Chapter 55: Snowmore Mister Ice Guy
Infinity Island
November 12, 4:53 PM ECT
Young Justice wishes us luck with a variety of emotions on each face. Some like Dick and Artemis, very clearly want to be part of the strike team. But the rest seem more relieved than anything, at the command to sit this one out.
Can't really blame them, assassination is not really something they should be a part of. I know Batman is only allowing it because he doesn't actually think I can pull it off.
He thinks the plan has a chance to succeed or we wouldn't be going at all. But he doesn't think I have a way to get rid of an immortal. Or maybe Batman just doesn't think I can do something that he's already failed at several times.
Zatanna waves the staff like a conductor, covering the alien ship with inky black magic in only a few seconds. The shadows muffle the lights on board, leaving us in nearly total darkness for the trip.
When the shadows peel away, I peer out the window with growing excitement. I'm going to be free soon.
We're in a courtyard with a couple dozen Shadows waiting for the delivery. When nothing else materializes, the entire group approaches the back hatch.
None seem alarmed, with no weapons entering any hands. Or at least they can hide it a hell of a lot better than I can.
"I'll handle the bomb," Ted clutches the deactivated device to his chest, following Batman to the hatch. "Don't want one of you setting it off accidentally."
"I'll let you know when I find Talia." Pulling out a few pellets, Batman takes point as we wait. "Maintain radio silence unless it's an emergency. You can't give the Shadows a chance to surround you."
The smoke bombs explode in the faces of the first couple ninjas, giving us a chance to end things fast. Batman drops four of them before I even reach the ramp, with only a few enemies even having a chance to cry out in pain.
"Intru-" Is all the last Shadow still conscious gets a chance to utter. His voice all I need to aim a frigid beam and cover him in an inch of ice.
The smoke clears with only a little bit of coughing on the knights' behalf, showing off a few very creative take downs. Did Tommy go bowling with those ones?
"Don't let the fodder slow us down," Warns an incredibly tense Jade, her eyes watching the door to the castle. "We can't let Ra's escape." Her growl is dangerous enough to make a pair of knights step away from her. "Once the alarm sounds, we have maybe ten minutes to reach him."
"That enough time for you Batm-" I realize the detective vanished already and trail off awkwardly.
Tommy repeats the orders with his slowly improving french, which I really do need to make time for. "Hey Boss, you want me to get a few of the boys to watch the ship?"
Considering the pros and cons as quickly as possible, I eventually give a stiff nod. "Probably a good idea."
We leave Ted and his bodyguards behind, with the scientist completely focused on the suitcase sized bomb. Jade leads the way and let's her mother cover our rear.
The few Shadows we encounter are completely unprepared for a hostile force. We're going to pull this off.
Anyone who doesn't fall to Jades blades or Tommy's shining sword, gets swarmed by Ratcatcher's friends. The rats on the island are already joining his horde, creating a carpet of moving fur that follows us.
I'm left with the job of sealing every door we pass, leaving the ice even thicker than the stone walls. Hope that's going to slow down reinforcements for long enough to pull this insanity off.
"End of the hallway and down the stairs!" Jade slams a ninja's head against the castle wall, his group actually ready to face us. Not that they had the skill.
But it means Ra's knows we're here and time is running out. As we storm down the stairs, the realization really starts to sink in that Ra's could have almost anyone working for him.
The knight in front of me charges into the cavern with steel drawn, ready to face the lone challenger. The Shadow blocking the bridge to Ra's and his best Shadows seemingly explodes. Only for a river of clay to surge towards the us before everyone can react.
Clayface buries a couple of my time displaced fighters too slow to get out of the way and roars his challenge with a barely intelligible voice. Impressed at the resolve of both restrained warriors, I rise to the challenge. Better not be any spikes at the bottom of this bridge!
I know Jade needs to be the one to take down Ra's and swords aren't going to be very useful against this blob. So with a bellow of my own, I cover myself in my familiar ice armour.
"Cover the ladies and put that geezer in the ground!" My quick rising wall, is just in time to shield the rest of the knights from a follow up attack of even more clay. "I'm calling dibs on this one."
With more confidence than I should probably have, I draw Clayface's full attention by launching myself over the wall. Tendrils of ooze lance towards me, only to freeze solid in the face of my azure beams.
From each finger I fire as many quick blasts as I can, peppering the monstrous clay with at least a hundred. He's massive and the attacks really only serve to cover the others and the dash across the bridge.
The french battle cries drown out the other voices, while the mass of living ooze blocks my sight. Not being able to see the engulfed knights anymore, I know I can't keep screwing around.
Changing tactics, I send a pair of continuous frigid beams at the sentient mud. My arms start shaking from the strain even as Clayface starts to retract in on himself.
My gasping knights are some revealed and I let out a sigh of relief. But as soon as I start to get cocky, a primal scream of rage echoes out of Paula's mouth.
The buzz of energy cuts right through the din of battle, an explosion following only a half second later. The cloud of billows away from Paula and whatever roused her fury like that.
A sinking feeling was already building in the pit of my stomach. But when my eyes lock onto the sight of Jade's motionless body, my heart nearly stops.
I'm confused at the sight of two smoking feet near the rapidly growing pool of blood and it takes a few seconds to realize whose absent.
The rest of the Shadows try to avenge the vaporization of Ra's al Ghul, foolishly turning leaving themselves exposed to my knights. Even the bald one called Ubu, leaves himself open to Tommy's steel sword through the back.