What a tangled web we weave (Ra's)

[mm]

The first gleams of suddenly just now were starting to break the blackness of night as a young 18 year old sat on the docks of Gotham watching a gathering of ducks that would be long gone by the time the sky was completely lit but for now they were quacking happily as Mary Bromfield tossed out handfuls of breadcrumbs, scattering them across the wooden planks she sat upon and watched the winged water fowl munch happily. There were signs of movement, life, and activity elsewhere in Gotham. Plenty of it but here on the waterfront all was serene save for the animal noises. A small indication that there was still hope, signs of civility and tranquility even as troubled as Gotham City was.

The time alone before she would have to punch the clock and retrieve her cab to begin her rounds and earn a living also gave her time to think, collect her thoughts and keep her life stitched together mentally, as many directions as she was being pulled in lately. In fact she skipped breakfast at her apartment this morning, wanting to get to the docks before sunrise. She'd grabs an egg mcmuffin or hash browns through a drive through. It was worth the tradeoff

Her thoughts continued monopolizing her attention to the point of distraction, so much to the point she missed the sound of footsteps quietly approaching. A sound so hushed the normal person could have missed kit, but one that any other time someone as attentive as Mary Bromfield, even if she wasn't powered up, would have picked up on.

[rasalghul]

Ra's strolled casually towards her. The heels of his boots clapped the boardwalk beneath him. He drew closer and emerged from the shadow. He glanced to the rooftops that surrounded him and the scopes glistened in the sunlight. He pulled from his tunic a small embroided piece of cloth an a vial of some description. He unscrewed the cap and kept the sounds hushed, eyeing his target to see if she detected the noise and began to pour the contents into the cloth. He threw the glass vial into the water around the jetty and readied his arm. He stopped as he saw her head twitch around, glance and then return to it's position. He bolted forward placed the cloth over her airways and splayed his hand over her back. He rocked her body as she fell back and slipped into unconsciousness. He beckoned Ubu over to retrieve her.

The car journey was relatively comfortable, the odd bump and cobbled street of Gotham City would of be unwelcome but comfortable all the same. He glanced to Mary who was placed at his side, belted in and relative  safe. He nodded to the driver as he signalled their arrival and pushed open the door.  

Ra's rummaged through the contents of his inside pocket until he found the second vial, this time containing a red liquid and began to pour it down Mary's throat. He admired her as she choked back into life, checking her bonds were secure before speaking.

"Mary Bromfield? Or do you prefer Mary Marvel?"

[mm]

He moved like the breeze and was just as impossible to pinpoint. Between the crashing of waves and the rush of the surf striking against a wooden pier and the quacking of wild ducks and a few geese, not to mention the passing of cars in a far distance but not so far that they would be unnoticed, all of this coupled with the fact she was not quite 100%awake, Mary was fooled far too easily than she should have been. One can hear a breeze but they can't tell it's there by looking. Mary had turned her head slightly but the demon's head eluded her from the blind side.

Mary's eyes flashed first with shock and then with anger as she felt the arms wrap around her, one clamping a cloth that had a familiar feel to it over her face, a stunt only the likes of a certain bald headed, 4 eyed mad doctor had dared try before. Sivana wouldn't dare show his face in Gotham, that possibility was immediately ruled out when the brunette cab driver began to thrash around..

Struggle first and ask questions later girl. She mentally scolded herself, feeling one arm cross her back while the other simultaneously pressed over her nose and mouth. Grabbing at his arm to try and pry it off was a washout. "Shaz..." Her muffled groan was cut off, feeling the pressure increase, her airwaves cutoff and her breathing begin to slow, the ability to speak fading along with it. She struggled and lost as her petite, athletic form's movements slowed and then ceased, collapsing unconscious into the arms of Ra's Al Ghul's muscular servant.

Her eyes were closed for several minutes before the feel of a scratchy throat and a mouth that tasted like she'd swallowed cotton began to bring her back around. the lashes fluttered slowly and the eyelids rolled back equally as slow as she struggled to get her bearings, finding it impossible to move her wrists or ankles, both of which were tied securely to the point Mary Bromfield would find wiggling free impossible..

Her blue eyes narrowed and gave the look of an unhappy camper but there was one thing Mary was never good at and that was teaching them to lie. For all her powers, she knew she wasn't capable of making it seem believable if she had denied the accusation he hurled against her and so she made no attempt to hide the truth.

"Shazam!" She snapped, yanking her limbs free with little effort and reaching for her captor's throat. "Mary Marvel works for me and you'd better have a hell of an explanation for this before I bring this place crashing down around your ears."

[rasalghul]

Her hand gripped around his throat and tightened. Ra's struggled for breath but he had anticipated this very move. For her to change was a vital part of the plan, it proved to Ra's that his sources were correct and they had found the right person. The air rushed from his lungs and he struggled to breath, gasping and spluttering. Ubu lurched forward but Ra's halted him. He felt for his sword handle. He couldn't reach. His mind was racing. He kept thinking. He then saw the best opportunity to bring up the topic of their conversation. 

"So you would take a life?" He chuckled "Excellent, A hero never takes a life. A true hero like Batman never kills. But you, you are different. You have potential. A true successor. Join me. Have power you have never known. I can train you. Harness your powers. That much power cannot be filled by happiness. Rage? Anger? Betrayal?" His voice deepened. "Lust?"

He grasped his Luger by the handle. He tried to draw it but the air was still rushing out of him. He needed to keep her talking, keep her distracted. He gathered words but they wouldn't come. How was this happening? He was the great Ra's al Ghul! Held at the throat in his own chambers. He pulled at the Luger and kicked hard at Mary's abdomen. Out of the corner of his eye, Ubu rushed forward once more. He was not going to be overpowered by a mere mortal imitating a god. He was a god, he was The Daemon's Head.

[mm]

If it wasn't before it was becoming crystal clear now. Mary had gotten sloppy. Gotham had been messing her up bad. Normally the member of the Marvel Family to think the most logically, the wisdom of Solomon and rational thinking had failed her since she'd been in town. The gods only knew how long Ra's had stooges out spying on her. He knew more about her than she was comfortable with. She tightened her grip a little further into his throat, her eyes burning with displeasure to state her feelings mildly. She could snap his neck without breaking a sweat and do the same to Ubu, Ra's and his sword be damned.

Music, it is said, can soothe the savage beast, and the right words spoken at the right time can pacify the angriest of adversaries, and Ra's carefully chosen ones saved his life. Mary narrowed her eyes at him, studying carefully as if trying to peek into his soul and detect any truth to his words. Somehow and for some reason, she believed him and slowly sat his feet on the ground once more. It wasn't just her trying to read him, it was as if he could penetrate her soul with his words and it startled a woman that doesn't startle very easily.

The kick she received doubled her over briefly, harder than she expected without time to brace for it but it would take more than that to cause serious pain. Quickly sidestepping out of Ubu's onrush, she turned her back to them both and crossed her arms, choosing her words carefully and filling her voice with a somber tone before answering him.

"I'm not a hero. That is a tag I have been stuck with but it's never one I have thrust upon myself. Why me?" She asked, turning to face him once more, pursing her lips and quirking an eyebrow. "Your offer is tempting..."

[rasalghul]

Ra's immediately drew the Luger and raised it to eye level, staring down it's iron sights, aimed directly at Mary's left eye. 

"Tempting? My dear not everyone receives an offer this grand."

He stared deep into her eyes. He basked in he thoughts, swam in her fears. She seemed startled, afraid maybe? No. She was a woman of character. He gripped the handle ever tightly and began to lower. He slowly brought the pistol to his side and replaced it. He spoke again but this time his words were softer.

"You doubt your ability? A pity. A creature as fair and as powerful as yourself should embrace her gifts. I believe you are directed wrongly. When you speak that one word, you transform. You are a god. Cities should be bowing beneath you."

He walked towards her, softly and slowly, talking with not only his mouth but his hands and eyes. He ran his fingers along her shoulder blades. They were tense. He whispered into her ear.

"And they will. Join me. Emperors will cower before you, Presidents will owe you the debt of their life's. You will be respected, feared. Your name will tremble from the lips of the cowardly as they stand against you. You will have power beyond your own comprehension" 

He walked away from her and towards the spot where he originally stood. A smile cracked across his face as he spoke again, with his back turned to face her.

"Or reject. Continue your life as a vigilante, ever in the shadows of others, Answering to morality and the Comissioner. But you are no hero, did you think you could just walk away and forget about your little 'accident' in Bludhaven?"

[mm]

"If you ever think of pointing this thing at me again you had better well be prepared to pick shrapnel out of your ass first." She made a vow, firmly gripping the weapon he had pointed at her eyes. The offer was tempting but that did not mean she would cower to him. She did not fear him and had heard of his reputation. Boys and their toys. The centuries old demon's head obviously knew nothing of her intense dislike for guns. He would learn. Persuading her to feel differently about the weapons would be a mountain sized task.

Her teeth were gritted when she released her grip which seemed to prompt Ra's to lower the weapon back where he pulled it from. Wise choice. When she looked into his eyes however, what Mary saw looking back at her was an answer to her prayers. A shiver ran up her spine when he graced her shoulder blades with his fingertips. She saw it in him. She felt it radiating from him. An aura of mutual agreement of some sort. He understood. Ra's had the answers she sought. His was the guidance she needed. The dark forces flooding her soul? He was the rudder she sought to steer her ship in the right direction. For the first time since she first showed her face in Gotham City, she was feeling at peace. True peace for the first time. it washed over her like waves on a sandy beach. Slowly but surely she felt a light bulb switch on. She knew where she belonged. It just felt so right all at once.

"I want immortality, i want to be feared, I want power. One can never have enough. I want what I deserve Ra's Al Ghul. You are right. The whole world should be kissing my holy feet." She sneered, a cold smirk stretching across her lips. Her hands clenched in fists of rage as she thought of everyone that dared to look down upon her, everyone who saw her as nothing more than the sister of the big red cheese. They will all bow before her and when the time comes, that list will include the name of Captain Marvel himself but for now it would start with the FBI, Batman, Hawkgirl and the rest of the Justice League.

"I'll never forget that." Mary whispered coldly, thinking back to a day shortly after she started commuting from Metropolis to Gotham. She had made a brief stopover in the Haven to bust up a racket of child molesters.Nothing could make her madder than seeing innocent children abused, molested, beaten and taken advantage of. She had cornered the remaining two perps on a rooftop during a shootout with her caught between . Of course there bullets would do her little harm but the fall from the rooftop for one of them, too bad he couldn't say the same. She had turned with a look of sheer hatred on her lips as she picked the gunman standing in front of her u[p and swung him around, pretending she hadn't heard the second gunman creep up from behind, and"accidentally" knocked him off the roof. He fell before she could catch him but by that time he had been shot by a stray bullet from his partner. As far as anyone knew the death had been accidental. Accidental to everyone accept herself, and Ra's apparently.

I accept of course. I would be a fool not to." She grinned and extended her arm toward him from behind, holding out her hand for him to grasp and symbolically seal the deal. "There are things to consider however. Details such as my disappearance, my membership in the JLA, my secret identity, and the secret life I have been living as Nighthawk lately while tagging with a costumed thief. I am sure you know all about that though since you have obviously been stalking me and doing your homework.

Her eyes narrowed and she cleared her throat as another question she needed to ask jogged her memory. "There are lots of loose ends to be tied up and speaking of being tied up, why kidnap me if you were so interested in making me your apprentice. I would like an explanation and then you can tell me where we begin."

[rasalghul]

She accepted. Naturally, Ra's expected this, even The Joker would have enough sense to accept an offer of hospitality that grand. Ra's age old smile slowly emerged again and cracked across his face, an emotion came over him, one he had no felt in many a year. Joy. He extended his arm, the ribbon dangling from his wrist between them and grasped her warm hand. Ra's was sure she could feel his cold, boney hands in hers so withdrew as not to startle his new partner. He reached into his trouser pocket and brought forth a length of red ribbon. 

"Your colour" he remarked as he walked forward tying the ribbon around the girls wrist. "The heroes are of no concern to me, your membership will not be effected as there is a advantage to keeping you as an active member of the Justice League. As for your disappearance, we have only been here no more than an hour. Your employers have been informed that you were unwell and as for kidnapping, I think it may damage your integrity I you were seen socialising with a convicted felon" He raised his hand and hooked his long finger into his tunic neck and pulled, revealing to Mary the serial number he had tattooed into his skin.

"Your training will begin tomorrow. For now you should return home and rest. You have much ahead of you and, pleasant as this is, I have other matters to attend to." He brushed his hand atop his katanna's handle. He beckoned Ubu over to him. "Take Ms. Bromfield home. Also, give her the brown envelope on the side counter as you leave" Ubu nodded and stepped forward as Ra's turned away from the pair. "Welcome to the League of Shadows, Lightning Claw".

Ubu usher Mary out and Ra's walked towards his study. Through a small door in the warehouse wall was a vas drawing room with rows upon rows of bookshelves. A roaring grand fireplace was at the centre of the right wall, a small table with two armchairs were placed at it's centre. Ra's sat down, poured himself a glass of whiskey from the bottle on the table and returned to his laptop. The screen flashed with the FBI's logo and he retrieved a small piece of paper from the table. He entered the word written on it and began to peruse the files.

[mm]

When speaking the magic word, focusing on the magical energy that enveloped her when the lightning struck, Mary had become as adept at transforming her costume's appearance just as skillfully as her brother could. And why not? Anything he could do, she could do better. She was so much faster than him it wasn't funny and smarter too if she did say so herself. Not that she was one to go around blowing her own horn but "toot toot!" When she summoned the bolt to escape her trappings she was in the red outfit and in it she still stood when his hand settled into her own. It was cold to the touch but she expected it.

She also expected the elders and all their pearls of wisdom to be harping insipidly inside her head. From now on wisdom was in the eye of the beholder. Namely her. They weren't thrilled with her actions but they could bury her upside down and do what came naturally when the time comes. She had plans to live forever now and she'd have to learn the art of drowning them out. Her way or the highway, that's what it was. "My game and my rules. She snark ed in the back of her mind while her eyes settled on the red ribbon being thrust upon her.

He seemed to have all the right answers to her gripes and though her eyes widened slightly, her body flinched slightly at the sight of the number tattoos into his flesh, this still felt so right. All of it. If she had more experience in the path of darkness she was trodding she might have questioned her sanity for trusting Ra's but again she never felt more like she belonged than she did in this moment. Not since she and her long lost twin were reunited. If he were here he would no doubt be pummeling his fists into Ra's cranium and in no uncertain terms spoiling her chance at achieving happiness. No she would not allow anyone to take this away from her. Not even Billy Batson.

"Lightning Claw. Has a nice ring to it." She quipped, pursing her lips though wondering if it might be a bit obvious. He would no doubt have another disguise to go along with the ribbon when the training began. Probably a ninja type outfit or something like. Or maybe he expected her to wear the Nighthawk costume. Who knows.

She nodded and took the surroundings in carefully as they left. Having been unconscious when she arrived, or rather when the powerless version of her arrived kept her from seeing much and so she drank it up with a flourish as Ubu led her off. her fingers gracing the envelope and peeking inside at both the money and the note. Tomorrow was the first day of the rest of her life. A new beginning and her heart was pounding, her mind buzzing at the thought.

((Exit Mary))