17th February
00:28 GMT -5
I play my cold guns over the still-burning low rise apartment building, the Kobra wannabes who set the explosives hanging off my construct tethers. Remote controlled explosives aren't that hard to make or… This is America after all, purchase completely legally. But these people decided to try re-enacting a ploy I've only seen in
The Nightly News: commit a large crime and then hang about to target the people who respond to it. But whatever superweapons their masters might have access to, this street gang with delusions of mediocrity just have legally purchased rifles.
Of course, in The Nightly News they were targeting journalists and not police or firemen or paramedics.
Fire's mostly out so I switch to transferring out the wounded, causing them to appear around the ambulances. It's… A little slow going, honestly. I do
want to help, but the… Not 'altruism fatigue', but… 'Desire identification fatigue'? That's closer to it. I'm being forced to fight metaphorical and literal fires threatening people in whom I have no personal investment. I don't mind helping out once or twice a week, but running to stand still just makes me-.
"Hey, Oh El."
And they're all out.
"Robin. How's
your night going?
"
"Kinda crazy, actually."
"I know the feeling. Is there something… Some sort of evil stellar alignment which happens in Gotham at this time of year?
"
"In the middle of February? Not that I
know about. But it's kind of an unknown unknown? I haven't
checked." He briefly checks the area. "Do you think there's an evil calendar we could subscribe to?"
"I'll ask Jade.
"
"What's wrong?"
"I've never had this. A bunch of bad things happening one after the-.
" I frown.
"Don't you have school tomorrow?
"
"Not after a night like
this. School gets cancelled if things out here get too violent. And it won't be the first time I've had to skip." He looks up at the people I've tethered. "Who are they?"
"They were trying to commit an atrocity in order to pad their resume for their Kobra application.
"
"Are Kobra even still a
thing?"
"We might need to look into that. Or maybe they're just behind with the news.
" Police cars zoom into the road, only slowing when the officers inside see me floating overhead. I deposit my prisoners next to them, with the evidence and my report landing next to the senior detective.
"Does this happen a
lot?
"
"Remember when you said we should all spend some time in the worst cities on the planet?"
"Yes?
"
"They were
all worse than this."
"Yes, but… They were places
known to be total holes. In poor, corrupt countries with ineffectual states. This is
America, and-. Gotham was supposed to be getting
better.
"
"I'm… Kinda surprised that you're this bothered, Oh El. This is just one night. Usually it's…"
He looks momentarily thoughtful.
"What?
"
"Unless it's a villain plot."
Like what comic Bane did before he broke Batman's back. Or what comic Black Mask did to beat Batman in a fight. Or Mr Napier did once
here just for the fun of it.
"What if it is?
"
"Then.. we.. try and work out who it is and what they're planning. Come on, Oh El, I know you didn't sleep through the lesson."
"Sure, and that's… Nice in theory. But there are so many potential culprits-. No, I can't believe that someone coordinated with the ancient sorcerer Selina and I found under the Breed Building.
"
"Ah… What?"
"Oh, there was a sorcerer in a sarcophagus. Looked like he'd been there a while. The chief acolyte was sacrificing people to him. Those aren't clubbable people, and the bottom-tier supervillain I branded didn't say anything about wider cooperation.
"
"Would they have known? I mean, gang leaders are smart enough not to tell everyone what's going on, and…" He shakes his head. "
Really an ancient wizard?"
"John Quinn and Doctor Balewa are on-site now. I mean, if someone was making a distraction then I'd guess it was
them to conceal their abductions. But if things-.
" No, that would-. The people making diversionary attacks wouldn't be
employees or
cultists. They'd be third party operators nudged into making their attacks at the same time, they wouldn't have any direct communication.
"How confident are you that this is being orchestrated?
"
"I don't really have any
evidence… But…"
"Right.
"
I transition down to where the police are checking over the gang members.
"Would you excuse me for a moment? I need to check them over for lingering magic effects and fairies.
"
"Ah…" The closest detective looks around to see if anyone knows whether I'm joking or not, but they all seem happy to leave it to the man on the spot. "
Sure."
"Thank you.
"
I take a rune stone out and wave it at the closest Kob… Kobrite? That sounds about right. No reaction, and none of the cuts in the back of the neck or spine that might indicate the presence of a spine rider. I move on to the next, repeating the process.
"No, I'm-." The detective shakes his head. "I'm sorry, I can't let that go.
Fairies?"
"About two inches high, with the ability to plug into the back of someone's neck and control them. They're from the future and they're evil. Have you ever heard of the late boxer, Mo Colley?
"
"Can't say I have?"
"Huge bloke. Beat Ted Grant in his prime. Then he went crazy and murdered a couple of police officers before being shot dead. Spine rider. Forensic examiners don't look for the signs, but in somewhere as crazy as Gotham-
" I keep checking, but I'm not seeing any sign that they are anything other than the violent thugs that they appear to be.
"-it's worth checking, in case there's a nest of the bastard things.
"
"Ah…"
"Don't worry, there probably wouldn't be anything you can do at this stage anyway. But you might want to visit the range a little more for when their fleet arrives. Large calibre rifles can kill the soldier types, though you'd need an automatic cannon to hurt the war beasts.
"
"I'll… Keep that in mind."
"No fairies here, though.
" I turn up my empathic vision in case
that shows anything, but all I'm getting is the standard mix of angry, violent disaffection.
"Thank you for your forbearance.
"
I transition back up to Richard.
"So if this
is orchestrated..?
"
"I'm not seeing a pattern so far. But
someone must have seen that gang who attacked the mayor's house arrive."
I nod.
"CCTV room it is.
"
)
