Zumi: The Tiger and The Bat

Chapter 3: Family Secret

That is Zuri's locket, and in this chapter, she gets to see flashes of her mother. This was edited by@crossoverLIFE19 .

Zuri's pov:

Minutes after the strange boy disappeared beyond the outline of the buildings, and I still stand frozen to my spot. Only the excessive honking can force my limbs back to work, and I look down to catch sight of Ernie staring back at me. From the back of the van, I can see K.C. and her family sticking their heads out the back doors to look up at me as well. I send them a hesitant smile, assuring them of my health status as I move back to the alleyway. I stroll through the dark streets at a luxurious pace, until my eyes suddenly make contact with the shimmer of silver bouncing off the dark halls. I stare at the spot before moving towards it with brisk steps. Kneeling upon the dirtied ground, I hesitantly move my frozen fingertips to graze upon the object's surface. Gradually bringing it closer to the light, I catch sight of the silver blade attached to a simple black, leather handle.

A shuriken - what is it doing in a garbage alleyway? Inspecting it closer, a sudden realization pulls a grin from my once tired lips. The boy must've dropped it. This is how I find him! Releasing a short victory laugh, I straighten my knees and sprint back to the van. The doors lay open for me, and the Coopers all sit around to await my arrival. Looking back only briefly, I release another laugh. An easy clue to wrap up a job done well. Leaping into the truck, I slam the back doors close and tell Ernie to drive.

"Bruce returned to Gotham and your parents left for the airport shortly after you ran off. Something about a meeting in Brazil," K.C. fills me in before plopping down in the seat beside me. "So, what are you doing?"

"After the attack, I followed a suspicious figure that had run through the streets after Penguin was arrested. Turns out, someone else was curious about the day's events," I tell her, moving the shuriken underneath one of the computer scanners. The machine whirs to life, and I watch the red scanner move over the stranger's weapon as I continue to talk to K.C.; "However, he didn't seem to be invited." I look back at K.C., sending her a smirk before moving towards the computers.

"Well, who was it?" Judy demands, moving closer to me as we watch the screen.

I wait for a moment, staring at the computer to await the results from the stranger's prints. The van bounces on the road, irritating me as the process moves even slower. Finally, right as the van parks next to my sidewalk, the scanner beeps a confirmation. Immediately, the familiar emerald depths stare at me from the screen - a ten-year-old boy with eyes as haunted as the best agent in our Organization.

"Alright, send this to the higher-ups," Mrs. Cooper interrupts, "Have them track this boy; find out where he came from, what he was doing there, and what his connection is with anyone and anything at the party."

"Yes ma'am," I reply, sending her a grin as my fingers glide over the keyboard to send in the information.

With a single confirmation, I stand up from the temporary chair and move towards the back door. The only thing keeping me from a nice, long nap is a quick hug from K.C. and a climb to my window. No place can hide me enough to change comfortably, so I allow myself to clutch the same pipe that always leads up to my open window. One step after another, I move to slip inside with only a glance at my surroundings. Quickly setting out to slip into shorts and a large sweater, it takes seconds to toss the leather suit into the hidden compartment within my closet.

I release a puff of air, staring around my bland room before catching the glint of my silver screen. Only a moment to debate before my feet guide me to my office chair, setting me down as I open my computer's screen. A little research ahead of time won't hurt anything - I'll be briefed on everything tomorrow anyway. I close my mind, simply allowing muscle memory to seize my movements. Firewalls after firewalls, coding after coding, and page after page; everything leaves my mind in a haze as I try to gather my thoughts.