Welcome back one and all! Yet another chapter has been completed, and in less time than before. I think I'm getting better at this.
Lots of exciting news out of SDCC this year. Blade is joining the MCU, Taika Watiti is back for Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel's What If..? is looking to be such a fun little animated anthology series. So much good to come! And Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 has revealed free DLC for Cyclops and Colossus, as well as Moon Knight being in the Marvel Knights DLC. All of the yes!
Also, SEASON 3 OF YOUNG JUSTICE CONTINUES TO BE SO GOOD! Kaldur finally gets to be happy! No spoilers there, but trust me, it's great.
This chapter here is yet another original piece, as I mentioned, but that just helps me do world-building alongside my housekeeping. So good stuff all around. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.
In the mean time, lets look at some reviews here!:
rmarcano321: Yes it can. Good news though, on this occasion it didn't. I'm honestly so glad that the Doom Patrol are getting more exposure. They're so silly and fun, I love them. Honestly, the Brotherhood of Dada are the farthest thing from serious you can get. But that's part of what makes them fun. Will I include elements from Spider-Man shows? Probably not. There's nothing from them that I need or want. And as I've said before, there is no theme to this fanfic. I mean, you can go ahead and squint and say its about growing up, and independence since that's what the original show was. But there really isn't an overarching theme to it.
CRUDEN: Well I'm glad to know you enjoyed my chapter more than the episode its based on. That's a win in my book.
Malchior the Bad: Mr. Nobody is a favourite of mine. I love him so much. Interesting enough, there isn't a Mr. Nobody in Earth 616. There is a Mister Negative. And a Mr. Nobody exists on Earth 982, with Spider-Girl. But other than that? Nothin'. I definitely loved Mysterio in Far From Home, even if I saw his twist coming from a mile away based on comic knowledge alone. Did I have a nice Father's Day? I suppose. I mean I'm not a father, unless you consider this story my baby. Damn straight I watched Season 3. I've seen all of it. And I loved it.
Zeo: You mean, the Royal Flush Gang? Considering they're all adults and most likely still in jail, I'm gonna give a hard no.
7-Eleventh: Will it be Annie? Perhaps. You'll just have to read and find out. Why is it so long that I'm prolonging it? I mean, normally it would be episode 15, as far as this fic is concerned it will be chapter 16 (Maybe. Depends on if I want to add more filler/original chapters). Even then, is it a problem with more story? I don't think so. Hopefully all of the mysteries in this chapter will all fall into place. Honestly, I think that Count Vertigo should be imaged in the eye of the reader. If you see him as the B:TAS incarnation, go for it. Personally I like his DC Showcase appearance, but will imagine him as his Young Justice counterpart. Don't worry, my Injustice League will hopefully be a nice intimidating collection of villains.
Thanks again for all the great reviews. I like being able to read them, they help the process go faster each time. In any case, time for our usual disclaimer:
I own nothing but the OCs and the original ideas. Keemia Marko and all related characters are property of Marvel Comics and Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.
With that out of the way, onto the chapter!
Nanda Parbat – September 26th 07:54 CST
Ra's al Ghul sat quietly in a state of solemn meditation, a daily tradition for him. Every morning he rose and partook in two hours of the noble practice, as part of his continued training. Accompanied by his father, the Sensei, and with his bodyguard Ubu standing by, he had little to fear as he completed his exercises.
"Hopefully we will be able to handle our outstanding responsibilities today. There is still the manner of our contract from Rome, for one." his father pointed out in a sage tone. Ra's hummed thoughtfully before nodding.
"Indeed. Perhaps we should send Cheshire. Despite her failure in Taipei, she has still proven herself to be a competent agent. One of our most promising." The aged master proposed.
"I shall send her a missive immediately." Sensei nodded.
"There is no hurry. It can wait until after tea," Ra's decided before a sudden thundering impact shook the very foundation of their building. Pillars quaked, releasing clouds of dust, and the flames of candles flickered as Ra's and the Sensei sprang to their feet, with Ubu drawing his sword pre-emptively. "What is happening?"
"Father!" Talia, his daughter, called as she entered the room with an urgent fear on her face. "The main gate is being assaulted by Hagan!"
Ra's sneered at the mention of their occasional hire. While Matt Hagan had proven useful to the Shadows in the past, they had not called on him in months. For the petty criminal to suddenly assault their holy sanctum now was an insult they could not let stand. "Ubu! Move Damian to the safe room. Talia, Sensei, with me. We will gather the others and assemble at the gate to meet this Clayface head on," he ordered before striding out of the room purposefully.
Talia and Sensei remained close behind him as they approached the outer gate of the holy city. Ordering their monks to stand down they arrived at the gate with Ra's in the centre. "Open the gate!" Ra's ordered in a low tone of voice, before two of his agents did as they were told.
The massive ornate gates swung open to reveal Matt Hagan, alias Clayface. He was mid swing to strike the door, only now finding himself face to face with his intended target, along with the rest of his League. Ra's, Talia, and Sensei stood in the centre of the courtyard. Accompanying them were Nyssa Raatko, Lady Shiva, David Cain, Sportsmaster, and Larissa Diaz, who was the latest person to be called Copperhead. Each of them stood at attention, with intent to kill if Hagan made any move towards their master. One final person stood off behind Ra's, with a bored expression, as he watched Clayface.
"Well, nice to know you can entertain a guest for a minute," Hagan scowled before lumbering inside the city.
"What business do you have here, Hagan? The League has not requested your services as of late." Ra's said evenly, not wanting to waste time.
"You owe me Ra's. I've done your dirty work for years, you owe me a favour." Matt Hagan said before lurching and howling in pain as his body seemed to bubble and fall apart. After a few seconds, he reformed and reconstituted himself before panting and looking at the master of the Shadows. "I need the Pit!"
While he did not allow his face to betray any flicker of emotion, inwardly Ra's mind was awhirl at what he had just seen. He had presumed for quite some time that eventually Matt Hagan's body would stop responding to his will, and begin to deteriorate. He just hadn't assumed it would happen so soon. It must be quite the painful experience for the monster of mud, but Ra's had little to care for. He had been a useful agent, but his usefulness had grown short as of late. "You will not be allowed access to the sacred pool. Regardless of the pain you suffer."
"What?! But you need me Ra's! You need Clayface!" he bellowed before raising a massive hammer to strike at the ancient man.
"You are not the only Clayface, Hagan," Ra's barked before the bored man standing behind him suddenly reverted to his true form – another Clayface. He struck Hagan across the face, knocking him outside the gate before standing in front of Ra's protectively.
Matt rolled to his feet before standing with a shocked expression. "Wh-what is this? Who's he?!"
"This is Basil Karlo. A story very much like your own; an actor who wished for more out of life after he was spurned. Disfigured in an accident. While we had use for you in the past, you are too rebellious, too hard to control. It wasn't difficult to obtain a sample of your clay, or to replicate the chemical. The League of Shadows has its own Clayface now. We have no need for you anymore." Ra's explained as his agents seemed to relax.
"Y-you… replaced me? You replaced ME?!" Clayface roared in anger before forming maces for another attack. Before he could approach however, he doubled over in pain again. It felt as though his entire body would burst from the inside. "Fine… replace me if you want… but this isn't the only Lazarus Pit. I will find another, even if I have to tear down all of Gotham in the process!"
Ra's eyes widened in fear now. How did he know about the other Pits?! "Take him down! He cannot be allowed to find my other Pits!" he ordered before the Shadows sprang into action. Unfortunately for them, they did not expect Hagan to think through his assault. The first Clayface sneered at the approaching assassins before knocking down the supports for the wall and causing the gate to collapse in front of them, barring the path.
Talia and Shiva vaulted up the wall first, with Basil Karlo and Copperhead close behind. By the time they reached the top, Hagan had already disappeared into the blizzard. Shiva cursed before the four climbed back down the wall. "He's gone, master." She reported in shame as Ra's grimaced.
"He'll be heading to Gotham. He shouldn't be too hard to track down." The master frowned, before turning to Nyssa. "Daughter, can I trust you to apprehend him?" he asked.
"Of course father," the archer nodded before bowing respectfully. "It shall be done."
"Good. I'll send word to my contacts in America, and I'll have Victor Fries sent to meet you. Hagan is weak to the cold. The fact that he made it to our city is itself miraculous, but the good doctor should be able to assist you in stopping him." Ra's decided. "Bribe him with use of the Pit to save his wife if you have to."
"Perhaps it would be more prudent if I were to bring Karlo with me." Nyssa offered.
"Nonsense! Or are you suggesting that you alone do not have the skill required to restrain that attempted usurper?" Sensei asked.
"Peace, Sensei." Ra's said, holding up a hand to prevent his father going on a rant. "Nyssa is correct. While her skill is both formidable and impressive, she will require assistance. Hagan is at this point a force of nature. It would also do well for Karlo to test his own mettle out there."
"It would be my pleasure, master." Karlo nodded, before bowing to the man respectfully.
Ra's nodded his approval. "Then go. Make haste."
"As you command," Nyssa nodded. The two would then move to leave before Ra's halted them again.
"While you are leaving now, it might be prudent for you to dispose of our recent… failure as well. People go missing in Gotham all the time, another little girl on the street will be no different. The Shadows do not abide by failures." He threatened.
Both agents immediately understood his intent, and while Karlo went to secure their transport, Nyssa went to retrieve the girl in question. Ra's simply watched his unfold before turning back to Sensei. "Now, shall we return to our meditation?"
Mount Justice - September 26th 20:04 EDT
"I can't believe that he's stupid enough to actually challenge her to this." Keemia scoffed with a grin, before sipping the last of her iced coffee.
"I can't believe he's stupid enough to let me film it." Tim retorted as he looked through his phone's camera to the table in front of him. While most of the team was currently at home or otherwise occupied, Tim and Keemia had arrived at the tower to train with their staffs.
Keemia's was magical, sure, but it was still just as durable and useful for combat as Tim's. And, as the boy wonder was quick to point out, Keemia needed some remedial lessons on her own close-quarters combat. Jason just so happened to be accompanying Tim, citing that he was bored. After nearly an hour of Keemia being repeatedly knocked to the floor in increasingly embarrassing fashions, Niuhi arrived at the base to make use of their gym.
It wouldn't be very long into her workout before Jason challenged her to an arm wrestling match. She refused him at first, but after repeated requests she finally relented. This led to the two of them sitting down at the table in the mission room, ready to face off.
"Ready to lose?" Jason asked confidently.
"This is a joke right? I'm supposed to laugh at that?" Niuhi snickered before the two clasped their right hands, ready to begin.
"Alrighty you two, I want this to be a clean fight. Niuhi, that means no ice. Jason, that means you can't just shoot her in the face." Keemia smirked, while Jason simply grumbled at the insinuation.
"Let's just get this over with. I want to hit the punching bag already!" Niuhi huffed before Tim nodded.
"Alright guys, on the count of three, you may begin." Tim grinned, starting the video. "One… two… three!"
There was an audible thud as Jason's arm was slammed onto the table with minimal effort. Jason gave a brief yelp of pain before Niuhi released his hand and folded her arms triumphantly. Off to the side, Keemia and Tim were laughing hysterically.
"There, satisfied?" Niuhi asked Jason, a smirk firmly planted on her face.
He looked at his arm carefully before shooting Tim and Keemia a warning glare. When they stopped laughing he looked back at Niuhi with a chuckle. "Not even close! Best two out of three, now!"
"You're not serious, are you?" Niuhi asked incredulously.
"Deathly serious." He retorted.
"Oh please say yes. I need to hear that noise again." Keemia asked, barely stifling her giggles.
"It's gonna be my new ringtone!" Tim added before Jason shot him another glare.
"Don't you dare!"
Any further conversation was halted when the teleporter behind them flared to life. "Recognized: Batman-01." The computer's synthesized voice rang out before the Leaguer in question entered into the mission room. "I figured you were still here Tim. I have a mission for you, and for you three as well."
"What sort of mission?" Tim asked curiously, as he put his phone away and immediately went into a more serious mode. Jason and Niuhi left the table they were sitting at to stand with Keemia and Tim, both curious as to what Batman had for them.
Batman nodded once before calling up the holoscreen to display reports from Belle Reve. "At approximately 9:34 am this morning, Victor Fries was removed from Belle Reve penitentiary and sent back to Arkham. He was supposed to arrive back to his usual cell in the freezer there two hours ago. This, however, did not occur."
"What happened? Did he escape or something?" Keemia asked.
"Not without help. Upon careful research I managed to find security footage from his prison transport that showed him being moved to an unmarked vehicle. The driver of this vehicle could not be identified. According to further video surveillance, the vehicle is still within Gotham, and is en route to Freeze's usual lab. Your job is to find out who took him, why they did it, and ultimately to apprehend him if necessary." Batman explained.
"You're trusting us with apprehending Freeze?" Jason asked in surprise, with the others looking hopeful. This was the first time that such a high-profile villain's capture had been entrusted to them.
"Yes, I am. Do not take this lightly. Victor Fries is a brilliant scientist and tactician. And whoever has freed him is still an unknown entity. Proceed with caution. You will leave as soon as you're ready." He finished before activating the computer and typing away.
"He trusts us to go get Freeze? Barry is gonna be so jealous when he finds out!" Tim said excitedly before rushing off to get into uniform.
"Amazing, we're going up against one of Gotham's elite threats and all he can think of is Barry being jealous?" Niuhi scoffs while Keemia gives her a playful jab.
"Come on, don't tell me you're not a little bit excited." She teased.
"Oh I am. I've been looking for an excuse to flex my strength," Niuhi nodded. "I just think it's a little bizarre that he's this excited over a villain he's personally fought before."
"Well maybe after this, it will be a little more zarre." Jason mused.
Keemia and Niuhi both started at him blankly, before Keemia shook her head. "Was that your attempt to try and copy Tim's butchering of words?"
Jason winced a little at that before his shoulders slumped. "Yeah… yeah it was."
"Well stop it."
"Yes ma'am…"
Gotham City – September 26th 20:23 EDT
Snowy Cones Ice Cream factory was an interesting figure in the downtown core of Gotham City. While many had considered it to be the ideal spot for Victor Fries to set up his base of operations, they could not be more wrong. It seemed ideal, if a little ironic, that a man specializing in cryogenic research would use such a location as a means to build his criminal enterprise. But the truth is, the man had no such interest in using the old factory for such an enterprise.
His true base was in an abandoned medical facility that specialised in disease and viral research. The laboratories were large and state-of-the-art, in spite of the fact that most of the equipment had been moved out when it was shut down. It had many rooms that were kept at a constant low temperature so as to ensure that the infecting agents were left dormant. In case of an emergency, power could be produced from a large generator in the basement, and last near indefinitely. The cooling agents inside were numerous and had been left largely untouched, their half-lives ensuring they would continue to be useable for upwards of fifty years. But the main attraction of the building was a failsafe in the security system that submerged the entire building in temperatures below minus fifty-degrees centigrade. This ensured that no pathogens would be able to survive long enough to escape the laboratory in the event of a large scale contamination.
Victor Fries gave a small sigh of relief as he entered the building's central lab, and noticed that the failsafe freezing had not been turned off since the last time he was here. Through the glass pane in the centre of the room that allowed viewing into the main freezer, he saw his wife; Nora Fries, perfectly preserved in her cryogenic stasis, until a cure could be synthesized for her condition. A condition Victor Fries researched tirelessly in this very building, before the untimely accident once his funding was cut.
But that was a lifetime ago, and now the man of ice entered the freezer carefully, placing a gentle hand on the ice as he gave his wife a longing gaze. "Nora… my beautiful Nora… You will be free soon. You will be safe… It won't be long until I can bring you to Ra's' Lazarus Pit, and then? You will be free to live the life you were denied."
"Even if you had to become a career criminal to get her to this point?" Basil asked him rhetorically. The League of Shadows' shape-shifter watched Fries impassively, but under the visage of indifference, he felt a touch of sympathy for the scientist. To lose the former life he once held dear, unable to go back to what he once was. He knew all too well how that could feel.
"I could return to prison for the rest of my life as long as Nora was well… she is everything I worked to save. She is all that matters now." Victor said, as Nyssa entered the room.
"This is no time to be sentimental Freeze. We agreed to save your wife, and our truck has a freezer inside for her body. But we need to move." She urged him.
"There is always time for sentimentality," Freeze retorted before he carefully readied the canister holding Nora to be moved. "Would you not do the same for your own lover?"
"Do not speak of Ta-er to me, old man. She is none of your concern." She said with a sneer, while Victor rolled his eyes. He knew he was too important for her mission to actually hurt him at this point.
"I mean no harm. I simply wish to give you some perspective." He said before looking off towards the window of the laboratory. His eyes narrowed before he spoke again. "We are not alone here…" he warned, as the two assassins suddenly went on alert.
"Who is it? Did you see?" Nyssa asked, as she drew her bow, readying an arrow.
Freeze raised an arm to the glass before sneering. "Robin." He answered, before he suddenly fired a beam of ice towards the door they entered through, as two more unseen figures dove out of the way to avoid it. "He brings his team with them."
"Is it the Batman?" Nyssa asked again.
"No," Freeze answered as the three got ready to leave.
"Then they won't be a problem." Basil smirked. "Move!"
At once, the three villains rushed from the room, with Freeze carefully carrying Nora on his back. Basil suddenly lunged to the side, forming a mallet of clay to knock away Robin, who was attempting a flying kick.
"Clayface?!" Robin asked in alarm after carefully landing on his feet while his team entered around him.
"Yeah, but not the one you know." Karlo answered before opening a large hole in his chest as Nyssa let loose an arrow at Coldsnap. The arrow collided with the girl's forehead before bouncing off of her impervious skin.
"Thank you dad," she breathed in relief over her lineage, before she unleashed a beam of ice towards the three. Freeze was quick to intercept as he fired his own beam to keep Coldsnap at bay.
"Distract Freeze! We'll take the others!" Djinn urged as Red Hood and Robin leapt to engage Nyssa, while she dealt with the new Clayface. He launched an enlarged fist towards her, but she shielded herself with a large magical bubble to deflect the blow.
"Huh, that's cute." Basil mused.
"Thanks, I've been working on it." She grinned. "Tropelet dniheb uoy!" she cast before disappearing in a burst of light, and reappearing behind him. A multitude of magical circles conjured in front of her before each let loose a flurry of energy bolts towards the shape-shifter. While they harmlessly blasted through his body, their persistence left him on the defensive.
"Okay, that's annoying now!" he growled out before firing clay bolts from his body to deflect her magic in mid-air.
Despite the two protégés of Batman outnumbering Nyssa, they were still at a disadvantage against the sheer skill and deadliness of the League of Shadows' veteran. Despite being in close range combat, she was able to use her bow to fight against Red Hood's own gun-kata. Robin attempted a low sweep with his Bo staff, but she easily flipped over it, gaining enough distance to fire two arrows at the boys, which unleashed a cloud of smoke around them.
"Crap, you blind?" Robin asked Hood, before the older boy pressed a button on the side of his helmet, activating the thermal imaging in his mask. With it now activated, he could see Nyssa advancing on them, wearing razor-sharp claws on her fingers.
"Not a chance!" Hood grinned before he pulled his trench knives and went on the offensive.
"Me neither," Robin grinned as well, used to fighting in smokescreens. He followed Red Hood's movement towards Nyssa, before suddenly flanking to the side in the cloud and attacking from behind, focusing on her joints. She was quick to whip around and slash at him, but soon had to turn back again, as Hood swung his knives in a wide arc.
She brought up her hands and stopped the blades with the gauntlets she wore. "An interesting tactic. You're certainly deadlier than your brother-in-arms." She mused before drop-kicking him in the chest, knocking Jason through the glass observation window and into the freezer room. Once he was gone, she spun around again, and landed her palm on Robin's solar-plexus to knock him into a nearby table.
Coldsnap and Freeze continued their deadlock of ice beams, but it was becoming more and more apparent to Niuhi that Freeze was starting to overwhelm her. Freeze knew it as well and took a slow, but steady, step towards her.
"You're stronger than Junior, but you're still an amateur compared to me." The scientist taunted, the thought of Nora being restored fuelling him to continue the fight.
Coldsnap grunted as her arms started to buckle, gritting her teeth as she struggled to keep her beam up. She couldn't over power the scientist in the beam struggle. She needed some sort of way to distract him, to give her an opening to close the gap. Suddenly getting an idea she swapped to one hand, drastically weakening her beam as Freeze pushed her back further.
"Surrendering to me already?" Freeze chuckled. "A wise choice."
"No, not surrendering." She grunted, before enveloping her free arm in a massive gauntlet of ice. "Adapting!" she yelled before launching the ice at Freeze. The gauntlet flew straight and struck his glass dome, causing him to stumble back as his beam ended. With his focus down, Coldsnap rushed in, covering her fists in thick ice as she moved to punching at his chest and dome.
Freeze was now forced on the defensive as he carefully set Nora down out of harm's way before he attempted to strike back against Coldsnap. But Coldsnap clearly out classed him in close-quarters. Every time he attempted to fire a beam, she either dodged or redirected his arm away from her before responding with another quick jab to his kidneys.
"Not so tough now, are you?" she asked with a smirk before transforming the ice on her fingers into claws and attempting to slash at his suit and expose him to the open air. Freeze stepped back to avoid her blows before getting an idea. As soon as her left hand made contact with his suit, he grasped her wrist before freezing it to his body, trapping her for his counter-attack. He let loose a savage head butt before breaking the ice that held her and kicking Coldsnap back several feet.
"I just needed my second wind. Better hope you get yours soon." He taunted before the two cryokinetics once again found themselves in a beam struggle.
Clayface and Djinn continued their own struggle not far away. For every hammer he brought down on her, she would deflect it with a quick shield before countering with a variety of spells. Fire, ice, electricity, and plain old lasers were fired, to a multitude of results. Ice seemed most effective, but Clayface proved largely immune to the lasers.
"God, don't you ever get tired?" Djinn whined childishly.
"Not on days that end with Y." he retorted before swinging another broad hammer down which she deflected with a hastily conjured shield. Karlo didn't stop there, as he suddenly threw repeated blows down onto the barrier, attempting to overpower Djinn and break through. Each impact left Djinn more and more fatigued as she struggled to keep her shield active against his onslaught.
Karlo knew he couldn't keep up with her sheer variety of spells and magic. The only way he would be able to overcome her power outright would be if he wore her down first, making her too tired to fight back. He knew in a battle of endurance he would come out on top, and the sooner she was out of the fight, the sooner Karlo could assist his own allies.
With one last swing, he finally managed to shatter her shield as Djinn was sent sprawling back on the floor. Karlo chuckled lightly before advancing on her, giving a half-hearted shrug. "Sorry kid, but for what it's worth, not everyone can stand up to the Shadows for so long. Kudos to you." He complimented before forming one giant mallet and raising it above his head.
Before he could swing it down, several pellets collided with his face and body before exploding, spraying his clay all over the room. He grunted in pain, stumbling away from Djinn as Red Hood leapt out from the freezer. He reached inside his jacket before throwing more explosive pellets at Clayface, delaying his reforming for a few more seconds before rushing towards Freeze. The villain only had a few seconds to look at Hood in surprise, before Jason drove his boot down onto Freeze's left knee. There was a sickening crack as it was dislocated, before Red hood followed up shooting both pistols into Freeze's dome at point blank range.
The cryogenics expert fell to the ground with a cry of pain before Hood looked to Coldsnap. "Trade with Djinn, we need both of these guys locked down. Now!" he urged as Coldsnap and Djinn quickly swapped places. Coldsnap rushed Clayface just as the assassin had reformed his body.
"Aw crap," he grimaced before being frozen solid by the teenaged cryokinetic's ice beam. Djinn meanwhile conjured a magical circle on the floor to summon heavy chains. They wrapped themselves around Freeze, restraining the scientist. She smiled at her success, giving a small sigh of relief.
"A-hem!" Nyssa called out, gaining the attention of the three teens as they turned to look at her. While her allies had been restrained, she managed to subdue Robin and had her hand firmly clasped around his throat. "Release my compatriots. If you do not, one twist of my thumb and his throat will be torn open." She threatened, pressing the claw of her gauntlet into his skin hard enough to draw a small bead of blood.
Underneath his helmet, Jason grit his teeth angrily as he bit back a growl. Djinn and Coldsnap exchanged a reluctant glance before Hood finally lowered his pistols. "Do as she says…" he relented. Coldsnap grasped the chains around Freeze before tearing them apart, while Djinn looked to Karlo with a grimace.
"Waht tuo ecafyalc." She chanted as the ice around the villain magically thawed away and disappeared.
"Man that was uncomfortable," he shuddered, biting back a shiver as he helped Freeze to his feet.
"Alright… they're free… now let Robin go!" Djinn urged, clutching her staff tight as she watched the assassin that held her friend.
"No, not yet." Nyssa said carefully. "Not until you answer some questions."
"That's not fair! We did what you asked!" Coldsnap yelled.
"And yet I did not promise to release him if you complied." Nyssa snapped back, silencing Coldsnap from any further yelling. "Now, why did you come here tonight?" she asked, watching the teens carefully. The three of them remained silent, reluctant to give any information away to the League of Shadows operative. Nyssa frowned, her right eyebrow rising slowly in mild interest. She pressed her thumb harder into Robin's neck, releasing a small trickle of blood that ran down his skin. Red Hood's hand seemed to flinch reflexively for his pistol, but none of the three moved, for fear of causing further injury to Robin. "Well? Why are you here?" Nyssa asked again.
"We…" Djinn started, her hands twisting around her staff before she sighed, relenting. "We were sent here to find Freeze, after his transport to Arkham was transferred to an unmarked van with no connection to the asylum. We tracked the van to this location, and were sent inside to apprehend him."
Nyssa gave a small but dangerous smile as the pressure under her thumb seemed to decrease. "There, was that so difficult?" she asked before suddenly dropped Robin onto the ground. The teen coughed and sputtered, grasping his throat painfully. "Now, give us one good reason not to kill you here and now." She demanded, drawing her bow as Karlo and Freeze surrounded the team.
"Damn it, should have known it would end up here." Djinn muttered with a scowl.
"Would you expect anything less from the Shadows?" Hood asked rhetorically as his hands once again inched towards his pistols.
Nyssa gave a low chuckle at their desperate situation as she raised her bow, aiming it right at Djinn. "Shame. I would have been curious to see what you thought would work." She mused, ready to fire. Before she could release the arrow though, Karlo extended a long hand of clay to lower her bow.
"Hey now, maybe we can get them to help us out." He proposed. Nyssa shot him an incredulous glance at the insinuation, and even Freeze looked on perplexed. Karlo gave her a serious look before subtly gesturing out the back hallway where the van was currently parked. It only took a second for Nyssa to understand what he meant.
"Help you with what? Why should we want to help you?" Coldsnap asked with a snarl as Robin rose to his feet and rejoined his teammates.
"Gotta say, being held under threat of death is not the strongest way to convince us to work with you." He snarked. "We were here for Freeze and Freeze only."
"And you shall have me." Freeze relented, shocking everyone. "Once their job is done, I will return to prison, in your custody."
"Wait, seriously?" Djinn asked in surprise. Even Nyssa and Basil were shocked by the offer as Freeze cast a longing glance at the frozen form of Nora.
"Yes… The agreement was that I would help the Shadows in exchange for them using the Lazarus Pit to save my dearest Nora… It never stipulated that I would be left to go free." He explained. "All I want is for her to be safe and well. As long as this is guaranteed, I have no qualm with returning to prison."
The six stood in silence as they contemplated Freeze's words. Finally, it was Robin who spoke. "That's… that's really sweet. Tonight could be the night your criminal career comes to an end." He said in realization.
"Everything I have done, I have done to save Nora." Freeze nodded. "I am prepared for this to be my final mission… as Mr. Freeze."
"Which reminds me, what exactly is this mission?" Red Hood asked suspiciously, as Nyssa reluctantly put her bow away.
"We were sent by my father to prevent Clayface from assaulting the Lazarus Pit located in Gotham. We were to detain him, and return his body to Nanda Parbat for punishment." She explained.
"There's a Lazarus Pit located in Gotham?!" Robin said in alarm.
"Yes, and Matt Hagan believes himself to be entitled to it." Nyssa nodded. At the mention of Hagan, Robin seemed to glower in a way uncannily similar to the bat-glare.
"Wait, backup." Djinn said. "What exactly is a Lazarus Pit?"
"The Lazarus Pits are ancient pools of unknown origin, which appeared on this planet nearly fifty-thousand years ago. The waters of these pools restore anyone who bathes inside to pristine health. It makes you younger, heals wounds, and can even raise the dead." Nyssa explained, much to the shock of Djinn, Red Hood, and Coldsnap. "It is how Ra's al Ghul has managed to live for centuries. There are seven known Lazarus Pits at this current moment. And yes, one is located in Gotham, underneath the Yuyan building."
"That's right in the middle of Gotham!" Coldsnap exclaimed.
"No better place to hide than in plain sight." Karlo chuckled.
"So you plan on stopping Hagan from reaching the pit? What does he want with it?" Robin asked.
"Matt Hagan has been undergoing severe pains lately. His body is losing its ability to hold its form. He wants to bathe in the water in order to restore himself. Unfortunately, his body isn't the only thing fractured." Karlo said. "His mind is deteriorating faster than his body, and the clay nature of his form could seriously pollute the pool."
"Due to the nature of Hagan's powers, the master requested we enlist the assistance of Dr. Fries here, since Clayface is notoriously weak to the cold." Nyssa continued.
"And why does any of this concern us? Why should we care if Hagan reaches the Pit?" Coldsnap asked indignantly, not convinced of the seriousness of their mission.
"It is unknown what would happen if Hagan were to touch the pool. But considering his body is regenerating and deteriorating at an unprecedented rate, the Pit enhancing his strength and abilities could lead to his mass increasing exponentially." Nyssa warned.
"In layman's terms, we could see a Clayface the size of the Iceberg Lounge running around Gotham if we don't stop him." Karlo finished, causing the teens to blanch at the thought. While Djinn was not present for the event, and neither Coldsnap nor Red Hood had joined the team, they all heard of what happened the last time the team fought Hagan. The thought of the villain growing to such a size thoroughly alarmed each of them.
"So… what exactly are the terms of this agreement? Should we choose to accept it, I mean." Djinn asked carefully.
"In exchange for assisting us in stopping Matt Hagan from reaching and bathing in the Lazarus Pit, we not only allow the four of you to live, but you also get return Dr. Fries to the custody of Arkham Asylum. His wife Nora will be healed through the restorative water of the pit itself in exchange for his own assistance." Nyssa put forward.
Djinn thought it over for a moment, unsure of what to make of the deal. She glanced to her teammates to gauge their own reactions. Coldsnap seemed reluctant, and equally irate that such a situation even arose. But she also knew that it would be their best chance at completing their mission if they went along. Red Hood's face was unreadable due to his mask, but Keemia had learned to read his body language. He was tense, but not as defensive as before. While he was willing to accept these terms, he was clearly not happy about it.
Robin was a different story altogether. When Keemia looked to Tim, she noticed his face hardened into a look of grim determination. He was clearly the most on board to stop Hagan. For whatever reason this was, Keemia did not know. But taking her teammate's apparent thoughts into account, their decision was obvious. She sighed before giving a slow nod to Nyssa. "Alright… you got a deal."
Nyssa smiled at her success before nodding back. "Excellent. Hopefully you make better allies than you do opponents." She said with a barbed tongue, as Freeze set his dislocated knee, relocating the bone before lifting his wife's frozen form onto his back again. The motley group was about to head out before Robin called their attention.
"I got a question before we head out though," Robin spoke up, stopping them for a moment. "How did you get the same powers as Matt Hagan?" he asked carefully, pointing an accusatory finger at Karlo.
Basil chuckled lightly before shrugging. "Figured this would come up eventually. Well, if you must know, Hagan used to do work for the Shadows. However, our ever wise master determined that he wouldn't always be a stable or reliable asset. Case and point, his current plan to use the Pit. As such, our master stole a small sample of Hagan's clay and set out replicating the formula. Once he had what he needed, he managed to get it injected into me." He said before sighing wistfully.
"I was like Hagan once. A famous actor with a handsome face. One day though, one of the lamps on set exploded under the heat of its bulb. The class flew out and struck my face. Hacked by glass and burned on top of that? I was desperate to get my old look back. I thought that this injection of Hagans's powers would do just that." He continued, having captured the attention of the whole team. "At first, I didn't even consider the Shadows. I just set about drunk on power. Admittedly I probably shouldn't have gone to crime right away, but I couldn't help it. For a while, lots of people thought I was Hagan. We looked similar, had the same powers. We even quoted movies rather often while we worked. I think I fought your daddy a couple of times. You're the Sandman's girl, right?" he asked Djinn with a lopsided smirk.
"Yeah, that's me. So you're the Clayface he was always complaining about?" she asked with interest.
"Yep, that's me. I don't know if he ever learned about it being me under the clay." He laughed before turning serious. "After a while, I realised something; if the Shadows have done something for you, they expect you to return the favour. And sooner than later, they will come for you to collect your debt. I decided, out of fear mostly, to seek them out instead. Ra's welcomed me to the temple and I spent my time training and working on being his new agent. A master of disguise. As far as he's concerned, I was ready for the field. This is my first real day out," he admitted sheepishly.
"If we're quite finished now, we really should be going." Nyssa said pointedly. "We can't afford to waste any more time. There's no telling how close Hagan is to the Pit. We shall depart for the Yuyan building immediately, and wait for him to arrive. Hopefully, with seven of us, he won't take too long to put down."
"Can we trust you to be there?" Robin asked in an accusatory tone.
"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing." Nyssa countered.
The teens looked at her uneasily before Djinn folded her arms with a huff, conceding her point. "She's got us there."
It didn't take the team very long to get to the long abandoned form of the Yuyan building. They waited outside the door of the amphitheatre, until the telltale sounds of the unmarked vehicle parking alerted them to the arrival of their uneasy allies. Nyssa entered with Freeze and Karlo flanking her, before she personally led the group down into the basement and through an unmarked door at the far side of the room. It led them down a cavernous staircase until they reached a large, hollowed out cave. In the centre of the cave, a bubbling green pool sat. The limestone surrounding it was immaculately carved into ornate pillars and steps, leading to the lip of the water. Dozens of candles encircled the room, seemingly lit indefinitely as their flames illuminated the entire cave.
"So… that's what a Lazarus Pit looks like?" Djinn mused, looking at the room. "The mana here feels unlike anything else I've ever encountered." She breathed. True to her words, the magical essence of the room was powerful, ancient, and nearly too oppressive for her to stand.
"Yes, the energy of the Lazarus Pit is truly unlike anything else on the planet. It is a miracle of design, and an invaluable resource for our master." Nyssa nodded, her own face nearly betraying the pride she felt for possessing such knowledge. "Get into position. There is enough room for each of us to hide and ambush Hagan once he arrives. Once he gets here, he goes down hard and fast. No hesitation. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." Hood nodded, still reluctant to work with the Shadows. With one last nod from Nyssa, they split off to set their ambush. Red Hood and Coldsnap moved together on the far side of the pit. Karlo and Freeze hid off on the right. Nyssa crouched alone on the left side, behind an ornate statue. That left Djinn and Robin to hide near the entranceway.
"Gotta admit, this isn't how I imagined this mission going down tonight." Djinn admitted in a hushed tone. "What exactly do we tell Batman about it?" she asked Robin. When she was met with silence she frowned. "Robin?" she asked again before finally turning to see her team mate staring off at the entrance with unmistakable hatred. "Tim!" she hissed, finally getting his attention.
"Huh? Oh, sorry…" he said sheepishly. "I was focused…"
"I can see that." She snorted quietly. "It looked like you were trying to burn a hole through the door with your eyes." She said, as Tim sighed and looked off away from her. Seeing his discomfort, her own gaze softened. "Is something wrong, Tim?"
"I… This is just really personal for me." He said quietly.
"What, fighting Hagan? Is this because he trounced the team before we went to Bialya?" she asked.
"No, this is from before that. Long before that. Matt Hagan… he murdered someone that I really cared about." He admitted. "And he never would admit to it. He would never accept that he killed someone… and he has yet to be taken to justice for it."
Keemia's eyes widened in shock at the revelation before she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Oh my god, Tim… I'm so sorry… I had no idea."
He nodded once, biting back tears at the memory. "Her name was Annie… I met her not long before your dad first arrived in our world. I only knew her for a day but… I felt something with her. I felt something… real."
"And Hagan… killed her?"
"In a way, she was part of him originally. He shed a chunk of clay to scout around Gotham one day. But she developed a mind all her own, became her own person." He explained. "He needed her to stay whole though. Without her he kept falling apart. He chased us down and nearly killed me, but she sacrificed herself to him, allowed him to reabsorb her, just to save me. I guess she wasn't even real to begin with, but she felt real to me."
"If she meant that much to you, and gave her life for you, then of course she was real. Hagan did murder someone that day." She said before giving him a look of determination. "And tonight, we'll bring him to justice for it."
Robin gave her a sincere and thankful smile, before the sound of loud and lumbering footsteps was heard overhead. "It's him… he's here." Nyssa whispered. "Get ready!" she ordered as everyone made sure they were in place to act.
They could hear his lumbering footsteps overhead as his massive body crashed through the leftover furniture of the rooms above them. Soon enough, the footsteps moved on towards the stairs, as the cacophonous sound of his descent echoed towards them. His heavy, wet, footsteps grew closer and closer, before the lumbering form of Clayface finally emerged into the candlelit room.
The large rogue appeared to be limping. His left arm was clutched at an awkward angle against his body, as though he were trying to cover up a grievous wound. His breaths were heavy and ragged and he glanced at the pool before chuckling. "Heh… sorry Ra's. Your Pit… is all mine now." He laughed before moving towards it.
Just a few steps in, Djinn finally acted. "Edolpxe ttam s'nagah sgel!" she cast, catching Hagan completely by surprise. Before he could react, his legs ruptured, spraying clay all around. The sudden explosion, combined with the change in momentum sent him falling towards the floor. Red Hood and Nyssa jumped in next as they launched their own explosives, knocking him back further, while Robin used his own explosive discs to stop Hagan leaving.
As Hagan was down on the floor struggling, Nyssa stood. "Now! Freeze him solid!" she ordered as Coldsnap and Mr. Freeze combined their ice powers to freeze Matt Hagan solid. Hagan yelled defiantly before being frozen solid into an icy statue within seconds. Freeze and Coldsnap halted their assault as the group slowly emerged to survey their handiwork.
"Well… he's down." Red Hood said carefully, slowly emerging before he straightened up. "That should hold him for a minute at least."
"I really don't think we should have stopped there. We should have kept going." Djinn frowned.
"He is frozen solid, my dear. His body's molecular composition already slows down tremendously merely being in the presence of the cold." Freeze countered. "A sustained blast like that, should keep him down for hours at the very least."
"Yeah, but his form was deteriorating already, remember? There's no guarantee that his molecules will still react the same way." She warned, turning to face them. None of them seemed to notice the small cracks forming along the frozen form of Matt Hagan behind them as she spoke.
"You're saying that his little meltdown might make him immune to freezing?" Karlo asked skeptically.
"Or at the very least, that it will be harder to freeze him for any length of time. I'd think you know as well as I do that you don't take chances with this sort of thing." She warned. As she spoke, Nyssa looked past her to Hagan's frozen body, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. As Nyssa focused on him, she noticed the spider-web cracks forming along the ice, and how they seemed to get bigger.
"No…" she whispered suddenly, calling everyone's attention. After another moment, Nyssa looked up at Djinn and Robin sharply. "Get out of there!"
She was too late with her warning, however, as Matt Hagan broke free of the ice before slamming Djinn across the cave and into the limestone wall with one massive swing of his arms. Robin attempted to throw more explosives at him, but was met with a backhanded strike into another wall.
Karlo rushed in, swinging his arms as massive maces to strike at Hagan's face over and over again, as the two men of mud got into a brawl. "Freeze him, now!" Karlo barked as he tried to hold Hagan down. "Do it!"
Freeze and Coldsnap hurried to respond, however Hagan had learned his lesson. All at once his clay exploded out and away from Karlo, leaving the Shadows' assassin to be the lone target of the cold blasts as he was frozen instead.
"No!" Nyssa yelled, not noticing as Hagan's body reformed behind her. The original Clayface chuckled darkly as he stared down at the startled assassin.
"Sorry sweetheart. Tell yer daddy this mission was a bust." He taunted before grasping her leg with his arm and slamming her into the floor. Red Hood shot numerous explosive rounds into his shoulder, disorienting him for a moment, however he swung Nyssa like a ragdoll to strike him, knocking him back into Djinn who was struggling to stand. He then flung the body of Nyssa into Freeze, taking both the German scientist and the archer out of the fight as well.
Coldsnap stared at him fearfully, seemingly alone in the fight. But her determination was strong as she gave a roar of defiance before summoning all of the cold she could to blast the monster in front of her. Her temperature was so low that clouds of icy fog billowed around Hagan as the beam struck him. The floor was covered in slick ice as the nearby walls were drenched in frost. However, it had seemingly no effect as Hagan still lumbered forward.
"Face it kid… You can't put me down now… not when I'm on the war path!" Hagan bellowed.
Niuhi grimaced before looking at the Lazarus Pit, and then back to Hagan. "I can't freeze you… but I can stop you reaching the Pit!" she yelled before blasting out ice again. Instead of attacking Hagan however, she instead froze the Lazarus Pit, sealing it off with a thick sheet of ice.
"No!" Hagan yelled angrily before he rushed forwards, colliding roughly with Niuhi before he grasped her body and flung her into the now frozen pit. She impacted the ice so hard she left a crack in the surface, before her body slid off the edge and down the steps, coming to a rest next to the frozen form of Basil Karlo.
Hagan panted heavily, his body wearing and aching under the effort he exerted. It suddenly rippled and bubbled as he collapsed to his knees in pain. "I'm not stopping. I'm so close… I will have that Pit!" he declared before slamming his hands into the ice over and over again, gradually making the cracks wider and wider. After a few impacts alone, he made a hole wide enough that he could reach a hand inside. He scooped out a handful of the water, gasping in relief at how it felt on his fingers. He then drank it ravenously, feeling immediately rejuvenated. "It's amazing… I need more! MORE!" he yelled madly before a disc suddenly flew into his shoulder before exploding. His head whirled around as his clay reformed, seeing Robin standing up. The teen clutched his ribs painfully, but he fought through it, fixing Hagan with a glare of murderous intent.
"Matt Hagan… alias, Clayface." The boy wonder rattled off. "Wanted for theft… property damage… impersonating an officer… multiple incidents of violent assault… evading arrest… and murder."
"Murder…?" Hagan asked in confusion before suddenly realizing what Robin meant. He looked at him incredulously before laughing. "Oh man, you're still hung up over that girl? Newsflash boy blunder, she wasn't real! She never was!"
"She was real to me!" Robin yelled back. "You're a murderer Hagan… a murderer and a coward! You should have died here! You deserve to die!"
"Those are some pretty brave words kid." Hagan said darkly as he stomped towards Robin. "Brave, and stupid. You barely have a leg to stand on. You have no hope of stopping me. But you know what? You won't have to." He said, moving his clay out of the way of another set of discs as he wrapped a hand around Robin's body, firmly trapping his arms against his sides as he lifted him up to eye level. "I ain't never committed murder before, but now? I'm kinda curious. And what better way to start than by ending Batman's precious wonder boy? Don't you worry about Annie kid… you'll be seeing her again real soon."
With that, he slowly started to crush Robin within his grasp, the teen letting out an anguished cry of pain. The sound caused Djinn and Red Hood to stir as they slowly stood up, watching in horror as Tim was slowly crushed within Hagan's grip. Nyssa, Freeze, and Coldsnap all stirred at this as well, watching helplessly, unable to do anything in time.
And then Hagan's arm exploded.
His clay ruptured as a massive ball of it surged from his chest. It wrapped firmly around Tim before flying off across the room and cushioning him as it fell to the ground. Tim groaned feebly, too weak to stand. But the clay around him slithered off before suddenly taking shape. Hagan reformed his body as best he could before looking on in shock as the clay that burst from him formed into the body of a teenage girl. She was as old as Robin, with dark brown hair in a bob cut. The clay formed itself into clothes for her as well, making a red cardigan sweater, yellow t-shirt, black mini skirt and black choker. Finally, she wore knee high socks with black flats.
She gently cupped Tim's face in her hands, giving him a look of compassion and longing, before she turned to Hagan with a look of pure hatred. "You hurt him… you will never hurt him again! You will never touch him!" she yelled as Hagan was left bewildered.
"B-but how…? This is impossible! I absorbed you! You don't exist!" He sputtered.
"I do exist Hagan. I'm a real girl. And I'm ready to put down a monster when I see one." She sneered before forming her hands into hammers as she flew forward, striking Hagan again and again without remorse. She didn't stop until he was a feebly stirring puddle of mud on the floor, smearing itself across the stone. "Freeze him again! Properly this time!" she demanded before Coldsnap and Freeze immediately took over, encasing Hagan in a massive block of ice. By the time they were done, Matt Hagan was trapped inside of a veritable glacier.
Once they believed him to be restrained suitably, Nyssa finally stood up before nodding in appreciation to Annie. "Thank you…"
Annie gave her a lone nod before returning to Tim's side, kneeling next to him as she took his vital signs. "He needs medical attention. We have to get him out of here."
"No, we don't." Nyssa corrected. "You've all done good work here… and I can't thank you all enough for your help. Please, use the Pit. It will heal him. It will heal all of you."
"Are you sure about this? Should you really be allowing us to use it?" Djinn frowned.
"Ra's need not know… what's important is that we saved it. There is no harm in you using it." She reasoned, before giving Freeze the faintest hint of a smile. "After all, Nora will be submerged momentarily as well."
"Yes, she will." Freeze nodded gratefully as Coldsnap limped over to the pool before grasping the ice sheet and tearing it off with one fluid motion.
"Get Tim in first, he needs it most." She said, tossing the ice aside as Annie picked up Robin and carried him to the water. He groaned and stirred lightly in her arms as his eyes fluttered open.
"A-Annie…? Is that you?"
"Yeah... it's me Tim." She smiled warmly. "I've missed you."
"I missed you too…" he smiled back before grimacing in pain. "I hurt all over though."
"Don't worry, you'll be okay." She assured him, carefully lowering him into the water. "It might feel a little overwhelming at first, but you'll feel better in seconds."
"Why can't it just make you feel… whelmed?" he asked rhetorically before laughing painfully as the water slowly rejuvenated him.
"Um… whelmed?" Annie asked in confusion.
"It's a Robin thing," Djinn explained. "You get used it."
After only a few minutes, everyone assembled had received a chance to submerge within the Pit and have their injuries healed. The crew waited another few moments to ensure Hagan was still immobilized, and to have Djinn dry their clothes and equipment with a spell. Karlo left with Freeze to retrieve his wife, meaning Nyssa remained behind with the team and Annie, who was currently firmly planted by Robin's side, refusing to leave him.
"I can't tell you how glad I am that you're back. I thought you were lost forever when Hagan…" he trailed off.
"I know… I never thought I would get out either. Thing is, when he… absorbed me… he didn't destroy my mind. I was still there. I saw everything. I heard everything. I was trapped in my mind. For all those years." She explained.
"And when Hagan started breaking down, you had the chance to escape." Djinn surmised. "But when he drank from the pit, it should have helped him. How was he still weak enough for you to escape?"
"Because he wasn't deteriorating." Annie revealed, shocking them. "His pain, his crumbling form? That was me fighting against him. I'd been biding my time, and for the last few weeks I'd been fighting back. Every time he bubbled or collapsed? That was him only barely keeping me restrained. He didn't even know I was in there still. The water of the pit didn't heal him, it just made me stronger. Hagan was unharmed. But it helped me to build my strength, to build my own clay."
"What about his sensitivity to the cold being reduced?" Nyssa asked. "Your mind fighting with him doesn't explain how he was resisting it."
"I'm not sure… But perhaps having two people fighting against it made the difference there." Annie admitted.
"In any case, I'm just glad to have you back." Robin smiled. "I gotta admit though, I never expected to see you grow up like this." He said. True to his words, Annie did appear older than the last time she saw him. In fact, she seemed to match his own age.
"Hey, my mind aged while I was trapped there. For all intents and purposes, I'm a teenager like you. My body just happens to match it now." She grinned. "It feels… nice to grow up."
"Where are you gonna go now?" Red Hood asked her.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, where are you gonna live? You're a real girl now, but you'll need somewhere to live. Some way to build the life of the average teen." He explained.
"I don't want to leave Tim again. I just got him back." She said adamantly, hugging Robin's arm close. Robin fought to keep a blush off of his face, something that Keemia and Jason mentally filed away for later teasing.
"Well if that's the case, I don't see why you can't just live with him." Red Hood offered. "Batman gives us lodging, I'm sure he'd help you too."
"You really mean it?" he asked, her eyes alight with excitement.
"Yeah, I'm sure Robin would love to have you close by." Jason grinned, his face hidden by his helmet as Robin sent him a glare.
"That's a lovely shade of red on your face there Robin, are you feeling okay?" Coldsnap asked with a smirk. Annie suddenly shot to attention as she examined Robin carefully.
"You're right, he is red." She frowned, cupping his face gently. "Oh, you're burning up! Are you sick?" she asked.
"What? No! I'm fine." Robin assured her, while Djinn nudged Coldsnap's arm with her elbow.
"Oh he's some kind of sick alright," she grinned before the two girls collapsed into a fit of laughter. Red Hood held out for a second longer before he too started laughing. Even Nyssa broke into a small smile as Robin continued to fume at them.
"Actually, why don't you join the team?" Djinn offered once she stopped laughing. "I mean, you don't have to, but it would give you a chance to work with Robin more. Besides, based on your work here today, you could really do well. What do you say?"
Annie seemed to ponder her words before suddenly nodding excitedly. "Deal! I would love to work with you." She said.
"Well in that case, you'll need a codename. And a costume." Coldsnap pointed out.
"I think I can come up with something." She nodded before standing up straight and closing her eyes. Within seconds her appearance reverted to clay before her clothes shifted into a potential costume. It was a slate grey bodysuit that covered her whole body up to her neck. She possessed black elbow length gloves, and thigh-high black boots, with a gold trim. A wide, vertical black stripe ran from her neck down the front of her costume, and around her waist was a golden sash, tied off to the side like a belt. Finally, on her face was a black domino styled mask, while her hair was tied back into a short ponytail. "Well, what do you think?" she asked.
"I think it looks great. You might want it to be actual clothes though." Djinn pointed out.
"Yeah, because without those you're technically naked clay, aren't you?" Coldsnap nodded, causing Annie to suddenly flush a dark red.
"Not to worry. Karlo's own clothes were designed to form around his body, thanks to a material pioneered by Wayne Enterprises. As long as you can get your hands on that, you should be fine." Nyssa pointed out.
"There! No need to worry then." Hood nodded. "So, what's your codename gonna be?"
Annie cupped her chin in thought before Robin spoke up. "How about, Mannequin?" he suggested. Annie gasped lightly before smiling.
"It's perfect! My name will be Mannequin!" she decided before the telltale footsteps of Freeze and Karlo could be heard descending the staircase.
"Alright, we have Nora." Karlo said as he and Freeze moved the ice holding Nora over to the edge of the pool. She looked virtually unchanged from when she was moved into the truck earlier.
"Sorceress…. Please thaw her quickly. We can't afford to waste any time in getting her into that pool, considering her condition." Freeze asked Djinn, his voice desperate.
"Alright, just be ready to catch her," she urged him as magic swirled around her fingers. "Evomer aron seirf morf eht eci." She cast as the ice disappeared and Nora's body fell into Freeze's arms. He carefully laid her down in the water, and waited for the healing of the Pit to work.
It took a few seconds, but soon enough Nora burst forth from the water, gasping and sputtering for air. "Wh-where am I? What has happened?" she asked, still in shock. "Victor? Victor where are you?!"
"I'm here, I'm right here Nora…" his voice said, threatening to break as he saw his wife well once more.
"I… I'm awake. The last thing I remember was you freezing me… until you could find a cure." She said before noticing the suit he wore. "What are you wearing? What's happened to you?"
"That was so long ago Nora… almost ten years ago." Victor sighed. "I healed your condition with the Lazarus Pit of Ra's al Ghul. This suit… is keeping me alive. There was an accident while I attempted to cure you. A lab accident with the chemicals. I can no longer survive outside of sub-zero temperature."
"Oh Victor…" she whispered, climbing from the pool as she gently cupped her hand on the dome of his glass helmet. "Please tell me this is all that's befallen you."
Freeze was silent at that, before he gave a long and beleaguered sigh, and told Nora everything that had transpired. His tireless research efforts, the funding being cut, the laboratory accident, his turn to crime to fund further research, his blackmail, and the attempted breakout. Everything up until the present moment he had freed her. "I am willing to atone Nora… I am ready to face the justice that I must. Because you are safe. All I ever wanted was for you to be safe."
"Victor my love, you are too kind a man." She whispered kindly, pressing her forehead against his dome. "If you are to go back to prison I will understand. But I shall be fighting for you to be released. And barring that… I shall visit every day. I shall make sure you are still loved. You are a good man Victor Fries."
He smiled lovingly before opening his dome to give her a brief, but searing kiss. He closed the dome again once they parted before he helped her to stand, as her legs were still weak from lack of use during her stasis. "I suppose, that you will want to turn me in now?" he asked the team.
"Well, considering the situation with Nora, we might need more than just the police for this to help us. Add Annie into the mix, and we should probably just call Batman for help." Djinn reasoned.
"If you are to be contacting the Batman, there is one last thing I would ask of you." Nyssa said. Djinn eyed her with suspicion, not sure what to make of it.
"Really? Another job for us? Are we just some convenience for you? Remember, you were ready to kill us only an hour ago." She scoffed.
"Yeah, maybe we were. But this time, it doesn't have to do with us. It's to help someone else." Karlo countered before looking back at the door. "You can come in now, it's okay." He called, as the team turned, prepping themselves for whoever would step through.
What they weren't prepared for, was a twelve year old girl. Her hair was dark and grew to her shoulders, looking incredibly mussed up. Her skin was paler than normal, and she wore a plain black jumpsuit. Her feet and hands were bare, and she regarded the team warily as she suddenly froze mid-step. Seeing her hesitation, Karlo stepped forwards, taking her hand kindly.
"It's okay. They're friends. They're here to help you," he assured her as the girl gave him an unsure glance, before she continued forwards, still holding onto his hand tightly.
"Who… is that?" Hood asked carefully.
"This, is Cassandra… Cassandra Cain." Nyssa said carefully. "We've rescued her from the Shadows."
"Cassandra Cain? As in David Cain, the infamous assassin?" Robin asked in disbelief.
"Yes. Cassandra is his daughter." Nyssa confirmed.
"Dare we ask who her mother was?" Coldsnap frowned.
"We don't know. We were never informed. As far as we know, only Ra's and her parents know her mother's identity." Karlo sighed.
"You mentioned that you saved her from the Shadows?" Djinn said, as Nyssa nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, we did. Cassandra was born to be a weapon. She was denied her childhood in favour of making her the perfect weapon for the Shadows to use. The perfect assassin." She revealed, as the teens blanched in horror. "She was raised from birth to know any and all forms of lethal combat. Pressure point attacks, weapons training, martial arts. Nothing was off limits. But, to keep her under their control, she cannot speak."
"She can't speak?" Djinn asked, dreading the answer.
"No. Ra's believed that if she knew any language, she would be able to rebel. As such, she was forbidden to be talk how to speak, how to read, or how to write. The only reason she understands us speaking English is because we taught her in secret." Karlo added. "She understands body language like you wouldn't believe though. She could see your left arm twitch and know exactly what item you were about to grab even before you do."
"The issue became when she was given her first trial. Ra's set up a scenario for her to fight and ultimately kill a target. What he did not anticipate was Cassandra fearing his death throes." Nyssa sighed, looking down. "Being fluent in body language she was able to discern life signs. Not being able to see them horrified her. It was only increased when she realised her actions caused it."
The team looked to Cassandra sympathetically, and she seemed to shy away from their glances, not wanting to look at them. Nyssa walked over to the girl and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before she continued speaking. "Ra's believed her a failure of her purpose. An assassin who would not kill is not an assassin worth keeping. He asked us to abandon her in Gotham, hoping she would just die on the streets. But we were not about to do such a thing. We were intending to turn her in to the police so that they might help her. But if you could take her in…"
"… Then Batman would be able to provide her with a proper home. One safely away from the Shadows." Red Hood surmised.
"Precisely." Nyssa nodded. "For all of the ire we feel towards the Batman, we cannot deny that she would be safest under his care."
"We'll do it." Red Hood said adamantly, without a second thought. "She will not be found by the Shadows while we care for her."
Nyssa and Karlo both breathes sighs of relief hearing that answer. "Thank you, you have earned our respect. And our gratitude. When the Batman asks what occurred here tonight, just inform him that Freeze broke out to save his wife using the Pit. Once he knows it exists, he will put up security to keep it safe, and it should suffice for him." Nyssa said as she made to leave. Karlo moved to follow her but was held back by Cassandra holding onto his hand, her eyes looking at him with fear and longing.
"Hey, it's okay kid. I'll be back soon for a visit. And when I do, I'll have new stories to tell you." He assured her, before Cassandra nodded reluctantly and hugged him close. He chuckled and hugged her back, before looking at the team. "Cass has thought of me like her older brother ever since she's known me, and I won't lie, it's grown on me quite a bit as well."
"That's sweet." Djinn nodded as Cassandra reluctantly let go of Karlo. With one last nod from him, she slowly made her way to Djinn who held out a gentle hand to her. Cass stared at it, unsure at first, before gently grasping it in her own. "We'll take good care of her. We promise."
Karlo stood slowly before forming a new form to disguise himself with, as he lifted the frozen block of ice that held Hagan. "Thank you. It means a lot that you would do this." He said before walking to the door. Before he exited, he looked back at the teens with a questioning gaze. "There is talk within the Shadows of dissent and distrust. Some of the agents may wish to break free from their masters, and become more autonomous. If this happens, there could be a minor war of sorts." He warned them. "But, if it does happen, you can bet that I will be back for Cass, and I will wish to stay with her."
"Just don't do anything drastic." Robin urged him seriously. With one last nod of understanding, Karlo finally left after Nyssa. There was the echoing noise from upstairs of the van being started up, before it disappeared into the night. With the Shadows' agents now gone, the team left to move upstairs, followed closely by Cass, Freeze, Annie, and Nora.
It was awkward to say the least, but once they reached the outside of the Yuyan building, Djinn was quick to put a finger on her communicator. "Batman, this is Djinn. Please meet us at the Yuyan building ASAP. We have a lot to go over with you."
There was a moment of silence before he answered. "Copy that. I'll be arriving momentarily." He said. Soon enough, the telltale light of the teleporter flashed as Batman appeared standing ten feet away from the ragtag group. To say he was surprised to see them was an understatement.
"Nora Fries…?" he asked, before seeing Victor Fries standing next to her, seemingly unfazed by Batman's presence.
"I wish to surrender myself back to Arkham, Batman. Nora is safe, the reign of Mr. Freeze is over." He said. Batman's eyes widened slightly, the most surprise that he could be capable of showing at any point of time. After hearing Freeze surrender, he then saw the two girls standing with the team. One had her arms wrapped around Robin's, while the second was seemingly hiding from him behind Djinn. Upon seeing them, his eyes once again narrowed suspiciously.
"Start talking."
Nanda Parbat – September 27th 19:41 CST
"Well? Is it finished?" Ra's al Ghul asked as he saw Nyssa and Karlo enter into his private quarters. Talia and Sensei stood on either side of him, each impassive as they awaited the answer of the agents.
"It is done father. Hagan has been apprehended." Nyssa said, bowing reverently to Ra's and Karlo did likewise.
"Bring him in then," Ra's requested. Karlo gave a curt nod before stepping outside of the room and returning with the partially thawed block of ice that held Matt Hagan. He dropped it on the floor, shattering the ice and freeing the man made of clay. Hagan struggled to regain his form, and kept collapsing into a pile of sludge on the floor.
"Ugh… my head hurts…" Hagan groaned painfully.
"More than that will hurt, soon enough." Ra's threatened, as Hagan now looked at him fearfully. "Get him to the basement chamber. Inform Princess Maru that she has a new test subject." He smirked as Karlo easily restrained Hagan and dragged him away.
"No, let me go! Don't take me to her! No, NO!" he begged, his voice fading into the distance the further away they grew.
Ra's allowed himself to chuckle at the man's misfortune before he cast an inquisitive eye onto Nyssa. "And the girl? Was she disposed of?" he asked.
Nyssa stared back at her master, unflinchingly. "Yes, father. She was left in the slums where the drug runners are known to operate. Not even the Batman dares to tread there. If she has not yet been killed, she will be soon."
"Good." He nodded, his voice cutting through the silence that followed Nyssa like the sharpest blade. "As you know, the Shadows does not abide by failures. With her gone, we can instead focus, on our successes." He smirked before turning to look at another young figure. This one was a young boy, with short, jet-black hair. His eyes were hardened, and he stared at Ra's impassively. "Behold, the legacy of the Shadows; my Grandson, Damian."
And done! Hopefully this works okay as a pseudo-interpretation of the Season of Infamy.
I will admit, most of this was just to go through and do some housekeeping and set up future characters, as well as fix a plot hole I left over from Sandman Unlimited. Speaking of which, let's address this housekeeping!:
Basil Karlo: This one comes entirely from the plot hole I mentioned. See in Sandman Unlimited when Flint met Clayface, I referred to them as Basil Karlo. The big problem with that is the fact that the JLU Clayface was Matt Hagan, and not Basil. While I could chalk that up to just being an error on my part, I wanted to try and mend that, so I did that here. Since Flint might not reasonably know about Clayface's true identity, it's a reasonable thing for me to try I would think. Basil and Matt are just both actors now. And operated at pseudo the same time. And some people will inevitably think I planned this from the beginning. And if that question ever pops up; yes. That's exactly what I planned.
Nyssa: Partially from her Season of Infamy incarnation. She's not entirely evil, just... kind of. In a way. Don't expect her to work with the team again in the future unless the situation becomes too dire. She just doesn't like the notion of children being murdered, so naturally she would want the team to keep Cassandra alive. Other than that, they were a means to an end. Nothing more.
Annie: If you've followed this series up to now, you know I have a habit of saving characters. Deadman, The Shade, Supergirl, Ace, and now Annie. They now have more satisfying endings. Hopefully, at least. "Growing Pains" is one of my favourite episodes, and honestly I just wanted to use her again. Especially to get a rise out of Tim. And now I can ship her with Tim again. Some of you might ask, "But what about Stephanie? You introduced her recently, and she usually gets shipped with Tim.", and to that I say: She will have another pairing in mind. As for who...
Cassandra Cain: I've wanted her to show up for a while. She is an adorable character, and she will take the place of Barbara as Batgirl in "Season 2". She is also another big reason for Basil to be around. I loved her interactions with him in the recent string of Detective Comics. They had an adorable and incredibly heart-warming connection with each other. I wanted to explore that more here. Expect Basil to be an uneasy ally in the future, if only for Cass' sake. She still can't talk. At least, not really. But at least she understands English.
Mr. Freeze: Has officially retired. He is no longer an active rogue. He was only ever attempting to save Nora's life. And now that job is done. He will no longer commit crimes. He can finally rest.
The League of Shadows: Has even more members than expected. So many deadly agents, so little time. And I get to sneak both Doctor Poison and Copperhead in? Yes please!
Damian: Will return later...
Hopefully that clears up any and all confusion regarding the choices made in this chapter! There will be more original ideas to come down the pipeline in the future. I just need to work out how and where to implement them.
In the meantime, the next episode? Things get intense. Shit is really gonna hit the fan. Giant plant monsters attack, the League is spread thin, and villains unite to earn billions of dollars. The Team is the only group capable of stopping this villainous threat at their source. But there's a clown in the way... a clown in need of a return to his proper Mark Hamill form...
Next time on Alchemic Justice... Revelation!
As always, be sure to read and review. I appreciate each and every one.
Ciao for now!
~WafflesTheApprentice