Chapter Thirty-Seven: Wonder.
For Morgan Edge, the saying time was money resounded with him. The man dug his knuckles against some of the most hard nose-businessmen in the world. Businessmen who dropped more and more with each passing week. Edge received the report, another shipment lost, thanks to the vigilante. One would think putting a bounty on the head of the vigilante would bring some people willing to make a few dollars out of the woodwork. The attacks on the vigilante didn't go as planned.
Edge became more distressed than a cat trapped underneath a rocking chair. The door in his office cracked open. His bodyguard showed up. The broad shouldered man managed to send the vigilante packing once before.
"You look stressed, sir."
"It's been a long night," Edge said. The man reached into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle. He looked to ensure the cork had not been tampered with. Six assassination attempts on his life over the past ten years caused Edge to be rather careful. "It's been a long week…did Mr. Ares get everything he wanted?"
"Yes, he thinks it was adequate," Edge's bodyguard said.
Ares and his associates prepared to arm the downtrodden youth of the Glades to go for war. Edge thought about it. Some people detested war, but war allowed him to make a steady profit when he could pick up the pieces. Edge tipped the contents of the wine bottle inside his glass, a shadow of a smile crossing over his face when he looked at Edge.
"If he thinks it was adequate, than I'm glad for him," Edge said.
"I'm curious how Merlyn intends to move the components into the city, without anyone finding out."
Edge thought about it and frowned. He didn't really concern himself with the finer details of what Merlyn intended to do. The man tapped on the side of the wine glass, making a clinging sound. He took another long drink from the wine.
"No one has collected on the vigilante yet," Edge said. "I want him brought before me."
"I believe the vigilante is a female," the man said. Edge raised an eyebrow in response. "Whoever she is, I'm certain someone is bound to collect on the bounty sooner rather than later. Money does make the world go around after all."
"Yes," Edge said. He took a long drink. "Yes, it does."
The bodyguard, the man called Vandal Savage, hated to be saddled with the babysitting duties with Morgan Edge. His partner, Ares, told him to keep a close look on Edge. The businessman ended up being a collector of some artifacts, one of those artifacts happened to be a very powerful device which could tip the balance of power.
Savage could storm Edge's manor and lift the device, but it would cause too much bloodshed. The immortal caveman normally didn't mind staining his hands with red, but the man knew the circumstances changed to be honest. The Dragon continued to make his movement and if the artifact fell into his hands, he would be invincible.
The Dragon being invincible would not be something where either Savage or his partners wanted to have. The man looked to be extremely dangerous without the added aura of invincibility added to him.
"Problem?" Savage asked. A beeping came from Edge.
"A business meeting….he wants to meet this late?" Edge asked. He moved away to check the message. "Is this vital?"
"Very vital….we lost an entire shipment."
"Another one?" Edge asked. The man's blood pressure staggered into a slightly dangerous level, but he took a rather calm tone to his voice. "I'll meet you in five minutes."
Edge dropped the cell phone, allowing it to drop onto the desk. He reached into his desk and pulled out a vial of pills. He popped it open and took it, before washing it down with a drink of wine. The vigilante caused his heart problems to flare off.
"I'll see you out, sir."
Edge appreciated the ability for his bodyguard to see him out of the door. All of the windows in the building had been replaced with shatter proof glass, given the vigilante's tendency to break through windows. He drove in a limo which was bullet proof, with bullet proof glass as well.
Yet, every shadow which moved caused Edge to be on the edge.
Vandal Savage smiled, they needed to keep Edge alive for a little bit longer, before they moved forward with the next phase of their plan.
Felicity didn't see her boss over the next couple of days. After she encountered him, in a very private moment, Felicity didn't know what to say to be honest. She was glad Harry had been all over the town.
She made her way out of the elevator, and almost bumped into Harry.
"Hey, Felicity," Harry said, wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from falling over.
"Oh, Harry, um, good morning," Felicity said. She stepped back, and shook her head. "Sorry, I jumped you…sorry I ran into you….it's been a long night, but I'm sure you know all about long nights."
"Well, I've had a few, yes," Harry said. "You look flushed….are you sure you don't need to take some time off? If you're not feeling well, there's a bed in the penthouse where I can set you down."
"Oh, as much as I'd like to you to take me to bed, I'm afraid….is it just getting hot here, or is it just me?" Felicity asked.
"It's you," Harry said.
"Really, you think I'm hot?" Felicity asked. "I mean, sweating….like I've been working hard….maybe I need a shower."
"Maybe you should, maybe a nice cold shower will be good," Harry said. "Do you need any help?"
"In the shower," Felicity said. "Um….."
She realized she undressed him with her eyes more and more. A lump manifested in Felicity's throat, but she shook her head to calm herself down.
"I just need to sit down, and check a couple of things," Felicity said.
Harry walked her over to the desk and sat her down behind the chair.
'You know, just shut up….so you don't say anything….normally the sexual harassment thing happens the other way around….is it really sexual harassment though if the person is willing?'
Felicity shook her head in response and tried to return herself to a sense of coherency.
The door opened which caused Felicity to almost jump up. A young woman with dark hair, wearing sunglasses made her way into the office.
Harry turned his attention towards Sara, who entered the office incognito, and approached him with a smile.
"I have what you wanted," she said, slipping him a file.
Felicity turned towards her and curiosity rather spread over her.
"Don't worry, it's nothing too crucial towards your job, Miss….." the young woman said with a smile.
"Smoak, Felicity Smoak," she said.
Did she dare ask? Did Felicity dare really want to know? Curiosity did something to the cat, and she blinked for a long second. The IT woman looked from the file.
"Sara," the girl said in response to the unasked question. "I'm one of Harry's bodyguards."
"No offense, but….you don't look like you can do as much damage to anyone who can attack Harry," Felicity said.
Sara made her way around Felicity and placed a pair of hands on her shoulders, with a smile.
"Don't worry, appearances can be deceiving," Sara said. She leaned towards Felicity with a smile on her face. "I can be rather skilled with my hands….would you like a demonstration?"
Felicity's mind went straight into the gutter where her mind honestly felt a home with. She caught a glimpse at the young woman. Something about her demeanor seemed rather familiar, like Felicity ran into her before.
"Um, I'll take your word for it," Felicity said. She rose up. "I just remembered…..I need to check on my team…you know how they get when left on their own devices."
"Of course," Harry said. "Let me know if you need some time off….you have been working hard on the project, with Indy."
Felicity nodded and made her way to the elevator, almost tripping over her feet. A long moment passed before she passed the elevator.
Sara broke out into a smile on her face, and adjusted the sunglasses. The rather realistic dark hair wig on her face, made down in the R and D department, allowed her to look walk around without anyone seeing a dead woman around.
"So, she's cute," Sara said. "Can we keep her?"
"Well, it's inevitable, isn't it," Harry said.
Sara only responded with a grin. She leaned forward and captured her husband's lips with a small kiss, before moving back.
"You know, if it wasn't inevitable, I would really think you're losing your touch," Sara said. She held her thumb and forefinger together. "Just a little bit….so…what's in the file?"
"You didn't look?" Harry asked.
"Well, I'd figure you'd tell me, so there's no need to look," Sara said.
"Information on Merlyn and Edge's newest contact, a Mr. Ares," Harry said. Sara almost opened her mouth for a second, but Harry crossed over towards her. "Yes, Ares, as in the God of War."
"A hell of a coincidence," Sara said, a smile crossing her face. She knew very well Harry didn't believe in coincidences. "Yeah, I know."
Harry's phone rang and the green-eyed sorcerer answered the phone.
"Hello?" Harry asked. "Yes…oh really, you're in town…now? How long….yes I'll be there and pick you up, I'm sure we have a lot to discuss when you get there."
Sara smiled, talk about not believing in coincidences.
"You expected someone to call, didn't you?" Sara asked. One single smile on Harry's face told her pretty much everything she needed to know. "Of course you did, why wouldn't you? Do you want me to tag along?"
"Given you're my fearsome bodyguard, I would be insulted if you didn't tag along," Harry said. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in tight. "Plus, we have to maintain appearances."
Sara answered with a smirk. She knew, as well as Harry did, her role with Harry, especially with Nyssa away, was to protect the idiots from Harry, and not the only way around. If he tore into them, there would be trouble. If Sara beat them up, they might get off easily.
Maybe, depending if she was in a good mood, but if they pissed Sara off, they really took their chances.
Sara and Harry arrived at the airport in the limo. The two of them exited the limo, with Sara walking next to him.
"So, are you going to tell me who you're meeting?" Sara asked. Harry grinned at her. "I guess you're not going to tell me, because it will spoil the surprise, won't it?"
"Trust me, it will be more than worth the wait," Harry said.
Sara folded her arms and any number of thoughts swarmed the mind of the fearsome warrior. If Harry said it was worth the wait, it happened to be worth the wait. She didn't doubt him for a long moment. Her attention turned towards a jet which landed on the ground. Sara's mouth hung open in shock an eye.
"No way, no way!"
"Yes way," Harry said. Sara turned to him for a half of a second, but her eyes returned to the woman approaching from the plan. "Remember to compose herself."
Sara couldn't really compose herself, because before the Gambit, before her life changed, she had a bit of a girl crush on the woman Now, Sara watched the woman make her way down the steps of the plane. Her midnight dark hair framed her face with a pair of blue eyes behind a set of sunglasses. She dressed in an elegant female business suit. Her skirt went down a modest amount, but still showed her legs, which Sara's eyes glued on. Harry's hand on her shoulder brought Sara's thoughts back to reality.
'Easy Sara, don't pull a Felicity.'
Sara almost mentally laughed at the implication. A member of the League of Assassins, fangirling to such a degree would not be becoming.
"Diana, welcome," Harry said. "It's nice to see you again."
"It's been too long, Harry," Diana said. The Amazon Princess made her way towards Harry and gave him a long kiss in response.
Sara watched the entire display, feeling a bit jealous, well of both of them really. Diana looked really eager to see Harry and it caused Sara to become more and more intrigued about the nature of their relationship. Harry told her a lot about his travels, but even he said there were a lot of things.
"This is Sara, one of my wives, and my bodyguard, today," Harry said.
"Right, so you're the one who is protecting everyone form Harry," Diana said.
"Right, it's…wow, you're really her, aren't you?" Sara asked. She took a moment to adjust her stance. "I mean, it's a pleasure to meet you, I had no idea you knew Harry."
Sara's eyes shifted over towards Harry, but the young man answered her with a smile.
"I didn't really have a good enough opportunity to inform you," Harry said. He walked towards Sara and leaned towards her, so only the two of them could hear each other. "You know, if I would have know the Amazon Princess made you wet in the panties, I would have told you a long time ago."
Sara shifted away from Harry, trying not to look too critical of her master and husband.
"You're making it up to me later," Sara said, with a smile.
"I'll put in the good word for you," Harry said.
"Good," Sara said.
Harry leaned towards her and gave her a long kiss. Sara indulged Harry in the intense kiss, before the young man pulled away from her.
"Some things never change, do they?" Diana asked. Harry raised an eyebrow, looking at the Amazon Princess with a smile. "I'd imagine they really don't."
"Not with me, Diana," Harry said. "Even though I died and came back to life."
Diana wanted to hear the story behind Harry's death and resurrection, but her patience allowed her not to blurt out to ask him the obvious question. She would know when it was time for her to know and not a second before, at least in her mind.
"Well, I'm sure you can explain to me the problem," Harry said. "Unless, this is just a field trip your mother sent you on to get some cultural perspective on the outside world."
"Partially, but there's a problem," Diana said. "And I need your help….."
"Does this have anything to with Ares?" Harry asked.
The Amazon Princess blinked in surprise and nodded. Harry blew her mind half of the time with his casual statement. A number of questions entered Diana's mind and she decided to dive in for the most abrupt of all of the questions possible.
"How?"
Harry chuckled, after all of these years, he still rendered the Princess speechless. He waved her inside of the limo and Diana no doubt thought an explanation was in order.
Artemis watched Thea training, rather intently. Rose decided to show up by Artemis's side to watch her observation of Thea's training.
"So, how do you think she's coming along?" Rose asked. "Six months before we throw her out on the field?"
"This isn't Gotham City, the entire teenage sidekick thing doesn't go over well here," Artemis said.
"Oh, are you interesting in picking up a sidekick?" Rose asked.
Artemis turned her attention to the young woman who managed to hit the target with increased frequency.
"Well, I'd like to think of her as someone who could watch my back," Artemis said. She leaned back, stretching out her arms. The woman's nose scrunched up in the deepest of deep thoughts. "Harry and Sara are there for me a lot of the time, but they can't be with me all of the time."
"Yes, indeed," Rose said. "And you see something in her, don't you?"
Much to the interest of both of the other women, Thea pinned one on the target. A prideful smile spread over Artemis's face as she watched Thea hit the target full on one more time.
"I see a lot of potential in her, yes," Artemis said. "But, I want her to be able to defend herself, not be able to throw her into the war as a soldier."
"What does Harry think about your assessment?" Rose asked.
"Harry pretty much agrees with me," Artemis said. "He thinks Thea will be valuable in the future, but not to push her out there. Especially when her emotions are running high."
Rose knew all about emotions running high. She spent half of her life in captivity, and experimented on. Rose owed a lot of her life to Harry.
The mercenary's eye watched Thea hit another target. The interesting thing which put a smile on Rose's face was where Thea had a lot of room for improvement and a lot of time to improve with.
"She's not too bad," Rose said. "Pretty solid all things considered."
Artemis smiled, Rose's assessment looked to be pretty spot on. The archer made her way up and clapped, which brought Thea out of zone.
"So, how did I know?" Thea asked.
"You still hesitate and think things through too much," Artemis said. "You need to find the right balance between trusting your impulses and going through with a strategy."
Thea wished she knew exactly what Artemis talked about. Every time she thought the sweet spot had been hit, something.
"One day, I'll be ready," Thea said. "I want to clean up things, it's my city."
"One step at a time," Artemis said. "A warrior is not trained in a few days…a warrior is forged over many years of intense preparation…granted, we don't have many years, but we're going to have to make due with what we have."
Thea nodded in response. She didn't have to like the fact she waited. The fact she trained underneath such a legion of skilled fighters blew the teenager's mind. Just to think a few months ago, she was a normal teenager, perhaps on a self-destructive path like her brother's, which lead him onto the ship.
"But, there's more to fighting than shooting a stationary target," Artemis said. She stepped into the middle of the floor. "You can see what you can do about hitting a moving target."
Thea blinked and she looked towards Artemis. Surely, Artemis couldn't be saying what Thea thought she said, could she?
"Go ahead, take your best shot."
Thea questioned Artemis's sanity, but not for the first time. She dressed in in a bright green hood, putting arrows into people, who could easily kill her. So, she wouldn't be surprised Artemis offered herself up as a moving target for Thea to fire a few arrows at.
Vandal Savage waited for a very important meeting of his own. Edge tried to chase down some stolen shipments. His business contact may have cut off Intergang, at least the word on the street indicated so much.
Savage walked past some local toughs on the street. One of them stepped towards him, with a knife drawn, but the displaced caveman grabbed his arm and twisted it. The arm snapped as he drove the man to his knees. With another motion, Savage kicked the good to the side like yesterday's trash.
"I trust you boys won't bother me today," Savage said.
"No, man, you're cool with us," one of the goons said.
"Good, I'm glad we're cool," Savage said.
Savage walked past the toughs, all of them shaken like scared children. The world grew soft in this generation, despite their bravado. Savage intended to fix it by weeding out the week.
"Good day, Mr. Savage."
"Ares," Vandal Savage said. "I do hope the group outside haven't been recruited by you."
"They're not my recruits," Ares said. He placed a folder down on the desk. "My recruits wouldn't have been humiliated as easily….but they do have their uses."
"Cannon fodder is essential to fight every war," Savage said.
"Correct," Ares said. The man flipped open the folder on the desk before Savage. "We've sped up Merlyn's time table….but we can start a war on two fronts."
"Star Labs?" Savage asked. "He isn't even close to completing what we need there."
"Not yet, but….it doesn't need to be complete to create my army," Ares said. "And if countless of civilians die, without receiving powers, all so much the better."
Mass deaths stirred up fear and panic, and fear and panic lead to war. War kept the humans humble. Ares thought the world had been too peaceful, and everyone had been so secure. Stirring up insurgents in the Middle East only went so far, but it didn't strike close enough to home for the people in this company.
"And only the strong will survive what we have planned," Savage said. "A war on two fronts."
Once they had the artifact from Edge, they could really get to work.
To Be Continued.