(General P.O.V)

"I don't like this..."

Black Spider whispered, hanging off a web that was attached to the high roof of the warehouse.

"Shut your trap. It's not your job to like it. It's your job to do what you're told."

Sportsmaster snapped at him.

"Wow... someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Black Spider whispered to the silent Cheshire. The young assassin was the height of professionalism. Her hand brushed over the Sais strapped across her hips. The darkness in the warehouse had gotten a little too deep.

"Company's arrived."

She informed the other two.

"About damn time."

Sportsmaster walked forward and stood infront of the other two. A tactic to show who was in charge.

"I'm a busy man. Are we going to do this or what?"

A laugh sounded out from all around.

"Where's your sense of humor? I thought someone dressed like a walking joke would appreciate one."

A deep voice questioned just as the shadows in the room roiled around to reveal 2 figures. A man dressed in a long overcoat with cut off sleeves and the tattoo of a dragon circling balancing scales on most of his right arm. A black saber that seemed to blend into the darkness surrounding his colleague was lazily strapped to his hip.

His face was hidden behind a white mask with golden accents that seemed to subtly glow. The mask was a nice contrast to his jet black smooth locks that went down to his shoulders. Lastly a pendant with a yin yang symbol was strapped to his neck, falling over his strong chest left exposed for all to see. His abs shifted with every small motion he made under his light brown skin.

"What's that you punk?"

Sportsmaster cocked his head, debating whether or not to drive the javelin on his back through the man's chest.

The guy in question sighed.

"Villains these days...why so serious?"

"I kill people. Nothing funny about that."

Sportsmaster answered.

"Oh on the contrary... there's everything funny about that."

He stressed, clearing his throat and pacing a little.

"Lemme clarify...why kill someone when death is assured for them either way? I mean last I checked...no one lives forever right? You could just wait it out. Make their life miserable but not kill them."

He stated in a curious tone.

"Huh... admittedly he actually makes a good point."

Black Spider observed making the man laugh.

"If you think about it... you're not really showing how badass you are when you kill someone... you're just demonstrating your impatience."

"It's a game of fools."

Cheshire agreed, if only to understand the man's mental process.

"The only difference is..."

The man prompted.

"We get paid."

The female assassin finished the statement.

"Ding ding ding! Someone get this femme fatale a cookie! I like the way you think." The man in the white mask complimented, unaware of the mounting anger in Sportsmaster. No one ignored him! Ever!

"Now that the niceties are over and done..."

Clang!

A metallic sound rang out as two weapons clashed in mid air.

"Tch. You got lucky!"

Sportsmaster spat, looking at the javelin penetrating a few crates behind The man in the white mask. He had evaded at the last second and in the same motion, unsheathed the ebony saber strapped on his hip to block Sportsmaster's follow up strike with a hockey stick.

Sportsmaster pressed his weight into the attack, aiming to destabilize his opponent's footing and take the opening. A smooth strafe to the side put the man in the white mask at the Light's enforcer right, his ebony sword dragging along the hockey stick with a sharp ring and sparks. A leg shot out from an impossible angle. Sportsmaster grunted after receiving the blow on his forearm guard and grabbing the leg.

He heaved in exertion, pulling the man in the white mask to the ground in a judo move. They rolled smoothly, with Sportsmaster emerging on top. His fist shot out towards the face of his opponent, but the man dodged the move, winding his legs around Sportsmaster and pulling his head down for a vicious head butt on the nose.

Sportsmaster winced and pulled away, feeling his nose break underneath the metal mask he wore, followed by his eyes smarting due to the pain. The veteran supervillain was distracted enough for a kidney shot to throw him up in the air for a few inches before the man in the white mask pulled off a spinning kick with his back still on the ground, sending Sportsmaster flying away with a dislocated jaw.

There was a crash as he smashed onto the empty crates stacked along the wall. The clash of metal once again rang out when the mysterious man's companion parried away the stars that had been aimed at him by Cheshire.

"Told you the weapon would come in handy."

The man told his companion, jumping up to his feet smoothly.

"It's a fucking knife." She held it up.

"A piece of metal against the kinda shit we deal with on a daily basis. Beings that can't get hurt by anything short of a missile."

She shot back.

Her look was the complete opposite of her companion. A dark cloak that was as long as a cape, hid most of her upper face barring her green glowing eyes. What could be seen revealed red full lips and a small chin. The cloak covered everything except for the two blades in her hands that were similarly made of a metal that seemed to suck in all light. She had on grey boots on her feet.

"Are you still sore about that mission Darken? It was over a fucking month ago...sheesh. let it go." As if sensing what she was about to say, he quickly added through their mind link.

"You're still not getting a fucking scythe. Its huge, heavy and too chuuni. Your powers are already too cliche'."

He said turning his attention to the mercs standing ready, waiting for a fight.

"Ou..."

Sportsmaster started while cracking his jaw back in place, only to be interrupted.

"You're satisfied right?" At his confused look, the Man continued speaking, an edge of anger apparent in his tone.

"That's why you attacked me. You tried to see if I was the real deal and not an imposter pretending to be The White Shadow. Because if that was the reason for your aggressive action...then you will leave here alive. Otherwise if your arrogance and overblown ego told you the smart move was to antagonize a fucking force of nature..." An aura of oppressive killing intent escaped his form.

"I will fucking end you."

Cheshire's hands shook. She had...she had never felt such killing intent before. The Black spider was suddenly hit with Vertigo and slipped from his perch on a piece of machinery. His webs saved him from getting his head split open on the ground. For Sportsmaster...he was instantly wary. A part of him wanted to keep on pushing. A bigger part of him advised him to take the way out he'd been provided with. The only thing he was sure of...you didn't get that sort of killing intent twiddling your thumb. It took reaping the lives of many many many creatures.

"Yeah" Sportsmaster bit out bitterly. "Had to verify you were who you say you were."

Sportsmaster finally conceded.

"Great." The White Shadow said pleasantly, the killing intent vanishing instantly.

"Let's talk business."

Black Spider looked at Cheshire and whispered.

"Is it over? Please tell me its over...this guy is scary."

Cheshire swallowed behind her mask, doing her best to look unfazed.

"Do you ever consider...just dying?"

She ignored her annoying teammate and walked forward with a briefcase in her hands, feeling like she was being led to the Guillotine. There was something eerily wrong with The White Shadow. He didn't move like a person. Jade was an assassin, she knew the tics and tell tale signs that enabled her to read he mark even before she killed them.

He on the other hand was too calm and... immobile. It was like she was looking at a fucking robot! Wait...she almost stopped walking, could that actually be it? Was he an Android like Tornado? Well if he was, they would know soon.

She spared a glance at Sportsmaster and felt her lips turn up into a smile. Someone had thoroughly stomped on Crusher's rep. She wondered what her father was thinking. Cheshire almost called him out for it before reminding herself that they couldn't allow The White Shadow or Darken to see them divided.

The green costumed league of shadows agent stopped before them. Darken shifted her footing subtly, an action that Cheshire almost missed. While she was not completely unreadable like The White Shadow... everything about her was...dulled to the extreme. Her voice sounded monotonous, her scent was almost non-existent, just the whiff of smoke and her body seemed to disappear into the shadows.

Cheshire held up the briefcase and unclasped it.

"500,000 just as agreed. For keeping the true cargo on the train safe despite losing the bulk of the shipment, you get half the fee."

She revealed a neat row of dollars.

"We only lost most of it due to your fucking robot monkeys, their explosions derailed the..."

Darken begun before The White Shadow placed a hand on her shoulder, making her go silent.

"Forgive my companion, she's just exhausted. It's been a long day." The White Shadow said amiably before his tone underwent a change.

"Let's cut the crap. We know why we're here. I have been letting your guy look around my head ever since I felt the first touch on my mental walls."

Cheshire stiffened, though you couldn't tell it.

Sportsmaster pressed a single button on a device strapped to his hips. There was am amused laugh that came from the projection that suddenly appeared in mid air.

"Well well well...I was not expecting that." Lex Luthor commented. He sat on a brown office chair, hands clasped before him on the table.

"How did you know that Psimon was around, tasked with reading your mind?"

The White Shadow shrugged just as a figure made its way from behind a few abandoned machinery. The familiar form of the Light's go to telepath appeared. He had surprise painted on his face.

"You have your secrets...I have mine."

"Tsk. That's not how it works, I'm afraid." Luthor managed to convey that simple statement with as much mockery as he could.

"We have been... keeping tabs on you so to speak. You are powerful, very skilled and...relatively professional."

Darken snorted at that last bit.

"But what steals away from that...is the fact that you are an unknown variable. That much power yet you have gone under our radar up until you decided to show up? We are the ones in the know yet... your presence caught us by surprise. So here's the deal, White Shadow." Luthor leaned forward.

"Remove your mask. Let me see who you really are behind the layers of ambiguity. Maybe then we'll find a common ground."