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Legal disclaimer: I tend to liberally "borrow" character profiles and art from the Earth-27 wikia created by Roy Westerman with art principally coming from digital artist Phil Cho (but not this time). Other creators and artists are found there as well and I will specifically list any creations with creator citations as I utilize them. In short, this the single most comprehensive retelling of all things DC and beyond I have encountered. In short, it's worth your time to explore.
That having been said, the properties, and their variations belong to DC and its parent, AT&T, with notable exceptions. More on that in the epilogue. I do not own DC characters or their interpretations and reimaginings. My own characters are implied Public Domain since I have not included a copyright notice as required by the 1974 revisions of the copyright statutes and regulations. While an intellectual copyright is implied without the due symbols and language, all such considerations are voided under CC-BY-SA unless duly noted otherwise
Proper Open Source attributions occur after the Epilogue.
After the Outlaws scattered to insure Homeland Security wasn't trailing every vehicle they each undertook a predetermined route to Starling City. Withe team members with the most direct route estimated to arrive at their new safe house headquarters within four days. Oracle and Jason Todd had been selected for the American Southwest lane of travel. Mainly because Oracle had rigged the selection process so that they received the route she wanted.
And that route took them to Las Vegas. The idea behind the dispersal had also been to give Outlaws agents some days off. Oracle wanted to spend them in the entertainment capital between them and their destination. And staying out of the hotel-resorts on the Strip made sense given Jason's facial scarring. It wasn't everyone that had a face full of cut scars and a "J" branded into their cheek. Not to mention his distinctive white streak of hair stretching down over his forehead into his eyes. Nyssa shared that same streak as a result of her repeated exposures to Lazarus Pits. And now her wife, Dinah Laurel Drake Lance, or the Black Canary, shared it as well now that she'd grown her hair out and cut off the bleached portions.
Oracle booked them into the Marriott, mostly owing to her limitations. They had two fully realized handicapped accommodating suites. And after Nyssa Raatko had spoiled Oracle with the adaptations in their safe houses, and the modified van she was driving, Oracle wouldn't go back to living in squalor in an aircraft hangar. Oracle had never how much easier life as a paraplegic could be with support.
While there wasn't much to done with Jason's face, Oracle could make a number of cosmetic alterations, as she habitually did so while traveling. First was taking her usual ponytail driven hairstyle and test driving alternatives and a few highlights. She carried six pairs of eyeglasses with all with the same prescription. So she doffed her customary pair and chose a fresh look. The ones she'd dubbed the "board room".
"So do you like how I look now better than before?" she slyly asked.
"I love you. The real you. The externals don't matter," Jason pledged.
"Smooth, Todd. You're sure you've never been in a real relationship?" Oracle appreciated his cleverness. That and he was being sincere. But she wasn't an idiot. His eyes, facial reactions, and other...body part interests showed her how he was into her looks as well. Just as much now as before she applied the changes. So she let him off the hook.
Later, room service delivered dinner to their ground floor suite. Jason had chosen the menu and Oracle was delighted by the variety of spices and nuances of delectable flavors. But she one nagging question to be asked.
"Do we have a future? Or even the hope of one?" Oracle hated to inquire. She didn't want to be that girl. But here it was.
"You know the endgame of our little endeavor," Jason sighed, "If we can make past that, I have a quiet little island picked out to spend the rest of forever with you, if you'll come with me."
"And this island is wheelchair accessible?" she gave him a cross look.
"I spent six months in a chair on the island, so I'm guessing it still is," Jason calmly replied.
"Oh!" Oracle gasped.
"It's called Lian Yu. It's Chinese for Purgatory. The Japanese used it for developing the mirakuru serum the US Army injected Slade Wilson with. The Chinese used it as a prison before ceding it over to the League of Assassins to use as a private rehab. Nyssa gave it to me in exchange for creating the Outlaws and what we're ultimately intended to do," Jason explained.
"You've said before the Outlaws were entirely your idea," Oracle challenged him.
"And they are. But all of this support comes with a price. A price you readily agreed to," Jason dolefully reminded her.
"I did. But never thought I'd have a chance at a life again," Oracle reached for his hand and was grateful when he met her halfway, "I never thought there could an 'us' with anyone. Ever."
"Neither did I. And we fenced around for so long. It's weird that investigating the Religion of Crime's incest sex cult was what finally made us drop our guards," Jason admitted.
"And our sex was, and is still, mind blowing.. I thought those parts would be dead weight. But, my God, you have a talent for cunnilingus. I mean, Jesus, the other day you made me cum seven times. I don't think I would've survived an eighth orgasm," Oracle still felt flustered at the memory. And things inside of her began to coil up like a spring seeking release, "And I know how limited things are with what I can do."
Jason slid back and rose to his feet and crossed the inches of distance between them to kneel and kiss her. It wasn't a torrid kiss like some of theirs, full of want and desire. But this an expression of love. A self sacrificing kind. And Oracle understood that there were no demands, just acceptance.
She pulled him even closer if were physically possible and rested her head on his shoulder, "Li's a problem."
Li was the adult Lian Harper of Earth-4. A post-apocalyptic world where Li's Red Hood was partnered with the Arkham Knight in every conceivable sense of the word. Red Hood had been chosen to survive the antimatter wave that consumed the Earth-4 universe. Her Jason Todd hadn't been. Li found their relationship maddening. Not only because it deprived her of Jason's affections but her rival was a cripple. A voice in everyone's ear rather than in the field with the Outlaws.
"Just because we don't react to her expressions, she thinks she's getting away with it. And I think I should be afraid for my life," Oracle fretted.
"She needs a reminder of what will happen to any Outlaw gone rogue on their teammates. And you are the most vital member of the team," Jason promised, "With you as are eyes and ears, we don't go in to anything blind. And that means more of us will stay alive for longer."
"Damn, you've already got me," Oracle was threatened t be overwhelmed.
"I'm not laying it on. You are the single best thing to happen to our group. Beryl was right about you and I'll always be grateful for the introduction," Jason conmfessed.
"Yeah, I was the token hostage," Oracle complained.
"And the toughest one in the building," Jason assured her.
"Stand up so I can elbow you in the balls," Oracle retorted.
"God, I love you," he remained where he was at just in case.
"If I'd known violence makes you romantic I would've threatened you as soon as you took off that armor the day you rescued me," Oracle admitted.
"I had a lot of help," Jason modestly said.
"To be rude, only you mattered to me," Oracle revealed.
"And I wasn't going to let anything happen to you," Jason shared.
"I know," Oracle said with supreme confidence, "And then I slowly learned you have as much baggage as me. And you were getting through it so I knew I still could keep going."
"You realize I'm not a paragon of virtue to follow?" Jason asked.
"No, but you're the man I can love," Oracle stated.
Jason scooped her out of her chair and she laughed, "Put me down, you maniac."
He got to the bedroom and dropped her on the bed. Taking the hint, she began to disrobe while he did as well. He helped pull off the last items and staged her so he could lean over her to kiss her. And after expressing fierceness and tenderness, he repositioned her and began ministering to her.
"Oh God, yes. Don't stop until I scream," Oracle demanded while she could still speak.
Las Vegas' own superheroes met in a discreet alley guaranteed to Blackjack to be free of interference by no fewer than four mafia bosses. While he cooperated with the Intergang defectors, the casino owners, and the police, his counterpart, Black Jaq, didn't. Her crusade was carelessly independent. She frequently disappeared after beatings, knife and bullet wounds, as well as the occasional broken bone. The meeting had been called by Black Jaq.
"I see you heard as well," Blackjack was feeling mildly humorous.
"Except I had to beat it out of low level contacts rather than get it spoon fed to me," Black Jaq sneered.
"My methods work, Jacqueline. Arguably better than yours," Blackjack critiqued her.
"Don't give me that bullshit, Rex. We both know your head is so far up the casino owners' association's ass that you can't see the shit you're snorting," Black Jaq snapped.
"And you don't accomplish anything," Blackjack was irritated, "I at least reached out to two potential allies. Batman responded and in on his way with a team. My second feeler may or may not yield a result."
"Well dumb ass, I contacted the Justice League since they had a team in Los Angeles fixing that Majestic and so-called 'Superman' mess," Black Jaq revealed and gave the time and place of the rendezvous.
"That's in a few minutes. I need to get my informant there in time," Blackjack complained.
"And who is that?" she asked snidely.
"Cluemaster," Blackjack chose to finally share. And what better informant to derail an operation by the Legion of Annoyance? And given the Outlaws' success against them, Blackjack desperately hoped they could spare at least one agent.
"I've always wanted to visit Vegas," Trajectory confessed. But since Eliza Harmon had spent the last year in the Speed Force, she'd be happy to visit anywhere.
"I've wanted to compare it to Atlantic City," General Glory admitted.
"You'll both be disappointed by this trip," Superwoman warned them.
"Lana, be kind," Superwoman scolded her fellow Superwoman.
"That was kind, Lois," Superwoman scolded back.
Frankly having two women with completely different powers from a different Earth both called Superwoman confused the piss out of Trajectory. And add to it, they were Lois Lane and Lana Lang. Arguably the most important women in Superman's life. Or, Lord Superman in their case. Relationships that became abusive. Driving both women to undergo Mercy Graves' Everyman Project experiments to give them Kryptonian powers.
Lois received the traditional Kryptonian gifts under a yellow sun. Lana received untapped and completely unknown solar powers with a much milder expression of strength and invulnerability. For Trajectory it was comparable to their having had three Flashes at the same time. There were still two in this mortal coil and Trajectory was now privy to the ultimate fate of the second Flash, Barry Allen.
Before her "death" Jay Garrick and Wally West had mentored Trajectory. Max Mercury had also played in her education as well as Jesse Quick. Jesse Chambers had retired tio start a family with Rick Tyler. Max had also retired but now served as a faculty member for Young Justice. Which held four speedsters as members. A Kid Flash, a Miss Quick, Kid Mercury, and Blue Streak all trained with and under both the Justice Society and the newly created Outsiders. Trajectory couldn't wait to meet them all.
"Extra help is coming and meals and lodgings will be provided," Blackjack even surprised his counterpart with that new. "If we get to airport we should preempt our new allies."
Black Jaq gave him the stink eye.
Prior to the "merger" between Wayne Enterprises and Powers Tech, The Wayne board cut and slashed Wayne Enterprises down to just Wayne-Power Tech, Wayne Aviation had produced a supersonic transport for Batman, Inc. Batman had "liberated" the plane before Derek Powers could seize it. Too large to fit in the Batcave, the BatTrans and Batwing were now stored in the middle of New Jersey pasture land.
Jaina Hudson accompanied Batman on this endeavor and she and White Rabbit had offered Jaina's estate in Vegas to use as a base of operations. Included the group were the new Nightwing and Catwoman. Dick Grayson had personally vouched for Stephanie Brown's ability to take on the identity. Selina Kyle had made the same assurances regarding Holly Robinson.
"I don't know why everyone insisted we bring the Falcone girl," Batman still viewed Kitrina as the street avenging vigilante called Kittyhawk. Now, as Catgirl, she was a wildcard under the influence of a major instability. But Holly wasn't the greatest threat. Marian Drews, the Hellequin from Earth-2 easily qualified to fit that role.
"And bringing Hellequin along is just inherently dangerous. To us and the Legion of Annoyance," Batman predicted.
"What brought you out of the cave. Bruce? You've given up on battling super villains," Jaina asked. She could hear White Rabbit inside her mind echoing the same sentiment.
"You know why," Batman tersely responded.
"Tosh, you're just mad that everyone but Nightwing knew youur secret identity...including Marian," Jaina scolded him, "You made it plain you don't care about your heart condition and want to die in the glorious struggle as Batman."
"There was never going to be an 'us'," Batman tried to wound her.
"I'm sure you say the same thing to Selina and Talia," Jaina remarked, "You knocked her up and you effed White Rabbit and I together like a mad buddy. Having us together made your lustful little heart beat even faster. But when we got serious, you threw us away just as you did poor Selina. Now you've disowned your whelp before it's even born. Just like Damien."
"Talia lied," Batman snarled.
"To spare Damien the rejection you'd dole out. You preach family and loyalty yet you alienated Dick. You abandoned Barbara. And you disowned Tim when he needed you most. And you blame it on Jason," Jaina related to him, "A heavy burden for getting killed."
"Did he?" Batman angrily demanded to know, "Who is the Red Hood."
"Li Harper," Jaina sighed.
"Isn't Lian Harper still a child?" Batman inquired.
"Li Harper is the adult Lian from Earth-4. Our doppelgangers from there are fourteen years older. And before you ask, her universe was wiped out by an antimatter wave by the entity only know as the Anti Monitor. Regina Swann is another refugee from there as well as the new Robin, Helena Kyle."
"Empress Penguin," Batman growled ignoring who Helena's father could be, "Someone you and Hellequin supported as she murdered an eighth of Gotham's population."
"To be fair, she united the rest of the population," Jaina replied.
"Through fear and intimidation," Batman disapproved.
Jaina broke into hysterical laughter. When she recovered she had to ask, "And what have you been doing for the last quarter century?"
"Protecting Gotham," he said with all self-righteous certitude.
"So is Regina," Jaina retorted, "But you can't be bothered to stop applying labels and find out how."
"She killed people," Batman growled.
"And so have White Rabbit and I, yet you forgave us because you getting your brains effed out by us," Jaina rose from the co-pilot's seat, "I'll inform Regina the strategy works."
She coldly left the cockpit. Batman celebrated, "Good."
Jaina Hudson, and by that virtue White Rabbit, were only free because even the seemingly infallible Dark Knight couldn't link their murders to them given White Rabbit's nearly unique nature. As an independently minded psionic construct, she didn't have physical evidence to leave behind. And Jaina had the alibis of being physically able to be elsewhere in the public eye at the same moments. And since they truly acted independently, their memories wouldn't merge until they did "physically" as well.
But when she reached the passenger area, she was met with a great deal of internal bickering.
"I still can't believe they promoted you out of Young Justice into the Outsiders already," Catgirl complained.
"Not my call," the new Nightwing, Stephanie Brown, replied. Dick Grayson himself had bestowed the legacy title upon her when she had to surrender the Robin moniker to Helena Wayne/Kyle.
Helena being Bruce Allan Wayne and Selina Wayne's daughter from Earth-4. Bruce and Selina were happily married and fourteen years senior to their Earth Prime counterparts. And "Helena" was still gestating in the Prime Selina's womb. The entire family was forced to wonder how the Prime Batman had destroyed his life so effectively. And by doing so he'd left a trail of collateral damage stretching across the lives of Alfred Pennyworth, Leslie Thompkins, Selina Kyle, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Grayle Hudson. And earned the unwavering wrath of Jim Gordon. Only Veronica Vreeland, Vicki Vale, and Silver St. Cloud seemed immune.
Catwoman and Catgirl resented the hell our of what Batman had done to Selina and Alfred, who was now in her employee. Nightwing held resentment over what happened to Dr. Thompkins and Grayle.
Both whom were valued friends to Steph, Harper and Cullen Row, and caretakers to young Tim Drake. Tim had come to value their company in addition to the support he received from Leslie and Grayle. Grayle had abandoned life as a mob princess to work with Leslie. Now she was Tim's foster parent.
"Let it go, Kitrina. It'll just drive you nuts," Catwoman advised Katrina Falcone.
"Easy for you to say, Holly. Selina just handed you Catwoman," Catgirl lamented.
"For which I apprenticed for ten years as the Cat," Holly Robinson knew her oldest and dearest friend hadn't "given" her anything. Holly had earned starting back when she was thirteen, a prostitute on the streets of Gotham and had befriended a homeless eighteen-year Selina. They'd become lovers after Selina began burglaring and got their own place to live in. As Selina's ambitions grew, she found Holly work with Ted Grant while Selina went global.
Ted trained Holly as part of her wages. When Holly reached eighteen, she also struck out on her own and found Selina. Selina wasn't romantically inclined towards Holly anymore, but she offered training and a job. One that would culminate in Holly taking over Selina's crusades as Catwoman. Holly was down with that because she'd come to view many of them as worthy. And she'd thrilled at the thought of replacing Selina as Catwoman in the Justice league before Bruce used his influence to have her ejected. Her brief stint, with Kitrina, in the Justice League of America had spawned a bad taste in their mouths because of Amanda Waller and not Steve Trevor. She'd found him to be catnip.
Something Holly, a very out and proud lesbian, wouldn't fall prey to. Unless it were a Col. Stephanie Trevor. Just saying.
"Don't worry pretty Kittyhawk, you're time will come. Every gets what they've earned eventually. Always," Hellequin snickered, "Even if they don't realize they deserve it."
"And what do you deserve?" Nightwing asked.
"A one way trip to Hell, Nightwig," Hellequin.
"Nightwing," Stephanie grated.
"You haven't heard of this one," Catwoman cautioned the girls, "She's crazier than Harley ever was."
"Aw, you say the nicest things," Hellequin cooed.
"And she has an agenda the Justice League can't figure out," Nightwing advised them, "Except that she's a multi-murderer."
"Yup, it's true. Mass murderer even," Hellequin rolled her bat up and down her legs. She had four knives sheathed at each hip. She also wore a tattered tee-shirt, fingerless opera gloves, body hugging shorts, ripped fishnets, and a pair of canvas high tops. The shirt being the highlight with "It wasn't me" printed on it.
"Hellequin, play nice," Jaina requested.
"This is nice," she wore a demented grin, "Anyone wanna see nasty?"
"Why did Batman bring you along?" Nightwing asked.
"I have history with Batmen, Nightwig," Hellequin said with due sincerity.
And Jaina had shared that history...and future with Bruce. Marian was even more psychotic here than during her life on Earth-2. But the war on the Justice Lords and the loss of the Joker when he went sane and began to run Arkham, took a heavy toll on Hellequin. The abrupt loss of her universe and being chosen by the Monitor for an undefined task, had let their mark on Marian Drews and she was more unstable than ever before. But that same instability had saved Empress Penguin's uniting the Gotham Underworld under her flag.
"Nightwing," Steph grated.
"Same diff," Hellequin dismissed the critique, "On my Earth Dickie-Boy was Batwing. Grow a thicker skin."
And Jaina knew there were some long days ahead.
Oracle had dried from the shower. And, the shower being a walk-in, tubless enclosure, it had plenty of room to share Jason. And had pointedly discovered the virtues showering together. She could only imagine the heating capacity of the boilers to barely lose the temperature in an event lasting over half an hour without once shutting the hot water off. She could slid down the length of the bench stretching from within range of the shower head to gain access to her wheelchair sitting just outside the tiling.
Jason had retrieved a towel and wrapped her in it in order to carry her to her chair. He'd dressed already and was using touchscreen read to order a second meal. She was at the table perusing the contacts people had made to her Dark Web servers regarding employment opportunities...which sounded kinder than contracts to kill criminal rivals.
"Oh. My. Effing. God," Oracle gasped.
"What?" Jason was instantly worried.
"We have an offer starting in Las Vegas for this evening," Oracle informed him, "Someone called Blackjack has an emergency he'd like an Outlaw or two to accept to cover while they're leaving Malibu. If that's possible."
"We can trust him," Jason gave a brief history of the team's contact with Blackjack while they dealt with Julia Sazia's enemies.
"So this guy works for the mob and the cops?" Oracle was amazed.
"Inside the middle ground the casino owners represent here," Jason clarified.
"How good is he?" Oracle asked.
"He kept Rose busy for sixty seconds," Jason told her.
That was pretty good knowing how hard it was to challenge Ravager.
"And he stopped Sazia's motorcade from leaving Vegas. And sent her on her way alone with no escprt with a message to Intergang to stay out of town," Jason continued.
"Ballsy," Oracle admitted.
"We've been offered a billion dollars to eliminate Blackjack," Jason chuckled, "I always reply that they're sissies if they can't take one man out. Tell him I'll personally do it."
"You won't be alone. A quartet of Jlers signed aboard as well as a team Batman put togther," Oracle told him.
"Batman," Jason groaned, "Why does it always have to be Batman?"
She held his hand, "I'm sorry, love. Sometimes we wear our scars, other times they define our life, but sometimes the monsters really are outside of us."
Jason smiled at her, "Love?"
"Too soon?" Oracle winced.
"Not soon enough," he knelt to kiss her, "Call Blackjack. We're doing this."
"We?" she asked.
"Could I even keep you away?" Jason smirked.
Oracle snorted, "Damn good point."
"So let's do this together," Jason smiled.
"Always," Oracle promised.
Rex Ventura received the answer he'd hoped for from the Outlaws. They only had two agents available but that would have to do. He shut down his office in the Palazzo to change into Blackjack. Everyone would meet together at the airprot. Batman would be landing in forty-five minutes and the composition of his team would finally be revealed.
Rex wasn't in the habit of revealing his own identity so Jacqueline could kiss it. But now he had to inform Arthur Brown that Cluemaster was needed now. After all, Arthur had informed on this heist scheme masterminded by his ex, Nadya Burnett. Her attempt at murder had driven Cluemaster underground and made her the de facto leader of the Legion of Annoyance. Which devastated both Cluemaster's pride and his heart, because he honestly did love her.
Which made what he had to do rather difficult. He had to destroy the Legion of Annoyance in the eyes of Lex Luthor and Fu Manchu. Which would take all of three seconds. The Kings of Catastrophe had been far too successful to be the scapegoats that Luthor wanted so he'd remade them into the Legion of Annoyance. Whose very name said it all.
Nadya was being set up and she was too eager to prove herself to admit it. Her facial scarring on one side of her head had given a powerful and intelligent woman an inferiority complex. She was always trying to prove herself when she least needed to.
Cluemaster was necessary for the tentatively planned mission to work. And since his ouster from his "own" Legion, Arthur was very motivated.
The BatTrans, thanks to its VSTOL capability, was able to land at and would subsequently take off from a small airfield typically reserved for private planes. The hulking transport taxied around so that its loading ramp faced a hangar where specialized equipement was waiting for "his" very independently minded "team". Only Nightwing and Catgirl were even members of teams.
Inside the hangars were a pair of armored SUVs and a Batmobile. Batman had his old Batmobiles regionally staged and it been driven remotely as favor from Dick Grayson. Dick's increasingly pregnant wife, the former Little Mermaid named Ulla Paske-Grayson, was entering the end of her second trimester and was worried Bruce would somehow sway Dick into returning to the life they'd abandoned. Dick's thriving law practice and Ulla's charity work had them as the darlings of Bludhaven. But Stephanie's assuming the Nightwing mantle went a long way in easing Ulla's fears.
Blackjack and Black Jaq arrived separately. Blackjack brought Cluemaster along, "Stephanie!"
Nightwing pulled her balicki batons loose and activated their taser tips. Cluemaster tried to sound wounded, "Is that any way to greet your own father?"
"Yes," Nightwing growled.
A van pulled up and everyone looked nonplussed. Secretly, Blackjack was hopeful. Arkham Knight exited the passenger, having geared up in that van during the ride over. Oracle activated the slider release and the lift deployment. Arkham Knight tenderly waited for her arrival on the ground. Then they joined the others.
"Who the eff are they?" Catgirl was the first to ask.
"They're Oracle and the Arkham Knight," Batman gruffly explained, "He's the former Red Hood. She's the world's most dangerous hacker."
"Calculator will be so sad," Cluemaster chortled.
Nightwing slammed a baton down into his groin. Cluemaster was having trouble breathing, "Cheap...shot."
"Just like you taught me, Dad," Nightwing sneered.
"So, we're one big happy family?" Hellequin laughed.
A blue flash of light brought Superwoman, Superwoman, General Glory, and Trajectory to the never-would-be "party".
"Well, we keep bumping into other," Lois smiled at the Outlaws.
"And we missed seeing you at all," Lana added regarding Oracle.
"I did. You didn't," Lois bragged about her developing vision powers.
"Can we not do this right now?" Superwoman was exasperated with Superwoman.
Hellequin was enjoying it. She was frequently frustrated with living with Ms. Lang. And Lana frequently wanted to incinerate Marian.
"You shouldn't have come," Batman warned Arkham Knight and Oracle.
"With all due disrespect and loathing, you don't even know us," Arkham Knight replied.
"I know everything about you," Batman growled.
"Then you understand when we say, 'eff off'," Oracle added, "We were invited and unless that invitation is rescinded, we stay."
Nightwing was stunned. Hellequin, Catwoman, and Catgiurl were ready to start dancing around fires. Jaina, and within her White Rabbit, was greatly amused. Black Jaq wasn't certain how to take it all in. Cluemaster just enjoyed Batman's aggravation. General Glory found it unnecessarily rude. Trajectory wondered if it were wrong that she sided with the cheering section.
"I invited them," Blackjack revealed, "And I consider their participation more paramount than yours."
"They're killers," Batman accused.
"No more than the rest of us except for you and Nightwing. The rest of us try to avoid it but sometimes circumstances require lethal force," Blackjack retorted.
Catgirl, Trajectory, and Black Jaq were mortified at being outed. Black Jaq had simply lost control of her rage on occasion. Catgirl's career as Kittyhawk had been invariably lethal. Trajectory had killed an opponent by accident. But remember the 'how' of it to replicate the event later while she was with the original Everyman Project's Infinity, Inc. She'd refrained after joining the Justice League but the memory of how to perform the deed was stamped into her mind.
This is all entertaining but I've done my bit," Cluemaster snapped off a jaunty salute. Followed by an echoing ring as Hellequin's bat knocked him out.
She saw the stares and snickered, "We were all thinking it."
"He has all the vital operational data," Blackjack sounded weary.
Hellequin went to the Superwomen, "Indclear indout. IndI've indgot indthis indyou indknow indwhat indI indmean," Marian told Lois and Lana.
Batman instantly realized dropping the "ind" in front of each word translated the message. But why was a cioded message necessary? Why where the Superwomen begging off and departing? What hold did Hellequin have over them? Or what shared hold possessed them?
"I have two SUVs available. I suggest the locals leave their unmarked cars in the hangar. The Cats and Nightwing will ride with me," Jaina asserted, "Hellequin can ride with our local reps."
"Girlfriend!" Hellequin enthused at Black Jaq.
"Brown will ride with me," Batman informed her.
"My estate is on the city limits. I'm sure you'll find it after your private confab," Jaina smirked.
Every else departed and Batman studied the Arkham Knight suit which wasn't so very different from Luke Fox's Batwing armor, "Jason, remove your helmet."
"Do it," Oracle wanted to see this play out.
Batman faltered upon seeing Jason's scare and brand. He could only imagine those covering his body. Even a mythical Lazarus Pit had limitations.
"I...I'm sorry I failed you," Batman was honestly remorseful, "I didn't even know you'd been held for two years in Arkham much less killed and resurrected. Nyssa Raatko informed me for her own purposes."
"She does that. It's refreshingly honest," Jason retorted, "But let's not exchange Christmas cards."
"Batman, if you really have uncovered my identity then you know why it has to stay buried," Oracle stated.
"I do. And it will," Batman pledged. He loaded Cluemaster into the Batmobile, "And congratulations."
"How?" Oracle asked Jason as he donned his Arkham Knight helmet.
"That's what he does," he was indifferent.
The Batmobile led Oracle's van to the Hudson estate.
"Inside the manor, Batman began issuing orders when Hellequin whistled shrilly, "Who made you Lord God Commander?"
"I'm the only one qualified," Batman truly believed.
"No, you're qualified at skulking and ruining lives," Arkham Knight rebutted him.
"I suppose you'll lead us?" Batman sneered.
"Not a chance. I happen to know Jaina and her special friend. They're the best qualified just as Oracle should be our IT expert and eyes and ears," Arkham Knight insisted.
"I'll acquiesce until it goes horribly wrong. And it will," Batman decided.
"Thank you for that vote," Jaina snarked, "Come with me, Oracle. I believe you'll find my facility adequate."
"So...how do you know the Batass?" Oracle wondered.
"White Rabbit and I were sleeping with him until he forced us to break it off," Jaina explained.
"Is White Rabbit here?" Oracle wondered.
"In a manner of speaking," Jaina smirked as she stretched out a hand. A miasma of colors filtered from her fingers and coalesced into the White Rabbit."
"Omigod! I love your work," White Rabbit enthused.
"That's new and different," a completely unfazed Oracle commented.
"You're taking this in stride," Jaina remarked.
"No offense but I work with three people from three separate Earths other than our own. One of whom wants to kill me in my seleep. A near serial killer, two former assassins, a shamanistic Buffalo Warrior, a homeless vigilante, a gun freak with an inferiority complex, two AIDS patients, a mystery woman with powers derived from her blood, an Icelandic Valykrie and Squire and Ravager, who have to be the cutest and bloodiest couple ever," Oracle explained, "So yeah, I'm literally not surprised by this."
"And now you're BFFs with Manhunter, Killer Frost, and Ace of Blades," Jaina observed.
"Hey, I'm lovable," Oracle snarked.
"So it seems," Jaina agreed.
"I'm disappointed that you haven't dealt with Cluemaster yet," Dr. Fu Manchu shared with Nadya Burnett and let that displeasure hang over her as a threat.
"Arthur will try for the Star of Africa. The allure of a white diamond valued at over two billion dollars would be draw enough but the chance to humiliate me and belittle the Legion of Annoyanmce? Revenge has no greater price," Nadya assessed, "Cluemaster's very sense of who he is has been challenged. And he won't rest until he's proven himself."
"To whom?" the seven-foot tall Chinese man asked.
"To me," Nadya predicted, "I already had elements of a plan in place. When we're on the ground in Vegas we can flesh out the details and determine where Cluemaster will strike from."
"Don't fail me again, Ms. Burnett. You are still replaceable," Fu Manchu warned before exiting the Legion of Annoyance's headquarters within an abandoned shopping mall.
Nadya could physically feel the metaphorical noose around her neck. So she reached out to the one person that could, and probably would, assist her. And they in turn contacted Libra, leader of the Secret Society of Super Villains, and arranged for a recruitment.
"You know him then," Jaina didn't ask.
Arkham Knight was being tested by being engaged in melee style exercise where he faced every other member of the team inside Jaina's sparring room. The close quarters worked to his advantage. Oracle was running the ops center with White Rabbit happily natterring away while she assisted in the searches.
"I initially trained Jason for two years after Dick left. But I dismissed him rather than make him a Robin because he was too violent and far too reckless," Batman could recognize elements of his training and Nyssa's blended in Jason's fighting style, "The Joker was jealous and kidnapped Jason and tortured him and reprogrammed him for two long years in the abandoned wing at Arkham manor. And Joker killed him when Nyssa decided to intervene. She had Jason resurrected in a Lazarus Pit."
"That explains the white streak in his hair. She has one too," Jaina realized, "So did the last Ra's. Poor Dinah has one now as well."
"It's a side effect," Batman explained, "Nyssa finished Jason's training and unleashed him as the Red Hood. He chose the Arkham Knight persona himself. They have a complex relationship stretching beyond her sponsoring his Outlaws initiative."
"And you're certain Nyssa is strictly a lesbian?" Jaina wondered.
"Nyssa is so I am as well," Batman told her.
"Why the trust?"Jaina asked.
"Nyssa Raatko is one of the few opponents to defeat me in equal standing combat and let me live," Batman revealed.
"So has Slade Wilson," Jaina painfully reminded him.
"Deathstroke is gen active. Nyssa and Lady Shiva aren't," Batman clarified.
"But Nyssa's close personal friend, Dazaar the Arch Field, is poking her nose into everything I'm trying to build," Jaina complained.
"And betraying Knightfall was part of that?" Batman sharply inquired.
"I motivated Charise to move beyond her own limited expectations," Jaina stiffly replied, "If Regina can keep that pressure up, then Charise will be forced ot adapt in order to thrive and they'll have to reach an accommodation that will enable them to work together towards a common goal: a pacified Gotham."
"And why would Empress Penguin want that?" Batman disbelieved.
"You haven't heard the stories of the Gotham she came from. A Gotham Batman walked away from even before Nyssa devastated it. Arkham Knight and the Red Hood stood up to defend the wreckage of the devastated city. Red Hood, of course, was brought to the Prime Universe. That Arkham Knight wasn't. And it seems Li Harper is ready to murder Oracle to get into Jason's bed," Jaina detailed the situation.
"I take it Oracle sought both of yours advice," Batman would've been seen scowling if not for his full face mask and black body emblazoned with a red bat emblem.
"She did," Jaina said proudly.
"And you said?" Batman wanted to know.
"What I said wasn't nearly as profound as White Rabbit's advice. And before you badger me, that's for Oracle's ears only," Jaina scolded him.
"So you manifested in front of her," Batman disapproved.
"Arkham Knight knew the secret from his early days as the Red Hood when Nyssa loaned him to us," Jaina divulged, "It was his idea to kidnap you to draw Batman out. Poor dear hadn't learned your secret yet. Nyssa addressed that shortcoming," Jaina smiled like a Cheshire, "Of course, White Rabbit applied a little deductive reasoning to the problem."
"She used Ivy's pheromone lipstick to force me to strip naked, have sex with her, and provide her with multiple orgasms throughout several times an hour," Batman complained.
"Ah, but you see, Ivy's pheromones compel nearly any action. But sexual activity isn't one of them," Jaina had great delight in revealing, "You kept effing White Rabbit's adorable brains out entirely because you wanted to."
"Never!" Batman snarled.
"You can lie to yourself, Bruce," Jaina told him, "But never to me. I share White Rabbit's memories remember? She only ordered you to strip. Your arousal at seeing White Rabbit naked did the rest. I'll admit, she's pretty damn impressive."
White Rabbit began giggling as she approached, "Oracle has everything we need."
Batman signaled a cessation of hostilities. Only General Glory still stood against the Arkham Knight. Everyone, except Hellequin and General Glory, dressed down and utilized Jaina's full service laundry and her equally impressive, and fully stocked, kitchen. Jason cooked for Oracle. Eliza, Stephanie, Kitrina, and Holly joined with them for the late lunch. Batman neither dressed down nor ate. Marian was joined by Jaina and White Rabbit. General Glory, who like White Rabbit, didn't require rest or food joined in a quiet consultation with the Bat. Blackjack excused himself since he already knew the nature of the threat, who it threatened, and who would be threatening. Black Jaq accompanied him since she'd been briefed already.
When lunch ended, Oracle was set up in a small amphitheater-styled room and began her briefing with the aid of dozens of smaller monitors and one large screen run by her laptop. It was a room designed for multi-role, multi-personnel usage. What Jaina and White Rabbit intended it for was anyone's guess. Oracle had a few and would hate to be right about any of them.
"The enemy is the Legion of Annoyance, laughingly called the Legion of Doom's 'junior varsity' by everyone but the Legion of Annoyance members who take the title and claim it as their own," Oracle reported, "Best estimate, we face them all."
The target is the Star of Africa set up for private display atop the Palazzo. The private gallery is meant for high rollers and distinguished guests of the Casino Owners' Association to view spectacles even they can't afford," Oracle shifted topics, "The Star of Africa is distinguished by the fact it is the single largest cut white diamond in the world. Totaling 530 karats, it has an estimated base value of over two billions dollars."
Only Batman had known these facts going into the briefing, "This is a test for the Legion of Annoyance. President Luthor and Dr. Fu Manchu intend to further humiliate the Legionnaires by giving them this task. Cluemaster has stated Nadya Burnett and the Legion of Annoyance leadership are cognizant of this fact and will move heaven and hell to succeed."
"Besides the monetary value, this heist would prove the Legion of Annoyance's street cred for all time," Jason added at Oracle's prompting, "And confidence combined with the will to win makes for dangerous opponents. As well as devaluing faith in the casino's in-house and extreme measure security."
Batman quietly studied Jason. Jaina knew the mask obscured it but he approved of his one-time proteges' analysis. Seeing what and who Jason Todd had become with Batman's disapproval, it was a curiosity to consider what he would've transformed into with his mentor's approval.
"Now for a brief summary of the composition of our foes," Oracle cued Cluemaster.
He stood where he was alone, alone in a corner, "Nadya Burnett possesses one of the finest minds I know. But the scarring on her left side has developed an inferiority complex within her. She will try harder, push faster, and verge on the irrational in order to prove herself over the subtlest obstacle."
Stephanie could hear her dad's admiration and...love? Arthur continued, "There dozens of Legionnaires all with varying abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. None as clever or dangerous as Dame Mary Ferris, known in the UK as the Grey Lady. Her associate, Ultus the Avenger, is her muscle and her confidante. They began as rivals before Ultus conceded her superiority and they became allies. Like Nadya, their talents are wasted on the Legion of Annoyance."
"To be fair, I alerted my own personal allies within the Legion and warned them off from coming. I gave them a superior opportunity," Cluemaster boasted, "One I will be joining them in when I part ways from you."
"I suggest we hear from Batman, whom Blackjack has briefed. Fitting since it was he who designed the security measures," Stephanie groaned at her father's game show host flourish.
"The penthouse floor possesses a titanium-steel alloy roof and flooring. The central cylinder is protected by bulletproof glass three inches thick. The cylinder's emergency closure system drops a titanium shroud over the housing from a protected rooftop enclosure and riding atop a hydralic piston rail system. Any triggering of the floor alarms: seismic, extreme temperature, water, or gas or the alarms on the casino floor will initiate a release. The glass case can detect lasers, visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet varieties. Enclosure requires 1.5 seconds once the pistons fire.," Batman shared.
"Da-amn," Kitrina remarked. Even Holly was impressed and she'd made a lifestyle out of beating measures like that one.
"Theoretically unbeatable," Batman agreed.
"Yet theory breaks down in application," Holly opined.
"Which is why Blackjack requested the two of you be present," Batman informed the Cats.
Nightwing knew exactly why she'd been included. Jaina had demanded Hellequin ride along. Black Jaq had summoned Eliza and General Glory. And Blackjack's final surprise had been Jason and Oracle. But Cluemaster and initiated everyone's being brought together. Which begged the asking of, "why?"
Blackjack didn't know Stephanie's father. And he could see her analyzing him. She'd proven time and again that she could pound him into the floor and outwit him. Unless she was distracted so his singular goal from here on in was to keep looking away from him.
"Bor-ring," Marian complained, "When do we get to the stabbing and the bashing?"
Batman joined Oracle's side, "I will not allow any killing."
Jason face palmed. Marian took it as a personal challenge. Even Holly and Kitrina felt it voided certain options. Eliza and Stephanie wholeheartedly agreed with him. General Glory, as ex-police officer Donovan Wallace, knew lethal force was sometimes necessary and said as much.
"Lethal force is the cowardly option of a weak mind," Batman glared at everyone. Even Steph and Eliza to be certain. White Rabbit started tittering. Jaina agreed with Jason's reaction.
"Black Jaq has had some close calls while consumed with rage. But she's respected the sanctity of life after a single mistake," Batman praised her. Or himself. It depended on who you asked.
"We're not talking `bout abortion, Batsy," White Rabbit sniggered, "We're talking `bout adults making choices to kill other people before they can make their own choices."
"Where does Blackjack stand?" Eliza wondered.
"Blackjack will employ lethal force to protect lives he otherwise couldn't," Oracle divulged.
"No killing! Or I will break every one of you!" Batman raged and stormed out of the room.
Marian wiggled a finger in an ear, "Ow."
"That is not the Batman I remember," Jason realized.
"I'll talk to him," Jaina offered.
"No, it should be a third party," Oracle wheeled after him.
"Brave girl," General Glory remarked.
"You don't know the half of it," Jason said proudly.
"Bruce? Are you in here?" Oracle halted. The lack of noise told her he was, "I'm coming in."
She found him seated on a chair looking every bit as weary as a fifty+ year old with a lifetime of injuries, no sleep in the foreseeable past, and hadn't eaten for at least twenty hours. Jaina had described Deathstroke running him through with a sword.
"How did you know?" Bruce asked in defeat.
"Bruce Wayne goes into seclusion at the same time Batman only focuses on petty crime. I'm a genius but that wasn't required," Oracle told him.
"And Jason?" Bruce fretted.
"Nyssa told him two years ago before he went to NOWHERE as the Red Hood," Oracle shared.
"I understand that was a hellscape," Bruce grunted.
"Jason volunteered to go in to shut the facility down and liberate the captives. That's how he met Squire, Ravager, Caitlin Fairchild, and Superboy. Among others," Oracle told him, "Of course, Beryl and Rose are still with us. Beryl introduced me to the Outlaws."
"And her gen factor of being able to read and compose in any language, terrestrial or not, proves valuable to your work," Bruce was snide.
"Some human beings still have friends because they aren't pompous asses about it," Oracle warned.
"I failed. I abandoned my wife when she lay wounded, clinging to life. I chose to neglect being a parent to Dick and Tim, prefering to be the taskmaster. And Jason, my complete and utter failure. I held him further out than anyone. And I threw him out of my home into the streets where I found him. I gave him to the Joker and all that happened because of him. It took Ra's al Ghul and Nyssa to give him a home," Bruce wasn't lamenting or judging. It was a cold, cruel analysis.
"Maybe. Maybe you are the biggest dick on the planet. But this group is looking to you to guide them. And in order to do so with this same group, you'll need to learn to compromise. Because, let's face it, you can't be everywhere policing everybody," Oracle advised.
"I can and I will," Bruce growled.
"Okay, you're not only a dick, you're the dumbest dick ever," Oracle wheeled herself around and returned to the briefing theater.
Bruce angrily slipped his micro-mesh mask back on and followed her.
Oracle displayed building plans that weren't even available to the city records. Dividing the team up amongst the four main access points took some negotiating. The only readuily accepted assignment was that Nightwing would shadow Cluemaster at all times. Everyone else promptly ignored or "forgot" Batman's marching orders as soon as the briefing concluded.
Ostensibly owing to Jaina's lack of disabled friendly features in and around her estate, Jason and Oracle returned to the Marriott. They'd already extended their stay and the management was happy to book out a less utilized room than most. Its counterpart boasting far fewer features and amenities. And a significantly lower daily rate,
"God, whatta day," Oracle pulled herself onto the bed and stretched out with her legs draped off of the mattress.
"So what did you think of Batman in the flesh?" Jason asked.
"What a giant flesh eating bacteria laden turd," Oracle groaned, "No wonder you hate him."
"I have other reasons as well," he said dryly, "Thoughts on breakfast?"
"Anything warm. Think comfort food. Oh! Indian!," Oracle requested.
"Which for you is fatty and spicy," he chuckled.
"Do you have any idea of how much time I have to spend in the gym? I earn my fats," Oracle chastised him.
"Before we get into that, how about a horrifyingly good massage?" Jason asked, "It's better than meditation to relax."
"And I suppose you're an expert," she teased him.
"Every member of the League is trained in it and acupressure," Jason told her, "I'm good but I'm not an expert."
"You're goddamn serious," she realized.
"Never more so," Jason said, "I can do a full body work up as well."
"Okay, sounds great. What do I do?" se wondered.
"I need you naked. Including underwear," Jason instructed.
"I'm tired," Oracle feebly protested.
"This isn't like that. I'm using oils and you don't want you clothes stained. And if you opt in the full body part means you're on your back facing me," Jason explained, "And you'll sleep afterwards so I'll order in and prep my gear."
"You carry massage oils with you?" Oracle was baffled.
"Not since leaving the League. I picked some up again when we started dating," Jason confessed. She crooked a finger for him to come closer and he leaned to kiss her.
"How are you coping with Batman?" Oracle asked with no small amount of concern.
"Mr. Limp Bat Dick is testing me, trying to determine if I turned out all all right. I refuse to give him that satisfaction," Jason admitted, "You want the red curry?"
"Yum!" Oracle enthused.
"I'll go with the Pa Nang," Jason decided.
"Pussy," she laughed, "Help me into my chair. I feel like so much dead weight."
she lovingly kissed him when he did so, "What's Hellequin's story?"
"Only Jaina and White Rabbit can answer that question. She's tight with them and Empress Penguin," Jason shared, "She's the most dangerous person in any room. White Rabbit is a close second. She should've been named the March Hare."
"Dinner was incredible. Now for this massage…" Oracle sounded skeptical.
"I can only go as far as you want. That's the point or you don't relax," Jason reassured her.
In the end, she went the full body route. Staying naked over towels, she fell asleep with his arms around her. Combining that with one of his pistols on a nightstand and hers on the other, Oracle had never felt so safe at any time in the world.
"The Legion of Annoyance has boots on the ground," Oracle announced, "I'm compiling facial recognition on who's who. A team seems ot have broken off from the main group to surveil the Palazzo," Oracle was pissed because they were interfering with her glow from the morning.
"I know the Palazzo," Blackjack spoke, "I'll keep an eye on them."
"And I'll keep an eye on you," Black Jaq's distrust was blatantly apparent.
"You need to trust me someday," Blackjack lectured her.
"No, I don't," she snorted.
"Just go," Batman growled.
"I know how Nadya prepares. They'll scout all day and night. They'll revise their plans tomorrow. And they'll strike on the evening of the third day like clockwork," Cluemaster shared, "Fortunately I secured a facility to practice team exercises replete with ZR-7 drones."
"Where did you get those?" Batman snarled as he lifted Cluemaster off of the floor.
"ARGUS surplus. They liquidated everything when the agency went defunct. I also purchased weapons and supplies from Spyral, the DEO, and SHADE," Cluemaster laughed, "What do you make of that, Dunsel Man?"
Batman released Cluemaster, "Where is this location?"
"An abandoned movie studio outside of town," Cluemaster answered.
"Oracle," Batman prompted her.
"Got it," she happily informed him and then crosschecked the real estate listing, "Ew."
Batman read over the information...and glared at Cluemaster.
"It was very inexpensive," Cluemaster boasted.
"We'll just need penicillin and acyclovir by the tractor trailer load," Oracle wouldn't relent.
"Then be glad you aren't coming with us. I need you here to operate the training drones. And I will deploy aerial drones so you oversee the training theater," Batman informed her.
"The League of Assassins are much more old school," she remarked.
"But when I trained with them, they were frighteningly effective," Batman strode off with Cluemaster.
"Oh," Oracle simply acknowledged that data point, "Good to know."
Knowing what to look for, she'd hacked the ZR-7s by the time the team reached them. As promised, Batman had two birds in their air she seized control of. Just for grins and giggles, she seized control of a USAF Reaper drone on desert patrol looking for "dangerous" illegal aliens. While Oracle knew their actions were illegal, a minority were actual threats to society.
The actual threats stemming from the cartels walked or drove across the borders with impunity and delivered wherever they felt obliged to. All with the federal government's forbearance. Those were the targets of opportunity drones needed to seek out and engage. If Oracle believed in due process she wouldn't have joined the Outlaws or fallen in love with Jason. Because the others didn't give a tinker's damn about legalities, just results.
Cluemaster's location was an abandoned movie studio lot. Catgirl asked the obvious question, "What kind of movies did they make here?"
"Pornos," Cluemaster happily answered.
"Je-sus!" Nightwing snarled.
"They went under in the Eighties. I was scouting potential Legion of Annoyance staging areas when I ran across this gem," Cluemaster boasted.
Batman seized him and put him on his knees with his arm hyper-extended above and behind him, "What the eff?"
"How did you know about this diamond heist?" Batman applied pressure and got a scream.
"To quote Ronnie Reagan, 'I don't remember'," Cluemaster laughed before screaming again. Hellequin and White Rabbit quietly got off on it. The others looked ill.
Oracle pinged Arkham Knight's comm, "What the hell am I witnessing?"
"Is torture too strong a word?" he asked in reply, "Which I never realized how much of my interrogation technique stems from him."
"Could you explain that? I'm sure it doesn't qualify as torture," Oracle hoped.
"Remember my 'discussion' with Don Moranni?" Arkham Knight asked.
"Torture then," Oracle decided.
"Yup," Arkham Knight heard joints pop, "`Scuse me."
He came beside Batman and spoke quietly, "You won't get anywhere except to lose your non-psychopathic troops."
Batman shoved Cluemaster into the ground, "Have Oracle unleash her first wave."
"Lovable as always," Arkham Knight relayed the request. She had a question for him will the data packs loaded into the combat drones, "Does it bother you that I won't give you my birth name?"
"I know you have reasons not to just as I know when those reasons disappear you'll share," he was nonchalant, "I hid from the world for five years, a year even after I returned from NOWHERE," Arkham Knight explained, "So secrets are a way of life with our crowd."
"Why'd you ruin the fun?" Hellequin wanted to know.
"It was a pointless exercise. We have better things to do," Arkham Knight told her.
"Maybe you do," she sauntered off.
"What the hell, Jaina?" Arkham Knight lamented Hellequin's addition to the "team". He caught up with her, "Why are you really here, Marian?"
"Nyssa asked me to be," Hellequin wore her best manic grin.
"Dinah and Nyssa bought into the Monitor's end game. We're talking a near-Apocalypse," he was keeping the secret but he was swiftly tiring of it.
"Good times are a-comin'," she sniggered, "Look, the Monitor wants certain members of the Legion put down. Lois and Lana are too squeamish so I get the dirty work. The plus side is that I enjoy it."
"Looks like General Glory wants to babysit you," Arkham Knight observed.
"Bor-ring," Hellequin repeated herself.
"Well, it seems Mr. Todd is a better fit for you than anyone, including myself, could've hoped," Jaina decided, "It isn't often the bad boy types will put others before them."
"That's Jason's motif. He had a shit life and doesn't wish it on anyone else," Oracle revealed, "And he has a reservoir of anger against the Joker that he releases when we fight bad guys. But he'd fiercely loyal and even more protective of loved ones."
"So you're saying Jason loves Nyssa?" Jaina had considered that aspect.
"Not in a sexual way. But she gave him new life, literally, and a purpose for it. He will move hell on Earth to protect the Outlaws and to protect Nyssa and Dinah," Oracle advised her while running the combat drones, aerial drones, and the Reaper.
"And his feelings regarding Bruce?" Jaina asked.
"You're curious about intentions," Oracle specified, "Let's call it detente. As long as one doesn't provoke the other, they can live in isolated peace."
"And if they cross one another?" Jaina fretted.
"Mutually assured destruction," Oracle predicted, "Thanks to Nyssa, Jason knows every secret Bruce has. And he will use them to kill him."
"If he can," Jaina hoped more than believed.
"Are you watching these feeds? Arkham Knight, General Glory, and Hellequin are the heavy lifters against the ZR-7s. Batman's heart condition has him sidelined. But he's playing it off well," Oracle observed.
"So he is," Jaina said sorrowfully.
"What is the deal with White Rabbit, Bruce Wayne, and you?" Oracle adjust software option for the drones' second wave.
"White Rabbit is an actualized being. But our base motives and goals are always the same. We both love and hate Batman. But we adored Bruce," Jaina explained.
"Hate being present tense and adored being past tense," Oracle caught that nuance.
"There is no Bruce. Never has been actually. Bruce is the mask and Batman is the secret identity," Jaina confided.
"Whoa," Oracle said softly, "That is so effed up."
"You really have no idea," Jaina grumbled, "Divert a quad of drones to grid seven. Trajectory is about to break loose."
"Good call," Oracle acknowledged.
"I'm overseeing a project I think you, and by extension, Jason would be perfect for. But be warned, the others on the ground floor are Marian, Regina Swann, and Knightfall. Knightfall is desperate to extend her Knightfall Initiative to the rest of the country. I've enlisted Brains and the Gang to assist her," Jaina stated.
"And your goal?" Oracle asked.
"Think of it as exporting world peace," Jaina answered.
"And you take away?" Oracle asked.
"Ten percent," Jaina smirked.
"On a global scale that's staggering. You'd out-capital national economies," Oracle was running calculations in her head.
"A girl has to eat," Jaina was insufferable, "And wear nice things."
"So what does everyone else get?" Oracle had to wonbder.
"Knightfall gets to be the savior figurehead. Which is doable. Empress Penguin gains effective control over all vice on the East Coast. Also doable. Hellequin gets to stir up the trouble needed to keep the Knightfall Initiative in place. Absolutely essential. Nyssa negotiated the League of Assassins' role as enforcers. She brought the pair of you to my attention. Now I see why. We're thinking the Arkham Knight could lead a specialty peacekeeping force. You'd be the global eyes and ears detecting and investigating trouble," Jaina could see how tempted Oracle was, "Before you consider much else, we're developing drone tanks and fliers to bolster our human assets and traditional vehicles and air support. And a chemical weapon dubbed the 'Cloudburst' to assist in urban pacification."
"Who's 'we'?" Oracle inquired.
"Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows," Jaina clarified.
"Oh," Oracle's eyes widened. She'd known Dinah Lance had refocused the Leagues since becoming Ra's but this was ambition on a global scale. And she couldn't help but wonder how much of that focus derived from her wife, Nyssa.
"What do you think the Outlaws are about? You're just thinning the herd," Jaina studied Oracle's reaction.
There wasn't one, "Our job is to infiltrate and kill the head before tracking down and killing the various subordinates. Our job isn't to promote order. We breed anarchy. The system is broken and reforms can't save it. So we provide the terror that breaks down social order. That includes the battle of the fittest to rule and the rising of the inevitable Ubermensch, whom you hope Batman will turn into. We probably won't survive the initial implosion of the world systems. But we'll have had a helluva a run."
"You are one cold blooded animal. I approve," Jaina applauded her realization of her role.
"How do you think I enter into a relationship with Jason effing Todd and thrive? We're both Nihilists. We don't intend to survive. But we'll take a thousand of the bastards with us," Oracle shared.
An isolated computer pinged several times, "Blackjack just uploaded his pictures."
"Will you be able to ID the Legionnaires?" Jaina asked.
"I'd be pretty effing useless otherwise," Oracle remarked.
Jaina silently agreed.
"And that concludes the list of positively identified members of the Legion of Annoyance. Blackjack and Black Jaq captured images of twenty-one Legionnaires. Cluemaster has stated that the Legion can easily field three times that number," Oracle briefed the others.
Cluemaster unhappily attended with his arm in a sling. Nightwing gloated over that.
"So, in practical terms, we know who a third of then enemy is," Holly was unhappy.
Kitrina was too angry and inexperienced yet to see the inherent danger in that. Holly knew from personal experience. And she didn't care to repeat it.
"Look, I know this news is depressing," Black Jaq stated, "Which is why we need to do something permanent about it. If these people get a taste of success, they'll never stop. And they'll never stop until they achieve that success. I used to hold to Batman's principle then I outgrew it."
"I will not allow a single death!" Batman thundered.
"You can't be everywhere," Jason said wearily, "And you can't one-man army this. What're you gonna do? Cut your ball sack off to spite us?"
"Jackie-Baby has a damn fine point. Give people like me a sniff and they'll be balls to wall forever more," Marian warned.
"And we're here to stop them," White Rabbit added, "So let's stop them."
"That's not how things are done," Batman argued.
"No, that's not how you do things. Your way gets boys kidnapped, tortured, and killed," Jason said in an eerily still voice.
"How many of you are willing to take a life in so-called self-defense?" Batman demanded to know.
Only Trajectory and Nightwing sided with him, "Get out. All of you."
"No," Jaina said with absolute authority, "This isn't some dank and musty Batcave. This is my home. You're the one leaving."
Batman impotently glowered at her.
"You can stay if you play well with others," Jaina delivered the ultimatum.
"Nightwing?" eh asked, "Trajectory?"
"Where Cluemaster stays, I stay to spoil his plans," Stephanie declared war.
"I hate to come all this way to just abandon everyone," Eliza admitted.
"And General Glory?" Batman tried not to sneer.
"I'm an ex-cop. Degrees of force were my profession as well as the guidelines to judge which to use," General Glory answered.
"I will bring you all to justice," Batman vowed.
"You'll slink back to your cave just like you do every time someone disagrees with you," Jason countered, "You can be especially self-righteous there to an audience of bats."
Batman stormed out and the Batmobile's high performance engine and afterburner could be heard moments later. Jaina rallied the troops, "We go into action tomorrow night. Blackjack? We have permission to patrol the casino and hotel?"
"On paper and with a handshake," Blackjack promised.
"And these thugs are gonzo over both," Black Jaq assured everyone.
"Then we resume at the Palazzo at 5PM tomorrow evening," Jaina decided, "Enjoy your night off.
"I can offer Holly, Eliza, and Marian a good time. Steph, you and Kitrina are underage," Black Jaq informed them.
"White Rabbit and I will sit on Cluemaster," Jaina promised Stephanie.
"You two can come with us," Jason offered, "Oracle and I were planning on some sight seeing anyway."
Oracle was delighted by this offer being made. Kitrina made one final observation, "We'll still be hopelessly outnumbered."
"The Legion of Annoyance is well named," Cluemaster offered, "I'm just saying."
The next day, Cluemaster confirmed that the Legion was indeed a 'go' for that evening. Furthermore, Nadya would need be dividing the Legionnaires into four separate squads to affect an entrance from four differing directions. So Batman, while sorely lacking social skills, was proven a superb tactician.
The opposing team was also divided into four squads. Arkham Knight took charge of Black Jaq, Trajectory, and Blackjack in guarding the Palazzo's main entrance. Blackjack''s arrangement with the owner was that security would clear the lobby but neither the casino nor the hotel.
The Legion met the unexpectedly fierce resistance with numerical superiority but perhaps qualitative inferiority.
Arkham Knight took the lead in opposing the boldest Legionnaires. His enemies numbered no fewer than Power-Man, Wonderman, Granite Lady, Steel Fist, Skull, and the Faceless Phantom. Steel Fist was the easiest to deal with as Teflon-coated armor piercing rounds shattered Steel Fist's cybernetic arm and caused him to run screaming from the biofeedback.
Granite Lady, composed of living stone, took two in the chest and she also fled. Skull was a natural coward and left of his own volition. But the remainder were the physically most powerful members of the Legion of Annoyance.
Power-Man measured in half of a Majestic-class' rating. Wonderman wore a mircro-weave armor that granted him actual Majestic-class powers...for as long as his batteries lasted. Faceless Phantom had stolen a sample of Tom Strange's alosun formula that transformed him into Tom Strong. But the man's attempt to replicate the ancient Egyptian formula failed.
Faceless Phantom's insosun nearly gave him Tom Strong's strength but it didn't enhance his intellect and it had distorted his skin into a clear leathery coating over muscle and bone. Still, Faceless Phantom had met with a far kinder partial success than Liberator's own failure at replicating the formula. That man's suffering and random, excruciating transformations had ended in a confrontation with Arkham Knight and the Outlaws in Hub City.
All three could be mildly injured by Arkham Knight's firearm and ammo. But he went hand to hand to demoralize them. He saw the look in Wonderman's eyes when his battery depleted. And he received a broken nose for his troubles.
"Harrison!" an agonized Power-Man cried out. Arkham Knight barely managed to dodge Power-Man's accelerated fist. But it connected with "Harrison".
"Baby! I'm sorry!" Power-Man scooped his boyfriend up and flew off to find a hospital.
"Well played," Faceless Phantom admitted.
Arkham Knight fast drew his pistol, "Care to find out how many rounds it takes to penetrate that thick skin of yours?"
"No," Faceless Phantom chuckled, "This whole op is a failure. Hell, this Legion is. Hopefully we'll never cross paths again."
Faceless Phantom simply exited and disappeared amongst the performers littering the Strip's casinos.
"Watch out for Gem Girl. Her jewel gives her hypnotic powers," Oracle advised Trajectory.
Eliza responded by super speed plucking the jewel from Gem Girl's hands and vibrating it until it cracked. Gem Girl fled, sobbing.
Oracle was tied into the building's CCTVs at every level, "You're dealing with two speedsters. The third man is just a punk."
Expressman and his grandson, Express, had achieved super speeds through alchemic means of accelerating the body. They lacked any connection to the Speed Force. The original Flash and Rival had used chemical means to tap into the Speed Force. The next two Flashes had undergone the transformation through a mixture of lightning and chemicals. Hunter Zolomon and Eobard Thawne had simple replicated those accidents. Johnny and Jesse Quick used a spoken mathematical formula to establish the connection.
Trajectory herself had received genetic splicing. Her connection had been faulty and she'd "died". But her body, in its casket, accelerated until she merged with the Speed Force and her DNA was corrected. And she'd learned things Wally West needed to know about. But she'd been unable to deliver the messages yet. Including the one he'd be eternally grateful to hear.
"What kind of speedsters are they, Oracle?" Trajectory was out the door with Express and Expressman on her heels.
"They can't exceed 200mph. They're susceptible to wind burn. And they lack your endurance," Oracle explained, juggling multiple calls.
So Trajectory accelerated just fast enough down the Strip and out into the desert so they Expresses couldn't catch her, merely pace her. And twenty miles west of the city, they began to slow. As she looped and accelerated to supersonic speeds, she came on them and saw the wind burn that had nearly sheared their flesh off. Express the her primary target and her sound barrier breaking punch threw him fifty, spinning haplessly through. His landing was ugly. When looped again, she struck Expressman with her blue static lightning.
Returning to the Palazzo, she caught up with Death Dealer and drug him by the ankle down ten flights of stairs. He posed no threat afterwards. Oracle delivered her congratulations before moving onward.
As seemed the order of the day, Blackjack faced four foes. But one named Zippo carried a rigged lighter and as Blackjack ran a circle around the quartet, the lighter stream flame like a much larger flamethrower. The acceleratent fuel was fused with napalm. So Zippo ignited Checker and he couldn't extinguish himself and ran, a human pyre, out into the walks stretched out before the Palazzo. The teenage Grim Reaper, ducked under the flames. Polka Dot Bandit pulled the lighter out of Zippo's hand and torched him for the trouble. He accidentally caught Grim Reaper on fire.
Even the sprinklers failed to douse them. Blackjack confiscated the lighter and punched out Polka Dot Bandit before he could entertain a murder or suicide fantasy. Besides, his employer would want the trophy.
Black Jaq was getting advice from Oracle, Masked Marvel and Marvin the Great ne'er do well are average folks with God complexes. Purple Tigress isn't a confirmed meta but she's rumored to be gen active. Margo the Pantherwoman is a confirmed meta. She's basically a were-cat."
No one realized Jacqueline Redd was also gen active. She threw two spade shaped electostatic charges into Margo. That scattered the others. She slapped a palm on the halfway down Margo and applied voltage straight to her brain. That took her down.
Marvin and Masked Marvel went down with single spade discharges. The average requirement was two. Purple Tigress moved at Black Jaq with feline swiftness and ferocity.
"Uh...Oracle? I can confirm Purple Tigress is gen active," Black Jaq complained.
"So are you, Jacqueline. Deal with her," Oracle replied.
"How do know...ack!" Black Jaq took a knee to the face, disrupting her concentration and she couldn't focus enough to use her gen factor.
"Oh shit," Black Jaq grumbled.
"What? The knives?" Oracle was getting impatient.
"Yes, the goddamn knives," Black Jaq angrily lamented.
"You have over five hundred hours of training for situations like these. Shut the eff up and get the job done or I will roll to your location and rip your violet tinted undercut out of your skull," Oracle warned her.
"How the hell do you know my real hairstyle and color?" Black Jaq asked while Purple Tigress.
"Puh-lease, give me a real challenge,"Oracle switched off to someone else. Her primary focus being Nightwing.
After grueling minutes of combat, Black Jaq managed to slip behind Purple Tigress and snap her neck. She sank her knees.
"I'm actually sorry," Blackjack told her.
"No time for regrets," Arkham Knight began issuing orders, "You two, form a triangle on me. Trajectory, you're our safety. Anyone manages to get past us, mow `em down."
Trajectory vowed she would...non-lethally.
General Glory and Hellequin had been paired up to guard the employee's entrance. The disgruntled employee's identities were meticulously verified by Palazzo security. But the Legion's arrival couldn't have gone unnoticed. These villains were especially brazen. And like their brethren, the felt justified in their opinion they could brazen through the situation. But General Glory and Hellequin knew otherwise.
General Glory faced two trios. The first being the Traveling Circus Gang. Hefto the Strongman led the charge against General Glory. They matched each other's strength. But General Glory's supernatural agility and speed managed to get him in position to karate chop Heft's throat. That took the fight out of the first threat.
Twisto the Rubberman was double-jointed but that placed him one threat level below the triple-jointed Ragdoll. General Glory began by clubbing Twisto's ears. The he tested just how double-jointed the man really was by breaking both kneecaps. Twisto would never walk without braces or crutches agin.
"Inferno" was a fire eater. He used alcohol and a lighter to ignite the liquid and spew flames. General Glory easily evaded the fire bursts to crack Inferno's nose. A staggering right cross followed, breaking the Legionnaire's jaw. That took the fight out of the Traveling Circus Gang. Which still left the Revenge Syndicate in opposition.
Weeper, Murder Prophet and Black Rat had been studying General Glory rather than foolishly rush into combat against an unknown foe. Murder Prophet cast two ten sided dice and they came up with the same symbols.
"It seems we share the glory of the kill," Murder Prophet predicted.
Black Rat, a literal blending of rodent and human DNA, summoned nearby mice and rats to distract their foe, "Fine with me."
Weeper and Black Rat lept into the fray. The blind Murder Prophet tried to see the outcome and how to course correct it. Black Rat was all feral savagery. Weeper was skilled, exceptionally skilled. And his code-name was derived from his paralyzing synthetic tears. One contact against flesh, and the victim was unable to move for one hour. Ingested or absorbed through the eye and they would stop a heart.
Except, the Spirit of Lady Liberty immunized General Glory against conventional toxins. A broad range of occultic and mystical toxins still affected him but Weeper was out of luck. A broken nose and dislodged kneecap finished him.
Black Rat went hyper-aggressive. But strategic strikes against his hybrid body crippled him. Murder Prophet pointed beyond General Glory, as if to warn him. The last thing General Glory heard before a blow to the head knock him unconscious was a fit of laughter.
Hellequin also faced six foes. Six individual foes unaccustomed to working together. She knew that was a fatal flaw amongst the villain crowd. They didn't play well with each other. A few might've between bed sheets or in back alleys, but for the most part they were too selfish to cooperate with each other.
Mentalist tried fogging her mind but Hellequin was protected by the fact she was utterly and completely insane. Not that she'd been a picture of stability before meeting the Joker but he threw her off of the ledge and she never looked back. Well, threw was an inappropriate expression. He gave her a choice, jump or be discarded. So she took a header.
And unlike Harley's harlequin suit, Marian decided to go slutty. Which got the Joker up and off. Harley couldn't come out of hiding to protest the depiction of her by WB Studios and DC Comics in a fanciful movie built on lies dubbed Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn had never dressed that way in her life. Nor had she bathed in the chemicals that created the Joker. And he had definitely never needed her the way the movie depicted.
But Hellequin's arrival gave Earth Prime a taste of everything but the chemical flea dip. She'd been disappointed to find this Earth's Joker was already dead and Harley was still breathing. On Earth-2 Hellequin had offed them both for various betrayals. But she occasionally missed J, not "Mistah J".
Marian would've killed Harley for that alone. But learning J had cheated on her with Harley and the bitch was carrying twins, that's when Hellequin had to step in and end the runaway disaster known as Harleen Quinzel. And her guardian angel, Poison Ivy, had already been lobotomized by Lord Superman.
Hellequin hit Mentalist upside the with her bat and then beat him to the ground. Her coup de grace was smashing his head with her bat until it caved in. Splattered in blood, wielding an aluminum baseball bat dripping with blood and wearing a crazed expression, Hellequin adopted a batting stance.
"Next?" she wanted another go-around. She decided, from the fearful expressions staring her, this world's criminals were pussies. So she went on the attack.
Marian had been a softball prodigy in her native Toronto. Moving to Gotham after college, she hadn't found an after-work or weekend warrior club to play in. But she spent an hour an evening at the batting range. So basically, Hellequin had talent, skill, and a lot of pent up rage to unleash upon the Legion of Annoyance.
Laughing Puppeteer also met a grisly end as he tried to seize control of Hellequin's already fragmented mind. Capt. Heroic and Capt. Wizard were anything but and Hellequin chased them down to beat them to death. Finally she faced the androgynous mecha called Paris.
It took a dozen swing but the clockwork robot's head came off. That left Lady Lunatic as the last woman standing. Hellequin had been impressed be her. Paris' non-reactivity was easily explained. But Lady Lunatic had been amused by the proceedings.
And as Marian discovered: Lady Lunatic was her brand of crazy. Hellequin decided to forgo the bat and use some of the knives strapped ot her hips. She almost regretted killing the Legionnaire. Almost.
Next, Hellequin hit General Glory in the back of the head with a swing that would've homerunned a 90mph pitch. She was disappointed he'd survived. She bludgeoned the Traveling Circus Gang until their heads were mere smears on the blacktop.
Pulling out two ampules, she injected one into Weeper and other into Black Rat before addressing Murder Prophet, "You assholes are lucky you're needed for bigger things. Get your buddies outta here. The nanites in the injections will repair the otherwise crippling injuries. They'll need to eat protein by the bucket full while that's underway. Don't be here when I get back or he wakes up. And join the goddamned Secret Society already."
Hellequin into the building leaving Murder Prophet considering her every word. Everything made sense. Even the larger purpose. He revived the rest of the Revenge Syndicate and got them to safety.
Meanwhile, Hellequin retrieved her duffel from security. She sheathed her bat across her back. Then rode a bandoleer full of grenades atop it. And they weren't police issue bean bags, they were military-grade 40mm HE fragmentation grenades. Her last retrieval was a M-49 breach loading grenade launcher. Loading a round, she headed for the penthouse.
"What the hell is she playing at?" Jaina asked, trying to help keep Oracle abreast of the developing situations.
"I wouldn't know. I just met her. But it looks like she just slipped off the leash," Oracle responded.
Jaina wished she and White Rabbit shared true telepathy. Instead they relayed info through physical contact or Jaina reabsorbing White Rabbit's psychokinetic essence. Usually they preferred conversation but urgency dictated methodology. And Jaina was located on the other side of Las Vegas from White Rabbit. And Oracle was already communicating with her about clear and present threats White Rabbit was currently facing without throwing Hellequin into it.
Four Legionnaires faced White Rabbit, "Well, eff it."
She exploded into rabbit swift action. Nobody's self fulfilling narration was cut short by his timely death. Mr. Crime's power of suggestion met the loading dock door as it descended to crack his skull. Lady Deathshot's laughably useless syringes filled with toxins and poisons met her fate at the end of one of her own needles.
White Rabbit wondered what the 13-year old boy in the ridiculously oversized clothing would bring to the table, "Oracle, who is the kid?"
"Newspaper headlines list him as 'Mighty Mite'. He has Majestic-level powers but lacks the Kryptonian-type exotics. The more power he burns through the faster he reverts to normal,", Oracle reported.
"What'ya mean he 'reverts'?" White Rabbit wanted know.
Mighty Mite swelled to herculean adult proportions. White Rabbit was abashed, "Eep! I see it now and it makes sense."
White Rabbit's goal shifted to distracting Mighty Mite from Catwoman and Catgirl while keeping him focused on catching her. She knew she'd be hard pressed to actually stay out of his grip. But if Oracle was right, and she had been every time up until now, then causing him grief would accelerate his returning to being a tween. White Rabbit had dealt with his comrades with finality but she refused to kill a kid, no matter how misguided. Besides, he might prove useful towards the Knightfall Initiative.
White Rabbit's proportional rabbit speed and agility kept her ahead of Mighty Mite until he poured on the super speed. She'd grown to hate her secret weapon but necessity called on her to wink in and out of existence all around Mighty Mite. He took to the air and White Rabbit could see he was shrinking. Rather than continue with dwindling resources, Mighty Mite flew away from the Palazzo to transform back into a thirteen-year old. And face the wrath of his fifteen-year old girlfriend who acted as his personal manager and who preferred Might Mite over Mike.
Once upon a time White Rabbit would've pursued Mighty Mite and killed Mike, "I'm going soft. Too much time around Batsy."
Black Cobra was an ex-FBI agent and still believed he was one...with a homicidal bent. Catwoman's diamond tipped claws took one his eyes out before knee strikes to the torso and face put him down. Fantom was a black cutout with a crimson cape. Utterly featureless, Fantom belied Holly's usual fighting techniques. So she pulled back and unlatched her whip from her belt.
Fantom edged further away and allowed Lady Serpina to approach. She stretched forth her arms and four asps slithered off of them and began their path to Catwoman. She barely had time to kill the last one with her whip before it reached her.
"Mammo! Kill her for my babies!" Lady Serpina ordered her bodyguard.
Mammo, a career weightlifter, thought to use his muscle weight against Holly. But she slipped her partially coiled whip around his throat as she vaulted over his shoulder. The weight displacement took him off of his feet and his neck cracked as it impacted against Catwoman's shoulder. A robust and vital man who would never move his limbs again.
Lady Serpina went to flee but Catwoman snared her ankle with the whip. Lady Serpina attempted to fight but Catwoman took her eye as well as raked her claws across Lady Serpina's face, "Aw, that'll leave a mark."
Holly knew Selina never would've been this ruthless. But that was why Selina had retired and Holly was Catwoman now. A new and vastly improved Catwoman.
Bug Man was rather ineffectual without his purloined black market copy of Blue Beetle's Bug 1.0. Beetle himself was on version 5.0.7. Catgirl easily toppled Bug Man into Green Mask, knocking them both over and tangling their limbs. After all, Mr. Universe was her real threat.
Mr. Universe had been a WWE "villain". But he never acquired adulation or even notoriety amongst the fans. No one even noticed when he quit. Recruited into the Legion of Annoyance by Mason Stucko and Gulliver Foyle, it was they that introduced Mr. Universe to Cluemaster and Nadya Burnett.
Catgirl had to give him one thing: he knew how to fight. She threw every move and technique she'd been trained in and he just laughed at her. So she raked his femoral artery with her claws and backed off while he bled out. Green Mask and Bug Man made to escaped but Catwoman and White Rabbit beat them senseless.
As Mr. Universe shuddered in a pool of his own blood, Catgirl watched as he died. Holly presented herself and the street tough Kitrina clung to her. Unbeknownst to them, the sparkling but otherwise invisible Sparkler got passed them following the Robin Hood-esque Moonman. Finding the nearest roof access, they headed for the penthouse.
"Attention Nightwing, Steph you have multiple airborne bogeys headed straight at you. I'll send help when I can but you have to buy time," Oracle warned her.
"How bad can it be?" Nightwing innocently asked.
"Bad. Very, very bad," Oracle concluded.
The bulletproof encapsulating the displays shattered as missile fire hit them. The strikes were precisely calculated and targeted to effect entrances without damaging the interior. She snarled curses as she realized her father had "mysteriously" gone missing.
"Oracle talk to me," Nightwing requested. Ghost hovered his plane nearby and Grey Lady and Ultus the Avenger came off a wing to enter the penthouse. Kite Man, Airman, and Bird-Man landed to confront her.
"I need something on these guys," Nightwing didn't quite plead.
"Kite Man is basically a hang glider who is useless without the kite. Bird-Man isn't much. His wings are unimportant but that rocket belt is. Airman is just all kinds of asshole," Oracle advised her.
Nightwing used her shock batons to break Kite Man's glider and then stun him. She applied them ot Bird-Man's belt, shorting it out. Airman risked a grenade and blew himself and Bird-Man out of the penthouse while Nightwing got clear.
Oracle was instantly in her ear, "Shakew it off, Steph. That wasn't on you. Grey Lady and Ultus are at the display and the titanium cylinder hasn't closed as advertised."
Crawler came through a window from the roof and was adhered to the ceiling itself. Nightwing had a good idea of why the security measure had failed. Oracle paged her.
"Your unexpected help, Steph," Oracle was delighted to report.
For once, Stephanie Brown would've been overjoyed to see her father. But instead, her benefactor was Batman. Ghost flew his plane off while Airmale and Prof. Abner Vultur landed inside. Ghost had deposited Captain 3-D. Batman beat them senseless in seconds. Nightwing assisted in the capture of Moonman, Sparkler, and Crawler while Grey Lady and Ultus made their escape. The plan was to go out the front lobby where Nadya had prepared additional surprises.
"I have eyes on an elusive figure I've identified as one attorney-at-law, Susan McEwan. Word is she'll do 'anything' for Moonman. Emphasis on the sexual," Oracle stated.
"But Moonman was captured," Jaina protested.
"An obvious set-up `cause the other effing shoe is dropping now," Oracle complained.
"Attention everyone, the Legion of Annoyance appears ot have subcontracted security to cover their escape. Good news is they're three to fourth tier criminals," Oracle informed everyone together.
Hellequin simply shot Black Clown in the chest with a grenade. She was delighted when she realized they'd be scraping him up for months to come. She then reloaded her grenade launcher and set out to ruin Cluemaster's reunion with Grey Lady, Ultus, and Nadya. Because they were all working together.
Catwoman found her victory over Black Thorn to be pathetic. Catgirl would later agree after bashing Horned Hood and deciding the Death Battalion was made up of posers. White Rabbit dealt with Dr. Death with a single kick. Trajectory simply spun Laughing Skull until he puked and passed out. And he was a former member of the Fourth Reich.
Nightwing easily beat down Laughing Mask in her frustration at losing her father and the Star of Africa. Blackjack and Black Jaq teamed against the Diamond Gang. Emerald Man, Ruby Man, and Sapphire Girl wore body armor as hard as gems. They fought to a standstill until Catwoman, Nightwing, and Catgirl intervened.
Batman fought the twelve members of the Wild Dog Militia that had hired on. The local Big Dog led the others as Batman singlehandedly beat the dozen Wild Dog aficionados into the ground. But Big Dog had the drop on him when White Rabbit interceded.
"Watch your sexy ass, B-Man," White Rabbit vamped, "Or I could do it for you."
"No," Batman grated because he was so tempted.
"But you'll eff effin' Selina Kyle?" White Rabbit was indignant.
"At least she knew when to quit," Batman said coldly and strode away.
"Only `cause you knocked her up, you effing jerk off!" White Rabbit shouted at his back.
Arkham Knight rather enjoyed executing the Red Hood Gang's branch members. He was just sorry that Red Hood One seemed to be missing. And he knew the single bullet's to the brain were mild compared to what Li Harper would do to those usurping her name.
"Careful, Jason. You have the Cabal and the Superior Five crawling up your ass," Oracle tried not to worry.
"No worries. Batman isn't the only one that can bring guests to a party," he jovially reminded her, "The whole point is that you haven't seen them yet."
The half-Kherabim soldier called Pike had worked for the Daemonites as a perfect fusion of cooperative hybrid host and Daemonite parasite. With the death of all earthly Daemonites, Pike and the Cabal found themselves fending for themselves. But now Pike was a half-alien mercenary fighting the League of Assassins' Demon's Hand.
Nyssa Raatko was surprised when Pike survived three arrows to the heart. Following that, he survived an arrow to the eye. Drawing her knife and using her bow, she went in for the kill. Only to find it elusive. Even "mortally" wounded, Pike fought Nyssa to a standstill.
But Pike's injuries were more grievous than he'd let on. He affected a retreat and Nyssa allowed it. She knew she'd face him again as the only non-gen active human to fight him to a standstill. His pride would force a second confrontation.
Devin pitted her halbard and Coda training against Sandra Wu San, known as Lady Shiva. Lady Shiva was the best melee fighter in the human world. The Coda were warrior women akin to the Amazons. But Lady Shiva had captured and killed Amazons. She defeated Aresia Lowell, the adopted Amazon known to the greater world as Fury, in just short of death sparring matches.
Lady Shiva had devoted her life to serving Ra's al Ghul, no matter who carried the title. She was under her third Ra's now. If one could count Talia Head's brief tenure. And it was odd that Talia had acted more like her father once the crown was secured than he had himself before death. Besides behavioral alterations all of Talia's known preferences ended and she exhibited his. Even her sexuality changed. A strict heterosexual before her father's death, afterwards she become exclusively lesbian. And masturbated for hours, crying out her long dead mother's name with every climax even with the harem girls. A trait that had been her father's alone. And it seemed she incessantly explored her body as though it wasn't hers at all or brand new to her.
And Nyssa spared her in combat even when there had been no love lost between the sisters. Both had professed such animosity towards one another they had actively sought the other's dead until Ra's put an end to it. Which was perilous for Talia because Nyssa was the better fighter and far sneakier. Yet Talia had almost won the duel, a first. But Talia had fought exactly like her father always had. Exactly.
Devin pressed Lady Shiva with reach of her halbard. But Lady Shiva employed two swords and delivered her own amount of of pressure. It was a perfect deadlock while Lady Shiva analyzed Devin's alien combat styles. The most maddening thing was that another Coda called Zealot was purported to be even better. Eventually the two women deadlocked since they both could barely stand.
"I'll be leaving now,": Devin panted.
"If you don't I will eventually kill you," Lady Shiva promised.
Devin smirked, "Keep the dream alive, Shiva."
Sandra Wu San hated to admit Devin recuperated swiftly. Even more swiftly than a human. She could have made a play to kill Lady Shiva and stood her best chance now. Something she'd never have another opportunity to do.
Shado severely wounded Vooda but a flash bomb got Viooda out of sight. Shado committed to tracking her down. Bronze Tiger fought the leader of the Superior Five alongside another member. Jongleur and Tremor quickly retreated from Ben Turner. Malcolm Merlyn traded arrows with Splitshot and both wounded the other before retreating. Dark Archer pierced Hindeburg's skin and he deflated but Lagomorph hit him with rabbit starts and put him on the ground long for the entire Superior Five to escape.
Five thousand years ago when the Kherabim and Daemonite conflict reached Earth, the Kherabim put five power spheres, all they could recover from the wreckage and placed them in orbit. Just a few short years ago, the Daemonites managed to blast two out of geosynchronous orbit. They phased into a passing Russian Soyuz capsule and into the bodies of the cosmonauts inside. They were thereafter tapped into primal universal powers. The least of which, but the most frequently used, was the ability to teleport themselves and others. The mission commander took the name Void as she went to work for the Kherabim. The other became known as Providence as she enlisted with the Daemonites. And so it was that Providence easily located and transported the Cabal to safety.
"It seems our plan worked," Oracle observed with relief. The day they'd arrived and learned of Blackjack's plight, Jason and Oracle had researched the problem and called Nyssa. The next part of the plan was far more treacherous.
Nyssa greeted Arkham Knight, "Hello. Hellequin is engaged in her final task. And say 'hello' to Oracle for me."
"Nyssa says 'hi' and 'you're awesome'," Arkham Knight relayed.
"That isn't what she said, Todd," Oracle scoffed.
"It was the gist of it," he defended his choice of words.
"Give her some comms," Arkham Knight Nyssa a spare earpiece transceiver and wondered why Oracle was being to obstinate. It was true obstinate was her default but why put it on display now? And then she switched Nyssa and herself onto a private channel only Jaina was privy to.
Nyssa kept the comms when the conversation ended. She nodded at a space behind Arkham Knight, "The Detective has arrived."
"Well, shit," Arkham Knight acerbically retorted. For all of Batman's "vaunted" detective skills, Jason had still been left in the Joker's untender mercies for two years. Death had been his release from that situation. And the Lazarus Pit his rising to meet a new life.
"This ought to be hilarious," Arkham Knight scornfully judged.
"Fore!" Hellequin fire a grenade at the assembling Legionnaires whose ranks now included Cluemaster and Fantomas. The detonation scattered them. Cluemaster got Nadya to her feet while Ultus checked on Grey Lady. Fantom and Fantomas each fended for themselves. Hellequin opened the launcher's breech and flipped the shell out with a tossing motion over shoulder. Then she reloaded and fired again.
"Where's the bloody satchel?" Grey Lady tried not to shriek over the ringing in everyone's ears. Trajectory was racing it back to the Palazzo.
"Stand the hell down!" Blackjack yelled at Hellequin. She strapped up the M-49 and clubbed him in the head with her bat. She thrust it into Black Jaq's gut and then her her temple. Both were out. Hellequin faced the rather astonished Legionnaires and made a walking pantomime with her fingers before shooing them on their way. They were absolutely confused out of their minds but they happily complied. Marian left Las Vegas' defenders unconscious on the Strip.
"Your presence was not requested, Nyssa," Batman was angry. But when wasn't he these days?
"I beg to differ," Nyssa retorted.
"You," Batman said with disgust as he looked to Arkham Knight.
"Unlike some brave, virtuous people I know when to get help to overwhelmed or lost individuals," Arkham Knight shoved that barb even deeper into Batman's heart, "And I can do it without compromising my principles `cause I don't have to do it alone."
"Or is that compromising my ego?" Arkham Knight slid the last metaphorical knife into Batman's emotional ribs.
Trajectory arrived to deliver Grey Lady's satchel. Catwoman, a beleaguered General Glory, and Catgirl joined Nightwing and Trajectory. White Rabbit was getting the blood soaked Hellequin to the estate. Now everyone would learn why Hellequin had been on the guest list.
Batman studied the "diamond" before throwing it against the pavement where it shattered, "Glass."
"The diamond left Los Angeles this morning," Nyssa explained,"David Cain was entrusted in its delivery after I liberated the stone two nights ago. It will be held in trust at Nanda Parbat until Ra's al Ghul determines the veracity of the owners and their intentions towards insurance fraud. It seems Fu Manchu made a private bargain with the owners to collect half of the insurance monies and return the gem to them."
"But as the all-knowing Detective you already knew that?" Nyssa asked.
Batman twitched and three archers and two weapons masters threatened him alongside Nyssa's readied bow and Arkham Knight's armor rounds. Jason warned, "Remember, I know where the so-called 'invisible' seams to your armor are."
"You. This was all you," Batman accused.
"I had help," Arkham Knight admitted. Oracle had easily devised half the plan. Including Jaina, White Rabbit, and Hellequin's inclusion.
"You were never good enough be Robin. It's I who rejected you and it's better that the Joker tortured you all those years. You'd be nothing without that," Batman ground out.
Arkham Knight shot him and the round did penetrate the suit. The others scrambled to get him medical attention. But Jaina and Oracle had closed up the estate and shut everything down.
"BatTrans," Batman hissed between clenched teeth.
The League of Assassins extracted Arkham Knight as they departed.
Jason stowed his Arkham Knight armor and weapons aboard Oracle's van before entering the room. She called out from the bedroom, "I've got you packed."
he took their bags out to the van and stowed them in unused cargo boxes. Hers went by the floorboards. His mid-level, and his professional gear in the top shelf.
"I left the key cards in the room. Can you double check it?" Oracle asked.
He came back, "We have everything."
"How'd Batman take it?" the lift was raising her into the van itself.
"I shot him," he confessed.
"Jesus Christ, Todd! He's the effing Batman!" Oracle exclaimed.
"And it was very cathartic," he admitted.
She locked her wheelchair's brakes and slid into the driver's seat, "Get in."
He hopped into the passenger side and she said, "You can be an ass hat sometimes but I love you through it."
"That's good because I'm good for you," he watched her oh really? look developing, "But not nearly as good as you are for me."
"I love you," Oracle said with relief and sheer joy.
"I know," Jason replied.
"Great. I'm dating Han Solo," Oracle lamented as she turned the ignition and put the van in gear. They leaned together a kiss and she smiled, "And here we go again."
Epilogue and attributions: For such a short story, it's taken four weeks to write. This is principally because I finished the outline to the next project while finalizing the finished manuscript on this. And the other outline is over twice as long. So I'll be launching into that straightaway. And then I'll be returning to the main DCAU Series.
But I'm enjoying these "fill in the gaps" shorts so I'll keep going with them.
And if you've reached this far and are unfamiliar with my work: watch "Batman Beyond". It's canon and show's Bruce's happily never happened.
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Notes
The Arrow was the first costumed comic book hero to appear after Superman.
The Arrow is the first archer superhero in comic books.
The character eventually received his own magazine. The stories in the first two issues, however, were reprints from earlier comics.
Superman
Origin
Professor Ernest Smalley was a mad scientist who specialized in chemistry. Needing test subjects for his experiments, the professor randomly chooses a homeless man named Bill Dunn from a Depression-era bread line telling him that in exchange for participating in the experiment Dunn would receive a new suit and a hot meal.
The experiment, a potion, granted Dunn telepathic powers. However, the man became power mad and decided to take over the world. Unfortunately for Dunn, the potion's effects are temporary and since he killed Smalley, the secret formula could not be duplicated. Dunn's powers begin to fade and he realized he will be returning to the bread line once more.
Notes
Bill Dunn was inspired by Hugo Danner by Philip Gordon Wylie.
In 1934, after refusing editors, the two authors, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, decided to recreate the Superman character who launched the Golden Age of Comic Books.
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While most of his adventures, as well as his various artistic interpretations, are under copyright to their respective creators (including her first appearance) the character and idea are free for anyone and everyone to use.
Lady Deathshot is an open source character created specifically for use by anyone. Feel free to use it any way you wish however, you must give the creators, Vito Delsante, Michelle Delsante & Uriel Duran, credit.
