Episode 12: Great Minds Think Alike

An episode from the villains point of view, granting a sneak peek at their future plans.

            Deathstrokestood still as a gravestone, just barely within the cast beam of a single lightfixture. He needed to be within enough light to be seen, but close enough toshadow to escape if things got hairy. He hated meeting in warehouses like this.What were they, movie stars? It was the most stereotypical and pathetic place tostage a meetup in the history of illegal activity. A junkyard would be betterthan this, hell the mall would be better than this. Or, best of all, maybe hisclient could act with a shred of intelligence and make these transactions overthe phone so they never appear in the same room at once.

            Alas, suchfineries were lost on the type of people who hired him, and he needed the moneynow more than ever, so no matter how asinine the circumstances he was going tohave to play along. He kept his arms crossed as he stood. It gave theappearance of strength and unflappability he wanted, but it was alsofunctional. He could reach the guns at his back in seconds, and he could easilycatch a glance at his wristwatch, which his eye was falling upon now.

2:12 am.

            Threeminutes until the meeting. Which meant four minutes until he left if there wasno sign of a client. He didn’t do late. He was risking too much just to behere, he wasn’t about to risk it even longer for someone who can’t even bebothered to show up. He always got paranoid at these last few minutes. What ifBatman had somehow hacked his communications, and there was no client? Themercenary waited every day for his chance to take down the bat, but not likethis. He wasn’t about to have his epic duel with his arch rival by being luredinto a trap. No, he had to be ready. It had to go down on his terms. So Batmanfaking a client just to take him down was more or less the worst case scenariofor this evening. He began thinking about other negative outcomes, and what hewould do to escape them, when he suddenly heard a voice and directed hisattention towards it.

“Still creeping in the shadows, wannabat?” It said.Deathstroke didn’t recognize the voice. He didn’t like the tone the voice took,nor the unaccountable position of superiority. He found the pitch and cadenceinsufferable. If this was his new client he was prepared to walk away on thespot.

            The speakerstepped out of the shadows and into the light. It was a gangly looking man,skinny as a rail. When he walked it was like he had four knees he was such anodd, lanky individual. He had messy brown hair kept under an honest to godgreen bowler hat. He was wearing a neon green three-piece suit, adorned withpurple question marks all over it like a child’s attempt at polka dots. Hewalked with a green metal cane that was shaped into yet another question markat the top. The incessant tapping as it hit the ground with every step wasinstantly nauseating.

“You’re that question mark guy.” Deathstroke said, sneeringat the wretch before him.

“What gave it away? They call me ‘the Riddler.’ Thepleasure’s all yours.”

            The pompousfool struck a pose straight out of comic book and extended his tiny hand for ashake. Deathstroke stared down at it in disgust and declined to reciprocate.

“This meeting isn’t for you.” He growled. “Beat it.”

“Oh on the contrary. I was told specifically to arrive atthis very warehouse to receive an offer I would be a fool to decline. Are youthe extender of this offer, or are you another recipient?”

“My client didn’t tell me anything about working with you.”

“Maybe he doesn’t like you. Lack of communication is one ofthe earliest telltale signs of a relationship coming to a close.”

“’He?’ You know who it is?”

“You don’t? Come on lead-head even a simpleton such asyourself should be able to put together this particular puzzle.”

            The twoturned their heads as they heard a great thump behind them. Something twistedin the dark, a humanoid shape. Something had dropped off one of the shelves andwas walking toward them. The figure slowly walked closer to the funnel of lightand revealed that they were the famous Deadshot. Greatest sniper ever living,and one of the highest paid assassins on the market.

“What are you two jackasses doing here?”

“We have a meeting with your boss.” Riddler replied. “Wemean neither him, nor you any harm, so you can drop the attack dog routine.”

“He didn’t say you were coming. He only told me about Croc.”

            Then, as ifon que, the monstrous Killer Croc slammed open the wooden doors of thewarehouse and came stomping his way into the light. His labored breathingpermeated the room in it’s moisture, hideous odor of rotten flesh, and gratingsound as he thundered sluggishly towards them.

“Well well. If it isn’t the other green villain of the DarkKnight. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Riddler said, seeming to feel nofear as the man-eating beast shambled towards him.

“Scram, little man.” The crocodile hissed, it’s wordsstruggling to form like Frankenstein’s monster.

“How adorably unoriginal. Come up with that yourself,lizard?”

“I didn’t think you were real.” Deathstroke said, gawking indisgust at the wretched pile of scales and flesh in front of him.

“I’m real, pig. Wanna find out how real I am?”

            On a normalday Deathstroke would have taken this challenge at its face and met with Crocin open combat right here. But tonight was no normal night. All of these peoplewere here to meet with the same guy? Something big was going down and theyneeded a dream team to handle it. A job like this wasn’t just the kind of thingthat promised to pay well. It was the kind of thing they wrote in historybooks. A crew like this would only ever risk coming together if they were doingsomething so bad it would define their careers. If they were lucky, maybe endtheir careers. Deathstroke’s mind flooded with images of the greatest changesin American politics. 9/11, The JFK assassination, MLK, the Civil War. Hewondered where among those names he would fit in. The risk was mounting withevery new name that arrived, so he was a horse hair away from walking, but damnif he wasn’t curious. The crocodile waited for an answer, but he would neverreceive one as the last of the motley crew strolled through the doors Croc leftopen.

            Thehalf-man walked in, he too knocking his cane across the ground with every step.He sucked on a cigar and blew a smoke cloud into the air as large as thepenguin on his jacket. He had a squad of men following him, mocking militarypatrol as they did. Two men closed the door behind him, two more broke out toget in a flanking position. Another two ran to the stairs so they could getinto sniping positions on the balcony. Deathstroke had known Penguin for a fewyears, and he could never tell whether his overbearing security was out ofparanoia or an inflated ego. When his battalion of posturing cretins hadcovered every exit they were likely to find, the Penguin walked closer andapproached the group.

“What a party Oi’ve walked in on ‘ere!” He belched throughthe cigar in his mouth the size of a finger. “And ‘ere Oi thought Oi was gettinplayed.”

“We all still could be.” Deathstroke remarked. “Nobody’sseen this employer.”

“’Ee be’ah show after oll the money Oi’ve been promised.When you make a deal with the Penguin, you keep your word.”

“He’ll keep his word.” Riddler exhaustively groaned. “Thisguy? Are you kidding me? He’s got enough money to put all of you in hisproverbial pocket. I can’t wait to find out what devious plan he’s gotconcocted this time. And what part of it does he need a circus freak show,because he had to have hired Penguin for something.”

“Watch yer mouth, Nigma! In case you ‘aven’t noticed Oi’vegot you outnumbad.”

“Outnumbered with the bottom ten percent of America’s highschool dropouts. Can these lumbering idiots even shoot someone an email? For pete’ssake that one’s picking his nose.”

            Penguinslapped the thug nearest to him even though he wasn’t the culprit. Penguin’smouth gaped open to speak, but he was silenced by the sound of a triangle beingplayed. All present turned to face the direction the noise came from, and asthey did so the rest of the lights in the warehouse suddenly came on. Thebuilding was illuminated in all it’s fluorescent shine, lending an awkwardsentiment to the shadowy business deal happening earlier. After adjusting theireyes to the new brightness level, the group observed their potential client. Hestood right at the edge of what was once the cone of shadow, and now wasunderneath the metal catwalk Penguin’s men occupied. Naturally, all securitypersonnel turned their gaze and their weapons to this man, certain that he wastheir buyer but still needing to show strength.

            He was atall man, with a figure obscured by some sort of green robe, like he wasroyalty in a fantasy book. He had hair that pointed straight out in threedifferent directions, and a goatee with traces of silver. He looked mature,only slightly aged beyond physical prime. Riddler knew this man, and Deadshothad correspondence with him. Other than that, the crew was in the dark as tothis strange figure’s identity. He came alone, which either meant a sense ofgreat confidence, or a lack of wisdom. Deathstroke waited for the other’s tomake a move.

“Oo a’ you?” Penguin squawked.

“I am the great Ra’s Al Ghul” the man spoke in a voice thatscraped like a gravel driveway “but to you I am a customer.”

“Ra’s Al Ghul is dead.” The crocodile grumbled.

“Precisely.” He replied. The man stepped forward, andaddressed the men formally.

“I am short on time, and heavy on currency, so lets cut tothe chase. You have all been summoned here because each of your particulartalents are necessary for an operation that I am putting together. I amprepared to offer you limitless funding and recourses, in return for yourloyalty and services.”

“Loyalty?” Deathstroke asked.

“Of course.” The man said. “Some of your services I need,but not at this moment. I want to buy your time and your loyalty, to ensurethat when I do need you I don’t find you doing a job for someone else.”

“You want us on retainer?” Riddler mused. “I’m open toconsidering the possibility of this, but how limited is this funding?”

“It will be enough.”

“That’s annoyingly cryptic.”

“Let’s discuss the job first.” Ra’s took a deep breath, andlaunched into his master plan.

“Many of you have become aware of the civil war in France.Superman was seen on sight, and has been blamed for the civil war’s end. Thishas set things in motion that I intend to take advantage of. However, there isonly so much work one can get done in the shadows before he intervenes.I think we all know who I’m talking about.”

            The roomcollectively dropped it’s heart and it’s gaze. The Batman. The one figure theywere all afraid of. Even Penguin, one of Batman’s oldest nemeses shuttered atthe thought of another blow to the face.

“You have a plan to stop him?” Deathstroke asked.

“He cannot be stopped.” Ra’s continued. “Not by you, oranyone. He can however, be stalled. This is where you come in. I am makingmoves across the global stage that are delicate, and require exact movements. Icannot be interrupted. I need to keep the Bat, and all those in League withhim, off of my back.”

“We’ve tried that before.” Killer Croc grumbled. “It didn’twork.”

“This will be different. Under my leadership, your skillswill be more fruitfully utilized, and separated just so, to wear Batman’sstrength down to a nub. You will keep him so pressed for time, strength andrecourses, that I will be able to move completely undetected. If you choose totake this mission onto your schedules, you will be apprehended. You will bebrought to task by the fists of the bat like you always are, and you will bereturned to your respective prisons. This is a part of my plan. And when I amthrough, if you all do as I say, then I will release you, and you will be wellcompensated. Your imprisonment will only be an inconvenience to you. To me, itwill be all part of the plan.”

            The grouplooked at each other. They were unsure of whether they could trust this manthey hardly knew, or if they did whether or not it would even be worth it.

“Individually,” he continued, “this is the assignment I havefor all of you. Edward, I need you to blanket me technologically. If I make aphone call, I don’t want anyone able to listen in or triangulate my position.If I spend money, I want it invisible. Whatever I do on the world wide web oron a telephone needs to be absolutely undetectable. Not one trace. I willbreeze a phantom through this world and you will make it so.”

“That kind of coverage is expensive. If Batman’s as advancedas I think he is, keeping his sources at bay will be challenging.”

“But you can do it?”

“……I suppose. For the right price.”

“Come up with a figure. As for you, Cobblepot, you willguise my physical movements. There may be times where I am receiving shipments,or moving foot soldiers, or in a worst case scenario, hiding from authorities.I need planes, boats, vehicles, safehouses, everything. If I move anywhereacross this physical earth I want to do so invisibly. I want to be able to movedelicate, highly illegal cargo without it being besmirched or seen acrossstate, or country, or even continental borders. I will need your men to processshipping and handling, but as for soldiers, I can supply those myself. Are youup to the task?”

“What your askin for is a job that costs millions. Multimillions. And Oi don’t ‘andle overseas. Oi can take ya packages all you wantbut Oi can’t promise anything that ‘appens in Europe.”

“Money is no object. Overseas I can see to. In Gotham, youcan ensure I move silently?”

“You be’a ‘ave the money for this old man. Oi can make youmove quiet as a mouse, but the service Oi provide is da best a da best. Itcomes at a very ‘igh price.”

“I assure you Mr. Cobblepot, you will get your money.”

            Ra’s turnedhis view to the three remaining men and addressed them fully.

“Jones. Your assignment will be wet work. I need you totravel to Metropolis and start killing people. You will hide in Metropolis andwait for my command. Make sure nobody can or will ever find you. When I giveyou the signal, pick a civilian and murder them. Pick someone vulnerable, likea woman or a child, make it as visceral and messy as you can. The gore isimportant. The more horrendous the crime scene the better. I will need this totake place on my command and no other time. Can you be trusted to do this?”

“You gonna fly me out to Metropolis?”

“If you so desire. I was told you prefer to swim, but if youwould like transportation I can arrange that.”

“If you want a child dead so bad why don’t you just killthem yourself?”

“I need an expert. Someone who can make it look like a truenightmare. I don’t trust anyone else to achieve this like you. Zsasz isunprofessional. The squealing pig is uncontrollable. You are the only one Itrust with this mission. Will you do it?”

“I don’t do kids.”

“Women? Elderly?”

“Metropolis?”

“Yes.”

“How do I avoid Superman?”

“Don’t get caught.”

“You think it’s so easy.”

“I am aware this is a great burden to you, but I need thebest, and I am paying top dollar, so I expect top performance. Can you betrusted?”

“Sure. I guess.”

“Excellent. Now you two.” Ra’s looked at the two with deathsin their name and presented them with their tasks.

“You two will be on call whenever I need you. Deadshot, Ihave a list of political names that I need you to keep watch over. If someonegets too close to discovering my identity or my actions, you will need to killone. With a loud gun, and don’t get caught. You’ll be a distraction to throwpeople off my trail. As soon as I call you, a bullet needs to be in someone’shead. It will take constant vigilance and constant work, but for your pay itwill be worth it. As for you Slade, you will be personal protection. You arethe final layer of defense. If someone ever gets so close as to be able toattack me physically, you will defend me. Even if it is the Batman. You willhave to stay near my person at all times, and threats could come from anywhere.You will need to always be ready. Can you achieve this?”

            Deadshotresponded first.

“I’m in but this kind of money is big. How can you afford meand all of them?”

“Money is of no concern. Wilson? Are you willing to devoteyour time?”

            Deathstroketook several seconds of thinking before he responded. Batman was the onlyperson that could get through all of this, and Batman was not somebodyDeathstroke could be ready to handle at all times. This kind of pay would beenough to retire him if he so wanted. He could live in luxury anywhere in theworld. It was the job of a lifetime, and the opportunity to put his name inhistories textbooks forever. How could he say no? Even if he got caught Ra’swas promising to protect him. It sounded too good to be true.

“Well?” Ra’s asked, pressed for time.

“One hundred million.”

“Make it two for your trouble.”

“Then I’m in.”

“Excellent. I have all of your information. I’ll contact youwhen I’m ready for you. It should be within a few days. All of you come up withyour prices, and we’ll negotiate over the phone. Slade, you come with me.Deadshot, return to your normal duties.”

“This be’a be worth it.”

“I sincerely hope you have the funds for this kind of thingRa’s, because I only give the best.”

“See you all in hell.” Croc grumbled, leaving the room fromthe door he came in.

            The groupbusily shuffled away, returning to their various dens to wait for orders. Sladefollowed his new buyer, acting as his body guard as he was instructed. Hewalked faster to catch up to Ra’s and as soon as they were outside of earshotof the others, Slade started asking the questions plaguing him.

“This group is not the A-Team you think it is.”

“They are the best at what they do.” Ra’s explained. “Theirfailings before were them trying to step outside of their expertise. They won’tneed to do that with me.”

“They’re not good enough. All they can do is keep Batman atbay, and that’s not enough. He can do it all at once. He’ll find you.”

“I’ll keep him busy. Don’t worry, I have recourses. You justworry about keeping me safe.”

“You don’t have enough. You can’t afford me, Deadshot,Penguin, Nigma, Croc, and whatever this method of keeping him ‘busy’ is.”

“Who do you think retrieved the crocodile and the Riddlerfrom Arkham? My recourses are plenty.”

“It’s not about recourses. He knows a distraction when hesees one. He won’t take the bait.”

“He’ll have no choice.”

“They all say that, and nobody’s ever been right.”

“Wrong. They have never succeeded in killing him. But theyhave succeeded in catching his attention.”

“You’re dodging my point.”

“You don’t need the answer to every question. You keep mesafe, you’ll get your money.”

“If you break the clown out of the box I’m out. I don’t workwith the insane.”

“If this situation gets to the point where I need the Joker,you won’t be a part of the operation any longer.”