The Team was currently flying towards Gotham. Itachi requested that he be dropped off so he could check on his city. With him joining the Team, Itachi figured that he wouldn't be able to spend as much time in Gotham as he would like. He needed to acclimate himself with his new teammates, which would only happen with time and chemistry built.
"So will you be staying at the Cave, or will you remain in Gotham?" Kaldur asked. Itachi would have said yes, but he still didn't like the idea of leaving Gotham completely. The criminals still needed to be reminded of the consequences of their actions by the Crow every once in a while. Itachi turned towards his new team leader, "Sorry, but for now I'll stay in Gotham."
"I understand. You should be sure to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is training day. We will mostly go over team schemes and review our individual hand-to-hand combat skills. We will also be getting a new den mother." Itachi nodded at him in response.
"So how do your powers work? How'd you get them?" Robin asked. Everyone listened intently for Itachi's answer. Ever since meeting Itachi and seeing him in action for the first time, everyone has made their own speculations into Itachi's origin. The guess ranged from an accident that gave him powers to being trained by a legion of supernatural crows. It was safe to say that it was a topic of great interest to them.
"Chakra is the source of my power. I trained to control it since I was young. That's basically it." Itachi stated. He didn't want to get into his past and why he needed to be so good at such a young age.
"What's with the gang signs you throw up whenever you shoot fire or water?" Wally asked ignorantly. Artemis looked at him as if he were the dumbest thing breathing right now for that silly question. She shook her head, "Really? Gang signs are the best you could call them?"
"What? Where I come from, what he does is called throwing up gang signs." He said trying to defend himself.
"It's alright. It is called weaving hand signs. It's how I'm able to manipulate my chakra in order to perform jutsu. There are twelve basic hand signs; Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Bird, Dog, and Boar. The amount of hand signs required to use a particular jutsu depends on the skill level of the jutsu's caster and the type of jutsu desired. Some require just one hand sign, but others require as many as forty-four hand signs."
"That seems like it could get redundant at some point. What's chakra and jutsu?" Robin asked. Itachi turned to look out of the window as they just entered Gotham City, "Complicated. It would take years for me to explain it to you."
The bioship hovered right above the safe zone Carson and the others were located at. Itachi was about to leave when Artemis called out to him, "Thanks again for coming when you did. Gotham isn't the only one who owes you."
Itachi got the coded message in her words and nodded at her. He sealed his Crow mask up and told them goodbye before leaving the ship. Artemis looked down out of the window and saw him mouthing words to her. She nodded back him to let him know that she understood. Itachi had mouthed to her that if she needed a place to stay, that she could contact him.
He watched as the bioship went back into stealth mode and flew away. Itachi then prepared himself for the uncomfortable conversation that was about to ensue.
The Team was flying back to the Cave to get changed and head to sleep. Wally had a lot of energy for an injured arm though, "Well tomorrow we get to break in the new guy."
"We? You're injured remember." Artemis corrected. Wally looked around as the others nodded in agreement. He was about to protest, but Kaldur stopped him before he could get a word out, "This is not up for negotiation. Until your arm is healed, you are off active duty."
"That sucks." Wally protested as the others laughed in stride. Conner was petting Wolf when a thought came to his head, "I wonder who our den mother will be?"
"Whoever it is, they'll be there specifically to determine Itachi's skill level and his compatibility with the rest of us." Robin guessed.
"I agree. Hopefully this training session will result in a positive growth for all of us." M'gann added.
"As long as we work as a team we'll succeed. Now let's go home." Aqualad announced with the agreement of the others.
Itachi stood in front of the safe zone as his teammates flew away. He noticed how quiet the city was despite all of the destruction it had just suffered and smiled. Not since waking up in this city has he felt it be this quiet. Itachi hoped this could be the beginning of something permanent for Gotham.
He headed inside of the tent to find Carson. Most of the inhabitants inside were asleep because of how late into the night it was. He did notice the few people who were awake. Three of them were soldiers who still had to stand watch for the night, another was Ms. Yumi who noticed Itachi immediately and started to make her way towards him, and the last was James who had a scowl on his face the instant Itachi walked in. The soldiers were about to confront Itachi, but James talked to them and seemed to dissuade them. James gave one last glare before he took his phone out and walked out back with a mumbled grunt.
Ms. Yumi gave Itachi a sweet hug upon reaching him which made the former shinobi turned vigilante uncomfortable. It wasn't that the elderly woman made him uncomfortable, or even the act of being hugged. It was the fact that this woman was so similar to his mother. It may have literally been a lifetime ago, but Itachi could still remember being hugged by his mother Mikoto. Being with Ms. Yumi brings back those memories of his mother that he thought were locked away, and that is why he gets so uncomfortable.
The old woman broke the hug and caressed Itachi's face, "I'm so glad that you're okay my child. Not only have you come back, but I sense a feeling of hope around you."
"I've decided to join the other heroes," He said in reply. Yumi smiled at him and voiced her approval, "I am so happy for you. What changed your mind?"
"I think we're fighting the same enemy. I once told someone that no matter how strong they grew, they should never seek to bear everything alone. The only result in that would be failure. If I am to stop this great threat, I realized that I will need a great team behind me." He answered.
"Do they know about you? Why you're here and what you've done?" She asked.
"No, they don't. I don't think telling them about my past is for the best. They're children at the end of the day. They wouldn't understand why I had to do what I did." He replied.
"Aren't they your friends? You don't think they would try to understand?" She asked curiously.
"No, they've been raised to believe that being a hero means that no situation should require killing in order to be resolved. This world is different from ours." He answered. In truth, Itachi wished he and Sasuke could have been born here. They could have led normal, ordinary lives here with their mother and father.
"I've been in this world far longer than you have my child. This world is no different from ours; it's just as cruel." She stated softly. She's been on this Earth long enough to witness it as its lowest moments.
"What makes you say that?" Itachi asked. He was reminded of when Carson also described it as cruel here.
"People. People inhabit this Earth just the same as our Earth. As long as that is true, evil can't be avoided. It could be staring right in front of you and you not even realize it. I've seen it happen before." She said sadly.
"I guess you're right. That evil is why we were both sent here." Itachi admitted. 'Carson gave that exact same reason too.' He thought.
"You were sent here for that evil, but I was sent here for you Itachi. To watch over and guide you until you were ready to face the real enemy. Do you think you're ready to confront a threat that not even the Sage of Six Paths could? This team of heroes doesn't have any experience of fighting people from our world." She warned.
"It doesn't matter how strong an opponent is, they'll always have a weakness. And I'll get them ready for when the time comes." He answered.
"But who will get you ready?" She asked.
"You never have to get ready if you always stay ready. The Sage sent you here to make sure I always stayed ready for any threat the enemy threw my way. You'll do it, I have as much faith in you as you do in me," He answered with a smile. She smiled back at him. His words of kindness and support meant the world to her. He looked around and noticed something was off in the tent, "Where is Paula?"
"Oh, she's not here. Sometime after you left, I saw her leaving with someone. Carson and James protested, but Paula reassured them that it was alright. I couldn't see the face of the person she left with, but based on how they were reacting they seemed to know each other fairly well." She surmised.
"I see. Did she say where they were going?" He asked. She shook her head sadly at him. She then point over towards the left side of the tent, "Carson is asleep over there. She said she wanted to wait for you, but I was able to charm her into getting some much needed rest. Her companion Carla is with her. I tried to get her brother to rest as well, but he respectfully declined and said he wanted to watch over his sister. Such a kind young man."
"Why aren't you asleep? A woman your age needs rest as well." She laughed at her ward's question. She plucked a strand of her black hair and examined it, "I'll try not to be offended by that. You are just like your ancestor. Indra always seemed to offend people, even when he only meant to show his concern. It was always up to Asura to smooth things over when that happened. Just because I wasn't a shinobi, doesn't mean that I can't tough it out like you young ones can."
"You don't speak about your past too often." Itachi noted.
"There is not much to talk about. Once I received my mission everything changed." She replied.
"Why did they choose you even though you aren't a shinobi? Surely someone else could have been chosen and allowed you to live an ordinary life."
"The answer to that is quite simple. My will is so great that time has little to no effect on me. Everybody else wanted to be the shiniest of tools, but I knew that in order to truly fulfill this mission I would have to be like tempered steel; I'd have to be in it for the long haul. Shinobi tend to expire quickly as you know from firsthand experience. My family ties still live on even to this day. You and I are examples of the wills of the past, present, and future all colliding. At the end of the day we will never forget where home is and the loved ones we sacrifice our lives for. You were also recognized for that same will that compelled you to live your life being the ultimate sacrifice. Why did you do it?" She asked.
"Because I love Sasuke," He answered. She nodded at her ward, "You just answered your own question. Love, love is why I was chosen. The man who was chosen to inherit the will of God himself, passed that very same will to me. It was his will that the world be saved by love deep enough to create peace. It is a will that you too have inherited despite all odds, the Will of Fire."
"You're doing this for Asura…" Itachi realized. Yumi gave a teary eyed smile to him, "No, I'm doing it for my husband and my son. When grandfather first came to me, I was just 19 years old. I had just gotten married and given birth to my son. I was warned of a threat that would destroy the world as I knew it and that the only way to stop it was for me to sacrifice everything. I shed tears of blood that very day it was so painful. I remember the pain as if it were yesterday when I gave up my husband, my son, and entire family to leave my home and come to this Earth and wait for you. Like you, I was maligned, ostracized, and viewed as the worst type of scum for abandoning them."
Itachi was silent. She'd never told him about any of this before. She continued on, "They probably thought I abandoned them because I was so young at the time and wasn't ready to raise a family. No one was told about why I really left, it was my last request to my grandfather. I didn't want them up at night waiting for me to come back when I knew this was a one-way trip. I wanted them to move on and live their lives without me. At that point in time, it was bigger than me and my family. My grandfather had a vision of the world being set on fire and that the only thing that could stop it was you. Helping you…is like helping my husband and son. The mission has always been to protect our families; it's why you are not alone. You haven't ever been alone my child. For years I have been right here waiting for you, and now that you are here we can finally move towards saving our families together. That's why I chose this. I love my family enough to that I left them to help you save them. That love has connected you and me since the day you were born."
At that moment, Itachi felt the Will of Fire within him grow stronger. Itachi was grateful that Ms. Yumi shared her story with him and felt that it drew him closer to her. It was probably her way of letting Itachi know that telling his story to her would only draw her closer to him, not reject him. He turned towards Carson direction with new conviction, "I'm going to speak with Carson now. I want her to see the Will of Fire within us."
"Good luck…my child." Yumi said before hugging him one last time before he left.
Itachi knelt down by Carson's sleeping form and gently shook her. After stirring for a moment, Carson woke up to see Itachi next to her. She shot up and gave him a hug, "I'm so glad that you're back. After you left the city we all got worried…"
"It's okay. I only woke you so that we could have that talk. I have to be somewhere in the morning so now is probably the best time, but I'll understand if you'd rather sleep…" He whispered.
"No, it's alright. I'm not one to beat around the bush anyways." She said sheepishly.
"Then come on, we're leaving now." Itachi stated.
He and Carson left out of the tent. On the way out Carson asked Itachi where her brother was, but Itachi didn't know. She figured that James wouldn't have gone far and decided that she'd just find him later. Itachi lifted her up in his arms and leapt away. Carson hugged on tight even though she knew he wouldn't drop her. Being this high up in the sky would never be something she would grow accustomed to.
"So where are we going?" She asked.
"To where this all began," He answered. Carson gave him a look of confusion, "You're taking me to some stinky back ally?!"
Itachi shook his head as he continued on. It didn't take long for them to reach the real destination; the Wayne Botanical Gardens. When the landed Carson knew right away what he meant when he said where it all began, 'This is when the distance between us grew. We're only a few feet from each other, but I feel like we're worlds apart.'
Itachi walked towards the deck of the pond and sat down. Carson went and joined him while showing how nervous she was. Itachi saw this and attempted to calm her down, "Relax, we're just talking."
"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this." She replied.
"Because we're just talking. Now talk." He said. Carson didn't know how she wanted to start this. After staying silent for a while, she started by asking him a question, "How do you feel about me? Be honest."
"…I consider you precious. That's how I honestly feel." He admitted after a long pause. Carson couldn't begin to express how happy it made her hearing that.
"I consider you precious too. Itachi…I like you a lot. Ever since we met, I've felt drawn to you for some reason. It must be your charismatic personality." She couldn't tell how well this was going.
"Is that all you wanted to know?" Itachi asked.
"No, I have more. I really want to get to know you better. In order for anything to develop between us, I feel like I need to know more about you Itachi. Like how you got your powers." She answered.
"I was born with them. Where I come from, I was considered a genius. I trained every day to hone my powers so that I could protect the people that I cared about." He answered.
"On the topic of where you come from, where is that exactly? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're not from here based on how lost you looked when I first found you." She noted.
"I'm from the Hidden Leaf Village." He replied.
"The hidden what? What country is that in because I've never heard of that being here in America?" she asked.
"The Land of Fire." He replied. Carson gave him an extremely worried look, "Land of Fire? Please don't tell me you're from Hell."
"It feels like that sometimes, but no." Carson sighed in relief. Her panic was starting to go away. But then Itachi followed that with, "But I'm not from this Earth though."
And just like that, her panic skyrocketed. Carson didn't know how to respond to that statement. She tried her best though, "What do you exactly mean when you say you're not from this Earth?"
"That I'm not from this Earth. I was sent here after I…after I helped someone close to me. I was sent here afterwards to help someone else out who is close to me." He explained in a vague way.
"Okay...So who sent you here?" She hesitantly asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Itachi said.
"I mean you shoot fireballs out of your mouth and you apparently are from a different planet so try me." She retorted.
"God sent me." Itachi said. And just like that, Carson wanted to shout in frustration. She sighed before recounting everything, "Okay so you are some fireball shooting superhero, from a town of trees, on a different planet, and sent by God. This is a thing now."
"You see why I preferred this conversation didn't happen." Itachi insisted. He only obliged to it because of how much Carson expressed that she wanted to have it.
"I'll take you at your word next time. So on this mystical planet full of trees, did you have a girlfriend?" She asked trying to be sly but failed miserably.
"How is that relevant to what's happening now?" Itachi asked.
"Hey, I wanna know. So did you?" Itachi sighed at her. His life is not meant to be an open book. He nodded his head, "Yes, I had a lover. Her name was Izumi, but it was a lifetime ago."
Carson had to keep down a wave of jealously when he used the term 'lover'. She also sensed the sadness in his voice, "So I take it you two had a bad breakup. Is that why you seem scared of commitment or relationships?"
Itachi stayed silent. Carson could feel his demeanor change starkly. Itachi spoke again after what seemed like a lifetime, "We never broke up…"
Carson was beginning to get even more confused. She then got scared by what his answer could mean, "So if you and her never broke up, does that mean she's waiting for you back where you come from?"
"No, she's already moved on." Itachi answered solemnly. Carson had lost track of this train a few stops ago, "Okay, so you and Izumi aren't broken up, but she's moved on already? Please help me connect the dots."
"She's dead. She died a long time ago." Itachi revealed. Carson gasped in surprise. It made sense to her why he was acting this way about that subject, "I-I'm sorry to hear that. How did she die if you don't mind me asking?"
"I killed her." Itachi said numbly. Carson felt her heart skip a beat. She really didn't like where this conversation had gone. She tried her hardest to keep her composure, "What do you mean you killed her?"
"I killed her. I did what was needed." Itachi reiterated.
"Why did you need to kill your girlfriend," She asked. Carson was scared of what his answer would be. Itachi looked at her sadly, "I can't say. The world I come from isn't like here. On my world, sometimes the only choice you get is between a bad one and a worse one. I chose the bad one."
"What was the worse one?" She asked hesitantly.
"Someone else would have done it. I'd rather her die in the arms of someone she was in love with than die by the cold hands of some stranger. I gave her what she wanted in the end and despite knowing that it was me that killed her, she died with a smile and thanked me. Before her last moments I thanked her for being the only person not to view me as some genius from our village; she viewed me as the man that she was in love with."
"Someone made you kill her…that's so cruel. Itachi I-I don't know what to say. I'm glad she was able to die in your arms. It must have been so peaceful to have you be the last thing she ever saw." Carson said with tears in her eyes. She really understood why Itachi didn't want to talk about his past or dive head first into relationships.
"Is there anything else you want to know?" Itachi asked after a while.
"What world do you come from that makes someone as kind as you kill?" She asked with anger.
"A cruel one. I come from a different Earth, but not a different world. So in a sense, you should know exactly what type of world makes someone do that." He noted.
"A different Earth? What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"I don't necessarily know myself. My guess is that there are several universes of Earths that all exist in the exact same time and place in space. The God of my Earth sent me here to your Earth." He hypothesized.
"Why did he do that?" She asked.
"To help save it, that is my mission." He replied. Carson reached over and put his hand in hers, "Then thank you. I don't know if you hear that a lot, but I truly thank you. Now, my head is blown and I have no idea of why my luck is like this, but at the end of the day, despite all of this craziness, I am still glad to have you in my life Itachi."
"Do you have any more questions?" He asked. He was thankful that she didn't reject or fear him after hearing about Izumi.
"No, anything else about your past can stay that way unless you come to me willingly. I wouldn't have guessed any of that about you. It looks like we've both had it rough in the past," She started. She stood up from her spot and nudged Itachi to do the same, "Enough about the past. I want to know about our future. Can we have one…do you even want one with me?"
"…I think the best course of action is for us to stay friends for now. I don't want you to get too emotionally invested while this threat is still out there…and I don't want to lose you. I care too much about you. Any decision that I make has your safety and well-being in mind," He answered after much thought.
Carson did not like his decision, but respected where he was coming from now that she knew more about him, "I understand. Everyone close to you is a target…I-I guess I just thought that we…that we..," She was clearly getting upset at this apparent rejection of her feelings. Itachi continued on though since he wasn't finished.
"But maybe…after this threat is dealt with, we can try to be more than friends. If that's what you still want." He finished.
Carson nodded her head and gave him a softer hug than she usually did. This wasn't a hug out of concern, but one of joy. Itachi returned her hug and they stood there in a very intimate moment together.
"I'll always choose you Itachi. I don't know how or why, but from now on we're in this together. There's no getting rid of me. We can be friends for now, but don't think I don't think about your safety too. You've lived such a hard life, we both have. I want this mission to be your last one. I want you to finally live your life in peace. Promise me this is it for you," She whispered.
"Peace is all I've ever wanted, I promise this is it." Itachi said. Carson smiled hearing that. She cupped his face with both of her hands and pressed her forehead against his, "Let's go back. You got a world to save."
Itachi nodded his head, swept her up, and leapt onward towards the tent. But to the both of them, he was leaping onward towards their future.
While Carson and Itachi had their heart-to-heart, James was off having an important conversation in his own right. He was currently on the phone with his boss Amanda Waller and they were discussing what to do about the clone. Argus higher ups were getting increasingly worried about the timetable of the clone since the entire set of DNA templates were failing miserably. After this global mishap, Waller, James, and the others were of the opinion that the Justice League could no longer be trusted to defend the planet from metahuman threats.
"I understand Ms. Waller, but I was there. I saw him conjure up a giant humanoid avatar that cut up the plant like a knife through butter. He is more dangerous than Superman ever was because he's not afraid of using his full power. We need to expedite the process or face global consequences," He spoke.
"There isn't much we can do if the clones start to break down since we don't have a viable kryptonian template. Our DNA templates aren't strong enough to be able to produce an efficient clone. We need another template and unless you're willing to fight Superman yourself, we are out of luck." Waller responded.
"How did those crooks over at Cadmus get their hands on one? They've been able to make a perfectly functioning clone that doesn't break down," James vented.
"They have Luthor funding them. He's battled Superman enough times to get more than enough DNA material needed to create a clone. But I wouldn't call that clone fully functioning. I came across him back at Belle Reeve a while back and he showed no type of allegiance to Cadmus. He seemed to operate with the Justice League. We need a clone that is strictly loyal to furthering the causes of Argus," She said.
"Do you have a mission for me Ms. Waller?" James asked wanting to do something rather than sit around while a guy like Crow roamed the streets free.
"No, not at the moment. You've already done more than I could have hoped. Getting the Crow's identity was huge for Argus. For now just keep doing what you're doing. We need eyes on that vigilante at all times. He came from a different Earth in the multiverse, I wanna know why," She ordered before hanging up.
James groaned in frustration. The last thing he wants to do is tail Itachi. What he really wants is to detain and send him back to whatever world he came from. James didn't like how close Itachi was to his sister and wanted to snap that cord immediately, 'She doesn't see how dangerous he is. I need to take him down before she gets in too deep and gets herself killed for his actions.'
"I believe that you are in need of assistance," James drew his firearm and turned around to see a masked figure standing next to him. The person had a cloak on that covered their entire body and a mask that was gold and red. James warned the person not to move, "Stay right there! If you move an inch I swear I'll shoot you!"
The figure moved forward anyways. James tried to shoot at it, but felt frozen with fear all of a sudden. He has never felt anything like this in his life, like everything around him was dead. The masked person was soon face-to-face with James, "I believe that I can help you with your situation."
"You know it's rude to eavesdrop on people's conversations. Just who the hell are you and what do you want," James demanded.
"It doesn't matter who I am. What really matters is what you want," the masked person countered.
"I want you and the rest of these superpowered freaks to crawl back into the hole you came out of, the Justice League included." James answered.
"What if I could help with that?" The hooded figure inquired. James got curious and wanted to hear more, "Go on."
"You were talking about making a clone strong enough to take on not only the Crow, but the entire Justice League. But you just can't seem to make one, what if I provided you with the source material you needed," The stranger explained.
"You're telling me you have DNA of the kryptonian to give?" James asked.
"No, I have something even better." The stranger said. James wasn't trying to hear it though, "Superman alone is strong enough to cripple Argus, not to mention his entire team of metas which include vigilantes, demigods, and aliens. Oh and let's not forget about the kryptonian clone they already possess. What could you possibly have that could defeat all of that?"
"The blood of the Crow," the stranger said sadistically. James didn't know how to react to hearing that. The masked stranger then pulled out a vial that had a label on it that read Crow. James' eyes almost popped out of his head, "How did you get that?"
"Does it really matter? What matters is what you are going to do with it. You say you want the League gone, well so do I. So why don't I help you out by providing this to you so that we can both get what we want," The stranger reasoned.
James was skeptical though, "And what's in it for you?" The masked figure laughed. "The end. The end of a lifelong mission of mines."
"And that is?" James asked while eyeing the vial. The figure looked up at the night sky, "To stop all the cruelty in the world. It's why I must stop the Justice League. They don't stop cruelty, they enable it. They arrogantly fly above us while preaching that they are one of us, but when the time comes for them to answer for things like what just happened around the world; they are nowhere to be found. As long as they remain in power the world will never be safe from attacks like what just happened here in Gotham. If Poison Ivy was dealt with years ago when she first emerged, none of this would have happened. Don't you want to end this senseless, repetitive violence?"
The person handed the vial to James, whom reluctantly accepted it, "Yes, I do. Thank you for this. I promise that I will create something powerful enough to invoke real change. With your help, the cruelty of this world can finally be stopped."
The figure started to fade away into the darkness, but not without leaving James with one last thought, "You can either be the fool who let this world burn, or the hero who saves it. Bring the Justice League down along with all of their enemies so that we can finally have peace for our time."
James watched as the figure disappeared. He was conflicted on what to do as he stared at the vial containing Itachi's blood. With something like this Argus can create a clone of him that is powerful enough to defeat the entire Justice League, but at what cost.
"Carson would be furious if she found out my role in all of this, but what choice do I have. She was housing a vigilante right under my nose for all of this time and didn't say a word. He could have killed her. He could have done to her what he did to Black Mask. He and metas just like him can't be allowed to roam free. The entire Justice League and every supervillain they have ever faced must be brought to justice; human justice. And with this vial, we can finally fight fire with fire."
James called his boss back to relay the news to her, "Ms. Waller. I have something that will excite you."
"I don't excite easy so it had better be good," She responded sounding agitated. She did not want to argue with a subordinate after having already giving strict orders to them.
"It's regarding the cloning process. I just acquired something that will push our timetable up." He informed.
"You have DNA from Superman?" She asked incredulously.
"No…I have DNA from the Crow. With him on our side, the Justice League's days are numbered." James retorted while glancing at the vial with a smile on his face.
"Is it enough to make a stable clone that doesn't breakdown?" She asked. James pocketed it and went back towards the survival tent, "Yes, we have everything we need. I just need to get back to headquarters so that the scientists can begin the cloning process."
"We'll send a jet for you. Good work Major Collins. I can always count on you to be a problem solver." She said praisingly.
"Ma'am, Yes Ma'am!" He said as she hung up. He was giddy with excitement, 'Today marks the beginning of the end for all metahumans. Today we take back our planet.'
Far away on a building, the masked figure watched on as James went back into the tent. The stranger was soon joined by their collaborator, Vandal Savage.
"Was it wise to give the vial to him? You are taking a big chance on them being able to succeed in helping our plans," he argued.
"When you are good at anticipating the human mind, you leave nothing to chance. The clone they make will further the plan no matter what the outcome is. I've assured it." The hooded person replied.
"We could have made that clone ourselves. Why did we have to give the vial to that sham of a government agency?" Savage asked.
"Because we need to keep the element of surprise. Cadmus has already made a clone, but that ended in failure. The clone didn't do what was designed of it because we gave it too strict of an endgame. This time we will loosen up and maintain flexibility. If we were to create a second clone and the League were to defeat it or worse, coerce it to their side, it would lead to all of us being outed and soundly defeated. It would undo all of the headway we made from using the Injustice League as a scapegoat. We must remain anonymous," The person explained.
"I see. You did it so that we can divert attention away from us, while also making progress towards our goal. With Argus being the one making the clone, the League will come down on them instead of us," Savage surmised.
"Yes, we are using Argus whether they agree to it or not. And when those two powerhouses clash, we will be there to pick off whoever wins," The stranger finished. Vandal Savage grinned evilly at his partner's master plan, "You truly are a genius."
"No, I just want to see the world burn. And that fool down there is about to light the match that starts the flames." The figure stated.
"And when the fire dies out and this world is nothing but ash, we will rise up from the darkness to shine our Light." Vandal announced. The hooded person nodded at Vandal as he left to go back to their base to witness just how all of this will unfold. Vandal asked if his partner wanted to join, but was turned down. He shrugged and left out on his own.
"I'd like to see how this unfolds up-close and personal. I've laid out all of the options and scenarios, now I get to see all of the choices of the pawns in this game. It doesn't really matter because in the end because the only winner in all of this will be me." The figure stated before fading away into the darkness.
Itachi dropped off Carson back at the survival tent. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before running inside. Both James and Ms. Yumi met her as she went in. The old woman peeked out to see Itachi who nodded at her as a way to let her know that the conversation went well. She smiled back before heading back inside to join the others.
Itachi was on his to a zeta-tube to join the Team for their first training session together. He figured the more training and missions they got, the better unit they'd be as a whole. Itachi only wished, though, that he knew where Paula was. Artemis would not be pleased that he lost track of her mother, but Ms. Yumi assured him that she was safe.
He was about to get beamed when he turned to deflect some shuriken that was thrown his way. There was only three people he knew that could sneak up this closely to him without catching on quicker; Batman who didn't use this brand of shuriken, Deathstroke who should still be trying to grow back his legs, which left only one other person.
"Hello handsome, it's been a while. Did you miss me?" Cheshire Cat asked finally announcing herself.
"No, I didn't." Itachi replied as he threw shuriken back at her. She dropped down from the rooftop she was on and held her hands up as a sign of her not wanting to fight, "Calm down. As much as I would enjoy having a go at you, that's not why I came here."
"Why are you here than?" Itachi asked while still on alert. He was glad he keeps his mask on for the most part or he would have been left exposed to her. She took her mask off and had a sincere look of gratitude on her face, "To thank you. You saved someone close to me."
Itachi saw her face and saw that she wasn't some spry, veteran kunoichi like how he thought. She was a beautiful young woman that looked like she was close to his age in fact. She also looked like a certain someone that he knew, "You're Paula's daughter…and Artemis's sister."
"What gave me away? Was it my good looks?" She said jokingly. She started inching closer to Itachi, but he was still on alert. She gave a fake pout when he stayed ready to attack, "Aw, you still don't trust me? I'm hurt."
"You tried to kill me." Itachi responded stoically. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed, "It was just a mission. You don't look dead to me. You do look stiff though, my gosh. Maybe I could give you a massage, among other things."
"Stay away from me. Why are you here anyways? Do you get off on bothering me," Itachi asked. She purred and continued to flirt with him, "You'd be surprised what gets me off. Maybe one day you'll find out for yourself."
"If you don't have anything important to tell me, I'd appreciate it if you jumped off that bridge I kicked Deathstroke off of. I know you were there watching." Itachi revealed.
"Oh I know, and I enjoyed every second of it. I just came to see if you were single," Itachi glared at her from behind his mask. She noticed how annoyed he was getting and was enjoying all of it, "I so enjoy this, but the real reason I came here was to let you know that Paula is safe. I was the one who liberated her from that tent. She didn't used to be this nice in the past and if someone from that past had recognized her, then that would have caused me to do something that was not nice."
"I see. I'll be sure to let Artemis know." Itachi informed.
"You be sure to do that handsome. She should know where Paula's at once you tell her it was me that took her. Well that's it for now hotness, just decided I should let you know since you and my mom are such good buddies. Till next time Crow," She dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared. When the smoke cleared, only a letter was left.
It read, 'In case you ever wanted to meet up without our masks on, you can find me here. You will seek me out one day and when you do I have to warn you…I bite.' The end of the letter had a crow's feather attached to it along with a map to a location in Gotham. Itachi looked on stoically as he put the letter into his seal.
Itachi headed to the zeta-tube and beamed away to meet his teammates at the Cave. He hoped that this wasn't a precursor to what the rest of his day would be like.
He beamed to the Cave and saw that everyone was already geared up and ready to proceed with the exception of Wally, who was still hurt. Itachi walked over to greet them.
"You ready for this? I can't wait to see what you got," Robin said excitingly. Itachi smiled at how enthusiastic he was. He looked around and saw that Robin wasn't the only one. They all seemed excited for this, even Conner.
"It's just training," Itachi said trying to quell everyone's expectations. Artemis told him that it was no use, "None of us got any sleep last night. We get to see just how good you are."
"Maybe one of us will get to spar with you. See if you're as good as a fighter as advertised," Conner said while hoping he could fight his new teammate.
"Do you know who will be coordinating all of this," Itachi asked. Everyone shook their heads no. Apparently Batman wanted them to be surprised by their trainer. M'gann did not approve, "I just hope we don't get anyone too crazy."
Just then a zeta-tube was opened and their trainer/den mother for the next few weeks came out. It was none other than the Black Canary and she already looked ready for a fight. The whole team groaned as her reputation as a tough teacher was well earned. She cracked her knuckles before walking over to address the Team.
"Looks like I get to train you guys. Hey, what's with the long faces? By the end of this training session you will all be a more cohesive unit. Oh and by the way," She said while pointing at Itachi with her staff, "The first training exercise will be a one-on-one spar. You're up first Itachi, and your opponent is me."
Itachi nodded at her as he got ready for the start of his journey with his new team.
That's it for this chapter! Sorry it took so long to write. I had to write and rewrite certain aspects of it until it fit how I wanted the story to progress. I know this chapter is dialogue heavy, but implore you to pay attention to everything. Everything written in this chapter has huge implications on how this story will now progress. The true enemy is finally starting to make their plans known. The payoff may not be immediate, but it will all make sense soon and in a big way. And for those who are scared, this is not a harem lol. I am really excited for the future of this story and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Please read and review peeps. Until next time guys and gals!
PS: Oh and who else is as excited for the Justice League movie as I am! I bought my ticket three weeks ago and I hope the movie is as good as it can be!