The Dark Shard: Enemy of the Light Chapter 22: Setup 22, a game x-overs fanfic

[16th March 2010]

[Hyatt Regency Hotel, Washington D.C]

It was a rather nice hotel I'll admit even if all I was doing right now was standing against a very a nice, and likely expensively, decorated wall here in this small private conference/dining room. Escorting Minister O'Mahon across the pond to the United States had been nerve-racking to say the least, I was just glad it was coming to a close without any major incident, magic related or otherwise.

So once the Boss man and the two local staffers were finished here talking to these local American businessmen; or more possible investors in factories back home. Or tax shelters, whichever was more beneficial for all involved I suppose. All part of the St. Paddy's Day travel the world find business part of the government's celebration of our national holiday.

On the bright side I suppose was the case LexCorp, nor a subsidiary, wasn't amongst the group of individual discussing matters over a light meal with the Minister. Once this whole affair was done then we could head back to the Embassy and rest up before the Taoiseach and his entourage arrived for their merry little shindig up in the White House tomorrow. Truthfully I wasn't sure if I should be relieved that I didn't have to attend, or disappointed I didn't get to see the place.

Probably more relieved now that I thought about it, I was already pretty tired after three days here and more than likely it'd just involve me standing against nicely decorated walls while wearing this illusory disguise over my combat gear of nondescript security guard. In many ways why I was being left off the White House detail; the Americans had their own security...and I'd raise waaayyy too many questions under the currently assigned name of Tadhg Murphy, twenty something Irish security guy. I resisted snorting in amusement; so many names and code-names it was sometimes hard to keep track of them all in my mind.

Mostly because doing so would be somewhat unprofessional, so I continued watching the others in the room alongside 'feeling' for any potential magical dangers. Evidently the place was supposed to be haunted on this Earth but I couldn't feel anything to indicate any such thing. Best I could tell it was some touristy shtick they'd come up for some promotion a few years back; hopefully it wasn't some global problem to do with idle rich idiots and the darker sides of the mystical. Personally I couldn't wait to get back home and get back to my own mystical studies so I could deal with such idiots in the future if need be.

Though right now I'd settle for this current meeting to be over so I could go get something to eat myself; there was supposed to be a very nice pizza place nearby to the Embassy that was awaiting my custom later tonight along with several others from the Embassy staff. Nice folks all in all, even if they didn't know me as who I really was – only the three others assigned from S.H.I.E.L.D knew my actual age.

'Still they know me as Agent Amergin or John Fortune so that isn't much better I guess' I mused after a moment, but then again that was the price one had to pay for the privacy of being Sean O'Neill. Even the likes of John and Gemma, and Brendan Finn, knew me as the person of John Fortune with only the Minister here actually knowing my true name. Funny how things went wasn't it?

So I listened in quietly as the discussion around the table deepened somewhat with the arrival of the coffee and desserts. Fancy hotel fair like all the previous starters and mains, tasty looking but small in portion as the wealthy folk seemed to favour. Something that didn't change from Earth to Earth evidently, but I'd still take the pizza and an ice cream later over it personally. Seemingly the sales pitch was going well, at least judging from heated conver...

"Hostiles! We have..." echoed faintly into my ear on the channel from the local security assigned for this private meeting. Followed by either static or a scream, I wasn't sure, as what I was sure were the faintest sounds of gunshots off in the distance.

Noise that was followed by screams from off in the distance past the doorway...things that were occurring just as myself all the other armed personal were dashing forward and shouting orders to 'Move, Move, Move!' at those in our charge. By the time I'd reached my own charge, who was being manhandled up from the seat by a black suited Captain McKenna, the doors were being thrown open and guns being pointed out into the hallway beyond as middle aged and old men were being hustled towards the exit as part of the escape plan.

"You're Point! Now!" was the command to myself and I obeyed, striding towards the now open door and preparing my spells as I saw screaming people get out of the way of whatever enemy was approaching. By the time I'd exited the door a rather large man in a ski-mask with an assault weapon, followed by another, strode into view...

The security guard who'd gone for his gun had died before he'd managed to even manage to draw it fully thanks to his mistake of trying to ready his firearm at the same time as signalling his colleagues. Of course the three hotel guests near to him hit by the swift burst of gunfire from the modified AK's own misfortune was related to that mistake, but Dmitri couldn't care about that as he followed in behind the others glancing at the digital timer on his watch.

"Eight Minutes, Thirty Four Seconds!" he shouted out to the others before releasing a quick burst up into the ceiling to scare the handful of confused patrons of the hotel here in the lobby to hurry up and get out of the way of he and his men. Even after then gunning down people right before their eyes a few of these idiots had frozen up and threatened to get in the way of their advance towards the targets; wouldn't have seen any of this sort of stupid back in Gotham!

Back there people would have been moving for cover after the faintest flicker of armed men let alone waiting till the gunfire was all around them like this Washington crowd. Of course that very wariness, and the fact the God Damned Bat and his fucking Brat, wasn't as here along with the far weaker security meant it was the ideal time and place to take out that McGinty fucker before he got his money out of town. Bastard thought he was so clever, but the Bosses had sniffed him out and right now all he'd have would be some of these hired security punks, and maybe some untrained paddy cops protecting their guys. If they got out of the way fast enough then they'd even get to live through all this!

Movement to his right had the assault rifle moving as an idiot in a suit, one of McGinty's boys, tried to push his way out of the hotel bar with a piece at the ready...

CrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrack

...only to take a burst to the chest and face as did the screaming idiots around him. Under the mask he grinned a savage grin as another body hit the floor and his buddy Victor blew away one of the other fools trying to stop them. Sadly for McGinty there were six heavily armed guys heading his way in fully body armour, and he with only seven guys with pistols to defend him...three of which were already dead.

If they could pull it off in less than eight minutes they'd b free and clear before the cops or any of the Bat's Buddy's had time to interfere. Nine minutess and thirty four seconds being the pigs best response time to this area; even assuming they'd have warning with his boys cutting the communications out from this place before hitting this joint. When you faced the Bat you needed every damned second for a job...

CrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrack

...he frowned as bursts, followed by angry confused shouts echoed by two boys on point, came to his ears as he raced forward to see them taking cover and spraying fire now at an open doorway where McGinty was supposed to be. And strolling into the hallway was a black suited man in sunglasses, hand holding a walking stick of all things before him as Dmitri saw their target being dragged out of the line of fire along with others before his eyes by the more of their guards. Except...the man with the stick wasn't fallin' despite getting a burst to the body...followed by another...as his body seemed to flicker and...

CrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrack

...gunshots echoed out from the other men with pistols before they dashed out of sight as he and his boys pour fire in their direction. But like a mirage lifting, or flickers of light on an unholy darkness the man before them...just...just...

"What the fuck..." he heard himself mutter as the darkness seemed to shroud the shorter frame of a skull faced monster that strode towards them from across the other end of the lobby. Shit. Shit. Shit. One of the Scarecrows buddies?

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No good.

Fear. He felt FEAR course through at the sight of the creature before them as he fought off the urge to freeze up at the touch...whatever fucking messed dispersal the fucker was probably using. Well they'd dealt with crap like this before his brain ordered him as he ruthlessly slammed on the urge to panic. A hand moved to his belt, grabbed the grenade, flipped off the pin, and flung it at the creature as he let out a snarling command at the others.

"COVER FIRE! PULLING BACK! PLAN B! PLAN B!" Glance "FIVE MINUTES TEN SECONDS!" he managed to shout out before the loud WHUMPING explosion of the grenade exploding filled the air. McGinty had gone upstairs, so they could just plant the C4 in Rodrigo's pack, get out, blow the place and hopefully take out the Mick bastard in the process...

"*&&*G%!(*SD" dark and sinister seemed to echo out from where the explosion had been as the black clad and skulled abomination stood out from the dust and debris a staff...a black staff of all things...sweeping aside the dust like it was nothing as darkness. Just darkness...spread out from it like a suffocating wave of horror and the brightly lit lobby of the hotel was thrown into the darkness. He and others acted on instinct immediately.

CrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrack

But even the flickers of light from the rifles weapons barrels barely illuminated the pitch black darkness that now surrounded him. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Then silence as weapons ran dry.

"Did we get him?" an idiot asked. Andy of course. Fucking idiot asking stupid questions rather doing exactly what Dmitri was doing and reloading while carefully, and quietly, pulling back towards the exit. Mission was FUBAR now and they weren't geared up to take on some god damned meta-human lunatic right now...

"Guys I...AIEEEEEEEE!"

'Time to go' his mind told him as his careful withdrawal turned into a dash, along from the sounds of it of the others too as Andy's ear piercing shriek filled the darkness before being suddenly cut of...

CrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrack

Echoed off behind them along with another scream as booted feet thudded off the darkness hidden floors, followed by another loud thud as some tripped...

CrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrack

"ELDIABLOELDIABLO...aieeeee"

...he threw away his own rifle as another series of noises indicated that a) it wasn't going to be any use and b) it was slowing him at escaping from this hellhole. Survival of the fittest and all that he reminded himself as his heart pounded blood frantically as his legs powered him forward...

...and into the blessed, blessed, light at the entrance lobby to the hotel. With a clear escape route through the doorway as he glanced back over his shoulder at the mass of darkness just...there...as Rodrigo's form broke though just behind him having evidently discarded his own weapon and pack just like himself. Gotham Vets always survived the longest. And freedom was just in sight as they raced towards the glass doorway and...

"Aieeeemigioooooooo..." echoed from behind. And by stupid, stupid, instinct he glanced back still moving...and saw as Rodrigo had some sort of black tentacle emerge from the inky blackness and wrapped itself around his ankle and leg as the desperately screaming man literally clawed at the plush carpets trying to grip at anything to prevent him being dragged back...

...Dmitri tore his eyes away as his screaming friend was torn backwards. Bracing himself, arms over his masked face as he opted for the faster option to smashing through the elegant...but very fucking delicate...glass entrance doorway and roll down the stone steps as he stumbled forward in the broken glass...

Pain.

But he could deal with that; as he tried to push himself up from the broken glass and away from...

"OH THANK GOD! WONDER WOMAN!" he practically sang out as the armoured clad figure of his divine and glorious saviour stood before him with a frown upon her majestic brow. At just this moment in time Dmitri would have welcomed the BAT of all people. She...and the red clad figure that suddenly seemed to appear in a flash beside her would save him from his horrible life choices. Manly tears of joy flowed freely from his scarred face as he scrabbled forward, ignoring the broken glass al around him and grabbing at those golden boots to thank her for her heroics...

Flash just glanced at the sobbing wreck of a gangster currently hugging Wonder Woman's boots and blubbering something like 'thankyouthankyouthankyou' and then at an equally confused member of the Justice League. He couldn't help but grin at her.

"New perfume? Just...it's really good if criminals just throw themselves through windows to surrender at your feet"

"I..." she started to reply before her expression hardened and she stared forward. By his own standards Flash glanced slowly in that direction and at the sight emerging from it.

"Ahhh...that makes more sense"