Cheshire exploded forward, sais striking high and low. I parried with both hands, no need for reinforcement, flipping her into a spin and slamming her into the ground. I punted her aside just in time to dodge a descending punch from Sportsmaster.
I caught and parried his incoming punches, each heavier than the last, finishing with a strike to the throat that choked him up, then dropped him with a blow to the knee. The other agents descended—a flurry of slashes, blows, kicks, and stabs. I juked, weaved, bounced back, then suddenly accelerated, flooding my limbs with Curse Energy and Overdrive.
My speed tripled instantly, and I swept through the wave with a shoulder check, sending assassins flying, tangled and screaming.
Behind me, Aqualad battled the recovering Sportsmaster, while Red Arrow perched above, picking off threats before we even spotted them.
Leaning to the side, I dodged Cheshire's surprise attack and swiped at her with a dagger as she flew past. She spun to face me as I stored the weapon. Then I was in front of her, hand at her neck, slamming her into the ground.
Tiles shattered. She grunted in pain, but I knew she could take it. I jabbed her with the strongest paralytic I had, then flung her toward Luthor, who ducked, letting her unconscious body splat on the wall and peel off.
Sportsmaster lunged immediately, no words, no scream to give away his relation to Cheshire, but it was telling to anyone paying attention.
It gave Aqualad the advantage. A water whip lashed out, which he dodged, but not the follow-up water mace. Sportsmaster shrugged it off and accelerated, moving nearly twice what a normal human being should be capable of.
I tried intercepting him, but Shadows tried to dogpile me, but not before I got my warning out.
"Don't let him get to her," I called to Red Arrow.
He narrowed his eyes and peppered the charging assassin with everything he had—restriction, binding, even boxing-glove arrows.
On my side of the room, I went on the offensive, summoning a practice spear and whipping it around like a staff. I snapped both ends at heads, shoulders, knees, crotches, then vaulted out of the tightening circle of Shadows before it closed in. I flung the spear at half-power straight at Sportsmaster's thigh just as he flipped Aqualad over his shoulder.
He screamed as it struck, piercing flesh and muscle but not bone. He'd bleed out in minutes if untreated, but with his enhancements, I knew it wasn't enough. I drew my whip and snapped it, slicing through the air like a bullet, wrapping tightly around Sportsmaster's neck.
Yanking hard, I ripped him off his feet and slammed him into a statue. Stone chipped, and he landed with a grunt. I half-expected him to transform, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled a knife and slashed at the whip—to no effect. I pulled my paralytic gun and fired. His exposed neck and hands were filled it with darts.
With a final flick, I sent his fading body flying into the corner where his unconscious daughter laid.
The way Artemis talked about him. You'd think he had no soul, but I guess there's something primal in every parent. It's second instinct to give life and limb for your children, even if you don't particularly like them.
The spear came loose mid-flight, tumbling to the ground. Red Arrow shot me a stunned look—probably surprised by my methods—but said nothing.
We still had a handful of Shadow agents left. The rest were unconscious or too injured to move.
Retrieving my whip, I tucked it back into my inventory and cracked my knuckles at the survivors. "I promise I won't break any bones if you turn yourselves in."
They shivered, then charged. Or so I thought. Smoke bombs exploded, blanketing the room in darkness.
"Fall back on Luthor and the ministers!" I ordered. I heard Red Arrow and Aqualad move.
In the frantic darkness, I punched one or two Shadows off their feet, but most slipped away. After thirty long seconds, the smoke cleared. We were alone—dignitaries untouched, Sportsmaster and Cheshire gone.
Of course.
Still, it gave me answers. I retrieved my bloody spear and raised it with a smile. Cheshire and Sportsmaster's DNA was bound to be in the system, and if they had Blockbuster in them, I'd know. Which meant they were holding back during this mission.
And Shadows weren't infamous for their restraint.
"You were ruthless," Aqualad said, walking up.
"I was mild," I countered. "And deliberate."
His eyes widened at the blood on my spear.
"If they've got Blockbuster in their system, we'll know they're tied to Luthor. And that they pulled back."
I nodded. "The League of Shadows always completes its assignments."
"You think killing Luthor and stopping the Rhelasian talks wasn't their goal?" Aqualad asked, glancing at Luthor shaking hands and smiling for the cameras.
"Fits his MO," I said quietly. Red Arrow walked over. "And Ra's strikes me as pragmatic. Old grudges don't mean much if there's profit."
And reuniting two war-torn countries sounds like a hell of a way to cash in. Infrastructure contracts, weapons. The list is endless. And all they had to do was put on a dog and pony show for the prime ministers. I'm sure their sales pitch would've gone smoother without me here showing up his security team and the Shadows, but I bet Luthor already has a clever spin on that. The press will also probably 'forget' to report it.
"I can't believe we just did Luthor a solid," Red Arrow muttered.
"At least we know about the side deal. Even if the tests come up dry, we know they pulled their punches. Someone could've gone for Lex when the smoke hit."
Red Arrow raised a brow. Aqualad filled him in. By the time we were outside, Red Arrow gave me a strange look.
"Solid detective work," he grumbled. "From what I heard, you're more of a wrecking ball than a thinker."
"Guilty," I said. "You're not too far behind with that bow yourself."
"Thanks," he muttered, then turned to Aqualad. "I'll reach out again if I need your help."
He walked off. Aqualad and I watched him go.
"He's nice enough," I said.
"And I didn't give you enough credit," Aqualad admitted. "You didn't go too far."
I scoffed. "You say that like I don't know what I'm doing… ninety percent of the time."
"We should relay this to the League," he said, ignoring my crack.
"Got an exfil plan?"
"There's a private plane waiting just outside the capital."
"Never been on one."
"There's a first time for everything."
–––
We were inside the hangar when it happened. The air twisted beside the flight attendant, and three figures manifested.
The swell of Cursed Energy marked them instantly—Special Grades, each one with at least three times my reserves. Two were identical: same height, same bone structure, same odd-eye patch and unnevervingly blue eyes--different genders.
Their leader was someone familiar. She wore the face of someone I should've killed in Texas.
Lily. Back for revenge, and she'd brought backup.
My technique burst out in a wave before I moved, exploding with Overdrive, flooding every inch of me. The ground shattered, curse energy surged, and I planted myself in front of Aqualad, arms crossed—just as the twins moved.
The brother raised his hand, releasing a vortex of cursed energy. The sister formed a familiar jujutsu sign.
Curtain. Darkness fell as the vortex whipped into existence, pulling everything in.
Aqualad and I held our ground, but the pilot and flight attendant were dragged away, along with bags, crates, and chunks of the hangar itself.
The vortex spun wider, ripping at the hangar walls, tearing steel and concrete into its storm.
Shit.
I looked back and horse-kicked Aqualad in the gut, hard, sending him flying. It'd leave a bruise, but he'd have time to call for help.
Lily caught on, blurred forward, and hit me. The air vibrated. My technique. vanished, her fingers biting deep into my forearm, tearing through muscle to bone.
She'd broken my defense before—but never in one strike. Never likt this.
It felt like my technique was being sucked into a void just before she connected.
The blow hurled me dozens of feet. She twisted, clutching my mangled arm, trying to spin me aside and gun for Aqualad.
But his survival was non-negotiable.
I leaned into the pain, gritted my teeth, snapped my own joint like a chicken bone, and drove my fist into her face—Overdrive burning through titanium knuckles.
Surprise flickered in her eyes before she was punted away, skidding across the hangar.
At the edge of my vision, Aqualad stopped, water blades drawn wide.
"What the fuck are you doing!" I roared.
"I already sent the distress signal," he said. "The League will be here any minute."
"Not if they can't get through the Curtain. Run!"
"It's too late for that," a voice cut in.
The female twin stood beside him. She swung her hand, swatting Aqualad aside, sending him flying across the hangar.
Fucking heroes.
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