Chapter 177: Consequences Part 2

Less than two hours later, Arias's chopper arrived at his private island, meeting no trouble along the way. Instead, he enjoyed seeing the fruits of his labor televised. After the Gotham Gazette and Daily Planet made the matter known, every global news station began to report on it.

What Arias really looked for, though, was the public outlook on the matter, which could be seen on all major social media platforms. Thankfully, it was within the result he expected: some called him a killer and criminal, while others said he was wrongly accused and did what he had to do.

Even if the public didn't fully support him, Arias's biggest approval came from various influential figures who were smart enough to diagnose the situation. No matter what people's opinions were on Arias, the current administration was going to suffer an immense drop in support, making it unlikely they would win. This left the most favorable candidate to be Slade… Arias's "former" bodyguard.

It didn't take a genius to put two and two together, so they quickly stated their stances and even called for him to be pardoned. This was, of course, exaggerated, but politics was a vicious game, and now that the obvious winner of the coming elections could be seen, many figures wouldn't hesitate to show support in hopes of gaining some benefits or a chance at cooperating when the new administration took over.

For now, Arias could only wait for the second phase of his plan to initiate. In the meantime, after landing, Rose led him to the cell-like room where they were keeping the assassin she had mentioned, while Harley went to her own room.

The room was located underneath the estate in an intricate area full of many cell-like rooms, most of which were actually used to store items rather than individuals. Rose led Arias to a cell located not too far from the entrance door. The cell had a large metallic door with a strict security system. Like many of the cells here, they were built with the thought of storing valuable items or weapons, hence the vault-like security and lack of windows or large vents.

"In there," Rose banged on the door and readied one hand against her pistol while using the other to open the door carefully. 

After seeing Cheshire's figure at a safe distance from the door, sitting on the floor, Rose lowered her caution slightly and fully opened the door for Arias to enter.

"I already told you everything you need to know," Cheshire spoke without turning back, already familiar with Rose and her visits. Rose frowned and didn't speak, instead just standing aside to allow Arias entry. Arias saw the unfamiliar figure of Cheshire and tilted his head slightly before glancing back at Rose. "Wait for me outside."

Upon hearing a male voice, Cheshire quickly turned her head, just as Rose was leaving the room without causing a fuss. She knew Arias was capable; it was just that she herself didn't like Cheshire or the League of Assassins in general. 

Without saying a word, Rose left and closed the door behind her, leaving Cheshire and Arias alone.

Wasting no time, Arias got to the point and asked, "What's your purpose in coming here?" His tone was flat.

Cheshire, who was without her mask, fixed her posture and switched to a kneeling position before revealing, "I am a gift to you from my now former master, Ra's Al Ghul. Should you accept, my life will be yours. Should you refuse, my life will be forfeit, or something like that," she explained in a somewhat informal tone.

Arias went silent for a moment and looked her over, wondering what Ra's hoped to accomplish by sending her. To spy? To lower his guard and kill him later? Or something else? 

There were numerous possibilities, but none really worried Arias to a great extent. The easiest choice was, of course, to refuse, but on the off chance that Ra's intentions were actually beneficial, he'd be losing out.

Before giving Cheshire an answer, though, he wanted to know a little more about her, so he asked, "Why choose you as my gift? I'll be disappointed if you say it's looks alone."

Cheshire cracked a smirk and relaxed slightly after hearing Arias's casual tone. She too had been extremely cautious, not knowing much about Arias's true nature outside of what little information the League and her own research provided. Seeing him a bit more relaxed in his mannerisms, she chose to speak freely and see how he'd react. It was either this or pretend to be a single-minded, order-following tool.

"Geez, Master, way to hurt a girl's confidence. But if I had to pick something else… well, I was one of the few elites present in the League, despite starting my training late. I'm a proficient killer and combatant, but the real reason I was chosen probably boils down to two things. One, I'm not as disciplined as the others in my position, so I always stood out for the wrong reasons. And two, I'm a virgin—not by choice, but discipline and all that." She cheekily replied, bearing a small smirk as she explained.

Looking at her, Arias had no reason to believe her words—or not to. Either way, she posed a low threat. As for her usefulness, Arias couldn't see her as being truly unique. After all, he had two large institutions with young metahumans ready to be nurtured for his use. So aside from maybe her experience, she was really a lackluster gift, but there was no need to say that aloud.

"I see. Well, at least Ra's sent me someone with some personality, although a bit crude, it seems," Arias teased, causing the smirk on Cheshire's face to grow wider.

"Oh? Tell me then, Master, are you going to 'discipline' me into behaving? I've always responded well to a 'firm' hand," Cheshire teased back, posing in a suggestive manner. Like most female assassins in the League, she knew exactly how to make a man's blood boil, usually to lower their guard and lure them somewhere secluded. In this case, she was just enjoying herself.

Arias raised a brow at her suggestive remarks but shook his head. "No, you'd probably enjoy that far more than me. For now, let's see how you fit into my organization. Don't worry, I'm not as strict as Ra's, but I do expect results whenever I demand them…" He paused, slowly walking over to Cheshire and cupping her chin. "…Is that clear?"

Cheshire maintained her smirk and stared right into Arias's eyes as she agreed. "Crystal."

Having gotten confirmation, Arias pulled his hand away and nodded. "Good. Then for now, Rose will help you settle in and get equipped. I may require your particular skill set soon."

Having gained approval, Cheshire's worries about getting rejected passed, and she was now free to be herself. 

"You'll have to be more specific, Master. I have many skills," she teased once again, having stood up and rested one hand on her hip.

But Arias wasn't one to shy away from a little teasing, so he clapped back. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to put them all to good use."

Saying nothing more, he left the room and instructed Rose, who was standing outside, "Help her settle in."

After saying that, Arias left alone, leaving Cheshire smiling with an inquisitive look on her face. "Well, this might be more fun than I thought."

…

A few days passed with the worldwide news still talking about the Arias incident. However, come Thursday of that week, a new headline appeared that shook the world.

**[Breaking news: Scientists reveal that a new viral outbreak is spreading. However, it affects only those with what they call the meta-gene, a gene that, if awakened, leads to people obtaining new abilities or characteristics. Scientists believe this virus to have been artificially made, as it first appeared among the children rescued from the Human Supremacy Group.]**

**[And within just three days of discovery, all the children diagnosed with the virus have since died. More worrying is that the virus is already believed to have made it to the public, as some children had already been returned to their various homes. With so little information, it remains unknown just how deadly this virus is, but scientists are urging people to get tested for the meta-gene. If positive, stay indoors, as this virus can and will kill within less than a week. Various pharmaceutical groups have…]**

Arias was watching this news in the comfort of his room with a small smile on his face. 'And so, the second phase begins.'