Summary: Summary: Alice, agent of shadows, credited with dozens of assassinations, stolen intel and artifacts. No one ever saw her, or her partner Cheshire. But the Justice League received a tip to capture-rescue them, leading them to a child by the name of Artemis who doesn't exist and is heir apparent to the shadows. They offer her something she's never had, a chance to choose her own destiny.
Chapter One
"I cannot enter her mind without causing damage to her," stated the Martian, his tone never changing.
Martian Manhunter, informally known as J'onn J'onzz, could enter a person's mind if he wished at any given time. Only few have ever been able to resist his ability, but eventually they would always break under the invasion. Yet for some reason he didn't know, he could not enter the mind of the young girl sitting in the interrogation room behind the thick one way glass. While this may not have been the first time he had encountered someone who was resistant to his telepathy, it was the first time a human had been able to do so for as long as this child had.
"And you've tried everything," questioned the Batman, his focus on the girl behind the glass.
It had only been two hours since she had woken up after being treated for her injuries. Less than twelve hours since she was taken into the custody of Justice League. However as far as the dark knight was concerned, too much time had been wasted already. Even though part of their mission objective had been completed due to her capture, new intel showed them she had vital information they needed to obtain. What exactly that information was beyond even Batman, he only knew of it's importance and the necessity to get it as soon as possible. Though Superman suggested the information could wait since they had her in custody now and there was no way she could reveal the information to the organization she was with, Batman didn't want to take any chances. And no one could fault him for that.
J'onn nodded, "I have tried all the methods I know. However, the last method I tried allowed me to briefly see her most recent memory of coming into the cell, only for the connection to be severed, the connection causing her pain receptors to spike. Unless there is truly no other way, I can't in good conscience dive deeper."
Batman acknowledged the Martian with a barely noticeable nod, "Our scans showed nothing out of the ordinary in her physiology, she is a typical human girl. The only exception to that is here being no record of her in any database we could access."
"You mean to say we are in the company of someone who does not exist," questioned the Martian, one brow raised.
While he knew of less than a handful of aliens that could either resist the Martians mental invasion or not be invaded at all, humans were not on such a list. So the fact that this girl had a mental shield while being, for all intents and purposes, human concerned the Batman. Not to mention the fact that she does not exist in any system. No DNA matches, fingerprints, blood or facial recognition could name her. When that bit of information on the girl had been told to him, he had been hesitant to believe it to be true. Any identity could be recovered after deletion, he always found a way, but it was as if no documentation on her had ever been created. As if one day she appeared.
How true such a thought was, he didn't know. Cadmus had been dealing with cloning before and a part of him suspected this girl could have been the result of such experiments, there was nothing his intel could give him on the matter to prove such a theory. In the brief silence, he studied the girl further. Based on the completed scans and observations, they put her at around twelve years old, no older than thirteen. Only a few short years older than Robin. Her head was tilted back, her eyes focused on the lights above her though it was possible she wasn't quite there. Just lost in thought instead.
Her blonde hair, still covered in soot from the explosions, hung loosely over her eyes and around her shoulders in a tattered mess. When she was brought here, she wore a cerulean blue eye mask with white lace on the ends. With the mask removed, her entire face was believed himself an expert at reading people's body language, but she was doing a remarkable job hiding what she was feeling and thinking from him. All he could truly gather was she was bored and perhaps uncomfortable, but otherwise there was nothing for him to go off of.
The girl brought her head down a moment later, her sharp grey eyes stared at the one sided glass, but she made eye contact with the Batman. She was far from afraid, that much Batman could tell. If he wanted her to talk, he was going to have to show her that the Justice league was her best option. And perhaps, he would have to make her very afraid of the circumstances she was in.
"I'm going to speak with her," Batman said plainly as he walked to the side.
Martian Manhunter spoke, halting the bat from entering the room, "I know there is information she can provide for us and that she is an assassin, but remember, though I may not be able to read her mind, I can tell she's young. A child."
Batman didn't say anything to that. He was aware of the situation at hand, that this assassin identified as Alice was not a young adult like they originally believed, but a prepubescent girl. The carnage she left behind her was not something anyone would have expected a child to be responsible for. It made the circumstances all the more disturbing. He opened the door, the hissing sound filling the once silent room.
As he walked inside, his steps making no sound, she lazily followed his movements with a disinterested expression. He didn't take a seat across from her, instead he remained standing, towering over her, but she wasn't intimidated. In fact, he got a response, though not verbal. 'Alice' sat up straighter in her seat, expression passive as she leaned forward, almost in a challenge. The silence stretched and just as Batman hoped, she was the one to break it.
"Aren't you the designated interrogator? Why send in the notorious Boy Scout first then the mind reader," questioned the girl, head still tilted, "I guess if you are the hardest hitter, must be best for last."
She was trying to act careless, but Batman could see it was forced. He had seen a similar tactic used countless times before, only this was slightly different. It reminded him of an encounter he had with those in the League of Assassins, but not nearly as perfected. She may not have appeared scared as far as the Bat could tell, but he knew she was going to unravel. Batman didn't dignify her with an answer to either question. He knew Superman wouldn't get her to crack, but the Kryptonian insisted on trying a friendly approach considering the girl was so young.
"You haven't done anything since we placed you here," he said in a monotone and dark voice, "You escaped your cuffs minutes after they were placed on you, yet you made no move to leave while alone and none of us within your path. You had seventeen opportunities, but took none."
The girl's brow furrowed for a moment, he could see some surprise in her eyes. That left him with two conclusions to draw from, either she had been aware of each opportunity of escape and chose not to use it or she wasn't as observant as he thought and she didn't know of so many chances she let pass. He learned the first idea. A moment later, her features were back looking disinterested. Haphazardly, she lifted her arms until her hands were resting on the table, the magnetic cuffs in one hand and a… hairpin in the other. He hadn't realized she had a hairpin, the scanners would need to do a better job at picking up small items like that.
"Maybe I'm waiting for the right moment to leave," said the girl, he didn't want to refer to her as Alice in his mind, "or i'm curious about the superheroes club and want to see what you'll do."
"Unlikely, you are still here for a reason," replied Batman, his tone never changing.
The girl narrowed her eyes, "I'm here because you caught me."
"No, you're here because your partner, Cheshire, left you behind," Batman stated matter of factly. There was a flicker of something on the girl's face, it was gone too quickly for the Batman to identify exactly what it was, but he knew he hit a nerve. "She left you behind and I highly doubt the League of Shadows will come for you, it goes against their policy of 'every man for himself'."
Her expression twisted for a moment, she fought a wince, but then it was replaced with a look of she knew something he didn't. Her body language also shifted, a cross between nervous and smug. Whatever thoughts were going through her mind seemed to be something important that he needed to be aware of. The roles of Alice and Cheshire in the League of Shadows were not well known, only that they were the best assassins they had and clearly trained with the League of Assassins, confirming the link between the two organizations.
"I won't betray the shadows," answered the girl.
"Out of loyalty or fear," Batman asked, his eyes never leaving hers, "I'm going to offer you a deal. If you tell us everything we want to know, we will provide protection for you from the Shadows."
A look of incredulity went on her face at those words, "And what makes you think I need protection from them? If anything, you're going to need protection when they realize what you've done."
"And what exactly have I done," Batman questioned, leaning forward ever so slightly.
The girl flickered her gaze up and down at him, weighing her options on whether or not she should share the line of thoughts she currently had. Batman considered this a slight win on his part as it told him that perhaps her importance to the organization was not just some assassin. While he had drawn that conclusion based on how young she was, he wondered just how true the idea was. She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced away from him, she no longer looked disinterested, but she did appear uncomfortable. The body language and expression reminded him of the woman who claimed to be her mother. Those actions were the same ones she had done to him that night.
"You're supposed to be the world's greatest detective," she said after a pregnant pause, her voice a little raspier than before. "Figure it out yourself."
Batman spoke, ignoring her comments. "Why would the League of Shadows come for you? Or do you mean to say they would seek revenge on the League for your demise in the explosion?"
She turned her head to face him, she didn't say anything, but he had seen this expression before on many others in the past. Being in this business, he could see the same eyes in many people. And in her eyes, she was trying to tell him something without having to use any words. As he studied her a moment longer, he considered all he knew about the Shadows and how they were never ones to support one another, only ever supporting a cause. Serving something he had yet to discover. Though now he had to wonder if perhaps they did serve something, or better yet someone and if this girl was connected to that in some way. To his surprise, she smiled at him, only it wasn't a kind one.
"If you don't know who I am, then you don't realize how much trouble you'll be in," she said to him, a chuckle bubbling in her throat.
"You're Alice, an assassin under the League of Shadows, partnered with Cheshire," Batman stated, he knew who she was in one sense. "Responsible for dozens for murders across the globe with a specialization in stealing the most secure of intel."
Her smile didn't falter. "Wow, what gave that away? I meant you don't know who I am to the Shadows and I find that funny."
Batman considered his next words carefully, wondering what angle he should take in order to get what he needed from the girl and to make her understand. There was a reason he along with Superman and Wonder Woman had captured her, it hadn't merely been a chance of fate or coincidence. The League had their own missions to operate by, but that didn't mean others couldn't commission them to do other objectives. This girl, dubbed Alice by the intelligence world, was one such objective.
The rain was pouring down relentlessly, if not for the material his suit and cloak were made of, he no doubt would have been soaked to the bone at this point. However the one across from him was not so lucky to avoid being drenched by the heavy rainfall. A woman, leaning heavily against the Bat signal, still dressed in the thin orange prison jumpsuit that was now darker in color met his gaze. When he had seen his signal in the sky, he had believed it to be Sheriff Gordon contacting him, however upon passing said officer on the way over, he had been confused.
"Huntress," Batman greeted as he approached her. "If you wanted to escape prison, coming here was the last place you should have come. Not to mention, this will ruin the good behavior streak you had and your track to get out early."
Huntress stared at him, even in the awkward lighting in this place, he could see her brown eyes were redder than normal. He wondered if the rain was hiding any tears, whether from injury or some other ailment, he couldn't be sure. The woman had been paralyzed before she had been brought to prison, her days of criminal activity cut short.
"It was the only way to get your attention," she said breathily as she forced herself to stand straighter, but he could see it was her arms doing all of the work. "I need your help. My daughters need your help."
"Your relationship to the Shadows, it goes deep in your veins due to familial relations," Batman said plainly. "I take it you're loyal to them instead of the Shadows themselves."
Her smile faded away at that, her interest piqued. "Oh?"
Batman straightened, "Do you know why you were brought here?"
"Are you kidding me," she asked agitated. "You caught me and I'm in an interrogation room, I'm here for you to question me. You captured me!"
Emotional response, that was good for Batman, it meant he was getting somewhere with her. "We rescued you at the request of someone you know."
A flurry of emotions went across the girl's face, now looking more like the child she was instead of the assassin she was raised to be. No matter the perpetrator, there was always a crack in whatever facade they had been given. It seemed to him that this girl had been the information he had on someone close to her. It took a few seconds before she could school her features back to something akin to passive, but in truth, that wasn't the case. Her breathing was elevated, her eyes held a frantic and almost pained look to them.
"That's impossible. No one could have known Cheshire and I needed a rescue from that explosion, why would anyone in the Shadows have sent you? You're lying," she said to him, sounding frustrated.
Batman leaned back slightly. "I never said the person was in the Shadows. Only that they were someone you knew. Do you only know people in the League of Shadows?"
The girl stared at him for a moment, he could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to figure out who would have asked the Batman or the Justice League at all to get her and frame it as a rescue when it really seemed more like a hostage scenario. However, her eyes lit up for a moment and she jumped to her feet sharply, as if her emotions had given her a jumpstart.
"Huntress," she breathed out, her eyes shining. "You-You've spoken with her? Is she the one who sent you? How could you have- when could she, there's no way."
Batman nodded once. "Are you ready to listen to more of what I have to say?"
The girl stared up at him, several emotions on display on her face and he had trouble deciphering what she was feeling most strongly in this moment. Surprise or disbelief seemed to be the ones he guessed she had to be feeling the most of. In his discussion with Huntress, he had learned she hadn't had any contact with her children since being imprisoned years ago. He wondered how old the child in front of him must have been when her mother went away. Neither occupant said a word, only the sound of the girl's labored breathing filled the silence between them.
The girl looked down at the table, one of her hands clenched into a fists as her breathing shifted from heavy to slightly ragged. A part of him considered saying something more, but he decided to see what she would do. And in a few seconds, he received his answer. In a speed that shouldn't have been possible for her, she launched herself at him. Batman dodged her attack, spinning slightly on his heels as she landed roughly on the ground in front of the one way glass.
Without hesitating, she charged at him again, her fists flying and him dodging each of her attacks with only some difficulty. Her small size made it harder for him to track her movements as he had to do more in order to see which directions she was going and thus far, he couldn't find any weakness in her offense. However in contrast to the brief fight he had with her earlier before the fire, he noticed her movements were more erratic and unfocused. Right now she fought blindly.
"You haven't spoken with her," she shouted at him when she managed to kick his stomach. "There's no way! My mom's gone!"
She ducked around him, fully intending to climb onto his back and wrap around him, but he knew that move. It'd been done on him years ago by someone in the League of Assassins, so he was ready for the attack. With relative ease, he caught hold of her as she made her way on top of him and flipped her over onto the interrogation table. Not terribly hard, but enough to knock the wind out of her. Though she didn't remain there for long, in a blink of an eye, she was on her feet again, fists raised.
"She was the one who requested my and the Justice League's help in rescuing her daughters. We only managed to get one of you in custody," Batman told her plainly.
She clenched her fists tighter, shaking her head letting her loose blonde trends shake and ash to fall around her shoulders.
"I'll let you think some more about what I have told you," Batman said as he walked past her towards the door. "I will be back in an hour."
Not saying anything, not moving from her spot on the table, she watched him leave. When the door hissed closed, she collapsed onto her knees as the ache in her chest grew and the soreness of ribs intensified due to the strain she just pushed them to. But that didn't matter to her right then. What mattered was that Batman said her mom had sent him and the rest of his super hero friends to get her and her sister. If that was true… she reached up to touch the necklace her mother gave her years ago, but her hand only touched skin as the necklace was lost in the explosion. A heavy sigh left her as she recalled the words of her mother years ago, the last time she saw her.
Artemis struggled against the death grip her father had on her arm, tugging with every bit of strength she had in her small body. At five years old, her training had begun with full force, but she couldn't call upon any of it as she was too distraught at the sight of her injured and blood soaked mom being taken away. With her free hand, she reached forward, crying out for the woman to hear her, to fight off the assailants. Sportsmaster's grip tightened around her arm, no doubt a bruise would form when he did finally let go of her.
Artemis continued to tug, out of the corner of her eye, she could see her sister in a similar position of trying to get to their mother. Their dad had his arm wrapped around her midsection, but she squirmed with everything she had, trying to break free. It seems her training wasn't being fully used either, both girls still young and too shaken by the sight in front of them to properly fight. Still they struggled against his hold, but it was no use, he was so much larger than the two of them, so much stronger and more powerful.
Jade let out a frustrated growl, "Let go of me!" She kicked her legs. "Let go! Mom! Fight back, fight!"
Hot tears fell down Artemis' red face. "Mama! Please, don't go!"
Their mother, the Huntress, was held back by the assailants and even though she was fighting against them with all she had, but she was injured, her legs numb.
"I won't leave you," their mom shouted. "I will send someone to you, I promise!"
And then she was gone, never to be seen by either daughter again.
She raked her fingers through her hair as she whispered to herself, "Mẹ, mẹ đã làm gì vậy?"
Vietnamese translation: mama, what have you done?
