So when the alerts were busted on this website, you may have missed Chapters 45, 46, and 47. So check those out when you have a chance.
Chapter Forty-Eight: Born on a Monday Part Two.
Nyssa listened to Rachel's explanation, assessed the situation, and knew in an instant how much trouble they were going to be in. The Daughter of the Demon allowed herself a rather obvious sigh. They've dealt with mystical situations and problems in the past, the League had collectively. This particular situation was one she felt took the cake, unfortunately.
And could have the worst consequences if left unchecked.
Jade, Artemis, Sara, and Rachel moved into position, with Nyssa a couple of steps behind them. Nyssa turned her attention towards Sara, who was looking off into the distance. The look of discomfort in Sara's eyes ended up betraying how she felt about this entire mission. Nyssa reached over, placed her hand on Sara's shoulder, and spun her around so the two women could properly face each other.
"I forgot the problems you've had with magic," Nyssa said.
"Not exactly my favorite thing in the world to deal with," Sara said. "And in the wrong hands, magic can be an extremely blunt weapon."
There were no more wrong hands than the members of the Court of Owls. Nyssa could not even begin to imagine what these monsters would pull off with their mystical abilities. It turned knots into the stomach of the Daughter of the Demon. Her very obvious sigh coursed through her body.
'Mystics, they can be a problem, especially when you don't know how to take them head on,' Nyssa thought.
The League had mystics in their organization, to varying degree of talent. True mystical power, the type of power which moved worlds, or at least warped them, it was a sight Nyssa did not see.
Sara went up against an unfeeling force of nature who she could not even hurt. The Court had the puppet on the string and a blunt weapon which could cause her problems.
'Grundy might not be the weapon to take me down,' Sara thought. 'Slade, it's always because of Slade….it's never not because of Slade.'
Slade haunted Sara around every corner, consumed her mind, and made Sara look over her shoulder. The problem was, as Sara saw it, it's what he wanted. He had been bent and having a near death experience was not a good thing to a person's psyche.
Sara should no. Regardless, she turned around to see Rachel, Raven, whatever she called herself right now, eyes locked onto Sara. Those eyes looked pretty chilling when locked onto Sara's, and made her feel slightly nervous. They burned with energy.
"I know you're nervous," Rachel said.
"I'm not," Sara said. "I've fought monsters before. Grundy is…"
"A means to an end," Rachel said. "The true demons which could come out of this situation will be far more dangerous than Grundy will ever hope to be. He's just a lost soul, lingering between two worlds. He destroys because it's his way of dealing with the pain. He wants to be sent on."
"Is there a way to send him on?" Sara asked.
The sorceress responded with a smile and shook her head. "If it were only this simple, he would have been sent on a long time ago, but as we both know, it's really not that simple. He's just a force of nature and he continues to rampage around the world."
Sara sighed, she figured about as much. Still, there was no problem in wishful thinking, was there? Sara doubted there would be, for many reasons. She looked to see Jade who was standing a few inches away from Artemis. The two had not had the best relationship, she figured. It was just a guess based off of their body language, but Sara had a funny feeling their relationship was not the best.
"Focus on dealing with the knights, and the pawns will fall," Sara said.
"Exactly," Rachel said. "But, I can tell your mind is elsewhere. You're not focusing on the Court of Owls. You're distracted. Distraction, or maybe obsession could get you killed."
Sara almost protested. She shut up when finding out Rachel did have a point. Sara's obsession could get her killed, and it was focusing on Slade. There was one pressing situation other than that.
'Okay, eight-foot tall swamp zombie,' Sara thought. 'You would think he would be the easiest thing in the world to pin down.'
She had to worry about a group of rich assholes dealing with things which were far beyond their comprehension. Sara wasn't the biggest expert in the mystic arts, but she eve knew.
"So, are you ready?" Jade asked. "Because it seems like Artemis isn't the only one who has some focusing…"
Sara blocked Jade's attempt to nail with a jabbing punch and swept her to the ground. Jade bounced back up to her feet and stuck the landing. She smiled, backing away from Sara.
"Fair enough," Jade responded. "There is something bothering you though."
"Let's deal with Grundy, worry about everything else later," Sara responded.
The radio started to crackle to life and Felicity came in on the other end. "Okay, I think we've found him, I think we've found Solomon Grundy. He's been sighted at an old shipping yard….east side….just ran over some of Starling City's finest like they were a bunch of school children.'
Sara couldn't do anything else, other than groan. Grundy wasn't making her life too much easier, to be perfectly honest. All she could do was prepare to head out, and prepare to fight Grundy.
The members of the high court of the Owls joined each other. Two of them at the very least, and they had been pleased with the progress of their latest pawn. One of them reached into his jacket, slid out a pack of cigarettes, slid the cigarette out, and lit it up. He took a drag from the cigarette.
"Bit premature to celebrate, isn't it?"
"We had a rough patch, no thanks to Malcolm Merlyn," the member of the court said. "We're covering though. Soon, all of Starling City will be ours."
It should have belonged to the Court of Owls from the very beginning. The member of the high court leaned back and allowed the cigarette smoke to blow into the air.
"I'm not sure," the member of the high court said. "Grundy is slipping further from our control."
"Maybe, but we're dealing with a chaotic force, so the reigns may slip," he said. "I still want to know about the sorceress who sent some of the Talon off."
"She reminds me of someone, her magic abilities….someone I encountered a long time ago," another member of the Court said.
He traveled the world, met all kinds of interesting people, for better or for worse. Still, Grundy slipping from the clutches was a bit of a problem. One they all hoped to have rectified sooner rather than later. He took a puff of smoke from the cigarette and breathed deeply.
"No matter what, the Court of the Owls shall always survive."
"Yes, you're much like cockroaches."
Two of the members of the Court turned around and came face to face with the notorious Slade Wilson in all of his glory. One of them withdrew a knife and pointed it towards Slade. The dangerous man just responded with a smile, as if he was extremely amused the Court would think he could be threatened.
They were men who were always in control. The fact Slade was one step ahead of them rattled the members of the Court.
"How did you get in this place?"
"Your guard wasn't very attentive," Slade said. "It's a pity, isn't it?"
The man tried to nail Slade with a knife. Slade blocked his hand and twisted his arm around. The man fell down to the ground. Slade withdrew a blade of his own and plunged it through the back and chest of his adversary in a blink of an eye. The man dropped to the ground, blood spilling everywhere. Slade pulled back and stood over the top of the man in question.
The second member of the Court dropped the cigarette he held, staggered back, raised his hands against the wall in the universal sign for surrendering. He shook like a leaf. Slade surveyed the man through one narrowed eye, the useless piece of filth who thought he was far better.
"The Court has not been holding up their end of our bargain," Slade said. "I gave you the most important tool to conduct your little experiments, my blood. And now…you think you're ahead of the game. Well, you're wrong, dead wrong. There is so much you're willfully ignorant of, I'm not going to waste my breath explaining everything you don't know. And I'm twelve steps ahead of you."
The Court member trembled and reached into his pocket. He took out a fat stack of cash and extended his arm towards Slade. His hand kept shaking when he tried to pass it off to Slade.
"Don't insult both of us, "Slade warned him.
The money dropped down to the ground. Slade grabbed the man's cigarette lighter and lit it. For one brief second, the High Court member thought Slade was going to burn his face off. Slade, instead, bent down and lit the stack of money on fire. The money burned into ashes before the Court Representative's eyes.
"I've given you all of the tools to conduct the experiments you want to, and this is how you repay your debts?" Slade asked. "No, I don't think so."
Slade gripped the throat of his adversary, squeezing tight and causing the man in question to gasp.
"You see, I've spent five long years of my life, more time than you could ever comprehend, trying to figure out the serum running through my blood stream. I've worked with some people, trying to discover the limits, discover what ti can do, what it can't do….and what kind of power it gives me."
Slade choked the Court member down to one knee. The man's windpipe could be crushed with one squeeze if Slade decided to do so. The man squirmed underneath Slade's hard grip. The breathing increased, but no matter what, Slade refused to break the death grip on his neck.
"I've taught the Court everything they know about Mirikuru," Slade said. "But, there's one thing without a shadow of a doubt, you should know. You don't under any circumstances know everything I do. And you are still ignorant of who truly controls things now."
The mercenary released the grip around the man's throat. The man slumped down against the wall, gasping for oxygen.
"You're refusing to look at the bigger picture."
"The bigger picture is I'm in control, and the Court is obsolete," Slade said.
Slade held the arrow and for a second, the high court member thought he would be stabbed in the eye. A moment of hesitation caused Slade to pull back. Did he feel some kind of pity? The member of the high court doubted it very much, his shaking hands continued to twitch.
"Lead me to the serum you've created," Slade said. "Lead me to your stock, or I will force you. You have a wife, children….and they are the only things they care about in this miserable world. I know where they are, and I know when they're coming home. I have men waiting."
"We'll bury you so deep no one will ever find you," the court member said.
Slade chuckled, patted the man on the head with one hand while putting the arrow head in the small of his back with the other hand.
"Mate, you wouldn't be the first to try."
The member of the Court walked Slade forward. His hands twitched the more Slade walked him forward.
"You're losing it; you're going to cause Armageddon."
Slade jabbed him lightly with the arrow head which was enough to get him to walk. "If Starling City burns, it is only then I can be truly avenged for being left to rot."
Solomon Grundy walked with his arms dragging on the ground. He grunted loudly when moving to his destination. Grundy turned around a fraction of an inch.
"Grew Ill On a Thursday!"
His loud growl came obviously. Two men stepped in front of him, one of them wielding a very large and potent staff. Grundy growled when staring down the staff when it pointed at him.
"Come with us, monster."
The man sent sparks of energy through the staff and shocked Grundy. Grundy stepped back and grabbed the staff in his hand, before smashing his adversary down onto the ground. The other one rushed Grundy for an attack. Grundy gripped the man's head and whipped him down on the ground.
An arrow caught Grundy in the back of the neck. The arrow head exploded and rocked Grundy back. He howled in agony, turning around.
He remembered the girl in the hood who kept shooting Grundy with the pointy things. Pointy things that hurt, and now Grundy rushed towards her, smashing the perch point he was on.
Sara jumped down on the ground and caught Grundy with three rapid-fire shots in succession. One of the shots pierced Grundy's stomach, and the other two went through his chest. The swamp zombie ripped the arrows out of his chest and gave an angry howl towards her.
Grundy swung a vicious punch to the fences. Sara dodged the attack and fired another arrow at him. Grundy caught the arrow and crushed it into dust.
Cass came down for round two against the zombie. She swung a chain with a heavy weight on the end and it gripped Grundy around the wrist. Grundy pulled her in. Cass dodged Grundy's attack and dropped down behind him. Grundy swung another punch towards Cassandra, who dodged Grundy's attack.
Jade rushed in from the other end with a weapon with poisoned tip claws. She slashed Grundy's face with the claws. Grundy whipped back his hands and howled in misery. He charged Jade and tried to smash her face in. Jade dodged the attack from Grundy and slammed the claws right into Grundy's back one more time.
The howling swamp zombie went towards Jade one more time, in time to receive dual arrows to the face from Artemis and Nyssa.
"I'll show you focus," Artemis said.
"Don't show me, show him."
Artemis heard Jade's words just a second before Grundy charged in. Grundy smashed the ground where Artemis stood.
Sara hoped Rachel was ready to spring the trap soon. Grundy went towards her with malicious intention.
"GOT WORSE ON FRIDAY!"
Grundy's large arm was a bit more sluggish than usual. Jade's poison seemed to work, at least in small doses. Sara had about five or six months at once before pulling back. Grundy whirled his hand around and then she nailed about five or six more punches to Grundy.
Sara's knuckles became very sore from how hard she was hitting Grundy.
"DIED ON A SATURDAY!"
Grundy ripped a large piece of street pavement out of the ground and chucked it at Sara. Sara threw herself down on the ground to dodge the attack. The pavement shattered into dust, even though Sara's head didn't.
She looked up in time to see Rachel motioning. Just a little bit closer, and she would have Grundy. Sara got it right away.
'Okay, come on, let's see what you have.'
Grundy charged towards Sara and rushed towards her one more time. Sara pivoted in mid-air. He pushed forward and tried to nail Sara with another punch. Sara blocked the attack and nailed Grundy with a series of jabs to the side of the head.
An energy field engulfed Grundy. Grundy raised his hands up and energy withdrew from his body. The decaying form of the vessel they used decayed into dust.
"Buried on a Sunday."
Grundy's spirit had been returned to its limbo, back to Slaughter Swamp in Gotham City where it belonged. He didn't fight being ripped from this plane because of the pain.
Sara looked down at the dust which was once Grundy. It was almost a pity.
'And that's the end of Solomon Grundy.'
Now, they stopped this, it was time for them to find the source. Sara turned her attention completely to one side and came face to face with a member of the Court of Owls. He bolted off to the other direction.
He slipped off into the shadows, already got a head start. Sara moved towards her, with Nyssa, Cass, Jade, and Artemis all following.
"Slippery snake," Jade said.
"Yes, the Court's like that," Nyssa said.
They had to get him. The two handlers Grundy mauled also disappeared, and they weren't the only ones.
Raven disappeared into the night, without as much saying a goodbye.
"And she's gone as well," Artemis said. "Do you think we'll see her again?"
"If we do, there are some dangerous things happening," Sara said.
The Talon's heart beat feverishly against his chest when returning to the headquarters of the Court of Owls. The plan had gone in the worst possible direction, and his employers would need to be warned.
The door had been left ajar which was very out of character for his employers. Security always was essential for them. The Talon put his hand on the door and pushed it open. The door snapped back with a light creak. The goon stepped into the room.
Three members of the high court laid down on the ground. Their faces had been carved up, their clothes had been ripped, and stab wounds were all over their body. The most damning feature of the Court's attack was the arrow jabbed directly in the eye of one of them.
The Talon's hand shook even more. He turned around in time to face Slade Wilson.
"No one was supposed to come here," Slade said. "A real pity for you."
Slade wasn't alone, he had a few subordinates. Two of them were carrying a crate. The Talon moved forward to engage Slade, despite being outnumbered six to one, and with no obvious backup.
"I can't allow you to leave with those items," the Talon said. "They are the property of the Court of the Owls, and you can't be allowed to…"
Slade reached to grip the man's shoulder roughly and pull him in tighter. The man shuddered with Slade holding him in very close.
"I admire your devotion to your employers," Slade said. "Even though at this time, your devotion borders on sheer insanity. It's not what you allow. I'm telling you I'm going to leave with what belongs to me. But not before I kill you."
Slade grabbed the Talon's blade from him and held it at the man's throat. One wrong move and the blade would go into the Talon's throat, severing an artery. Providing, of course, Slade didn't just part the man's head from his shoulders.
"I should thank the Court, for making my job a lot easier," Slade said. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to haul these items into Starling City. It's a pity they're a shell of their former selves now."
Slade chuckled and pulled the blade away from the Court member's throat.
"It's true, they could always go through the laborious process of finding replacements in their high council," Slade said. "But, they're done in Starling City. If you see any of the other members of the Court, I haven't gotten around to killing just yet, tell them it would be in their best interest to leave Starling City and return to the warm sanctuary of Gotham. With what's to come, it's much safer for them."
Slade stabbed the Talon in the shoulder and dropped him to the ground. He would live, but Slade would leave his mark.
The men finished hauling out the rest of the tanks. The Talon pulled himself to his feet.
Moments, almost about fifteen of them passed. The doors of a panic room off to the side opened and three more members of the Court exited the room. They looked down at their Court members who had not been fortunate enough to escape.
"Why did he leave us alive?"
"To send a message," another suggested. "He will not fear us….that glorified pawn will not take over our plans. We still have…"
The sound of breaking glass announced the arrival of the Arrow. Three arrows wrapped up the remaining members of the high court. One wounded Talon was not enough to fight her off. The Hood blocked the Talon's attack and flipped him down onto the ground.
Several other figures moved in to seal off the exits.
"Are you working with Slade Wilson?"
"He's double-crossed us," one of the high court members admitted. He had been an arrow point and bravery failed him. "Slade has taken…the serum….the replication of what is in his blood stream, and Blood…after all we've done for that ingrate, he's double-crossed us. He's a treacherous snake!"
Sara shook her head, she didn't need to be informed Sebastian Blood was nothing but trouble.
"Slade lives."
"Yes, and he's coming for you, and everything you hold dear," the Court member said. "And you need to let us go before he comes back to kill us all."
Sara half hoped Slade would return to finish the job. She had a job of her own to finish.
Nyssa stepped closer into the room, and Sara turned around to face her.
"Slade Wilson lives," Nyssa said. "I can't believe it."
Sara responded with a nod. The time back on the island, well Sara was going to have to face reality. She thought Slade sinking beneath the depths of the AMAZO would be enough to finish him off, but reality told her differently.
"You do realize how bad this is?" Nyssa asked.
"I hoped he had become shark bait," Sara said. "I guess I was wrong….well, I'm back to correct my mistakes. And he's a mistake, a really big mistake."
Nyssa hitched in a breath, seeing Sara turn around. She put a hand on Sara's shoulder.
"Sara, please, don't do anything too reckless," Nyssa said. "I know…"
"He has to die," Sara said.
"Can he, though?" Nyssa asked.
Sara thought long and hard about whether or not Slade could in fact die. She thought he died at her hand on the island.
Nyssa placed a hand on Sara's shoulder and pulled her closer in.
"Do you want the League's help?"
Sara hesitated for a moment, mulling it over, and then, after she weighed the positives or negatives, she answered the question.
"No."
"I am grateful you all have given me a second chance, but words are hollow and actions speak much louder. I will happily become your Mayor of Starling City and will help lead this city back to the prominent future it once was. Thank you, and I'm sure my opponent will appreciate the opportunity not to get handed the election."
Sebastian Blood's eyes narrowed when watching the television. Everything wasn't going his way, especially with the people lapping up Moira's redemption story with a spoon. It could give him problems.
"So, your life has just become a lot more interesting, hasn't it?"
Blood turned around to face Slade.
"You assured me I would be in control of Starling City," Blood said.
"Is there truthfully a point in being the leader of a city which has been sentenced to death?" Slade asked. "Remember, who made you. Don't you dare think you can demand anything of me."
Slade spoke with the arrowhead clutched in his hand. Blood watched Slade grip the item, knowing it would be seconds before it would be rammed through his eye socket.
"I know people more powerful than you are."
Slade chuckled at Blood's arrogant declaration.
"Are you referring to the Court of Owls? Because they are under the assumption you betrayed them to me. So….I think you have two options. Either you work with me, or they will hunt you down for your treason."
Blood clutched his fist tightly. He thought Slade's obsession with revenge was getting out of control. Blood had big plans for the city, but Slade only wanted to lead it to its extermination.
There had to be a way for Blood to come out ahead. The man slipped out of tight spots before and could do so again.
To Be Continued on May 16th, 2017
Grundy's gone and Slade's moving forward with his plans. We're heading towards the homestretch here and things are going to go rather insane as well.
Needless to say, the Court will have to regroup and pull out of Starling City. Likely their business here is done, and shut down by Slade. Who has loftier plans for the city now?
Sara pretty much confirms outright Slade is alive. Granted, it seemed to be accurate given the evidence involved, but still, you can never be too careful
Until Tuesday.
