The Question Cometh

Animal Kingdom

This is the sequel to The Question, in which;

Victor Sage uncovered a grand conspiracy to destroy Hub City;

Through the actions of Lady Shiva, a representative of the League of Assassins, and her assorted Agents and Collaborators, the Hub City Police Department was blown up and its inhabitants with it;

Victor Sage postponed the League's sinister plot and imprisoned Lady Shiva, suffering permanent partial paralysis in the process;

And Victor Sage departed for The East to disassemble the League, giving the mantle of The Question to disillusioned former Gotham Cop Renee Montoya, bringing us to

THREE MONTHS LATER.

Slam Bradley picked up the ringing handle. It was a vintage thing, like most of the items in his loft - an obsolete rotary phone. Slam liked it. It was tactile and he was a tactile kind of guy. He had to be, with a name like Slam.

Slam said his name to the phone.

A woman said "Hi, Slam," back to him. His face softened when he heard her voice.

"Jesus, kid. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Slam lifted up the body of the device and sat it down at his desk.

"I guess it has," the phone said.

"Business or pleasure?"

She paused.

"Little column A, little column B."

"Don't like that."

"Column B, then."

"By way of column A?"

"Sure."

"You know my rates."

"Scratch those. It's a big job."

"I got rates for big jobs."

"If you'd make a website, I might know that."

"I sight enough webs as it is, darlin'."

The woman stopped again.

"That's stupid."

Slam fumbled a pack of cigarettes out of his drawer and thumbed it open. He kept the digit over most of the opening and tapped one out into the same hand's second and third fingers.

"What's the job?" he said around the cigarette as he struck a match against the phone.

"You know Renee Montoya?"

Slam froze.

"The heck kind of a question is that?"

This was Slam being profane.

"I need to know you'll be fine with the job."

"I'm not worried about me being fine."

"So you do know Renee Montoya."

"I know you know Renee Montoya. That worries me."

"Then you know why I'm coming to you."

"That worries me," he said again.

There was another pregnant pause.

"It's not just about Renee," she said.