Chapter Text
At one time, somewhere around 100 years ago, Gotham was said to be home to two major sectors. Industry and Crime. From that, and with money flowing readily, a third had been born: Entertainment.
The Solomon Brothers were the first to begin opening houses of entertainment. At first it was nickelodeons, the first iteration of a movie theater more often set up in a storefront and rather simplistic. The production studio had later been named after them. After the nickelodeons, the Solomon Brothers had moved on to actual movie theaters.
Carlo Geraldi had shown up at that point. Another tycoon in the amusement industry who opened Amusement Mile. The competition devolving into outright feud between the Solomon Brothers and Geraldi saw Gotham turned into a place to drown out everything with the lavish amusements and attractions. Apparently, at least according to The Broker’s account in Streets of Gotham, it not only rivaled Las Vegas and Orlando, in its heyday Gotham had out shown both with ease.
The same source spoke of how by the ‘mid-fifties’ Gotham housed in excess of three zoos, five amusement parks, casinos, wax museums, reptile farms, arcades, and any other number of shows and attractions throughout the city.
Then the factories had closed, and the money dried up, and before long the only industry left in Gotham was crime with only the decaying buildings as a testament to what had once been.
Steets of Gotham, Issue 4 was the one that followed The Broker. A real estate agent and finder of the perfect eclectic or eccentric properties or assets for anyone who so desired them, for a commission or a fee. His line about checks accepted, cash preferred had stuck with Medha the most, along with the man’s actual name. Sherman Fine. It was a name no one had ever found; no one but Batman.
It was a name that didn’t come up now either.
There had been a panel about how The Broker had seen an opportunity to sell off the White Elephants, aka the otherwise too strange amusement properties, to the themed villains as lairs. Perhaps, with the villains just now starting to emerge with themes and schticks, he had not yet made that move.
Instead, it was a list of names that accompanied the map of properties that Noah had produced. Amusement Mile was indeed for sale, along with a number of other smaller attractions and properties flanking it and in general making up the outcropping of rock and crumbling city on the eastern tip of Gotham’s northernmost island. It sat just west of the massive bridge that separated Gotham from Bristol where the Wayne Manor was.
The map did not show the underground subway or rail lines below the water that connected Bristol to Gotham on the other side. Medha didn’t plan to bring them up either. No reason to out some of the main passages that Batman used.
All of the properties he was interested in were for considerably cheaper than Medha had expected. He’d internally just resigned 3 million to The Broker’s fees alone since that was what was stated in the comic for all that the situation was abnormal and more of a ‘you tried to stiff me so you can pay or die’ then actual commission.
Medha, in his actual form and seated cross legged on floor with all of the papers spread out around him, looked over the array. He hadn’t been paying total attention to what Talon was doing throughout the day. Instead, he’d been working through a magical tome and trying to figure out spells that might be useful for the upcoming trip to see Batman. Specifically, he’d been trying to figure out just how fast he could push learning to open the door to the library without any symbols. Alternatively, he’d take a way that would prevent, in a non-deadly manner, anyone from following him through a portal. Apparently, he should have taken more notice of Talon though. Noah had color coded everything via what type of paper it was printed on.
White for amusement properties. Pale yellow under certain properties indicated assorted contracts, performer or otherwise, or other included situations and disclosures. Beige for industrial or other business purposes. Pale pink for vacant lots. Pale green for residential. Much that crumbling brownstones, condos that looked like they were only standing via leaning on each other, and squat apartment complexes counted as livable residential.
Medha leafed through the various contracts. It wasn’t really anything too unexpected. He recalled earlier in the day when Noah had questioned him on his knowledge about these kinds of contracts and, given that Medha knew little to nothing, Noah had included a lot of side notes and explanations. Noah also noted that likely there would also be a lot of aspects that weren’t on paper because they probably weren’t up to standard labor laws.
Standard Gotham for you. Plus, with certain considerations in mind, probably a lot of situations where it was someone extremely visually othered from society.
Medha’s mind flicked to Killer Croc and his history of being a performer. He’d wrestled alligators and crocodiles for the crowds, and those who hired him cut into his pay or didn’t give him the contracted amounts, or just flat refused to pay him all-together.
It was what led in large part to him moving into the sewers of Gotham.
It was probably a path that Medha wouldn’t really be able to divert the man from since he’d essentially decided he wanted to rule an entire underground kingdom of those cast out from society. He’d actually been somewhat successful too.
Maybe if Medha could get to him early.
Another research project for after he had his hands on the deed to Amusement Mile. It shouldn’t be that hard to lure the man in with higher pay and better accommodations. Granted it might cause friction with his current employer. Maybe Noah would agree to take on that project since he had knowledge from being raised in Haly’s Circus and also an ability to intimidate that was downright deadly. Eh, bridges to cross when he got there.
The contracts he had now weren’t far off from what he expected. Several ‘freakshow’ performers who lived on site even with the gates shuttered as part of their contract. ‘The Fat Lady’ he was pretty sure had shown up in Killing Joke, as well as multiple others. They had all been only too happy to go along with Joker’s plan to torture Gordon. That included but wasn’t limited to stripping him, yanking him around naked with a dog collar and prods, and riding on the same rollercoaster as Gordon which displayed in detail what all Joker had done to Barbara Gordon.
It could have been playing along with Joker because he now owned their contracts and was well Joker but Medha wasn’t going to just assume that.
Not that he wasn’t planning to add potentially murderous members to the group anyway given the thoughts about Killer Croc.
It also wasn’t out of the question that someday the assorted talons would be joining as well. Xiao Loong had wanted only to be a performer. Medha assumed others would be the same, given such an easy route to it. They had all also been rising stars or the best of the best when the Court took them.
Talk about a death defying show.
Medha giggled at the pun, wondering if he could get that to be an actual thing, like a slogan.
Noah raised an eyebrow. “Something amusing?”
“How many of our brothers and sisters do you think would want to be performers again? Or how many do you think we could convince? Because it’d be really, really funny to set up a whole show as something like ‘A Night of Flight! Join us for a truly death defying show like you’ve never seen’.”
Noah smiled, and then tilted his head. “Not bad. You might get quite a few.”
Well, that would certainly solve what to do with them after he convinced them to join him on the Night of Owls. Though… other issues might arise too. Would the talons want to live on site? Would they be offended? Under the Court they got an entire floor to themselves. Several would probably want to go back to that floor if it was available. Were all of the floors still available? How many of the buildings survived currently? How many survived the earthquake? All of them would have to be large, just by the nature of using the 13th floor, so how many had become targets or had been unintentionally hit by something like a helicopter or batplane? How likely was it to cause problems if the given talon was for some reason across the entirety of Gotham? There were a handful of groups who might know enough that it would be an annoyance if they learned there was a talon separated and off on their own.
The Runaways for example, from Batman, Gotham Knight, Gilded City. Actually, they may be a huge problem given their founding if they existed in this timeline. He’d definitely have to look that up later.
Medha eyed some of the lots and residential buildings nearby. Even if the talons didn’t care or had accommodations… it might still be useful to acquire them. Most weren’t livable though he didn’t discount there possibly being tenants there regardless.
He had time. He might be able to buy the building and convince them to leave or wait out their leases so he could level the buildings and put something more habitable there.
Actually, he supposed the tenants didn’t even have to fully leave. He wasn’t entirely opposed to putting them up somewhere else and then having them move back once the building was rebuilt.
He wondered if the existing tenants would actually go for that. If so, then maybe he could look at a building that was more apartment complex than the combined living, working, and training space that Noah’s floor and presumably other talons floors were. So long as they weren’t tied to the 13th floor thing and if maybe if he could provide a readily accessed training ground.
Amusement Mile might have something. If not there were also several industrial complexes that could probably be used for it.
Honestly, he might want to do that anyway. No doubt some of the things talons got up to would benefit from somewhere exceedingly private. Things like sparring each other, or storing their equipment.
Actually, equipment storage in and of itself might be an ordeal. Amusement Mile should have at least one or two warehouses on site. He would need to double check. He would also need to see if he could acquire whatever other properties would have been historically tied to Amusement Mile and which might have been used for storage so they didn’t lose some part or backup or something.
At least there was the mild hope that Amusement Mile wouldn’t be as badly destroyed as it could be. He didn’t quite know what Dick Grayson’s inheritance had been in New 52’s Nightwing run, but it had taken all of it just for the downpayment on the loan to restore the place and bring Haly’s Circus on as the main attraction. That was at least 10 years from now. That was… right at the beginning and shortly after the Night of Owls. In the current day well… it might be difference. It hadn’t been used as a costume villain haunt. Joker hadn’t claimed it as his. Riddler hadn’t planted bombs all over it and left gaping holes in the main roller coaster. Actually, it looked like it may have even been running off an on throughout the last decade. It’d need some serious upgrades… maybe.
As much as it had been considered a bad thing in Gilded Age that the ‘cheapskate operators’ had never updated everything and all of the rides were still on analogue controls… there was an advantage to that. No hacking his rides and if they needed a few more engineers and employees because nothing was automated, so be it. He was quite sure he could find people willing to fill the positions, especially if there was housing nearby for them and especially if he didn’t so much care if they were ‘other’ in some way.
There was no shortage of those who could readily fit into a carnival theme that Medha could snat- gainfully employ.
Hell, if he was feeling incredibly brave he could start yanking people right out from under Amanda Waller’s nose. There was the royal flush gang, the group of kids rounded up and experimented on by Waller and twisted into criminals by Joker. He could probably even get Batman to help. Get the kids out under Batman’s mantle, set them all up in Amusement Mile under new IDs.
Riddler might be a little too into murder and being the star of the show to actually employee depending on the iteration. If he was mostly just into puzzles though… that’s be fine so long as he didn’t get bored… or murdery… or revenge ploty.
Medha wasn’t sure if the Creature Commandos would go for being brought into Amusement Mile. He also wasn’t sure if that was… unethical? Immoral?... if it’d get him punched in the face for even offering…
Probably, though honestly having The Bride as security? That’d be fantastic.
Granted she’d probably go for any position Medha offered if it also came with having someone else deal with Eric Frankenstein.
Medha would have to ponder that. Honestly any talon could probably take the man. Bane might be happy to drag him off as well.
Might throw a wrinkle into his position on Justice League Dark but well…
What would be most ideal would be just creating a barrier that just ‘nope’d Eric off into the ocean or something.
Oh, that would be awesome. For multiple reasons actually… He’d defiantly have to ask Steve later if there was a barrier spell that equated to ‘fuck you in particular’ and if there could be multiple names added to it.
Joker wants to try and get into Amusement Mile? Sorry, no can do. You’ve been magically trespassed. Sucks to be you.
“Your mind is wandering.”
Medha blinked, realizing he’d been grinning at the same sheet of paper for probably several minutes. “I have ideas.”
“Such as?”
“People to offer positions at Amusement Mile to, how to entice them specifically, and the entertainment of if there is some kind of barrier I can put up that will reject specific individuals.”
Noah hummed. Shifting, he pulled Medha into his lap and set a chin on Medha’s hair. “If there is, such a thing would be most helpful. For now, however, let’s focus on Amusement Mile and your plan to show Batman what he’s digging for.”
They planned their return around setting appointments to see and purchase the properties that Medha had his eyes on. It would take two weeks before everything aligned, but that was fine.
In two weeks, another of Moore’s aliases, this one by the name Lennart Johansen would buy Amusement Mile and an abandoned industrial building beside it in cash. Well, technically wire transfer so the paperwork was solid.
At 210,000sqft, the gutted 5 story building would allow plenty of room to store anything needed for the Amusement Mile restoration, or provide secure seasonal storage, or it could readily provide an idea, private, training ground. One that could be used beforehand, as Noah pointed out.
A third alias by the name of Hans Schafer, would buy three residential properties that happened to be only a small strip of land away from the industrial building, also in cash.
The collection was effectively uninterrupted, and no doubt would shortly actually be once paperwork and such was filed for the strip of land that seemed to perhaps not have an owner or be owned by the city.
It would use up all of Moore’s aliases, but that would probably be fine.
A little more worrying was that the demolition, restoration, and construction costs were still unknown. He should be able to cover it. So long as it wasn’t astronomical.
Medha placated himself about the finances by mentally reviewing the assorted treasure troves he could ‘discover’. He also wasn’t above a few heists on certain people. Falcone, for instance. Especially as he rapidly expanded his magical feats.
He still couldn’t flick his hand out and open a portal to the Library of Eternity. He’d get sparks, glowing lights, and then he’d collapse. Noah, after the second time, had forbidden further practice. Instead, they’d turned to creating, summoning, or otherwise shifting the medium the runework was done with.
Noah insisted blood be used enough times to verify that Medha’s blood, Noah’s blood, a random pickpocket’s blood, pig blood, and chicken blood could all be readily used and likely indicated that essentially any blood would be viable. Spit, not so much.
Interestingly, Medha was able to dig up another method that had him giggling and Noah letting out a quiet huff of amusement and approval.
It wasn’t uncommon for magicians to include gestures and words. It allowed a sort of focus and intent. It could also be so much more extensive.
Medha breathed, keeping calm even breaths as he settled into the stance. Breath out, feel the vibration of the magic around him, let it flow through and past, settling into the curves and circles and lines his feet, his hands, his body traced.
Apparently, it was beautiful, according to Noah. As Medha moved, shadowy mist would start to trail. As he repeated the motion, the sequence, the routine, that shadow would start to sink into the ground, into the air and it would solidify into something the eye couldn’t quite register as real. An empty void, too dark but cut with stars and stardust in gold and silver and harsh white. The spell work would lock, and it would all flicker and then just be gone, taking Medha with it. All that would be left was the scent of ink and incense.
The smoke-like shadows and glimmer of starlight might well be a feature of his specific magic. Medha found he didn’t mind in the least. Steve had said some of his elements were Void and Shadow. Plus, either because it was his element, or because of the natural inclination of his magic to do so, the Notice-Me-Not spell he found worked wonders.
He wasn’t at the point where he could fully disappear if someone was paying attention. Well, actually he might be since his usual person to try and slip the notice of was Talon, but Noah kept telling him not to get cocky with it. Even with the mildly teasing remarks, Noah was confident he would be almost impossible for anyone to track within the year though Medha would also continue training to perfect his ability to move without notice without magic as well.
He didn’t particularly care to clue the Court in on his ability to wield any type of magic after all. He also didn’t care to get into any kind of situation where he couldn’t use magic and was left struggling. There was also the possibility of getting into a spat with someone magical and just turning everything sideways by being physical as well.
Also, Noah was offering, and relieved that Medha wanted to reach ‘at least Talon levels of unseen’. That conversation had resulted in revealing that he mostly meant he doubted he’d ever reach Cassandra Cain’s levels of unseen and unheard since Noah had insisted he wasn’t offended but well… Medha suspected that wasn’t true.
Noah, after the explanation of how David Cain had sought to create the perfect assassin, or sometimes the perfect bodyguard via siring a child with Lady Shiva and raising said child for that role, accepted it. Well, he accepted that Medha may not reach those levels. He rejected the methods, fascinatingly. Talon’s answer was that the rejection was practical, that raising someone with that kind of twisted ‘love’ and pure training without community created someone unstable. There was a reason the Court allowed Hatchlings to run around Haly’s Circus or things like ballet companies for so long. He even alluded to how the Court was experimenting with raising a creation from birth, that being ‘Thomas Wayne Jr’ and how he was still raised among some kind of social circle. It created someone who could more readily adapt to social roles. Noah didn’t have as much of a coherent answer for himself. Noah’s personal feelings were also far stronger than Medha was expecting honestly.
Strong enough that Noah wanted to know as much as possible about Cass’s early situation and what the repercussions would be for getting involved. Well… a little more than involved honestly. Noah suggested collecting said child, perhaps giving her to Emma, or someone at Haly’s Circus until she could join the ranks of Fledglings.
Medha very seriously considered it. The main complications he saw were well… Cass’s parents. Lady Shiva didn’t necessarily care about her daughter, certainly not at first. Cass was shown in the comics to occasional desire such a connection but not to trust it or to expect it. If the child disappeared however… that might get Lady Shiva’s attention and Lady Shiva’s attention was not something they wanted. It would also mean stealing David Cain’s masterpiece and dealing with the fallout from that.
David Cain was no lightweight. He was one of the world’s premier assassins. He’d been one of Batman’s trainers. He was meticulous, prepared and followed through in ways that had been adopted by Bruce Wayne, and he was ruthless. There was also the fact that he worked for the League of Assassins, had R’as Al Ghul’s personal backing for this whole thing, and that Cassandra Cain was not his only child. His ‘failures’ however… had included Bruce Wayne, Deadshot, and a child called Mad Dog who was as insane as he was deadly.
When Cass had run away from her father, disappearing onto the streets at the age of 8, he hadn’t burned the earth to find her. If she was taken however… that might be a very different story and the Court was not poised to win against the League of Assassins while most of their talons slept. It was also not a fight that Noah was entirely confident in winning even if he ambushed David Cain at the start and only took Cass after the man was dead.
For now, they would be forced to wait.
Medha did make note that Noah might be inclined towards recruiting more to their little nest. He’d decide later how he felt about it.
For now, the important thing was that his glamour of Bosko was solid, that in an absolute pinch he could dance his way out of a situation even if it meant revealing his magic so openly, and he could move unnaturally stealthily as needed with all of those skills rapidly improving.