FIC: Faith Wayne (8/?)
"I want to know who did it!" Wayne's fist slammed down on the coffee table as he glared impotently at the flat-screen TV, the news and entertainment channels running non-stop on the sordid revelations relating to Faith and her past.
"And then what sir?" Alfred as always tried to act as the calming light in his employer's darker moments. "You'll attack them for revealing these secrets?"
"No," Bruce's jaw clenched tightly, so tightly Alfred fancied he could hear the younger man's teeth grinding, "but these were sealed files. There has to be something my army of lawyers can do against them." Bruce chuckled but there was little or no amusement in the sound. "Once the Bat has found them."
"Perhaps your first priority should be contacting the young lady in question?" Alfred suggested.
"Don't think I haven't tried." Bruce grimaced at his comment. "She's not picking up, but I've left messages on her answer machine."
"Perhaps I should drive you there to see-."
"No," Bruce cut him off with a determined shake of the head. "The press will be parked outside her place, I'll not give those vultures a photo opportunity."
"Faith, are you sure about this?"
Faith forced her gaze away from the blaring headlines proclaiming 'Secret Shame Of Billionaire's Siren Heiress' to look towards her boy-friend. The stuff about her mom was no big deal. Hell, you had no control over who your parents were, but the stuff about her own mistakes bein' out there for anyone with change from a dollar to read was pretty shitty. There was a ton of stuff she'd done in Boston that she'd never ever told even Xander about.
And now it was all out in black and white.
"Hey I gotta go out sometime, right?" Faith shook her head. "Gotta show those rat bastard paparazzi that I ain't scared of them."
"Okay," Xander sighed. "I'll get my coa-."
"Thanks hon and thanks for carin'," Faith leaned up and gently kissed Xander on the cheek, placing her finger against his lips to still the inevitable protest, "but I gotta do this on my own." Before Xander could complain, she grabbed her leather jacket off the couch, took her Aviators out of the pocket, and put them and the jacket on. Then she pulled her keys out of her pocket and hurried out to her newly bought Harley and roared off down the school's gravel path and blitzed past the reporters encamped outside its gates.
Faith hid a grimace as she made her way through the department store, noting the way people would glance at her then snap their heads away as if frightened. She wanted to grab and shake them until they admitted she wasn't that murderous psychopath anymore, but then that would hardly help her case would it?
Faith sighed as she turned her attention to a rack of fashionable dresses. She'd always been a leather and denim kinda girl, but now she actually she had money she supposed she should at least consider spending some of the up-market money on up-market clothes.
Yeah, that was just another problem to go with her new-found pop. She'd grown up being told that her dad was a louse who wanted nothing to do with 'a stupid waste of space like her', but now she found that wasn't the truth at all. Part of her, the dark part that she always struggled to control, wanted to do nothing more than tear him limb from limb for leavin' her in a hell that he hadn't even known about. In fact it was probably only the 'hadn't known about' part that was savin' his ass right about now.
Another part, the part that both Xander and Angel had seen when they'd reached out to her, wanted nothing more than to be loved, the way the Mayor had loved her. Then there was the wary street rat who wondered just how sincere the guy was, and also about the side of him that seemed hidden.
Not that Wayne's setup wasn't pretty sweet, a great big mansion, a staff of servants, and enough money to make Trump seem like a pauper. And not that's he didn't seem genuinely interested in her. But on the other hand it was wicked strange the way they'd met, far too coincidental.
Faith forced her attention back on the dress. Deciding that they were all way too frilly or showy for her, she made her way out of the store and headed to one of the mall's restaurants. She missed a step as she noted a short but powerfully-built man with a receding hairline and olive skin in the reflection of a near-by window. "Damn press," Faith clenched a fist. If the asshole got in her face, she'd kick his damn ass, and to hell with the resulting law-suit.
Entering the old-fashioned Oriental restaurant, Faith forced a polite smile as all conversation stopped and all eyes turned to her. It was a reaction she'd long since gotten used to in clubs and the like, but not exactly for these reasons. Ignoring the looks, she glanced towards the traditionally attired waiter by the door. "Table for one."
"Of course, Ms. Way-."
"Lehane," she stiffly interrupted. Right now, with everyone looking at her like that, she wanted nothing less than to be associated with that name.
"Yes ma'am." The waiter jumped at her correction, but rallied quickly, his face growing impassive as he led her to a thankfully-secluded table towards the restaurant's rear. Once she'd sat, the man passed her a laminated menu. "Someone will be with you in a moment to take your order."
Faith nodded an acknowledgement. "Thanks." After a couple of minutes, she noticed her tail walk in and take a table on the next row, four tables in front of her. Faith swallowed her temper with another look at the elaborately-written menu, the English translation underneath the Chinese. Sensing the waiter's approach she looked up. "I'll have the Chicken Chow Mein and Egg Fried Rice, thanks."
The waiter bobbed his head. "At once, Ms. Wayne."
"Thanks," Faith muttered, unable to be bothered to correct him.
Her mood picked up slightly with the meal's arrival, its succulent scent filling her nostrils. Her eyes narrowed as she picked up her chopsticks and noted the reporter heading towards it. "Forget it," she warned with a shake of the head. "If I speak to the press, it'll -. Shit!" She gasped as she ducked under a roundhouse kick to the head, her face pressing against the table's cloth as she snapped off a side-kick at her rival's left knee, forcing the man back .
"You really want this interview don't ya?" Faith wise-cracked as she back-flipped out of her seat and landed in a crouch on the table behind, knocking plates flying, the table's customers letting out shocked shrieks. "Sorry 'bout dinner, folks." The man spun to face her, a shocked flicker quickly concealed behind a stony mask. Faith launched herself into the air, somersaulting over the man and landing a back-heel kick to his shoulder-blades.
At least that was the theory, but the man wriggled eel-like away from her attack and shot out a spin-kick that she was forced to duck under before spinning around and leaping into close-quarters. The man's fist came up in a hook that she blocked on her left forearm while shooting out a right cross to the face her adversary leaned away from.
A manic laugh bubbled out from her as she realised just how good her opponent was. "Someone to beat my frustrations out on," Faith muttered as she sidestepped a leaping thrust-kick, hooked her arm around her rival's waist, twisted to the right, and threw him onto and through the nearest table.
The table exploded with the collision's impact, the man hitting the ground and backwards-rolling through the debris and onto his feet. Faith's eyes narrowed as she lunged at the man, noting his hastily drawn daggers.
The left knife slashed left to right at her throat, but Faith was ready for it, karate-chopping the man's wrist and scooping up the dropped knife in the same smooth motion. The man's eyes widened, gaze momentarily dropping to her recently-acquired knife, and then he was back-hand slashing at her face with his other knife.
Faith ghosted under the slash while thrusting at her rival's belly with her own blade. The assassin crescent-kicked her in her knife-wrist, knocking her attack off-target.
Then the assassin lunged back in, his dagger leading the way.
Rather than backing away, Faith leapt to meet him, writhing away from the thrust at her chest and hooking a fist into the assassin's jaw. Blood spewed from the would-be killer's mouth as his head snapped to the side, his legs almost buckling beneath him. His glazed eyes growing desperate, the assassin's dagger slashed left and right as he attempted to keep her back. Faith feinted a head-bob to the right, the moment the assassin's shoulders bunched, his eyes turning in that direction, she made for the left, only to jump back when the killer twisted back to meet her, his knife lashing at her.
Noting that the assassin had hyper-extended himself, Faith sprang into action the moment the dagger was past her, leaping into her rival, hands hooking behind his head and pulling his face down onto her rising knee. Blood burst from the killer's face as his bone crunched under attack, the man falling onto his back.
Faith's eyes widened as she leapt over the man's attempted kick. Damn, he was tough as well as good. Even as she landed, she grabbed the man's ankle, twisted his leg around the back of her leg and pulled it tight. The man screamed as his knee popped out of the joint, Faith leaning over him to punch him square in the forehead, his head bouncing off the floor and eyes slamming shut.
Faith grinned as the restaurant's remaining patrons broke the hushed silence with a round of awed applause. Maybe the court of public opinion was kinda changin' in her direction. "Someone call the police, stat."
"Huh, hey Bruce it's me."
"Hello Faith," Bruce sighed inwardly at his daughter's husky voice. It was always a delight to hear from her, but he just wished she'd call him 'dad' once in a while. "I'm sorry about all the press-."
"Yeah, whatever," the brunette impatiently interrupted. "I've just had an assassin try and kill me, some guy by the name of Constantine Drakon-."
"What?" he growled, an icy finger darting up and down his spine as he recognised the name of one of Green Arrow's enemies. "Are you-."
"I'm five by five, I just thought I should ring 'fore the press got hold of this and you were worried," Faith replied. "Look I gotta go, I've tried Xander once already but he was engaged-."
"Of course, thanks for ringing." The moment he hung, he rose and started towards his study's secret elevator. He was going to find out who'd sent an assassin after his daughter and he was going to make them pay. Then he smiled grimly, pride surging through him as the assassin's name registered with him again. His daughter capable of taking down one of the world's great assassins.
An Unknown Location
Ra's al Ghul stared at the newspaper accounts of Drakon's defeat, eyes narrowing. Drakon wasn't a meta-human, but his skills were pretty much peak human. That left two alternatives, either Wayne had secretly been aware of his daughter for years and had trained her with the same ferocity he'd trained his wards or she was some sort of meta herself.
Ghul pursed his lips as he considered the options. A man with Wayne's high-profile being able to hide a daughter for years from the likes of him was unlikely, although it wasn't as if the billionaire didn't have experience hiding secrets.
Of course, Ghul smiled as a piece of the puzzle dropped in place. Given Wayne's protective and private nature he wouldn't willingly reveal his daughter's identity, unless he was already confident she could defend herself.
So a meta-human.
The next question for him to answer was of what sort, the origin and level of her powers, and what possible weaknesses. This would require some thought before he decided how to act. And while he was considering that, he'd have to check just how insulated he was from Drakon's contract. He wasn't worried about the police tracking him down, but a vengeful Bat was a concern.
Yes, he had to plenty to do.