Chapter 5

[MC POV]

One of the downsides of having superior senses is that I can hear, smell, and taste the filth that is Gotham. Sure I tune out the gunshots and close my mouth. But the smell, that's ever-present no matter where in Gotham you live. I live in Gotham Heights. Gotham Heights is a neighborhood in Northern Gotham City. It is much less crime-ridden than the East End, a notorious Northern Gotham district to its west-east in which Martha and Thomas Wayne were murdered. Gotham Heights lies outside of Gotham City proper, near Bristol Township. Bristol Township is a civil township in New Jersey. Directly North of Gotham City, it is home to many of its affluent citizens, including Bruce Wayne.

I moved and set up shop here for many reasons, nice housing was important but low on the list. The most important reason was to get far away from the smell. And I did and it helped but like I said superior senses have their downsides. Still, I have safe houses throughout Gotham City. In Gotham North, Gotham Village, The Hill, The Narrows, East End, Coventry and Chinatown. 

My name is Desmond Creed, a 22-year-old assassin for higher. By day I stay at home and play games most time....all the time. But I make sure to keep my skills sharpened with daily practice of mu Katas.

I usually spend all day indoors, going through the web both legit and dark for info and potential jobs. But currently, I'm at my favorite dinner, Billy's Breakfast Stop. The pancakes are fluffy clouds of delectable flavor, and the coffee has just the right hint of bitterness, but my all-time favorite is the cherry pie. If Billy Jr were to reveal he was a food god, I would believe him because goodness gracious. Crimes have been committed to get a taste of that pie. Imagine someone holding you at gunpoint not for your wallet but for your takeaway breakfast.

I feel a buzzing in my pocket causing me to pause and stop consuming the heavenly treat. It was my work phone, one of them anyway. But that is not why I paused. Only one person had this particular number.....Ra's al Ghul. I quickly but subtly glanced around, then slipped a Bluetooth earpiece that auto-connected to the phone, all of this took a few seconds, and then I answered the call.

"Did you miss me, Old Man"

A brief chuckle was heard"Still as cheeky as ever I see, Brat" replied The Demon's Head. Ra's al Ghul is a fierce and imposing leader who is treated by his direct subjects with the utmost respect and reverence. All his Shadows will do his bidding; he can even order them to go to sleep. Despite having their total submission, Ra's only provides his assassins with the information they need to fulfill a job. 

"Not that I don't appreciate the call, you know I do. But if you're calling this phone then it's about business."

"Always astute. I have a Job that involves Farano Enterprises. What do you know about them."

"They make soft drinks and that's about all I know..for now"

"For now? I take that to mean you're interested then?" 

As he said that I could imagine the grin on his face and I rolled my eyes. It's been a couple of days since my last hunt and I was bored so sue me.

"Yeah, yeah send the details through the usual link, the usual way."

"Lovely, even though I know you don't need it a little backup can't hurt. I'm sending Black Spider and Hook"

"Those clowns, do you actually want the job done"

"Now, now there are not you but there are still assassins of some renown"

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. But I eventually relented.

"Fine"

"Good, I knew I could depend on you. I await your results," he said before ending the call. 

I put up the phone, finished my pie, left a nice tip and left.

~Small Time Skip~

I currently doing research on Farano Enterprises. Farano Enterprises is a company in Central City known for its most popular product Kapow. Kapow was an energy drink. Kapow came in small green bottles, a little more than an inch in diameter. The brand name was printed with large letters on a yellow and red sticker. But what I was more interested in was their CEO. Since that's whose name was in the envelope I picked up from the drop site on the way home. Selena Gonzalez was the Chief Executive Officer of Farano Enterprises. Selena Gonzalez was a Hispanic woman in her late thirties and looked good for her age. I was genuinely impressed most people with that level of power and money are fat and lazy and no longer possess the hunger that got them where they are, but she still does...what a shame she had to die. She had brown eyes and black hair that went to her shoulders.

Now the contract didn't state the reason for death and never does. But the web is an information trove if you know where to look and who to hack and I knew both. Now the only thing that stood out so far is that Farano Enterprises once did business with Project Cadmus. But that doesn't give me a clear picture and the detail of the reason for their past partnership was never discussed in any true capacity for any news article. 

So I looked into Project Cadmus. Cadmus, also called Project Cadmus and Cadmus Labs, is a genetics research laboratory in Washington, D.C. Now the juicy bit was Cadmus was founded by Lex Luthor. A man who doesn't put his name on or associate with anything that he wastes his time or resources according to the Old Man. He was also according to Sensei Slade one of the League's biggest supporters. Even juicier was that five days ago on the 4th of July of all days, there was an incident in which it was discovered that not only was the facility explicitly designed for secrecy; to the public eye, it was a two-story building, but an express elevator led to 52 sub-levels. But Over time, they developed countless genetic experiments called Genomorphs, which they used both to hide their activities and serve as a workforce.

But of course, Lex Luthor denied any knowledge of these recent discoveries, claiming that Cadmus Labs was made to help better humanity and pave the way to a brighter future. The blame was placed on one Dr Mark Desmond the former head of Cadmus Labs' Washington, D.C. facility. Who in an attempt to thwart the Justice League's discovery of the facility's sub levels transformed himself into a hulking beast. He was apprehended but whatever he used on himself damaged his mind. I clinked my tongue in annoyance what a load of horse shit.

No way he was the one pulling all the strings, yet in the end, he became the most convenient fall guy. I turned off my system. That was enough research for the night. I was either Lex Luther himself or someone else who had fingers in the cookie jar that was Cadmus who wanted her silenced. Either because she knows too much or most likely is no longer willing to cooperate.

I took a shower and went to bed. I had work to do tomorrow.