Journal Entry 15
Case: The Hunt for Raven
It's been a month now since I accepted the job from my old foe; Robin, to track down the one I can easily call the bane of me; Raven. Something a part of me still finds odd, even outrageous, but I know that part of me, Slade by name, and I know what that part of me wants, but the rest of me doesn't. As I have noted before, Raven was abducted by Ra's al Ghul's League of Assasins for unspecified reasons around a month or so ago, and tracking her has so far been a good way of getting back into the business. A search mission, and a very challenging one at that, no better way to make my brand look good, if I find her first that is. Robin picked some good competition for me. I will admit there was a time when I thought Thomas Blake was a joke, and he probably was, he couldn't fight to save his life back then, then he got into drinking and from what I heard; he broke down in tears at the absolute low point, when he was arrested in his home by Green Arrow for robbing a Seven Eleven. But he seems to have gotten a second wind, retrained himself. My sources claim that after being released from prison, he used whatever money he had and bought a one way ticket to Africa and chose to live in the Serengeti, with a pride of lions no less. He's been back for some time now, looking for some poacher that killed his cats. Possibly his part in all of this is motivated by needing the funds to continue his own hunt. The other man I am competing against is Bane, the man who broke Batman's back. Despite his appearance, I know from talking with him, that his brain is his biggest muscle and on paper I'd put my money on him finding the target first. He once worked for Ra's, directly, he will have connections or knowledge of places, none of the rest of us will have.
But enough about the competition. A search mission is tough when the trail is as cold as this, but that's what makes it exciting. I've tried all kinds of missions, escorts are not my thing, I hate having to wait for someone else to pull the trigger before I react. Assasination can be entertaining, depending on the target or if the client wants something special done. Front line assaults are good for getting the adrenaline pumping if you have to storm the enemy head on, but also bears the greatest risk of catching a slug between the eyes. Infiltration for thieving has always been beneath me, for kidnapping it is something else however.
Anyways Robin and Raven, who would have thought a few years ago that this would happen? When Robin appeared in Jump City, I was looking for a suitable apprentice. Contrary to belief, I do like kids, when they are properly disciplined that is, that's how it used to be. And there I saw Robin, the Boy Wonder, off on his own, a continent away from the Batman and I knew I had made my choice, the problem was that we were on the opposite sides of the fence. So I set about to prove through various schemes that Robin belonged at my side, that I could make him even better than the Batman could. On reflection I know now I over did it, I pushed him too far, underestimated his relationship with the other Titans and that cost me dearly, twice. First by Robin's hand, then ultimately by Terra's. Anyone who knows me, beyond profession, will know I have never been a man of faith, but I have been wondering, ever since I found myself standing in the palm of Trigon, Raven's satanic father, and being offered a deal I could not refuse. Like I did Blake, I will honestly admit that before that, I never thought a lot of Raven, from a distance she just seemed like the kind of person that was one bad day away from being consigned to an asylum or medicated with prosaic. But then I learned why, and I honestly didn't believe it at first, this frail recluse of a girl was so much more than that; Armageddon wrapped in the form of a child. I knew her powers of course, but I thought I had seen bigger and better elsewhere. But hers were the hands that would bring about Armageddon, and her father wanted me to remind her of that; break her and make her do it, was his orders. And I complied and succeeded, I might add. Then came my second big revelation about Raven, she is smart and knows how to manipulate a situation, even thought she appeared to be on the loosing side back then, she wasn't.
I have a hunch she knew how her father dealt and that she could not avoid bringing him to Earth, so played accordingly. I thought she just knocked the Titans out when I came to collect her, but she planted a spark of her power inside of them there then followed me without further bother. I was, angry, when Trigon revealed that he would not honor our bargain and I have speculated that Raven planned to have it happen. With the Ring of Azar, which I have no doubt she knew I had, she knew I would be shielded as well when Trigon wiped out the entire planet. Leaving me to guide Robin to find her in Trigon's underground prison and ultimately confront him. That was the only reason I stayed away afterwards, I knew I had to think of something beyond what I did with Robin, because for once, I had been the one that was played the fool and manipulated for others gain. I had a lot of plans about how to deal with her, first by turning the public against her (I leaked her parentage to the press, idiots like Gary Lionwell leaped at it like hungry wolves), when I thought she had been worn down by the environment, I approached her seeing if at least there was a hope if she could be turned, alas the droid I had sent never made it back. I was distracted after that by Rose, my estranged daughter, who managed to track me down and expressed her desire to work with me. A part of me hated the idea of working with someone I had emotional connections with, but when I saw what she could already do, I wanted to see if I could mold her into the Robin I never got. Things went well for a while, till I introduced the serum, the one the army gave me. Turns out not everyone is suited to have it running through their veins, but it wasn't apparent till later. I gave up on Rose when she failed to strike when I told her to, allowing a bodyhopper time to escape, after that she took her eye out. I had her sedated after that, I knew that it would take weeks for the serum to leave her, hopefully ridding her of the madness that followed it.
However, before that, I tried to exterminate Raven out of frustration, using Malchior, the closest thing she's ever had to a boyfriend. But again she refused to just die, Jump City was in ruins, the Titans Tower was gone, and so was she, after Malchior made a fatal mistake. With her gone, but not dead (rule of thumb; people are alive as long as there is not a corpse to tell you otherwise), and Rose sedated, I found myself with a little too much free time. Almost a year passed, Rose fled when she was allowed to wake up, and I was approached by emissaries belonging to Blackfire, Starfire's sister who wanted me to capture Robin for them. I had decided to go back into the mercenary business by then and was looking to rebuild my name, that had been tarnished by my failures as a mastermind, so facing off against Batman and getting paid for it was a godsend. Again it seemed I was doomed to failure, Raven began haunting Gotham City a few weeks after my own arrival, under a different name and I ended up unknowingly hiring her from Black Mask and leading her off into the bowels of the USS Gotham… my mind never truly escaped what she did to me down there, perhaps it was for the best. The experience eventually had me reconcile with my children and everything were going well, until the other ghost from the past showed up and buried Wintergreen in my mansion. I miss the old man. So I guess I can claim I am conflicted about Raven and I am not really sure what I will do if I find her. I am however perplexed as to why Ra's would take her, in the recent years I know Raven has been become a close ally to the Batman, but that doesn't explain his actions, wonder what she's done to warrant this?
Anyways back to the case, currently I am breaking kneecaps and asking questions in Shanghai, knowing from other sources that the League of Assassins always had a strong presence here. The problem is finding them. Odd rumor, I have heard that the League might have their main stronghold somewhere in the Himalaya's, but so far I have not found anything to substantiate the rumors or made it any clearer. The hour is late and I hope that I don't have to nail more rats the floor tonight.
From the Netherlands Robin and Nightwing track a black van, the Club of Heroes had observed, to the Du Gaul Airport, finding it in a private hangar, containing an ambulance bed inside. From there they head to the south east of Asia, where the private plane had been tracked to; getting into Myanmar was difficult, so was getting out, but the knowledge they had learned from the inside was worth it; centuries old rumors of a murderous cult with an immortal leader living in the mountains. From there, they head north into the Himalaya's, but without a guide they know they will never find this immortal, fortunately Nightwing knows of someone in the area who might.
"Ohh welcome back Grasshopper, I am sorry to say that the True Master is not well these days." The small white furred monkey greets the two who enter the small open square in front of Chu-Hui's house on the top of her mountain, while he is sitting on the railing lining the porch. It had surprised them both that they had been admitted onto the mountain without trials, something Tim had re-dressed for, now sporting the same kind of white shirt and pants Richard once wore.
"I am sorry to hear this Wukong, but it is good to see you again." Nightwing says as he bows to the monkey respectfully something Tim does as well, it doesn't faze Richard that the animals could identify him so easily despite the passage of time.
"And so is it to see you, but I am being rude, who is your young friend?" Wukong asks as he turns to Tim.
"Well, you can call him my successor." Nightwing says.
"He's told me a lot about this place." Tim adds as he nods to Nightwing. "While we are here on another matter, I was hoping to see how'd I'd fare. Is she well enough to speak with us?"
"I will see if she is." Wukong says before he jumps down from the railing and heads into the small house, leaving the two standing in the sun, which doesn't seem to shine as brightly to Nightwing anymore, for a few moments before the monkey returns. "She will see you, but please be mindful, she is not as strong as she once was." He says before jumping back onto the railing and to the roof before disappearing over it, not waiting for a response. The two make their way inside, finding the single room dark, and slightly smelly.
"True Master?" Nightwing asks as they see a small figure lying on a short legged bed, fitting to the size of the owner.
"Grass… hopper? Is that you?" The voice of the old woman reaches them as the figure shifts on her bed. "Come closer…" She says, Nightwing has an odd sense of premonition as they come closer and he promptly receives a hard smack on the head with the wood walking stick lying by her side. "You should visit more often!" She demands with the firm voice Nightwing remembers she used, while Tim moves to the window shutters and opens them, flooding the room with light. To Nightwings surprise Chu-Hui looks exactly as he remembers her, that eight years had passed have not shown on her.
"I apologize Sensei." Nightwing says as he rubs his head. "Wukong said you were ill."
"It is not illness that keeps me here, but it is not of your concern Grashopper, alas it will prevent me from actively teaching the young Gekko you have brought here."
"Well, we are here on another quest really." Tim says. "Regarding another of your former students, Raven."
"Ah, young Asura, how does she fare in the world today?" Chu-Hui says as she smiles, obviously pleasantly reminded.
"She's doing good, very good." Nightwing says before reminding himself that they didn't have the time for reminiscence. "But she was kidnapped a month and a half ago, Robin and I are looking for her. We know she isn't dead, but not much else. We heard rumors of an immortal leading a murder cult of some sort from the mountains, we think this is the same man that we seek and we hope that you may as well?" A cloud seems to fall over Chu-Hui at the mention and she sighs.
"Alas that she should cross the path of the Algol." She sighs immediately grabbing both mens attention, as when Ra's al Ghul's name is translated to English, it is to the Demon's Head or Head of the Demon and is a deliberate play on Algol, the Demon Star. "And yes, he is the immortal who leads the cult known as the Demon. Brashly he demanded I train him many years ago, but I refused him and the men he had brought with him back then. And not that long ago, he returned, no wiser than before and demanded that I train his grandson."
"Damian… he was here?" Tim asks in surprise.
"Damian...?" Chu-Hui seems lost for a moment at the mention of the name. "Perhaps he is known as that, but the child was introduced as Ibn al Xu'ffasch, black the boy's heart was and I refused them yet again. But the boy would not be refused and he returned, and that is why I am here, without the use of my legs."
"He… He paralyzed you?" Nightwing asks is shock.
"Even I could not bring down the numbers he brought, but it was his foot who proved my undoing." She sighs. "But where have you met this child?"
"He claims to be the son of Batman, who also claims to have studied under you?" Tim adds.
"Ah yes, the one that took himself even more serious than you did Grasshopper." Chui-Hui is again fondly reminded of the encounter. "Hmm, yes there were similarities between them." She says as she continues thinking. "But you wish to know where to find the immortal?"
"We do, we want Raven back." Tim says to which Nightwing nods.
"You will need help, the fortress of the Algol is heavily guarded, while I know you are a skilled warrior, this place is guarded by many less skilled warriors." The old woman says before looking out the window for something. "Yes, it is clear enough. If you would help an old woman outside?" She asks Nightwing.
"Of course." He replies and wraps the blanket around Chu-Hui before carrying her outside in his arms.
"You see that peak?" She asks as she points out a distant peak with her walking stick. "Just below the snow on its shoulders lies the Fortress of the Algol. You have not yet told me how you aim to retrieve Asura?"
"We are going to pinpoint her location, if we can, we escape with her. If not, we call some friends of ours." Tim says.
"The immortal is sure to anger at the intrusion, but if you can free her, Asura will provide you much needed assistance… You have crossed his path before?" Chu-Hui realizes at how none of the things she has said seems to faze the two.
"We have, he considers Batman a worthy opponent, though he thinks less of us. We don't know why he chose to abduct Raven, but we know he sent his best against her, but she was taken down by… dishonorable means." Nigthwing explains, getting a sigh out of Chu-Hui.
"They did the same to me, the boy had a rifle that made me sluggish."
"I am beginning to worry if we should notify Bruce." Tim notes.
"You do that." Nightwing says while Tim is looking for his communicator in the bundle of his clothes he had packed into the bag on his back. "I don't suppose you'd want to leave your mountain Sensei?"
"No Grasshopper, this I my mountain, I will remain on it till my time comes." Chu-Hui replies. "But I wish you luck with recovering Asura, and do remind her this old woman likes visits from her former pupils."
"Thanks, we will need it." Nightwing replies. "Do you want to return inside?"
"Not yet, put me on the porch and bring me my pillow and I will be fine. It is a lovely weather."
"It is." Nightwing agrees before he heads inside.
"No contact with the cave." Tim announces as Nightwing emerges from the house with the old woman's pillow. "I'm notifying the League."
"Good, guess this wasn't the sort of reunion you'd hope for?" Nightwing asks Chu-Hui who accepts the pillow.
"Alas, such is the way of things Grasshopper, but please do not wait so long for your next visit. But I do however request you bring your mentor with you, he in particular needs to visit." The old woman replies as she lifts herself onto the pillow.
"I will pass that along Sensei." Nightwing says as he bows to her.
"I had hoped to train with you, but meeting you was an honor." Tim says as he bows to her as well.
"And I shall look forwards to your next visit young one." Chu-Hui says as he straightens up and sends them off with a nod, watching them as they begin the journey down the mountain. "Hmm, perhaps I should have requested some tea?" She muses to herself. "Wukong?!"
Next Chapter: Will Raven be found? Will Ra's? One thing is for certain, the Justice League will be faced with something truly terrifying in the Fortress of the Demon.