'I hate to say it, but I think you need to talk to Montoya.' Luke's the one who finally gives in and voices what they all know to be true. 'Our trail went cold when they burned the car and I have no clue how Mary disabled the tracking bots in Alice's blood. Montoya's GCPD access and her Poison Ivy knowledge could at least help to speed up our next step here.'

Ryan wants to scream. Her head is already full of the things that have gone wrong these last few days, the throbbing possibility of what other horrors await them is almost too much to contain. She has been getting so many things wrong – she can't afford any more mistakes. Sophie is mad at her; Luke is mad at himself; she's their leader and trying so hard not to be mad at the whole damn world like she's still that twelve-year-old girl in some shitty group home that she can't even answer.

Sophie clears her throat, looks quickly at Ryan then straightens her jacket as her eyes move to Luke. 'You two carry on the search from here. I'll go speak to Renee.'

Ryan narrows her eyes, trying to figure out why Sophie's response seems off beyond the fact that Montoya blackmailed her into this mess and not the former crow.

'Renee? I didn't realise you two knew each other.'

'Well like I told you before – there are many things we don't know about each other, Ryan.' Sophie strides purposefully towards the exit before her plan can be challenged, not seeing the turmoil in Ryan's eyes or the way Luke rolls his at them both.

'Ms Moore – back so soon?' Renee cocks one eyebrow and leans back in her chair, eyes trailing up Sophie's body in a slow burn.

'Listen, about – '

'Nuh uh, don't do that. We're not teenagers. By all means separate the business and the pleasure but the awkward dance isn't necessary. We hooked up, it was good – I'd be up for a repeat but I'm not going to be writing angsty poetry about my poor broken heart if it was a one time thing. So,' Renee leans her forearms on the desk, lacing her fingers together in front of her. 'What can I do for you today? Business or pleasure?'

Sophie audibly exhales, shaking her head slightly in disbelief but mostly at the fact that all the tension seems to have left her body. Once again she's struck by the lightness this dark basement space can evoke.

'Business,' she states with a straight face before relaxing even further. 'This time. Although I think we already might have messed up by mixing the two.'

Renee gestures to the seat opposite her and Sophie sits, wasting no time in explaining their situation and the part their dalliance played in Alice getting away.

'Believe it or not, Alice is the least of our problems here. Mary Hamilton is the real danger now. How could Batwoman just leave her with a civilian?'

'Luke's not a civilian, and Mary is our friend, not some deadly Gotham villain who needs locking up! Ryan was trying to do the right thing. Mary needs our help.'

'If she's even Mary anymore – and that's a very big if! Listen, you all need to prepare yourselves for the alternative because we can't afford any more mistakes here. Once that infection fully takes hold, your friend is gone. Forever.'

'So help us find her, please, before it's too late.'

Sophie is on her feet again, wide eyes imploring Renee to give her something, anything, to go on. For a few seconds the Detective just meets her intense look in silence, mind running through the possibilities and complications of any next moves. She knows how this goes when it's someone you love. She knows what it takes, how much someone will allow to happen, how much they'll sacrifice before accepting what needs to be done. What she doesn't know is if Mary Hamilton's people have it in them as she did.

'I'll make some calls, reach out to some people who helped track Pam. You go back to Wilder and focus on the Alice angle. As soon as I have something I'll call you.'

Sophie reaches across the desk to place a hand on Renee's. 'Thank you.'

Within a second Montoya's hand is gone, reaching for the phone, her eyes already on the dial pad as she gives a single nod.

Sophie is relieved to return to the Batcave and find only Luke but then feels childish for even thinking it. And then selfish for thinking of anything at all that isn't Mary right now.

'Anything?' Luke asks, hopeful.

'Not yet. Renee is gonna call as soon as she has anything. You?'

'I'm trying to find a way to get Alice's tracking back online, or at least last known whereabouts but so far I'm getting scrambled readings.'

'What do you mean?'

'See for yourself.' Luke pulls up a map of Gotham and it's surrounding areas, clears it of most landmarks and then presses another key to bring up clusters of glowing dots.

'What am I looking at?'

'Alice, apparently. Or multiple Alice's, spreading out across Gotham and beyond. Not gonna lie – I've had this nightmare before.'

'Haven't we all?' Sophie grimaces but remains focused on the screen, trying to spot some pattern or explanation. 'Could she be hurt?'

'Huh?'

'Alice. The bots are in her blood right? So could she be hurt and leaving a blood trail?'

Luke glances back up at the screen, contemplating Sophie's question.

'The clusters are too random and have no discernable direction.'

'Maybe that's on purpose – throw us off the scent?'

'The clusters are also big. If Alice was leaving that much blood in places I think she'd be dead by now. Mary might not be her biggest fan but she takes her Doctor's oath seriously; she wouldn't just let her bleed out.'

Sophie visibly tenses, unable to hide it.

'Sophie? What?'

She sighs, thinking back to her conversation with Montoya and the gravity in the Detective's voice.

'Mary might not be Mary anymore, Luke. Renee was very clear in making that point and – '

She's interrupted by the ringing of her own phone and she's grateful for it. She didn't want to hear about these possibilities never mind be the one presenting them.

'It's Renee,' she quickly tells Luke before answering. 'Hey, please tell me you got something.'

'A bar down in Buckland got shut down in the early hours due to a bloodbath that started out of nowhere. Local police have been interviewing all day and no one can remember why they were fighting or who started it.'

'Ohhkay…how does this link to Mary?'

'At least half of those involved mention two women from out of town in their statements, but when the police broke up the brawl and sealed the scene the women were gone. One is described as a Doctor with beautiful emerald eyes.'

'Mary doesn't have…' She stops herself because she already knows.

'A truck belonging to one of the barmen has gone missing. I'm texting you the details.'

Sophie doesn't answer, her brain is frozen on the possibility of Mary already being gone and what that means for them all.

'Moore, you there?'

'Yeah, sorry I just – '

'Listen I know it sounds bad but it's not over yet. Pam was in and out for weeks before she gave into the infection completely. The priority here is still to find them, contain them. We'll work the rest out when we know what we're dealing with.'

'We?'

'I've already got some guys looking through street cam footage but something tells me you'll have more luck over there. Keep me updated.'

'I will. Thanks Renee. I'll call when we have something.'

'Oh my God…' Ryan glares across the room, sweat glistening across her collarbone and dripping down into her workout gear.

'It's not as bad as it sounds,' Sophie starts. 'Renee has something –'

'Oh I bet she does, and it's exactly as bad as it sounds.'

'What?' Sophie looks from Ryan to Luke and back in confusion.

'When you said you were asleep – when Alice was able to escape - you didn't mean in your own bed did you?' Ryan is trying for disgust but comes off a little somber.

Sophie sees it, hell she feels it, but she's feeling far too many things at the moment to deal with it and so she bristles defensively.

'You know what Ryan – you have your private matters and I have mine.'

'Except your private matter is the woman blackmailing me and who saddled me with Alice in the first place! Does she know that your little sleepover allowed her to escape? Was it worth it?'

'You don't get to do this, you don't get to put this on me. We wouldn't be where we are right now if it wasn't for you. If you had just paid more attention to the people who've been there for you instead of chasing after the approval of someone who doesn't even deserve you, you might have noticed Mary slipping and Alice's plotting and been where you were damn needed. I wouldn't have been so pissed and alone and drinking on my own and I might not have ended up in bed with another woman when all I really wanted – ' She hadn't planned to go there – her mouth got way ahead of her brain and now she has to clamp it shut to stop it, eyes burning with the added pressure of building words and frustrated tears.

Ryan's face seems to mirror hers as she allows Sophie's words to assault her, breath held in her chest as she rings a towel in her hands. 'I know.'

Not what Sophie was expecting and not something she has a response for. Instead she just lifts both hands palm up, her expression softening into a question.

'My focus has been all wrong and I'm sorry. Mary is family to me and Alice was my responsibility – I shouldn't have expected you to get that.'

'Dammit Ryan –' Sophie sighs loudly. 'You're not hearing me!'

'I hear you, Crowphie, but maybe your Detective just understands you better.'