting tired of problems. There were too many to deal with already.
"The Blackhawks have been dispatched to deal with the system," Hula answered.
"Why is that a problem?" Sue wondered.
"Roxy forged their orders and sent them on their way," Hula Hula said plainly.
Sue closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she groaned, "Which she's not authorized to do."
"We can still call them back," Hula suggested, "After all, Roxy had to know she couldn't hide this."
"She wasn't trying to," Sue sighed, "Roxy teeters on the edge of blatant illegality every second of every day. It's a line we'd say she crosses every minute."
"But she doesn't?" Hula had to ask.
"I got a text from Mike Dugan a little while ago that was quite revelatory. He described how Roxy explained that she's essentially a citizen of the JLU city-state like L-Ron is and she obeys each and every one of its laws."
"I didn't know there were any," Hula admitted.
"There aren't," Sue said grimly, "Which is Roxy's justification."
"She had to know Mike sent the text," Hula Hula pointed out.
"Undoubtedly," Sue agreed.
"So why did she let it go through?" Hula Hula asked.
"I honestly don't know," Sue readily admitted, "It could be a taunt. It could be a cry for help to get us to somehow stop her from keeping up the behavior. Or it could be something much simpler."
"Like what?" Hula Hula was more than intrigued by now.
"Roxy simply felt there was an immediate threat of such size and scope that she didn't wait for us to deliberate or free up assets. She simply moved what was available into position." Sue explained.
"What if the UN decides they don't want J'onn or the rest of us to share that power with Roxy?" Hula had to ask.
"Then we'll have a serious problem," Sue opined, "Because I don't see Roxy backing down."
Nightwing and Catwoman rode the elevator to the roof of the Powers Industries admin building in uptown Gotham. Downtown, Gotham City was engulfed in flames and destruction as the OMACs engaged the JLU team there and allowed the Legion of Doom to escape. Unbeknownst to any JLer, save the unconscious Creeper, a highly trained team of Injustice League assassins was moving in on the JLU to pick off individual JLers as they fought OMACs.
Across the street from the Powers building, the Question and the Huntress navigated the halls of the Gotham Imperial Hotel while being pursued by Mr. Freeze. Out in the street in front of the hotel stood the frozen form of Barbara Gordon. The former member of the Batclan had been ambushed by Freeze and was now held in cryogenic stasis waiting to be thawed out.
Unknown to any JLer save Katana, Red Hood was waiting atop the Powers building to kill Nightwing and Catwoman. Katana was now also headed to the roof. She didn't know if she could save her teammates and that was a secondary concern to her anyway. What mattered to her was exacting her revenge upon Red Hood, the former Red Bird who'd led the Outsiders to their doom, and learning who Red Hood ultimately served.
Down the Rabbit Hole, Poison Ivy watched the unfolding situations across cities through multiple television sets mounted upon a wall. She had the subtitles for the hearing impaired running. Nearby, a bank of computers and their slaved monitors received ISA and World Army satellite feeds. Since the World Army had literally hijacked the world's militaries and intelligence services, Ivy had nearly unlimited resources at her disposal.
White Rabbit had left Bruce in her den. Ordering him to "sit", she'd left him behind and joined Ivy. She studied the various screens and uncharacteristically frowned.
"There's still a missing element in all of this," White Rabbit commented, "Where's Nyssa Raatko? And where are her Injustice League cronies? And especially, where the hell has the Injustice Society disappeared to? The entire JLU contingent at the K-Star Ranch has vanished and the Injustice Society seems to have gone with them."
"You believe the Injustice Society has been neutralized?" Ivy wondered.
"It's too early to tell," White Rabbit concluded, "But between Johnny Sorrow, the Wizard, and Sentinel's ring everyone has vanished from the face of the Earth. It's like Dr. Fate, Zatanna, and Anna Fortune's disappearing acts."
"Still Vandal Savage's plans for Mordru and Wotan paid off handsomely," Ivy remarked, "He's effectively seized control of the world."
"Yet he had to contract Deathstroke to clear the Teen Titans out of their way and he himself is under siege in Max's Manhattan offices," White Rabbit reminded her, "And that force attacking the World Army troops in New York is none other than the Freedom Fighters and the remaining members of the Suicide Squad. So therefore I give you Checkmate's premier on the world scene."
"But Deathstroke seems to have nailed down the situation where the Freedom Fighters are concerned," Ivy pointed out.
"A temporary reprieve at best," White Rabbit commented, "Colonel Trevor and Slade Wilson have old, unfinished business to conclude between them."
"What kind of business?" Ivy inquired.
"The Team 7 kind," White Rabbit said grimly.
"I thought Team 7 was a myth," Ivy admitted.
"That's what the government wanted everyone to think," White Rabbit explained, "They were more than real enough but their history dates back a few decades."
"Do tell," Ivy requested.
The JSA disappeared in the mid-Fifties. Now we know they were in Limbo but they vanishing act caught everyone cold, especially the Committee for Un-American activities which sought to arrest and unmask the JSA," White Rabbit shared, "The original Blackhawk Squadron served as an active special needs unit until the Seventies when everyone retired. No active force served to deal with meta-human threats until the Nineties. That's when Rick Flagg and his Suicide Squad formed up."
"The original Suicide Squad was aptly names as they filled up body bag after body bag," White Rabbit elaborated, "Six years later, Flagg and Karin Grace were leapfrogged through the promotion process. Flagg returned to field command over the revised Task Force X and Grace went on to spearhead the agency that would eventually be known as Checkmate."
"How's this all tie into Team 7?" Ivy had to ask.
"In 2001 a handful of costumes had begun operating again as having the JSA return but go into semi-retirement. Within a few years the number of 'capes' had increased at an exponential rate and the Justice League had formed," White Rabbit described the scene, "But the number of criminally minded meta-humans had increased and an even faster rate."
"I know, I was one of them," Ivy dryly remarked.
"In 2001 Amanda Waller, who had been a mid-level bureaucrat until then, presented a paper outlining the threat that an increased meta-human presence could present the United States," White Rabbit shook her head sadly, "Basically it was a rehash of Joseph McCartney's arguments and once again an idea took hold of the political and military mindsets: a meta-human team controlled by the US government and beholden to it alone. Therefore, Team 7 was assembled."
"But how did they accomplish that?" Ivy wondered, "Most people with the gene have to have it activated and that's usually accomplished though through a traumatic accident."
White Rabbit knew Ivy was speaking as a botanist. As such, she was familiar with genetic principles, "I'll let you onto a deep, dark secret. The government isolated the meta-human gene some time ago. Given that, they tested the DNA of every federal agent, employee, and all military personnel. Team 7 was composed of meta-humans and norms alike. But the meta-humans didn't know their status until the government activated the inborn gifts."
"So why did they disband?" Ivy asked.
"Team 7 went out and captured several mystical artifacts which were later placed in Area 51," White Rabbit recalled, "But the mission that broke them apart was when they went after the Black Diamond that housed Eclipso. There were deaths and the remaining agents opted out of transfers into CADMUS. The latter being another brainchild of Waller's in response to Superman being brainwashed by Darkseid."
"So who all was in Team 7?" Ivy asked.
"Alex Fairchild was a member and his daughter was a researcher at the Ravager project where the government has been trying to tap into and train teenagers with the meta-human gene. Somehow Caitlin Fairchild's own positive tests were conveniently 'lost'. Alex Fairchild was killed in the mission to seize the Black Diamond," White Rabbit divulged, "The team pilot, Summer Ramos, was also killed and her aircraft destroyed leaving the surviving team members to arrange their own extraction."
"More notably Kurt Lance went MIA during the same operation," White Rabbit smirked.
"And why is that notable?" Ivy asked wryly.
"Because his wife is one Dinah Drake Lance, better known to you as Black Canary," White Rabbit loved watching Ivy's expression change.
"The little slut," Ivy condemned her.
"Tut tut, let's be fair. Her husband has been missing for ten years now. I think she's earned her romance with Green Arrow," White Rabbit chided her; "Steve Trevor was a norm member of the group like Fairchild and Ramos."
"Get to Deathstroke," Ivy urged.
"Slade Wilson's abilities were activated prior to his being assigned to Team 7," White Rabbit informed her, "He survived the activation process, which only half do, and he served with distinction until the team collapsed. His illegitimate daughter, Rose, was a participant in the Ravager program. A program where she exceeded every expectation. Slade found her there and pulled her out of the system while the teenage subjects rebelled and destroyed the training complex. And effectively stranded themselves in the Arctic Circle."
"Are there any more?" Ivy wondered.
White Rabbit's smirked, "Yes, the inaptly named 'Team 7' boasted nine members. The final three have embarked upon careers almost as illustrious as Deathstroke's. The man simply known as Bronson became Majestic, the head of the identically named terrorists for hire cell. With him is Dean Higgins, now known as Regulus, and his exposure to the Black Diamond is what caused him to betray and kill his teammates. Apparently the exposure permanently altered Majestic and Regulus' perceptions of right and wrong thereby inverting their moral code."
"And Deathstroke?" Ivy wondered, "And what about the ninth member?"
"Deathstroke became a mercenary in his heart well before he started accepting contracts to fight other people's battles," White Rabbit described, "The last man is Cole Cash. Another meta-human but with a twist."
"What kind of twist?" Ivy was intrigued now.
"Cash is known as 'Grifter' because he became a con man after leaving government service," White Rabbit stated, "Now, Grifter has an inhuman talent with weapons. In short, he can't miss."
"That's what Deadshot claims as well," Ivy pooh-poohed the idea.
"But Grifter's gift has been statistically proven," White Rabbit assured her, "But his abilities have been expanded into limited telepathy and a midlevel telekinetic talent."
"How?" Ivy wanted to know.
"It's said an alien group called the Daemonites have a presence on Earth. They can inhabit human hosts and their sole interest in humanity is the meta-human gene," White Rabbit shared, "In addition a cabal known as the Shadow Cabinet was the first to combat this threat. They founded a medieval group called the Demon Knights. Throughout history the Shadow Cabinet has tapped a handful of select warriors to combat the threat. Now they call themselves Stormwatch. And the interesting thing is that they're actively hunting Grifter, a woman called Voodoo, and the Daemonites."
"What did Grifter and Voodoo do to piss off the secret society?" Ivy facetiously asked.
"Grifter has been hailed as a savior by a group calling themselves the Daemonite Hunters Underground," White Rabbit explained at last, "Grifter denies being anyone's messiah but he has enlisted with the group and Voodoo joined with him to repay the Daemonites for experimenting on her. Her powers are wildly unpredictable and completely unknown."
"How the hell do you remember all of this crap?" Ivy felt compelled to ask.
"I have a lot of down time," White Rabbit grinned, "Jaina doesn't always let me out to play but I'm always there watching through her eyes."
"Which explains your fascination with Bruce Wayne," Ivy realized, "Jaina probably won't admit it for a while yet but she's somewhat smitten."
"Not to change the subject but we should reroute the freed up Legion forced to Manhattan to deal with Checkmate and any surviving Teen Titans," White Rabbit suggested.
"Deathstroke will be insulted," Ivy warned.
"The poor dear, I'll make it up to him," White Rabbit promised.
"Why do I sense you have plans?" Ivy asked.
"Can I help it if I want Brucie to fluff my tail again?" White Rabbit asked innocently, "I may never get another chance."
"Rabbits and their habits," Ivy muttered as White Rabbit strode off for the bedroom again. She hailed Luthor in Thailand and passed on White Rabbit's suggestion. Luthor was more than interested in complying.
Inside her den, White Rabbit straddled Bruce, "Don't worry, darling. I won't tell anyone your secret. All I ask in return is you give yourself to me. I think we'll start with you giving me your tongue."
Bruce knew he'd regret it later but the White Rabbit was a voracious sex machine. As skilled as he'd become at pleasuring her, she'd learned how to reciprocate just as fervently. But for some reason he couldn't help but think of Jaina Hudson while he pleasured the White Rabbit.
Red Hood had extended his collapsible bo-staff and waited rather impatiently by the exit leading the Powers building rooftop. As he'd expected, Nightwing was the first out of the gate.
Red Hood swiped his staff across Nightwing's face with all of his might. Nightwing went down, possibly with a broken jaw. But Red Hood didn't have time to seriously consider that. Catwoman was already diving and rolling onto her feet away from Red Hood's staff.
But when Red Hood had thrust his staff at her, he hadn't been aiming at her body. Hefting his staff into a vertical pose, her whip slid down its length and became draped over his hand, "Lose something?"
He tossed the whip aside as Catwoman depressed the spring release triggers mounted around her forefinger. The springs released and her mechanical claws thrust out of her glove's fingertips, "You're not the only one that can play. But just to be sure, am I facing Red Hood, Red Bird, Jason Todd, or whatever the hell you feel like calling yourself this minute?"
"It's Red Hood now," he answered, "And don't try getting into my head."
"Why would I want to?" Selina emphasized each individual word, "It doesn't take much to figure out a guy that would form a team, sell it out to be killed, and then show up later to kill someone that had offered to take him in until he screwed that deal as well."
"And what startling conclusion have you reached?" Red Hood sneered.
"Batman told you he rejected you because you were too uncontrollable and angry," Catwoman said matter-of-factly, "The truth is he lied. The real truth is he recognized your cowardice even before you proved him to be right."
Red Hood snarled as he launched himself at her. He swung the staff again but Catwoman caught it in her armpit. She then jerked him towards her. Using a free hand, she raked his chest with her claws.
Fortunately for him, his trench coat partially obscured everyone's view of his body armor. But Catwoman's attack and severed some of the straps holding his breastplate on and exposed his chest to further attacks. A fact Catwoman was more than happy to exploit as she came at him again.
Red Hood released his staff and urgently backpedalled. He pulled shuriken out of his utility belt and threw them one at a time in carefully measured tosses. Catwoman amazed him with her agility as she evaded each and every throwing star. Red Hood then pulled two combat knives from his belt. But Selina had reached her whip and now she flicked it thereby extending it for a strike.
"I'd put those knives down if I were you," Catwoman advised.
"No deal," Red Hood declared.
Selina shrugged, "Your funeral."
The right side of Red Hood's helmet fractured and he felt a mighty tug as Katana pulled her sword's blade free of the mask. Red Hood spun around, slashing with one knife and preparing to thrust with the other. Katana's next stroke disarmed one hand and the follow through took care of the second knife. Each time Red Hood had barely avoided losing his hand at the wrist.
Jason Todd suddenly realized Katana was done interrogating him. He threw his hands up, "I surrender."
Katana kept the SoulTaker poised to be thrust through his throat at the first sign of treachery as she pulled his helmet off of his head. She then took a half step back and drew back her arms for a strike. This one would decapitate her foe.
"Stop!" Nightwing yelled as Katana threw the blow.
The SoulTaker bit into Red Hood's flesh but he kept his head for now. Katana was steady and utterly dispassionate as she asked, "Why?"
"We need to know where this 'White Rabbit' has taken Bruce Wayne," Nightwing reminded her.
"That is not my concern," Katana coldly replied, "Question this 'Freeze' person."
"We don't have him custody," Nightwing told her, "And Victor Freis isn't even technically alive anymore. All that left of him is that cryogenically preserved head."
"It is a very warm day," Katana pointed out, "Crack Freeze's helmet and drop his head on the sidewalk to let it melt if he doesn't talk."
"That's not how the Justice League works," Nightwing stated.
"No, but it is how the DEO works and they recruited me into the Justice League," Katana shared, "They promised me answers in exchange for my membership. They already gave me Sickle who managed to escape as the Justice League interfered. However, it is true League business brought Red Bird to me," Katana began.
"Red Hood," Jason protested.
"I do not care if you call yourself 'Red Hand';" Katana said evenly, "All I care about is spilling your very red blood."
"At least get the name right before you kill me," Red Hood requested.
"She's not going to do that," Nightwing assured him.
"All it would take it a flick of my wrist and you throat would be slit wide open and they couldn't stop me," Katana advised Red Hood.
"Katana!" Nightwing grated.
"Look, if I tell you where to find Wayne you have to let me go," Red Hood offered at last.
"She can't make that deal," Nightwing countered.
"You hear all that noise a couple of blocks away?" Red Hood asked sardonically, "That's my fellow Injustice League teammates finishing off your teammates provided any of survived the OMAC attack."
"You have a deal," Katana relented.
Red Hood gave them an address, "There's a hidden trapdoor within the warehouse's loading dock that leads to the Rabbit Hole. Poison Ivy is with the White Rabbit and that's where they're holding Wayne. But watch out, the White Rabbit has her own resources she can fight with."
"She's a meta-human?" Nightwing asked sharply.
"I'd say she's as meta-human as they come," Red Hood grinned, "Now, can I go?"
Katana pulled her sword back and held it in a guard position as she stepped aside. Red Hood smirked, "You've always been a woman of your word."
"I will find you again, Red Hood. And that meeting will be our last," Katana promised.
"Don't flatter yourself," Red Hood sneered.
He found the SoulTaker at his throat faster than he could react. Katana's gaze bored into his eyes, "Do not goad that which you do not control."
Katana withdrew her sword again and Red Hood wiped off more blood from his throat, "Something to think about then."
"Tell Freeze we're coming and I'll have you locked up faster than you can repeat your name again," Nightwing threatened.
"Sure, sure," Red Hood mocked him, "I can't believe you were the role model Batman held me up to. Makes me glad he tossed me out."
Nightwing burned while Red Hood reached the door and opened it. He tossed off a two finger salute, "It's been chuckles. Catch me later...if you can."
As the door closed, Nightwing turned towards Katana, "Why? We couldn't have stopped you yet you suddenly reversed course and let him live."
"Our mission is to liberate Bruce Wayne," Katana stated, "Red Hood would have endured decades of imprisonment rather than give up Wayne. "And my days of killing just for vengeance's sake are coming to a close. I'm curious as to whether there is a life for me afterwards."
"They end now or there aren't any happy trails at the end for you. Just prison," Nightwing asserted.
"Back the hell off of her," Catwoman suddenly ordered, "Change isn't instant and she's already made a hell of a pledge. I'd say it's enough for now."
"You would say that," Nightwing's disapproval was obvious.
"And I'm living proof that kind of change can happen," Catwoman reminded him.
"That still needs to be seen," Nightwing retorted.
"Don't go all Batman on me, turd brain," Catwoman sniped, "I get enough of that shit from him. Now, Katana and I are going to stop Victor or do you plan on staying here all day making snide comments?"
"You need me," Nightwing insisted.
"Unlikely," Katana said even as Catwoman remarked, "We'll see."
Catwoman flashed a grin at Katana and the Japanese former assassin smiled slightly in return. Nightwing's cheeks burned as they all headed back to the elevators.
Huntress turned towards her husband, "Whatever the hell you have in mind, Q, we'd better do it pretty damn quick."
"Trip the fire alarms," Question instructed.
"But he's in the kitchen," Huntress noted from the security feeds, "Oh, I get it."
Huntress triggered the alarms and the sprinklers, "I hope we didn't just royally screw up."
"Would we do that?" Question asked jovially.
"Can it, Q," Huntress retorted, "Let's just take the bastard out."
"I think that's a surety now," Question remarked. He then deactivated all surveillance cameras and deleted all of the day's footage.
Huntress gave him an amused look, "Oh really?"
"One can never be certain of who will watch these recordings," Question replied, "As you very well know."
"Hey! It wasn't my fault we got locked out of the Hall of Justice's monitor womb," Huntress protested.
"Whoever said we were permanently locked out?" Question asked her.
She broke into a sly grin.
"Do you wish for me to kill everyone in this establishment?" Freeze raged, "And your solution is to try and distract me with sprinklers?"
"I'd say 'distract' is too broad a term," Question stated as he strolled into the kitchen.
"Die!" Mr. Freeze bellowed. His cold gun froze the descending water and formed a wall of ice just a few feet from him.
"Aww, not what you had in mind?" Huntress asked from behind him.
Freeze wheeled and fired only to achieve the same results. Huntress shifted to his left, "Now, now Victor, shouldn't you have learned how to play nice with others by now?"
Predictably he created a third wall of ice. One more and he was hemmed in. Mr. Freeze couldn't believe it.
"You think ice will trap me?"he scoffed.
"Partially but I believe your own unique physiology will do the chore for us," Question admitted as he presented himself as a target.
Freeze tried turning to fire but his exosuit wouldn't respond. He could glance down to see the problem so he had to detach the head module from the suit and its manipulator arms brought Freeze to ground level. And now he could see the problem.
"Very clever," he applauded the Question's tactic, "You've managed to arrange it so I froze my own armor. But it will avail you nothing."
A wingarang bounced off of Freeze's helmet and it cracked ever so slightly. Freeze's module skittered about to bring him into seeing Nightwing, "I should known that impudent youth couldn't manage to deal with you."
"Actually it was the nice lady with a sword that he couldn't come to terms with," Nightwing mirthfully told him.
"What?" Freeze was confused by that. And then Katana shattered his helmet with her sword and all of Freeze's precious cryogenic gases escaped.
Freeze found him staring down Katana's sword as the tip of it hovered an inch away from his nose. Katana was the measure of control, as she politely asked, "Would you like to personally experience why my sword is called the 'SoulTaker'?"
Freeze had always thought that after he'd lost the rest of his body and Nora had deserted him he had nothing left to live for. He found he was wrong. Bruce Wayne, the very man he had kidnapped, had pledged his considerable resources into finding a way to reverse Victor Freis' condition and restore his body to him. It was a faint glimmer of hope but a glimmer nonetheless.
"What do you want of me?" Freeze asked at last.
"We want the White Rabbit," Katana answered.
"I presume this same tactic worked on the so-called 'Red Hood'?" Freeze inquired.
"Yes," Katana simply confirmed his suspicions.
"Then why do you require my input?" Freeze had to wonder.
"Presumably you arrived this 'Rabbit Hole' later than the others," Nightwing took over, "Did you require a pass key or an access code to enter?"
"Very good, Nightwing," Freeze almost smiled, "Batman chose well."
"So that's a 'yes'," Nightwing dryly retorted.
"The key you seek is in my armor's breastplate," Freeze stated, "But it is frozen solid."
"Not a problem," Question fished a hammer and a chisel out of his trenchcoat's hidden pockets.
Huntress stared at him in disbelief, "Q, who in their right mind carries hammers and chisels with them wherever they go?"
"It will come in handy in this instance," Question pointed out, "Won't it?"
Question chiseled away and soon the breastplate was exposed. Freeze extended a manipulator arm to it and accessed a hidden port. A USB flash drive popped out of another hidden receptacle.
"There you have it," Freeze said simply.
"Thank you, Freeze," Nightwing said gratefully as he accepted the drive, "I'll alert the GCPD to use gentle hands with you. After I thaw Lt. Gordon out they may release you into Wayne Enterprise's custody since they have a standing offer to treat you."
"I don't suppose my treatment of Commissioner Gordon's daughter was well received," Freeze realized.
"I wouldn't think so," Nightwing agreed.
Nightwing commandeered a delivery truck and managed to get Barbara loaded, "I'll take her to the Batcave. Due to necessity Batman has chemical baths that can safely thaw Barbara out."
"And we shall proceed to the White Rabbit's hole where you two can rejoin us later," Question outlined his idea, "Huntress, have you secured a vehicle?"
Huntress frog marched a local driver, "Hand over your keys."
The driver reluctantly did so and then she led the others to a brand new Chevy Camaro. Question almost swooned, "Is it any wonder that I love you?"
"Just keep thinking that, Baby Cakes," Huntress smirked, "I can think of all sorts of ways you can pay me back."
He could hardly wait.
"Mmm..." White Rabbit contently sighed as she exited her den.
"Seriously, that's three times in one very short afternoon. You're going to kill him," Ivy warned.
"Nonsense, he likes it," White Rabbit retorted, "And why shouldn't he?"
"Maybe because he's being forced?" Ivy rebutted her.
White Rabbit sauntered over to Ivy and lifted Ivy's chin so she could peer into the other woman's eyes, "Are you jealous?"
"Not in the way you'd wish for," Ivy said drolly, "I've already given my heart away."
"Be that as it may, how are our playthings doing?" White Rabbit asked.
"There's a communications blackout over Gotham. Even the CCTVs are out," Ivy reported.
"Odd considering the JLU is fighting for their lives and the public loves a spectacle," White Rabbit commented.
A chime went off and Ivy checked a security log, "Freeze just used his key to access the Rabbit Hole."
"Oh, I really don't think so," White Rabbit was already on motion, "I'll grab Bruce. You set the EMP."
Blast shutters sealed off the master control room. Ivy gave White Rabbit a perturbed glare, "Now what? We just sealed off the only exit."
"Not so," White Rabbit assured her, "Every rabbit warren has a hidden exit that leads above ground to safety."
White Rabbit triggered a key fob and a hidden door placed within the wall opened. Ivy was impressed, "I never spotted that."
"Hopefully neither will the JLers," White Rabbit remarked, "I'll be right behind you"
Ivy ducked into the emergency tunnel. White Rabbit languished while giving Bruce one last kiss, "Hush Love, don't tell anyone about my bolt hole."
White Rabbit followed Ivy's trail and the door sealed behind her. Bruce groaned because he knew he would tell the JLU about the hidden escape route. But he could open the damn blast doors.
"Where's Wayne?" Ivy demanded to know as the White Rabbit emerged alone.
"I set him free," she explained, "The JLU will waste precious moments ascertaining whether or not we harmed Brucie in any way. Time we'll use to get away."
"What was the whole damn point of grabbing him if you were just going to toss him away?" Ivy was really angry now.
"I got what I needed out of him," White Rabbit assured her.
"Yes, several times," Ivy sneered.
"Don't be catty. That's Selina Kyle's job," White Rabbit quipped, "I got vital information from Brucie. Information that will allow me to manipulate Wayne Enterprises and Batman Incorporated."
"And you're not sharing," Ivy realized.
"I have no reason to," White Rabbit shrugged, "But you played your part so I'll give you the information you want. As you already know, Harley Quinn was taken into federal custody by Task Force X. She was then inducted into the Suicide Squad. When Task Force X was deactivated she was recruited by ARGUS into joining Checkmate. By all accounts she's taken to her new life and excels at it."
Ivy digested all of this, "Where is she now?"
"She aided in the liberation of Amanda Waller and now that squad of Checkmate agents is en route from Baltimore to join their comrades in Manhattan," White Rabbit shared.
"So Harley is fighting Vandal Savage and the World Army," Ivy surmised.
"Basically," White Rabbit confirmed it, "If you leave now you should be able to intervene."
Ivy started to break away and the White Rabbit spoke again, "Deathstroke and his Titans are also in play so I suggest you get some additional help."
"Like whom?" Ivy was stumped.
"There's always the Teen Titans," White Rabbit enjoyed Ivy's incredulous stare, "And by the way, Harley is a lucky woman to have your heart to call her own."
Ivy looked distinctly uncomfortable. White Rabbit could tell if it was because of the compliment or the idea of recruiting the Teen Titans. Either way it was something Ivy had to learn to deal with.
Ivy had changed out the license plates on the VW she'd stolen from Bruce Wayne so she departed fairly certain of reaching her destination. White Rabbit pulled her Toyota Prius off of the charger and fired it up. Cutting across town she thought of all the things she now had to share with Jaina. Especially the juicy bits about Bruce Wayne.
