Chapter 2
"Thank you, Brian, for the weather report. Now to other news, a rising entrepreneur has gone from literally having nothing to a multi-millionaire success! Vlad Masters majored in supernatural sciences in the University of Wisconsin, where he fell victim to a terrible lab accident and was hospitalized for years; after recovering from the side effects of said accident, Masters became a hermit and travelled the world, avoiding other humans and reconnecting with himself and nature. After eight years of avoiding civilization, Vlad Masters decided to return to the States and restart his life, where he started his own business, DALV Co., which quickly boomed into a successful company, drawing in millions in revenue. Joining us today, Vlad Masters: Mr. Masters, what was your inspiration to founding this company, and how have you gone so quickly from having absolutely nothing to the wild success you are today?"
Vlad Masters drew in a breath and straightened his back, smirking at the news anchor.
"Well, Diane, to answer your question, my inspiration came from my travels. In this fast-paced world, man has forgotten to stop and smell the flowers. They have also forgotten how delicate man is, how fragile life is, and the dangers the wilderness possess. I learned from my years alone that what we have, the limited time we have, is truly precious and should never be taken for granted.
As for my wild success, as you so put it, I must say, I'll have to thank my ruthlessness and natural charm for that: I am told I am quite persuasive, yet intimidating, in the business meetings."
"How did you start from having nothing?"
"I didn't have "nothing". I had my experiences, and, like I said, my natural charm. Obviously, I didn't start my company out right as I got back to America, there were several weeks spent homeless before I managed to find a job, then a few months in a small apartment before my multiple, yet small, promotions. As I continued to prove my usefulness to my employer, he continued to award my hard work with pay raises and higher positions until I became a sales manager.
Once in the meeting room with customers and competitors alike, I showed my talent in persuasion and then, let's just say that things boomed from there." Vlad chuckled.
The news anchor, Diane, chuckled too, having no clue what Vlad was actually referring to.
"Well, you are an inspiration for all entrepreneurs. Is there anything else that you'd like to say, some advice for those that haven't quite found success within their lives but are aiming to do so?"
"Well, for all you aspiring business owners and dreamers, all I have to say is this: Step out of the shadows of your childhood home and enter the light of efficient, hard work and following your dreams."
"Thank you, Vlad Masters, it was a pleasure having you on our show. On to politics, President-"
Ra's Al Ghul calmly shut the television off and stroked his goatee. He was sitting on a queen-sized bed in a small motel room in Ukraine, the next location he had listed in finding remaining Shadows. He had already searched India, China, and Russia: he was now moving through East Europe and was going to travel to Iran next. He had been listening to the news for days in case any of his Shadows had succeeded in their mission when the name Vlad Masters popped up and Ra's had to do a double take.
Vlad Masters was alive.
Ra's Al Ghul knew very well that Masters was one of the Shadows that had participated in Bruce Wayne's final trial. Ra's had no idea that Masters had survived: he had returned to his home only to find the monastery burned down to rubble and all of his Shadows dead.
Somehow, Vlad Masters survived. It seemed impossible, but the man sitting with an American news anchor was definitely the Shadow Ra's Al Ghul knew him to be.
Masters' plan was very effective. Ra's was very impressed (and very stumped, as he had no clue how he could have missed something so crucial in one of his students) at the message his student had hidden in the interview.
Vlad Masters was reuniting the League of Shadows by providing a point to converge at. Ra's opened his new Toshiba and quickly brought up a search engine, typing in "Vlad Masters".
Since Masters was now a multi-millionaire, it would be safe to use common, easier methods to find him, since his "private" information was now public. It wouldn't take much to know where to find Masters, and Ra's and the rest of the Shadows worldwide knew that.
It would just take time.
Time for the rest of the Shadows to recognize Masters, time for Masters to gain enough attention, and time to travel and unite in America.
The place of supposed freedom and justice.
The place of true monsters and evil.
The lion's den.
Vlad Masters was a patient man. He had finally done it: he'd reached national news.
He knew it wouldn't be enough to be the fastest self-made millionaire in years. If he wanted to catch the world's attention, he'd have to be even more astounding.
But for now, Vlad was happy to catch up on ten years of Packers games and building his business.
And keeping his Shadow training up.
And experimenting with his abilities.
It was a bit much: Vlad found himself running low on time and energy.
For example: currently, he was drawing up a deal with a small dairy firm in Wisconsin. The current CEO was an idiot, and had no clue how to manage his business. Vlad estimated the business would go bankrupt within a month, and Vlad had no intentions of competing with other surrounding dairy businesses for the firm. If he made the deal sweet enough, he could save the idiot's reputation and pay less for the firm than if he waited for the auction for it.
But he was currently at a standstill: the company was worth approximately 5 million USD, but the financial advisors didn't take the valuable resources the current CEO (and anyone, really) was ignorant of, laying a few thousand feet beneath the plains the cows grazed.
Vlad had seen it: he'd intangibly travelled about 5000 feet into the earth and discovered a large reserve of raw oil, and nobody knew it was there. The precious black oil would be the key to Vlad reaching global news.
He just needed to convince the idiot that currently ran the dairy firm that his business was going to go bankrupt soon. The other surrounding firms were too competitive, and the idiot was too lazy to keep up.
Vlad knew he needed to buy the land to dig for the oil. When he left America ten years prior, oil prices had skyrocketed: true, the current oil prices weren't showing a demand for oil, but Vlad knew how economic growth worked, especially in the foolish capital country like America. People foolishly spent more than they owned, putting them into debt. Vlad knew what could happen in a few years: it happened the same way in the seventies, and the famous crash of 1929. If Vlad had a hold on oil, he would be set for profit instead of loss when in the event of financial crisis.
It would pay for the rise of the League of Shadows.
But first, Vlad had to write the stupid offer in the first place!
Vlad clenched his hair roots, aching for his training room. He longed to beat something up.
Deciding it would be best to beat his frustrations out, Vlad stood from his office chair and shut the computer, not bothering to save the document that he had been working on: his current offer had been trash, anyway, if it was manifested in paper, he would have crumpled it up and incinerated it with his abilities.
As Vlad sweated through the training course he had built for himself (in his mansion home. Of course he worked from home, why would he bother driving to work in an office when he could have his own in his own house? It saved time, energy, and money), his mind focused on the Deal that he had no current progress on.
As he evaded obstacles and kept up with his training, both Shadow training and the training he came up for himself (for his unique abilities), his brain was flying, so much so that Vlad could see himself typing the Deal on the computer, even though he was blasting a human-shaped target's head off with his deadly fire.
Vlad paid no mind to it but continued through the training. Distractions were deadly, and he could not afford a single chance for failure.
When he was done, he collapsed on to the bench built within the stark white wall next to the door that led to the rest of his mansion, taking small sips of water even though the man was parched. He wiped off the sweat that had almost dripped in his eye, determining that his head was cooled sufficiently to type up the dratted Deal with the stubborn idiot CEO.
However, when Vlad stepped into his office, he found someone had opened his computer and was typing frantically. Someone who happened to look like his identical twin.
Vlad immediately fell into an attack position, glaring at the intruder that dared steal his face.
Who promptly vanished into thin air with an almost imperceptible 'pop'.
And Vlad's brain was suddenly rushed with memories that he knew that he had not experienced.
Coming up with a splendid idea for the Deal, Vlad immediately pulled out of the punch he was about to throw and flew out of the room, just cleaning himself up enough to not stink his office up with his sweat. He turned the computer back on and drew a new draft, words flying through his head as if they were supplied by some sort of deity.
Deleting some part that Vlad had subconsciously thought was a little demeaning and replacing it with a more professional voice.
About to look over the finished product when the door to his office suddenly opened and he was shocked to see an identical version of himself stepping through, shock evident on his face before the other him fell into an attack position.
Vlad gasped as the last of the memories flooded through him.
What had just happened?!
"This requires investigation…" Vlad muttered.
But first.
The man walked up to the computer and read through the well written Deal, that was obviously written by him: every writer had a different style when writing, and the wording made throughout the document was definitely that of Vlad Masters.
The Deal itself was flawless: it was written in a very persuading way (Vlad knew very well that it was manipulation, it was how he [and all those in the business world] worked), it respected the idiot CEO's title and accomplishments, and seemed to be more of an offer for an early retirement instead of saving face from bankruptcy.
Vlad, proud of the Deal that the "other him" had written, saved the document, and immediately sent it to the man Vlad had "lovingly" renamed "The Idiot" (for the man truly was an idiot. How he became CEO, Vlad would never know), silently praising the wonders of Internet. The Internet hadn't really been invented when he had left the States, so when he came back and discovered the wonderful virtual realm, he immediately created an e-mail account for himself and started off his business.
To celebrate his Deal (even though it hadn't been accepted yet), Vlad travelled the three flights required to reach his magnificent kitchen. He immediately set himself to the task of making a lovely cup of Earl Gray, trying to decide if he should read a book that evening or actually go out for once.
The book won. Social interaction would always lose. Friends were only for the dependent and needy, and Vlad had had no friends for a decade. He had his League of Shadow family, but that wasn't exactly the same as the traditional family, or the friendly family.
There was, of course, the fact that friends only used you until you were of no use to them: then they'd turn their back on you and utterly betray you.
That was what Vlad subconsciously thought on the subject. In his conscious form of thought, he merely believed that he had no need for friends or social interaction, and that was that.
Vlad had just settled in his favorite armchair, a cup of tea in one hand, and a copy of The Scarlet Letter in another, when his mansion's front door bell rung clearly through the room.
Vlad frowned: he wasn't expecting anyone. He sighed as he set down his cup on the small table next to him and walked to the front door, The Scarlet Letter still held loosely in his hand. He peeked out the window and was shocked to see Ra's al Ghul standing outside.
Well, Ducard, but Vlad knew it was Ra's. His hand clenched as he realized that his plans would have to change: he had been a fool. Bruce Wayne had returned to society just six months prior, and Vlad could clearly remember Wayne carrying the leader of the Shadows out of the exploding building. If Bruce Wayne survived, then it should have been a given that Ghul had survived as well. Taking control of the League of Shadows would have to wait until Ra's al Ghul was gone.
Or… maybe Vlad could still use this to his advantage. Ra's was the figure head of the Shadows, and the real leader had hidden himself so that if someone had tried to usurp control, they would have killed the fake Ra's, instead of the real one.
Vlad mentally patted himself on the back for his quick change of plan (details would have to be smoothed down later, but he could still work with what he had) and, resting his face into a calm and cool rising businessman and Shadow, opened the door.
"Ducard! You're alive!" Vlad smiled genuinely and welcomed the leader of the Shadows into his home.
And was met with a knife to his throat.
"How did you survive?"
Vlad's brain scrambled as he tried to come up with a valid way that he had survived without being branded a coward.
"I…" Vlad did not stutter. "… do not know. All I remember is falling into the training pit, then waking up protected by a thick beam, with everyone else dead. I thought I was the only one who had survived."
Every good lie has a hint of truth in it. If the circumstances were just right, any normal human could survive if they happened to fall into a crevice: smoke travelled up, he would not have suffocated, and if there was a strong enough beam to protect him from the explosion and falling debris, he would have survived that too.
Ducard slowly lowered his knife and nodded. The training pit was right next to where Bruce had betrayed the Shadows, and it was the opposite direction of the exit, so Vlad was clearly not a coward. He had remained true to the cause.
"I must praise you of your forethought of creating a focal point to gather: it takes courage to travel back to the evil society and become well-known, intellect to be able to manage it, and virtue to remain true to our cause. I received your message, and if you continue the path you are now treading, you will help gather the remainder of the League."
Vlad nodded, showing his appreciation, but said nothing.
"Has anyone else showed?"
With permission to speak, Vlad answered,
"You are the first, Master. I have prepared this mansion as a temporary home for the League: there's a training room, a large kitchen, and twelve guestrooms. I am looking into larger mansions, though, for the future."
Ducard paused, observing Vlad as if he was seeing a whole new person.
"You have excellent forethought. I underestimated you, Masters."
Vlad did nothing but nod again, then offered,
"Would you like a tour? Have you anything that needs to be taken in?"
"You know as well as I that Shadows do not need much to live. I have everything I require. Please, lead on."
As Vlad showed Ducard his temporary home, the businessman went through his original plan to lead the Shadows and plotted what to do with "Ducard" back in the equation.
No doubt Ra's al Ghul had plans of his own. Vlad knew he had to be flexible with his new plot if he ever wanted to see himself in the Shadow's good graces.
"You are reading The Scarlet Letter?" Ducard suddenly asked, as the tour had ended.
Vlad looked down into his hands, surprised that the book was there. He had forgotten all about it.
"Yes," Vlad answered. "It is a classic that accurately depicts the evils of its time."
"Indeed. Man is evil, almost nothing can change that. The League of Shadows have spent centuries refining the art of purging evil men and women from this world."
Vlad's heart started pumping angrily as he was reminded of the fact that this was the man that had made the League stray from their true purpose, yet still believed that he was purging the world of evil when he himself was a source of it.
"Which is why we must rebuild the League."
"Exactly."
The two men were silent for a few more minutes, neither one making any awkward shuffling.
"I shall retire: enjoy the book."
There was no farewell, no 'goodnight': Ducard simply walked to the section of the house that held the guest suites.
Vlad returned to the library, only to find his tea had gone cold. He took it and dumped the liquid down the kitchen drain.
In no mood for reading, Vlad walked up to his office and checked his email: to his delight, The Idiot had replied and was apparently intelligent enough to know a good deal when he saw one: or he was as idiotic as Vlad presumed him to be and had actually believed that Vlad was offering an "easy retirement" out of the "goodness of his heart".
He smirked and sat down in his black leather office chair, setting off to work on his new dairy firm.
"Masters, tell me which cities in America have the worst crime and corruption within them."
Vlad looked up from his work, then at the clock and realized that he had worked through the night. Again.
"Chicago. New York. LA. Star City. Gotham, of course-"
"And what-" Ra's al Ghul slammed a newspaper down in front of Vlad, "-does Gotham have that the rest do not?"
Vlad, taken slightly aback by the man's loss of temper, looked at the front title of the Gotham Times. Half the front page showed a picture of Carmine Falcone strapped to a searchlight.
Bat Serves up Crime Boss
Last night, many Gotham citizens were wondering why there was a strange shaded searchlight highlighting the night sky for hours. Members of the GCPD investigated the source and found Carmine Falcone, a well-known local crime boss, strapped to the searchlight. A dozen men were found unconscious in the surrounding area. The police took Falcone into custody, where he was arrested with charges of smuggling, fraud, bribery, and first-degree murder. When asked who had strapped the poor man to the searchlight, the frightened man could only mutter something incoherent about "bats" and a "man". What happened to Carmine Falcone? Who, or what, could have taken out a dozen men? What could have terrorized this man so much that he couldn't even utter a single sentence? Is Gotham safe? Or is this vigilante out for all of Gotham? More on page A6…
Vlad quickly read through the poorly written article and quirked an eyebrow at Ra's.
"I'm sure that Gotham is not the only city in America to have vigilantes? This man will certainly be caught, arrested, and sentenced for a few years, why would you concern yourself with such trivial news?"
"I forgot, you do not recall what Bruce Wayne's greatest fear was…"
Vlad's brain was at a loss for a moment until he recalled the article had mentioned "bats".
"You believe this vigilante to be Bruce Wayne?"
Ra's merely lowered his head ever so slightly, which was all Vlad needed to see to have his theory confirmed.
"Well, that certainly changes things. One, he will not be caught: two-"
"He may be doing the same thing you are."
Vlad's brain stopped once again. He blinked before glancing at the man before him.
Ra's al Ghul actually cared for his pupil. If Wayne hadn't betrayed the League, he could have become the next Ra's al Ghul: the next leader, after Ra's passed. Wayne would have learned everything, everything…
Everything I do not yet know.
Vlad did not mention Ra's temporary moment of weakness.
"He betrayed the League of Shadows."
"He must have misunderstood something along the way, but had not asked. He would not betray us lightly."
You don't realize what he and I both discovered, then.
Vlad remained silent for a few moments. Ra's did not say anything more.
"What do you plan to do, then?"
A pause.
"We will wait for more Shadows to arrive. Bruce has only just started his campaign: we will wait until he becomes more comfortable, and we have more numbers. We will need as many Shadows for this ordeal as possible."
"What are you planning?"
Ra's smirked.
"The destruction of Gotham, of course."
"I believe I've found something that might work."
Vlad walked into the training room and held up a newspaper from the Gotham Times.
"Dr. Jonathan Crane's research on psychological medication gains ground," Ra's al Ghul read aloud as he wiped the sweat off his face with a small towel. "What would psychological medications do to help us destroy Gotham?"
Vlad's confidence wavered when he realized that Ra's already knew about Dr. Crane.
"He's already a pawn," he simply stated, disbelief rising through his system. "When?"
Ra's smirked at Vlad before standing up and straightening his back.
"The League of Shadows has attempted to destroy Gotham before."
"Well, it obviously failed."
Ra's lifted an eyebrow, but did not lash back.
"We will not fail this time."
"The depression in Gotham, in the entire country- that was the League of Shadows?"
"It was mostly focused on the large, criminal cities like Gotham, but Gotham was specifically targeted."
"You were planning on having Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham, lead the Shadows to destroy the people of Gotham."
Including me.
Ra's did not move, which was all that Vlad needed to confirm his suspicions.
"Well, you know where to find me if I am ever needed," Vlad spat venomously. He threw the paper down on the bench set between himself and Ra's and marched stiffly out of the room.
Ra's closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, keeping the air within him for a few moments before releasing it, and his nerves and fears, into the atmosphere.
He'd let his knight cool off before explaining his new part in the plan.
Vlad stormed into his office and forced himself to "duplicate", as he called it. Training the strange, new (but useful) ability proved to be difficult when his home was occupied by ninjas. His duplicate went to the computer and worked with his business, while his original self focused on transforming and flying out of the room.
Vlad needed to blow off steam.
Vlad's 'other self' (for Vlad lacked a better term, and he still refused to call himself a 'ghost') had long, sleek black hair that he kept smoothed down and in place with a hair-tie. His other self's skin was so pale it was almost white, which made his large red irises stand out even more.
Vlad was subconsciously very grateful that he didn't have fangs: if he did, the view in the mirror would be too close to Dracula for Vlad to be comfortable with his image.
Vlad did not have much control over his other half's sense of self-image: he could not do much more than manipulate his hair by hand, and that was it.
That said, Vlad spent so much time in his Shadow's suit that his other half had integrated it for its clothes: dark black leather and metal armor covered Vlad's other half, creating a rather intimidating mix of assassin and Dracula that Vlad knew would frighten his enemies to the point of insanity.
But nobody had ever seen Vlad's other half, and nobody ever would. Vlad had no intention of bringing his other abilities into public light, even if his other half couldn't be connected to his human half. If people discovered his unique abilities, they would learn to prepare themselves against it and Vlad would lose the advantage.
Vlad flew several miles away, far into the plains where only dairy cows would be able to see him. There was a certain patch of ground where nothing would grow. Once Vlad was in the center of that patch, his hands were engulfed in bright red fire and Vlad hurled his energy away from his hands, creating little craters wherever they impacted.
Control. Remember your training.
Vlad's hands created one last fireball and raised it high above his head, ready to bring down the destructive substance on the dead ground.
Don't let your anger control you.
The fireball fizzled before popping out of existence, and Vlad slowly lowered his empty arms to his side.
His arms twitched in anticipation, angry at the fact that they wouldn't gain satisfaction. Vlad itched to throw just one last energy blast, but he knew he needed to accomplish control if he were to go back and face Ra's al Ghul again.
Vlad stilled his body and took several deep breaths, relaxing and soothing his muscles. His face broke out into a huge grin as he realized that he had finally gained control over his body.
He'd keep working on it: a skill that's not being used isn't a skill, after all, and Vlad knew that he'd be tempted to succumb to the itch again, but as long as he remained strong, he would maintain the control he'd finally managed and refine it to an art.
Vlad quickly flew back to his office and merged with his duplicate. His eyes crossed a little as his brain was bombarded with his duplicate's memories, even though the duplicate hadn't done much except for the tedious paperwork that needed to be done for the deal that Vlad had spent the past month on.
Vlad quickly picked up where his duplicate had left off, but had barely been working for five minutes when Ra's al Ghul walked into Vlad's office as if he owned it.
Neither man spoke for ten minutes, which Vlad spent ignoring Ra's as he finished up his paperwork. When Vlad knew that Ra's knew he was done, he turned away from the screen and turned his nose slightly up at the old man before him.
"Did you need something, master?"
Ra's al Ghul did not move, nor speak, for a few minutes. Vlad remained patient.
"The time has come to strike: Gotham must be destroyed. I need you here, to continue gathering the remainder of the League, then redirect them to me, in Gotham."
"When can I expect your return?" Vlad asked in a humble manner.
"Within two months. I may need your assistance there, so remain flexible in your… busy schedule."
"Which Vlad Master's assistance will you be in need of?"
"The Shadow," Ra's answered, meaning if he called, Vlad Masters the business man could not be associated with the destruction of Gotham.
"Understood, master." Vlad stood and moved to leave, but Ra's prevented him from going by placing a hand on Vlad's shoulder as he moved to pass him.
"I provided Dr. Crane with the Blue Bhutan flower three years ago and turned him to our side. The man is no Shadow, but he serves his purpose. Dr. Crane has managed to weaponize the effects of the flowers, causing not only hallucinations, but also triggering the brain's amygdala," Ra's explained.
"Creating fear and chaos from said hallucinations," Vlad finished, facing the leader of the Shadows.
"Precisely," Ra's praised.
"How will you spread this throughout an entire city? The chemicals must be breathed in," Vlad wondered.
"I have sent some Shadows to take care of that. Just know that Wayne Enterprises will soon be missing something," Ra's smirked before exiting the room. Vlad smugly grinned at Ra's back before following him, eager to continue worming his way to the top of the League of Shadows.
Ra's was gone for nearly a month when Vlad was summoned to Gotham. The businessman organized a trip to Montana, far from civilization, seeing as he had just finished successfully merging the smaller company he had bought two months ago with his own and needed a vacation away from people. The Shadow flew to Montana, then trekked his way to the meeting point where he'd take a helicopter with the last group of Shadows to Gotham. Vlad Masters could not be recognized, because he wore the exact same armor as the men around him. However, he could not stop himself from standing out due to the fact his eyes were more alive than his fellow Shadows.
Vlad suspected Ra's only called him to Gotham so he felt as if he was part of the action. He and another Shadow were in charge of guarding the microwave emitter that would vaporize the chemical across all of Gotham until Ra's would show up and personally escort the emitter to Wayne Tower.
It was there Vlad saw Batman for the first time. The man was clad in dark armor, that was very similar to the Shadows' armor, but more technologically advanced, and protected Bruce Wayne from their sharp weapons. A long, black cape provided dramatic flairs.
Vlad internally scoffed at the cape: what was its use? It would only get in the-
Nevermind. Apparently, the cape allowed Batman to glide. Vlad might have been a bit jealous, if he couldn't fly.
But Vlad had the ability to fly, and Bruce could only glide, so Vlad was not jealous.
His attention returned to guarding the emitter when Ra's approached. He signaled to Vlad and the other Shadow that he wanted them to leave. The other Shadow obeyed without question, but Vlad was not so sure. He lingered for a moment, facing Ra's, the question clear in his eyes.
The answer, unfortunately, was also clear in Ra's al Ghul's. Vlad bowed slightly, then exited the train holding the emitter.
Once Vlad was out of sight, he immediately turned invisible and transformed into his other self, flying through any obstacles to catch up to the train. His instincts were telling him that leaving Ra's alone was a bad idea, even though the plan was fool-proof. As he flew towards the League's leader, Vlad caught sight of Bruce Wayne hanging on to a grappling hook attached to the train, swinging back and forth precariously. Vlad moved to cut the line, but was too late: Bruce Wayne had retracted the line, giving him enough momentum to crash through one of the train's windows. There was no way Vlad could dispose of Wayne without revealing himself to Ra's now.
Vlad remained invisible and intangible as he flew beside the train, keeping an eye on the battle inside, trying to find an opening where he could help Ra's without being detected. The two, however, were not providing an opening, so Vlad had to wait and watch while trying to match the pace of the train.
Vlad was relieved when Ra's gained the upper hand, but that relief soon turned to horror when he heard an explosion up ahead and saw the track fall to the earth.
No…
The plan had failed. If they could not reach Wayne Tower, they would not be able to vaporize all of the chemicals in Gotham's water. Vlad remained close to the train, in case he had to do what needed to be done. Ra's could still escape, but anything could happen and Vlad would not leave Ra's until he knew that he was safe. If Ra's al Ghul died, the League would be shattered and Vlad would have a much more difficult time convincing other Shadows to follow him.
But as soon as Vlad looked inside the speeding train again from his distraction seeing the rail destroyed, he could not believe his eyes when he saw Wayne on top of his master, ready to make a killing blow.
Vlad intangibly flew through the window just as Wayne threw an explosive behind him, disconnecting the train and providing an opening for Wayne to glide out of.
The seconds slowed. Ra's pulled himself up enough to see the train plummet down to the street below and closed his eyes, prepared for his death.
There was no time for Vlad to grab Ra's and fly out, so he took hold of Ra's and protected his body with his own, turning his back against the impending crash and urging himself to spread his intangible protection to his master as well, whose momentum followed the train's, making both fall to the street below, crashing through multiple cars and pillars.
Ra's, who had been expecting death, was surprised when he heard the emitter's explosion all around him but didn't feel said explosion.
There was no way he could have survived. He was in direct range from the explosion, he should have been burned to a crisp!
Yet he was still there: he could feel his heartbeat, and he tried to breathe, but found that the smoke surrounding him was not something he would want in his lungs.
He started coughing, then stilled as he realized that there was someone behind him. He grabbed the nearest weapon, which was a melted piece of… something, and turned to face the person behind him, which was not something he had expected.
The person was wearing League armor, but Ra's knew that this was no ordinary being just by staring at his eyes: the irises were blood-red, yet they twinkled in such a familiar manner. It took a moment for Ra's to realize that the person also had an aura that lit up their dark surroundings.
"Who are you?" Ra's asked. "How did you get on the train?"
The stranger's eyes twinkled, first in annoyance, then in amusement.
"And here I was hoping that I'd be able to get away before you gained consciousness."
Ra's coughed again. He couldn't get enough air, but the being in front of him was not affected by the smoke. His voice echoed eerily, as if he was in a small, empty room.
"Right, smoke," the stranger muttered. "Let's get you out of here."
Ra's stepped back from the stranger and demanded through several coughs,
"Not until you tell me who you are: you wear our armor, but I do not recognize you, so I will ask once again, who are you?"
"I'm almost offended that you don't recognize my voice," the stranger mockingly returned. "I assume you recognize each of us by our eyes, then?"
"Do not... mock me," Ra's coughed out.
"I could just wait until you fall unconscious, then I could move you and you'd never see me again," the stranger wore a mask, but it was highly obvious that he was smirking.
"Fine," Ra's acquiesced. "But as soon as we are away from here, you will tell me who you are."
"Alright," the stranger stood up and took a hold of Ra's, and then, to the old man's complete surprise, flew up and through the top of the train (which was technically the wall), bringing Ra's with him.
The instant Ra's reached an area without smoke permeating the air, he began gulping as much air as he could. He kept a firm hold on the stranger, though, refusing to let the being out of his sight. Said being crossed his arms smugly and waited for Ra's to regain enough oxygen to let his brain start functioning properly again.
"Now, you will tell me who you are, and how you did… whatever you did," Ra's commanded. The being proceeded to take off his mask, revealing a young-looking pale face that seemed rather familiar and slick, black hair held back in a small pony-tail at the nape of his neck. The Shadow smirked as Ra's struggled to figure out who he was.
"What are you?" Ra's asked calmly.
The smirk instantly dropped and was replaced with a sneer.
"What am I? You don't recognize me, so you instantly determine that you don't know me," the stranger was angry, that much was obvious.
"Should I recognize you?" Ra's kept his cool.
The being's blood-red eyes narrowed, before he sighed and slumped in a rather defeated manner.
"Am I really that different in this form?" he muttered softly.
Ra's had no clue how to deal with this reaction, so he settled on patience and attempted understanding.
"Who are you?"
The figure eyed Ra's as if he was trying to determine any insincerity. All those in the League of Shadows viewed Ducard in a favorable manner: he was their teacher and friend. To the younger generation, he was a fatherly figure, and Ducard cared for each of his students greatly. It upset Ra's that he did not know this man that knew how to wear the League armor and had obviously gone through League training.
They were hidden very well: practically invisible. Only a true Shadow knew how to do that.
"I suppose I may as well let you know," the man muttered. A dark light traveled through the man's armor and skin, revealing… the same armor beneath, but the mask had somehow disappeared from the stranger's hands and was once again securely placed on his head. The aura disappeared and the blood-red eyes retreated from the irises, bleeding into… deep blue eyes that Ra's al Ghul recognized instantly.
"Masters?"
Vlad Masters laughed as he pulled his mask off once again.
"Now you recognize me!"
His voice no longer seemed to echo and Ra's al Ghul noticed that he started to relax at Masters' presence. All humor quickly left however, as Vlad Masters realized that he needed to explain what he was to the man beside him.
"Explain," Ra's commanded. Vlad looked away from a second, then turned back to meet his master's eyes.
"When I was in college, my two best friends had an unnatural interest in the paranormal. They were… paranormal scientists," Vlad spat. "They built a prototype that was supposed to lead to the dimension where the spirits of the dead reside. They were excited to test it, and I, as their best friend, went to see them turn it on for the first time."
Vlad sighed.
"I told Jack that it wouldn't work, that there was no way that what they were doing would not help mankind. They insisted on continuing, and I was curious to see what their prototype would do."
Ra's pupils narrowed slightly, which Vlad understood to be as a "Go on."
"Something happened, and I ended up in the hospital for a few years. My friends never visited me, and I was lost. I didn't know what to do. I had no family or friends to turn to, so I decided to travel. A few months after leaving the hospital, I discovered that I had not gone unaffected by the incident. The first time my body transformed into the other form, I panicked. I was… gifted, or cursed, with these new abilities."
"Abilities?" Ra's asked, clearly wanting Vlad to clarify.
"The ability that saved us from the explosion," Vlad made his hand intangible and phased it through the wall behind him, "and flight."
Vlad willed his body to float a little, holding his hands up to show Ra's that he wasn't holding himself up. The man's eyes widened in shock, trying to process the supernatural ability before him.
"That's not all, is it?"
Vlad's cheeks tinted slightly pink, and he returned to his original hidden position.
"You taught us how to become truly invisible," he muttered, then vanished right before Ra's al Ghul's eyes, who blinked suddenly at Vlad's disappearance. Vlad quickly returned to the visible spectrum, obviously a little uncomfortable.
"How often would you use these abilities when training?" Ra's asked.
Vlad shifted, then answered, "When I was in training, I viewed these abilities as unnatural and only used them when absolutely necessary. I didn't even know I could fly until after…"
Ra's immediately understood what Vlad meant and clapped him gently on the shoulder, letting the younger man know that he didn't need to continue.
"I understand why you didn't want anyone to know," Ra's offered. Sometimes, Ducard had to help some of the Shadows heal mental wounds along with physical wounds. It didn't stop him from feeling uncomfortable talking about feelings, but it had to be done. Many men have fallen to insanity from keeping their emotions chained up, and an insane Shadow was dangerous and could only be stopped by being put down. "I'm the first person you've told."
It wasn't a question, but a statement, to which Vlad only nodded mutely to.
They remained silent once again for several minutes, neither one knowing what to say.
"Wayne will probably believe that you died in the explosion," Vlad finally said.
"Hmm," Ra's murmured in agreement. "It is probably best that it remains that way until we've completely rebuilt the League of Shadows. We are few, and we are weak."
"A temporary retreat then. I assume you'll need me to stay in the public eye?" Vlad asked.
"You've become a near-billionaire, there's no way you can pull yourself out of the public now. There are other ways you can serve the League," Ra's responded, "other ways you can infiltrate our enemies."
Vlad's eyes gleamed as the gears in his head realized what Ra's was referring to, his classic smirk growing wide on his face.
"I understand, master."
"I'm quite impressed at how quickly you've built your company, Mr. Masters," the tall, silver-haired man complimented. "Not many people can claim they became a billionaire within one year."
"Please, call me Vlad," Vlad drawled, "and I guess I have my natural charm to thank for that, Mr. Fox," Vlad smirked as he strode alongside the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. "I can't wait to see the good our two companies can bring to this world."
"As do I, Vlad," Lucius Fox answered. "As do I. Please, call me Lucius. And let me be the first to assure you that Mr. Wayne, along with the entire company, is also excited to be doing business with you."
Vlad couldn't help but pull his mouth up in a small, but powerful smirk.