Chapter 95

[Rolling Silver Gacha Ticket]

[Herrera Outlaw]

|Common Item|

Cyberpunk 2077 - Sometimes, all you need is a stylish ride. The Herrera Outlaw is a luxury limousine, but it's also built to survive the streets of Night City, so don't expect anything below .50 caliber to get through its windows. Not the best car around, but it's a stylish set of wheels sure to impress any girl.

Hell yeah.

I'd been looking into getting my own ride after hooking up Red Hood. Sure, it wasn't as good as Ruin, but maybe I could tinker with it to fix that. I could probably whip up some sort of souped-up nitro system or special fuel formula…

"Thanks for the towel." A disgruntled voice brought me out of my musings.

Catwoman sat down on the couch across from me. Her suit wasn't quite the party disaster it had been before, but the paint stains had stuck, and she'd seemingly given up on salvaging her mask.

Man, Simmy really hadn't skimped on any of the tower's defenses. Not even the paintballs.

"I have some extra domino masks if you'd like."

"What's the point?" She snorted as she fell back against the couch. "You've probably got a snapshot of my face with how freakish your security system is."

"No comment," I smirked.

"You know, booby-trapping a place is illegal." Catwoman rolled her eyes at me. "Could get you in reeaaalll big legal trouble if I sued you."

"Says the thief?" I snorted.

"Oh, bite me." Catwoman sighed, burying her face in her hands. "So, what now? Seeing as you're not breaking my kneecaps or hogtying me to a target board."

"...That second one is weirdly specific."

"Joker."

Ah, yeah. That made sense.

"Well… seeing how I got to thoroughly test my security systems," I chuckled as she scowled, "I won't hold the attempted theft against you too much."

Catwoman stared at me with a raised eyebrow. "Awfully forgiving."

"It's not like you hurt anybody, and I'm not hypocritical enough to chastise someone else in the business." I shrugged. I wasn't exactly a paragon of law and order myself. "But… I would appreciate an explanation for this."

I pulled out the schematics Catwoman had been carrying. They were blueprints of the tower, and although woefully incomplete, the fact that she'd gotten her hands on them at all was a bit of a surprise.

"Some… contractor approached me and passed along the info," Catwoman admitted. She pulled out a phone and tossed it to me. "Wanted more information and pictures of your tower. In exchange, I'd get a nifty artifact and a big payday."

I rubbed my chin as I checked the messages.

All the communications had taken place through an underground forum, with everything else being sent through a courier service. I doubted I'd find much even if I investigated.

But then again, there wasn't much need.

My suspects were either the Court of Owls or the Light.

I'd simply have to give both of them another bloody nose for this little stunt. With Gotham's mob largely dead or broken, the only major obstacle left in the city was the Court.

Frankly, beating them would be easy enough with Simmy and my luck alone. Hell, if I called up some of my people, it'd be an absolute stomp.

But I didn't just want them gone. Call me greedy, but I wanted a hundred percent clear.

The Court of Owls had businesses and properties that were a mixture of legal and illegal enterprises. If I simply swept them aside, much of that would disappear into the resulting power and legal vacuum. Worse, a lot of their assets were tied up with people and organizations that weren't even involved with the Court.

And I wasn't about to let all that go to waste.

I was going to take every last bit of it.

Simmy was already slowly but surely dismantling their finances, but the Court also possessed a plethora of stolen art, artifacts, and other valuables that I had every intention of getting my hands on.

Simmy could probably use a helping hand.

And, well… who better to help me with my little acquisition project than a master thief?

“I appreciate the honesty.” I gave her a nod. “And, well… how would you feel about doing a few jobs for me?”

“I’m not a merc.” Catwoman shook her head. “This was a one-off exception because I wanted the artifact, and, well… I was planning to steal from your place anyway.”

“Pleaseeee…” I flashed her my most charming smile.

“Cute,” She deadpanned, crossing her arms.

Guess my traits could only do so much after putting someone through a series of pseudo-Saw games.

Well, if my wonderful charm wasn't going to work, there was always that age-old solution.

“Not even for…” I pulled out a pair of potions. “Limited-edition cleansing and skin rejuvenation potions?”

Her head immediately snapped toward my hands.

Not surprising, considering these things sold like hotcakes among celebrities.

“…I’m listening.”

I smiled.

Bribery truly did wonders for the world.

—

Samantha watched with thinly veiled contempt as the doors swung open.

The fact that she even needed to do this still filled her with anger, but difficult choices had to be made. Her dealings with Amanda Waller were progressing well enough, but with the Court's finances under attack, she could no longer afford to alienate the Light.

Ra's al Ghul stepped through, followed by a cadre of his personal assassins.

"Welcome to the Court of Owls." Samantha greeted him with a polite nod, even if the words burned her tongue.

"Grandmaster." Ra's returned the gesture. "I am pleased we could finally come to an agreement. Our cooperation will prove most fruitful in bringing down that wretch."

"Of course." Samantha gestured for him to follow. "Come, we have much to discuss."

The two made their way down the hallway, their respective guards following a short distance behind.

Samantha glanced toward the woman walking at the rear of the group.

"Lady Shiva. I see you're alive and well."

Last she'd heard, the supposedly most dangerous woman alive had barely escaped with her life. Even now, Samantha could see bandages covering parts of her body.

Shiva merely grunted in acknowledgment, her expression remaining as impassive as ever.

Samantha frowned at the disrespect but held her tongue.

"How fares the situation with Jean Valjean?" Ra's asked as they continued walking. "Have there been any further developments?"

"Nothing substantial." Samantha clicked her tongue. "Our previous attempts have made it abundantly clear that acting rashly would be foolish. For now, I've limited our efforts to gathering information. The Court has hired several independents to acquire what we need."

Frankly, she doubted most would accomplish much, but it would be no great loss if Jean Valjean killed them. Still, hopefully that ‘legendary’ thief's reputation wasn't just hot air, and she'd at least manage to bring back something useful. 

"A prudent decision." Ra's nodded approvingly. "We must exercise patience until our project comes to fruition. Once our allies within the government and the stars are ready, we can finally put an end to that hooligan."

"Agreed." Samantha allowed herself a small smile at the thought of bringing that freak to ruin.

They came to a stop before a pair of ornate double doors, where two Talons stood guard.

At Samantha's approach, the assassins bowed their heads before pulling the doors open.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable." Samantha gestured inside. "I believe you'll find the accommodations quite to your liking. The Court has spent centuries collecting some of the finest works of art and artifacts in the world. I think you'll particularly appreciate—"

The sitting room, once a lavish display of the Court's accumulated wealth and influence, was completely bare.

Gone were the exquisite paintings that had adorned the walls, the priceless sculptures, the ancient artifacts, and even the luxurious furniture she'd personally commissioned.

Every last piece was gone.

What!?

“Check the room!” Samantha angrily waved a hand at the Talons.

Ra's frowned at her sudden outburst, but Samantha couldn't care less.

The Talons immediately moved, sweeping the room for any signs of an intruder.

"Grandmaster, the room is clear," one of the Talons finally reported.

Samantha wanted to scream.

How the hell could someone have stolen everything right from under their noses!?

"Apparently, your servants are as incompetent as your security." Ra's scoffed, striding toward a miniature golden cat sitting in the corner. 

Beep.

A faint electronic chirp came from the doll.

Samantha froze.

The Talons and assassins reacted immediately, several lunging toward their respective masters while others drew their weapons.

But it was already too late.

A deafening explosion filled the room, and Samantha instinctively squeezed her eyes shut as something struck her face.

For a moment, she couldn't see a damn thing.

"MASTER!" one of the assassins shouted.

Samantha stumbled backward, frantically wiping at her eyes. When she finally managed to blink them open, she was greeted by a sight so utterly ridiculous that her mind struggled to comprehend it.

Glitter.

Liquid glitter covered absolutely everything.

The floors, the walls, the ceiling, even the Talons were covered in the sparkling substance.

And standing in the middle of it all was Ra's al Ghul, the infamous Demon's Head, coughing and sputtering as he desperately tried to clear the glitter from his mouth, one hand clawing at his throat.

His once-pristine robes were now a shimmering mess of pink and gold.

Before Samantha could even begin to process what had happened, something fluttered down from the ceiling.

A letter.

It landed gently at her feet, a pristine white feather adorning its cover.

With trembling hands, Samantha picked it up and unfolded the paper.

Thanks for sending Catwoman my way. I've found her a much better job~

And thanks for all the stuff~

-Jean Valjean

Samantha stared at the letter.

Her hands began to shake.

Unable to contain herself, she tore the letter to shreds before sinking to her knees.

"MASTER!" One of the assassins desperately tried to clear Ra's al Ghul's airways while another held him down.

Samantha… just watched as the infamous Demon's Head retched a mouthful of glitter onto the centuries-old marble floor.

…Fuck.

***

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