His hands hurt. He doesn't notice it until he's done for the night, back at home, safe and sound. He looks down at his knuckles... bruised; maybe he should add some more padding
( Read more... )
She perched on the rooftop, watching him, heart in her throat. He played a dangerous game tonight. Not dangerous for his body. None of the thugs he'd tossed had stood a chance against his skill. Or his rage. But dangerous for his soul.
The Bat would've reprimanded him. Told him he took it too far. The Fallen Angel? She was proud of him. For doing what needed to be done without holding back. And she was afraid for him.
That? Made her hands shake. She couldn't afford to care what happened to him. Couldn't. But she did. Damn this city and Cole and Crowley and Max and River and Tara for softening her walls.
When he stopped, finally, she dropped to the ground beside him. "Robin." Too quiet, her voice. It revealed too much. But the word was out and she couldn't take it back. "Nice work."
She startles him and that's wrong. He should have been more aware of his surroundings, no one should have been able to follow him home.
Lee, the Fallen Angel.
He crosses his arms over his chest, hiding them under the cape and, in true Bat fashion, ignoring the soft way she says his name, he glares at her.
"What are you doing here?" he asks, voice cold. His body is still keyed up from patrolling and he has to tell himself over and over that he isn't taking on an 'S', former or not.
"Well you found me," he answers, eyes darting about behind the lenses on his mask to see if there's anything around to identify him. Not that she isn't going to be able to look up the apartment. The apartment Bruce had made damn sure was in Tim's name. Fabulous.
"Can I help you with something?" he asks, arms unfolding to spread wide, bare hands folding in front of him once he's done.
His hands, bruised like he'd gone fifteen rounds with the side of a building, folded in front of him warning her off. Bat-posture for 'there's nothing here for you' and 'I don't need you'.
Bullshit, little bird. You're hurt.
But if she pressed the issue, he'd fly away. So she cut to the point. If he knew his 'S's' and villains as well as she knew her Bats, then he'd know it meant respect. "Freya talked to me. About Span- um, Spider-man. Said you brought her his mask. I've seen him fight..."
She crossed her own arms over her chest, scowled in the way she'd seen the big Bat do. "I thought you might want some back up." Back up. His thing. She'd just be along as muscle.
"I was actually about to analyze the forensic evidence again," he tells her, switching to explanation mode quickly, "according to those I interrogated, the fight lasted somewhere between ten and twenty minutes, several shots were fired and the scuffle ended before the police got there. It's possible it ended because the police got there
( ... )
She listened, impressed by his confidence and his detective skills. No problem for her to get the information, but she wouldn't begin to know what to do with it. Not like this. "Impressive."
What could she add that might be useful? Not much. "I saw a vamp-puppy take him down, but he was distracted. Whole lotta strength and some serious ow on those pups, but he had no trouble throwing it off or webbing away later. Serious heavy-hitters if the fight lasted that long.
"I've met a handful of people in the City who qualify: Drusilla and Spike, Loz, Kadaj and Yazoo, Cole and Crowley. Cole fights for the Light, and Crowley's not a fighter. And no, I didn't do it. But I could have, so good on you for not ruling me out."
She paced, trailing her hand along the wall of computers. Bats and info. The 'S' crowd never had that. They'd always relied on strength. And the Bats. "What makes you think he's not dead?"
"Witnesses place you in Callahan's that night; several witnesses," he tells her, typing the new information into Spiderman's file. He hadn't crossed her off the suspect list until several witnesses had all said the same thing.
"I know of The Brothers," he explains, "But I've never met the others, what can you tell me about them?"
"The girl was dead before the fight began, her body wasn't cold when the cops arrived. That backs up the witnesses that heard the fight lasting ten to twenty minutes. It also backs up the witnesses statements that the fight ended abruptly when the police showed up. Which means that Spiderman was still in a condition to fight when they stopped. The signs of struggle corroborate all of this.
I'm not sure what happened to Spiderman, but whoever did this, and it looks like it's more than one person, two from the evidence, left before they were actually finished. Which means this is a missing person's case and not a murder investigation. I like these better."
Lee nodded, again approving his suspicion of her. She'd probably cut off her own hands before she'd hurt Robin, but he didn't know that. Not for sure. And as a Bat, instinct would be an anathema. With the other metas in the city not likely to be as well-inclined toward him, she found herself glad, on this point, at least that he didn't.
"I don't like any of it. Straightforward, beat the shit out of the enemy. That's me." She repressed a sigh at being dragged into the role of a cape again. An 'S' to a Bat. Power to his intellect. It burned.
Arms crossed over her chest, hands tucked in, she paced. "Two, not three. So far, I've never seen the Brothers separated except when one of them is with a sex partner." Leave him to figure out how she knew that. She wasn't about to come out and tell him she'd had sex with Loz. "Maybe two of the boys got into trouble without the other, but that doesn't seem as likely as Drusilla and Spike
( ... )
"The Brothers separate for more than that," he tells her. He doesn't want to know how she knows that. It's none of his business and he barely knows Kadaj and his brothers, "So what kind of fighting style are they likely to have used? The demons... Spike and Drusilla. Because there's evidence of gunshots and some kind of energy weapon," he tells her. No evidence of a sword though. Not a single sign Kadaj was involved.
"I just don't know what could have happened to him. it doesn't really make sense for him to go missing if his attackers had to flee. Except, superstrength...," he trails off, tapping on the keyboard and bringing up an image of the block where Spiderman's mask was found. A few more keys and it narrows in on the specific area the mask was found in.
Lee gave him a long once over, realizing that despite his youth, he'd grown up a Bat, which meant, well, the same things it had meant when she was an 'S'. The capes had sex but didn't talk about it. Maybe Robin had been with one of the brothers. That would teach him about instinct anyway. None of her business.
"If there were weapons, you can rule out Spike and Drusilla. If I had to guess, I'd say they were succubi or something like that. They remind me of...someone I knew." No mentioning Mariah. She didn't want any links back to Bete Noire. Nothing that could lead a Bat to a son who wasn't dead but should be.
"Are you sure there were two?" She'd seen Loz's weapon - definitely an energy weapon. Looked like Violenz's and probably packed a wallop. No reason to think the brothers had been involved, other than that. Kadaj used a sword.
Then she listened, really listened to what Robin said. "Superstrength. Yeah. If it was me... If they managed to hurt me, I'd get away somewhere and hide until I healed."
"The physical evidence at the scene supports there only being four people in the alley, Spiderman, the dead woman and two assailants. That doesn't mean ther weren't more, that just means only two were in the alley," he tells her.
"Anyone who fought Spiderman hand to hand clearly has superstrength. What if, in the course of the fight, SPiderman was thrown. To far for them to easily reach before the police got there. I'm looking for," he types a few more keys before stopping, "there it is," he says, pointing at the screen.
"Sewer entrance. He got thrown towards it and ducked inside in order to escape. No telling where he went from there. I can get maps of them but... it'll likely be a maze down there," he pauses, considering the screen, "I'll have to get in touch with Freya again. She'll want to come."
"I'll take your word for it," she said, shrugging.
"There are a couple others I know who might have had something to do with this. There's a Lex Luthor clone or alterniverse Lex in the City. There's also Medusa, yes, the Medusa. Rogue Xavier is a meta with the ability to drain and use other metas powers
( ... )
"Unless this Lex Luthor is drastically different than the one from my world, he's not the sort to do this on his own. No reports of a purple and green battlesuit fleeing the scene after all," he says, "When the minotaur took on Wonderwoman, he didn't use any kind of weapon. Doesn;t really sound like their style."
He blinks behind his lenses when she mentions finding all of that in the sewers, "You feel up to a trip in the sewer?" he asks. He knows his limits and seriously, 200 zombies? Met the requirements. He continues typing on the keyboard, pulling up another screen and typing, 'creatures in sewers, zombies, vampires, wargs, giant bats. Numerous. On par with level 10 meta'
"No. I don't think Lex attacked Spider-man. He's just someone you should add to your files." Lee didn't even feel guilty giving him up. He was Lex. Every version of him she'd encountered, and there were a few, went bad at some point.
Minotaur? Diana? She shook her head. No. She didn't want to get caught up with the capes. Didn't care. Didn't even want to know.
When he asked if she'd go with him, she breathed a sigh of relief. Well, almost. She suppressed it at the last second, crossing her arms over her chest and tucking her hands into her sleeves. "'Kay."
Hearing something in her tone he looks over at her with a smirk, "I'm not Him you know," he tells her, "I do recognize that some things can't be handled with training and preparation. I mean, I'm best friends with Superboy and I'll admit it, unlike Him and Clark, who will be best friends until they die and never admit it to anyone."
He smiles and returns to tapping on the keys, "Relax, I get that you don't see me and think I'm a kid that needs protecting. That's all I ever expect out of the older metas."
The Bat would've reprimanded him. Told him he took it too far. The Fallen Angel? She was proud of him. For doing what needed to be done without holding back. And she was afraid for him.
That? Made her hands shake. She couldn't afford to care what happened to him. Couldn't. But she did. Damn this city and Cole and Crowley and Max and River and Tara for softening her walls.
When he stopped, finally, she dropped to the ground beside him. "Robin." Too quiet, her voice. It revealed too much. But the word was out and she couldn't take it back. "Nice work."
Reply
Lee, the Fallen Angel.
He crosses his arms over his chest, hiding them under the cape and, in true Bat fashion, ignoring the soft way she says his name, he glares at her.
"What are you doing here?" he asks, voice cold. His body is still keyed up from patrolling and he has to tell himself over and over that he isn't taking on an 'S', former or not.
Reply
She shrugged, mimicking his posture. Mocking him, but not unkindly. "Looking for you."
Reply
"Well you found me," he answers, eyes darting about behind the lenses on his mask to see if there's anything around to identify him. Not that she isn't going to be able to look up the apartment. The apartment Bruce had made damn sure was in Tim's name. Fabulous.
"Can I help you with something?" he asks, arms unfolding to spread wide, bare hands folding in front of him once he's done.
Reply
Bullshit, little bird. You're hurt.
But if she pressed the issue, he'd fly away. So she cut to the point. If he knew his 'S's' and villains as well as she knew her Bats, then he'd know it meant respect. "Freya talked to me. About Span- um, Spider-man. Said you brought her his mask. I've seen him fight..."
She crossed her own arms over her chest, scowled in the way she'd seen the big Bat do. "I thought you might want some back up." Back up. His thing. She'd just be along as muscle.
Reply
Reply
What could she add that might be useful? Not much. "I saw a vamp-puppy take him down, but he was distracted. Whole lotta strength and some serious ow on those pups, but he had no trouble throwing it off or webbing away later. Serious heavy-hitters if the fight lasted that long.
"I've met a handful of people in the City who qualify: Drusilla and Spike, Loz, Kadaj and Yazoo, Cole and Crowley. Cole fights for the Light, and Crowley's not a fighter. And no, I didn't do it. But I could have, so good on you for not ruling me out."
She paced, trailing her hand along the wall of computers. Bats and info. The 'S' crowd never had that. They'd always relied on strength. And the Bats. "What makes you think he's not dead?"
Reply
"I know of The Brothers," he explains, "But I've never met the others, what can you tell me about them?"
"The girl was dead before the fight began, her body wasn't cold when the cops arrived. That backs up the witnesses that heard the fight lasting ten to twenty minutes. It also backs up the witnesses statements that the fight ended abruptly when the police showed up. Which means that Spiderman was still in a condition to fight when they stopped. The signs of struggle corroborate all of this.
I'm not sure what happened to Spiderman, but whoever did this, and it looks like it's more than one person, two from the evidence, left before they were actually finished. Which means this is a missing person's case and not a murder investigation. I like these better."
Reply
"I don't like any of it. Straightforward, beat the shit out of the enemy. That's me." She repressed a sigh at being dragged into the role of a cape again. An 'S' to a Bat. Power to his intellect. It burned.
Arms crossed over her chest, hands tucked in, she paced. "Two, not three. So far, I've never seen the Brothers separated except when one of them is with a sex partner." Leave him to figure out how she knew that. She wasn't about to come out and tell him she'd had sex with Loz. "Maybe two of the boys got into trouble without the other, but that doesn't seem as likely as Drusilla and Spike ( ... )
Reply
"I just don't know what could have happened to him. it doesn't really make sense for him to go missing if his attackers had to flee. Except, superstrength...," he trails off, tapping on the keyboard and bringing up an image of the block where Spiderman's mask was found. A few more keys and it narrows in on the specific area the mask was found in.
Reply
"If there were weapons, you can rule out Spike and Drusilla. If I had to guess, I'd say they were succubi or something like that. They remind me of...someone I knew." No mentioning Mariah. She didn't want any links back to Bete Noire. Nothing that could lead a Bat to a son who wasn't dead but should be.
"Are you sure there were two?" She'd seen Loz's weapon - definitely an energy weapon. Looked like Violenz's and probably packed a wallop. No reason to think the brothers had been involved, other than that. Kadaj used a sword.
Then she listened, really listened to what Robin said. "Superstrength. Yeah. If it was me... If they managed to hurt me, I'd get away somewhere and hide until I healed."
Reply
"Anyone who fought Spiderman hand to hand clearly has superstrength. What if, in the course of the fight, SPiderman was thrown. To far for them to easily reach before the police got there. I'm looking for," he types a few more keys before stopping, "there it is," he says, pointing at the screen.
"Sewer entrance. He got thrown towards it and ducked inside in order to escape. No telling where he went from there. I can get maps of them but... it'll likely be a maze down there," he pauses, considering the screen, "I'll have to get in touch with Freya again. She'll want to come."
Reply
"There are a couple others I know who might have had something to do with this. There's a Lex Luthor clone or alterniverse Lex in the City. There's also Medusa, yes, the Medusa. Rogue Xavier is a meta with the ability to drain and use other metas powers ( ... )
Reply
He blinks behind his lenses when she mentions finding all of that in the sewers, "You feel up to a trip in the sewer?" he asks. He knows his limits and seriously, 200 zombies? Met the requirements. He continues typing on the keyboard, pulling up another screen and typing, 'creatures in sewers, zombies, vampires, wargs, giant bats. Numerous. On par with level 10 meta'
Reply
Minotaur? Diana? She shook her head. No. She didn't want to get caught up with the capes. Didn't care. Didn't even want to know.
When he asked if she'd go with him, she breathed a sigh of relief. Well, almost. She suppressed it at the last second, crossing her arms over her chest and tucking her hands into her sleeves. "'Kay."
Reply
He smiles and returns to tapping on the keys, "Relax, I get that you don't see me and think I'm a kid that needs protecting. That's all I ever expect out of the older metas."
Reply
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