Troia's group sat in front of the Iceberg Lounge, the legitimate
business of the former mob boss, Penguin. "The Iceberg is an extremely
dangerous place," said Troia, looking at the group. "We have to do
everything in out power to ensure that no on gets hurt. Specifically us.
We need a plan."
Wolverine grinned at the sight of the bar. "OK, listen here Troia," stated the Canadian. "You all man the doors. Make sure none of them escape. Leave the rest to me." The Wolverine walked towards the bar.
Troia was about to stop him when Gambit reached out and stopped her. "Me ami," started the Cajun, "I wouldn't worry about that Wolverine. Bars are his thing. I recommend we man the doors, let him work for a while, then come in and save them."
"Who, Wolverine," asked Troia confused.
"We mean the patrons," stated Jean Grey.
****************************************
Wolverine walked into the bar, up to the counter, and ordered a beer. Draining it, Wolverine put the mug down, paid and then raised his voice. "Alright then. I am looking for the Batman and his kin. Who knows where he is?"
That got everyone's attention. A silence took hold of the bar, as only the mention of the Bat could do.
Finally, Hugo Strange stood up and began to speak. "I know where the Batman is, for only I truly understand the Bat, and the import of his totemic power. Only I truly know the greatness of what Batman can be, only I."
Wolverine slammed his fist into Strange, knocking him across the room. "OK, I am going to start with you. Anyone have anything to tell me that might be useful?"
The majority of the bar was all for hitting Strange...his whole "totemic power spiel" was getting old. In fact, a good number of the goons in the bar had hit Strange on several occasions. However, this guy was not one of them. HE was one of the others. So what did they do? They attacked him.
BIG mistake.
Wolverine quickly unsheathed his claws and tore into the goons like a kid through wrapping paper. Knowing that he was under strict orders not to kill, the soldier inside of him prevented him for going through the jugular, although blood did run. Shrieks began to rise throughout the bar, as the men began to notice their wounds.
"That's our sign mes amis. Let's roll," said the Cajun, fingering a playing deck of cards. Troia signaled Tempest who was with the other team manning the other door on her Titan communicator, and the burst through the door. One poor schmuck was trying to escape out the back, when he was apprehended by Rogue, who promptly through him back. Jean Grey sent a mental command to Wolverine to stop, so he promptly through all of the remaining fighters away.
Troia, as a recognizable figure in this world step forward and began to speak. "Gentlemen, you know who I am, and you know what I am looking for. I want answers, and I demand an answer."
"Well I am not a 'gentleman,'" purred a voice from the back. "But I might have some information that could appeal to your curiousity."
"Hello Catwoman," said Troia, as a curvaceous woman in purple leather walked from the back of the room. "Nice to see you. What do you know?"
Remy leaned back and looked at Garth. "That is one beautiful woman. Who is she?"
Garth chuckled and said, "That's Catwoman. An enigma among the Rogues of Gotham, which is saying something. One of Batman's fiercest foes, all she does is steal and to my knowledge she has never killed anyone. Yet all the other Gotham villains respect her, and so does the Bat Clan. Rumor has it her and the Bat are in love, only they never seem to make it work. Its one of the oldest, and hottest, pieces of gossip in the superhero community."
"She is in love with Batman," querried Gambit. Seeing the Atlantean nod, he murmured to himself, "Such a beautiful woman deserves a man who knows the ways of romance. Who knows how to treat a woman such as herself. Something that I can provide."
Catwoman spoke to Troia, "I don't know where Batman is. In fact, I haven't seen any of the Bat's prodigies. I haven't thought much of it, but it has been odd. Now that I see you here, I know something is wrong."
Troia stared at the Cat hard and said, "These are all things that I know. You said you information, and I don't have time. Out with it."
Catwoman nodded and moved to the bar. "Right. Well, you might have noticed that most of the A-list baddies haven't done much. Riddler, Joker, Two-Face, Pammy, they are all gone. Rumor is together."
"You traitor," yelled a goon running towards the feline. Before any of the heroes could react, Catwoman leashed out with her cat-o-nine tails hitting the goon across the chest, stunning him. Going into a crouch, the Cat leapt into the air, spinning and kicking the offender in the head. The goon went down and Catwoman flashed her claws.
"Who's next?" querried the sometimes villain, sometimes hero.
Gambit and Wolverine looked at each other, the Cajun cocking an eyebrow at the Canadian. Rogue seeing this, elbowed the two X-Men. Hard.
Troia spoke to Catwoman, "We feared as much, but we did not know. Thanks." Troia then turned and walked back to Jean Grey. "You get anything," Wonder Woman's former protégé asked.
"In a room this large, doing a mental scan on this grand a level, I wasn't able to get a whole lot," confessed the telepath. "But I was able to pick out a name. James Gordon."
Troia's eyes narrowed at this and she turned to Catwoman. "What about Commissioner Gordon? What do you know about him?"
Catwoman shrugged, and said "I don't know. Only what I read in the papers. Why?"
Before Troia could respond, a goon, slick with sweat, started easing towards the door. Seeing him moving towards the door, Gambit grabbed a card from his deck, charged it to an appropriate level, and let fly. The resulting blast blew the villain to the feet of Troia. "I think that boy there might be able to help," Gambit stated, sizing up the room for anyone else trying to escape.
Lifting the man off the floor, Troia asked "Well?" The man looked around, for some means of escape. When his eyes fell on the Wolverine, the mutant extended his Adamantium claws. And grinned.
"Look, I don't know much...I was just the driver OK. Just the driver" stated the man quickly.
"Start speaking and we'll see what you know," Troia said.
"Alright. Alright. I was approached for a job through one of my friends. No muss, no fuss. Just had to sit behind the wheel while I drove some out of towners around," began the man. "They gave me an address, I drove. They broke in, were in there for almost an hour, and then they left."
"What does this have to do with Gordon," asked Troia. "And trust me, you don't want me to ask twice."
"Normally, I don't ask questions, but this time I did," the driver continued. "It was weird. I picked them up at the airport, took them into the house, they went in and an hour they came out. I took them back to the airport, and they got on a plane and left. They had these weird accents though and that video camera...but I didn't do a thing, you understand me. Nothing."
Catwoman walked up and purred, "I am getting impatient with this story. Tell me what happened, or you'll get the unique experience of being a scratch post."
"The house...it was Gordon's," concluded the driver. "But I didn't do anything, I swear."
"You idiot," yelled Catwoman. "There are things you just don't do. That would be one of them. If you attack Gordon, you know the Bat will come after you."
"I know...I asked them that," said the driver, as Troia lowered him to the floor. "I begged them to take me with them. Once I knew the house was Gordon's, I knew that I was not safe in Gotham. They said they wouldn't take me with them, but that I shouldn't worry. That I would be safe from the Bat, and so far I have been."
Troia looked at Garth then turned to lead, beckoning the X-Men to follow. As Troia moved into the street, Catwoman ran up and stopped her. "Take me with you," said the Cat. "I know you are looking for the Bat and his family. And if you are looking for him, something bad has happened. I gotta know."
Troia sized up the Gotham villain and asked, "Why so interested? And why should I trust you?"
Catwoman sighed and began, "I've worked with the Justice League before, and done the whole hero thing. You know I don't kill, all I do is steal, so in your book I am not too bad. And as for why you are interested, I am pretty sure you know why. Don't play dumb, and don't make me spell it out."
"Will you do as we say? Cause we need teamwork for this mission. We need to work together, or else we will fail, and you know what failure might mean."
"I agree, but on one condition. You don't treat me as some bad guy you have to watch over during this. And you don't try to bring me in."
"Fair enough. For now, consider yourself a Titan."
"How about I just consider myself working with the Titans. I may be working with you, but this Cat is still independent."
"Fine. After we make our next stop, you get blindfolded, and while we are in Gotham, you always have someone next to you, to make sure you don't go wandering off."
"Hmmm...that means I get to go to the Batcave hmm? Fair enough then. I don't particularly want to know where it is anyway. Are we stopping where I think we are going?"
"Yes. Next stop is Commissioner Gordon's."
Wolverine grinned at the sight of the bar. "OK, listen here Troia," stated the Canadian. "You all man the doors. Make sure none of them escape. Leave the rest to me." The Wolverine walked towards the bar.
Troia was about to stop him when Gambit reached out and stopped her. "Me ami," started the Cajun, "I wouldn't worry about that Wolverine. Bars are his thing. I recommend we man the doors, let him work for a while, then come in and save them."
"Who, Wolverine," asked Troia confused.
"We mean the patrons," stated Jean Grey.
****************************************
Wolverine walked into the bar, up to the counter, and ordered a beer. Draining it, Wolverine put the mug down, paid and then raised his voice. "Alright then. I am looking for the Batman and his kin. Who knows where he is?"
That got everyone's attention. A silence took hold of the bar, as only the mention of the Bat could do.
Finally, Hugo Strange stood up and began to speak. "I know where the Batman is, for only I truly understand the Bat, and the import of his totemic power. Only I truly know the greatness of what Batman can be, only I."
Wolverine slammed his fist into Strange, knocking him across the room. "OK, I am going to start with you. Anyone have anything to tell me that might be useful?"
The majority of the bar was all for hitting Strange...his whole "totemic power spiel" was getting old. In fact, a good number of the goons in the bar had hit Strange on several occasions. However, this guy was not one of them. HE was one of the others. So what did they do? They attacked him.
BIG mistake.
Wolverine quickly unsheathed his claws and tore into the goons like a kid through wrapping paper. Knowing that he was under strict orders not to kill, the soldier inside of him prevented him for going through the jugular, although blood did run. Shrieks began to rise throughout the bar, as the men began to notice their wounds.
"That's our sign mes amis. Let's roll," said the Cajun, fingering a playing deck of cards. Troia signaled Tempest who was with the other team manning the other door on her Titan communicator, and the burst through the door. One poor schmuck was trying to escape out the back, when he was apprehended by Rogue, who promptly through him back. Jean Grey sent a mental command to Wolverine to stop, so he promptly through all of the remaining fighters away.
Troia, as a recognizable figure in this world step forward and began to speak. "Gentlemen, you know who I am, and you know what I am looking for. I want answers, and I demand an answer."
"Well I am not a 'gentleman,'" purred a voice from the back. "But I might have some information that could appeal to your curiousity."
"Hello Catwoman," said Troia, as a curvaceous woman in purple leather walked from the back of the room. "Nice to see you. What do you know?"
Remy leaned back and looked at Garth. "That is one beautiful woman. Who is she?"
Garth chuckled and said, "That's Catwoman. An enigma among the Rogues of Gotham, which is saying something. One of Batman's fiercest foes, all she does is steal and to my knowledge she has never killed anyone. Yet all the other Gotham villains respect her, and so does the Bat Clan. Rumor has it her and the Bat are in love, only they never seem to make it work. Its one of the oldest, and hottest, pieces of gossip in the superhero community."
"She is in love with Batman," querried Gambit. Seeing the Atlantean nod, he murmured to himself, "Such a beautiful woman deserves a man who knows the ways of romance. Who knows how to treat a woman such as herself. Something that I can provide."
Catwoman spoke to Troia, "I don't know where Batman is. In fact, I haven't seen any of the Bat's prodigies. I haven't thought much of it, but it has been odd. Now that I see you here, I know something is wrong."
Troia stared at the Cat hard and said, "These are all things that I know. You said you information, and I don't have time. Out with it."
Catwoman nodded and moved to the bar. "Right. Well, you might have noticed that most of the A-list baddies haven't done much. Riddler, Joker, Two-Face, Pammy, they are all gone. Rumor is together."
"You traitor," yelled a goon running towards the feline. Before any of the heroes could react, Catwoman leashed out with her cat-o-nine tails hitting the goon across the chest, stunning him. Going into a crouch, the Cat leapt into the air, spinning and kicking the offender in the head. The goon went down and Catwoman flashed her claws.
"Who's next?" querried the sometimes villain, sometimes hero.
Gambit and Wolverine looked at each other, the Cajun cocking an eyebrow at the Canadian. Rogue seeing this, elbowed the two X-Men. Hard.
Troia spoke to Catwoman, "We feared as much, but we did not know. Thanks." Troia then turned and walked back to Jean Grey. "You get anything," Wonder Woman's former protégé asked.
"In a room this large, doing a mental scan on this grand a level, I wasn't able to get a whole lot," confessed the telepath. "But I was able to pick out a name. James Gordon."
Troia's eyes narrowed at this and she turned to Catwoman. "What about Commissioner Gordon? What do you know about him?"
Catwoman shrugged, and said "I don't know. Only what I read in the papers. Why?"
Before Troia could respond, a goon, slick with sweat, started easing towards the door. Seeing him moving towards the door, Gambit grabbed a card from his deck, charged it to an appropriate level, and let fly. The resulting blast blew the villain to the feet of Troia. "I think that boy there might be able to help," Gambit stated, sizing up the room for anyone else trying to escape.
Lifting the man off the floor, Troia asked "Well?" The man looked around, for some means of escape. When his eyes fell on the Wolverine, the mutant extended his Adamantium claws. And grinned.
"Look, I don't know much...I was just the driver OK. Just the driver" stated the man quickly.
"Start speaking and we'll see what you know," Troia said.
"Alright. Alright. I was approached for a job through one of my friends. No muss, no fuss. Just had to sit behind the wheel while I drove some out of towners around," began the man. "They gave me an address, I drove. They broke in, were in there for almost an hour, and then they left."
"What does this have to do with Gordon," asked Troia. "And trust me, you don't want me to ask twice."
"Normally, I don't ask questions, but this time I did," the driver continued. "It was weird. I picked them up at the airport, took them into the house, they went in and an hour they came out. I took them back to the airport, and they got on a plane and left. They had these weird accents though and that video camera...but I didn't do a thing, you understand me. Nothing."
Catwoman walked up and purred, "I am getting impatient with this story. Tell me what happened, or you'll get the unique experience of being a scratch post."
"The house...it was Gordon's," concluded the driver. "But I didn't do anything, I swear."
"You idiot," yelled Catwoman. "There are things you just don't do. That would be one of them. If you attack Gordon, you know the Bat will come after you."
"I know...I asked them that," said the driver, as Troia lowered him to the floor. "I begged them to take me with them. Once I knew the house was Gordon's, I knew that I was not safe in Gotham. They said they wouldn't take me with them, but that I shouldn't worry. That I would be safe from the Bat, and so far I have been."
Troia looked at Garth then turned to lead, beckoning the X-Men to follow. As Troia moved into the street, Catwoman ran up and stopped her. "Take me with you," said the Cat. "I know you are looking for the Bat and his family. And if you are looking for him, something bad has happened. I gotta know."
Troia sized up the Gotham villain and asked, "Why so interested? And why should I trust you?"
Catwoman sighed and began, "I've worked with the Justice League before, and done the whole hero thing. You know I don't kill, all I do is steal, so in your book I am not too bad. And as for why you are interested, I am pretty sure you know why. Don't play dumb, and don't make me spell it out."
"Will you do as we say? Cause we need teamwork for this mission. We need to work together, or else we will fail, and you know what failure might mean."
"I agree, but on one condition. You don't treat me as some bad guy you have to watch over during this. And you don't try to bring me in."
"Fair enough. For now, consider yourself a Titan."
"How about I just consider myself working with the Titans. I may be working with you, but this Cat is still independent."
"Fine. After we make our next stop, you get blindfolded, and while we are in Gotham, you always have someone next to you, to make sure you don't go wandering off."
"Hmmm...that means I get to go to the Batcave hmm? Fair enough then. I don't particularly want to know where it is anyway. Are we stopping where I think we are going?"
"Yes. Next stop is Commissioner Gordon's."