American Comics: The Strongest Villain

Felicity slowly turned her back to Su Sheng, her fingers tapping the keyboard.

"One of the new recruits you know—Thea Queen—Oliver Queen's sister," Felicity said.

"Thea?" Su Sheng was surprised. "Why did she join you guys? Her skills are barely passable. She's not exactly ready for the Birds of Prey."

"After coming back to Star City, she found Laurel and revealed her identity, asking to join. Laurel's been training her, but for now, she's just a reserve member." Felicity turned to glance at Su Sheng, noting his lack of reaction. "And this," she pointed at the screen, "is our new unfamiliar member."

"Her name is Starling. She's got great fighting skills, her marksmanship is precise, and I've checked her background—no red flags."

Su Sheng leaned forward to take a look. The photo showed a woman with long brown hair, dressed in tight black leather pants and a strapless corset. She had a holster on her shoulders and tattoos covering her left arm. After a moment of looking, Su Sheng shrugged. "You're not worried about her identity?"

"Not entirely, but so far, there's nothing out of the ordinary," Felicity replied.

Su Sheng chuckled. "I'll test her out later, just to be sure."

"Today's a quiet day, no work, right?" Felicity asked.

"Not yet. Why?"

"If it's quiet, how about we head back to the room for some rest?" Su Sheng said with a mischievous grin.

Felicity raised an eyebrow. "Been a while since you found a new woman, huh?"

"I found some," Su Sheng answered nonchalantly. "But you're different."

Felicity pouted, though she couldn't help but smile. She got up, pulling Su Sheng along. "Let's go."

Later, the sun shone brightly into the bedroom, bathing the sleeping couple in its warmth. Felicity stirred, her eyes fluttering open to see Su Sheng beside her. Despite everything—the other women, the times he disappeared—there was still a strange happiness she felt waking up next to him.

But the tranquility didn't last.

Her phone rang, and Felicity quickly grabbed it, trying not to wake Su Sheng.

"What's up?" Su Sheng asked lazily, his hand resting on Felicity's bare back.

"Laurel and the others are here," Felicity replied, slipping out of bed.

Su Sheng sat up, kissed her cheek, and got dressed.

In the living room of the villa, Laurel, Thea, and the new recruit Starling were waiting. Laurel wore her Black Canary suit, while Thea looked confident in her red leather jacket. Starling, the new member, sat casually with her legs crossed, her tight leather pants and tattooed arm drawing attention.

"You're back!" Thea immediately jumped up, rushing over to grab Su Sheng's arm. Her excitement was palpable, but her overt display of affection drew glances from both Laurel and Starling, who subtly glanced at Felicity for her reaction. Felicity, however, remained unphased.

"Alright, alright, calm down," Su Sheng teased, breaking free from Thea's hold. He turned to Starling. "So, you're the new member?"

Starling stood, extending a hand. "Starling."

"Su Sheng," he replied, shaking her hand.

Felicity, observing the interaction, asked, "What's going on? Your alert level was high just now."

Laurel, now serious, nodded. "Catwoman sent me a message this morning saying she'd be back soon. Something happened in Gotham, but she didn't give details. It seems… there's trouble."

Hearing the mention of Catwoman, Felicity ushered everyone downstairs to the underground command room. She quickly began searching the news for anything unusual in Gotham. After a few minutes, her expression grew tense as she called everyone over.

"There's been an incident in Gotham."

"Batgirl was attacked last night. She's in critical condition," Felicity said gravely.

"Batgirl? As in Batman's protégé?" The group exchanged shocked glances. Given their connections to Gotham, they were all somewhat familiar with Batgirl.

All eyes slowly turned to Su Sheng, who had a history with Batgirl. Laurel and Felicity looked at him with concern, as did Starling and Thea.

"Catwoman left Gotham, then Batgirl was attacked? Could it be… her?" Starling spoke up, her mind racing through the possibilities. "If Catwoman hurt Batgirl, Batman wouldn't let that slide. It fits the timeline. This high-level alert might actually be connected."

Her analysis made everyone pause and consider. It wasn't a far-fetched theory. But why would Catwoman, who had been working to clean up her act, attack Batgirl now?

Laurel crossed her arms, deep in thought. "Catwoman's been a part of the Birds of Prey for a while. She's been trying to leave her criminal life behind. But even if there was a falling out between her and Batgirl, I can't see her going this far."

Felicity chimed in. "Something doesn't add up. Catwoman wouldn't take such a drastic step—especially now that she's part of the team."

Su Sheng remained quiet, listening to their speculation. While it was possible Catwoman had her reasons, this didn't feel like her style. Whatever had happened in Gotham, it was sure to bring repercussions, and they would need to be ready.