Chapter 5 Dead Man's Hand (Start)

It wasn't so long since both Markus and Pyrrha gained new two members to their group, Mary-Freon, and Ren-Freeze II onto the New Outlaws that were forming. The safe house was pretty quiet now. Jason and Artemis were going out on a date night, been a while since they went out on a date, and felt like for some fun as well. Markus was patrolling tonight while Pyrrha went to get some supplies and food as well. This left the ice-base metahuman to meet his fellow icy in person now.

Ren was still wearing his cryo suit, helping him master his ice powers and control whenever he wants to. He was stated by Markus and Pyrrha to later show with genetic treatments, he would be to master his powers and be able to walk in normal weather again without killing him within a few years. Honestly, he was fine with it and very much enjoyed the winter weather anyway. His mother loves the snow and his father the cold, he shares his parent's love for them as well.

The other person who was with Ren was a mature woman with pale, almost blue-colored skin, her eyes showing to be pure white, and even her hair, which was light blue in color, looked more like it was a cloud of cold air, moving around like a mist.

Her figure showed to be a thin and athletic one, kinda fitting for the air she emanated, her suit showing to be a skin-tight light blue one-piece suit, covering her entire body and also making her forms to be even more noticeable than before, with a pair of pure white gloves and boots on her hands and feet, in the center of her chest, a symbol being seen, one that could be described as a wave of cold air.

This was Mary Michaels, better known as Freon and the last surviving member of the Terrific Trio.

Mary had woken not so long ago and felt her mind was at peace, and she did mourn for the loss of her late husband & friend. She also felt at peace that the bastard that ruined their lives was arrested for his crimes and got to suffer in a prison for the rest of his life. She was very grateful to Markus and Pyrrha for saving her. She decied to join this new group and better change the corrupted system for a better one. Now she was meeting this fellow ice-person, who was similar to her.

"Afternoon," Ren greeted in respect, remembering how his mother would tell him to be greeting someone and show respect towards you knowing that should have it.

"Afternoon, Freeze," Mary greeted back, not sure what to feel but this strange pull towards his fellow ice metahuman.

"Ren, please. We are not on patrol or on the field," Ren said, being formal.

"Then, Mary, please. It must have been a wild ride for you?" Mary stated, mentioning how Ren was founded and treated like a monster like herself.

"Yeah...it was not cool. I am thankful to Markus and Pyrrha for saving me and giving me a new life, and a new purpose to change things in this broken corrupted world we live in. He's a strong idealist but also a realist and someone that knows firsthand of suffering like us," Ren replied, pointing to himself and the ghostly heroine.

"Indeed, I'm grateful for what they have done for me. I have my mind back and am no longer worried about dying, I can be free. The pain...that's another story," Mary admitted, as the loss of her friends was still fresh to her but has healed up a bit.

Ren then took Mary's hands and hold them in comfort, much to her surprise that someone can actually hold her and not be affected by her cold touch. She also feels the fellow ice metahuman's cold touch as well and felt this bond growing all of the sudden.

"I understand that pain, the cold that grows in the heart. I have been there for a long time until I was founded. I hope you can be found and saved, Mary," Ren said, feeling surprised at feeling Mary's touch through his gloves and this sudden pull towards her.

"Okay," Mary admitted, somehow enjoying this sort of comfort.

While the two ice metahumans were having this moment, their friend was having a different kind of night on his end.

With Markus/Red Hood

With the black-haired teen, we see him in civilian clothes for the time being and saw a storm coming tonight. He plan on going on patrol once he was done with his small spying side mission, personal. He was watching his brother, Terry heading to this nightclub in a rather rush manner it seems. He had a pretty good guess of what was up.

"Oh Terry, my brother...your relationship with Dana is very toxic and has become more ever seen you don the wings & cowl of the bat. She doesn't understand the hardships that you have been through nor what your double life requires you. It seems our father's death created two rebirths, both in the dark it seems and not many understand. I know you care about her but she doesn't and seems like a total bitch, wanting your attention on her now than anything," Markus thought, seeing his brother talking with his girlfriend and having a pretty heated argument.

Dana is or was Terry's girlfriend for a good number of years, three if you believe it. And it seems it would end due to how their argument was going. She doesn't understand, she doesn't understand at all.

Markus sighed and decied it was best to leave, not wanting Terry to see or noticed him. Not yet, not now until he was ready and had work to do tonight. He did see that his brother was talking to someone, a certain short pink-haired woman, which caused him to raise an eyebrow in question but didn't push too many thoughts into that and saw someone else was leaving the club as well. Someone that wasn't around here and stood out a bit. He shook his head and figure he can worry about that later. Tonight he has work to do.

The New Hood had work to do tonight and Jason had given him information from a new group, that takes the theme of playing cards and royal flush. The new Royal Flush Gang was in Gotham and causing robberies based on the said theme of late.

Markus would have to be careful as this stormy night was the least of his worries. He didn't want to play deadman's hand but set that hand up for his brother and enemies to be ready. Ready for the storm that was coming hard onto them.