The One-Seven

Chapter 9: Matters of Family

Percy bit back a groan, the absolute last thing he wanted to do was have a conversation with the Bat. But he also had dealt enough with capes, to know better than to try and avoid a conversation. So instead of telling the Bat where Percy thought he could shove his utility belt, he just told the strange redhead to give her statement to his partner, who Percy had seen rush back into the building, a rifle tucked in her arms, but had relaxed at seeing Percy's dismissive wave.

After the girl left, Percy turned to look at the Bat,

"What do you want?" He asked gruffly. If the man was at all turned away by the tone of Percy's voice, he didn't show it, instead he stepped in close,

"I don't trust you,"

Percy snorted, "That makes two of us pal,"

The Bat didn't budge, "What are you doing here?"

"My fucking job, what're you doing?" Percy shot back

The Bat didn't respond, just continued to glare at Percy, who was in no mood to deal with whatever the Bat was trying to pull. All of Percy's patience and goodwill for the day had evaporated when those clowns had ambushed him and Selina.

Wait...

He turned, suddenly realizing that he hadn't seen Selina since they'd charged out of the kill-box.

She was gone.

"Son of a bitch," he swore quietly under his breath,

"What did you want with Selina Kyle?" the man demanded, but Percy ignored him again. He wasn't going to put up with the third-degree from some lunatic dressed like a bat. Instead, he just turned away, and began walking back to the hall he had shot the guy with Ten of Clubs mask.

If nothing else, then the potential isolation would also allow him to screw around with the Bat's brain using the mist again.

He also was really hoping he hadn't killed the man in the Ten of Clubs mask; he didn't know how things worked in Gotham, but following a deadly shoot, was always a lengthy investigation, that usually required Percy be taken off of any active cases while the Internal Affairs Bureau investigated what had happened. They were already running on thin ice with the investigation as it was, and Percy didn't want to lose out on the new potential lead he had just come across.

He also counted himself lucky, that he always carried with him a registered off-duty weapon. Something he had taken to doing at Roger's insistence when he was still a rookie.

He strode into the empty hall, the billowing of a fabric behind him, telling Percy that the Bat was following him into the hallway.

Stepping into the hall, it didn't take Percy long to find his man. He was tied up on the ground, next to the unconscious form of a man in a Jack of Hearts mask. There was no sign of blood on the ground, which was good. Percy reached down, and checked for a pulse. It was there, firm and strong, then he checked where he had shot the man, two clean holes in the jacket he had been wearing. Fingering the holes, he felt the firm shell of a ballistics vest, and Percy unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

He hadn't killed the man, clearly, he'd just been stunned enough by the impact of the shells, that one of the capes had been able to take advantage and knock him unconscious, before tying him up. There would likely be a brief investigation, but Percy somehow doubted he'd be too tied up by things. The Royal Flush Gang was rather infamous after all.

There was a hand on his shoulder and Percy spun, making a conscious effort not to deck the owner of the hand. The Bat was still staring him down, and Percy just growled,

"Get the fuck out of my face," Percy growled,

"Not before you explain why there's a demigod running loose in my city," the man growled back.