"You're here." I find myself cradling his face in my hands, then moving them down to his shoulders, just to confirm he's really here, in the flesh. This isn't some cruel joke. He's with me.
Constantine taps me on the shoulder. "I hate to break up the touching reunion, love. Rick needs us in the meeting room. It seems Mr. Cobblepot was not brought in on happy circumstances."
My husband and I walk side by side through the room. The squad gathers around the table as Flag and Waller delegate positions.
"We're moving into Gotham," Waller informs our team. "Our reports say that our Mother Box is hidden somewhere in the Amusement Mile. Welcome to the suicide squad, Oswald Cobblepot."
My husband neatly folds his hand over his cane. "I believe you have me mistaken for some sort of super criminal. If you haven't noticed, I have no powers. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here."
"Penguin will lead us directly to Addaase's headquarters."
That name shocks Os to his core. He nearly freezes in place.
"We move out in ten. This is a stealth mission, only. We find the box, we move out. Gear up, everyone. Cardinal, Penguin, you're with me."
We remain silent as my teammates shuffle out.
A hologram of Addaase's fortress appears.
"Where is his stronghold of knowledge?"
Oswald's lips turn into a scowl. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Waller reveals her tablet. Her finger hovers right over my name. "Don't make me kill her, Cobblepot. She's a valuable asset to this team, but I will kill her a thousand times to pull a single answer out of you."
Os swallows hard. "Fine. Fine. His stronghold is at the bottom of his base. You'll find it beneath the basement. The only way to enter it is through a hidden staircase on the left-hand side of the section."
"That's what I like to hear," Rick smirks. "Gear up, you two. Meet us at the bus."
"What?" Os inquires. "Me as well? You have your information. What further use do you have with me?"
Amanda's hand finds her hip. "You're going to lead us straight to it, Penguin. Why? Aren't you happy to be reunited with our wife?" She turns to address me. "You really should be thanking me, Cardinal."
"Oh, should I? Now that both of my child's parents are in mortal danger, I should be thanking you."
She gives up the argument. "Be out in ten."
Our suits are revealed through the walls.
"They certainly are pushy, aren't they?"
I slip on my outfit. "You get used to it. Who is this Addaase, anyways? You never mentioned him before."
My husband chuckles from my side. "Is that a twinge of jealousy I hear from my beloved wife?"
"No," I scoff. "I just like to think that I know everyone in your circle, consequently my circle as well."
"Truth be told, I don't really know him. Not personally. He's been in Gotham longer than Carmine Falcone has been in power. He's an outsider," he explains as we board the bus, "the resident torturer. If you want someone to really suffer, you go to him. His whole fortress is dedicated to it."
I think about it. "Why didn't Maroni use him to torture me?"
"The wait list and price, probably. He also has a tendency to get carried away. Nobody's gone into Addaase's fortress and come out alive. He calls it the Palace of Justice. Maroni wouldn't have used him against you. While he wanted you to suffer, he also wanted you to live."
YOU ARE READING
The Flightless
Fanfiction| THIS IS THE THIRD AND FINAL BOOK IN THE BORN TO FLY SERIES! Completed: November 6th, 2019.| With Gotham becoming a no man's land and her trust in Penguin completely lost, Sera Gordon, the Cardinal is determined to make it out of this hell alive a...