Of Shadows and Justice
Part 2
Megawatts
"There you go Bruce, the highest power consumption in the Gotham - Blüdhaven area originates from … the old Gotham Varsity Stadium? This can’t be right…" Oracle said, typing on her computer keyboard.
"No, no mistakes, this is baffling Bruce: the old Varsity Stadium is showing a power signature 3 times that of Wayne Automotives!" she said.
"Thanks Barb. We’ll investigate its infra-red signatures and setup surveillance." Batman replied.
"Now you be careful: you promised Diana a weekend on the Riviera!" Oracle said teasingly.
"I’m going to have to have a word with her!" Batman said, unable to conceal his amusement. "Bat-Cave out!"
"Take care Bruce!" Oracle concluded.
He activated his Justice League Communicator. "Batman to Watchtower, come in?"
The voice of Michael Holt – Mister Terrific- replied: "Watchtower here Batman, what news?"
"I think we’ve located our potential underground Greenhouse Mike. Could you conference me to Superman and Flash? I promised them first shot at doing the infra-red scans." Batman said.
"Patching you through now!" Mister Terrific said.
"Superman here Batman." Superman said.
"Flash here, what’s the scoop?"
"Meet me at the old Gotham Varsity Stadium, 50 yard line. We have some infra red scans to run and some surveillance to setup!" Batman said.
Flash had joined Superman near his quarters. "Flash is with me now Batman" Superman said, "Meet you there in a few minutes!"
"Thank Oracle for us Bats!" Flash said. He and Superman headed towards the nearest Transport Bay.
Batman drove to the Gotham Varsity Stadium, and made in there in a bout 5 minutes, parking the Bat mobile near the entrance. He jumped the gate and made it to the field.
Superman and Flash transported to the old football field, a few metres from Batman. In spite of Gotham University moving and a more modern Varsity Stadium being built, the vicinity was well maintained and the field had been recently mowed.
"You would think the Stadium’s still in use!" Superman said.
"Officially, the old Varsity Stadium was donated to amateur leagues to play Baseball, Football, and track and field meets. That still doesn’t explain the power consumption signatures: all Stadium lights are off, yet according to Oracle this place is consuming three times the amount of power of Wayne Automotives". Batman said.
Superman scanned the Stadium with his infra-red vision. Wincing, he said "Nothing out of the ordinary, not even the slightest sign of heat." He switched to X-Ray vision. His stare stopped on the field. "Hold on now, what have we here?" He intensified the beam.
He turned to Flash and Batman "Something very screwy indeed: no odd heat signatures, but we have some sort of lead-lined shield just under the turf." He said.
"There are some underground facilities for maintenance … to my knowledge lead was never an approved construction material." Batman said. The three men exchanged a knowing look.
"If this is the place, we don’t want to just bust in. Like Diana said, we need to establish surveillance and track their shipments, and do so without getting detected ourselves so we don’t tip them off." Superman said.
"I could go through there in hyper speed and bug the place; I assume you came prepared with bugs, trackers and micro-cams Batman?" Flash asked.
"You would assume correctly." Batman said, pulling a small box from his utility belt. "The small flat ones are the trackers, which you would stick on any delivery vehicle you see. The round ones are micro cams with sound; see if you can get one in the Greenhouse and the others anywhere else there may be activity."
Flash smiled, taking the box from Batman. He began running a few laps around the field, gaining speed. As he entered hyper speed, he began vibrating his body, getting ready to penetrate the concrete walls. Instead, he rebounded and slid on his back for a few yards on the old football filed, as if tackled by a giant, letting out a loud "OOF!"
"WALLY!" Batman yelled. In spite of Flash’s shenanigans he was a valued team mate and friend. And in spite of Flash’s constant wise cracks he was the bratty little brother you couldn’t help but love.
Superman was already by Flash’s side, helping him up, Batman running towards them. "Wally, are you okay? What happened?" Superman asked.
Batman had reached them. Flash said "That’s not just plain lead lined concrete," he took a deep breath, struggling for air "There is a force field there, a powerful one. It knocked the wind out of me, felt like running full speed into a brick wall."
Superman looked him over with his X-ray vision "You have cracked ribs Wally, maybe even some internal bleeding. You need medical attention."
"I’ll be fine; we need to setup surveillance of this place." Flash said, still panting.
"Don’t be a fool Flash, you can barely breathe." Batman said. "Batman to Watchtower?"
"Watchtower here Batman" Mister Terrific answered.
"Emergency transport directly to Sickbay, Flash has been injured." Batman said.
"Now wait a min…" Flash tried to say, as the transport took him to Sickbay to treat his broken ribs.
"Mike, we’ll need someone with the capability to go through a force field and thick concrete walls, and be able to install surveillance equipment un-noticed." Batman said.
"How would invisible robotized surveillance equipment sound to you?" Mister Terrific replied.
Batman looked at Superman with a grin "Your T-Spheres! Of course, they would be perfect in this case Mike!" Batman said. All friendly rivalries aside, Batman had to admit the T-spheres should have been their first idea.
"Spheres on the way Bruce. You will have full surveillance of the vicinity within the next 20 minutes. We’ll know for sure if that’s our clandestine Greenhouse."
"Thanks Mike, we owe you one!" Batman said.
"Anytime!" Mister Terrific replied.
T-Spheres materialized near them, hovering in the air. They cloaked and disappeared from sight, penetrating the force field effortlessly. The spheres went on seek mode. One hovered in the main Greenhouse, giving a good panoramic view, undetectable.
Another detected movement in the old underground garage and found two old trucks. Men were loading crates. Another sphere joined it and each located itself in the trucks with the crates, also undetectable.
"We have surveillance and I can tell you both: Oracle was right, this is the place." Mr. Terrific said. I have full surveillance of the Greenhouse, the garage and the two shipping trucks. As soon as they move towards the processing centre, I’ll have more spheres monitor that facility as well. We’ll get enough evidence to shut them down but good." He concluded.
"That’s outstanding work Mike! Keep us posted if you get any movement." Batman said.
"Will do!" Mister Terrific replied.
"I guess I’ll go home to the Missus I the mean time Bruce. With all of the work we’ve been getting and the girls having their ladies nights, Lois and I need quality time." Superman said.
"I hear you," Batman said "I’ve promised Diana a weekend at the Riviera for a while now, and this happened…" Batman said.
"Which is why Mike and J’onn have made efforts to pair up couples as much as possible: Diana and you, Green Arrow and Black Canary, Huntress and Question, Green Lantern and Vixen, Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice …agreed the scheduling doesn’t always work out that way, but when it does, couples do get to spend more time together, business or not. Lois and I only get the little time off I can muster." Superman said.
Batman nodded, giving his old friend a sympathetic smile. "Flash is in the same predicament as you, though now he’ll be forced to spend time with Linda until his ribs heal." He said.
Superman smiled. He often forgot he wasn’t the only married man in the League whose wife was a civilian. "Time to pay our ladies the attention they deserve!" Superman said. "See you later Bruce." He said, flying off.
Batman activated the Batmobile’s remote to pick him up. He drove off to Wayne Manor. Hopefully Diana would be back from the Themiscyran Embassy. He was looking forward to the day the new Ambassador would be chosen. No emergencies had been announced by Mr Terrific, so he knew he could expect Diana for dinner and a sleep-over. He could not wipe the smile off his face.
"Watchtower to Batman do you copy?" Mr. Terrific asked.
"Batman here, what’s up Mike?"
"Incoming communication from Reverend Justice. You’ll want to hear this." Mr Terrific said.
St.-Joseph Prison
At about the same time Batman was joined by Superman and Flash at the old Gotham Varsity Stadium, Hawgirl and Reverend Justice had arrived at the St-Joseph prison where Serge Dumas was serving a minimum sentence, part of his plea bargain for his help convicting Boss Réjean Gamache.
When they showed up in the visiting area, the convicts began whistling at Hawkgirl. To her and to the Reverend’s surprise, Dumas turned to them and yelled "Shut up! Show some respect!" and the convicts all quieted down. The word of a 6’5" 300 lbs man carried a lot of power in a place like this.
They sat in front of him. "Reverend Justice, Hawkgirl! You’re a sight for sore eyes in this joint! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? St-François is hardly Thug City since your last visit!" Dumas said.
"We come bearing some bad news brother Dumas,"
Reverend Justice said, "Ultra G has made its way south of the border. A consortium of Investors is getting rich distributing it. We need your help. As Gamache’s bodyguard, you were privy to his associates, to meetings…"Serge Dumas looked grim. "Gamache performed most of his transactions by phone, at which time he’d ask me to step outside. But there was this one meeting I attended as Réjean’s bodyguard … unusual looking gentleman, a Mr Picard I think? Very well dressed and distinguished, 50-ish? He seemed to be of Middle-Eastern Background, weirdest looking ghotti I’d ever seen. And a stare … I don’t think I slept for the next two days."
The Reverend blinked under his mask, remembering an old enemy of Batman’s which Bruce had described to him.
"By any chance, was that man’s name Henri Ducard?"
The Reverend asked, keeping his composure.Dumas’ expression lit up. "Yes! Yes! That’s it! Henri Ducard! He had two wood-faced goons accompanying him too."
The Reverend looked at Hawkgirl, his concern showing through his mask.
Dumas exclaimed "Oh, and there’s another thing, it may or may not be of relevance for you both, but here goes: two girls from the Club seemed to have Gamache’s ear – Sadie Stevens who kept bugging him for a shot at managing the club, and Chantale Paradis … rumour had it that Chantale was Gamache’s illegitimate daughter, and that she would inherit the Club and the entire Gamache operation until he decided to sell out the rights to Ultra-G … I figured that info might be of use to you." Dumas said.
Hawkgirl and the Reverend exchanged a knowing look.
"Merci beaucoup M. Dumas."
Hawkgirl said. "You’ve been very helpful."They shook big Serge Dumas’ hand and took their leave. In the Chariot, Hawkgirl asked: "What tipped you off the investor’s name was Ducard rather than Picard?"
He answered: "A conversation I had with Batman during my first year of training. Henri Ducard is one of Rà’s Al Ghul’s many aliases. The description Serge was giving matched him to a T."
She smiled. "And I thought I was the detective of this pair?" she said.
He kissed her hand. They drove to Sadie Stevens’s apartment. Joey knew she’d been Marc’s girlfriend, and wanted to make sure his brother wouldn’t be in harm’s way.
"Shouldn’t we update the League and Batman of our findings?" she asked.
He nodded. "Reverend Justice to Watchtower do you copy?"
Mr Terrific answered "Watchtower here Joey, what’s new?"
"We have some more digging to do, but you may want this heads up: the main investor fits the description of Rà’s al Ghul, and, according to Boss Gamache’s bodyguard, he went under the alias Henri Ducard. I hate to say it but it seems Rà’s has resurfaced." The Reverend said.
"That’s a major scoop Joey; I’ll update the task force. I think Batman may want to hear this from you though. By the way, we’ve located the underground Greenhouse. Things are progressing just fine!" Mr Terrific said.
"Heard that Shy?" The Reverend said to Hawkgirl. She nodded.
"Patching you through now RJ." Mister Terrific said.
Batman’s voice replaced that of Mr Terrific in the communicator. "Batman here RJ, what do you have?"
"You wanted dirt Batman, how’s this: according to Serge Dumas, the one investor that showed up for a person to person meeting matched the description of Rà’s al Ghul; even went under the alias Henri Ducard." The Reverend said.
Batman sighed. "I had a feeling he’d come out of his Lazarus pit before too long. The League of Shadows never disappears. That man never gives up, with his ‘order from chaos’ theories. I can bet you the Ultra G cigarettes are nothing but a front; knowing Rà’s, he has bigger things in mind. In its pure form Ultra G could become a formidable weapon."
Reverend Justice clenched his teeth, and then said. "Dang, which means we need to get our collective arses in gear, and fast. Mr. Terrific said you’ve already located the Greenhouse?"
"That we did, and thanks to his T-spheres, we’ll be able to keep them under constant surveillance without tipping Rà’s and his cronies off, even trace the shipments. If pure Ultra G is the true goal here; we’ll find out where they’re refining it. Mr Terrific only awaits the word to detonate the spheres." Batman said.
"At least it’s progress. I have a few other leads to investigate: one personal the other more directly linked to the case: it so happens that my brother’s ex Sadie Stevens was trying to get a management agreement in the old Zone Neutre Club. I doubt she has any link to the Consortium, but I want to be sure my brother isn’t in harms way again.
The other lead pertains to another young lady, Chantale Paradis who used to work at the Zone Neutre, rumour has it she is Gamache’s illegitimate daughter and that she stood to inherit his ‘empire’ after he died. I can’t shake the feeling that she’s linked to this." The Reverend said.
"Look into it RJ. Keep us all posted. I’ll see if I can’t pinpoint Rà’s’ last known whereabouts from the Bat-Computer." Batman said.
"Now don’t skip dinner like you usually do! Diana worries about you when you do that!" Hawkgirl chimed in, with a grin.
"I’m definitely going to have to have a word with her!" Batman said. "Keep the comm. Links open. Batman out."
They pulled over near Sadie Stevens’ apartment building. The Reverend recognized his brother’s car in the visitor parking.
"It would seem that Marc and Sadie have patched things up." Reverend Justice said. "Care to handle the questioning Angel?"
"My pleasure, preacher!" Hawkgirl said.
"If I speak as little as possible my brother won’t be as likely to recognise me." He said.
They entered the lobby and called for the elevator. Ignoring the curious glances of the other residents, they made their way to Sadie’s apartment. Hawkgirl knocked at the door, Reverend Justice standing next to her "I just hope Marc doesn’t recognize me!" He thought.
An attractive green-eyed blonde answered the door "Yes? Hawkgirl? Er – I’m not sure who you are." She said looking at the Reverend. "I’m Hawkgirl’s boyfriend" He felt like saying.
"He’s my partner Reverend Justice,"
Hawkgirl said "And you should know him: he was after all instrumental in helping save your boyfriend’s life.""What – how on earth do you know Marc and I are back together?"
Sadie asked."Elementary my dear, his car is in your building’s parking lot."
Hawkgirl said. The Reverend smiled, Hawkgirl was having fun with this."Shall you let us in? We have questions for you."
Hawkgirl said."Let them in Sadie,"
Marc’s voice said from the background, "They’re cool. They saved my life and My Mom and Dad’s."They entered.
Back at Wayne Manor
Batman arrived at the Bat-Cave, and began changing. Mr. Terrific had updated the whole task force but could not get a hold of Superman – likely because he had removed his communicator to have a bit of privacy with Lois.
Wonder Woman was on her way to Wayne Manor. With the new crisis on their hands, she needed to be at the Justice League’s full disposal, so the Ambassador in Training to Themyscira would have to fill in for her.
The next order of business was to get a hold of Superman and update him on Rà’s al Ghul’s involvement in the Hypnos Consortium. Both he and Superman had tangled with Rà’s in the past, Clark needed to know.
Cape and cowl off, he stepped up to the Bat-Computer, auto-dialled the Kent Residence. The answering machine picked up. "You have reached Lois and Clark, please leave a message!"
Batman sighed. "Hi Clark, Bruce here. There’s more than meets the eye with the Hypnos Consortium, call me back at Wayne Manor as soon as you can."
He turned his head, and smiled as Diana had just come down to the Bat-Cave, dressed in the Ceremonial Themysciran outfit she wore at the Embassy.
Whether she was dressed as Wonder Woman, Diana Prince or Princess Diana, Themysciran Ambassador; he always marvelled on how beautiful she was wearing either suit.
"Still can’t get a hold of Kal Bruce?" she asked, walking to him.
"No, he and Lois seem to have gone out. I can’t say I blame them: Justice League business has kept them apart far too long. But he will want to know this. He helped me deal with Rà’s a few times. There is more than drug smuggling afoot here Princess. Knowing Rà’s, he has something bigger in mind. In pure form, Ultra G could become a formidable weapon, the ultimate mind controlling drug." He said, looking glum.
"Great Hera! At least we have located the Greenhouse and the Processing plant should be next thanks to the T-Spheres." Wonder Woman said. She put her arms around him and they kissed.
"We will need to proceed with extreme care." Batman said. "Rà’s is very intelligent and likely has a contingency plan should his ‘plan A’ fail. After dinner Princess, I will attempt to pinpoint Rà’s al Ghul’s last known whereabouts and extrapolate is current whereabouts. Finding the Hypnos bases of operations is no longer good enough: we need to locate him. Would you like to help me?" He gallantly asked.
"It would be my pleasure Mister Wayne!" She replied, holding onto his arm. They walked upstairs for dinner.
As they ate, Alfred walked to them with a pair of Justice League Communicators. "An urgent Communiqué for both you and Miss Diana Sir." He said.
"Superman?" Bruce asked.
"No Sir. Miss Shayera." Alfred said.
Bruce and Diana put the Communicators in their ears. "Shayera, what’s up?" he said.
"We’ve already updated Mr Terrific who will update the rest of the Task Force. The Reverend’s brother’s girlfriend is clean, but the other girl – Chantale Paradis - may be our link to Rà’s al Ghul.
Sadie claims that Chantale had been bragging to the girls she’d be their boss soon. About two month before the death threats to Marc had started, Miss Paradis was seen leaving the Zone Neutre slamming the doors, cursing her father and that she’d make him pay.
The following week, she drove to the club driving a brand new Mercedez, and this time bragged to the girls that her father could go to hell, she’d found herself a new Sugar Daddy who was buying out her bastard Dad." Hawkgirl said.
Bruce looked at Diana with a wide smile. "That was incredible work you two!" Bruce said. "See if you can locate Miss Paradis and put a trace on her. Then both of you come back to the Watchtower, we’ll have the entire Taskforce ready to intervene once Rà’s’s location has been found!"
"Will do Bruce, Hawkgirl out!" She said.
"You were right Princess; she has become much more level-headed since she started dating Joey!" Bruce said.
"Doesn’t Aphrodite do wonderful work?" she said with sensuous smile, taking a sip of wine.
"That she does Princess; that she does!" Bruce said, reaching for her hand, kissing it.
The communicators beeped again. "Busy night isn’t it?" Bruce said. "Batman here."
"Clark here Bruce, it sounded urgent." Superman said.
"You know, you could have used the phone!" Bruce said.
"And have my journalist wife eves-drop? Not likely!" Superman said with a smile. "I’m hovering above the apartment building to be sure no-one else can hear."
Bruce chuckled. "It’s a good news bad news deal Clark. Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice delivered the goods: according to Boss Gamache’s bodyguard, a man fitting Rà’s al Ghul’s description had a lengthy business meeting with Boss Gamache, even went under Rà’s’ alias Henri Ducard." Bruce said.
"Great Krypton…and the good news?" Superman asked.
"As it turns out, Rà’s had insider information from Gamache’s own daughter, perhaps even seduced her according to Sadie Stevens – RJ’s brother’s girlfriend who also worked at Gamache’s Night Club. Knowing Rà’s, he has more than drug smuggling on his mind." Bruce said.
"I believe it!" Superman said.
"We’re hoping that by putting a trace on Gamache’s daughter, she’ll lead us directly to Rà’s. Hawkgirl and RJ are in the process of locating her as we speak." Bruce said. "As soon as that’s done; we all meet at the Watchtower and get ready to strike. Mr Terrific’s T-spheres are all in place at the Greenhouse and in the shipping trucks ready to detonate, with spare spheres on standby, ready to blow up the Processing Facilities."
"That’s great news, I’ll finish coffee with Lois and I’ll be on my way to the Watchtower. I want to be part of this Taskforce Bruce. Superman out … kiss Diana for me?" Superman said.
"Don’t get smart Kent!" Bruce said with a grin. "Batman out."
"I don’t think Rà’s will have ever been hit so hard from all flanks!" Diana said.
"We’ll need full force Princess. If he gets enough pure Ultra G processed, the entire planet may be at risk." Bruce said. "This is one time where I insist on assistance from the League, Rà’s isn’t my pet foe any longer."
Watchtower part 2
Batman had called another meeting of the St-François task force, adding Superman, Martian Manhunter and Mr Terrific to the mix. Flash was at home, nursing his broken ribs.
"We are awaiting word from Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice." Batman said. "As soon as we have a positive trace to Rà’s al Ghul, we move in. Mr Terrific, any news?"
"We have spotted one processing plant in Metropolis, while the other shipment has been shipped overseas by plane. I’m getting a strong hunch Batman is right: The Metropolis shipment is for show only. The overseas shipment was about twenty times the size of the one sent to Metropolis. Someone needed mass quantities of Ultra G in a non disclosed location. Either way, the T-Spheres are on standby, ready to detonate." Mr Terrific said.
Everyone at the table smiled and nodded.
"Flash is still on the injured list. Once we locate Rà’s’ we move in on him," Batman said. "He’ll be expecting me and Superman. If he did his homework, and knowing him he will have, he’ll be expecting Wonder Woman as well. The wild cards he won’t be expecting are Green Lantern, Vixen, Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice."
"You’re making it sound like this could be a one way trip." Vixen said.
"We’ve pulled out of tougher situations," Batman said "But Rà’s al Ghul won’t be taken unaware. That force field that broke Flash’s ribs is but a small sample of the technology at his disposal" Batman said, looking at Vixen.
"He is also an accomplished Martial Artist with a small army of Ninjas at his disposal The League of Shadows. My point is he always has a contingency plan." Batman continued.
"I have a feeling you have something else in store." Martian Manhunter said.
Batman looked at him. "You are right. We will need both you and Mr Terrific here at the Watchtower. There is a definite chance we may be taken prisoners. We might not be able to use our communicators. We’ll need you to monitor our thoughts J’onn, or at the very least monitor one of us. We’ll need you to relay the order to Mr Terrific to detonate the T-Spheres once Rà’s has been located and hopefully apprehended. "
Wonder Woman smiled. Batman always covered all bases. Hawkgirl’s voice came on the intercom. "Hawkgirl and RJ to the Watchtower, do you copy?"
Martian Manhunter and Mr Terrific both reached for the intercom at the same time.
Martian Manhunter said "Force of habit Mike, go ahead."
Mr Terrific said: "No J’onn, you have seniority here!"
Superman pressed the intercom switch rolling his eyes "Watchtower here, what’s up Hawkgirl?"
"We’ve been following Ms Paradis’ Mercedes for the past hour and a half, driving to Montreal. She’s headed for the airport. Reverend Justice has changed in civilian clothes and he’ll try to put a tracking device on her. We’ll call the Javelin on remote control and transport the Chariot aboard. We’ll pursue the plane on stealth mode." Hawkgirl said.
Superman looked at Batman. Batman said "That’s good work, don’t lose her you guys. Oh Rev? How on earth did you manage to change clothes driving the Chariot?"
"Simple," the Reverend answered, "After we park I’ll button up the trench coat, leave hat, mask and gloves in the car with Shy and put on a pair of shades. With the quarterstaff at half length I’ll look enough like a blind man it won’t look too suspicious if I stumble upon Miss Paradis to plant the tracker on her." Reverend Justice said.
Batman looked up at his team mates smiling, and saw they all were smiling and nodding.
"You both be very careful, we’ll need you on the strike force once we’ve located Rà’s’ hideout."
"Will do!" Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice replied in unison.
"Now we wait." Green Lantern said.
In the airport, waiting for her flight, Chantale Paradis cursed as a man bumped into her, but refrained from insulting him when she noticed he was blind. She never noticed the tiny tracking device that was slipped in her jacket pocket. It was non metallic and wouldn’t trigger the metal detectors.
The blind man made his way to the exit with the help of a security guard. He then seemed to disappear in the shadows.
As soon as he was sure no-one was looking, Joey uncloaked the Chariot and got in. Shayera greeted him with a kiss. "How did it go?" she asked.
"Planted it in her jacket pocket, she never suspected a thing!" Joey said, putting his mask and hat back on.
"Great!" Shayera said, helping him unbutton his Trench coat, revealing the silver cross on his chest. She activated the Javelin’s remote control. The game was afoot.
Chantale Paradis was awaiting her flight to Nepal. Henri’s private plane would pick her up soon and his private helicopter would be waiting there for her. The Hypnos operations were going well; she was getting 0 hassles from the authorities. Henri had warned her that the Justice League may be giving her problems, but to her surprise they hadn’t.
Henri’s private Jet plane was a thing of beauty: it made trans-Atlantic flights that took regular jets hours in mere minutes; a 12 hour flight to Asia in a regular jet could be made in a matter of a few hours in his Jet.
This arrangement had made her a very wealthy woman. She couldn’t resist showing off in her home town every once in a while, rubbing her good fortune in the face of the peasants who looked down on her: the Mobster’s illegitimate daughter.
"Who’s laughing now St-François?" She thought. Henri had her travelling the world, making business deals with associates and reporting to him once a month. His goons did give her the chills though. She’d met plenty of mob enforcers, plenty of hit men who would get the electric chair in certain parts of the world, but none of them left her feeling uneasy like Henri’s men.
He had been acting increasingly broody and pensive, and that concerned her. She had a cure for that, she thought with a grin.
Henri definitely was wealthy beyond her comprehension, with mansions in remote locations all over the world. She had really hit the jackpot.
Himalayas
She disembarked the Helicopter. Hiro, one of Henri’s lieutenants came to greet her. In her broken English, Chantale said
"Hi Hiro, how is the Master doing?" Henri demanded to be referred to as "Master" in front of his men. There was a dark, dangerous side to Henri, so she complied.
"Master look tense. He expecting you." Hiro said, a slight twitch of the lip being the only glimmer of facial expression on that man. It made her shiver.
He picked up her luggage and escorted her to the Master.
Henri was standing in his Study, facing a giant computer screen that clashed with the traditional décor. He turned to face them. "Thank you Hiro, please take Miss Paradis’ luggage to our sleeping quarters and leave us."
Hiro replied in an Asian tongue that she did not comprehend. He nodded and left them. Henri smiled, but it seemed to be strained.
"Have a seat my pet, tell me, how was business?" He asked.
"Smooth as silk my love." She indulged in calling him ‘my love’ when they were on their own. "The shipments will hit the streets of Gotham City, Metropolis and Central City within the next month. We’ll make a lot of money" She said.
He scoffed. "Mere pennies foolish child, in time you will understand. The spiked cigarettes are nothing but a front to keep the authorities off our backs, chasing Red Herrings. There is a bigger goal here. In time, I will let you know. But first I need to know how loyal you really are." He said, a cold gaze in his eyes.
She looked at him in shock. How dare he question her loyalty? Before she could utter a word he said "Follow me Chantale."
Furious with him, she got up and kept her calm; agreeing to follow. "Don’t let your temper lash out if you want to walk out of here alive girl." She thought.
They left the study and walked a fair bit across the mansion: down the stairs, across the hall and past the living quarters. He led her to another staircase, this one dimly lit. At the end of that staircase was a corridor.
She could see many doors in the dimly lit corridor which seemed to stretch for kilometres…it had to be an optical illusion, right? He let her through the first door and turned on the lights. She gasped in horror.
"Meet my daughter Talia." He said. A young woman floated in a Plexiglas cylinder. Was she dead?
"Talia sided with the enemy, the Detective. That was her punishment. I couldn’t kill my own flesh and blood, so there she lies, in suspended animation. Don’t give me a reason to do the same to you my pet. I ask you again: where do your loyalties lie?" He asked, staring at her coldly.
Trembling, feeling shocked and nauseated, she stammered "With you. My loyalties lie with you."
"Good," he said, his expression brightening. "Make sure you do not forget. I have something for you."
He handed her a small spray bottle. "This is the fruit of your father’s research in its purest form. One small spray in an opponent’s face would send him to dreamland for months. And in case you ever consider using it on me; I came up with an antidote. I’m immune."
"He thought of everything." She thought anxiously. She put the spray bottle in her pocket. "Now come and rest my pet. You must be exhausted from jet-lag." He said.
"So cold and cruel one moment, so loving and caring the next…" she thought, repressing a shiver. "I doubt I’ll be able to sleep!"
Leagues Collide
At the Watchtower, Mr Terrific paged the Taskforce: "Paging Taskforce, target acquired! I repeat: target acquired! Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice are in pursuit. Taskforce to the Javelin Bay! Taskforce to the Javelin Bay!"
Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Vixen gathered at the Javelin Bay at double speed and boarded one of the Javelins. Superman took the pilot’s seat. Batman got to the Communicator. "Javelin II to Javelin I come in?"
"Javelin I here Batman" Reverend Justice replied, leaving the piloting to Hawkgirl.
"Do not engage, I repeat, do not engage. Stay in stealth mode until we are in range. Rà’s’ Ninjas will have you outnumbered, await backup. I repeat: await backup. We will be there soon." Batman said.
"Copy that Batman. We’ll find a spot to land and await your arrival; Javelin I out." Reverend Justice said.
"Is he serious? He’s expecting us to wait?" Hawkgirl said.
"You may be super strong and experienced in warfare, but I have no super strength and my combat expertise is limited to one opponent or two at a time. I can’t expect you to bail me out if we’re outnumbered: you’ll be too busy yourself Angel." He reasoned with a smile. "With the rest of the Taskforce, I’m less of a liability in this fight."
"I’ve seen you fight preacher, trust me, you’re no liability!" She said, smiling sensuously. They landed about a kilometre from the Mansion, keeping the cloak on. Shayera put her arms around Joey and kissed him. "For luck!" she said.
"You’re all the luck I need." He said.
They held each other. All of a sudden she began feeling anxious. All of a sudden, waiting for backup sounded like a great idea.
She had never felt this anxious before combat before. There was so much more she needed to tell him. That topic which made her fear he’d leave her. She now feared she might lose him in combat and she would never be able to tell him.
Joey made her feel normal. He made her feel sane. He made her feel like she belonged in this world. He made her feel wanted and loved. She didn’t want to lose him and feel alone and abandoned again.
To her surprise, she found herself praying in silence as she and Joey held each other:
"God, I wasn’t brought up to believe in you, and I’ve seen too much violence in my life to believe in a God of Love like Earthlings do. But my Joey does. And that’s enough to make me want to believe. Perhaps not in the same way he does, but please God, protect my Joey in this combat we’re about to enter. And please God, give me the strength to tell him everything in a way that he won’t leave me once we’re out of there. I love him so much, he deserves to know. But I don’t want to lose him too. Please God protect him, protect us…"
"Penny for your thoughts Angel?" Joey asked.
"It just dawned on me I could lose you in this fight. Please be careful Joey. I know your suit is bullet-proof, but all the same, please be careful!" She said, near tears, unable to bring up the topic that made her so nervous.
"I promise Shy. You be careful too. This is why it’s so important to await backup." He said.
"Shut up!" She said, sobbing again, kissing him.
"I love you too Angel!" He said, catching his breath. She could be a very passionate kisser.
She laughed, and hugged Joey again "I’ll tell you everything Joey. I promise … as soon as we’re done with this mission. How is it that can face an entire army without flinching but be such a coward talking to my boyfriend?" She thought, feeling more tears stinging her eyes.
"Javelin II to Javelin I, come in?" Batman’s voice crackled in the communicators.
"Javelin I here Batman." Reverend Justice replied.
"We’re in range. We’ll land right beside you." Batman said.
Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice took a deep breath and smiled at the synchronicity. She put on her Helmet and grabbed her Mace. They heard Javelin II landing nearby. They stepped out to meet the team.
All eyes turned to Batman. He knew Rà’s al Ghul best. "By now, his sensor web has probably detected us. Which means his Ninjas should be surrounding us pretty soon. "Batman said.
"We’re a good kilometre away from the Mansion …" Green Lantern said.
"Doesn’t matter. Wear out the enemy. He doesn’t expect his Ninjas to make short work of us, just soften us up enough for him to handle us personally. The kilometre-long trek in the mountains to get to him should make us that much easier to handle." Batman said.
"You’re making it sound like he expects us!" Vixen said.
"Rà’s expects a Justice League contingency. His sensors picked up both Javelins so he knows we’re here. He expects me to be part of that team, and probably Superman. Like I was saying in the Watchtower meeting, he won’t be able to anticipate each member of the taskforce. Still, we can expect kryptonite and all sorts of nasties to be part of the game." Batman said.
"We have company!" Wonder Woman said.
Looking up at the surrounding hills, they saw scores of Ninjas, surrounding them.
Vixen looked at Wonder Woman and asked: "Girlfriend, don’t you get cold?"
"The suit has many secrets; among them is the capability to adapt to all sorts of temperature conditions." She answered with a smile.
"Believe her." Hawkgirl said. "We went to hell and back and she never broke a sweat."
"By now they’ve reported to their Master," Batman said. "He knows who’s a part of this team. Let’s do this!"
The first wave of Ninjas descended on them. From the distance, they looked like ants against the backdrop of mountain snow, growing bigger as they approached. The Justice League formed a circle; and went on the offensive.
Green Lantern hovered in a green energy force field and faced the south side. He flew towards what seemed to be 10 Ninjas from the distance.
Going on momentum he shot a beam of green energy from his ring, which took the shape of a giant snowplough. "An old favourite of mine gentlemen, I hope you like!" he said, scooping the Ninjas in a giant snowball. He enjoyed using that tactic whenever snow was involved.
Meanwhile, Vixen first summoned the power of the Snow tiger. Not one of her usual jungle animals, but fitting the climate they were in. She ran towards the group of Ninjas that were coming towards her.
She saw a flurry of ninja stars coming her way. She stopped in her tracks and summoned the power of the Turtle. The Ninjas looked on in bewilderment as an attack that should have been lethal was being deflected without even touching the target. What happened next frightened them even more: to the point they were frozen in place.
That young woman had taken a flying leap in the air a shining aura enveloping her for the third time. She landed on three of them pinning them to the snow covered ground seemingly too heavy for them to move her, passing out.
The other seven Ninjas looked in shock and terror, as that woman, that attractive, petite woman was now leaping at them bowling them over as if she were a rhinoceros?
10 more Ninjas down. "Having fun baby?" Green Lantern asked.
"I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!" Vixen said, grinning.
Reverend Justice and Hawkgirl stood back to back. "Shy? Why don’t you give me a swing towards that bunch over there?" The Reverend asked.
Hawkgirl smiled and picked him up around the waist. He activated his n’th metal belt to allow her to gain speed. At top speed, she tossed him at the group of ten Ninjas he targeted. He deactivated his belt in mid-flight so he could hit them full force, pulling his quarterstaff out.
A few Ninja stars deflected on his Kevlar suit as he powered up his quarterstaff. He hit five men upon his descent with a swing of his electrified quarterstaff, using them to break his fall. Five more Ninjas down.
Before the effect of surprise could wear off, Reverend Justice stood up and took a defensive stance to face the 5 remaining Ninjas. To make sure no-one was standing behind him he took a quick roundhouse swing with the electrified quarterstaff.
The quarterstaff hit one Katana, sending a jolt through the metal and through the hands of the Ninja holding it, stunning him. And then there were four. Seeing the Ninja stars and katanas were of no use, the four remaining Ninjas decided to revert to hand to hand combat.
They circled the Reverend who pivoted to keep an eye on all opponents. "Not a liability eh Shy?" He then smiled and activated his n’th metal belt and jumped a good 6 feet in the air, avoiding a pair of kicks that could have easily broken his neck. The two Ninjas ended up knocking each other out, leaving two standing.
Reverend Justice retracted the quarterstaff and put it in a pocket. He armed the two stunners on his gloves and fired bolts at the remaining two Ninjas. They dropped like rocks. He deactivated the belt and landed. Total Ninjas down, 30. He let out a relieved sigh.
While the Reverend handled his share of warriors, Hawkgirl, batted the Katana out of the hands of one Ninja who dared face her using her mace. She then grabbed him by the collar and flew up higher. Using him as a projectile (The Reverend had given her the idea) she threw him with all her might at the rest of the 10 man squad that decided to face her.
She returned to the Reverend and smiled seeing how well he was handling himself. "Looks like you heard my prayer, thank you God!" She thought, smiling.
"And you used to do this for fun?" He asked her, a bewildered look on his face.
"That was a few years ago preacher. You’ve done very well." She couldn’t help herself and kissed him, not realizing they were being watched.
Superman half expected kryptonite loaded weaponry as three groups of ten Ninjas were coming for him. He would not give them the chance to try: too much was at stake in this mission. He took a deep breath…and exhaled, blowing a snow storm at them, freezing them into place.
Batman and Wonder Woman were fighting side by side. Batman noticed the Ninjas tactics weren’t the same as he remembered. Rather than going for the killer blows to him and focusing their efforts on Wonder Woman who was the strongest; they were trying to isolate them from one another … something clicked in his mind.
"Batman to task force, disengage! They’re not trying to wear us out; they’re trying to delay us! Those of you with power of flight give a team member who doesn’t fly a lift and get to the Mansion immediately, something big is about to happen and they’re trying to keep us away from it!"
Green Lantern Picked up Vixen with a power beam, Hawkgirl picked up Reverend Justice and Wonder Woman picked up Batman. Superman led the way as they flew towards the mansion, leaving scores of bemused Ninjas behind.
In the Mansion, Rà’s had received communiqués from one of his lieutenants. The Detective, the Kryptonian, the Amazon, Green Lantern and his African Sorceress, the Thanagarian wench and the Detective’s lackey had shown up.
Plus, his man reported he saw the Thanagarian kissing the Detective’s lackey. Rà’s smiled a blood curdling grin. He would turn the Justice League against each other, see it implode from within. Having spies worldwide, he knew things even the best informed people didn’t.
His League of Shadows would prevail on the Justice League, finally. And with his Ultra-G weapon, the world would be at his command; putting order into chaos, new life where there was decay.
The Detective should have seen this but didn’t, wouldn’t. Rà’s Al Ghul paged Hiro.
"Hiro, we will soon have visitors. Make sure Miss Paradis is not disturbed, and see that the Jade statues are in the lobby to greet the visitors. Also, make sure the special lighting and incense are in place."
Hiro bowed and got to work.
The great game of chess that had been matching wits with Batman was about to come to a checkmate.
End of part 2