^^ Lady Shiva^^

— Erin —

"So, lemme get this straight: you boys and your meta muscle back there want us to pull a job with you, tonight, and you only want one of the items in the cargo?" The thin, redheaded woman who was apparently in charge asked, arching an equally thin eyebrow at us. Her name eluded me, for now. Adair, maybe?

I grinned. "Actually, He's the muscle. I'm the brains." I gestured at Aqualad, and then sighed. "But honestly, I have to say, you guys aren't as hungry as I was led to believe... maybe the local petty crooks want the job more? They'd surely be more expendable, I suppose, but I always preferred wheat to chaff... which are you?" I asked calmly, staring her down.

Her eyebrow twitched a little, and she shook her head. "No, I'm sure we can handle it... what's the pay like?"

"The contents of the cargo." I stonewalled, and she chuckled.

"Alright, I like your terms... I'd like money more, but cargo is always welcome, and LexCorp always has the best stuff... alright, we'll take the job. A crew of six should do, with your four, that makes ten. Get going!" She snapped at her people, and I nodded, pulling my hood up and allowing the holographic mask I'd rigged to change my face to a blank template.

The others of our group followed me out, and we were joined by six of the InterGang members, who loaded themselves into a truck. We started down the highway, and they followed behind our motorcycles, (provided by Superboy, who apparently was a mechanic.)

—

Four hours later, we had merged with the Route, and were gaining on the truck.

"So? Any last-minute changes to the plan, now that we're outnumbered, and the frenemy has Apocalyptan Tech?" Superboy asked into the com-link.

"None. Unless they have a Fatherbox, they're worse than useless. They are here as the fall-guys, nothing else." I replied easily.

"You're... confident, for someone who has had powers less than a day?" Aqualad spoke carefully.

"I do not need powers to pull off a mission, and neither do Batman, Green Arrow, or approximately 1/3 of the entire Justice League." I growled.

"... my apologies, I meant no offense, Doctor."

"Boss Lady." I turned to look at him, narrowing my eyes, then focused on the road again.

"Ah, Yes, again I apologize. You are new, and I am attempting to fit you into the plans I'm building, should this go sideways."

"Which it will, no doubt. Think of me as a slightly less-capable Robin, mixed with young-Superboy. I am Half-Kryptonian, -according to Kid Flash, who seems an expert on the subject,- and I am well-trained in the fighting arts, along with a set of hyper-reflexes and a super-intellect. Does that help your figuring?" I chuckled, and wove around a car that wasn't moving out of the fast lane, even though it was going twenty miles under the speed limit.

There were a few moments of silence on my end, as they conversed privately, and then the line turned back on. "Yes, it does."

"Good, now get your head in the game, we're pulling up on the truck in two miles, according to the route. Don't surround it immediately; Pretty Boy and Grease Monkey will pass the truck, making a big show of yourselves, and while they watch you, Sweet Cheeks and Boss Lady will enter the truck at the back. They will react, no doubt, but Pretty Boy will commandeer the steering wheel, and Grease Monkey will guard the cockpit. Clear?"

"Whose idea was it to let you pick the names, again?" Superboy groaned.

"Stuff it, Grease Monkey, you lost the coin toss." I smirked, and looked ahead, frowning at the trio of trucks that matched the description. Upon closer inspection, all three had the same license plates. "Fuck, there's a doppelgänger in play; don't damage any of the trucks. Pretty Boy, Grease Monkey, Take the back truck, while Sweet Cheeks and I take the front. We'll draw their attention so you can take the back truck without any noise. Sound good?"

"Affirmative, Boss Lady. Moving to intercept." Nightwing grinned at me, then gently increased his speed, coasting up to the back truck, while Aqualad and I whipped past, gunning our throttles loudly and weaving between the trucks raucously, getting their attentions.

"Sorry about the bikes, Grease Monkey..." I sighed, and leapt off the bike, slamming into the driver's side door and grabbing hold.

The trucks behind this one swerved to avoid the two bikes that were now in the road, and I noticed an SUV increase speed, leaving the anonymity of the crowd of vehicles that had stopped at the blockage in the road.

"Heads up, there's an SUV pulling up to you, Pretty Boy, Grease Monkey. I'll block traffic up ahead." I grinned, and punched the window as hard as I could.

"That's anti-Metahuman glass!" Aqualad grunted, then gasped at the spiderweb of cracks around my hand, then my hand going through the window on the second try. "Kryptonian indeed..."

I ripped the door off, and flung it as hard as I could at the SUV, aiming for the engine. It missed, just barely, and clipped a tire instead, popping it loudly. "HA! Didn't think that would work!" I grinned, and looked at the driver, who was aiming a gun at my face. "Seriously, my friend... I punched through bullet-proof glass... don't you think I'm bulletproof?"

He pulled the trigger, calling my bluff, and I jerked my head to the side, feeling the bullet graze my cheek, and ricochet off. I glared at him, and he slowly dropped it, raising his hands over his head. I ignored him, and grabbed the wheel, jerking it to the side, so the back of the 18 wheeler swung wide, blocking almost the entire highway.

The second truck didn't even slow down, plowing straight through the first truck, tossing its mechanical innards onto the highway, and I immediately leapt after it. "Going after the second truck, Red Herring will collect the wreckage of the first truck. Pretty Boy, Grease Monkey, how's the third truck going?"

"Empty, here, we're going to catch up to you with the semi, seeing as our bikes are totaled about a mile back. Where's... sigh... Sweet Cheeks?" Nightwing sighed.

"I am also aboard the second truck. The SUV is still in pursuit of us. I will keep an eye on it, while Boss Lady commandeers this cockpit. It seems to warrant suspicion."

I looked back, and there the SUV was, the wheel replaced with a ring of steel, a high-tech spare tire. "Oh yeah, that's hella suspicious. I'm moving, watch that threat." I crawled up onto the top of the semi, and jogged towards the front, ignoring the wind-pressure.

As soon as I reached the cab, the window on top of the cab opened, and two barrels exited, firing automatic rounds at me. I dropped to the side, and punched the side window as hard as I could, cracking it a bit, but I could feel my strength dwindling, to my confusion.

"Grease Monkey, why would a meta/kryptonian's strength disappear suddenly?" I snapped into the intercom, and rolled back onto the top of the semi, laying flat so they couldn't shoot me. I had a feeling I wasn't bullet-proof anymore.

"Kryptonite, probably. Lex Luthor's always had some on hand, he must've given some to his goons. Don't touch it, or you'll die, slowly and painfully."

"Hmm... good to know. Sweet Cheeks, pop the rear left wheels, please? I need a diversion." I grinned.

"On it!" He leaned over the side, and simply stabbed the wheel with a metal sword he pulled off his back.

'At least he didn't use his water sword...' I sighed, and held on as the semi started swerving, trying to correct itself. As soon as the guns stopped firing, I leapt through the window, into the cab, and punched one of them, the passenger, as hard as I could, as a human. He slumped, unconscious, and then I placed my pistol against the head of the driver, cocking back the hammer audibly.

"Out."

The door opened, and he leapt out, rolling to lessen his momentum, while I whipped the wheel back straight, pulling off to the side and halting the truck. "Truck secure. Word on the SUV?"

"Gaining quickly, now that we've stopped." Aqualad responded.

"So are we." Nightwing added.

I noticed a little glass cube full of pulsing grey light, sitting on the dash, and frowned, picking it up. "What are you...? Not kryptonite, but clearly the source of my weakness... Hmm... I'll have Sweet Cheeks hold onto you for me." I hopped out of the cab, and tossed the box to Aqualad. "You recognize that? It's the source of my weakness. Guess I'm not Kryptonian after all, just something awfully similar."

He examined it, and hummed. "It seems to be a capsule of Anti-Matter... and it interferes with your abilities for some reason? I will hold on to it, should you wish to study it later." He tucked it into a lead-lined pocket on his belt, and I felt the weakness fade almost instantly, just in time for the SUV to screech up, spilling out literal ninjas, like the biggest and best Japanese clown car from hell.

"Whoa, Hol'up, NINJAS?!?!? Wicked!!!" I laughed, and shot one of them in the knee as he charged me.

"Boss Lady! That's not how we do things!" Nightwing snapped, his truck halting behind the SUV.

"I'm sorry, I brought the gun for a reason, not to look pretty! And they've got swords and guns, so clearly they're ready to fight to the death; yet I didn't kill him, I maimed him! Get over it!" I snapped, and shot another in the shoulder, advancing towards the group and taking pot-shots as they dove behind the car, taking cover.

The InterGang goons finally caught up, and they poured out of their truck, (only four of them, I noticed,) and aimed their weird cannons at the SUV.

The passenger side door opened slowly, as I was reloading, and a tall Asian woman stepped out, gazing at us calmly while her long fingers tapped a rhythm on the hilt of an Asian broad-sword on her right hip. "Well, this is rather unexpected... I applaud you for surprising me, but you have chosen the wrong Target. I-"

I shot at her head, testing a theory, and her sword flickered, deflecting the bullet to the side, while she glared at me. "Sorry, I was sure you were going to start a speech, and I hate when people Monologue. It's both boring and pretentious, neither of which I tolerate."

She smirked. "Ahh... you're right, monologuing is pretentious... thank you for that."

"Of course. Well met, Lady Shiva; would the soon-to-be Sensei of the League of Shadows do me the honor of a personal lesson?" I asked, holstering my pistol and drawing my Bowie knife.

She narrowed her eyes slowly. "Where did you hear that?"

"... make you a deal: I'll tell you whatever you want to know, if you make me bleed. But If I make you bleed, you let us leave with the cargo of these trucks. I'm a woman of my word, I Swear." I bowed my head politely, keeping my eyes on her.

She smiled. "I accept your challenge, young one. If you know so much you shouldn't, perhaps you will amuse me for a time."

I frowned at her, straightening my back. "It was my understanding that you were not an arrogant woman, Lady Shiva. I am disappointed to find that piece of information false."

She readied her sword calmly. "Arrogance and Confidence are two different things."

"Indeed. Confidence is when you know all the variables, and feel you will succeed. Arrogance is when you assume you will win, with no evidence to support the theory! You know nothing about me, and therefore assuming you will win, with almost no information at all, is Arrogance!" I narrowed my eyes, and settled into a ready stance.

She nodded. "Perhaps I will reflect on what you say after you have told me all you know about the League of Shadows."

"You should reflect on it now! You are nothing like the Enlightened Warrior Woman I was hoping for! You're just another arrogant brat from the 'Mighty League of Shadows', thinking you're superior with no evidence to support the claim at all! It's disappointing, and you should be ashamed to call yourself anything more than a Ninja Chick!" I snapped at her, and grinned mentally when her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword.

She darted forward, crossing the space in a few long strides, and I stepped forward, my mind working at full speed. She was fast, much faster than I'd expected, but I could keep up, if barely. I'd thought she would slip, and react out of anger, but there was a calm, methodical grace to her attacks, despite the speed at which she moved.

"Ahh, there she is! Calm, Methodical, Graceful! Honestly, I had no idea I'd fight you today, but I'm pleased! You're someone who has reached the peak of your craft, honed it into a blade that no one could hope to match! Unless, of course, you consider that there are multiple arts that teach unarmed defense against swords!" I laughed in exhilaration, parrying one of her attacks with my knife and going back to dodging, learning. My swordsmanship was extremely rusty, -and even at my best, I was never as good as her,- but I remembered enough to know what she was doing, and react accordingly.

Somewhere in the background, I was aware of the others taking out the ninja and opening the truck, but I was entirely focused on her, and the spinning, shining blade she was wielding in a beautiful, lethal dance.

She nodded, responding after a few moments or minutes, I'm not sure either of us was aware which it was. "You are skilled, indeed... Leave InterGang, and join the Shadows. We could use talent like yours."

"Ha! I'm not much of one for taking orders, honey! You're pretty, and Slade Wilson is a sexy silver wolf I'd love to spend some personal time with, but I prefer to be my own boss, for now!" I laughed breathlessly, and leapt back to get some space.

She hummed, and lowered her sword slowly. "It seems we are at an impasse..."

"Are we? Last I checked, I'm not even attacking yet!" I grinned, and leapt forward, keeping my eyes on her as I flipped over her, slashing at her shoulders.

She seemed surprised at my sudden acceleration, and then slowly looked down at her shoulder, where blood was trickling down her chest and back. "Hmm... you surprised me a second time... well done."

"Yes, well, I know a deal is a deal, but would you mind if we sparred again, in the future? Without the tension and awkwardness of us being on opposite sides of a conflict, of course." I chuckled.

She nodded. "I would appreciate the opportunity... your name, may I know it?"

"Only if you promise to never reveal it to Lex Luthor or the Light?" I raised an eyebrow.

She hummed, staring at me with an alarming intensity. "You do know a lot, don't you... fine."

"My name is Ειρήνη. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Shiva. Say hello to Cassandra for me, will you?" I smiled, and leapt over the truck as she flinched, the first unintentional sign of emotion she'd shown so far.

I sat down heavily next to Nightwing and Aqualad, while she gathered her subordinates, and disappeared into the SUV. "Uuuugh I'm tired!" I groaned loudly, laying down on the top of the truck.

Aqualad patted my shoulder. "You did extremely well, 'Boss Lady', and defeated an opponent even the Justice League struggles with. Rest; we will handle the delivery."

I sat up and ate the last of the bars that Bart had given me, then cracked my back. "No, I'll manage. You used the Mist?" I asked Nightwing, as one of the InterGang thugs started driving the truck we were sitting on, the one with the real tech, apparently.

"I did. The tech in this truck is the real thing. The other two had scrap mechanics, mostly, nothing useful. I found our package, as well, and verified its authenticity. As soon as we stop, we're loading it into a van, and if traffic is good, getting back to the temporary base by Dawn." He nodded.

"Good, then I suppose we just wait, for now." I sighed, and relaxed.

"I have a question, actually?" Aqualad hummed.

"Yeah?"

"Why was my name 'Sweet Cheeks'?" He frowned, looking confused.

Superboy, Nightwing, and I laughed heartily, and settled in for a long ride.

—

"You're sure that's all you want? It doesn't look like much to me..." the redhead asked, eying the quantum synthesizer, which was just a gray cage-like structure the size of my entire body, with trepidation.

I chuckled. "It's just a component of a much bigger piece of equipment, and yes, this is all I need. This, and your discretion, of course..." I raised an eyebrow at her expectantly.

She nodded. "Of course, we always exercise discretion about our clients and partners. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Likewise." I nodded and walked out, sliding the synthesizer into the back of the van, then climbing into the side door. "Let's get going. We have three hours to get back, and it's a two hour drive in good traffic."

"Yeah, we made better time than I thought. Wonder what I'll tell-" Superboy began, but Aqualad nudged him.

"No names yet, just in case. We check for trackers and bugs in an hour, then switch vans. Alright?" He said quietly.

"Good thinking, Sweet Cheeks." Nightwing grinned, setting the van into drive and pulling out of the warehouse into the sparse 2AM traffic of the highway.