17th February
00:33 GMT -5
Detective Bullock ambles ahead of us through the Gotham Police headquarters. "Jeez, don't you kids ever sleep?"
Robin shrugs. "You're awake too."
Despite the weight I've taken off him during our altercations, Bullock hasn't altered his gait or style of dress. Has he..? Not noticed? No. No.
"I get paid overtime. An' anyway, I'll take time off later. Things are going crazy t'night."
"Tell me about it."
He stops just outside the CCTV room, looking back my way. "Some nut job nearly took out the Breed Building."
"It looked structurally unsound to me. Also, I think that might cause your job to become a little easier."
"I doubt it."
He pushes the door open and nods at the people manning the screens. A WayneTech experimental pattern recognition system, it's supposed to be able to detect crimes and notify police faster than someone can phone 911. And it… Kind of works. Except that without a teleportation system all they can do is call the nearest car, so in the case of violent crimes… Well, the survival rate is higher, but at the moment this would have been better stationed in the local ambulance depot.
Richard is already-. Hang on. This place has basic wards which prevent me remote-accessing it, but I don't believe for a moment that the Bat-family don't have a back door. Why are we here rather than the Cave? Can't ask him out loud, not with people around.
"What're you kids looking for, anyway?"
"We want to know where Alice's gang came from."
Bullock frowns. "Alice. As in, Mad Hatter?"
"According to her, no."
He smirks. "If I was fuckin' Hatter I wouldn't 'fess to it neither."
…
U-uh.
"Say that again and I'll make a hologram of it so that you can't get the image out of your head either."
"Okay, I've got the van." Thank you, Richard. "Tracking it back…"
"How did they get in?"
"Looks like they had the key."
"Shit. Has someone checked their cleaner? Gardener? Whoever else-?"
"Why?" Bullock shrugs. "If the gang killed 'em, they aren't gunna get deader, are they? You already got the gang, so we don't need t' rush on their account. Tetch is still in Arkham, you got their boss… These kinda people don't do backup traps for the side-targets."
"You think they're dead."
"I think we only got so many people, an' with other shit happening there ain't no point calling 'em off to go knockin' on doors tonight." He sees my expression and shrugs. "You wanna go look in on 'em while Robin plays with his computer, be my guest."
…
No, I can't. Been a while since I've hit a wall like this, but right now Gotham doesn't feel like mine. It's being stupid, as daft an anthropomorphism as that is. Right now I'm in the mood to kick it, not pick it up. I could fly to their homes… Yes, Richard can contact me by phone when he has something a little more concrete.
"True. Robin, do you need me here?"
"Got it!"
"Huh?"
"Come on, Oh El. It's just tracking a truck. Well, three trucks. And it doesn’t look like they got the key from the mayor's staff. Not recently, anyway."
He presses a button on his arm computer, and the image expands.
"See, they switched vehicles twice, but they started out-."
I close my eyes. "An abandoned warehouse on the waterfront?"
"Hey, have you been to Gotham before?"
"Yes."
"Good guess, but no. This time it was an abandoned warehouse just off the waterfront."
"Someone should really pull those down."
"Fewer abandoned warehouses this year than last year. If the economy keeps getting stronger, supervillains might have to start renting."
"Anyone-?" Why am I asking him? Ring?
Unable to detect anyone in the designated building.
"Computer doesn't think there's anyone else there, but that area doesn't have good coverage."
Right. Anything that suggests a resolution. I
step out
and appear at the warehouse, orange filaments flicking out as I upgrade the local camera network so Richard can follow me. Hopefully they only warded the edge of the property, because if I have to manually deactivate a bunch of wards my mood is only going to get worse.
"Orange Lantern to Robin."
"Area looks clear, Oh El. Ah, I know I said they don't leave traps, but they sometimes leave one big one."
I look around, searching for the glow of a sophont mind. "At this time of day the only thing to hit around here is me, and I'm pretty sure I can take a few gas canisters going up. Proceeding."
The chain and padlock on the gate look old, but the lock mechanism is new and well-oiled. They were unchaining it each time. The chain looks about as weathered as the surrounding metal and I'm not seeing an obvious cut point-.
Why am I doing this?
I cut the chains, construct armour appearing around me as I stride forward. Nothing worrying so far. Infrared? No. X-rays? Eh, the metal's too thick to get much that way. Sonics? Nothing of any significance. I reach the warehouse itself and then don my armour and phase through the metal.
Inside… Stripped warehouse. There's a bench with a couple of gas burners which appears to have been used as a makeshift kitchen. There's a plastic barrel part-filled with water and several discarded plates.
"Looks like you were right. People have been spending time here."
Drugs drugs drugs? Some amphetamines. No Smilex. And no Alice-clothing. And no traps. Ring, is there an office or-?
Oh great.
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