Detective | ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ

𝒕 𝒘 𝒆 𝒏 𝒕 𝒚 - 𝒔 𝒆 𝒗 𝒆 𝒏

Jess spun around on her heel, running after the officer leading her towards her partner. She ignored the cold water rushing past her converses, seeping through the scuffed red fabric and darkening them into a bloody burgundy.

"Jim!" She shouted over the loud voices of the crowd. "Jim, over here!"

"Kid?" Jim blinked, spinning around.

Unbeknownst to Jess, her mother was talking with Bella Reál. She stopped mid-sentence at hearing the urgent voice of her daughter.

At first, she thought it was her brain planning tricks on her. Then, when she heard it again, closer this time, she knew her daughter was still in Gotham.

Martha excused herself, allowing another officer to finish her conversation. "Jessica Jolene Kent, what in god's name are you still doing here?!" Martha gasped upon seeing Jess slide to a stop. Jim grabbed Jess by her shoulders to stop her from toppling forward and straight onto her face.

"There's no time to argue." Jess wheezed, holding her side. "Listen, there is something bigger happening here, and I need every officer on the Mayor. They're... Woah!" Jess stepped in front of Bella with wide eyes. The fearless black woman glared Jess down. She was a woman on a mission, something Jess herself knew all too well. "You can't go out there."

Bella eyed Jess for a second. "And why not? I'm not going to let those people die."

"It's not safe for you here." Jess pointed in front of her. "We need to get you out of here, Ms. Reál."

Bella shook her head with the same furrowed brow look on her face. "I'm not going anywhere."

"We're under attack, ma'am." Jim jumped in to defend Jess's argument.

Jess jumped back into the conversation. "This isn't about finding the good people of Gotham anymore. Riddler wants to destroy everyone and everything in this city."

"Exactly!" Bella exclaimed. "That's exactly what's wrong with this city, everyone runs away from the problem instead of facing it head-on, and that's not what I'm going to do." She moved past Jess and Jim. "Excuse me." Bella walked out of the curtains and behind the podium with quick footing.

Martha grabbed Jess by her upper arm, pinching the taut skin with a look she knew. "Ow! Could you not!" Jess hissed.

"Don't talk back to your mother," Martha growled. "Kyle was supposed to take you to Metropolis. You were supposed to be far from here."

"And leave Riddler to win his twisted game?" Jess snorted with a roll of her eyes. "I don't think so."

Jim scratched the back of his neck. "Could we maybe put a pin in this discussion until later?"

"Shut up, Jim." The girls growled while keeping their eyes locked on one another. Jim backed down without another word.

He obviously lost the minute he opened his mouth and didn't feel like being growled at again.