Chapter 7 – No Escape, No Surrender
The warehouse was silent—too silent. Dust swirled in the dim light, shadows stretching across rusted metal beams. But Ibrahim wasn't fooled.
They were here. Watching. Waiting.
The first Talon stepped forward, blades glinting under the flickering light. His movement was unnaturally smooth, his eyes cold and unfeeling. The Court's assassins were nothing like common hitmen. They didn't speak. They didn't hesitate. They simply killed.
Ibrahim tightened his grip on his case, his mind racing. He was a lawyer, not a fighter. He had no training, no weapons—just his system and his wits.
His system chimed.
[Assessment: Probability of physical survival in direct combat – 0.2%. Recommended course of action: Escape or delay.]
"No kidding," Ibrahim muttered under his breath.
The Talon lunged.
Ibrahim threw himself back, just barely dodging the strike. The assassin's blade ripped through metal, slicing into the warehouse floor like it was paper.
He rolled to the side, heart pounding. He needed time—just a few more minutes until Gordon arrived.
[New Option Detected: Environmental Disruption.]
Ibrahim's eyes flicked to a rusted control panel on the wall. His system highlighted it in red. It was ancient, but still functional. If he could activate the overhead cranes, he could create a distraction.
The second Talon dropped from the rafters.
No time.
Ibrahim sprinted. His shoes skidded against the dust-covered floor as he reached the panel and slammed his fist against the switch.
The warehouse roared to life.
Gears screeched. Metal arms lurched into motion, swinging across the room. Sparks flew as a loose chain whipped through the air, colliding with the nearest Talon and sending him crashing through a stack of crates.
But the second assassin was still on him.
Ibrahim barely dodged as a knife whistled past his ear, embedding itself in the wall beside him. The Talon closed the distance in an instant.
Too fast.
Ibrahim's system flashed warnings—but he already knew.
[No available escape routes. Contact with assassin imminent.]
The Talon's hand closed around his throat.
Ibrahim gasped, his feet leaving the ground. He kicked wildly, but the assassin's grip was like iron. The edges of his vision blurred.
Was this it?
No.
He refused to die like this.
His system pinged—a final, desperate measure.
[Emergency Countermeasure Activated: Legal Authority Broadcast.]
A voice boomed through the warehouse speakers.
"ATTENTION! YOU ARE IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE GOTHAM JUDICIAL ORDER. ILLEGAL ASSASSINATIONS WILL BE MET WITH THE HIGHEST PENALTY OF LAW. CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY."
The Talon hesitated. It was just for a fraction of a second—but it was enough.
Ibrahim tore free, falling hard to the ground. He coughed, his throat burning, but he had no time to recover. The assassin was already moving again.
Then the warehouse doors exploded inward.
Gunfire.
Smoke.
A squad of GCPD officers stormed in, rifles raised. Leading them was Commissioner Jim Gordon, his face grim as he barked orders.
"Take them down!"
Bullets rained across the warehouse. The Talons dodged and weaved, their movements almost inhuman. They didn't flee. They fought—blades flashing in the darkness.
Ibrahim scrambled to his feet, stumbling toward Gordon.
"You sure took your time!" he shouted.
Gordon didn't look at him, his focus on the fight. "You're still breathing, aren't you?"
A Talon leapt from the shadows, blade aimed at Gordon's back.
Ibrahim didn't think—he acted.
He grabbed a loose chain and swung.
The metal snapped across the assassin's mask, staggering him just enough for a GCPD officer to land a shot straight through his chest. The Talon collapsed, unmoving.
More gunfire. The remaining assassins vanished into the darkness, retreating as quickly as they had come.
The Court had failed.
For now.
Ibrahim staggered, his lungs burning, his suit torn. Gordon grabbed his shoulder.
"You alright?"
Ibrahim exhaled. "I will be."
Gordon studied him for a long moment. Then he sighed. "You really are crazy, you know that? Trying to take down the Court with legal proceedings?"
Ibrahim managed a small, tired smile. "Crazy enough to make it work."
Gordon shook his head. "Well, looks like you just survived their first warning shot. They won't stop, you know."
"I know."
"Then what's your next move?"
Ibrahim looked at the fallen Talon. At the chaos around him. At the system interface flashing in his vision.
He already knew the answer.
"We take this fight to the courtroom."
Gordon chuckled, lighting a cigarette. "You really believe the law is strong enough to take them down?"
Ibrahim's eyes burned with determination.
"It's not about belief, Commissioner."
"It's about making it true."
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