"Price to Pay"

"All units, murder suspect on fifth and third proceeding north on foot. Pursuing. Require backup. Suspect is heavily armed and protected. Female, mid-twenties. White hair, black clothes, sword and possible body armor." the radio crackled.

"Let's go." Revenge said, flooring the gas pedal.

"Police Unit 224 this is Police Chief Draxx, stand by for backup."

"I'm already on my way, Draxx." Revenge said.

"I know, I was talking about the helicopter backup I was sending." Draxx paused. "You know this person?"

"Doubtful. I haven't met anyone with that description wearing body armor and carrying a sword. At least not yet. I'll confirm when I catch her."

"If." Draxx corrected. "I've seen her before. She can move into the shadows like liquid. Use them better than you."

"Meta-human?" Revenge asked.

"I'm running an international check, but it's taking a while."

"We're almost there anyway." Revenge said.

"Suspect has turned and is running straight for- Holy- Is she- agh!" the radio interrupted the two.

"Police Unit 224, come in! Come in!" Draxx yelled. "Damn it! Where's that helicopter support?"

"I see her!" Revenge shouted. He did. He was driving straight towards her, and she was running straight at him.

"Deploy!"

He pulled a hatch and shot out of his seat, shooting upwards three stories before beginning his descent. He reached for the woman and tackled her to the ground. He flipped her over roughly and handcuffed her.

"Alright, who-"

She landed a kick to his stomach, knocking him onto the ground. She stood up and smirked, the handcuffs melting off of her. Emerald was running towards the woman, but she merely slipped into shadows and disappeared.

"Are you-?"

"I'm fine." Revenge said, clutching his stomach. "Wow. That really hurt."

"Who was that?" Holly asked, helping him stand.

Police cars screeched around the corner and helicopters came into sight.

"Dunno. Let's go." Revenge said.

"What about the officers? Shouldn't we be asking them questions?" Emerald asked.

"You can." Revenge replied, firing his grappling hook at the roof. "But I doubt they'll answer."

"Why not?"

"She cut them in three pieces and set fire to their car." Revenge replied, and swung off.

"Partner."

"Now's really not a good time, Grant."

"I need your help."

"There's a first."

"Yeah, and it's your skills, not your knowledge I need."

Silence.

"Hello?"

"Hold on, I'm savoring this."

"Ha. Ha." Revenge replied without any enthusiasm, checking something on his home computer.

"So whats your problem?"

"Have you checked the news in the last half hour?" Revenge asked.

"No." Sounds of fighting came from the other end of the line.

"Been busy?"

"Yeah. This guy just won't die."

"Who?"

"Some rich bastard daddy doesn't like."

Revenge smirked and shut down the computer.

"So can you come over or what?"

"Give me two hours."

"Who's that?" a new voice asked. Revenge hurriedly shut down the communicator.

"It was Artemis." Revenge rushed out.

"Uh-huh." Holly replied unbelievingly.

Revenge ignored her and walked out.

"Mr. Grant."

"Yes, chairman."

"Our stocks are on top of the world in the last two quarters! I see no reason to change our plan unless we begin to dip below the top. The need for us to sell more of our stock is unnecessary."

"Really Mr. Alan?" Sam asked, spinning around in his chair and sliding a notepad down to the man. "Take a look. Show it to everyone."

The man looked at the notepad and slowly passed it to the next person.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Sam said, placing his hands behind his head. "Our stock may be on top of the world, but it just dropped 17% in the last quarter. Almost a straight drop off. We keep going like that, we'll be in Hell at the end of next quarter."

"Sir," another spoke up. "It's highly unlikely we'll sink that fast. If we do, we can-"

"What, Mr. Riley? Print more money? That's the governments job to scam us that way."

The man went silent. "As for sinking that fast, yes. We will. When a ship goes under, it creates a suction force and drags everything down with it. Everything."

Sam stood up. "Ladies and Gentleman, our break of recess draws near. The meeting will be adjourned until tomorrow afternoon."

Everyone nodded and filed out silently.

As soon as they were gone, Sam flopped down in his chair and sighed. He felt warm hands on his chest from behind him. He turned to see Holly in a black dress that hugged her hips and cut short halfway down her thighs.

"Stressful?" she asked.

"Yes." Sam replied.

Revenge turned in his chair, looking at the vibrating piece of flooring on the other side of the room. He tapped a button and the floor flipped over revealing a dark black bad outlined in a sickly yellow.

A pillar of yellow vibrated and suddenly Rose Wilson stood in the room.

"About time." she said. "I need an acknowledger for that thing."

"I'm working on it." Revenge said, still slouched in his chair and looking overall exhausted. "I assume you did your homework?"

"Yes." Rose replied, untying her snow-white hair from its ponytail. She was dressed simply. White tank top, skinny jeans, white eyepatch. Her hair hung loosely behind her.

"As far as I can see, this is her first appearance. At least in this century."

"This century?" Revenge asked as Rose lay down on the couch, facing opposite of him.

"Yeah." she said, tossing him a packet of papers. "Apparently, this woman has appeared, same outfit, dozens of time throughout recorded history. Each time she kills people, befriends someone, mostly the hero of the turn, and then kills them after they try and stop her from killing more people."

"Interesting." Revenge said.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked in a concerned tone with a hint of sarcasm.

"Work, this life. It gets boring sometimes, but mostly, it's stressful. Especially when you've got someone to watch out for."

"Aww, how romantic." A new voice said. "I suppose that'd be master assassin over there?"

"Holly!" Sam exclaimed, standing up. Rose sat up and flipped on the couch.

Holly flew at Sam and pinned him to the wall, one hand around his throat. For once, Sam couldn't defeat her.

"Do you know who she is and what she has done?!" Holly exclaimed.

Sam gagged. "Yes! I do! Let me down and I'll explain!"

Holly cautiously let go of the Black Hero.

"So she's the one undercover?" Holly asked.

"Yes." Revenge replied. "Well, me too, but mostly her."

"I kept wanting to get you in on this." Rose said. "I would've loved to have you by my side."

"But he didn't want me to." Holly said, glaring at Sam.

"No." Sam replied.

"And why the hell not?"

"I didn't want you to get hurt." Sam said sadly, turning to the computer.

Holly's expression softened.

"But you're in it now." Sam sighed.

"Does the rest of the Team know about this?" Holly asked. "Nightwing, Batman?"

"Surprisingly, no." Rose said. "And somehow, Sam's kept it that way."

"Speaking of secret identities, how long-"

"Two months." Sam replied. He turned around and addressed Holly with the greatest concern.

"You can't tell a soul outside of this room about this. This is a matter of global, inter-galactic safety." Sam said. "You know our master plan and we need your help in anyway possible."

Holly nodded. "So when do you plan on throwing all this down?"

"Three months." Sam said after a cautious glance at Rose.

"And you've never worked with him before?" Holly asked Rose.

"First time with tall, dark, and egotistical." Rose sighed.

Something chimed. "Gotta go. Daddy wants me. Probably more training or fuss about not enough blood on the floor from that last guy." Rose sighed and stood up.

As soon as she was gone, Holly turned to Sam.

"She's...attractive." she said cautiously.

"Yes..." Sam said. "but she's not my type."

Holly grinned.

"Revenge! Are you there?" Draxx yelled.

Sam yawned. "Right here." he replied sleepily.

"Some girl in grey and orange is downtown fighting your mysterious shadow woman. It could get ugly. You need to get down here now!"

"Right there." he yawned again. He slipped on his mask and hopped onto his motorcycle, speeding off towards Times Square.

By the time he got there, Rose could've used an extraction. But she would've killed him for it.

The woman with the white hair was moving as if she were liquid. Slipping to one side or the other, smoothly dodging, countering, an attacking Rose. The police had (thankfully) formed a barrier, keeping the citizens behind it.

"Left." Revenge whispered, leaping from his motorcycle. Ravager dodged to the left, her armor glistening in the lights of the night street. Revenge tossed daggers at the woman.

They passed right through her. Revenge continued his descent. She landed a kick and knocked him straight through a building into a street on the other side. Revenge groaned, trying to stand, but unable to. He groaned and fell unconscious onto the concrete.

"What's your game, woman?" Ravager growled, looking back at the shadow assassin from where Revenge had gone through the building.

"My agenda belongs to me. No one else." the woman replied calmly, stabbing Ravager through the side. "I advise you mind that."

Ravager gasped and sucked in her breath until the sword withdrew. She collapsed to the ground and the woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Every camera in New York City went offline for thirty seconds. In that time, Ravager and Revenge disappeared.

"She'll be okay." Revenge said, pulling the blanket over Rose's body. "That sword sucked out her energy. She'll be out for a day."

Holly looked down in concern. "What about you?"

"No results in police database, google-"

The large computer chimed.

"One result..." Sam muttered, opening it. A chill ran down his spine as he read the two words. "Turn around"

He spun, grabbing his sword and pointing it at the figure in the shadows.

"Come out." he said.

The woman walked out. Now that she was standing still in front of him, he could get a better look at her.

She was tall, that was for sure. She wasn't bad looking either, but the tattoos ruined it all. They covered her left shoulder and arm as well as her right hip and leg. Blackness swirled around the upper half of her torso as if it were from Hell itself. Her white, spiky hair blew in the dry, harsh wind that had entered with her. She was wearing pants that barely started above her thighs and a tube top. A scarf covered the lower half of her face and an eyepatch hung over her left eye. She had a dog collar tight around her throat and two black leather gloves that went almost all the way to her shoulders.

"Who are you?" Revenge growled. "And why did you murder those people?"

"She didn't murder them!" Holly exclaimed. "She massacred them! Cut them to pieces with a very curious looking sword!"

"This?" the woman asked, pulling out the dark violet blade and laying it before Revenge. He instantly shoved Holly behind him.

"Don't worry. I shan't hurt you." she said.

"Who-who are you?" Revenge asked again. He felt Holly's fingers wrap around his other blade and slide it from his belt.

"I am Diabhal from Iffrean. I come merely to assist you." the woman replied.

"Assist me in what?" Revenge asked cautiously. He still felt Holly's small, gentle fingers moving on his back, clutching at him occasionally in fear.

"In saving this city from your arch-nemesis." Diabhal replied. "I believe you call him...Reaper, my Lord."

"My Lord?" Holly choked out.

"Mortals do not take kindly to being called my Lord?" Diabhal blinked.

"She's just jealous." Revenge replied, smirking and lowering his sword. His ego was purring like a well fed cat. "So are you from the future or what?"

"I exist in a plain that watches over the mortal one, my Lord." the woman said. "I have come to stop the destruction of this city and be your humble servant for the time being."

Holly choked again.

"As a token of my bondage, I give you this sword, which possesses great power." Diabhal kneeled and handed the purple sword to Revenge. He grinned and took it. He was starting to like this girl.

"No need to kneel." Revenge said, still smirking.

"The time, my lord?" Diabhal asked.

"Something she doesn't know..." Holly muttered.

"What?"

"The time, my Liege. I require it."

"Uh... 11:45."

"The day and year."

Revenge told her.

"Then we must hurry."

"Why?"

"The one you call Reaper is going to detonate Grant Tower. With tens of thousands of people inside. By the time your enforcers call you, it will be too late. And among the deceased will be your mother."