Story: Dragons, Demons, and Other Wonders of the Heart (chapter 20)

Authors: Allaine

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Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"How is your brother doing?"

"Should be out of the hospital in a few weeks. He'll have his arm in a cast for a couple months, though." He sighed. "Wearing a bulky piece of white plaster should make it harder for him to skulk in the shadows with a camera, anyway."

Detective Maurice Bradley, "Brad" to his friends, shrugged as he leaned against a wall near the podium where Lex Luthor would shortly be holding another press conference. He'd been unable to determine what Luthor would be saying. His aides only told Brad that Mr. Luthor seemed to be in a very good mood today.

A happy Luthor did not strike Brad as a good thing. Convicted men - men who were involved in crimes big enough to involve the Justice League - did not become happy about the same things as law-abiding men.

Being one half of Luthor's police escort was not an enjoyable task for him. Nor would it be enjoyable for any other member of Metropolis PD. Captain Sawyer had temporarily assigned him from Anti-Crime, on the grounds that he was known for his exceptionally even temper. He could be counted on not raising a stink about shadowing a crook like Luthor, or doing something stupid that would embarrass the force and, worse, make Luthor look good.

His temporary partner, Detective Qiu Ju from Homicide, was assigned for the same reason. They could spend the day with Luthor's entourage and not choke on the irony.

Both detectives had, of course, argued that Homicide and Anti-Crime were much better uses of their time than being bodyguards for a man like Luthor, who could afford a personal security detail of his own. Maggie Sawyer had agreed with them, but pointed out that as Luthor had a real chance to be elected mayor in the special election in late spring, there had to be a token police presence by his side.

Sawyer had also hinted that she'd selected them because there wasn't a whiff of impropriety in their past records, and hence very little chance that they might end up in Luthor's pocket, as some cops had unfortunately done in the past. The sign of respect was worth something, but not much.

Because the assignment sucked. And the fact that he didn't show it was the reason he'd gotten the assignment in the first place.

At least he wasn't his younger brother, Hubert. Since Maurice had already claimed the nickname "Brad", Hubert had chosen to shed his equally humiliating name by adopting the moniker "Slam". Brad was never entirely sure where he'd gotten the idea. But then Slam - and God knew, he loved his brother - had never struck him as very bright.

Becoming a sleazy private detective who spied on philandering husbands because he failed police academy had suggested Brad's impression was correct. So had several other questionable decisions on Slam's part.

The latest "questionable decision" had been a rumor spread by Slam that he'd secretly worked on a number of cases with a Gotham-based thief named Catwoman. And that the working relationship, as they so often did, had led to romance. Catwoman had recently put him in the hospital with a broken arm, torn ligaments in his knee, and a film canister shoved up one nostril.

Yes, he loved his brother. But as much as he hated this assignment, he wouldn't trade places with Slam.

Qiu Ju's response was interrupted by the arrival of Luthor at the mike. Brad agreed with what he'd been told. Luthor looked happy. Since this couldn't be good, he tuned Luthor's words out, something he'd grown good at. "Wonder what he's so cheerful about," he murmured.

"Perhaps he filled his quota of souls last night," Qiu Ju murmured, half-paying attention to the press conference herself. Brad chuckled.

" . . . no longer be running for mayor . . ."

Neither detective really heard him, but they noticed when the reporters in the room exploded.

"I think we missed something," Qiu Ju observed as they both straightened.

"What was your first clue?" Brad growled.

"It was actually a rather easy decision," Luthor went on from the podium. "Now that I've found something more important in my life, I realize I've accomplished what I set out to do."

"What did you find, Mr. Luthor?" a reporter shouted.

"What did you set out to do?" another called out.

"To see if it could be done," Luthor replied, answering the second question.

"If what could be done?"

"If the people of this city, even knowing all the things I've done, would be stupid enough to vote for me. I'm confident that they are, and that they would have. Next question."

Brad and Qiu Ju just stared. "He didn't just - " Brad began to say.

"I think his chief of staff is eating his coffee cup," Qiu Ju noted.

"If I really need to explain what I just said," Luthor said in response to a request for clarification, "then it just proves my point, doesn't it? The common man is obviously willing to be led by anybody with enough money and charisma. I can set out with renewed confidence that, whatever I choose to do in the future, there really isn't anyone out there to stop me."

"That sounds like you're suggesting a return to what landed you in prison," a reporter pointed out.

"Oh, I don't know. Crime seems so boring. There are greater mysteries to solve. Mysteries, gentlemen, of the heart. Thank you for coming."

And then Luthor casually stepped down and strolled backstage.

The reporters stampeded out of the room to get to their phones and computers. "I can see the headlines," one was saying excitedly. "Luthor drops out, calls Metropolis 'stupid'!"

"That was - special," Qiu Ju finally said when it had quieted down.

"Mysteries of the heart? What the hell does that mean?!"

"I think it means we can be reassigned now."

Brad stopped and smiled. Oh yes, he would never switch places with his brother.


Mercy was sitting at her desk, her mouth open, when Koriand'r came back in. "Mercy?" she asked, surprised.

She just looked at the monitor embedded in the wall. "What the fuck was that?" Mercy finally said, exhaling.

"I do not know," Koriand'r said. "I couldn't see the press conference out there. I could have if you hadn't ordered me from the room, Mercy."

"If you're going to insist on working for me, we can at least be professional," Mercy retorted. "It's Ms. Graves."

Koriand'r stiffened. Mercy had shown little sign of wishing to explore or even discuss what happened the night before Valentine's Day. Unburdening herself to Koriand'r had done little to assuage her guilt as well. She'd insisted Koriand'r be out of the room while Luthor was on the television screen. Something about how she couldn't handle looking at Luthor and Koriand'r at the same time. "Very well. Ms. Graves - how bad was it?"

Mercy slowly shook her head. "Not bad at all, actually. Well, it WAS bad, in that it was like watching a train wreck. But for me and Lexcorp, it was surprisingly good."

"Really? What happened?"

"Lex just announced that he was no longer running for mayor because he'd proven to himself that the rest of us are stupid."

Koriand'r blinked. "That sounds like something he'd think, but not something he'd say."

"I know. And he had this odd look on his face, and he was acting extremely odd." Mercy frowned. "My first thought was that it was an impostor, or that he was drugged. He'll probably say that when whatever medication he's on wears off. Still, calling the voters stupid is a good way to torpedo his campaign."

"And he can't go on blackmailing you," Koriand'r observed.

Mercy's frown deepened. "Well, actually he can. Lexcorp won't be raising funds for him after all, but he can still come up with new demands."

"No, he can't."

Koriand'r turned, surprised, as Raven emerged from smoke behind her. Mercy almost jumped in her seat, but managed to control herself.

"Raven?" Koriand'r asked. "What are you doing here?"

Raven walked past Koriand'r and tossed a disc onto Mercy's desk.

"What's this?" Mercy asked warily.

"A recorded confession," Raven said. "Luthor admitting he hired Luminus to attack you and force you to help his campaign. He also admits that he gave Luminus permission to kill Koriand'r," she added, her eyes flashing angrily.

Mercy grabbed the CD. "You're not serious."

"People have told me that I do not have a sense of humor. Therefore I do not 'joke' or 'kid'."

"Raven," Koriand'r said quietly from behind her. "You had something to do with that press conference, didn't you?"

Raven nodded.

"You threatened him?" Mercy asked, shocked. "He responds so poorly to threats."

"I did not threaten him," Raven said. "I made him quite happy to do it, actually."

"You didn't," Koriand'r said. "You didn't - make him love you?"

"Lex Luthor is in LOVE with you?" Mercy blurted out, twice as surprised.

Raven smiled coldly. "Not right now, he's not."

Koriand'r put a hand on Raven's shoulder. "But Raven, what were you thinking?! He'll come after you!"

"Or us," Mercy said darkly.

Raven glared at Mercy. "That disk is what protects you and Koriand'r," she said. "If Luthor tries to hurt you, he knows I'll release the contents. And now he can't expose your despicable secret," she pointed out. "Because you have proof he did something much worse. Filing a false police report isn't quite as bad as attempted murder, is it?"

Mercy looked down at the CD. "No, it's not. I guess I should thank you."

"Don't," Raven retorted. "I did it to keep Koriand'r safe. But, since you appear to have indirectly benefited from my actions, there are certain things you can do to show your gratitude."

"Raven," Koriand'r said warningly.

"You will continue to employ Koriand'r for as long as she chooses," Raven continued relentlessly. "You will continue to treat her with the respect she deserves. If you wish to be her friend, you will NEVER deceive her as you did before. You will be honest, loyal, caring - in short, you shall be to her what she is to me."

"Don't you think forcing me to be friendly with her violates the spirit of it?" Mercy asked. Then she paled. "Not that I wouldn't have done all those things anyway."

"No, you're right, Mercy. Raven," Koriand'r interjected, "I can't let you do this. And I don't expect you to feel obligated, Mercy."

"Lastly," Raven said, "since the two of you are something more than friends now, I trust that you will not break her heart."

Mercy's eyes widened, and Koriand'r's cheeks darkened with embarrassment.

"Koriand'r gives her love so freely," Raven added quietly. "I would not see her given reason to change that."

"Look, er, we're not - " Mercy began to say, but smoke began to surround Raven.

"Raven, wait!" Koriand'r suddenly said. "How will you stop Luthor from coming after you?!"

Raven only offered a cryptic smile as she vanished.

"Well," Mercy finally said after she was gone. "This has been an interesting five minutes."

"I'm sorry about that," Koriand'r apologized. "Raven can be very protective."

Mercy nodded. "It's good of her," she said. "So what was that about Luthor being in love with her?"

"Oh, that," Koriand'r said. "She can make people fall in love with her. Something to do with her powers, I'm not sure how she does it. She can turn their love off as well."

"Can she make people stop loving each other the normal way?" Mercy asked, appalled.

"No, no! Only the love she makes them feel," Koriand'r explained. "She told me she doesn't like to use it because it's very manipulative."

"Like me," Mercy said.

"Ms. Graves - "

"Hell, Koriand'r, you might as well just call me Mercy after THAT," Mercy said, sighing. She looked at her desk. "Guess we have a lot to talk about. Want to order in?"

Koriand'r didn't answer at first. She was so worried about Raven. Why was Raven endangering herself so for her? When would Koriand'r have a chance to do the same for her? "I should see her tonight," she murmured.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Um, sure," Koriand'r said, glad at least that Mercy was opening up a little. "Let's 'do lunch"


As Talia answered her father's summons, she reflected on the difference between being physically and emotionally "worn out". She was in peak physical condition at this point in her life. But mentally she was a mess.

The party with the Justice League had been, as she'd feared, an unmitigated disaster. Bruce's barely-controlled wrath had been expected. What she had not counted on was earning the instant dislike of Wonder Woman when she accidentally discovered that the Amazon Princess was the secret lover of the female heir to the Kasnian throne. Ironic, considering the Kasnian princess had been the first and only person to show her a kindness that night. Something, Talia knew, she would not do again once Wonder Woman explained the situation.

She'd "killed" the party without even trying, and put unneeded strain on her slowly-developing relationship with J'onn. Compared to all that, discovering that Batman and Catwoman were lovers had been of even less importance than before. Certainly that part of her that still cared for Bruce had been hurt to see him with Selina Kyle - a thief, and where were his high standards now!

Talia sighed at her own stubborn blindness. Thanks to those accursed memories implanted in her brain, she knew it wasn't because of her criminal misdeeds that Bruce had grown weary of her. It was because of her betrayals.

At any rate, if she made him happy, then she had no right to be upset. Besides, she hadn't heard from J'onn lately. Wondering if he was re-evaluating the relationship was a bigger question.

She beat back a moment of anger. How could he question her loyalty to her father when he might perhaps allow the League to influence his opinion of her?

Talia shook her head. J'onn had said more than once that leaving her father wasn't about him. It was about her. And if she remained with DEMON because of something J'onn might or might not do, then she was letting other people make decisions for her all over again.

"Ah, Talia," her father said, and she realized her mind had wandered as she entered his rooms. "How are you today?"

"Well, father," she said automatically. "What is it you need of me?"

"Ubu," Ra's al-Ghul called, "bring me my cape. We are going to the control room."

Talia stared at the man who entered from a side room. The last Ubu had perished while stopping an attempt by Kobra to take over one of DEMON's operations. She hadn't met his replacement until now. Two things caught her eye. One, the man was even larger than Ubu, slightly more than seven feet tall by her estimate.

Two, the man had a withered left arm. He looked barely able to pick up a pen with his left hand, let alone do any of the things an Ubu would be expected to do.

"Ubu," Ra's was saying while she stared at him. "This is my daughter, Talia."

Ubu immediately fell to one knee and bowed his head. "Mistress," he said.

"Obey her as you would me. Should anything happen to me, I expect you to be her most faithful servant."

"Of course," Ubu murmured.

"You have noticed his arm?" Ra's observed.

"Well, yes, of course. But why have you - "

"Remind me to have Ubu demonstrate later," her father interrupted. "For now I have a mission for you. Ubu, thank you," he said as he took his green cape from Ubu's right hand. "Lead on."

Talia closed her eyes briefly. A mission. Should she attempt to break away from DEMON now, before the mission was begun? Or would it be something innocuous, giving her time to prepare?

Or stall, her mind whispered.

"So, how goes your relationship with the Detective?" he asked as they walked.

A question she'd been dreading. "Tricky," she said. "The rest of the Justice League now knows. They're not very pleased." She'd been letting her father think that she was involved with Bruce. Now she had to find an opportunity to "end the relationship". Otherwise Ra's would inevitably mention it the next time he encountered Batman, and Bruce would grow even more skeptical of her claims if he found out she'd been telling tales. How had her life become so chaotic?

"Good, good," he said, surprising her.

"How is that good?" she asked.

"Why daughter, so much the better that the League disapproves. It will create a wedge between the detective and the others. He will be forced to leave the League and join me, which will strengthen my hand and weaken the League at the same time. He needs to quit the group sooner or later anyway. He can't be DEMON's heir and a member of the Justice League at the same time, of course."

"Of course," she parroted weakly.

"Although," he continued slyly, "there may come a time when I won't have need of an heir. A time very soon."

Talia stared at him. "What? How?!"

"Ah, that is what your mission is, my daughter," he said as they arrived at their destination. Several DEMON members were busy planning some type of operation. On one large computer monitor she noticed a map of . . .

Kasnia.

She wondered if her father had noticed the blood draining from her face.

"You see, Talia, when I learned that this man Vandal Savage, the one who attempted to hijack the international space station," Ra's explained, "was in fact blessed with immortality and eternal youth, I began developing a stronger network in Kasnia. I had connections there, of course, thanks to the arms dealers smuggling weapons out of the country and onto the black market, but since sanctions were imposed, the country lost some of its value to me."

Talia had no reply. She already knew what he was going to ask of her. His timing was so bad, it was almost inconceivable.

"I've learned that Vandal Savage is being moved to a special prison facility," Ra's continued. "A prison built to hold a single man, actually. Apparently they're being cautious with their prisoner, after the Americans lost him once already. The transfer is top secret and heavily guarded - but of course, they were unable to uncover all of Savage's conspirators in the Kasnian Army. I found one who fancies himself the next military dictator. Besides, the sole heir to the throne is a girl, a silly little thing. An unpopular monarchy could easily be toppled, especially if Kasnian society is uncomfortable with having a queen and no king. I may even help him," Ra's mused, "should this plan succeed. And it would be nice to have another world leader in my debt."

"What plan?" Talia finally asked, her mouth dry.

"Of course. I digressed, didn't I? You and Ubu shall lead a team of my men to intercept the prison transport, liberate Savage, and bring him here. My scientists believe that if I am lowered into a working Lazarus Pit at the same time as Savage, it is possible that his powers will be transferred to me. Twenty-five thousand years! Can you believe he's that old? Even my lifespan is a tiny fraction of that. Imagine what I could make of the world if I had that kind of time . . ."

She hadn't known why she wanted Savage, but she'd guessed the rest. This did not lessen the horror she felt. It wasn't even a question of her participating in this mission. Granted, it would look especially bad if she were seen leading the assault, but even if it took place without her . . . even though her father had designed this plan completely independently of her relationship with J'onn and without any assistance from her, it would be the natural assumption of the Justice League that she'd been involved from the beginning. She'd worked with DEMON for decades, after all. Were they really expected to believe that she'd quit, that she was innocent, when her father invaded Kasnia mere days after Talia attended a Justice League party which Princess Audrey had also attended? They'd barely spoken, but still, they'd assume it.

Wonder Woman would certainly make that assumption. If this mission was allowed to succeed, she had no doubt that Wonder Woman would place all the blame on her shoulders and make her the target of the Amazon's eternal wrath. This in itself was a daunting and somewhat terrifying prospect. It would also mean that the League would NEVER accept her relationship with J'onn. If he chose to remain with her, he might be forced to leave.

"If" was the right word. If he stayed . . . would he stop believing her as well?

She wasn't sure she could handle quitting DEMON if she would be alone afterwards. Talia didn't care how weak and dependent that made her sound. She'd been a part of this for decades. Leaving DEMON and having nothing afterwards was too much to bear.

So she had to warn them. It meant slipping back into the same old pattern that Bruce scorned so, Talia betraying her father and supplying information to the heroes. But the alternative was vastly worse.

And, she realized, allowing this to take place would be a horrible way to repay Princess Audrey for that small kindness the other night, no matter what the Kasnian might think of her now.

But first she had to get away, and that meant NOT leading this mission. "But father," she said desperately, "how is Ubu to help me lead the mission if . . . "

Ra's grinned. "Oh, his arm? Are you saying that one deficiency dwarfs all his obvious strengths?"

"Yes, he is a mountain of a man, and I am sure he can fight with one arm, but - "

"Talia, believe your father when he assures you that Ubu is quite deadly in the field. Thanks in part to an inventive mind."

Ubu looked abashed by the praise.

She considered arguing that Bruce would never join DEMON if he found out Ra's was going to live forever and no longer had need of an heir, but that was too bald-faced even for her.

There was no way she'd be able to get away from her father for some time. He'd require her to take over planning the execution phase. Of course, she could declare that she'd had it and she was leaving - and then she wouldn't get away for a VERY long time.

Why did these things always happen to her?

It was at that moment that she heard her cell phone ring. Her head snapped down.

Her father glanced at her with some irritation. "Whoever it is, Talia, please tell them to call back another time," he sighed.

She wanted it to be J'onn, but she wasn't entirely sure how she could tell him what was going to happen right in front of her father. Perhaps if she made some sort of coded reference to "Wonder Woman's guest" . . .

The caller ID, however, was blocked as she drew it from her pocket. Which was odd, considering the custom-made phone had been designed to identify EVERYONE who dialed her number.

"Hello?" she asked, answering it.

"Talia."

A chill ran down her spine. Who else would know her number and be able to make an untraceable call?

It only took her a second to answer, but in her mind it was quite a very long second. Bruce was the one person who Ra's would let her make time for. Perhaps this was the opening she needed in order to get out of this trap. But she couldn't merely say hello, she needed to identify Bruce by name so her father would instantly know who it was.

But if she called him "Bruce" or "Batman", her father would also know something was wrong. She'd always called him the same thing, so why change now?

There was really only one thing she could say. All it would cost her was destroying any credibility she might have with Bruce, and giving him further "evidence" that her being with J'onn was another scheme to get Bruce back. Never mind that the word itself conjured up a host of Bruce's unpleasant memories in her brain.

If she didn't grab this opportunity, however, her credibility before the entire League would be damaged.

All of this flashed through her mind in less than a second, time enough to smile for her father's benefit. "Beloved," she said.

She was going to be ill.

To be continued . . .

[End notes: The cameo appearance by Qiu Ju should not suggest to anyone that this is a cross-over with my Gargoyles fic. She's just an original character that tends to appear in a lot of my stories. Maurice Bradley is also an original character, as is the new Ubu. I don't know if Slam Bradley has any family.]

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