[08th September 2010]

[Warded Teleportation Room, Beneath Custume Barracks, Athlone]

My prisoner had been rather compliant, resting in my arms through the ordeal of the assassination attempt, annoying reporter, problematic Lex Luthor talk, and then all the happy sunshine filled phone calls in the aftermath of said attempt. Though the teleportation seemed to be freaking her out a little I found as she hissed miserably and pressed against my chest as we reappeared in a rune covered room adjacent to SHIELD Headquarters. Not that she knew that of course as it seemed a rather non-descript dark room beyond the glowing runes and I'd teleported to my Sanctum first before coming here. Just in case Mr. Zatara or Doctor Fate...or others...were looking at my magical movements.

"About time you arrived mate, got your guest all ready waitin' for ya" the skull masked figure in robes similar to my own stated through the mask's synthesisers. Before him stood an Asian woman with a blindfold over her eyes and arms folded across her chest with body language giving off exasperation if anything. Well at least John had mostly done what I'd asked him. I nodded to him as Ninja-Kitty started to stir in my chest at the revelation of the person they were meeting and the feminine voice that followed the first with impatience clear in the tone.

"Yes, your masked friend has delivered me...is this blindfold really necessary?"

"No, it's not; you can take it off. Sorry about that..." I replied, then nodded at the disguised figure of Constantine as Mrs. Crock nee Nyugen hands reached up to do "...and you - head outside for the moment and be on guard with the others. Us three here don't have much time unfortunately before I have to arrive at the designated handover spot basically"

"Righto mate, on'it! Have fun with your lady friends. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" he replied probably cheerfully, though like my own the mask made it difficult to tell, with a bored wave of the hand before retreating out of the reinforced door to the facility beyond. Teleporting in both parties was the easiest way to insure secrecy, but really the blindfold was rather pointless in my view as I placed my currently feline shaped captive on the floor with clear instructions.

"Don't try and escape, or fight, or anything of the sort. You're in magically accessed fortress and those restraints that were on your human form will reappear when I end the spell. This is a favour for your mother...if your fuck it up you'll be the one to suffer for it. We don't have long before it's off to America with you. Make the most of this"

"Though I doubt you'll enjoy this much Jade, but it's for your own good. I'd also remind you...I am fully healed little girl. In my prime once again one could say. Don't even think of any of the tricks me, or Laurence thought you...or I'll make you regret it" her mother said with a cold tone stretching her arms and legs as readying for combat. Hopefully there wouldn't be as I stepped back from the cat, pulling my black staff from its bag of holding, and ended the baleful polymorph with a silent word...

And then a moment later there stood the truly miserable looking face of Cheshire in her red chinese style evening dress. Hands cuffed behind her back, with a chain to the shackle at her ankles, along with the water causing the make-up on her painted face to run didn't exactly give her the most threatening of course...but one couldn't take chances with rogues this skilled. Still her first reaction was to try move muscles and give a sigh as she returned from her feline form to a much more restrained human one "Mother...I..."

"You failed Jade, and we both know who you failed...not just once but several times, and now before the public eye as well. This will not end well for you whatever path you walk. Did you learn nothing from my fate?"

Okay...that's not exactly what I'd expected as the first greeting to her daughter when I, and SHIELD indirectly, had arranged for this little meeting. I'd expected possibly more mothering...or whatever, perhaps. But then again this was the former villaness known as huntress, casual clothes currently being worn or not, and not unlike what an orcish mother would say in such a situation. And of course Jade Crock, aka Cheshire, would not be getting any further mercy from me should she escape as I'd made clear to her mother considering she'd just tried to blow me up alongside a hundred or so innocent people...and Lex Luthor too of course. Ensuring she survived any revenge from him if he wanted such was going to be hard enough as it was.

"I...Father. It was all I could..."

"You're not a child anymore Jade! The law will go harsh upon you now...even if the League does not seek to silence that mouth of yours. Lawrence will not be able to save you this time and you know this!" Paula snapped at her daughter actually causing the shackled woman to flinch at the tone "...he failed as you did Jade. Right now he'll be caught up in securing enough favour that he himself will not be suffering too greatly for a disaster such as this. He left me to rot in jail for over a decade...do not think he will do anything other than such for you now that your use is at an end with your face upon millions of television screens"

Cheshire just...looked...at her mother before giving me a befuddled look and pained, albeit confused, tone to her voice "What is...the deal with you? Tentacles, turning me in a cat...and now you torment me with my mother! Is this some sort of fucked up mind game..."

"Jade!" Paula stated calmly but more loudly as I shifted and started to reply before changing my mind as Jade's head snapped back to her mother "Don't try distracting from the issue now. We do not have the time for your games. Only your sister, and me putting myself so far in this mage's debt as his servant that we even have this faint chance to speak freely...or have you taken alive and unharmed"

Well that was an overly dramatic way of putting things. Deliberately probably, this seemed to be a 'tough love' sort of situation so I stayed silent and let the woman do the dirty work. Well...even if she was seemingly using me as some sort of threat by implication, though her eldest daughter seemed to take some slight umbrage at that statement.

"Alive...did you see what he did to me? The bastard and his..." then her eyes widened and her head snapped towards me with a hiss "...what have you demanded of her and my little sister you.."

Oh for fucks sake! I am not the bad guy here...

Smack!

Okay then I noted internally as her mother simply strode forward and slapped her daughter with a loud smack causing me some degree of surprise at her sudden movement. It was like a snake suddenly striking forward as the distance was closed and hand flew to the younger woman's face.

"I warned you Jade. We do not have time for this. Yes I saw, he humiliated you perhaps but did he break you arms? Did you get your spine broken by any chance? No? Then be quiet and listen to your mother for once in your life you silly girl"

Jade reeled back from the surprise blow, though only a little as her mother grabbed her shoulders firmly and shaking her daughter "It'll be Belle Reve for you Jade, your nineteen and you could be my age before you get out this time! That's assuming Al Ghul or Luthor lets you rot behind bars rather than seeking you out. So your cutting a deal with the Federal Government, we're getting you into secure isolation and then out in as little time as whatever lawyers we hire can manage thanks to our new friend over there and his friends"

"Yep...I wouldn't put it like that, but yes. Best in the business that aren't Luthors or Al Ghuls" I stated as Ninja-Kitty seemed to reel from the words been thrown at her...before her face, pale apart from the reddened skin one cheek, became defiant.

"I won't betray them Mother! I'm..I'm...not a traitor! And...they'll kill me! I won't..."

Paula Nyugen...No...Huntress smiled coldly and threateningly at Cheshire and nodded ever so faintly at me and then at the door "You don't get a choice in this dear, even if you hate me forever for it. Because I know some people who can make you talk Jade, and getting you into solitary only a few words to Amanda Waller from Skull Face here...and everyone will think you talked anyway. This isn't me asking you Jade...this is me telling you what you're doing. Agreeing merely makes things easier on you"

Oh...that look directed my way indicates I'm supposed to chip in now...

"Sadly yes Ninja-Kitty...I mean Jade. If I've got the power to turn you into a cat, don't you think breaking down those mental blocks the likes of your current employers can put in place is beyond those training me? You're strong willed Jade, as the fight in the school proved...but..."

I shrugged and gave an arms out 'helpless' expression for a moment "...well...one of my teammates is a Martian, and between us extracting the information wouldn't be difficult let's say. Also I'd remind you to think of your sister whose secret identity you blew to the League of Shadows last time as well. We can't promise anything in its entirety, but any information gets years off sentence in that merry go round the Americans call a justice system right now as you full well know...and you'll have a new life, and job if you wish, at the end of it too if you wish. Truth be told...it's a better offer than you deserve quite frankly Jade. You should be grateful that your Mother and Sister love you despite all that"

A bit harsh perhaps but just because someone was pretty and had a sob story background wasn't going to automatically get me to forget what she was. Paula at least worked for me now, and had served her time for her crimes (that she had been caught for) after a trail in a court of law. With Jade Crock-Nyugen one had to weigh the pros and cons of the situation, for society as much as for personal reasons, before committing to a course of action. Forcing her down a path like this would only work in the short term, at best, but getting her unto that path was likely the only shot at having any chance of turning her off her current one.

Still it was silence that greeted us as the seconds ticked by in the faint illumination cast by the glowing magical runes and inscriptions. Mother glaring at daughter as I stood awkwardly, well internally at least as I aimed for 'stoic wizard' with my stance, where I was after a quick glance at my watch. Not that I was looking forward to the coming lecture/row that'd come after I dropped off Jade and returned to Mount Justice. Or tell Artemis that I'd arrested her sister again, and then bullied her alongside her mother into...

"Okay Mother, I'll do as you say" the pained whisper filled the darkness shrouded room as the daughter's head drooped in defeat at her mother's fierce glare. A glare that continued for a moment...before Paula Nyugen's arms encircled her shackled daughter and hugged her fiercely whispering in a voice laced with emotion.

"Good girl Jade, that's a good girl. We'll get through this I promise. I'm sorry I wasn't there all those years...I'm so sorry, so, so sorry. Know that no matter what your still my little girl and that I love you"

'Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh, this isn't uncomfortable at-all-at-all' I mentally groused as everything returned to silence once again and I looked at the watch one more time. At least she'd *seemingly* agreed in the required time frame, but damn did it feel bad interrupting a touching family bonding moment to go 'okie-dokies times up, so off to prison with you now girlie!' like some sort of villain.

Whatever the case getting information out of her would be very beneficial for getting visible results on hammering low and mid level Shadows activities in the short term. Thereby doing as much damage as possible to hammer any retaliatory capacity before it became directed at me and mine. Personally I'd count getting an actual government and its military, such as the US, to descend upon a likely being abandoned at this very moment Infinity Island would be a success in my book.

'But first time to get Constantine back in here and this trip down misery road restarted' I told myself after a minute or two passed in the nearly silent room...

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