Natalie isn't sure what's going on, but she knows it must be bad for her captors. They never brought Melanie in; instead, twenty minutes after one of the goons had been sent out, someone came in and informed Mr. Grey Suit (as she'd come to think of him) that something was wrong. He'd gone out into the hall and spoken with the messenger. There was some kind of heated exchange, but she couldn't really hear it with the door closed. Next thing she knew, an angry Grey Suit ordered that Natalie be returned to her cell and placed under guard. No one, he said, could go in without at least two other people to watch them.
As she was being dragged back to the little room they'd kept her in before, she noticed that people were running around and there was an air of general commotion about the place. She had some idea of what had happened, even though they never told her – Melanie, bless her, had gotten out. Of course they couldn't have known about the intense training she'd been going through for the past several months, or the fact that she was a born and bred thief.
Natalie, waiting in her makeshift holding cell, silently roots for her protégé.
~***~
Melanie, you idiot, Tama thinks just after making the introduction. Since Batman knew they were going to meet Melanie, he certainly knows who Shinobi is now. He'd have to be stupid not to, and hell, Batman's the opposite of stupid as a rule.
She'd like to straighten Melanie out for this, maybe Alex too, but she acts like it's all okay. In both the heroing business and the martial arts it's not a good idea to lose your cool.
"We've met," he says guardedly, looking at Melanie/Shinobi with an expression that Tama can't quite make out because of his mask. She remembers what Melanie told her yesterday – "we were in a relationship." A very serious relationship. Tama did the sane thing and put that conversation in the back of her mind, but now she finds it elbowing its way up front. She pushes it back, telling herself as she does that it's up to her to keep everyone focused.
"Shinobi," Tama says, trying to get down to business and off a very uncomfortable subject, "Where's Natalie now? What's the place like?"
"It's an old car factory several blocks from here," Melanie says. "The guys there've turned it into a kind of undercover military base."
"Who are they? Any idea?" Tama asks.
Melanie shakes her head. "Uh-uh. They look a lot like high-class corporate security – lots of fancy weapons, uniforms, stuff like that. I also saw some computers and communications equipment while I was in there, but I couldn't get a close look."
"We'll figure that out while we're there," Batman says. He obviously wants to take these guys out as much as Tama and Melanie do.
Tama takes his remark as a hint that they should get going. "First we get Natalie out, then we'll find out who those dregs are. And maybe knock their heads together," she adds. Then she turns to Melanie. "You first," she says.
Melanie nods, steps back and lifts her arms. A set of black wings with gray undersides unfold from her back and snap into place. She propels herself into the air with a quick burst of her boot jets, then starts gliding like a large bird of prey. Batman, after watching her for a moment, follows in the same fashion. Tama wills her hoverboard to rise – it's connected to the synaptic links in her suit – and brings up the rear. She presses a button on her wrist to go into blackout mode and flies low over the rooftops so she'll be difficult to see. There are no skyscrapers to dodge behind, no tangles of raised roads and walkways and billboards to disappear into. She feels uncomfortably exposed.
But what she feels really uncomfortable about are her two comrades. She doesn't know how they're going to handle working with each other – or even if they can handle it.
~***~
Terry hopes that Melanie is feeling as nervous and embarrassed as he is. Oh, great, now he's feeling guilty for wishing that on her, too. Part of him hopes that after this thing is over he won't ever see her again. And then there's the other part, which feels miserable at the prospect of never seeing her…
Focus, McGinnis, he tells himself in a very Wayne-like tone of thought. This is about rescuing Natalie from a bunch of thugs (well, maybe they're a cut above thugs) and shutting down their operation. It's not about his and Melanie's sad story. He'll have to work with her and that's what he's going to do.
But can he trust her? Uh-uh. No way. But he doesn't distrust her; she's not really a bad person, and now that she's severed all ties with her parents he knows he's got no reason to be afraid of her. The issue is not whether he trusts her or not, but whether he can trust himself to think clearly while he's working with her. Yeah, he can do that.
Up ahead Melanie touches down on the sloping, corrugated-steel roof of an old factory and hides in the shadows between smokestacks. Terry joins her and Kitsune follows a few seconds later. "That's the place," Melanie whispers, pointing to a large complex a few buildings away. Terry focuses on it so that the visual equipment in his cowl will zoom in. It's obviously from the 2010's or 2020's, when industrial companies were starting to draw warehouses, manufacturing facilities and administrative offices together into one connected unit – this complex is a precursor to the kinds of buildings that now house Wayne Industries, Foxteca and the like.
Something catches Terry's eye. He focuses in on it, his vision zooming closer. The thing is a person, walking around the complex and keeping close to the shadows. He's kind of hard to see because of the dark, the distance and the gray clothing, but he's definitely there. And he's carrying an assault rifle.
"Listen," Kitsune says, speaking quietly even though there's nobody nearby to hear. "You two have camo. I don't. Maybe I should distract them while you break in."
Terry nods. It sounds like a perfectly good strategy to him.
"Just be careful," Melanie says.
"Of course," Kitsune reassures her. "I'll go out first – then you fly in." Kitsune's hoverboard, which was floating just a few centimeters above the roof during this conversation, slowly moves downward until it clears the corrugated-steel surface. Then she pilots a crooked course toward the industrial complex. Halfway there her blackened suit and board resume their original bright colors, and she makes a beeline for the center of the complex. A few moments later Terry can see muzzle flashes and hear the sound of gunfire. He sees Kitsune swooping around, dodging shots and presumably knocking a few heads.
"Let's go," Melanie says, startling him. As he turns to look at her she touches something on her belt, then shimmers and fades. Terry can still see her on infrared, but not in the visible spectrum. She takes off from the roof and spreads her wings.
Terry takes a deep breath, turns on his own camo, and follows her.