The Moon is Made of Green Cheese

Chapter 14

I step softly through the doorway as Carmine Falcone's right hand man makes his way through his hour long monologue. Batman was stretched out, each limb about four feet away from each other, but more noticeable was the blood dripping from his right shoulder. It covered his shoulder, neck, and right breast plate. He just had to go and get himself hurt didn't he. Actually, was there ever a time Batman wasn't injured? Either way I'm not really one to talk after the fight I just had.

The guards managed to cover most of the room and it was in my best interest to try to take most of them out now rather than after I released Batman. The doorway I had picked only had one guard who had easily been disrupted by a punch to the back of the head. He was currently resting down the hallway. He'd had a long day.

I continue to ignore the monologue Carmine Falcone's friend is giving, I'm sure there was important info but I don't trust myself to listen and not mess up. Plus Batman was in the perfect position to listen. I tiptoe against the wall towards the next set of guards, who turn around, straight into me. They both shout. And the room descends into Hell.

In a split second decision I grab one of their guns and sprint to the middle of the room. Carmine Falcone's friend raises his gun at me. I smile. "Hiya! Mind if I borrow him? We need to have a serious discussion. Don't worry, I'll be gentle." I turn and shoot the brace holding Batman's left hand, and thank the gods I'd managed to keep some sort of aim when the cuff opens and his hand doesn't have a bullet hole.

"Stop right there-" I spin on my heel and chuck the gun are our monologuer. It hits him square in the face. Man, I'm getting better. The untold purpose of guns, am I right? The guards are already advancing so I step forward and punch one of them square in the face, freeing them of their gun.

"Oi!" My voice rings and everyone stops. I smirk. "Lights out." I shoot at the five lights, and while the room dims it doesn't completely blackout. I missed the one to the right. "Ugh, for duck's sake. You know what-" I hurl the gun at the light, and it flickers out, sending the room into darkness. The moment the lights go out two things happen. An arm wraps around my waist and I find myself being pulled upwards, and guns start to go off. Bullets and screaming ricocheting out of pain and fright.

With little warning we crash through the glass windows and onto the ground below. Batman softens our landing and I come rolling to a stop in front of the Batmobile.

"Heather what are you doing here?" His gaze is piercing but he continues to open the hatch and step inside his car, motioning for me to get in. I stand and hop in. He starts to drive just as Carmine's men start to bleed out of the warehouse.

"Well someone had to come save you. And don't say you had it under control."

He glares but doesn't pay much attention as he fishes around for something below him. He pulls out gauze and pulls over into an ally to wrap up his shoulder. "You need to get out of here, you're putting yourself in the middle of a gang war between Penguin and Carmine Falcone. Tell Gordon when you get back he needs to stay out of it too, he shouldn't go looking for the cargo Carmine stole from penguin either."

"What did Carmine even steal?" I ignore his wordless protest as I take the gauze from his hand. He wasn't wrapping it tight enough if he planned on continuing to fight.

"He took an incoming shipment of masks penguin was planning to sell."

I roll my eyes. "So you mean to tell me, Carmine Falcone and Penguin are about to have an all out war, killing hundreds of innocent people, over masks?" Pausing, I recall the empty crates I saw outside of one of the warehouses, rather haphazardly thrown, and empty. Well empty until I got there.

Batman doesn't even wince when I apply the alcohol to his wound, instead focusing on the screen that had popped up in front of him. Where did the crazy tech stuff end with this man? He spoke, voice gruff but musing. "Falcone refuted that he even knew of the masks, he said Penguin set it up and is heading to meet with the major gang lords to take Penguin down. The shipment is stacked up in his warehouse, he's trying set Penguin up."

"Wait." Batman looks at me curious. "But those crates where empty." The look he gives me tells me I should explain before he accused me of having something to do with this again. "I ran into some of Carmine's goons and had to take them out. The crates where right there so I stuffed them in there except the crates were all empty. No shipment, no nothing. If Carmine was trying to set Penguin up wouldn't he have left the masks in the crates? And Penguin wouldn't accuse Carmine of stealing a shipment that was completely empty because he wouldn't be able to prove it was his." I finished wrapping the dark knights shoulder as I spoke, locking eyes with him.

"There's a third party involved, likely whoever Penguin was supposed to sell the masks to." Batman rolled his shoulder experimentally and nodded.

"You said it was masks? Well who better than Black Mask? Maybe he's expecting to recruit some fresh help."

Batman just smirked and I roll my eyes again. "You should get out and head home."

I give him a bland smile. "Granted I didn't do the best job of fighting, it seems to me that you can't be in two places at once. So how exactly are you going to stop Carmine Falcone and Penguin from attacking at the same time? You go after Carmine and I'll have a chat with Penguin."

"A chat?" Batman crosses his arms and suddenly I feel like I'm being treated like a child.

"Well I'll have a better time of it than trying to stop Carmine Falcone in a room full of other gang leaders who want me dead. I don't know if you noticed but this is a very hastily put together disguise." I motion to my tiny mask and curly red hair in a ponytail. Yeah I know, I know, it wasn't very good.

"And Penguin won't want to murder you either?" I shrug.

"Well I'll just hope I can avoid being killed long enough to explain. Listen whether you agree or not I'm going after Penguin, so you can either choose to handle Carmine or we can tag team Penguin." Batman glares but seems to relent nonetheless. Maybe I was growing on him? I doubt it.

After a quick discussion we have a plan and I'm exiting the Batmobile and putting on the new mask Batman had shoved in my hands. He never stopped did he. I roll my eyes and turn to where I was pretty sure Penguin lived. Time to pay a visit to my cousins boyfriend.