"Where is he?"
Batman's voice was like gravel against my ears. Watching the man dressed like a bat pick up a grown man with one arm and slam him to the ground was a sight I never would forget.
"W… wha—"
"Firefly. Where is he."
"I… I don't know! I'm one of the dealers!"
I was either going to pass out or piss myself as Batman swung the plug into the wall before speaking in that low, gravely tone that would cause endless nightmares.
"What does he want at the pharmaceutical?"
"I don't know!"
I tried to get up and run, but my arms felt like they had no bones.
"Names. I want names, locations."
My legs found some kind of strength. My heart thudded in my chest and sweat dripped down my back. I tried to get up enough to run—but it all stopped when a hand larger than my head grabbed the back of my neck.
Frozen, I shut my eyes, hoping it'd be quick and that I'd wake up with my job still intact.
"Black Bat, is he clear?"
I felt myself move, and when I opened my eyes, I wished I hadn't. I was face to face with one of the female members of the Bat Family.
"I… I… I didn't do it!" I yelped out, my voice trembling.
Her only response was a slight head tilt. I was hoping the rumors were true—that Batman does kill but hides the bodies.
What happened next wasn't what I expected.
Black Bat, whose hand was still around my neck, shifted to grab the back of my shirt and lifted me out of the alley. When she let go, she placed a hand on my chest to stop me from falling as my legs felt like nothing.
Only after I found my footing did she drop her arm, turn and walk away—leaving me scared, confused and more scared.
"Ah… am I free to go?"
I flinched as Black Cat turned me around. She gave a small nod before wandering back into the dark alley.
Not wanting to wait to see if the other one would appear, I ran as fast as my thin legs could carry me through the rain.
I ignored the explosion that rocked the street behind me and kept running.
'Please be safe at the apartment.'
Though I knew you were never truly safe in Gotham.
-
The doors slammed open, making me sigh. Looking up from a stack of reports, I cupped my hands and fixed my gaze on the two men who barged in.
"I thought I made it clear—knock if you want to enter."
They both opened their mouths, but I cut them off with a hand gesture toward the papers in their hands.
"I don't have all day."
Withholding a sigh, they finally got their act together as the one holding the papers set them down in front of me. And I didn't like what I saw.
"When?" I asked.
They straightened up, and the other one responded, slower and with a thick accent.
"Yesterday, five in the afternoon. We left to make sure the route was secure and that no Bat was in the area."
"When we came back and checked the cargo... it was gone."
"Footage?"
They nodded, and a USB was placed on the desk. The moment I plugged it in, I had to hold back a string of curses.
"You managed to lose something so precious to a junkie from Gotham? How fucking useless are you two?!"
Ignoring their flinches, I let the footage play. Then I turned back to the photos that accompanied the papers. There, in the photo, was a burned car.
"We believe the man who stole the package handed it off to someone, as Batman showed up around the same area where the pharmacy was."
Scoffing at that name, I gave them a nod.
"What of the junkie? Died in the explosion?"
The one without an accent answered.
"Unfortunately not, ma'am. He was fleeing the site, but we managed to grab him."
I raised a brow.
"Seems you lot aren't that useless, though Batman will most likely look for him."
The one with the accent spoke up.
"We made it look like he was planning to kill himself—left a letter along with all of his wealth next to it."
I hummed as I moved some papers aside and saw the junkie's information.
"Is there anything else?"
I noticed their hesitation and frowned, cupping my hands.
"Anything else?"
The same one spoke again.
"When we were checking the footage, we saw the man take what appeared to be one of the vials... and drink it."
I took that in as the other walked up to my desk and clicked to the next camera footage, showing exactly what they had just said.
"And he's alive?"
Both nodded.
"Yes, ma'am. Just unconscious."
Sighing, I leaned back in my chair, thought for a moment, then spoke firmly.
"Keep him under and take him to Belle Reve. I'll handle the rest."
They nodded and headed for the door. As they started closing it, I spoke again—firm and a tad louder.
"Make sure he is completely under. We don't want him waking up."