Gotham City, New Jersey - Wednesday Night
"This isn't going to work."
"It'll work," Charlie countered without looking up from the newspaper he was reading.
"No," Renee shot back, looking around nervously. "It won't."
He still didn't look up from his paper. "Renee, that lamp emits eleven million candela of light," he paused to cough violently for a moment before continuing, "It'll work."
His voice shifted to teasing, "You're just worried because the last time you saw her she punched you in the mouth."
She hated it when he cough. It only reminded her of how little time he had.
He shouldn't even be here.
"I'm nervous because we're throwing a Bat Signal around in Gotham City, Charlie," Renee said, glancing over at him. "A guaranteed way to bring half the GCPD and all the costumed freaks running."
His paper rustled slightly as he turned the page. "You got some other way to reach her?"
"None of the other ways worked, and you know that," She replied sulkily. "Bet the damn butler never even told her I called."
He should be back in Nanda Parbat with Tot and Richard.
Not here, trying to save someone he didn't even know from something they weren't even sure would happen.
A hint of his old mocking laughter drifted from where he leaned against the van. "Moan, moan, moan. Bitch, bitch, bitch."
She didn't even dignify that by looking at him. "Oh, bite me."
No sound heralded the arrival of a third person at the van. "He can't," a woman dressed in skintight black and red answered. "He doesn't have a mouth. Now turn that thing," she jerked her head at the spotlight, "Off."
She did not jump at that.
Really
"We've been trying to reach you."
"Congratulations," she replied sarcastically. It was almost possible to hear her eyes rolling. "Now goodbye."
Charlie still didn't put down his paper. "Nobody has any curiosity these days," he said conversationally. "You ever notice that? I mean, she doesn't even want to know why--" the unhurried speech was broken by another coughing fit, but after he recovered he went on as if he hadn't been interrupted, "--we've gone to all this trouble."
"It's too bad, really. we might have important information about Intergang," Renee added, moving off the car and close to Charlie in case the coughing fit got worse.
"Or," the smirk covered by Charlie's mask was completely audible in his tone, "How she's prophesied to have her heart ripped out three nights from now."
The Batwoman paused and turned slowly. "Intergang I already know about. Let's hear about that second part, shall we?"
"A picture's worth a thousand words," Charlie suggested as he reached into his coat.
"It's taken from something called 'The Book of Crime'," Renee said. "And I'm pretty damn sure that's supposed to be you dying in the picture."
[[OOC: Preplayed with the fabulous and talented iseewhatyoumean]]