FIC: Faith Wayne (22/?)
FIC: Faith Wayne (22/?)
“Are you ready for the funerals, sir?”
Bruce saw his painful smile reflected back at him in the mirror as he finished fastening his tie. “I doubt one can ever be really ready for a funeral, Alfred.”
“Yes sir,” his butler and closest aide nodded gravely. “I still remember your parents. I’d never believe that scared but brave little boy would grow up to be the fearsome warrior and grand man I see before me.”
Bruce’s smile became just a little more genuine. “I had considerable assistance from a good and trusted mentor.” As Alfred began to nod, he added. “Commissioner Gordon has always been a valued confidante and guide.”
“Ha,” amusement gleamed in his butler’s eyes, “hoisted up on my own hubris.” The Englishman’s expression sobered. “Give Ms. Wayne my sympathies.”
“Give them yourself,” he replied then smiled at his friend’s confused expression. “You’re one of the family, Alfred, and family stick together in these sort of situations.”
“It would be my honour, sir.”
* * *
Luthor glanced up from his laptop at the knock on the door, noting the time he let out a call. “Please come in Ms. Waller.”
“Thank you sir,” the box-shaped woman strode into his office and sat in the chair opposite. “And thank you for making time to see me on such short notice.”
“Your call indicated you had important information and besides,” Luthor smiled, “I always have time for you. You’re a valued ally.”
“Thank you sir,” Waller nodded.
“And your news?”
“It appears that Ra’s al Ghul was behind Drakon’s attack on Faith Wayne and the attack by Lady Vic, Deadshot, Kai, NKVDemon, Shado, Deadshot, and Meryln on her college.”
Luthor absorbed the news. It was hardly a revelation to anyone aware of Ghul’s obsession with the Bat, and striking at his daughter made a certain warped sense when you considered Ghul’s past. “And you know this how?”
Waller smiled. “Because in the past seventy-two hours, no less than six of the League Of Assassins’ leaders were taken off the board by the Council.”
Luthor leaned forward, eyes narrowing. Now this was interesting. “Taken off the board?”
“Mad Dog and Lady Shiva dead, Cain, Alpha, D’Aire, and Raatko all missing.”
Luthor rested his forearms on the desk, fingers steepled together. “And you’re sure it was the Council?”
“We don’t know it was them,” Waller admitted. “However, Checkmate aside, they are the only organisation with the resources, ability, motivation, and willingness to enact lethal measures to be able to attack the League in such a comprehensive and widespread manner.”
“Huh,” Luthor affected a concerned expression, but inwardly he rejoiced. Ghul de-fanged, a few months or years ago when he might have utilised the League’s resources, it might have been problem, but with his plans nearing completion, he couldn’t care less. “Thank you for this Ms. Waller, most informative.”
* * *
Wayne glanced around the subdued gymnasium that was serving as a makeshift wake for Erin and Mika. He’d offered the mansion for the service, but Faith had said ‘shit, you don’t want the whole of us messin’ your crib up, ‘sides Erin and Mika lived and died here, their friends should celebrate their lives here’.
Words that had a certain poignant and poetic symmetry.
Wayne couldn’t help but feel some pride despite the grim occasion. Young girls, other Slayers he suspected, had flown in for the occasion, many paid for by himself, his contribution, and all treated his daughter and Xander with respect and some cases awe and outright adoration.
“She’s a remarkable young woman.”
Wayne’s mood took a severe downturn as he looked to the man on his left. The greying, bespectacled man had a scholarly look to him that belied an underlying hardness.
Rupert ‘Ripper’ Giles, former feared criminal and chaos mage, then legendary Watcher. And according to all the research he’d done, the man who had callously and unthinkingly abandoned his underage daughter to a fleapit hotel frequented by sundry lowlifes.
“Yes?” His iron control allowed him to remain a polite tone.
“I’ve grown very fond of her over the years,” continued the Englishman. “And she has a rare skill with the young girls under her control. Given her start in life, she’s accomplished a lot.” The Watcher gazed searchingly at him. “I would be most displeased if Faith’s progress was reversed by another rejection.”
Wayne’s fists clenched at the subtle insinuation. Reminding himself that this was a wake and hardly the place for a punch-up, he managed to remain calm as he nodded. “I hardly think my daughter is as fragile as you suggest but I appreciate your concern, Mr. Giles. After all her mother was hardly suited for the task of parenthood.” Wayne allowed himself a guilty pang at that before continuing. “Even worse from what my private detectives were able to find out even when she ran away from Boston and went to California, she was unable to find the guidance, attention, and love that would have perhaps kept her out of prison.” Wayne fixed Giles with his firmest gaze, allowing just a hint of the Bat out. “She’s been failed by more than one guardian figure, but I love her dearly and I have no intention of adding to that number.”
* * *
“So what do you think?”
Bruce grimaced at Xander’s query. The wake had ended several hours ago, and now he and Xander were in his office, Xander having passed him a typewritten report on the Council’s assault on the League of Assassins. “Your organisation is thorough, I’ll say that for them. It’s a shame they couldn’t do anything about Ghul.”
“Apparently he has mystics covering them,” Xander explained. “While Will’s probably way stronger than the lot of them combined, she has to know which general area to look, like say a specific country, to find him.”
Bruce nodded. He knew from bitter experience just how tricky Ghul could be. “And Faith, how is she dealing with the girls’ deaths?”
Xander’s one eye darkened. “She always takes it hard when any of her girls die, it’s part of who she is.”
“I can understand that,” Wayne nodded. It was a leader’s responsibility and while it said a lot of good things about his daughter’s character, it hurt to imagine her in pain. “If she needs any counselling-.”
“Thanks but no,” Xander shook his head. “Faith hates shrinks, has done ever since prison, and even if she didn’t, the Council employs counsellors.”
“Okay.” Bruce nodded reluctantly. He felt so helpless, all her life he hadn’t been there for Faith, and now he was, he still couldn’t protect her. “What about the investigation into what happened here? Are the police still causing problems?”
“Nothing more than a nuisance,” Xander grimaced. “They can’t do much thanks to the Council’s legal and political muscle, plus those who attacked us certainly weren’t saints, but with Faith’s record, Erin killing Shado, and me killing Lady Vic and NVKDemon, they don’t want to let it go.”
“The Bat could go and see Commissioner Gordon, tell him he’s investigated the academy on behalf of Wayne when he found out his daughter lived and worked there, and while there are some oddities, you are on the level. No mention of the Council, just that you’re metas but don’t mean any harm to anyone.”
“Yeah,” Xander nodded. “That’d be handy, thanks.”
* * *
Zauriel stood on the roof of one of Los Angeles’ highest skyscrapers and peered down into the swirling smog below, his angelic senses attuned for any sign of trouble. “My son.” Pain like a thousand nails simultaneously hammering him through his skull drove him to his knees, even as his soul quailed with disbelief. In all his centuries, all his millennia, he’d never had the honour of speaking to HIM, indeed only the Seven had heard HIS Voice.
“I hear you, Father,” he mumbled.
“Good, then listen, for I have much to say.”
Horror filled him as his Father talked, every word sending knives of ice through his heart. Once his Father had finished speaking, he nodded and bowed his head. “I hear and I obey.” Ignoring the high winds assailing him, Zauriel stretched out his senses and began summonsing as many heroes as he could think of.
The Justice League Of America.
The Justice Society Of America.
The Teen Titans.
Shadowpact.
The Doom Patrol.
The Outsiders.
The Freedom Fighters.
Great Ten.
Atomic Knights.
Zauriel forced away unconsciousness for as long as possible as he summonsed the world’s heroes to him. The earth would need them all and more besides to survive what was to come.
* * *
“Commissioner.”
The crumpled man started at his greeting then spun to face him, rain dribbling down his trenchcoat. “Batman,” the police officer quickly regained his composure.
Batman nodded at his friend, hating the weariness he saw etched in the older man’s eyes and face. “When Ms. Wayne turned up I investigated her,” he began without preamble. “I thought it might be some scheme to set up Mr. Wayne for a ransom demand by one of Gotham’s gallery of freaks, what I discovered was more surprising.”
“Oh?” Gordon’s eyes narrowed.
“The whole academy is filled with low-level metas, but they’re good people,” Batman replied. “Not crime-fighters, they deal with another kind of evil.”
Gordon stared at him for a moment before commenting. “And the other night?”
“That was unrelated to their meta activities,” Batman replied.
“You’ll have to give me more,” Gordon said.
“It was an attack at Faith Wayne by an enemy of her father unaware of his daughter’s powers,” Batman supplied. “Look into Faith Wayne’s past, you’ll find she has a presidential pardon personally requested by the British Ambassador to the US., not something usually given to former Boston street urchins.”
“Heroes of Earth, I call you to a meeting at The Hall Of Justice, noon tomorrow.” Batman swayed as a voice vanguarded by an fanfare of trumpets echoed in his head.
“Batman are you alright?”
Batman smiled slightly at the concern in his confidante’s voice even as he wondered what urgent matter Zauriel wanted him for. “I’m fine. Faith Wayne and her companions are good people, Commissioner Gordon. Thank you for meeting me here.” Batman melted into the shadows. “I’ll see you soon.”