Chapter 89: The Magician

The slip of paper Ra's had handed to Barry contained coordinates to the place where Merlyn had last been sighted. It was a simple matter of plugging them into the GPS and allowing Barry to do a perimeter check around the area and see if Merlyn was still actually there. If he wasn't, then they'd have to call it a day and go back to Nanda Parbat and search again later. After today's battle they were simply in no condition to do further looking. But if he was, then they would have to secure him immediately before he could flee. As Ra's had known all along that Merlyn was here, perhaps they could negotiate taking him into their custody and bringing him back to the States for his long-awaited trial.

At least that was the thought, before Barry returned with a heavy frown on his face.

"He's not there?" Kara instantly guessed.

"Oh no," Barry shook his head, "He's there. It's just, well…"

He grabbed Jefferson and gestured to everyone else to follow him using their powers, before speeding off back into the direction of Merlyn's location. His three teammates exchanged looks before following, though at relatively slower paces.

Several minutes later, everyone arrived to a cliff overhanging a small, shallow gorge with a stream running through it. Barry and Jefferson, the first ones to arrive, peered down the gorge, the latter reeling back in genuine disgust at what he saw. The speedster had already seen what was there, so he was equipped to deal with it, but even he couldn't help wrinkling his nose at the smell.

The others arrived soon after, following their lead and subsequently having similar reactions. Kara actually had to pinch her nose so the putrid odor didn't overwhelm her over-heightened senses. "Wonderful, just wonderful," she muttered. So that's why Ra's hadn't sent anyone to capture him yet.

Deep within the gorge was the body of Malcolm Merlyn, dead and even beginning to decompose. From what they could see, it seemed that he had his throat slit before he was tossed down onto the sharp rocks, where his already dying body suffered more physical trauma as it was sent careening down. It would've only been a matter of time before he expired after that.

"Well, I won't say I'm sorry that he's dead," Jefferson finally stated once everyone had regained their bearings, "But I don't like the fact that we can't interrogate him to see what Talia wanted with him."

"We'll have to deal with that later," Barry ordered, already preparing himself to climb down. "We need to collect the body so it can be tested to make sure it really is Merlyn, just in case."

"At least Amanda won't have to embellish the death report too much," Mari quipped, "Merlyn obviously suffered before he died."

"Yes, but it does beg a question," J'onn noted, "Why did Talia kill him?"

Kara scoffed. "Isn't it obvious, J'onn? He outlived his usefulness."

She had been so close.

So! Close!

But no, that stupid group of glory-seeking blowhards called the Justice League just had to ruin it. She'd thought parading Al Sa-Her around would've distracted them long enough to finish off their three assassin leaders before long. Then, when they inevitably found out about the disappearances, she could've used the League's own resources and contingencies (because there was no way her father hadn't prepared for a possible war with the Justice League) to wipe out the rest when they went sniffing around Nanda Parbat.

Instead, the rest of the Justice League had cottoned on early, most likely due to an assassin that somehow slipped away before anyone else could notice. And their intervention had changed everything. Now, she was on the run with one hand less and her army greatly diminished. It would take years to recover from this fiasco, and that was if her father didn't take the proactive approach first and hunted down the Shadows to ensure Nyssa's ascension went smoothly. They would have to go to ground after this, just in case.

The crowning moment of her glory had turned into a complete disaster, and for the first time in many years, Talia felt her heart falter. How could she ever hope to recover from this? It had taken years of waiting, biding her time, to reach this point, and when the report about Al Sa-Her had come in, she had deemed it as a sign. This was the moment she had been waiting for, ever since she had been driven away from her home all those years ago.

But now…

No, she thought, hardening her resolve, this is not the end. I will become Ra's al Ghul one day. It is my destiny.

Thankfully, she had prepared for this possibility, no matter how unlikely it seemed initially. One last hidden passageway, deliberately left untouched so no one would suspect its existence, hidden in an alcove near her old chambers. At the end of the path, she had left an extraction team there, with instructions to wait until she contacted them. After Nyssa had cut her hand off, Talia had immediately fled and signaled them to prepare themselves to flee the area with her once she arrived.

As the green valley came into view, with her men standing at attention, Talia let out a small breath of relief. In the end, this was all a setback. A major one, yes, but nothing they couldn't eventually recover from. They'd return to the Temple and regroup there.

Though, as she approached her Shadows, spotting the familiar face of Tommy Merlyn, she couldn't help but frown. There were still some loose ends they needed to deal with. With the current failure, she would have to secure the loyalty of her remaining Shadows lest she face a mutiny when she returned to base. It seems that Al Sa-Her still had great value to her. She would have to unveil the second Lazarus Pit to shore up her authority, but after that, a third one would be necessary to secure the Assassins when she finally overthrew her father and his regime.

She had been humoring Al Sa-Her when he revealed that he knew the locations of more than one Lazarus Pit; initially she had dismissed it as a stalling tactic. After all, once he had confessed the location of the Pit he would be nothing more than a loose end that needed to be tied up, and she doubted that even Tommy would have held it against her, considering all the pain his father's actions had wreaked on his life. But his insistence on the matter, along with the fact that the existence of a second Lazarus Pit did not disprove the existence of others — far from it, in fact — had made her entertain the possibility he was telling the truth.

It was for that reason that she had decided not to bring Tommy with her to Nanda Parbat. While his presence no doubt would've unnerved Al Sah-him, she wouldn't have put it past her father to kill Tommy for his father's actions under the tenets of League justice, especially since Tommy had sided with her. Nor could she count on Al Sah-him's affection for his childhood best friend to weigh higher against his affection for his two surrogate siblings, especially after the recent destruction of their friendship. Most of all, Tommy was her insurance against Al Sa-Her — without him, Al Sa-Her would never tell her the locations of the Lazarus Pits, not even to save his own skin.

So, she had made the boy a part of her extraction team instead. Close enough to keep an eye on him and remind Al Sa-Her what was at stake but not too close to the action to be in danger. And it had paid off. The main plan had failed but she still had her most important card at hand and that was all that mattered.

"As you can see, I have returned alone. Unfortunately, the rest of the meddling Justice League got involved and turned the tide for the Assassins before I could take victory," she glowered as she remembered that feeling. The triumph ruined by the arrival of that bitch with the magic necklace. "They ganged up on me, even cutting off my hand, but as you can see, I managed to escape. Don't worry, my Shadows — we will have our revenge! Nanda Parbat will be ours!"

Her Shadows remained silent.

After a moment too long, Talia faltered slightly. "My Shadows?"

Tommy stepped forward. "Forgive us, Talia."

Before Talia could say anything that, she felt a sharp pain through her chest, gradually flowing through every part of her body. Blood dribbled on the side of her mouth as she looked down, seeing a sword had been stabbed through her chest from the front. Her agony was only exacerbated when the blade was unceremoniously pulled from her body, leaving her to collapse on her back in a growing pool of her own blood.

Her eyes were wide as she gazed up to the sky, seeing Tommy look down at her with his bloody sword hanging from one of his hands. "The Shadows are no longer yours," he said, smiling darkly. A moment later, he was joined by another figure: his father, Malcolm Merlyn.

As Al Sa-Her gave her that final, victorious smirk, Talia could only whisper one final "No…" before the world darkened and she was gone.

Tommy Merlyn scowled heavily as he crossed the corridors to his room, ignoring the jeers from his fellow students. As one of the newer students, he was already considered an acceptable target for hazing; however, as the son of the much unlamented Malcolm Merlyn, he shot up from being a general name on the list to enemy number one.

It wasn't unbearable, though. Comments about his heritage, how murder 'ran in the blood' and other such nonsense stung but after suffering far worse in Starling they were easy enough to roll off. Even more than that, here he could retaliate during training and sparring, no longer under that ever glowing spotlight that was the media or chained by the yoke that was Merlyn Global.

While some part of him would always regret giving up his family's company, especially after Isabel and him worked so hard to bring it back from the brink, it was refreshing no longer having to carry that burden or live up to that tainted legacy. As strange as it was, the League of Shadows was the first time in a long time that he truly felt free enough to be himself. The sorrow of Isabel's death had yet to go away, but it was getting easier to bear everyday.

He thought that he would one day regret swearing his soul to the League, but thus far it was proving to be the best decision of his life.

A sharp sound broke Tommy out of his thoughts, and he gazed down one of the corridors, where he saw one of his teachers, Ubu, exit the hallway from the other side. Against his better judgment, his curiosity won out, and he went to the room where Ubu had just left, hesitantly turning the knob and looking inside.

It took everything he had not to collapse.

"Dad."

Malcolm Merlyn, bound by rope and more than a little bedraggled, lifted his eyes up at the unusual address. He immediately became alert at the sight of his son, his eyes holding a tinge of hope and longing.

"Tommy."

Tommy stared at him, then adopted a bitter, disgusted look and turned away to leave.

"Tommy, wait! Don't go!"

The younger Merlyn looked back at him one last time, before closing the door and walking away.

Despite everything, Tommy found himself back in front of the room where he had found his father the next night. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he turned the knob once again and entered the dimly-lit room. His father, with his features barely illuminated by the surrounding torches, was staring into nothing, only perking up when he spotted Tommy.

"Son," Malcolm said softly, sounding genuinely happy to see him.

Tommy frowned and closed the door behind him, giving them some much needed privacy. "Dad."

"How have you been?"

And now Tommy was glaring. How could he have the gall to ask such a thing? "You mean after living in a city that you nearly destroyed? Where everyone knew I was your son? Just peachy," he said sarcastically.

"I didn't mean for you to suffer like that Tommy, I was just trying to avenge your mother. If it hadn't been for that damnable Green Arrow—" Malcolm looked away angrily. Even now, thinking about that vigilant made him boil.

Tommy scoffed. "Of course you blame him for your own actions. I don't know why I even bothered coming here." He turned to walk away.

"Wait, Tommy! Why are you here? How did you end up with Talia?"

"And why should I tell you that?" Tommy whirled around, his words biting.

Malcolm faltered for a moment, before steeling himself. "You're my son. Is it really so hard to believe that I care about you? I know you're not proud of what I did, but for all my faults, I do love you, Tommy. And I know that it would take a lot more than what I did for you to throw your lot in with Talia."

His son stared down at him for a long moment, before his expression softened marginally. "My girlfriend died. Murdered by this terrorist for helping Talia. She promised to help me get revenge, in exchange for swearing my life to the League."

Malcolm rolled his tongue in his mouth, processing his son's words. He had a feeling that the 'terrorist' that killed Tommy's girlfriend had actually been an assassin under Talia's employ, but he couldn't mention that now. He had to get Tommy to trust him again before easing him into it.

"And what about you? How did you end up back with the League?"

Malcolm frowned. 'Back' with the League? He had never been a member of the League of Shadows. Why… of course, Talia. She had no doubt lied to Tommy about where he had learned his skills. It wouldn't be hard, either — the League of Assassins only existed in whispers after all, and the League of Shadows wasn't all that different in practice.

"Talia kidnapped me from my prison transport while I was on my way to my trial," Malcolm finally said. "She had me taken here afterward."

"Why?"

Here, Malcolm hesitated. How was he supposed to explain the truth to Tommy? The existence of the Justice League and the recent Dominator Invasion no doubt opened his son's mind to the impossible, but even so, a magical hot spring that could heal injuries and possibly revive the dead was a little far-fetched, even accounting the fact he used those waters to heal Tommy the night of the would-be Undertaking.

"I had information she wanted," Malcolm admitted, figuring a bit of the truth was fine for now.

Tommy opened his mouth to press for more, but the sound of something outside caught his attention.

"Go," Malcolm urged him, "Go! Before they catch you!"

Tommy gave him one last look before doing exactly that.

The next couple of days were spent talking about what Tommy had been up to since Malcolm's arrest. Tommy didn't ask about his presence here again, which Malcolm was thankful for. He could see the question burning at the tip of his son's tongue, and was still trying to figure out how to answer. Perhaps the truth was the best, which is why he tried to ingratiate himself with his son first, tried to get their relationship back to where it used to be before everything went to hell.

He learned about the current state of Merlyn Global, of how the company was completely wavering until the arrival of Isabel Rochev, the young woman who would capture his son's heart. While he was glad to learn that his other son, Oliver, had found happiness with Miss Lance, he was saddened it had come at the cost of the close friendship the two had shared with Tommy. He would have to find a way to fix that if he ever got out of here. He couldn't stand the idea of his two sons being at odds.

Isabel was what he was more interested in. Not just because she might have become his daughter-in-law, had she lived, but also because she was the reason Tommy was here. She was the key to getting Tommy on his side. There was no doubt that Talia had her killed to bring Tommy here, and as he learned more about her, he was beginning to suspect the manipulation was deeper than that. Tommy's description of her suggested a superficial familiarity with his beloved Rebecca. And the way she was killed, the place she was killed — gunned down in front of Rebecca's old clinic? That could not be a coincidence.

Malcolm would bet his life that Talia had sent Isabel to seduce his son, and then had her murdered to make him amiable to joining the League of Shadows. Such a thing wasn't beyond Talia, far from it. Malcolm had learned that first hand. But there was no way Tommy would believe him about his intended's real motives. The way he spoke of her betrayed how much he had come to love her, and either way the woman was dead and not coming back. Better to leave his memory of her intact as is. No, he could not convince Tommy of Isabel's duplicity.

Talia's, however, was another matter.

"I don't know when I'm going to see you next," was the first thing that came out of Tommy's mouth during their latest meeting. "Most of the League is mobilizing for an attack on this mountain fortress called Nanda Parbat. Apparently there's another League there, one the Shadows split from a while back—"

"—Called the League of Assassins," Malcolm finished, smiling. "I know who they are, Tommy."

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Figures. You probably heard about when you were a member of the League of Shadows."

Malcolm's smile faltered. "I was never a member of the Shadows, Tommy."

Tommy blinked. "But Talia said—"

"Talia lied," Malcolm asserted firmly. "I was never a member of the Shadows. I was a member of the Assassins — with Talia."

His son stared at him, in complete disbelief. "Why would she lie about that?" he finally asked, thoroughly confused and a bit upset.

"Easy. To keep you from asking too many questions. You wanted to know the reason I'm here, Tommy? It's because of what I used to save you the night of the Undertaking."

"When I was shot?"

"Yes." Malcolm went on to explain the specifics of the Lazarus Pit, assuring his son that the magical spring was real. Furthermore, he explained that there was a Lazarus Pit in Nanda Parbat, which is part of the reason why Talia wanted the fortress. The other was to take over the League of Assassins, who had kicked her out years ago, stressing why they had done such a thing despite Talia being the eldest daughter of their leader. He even went as far as to describe the incident that led to him leaving Nanda Parbat and return home, just to hammer it in.

"I'm sure she's been nothing but kind to you Tommy, but it's all a facade. Talia is a cruel, vain woman with a darkness to her that makes even me look tame. You need to get away from her."

Tommy stared at him, face conflicted. "I don't believe you."

"Tommy—"

"No! You're just trying to manipulate me again, trying to get me to help you escape so you can run back to the Assassins and rat us out. I don't know why I bothered. You never change!" He sprang to his feet, ready to leave.

And now, Malcolm was desperate. This had to be the moment, or else everything is lost. "Tommy! She killed Isabel!"

Tommy froze. "What?"

"Tommy, think. Isabel died in front of your mother's old clinic, gunned down like Rebecca. Don't you realize how unlikely that is to happen twice, and to the same family? And how convenient it is that mere days later, this woman appears, offering you the chance at revenge? It was all a setup Tommy, to bring you here."

"But why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Malcolm asked, making liberal use of the silver tongue that had served him so well as both CEO of Merlyn Global and the architect of the Undertaking, "For insurance against me. Haven't you noticed that I don't have a guard here, or any surveillance on me? It's because Talia knows I won't do anything as long you're under her thumb, so she's kept me under minimal guard. She's always been arrogant like that." Well, that wasn't entirely true. Talia had posted a guard on him at first, but as they neared the date of the assault on Nanda Parbat, she had become distracted by the preparations and allowed the security surrounding him to grow lax. No doubt she was too busy fantasizing about her ultimate victory to pay attention to the finer details. Malcolm had been the same when the Undertaking approached its final year, at least the future Green Arrow arrived to Starling.

"You're lying!" Tommy hissed back desperately, though it was obvious he didn't really believe what he was saying.

Malcolm gazed at him sadly. "Who do you trust more, Tommy? Some woman you've barely known for a few months? Or the father that's loved and cared for you for all your life?"

Tommy felt tears build up in his eyes when he realized he couldn't answer.

"Tommy," Malcolm said softly, "I've loved you since the day you were born, and all I've ever wanted to do is protect you. Protect our family. That is the only reason I'm still here. For you."

Tommy swallowed. "If what you're saying is true, then what should we do? I can't let her get away with what she's done, and I'm not sure I can stand to serve her for a moment longer."

Malcolm smiled. "First, tell me all that you know about the other Shadows. Then about the assault on Nanda Parbat. We can work out a plan from there."

"Dad, what is this?" Tommy asked as he dragged out the package he had been carrying at his father's request to the cliff he had designated. It was a pain trying to avoid Talia, but paying off his fellow students — and his father's minders — had greased the wheels, so to speak. He still had to be careful though, as being spotted, even by an outsider, had its own risks. Tommy had even gone as far as to bury himself in the snow after he saw a wandering traveler look in his direction, only digging himself out once he was sure she was gone.

His father, meanwhile, had the job of being a distraction. Apparently part of Talia's plan included bringing the Justice League here and splitting them up, and his father's presumed presence fulfilled that purpose nicely. Why she wanted the Justice League here was beyond Tommy — Talia hadn't been particularly forthcoming except to some of her most trusted followers — and it caused some dissension in the ranks. Enough for Tommy to pay off his father's guards to loosen his leash for a bit for the sake of their own plan.

Instead of answering, Malcolm unzipped the bag. Tommy blanched. It was a replica of his father's body. "What the hell?"

"A body double," Malcolm explained. "During my time in Nanda Parbat, I cultivated some connections of a more esoteric nature, so to speak. I kept those connections alive as I developed the Undertaking, just in case Ra's ever caught wind of my scheme and I had to fake my death to escape his wrath. As soon as we arrived and you payed off my guards, I pursued those connections to produce this." He then took a knife and slit the body double's throat, letting blood cascade down its neck and stain its clothes. Tommy couldn't help but wince at the sight.

Malcolm then picked up the body, and dumped it off the cliff, watching dispassionately as it tumbled down the sharp rocks before landing in a heap at the bottom. "Now everyone who has seen me in this area will search and find this and assume I'm dead. All we have to do is get rid of Talia, and we're home free, Tommy."

Tommy grimaced. Malcolm noticed. "What's wrong, son?"

"I want to kill her dad, I do. It's just… I've never done it before. What if I freeze at the wrong moment?"

"Tommy, she killed the woman you love," Malcolm pointed out, thinking about his own confrontation with the thug that had taken his wife away, "Just think about her, and you'll find that killing her will be much easier than you think."

His son didn't look particularly convinced, but nodded nonetheless. Malcolm clasped him on the shoulder. "You need to get back to camp," he told his son, "before she notices you're gone. Don't worry, Tommy. This will all be over soon enough."

"Well done, Tommy," Malcolm praised his son, clasping his hand on Tommy's shoulder. "A perfect assassination. She literally didn't see it coming."

Tommy smiled at the praise, then thinned his lips. "What do we do now?"

Instead of answering, Malcolm looked around at the other Shadows, who were milling about, observing Talia's cooling body. "You'll all keep quiet, I assume?"

The Shadows smirked. "With how much you've promised to pay us, you might as well consider us blind and deaf."

Malcolm nodded, making note of everyone's faces so he could arrange their deaths later. Better safe than sorry. "Right. Well, first we need to burn her body so nobody can bring her back, and we'll have to get rid of the murder weapon as well. As far as everyone here is concerned, Talia died during the assault on Nanda Parbat."

Sounds of assent followed that statement. "And after that?" One brave Shadow asked.

"We go back to the Temple, announce her death to the remaining Shadows, and offer myself as a replacement leader. I'm sure that as a former Horsemen of Ra's, no one will complain. And if they do, well," Malcolm shrugged, smirking. "A show of force always helps in a regime change."

People laughed. Tommy wasn't one of them, though he returned his father's smirk.

"So you're really going?" Nyssa peered at her friends and lovers sadly.

"We have people waiting for us back home, Nyssa," Laurel said gently, hand over her heart. "We've found Merlyn — or his body, at least — and we need to get it back for testing. As much we would love to stay…"

"… we can't," Oliver finished. "We're sorry."

Upon the report to Amanda about Merlyn's body, they had been ordered to return immediately and bring the body to the A.R.G.U.S. base in Central City. They had been able to buy themselves an extra day, citing exhaustion, but their boss was their boss and they couldn't remain any longer.

Nyssa pursed her lips, and sighed. "I did say you didn't belong here. But I guess you won't mind if I visit occasionally?" she asked slyly.

Oliver and Laurel exchanged smiles. "No. We wouldn't mind that at all."

Hugs and kisses were exchanged one last time, and Nyssa watched as her lovers boarded the plane where the rest of the Justice League were waiting for them. It was a bittersweet feeling, watching them go, but she knew she would see them again one day. It was only a matter of time.

So, she plastered a smile on her face and gave one last wave as the plane slowly departed away. It was goodbye for now.

But not forever.

Even when Malcolm tries to help Tommy he can't help but keep manipulating things so it will end in his favor. No wonder his son is so screwed up.

I thought this would be a short chapter. It ended up being the longest chapter I've written for this story in a while.

One last chapter in this act, and then a small break while I work on One Day at a Time. I'm sure you're going to love what I have in store for all of you.

Please comment or review, flames will be ignored, constructive criticism welcome, and don't forget to update the TV Tropes page!