Starling Welcome Hotel

"So you paid a guy $300 to lie to you about the Panther?" Ray demanded. He and Mick were in their room after dinner. Sara and Mick had informed the rest of the crew about their info dig earlier in the night.

"Well," his lover grunted, "to be fair, I'm pretty sure most of the stuff he told us was true, he just lied about his involvement."

Ray shrugged. One of the reasons the crew worked so well together was they knew their roles. Mick, Sara, and Leonard were primarily for the dealing with other criminals part of the job while Ray was in charge of security and safecracking. He never involved himself in his lover's part of the job, and Mick rarely questioned him about his. He was about to suggest they move to the bed when something in the building across the street caught his eye.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"See what?" Mick asked.

"On top of the building," Ray clarified, reaching for a set of binoculars on the nightstand. Peering through them, he focused on the building, then felt his stomach drop. It was the Panther. Sara and Leonard hadn't mentioned how intimidating he looked. He was black death, except for those glowing green eyes. Ray could see the twin katanas across his back, each hilt adorned with a cat's head engraving, according to Sara the sign that they were created by some dead League of Assassins weapons master. As Ray watched the Panther began to move his hands.

"What's he doing?" Mick asked, feeling a pang of concern. Ray had never really dealt with the rougher side of their profession, and he was worried about him.

"It's sign language," the safe-cracker murmured. "He says Leave Raymond Palmer and then-" he cut off suddenly.

"What?" Mick demanded.

"He said I know where you sleep" Ray finished, a little unsteady.

"Of course he knows where we sleep," Mick encouraged him, "He's bloody looking at it right now. Knowing where it is won't help him, not when you've updated the security after his previous little stunt." He then raised a middle finger at the figure on the roof.

"Yeah," Ray agreed, less confident than he would like.

Across the way, Karl Lawton strode away from the building edge. He dialed his brother.

"I've identified the target for Ghost Protocol."

The Lawton Crib

"You're certain?" Floyd asked as he entered the lair, "After one attempt, you've already found the perfect target?"

"When you know you-" Karl cut off. Floyd swore and raised his gun.

Standing in the middle of their top secret lair was Nyssa al Ghul.

"Qat Asud," she said by way of greeting.

"Warith al Ghul," he returned. Nyssa smiled. It was not technically her title, but it was Karl's habit to assure her that she should be her father's choice in the event of an inheritance. It was one of the displays of arrogance that had soured the League hierarchy on the swordsman.

"I see you have done well for yourself," Nyssa remarked, "my beloved seems to have taken an interest in you."

"Her group of thieves drew the ire of a wealthy buyer," Karl confirmed, "you'll be happy to know your lover has been saved from any harm due to the contract."

Nyssa nodded. "I have kept your secret, Qat Asud. No one in the League even suspects that you didn't die in that plane crash over the Amazon."

"For which I am in your debt," Karl replied warily. Where was she going with this? What did she want from him?

"I am here to call in that debt," Nyssa stated, facing her former tutor, "My father has named Talia Warith al Ghul."

"Talia is not worthy," Karl responded instantly, "She is a skilled torturer and fights to League standards, but she is vicious and cruel, and knows nothing of leadership."

"You and I are in concurrence," Nyssa confirmed, "I have the support of the senior officers, however I need more if I am to defeat my sister and my father. If I had the support of the finest swordsman to ever walk the Earth…"

"This is poor timing," Karl groused, but then shrugged, "very well. In repentance for the debt I owe you, I support your claim as Warith al Ghul, and will fight by your side until your rightful title is returned to you."

"Ah, hate to interrupt the mumbo jumbo here," Floyd interrupted, "but what about the job oh brother of mine?"

"We still go through with it. I don't have to be here to enact the rest of Ghost Protocol. You know the target, you can continue the job while I'm gone," his twin replied smoothly.

Karl turned to Nyssa, "I have one condition."

"Name it," Nyssa replied

"Ra's al Ghul is mine."

Big Belly Burger

"Well you weren't kidding about this burger," Leonard admitted, "although it could be colder," he winked at his girlfriend.

Sara rolled her eyes, "Must you work a cold reference into everything?"

"Can't have people think I'm going warm," Leonard insisted.

"That wasn't your stance last night," Sara murmured, her tone changing from playful to sultry in an instant.

Leonard put down the burger, and leaned in, "Canary," he murmured, "you are the only warmth I need."

"Well I am getting very warm, Captain Cold," she looked up at him through lowered lashes, and he saw naked lust, "will you cool me down?"

"Tempting as I'm sure the offer is to Mr. Snart," Nyssa interrupted, pulling up a chair next to a suddenly flushed Sara and a very put out Snart, "I fear I may have to postpone your post dinner plans."

"How so?" Sara asked, worried at the sudden reappearance of her former lover.

"You owe me a life debt, Taer Al-Sahfer," Nyssa replied, "I'm here to collect on it."