Well, on top of viruses, broken wireless cards, and absolutely no time, it's a wonder I got this next chapter up at all! But, well, here we are!
Disclaimer: Must I really go through all this again?
I had to re-dial Charlotte's number three times before she finally picked up. She answered with a breathless "Hello?"
"Hey, Charlotte," I said hesitantly. "It's Eve." There was silence on the other end of the phone for almost a full minute, and I'd begun to think she'd left me hanging.
"Well, Eve. It's been a while," she said finally, and I breathed a sigh of relief. If she was still on the phone, that meant she wanted to talk. For the time being, at least.
"Yeah," I agreed, taking my conversation into the kitchen. "Sorry I didn't call any sooner. Been…busy." I wasn't sure I'd like to indulge her in all that I've been doing since I left her cabin in Ireland to move to Gotham. "How is everything?"
"Good," Charlotte said, sounding more relaxed now. "I was trying to build a gardening shed when you called, otherwise I would have answered the first time. The transmutation took a while to complete." I heard the clinking of glasses in the background, then the sound of running water.
"Listen, Charlotte," I said, wanting to find out as much about these mystery transmutation circles as I could as quickly as I could. "I think we might have a, uh, small problem."
"What kind of problem?" Charlotte's relaxed tone had vanished entirely. "You're in Gotham, right? When is there not a problem?"
"Well, actually," I said. "The problem's more in your area of expertise." The running water stopped.
"How so?"
I paused. I couldn't very well tell her 'Oh, well, Batman and I were kicking some mob boss's ass and he was packing transmutation circles in a briefcase!' I bit my lip, trying to think of a valid excuse for me finding the circles. "I was, uh…sifting through some files in the Wayne Tower, uh, well, file cabinets and I found some--"
"Evelyn," Charlotte interrupted. "You've always been a terrible liar. Why don't you tell me what really happened?"
Damn. She was right, though. I couldn't lie when I was around her or Greg. It just wasn't possible. Something about their penetrating glares and head shaking that made me feel like a little toddler who'd just dropped the milk jug, and didn't think to pick it up before half of it was all over the kitchen. Instead of trying to fabricate another lie, I went with:
"You won't believe me, even if I did."
"I'm an alchemist, Eve. Try me."
I took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm a crime-fighter, and I was beating up a mob boss who had transmutation circles in his briefcase," I said quickly as I could, deciding it was best to leave Bruce out of this. Didn't need Charlotte knowing who Batman really was.
"What?" Charlotte asked as a teapot in the background began to whistle. "Transmutation circles? Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure!" I retorted almost angrily. "I am an alchemist, too, y'know?"
"Where are you staying, Evelyn?" Charlotte asked. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"What?!" I exclaimed. "No, no, no! Bruce would never--"
"Bruce? Bruce Wayne?" Charlotte asked. I could have kicked myself for slipping up like that, and my silence was all the answer she needed. "I guess I'm making a trip to Gotham. See you soon!" There was a click, then the dial-tone was buzzing in my ear. I heaved a sigh and flipped my phone shut.
"Fantastic," I muttered. "I call to see what she knows, and now she's on her way here." I frowned. "Better tell Bruce."
"I don't see why it's such a problem," Bruce said as he stared at the computer screen in the Cave, occasionally opening new windows that had information about alchemists in Gotham and the surrounding areas. "She can stay here."
"You're going to regret that," I said from my perch on a barstool. "Unless Charlotte's changed, that is. Where do you think I learned my 'Act first, think never' demeanor?"
"She can't possibly be that bad," Bruce replied, double-clicking on a new file. His eyes scanned the screen. "I think I've got something." I moved off of the stool to stand behind him. "This is from the Gotham Gazette that's going out tomorrow."
"'Strange circles on the sides of several government buildings in Gotham,'" I read slowly. "'These circles appeared last night on the sides of several prominent buildings in Gotham. Commissioner Gordon thinks they could be a new gang and the GCPD plans to crack down on these taggings immediately.'" I frowned. "They're going to destroy the most important buildings in Gotham if we don't do something."
"When is Charlotte supposed to be here?" Bruce asked, copying the file for his records.
"That depends on how she's getting here," I replied. "If she's flying, she'll be here too late. If she's using alchemy, she should be here within the hour."
"Alchemy? To travel?" Bruce asked, standing. I nodded.
"I never learned how it was done," I said. "But I've done it before. With Greg and Charlotte. We moved Greg's entire cabin from Ireland to Canada. It takes a lot of energy and a really complicated transmutation circle."
"Let's hope that's how she's getting here, then," Bruce said.
Twenty minutes later, my phone began to ring. "Charlotte!" I answered.
"I'm almost ready to travel," she said. "Just a few more items, and I should be on the doorstep of Wayne Manor." I grinned.
"Great. I'll see you soon, then!" I hung up and turned to Bruce. "She's on her way. She said she'd be on the doorstep of the manor in a matter of minutes, so we should probably go up to greet her." Bruce nodded, and we headed for the elevator. I explained everything to Alfred as Bruce shut the secret door in the study. "So don't be alarmed when a woman materializes out front," I said.
"I shall try to control my astonishment, Miss Larrabee," Alfred said with a small smile. As the three of us headed for the foyer, someone began knocking on the door.
"She's here!" I said excitedly, and sprinted ahead of Bruce and Alfred, skidding to a stop in front of the door. I pulled it open.
"Evelyn!" Charlotte said, setting down her duffel bag to give me a hug. "You've certainly grown up, my dear!"
"I see you haven't cut your hair," I said as I pulled out of the hug to play with her curly brown locks. "It's as beautiful as ever."
"You must be the infamous Charlotte," Bruce said as he strolled up, extending his hand for a shake. "Bruce Wayne." Charlotte bypassed his outstreched hand to give him a hug and a peck on each cheek.
"Please, dear," she said. "Infamous is such a demeaning title. You can just call me Charlotte!" She chuckled. "Or Miss Lee. Whichever you're so inclined to use." She turned back to me, suddenly serious. "About the transmutation circles, Eve…"
"Right," I said, closing the front door once Alfred had taken Charlotte's bag, only to have her take it back from him. "They're over here, but I think I know what they're going to be used for." I quickly explained the appearances on the buildings.
"Oh my," Charlotte said, frowning as she followed me into the kitchen where we'd left the circles. She set her duffel down beside the table, picking up the closest circle. Her face drained of color. "Evelyn," she said slowly. "Do you recognize this? At all?" She held up the circle.
"Of course," I said, almost indignantly. "That's the circle that allows you to skip the reconstruction step of the alchemy process." Charlotte shook her head.
"Look closer," she said. "At the bottom of the page." I took the paper from her and stared at the bottom of it. I couldn't believe I didn't notice the looping signature before.
Gregory Pickett.
"It's…it's Greg's," I said quietly. Charlotte nodded and I handed the paper back to her.
"Now, either someone stole this from Gregory's very private, very secured stash of circles," she said. "Or he's back from wherever he's been."
"But first, why would he be in Gotham of all places, and second, why would he be planning to destroy all those buildings?" Charlotte shook her head numbly as she put the paper back on the table.
"I couldn't tell you, Evelyn," she said, running a hand through her hair.
"Eve," Bruce said as he entered the room. "We've got a problem." I blinked.
"Uh, hold on a sec," I said to Charlotte as I followed Bruce out into the foyer. "Like what kind of problem?"
"More circles," Bruce replied. "This time on the streets themselves. It was going out over the police scanner." I blanched, my eyes going wide.
"They're not just planning to take out those buildings," I said, turning back for the kitchen. "They're going to destroy all of Gotham."
Thanks for reading!