a/n: hi all,
I'm not usually in the habit of defending what or why characters do things, but I feel a need to elaborate on what happened in the last chapter between Kate and Renee.
Like many of you, I think this plotline took me by surprise, too, but the more I sat with it, the more it made an obvious amount of sense for Kate: a lot has happened in three months. This includes being exposed to Fear Toxin, choosing to keep her relationship with Sophie at arm's length, and a growing perception that she's failing the city.
Kate's experience with the Fear Toxin, while left ambiguous at the moment, is a big factor in all of this because she is being confronted with the events that created the feelings and way of being she held before Point Rock. As a result, she's regressed into old habits; one which includes the temporariness of hooking up. In this, it would be naive to see Renee as her only one-night stand over the last few weeks. The difference with Renee appearing in The Hold Up is that it made her the perfect candidate to give Kate the outlet to toy with honesty, keep it casual, and, more importantly, feel like Sophie wasn't entirely gone from her life. It helps that Renee's no-nonsense but playful demeanor also provides the light Kate needs to fall out of her months-long slump.
This isn't necessarily made explicit because that's not how I write characters; you occasionally get a glance into their thinking, but I leave it to you to extrapolate on the how and why. In this last chapter, perhaps I made too big of a leap. I realize that I have an idea of what the characters are doing in the background and sometimes assume too much of you, the readers, in having insight into that. If I did it again (which I won't), I'd sneak in another chapter to set the stage a bit more, but instead I hope the above sheds the necessary context and light onto it.
As always, thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with this, and many thanks for your reviews and feedback. Replies to moments like the last chapter help keep me in check.
Cheers,
EQT.95
"Oh, I, uh - h-hey," Kate stuttered as she walked into the batcave.
"Hey," Luke said softly from behind the row of monitors.
"I uh… I didn't think you'd - I just mean, after the other night I didn't expect you'd be here."
"I think I've found where the-"
"I'm sorry," Kate interrupted as Luke looked up in surprise. "I… I can get a certain way about… well, about everything. It's gotten me in trouble before, and you were right to call me out for it. I'm not saying I can promise to change because… because I've made that promise before and have never once kept it."
"Kate-"
"But I want you to hold me accountable, Luke. You're the one person I trust enough to do that, and I'm sorry I didn't listen. I don't want to fall into this cycle where we're constantly at each other's throats over this, and I need to be a little less… less-"
"Of an asshole?"
"I think I was going to say 'stubborn', but… that works, too," Kate said with a smirk.
Luke smiled lightly back, shaking his head in amusement.
"Where is this coming from? Three days ago you were hellbent on being right."
Kate shrugged, "I got some persuasive life advice."
"Is that code for 'sex'?" Luke asked, eyeing her general demeanor with skepticism.
"There was talking, too."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Well as long as you didn't blow your cover again-"
"It's not like I use it as a pick-up line. Besides, Mary was practically on the team anyway," Kate responded defensively. "We go to her all the time for stuff. It was… you're messing with me, aren't you."
Luke nodded through his chuckle before he sobered slightly.
"You know I'm just worried about you, right?" Luke began. "After Bruce - he went too far, and I saw what that did to him. I don't want the same for you. I also don't want you dead, and after today's news, I-"
"What news?" Kate interrupted, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"The rail gun. Hamilton Dynamics approved it for use in the field. And that - Kate, that's a game changer."
"This is perfect," Kate agreed, rushing up to the article Luke had just pulled up. Her eyes scanned it for the main points as a smile broke across her face. "Now we can call them in to round these punks up. We'll see how tough they are when the Crows roll in with these."
"That's, well, Kate that's what I wanted to talk about."
"You don't want me dead, I got it."
"No, I don't think you do."
"What? The Crows have the rail gun. They're on our side."
"No… Kate, they're…" he said, pointing to a large block of text in the article that Kate had skimmed over.
As part of the City's statement of approval and support for the Crows involvement in the latest crime wave flooding the streets, a formal memo was released which indicated the following:
"The Crows have Gotham leadership's unequivocal support in these trying times. As an added measure, the City has granted the Crows approval to shoot on sight any masked bad actor."
When asked in follow-up whether the Mayor's statement was meant to include Batwoman, the Mayor's spokeswoman was unable to provide comment.
"So?"
"Honestly, Kate, sometimes I don't know if you're dense or… or-"
"Even if this is true, Sophie is still Lead Crow. She wouldn't give approval for this," Kate replied, ignoring Luke's dig.
"Perhaps she wouldn't, but I have one demolished building that says Sophie's not the only one who pulls the Crows strings."
Kate fell quiet as she weighed Luke's words.
"There's a joke here," she said finally.
"That's what you've been thinking about?" Luke gaped back, rising from his chair and crossing over toward one of the many shelves laden with aged and unused gadgets.
"But I am so close-"
"Kate."
"What?" Kate scowled at Luke for breaking her concentration.
"We need to get our hands on one of the rail guns," Luke said, scanning the items.
"It's fine without it," Kate insisted.
"It's untested. It's been sitting on a shelf for years," he continued over the noise of his digging.
"So you want me to do what exactly; find and disarm a Crow? You want me to steal back the very technology we just gave them? If they weren't prepared to shoot me on site before, doing this will definitely put me on that list."
"But at least then you'd be able to knowingly defend yourself," Luke said, returning to the desk with the small puck-like device in his hand.
"This is it?" Kate asked, plucking it from Luke's hand.
"Yes, and, and," he said, his voice straining as Kate tossed it up in the air like a baseball. "It's the only one we have."
"Hmm," Kate pondered, turning serious. "Can we make more?"
Luke sighed. "I knew you were going to ask that."
Kate grinned innocently.
"I'd need to take a look. Bruce wasn't the greatest at keeping his archives organized for quick access. Until then though, treat this like-"
"Like it's the only one, sure, sure," Kate said, bringing the puck-shaped item to her face to examine the smooth details of the discus more closely. "Can we make it red?"
"Your phone is blowing up."
"This little piece looks like it glows. Can it glow red?" Kate continued, smirking at Luke's unamused reaction as she grabbed her phone from the desk.
"How do you even get service down here?"
"I have the millionaire's cell plan."
"The what?"
"Wifi. I use the wifi," Kate smirked as she swapped the puck for her phone. Her smirk quickly faded when she read the incoming messages.
"What is it?"
"What? Nothing… it's - it's nothing," she said, trying to hide the glimpse of disappointment that flashed across her face.
Luke gave her a small look of disbelief as she slipped her phone into her pocket.
"So, red light. How easy is that to do?" Kate pivoted.
"Morning."
"Oh, hi," Sophie said with some surprise.
"Good weekend?" Renee asked lightly, reaching for a mug and the sugar.
"Well, if you count spending it here, it was a real blast," Sophie said, forcing her voice to seem like she wasn't annoyed at wasting another weekend interrupting Jacob's attempts to undermine her authority.
"He's a real asshole," Renee said bluntly, ignoring any pretense for professionalism and calling out the reason for Sophie's lack of work-life balance for what he was.
A smile of appreciation crept over Sophie's face before she glanced around to confirm they were alone. She knew the space was bugged by Cobblepot, but an unspoken truce had been struck between them until this rail gun issue was resolved.
"Are you ready for this morning's training session?" Sophie asked, unsure what other topic to bring up with her ex. They'd been professional in passing, but Sophie had felt terrible for the way she ended things, and she hadn't tested the waters as friends yet. A big part of that could be blamed on the Fear Toxin: Sophie had spent every day since the parade blast at the Crows headquarters. Her world had become one about negotiating the waning cast of Crows willing to enter the field, the politics of an impatient board, the timeline of an untested piece of technology and, worse of all, a former Lead Crow hell bent on getting his way. The idea of anything else had been sidelined or, worse, forgotten entirely. With the exception of the relationship with the sofa in her office, the idea of a relationship much less a friendship hadn't even crossed her mind.
"Uh, sure," Renee said lamely.
Sophie pretended not to notice Renee's obvious disinterest in the conversation. "Good, goo-"
"Have you talked to Kate?" Renee spilled out, interrupting Sophie's niceties.
"Uh…" Sophie began, thrown by the comment. It was the first non-work-related question she'd been asked by anyone in the building for weeks. On top of that, it was wildly out of left field and asked by the last person she'd expect. "Well, no."
Renee remained silent, waiting for Sophie to admit what she was holding back.
"I-I mean, I tried a few weeks ago an-"
"Yea, no, no, I mean recently. You two chat?"
Sophie looked uncomfortably back at Renee's seemingly innocent but unwavering query.
"She - we, uh, she messaged this weekend, actually."
Renee busied herself with the coffee pot and let the silence act as her follow up question.
"I uh - she asked if," Sophie continued before pausing. "...I told her now wasn't a good time."
Renee nearly dropped her mug in surprise. "You're shitting me."
Sophie recoiled at the look of intensity on Renee's face. She opened her mouth to mumble some half-hearted explanation but Renee beat her:
"What is wrong with you? Do you… why do you keep fucking this up with her?"
Sophie gaped back, dumbfounded by Renee's reaction. They'd shared less than fifty words in the last two months, but now she stood confronting her about the most intimate details of her life.
"Me? Wh-what about her-"
"We're not talking about her right now," Renee scolded before sighing in exasperation. "You two are just… you're the absolute worst."
"Renee, I… look, I appreciate that you… well that you support … uhm, this; especially after… after-"
"Yea, yea, after you broke up with me. We all remember," Renee said, waving her hand dismissively. "Fortunately I knew it was over before you did."
Sophie's cheeks burned at this, and she felt herself squirming under the unwavering gaze of Renee. It was an uncomfortable feeling to be left uneasy by a woman nearly five inches shorter than her, but Renee had a way about her.
"With everything going on, I just… I don't have the time to… to…"
"What did she want?"
"What?"
"What did she ask for?"
"She… drinks."
Renee rolled her eyes.
"What?" Sophie asked.
"You act like she was asking you to adopt an untrained monkey."
"I… is that a thing?"
Renee shrugged. "The point is that I think you can carve out two hours for a couple drinks."
"I… I just think-"
"Fine, one hour for one drink."
"It's not just-"
"Fine, fifteen minutes and a shot."
"That isn't-"
"Sophie."
"I d-" Sophie froze with her mouth open, closing it when she could no longer stand the penetrating glare from Renee.
"Shut up, and just do it already."
"You realize there are like… a million more important things you could be doing, right?"
"Yea, but think about how cool it will be when it matches my suit," Kate remarked, her eyes pouring over a set of blueprints.
"It'll be cool until you try to use it, and it fails."
"The Cock Block won't fail."
"Can we call it something else?"
"No. Not a chance. It's perfect."
"Kate."
"What?"
"Your phone is blowing up."
"Mhm," Kate muttered, not letting Luke's comment distract her.
"Again. It's blowing up again."
"It's always blowing up," Kate said, not looking up from the files.
"Kate."
"What?"
"Would you - at least mute it. I can't concentrate with all of the… the-"
"The reminders of my undying popularity?" Kate asked, glancing up at Luke's unamused face with a poking grin. When his stare didn't fade she sighed in defeat before pushing away from the table she was at and wheeling over to the buzzing. She quickly skimmed for the source of the distraction, and her smirk quickly turned to a scowl before melting into surprise followed up by the reemergence of a smile.
"What?" Luke asked as Kate's gaze read and reread the message glowing on her screen.
"I… uh, I…" Kate mumbled. "It's-it's nothing."
"You only ever say that when it's something."
"Wha-?"
"Forget it."
Her thumbs hovered over the keys for a moment as she tried to craft a measured response that wouldn't betray the weight of nerves and excitement and terror she felt.
K: tomorrow night sounds great
"Going somewhere?"
Startled, Sophie turned toward the voice behind her. Jacob was leaning against the wall, his face carrying a small scowl of disapproval.
"Why, worried the walls will cave in without me around?" Sophie asked lightly.
"On the contrary. It'd be nice to get some real work done around here," Jacob shot back.
"I can't speak for your productivity, but the rest of us are making solid strides toward getting the task force back into field preparedness."
"This isn't golf."
"Sorry?"
"We can't all be evaluated with a handicap."
Jacob let out a chuckle of pleasure as Sophie's eyes narrowed in annoyance at his jab.
"Relax, Moore. Always so suspicious and uptight. It looks like I trained you right," he offered.
"A day without vigilance is-"
"The day you get shot," Jacob finished. It was a mantra from her training, and Jacob smiled at her reference of it. "Have a good night, Agent Moore."
"Goodnight, sir," Sophie said in a hesitated reply, wary that his conversational temperament was going to backfire on her.
"I can't," Kate said, grabbing her jacket.
"What do you mean you can't? Is it your leg? I… I thought you said it was fine," Luke asked in surprise.
"What? No, no, I just mean… I've got plans," Kate said, realizing he was referencing a skirmish from the night prior.
"You? Kate Kane? You have plans?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
"Ye-"
"Don't answer that."
Luke stared expectantly back at Kate.
"What?"
"Are you going to share any details or…?"
"No," Kate replied.
"Not even a-"
"No."
"But wh-"
"No."
"Fine," Luke pouted.
"See you tomorrow."
"Don't stay out too late - we have… and you can't hear me," he muttered as the sound of the elevator drowned out his words.
Sophie made it all of two blocks before the call she dreaded rang, deflating her mood and sending a thread of expletives from her lips as she answered it.
"What is it, Paulie?"
"Cobblepot just gave him emergency approval to continue training," Paulie whispered over the receiver.
Sophie took a deep breath to steady her anger. She knew her interaction with Jacob was too good to be true. She had preemptively suspended rail gun training for the night, and this was exactly what she was worried he would do. "It's fine. The next batch of trainees are-"
"Sophie, er, ma'am, he's changing the order."
"Who?" Sophie sighed, already knowing the answer.
"I don't think I need to tell you," Paulie said, admitting to her that Jacob was looking to fasttrack his circle of allies to gain access to the rail guns.
"I'll be back in five," she said before ending the call in frustration. She stared at her phone in disappointment. She'd spent the last three months in a power struggle with Jacob. It shouldn't have surprised her to think she could sneak out for an evening without him taking advantage.
She watched her phone dim from inactivity before she let out a sigh of defeat and unlocked it again, floating her thumbs over the keys in apology:
S: Hey, this is super last minute, but a work thing came up. Raincheck? I'm really sorry,
Her thumb pressed send, and with it came a wave of frustrated sadness. It was a predictable fate that had her plans with Kate cancelled, and a worry floated past her as she wondered how many chances she'd have before Kate's lack of responses would remain permanent.
A ping seconds later dissuaded her doubts for a moment as she scanned Kate's reply:
K: Don't worry about it. How about Thursday?
Sophie smiled in relief, rereading the message for fear the words might warp into a secret rejection. Instead they remained static, and Sophie quickly replied in affirmation:
S: Thursday is perfect.
With any luck, the rail gun training and approval sessions would be finished by midday Thursday, and Sophie would
"I thought you were taking the night off," Luke said, not glancing up from the journals in front of him.
"Change of plans. Where can I start?"
"'98."
"1998? I was eight."
"And I was six," Luke remarked. "Your point?"
"It's just weird to think that Bruce was out fighting crime every night. It never once occurred to me that he was up to anything."
"You were eight. Eight year-olds aren't supposed to interrogate everyone in their lives," Luke said with only mild interest in Kate's remarks.
"What about your dad?"
"What about him?"
"When did you find out about him and Bruce?"
"I was in high school," Luke said simply.
"Really? How?"
"I was interning at Wayne Tech; they have a summer program-"
"I'm familiar," Kate said. "But I thought it was for college students."
"It is, but-"
"But you're a genius who-"
"Dad persuaded Bruce to let me shadow one of the interns for the summer," Luke continued through Kate's interruption. "Halfway through they kicked out one of the recruits and asked me to take her place."
"Her?" Kate repeated in slight surprise.
"Uh, yea, I think so. Why?"
She shook her head, waving her hand for him to continue.
"Right, well, long story short, I stayed late one night and was trying to find my father and managed to stumble onto him and Bruce-"
"You just stumbled onto Bruce's secret?"
"Well, I may have… snuck into Bruce's office…"
"Oh really?" Kate asked, a smile creeping over her face.
"...and into the batcave…"
"Luke, you sly Fox. And to think you tried calling the cops on me when I did the same thing."
"You were literally breaking and entering."
"And you were doing what, exactly?"
"I was already inside," Luke grinned back.
"Found it!" Luke called out in success.
"Finally," Kate moaned in complaint. "One more page of Bruce's shitty handwriting and I was going to take my chances on the one."
Kate rose from her spot and walked over to Luke who was reading intently through pages of Bruce's journal.
"Will it work?"
"I'm… I'm looking."
"Can we make more?"
"I literally just found it."
"What about making it red?"
"Kate."
"Ok, ok," she said, raising her hands in surrender. She stood in his peripheral as he diligently read through the four pages of information.
"Yes," he said finally, removing his glasses to rub his eyes.
"To which question?"
"All of them," he answered.
"Even the red light?" Kate asked with a childish enthusiasm.
Luke chuckled with a tired sigh. "Your priorities are-"
"The heart and soul of this team?"
Luke could only shake his head in amusement at Kate's light-heartedness.
"Enough of this. Even if I understood all of these notes, I wouldn't have the focus to do anything tonight. I say we call it."
"What? But we just found the answer," Kate pressed.
"We might have just found the answer. I'll need to look at this with fresh eyes tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Kate glanced between Luke and the journals. "Maybe I'll hang back and-"
"You still aren't sleeping, are you?" Luke asked, sensing Kate's hesitation to leave.
"What? No, that's not-"
"How much are you getting?" Luke continued, not allowing Kate to deflect.
"I'm getting enough."
"How many hours?"
"It's not a problem-"
"Do you want me to hold you accountable or not?" Luke asked, his face serious as he threw Kate's words from earlier back at her.
Kate sighed in annoyance, recognizing she'd created this situation for herself.
"I can get a solid three before… well, before I can't," she admitted.
Luke nodded in understanding. He'd been exposed to her two encounters with Fear Toxin and knew the lingering impacts were wearing on Kate's ability to sleep. The circles under her eyes had long since become permanent, so it was difficult to notice initially, but once he had, it was a recurring conversation. It was the first time she'd admitted to being impacted by it which was it's own form of progress.
"You should talk to Mary. She might have something."
"It's fine. The dreams… it's fading; they're passing."
"No, Kate, it's not fine. Because every night you go without sleep is an added risk when you're in the field."
"I'll give it another week an-"
"Kate, wh-"
"And if after a week there's no improvement, I'll ask Mary," Kate finished.
"You have until Saturday, and then I'm calling her," Luke countered.
Kate sighed before nodding in agreement.
"You look cute."
"I… thanks."
"Any reason? Or are you just trying to look good for your sofa? You know, spice up that night life."
Sophie smirked at Renee's remark. "No, I, uh, actually I have plans tonight."
"Oh? I didn't know Sophie Moore was allowed out of her tower," Renee teased back. She watched in amusement as Sophie blushed lightly. "So, anyone I know?"
It was a loaded question. Over the last four days, Renee had managed to pop out of the woodwork like a wood nymph and regularly press Sophie with questions about Kate.
"You might. I think you spent the night with her once."
"What?" Renee gaped back. "Wh… n-why wou-"
"It was a joke," Sophie laughed at Renee's discomfort. "The night of the parade? You… we all were-"
"Oh, right, right," Renee said lightly. "So does this mean…?"
"Fingers crossed."
"Training is done; there's no reason tonight won't go as planned."
"You probably just jinxed it."
"There's at least thirty. You're completely surrounded."
Kate muttered a slur of curses in response. She was stowed away in an old warehouse that had just become the site of an unexpected meeting of the masses. Kate was many forms of brave, but Luke's initial body count left even her worried.
"It's ok. We'll just wait them out."
Kate sighed in frustration.
"Hey, look at it this way: there are worse ways to spend a Thursday night," Luke joked through the mic.
"Perhaps, but there are also definitely better ways to spend them," Kate said softly as the sound of boots in the surrounding area kept her quiet.
"Such as?"
Kate stayed quiet until she was confident of privacy.
"Can you do me a favor?"
"I'm not having a pizza delivered," Luke joked.
"Can you message Sophie?"
"You want the Crows in on this? Kate I know they have the rail gun, but you'd be in direct shot of-"
"No, no," Kate interrupted softly. "Can…" she sighed, "can you tell her I can't make it tonight? Make up some excuse - blame it on Ms. Thompson or a leak in the building or… or something," she said in reference to the latest tenant they'd signed and newest building they'd purchased.
Luke remained suspiciously silent at this.
"Luke?"
"I, yea, of course. Were you… Kate I didn't realize-"
"It's nothing."
"Had I known I wouldn't have suggested tonight's-"
"Don't be ridiculous. We needed to confirm the site was hot and… well, it's definitely hot."
"So was it like… like a date or…?" Luke asked after a moment.
"It was drinks," Kate admitted. "It wasn't anything… it was just drinks."
"Did you ask her or-"
"Luke."
"Ok, ok, sorry."
Silence fell between them as muffled voices through the wall confirmed the meeting of minds had started.
"I asked her," Kate offered once she realized any chance of hearing the voices was a lost cause. Luke didn't respond, but Kate imagined the nod of acknowledgement he was giving on the other side of the mic.
"Is she still with-"
"They broke up."
A soft 'oh' could be heard through her headset before the sound of furious typing became the white noise that filled the space between them.
"I have like, fifty more questions, but I also think I can capture the voices from the other room and clean them up to hear what they're saying.
"I vote that," Kate pleaded, knowing that Luke would take the opportunity to ask every conceivable question if given the chance.
Luke chuckled softly, "I figured you'd say that. It means you'll have to be quiet so I can record the sounds."
"Can do."
"But before we get to it: Sophie responded. She wants to know if tomorrow works."
"Yes. Yea, tomorrow is… that works."
"Haven't seen you in a while."
Kate froze at the sound of the voice, turning only to confirm they were alone. She found and pressed the familiar button on her utility belt before responding.
"You must not read the papers, then," she said casually, her voice cloaked from identifying. "I think I've managed a front cover photo op everyday this week. 'Gotham's Most Wanted,' right?"
"Except Tuesday; there was that article about the city-wide curfew splashed all over the front page."
"So you have seen me," Kate replied with a smirk.
"I think that depends on your definition of the word."
"What are you doing here, Sophie?" Kate asked.
"Checking up on a lead. You?" she answered casually.
"Last I heard, Crows weren't supposed to be in the field alone," Kate replied, ignoring Sophie's question and quickly scanning the surroundings. Kate wasn't ready to admit the City's guidance about 'masked bad actors' had her spooked, but Luke's voice in her ear to stay vigilant had her on edge.
"It's the docks, but I don't see anything," came Luke's voice in her ear. His reference was to his lackluster surveillance capabilities of the area, but Kate still felt herself relax.
"I came alone," Sophie advised, seeing the look of suspicion on Batwoman's face.
"Which then begs the question: what are you doing alone?"
"Since when did you get so suspicious of me," Sophie asked, her face a scowl of perplexity.
"Ever since you dropped a building on me," Kate replied dryly.
"That wasn't me-"
"Exactly," Kate said, pausing for Sophie to understand her meaning. It wasn't Sophie she doubted, it was the lack of complete control over the Crows that she was wary of.
When Kate's pointed stare didn't fade, Sophie sighed into submission. "We're tracking the movements of a former Arkham patient, and we received a tip he was sighted around here. I was already in the area so-"
"So you thought an evening stroll around Gotham's docks was in order? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Kate asked, the voice modulator failing to conceal her frustration.
"We get about a hundred of these a day anymore, so it's mostly getting someone out here to check a box. I don't plan on being here long."
"Why? Hot date?"
"Hopefully," Sophie smirked back sending Kate's cheeks ablaze. "Besides, I've got backup," Sophie replied, bringing her hand to her waist where a newly minted rail gun was holstered.
Kate nodded in understanding when Luke's voice chimed in her ear: "You've got back up too, remember."
It was an unsolicited reminder that just because the Crows were armed to kill, that didn't mean Kate was without her own defense: she was armed to disarm. "Bruce's journals confirm it's legitimate even if we haven't tested it out," he continued. "Not that I'm suggesting you don't trust her..."
She looked toward the abandoned building, noting it looked like every other shell of a structure that sat unused and abandoned along the docks. "So what's the lead?"
Sophie eyed her skeptically before breaking into explanation: "We think there's a link between former Arkham inmates and the string of attacks. You're familiar with the Scarecrow?"
"I'm Batwoman, aren't I?"
"I didn't want to presume," Sophie surrendered. "He was admitted into Arkham years ago."
"Isn't he dead now?"
"Unclear. The Crows have access to Arkham's digital database, but Arkham has never converted paper files into digital copies so-"
"So you're saying any of Batman's old buddies aren't on the Crows radar?"
"It was a problem that was placed on the backburner when Jacob first negotiated access to the files. It didn't seem like an issue at the time because most of Batman's goons were in maximum security, aging, or dead."
"So you think the Scarecrow is behind this?"
"Not quite."
"Are you still tracking Butler?" Kate asked, hoping Sophie would offer up something more she didn't already know. Her and Luke had discovered the incomplete files weeks earlier but couldn't come up with a storyline that didn't result in Sophie finding out about Kate's secret. That left it a lingering hole in their working theory about Butler.
Sophie nodded as she began scouting out the space.
"Any connection there?"
"Aren't you supposed to be two steps ahead of me? Isn't that how this works?" Sophie asked, a look of curious amusement on her face.
Kate sighed at this; they were supposed to be. After months though, she'd been left to tracking random warehouses like this for leads.
"It isn't confirmed because we can't get the files, but a contact at Arkham has advised Dr. Butler became Scarecrow's primary doctor nearly ten years ago," Sophie continued, unprompted by Batwoman.
"Ten?" Kate asked.
"Yea, why?" Sophie replied.
"Might be a coincidence," Luke replied in Kate's ear.
"Butler's wife died ten years ago," Kate admitted.
Sophie fell silent in thought. "Do you think it's correlated?"
"No idea. Apparently I'm two steps behind you," Kate replied, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. She motioned toward the lone interior door that led to the abandoned office space inside the warehouse. After testing the handle and meeting resistance, she paused to listen for anything from the other side before lifting her leg to kick it in.
Instead of an empty space, she was met with the bright flashes of gunfire, and Kate felt two bullets strike her chest, sending her backwards at the impact.
"Down!" she shouted to Sophie who only just managed to dodge the peppering of bullets that penetrated the office walls into the warehouse space.
"You ok?" Sophie shouted over the gunfire.
Kate nodded, still trying to catch the air that had been knocked from her chest.
"How did you not see him?" Kate hissed at Luke.
"It's the docks. You know my surveillance here is-"
"Shit. It's shit," Kate coughed.
"I'm working on it," Luke muttered.
Kate glanced across to the set of crates Sophie was crouched behind. They quickly made eye contact before silently agreeing Kate would pursue the noise once the gunfire ran out, and Sophie would provide back-up as she upholstered the rail gun. It was only seconds until the bullets ran out and Kate peered up over her own barriers. She saw the figure fleeing through a second door out into the main warehouse, darting for the far set of exit doors. She bolted after the form and heard the echo of Sophie's voice advise she'd wrap around to the front.
Fortunately the docks around the warehouse had limited means of egress. As Kate exited in pursuit, she was met with the deadend of a pier, and she realized the gunman would have been forced to circle back to the front.
Kate veered and rounded the corner to see the figure fleeing down the long, thin wood planks toward the main drive that tied the old warehouse buildings together. It was only seconds before Sophie appeared around the edge, her gun drawn. The gunman continued, unphased by the threat of the gun and charging directly for Sophie. It was clear he didn't know this firearm was unique, but Kate did. She slowed, realizing she was in Sophie's direct line of fire if she missed the gunman. She watched as the gun began to glow with a low blue light, and she felt her breath catch as she registered the gun's fire. She flinched slightly before realizing the fire was one of warning. It was aimed at the wood slats of the path directly in front of the fleeing figure, and it obliterated the old planks into splinters.
The shot caused the figure to immediately halt, as he realized the weapon Sophie wielded was not any normal gun. He lifted his hands in surrender, throwing a monologue of curses and pleas toward Sophie that echoed against the night. It took Kate a moment to recover from the sight of the shattered wood before she closed the distance to the gunman and Sophie. By the time Kate arrived within earshot Sophie was in the process of cuffing him.
"Any buddies with you?" Sophie asked calmly, ignoring the spattering of insults spewing from the man's mouth. He was scrawny, made to appear buff only by the bullet-proof armor he wore over his chest, and appeared no older than mid-twenties.
"Got a name?" Kate asked.
"Jameson," Sophie said. "He's a recent release from Arkham. Has a habit of setting homemade bombs inside public mailboxes, don't you Karl?"
"Fuck you," he spat.
"He also isn't a fan of women," Sophie explained as she shoved him into a sitting position. She pulled out a spare set of cuffs and locked him to a railing before pulling out her radio to call in the capture.
"They're all the same," he hissed. "Worth nothing more than-"
"I think that's enough," Batwoman remarked. "Say another word and your mouth is going to have another reason to hate them."
He leered up in silence as Kate stepped away toward Sophie who was finishing up her call.
"So much for your plans," Kate offered in apology. She watched Sophie's eyes widen in realization of the time; she'd just stood Kate up. She uttered a small curse as she pulled out her phone again and stepped away from Batwoman.
Kate observed her cautiously as Sophie sighed in frustration, reading the messages Luke had sent on Kate's behalf while she was pursuing the inmate. Sophie furiously typed in reply, knowing she'd just blown the evening and hoping Kate was willing to overlook another delay.
"Sophie just said she wouldn't be able to make it," Luke chuckled in her ear.
"How drunk am I?" Kate muttered, hoping Luke was casting her in a good light. Images of his previous works describing her soirees were not known for making her appear likable.
"Don't worry, you're sober," Luke said after a moment. "I told her it was fine; you were caught up as well."
Kate offered a small 'mm' in thanks as Sophie approached. "Raincheck?"
Sophie sighed at Kate's comment.
"She'll understand," Kate said confidently. When Sophie didn't reply she took it as a sign not to push. "So, I'm guessing you've got back-up coming."
"They're three minutes out," Sophie said simply, her gaze on Karl Jameson.
"Well, that's my queue, then. If he says anything interesting, would you…?" Kate asked, pulling her grappling hook from her belt. Sophie nodded, understanding Batwoman was just as leadless as the Crows were. If they were going to catch these guys, they needed to start coordinating.
Kate smiled in thanks, lifting the grappling hook to shoot before pausing. She turned back to Sophie. "You should really be more careful; don't go out alone again."
Sophie looked like she might retort with something sarcastic before she met Kate's eyes and understood the severity in them. She nodded in agreement before a fire from Batwoman's hook propelled her away from the scene.
Kate stepped out of the steaming shower, having taken the opportunity to let the hot water wash away her thoughts. It had been two hours since the incident at the docks, and while it certainly wasn't remotely close to the most physical altercation she'd had in the last few weeks, she already felt the familiar knock of sleep on her eyelids. She shook herself of it, knowing it was still too early to let herself fall into her temporary state of sleep. Three weeks had taught her that falling asleep too prematurely meant hours of aimlessness in the early hours of the morning.
She ran the oversized towel through her hair, sending it into untamed directions before slipping into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. The steam from the bathroom spilled into the main space as she navigated toward the kitchen, her sights set on the bottle of whisky on the counter when a knock on her door rerouted her attention. She sighed, wondering what her latest tenant could possibly have to complain about now. She was a nice lady but was starting to become a nuisance to Kate's privacy. The latest complaint was that the water coming out of the hot taps was too hot.
"Ms. Thompson," Kate began, shouting through the door as she unlatched it, "I thought we agreed I'd check your- Soph?"
"Hey."
"Hi."
