บท 123: Chapter 123 Cheshire And Sportsmaster
Squelch!
Thud!
The lobby guard fell to the floor with eyes as wide as full moons. Blood flowed from his neck, forming a puddle underneath him in seconds, as his security uniform was soaked red with his blood.
He was sprawled on the floor. Holding his own throat with both hands with an expression of shock and panic.
Two legs stepped forward into view, fully clad in boots and dark wear. Drops of blood fell on the ground beside the corpse several times until eventually, that area was also covered in the blood puddle.
The droplets of blood originated from the knife within the killer's grasp.
He barely took a look at his kill and swept his eyes around the vicinity. After all, this guard wasn't the only one.
With great spacing between them, there were corpses laying in different areas of the entire space. As such, there were also multiple black clothed men with weapons in their hands used in the extermination of these people.
"Secure the area. Make sure everyone in the building is taken care of". A figure with two eyeholes within his mask gave the order.
The others nodded and began to spread out.
If everything went according to plan, then they would leave this place without attracting any major attention. The security feeds had already been hacked, so the events happening now wouldn't portray their presence.
No one would know about this until it was too late.
By then, the Pheno Drug would be within Slade's possession and even the Batman wouldn't be able to find them.
Of course, that meant that anyone and everyone in this building had to die. There must be no witnesses.
Just as the dark clothed man was about to leave as well, an arrow was fired towards him from his blind spot.
Cutting through the air, the sharp edges seemed to give off a silver gleam in the dark area, locating its target with great precision.
Squelch!
The figure let out a gasp. Looking towards his chest, he saw an arrow sticking out from the area where his heart was.
Blood slowly trickled downward under his watchful gaze.
He just killed someone in cold blood. Never did he imagine that, a moment, it would be his turn.
Thud!
His body fell to the floor with a light thud.
On a higher area, Artemis watched as the man fell with gritted teeth and a cold face. She had arrived just in time to see this man kill the guard in cold blood.
And looking at the rest of the bodies... Her heartbeat sped up involuntarily with rage clouding her judgement.
And so, with the rest dispersing, she saw her opportunity and took it. Firing a neutralizing arrow to shock the living daylights out of her target.
The deed was done. But it wasn't until she did that she realized that she had used the wrong arrow.
What was meant to be a neutralizer had turned into a sharp life taker.
Seeing the lifeless body a distance away, Artemis was momentarily stunned.
'Did... Did I just kill someone?' Artemis had never killed before. Not even during tests when training under Sportsmaster.
So technically speaking, this would be her first kill.
However, Artemis didn't have time to let it sink in as the sound of rapid footsteps immediately woke her up from her reverie.
"He's dead".
"Hostiles in the area".
"Look up. Over there!".
The mercenaries raised their weapons upward, about to open fire. But Artemis was one step ahead of them.
With fluid movements, she took out three arrows from her quiver, loaded them into her bow and fired.
Unlike the last one that was openly bladed, the arrow tips were covered.
Boom!
The three arrows were embedded into the ground right beside the mercenaries and exploded the following second.
The masked men were all blow away as a giant hole appeared in the floor.
With debris flying, Artemis leaped from the high platform and landing steadily on the floor.
She immediately drew her bow and fired another arrow at a target, which electrified him unconscious.
"Open fire".
Da! Da! Da Da!
Bullets flew in all directions.
Artemis took to her heels, running and evading the attacks as best as she could.
Another arrow was fired.
A masked man tilted his head slightly and the arrow pierced straight into the wall behind him.
'Missed'. He thought with a bit of fear in his heart.
But a cloud of pink smoke was ejected out of the arrow the next second.
"Gas! Don't breathe". One yelled to warn the others, but he was too slow.
The gas enveloped the area, causing all those within its range to grow dizzy.
....
Boom!
The loud explosion reached Slade's ears who was now within the elevator with his men.
"Looks like we have early company'. Deathstroke, uttered in an apathetic tone.
They had barely been here for ten minutes and a disturbance had already occurred. Now, it seemed Batman was already here.
Or so he thought.
"What do we do sir?" A masked figure behind asked for orders.
"Nothing". Slade replied and turned to look at Lloyd Waite and the doctor, who sat at a corner in fright. Waite in particular had anger gleaming through his black irises.
"They will take care of it".
Ding!
The sound of the elevator reaching its destination fell into their ears. Lloyd's eyes widened as the door opened.
"Get em up".
...
Thud!
A thug groaned as a bow smacked him straight on the head. Following which, he fell to the ground unconscious.
As for the perpetrator, she performed several backflips to avoid the bullets firing in her direction.
With an incredible gymnastics display, she performed numerous backflips before flipping into the air. Her hand reached out to her quiver and she drew an arrow, aimed within the timeframe of a split second, and fired.
The arrow lodged directly into the gun barrel right at the moment the next bullet was fired.
Bang!
Splat!
"Argh!" Blood splattered on the floor as a pained scream escaped from the masked figure's mouth.
The blockage caused the gun to explode, injuring his hand in the process. Now, it was a bloody mess.
He took several steps back as he held his injured arm in pain. Nevertheless, his opponent hadn't been forgotten. He quickly raised his head only to find an object shooting towards him at a speed he could react to.
"Ugh!"
The projectile crashed right on his head, sending him flying backwards with a heavy impact, two or three meters away.
The man rolled once and his body lay still.
Seeing her opponent knocked unconscious, the archer didn't relax, but immediately surveyed the surroundings to make sure this one was the last.
Click!
The sound from behind fell into her ears, causing her expression to change drastically.
Her actions were spot on, but unfortunately, she faced the wrong direction.
A masked figure stood up from behind and aimed at her with a rifle.
The red dot appearing on the back of her head was proof that the man intended to take her life.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger….
"Hahahahahaha Hahaha Hahahahaha".
A loud, weird laughter echoed throughout the place, startling both of them.
"What the ...". His eyes darted in all directions, with a hint of panic within.
"This…. Wait….". Artemis was stunned. As a member of the team, she'd recognize that creepy laughter anywhere.
Crash!
It happened then. The glass roof above them suddenly shattered as a dark silhouette fell through it.
The masked man was stunned and raised his head up to see the source of the disturbance.
And so, the last thing he saw before darkness took over was a figure with a cape and two boots stepping straight on his face.
"Ugh!" The man fell to the floor, the gun knocked out from his possession.
Thud.
Along with the sound of glass shattering all over, the dark silhouette firmly landed on the ground.
"Hahaha Hahahahaha".
"Robin?" Seeing the new arrival, Artemis's face was marred with surprise. Then a frown took over.
"Hey there. Looks like you could use some help". Straightening his posture, Robin gave a light wave with a smile on his face.
"Thanks….". She said while looking at the unconscious goon.
"…. But do you always have to laugh like that?" In the team, Robin's disappearing act was something that vaguely frightened all of them. That laugh of his made it even more disturbing.
"Signature trademark. Not going anywhere". Dick replied bluntly, then raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell brought you here?"
"I was on patrol. Came across this.....". She pointed towards..... Everywhere.
"..... All of this by accident". Artemis responded, her voice a bit heavy.
"What about you?"
"Got an alert. Batman sent me".
"Wait! Batman's here?"
"On his way. He can get a little busy".
".... I see". She stretched the arm holding her compound bow.
"Any idea what they're looking for here?"
Robin's face condensed slightly. Something that Artemis noticed.
"This is Strader Pharmaceuticals. My guess, they're after a drug".
"A drug?"
"Yep. Super soldier serum of some sorts. The company's been researching it for years. Batman and I had a mission on this, long story". Robin said while sweeping his gaze across the area.
Then..... His eyes widened and he fired a Birdarang.
"Watch out!" Artemis was shocked at the loud exclamation.
In that dark building, a sharped edged throwing star tore through the air and shot in her direction.
Artemis had her eyes widen as the weapon shot towards her.
Clang!
Metal struck against metal and both throwing weapons were deflected.
The green archer leaped out of the way immediately. Throwing a few flips, she moved closer to Robin's area, her back covered with a layer of sweat.
She almost died right there.
With narrowed eyebrows, she followed Robin's gaze towards a high platform.
A figure emerged from the darkness and landed there in a squatting posture.
"Well well ...".
The dark silhouette stood up at a moderate pace and took three steps forward into the light.
"Looks like we meet again".
As soon as she could see the opponent, Artemis had her pupils shrink.
Before them was a female dressed in a dark green colored kimono that had rips and shreds along it. With black knee-high boots, two Sais held within both hands and a head full of wild black hair hidden behind a white cat mask on her face with red stripes and a wide grin.
"Cheshire!" Robin named their adversary, his eyes narrowing greatly.
"If it isn't the little birdie and the Green Arrow's sidekick. Nice to see you both".
"Yeah? Wish I could say the same". Artemis uttered with an ugly expression. This..... was literally the last person she wanted to see at this moment.
After all, this cat faced female was not just her enemy but also her sister. The last time they faced off against each other, she had blackmailed Artemis into letting her go free when caught.
If not, Artemis's secret would be exposed to the rest of the team.
Something at the moment that she didn't want.
"Hehehe! Yes, I'm sure you do". The cat masked female villain replied with a light chuckle.
"It's been a long time".
"Not long enough if you ask me". Robin said impassively.
"But since we're here, why don't you just tell us what exactly you and your goons are here to steal?" With the flick of his wrists, three Birdarangs appeared in both hands, a circular area on the bladed weapons was emitting a yellow glow.
Without warning, the boy wonder threw them out towards her.
Seeing this, Jade hurriedly leaped away before they hit.
Boom!
A loud explosion shook the entire building as the high platform was destroyed.
"What a rude way of greeting". While midair, Jade used her Sai to block the arrows shot in her direction. Landing squarely on her feet, she quickly threw out a Shuriken coated with jellyfish poison towards Artemis.
"I thought we could do some catching up".
"Not interested". Artemis dodged and fired another arrow, which Cheshire blocked.
"Wait!" Her eyes behind the mask darted around, looking for someone.
'Where the hell did he go?' Jade was a master assassin, trained by her father Sportsmaster and worked for the league of assassins.
When it came down to stealth, she was a master. But now, a kid a few years younger than her had disappeared right under her nose.
"Hahaha Hahahahaha".
Once again, the creepy laughter echoed in the building. Cheshire felt a chill run down her spine and she looked down.
What fell into her eyes were small, round balls rolling towards her while giving off a blinking light.
"Shit!"
Boom!
Each ball exploded and Cheshire madly rushed backwards, trying to escape the range of the explosion. Unfortunately, she was half a step slower.
The aftermath of the small blast knocked her off her feet into the air.
Her back slammed against the wall a distance away, causing her great pain.
"Ugh! Alright... That laugh is officially annoying".
At that moment, Robin emerged from the shadows in the distance. Reaching into his utility belt, he took out three tranquilizing darts and fired.
Ignoring the pain, Cheshire reacted just as fast. With a flick of her wrists, three Kunai were thrown towards the incoming weapons to deflect them.
Two were deflected, and the third one missed and headed straight for the Boy Wonder.
Robin didn't try to catch it and dodged. These weapons were most likely laced with poison.
Twisting her body, Jade also dodged the last tranquilizer headed towards her.
She moved away but was faced with Artemis, who fired another arrow.
'Damn!'
She slashed the arrow in half, but what happened next caught her off guard. The arrow exploded, and a small restricting net sprung out of the loaded tip, effectively wrapping around her.
And with a light thud, Jade was pushed to the floor.
After training together for a few months, the cooperation between teammates had been well-developed. Any one of them on their own was enough to give Cheshire a good fight. Two on one would be a sure defeat, as shown by her last encounter with Artemis.
"It's over".
Robin jumped down and said seriously.
"Hehehehe..... Are you sure about that?" Although her face still couldn't be seen, the laughter coming from behind her mask let them know that something was up.
Da! Da! Da! Da! Da!
At that moment, gunshots came out from a hidden pillar.
Robin and Artemis quickly ducked to the side to avoid.
"Damn. Sneak attack".
At that moment, Cheshire cut the rope binding her and stood up from the ground.
"Surprised? After all, you're not the only allowed to have backup".
A tall, burly figure emerged from the shadows with two Glock 19's in his hands. His figure was well-built and carried an air of intimidation around him, with short blonde hair. Similar to Cheshire, he wore a mask, but his was a hockey mask, revealing his brown eyes and a head of short blonde hair.
Seeing the male appear, Cheshire's tone carried a hint of annoyance and hatred as she spoke.
"Although I wish my backup was literally anyone else".
"Beggars can't be choosers sweetheart".
An arrogant, cocky voice fell into her ears, causing her to subconsciously clenched her fists.
Sportsmaster emerged from the shadows. His gaze lingered on the two sidekicks before turning to Jade.
"And you said you could handle them on your own".
"I could have". She snapped back. "That's why I told you not to get involved".
"Didn't seem that way. So sorry, but I couldn't take any risks with the mission so you could have your fun".
Both of them immediately engaged in a little squabble.
Artemis's dark face grew darker.
First her sister, then her father. It was official, this was the worst week ever.
"I love it when the bad guys fight". Robin said with a small smile which attracted a glare from Artemis.
Currently, she was distressed, worried that her true identity would be exposed in front of her teammate.
"Now then. It's not fair to bully a lady with numbers".
His eyes returned to the duo as he spun the gun in his left hand.
"So I thought we'd even the odds".
The atmosphere grew incredibly tense as both sides stood at alert, waiting for the other party to throw the first attack.
The atmosphere grew incredibly tense as both sides stood at alert, waiting for the other party to throw the first attack.
"Well pardon me". Like Robin's adorable yet somewhat creepy laugh, the iconic gruff voice, although wasn't as creepy, was still equally disturbing.
Especially to those who had come in contact with the owner of that voice.
Similar to Robin, a dark shadow fell from the already broken glass ceiling and landed on the ground, steadily on both feet.
Cheshire noticeably stiffened.
The dark silhouette straightened his posture and gave a one-liner with an indifferent face.
"But I like to keep the odds in my favor".
"If it isn't Batman. Nice of you to make an entrance". Still in that casual posture, Sportsmaster seemed to greet in a friendly manner.
However, the hands that never left the trigger seemed to say otherwise.
"That's enough". Batman said bluntly.
"You're outnumbered and outmatched. Now are you going to come in the easy way, or ....". He didn't say finish it, but they understood what he meant.
"Hehehehe, sorry Bat's, but we got other places to be tonight".
He said while lifting the guns in his hands.
Cheshire tightened her grip on her weapons.
"Artemis, take Cheshire. Sportsmaster is mine". Bruce immediately relayed his orders without turning back.
"Right". Artemis nodded in understanding.
"Wait! What about me?"
"Find out where the others are".
"Others?"
"If these two are fighting us, it means there are others finishing the Job. Whatever that may be, find them, stop them".
Bruce analyzed calmly.
"Ok…
"No need". At that moment, an indifferent voice broke apart the solemn atmosphere.
From the corridor, Deathstroke appeared alongside several masked goons walking behind him.
A second later, a dozen guns were pointed in the direction of the hero trio.
"Well .... Looks like the odds have changed sides". Sportsmaster uttered with a laugh.
"Deathstroke". Batman called out.
"So you're behind Killer Croc".
Slade didn't reply. Just raised the gun in his left hand. The other hand was in possession of a case that held their mission objective tonight. And of course..... A little something extra.
The guns were about to fire... When the lights suddenly came back on, illuminating the dark area. The sudden change caught everyone off guard.
On the lobby, a giant glass screen came on white a bright white light... Following which, the light turned red in the blink of an eye.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you".
The red light converged to form an image of a little girl with skin and clothes completely red.
....
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