*J* (the continuation)

Part Thirty-Six: Chapter 275: Harsh Facts

Jester sat staring out at the sun going down on the oceans horizon. It looked as though the water was on fire. It was the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen, with no trees blocking its radiantness. He expected to feel more nervous and unsure than he currently did. He was, after all, on his way to do something very bad. However, it was unavoidable. It wasn't like the O'Neary's were just going to give the baby back. She would have to be taken back by force and he knew it. But perhaps that was the reason he's already made his peace with what he would have to do.

He looks over at Ace who had been on his phone since the plane took off. "Hey Ace," he says and watches him turn his attention to him, "How do two men do the work if an Army? And what do we do about weapons? A few handguns doesn't seem practical when they will need reloading."

Ace smiles, "Already taken care of boss," he tells him.

"Oh? How?" Jester shrugs.

"I called in a favor with the Russians. There's never been any love lost between them and the Irish," Ace explains. "They're going to send a dozen men to meet us on arrival."

"Really?" Jester seems almost surprised.

"Yeah, the boss Andrei Orlov has been itching for an opportunity like this since Mr. J came along and put a stop to their turf wars,"Ace nods. "So this fight between them has been brewing about fifteen years. And if a dozen men isn't enough, they'll gladly send more."

"Good to know. We don't exactly know what we're walking into. They do have the home field advantage," he points out.

"True, but I questioned a few if the Sullivan's before killing them. There's about a hundred and fifty made men for the Dublin chapter of the Irish Mafia. But for every made man there's probably at least two or three flunkies," Ace says.

Jester nods, "Our only shot is to hit them hard and fast."

"I agree, so we need to concentrate on the O'Neary's immediate right hand men," Ace sighs.

"And their families," Jester adds, "Their loved ones will be the liabilities we need to get the information to find out where the baby is."

"Absolutely," Ace agrees. "We're looking at a few days, at the very least, of observing their movements to find out where they live and who they love."

"Is there a possibility that we can get that information by pressing one of the higher ups?" Jester wonders.

"I doubt it. We are talking about the Irish. It might take longer to break them than it would to simply sit back and observe," Ace notes. "They don't know we're coming, so we have that as an added advantage to a surprise attack."

"You're sure that no one is left to tip them off?" Jester asks.

"I'm pretty confident, yeah. Their wives and children will be too afraid and too busy with funerals," Ace confidently confirms.

"Good," Jester says before turning his attention back to the final moments of the sunset.

"But we have another problem," Ace says, interrupting Jester's moment of Zen.

He turns to Ace with a furrowing brow, "What do you mean?"

"We're kidnapping a baby in Ireland and have to somehow turn her into an American citizen. Babies need shots and shit. Not to mention birth certificates," he says.

"Surely J can fake the necessary documents," Jester shrugs.

"Yeah. Yeah he could, but we don't know when he's coming back to Gotham. And please forgive me for being blunt, but that's assuming he comes back at all," Ace uncomfortably says.