By the time we had entered the city and rode through Little China, Batman and I had posted up on the rooftop across and down the street from the Clock Tower.
"There's no movement from what I can see, even on thermals unless they can turn invisible now."
Batman then looked to me.
"Never underestimate who you're up against, let's go."
He said before firing out his grapple and me following suit.
I had briefly looked around once we got inside while Batman took his time to make sure that there wasn't any traps waiting for us.
"Wouldn't we have found explosives on thermals?"
I asked him.
"Different explosives give off different signatures. You won't always be able to tell by looking through thermals. Sometimes things can be hidden so well that you won't know that they are there until it is too late."
Once he had confirmed for himself that we were in the clear we proceeded to make our way up to the top.
We also said fuck taking the stairs because that would have been a waste of time so we grappled our way up to the top until we came to a small set of stairs that led up to a wide metal door. Surprisingly it wasn't too heavy to move but when we opened it we saw based off of the look of things that they had been here for more than just a few days. A couple multi monitor set ups on either side of the room, hammocks over in the corner opposite of one another, spent ration packages, and a 70 in monitor on the wall opposite of the clock's hands that displayed a similar set up as the one that Batman had shown me of all the women and their known or past known associates.
But instead it had shown people of interest, and their main target.
"Larissa.."
I muttered as Batman began trying to hack into their systems.
"How long is that going to take you?"
I asked.
"I'm going to upload this information to GCPD. Some of these people that they have on their list are politicians and part of the City Council. Board members of other companies who function out of Gotham that regularly do business with other companies overseas."
He replied as he kept hammering away at the keys.
"Just please try to hurry it up."
I said before walking around to keep a look out. I was half tempted for a moment to ask him a serious question, in his own words how did he feel as he watched his parents get shot in front of him as a child? But then I decided against it because it not only might be a bit too personal but because for all I know the people that were up against might have their own hideout rigged with some kind of spyware. Immediately after I thought of that I realized that if that was the case then they might have had explosives at the ready to detonate from a distance.
"How often do you think Bruce Wayne even checks in on his little side projects?"
"As often as he can."
Batman replied.
"He is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company after all, so of course he's a busy man."
He then punched a few more keys before turning to look at me.
"There, let's go check in and see how the others are doing."
Once we had made it back to the apartment we had seen that everyone had finished getting ready. But instead of just sitting around waiting for something to happen after getting geared up, they seem to be more like they were upset. So I decided to give them a call.
"Harley what's going on?"
I asked her.
"She's gone Mista D, Larissa just up and left outta nowhere!"
She exclaimed, Batman could clearly understand what was going on.
"Where are you?"
She asked.
"I'm out with Batman trying to find Black Mamba and Diamond Back before they try to take Larissa or hurt anyone else that I care about."
I said.
"Where are you Bumgorf? Tell us and we shall hunt them down together!"
Komand'r said with a worried tone in her voice.
Batman looked at me with his signature scowl and shook his head. As much as I could understand it from his point of view, I wasn't about to be on the same bullshit as him.
"On your left."
I say as she looked out the window and saw me waving.
"Fuck you looking at me like that for?"
"You just made things more complicated than what they needed to be."
He grumbled.
"I'm not going to sit there and lie to someone I care about just because it would be easier on me. Also it would be even better because there's more people that can help us get this done which means we can go home sooner. Isn't that part of the reason you wear a cape in the first place is so that people get to just go home when everything is said and done?"
I didn't wait for an answer before stepping off the edge of the roof and firing out my grapple to slow my decent as I came down into the alley.
"New suit?"
Caitlin asked as I nodded.
"Looks cool."
"Hey Bat-Brain, it's been awhile!"
Harley greeted the Dark Knight.
"Quinn."
He muttered in reply.
"We've found that Black Mamba and Diamond Back have more than one target here in Gotham aside from Copperhead. However it would seem that she's their main priority at the moment."
"Where do you want us Batman?"
Ivy asked.
"Their base is the old Clock Tower in Little China. Blackfire take to the sky and circle the Clock Tower's perimeter in case they return. Do not engage them alone, contact us first and we'll make our way over to you."
He says as he handed her a comlink.
"Be careful."
I said to her as she walked over and kissed the part of my mask where my lips would be.
"I will my little Bumgorf."
She smiled before shooting into the air.
"The rest of you are with us, these assassins are unpredictable and highly skilled. It won't take them long to figure out your weaknesses and exploit them. Even so, remain on your guard and keep your heads on a swivel."
Once we had gotten that out of the way, Batman went through his inventory and got the four seater. Harley, Caitlin, and Ivy rode with him while Jinx rode with me.
We rode to each and every one of the locations that had been marked by Black Mamba and Diamond Back. So far we came up with nothing and it had gone to into the earlier hours of the the morning.
"Ugh, this is starting to get annoying!"
Caitlin groaned.
"Blackfire what's the status on the Clock Tower?"
Batman asked.
"I haven't spotted them all night. And I even made sure to hide myself up in the clouds to camouflage myself, even so I haven't gotten anything to report."
Komand'r replied through comms.
"Damien, any ideas?"
Batman continued.
"Nada, she's only told me about her grandma up until last night. She hasn't got any ties to Gotham other than the night where her and several others were trying to cash in on 50 million big ones. Unless her siblings came here to finish what she didn't, I don't see what other reason there could be."
Batman fell silent on comms for a moment when I said this.
"The Steel Mill."
He finally said as I also realized it made sense in a way. But it was also kind of annoying.
"Here's hoping this is our break!"
Jinx groaned before leaning into my ear.
"I just wish that it was you that wore my ass out all night rather than this seat."
I felt a brief but immediate rise of heat iny cheeks but then Harley had to laugh.
"Hahaha! Ya do realize we can hear you right?!"
We maintained radio silence after that. But Jinx was still in the mood and kept rubbing the crotch of my suit to the point where it was almost starting to bulge through the suit and had started to become a bit uncomfortable as well. Even though what she was doing still felt nice. So I made sure that the line wasn't open before addressing her.
"*Sigh* When this is over, you and I can pick up where we left off back in the park. Without you stealing a Mob Boss's car."
She smiled with glee but with lust in her eyes.
"~Can't wait.~"
She replied with a sultry tone before wrapping her arms around my waist and putting her face against my back.
From there we raced over to the Steel Mill, hoping for to put an end to this. To be honest I didn't care what happened to Mamba and Diamond Back, I just wanted Larissa to come home safely. Even though none of us had put a label on our relationship, I would still say that all the girls had been apart of the family that I had silently been wishing for for so long. Batman had contacted Blackfire along the way and told her to meet up with us at the Mill and to continue doing what she had at the Clock Tower and remain on overwatch.
"I'll make my way in first. Frost and Jinx, circle around back to the other entrance. Ivy and Harley remain here. Damien head in after me, all of you stay a silent as possible and stay out of sight."
Once Batman had given the word we got into position.
After I went in I couldn't help but think of the last time that I was here. Larissa had hit me with her toxin and captured Harley, Batman coming to save my ass but then basically telling him yet again where to stick it, good times. As I crept along the back wall adjacent from the main entrance I listened to the hissing noise of the machines that ran along with the pipes that went off in every which direction. I also heard the faint jangling noise of tow chains as they swayed from where they hung, reminding me of that one scene in Freddy vs Jason where that one girl was caught in a dream with Freddy. Yeah, essentially this whole set up was just like that of a slasher movie and I was just waiting for the killer to jump out at me from out of nowhere.
Instead I heard Black Mamba, her laughter echoing from every direction in a way that made it seem like she was so far away as well as right next to me.
"I told you to leave them out of this Bruja!!!"
Larissa screamed.
"I found them. Blackfire move in, everyone else maintain your positions!!"
Batman barked at us through comms.
But I wasn't about to sit on the sidelines and allow him to go charging in alone.
"Hoechlin moving in!"
I exclaimed as I charged towards the sounds of the fighting.
Instead when I had rounded the corner I was met by several guys all wearing the same garb and armor as they brandished flaming daggers. The other thing that I had noticed was their gauntlets and how they looked oh so similar to Batman's.
"You shall not pass us!!"
One of them exclaimed as we all took a stance.
"Gandolf The Gray said the same thing, but look at what happened to him."
I shot back as we charged towards one another.
They came at me from all directions. Two of them got in behind me as another two came from my left and right hand sides. The last three came from above and from my 12 o'clock. They were too fast and coordinated for me to dodge them all at once and I had no time to react. I was able to maneuver out of the way of the one coming down at me from the air and caught one of those that were coming straight at me, using them as a body shield against the second. But the others had delivered precise strikes and cut through were my suit was at its weakest. Their next barrage consisted of me getting drop kicked, my shoulder being dislocated, and getting slammed into the ground. With no time to really process what the fuck was happening.
I had somehow managed to disable two of them to where they weren't in good enough shape to fight effectively. But that didn't slow them down in the slightest.
"You shall pay for your interference!"
One of them said as another knelt down to put their flaming dagger to my throat.
"It is the decree of the Demon's Head that you pay for transgression in blood!!"
But just then, his brains got splattered everywhere by Harley as she one pumped the shit out of him.
Ivy followed up by impaling them with her vines while Blackfire flew at buck wild speeds and performed a WWE style clothes line one the others through the wall.
"Never fuck with my Bumgorf!!!!"
She roared.
As I heard the rest of the chaos ensue, Harley and Ivy rushed over to me as I picked myself up off the ground.
"You okay Mista D?!!"
She yelled as I noticed that she had gone a few rounds with these guys herself. Her upper lip had been split open and would leave a faint scar when it healed along with the trickle of blood that ran down the side of her face as well as the gashes in the sides of her chest, on top of the superficial wounds on her legs.
"I should be asking all of you that."
I smiled beneath my mask as a couple dozen more sprang up from out of nowhere. Blackfire joined back up with us as Jinx let loose a barrage of energy attacks shaped like crescent moons. Caitlin then appeared as she created a wall of ice to shield herself from their throwing knives while simultaneously shooting them with ice sickles.
"Take them down hard, show them no mercy!!!"
I roared as we all charged. The first one that I met came in swinging. But I side stepped and hit him with a combo of my own.
When one of them jumped on top of me, Caitlin had shot an ice sickle through his skull. Once I kicked him off of me I kept on swinging. The next couple that took me on had got me pretty good and cut me deep enough for the blood to start running down my chest and legs. Blackfire was pretty much untouchable by these guys. Thanks to her superior speed, strength, and with the Marital Arts she learned on another planet, they had a hard time even trying to lay a finger on her. As the fight continued I did my best to apply the techniques that she had taught me. But all I was able to manage when it came to that was a few dodges and a couple of counters.
"They just keep coming!!"
Ivy shouted as she grabbed three of them with one of her vines and slammed them all into the wall.
"Where they came from in the first place is what I would really like to know!"
Jinx exclaimed as she dodged one but was then struck from behind by another.
She had countered by side flipping through the air and unleashing a wave of energy in the form of an X. Lights blew up and the metal panels on the walls peeled back as the energy wave ripped through them all. In a fucked up kind of way it had vaguely reminded me of Fruit Ninja.
"Regardless of where they came from, we need to know their objective if we are to be victorious!"
Blackfire says as she crushed one guys skull against the wall and dragged it on the floor before tossing him away like a softball.
The fight continued as dozens more came like an endless wave in one of the later rounds of Black ops zombies. Ultimately we ended up getting our asses handed to us even though we took down more than we could count. But even while this was all happening I realized that I could no longer hear Black Mamba's laughter, nor did I see any sign of Diamond Back. It was almost over as quickly as it had started. Without any warning they all ceased their assault and vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"Larissa?!!!"
I called out to her as we were all met with the site of Batman beaten down like he had just boxed with a stampede of raging bulls who knew Kung Fu.
Not only that but there was no sign of any one of them anywhere.
"Damnit...."
He grumbled.
"They got away.."
"Yeah, no shit Sherlock!!"
Jinx exclaimed in irritation.
"Who the fuck were those guys huh?!"
But Batman had refused to say a word as he staggered to his feet and walked away, not even looking any one of us in the eye. I was not having that as I picked up the dismembered limb of one of these guys and tossed it at the Batmobile as it pulled up.
"Hey fuck face, care of explain yourself?!!!"
I yelled at him as the arm hit the dirt.
"Damien.."
Caitlin tried to stop me but I didn't listen.
"Don't tell me that this doesn't look familiar!!"
I said as he picked up the gauntlet attached to the limb.
It was then that the others noticed how it was so very similar to his own minus the technological advancements.
"You know who they are don't you?"
Ivy asked.
"Jason told me about them before he left town. About their leader Ra's Al Ghul, The League of Assassins, how Ra's used on him what he's used to keep himself alive for centuries. He even told me about how you've run into them in the past, but he never said that he knew anything about this."
Batman gripped the gauntlet tightly in his hand as he raised his head to meet my gaze.
"Back when I was aquiring the skills that I needed to become what I needed to be I had traveled far and wide across the planet. Going to places that many people are completely unaware of, like Nanda Parbat. At first they said that their mission aligned with my own. So I stayed for a time, trained myself in their ways until I learned that their true intentions were like how I'm sure Jason described them to you."
He they tossed the gauntlet to the side as I grabbed him by his cape and pinned him to the car.
"Damien stop!!"
Blackfire exclaimed.
"What does this have to do with Larissa, why'd they take her?!!"
I yelled as in one swift motion he put me in a position to where it felt like he was about to rip my arm off. The girls took aim as he stood there, motionless before letting me go.
"They weren't here just here for her, they were here for me!!"
He admitted.
"Ra's thinks me to be his successor. He wanted me to join him in his quest in what he thinks is saving the world! When I burned their home to the ground, he said that one day he would do the same. As for Copperhead..."
Harley open fired and narrowly missed his face.
"You don't get to call her that Bat Brain!!"
"I think it's best you call her by her real name."
Blackfire added.
"As for "Larissa", Black Mamba and Diamond Back apparently have ties to the League. Most likely they are taking her back with them to Nanda Parbat for her reprogramming."
As I rotated my arm a couple of times I continued to stair Batman down.
"Aside from the difference in names and appearance, you pulling this shit makes you more of a snake in the grass than them."
I said as I walked over to the bike.
"The suit and bike are mine by the way. I'm probably going to need them for whatever hell it is you brought down on us."
Once I had hopped on the bike I proceeded peel away back to the Batcave, just wondering what exactly was going to happen next.
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Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to Snakes in the Grass as we continue on into the next Arc.
Given how things are with my schedule at the moment I'm probably going to be updating weekly like how I had previously.
But don't worry though, new additions and new threats will be making their way into the story in the chapters to come so please...
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