Arkham Rising
Outsiders Arc
Ch. 11: Injustice
[Gotham Museum: Gotham City, New Jersey]
[July 5, 12:06:44 EST]
It was the dumbest idea she had ever come up with yet the greatest thrill for both of them. The brunette in black and silver scoped out the area with her temporary partner.
"You're doing this for a diamond and some inscriptions?" The man asked her with his arms crossed. "You're really lucky I owe you one Gemini or else."
Gemini rolled her eyes. "A robbery in broad daylight doesn't get you going? Don't you have some sort of twisted fetish of heists like these?"
The Black Spider snorted. "Unless you're trying to get me out of this suit, you shouldn't worry about my 'twisted fetishes.'"
"You'd need help putting me down so you might want to call Raven." Jake actually chuckled at the statement. "Enough foreplay, we need to get the diamond… Oh, and the information off of that tablet."
"Are you sure that the tablet is here?" asked the Spider.
"I told you," Gemini answered. "I scoped the entire thing out while you were out with your daughter. Probably fucked Cheshire and her sister."
"One, yes. The other, I just watched." Gemini gave the Heir a shocked look, her eyes widening at his statement. "Now how are we doing this?"
Gemini only stared at the man. Jake Cross had a weird yet active sex life ranging from the stoic demonic Raven to the flirtatiously dangerous Cheshire. Gemini would not have been impressed if his multiple lovers were left out of the dark about these adventures of his, but they weren't. They knew. Maybe they didn't know details, and Jake was pretty smart about how to avoid revealing details, but they knew that he had been with others. They all knew.
"You alright Gemini? Don't tell me you're actually fantasizing about Artemis and Jade." Jake spoke. "It's bad enough when you do it about Artemis."
Gemini shook her head. "Not important. Let's just get this mission done and over with."
"Are you really fantasizing about-"
"We're moving Cross." Gemini interrupted. "The tablet can't be removed without setting off alarms. And don't try to hack it. The Justice League has an eye for it."
"Why?"
"Apparently it's in Kryptonian." Gemini explained. "It technically belongs to the museum so Superman can't take it. But you know how those heroes are."
"So how long until they get here?" Gemini shrugged at his question. "So you just need me as, what, a body guard? Really Gemini, I'm hurt."
"Between all of us, there're only two of us who could wipe out half of those junior leaguers," Gemini said. "You and Kaldur. We both know he's too busy with his new girlfriend so it's got to be you. Besides, you owe me."
"You're right. So get going. I'll wait on your signal." Black Spider said. "But Gemini, understand one thing. This job better be good on the pay. I hate not getting what I came for."
Gemini waved him off. "I'll see you on the inside."
Gemini quickly morphed herself into a bird, a trick that she had taken her years to actually master. It was easy to just change her physical features and match her voice to the body she was using. That was a trick her mom had taught her when she was young. But changing into animals that could fly or breathe underwater was something that took much practice in the beginning.
Flying threw the air, Gemini found a spot in the back of the museum and landed gracefully. She quickly morphed into an ant and scurried towards building. She slipped inside through small cracks in the ground, finding her way to an air vent. There she shifted into a mouse as the bug repellent was messing up her senses.
She shook her head. That smell was still messing with her head.
The shape-shifter soon came to an opening and morphed into a fly, buzzing between the grates and into the museum.
Now all she had to do was find that diamond…
Oh, and the slab for Jake.
Gemini released a sigh, or at least the insect equivalent to one. The Black Spider and his stupid theories about invasions and Trigon's resurrection were really starting to grow on her. It began when Raven confirmed that there was in fact a Black Lantern Power Ring. Up until then, Gemini had heard of no such thing and was damn more skeptical about the fact that Jake learned this from a letter from his future anonymous wife.
The guy was something, she mused. Not because he somehow romanced the daughter of Trigon, the rightful heir to Tameran and her exiled older sister, both of Sportsmaster's daughters and had somehow gotten Talia fucking al Ghul on his side. But because of his unrivaled wit.
The only reason Gemini was in this predicament with him was because he had bested her; twice. Both occasions occurred with the Red X suit on and both times he did so while mocking her. Gemini knew that she was no push-over but the guy behind the skull mask was a force to be reckoned with. She came to that conclusion when had had promised her he knew who her long-lost father was and then told her he had beaten her mother as well.
No one just walked over Madame Rouge.
But he beat her and then allegedly took down Blackfire as well.
Gemini returned her thoughts to the mission at hand, spotting one guard going into the restroom. The museum was closed due to the loading of the Sophia's Diamond, the piece of jewelry she wanted to re-steal after her mother's place had been raided and the diamond was returned.
She waited for the man to step away from the urinal to wash his hands. Cardinal rule about sneak attacks: Never do so at the urinal to avoid the worst kind of backsplash. But once the man was washing his hand, Gemini was safe to reveal herself, reverting into her human form behind him.
It was fast. A "What the-" from the man and a simple snap of his neck before he was dead and she was free to transform into her new alias. She dragged the rather large man into a stall, pulling his pants down to make it look like it was being used, and then left as said man.
"Alright Gem, time to get your diamond." she told herself.
While doing so the woman, though technically a man at the moment, thought about her other male companion; Kaldur'ahm.
She practically purred his name out in her head. Call it a school girl crush or whatever, but she had seen Kaldur shirtless multiple of times and had questioned why his love life was as dismal as it was. The guy was a looker and had all the skills to be the perfect warrior and boyfriend. Though, to be honest, Gemini was not seeking a relationship with the Atlantean. More of a wam-bam-repeat kind of ordeal. Kaldur was a gentleman through and through, but she had seen rougher sides of him before.
And dear God she wanted to see just how rough he could get.
But, she thought, he did seem pretty wrapped around Lorena's finger. Not that she minded. The more the merrier, right? But it was pretty obvious to everyone that Kaldur had a thing for Lorena, even if he so strongly disagreed. Raven had picked up on it and had yet to let the fact drop. Something about all the times Raven had heard Kaldur and Gemini talk about the mystic and the Spider.
Gemini's thoughts took a turn. There was a lot in common between the Heir of the Demon and the Conqueror of Atlantis. They were both smart, attractive (though she did have a preference of Kaldur over Jake), dangerous young men who did a lot of things that they did not necessarily want to for some greater good.
And their tattoos! Gemini shook her head as the more perverted side of her was taking control. But she did love a man or woman with a good tattoo. Kaldur's eels and the raven on Jake's back somehow made her list.
"I got to get laid." Gemini said to herself, catching a passerby guard.
"You say something Carl?" the thin man asked, staring at Gemini.
"No." Gemini's answer was straight to the point. She had no idea just how the man acted and what vocabulary that he used so simple "yes" and "no" were going to have to work.
Gemini then questioned who would win in a battle to the death. Giving that the two detested killing, she figured that the fight would be a rather long one. If she was going by favorites, then Kaldur would win. Without their suits (and her mind was disrobing more than just their suits), Kaldur was the physically stronger one, so long as he was hydrated. They were both filled with different strategies and fighting styles and Kaldur did have the whole "power of the sea" thing going for him.
Then again, Gemini paused in her thoughts, Jake was one crafty bastard and probably knows most of what Kaldur was bringing to the table. Regardless of her feelings for the guy, Gemini would always respect anyone who could do battle with Iron Monkey, Malcolm Merlyn, and David Cain and walk away from it. Although, from Jake's own accounts, he technically only defeated one of the three, the fact that he fought the three and wasn't dead was something to recognize. If the Black Spider ever did do battle with Manta, the Spider's ultimate ability to adapt to any situation would be a pain in the ass for Manta to overcome.
And those damn "spider-senses."
Gemini nearly rolled her- his- eyes at the thought. Jake's suit could detect any danger that Kaldur could create and counter with near perfect precision. Gemini had seen it with Jake and Mia. Their suits were made to be the ultimate counter-attack for any threat. Manta would have to do something drastic to win.
"Yo Carl," the guard who had stopped her earlier called out to her. "We got a message. Apparently the Justice League is coming in."
Gemini frowned. "Huh?"
"Yeah, apparently there's a word out that someone wants Sophia's Diamond. It's probably just Catwoman or some of Penguin's goons." the thin man stated.
Gemini stopped herself from reverting back to her true form and screaming in frustration. Of course, of fucking course, Catwoman or Penguin decides to target the diamond that was rightfully hers! Her mother had stolen it fair and square. It belonged to the De Mille family.
"When are they coming? The League, that is?" Gemini questioned.
"They said soon but… What happened to your accent?"
Gemini grunted. She could not learn an accent she did not know as the only words she got from the original Carl were "what the" and, in his hysteria, his accent was practically lost. Her mind replayed those words over and over until she found it, a Southern drawl that she prayed she got right.
"Uh, nothing," Gemini said with the accent heard. The other man seemed to nod in approval. "A little sick."
"Yeah, I hear you. This job will do that to you. All these mummies and dinosaur bones aren't good for the air, you know?"
Gemini ignored the statement. Catwoman or Penguin or whoever was really screwing up a rather easy ordeal. In fact, Jake's only reason for being here was to secure her getaway. The authorities of Gotham City, those in masks and those with badges, would love to bring in the notorious Black Spider to the point where the real culprit of a thievery.
Heroes were stupid like that.
The woman in disguise followed her "co-worker" to where they were supposed to wait. She was already plotting on some kind of revenge on whoever had spooked the guards. This was supposed to be her moment of reclaiming something of her mother's and now… Now it was being ruined by either a fat guy in a cheap suit or a cat-bitch in leather.
Both were dead either way.
A crash was heard followed by a loud boom. Gemini paused in her step and turned around to see one of the walls behind her now sported a large hole.
"Dude! Do you know how much that's going to cost us?" Gemini's eyes narrowed. She knew that voice.
Kid Flash.
"Sorry man, she moved." A second masculine voice replied. "Don't worry though. I won't miss again."
"Hey, hey," The smooth seducing voice of Catwoman spoke up. "No need to get violent. I just want the diamond and I'll be out of your hair. Oh, and can we skip the part where you tell your pointy-eared boss? He and I are on an off right now- he hasn't called in a while. So this stays strictly between us, okay?"
Gemini grunted. Oh, she would kill Catwoman for this. It was a cardinal rule that when a thief poached another thief's score, that the first thief was in violation to the code. There may not be any honor amongst thieves but there sure as hell was a code and Catwoman was breaking it. And worse she would have to listen to Jake go on and on about how perfect his record is.
Ooh, Catwoman would definitely pay if she had to hear him gloat.
"Carl, this don't want to get involved with that sort of stuff."
Gemini stayed stationed, watching for any sort of action. The battle in the next room seemed to grow louder, more fierce. Just the thought that it would soon spill out into the walkway she was standing in made her skin crawl. She could kill Catwoman, Kid Flash, and whoever, retrieve her diamond, and get out of here before the real trouble came swooping down on her in a black bat suit.
And then Cyborg's body came crashing through the same wall, creating a second hole, and Gemini's plans went down the drain. There was now another person present as there was no way in hell Catwoman was strong enough to do that.
In fact, there was only one person in Gotham currently that Gemini knew had the strength and vendetta to pull of that feat.
"Oh look, another knight in black armor," Gemini fired her stretching fist towards her "co-worker" knocking him out cold as she marched towards the destroyed wall. "I thought you only came out at night?"
"You!" Gemini peered through the hole in time to see Kid Flash point at Black Spider, who stood side-by-side with Catwoman. "I knew you'd show your face soon. I just didn't think this soon."
Jake shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I have a schedule to keep up. But, now I have to go. I already have what I came for."
Gemini grunted. Of course he was going to leave after he got what he wanted while she didn't. It was the son of Slade Wilson after all. It was easier to buy his trust than to earn it.
"You're not going anywhere." Kid Flash replied. "I'm finally taking you down X. Artemis isn't here to save you."
"Funny," chuckled the Spider. "I was thinking the same damn thing."
Gemini had stopped watching their battle to find Catwoman slipping off towards the diamond that she had come for. Gemini quickly reverted to herself and chased after the felonious feline.
"Well, not the best way to make an escape," Catwoman said as she carefully removed the case over the sharp diamond, its odd golden tint making it look like a small solid piece of the sun. "Come to mama…"
An enlarge hand wrapped around Catwoman's body before slamming her into another diamond display.
"That does belong to 'mama.' My mama!" Gemini growled as Catwoman stood up.
"I'm sorry, do I know you or do you always go for second base on the first date?" Catwoman returned.
Gemini's hand retracted to its normal size before her fingers became elongated and bladed.
"My name is Gemini." answered the shape-shifter. "And I'm about to make you my bitch!"
Catwoman was no stranger when it came to fighting meta-humans. So when Gemini charged at her, she knew she had to backtrack. Obviously her opponent could stretch and morph her body parts into various tools and items. And judging by the strikes that Gemini were throwing her way, Catwoman was more than sure that Gemini knew how to use her shifted weapons.
The evasive woman flipped onto a display of jewelry and balanced herself perfectly while eyeing Gemini.
"Hon, listen," Catwoman said. "Just let me have my diamond and I might put in a good word with Penguin or someone. They're always looking for growing girls with skills like yours."
Gemini raised her left hand, her hand changing into a sledgehammer.
"Not interested." Catwoman had a little more than five seconds to move from her spot as Gemini's morphed hand slammed through the display with ease.
Gemini did not stop there. She pursued with rage, smashing her hammer fists (literally) on any spot Catwoman was in before the thief moved. This was more or less a way to release whatever pent of frustrations she had and, as messed up as it seemed, it was working like a charm. The more she broke, the easier she could breathe.
Gemini caught Catwoman escaping the room before looking back at her true target. Or rather, where her true target should have been but wasn't.
"That bitch!" Gemini shrieked after realizing that somehow, someway, Catwoman had actually taken the diamond.
Gemini chased after the other woman with renewed rage. To recap her day, she had to put up with an annoyed Black Spider (which only led to her being annoyed), her mother had not answered her call earlier or called back, and now she was having Catwoman steal a diamond she wanted to steal!
Gemini saw the feline thief escape via a sunlight. Grunting, Gemini transformed into a hummingbird and flew after the woman.
On the roof, Catwoman waited, knowing what was to come. And sure enough, a bird flew threw the sunlight window and transformed into Gemini, the other brunette landing on the roof with fire in her eyes.
"Your boyfriend in there led me to the diamond. He was too busy reading a rock." Catwoman said. "He even cleared the way for me. Such a gentleman."
"One, not my boyfriend," Gemini responded. "Two, that's my diamond. And three, how did you know he was talking about me?"
Catwoman shrugged. "He did say that someone else was coming for it. That's you, right?" The thief then took her whip off of her hip. "Look, normally I kind of sympathize about beating children. But you know what they say: Spare the rod, the lesson isn't learned!"
Gemini was shocked when the whip came at her at blinding speeds, actually slapping her across the face. Gemini blinked as her face was snapped sideways with her hand coming to the spot of impact.
"That actually hurt," Gemini said as Catwoman gave her a smug look. "Let's see how you like it!"
The sound of whips cracking on the roof followed as Gemini sent her two whip-like arms towards Catwoman who danced around the strikes, waiting for her moment to retaliate. Gemini was both infuriated and impressed about how evasive Catwoman was. Hearing about it was one thing, but dealing with it was another thing. Worse, the thief was in heels!
Growling, Gemini shot her left hand forward, finally able to wrap around Catwoman's right ankle. With a hard tug, the thief was on her back with Gemini closing in fast on the fallen feline. The shape-shifter morphed her left arm into a scythe, reading to hack and dice the other woman with little to no remorse.
That is until a black web stuck onto her arm and stopped her pursuit.
"You need to get out of here." Gemini gave Jake a warning growl as she glared at him over her shoulder. "The Justice League is coming- the actual Justice League. They can't know about this, so take your fight somewhere else."
"You should really listen to him." Catwoman said. "I mean, Batman is bad enough. I'd hate to go against the Man of Steel at the same time."
"Oh I'm sure you would." muttered Gemini before hoisting Catwoman up by her ankles. "Where is it?"
"Now if I told you that-"
"Search her somewhere else," Black Spider told Gemini. "They're here."
Gemini was going to ask the Spider where they were, his spider senses could reveal that information, but instead her face was slapped viscously by the whip still in Catwoman's possession. Staggering back in pain, Gemini was more than annoyed that the thief had actually slipped from her grasp and was making a valiant escape.
"That bitch…" Gemini grumbled before looking back to see that Jake was in full business. So instead of leaving like he had told her, she merely morphed into an ant to see what the fuss was about.
Then it happened.
Without so much as a warning, a streak of red blurred by and knocked the Spider completely onto his back. Gemini had to move as fast as her ant legs could take her to avoid being squashed by the tumbling assassin, the Flash now standing proudly on the roof as Superman and Wonder Woman hovered behind him.
"Black Spider, we are taking you in," Superman's voice seemed so righteous and sure of victory that it nearly made Gemini gag. "Don't make this harder on yourself than it has to be. Surrender now."
The Heir merely laugh as he stood up. "Well, well. I finally got your attention. I guess you want the diamond back, huh? Well you're going to have to come and get it."
With that, the Black Spider dropped a sphere that released a blinding flashing light, temporarily blinding his opponents. When the light dimmed down, the son of Deathstroke was already swinging away forcing the trio to give chase.
Flash ran through the streets, keeping up with the agile thief. The speedster saw his opportunity and took it, running up the side of a building and timing his leap through the air. The Spider sensed the attack in more ways than one and twisted his body in midair, the Flash barely missing his grab.
The speedster did not give up, landing on the ground with a solid sprint. The bastard that has done nothing more but antagonize his nephew would pay today.
Meanwhile, the Black Spider paid attention to the Kryptonian and Amazon zeroing in on his position. The Heir zipped through the streets swinging from one web to another while keeping his eyes in front of and behind him.
"I got him." Wonder Woman told Superman as she pushed ahead.
Like a bullet, Diana shot for Jake with her arms down at her sides. She knew that she had him as, unlike Barry, she could twist and turn just as well as the Spider could as she could fly, he couldn't. What she was not expecting was for the man to turn around to face her and cover her eyes with a blindfold made of webs.
This, however, allowed Flash to succeed in finally grasping the Black Spider and pulling him from the air.
The Heir of the Demon was thrown down onto the streets at high speeds, his body rolling uncontrollably. It took him a moment to right himself up and drive his stingers into the street to stop him from sliding.
Superman floated in front of the Spider, his eyes picking up, what he thought, was a key piece to their victory.
"Hey Flash," Superman called. "His blades aren't generating any Kryptonite. I can get close."
"Yeah, but me first." said Flash.
It was a fact that Jake lived with. Even if he could feel the Flash's energy from two towns over, there was no real way of dodging a man that moved faster than the speed of light. And as the Fastest Man Alive assaulted him with an array of punches, the Spider was forced to relive this fact. Each punch was harder than the last and hit with precision.
"Stay!" Ten punches. "Away!" Twenty punches. "From my!" Forty punches! "Family!"
One final punch had Jake colliding into a nearby car, the civilian family inside screaming. Jake shook his head to stop the world from spinning. Almost instantly, his four "spider-legs" shot from his back and pierced the sides of the car, careful not to actually stab one of the five people inside. Jake saw Flash hesitate as he lifted the car above him before slinging it through the air.
As predicted, Superman easily caught the car, saving the pedestrians, and Flash was able to tackle the Spider.
Black Spider felt his world blur by him before he slammed into a truck and then another vehicle and then another. Jake actually lost count on how many cars he was actually thrown into by the Fastest Man Alive.
The two stopped with the Heir of the Demon against a brick wall, in an alley somewhere within Gotham- Jake honestly did not know.
"Give up. You can't win." Flash told him.
"I…" Jake panted. "I don't understand why you hate me… I had Artemis first. Ask her."
Flash clutched the man's suit tighter. "And people say that I talk too much."
Jake chuckled. "You do."
Before Barry knew it, he felt something latch onto his back. The initial pain was enough to force the Flash to release his opponent while he could actually feel his energy being sapped by whatever it was on his back. The pain was nothing more of a welcomed diversion as the Black Spider's empowered punch was more than strong enough to send Flash skipping and tumbling into the streets.
Cars swerved to avoid the injured hero as the Black Spider approached him. Mentally sending a command, the spider-backpack that had attached itself to Flash released its hold on the speedster and reattached itself to Jake's back.
"Thanks for the charge, not that I really needed it." Jake commented as Flash rose to his feet. "See you around, Uncle B."
Flash's eyes widened before the man released a smokescreen. Barry quickly snapped back to reality, twirling his arms at high speeds to blow the smoke away, only to find that the Spider was gone.
"Dammit!" cursed the speedster. "Flash to League. He got aw-"
A rocketing invisible jumping knee knocked Flash off of the ground before the Heir of the Demon grabbed the hero by the ankle and slammed him into the ground repeatedly. Barry was able to recover before Jake could snap his ankle, vibrating himself to the point that he phased completely out of Jake's grip.
Jake's response was to camouflage himself once more.
"Flash," Batman's voice came over Barry's comm-link. "What's going on?"
"The Priority-1 call that we got was the Black Spider and he's not going down easily." answered Flash after getting to what he believed as a secure location. "Superman and Wonder Woman are on crowd control but I've lost him again. He's got a disappearing trick that makes you look like an amateur."
"Camouflage. You need to track his body heat." came the response from the Dark Knight. "Hawkgirl and Supergirl are closing in on your location. Meanwhile, I need to find out just why the Black Spider was considered Priority-1."
Flash shrugged. "Don't know. I gotta find this guy before too long. Kid Flash and Cyborg went after Catwoman and Rouge's daughter."
"I'll be there soon. Keep a look out for any member of the League of Assassins." Batman ordered.
"Does this have anything to do with the hottie with the sword?" Flash asked, referring to Talia.
"Batman out."
"And he hangs up."
"Don't take it personal," the voice of the Black Spider had Flash whirling around to see the black-suited thief with his arms crossed. "I hear he does it to everyone who questions his personal life."
"I'm really getting tired of you." Flash said.
The Spider released his stingers. "Let's see if I can kick your ass in a flash."
Barry charged himself, preparing for one empowered punch made especially for annoying guys like the Spider. He would not kill the assassin, Batman had a thing about how to treat inmates from the League of Assassins. But he would make sure that the bastard felt it for a while.
Every attosecond that pass, Flash drew closer and closer, he could feel his former anger rising. The vision of his nephew from all those years ago haunted him and the guy who did it was standing in front of him as if it was nothing.
Barry cocked his right fist, lightning seen crackling around it, and then threw the punch.
Only for him to go straight through the bastard.
"Wh-" A small explosion knocked Barry backwards. A loud snap was heard seconds later. "Aah!"
"Broken ankle? Not a good feeling." The Spider said, revealing himself over the Flash, his hands picking up Barry's left ankle. "I wonder how two broke ankles feels?"
Flash gritted his teeth as his second ankle was broken with no more than a twist of the Spider's hands. He was not going to give his opponent the pleasure of hearing him release another yell of agony.
"A fast healing means that I have to do this," A sharp strike dislocated Flash's left knee. Flash inhaled sharply. Jake raised the speedster higher, using a mechanical leg to do that, so that the two were eye-to-eye. "I'm not going to kill you Flash, just like I didn't kill your nephew. But if you or him keep coming at me… I won't touch you. I'll take all your speed away and give you to my dad as a birthday present. I'm sure he'd love it."
Gemini had a hard time keeping up with Flash and Black Spider's battle, especially in the form of a common blue jay. Superman and Wonder Woman were attempting to direct people out of harm's way but the destruction was as clear as day.
And then a red blur slammed into the side of a city bus, still filled with people on it. Gemini was more than surprised to see Flash's body slumped next to it.
Apparently spider-senses are faster than the Flash.
Gemini caught the Black Spider swinging away from the area, following him as best she could. The man moved faster than she could, a testament to his training with his suit. Suddenly, another flash of red flew by and she realized that the Heir of the Demon was about to run up against the Man of Steel.
Jake could feel his body tingling as the incoming threat zeroed in on his position. Injured or not, the man continued to head downtown where the buildings were bigger and he had more room to swing around. Instead, he was caught in the tight grasps of Superman.
"I know you don't have any of that Kryptonite in your blades," Superman began his reasoning. "So give up quietly. I don't want to hurt you."
The Spider realized that Superman was taking up him up higher, which was not bad at all. In fact, it was quiet beneficial.
"Fine, fine," relented Jake. "Just answer me one question."
"What's that?" Superman returned.
"Do you actually bleed?"
In wat at that moment that the Black Spider extended his stingers, the metal giving off a sinister green glow. Clark, despite himself, released his captor. Jake was quick to respond, jabbing his stingers into the thighs of Superman, creating a large gash in each leg as he slid downwards. The Black Spider hung for a moment before retracting his blades, both men falling towards the earth beneath them.
Jake closed his eyes as he felt his heart racing in his chest. This battle against the Justice League was not a part of anyone's plans and he was making up things on the fly, such as making Superman believe that his blades did not generate the Kryptonian poison. It was not a perfect plan but it worked. And now he had Wonder Woman to deal with and then he was home free.
If they did not show up at his home, that is.
Opening his eyes, the Spider shot a web to a nearby building and used the momentum to swing at twice the speeds downtown, not even bothering to see where Superman's body landed. Being beaten by the Flash and then bear-hugged by Superman did not feel good and the son of Deathstroke was not going to wait for the two men to get up and do it again.
Once he made it to the busier section of the city, the Spider flipped through the air before landing in an intersection, causing more commotion. He slowly spun in a circle, his eyes searching the skies for Wonder Woman.
"Come on, come on, come on," repeated the Heir of the Demon. "I know you're out there. Come at me!"
Jake picked up a mystical source, one that caused him to visibly quiver, before turning to see an enraged Hawgirl darting towards him. With her mace in her hand (the source of the mystical source he was feeling) the Heir quickly extended his blades again and braced himself.
With a loud battle cry, Hawkgirl swung her weapon at the man, her mind not caring if he could take the blow or not. Thankfully, the Spider brought his blades up, a protective X forming in front of him to take the blow.
"Shit!" Black Spider muttered as he slid backwards, trying to stop her momentum.
Hawkgirl was more than surprised when the Spider actually stopped. The two were now in front of honking cars with people who had yet to leave the area. Apparently, seeing a well-known assassin do battle with a winged warrior with a mace was not enough to stop them from getting to their destination.
With one heave, Jake was able to push Hawkgirl away momentarily before she came again. The young man moved quickly, her mace destroying the hood of the car that was previously behind him, ultimately destroying the horn. Several of screams followed as the people had finally begun to exit the vehicles, which made Jake smile.
Chaos was always bad for a hero, good for an escape.
By now, he knew that- while he could probably take on Hawkgirl- the others were coming and there was no way that he could take them all on. Wherever Gemini had gone, she was not going to help now and there was no way he could risk Mia (as the Scarlet Spider) or Kaldur coming to his aid now.
The Spider was now free to openly engage Hawkgirl, knowing she had to hold back in fear of hitting a passer-by. And the Thangarian did not disappoint either. She took the moment to battle the so-called Priority-1 villain and finally put an end to this entire Black Spider ordeal.
Clang! Clang!
Their weapons met repeatedly in the middle of the intersection, abandoned cars and trucks all around them. Neither would verbally praise the other for their skills though both thought it. For Hawkgirl, she knew that the Spider had battled both Superman and Flash earlier. There was no way that a human, super human or not, should have been able to continue with as much strength as the Heir of the Demon still had; never mind the fact that very few had been able to defend a direct strike from her mace.
Hawkgirl was now on the paved smooth road, still swinging her mace while dodging the slices by the Black Spider. Her eyes soon picked up the incoming Wonder Woman, the Amazon flying directly for the Spider's back. Realizing the plan, Shayera went for a quick sweep of the Spider's legs. As predicted, the arachnid assassin hopped over her legs, in perfect timing for Wonder Woman to grab him out of the air.
And Diana was not in a good mood. With a twirl, she fired the Black Spider into a nearby building, the assassin's body tumbling through the window and crashing onto the office floor. The sound of panic returned to Jake's ears as he picked himself off of the cold linoleum floor.
Wonder Woman landed inside the building, Hawkgirl behind her. The two watched the ever-resilient man stand once more, his stingers now retracted.
"How do you want to do this?" Diana asked Shayera.
"Batman wants him alive," Hawkgirl answered. "In how many pieces, I don't know."
Jake laughed as he settled into a defensive stance.
"If you girls wanted to have a go at me, at least take me to dinner first." The two leaguers noticed that the man's voice had noticeably dropped in pitch. "Trust me. One night with me will leave unable to walk… Permanently!"
Gemini took in a deep breath as she had reformed into herself. She had witnessed Jake get tossed like a football into the office building she was currently scounting but had not gone in to see if he was alive or not; especially not after seeing both Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman enter the place. Down below, people seemed to be running for their lives as random bangs, clangs, booms, and other loud noises came from the building.
Gemini looked around her. Kid Flash and Cyborg were probably tracking down Catwoman and she had seen both Flash and Superman lying in the wake of the Spider's crafty fighting. Gemini's face twisted in thought.
Jake knew what he was doing, almost as if he planned on a fight with the Justice League. Maybe, she pondered, he had actually been training during those times he left with Talia or Nyssa and this were the fruits of their labor? Or maybe Kaldur or Nightwing gave the Spider the right information on how to combat individual members?
Or maybe the guy was just that damn good?
It was hard to tell nowadays. The Black Spider had never truly revealed how good he was despite Raven, Manta, and Gemini knowing that he was much better than anyone on the Young Justice League. Why Jake constantly toyed with those kids, Gemini did not know. But for now, there were no kids today. The Black Spider would either have to be the guy that fought against Sensei's handpicked trio or fail miserably.
A crash halted Gemini's thoughts as the unmistakable figures of Wonder Woman and Black Spider fell several stories into the streets below.
"Bastard always gets the hot ones…" Gemini mumbled to herself.
Jake groaned as he rose onto his knees. Wonder Woman's shield did not provide the softest of landings but he was still alive. The Heir laughed quietly as he stood up on the ground, rotating his left shoulder.
"Whoever trained you must be one helluva person." commented Jake as he watched Wonder Woman rise to her feet as well. "You're a lot better than people think."
The heroine grimaced. "Likewise." She reached next to her and picked her sword up, eyeing her shield right next to the Spider's feet. "You could've been one of us, you know that right? We were serious that night."
The thief went silent as he recalled the night. The highlight of said night was him beating Nyssa and she actually complimenting him for doing so. Another key memory was seeing Artemis safe as he went to destroy the last missile. The offer made by Superman and Wonder Woman, however, was something he had all but forgotten.
"You don't have to be your dad." Wonder Woman said.
Diana saw that the young man had actually dropped his guard. From what Batman had told her, this was most likely a ploy, but his guard had most definitely dropped. She was going to add on to her comment but stopped when she saw Hawkgirl diving for the Spider. Wonder Woman was stuck between warning the Black Spider of the angered mace-willing Thangarian descending on him and allowing Hawkgirl to land a potential life-threatening blow to the annoyingly skilled thief. Her choice was made when said annoying skilled thief kicked her shield into his hands and twisted in time to block the blow.
A loud clang echoed throughout the area as Hawkgirl's mace met Wonder Woman's shield. The man grunted as he slid a few inches backwards to stop the winged-woman's momentum. That grunt almost evolved into a full out shout of irritation when he felt the familiar tingle of a threat approaching, this one being the sword-wielding Wonder Woman.
"Gah!"
Diana was not expecting one of the robotic legs firing out from the Spider's back and wrapping around her throat. The Amazon was forced to drop her blade as she attempted to pry the machine's grasp off of her neck. Meanwhile, the man wearing the suit was currently blocking the repeated strikes of Hawkgirl.
"Don't… You want… To talk about this… Over dinner…?" Jake teased. "I promise… No chicken…"
"Shut up!" Hawkgirl retaliated.
Diana continued to struggle against the grip as she watched her friend continuously hammered at her shield in possession of the Spider. The woman struggled with the thoughts of removing her bracelets, giving her the strength to break free and destroy the Black Spider. However, morals and the lack of oxygen were keeping her from doing so right away.
Wonder Woman pushed her moral limits to the back of her mind, grasping her left wrist band. Yet before she could complete the first half of her plan, the Spider violent twisted his body, slinging the Amazon into her winged friend.
"Two hot chicks rolling around and me with no camera," mused the Heir of the Demon as he walked to the downed women. "At least they brought me gifts…"
Wonder Woman sat up in time to see the Spider charging at them, now with Hawkgirl's mace in hand. She saw that his target was not her, but the dazed Hawkgirl. Thinking quickly, Diana got to her feet and ran towards her friend.
"Shayera, get down!" Hawkgirl had no time to respond as Wonder Woman shoved her out of the way, the warrior princess crossing her arms in front of her protectively in time to meet Jake's swing.
Hawkgirl watched in awe as Wonder Woman was sent crashing into the windshield of an abandoned minivan. The woman looked back to see that the thief was currently looking in her direction with her mace still in hand.
And then the thief dropped the mace on the ground next to him.
"Nth metal has a very peculiar effect on me." Shayera watched as the Spider approached her. "Now my little bird, it's just you and me."
Hawkgirl rose to her feet. Being in the intersection of two major streets in Gotham, there was sufficient room for what was about to occur. The air seemed to thicken with tension which did nothing but further enrage her.
As for the Black Spider, he was now free to battle Hawkgirl one-on-one. During their earlier scrimmage he had properly accessed that Hawkgirl was well-trained and not just with her mace. But he knew that he had the advantage now. For all of her training, it was well documented that an angry Hawkgirl was a rather savage fighter. He remembed seeing that on the news plenty of times. She, unlike Wonder Woman and himself, lost touch with her other senses when angered and he was only looking for one mistake.
"Bastard!"
With a battle cry from the Thangarian, the two were once again in hand-to-hand combat. Earlier, her movements had been calculated to the point that Jake solely relied on his spider-senses to effectively dodge them. Now he could see them with his intellect and instincts.
Right punch. Left punch. Right punch. Right kick. All of her movements were clear to him, eerily reminding him of Rose when they were younger. Each strike meant to knock his head clear off of his shoulders with little to no skill whatsoever.
The woman threw another wild punch, one that Jake was more than prepared for. His left arm trapped her wrist between it and his body while his right hand danced up the outstretched arm, tapping lightly at specific points.
Hawkgirl swung with her free right arm, forcing the thief to release her now limp arm. Jake ducked the blow before standing up tall behind her. Again, his strikes were fast and precise, hitting the right spots for the effects he wanted. A kick to the back of Hawkgirl's left knee forced her into a kneeling position.
"What… What have you done to me?" Hawkgirl questioned. She tried to open her wings but was unable to.
"Nothing compared to what's about to happen."
His voice was sickeningly similar to his father's, a man Shayera has ran into plenty of times to know. However, instead of his blade striking her, she fold her arms bound and her body kicked aside.
"I don't kill," said the Spider as he turned to face the returning Wonder Woman. "Not yet."
The Amazon said nothing in return before she flew towards Jake, faster than she had before. The young man braced himself as he was lifted into the air. He struggled in the tight embrace of the demigod before settling for a head-butt, one with enough force to weaken the woman's grasp on him. The thief wiggled himself free and quickly pulled himself to a nearby building with a web.
Wonder Woman, after recovering from the strike, pursued him. This forced the Heir of the Demon to stand against the side of the building, blocking and swatting away punches and kicks from the flying half-goddess. Despite the Amazon warrior in front of him (or beneath him depending on the viewpoint), the thief paid quite the attention to what he was standing on at all times to avoid smashing through a window.
The last thing he needed was for someone to poke fun at how the great Black Spider lost a battle against Wonder Woman because he stepped himself threw a window and fell to his death.
A sharp upward kick landed on the Spider's chin, causing him to flip backwards, towards the top of the building. The man quickly flipped so that he was one again standing on a window, only to be lassoed by Wonder Woman.
"With this," Wonder Woman commanded as the Lasso of Truth glowed with power. "I command you to stand down and surrender now."
The Spider struggled against the rope. "Not… Going to happen babe…"
"I compel you to see the truth of your deeds!" growled the Amazon.
"And I compel you to go to hell!" returned the Heir of the Demon before he fired a web that stuck to Diana's chest. A strong surge of electricity coursed through her body.
Jake saw his opening and leapt off of the window, now falling feet first towards the stunned woman. The two fell several of floors to the street again, this time with the Black Spider on top of Wonder Woman, not her shield. He listened to her release a small groan before shrugging her lasso off of him.
The Spider shivered a bit as he took a few steps, the seal on his back burning intensely. He had done his research, his father could resist the Lasso of Truth to a degree. He knew assumed that he and his sister would have some resistance to it as well. What he was not counting on was for the seal Raven had given him to have such a reaction to it.
Needless to say, he was not in a rush to be put in the Lasso's grasp again.
As those thoughts ran through his mind, Jake could sense the threat from the woman once more. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her rising to her feet again. The young man took in a deep breath as he watched Wonder Woman reel in her lasso, her blue eyes frozen on him in a harsh stare.
"You really don't stay down, do you?" asked the Spider as he extended his stingers. "Now I'm getting quite annoyed."
Lightning was seen around Diana's wrists, coming from her bracelets.
"As am I."
Black Spider knew that the lightning formed by his foe's bracelets had an element of magic to them, something the seal on his back and Ben confirmed. He was more than cautious about letting himself be struck by it.
However, a new threat caused him to freeze momentarily. J'onn J'onzz seemingly materialized out of thin air. The Spider turned quickly at the new presence, but was met by a green hand on his face.
"Sleep." Martian Manhunter spoke before the Spider dropped to the ground.
Diana let out a heavy breath. "Thank Hera you're here J'onn. He was more than I thought." The woman ended her lightning. "I almost had to…"
The alien nodded. "Understandable." He glanced around. "Where is Hawkgirl?"
"He hit some pressure points in her back and webbed her up. She's unable to use her wings at the moment." Wonder Woman explained. "Superman is down, likely from the same poison that Superboy was hit with. And Flash went dark minutes before then."
"The Black Spider is a formidable opponent," noted the Martian. "But he should not be a Priority-1. Whoever hacked our systems and made it so had to be someone with, not only access and proper authorization codes, but with a vendetta."
Diana's eyes widened. "You don't think-"
"Batman will be here soon. Until then-"
At that moment the Spider's body moved, tripping the Martian while twirling to his feet. Before Wonder Woman could react, a web had stuck to her chest and yanked her off of her feet towards the Spider. The elusive man flipped over the stumbling Amazon, landing behind her.
"How are you…" Wonder Woman's words died when she saw a pick-up truck descending on her position.
The Black Spider moved quickly. With his right index finger pointing ahead of him, the thief began to fire a laser at the cars around him, setting off a chain explosion and surrounding himself with fire.
On the roof, Gemini frowned at the scene. Either Jake was damn near invicible or something was clearly wrong. Not only did he just bounce back from the Jedi mind-tricks that Martians can do, but he had just slapped Wonder Woman with a truck and then surrounded himself in flames.
He was either setting a trap or he had lost his mind. Gemini was not sure which answer held more validation considering who she was talking about. The guy was stupid enough to fight David Cain and somehow smart enough to fool Ra's al Ghul. It was sometimes hard to tell when he was being stupid on purpose or feigning intelligence.
Gemini narrowed her eyes when she saw Wonder Woman crawl out of the fire with a visibly shaken up Martian Manhunter.
"Son of a bitch," Gemini mumbled to herself. "That bastard really does have a plan for each of us…"
"So I heard." Gemini nearly fell off of the ledge she was seated on as Catwoman's voice startled her. So caught up in the fight that she did not realize that the thief that started this entire thing was sitting right beside her! "It was a trap."
Gemini frowned. "What are you talking about? And where's my diamond?"
"The diamond was a fake hon. I doubt you, or your mom, would want it now." Catwoman replied. "But those two guys that went after me, Cyborg and Kid Flash, they were talking about finally catching 'him.' I'm guessing that he's the 'him' they're talking about."
"…" Gemini looked back down to see the Black Spider still within the ring of fire. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Someone put that diamond out there because they knew that we'd want it and then threw us aside for the bigger catch." Selina theorized. "And judging by this entire ordeal… I'd say your friend might need your help."
Gemini snorted. "My help? He looks alright to me."
"For now," admitted Catwoman. "But I heard them refer to him as a Priority-1. You do know what that is right?" Gemini shook her head for no. "Let me put it like this. I'm a Priority-4, dangerous but not necessarily life threatening. To most of them, I'm just a thief. The League of Assassins, as a group, is a Prioty-2. In the event that those aliens return to destroy the world as we know it then that's when the Justice League calls in a Priority-1."
Gemini sat quietly for a moment, absorbing this information. The Black Spider was dangerous but he was not on the whole "alien domination" level of dangerous. There was no way that Jake should make that list unless…
"How do you know this?" Gemini questioned. The shape-shifter was met with a shrug. "Fine. But if he is a Priority-1, then this place is going to be swarming with leaguers in no time."
"Booster Gold and a few more are already directing traffic away from the fight. You got to pay attention to those things." Catwoman stated.
"Well we know…" Gemini paused in her words as a red blur shot through the flames and grabbed the Spider. "Well we know he's fucked."
"Rightfully so." Gemini gave Selina a hardened look. "Oh come on. I've seen the news. The guy has pissed off a lot of members of the Justice League- and a few of my clients. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them put him on that list just for this particular moment."
Gemini nodded slowly. "Almost as if it was personal."
"And now you see the problem," Catwoman said as she stood up. "If you want the diamond that they took back from your mom, I'd suggest you either hire a new body guard or save this one and put him on a really long leash. Whoever wants him capture or dead isn't playing around and you don't want to be caught in the crossfire."
Gemini paid no attention to the departing Catwoman as she racked her brain on reasons this happened. In truth, there was only one person that was around Jake and had access to the Justice League's computer- Miss Martian. The problem with the thought that M'gann had anything to do with this came from, well, Miss Martian having anything to do with this. The Martian woman was like an older sister to them all and always had their safety put at the upmost importance.
So it had to be someone else.
Gemini ruled out Artemis and Nightwing for the simple fact that neither had access to the Justice League on a whim; let alone the computer. Sure, Nightwing was apparently good at hacking and Artemis has spoken about times she was actually at the Justice League's HQ in space, but neither would do this to Jake. Gemini knew for a fact that Artemis still, dare she say, loved the guy. And Nightwing just wanted to actually beat the Spider, not so much as have the entire Justice League to do it for him. Their anger for Jake was the typical "he's a douche-bag" dislike and really not enough hate for them to do this.
Gemini thought about Mia or Jaime doing this. She really did not know Jaime enough to just rightfully dismiss his case while Mia practically worshiped the ground Jake walked on. There was no way that Mia was behind this. Though, Gemini figured, it would be something if the Scarlet Spider actually did pull one over her mentor.
Kaldur was ruled out for the same reason Raven and Gemini were. None of them had access to the Watchtower. If what Catwoman said was true and that the person had to be an active member of the Justice League. They did not actually fit the bill, even a part-timer such as Raven.
Then again, who didn't hate the guy?
The shape-shifting daughter of Madame Rouge realized that Jake had a lot of enemies; both as Jake Cross/Wilson and as the Black Spider. There were members of the Justice League and League of Assassins who wanted him out of the picture in some shape or form. This could all be one giant setup to finally put the cocky bastard in their high-security prison in space once and for all…
A crash caused Gemini to snap out of her thoughts.
"Raven's going to kill me if I let him get captured." Those thoughts actually haunted her as Raven, for whatever reason, still fancied the guy. Hell, Gemini was willing to bet that there was more of a bond between the mystic and the thief than between he and his precious "Goddess".
But she digresses.
For now, she had to go make sure that the Spider's escape record stays perfect or else someone had to tell Raven that he was brought in by the Justice League. And God help Kaldur, the guy Gemini was going to set up for the task, when he does.
Jake woke up in pain. In front of him was a raging Supergirl clutching his throat. He assumed she had just seen her fallen cousin in the streets courtesy of the Black Spider. Behind him was what remained of the wall said female Kryptonian had thrown him through.
The pair were in a rundown service station that had yet to be demolished for whatever reason. The empty building seemed appropriate for Kara to take her victim to as it was clear of any presence; civilian and Justice League alike.
"About time," Ben voiced to its wearer. "Martian Manhunter put you to sleep so I had to take control. Now I'm dealing with another woman you've pissed off."
Jake groaned. He was really not in the mood for Ben's attitude, if one could call it that. Despite an abundance of energy flowing through him, thanks to Ben siphoned off of Flash, his body was coming to its limits. The last thing he needed now was an enraged hormonal Kryptonian woman beaten on him while a saracastic artificial intelligence blamed him for the entire ordeal.
The Spider soon extended his stingers, the Kryptonian radiation causing Supergirl's body to weaken. With a silent mental command, fear toxin was released from the suit, forcing Kara into a heavy cough. Jake pushed the Kryptonian away and watched as she sank to her knees.
"Supergirl!"
The call from Wonder Woman had the Black Spider immediately activating his cloaking device. Seconds later, the princess from Themyscira and the Martian Manhunter arrived on scene, covering their noses and mouths.
"Fear toxin," J'onn deduced. "We need to get her out of here."
Wonder Woman agreed with the declaration and inhaled deeply. With one heavy blow, Wonder Woman cleared the area of the toxic gas. She continued to look for the arachnid assassin who was somewhere in the area.
"Supergirl, are you- Ugh!" Wonder Woman's eyes snapped as the blonde young woman knocked the Martian away with a heavy punch.
"Kara…" Wonder Woman began as she saw the fear in the younger woman's eyes.
"Stay… Stay away from me…" Kara panted with fear. "Get away from me!"
Diana was unprepared for the Kryptonian's super breath to knock her clear out of the rundown gas station. The brunette was able to keep her footing though, sliding backwards with her hands crossed protectively in front of her. Seconds later, Supergirl shot into the air, bolting away from the area.
"Wonder Woman to all Leaguers," the Amazon said over her ear piece as she gave chase the heroine in blue. "Supergirl has been exposed to lethal levels of fear toxin. I'm going after her. Approach her with extreme caution."
"Uh, Blue Beetle here," Jaime's voice came onto the other line. "What should we do if she engages the civilians?"
"Superboy should be there in five. He can deal with Supergirl." Batman answered before Diana could even answer. "Wonder Woman, continue to follow Supergirl. As for the Spider, he's mine."
Wonder Woman took in a deep breath. "I don't think that's a good idea, Batman. He feels cornered and using dirty tricks to get what he wants."
"This is not up for discussion."
With that, the line went dead. The Themysciran warrior princess released another heavy sigh as she followed the zig-zagging Supergirl. There was a rivalry between Batman and the Black Spider. There were many theories as to where it came from. It could be that the former Red X had bested Bruce's prodigal son multiple times or that the Spider was now Ra's replacement. There was even the thought that the almighty Batman was just afraid that some day the Spider would up and kill Talia. No one knew for sure but it was clear that Batman had a personal vendetta against the spider-man, one that was both beneficial and unhealthy to the mission.
Hopefully this was not one of the few times that Bruce made a decision for Batman or else those afraid of the vigilantes currently occupying Gotham City would be given more proof to fear them.
Jake calmed his breathing as he came onto the rooftop of Queen Industries. The thief felt his fatigue wash away as Ben gave him some of the energy absorbed by Flash. It felt foreign to him and oddly addictive.
However, just before the thief could sigh in relief he felt a familiar tingle that had him turning around.
"This ends now." Black Spider snorted at Batman's words, dismissing the threat altogether. "John, now."
Before Jake could respond, he found a green cage surrounding the roof, keeping himself and Batman stationed. The thief glanced back to see that Batman had removed his cowl and mask, revealing his face to Jake.
"What is this?" the Spider questioned.
"You once preached about Jake Cross and Red X being two separate people, just like Bruce Wayne and Batman." spoke Bruce. "You didn't kill Batman's son, you killed mine. And like you, I won't mix business with personal. This is personal."
There was a moment of silence as Bruce removed his gloves, then cape, utility belt, and finally boots. Jake watched in mild awe before looking around. The "cage" that surrounded them probably blocked viewers from any passing aircraft. Either that, or there were other members of the Justice League who was entrusted with keeping wandering eyes from seeing Bruce Wayne in a Batman costume.
Then, Bruce was introduced to the face of Jake Cross as the Black Spider suit retreated into the spider machine on Jake's back. The young man was now in nothing but shorts, after he forewent getting dressed after Gemini woke up earlier this morning.
"If I win this," Jake stated. "I want a free ride home. No funny business. I have to pick my daughter up tomorrow and Artemis will kill me if I'm late. Well, if Jade doesn't kill me first."
"You won't win this." replied the maskless Batman, glaring at his foe. "I'll make sure of that."
"Dick said the same thing. Looks like over confidence does run in the Bat-family."
Green Lantern John Stewart watched as the two men charge for one another. The man knew how skilled Batman was- hell, they all knew- but no one could safely assume just what the Spider was bringing to the table. From his file, they knew that he was Deathstroke's son and a student of Ra's al Ghul.
Now, John knew.
Jake Cross was handling his own against Bruce Wayne and it was after he had battled Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl. There was no way that the Black Spider should be standing, let alone fighting against someone who has been studying his movements for months now. But he was.
Jake began to throw punch after punch at Bruce's midsection, only to have the other man cover up well. A measured strike to the head was ducked by the last Wayne. Before Jake had any real time to respond to the counter, Bruce had taken Jake's back, his arms around Jake's waist, and executed an arched back throw.
The suplex was enough to momentarily halt Jake's momentum. Bruce was able to get to his fee while his opponenet recovered from the maneuver. However, Jake was only down for a second before he tucked and rolled away from the billionaire, getting to a three-point stance.
"Not bad for an old guy," taunted Jake as he stood to his full height. "But if you don't mind, I have important business to take care of. You know, being Ra's new pick and all. We're currently working on a way to get Talia in my bed…"
Bruce sneered. "Try again."
"You're right. At the moment that she thinks I'll just hand over the League to you," Jake said with a smirk. "I'm going to kill her and put her in a grave next to her other crazy relatives."
"Over my dead body…"
"No. You live. I want, no, I need you to live with the pain of being right about me." Jake told Bruce. "Every night, when you're in that big bed of yours alone, I want you to know that Talia could've been right there beside you had she listened to you. I will betray her. I will kill her entire family. And all of it could have been avoided if she would have just listened to you."
"Enough!"
The two were engaged in combat again. This time, Bruce took the offensive. Regardless of what occurred between the two, it was established that the connection between Bruce and Talia would withstand anything; her father, their jobs, and Jake Cross.
A jab cross hook combo landed for the Dark Knight, only for the Heir to retaliate with a spinning thrust kick into his midsection. Another lighting fast twirl followed, the heel kick across Bruce's face strong enough to send him onto his side.
Jake quickly followed with a stomp attempt to the man's face but was stopped by Bruce's hands grabbing the attacking foot. A swift sweep came afterwards and Jake found himself on his back again. Yet, seconds later, both men were back onto their feet, circling one another.
It was at that moment that Bruce saw something quite terrifying. Jake's naturally brown eyes, whose shades mirrored Adeline's, were now a redder color. This would not have been as terrifying if Jake was facing the sun. Instead, the sun was behind clouds and there was nothing that could make this effect happen…
Well, nothing natural that is.
Bruce threw those thoughts aside as Jake dove for him. The two men tumbled before Jake wrestled his way on top, raining punch after punch down on the defending Wayne. Soon, Jake got off of the older man, walking away from him.
"Get up."
His voice was different, Bruce mentally noted. That was not a good sign. But Bruce stood up again and prepared himself for the attempted onslaught he was sure Jake would try.
The younger man came at Bruce again yet this time the Bat was clearly more prepared. Most of the strikes and kicks that Jake threw was checked or dodged by Bruce, only a few slipping in to actually land and none hitting with enough force to do a lot of damage. In truth, the maskless Batman was waiting for the perfect moment to counter, a maneuver he though Jake would use.
The moment came fast, faster than Jake was expecting it. One small mistake led to Bruce burying his knee into Jake's stomach. Knee after excruciating knee landed, forcing Jake to double over with pain and lack of oxygen. This only allowed the succeeding uppercut to land flush.
A straight right was enough to knock Jake down into a seated position.
"I'm done playing with you Wilson. Give it up." Bruce threatened.
Jake spat blood on the rooftop, standing up with his left arm across his body.
"My name is Jake Cross." Was the startling response. "And the only way that you can actually win this thing is if you kill me." Jake spat again. "I will go after everyone and every thing that you love until I break you in ways that Bane could only imagine."
Bruce growled. "We'll see about that."
The beating that Jake would receive afterwards was enough to make John wince. Bruce would land a punch that would cause the young man to stutter step and stumble. Bruce would land a kick that would knock the wind out of Jake.
And then Jake's hands moved, blow after blow into Bruce's chest and midsection. It seemed as if the strikes were paralyzing Batman, causing the older man to freeze. John was seconds away from saying something- anything at this point- until both men seemed to hit each other.
And then there was silence.
"You…" Jake whispered, his body leaning against the physically bigger Wayne's. "You nearly… Killed me… I win."
With those words, Jake fell over. His battle against the Justice League being far greater than he expected. As for Bruce, he stood with his right hand shaking. He did almost kill Jake. Bruce knew, he knew, that Jake was purposely leaving his chest open for a blow and the pair knew the counters Ra's al Ghul would.
Shaking his head, Bruce went to his downed gear and began to put them back on. Jake's last fury seemed to have side effects that even the great Dark Knight was having trouble enduring. The cowl and mask was put on first followed by his gloves. As he went to put his belt on, he heard John speak to him.
"The kid had more fight in him than you thought," Green Lantern said. "Are you alright?"
Bruce turned to the balding man.
"It's over. Let's take him in." Batman said, seconds before Wonder Woman landed on the roof, inspecting the area.
"Are you alright?" she questioned her former lover.
Batman walked towards her gingerly. "I'll be fine. Let's…"
Diana reacted quickly, catching Batman's collapsing body. Her eyes went to John and then at the face-downed Jake Cross.
"What happened here?" Wonder Woman asked.
"I saw the entire thing and I still don't know." Green Lantern answered as he formed two separate orbs, one around Jake's body and the other around Ben. "It honestly did not look like much but giving the results…"
"We have Supergirl contained and Flash and Superman have been picked up as well," said Wonder Woman. "Let's move."
[Sub Diego]
[July 5, 13:33:43 PST]
Gemini did not know how to reach Raven. She did not trust Artemis or Nightwing enough to show up at their doorsteps. And she sure as hell was not going to find wherever M'gann was in case the Martian was surrounded with more heroes. So instead, she crossed the country to find the one person she could tell the tale of Jake Cross's capture to; Kaldur'ahm.
Shifting her form to acquire gills was a reliable trick at the moment as she was currently several of feet below sea level. Her nerves were momentarily eased at the sight of the growing city, a crowning jewel beneath the ocean, but only momentarily. As soon as she found the house that Kaldur had given her, Jake, and Raven the address to, she began knocking frantically.
She counted in her head.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three seconds…
Four-
The door opened to reveal a shirtless and confused Kaldur.
"Gemini?"
"Jake's been captured." Gemini blurted out. Kaldur's frown only deepened. "We have a problem. A big problem."
"Come in," Kaldur instructed. As soon as Gemini stepped inside, he closed the door behind her and locked it. "What happened?"
"They had him as Priority-1. They set us up." Gemini answered, now pacing back and forth. "They fucking set us up! And we don't know who it is or… Shit Kal, this is bad. The bastard knows everything about us! If he tells them-"
"Jake Cross is not a snitch." interrupted the Atlantean. "As for who set him up, I have a pretty good idea on who it is."
Gemini paused in her pacing, giving the man a puzzled look.
"Who?"
Kaldur's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Wally."