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Legal disclaimer: I tend to liberally "borrow" DC adapted character profiles and art from the Earth-27 wikia created by Roy Westerman with principle art coming from digital artist Phil Cho. Other creators and artists are found there as well and I will specifically list any original creations with creator citations as I utilize them. In short, this is the single most comprehensive retelling of all things DC and beyond I have encountered. It's worth your time to explore.
Hellequin Cover art provided by Martina Havlikova.
Free, commercial use art by her can be found at the following URL: martinahavlikova84 | Pixabay
She is also available for private commissions.
That having been said, the properties, and their variations belong to DC Comics through WarnerMedia and its former parent, AT&T, and now the Discovery empire with notable exceptions. More on that in the footnote. I do not own DC characters or their interpretations and re-imaginings. My own characters are implied Public Domain since I have not included a copyright notice as required by the 1974 revisions of the copyright statutes and regulations. While an intellectual copyright is implied without the due symbols and language, all such considerations are generally voided under CC-BY-SA, which governs this site, unless duly noted otherwise.
Open Source attributions are listed after the story concluded to satisfy legalese requirements. And all "super" characters other than Open Source have been seen in comic books before barring any original characters coming from the Earth-27 Wiki or myself. You can look into Public Domain Superheroes Wiki and the DC Database Wiki's own vaults to verify this.
Although this is primarily set in the DCAU, I incorporate attributes of dozens of interpretations of each character, comic telling era, and medium into the telling.
In Gotham City's lawless Devil's Square district, a historic meeting was underway. Punchline and her Jokerz Gang were meeting with Hellequin, the Phantasm, and Azrael the Agent of the Bat. Associated with Jokerz was the older Bonez Gang. The Bonez held the Narrows in their grip while the Jokerz were gaining mastery over Devil's Square. And from it, acted with impunity across greater Gotham
Punchline was earning the loyalties, or at least neutrality towards her endeavors, through deeds glorified by the criminal majority that dwelt within the district. The GCPD, EMTs, and fire services still operated within the Narrows despite a larger than average occurrence of crime and violence. They'd abandoned Devil's Squire.
Chinatown, the Bowers, and Miller's Harbor contained a larger than average criminal presence yet were routinely patrolled and serviced by first responders. The Five Families had been removed by Knightfall through her agent, Regina Swann the Empress Penguin. But a recent United Nations military action in Gotham had debunked the myth Knightfall had tried to perpetuate that she alone could control crime through a license and enforcement policy the City Council had endorsed
The peacekeeping mission, though illegal, proved the fault line of Knightfall's power and influence because as soon as Dagar the Desert Hawk called off the mission, he'd had to combine his forces with the GCPD to restore order. Even more telling was the fact that the new Scarecrow had terrified and besieged the UN's siege agents and traumatized Gotham's entire population.
Knightfall and Empress Penguin had been equally helpless before the Scarecrow and a union of prepared super villains who looted the city during the Scarecrow's reign of terror. The United States military forcibly removed Dagar's forces and the GCPD scrambled to track down and apprehend the various criminals that had freely sacked the city and its population while the citizens were in the grips of Scarecrow's fear toxin.
Yet even with Knightfall's seeming removal from hindering the GCPD with her licenses, arrests were coming slowly regarding the robberies and the county lock up, the city holding cells, and Blackgate were filled to capacity already by those that tried to take advantage of the morning after the fear toxin cloud cleared. Included in this mountain of charges, multiple murders had been committed against Dagar's UN forces. The majority of which were focused inside of the Narrows and Devil's Square. But a number of which whose bodies were located within a tunnel system beneath the city.
The tunnels had been built by the Court of Owls. The efforts seemed coordinated behind first defending and then destroying a Repository of Owls' forbidden knowledge. Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon knew, without a doubt, that the infamous Phantasm had killed those soldiers who sought access to the Repository
Another mystery was who destroyed the historic Wayne Tower. There was no end of suspects even though the destruction precluded the UN's actions. The chief suspects were Darkwing and the Wrath. Darkwing had escaped custody and Eliot Cauldwell had been returned to Iron Heights, both without confessing to that crime or any murders. Their sole target had been Batman. Who had retired months before for reasons only Barbara knew out of anyone in the GCPD.
But "Batman" had been spotted by Bullock and UN scouts destroying Scarecrow's mobile delivery systems. Of course, this new "Batman's" confrontation with Scarecrow and his captive, Derek Powers, had been televised. The horror generated by that encounter had nearly cleared out an entire lower strata of Gotham's criminal population. Whose flight was halted by the military, the state police, county sheriffs, and the neighboring NYPD all seeking to restore order to Gotham's borders. A harvest of confessions regarding past crimes flooded the GCPD as the miscreants wanted to escape the new "Batman" by any means necessary, even through incarceration.
Yet Barbara knew there wasn't a new Batman. Batman had appointed Azrael his Agent of the Bat. But Bruce Wayne had solemnly promised her there would never again be a Batman. But she now had to deal with the Agent of the Bat.
Azrael was barely leashed and Barb expected him to slip off of it any moment. Azrael had been physically and behaviorally conditioned since birth to be the Avenging Angel, the assassin of the Order of St. Dumas. Jean-Paul Valley had ostensibly slipped that leash as well but how effectively? What would drive Azrael to kill again?
Barbara had no idea that an unholy bargain and alliance had been struck by Bruce Wayne, Azrael, the Phantasm, and Hellequin to ensnare Knightfall and Empress Penguin. Azrael did so out of the need to avenge the citizens of Gotham that endured "licensed" crime without recourse or succor.
Andrea Beaumont had left the Joker alive and the shores of the United States twenty year ago. Recruited by Amanda Waller herself, the original contract killer who only targeted criminals was a government assassin roped into the mission in an effort to keep the collateral damage down to manageable margins.
Marian Drews, the Hellequin of an Earth-2 that had never existed in the New Universe's Rebirth history, had arranged for everything. From the UN, to the Scarecrow, to Knightfall's humiliation in the halls of power. Knightfall's response was to double down on her affiliation with Intergang and Empress Penguin to truly become the criminal overlord of Gotham.
Punchline, the Jokerz, and the Bonez simply wanted no part of that projected reality. Knightfall's allies included Bonebreaker, the Penguins Gang, the Riddles, and Intergang's enforcers. Everyone involved, regardless of side, was a criminal in light of Gotham and New Jersey's anti-vigilante laws as well as culpability for countless violent crimes, domestically and internationally.
Individually, Phantasm and Azrael had killed more criminals separately than the United States' penal systems combined. Hellequin's body count would never by fully tabulated since the bulk of her actual history had been erased. But both Hellequin and Phantasm were that special breed of psychotic that still remembered the "impossible" Multiverse that preceded the New Universe.
The problem especially facing the Agent of the Bat, Phantasm, and the Hellequin was Jason Todd and the Outlaws. Jason, or the Arkham Knight as he was professionally known, also recalled the Multiverse and his origins within it. As well as everyone else's.
Nyssa Raatko had taken Andrea's cue and persuaded Jason to build a group of vigilantes that posed as contract killers. The difference being that they would only hunt actual criminals. Knightfall and Intergang were frequent clients as they removed rivals and obstacles to their criminal empires.
Knightfall, as Charise Carnes, also provided the various Outlaws with their living quarters and the Bunker, the Outlaws' headquarters and armory, beneath the Three Towers development in Gotham's Cherry Hill district
Intergang's hitters were expendable. But the Outlaws' ideology meant that they should be spared, if possible. Of course, Bruce had commanded Azrael to spare everyone. Hellequin and Phantasm weren't as mercifully inclined.
In fact, Hellequin's desire to avenge Christina Bell, the Neo Joker, was the root behind all of these actions over the last month. Had Knightfall and Regina Swann not killed Christina, Hellequin would've simply skirted Knightfall's obsession with licensing both virtue and vice. But they'd made it personal when they executed her lover right before her eyes.
Something Marian knew a little about since her Joker had betrayed everyone and gone sane, becoming the Justice Lords' trustee in Arkham. Hellequin had done her world a favor by killing the Joker and his sycophantic Harley Quinn, who'd also "reformed". But, in the here and now, the Joker had been killed by Tim Drake and Harley Quinn was a mother and married to Poison Ivy. Jim Gordon having covered up the Joker's death and its circumstances to spare young Tim its consequences. Now Tim lived with Grayle Hudson, the daughter of a former mob boss and Leslie Thompkins' assistant at her clinic in the Narrows.
Arkham Knight, Oracle, Squire, Ravager, Arrow and the rest of the Outlaws' involvement was problematic but problems simply required creative solutions. Barbara Gordon was a former ally of Oracle's. She knew Jason's identity and his past as "the" failed Robin subsequently held and tortured by the Joker in the old Arkham building for two years before being beaten to death by the Joker himself. The then-Ra's al Ghul allowed his daughter, Nyssa, to resurrect Jason and train him.
First, Jason had co-opted the identity of the Red Hood before surrendering it to a doppelganger from Earth-4, Li Harper. Earth-4 counterparts systematically being fourteen years older than their doubles on Earth Prime had been. Glorith's vision of the future was shaped by her past in the Prime Universe. So she simply used Rebirth to recreate it as the Monitor had left the Prime Universe after the Crisis of the Multiverse before the Anti Monitor concluded Final Crisis and Zero Hour. Red Hood was a standing member of the Outlaws as well. Her origins had recently been explained to her by Arkham Knight. When she discovered she'd been the Arkham Knight of the Earth-4 universe's lover despite their fourteen year age gap. They had defended a post-apocalyptic Gotham after Batman and Catwoman took their daughter and abandoned it. It also explained to Li why Lian Harper seemed to be her five year-old duplicate replete with her same parents: Roy Harper and Jade Nguyen. Who also served in the Outlaws as Arsenal and Cheshire.
It also went to explaining why there was an older "uncle" of Bruce's named Bruce Alan Wayne with a wife named Selina and a daughter named Helena. An uncle that was hopped up on Miraclo when he became Bat-Man. Helena Wayne was in Young Justice as Robin. A Robin Batman no longer needed and had certainly never wanted. Bat-Man and his acolytes Bat-Woman (Kate Webb) and Bat-Girl (Jessa Carde) had been inducted into Col. (Ret.) Jacob Kane's elite militarized Batmen, a division of Crow's Security. Kane being Bruce Wayne's actual uncle and Kate Kane, the Wayne Foundation's director, being his actual cousin.
Four women had been Batwoman. Three simultaneously. Katrina Moldoff being the latest. Batwoman served with Dick's choice as the new Nightwing (Stephanie Brown), Barbara's choice as a second Batgirl (Carrie Kelley), and Cassandra Cain as the Black Bat within the Justice League Outsiders. All three juniors being graduates of the Justice Society's Young Justice program. Katrina had been trained and selected after volunteering with Spyral's program to develop the next Batwoman.
When the UN shuttered Spyral, Batwoman continued on and was recruited into the Outsiders by the fifth Wonder Woman, Donna Troy. There being four serving Wonder Women. With Queen Diana ruling Themiscyra. Raising her child with Batman, Elissa Wayne. Until her thirteenth year when she would travel to Man's World to attend Gotham Academy for enculturation with the outer world beyond the island paradise. But Bruce could never acknowledge her as an heir or he'd subject her to the investigations as to who her mother was. That would unearth Bruce's connection to Diana and him as Batman thereby placing Elissa in the gravest danger.
Bruce had collected a number of unacknowledged heirs over the years. He'd never known about Damien until after Lex Luthor ordered his death to punish Ra's al Ghul and his mother, Talia. Talia revealed his existence afterwards to stab at Bruce's heart.
His latest rejected heir was his daughter by Selina Kyle, mysteriously named Helena for reason Bruce couldn't fathom given Robin's actual name. But then the former Batman believed that multiverses were not only fanciful but impossible. Alfred Pennyworth had left Bruce's service and now attended to Helena. Alfred's daughter, Sasha Julia Bordeaux, served as Selina's usually unneeded bodyguard. But her primary role was protecting Helena from the former Catwoman's enemies.
Holly Robinson had taken on the role of Catwoman. Kitrina Falcone adjusted to being Holly's apprentice even as she was being trained at Young Justice as well. The blatant discrepancies between the differing approaches to law enforcement and funding not being lost on Catgirl. Which, being said, Kitrina's obvious activities as Kittyhawk before being recruited by Selina to be Catgirl would've easily ended her up in juvenile detention until her eighteenth birthday. And the hidden murders would've gotten her tried as an adult despite being fifteen. Catgirl found Young Justice to be a demotion after serving within the ARGUS run Justice League of America. Events and motives that would all collide in the near future.
Hellequin had arranged the meeting with Punchline, the Jokers, and the Bonez. Catwoman wondered why she'd rated an invitation. She owed Hellequin a debt but pairing up with the new horrific Bat, the Phantasm and the gangs hadn't been anticipated.
"Why the hell am I even here?" Holly blurted.
"Because I need a burglar, not a part-time superhero," Hellequin shrugged, "Are you up to it?"
"Depends on the target," Catwoman admitted.
"Knightfall is in possession of the ceremonial dagger used to ritualistically kill her family in front of her," Hellequin told her, "I want it."
"Why?" Catwoman asked the obvious question.
"`Cause it'll drive her to distraction and make her sloppy," Hellequin told her, "That reason enough?"
"When do you want it?" Catwoman asked.
"Tomorrow morning," Hellequin told her.
"Call me when you're feeling realistic," Catwoman snorted.
Hellequin handed a dossier, "Here's everything you need to prep."
Catwoman leafed through it, "Damn. This is thorough. This is every security precaution, codes, and combinations?"
"Yes," Phantasm's helmet modulated Andrea's voice to make her sound like her deceased father. Her father and child killed by the Joker before his transformation and at the orders of the Velescra Family that her father had fleeced for years before running overseas. Deciding to call off her engagement to Bruce Wayne and run away with her father finalized both of their paths. He became the Batman and five years later she was being trained to be the Phantasm by Nyssa Raatko.
Thirty years of history. Apart, but always together in an ironic sense. Now Andrea was targeting one of the new Ra's al Ghul's allies. Black Canary and Nyssa might look the other way. But the rest of Knightfall's allies in the Light would surely respond. And they were infinitely more dangerous than Intergang.
"So I grab this dagger, what's to keep Carnes from having it on her as Knightfall? Or what's to keep her from being inside her apartments in Three Towers?" Catwoman asked
"You're certainly more cautious than Selina," Hellequin observed.
"I'll also live longer," Catwoman quipped.
"She has plenty of help in that these days," Hellequin retorted. Alfred himself was former British SAS and Sasha was former French DGSE.
"She needs it," Holly dryly remarked, "I can do this though. I need three hours prep work and an absence of the principle in the room with containing the safe."
"Done and done," Hellequin agreed, "We'll be making trouble at Miller Harbor."
"Something coming in on the docks?" Catwoman asked.
"That isn't your concern," Punchline broke one of her extended silences.
The action on the dock was what was drawing the Jokerz out. They could care less about the billion dollars worth of narcotics being delivered to Empress Penguin. But the plasma rifles set to go out to Kaznia that same evening was a lure the Jokerz couldn't ignore. For a share in the drugs and weapons, the Bonez would light up the Narrows. Jokerz would also target other posh districts to further divide the GCPD's available resources and assets.
The concerned citizens would clamor for protection while the Jokerz played a few homicidal "pranks". Punchline would lead the bulk of the Jokerz against Intergang's emissaries as well as deter the Yakuza and Triad operatives that ran the docks. This opened up an opportunity for the Agent of the Bat, Hellequin, and the Phantasm to cut through Intergang's meta-humans and drive straight at Knightfall.
The Somali flagged Qaanso madaw was owned and operated by Tommy Merlyn as a side venture from Merlyn Enterprises. Which Malcolm Merlyn still covertly controlled despite his divestiture of the company to spare it from his actions as a member of the League of Assassins. Tommy was the aforementioned Dark Archer. He personally oversaw Merlyn Industries' smuggling operations.
The Qaanso madaw was involved in a great many of them that served the League of Shadows' interests. In this case, further destabilizing Queen Audrey's reign. Anyana the Kaznian Countess of Delania and Delecta the Kaznian Countess of Kalpur were crown loyalists. But Ardora, Delecta's half-sister, sought the Queen's title. She had the support of Koza and Kazmax, the renegade Kaznian generals that maintained the years' long civil war.
Kraznoff, Audrey's SpecOps commander, wanted the embargoed weapons for a strike to finally eliminate Koza and Kazmax in one fell swoop. Their "civilian militias" would quickly crack under the strain of lacking professional guidance and Ardora's increasingly unhinged demands. The processed heroin, purchased by Kraznoff from the remaining Taliban warlords in Afghanistan was the payment being made to Knightfall in trade for the weapons. Kaznia's Crown could afford the heroin but not the guns.
Yet the drugs would yield Intergang a steeper profit than a simple arms deal. But Kraznoff had not counted on Vyona Caza, a conspirator to overthrow Audrey and a trusted handmaiden that found Hellequin's Dark Web informant's link to which she reported the details of the impending deal. Unfortunately, Vyona's information came just three days before the actual transaction was to take place. Giving Hellequin very little time to actually assemble her players and strike the necessary bargains to keep them enticed enough to take action. Andrea Beaumont unexpectedly arriving on Marian's door gave her increased leverage and professional manpower.
"So where do I hand off the dagger?" Catwoman asked.
"A super villain memorabilia and weapons collector in Boston will take possession and pay you twenty million for it today," Hellequin explained, "The contact info is in the files."
Catwoman verified this, "Okay then, distract away."
"The ship made port an hour ago. Customs will clear it, and a hefty profit, within the next two hours. Afterwards, at 3AM, the offloading will be done and the weapons trucked in to load aboard the ship. That's when we'll strike."
"`Bout goddamn time," Punchline growled.
Holly Robinson's skills as a cat burglar were well and truly tested for the first time in months. Frankly, robberies had gotten boring. But Catwoman's ad hoc efforts at being a superhero had increased in multitude and perplexity. Holly was between girlfriends at the time and had plenty of free time to squander.
Catwoman had recently met Renee Montoya. She'd spotted that the Puerto Rican was a lesbian within seconds. And Montoya's powers of deduction had alerted her as well. Confirming for her that, even though bisexual, Selina Kyle had truly retired and Gotham was dealing with a new Catwoman.
Holly had gone so far as to seek Montoya out at her favorite lesbian bar and test drive the detective's powers of seduction. They'd shared a few torrid nights already. But Holly wouldn't call it a "thing" just yet. But Montoya was a fun distraction. Selina, naturally, was beside herself. Frustration eked out of her mentor's every pore. But Selina wisely kept her counsel to herself.
Holly hadn't taken relational advice from Selina since Catwoman had gotten her out of child prostitution. Selina was bi- but her relationships with women ended even more horrifically than her relationships with men. Selina was horribly addicted to Batman and Bruce Wayne. She'd even intentionally gotten pregnant.
Helena being a constant reminder to Selina of her good days with Batman. Personally, Holly thought Selina was futzed in the head. But, the job went as expected. She took the morning train to Boston. There things went as expected and after staying away through the rest of the day Holly joined the commuters on Monday morning and returned to Gotham. By then all hell had broken loose.
Before Catwoman made her play, Hellequin impatiently waited for the last cargo containers to be lifted from the freighter's deck by the crane. As they were set down, Intergang's trucks began to roll forward from their queue.
"`Bout futzin' time," Hellequin grumbled and fired off a flare gun into the air. Then she dropped into a prone position and chambered the first round in her rifle. Using a Barrette sniper rifle, Hellequin had a clear view of most of the dock from a rooftop a quarter mile away. Sighting in her first target, Hellequin fired
She waited, and finally, the expected brain splatter occurred. Chambering the next round she sought out a second target. Bonebreaker was scrambling to get Knightfall under cover while Intergang's enforcers spread out to search nearby rooftops.
"Dumbasses," Hellequin snickered as her next target died.
Hellequin was atop a crane operator's cabin rooftop at the end of Miller Harbor. The dock was designed to give her a clear vantage point. Someone at the other end got smart and cut loose the removed cargo the crane still suspended in the air, making a barrier in Hellequin's sight line. She'd accomplished her mission anyway.
The crew was scrambling to get aboard and cast off. The enforcers were fanning out and thereby more vulnerable to ambush. A target rich environment for Phantasm and Azrael. Punchline and her Jokerz had already killed the truck drivers and now they simply drove away with the weapons. The Kaznians made a futile attempt at pursuing them on foot before giving up and trying to return to the ship before it cast off.
Hellequin set aside her rifle and loaded her RPG with an HE rocket. She then began targeting containers filled with crates of packaged heroin. She had to admit, terrifying Knightfall was almost as fun as killing her would ultimately be.
"This shit's gotten real," Black Hand complained between missile salvos.
"Grow a pair," Panther Man chided him.
Smoke enveloped them both, "Black Hand, Panther Man, your angel of death awaits."
Panther Man never saw the scythe glove that beheaded him. Before Hit Coffee had stolen the identity of Black Hand from an Irish mob enforcer, he'd rarely felt fear. Now be felt his bladder release itself before his throat was slashed open. Phantasm simply vanished to reappear elsewhere.
Mindboggler was the first killed by Hellequin's bullets. Ifrit's psionic power being the most dangerous among the enforcers. Her second target had been Jenny Elsewhere, the second most dangerous person present. But Jenny reconsidered her employment and portalled halfway across the world. The bullet struck down Beast-Killer instead.
Marcus Kemp 2.0, a homicidal robotic duplicate of its creator, was destroyed by the shrapnel from Hellequin's first rocket salvo. The flames revealed that Martian Mentalist was indeed a White Martian. She escaped rather than face further explosions. Swarm and Blue Damsel Fly also exercised the better part of valor. Silhouette was another casualty from a rocket attack. Only no one could see his vague outline.
The Agent of the Bat descended on Aztec and the Mad Botanist and threw them into Hellequin's target range. The anticipated explosion killed them both. But Azrael kept his bargain with Batman. He hadn't killed either man.
The Puzzler proved a more difficult foe as she broke into "puzzle pieces" and swarmed him. Each of her "pieces" proved to be razor sharp. But his armor protected him. An electrical charge transmitted throughout its surface stunned Valerie van Haaften and she reassembled. Azrael left her where she laid. If she survived Hellequin's continuing barrage, she deserved to live.
Phantasm easily cut down Brick Bat. Alias X proved more difficult. The youth evaded her attacks and she note with irritation that he'd been trained by the League of Assassins. He probably represented their insurance in this endeavor.
"The venture is a failure. Report to Ra's al Ghul there will be no hostile takeovers of Gotham's drug trade today," Phantasm told Alias X.
"To your peril," he replied smugly.
"I've been in peril before," Phantasm verbally shrugged as he pulled one of her customary disappearing acts.
Within minutes Intergang's enforcer squad had been dismantled. But the Penguins Gang and the Riddles responded with more nerve. They began to converge on the end of the dockyard. Empress Penguin had declined to personally attend.
Therefore her personal security providers weren't present. But women in her employ were alongside Plastic Woman, Nancy Morgan, and Black Siren.
The Riddles also advanced under Josette Quelle's orders. With both the Riddler and E. Nygma dead, Echo, Query, Quiz Miss, the Baffler, and His Girl Tuesday now followed Quelle.
"Where the hell is our escort?" Morgan asked from under cover as nearly the last cargo container exploded. Plas and Black Siren looked around. The Penguins were missing. For Patti O'Brien it was a mystery. For Laurel Drake it was an irritant.
"I'm almost in range," Black Siren promised as Morgan fustily emptied her pistol in Hellequin's direction. The blue-haired ex-FBI agent snorted, "This is butt ugly useless."
Query and Echo weren't sparing the boxes of ammunition either.
"Surrender or be broken," the Agent of the Bat loomed over them. Black Siren screamed. Her Sonic Cry blowing him back but he dug fingers into the ground until Black Siren had to take a breath. His electrified gauntlet launched a batarang that stunned Black Siren.
"That won't work on me," Plas promised as she wrapped him up with her elastic body.
"It doesn't have to," Azrael still remembered Plastic Woman back when she'd still been Plastic Man. He'd been a fool then as well. With the same predictable weakness. His next batarang knocked Morgan out. Plastic Woman broke off to recover her lover and stretched away. The Riddles wasted time and bullets trying to target the Phantasm. Their failure was complete as the last containers filled with drugs detonated.
"Away! Now!" Quelle ordered the retreat.
Phantasm knew Hellequin was out of bullets and rockets. The Penguins were out of fresh bodies. But Black Siren and the Puzzler had been left behind. She moved in for the kill.
The Agent of the Bat intervened, "No. Batman must have his prizes to be given to the GCPD."
"Your promise. Not mine," Phantasm countered.
"Can you truly afford to break your truce of mutual silence?" Azrael asked. Bruce and Andrea held each other's identities hostage. But Barbara Gordon knew hers as well. And Bruce could supply damning evidence without tipping his hand. Gordon was already after her for multiple murders committed in Gotham. Some dating back twenty years. Antagonizing the Police Commissioner was counterproductive to their mission.
"Very well," Phantasm subsided
Batman had supplied his agent with meta-human damping collars that he latched onto Black Siren and Puzzler. Their powers neutralized, they could be more easily subdued should they awaken in the next five minutes that it would take the GCPD to arrive on the scene. More than enough time for the trio to vanish.
Inside Charise Carnes' apartment, Knightfall threw back her cowl and stripped her mask off. As promised, Catwoman had left a trail of unconscious guards that led to the open safe.
"That bitch!" Charise screamed, "Marian Drews is behind this. All over again!"
"She was probably the shooter in both attacks," Bonebreaker took off her own mask.
"No, this in particular had to be Catwoman. She's the only one good enough to do it," Charise snarled, "I want her found and killed. And I want my futzing dagger back!"
Sally Sarasota knew how intimately attached Charise was to that dagger. She'd stolen it from Evidence to use to kill the man that had seduced her and then tied her up in her family home and ritualistically slaughtered her parents and siblings. All while making her witness every killing.
She'd withheld evidence from her defense to intentionally be interned in Arkham Asylum. There she studied the nature of human evil. When she felt prepared, her lawyers provided the video footage exonerating their client.
When she re-entered society at age nineteen she was also legally old enough to inherit Carnes Development and a personal fortune rivaling Lex Luthor's. Her corporate resources echoed those of LuthorCorp itself. Making her Gotham's latest power broker. Combined with her efforts as Knightfall, she'd made that statement true in every sense of the word.
Now her hold on the offices and officers of power had slipped. But she still had Carnes Development and her now flawed relationship with Intergang. The mysterious new Director wouldn't personally intervene but his/her Number Two, the Big Boss, would be having an offsetting conversation with Knightfall perilously threatening her position in Gotham and within the 100.
Charise correctly knew just who to blame. She also knew Hellequin had spared her to inflict her humiliations with a personal touch. Since Hellequin knew Charise Carnes was Knightfall just as she knew Marian Drews was Hellequin, the battle would remain covert. But even deadlier as it progressed.
Jaina Hudson stopped before the man holding the placard with her name affixed on it.
She signaled for her porter to stop as well, "As I live and breathe. Bruce Wayne. I didn't expect you to break seclusion."
"We need to discuss why you returned," Bruce took over the cart with her luggage, effectively dismissing the porter. She tipped the man anyway.
"No idle chatter? I miss the old days," Jaina complained.
"Carnes has failed to export her product. Otherwise you wouldn't have returned to embark on damage control here in Gotham," Bruce surmised.
"Too true. But, I did miss the city," Jaina admitted.
"Do you know Carnes is under attack as Knightfall?" Bruce asked.
"Regina gave me a briefing before my flight. It seems your agent was among those sighted during the fracas. As well as Phantasm. Should I be jealous?" Jaina playfully inquired.
"Excuse me?" Bruce seemed baffled.
Affairs of the heart always did that to him, "You know, the whole ex-lover drops into town at the same time I do. Have you seen Helena yet?"
"No," was all Bruce would say.
"Then you wonder why we broke up with you, "Jaina referred to herself and the White Rabbit.
"I was no longer useful," Bruce shrugged.
"You ass! You nearly died and you wouldn't hang up the cape and cowl. It cost you us and Alfred," Jaina snapped at him, "And you're still too pigheaded to admit any wrong doing or thinking. And my God, what you've done to Selina!"
"I didn't ask for a child," Bruce defended his choices.
"Men always say that when they abstain from using protection," Jaina snorted, "At least with Catholics it's a convenient 'faith' issue."
"She isn't my daughter," Bruce declared.
"The paternity test will say different," Jaina predicted with a laugh.
"Helena is provided for. The same with Barbara, Dick, and Tim," Bruce told her.
"What about Elissa?" Jaina inquired.
He nearly drove off the road, "Where did you learn that name?"
"I have my confidential sources," Jaina sighed, "Bruce, it's not about money. Any one of them would give up the money to have you in their lives as a real, caring human being."
"That isn't who I am," Bruce declared.
"Which is why we all left you behind," Jaina sagely told him, "Even Selina. Who would've stuck it out until the end."
Bruce white knuckled the steering wheel.
"My God! You love her! You honestly fell in love with Selina Kyle. But some warped part of you thinks it's better for her and Helena if you're not with them," Jaina realized, "Bruce, grow a pair and go to them."
"Jaina, Marian Drews has declared war on Knightfall. Stay away from her," Bruce desperately changed the subject.
"And they just shriveled and fell off," Jaina sighed.
"Jaina, you're not listening," Bruce chided her.
"Actually, I'm listening but I'm ignoring you. It seems fair since you've ignored every word I've said since getting in the car with you," Jaina vernally jousted.
"I forgot how frustrating you can be," Bruce growled.
"It's mutual, dear," Jaina grimaced.
Bruce pulled up to Jaina's brownstone, "Stay away from her."
"Or you'll do what exactly?" Jaina had to wonder, "Scowl at me even deeper?"
"I'm asking you as a friend," Bruce clarified.
"Thinking back on it, Bruce, we were never friends. For which I'm grateful. You treat me better than you do any of your so-called friends or 'loved' ones," Jaina told him, "I'll get my own bags. Thanks for the lift and the pep talk."
Jaina watched as Bruce pulled away and drove off, "Ass hat."
She knew White Rabbit would agree as soon as she was released.
"Thanks for having me over," Marian told Andrea as they entered Andie's childhood home.
"Dismantling an explosive device in your flat soured me on staying there any longer. I told you she'd find you," Andrea stated.
"UPS will deliver anything," Marian sighed, "And I just bought furniture."
"Well, your bag of tricks is well stocked," Andrea confessed, "As is your monetary war chest."
"Thank Lord Batman for that one," Marian grinned, "Before my universe was erased from all time and space, he gave me the cash and the Monitor let me bring it with. How do you think Stu bought his diner?"
Stuart Mosely was many things, including being the Heckler. The unkillable being who'd skewered Dr; Manhattan to release his nuclear fueled quantum energies to spark a second creation event so that Glorith could create a Rebirth of a New Universe. The Heckler was the only being that could survive doing so. And like Glorith and Dr. Manhattan, the only other being to outlast Final Crisis and the Zero Hour.
"I honestly never thought about it," Andrea admitted, "Just as I refuse to eat anywhere called 'Eats'."
"You're a snob," Marian accused.
"You've seen some of the hellholes I've eaten in," Andie snorted, "So that argument doesn't fly."
"So who takes care of this place since you're always gone?" Marian wondered.
"I have a caretaking staff. I give them time off when I visit," Andie explained, "They don't know I'm in town."
"They live here?" Marian didn't like the idea of kicking people out.
"No, they make certain everything is left untouched but clean. I call them a day or two in advance to let them know they have the time off. And they still get paid the same," Andrea shrugged.
"Must've been nice growing up with money," Marian remarked.
"I'll never complain. But money is what cost me everything as well," Andrea admitted, "Which is why I don't draw a government salary. I make my money of my father's investments and my contracts killing crime bosses. Why? Are you suddenly jealous?"
"Nope. Just curious is all," Marian admitted, "I've done my fair share of tenements and slumming. But I also have a nicer place to live now thanks to other Bruce's money. So, his apology is accepted."
"Bruce is always trying buy forgiveness," Andrea sighed.
"Mine had a lot to forgive," Marian said darkly, "He killed or had all of my friends lobotomized after he and his fellow Justice Lords conquered our planet. It actually united the super villains and superheroes into the Resistance I joined up with."
"And now it's all a 'never was'," Andie reminded her.
"Which is the part that pisses me off," Marian finally admitted, "But I never met Christina in my universe. The Joker never tried imprinting his DNA on anyone there."
"Did he ever try to make any Little Jokers?" Andrea tread carefully.
"No Tim Drakes happened in my world," Marian relieved her concerns, "No Jason Todds either. Actually, After Dick Grayson, Lord Batman never took on another Robin."
"I take it Batgirl and Nightwing fought him," Andie guessed.
"Yup," Marian confirmed it, "They helped start the Resistance up. Us super villains were better joiners than the hero types."
"You all had more at stake," Andie knew.
"Mercy Graves and Mercy Corps made it all happen after she took over LexCorp," Marian shared, "She created our Galatea and Superboy before splicing Kryptonian DNA into Lois Lane and Lana Lang."
"I always wondered, where did Supergirl fit into this?" Andrea admitted.
"She lost her fight with Lord Superman. He spared her but had Lord Green Lantern exile her off on to some galaxy further than Kara could manage to come back from."
"And you didn't have a Green Lantern Corps?" Andrea had always been confused on this point.
"Lord Green Lantern was like your original Green Lantern. The Starheart powered the ring and chose John Stewart but it was broken so it didn't care how Lord Green Lantern accomplished his peacekeeping mission. Supposedly the Oans kept the Manhunters going with living agents after the androids rebelled," Marian explained the oft confused point, "The Green Lantern Corps only existed in the Prime Universe. But the Starheart and Power Ring Corps were multiversal."
"And Black Siren is originally from Earth-3?" Andrea tried to recall.
"Yup, Laurel Drake is just an evil version of Dinah Laurel Drake Lance," Marian answered, "Black Siren instead of Black Canary. Laurel also never become Ra's al Ghul."
"And you know all this how?" Andie wondered.
"Brucie spent a lot of time and money researching alternate Earths after he discovered Earth Prime and the Justice League defeated the Justice Lords. `Course they considered him the traitor that made it all happen. Earth-3 was naturally on his radar," Marian shrugged, "Plus, he had the World Treasury to draw from. So literally, unlimited funding. Until Lord Superman made his devil's bargain with Darkseid and the Justice Lords got their powers back and retook our Earth and held it with Darkseid's helpers."
"Earth-3 explains the Crime Syndicate," Andrea realized.
"Yup," Marian concurred.
"Azrael did good today. Even if I disagree with leaving Black Siren and the Puzzler alive," Andrea conceded
"He's still gonna blow a gasket," Marian knew, "Our Azrael became a tool for the Justice Lords. `Course, he was also a tool."
Andrea snorted, "Like ours isn't?"
"Good point," Marian allowed.
"I wonder what grade Bruce is giving Jean-Paul Valley right now." Andrea mused.
Inside the infamous Batcave, Bruce Wayne, the former Batman, was dressing down Azrael's shortcomings, "You failed to achieve a zero body count."
"You knew going into this that neither Phantasm nor Hellequin would seek such a goal. I can't be everywhere. I was able to spare Black Siren and the Puzzler's lives," Jean-Paul, now out of Agent of the Bat armor, argued.
"But not the rest of Intergang's enforcers," Bruce grated.
"Intergang needs better enforcers. The other survivors broke and ran," Jean-Paul said derisively, "I didn't kill a single one. But Hellequin's sniper action and rocket attack claimed lives that the Phantasm didn't take directly."
"But you didn't try to protect anyone either," Bruce refused to relent.
"Batman frequently let criminals kill one another in the course of his actions," Jean-Paul didn't back down either, "As Azrael my duty would've been to cut them down myself. But I acted upon your wishes and my oath. But I can't control every variable. Especially not those two."
"I've had enough of both of them," Bruce decided, "Suit back up. I know where they are. I want you to detain them both and hand them over to Barbara."
"They will reveal your secret," Jean-Paul predicted.
"I don't care anymore. I've sheltered them for long enough," Bruce declared, "First, find Luke Fox. I want Batwing included in this."
"I don't need any assistance. I've seen them fight," Jean-Paul was terse.
"I don't want Batwing's help. I want him imprisoned," Bruce explained.
"Now that I will do," Jean-Paul agreed.
Luke Fox lived in an apartment building not far from Barbara Gordon's. They resided in the newly fashionable Burnside district. Burnside was now Gotham's choice for the young and upwardly mobile. With the nightlife to go with it.
Cherry Hill was the place to live for the modestly affluent, except for Carnes herself. Charise lived in opulence within her Three Towers apartment. Carnes Development owned almost every development project in Cherry Hill and Burnside as well as hundreds of renovation projects across Gotham City. Luke Fox's building hadn't existed two years ago. He occupied one of the top floor apartments.
He used his balcony as his launching point as Batwing. Before his disappearance, Batman had tried to dissuade Luke from assuming the Batwing identity now that Congo Police Supervisor David Zavimbe had taken over as Commandant of the Police and subsequently retired his Batwing identity. Luke pointed out that Batman had no issue with Robert and Charlie Great Eagle taking over as Chief Man-of-Bats and Raven Red. Or the scattered reports of a new Nightrunner and the ongoing, if faltering, legacies of the Knight and Squire.
Batman vowed that if Luke continued that there would be legal repercussions. Luke would be guaranteed prison time under New Jersey law added to the local Gotham anti-vigilantism statutes. Luke scoffed and created the Batwing suit to pursue Derek Powers and bring his father's murder investigation to a conclusion. Luke knowing that Powers was ultimately responsible but that he also needed to obtain proof…by any extralegal means necessary.
Luke had been fired from his engineering position at Wayne-Powers the same day his father, Lucius, was terminated as CEO. And then killed by a "random" robbery a day later. Rocki Ballantine of Smart Metallurgy hired Luke on to apply her smart metal tech to practical and innovative applications. One of which had been his Batwing suit. Rocki, herself a former original Batwoman, quietly condoned and sponsored Luke's construction of the Batwing suit.
All three women that had been the original "Batwoman" sponsored and taught members of the Young Justice program. Kathy Duquesne of Duquesne Security and Det. Sgt. Sonia Alcona, now of the Chicago PD, all volunteered time, experience, and in Kathy and Rocki's cases, funding, to assorted Young Justicers. The trio had especially invested in Carrie Kelley and Stephanie Brown before they graduated and enlisted with the Outsiders. Harper Row as Bluebird had been another major investment of time and resources.
But now Harper was attending MIT and her brother Cullen was a peer advisor to the Justicers. He was also dating another peer advisor, Marvin White, better known by the code-name Paragon. Wendy Harris, code-named Paradox, was the third peer advisor.
Miss Martian, Superboy, and the original Wonder Girl had delayed their graduations into either the Justice League, Justice Society, or Outsiders to mentor the younger and less experienced Justicers. M'gann M'orzz, Conner Kent, and Cassie Sandsmark serving as field exercise leaders when JSA members were otherwise busy or the situation didn't seem to warrant a JSAer's participation. The JSA splitting their time between their adult students, the teen Justicers, and crime fighting and disaster relief missions.
With the MLJ Initiative disbanding and with it its WEB Agency, the agencies' programs and deputizations had shifted to Homeland Security in coordination with the Justice Department. In joint ventures between Homeland and the Dept. for Meta-Human Affairs, Secs. Bones and Amanda Waller were recreating SHADE and the DEO. A joint NATO agency, Checkmate, would also be reinstituted.
The Blackhawk Express, led by Lady Blackhawk, were once again a UN agency. Dually tasked with transportation for the Justice League International, the Pax Mundi, and International Operations as well as conducting specialized counter technological terrorism achieved through illegal tech. Zinda Blake was very pleased to be back in action as a pilot-commando. She'd also convinced the UN Security Council to let her bring on Airboy, Lisollette von Schellendorf the original Valkyrie, and her Air Maidens as special agents. So the Blackhawks' future was secured. Despite Lady Blackhawk resisting Secretary-General Luthor's blatant manipulations.
Waller and Bones cut Batwing a deal: freelance for them and they'd provide intelligence and legal protections. So that day, Luke confidently suited up as Batwing. Bones wanted a survey of Knightfall and Empress Penguin's operations following the early morning debacle.
Homeland had taken custody of Black Siren and she was being transported at midnight. Three convoys would deploy upon separate routes out of state and towards different Homeland black sites. Even Ignatius Ogilvy, the crowned Emperor Blackgate, hadn't learned the route or convoy. Ogilvy still held a considerable sway over Gotham's criminal elites. Despite Regina Swann displacing him.
The former Emperor Penguin had taken control over the Penguin and Two-Face's gangs after their deaths. He'd ingratiated himself with the Five Families. Particularly supporting Maroni's failed push to displace Carmine Falcone.
But Regina, with Hellequin's avid assistance, decimated both mob organizations. Leaving the survivors pushed out of Gotham or incarcerated in Ogilvy's case. No one since Roman Sionis had consolidated so much criminal powers as Empress Penguin had that day. And she traded her bargaining power to work for Knightfall.
Raking in a commission for every crime committed and dispensing "penalties" to those that operated without one of Knightfall's licenses. No one other than Regina ever seeming to know that Knightfall didn't profit a single cent from the regulatory business at hand. But Empress Penguin became untouchably wealthy from the largesse. Now that power structure had to be rebuilt after Gotham's occupation by UN forces.
Batwing intended to rattle some low level street things to uncover the next layer in Empress Penguin's organization. He'd peel back layer by layer to reach Regina herself. Batwing launched himself off of the balcony. The micro thrusters he'd designed and incorporated with the smart metal glider wings kept him aloft and directionally controlled.
When he landed to confront two street drug peddlers, he was surprised as what felt a tank smashed into him.
"Please, resist," the Agent of the Bat requested.
"So you're the other replacement," Batwing picked himself up, "Go away. I'm busy."
"Batman says you're done," Azrael told him.
"You're saying you're not a new Batman?" Batwing was surprised, "After your performance with the Scarecrow and Derek Powers I thought we were kindred spirits. Apparently you still grovel at Batman's feet."
"So you choose to resist?" Azrael inquired.
"Of course I do, dumb ass," Batwing went airborne while hurling micro bombs at Azrael.
The Agent of the Bat fired a grapnel lined from his gauntlet's wrist cuff and snared Batwing's ankle. Yanking hard, he pulled Batwing into the pavement. He reeled in his line. Batwing spring vaulted back onto his feet.
"You're not taking me that easily," he defiantly declared.
"Good," Azrael replied.
Batwing threw next generation batarangs at the Agent of the Bat. Azrael simply waded through them. Batwing started to feel intimidated despite himself.
"Do you know who I work for?" he asked.
"I don't care," the Agent of the Bat replied. Batwing actually started to feel fear. This "Batman 2.0" wasn't in iron-clad control of himself the way Batman had always been.
"You can't hold me," Batwing promised Azrael.
"Who said I wanted to detain you?" Azrael asked.
"What?" Batwing hesitated. Azrael's right cross threatened to tear his head off. As it was, despite his shock absorbing helmet, he was still knocked unconscious.
"Call the police and I will let you go," the Agent of the Bat told the captivated drug dealers and their clientele.
"Sure. Whatever," one of them fumbled for his phone and dialed 911. Azrael waited for the GCPD to arrive before heading to the rooftops. He had to reach his targets before they left the Beaumont house for the evening.
But the Agent of the Bat had indeed arrived too late to capture Andrea and Marian. The Phantasm and the Hellequin were already out in the streets, rooftops, and alleyways of Gotham. But to what end? Bruce deployed the Bat Drones to try and locate the missing women.
"Sorry to wake you, Commissioner," Montoya escorted Gordon to her office, "But we had another present left for us."
"Who and by who?" Barbara asked, already starting in on her gargantuan daily intake of coffee.
"Our new 'Batman' left us Batwing unconscious and trussed up in an alley along with a two street dealers and a dozen terrified buyers," Montoya chuckled, "Narco is sweating the dealers. The users are in holding waiting for withdrawals to really kick in."
"And Batwing?" Babs asked.
"We can't get his suit off of him. It discharges an electrical shock every time one of my SRU officers tries to strip it off of him," Montoya explained, "But, we always wondered about his wings, well, they're made of Ballantine smart metal."
"Bring Rocki in," Barbara sighed, "Everyone knows she was one of the original trio playing Batwoman in the day."
"You want her held for questioning?" Montoya sought clarification.
"Tell her it's for a consultation. We'll see what she gives up versus what we can deduce for ourselves," Gordon instructed.
To no one's surprise, Kathy Duquesne showed up with a small contingent of lawyers. Since Rocki wasn't being held for questioning or charged with anything, the lawyers were a precautionary measure for when the Commissioner ordered Rocki held on obstruction charges. Montoya knew it and Gordon certainly knew it.
Rocki played it cool and examined Batwing's suit. Then she dumbed up, "It certainly is my metal. But I'm assuming you'll want my client list?"
"That would help," Montoya was taking point on this.
"Provide the necessary security clearance authorizations and warrants from the DOD and I'll happily hand over everything pertaining to every client," Ballantine replied.
"Most of my clientele is the US government and our NATO allies. I've personally signed off on the non-disclosure agreements and security clearance contractual obligations. Even naming them is a breach of national security," Rocki informed them.
"So you're going to lawyer up?" Montoya looked cagey.
"You haven't charged me so I don't need to. But give me a properly documented warrant issued by a qualified federal judge and I'll happily release my records to you. Or you can submit your requests directly to the Dept. of Homeland Security, the Dept. of Justice, and the Dept. for Meta-Human Affairs. Or did I just breach a portion of my confidentiality clauses?" Rocki snarked.
"Can you open Batwing's suit?" Montoya grated.
"A great deal of it is proprietary technology. I'm familiar with pieces of it, mine of course, but the rest is designed to stop people like me from tampering with it," Rocki explained.
"So you can't or you won't?" Commissioner Gordon intervened.
"I don't think I should given who holds the patents and licenses on this tech," Rocki warned them, "But you submit your requests to the relevant authorities and I'll investigate cracking the suit open."
"If you'd please step outside with the officer?" Barbara requested.
"Certainly," Rocki complied.
"Do we charge her?" Montoya asked.
"We begin the necessary paperwork. Meanwhile, keep him locked down here and we'll see if he requests medical treatment or food. He'll have to reveal himself either way," Gordon decided.
"I'll draw up a detail from the SRU," Montoya relented, "And I'll get started on the warrant requests."
"I'll make additional calls. Have Dr. Ballantine observed at home and her office. I don't want her leaving town unexpectedly," Barbara ordered.
"Got it," Montoya happily complied.
Barbara quietly studied Batwing for a moment, "You should just drop the silent act and give yourself up, Luke."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Commissioner. But enjoy those phone calls," Batwing chuckled.
Barbara ended up only making one phone call. She was directly routed to Sec. Bones' private line and he conference called her with Sec. Amanda Waller.
Gordon dismally knew where this was headed, "You want me to release him."
"Good. That wasn't a question," Waller replied, "Batwing is a covert US operative working in one of America's cesspools they laughingly call a city. We were willing to stand by while Batman was active but since that's no longer the case, we needed an agent of influence in place."
"And now Batman has a competing idea," Barbara scowled despite no one seeing her expression. But they could hear it in her voice, "You promised Luke Fox Derek Powers' head on a plate."
"We promised Mr. Fox the opportunity to legally hand Powers over to the Dept. of Justice for prosecution," Bones clarified, "As long as he investigates possible malfeasance on his own time."
"So don't screw this pooch, 'Batgirl'," Waller advised her.
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that," Babs growled.
"Ask the rich boy," Waller chuckled sinisterly. Barbara heard the click as Waller disconnected.
"Commissioner Gordon, it's in everyone's best interests if Batwing were to 'miraculously' escape custody. You'll transfer him into our custody and then we'll be the ones to look bad and not the GCPD," Bones offered.
"I don't have a choice, do I?" Barbara asked.
"Agents Fite `n Maad should already be at the GCPD with the transfer paperwork," Bones informed, "Just quietly comply and we'll do the rest."
"Then I guess I should be hanging up," Gordon grated.
"It's for the best for all involved, Commissioner," Bones promised her before he too disconnected.
"Damn it all to hell," Barbara sighed.
"Yo, Commish," Harvey Bullock had cracked her door open and was leaning in, "We gots Agents Donald Fite and Ishido Maad lookin' fer ya. Should I stonewall them?"
"Let them through, Harv. Let's get this mockery of justice over with," Barb sounded defeated.
"Commish?" Bullock was worried.
"Too much in an already busy morning, Harv. Send Agents Fite `n Maad my way and inform Montoya we're releasing Batwing into Federal custody," Gordon told him.
"Da feds? Ya can't be serious!" Bullock protested.
"It's too early, Harvey. Just send them to me and we can end this farce," Barbara instructed.
"Ya gots some explainin' ta do later on wit' me and Montoya," Bullock warned.
"You won't like it any more than I already do," Gordon warned him.
Homeland had three convoys departing Blackgate with three separate destinations in mind. Each contained a high value prisoner. One convoy would be transiting the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan and then transfer across the Brooklyn Bridge and travel to Connecticut to transfer is prisoner to a facility within Metropolis. Another would take its passenger to Gotham International where the prisoner would then be loaded by the US Marshals onto a prisoner transport aircraft to be sent to Belle Reeve. The third, containing Laurel Drake, was headed across Interstate 280 to the crossroad to turn off onto Interstate 287 to eventually wind its way to Iron Heights in Central City
The paperwork detailed her officially being bound to Belle Reeve. Under its assumed code-destination of San Quentin. But Emperor Blackgate had purchased the real prisoner manifests and routes from an unsolicited third party. Knightfall obtained the data on Intergang's behalf in exchange for him replacing a newly executed member of the 100 who'd selected the enforcer detail for the dock transfers. Empress Penguin still refused to deal directly with her continuing rival for control of Gotham's underworld.
Empress Penguin's personal bodyguard, Pussy Katnip, stayed by her side inside Regina's offices within the Iceberg Lounge. Bird of Paradise and her all-female operative security team handled the Lounge's internal security. Jinx handled Regina's external and route security to and from home and her excursions in the outer world.
Plastic Woman and Morgan were tasked with retrieving Black Siren. As former federal law enforcement agents, they were more than aware of the precautions being taken to secure Laurel. They also knew every vulnerability within those precautions.
Beneath Three Towers in Cherry Hill sat two underground fortresses. Each with a private underground garage above it, accessible only through a tunnel ending in an "abandoned" service garage two blocks away. Each tunnel access was biometrically and numerically secured as well as a revolving password. The Outlaws had boringly dubbed their underground base "the Bunker". But within its confines rested Oracle's unrivaled Data Womb
Today, Arkham Knight was briefing the team on their latest contract as well laying the foundation for their working relationship with their newest member, Pagan. Marian Mercer had become a lethal vigilante to avenge the gang rape and murder of her sister, Sandra. Her efforts had earned her a place amongst the GCPD's Most Wanted and her membership to the vigilante team posing as contract killers.
"Our present target, offered to us by our host, Knightfall, is one Hellequin," Arkham Knight explained as Oracle ran dossiers through everyone tablets.
"Marian Drews has become a pervasive thorn in Knightfall's side. She's also an anarchist responsible for that crapshoot at Miller Harbor. Personally, I have no problem with the loss of Intergang lives and drugs. But she supplied the Jokerz with plasma weapons in exchange for their cooperation. And we all love Punchline and her Jokerz with good reason," Arkham Knight sarcastically delivered.
Jason Todd knew every member of his team and continually relied upon them for his very life. Li Harper, the nineteen year-old doppelganger from an Earth-4 that had now never existed in space-time. Lian, her five year-old counterpart lived in Three Towers with her parents, fellow Outlaws Cheshire and Arsenal. Jade Nguyen and Roy Harper coming to the Outlaws from Deathstroke's Titans team. As had Ravager.
But Rose Wilson-Worth was a founding member along with civil union partner, Beryl Hutchinson, the Squire from the United Kingdom. John Black Bison was their powerhouse along with Hildur Goransdottir, the demi-goddess Shieldmaiden from Iceland. Evelyn Crawford, professionally known as Starling, was an ex-ARGUS deep cover agent that had been imbedded with the Penguin's gang until his death. Lee Travis had taken on the legacy of the Crimson Avenger.
Street Avenger was a mystery even to his teammates but he had befriended Rene Ramirez, the Wild Dog. Dylan Harris, as Protector, wasn't old enough to legally drive but had gone from junkie to boy billionaire with well timed stock and bond trading after he'd gotten clean.
Emiko Queen was the heiress to Queen Consolidated and served the Outlaws as Red Arrow. Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow's doppelganger from Earth-27 and half of the New Earth's Green Arrow's age. He operated simply as the Arrow. Conner Hawke and Mia Deardon, as the second Green Arrow and Speedy, had been founding members along with Jason, Ravager, and Squire. Conner had been accidently infected with Mia's HIV just in time for her to finally progress into an AIDS status. His own viral transformation and diagnosis came mere weeks afterwards. Now both were AIDS positive and in retirement from both the Outlaws and Queen Consolidated. They were living out their retirement based out of the Queen Estate in Seattle.
Laurel Anne Hardy had begun as the vigilante Sparrow in the American Southwest where she roamed, cleaning up one town at a time until Arkham Knight recruited her. Oracle was the last member of the team. The hacktivist supreme had been paralyzed from the waist down by Deadshot on Amanda Waller's "kill" order. But mysteriously, he spared Oracle in exchange that she erase her own identity. So she she'd fabricated her own death and then erased her existence by destroying all digital and physical files regarding her life. Oracle's previous identity did not, and now never had, exist at all. She wouldn't even share it with Jason despite the fact they were lovers. Even as Oracle, she was a whisper in the digital winds.
"Knightfall and Empress Penguin have been managing pest control regarding Hellequin for months now. All they've managed to do was kill her girlfriend and seriously piss her off. Hellequin lives off the grid. How she finances herself is a complete mystery. But under assumed names and identities she's purchased footholds in Devil's Square, the Narrows, and seems to have moved on to other, more fashionable neighborhoods. We have no idea of what identity Marian Drews is currently inhabiting or her current residence," Oracle explained, "What has been proven, time and again, is that Hellequin is a certifiable genius and very, very hard to kill. Word on the ether is she was the one responsible for leaking the information that drew the UN forces here in the first place. All just to discredit Knightfall. We have no scope of how far she will go to to avenge Neo Joker. Gotham itself could just very well be collateral damage in her quest to kill Knightfall and Regina Swann in Christina Bell's name."
"Wasn't Bell one of the Joker's genetic manipulation victims?" Arrow asked
"The Joker did imprint his DNA and psychologically rewrote part of Bell's mind to insure some kind of passing immortality. She was the last surviving victim when Knightfall had her killed to punish Hellequin for interfering in her plans by blatantly defying the license system Gotham had adopted regarding criminal activities. Hellequin is an existential threat to Knightfall's success," Oracle explained further, "As she recently proved out."
"Damn. The lady is crazy," Sparrow complained.
"She's made claims that she temporarily replaced Harley Quinn in the Joker's eyes while Quinn was locked up in Arkham and he'd escaped. Supposedly this accounted for some behavioral 'irregularities' between Quinn's 'normal' behaviors and other times. The Joker did have a proven track record of replacing Harley on occasion," Arkham Knight explained, "Hellequin's Joker fetish was fed by the Neo Joker's relationship with her. Just adding to the causation of Hellequin coming unhinged after Bell's death."
"Why is it psychopaths always get laid?" Arsenal quipped.
"For the same reason you're not getting any tonight," Cheshire retorted.
"Don't be like that," Arsenal pouted.
"We should focus," Black Bison urged.
"Get me in range and I'll make every drop of Hellequin's blood explode out of her pores," Crimson Avenger promised.
"Maybe we should get her side on this," Pagan spoke out of turn.
"What's that, new girl?" Wild Dog sneered.
"I don't need your condescension," Pagan warned him, "The woman has obviously suffered because somebody thought their agenda was best for her and forced it upon her. She rebelled and they capped her lover. I'm with her on this."
"Maybe you're missing the whole point of what we do?" Starling offered.
"I think she's right," the taciturn Shieldmaiden agreed, "This is a duel between aggrieved parties over politics. Knightfall made it an affair of the heart. Hellequin should take it as personally as it was intended."
"Wow," Sparrow said sarcastically.
"She does seem to be the aggrieved party here," Squire conceded.
"I know where I'd tell Knightfall where to stick it if she said I needed a license to do anything," Ravager agreed.
"I think we all agree on that point," Protector stated.
"She did a wrong thing. Let her suffer for it," Street Avenger said simply.
"Unfortunately, Knightfall gives us a nice rent free Bunker and reasonably priced apartments to live in," Red Arrow pointed out the obvious.
"But when is some too much to give?" Arrow inquired sharply.
"I don't like this either but in the short term, Hellequin is the bigger threat to Gotham," Arkham Knight reiterated.
"What about long term?" Sparrow asked. "What happens when we have to turn on Knightfall?"
"We'd better not miss," Arsenal snorted.
"We also need to take out Regina Swann at the same time," Cheshire agreed.
"We have other immediate threats to consider," Oracle advised them, "I was able to enhance this imagery from last night."
"What or who the hell is that?" Starling saw the Agent of the Bat for the first time.
"That is the voice that has every criminal in Gotham scared," Protector replied, "If they're smart enough to be."
"A true warrior," Shieldmaiden applauded.
"That's not the character I'd worry about," Red Hood broke her silence, "The Phantasm is with Hellequin and this walking tank."
"A far deadlier threat added to the pile," Arrow assessed.
"Who we're not engaging," Arkham Knight laid down that rule.
"And if she engages us?" Ravager snorted.
"Defend yourself but do not kill the Phantasm," Arkham Knight declared.
"You'll have to explain that reasoning," Squire pointed out.
"Phantasm invented our business model," Oracle explained, "And she's a friend."
"A friend that can slice us apart," Crimson Avenger disapproved.
"She won't," Arkham Knight promised, "Unless she's provoked."
"And when that theory dies?" Sparrow asked, "And what gives? Phantasm is a guy."
"No, she's not," Oracle sighed, "That deception is her first line of defense."
"Really?" Starling was impressed, "We're talking one bad ass, chica."
"I like her already," Pagan decided.
"You're willing to bet your life on this?" Arrow asked sharply.
"I'll be the one dealing with her," Arkham Knight promised, "So, yes"
"And I'll have his back," Red Hood decided.
"So it's decided then," Red Arrow grinned.
"This is next level crazy. Even for you," Andrea whispered to Marian as they cleared the entrance security checkpoint to enter the Iceberg Lounge.
When the Penguin had first established the club, he'd enforced a strict "No Weapons" ban. The who's who of criminal and high society elites that frequented his club felt safe from one another thanks to Penguin's solely armed staffers. Emperor Penguin had continued the tradition. As had Empress Penguin when Regina ousted Ogilvy
The original lounge had been destroyed in the recent past and the rebuilt Iceberg Lounge was a castle at the end of Miller Harbor that still hosted the crème de la crème of society. Respectable or otherwise. Tonight, Regina was hosting a benefit put on by Charise Carnes and lauded by Mayor Marian Grange. The proposed relief effort was to meet medical needs and financial assistance to those affected by the UN's occupation.
Secretary-General Lex Luthor had bogged down UN relief funds in procedural loopholes and it seemed the United Nations would never actually pay reparations. So Charise took matters into her own hands. Outdoing the vaunted Wayne Foundation at every turn. Derek Powers couldn't excise the Foundation's funding and he desperately needed the positive PR after his forced confessions under the Scarecrow's sway. But he'd severely curtailed Kate Kane's efforts. Bruce Wayne was donating vast amounts of cash, channeling it through Kate and the Wayne Foundation but it all paled beside Carnes' efforts.
But even though Bruce was still a billionaire on paper, his liquid cash reserves were rather limited after the Wayne-Powers takeover. But Bruce was no longer funding Batman's activities so he had largesse to spare towards Kate's efforts.
But Charise could easily outspend anyone in Gotham except for maybe Powers himself. And she was laying a veritable fortune down into this project.
Carnes Development had already secured the rebuilding projects, bid nearly at cost. As disillusioned as Mayor Grange was with Knightfall, she as ready to put the woman's alter ego up for sainthood. The entire event designed to place the Mayor in Charise's circle for the evening so that Carnes could defend Knightfall's proposals, still on the table despite being recently abandoned by Grange and the city council. Charise merely wanted Grange to reopen her backdoor conversation with Knightfall to hear how the "crime lord" planned on adjusting her plan without overtly involving the city. All Grange and the Council had to do was look the other way…and tame Barbara Gordon.
FEMA had responded in a limited way. President Olivia McKay, actually a native born Durlan, had promised to release more funding and active participation. The Near Apocalypse of 2009 had polarized the two primary political parties. The Democrats had swung hard-left and the Republicans had swung hard-right. The Democrats seeking to build a pervasive Socialist state and the Republicans using hate language to push a Fascist agenda dominated by White, financially elite, and a distinct minority governing the United States by restricting voters access and eventually doing away with the office of an elected President in favor of a "messianic president-for-life" and monarchial styled family inheriting the throne through the abolishment of basic civil right s and competing political parties.
Both parties had embraced McKay and paved the way for her reinstatement as POTUS and the emergency election that allowed her to capture the next, refurbished into six years, term two years before the scheduled election. McKay's administration would endure another eight years. But both parties had rejected McKay since but she'd taken Jackson Mason back on as VP to insure that neither party would allow the extremely unpopular political figure to become President
After all, they and the nation had chosen Lex Luthor rather than allow Mason to finish out the final three years of McKay's second term. With term limits expanded to four six-year terms, the Republicans nearly got their goal and the Democrats felt comfortable as long as they controlled the Executive Branch.
McKay had become several historic figures all at once. The first woman president, the first impeached and returned to office president, the first extraterrestrial president, and the second to win the office as an independent candidate.
Jackson Mason spewed the actual hate filled message the Republican Party had begun espousing. But they wanted to perceive and project themselves as "politically persecuted" rather than breeding insurrectionists and domestic terrorists. Sadly, the fringe Left had also been turning to extremism. So the two parties had created the exact opposite of the situation they'd desired when they transferred control and funding of SHADE and the DEO to the UN.
The USA had reinstated the two agencies. Covertly, CADMUS II was underway. The increasingly redundant MLJ Initiative and its subordinate WEB Agency were shuttered to accommodate the nature and relevancy of the returning agencies. The UN had recreated, with the aid of the Shadow Cabinet, Stormwatch to protect the world from alien threats as the tip of the sword that the JLI would back. The Pax Mundi covered peacekeeping missions. International Operations had replaced Spyral as the covert operations force for the UN.
Stormwatch and the Justice League International responded to alien and meta-human threats. Blackhawk Express was back in action against risking illegal technological threats and secure transportation services for the various UN entities. Finally, the WildCATS had been brought in by the Shadow Cabinet as a semi-autonomous reaction force to various rising threats lingering since the Daemonite presence on Earth had been decimated. The Kherabim had migrated back home afterwards. Lord Emp was among those that returned from Khera to resume their lives on Earth. He himself returned to being Jacob Marlow of Marlow Industries. Self-financing the WildCAT's operations to maintain independence from UN comptrollers.
Marlow's return blunted a hostile takeover bid by Derek Powers. Who decided to focus on acquiring the troubled Queen Consolidated instead. The inheritance battle between Thea and Emiko Queen unsettling investors and Board members alike. Prompting the CEO to side with the Board and attempt to sell out the company before Thea and Emiko could settle the issue. Which might have been the Shadow Seven's goal in urging Thea Queen to fight for an inheritance from a family she'd never had. But what positive gain the League of Shadows would acquire was still a mystery to be solved. But all of that background meant little in their current situation.
"Regina and the gang have always seen me with grease paint on my face and my hair dye-dipped. You're a complete unknown. They won't even notice us," Marian promised.
Andrea had to admit, the red ball gown Marian wore and her normalized appearance made her clean up spectacularly. And Andie had to admit, she hadn't been to a similar function in years as a semi-invited guest.
"I'll admit, you're procuring CIA issued fiberglass staves and knives was brilliant," Andrea confessed.
"As always," Marian immodestly gushed.
"I take it your ego is filling this enormous space," Andrea said dryly.
"Maaay-be," Marian snickered. A hostess took them to their table within the rotunda that served as the Iceberg Lounge's tiered seating area. Dominating the center was a fragment from an actual iceberg brought in by an icebreaker and the building had been constructed around and beneath it. Refrigeration kept it from melting
The "cheap seats" endured the cold while the elevated "prestige" seating had heating elements at every table. Andrea's old Gotham U. days with Silver St. Cloud had secured them prestigious seating. Silver herself having been personally invited and the event subsequently snubbed. Andrea and Marian had used her invitation to get in.
Andrea had fed the gatekeepers a line about being Silver and having "gone natural". A blatant fabrication because Silver St. Cloud had bleached her hair platinum white blonde since she was fourteen. But the intimidated young woman was obviously unarmed and not an actual member of Bird of Paradise's surrounding guard detail. Of whom she seemed even more terrified of than the indignant "Silver". Marian was the anonymous "Plus One".
The hostess seemed to realize the gatekeeper had been bamboozled and adjusted their seating chart pecking order accordingly. It seemed some members of Gotham's rising society members were all too aware of Regina's actual role in the city and abstained from coming. Andrea silently saluted their moral courage. Marian was indifferent.
She had a direct line of sight to Charise's table, shared with Sally Sarasota aka Bonebreaker, and Regina who wined and dined Mayor Grange with Pussy Katnip hovering nearby. It was soon apparent District Attorney Alistair Reynolds had also spurned his invitation. But every city alderman and woman was present and accounted for. Andrea rather doubted that Barbara Gordon had been invited.
Marian had spotted that Plastic Woman and Morgan weren't in attendance. With Empress Penguin tied into the activities at the Iceberg Lounge until the very early hours of the morning that left elements of Jinx's security detail free to accompany Plas and Morgan as they liberated Black Siren. Homeland had specifically engaged the transfer operation to coincide with the benefit. So Plastic Woman and Morgan's absences, though fully expected, were telling.
"It'd be sooo easy," Marian lamented.
"Not if you want to get out alive," Andrea counseled her.
"Fine!" Marian sulked.
"The best revenge is one you survive serving up," Andie reminded her.
"That League of Assassins' wisdom talking?" Marian wondered.
"Hong Kong fortune cookie," Andrea shrugged, "A gambling house I've visited 'on the clock' back before the Triads and Yakuza kissed and made up."
"Excuse me, but aren't you Andrea Beaumont?" a woman in a very resplendent pantsuit asked, "You certainly aren't Silver St. Cloud like the guess roster indicates."
"Go away. We're busy," Marian told her.
"Your 'Plus One' is rather rude," the woman remarked.
"She's smells the newsprint," Andrea said unkindly.
"You have me," the reporter noticed Marian sticking out her tongue at her; "I'm Vicki Vale."
"And I'm not confirming or denying," Andrea warned her.
"We're all Bruce's exes here, be a pal," Vicki requested.
"I'm not Brucie's ex," Marian defiantly declared.
"Funny, you seem his usual type," Vicki said snidely.
"Them's fighting words," Marian growled.
"You're what? Canadian? Ontario is the Province, I'd say Toronto was your home," Vicki surmised.
"Damn. She's good," Marian grumbled.
"One of the best," Vicki immodestly boasted.
"Next to a Lois Lane," Andrea said coolly.
"Why does everyone name drop her?" Vicki pulled a chair from an adjacent table and set down.
"I beg your pardon?" a man huffed as he returned.
"Beg all you want," Vicki flashed him a megawatt smile.
"I'm beginning to like you. Despite yourself and your profession," Andrea confessed.
"So, just between us girls…" Vicki began.
"And all your readers," Marian interjected.
"…why are you back in Gotham?" Vicki continued unabated.
"Personal business with old friends," Andie told her smoothly.
"Your 'old friend' is giving Charise Carnes and Regina Swann the stink eye," Vicki had observed, "Care to comment?"
"Not at present," Andrea shrugged.
"Would you care to answer a few questions about the lingering allegations that you and your father disappeared with the Velescra Family's money? And that the Phantasm's appearance in Gotham twenty years ago was somehow tied into that?" Vicki pressed.
"No comment," Andrea grated.
"I…Holy Shit!" Vicki was on her feet as the sound of breaking glass permeated the air.
Most of the overhead was a tremendous engineering feat suspending a giant skylight as the primary roof. One that had been shattered and glass was raining down on the crowd below. And a hulking form descended from the overhead shadows.
The Agent of the Bat landed, "Stay calm. Now!"
"What could Batman want here?" Vicki asked as she began snapping photos with her smart phone.
"What indeed?" Andrea groused.
"This ain't good," Marian grumbled.
"Regina Swann, the Empress Penguin, I'm here for you. I want information," Azrael announced.
Pussy began hustling Regina away as Bird of Paradise and her guards opened fire, hailing bullets into the crowds below. Sally Sarasota got Charise to cover.
"Pathetic," Azrael declared.
"Batman was never this chatty before," Vicki mused.
"Thank God," Marian groaned, "`Cause he's just as boring."
Vicki eyeballed Marian, "And you'd know how?"
"Lucky guess," Andrea pulled Marian to her feet, "C'mon. Show's over."
"But it was just getting good," Marian whined. Vicki retreated as well as the Agent of the Bat threw an advanced style batarang that clipped through every handgun, disarming its wielder.
"That's new," Vicki murmured.
"Let's leave before we become the news cycle again," Andrea whispered to Marian.
"He's here for us," Marian whispered back.
"I know. Batman put him up to this," Andrea shared, "Which means he broke the truce. We can't return to my place."
"But I've got one neither Batsy nor Azrael can find," Marian grinned.
"Lead on then," Andrea conceded. Lucky for the pair, their working attire and weaponry was secured in Marian's stolen vehicle. GCPD units were already arriving.
"Now, before they dragnet witnesses," Andrea urged.
"Yah, yah. I'll pretend to panic drive," Marian promised.
Pussy had gotten Regina out of the building while the Agent of the Bat ignored Bird of Paradise and her agents. Outside, Pussy and Empress Penguin escaped with Jinx, who drove them to Regina's fortified home with standing security.
Charise slipped away while Sally confronted Azrael.
"Well, you're tough enough in that suit," Bonebreaker mocked him.
"Stand aside," Azrael commanded.
'Some bat," she snorted and punched him.
To his surprise, the impact threw him across the tables and the water into the iceberg. Azrael took a moment to assess his surroundings. Empress Penguin was gone. Knightfall wasn't present despite her immensely powerful personal agent engaging him. And the Phantasm and Hellequin weren't present either. Which meant they hadn't attended to scout out an opportunity to assassinate their targets.
Batman had guessed wrong. His second failing of the evening. His grapnel line fired and snared the roof supports. He reeled himself up and departed before the GCPD officers flooding into the building could apprehend him.
"Everybody stand down," Lt. Montoya ordered as they'd all come to surround Sally Sarasota.
"Bonebreaker, right?" Montoya asked.
"To my friends. Which you aren't," she replied.
"I'm assuming your primary escaped with everyone else," Montoya confessed.
"To be honest, I think he was after people that obviously never showed up," Bonebreaker admitted.
"Still, we'll need a statement," Montoya advised her.
"Of course," Sally was under instructions to appease law enforcement while Knightfall solidified her control over Regina and the city's criminal element.
Afterwards, they could all pay for their constant insolence and staring at her statuesque body.
"Isn't this exactly where Knightfall and Empress Penguin killed Neo Joker?" Andrea stared at the abandoned youth hostel located within Devil's Square's boundaries
"Precisely," Marian was chipper enough. Apparently she was done grieving if not done seeking revenge.
"Make yourself comfortable," Marian offered.
"This is surprisingly…tidy," Andrea was surprised the location wasn't filled with squatters.
"I have a deal with Punchline. Her Jokerz secure my hideout and I let them be," Marian explained.
"I have to admit I was surprised you even owned a car," Andie confessed as they unloaded their gear.
"Borrowed is more like it," Marian snickered, "Fortunately, it'll be gone in the morning."
"You two, step away from the car," the spokesman for a trio of thugs ordered.
"See what I mean?" Marian tossed the keys at them, "Here, have at."
"Take your clothes off," the thug spoke again, testing his luck.
"Now, ya had to get nasty," Marian unsheathed her baseball bat.
"We got the real weapons, Doll," he let go of a nasty chuckle.
"Then come and take me and take me now, big man," Marian began to twirl her bat like a sword.
Thirty sickening and bone crunching seconds later, the still-standing crooks fled.
"Damn. They left the body and the car," Marian complained as she swiped at the blood splatters across her face.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Andrea sighed.
Marian opened the car door and tossed the keys inside, "Let `em have it."
"Let's go, Slugger," Andrea urged.
"Good thing my dress was already red," Marian snickered.
"Of course," Andrea sighed, "Now, if we can get inside?"
"Don't get tetchy," Marian aimed the bloody end of her bat at Andie. Bits of brain and skull still adhered to it.
"Really?" Andrea sounded bored.
"Nope," Marian giggled, "I just need you to hold it."
"Point the goo-less end at me and I will," Andrea relented.
"You're awfully squeamish for a master assassin," Marian accused as she lifted up a storm drain manhole cover, "Down here."
"Of course," Andrea said dryly.
Beneath the hostel, Andie wasn't quite surprised to see both Marian and Hellequin's motorcycle under a lean-to. There was also an underground entrance defended by the latest technology and titanium-steel reinforced vault doors.
"You had a vault built beneath your lair?" Andrea was surprised by that.
"Yeah, our Brucie gave us each five hundred million dollars. Stu sunk it all into his diner and the surrounding neighborhood. Lo-Lo is financing her new career as a super villain. Lana Linda Lang used it to renovate they fam farmhouse Lana gave her and start up a co-op back in Smallville," Marian explained, "I've still got some money left but it ain't much."
Marian unlocked the vault and wheeled her bikes in, "There's a lift at the other end. Go up and make herself comfy."
Andrea was surprised to learn the hostel was more akin to a mid-price motel on the inside despite its graffiti strewn outer appearance. She found the official entrances and widows were heavily barricaded by standing safes stacked atop of each other. The doors to the safes were unlocked and the safes themselves were loaded with cinderblocks.
"Smart," Andie murmured
"Glad you like it," Marian smirked, "Now check this out."
Another reinforced room turned out to be an armory. One that Hellequin had obviously been stocking up. Including one very illegal, military grade plasma rifle with over a dozen capacitors to charge it. There also charging stations for the capacitors.
"You've been planning this war for a while now," Andrea commented.
"Since before the Crisis ended," Marian revealed, "After doing the Monitor's dirty work and recruiting half of the Paragons he needed to defeat the Anti Monitor, I got to work. I knew a literal super villain war was coming."
"Why thirty-six Paragons? And why were half of them arguably evil?" Andrea inquired.
"Cosmic scales?" Marian ventured, "Who the futz cares? What do you know about the Light?"
"Mythical bigger bogeymen than the League of Shadows," Andrea offered.
"`Cept they're real and even the Shadow Seven answer to Vandal Savage. `Course, it's all 'equal' partnerships. But Savage, Luthor, Ra's al Ghul and Nyssa Raatko, along with Queen Bee don't 'equal' with anyone," Marian explained, "And for the past coupla months, Saturn Queen has been back in our time trying influence Vandal Savage into her paradigm for her future confrontation with Glorith."
"I see," Andrea thought she did given the rumors she'd unearthed over the past two decades and her own training with Nyssa before that, "And where does this so-called 'Shadow Cabinet' fall into this?"
"The Shadow Cabinet is an outgrowth of a group calling themselves the Demon Knights after Camelot fell," Marian shrugged, "They've controlled every version of Stormwatch throughout history."
"Including the newest incarnation," Andrea stated.
"Yup. Black Adam, Isis, and Horus are the latest members alongside the Martian Manhunter, I-Ching, Weatherman, and Icon," Marian explained.
"J'onn Jonzz is dead," Andie argued.
"Is he?" Marian mused, "Explain that to Sheriff John Jones in Maricopa County, Arizona."
"Just because the name is similar doesn't mean anything," Andrea argued.
"Lord Martian Manhunter spent a century playing various law enforcement agents before being captured by the US government," Marian told her, "Our two worlds' histories didn't diverge until Lex Luthor was elected President and the Flash died at Luthor's hands. Miss Martian probably knows Jonzz is alive and is simply playing dumb about it."
"But he burned to death," Andrea still refused to consider it.
"Did he?" Marian was pensive, "They say Martians can regenerate with the smallest blood transfusion."
"Except that Miss Martian was revealed to be a White Martian. Incompatible with Green Martian blood," Andie thought she'd finally nailed the coffin shut.
"I really wonder," Marian knew something but wasn't sharing. And suddenly the casket swung open again. Now Andrea she couldn't rest until she'd investigated Sheriff Jones. Which was Hellequin's intention all along.
"We'd better rest and begin gathering intelligence again tomorrow. With Plastic Woman and Morgan obviously freeing Black Siren, our job just got harder," Andrea groused.
"But not impossible," again, Marian knew something she wasn't sharing. At least not yet.
"You failed," Bruce accused Jean-Paul.
"Your information was faulty," Jean-Paul grated, "The women weren't at the Beaumont residence and neither Phantasm nor Hellequin were at the Iceberg Lounge."
Bruce knew neither statement was accurate. He hadn't told Azrael that Andrea and the Phantasm were one in the same. Only that the assassin used her house while Andie was abroad. Or that Silver St. Cloud had called him to inform that Andrea was in town and using her invitation to attend Charise Carnes' gala.
Either the Agent of the Bat had interrupted an assassination attempt or they'd merely been conducting intelligence gathering. Given that Plastic Woman and Nancy Morgan had liberated Black Siren at the same time, it seemed that assassination would the likelier prospect. But it seemed even Batman could be wrong despite his internal railing against that very prospect.
Batman wore the name Bruce Wayne now but that personality had consumed by Batman. Bruce no longer existed. But Batman was a welling fount of rage and bitterness over his incapacity to act directly and his self-imposed exile from the world. And now Azrael had the audacity to fail him?
"Turn over your suit," Bruce/Batman demanded.
"Excuse me?" Jean-Paul was angered by the demand.
"Your services as my agent are no longer required. You fabricated the suit using my parts and equipment. You will leave it here," Batman coldly told Azrael.
"This is far from over," Jean-Paul warned him.
"It is for you. Get out of my city," Batman growled.
"You're powerless against me," Jean-Paul advised him. He departed but he left the suit. Which was just as well. Batman didn't know if crippled Bruce Wayne could actually defeat Azrael anymore.
Jean-Paul maintained an apartment in Gotham left over from his university days. It was a hidden workshop even Sister Lilhy seemed unaware of. He decided to finish building another new suit of armor. One befitting an Azrael that was a Saint Batman. And then he would wage a crusade against Gotham's criminals the likes of which they'd never even dared fear in most recessed nightmares.
The uppermost floors of the Gotham Ryder Corp building, its corporate parent headquarters, were a three-floor affair consisting of an executive office and a two-story penthouse. One floor below had been converted into office/apartments for the owner's staff. Of course, the owner in question was the Sumerian princess, Erishkigal Narayana the Disco Mummy. Her "staff" was her ever faithful retinue of acolytes.
Her office was the war room from where she planned the ultimate demise of all life on Earth. But today she'd called a truce with her greatest rival, the Crimson Queen. Amomodat Ashtad was the former ruler of Bailya and the infamous nuclear terrorist that unleashed ballistic missiles on the world. Unknown to her, her faithful sister Suri, known as the Scarlet Rose, was Disco Mummy's servant, mind, body, and damned soul. Scarlet Rose had made a devil's bargain with Disco Mummy. If she exorcised the succubus indwelling her sister's body, Suri would be her indentured servant.
Erishkigal counter offered. She'd do the deed debt free if the Crimson Queen willingly allowed her to. If not, Scarlet Rose would be mummified and made Disco Mummy's eternal slave. Erish knowing that Amomodat Ashtad was dead and the sex demon merely inhabited her corpse had inherited Crimson Queen's chemically based memories lingering in her dead brain. The succubus would never willingly abandon her host body no matter what it cost Scarlet Rose.
But in a "magnanimous" moment, Disco Mummy restored Suri's outer form and released her to her "sister". Erishkigal being able to control Scarlet Rose's every action when she deemed fit and able to see the world through Suri's eyes and hear it through her ears when she so desired. So she'd imbedded the perfect, completely unwitting and hapless, spy within the Crimson Queen's ranks. Point in fact, Crimson Queen had utilized her own powerful ally to arrange a meeting with Disco Mummy.
Max Lord, the founder of Innovative Concepts and the Justice League International's ambassador to the United Nations, had secretly formed a political alliance with the Crimson Queen and conceded to arranging a meeting between himself and Erishkigal that he would attend as well. Lord brought his two AI/android retainers L-Ron and J-Lo accompanied himself, Crimson Queen, and Scarlet Rose.
Erishkigal's own acolytes attended as well to bear witness to this historic meeting. They included: Ghazia, a reincarnated Egyptian priestess and sorceress; Black Pharaoh, a would-be but oft rejected suitor; Scarab (Peter Ward) the reincarnation of Thoth, pharaoh, older brother to Tutankhamen who used a magic ring for powers; Myra Pyram, a present day priestess/sorceress devoted to Set and Disco Mummy; the Green Mummy, a modern man wrapped in cursed ceremonial wrappings for desecrating scared tombs; and Aten Khalis known as Wraps, a former pharaonic guard who betrayed Khufu & Chay'Era.
"You'll note that I agreed to meet despite your superior numbers," the Crimson Queen said haughtily.
"You'll note I don't care. Why did you call for this meeting?" Disco Mummy inquired sharply.
"Surely you paid attention to the recent travails afflicting this city at the hands of the Pax Mundi?" Crimson Queen asked.
"I repulsed the Scarecrow's minions. Still, the cretins interfered in my operations," Disco Mummy allowed.
"Then avenge yourself upon this 'Knightfall'," Crimson Queen hissed.
"And why is she a threat to you?" Erish inquired, "Or is it to you?"
Lord just smirked.
"Knightfall's program was meant to thrive under the Pax Mundi's occupation. Instead it cracked and fell apart," Lord shrugged, "She made herself and the Empress Penguin expendable."
"Expendable to whom?" Disco Mummy sought to know.
"To me!" the Crimson Queen snapped at her, "If she cannot reign than I shall in her place."
"And how is that working for you?" Disco Mummy smugly retorted.
"You won't back me?" Crimson Queen was angered.
"I strive to destroy you. Why should I endeavor to assist you actively or tacitly?" Disco Mummy had to wonder.
"I can help make your goals achievable," Lord promised.
"They already are," Disco Mummy promised in return, "I'm immortal. The bulk of the world is mortal. Which means all life eventually dies. I have patience. I need only wait to reign."
"Over the dead?" Lord was surprised.
"I told you she was demented," Crimson Queen snapped, "And completely unreasonable.."
"Everyone can see reason eventually," Lord remarked.
"Here is my reasoning: you will leave Gotham and never darken its borders again. Or I'll begin reigning over the mummified dead beginning with you," Disco Mummy warned, "Remember, that's a corpse you occupy and the dead are mine to command."
"Excuse me?" Lord interrupted.
"You haven't told him?" Disco Mummy richly laughed at that revelation, "Leave now and tell him to test how strong your alliance truly is."
"You stand opposed to me?" Crimson Queen huffed.
"Always," Disco Mummy vowed.
"We're leaving!" the Queen led Scarlet Rose out.
"It was…interesting meeting you," Lord allowed. L-Ron and J-Lo accompanied him out to the private elevator.
"Wasn't it though?" Erishkigal mused.
Within Regina's mansion, she conferred with Charise, "Who does that armored imbecile think he is to intrude on my domain?"
"He isn't Batman," Charise deduced, "At least, not the original. He was barely stifling the drive to kill every opponent facing him. Sally would've given him a run but in the end, I think even my dear Bonebreaker would've died in the resulting conflict along with your Bird of Paradise and her force of agents."
"But you still don't think I was the target?" Empress Penguin asked.
"No, and the more I think about the more convinced I am. Your address is hardly secret. If this new 'Batman' wanted to hunt you, he'd already have been and gone from here."
"With my bullets between his eyes," Pussy Katnip promised.
"He's bulletproof," Bonebreaker dryly reminded everyone.
"You honestly think this 'Batman' would kill?" Regina inquired.
"I read his body language. He was prepared to. But his actual targets weren't present or he couldn't find them," Charise mentioned, "I think he's had a falling out with the Phantasm and Hellequin."
"And you think they were there?" Regina wasn't certain, "It was invitation only."
"I took the liberty of requesting that Bird of Paradise interview the entrance staffers and hostesses regarding any irregularities," Charise revealed. Regina didn't like being sidelined.
"Bird called it in just a minute ago. Someone claiming to be Silver St. Cloud arrived but didn't match her physical description. She had a female 'Plus One' as well," Pussy shared.
"Jinx, external security is your mandate. Put someone on St. Cloud. Tell Bird of Paradise I wish discuss her staffing selections," Regina told her security chiefs.
"There's more. The hostess involved noted the gatekeeper had let someone fake in but seated them anyway in a lower tier placing rather than upper deck near you. But she still seated them," Pussy warned Regina.
"I want her and the girl at the door here in front of me inside of twenty minutes," Regina decided.
"I'll let Bird know," Pussy grinned.
"To be fair, your staff was under immense pressure to get everyone in and sorted out in the one hour window that you provided for it. Just keep that in mind while you weigh executing them both," Charise requested.
Pussy returned, "Bird has the two. She also reports some kind of electronic interference scrambled the interior cameras for the duration of the event."
"Of course they were," Charise smirked, "If the Phantasm and Hellequin were to be present as civilians they couldn't afford to be identified afterwards. Tell Bird of Paradise not to send the employees."
"It's too late," Pussy stated.
"They're here," Phantasm's modulated voice came over Hellequin's ear piece comms.
"Got `em," she'd sighted in the convoy with her Javelin missile and fired.
The SUV carrying the witnesses exploded as an antitank round detonated, utterly destroying an unarmored vehicle. The shrapnel and explosion wrecked the SUVs before and after the suspect vehicle. Hellequin ditched the launcher and mounted her Ducati motorcycle. Racing off, she left Phantasm to make her own way back to Devil's Square and the battered survivors of Bird of Paradise's convoy wondering what the hell had just happened.
Bullock and Major Crimes got the case.
"Freakin' missiles now," Bullock lamented to Commissioner Gordon, "The perp used an antitank launcher ta scrag the two Swann wanted ta interview regardin' some kinda mistaken identity at tonight's party. We found the launcher at an alleyway with a direct line of sight. The survivors barely noticed a motorcycle leavin' the scene."
"Whose identity?" Gordon asked.
"Say wha?" Bullock was flummoxed.
"Whose identity was stolen?" Barbara clarified.
"That so-called Bird of Paradise security chick at the Iceberg Lounge told us Silver St. Cloud's invite was used but when called, she had an alibi of where she wuz and it weren't the Iceberg Lounge," Bullock explained.
"Call her again. Tell her I want to personally interview her at her home," Babs requested.
"Ya got it, Commish," Bullock went for his desk to use the phone.
Barbara knew Silver would be watched at this point…probably by both sides of this crime equation.
Silver St. Cloud's condo was modest in comparison to most people in her income bracket. Bullock still would've referred to it as a "lifestyle of the rich and shameless". Still, as Gotham socialites went, Silver and Jaina Hudson were the most relatable. And both were her ex-husband's former lovers.
Bruce had certainly slept around as himself and Batman. It made her regret Dick leaving and pushing her towards Bruce in his absence. She certainly hadn't helped Dick overcome his emotional distance after he returned. Other than some illicit fornicating at Bruce Wayne's wedding to one of Ivy's plant creatures.
Dick had married Ulla Paske. A relationship that could've easily wilted after the Little Mermaid took Dick hostage. But then overcame the Crimson Queen's mental conditioning to drive him cross country back to Bludhaven. Now they were both married, retired superheroes and expecting their second child together. Dick was an ADA with the Bludhaven District Attorney's office and Ulla, quite wealthy in her own regard, was a social crusader.
Which, of the extended Bat Clan, left Tim Drake and Jason Todd. Jason being the discarded Robin between Dick and Tim and the Joker's warm up for what would happen to Tim. Tim being the Joker's final victim. Bruce had impregnated Selina Kyle but refused to acknowledge his daughter, Helena Kyle.
Alfred, who'd resigned in protest earlier, tended to the retired Catwoman and Bruce's legitimate heir. Alfred's own daughter, former DGSE agent Sasha Julia Bordeaux, served as Helena's bodyguard. Selina had even explained to Barbara that Bruce had confessed that Selina was his true soul mate. But he refused to be in her, or Helena's, lives. An exalted position no one had held since Andrea Beaumont broke his heart and left nothing stopping him from fully transforming into Batman at long last.
Even Talia al Ghul had never come that close. Although she bore him, unbeknownst to Bruce, his son Damien. A fact Talia hid from him until after Damien was killed by Lex Luthor's agent, Supreme, in retaliation for Ra's al Ghul leaving the Legion of Doom. Talia was broken afterwards and used the cloning processes that created Ubu and his brothers to clone Damien and force grow him into adulthood. Then the self-proclaimed Heretic created, with Talia's guidance and assistance, a force called Leviathan to avenge themselves upon Batman and his beloved Gotham City.
Over the last five years, Gotham had been besieged once a year. First came Superman's rogue daughter by Maxima, Kalea-El, and the invasion force from Almerac. Then Aquaman decided to settle differences with the surface world by having Atlantis and its sister states invade. Afterwards came Vandal Savage as the mysterious CONTROL over the United Nations' World Army. A scene replayed this year by the UN's Pax Mundi.
In between UN efforts, Leviathan had struck. Meanwhile, the Court of Owls revealed itself and terrorized Gotham. The League of Assassins later decimated the Court in the streets and in the Owls' homes. Scarecrow came the closest to breaking everyone mind and spirits with his fear toxin plague. Something that only been stopped by Azrael operating as the Agent of the Bat and the Phantasm operating on her own initiative by destroying Ace Chemicals, the source of the toxin's replenishments.
Two things that galled Barbara and the GCPD as a whole. But they'd been dealing with the Pax Mundi when the Scarecrow struck. Incidentally uniting the two opposing forces. Only to discover that the unspoken agenda behind the UN Secretary-General's move in deploying the most peacekeeping in the UN had been to secure Repositories of knowledge left behind by the Court of Owls. Including the methods and elixir utilized to create Talons.
But Luthor was denied his prize. Dagar the Desert Hawk had lost too many soldiers in pursuit of this elusive goal. Including those cut down by the Phantasm, who Barbara suspected had guarded the secrets and ultimately was the one to destroy them. Ironically, the main Repository had sat beneath the Gotham Library's Main Branch. Including a secret entrance between the public library and the Owls' hidden trove of secrets accumulating even before the Court established the Gotham colony in 1609.
Barbara had learned from Dagar that the Court was crippled but the Owls' survived as an entity. And had now allied themselves with the similarly stricken Order of St. Dumas. Babs had already known Batman chose Azrael as his agent. But whatever mission Azrael had been upon in the Iceberg Lounge, he'd ultimately failed at it.
Barbara knew from forensics reports that the Phantasm had been part of the early morning's raid and theft at Miller Harbor. The freighter hadn't made it out of harbor yet when Coast Guard cutters intercepted her and brought her back. The Kaznians aboard admitted to trading dope for weapons for their rebel cause. Alarmingly, they also described people that could only described as Jokerz stealing the truckloads of weaponry.
Meanwhile, the mysterious Hellequin had done the world a favor and destroyed the dope. But the associated body count was going her multiple life sentences. According to the Kaznian witnesses left behind by the departing freighter, Azrael had been the voice of reason that spared Black Siren and the Puzzler. Black Siren, who'd escaped with the aid of Plastic Woman and Agent Morgan.
Gordon had come to accept that more than Plastic Man's gender had changed. She'd also returned to his former life of crime. Nancy Morgan, who'd been Eel O'Brien's girlfriend, went down the criminal rabbit hole with Patti O'Brien. Informants within Empress Penguin's organization claimed Morgan preferred Plas as a woman. Barbara had to wonder if Morgan also preferred a return to a life of crime versus the culture within the FBI.
The Bureau was infamously misogynistic going back to Hoover himself. The woman simply referred as the Chief was the first female Director the FBI had ever had. She'd barely been confirmed by Congress when her own special agents began transferring to other federal law enforcement agencies or simply resigning. Which suited the Chief.
She wouldn't hold with the disloyal. The FBI was notoriously conservative, politically and culturally. No Democrat had ever been appointed Director by any President regardless of party affiliation. The Chief was politically conservative but believed that women made just as good agents as their male counterparts despite the unofficial leanings. She also believed that having a white male majority of agents was also a touch out of touch.
No other federal law enforcement agency was so entrenched with such a profound male, white, conservative majority. Her agency was officially understaffed after all the defections. She was more than happy to let the recruiting DEO and SHADE have them. Neither agency tackled issues these men were prepared to accommodate into their paradigm. SHADE in particular used "other than human" operatives. If the defecting agents couldn't even handle a female Director, she wondered how they'd handle beings like Frankenstein's Creature and the Bride. The Maker would also challenge their every belief.
The Chief had vindictively asked Sec. Bones for video surveillance footage of these meetings. Dir. Gwen Cormaugh was being elevated to administrate both agencies directly under Bones. She'd tasked Alex Dancers with running the DEO and Cameron Chase with taking over SHADE
Barbara was painfully aware of these adjustments owing to her close association with Sue Dibney over the years. The Justice League's Ops Director knew the former Batgirl could trusted with the latest secrets. But one of Homeland's secrets had landed in Gotham. Or returned as the case may be. Silver St. Cloud was the key to Bullock's investigation and he'd likely never know it. Babs causally looked around.
"Can I take your coat, Commissioner?" Silver asked.
"I won't be staying for long, Ms. St. Cloud," Barbara informed her.
"Please, it's Silver," she replied with a warm smile.
"Ms. St. Cloud, when did you give Andréa Beaumont your invitation to Charise Carnes' gala at the Iceberg Lounge?" Barbara asked directly.
Silver blanched. She'd promised not to inform her network of friends that Andie was back in town.
"Thank you, Ms. St. Cloud," Gordon said brusquely, "You just confirmed my working theory. I'll be off now."
Silver desperately wished Andrea had left her an alternate number to call. Her home number's voice mail was already filled.
"Get what ya wanted, Commish?" Bullock asked after Barbara returned to the GCPD.
"Mostly," Gordon said wearily, "Business will be picking up."
"Whut?" Bullock froze.
"Have there been any strange break-ins lately?" Barbara wondered.
"A uni wuz tellin' me `bout an alarm trippin' at the old Beaumont condo," Bullock told her, "The caretakers say Andrea Beaumont hasn't been there since she skipped town two weeks ago."
"I rather doubt that at this point," Barbara told him, "But money buys silence."
"Whut'cha talkin' `bout, Commish?" Bullock was getting a sick feeling.
"Harv," she said quietly, "Batman convinced my father to bury the investigation regarding Andrea Beaumont and the mysterious killings that were blamed on Batman."
"Yer sayin 'Beaumont killed the Velescra Mob?" Bullock was astounded, "I wuz parta that investigation."
"And you were convinced Batman was guilty of the killings," Barbara reminded him, "When Batman was exonerated by the Joker's drone footage of the hooded assassin with the scythe glove appeared, the matter was simply dropped when the killings ended. Also about the time Andrea Beaumont disappeared again. If you look into the coincidences of Beaumont's arrivals worldwide and the uptick in mysterious slasher deaths, I think you'll draw the correct conclusion."
"Beaumont?" Bullock couldn't believe it.
"Harv, I've known for ten years and I was sworn to silence. But the Phantasm is real and she, not a 'he', is a professional world-class killer," Barb told him, "But because everyone thinks the Phantasm is a man, Beaumont comes in and out of towns where the Phantasm strikes without a single notice or second glance."
"Ooo-kay, where ya goin' wit dis?" Bullock inquired.
"Silver St. Cloud gave her invitation to the gala to Beaumont. Beaumont was there tonight," Gordon finished explaining.
"Whut's that gotta do wit' dis Bat character?" Bullock was exceptionally hard headed this evening. Or early morning depending on how accurate one wanted to be.
"Batman always knew who the Phantasm was," Gordon revealed at last, "But they had a truce. She stayed out of Gotham and he left her unmolested. But she has been in Gotham for weeks now, operating with impunity. Batman obviously set his newest 'agent' after her. And whoever her 'Plus One' was."
"Coulda been her girlfriend," Bullock shrugged.
"Beaumont is undyingly straight," Barbara gave him a reproving look, "Hellequin though claimed to be intimate with the Joker and the subsequent Neo Joker."
"So she swings both ways," Bullock was indifferent.
"There's no record of her ever being a 'replacement' Harley like she loudly proclaims," Gordon still struggled to reconcile the facts.
Hellequin knew intimate secrets of the Joker but her other narratives were of a completely different psychopath than Batgirl had ever known. But Hellequin had revealed crimes that were traceable back to the Joker. Details of which were far too accurate for Hellequin not to have been a witness or probably even a participant. Hellequin hadn't made a confession or done an act of public service. She'd simple established her bona fides.
"We know Hellequin was at the Miller Harbor massacre. We also know the Phantasm was there alongside her. Seems they would be continuing their partnership. Word on the street is that Hellequin is stepping up her campaign to hurt Knightfall and Empress Penguin. Even if they weren't at the Iceberg Lounge to kill either of them, it was a probe into enemy territory," Gordon explained, "This Batman 2.0 just interfered."
"Look, use yer connection with the real Bats ta call off his dog," Bullock requested.
"Don't you think I've already tried?" Barbara snapped at him, "Sorry, Harvey. But he never listens to anyone. Especially not me or Nightwing."
Bullock, unlike her father Jim Gordon, was still largely unaware that her ex-husband had been Batman and Dick Grayson was the former Nightwing. He knew she'd given up being Batgirl around the time she'd divorced Bruce and officially joined the GCPD as a police officer rather than a computer crimes consultant. A uniformed officer a mere five years ago, the successive crises had ranked her up faster than anyone else in department history. Only Montoya even came remotely close to matching her ascent trajectory.
Hellequin was one of the few in Gotham that knew the Earth Prime Montoya had been killed and later replaced by her Earth-5 doppelganger before the Final Crisis and simply woven into the Rebirth by Glorith. The Crisis of the Multiverse had been invisible to the average citizen of Earth Prime. But Final Crisis left a psychic scar known as the Near Apocalypse of 2009 that remained even after Zero Hour and Rebirth. Yet Final Crisis and Zero Hour had erased all of the remaining space and time but no remembered that the world had actually ended.
"What'choo got in mind fer dis, Commish?" Bullock asked, "`Cause I know you got a plan."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Actually it was Renee that came up with a potential solution," Gordon confessed, "The SRU requested help from the Dept. for Meta-Human Affairs."
"Waller? That bitch scares me," Bullock yelped.
"Language," Barbara chided him but added, "But I agree."
The former precinct that now housed the STU hosted the Young Justice squad the Justice Society had dispatched to assist the GCPD.
"No offense, but we weren't expecting the junior league," Montoya admitted her dismay.
"No offense taken," Black Lightning countered, "But that is why Splash, Max Mercury, and I are here to advise the Young Justice cadets present."
"Advise?" Montoya said dismally.
"Superboy and Miss Martian will be the actual peer mentor squad leaders," Black Lightning told her, "Meanwhile Splash and I will set up communications here and Max Mercury can rapidly respond to any threat the squad feels they need help against."
"They're teenagers. They won't ask for it," Montoya wasn't cheered up.
"No offense Lt. Montoya, but we've got this," Superboy informed her.
"That attitude is exactly what I'm afraid of," Montoya retorted.
"Can we just please access the crime scenes to determine if we can unearth any clues your own detectives wouldn't have thought to look for?" Miss Martian reasonably requested.
"Just who are your lead investigators?" Montoya asked, "And don't tell me Catgirl or the chica in a leopard skin bikini."
Jungle Girl and Catgirl were both justifiably miffed.
"Robin, Red Robin, Flag Bearer, and Girl Detective will be the leads," Superboy told her, "Got a problem with that?"
"First, those are two Robins I've never seen before. Your 'Flag Bearer' was supposedly part of the MLJ but I have no background info to verify that. And for the so-called 'Girl Detective'? What kind of cases has she led up before?" Montoya challenged him.
"You do realize we're under no obligation to tell you any of that, right?" Black Lightning asked.
"And who the hell is she?" Montoya continued unabated, "And I thought he was dead."
"I am Luciana, cousin to Queen Mera of Atlantis. But you can call me Splash since you air breathers seem to demand we rename ourselves with silly titles," Came her first answer.
"And long story short, I've been trapped in the Speed Force since the Civil Rights Movement really began to take hold," Max Mercury explained, "My own grandson; Kid Mercury wasn't selected to be here today for this practicum."
"You might think of this as a field exercise but I consider one of them an active multiple murder investigation and the other an ongoing vigilante investigation," Montoya told them all, "If you weren't here on the government's nickel I'd be busting all of you right now. Christ, most of you aren't even old enough to legally drive."
"This'll be fun," Arrowette whispered to Secret. The other Justicer snickered.
"You think this all funny? Some kind of damn game?" Montoya lashed out, "Hell, from what little I was told three of you aren't even nationals, not including the obvious alien in your midst."
Jungle Girl, Blue Streak, and Starlet all looked irritated while even M'gann M'orzz was losing patience.
"Why ya'll got such massive sticks up your asses?" Jinny Hex finally had had enough, "We're here to help y'all an' you're given us a ration a shit heaped high enough to cast a shadow."
"You have a name?" Montoya asked.
"Hex. Jinny Hex," she angrily answered.
"You've got spunk. You might even survive this," Montoya finally appreciatively smirked, "You're up against two stone killed killers and unknown Bat themed vigilante whose boundaries are as unknown as his identity. But so far he doesn't seem to have many. Oh, and one of those killers is a complete sociopath. So good luck."
"That was your pep talk?" Black Lightning inquired.
"Best I've got," Montoya shrugged, "Deal is, you inform us of anything you find and await SRU detectives to secure and catalogue the evidence as well as call in CSI for follow ups. You will not move on your own initiative against any baddies you find. You will wait for the cavalry or I will personally arrest your asses when we bring you in."
"You have a deal," Miss Martian spoke for the collective. Superboy still seemed irritated.
"Do you want the docks or the lounge?" she asked Superboy.
"Maybe we shouldn't split the team," he balked.
"We were in agreement," she scolded him.
"I'll take the docks," he decided.
"Good. I wanted the lounge anyway," Miss Martian kissed him and took her squad off in a Blackhawk issued Orb-14. Superboy took his group and did the same
"They a couple?" Montoya asked the supervisors.
"Engaged to be married," Max Mercury chuckled.
"Are they old enough to really consider it?" Montoya asked.
"She's over a hundred years old and he's got imprinted memories from two very adult men," Black Lightning told her, "They know what they're doing. They all do."
"We'll see, won't we?" Montoya was still skeptical.
She didn't have the vaguest notion that Earth-5 hadn't had any active meta-humans, vigilantes, or super villains. Some prejudices outlasted history.
Superboy landed the Orb-14 at Miller Harbor in the midst of the crime scene.
"Okay, you two are the local experts," he told Robin and Catgirl, "Kid Flash and Miss Quick, canvass the area like we discussed."
Raven Red and Jungle Girl stood by to employ their tracking skills should the others find the beginnings of a trail to follow. They began with the Jokerz exit since it was an obvious starting point. Robin and Girl Detective started with Hellequin's elevated firing position. Robin had a pair of binoculars from her utility belt and was surveying the damage.
"The outlines are clearly visible. There's a gap as though the shooter was intentionally missing a ptential target," Robin declared for Girl Detective's benefit. The other youngster was examining the powder burns and smoke residue from the rifle and RPG that had been abandoned atop the crane's cockpit.
"How many cargo containers were dropped?" she asked..
"Seven," Robin spotted, "One of those was detonated in midair in mid-loading."
"Prior to its positioning where it the debris would've landed on the excused target?" Girl Detective inquired.
"That's an affirmative," Robin saw where this was going.
Helena Wayne had been the child of Batman and Catwoman of Earth-4 before her history was rewritten to place her as the daughter of Bruce Wayne's uncle, Bruce Alan Wayne, and Selina Falcone. In the New Earth history, Bruce Alan had become a Miraclo fuelled Bat-Man after Bruce retired Batman's crusade. Now she and Red Robin were alone in knowing Bat-Man and his Dynamic Duo, Bat-Woman and Bat-Girl, were agents of the Crow's Security's elite militarized Batmen.
Crow's Security itself founded by ex-SpecOps soldier Jacob Kane, himself Bruce Wayne's uncle and the father to Kate and Beth Kane. Kate ran the Wayne Foundation for her older cousin Bruce. Beth, long assumed dead, had replaced her captor Red Claw and become Red Alice, leader of first the Wonderland Army and now just the terrorist Wonderland Gang. Red Alice recently being released on a bizarre technicality from custody in the UK. Her current whereabouts were unknown. But Red Alice had been Phantasm's primary reason for passing through Gotham when Hellequin recruited her to assist in Knightfall and Empress Penguin's furthering humiliations.
"The Kaznians did report Knightfall's 'miraculous' survival," Robin allowed.
"Some miracle. She was spared," Girl Detective concluded.
"We'd best report in," Robin tacitly concurred.
Superboy was the hub everyone was reporting to. Kid Flash and Miss Quick had spotted tire tracks exiting the area. Deep dirt and rubber impressions indicating fully laden vehicles had departed. Raven Red and Jungle Girl went to work following the faintest impression left behind.
"Someone really should convince Nyoka to wear more clothing while she's here in the States," Miss Quick opined.
"Why?" her brother chortled.
Shira Torr knew her brother Bar enjoyed Jungle Girl's typical skimpy attire as did most of the male Justicers. Particularly Jaime Reyes. Catgirl and Starlet made the surprising discovery of Hellequin and Phantasm's exit routes.
"I remembered the area from my Kittyhawk days before Selina found me," Kitrina Falcone explained, "Someone had a motorcycle waiting for them and the other broke into a car."
Starlet, as Selena Brown, was a ward of the Crown of Samarkand. She also shared Moon Girl's lunar charged powers focused through the moonstone pendent she wore. Starlet was ultimately related to Princess Clare Lune but the monarchy passed through the maternal line so Selena's father hadn't been in line to succeed. Selena had been taken from her native homeland and placed in foster care in the States when her mother, a commoner, died. So Starlet was excluded from the throne on two counts. Despite being one of the oldest Justicers, Starlet remained one of the least experienced, having just discovered her past and her latent gen factor.
Raven Red and Jungle Girl had lost the Jokerz' trail. But were tasked with tracking the motorcycle and the car. Raven Red, or Charlie Great Eagle, was Chief Man-of-Bats' son. Robert Great Eagle served in the Justice League. Charlie was furthering his education as a student and as a Young Justice cadet.
Nyoka Meredith was a 5th generation British colonial in Zimbabwe. She was also the heir to the Jungle Protector mantle. But since her father had been killed carrying the title and her mother left the country under coercion from the government, Nyoka was left as an unprepared Jungle Girl. So the JSA had recruited her into the Young Justice program to prep her for her native responsibilities. Unlike her mother, Nyoka couldn't be forced from her native country or be persuaded to give up being Jungle Girl. She'd defend the common people or die trying.
The minimum age to join Young Justice was thirteen. Only two cadets were that young, Devilina Dare and Jonathan Lane Kent. Although Jon's sister, Laura, was an exception to that guideline at age eleven. Nyoka was only a year older than the usual minimum at fourteen. But Laura was in the unique position from her immediate family in naturally knowing she was Lord Superman's daughter from Earth-2 even before Saturn Queen's telepathic revelations.
Lois Lane and Lana Linda Lang certainly hadn't been prepared to find out they were doppelgangers. Linda Lang easily continued the pretense that she was Lana Lang's eerily identical cousin. Lois resumed her quest to kill Superman at any cost. Even if she had to take the lives of her own children.
Raven Red tracked the car to where it had been abandoned. There was no trace of where the Phantasm had gone afterwards. Jungle Girl traced Hellequin's entrance into the sewer tunnels but even Kid Flash and Miss Quick couldn't reach far enough to discover where the motorcycle had exited the tunnel system. Completely unaware that Hellequin had simply diverted to an alternate tunnel system partially shared by Batman and the Court of Owls.
"Don't look at me," Catgirl protested at seeing Superboy's expectant gaze, "I do rooftops. Not sewer tunnels."
"But we can alert the GCPD to canvass the area and see what they can find," Robin suggested.
"They'll love us for that," Girl Detective snickered.
Blue Streak raced throughout the open areas of the Iceberg Lounge and tested every door to see which were locked before reporting back to Miss Martian.
"A lot of locked doors," Alysa Borodinova said in her thickly accented English
A result of Russian biochemical testing to try and replicate the successes that had created the Red and Blue Trinities, Blue Streak had been dispatched in part to train with Young Justice and in part to spy on them. The Russian leadership had lost sight of many things. But guile wasn't one of them.
"Blue Beetle?" Miss Martian inquired.
"Nada," Jaime reported, "The Scarab isn't detecting anything unusual."
Red Robin and Flag Bearer had tracked down the table where the faux Silver St. Cloud and her guest had been seated.
"Pity gloves are fashionable at these events," the former Anarky redubbed Red Robin commented.
"Not a print to be found," Flag Bearer repeated the GCPD's own efforts with a UV light, "They knew they'd be found out."
"But the GCPD did learn this Andrea Beaumont was a person of interest," Ulysses Armstrong had to commend them, "Commissioner Gordon's deductive skills are incredible."
"Yeah, but this Beaumont chick has a spotless record other than her dad embezzling from the mob," Arrowette reminded him.
"I could easily go through the locked doors," Secret reminded Miss Martian of her ability to become living smoke.
"So could I but it's illegal to search without probable cause. Whatever we find would inadmissible," M'gann reminded her own charge.
"Grandpa wouldn't care," Devilina Dare was quick to point out.
Colina Amara Hill's grandfather, Bart Hill, had secretly been the Daring Devil until recently a reporter had uncovered and published Bart's secret. Colina was spared scrutiny because she was only thirteen. But Devilina Dare had made enough of an impression on Young Justice Director Katherine Webb-Kane that she'd personally recruited Colina.
Miss Martian's team outnumbered Superboy's by one person. Outside, Jinny Hex and Static were canvassing the parking lot and surrounding areas to try and determine how the Agent of the Bat had an approach. Jinny was the direct descendant of the infamous bounty hunter, Jonah Hex. She'd help support her family through most of her short high school years moonlighting as an auto mechanic.
That had been interrupted by her great-great-grandfather arriving in the modern era with a band of heroic gunslingers and outlaw vigilantes called the Rough Bunch. Greg Saunders was hosting them at his Texas ranch now that he Mari McCabe had retired as being the JLers Vigilante and Vixen. Jonah revealed a trunk passed down by his descendants to Jinny. He had the key they'd all lacked and everyone feared damaging the contents too greatly to try and breach it. Upon seeing its historical and Earth shattering contents, Jinny agreed to drive cross country to deliver the chest to the JSA.
Upon arriving in NYC, Jinny had been swept up by the JSA's usual brand of mischief and had been offered a slot in Young Justice in exchange for the trunk and a monthly stipend sent to her family in Texas equaling what Jinny earned in a year. Monetarily being unable to refuse, Jinny enlisted.
Virgil Hawkins had made quite a name for Static in Dakota City. Icon and Rocket personally requested his inclusion in the program. The Justice League concurred, having faced danger beside Static. Even Batman gave him one of his rare endorsements.
"There's no way this 'Batman' wannabe fired a grapnel line far enough to cover the distance between the lounge, the Bowery, or Chinatown," Static observed.
The Iceberg Lounge residing at the edge of Miller Harbor where it met with Chinatown.
"What if he went out to sea?" Jinny finally asked what was on her mind.
"Why do you say that?" Static wondered.
"Batman has a plane and a boat, Right?" she asked.
"Historically," Static agreed.
"An' everyone is assumin' this guy is affiliated with Batman. Even he isn't denyin' it," Jinny continued her line of reasoning, "So maybe he's got access to Batman's toys."
"Batman was reported to use a grapnel line snared by the Batwing and flew off that way," Static recalled Lois Lane's report.
"An' if not, he coulda had a boat watin' for him," Jinny offered.
"I think we just made our report," Static stated, "And no one was ever able track down where the boat or plane would go to."
"Hopefully everyone else c'n figure out why he was here in the first place," Jinny complained.
"Not likely," Static warned her, "Even with Commissioner Gordon's new lead."
Bullock reported in with Gordon, "The Beaumont place was broken into and trashed. The staff is already gripin' up a storm. But there's no sign Beaumont herself has been here since ya told me she left two weeks ago."
"She's good but she can't that good. Have CSI do a compete sweep," Barbara ordered.
"Commish, the staff has been comin' in for their regular shifts and never spotted Beaumont bein' here. I think she's a ghost," Bullock warned her.
"The very definition of a phantasm, Harv," Barb disconnected from the conversation. After a lot internal debating, she called Bruce.
"Barbara," he calmly answered.
"It's about Azrael," she stated forthrightly.
"He's no longer an issue. Contact the Justice League if you need more information," and he promptly hung up.
"You rude sonuvabitch," Babs growled as she slammed ht e phone down.
"Commissioner?" Officer Astra Adams was at her door, "Lt. Montoya is requesting additional units to search the tunnels. Seems one of our shooters rode a motorcycle into the sewers and up and vanished."
"Tell her I'm on my way with her support," Gordon told Adams, "Gear up, you're coming with."
"Yes, ma'am," Adams got out of Gordon's way.
"Young Justice tracked the motorcycle to this area," Montoya shared when Barbara arrived, "But they're still looking for an exit. So far, no success."
"She can't know, can she?" Gordon muttered to herself.
"Say what?" Montoya asked.
"Gather your officers and follow me," Babs led the charge.
She eventually reached a turn in the tunnels. Pushing on a specific brick laid in the tunnel's construction, it pushed inward and the brick wall detached and slid inward to reveal another tunnel system. Never before seen by anyone outside the Bat Clan or the Court of Owls. Or so Barbara had assumed for all these years. A muddy slick clearly showed a single tire track moving into the newly revealed tunnels and stretching forth deeper into Gotham's hidden underground.
"Commissioner?" Montoya was amazed.
"Long story," Barbara deflected the obvious question, "Get all available units down here and into this tunnel system. Our shooter used this to evade being spotted. Possibly even reaching her hideout through it."
"Should I call the kids in?" Montoya asked.
"Get them here," Gordon confirmed it, "You'll have to reach an exit for the radios to reach the GCPD. The closest juncture is five hundred feet ahead of us in the sewer tunnel."
"You have that memorized?" Montoya inquired.
"I wasn't always a cop," Barbara replied, "Let's leave it at that."
"For now," Montoya was hardly mollified by that answer.
"Why am I even here?" King Snakeroot demanded to know from Red Alice.
"To whip up a toxicologist's nightmare," Red Alice grinned, "Of course."
"You're insane," King Snakeroot devised not only rom her wording, but the pacing of her words, and also her erratic movements.
It seemed Red Claw had completely broken Beth Kane's mind when she created Red Alice. Why she'd allowed Beth any solace in Lewis Carroll's famous works was a wonder to be sure. But Beth had latched onto and merged the characters of Alice and the Red Queen. She'd even submerged her own original personality underneath the darkly twisted persona created by the merger within Beth's mind. Beth Kane barely existed and Red Alice was all.
"Now, we will be dropping this in the water supply, yes?" Red Alice weaved her way through her loyal Wonderland Gang while Mouse watched on approvingly.
Mouse had been another of Red Claw's captives. Her own son it seemed. Horribly burned as an infant, Red Claw had taken pains to disguise him over the years as they travelled. A trait he would continue long after she died. Beth Kane had been raised as his sister.
It was Mouse that had smuggled Beth a compilation of Lewis Carroll's Alice tales. An imaginary world Beth succumbed to to retain what little sanity she was allowed to keep in her life. Red Alice had briefly escaped the Red Claws only to return to them. Beth Kane had managed to reach Gotham undetected after a layover at Coryana.
Upon arrival she'd discovered her sister was at West Point and her father had a new stepdaughter, Mary Hamilton. It had been Mary's mother, Katherine Hamilton-Kane, that convinced Jacob Kane to give up any hopes of Beth's survival from the same plane crash Kate had escaped. So Beth's transformation into Red Alice was completed when she killed her "stepmother".
Red Alice returned to the Red Claws in time to receive Red Claw's blessing to assume command on the eve of her own death. A death Red Alice hastened. She saw Red Claw's gratitude and relief as Red Alice smothered her. A lesson her brain imparted her that every victim would be grateful to die by her hand.
But as the newly renamed Wonderland Army drifted further away from global terrorism for hire to Red Alice's elaborate revenge fantasies, most of her army defected to the Zither Group or Meridian. Her loyalists were grateful to Red Alice "gang". She attracted new adherents as she travelled the world preparing to return to Gotham to avenge herself on her own family. Jacob and Kate earned her wrath by moving on. Mary was just collateral damage waiting to happen.
Gotham boasted two world class security agencies. Duquesne Security specialized in personal security. Crow's Security privatized law enforcement. Unbeknownst to the world at large Kane had also developed a weaponized Batmen force for national security concerns. Secs. Bones and Waller utilizing his special brand of services when the need arose.
Red Alice knew she had to draw Kane out. Which meant decimating Gotham's populace to unleash Kane's wrath and eventually build to a confrontation between father and daughter. The daughter planned to be the sole survivor of said reunion.
Kate was another matter. She'd thrown herself from the downing plane rather than pull Beth with her. Beth had clung to their beheaded mother's corpse while Red Claw laughed over the execution and Kane's shooting the plane down. Kate deserved special attention from Red Alice. Her suffering would be exquisite.
Only the Phantasm's arrival in Gotham was mucking with her timetable. Kate was due to leave Gotham on a business trip to National City tomorrow. That was when she planned on deploying King Snakeroot's toxins into the water supply. Crow's Security was paranoid enough to only allow heavily screened and filtered water into the building. So they'd be unaffected at work by the toxin. But those off duty Crows would be vulnerable. The GCPD would be a shallow shadow of its former self afterwards. Leaving the Crows as her primary opponent.
Red Alice knew the legends. King Snakeroot had supposedly come to the American Colonies as a fugitive from European justice. There he'd opposed by generational legacy heroes known as the Black Cobras. The sixth and current Black Cobra being a suburban housewife. One who'd opened her own eBay business out of her garage and had excuses to go on extended "buying trips" as she sought and opposed King Snakeroot's efforts to poison whatever selected target he had at that present time. So Red Alice fully expected Black Cobra to descend on Gotham as an overly righteous avenger.
But at this juncture, Phantasm was her real threat. Col. Kane was a SpecOps legend. But one tainted by his frequent collaborations with Gens. Sam Lane, Marian Higgins, and Wade Eilling. All of whom had gone mad and betrayed their own country. Higgins backed Lane's coup attempt to seize control over the United States through military intervention. Eilling had resorted to Nazi science to return to a bestial state and threaten the world as the General. A legacy his daughter carried on after his death.
Only she'd achieved some legitimacy when the Injustice Society contracted with Superior City to become its defensive force against disaster and meta-human threats. The Injusticers had formalized a protection racket through legally binding contracts. Contracts the AGs of Washington and Oregon State were investigating as well as federal prosecutors. But the Injustice Society had already fended off several attacks on the populace. So their "special taxation" was gaining popular support.
As a last-ditch effort, the city government had placed a referendum pertaining to continuing as is or negating the contract as a ballot measure to be decided in November's elections. So far the polls were mixed. Through it all Goldilocks led the Injusticers in a strict policy of public neutrality. They didn't plead their case or proclaim apocalyptic visions of things to come if the Injustice Society were rejected and criminalized again. Which churned out numbers of volunteers to campaign on their behalf.
Even select city councilmen and women advocated and endorsed carrying on business as usual. Meanwhile, the Injusticers carried on as normal and strangely outperformed local law enforcement on preventing crimes. Goldilocks' inner circle knew the sham that the policy truly was. But first they had to persuade the city to willingly comply with their master plan.
Wisely, Goldilocks allowed the Injustice Society to carry out its more traditional role in distant locations. But they had obtained a safe haven in Superior City. One in which the city's District Attorney actually refused to investigate, arrest, charge, or extradite the Injusticers for crimes committed outside the city's jurisdiction and borders. For Goldilocks' in-the-know crowd, it was merely a beginning of things to come.
Red Alice respected the Injustice Society's subversion of a major American metropolis. But she didn't have the whim or inclination to follow in their footsteps. Mass murder on an epic scale was enough for her to go on right now.
"You'll draw attention with this," King Snakeroot warned her.
"Worried about a pretty Black Cobra?" Red Alice sing-songed, "Not to worry. We can protect you. In fact, I predict that the remnants of the GCPD and the Crows would prefer arresting her over looking for you. You'll remain anonymous, of course. We'll take you from Gotham to anywhere you wish to land. And that'll leave that pesky Black Cobra at DA Reynolds' mercies. If he even survives."
"You're quite mad, Red Alice. But it's a madness I can work with," King Snakeroot relented, "I'll require supplies of course. And the loss of Ace Chemicals will make come of them difficult to acquire."
"Provide a shopping list and leave all of that to us," Red Alice's manic smile unnerved him even further.
"Commish, I gotta another weird one," Bullock personally reported to her, "Some loonies in animal masks are rippin' off chemicals from all across Gotham."
"What kind of chemicals?" Gordon inquired.
"Dat's where it don't any sense," Bullock complained, "Alla them seem pretty harmless. But forensics says they can be considered 'rare' now dat Ace Chemicals is kaput."
"Why rare?" Barbara took interest in the mystery.
"It's alla buncha organic compounds turns out. I thought maybe dey wuz buildin' a bomb but the lab coats say otherwise," Bullock was stymied.
"So where are they taking these compounds?" Barb continued her questioning.
"Dat's where it gets bad. Der all headed inta Devil's Square," Bullock shared.
"Where they know we won't typically follow," Gordon realized.
"An' we got Montoya and the SRU with half the available unies underground lookin' fer a motorbike," Bullock mildly rebuked his commander.
"It'll be a Ducati. A reeeeaaally expensive one," Barbara predicted.
"How can you know?" Bullock asked.
"Hellequin is always seen riding a Ducati super bike. It's a racing motorcycle that's barely street legal. She had it imported from Italy," Gordon did her sharing, "It's the only one of its kind in Gotham."
"Tried lookin' it up in the DOL?" Bullock wondered.
"It's unlicensed. Or has forged plates," Gordon shrugged, "First place I looked, Harv."
"I know. But I hadda ask," Bullock was slightly sheepish.
"I'd go with lack of plates in her case," Barbara guessed, "Hellequin seems to have a blatant disregard for the law that even Harley Quinn never displayed. And she certainly doesn't respect the criminal chain of command here in Gotham. First she was instrumental in installing Regina Swann as the Empress Penguin for Knightfall and now she's trying to kill them."
"Ya did say they offed her girlfriend," Bullock shrugged, "Saner people go nuts over dat. Screw with a loony job an' ya gets lots of revenge fantasies built up."
"It's more primal than that," Barbara thought out loud, "She claims to have an intimate relationship with the Joker. It was his Neo Joker that Knightfall and Swann had killed. They murdered her fixation of a fixation. Now she wants Knightfall and Empress Penguin to suffer. What are their fixations?"
"Gotham," Bullock easily replied.
"Omigod! She wants to burn the city to the ground! That's why she assisted the new Scarecrow. She wanted Gotham to turn on itself," Barbara realized.
"Yeah, an' those Pax Mundi jokers didn't help a lick," Bullock complained.
"Luthor never knew about the Court of Owls having a repository left here before. So who told him?" Barbara was working it out, "Hellequin wanted the Pax Mundi here to inflict the wound that Scarecrow aggravated and it's festered."
"Festered how?" Bullock asked.
"We know the Jokerz have military grade hardware now. How long will they wait before the start using it?" Babs asked, "And who is stealing these compounds? It isn't the Jokerz and Hellequin isn't a chemist. So who is and what can these compounds make?"
"Time ta pester the lab coats," Bullock predicted.
"Tell Capt. O'Moore to prep her tactical team. We might need to fight our way into Devil's Square," Gordon instructed.
Molly O'Moore despised Bullock despite his hard nose attitude that she'd normally respect. But Bullock was slovenly, highly dependable and an excellent detective, but he presented himself in a manner O'Moore found disrespectful to the uniform that most cops wore.
"Do I gotta?" Bullock whined.
"Harv, settle things with Molly. That's an order. And have her units ready to roll in fifteen," Gordon was already pushing passed Bullock and headed for the lab.
"Da things I gotta do," Bullock said inconsolably.
In the lab, Gordon was told of an alarming discovery.
"The compounds kept separately are rather innocuous and inert," Ellen Munro, the lead CSI, reported, "But together they catalyze into a venom. Closest match we can determine is that of Egyptian asps."
"Cobra venom," Barb asked in a dead voice, "Who could make that?"
"Rumor has it a fellow that goes by 'King Snakeroot' can synthesize any snake venom using ordinary compounds such as those stolen today. It's just that no rational human being would ever mix them that way," Munro answered.
"And where is this King Snakeroot based out of?" Barbara asked.
"He travels. Actually, he has to be come kind of legacy character. Records and rumors of a King Snakeroot precede the Revolutionary War," Munro stated, "The current one was last seen in Milwaukee.."
"But he could be here," Barbara stated rather than asked.
"He hasn't been seen for several weeks now and neither as the Black Cobra," Munro told her.
"The Black Cobra?" that was a new name to the former Batgirl.
"Another legacy. King Snakeroot's traditional foe. The current Black Cobra is the first to be a woman," Munro said proudly.
"And she's from where?" Gordon wondered.
"Black Cobra seems to orbit Atlanta," Munro revealed.
"You seem to know a lot about these things," Barb pointed out.
"Hazards of my work in this city. And it's a hobby of mine to keep track of all the capes and costumes. You should try looking up the Wiki fan site Heroes & Villains for the latest sightings and a who's who," Munro informed her.
"I'll do that," Gordon confessed, "Thank you."
Afterwards, Gordon met with O'Moore and began organizing the expected penetration into Devil's Square. But first they needed a specific target to go after.
Jacob Kane, the founder and Director of Crows Security oversaw his global operations center from an office looming over the workplace. In order to stay within SpecOps for the entire duration of his career after qualifying, Kane's rank had been frozen at Colonel. The military provided other "black" funded perks for him in exchange for his lack of advancement. Outside observers questioned his effectiveness owing to his lack of career advancement. But Col. Kane had been the most effective battalion commander SpecOps had ever had the privilege of serving.
His successes bred his greatest tragedies. Red Claw had struck out and killed his wife and kidnapped his daughters. Kate had escaped what seemed to be assured destruction. But years later, Red Alice had confronted him with the knowledge that she was actually his long assumed to be dead daughter, Beth. That revelation led Kane to retire from the military, despite protests coming from corners as high as the Oval Office.
Crows Security was Kane's response to a maddening world where the rules were changed underfoot. He'd used the profits from his shares in Hamilton Dynamics, bequeathed to him in Katherine's will after dividing her majority share between Mary and Jacob. Mary received the bulk of the shares but Kane inherited a sizable minority stake. As a global operation, Crows Security operated within dozens of national jurisdictions and under international laws.
Red Alice and the Wonderlanders were his obsession. They were also the inspiration for the Batmen. After his nephew, Bruce admitted to funding Batman and Batman Inc. It hadn't been hard to deduce that Bruce was actually Batman himself. Or that his idiot brother-in-law had hopped himself up on Miraclo all these years and declared himself to be the Bat-Man, a West Coast replacement for Batman.
Bruce Alan was an idiot but he was directly sourced Miraclo by TylerChem, a situation Rick Tyler, and Rex before him, had always denied the military and law enforcement. Keeping the formula strictly for the acting Hourman. First Rex, then Rick, and now Rex again. But through Rex's deal with Bruce Alan, Kane could acquire a very finite monthly supply of Miraclo. A hold out emergency measure his Batmen could carry in case all else failed.
Bruce Alan was a waste in Kane's opinion. He'd been a junkie until his brother Thomas was killed. Kane's sister Martha was a casualty as well. Bruce Alan cleaned himself up only to get addicted to Miraclo when he convinced Rex Tyler to begin covertly supplying him with the 1st gen pills. Once a junkie, always a junkie Kane had dismissively disregarded Bruce Alan until it became necessary to "recruit" him in order to resolve his inability to access the drug.
Kate Webb and Jessa Carde on the other hand, were showing promise as recruits. Webb was related to Kane through his brother's marriage to her aunt, Katherine Webb-Kane. Jessa Carde hadn't been anybody until Webb, dressed as her version of Bat-Woman, interrupted an attempted gang rape with Carde as the victim. Jessa agreed to join Kate's quest and became Bat-Girl. They'd joined Bat-Man's abortive "reborn Bat Clan". So they'd been clustered together when the Batmen came for them all.
Kane's personal phone rang, "Kane here."
"Hello, Daddy," Red Alice's voice came over, "Aren't you happy to hear from me?"
"Red Alice," he growled, "Where are you?"
"I'm sure you're already triangulating this call. I'll give you a hint: it's where the Jokerz are storing the spanking new plasma rifles and power cartridge. Oh! And look! Chargers for the cartridges. It really does seem like they have all the toys now. See you soon," Kane heard the phone hit the ground but Red Alice had left the line open.
As promised, the phone was easily triangulated to the very heart of Devil's Square.
"What the hell are you playing at, Beth?" Kane asked no one in particular. But he immediately got on the phone to advise Mayor Grange of the threat and a potential solution. The Crows would invade Devil's Square and secure the rifles before they could ever be used. Which was exactly what Red Alice wanted all along.
Andrea hung up her call, "That was Bones. My original mission came to Gotham."
"What a kwinky-dink," Hellequin spun into the room, "Tah-dah! Working attire!"
"It's your usual leathers," Andrea deadpanned.
"But it's a hint for you to join me in the world beyond these walls," Hellequin stated, "With your nasty glove and gruesome skull mask on."
"You have plan then?" Andréa inquired.
"You've been helping me so I'll rid you of Red Alice," Hellequin offered.
Andrea froze, "How did you…?"
"Red Alice showed up right after you did and you were passing through to intercept someone," Hellequin explained, "Wasn't hard to connect those dots."
"I, like everyone else, keep forgetting you're a genius," Andrea confessed as she emerged from her room in her Phantasm garb sans helmet, cape, and cowl.
"I know, right?" Hellequin grinned.
Phantasm donned her helmet and her modulated male voice asked, "Where's Red Alice?"
"Follow and behold," Hellequin smirked now.
The denizens of Devil's Square would actively open fire from every direction at a police cruiser, suspected unmarked car, ambulance or fire truck. But public transportation and utilities vehicles travelled unhindered. So Crows Security commandeered a dozen such vehicles. Between buses, the monorail, and utility trucks, the Crows were arriving in force to storm the Jokerz.
Kane still didn't understand why Red Alice clued him into the Jokerz' location. Frankly he didn't care. Now in his seventies, Kane was too old to personally lead the field assault but he could coach the quarterback from the ops center. His star agent, Sophie Moore, led the raid.
Kane's only concern for her safety, considering Moore's skill set, was that she was dating Kate. Kate had been dismissed from Rockridge Military Academy for engaging in a romantic relationship with fellow cadet Sophie. Sophie had disavowed the tryst while Kate proudly owned up to it.
Sophie went on to graduate. When brought before the West Point Commandant on similar charges, Kate again owned up to the code of conduct violation and was summarily dismissed. She undertook a trip around the world, engaging in specific mentored tasks and training efforts arranged by Jacob. Her focus on becoming a CIA paramilitary covert ops agent.
But when she returned to Gotham and Red Alice revealed herself, Kate's life ambitions fell apart. Her older cousin Bruce gave Kate renewed purpose in excising the Wayne Foundation of its corruption and wasteful funds allocations. Kate had been managing the Wayne Foundation for ten years now. Even before her father surmised Batman's identity, Kate had wormed the truth out of Bruce after confronting him with it.
He'd talked her out of becoming a new Batwoman between the original trio retiring the identity and Det. Sgt. Sonia Alcona reviving it in Chicago before she too stood down at the wishes of her own girlfriend, Police Capt. Margo Collins. Rocki Ballantine and Kathy Duquesne had briefly resumed taking turns as Batwoman with the Justice League Unlimited after Sonia resigned. Now Katrina Moldoff held the identity as Batwoman with a completely redesigned outfit and trained by Spyral to exacting standards
Katrina, an heiress, had beaten out one hundred candidates to be selected as Batwoman. After Spyral shut down, Batwoman joined the Justice League Outsiders as they formed up. Along with Black Bat and the new Nightwing and Batgirl.
"It's all clear, sir," Moore reported after gunning down a dozen Jokerz and securing the plasma rifles.
Punchline and the bulk of her crew were absent, aggravating Kane and insuring a future confrontation between the vengeful Jokerz and the Crows.
"Secure the site and bring it on home," Kane ordered.
"Yes, sir," Moore replied, "But the natives are restless, sir. These are illegal arms. It's safer to destroy them then to attempt to retrieve them at the const of personnel losses."
"Good thinking, Agent Moore. Set the charges and bug out," Kane reconsidered his position on the matter.
"Yes, sir," Moore would've complied either way.
Just over strenuous objections over the other route. Kane understood why Kate had carried a torch for Sophie all these years since leaving Rockridge. He also regretted both alma mater's rejecting the most accomplished cadet over her sexual identity. The US military changed its standing policy while Kane served but was too late to bring justice for Kate. He didn't know how Batman dissuaded his daughter taking up the vigilante life, but Kane was grateful and refused to out Bruce as Batman despite Sec. Waller's pressure to. Yet, it vaguely seemed she already knew the secret.
He didn't understand the basis for her test of loyalties but she'd green lit the Batmen project when Sec. Bones refused to do so under his aegis. The Batmen already had a dozen missions under their belts for the Dept. for Meta-Human Affairs when he dispatched them to retrieve Bat-Man, Bat-Woman, and Bat-Girl. Every mission a success and a state secret. Waller no longer had ARGUS or Task Force X but she had the Batmen. Which seemed a superior option to Kane. But that could just be his pride talking
He'd hand selected and personally overseen the training of the Batmen. Weaponizing Batman's techniques by militarizing them with potentially lethal force. Still, Moore and her agents weren't Batmen despite their high level of proficiency. And as Sophie had observed, the natives were growing restless. It was then that Mayor Grange called Kane to tell him the GCPD was also entering the district
"Why in God's name would they do that?" Kane yelled over the phone
"Commissioner Gordon has a lead on our Miller Harbor suspects. She feels it's necessary to enter the district in order to catch the perpetrators," Grange explained despite his outburst, "Can you assist them?"
Kane debated the issue. Moore and her agents were already being surrounded by would-be killers. They needed to evac ASAP.
"We can," Kane grated. He hung up and activated the Batmen.
Inside of Regina's mansion, Knightfall briefed her on the GCPD's developments, "They'll lead us straight to Hellequin and the Phantasm."
"Just to be sure, I've called in a few favors and gotten assistance," Empress Penguin told Knightfall.
She approved of Swann's initiative, "So did I."
"Whatta dump," Hellequin complained after eyeballing Red Alice's hideout through Phantasm's binoculars.
"She's an international fugitive. It's not like she can simply book a room at the Ritz-Carlton," Phantasm rebuked her.
"Why can't this bad guy be like our other bad guys and live in opulence?" Hellequin wondered.
"Do you even listen?" Phantasm asked.
"When I want to," Hellequin confided, "Her Wonderland Army hardly qualifies as a wannabe street gang now."
"Most of her forces defected to switch to semi-legitimate employment," Phantasm went back to studying the environment, "They are too sloppy. They've only posted one sentry."
"You go through the roof. I got the guy at the door," Hellequin suggested.
"A frontal assault?" Phantasm was leery.
"That's why I brought Mr. Thumper," Hellequin patted her M-29 grenade launcher. Even through Phantasm's voice modulation Hellequin heard her sigh.
"Doubter," Hellequin stomped off for the stairwell. Phantasm prepared for her rooftop crossing.
Elsewhere, Arkham Knight received the text from Oracle he'd been waiting for A GCPD aerial unit had spotted suspicious activity across several rooftops. The pop-pop-pop of automatic weapons fire across the district told him that other factors were in play.
"Who else is here?" he asked Oracle over comms.
"The Crows dispatched a unit to deal with the Jokerz storage site for their stolen plasma weapons," she replied.
"And now everybody in Devil's Square is going to descend on them," Arkham Knight accurately predicted.
"Worse news, the GCPD was already in route to Devil's Square. Commissioner Gordon is personally leading SWAT and other units to apprehend Hellequin and the Phantasm," she informed him.
"Damn it. They'll just get in the way. And we can't let them have Phantasm," he replied.
"Will you engage the GCPD?" she asked, "Because that's the Rubicon we can't walk back from."
"Gordon knows she can't hold Phantasm. She also already knows who she really is and who she really works for. They had a truce that apparently Gordon is willing to break to expose the secret," Arkham Knight revisited the facts.
"Be careful regardless. The Dark Web is full of chatter regarding active players descending on Gotham besides local law enforcement," Oracle warned him.
"We still need to maintain our cover. Which means we body bag Hellequin," Arkham Knight decided.
"Good luck with that. She's a survivor," Oracle remarked.
"Let us know of any new developments," Arkham Knight requested.
"I'll uncover the who's who of players moving in and around," Oracle promised.
"We can't ask for more than that," Arkham Knight signed off and mobilized the Outlaws.
Libra did a head count. Every member of the Secret Society of Super Villains that had volunteered to come to Gotham for pest control was still present. No one had wandered off on their own for a personal agenda. Libra knew her leadership position within the Secret Society was still fairly weak.
Her predecessor had founded this incarnation of the Secret Society and recruited its members. Even with Major Disaster's support, Libra faced internal challenges from the team up of Cluemaster and Nadya Burnett as well as the Teacher. Their resident strategist, Teacher had organized this little jaunt after Libra posed the problem to be solved. Knightfall not only wanted Hellequin disposed of but the Outlaws as well
Both were tough nuts to crack. Perhaps even beyond what her squad was capable of. Most of the Secret Society's more infamous members were already off on jobs. But she'd chosen her unit based upon capability and grace under pressure. Which was good since the targets would start dropping bodies at a moment's notice.
In a gesture of good faith, Knightfall had arranged for the Riddles to assist. Libra wouldn't refuse the help. But she needed Josette Quelle to stop trying to assume tactical command.
Gunfire had erupted while the Crow's retreated. A convoy hadn't been under such urban conflict since the US Rangers were ambushed in Somalia. There were several wounded but the explosion destroying the stolen plasma rifles distracted most of the shooters enabling the Crows to exit even as Moore spotted the GCPD attempting to breach the district. The locals, already riled by the Crows met the GCPD's effort with a rousing gun battle that halted the advance.
As much as Gordon hated it, Barbara had to signal a retreat. But no one understood that the SRU was advancing on foot underneath the city's streets. Gordon deployed her units to effectively siege the district. Every street was barricaded by cruisers and officers backed by SWAT with tire spikes deployed and tear gas launchers readied with every officer in riot gear. The GCPD couldn't openly enter but neither could anyone escape without a stand up fight. Now they just had to apply pressure while Young Justice and the SRU reached the Phantasm and Hellequin's target
A building that overhead thermal imaging said two dozen people were currently occupying with very loose security. Barbara had also spotted Bruce's stealthed drones overhead. He'd said Azrael was no longer factor but he seemed inordinately interested in the developing events. She could only hope Batman wasn't wrong this time.
Inside Jean-Paul's safe house, he'd finished suiting up in his new armor. He'd worked on the design for months now. A much more apropos design then the rush job he'd done for the ungrateful Batman. The perfect synthesis of a Batman with an Azrael's duty as the Avenging Angel. The police reports of the action at Devil's Square began filtering in over his scanners as well as the discreet channels the GCPD didn't admit to employing. The Crows were also engaged in both overt and covert actions regarding Devil's Square
He wondered of Batman knew about the Crows' Batmen. If not, he soon would. Then Batman would see who his true successor should be. Azrael knew he was on the cusp of establishing a new Order. The Order of St. Batman.
Underneath Devil's Square, inside the tunnels built by the Court of Owls as Gotham was being built and expanding and Batman had merely discovered and exploited for his purposes, the SRU coordinated with the Justicers. Kid Flash, Miss Quick, and Blue Streak took turns relaying information back to Commissioner Gordon and Young Justice's own Splash back at the SRU precinct house. Max Mercury and Black Lightning had opted to accompany their students. Splash remained behind to report to Webb-Kane.
"This is it," Superboy announced as his Infrared Vision took in the thermal signatures of Red Alice's Wonderlanders.
"He's right," Miss Martian reported in, "Their minds are twisted and vile. One especially. She's full of rage, regret, and infinite sadness over feelings of abandonment that fuel the other emotions and thoughts."
"By the gods!" M'gann gasped, "It's Red Alice and her Wonderland Gang!"
"More than we're prepared to deal with," Montoya warned, "I can bring additional people from the checkpoints we established."
"Kid," Superboy urged him. Kid Flash blurred and was gone.
"He'll inform your officers that they're needed," he promised Montoya.
"Lt. Montoya, we don't have time for this. They're mixing a form of synthetic cobra venom and cutting into a water main to distribute it," Miss Martian warned her.
"Form up!" Montoya barked, "We're breaching on three!"
"I'll handle the wall!" Superboy went through it.
Inside gunfire erupted. Miss Quick and Blue Streak went in a few seconds behind Superboy. Everyone else quickened to be inside as well.
"Wha's up?" Hellequin simply strolled up to the Wonderlanders' sentry.
"Back off, Crazy!" he barked at her.
"That ain't nice," she aimed her grenade launcher at him and fired.
The door behind the guard exploded and the resulting shrapnel blew the guard apart. The door was wrecked and inside Hellequin heard panic fire inside while she emptied the launcher's breach and reloaded.
"Seems a bit much for little ol' me," Hellequin sought cover and spied Phantasm's crossing from rooftop to rooftop.
"Go get `em," Hellequin smirked.
Inside Red Alice's hideout panic reigned. The basement team had screamed in an alert. Now the front door had detonated.
Red Alice sighed, "Why are there never enough men?"
"We should leave," Mouse opined.
"And where should we go, Sweet Mouse?" Red Alice inquired, "This rat trap isn't up to code and there's no fire exit. Our basement is breached and our front door is nonexistent. My guess is that whoever is coming up those stairs would rather take us alive versus the one outside that obviously wants us dead."
Smoke filled the room, "Red Alice, your angel death awaits."
"Now? Of all days?" Red Alice fumed as she flipped open her butterfly knife. Mouse fired a hail of bullets into the dissipating smoke.
"Dear Mouse, get behind me. That will hardly stop our uninvited Phantasm. Will it?" Red Alice stated.
"Hardly," Phantasm stepped through the fading smoke screen.
"I like your tailor!" Red Alice enthused, "Can you recommend me?"
"Go away!" Mouse raged as he threw a chair at Phantasm. Smoke billowed forth and the chair passed through Phantasm's last position
Red Alice was coughing, "Stop that, Mouse! I can't fight what I can't see."
Red Alice lunged to find her knife thrust parried by Phantasm's scythe glove, "Can I?"
Red Alice stepped back, "Now you're entire ensemble screams 'murder incorporated'. Have you branded yourself? But I know your dirty little secrets. You see, your helmet does an admirable job of changing your voice but the padding in your suit is obvious to the observant. Which I am. You skew male to the average schmuck but you're really a woman."
"What?" Mouse was confused.
"Clever. Too bad that knowledge will die with you," Phantasm replied.
"Ah, but will it? Will it really?" Red Alice asked, "After all, you're on camera refusing to deny what I just said."
Phantasm saw the cameras in Red Alice's sight line, "As I said, clever. And the fiction has grown wearisome. But even so, you won't live to enjoy your success."
"But will I? I have feeling my party crashers in the basement will object. And all I'm really doing is stalling long enough to let them get here," Recd Alice gloated. A blur slammed into Phantasm, knocking her off of her feet.
Blue Streak was at a standstill now, "No killing."
"Aren't you just the cutest little nesting doll? What's inside you?" Red Alice made to slice Blue Streak's abdomen open only to find her target had moved on already, "Well, that's just disappointing."
"You're insane," Phantasm accused
"Finally! Someone gets me!" Red Alice said with delight, "Figures it would be someone with a stabby glove sent to kill me."
Smoke enveloped Phantasm.
As Red Alice waved it away from her face she realized her opponent was gone, "What? Don't I rate a goodbye at least?"
"I wouldn't move if I were you," Arrowette had the drop on her and Mouse.
"A bow and arrow? Seriously? How old are you anyway?" Red Alice asked.
"Old enough," Arrowette held the bow string taut and the arrow aimed at Red Alice's heart. Jungle Girl joined her with her traditional spear and knife
"Ooo-kay! This just got weird even by my exceptionally warped standards," Red Alice decided.
"Alice," Mouse warned her off.
"Let's just suppose you really were willing shoot me down or stick me with that poker, would you still be willing to do it knowing you're being live streamed?" Red Alice looked at the cameras.
A new, red blur slammed into Mouse, hurling him across the room. Miss Quick had arrived.
"You brute! What has he ever done to you?" Red Alice screamed.
"Um…bad guy?" Miss Quick's certainty had evaporated. Arrowette shifted her aim and knocked Red Alice's butterfly knife out of her hand before drawing a second arrow.
Red Alice held up her hands, "Parlay?"
An explosion rocked the building.
"What the futz?" Miss Quick was off again.
"Well, that certainly should've been censored for the kiddos," Red Alice snickered.
"Alice?" Mouse was unsteady but recovering. He also had a gun in his hand, "Drop the weapons."
"Or what?" Arrowette kept her aim on Red Alice.
"He'll do it," Red Alice promised, "He doesn't bluff."
"Neither do I?" Jungle Girl was poised to spear Mouse.
"Teenagers today, what can be done?" Red Alice still refused to stand down.
"Why aren't you surrendering?" Arrowette was tensing up.
"Weren't you listening in when I was talking to the rude person with the scythe for a hand? I'm stalling. You children didn't come unaccompanied. My guess is the actual law enforcement officers are behind you. Or beneath you as the case may be. I'll surrender to them. Thank you very much," Red Alice explained what passed for a rationale with her.
Another explosion shook the building. The entire building began groaning and plaster was cracking and falling.
"Oops. I really don't think we're structurally sound anymore," Red Alice expressed faux concern.
"Bloody hell. What are they playing at?" Jungle Girl had to wonder.
Outside, Hellequin was in a standoff with Young Justice. Grenades had nicely knocked Superboy and then Miss Martian nearly senseless. Secret was limiting visibility so Hellequin was shooting blind. Which had the Justicers and the freshly arrived SRU bottlenecked at the ruins of the door Hellequin had blown to shreds. Hellequin fired off two more grenades before retreating. Secret followed her.
"Go away," Hellequin fired another grenade towards the ailing building.
It began a sectional collapse. Secret observed Hellequin descending into the very tunnels they'd used to arrive at this place. Then she solidified and ran back to help her teammates.
"Well, that's gone and done it," Red Alice exaggerated, "Toodles. I'll be going now."
"Wait!" Arrowette shifted to avoid being hit by falling plaster.
"Either shoot me already or let me go before the building collapses," Red Alice demanded. Arrowette eased the tension off her bow
"That's what I thought," Red Alice smiled triumphantly. The roof began to collapse.
"TTFN!" Red Alice gathered Mouse and disappeared in a back room. The SRU and Young Justice evacuated the building as it collapsed.
"Where are the suspects?" Montoya asked.
"They went further into the building," Jungle Girl coughed through the cloud of dust. Montoya got on her radio and began checking in with the officers that had fanned out around the building. Two failed to report. Others found their bodies and called it in.
"Shit! Who was in there?" Montoya asked Arrowette, Miss Quick, Jungle Girl, and Blue Streak. Arrowette and Jungle Girl described Red Alice and the disfigured Mouse.
"Don't forget masked person," Blue Streak added the description of the Phantasm.
"Lt. Montoya! It's all over social media!" Police Cpl. Josh Sabra ran to her side with his phone displaying images from the live stream that had come from with the Wonderlanders' hideout.
"Phantasm's a woman?" Montoya was stunned. She'd had everyone in the world fooled for twenty years until now. And now Commissioner Gordon's inquiries into Andrea Beaumont made better sense.
"Lieutenant, I spotted where the clown person went into the same tunnels we used to get here," Secret interrupted Montoya's state of shock.
"Show me," Montoya growled.
Hellequin had stored her motorcycle further into the tunnel system, beyond an entry junction Batman had never discovered. Therefore Batgirl didn't know about it. Hellequin was deep into the Court of Owl's actual pathways the Talons used to deploy. Tunnels she'd shown Phantasm. Tunnels Red Alice and Mouse would never discover on their own.
It was in these tunnels Hellequin had built her access to her hostel and stored both her bikes. Hellequin stopped at her vault access and waited for Phantasm to appear. Andrea was on foot so it would take her longer to reach the position. She could tell by the slump of Phantasm's shoulders she'd experienced one of her rare failures.
"They know," Andrea said as she doffed her helmet and slipped her scythe glove off, "Red Alice outted me and live streamed it."
"They have your name?" Hellequin worried.
"They know I'm a woman. The GCPD isn't entirely stupid. Someone will piece together what Gordon has been ignoring for Bruce's sake. Once that's out there, I'll be in the system as a suspect and I can never travel as myself again," Andrea angrily told her.
"But Waller and Bones will give you a new identity," Hellequin argued.
"But I can never return to Gotham," Andrea sighed, "I can never actually come home."
"That sucks but life moves on," Hellequin said glibly, "What about Red Alice?"
"She's still alive. Even after you brought the building down," Andrea grimaced, "She's a survivor. But I think Gotham dodged her cobra venom bullet. King Snakeroot is GCPD custody. He'll finally face justice after Bones fills in Gordon and the DA about Snakeroot's history of activities."
"Yay for the good guys!" Hellequin, "Now, about my problem?"
"I have to leave," Andrea explained, "Bones and Waller contacted me on my way here. I'm being recalled while they diffuse the situation. I may or may not be able to return as Phantasm. We'll see."
"You have a way outta town?" Hellequin glumly asked.
"Burnside is my extraction point," Andrea told her.
"Go that way," Hellequin pointed, "Take the third junction on the left and follow Broadway to Burnside. It's about four widely spaced upper accesses down. Just climb the fourth ladder and you'll end up in a deserted Owls' safe house. You'll find your way to wherever from there."
Andrea embraced Hellequin, "You're such a friend. I don't deserve you."
"No one does," Hellequin said sadly.
Andrea geared up as the Phantasm again, "Now for my last encore in this version of my suit. The padding gets in the way anyway."
Hellequin watched Phantasm disappear down the system. She started up her bike. She had to find Red Alice before she went to ground and also left Gotham. Hellequin had hunch Beth Kane might enjoy being the top psychopath in Gotham for a while.
"Thank you for your help," Commissioner Gordon rather pointedly stated to the gathered Young Justice in front of the equally gathered SRU. Montoya took a call while Gordon sent the Justicers and their instructors packing
"We have a call in," Montoya explained, "Some uniforms found a woman beaten to a bloody pulp near an alley. There were several dead junkies nearby. Fingerprints lifted off of the syringes she was using to shoot people have her identified as Victoria Frost aka Leady Deathshot."
"She's off her beaten path," Barbara realized.
"The substance she's was injecting was King Snakeroot's cobra venom," Montoya explained.
"A trial run on the batch before flushing it into the pipes," Babs grasped it, "But leaving witnesses behind isn't really the Phantasm or Hellequin's major fortes."
"A junkie that hadn't gotten his lethal 'fix' reported a menacing figure in armor," Montoya continued, "But either our original Batman replacement changed armor or he has help."
"That's a depressing scenario, either way," Barbara grimaced, "Get the unies to canvass the area. Concentrate on the rooftops. This pretender might not know about the tunnels yet."
"About that…" Montoya hesitated.
"I'll tell you later," Gordon promised, "Right now we have four killers and a vigilante to catch."
"On it," Montoya got her detectives and officers mobilized behind the uniforms still searching for Red Alice, Mouse, Hellequin, and the Phantasm. That's when Barbara unexpectedly fielded a call from Jacob Kane.
"Gordon," she stated.
"Hello, Commissioner. Crow's Security is offering its help in locating Red Alice," he told her.
"Jacob, that might be a conflict of interest," Barbara advised, "She's your daughter."
"And Phantasm is your ex-husband's first love. I fail to see the difference," Kane replied, "You've hidden her secret for years whereas I shared mine with the GCPD."
"How did you know that?" Gordon inquired.
"I have my sources. I also have my contractors. Very well connected contractors who advised me to advise you to let Andrea Beaumont go," Kane informed her.
"Of course. You're in Waller's pockets," it all made sense to Barbara now, "Let me guess, you're providing her an extraction.."
"Affirmative. In exchange, she won't return to Gotham," Kane explained, "So there's no need to pursue the matter any further than your own father did."
"Could I stop her if I tried?" Gordon asked.
"You could still blow what's left of Phantasm's cover," Kane replied.
"Oh, I know that. I meant Waller and Bones," Babs sneered.
"I never mentioned Bones or Waller," Kane clarified.
"No. You're too professional for that," Barbara admitted.
"But not to look for Red Alice, apparently," Kane rebutted her previous assertion.
"Fine. The Crows can assist in the search efforts. I have additional suspects to add to your list of targets. But, under no circumstances are your personnel to engage any targets or attempt an arrest," Barbara relented.
"Thank you and understood," Kane hung up.
Barbara went off to explain to Montoya she getting unexpected and probably unwanted assistance. As expected, Renee didn't take it well.
"They think they're a privatized police force but they're essentially jackbooted thugs," Montoya raged.
"Yet the Mayor and City Council agreed give them jurisdictions with full arresting powers," Commissioner Gordon reminded her.
"Yeah, the neighborhoods of the top two percenters," Montoya scathingly retorted.
"They have expanded jurisdictional purview now that Knightfall's license system has been scrapped. The city hired them to augment our forces after we survived the mass walkout most GCPD officers staged in protest of the city allowing Knightfall to go forward with her program and demanding we abide by it," Barbara reminded her, "While we're hiring and training new officers, the Crows and Duquesne Security simply have access to areas where we're understaffed."
"I never thought we'd be saying that about Duquesne Security," Montoya ruefully admitted.
"Kathy cleaned her father's company. It's no longer Gotham's chief 'rent a thug' provider," Babs stated, "Kathy stood down as a Batwoman in order to purge her father's criminal interests and legitimize them."
"You know Duquesne and Ballantine haven't completely walked away from the cape and cowls game," Montoya scolded her, "Half of the new Batgirl and Nightwing's arsenals are Rocki Ballantine's tech. Just like we both know Kathy helped provide financials and training to both of them. Ballantine practically adopted Bluebird before she vanished."
"If you checked in with Dr. Ballantine you'd learn Bluebird retired and is attending MIT," Barb shared.
"No shit! The girl was undeniably clever," Montoya had personal experience with Bluebird's dazzling array of tech devices.
She'd even quietly developed an armored prototype for the GCPD to offer the public an authorized, fully deputized GCPD candidate for a new "Batman". But it seemed Azrael had debuted his own intention to before the police officer was fully trained. Adapting to the exoskeleton was proving as much art as science and practice.
Central City PD combined with Keystone City PD had revealed their own stand-in for when the Flashes were unavailable. Hot Pursuit was unquestionably an undisclosed police officer. One that reacted more like a serving officer than a speedster superhero. Barbara knew Patty Spivot was Hot Pursuit thanks to Sue Dibney but even Wally West had to have that particular secret unlocked for him.
Jay Garrick kept quiet regarding whether he'd any suspicions or guesses regarding Hot Pursuit's true identity. Hot Pursuit, like Lady Flash, was considerably slower than either Flash. More akin to Trajectory's original velocities. But Patty had a spark of the Speed Force just as Eliza Harmon before her apparent death.
Now Trajectory was back from the Speed Force and as fast as the original Flash.
Nearly as fast as Barry Allen's best clocked speeds. But Wally was still the Fastest Man Alive. Barbara had no knowing that Barry was considered the Fastest Man Alive throughout history after his so-called "sacrifice" during the Final Crisis. The second Flash had simply moved himself and Iris to the 29th Century.
When Dawn and Don would be born before Barry incited Eobard Thawne's undying jealousy and Barry unintentionally started the Flashpoint Paradox when he then moved the family to the 31st Century when and where the twins would become the Tornado Twins. Eventually returning to the closing of the Flashpoint Paradox to sustain it and join Reverse Flash in his quest to kill speedsters throughout history. The 20th and 21st Centuries birthing most of the speedsters whose fame or infamy reached into the 29th Century and beyond. Don and Dawn feeling eclipsed by their children, Bart and Nora, in the 31st Century as Impulse and XS. The cousins being members of the Justice League Infinite and Legion of Superheroes respectively.
Now Dawn and Don served in an alliance with the Flash's enemy, Vandal Savage and his secret alliance throughout the millennia known only as the Light. Which achieved its first intended goal and aided getting Grail to Apokolips where she defeated the dark New God, Darkseid, himself. Her father defeated, Grail vanished from the New Universe and the Fourth World for an unknown Realm of Existence. The Light had subsequently decimated the complacent New Gods of New Genesis and actively hunted the surviving Elite from Apokolips. Most of whom hid behind Darkseid's billions of worshippers, making up the extra-galactic Dark Circle.
"Renee, it has to be done," Gordon assured Montoya had laid out the stipulations for cooperation she'd given Crows Commander Kane.
"We'll see if they can stay off our toes in the process," Montoya grimly stated. Barbara hoped so as well.
At Crows Command, Kane organized his search parties. Agent Moore led the searches of the likeliest districts Red Alice and her unknown compatriot could've reached on foot in the time since the abortive raid that had neutralized the Wonderlanders and apprehended King Snakeroot, ending the poisonous threat to Gotham's water supply. Kane had to wonder why Red Alice had tipped him off. She could've easily undergone the effort without a word. Deploying Lady Deathshot had also been largely unnecessary given King Snakeroot's experience and past successes.
The venom didn't actually need testing but Red Alice seemed to be dropping clues everywhere for someone to deduce what she'd been up to. As if she wanted her own plan to fail. The dying embers of hope he had for Beth to still be somehow alive within Red Alice began to glow again.
Azrael watched the scurrying from the shadows. He retreated to the tunnels beneath Gotham when the GCPD and the Crows threatened to discover him. The GCPD, now assisted by the Crows, swept through the Court of Owls tunnel networks but he was assisted by the Order of St. Dumas' alliance with the Court to navigate the areas that had already been swept through and those that hadn't been discovered yet. He knew that was how Hellequin avoided detection. But Red Alice now appeared on his personal radar.
Her plan would have succeeded had not the Phantasm, Hellequin, Young Justice, and the GCPD thwarted her, even while working at cross purposes. Young Justice had departed, congratulating themselves while the SRU expanded their futile searches for Hellequin and now Red Alice. Azrael knew Red Alice was now his primary target despite Batman's futile rage at being betrayed by Hellequin and Phantasm.
The Crows had gotten Phantasm out of Gotham. When she'd emerged out into the Owls' tunnels that Azrael knew of, he'd tracked her as far as Burnside and witnessed Kane's operatives getting Phantasm to relative safety. Batman had informed Azrael, while he still an Agent of the Bat, that Phantasm was protected by the government.
Kane extracting her proved it out. Azrael was estranged from the Order of St. Dumas but his connections were still viable enough to know Kane was still entrenched within Bones and Waller's webs. He'd left Lady Deathshot as a present to law enforcement but now the fools wanted him as well.
Commissioner Gordon followed in her father's footsteps. He'd defied the Order of St. Dumas and now she defied his nascent Order of St. Batman. He'd build back his faith and acquire followers when he delivered Red Alice to her. Red Alice's condition when he did so depended entirely on how much she resisted.
Azrael backtracked the Phantasm to Hellequin's vault but she was nowhere to be seen. She was woefully short on allies. Unless she'd considered turning to…
Azrael raced to locate Red Alice before Hellequin could.
Gotham had originally routed subways instead of the above ground monorail that Wayne Enterprises had built and gifted the city. The abandoned tunnels had been constructed to route around and through the Court Owls' network. Batman had included the tunnels in his underground approaches into Gotham and out of it. Rail cars still littered the tracks. It was in one these that Red Alice and Mouse were now setting up shop.
"Building a new gang," Red Alice groaned, "Such a bother."
"Why did you do it?" Mouse asked accusingly, "They knew what we were planning. You told your father."
"What?" Red Alice acted shocked, "Me? Or maybe the other me?"
"I know you did it, Alice. I just want to know why," Mouse said sternly.
"Because. I. Wanted. To," Red Alice explained slowly, "I'm tired and bored with living out Red Claw's pitiful dreams. Why not aspire for more in this life?"
"By getting everyone arrested?" Mouse was still defiant.
"Mouse, you're like a sainted brother to me, but don't push it," Red Alice warned.
"We're all the family we have left," Mouse asserted.
"No, Mouse. I'm all the family you have left," Red Alice made to embrace him and then thrust her butterfly knife expertly under his rib cage and into his heart, "And now, you don't even have me."
"A tragedy to be sure but such is life," Red Alice said glibly, "Now; I need time to think about what to do about dear old Daddy and Kate. Any suggestions?"
She scowled, "That's tight. You're dead now. Don't bother answering."
"You know what they say, there's nothing like a good super villain team up," Hellequin stood at the car's pried open door.
"Well, you're as quiet as a…" she looked down at the fallen Mouse, "…a dead Mouse."
"Maybe, but I could be your new best friend," Hellequin grinned.
"And…why would I need one?" Red Alice wondered.
"You want to be on top of the criminal food chain. That seats occupied. But I can help you help me topple the would-be kingpin-queenpin-whatever," Hellequin explained.
"And what do you get out of it?" Red Alice asked.
"The usual: revenge, freedom to act with impunity, to bury my last shred of sanity," Hellequin twirled her hand in a flourish, "Everything a girl needs in this world."
"I like you. I may end up killing you, but I like you," Red Alice admitted.
"You help me help topple Knightfall and the Empress Penguin then I'll help you reconnect with the fam," Hellequin explained, "That's my offer."
"And you don't want the usual throne gig?" Red Alice inquired.
"I just want Gotham to burn to the ground with its citizens tearing one another apart," Hellequin stated, "And from the corpse's ashes will rise my kinda town."
"Now that I can agree to," Red Alice held out her hand, "Truce?"
"Truce," Hellequin shook it, "I have a few acquaintances that want to carve Gotham up into fiefdoms. You get your share to run your own little world the way you envision it and they get their cut."
"And you get what exactly?" Red Alice wondered.
"I do what I want and go where I want and no one interferes," Hellequin told her, "In exchange, I don't dethrone anyone."
"Thrones are so tedious," Red Alice groaned, "I just want to have the ultimate tea party that never ends."
"And you will. Once the current queen and queen die," Hellequin promised.
"Very well, but I'll need a Jabberwocky," Red Alice told her.
"I have one that's been waiting to be unleashed," Hellequin smirked, "I think you should meet him."
"Oh goody!" Red Alice clapped her hands.
"Just to be fair, I also have a White Knight waiting to judge and burn Gotham down," Hellequin shared, "I'll take you to them. But we have to go. Now. Before a certain Avenging Angel finds us here."
"Sounds ominous," Red Alice thrilled to the idea.
"It would be. But save that for later," Hellequin urged, "My bike is just walking distance away."
"I never heard you coming," Red Alice admitted.
"To be fair, you were busy pontificating and killing your best friend," Hellequin shrugged.
"True," Red Alice accepted those facts, "And just what is your résumé?"
"Once upon a time I killed the Joker," Hellequin revealed as she escorted Red Alice to the Ducati, "My crescendo was killing the last universe. But, a new one was made to replace it and all the others that were lost."
"Yes, I seem to remember them. It's always been quite odd," Red Alice mused, "Like living parallel lives all at once."
"Welcome to my world," Hellequin told her, "Now don't be afraid to hold tight."
"Mmm…I won't," Red Alice promised.
Azrael tracked down Red Alice's location after she'd already departed. Mouse was already beginning to be gnawed on by rats. Azrael couldn't care less. But Red Alice united with Hellequin was a threat he couldn't ignore. Nor he could he deem to let them live.
He could deduce that Hellequin was driving at immensely unsafe speeds in these tunnels by the imprint the tires made in the gravel between the rotting ties between the no longer electrified rails. Azrael wasn't the detective Batman was. But he didn't need to be. Hellequin's targets were plain for all to see.
"Commish, some unies find a stiff freshly killed in a subway car," Bullock announced.
"We find some every week," Gordon yawned.
"Yeah, but dis one matches a description of a guy workin' wit Red Alice according to them super kids," Bullock explained.
"Have forensics and your detectives work the scene," Barbara decided.
"No callin' in the SRU?" he asked.
"Montoya is already stretched thin," Gordon decided, "Major Crimes can take the slack on this one. Have the Crows be useful for something and look through the system for Red Alice and whoever she finds to help her now."
"Ya don't think she'll run solo on this?" Bullock asked.
"Not until she gets a feel for Gotham. Then heaven help us all," Gordon said grimly.
"Your contractors worked a miracle," Empress Penguin judged the replaced overhead with admiration.
"Nearly unlimited funding gets results," Knightfall stressed.
"Why the caveat?" Regina asked.
"Some arsonists have been targeting my latest projects nearing completion. The insurance will cover it but the tenets may seek releases from their leases," Knightfall explained.
"You know it's arson?" Regina wondered, "It could be coincidence."
"Seven buildings in two days?" Knightfall pointedly asked, "I paid Major Crimes detectives their yearly salaries to kill the investigations."
"Who'd have a gripe against the so-called 'savior of Gotham'?" Empress Penguin asked.
"Who do you think?" Knightfall asked her stern question, "I just wonder where she gets her funding?"
"Other than stealing from me on occasion, Hellequin hasn't pulled any heists or crimes my organization is aware of," Regina admitted.
"Nor the GCPD nor the Crows nor Duquesne Security. And until last night, she never struck out at Intergang," Knightfall angrily complained, "How the hell can she afford to stay hidden and hire professional arsonists without either of us knowing?"
"Who are seemingly unconvinced of our combined ability to kill them," Empress Penguin was perturbed by that salient fact, "Scarecrow and the Pax Mundi's rampages cost us more than the city contract."
"We need to re-establish our credibility," Knightfall knew, "Bonebreaker is shaking down the lowlifes but Plastic Woman, Morgan, and Black Siren need to get involved. You have enough security. And this 'Batman 2.0' was obviously after different targets than you and your people."
"He's a new variable though," Empress Penguin disliked uncontrollable variables.
"He was also primed to kill Bird of Paradise and her squads," Knightfall mused, "An unstable Batman could prove useful in distracting the GCPD."
"True. But he could always shift his focus onto us," Empress Penguin warned.
"That's why I summoned the Secret Society," Knightfall gloated, "To give Batman 2.0 a viable target that isn't us."
"They'll hardly be up to delivering a fatal blow," Regina complained, "And it sets us up for Hellequin."
"That's where my other specialists and the Riddles come in," Knightfall was practically gleeful now, "Now, you should call Jinx and let her know you'll be meeting Charise Carnes at her yacht at Miller Harbor. We have to set sail and let the fires burn themselves out."
"Let me buzz Pussy and remind her to alert Jinx that'll I'll be on the move," Empress Penguin shared in the gloating now.
Libra awaited her report. Her speedsters were scouring Gotham for any sign of Hellequin, the Phantasm, and this new Batman pretender. One by one they reported in.
"Nothing," the perennially agitated Speed McGee told her.
"I drew a blank as well," Zebra-Man unhappily concurred.
"There were police and private security everywhere but no sign of our targeted villains," Expressman complained.
"It was boring," Expressman's grandson, Express, loudly griped.
"What was the point anyway?" Streak Carter demanded to know.
"There was little chance of finding the Phantasm. She's, as it turns out, a ghost in name and operation. But her ally is flamboyant and ego tends to draw people out to where they can be seen," Libra explained.
"Dummy here might have any idea," Scarface declared from the Ventriloquist's arm.
Peyton Hayes gulped, "We haven't looked in Devil's Square yet."
"Even the police rarely dare tread there," Libra reminded her.
"Fear is for the weak," Madame Crow predictably challenged Libra's decision, "I can dose everyone with my anti-fear toxin and they won't stop at anything."
"Which is a problem unto itself," Libra sighed, "You're here in case this Hellequin springs Scarecrow from Arkham Island."
"He's no Scarecrow," Madame Crow rebuked her, "Jonathan Crane is dead and he was the one true Scarecrow."
Libra sighed again, only heavier this time, "Crane had a son."
"What?" Madame Crow nearly came undone.
"Fright shared the information with Major Disaster and I at Funky Flashman's request," Libra explained.
The Secret Society's PR genius kept in the good graces of most of the Legion of Doom. Libra herself had reached across the aisle despite Cluemaster's inevitable protests. But Major Disaster agreed that regardless of how the former Legion of Annoyance felt about the Legionnaires the Secret Society could benefit from working in conjunction with the Legion of Doom in the advent of their giving up most criminal enterprises it seemed. The Secret Society and even the former Legionnaires of Annoyance were in the Legion's graces after their bailout in the UK. The Legionnaires had made it to Iron Knife's African kingdom unmolested after their botched attempt to kill the Royals and seize the throne and government of the United Kingdom in one fell swoop. Even Cluemaster had been willing to help so he could gloat forevermore.
"Let Carapax, Ghost, and I loose," Jetgirl pleaded.
"Go," Libra agreed.
The armored Indestructible Man, also known simply as Carapax, exited the warehouse situated on Miller Harbor and flew away joined by the jet packed Jetgirl. Ghost had await the arrival of his Ghost Plane and then he also flew off to get an aerial perspective above Gotham. Their focus: Devil's Square and the Narrows.
"We can't just sit around," Mr. Terrible joined the litany of complaints.
"By all means, feel free to join Crawler and Crime Editor in getting a better view of what the police and their newfound friends are up to," Libra offered.
"I'm off then," Mr. Terrible use d his T-Squares to teleport away
He had them discreetly deployed all across Gotham the way Ambush Bug would seed cities with his teleportation "bugs".
"You were right," Sting reported in, "Empress Penguin and Knightfall are going to bail out and head out to sea with Charise Carnes."
The insect sized Secret Societor had infiltrated the Iceberg Lounge to spy on the pair.
"Stay put. Our targets might still go there anticipating that Empress Penguin and Knightfall will still be in residence," Libra instructed.
"Copy that," Sting readily complied.
Libra wondered why they all couldn't be that easy to deal with. Such was the life of a super villain she supposed and after all, she'd freely chosen it. Sinister Sphinx and Miss Shady also came to report.
"Intergang doesn't know anything but they want revenge after last night's debacle," Fay Shady explained, "The Crows destroyed the stolen weapons but Big Boss still wants the Jokerz' blood."
"It's gonna be a bad night to be in Gotham," the teenaged Sinister Sphinx had tagged along because the rumor had been her arch nemesis, Blue Beetle, would be in town.
And he had been…and left already. Now she was impatient to get back in time to find him in their hometown.
"These are our old prowling grounds," Catman told Libra, "Let Kitten and I go on the hunt."
"Hyena, you're up as well." Libra told Summer Day.
She transformed at will into her were-hyena form. And since she had to be naked to do so, had given Catman quite the show.
"Grow up you perv," Kitten grated at Catman.
He'd adopted her at age thirteen. They began a sexual relationship as soon as the papers were signed. Then he'd married her at age fifteen. He'd gone to prison shortly thereafter so Katie Conn sought a divorce from Thomas Blake when she was only seventeen. She had already had two abortions starting when she was still thirteen and legally Catman's daughter. Two years later, the discovery of her second unwanted pregnancy had interrupted their "honeymoon" in Africa.
"Look again, just in case Hellequin shows her head," Libra instructed the speedsters after they'd piled on the carbs.
Then she contacted the Nautilus and her captain, Deeprika Nemo, "A yacht will soon set sail. Monitor her and standby for my further orders."
"You're the field commander. But remember, I'm in my element where I command," Nemo replied. Nemo was the latest in a long line of submarine commanding pirates.
"Understood," Libra signed off.
"I have every ant hive in Gotham looking out and so far none of them have sent word," Ant Queen explained her failure.
"Has Undercover Girl reported in yet?" Spider Widow asked.
"She's still embedded with the Crows as an operations manager," Libra shrugged, "She'll contact us when she can. But her last check-in stated that the Crows were after someone else."
"Good news for us," Crazy Quilt voiced.
"Or bad news, depending," Ragamuffin countered.
"Sweet Sixteen and Velvet Tiger are still out there. Sweet Sixteen can make any man talk. Velvet Tiger is equally 'persuasive' in her own way," Miss Shady reminded everyone.
"I want Crane!" Madame Crow demanded.
"Miss Shady, grab Gas Chamber, Commando Ranger, Yellow Wasp, Flame, Lightning Girl, and Flame Girl and present Ventriloquist and Scarface as inductee patients," Libra decided.
"What?" Scarface raged, "I ain't back inta that loony bin! They'll never let us out!"
"Unfortunately for you two, you're our only guide that I have to send with the team," Libra grew stern, "So you're going with them."
"All right," Peyton subsided.
"What's wrong wit' you, Dummy? They always lock us up. Separately!" Scarface yelled at her.
"Please don't make it worse," Ventriloquist quietly pleaded.
"You'll go and do as I say or Flame Girl or the Flame will burn you alive, Scarface," Libra said coldly.
"Ya wouldn't dare," he feebly protested.
"Try me," Libra grated.
"Fine. We're goin'," Scarface relented, "But I'm callin' the shots once we're in da Big House"
"I can live with that," Miss Shady allowed.
Libra mouthed the words, Thank you!
"Commissioner? Our aerial are reporting…unusual sightings," Cpl. Astra Adams reported to Barbara
"Thank you, Officer Adams," Gordon reviewed the reports coming in from helicopter rand blimp units, "Damn!"
She immediately called Montoya, "Lieutenant, we have new problems."
Then she explained that the Secret Society of Super Villains was also now in town.
Hellequin brought Red Alice to the main water runoff spillway.
"Now that's who I call a Jabberwocky!" Red Alice exclaimed. Both she and Hellequin knew Killer Croc had died Earth Prime but Glorith's negligence for details had reinserted him into the New Earth timeline.
"He's spoken for," Baby Doll insisted. Her daughter, Barbie Doll still thought she was dead. Something Marian Dahl wasn't inclined to tell Barbara Dahl was wrong just yet. Faking her and Croc's deaths had been profitable. No one suspected corpses of being the culprits of a crime.
"It's all right, dear," Red Alice assured her in a stage whisper, "I already have luggage."
Killer Croc growled, "Hey!"
"No hard feelings. I've just never met a walking suitcase before," Red Alice continued, "But you're might damn fine Jabberwocky."
"Told ya," Hellequin smirked.
"What the hell is a 'Jabber-wonky'?" Croc asked.
Red Alice his shoulder, "Never mind. Brains obviously aren't your specialty. Leave the thinking to me."
Croc growled low in his throat.
"Aw, how cute," Red Alice moved on and tousled Marian Dahl's hair, "Munchkins belong in Oz."
Now Baby Doll took offense. Catman and Kitten had just arrived.
"The Secret Society is hunting you. Just like you predicted," Catman told Hellequin.
"Some-body's been looking in the crystal ball," Red Alice sing-songed.
"Knightfall needs reinforcements and doesn't have the pull to call in the Legion of Doom. She also wants agents that she considers 'disposable'," Hellequin shrugged, "No real brainstorming involved."
"Madame Crow went for Arkham like you predicted," Kitten informed her, "And took several Societors with her."
"How nice," Hellequin grinned, "They're in for a surprise."
"Someone is passing notes in class," Red Alice said accusingly then got impatient, "What's going on?"
"I left a message with a concerned citizen so the Arkham raid is expected," Hellequin told her, "The new Catwoman had to be useful for something."
"What good does that do?" Catman still felt a rivalry towards any Catwoman. Kitten heard it in his voice and rolled her eyes.
"Catwoman is a card carrying reservist for the Justice League. Little birds in the wind told me the JSA is too busy to intervene and the Outsiders are likewise occupied," Hellequin bothered to explain, "So who else is she gonna call? Young Justice just pulled up stakes and the Young All Stars Cost money. Are the other Secret Society defectors getting into place?"
"They'll be at the rendezvous," Catman promised.
"You have been busy," Red Alice admired Hellequin's initiative.
"Knightfall will be posting Crows around the remaining completing Carnes Development sites," Hellequin explained, "So we don't want to go to any of them. The iceberg Lounge is too obvious. We don't have amphibious capability so we can't crash Knightfall and Empress Penguin's party on Charise Carnes' yacht. So we have to find a new method to draw them back to shore."
"We have naval capability," Kitten announced.
"Do tell!" Red Alice manically requested. So Catman and Kitten described Captain Nemo and the Nautilus' role in things.
"How much would it cost to get Nemo to fire on the yacht?" Hellequin wondered.
"I can call her and ask," Catman offered, "She uses the Banker's wire services like the rest of us."
"That'll accelerate things tremendously," Hellequin was gleeful.
"Now, what about these 'Outlaws' you mentioned before?" Red Alice inquired.
"They'll have been hired to kill me," Hellequin told her, "Which means Azrael will run interference for me to get at me first."
"And the rest of us loot Three Towers," Baby Doll gloated.
"Just Charise Carnes' penthouse. But that'll be three-stories of one-stop shopping," Hellequin promised.
"Why the bad blood with Carnes?" even Killer Croc wondered.
"She owes me a karmic debt. I fully intend to collect," Hellequin explained, "After she's gone, nothing stands in my way of leveling Gotham and letting the survivors pick through the rubble."
"She means our way," Red Alice shoulder hugged Hellequin.
"Nemo will do it for free. Just to spite Libra," Catman announced.
"My kinda woman," Hellequin grinned, "Now we should get to Three Towers and meet with the others."
"Follow me," Killer Croc led the way.
Inside the tunnels were three electric golf carts along with Hellequin's bike. Red Alice took a cart. Baby Doll settled in with Kitten.
Catman took the third, "You're meeting us there?"
"Just a slight detour," Hellequin promised him.
"She won't show," Morgan predicted.
"She's crazy enough she might," Plastic Woman replied.
"It still doesn't make sense," Black Siren complained, "How did Emperor Blackgate find out which vehicle I'd be in and which route I'd be when the guards didn't know?"
"That's bothering you?" Morgan laughed, "Me? I'd just be happy to be free."
FBI and US Marshal's vehicles swarmed the Iceberg Lounge's parking lot, cutting off access to everything but the Lounge itself. GCPD Harbor and River Patrol boats blockaded the water side entrance. Special Agent-in-Charge Sally Swift exited a vehicle accompanied by a heavily armed Penny Lark. Plas groaned to see her ex-wife from when she'd still been Plastic Man.
"Place your hands on your head or we'll open fire!" Agent Swift announced over a mega-phone.
Penny took it from her, "Please, y'all. Try and resist."
"She holds a grudge," Morgan scowled.
"Like no one else," Plas agreed.
"Get in the building," Plastic Woman instructed, "I can hold them off and we make a break under the water."
"They'll expect that," Morgan argued.
"Just do it," Plas squeezed her hand, "I'll be fine."
"We're running out of options," Black Siren pointed the trucks bearing sonic cannons to counter her Sonic Cry with.
"Let's move!" Morgan and Black Siren made a break for it. Plas changed herself into a barrier shielding them from the FBI. But the sonic cannons made short work of her.
"Plas!" Morgan screamed and ran back to her.
An electrified net was cast by a launcher over Morgan and she was stunned. Black Siren laced her hands behind her head and knelt onto her knees. Her reprieve from Blackgate seemed short lived. Laurel Drake also had more than a hunch of who was responsible for it all.
From an alleyway in nearby Chinatown, Hellequin flipped her visor down and gunned her bike to head off to Three Towers. She had heist to get underway and an ambush to set.
"Oracle, you have her?" Arkham Knight asked as he and Red Hood were vaulting from a fire escape.
"Traffic cams have her heading towards Cherry Hill," Oracle reported, "I have everyone en route."
Arkham Knight and Red Hood, like the rest of the team, were using vehicles stolen from Batman, Incorporated depots. They were personally using a next generation Batmobile while many others were reliant on various Bat Bikes. Lena Luthor had stunned the world yesterday announcing LuthorCorp had incorporated a new Batman, Inc. has a non-profit aid society. LuthorCorp would be its first corporate sponsor. Dozens of multinationals fell in line to contribute. Notably, Wayne-Powers abstained from the invitation.
"She knows Carnes is Knightfall," Red Hood noted, "But does she know about us basing there as well?"
"I think we're going to find out," Arkham Knight grimly predicted.
As Undercover Girl inside the Crows, Starr Flagg had been unable to acquire DOC or GCPD uniforms but she had a broad range of access to Crows equipment. So the Secret Society dressed as a Crows detachment delivering Scarface and the Ventriloquist to the asylum on Arkham Island. Miss Shady was confident they get inside if Peyton Hayes or Abigail O'Shay didn't get overly agitated.
Ventriloquist because she feared Scarface's wrath if they were to be successfully locked away again. Madame Crow because they'd learned Jonathan Crane's son was being held in traction within the hospital wing before he would be interned in his awaiting cell. Undercover Girl had used the Crows' ever increasing cooperation with local, state, and federal police o learn that John Crane had been a consultant with the GCPD and several federal law enforcement agencies before his father's death.
His specialty was costumed super egos. But the Scarecrow's death had ended Crane's participation in such endeavors. He'd taken a leave of absence from his practice and shuttered it indefinitely. County Sheriffs and the State Police found Crane's wife burned alive in the remains of the family home outside of Gotham's jurisdiction.
Crane's own inane babbling while under treatment after his siege on Gotham indicated he'd torched her alive to overcome his fear of doing so. His father had fearfully listened to John's mother's screams as the house fire she'd died in consumed her. So began Prof. Jonathan Crane's obsession with fear.
John had thought his father a pathetic heap of pathologies until he too died. Raiding the last unknown stockpile of fear toxin, the improved variant developed with Fright's assistance, John became a new Scarecrow for a post-Near Apocalypse age. When the skies turn red and everyone loses a day of their lives, fear abounds even if only in the most primal recesses of the mind.
Glorith had reset the timeline when she used Dr. Manhattan's sacrificed life and power to create the New Universe but Rebirth wasn't a complete restoration of the Earth Prime history, or even a partial resetting. It was an amalgamation of the Multiverse's history. Or at least elements the Monitor had drawn from Earths-2, -3, -4, -5, -16, -27, the Dakotaverse, Glorith's own pocket universe, and Angor's pocket universe during the Crisis of the Multiverse and before the Final Crisis and the Zero Hour that followed it. Even stray elements of Earths-10 and -19, and -49 were beginning to appear.
That being stated, the Secret Society easily entered Arkham Asylum after the briefest cursory challenge. Once in, they overpowered the guards at the entry station and then immodestly, in some cases, shucked their uniforms and changed back into their traditional working attire.
"You two are up," Miss Shady informed Payten and Gas Chamber.
"Whot am I then?" Scarface loudly complained.
"Dead weight," Commando Ranger reminded him.
"Why, I oughta kill ya fer that!" Scarface ranted.
Ventriloquist seemed embarrassed by the mannequin's display. Kandy Wilson and Linda Dale each caused the air around Scarface to ignite. As the Flame and Flame Girl they were competitive pyrokinetics.
"Ever seen lightning hit a tree?" Isobel Blake asked the "gangster". Scarface's expression was manipulated to show one of fear before Lightning Girl.
"Just get me to this 'Scarecrow' pretender," Madame Crow demanded.
"First the ventilation system," Miss Shady amended for her.
Everyone put their gas masks on except for Gas Chamber. He came equipped. Even Scarface wore a cloth mask. Which was a bit much for Miss Shady.
Soon the knockout gas filtered throughout the building. Gas Chamber had gleefully gassed two orderlies, a guard, and a doctor as Ventriloquist and Scarface led him to the main ventilation duct. The gas quickly dissipated as Gas Chamber increased the air flow but the effects of it would last for hours.
"Now, he's mine," Madame Crow gloated. The perimeter alarm sounded and warning klaxons and lights were triggered as well as immediate lockdown gates.
"What the futz?" Commando Ranger quickly began viewing the guard station's video feeds, "Effin' hell! The Justice League just showed up!"
Miss Shady immediately sent out an SOS to Libra.
The Blackhawk named Natalie Reed hovered the Invisible Jet over Arkham Island and the JLers disembarked to report to the gate sentries.
"Have there been any new arrivals?" General Glory asked.
"Some Crows just dropped off the new Ventriloquist and her dummy, Scarface," a guard answered.
"Can you get a visual feed of the interior?" Cyborg inquired.
"Sure. But why?" the other guard asked in reply.
"Just do it," Capt. Atom ordered.
"Be nice," Nightshade whispered to him.
Eve Eden was one of the few privy to the fact that Col. Cameron Scott was used to giving orders rather than receiving them in the most general sense.
"Damn! Those costume jobs have knocked everybody out!" a guard yelped and hit the alarm. The bridges went up and had to be unlocked from the mainland.
"What's law enforcement's usual response time?" Nightshade asked.
"Under five minutes. Even faster now that the Crows have been added to Arkham's security roster," the other guard told her.
"They'll man the bridges and watch the riverside," the first guard detailed.
"Owlwoman, you and Jack O'Lantern get to the other side and watch the waterfront," Capt. Atom dictated. No one moved.
"Do as he says," Cyborg relented since it was a good idea.
"Captain? A word?" General Glory isolated Capt. Atom and dressed him down for violating the chain of command. Today, Cyborg was the team leader
"Sister Lilhy, you stated that Azrael was on business in Gotham. Mind explaining what that is?" Cyborg had to finally ask.
"He had private business with Batman," Sister Lilhy revealed.
"Batman hasn't spoken with anyone in months," Chief Man-of-Bats was surprised.
"He summoned Azrael," Sister Lilhy said defiantly, "How could he refuse?"
"I'm supposing that terrifying Batman that appeared in Gotham during the Pax Mundi occupation was actually Azrael," Bobo T. Chimpanzee lit his pipe.
"Nightshade, take Fire and Ice and see about reinforcing Owlwoman and Jack's position," Cyborg instructed. She made a portal made out of darkness and ferried the two across the Land of Nightshades to reappear in the New Earth on the other side of the asylum.
"So what's the frickin' plan?" Enchantress asked acerbically.
"Victor, they're on the move inside the building," the Detective Chimp reported, "They seem to be entrenching themselves."
"They must expect a rescue," Capt. Atom stated as he and General Glory rejoined them..
"Captain, please join the others on the backside of the asylum," Cyborg requested. Capt. Atom scowled but flew off.
"Think they'll pull a runner when whoever shows up?" Enchantress asked.
"That's the general gist of it, dear," Bobo T. replied.
Ragman's suit and cloak began to ripple, "They're coming."
Jetgirl and Carapax buzzed the grounds before alighting in front of the main entrance into Arkham. The Ghost Plane swooped in only to be nearly knocked out of the sky by Natalie Reed decloaking the Invisible Jet and the modified bomber going supersonic next to the Ghost Plane. Mr. Terrible's T-Squares delivered Libra and her reinforcements.
"This certainly just got interesting," General Glory observed without irony.
In the warehouse relegated to the Secret Society; Crazy Quilt tasked Poker Face, Ragamuffin, and the Crime Editor with locating Hellequin. Undercover Girl called in a tip that traffic cams had spotted Hellequin racing for Three Towers in Cherry Hill. A number of Batmobiles and riders on Bat Bikes were closing in on her.
"Do we advise Libra?" Poker Face inquired sharply.
"We tell her when her plate clears," Crazy Quilt decided, "Meanwhile; we travel and observe Hellequin in action."
"Road trip!" Ragamuffin crowed.
"Got it!" Crime Editor blogged about Real Crime stories and then made them happen.
Crawler had ascended the building to reach Charise Carnes' three-story apartment. He unlocked the door and let the others enter in.
"Remember folks, snatch and grab!" Domino Lady called out loudly.
Below, at the curbside loading dock, Boomerang and Diana were guarding the armored car the third Huntress had stolen from the Crows. Claw had his Green Cat Men do the actual loading while Expressman and Express ferried jewels, paintings, even clothing and furniture to the ground level. They could run up and down the stairs faster than any elevator could travel. Gunmaster, Granite Lady, and Sceptre guarded the loading area from within while Boomerang and Diana remained a visible presence outside.
The Outlaws managed to time their entrance perfectly. Diana and the Huntress grabbed their bows and quivers while Boomerang began throwing his namesake weapons.
"We've got this!" Arrow declared.
Red Arrow and Arsenal backed him. Black Bison pushed Granite Lady through a wall and once inside, the fight truly began. Gunmaster opened fire on anyone moving. Starling, Wild Dog, and Street Avenger called their targets. As Sceptre moved in to assist Gunmaster with his power scepter, he also began a target of opportunity. Claw and his Green Cat Men assisted as well.
Dr. Ava Hyde drank her formula and transformed into the bestial Jillian Jekyll. She guarded the stairwell beside Mad Maestro. Express and Expressman paused to take stock of the vigilante-killers.
"Booorrrring," Express decided and went back to looting Charise's apartment.
"Kid's today," Expressman sighed.
"Why don't we have any speedsters?" Sparrow asked. It was a point Laurel Anne Hardy had raised several times now.
"I've got the speedsters," Ravager promised.
"I'll take the Blockbuster wannabe," Pagan assured everyone.
"No, she's mine," Shieldmaiden declared.
One didn't argue with a demigoddess. So Hildur Goransdottir got her wish. But first Squire put a ball bearing between Mad Maestro's eyes before he could play a note. Pagan knocked him out. Ravager engaged Expressman and kept him too busy staying alive to threaten the others. The rest used the express elevators to reach the uppermost accessible floor before switching to the stairwell to further advance into Knightfall's personal palace.
"Took ya long enough," Hellequin scolded them as they entered the main cavernous space replete with an indoor pool.
"We are on a time constraint," Red Alice agreed with Hellequin's complained.
"God, the super villain team up from Hell," Sparrow groaned.
"Despite my having a twin sister and a steppy, I feel as though I've met an understanding member of my adopted family," Red Alice stated.
Catman assaulted Arkham Knight before he could take the shot. Crimson Avenger used her powers over people's blood to control them to help thwart Weather Witch's ambitions to start a gale force wind indoors. Pagan finally got to fight Kitten. Protector was left dealing with Crawler while Cheshire attacked Killer Croc and Baby Doll together. Leaving Sparrow to confront Domino Lady. Red Hood and Squire planned on taking down Hellequin and Red Alice. When Azrael interrupted everyone's agendas.
Back at the GCPD, Commissioner Gordon was on the phone with Montoya, "That's right, Lieutenant. The Outlaws have been spotted engaging robbery suspects at Three Towers. Witnesses place the robbery occurring at Charise Carnes' apartment."
"Ballsy," Montoya knew as well as Barbara who Charise really was.
"Someone's playing all the players," Barbara warned Montoya, "Intergang took a hit. Empress Penguin took a hit but I think that went sideways. Red Alice got bushwhacked. Now Knightfall herself.."
"Don't forget Arkham," Montoya reminded her, "Someone called in the Justice League because they arrived before the alarm got tripped."
"Is anyone monitoring Carnes' yacht?" Montoya wondered.
Gordon looked out her window, "So it's…"
The explosion took Barbara by surprise despite her years as Batgirl, "My God! Someone just blew up Knightfall's yacht!"
"Like you said, we're being played," Montoya grimly assessed, "The SRU is geared and ready to roll on Three Towers."
"Don't forget that's a residential building," Gordon cautioned her.
"That someone turned into a damned war zone," Montoya retorted.
"Just be careful and avoid unnecessary casualties," Barbara advised her before hanging up. Montoya was one of her most senior detectives. She could handle herself and her officers,
Harbor Patrol was busy with Arkham so she called up her predecessor, Maggie Sawyer who was now the NYPD Police Commissioner, and asked for a search and rescue. Sawyer had to rub it in of course. Barb didn't care as long as they stood a chance of picking up survivors.
"We've been given the word," Captain Deeprika Nemo announced, "Range on target?"
"One thousand meters and holding," her XO announced.
"Flood tubes one and two and open outer doors," Nemo ordered.
"Torpedoes, aye," the weapons officer swiftly obeyed.
"Up periscope," Nemo requested.
She sighted in the yacht and depressed a button, "Confirm range."
"Range, aye," the weapons officers stated on his plot.
"Eye on target. Confirm coordinates," Nemo instructed.
"Target confirmed," the XO announced from his station.
"Fire torpedo one," Nemo ordered and the ship shuddered, "Fire torpedo two."
"Torpedoes away. Closing outer doors," the weapons officer announced.
"Fish in the water and homing in," the sonar officer reported as the torpedoes passed the minimum safe distance and armed themselves as their internal sonar went active.
"Time on target six seconds," the sonar officer removed his headphones, "Five…four…three…two…one!"
"We have a detonation," Nemo confirmed to cheers afterwards, "We have a second detonation."
"The target has been destroyed. Full ahead left rudder," as the submarine turned, Nemo course corrected again and then Nautilus took a stealth approach out of the harbor and to the shipping lanes where the active screws of multiple freighters would confuse any pursuers.
"Tonight we party!" Nemo announced over the ship's loudspeaker.
The glass forming up a solid wall facing north shattered as Hindenburg rammed into it. The other four members of the Superior Five dismounted then he himself deflated to his normal stature. The Riddles and the Secret Society each barged in from the fire exits and stairwells. Each vying for the honor of the first kill.
"Bloody hell," Squire groaned.
"Enemy of my enemy makes a frenemy?" Red Hood offered.
"Agreed," Azrael hadn't wanted to engage Squire and the Red Hood anyway.
"They'll send just about anyone to kill me these days," Red Alice said with a flourish.
"Except it's me they're all after," Hellequin smirked, "Just like I planned."
Zebra-Man had raced across the water to get Arkham Island despite both bridges being up. Streak Carter and Speed McGee accompanied him but selected different targets.
Zebra-Man thought that General Glory would be an easy victory but he was proven wrong. The JLer hadn't landed a punch yet but he'd avoided getting hit. Zebra-Man was getting tired. His accelerated metabolism had been burning through calories since his brief respite before returning to the city-wide search grid. He wanted the fight to end and he got sloppy. He gave General Glory one opportunity which was one too many.
Zebra-Man had been slowing down for quite some time now but he was still superhumanly fast. But General Glory blunted his attack and twisted his wrist and locked it. Then he kicked Zebra-Man's legs out from beneath him. Wrenching his Arm, General Glory dislocated Zebra-Man's shoulder. Then he stomped on the man's knee. With a sickening crunch, Zebra-Man knew he'd be unable to run,
"I surrender already!" he pleaded.
General Glory let up at that point. From somewhere in his star spangled outfit, General Glory produced zip ties and bound Zebra-Man hand and foot. Then he launched into a soliloquy on patriotism and civic duty under the rule of law. Zebra-Man collapsed onto the ground and prayed that he'd just up and die.
Cyborg was confronted by Libra. While Victor Stone didn't know who she was. He presumed the previous Libra was dead rather than retired. She wielded the original's Cosmic Transmogrifier. So Victor knew better than to unleash an energy based attack upon her. She'd throw back half of whatever he unleashed. So Cyborg settled on a physical takedown. Whatever qualifications this Libra had, combat skills weren't among them.
"Get off me!" she screamed, "Get off now!"
He managed to cuff her and backed away. She sat on the ground, dusty and defeated.
Libra had a wild look about her as she strained to get out of the cuffs. Cyborg knew there was a dark and twisted story behind this behavior. He simply didn't want to go there. So now that she wasn't in possession of the Cosmic Transmogrifier, he tased her and she passed out. For everyone's benefit.
Speed McGee had used his research with his wife, Tina, to accelerate himself into being a speedster. But the steroidal cocktail and mixed with the electrical discharges that activated his speed had driven him mad. The other Dr. McGee had divorced him in absentia and become the Director of STAR Labs. He'd begun stalking her. Which brought him into conflict with the third Flash.
The galling part was that Tina pitied him. So he'd escaped from Iron Heights and joined the Secret Society. And now some strange woman wielding a flaming sword thought she could beat him? Him? Speed McGee? Never! He raged inside.
Sister Lilhy swept low with a leg sweep and high with a sword thrust. Speed McGee threw himself off to the side to avoid either. But he lost his footing and came to a crashing, rolling stop.
"Tell me what I want to know and you'll live," Sister Lilhy coldly informed Speed McGee.
"You won't kill me," he boasted as he scrambled to his feet. The tremors were beginning. He saw that she recognized that fact.
"You're unwell," Sister Lilhy observed, "Tell me and I'll get you help."
"I don't want or need your help!" Speed McGee roared in a steroid fueled rage as he sprinted forward.
Sister Lilhy merely did a leg sweep this time. Speed McGee went sprawling, face first into the grounds. Spitting out dirt, he attempted to rose to find a heavy boot on his neck and flaming sword blade next to his cheek, "Tell me."
The convulsions began, "I don't even know the damn question!"
"Where is Azrael?" Sister Lilhy inquired.
Speed McGee fumbled for his muscle relaxer injector on his belt. Only it was gone.
"Looking for this, perhaps?" Sister Lilhy dangled it in front of him.
"Give it to me!" he screamed, "I'll die without it!"
"So be it," Sister Lilhy decided, "Azrael. Where is he?"
"How should I know?" Speed McGee whimpered as his muscles seized and released.
"You've been scouring the city," Sister Lilhy replied, "Did you spot anyone…unusual?"
"This is Gotham. You have to be more specific," Speed McGee ground out between clenched teeth.
"Someone dressed as a modern knight," Sister Lilhy clarified.
"We all saw glimpses and shadows. He was moving across town from Miller Harbor up towards Burnside and Cherry Hill. Now please!" Speed McGee begged.
Sister Lilhy jabbed the monojector into his leg and released the muscle relaxants. Speed McGee blissfully passed out. She knew her next step was getting off of this forsaken island.
Chief Man-of-Bats was Streak Carter's target of choice. One of Reverse Flash's disposable assets moved from the 29th Century to wage a ground war against the Flashes and other assorted speedsters, Streak Carter had displayed an annoying independence since travelling through time. Thawne had always intended to kill Streak Carter anyway, Carter's move to join the Secret Society and abandon his assigned task just accelerated Revere Flash's homicidal intentions towards Streak Carter
Eobard Thawne being too delusional to realize that Streak Carter was among the greatest concentration of speedsters in the modern world. The Secret Society alone boasted five in its membership rolls. More than twice any competing agency. Streak chose Chief Man-of-Bats as an easy target since the Chief wasn't a meta-human. But a lifetime of skills had been honed by being trained by Batman.
So Chief Man-of-Bats avoided Streak Carter's attempts to kill him and frequently used a Navajo variant on Judo to land him on his backside. Robert Great Eagle was also a master of the French form of kickboxing known as savate. As Streak Carter slowed from his day of exertion, Chief Man-of-Bats dismantled Streak's poor defenses, relying on speed and ambush to fight.
It was after disabling Streak Carter that Chief Man-of-Bats and General Glory came to realize that Speed McGee was down as well as Zebra-Man but Sister Lilhy had vanished.
"I fear for Sister Lilhy's reunion with Azrael," Chief Man-of-Bats confessed.
"That is why Col. Trevor called for a strategic reserve to be activated in this crisis," Chief Man-of-Bats reminded him.
"Activating our reserves is one thing. But our returning members are another," General Glory stated, "They'll need our support."
"There are many things the 'Super Friends' need. Our assistance isn't one of them," Chief Man-of-Bats predicted.
Sweet Sixteen found herself on the receiving end of Ragman's fist, "Kid, you talk too much."
"No one can resist me!" she pouted.
"Call me no one then," Ragman's second blow knocked her out.
"Should've used her as a hostage," Velvet Tiger advised him.
"You'd just kill her to get to me," Ragman predicted.
"True," Velvet Tiger admitted.
With Sweet Sixteen's hypnotic voice out of the equation, Ragman still faced the assassin Velvet Tiger, the diminutive Sting, and the parody known as Me. Terrible and his T-Squares. Chief Man-of-Bats struck down Mr. Terrible and the T-Squares all went into standby mode. General Glory swiftly dealt with Velvet Tiger, surprising her as much as Ragman had Sweet Sixteen. Ragman delivered the coup de grace on Sting.
"I knew if I stalled long enough I wouldn't have to assign anyone a rag," as the mystical Ragman, his suit absorbed people and put them in a state of purgatory for one hundred years before they faced a final judgment. Each soul forming a new rag his suit was patched together with.
"Gentleman, if you would?" Detective Chimp inquired from the guard station where he monitored the asylum's interior, "The Secret Society has released the prisoner's cells. They haven't woken up yet but let's get them locked away, shall we?"
"You heard, Bobo. Let's move!" General Glory led them into Arkham Asylum itself.
Carapax, Jetgirl, Shock Gibson, and Ghost were all startled as their mechanical enhancements literally exploded around them. They were knocked unconscious but Enchantress knew how squeamish her fellow JLers and the JLI administrators could be.
So she left them alive with a lament, "Bor-ring."
However, Spider Widow and Faceless Phantom's magically charged powers presented her with an actual challenge and she was intrigued by that. Spider Widow had been cursed into having her spider powers…and appetites. Faceless Phantom on the other hand had copied Doctor Thomas Strange's alosun formula but it was a decidedly imperfect copy. So he received a large portion of Doc Strange's powers but only a portion nonetheless.
Spider Widow had the proportional abilities of a spider. Her fingertips ejected silken webbing. Webbing that penetrated Enchantress' basic protection spells. But mystic flames consumed the silk. But Spider Widow still had the strength, speed, reflexes, and agility of a spider atop her web casting ability.
Faceless Phantom was transformed into a physical powerhouse akin to both Doc Strange and Tom Strong of the Agents of SMASH. Unlike Doc Strange, his imperfect copy of alosun had distorted and ruined his facial features into being skull-like. A perfected version of alosun amplified all that a person was. In Doc Strange's case, it amplified his virtuous behaviors and outlooks. Faceless Phantom, however, was twisted, cold blooded, hate-filled and pathological.
Traits the Enchantress shared in when she'd tapped into too much magic and became "drunk" with literal power. June Moone had mentally surrendered to the witch's spirit and given the witch June's body over to host the Enchantress unhindered. The witch drove the merged psyche but June no longer resisted her. Adding a new layer of perplexity to the Enchantress that she'd lacked before.
With June's compliance came Moone's mind. Giving the Enchantress a conscience for the first time in five thousand years and hundreds of host bodies later. Despite the Three Graces of Wonderland liberating the Enchantress from her curse of having the inability to cast spells affecting living creatures, she found herself unwilling to inflict unnecessary pain and suffering. Of course, she was still working out her definition of "necessary".
When the old Arkham Manor asylum was shuttered, the new facility on Arkham Island having been completed, great pains had been taken to provide a state of the art interior environment while maintaining a brick and cobblestone exterior. All overlaid over solid, steel reinforced concrete. But the effect was to blend the island's structures with those of the neighboring Bowery District. The sprawling complex was sometimes referred to as a "city" unto itself.
But the accumulated bricks gave Enchantress something to hurl at the Faceless Phantom. Spider Widow's webs were beginning to annoy her though. She cast a spell so that every time Spider Widow projected a web line it was immediately consumed in flames, tracing back to her very fingers. A few "errant" bricks made their way upside her head, knocking her out. Faceless Phantom found himself buried under a ton of bricks. Without leverage, even he couldn't push himself out of that pile.
Lightning Girl engaged Capt. Atom as soon she cleared the fire doors. His ability to absorb radiation was useless against her electrical powers. But his quantum energy blasts worked on an entirely different principle as well. After getting a gauge of her strengths, Capt. Atom barraged her with volleys of energy bursts until she surrendered. This being Arkham, he found a power damping collar directly inside. As well as handcuffs to restrain her with.
Fire and Ice thought they'd made wise tactical decision by teaming up against Commando Ranger. But his gen factor was to adapt to any two or more opponents. So he stymied them at every turn.
Capt. Atom was outside of Commando Ranger's meta-ability's range so a simple quantum burst put the otherwise preoccupied criminal down. Grabbing a spare collar and some cuffs, he dealt with Commando Ranger the way he had Lightning Girl.
"Show off," Fire accused.
"Beatriz," Ice chided her.
"It's better than 'preening jackass'!" Fire snapped towards Capt. Atom.
"Take your time reevaluating life, Ms. de Costa, because I will see to it that you're done with the Justice League," Capt. Atom promised. Fire showed him her finger.
Yellow Wasp flew up to meet Owlwoman in the air. Scarface's toy machine gun actually fired small caliber rounds at her, and at his teammate. Yellow Wasp's stinger gun put Peyton down and Scarface went out with her. Owlwoman's raking talons disarmed Yellow Wasp and she pushed him into the nearest Arkham wall. There, she unleashed several right crosses until Yellow Wasp was knocked unconscious. Then she simply dropped him.
Jack O'Lantern's power, derived from being infused with a fey lantern, simply absorbed the Flame and Flame Girl's power. Then he dealt with one while Owlwoman knocked other one out. Capt. Atom arrived with damping collars.
Nightshade formed blades from nearby shadows, "Anyone want to play?"
"I'm not afraid of you!" Madame Crow charged her.
Nightshade transformed one blade into cudgel and walloped Madame Crow senseless with it. Gas Chamber was out of his said gas and peed himself. Nightshade didn't have to hit him to get him to surrender. But she formed manacles from the shadows and trussed up her two prisoners. She thought she'd spotted a third inside the building but she couldn't see anyone there now.
Inside, Miss Shady adopted a female orderly's uniform and pretended to be unconscious. She might not get out undetected but Fay Shady stood a chance.
"Uh oh," Clare Voyant suddenly stated.
She turned to see Hitman and Section Eight approaching the JLI Reserve's position at the secondary Arkham Bridge. Lyn Hall didn't need to clairvoyant to see the group was trouble.
"We've been hired to drop this bridge," Hit Man announced.
"Piss off," Catwoman retorted.
Katana put herself between Catwoman and Hitman's guns in time to slice the bullet in half.
"You just didn't," he remarked.
"Yes, I did," Katana coolly promised him.
He drew a fighting knife and attacked her. Only to soundly beaten by the flat her blade until she knocked him out with the SoulTaker's pommel.
Flemgem horked a wad of phlegm and gooed up a disgusted Atom
Katana put him down as well but only gave Ryan Choi a handkerchief to clean himself up with.
Yara Flor watched as Jean Baton-Baton actually threatened her with his namesake batons but his teammate called Friendly Fire projected a plasma bolt and hit Jean Baton-Baton instead of her. Wonder Girl took him out unaware he couldn't actually hit anything he aimed at.
As Dogwelder attempted to get close enough Catwoman to weld a beagle to her face, she tricked his teammate, Defensestrator, into smashing the full body mirror he carried over Dogwelder's head. Then she knocked Defensestrator out.
"I'm not a dog person but I think you need to get let go of," Holly Robinson let the grateful dog run free to go back home.
Shakes shook so hard trying a complete a single sentence, Clare Voyant never touched him and he simply passed out from the effort.
That left Sixpack, the alcoholic leader of Section Eight. He felt a tapping at his shoulder and blearily turned to face the oddest person he'd ever seen.
"Boo!" the Creeper shouted in his face.
Sixpack then lost bladder control and ran headlong into a stop sign, knocking himself out.
"I crack myself up!" the Creeper boasted, "Toodles!"
"I thought they said they needed our help," Yara Flor complained, "I'm gone."
"So am I," Catwoman decided.
Katana couldn't disagree. That left the soiled Atom with collecting police officers to apprehend their fallen foes.
"Stand down or we will kill you," Arrow grated at the resisting Secret Societors
"You can bloody well try!" Boomerang called back
Arrow's next shot went through Boomerang's left eye, killing him instantly. Diana went made with rage. Red Arrow put an arrow in each of her arms and a thigh just to be certain. Huntress broke and ran. Arsenal tagged her in the back of the leg with his next shot. The sound of gunfire averted their attention.
The Green Cat Men were attempting to assist their leader, Claw. Claw was engaged in a fierce gun battle with the Outlaws, as were they. Street Avenger was focusing on Claw while Wild Dog held the Green Cat Men back with hails of gunfire. So far, the Green Cat Men had lost three members.
Starling was in a gunfight with Gunmaster. Eve Crawford didn't know who the hell Gunmaster was but he was a serious impediment. Then two arrows, one after the other pierced Gunmaster's left arm and then thigh. Starling put two in his chest but his body armor saved his life. She nodded her thanks to Red Arrow.
Arrow began picking off Green Cat Men until Wild Dog's avid assistance forced them into a withdrawal.
Arsenal dealt Claw a near fatal wound. The sound of thunderous blows drew them into the loading area.
Black Bison was fighting Granite Lady, who was literally made of living stone. Her stony skin was actually cracking under the force of his blows. His next right cross ended the fight. But they still had to reach the uppermost floors.
Expressman and Express darted to and fro, attacking Ravager. So far, she hadn't connected with either sword. Which only built up the speedsters' confidence. Then, in a sudden savage flourish, she slashed both of their legs as they attempted a coordinated attack. That slowed them so that she could impale them both. Alchemy had granted the pair their speed so they didn't have accelerated healing factors in play. But, if EMTs got there in time, the pair would survive. Ravager had made certain not to hit arteries or organs.
Ms. Jekyll slammed her fists against Shieldmaiden's shield and the Icelander was pushed back by the impact. Ravager stood by while Hildur worked her opponent
Rose halted Arrow and the others, "Give her space."
"The elevators," Arrow nodded and the other Outlaws went to the two passenger elevators.
Ravager accompanied them rather than get left behind. Shieldmaiden had the situation under control.
Hildur had read the famed accounts of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Mr. Hyde only existed for as long as the formula coursing through Dr. Jerky's veins lasted. So Shieldmaiden waited out the furious blows until Ms. Jekyll reverted back into Dr. Hyde. Then easily subdued her hapless opponent with a single blow before she could swig more formula.
Crimson Avenger had Weather Witch completely under control. Depriving her brain of blood, Crimson Avenger forced Weather Witch into passing out. Drawing her twin pistols, she gazed about through her blindfold, seeing the world through the blood flowing inside people. The rooms were full of targets now.
Protector fought the ever agile Crawler. To make matters harder, Crawler could literally walk up walls. But he suddenly froze in place and Dylan Harris relieved his frustration beating Crawler senseless.
He sensed Crimson Avenger's presence before he actually saw her, "Thanks."
"Anytime," she told the fifteen year-old Outlaw.
Sparrow used her escrima sticks to disarm Domino Lady of her pistols. Then she selectively targeted joints and bones for maximum and painful effect.
"Well, that was a good work out," Sparrow grinned.
"These are second-rate super villains at best," Protector complained.
"The new girl is doing well," Crimson Avenger told them.
Pagan was in a tightly contested fight with Kitten. The younger super villain was skilled but lacked Pagan's total focus on victory at any cost. It took a last second decision to spare Katie Conn's life.
"I was curious how you'd end that," Crimson Avenger confessed.
"So was I," Pagan confessed.
"Welcome to the Outlaws. For real now," Sparrow grinned.
Killer Croc and Baby Doll came crashing through a glass partition. Both were unconscious.
Cheshire looked inordinately pleased with herself, "What?"
"Righteous beat down!" Protector gave her a thumb's up.
"Now, for the others," Crimson Avenger refocused the group.
Azrael was tearing through the Superior Five while Squire focused on the Riddles and Red Hood shot her way through the Secret Society. Afterwards she assisted Squire. Echo and Query were skilled fighters. Josette Quelle was clever and opportunistic regarding any vulnerability. Quiz Miss, Tuesday, and the Baffler were the weak links. Red Hood easily defeated them. Then she spun and shot Echo. Squire knocked Query out with her bo staff
Quelle immediately raised her hands, "I surrender."
Red Hood shot her anyway. Squire glared at her.
"What? She's wearing body armor," Red Hood protested.
"Bloody hell! He's a bloody one-man army," Squire observed.
"I think that's supposed to be Azrael," Red Hood fathomed a guess.
"Where'd Arkham Knight get to?" Crimson Avenger asked as she and the other Outlaws all began to assemble.
Arkham Knight was in a pitched fight with Catman. It was the fairest fight Jason Todd had faced in months. He hated fair fights. Hellequin and Red Alice had escaped from view and Arkham Knight could only guess where they'd gone to. Catman would've already killed Arkham Knight had he not been wearing his full body armor.
"Parlay," Catman suddenly interrupted the fight.
"Talk," Arkham Knight allowed.
"Look, your targets are gone. They ditched me and I'm not feeling the love. So let me go and I'll simply get out of your way," Catman offered.
"Let me think about it," Arkham Knight replied. Then he sucker punched Catman and then beat him senseless
"That'd be a 'no'," Arkham Knight replied. Arkham Knight had recognized Azrael's fighting style and wondered why the JLer was here. And why had he abandoned his traditional garb?
Splitshot fired two arrows at a time with unerring accuracy. But Azrael's armor protected him. Jongleur tried rallying the Superior Five against Azrael but even Lagomorph's speed couldn't protect her. Tremor made the building shake and Hindenburg inflated to offer his teammates and escape. Azrael let them go. They weren't his targets. He would deal with them later.
"So, does that make us all enemies again?" Red Hood asked Azrael.
"Give me Hellequin and Red Alice," Azrael demanded.
"We don't have them," Ravager snorted.
"Then stand aside," Azrael ordered. The Outlaws held their ground.
"Let him go," Arkham Knight instructed as he returned, "They've bolted"
Spotlights from overhead dirigibles and helicopters highlighted them.
"My guess is the GCPD just arrived in force," Arkham Knight stated.
"You may live another day," Azrael fired his grapnel and swung off the building.
"Get to the elevators and down to the Bunker," Arkham Knight ordered, "We collect Oracle and make runs in the Batmobiles and bikes to draw the cops off.":
"After we return?" Squire inquired.
"If Gordon hasn't turned in the Bunker, then we collect our gear and find a new base of operations," Arkham Knight told them, "We're done with Knightfall and she's done with Gotham."
"Sounds good to me," Red Hood agreed. Everyone else knew they had no choice. If the police were raiding their base, they might also discover their apartments. Their entire lives would be exposed then.
"Let's get it done," Arrow urged everyone.
"Fan out and cover the exits!" Montoya called out over the radio as the SRU deployed.
"Good God! There's super villains littered all over the place!" an officer was startled to learn.
"Get emergency services here. Charise Carnes' alarm was tripped. Get detectives up there immediately!" Montoya ordered.
"Lt. Montoya! We have multiple sightings of Batmobiles and Bat Bikes spreading out across town," an officer reported.
"Put out an APB and alert all cars. Have aerial units pursue," Montoya decided. A few minutes later she was summoned to the central penthouse.
"It's like a super villain prom in there. Most everyone is still breathing but they won't be comfortable anytime soon," Det. Jason Bard reported.
"Good Lord," Montoya breathed as she entered Charise Carnes' domain, "Look at all the contraband."
"We have probable," Bard concluded, "Should we look around?"
"Let's" Montoya made a fateful decision.
Capt. Molly O'Moore led the GCPD SWAT units in securing Arkham Island. O'Moore was pleased by Batman's disappearance. He could no longer interfere in police business. She hardly felt any gratitude towards the JLI for halting the Secret Society's rampage. No lives had been lost and only the criminals were injured. No inmates had escaped either. She still wanted the Justice League to get the hell out of town.
Barbara Gordon had used Charise Carnes' break-in as a pretext to investigate the origins of many of her obviously contraband items. A hidden, private elevator was also discovered. However, the security lockouts prevented them from using it to get to its single stop: Knightfall's bunker beneath Three Towers. That didn't stop her from authorizing overrides on the other elevators to ultimately discover the Outlaws' now-abandoned Bunker. She'd always felt their move with Bat vehicles was feint to distract from their potential recovery operation.
Since the Outlaws lived in the west tower as civilians, Barbara had no legal pretext to investigate them. The Bunker was wiped clean of any and all clues.
Finally, in the silence that filled the vehicle garage one story above the Bunker, Gordon finally confided in Montoya and revealed her past as Batgirl without implicating Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, or Tim Drake. Montoya's unofficial response was to go on a bender. Which seemed to be increasingly her response when she needed a coping mechanism. Barbara could only hope she could help pull Montoya out of the spiral. If she'd let her.
"Azrael," Sister Lilhy awaited him at Jean-Paul Valley's apartment.
"Sister," Azrael didn't mention her breaking in.
"They are unworthy of your efforts," Sister Lilhy began without preamble, "He is unworthy."
"He is what he is, the patron saint of the Order of St. Batman. I am its first anointed avenger," Azrael declared.
"You walk this path alone, Jean-Paul," Sister Lilhy warned.
"As ever was, Lilhy," Azrael conceded.
Bonebreaker helped drag Charise Carnes to shore. Regina Swann swam the last few feet on her own. Pussy Katnip had dragged Empress Penguin through the waves until she could swim on her own and land was in sight. But Pussy herself went under the water and never came back. The three were the sole survivors of Nemo's attack.
Jinx and her security detail had been scouring Gotham's shores and were the first to discover them. It was en route to Regina's mansion that Charise learned of Hellequin's home invasion and the police investigation into her activities that was now underway. They'd found her Knightfall paraphernalia and an arrest warrant had been issued, the charges stemmed from multiple counts of murder, conspiracy, fraud, smuggling, drug charges, illegal underage liquor distribution, criminal enterprise, and vigilantism. In the course legal actions, Charise's assets had been frozen and her Board of Directors was now legally managing Carnes Development once again. A coup they'd angled for since her release from Arkham and exoneration.
Charise vowed then and there that Hellequin would ultimately pay the price for her inflicting such personal damage. Never seeing the irony considering what she'd cost Marian Drews.
"Take care, Charise," Regina offered, "You'll be back and stronger than ever."
"My legal team will devour the GCPD and Gotham City alive," Charise vowed, "And Knightfall's ambitions have just begun. In the meantime, we have to seem opposed to one another as we carve up the criminal loyalties in Gotham. You take the super villain elites while I'll suborn the common classes."
"Afterwards?" Empress Penguin wondered.
"We give Hellequin what she wanted all along: complete anarchy and criminal rule," Charise vowed as Knightfall, "Then, we build a utopia from the ashes."
"I love what you've done with the place," Red Alice glanced about at the bare walls and lack of most furniture within Marian's apartment, "Very minimalist chic."
"I don't have much but I do have a fully stocked kitchen and a cot you can use until you find your own place," Hellequin offered.
"I had a place. You blew it down," Red Alice deadpanned.
"So be my guest and put my service to the test," Hellequin snickered.
"Ugh. Disney quotes," Red Alice groaned.
"Today went well," Hellequin pirouetted through the room, "Tomorrow will be better."
"Why tomorrow?" Red Alice wondered.
"Because we'll see the White Rabbit and track her down her rabbit hole," Hellequin predicted.
"Do tell," now Red Alice was intrigued.
Devilina Dare
Real Name
Colina Amara Hill
First Appearance
August 28, 2018
Original Publisher
Open Source Superheroes Facebook Page
Created by
Marz Workman
Pax Mundi
Real Name
Unknown
First Appearance
November 5, 2010
Created by
Vito Delsante & Uriel Duran
Express
Real Name
Mark Murphy
First Appearance
OSSH (Sept. 14, 2017)
Created by
Dustin Smith
"The character of Express is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Express, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed."
Iron Knife
Real Name
Unknown
Alias
Mbeli Ebedende
First Appearance 2014
PDSH wiki
Created By
Brandon Longstreth
Origins
The Iron Knife is a superhuman African warlord. He murdered his way up the ranks of various Congolese militias, eventually forming his own small army. Some time ago he claimed parts of Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Gabon. He named this territory the Iron Country and appointed himself president.
Iron Knife is an open source character created specifically for use by anyone. Feel free to use it any way you wish.
The Black Cobra (6) is an open source character created specifically for use by anyone. Feel free to use it any way you wish however, you must give the creators, Vito Delsante & Ricardo Vinancio, credit.
Lady Deathshot is an open source character created specifically for use by anyone. Feel free to use it any way you wish however, you must give the creators, Vito Delsante, Michelle Delsante & Uriel Duran, credit.
King Snakeroot is an open source character created specifically for use by anyone. Feel free to use it any way you wish however, you must give the creators, Vito Delsante & Uriel Duran, credit.
