Indie (mostly) Comics Multimuse

                        her heart stopped. cat couldn't even register the bursting of the nearby light. didn't hear the shouts of surprise from the men around her. the one holding released, reaching for his gun. the other had his raised, their heads craning, their bodies turning, SEARCHING for who was hidden in the sudden shadows. awareness was growing - the boy wonder had been seen last time cat was dealt with... it appeared maybe that hadn't been a one-off.

         package hit the cement before her tattered shoes, a puddle dampening one of the outer edges and the toes of her footware. cat's green depths flickered to it only momentarily, but not a single consideration would come to her mind over its c o n t e n t s. over its existence, even. there was one one thing that now overtook her system: panic.

                      breathing had turned labored, as though struggling with every inhale and exhale, a weight settling on her back, pushing her down, spiking the shaking of her legs. she knew, she knew exactly who they meant... a nightmare come to life, all her running, all her struggling, her fighting, e v e r y t h i n g... somehow, someway, copper had figured out she was alive. had located her, and now was intending to finish what he started.

       no one leaves the ring alive.

                          from what she had learned from sweetie... tinderbox... that statement was no longer the entire truth. yet, it was cat who had caused it all to collapse. copper would want his revenge, would want to make sure she was aware of the consequences she should have had years ago.

            her eyes closed as gunshots rang, splitting the ache in her mind. hands reached up, coiling bony fingers through brown tangles, and she sunk down into a ball, crouched against the earth. BREATHE... BREATHE... BREATHE! she had to. get it together! get it together! she wouldn't let him hurt her. not again, not anymore. she had grown stronger, she was stronger, she was braver. if he dared... she would fight. prove that she was free.

A second gunshot illuminates the area for a flash of a moment, illuminating Damian in an amber glow just as quickly as it vanishes. Just as quickly as he reached for the batarang before, does he grab a truncheon and swing it against the other fighter. The fighting is like second nature for Damian, as is the victory when all is said and done. It should be, given his upbringing. The Demon's Head wanted a warrior-prince to tame the world, and he got what he wanted with his grandson. Realms of shadows and paths of broken bones were where he was trained.

And the League of Assassins would never truly leave Damian. He may be better now. The boy may have found a noble cause to fight for and noble colors to wear during this fight, but he will always know who he used to be, and the kind of person Ra's al Ghul wanted him to be. He'll never forget how to kill as easily as he knows to disarm and subdue. Even if Batman's mission could see an ending one day in the future, the fight between the boy's nature and nurture will be one that he'll be waging for the rest of his life.

The new information required further insights, which would, of course, mean asking Cat even more questions. The questioning of the men here, now incapacitated or otherwise in so much pain that nothing of use could be gained from them, would have to wait for later. Maybe the shock wears off for one of them, then he would be willing to tell Robin something. But he had nothing on his person that could expedite that process meaningfully.

Starscream stopped himself. He had just argued with the Optimus Prime, and he didn't know how to feel about that. Actually, he was expecting punishment and mentally prepared for something that would never happen.

But the light dims slightly. "We are not the Decepticons, Starscream. I am aware of how Megatron has chosen to command, but fear and raw power are no replacement for trust." Trust and faith, no matter how unearned Optimus may feel that faith can be at times.

"So.. you here to kill me then?" She looked up at him. Her eyes didn't even have fear or defeat in them. If she was going to die tonight, at least it would be quick.

"Not surprising.. I pissed off enough masked villains and mobsters...to have a contract on me."

"But I am looking for Nightwing." Old grudges die hard. The Titans were still responsible for the death of his boy, or at least that's what Slade keeps on telling himself. "And I need to drag him out into the open." Which makes the purpose of this encounter very clear.

Atieno chuckled a little bit at his smile. "I'm glad that you think so. I certainly do my best to be there for people as much as I can." With all the constant changes and shifts.. with all the kind of people that they have lost over their long lifetime, they don't mind finding an excuse to support in however small way that they could.

Jake hums to himself when he hears them talk about the change, and being there for people. A little voice in the back of his head tells him off, no doubt Marc. But he's started to change. Slowly but surely, of course, but Jake and Steven have both noticed a change in Marc. "That's good. It's important to keep in touch," real important.