Chapter 62: The Seventh
"Thea!" Moira called out, her husband trailing behind her as they pushed through the crowd of worried parents. "THEA!"
"Mom?" Thea turned around, catching sight of her mother. A second later, she was in both her parents' embrace. While usually, she would try to end it as soon as possible, this time she returned the hug with desperation.
After a few minutes, the family of three reluctantly separated. "Are you alright?" Robert asked his daughter, concerned.
Thea nodded. "I'm fine. They evacuated the college as soon as the broadcast went off the rails. I'm more worried about Kal and Ruby. They're inside the stadium."
Moira and Robert blanched; in their relief of their daughter's safety, they had momentarily forgotten the other reason they were here.
"Ma'am, MA'AM! I'm sorry but you can't go in there!"
"What do you mean, I can't go in there? MY DAUGHTER'S IN THERE!"
All three Queens whipped around to see Samantha Arias trying to muscle her way through the police barricade. She was yelling and screeching, and most prominent of all, crying. Without thinking, they went to her, and Moira, the bravest of them, hesitantly touched the hysterical woman's arm.
Sam whirled around, paranoid and ready to strike, but when she saw who it was, she stopped cold. Emotionally overwhelmed, she collapsed into Moira's arms, sobbing. The Queen Matriarch said nothing, simply rubbing comforting circles into the younger woman's back, while Robert and Thea looked on with sympathetic looks.
After a few minutes, Sam finally got her emotions under control. Her eyes were red, she was sniffling, and her makeup was a mess, but she looked put together enough to just talk.
"Ruby's in there." She said quietly. "And the money… I have just enough, I think, but there's no way I can-"
Robert cut her off. "We'll pay it."
Her eyes widened. "What? No, I'll-"
"Sam, it's fine." Robert stated, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We've already sent word to the bank get eight million in cash. Half of it was for Kal, and the other half was for Thea. Since Thea is alright, we'll simply use it to pay for Ruby's ransom. If it's really that off-putting to you, you can just pay us back later, okay?"
Sam stared at him, then gave a watery smile. "Thank you."
Moira took her hands into her own. "You're our friend, Samantha. You're Kara's best friend. And your daughter is Kal's. It's the least we can do." Sam nodded lightly at that, grateful.
"Speaking of Kara," Thea started. "Have you gotten any word from her, Barry or Ollie about what's happened?"
"They've already called, telling us they know about the situation, and they're getting on the next flight as we speak, but by the time they get back, everything will already be over." Robert let out a sigh of exasperation. "For this to happen while they're in New York, they must be losing it over there."
"Have you contacted Green Arrow?" Laurel asked, zipping up her suit. Thank God, she hadn't washed out the dye in her hair yet; with a situation this time-sensitive, she couldn't waste a single moment. Nyssa, having already dressed up in her own garb, looked up.
"Yes. He, along with Supergirl and the Flash, are trying to get here as soon as they possibly can but, well…" Nyssa had a pinched expression on her face, "… they've hit a bit of a snag."
Before Laurel could ask her to elaborate, Nyssa pulled up four different feeds. Laurel quickly noticed they were news channels - specifically, local news channels for Central City, Hub City, Detroit, and Freeland. She listened to the different anchors, and cursed.
"Simultaneous gang riots and metahuman attacks? In four different cities? At the same time that the Balliol students were taken hostage?" Laurel gripped the front of one of her chairs in anger. "That cannot be a coincidence."
"I agree." Nyssa narrowed her eyes. "This was pre-meditated. Brick had this planned for months."
"He drew Green Arrow and Supergirl out of Starling deliberately. Then he distracted them, and the rest of the Justice League with these crime sprees. Since Flash and Supergirl are the only ones who can get here fast enough to deal with the crisis, he had to make sure they were too occupied to come." Laurel concluded, adding on her own observations. "He even incited riots at Hub City and Central City, just in case. Now even Firestorm can't come to help. For a thug, he's very devious. The only thing I can't figure out is how he was able to convince all these gangs and metahumans to go to bat for him."
Nyssa looked up at her at that, then looked at the TV, which was broadcasting the outside of the stadium. "How many students typically attend Balliol Prep, Laurel?"
"Around a thousand." Laurel answered. At Nyssa's astonished look, Laurel shrugged. "Balliol is one of the top private schools in the world, Nyssa. Rich people typically want the best of the best when it comes to education, and few schools are better than Balliol."
"So that means there are approximately a thousand children in that stadium?" Nyssa asked, legitimately horrified.
Laurel flinched and nodded. "Yeah. Plus the employees, whatever performers managed to get there before things went pear-shaped, and the mayor and his retinue."
Nyssa placed her forehead into her hand. "And when you charge four million per head, that approximates to around four billion dollars."
"There's no way everyone will be able to pay on time." Laurel reminded her, feeling sick as the words passed through her mouth. "The parents of a lot of those kids are out of town. And that's not even accounting for the scholarship students."
"But still," Nyssa gritted her teeth. "If even a fraction of the students' parents pay the ransom, it will be a lot of money. And in the hands of someone like Brick…"
"… or Church." Laurel's eyes widened, coming to a sudden realization. "Tobias Church, one of the top crime lords on the west coast, has confirmed ties to Brick. He's how Brick has been able to incite so much chaos in so many different cities. He's been trying to expand his operations for years, but with the current rise of the Justice League and law enforcement, his efforts have been stymied."
"If he gets his hands on that money, the west coast will be flooded with drugs and weapons by the end of the year." Nyssa noted grimly.
Laurel let out a breath. "Alright, so we know now why this is happening. But that doesn't matter right now, Church can be dealt with later. We have to handle Brick first. We need to save those kids."
"Do you have any ideas? You attended Balliol for thirteen years."
Laurel put a thinking hand on her chin. "Provided they haven't altered the layout too much, I should be able to get us into the stadium relatively undetected." At Nyssa's expectant look, she continued. "Ollie and Tommy used to sneak out of school all the time, and had a secret passageway they used to get in and out. It's an old tunnel that was left untouched after the main building's first renovation. They showed it to me and Sara a little bit before Ollie was thought to have gone down with the boat."
"Okay, so entry is taken care of. What about the army? Even with me, we can't take out that many people - not without at least some of the hostages getting hurt or even killed."
Laurel continued tapping her finger on her chin, and then her face lit up, as if lightbulb had turned on right above her head, and she snapped her fingers. "I've got it."
"What have you got?" Nyssa asked curiously.
"I'll tell you on the way." Laurel said, grabbing her mask and placing it on her face.
It was time for the Black Canary to sing.
Kal-El kept a whimpering Ruby in his arms and close to him, glaring at any thug that got too near. All around, he could see many others doing the same for their friends, siblings, or significant others. Seeing his classmates in such terror enraged him, but he kept a lid on it, as he had been trained to do since he was young.
He wasn't stupid. His powers were half-developed, and he had none of the advanced training or control his sister had. Even disregarding that he would be blowing his, and Kara's, and possibly Oliver's and Barry's covers as well, there was no guarantee he could save everyone here with no one getting hurt. Only he had that benefit, unfortunately.
Kal grit his teeth. He was a Kryptonian. He could shoot lasers from his eyes, take bullets to the chest and breath frost from his lips. He was one of the most powerful people on the planet.
And right now, he was completely helpless.
"How many people have showed up with their money?" Brick asked Xavier, gruffly.
"Around two-fifty, boss."
"Tch." Brick scoffed. "Not everyone. Figures. Ah well, one billion is plenty enough to go around. Charon will be pleased."
"It's too bad, though." He continued, cocking his gun. "I'm not sure we brought enough bullets. Eh, a knife will do just as well, don't you think, Mr. Mayor?" He leered at the captive official, who simply glared back.
At least until the whistle started.
Or was it a siren or an alarm? It was some kind of mix between the three, and it was loud and piercing and debilitating. Almost immediately, everyone, hostage and captor, fell to the floor, trying to block out the sound by covering their ears. Many of Brick's gang dropped their guns in their haste, which made them right for the picking for what came next.
Black Canary entered the stands through one of the entrances, fearlessly knocking out each and every one of the gangsters that had taken the students of her old school hostage. She even knocked out the one who had managed to disguise himself as a student. Running from aisle to aisle, crossing over body after body, she rushed the entire area until each of member of Brick's gang that was in the stands was knocked out.
She quickly made her way to the field, and then lifted up one of her tonfa towards a specific direction.
In the main control room, Nyssa peered into one of the screens. Seeing the signal, she quickly clicked on another button, watching as soundproof, and more importantly, bulletproof glass rose in front of the stands, blocking off the hostages from the remaining members of Brick's gang. As she watched her student sprint around the field, she thought back to when Black Canary first told her about her plan.
"Are you sure this will work?" Nyssa asked, looking doubtfully at the controls. They had already knocked out all of the gang members who had been patrolling the stadium for potential infiltrators and found the unconscious performers piled together in one of the storage rooms. Now, they were in the control room of the stadium, where Black Canary had outlined her plan to Nyssa.
Canary nodded firmly. "Positive. Tommy and Ollie played this trick during a school assembly, using a glitch in the sound system that they had learned from one of the AV students. They told me about it in return for not ratting them out. I never thought I'd have to use it for something like this, but…" she shrugged.
"Very well then. And the glass?"
Canary winced. "It's something from a previous opening ceremony, involving a very enthusiastic rock performer. Not only did he play very loud music, he was also a bit… liberal with his stage effects. The glass was installed for the safety of the students for future ceremonies."
"Alright then. Are you sure you don't want to be the one up here?" Nyssa asked, slightly concerned.
"Yes. You said it yourself, Nyssa - you can't be seen. It was pure luck that none of those guys got a good look at you."
"Very well. Show me what to do."
Nyssa continued to watch Canary take out the remaining gangsters, leaving only Brick. She felt both satisfaction at the successful plan and pride in her student. Canary had done well.
She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard the slightest wind change behind her. Nyssa leaned back, falling to the floor as a bat struck the control panel. Faintly, she could hear the siren stop, and the tell-tale signs of the glass panes sliding down.
Black Canary advanced on Brick, only to stop momentarily when she noticed the glass walls slide back into their hiding places. She then turned to Brick, seeing him begin to shake off the effects of the siren, and realized what was going on.
Knowing every one of his allies were out and would be for a while, Canary acted quickly, moving to strike Brick down. But she had paused too long - Brick had regained enough of his bearings to pull on one of her legs, flipping her onto her back.
But Black Canary was no longer so inexperienced. She immediately followed up with a double kick to the chest, causing the big man to stumble back to his feet. Kipping up back into a standing position, the two circled each other. Brick threw fists, Canary dodged and struck with her tonfa. That was their dance.
Normally, a few hits with the metal would be enough to knock a man like Brick out. But Brick was not normal - he didn't get to the top of Starling's underworld by being a wimp. He tanked Canary's hits, and continued taking them even as he continued to bleed. If it weren't for the current situation, she might have even been impressed.
Eventually, just a moment too long and Brick finally connected with a monstrous hit to the face. Canary was dazed, and struggled to get up as Brick walked towards her with a savage grin on his face. He picked her up by her hair, and savored the moment, elate to see his main nuisance for the past couple of months in such a vulnerable state.
While he was doing that, however, Black Canary was thinking back to the many lessons Ted, Green Arrow and Nyssa had passed down to her throughout her short time as a vigilante. Use your opponent's strength against them, always look for weak points… She gazed downwards.
And kneed Brick in the groin.
And never play fair.
Canary dropped to her feet, and in one smooth notion, used her remaining tonfa to slam one last earth-shaking hit to Brick's temple. He went down, out like a light.
She panted, kneeling down to make sure he was unconscious, before surveying the rest of the stadium to make sure the gang members had remained incapacitated and none of the hostages had been hurt. Said hostages had remained silent during her fight with Brick, thanks to a combination of trauma, fear, and not wanting to distract their potential savior from the fight.
Content that everyone was safe for now, Canary went towards the bound and gagged mayor. She removed the gag first, then worked on removing his bonds. Once the rope was gone, she helped him to his feet.
"Why weren't you affected by the siren?" Was the first thing he asked.
Black Canary said nothing, simply taking out the earplugs from her ear and showing them to him.
The mayor chuckled at the sight, and gave her a soft, appreciative look. "Thank you."
Canary simply smiled.
"Any word yet, Quentin?" Robert asked his friend worriedly.
Detective Quentin Lance, who had arrived a few hours earlier with several members of the SCPD, simply shook his head. "Nothing. All radio contact with Brick just cut off suddenly. It could mean anything."
Off to the side, there were piles of large bags, each containing four million and marked with the names of specific students. It was something mandated by Brick so he wouldn't get swindled. It was also in case the situation changed and the money was no longer needed and had to be returned.
Suddenly, a large collective gasp spread throughout the crowd. The front doors to the stadium had suddenly opened, and everyone watched with bated breath to see what it meant.
The first go out was the mayor, followed by Brick. Everyone stared in disbelief at his bedraggled form, but even more so at who was guiding him forward. A tall, blond woman in a black leather suit with a mask on her face. The name "Black Canary" spread throughout the crowd.
The trio stood in the front of the crowd, waiting. And then…
"MOM!"
A young girl ran between them, charging at the crowd. Her mother, now in tears, was let through the barricades to take her into her arms. Behind the girl, more children ran through, calling for their parents. Other students, older, simply walked outside, standing together and waiting for directions. A massive cheer of relief echoed throughout the crowd at the sight of them all, safe and whole.
Detective Lance and Lieutenant Pike waited for the rush of children to slow down, then went to the mayor, who was standing next to Black Canary and the still restrained Brick. With a nod to the vigilante, Canary handed Brick over to Lance, who cuffed the man and started reading him rights.
"Black Canary and I and the rest of the adults restrained Brick's underlings in the stadium." The mayor informed Pike. "You can send people through the back to apprehend them. There are also the performers - there in a storage in the south side of the stadium. They were unconscious, and we think they've been injected with some kind of drug to keep them that way."
"Thank you, sir." Pike nodded. He gave Black Canary a nod of acknowledgment, which she returned, and then left to hand out orders.
"So, you took out Brick, huh?"
Canary turned to see Lance giving her speculative look over. She tentatively nodded.
He suddenly smirked, and gave her a congratulatory slap on the shoulder. "Good job."
The next hour was spent reuniting children with their parents and looking them over for any apparent injury. While most of the students were physically unharmed, mentally was another matter - Balliol would probably be sinking a lot of money into their psychiatry program for the next couple of years. Black Canary stuck around in the meantime, comforting students whose parents had yet to arrive for various reasons, and accepting well wishes from others and their parents.
In one of the brief moments she had to herself, she spotted Nyssa standing in the crowd, having changed to normal clothing and hiding her face behind a large hat and sunglasses. However, the wide bright smile on her face was still present, and Canary couldn't help but return it with a small one of her own.
She should be here with me, Canary thought, but I guess her need for anonymity is more important. Besides, it's not like we did this for fame anyway. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kal being looked over by the Queens, and Ruby having the life hugged out of her by her mother.
No, they hadn't done any of this for fame at all.
An audible hush then fell over the crowd. Black Canary perked up, then turned her head to the left to see Supergirl descending to the ground with Green Arrow holding onto her. The two landed just as the Flash sped in, some dust billowing in the wake of his run.
Everyone watched quietly as the three most famous superheroes in the world looked around, taking in the scene. Eventually, they all zeroed in on Black Canary, who was watching them pensively. Green Arrow turned to his compatriots. They nodded at him.
He walked towards his protégé, his steps echoing throughout the silence, and stopped right in front of her. He zipped open one of the compartments in his suit and took something out, and then held it out to her. Canary's jaw dropped slightly when she saw it was.
A League ring.
Black Canary looked up at Green Arrow, right in the eye, silently asking if this was real. She could feel him smiling at her, and at his slight nod, she took in a deep breath. She reached out, her arm slightly trembling, and took the ring. She slid it onto her finger, feeling a thousand emotions coursing through her.
She then looked out to the crowd, and held up her ring for everyone to see.
They screamed and cheered, chanting her name, and as she exchanged one last look with Green Arrow, Black Canary could honestly say that she had never felt happier in her life.
And now, Laurel joins the Justice League.
When I was deciding the O7 lineup for this story's Justice League, I admit I hit a bit of a snag. I knew that Black Canary was going to be one of them (I was just struggling on how I was going to do it), and I decided on J'onn not long after. The last member is where the issues came. I was debating between Black Lightning, Green Lantern (yes, he will be coming into the story eventually, don't ask when), Cisco/Vibe, and Firestorm. I discounted Cisco immediately, along with Green Lantern. I went with Black Lightning because I felt he'd added a lot more than Firestorm does narrative-wise.
Now, someone guessed what was going to happen last chapter, but they got one thing wrong - none of the leads "held back" so Laurel could prove herself. Not when there were so many kids at risk. The Justice League genuinely got caught off-guard by Brick's plot, as did A.R.G.U.S. It makes sense when you think about it - of the current members of the League, only Green Arrow is really street-level. Everyone else deals with metas and other major disasters to varying degrees. And with Green Arrow playing support for them and going out of town (plus his need to patrol the entire city, not just the Glades), Brick was able to stay under the radar long enough to get everything in motion.
Well, that's enough of that for now. Next chapter is the last chapter of the arc, after which I will take another hiatus to plan Arc IV. Also, next chapter I will announce the new deadline for the contest.
Reviews, comments, and constructive criticism are all welcome. Flames will be deleted and ignored. Please update the TV Tropes page. And don't forget the contest!