Fighting Crime Doesn't Pay

Chapter 6

The police station is in chaos. People are running around like crazy with their heads down. They're so focused on whatever they're doing they don't notice me , in full costume, standing by the door. There are several people standing at the front desk yelling at the desk officer.

"Why aren't you looking for my wife?"

"Or my daughter?"

"All you care about is that rich kid!"

The poor guy at the desk is trying desperately to deal with the angry people. Apparently I was right, they haven't looked too much into the other missing persons cases. At that moment Commisioner Daniels walks on to the floor holding a megaphone.

"Everybody quiet!" He shouts into the megaphone. "If you are here to ask about a missing persons case please form an orderly line at the desk. If you do not behave yourself you will be asked to leave. If you don't listen, we will make you leave. If your question is 'Why aren't you looking for so and so?' the answer is we are. So go home." After that speech everybody noticbly calms down. Daniels looks across the room right at me, finally noticing that I'm there. "Super Girl. Meet me in my office." He says into the megaphone. Everyone turns around and looks at me. The civillians (and most of the cops) are all in awe, thinking that they would never see me again. Somewhat awkwardly I walk through the crowd of people to the back of the room and into Daniels's office. I expect him to say something along the lines of "about time" or something equally sarcastic. Instead he gets up from his chair and actually hugs me. Not for long, just a second, but still, it's weird. "This city's really gone to shit since you quit. Not your fault, it's not like we couldn't handle the regular stuff. The problem is the city picked the day after you quit to go to shit." He explains. God, he looks more tired than he usuallly does, which is saying something. "So I'm guessing you're not here about the slew of missing persons. You're probably here about your friend." He says and takes a swig from a bottle that I'm sure doesn't have water in it. Some how he knows that I'm friends with Mark, which means he probably knows who I am. I can pretend he's mistaken, or I can admit that he has it right.

"How did you know?" I ask, deciding that if Daniels wanted to tell someone about me he probably would've done it already.

"It's your fighting style. It doesn't look a lot like your dad's, in fact it looks a lot like how Batman might fight if he was strong enough to lift a truck. Gordon told me Batman's secret identity back when he retired, I don't think Batman ever realized that Gordon knew. Knowing that it wasn't too hard to figure out that you'd have to be a friend of his son, since you're about the same age, and Mark Wayne doesn't have a lot of friends and only one who matches your description." Daniels explains and then takes another swig out of the not water bottle. I walk up and snatch the bottle from his hand.

"If we're ever going to find where everybody went I need you clear headed." I say and slam the bottle into the trash can, shattering it.

"Fine. But it's been a couple of weeks since the first one went missing and we have nothing. And as much as it's great to have you back, you're not exactly a genius so I don't know how you plan to figure it out on your own." He sneers. I resist the urge to slap him.

"Did you know that you're an ass, Daniels? Cause you are." I snap back. "I'm here to help but not if you insist on being a drunken asshole." I say to him. He sits up a little straighter and fixes his hair. "Have you considered that this may all be connected?"

"How do you mean?" He asks and stands up. He's curious now.

"Well, Mark disappeared just before the first person vanished outside town. Another person I know went missing around the same time too, Anna Welman." I tell him He scratches at his chin.