Chapter 99

November 5th 8:11

Law PoV

“Well, it’s a bit…complicated. I’ll tell you more on the way.”

Black Canary commented after having invited me on a mission.

It was strange, wasn’t it? There were plenty of superheroes who liked to operate on a ‘need to know’ basis. Batman being one such prominent case. However, Black Canary had never been one of them.

She was always upfront with what a mission was about. What the actual objective was, who we were fighting, and what was at stake. Sure, she’d fudge the truth a bit if she just wanted an excuse to be around Green Arrow, but stuff like that was obvious.

What wasn’t obvious was this new approach she was trying out. A cautious one.

It was important to note that she said ‘I’ll tell you more on the way’. Meaning it was important that she not tell me here, or we were on a timer. And considering she didn’t seem to be in a particular hurry after we left the Titan Tower, I’d consider it to be the former.

Why? It was unlikely the Tower was bugged. Not under Cyborg’s watchful gaze. So what else could it be? The fear of being overheard? If so, by who?

It was only after we reached the edges of Jump City that I finally spoke up.

“I think now is probably a good time to explain things. Such as why are we leaving Jump City, and not using a Zeta tube?”

I questioned, causing Black Canary to slowly turn around. A thoughtful look on her face as she looked back at Titan’s Tower in the distance. It was quite the sight, I had to admit. The large T overlooking the city made everything feel smaller in comparison.

It was the symbol that crooks feared when they stepped into this city.

Sure, there were superheroes that existed that were stronger, smarter, or just overall better. Like the Batman, Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Powerhouses on their own.

But the difference between them and us, was that we were an actual group. In Gotham the fear of crossing the Batman’s path was real, but even that had some safety in it when you knew Batman was sighted across the city. But criminals in Jump City didn’t even have that reprieve.

The Titans were a suffocating force that constantly kept criminals on their toes. Because at any second, they could be jumped by an entire group of superheroes. Sure, Martian Manhunter was powerful, but at least you could actually think when fighting him.

It was an entirely different story when an archer, a green shapeshifter, an orange alien, and Martian Manhunter’s niece were all attacking you at the same time.

And what was even more terrifying than that was that even when we were sighted, that didn’t mean it was safe. We could have missions independently of each other. Making sure to respond to any threat that could spring up in the meantime.

This was the fruit of my efforts. This was the Titans that I had cultivated with my own hands.

This was the safety that I promised.

“…We’re going two states over. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Alright, there wasn’t too strange there…though she’s pretty vague at the moment.

“And there’s not a teleporter in that state?”

This time Black Canary turned back towards me. Giving a broad smile as she gazed at me. The stare left me with a…strange feeling. One that I wasn’t entirely familiar with.

“Well…there is, but I thought it’d be fun to have a road trip with my sidekick. Just you, me, and the road.”

She stated, gesturing out onto the nearby highway with a wistful look. It seemed like she greatly enjoyed the thought of a trip…with me? Odd. I mean, I wasn’t against the idea, but the whole thing felt a bit strange.

…No, that look in her eyes…it meant something. Something personal.

“This wouldn’t be your first road trip, I take it?”

She seemed to gain a spark in her eyes at that. A certain kind of bubbly energy that was almost out of place in her as she nodded. Her eyes darting to a corner of her eyes as she focused on her memories.

“No, definitely not. Before I became a superhero I traveled around the world with my teacher. We visited about half of the states before finally stopping and returning to Gotham. It’s…well, it meant a lot to me.”

I chuckled at that, causing her to raise an eyebrow at me. Her acting like a kid again was immediately dispelled as she frowned. Her authority immediately regained in a single instant.

“I don’t think I can leave the Titans for that long.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I said we were only going to pass through two states. Besides, it’ll be a learning experience for you too.”

I blinked owlishly at her. In what world was a roadtrip going to teach me anything?

She adopted her teaching stance with a finger extended outwards. The same stance she got in whenever she was teaching me how to fight before explaining.

“So far you’ve only ever really seen Jump City and Gotham. I can’t imagine what that’s done for your outlook on other cities and even the country as a whole. So it’d probably give you a wider perspective on the world if you were able to see how other cities and towns deal with their problems.”

Poorly. They probably dealt with them poorly.

“I’ve also been to Star City.”

I reminded her, causing her to roll her eyes and shake her head with a smirk.

“That doesn’t really count. You just fought crime there. You didn’t actually live there.”

“…You want me to live in these cities and towns?”

I questioned, causing her to give me a flat look.

“Why are you like this?”

“Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

Black Canary chuckled before shaking her head. A certain pause in the air as her gaze once again changed to something more wistful as she looked me in the eyes.

“…You would’ve gotten along with him, I think.”

Thankfully I wasn’t stupid enough to not catch on to what she was talking about. It helped that I had already had some information about her teacher beforehand from prior conversations. So, it wasn’t completely out of left field.

It was also obvious this was something she kept close to her heart.

“You sure about that? I’m not the easiest guy to get along with.”

I freely admitted. Sure, I knew more than enough about people to know exactly what they wanted to hear, and how to fake it for them. But why the hell would I do that?

I wasn’t so desperate for attention or affection that I’d put others before myself. Perhaps that’s what really separates me from other heroes.  

Black Canary snickered at that before patting my shoulder. Her voice rising an octave as if she found something particularly funny.

“Oh, trust me, when I was your age, I was MUCH worse.”

I found that hard to believe, but Black Canary seemed insistent on it. We eventually continued to walk down the streets of Jump City, likely in the direction of a stashed vehicle. She did seem to enjoy motorcycles, so maybe we would be taking two and talking through a radio?

Then again, that might defeat the purpose of a ‘road trip’. I didn’t really know, such a thing was as foreign to me as the idea of what going to school is like. It just didn’t really make much sense.

“You know, he was kind of similar to you, in a way. He was pretty kind, but didn’t hesitate to act when it came to fighting others or doing what’s right.”

Uh-huh. Yep.

That definitely sounded nothing like me.

Was she sure she had the right sidekick? Was there someone I didn’t know about or something?

“Right.”

I answered back neutrally, but even so she seemed to noticed the pause as she threw a look back over her shoulder. Black Canary’s catlike smirk on her face as she laughed.

“I’m serious! He was probably closer to you than he was to me. Though he believed that you should only act in self-defense, when it came to defending others, he was the dirtiest fighter I knew.”

Alright, now that had my attention.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. He’d offer a guy a drink just so he’d turn away and get the first hit on him.”

…I liked him already. Fair fights were for suckers. There was a reason I made sure to put the JUMP into Jump City with the Titans. Fighting one on one was for idiots.

Black Canary turned a corner to an indoors parking lot. I knew of the place, of course. I owned or at least had my fingers in more than half the city, so it wasn’t anywhere that was unknown to me.

My eyes were on Black Canary, but even so I had to double take as she started to walk to one of the nearby cars. Or rather, the vehicle that could just barely be called a car.

But no, she was indeed walking towards an RV.

…I was starting to become suspicious on just how long this trip with her was going to be. For a brief moment Black Canary suddenly froze. Her eyes immediately sharpened as she looked around the place with a serious look. Which was more than enough for me to do the same-

And narrowly moving out of the way of some sort of knife thing as it slipped into the concrete behind me.

I had expected only one mysterious assailant, but when I looked over, there were five, six, no, the number just kept climbing. People in dark clothing started to slip out of the shadows just to slowly start approaching the two of us. They didn’t exactly have a uniform, but I felt like I could make a couple of guesses as to who they are.

“The League of Assassins! Stay on your guard.”

Black Canary said out loud, causing me to nod my head. A bit suspicious that my second encounter with them was so quick after the first one. Could it be that they knew about the first one?

I doubted it. More likely that they simply suspected it rather than have any actual evidence pointing to it. Even so, it was better to play it safe.

Despite having been immediately attacked by some sort of three sided knife, they didn’t seem to be all that aggressive. They were simply moving around and getting into different positions around me and Black Canary. They weren’t moving very quickly either.

It was almost like they were waiting for something.

Or someone.

They all seemed to freeze up at the clacking of steps from the nearby stairs. Their eyes locking onto us until a nearby figure exited the nearby staircase. Showcasing an Asian woman with long black hair. She wore a black jacket with a red suit underneath. She was decently attractive, but there was also a strange sort of air about her.

It was something that made me wary the moment she appeared in my vision.

As she calmly started to walk over to the two of us, Black Canary’s eyes widened before darting forward. Immediately positioning her body between me and the new woman as she seemed much more on guard than I’ve ever seen her. The new woman on the other hand looked positively calm.

“Long time no see, Black Canary.”

Instead of responding back, Black Canary’s eyes locked onto my own as she spoke.

“Lawrence, whatever you do, do NOT fight her. She’s not an opponent you can take on right now.”

Well that definitely boosted my confidence. The Asian woman seemed to smile slightly at that as she chuckled. The slight movements of her body was something that Black Canary was already starting to react to.

“Wise words, but I’m afraid he might not have a choice in the matter...”

She commented, causing Black Canary to go silent. The overall atmosphere having become incredibly tense solely due to how Black Canary was responding. It was enough to give me second hand anxiety from it all.

“…I know you don’t just go on any mission. What is it that you want, Lady Shiva?”

Shiva? Huh. Small world.

“I just want to see how much stronger you’ve gotten since our last fight. That’s all.”

Lady Shiva commented, but in such a way that left you with a lot of doubts. The same could be said for Black Canary, as she didn’t seem to buy a single word.

Unfortunately, that seemed all she was going to get, as she immediately disappeared, and reappeared already closing the distance between her and Black Canary. Her outstretched arm was blocking Black Canary’s immediate roundhouse kick.

It was only as I made to move that all the other assassins did so as well. Converging and preparing their weapons as they locked onto my position.

…Well shit.