The "Big Mutant On Campus" Series
By David D. Amaya
Part Eight "A Knight on the Town"
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: As per usual is at the beginning of the journey.
"Hey, kid!" the drunk slurred, poking at Tim. "Ain't it past yer bedtime?"
"Isn't it time you left to sleep off all that cheap beer, buster?" he retorted as he shoved his hand away.
"Whaddaya gonna do, little man?"
"Nothing, if you don't force me to."
Suddenly, a pair of teenagers, one in a Calvin Klein tux and the other in a silk Armani dress, shoved passed the drunk. "Tommy, Paige!" she said draping her arms around them both. "Jay-Jay dear, I found them! Let's blow this popsicle stand you guys!"
They start to leave as a group but the drunk blocks their way. "Who the hell're you?"
"That's my sister and my girlfriend," Jay said. "And that's your clue to leave, cabrón!"
"Who's yer girl and who's yer sister?" he slurred.
"Does it really matter?" Jubilee replied. "'Cause we're both way outta your league. Now do yourself a favor, and go away." She dismissed him with a flick of her wrist. "We are taking young Tommy here to somewhere with a better quality of drunk."
He moved to block their way.
"Who the hell d'you think you are? Nobody talks ta me like that!"
"That's because people avoid you," Tim replied. "You need a shower and your breath stinks like hot garbage."
"Oh, Tommy!" Jubilee ruffled his hair. "You always know just the poetic words to sum up a situation. Now be a dear and lead the way."
They began to leave again but the drunk pushed Jay roughly. "You ain't going anywhere with my bitch!"
Jay's eyes narrowed at his intended victim, his right leg raised behind him. "There ain't anything for you here but heartache and pain, motherfucker! You can walk away now or I'll make you famous!"
"You think you can beat me, Blondie!"
"The only thing gonna beat you, besides me, is the headlights of the ambulance I'll put you in racing your ass to the hospital!"
The drunk balled up his fist and drew it back to strike the young man….
Until Gotham's clumsiest socialite stumbled into him and the pair crashed to the floor.
"Oh, I am so sorry!" Bruce Wayne apologized as the man he fell on the floor and groaned. "I just get so giddy after a few gimlets. Please allow me to help you up."
The drunk just got pissed. "I'm gonna fuck you up, Wayne!" He grabbed one of the broken glasses on the floor and as he stood back up, he held it like a weapon, the jagged edge facing out as he waved it in a menacing fashion towards Bruce and the kids. "Who's first?"
"That would be me."
Turning around to face the voice, he came face to face with Kordel Nichols, who was wearing his badge in the cummerbund of his Christian Dior tuxedo.
"United States Secret Service," he identified himself to the drunk as he took off his jacket. "Drop the weapon and take two steps back! You are inebriated and are under arrest."
The drunk lunged at Kordel and lacerated his arm. Kordel then used his jacket to cover the glass as he wrestled it out of the drunk's grasp, then held him in a hammer lock all the way to the floor as Paige and Jubilee restrained Jason from intervening.
Producing his Service handcuffs, Kordel brought him back to his knees in a control position as Alfred, Barbara, and Dick arrived on the scene.
"Do you know who I am!?" he yelled from his knees. "Do you know who my UNCLE is? My father is friends with the Police Commissioner!"
"You mean your daddy knows THE commissioner of THE Gotham City Police Department!" Barbara said mockingly. "Gee, Richie, if only I knew someone RELATED to the Police Commissioner!" This snarky remark caused Tim and Dick to laugh.
"Do you know this person, Miss. Gordon?"
"Afraid so, Kordel," she admitted. "That's Richard Krol; he's the FORMER mayor's nephew."
"Mr. Grayson, please contact hotel security," Kordel instructed him, "and inform them to contact the Police Department. I am placing this man under arrest."
"I didn't do nothin'! I'll be out in fifteen minutes for D&D!"
"Drunk and disorderly are the least of your concerns," Kordel removed his badge and displayed it closer to his face. "Richard Krol, you are under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon on a federal law enforcement officer!"
He brought him to his feet and began to force him out of one of the nearby side doors to get him away from the crowd into a service hallway as he read him his Miranda rights. The group, hot on the pair's heels, returned into the now crowded hall. Krol slipped away from Kordel's grasp to escape only long enough for him to fall to the ground as Jason stopped him with a knee strike to his solar plexus. Two GCPD officers arrived on the scene along with the hotel's security staff.
"Officers, I am Special Agent Kordel Nichols of the United States Secret Service," he informed them, displaying his badge. "This man is under arrest for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. Please take him into custody."
As the officers took him out of the hallway, Paige noticed;
"Agent Nichols, you're bleeding!"
Barbara took a napkin from a server's tray and wrapped it around the red wound on his right arm. "Are you in pain, Kordel? Do you need to be taken to the hospital?"
"I am quite all right, Miss Gordon," he told her. "I am not seriously wounded. I have been injured in the line of duty on several occasions, though I must admit I was on stand down for the weekend."
"You really should go to the hospital, Agent Nichols," Paige implored her teacher. "That cut looks nasty."
"I shall be fine, Miss Guthrie," he assured her. "The three of you, we are headed back up to the hotel suite. I shall summon the hotel's medical staff from there.
"If it's all the same to you, Kordel," Bruce offered. "I know a doctor that makes house calls."
Half an hour later, Dr. Leslie Thompkins finished suturing Agent Nichols' wounds in the penthouse suite's master bedroom. Bruce, Alfred, Barbara, Dick and Tim waited in the sitting room as Jubilee, Paige and Jason changed out of their formal attire.
"….the incident has been classified by Executive Order 84220," Bruce informed them. "The President's son is attending an undisclosed school under an assumed name since last month."
To the four in the sitting room with him, hearing something others would call "outrageous" would not faze these battle hardened crime fighters, but hearing that a man in the top 25 of the country's wealthiest people protected and rescued the son of President Anthony Parkman was a shock that even they didn't hear every day.
"Goodness!" Barbara exclaimed. "That explains why he was so stiff at the mixer; he has as little respect for the socialite set as you do."
"Whoa, that's major, Bruce!" Tim replied. "Why didn't any of us recognize him? Once we all got back from the Outback you were ready to fly to Washington to help find the Parkman kid."
"He has never allowed himself to be interviewed - not for that incident, not when he was playing hockey for Boston University, and not for his scholarship fund, that's why this year no television crews or reporters were invited inside the after-party mixer, except for Maria Eric of the Gotham Globe, whom I asked as a personal favor to only ask him questions pertaining to the endowment for those reasons."
"Too weird," Dick shook his head. "It's uncanny."
"What is?"
"Look at it like this, Barbara," he continued. "Kordel is all the things Bruce is in public, and everything that he truly is, but carrying a badge, not wearing a mask. He even took a shank to the arm like he does."
"I concur, Master Dick, he did not allow his status to interfere with his since of duty for one moment - so long as that young lady, Miss Guthrie, was unhurt."
"Yeah, about that, that was a good move stepping in like that, Tim."
"What can I say, Barbara. It got us outta there didn't it?"
"Are you sure you're okay, Paige?"
"Yeah, Jubes, I'm all right," she replied as they changed into more comfortable clothes, "I knew there'd be a lot of drunks at that shindig, but I didn't expect that to happen!" Paige shuddered.
"Honestly, if I thought that guy was that much of a creep I'da roasted him with sparks instead of forcing Jay not to kick his butt right away!"
"I was just worried about Mr. Wayne," she said as they left the bedroom joining Jason, who was already changed. "He nearly got hurt because he slipped into that jerk!"
"That drunk fool must have a guardian angel looking after him."
"Why do you say that, Jay?"
Jay raised his knee in the same one leg stance his heel in line with his hand, he reached into the cuff of his Harley-Davidson boot and extracted his switchblade from it.
"Where I'm from, Guthrie, when a lady says 'no,' it means 'NO,'" He clicked the weapon open to emphasize his conviction, but startled Paige in the process. "I'd've carved that on his forehead if Wayne hadn't saved his sorry ass!"
"Didn't Agent Nichols ask you NOT to bring that to Gotham City?"
"One-Time didn't come here unarmed, Cornpone, and I damn sure wouldn't ever enter this fucked up town without being strapped."
"…that's when Alfred called me over. I sent him to get Kordel, but I knew that young man could have done something he might have regretted."
"What do you mean, Bruce?"
"When Krol shoved him, Jason settled into a muay Thai stance. Did you notice he had his slacks tucked into his motorcycle boots, Dick?" he asked. "They weren't when they entered the ballroom earlier this evening. I'm sure he has a knife or a shiv in his right boot. And I'm also positive he was going to use it on Krol."
"So that's why you stumbled into him, Master Bruce. You were saving Krol from himself."
"If I knew he was going to grab that broken glass like he did, I would have done something different, Alfred."
"No, Mr. Wayne," Kordel spoke from the doorway, wearing a white Under Armor shirt. His right upper arm was tightly bandaged. "What you should have done, was keep your distance and be a good eyewitness. He was inebriated and armed with an improvised weapon. He could have injured you severely.
"Thank you, Dr. Thompkins," Kordel said as he wrote something on a business card before handing it to her. "Please send the bill to this address. If there are any concerns, please contact me at the telephone number on the back. Also, please forward the collected debris and the photographs you took to the police forensics laboratory, it may be introduced at trial as evidence." At that moment his students entered the sitting room.
"You're most welcome, Agent Nichols." She then turned to the three Generation X students. "Is anyone else injured, young miss?" She looked over to Paige who shook her head. "Young man?" Jason said no. "Tim?" He also shook his head. "Bruce?" she glared at Bruce the way Kordel does his own students.
"No really, I'm fine," he replied, which the good doctor had a hard time believing. "I just stumbled; I must have tripped over my shoelaces."
"Thank you once again, doctor," Kordel said gently taking her hand in his. "I hope this scratch was no real hassle."
"Scratch, Agent Nichols? I had to remove several slivers of crystal from your right bicep. If that was a scratch, what's a major wound?"
"My last partner was shot thirty times in the line of duty in service to his county, Doctor. He keeps every extracted projectile in a trophy case in his office and utilizes two as a pair of matching cufflinks."
"My, doesn't that sound like someone I've heard of? Thanks for calling me, Alfred," she collected her medical bag. "If that is all, I should be heading back to the clinic. I assume I'll be seeing you very soon, Bruce." With that, she left the Penthouse Suite.
Jubilee clasped her hands together loudly. "Well, that was a fun hoedown! The fancy Hot Pockets were rubbery, the broccoli tasted like turtle slime, the Pineapple ice cream was nice, but that couldda been spicier! Then we have Hayseed get hit on, a drunk get hit back, Secret Agent dude whooped some butt and Jay even got a shot in, and heck, the new kid was first on the scene! Man, I feel left out of all the mayhem!" She lowered her head in shame.
Then she looked out the window and noted that sun was just starting to dip into the western skyline. She clasped her hands again. "But it's just gettin' dark! If we hit the pavement now, we'll have the whole night to get our freak on!"
"Jubilee!" Kordel scolded his student. "Are you forgetting that the two of you are supposed to be penalized for leaving the Academy grounds?"
"After what we just suffered through," Jason remarked. "I think we're even, One-Time! As I recall all you guys got a Danish a piece out of it. What did we get out of this?"
"He paid for our dresses, Jason," Paige reminded him.
"Big deal, Guthrie! I paid for my tux myself! Besides, who do you think paid for those Danishes?" He then heard Alfred clear his throat and he suddenly recalled they were not alone in the suite. "If you guys wanna stay for the later rounds, it's gonna cost you five bucks apiece." The doorbell to the suite broke the uncomfortable silence. Alfred answered the door and Detective Montoya and Barbara's father entered the room.
"Good to see you, daddy," she said as she gave her father a hug and a kiss in the cheek that left Commissioner Gordon blushing and his detective giggling.
"It's good to see you, too, Princess," he then lowered his voice to a whisper, "but please, not in front of the troops!" He then made his way to the man with the bandage on his arm and a fed's badge on his waistband.
"Jim Gordon, GCPD," he said as an introduction, extending his hand. "This is one of my best investigators, Detective Sergeant Renee Montoya, Major Crimes Unit. She will be handling the investigation into this matter."
"Special Agent Kordel Nichols, United States Secret Service," Kordel shook his and Detectives Montoya's hands. "Was the crystal glass Krol used recovered from the ballroom, Commissioner?"
"My CSI boys found it right away, Agent Nichols. When Mayor Hill heard Armand Krol's idiotic nephew threatened several people at a charity event, then assault a Secret Service agent, he asked me to personally supervise the investigation, that's why I put Detective Montoya on this, she is one of my finest officers."
"Why don't we move to the dining table and we can begin the interviews?" Kordel indicated with his left arm.
"It would be best if you accompany us, Downtown, sir," Detective Montoya suggested.
"And while you get grilled for a change, One-Time," Jason countered. "We're gonna hit the bricks - you know, get some air." He dabbed his nose with another spot of Vicks. "And three Brain Freezes, if we can find a Qucki-Mart around here."
"There's one on 12th and Nolan," Tim spoke up.
"You cannot leave, students," he replied. "Detective Montoya will need to interview you as to what happened in the Ballroom."
"I damn sure ain't staying cooped up in here!" Jason responded, "and I'm not going to the Joint willingly!"
"No, that's all right, Agent Nichols," Detective Montoya replied. "CSI has the security footage, and if I need their statements I can arrange for them first thing in the morning."
"You're all outta excuses now, Secret Agent, dude," Jubilee explained to the Federal Officer. "We ain't gonna wait around here for you to get sweated by the Man. And if you stay here, we'd be forced to sneak out when you're not lookin'. So, it's either you wave goodbye to us now, or we pull a disappearing trick faster than you can say, 'A-la-peanut-butter-sandwiches!'"
"The choice is yours, Super Cop," Jay added. "And I don't do anything behind your back 'cause I ain't afraid to do 'em to your face."
"Maybe they're right, Kordel," Bruce spoke up. "And Tim can accompany them - he knows Gotham like the back of his hand. Right, Tim?"
"Why not?" he replied. "This night couldda been worse. I'm in! That is, if they don't mind."
"Of course we don't mind," Paige answered. "Right guys?" When she asked this, her teammates' expressions soured greatly at the mention of a forth musketeer.
Those same expressions told Kordel that, despite their penchant for getting into mischief that Sean had warned him about on countless occasions within in the past month, he was sure that the addition of someone they would not use their mutant gifts around gave him a sense of security.
"Very well, students," he replied. Defeated, again, by these teenagers, he wrote something on a small notepad and then he tossed it to Paige. "Miss Guthrie, please write each of your mobile telephone numbers in case I need to contact you, and also input mine in case you have an emergency and need to contact me."
"If you lads and ladies would like," Alfred spoke up, "I shall procure a rental car for the evening and will have it ready for you within the half-hour at the front entrance."
"Why, thank you, Mr. Pennyworth," Paige replied. "That's so nice of you."
Jason pulled a platinum card out of his wallet, handed it to Alfred, and whispered something in his ear.
"Of course, young man. That can be easily arranged. Timothy, why don't you head downstairs and change into something more appropriate for an evening on the town."
"If that's all settled," Commissioner Gordon started as he opened the door to the foyer, "I think we all should be headed out so you can enjoy the rest of the evening as soon as possible, Agent Nichols."
Several minutes later, the group was all standing outside the Cathedral Square Grand Hotel. Three sedans pulled to the front drive: a 1952 Bentley Mark VI to be used by Dick and Barbara on a dinner date; an unmarked 2009 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor that Detective Montoya was driving to take Commissioner Gordon, Agent Nichols, and Mr. Wayne to GCPD headquarters to be interviewed about the incident in the Ballroom; and a new model Ford Mustang GT Convertible that Alfred had procured for the kids to drive around town.
"See ya later, Secret Agent dude," Jubilee told him as he sat in the back seat of the cop car. "But while you're at the clink, you might wanna make reservations for us, you know, just in case! The Commish here can get us the best cell in the joint, the one with least amount of rats!"
Montoya chuckled at the young mutant's words as Kordel narrowed his eyes at the young pyrotechnic. "Please do not force me change my mind, Jubes!"
"Don't worry, Agent Nichols," Tim told him. "I think we'll just get into typical teenage mischief for a change! I'll call in a few hours to check in, Bruce," he told his mentor and guardian.
"Well, I for one am not worried, Tim," Bruce replied.
"Well, I'd be worried if I were you, mister!"
"Jubilee!"
"I have made reservations for you at La Côte d'Or," Alfred informed Dick and Barbara. "And if, for reasons unforeseen, you two shall require an ensemble of the less then comfortable variety, a matching set shall be in availability in the boot section."
"Thanks, Alfred," Barbara kissed him on the cheek. "but let's hope the Wayne Foundation dinner curse holds up for a change. I hear their Lobster Thermidor is to die for!"
"Well, Jason. What are we going to do now that we're here?"
"The first thing we're gonna do, Guthrie," he explained, "is to get something malnutritious to eat, then gas this sled up and get a round of Brain Freezes. After that we'll go crusin' down the main drag until something better comes our way, and if we're lucky, someone's gonna be stupid enough to try to mug us."
Paige looked shocked at his itinerary.
"Hey, I was just kidding! But not really."
"You do know that Gotham City has the highest crime rate on the Eastern seaboard, Jason?"
"Yeah, I do! But I've survived fifteen foster homes, two orphanages, and Juvie! So I say to Gotham City: Do your worst, if you dare!" he called to the sprawling towers of Gotham. Then he had a revelation. "You know, Guthrie, this is the perfect opportunity to toughen you up!"
"Now that transportation has been arranged for all," Alfred reported to the group, "I shall bid you all a pleasant and uneventful evening."
As the three cars pulled away from the hotel, Kordel could not help feel a pang of dread. The only times he's felt like that was a prelude to weapons being drawn.
"Don't worry, Kordel," Bruce assures the Secret Service agent. "I know Tim will make sure they won't run into trouble."
"I am not concerned that they will run into trouble, Mr. Wayne. What I am concerned with is that trouble will run into them!"
Alfred watched his charges leave to various parts of the city, and he, as they all were, remained unaware that they were being watched by forces in a beat-up Ford Taurus.
"Yeah, boss, he and Wayne left with Gordon headed to lock-up…. I don't know, boss, but I heard some snobs say he knocked out that drunk Krol, so maybe he's getting arrested!…. No, the brats are all in a rental car and headed for Uptown Gotham…. Yeah, boss we're on 'em, you can count on us, Mr. Penguin…. let's go Bobby, I think I know where they're headed to first!"
End of Part four
©David D. Amaya 2013
