บท 119: Chapter Thirty Seven: "Arrows of Justice Part One."
Chapter Thirty Seven: "Arrows of Justice Part One."
"Ra's Al Ghul as always is on the move," Nyssa commented and Selene frowned.
"He' tends to forget his place in this world, but then again, we can consider the youth to not respect the natural order of things," Selene stated as Emma, Tess, and Karen appreciated the fact that Selene might be one of the few people on Earth, if not the only person, who would be able to call Ra's Al Ghul young.
"Yes, that is the case," Harry agreed, speaking up. "The tracking spells however….they did not lead me to the League of Shadows."
"Naturally," Karen agreed as she leaned back and sighed. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that Ra's Al Ghul was more resourceful than the average criminal. One did not live as long as he did without being somewhat resourceful and this was a nasty fact that popped up in the back of Karen's head time and time agin.
"I think you're thinking of this in too limited of terms, beloved," Selene warned him as she was presently curled up on Harry's lap. "The League is….everywhere and they have many plans that are on a global scale. Be patient long enough and you'll be able to find him."
"Sooner rather than later, we all hope," Emma commented, in her role as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club she clashed with the League in the past. They were an unfortunate barrier to her plans and the plans of many others. Ra's was borderline out of his mind, although some might agree that there was no borderline about it.
"I can attest to that," Karen said as she placed her hand on Harry's leg. "The League, as most secret cabals of assassins have done, they have gone under ground."
"And the fact is, I haven't got anyone on the inside," Harry said and the fact was that bugged him.
"I have some moderate intelligence coming in from the League but…..it's sporadic at best," Nyssa admitted as she frowned. "And this person, I'm not going to tell them to risk their neck any more than they have to, although they are quite willing to do so for the cause. Given that the League had treated this person like a second class citizen despite her years of service, it's just as well."
Nyssa naturally could not divulge the name of her spy.
"No League activity around New York or anywhere close, and I have eyes and ears everywhere," Harry told them and they all nodded. If anything weird happened, well Lois would have been all over it like a dog with a bone. At least that's the fact that burned through Harry's mind.
"No, we're just grasping at straws in the dark right now."
"There might be a lead."
Helena appeared in the shadows in her usual manner. Tess, speaking of for the first time, decided to make a comment. "Well you have your way of making an entrance, don't you, whether it be in or out of costume?"
Helena nodded calmly but she decided to get down to the point.
"I have seen one of Talia Al Ghul's elite guard moving around New York City, it was where Bruce Wayne was buried," Helena stated and she closed her eyes. As all of them knew, Ra's was rather obsessed with her father or as he so lovingly dubbed him "The Detective." It was getting to the point of being absurd in many ways.
"Do you know what she was after?" Emma asked sharply.
"Well, Batwoman got into a squirmish with her," Helena stated as she shifted to show a couple of scars on her arm that had not completely healed.
Harry tapped onto her shoulder and healed the vast majority of the wounds.
"So Ra's is after something, rumor has it that he might be dying," Selene stated with a smile on her face. She had heard of the methods that Ra's had used in his ways to keep alive and cheat death over all of these thousands of years and they were the epitome of all things that were crude as far as she was concerned, but that was beside the point.
"Yes, that is the rumor that I have been hearing as well," Helena commented although Ra's had been believed to be dead many times over the years. Her father in particular had went into the grave believing that he was dead.
It might have been a bit premature and even when seeing the body, Ra's had a legion of devoted followers that would toss him in one of those Lazarus Pits and bring him back to life. That was an unfortunate fact that resounded through Helena's head.
"The good news is that Church enrollment is up this quarter," Selene stated as she switched topics. Harry figured that this was for the best given that they were running around in circles regarding the Ra's Al ghul thing.
"Yes, quite nicely, it appears that the Skrull Invasion has given another rush of enrollment but naturally, we only take the very best," Tess stated. There was this woman named Dolores who tried to sign up for the Church but one look at her, Tess, Selene, and Emma put the kibosh on that particular line. Although given who she worked for, they doubted very much that her intentions could be completely pure.
She was most certainly a double bagger, a bag for her face and a bag for the person that she was sleeping with….not that Tess wanted to imagine anyone sleeping with her. That was the epitome of all things that were horror.
"Well our friends…."
"They're being kept on a short leash and Pamela and Raven…..well given the alternative, they were happy to help as well, although I'm keeping a close eye on Miss Darkholme," Emma stated. All of her encounters with Mystique had showed her that she was one that was worthy of an extremely close watch and she was going to be damned if she let her out of her sight.
Church business continued but in the back of Harry's mind, he had to prepare himself with a battle with the League of Shadows.
As shocking as it might have been to believe, there was currently a crime going on within the streets of Gotham City as a figure submerged in shadows dropped down from the ceiling. She was followed by another group of figures.
Cheshire walked forward, she had been put on League Probation after her failure to obtain the amulet. Talia, being the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, didn't even get a slap on the wrist.
'Nepotism is well alive,' she thought. She never expected her father to speak up for her, so she was going to take the fall for the entire blunder. Personally she blamed the Hand for getting involved in this problem. And also she blamed Arcane for distracting her.
Then there was the mysterious Archer girl which she held her tongue on. Given that she was supposed to kill this person as some kind of sick loyalty test to the League, she would be in serious trouble if they found that she had let her live. It was a test assigned by her father which made things even more horrifying.
Then again, he was the type to pit his daughters together, although they never had the best relationship. One was a smug little self-righteous hero and Cheshire….well she was Cheshire.
If that not describe what she was all about, well the woman had no idea what described her. She closed her eyes and prepared her next move.
"Guard the doors, we want no complications this time," she ordered the ninjas and they offered a stiff nods before they slinked of into the shadows because they were ninjas and that's what they did.
Cheshire knocked the guard out, who was half asleep anyway. She did not want to take any chances with him waking up and pretty much ruining everything.
"This is Vicki Vale, reporting, live on the scene, where Batwoman foiled an attempted to heist by the Penguin's gang. While the cagey bird remains at large, all reports indicate that Batwoman, Nightwing, and Batgirl are on the trail. Meanwhile, the mysterious Huntress has returned in Gotham city and left the leader of a child Prostitution ring beaten and bloodied. He will be spending some time recovering from his extremely painful but non-lethal injuries."
Cheshire barely paid this news much mind. She had to steal one thing, this manuscript that offered a hint to something that Ra's had wanted his hands on. Then again there were so many mysterious artifacts that he was after that Cheshire was quite frankly losing track.
She heard the sound of a ninja going down behind her and she held out her knife and flung it in the air.
One burst of heat vision destroyed the knife. The ashes fluttered to the ground as Harry stood in the shadows and faced her.
"So, you just don't know when you keep your nose out of people's business, do you?' Cheshire asked and Harry smiled.
"Pretty much," Harry told the dark haired woman as she stood on her feet and there was a few seconds where she twirled another knife in her hand.
"Slice him into ribbons, I'll handle this," Cheshire told them and her guard rushed forward.
Harry dodged their attacks, as a figure in black helped him. Her claws blocked the sword.
"So, ninjas, again?" Laura asked as she snapped the sword with her claws.
"Yes, aren't there always ninjas everywhere?" Harry asked her and he looked over his shoulder. "Do you think that you can handle the pawns?"
"Yes, I think I can."
"Good because Cheshire's mine," Harry stated as he sped forward and blocked her hand.
"Again, a bit too forward but I have to admire a man that takes charge," Cheshire stated as she caused his vision to go wonky with a well placed flash bang. "However, you should know that I'm not the type of woman who mixes business with pleasure."
He was rattled by the attack and a couple of more ninjas moved down from the ceiling. They appeared to be of the female variety which were among the more dangerous of ninjas, as Harry fond out.
They attacked him and given that Harry would not kill females because they proved to be an asset to him, he managed to disable them, which allowed Cheshire to roam free.
'Almost there, oh you've got to be kidding me,' she thought to herself as she curled her fist up in frustration. Just when she thought that this day could not get any worse, it did.
The arrows stroke the elite female guard and shocked them into submission. It did not kill them but it did do a wonderful job in taking them down.
Now Harry looked over his shoulder and saw that there was someone else moving. Whoever it was, she was much too close.
There was a crossbow that was armed over her shoulder and then with another movement, she shot at Cheshire. Cheshire took one right in the shoulder and she winced.
The quick figure slammed Cheshire against the wall.
"You….you….I didn't do anything to you," Cheshire managed as she saw the figure.
Harry saw her as well. She had a black hooded over her face but her skin tight black body suit indicated that she had a body to die for and she was lethal enough to make many people die for it.
She made a motion with her hands.
"I don't know where he is, I swear to god," Cheshire managed as she waited for it, for her salvation. She was barely able to hold her head up much less be able to breath.
There was a moderate sized explosion beneath her and this allowed her to slip away. She managed to swipe the manuscript, leaving a lot of blood on her way out.
"She's getting away," Laura stated but Harry smiled.
"Not this time," Harry told her, as he tagged her the moment she slipped out. He would be able to follow her, at least that was the intention.
Of course there was the mysterious ninja that attacked Cheshire that was intrigued by. After some research, Harry looked her up and decided to step towards the cave where Helena was at her computer, busy at work.
"You know, savior or not, you should really remember the virtues of calling before you come over," Helena stated as she looked over her shoulder. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you….."
"You've been having your problems with the Penguin…."
"Yes and Black Mask and Rupert Thorne, and likely a few others who are trying to brawl for territory in Gotham City but I've hit a dead end on that," Helena said as she rolled her shoulders back and a sigh escaped from her body. "What's on your mind?"
"There's a lot on my mind actually, but that's beside the point," Harry admitted as he placed his hand on hers. "I know that the Huntress is back in Gotham City."
Helena slammed her hand down on the table and she was about to look over her shoulder. She figured that this was going to come.
"Well not back, well not me, as that was the gap that I had between Robin and Batwoman," she commented as she looked over her shoulder. "But yes….she's back. I'm keeping an eye on her and….she's right behind you in fact."
Harry spun around quickly and he saw her standing in the shadows. He had to admit how good she was because she snuck up on him. She was swift and silent with no wasted movement. He admired how much she moved, but he did spend a lot of time admiring the female form.
"Cassandra Cain," Helena told him and she nodded. "This is Har-Rell."
'Yes, the infamous Star Child,' she thought, although she did not speak out loud.
'Well, infamous, that's quite the moniker to give me,' he thought back to her.
'I'm impressed, my mind is not an easy one to read, but yet you've managed to unscramble it in seconds,' Cassandra thought to him.
'Well you seem to be a woman of few words, so I figured this would allow us to communicate,' Harry thought to her. 'Although I bet I can make you talk.'
'That remains to be seen,' Cassandra thought as she remained silent on the outside. 'So you ran afoul of the League of Shadows….'
'Do you know them?' Harry asked her.
'Too well, my mother was a member and my father….well the less said about that bastard, the better,' she thought, her hood was still up over her face so Harry could not get a good look at her. Although he could peak beneath it with her X-Ray Vision.
'That's who Cheshire was talking about,' Harry thought.
Helena said nothing until that moment.
"I'm looking at the Manuscript," Helena commented to them and Harry's ears perked up as he turned around and his mouth hung half open.
"Oh?"
"Yes, and we may have a lead about what Ra's is after," she commented as she scanned over it. Her fingers tapped on the screen of the computer as she brought up the file. "It's….well it's rather complicated."
Harry offered half of a frown but then his face contorted into a smile. "Aren't most things in our lives?"
Helena could not dispute that fact so she pressed on with what she was doing for a few seconds. "The manuscript leads to the location of a mysterious totem that will allow the user their heart's desire."
"The heart can be a very complex thing, the brain might think it knows what the heart wants, but the heart often times has other twisted desires," Harry told her and she nodded.
"And this artifact….well it has been known to have a life and a mind of its own," Helena explained to Harry and now, now Harry was intrigued to say the very least. "Every single user to use it has had it backfired upon them in some way."
"Well that's the case of most magical artifacts, you don't want to trust them too much, the people who made it often make them for the express purpose of tricking gullible idiots who rely on them too much," Harry commented to her and she nodded. "Is there any clue where this artifact maybe?"
"A few but I'm not sure how reliable this information is," Helena commented as she placed a hand underneath her chin and began to comb through the database.
Cassandra stood in the background, she was intrigued by Harry Potter. She snuck into the Church one night to get a look around and given that she was not seen or found by any of the members of the Church, that told her a lot about her accomplishments and how well she did. It put a smile on her face.
"Do you have any idea?" Helena asked her.
Cassandra took half of a step forward and tapped her finger on the map that was hanging up in the cave. She could have just told her but she chose not to. Not to mention the last time she opened her mouth, she paid dearly for it, so she was not too keen in wasting her breath on words. It could be the difference between life or death.
"So, that's about the vicinity where it is in, right?" Helena asked and Cassandra offered a slight nod as she leaned forward. There was a few seconds where she waited.
"So that's where we're heading….Tibet by the looks of things, I'll have the jet fuel," Harry stated as he looked over his shoulder.
"Don't bother, we'll get there by my way," Helena said as Cassandra mentally prepared herself with what was going to happen.
There was still something else on Harry's mind regarding what happened. There was this mysterious archer that showed up. He had a theory on her appearance but whether or not it was going to bore fruit, he had no idea whatsoever.
One mystery at a time and Harry would figure out everything. His green eyes burned with intensity and fire as he kept walking forward.
Determination flowed through the eyes of the young archer as she staked out this warehouse, one of the worst in town and that was saying something given that she was in Gotham City. In some twisted way it was home to her and she was not going to trade it for any place on Earth, even though it was a frustrating city to say the least.
'Waiting, just waiting, let's see here,' she thought as she placed her hand on the edge of the crossbow. The green hood was pulled over her head as she watched, peering over down onto the pavements. So far there was nothing, unless one counted the usual scuzzy citizens of Gotham City which she honestly did not count.
The blonde held her hand on the bow and ran her hand down it. She might not have been the first Green Arrow, but she was determined to make the mantle her own. She was not quite ready to go, at least not yet.
Artemis Crock was from a rather fractured family and that was putting things rather lightly. She had more demented, and disturbed branches them a dying tree on her family tree. Her sister….well her sister had been pulled into that life as part of the League of Shadows. Her mother had suffered greatly because of that life and getting her started on her father would only raise her blood pressure. She remained calm despite everything and took in a deep breath as she peered down from the perch that she was sitting at.
'Where are you?' Artemis thought as she closed her fist together. Her sister slipped away from her twice but as they said, third time might as well have been a charm.
"Busy night?"
Artemis turned around and she aimed her arrow towards the person but she saw a dark haired girl standing there. She was dressed in a leather jacket, a tight black top, and black pants that adhered to her body.
"You're….you were with….Arcane," Artemis managed as she tried to remain composed. She admired Arcane's work although she did not have the time to really follow him as much as she would have liked.
"Yes, yes," she commented as she pulled Artemis into the shadow. The arrow girl was about ready to attack her but she paused.
"You could fire that, but I wouldn't recommend it," she stated. "Although we'll find out what's quicker, claws or arrows? Unless you want to test me, I suggest you listen. You're getting in way over your head, right about now."
"I don't think I am," Artemis persisted in a stubborn tone and Laura shook her head as she heard the members of the League puttering around on the ground.
"Well, we're going to have this argument all day, both of us, or you're going to…." Laura started but she did not have a chance to finish her statement. She grabbed Artemis around the wrist and dragged her down into the shadows and pulled her off away from them.
Three hooded ninjas appeared and searched. Cheshire was the one that lead the charge.
"I thought I heard something," she commented as she looked over her shoulder.
"Nothing…."
"Keep searching, if this deal gets ruined, its not going to be my throat that will be sliced when we fail," Cheshire told them in a harsh voice and they bowed, although there was something rather condescending about the way that they were bowing towards her.
Artemis waited as Laura did. She could have taken them out but Harry requested her to avoid being detected as much as possible. So she did. The dark haired woman's eyes closed as she held her head up into the air.
"So close," she whispered to herself as Artemis once again watched her, raising half of an eyebrow.
'What is….' Artemis wondered but she nearly got an up close and personal attack with one of the ninjas.
She held her bow but Laura pulled her up behind the wall. The ninja was looking around, a sword out as he tried to walk forward.
"Nothing," he muttered and he turned around.
SKINT!
The ninja was stabbed in the side of the leg and then he was pulled into the shadows. There was a huge thump as he was pulled into the shadows.
"So much not for making any…."
Laura clapped her hand on Artemis's mouth and pulled her into the shadows.
"Okay, arrow girl, just keep calm and I'll get you out of this in one piece," Laura whispered to her and Artemis offered a muffled protest that her name was Green Arrow but that was something that fell on completely deaf ears as she was pulled into the shadows.
There were three more ninjas, they always bred like rabbits. Laura could only see her barely in the shadows but she seemed to be a potential recruit for Har-Rell. Of course, now was not the time or the place for it.
"Show yourselfs!"
"Your funeral," Laura stated. She was the best in the world at what she did and she looked far better at Logan at doing it.
She stabbed the swords and then knocked them off of the edge of the building. They fell onto a balcony about a story down, breaking every bone in their body.
Cheshire saw it over her shoulder and she saw the girl making her way around. She saw the shadowed figure.
"She just can't leave well enough alone," Cheshire grumbled as she made her way up the building with a knife in her hand. She was about to be given no choice.
Artemis shot an arrow into the shadows and Cheshire was startled.
"Nice outfit," Cheshire commented lightly as she looked at her. "And you look far better as a blonde."
Artemis stepped out of the shadows. Her brown eyes were focused on her target. Her blonde hair was only barely visible from the hood which covered her face. She was wearing a green top that came up to her midriff area. Her rather respectable breasts were constrained in the top and she had a flat stomach without an ounce of fat on it. She had green pants that wrapped around her tight ass and gave her a hint of her long legs.
"Jade, you should know….."
"It wasn't my fault, I had no control over it, you should have disappeared when you had the chance," Cheshire stated as she went forward to stab her.
She hesitated for a brief second but whether it was more than a second, Artemis was not going to tempt fate.
Laura meanwhile was up to her neck in ninjas so she could not assist Artemis.
"What are you supposed to be, Wolverine?" one of them asked.
"In matter of speaking and you caught me at the wrong time of the month," she stated as she slashed her claws and sparks started to fly.
A figure stepped out of the shadows. There was a few seconds where he paused and then he made his way forward with each individual steps. Being summoned directly by Ra's Al Ghul himself, especially given what he may have brought on the League, well it was a humbling experience to say the very least. He had silver hair and a harsh face, with cold dark eyes. He was dressed completely in black. He was an older man but age should not be confused with how competent he was. He might have been only a half of a step slower than his prime.
"Cain," Talia commented in an icy voice. She regarded this piece of filth with the contempt that she thought that she deserved.
David Cain knew that look from the daughter of the demon meant that his capital with the League of Shadows was going up to the end.
"Your father…."
"Ra's Al Ghul will now see you," Talia stated as she looked at him. Cain made his way forward and entered the temple.
He would not be permitted to gaze upon Ra's Al Ghul eye to eye.
"On your knees before the master," Ubu stated as he nudged him roughly and Cain was forced to his knees.
"David Cain….you were given a goal by the League of Shadows and…..you have not performed up to expectations," Ra's stated. "And now….the weapon that you were supposed to forge, she has….she has grown fiercely independent. She should not have escaped and…."
Cain held his tongue as Ra's paused to give him a chance to defy him. He had no idea how his daughter escaped. Shiva disappeared off of the map around that time but surely she did not grow suddenly maternal. That would be rather out of character for her.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself, David, anything at all?" Ra's asked as the members of Ra's guard circled him. They could stab him like he was nothing in a mere instant but if he moved to defend himself, his fate would be completely sealed.
"I had failed you, great one and I am…."
"Are you sorry, are you really?" Ra's asked him as he peered with a burning gaze and Cain leaned his head forward and he felt his heart drum against his chest. "Or are you….trying to save yourself from your fate? I cannot afford incompetent followers and Cain, you are on your last road. I will give you one last test, one final test, one test that will prove your loyalty to the League of Shadows."
"If you wish me to terminate the project…."
"It is quite interesting how your mind went towards killing your daughter," Ra's offered briskly but he made no other commentary further than that statement. "However, there is another task that I require of you. Accomplish this task and you will be rewarded, fail and well….I hope for your sake that you will be able to escape. If you return next, it will be your execution."
There was a second where the middle aged assassin nodded. There was a long pause as the blades were close to his neck. There was going to be cold steel that was about to slice into his neck. He managed to be as bold as possible as one would be with swords in his throat but he lifted his head about halfway up and spoke.
"What is it….what is it great one?" he asked.
"I wish for you to take out the Star Child," Ra's stated to Cain in a brisk tone and there was a moment of chilling calm.
Cain had heard about the Star Child and his coming, he knew of his power but he wondered if this would be the thing to settle his debt with the League of Shadows. Spare his life, he had nothing left to lose regardless of what he did.
"Naturally, you can face your execution with honor if you chose to go down that road," Ra's offered Cain as the cold eyes from the shadows faced him. "I will choose for you if you do not respond within the next thirty seconds…."
"I accept your generous offer, Great One," Cain stated to him as he swallowed the lump in his throat as he shook his head.
"I thought that you might see things my way," Ra's commented as he watched the assassin. "So I wish for the Star Child's head and all will be forgiven. If not….well I don't think that we will be having another conversation."
It slowly dawned on Cain what he was being sent on but he had no choice, he had to accept this mission, his health was on the line and his livelihood.
It was either him or the Star Child and it was obvious which of the two stuck closest to home. He would have much rather gotten the task to kill his daughter, to erase that mistake, and he would need Ra's Al Ghul's protection given that Shiva's vengeance might be dangerous.
Still, do or die, that was the question.
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