Fic: Reject
I did promise to peek in on Piper...
It occurred to me to wonder, . o O (Hey, wasn't Piper supposed to have been doing some undercover work for somebody? That was supposed to be why he was infiltrating the Rogues, right?) So I checked a few backissues and some interviews and stuff and yeah, it looked like he was supposed to have been doing a job. It also looks like DC maybe forgot about that (again? this is a surprise why?) It's possible we might learn more when Rogues' Revenge comes out... What? It is possible! Stop laughing! .....yeah right, who'm I kidding... So I got to thinking, . o O (For whom would he have been working, then? Not the FBI or Tricks likely would have known about it. Not Waller or Checkmate, obviously. So, someone else... and considering how it went, maybe someone dickish... ) So this is my speculation on that.
Title: Reject
Author: Katzedecimal
Characters: Piper, *sekretspoilery*
Rating: G
Summary: Don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.
"What part of 'No' do you not understand?"
"Piper, I'm aware of how you must feel..."
"I have my doubts about that."
"But I need you to do this..."
"And I'm saying I won't." The tall man sat on the floor of the apartment, one leg curled under him, face shadowed by his cowl but not hidden. His cloak writhed with movement. He stared at the monitor with unblinking, burning eyes.
"But.."
"Listen: The last time I worked for you, I wound up in shock bracelets, hunted across the country by lunatics for a murder I didn't commit, both Flash and Trickster were killed, and I landed on Apokalips! So no, I won't work for you!"
"S.T.A.R. Labs reported several of their rats have gone missing."
Piper gazed down at the furry nose that twitched under his chin and scritched its owner's head fondly, "S.T.A.R. had an electrical fire after their basement flooded. They probably escaped. So?"
"Those rats are a priority-one project. S.T.A.R. wants them back."
"I'm quite sure they do." The rat crawled up onto Piper's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. He touched his lips to its nose, briefly.
"The Bureau might be curious about your rats."
"Are you threatening me?" Two more rats emerged from beneath Piper's cloak and crawled up into his arms. He nuzzled them and stroked their fur, and the whole while he stared unblinking at the stylized face projected on the monitor. "That takes a nerve. You withheld vital information from me that might have prevented the Flash from being murdered."
"I can't give you what I'm not certain of."
"Wow, that's a lame excuse," Piper snorted. He turned to the rat on his shoulder and nodded. He looked at the monitor again, with eyes that burned with green fire, "I can threaten too. You'll clear our names - mine and Trickster's. Then maybe we'll call it even."
"I understand, but don't you think you're being a little..."
Piper raised his flute to his lips and played. There was an uncharacteristic shriek and the stylised face on the monitor disappeared. "You're now blind. You want to be deaf as well, keep pushing me. No more undercover work, Oracle. I won't work for you again."
"That's expensive equipment, Piper!"
Another note and the voice cut out. "That's two - now you're mute. I can keep going; I can shut you down completely," Piper snarled, "Now clear our names and then get the fuck out of my life!" A final note shut down the audio connection at his own end. Piper's hands were shaking as he put the flute down.
He felt whiskers whiffling his ear. He turned to look at the rat on his shoulder and smiled, "Yeah I'm okay, I'm just angry. Really angry. We could've been spared a lot of hell if Oracle had been just a little more forthcoming with the information." He looked down at another rat, peering over his right leg. He shrugged and smiled, "I doubt it. People forget that rats have an ultrasonic vocal range. Even if Oracle did report us, people'd prefer to believe that I'm the crazy rat guy who thinks his rats talk back, rather than that you're from one of S.T.A.R.S' mutagenic sapience experiments. Besides, it'd be tough to prove, considering I was three blocks away and spotted you guys swimming out of the storm drain."
"Lucky for us you found us though, huh Chief," said a third rat, the one who sounded for all the world like Paul Lynde, but only to Piper's ears.
Piper lay back onto the floor and closed his eyes, and let the rats swarm over him. "Lucky for me, too," he murmured.
It occurred to me to wonder, . o O (Hey, wasn't Piper supposed to have been doing some undercover work for somebody? That was supposed to be why he was infiltrating the Rogues, right?) So I checked a few backissues and some interviews and stuff and yeah, it looked like he was supposed to have been doing a job. It also looks like DC maybe forgot about that (again? this is a surprise why?) It's possible we might learn more when Rogues' Revenge comes out... What? It is possible! Stop laughing! .....yeah right, who'm I kidding... So I got to thinking, . o O (For whom would he have been working, then? Not the FBI or Tricks likely would have known about it. Not Waller or Checkmate, obviously. So, someone else... and considering how it went, maybe someone dickish... ) So this is my speculation on that.
Title: Reject
Author: Katzedecimal
Characters: Piper, *sekretspoilery*
Rating: G
Summary: Don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.
"What part of 'No' do you not understand?"
"Piper, I'm aware of how you must feel..."
"I have my doubts about that."
"But I need you to do this..."
"And I'm saying I won't." The tall man sat on the floor of the apartment, one leg curled under him, face shadowed by his cowl but not hidden. His cloak writhed with movement. He stared at the monitor with unblinking, burning eyes.
"But.."
"Listen: The last time I worked for you, I wound up in shock bracelets, hunted across the country by lunatics for a murder I didn't commit, both Flash and Trickster were killed, and I landed on Apokalips! So no, I won't work for you!"
"S.T.A.R. Labs reported several of their rats have gone missing."
Piper gazed down at the furry nose that twitched under his chin and scritched its owner's head fondly, "S.T.A.R. had an electrical fire after their basement flooded. They probably escaped. So?"
"Those rats are a priority-one project. S.T.A.R. wants them back."
"I'm quite sure they do." The rat crawled up onto Piper's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. He touched his lips to its nose, briefly.
"The Bureau might be curious about your rats."
"Are you threatening me?" Two more rats emerged from beneath Piper's cloak and crawled up into his arms. He nuzzled them and stroked their fur, and the whole while he stared unblinking at the stylized face projected on the monitor. "That takes a nerve. You withheld vital information from me that might have prevented the Flash from being murdered."
"I can't give you what I'm not certain of."
"Wow, that's a lame excuse," Piper snorted. He turned to the rat on his shoulder and nodded. He looked at the monitor again, with eyes that burned with green fire, "I can threaten too. You'll clear our names - mine and Trickster's. Then maybe we'll call it even."
"I understand, but don't you think you're being a little..."
Piper raised his flute to his lips and played. There was an uncharacteristic shriek and the stylised face on the monitor disappeared. "You're now blind. You want to be deaf as well, keep pushing me. No more undercover work, Oracle. I won't work for you again."
"That's expensive equipment, Piper!"
Another note and the voice cut out. "That's two - now you're mute. I can keep going; I can shut you down completely," Piper snarled, "Now clear our names and then get the fuck out of my life!" A final note shut down the audio connection at his own end. Piper's hands were shaking as he put the flute down.
He felt whiskers whiffling his ear. He turned to look at the rat on his shoulder and smiled, "Yeah I'm okay, I'm just angry. Really angry. We could've been spared a lot of hell if Oracle had been just a little more forthcoming with the information." He looked down at another rat, peering over his right leg. He shrugged and smiled, "I doubt it. People forget that rats have an ultrasonic vocal range. Even if Oracle did report us, people'd prefer to believe that I'm the crazy rat guy who thinks his rats talk back, rather than that you're from one of S.T.A.R.S' mutagenic sapience experiments. Besides, it'd be tough to prove, considering I was three blocks away and spotted you guys swimming out of the storm drain."
"Lucky for us you found us though, huh Chief," said a third rat, the one who sounded for all the world like Paul Lynde, but only to Piper's ears.
Piper lay back onto the floor and closed his eyes, and let the rats swarm over him. "Lucky for me, too," he murmured.