a/n: hi all,

Thanks for hanging tight an extra week for this update - hopefully it makes up for the wait.

Cheers,

EQT.95


Kate gasped awake, her eyes wide as she tried to identify her surroundings. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and her arm reached up instinctively to fight before her gaze focused on a familiar look of concern.

"Wh… what happened?"

"Fear toxin," Luke said simply. "They busted your mask."

Kate lifted herself from the table and looked around at their surroundings. She was in the bat cave, but the last thing she remembered was sneaking her way into one of the handful of greenhouses they'd uncovered over the last few weeks. It had been a standard set-up: she would investigate to confirm its existence and, depending on its state, destroy it, capture anyone working there or, as a backup plan, ensure the GCPD and Crows were tipped off to raid the space.

"But how - what am I doing back here?" Kate asked, her brain stretching for a memory. The last thing she remembered clearly was the sound of the strike of metal on metal followed by gunfire.

"They only cracked your mask, so you must not have inhaled too much. You were responsive for a while, and you managed to make your way toward Wayne Tower. It was only the last bit of the trip you needed an extra hand," Luke explained loosely. He knew anything more extensive would be ignored by Kate.

"Thanks," Kate nodded, understanding Luke had intervened.

"Kate… uh, look, it's none of my business, but the things you were saying… well they wer-"

"Nothing. It was nothing," Kate said coldly, feeling a vulnerability at what Luke might have heard. She couldn't remember what she said, but the memories and images that the toxin brought up lingered on the edge of her mind.

"Between last time and tonight… If you ever want to talk abo-"

"Luke, enough," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the makeshift bed.

"You shouldn't be getting up; you're in no condition to-"

Luke paused when Kate's glare landed on him. He sighed in submission as he tamped down his feelings of frustration and concern for Kate. She lifted herself from the horizontal surface, pausing only a moment as she collected herself from the dizzy spell that came with it.

"Did you manage to call in the Crows?" Kate asked as she walked over to the computer setup.

Luke stared back in surprise. "What?"

"The greenhouse. Did you have the Crows or GCPD pick it up?"

Luke's mouth remained open in shock. "I… no, Kate, I was a little more concerned about you in the moment."

"You said I was responsive," Kate shot back in annoyance. She let out a sigh of frustration. "Great, so they got away."

"I thought you were going to die."

"And for that you decided to forgo the mission?" Kate asked, her eyes narrowed into a scowl.

"Are you - are you serious? Do you even hear yourself anymore, Kate? We'll get them another time."

"Yea? And how many more times do you think we have until we'll get them?"

"Well it would have been none if you wound up dead," Luke nearly shouted.

Kate rolled her eyes, missing the frustration in Luke's voice. "We need to track them again. I want to catch these guys tonight."

"No," Luke replied simply as he took a breath to keep his own anger in check.

"Excuse me?"

"This… I… I need you alive if we're going to keep, and - and, no. Not tonight. You need to rest."

Kate stared back in angry surprise. The last three months had produced this flavor of conversation on countless occasions, and Kate was getting fed up with it.

"People are getting hurt, and no one is being stopped," she said slowly through her clenched jaw. "The Crows finally have a path toward weaponizing themselves, but they aren't doing enough."

"No. You can't guilt me into this, Kate. You're getting reckless an-"

"Reckless? No, I'm doing what needs to be done because no one else in this city is lifting a finger about it. Do you know the Crows still aren't using the rai-"

"And dangerous," Luke continued, ignoring Kate's familiar response. "You're erratic and getting people hurt."

"And you're being hyperbolic. The ones getting hurt are the one's standing in my way."

"Kate, I hear the bones crack through the mic."

"So because a few bad guys need a cast for six weeks, you think I'm being dangerous and erratic? Do I need to remind you these are the same people bringing chaos to the streets every night?"

"I know what they're doing, Kate, but you aren't them. You've become this… this-"

"This 'what'?" Kate asked, her voice challenging as she glared at Luke from across the batcave.

"Look, this is now the second time you've been hit with Fear Toxin. The first time y-"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You're rattled, Kate. You've lost your edge. I can't imagine what the toxin brings up, but you… you haven't been the same. I see it in how you're performing."

"I don't need this from you, Luke."

"Well… get used to it. Because… Kate, because something needs to change, or I'm done. You want to create your own mayhem? Fine. But I'm out. I'm not going to watch you kill yourself. I… I can't do this anymore."

"Have it your way," Kate muttered as she grabbed her mask and exited.


"It's not ready."

"What do you mean it's not ready? Hamilton authorized it with the go-ahead weeks ago," Jacob hissed.

"Are we really going to run through this again? A fifty percent success rate is not a tool I'm willing to make as the last line of defense between a Crow and these guys. Even Hamilton isn't ready to sign off on this," Sophie shot back across the board room table.

"So give everyone two," Jacob replied dismissively.

Sophie's brow narrowed in annoyance at Jacob's unyielding defiance. "It takes nearly ten seconds to charge. You think in a life or death situation our team has an extra ten seconds to spare?"

The argument was circular and unmoving. Ever since the press release had been issued, there was growing pressure from the City's politically powerful to get the rail guns into the hands of the Crows. Any delay fueled into the narrative that the City wasn't doing enough to protect its people. For Jacob and half the board, this hurt their ability to position the Crows as Gotham's savior in light of GCPD lacking access to the same weapon. They were also hoping to take advantage of Batwoman being on the outs with public favor. For Sophie and the other half of the board, they were interrogating the short and long term effect a failed execution could have. For Sophie it was in the value of lives, for the board it was in the value of the company.

Each week the board had scheduled emergency meetings to discuss the progress of the rail gun technology. It was becoming clearer and clearer that Hamilton had cut corners in the initial production of the gun. This resulted in regular malfunctioning. When a Hamilton representative came into the board meeting two weeks ago, they advised they hadn't complied with every component of the provided blueprints. Originally they saw the inclusion of a component as being unrelated to the gun's operation.

"When our team reviewed it, we saw these as… as an appendix; no one knew why it was there, but it didn't look like it assisted in the gun's operation. In our reverse engineering of the blueprints, our team concluded as much, and removing it cut down the development timeline by two weeks."

"And now?" Sophie pressed.

"Well, honestly, we're still not sure why, but the gun works with this added back in."

"So what's the timeline," Jacob asked gruffly, clearly perturbed at the delays.

"We've got the prototype working. If we undertake the same round of tests it's-"

"No, no. We don't have time for tests," Jacob interrupted.

"Is Hamilton willing to put its reputation on the line without proper testing?" Sophie followed up, her glare set on Jacob's red-faced reply.

"I… no ma'am. We are doing our very best to get it working as quickly as possible."

"Well clearly not fast enough," Jacob growled.

"I think if there's one lesson we've learned, it's that fast doesn't always give the best results. Wouldn't you agree, Jacob?" Sophie said.

Over the last three months, Sophie had gone toe-to-toe with Jacob on more occasions than she could recall. She was certain her willingness to challenge him was half the reason she'd held onto the position of Lead Crow for that time. While much of the board was on Jacob's side about expediting the release of the rail gun into the hands of the Crows, they were reluctant to do it too prematurely. Sophie's steady hand in the situation calmed them of this fear, but even the most conservative of board members were getting antsy to see progress.

"Fine, we greenlight when Hamilton greenlights," Jacob gave in.

"No," Sophie replied.

"No?"

"We greenlight when we've tested and trained on our end. Hamilton committed to finalizing tests this week. They've hedged and expedited production at risk; if all goes well we will have the first batch of rail guns in the Crows facility first thing Monday. We've outlined a training strategy with Hamilton to get the Crows up to speed on its operation. Once completed, then we greenlight."

"But we are-"

"I agree with Ms. Moore," Cobblepot said, interrupting Jacob's objection. Jacob and Sophie both turned in surprise toward the line of board members who had remained unusually quiet all meeting.

"Excuse me?" Jacob pressed. "You expect me to just let these madmen continue running through the streets for another week?"

"That is exactly what I expect you to do. The City has established curfew, introduced checkpoints throughout the boroughs, and established protocol for the citizens of Gotham to follow. It is the people's responsibility to live in a defensive state and maintain their own safety until we can intervene. We will not risk this company's future on half-assed technology that shutters our doors forever. As a founding member, I feel like this shouldn't be something I have to explain to you, Jacob."

Jacob gaped in surprise at Cobblepot's assertions. His face turned a deep shade of red as he realized the room was in agreement with Cobblepot.

"Fine, but any death between now and then is on all of your hands," he spat as he rose from his seat and marched out of the room.


Mary was alone in the clinic sanitizing medical instruments before locking up for the night when the all-too-familiar shadow appeared out of the corner. "You know, if this wasn't like, the hundredth time you'd done that, I'd probably die of a heart attack."

"Sorry, it's just habit now."

"Yea, well, maybe try using the front door when you stop by here."

Batwoman smirked, "Yes ma'am."

"So what is it this time?" she asked, collecting a tray of instruments and restocking them on a shelf, "bad guy with a bullet? Need another vat of fear toxin remedy? Chicken pox?"

"Uh, no, I'm looking for something a little more straightforward than that. I was hoping I could use your services to build out some... preventative measures."

"Does Batwoman need a check up?" Mary asked, a slight edge to her tone.

"Not exactly… hey, is everything ok?"

"Yea, fine," Mary retorted.

"If I'm asking for too much Mary - if you'd rather not be involved in this, just say the word."

The reality was the last three months Kate had been dancing around what her and Mary both knew: Kate was Batwoman, but she couldn't drum up the courage to out herself and risk Mary being explicitly involved.

"You know I'm involved either way, right?" Mary said, responding to Kate's comment but also responding as though reading Kate's thoughts.

"But you didn't ask for this, either," Kate offered as apology. "That said, your work with the remedy has helped hundreds. You were smart to bring it to Hamilton Dynamics after the first batch of… of-"

"Medicinal hooch?" Mary offered.

Kate chuckled. "Yea, that works."

Mary's scowl softened at this.

"Well, don't just stand there. What do you need?" Mary continued, as though the challenge of Kate's words encouraged her to prove she was committed to helping Batwoman.

"Uh… right, uhm - adrenaline. I need adrenaline shots."

"For who?"

"Me."

"But why? I thought you had that," Mary lifted hands to cover her face, "that mask thing."

Mary made light with her gestures, but her voice revealed the worry she felt at Batwoman's words.

"Had a bit of a problem with it the other night," Kate admitted lightly. In reality she'd had more than a problem: the masked goons were getting more brazen in their successes, and that meant they were taking on riskier attacks. It was complete luck that she managed to escape alive before she became paralyzed in her own fears. Since then she'd played it safe, keeping a distance until the mask could be repaired, but she didn't want to take any chances. With Luke's begrudging attitude toward Kate's activities, she needed to make sure she had her own back-up plan.

"Keeping a few doses on you isn't a bad idea," Mary finished. "You're right." Mary paused in thought, "the problem is I don't have anything here. I'll stop by the hospital tomorrow and grab what I can."

Kate relaxed. Mary's goodness knew no bounds. This wasn't a small ask. Sure, she had cooked up an unregulated antidote hacked together by Batwoman's predecessor, but this wasn't any less risky.

"That - that would be great, thank you."

"Of course," Mary responded, looking at Batwoman directly for the first time since she'd arrived. A glimpse of disappointment shown through her agreeableness, "Stop by tomorrow night for them."

Kate paused, evaluating her next words carefully before letting them loose: "Or you could swing by The Hold Up instead. Maybe we could grab a drink together."

Mary froze, one arm raised to shelve a container of unused surgical suture. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Unless you're busy?" Kate offered.

"Y-you… Kate?"


"This is insane. I knew it!" Mary said for what felt like the twentieth time. She was sitting with Kate and Luke in a completely vacant Hold Up. The space was empty and not set to open for another hour which gave Kate the time she needed to catch Mary up to speed.

When Mary had appeared an hour earlier, she wasn't surprised to see a very skeptical Luke sitting next to Mary. After time and two rounds of drinks, Luke finally appeared convinced Mary knowing was a good idea. His immediate concerns were warranted and legitimate, but his stance shifted. For all of his hesitations, the reasons made sense: having someone with proper medical training meant he wouldn't have to continue stitching Kate after unsavoury run-ins. Mary, for her part, was handling the news well. After a thirty minute monologue from Kate and frequently inserted asterisks from a hesitant Luke, the trio were on the same page about Kate's secret identity.

"And Sophie?" Mary asked expectantly.

Kate and Luke shared a confused look at this.

"What about Sophie?"

"She knows too, right?"

"S-Sophie doesn't know. Why would you think that?" Luke asked in surprise.

"Because she told me she knew months ago! I assumed you were just leaving me in the dark because you didn't trust me."

"Oh, that," Luke sighed. "We took care of that," he said before launching into the memory of a Batwoman-clad Julia.

"So when's the next mission? Do I need like, a password or something to get in?" Mary asked, making reference to the mysterious batcave sitting below Wayne Tower Kate had described earlier.

"Uh, well, we… we don't really have 'missions' per se. We just sort of, do research until we find something and then-"

"And then we track them. It's not really planned."

"Oh… so what should I do?" Mary asked, slightly disappointed.

"You should keep up appearances and stay on schedule. Half the trick is keeping your cover," Kate advised.

Mary moaned in frustration. "So that means I have to go to my lecture tonight?"

Luke offered Mary a small smile as he nodded his head, "Yes, you should go to class, Mary."

Mary gave a small sigh before knocking back the rest of her drink. "Well, guess that means I should get going. It starts in ten minutes."

"We should probably get back anyway," Kate offered in consolation.

Luke watched Mary slip her jacket on and reach for her back.

"Kate, actually, can you hold back a second," Luke called lightly. Kate glanced between Mary and him before Mary gave a nod of approval.

"It's fine - I've gotta run. We can chat more later," Mary said, buttoning up her jacket.

"Sure thing," Kate smiled back.

Luke's smile remained on his face until the door closed behind Mary and he let it fall, revealing his true feelings.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Kate asked, surprised.

"You gave me no warning. You never once mentioned telling Mary."

"You seemed pretty supportive of it two minutes ago."

"That's not the point. You-you just threw me into this."

"You say that like this isn't how everything has gone."

Luke gaped back at Kate before sliding his fingers under his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"What do you think this is, Kate?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who am I to you? Am I… am I just your goon who clicks away behind a screen or-or what?"

"We're partners," Kate said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right," Luke said, nodding in disbelief. "So you making a decision like this - bringing Mary into the team-"

"Do you disagree?" Kate shot back.

"What? No, but-"

"But what? You don't disagree so what's the problem?"

"This is not how people work together. This… Kate, this isn't how people communicate."

"Well you've benched yourself this last week, so when was I supposed to have a pow-wow with you?"

"I…" Luke sighed in frustration. "Kate, I just… I'd like to know before you blow your cover to someone."

"And I don't see how you knowing before or after the fact matters."

Luke's face fell at Kate's words. "It… it matters, Kate. And if I need to explain why it matters, we aren't on the same page," he said, gathering his own jacket from the adjacent table.

"Where are you going?"

"I… I don't know. Somewhere else," he said, shrugging the jacket on.

"But we're still scouting out the docks tonight, right?"

Luke froze, his face a mix of frustration and confusion. "Wh-Kate… no."

"But what abou-"

"Kate, I think we need a minute apart. I think… I think I need to reevaluate my role in this-"

"Your role? What the hell does that mean, Luke?"

"You are utterly impossible to work with right now. You aren't operating like a team; you're functioning like a one woman show on a rampage to fix all of Gotham's problems, but you can't do it alone. And until you realize that… until you recognize that this needs to be a team effort, I can't… I just can't keep doing this. You're putting yourself in danger, and you've completely vetoed my voice in anything."

"That's not true-"

"Isn't it? Other than using me as your research boy, when was the last time you actually took my advice? Actually, no, not even that. When was the last time you listened to my advice?"

"That's not fair-"

"No, what's not fair is arrangement, Kate. I've been saying it for weeks, and I'll say it again because I doubt you've once heard it: you seem hell bent on getting yourself killed, and you're cutting corners that's going to make sure that happens. You want to nab these guys so badly? Fine, be my guest. But then you'll be the one doing the searching."

"But Luke, you and I both know I can't do this myself. I need you for this."

"While I appreciate the admission, that's not enough right now," he said with a level of finality as he navigated around the table toward the same door Mary had exited minutes earlier.


"I just got a call from my contact at Hamilton."

"And?"

"It passed," Paulie said enthusiastically. "They're sending over the two prototypes tonight for us to begin training over the weekend.

Sophie forced a smile at this. "That's great news."

"Do you want me to tell Agent Kane?" Paulie asked, trying to read Sophie's expression.

"No, no, I'll tell him. We need to discuss the training protocol anyway. I'm sure Agent Kane will have his own opinion or two about the methodology."

"Right, sure," Paulie nodded in understanding. He stepped toward the door before pausing. "You… you don't really want this in the field, do you?"

"Sorry?"

"The rail gun."

"Would I have handed Hamilton Dynamics the technology if I didn't?" Sophie asked, looking up from her desk at the ginger.

"With all due respect, ma'am… yes, I think you would."

"And why would you think that?" Sophie challenged, her brow furrowed in surprise.

"Because I think that's the kind of leader you are," he said before exiting.


Kate felt the heavy bass drown out her thoughts as she bussed the bar, bringing forgotten empty glasses to the sink for cleaning. Her mood hadn't lightened after her confrontation with Luke. Although, she knew her mood had generally been unchanged for the last few weeks from edgy annoyance. With every new attack and every new victim, she felt her patience diminish to a point where, if she wasn't actively chasing these goons, it was a minute wasted. To have Luke not only challenge that but to hinder its progress didn't sit well with that current level of impatience.

They both knew she was lousy at technology, and without Luke around she'd be completely in the dark, so when he left without another word, she all but chalked the night up as a loss. Kate couldn't stand the thought of going home and being alone with her thoughts for an entire night, and Jenn's timely arrival to get the bar ready for opening gave her the excuse she needed to stay around. It wasn't as productive as a night looming over the rooftops of Gotham, but she took advantage of her option to linger around the bar all night.

She slipped past Jenn for the eighth time that night with an armful of glasses when a familiar face caught her eye. Kate watched Renee for a moment as she interacted with the stranger next to her. They were all the classic signs of flirting, and Kate couldn't help but cock her head in confusion. She watched Renee shoot and miss as the other woman politely rejected her before wandering back to her friends. Renee visibly sighed as she glanced up and caught Kate's look.

"Oh what? It's been months," Renee complained at Kate's questioning stare.

"Sorry?" Kate asked, feeling a small surge of anger build up at what she had just witnessed.

Renee was about to repeat her sentence at a higher volume when she realized Kate's look of confusion was not from the heavy base reverberating through the space. It was for something else entirely.

"She didn't tell you."

"Who is 'she'?" Kate shouted over the music, her suspicion of Renee not waning.

Renee sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Can I get a margarita?"

"Sure."

"Thank you," Renee sighed.

"After you explain."

"I don't really think-"

"I'll have Jenn make you a double," Kate offered sarcastically, dangling Renee's love of a strong drink in front of her.

"Sophie."

"What?" Kate looked back in more confusion.

"We broke up."

"Oh."

"You're telling me she didn't tell you."

"We haven't chatted in a while."

"That feels like an understatement. When was the last time you talked to her?" Renee asked in genuine surprise.

Kate shook her head. "Not since… well, not since that night."

"But that… that was what… three months ago?"

Kate shrugged indifferently, but the look of surprise lingered long enough for Renee to see it.

"Maybe you should have Jenn make two," Renee called back.

"I should get back to work. This round is on me," Kate shouted back before stepping away to grab Jenn's attention. Renee watched Kate's lips move and her head nod toward Renee before she slipped out from behind the bar toward the back.

Renee flagged Jenn over once Kate was out of sight, shouting a single amendment: "make it two."


"This is amazing," Renee gaped as she slipped behind the public realm of the bar.

"What are you doing back here?"

"You should turn this space into something," Renee continued, remarking at the high-ceilinged back room. "You could have a second bar back here along that wall. It would increase your max occupancy."

"Wha-who let you back here?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to fire her?"

"Jenn," Kate answered simply.

"You looked like you could use a drink."

Kate didn't respond, instead sliding a few out of place boxes against the wall as Renee hopped up onto a crate, margaritas in hand.

"Maybe even turn this into more of a lounge space, you know? The acoustic separation is surprisingly legit. I can barely hear the DJ. Throw in a few tables and you've tapped into a whole other market," Renee began again after a moment of silence.

"And here I thought you were just a simple cop. I didn't realize you were an interior designer by night."

Renee shot Kate a quick scowl before shrugging. "Sometimes a quiet space is better."

Renee watched Kate continue to pace around the room for a silent minute, taking a sip from her oversized margarita. "Do you ever sit still?"

"What?"

"I feel like you're always moving. Come to think of it, I've never seen you sleep."

"That's such a weird thing to say. Do you watch everyone you know sleep?"

"Oh, er, no, but, I just mean, the only time I've… well you were awake in the middle of the night and then up before I woke up the next morning."

"So?"

"Do you have insomnia or something?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"So is that a yes?"

"I go out a lot. Day naps are a thing," Kate replied casually, walking over to Renee.

"I told her to make you a double, but Jenn insisted on a half-portion," Renee said as Kate accepted the margarita from her outstretched hand, taking a sip of it before grimacing slightly.

"This is basically just tequila-"

"With a splash of lime. Yea, Jenn does it right."

"This has more salt than lime-"

"And more tequila than glass."

"Explains why I'm losing money every Tuesday," Kate muttered, scowling at the drink. "We may have to adjust the two-for-one promos."

Renee laughed lightly before taking another sip. She smacked her lips in delight.

Kate leaned against the crate, staring absentmindedly at the array of boxes.

"So are we going to talk about the elephant, or did you just bring me back here for a quick make out session?" Renee asked lightly.

"I didn't invite you back here."

"You sure?"

Kate stared blankly at Renee's ability to weave her way into a conversation. She was a curious character, and the lighthearted way with which she jumped from topic to topic caught Kate off guard, but, more importantly, it distracted her from the thoughts circling in her own head.

"Because if it's the latter, we're gonna need another drink-"

"Ouch," Kate remarked.

"For you," Renee finished.

"Your sense of humor is…"

"Amazing? I've been told."

"Really self-deprecating," Kate observed.

Renee shrugged lightly. "I grew up with a lot of older brothers. The best strategy to combat them was to come up with the punchline before they could. That way it's still funny and they can't take credit."

"Smart."

"So."

"So?"

"You and Sophie."

"I don't know what to tell you. There isn't anyth-"

"Yea, yea, so I keep hearing. But Kate, tell me, why are you so against fighting for her?"

"Who says I should?" Kate replied, the words slipping out before she could stop herself. Renee was good at bringing a lightness to the conversation, but that didn't change the feelings Kate had been fighting for years, and somehow the combination of the two just spelled disaster in her honesty category.

Renee paused, staring into Kate's face. She was good at hiding things, but Renee was beginning to appreciate the moments that Kate's facade cracked.

"You haven't forgiven her."

"That isn't… that's not," Kate began, wanting to deny Renee's words but lacking the fight to execute. She felt a sudden wave of exhaustion at the thought of playing this role again.

Renee watched Kate's internal struggle play out, suddenly seeing Kate in a different light. There was an unexpected vulnerability in it.

"You still love her."

"I don't ha-"

"Kate, you still love her," Renee repeated, as though trying to remind Kate of that fact, "but you don't know if you can trust her again. You haven't forgiven her for Point Rock, right? That's what keeps holding you back-"

"I think yo-"

"And honestly, I get that," Renee interrupted. "I can't really imagine it, but I get it. It'd be hard after… well, after what happened. But Kate… that was what, like, thirty years ago, right? And look, I didn't know Sophie Moore from school, but I doubt she's the same Sophie Moore we both know today."

"What exactly did she tell you?" Kate asked, suddenly vulnerable to how much knowledge Renee carried.

"All of it."

Kate felt her chest tighten at this. Only three people on the planet knew 'all of it': her, Sophie, and Melvin. If Renee was serious, it meant she had joined a very small circle of shared knowledge.

"I think you've had one too many of Jenn's margar-"

"Tell me I'm wrong."

"I…" Kate sighed into silence, trying to find a distraction in some adjacent box.

"You're good at keeping up appearances, I'll give you that. If Sophie hadn't told me, I wouldn't have pieced it together."

"Then I'm sure you'll also have realized I'm not interested in talking about it," Kate said simply, bringing the over-tequilaed drink to her lips and instantly regretting it.

"Yea, that… that part was easy."

Renee watched Kate in silence, taking in the glimpses of emotion that slipped through her practiced expression until it faded entirely.

"It's not a bad idea," she said after a minute.

"What isn't?" Renee asked, her finger running over the salted edge of the glass.

"A second space. The permits allow for double the current occupancy, and this space is actually way cooler than the front."

"Is Kate Kane taking my suggestion?" Renee asked half in joke and half in surprise.

Kate scowled, "I'm not taking it; I'm considering it."

"Hmm," Renee replied, tossing back the rest of her drink. "I need a top up. Anything for you?"

"I'll go," Kate offered, beginning to lean forward when Renee's hand pressed her in place.

"No, I've got it. You got the last round. What're you having? I assume this isn't your cup of tea," she said, taking the glass from Kate's hand and draining the rest of its abysmal volume.

Kate hesitated before folding, "Lagavulin."

"What?"

"That 'crap' you can't stand the smell of."

"First, 'lalavin' is not a real word."

"And second?"

Renee paused for a moment before grinning.

"You didn't have a second."

"Nope."


"So it's pretty straightforward with two exceptions," the technician from Hamilton was explaining to Sophie and Jacob.

"And those are?" Jacob asked, holding one of the two prototypes between his fingers.

"Uh, sir, can I ask you to lower that until I've finished explaining?"

"Son, I've handled more varieties of weaponry than you can count. I don't think there's anything to worry about," Jacob replied, ignoring the technician's pleading face.

He glanced at Sophie, hoping she might intervene. Sophie rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Agent Kane, please comply with every instruction provided by the Hamilton technicians. They're only trying to do their jobs-"

"Well so am I," Jacob remarked flatly.

"Yes, and we all see that you're very good at holding a gun. Now, please put it down until directed to do so," Sophie replied dryly.

He sighed before dropping his arms and placing the gun back on the table, but a muffled snicker from the Crows popcorn gallery lingering on the wall did not help temper Jacob's frustrations at taking orders from Sophie. The technician offered a brief smile of thanks to Sophie before the glare from Jacob scared it away.

"Uh, r-right, so, two things: one is this safety feature. It's a two-step process with an optional third. The first step requires you toggle this lever in front of the trigger. It's a small measure and simple enough to do if you know where it's at. The second is that your thumb must be placed here," he said, pointing to a patch on the grip, "to release the charge."

"And the third?" Sophie asked, noting the operation was quite simple.

"Fingerprint identification. We can have all guns registered to specific users so only they can use them. It… it will take another day or two to process, but basically this patch where the thumb goes also doubles as the reader-"

"No," Jacob said simply.

"But it would ensure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands," the technician said quickly. "And yes, it's an extra delay to the timeline bu-"

"No, Agent Kane is right," Sophie said, masking her disappointment as best she could.

"Thank you Agent Moore," Jacob replied with a tone of sarcasm and surprise.

"But-"

"Over half the force wears gloves. We can't have a feature that doesn't work for half the field agents," Sophie explained.

"Oh," the technician replied. "Well, in that case, we can move on and talk about the gun's operation."

"Three hours later," Jacob muttered under his breath.

"Er… right, so, the rail gun's mark is designed for very accurate targeting. Think of a rifle over a musket. While the blast seems large, it is incredibly focused, and it means a far more concentrated hit and capable of ripping through the bulletproof suit."

Sophie flinched slightly at the technician's description.

"Care for a demonstration?" the technician asked.

Jacob nodded enthusiastically as the technician stepped up to a line and pointed the gun at a mannequin clad in a set of armor taken off one of the handful the Crows had apprehended over the last two weeks.

"Now, to charge, I need to cock the gun," he continued, sliding a tab into place. "This will set it to charge. Every gun is capable of firing five times before it needs recharging, so these should not be used like normal guns."

"Any more disclaimers?" Jacob sighed in annoyance at this news.

"Uh…"

"Please continue," Sophie intervened again, scowling at Jacob who shrugged indifferently.

"Right, so, uh, the-the charge. By now the gun will have charged and is ready to fire. The gun is unable to fire with a partial charge, so please keep this in mind: it takes approximately eight seconds to charge. It will also only hold for a maximum of thirty seconds, so carrying a constant charge is not possible."

"So by now you've already lost the charge," Jacob interrupted again.

"Yes, Agent Kane, and if you keep interrupting, we won't get a single shot fired off tonight," Sophie cut in.

Jacob waved at the technician to continue.

"Uhm, right, so, I'll set it to recharge and… well, apologies, I'm not a very good shot but…" he mumbled nervously before taking aim after a few seconds.

The line of Crows watched as the technician fired the rail gun toward the mannequin. For all of his nervousness, his shot was on target, and the blast did exactly what he promised: it tore through the suit and shattered the mannequin.

Sophie stared in stunned amazement as the armour remained fairly intact save a single penetration that pierced through both sides of the armor. A feeling of horror cut through her as she noted the look of victory on Jacob's face.


"Ta da!" Renee shouted. "It's practically done. You could open tomorrow."

Kate smirked at Renee's enthusiasm. "It needs a lot more than a few chairs and crates."

"Where is your imagination, Kane?"

"I…" Kate faltered, her tongue slow from the three empty glasses that lined the crate next to her.

"Maybe some paint. How do you like mauve?"

"Is that a joke?" Kate asked as Renee joined her on the crate.

"You had paint samples," Renee clarified.

"Three months ago," Kate reacted in surprise.

"I'm all about the long joke," Renee replied easily.

"Your attention to detail is almost annoying," Kate admitted with a smile.

"Says you and every one of my exes," Renee giggled into the dredges of her latest margarita.

"Another?"

"Not until we finish the bar," Renee said, nodding toward the half-assembled set of boxes that made up the imaginary counter.

"You're not serious," Kate said, her tone only half-annoyed at Renee's insistence.

"One hundred percent," Renee called back as she scurried over to the other side of the space. "Come on, we don't have all night."

"Don't we?" Kate asked as she wandered over.

"And let you miss out on a night of clubbing? Not a chance," Renee said easily, her words and the margaritas beginning to jumble together.

"What?"

"It's Friday night, Kane. Are you telling me you don't have plans on a Friday night?"

"Would you believe me if I said 'no'?"

Renee peered over the boxes at Kate's honesty. It had slowly unfolded as the night progressed. "Actually, yes. Now, help me with these."

After a few more minutes Renee finally let up and surveyed their work.

"Now, it's clear you lack imagination, so allow me: the wooden flooring will stay as is. It has that grungy warehouse feel. The ceiling is too high to have fixtures attached there; it would ruin the intimate mood, so obviously a series of pendant lights would be best. And then for the seating, along this wall should be booths - a nice U-shape for groups. How do you feel about red?"

"Red, uh, red is good."

"Great, I think a nice deep red… vinyl? Fuck it, you're rich, let's make it leather," Renee rattled off energetically. She turned back to Kate toward the main space. "And in the middle can be-"

Instead of delving into the details of tables, she was cut off mid-sentence by the shock of Kate's lips on hers. Before she could react Kate pulled back briefly. A silence lingered, but Kate's eyes were set on hers, asking what was left unspoken.

Renee's eyes widened in slight surprise before the three drinks answered for her as her lips melted into Kate's. She felt her breath catch as Kate leaned in, her hand reaching up to Renee's cheek. It was an unexpected tenderness that quickly evolved into something more, and Renee let Kate lead her backwards until a wall sandwiched her against Kate's hands.

Renee's own hands, hesitant at first, began wandering over Kate's body, pulling at her waist as Kate deepened the kiss. A small moan escaped her which only encouraged Kate along. She felt her bottom lip pinch between Kate's teeth before her lips left hers to trail along Renee's jawline.

"You are... a surprisingly good kisser," Renee muttered out of breath.

"That's not all I'm good at," Kate whispered in Renee's ear, sending a shockwave through her.

"Th-that is-"

"Do you wanna get out of here?" Kate asked, catching Renee even more off guard. She let the words of rejection play on her tongue until Kate's lips trailed along Renee's neckline, and Renee felt herself give into her carnal desires.

"Yes," she moaned, feeling Kate's lips curl into a smile against her neck. "But this isn't; this is just-"

"-agreed."


"Sophie, wait up!"

Sophie turned to see Paulie chasing her down the hallway. She glanced at her watch, noting with some impatience that it was well past midnight and she had to be back at the office in less than seven hours.

"You got a second?"

"Not really. Can this wait?" Sophie asked.

"What if I walk with you?"

Sophie looked like she might disagree before nodding and continuing on her path toward the elevators.

"Uhm, so, about the fingerprint thing-"

"We already decided to forgo that, Paulie," Sophie said simply.

"I-I know, but, well, I got to thinking and…" he paused as he and Sophie entered the elevator together. "It might be a good thing to include."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after, you know, after Zienko…"

Sophie nodded in understanding.

"It would just be a good way of guaranteeing only the Crows who have been approved are the ones with access to them."

"Does Jacob know you're suggesting this?"

Paulie hesitated before shaking his head no, and Sophie understood the risk Paulie was taking in angering Jacob's Five by coming to her.

"I'll think about it," Sophie said as the doors opened to the lobby.

"And one other thing," he said softly as Sophie made to leave. She paused at the doors and looked back at him expectantly. "It… it would take another day or two to get them fitted for the field. It would be… it would be another delay."

Sophie gave him an appreciative nod. "Get some rest, Paulie."

"Yes, ma'am, thank you."


"That was… fuck, Kate, that was good."

They were splayed out on Kate's bed, having clumsily made their way from hallway to counter to couch, shedding clothes as they went before finally landing on the soft, blanketed mattress. It was surprisingly passionate as both fought aggressively for dominance which only extended the activities well into the early hours of the morning. Renee wouldn't have been surprised if she saw the edges of light on the horizon as she glanced out the windows.

Kate stared up at the ceiling in silence, her chest rising and falling heavily. Renee glanced back at her, her own eyelids heavy with elated exhaustion. She sat upright before they could close completely.

"I should get going."

"Crash here," Kate said, unmoving from her position.

"I… look, I appreciate it, but-"

"Renee, it's late. I'm offering out of precaution," Kate continued, turning her head to look at Renee.

"You think I can't take care of myself?"

"No, I'm just worried about the guy who doesn't know any better."

Renee paused thoughtfully for a moment before giving in.

"Fine," Renee grinned, "but I'll take the couch."

"Don't be ridiculous. There's plenty of room in the bed."

"I don't think that's-"

"You're worried about boundaries now? Ten minutes ago I had my mouth on your-"

"Fine, fine," Renee surrendered before standing to track down her forgotten clothes.

"I have spare shirts in the top drawer," Kate offered.

"Thanks," Renee said, stepping cautiously through the night light to the lone dresser set against the wall. She pulled out a soft cotton shirt, noting it was oversized for her petite form but not really caring. She turned back and smirked at the sight of Kate curled on her side.

"So you do sleep."

"Contrary to popular belief, yes," Kate replied with her eyes set closed.

Renee chuckled as she slid under the covers. The moon cast a low light across the sheets, accentuating Kate's form partially concealed under the same blankets. She gazed at Kate's tattooed skin, noting the different colors and graphics that marked the lengths of her arms.

"What's this from?" Renee asked, reaching out to run her fingers over one of a number of bruises she'd noticed throughout the course of the night. The touch caused Kate to flinch slightly but not enough to disrupt Renee's stroke across her skin.

"Bike accident," Kate replied sleepily.

"Again?" Renee asked, retracting her hand back to her side of the bed.

"I get into a lot of accidents," Kate said uncreatively.

"Have you ever considered a different mode of transportation?"

"Yea, but where's the fun in that," Kate muttered from across the mattress.

"I mean, I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but like… maybe don't do things you never get good at. That would be like if I kept being a cop but never managed to close a case. Or did but then let two criminals go in the process," Renee chuckled.

"Kate?" she called, glancing over when she didn't respond and smiled when she realized Kate was fast asleep. She settled herself into her side of the bed, sighing contentedly before allowing her own eyes to give in to the draw of sleep.


Kate bolted upright, out of breath as she scanned her surroundings. It was pitch black, and she felt her hands land on the soft blankets beneath her. She closed her eyes, taking slow, deep breaths until her heart rate returned to normal.

She brought her hands to her eyes, rubbing them clear. After a moment she dropped them again, looking to her right for the sleeping form of Renee. Instead, she saw two bright orbs staring back at her.

"Hey," Renee whispered in acknowledgment.

"Oh, I-"

"When did you get hit?"

"What?"

"With Fear Toxin."

Kate paused for a beat, wrapping her head around Renee's very pointed question.

"I… I don't-"

"It's been a common symptom - to have night terrors. I just… I just assumed because you don't seem like someone who would ordinarily let nightmares get the best of her."

Renee wasn't being accusatory, but her very intentional phrasing left Kate cornered into the truth.

"It was a week ago."

"Did you get any treatment? You know they're working on one now."

"N-no," Kate answered honestly.

Renee nodded.

"What happened to your sister? Bev was it?" Renee asked after a moment.

"Beth. She died," Kate said simply. It was a phrase she'd uttered hundreds of times, and after years of practice it came a certain detachment, except this time it felt fresher than it had in those same years. The memories of the fear toxin made it that way.

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't - it was years ago though. It… I… I was younger. Her and my mom."

"Oh," Renee said in slight surprise.

"Oh?" Kate asked.

"I just… I thought you met Sophie at the military school."

"I did…" Kate replied cautiously.

"Then what does she have to do with Beth's death?"

"She doesn't," Kate replied with a renewed feeling of vulnerability at what she might have said in her sleep.

Instead of pressing it though, Renee simply nodded in understanding.

"I didn't realize things could mix together, but that makes sense. I can't imagine what I'd see," Renee said, relieving Kate's worry that she'd be further interrogated. "I've even thought about all the things that might come up: I had a bully in high school, I'm afraid of spiders, and I saw my neighbor get shot. Maybe I'd get some combination of that," Renee said before breaking into a small chuckle at what her imagination created. "Maybe my bully would be a spider. That'd be terrifying."

"But you were a cop before the Crows," Kate offered as an untapped category. "You didn't see or… or witness anything?"

"Oh, sure, but it's not anything I've ever been afraid of," Renee replied dismissively.

"It's not always what you would expect," Kate said distantly, hearing the words from her dream on repeat. "It might take you by surprise."

"Sophie?"

Kate nodded, an irrational desire to be more honest than she'd been in months. "I would have guessed at seeing any number of other things before I saw her. I've seen… I've seen a lot. My sister and mom - it was obvious. I spent half my life reliving that memory so it wasn't… it didn't have the same kind of effect on me I thought it would."

"What happened?" Renee asked.

"I was a kid. We were driving when a bus slammed into the car. My mom was behind the wheel, and she lost control before it veered into the guardrail of the bridge we were crossing. Batman was there; he was trying to stop the bus - the Joker had hijacked it. He stopped just long enough to keep the car from falling in with a set of his grappling hooks. I managed to crawl out the back window and… I was trying to convince Beth to follow me when the grappling hooks gave out and the car fell into the river below."

"Was Alice your mom?"

"Wh-no… no… her name was Gabi," Kate said, scanning her memories of the nightmares and Fear Toxin for a trace of Alice. She'd been nowhere, but Renee's question suggested otherwise.

Renee nodded again, not pressing Kate, but they both felt the silence that followed her unspoken question.

"You should call her," Renee said lightly.

Kate didn't need Renee to elaborate for her to understand she meant Sophie.

"I don't think that-"

"She still loves you, too."

Kate didn't respond. Instead she sat in sustained silence and listened to Renee's breathing turn rhythmic from sleep.

She sighed sleeplessly before grabbing her phone from the side table. Without a second thought she unlocked it and let the screen spill onto her face as she idly scanned through it. After a moment she gave up pretending to fool herself into thinking she was navigating with any other purpose than to find Sophie's contact. Her thumb scrolled through the thread of unanswered calls and texts. It had been a constant presence the two months following the parade attack until one day they stopped. Her last missed call was from over four weeks ago. Her last unanswered text was from the same day.

"Drinks," came a muffled voice from across the bed.

"What?" Kate asked, startled by the interruption.

"Ask her out for drinks."

Kate locked her phone, as a scowl of disapproval appeared.

"That - I wasn't-"

"Oh, shut up and just do it already," Renee muttered before rolling away from Kate.