Sorcerer in DC

"What's the point of having a phone if you never use the damn thing!" Artemis yelled as she stormed into my motel room as I bandaged my hands.

"Oh my god. What happened."

She reached for it, and I pulled back. "It's going to be good as new tomorrow morning." I walked past her, shut the door, and looked out the window. "And I'm sorry for not calling. A few things happened that I'd rather not say on the phone."

"A text would've been enough," she huffed, folding her arm. "Well, out with it?"

"You're bossy. Anyone ever tell you that?" I said, pulling off my shirt and tossing it in a garbage bag. I caught her staring. I would've been flattered if I wasn't so out of it.

"Just tell me already!"

"Alright. Alright." I settled into my bed. "The Sasha situation got a bit complicated. Tom was waiting on me, and things got physical between us. Suffice to say, he'll be eating out of a straw. I also got protection for Sasha and me, in Penguin's territory at least. But in exchange, I have to help him take down Black Mask."

Her eyes went wide. "Are you out of your mind! Penguin is even more dangerous than Black Mask. The police haven't touched him in twelve years, even Batman hasn't put him away. That's no accident."

"He's the boogeyman. I get it. But he's the only person who wants Black Mask dead as much as I do."

"And what will you do when he eventually hangs you out to dry?"

"I'll have tape, video, and everything else in between ready for the police when they scoop us up."

"You really think it's that simple?" she asked.

"No," I admitted, "not unless I give them evidence too big to sweep under the rug."

The lie came easily.

"He'll see you coming from a mile away," Artemis pointed out.

"Maybe," I shrugged. "But it won't matter. It's not like he can get his hands on the evidence unless I want him too." The gun I stole from Tim appeared and disappeared in a flash.

"That won't stop an animal like Cobblepot," she said.

I stood up from the bed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Art. Next thing I know, you'll tell me to drop this Black Mask thing."

Her silence was deafening.

"Then why did you the agree to fucking train me?"

"You know why," Artemis said. "It was a favor to a friend. You have potential, J." She walked over to the bed and sat beside me. "But you're way in over your head. Ed wouldn't want this for you."

She tried touching my hand, but I pulled back, standing up. "What would you know about what Ed wanted? He would've liked not to die a dog's death; he would've liked for me to look after his sister. That fucker Black Mask laughed as he gave the order to execute us while I impotently watched. If my powers had come in a minute faster—" I choked and took a steadying breath before continuing. "I'm going to take down that smarmy prick if it's the last thing I do. And I'll gladly do it with or without your help. You've gone above and beyond, and I'll totally understand if you need to pull out now."

Artemis shot me a deadpan look. "Do you really think you'll get rid of me that easy? Now sit down. And let's come up with a plan that doesn't end up with you dead."

--

"Fucking Gotham," the case detective said to his partner as I walked onto the scene. "When it rains, it pours." The bodies of four dead thugs lay strewn on the floor, their necks opened in a very specific fashion.

"Captain Gordon," his partner Raya straightened when she saw me. "Coroner says you wanted to see it before they moved the bodies."

"It's Szasz, alright." The alley was empty, uniform cops forming a perimeter wide enough to keep away the lookers.

"Should we loop him in on this?" Raya asked quietly, earning a look from her partner.

"You're a detective for fuck sake," Kenny sighed. "Where's your pride? Can't cry for the Bat at the first sign of trouble. He's got bigger fish to fry."

Kenny was harsh, but he had a point. While Batman was undeniably effective, he also made every case he was personally involved with a nightmare to litigate. One step out of place, and they could call for a mistrial.

Still, considering the body count that the psychopath racked last time he was free, I was more than willing to bite the bullet.

"Twenty-four hours, and we light up the signal."

"I think we should make the call tonight," Sasha insisted, and I raised a brow.

"I think Szasz might be grooming somebody to become like him?"

My eyes went wide, and Kenny's expression mirrored mine.

"Where's this coming from?" he demanded, "You know something I don't?"

"I know how you feel about the Batman…I didn't want to bother you with my theories."

Kenny's face was starting to turn red. "And it's okay to bother the fucking commissioner?"

"Chew out your partner in your own time," I said, then turned to Raya. "Why are you convinced we might have a mini serial killer on our hands."

"One of my informants saw the whole thing go down. Apparently, Szasz was being ambushed, and the boy came to his rescue. He managed to take down a single thug before he was overwhelmed himself. Szasz rescued the boy and killed their attackers."

"That's the basis of your hunch?" Kenny scoffed. "Kid could've just been a good Samaritan who got in over his head."

"I would've agreed too," Raya continued, "if he weren't for two other factors. Szasz gave him the knife he committed the murder with, and he's the kid Black Mask is hunting."

"That's a lot of coincidences," I said, rubbing my rough chin, "and you know how I feel about those. The kid might not be a criminal mastermind, but he's not innocent either. Good job, Raya. The lead is worth pursuing… but holding out like that on your partner makes me think you don't trust him, which makes me wonder if there's something else you're not telling me."

Raya blanched and shook her head. "Not at all, Sir. I was just trying to avoid another fight."

"It is your job to fight, piss each other off, and do your jobs anyways," I lectured. "This is Gotham. If you can't take a little heat. You won't survive."

I could see the shiver in Raya's body as she matched my gaze and gave me a firm nod. She was a transfer over from Denver. She did good work but was stuck with a sexist Captain who undermined her at every turn. I hired her on the spot, and I'm glad to have someone bright-eyed enough to move here in the first place.

Then, I turned to her partner, Kenny. The department bulldog. He wasn't the most pleasant man to work with, but damn it if he couldn't work a case.

"Stop being a dick to your partner."

He blinked in surprise and then cracked a smile, giving me a military salute. "Yes, sir."

I turned around, having had just about enough of both of them. With the gang war on the horizon, this was the last thing we needed. The crime rate was steadily rising.

"Are you going to call him?" she asked just before I left the alley.

"See you back at the office, Detective Raya."