Chapter 178: 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 the matter.

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 calling him a killer and criminal, whilst others saying 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 opinion was on Arias, the current administration was going to suffer an immense drop in support, making it unlikely they will win, which 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 takes over.

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

The room was located underneath the estate in what was an intricate area full of many cell like rooms. Most of which were actually used to store items rather than individuals.

Rose lead Arias to a cell located not too far from the entrance door. Said 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 whilst using the other to open the door carefully.

After seeing the 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," Chesire spoke without turning back, having been already familiar with Rose and her visits.

Rose frowned and didn't speak, instead just standing by the side to allow Arias entry. Arias saw the unfamiliar figure of Cheshire and tilted his head slightly before before glancing back at Rose. "Wait for me outside."

Upon hearing a male voice, Cheshire was quick to turn her head, just as Rose was leaving the room without causing a fuss, she knew Arias was capable, it's 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, leaving Cheshire and Arias alone.

Wasting no time, Arias got to the point and asked, "What's your purpose in coming here?" he asked flatly.

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 somewhat informal tone.

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

They were numerous possibilities but none really worried Arias to a great enough extent. This easiest choice was to of course just 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 chose you as my gift? I'll be disappointed if you say it's looks alone."

Cheshire cracked a smirk and relaxed to some extent after hearing Arias's casual tone. She too was in an extremely cautious state, as she didn't know much about the true nature of Arias outside what little information was given by the league and her own research.

Seeing him a bit more loose in terms of mannerisms, she chose to speak freely and see how he'd react, it was either this or pretend to be some single minded order following tool.

"Geez Master, way to hurt to girls confidence. But if I had to pick something else, hmm, well I was one of few elites present in the league, despite starting my training late. I'm a pro efficient 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 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, and as for her uses, Arias couldn't see her as being truly unique, after all, he had two large institutions with young meta-humans ready to be nurtured for his use. So aside from maybe her experience, she really was a lack luster 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 while 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 make them 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 got 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 of getting rejected had 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 to 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 world wide 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, 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 to get tested for the meta-gene and if positive, to stay in doors, as this virus can and will kill within less than a week. Various pharmaceutical group 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.'

A/N: Stayin Aliveeeeeeeeeeeeee