Yeah, suddenly a return after a LONG months of doing nothing.
Without any further delay, enjoy. Major updates will be at the end of the chapter.
- Gordon made sure, that everyone in the GCPD got the information that there will be no raids the day the auction will be held, - said Wayne, sitting in his chair with everyone surrounding him - Inque, Terry, Curare, Max and Flash with Sidonia. The latter was brought under special conditions, and everyone were wearing their suits to keep the secret identities - Wayne was wearing Grey Ghost suit, while Max was in one of the variations of Batgirls costumes, with full mask and voice modulator, - That was done to ensure that the auction will be in the same place with the same expected security forces. But we still have a backup - Gordon managed to find several trusted people that will be patrolling the area nearby.
- Just like with the raid on trucks, - nodded Terry.
- Yes, - continued Wayne, - While it won't be enough to help us inside, the GCPD will close the perimeter, which will be important in our operation.
- It's always nice having a prep-time...and you doing all the prep things, - Flash smirked, looking at the Batcomputer's screen, - I missed that, to be honest, but I guess you will put me on the bench?
- Slow down, - Wayne raised his hand, still working on the Batcomputer.
- He likes to say that, - explained Flash to Terry, lowering his voice.
- We have to rely on Inque, Sidonia and Curare for the first part of operation. First of all, you need to get inside and disable all vehicles in the area and knock down as many thugs as you can before moving to the auction, - Wayne started the briefing, showing everyone the map where auction was supposed to be held, - Since you are more than capable to operate alone, you better move from different directions towards the main auction house...which you have to find by interrogating thugs, since Gordon doesn't know the exact location, only the area.
- Well, I got a reputation on the streets, and Curare's robot voice scares me sometimes...Sidonia could probably do the same, - said Inque, looking at the map, - ...and this is a port area. Great, more water in my life.
- You will be without Batman's help until Banshee emerges to fight, - Wayne continued the briefing, glancing at Terry, - Your mission is to lure out Banshee as far away as possible from three of them, preferably to this side of the port area to localize the damage. We will position Flash here, as close as possible, - Wayne pointed towards the area, where were some shopping centers, - You have to apprehend Banshee or wear her down, but you have to call Flash before they initiate the self-destruct sequence.
- The explosion. Will kill everyone. In a. Twenty meter. Radius, - Curare took the word, coming forward to open the files of schematics, - But. It needs time. To initiate. Chemical. Reaction.
- How much time are we talking about?
- From twenty. To. Sixty. Seconds. Depends. On the. Explosive. And. Detonator.
- We can't just disable the connection between this device and whatever it is connected to? - asked Terry.
- No. While you were in Banshee's apartment, I noticed that there was a traffic coming from this device towards the satellite, - Wayne opened yet another file, - I measured the delay between satellite and the "Spine"...it's two to ten seconds.
- So we can shut the connection between this device and satellite, it give us two, ten seconds tops, and then it activates the self-destruct sequence, which is twenty seconds, - said Flash, rubbing his chin, - Twenty two seconds, thirty tops.
- And your record right now is?..., - asked Inque skeptically.
- Thirty seven seconds, - sighed Flash along with everyone in the Batcave, except for Wayne, - Considering everything, I think I need to make it down to fifteen seconds.
- We don't have much time left, since the mission is starting tonight, - Wayne rubbed his nosebridge before continuing, - Get some rest and have a sleep before the mission.
- Can I get some personal space? I need to prepare my exosuit, - asked Sidonia, who was in her under-armor garment, with helmet still on her head.
- You can occupy that area, - Wayne pointed towards the part of the cave where his workbench was. Sidonia nodded and walked to it silently, getting all her equipment to start assembling her armor.
- She is quite today, - Inque narrowed her eyes in her "Bat-Inque" form, glancing at Terry, - You OK?
- Yeah, - he sighed, standing right in front of his exosuit, which was opened up, - Wish I had that when I was fighting...other things.
- Well, you managed to fight me without this thing and survive, - Inque stood right next to Terry, looking at the exosuit closely, - And against others...you do remember that time when your own Batsuit went rogue and you still managed to beat it?
- You are catching up quick, - smirked Batman, looking at Inque.
- I know, - she carefully placed her hand over Batman's shoulder, lowering her voice, - Maybe you hearing that all the time from Max, but be careful.
- I will, - Terry nodded to Inque seriously, - Not the first time I go against a metahuman.
- That will be the first time for me to see it from your side, - Inque left Terry, and seeing the opportunity Flash appeared right on her spot just a second later, crossing his arms on his chest and winking to McGinnis.
- What? - asked Terry from Flash, raising his eyebrows.
- Just observing, kiddo, so you can relax and anticipate my jokes later.
- I like jokes...the good ones, - Terry smirked at Flash's words, - I never knew you were still there...what made you retire?
- Well, not retired, I am still working with CCPD, but let's just say that lightning met his fire, - Flash winked again, turning to the exosuit, - Get some sleep, kid. I know I will - with the life like that you appreciate every moment when you can take a nap...but I guess you know that by now.
Curare received new upgraded version of her suit - while it wasn't technologically advanced as the Batsuit, it provided a protection with some decrease in maneuverability due to it's lightweight components. New utility belt came in handy, storing many devices and items (most of them were just repaired devices Wayne used in his prime), along with the mask that kept everything but eyes opened. Of course her armor was in black, and while she was performing acrobatic moves in it, Wayne was studying her moves closely:
- Does it restrict you?
- No. It does. Not, - she said, standing on one arm with her legs stretched to the sides. She carefully rolled away from Wayne and slowly stood up, looking right at him, - Not as. Much. To. Bother.
- The suit lacks something more important, than gadgets and armor.
- ...is it. Time?
- Consider this a test, - Wayne approached Curare and gave her a symbol of flying bat with raised wings, - If you will be able to do everything right...you can become a part of something more, something that League of Shadows should've been, but never will.
- ...I am. Clinging. To my loyalties. Still, - she took the symbol and after a while put it inside the utility belt, - If I change. My mind. Completely. I will wear it.
- Be honest. That is the best way to find your own way...and not waste time on illusions of decisions.
For Inque it was quite a trouble to find a way to get her some equipment, - considering her abilities to shapeshift that was limited only by her mass and imagination, she on the one hand could replace many devices...on the other hand, Inque had some issues with radiolink, forced to leave it in some scenarios when she tried to enter through very tight spaces. And, of course, she had to improvise with the handcuffs, sometimes using her own body or something around her. Wayne said, that he will look into the problem, but for now the only thing he came up with was a supply drop on the ground. After a second quick briefing the preparation was over, and everyone got their time to rest and sleep for the big night.
To ensure that nothing will spook the auction, whole team - except for Batman - dropped their vehicles in secure places several blocks from the port area, gliding down to the road and going to the maintenance area. The cars were rumbling above, and aerocars were driving right under the road. They were moving slowly, avoiding security cams and hacking their way through the road, until they arrived at the first vantage point. From there, whole team could see the port area, stretched on the seaside with various ships docked already. Of course it's not the ships they were interested in - rather their interest was in the private warehouse area. From this point Inque, Curare and Sidonia parted ways according to the plan, slowly approaching the port area and warehouses:
- Remember - you must approach this mission with utmost stealth and cunning, - said Wayne over the radiolink, - Sidonia, this especially goes for you.
- Will do my best, - she said, dropping down silently - thanks for the noise compensator in her exosuit. While she was not able to activate optical camo, her exosuit compensated it with sensors...and she herself took some advices from Wayne. Watching over the camera that was moving around, Sidonia quickly rolled to the wall, taking out laser cutter and special sensor device to see through it, - The wall is wired, as you said, Ghost. It will take time.
- Take it slowly, but steadily...Curare.
- Inside, - she reported, quickly tapping on the button of her neck device in Morse code. The new upgraded device now had a camera for streaming the process from her point of view, and Wayne saw how silently and carefully she was moving around. She found a target soon enough - it was a big thug with a slug accelerator in his hands, that was patrolling the area. Curare rolled towards the thug and hit him right to the back of his knee, while she used her left hand to grab the throat and pressing the knife into Adam's apple with her right hand twisting the weapon just enough break a finger or two. Curare quickly stepped into the shadows, dragging the thug with her and now talking with her device, - Ghost. Go on.
While Curare was performing first interrogation with Wayne helping her with it, Inque was slithering around the area, carefully spotting enemy presence and attaching small tracking devices on the thugs that were hidden inside her mass:
- This is big, - Inque whispered into her radiolink, hiding in the shadows, - The operation looks serious.
- It's even more serious than you think, - said Terry, who was just above the pier in Batmobile, using optical camo, - I had to put a lot of processing power to increase the signals from you, something is jamming the area. And judging by how powerful this jamming device is, it's probably military hardware.
- Reduce the radio contact, - said Wayne immediately, - Inque, you have the expertise, track this jamming device. Sidonia, Curare - continue as planned, wait for my signal. Sending you the location of the warehouse.
Meanwhile Sidonia was busy - after she dealt with the wires, she slowly moved inside and to another wall, quickly scanning it for wires or traps, while using her sensors to detect potential threat. The most useful was a seismic sensor - it allowed her to detect movement in some radius, while she was standing still. Quickly cutting the wall, she got inside the warehouse:
- I am in, the guards are closing unto the breach, - she whispered into radiolink, moving slowly along the inner warehouse area, avoiding patrolling guards, - ...going to knock one out.
- ...found it, - whispered Inque, while she was slithering along to find out the jamming device. It was in one of the smaller warehouses, just nearby the auction one, but as she studied the device from inside the went, she reported in frustrating tone, - ...air-tight sealed, can't do it silently.
- Curare? - asked Wayne on the radiolink.
- In. Position, - she was on the roof tops of the auction warehouse, placing breaching charge that looked like a cord that was lying in circle position. She silently moved away from the breaching charge, looking over the auction from the window on the roof. As expected, the auction summoned many representatives of Gotham's major players, and even some of them came from distant cities. But most importantly that along with many items that were shown for the audience the scythe was there - black blade, white grip, and the material seems to be slightly moving under the light. But what made Curare stop was the fact that she found some really off-looking characters on the auction - they seemed like normal people, but had very weird tattoos on their necks. They were just standing around, waiting for something, not interested in the auction at all.
- ...Banshee started to move, - suddenly said Wayne, - Since we can track her, she did not took her Banshee form yet. Curare?
- The weapon. Not for sale...Sold already, - Curare placed yet another charge on top of the warehouse, returning back to window in order to continue her investigation, - ...military. Hardware. Antiques...splicer injectors...data carriers...books?
- Can you get me a visual on those books? - said Wayne, leaning towards the monitor of Batcomputer. When Curare turned on the recording device that was strapped on her head, Wayne widened his eyes, - They are from Kahndaq, I recognized the signs and language. Whatever those books are, we have to reclaim them too...Sidonia?
- In position, knocked the guard out without alert.
- Inque?
- I'll deal with the jamming device, just give the word.
- Curare?
- Ready.
- ...Batman?
- I thought you forgot about me, - Terry smirked, looking at his sensors, - Waiting for the Banshee.
- Good. Curare, you move first, Sidonia will cover you after the breach. On my mark...three, two, one...mark.
When Curare triggered the explosions and threw flashbang grenades through the window on the roof, she was already outside of the possible firing zone. Sidonia moved in, quickly firing electrical charges at everyone in the warehouse, incapacitating most of the thugs and bidders inside. Curare used the breaching charges as a distraction while she was escaping to the side of the warehouse, quickly cutting a segment of the wall and joining forces with Sidonia. She remembered about "no killing" rule, that's why she has to put her sword inside the special magnetic scabbard and use it as a blunt weapon. Still, the scabbard and Curare's strength managed to break bones along with her hand-to-hand expertise, dispatching thug one after another.
Inque had her fun too. She slithered under the cellar when explosions and action started, cutting through the power cable and pushing it to the side while slithering inside and just messing around with electronics. Of course, the jamming device had a backup battery, but her upgraded mass managed to hold against the electricity long enough for her to destroy the device. When it was done, Inque took her radiolink back inside her mass and started to cause havoc all over the port area, attacking everyone on sight with surprising speed and agility.
- ...well, at least I know who can change me. They hold out well...maybe too well, - Terry frowned, looking at how Curare, Sidonia and Inque were fighting in the port area, - ...that's how you felt in Justice League?
- Exactly. Will it stop you?
- No, it's just...they are better at being Batman, at least right now...and at least two of them.
- Who are metahumans...speaking of which, Banshee on the move. I will alert the team, and later we can talk about it, but right now you have to focus.
- Yeah, focus...what's the ETA?
- Two minutes. She is in a hurry.
The team was ready for her and followed Wayne's plan - Sidonia was securing all the stuff from the auction while Inque and Curare engaged her. Of course they couldn't engage Banshee in close combat, that is why they constantly kept distance by throwing stuff at her. She could take it, but they bought enough time for Batman to drop down from the Batmobile in upgraded exosuit. Using small thrusters to slow the falling speed, Batman landed right in front of the Banshee.
- ...multiple signatures are closing to your position, and fast. It's not the GCPD, - Wayne was studying the area from his private satellite when he saw several aerocars moving towards the port area, - ETA - three minutes.
- ...we have another problem, - Inque dodged the sudden fireball, looking at several tattooed men who were chanting something on unknown language, - Sidonia, why you did not secure them?!
- I did! - she screamed suddenly, when fireball hit her and send into the wall, - Damn it...who knew they could do something like this?
- We need to secure the scythe before those guys could arrive, - Inque narrowed her eyes, looking at magicians that were constantly throwing spells all over the place while they were moving towards the scythe. Curare tried to threw batarangs, but they were suddenly stuck inside white semi-transparent barrier that was created around the magicians. The projectiles changed the direction towards Curare, and one of them hit hit her at full speed, but she got lucky - it hit the armor plate, forcing her to retreat.
Meanwhile on the outside Batman and Banshee clashed with one another - right after Batman's landing he was attacked by a continuous scream that was pushing Batman towards the water. The exosuit was waterproof and it has smart system to decrease incoming sounds that might leave Batman deaf. Quickly anchoring himself to the concrete with special bolts in legs, Batman patiently waited for Banshee to end the scream - she had to breath at some point. When Banshee stopped, Batman quickly fired a fast capsule that hit Banshee right into her face, quickly spreading a goo-ish substance made from researching Inque's mass that limited her vision and breathing ability. Unbolting himself from the concrete, Batman quickly ran up to Banshee and hit her several times, just like Curare showed him - abdomen, chest, elbow to the ribs, strike to neck from right side with an open palm and final strike to the back of Banshee's head with an elbow. With Banshee briefly stunned, Batman quickly walked from behind and performed a "blood lock" - a technique that supposed to quickly choke someone into unconscious state. Lock her neck with right arm, place right hand on the bicep of left hand, use the left hand to push into nape, choke. Of course Banshee started to panic, she screamed away the substance from her face but couldn't break from the choke - despite how armor was struggling against her grip, it was futile.
Until she remembered that she can fly and she is smaller than Batman in exosuit. Banshee grabbed exosuit tightly and quickly slided right under Batman's legs, throwing him over herself to the ground. When Banshee was released from this sudden counter, she flew several meters up and used her scream to pin down Batman, focusing her scream to be more precise and dangerous, aiming for the head. He got barely enough time to raise his arm and open protective retractable shield - courtesy of Sidonia - in order to survive the scream. The shield was shattering alarmingly fast, but when scream was over again it was still there, barely functional to sustain another attack though. Batman fired a flashbang towards Banshee to get himself some time to move, and then he jumped into the air, grabbing Banshee by her leg and slamming her into the ground. With the next strike he wanted to punch her into the forehead, but she stopped his fist with her own palm, quickly putting her hands around the exosuit's arm. The whole exosuit suddenly started to violently vibrate, the protective shield exploded in the first seconds of this new attack, whole systems gone crazy with alarms. Batman had to retreat - he punched Banshee with his open palm into her throat and quickly made a sidestep to avoid being kicked, taking steps away from her. She was quick to move, and she was strong enough to endure the hits from the exosuit and exchange hits, but she lacked the technique to fight.
- Remember about your left side, - a message appeared on the visor from Wayne. Since Banshee could possibly hear radiolink, Wayne decided that any message towards Batman must be converted on the satellite into text messages in order to avoid Banshee from overhear communications, - And you do not have much time left.
It was actually true - Terry saw that the numbers on the timer were drastically going down, but Banshee was still fine, she actually got up and backed away to rest too, but there must be something he can do to close the distance again...the idea that came into Batman's head was very dangerous, but there wasn't time for better plan. Getting himself together, he started to run towards Banshee and suddenly activated the jumping thrusters in his legs to close the distance in one leap. Of course she backed away and used her scream in order to stop the exosuit, but that what Batman was hoping Banshee would do - he ejected from the exosuit mid-air, before the scream pushed the exosuit back into the warehouse, and rolled towards the Banshee while throwing two batarangs in succession. The first one hit her throat, and the second one attached to her body, sending powerful electrical discharge. Since the discharge was powerful enough to combat Inque at one point, it was upgraded a little for this fight, and the result was quite effective - Batman got himself just several seconds, since Banshee was struggling to get her hands on the device through her visible pain. Quickly running up towards Banshee, Batman performed yet another lock, just like Wayne taught him - jump, legs forward, lock them around the neck and quickly throw on the ground...and here comes what Curare told him - when on the ground, don't break the lock, keep it around the neck for some time and move to the head. He had to be quick, he had to take her out quickly, without help from anyone - they were busy with the auction itself. Still trying to beat the crap out of Banshee, Batman took a hit to his face, which made him flew several meters away from her. The suit's helmet was damaged despite the fact that it took one hit, but it couldn't take too much from Banshee, who slowly got up, breathing heavily and looking tiredly at Batman.
But suddenly something changed. Banshee dropped onto her knees and dropped to the side, shaking violently with her mouth largely open from silent scream. Batman quickly approached her, trying to hold Banshee in place when radiolink beeped:
- Batman, the magicians did something to the scythe and teleported it. Flash is on his way.
- Why? She seems...oh God, - Terry widened his eyes when he saw that Banshee slowly - and probably forcibly - was changing into a human. She started slowly to scream with strangely distorted voice, shaking more and more. Flash appeared quickly with instruments ready.
- Sedate first, - Flash quickly used an autoinjector to put Banshee into sleep. He quickly put Banshee on her stomach, covering her exposed body with some blanket he brought, and he started to operate.
Never in his life Terry witnessed such things - Flash was operating at such speed that he couldn't see his hands moving at all - they were just one blur. From perspective of Flash, the flow of time around him was so slow, that it could feel like it wasn't moving at all. But the truth was that time was moving - constantly watching the timer on his wrist, Flash knew that he had to perform a surgery operation under just thirty seconds, even less. Sure he knew how to patch things up from the days in Justice League, and done something like this before, but it was so mane years ago...no, he had to focus, he must put everything he had to save this girl.
And he will.
- Today GCPD managed to bring down an illegal auction that was going on Gotham's turf. The estimated value of items goes up hundreds of millions of US dollars, and many arrested leaders of organized crimes were caught with hard evidence of their collaborations to similar auctions and other major crimes...
- There are many videos being posted online, showing that not only Batman and his new allies fought in the port area, but also Flash appeared in Gotham. On those videos we could clearly see that he performed some sort of surgery operation on Silver Banshee, removing a remote explosive device from her back, which detonated safely...
- Batman and his allies are fighting hard against many dangerous foes. But the return of Silver Banshee, even if it's a new one, raises too many questions about how many villains from old times are still out there. Justice League put many behind the bars or contained in some capacity, but most of them just disappeared...
- Senator Jasper Cald expressed his concerns with Batman using former criminal elements, such as sabotage expert under codename Inque and a supposed former assassin Curare. He stated, that despite what Inque and Curare did to save Gotham's DA and their recent activities in protecting citizens, those two masked vigilantes are still criminals with a large crime list. Justice League and Interpol both refused to give any commentary on the matter. Now back to the commercial...
When she opened her eyes, she was seeing only darkness. But it wasn't her eyes failing - she was inside very dark place, and it took her time to adapt to the darkness. She couldn't move...or could she?...she could move her arms and legs a little, but it was way too hard...because she was inside some sort of liquid. There as breather mask on her with tubes up to her nose, which made her uncomfortable when she finally was able to sense things. There was also something on her ears...
- You are alive and safe, - suddenly from the shadows appeared a figure that was wearing some old-fashioned coat with shades, hat and scarf. The voice was sounding right near her ears, probably from some sort of wireless microphone, - The explosive device was removed, but we had to perform a surgery on your spine. For your own safety, your movement is restrained to not damage the healing process until we can move you to one of my private clinic.
- W-what..., - she closed her eyes and took her time to regain control over her voice, - ...w-what will happen to me?
- ...you will be released. You are not a captive or a prisoner - you are a victim, and you will be treated to my best ability... Batman and his team are working on securing your band and making alibi with commissioner Gordon, - Wayne moved closer with his cane and Ace following him, who made some steps forward to sniff Aileen, - Thus everything should work...almost everything.
- You did not caught those...those who took my powers? - she asked in weak voice, closing her eyes again and letting out a sigh, - They...somehow managed to separate me from my mother. She was able to protect me from harm on her side and sealed herself, but I do not know if she can hold out for too long...w-wait, - Banshee slowly raised her right hand and looked at her palm. From the inner side of it there was a small, barely visible sign of white skull, - ...t-this...I...she gave me this to...find her?...
- You are still weak, and you have to gather your strength before we could move. I won't endanger your health, - Wayne sighed, looking at Banshee through his shades, - But if you will receive a message from your mother, we need to know this right away...Your tank is connected to Bat-computer, and I will be able to communicate with you.
- ...how long was I...?
- Three days, - Wayne walked back to Bat-computer, sitting in his chair and switching one of the monitors to watch over Banshee, - You are young, you will be fine.
- ...I have to find her.
- Aileen..., - Wayne tried to take a word, but she quickly interrupted him.
- I won't have anyone have this power. My mother...there is nothing to be proud of, - she found a camera that was inside a tank, looking directly into it, - Murders, thievery, she even consumed souls of others, and when I got it...for the first time...it felt good, - she made a pause, since it was really hard for her to speak up, - ...good from all the power I had...but then I felt fear.
- Fear from what? - Wayne briefly looked into a monitor, checking vital of Banshee.
- From...everything, - she closed her eyes, taking her time to breath, - I never wanted this power, but my mother told me that no one should have it, and I am free to use it as I see fit...but I never wanted to use it in the first place.
- Did not stopped you from using the powers for your musical career.
- Before I was captured I never used that power, - she retorted back, glancing at Wayne, - Only after that to get attention to my problem...at least I got yours.
- Not least...Batman, how's your progress?
- In your time how long it took to trail someone until you got something? - he asked in quite tone. For the last days, while Banshee was healing, Batman and his new team focused on Gordon's task to find and eliminate at least some corrupted elements from GCPD. They even brought in Sidonia, since she was surprisingly good at stalking people and intimidate them. After dealing with the Banshee Gordon narrowed down some of the elements from her own list, making it a bit easier.
- What, you are already bored? - grinned Wayne, looking from one camera to another, - Inque, your camera is upside down.
- Oh. Sorry, boss.
- ...wait, I got something, - Batman narrowed his eyes, looking at the apartment he was stalking. Gliding down and attaching himself to the wall, Terry pressed his fingers to the window, activating the sound-capture device, - ...well, apparently Gordon was right about this one.
- She has a habit of being right.
- Most of the times, - said Batman, remembering how Spellbinder tried to frame him to make GCPD hunt him down.
- ...can agree with that.
- It doesn't sound like a corruption incident by law terms, but someone just called one of our cops to abandoned industrial zone, - said Batman, carefully gliding down.
- ...are you talking about the one in Lower Gotham in sector two? - suddenly asked Inque on radiolink.
- ...that's the one, - answered Terry, starting to put pieces together already.
- ...same, - Curare finally was able to remove her collar, able to talk by herself, but in quite tone, still recovering from the injury.
- Looks like someone is pissed enough to gather all dirty cops in one room, - said Batman while gliding down from his spot.
- ...no, someone wants them to be eliminated, quietly, - Wayne narrowed his eyes, already trying to piece everything, - Sidonia, you will be needed as a backup force - we don't want to fall into another trap like we did in the port, - as a part of new routine, the whole team was sharing some experience with each other, and Wayne was helping them to share and remember most important ones, - Batman and Curare, you are most closest to the location, get there before the officers, search for explosives or sign of ambush, but do not get let yourself be seen. Inque, you will be paired with Sidonia in case of force-majors, for now - track your target.
- Gotcha, boss.
- Yeah, I missed that, - suddenly Aileen noticed a figure near her. She widened her eyes because she knew, who it was in red costume with yellow lightning on the chest. Flash wasn't looking at Aileen directly, and he appeared very tired - the procedure he performed to save Aileen cost him some weeks, maybe months of his life. But he was always an optimist, so in the end it didn't bother him much, - Batman coordinating his team, hearing folks chit-chating...even if there is a new Batman, which is kinda weird and confusing sometimes, - he wearily grinned and nodded to Aileen, - I hope you are recovering well, young lady.
- I don't know how to...
- ...thank me? Well, do you have CD's of your albums? I am kinda old-fashioned pal, but I can appreciate modern music...if it's any good, of course. And your's is kinda good, - Flash winked to her.
- ...all of my current albums and new ones, - Aileen managed to slightly smile and ease up her spirit a bit, - If I will make new songs anytime soon.
- Make that your life-goal. It's much healthier than what we, - Flash nodded towards Batcomputer, - Usually do.
Meanwhile Batman and Curare were approaching the meeting point from different directions to cover more ground. The place was suspicious enough - a large abandoned factory that was left when city renovation started, located in lower parts of the mega-city and remote enough from the general patrol routes. Batman dropped on the nearby roof and started to carefully assess the area. He spotted a Curare from the other side of the factory, who waved at him and pointed towards the factory, carefully moving to the ground floor. Nodding to himself, Batman glided down to factory with the help of optical camo right into the broken window on the upper floors of the factory, quickly getting Curare's idea to cover more ground inside the building. The whole place was reeking of desolation and obsolete technology, with glass shards and roof parts everywhere. Holes were here and there on every floor of this large factory, and whole place was about to collapse any second now. While Curare was going around the ground floor, seeking any potential explosive devices or assassins, Terry was doing the same from his side, but there wasn't anything or anyone.
- First batch of corrupted cops coming in, - Inque said over the radiolink, - How's on your side?
- Nothing...which is weird.
- Grey Ghost is right, - Curare said quietly, stepping into the shadows, - They are gathered here to die, nothing else. That's not how criminal world works.
- Tell me about it, - Inque answered on radiolink with a sarcastic sniff, - But you have to find the method still. If they did not send assassins and did not placed any explosives, what they did?
- Batman, run background radiation check, - suddenly said Wayne, crossing his palms together and staring at the monitor patiently.
- Running right now, - Terry already saw the first car to approach the factory and he quickly hid himself behind a wall, - How is it?
- Normal. I thought about radiation poisoning.
- Isn't it overkill for a bunch of corrupted cops? - Batman asked quietly, watching men entering factory on ground floor.
- Today's technology allows for creation portable devices with surprising simplicity, especially if we are talking about corporations or New League with their access to resources, - Wayne frowned, switching his gaze from one camera to another, - ...Curare, can you place microphones around the perimeter inside the factory?
- On it.
- They keep coming, - Inque was on the roof, using her periscope vision to keep tracking her surroundings, - But I can't spot anything unusual.
- ...wait, something is happening, - Terry switched his vision to central part of the factory. The floor rose up, revealing a screen with large antennae pointed to the hole in the ceiling and pair of small dynamics. The cops who gathered around jumped from the sudden appearance of the screen, already pointing their guns on it. The screen rose up about two meters above the floor and it turned on, revealing a darkened room with a figure in shadows. The light sources were pointed to the camera in such fashion that no one could see the face or even clear shape of the figure, which crossed his palms together, revealing only black leathered gloves, - ...boss, can you track the signal?
- Trying, but the encryption is strong, - Wayne frowned again, working on Batcomputer stressfully, because whoever he tried to find, he tried to track Wayne too, - I have to be careful, and this will take...some time. Listen carefully.
- There is no need to point your useless weapons, - figure spoke in distorted voice suddenly to the cops, - Because you are surrounded by Batman and his team, - when figure spoke that, cops quickly turned around, searching for vigilantes, - Inque, Curare, Sidonia...and Batman himself, all here.
- What the hell is this?! - one of the cops pointed his pistol to the screen nervously.
- Judgment. You were all summoned to, actually, another location in the opposite part of the city, where you would be all dead upon arrival. Right now you have three choice, - figure took his palms back in the shadows, - You can die from the hands of League...you can try to fight Batman and his employees, while failing miserably...or you can drop your weapons and save yourself trouble of broken bones. And to Batman, who is nearby, - figure raised his voice a little without moving on the screen, - You will receive my invitation soon. Consider this as an offering of friendship. Oh, and check the inner compartment, you will need it.
- He is right, - Batman suddenly said, moving to another cover on upper floor, startling the cops even more, - We are all here. Unless you want to do it hard way, drop your weapons and put your hands behind your head.
- Yeah, you are kinda screwed anyway, - Inque appeared suddenly from the entrance, menacingly narrowing her eyes.
- You would be dead the moment you stepped in here, - Curare threw several batarangs, hitting most nervous cops in their hands to force them to drop their weapons, - Consider yourself lucky to still breathe.
- Just cease, - Sidonia came from the opposite entrance, coordinated previously by Inque, - You know, how this will go the second someone pulls the trigger.
- Thanks for clearing the trash, - Gordon sighed with relief when she received a delivery of dirty cops from Batman and his team. Her trusted officers were escorting the cops while Gordon talked with vigilantes, - But there's not much I can do to legally press them, at least for now.
- ...actually, you can, - Batman put out a small disc, giving it to Gordon, - Grey Ghost ran diagnostics in case it would be with a surprise, but it has tons of information - audio, video, intercepted messages and emails..., - Batman crossed his hands together after he gave disc to Gordon, - Someone from the side also wants to clear GCPD.
- ...and we don't know who, - Gordon frowned, but suddenly she pulled a pistol, aiming behind Batman's back. Batman reacted on instincts, quickly getting down on his knee and turning around with batarang ready to see a remote-controlled drone approaching GCPD. Inque already took cover inside Batmobile, turning it's nose towards the drone, while Curare and Sidonia took cover behind their vehicles. The whole panic was caused by one realization - someone hacked into GCPD's defense systems that were designed to took out unregistered drones with electronic countermeasures systems. In such modern world there were some attempts to use remote-controlled drones for assassination attempts and espionage, but they were rare now because how far technology went in terms of countering such drones. Meanwhile, drones slowly approached GCPD and landed on roof, right on the corner, and slowly opened his hatch on the portside. A small manipulator extended from the hatch with a datapad, slowly extending it far away from the drone and putting it on the ground. When drone put datapad on the ground, it suddenly started to throw sparks and smoke around, - Demolition team to the roof, - finally said Gordon, still pointing her pistol at the drone.
It took time, but demolition team confirmed that drone was fried clean from the inside, and fried good - nothing was salvageable, except for the datapad. When Batman connected datapad to Batcomputer for analysis, it showed two kinds of storage devices inside it - one was marked "BAT", another was marked "GOR". The information on the "GOR" storage device was about GCPD's security issues, with detailed analysis and advices about improvements. The "BAT" storage device contained...
- ...appointment? - Batman rose his eyebrows up, looking bewildered at the content of the storage device.
- Nothing is there, except for instructions and additional note that you have to come alone. But the meeting will be here, in Gotham.
- "Crux Entertainment"...that's a company that produces video- and online-games, - remembered Batman, still looking puzzled.
- ...and educational materials, - suddenly said Inque, joining the conversation, - I, uh...got some of those for myself. But when that meeting is supposed to happen?
- In half an hour.
- You are not considering going here all alone? - asked Gordon from Batman with a slight hint of concern in her voice.
- Of course not, - he shook his head in response, - But probably our mysterious helper know that too...Boss, what do you think?
- The building is legit one - it's the main office of the company in Gotham, - Wayne already was working, giving out all he could dig, - But it's hard to approach unnoticed...Sidonia, you can leave and rest, Inque, you too. Curare will provide cover for Batman.
- Well, gotta hurry, I have a feeling that I can't miss this appointment, - Batman quickly turned around and nodded to Curare - she was ready to follow him.
- Be careful, kid. That still...
- ...could be a trap, - Batman finished the sentence for Gordon, nodding to her before going into Batmobile and dusting off from the roof.
The main building of the company, as Wayne said, was hard one to approach - while it was located on the upper level of Gotham, it was standing almost alone, only surrounded by much smaller buildings that were also bought by "Crux" for their employees. Basically, the company outright bought a whole portion of Gotham to make a city inside the city - a practice that was slowly adopted by other major companies. Looking at the giant tower, shaped like a perfect circle, Batman slowly approached it from the air while Curare was quick to infiltrate from the ground without being noticed. As instructions from datapad said, Batman proceeded to central tower and landed on the landing pad number two, which was the only one to be active. Before landing, of course, Batman ran several scanners, but there was nothing unusual or something to tell about an ambush - no weird electromagnetic interference or multiple heat signatures. When he left Batmobile the doors in front of him opened, revealing a large lift that waited him patiently. Narrowing his eyes and preparing for anything, he walked inside the lift, which...did nothing but took him several floors down. The floor lift took him was a large one - there were nothing except for high-end server racks and one lone desk with a woman behind it, working on the computer. The floor allowed Batman to see whole Gotham panorama from high above, but there wasn't a sight-seeing tour - he slowly approached desk with a woman, slightly tapping on it with his closed fist:
- I have an appointment.
- We have small technical issues, but they will be resolved shortly to not waste your time. Of course, it would be compensated, - the woman looked at Batman closely for a second before turning to her monitor again, - ...three minutes. Please accept the apology for the delay, - the woman rose up in her chair and turned computer off, slowly walking away from Batman towards the lift, calling it to just disappear.
- ...this is weird, - sighed Batman, closing his arms and looking at the clock on his display. Minutes were passing painfully slow, and when it hit four minutes, it came apparent that something wasn't right, - ...guess I can expect a party coming in.
- Not quite, - suddenly a voice spoke from the shadows. Quickly turning around, Batman confront an old thin bald man, who was wearing white business-style suit, - It was just a minor technical issue.
- Holographic projectors, - suddenly said Batman, - You are not even here...and you are projecting me too to...wherever you are.
- How do you know that? - old man softly smiled, with a spark of curiosity in his eyes.
- Thermal scanners were hitting hard on that...along with the servers and this, - Batman pointed to the floor and ceiling, which were covered in plates that were aligned perfectly to each other, - Also, your secretary is a synth.
- What gave her?
- She wasn't breathing and blinking right. Granted she was looking close to be a normal person, she also had a speech pattern that gave her, - Batman crossed his arms together, - And you also blocking my signals. You really want this to be private.
- I want, - old man nodded, and then he suddenly said something that made Batman shiver, - Riddle me this, Batman...why the sphinx riddles person in the first place? To be fair, - he softly smiled again, - There is no right answer to this question.
- ...to test a person's wits, but it's too easy and too obvious, - old man silently nodded, patiently waiting for the answer, while Batman was rubbing his chin, - ...he also riddles to test how person views the world around him, because some of the riddles - like this one - do not have definitive answers, - Batman nodded to himself, looking straight at the projection of the old man again, - Only interpretations.
- Or how you try to adapt answer to the question, if you know who the person is, playing on his psychological profile...now introductions are necessary, - old man smiled again and slowly bowed his head, - Edward Nigma, at your service.
- So this is what you have been doing after you...disappeared, - Batman tapped the floor with his foot, - Creating a company from behind the curtains.
- Yes...it was much healthier rather than playing antics with Wayne...oh yes, I know who he is, - he smiled and walked towards the windows to take a look at Gotham's panorama, - When Batman disappeared, he did one mistake that was a gift for me - he also disappeared as Bruce Wayne. Clearly, everything was lying on the surface, and while his intelligence rivals my own, he was always better at hiding and concealing, - Nigma sighed, taking a short glance at Batman, - You have many questions, but do you have time for all of them? Ask most important once - while we have some time, we better not waste it for trivial things.
- Why you didn't sell him out? He was your enemy for years.
- Why Joker didn't when he returned?...you see, when Batman was done with his crusade, many of us were done too - Joker was presumably dead, Pamela retired into the forests of Amazon, Oswald decided to leave his own business when he started to lose power due to his age...and I retired too, - he shook his head, slightly sighing, - Of course, there were some that were still...delusional, in denial, that were rampaging here and there, but without major player like us Gotham knew some peace, at least for a while...and this time gave me a lot to think about.
- Rethink your life choices?
- A bit of sarcasm? - Nigma smiled again, but with a much more sad tone in it, turning to Gotham's panorama again, - Yes, you can put it that way. I discovered who Batman was, but it wasn't victorious - I realized that I want my former enemy to rest...that we all have to. Our time passed...but when you appeared, I started to think that those times are coming back, in a way, - Nigma took a pause and suddenly he turned to Batman, with a very concerned look on his face, - You were there when Fries died...what was his last word?
- ...that I am the only one who cares, - Terry answered after a small pause with a lowered tone.
- After his death I started to work on keeping track of everyone who were still alive, but when Joker appeared again...it surprised and terrified me, - Nigma narrowed his eyes, turning away from Batman, - You did a good job at protecting Gotham and ending him, but tell me...how you?...
- He installed a chip into a...Robin, that was able to overwrite his DNA. I destroyed the chip, - came a short answer from Batman. He wasn't over this story yet, but he made sure that Riddler knows only main things, - And Robin is fine.
- ...despite how insane he was, his both main and backup plans were something to behold, - Nigma closed his eyes and sighed, - So, after you dealt with the Joker - let's hope you dealt with him permanently - I started to work harder, because Joker and Fries were not the only thing to return, - Nigma glanced at Terry again, - League of Shadows.
- The Head of the Demon died in the explosion, - retorted Terry back.
- But the League remains still. When Curare killed the headmasters of the League of Assassins, they were replaced with the League of Shadows, which was brewing unnoticed for decades. I do not have much information, despite having my infiltrators inside their ranks, but their activities all over the world were not passed unnoticed by me, - Nigma took a short pause, glancing back at Terry, - Train wreck, "New Dawn", "Unity", Jasper Cald, new League operations on global scale...that indicates only to one outcome, unless we can ally with each other and change it.
- Why you want my help?
- League of Shadows wants total control over the world...a tyranny in the name of greater good for humankind, a hypocrisy of criminals killing criminals without subjugating themselves into prison afterwards, - Riddler narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, - And whatever their plans are, they will brought only ruin to us all.
- Makes sense...but how we are going to...
- You need to talk with Wayne, because I will arrive at his manor tomorrow. We do not have much time to waste...and I always wanted to see the famous Batcave for myself, - Nigma smiled again, turning back to Terry, - I hope you recorded our conversation?
- ...I did.
- Good. It will save even more time. See you tomorrow, - Edward raised his hand, and his holoprojection slowly disappeared.
First things first - I actually decided to make a PAGE ON THE INTERNET WHERE PEOPLE CAN DONATE YOU MONEY FOR YOUR WORK, STARTS WITH PAT, ENDS WITH REON (Jesus Christ, really? I have to save multiple times to find out that I can't post this word for...no apparent reason. The page ends with /solidkeeper) to see how it will actually go. That thing already is pushing my to continue, and with more constant viewers and patrons I actually want to work further on making a fan- and original fiction.
Now, no fanfiction content will be paywalled, I won't do this. About my possible originals...I don't wanna do this either, but we will see about that and how this whole thing will go.
Even if you can't support me directly, you can help me to get more viewers. Also I am seeking other platforms to publish myself, but there's not so many out there that have same functionality as this one. And, of course, in time I will do some other fanfiction.
And probably finish "Ascension" series.
As usual, see you in the next chapter, which will come out...when it's done.