The Midnight Case

Chapter 11 : Interlopers

Sitting at the passenger seat I watched as Bruce navigated his way down the streets as Batman. "Isa?" He began.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, I just... there are a lot of things I realize that I didn't know about you. Ever since we went separate ways during our childhood."

"I... to be fair, I too know very little about you."

"I think we should start from you. Initially I remembered that you have six, not ten cousins of your age."

"I understand, at first I only knew that grandfather was the only child besides his brother or my granduncle."

"You never mentioned him before. What happened?"

"... He died before I was born. Both Koreas went to war, he was a soldier that was murdered by the enemy."

"Oh, I'm... sorry."

"Not me Bruce, not me." I said.

"And your foreign relatives?"

"Grandfather has two younger sisters that was married to Europe. My eldest grandaunt married Winston Churchill's descendant, Fabian while my youngest grandaunt married Frank Von Accola, the founder of L'eleganza or The Elegance, a luxury watch company based in Stockholm, Switzerland."

"Sounds like the aristocratic blood is still flowing."

"Not even one bit. Grandmother has a brother that is married to Russia and another one married a Sweden woman."

"Their surnames..."

"Katrina was a descendant of Tsar Nicholas II of the Romanov Dynasty, Adrian is the son of Dimitri Castellanos, a famed historian."

"Intriguing, move to your military life."

A low laugh. "We're not in an interrogation scene are we?"

"No."

"All right, I'll tell." A smile. "So I joined the military at..."

"Sixteen, twenty-one."

"Joining the military is fun, I wasn't deployed overseas when I served in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The real fun was in West Point, I was sent to Afghan. My team... my team got killed and I was trapped for ten days in the desert, with nothing but my weapons and supplies."

"Sorry." He said, his voice softened a little. "That's how you met Luke right?"

"Well... I met him after I was rescued. I met Kate during the first year in the academy but she was kicked out for being lesbian during the second year, the time I was shipped off to Afghan." The car took a sharp turn down the way to the docks.

"I'm interested to know more." He said with a smile. My necklace glowed and vibranium nano-tech covered me from head to toe, the hood covering my hair.

"I like that, my turn to pry your info." Taking my sword and artfully sheathing it down my back I checked my neck to ensure the collar was ready and took out a device.

"A new toy?"

"Oh, something new I created. Maybe I can procure one for you." I said teasingly. "It's not Lockheed Martin standard." Jumping out I fired my grappling gun, travelling upwards and landed on the tiled roof without making a sound. Holding up an arm four figures landed but Bruce was always the one that preferred to land beside me first. Taking out the device I threw it towards the tanker nearby and activated my gauntlet, surveying the scene. 

"Casing the joint?"

"Yes, why?" I asked him as I looked around. "The device is ready." A few minutes later two trucks appeared and stopped, mercenaries pouring out from the back of the vehicle. "Shit, shit." I cursed. "Damn."

"What is it?"

"The Cuban vibranium." I muttered. "Secure the payload. Don't torch the..." Then one of the trucks exploded, glass shattered and the building we're on rocked. "... vibranium. Oh for the love of..."

"Malaka!" Adrian cursed. "Who did this?" Two shadows fell from above and into the fight but I drew in a sharp breath. 

"What did you do Bruce?" I asked in a low whisper.

"I didn't send Dick Isa, neither does Luke."

"They attacked without knowing what is inside. We move, now!" I commanded. Backing up a few steps I sprinted and jumped down, the air whispering beside my ears as I landed on a merc, knocking him out. Screaming as the thugs fired the bullets propelled back, injuring the thugs as I extended my bo and knocking out another one. Performing a back flip to avoid another explosion a merc ambushed me, stabbing my left shoulder again with a vibranium powered dagger. Kicking him in the gut I screamed, using the sonic scream to overpower him and wrestled the dagger from him. Another merc grabbed me by the arm and threw me towards the tanker. Hitting the metal surface I hear metal groaning and I fell to the ground, panting as the bleeding continued.

"Raven!" Then in a heartbeat Bruce was already at my side, pressuring against my wound to stop the bleeding. "You're injured!"

"The mission Batman. We can't let them get away!" I said, injecting myself a vial of anaesthetic. Standing up I held up a sonic device and activated, the sound wave causing the mercs to drop their weapons and kneel on the ground in pain. "Take their weapons and handcuff them." I gave out the order.