The Flightless

The Matriarch

"I'm glad you agreed to see me, Sera."

"I didn't really do this to catch up on old times, Jim." I lean against the chair in my brother's office. My arms remain crossed over my chest. "We have a common enemy in Amanda Waller. You hate her being your babysitter just as much as I do."

"That's true. What do you propose?"

"I have sources that tell me Waller's up to no good. She has a team of hired mercenaries and criminals to do her bidding."

The commissioner leans forward. "You're saying Waller's operating under the books?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Deadshot is a known affiliate, and I'm almost certain Victor Fries is on her side, too. And now she's just given permission to move her little team into Gotham's borders. One of my men saw Deadshot with his own two eyes. That's not a coincidence."

"The hitman?" He asks. "He operates all over the world. Lawton wouldn't have returned to Gotham without some kind of contract."

"Exactly, and no one's seen Freeze in years. He hasn't come to see me, either. I can only guess that he's under her thumb, too."

My brother jots a few notes down and slips it into his trenchcoat pocket. "I hope you're putting your own team, together. If she finds out about this, she'll come after you, too."

"I'm reuniting Gotham's underworld in case it should come down to a fight. Not officially. I'm keeping my name out of the gang world to keep myself innocent."

"You better make sure they keep quiet. She'll arrest you in a heartbeat. You're a mother, Sera."

My heart sinks in my chest. Dinah's safety has always been and will continue to be my first priority. However, Gotham could be under attack by a team of supervillains. How safe is she if that's the case?

"I know. Fate's cast a protection spell over her until she can fend for herself. Right now, my child is probably the safest person in Gotham, Jim."

"Yeah. I feel much better knowing that some supposed god put a magical spell on your daughter," he replies, sarcastically. "Where do you get your information? Who is your resource?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Harvey Dent?" Oswald nearly shouts into the phone. "Are you out of your mind?"

I rest my hand against the glass. Begrudgingly, he does the same.

"So far it's been fruitful, Os. He's given me a strong lead. I'm using it to help Jim's investigation. If Jim can find her guilty, you'll have to be released from Blackgate. Her trial against you will be voided because of her wrong-doing."

He sighs through a clenched jaw. "And what did Two-Face want in return for his assistance?"

"Nothing, really." I rest my chin against the palm of my hand. "An entrance to the gang world. Right now he's looking over my club."

My husband pinches the bridge of his nose. "Are you sure this is a good idea, my dear?"

"What other option do I have? You're in here, Jim's tied to the law, and no one else will help me. If and when Two-Face betrays me, I can handle it."

"Sera," he says. "I have always valued your loyalty, but I—"

"Don't say it, Oswald Cobblepot. You don't know what it's like out here. The world keeps spinning on, and I'm forced to spin along with it. I'm raising Dinah by myself while everyone pretends that you don't exist. No one listens to me, because it could always be worse. You're not in for life. You could always be dead. I have to take every single minute with you here and on the phone and cling to every single letter because it could be another eighteen years before I can hold your hand again, and I—"