20th June
01:49 GMT -5
"Thank you, Mister Cobblepot. Your cooperation is much appreciated.
"
Richard smiles faintly. "He's scarier than me? I think I'm
offended."
Mister Cobblepot nods nervously. "Call me again when you've set a Demon on fire on national television. Even his
baking is more intimidating than some sort of..
circus acrobat like you."
"He's got a point there, Robin. Now, Mister Cobblepot, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to leave you where you are and lock you in.
"
"What? You
bastard, I helped you!"
"Yes, you did. And that buys you my silence regarding the matter of you supplying both Nylor Truggs and
David Hyde with personnel and equipment. Assuming that stops
now, at least. But I can't have you warning anyone, intentionally or unintentionally.
"
"
No, you fuck! Let me-" I close the lid of the storage chest, muffling his complaints somewhat.
"-oooooout!"
I take a sound nullifier out of subspace and attach it to the exterior.
"Is there a protocol for this?
"
Richard tilts his head to the side. "Usually we hand them over to the police. But if you're serious about not telling them about what he's been doing..?"
"I prefer to stick to my agreements. It's good for business. And there must be
some reason why Batman hasn't stuck him back in Blackgate.
"
"He
might have trouble justifying that if Aquaman ever found out about Black Manta." We turn and walk away from the disused warehouse where we carried out our interrogation, the case vibrating slightly as Mister Cobblepot struggles against his bonds. "You're actually taking the part about him supplying Nylor Truggs pretty well."
"If it hadn't been him it would have been someone else. I'm saving all my anger for the truly deserving.
" Still, what I just did to Mister Cobblepot was
fairly nasty. There's an oxygen purifier in the chest so he won't suffocate…
"Do you think we should move him somewhere?
"
Richard looks around at the street as we exit the building. "Nah. He should be safe here. You.. can.. track the case you used, right?"
"Unless someone gets
very creative, yes.
"
"Then that's fine. Batman's done worse to him before."
I let out a sigh/laugh.
"Eh, Gotham. Ah, no offence.
"
"
Some taken. So, we hitting Black Manta's warehouse tonight?"
"Pff, this morning. And, no, I don't think we should. The whole team's been rushing around all day… I think that getting some sleep first would be a good idea. I mean, I'll talk to Kaldur, but…
"
"Yeah, I'm not feeling all that inhausted right now either." He pauses. "You see, it's
inhausted because-."
"No, no, I got it. Not
exhausted.
"
"Aqualad to Orange Lantern and Robin. Have you completed your interrogation?"
"All done. We've got an address, but Oh El thinks we should wait until everyone's better rested."
"Yeah. Once we hit it, they're going to know exactly how we're coming at them. Assuming that we get another location, we're going to have to go
there immediately. If we run into a Water Wraith or something I wouldn't want the team to be unfocused due to exhaustion.
"
Kaldur mulls it over for a moment. "And we do not know if what we are doing will impede Ocean Master anyway. I agree. We will reconvene at oh eight hundred, eastern standard time. Aqualad out."
"He sounds pretty good for a guy who didn't get any sleep last night either.
"
"I'm not sure I'd be sleeping if someone attacked Gotham like that."
"What about Swamp Thing?
"
"That was more of a communication failure than an actual attempt to level the city." Across the road a small group of local toughs see the pair of us then
turn tail and run. "I mean, if
Arcane had done it, I'd be sleeping with a white phosphorus grenade and an agent orange spray under my pillow."
"And one of Kid Flash's alchemical bug sprays.
"
"Heh, yeah. You heading back to the cave?"
"That's where I usually sleep.
"
"You could stay in Gotham?"
"Yes, but I don't want to wake Karon up or give Holly ideas, and Jade and I-.
" He's stopped, looking at me in a way that suggests that his eyebrows are raised behind his mask.
"Oh, you meant with you. Right. Ah, thanks, but there's really no way to explain my presence.. in your home, if I'm spotted. If.. you're.. concerned about your home being targeted you're welcome to have my Praexis Demons stand watch. I've also come up with a couple of drone gun designs that should pierce most disguises.
" I pause for a moment.
"I could probably do better if I had some Nth Metal, but I used up my reserves of that and it'll be a while before the Hawks can restock.
"
"Thanks, I… Think I'd like that." He sighs, looking forwards. "The whole point of having a secret identity was so these things
can't follow us home. At this point, Batman's going to have to do the same thing to the Cave that you've done to the Mountain."
"Unless we get all members of the Light. They don't appear to have shared what they know, otherwise your home address would already have been swarmed under. And we all know where
Lex is.
"
"Miss Martian not had any luck?"
"No. It's not so much that he's actively resisting as he's pointedly avoiding thinking certain things. Kaldur didn't want to risk her doing more in case he became aware of it.
"
"Makes sense." We stop at the alleyway containing the zeta tube for this part of Gotham. "Well, ah, good morning."
I step forwards, depositing twelve Praexis Demons behind me as I go.
"Good morning to you too.
"
"Recognised, Orange Lantern, B zero six."
I step out into the training room-
"Identification confirmed."
-the force field parting for me. The lights are dimmed for the night cycle, but I can still see Zatanna blinking back into wakefulness from a holographic chair in the sparring ring. "Oh, y-. You're back. What..
time is it?"
"Eight minutes to two.
"
She rises to her feet before stretching. "You know what this room needs?"
"Pseudo-sentient magic drone guns?
"
"Seats. Proper soft furnishings." I reach her and she falls in beside me, leaning on my left arm slightly. "Holograms just aren't the same."
But that's excusable, considering you can't exactly find that one with a search.
