FIC: Faith Wayne (15/?)

Arkham Asylum

"Fem-Bat! Fem-Bat!" Joker's cackle ran up and down the corridor as the trolley he was strapped to was wheeled into his cell. "Another member of the Bat Family to entertain me!"

Jack shivered at the Joker's icy laugh. Arkham was filled with the crazy and deadly, but none filled him with fear like the Joker. "This place," he shook his head as he joined his fellow orderlies in backing out of the cell, "I have gotta get myself a better job. Or a worse one, but at a different place."

Xander had to admit to more than a little jealousy as his girl-friend animatedly described her adventure with the Batman. But that was okay, the jealousy was just a pond in an ocean of pride and happiness for his girl-friend. "So anyway-." Faith's mouth clamped shut at a knock at his office door.

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Hello?"

The door opened and a still sullen looking Freddy stepped inside. "Mr. Giles is here to see you."

Xander's heart sank as he realised he hadn't told Faith about his argument yesterday. Oh boy, this was definitely cue fireworks. Faith was strutting towards the door before he could say anything, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Hey Rupes, come in."

"Thank you," the Englishman smiled at Faith, his smile becoming uncertain as he glanced across the room to him, "Xander, I'm pleased to see you."

"Giles," he said, his face stone. He looked towards Freddy. "Thanks for showing him in, Freddy."

The former school reporter nodded brusquely before backing out of the room and closing the door behind him. Faith's eyes narrowed to slits as she looked from him to Giles. "Is it me or am I gettin' a flashback to the gunfight at the OK Corral?" Faith laughed shortly. "Tension much?"

"Xander," the usually amusing sight of Giles rubbing his spectacles didn't generate so much as a lip twitch, "may I take a seat." Suddenly too nervous to speak, Xander just nodded. "Thank you," Giles sat down in the chair opposite him, Faith leaning against the wall by the window. "Xander, Faith, if I ever gave you any idea that I didn't hold you both in the highest regard, I can only apologise." Faith's brow furrowed in confusion, Xander could almost see the countdown to her explosion. "Your handling of our east coast office has been nothing short of exemplary. However," Giles took a rattling breath as if talking hurt, "on a personal note, it would devastate me if you chose to resign and leave the Council. I consider you bot-."

"RESIGN?" Xander winced at Faith's yell. "What. The. Fuck!" Faith's dark eyes skewered Giles, but he had a feeling the impaling eyes would soon be turned on him.

Giles looked from Faith to him and back again. "The last time we spoke-."

"Whoa," Faith's eyes snapped back to him, narrowing to slits, "you been talkin' 'bout me behind my back?"

Xander swallowed at the sudden drop in room temperature. "Giles," he forced his eyes to remain on his seething girl-friend, "Freddy has some questions about the reacquisition forms and the personnel reports, if you wouldn't mind."

"Um, yes of course." The Englishman's puzzled gaze switched between them as he rose and edged out of the room.

"What the fuck's this about?" Faith grated the moment the door shut behind the Council Head.

Xander hid a wince at the suspicion in his girl-friend's tone. "Just after you met Bruce, before you knew," Xander licked his lips, "you know, I got a phone call from Giles stressing that you shouldn't say anything about being a Slayer to impress him."

"What!" Faith snarled.

"I told him you could be trusted and pretty much hung up on him," Xander replied. "He rang back a couple of days ago and started nosing around about your relationship, I got pissed and sorta told him I wasn't willing to put up with you being questioned any longer, if he didn't like it, he could accept our resignations."

"Damn Xan," Xander was relieved when some of the anger vibrating around the room dissipated, "I 'ppreciate you standin' up for me, but Jesus, we're a team, we have to make decisions together."

"I know," Xander nodded remorsefully, "I just-," Xander shook his head, "I'm tired of you being judged by different rules to -."

"Buffy?" Faith chuckled sourly. "That ain't never gonna change, lover."

"No maybe not," Xander admitted. "But it's not just her. Me, Will, and Giles have all made mistakes that ended up in people's deaths. Yet none of us get the scrutiny you do."

"Hey." Faith smiled painfully, her flippant shrug failing to fool him. ""I'm the outsider."

"Not with me you're not," Xander hotly replied.

Faith's smile became a little more genuine. "Thanks, stud. But you can't be makin' decisions for me."

"I know, I know," Xander knew when to fold. "The question is what we do now?"

"We can't quit, I guess Pops would take me on his team, but I like the people we work with," Faith's smile had a heart-breaking tinge of vulnerability. "It's the first real home I've had. 'Sides you're wicked cool at this Watcher thing."

"And there's not much call for one-eyed carpenters," Xander wryly commented.

"Yeah," Faith grinned then sobered. "But we can't let G know that."

"We can't?" Xander's brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Faith nodded. "Think you knucklehead. We've got leverage, we can get shit off Giles if we bargain hard."

"Stuff like what?" Xander leaned forward in his seat, eyes fixed on his girl-friend.

"You know," Faith pursed her lips together. "I wanna funds to bring independent instructors in, world champions in martial arts and it's wrong that you aren't on the Council Board."

Xander shrugged at the mention of the body of senior Watchers that had been set up to run the Council in the wake of its re-creation. Their job was primarily setting up personnel requirements for Watcher staff, over-seeing the creation of Council protocol, and the negotiation of truces. "All the Watchers are over forty, I don't think I qualify," Xander replied.

"Buffy and Willow are on it," Faith flatly replied.

"Buffy's the oldest," Faith chuckled at that, "longest-lived Slayer and Willow's the world's most powerful magic user."

"Don't matter," Faith shook her head. "You're the only Scooby who ain't on the Board. That's what matters."

Xander sighed. He couldn't think of anything more boring than the Council Board meetings, but if that was what Faith wanted as her price for not being trusted, then this is what she got. "How do we do this?"

Faith's dimples deepened. "Just watch and learn, hon. Watch and learn."

Justice League Watchtower, 22,300 Miles Above The Earth

J'onn J'onzz looked around the long, gleaming war-room of the JLA. Rarely had he felt the disquiet he felt now. It seemed almost as if the world was tearing itself apart in a succession of natural and unnatural disasters, and man-made atrocities.

J'onn always felt vaguely surprised on days like this, days when the world appeared to be threatened. He was after all a Martian, and in theory his powers meant he could leave here at any time and find a new world to inhabit. And yet….

He'd made friendships and put down roots here. He couldn't walk away from that, sometimes you had to stand up and be counted. A smile pulled at his lips, more than becoming a human, more than becoming an American, he was becoming John Wayne. "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

Sensing eyes on him, he looked up to see Clark smiling wryly at him. "Something you'd like to share with the group?"

If he'd been able, J'onn would have blushed. "No, not at the moment."

Clark's smile disappeared. "Batman," the Kryptonian glanced towards the hero in question. "Have you the reports in from the North American disaster areas?"

"Yes," Batman nodded slowly, his cool gaze sweeping the room of earth's premier heroes. "The death count in the three areas, Wyoming, San Diego, and Miami numbers eight thousand-." A shocked ripple ran through the room. "It would be 20 – 33% higher if not for the Wyoming quake happening in an isolated area. None of the incidents appeared to have a Meta, natural, or technological cause."

Clark stared around the room. "That leaves only the supernatural."

Batman shrugged. "Or technology so futuristic our equipment couldn't recognise it. Or it was caused by as yet unknown Meta."

"The later seems unlikely," Wonder Woman commented, a grave expression on her beautiful features, "there has been too many incidents in too many differing locations in too short a time to be anything less than a whole team of Metas."

"Wonder Woman," Clark looked towards Diana. "Where you able to detect anything at your incident sites?" After a second, Diana mutely shook her head. Superman sighed. "Neither did I."

"There's also the worrying rumours of some sort of alliance between the world's super-villains and a number of confirmed escapes from prisons," Batman growled.

"And how are the world's governments responding?" Flash asked.

Batman's scowl deepened. "According to Oracle, some of the world's covert organisations are aware 'something's' wrong, but like us are unaware exactly what. Fortunately however, none of them have seen fit to inform their governments, although the incidents have provoked vast relief efforts in the more responsible nations."

"How long before widespread panic?" Wonder Woman asked.

Batman shrugged his shoulders. "The best probability analysis suggests that should things continue on the path they're currently on, they should come to a head in five to seven days. Of course they could taper off, but probability would suggest otherwise."

"Plus," Green Arrow smirked, "your own sunny nature."

A chuckle ran through the room. "To further investigate the supernatural aspect, I've invited Jason Blood and Zauriel to join us," Superman's firm voice cut through the somewhat forced hilarity.

Blood began to rise only to be interrupted by Guy Gardner. "If we're having supernatural experts here, shouldn't the Phantom Stranger be here?"

"He would be," Clark scowled, "if we could find him."

J'onn grimaced. It had been his specific responsibility to track down the paranormal being, one he'd utterly failed at. Either whatever was coming had so scared the Phantom Stranger that he'd gone into hiding, or alternatively the mastermind had enough power to kill or apprehend the Phantom Stranger. J'onn's grimace deepened. Either option chilled him

Clark continued after a moment's heavy silence. "Jason, how are demons feeling about current events?"

Jason scowled. "The most powerful of the demons feel there's some opportunity for advancement of their schemes, but the weaker ones are just plain terrified." Jason shook his head. "And before you ask, we have no idea what's coming."

"And neither do we," Zauriel added before he could be asked.

"Why isn't Doctor Fate here?" Guy Gardner queried.

"I contacted him," Wonder Woman replied, "but I was informed he was in commune with the spirit world, trying to question his contacts, and couldn't be disturbed."

"What's our plan of action?" Green Arrow queried.

"As you can see from the files collated before you, I've compiled a report of all the information I've been able to find about the prophesised war." Clark took a breath. "We can't do anything at the moment, not until we know when or how the threat will materialise."

"We can't fight an enemy without knowing who they are," Batman growled.

"Precisely," Clark nodded. "So what we're going to do is spread what little information to as many people in the Meta-Human as possible, so we're as ready as possible for whatever is to come." Clark looked towards Guy Gardner. "Guy, we might need intergalactic help at some point, I want you to ready the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians. Batman, contact the Outsiders, Birds Of Prey, and Teen Titans. Zantana, contact the Sentinels and Shadowpact. Green Arrow, contact the Freedom Fighters and Justice Society. The rest of you, anyone we've missed, contact."

"Does that include foreign Metas?" Flash queried.

"This is an international problem." Superman smiled at the man in red. "Get your running shoes on and start a global tour, we might need everyone before this is said and done. Until we know anything further, tell everyone to concentrate their efforts on disaster relief."

Faith took her coffee from the café's counter, put her five bucks down, and made her way to a table to the café's rear, ignoring the looks and mutters off people who either recognised her or who had noticed her molten hotness. Faith sunk into the velvet-upholstered seat and supped at her coffee, a grin tugging at her full lips as the coffee's strong scent filled her nostrils.

Today had gone well, very well. Yeah, she'd been pissed at Xan for unilaterally deciding they should quit the Council even though she'd appreciated his angry defence of her. However she'd been able to use G's desperation to keep them to get Xan on the Council Board, so it was all good. Faith felt her jaw clench and brow furrow, Xander might not have been bothered 'bout bein' on the Board, but it stuck in her craw that he was the only original Scooby who wasn't on it. That was disrespectful, like sayin' him bein' there from the start didn't matter. Hell, way the records told it, there wouldn't be any Scoobies for her man.

Well she'd sorted that out, gotten him the props he deserved.

"Hello Faith, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Faith stared at the stylishly dressed brunette who'd sat down opposite her, surprised the woman had managed to sneak up on her. "I don't give interviews," she flatly warned even as she inspected the woman. She was in her early thirties, tall with flowing black hair and flashing green eyes, and a lean workout fanatic's physique. Very hot.

"Strange," the woman seemed unfazed by her chilly reception. "I seem to remember reading an interview with you in The Daily Planet."

"That was a favour for my pop," Faith replied. "Now if you don't mind I'd like to be alone."

"I'm Selina Kyle, a close friend of your father," the woman continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I wouldn't like for him to be taken advantage of by a gold-digger."

"A what?" Faith raised an eyebrow as she seethed inwardly. This bitch didn't know how close she was comin' to getting the ass-kicking to end all ass-kickings. "If you'd bother to read the article, you can read right, you'd know my dad was the one who introduced himself to me."

The woman had to have blood of ice to keep smiling at her like she was. "Meetings can be arranged and DNA results tampered with. It's just a matter of having the right knowledge and contacts. But I'm warning you for your own good, Bruce Wayne isn't your average playboy, trying to run a con on him could be the biggest of your life." The woman chuckled. "Although after meeting you I see you have something of the Wayne temperament, maybe you are who you say you are."

"Really?" Faith smirked even as her mind raced, did this woman know her pop's secret? "That's a relief." The woman laughed softly before rising and stalking out. Faith shook her head. "Oh my life's not complicated at all."

Bludhaven

Nightwing leapt to his right, near leg swinging up to kick off against the alley's wall and into a leaping roundhouse kick that caught the thug square in the face. Blood spewed from the hood's mouth as he crumpled to the unyielding ground. The moment Nightwing's feet touched the wet tarmac he was kicking up and off, into a back-heel kick that caught the crook sneaking up behind him in the chest, flinging him into the alley's trash cans, a rotting cabbage dramatically bouncing down the alley.

He blocked a swung down bottle on his padded forearm, glass shattering as he side-heel kicked the man in the knee, then followed that up with a twisted waist uppercut to the man's jaw, the thug's head snapping back as he stumbled in retreat. The man swung a desperate right that Nightwing glided under, a right of his own hooking to the man's flabby midsection, a karate chop to the back of the man's dirty neck ending the fight.

He glanced up to the fire escape and the darkness shrouded figure stood there. "Thanks for the assist by the way."

"You are getting better," Batman stepped into the alley's wan light. "Once upon a time you wouldn't have noticed me until the end of the fight."

"What are you here for?" Nightwing asked as his mentor jumped over the fire escape's grille and dropped to the floor, cape billowing behind him. "You've not found another relative have you? Please tell me you're not related to Kristen Bell or Natalie Portman as well?"

"Yes, because I'm sure me being related to them would be the only thing stopping you from getting their phone numbers."

"No, laws against hacking are the only thing stopping me from getting their phone numbers," Nightwing corrected before sobering. "What do you want, Batman?"

Dick's breath caught as the alley seemed to darken, his mentor growing even grimmer than usual. "There's a problem, a big problem," Gotham's most famous son began.

New York City, JSA HQ

Oliver waited for the door to open, when it did, the man stood in the doorway was the JSA's chairman, a man just under six feet tall with a muscled build and silvering blond hair, his eyes concealed by a black mask, and his red shirt adorned by the picture of a green lantern. "Oliver, please come in."

"Thank you Alan," Oliver nodded as he obeyed.

"It's good to see you," Alan pumped his hand.

"You won't be saying that in a few minutes," Oliver replied.

The face of the world's first Green Lantern fell. "It's as bad as that?"

"It's as bad as that," he confirmed.

Alan nodded brusquely. "Well everybody's assembled in the conference room. If you'd follow me…"

Luthor stared through the one-way glass window, eyes intent on the super-powered beings at the other side of the window. Some of them were amongst the super-powered community's most formidable, yet they were dwarfed by the power he could bring to bear, if only they were aware of that. Luthor smiled, but their awareness was the last thing he wanted for now. Luthor strode to the door and opened it, an oily smile on his lips. "Gentlemen, thanks for joining me. It's time to put our plans into action. Soon, it will be a very different world."

"Hello Ms. Lehane."

"Hey, Alfie," Faith beamed at the crusty old butler as he held the door open for her. "How's it hangin'?"

The old man smirked down at her. "The Master is in his base, Ms. Lehane."

"Ha," Faith chuckled. "Nice avoid. See ya, later Alfie."

"As always you brighten my day," Alfred half-bowed.

"Damn," Faith winked, "I bet you were a smoothie back in the 1960s."

"Oh yes," Alfred replied as he escorted her though Wayne Mansion, "myself and George Raft were notorious swordsman."

"Maybe you can give Xan some tips on smoothness," Faith grinned.

"I'll try Ms. Lehane, however one only has to work with what nature has given them."

"Ha!" Faith laughed. "You're a sly old fox."

"I try Ms. Lehane."

Bruce rubbed at his eyes as he inspected the data on the screen before him. He'd done his part, briefed the specified teams on their worries, but as always he felt like they weren't doing enough. And so he'd got all the attacks up on the screen, looking for a pattern that told him either where the mystery enemy would strike next, who they were, or failing that, just what their objectives were. Unfortunately there was no pattern, or at least no pattern he could see.

And then there was the attack on Faith. He was so tempted to break Drakon out of prison, and interrogate him personally, but that would come close to breaking his iron code. And if his instincts were right, Drakon's employer would be too smart to leave a trail that led back to him anyway.

"Ra's al Ghul," he growled and shook his head, eyes growing ice-cold as he considered his problematic former tutor. Deduction led him to one inescapable conclusion, anyone else who knew his identity would personally attack Faith as Bane had done, and of those who did know his identity, only Ghul had the resources to hire a killer the level of Drakon to kill Faith. Ghul's motivation was obvious; he felt that Faith would be an obstacle for his warped plans for him and Talia.

"I need proof," Bruce shook his head. He didn't need enough to convict, he just needed enough to convince himself. And then he and Ra's al Ghul would have one last meeting, and the master assassin would never be heard of again.

"Hey pops," his scowl was instantly replaced by a smile at his daughter's jaunty voice coming down the secret staircase that led to his underground base, "got one of your lady-friends threatening to claw my eyes out today."

"Oh," Bruce turned his chair around to face his daughter. "And who might that be?"

"Yeah," Faith's grin widened. "She seemed wicked protective of you, thought there was gonna be a cat-fight and everything. Now I know who I get my animal magnetism from."

Bruce chuckled. "You didn't answer my question."

"Her name was Selina Kyle," Faith casually dropped the bombshell square in his lap, then her brow furrowed. "She kinda hinted she knew that you were more than just a playboy, made some comments that if I was looking to con you, I'd end up surprised."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Bruce hid a smile. "I know Selina knows who I am, when I see her next I'll put her straight."

"Ah don't worry about it," Faith snorted. "She gives me any hassle, I'll deal with her."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Bruce warned. "Selina is a formidable opponent, even for a Slayer."

"She's one of you?" Faith's dark eyes widened. Is she Poision Ivy? Harley Quinn?" Faith shook her head. "No she was with the Joker when we caught him. 'Sides this woman was too put together for that nutcase. Catwoman? Huntress?"

"I keep your secret," Bruce raised a hand in supplication to dam the beauty's barrage of words. "Allow me to keep my own."

"Yeah," Faith pouted then nodded slowly. "Fair enough I guess."

"Not that I'm not delighted to see you, but was there any specific reason for this visit?" Bruce asked after a moment.

"Just," Faith swallowed, red briefly flaming in his daughter's sculpted cheeks, "just wanted to say last night was a real buzz. I liked it."

"As did I," Bruce nodded.

Faith regained her cocksure armour. "The family that fight crime together, stay together, right?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that's a theory approved by the AAMFT."

Faith snorted. "What do they know?" The Slayer's eyes narrowed. "What ya workin' on?"

"I'm attempting to find a pattern or motivation behind the rash of 'natural disasters'," Bruce replied, any levity leaving him as his eyes returned to the flat screen before him.

"No luck hey?" Faith perched on the edge of his desk, dark eyes intent on him. "It's lucky we've gotta the likes of youse guys to help out with disaster relief then."

"Even so," Bruce scowled, "we're stretched thin."

Venezuela

J'onn scowled as he watched the mud sliding down the hill and towards the wooden villages, their people already fleeing for their lives, but their homes and belongings doomed.

Unless….

Martian Manhunter hit the ground at the foot of the hill, his knuckles driving deep into the ground, deeper and deeper. And then he was moving through the ground, mud yielding before his power, his flight only ending when he'd completely encircled the hill, completing a deep moat that might have taken a team of humans a week or so to dig.

J'onn smiled as he flew out and levitated to watch the mud started to drop into the hastily created ditch, preventing the destruction of so many homes. His smile withered as he considered the unpalatable fact that this crisis might well have ended, but there were so many more to prevent.

Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

Robin Hood's legendary forest dated back to the last Ice Age and had stood against developers for decades but now a more ancient foe blighted it, destroying what had been the scene of much of England's rich history.

The unnatural flames crackled in his ears as Superman flew in-between the towering trees he sought to save, his chest expanding and deflating as he blew freezing air on the raging fire.

Even as he blew the licking flames out, Krypton's last son worried. This was the fourth fire he put out throughout England in the past 24 hours. In each case there was no apparent cause to be found. More of the unnatural natural disasters that had begun to plague the world. Thankfully no one had died in any of these occurrences, but it was only a matter of time.

New Zealand

The eons-dormant volcano shook as larva threatened to shoot out of it, but the trio of Green Lanterns hovered above it, their wills and rings powering the seal they'd placed on it, patiently waiting for the larva to give up its fight to free itself.

Arkham Asylum dominated the skyline like something out of an Edgar Allan Poe tale, a gothic nightmare that somehow added to Gotham's ominous reputation.

"Never mind busting into this place and getting these nutjobs out from security, what about him?"

'First' didn't have to ask his second just who 'he' was, so he didn't. "Our employer has assured me that the Bat will be distracted."

"Yeah, but-."

"Did our employer seem like the sort of man you could question?" First interrupted.

"All I know is he had enough resources to employ a thousand of us in groups of fifty to do jobs all over the world. You wanna ask questions, direct them at him. Otherwise concentrate on the job we're employed to do."

Circe licked her lips as she stared at the spell components before her and the arcane handwritten yellowed scroll in her hand. The Rite Of Inward Truths was a powerful ritual aimed at unlocking the suspected secrets of the being purporting to be the bald-headed billionaire genius leading their cabal. However it didn't come without certain risks, it was a subtle spell, an enchantment that only brushed against the spell's target, revealing but not intruding on their true essence.

But if the being was powerful enough, it might notice the spell. Worse, it was not a spell that could be easily tracked back to its caster, but really who else would Luthor expect to cast such a spell? Who else in Luthor's cabal was capable? They all had their strengths, magic was hers.

Yes, she was the only possible suspect.

But she had to know and if this spell was the avenue she needed to go down to find out, then so be it. Circe checked the other shielding spells she'd cast, took a deep breath and began.

Minutes later she let out a terrified gasp. Her spell had worked and with it a terrifying truth revealed, she was considered one of the world's most foremost magical powers, but she was a firefly next to the raging inferno that was Luthor.

Or rather the terrifying monster possessing Luthor.

"Once," she started as a fiery doorway materialised before her and Luthor strode out, "a very arrogant man abandoned the use of science and influence to battle his enemies, and sought to turn his considerable intellect to the manipulation and control to other-worldly entities. But this man, for all his immense intelligence lacked true wisdom and sought to control a power far, far beyond his capabilities. I took his mind and his soul for playthings, but kept his body and worldly resources for my own use." Circe found herself shivering when the being's gaze settled on her. "I had hoped you possessed the wisdom that Luthor lacked. I see I was too optimistic in that." The being shook his head. "Just now, when my attention cannot afford to be diverted, you give in to curiosity?" The being's hand cracked against her face, flinging her into the wall with enough force to dent it. "Curiosity killed the cat, and now, it shall kill you."

Horror filled her eyes as she looked up at the approaching creature. "Mercy, mercy." She begged even as she readied a spell.

"You know the stories, the arcane histories, better than most. I am never merciful, you have out-lived your usefulness, worse you have irritated me." The being's cackle rang out as her enchantment tore at and through him with little or no effect. "You have however amused me," his hand grabbed her hair, "and so your ending will be quick." Circe's scream died with her, her head yanked off her shoulders.