Riots

Click-click-click! Donned as the Nobody, face obscured, Hadiyah typed and typed. She was in her basement, the light of her computer bringing her the warmth she desired. On her screen were cameras and real time recordings of the outside world.

Cloaked figures, angry mobs, and unrelenting men and women swarmed each area. The mess was impossible to contain or understand. Each was heading into the Financial District or other wealthy regions of Gotham. Once protected and barracked, they were trampled on like ants by the sudden riots. Torches were lit and thrown. Violence was declared and changes were demanded. Hadiyah could hear it within her earbuds. She inhaled sharply.

"Batman, are you seeing this?"

Jace's voice rose to life in her earbud, two decibels deeper than his civilian tone. "I am, Nobody." A pause. "Is it really…?"

He trailed off. The message lingered.

"Yes," Hadiyah said. "It's just…people. I ran facial recognition software. They're all Gothamites dissatisfied with their life. Homeless, poor, working long hours, unfairly convicted to Arkham Asylum, etc."

A mass riot starting from the poorest regions and spreading into the rich and protected. The sight was unbelievable but given the numbers...frankly, Hadiyah was surprised it hadn't happened before.

"I can't believe Leviathan was able to ensnare them," Jace said. "It's unbelievable."

Hadiyah received a message from Oracle: access to their com link. Granted.

"Not as unbelievable as you think." Oracle's tone was patient and firm. Hadiyah's brows furrowed. She must have been listening in. "Remember those kidnapped people? Well, not all of them stayed for the secret tournament. Some of them were released and brainwashed."

"Some?" Jace asked.

"Some," Oracle answered. "Others were merely psychologically indoctrinated."

"So that we couldn't tell between the decoys and the real ones," Hadiyah continued. "How cunning."

"Yeah. We have to be careful in how we approach this. A couple of these protest leaders are innocents. We can't blame them–"

"But others are," Jace interjected. "We can't take the risk. Are you seeing this, Oracle? These guys might be rich but they don't deserve to lose their homes. Plus, some of them worked really, really hard."

Two masked assailants were at her door. Great. Click-clack! She activated her house's defensive mechanisms. The moment they touched the door knob–

Zaap!

They were electrocuted. Hadiyah checked the surrounding CCTV footage. They were here, at Cherry Hills, in groups of two or three and aimed to break into the houses of the rich. Although Hadiyah was secured, she couldn't say the same for her neighbours.

"They're already at Cherry Hills," Hadiyah said. "Unfortunately, I can't leave. I don't want to risk it."

The real reason was much less complicated: Aaron Reigner had entrusted her with the protection of the God Killer. She couldn't leave its side.

"I'm sending backup," Oracle said. "Artemis, are you here?"

A new voice, deep and feminine, buzzed in. "I'm here."

Artemis? Hadiyah's mind ran through the superhero community and its list of women named Artemis. There were at least three or four, one of which was a goddess. But that was impossible. In the past, the gods and goddesses of mythology avoided Gotham. In spite of the great threat, today should have been no different.

'This must be Artemis of Bana-Mighdall. I hear she works under Red Hood.' Hadiyah was well-read so she was aware of the basics though not the specifics. 'Having someone like her…'

On the CCTV footage, Hadiyah witnessed a strong, tall redhead dismantling the invaders of Cherry Hill like they were nothing. Her speed and strength were superhuman. She was capable of avoiding and deflecting bullets. Pistols were nothing to her. She went from one house to another in record time. With unfeasible power, she took care of one batch, then the next. Dashing, punching, kicking, blocking, and deflecting.

Even as they radioed and warned each other of the incoming threat, they could do nothing. Their fists and bullets were nothing to her. Her bracelets were like Wonder Woman and she fought like her too. Hadiyah blinked when she saw that Artemis also wielded a golden lasso. She wondered if lassos were an Amazon weapon, like elves with bows and arrows.

Artemis was fast and quick. She yanked guns and weaponry with her lasso. Her fervour and skill mirrored the legendary Princess of Themyscira. A dash inferior, sure, but nearly as effective.

Her neighbours, no, the entire block was in safe hands.

"You're slow," Oracle stated. Hadiyah did a double-take. "Still feeling weak?"

"Weak but capable. This shouldn't take more than twenty minutes," Artemis said. She kicked a Balaclavas concealed woman and sent her into the air. Unless you were Batman or Robin, that wasn't feasible for a human.

'That's weak…?' Hadiyah asked in her head.

"So Catwoman was correct. There really is a mega-sized machine capable of stealing metahuman, alien, and magical energy." Oracle paused. "I'll chat with you guys later. Batman of New York, stay on the riots. Use fear tactics to disperse them but also keep them unharmed. A villain named Prometheus has appeared. He's masked and purple. If you catch sight of him, do not engage. I have a plan."

Bzzt! Just like that, Oracle left their channel.

"Prometheus," Jace repeated. "I know that name."

Hadiyah did a quick search on her computer. Behind her anonymous mask, her eyes widened. "He's bad news. Really bad."

Suddenly, slightly unnerved, Jace asked, "Has Vol finished that new device yet?"

Hadiyah shook her head. "No, not yet." Typically, it was Vol who was in charge of computers but he was busy manufacturing a new explosive gel gadget. Perhaps it could be used to help Jace in conducting his fear tactics against the mob. Regardless, their squad felt a little empty without him.

An unsettling silence fell over them. The one to break it was their esteemed guest, Artemis, who spoke with grandeur. "Don't worry. I believe I know Oracle's plan. Prometheus won't be a problem."

Hadiyah hoped so. Judging by his biography and the brief list of crimes he committed, he was a Justice League level threat. Far too much for her or Jace to handle.