Circles and Circles and Circles Again

I went home, feeling much richer. In money. I felt strange morally. It was right for me to have attacked that man, to save the lady. But was it then right to profit from the good deed? Was it still good? I didn't know. But I seemed to have found a way to keep the bills from piling up.

However, I didn't know how to reach the woman I'd met. I didn't even know her name! She had told me where to meet her the next day, for further "training." I wasn't sure if I should go or not. Surely whatever Renee would have me do was hardly worse than this. And I'd be more freelance. I liked the thought of that.

I spent the evening weighing my options. I needed to do something, having just been fired, to get more money. I was barely getting by as it was. I lacked the education to do most available jobs that would pay much of anything for the time spent. So, it seemed that my options were to choose what Renee and her group of dreamers would ask me, or go to this strange woman and work to capture fugitives. It occurred to me that most would be male, and that might not be the safest choice. But Alex had gotten shot working for Renee, so that was clearly not safe, either. Gotham was not a place to look for safe options, I reflected.

Finally, I decided I was making no headway. Being a bounty hunter, or whatever, was more according to my nature, but I was more likely to be kept safe if I were working for my sister. Possibly not a lot safer, but every little bit helps. I went to bed, figuring I'd see how things looked in the morning.

I woke up, and things were clear to me. I would never have the passion for saving the city my siblings had. I was willing to do enough to get by, but I was too cynical to think beyond that. Obedience wasn't my forte, either. So, clearly, this bounty hunter had fairly fallen into my lap for a reason. It was what I was meant to do. Very little could be so suited to my personality. I went to meet the woman.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd show," she said when I arrived.

"Sorry," I replied. We were in a park, which had a surprising number of people wandering about.

She pointed to a man sitting in a park bench. "Get him. He's worth a lot. Then we'll take him to Falcone, so he can meet you."

"Why Falcone?" I asked, glad she hadn't said we should take him to Ra's. That would require some explaining, I thought.

"Because he's offering quite a lot. Now, go be charming. You want him to come with you that car," she said, pointing. "It has some of Falcone's men in it. They'll take you to him."

I frowned slightly. "You're not coming?"

"No. This is your job. We'll see how you do. And if you need me to coach you, but I think you'd be a natural."

I shrugged, then walked over to the man. He looked up in surprise when I asked him the time.

"10:30, miss," he said. He continued to stare at me.

"Thanks, darling. I was wondering… my car doesn't seem to be working, and I thought you might be able to help me. I have this important meeting at 11, and I can't be late," I added, thinking I should explain why I asked the time.

"Too far to walk, then?" he asked conversationally as he rose.

"Definitely," I responded with a smile.

"Which car?"

"Right this way, sir. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this," I said. I continued an account of why the meeting was so important, and how distressing it was that the car wasn't working. I did not describe what seemed wrong, and he seemed not to care too much about that.

I passed the bounty hunter who grinned at me. I smiled back, and got him to the car. Three men stepped out. The man turned to look at me in horror. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"Now, George, you know perfectly well what's going on," one of the men said.

"No! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Don't hurt me!" he pleaded as they surrounded him and forced him into the car. I was beginning to rethink my decision.

I turned away, thinking perhaps working for Renee would be better. Then, the bounty hunter came up and put her arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry, dear. The police want him, and not because he's a witness. Falcone never sends women after the men who have betrayed him. He does that himself, or sends his favorites. Don't worry about the fate of those you capture. They deserve it," she said, pushing me toward the car. I got in tentatively, fortunately in the passenger seat.

The ride to Falcone's was quiet, except for the sobbing of the man I'd helped capture. It was quite unsettling. Finally, one of the men told him to suck it up, he was getting what was coming. He fell silent after that.

When we got there, one of the men led me to Falcone himself. He was a middle-aged man, with graying hair and a stout figure. So far as I could tell, since he was sitting behind a table. He looked up at me and scrutinized me.

"How long?" he asked the other man.

"Took her about a minute. If that," he said, sounding impressed.

"Well, I don't really need any new ones. But if she's that good," he trailed off, watching me.

"If you don't need me, I can take my services elsewhere," I said.

He laughed. "I expect you to do that anyway, whenever they pay better." He shrugged.

"But, hey, I'll give you a fair price for anyone you capture. And I'll make sure you stay in the loop of who I want," he added.

He motioned me nearer, then held out a small bag. I took it slowly, never taking my eyes off him.

"Your pay," he explained.

"Thanks," I said. "Can I go, then?"

He smiled again. It was not a nice smile. "So long as you come back from time to time, dear. Don't go off thinking you can get by without seeing me again," he warned. I didn't know what he meant by that, but I shrugged.

"I would never dream of it," I said placidly.

"Good. Now, get out of here," he said.

I went back to the car, which took me to the park. I got out, thanked the driver, and went home.

That was the first time I met Falcone. I saw the bounty hunter from time to time. She introduced me to some of the guys at the police department, saying I'd be taking over her gig. One of them, Gordon, said, "And will she be as much of a fortune hunter, or will she obey the law?"

The woman laughed. "I told you, Gordy, she'll be replacing me."

"I thought as much," he said sadly, looking at me.

She also gave me the number to call Ra's when I got someone. I considered going through Renee instead, but decided against it. If I had to drop-off someone, it would come to that, I supposed.

The years passed. Mostly, I captured those wanted by the police or Falcone. There weren't many that Ra's wanted. I did have to drop off a few men, but I never saw Renee. If she knew what I did, she didn't say anything. The process was the same, no matter who I worked for. I would get a few men, from who was paying me, and they would wait while I lured the man somewhere. It was always men I was sent to get. I didn't know if there were no wanted women, or if others took care of them. Perhaps they didn't run away.

But a nice routine came. I worked most of my time at Eddie's diner. It was nice to be there, and sometimes I saw some of the wanted there. It was in the Narrows, after all. So, it provided a good way to start on my new business, as well as being something like home to me. I spent time with Lisa, and occasionally saw Renee. I captured seedy criminals quite easily, who never suspected me of anything. I hoped I wasn't getting a name for myself, as that would make it harder to take people unawares. So I continued, never thinking what might happen if I lost my touch or something else happened to disrupt my way of life. I didn't think anything could change.