Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)
Chapter 28: A Rose by Any Other Name
November 14th, 12:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
New Jersey, United States of America
Gotham City
Jaune Arc was nervous. It was hard for him not to be, and as he paced back and forth across his room, his mind raced over what was about to occur. He was taking Pyrrha Nikos, his best friend and partner, on a date. An actual date at a nice Italian restaurant near Robinson Park. Admittedly, its location near Poison Ivy's supposed base of operations was concerning, but the way he and Pyrrha figured, should something go wrong while the Batfamily chased Poison Ivy down they'd be close enough to help.
Still, Poison Ivy was the least of his concerns at the moment. Right now, he was more worried about messing things up, as he tended to do.
"Jaune, relax," Ren said, sitting atop his bed as Jaune continued to pace.
"I can't help it, Ren," Jaune admitted, turning around to look at his teammate exasperatingly. "Pyrrha's my best friend, and so many things could go wrong tonight. What if I mess up and ruin everything?"
"Do you honestly think that one date will change how close you two are?" Ren rhetorically asked. Both he and Jaune knew the answer, but Ren felt Jaune hearing himself say it would calm him down.
"No, but still," Jaune insisted before he sighed, rubbing his hand down his face, and sat down on his bed across from Ren. "Ren, I am not exaggerating when I say that I wouldn't be here without Pyrrha. She's done so much for me. She trained me, believed in me when no one else did, not even myself. Hell, I probably would've been kicked out of Beacon without her. She deserves everything, and I don't know if I can give her that."
"You and I both know she's not like that," Ren reminded Jaune, standing up to walk over and place his hand on his leader's shoulder. "Jaune, do you remember when you asked Pyrrha for advice on how to win over Weiss for the dance?"
"Uggh, don't remind me. Gods, I was so stupid," Jaune groaned into his hands, and Ren nodded in sympathy.
"Be that as it may, Pyrrha had every opportunity and motivation to turn you away from her. Instead, she gave you legitimate advice. What did she tell you?"
Jaune remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Ren and quietly said, "'You can't go wrong if it's the truth.'"
"Exactly. Jaune, all Pyrrha wants is for you to be yourself. The guy who wrote 'left' and 'right' on your shoes in case you got a concussion, not the guy who's trying to make everything perfect because he thinks she deserves nothing less."
"But she does," Jaune insisted, but Ren shook his head.
"What she deserves is you just being you. Besides, the last thing she wants is you freaking out over this. It's just a date to see if it works. If it does, great. If not, it's not the end of the world. Both of you agreed to that, right?"
"Right, but…" Jaune stopped protesting when he saw the look on Ren's face, then he sighed and shook his head. "You're right. Sorry, I'm just…nervous, you know?"
"I know, and that's perfectly alright. I just don't want to have to use my Semblance on you."
"Yeah that would be pretty bad," Jaune chuckled, placing his hand behind his head. Ren smiled, happy to see his leader's spirits rising even somewhat. He then removed his hand from Jaune's shoulder and walked back over to his bed, pulling up hangers holding a dark grey and a black suit.
"Now then, can we get back to what we were doing before you started panicking?" Ren asked, holding up the grey higher than the black. "Do you prefer the grey, or the black?"
"To be honest, I'd rather panic," Jaune replied.
"Too bad. Grey or black?" Ren insistently asked, then he smirked. "Or, if you want, I'm sure we can get you a dress again."
"I'll take the grey."
"There we go."
As Pyrrha sat on Ruby's bed, looking out the window, she couldn't help but feel nervous. After months of silently pining for it, she was finally getting what she wanted. A date with Jaune. She should've been over the moon, jumping for joy, yet she wasn't. Instead, she was just sitting on a bed, a fine red dress laying in her lap, wondering what would happen next.
"You okay?" Nora asked, sitting across from her.
"I… I don't know. A little nervous, I guess," Pyrrha admitted, sighing and looking down at the dress. It was a nice dress, one that reminded her quite a bit of the same dress she wore for the dance. A rueful smile graced her lips, remembering how Jaune fulfilled his 'promise' and showed up in a dress just to cheer her up. It was a quintessential 'Jaune moment,' in her opinion, one of many that she cherished.
But now they were on the verge of moving beyond friends, part of her hoped. The other part prayed that things would remain as they were. So much had changed since that dance, to the point where it felt like ancient history. Vale and Beacon were gone, Remnant was destroyed, and now they were on a literal alien planet. For an eighteen-year-old girl, that much change in a short amount of time was quite literally world-shattering, and part of her wanted nothing more than to keep what little that hadn't changed perfectly intact.
"Don't be," Nora advised with a soft smile. "I'm telling you, Pyrrha. Everything tonight is going to be so much fun for you and Jaune. You two won't even know Ren and I are there."
Pyrrha looked at Nora's happy face, and couldn't help but smile in turn. "I suppose you're right. Still, tell me. What did it feel like when you and Ren finally…you know?"
"Became together-together?" Nora asked, and Pyrrha nodded. A reflective look crossed Nora's face and another soft smile came into being. "It's hard to describe, really. Yet, at the same time, it felt natural. Almost like we had already been together-together for our entire lives."
"Sounds magical," Pyrrha admitted, and Nora nodded.
"It was." Nora sighed happily, then looked at her teammate with a smile. "Pyrrha, I know you're nervous, but trust me. You and Jaune, by the end of tonight, are going to have that same thing, I know it."
Pyrrha wanted nothing more than to say, 'I believe you,' but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead, she glanced towards RWBY's door, where across the hall she knew Jaune and Ren were preparing for their dinner-date. If she knew her leader, and after over a year she liked to think that she did, Pyrrha felt that for as nervous as she was, Jaune was even worse. He was likely panicking, overthinking what she wanted and falling back to bad habits like when he tried wooing Weiss. More than likely, he was thinking that Pyrrha deserved more than he could give, with Ren telling him that was farther from the truth than he could imagine.
If anything else, Pyrrha vowed one thing. No matter how this date went, whether it resulted in what she had been wanting for so long or not, her friendship with Jaune was of the utmost importance. Thanks to him, she had formed lifelong friendships that bordered on familial. She was able to reveal who she truly was, beyond the label of the Invincible Girl. She was able to feel like herself again, and she didn't want to lose that. If that meant she had to forgo a romantic relationship with Jaune in favor of their current platonic one, she would be fine with that.
Seeing Pyrrha's face, Nora frowned. Then, to the champion's surprise, she stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
"You know what, sitting here and stewing over our thoughts isn't helping us at all. Let's all go get some lunch," Nora demanded.
"Uh, okay?" Pyrrha said unsurely. "Alfred can probably—"
"No, no, no," Nora interrupted, wagging her finger. "I mean, let's go out for lunch. When we were out on the town a few days ago, I saw a burger joint that looked really interesting. Nothing calms the nerves more than an artery-clogging burger, I say."
"I'll…take your word for it, I guess," Pyrrha replied, wondering just what she was getting herself into. Nora seemed to take Pyrrha's statement for acceptance, and clapped her hands together before bouncing over to the door.
"You stay here, I'll go get Jaune and Ren!" Nora announced, opening the door and continuing her bounce towards their own. Pyrrha was about to try and protest, only for Nora to open the door without knocking and announcing herself.
"Hey, guys!"
"Nora, what the hell?!" Jaune shouted in a high-pitched squeal. "Knock first, please! We've been over this!"
"Oh, like you being in just your underwear isn't anything I haven't seen before. Nice abs, by the way. Very manly."
Part of Pyrrha wanted nothing more than to get up and go see, but with a deep blush on her face she forced herself to remain seated. She did, however, glance from the corner of her eye to try and get a peek.
"Still! Can this wait?!"
"Nope!" Nora gleefully replied, bringing her hands together with a loud clap. "We're going out to eat, so get dressed."
"If I say yes, will you leave?!"
"Yes."
"Then yes, I go!"
"Wonderful! Pyrrha and I will be waiting for you guys out here!"
"Thank you, Nora," Ren's calm voice replied.
"You're welcome!" With that, Nora walked away and closed the door, granting a still glancing Pyrrha a short look at a half-naked Jaune holding a grey suit as a shield. Before she could see anything else, the door closed, and a happy Nora skipped back to the room and gave Pyrrha a smile.
"He said yes," she announced, and Pyrrha sighed.
Thirty minutes later, after Alfred drove them through the streets of Gotham to their destination, Jaune, Ren, and Pyrrha could only stare in bewilderment at the restaurant Nora had chosen. On the one hand, it was perfectly Nora, but on the other, its mere existence boggled the mind.
"I'd like one Batburger Deluxe, please," Nora ordered to the dead-eyed cashier, whose 'uniform' was a bad cosplay of Batman. "Jaune, Ren, Pyrrha? What do you guys want?"
"Uh…" Jaune murmured, going over the pun-filled menu that would give Yang no shortage of glee. "I'll…have the Night-Wings, I guess?"
"Ivy Salad, please," Ren calmly ordered.
"Riddle-Me-Fish," Pyrrha ordered, trying to force herself to remain composed.
"Okay. I have one order of a Batburger Deluxe, one order of Night-Wings, one order of Riddle-Me-Fish, and one order of the Ivy Salad. Would you like to Jokerize your fries?"
"Nah, we're good," Nora replied for all them. The cashier nodded and asked for payment, which Nora obliged with a card Alfred had given them for this express purpose. A few moments later, their food was brought out, and they grabbed their trays and found themselves an empty table near the pink-tinted windows plastered with Joker's infamous laughter. They sat down and didn't eat at first, then Jaune looked at the windows and back at Nora.
"Okay, before I start eating, I have to ask," he began. "Why is Bat Burger a thing?"
"I dunno. Money, I guess," Nora replied before taking a big bite out of her burger. "Food's good, though."
The others regarded her for a moment, then Ren shrugged and rolled with it. Jaune and Pyrrha glanced at each other, their earlier nervousness forgotten before they, too, shrugged and began to eat.
Bruce Wayne sat before the Batcomputer, typing away the latest notes from his investigations. Pamela Isly's current activities in Gotham were his primary focus at the moment, but in shrunken tabs were other matters of concern. Chief among them was the ongoing Grimm Crisis, as he was beginning to suspect it was turning into. The number of incidents involving the Grimm had been steadily increasing, and he believed that taking out the League of Shadows base in Blüdhaven might only stem the tide rather than eliminate the problem entirely. Not to say taking them out wasn't a good thing. Far from it, in fact. He was just being realistic.
"Father," Damian announced himself, eating a grilled cheese sandwich made by Alfred in one hand. His other was holding a plate of food for his father, but Bruce made no move to reach for it. Having expected this, Damian placed the plate on the desk and leaned against the railing, focusing his attention on the Batcomputer as he ate.
"Any word from Team RWBY?" Damian asked, and his father shook his head.
"We lost contact with their Javelin once they entered Blüdhaven's airspace, and there's been a spike in worldwide Grimm activity over the past few hours," Bruce revealed. Damian raised an eyebrow in concern.
"How coincidental," Damian sarcastically stated, taking a bite from his sandwich. "Do you want us to go in?"
"At this point, I don't think it's needed," Bruce admitted. "I have every faith in them, and I doubt anything the League of Shadows can throw at them will stop them for long."
"Indeed. They have proven to be quite tenacious."
"Careful, Damian. One might think you just gave a compliment," Bruce joked. Damian blushed and fervently shook his head in denial.
"Of course not! It's merely an observation."
"Whatever you say," Bruce replied while continuing to type. Deciding to change the subject, he maximized the window regarding Poison Ivy to fill the entire screen. "For the past several hours, I've plotted every known and suspected incident regarding Poison Ivy, and I found three hotspots scattered around Gotham."
"Robinson Park, Gotham Botanical Gardens, and Slaughter Swamp," Damian noted, bringing his fingers to his chin. Each of those areas were highly dense in vegetation, especially when compared to the concrete jungle that was Gotham City proper. It made perfect sense for a plant-based supervillain to concentrate her activities there. Their distance from each other also made it easier to hide any illicit activities, but that still wasn't enough to stop his father.
"Do we have a plan?" Damian asked, finishing his sandwich, and Bruce nodded.
"Forming one now, yes. I'll inform you and the rest of the team once I finalize it with Commissioner Gordon."
"You're bringing the GCPD into this?"
"I see no reason not to," Bruce admitted, typing a few final keyes before locking the Batcomputer and standing up. The billionaire then chose to open the covered plate, revealing the slightly warm bowl of soup that Alfred had made for him. He grabbed the metal spoon that came with it, and gently began to eat. Damian stayed where he was, a thoughtful look on his face that Bruce quickly picked up on.
"Something on your mind?" Bruce asked. Damian, seeing no reason to lie to his father, nodded almost immediately.
"Yes," he replied. "It's about Team JNPR and their 'double-date' they'll be having this evening. In light of our current circumstances, I do not believe it is wise to have it proceed."
"Possibly," Bruce said, leaving his spoon in the bowl while turning to face his son completely. "But something tells me your concerns go beyond Poison Ivy."
"That is correct," Damian answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Although there is nothing I can do regarding Ren and Nora, I do not believe it is wise for Jaune and Pyrrha to attempt a relationship at this time. They are members of the same team, with Jaune supposedly her direct superior which immediately creates a power imbalance; although, admittedly, sometimes I find that dynamic hard to believe. Be that as it may, having all four members of a team be in a relationship with each other would more than likely cause group cohesion to break down, whether it works out or not. If the date doesn't work, their relationship may become frayed, perhaps even spiteful, and cause the team to fracture. If it does, it's only a matter of time before a 'lover's spat' breaks out just before a mission, and I highly doubt that a pair of teenagers will have the emotional maturity to handle that situation in an appropriate manner."
"All valid concerns," Bruce replied, nodding along. He, himself, had many of the same concerns regarding Jaune and Pyrrha, along with a few others he dared not say to anyone. Concerns that he wished he didn't have, yet had all the same. The worst part was that those private concerns weren't just for Jaune's and Pyrrha's potential relationship.
"Still, Damian," Bruce continued, "I believe that, after everything they've been through, they deserve this chance. Think about it like this: what would be the worst option? Not taking the leap and causing their current relationship to fray under the weight of what could have been, or to take the leap and find out right now before it has the chance to fester?"
Damian thought for a moment, then crossed his arms and nodded. "I suppose you're right, father. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to find Todd and get some last-minute training in while I have still have the chance."
Bruce nodded as his son got off the railing and turned around to walk to the elevator. He watched his son go, then turned back to the Batcomputer once he was certain he was alone. For a moment, Bruce's fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to type a command that would grant him access to one of the Justice League's most carefully guarded secrets, but he forced himself not to. There was no point in checking them again, and he had already seen enough to find the disturbing patterns. The only thing he could do now at this point was what he did best. Plan and prepare.
He just hoped that his already laid preparations would be enough to avert what he feared most.
After Jaune and the rest of his team finished eating at Bat Burger, which he still could not fully fathom the fact that it even existed, they decided to split up for a bit. Or rather, something caught Nora's eye and like a Golden Retriever she went after it, dragging Pyrrha along and leaving Ren alone with him. He suspected that Nora did that on purpose, not that he was complaining. Some along time was likely to be good to calm his nerves. That and the Night-Wings.
"By the way, when RWBY gets back, we need to take them back there," Jaune said as he and Ren walked along the sidewalk. Ren nodded in agreement.
"We should. Besides, once Yang finds out about this place and how we went without her, she's likely to try and kill us," Ren pointed out.
"You read my mind, man."
"Do you think Dick knows about that place?" Ren asked, genuinely curious. Jaune paused, deep in thought, then pulled out his scroll. Ren watched with a raised eyebrow as Jaune thumbed through his contact list, eventually settling on Garfield's number and starting a new text message. He attached a photo he had taken of the menu earlier and attached it to the text, then sent it on its way.
"If he doesn't, he will now," Jaune announced, keeping his phone in hand.
"You do realize you could've just asked him directly?" Ren said, but Jaune shook his head.
"if I asked Dick, he wouldn't say anything, and you know it. Now he—"
Jaune was cut off by his scroll's ringtone going off.
"When there's trouble, you know who to call~! Teen Titans!" the scroll rang, and Jaune didn't even need to look at who was calling before he answered it and brought it to his year.
"Hello?"
"Jaune, you asshole!" Dick yelled into his phone, roaring laughter from the rest of the Titans in the background.
"I see Gar got my text message."
"You're damn right I did!" Garfield yelled in between his hysterics. "Night-Wings! Hahahaha!"
"Indeed! It is most amusing!" Koriand'r added, chuckling lightly.
"How did you find it?!" Dick demanded in fury.
"Nora," Ren answered. Dick paused on the other end of the line, then sighed.
"Why am I not surprised… Alright, fine. Yes, I knew about Bat Burger," Dick admitted, pointedly ignoring the burst of laughter from Garfield and Victor. "My hope was to keep it a secret from everyone. Thanks for helping with that, by the way."
"What are friends for?" Jaune cheekily replied, causing Dick to growl before he sighed once again.
"Anyway, rumor mill says you and Pyrrha are about to go on a date. Any plans?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"I found a Mediterranean restaurant in Gotham near Robinson Park," Jaune answered, walking to a nearby bench and sitting down. Ren joined him, and Jaune proceeded to shift the call to video. Dick's slightly annoyed face came on screen, with the rest of the Titans crowding around him.
"Sup, guys!" Victor called out with a wave. "Congrats on the date, Jaune!"
"It hasn't happened yet," Jaune demurely pointed out, but Garfield waved him off.
"Eh, you're thinking too much."
"You'd be the expert on that," Raven sarcastically pointed out, to which Garfield cheekily smiled.
"And yet, I won you over regardless."
"The fact that you didn't even dispute that says a lot."
"Same with you!"
Jaune laughed as Garfield and Raven playfully ribbed each other. The other Titans couldn't help but echo his reaction, with Koriand'r being the most vibrant followed by M'gann and Donna. After a few moments, Jaune coughed to catch their attention, and the Titans refocused their attention onto him.
"Actually, I was hoping to ask you guys for some advice about, you know, the date," he said. At once, Dick and Garfield adopted knowing expressions, although Gar's was more noticeable in its attempt to look suave while Dick's was borne from experience.
"Ah, I see. You want advice from the experts…" Garfield boasted, only for an unamused Raven to bop him on the head. "Ah, what the heck, Rae!?"
"You're not an expert, so stop lying," Raven pointed out. "Honestly, the only person among us who can is Dick."
"She's right, Gar," M'gann said, causing her younger brother to sulk.
"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, guys…" Garfield replied, turning around and slouching. With an amused smile on her face. Raven patted his back and began to rub his head, which caused him to perk up slightly.
"Anyway," Jaune stated, a small smile on his face as he turned his attention towards the Titans leader, "Dick, you've been on a few dates before, right?"
"Yeah," Dick admitted, "although I'd say the only real relationships I ever had was with Babs and Kori."
"Babs?" Jaune asked, raising an eyebrow. To his surprise, Koriand'r leaned in to answer before Dick could.
"He means friend Barbara Gordon!" she cheerfully answered. "They dated when Dick was still in Gotham with the Batman."
"You seem awfully okay with that," Ren noted.
"Why would I not be? Barbara is a dear friend of mine," Kori replied, genuinely confused. "We even partake in the 'girl talk' from time to time, talking about all sorts of things like boys."
The look on Dick's face told them everything they needed to know about the contents of those 'girl talks' and a pang of sympathy shot through both Remnantians. Then a dark look shot through Kori's face, and her fists clenched.
"Still, when she got hurt…" Kori started, unable to finish. She didn't need to, for the others knew exactly what tragedy she was referring to. The look on Dick's face was outright wrathful, not that Jaune could blame him. If what happened to Barbara, or anything like it, happened to Pyrrha or any of his friends, he doubted he'd be able to control himself. Even though that night happened years ago, it still felt fresh in the minds of those closest to her.
Then, just as soon as it arrived, the angered looks on Kori's and Dick's faces melted away into calm, soothing expressions. They looked at Ren and Jaune with kind smiles, and they began to speak.
"Right, right. Jaune, you wanted advice, right?" Kori asked, and Jaune nodded. "Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you what worked for me and Dick. That is to simply follow your heart. Tamaraneans have always been driven by our emotions, and more than anything we know that they are vast and complicated. No two people can feel the exact same way, even if they go through the same circumstances, and that is perfectly fine. What matters is what makes you and Pyrrha happy."
"I'd add patience to that, too," Dick added. "Don't try to rush into something neither of you are ready for. If tonight works out, which I fully believe will, great. But if not, don't force yourself or Pyrrha to feel something that just isn't there yet. Whether you two remain friends or keep going, only do what you feel comfortable with. Does that make any sense?"
Jaune thought for moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I think it does. Thanks, Dick. I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Jaune. We're friends, and that means we help each other out."
"And occasionally make fun of each other," Ren added, causing Dick to lightly glare at him before shaking his head.
"I swear, that is never going away, is it?"
"Nope," Donna called out. "Next time we're in Gotham, we're going there."
"Yay…"
Jaune and Ren looked at each other and smiled while shaking their heads, then looked at the time on their scrolls and stood up.
"Well, thanks for the talk, guys, but we gotta get back," Jaune said, then paused for a moment and added, "By the way, Dick? One last thing. Has Bruce always been-?"
"Paranoid as hell? Yep," Dick answered, knowing exactly where Jaune was going. "Don't get me wrong, his heart's in the right place, and much to my frustration he turns out to be right more often than not, but his paranoia gets overwhelming. It's why I left."
"Like that stopped him," Victor added. "Jaune, Ren, do you guys know how many times when I was designing your guys' new suits that he poked his head in and 'requested' certain things? A lot, which was annoying."
"To be fair, having the arms of Yang's suit be blade resistant makes sense with her primary fighting style," Ren pointed out, remembering one of the requests off the top of his head.
"I know, which is why I went with it, but he was very insistent on that one. Felt like an overbearing mother looking over my shoulder."
"Oh trust me, after spending the past few weeks with him, I know that feeling all too well," Jaune replied, adding a joking shudder to emphasize his point. The other Titans laughed, then they all bid their farewells and ended the call.
With the discussion over, Jaune and Ren started walking back to where Alfred was going to pick them up, passing by a flower shop on the way. The two boys stopped in front of it, idly wondering whether or not they should go in, then decided against it. On any other day, they'd gladly take a flower for their date, but with Poison Ivy on the loose, the last thing they needed was for a plant to be on their person. Just as they walked past the door, however, a woman stepped out of the flower shop and collided with them. With a surprised yelp, she fell to the ground while Jaune and Ren remained standing, although they responded to her immediately.
"Oh my God, ma'am are you alright?" Jaune asked as he and Ren helped the lady up.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she responded, dusting herself off and adjusting the large sunhat over her long red hair. She looked at them with a slightly angered expression before sighing and shaking her head. "Sorry, I should've looked where I was going."
"It's quite alright. We should've as well," Ren replied. A faint, alluring aroma was wafting around them, one that seemed almost intoxicating, and when the woman smiled slightly it somehow seemed to increase.
"Still, I ran into you two and you didn't even flinch. You boys must be strong," she pointed out. Despite themselves, Jaune and Ren felt a blush cross their faces, and the blonde awkwardly smiled and rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh, well uh…thank you. We have been working out," Jaune revealed. Ren nodded, then looked at his watch and noticed the time.
"My apologies, ma'am, but my friend and I have to get going."
"Is that so?" she asked, then a knowing look crossed her face and she smiled. "Oh, I see. Well then, don't let me keep you waiting. I must say, whoever those girls are must be quite lucky to have caught the two of you."
"Um…thank you," Ren said, then the two parties bid farewell and walked away from each other. As Jaune and Ren walked away from the flower shop, the intoxicating aroma dissipated, only to be replaced by the noxious smell of burnt gasoline. Try as they might, they could never quite get used to that smell, and it made them miss the clean Dust-powered cars that Remnant used all the more.
"That lady seemed nice. Shame we didn't get her name," Jaune pointed out, and Ren nodded. The encounter then left their minds as they approached their final destination. Despite trying not to, Jaune couldn't help but feel his nervousness slowly return. Silently, he clenched his fist and made a vow. Tonight might very well be the only date he has with Pyrrha, but no matter what happened, he would ensure it would be perfect. She deserved nothing less.
November 14th, 5:20 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
New Jersey, United States of America
Gotham City
A few hours later, the nervousness that had been plaguing Jaune returned in force. He was wearing his grey suit now, Ren wearing a matching black as they waited for their dates to come down to the main foyer.
"What if things go wrong?" Jaune asked, glancing at the grandfather clock attached to the wall opposite from him.
"It won't," Ren said, reading a book while sitting on a large chair.
"But—"
"Jaune, your freaking out about this is more likely to 'mess things up' than anything else. So please, calm down. You'll be fine," Ren cut Jaune off, his tone much more forceful. Jaune prepared a rebuttal, then sighed and shook his head while looking at his feet.
"Sorry, Ren," he apologized, and Ren looked at him with a sympathetic nod.
"It's alright. Just relax. Tonight's going to be fun. After everything we've been through, we could use a bit of that," Ren remarked. Jaune nodded, more than agreeing with what his brother in all but name said. Over the past two and a half months of living on Earth, they had dealt with criminals, terrorists, literal demons, not to mention the emotional specter of their traumatic arrival in the first place. A fun, long awaited date could be just what they needed to relieve the stress.
A dark thought borne of self-doubt threatened to bubble its way to the top of Jaune's head, but he quickly squashed it. Ren was right. Much like how Jaune over-acted in an attempt to win over Weiss all those months ago, he was overthinking how the date with Pyrrha would go. It was best for him to go with the flow.
It was at that moment that Jaune and Ren heard a pair of footsteps from the top of the stairs. They stood up and looked to see their dates appear from the hallway. Both were wearing fine dresses, Pyrrha's made of smooth red silk that reminded Jaune immensely of what she wore during the dance itself. Jaune thought she looked absolutely stunning, just as Nora did in her frilly, extravagant white and pink dress that featured a multi-layered skirt with a wavy texture that went down to her ankles. Clearly, Nora had decided to go all out. All she was missing was a tiara and glitter in the background.
"Sorry it took us so long," Nora called out as she and Pyrrha descended towards them. "Wanted to make sure P-Money here looked just right."
"It, uh, worked…" Jaune muttered, then a crimson blush filled his face as he began to stammer, "Not that you weren't before! I mean, you're beautiful and I'm going to stop before I make an even bigger fool out of myself."
Ren couldn't help but roll his eyes and sigh while Pyrrha and Nora chuckled with their hands covering their mouths. Jaune's blush intensified, and when Alfred opened the door from the outside to escort them to the limo, he eagerly took the opportunity to change the subject.
"Oh, look at that! Our ride's here!" he announced as Pyrrha and Nora came down the stairs. Remembering what his sisters told him years ago, Jaune offered out his arm, which Pyrrha happily clasped with a small blush as the two of them walked out of the manor. To the more experienced Ren and Nora, they could detect an air of awkwardness around their teammates, but they figured it would pass as the date continued and so paid it no heed.
At the same time, Bruce looked out through a window, watching as his latest charges got into the limo and drove off towards Gotham. Damian, Jason, and Cassandra were standing next to him. All of them had the same stoic expression on their face, none feeling the need to speak until the limo drove past the main gates, disappearing along the road into Gotham. Only then did Bruce turn around and start walking away, his children following him immediately.
"What's the plan?" Jason asked as they walked towards the study.
"Gordon and the GCPD will be handing the Gotham Botanical Gardens," Bruce answered as he inputted the combination, allowing the clock to swing open and reveal the secret passage to the Batcave. "Damian and I will be handling Robinson Park. Jason, I want you and Cassandra to investigate Slaughter Swamp."
"What about Batwoman?" Damian asked. Although Katherine Kane wasn't an official member of the Batfamily, she was a frequent ally, and with Tim and Stephanie reduced to assisting Oracle in the background, having the extra pair of hands would be highly beneficial.
"She's on a separate case with Huntress, and so she's unavailable," Bruce revealed. Damian and the others noted how their father deigned to not reveal what, exactly, the two vigilantes were investigating, but decided to leave it at that and nodded in acceptance.
Soon, they were on the elevator and descended into the Batcave, which lit up automatically on their arrival. Tim and Stephanie were already waiting for them, preparing the Batcave and coordinating with Oracle through the Batcomputer. The pods containing their suits and equipment lit up, and the heroes immediately began changing into them. In addition to their normal equipment, they all grabbed grenades containing herbicide, vials of antidotes for whatever toxins Poison Ivy might throw their way, as well as gas masks to prevent her from seducing them with pheromones. They made sure to cover every inch of their skin with protective layers, then Bruce walked over to a thick metal pod and typed a few keystrokes to prime it.
"The Armored Batsuit?" Damian noted, recognizing the pod that contained it.
"Just in case. We don't know who Poison Ivy has taken control of," Bruce pointed out.
"Smart. The last thing we need is for her to have seduced Superman, again," Jason added. Bruce nodded, his thought process going along those exact same lines. When they were all ready, Bruce went to another pod and primed it. This one Damian didn't recognize, although Cassandra had a knowing look beneath her cowl as she studied the apparent boosters on the bottom. Her inspection prompted Damian and Jason to look at it more closely as well, and they both tilted their heads.
"Did you attach rocket boosters to those pods?" Jason asked.
"I did," Bruce explained. "Apparently, Beacon Academy used similar devices to transport weapons to students wherever they needed, so long as they were within range of the school. This is only a prototype, but it should reach all of Gotham from here."
"Steph and I will load it up with any extra supplies you guys might need," Tim called out from the Batcomputer's chair.
"Yeah, just say the word and it's up," Stephanie added. Bruce, Damian, Jason and Cassandra nodded, then the two groups split apart.
"Keep an eye on JNPR. Let me know if anything goes wrong," Batman ordered as he and Robin stepped into the Batmobile and flipped the ignition. Red fire erupted out of the back thruster while Red Hood and Batgirl climbed aboard the Batwing and activated its thrusters as well.
"Will do, no embarrassing date bloopers will go unreported on my watch!" Stephanie replied with a salute. Tim snorted and low-fived the hand she held out, and their mentor gave a predictably unimpressed look while the others just rolled their eyes before closing their vehicle's canopies. The platforms holding them rotated, a bridge rising from the shadows to connect the Batmobile to an underground road while the Batwing ascended into a hover before it flew off with a mighty roar. The Batmobile accelerated as well, a jet of flame in its wake as it sped through the hidden passage. At the far end, a rock wall split apart, revealing a waterfall that the Batmobile drove through without a second thought.
"Inputting coordinates now," Robin revealed, tapping his fingers against an embedded touchpad. Batman nodded, and once the waypoint appeared on the Batmobile's HUD, he followed the path laid out just as the sun set beneath the horizon.
November 14th, 6:05 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
New Jersey, United States of America
Gotham City
Commissioner Gordon couldn't help but feel nervous. It was hard not to be, given what they were about to step into. The GCPD had been investigating a recent spike in disappearances around the city when Batman delivered the information that confirmed what he already suspected. Pamela Isly, more widely known as Poison Ivy, was operating again. This time, her sights were centered on the ACE Chemical Plant, who had apparently been illegally dumping toxic chemicals into Slaughter Swamp. When Lois Lane revealed that to him, he wanted nothing more than to take a few of his best officers, march right into ACE's office, and arrest the entire board, but he was persuaded not to just yet in order to lure Ivy out. If she knew they were onto her, she might disappear entirely. She had a knack for doing just that, and although it made Gordon sick to his stomach, he knew less people would be put at risk by waiting her out.
Now, however, they were making their move. Batman had narrowed down the places where Ivy was most likely operating out of, and had deigned to incorporate the GCPD into the multi-pronged assault. Had the rest of Batman's team not been rendered incapacitated due to Victor Fries at GothCorp, Gordon knew Batman wouldn't have 'invited' them. Not that it really mattered. They would've gone after Ivy anyway, at least now they were better prepared.
"Multiple targets in AO," said a Major Crimes Unit officer wielding a suppressed sniper rifle reported from atop an apartment building opposite the Gotham Botanical Gardens. On the street level, hidden behind parked cars, vans, walls and alleyways, uniformed officers wearing body armor and gas masks were ready to move in as soon as the order was given. They were wielding assault rifles and shotguns, each filled with nonlethal rubber ammunition. Gordon was wielding his trusty .44 revolver, loaded with rubber bullets just like everyone else, while Bullock and Montoya held their M1911 pistols at the ready.
"How do they look?" Bullock asked, adjusting his gas mask and fedora while simultaneously checking to see if the rubber bullets he loaded chambered properly. Montoya did the same with her weapon, peeking out from behind the hood of the van they were hiding behind.
"Look disoriented, likely due to pheromones."
"Figured," Bullock growled. "I swear, out of all the crazies we have to put up with, Ivy's among the worst. At least Dent and Cobblepot use criminals, she tends to use innocents."
"Not to mention 'the 'holier than thou' attitude she gives off," Montoya added, but before she and Bullock could continue, Gordon shushed them as he raised his radio to his head.
"Perimeter check?" he called out. At once, he received a series of confirmations that all sides of the Botanical Gardens were covered. No one was getting in or out without them knowing about it, and only then did Gordon nod.
"Cut the power," he ordered. A few moments later, he saw a pair of officers stealthily move towards a power box located on the outside of the building, where they opened it up and fiddled with some wires. A slight spark shot off, then the entire building and much of the block around them were plunged into pitch black darkness.
"Go, go!" Gordon ordered, slipping on a pair of night-vison goggles as he and the rest of the GCPD's Major Crimes Unit moved in. At the same time, their sniper teams opened fire on the confused guards located on the roof, preventing them from firing on the police from above. Gordon's team continued unabated towards a door that was locked with a chain, and he motioned with his hand for it to be opened. An officer stepped forward with a bolt cutter which he used to break the chains. As they fell to the ground with a clinking noise, the door was slowly opened by an officer who braced his rifle against the door. Another stood at the ready with her pistol out, and once they gave the all clear the officers entered the building.
At the same time, Gordon watched as officers attached wires to the roof of the building and began to scale it. They intended to take each floor at the same time, that way the risk of mind-controlled victims regrouping was diminished. It was less risky to both them and his officers. Around the building, Gordon knew that other teams were doing the exact same thing his just did, and once everyone was inside, the officers began to split and fan out. He motioned for Bullock and Montoya to follow up him up the stairs, and with their weapons raised they slowly began walking up.
From across the building, they could hear the faint thumps of suppressed weapons being fired, followed by the thud of bodies hitting the ground. Gordon ignored it, focusing instead on what was in front of him when a man carrying an AK-47 stepped into view from a corner in the stairwell. He couldn't see them, which allowed the three officers to fire one shot each into his chest. He fell with a pained gasp, and immediately Gordon was on him, removing the weapon from his reach while flipping him to this stomach. At the same time, Bullock and Montoya cuffed his wrists and ankles, respectively, immobilizing him.
Another officer came from behind to secure the downed man, allowing Gordon, Bullock, and Montoya to continue up the stairs. They were slow and steady, with the sound of muffled gunfire increasing in frequency. More frantic footsteps could also be heard as the mind-controlled minions began wising up to the raid, and so Gordon increased his pace as he exited the stairwell. With his weapon still raised, he fired two shots into a woman as she rounded the corner, then another pair of rounds into a man that jumped out of an adjacent doorway.
"Move, move!" Gordon ordered, reloading his revolver as other officers took position next to various doorways. They creaked them open to toss in flashbangs, then closed the door just before they exploded. Startled and pained shouts followed, telling the officers to burst in and take them down quickly and efficiently. Gordon, meanwhile, motioned for Bullock and Montoya to follow him as they moved towards the main office of the Botanical Gardens. The three braced themselves against the door, with Bullock preparing to toss a flashbang in when they heard the distinctive click of a shotgun being racked.
Without saying a word, all three officers threw themselves to the ground as the gunman inside opened fire through the door. Splintered wood flew out from the point of impact with each shot, and the officers crawled away to escape.
"We got a guy with a shotgun in the main office!" Bullock yelled into his radio as he and Montoya took cover behind a hallway's wall. Gordon, meanwhile, kneeled underneath the office window, the blinds pulled down and preventing him from seeing inside. At the very least, it prevented the gunman from seeing him as well, and his mind raced as he tried to think of a plan. After a moment, he looked up at the glass window.
"Montoya, when I give the word fire through the wall!" he ordered as he backed up from his position. For a moment, Montoya was surprised, then she nodded before swapping her nonlethal magazine for a regular. The two looked at each other, then when Gordon nodded, she aimed at the wall and began to fire. At once the shotgun blasts stopped, giving Gordon time to sprint and jump into the window. The glass shattered, his body armor protecting him as the gunman turned around in surprise. Landing on his feet, Gordon threw a punch into the man's head, stunning him long enough for Gordon to grab the man by the shoulders and flip him head over feet onto his back. The wind was knocked out of his lungs, and Gordon kicked the shotgun from his hands then fired two rubber bullets into his chest, knocking him out.
"Clear!" he called out, keeping his weapon trained on the unconscious body. Uniformed officers swarmed in, Bullock immediately rushing towards him while producing a pair of handcuffs. Others began sweeping the rooms for any others, and before long a series of 'all clears' came in through the radio.
"Sixty men bagged. No sign of Isly," Maggie Sawyer reported from inside the gardens themselves. Gordon cursed under his breath, then moved on.
"Have they responded to the antidotes?" he asked. The GCPD had, over the years, developed a stockpile of aerosol antidotes meant to counteract the effects of Isly's pheromone seduction. Given what they were facing, Gordon felt it was more than appropriate to bring a healthy supply.
"Ineffective," Sawyer revealed. "She must've devised a new combination."
"Dammit, how many human mind control chemicals can there possibly be?!" Gordon audibly cursed this time and shook his head. "Take blood samples and bring them to the nearest precinct. The sooner we can concoct an antidote, the better."
"Yes, Commissioner," Sawyer replied, then got off the radio and began issuing orders to the officers around her. As they began ferrying the subdued men and women onto armored cars, Gordon took a moment to light a cigarette and breathe in its fumes.
"Jim, what now?" Bullock asked as he walked up to his partner.
"We keep searching," Gordon responded. "The longer Poison Ivy is out there, the more people that are going to get hurt. Even though she wasn't here, that's one less hole for her to crawl back into."
"At least we got that going for us," Montoya joked, then placed her hand on her hip and looked at her boss. "You know she's splitting us up on purpose, right?"
"Oh good, so it's not just me," Bullock added, to which Gordon nodded. Montoya nodded back, then frowned.
"Jim, I have to ask. What if this is a feint? What if she's not at any of the locations we think she's at, and instead is somewhere else?"
Gordon thought on how best to answer for a moment, then put his cigarette out against the windowsill. "If that is the case, and I wouldn't be surprised if you're right, then we'll find her regardless."
"I just hope we're able to do that before something bad happens," Bullock murmured.
"So do I, Harvey. So do I."
Ren and Nora watched from a table opposite Jaune and Pyrrha as they commenced their date. Steaming hot food fresh from the kitchen sat on their tables, and the two were paying as much attention to it as they were each other. By all accounts, the date was going well. Nora, of course, was looking through wide, starry eyes, while Ren was much more subdued yet equally attentive.
"Oh look, they're having so much fun!" Nora whispered to their boyfriend, ending with a happy sigh and resting her cheeks on her hands.
"So it would seem," Red added, taking a bite from his food before following it up with a sip from his drink. True to Nora's word, Jaune and Pyrrha did appear to be enjoying themselves. Smiles and occasional laughter could be heard from them, and a variety of topics were being discussed. From the usual topics of how their training was going and interesting things that happened to them recently, to more personal subjects regarding family, regrets, and more. At the same time, however, Ren was paying attention to the occasional looks that Jaune and Pyrrha both gave when the other wasn't looking. Those looks were hard for him to describe, but they happened so infrequently that he chalked it up to nervousness and left it at that.
"Ooh, do you think after this we can make team double-dates a regular thing?" Nora asked, prompting Ren to turn towards her with a raised eyebrow.
"Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? We don't know if there's even going to be a second date," Ren pointed out, but Nora shook her head and wagged her finger in rebuttal.
"Oh, ye of little faith," Nora said, utterly convinced that the date between Jaune and Pyrrha would blossom into something more. "I mean, just look at them."
"I have been," Ren pointed out as he and Nora began eating again. "Which is why I'm not too worried. But, if the two of them can't find the 'spark,' so to speak, we have to be prepared for that."
"Oh, I know. There's a big jug of rocky road ice cream Pyrrha and I are going to share if it doesn't," Nora revealed. "And when it does work out, we'll eat it in celebration!"
"You just want the ice cream, don't you?"
"Yes."
Ren couldn't help but laugh at Nora's quick and to-the-point response, and she flashed a toothy smile in his direction as they went back to eating. Still, at the same time both of them glanced at Pyrrha and Jaune from the corners of their eyes. For as much fun as they had on their first date, both knew that their own romantic experiences with each other wasn't necessarily the best model for their two teammates. While they hoped with all their hearts that the night would prove fruitful, they had to acknowledge the distinct possibility that Jaune and Pyrrha simply worked better as friends. And as their friends, Ren and Nora would be there every step of the way.
November 14th, 6:30 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
New Jersey, United States of America
Gotham City
Red Hood and Batgirl jumped out of the Batwing as it soared over Slaughter Swamp. While it stayed overhead, ready to rain down support or pick them up at a moment's notice, the two vigilantes ran across the treetops, their cowls adjusted for any sign of Ivy or her minions. So far, the only things they saw that weren't plants were far too many birds and amphibians for them to count. Not that they cared to. They had far more important matters to deal with.
"Hey, Batgirl? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Swamp Thing live here?" Red Hood asked as they jumped from branch to branch, following an electrical signature that their cowls picked up. Batgirl looked at him from over her shoulder and nodded, causing Red Hood to look down at the murky waters below.
"I wonder if he might know where Ivy is. Might be worth asking," he pointed out. Batgirl looked at him then raised her hand outward with her palm facing downward and twirled it back and forth. Red Hood picked up on her meaning immediately, then shrugged and nodded as well.
"Eh, you're right. He probably wouldn't show up anyway," he noted, then the two vigilantes continued moving through the swamp. As they drew closer to the disturbance, their cowls' vision became filled with static, forcing them to turn the augmented visuals off while also telling them they were close. Soon they reached sight of a large wooden shack floating on top of the water, its roof made out of sheet metal and surrounded by a barbed wire fence. A hovercraft was resting on a dock, and a few obviously brainwashed goons could be seen patrolling its perimeter.
"I'll take right, you take left," Red Hood whispered. Batgirl nodded, then the two crimefighters split apart. He took out one of his pistols, but rather than chamber any rounds he flipped it to instead hold the weapon by its barrel. The bottom of its grip sparked as he activated its internal taser, and he did the same with his other pistol. Normally, Red Hood wouldn't particularly care about limiting himself to purely nonlethal methods, but these goons were brainwashed by Poison Ivy. While there was a healthy possibility many of them were already criminals, he couldn't guarantee it, and he'd rather let a criminal get away than kill an innocent.
Red Hood stopped himself from thinking any further as he stood on a branch above a patrolman. He waited until he was directly overhead, then shot a line into the man's back and pulled him up towards him. The brainwashed victim barely had time to react before Red Hood clobbered him across the face with one of his pistols, causing arcs of high-voltage electricity to zap the man straight into unconsciousness. He tied him to the branch, then jumped to another tree as he saw Batgirl take down a few perimeter guards of her own. Her method was much more graceful than his, and like him she made sure to take them down as carefully as possible.
Jumping down from the tree, he landed behind a pair of guards and kicked their feet out from under them with a sweeping leg. As they fell onto their backs, he hit them both with his pistols, then moved on after cuffing them. By now the brainwashed minions were beginning to catch on, so they were on high alert as they moved around the compound in search of intruders. Red Hood hid behind some wooden crates as a trio moved past, and once he was behind them he broke cover and threw small disks onto their backs. They had only just noticed them when the disks activated, shocking all of their bodies and sending them spasming to the ground. It only stopped once they were unconscious, and as before he cuffed them and moved further into the compound.
As he stood before a rusted metal door, he thought about simply walking in, but he was smarter than that. There was likely a guy aiming his weapon straight at it, and walking through it was tantamount to suicide. Instead, and with no small amount of disgust, he clambered over a wooden railing and softly descended into the murky water. Submerging himself up to his chin, he swam underneath the shack and looked up through the wooden floorboards. Sure enough, he could see several men armed with assault rifles aiming their weapons straight at the door from multiple angles. He briefly thought of how best to handle this situation, then came up with an idea. Red Hood pulled out a few small explosives and planted them below each of the men. They weren't strong enough to seriously hurt them, but the concussive force would be enough to knock them into the air or disorient them long enough for him to act. When the charges were set, he swam back to his original position and got next to the door, waited a second, then set the charges off.
Muffled explosions sounded, followed by surprised shouts of the men and women inside as he burst through the door. At the same time, from the roof on the opposite side of the compound, Batgirl jumped in through a glass skylight, landing right on top of a man and knocking his head onto the ground, knocking him out instantly. Both vigilantes threw batarangs into a group of foes, further stunning them and granting enough time to pummel them all into submission. Not a single one got a shot off, and as Red Hood looked around, he felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him. At the same time, Batgirl walked into an adjacent room, searching for the source of the electrical disturbance they were tracking. Red Hood did the same, and soon the two were searching each and every room. Eventually, as he exited one room, he saw Batgirl standing in front of one room while waving towards him.
Knowing that she found something, he jogged over to her and into the room, where he saw a large computer setup, complete with multiple monitors that connected to various feeds all across the city. The seat was massive, with a noticeable indentation in the bottom cushion while the back had a hole in the headrest for some reason.
"Whoever used this was a big boy," Red Hood noted as he sat down and began fiddling with the computer, only for it to flash once and shut off. A moment later, the computers sparked, and the electrical signal vanished.
"Goddammit," Red Hood cursed. He should've known they wouldn't just leave incriminating computer equipment lying around. Still, as Batgirl patted his shoulder and began rummaging through filing cabinets, he could ascertain at least one thing. Poison Ivy may be many things, but a computer expert was not one of them. While there was the possibility of her having brainwashed someone to do it for her, there was another, more threatening possibility that she might not be working alone.
"Oracle, I want you to crosscheck Poison Ivy with any and all associates of hers that are connected to advanced computer engineering," Red Hood spoke into his comms.
"Will do," Oracle replied. Red Hood nodded, then he helped Batgirl comb the rest of the compound for any scrap of evidence they could find. Unfortunately, whoever was here was very thorough to ensure they didn't leave any evidence, and with anger and concern building in his gut, both vigilantes left the compound behind. This operation was turning more and more arduous by the second, and they could only hope Batman and Robin were having better luck than they were.
Pyrrha couldn't help but feel strange. It was hard for her to describe what she felt exactly, and as she and Jaune continued on their date, try as she might it just wouldn't go away. She didn't know why she was feeling this way. On paper, everything was going perfectly. Jaune was being a complete gentleman, in his own goofy way of course, they were talking and laughing. They were having a good time, yet it still felt kind of weird. Their date felt more like two good friends hanging out rather than a true romantic outing. Just like their lunch at Bat Burger, only at a much fancier location.
"You okay?" Jaune asked, seeming to pick up on her distress. In response, Pyrrha flashed him a smile and shook her head.
"No, no. I'm fine, Jaune. Everything's going great," she insisted. Jaune looked at her for a moment, then bought her explanation before taking another bite out of his food. Pyrrha joined him, but at the same time she studied her partner with an aside glance. After spending nearly a year as his partner, Pyrrha liked to think she could read him fairly well. Sometimes even better than he thought she did, and right now she could read him clearly. On his part, Jaune was trying to hide it, most likely for her sake. But Pyrrha knew that whatever strange feeling she had regarding their date, Jaune was feeling it as well.
If anything, his was even more pronounced.
November 14th, 7:05 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
New Jersey, United States of America
Gotham City
Batman had been receiving reports from the various teams around the city, which served to both paint a clearer picture as well as frustrate him with what they didn't tell. On the one hand, it was obvious now that Poison Ivy was working with an accomplice, or perhaps even accomplices. Whoever they were, they were also competent enough to leave as little of a trail as possible, and none of them were at any of the hotspots they had zeroed in on. Only their brainwashed goons, which told Batman something else that he hadn't previously wanted to consider. Robin figured it out as well, but he was much more willing to voice his concerns.
"They're drawing us out," Robin theorized. "Poison Ivy knew we'd catch on to what she was doing with all those victims, and wanted us to come out looking for her."
"I know," Batman replied, perching himself on a gargoyle as he overlooked Robinson Park with his cowl's built-in binoculars.
"Why would she do that? She has to know that we're a grave threat to her plans. Drawing us out only serves to put them at risk."
"Perhaps she feels confident enough to take that risk?"
"Or, she wants to get us out of the way so that her plan goes off without a hitch?" Robin suggested. Batman paused, letting Robin's idea swirl around in his head, then slowly nodded. It was surely a distinct possibility, and it might suggest that they intended for their hit against the ACE Chemical Plant to be more of a hit and run rather than an all-out siege. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Robin was most likely correct.
"Oracle, contact the GCPD. Have them send officers to ACE Chemicals. There's a possibility Ivy might try to hit it while we're preoccupied," he said.
"On it, Batman. Do you want me to contact JNPR?" she asked. Batman thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Not yet, but be prepared to," he answered. Robin shot his father a look that conveyed he disagreed with that decision, but soon shrugged it off and continued his surveillance. It was then that he caught sight of a woman with red hair wearing a large sunhat. He motioned for his father to join him, and together they watched as the woman clearly avoided any passerby that she could and made her way deeper into the forest. When she thought no one was watching, she went off the dirt path and further into the darker reaches of the park, seemingly straight towards the gathering place Batman had found days before.
"Robin, let's move," Batman said. Robin nodded, then the Dynamic Duo stood up and leaped off of their perch. Spreading their capes out immediately to form gliders, they soared over the park, the moonlight casting a shadow underneath them that none noticed. Their cowls tracked the woman, who by now had discarded her sunhat to unravel her long, flowing red hair. Now, more than ever, they were convinced that this woman was Poison Ivy, and as the woman walked into the structure she was heading towards, Batman and Robin landed on top and quickly found a way inside from the roof.
Without making a sound, the two superheroes crept through an airduct, eventually finding themselves crouching behind a grate as Poison Ivy walked around the compound. There was no one else with her as she shed her clothing to reveal her more traditional attire, one that looked like it was made of leaves and exposed much of her white skin.
"Hmm, this isn't going as I planned," she muttered to herself, pacing back and forth. "That dreadful Batman and his cronies have taken too many of my minions. It'll be much more difficult to take those fiends at ACE Chemicals down now. Should I postpone? Oh, but the plants! I can hear their screams now! Aaagh, what to do?! This monstrous dilemma is tearing me apart!"
As she bellowed dramatically, Robin shot his father a look that screamed his annoyance as well as suspicion. Batman already knew why. Poison Ivy was many things, but overdramatic she was not. Had the illegal dumping by ACE Chemicals affected her that much? She was connected to the Green, so that was a possibility, but something else came to mind instead. As quietly as he could, Batman tapped the side of his cowl, activating his advanced visualization systems, or as Dick liked to call it, 'Detective Vision.' With it, he was able to see the utility pipes and wires that lined the compound, as well as see through his and Robin's suits to reveal an outline of their skeletons. When he looked down at Poison Ivy, however, he found nothing.
Batman clenched his fist in recognition. There was only one person in Gotham he knew that could walk around without a skeleton. Only one person that could make themselves look like someone else entirely. Someone who fancied themselves as an actor and never failed to give theatrical impersonations. Grabbing an ice grenade from his utility belt, he motioned with his head towards Robin, who immediately placed his legs against the grate and prepared to push. A silent count ensued between the two, and once it was done Robin pushed as hard as he could. The grate bent at the point of contact, and after a moment it flew off its hinges and across the room. The apparent Poison Ivy barely had time to look up when an ice grenade embedded itself into her face, warping it as though it were clay and exploding into a cloud of sub-zero mist. Her body shifted and twisted into a monstrous form as she tried to escape, but soon her entire body was completely frozen.
"Clayface," Batman muttered as he and Robin gently descended to the ground level. Indeed, it was obvious now who the person was. The body was stretched and twisted in unnatural ways, and several globs of it laid as shattered frozen chunks on the ground beside them.
"What's Karlo doing working with Poison Ivy?" Robin demanded, looking around the room for any signs of danger. So far, he found none, but the walls were too thick to see outside. Before Batman could answer, the ice encasing Clayface's head shattered, allowing the amorphous fluid to coagulate into the rough shape of a head.
"Well, well, Batman and Robin! We meet again," he greeted with a toothy smile. "To answer your question young ward, Ivy and I are friends. Thick as thieves, as it may be."
"I'm not a ward," Robin petulantly protested, but Batman ignored it to instead walk up to Clayface.
"What are you planning? If you cooperate, it'll make things easier for you," he offered.
"Oh, just a bit of environmental activism," Clayface answered, seemingly not caring that he was captured. "Tell me, was my performance believable? I worked very hard on it."
"It fell apart as soon as you started speaking," Robin answered, annoyance clear in this voice as he crossed his arms.
"Ah, I see," Clayface said, seemingly disappointed in the critique, then it turned into a satisfied smirk. "But, at least it was convincing enough to bring you two here."
"Which begs the question. Why bring us here?" Batman asked. Clayface looked at them, then smiled wickedly.
"Why, to keep you occupied, of course," he revealed. Batman and Robin brought their heads back, then hey heard a loud grinding noise come from the outside of the compound. They turned towards the source, where they saw a large, ominous crack spread from a singular point in all directions.
"Down!" Batman yelled, grabbing onto Robin and zipping both of them away with his grapple gun as the wall exploded outward. Chunks of concrete flew in all directions, a few hitting Batman and Robin as they hid behind a concrete pillar. Only when the commotion died down did they break cover, holding batarangs in their hands, only for a force to pick them up and immobilize them.
"Ah, my comrades!" Clayface called out as a large humanoid shark walked over to him.
"Hold on just a sec," the shark spoke in a deep, guttural voice, lifting Clayface's frozen body over his shoulder before running back through the hole they had just made. "Psycho, you coming?"
"In a moment!" a diminutive man with wild black hair said, holding his hands to his head as he immobilized Batman and Robin with a tight, psychic grip. Once his ally was clear, he shot the heroes a wicked smile, then sent then crashing into the ground before telekinetically grabbing multiple columns and pulling them from their foundations.
"Later, you stupid heroes!" the man yelled as the compound ominously shook. Batman and Robin could only watch as the supervillains ran way, jumping into a van that was parked inside of a padlocked garage. It sped away, but Robin had enough time to throw a tracking device onto its back door before he and Batman ran out of the building. It collapsed behind them, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air and blanketing them in turn.
"Robin, are you alright?" Batman asked, helping his son to his feet.
"I'm fine, father," Robin replied, frowning deeply and looking in the direction the villains drove off in. Batman did as well and brought his fingers to his cowl, only for his radio to crack to life just before he could speak.
Jaune had excused himself to use the restroom, leaving Pyrrha at the table alone. She watched him leave, and couldn't help but notice that Ren had serendipitously gotten up to join him. That couldn't have been a coincidence, which was reinforced when Nora herself got up to join her at the table.
"So, how's it going?" she asked with a hopeful smile.
"It's…" Pyrrha paused, struggling to find an answer, then sighed. Nora's smile shifted into a small frown, and she placed her hand on Pyrrha's to offer comfort.
"That bad, huh?" Nora said, but Pyrrha shook her head fervently.
"No, not at all. Jaune's doing everything perfectly, it's just…" Pyrrha sighed again, and looked at Nora. "Nora, when you went on your date with Ren, can you describe to me what you felt?"
"Oh, uh, of course," Nora replied, not quite expecting the question, and unable to come up with an appropriate answer on the spot. "You know what it feels like for two friends to just hang out? Well, it felt like that but more…magical. Like it was always supposed to happen, it just took a while."
"That sounds right, especially for you two," Pyrrha joked, then frowned and looked down at the table. "But…"
"You're not feeling that, are you?" Nora finished. After a moment, Pyrrha nodded, and Nora nodded back while clasping Pyrrha's hand with both of hers. "Why don't you tell me what went wrong?"
"That's just it. I don't know." She huffed out a breath while playing with her fork, "I'm the one who had a crush on him for the longest time. At least…I think I did. It's not something I've ever felt before, which scared me more than I was willing to admit, even to myself. And I spent so much time worrying and dreaming about it, about this, that now that it's actually happening after building it up so much…!" The redhead upturned her hands helplessly. "Everything seemed like it was going perfectly, but no matter what we talked about or what we did, it didn't feel any different from when we've hung out together before. Even though we were trying to take the next step, it never felt like we were anything more than friends."
"Well, maybe it's just nervousness," Nora offered. "This is the first time either of you have been on a date. If you try again, I'm certain that feeling will go away."
"That's not my biggest concern, Nora," Pyrrha replied, locking her sad green eyes with Nora's concerned light blue. "I'm worried about Jaune."
"What do you mean?" Nora asked, already feeling as though she knew the answer. When Pyrrha sighed and looked towards the bathroom he and Ren went into, Nora followed her gaze.
"I know Jaune. He trusts me with everything, just as I do with him. There is no doubt in my mind that, just like me, he feels like the date isn't going according to plan. More importantly, I know that right now, despite trying as hard as he can, he can't see me as anything more than a friend, and its tearing him apart."
"Right…" Nora silently said, looking at Pyrrha's forlorn expression. She could understand Pyrrha's concern now. In retrospect, it was obvious. Pyrrha always was more concerned with the opinion of others than her own, and that multiplied with the people she considered to be her friends. After a moment, a determined look crossed Nora's face, and she stood up and pulled Pyrrha along with her.
"You know what, how about we get some air and clear our heads? That sound good?" Nora offered. Pyrrha looked at her, then nodded in agreement. Together, they walked out to the balcony, never noticing the pair of eyes that followed them.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!" Jaune berated himself as he grabbed handfuls of his hair and stomped around the bathroom. Ren was right beside him, and any spectators quickly got out of the way while shooting the young boy looks of sympathy and understanding.
"Jaune, calm down," Ren said, resisting the urge to use his Semblance.
"How can I, Ren?! This entire date has been… Gah, why am I so stupid?!" Jaune repeated. Ren frowned, then grabbed his leader and spun him around so that they were face to face.
"Listen to me. I want you to calmly," he insisted, "tell me what is going through your head. You are freaking out, and it's not helping anyone. I'm your friend, you can tell me what's wrong."
"What's wrong?" Jaune began, ready and willing to go into a self-deprecating rant, but Ren's stern look silenced him. He forced himself to take a deep breath, then he looked down and clenched his fist.
"I can't," he admitted.
"You 'can't' what?" Ren asked, and Jaune shot his head back up to look at Ren.
"Pyrrha, she…she wants something more, but I can't make myself feel that way. I've been trying all night, for the past few days even, but nothing's worked!" The restless blonde planted himself at a sink and met his reflection's accusatory eyes, "You're on a date with the girl who saved you from your own stupidity and made your dream come true. She's kind, patient, smart, strong, and the kind of drop dead gorgeous that losers like you could only fantasize about! You couldn't design someone so perfect if you tried, and any red-blooded guy or girl would gladly fight to take your place right now! But after ignoring her feelings for months, you can't even bring up a bit of passion for her? How selfish can you be?!"
Ren shook his head, having already suspected that was the case. Part of him wanted nothing more than to placate Jaune, tell him that he was simply overthinking things and to do what he and Nora did, but he quashed that thought almost immediately. Jaune did not need placation, what he needed was support, and right now he knew that what he and Nora did would not necessarily work for Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Jaune, I'm going to tell you something," Ren started, causing Jaune to turn to his teammate with a look Ren couldn't quite describe. Ren took a deep breath, then said, "It's okay."
"Okay?" Jaune asked, not quite understanding where Ren was coming from, and the Mistralian boy nodded.
"It's okay for you to only see Pyrrha as a friend," he clarified. "I know you've been comparing yourself and Pyrrha with Nora and I, but no two people are ever exactly alike. Nora and I have been together since we were kids. Every single day since Kuroyuri fell, and by the time we were at Beacon, we were family. Us getting 'together-together' ended up becoming natural, but that doesn't mean you have to force yourself to attempt that with Pyrrha. Not when you don't feel the same."
"But Pyrrha's been wanting this for so long. I told you, Ren. Without Pyrrha, I would be nothing. I owe this to her."
"And she would be the first person to tell you that you don't owe her a thing," Ren insisted. "Love isn't a transaction, and trying to force romantic feelings out of a sense of obligation is just a disaster waiting to happen." Jaune moved to protest, but one stern look from Ren forced him to pause and eventually sigh. He covered his face with his hands and leaned against the wall.
"Gods, why is this so hard?" Jaune groaned.
"Matters of the heart always are," Ren sagely replied, leaning next to him. After a few moments of silence, Ren turned his head to Jaune and asked, "Are you going to be okay?"
"Eventually," Jaune answered after a bit of silence. Then he got off the wall and shook his head. "I suppose I should go back out there. I'd be a shitty date to stay cooped up in here, wouldn't I?"
"Not necessarily," Ren suggested as they walked out of the bathroom. "You're nervous, and that's natural. Nora and I were, too."
"Didn't you just say not to compare myself with you or Nora."
"You know what I mean," Ren said with a smile on his face. They chuckled slightly, then they looked towards the table Pyrrha was sitting at, only to find it empty. Nora was nowhere to be seen as well, and they looked around trying to find them.
"Huh, where'd they go?" Jaune asked, trying to find his partner.
"Probably went out to get some air," Ren suggested. Jaune thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"We should probably go join them," Jaune pointed out, preparing to walk towards the balcony where he thought Pyrrha and Nora went to, only to smell a sweet, intoxicating aroma that redirected their attention towards the front of the restaurant. Many of the other patrons, particularly the men, did so as well, and they saw watched as a woman with long red hair and a vibrant green dress confidently strode in. When she noticed Jaune and Ren, she acted as though she was surprised and waved.
"Oh, hello boys! Fancy seeing you here!"
Jaune and Ren were surprised, but before that could give way to recognition and alarm, their lungs filled with the fragrant air. A relaxed sensation coursed through their bodies, and they couldn't help but smile and wave back.
When Nora and Pyrrha returned from the balcony, they immediately noticed that the atmosphere of the restaurant had shifted. A sweet smell covered everything, and much of the conversation that had previously filled the air had fallen silent.
"Where's Jaune and Ren?" Pyrrha asked, immediately on guard. Nora looked around, then spotted the two boys sitting at the bar. To their surprise, a woman with red hair was sitting between them, having a lively conversation about something they couldn't quite hear.
"What is she doing with our men?" Nora asked, clenching her fist in anger. Pyrrha was similarly angered, but forced herself to remain calm and prevent Nora from simply stomping over there.
"Nora, don't," she insisted. "We don't know what's going on."
"Oh, I know exactly what's going on! That lady is trying to steal our dates!" Nora declared, fully ready to start a fight, but once again Pyrrha shook her head and forced Nora to remain on the balcony with her.
"Do you honestly think that Ren and Jaune would do something like that?" she asked.
"No," Nora admitted, then shot a look towards the three and scrunched up her face. "Ugh, that smell. Is that her perfume?"
"Might be," Pyrrha admitted, finding it odd at just how strong it was. In fact, the more she breathed it in, the more intoxicating it became, especially when she looked at the woman who apparently bathed in it. That intoxication immediately went away as Nora took out a bottle of fancy perfume and sprayed herself and Pyrrha for good measure.
"Gagh! Nora, why?!"
"When someone fights dirty, you fight dirty back!" Nora declared, then grabbed Pyrrha's hand and marched both of them over to the bar. The woman seemed to notice their presence and turned around to smile, prompting Jaune and Ren to do the same.
"Pyrrha, Nora, you're back! We were just talking about you two!" Jaune said, his eyes closed and his mouth stretched into a toothy grin. Ren was smiling with his eyes closed as well.
"Is that so?" Pyrrha replied, trying to be as diplomatic as possible. She looked at the woman with a faux smile and offered her hand. "Pyrrha Nikos."
"Nora Valkyrie. I'm Ren's girlfriend," Nora declared, not extending her limb towards the woman.
"My, the jealous type, aren't we? Don't worry, I have no untoward intentions towards your boyfriends here. They are far too young for my tastes," she admitted, shaking Pyrrha's hand. "The name's Pam. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Indeed," Pyrrha said. "May I ask how you know Jaune and Ren?"
"Oh, I'd say 'know' is too strong of a word. We ran into each other earlier today in front of a flower shop. Quite literally, actually. They walked in front of the door as I just walked out of it, and I was knocked straight onto the ground." She chuckled at the memory, as did Jaune and Ren.
"She's actually quite nice," Jaune insisted, his eyes still closed. Pyrrha couldn't help but eye him strangely, especially as the intoxicating aroma appeared to intensify. Luckily, Nora's strong perfume overpowered it, allowing her to remain focused.
"Pam was actually asking if we could help her with some heavy moving tonight," Ren revealed, eyes still closed. "We told her we all might be able to help."
Nora frowned, clearly not trusting the woman, yet at the same time she couldn't help but notice the subtle shift in the atmosphere around them. All of the men now, and many of the women, were staring at Pam with complete, almost lustful fixation. The girls who were unaffected were off put, many openly upset, and Nora couldn't help but feel a strange tingle in the back of her head. Ren often had a similar feeling, which normally came when they were in danger, and so she activated her Aura as a precaution. Pyrrha did the same.
"I'm sorry, but tonight's not a good night. We have plans," Pyrrha insisted, grabbing Jaune by the shoulder as Nora did the same to Ren. A frown fell upon Pam's face, as did Jaune and Ren.
"Oh, that's disappointing," Pam said, grabbing a wine glass and swishing its contents around. "But, I'm afraid I really do need that help, and since Jaune and Ren oh so kindly volunteered themselves, I'll be gladly taking them up on their offer."
Nora and Pyrrha were openly alarmed now, especially when they saw the shift in their teammates' faces. Pyrrha prepared to protest, which was when she saw a subtle movement in the potted plants next to them. Nora did as well, and with eyes starting to widen, she turned her attention to look at Pam.
"Tell me," Nora started, inching her hand towards her side to reach her scroll and activating the panic button. "Pam's a very interesting name. Is it short for anything?"
Pam seemed to catch onto her meaning immediately, and smiled in a way that didn't seem friendly at all.
"As a matter of fact, it is," Pam answered, standing up and revealing her full height to be between Pyrrha's and Nora's. "It's short for Pamela."
"Pamela," Pyrrha repeated. "As in Pamela Isly."
The woman's smile widened, confirming what they feared. It was then that Jaune and Ren opened their eyes, but instead of their characteristic magenta and blue, they were both a vibrant green. Nora and Pyrrha looked at their friends in horror, then turned to Pamela in a rage before they each felt something slam into their guts. The air was knocked out of their lungs and they doubled over, and when they looked up they saw Jaune and Ren looking down on them with expressionless faces.
"Ren, what are you-?" Nora asked, not understanding what was going on when Ren followed up his assault with a double-handed slam onto her back. Jaune did the same, and the force was strong enough to crack the tile floor in a spiderweb pattern. Before they could react, the boys picked their dates up overhead and threw them across the restaurant, shattering whatever spell the rest of the patrons were under and sending them screaming and running for cover. Nora and Pyrrha themselves flew through a wooden column, shattering it into splinters as they rolled onto the ground. They were able to recover however, but before they could even think about rushing towards the supervillain, thick vines shot out from all over the restaurant, bursting through windows and doorways to restrain the Huntresses despite their best efforts.
"Let them go!" Pyrrha screamed, thrashing about to try and break free. Poison Ivy, however, merely chuckled and walked towards them, sashaying her hips from side to side as she shed her dress to display a much more revealing outfit that was made entirely out of plants.
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that," Poison Ivy insisted, patting Pyrrha and Nora on the cheek mockingly. "Not yet, at least. Don't worry, though. I'll return them to you once I'm done."
"No you won't!" Nora protested, straining her body against the vines in a desperate attempt to break free. Poison Ivy merely laughed and shook her head.
"Oh, how I wish I could've gotten you two as well. But, we can't always get what we want." Poison Ivy sighed, then walked over to the hypnotized Jaune and Ren and ran her fingers seductively across their chins. "Come on, boys. We've got a job to do."
"Yes, ma'am," Jaune and Ren both said at the same time. Rather than walk out, a large plant burst through the walls of the restaurant, extending a platform of leaves and branches for the trio to step onto. Then it moved according to Ivy's will, talking the male half of JNPR with them.
"No!" Pyrrha and Nora yelled. They looked around, trying to find a way to break free when the patrons that were left started running. If any noticed the girls' predicament, they didn't care to stop and help as they were far more focused on getting to safety. Soon they were left alone, struggling to free themselves against an iron grip.
"Come on, she's getting away!" Nora yelled, trying to break free through brute strength alone. Pyrrha tried as well, but quickly noticed that wasn't working. Instead, she looked around for something to use, then she saw the knives still set on the tables around her. An idea popped into her head, and she focused on the knife that she was using before. A black glow covered it and carried the knife upward. She aimed its blade towards the vines, then shot it forward as fast as she could while reinforcing the metal with her Aura. The blade tore through a section of the vines, loosening their grip enough for Pyrrha to wiggle and use her natural strength more effectively. Her face turning red from the strain, she forced the vines apart and eventually shredded them, dropping her to the ground with a loud thud.
"Good job, Pyrrha! Now, get me outta here!" Nora demanded. Pyrrha looked at her teammate and nodded, then touched a few knives and sent them into the vines holding Nora captive. With the bonds loosened, she was able to free herself and landed on the tile floor on her feet. For a split second they looked at each other then the hole Poison Ivy had made in her getaway, then they took off as fast as they could through it.
"Where is she?!" Pyrrha asked, swiveling her head around to try and find them. She quickly found the remains of Ivy's manipulated tree, hunched over the street like an arch and leading into Robinson Park. For a moment, they considered running across it, only to spot a van speeding away down the street, far too fast for them to even consider catching up.
"No, no, no!" Nora shouted, breathing hysterically. Then they heard a few sirens coming their way, which snapped them back into focus. With the most determined looks they could muster, they jumped across a gap and onto the fire escape of an apartment complex next to them, and they scaled the metal structure until they were on the roof.
"Nora, contact the Batcave and get our gear!" Pyrrha ordered while she herself grabbed her scroll and began to dial Batman's comms. Immediately the Dark Knight answered, but before he could even saw a word, Pyrrha was already yelling into the device.
"She took them!" Pyrrha yelled hysterically. "Poison Ivy took Jaune and Ren!"
[~][~]
Hello, everyone. Hello, everyone. Here is the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice. Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for all their help in bringing this chapter to life.
As you can see, things in Gotham did not go according to plan, both with the date itself, and more importantly, Poison Ivy. Now, I want to take a moment to talk about the date itself. I know some of you will be disappointed, but I ask that you give us the opportunity to show our reasoning in the story itself. I really don't want to see a ship war break out. Just know that we thought long and hard about this decision, and in the end, although we all love Arkos, we felt that Hunters of Justice benefited as a whole as it gave us more room to take the characters down paths that would otherwise be closed.
Now, for the !&A:
Guest (1): Thank you!
shadowwolf20: You will have to wait and see on that front.
Guest (2): That is the plan, yes. If we can come up with a good story for it, we want to do one story arc for each of the Founders. That includes Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.
Semi-neutral Nixon: Yes. In all seriousness, the Suicide Squad were planting comm buoys as they went further into the city which allowed them to communicate with her. I was unable to show it in the chapter, unfortunately, due to pacing.
Vein Bloodborne: Yeah, unfortunately I wasn't able to find a place in the chapter's flow to bring it out. I aim to do so in the future, however.
gordhanx: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Having RWBY interact with the Suicide Squad was a treat for me as well, and the fight against Lady Shiva was a blast to do. As for what happened with JNPR, this chapter starts to show what happened. As you can tell, not anything good.
Chaldea: You'll have to wait and see. Same with Darkseid.
Mol2311: To answer your questions, no RWBY and JNPR are not forming Young Justice. Neither do Green Arrow and Black Canary have a kid at this time.
Jackalope89: And yet, there's apparently a salad named after her. And before you guys ask, no I did not make Bat Burger up. That's actually a thing in the comics, look it up.
Guest (3): Karate Kid has not been born yet, as he's in the time of the Legion of Superheroes, with is the 30th and 31st Centuries. Right now, it's the 21st Century.
Hey It's That Guy: This group isn't really the Legion of Doom. What, exactly, it is will be revealed in due time. As for Damian and Ruby, you'll have to wait and see how that turns out.
darkvampirekisses: There's a reason why everyone calls her The Bitch.
Steelrain66: Yep, it was intentional. And I'm glad that you liked the chapter, it was a lot of fun to write. As for the JNPR date, you were right on the money. It got crashed by Poison Ivy.
Knight of Fate: Trust me, you'll feel sorry for everyone involved.
edinosaur25: I intend to showcase as many members of the Justice League as possible, not just the Founders. Obviously they'll have the bulk of the focus, but there's an entire universe of people at my disposal. I'm not just going to focus on a few.
captaindickscratcher: That was intentional, and I'm glad you picked up on it.
qazse: We'll be delving back into Remnant fairly soon. Expect one or two scenes per arc.
Pyeknu: That's kind of the thing with Amanda Waller and what makes her so dangerous. She's adaptable and not stupid, and has an entire country's worth of resources to call upon. All in the name of what she feels is in America's interests, for good or ill. That is what makes her a terrific villain, in my opinion, as she represents everyone wrong with government yet does it in a way that produces results. Expect to see more of her in the future.
trickster3696: Yep, Shiva poked all of Yang's buttons.
D. : I viewed it as being similar to the Grimm that Port captured back in Volume 1. You can hold them, but trying to study them or leaving them in there for too long leads to them committing suicide.
That's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoy it and let us know what you all think. See you all next time.