Author's Note: This is a JP done over six months between myself and my friend Wallaby. It was done for a game he owned called Gotham's Dark Knights. Batman and all related characters are copyrighted to DC Comics. Any infringement on said copyright is wholly unintentional. I am not being paid for this, so please for the love of Pete keep the lawyers out of it. Now that's out of the way, on with the story.

ASHES OF THE RAVEN

By

Egypt mailto: and Wallaby mailto:

Chapter 1

Mamushi Keishi sat on her couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, and stared down at the proposal before her. It was all starting to make sense now. It had taken 2 days and more reading than she felt was necessary but it was all making sense now. Genuteck was proposing a merger with Wayne Industries but the way they had it written meant that they would have primary control of all their assets. That would not have been so bad, if it were not for the fact that they were also demanding the rights to anything created by them while under the Wayne Industries merger. This indicated that they did not plan on making this a permanent thing. This wasn't right, in fact it reeked of Corporate Espionage.

The 26 year old Japanese woman brushed a strand of waist length black hair over her shoulder as she picked up another piece of paper from the couch and added it to the others, reading it again for the third time in less than an hour. She had to make sure that she understood this correctly, that she knew what to say when she explained it all to Bruce in the morning. She had to understand it just as well, if not better than those who wrote it. The meeting was at eleven am the next morning and she would have to make sure that Mr. Wayne knew everything he needed to before that meeting started.

The ring of the telephone brought her attention from her papers. She looked over at the phone and gave a slight frown. Who could that be? It was too late for the office to be calling, and she was pretty sure that Mr. Wayne was at home in bed by now. Still, if it was him and she didn't answer it he would not be happy.

It rang again and she sighed in frustration. Piling the files and papers on the cushion next to her she stood to her full 5'3" height and walked towards the phone that sat on the kitchen counter. As she walked she arched her back, hearing a slight pop as her body righted itself after having been in the slumped position for so long.

She reached the phone and took a second to collect herself, giving it another two rings before she picked it up and answered with a calm, almost angelic voice.

"Hello?"

"How close are you?" the voice on the other end brought her demure act to an end almost immediately. Her face hardened and her chocolate brown eyes narrowed.

"Not close enough," she snapped back, "And if you keep calling me I never will be. You could ruin everything if you keep this up."

"It's taking too long," came the reply, anger and agitation in the voice, "He should have been dead months ago. It never takes you this long to do a job."

"This one is different," she hissed back, agitation slipping into her voice but only because she allowed it, "Too careful. If you wanted it quick you should have sent another. I told you in the beginning this would be harder than the others, take longer. You said it was not a problem and now you threaten to destroy it all with your impatience."

"I have been patient..." the voice replied.

"No," she snapped, turning slightly as she spoke into the receiver, "You haven't. You've called me 3 times in a month. That is not patience. I told you the job would be done and it will be done. Set back, relax and wait."

With that she hung up the phone, her brow creasing as she scowled down at the contraption. Her attention returned to the papers on the couch and her demure exterior slid into place again. She had lost her interest in the papers though, and was doubtful she would get it back anytime soon. So, she walked back to the couch and gathered them up, putting them back together as they should be and returning them to her briefcase. She then went to the kitchen and retrieved a coffee cup from the cupboard. However, instead of filling it with coffee she filled it with a sweet herbal mint tea. Putting nothing in it, she moved with her now warm cup across the living room floor, taking up her position on the couch again.

She lounged on the couch and picked up the remote, taking a moment to pull the pair of sweat shorts back down a bit before flicking on the TV and settling in to watch some late night TV. She was careful not to spill any of her tea on her tight t-shirt as she slumped on the couch, her bare feet resting on the black wooden coffee table in the center of the room. She flipped through the channels for a bit before she found the Jay Leno show and decided that would do. Setting the remote on the futon-like couch next to her she sat back to enjoy her tea and perhaps a little entertainment before she turned in for the night. The papers would still be there in the morning...and she was sure that she had enough information for Mr. Wayne before he had to deal with the share holders. For now, it was just her, a cup of tea and the television. Everything else could wait.

--

Mamushi woke up at about 5:00 AM the next morning, which was about usual for her. She spent the first hour working on her training. Going through her moves, centering herself and making sure that her body did not get too accustomed to not using its martial arts training. Because of the difficulty of the mark on this job she had been forced to hide her 'abilities' and play the demure, damsel in distress type. She couldn't say that she particularly hated the part, but she wasn't exactly fond of it either. It meant that she had to let others deal with certain things that she was used to doing herself. She had been playing the part for a year now and she had found that lately she had been keeping that persona up most of the time. It was only in instances like last night that she let it drop. She wasn't sure why that was, but even as she ran through her exercises her features were calm and her mental state gentle. She was not loosing her aggression, it just seemed to be taking a back seat to the person she had 'become'.

Once she was finished with her exercises she took a shower, and then cooked herself a light breakfast. She was just putting the dishes in the dishwasher when the phone rang. Her eyebrows creased as she stared at it for a moment. It was 6:30 by now, and the office didn't open until 9:00. The phone call from last night came to mind and she frowned, but still she walked over and picked up the receiver, putting a smile on her face as she answered it.

"Hello?" her voice was soft, and devoid of the apprehension that she was feeling.

"Mamushi," the voice on the other end hissed, "We need to talk."

Turned out that the apprehension was well deserved. The frown once again appeared, this time deeper and accompanied by a darkness in her eyes.

"So talk," she hissed back.

"Not like this," he replied, "At the coffee shop around the corner, ten minutes."

With that the caller hung up and Mamushi stood there with that same frown etched into her features. This was insane, more than that it was dangerous. These idiots and their impatience could ruin everything...and throw a year's worth of work down the drain. Yet, she knew that if she didn't meet him that it would be bad news for her. So, giving a growl of frustration she hung up the phone and snatched her purse from the chair next to the door on her way out.

--

Alfred Pennyworth went about the morning routine of cleaning and polishing the home of his employer, the man known to the world as multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Mr. Wayne was known by many different guises. He was an aloof adventurer, traveling the world in search of rare and priceless items to add to his impressive, museum quality collection. He was a world renowned industrialist whose holding including everything from software to food products to weapon systems, though the core of his business was as his father had founded it: medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. Socially, Bruce was known to the world as a dilettante, patron of the arts, playboy, and Gotham City's most eligible bachelor.

Alfred, however, remembered him best as the brave child desperately trying to come to grips with the sudden and brutal loss of his parents. At the age of eight, Bruce had witnessed his parents death at the hands of a ruthless gunman. The event scarred the young boy, and forever changed his life. Alfred took the role of Bruce's guardian, raising him in the absence of any other family. Alfred, and only a handful of other individuals, knew him not only as Bruce Wayne but also as the legendary Batman.

As Alfred puttered around the mansion, he couldn't help but worry about the man who had once been his ward. Bruce had activated the signal to let Alfred know he wouldn't be making his normal appointments. Though that was all that the signal itself meant, Alfred was well able to read more into the situation. He feared the Batman was once again going into action. While he had the greatest confidence in Bruce, his abilities, his technology, and his choice in compatriots, Alfred could not help but worry when Bruce was away.

A quick check of Mr. Wayne's schedule showed he was due in a meeting today with his personal secretary, Miss Mamushi Keishi. Alfred did not know a lot about the young lady, but she was competent and honest, and seemed to take her role very seriously. He found he rather liked her, even if she did seem a bit distant. With a sigh, he decided he needed to inform her that Mr. Wayne would not be at the meeting. He dialed the number to her cell phone and waited for the young lady to pick up.

Mamushi had just started down the hall when her cell phone rang. She fished the device out of her purse and looked at the caller ID. 'Bruce Home'. She heaved a sigh and shook her head. How did she KNOW he was going to do this to her?

"Hello," she answered, that smile slipping onto her face and into her voice.

She knew what this was about...and it annoyed her to no end.

"Good morning, Miss Keishi," Alfred greeted her in his most proper voice. He hated calling her early, and knew she could only expect bad news from such a call. "I do hope I haven't woken you by calling so early. Might I enquire how you are feeling this morning?"

I knew it. Mamushi thought with a mental sigh, stopping to lean up against the wall in the hallway.

"You didn't wake me Alfred," she said softly, smiling at his constant concern about such things, "And at the moment I am feeling quite well, thank you."

She leaned her head back up against the wall and pulled her left foot up so that it was flat against the wall as well.

"He isn't going to make it today...is he?" she asked with a heavy sigh.

Alfred's sensibilities revolted at having to disappoint her yet again. If he could explain to her why Bruce was absent so much, she might better understand, but of course that was out of the question.

"I am so sorry to do this, Miss, but I am afraid I must confirm your suspicions. He has, once again, been unavoidably detained. Mr. Fox is on his way out now to assist with the details, but I fear he may not be there on time." He paused briefly, then continued, "If there were any way I could assist you, please don't hesitate to ask."

Mamushi closed her eyes and heaved another sigh. This meant that SHE would have to give the board the decision FOR Bruce. She hated doing that. They all looked at her like she was a moron who didn't belong there. It drove her nuts, made her want to gut them all just for the hell of it.

"Unfortunately," she said softly, "Aside from finding Bruce and dragging his sorry ass back from wherever he has seen fit to seclude himself...there is nothing that you can do."

These were the times when she wanted to finish her job and just get it over with. She hated being put through this, treated like she was just a stand in.

"How long is he going to be gone this time?" she asked, frustration leaking into her voice.

It was not an act, not really. It was how someone in her situation would react. It was all part of the facade.

"I'm sorry, Miss, it is impossible to tell. He may be detained for a week or more, or, possibly, he may actually show up at the last minute. I wish I could give you a better answer, but frankly, my hands are tied."

The elder gentlemen was truly pained at having to ask Miss Keishi to stand in for Bruce.

"You do realize, Miss, that if he did not think you were capable of filling this role, he would not have you doing it, correct?" he asked, trying to bolster her spirits.

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Alfred," she said with a frown, "This is his company, not mine. Do you have any idea how they look at me when I walk into that room to speak for Bruce? And I am sure that his constant absence is not helping their view of him either."

She groaned and smacked her head against the wall behind her.

"Miss," Alfred said in a firm voice, "if anybody ever treats you in a way that is anything less than dignified and professional, let myself or Master Bruce know! Such conduct will not be tolerated, not by any in his employ, nor by those he does business with. Of that, you can be assured!"

Mamushi squeezed her eyes closed and frowned. Yeah, she thought to herself, Like I'm gonna tattle on some middle aged moron who thinks I would be of better use in the bedroom. Of course, she didn't say any of that. No, that was not the part she was playing...that was Viper, not Mamushi.

He took a brief moment to collect himself. "Mr. Wayne runs a virtual empire, Miss Keishi. His attention cannot always be where others would like it to be. Granted, his... diversions can be a little excessive, but he has the right people in the right places to make this empire work. You are proof of that, and have never disappointed him thus far. If he feared you would, you would not be there."

Alfred straightened out his vest, then continued. "I apologize, Miss Keishi, it is not my place to lecture you."

"It's all right, Alfred," she said with a sigh, "I understand what your saying, and I appreciate what your trying to do. But so help me, if he is not on that plane when it leaves tomorrow I am going to hunt him down and when I find him I'm going to tie him to that damned desk of his. Either that or tag him so I can find him when he is needed."

True, it was not a perfect threat but she was not supposed to be perfect. It got the point across though...she hoped.

Alfred's face lit with a smile at the thought, and while he cleared his throat to avoid a chuckle, the mirth managed to show through in his voice. "Miss Keishi, if you can figure out a way to do that, I would be most indebted to you."

He wiped a happy tear from his eye. "Miss Keishi, unfortunately I have matters to attend to, and I'm sure you do as well. If there is nothing else I can do for you...?"

At the tone of Alfred's voice Mamushi couldn't help but let out a small laugh. The man seemed to be genuine in every respect, something that Mamushi had not found often.

"I understand," she said with a sigh, "When you talk to Bruce, tell him that he owes me for this one. Chances are that I'm about to save his company a major headache."

She wasn't gloating, she was simply being honest. Bruce was so busy that he never would have noticed the wording in that proposal. She was willing to bet he hadn't even read it.

Alfred bowed slightly as he spoke into the phone, apparently indifferent to the fact that Miss Keishi could not see the gesture. "I will tell him that very thing, Miss, when next I see him. On behalf of Mr. Wayne and myself, I thank you for the service you render us. Yours is a rare dedication."

He bowed again, "A good morning to you, then, Miss Keishi, and may the rest of your day bring more pleasant news than I was able."

I doubt it, she thought, suddenly remembering the meeting she was supposed to be at right now.

"Thank you Alfred," she said with a slight smile, "And the same to you as well."

She hung up the phone, a sigh slipping past her lips as something that Alfred said played over again in her head. Yours is a rare dedication.' If only he knew the truth, he may not be so fond of her. But he didn't, and he seemed to like her. Why was that? No one had ever liked her, they had only lusted after her. It was strange to find someone who treated her like a real person. And yet, she had noticed that Bruce treated her the same way...when he was around. It almost made her want to rethink her view on the world. Almost. The actions of two people were not enough to change a life long philosophy though.

Heaving another sigh she slipped the cell phone back into her purse and continued down the hall. She had a meeting with an old 'friend' to attend.

Alfred returned the phone to its cradle, reviewing the image of Bruce chained to a desk with Miss Keishi at his side. There could be a worse fate...