Through a Glass Darkly [Alice]

[Vic Sage]

The expensive carpeting on this level of the Wayne Industries building was thick and plush, and Vic Sage's footsteps made little sound as he stepped out of the elevator and strode briskly down the hallway.  His manner projected blithe confidence, having learned in his own corporate days that acting like you had every right to be there let you go almost anywhere.  Of course, cloning an executive's key card also helped, but it was all just different kinds of engineering to him.  Once he understood the operating system, be it of a computer, a person, or an organization, he could manipulate its code. 

Today's face was a good example.  With his own close-cropped hair hidden beneath a realistic-looking red wig, he'd added a matching red goatee.  Most people were unobservant, and they were unobservant because they were lazy about paying attention.  When they encountered someone, they would latch onto one or two distinctive features for identification, and that's all they would remember afterward.  He didn't really expect anyone to be asked about him, but it didn't hurt to take precautions. 

Caution was also why he had his only weapon, a shock stick, in a scabbard nestled against his spine.  He wasn't one of those armored bruisers like Batman, who seemed to delight in wading into fights with armed thugs.  In addition to lacking the requisite equipment and weaponry, he also lacked the killer instinct.  He might destroy lives and reputations exposing lies to his particular brand of sunlight, but he really didn't like hurting people.  Even people who, by any objective measure, thoroughly deserved it. 

And today's target, August "Call Me Gus" Reilly, thoroughly deserved it.  A genuine ginger, ironically enough, he projected an exterior of bluff good cheer and bonhomie that hid an inner man dark with cruelty and corruption.  One of his few surviving victims had revealed the truth to The Question, and the faceless vigilante intended to reveal it to the world.  But first he needed proof -- cold, hard, undeniable proof.

But then, when he was barely halfway to his target's office, a piercing scream rang out.

[Alice Challen]

August screamed and Alice laughed. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! It was delightful! Such a beautiful melody! She let it fill her ears as she poked and prodded him with her Vorpal Blade. She didn’t want it to end too quickly. Not after everything he had done. Sick people like him...Good people like her parents had to die to make way for men like August’s schemes. But not today! No, today he would be the victim of Alice’s games.

Sometimes it scared her, how much she enjoyed her work, the brutal violent aspect of it. She had always liked the color red. And crimson blood..Oh how pretty the little droplets that stained the carpet and her blue dress alike were. Today it didn’t bother her so much. After all this was a businessman. He was like one of those creeps who had ordered her parents’ demise in France. They were legitimate business people! They had done nothing illegal, noting wrong, nothing even somewhat morally questionable. And yet they needed to die because they had been a threat to another company’s profit margin.

August’s chest was a right mess. His once white shirt was almost entirely crimson. Beautiful. Simply beautiful. A great improvement. She had been careful not to pierce any vitals. At the moment she was only supposed to kill a couple people so she would be slow with it. And why should she concern herself with his anguished feelings? Why shouldn’t she enjoy herself? August was a monster who thrived on others’ suffering. She was doing the world a favor by ending his existence. Why should she experience any guilt over his suffering or loss? It was his turn to pay the piper.

He was groveling like a pig, begging and pleading for his miserable, worthless life. She pressed her estoc against his throat and watched his emerald eyes fill with terror. “No,” she said simply, confidently. With a brief shake of her golden locks she plunged her sword through his flesh in a quick satisfying sweep. One moment the man’s head was firmly on his shoulders and the next..It rolled onto the ground. She distastefully kicked it under the desk with her black shoe and laughed. And so August’s promising career had come to a bitterly abrupt end.

[Vic Sage]

Vic stopped dead.  A scream was so unexpected, so out of place, that it took him a couple of seconds to accept that was what he'd actually heard.  Then his mind spent a couple more seconds trying to come up with 'rational' explanations.  Hand gashed with a letter opener?  Paperweight dropped on a foot?  Finger caught in a filing cabinet drawer?  No, even as they came to him, he knew they weren't true.  That hadn't been a simple cry of pain, it had contained sheer, mortal terror, expressed with so much force that it was audible even from where he stood.  What the hell? he wondered, staring at the polished dark wood of Reilly's door in bafflement. 

Then there came another scream, this one entirely of fear, and a few moments later the door was yanked open, a woman running out of it.  No, Vic amended, fleeing out of it.  Professionally manicured nails flashed as her hands waved about blindly, as if trying to ward off the memory of whatever she'd just seen. Her perfectly made-up features were contorted with terror and her meticulously coiffed hair flying was flying loose as she ran down the hall toward him.  Making good time on those heels, Vic noted irrelevantly as he instinctively flattened himself against the wall to let her go by. 

This, he thought, whatever it was, was seriously going to mess up his plans.

And then things got even worse as two more doors along the hall opened, the occupants of the other offices drawn out by all the ruckus. 

[Alice Challen]

Alice decided it was in her best interest to stay put. She wasn’t squeamish and her prey would likely be rushing to where they heard the disturbance. She always made it her priority to take care of the big fish first. If the others escaped it wasn’t as crucial to track them down quickly. At least she would have plucked out the crown jewel. She stooped down and picked up the paper, now glistening with August’s beautiful blood. It hadn’t hardened and dried yet. It was still that fresh crimson color. Yes, there were two others she needed to dispatch. They were in deep with Mr. August. They would probably be extremely concerned about the scuffle in his office and head there momentarily. She looked at the pictures again, making sure she had their faces clearly memorized. She wanted to minimalize casualties. She was quite skilled with her estoc. When necessary she knew how to disarm instead of maim. She was confident that she would leave this building with only three dead.

Staying put was also good as it gave others time to escape. She didn’t want terrified, cornered people to think they had to attack her. Disarming frantic violent people could occasionally lead to unintended injuries. Yes, it was definitely best to wait here and see who showed up.

A few security guards came rushing in. A quick glance revealed that none of them were her targets. They had guns drawn and aimed at her; but, they froze. They stared at the carnage with stunned disbelief. They had expected a skirmish not a corpse. And on top of that they were looking at a young girl. Alice was 21 but she looked younger than that, perhaps 17. With her frilly blue dress and vibrant brown eyes, she looked most out of place with an estoc clenched in her pale hands, blood steadily dripping off the silver blade onto the floor. They hesitated for a moment and that was all Alice needed. She really enjoyed putting her gymnastics to use like this. In the blink of an eye she back flipped over to one of the officers, feet landing firmly on his chest, pushing him to the ground. She knocked his gun out of his hands with her Vorpal Blade and then moved the edge to his throat.

“None of you needs to die. You all have family and loved ones, don’t you? Leave here now and none of you will get hurt,” she said firmly. She casually gestured to Mr. August’s head lying under the desk with her shoulder. She’d do it with her hands but the estoc was a two handed weapon. She needed to keep it steady. “As you can see there is nothing more you can do for Mr. August. He is beyond saving but you five...You still have futures or at least you could if you’re smart.”

The remaining four men looked back at the head, at the security guard she had pinned, and then each other. They nodded slowly.

“Drop your weapons on the ground,” she commanded. They did as she instructed. “Now the four of you can leave. What’s your name?” she asked the man whose neck was at her mercy. “Mr. Lencher,” he choked out.

“Mr. Lencher, you can leave too as soon as these four other fine gentleman walk out.” And they did leave. Staring at her the whole time, they walked backwards out the door. She had hoped she wouldn’t need to knock anyone out. She understood that the one’s who left would likely call for reinforcements; but, she didn’t need to risk any injury with them.  She'd hate to give good honest men concussions. It was likely that they didn't even know how twisted and corrupted Mr. August was. They had just been paid to guard the building.

Alice would deal with whoever else came. Unfortunately, the element of surprise would no longer belong to her. They’d warn everyone that it was a small girl who was wrecking all the havoc. But that was fine. Only the three needed to pay for their crimes. Two now as Mr. August was clearly dead. She glanced back at his head and smiled.

Once the four had cleared the door, with all the poise of an experienced gymnast, she elegantly jumped off Mr. Lencher’s chest. She grabbed the gun before he could reach it.

“Now walk,” she ordered. She didn’t want him to lunge for any of the other guns. She watched him very carefully as he left. She then rushed to the window, opened it and dropped the guns outside. She wouldn’t have anyone else use them against her. She didn’t doubt that this room would be filled in no time. And the guns...Well they were next to useless to her. She was trained with an estoc, not a gun. She would handle her affairs with the Vorpal Blade alone. She always had.

[Vic Sage]

Even after the secretary had run past and disappeared into the elevator, Vic stayed where he was. He was torn. On the one hand, an employee fleeing some horror that had driven her to near hysterics was going to bring security up here in nothing flat, and that could create problems for him. On the other, he was intensely curious about what had caused her to bolt like that. He stared intently at the wedge of reception area visible through the still-open door. Whoever, or whatever, it was was showing no signs of pursuit, so perhaps it was something inanimate? Some frightening display like a dead rat or a big clown doll?

No. Nothing inanimate made that scream. And Vic knew 'Gus' Reilly was in the office. Or at least had been going in there a few minutes ago, when he'd last checked the security feed he'd hacked into and slaved to his tablet. Unfortunately, the camera coverage didn’t extend into the office, so he couldn't simply satisfy his curiosity remotely.

Vic considered a moment longer. The two executives who'd emerged from their own offices were talking, asking one another if they knew what was going on, and he recognized one of them as being a man he suspected as one of Reilly's partners in crime. That decided him. Maybe he could still salvage something from this debacle before he had to cut his losses and get out of the building. Donning his best baffled corporate guy expression, he headed over to join them.

Unfortunately, having not even seen the fleeing secretary, they knew even less than Vic himself did. And neither of them was willing to venture into Reilly's office, the open door of which had somehow developed an ominously hungry air. They were openly relieved when the elevator returned bearing a complement of security guards.

Bemused, Vic watched the guards enter the office. Five guys with guns seemed excessive to him, but maybe whatever the secretary had described was judged to warrant it. Or maybe somebody in the security office wanted to be seen to be Doing Something. When four of the guys backed out sans guns a minute later, the bemusement turned to concern, accompanied by the now-familiar mental refrain of what the hell?

Neither of the executives noticed the empty holsters, and the one Vic had attached himself to, Lozano, began peppering the guards with questions and demanding explanations. Shifting uncomfortably, all four looked at one another, waiting for somebody else to start. The hesitation didn't set well with Lozano, who seemed to be gearing up for a serious tirade, when the fifth guard emerged.

He was also now unarmed and, Vic was interested to note, had a cut on his neck. It wasn't mortal, but it was bleeding rather freely. He was also, clearly, the leader, as he kicked the door shut as soon as he was outside and began issuing orders. Sending the other guards off to call the police and begin locking down the building, he turned to Vic and the two executives.

"Some crazy woman's in there, killed Mr. Reilly with a sword. Must be one of those costumed psychos. You gentlemen need to come with me, I'll take you to safety."

[Alice Challen]

About thirty seconds after Mr. Lencher walked out the door Alice thought it might be a good idea to re-access her plans. She knew they’d call in backup; and, chances were those two others she was looking for would try to stay out of harms way. She was confident she could handle anyone who came through that door; but, remaining would expose others to unnecessary risk. She didn’t want to injure anyone innocent and the guilty...It was amazing how good they were at protecting their own hides. They’d send in one billion innocent men before exposing themselves to any danger. She still had time. The guards had barely left. Few knew what was going on. The other two could still be somewhere in the building. She of course had tracked down their home addresses; but, she’d prefer to take care of all of them here if she could. They’d be more guarded after their leader’s demise.

The question was, where should Alice go? The other two would have to be mentally ill to stay in their assigned offices after learning of Mr. August’s fate. They’d probably be trying to evacuate the building so she should run to one of the exits and hope she could cut off at least one of them there. She nodded her head. Yes, that was a reasonable enough plan. Better than staying still anyways.

Alice opened the door with her left hand, clutching her estoc with her right. It was better to wield it two handed but it would only be for a moment. She held it properly when she was outside.

Her eyes sparkled dangerously and she smiled with delight when she saw the two executives conversing with the guard she’d disarmed and some other stranger. What good fortune! Those were the two she was looking for!

She sprinted towards them, utilizing her quick reflexes. Should no one stop her she planned on sleighing the other two employees where they stood.

[Vic Sage]

Vic barely saw the girl at first.  All he saw was the sword.  

For a moment he was back there, on that boardwalk by the river, seeing the light reflecting off the two men's blades, and feeling them bite into his flesh.  It was a sensation impossible to describe.  It wasn't just the pain, which had been freezing and burning at the same time, it was the sheer wrongness of it.  Hard, sharp metal inside his flesh, cutting and slicing, killing him.  He remembered their faces, just as he remembered the faces of those who'd seen what was happening and simply turned and hurried away, but that cutting was what he remembered most.

Vic's mouth turned to dust and a cold sweat broke out all over his body.  It -- she -- was closer, closer, almost on top of him.  Breaking his paralysis, the hacker flung himself sideways, his shoulder knocking into the man next to him.  Vic wasn't a big guy, but the executive was a thin, older man who stumbled away at the impact.  As he moved, he grabbed for the only weapon he had, the shockstick.  That it gave away the fact he wasn't quite what he appeared and wouldn't be much use against a piece of razor sharp steel half again its length didn't matter. It was a weapon and he wanted -- needed one in his hands. 

"Whoa," he said, though his mouth was so dry, it came out as a papery whisper.  Swallowing, he tried again, "Wait, wait, wait."

[Alice Challen]

Alice stared at the man who pushed one of her executive targets in stunned silence. True, he wasn’t on her list; but, she hadn’t expected anyone to endanger their lives for that scum. The stranger looked like he was sweating, like he was truly terrified. He spoke and Alice listened. Her estoc was out and aimed in the stranger’s direction but she was standing back. She didn’t want to scare him anymore than absolutely necessary. He wasn’t on her list. He was likely innocent in all of this. He didn’t need to die. He wouldn’t die. The other two..She could track them down later if need be and they looked too scared witless to attempt fleeing at the moment.

“It’s okay,” she said warmly. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she promised. She gestured to the other two. “But they need to die. Let me have them,” she insisted.

“Why? Why are you protecting those monsters? Do you have any idea what they’ve done? They need to pay for their crimes. The law won’t touch them so I have to deal out their punishment myself.”

She didn’t want to take too long here. The police were likely being phoned now. She didn’t want to get trapped in this building and face jail time. But there was no way she could hurt the other two while this gentle soul stared back at her and pleaded with her to wait. He didn’t understand and she didn’t want to traumatize him further. He was completely different from her. Innocent. Idealistic. She didn’t want to taint him. She hadn’t exactly chosen to be this way. She could have been more like him if she hadn’t witnessed her parents’ demise. If they had lived she could have believed in the kind hearts of humanity. She probably would have protected those others wished to murder. But that wasn’t her life now. She had experienced the dark underbelly of the criminal world. She knew that most malicious men got off scot free due to deep pockets. Vigilantes like her were necessary to stem the flow of corruption.

[Vic Sage]

Vic breathed a little easier at the young woman's assurance that she wasn't there to hurt him, but he still found it hard to look at the sword.  He also found it hard to let it out of his sight, which put him in something of a bind.  He settled for watching it out of the corner of his eye, while trying to keep track of her, the guard, and the two executives at the same time.  How on earth did Batman manage this with twice as many people who were all moving around and trying to kill him? he wondered, then forced himself to focus.

"Guard," he said quietly, "get them out of here."  The other man had registered the shockstick and would start to wonder more about it at some point, but for now he seemed glad of the excuse to leave in what wasn't totally ignominious retreat.  The executives also didn't appear inclined to argue as he took their arms and began to hustle them down the hall.

Vic was taking a big chance, he knew.  The girl with the sword had already declared her determination to kill the men, but he couldn't just stand there and let it happen, without at least trying to prevent it.  And, he had a plan for how he might do that.  He might wind up using the stun weapon, but he much preferred talking, and he really didn't want any of the Wayne Industries people overhearing what he had to say.

When they were out of earshot, he spoke softly.  "Yes, I know what they've done.  And I work for a man who's going to make them pay.  They're not untouchable to him.  You heard what happened to Derek Powers?  That's going to be their fate, too."  Vic had one hand held up open and empty in a 'wait, peace' message, now he turned it over and held it out in appeal.  "If he fails -- and I've never known The Question to fail -- you can punish them your way later."

[Alice Challen]

The man was clearly terrified of her sword. Yes, most people were afraid of what she could do; but, he wasn't even looking at her. It was like he was more haunted by the very existence of her Vorpal Blade.

She heard his instructions and simply watched as the guard escorted the two executives out. She could have chased after them. She could have beheaded them right here in front of this man even with his weapon. It was clear by the way he moved and his obvious terror that he wasn't an experienced fighter. She could have bested him. But she didn't want to. When she said she wasn't going to hurt him she wasn't simply referring to his physical state but his mental one as well. He was an innocent. He was pure. He should not and could not be tainted. Obviously he was less innocent than he appeared. He had a weapon and he seemed to know a lot, know dark things. But the way he dove to protect that other man...That was innocent.

She sighed. It would upset this man greatly if he failed to protect them. She couldn't kill them. Not here. Not now. He looked too pitiable.

"I won't kill them now," she promised. "So will you please stop looking so scared? And can you possibly tell me your name?" She sheathed her estoc in a sign of good faith. She trusted that someone as pure as him wouldn't stab her in the back.

She nodded her head. "I've of course heard of The Question and Derek powers." Someone in her position really needed to keep her nose and ears to the ground. She couldn't hack computers, not at all. She had "friends" to help her locate her targets.

"I really think we should leave the building now. I'd like to talk to you more but I don't think this is the place. You don't belong here either." It wasn't a question. A business man wouldn't carry a weapon like that, wouldn't claim to work for the question.

"We'll both get in trouble if the police catch us. Admittedly I'll be in a much worse position than you; but, you still don't want to be caught right?" she pressed.

"How about we leave together and then get food?!" she asked cheerfully. She said this in the same tone an excited little kid might use to describe the chocolate cake they'd get to eat for dessert.

"I have a lot more questions!" she said in a bubbly tone. She gestured towards her sheathed blade. "As you can see I'm not going to force you to come with me but I'd really like to talk to you more if that's okay." It would be like a tea party! She hadn't had one of those in a good long while! She mostly kept to herself after all.

She smiled brightly and extended her hand for the man to shake. "Name's Alice by the way," she said enthusiastically.  She wasn't stupid. She never gave her middle or last name but Alice..That wasn't too rare a name. It would be difficult to track a person down just with that.

[Vic Sage]

When Alice sheathed the sword, Vic's pulse rate started to drop down to something closer to normal. Intellectually, he knew it was still there, and that she could probably have it out and swinging again quickly, but having it out of sight helped and the gesture was appreciated. He didn't even mind her saying he looked scared -- in point of fact, he was scared. Some men would have bristled, but he was more frustrated with his own weakness than angry at the wound to his pride. After a moment or two of hesitation, he even reciprocated, sliding his own weapon back out of sight under his suit coat.

He listened with half an ear for the sound of the elevator departing, relaxing a little more when he heard the doors shut behind the guard and the executives. Meanwhile, she burbled on, cheerful and oblivious as a brook. This, he thought, was positively surreal. He felt as if he'd fallen down a rabbit hole. Still, she didn't seem to be completely detached from reality. She was aware that she was rapidly running out of time to remain here, and she'd picked up on the fact that he was also an intruder.

Then she introduced herself and offered her hand, and matters went another half-bubble off plumb. He was being asked out to lunch by a crazy axe -- okay, sword -- murderer? And of course her name was Alice, he thought with wry resignation. It could be nothing else. "Jack," he said in reply, from the first children's story that popped in to his head.

"Let's concentrate on getting out of here first," Vic added, mind racing. He wasn't sure staying with her was a good idea, nevermind actually helping her escape, but one problem at a time. Online, The Question could multitask, running a number of bots, viruses, worms, and exploits simultaneously. Out here in the real world, it was a bit different.

"This way," he said, turning on his heel and heading for the stairs. They would have locked the elevators out of this floor by now. He could override that from his tablet, but wouldn't be able to hide the fact it was moving, which made getting into one the functional equivalent of boxing oneself up for the police. Tot had absolutely nothing good to say about the use of elevators as escape routes, and that was the old man's wheelhouse.

As he walked, the hacker pulled out the tablet and tapped a couple of commands, activating a transmitter and one of the exploits he'd inserted into the Wayne Tower security system. It was fairly simple in function -- his coming within 50' of any of the building's security cameras would cause it to loop back through the previous 60 seconds until he moved out of range. Not especially elegant, but it would do to conceal their movements. Evading the Mark I eyeballs of human guards would be up to them.

[Alice Challen]

Alice was content to follow Jack's lead. She could of course find her own way out of the building if need be but she liked the way Jack was taking charge. He seemed less scared, more calm and confident. Anything that put him in a comfortable place was good. She didn't doubt that he wanted to escape as badly as her. Well...Maybe he wanted to escape more than her. He still seemed pretty freaked out. But the point remained that he was an intruder too and he wouldn't be any happier than her to be questioned by the police.

Alice's eyes darted all over the place, searching for guards. She'd need to respond quickly if anyone else with a gun tried to stop them.

"Just tell me if there's anything you need help with," she said pleasantly, remaining ever vigilant. There were likely a lot of security guards in this building. If the remaining ones weren't scared witless they should be appearing soon. If they showed their faces she'd probably have to knock some of them out. Hopefully they'd suffer nothing worse than mild concussions.

[Bruce Wayne]

He wasn't entirely sure of the situation at Wayne Industries, but something was happening, and his employees were in danger. The problem was that he didn't have his Batsuit in his office, that was at Wayne Manor. He got up from his desk and went to remove a panel on the wall behind him, typing in a code on a keypad.

A small room opened, which he quickly entered. His League of Shadows uniform hung there; it was better than having nothing, he figured, even if he hadn't used it in a long time. He quickly donned his garb and followed the path from his hidden room into a hallway, and then proceeded on, hurrying, ignoring anyone he encountered.

These weren't the people he needed to find. He had to get to them soon before they got out of the building. He wanted to keep this inside, where he could contain it for now.

He ran and came to a crouch. It seemed like it was those two. He flipped a shuriken to hand and whipped it out, intending solely on making himself known for now, instead of going to injure.

[Alice Challen]

Alice saw movement out of the corner of her eyes. She was the fighter not Jack so it was her job to protect him. She couldn't yet tell how well armed this intruder was and what his intentions were. She positioned herself between the stranger and Jack, stretching out her arms. "Stay back," she warned Jack.

She didn't know who this person was but it didn't matter. He wasn't a target so he wouldn't be killed. "If you're here about the disturbances this man had nothing to do with it. It was all my doing. He was only helping me find an exit because I threatened him." Most of that was true. The murder was all her doing. He'd saved the lives of her other two targets by begging her to spare them. The exit bit was a lie but not too much of a stretch. He was probably terrified of her.

She hoped this stranger wouldn't attack. She couldn't guarantee Jack's safety if he did. She might be too busy defending herself. She had no idea how good he was. But that outfit...It looked very familiar somehow.

"Are you possibly from the League of Shadows?" she asked, surprised. She'd of course heard of them but had never seen a member in person. If he was...That was amazing, fantastic, and awesome! She really respected the league. They were a group of vigilantes, much like herself, who took the law into their own hands. But...If he was a member of the League of Shadows what was he doing here? She had only killed a corrupt man. Was this stranger here to kill the same person? Or did he not believe the criminal deserved death? Did he have some need of Mr. August?

[Vic Sage]

Vic's nodded distractedly at Alice's offer of help.  "No killing."

His plan was simple.  Put some space between them and the floor that was about to get hit by a small army of security.  Then get out of the stairwell and into a quiet place where he could spend the minute or so necessary to take total control of the building's fire system.  Once that was done, it should be simply a matter of locking the alarms on and then escaping in the ensuing panicky confusion.  The sword might make it a bit more difficult for Alice to blend in -- how she'd gotten it into the building in the first place remained a mystery to him -- but most people would be focused on the exits. 

It should work ... and it almost did.  They'd gotten out of the stairwell unnoticed, and into an empty cubicle.  He hadn't gotten into the alarm system unnoticed -- someone with an actual modicum of skill was on the ball in that office -- but he, or she, was no match for The Question.  The hacker was in and on the brink of sending the command to activate the alarm when something hummed past his head. 

Jumping in surprise, Vic glanced that way automatically, staring in puzzlement for an instant at the metal star quivering in the cubicle wall.  Huh?  Then he looked in the direction it had come from and all but gaped at the sight of a ninja standing there.  What the hell?  It was coming to be a familiar thought.

Then it was as if he could hear Tot shouting in his ear, Don't just stand there, you sorry-ass nerd! and Vic grabbed for his shock stick. 

His hand was on the hilt when Alice stepped in front of him, and he froze again, watching and listening intently.  To his surprise, the odd girl named Alice seemed to be covering for him, so he kept still and quiet while she spoke.  What on earth, he wondered, was the League of Shadows?