In God's Name [Tiffany]

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Snow tumbled down from the stormy clouds high above Gotham, filling the streets with icy paths and bitter winds. Upon the rooftops, the weather was even fouler than down below, with no protection from the freezing temperatures. Still, conditions such as these were the norm for Assassins in the League. Training them in the cold embraces of the Himalayas, readied them for any arctic challenge. To them, this weather was quite tropical. Crouching on top of a building, a duo of Assassins watched the church that sat across the street from them. Through night vision goggles, they inspected the building’s entrance and the street in front of it, for anything suspicious. After a few moments of searching, they both looked at each other and nodded. One of them picked up a radio and contacted the person on the other end. “All clear.”

As soon as he spoke, a car shot around the corner. The black Audi pulled up outside of the Church and a large bald man in a dark suit climbed out, before moving to one of the rear doors and opening it. Ra’s stepped from the vehicle, wearing a long overcoat that matched the colour of the car. “Wait for me out here, Mr. Tiffany won’t be a problem.” The Assassin nodded to his Master before climbing back into the car. Looking up at the Church, Ra’s began to climb the steps up to it. An impressive set of doors adorned the exterior of the building but some force was required to open them due to the cold, which must have seized up the hinges.

Upon entering the building, Ra’s’ eyes shot around the vast interior, inspecting the high ceiling above. The Angels that stood on the walls particularly caught his attention, seeming quite poetic to the Head of The Demon. Walking amongst the rows of seats, his gloved hand running along the end of each bench, he approached the opposite wall to the entrance, where the altar stood. The sound of his shoes echoed throughout the building, catching the attention of the Priest who stood looking up at the glass window above the altar. A large angel stood by a monstrous creature, with the cross between them. “An impressive work of art.” Ra’s muttered to the Priest as he stood by him. Although an atheist, he could still respect the piece of religious work.

“It’s all most as old as I am.” The Priest chuckled to himself, although stopped when he noticed that Ra’s found no amusement from the joke. An awkward silence fell for a few moments, with the only noise of the snow hitting the roof breaking total silence. “I’m looking for someone who’s taken up residence here; you wouldn’t know where he is?” Nervously, the Priest looks to his feet before regaining eye contact with Ra’s. Clearing his throat, he turned away back to the altar, continuing to clear the table while trying to pay as little attention to Ra’s as possible. Obviously this man wasn’t going to give up his location, and Ra’s was in no mood to interrogate him. Sitting upon one of the seats, he looked at the Priest with a glance that would make many men squirm. “I just want to chat with him. Please get him.” Quickly the Priest ran off through one of the many doorways, leaving Ra’s alone in the cavernous room.

This Church held the former FBI Agent, Matthew Tiffany. After the failure that was the hostile takeover of Gotham, he’s been missing, presumed dead. But no one is invisible when the League is searching for them. It was only a matter of time. Violence was not on Ra’s’ mind, on the contrary, he wished to help the broken man. A man such as Tiffany could be used for a great many things.

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Tiffany had taken refuge in the Gotham City Baptist Church, shortly after his escape from the hospital. He had gone to this church every day when he had been stationed in the city. His home church was filled with supporters and was an elegant masterpiece of worship to the Lord. The current church he inhabited was a reflection of Gotham City. It was decaying and needed years of maintenance. Few people attended, and the ones that did seemed to hardly have enough money to clothe themselves. Priest Jacobs had become a friend during his attendance, and it only expanded when he opened the church to him. He was an elderly man that seemed to only be able to stand with the use of his cane. In return for his kindness, Tiffany had started on repairs that the old Priest was unable to do.

At the time of the mystery man’s arrival, Tiffany was in the bathroom underneath a sink, fixing and replacing one of the pipes. His white tee shirt was stained with muck and his thrift store jeans had holes in them, exposing his knees. He grunted as he undid the bolt on the pipe, but the door opened and he heard the familiar sound of Jacob’s cane.

He pulled himself out from underneath the sink and wiped his hand with a cloth. “It’s almost finished, I had to replace more pipe then I expected,” he commented.

“No, no, Mr. Tiffany. You are doing a wonderful job. It’s just a stranger has entered the church, and while God welcomes all to join in his worship, I….hold suspicion over what his desires are. He has asked to speak with you directly,” the old man told him with cautious warning.

Tiffany wiped the sweat from his brow before he nodded. He did not feel comfortable with someone coming to the church for him. He had not informed anyone he was close with of his current living arrangement.

The devil sees all, little Mattie.

His mouth turned into a straight line. The church was one of the rare places he could actually see light and not shadows, but occasionally the voices broke in through the barrier.

“I will go see and possible show him the exit if needed,” he said, as he stood.

He wasn’t entirely sure what he expected to see as he went through the hallway to the main gallery of the church, but the person he saw was unfamiliar. An older man with a full beard and eyes that could be compared to dedicated eagles. He looked over his form for the sign of the touch of the devil, but he could not find any shadows crawling on him. He either had a talent of hiding his true persona or he truly had acceptance from the Lord.

“Hello, I’m Matthew Tiffany, Jacob informed me, you wished to speak with me,” his professional tone returning, “I would like to state that this is a place of god, so if this is in reference to something I else, I must ask that you take it elsewhere.”

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There was no room for faith in Ra’s’ life. A firm believer in the ideal that Humanity requires no God to solve its problem, Ra’s could be critical of Religion. Once he defeats crime once and for all, there will be no need for Religion. Too many Men blindly follow their Faith without inspecting the facts. Wars have begun because of that. Back in Country of his birth, Ra’s remembers how Men would fight and die for their Gods, wasting their lives for such futile matters. To Ra’s, Religion drives people apart when they should all be together. Men should believe in themselves not in a supernatural being. Having lived for so long, he had witnessed the birth and deaths of many religions. They all can’t be right in that they’ve found the true God, so which is correct?

Echoing footsteps suddenly broke his concentration and he looked towards the direction of which the sound was coming from. Tiffany surprised him. For some reason, he didn’t expect the former FBI Agent to be dressed so poorly. Ra’s expectations were of a man of conviction and of great strength. Now he looked like every other fool walking the streets of Gotham. Still he must have some worth if he was chose to head their operation to subdue the City. A plan which was fantastic in its design, yet a failure once it began. It did however prove a point. Gotham can’t be controlled; its crime is like a pandemic. It must be destroyed.

Standing up, Ra’s extended a hand to Tiffany with a slight courteous nod. “It’s an honour to meet you, Mr. Tiffany. My name is Henri Ducard and I wish no harm against you, quite the contrary actually.” While he talked, Ra’s began to walk, gesturing that Tiffany should follow him. Approaching the large stained glass window once more, he continues to explain who he is and what he wants. “Unlike the majority of people, myself and my corporation admired your work during the Siege of Gotham. This City is clearly ill. Sick with the disease that is crime and you are the cure, Mr. Tiffany. If you’ll allow me, I would likely to help you in your ‘holy crusade’.” When using the term ‘Holy Crusade’, Ra’s makes reference to the surrounding building.

A man like him is obviously religious, deeply in fact. Thus playing to that factor is important, if Ra’s is to persuade him to do anything. “These so called vigilantes don’t know what their doing, they fight for their own causes, not for God’s. Truthfully, the Devil has sunk his claws into this City, corrupting all who are not willing to do what is necessary. That is where you come in. With my aid, I can make you the Saviour of Gotham.” How can any of this not appeal to someone? Someone like Tiffany who has hit rock bottom and has lost it all. Even if he’d become just a puppet, he’d still have what he dreams of.

Desperate Men are willing to do desperate things for their causes. Tiffany must be willing to do what is necessary, even if that includes making a deal with a Demon. Through Tiffany, Ra’s could shape Gotham into something great, free of crime and corruption. The League had tried to attack Gotham in the past and had failed. Now a more secretive method would be required, if they are to succeed.