Chapter Sixteen
"Mercy?" A hand waved in front of the blank gray eyes that were focused on a distant cloud in the sky that seemed to be following the car as they rode along the highway. The body connected to the gray eyes jumped in surprise, and turned to face the hand to its beholder.
Roy's blue eyes were filled with a mixture of humor and concern that made Mercy smile and allow a soft laugh to slip through.
"You okay?" Roy asked, his voice vibrant with the sound of bliss. Mercy laughed, and nodded at Roy.
"I'm fine, Roy. You worry too much." She giggled as she placed her hand on top of Roy's, and then intertwined her fingers with his. "I was just off in space, that's all." Roy smirked, and then leaned forwards to peck his girlfriend on the lips, which she eagerly returned. Before Roy could completely pull away, Mercy stole another quick kiss from him, which caused him to laugh.
"You've been 'off in space' a lot lately. You sure you're alright?" Roy asked as he squeezed her hand with his. She gave a soft smile again, thought about all of the things going on with the League at the moment, and then pushed it aside. Tonight was her night with Roy, his Guardian, and his guardian's girlfriend, and she was going to enjoy it.
"I'm sure." She answered as she smiled at him again. "Just lots to do at work. And I can't remember if I turned off my oven or not." Roy laughed at her sarcasm, and glanced out the window. He practically jumped in excitement, and squeezed Mercy's hand again.
"We're here! I can't believe I haven't introduced you to my Guardian yet. I bet he'll love you." Roy smiled as he looked down at Mercy, who was slumping in a very unladylike fashion in order to make herself comfortable in the town car. Mercy glanced up at them, and then turned back to the chipped fingernail polish on her right hand, and began to pick at it.
"I certainly hope so." She sighed as she flicked a small piece of burgundy nail polish across the car as they entered the gates of Queen Manor. Gravel popped quietly beneath the tires of the car as it mulled its way up the long driveway towards the entrance of the enormous house. Roy was gazing out the window, watching the scenery as they drove up, and he lightly scoffed at her comment.
"He will. And so will his girlfriend." Roy replied with the charm in his voice that always made Mercy smile or smirk back at him, which she did right away, and squeezed his arm with a hug. Roy smiled, and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
The aging driver glanced in the rearview mirror and gave a knowing grin before stopping the car in front of the grand doors of Queen Manor. Mercy suddenly sat up, and before the driver could even reach to open his door, she was out of the car, and walking towards the doors of the mansion. Roy stumbled out of the car after her, and jogged to catch up with her just as the driver came around the car and realized that both of his passengers were gone, smirked at the two young lovers, and closed the car door before walking back around the car, and getting back into the driver's seat.
"Wow, this place is amazing." Mercy gaped, wondering how Luthor could have stood the bland brown brick of his manor while Oliver Queen's looked like a castle out of a fairy tale. It practically gleamed.
Roy gave her a playful nudge, and Mercy quickly turned to look at him, nudged him back with her elbow, and then darted up the steps leading up to the entrance to the mansion. Roy laughed loudly, and a face peeked out from one of the windows of the mansion.
Oliver Queen ducked behind the window as both Mercy and Roy's turned towards it at once, and pressed himself against the wall, hoping that Mercy hadn't seen his green uniform.
"They're here, Dinah! I thought they were supposed to be here at eight!" He whispered just loud enough for Dinah to hear as she walked out of the bathroom, putting on her sliver stud earrings as she walked towards him.
Oliver furrowed his eyebrows at her, and then frowned like a child, and crossed his arms.
"You knew and you didn't wake me up?" Oliver grumbled as the doorman opened the door, and greeted the giddy Mercy and smiling Roy. Mercy carefully contained her excitement as she quickly, but politely made her way inside, and Roy greeted the doorman with a nod and an exchange of "how are you's" and "it's been a while's".
"I thought you would wake yourself up." Dinah shrugged as she reached for her Black Canary uniform that had been neatly folded on the bed, and moved to place it in the walk in closet across the room. "You are a grown man after all." Dinah teased.
Oliver began to remove his Green Arrow uniform, and smirked at Dinah before mimicking her- sound effects included. Dinah just sent him a playful glare and then tossed him a set of clothes she had pulled out of the closet. The dress shirt she had picked out for him ended up clasped in his hand, while the pants and boxers landed over his head.
"Shower and get dressed quickly. Your son and the girl he's been fawning over for the past three and a half months are here because you invited them."
Oliver sighed, and muttered something about how he thought that it had been planned for later in the week, and tossed his uniform over to Dinah as he wrapped a towel around his midsection and walked towards the bathroom.
"Tell them I'll be down soon?" He said as he leaned towards her, and placed a quick peck on her cheek. Dinah smiled, and nodded as she placed Oliver's Green Arrow uniform in the closet, and then shut it. It closed with a quiet click, signaling both of the heroes that both of their uniforms would be safe from unwanted eyes.
"I will," Dinah said as she moved to leave the room, and Oliver began to close the door to the bathroom. "But that doesn't mean you should take your time!" She shouted, causing Oliver to laugh as the doors began to close.
"Why of course it does!" Oliver shouted back as the shower started and the bathroom door closed. Dinah smirked as the two lovers downstairs began to make themselves comfortable on the couches in the living room that no one ever really sat in, but remained spotless at all times.
"How can you live with so much extra space?" Mercy asked as she gazed around the room from her spot on the couch next to Roy, who was smirking at his girlfriend as he contemplated on asking her to turn herself upright from her upside down position, or to just let her enjoy herself. He settled on the latter, and shrugged.
"I don't know, Merc." He replied as Dinah silently made her way down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom to listen for a moment to the two lovebirds who had settled on the couch. "I guess I just got used to it after a while."
"I always lived in small places." Mercy said as her gray eyes slowly turned towards the direction Dinah was standing, fully aware that the woman was standing just around the corner from them, just out of sight. "My Mom and I made it work I guess." She shrugged as she pretended to clumsily flip herself over so that she was sitting upright, and nearly pegged Roy in the face with her foot, which he expertly caught, and helped her turn herself over.
Dinah decided that it was finally time that she make her presence know, and purposefully entered the room loudly, her shoes clacking against the marble foyer as she walked towards the living area, causing the two lovers to turn in their seats, and gaze at her.
Mercy quickly stood, her face carefully disguised with glee as she made her way around the couch, and smoothed out her white blouse before holding her hand out towards Dinah, who eagerly accepted it, and smiled warmly at Mercy from behind her unneeded glasses.
"It's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Mercy, Mercy Mendelssohn-Nacht." Mercy said eagerly as her brain went into overdrive at the recognition of Black Canary. Dinah smiled, and realized that Mercy was a magnificent actor, and shook her hand in return.
"I'm Dinah." She spoke as she held Mercy's hand in both of hers. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Mercy. I've heard a lot about you from Roy." Dinah's eyes avert to Roy, who is smiling at Mercy as he walks around the couch, and Mercy looks back towards Roy. Mercy was giving him a mischievous look that he smirks at in return.
"Oh really?" She asked as she released Dinah's hand and smirked at Roy, who exchanged a look with her as he walked by to hug Dinah. "What kind of things?" Mercy asks as Roy ends the hug with Dinah, and moves to take Mercy's hand. Mercy playfully nudges him with her elbow before accepting his hand, and Dinah smiles at the two.
"Good things, Mercy." Dinah laughs as Roy playfully nudges Mercy back, and Mercy giggles. Dinah turns her head slightly to look towards Roy, and shoots him a mock glare.
"Ollie was running a little late getting home from work, so he'll be down in a little while, but he never said anything about us starting without him." Dinah winked, causing Mercy and Roy to chuckle, and the three walked into the grand dining room where the table was set for four with ornate plates that Mercy had only remember seeing something anything remotely similar to them while she had lived with Luthor, and a long mahogany table that seemed slightly unnecessary, but all the same, it was stunning.
"We'll be having quail tonight, if that's alright with you." Dinah mentioned as she led them to their seats at the end of the table, and motioned for them to sit. Mercy waved her hand at Dinah, and gave a small laugh as she sat down.
"I've never had quail before. So I can't say if I mind or not, to tell the truth." She laughed as she eyed the plate in front of her and the glimmering silverware. They appeared to be real silver. Nothing like the cheap kind she used to buy whenever her mother managed to chuck them out of the window.
"It's pretty good." Roy said from his seat next to Mercy as he shrugged. His eyes were moving around the dining room that he had come to know over the years he had lived there. "You'll like it." He finished as he looked towards Mercy, and sent her a somewhat discreet wink. Mercy smirked, and then looked towards Dinah, who was watching the two with a sly grin.
When Dinah realized that Mercy was now looking towards her, and she automatically sent her a smile. But something in the gray eyes that were boring into her like a drill told her something that she was hoping to avoid.
"So what do you do for a living, Mercy?" Dinah asked, feeling the words slip out of her mouth before she could catch them. Mercy smiled, but the look in her eyes remained. It was as if they knew something.
"I'm a consultant at a Museum in the Historic District." She answered with perfection. Dinah knew that Mercy would already have every question Dinah could possibly think of already, and each one would have the perfect answer. "I make sure that all the jewels that are brought into the museum are real and cared for properly."
"And she only works one day a week." Roy chirped as he began to twirl a fork in between his fingers. Mercy watched as his fingers expertly twirled the fork just as she had seen him twirl an arrow in boredom as Red Arrow. She smirked at the thought.
Dinah raised her eyebrows at this, and made a small sound of surprise while Mercy shrugged.
"Well Roy works so much that I might as well be working all week long." Mercy chuckled as she snatched the fork from Roy and began to twirl it between her own fingers. Roy was surprised by the theft, but he only prodded Mercy in the side underneath the table, and smiled at her.
"I'm sure if you asked nicely, Roy, Oliver would give you a few days off." Dinah stated as a man carrying a silver platter, followed by a small woman wearing a black dress and a white apron carrying another silver platter entered the room from a door behind Dinah, and began to serve them their dinner. "You two could probably even take the boat out for a while if you wanted. Maybe go to Gotham for the day and shop or visit Bruce." She finished as her plate of quail was placed in front of her on top of the other ornate plate, steaming hot and delectable.
Mercy could only raise an eyebrow at the strange dish before picking up her fork, and prodding the quail.
"You mean Bruce Wayne?" Mercy asked as she picked up a slice of the quail and then placed it in her mouth. After a few chews, she deducted that it tasted fine, and continued to eat along with Dinah and Roy.
"Yeah, he's a friend of Oliver's." Roy answered between bites. Dinah raised her fork as if to get Mercy and Roy's attention before stabbing a slice of quail.
"And he's invited Oliver to a charity gala next weekend. You two are invited if you want to go." Dinah then pointed towards Roy with her speared slice of quail. "And Oliver has already given you the day off, so you have no excuse." Roy rolled his eyes as Mercy giggled.
Roy turned to look at Mercy, who was happily enjoying her quail, and at the feeling of eyes on her, she turned her head to look at him as well, which caused him to smile.
"Would you want to go to a Gala in Gotham?" He asked. "You'd have to dress up and stuff." He winked at her, and she shot him a playful look.
"Well I would love to go to a Gala in Gotham, but I'm pretty sure that I have to work that day." In other words, the Team was being assigned to protect a VIP from the people who had been running around acting as if they were Eternal for the past few weeks. Roy frowned, but Dinah continued to chew on her food, fully aware that Mercy wouldn't be able to go.
"You can't ask for the day off?" Roy pondered, hoping that he wouldn't be alone at a boring charity gala. Mercy looked at him as if he was crazy, and placed her fork back on the plate.
"Roy, I only work one day a week. Asking for the day off is like slapping them across the face like a spoiled child." Mercy retorted.
Roy pondered on this for a moment, and then silently agreed.
"And doesn't he have one of those charities Gala's like every weekend?" Mercy asked, thinking about all of the articles that had been written on each and every one of them. And there was a lot.
Dinah gave a short laugh along with Roy, and took a quick sip of her champagne as Roy quickly swallowed his bite of food.
"Yeah, he does. Trust me, me and his son Dick always hung out together because they're so boring." Roy quipped as he threw his hands in the air. "To tell the truth I never thought I would be excited to hang out with someone five years younger than me."
Mercy laughed slightly, and rolled her eyes at Roy as the doors to the dining room began to open. Even though her eyes were trained on Roy, her ears were trained on the door.
"Well, started without me?" Mercy's gray eyes moved to the door at the sound of the voice, and pasted on a smile.
Well aren't you a familiar face, Oliver? She thought as she watched the blonde man move around the table towards his seat that happened to be next to her.
Dinah smiled, and as Oliver walked by, he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, to which she happily accepted with a smile.
"Well you just took too long, Ollie." Dinah chirped as Oliver squeezed her shoulder, and then looked up at Mercy, who pasted her smile back on. Oliver wasn't as good at containing his surprise as Dinah was, and his eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of Mercy.
Mercy's smile widened to accommodate the sudden attention.
"Hello, Mr. Queen." Mercy cooed politely as she stood from her chair, and held out her hand to shake his. Oliver quickly smiled, and moved around the table to accept her handshake.
"Nice to finally meet you Mercy. Roy talks about you like a giddy school girl." Oliver whispered the last part, but it was still loud enough for Roy to hear as Mercy giggled.
"So I've heard." Mercy laughed. I'm guessing he tells you these things when you're on patrol together, huh?
Once Oliver finally sat down, told a few jokes, and ate his dinner, the four began to talk about subjects other than galas and Mercy's life or Roy's constant chatter of Mercy, and moved on to other subjects- such as Roy as a young boy or Oliver's slip up at an important meeting.
But the entire time the four spoke to each other Mercy was internally berating Black Canary and Green Arrow for thinking that she was dumb enough to not realize who they where, or if they just didn't care. But the entire night, Mercy kept on her carefully constructed mask, and continued to smile and laugh when she was necessary, frown when needed, and even deliver a sarcastic remark to give a laugh every now and then. To them, Mercy was normal. Average, even.
Even the two heroes aware of Mercy's true self felt themselves falling for her façade.
After a few hours of simply talking over dinner, dessert, and even a glass of champagne for Dinah and Oliver and water for Roy and Mercy- who secretly craved a drink after acting so much that night.
"Well, it's getting late." Roy yawned as he stretched his arms. His movement caused Mercy to turn to him, and even crack a genuine smile at him as he winked at her, and then stood from his seat, causing Dinah and Oliver to follow.
Roy politely pulled Mercy's seat out for her, and then took her hand with a smile, and the four continued to make small talk as they walked out the dining room, and back towards the living area.
"You really have to run out on us so fast, Roy?" Oliver teased as he elbowed his adopted son, and managed to work a smirk out of him as he continued to mess with him. Roy released Mercy's hand, and began to mock-fight with Oliver.
"Come on, old man, you can do better than that!" Roy shouted as he threw a few gentle punches towards his guardian, and then ran-making it appear as if the two still got along like they used to when Roy was much younger, and not so temperamental.
When the two men ran around the corner and out of ear shot from Dinah and Mercy, Dinah finally gave a small laugh. Mercy, on the other hand, dropped her façade like a brick attached to a dead man in the river.
Her smile fell off her face as one grew on Dinah's and her eyes went from bright to stony in less than a second flat.
"You've really brought out the old Roy, Mercy." Dinah said, unaware of Mercy's sudden change. "I'd like to thank you for that." Dinah finally looked at Mercy, but from the profile view that she had of the raven haired girl, she couldn't really tell that she wasn't the same Mercy that she had just had dinner with.
Mercy just gave a lazy shrug, just as she would have if she were speaking to Canary as Eternal, and Dinah finally realized who she was really talking to.
"I really can't take any credit for that, Canary." Mercy practically yawned as she clasped her hands behind her back, and continued to walk even after Dinah paused to glare at Mercy's back. "He sort of… blossomed… on his own." Mercy finished as she continued to walk away.
After a moment, Dinah huffed, and finally caught up to Mercy, who had stopped to observe a painting on the wall that had been placed next to a window. Mercy recalled something her mother had said while they had lived at Luthor Manor about keeping paintings away from sunlight, or else it would ruin them.
She could already tell that the part of the painting closest to the window was fading.
"So you knew the whole time?" Dinah asked, not really needing an answer to know. If she had said it now than it meant that she had just been waiting patiently for a chance to say something. And apparently, that time was now.
"Absolutely." Mercy shrugged as she reached forward with her right hand, and swiped a layer of dust of off the ridge of the frame around the painting. Oliver's maids must not be so through with their cleaning. "And 'Ollie' made it pretty obvious." She continued. Dinah narrowed her eyes at this fact. "He's not very good at hiding things."
Dinah shot a look at Mercy, and then turned her back to the painting she was looking at. Dinah began to lecture Mercy about not being so fraudulent or something along those lines while Mercy continued to gaze at the painting.
It was an old portrait of Oliver, obviously from before he became Green Arrow, and maybe even before he even became a CEO because he was fairly young, free of his goatee, and his arms were a bit lanky, but still slightly defined from underneath the sweater he was wearing.
Mercy wondered if that time of his life were easier than the one he lead now.
Suddenly, a shadow darted past the window in the corner of her eye, and her head turned quickly, the words that Dinah were speaking silenced, and the two gazed at the window for only a moment long enough for Mercy to speak.
"Well, Dinah. It looks like you've got an extra guest." Mercy said quickly before turning back towards the dining room-the direction the shadow was running towards, and began to run. Dinah was just about to follow when Mercy turned back towards her, and practically barked at the woman who was considered her superior.
"Keep Ollie and Roy busy!" Mercy then turned around, and sprinted around the corner. "I can take care of this."
Dinah growled, and was about to follow Mercy when Roy and Ollie came skidding back around the corner, panting and laughing at the same time with signs of grass and dirt stains on their clothes. The Black Canary was left to with a downsized version of crowd control while her supposed 'sidekick' took care of an intruder in her own home.
While Dinah covered for Mercy, Mercy had already made her way out onto the grounds through an exit in the kitchen, and was silently running after the shadow, which was now making its way around the house towards he back, occasionally stepping on twigs or rustling branches- while Mercy's feet didn't even make a sound against the grass.
When the two shadows in the dark began to make their way into the garden's, Mercy gave a soft whistle to catch the shadow's attention, and then leapt onto the ivy fencing hanging over the garden as the shadow turned around.
The shadow became uneasy at the sight of nothing behind them, and slowly, but carefully ventured forwards to investigate as Mercy silently adjusted her position to make it easier for her to drop on top of the unsuspecting shadow.
When the shadow was right underneath her, Mercy hung on to the strongest vines she could reach, relaxed her legs slightly so that she could curl herself into a ball above the shadow, whilst holding herself up with just her fingers wrapped around vines.
When Mercy felt that she had made the shadow squirm long enough-a grand total of ten seconds- she decided to act.
"Psst."
When the shadow's eyes darted up to look towards the sound, it was already too late- because Mercy's feet were swinging down directly towards their face.
When they made impact, the sound of a nose breaking was obvious, and the sound of a body landing on soft dirt followed. And then, a groan of displeasure from the shadow as Mercy leapt on top of it, and pointed her trusty push knife directly at the shadow's throat, and then ripped the mask off of the shadow's face.
Mercy smirked at the sight of the girl with the green, purple, and blue hair. But then frowned when she realized that she was supposed to be in League Custody.
"Mia Byrne." Mercy spoke, carefully drawing out her first name as she pushed the knife against the girl's neck just enough to get her to squirm.
Mia just glared at the sight of Mercy.
"Mercy." Mia answered with a stern tone. She was calm despite the fact that her nose was bleeding like a faucet.
Mercy raised an eyebrow at the response, but she wasn't surprised that she knew her name.
"So, tell me Mia," Mercy pressed the push knife against Mia's skin, and Mia attempted to push her head back further against the dirt on the ground to avoid it. "How did you escape League Custody?" Mercy seemed utterly comfortable, while Mia just seemed irritated.
"It's League Custody." Mia rolled her eyes as if Mercy had made a sad joke. Mercy raised her eyebrows, and then narrowed her eyes and furrowed them slightly. Mia noticed, and looked directly at Mercy with her blue eyes. "I got myself some Chinese take out the other night if that tells you anything."
Mercy's expression didn't change. Mia sighed when she realized she wouldn't be able to skirt around Mercy.
"I came the closest to being Luthor's best new you." Mia admitted. Mercy showed small signs of interest, but when they began to change back to boredom, Mia continued. "Apparently, that wasn't good enough- and now that I've seen you in action a few times, I can see that I'm nowhere near your level. And I'm not afraid to admit that." Mia shrugged underneath Mercy, and in response Mercy twisted the push knife against Mia's throat, causing her to hiss as it finally broke a bit of skin.
"You've seen me in action?" Mercy asked. Her voice was cold. Mia didn't nod, seeing that now she had too injuries she wouldn't be able to explain when she returned to her cell.
"I've been sneaking into the surveillance area of the Hall of Justice to watch your training videos. I was hoping I could pick some stuff up by just watching." Mia answered, her voice a little more strained this time.
Mercy's eyes were still cold as she debated on how and when the girl was escaping. And why had Luthor let her go if she was the closest he had gotten to duplicate his perfect one man army?
"I highly doubt that." Mercy retorted as she kept the push knife steady against the girl's neck. Mia's lips formed into a line in offense. "But if you were the closest thing to me that Luthor could get, they why would he just let you go?" She finished.
Mia rolled her eyes again at that.
"I'm not like the other attempts at duplicating you. I lied about being a metahuman." Mia answered almost nonchalantly. Mercy suddenly felt a pressure in her mind, and glared hard at Mia, and pushed her knife a little harder.
Mia hissed in pain, and then retracted her mental attack.
"And now I see why you're the best of the best…" Mia grimaced. Mercy shot Mia a sour smile, nodded her head curtly, and twisted the knife a little for good measure.
"Why would Luthor not want you if you came with other abilities?" Mercy asked, her voice even darker due to Mia's attempt at a mental attack. Mia sighed slightly, but then hissed when the push knife prodded her at the movement.
"He wanted to keep me- but then there was something about Dubbilex saying that my abilities prevented my mind from accepting any kind of programming. Before I could find out anymore, Luthor had Dubbilex put me out and then dump me in Gotham where he found me." Mia paused, and then continued at the sight of Mercy's enraged eyes. "I saw that hero Eternal take down that one guy on the roof. He needed more training- but his anger would always get the best of him, and Luthor grew impatient and kicked him out. After that, I decided I would rather help the good guys- and you, rather than be another one of Luthor's rejects."
Mercy had heard every word- but she was still caught up on one word.
Programming. What programming?
"Well that's kind of you." Mercy almost spat. She didn't obviously struggle to keep her tone in check- but internally, she wanted to just scream. Mia didn't notice, and continued to watch Mercy carefully. "But why should I trust you?"
Mia smirked at this.
"Luthor can't keep tabs on me like he can keep tabs on you." Mia answered with a smirk on her face that Mercy desperately wanted to slap off.
Mercy watched the girl for a few moments, and then at the sound of voices- Roy's and Oliver's- she looked up, and then back down at Mia, who also had her eyes turned towards the direction of their voices.
Mercy pulled her push knife away from Mia's throat, wiped it on her pants, and then quickly slashed her hand before pocketing the weapon. She had to have some explanation for being gone so long. She quickly climbed off of Mia, pulled her up by the collar of her outfit, and then shoved her mask into her hands.
Just as Mia was about to sprint away, Mercy snatched her wrist and held it there with an iron grip. Mia looked obviously surprised at her strength.
"Wayne Towers, Monday night. Don't bring friends." Mercy snapped as she held the girl's wrist. Mia nodded. "Head back to the Hall. Someone will be looking for you by now." Mercy finally released Mia, and without another word, the girl with the multi-colored hair that was now fading plenty- sprinted away into the woods nearby, and disappeared into the dark as Mercy began to scream as if she had just been attacked, and ran towards Roy and Oliver's voices while clutching her hand in false pain.