Ill Wind Blow Away
Paris – The Sewers
Sands, the Agency's team leader could feel the situation rapidly slipping way. He wasn't the ironic sort or he might have appreciated the fact that they were in a sewer and their mission was turning to shit. The team was down to five members and they were dangerously spread out. Their own bullets had taken out one team member. The ancient stonewalls sent every miss ricocheting back at them. Communications with the surface had been cut off. Whether that was because they were too deep underground or something was happening on the surface he didn't know. As he slowly edged his way through the waist deep water, moving his flashlight methodically back and forth against the darkness, he knew the target was somewhere close. It shouldn't be this hard to kill one unarmed man he thought. If all that wasn't bad enough, the thunder from above was getting closer.
A strangled scream came from his left and Sands pivoted and shown his flashlight only to see ripples on the water. Another team member floated to the surface moments later. As the man drifted towards him, Sands stopped the body and checked. He was unconscious, but not dead. None of the team members taken out so far had been killed. It made no sense, who is this guy, Sands wondered?
He could hear the other team members splashing towards him. They regrouped realizing they were being hunted instead of the other way around. Silent signals were passed between them. They moved so their backs were together, guns at the ready. Silence, except for the swirl of water surrounded them in the darkness. It seemed the thunder had stopped above them. They began to move in unison towards a cavernous central lower chamber with eight smaller chambers running off it in the distance. Their fallen teammates' flashlights floated along next to them, bobbing haphazardly in the water, their beams randomly illuminating the damp, ancient walls of the sewer. Sands flicked his communicator, but there was still no contact with the outside world. He thumbed a switch to contact the other members of the team on the higher levels, but there was only static.
"Shit." He softly cursed as he switched the communicator off.
Washington
It was a small gray room in a nondescript building on a little used side street. Amanda Waller stood behind two Agency communications operatives, while her assistant Naomi sat waiting to carry out any of her instructions. Small, tight, controlled, this was the way Amanda liked things. She wanted to be in total control of any operation that affected her. She had picked Bennett to coordinate things in Paris, but if there had been more time she would have flown people directly from Washington to handle logistics, but time was off the essences.
Time was the enemy on this operation. With each passing minute the odds were shifting away from success. The team had raided the apartment, but Grinka, Suzette, Tresser and Kent were gone. An anonymous tip had given them Kent's location. Amanda had few illusions on whom the tip had come from. Now the team had missed and was chasing him through the sewers of Paris. They hadn't heard anything from Bennett and the clock was ticking.
A burst of static came over the monitor and one of the operatives turned and mouthed the word Paris to Amanda.
"Bennett? What the hell is happening there?" She demanded.
"Hello Amanda, good to hear your voice again."
Amanda stopped pacing at he sound of the voice and turned towards the monitor.
"Grinka? Where is Bennett?"
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
Julian looked at the speaker and then down at Bennett's body.
"I'm afraid he's indisposed, Amanda. You'll have to talk to me."
Washington
Amanda signaled to her assistant, Naomi for something to write on. The woman moved over and held out a tablet of paper for her. Amanda hastily wrote second team to safe house now! She underlined it and stared hard at Naomi. The other woman nodded and moved off to find to get a secure line.
"So are you all there, Julian? Nemesis, Kent?" She asked.
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
Julian glanced over at Suzette and smiled. She was holding the gun steady and level on the two assistants. With a roll of her eyes, she just shook her head silently. Julian looked back at the speaker.
"If you're going to play me, Amanda, we're not going to get anywhere," Julian said. "Your team is currently chasing Mr. Kent through the sewers, as you know. Not having any success I would imagine. Strange man, Mr. Kent, hard to kill as your team is finding out."
Washington
The small room was a hive of activity now as Amanda silently coordinated her response to these knew developments. She needed to keep Julian on the line until the second team got to the house.
"And Nemesis?" She asked.
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
He pointed to Suzette and indicated one of the surveillance monitors. She silently moved over and began adjusting knobs.
"Disagreeable man, your Nemesis,' Julian said. "Afraid he's not here either, dear. Oh, you will be glad to know he had found proof of his innocence. Your man Frasier it turns out was behind the whole thing. How embarrassing for you, Amanda, especially if it got out."
Washington
Amanda stopped pacing and looked at the monitor from which Julian's voice emerged. She could almost imagine him smiling on the other end. She looked at Naomi and mouthed how long? Naomi checked several readouts and then held up her hand showing five fingers. Amanda nodded.
"Yes, I'm familiar with Frasier,' Amanda said. "Well, I guess that changes things, doesn't it."
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
Julian chuckled and sat down. He was carrying a cane and twirled it slowly between his fingers. He looked over at Suzette.
"Games." He quietly said. Suzette turned towards the two assistants and shot one of them.
Washington
A loud explosion came over the speaker and everyone in the room jumped.
"Julian? What the hell was that?" Amanda shouted. The others in the room exchanged nervous looks, but didn't say anything. "Julian?"
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
"That was someone dying, Amanda,' Julian informed her. "One of your young assistants, unfortunately. "
Washington
Amanda's face grew stern as she listened to his words.
"Damn it, Grinka, that was totally unnecessary! What do you want?"
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
"Your full attention." He replied.
Washington
"You have it, now what do you want?"
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
"You by now have sent another team to this location,' Julian explained. "Stop them."
Washington
The staff looked at Amanda in surprise.
"Another team? I don't know what you're talking about Julian,' she replied.
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
Julian sighed and shook his head. He glanced at Suzette again and nodded. She pulled the trigger killing the last of the assistants.
Washington
The explosion reverberated through the small room.
"You son of a bitch!" Amanda snarled.
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
"I'm an old man, Amanda, but I'm not a fool,' Julian said. "I was doing this before you were out of diapers; so don't treat me like an amateur. Call your second team off, now."
Washington
Amanda stood looking at the speaker. There was a hard, cold look in her eyes. Her fingers curled up into fists. She didn't want to give into him.
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
"Suzette can start shooting random people on the street if you wish, Amanda?' Julian offered.
"Yes, I'd be more than happy to." Suzette said, speaking for the first time. She got up and moved over to the window and opened it. "Oh, there's a party just down the way. Lots of targets to pick from."
"It's up to you, Amanda,' Julian said.
Washington
"All right,' Amanda hissed. She signaled to her assistant Naomi. "I'm calling off the second team, Julian. Have Suzette close the window. Now tell me what you want?"
Paris - Neighborhood of the Auteuil
Julian smiled and nodded to Suzette. She looked longingly out the window and the slowly closed it.
"I'm glad you're being reasonable, Amanda,' Julian happily said. "Now things will go much smoother. Let's start the negotiations, shall we?"
Paris – The Sewers
Diana slogged through the knee-deep water, scanning the flashlight over every surface. The gunfire had stopped and she had to slow down her search for Kal. She was angry, not just at the assassins, but at Kal too. He just had to pick the sewers, she thought. With each step she could feel the putrid water slosh over the tops of her boots and seep down inside. She was definitely going to hit him when she found him, she thought. Once she made sure he was already of course.
There were so many tunnels and tributaries; it was a maze she realized. As she rounded a corner, a body floated towards her. Diana was on guard for a trick, but as the body neared she saw the man was unconscious. She checked to see if he was alive and felt a faint pulse. She couldn't help smiling. This meant Kal was still alive. With a renewed scene of hope, Diana continued on.
Lower in the sewers, Sands and his team had reached the large central chamber. The smell was almost too much here. Sands held up his hand to signal to the team to stop. Eight channels fed into this room and Kent could be in any one of them. Silently he pointed to three of them and motioned to members of his team to check them out. He and the last member would cover them. As the three men moved through the waist deep water, Sands had an uneasy feeling. Something was wrong about this place. The smell, it was different than the rest of the sewer, almost a gas smell.
A small bit of something flashed by and up one of the tunnels. The team member reacted instinctively and pulled the trigger. An explosion rocked them, knocking them off their feet. The team member closest to the side tunnel caught on fire and screamed in pain. Gas, Sands cursed; there was a huge build up of gas in this part of the sewer. If they fired their weapons they would blow themselves up along with their target.
"Holster your weapons!" He shouted. "This place is filled with gas!"
"That's right, it is."
The team turned to see Clark step out from one of the side tunnels. He was soaking weapon and they could see blood dripping from several wounds, but he still presented a rather imposing figure.
"Kill him!" Sands shouted, pulling his knife. Before they could step forward, Clark held up a wood match.
"Safety matches, waterproof," he informed them. With a flick of his thumb, the red tip of the match burst into flames. He tossed it towards them and dove back into the side tunnel.
"Move!" Sands shouted, as the air around them caught fire and exploded.
Diana heard and felt the explosion as it shook the ground under her feet. Floating up out of the water, she began to move rapidly towards it. Gunfire came from two spots in front of her but she didn't even slow down. Deflecting the bullets she backhanded the shooters into the walls and picked up speed. The echoes kept coming and she grew nervous the closer she got. Down, down, down she went, flying as fast as she could in the underground passages. The air around her heated up, but she continued until she came across the bodies floating in the putrid water.
"Kal!" She shouted
Flashlights moved chaotically on the surface of the water, casting their beams erratically all around the chamber. Some of the team members were still moving, but her focus was singular. Diana landed in the water and began to slog through it searching for him. The flashlight in her hand moved quickly over every surface and side channel. Finally she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned. He was standing, leaning against the wall smiling at her. His clothes were burnt and she could see blood, but her heart soared at the sight of him. He looked as if he could barely stand. They stood just looking at each other. He took the first step.
"So come here often?' He said, his smile getting bigger. She wanted to scream and laugh, as a thousand different emotions rushed through her. Her feet moved on their own, gaining speed as she rushed towards him. He started to fall, but she caught him. They were in each other's arms in the next moment. He pulled her to him, kissing her as if he never wanted to stop kissing her. She returned it, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms. One kiss turned into another and another, each more intense. It was movement beside them that finally caused her to pull away. Sands slowly rose out of the water, holding a large, cruel looking knife in his hands.
"You son of a bitch!" He growled and lunged at Clark. Diana caught him and lifted him off the ground. An overwhelming anger washed over her as she drew back her fist. Sands struggled, but couldn't break her grip. He threw the knife at Clark, just barely missing him. Diana was just about to unleash a powerful blow, when a hand grabbed her wrist and stop her. She turned and saw Clark as holding on to her. She looked at him.
"He's not worth it,' Clark said to her. She looked back at the man, the killer she thought.
"No, he's not," she replied and then tossed the man away with a flick of her wrist. She turned back to Clark and he smiled at her.
"My hero."
She hit him, hard.
"Ow!" He stumbled and leaned against the brick wall.
"Do you know what you put me through, you idiot!" She growled at him. She hit him again for good measure.
"You know I'm injured here,' he said, flinching against her blows.
"Oh, shut up and kiss me,' she replied, pulling him close.
"Yes ma'am."
Gotham
Bruce and Tom stood on a rooftop having transported from Paris. They were meeting Batman's contact. Tom was in a foul mood as he paced the rooftop. Bruce watched him silently for several minutes.
"You need to let it go,' Bruce finally said. Tom turned and looked at him, the anger in his eyes.
"More advice? What would you know anything about losing someone?"
"Quite a bit, actually,' Bruce said softly. "I'm saying this because I think you're basically a good man, Nemesis. You can let this eat you up and take over your life or you can let it go. You're not a boy whose life has been destroyed before his eyes; you're a man who lost out on a woman. She's an exceptional woman, I grant you, but she made her choice. You have to accept it or you're never going to get past this."
Tom looked at him, with tears in his eyes.
"You don't know what it's like,' Tom replied. "I was in love with her."
"You think you're the first man that's been in love with her? You're not," Bruce said. "Some relationships aren't meant for forever. They run their course and if you try and hold onto them you ruin what you once had. It's hard and it hurts, but you have to accept it."
Tom stood looking at Batman not knowing what to say. A door opened on the rooftop and a man stepped out. He was an older man, with a head full of gray hair. He stopped several feet away from them and looked from Tom to Batman.
"Batman."
"Faraday." Bruce replied. "Nemesis, this is King Faraday. He's one of the good guys. He'll keep you safe and help you clear your names."
"Faraday?" Tom said, looking at the man. "You're with the government."
"Sort of, but we can talk about that later,' Faraday said. "We should get going."
Tom nodded and started to follow him. He stopped and turned to Batman. He held out his hand. Bruce shook it and then Tom left. Bruce moved over to the edge of the building and looked out over the city. He would check to make sure Clark and Diana were all right, but he wanted to be here just a little while longer. His city stretched out in front of him. His life was so tied to this place in so many ways. The city had created him in a manner of speaking.
"Quite a speech,' a voice said behind him. 'I wasn't expecting that from you."
He turned to see Selina slip down and land several feet from him. Even after all these years she was still as lovely as ever.
"I hope it reaches him,' Bruce replied. "I do think he's a good man at his core."
She walked over and stopped beside him, looking out at the city.
"So that stuff about relationships and how not all of them are meant for forever?"
"Some relationships, yes."
"And then there are those that never end, aren't there?" She said. "Like you and this city."
"That would be one of them,' he replied, looking at her. Selina lifted her goggles and held his gaze.
"And us?"
He turned towards her and brushed his fingers down her slender arm.
"I can't give any guarantees Selina, you know that,' he quietly said to her. "But Vic's death did make me realize something. Helena almost missed her chance to tell him how she felt. She finally did just before the end. I don't want to miss my chance. I love you, Selina, I probably always have."
She stepped forward and kissed him.
"I love you too, Bruce,' she whispered and kissed him again. "No guarantees."
"No guarantees."
Paris
Clark slowly opened his eyes and looked around. His last memory was of the sewer. The adrenaline had worn off and he had collapsed into Diana's arms. Now he found himself on a bed in what looked like a hotel room. It was a large rectangular room, the walls a muted bluish green stucco he guessed. A window was on his right, set in a thick dark brown frame with lace curtains. It was slightly ajar and a gentle breeze could just be felt. He shifted to take in the rest of the room, absently noticing he wasn't wearing any clothes. The bed was king size, with a padded headboard covered in a gold material with small intricate fleur de lys in the same color of green as the walls. A white muslin comforter was on top of him and he could feel the cool cotton sheets against his skin. The room had very little ornamentation, one print of Van Gogh's Sunflowers hung on the wall. There was a sturdy looking dark wood bedside table with a brass lamp on top of it. A table and two chairs of similar wood were the only other furniture in the room. He smiled as he notice two china dishes on the table, along with cloth napkins, silverware, bottles of water and glasses.
He was just starting to sit up, when the door to what he guessed was the bathroom opened and Diana stepped out. She smiled at him.
"Good, you're finally awake,' she said.
He noticed she was dressed completely different than he'd ever remembered seeing her. She had on a pair of jeans with no shoes and what he took to be a man's sleeveless undershirt. The undershirt fit rather tightly to her body and he could easily tell she wore nothing underneath it.
"This is getting to be a habit,' he offered. "Waking up in hotel rooms with you. Nice shirt, by the way."
Diana glanced down at it.
"I didn't have anything to wear and the gift shop downstairs didn't have anything in my size,' she replied. "It's yours."
"You can keep it,' he said with a smile.
"You don't think it's too tight, do you?" She asked, moving towards him. He smiled even wider now.
"You still have a lot to learn about men, Diana. Tight, tight is good, very good."
She gave him a look, but let it go.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Better,' he replied. "Where are we?"
"A hotel in Paris,' she informed him. "You've been out for almost a whole day."
He looked down to see some of the wounds on his body were still fresh but already healing.
"You're becoming quite the nurse,' he said. "Thank you."
"I had help this time,' Diana replied. "I called Kimiyo and she checked you out. There was a lot of blood and you were bleeding internally. With your powers coming back, though, she was able to stop the bleeding and your body is doing the rest."
She sat down next to him on the bed. He looked at her in surprise.
"You know?"
"About your powers, yes,' she said with a nod. "Since Sarajevo."
He looked down at the sheets.
"They haven't all come back, not yet."
"I know,' she replied.
"So what has been happening since I've been out?" He asked.
"Quite a bit actually,' she informed him. "Your name has been cleared and a man named Frasier has been implicated in the murders of the Senator's son and another agent. He's dead now, so that looks like it's over. There was been several arrests in Tokyo and Moscow that seem related, but I haven't looked too deeply into them."
"Nemesis?"
She was absently running her fingers over his skin along the points that were still healing. He saw something flash over her features for just a moment.
"He's back in the fold at the Agency it seems,' she replied.
"Julian and Suzette?"
"Disappeared,' she offered. "Bruce thinks they cut a deal with Amanda Waller, but he's still looking into it."
"I should have known they'd land on their feet,' he mused. "So it's really over."
He laid back, looking at the ceiling as this sank in. He'd been running for what seemed like so long, he found it hard to grasp that he didn't have to anymore.
"Kal?"
"Yeah?"
"Wh-What now?" She softly asked. He looked up at her and could see she was nervous and a bit anxious about his reply.
"How do you mean?"
"You're powers are returning,' she explained. "You're going to be Superman again. Have you thought about that and what you're going to do?"
"Yes," he admitted. "It is still going to be awhile before they all return, but even then I'm not sure I'll be Superman anymore, Diana. I know I can't just turn away from it this time, but I haven't worked it all out yet. I'm sort of focusing on the short term rather than the long term at this point."
"Oh?" She said, looking into his eyes.
"Yeah, there's this woman,' he said with a smile. "I'm head over heels in love with her."
"Oh really?" Diana said, smiling and moving closer to him. "So tell me all about her, Kal.'
He ran his hand along her bare arm and eased her closer to him. His fingers intertwined with hers and he kissed her.
"Well, she's amazing, of course,' he offered.
"Of course,' she repeated, smiling at this.
"A bit set in her ways, though, stubborn and bossy, too,' he teased.
"Really? Stubborn and bossy?" Diana repeated, giving his fingers a rather hard squeeze.
"But beautiful,' he quickly added, feeling her grip tighten. "She's beautiful, smart, funny, compassionate, caring and so many wonderful things. I mentioned beautiful, didn't I?'
"Yes, " Diana replied with a smile, easing her grip on his hand. "You sound very lucky to find someone so amazing.'
"Oh, I am, I am,' he said to her.
"You know I've found someone too,' Diana stated.
"Is that so? Well, congratulations,' Clark teased. "Must be a great guy, huh?"
"Well,' Diana said, rolling her eyes. "He's handsome, that's true, but he's also infuriating, stubborn, rude and at times incredibly stupid."
It was his turn to loose his smile.
"Oh, really? How do you put up with him?" He sarcastically asked.
"What can I do?" Diana said with a shrug. "I've fallen in love with him."
He pulled her down next to him on the bed and leaned over her, kissing her lips.
"So I guess you're stuck with him, huh?"
"Yes,' she whispered, kissing him.
"Yeah, I know how that feels,' he said, between kisses. "I figure there's nothing else for me to do but marry this woman. You think she'll say yes?"
Diana had a radiant smile on her lips as she looked up at him.
"You might have to persuade her, Kal,' she said with a small giggle.
"I can do that,' he replied, leaning in to kiss her again.
Cote D'Azur – Two weeks later
The small contingent of sunbathers couldn't help glancing up as the young woman walked out of the water. Her golden skin and jet black hair were set off by a white two-piece bathing suit. She was stunning to look at. Every eye followed her as she leisurely walked up to where her towel and things were and sat down. Suzette smiled as she dried herself off and looked out at the Mediterranean. She liked it here but they would be moving on very soon. She casually glanced up at the beachfront house and knew Julian and Amanda Waller were meeting. She left those matters to him and concentrated on the moment.
The young French politician was coming later to take her to dinner. Suzette suspected he would ask her to marry him. She hadn't decided on her answer yet, but could see the benefits of being his wife. His family had money and his career was just starting to take off. As his wife she would have position and luxury, two things she liked very much. Now that her past had been wiped clean by Amanda Waller, she was free to do anything she wanted. Perhaps she would marry him, she thought.
Thinking of the politician, though, made her think of another man, Kal. They had left Paris without seeing him. She just assumed him would be able to take care of himself. As she sat thinking about him, she found she missed him and wanted him again. It was such a strange emotion for her to want someone. Being in his arms, sharing a bed with him had been the most enjoyable time she could ever remember. It had all been about the moment, the sensations, and the desire that overwhelmed them both. It was like a drug and she found she still carved it. She was sure she would see him again.
Now though, there was her immediate future. A smile came to her full lips as she remembered she had a little task to complete later. So much had changed in less than a year. New sensations and thrills had opened up to her and she fully embraced them. Perhaps it was for the best she was no longer Suzette and had reverted to her given name, Simone. A new life deserved a new name, she thought. Laying down and closing her eyes, she smiled, letting the sun warm her skin. So many possibilities were just waiting for her to seize them.
Julian stood on a deck overlooking the beach, smiling. Amanda Waller was next to him and their business was just about done.
"So the money has been transferred?" He asked.
"Yes, as per your instructions,' she replied. "You have your new passports and documents already. The Agency expects you to live up to your part of the bargain, Julian."
"Please, Amanda, you are always so serous,' he replied. "You've been able to solve the Senator's son's murder, roll up many in the Council and even help the Russians with some of their organized crime problem. I'm sure your superiors have been quite pleased with the deal we've made."
"Yes, but there is still the matter of the man living down the beach,' she pointed out. "You've both been paid, we expect results, Julian. We have a contract."
"Suzette, I mean, Simone will take care of it later tonight after her date,' Julian replied. "Your man will be dead as per our agreement. I think she's looking forward to it, actually.'
Amanda looked at him for a moment and then just shook her head. She glanced down at Suzette stretched out on the beach below them.
"Your daughter is some piece of work, Julian,' Amanda said. "She's a stone cold killer, you know that, don't you?"
"Yes, Suzette makes a father proud,' he replied with a smile.