(General P.O.V)

"Shadow them. Ensure that Kobra does not mess this up. He underestimates the Detective."

Ra's Al Ghul informed Deathstroke. The latter stood behind the Demon's Head in a straight posture. His hands were crossed over his huge chest, the pommel of his signature swords jutting out from his back.

Two handguns were strapped to the belt on his hip, completing his arsenal. The weapons while lethal, were not as sharp and cold as his one visible eye, staring at the leader of the League of Shadows.

Ra's was looking towards the cliff side. The view was different now. The cliff used to shield the first rays of the sun from hitting the training yard. Now the light was too glaring for the students, disrupting morning practice.

Naturally they knew who was responsible and under normal circumstances, his Shadows would have had their heads on a pike. But this time, it was a special case. The one responsible, according to Cheshire's report, was an uncontrollable rage monster.

Davian Mabuz.

The boy had seemingly disappeared into thin air. Not only that but losing the Martian agent had hurt their dealings with their 'friend'. Not that the Light had put a considerable amount of effort into making sure there was never a fallout between them and the White Martians. However mutual benefits were never a bad thing.

They had to answer to that and that meant hurrying up some of their plans. Davian Mabuz needed to be brought in, yes. But more than that, the bigger picture took precedence.

On a personal level, Ra's had his men looking for the boy.

That kind of power in the hands of the Light or to be more specific, the League of Shadows would be invaluable. Place the boy under Ra's best tutors and he could fashion him into a weapon that could be utilized to guide humanity into the right path.

It the boy proved himself exceptionally well then, maybe he could become what Ra's had been looking for all this time, a heir to inherit his Legacy.

That was his big picture. The members of the Light were just lucky they all had a common enemy.

"Are you really concerned about Kobra or is this something else, master?"

Sensei, an old man enquired from opposite Ra's. That old man was but a child in the eyes of Ra's.

He'd watched Sensei grow up in the dark halls of the League of Shadow's headquarters. To him he was but a young boy. A young boy who could almost best him in chess, owing to the board in between them.

"Mmh..."

Ra's hummed, giving the impression of thinking about his next move.

Deathstroke snorted softly.

"It's about 'him' isn't it?"

"Watch your tone boy. Do not forget your place when you address the Demon's Head."

Sensei admonished in a cold voice.

Deathstroke narrowed his eye at him. Before any tension could form, Ra's waved a hand.

"Enough."

He made a move, picking off one of Sensei's pawns.

"Out of all I have had the privilege to instruct, even in passing, only a few truly stand out. Lady Shiva...she's the most deadly. A cold hearted executioner."

He moved his Queen around, taking away most of Sensei's pieces.

His finger tapped on the Rook.

"Slade Wilson, Deathstroke the Terminator...he's the best Assassin. The most efficient."

Deathstroke made no reaction while Sensei snorted lightly. He had never hid his displeasure for him. Deathstroke had been his most arrogant Student.

Ra's grabbed the Knight and held it up.

"The Detective, the most willful, the most resourceful."

His tone was laced with an undercurrent of pride.

Deathstroke tightened his fists.

Ra's hesitated on the Bishop piece, his hand hovering over it.

"Ben Turner...The Strongest."

This time his tone went deeper, more serious.

Ra's stood up, running the piece through his fingers as he walked forward, looking out into the sea.

"I respect him because more than all the others, he has earned that respect."

Sensei and Deathstroke looked at one another.

"Bronze Tiger will stay in line because he knows what I can give him. Her."

Ra's stated.

A brief silence reigned.

"Do not antagonize him."

Ra's told Deathstroke.

The latter understood the clear dismissal and turned to leave. His eyes briefly flashed towards a Raven haired woman standing off to the side.

Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul sneered.

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(Elsewhere)

There wasn't a lot of traffic this way. First owing to the fact that it was the late evening and also that this was mostly a private residence sector. Home to some of the richest of Gotham's elites.

The slow drone of the vehicle quieted down as Deadshot, parked it by the side of the road near a junction that led to Wayne Manor.

"So what's the plan?"

Baran asked, stepping out of the car with the other two. Deadshot checked his gun first, cocking it before aiming it straight at Baran's head.

"I'll give you one warning. Don't try to follow us."

"Whoa! Whoa!"

Baran stepped back with fear in his eyes. The jangle of keys made him throw his hands out by reflex.

"Be ready."

Bronze Tiger informed him. Baran opened his eyes and found himself alone. He looked at his palms and saw the car keys.

Anger marred his features. They were basically calling him useless. His hand went to his pant's pocket, bringing out with it a glowing brown vial. He was going to show them.

On a tree, a couple of dozens of meters away, Deadshot pressed the side of the cybernetic eye on his mask. The expert marksman sucked in a breath.

"Motion detectors, heat sensors and hidden security cameras covering the entire compound. Not to mention any other security measures I can't detect." He whistled.

"This is not going to be a walk in the park."

"Keep them busy while I try to locate what we came for."

Bronze Tiger's voice rumbled from next to him.

"And how are you going to do that?"

Deadshot asked, loading up his rifle.

He looked around and found himself alone.

(Elsewhere)

"...in the British royal army. So Alfred and his team take a detour, following the civilian's directions to try and sneak up on that particular terrorist cell."

Dick narrated.

"Ah."

Alfred sighed.

"Could we not talk about this at the dinner table, Master Dick?"

"What, and bore Raven with meaningless small talk?"

Dick asked, leaning closer to the table, his food barely touched despite the tantalizing smell of the soup wafting off his plate.

Raven's own plate was empty, the steak devoured cleanly. She, better than anyone knew what hunger was.

"So there they are, looking into this small building. Alfred gives the signal, this soldier walks up, opens the door...and over a hundred chicken come flying out! The soldier falls down and starts screaming wildly!"

Raven frowned, not really invested in the talk but wary of the stern glare Alfred threw her way when she started fiddling with her phone. It wasn't anything special, just a small gift from one of her mom's friends. That's where she'd gotten the picture she carried of her as well.

She found her mind drifting when Dick started snapping his fingers on her face.

"You couldn't looked more bored if you tried."

"What?" Raven responded, realizing her mind had drifted away.

Before he could answer, the glass shattered and something fell through, bouncing on the floor of the chamber.

"Get down!"

Dick jumped off his seat to tackle Raven when an explosion went off.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

As the table was pushed back and up, it struck a dome of black energy, breaking in the middle with both parts getting flung away to either side.

Dust and the smell of burning wood permeated the room.

The dome rippled away as Raven appeared, standing infront of Alfred and an injured Dick.

"Master Dick!"

Alfred called out in urgency. The young boy hadn't escaped without harm. There were a few light burns across his left side.

Alfred breathed a sigh of relief when the young boy groaned, getting up.

"I'm..."

A shot rang out, going through the chain column of the Chandelier.

"Get back!"

He shouted once more, pushing both Raven and Alfred away from him while sliding back on the floor.

The huge chandelier smashed onto the ground right where they were. Glass shattered and rained out, one of them biting into Raven's cheek and causing it to bleed.

Without the light from the candles bouncing off the Chandelier, the room was washed in darkness. It was only for a single second before multiple electric lamps lit up on the walls, a function of the room so as to give a calm atmosphere.

Dick narrowed his eyes, he'd seen a shadow move through the darkness.

Raven looked around the room with her fists enclosed in a black sphere.

"Miss Roth are you okay?"

Alfred enquired from her, standing close and before them, protectively.

"What was that?"

Raven instead asked her own question.

"Grenades. I knew you were going to block it with one of your shields."

A voice said from the frame of the window. Deadshot jumped inside and patted his forehead, his rifle pointed at the sky.

"Hello Raven."

He greeted.

"You."

Said Raven, her posture tensing.

"What are you doing here?"

Deadshot chuckled, looking around and noticing that the boy had disappeared. His eyes narrowed. How had he slipped away?

"Oh you know the usual. Getting paid to off some interesting people."

A cold light flashed across Raven's eyes.

"I won't let you or anyone else harm them!"

She couldn't let it happen. They had been good to her despite hiding secrets. Alfred had been a godsend when taking care of Davian and she would not let them face danger.

"Alfred step back."

Raven instructed.

The Butler began to protest when Raven created a swirling dark portal under him that sent him to the kitchen. He would only get in the way.

Her eyes flashed red and Deadshot's eyes widened under his mask. He didn't really want to shoot her but his gun was pointed at her head when a burst of darkness slammed into him.

Deadshot's body slammed through the window they had used to come in and he careened to the ground while flailing his arms. The fall was not too bad. He simply rolled on the green covered yard once his back touched the ground. Then he came up in a crouch, raising his gun.

He pulled the trigger and a few bullets bounced off the shield Raven had created. A flat circular construct. The young girl cocked her head to the side.

"Really? You knew that wasn't going to work."

Deadshot shrugged, getting up from the ground.

"I shoot bullets, honey. That's my deal. Doesn't mean they always work on a target though."

"So what do you do when you're faced with someone like me?"

Raven asked, her body floating down towards the ground.

"Well I..."

Before he could answer, a hiss sounded out and a green figure came lumbering out of the dark. Deadshot's rifle was immediately aimed at that direction when, his face changed.

"Oh you have got to be fucking with me."

A huge snake man jumped over him, pulling back a clawed hand to try and smash it across Raven. The window of the third floor blasted apart into small shards of glass as something fast sped through it.

"Getsuga...Tensho!"

A purple arc of light flashed and the entire night lit up. The arc cut through the air screaming as it landed on the chest of the huge monster and sent it flying far away into the dark. The attack was strong enough to carve a groove on the immaculate yard, scarring it.

In between Raven and Deadshot, something landed.

Raven blinked, her fists losing power.

"Davian..."

She muttered, seeing the strong back of who she would call her friend. He was shirtless in true Davian fashion. His silver hair had grown longer during his sleep, falling to just below his shoulders. And his back was littered with small scars that only seemed to add more gravitas to his presence.

He had his long sword in his right hand, while the left held onto the sheath. Was it just her or did he seem...bigger?

She'd never really noticed it before but...he wasn't bad looking at all.

"Hey Goth girl."

A smooth voice called out. The source, Davian smirked and looked over his shoulder.

"Miss me much?"

Raven found herself smiling.

"Don't flatter yourself Mabuz, I had peace when you were asleep."

Deadshot narrowed his eyes. Things had just gotten complicated. He had been initially surprised to find Raven here but even 'he' was here? The mission Intel had ever said anything about this. Deadshot could remember the Cluster fuck that was the mission to bring in Davian. That had not been a fun day.

To make matters worse they were flirting before him.

He aimed at the chest of the new arrival and pulled the trigger. The gun crackled as a spray of bullets escaped the weapon only to slam into a green shield around Davian's body.

"That isn't going to work Deadshot."

The younger man coldly said, the point of his sword aimed at Deadshot.

In response, Deadshot lowered the rifle, discarding it to the side as he checked on his wrist guns.

"This is so not what I signed up for."

The Assassin muttered, getting ready to fight, he only hoped that his 'partner' was having better luck.