*EOTA* I'm back!
*Red Hood* FINALLY! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! You said DECEMBER! NOT March!
*EOTA* I blame writer's block and work! Anyway, I'm back with a new chapter, and a time skip! Now do the disclaimer or I'll toss in Arsenal and Starfire to annoy you!
*Red Hood* Are you going to toss them in anyway?
*EOTA* Not right now, no. The story doesn't need a bunch of new characters early on. Damian is good for now. Besides, without the Reach, Arsenal won't leave the Team for a while yet, even though he's been rescued. So do it. NOW!
*Red Hood* Eye of the Abyss doesn't own anything except the name Eye of the Abyss.
Six Months Later
Bludhaven - Outside 'Saint John Library'
"Well? What do you think?" The Red Hood asked as Talia al Ghul looked at the newly built library. The building had a distinctive gothic look to it that was reminiscent of the abandoned church, without carrying the same unholy atmosphere. Sure enough, sinister stone gargoyles kept a silent watch from the roof, hiding cameras that would prevent stealthy approaches by either criminals or heroes. The building, though brand new, fit into the area surprisingly well. It could have stood there for decades.
"It's quite an impressive building, but I'm more interested in what's below. Let's see this base you've been going on about." She responded.
"Of course. Right this way." Red Hood opened the door and walked inside.
Bludhaven - Inside 'Saint John Library'
The duo walked straight past the stacks of books towards the staircase in the center of the library. Red Hood walked up to the first landing, where the stairs turned off to either side towards the second floor. He pressed his thumb under one of the rails and the circular mosaic in the center of the landing slid open, a metal cylinder sliding up, revealing an elevator. "Going down." He said as they stepped into the elevator. The door closed and the elevator shot down, the mosaic sliding closed behind it.
Bludhaven - Hood's Lair
Talia al Ghul had seen many impressive fortresses, castles, mansions, and bases of all other sorts while aiding her father, but she had to admit that this underground lair was one of the most sinister. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she noticed the strange tint of the lighting. Massive stained glass mosaics ran horizontally along the walls, showcasing the same geometric panels Red Hood had originally found in the abandoned church. Talia realized immediately that they were the source of the lighting. The whole circular room, about twenty meters in diameter, was filled with an ominous red-orange glow from the lights behind the panes.
Three doorways were outlined by the glass directly across from the elevator. "The left passage leads to the dormitories, obviously empty but for my guards. The right passage leads to the training and sparring rooms, and the garage. The center one leads to the main portion of the complex; the mainframe, the monitor room, the op center, and my personal quarters." Red Hood said conversationally as he walked straight down the center passage. Talia followed without comment, noticing the stained glass lighting continued along the walls of the hallway. They soon came to a dead-end stone wall; or so it seemed. Hood pressed his thumb against the wall and a door slid open. Suddenly Talia could hear a loud clanking and grinding. "What is that noise?"
"Welcome to the monitor room. Right below us is the foundry, which supplies power for the whole complex. The noise is caused by the cogs and gears that keep the foundry running." The room was immense. At least three stories tall, the top of the room was filled with hundreds of gears and pistons. The stained glass lighting was no longer running horizontally along the walls, instead being thin vertical strips running from the floor to the ceiling. The lights were few and far between, leaving the room darker than the entrance and the hallways.
In the center of the room was a throne-like chair on a raised dais, with wires running up out of the floor going into it. Red Hood sat down on the throne and pressed a button on the chair arm. Suddenly the room brightened considerably as massive computer screens lit up on the walls. "My surveillance system, currently only consisting of cameras inside and outside the library and in the base. Eventually it will consist of cameras around Bludhaven. I will be able to monitor nearly everything once I link up the traffic cameras, business security cameras, et cetera." He pressed another button on the throne as he stood, causing a doorway to open in one of the light panels. "This way to the my personal quarters, and the guest quarters."
"I must admit Richard, I am very impressed with your base appearance-wise, but looks are not everything; what of defenses?" Talia asked as she sat down at the end of the table in the op center. The ceiling in this room was far lower, and fluorescent lights had replaced the strange red-orange glass. Richard, no longer wearing his helmet, sat directly across from her, at the opposite end of the long, conference-style table.
"Besides the surveillance outside and inside, I can lock everything down from my quarters, sealing all the doors and cutting off the lights in the main passages. I can also channel the smoke or steam from the foundry into any room or passage via my holographic wrist computer. The mainframe has a firewall of my own design protecting it, and I've got a virus hidden just behind it, waiting to infect anything that manages to get though. The air vents are too small for a human to fit it, and even if someone could fit, they would be chopped to ribbons by the extremely powerful fans. Not to mention my guards, who will be constantly patrolling the base. Just to avoid Kryptonian abilities, the ceilings are all lined with lead. All guards are equipped with a sizable chunk of Kryptonite as well."
"Good. I think Damian will learn a great deal from you Richard."
"I already have his quarters set up. Just remember Talia, my conditions are strict. If I mentor your son, I expect absolute loyalty. Total obedience. And I will enforce that expectation."
"I understand that, and so does Damian."
"Good. Now, on another topic, what have the Light and the League been up to these few months while I've been occupied?"
"The League, along with your former team, has discovered the Kroloteans. Meanwhile, the Light has been using the research obtained from the Reach before their destruction to activate the Metagene."
"Ah yes, the destruction of the Reach. I have to ask about the earthquake Savage used. Would it happen to have been caused by the Seismic Generator built by Malcolm Merlyn to demolish Star City?"
*EOTA* Dun dun dun! I love the television show Arrow, and decided to include a nod to it. Basically, Green Arrow started out as a hero instead of a vigilante in this continuity, but Malcolm Merlyn still had The Undertaking and all that. Also, Green Arrow managed to stop the Earthquake machine before it could go off, so this is NOT canon to Arrow. All characters remain canon to Season 1 of YJ (no Thea Queen, no older Roy Harper, etc). Also, I based Red Hood's base heavily on Slade's from Teen Titans. Don't be surprised if at times it seems our helmeted friend is channeling that character, since Slade was always my favorite part of the Teen Titans show. Until next time!