Sell you a Bridge

by MalcolmTent6730

Have you ever gotten an email telling you you've won a free cruise? Or one for a work out that will get you ripped in ten days? Wouldn't it be crazy if those offers were legit? Well for Morgan O'Malley they can be. Spam becomes real life when his meta powers finally manifest. Hopefully the perks of the super life aren't false advertising.

7. Chapter 7

Wayne Manor, July 9th 2010 7:15 PM EDT

I was a bit skeptical of Jim's plan. Admittedly I doubted Dick would have time to keep an eye on me with such a good show going on, but this seemed wildly dramatic and ostentatious. As I had that thought however I remembered that this was exactly Jim's style. He purposefully got caught on big flashy jobs to misdirect the League away from his real thefts and lower his perceived threat level. This was exactly the kind of thing he would do to draw heat off himself, so of course I should have assumed he would do the same for me.

I slunk back a bit with Annabel still behind me, sticking closer to the wall we weren't the only ones doing so either, there was a blonde guy I recognized from passing in GNB though he was wearing a ridiculous prussian military costume and a huge fake mustache and beard. He was standing with his back straight in front of a portrait of himself in the same outfit that he'd clearly hung there himself based on the Matisse poking out from behind the corner of a nearby table. His eyes were glued to Catwoman, though not to her face, and he was weirdly calm for such a chaotic situation.

He was such an odd sight he managed to distract from Jim's theater and I sidled along the wall to get within speaking distance. "Hey man, are you ok? Standing like that for so long can't be good for your back, and this place is getting robbed. Shouldn't you like...hide? Also I know it's rude to ask but what the hell is with your outfit?" I felt bad for Jim, he was putting on this big show and his apprentice wasn't even watching it, but this guy was just so weird and out of place I felt almost compelled to ask.

The man snorted "I am Ferdinand, The Royal Archduke of Grand Fenwick. These are my traditional military garments." I was pretty sure Grand Fenwick wasn't a real place and weirdly he wasn't speaking with an actual accent, just a really clipped formal tone that sounded like he was trying really hard to seem pompous. I just stared at him. He stared stoically ahead for a minute before he stopped and looked around before glaring at me, dropping the formal tone "Kid can you just be cool? Please? Just for like ten minutes can you be cool? Please? Just...ok?"

I put my hands up in surrender and inched away from the man taking my girlfriend with me. We gave each other odd looks but just shrugged it off. It was Gotham. Some people were just weird. Jim and Catwoman were still putting on their show, Catwoman had to be in on it because she was swing by the chandelier on her whip and narrowly dodging the howling ghosts Jim was hurling at her by such a slim margin every time she couldn't possibly be pulling it off if he wasn't helping had kind of calmed down as they "did battle" and I saw some of the teenagers subtly begin taking bets.

I knew I should stay here and play this out. Act the innocent. But this place was a fortress and the ancestral home of the wealthiest family in the city and I was an apprentice thief. I'd have had more luck resisting actual heroin. I leaned over to whisper to Annabel. "Hey it looks like they aren't involving civilians but there was some ruckus when they showed up, I'm worried about Arty and Reggie, I'm gonna go check and see if they're ok if you feel alright with me leaving?" Once I was clear I could slip off to case the place with my ninja moves and if Annabel ran into Reggie or Artemis I could just claim I couldn't find them.

She seemed a bit reluctant to let me go but finally after looking around and spotting a friend she bit her lip and nodded she reached out and squeezed my arm gently "Ok, go check on them, but be careful ok? Even if they aren't fighting in a way that could injure you I don't want you to get trampled or something." She leaned up to give me a quick peck on the lips and I smiled and promised I would be careful. I walked away into the crowd but as soon as I was out of her sight I slipped behind a pillar and melded into the shadows.

Making my way out once I didn't have a corporeal form anymore was much easier, I slipped back past Annabel, and wandered by the Royal Archduke of Grand Fenwick who was assuring a girl I recognized as one of the seniors from the academy that a night with him would be "Legendary" and regaling her with his exploits during the franco-prussian war fighting alongside a man named Barnabus Von Stinsmark who he described as a bro of great wisdom and cunning. Considering that war took place in the early eighteen hundreds I was personally doubtful, but the senior, whose name I remembered was Ashley, seemed very impressed.

I made it over to the crowds and slipped through them tracelessly actually doing what I told Annabel and checking on my friends. Artemis and Wally were making out behind a water feature in the gardens and Bette was dragging Reggie around to talk to her relatives, a surprising amount of whom were at this thing because apparently Gotham's upper crust are basically the noble houses from Harry Potter with no magic and with less stupid names. The whole thing took me about ten minutes, and drained five of the thirty five or so points I had because increasing movement speed in shadow form pretty much doubled the cost every time you sped up.

Finally I made it out into the hallway and I slowed down, combing through the place to look for anything interesting. I checked the Library, the Gallery, even the Kitchen, and there were plenty of valuable first editions and paintings but nothing worth breaking into this fortress for. Finally I stumbled on something that might be worth taking. an original Thomas Tompion grandfather clock. I actually took corporeal form to run my hands over the thing, admiring the beautiful craftsmanship.

Jim had made me memorize scores of books on rare antiques and valuable goods. He said a thief's catalog of knowledge was his life blood and I should be expanding it every day. As I ran my hands over it though I noticed something odd. It was stuck. I felt along the edges and found a fucking seam. I stepped back, absolutely furious at this nonsense. Who bolts a fucking clock to the wall? Aside from ruining the stupid clocks value it was just unnecessarily paranoid. I huffed and walked away from the damn thing. The idiots hadn't even seated it right, I could totally pry it away from the wall without too much effort, but it would wreck the piece of junk so what was the point.

The rest of my sweep was a bust. Well, except for an actual bust I almost took. The thing was a roman portrait bust of one of the more obscure emperors, but in the end it was too heavy to be worth it. I couldn't resist taking SOMETHING though and stopped back in the library to pocket a signed first edition of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman worth a cool three hundred k. It was small enough to fit in my suit's inner pocket and I couldn't not take anything after all this annoying nonsense. I had to work hard to get it though because I couldn't leave shadow form. The whole inside of the place was wired with cameras.

After my lap I was headed back to the Ballroom when I suddenly froze. Something was watching me. As in, it could literally see me right now, even hiding in shadow. I rose up from the darkness, taking a human form but using my original cloaking skill to wrap the dark around me and hide my now corporeal body from view. A low voice rumbled from the hall as a shape stepped into the moonlight cast by the nearby window. A beautiful woman with long dark hair and a red silk martial arts top with a diamond shape cut out of the front. "Well, well, well, I came here to make off with one of Wayne's treasures, who knew that would be such a popular objective tonight."

One of the most useful abilities I got as a ninja was my danger sense. It was the same sense that told me I was being watched, but it was also more than capable of detecting threats to my life. This woman was a giant blaring warning sign of threatening to my life. I slipped a hand in my pocket, running my fingers over my shuriken, but responded calmly in a casual tone "Apologies, I wasn't aware I would be stepping on anyone's toes. I haven't taken anything from here in any case, the security is too tight, so our missions don't conflict. Still, I don't think my trip was wasted I was feeling let down by all the mediocre artwork, but now that I've seen true beauty the evening can be considered a rousing success."

I did my best to mimic Jim's cadence and mannerisms without doing his accent. The woman laughed, her shining white teeth gleaming in the light of the moon "What a little flatterer. But I suppose it's not easy for someone your age to train to such a height in the craft of infiltration. A pity you aren't a few years younger, you would make an excellent match for my daughter." I tensed at her casual revelation of my age. I didn't think she had seen me, maybe she could tell by my voice. She chuckled again "Relax, little shade, I have not peered through your disguise. You gave me ample information about yourself to deduce your age."

I cleared my throat, embarrassed that even through my cloaking she could read me that well and wishing I'd brought my damn mask. Why had I decided to come snooping. The woman smiled at my nervous silence and waved a hand. "Off with you boy. I'm here to retrieve and item from the manor's owner for my mistress, not to catch interesting little thief boys. Take your ill gotten gains and be gone from this place." My hand twitched and I barely stopped myself from reaching to check if my jacket was bulging. Swallowing heavily I turned and walked back out into the darkness. I didn't know who that woman was, but she scared me. I was never coming back to this fucking manor again.

I popped back up in the Ballroom and met up with Artemis and Wally and Bette and Reggie before dragging everyone back over to Annabel. I expected her to have questions about why I was gone so long but she just looped her arm with mine and laid her head on my shoulder. Jim and Catwoman were both gone, and Reggie had apparently made a tidy profit betting on our mentor. As we made our way out of the party after scarfing some more apps and mingling a bit more I heard a voice call out to stop me. "Hey, Morgan, I didn't notice you around."

I turned to see Dick Grayson hurrying up with a redhead I didn't know but who looked slightly familiar. He grinned at me "Some party huh? Night was a little wilder than expected but people seem to have had fun so I guess I pulled it off." He have me a wide smile with what looked like a tinge of suspicion around his eyes "I didn't see you in the Ballroom earlier, I was looking for you to say hi. Guess we just have to catch up next time." He held out a hand and I shook it saying goodbye and thanking him for inviting me to the party. It was hard not to feel smug about making off with a three hundred thousand dollar book right under his nose, but I gave it my best shot. It didn't work.

Powers Estate, July 9th 2010 7:00 PM EDT

Ringing the doorbell at Annabel's place was nerve wracking. I was in my best suit, which I'd splurged and burned ten points on when I found an email for a discount suit sale that promised the highest quality and a fit as good as custom tailoring. I had five of them in my closet now and they were worth probably twenty grand a pop, I'd paid less than a thousand for all of them. Still, even with the perfectly fitted suit I was nervous.

I had considered finding an email to make me an expert at sex, but I didn't want Annabel to be suspicious of why I was so good in bed so I figured I would wait until after our first time to do it and just pass it off as me being a natural genius who picked it up fast. First time. I was feeling so terrified I was close to vomiting. I was about to lose my virginity. To a beautiful girl I was crazy about. In a mansion. My life really had taken a hard one eight when I got my powers. I closed my eyes, seeing the number forty burning behind my lids and focusing on that helped center me a bit.

Something about seeing the proof of my powers and what I could do helped me settle my stomach and just breathe. After a minute or two of deep breathing I finally knocked on the door. It felt strange to be going into such a huge mansion through the front door. I hadn't noticed at Wayne Manor because I was casing the place as well as visiting, but coming to a giant house not intending to steal anything was a bit of an odd experience. The knock echoed through the huge empty house on the other side and it only took a minute before Annabel herself opened the door.

She looked beautiful, as always, but she'd clearly gone the extra mile, wearing a black cocktail dress and delicate but expertly applied makeup that highlighted her cheekbones and full lips. Her eyes looked like bottomless blue whirlpools as she stared up at me with a soft smile. My voice shook slightly as I spoke "Y-you look beautiful Anna. I got you this." I held out a bouquet of violets (her favorite flower, thank you perfect memory) nervously. I felt like a moron and my throat was dry and my tongue felt heavy but I did my best not to stumble over my words too badly.

She took the flowers with a wide smile "Why thank you Morgan. Please, come in. I had Isabelle make us a full meal before she left, and it's all laid out on the table." She led me into the dining room, taking one of the crystal vases off a nearby china cabinet and coming back with it full of water. She slipped the flowers into the vase and gestured for me to sit down at the corner of the table where we could eat and still be close to each other while sitting at such a large piece of furniture.

The dining room was lit with candles, and the design let even the huge room feel intimate and romantic. Dinner was rib eye steaks with mashed potatoes and salad and Annabel had stolen one of her father's bottles of brandy for us to drink with dinner to help us relax. As she made our plates she smiled at me "So, Morgan, I wanted to talk to you about something while we ate. Something...important." She poured me a glass of brandy and poured one for herself before starting on her steak.

I smiled warmly at her and took a long sip of the brandy, it was sweet but strong, kind of a gut punch but I liked the flavor. I didn't have much experience with alcohol but this was pretty good. I put my glass down "Of course babe, whatever you want to discuss, you know I'm happy to talk about anything with you." I'd expected the brandy to help my nerves but it didn't seem to be working. My mouth was still just as dry. Maybe even more so. My pulse was thundering in my ears, I was definitely more nervous than I had expected.

Annabel took a dainty bite of her steak, chewing thoughtfully before she swallowed. "Well. It's about our future. I'm very fond of you Morgan. You're sweet and interesting and a bit mysterious, and I like that. But if we're going to get serious I'm going to need you to make some changes for me. My family is very important to me you see, and they need certain things from you if we're going to be together." She smiled at me again "You look a bit pale darling, have some more brandy to settle your nerves."

I took another sip, because she was right, I didn't feel well. I must be having a full on panic attack because my head was swimming and my limbs felt a bit heavy. I forced myself to concentrate the words feeling thick on my tongue "Of course babe, I expected your family would need some things from me. Impressing the parents isn't something I have much experience with but if you can tell me what you need me to do I can make it happen, trust me." I shook my head a bit to drive off some of the fog but it kept coming back. My head just wouldn't stay clear.

Annabel's smile was different now, it seemed a bit...more distant. Still fond but more like how a person would be fond of a particularly cute puppy even though it was a little stupid. "I do trust you love. But daddy doesn't. I tried to convince him to leave things be and let me do things my way, but with your family, on both sides mind you, he just doesn't see you as husband material. It breaks my heart really, after all my work making sure you got involved in our business. But daddy has spoken, if I want you to stay with me you'll need to be by my side in a more...professional capacity."

I blinked at her stupidly, confused. I tried to speak again, but I couldn't form the words. I managed to croak out "What?" But my throat barely scraped the word out. My limbs wouldn't move at all there, and that word seemed to have used the last of my strength all I could manage was to sit there staring blankly trapped in my own body with my head swimming and my eyes wide with fear. I glanced down at the brandy, because I noticed Annabel hadn't touched hers and I began to have a very bad feeling.

Annabel looked sad "It's your own fault really honey. I went through all that trouble to arrange for you to get brought into that heist. It was all so simple. I send the Talon to bully poor Reggie and drop a few hints about not being able to trust the wealthy and how we own this side of town and he calls you, then you fail to pull it off and get stuck in jail, where the Court can approach you and save you in exchange for your loyalty. But you had to go and ruin everything by getting Gentleman Ghost involved." She continued eating as she spoke, taking small bites and swallowing before talking, like this was just another Saturday night.

She pouted at me in annoyance "Between Craddock and your father daddy decided you were too much trouble and told me I had to let you go. But I just couldn't do it. An O'malley and the nephew of Alberto Falcone? Imagine the pedigree. My personal Talon, with the bloodline of both the most feared assassins in Gotham and one of it's most ruthless killers. So I had to do things my own way. Get close to you, wait until daddy left town and then lure you over here. Not that it was hard, boys are so stupid, show a little skin and you all turn into morons."

That poisonous pout melted a bit, and she looked genuinely upset for a moment "I admit I like you very much Morgan. I almost couldn't do it. But daddy would never let us be together. The Falcone's are rabid dogs, they're dangerous animals but one does not invite them into one's home. And the O'malleys are powerful and skilled killers but they're only servants. I'm afraid you're just...unsuitable. So all I can is make you into a weapon I can keep by my side. I'll still have to get married of course, but what we have will always be special. We can be together forever."

She snapped her fingers and a form appeared, another Talon, or the same one, I couldn't really tell. She gestured to him "Ah I did have a gift for you. This is Nathaniel O'Malley. He's your uncle. I thought you might want to meet him and see how strong he is. Becoming a Talon isn't the end of the world love, you'll get used to it. I'm sure after a while you'll even be happy to be by my side all the time, I know it's a scary thing to think about but look at Nathaniel. He's been serving us for as long as he can remember, just like his father and grandfather,"

She leaned forward to cup my face gently, a patronizing parody of the way she used to touch me when I thought we were together. When I thought she was someone I might eventually fall in love with. "Choices and free will aren't the magic potion people think they are Morgan. Choice is a curse. People are idiots who ruin their own lives. They can't be trusted. That's why the Court exists. We guide Gotham down a more...enlightened path. We keep things civilized despite the best efforts of the animals that live here to ruin them."

Her eyes actually teared up a little "I care so much about you. I want to free you from that burden. You don't need free will or choice, all you need to do is be with me, and be happy. You're such a special person, so funny and smart and sweet. You deserve better than the mediocrity you would have been doomed to. The best you could hope for was what? Being a second rate thief following Craddock around like a dog? I'll make you more. Make you stronger. I love you Morgan." She giggled to herself "There, I said it. I feel so much better."

Her voice got excited "I love you. You're the first boy I ever loved, and you're going to be with me always. I'll take such good care of you honey, don't you worry. I'll even make sure your mother is brought into the family, I do so adore her. I can have her made into a Talon with you so we can all be togeth-" She stopped talking, seeming confused, and looked down to see a sword sticking out of her chest. She looked up at the blank mask of Nathaniel, apparently my uncle, she didn't seem angry, just confused.

Almost in slow motion she fell out of her chair, her eyes glued to mine, full of hurt and confusion. I watched the girl who had betrayed me and told me she loved me in the same breath bleed out on the floor while I sat there completely unable to move. I couldn't look away, and as she died she crawled over to me, her eyes never leaving mine and pulled herself up to lean against her leg, resting her head on my knee. She smiled up at me, blood between her lips "Together forever, right?" Then she closed her eyes and rested her head against me and she never woke up again.

Powers Estate July 9th 2010 7:30 PM EDT

I don't know what I expected after Annabel died. Hell, I don't know if expected anything. The only girlfriend I ever had had just drugged me, told me she loved me, and then died, all within the last hour. She'd been directly responsible for several extremely unpleasant things and had been planning to brainwash me and turn me into some kind of assassin puppet. All of that was unacceptable, but it was also secondary. because she was dead.

When I stared down at her peaceful smiling face resting against my knee I didn't think about any of the things she just told me. I thought about sharing books with her in class, about picnics in the park, and dancing with her in the Ballroom at Wayne Manor. I thought about the way her lips tasted and how her eyes sparkled when she stared up into mine. I was angry, and hurt, but mostly, I just missed her. It had only been a minute or two but I missed her so much, she'd made me feel things no one else ever had and now I would never see her again.

I'd never lost anyone before, especially not someone my own age, not even mentioning the fact that I watched her die, I wasn't equipped to deal with this. My grief would have to wait though because Nathaniel the Talon was stepping toward me. He picked me up and carried me out to a car, leaving Annabel behind slumped over against a chair, looking as peaceful as I'd ever seen her. He put me in the car and drove me back to my house, and by the time we reached my condo my fingers were starting to regain sensation and a bit of movement.

He carried me upstairs and dumped me in the chair in our living room. Luckily mom was working graveyard tonight and would be out until three in the morning. The Talon sat down across from me, staring intently at my still form as I worked through my grief and the drugs at the same time. He cocked his head a bit before he spoke. It was the same Talon I met before as I suspected, I recognized his voice. "You know, I'm a bit conflicted about you. I hate what you represent, but love it at the same time."

He reached up and pulled off his mask, letting red hair spill out, and aiming green eyes at me that seemed achingly familiar. He smiled at me in a way I almost recognized and began to talk "Let me tell you a little story. There was once a small family. Two children, a mother, and a father. The children were twins, a boy and a girl. When the boy was about six years old, his father took him aside and told him a grand tale about his heritage, about his father, and grandfather, and the amazing society that entrusted them to guard the future of the city."

His voice sounded remote, wistful, but cold "The boy was excited, but soon his training began, and he realized that his destiny was not to be a protector or a hero, but a claw from the dark to hurt others. The boy was put through unimaginable pain by his father, but despite the horror the boy was happy. He and his twin sister were inseparable, and no matter how bad the day was, or how terrible the training, she always made him feel better."

The coldness had fallen away as he spoke, his tone raw and full of unspeakable grief "The boy had no one in the world, except his sister, but he didn't mind. They were together and he was happy, no matter what kind of pain he went through. She had no idea of the truth, and he was even happier about that. And then, when they were sixteen the girl fell in love. She got pregnant with the baby of a boy from a very powerful family, and when her parents found out, they didn't know what to do."

His eyes were boring into me, full of malice and a strange kind of nostalgia "You see the family of the baby's father was powerful so they couldn't force her to get rid of the baby, but they couldn't let her stay at home and ruin their reputation either. So they threw her out, and suddenly the boy was alone. The only source of comfort and warmth in his whole world was gone, my sister was gone. Because of you." His glare was scorching, and it was clear he had some very strong feelings for me, which made me curious about why he had helped me.

He seemed to notice my confusion because he smiled at me "You're wondering why I helped you. As I said, I'm torn. I love your mother, my sister will always be the only person I truly care about, but I hate your father for taking her away from me and leaving me alone to suffer in that hell. You're the reason I was left alone, the reason I had to suffer, but you're also her son. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I saved your life and prevented you from becoming a Talon because i knew she wouldn't want that, but I also killed the daughter of a powerful family in the Court and you were the only one there."

He shrugged. "I'll be around to make sure nothing happens to Marie, but as far as I'm concerned you and I are even. If you manage to survive whatever the Court does to you then you can consider my hatred quelled. I think that's pretty magnanimous of me. You can speak by the way. I know how long it takes for that compound to wear off and you've had your full faculties for about thirty seconds or so now. I'm sure you have some sort of inane whining you'd like to do about how this isn't fair so please, feel free."

My voice came out harsh and raspy after being unable to speak and inflicted with dry mouth for so long. " Circling back to all the crazy you just spewed all over me, how about we address what you said about our family being part of a long line of assassins from the Court of Owls? Because mom always described her parents as judgemental Catholics but she never mentioned them being descended from the elite foot soldiers of an ancient rich person cult that ruled the city. Like I know you said they didn't mention it to her but how do you keep that under wraps?"

Nathaniel just snorted "The O'Malley's have been with court for generations, but only the men. Marie was kept away from the family business, though she would have married into the Court when she was old enough. Part of me was almost grateful she got out, but not a large enough part to stop me from hating your bastard father for taking her away from em when I needed her. As for keeping it from her it isn't hard to keep a secret no one is looking for the answer to. Who would suspect something like that for no reason?"

That...was actually a good point. People didn't go out of their way to try to find conspiracies in their own home with no reason to look for them. Hiding something like that probably wasn't tough if you put some thought into it, especially hiding it from a sic year old girl when your family had years of practice as part of a secret society. I shrugged "Fair enough. So I take it from your rambling nonsense earlier you aren't going to try to kill me now, which is nice, but putting me in the Court's crosshairs seems reckless given how much you care about my mom. Even with you protecting her aren't you worried she might become collateral damage?"

Because I was, fighting the court would be annoying but I could lay low and build up my powers to take them out, I was more worried about mom and Artemis and Reggie and his family. I'd have to call dad and Jim and see if they could arrange some protection. Maybe they would know someone I could hire to keep them safe. I knew my friends would stick around but I made a mental note to arrange somewhere safe for their families. We could stay at the clock tower for the moment, and I didn't believe the Court would attack Gotham Academy mid day.

Of course there was always the possibility that my uncle had a good reason for not being afraid and had a way to ensure moms safety. I waited for him to elaborate and I was reassured by his confident demeanor, right up until he spoke "We O'malley's have always been the strongest Talon's in the court. If I decide not to let them hurt her she'll be fine." That seemed reckless as hell, but then again my uncle was clearly not mentally stable, he just impaled a teenage girl out of spite. I definitely wasn't trusting him to handle this.

Of course I wasn't going to tell this nut bar I was sending mom away, he would probably try to follow her or something. Either way, I doubted getting sprayed with more crazy was going to help my situation, so I decided to get rid of him so I could have my breakdown over the death of my first girlfriend and the fact that my uncle just made me the target of a secret society in peace. I glared at him "Well if you're done with your gloating and not so veiled threats you can get the hell out of my house. Again."

Nathaniel smirked and put his mask back on "Very well. I look forward to being entertained by your attempts to survive, be they successes or failures. Whichever they are, don't bring shame to the O'Malley name boy." He turned and slipped off into the darkness with the grace of a jungle cat. Once again I was able to see him go by watching the places I would have escaped from. Once he was gone I did a once over of the house, using every thief trick I knew to identify weak points and close them.

Finally I went upstairs and got on my computer. I opened my email, I still had forty points and today's power use to tap, so what I needed now was a way to keep my loved ones safe. Artemis wouldn't leave, but if we framed it right her mom would, and if she took my mom and Callie and Claire, Reggie and Arty would be much easier to protect. The issue was that I had considered sending Reggie's family away before and hadn't found a way to do it. The Court could just hire a mercenary to kill them wherever they went. My only real option was to use my power to ensure they would be safe but I didn't have any idea what to use to do that.

I spent about two hours combing through the emails and finally narrowed it down. First off I'd seen a bomb shelter that was being sold that was supposed to be impenetrable and untraceable. Sadly it was crazy expensive at four hundred points, so it wasn't really an option. Second a disguise kit guaranteed to make you unrecognizable, but from the low price and the phrasing of the email it seemed like it probably wasn't reversible. Finally we came to the option I decided to go with.

Win a cruise. The cruise promised "exotic and far off locations from the safety and comfort of a luxurious ship" and "beautiful destinations no one you know has ever even heard of". It would last about a month and the email actually included the caveat that the deal was impossible to resist and that anyone would want to go. I felt a bit cheap relying on what seemed like it was basically mind control but if I needed to play dirty to get them out of the city that was fine. This one ended up being only twenty five points, so i signed up for four tickets and hit send. Now if only dealing with the court were that easy.

The Clock Tower July 9th 2010 11:30 PM EDT

Getting in touch with the others to arrange a meeting wasn't too tough. Artemis was right next door and Reggie had finished his date with Bette at around ten. Jim meanwhile pretty much lived at The Clock Tower so all of them getting there by eleven thirty wasn't too big of a problem. The meeting itself was much less simple of an affair. The air around the table in the main room behind the towers face was quiet and awkward. Artemis looked at me with pity "Jesus, Morgan, are you ok? That's...I don't even know what that is. That's so much to go through."

I smiled fondly at her "I tell you we're at war with the secret society that rules the whole city and you're worried about me. I'll be fine. I'm not fine now, but I'll get there. This was definitely a lot but we have bigger fish to fry sadly." I reached into my pocket to take out three tickets. I left moms at home with a note, but passed Artemis and Reggie the others. One for Arty and two for Callie and Claire. "These are tickets on a one month cruise. It's a very low key event so even the Court won't be able to track our families down, and we can handle these lunatics before they get back so they'll be safe."

Artemis gave me a questioning look and I nodded slightly, letting her know these were products of my powers. Next I turned to Jim. "That said, I could use some advice here boss man. We went through a ton of trouble to keep this place secret, is it safe from the Court? And what the hell should we do? Because somehow I feel like wholesale killing off all the richest people in the city wouldn't go over well and I have zero ideas about how to solve this." Honestly I was kind of freaking out about it. I didn't see a way out of this that didn't end in me dead or on the run for mass murder.

Jim made a contemplative sound "Don't worry about the tower. I've been here casting obfuscation spells since we got it set up. It's all but impossible to find if you don't already know where it is. Hiding things is one of my specialties. Your families should be safe for now, at least for the night until the servants come back. I'd say make sure they're out of the city by noon. As for what to do...that is a conundrum." He sounded pensive, as if he was just feeling things out before deciding on an answer, but I didn't rush him.

Finally he seemed to make up his mind on which way to go "My suggestion would be to meet with your father at your earliest convenience, he may have an idea of how to proceed, and if not your family would be able to wage war on the Court with fewer repercussions, given their already questionable legal status." That was a great idea actually. If a bunch of mobsters declare war on the Court its substantially less of an issue. The question was how to stop it from escalating to a full on gang war and attracting other elements to the city. Hopefully dad had some ideas.

He paused for a minute, seeming lost in thought "Come to think of it there are a few other forces that could potentially intercede. As my apprentices you are nominally magic users, the Court avoids magical matters in Gotham. I can't scare them off myself, but there is somewhere I can take you to get in touch with a few people who might. Contact your father and set up a meeting for tomorrow afternoon if possible. We'll take a little trip tomorrow night. If we're heading to where I have in mind however I have some preparations to make." He stood to leave but stopped, clearly hesitating. "I am sorry about Annabel. I know you cared for her, and losing a love is nothing a boy your age should have to endure."

He seemed to be debating saying more, but in the end just tipped his hat in a nod and walked out to go prepare for...whatever he was preparing for. As he walked out I slumped back in my chair. We had a plan now, which was great, but I was honestly kind of wishing we hadn't come up with one. The longer it took to solve our problems the more I could avoid thinking about that smile on Annabel's face as she died. I shook my head violently to dislodge that thought and scrambled for anything else to think of "Reggie, is Bette going to be ok? I didn't get a ticket for her, will the Court come after her?"

Reggie could obviously tell I wanted to distract myself so he shook his head " The Kane's are Gotham royalty and Bette's uncle is a general in the military. The Court can't set a precedent of being willing to kill off the daughters of wealthy families like that, it would put their own families at risk. Bette will be fine. I'm more worried about you man, you're hanging on by a thread here, it's not hard to tell. You have to talk about this. When my dad died I tried pushing it down and even if it feels like it's working you're going to break down at some point."

I couldn't help but grit my teeth, even though I knew anger wasn't the right reaction here my immediate response was to lash out. I didn't want to talk, or think, or feel. I wanted to lose myself in danger or exhaustion or anything but thinking about the look of shock in Annabel's eyes when my Uncle drove his sword through her chest. "Talk about what? How unfair it is? How much it hurts? It is and it does, that's obvious. But will talking help with that? Will talking bring her back? Hell, do I even want it to?" My voice was angry but my eyes were starting to water.

I tried as hard as I could to hold back tears "I'm so angry right now! Not just at her but at me. She betrayed me, she was going to brainwash me and turn me into a puppet, but every time I think about the fact that she's gone it feels like someone ripped my heart out of my chest. I think I was in love with her. Still am in love with her. The time I had with her was the best month of my life and it wasn't enough and I can't even grieve her properly because she was a monster!" I was on my feet and screaming now and tears were clouding my vision.

I put my hands on the table and leaned forward trying to regain my composure as I spoke to Reggie "And you man, she was the one who dragged you into this whole Court mess and it was because of me. How can you even care that she's gone after that? How can I blame you for being angry or hating her? This entire situation is so fucked! Yesterday I was a professional thief with a beautiful girlfriend and a bright future, and today I'm a potential fugitive from a secret society who lost his first love at sixteen. I don't even know how to process any of this shit."

Reggie came over to put a hand on my shoulder "Hey, I don't blame you for the Court's bullshit. Sure it was scary, but you helped get me out of it and nothing bad actually happened. I got to learn from Jim and become friends with you guys. I can't hate her for that, even if the reasons for it sucked. Besides, I don't need to remember her fondly to remember what she meant to you. You're my friend and losing anyone you love is a fucking nightmare. I know that better than anyone. You don't need to be thinking about how we felt about her, all that matters is how you felt."

Artemis put her hand on my other shoulder "And I know more than anyone what it's like to love someone even when they do bad things. You know what my family situation is like. Remembering the girl you cared about instead of the things she did at the end doesn't make you stupid or weak, it just makes you human. People are complicated and we can love parts of them and hate other parts, it doesn't mean they mean any less to us. Grieve your girlfriend put aside any of that bullshit about what she did. She made you happy for the time you were together, she deserves to be remembered for that."

The tears picked up and I cried even harder, sobs wracking my body as I remembered her smile, her kiss, the way she felt against me. I knew it was stupid, that we had only been together a month, but I'd never had a girlfriend, never even kissed a girl, and being with her had just been so overwhelming and made me so damn happy. After feeling alone for so long having someone in your life that you know is always happy to see you can be a heady thing. She'd been mine and I'd been hers and that was gone now, and I couldn't get the image of that bloody smile out of my fucking head.

Reggie and Artemis didn't make a sound, just stood there with me with their hands on my shoulder as I cried, just being there for me. I knew why Jim had left in such a hurry now. He'd known this was coming. There had been a sort of knowing sadness in his voice when he said I didn't deserve this loss that told me he had been where I was. He was giving me time with Artemis and Reggie to just let it out and I was more grateful than I could say for that. He was a hell of a mentor.

After about twenty minutes the tears stopped. I wasn't done hurting but I was cried out, I sat in the chair with my head back staring at the ceiling. I didn't know it was possible to feel empty and full of pain at the same time. This kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen to sixteen year olds. Not even in Gotham. But that was stupid. People my age died in Gotham every day. What really hurt was that it wasn't supposed to happen to ME. I was the hero, I had superpowers. I was supposed to be special.

That's when I realized I had been naive. I spent so long hating my life because i was a nobody. Getting powers didn't make me above the pain, didn't make my life perfect. From the second I got my abilities I had been treating this like a game. I'd been sprinting from one challenge to the next with a shit eating grin on my face with no thought to the consequences of my actions or suspicion of any of the people around me and this was what had come of it. This was the result of my own stupidity and arrogance.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I wasn't wrong. I'd been stupid so far, but I also shouldn't overcorrect. I hadn't lost everything. I still had my Mom, and my friends, and Jim. I wasn't alone. I wasn't the same person I had been before I got my powers, even if I also wasn't the invincible paragon of awesome I had assumed I would be. I was still me but I was more than I had been. That was enough for now, enough to go out and work on what was going on, enough to find a way to stop the Court from killing off everything I still had left. It was time to go to work.

Unknown Warehouse July 10th 2010 2:00 PM EDT

The meeting with my dad the next day was a few hours after noon. I'd slept...poorly the night before. I'd expected the nightmares, but I also had a sense of growing paranoia about being alone. Being by myself forced me to think about something other than what was going on, and that inevitably involved Annabel. I did everything possible to avoid being on my own at all times, distracting myself with being around my friends or watching TV.

I was up to twenty points and even considered looking for sleeping pills with my powers but in the end I elected to save them in case I needed them for a fight. Mom, Paula, Claire, and Callie, were all gone on their cruise, and the Court would have a better chance of wrangling the Flying Dutchman than catching them while they were away. My dad had arranged another meeting at the warehouse where he met me before. However, this time seemed a lot more formal. I wore one of the top quality suits I'd gotten before my last night with Annabel.

I also came alone, this was Falcone business, and that never went well for people who weren't in the Family. My arrival was fairly subtle, considering the whole ninja thing. I didn't bother with the guards, using shadow movement to pass them and arrive inside to meet my dad. I appeared in the chair across from him, but once I arrived I noticed something fairly shocking. The person sitting in the chair wasn't my dad, he was older, with striking eyes and silver hair and an aquiline nose. Carmine Falcone. The Roman. My grandfather had come for a visit.

Dad and Kitrina stood quietly behind him, heads down and eyes on the ground in a posture on unconscious subservience. I could understand the impulse. It had been years since I'd seen the old man and I'd forgotten what being around him was like, the sheer sense of pressure and authority. What little of the feeling I remembered I attributed to being a kid at the time, but that was clearly not the case. Carmine Falcone had managed to rule an empire in one of the most horrible cities in the world for decades, defending against supervillains, the Court, and who knew what else. He was not a man to be crossed.

Still, I wasn't either, at least not anymore. I smiled calmly at the old man. "Grandpa, good to see you again. It's been a while. You never call, you never write, if you wanted a visit you could have picked a better time." Losing Annabel had messed me up something fierce, and honestly things I'd been afraid of before didn't seem so bad. My grandfather had presence like nobody else, but I just couldn't find it in myself to be intimidated. Still the banter fell flat fast and I decided to just get to the point. "I assume you're here to talk to me about this mess with the Court of Owls?"

The old man just smiled "You aren't wrong. You certainly have created a fuss. Mario tells me however that you weren't responsible for the young lady's death. I reached out to the Powers family but they aren't willing to accept the story unfortunately. The Court appears somewhat divided on the issue as a matter of fact. I've been in contact with some old friends in their ranks and though we will be forced to bear arms against them I was able to arrange for about half of their number to stand down."

I chuckled "So you're saying someone in the Court want's to use us to destroy their competition so they can run things? How do you know they won't just mop up whats left of your forces after you take out the Powers family and their allies?" Those tactics books Jim had me binging had really come in handy, and I'd picked up a fair bit of political acumen from the etiquette and court intrigue books he'd given me. I was kind of in awe of the depth of the foundation he was laying for me, the list of books seemed endless but they had prepared me for most situations.

My grandfather looked...proud. "Well spotted. It won't be an issue, we aren't stupid enough to commit all our resources to one front. If they try to attack when we're down they'll run into more trouble than they would ever expect. The issue is that this will not be a fast process. It will take months to purge even a section of the Court. We'll have to move very carefully to avoid exposing weakness to outside forces. I may not fear the other half of the Court but if the Shadows decide to move in it would be...problematic."

He gave me a serious look "I don't enjoy this situation. I realize it's not entirely of your own making, but it's a big risk for us." His face softened a bit "But you are still my grandson. I won't allow you to come to harm under my watch." A flash of pain passed through his eyes as he looked over at Kitrina "I've made that mistake before. Putting more of my attention on the Family than the people in it. I won't lose a grandchild like I lost my son. This will be slow and dangerous. Stick with Gentleman Jim, I'll be in touch with him about acting as your body guard."

It was an odd feeling for me. Feeling pride and safety because of my dads side of the family. But I couldn't stop the smile that pulled at my lips when he told me that. I was touched "The boss is already on it. We may have some other avenues to explore, he's taking us somewhere tonight to look into it. The Family might not be in this alone." If grandpa and dad were going to put their full support behind me like this I'd do the same for them. Whatever help we could swing from Jim's magic friends would have their backs.

I could tell from his smile that he understood my intentions "I appreciate it Morgan, and we won't turn it down, but make sure to protect yourself first. Even we can't seem to find your mother, which is impressive, so she should be safe wherever she is, but the Court didn't get it's reputation for no reason. They have other tricks up their sleeve besides just the walking corpses they call enforcers. Their means are terrifying, especially within the city. Keep your guard up and your head down, and wait for us to handle things." With that he stood and, with a nod turned and walked out of the
warehouse.

I watched him go with a feeling of gratitude. It felt good to be able to depend on family. I wasn't used to that, but I liked it. My dad stepped forward, sitting down where grandpa had been. "He's proud of you, you know. He kept an eye on you over the years, we both did. After what happened with your uncle we didn't want to take the risk you would resent the family. But you never did. The last month has seen some pretty big changes from you, and he likes what he sees." He paused, eyes flashing with sadness "And he can see you're hurting. How are you?"

I just shrugged "Conflicted. She meant a lot to me, but that's all mixed up with the bad feelings over what she did at the end. I'll get past it. I have some good friends who helped me a lot. Tell me the truth though, how bad is this going to be? I can tell he's downplaying it for my sake." My aura sight made picking up things like that pretty simple, though even without it it wasn't hard to tell he was trying to shield me from what was going to happen as much as possible. "The Court is pretty scary but they can't be that bad, can they?"

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "It'll be war. We aren't the only people chafing under the Court's rule. Dad tends to be more laissez faire about his management style as long as people obey his core rules. The Court are micromanaging narcissistic assholes and plenty of the current regime hate them. Whoever mad a deal with dad inside the court is underestimating him, and Gotham in general. Once the Court shows weakness all the Families and most of the local supervillains are going to tear them apart."

I could hear the concern in his voice as continued "But the thing is we don't want that. The Court has been here for generations, their infrastructures hold up the city. Even if Gotham could survive without them, which we don't know if it can, once the supervillains and crime bosses start fighting for turf all the old vendettas are going to ignite again. It'll be a blood bath, and it won't stop until one man is left standing over the whole city. And it won't even be a sure thing. Not everyone hates the Court. They take care of their own. Some of the villains and even a Don or two will come down on their side, plus they have the money to hire plenty of muscle from outside the city."

That was all...troubling. "Yeah that does sound bad." Was this really the only way? Was there no other chance to stop the court than burning down the whole city and killing potentially thousands of people? I could only hope that Jim's friends had another way to settle things. I couldn't live with myself if my stupidity led to mass casualties in Gotham. I felt so damn trapped, like there was no way out here. I had the intense urge to get another power, but I wasn't sure what good that would do, nothing I could afford anytime soon would be helpful. I made a note to look for some limited stuff that might be applicable.

He gave me a reassuring smile that his aura definitely didn't reflect. "Don't worry about it kid. Us old timers have been around the block a few times, we can handle this. Besides" he shot me a wink "the Falcone family has a way of turning crisis into opportunity. Game isn't over until the last buzzer goes off, and there's no telling who might get a few lat goals in." He stood up as well, stepping forward to give me a hug "We have your back, no matter what. Name or not, you're family."

He shot me a grin "Speaking of family, this mess is going to be rough, and we can't have our little ones in the way. You aren't the only one who is going to be working under Gentleman Ghost." He gestured Kitrina forward. "Kit is going to be coming along for her own protection too, so you two can catch up and get to know each other. Think of it like a family reunion." He pulled a coat that I hadn't even noticed off the back of the chair and slipped it on, then pulled Kit and me both into a hug. "I love you two. Let us take of the big stuff, just focus on keeping safe."

Then he turned and walked out. I turned to Kit. Her aura was...very conflicted, but I didn't see any anger or resentment towards me which was surprising. I'd expected her to hate me for dragging them into this. She saw me looking and smiled " Well cousin, seems like we're going to be bonding for a while. Why don't you show me to our new digs." And with that last comment she also turned and sauntered out of the warehouse. It was hard not to chuckle at the thought that she was going to have to sit out there and wait once she finished her dramatic exit so I could give her directions. She really was my cousin.

The Roman prepares for war. Now it's up to Morgan to try to find another way to stop things before Gotham's streets run red with blood. Meanwhile in the advance chapters we meet Jason Blood in the flesh pat-reon has the advance content at that site /malcolmtent for anyone who wants to read it. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think. There's also an easter egg cameo as a response to a request from one of my readers that I couldn't resist putting in.