Chapter Thirty-Four: Chance Meetings.
Olivia Queen pounded away at a punching bag in the middle of the ARGUS. She just had to calm down and get her mind off of some very obvious frustrations somehow. One of the frustrations was the very obvious that no matter how much Liv did to help ARGUS, there was always a chance that what she did, it was not good enough. Liv pounded away at the bag at a more rapid-fire fury than ever before.
Or maybe, as Holly and Nym hinted, Liv was a bit too good. The teachers in school might have disagreed Liv had been too good given some less than favorable reviews. The bag flew when the girl punched away at the bag in a rapid fashion, breathing in and breathing out heavily with each punch which connected with a bag.
Harry stepped behind her and Liv took five to address him. Seconds later, Tess followed Harry inside.
"So, are you free to go?" Liv asked a few seconds later.
"Yes, almost, well Waller says she has to finish up the paperwork to release me," Tess said. "I'm surprised you haven't left yet."
"Why are surprised about that?" Liv asked, keeping one eye on Tess a few seconds later.
Tess just answered with an obvious shrug. "Well, it seems particularly obvious that you don't prefer being here. Which is a shame, you're very capable of what you're doing at ARGUS. Rough around the edges, but you're pretty capable, to be honest."
Liv pounded away at the bag a few more rounds mostly to keep calm. Waller's face flashed into Liv's eyes for a moment. The director had a job which Liv would not envy, that much was for sure. Still, Liv hated to have to be here every single waking moment. Liv missed her home, friends, her family, especially Thea. It would have been nearly three years since she last saw Thea.
"I feel grateful and all for Waller pulling me out of that hell," Liv said.
"But, she has no right to leave you here for long," Harry said. "But, there's a part of you who thinks you should be here."
Liv blinked in response. Why would she want to remain away from home for any longer than possible? The two years fighting for survival, and almost another year in ARGUS, working for Waller, Liv didn't really want to even think about the fact she wanted to be here.
"You feel guilty about something, don't you?" Harry asked.
"That obvious?" Liv asked. "Well,…it's about Sara…actually, it's about Laurel. I lied to Laurel, saying I didn't know where her sister was. I knew exactly where Sara was, she was about to get on the ship to join me, behind the back of my girlfriend."
"Well, that's a tough one to justify," Tess said.
"I thought maybe the ship going down was part to punish me for throwing away something good," Liv said. "Maybe I was afraid it was getting too personal, maybe I feared commitment. I don't know."
Liv picked up the bow and arrow and sighed. The woman took a deep breath and hit the targets one by one with pinpoint precision, never once missing a shot. Liv would have asked Waller to get some harder targets to hit, providing she wanted to stay here. The Queen Heiress did not want to stay here any longer than possible.
"Never get too good at anything in front of Waller," Liv warned Tess. "She'll draft you into service. She has you by the throat given how you got pulled out of the fire."
"I'll be careful to look incompetent then, "Tess said with a smile. "So, I don't see why you can't just walk out of that door. Is Waller going to track you down?"
"I can get you out of here if you really want to leave," Harry said.
Liv's frown deepened. Did she want to leave and take Harry up on his word? Harry and Sara could come and go as they pleased. Not that there seemed to be any cell which could hold either of them, Harry, especially, if Liv was being perfectly honest, and for right now she was.
"Yes, at least you aren't under investigation."
Isabel Rochev stepped out into the gym, dressed in a nice button up black shirt and a pair of black pants. Liv suspected the ankle bracelet and the wrist bracelet was not the standard autumn fashion, at least that's what the woman suspected anyway. Isabel stepped in, a grimace locked on her face.
"Olivia Queen," Isabel said. "I never would expect a Queen to stick their neck out and save someone that wasn't in their tax bracket. Or really, anyone at all."
"Whatever, my father did, I'm sorry," Liv responded, to be honest. "I'm sure there are a lot of things which he did, that I'm not going to be proud about. I didn't really know. I think he thought he was doing the best."
"Yes, well his best hurt a lot of people who trusted him," Isabel said. "But, I'm not going to fault you for anything he did. The only crime you've committed were being blissfully ignorant. He did think the world of you, and Thea, even though Thea was not his daughter."
"Wait, what?" Liv asked.
Harry and Tess exchanged a sidelong glance, wondering if they should be in the same room for that particular level of family drama.
"Thea is Malcolm Merlyn's daughter, not Robert Queen's," Isabel said a moment or so later, and she took a small amount of pleasure in letting this secret off of her chest. "It's not the main reason why he sent me into exile. Guess Robert Queen can't handle the implication he had been cucked by his supposed good friend and his wife."
"It's…you might...I don't know how you got this information," Liv said.
"From a very credible source," Isabel said. "I could kill you, but I won't. I think learning your parents are awful people are more than enough to destroy your life."
"If it wasn't for me being there, you would have rotted in that house," Liv said.
"Maybe, I suppose you want a parade or something," Isabel said a second or so later. "Regardless, I thank you for that, and I also hope you find the list. And if you do have the nerve to return to face your past, you should kill every single person on that list, starting with your mother and Merlyn."
'How does she know about the List?' Sara asked.
'You mean the List that we haven't told Liv about, and that we really should,' Harry thought a moment or so later.
"Well, the List must have gotten lost with my father at sea," Liv said a moment or so later. "I think you've been locked up for a long time though, and you have issues because of it."
"Maybe," Isabel said. "Or maybe, my heads clearer than ever before...Waller is going to keep me on a leash now, at least you have the freedom to move about."
'Yes, Waller's little Suicide Squad,' Rose thought. 'Just like my father….I can't believe he's still alive….no one will tell me what facility he's in either.'
'Yeah, I can't imagine why they wouldn't tell you,' Nym thought.
There had been no answers, and the tension in the air continued.
'So, I've made contact with one of my associates in France, and she has something you might want to find out if you want to make the trip,' Nyssa interjected.
Harry did not want to leave Liv and Isabel alone as there had been some obvious tension there, and Isabel seemed to be taking out the frustration of her current predicament out on Liv. Still, France awaited, and the answers to the White Canary medallion awaited as well.
"So, maybe by the next time I'll see you, it will be on the outside," Tess said. "I just hope I still have a job to get back to."
"Where do you work?" Liv asked.
"LuthorCorp," Tess said.
Liv grimaced at that particular last name. Lex Luthor obsessed with her so much when they went to school together, Liv wished he took up some kind of very constructive hobby.
"Sara and I have something to share with you later," Harry said. "When you get out….and you will get out soon…whenever you want to."
Liv really thought the matter was out of her hands, to be honest. Never the less, she humored Harry with a nod and wondered what those two could have to share with her now. Something about when the ship went down maybe, and sensitive information which could not have been told around other prying ears. That was the best Liv could have figured out anyway.
'Guess I'll have to figure it out later.
Liv brought in a deep sigh and knew things would get very frustrating from here.
Harry arrived in France and stepped to the hotel where he was going to meet Sara and Nyssa, who had been there for a couple of days. Nyssa's contact would also be meeting them.
'Well, Liv's entire worldview has changed, hasn't it?' Sara asked. 'I'm not sure if it's a good idea to show her the list now, but given that it was intended for her…we should.'
'Yes, we should,' Harry agreed. 'I really didn't want to leave her after the bombshell Isabel gave. I don't even know if it's true or not. Isabel didn't seem to be lying, but there's a chance she had been misled.'
'Well, Moira Queen and Malcolm Merlyn always seemed a little bit friendly in public,' Sara said. 'Not saying that means anything because there are ways for men and women to be friendly, and not be trying to get into each other's pants. Still, it might have been some kind of revenge fuck, after Robert slept around on Moira, and let's face it, that happened a lot.'
'Merlyn is a snake,' Nyssa said.
'Not a big fan?' Sara asked.
'Hardly,' Nyssa thought. 'He's a former member of the League of Assassins as well, and he was released from services. My father does not like being made a fool out of. He's very good at escaping situations he shouldn't. Got him the name the Magician in the League because of it. There were times where he should have been killed several times over, but for some reason or another, he survived.'
Harry filed the fact under very interesting when he stepped into a hotel lobby. In an instant, Harry almost ran into someone coming down the hallway.
"Whoops, I'm so sorry!"
The cup of coffee flying out of the woman's hand had been caught so quickly. The blue-eyed redhead woman watched when Harry caught the coffee, in surprised awe. She dressed in a black tank top and a pair of shorts, showing a very fit figure.
"That was amazing," she said. "I've only seen one person with reflexes that fast."
'Oh shit,' Sara thought.
'What's the matter?' Nyssa asked.
'That's one of my sister's friends, Barbara Gordon, and she has a tendency to learn things that she shouldn't,' Sara thought a moment later. 'We have to be very careful, not to blow my cover.'
'Relax, beloved, you're in disguise,' Nyssa thought.
'No, she's able to see through things, her father was a cop and her boss…well her boss….let's just say he's a master of deception and leave it at that,' Sara said a moment or so later.
'Oh, I see, the Detective,' Nyssa thought, a small amount of disdain crossing through her voice about that particular individual.
The redhead, Barbara Gordon as Sara pointed out, had the cup of coffee slipped back into her hand. Harry responded with the type of smile which just melted the hearts of girls. Barbara shuddered the very second Harry put the coffee into her hand.
"You should be more careful Ms….."
"Gordon," she said. "Barbara Gordon…and I've never seen you around here before…"
"Harry Potter," she said.
"Oh, you sound like a spy, or maybe a character out of a children's fantasy series," Barbara said. The inquisitive redhead looked at Harry with what appeared to be a very dazzling smile. "You're not either a spy or a character from a children's fantasy series, are you?"
"No," Harry said with a chuckle. "So, how are you enjoying France, Ms. Gordon?"
"Please, call me Barbara," she said with a smile. "And it's an interesting trip, I'm actually going all over Europe for my summer vacation. Getting my friend to come here was the real trick…she needed a vacation badly, she's needed one for about three years."
'Wait, you can't…you can't be serious, can you?' Sara asked a moment or so later.
Sure enough, a gorgeous blonde woman stepped around the corner. She dressed in a black leather jacket, a white tank top, and a pair of nice blue jeans which fit around the lower half of her body like a second skin. She sauntered into the area with a very steady step and a very prominent smile over her face.
"Harry Potter, this is Dinah Laurel Lance," Barbara said. "Laurel, this is Harry Potter….we bumped into each other, and he almost spilled coffee on me."
"Hi," Laurel said for a minute. "Sorry about Barbara, she…she tells get a bit overexcited about things. I hope she wasn't giving you the third degree over here."
"No, she wasn't, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Laurel," Harry said.
Harry thought it was kind of surreal to mean a woman he learned so much about through a bond mate, who just happened to be said bond mates sister. The moment Laurel and Harry touched hands to shake, a few sparks flew.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Static cling?" Laurel asked.
"Oh, that can be a bitch," Barbara said, but she was looking at Harry curiously.
Barbara Gordon prided herself on keen observation, and the fact was, Harry Potter seemed to be familiar with Laurel. Despite this being the first time the two had ever met. Why? Barbara wanted to know.
"Well, we won't want to keep on him his vacation any longer, would we?" Barbara asked.
Laurel wanted Harry to stick around a bit longer, to be honest. She had not been in a serious relationship in about three years, despite Barbara needling her about the fact Laurel should move on from what happened. The relationship with Liv, Laurel thought it was very serious, but things spiraled out of control.
"Well, I have to meet with someone, but it was nice meeting you," Harry said. "Nice meeting both of you."
"Yeah, sorry about the near coffee spill," Barbara said. "I won't do it again…well, I should really watch where I was going."
Barbara shook Harry's hand one more time and pulled away from him. A second passed, and a smug smile appeared on Barbara's face. She had a hunch and planted a tracking device on Harry to see what the young man was really up to. The smile faded an instant when the tracking device Barbara slipped on Harry had been slipped off onto the front lobby desk.
Laurel noticed the tracking device at once, mouth hanging open, and she turned to Barbara.
"Babs, you didn't!" Laurel whisper yelled.
Barbara just shrugged, no harm is done given that he was able to shake the tracking device in approximately ten seconds. That was pretty sloppy on her part, or maybe he was that good.
"I see the Detective has taught her not to respect the personal boundaries of others."
Harry turned on to meet with Nyssa and Sara on the penthouse floor of the hotel suite, where Nyssa's contact was around. The meeting with Nyssa's contact would take place in a few minutes, and they were going to be very early to the party, to leave a good impression.
"Barbara did that?" Sara asked. "She slipped a tracking device on you? I can't believe she did that!"
"You really can't?" Nyssa asked. "Look who her mentor is, and tell me, you can't believe she would have done something like that."
Sara did not know what to do. She would have to be more careful, because either Sara bumped into Barbara or Laurel, and the great cover of being missing presumed dead was blown. A part of Sara did want to see her sister, to assure Laurel everything was okay, but a part of her dreaded it.
One of two things happened, either Laurel got over Sara lying almost three years ago, or everything festered, and more bitterness built up over three years. Sara could not see anything other than those two extremes happening.
"She'll need to be punished for disregarding your personal boundaries," Nyssa said.
"Just let it go," Harry said. "I don't think she could have guessed I have something on my watch that warns me when someone tries to track or trace me. It would take an act of an army of gods."
Nyssa only let the matter drop on two accounts. Respect and devotion to Harry and the fact a very stunning blonde dressed in an elegant female business suit ensemble stepped into the room. The first couple of buttons of the blouse were tastefully undone to show how well-endowed the woman was, and a nice skirt hugged her hips as well. Stockings covered stunning legs which went on from miles.
One look at that angelic face showed Harry exactly who Nyssa's contact in France was.
'Hello, Fleur,' Harry thought.
'You….another doppelganger?' Sara asked.
'Yes,' Harry said. 'This should be interesting, as she is part-Veela…at least she was back in my universe. I don't know whether or not she is or not.'
The allure wasn't as in Harry's face as it was back home, but it could be dialed back for a more subtle deception.
"Hello," Fleur said. "Nyssa…and you must be…..Melody, right?"
Sara nodded at the alias of Melody Drake which she took. The dark wig and glasses were in place.
"A pleasure to meet you," Sara said, with a smile.
"And you're the famous Harry Potter," Fleur said. "Are you by chance any relation to the Potter Twins, of Amanda and Emily Potter, who run Horizon Media Enterprises, one of the top media companies in Metropolis?"
"No, can't say I know of them," Harry said.
Although, these two females would be something to look into because Harry doubted the fact there seemed to be two people who shared the same last name as his to be a coincidence.
"Oh, well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter, "Fleur said.
The allure was still present, as Harry took a closer look. Fleur just had a lot easier time in making it less overt in this world. In the other world, Fleur confessed to Harry that it was hard to keep the allure under wraps, and it lead to her being frustrated most of the time. Something happened in this world when Fleur gain controlled.
"Nyssa, why did you want to meet with me on such short order?" Fleur asked.
"We hoped to ask you about the White Canary," Nyssa said. "HIVE has been after the medallions, and Melody has been researching it, and the White Canary medallion….."
"You wish to know whether or not the rumors are true of the medallion are in France, yes?" Fleur asked. The woman took a drink from the glass of wine which had been poured out and smiled from across the table. "I believe I may be able to help you, although not as much as you would like me to help you."
The woman took a long drink from the wine on the table and took in a deep breath in response. Fleur slowly sipped on the wine and leaned closer down to the edge of the table.
"The medallion is somewhere in France, although if we knew where we could have used it to find it to resurrect our Queen," Fleur said. "Unfortunately, the medallion has a tendency of having a mind of its own…and can only be properly accessed by the Queen…the White Canary."
"So, that's a problem," Harry said.
"Unfortunately, it is," Fleur agreed. The woman blew a blonde lock of hair away. "I can give you the journal containing all of my aunt's notes."
"What happened to your aunt?" Sara asked suddenly.
"I don't know, one day she just disappeared," Fleur said. "My mother had to take control, to ensure peace would continue with my people. And I have been given the task of collecting all of the information possible. It is how I got in contact with Nyssa and became a part of the League of Assassins. To protect my home, my sister, and all of the White Canary Tribe."
Sara took a moment to smile and lean across the table. The moment Fleur and Sara touched hands, Fleur just smiled, but the smile faded towards a look of stoic indifference.
"I believe you will be able to find it, should it still be in France," Fleur said. "Providing of course…he hasn't gotten control of it."
The moment Nyssa mentioned HIVE had bene involved, great fear and panic gripped the body of Fleur Delacour. She feared the White Bumblebee continued the hunt for the medallion. Darhk might have had his own ambitions to grab ahold of the medallion, but none of these ambitions matched anything close to the horror of what might happen when the White Bumblebee had gotten control of the medallion.
"He won't have," Harry said. "No in HIVE will have."
"You can start with crypt of one of the White Canary's trusted advisors," Fleur said. "Her name is Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux."
Fleur handed the piece of paper down on the table, and they had information, and a name to work on, with a crypt. That could be something to build upon.
"I'll check out the crypt," Harry said. "The two of you, you check out the monument across from the hotel…and we'll meet back later, or inform the others if anything find something….thanks, Fleur, it is a pleasure to help you."
"The pleasure will be all mine," Fleur said. "I'm sure we can come up with terms of payment later."
Fleur's hand lightly brushed Harry underneath the table and pulled away with a smile. The full blast of the allure had been given, for a brief second, and Harry just stood back, smiling knowingly. Fleur had all of the confirmation she needed about the man's identity because there was only one man in the entire multiverse who could withstand the full blast without being turned into a blithering idiot.
'And that's why she's a deadly assassin, she can bring men down with a smile and a wink, and a caress, before stabbing them,' Nyssa thought. 'But, she has her own agenda….even if her loyalty is to you two, above the League.'
'Me?' Sara asked.
'Well, you are the White Canary,' Nyssa commented, unable to believe this was an argument Sara was going to have for much longer.
Harry Potter stepped into the crypt, and he sensed some strange energies. Being the Master of Death, Harry could lock into Death without flinching. Harry turned around the corner and came across a statue of a dark haired woman who looked down upon Harry. The woman was of stunning beauty, but also looked very dangerous.
Turning around, Harry could have sworn he saw a ghost to be honest, or at least a doppelganger. A teenager, of about seventeen or eighteen years ago, stepped around the corner and looked at Harry.
"It can't be," she breathed.
"What can't be?" Harry asked.
"Sorry, you just look like a drawing I've seen in a cave somewhere before," she said. "It's just unreal….my friends Claire and Chloe, they showed me the cave, and….it looks just like you. I just can't believe it…."
"Well, to be fair, you look just like that statue," Harry said.
"Yeah, I know, I've heard of identical ancestors," she said with a smile. "I was in France, researching my mother's side of the family, and one of my ancestors is here...Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux….she was burned at the stake for being a witch….which seems silly."
"What the fact that witches exist?" Harry asked.
"Well, no, trust me, I think that's possible," the girl said. "But, you would think, if they were a witch or a wizard, or something, they would magic away the fire, and teleport out of there, or something."
"Maybe the person who burned them was secretly a witch themselves," Harry said.
"Oh, that could be it," the girl responded a few seconds later, the smile brightening slightly when locking onto the young man's eyes, and he had gorgeous green eyes. "I'm sorry…who…"
"Harry Potter," Harry said.
"Huh, that's interesting," the girl said. "My mother's maiden name is Potter….and she has cousins from the United Kingdom….you're not by any chance related to Amanda and Emily Potter, are you? The co-founders of Horizon Media Enterprises?"
"Believe it or not, you're only the second person to ask me that question today," Harry said. "And no, not to my knowledge….are you?"
"Yeah, cousins, distant cousins," she said. "My name is Lana…Lana Lang."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lana," Harry said. "Isn't it spooky how she looks exactly like you?"
"Yeah, a little bit."
Lana could not take her eyes off of Harry. If he was related to her, well it was a good thing Lana was not really opposed to incest. But, there was some kind of feeling Lana had, the same feeling she had about Claire before Lana learned Claire's secret. The feeling that Harry might not be from around here hit Lana very hard.
"I'm looking up something for a friend," Harry said, answering Lana's unanswered question. "So, you say there's a painting in a cave which looks just like me?"
"Yes, exactly like you," Lana said. "Well, you're not wearing battle armor right now, but slap some armor on you, and you would look just like the painting in the cave."
"Well, maybe if I'm back in Smallville, you can show it to me," Harry said. "I'll just need to find a place to stay…"
"Well, I've got a place for you, if you're interested," Lana said. "Just let me know whenever you get into town."
Harry looked around the statue, performing some scans. There most certainly was something peculiar about the statue, not that Harry was going to cause it any unrest, especially with Lana here.
"You know, I might have to take you up on that offer," Harry said.
"Good, here's my name and address, and my phone number," Lana said, carefully taking out a pad from her purse and scribbling it on the piece of paper. The dark haired girl smiled. "So, feel free to come by when you have a chance, and who knows, maybe we can get together?"
The two of them parted ways, and Harry slipped elsewhere into the building. Lana moved around to the crypt underneath the statue and responded with a frown. There most certainly was markings on the bottom. Lana stepped inside and took a closer look at them.
The dark-haired woman's eyes flashed for a moment, and a smile passed across the face.
"Yes, Dragon, I'll see you again, really soon," she answered with a smile.
Lana shook her head. For a moment, she seemed light-headed, and the tingling feeling appearing through her body grew with even more prominence. Lana drew in a deep breath and sighed, sure it was just nothing. Even though there was just something about this entire temple which unnerved her. She could not explain why it just did.
Regardless of those feelings, Lana was more than intrigued to meet Harry and looked forward to looking him up sometime. She never knew what could happen, with excitement brimming through the woman's eyes.
'I swear, you can walk six feet, and bump into a beautiful woman without even trying,' Sara thought.
'You know how the legends go,' Nyssa said. 'The best way to look for the Dragon is to locate beautiful women. The chances of him being around are fairly decent.'
'That about sums up Harry in a nutshell,' Sara said. 'So, I've been doing some thinking….just a little bit here and there…about Laurel…and whether or not I should find her, or at least let her know I'm okay.'
'That's honestly up to you,' Harry said.
'Yeah, I know, but….it would be a lot easier to get this done, but the more time I wait, the more….well the more it just builds,' Sara thought.
'Well, I can't tell you what to do,' Nyssa thought. 'The only advice I can give you is the longer it builds, the harder it is to reconcile. Talia and I were very fortunate to find some common ground. Without knowing what caused any problems with you, I can't really help you. And for that, I'm sorry.'
'Let's focus on finding the Medallion first,' Sara said.
Harry could tell Sara tried to deflect something. Laurel being so close by had caused Sara a small amount of frustration, and Sara did not expect her sister to be anywhere near France.
'Take the North Wing, I'll check the South Wing, and if there's a clue, we'll find it,' Harry thought.
No sooner did he step forward, Laurel walked around the corner. The woman stopped, with a smile on her face when looking at Harry.
"We must really stop meeting like this, Ms. Lance," Harry said.
"Well, one might think you're following me around," Laurel said. Harry just gave her a smile. "Kidding, I saw you were here before I was…so unless you have some kind of ability to predict the future, there's no way you can be following me around."
Laurel turned around and caught glimpse of a portrait. She gasped when looking at the portrait.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"Nothing," she muttered. Harry put a hand on Laurel's shoulder and steered her away. "Sorry, the portrait just looks like my sister, Sara…she's…well, she left about three years ago."
Laurel sounded defeated. The picture was very spooky for a couple of reasons.
"I'm sorry to hear she's gone," Harry said. "But, maybe she's closer than you think."
"Always in my heart," Laurel said, with an almost sorrowful look.
'Well, now I feel like a bitch,' Sara thought.
"I mean, I guess I was mad at her at first, but maybe it's my fault," Laurel said. "It doesn't matter now...I hoped I would run into her in Europe somewhere….it was a chance…a longshot she might still be alive, but I had to try."
"No one thinks any worse of you for trying," Harry said. "So, where's your sidekick?"
"Babs?" Laurel asked. "She had to look into something for her employer…..she should be back by tonight."
Laurel looking at the portrait of Sara brought back all kinds of repressed grief back in. Harry looked at her and leaned in for a moment.
"So, do you mind joining me for a drink?" Laurel asked. "I….understand if you don't, I just have to get away from here."
'Go with her, Harry, please,' Sara thought. 'I'll...I have to think about something.'
Damned if you do, damned if you don't, and Sara had to think about going with her head, or going with her emotions right now. Logically speaking, the medallion came first, but emotionally speaking, maybe she should put Laurel first, especially after all the grief Sara caused Laurel, and maybe her parents.
"Sure, I'd be honored," Harry said. "I'm buying."
"Thanks," Laurel said. "Sorry if I seem a little forward, but it's just…"
"I understand," Harry said.
Harry grabbed Laurel by the arm and steered her away for a moment. The portrait was a very uncanny resemblance, and Harry could see why Laurel had been spooked by it.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Unraveled.
This particular temple caused Sara to be put on edge. Several conversations with Harry educated Sara on one clear point, and that was the fact magic always had nature where it could be alive, and it could be particular with how it affected certain people. The older the structure was, the more the magic had been turned around. Sara looked around the area and took in a deep breath. She held in a breath and held out a breath a moment or so later. She could feel Nyssa's hand on her shoulder.
"Stay focused," Nyssa warned her.
Sara stepped inside of the temple, on the East Side at least. Several statues of women perched high on the ceiling. They had been dressed completely in white, their faces covered. Yet, their figures showed they might be some of the most beautiful and alluring women on Earth. Sara really couldn't say anything based off of that, or say why she felt that, without even really thinking about it. It was just a feeling she had, which she could not place.
"Your mind is all over the place," Nyssa said. "Is this about Laurel?"
"How could you ever guess?" Sara asked.
Nyssa decided to allow the flippant remark slide. Given the circumstances, she perfectly understood why Sara was upset, and how her entire worldview had been turned upside down. Nyssa had been down that road sometime before and it was not a very pretty picture to be down. Slowly, Nyssa leaned in and cupped Sara's shoulder which caused the blonde woman to stand up straight.
"You wear it on your face, no matter how much you attempt to conceal it, beloved," Nyssa said a second or so later. "I would be both a liar and a fool if I wasn't concerned about you. If you really think you need to go and face her, then go and face her."
"I will, soon enough," Sara said. "The medallion is important…and I just feel we're close enough to it. We just need the right clue."
Sara turned around a fraction of an inch. She could have sworn something moved around the area, but the more Sara thought about it, the less she heard. Perhaps it had been just her paranoia something was going to happen, just shifting in. Sara really didn't know.
"I thought so as well," Nyssa said. "I'll watch the door, while you have a look around."
No one normally came into this wing of the building, mostly because no one was allowed. Nyssa heard whispers about ghosts, mysteriously and feverishly protecting the crypt with every fiber of their being. Nyssa was not one hundred percent certain ghosts could or should be a factor, but she was willing to say that there was something going on, even though it was hard to know what.
'Just keep an eye out,' Nyssa thought.
'Yes, you're wise to do so,' Harry thought. 'There's a presence around there somewhere.'
Sara moved over to the base of the statue. Several hundred years worth of dust caked onto the bottom of the statue. The blonde pulled a face and looked up the statue. Once again, a clear resemblance to her, which made Sara wonder about certain things. Reincarnation became more likely.
"There it is, the medallion," Sara muttered.
Nyssa stepped towards Sara with half of an eye remaining on the door. She saw the medallion, perhaps a good sign, but there were a few concerns which Nyssa had to figure out.
"Yes, I see it, but it's just a replication," Nyssa said. "But, you might be on the right track."
Sara reached on the underside of the statue. Several of the carved letters, worn off during the years, flashed in front of Sara's face. She shifted at the base of the statue, and pulled back, her hand withdrawing from the underside of the statue.
"Close," Sara said. "Maybe."
Something else was close inside of the temple. Sara looked up high above to lock onto the statues who were up above. None of the statues shifted in movement, not that Sara would have been surprised if they did. The statues were magical, and Sara could have sworn she heard a beating heart.
'You can't be paranoid. Not now. Not because of this.'
"I think I've found something," Nyssa said a moment later. "Help me remove this panel, the medallion, it might be back there."
The two women worked on the panel on the wall and tried to pry it off. The panel refused to budge for a moment. Nyssa frowned and removed a vial of blue liquid from her carry on back. Nyssa took a cotton swab and steadily applied the blue liquid to the center of the panel. The Daughter of the Demon stepped back and pulled Sara behind the statue.
Nyssa flung a shuriken at the side of the wall. The spark erupted and resulted in the panel of the wall crumbling outward and leaving them a moment to slip on through. Sara stepped behind Nyssa when she had received the go ahead. A chest had been pulled out of the wall.
Sara was excited, but at the same time very skeptical. The medallion may have very well rested in the box.
"Would you like to do the honors?" Nyssa asked.
Sara decided not to inform Nyssa of the very real possibility she was the only person who might have been able to do the honors, to begin with. The box felt like white hot fire in Sara's hands, and she slowly began to pull back the side of the box, to see what she could find outside.
The box opened up and several gold coins and a small book rested in the bottom of the box. Sara frowned when shifting through the coins. They had been like no coins she had ever seen before. Sara looked at the book and someone sketched several strange symbols. Sara almost could have read the symbols, or at least figure out what they had meant through sudden and solid thought.
"Not here," Sara said. "They should have been…"
Nyssa withdrew the blade and turned around into the shadows. The shadows shifted for a brief moment. Nyssa clutched the blade in hand and let out a deep breath.
"We're being watched," Nyssa said. "Remain ready for anything."
Sara had many questions, namely whether or not someone had been after the medallion instead. There had been so many questions, and unfortunately, not a sufficient amount of answers.
Laurel smiled and took a seat at the front of the bar. She had a feeling this would be a rare chance to kick back, and relax, and just enjoy herself. Even this vacation had to do with trying to find Sara, and Barbara agreed reluctantly to tag along, joking that maybe the both of them could minimize the trouble they could get to, by sticking together.
"There you go," Harry said.
"Thanks," Laurel said. "I really shouldn't…but it's just that, seeing my sister like that...I have pictures of her, and a few times a week, I look at that. Hoping that the sound of the door opening as her coming home, every car down the road is her driving up. Half of me wants to hug her, the other half of me wants to smack her for all she's put me through."
"Well, when she turns back up, you two are going to have to work our your issues," Harry said.
Laurel nodded in response and took a long drink. She really should not, given how Alcoholism, unfortunately, was a vice the Lance family had to deal with a long time. Laurel's father crawled into the bottle on an unfortunately regular basis to deal with the trauma of losing a daughter, and also the divorce.
"Mom blames herself," Laurel said. "But, I don't think it's her fault. Sara was an adult at the time...I should have seen the signs. This is revenge for something I've done…when we were teenagers. We do stupid things when were kids, but I guess we do stupider things as adults."
"Age should come with more wisdom," Harry said.
"That's a good theory," Laurel said a few seconds later. "But…not good in practice."
Laurel really wished she would have bumped into Sara, just somehow. But at the same time, the older Lance Sister feared what might happen. What would she say? What would Sara say? There were just too many questions.
"I think you need to relax," Harry said.
"Yeah, you're right," Laurel said. "I mean, I'm supposed to be on vacation…to get away from…well, everything for a while. But, you know how that goes. A lot better in theory, than in practice."
Harry would not have agreed more. The only vacation Harry attended really was not a vacation. Harry had no delusions of his ability not to get attacked by any enemies. He looked over his shoulder and towards Laurel.
A pair of drunken patrons made their way into the bar, and Laurel could almost have groaned. Harry saw what Laurel groaned, they were the type of people who looked for trouble, no matter what.
"Let's go somewhere else before they start something," Harry told Laurel.
Laurel would have agreed, had one of the beefy, and not too bright, bikers stepped into her path.
"Hey, you're in my personal space," Laurel said.
"If you ever want to be with a real man, then ditch this guy, and we can go for a real ride," the biker said in response. "I'm looking for a real chick to go for a ride."
"Trust me when I say, you're not my type," Laurel said. "I normally don't look for guys who look like they should be hanging out at the YMCA."
She had a few drinks and was almost begging for a fight, but a small voice in Laurel's head told her not to do it.
"The lady said no," Harry said.
"Well, what are you going to do about it, you little…."
Harry grabbed the biker's arm and snapped it back without much effort at all. The sounds of bones breaking echoed through the bar, and the other bikers, no doubt members of the biker gang all looked at Harry.
"Hey, you can't do that!" one of the bikers yelled. "Some of them should teach you some manners, boy!"
Boy, Harry always hated that. It just seemed so demeaning.
"Well, if I do need a crash course, I won't do so from an etiquette school dropout," Harry said.
One of the bikers grabbed Harry, and he made one of the biggest mistakes in his life, next to getting that haircut. Harry flung him over the bar and caused him to land right behind the bar. One of the bikers moved towards Harry, but Harry caused the bottles to explode, while also pulling Laurel out of the way.
"Oh, you're dead!"
"Yeah, heard that more than enough," Harry said. "Really wish I didn't have to."
Laurel kicked one of the bikers in the back of the leg. One of the bikers grabbed her from behind and shoved her against the pool table. The Lance Sister returned fire with a palm to the side of the neck and slid back off of the table. Laurel grabbed a Pool Cue and speared the biker in a very private area with it.
The other patrons of the bar looked to be about ready to settle their differences in battle. A chaotic bar fight scene occurred. One of the other bikers had been smashed head first into a fish tank at the back of the bar.
One of the bikers pulled out a knife on Laurel. Laurel pulled some darts off of a dartboard on the wall and flung it at the biker's wrist, which caused him to drop the knife. Laurel jumped up, flipping into the air, and came down on the back of the head.
'Okay, badassery runs in your family,' Harry thought.
'Laurel...I didn't know she could do that,' Sara said. 'Well, I knew she had some training, both of us did, self-defense, before I got trained for real, but nothing, that good.'
The older Lance Sister dropped down onto the back of the head of one of the larger men and dropped him face first down onto the ground. Laurel narrowly avoided a beer bottle being jammed into the side of her face. The skilled blonde dropped down onto the back of the head of the goon in question and planted him head first into the table with a solid smack, knocking the wind out of him.
The sounds of sirens could be heard. Laurel stepped back, and she looked towards Harry. Harry grabbed Laurel by the arm and pulled her out of the nearest side entrance before the cops could arrive.
"Why was that more exciting than I thought it would be?" Laurel asked.
Harry just shook his head.
"Might be a good idea to get back to your hotel room if you have one," Harry said.
"Well, maybe you should walk me back, and tuck me in, to make sure I don't get into any trouble," Laurel said, with a smile.
She staggered, now that the adrenaline from the fight had been over, Laurel could feel a few bumps and bruises. The bumps and bruises were no more prominent than the ones caused by her mentor in battle.
Gwen slowly pushed up and down, testing the very limits of her body. The spider themed heroine showed an immense amount of flexibility when rising up on the bar and clutching onto it, breathing in and breathing out like no one's business. Gwen dropped down to the ground a moment later.
Rose and Liv stepped into the room.
"The two of you aren't looking good," Gwen said.
"Well, she found her sister might have had a different rather," Rose said. "And I…well I found out my father is currently being employed by ARGUS. So, that's not making me very happy."
Rose moved over to do some stretches. She understood why Harry did not bring it up. Hell, if the position had been reversed, Rose might have struggled how to break it to Harry. It was a good thing the serum inside of Rose finally stabilized, providing she kept up with the control exercises. Now, she could take a deep breath, allowing it to flow in and out.
"You and your father….."
"Let's just say we don't get along," Rose said. "Come on, I need a sparring session to get my mind off of everything. If it's not one thing, it's another."
Liv just responded with a nod. As long as Rose did not start taking out her frustrations on Liv's face, everything would be fine. The two of them stretched out and prepared for a battle.
"Unless you want to find me instead," Rose said. "I'd like to see how good you are hand to hand."
"Maybe, I'll take the winner later," Gwen said. "Just want to watch now, and cool down."
Gwen decided to sleep on whether or not she put on the medallion. Harry built a box for it which only she could open or even touch. The moment Gwen worked up the nerve to slip the medallion on, it would have been around her neck.
Rose looked at Gwen. She understood the conflict going over in Gwen's eyes. Hell, she felt the same thing time and time again, conflict.
"So, we're going to be going ten rounds on the mat later, and not in the good way," Rose said. "Well, maybe later."
"You're going to have to beat me first," Liv said.
"No sweat, your hand to hand sucks," Rose said.
Liv looked at Rose for a few seconds and her nose scrunched up in response. "Hand to hand….what the hell is wrong with my hand to hand?"
"Try and fight me, and I'll show you."
Rose knew Liv was a pretty good long range fighter. Hand to hand battles, on the other hand, she was not among the best. Still, perhaps she improved. Only time would tell. Liv rushed in to attack Rose. Rose lifted one hand to block Liv's backhand strike and flipped her down to the ground.
"Attack me, again!" Rose yelled.
Liv, a bit hot and heavy, rushed towards Rose and went for the attack. The punch had been blocked, with Liv being knocked back to the ground one more time. Rose grabbed Liv and put a knife at the back of Liv's neck. Liv pressed against the ground.
"You have to look for openings without creating anyone for you," Rose said. "You don't want to leave your right side open when punching. You don't want to leave your left leg open for an attack while kicking with your right leg. You need to pick your spots wisely."
"How?"
Rose took a second to smile and an uppercut punch came precious seconds away from clipping Liv hard across the jaw. Liv lifted a hand to block Rose from jacking her jaw. Both of them engaged in a brief round of sparring with each other. Liv flipped Rose down to the ground and caused her to drop down hard.
"Not bad, but try again!"
It would have been a lot easier if Liv could fight in a long range manner. That was the idea, as she saw it. Liv took the long range attacks away. Rose went for an uppercut punch to the side of the head, but Liv blocked it just barely. Rose buried a knee into the side of the ribs of Liv and buried another attack into the midsection. Rapid fire attacks kept stunning Liv.
"You get one good shot in, but open yourself up for three more," Rose said. "Sloppy, scarily sloppy."
"I can get most of them long range," Liv said.
Liv jumped up and withdrew a bow from her back. One of the arrows shot in a blink of an eye and almost hit Rose on the side of the arm.
"That's true," Rose said. "But, there are enemies where you can't get long range, unfortunately. They are heavily armored, and you would have to be very precise with your attacks to get them with a long range arrow attack. And if they're quick enough."
In a blink of an eye, Rose took Liv's legs out from underneath her and pushed the young woman down onto the ground. Liv once again found herself trapped in a very frustrating position. Rose was holding Liv down, and Liv struggled, despite her best efforts to find a way out.
"If they're quick enough, they're going to take you down very easily," Rose said. "Is that clear?"
"Yeah, note," Liv said.
"If we work on your hand to hand, you're going to be one of the best," Rose said. "But, keep it from Waller, unless you want to spend the next ten years working for Cadmus."
Liv's expression darkened. The last thing she wanted was more time in Cadmus. She spent more than enough time in the organization. Harry offered Liv a chance to head home, but she was not going to take it, at least not yet.
"Don't let your emotions distract you either," Rose said. "What Isabel told you, it's messing with your mind! Don't allow it to!"
Liv hoped this particular statement wasn't going to lead to Liv kicking her ass. "How about your father? You allow yourself to be distracted by him all the time."
"My father….that's funny you should bring him up," Rose said. "I don't let him get to me, not anymore."
Liv thought Rose was putting an act of bravado but wisely said anything. She picked her battles wisely, and there were certain hills someone should not die on. Especially when the person in question had the ability to kick your ass, and Rose once again took advantage of an opening to stun Liv and bring her down to a kneeling position. A huge kick to the ribs further punished her.
"You want to kill him."
"I still do, if I had the chance," Rose said. "But, he's pretty pathetic."
Liv breathed heavily with Rose going behind and kicking Liv's legs out from underneath her. Rose rolled Liv over and pushed her down onto the ground. The blade once again came close to Liv's neck and came close to pushing in deep. Liv slowly pushed back up to a standing position.
"Fuck," Liv said.
"Oh, you're going to keep getting your ass kicked until we get this right," Rose said. "And don't worry, Spider-Girl, I'll be with you in a minute."
"Actually, Spider-Woman, thanks," Gwen responded a moment or so later.
She had been excited about the battle which was come and also a little bit nervous.
"I can't believe you, I can't leave you alone for an hour, and you get in trouble."
Laurel smiled at the frantic voice of Barbara Gordon coming over the phone. Harry sat in the other part of the hotel room. She managed to convince Harry to stick around, and soon Laurel thought she would be giving Harry more than a few more reasons to stick around. Laurel leaned against the chair.
"It's fine, Harry was with me," Laurel said. "And we kicked some ass in there."
"That's not the point," Barbara said. "The last thing I want to do is have to bail you out of some French Jail or something."
"Hey, Babs, relax, I'm fine," Laurel said. "You know, if you want to join us….I'm sure Harry could find a way to relax you even more."
"Um…can't right now," Barbara said, and she sounded regretful at the fact she could not join Harry and Laurel in whatever. "I'm still working, trying to find out the lead. If the League of Assassins is in the area, then You-Know-Who would want to know what they are up to."
"Oh, yes, your fearless employer, the World's Greatest Detective," Laurel said a second later, smiling in response. "Well, hope your work goes well…..and I'll be fine. I'm sure Harry will keep me occupied until you get back. And I'll try not to get in any trouble."
"You better not," Barbara said.
"Oh, before I forgot, I saw the weirdest thing," Laurel said. "It was a portrait, and the girl in the portrait looked exactly like Sara."
"Are you sure?" Barbara asked.
"Hey, it's right across from our hotel, you can look for yourself if you really want to," Laurel said. "It's weird though, it almost seems alive, almost like….."
"You know, if you say the M-Word, then I'm going to be very upset," Barbara said.
"After seeing Zee, you think the magic thing would be a bit more easy to swallow," Laurel said.
"Well slight of hand and trickery is very different than actual enchantments," Barbara said with a shrug. "Zatanna Zatara has the best show on Earth….and yes, I realize some people think her magic is the real deal, but some people think that Batman is a supernatural force. It's all about deception you know."
"Yes, maybe," Laurel said. "Good luck, with whatever you're doing."
"Yeah, thanks, and don't do anything I won't do," Barbara said.
"Doesn't really leave me with a whole lot of taboo, does it?" Laurel asked.
Barbara responded by laughing over the phone. It really didn't leave Laurel with a whole lot of what she could not have done.
"Take care of yourself, and I'll talk to you as soon as I can," Barbara said. "Tell, Harry I said hi….I can't believe he figured out the tracker thing so fast."
"He's pretty observant," Laurel said. "Or you're getting pretty sloppy, it's just one of the two things. Pick your poison what one you want to go with."
"I'd like to think I've just finally met my match," Barbara said.
Laurel hung up the phone and looked into the hotel room where Harry waited. She smiled and stepped into the hotel room to greet him. Harry invited her to sit down on the bed next to him, and Laurel wasted no time in settling in next to Harry on the bed.
"So, did you explain what happened?" Harry asked.
"You know something? I can't figure out whether or not she was upset about the fact I got in trouble or pissed that I couldn't get in trouble myself."
Laurel leaned over and placed a hand on Harry's thigh. The last few drinks knocked her inhibitions a bit loose and caused her to relax just a tiny bit. She leaned closer towards Harry, smiling when looking at him. Those beautiful green eyes dragged in any woman and made them weak with desire.
"So, I hope I'm not getting too personal, too fast," Laurel said. "But, the past three years taught me one thing. You need to jump at the opportunities when they present themselves."
"You never will have a second chance to do what you want."
"Yes," Laurel agreed, smiling in response. Her hand cupped around Harry's and gave it a very light squeeze. Slowly, but surely, Laurel moved closer towards Harry. The two of them were very nearly about ready to touch together in a kiss.
A sound of broken glass followed. Laurel released Harry's hand and pulled back.
"Are you sure this is the right room?"
Harry grabbed Laurel and pulled her into the bathroom area. He grabbed Laurel's hand and shielded her from detection a second later. Seconds passed when the ninjas searched the area of the room in an attempt to locate Laurel. Time moved to a standstill, practically freezing.
"Are you sure she's even here?"
"Yes, I'm sure she's here for the last time," a low voice said. "The man at the front desk helpfully informed us she checked in. She came in with a man with green eyes and dark hair."
"That's not going to be a problem, is it?" one of the men asked his boss.
"No, it's not going to be a problem," the mysterious man dressed in a cloak responded. "It's not going to be a problem because we'll kill him and take her out as well."
Laurel tensed up in a moment. Harry grabbed onto Laurel's hand and squeezed it which calmed her down just enough to take a deep breath and regain some level of control. It was not the best control to be regained, but at least it was something. She needed to hold in a deep breath and come out with another deep breath.
"You know him?" Harry asked.
Laurel dared peek through the crack of the window. They were looking underneath the bed and looking in the sitting room area. One of them pulled open the drapes to look for her.
"Yes, unfortunately."
"So, spurned ex-boyfriend….."
"No, nothing like that," Laurel said. "Mainly a jealous man who is upset that he's no longer his mentor's best student. I should be able to take him out easily."
"We don't know how many of his men are waiting on the outside," Harry told her. "You should be able to get out the side window, and I'm going to take care of them."
"I'm glad you want to help me, but I'll be just fine," Laurel said. "Trust me on that one, there's not going to be a problem."
Harry raised an eyebrow at Laurel. Laurel lightly grabbed Harry by the hand and gave him a very soft squeeze. Slowly, Laurel leaned in and kissed Harry on the lips. Their lips lingered together next to each other for a moment, and Laurel moved up.
"We can take them out together."
"Real romantic end to a date," Harry said.
Laurel just shook her head. They were going to end this night with a bang, it just wasn't the bang she had in mind if she was perfectly honest. Still, they had to make do with what they had.
Harry moved first and knocked one of the ninjas down. For someone who was supposed to be a master of deception, the ninja did not look exactly too observant. He dropped down to the ground and Harry pulled back to face off against the Ninja.
Laurel decided to offer a contribution by grabbing the ninja around the shoulder. One solid punch to the back and it took him down.
"Come out, Black Canary!" the man in the hood taunted. "Come out and meet your superior."
"I don't see him here," Laurel taunted.
Sara and Nyssa searched the temple high and low and they were no closer to finding what they needed to find than they were when entering the temple.
"There it is again," Nyssa said. "Stay sharp."
Another sharp item was a shuriken which flung through the air and came just half of an inch from striking Sara directly on the side of the head. The younger of the two Lance Sisters stood up, looking prepared for the attack.
A single ninja dropped down from the sky, followed by a third ninja, and then a fourth, followed by several more. The ninjas closed in on Nyssa and Sara. Both of the skilled women took a step back and waited for the ninjas to keep closing in on them. They filed ranks against the two of them.
"Who do you work for?" Nyssa demanded.
One of the ninjas moved forward, leaving a flash of fire behind. Nyssa turned and blocked the ninja's blade with the dagger. Two of them pushed back and forth, with Nyssa managing to get up from underneath the ninja in question and dropping her down to the ground with a huge kick. The ninja slid back and landed down on the ground with a very obvious thud.
The ninja stepped back and motioned for Nyssa to come towards her again.
Sara watched when two of the ninjas flung chains at her. The woman avoided the chains from wrapping around. Sara deflected the chains back and caused them to land on the ground. Sara snapped her arm back and dropped one of the ninjas, sending him crashing down to the ground. Or maybe it was her, kind of hard to tell.
From the skylight crashed Batgirl.
"Sara?" Barbara asked.
She knew something was up. What also was up and out was one of the ninja blades which came very close into piercing the side of Barbara's neck. The woman dropped down to avoid the point of the blade from cutting into her neck. Barbara blocked the blade and countered with a huge attack to knock the ninja down onto the ground with everything she could throw at it.
Barbara, Nyssa, and Sara stood when the ninjas clad in white turned towards them. They replicated the harder Sara, Nyssa, and Barbara fought.
'Well, we have a problem now.'