Chapter 39: It Takes One To Snow One
Flightless Man
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2020
- Messages
- 1,207
- Likes received
- 21,735
Chapter 39: It Takes One To Snow One
Paris, France
October 17, 7:38 AM CEST
October 17, 7:38 AM CEST
"You just brought the whole place down?" Ratcatcher's eyes widen as he accepts his coffee from a very flirty server.
Been a while since I've been so overlooked. I watch the mousy brunette write her number on the back of the buck toothed man's hand. Kind of nice to see the world doesn't revolve around me, no matter how much Roy seems to disagree.
"The presence dropped Jade and Tommy in less than a minute. Wasn't taking any chances after the cave itself starting attacking me." It's only twisting the truth a bit, but it seems to be enough to make Jade lose interest.
"So I really did call the right guy." Reaching into his jacket, Ratcatcher pulls out a very thick envelope. "You think I could ask for a favour?"
I accept it and frown as soon as I open it. "How much money is in here?" Sighing, I remember to ask about it's origin. "And please tell me it's not stolen, I just got my record wiped clean."
"Two hundred grand and it's all clean. After a month in Brest to prove it was effective, Paris brought me in to clean up the place." He lifts his hand and shows off the eight gaudy rings. "The catacombs under the city have centuries worth of treasure to find and they just want me to map it all out."
"So why are you giving me this?" It still doesn't explain handing me an envelope full of cash.
"Tommy said you let him keep almost all his loot. So this is your cut for setting me up with the job." The beady eyed man explains as if it's obvious. "I couldn't quite figure out what gas money would work out to. Just decided ten percent of whatever I find is easier to divide."
"Told you the Boss looked after us," Tommy crows in celebration, reaching up to slap hands with an equally gleeful Ratcatcher. "Just remember to keep it on the down low. Boss might get in trouble if the Justice League finds out why he timed his break out for right before the end the world."
The wink Tommy gives me at that comment, sends my head spinning with confusion. Does he think I knew about the Red Robots and planned the whole thing out like some kind of Machiavellian mastermind?
"My friends that enter a specific section of the catacombs..." Ratcatcher wrings his hands anxiously. "They just never come back and none of the rats are willing to find out why."
"So you want me to what?" Crawl around in a dark tunnel and look for rats?
Across the street, I catch a glimpse of a pale girl watching us. A long black sundress and waist length blonde hair ignore the windy morning, remaining perfectly still despite the strong breeze.
Almost as if she's just a daydream, when I turn my head for a better look the girl is gone without a trace. This again?
"Greta, you better not be haunting me again." My words startle Ratcatcher, who starts frantically scanning the nearby area. "We're friends now."
"Who are you talking to?" After deciphering some squeaks from Pinkie and the Brain, Ratcatcher asks the question for the rodents resting on his shoulder.
"One second," I growl back in response and start searching though my bag for my rarely used phone. "I need to make sure I don't have a Secret watcher."
I get no answer when I try Artemis and it's the exact same thing when I try Roy. It's not until I call Paula that I finally hear a voice.
"She said they had a mission that might take most of the weekend?" The mother's explanation is enough for me to relax. "Alright... Thanks Paula."
"Your stalker still following you?" Snorts Jade, her smirk strangely tight.
In the end, we decide to take the rodent tamer up on his request. He has almost a mile already mapped out in perfect detail and it's only the oldest sections that really pose a danger now.
"I'm just really worried about Martin. He's not a warrior, no matter what he tells the other rats." The scrawny man leads the way beneath the city and I get well and truly lost before the hour is out.
I swear we've doubled back on ourselves at least three times. But the ground is still covered in a fresh layer of dust, with only the tracks of critters pressed into it.
"What do you think we're looking for?" I'd rather not face danger blind and try to get some more information out of our guide.
"... I'm trying to find the Philosopher's Stone." He hangs his head after a few seconds of internal debate. "I found a few decoy laboratories already and think Martin finally found the real one. But something bad happened to him."
He sniffles for another few hundred feet, only stopping when we find a door of stone blocking the corridor. "This is as far as the rats will go. Whatever the cause is, it's behind this door."
"Alright." I'm not risking all of us and give Tommy and Jade clear instructions to wait here. "If I'm not back in three hours, go get the Justice League. Ted Kord's number is in my phone and he can get you in touch with the heroes."
"But-" Tommy tries to insist on coming, only to get silenced with a firm no.
"I need you to look after Nora. Not die a mile under Paris because I was careless." I cross my arms and cock an eyebrow at Jade. "You better go with him. This is a private contract, Shadows not invited."
That just pisses the assassin off and she makes that clear with her snarl. "So why the hell did you bring us all the way down here?"
"So someone knew where to look." Ratcatcher has millions of friends mapping the place out and he's not even a quarter done yet. "I'd kind of like to be found..." I express as much discomfort for the cramped tunnel as I can with just a single expression. "Preferably before I starve to death."
I freeze the hallway between us, confident it will last the time I allotted. "And if Paris collapses, it means something really bad was down here."
"What could bring the whole city down?" Gasps Ratcatcher as I push the stone door open, the ancient rock screeches like a banshee until I finish.
"Me." If it comes down to it, I'll do what I have to.
"Please tell me hat's the backup plan?" He stutters back with raw fear in his voice.
Confirming that only eases his fears a slight bit. But the sight of golden rats littering the floor, has his terror shooting through the roof.
"Martin..." Ratcatcher reaches down and grabs a solid gold rat that to my eyes, looks identical to the rest.
I give him as long as I can to grieve. But when he starts saying goodbye to each rat individually, I have to put my foot down. "You want to stop this from happening to anymore of your friends, or not?"
"Sorry." He wipes his eyes and carefully places the rats he befriended in his satchel. "I'm ready."
He follows a half pace behind me as I enter a room that I first think is made from sandstone. No... That's just what centuries of blood stains look like.
I try not to spend to long staring at the implements I assume had been used for torture. Instead I allow my gaze to focus on the faint pulses of crimson light.
A ruby a little bigger than the diamond I found yesterday, is carved with the same perfection. It doesn't hum a lullaby like the crystal girl though. It trills with an agony and only my helmet saves me from the wave of force.
Ratcatcher's face contorts in pain as a bubble of scarlet energy expands rapidly. It washes over him effortlessly, he and his clothes turned into even more of the precious metal in less time than it takes me to open my mouth.
The energy doesn't stop and I flinch in preparation for my sudden end. Except even though I feel it crackle against my skin, something about Thanagarian metal saves my life.
My helmet crackles with energy and emits a pulse of it's own. The instant it does, the wave of crimson energy fades away from my body harmlessly.
"I'm really glad you came prepared." The girl from the cafe is back, this time speaking with a voice that sounds like it has experienced endless lifetimes. "I heard about your dream and thought it was a very interesting one. I didn't even have to nudge your path very much, you just jump right in with both feet."
"... Huh?" That rocks my thoughts and I find it hard to formulate a response more complex than grunting.
"Chaos might have it's claws wrapped around you. But just like the luck you seem connected to on a spiritual level, it's not just good or bad." She shrugs at my confused face and asks me to help her disciple out of the wizards cage. "Your friends could really use some help and I've needed someone to bring Kole's family back for a very long time."
She makes no visual gesture and yet I know she's the reason a silver cloud of sand rises into a spinning disc. It settles into a black and white movie of Young Justice. Almost the entire team is sound asleep in the cavern I just buried and I can only grind my teeth in frustration.
Been a while since I've been so overlooked. I watch the mousy brunette write her number on the back of the buck toothed man's hand. Kind of nice to see the world doesn't revolve around me, no matter how much Roy seems to disagree.
"The presence dropped Jade and Tommy in less than a minute. Wasn't taking any chances after the cave itself starting attacking me." It's only twisting the truth a bit, but it seems to be enough to make Jade lose interest.
"So I really did call the right guy." Reaching into his jacket, Ratcatcher pulls out a very thick envelope. "You think I could ask for a favour?"
I accept it and frown as soon as I open it. "How much money is in here?" Sighing, I remember to ask about it's origin. "And please tell me it's not stolen, I just got my record wiped clean."
"Two hundred grand and it's all clean. After a month in Brest to prove it was effective, Paris brought me in to clean up the place." He lifts his hand and shows off the eight gaudy rings. "The catacombs under the city have centuries worth of treasure to find and they just want me to map it all out."
"So why are you giving me this?" It still doesn't explain handing me an envelope full of cash.
"Tommy said you let him keep almost all his loot. So this is your cut for setting me up with the job." The beady eyed man explains as if it's obvious. "I couldn't quite figure out what gas money would work out to. Just decided ten percent of whatever I find is easier to divide."
"Told you the Boss looked after us," Tommy crows in celebration, reaching up to slap hands with an equally gleeful Ratcatcher. "Just remember to keep it on the down low. Boss might get in trouble if the Justice League finds out why he timed his break out for right before the end the world."
The wink Tommy gives me at that comment, sends my head spinning with confusion. Does he think I knew about the Red Robots and planned the whole thing out like some kind of Machiavellian mastermind?
"My friends that enter a specific section of the catacombs..." Ratcatcher wrings his hands anxiously. "They just never come back and none of the rats are willing to find out why."
"So you want me to what?" Crawl around in a dark tunnel and look for rats?
Across the street, I catch a glimpse of a pale girl watching us. A long black sundress and waist length blonde hair ignore the windy morning, remaining perfectly still despite the strong breeze.
Almost as if she's just a daydream, when I turn my head for a better look the girl is gone without a trace. This again?
"Greta, you better not be haunting me again." My words startle Ratcatcher, who starts frantically scanning the nearby area. "We're friends now."
"Who are you talking to?" After deciphering some squeaks from Pinkie and the Brain, Ratcatcher asks the question for the rodents resting on his shoulder.
"One second," I growl back in response and start searching though my bag for my rarely used phone. "I need to make sure I don't have a Secret watcher."
I get no answer when I try Artemis and it's the exact same thing when I try Roy. It's not until I call Paula that I finally hear a voice.
"She said they had a mission that might take most of the weekend?" The mother's explanation is enough for me to relax. "Alright... Thanks Paula."
"Your stalker still following you?" Snorts Jade, her smirk strangely tight.
In the end, we decide to take the rodent tamer up on his request. He has almost a mile already mapped out in perfect detail and it's only the oldest sections that really pose a danger now.
"I'm just really worried about Martin. He's not a warrior, no matter what he tells the other rats." The scrawny man leads the way beneath the city and I get well and truly lost before the hour is out.
I swear we've doubled back on ourselves at least three times. But the ground is still covered in a fresh layer of dust, with only the tracks of critters pressed into it.
"What do you think we're looking for?" I'd rather not face danger blind and try to get some more information out of our guide.
"... I'm trying to find the Philosopher's Stone." He hangs his head after a few seconds of internal debate. "I found a few decoy laboratories already and think Martin finally found the real one. But something bad happened to him."
He sniffles for another few hundred feet, only stopping when we find a door of stone blocking the corridor. "This is as far as the rats will go. Whatever the cause is, it's behind this door."
"Alright." I'm not risking all of us and give Tommy and Jade clear instructions to wait here. "If I'm not back in three hours, go get the Justice League. Ted Kord's number is in my phone and he can get you in touch with the heroes."
"But-" Tommy tries to insist on coming, only to get silenced with a firm no.
"I need you to look after Nora. Not die a mile under Paris because I was careless." I cross my arms and cock an eyebrow at Jade. "You better go with him. This is a private contract, Shadows not invited."
That just pisses the assassin off and she makes that clear with her snarl. "So why the hell did you bring us all the way down here?"
"So someone knew where to look." Ratcatcher has millions of friends mapping the place out and he's not even a quarter done yet. "I'd kind of like to be found..." I express as much discomfort for the cramped tunnel as I can with just a single expression. "Preferably before I starve to death."
I freeze the hallway between us, confident it will last the time I allotted. "And if Paris collapses, it means something really bad was down here."
"What could bring the whole city down?" Gasps Ratcatcher as I push the stone door open, the ancient rock screeches like a banshee until I finish.
"Me." If it comes down to it, I'll do what I have to.
"Please tell me hat's the backup plan?" He stutters back with raw fear in his voice.
Confirming that only eases his fears a slight bit. But the sight of golden rats littering the floor, has his terror shooting through the roof.
"Martin..." Ratcatcher reaches down and grabs a solid gold rat that to my eyes, looks identical to the rest.
I give him as long as I can to grieve. But when he starts saying goodbye to each rat individually, I have to put my foot down. "You want to stop this from happening to anymore of your friends, or not?"
"Sorry." He wipes his eyes and carefully places the rats he befriended in his satchel. "I'm ready."
He follows a half pace behind me as I enter a room that I first think is made from sandstone. No... That's just what centuries of blood stains look like.
I try not to spend to long staring at the implements I assume had been used for torture. Instead I allow my gaze to focus on the faint pulses of crimson light.
A ruby a little bigger than the diamond I found yesterday, is carved with the same perfection. It doesn't hum a lullaby like the crystal girl though. It trills with an agony and only my helmet saves me from the wave of force.
Ratcatcher's face contorts in pain as a bubble of scarlet energy expands rapidly. It washes over him effortlessly, he and his clothes turned into even more of the precious metal in less time than it takes me to open my mouth.
The energy doesn't stop and I flinch in preparation for my sudden end. Except even though I feel it crackle against my skin, something about Thanagarian metal saves my life.
My helmet crackles with energy and emits a pulse of it's own. The instant it does, the wave of crimson energy fades away from my body harmlessly.
"I'm really glad you came prepared." The girl from the cafe is back, this time speaking with a voice that sounds like it has experienced endless lifetimes. "I heard about your dream and thought it was a very interesting one. I didn't even have to nudge your path very much, you just jump right in with both feet."
"... Huh?" That rocks my thoughts and I find it hard to formulate a response more complex than grunting.
"Chaos might have it's claws wrapped around you. But just like the luck you seem connected to on a spiritual level, it's not just good or bad." She shrugs at my confused face and asks me to help her disciple out of the wizards cage. "Your friends could really use some help and I've needed someone to bring Kole's family back for a very long time."
She makes no visual gesture and yet I know she's the reason a silver cloud of sand rises into a spinning disc. It settles into a black and white movie of Young Justice. Almost the entire team is sound asleep in the cavern I just buried and I can only grind my teeth in frustration.