Chapter 11: Crimson and Red Bird I. Making Connections.

Crimson watched Red Bird dodge the knife wielding drugged out maniac and crossed his arms as he rested his foot against the two druggies knocked out on the ground. He leaned against the side of the building to the alley they were currently in. Red Bird had been trying to talk the young woman out of her drug induced violent out burst and ended up dodging knife strike after knife strike.

"Come on Red Bird." Crimson shouted over at his new side kick. "Take her down!"

"Shut it!" Red Bird flipped over the woman and landed with one leg nearly straight out to his side and he twisted on the spot bringing the stretched out leg around colliding with the woman's back knocking her into the wall and out.

Crimson feigned looking at his wrist as his side kick stared over at him. The older vigilante whistled loudly as he tapped his wrist where he would have been wearing a watch and shook his head. Red Bird rolled his eyes under his half head mask and crossed his arms.

"We've been out here for almost a month." The younger boy said in a huff. "Father would have already put those crime lords in jail and have captured Ironess and Red Bullet."

"Well I'm not Batman." Crimson said pressing the side of his new cowl, causing the mouth piece of his cowl to open and reveal his chin and lips, letting his voice sound normal again and not mechanical. "Now stop comparing me to him."

"I'm not," Red Bird said uncrossing his arms and looking at the ground, "Its just I grew so use to the way Father was so quick and punctual with his assignments that starting from scratch is new."

Crimson patted his young side kick on the shoulder and nodded his head. "I know kid. Before we can do anything though about the Capolinos and the Anders we have to make a connection at Gorge City Police Department. Easier said then done considering nearly all of them are dirty."

"Nearly?" Red Bird asked.

"Yeah." Crimson fired his grapnel up to the air taking off. Red Bird followed suit and the two red clad vigilantes landed silently atop of a building three blocks over from the fight scene they left for the police. Crimson stood on the edge of the building with Red Bird and pointed at the large steel reinforced brick building across from Gorge City's city hall. "That's Gorge City Police Station. From my digging, and help from Oracle," Jason admitted loudly just in case his ex girlfriend was listening some how, "We found out three likely candidates to help us out."

"Who might they be?" Red Bird asked as he pulled his binoculars out and started surveying the building in different sections.

"Third floor," Crimson directed Red Bird, "Fifth window to the right." Red Bird looked and saw a massive room full of desks. "Third desk from the fire escape." Red Bird looked and saw an older man wearing a slick rain coat. He was slurping from a coffee mug and held what little of his grey hair he had in a tight ponytail. "Detective Oliver Quintell. Been in Gorge City for nearly ten years. Before here he a detective in Star City and helped Green Arrow and Speedy a few times back in the day. He's been a cop since he was twenty. He's pushing sixty now and is a few months from retirement."

"He seems capable." Red Bird acknowledged. "But his age puts in a pinch of worry."

"You ever worry about Gordon?" Crimson laughed.

Red Bird began to speak but stopped and looked up for a moment before staring back towards the offices. "Fair enough Crimson."

"Second floor third window." Crimson crossed his arms and looked over Red Bird's shoulder.

Red Bird adjusted his sight and saw a woman in her late twenties filing away papers on her desk. She was heavy set but looked as though she could hold herself in a fight. She was wearing running shoes and professional pants suit which did nothing to hide her holsters on her sides that carried two glocks from the young vigilante's point of view.

"Lieutenant Andreana Landis." Crimson explained again. "Was promoted three years ago, to her complaints mind you, for putting Lamar Anders away for murder. Lamar is under high alert in State Prison and is serving out two life sentences. She is trying to become commissioner and working her way up by not backing down to gangs and threats."

"Strong willed woman." Red Bird sounded impressed. "We're use to that with the women father keeps around."

"Lets keep love life out of this shall we." Crimson joked causing Red Bird to stare cross at him. Crimson coughed and pointed back to the building. "Shut up, I'm fucking hilarious."

"Who else?" Red Bird asked looking back to the building.

"Those wont do any good." Crimson said as he held up a small device and a holoscreen appeared. "Meet Captain Patunia "Patty" Blair." A video showing a desk surrounded by books and file cabinets was shown and a skinny pale woman with wild black hair that stuck up in places was scuffling around. "She was only Officer to sign up for the 'Special Investigation Homeland Gang Task-force'. With the sign up came a promotion and a dark office in the basement."

"You're kidding?" Red Bird scoffed. "You're right you are hilarious."

"Out of the three she's the smartest choice." Crimson said with a serious tone. "Landis is a career driven woman who will just see us as a tool to put away criminals she see fits. Quintell is close to retiring and wont want to jeopardize his pension by joining with us."

"So this Captain Blair is who you're suggesting?" Red Bird crossed his arms. "Tt. You know she'll one day be handed a file with our pictures clipped to it right?"

"When that day comes," Crimson smiled and posed, "Make sure the picture is good got it?"


Patty shifted from one foot to the other as she stood in the elevator alone. She was dreading that the ding would come to signal a stop before she reached the garage. She had gone up to the locker room to clock out and grab her purse she kept in her locker and ran to the elevator so no one would talk to her. She wasnt people friendly to begin with and ever since she signed up to take lead on 'S.I.G.H.T.' she had made enemies from her fellow police officers who were in the pockets of the gangs.

The elevator dinged loudly and she nearly squeaked. She was still four floors from the garage and the elevator had opened on the floor that housed the Vice and Gangland departments. The doors slid open to reveal two detectives who were laughing until they saw Patty. One was blonde and had his hair tousled up in a messy way while keeping his slightly loose. His partner was brunette young man with a Mobius mustache that made his jaw line jut out and showed off his angular chin.

"Blair!" The blonde man shouted loudly making a few of the passer-bys stop and stare at her. "How you been Blair Witch?"

"Hello Givioni." Patty almost whispered as she shuffled past the two who punched in the garage as well.

"Damn Blair." Givioni laughed as he pulled a cigarette out of his shirt pocket. "You need some sun hun. You look like a walking," Givioni rolled the cigarette around to the corner of his mouth and winked at his partner, "Corpse."

Patty tightened her grip on her purse and held her breath as the elevator began its decent down. Givioni whispered something to his partner who shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Oh come on newby." Givioni said pushing his partner's shoulder. "She's practically begging for it."

"I can..." Patty started grabbing hold of her Saturday Night special she kept in her purse. "I can hear you Givioni."

"That's Detective Givioni." The blond man said pushing Patty against the side of the elevator and getting in her face. "Show some respect you underground whore. You lucky you're even alive taking that job! You got a death wish?"

"My wish," Patty said confidently as she cocked her .44 special and placed it under Givioni's chin, "Is to clean up Gorge City and doing it the right way. Now get your dirty hands off me!"

"Tried to warn you." Givioni's partner said as he stepped up next to the terrified man and the small mousy woman. "Captain Blair I'm sorry. I'm new to Vice, I'm Detective Zane. Alexander Zane."

"And?" Patty asked as the elevators opened slowly to show the garage. As Patty looked to the doors Givioni slapped her hard causing her to drop her gun and fall to the ground outside of the elevator.

"You bitch!" Givioni pulled his glock from his holster and pointed it at Patty. "I'll end Anders' headache of you for good!"

"Givioni drop it!" Zane began as he reached for his own gun. Before the three police could react, two shadows dropped from the ceiling landing between Patty and Givioni.

One shadow turned out to be a tall man wearing red armor with two guns on his hips and an 'x' shaped utility belt over his chest and under his half feather like cape across his shoulders. His face was covered by a red helmet that enclosed over his mouth with red feathers coming down connecting seamlessly with the feathers of his cape. Across the man's chest was a description of a bird that was just a shade darker then the rest of the red of his armor. The second shadow was a young boy who was wearing red and black leotard with red armored Kevlar over his chest with black linings. His back was covered by the full red cape with a black underside. The top part of the boy's face and head was hidden under a red mask.

"You heard him detective." The man's voice was mechanical as he spoke from under his helmet. "Drop it."

"What's the Batman doing here?!" Givioni dropped his gun but kept his hand extended as though he was still holding it.

"Not Batman." Crimson grabbed Givioni's arm and punched the dirty cop in the face knocking him out.

"Freeze!" Zane shouted pointing the gun at Crimson and Red Bird.

"Please." Red Bird crossed his arms and turned to face Patty. "Are you ok ma'am?"

"Yes I'm fine." Patty got to her feet and looked to her gun by Zane's feet. Zane looked down out of the corner of his eye to see the gun as well. "Zane look out!" As Zane looked up again Crimson was already standing before him and had a hold of his gun.

'How'd he do that?' Zane thought as Crimson pried the gun from the young detective's grip and took it apart before Zane could even blink.

"Who are you?" Crimson asked confused and slightly distracted. "You're not on the system's database."

"You hacked our database?" Patty asked as dreadful thoughts entered her mind. Were these two assassins here to kill her on behalf of Anders or the Capolinos? Were they the feared henchmen of the unknown crime lord Talisman? Or were they part of mysterious Vixen's hired gun men?

"Relax." Crimson pushed a button on the side of his helmet and the mouth of the mask slid apart to reveal Crimson's chiseled chin and mouth. "My name is Crimson, this is my side kick,"

"Partner."

"Red Bird." Crimson finished staring down at the young man by his side. "We're here to help Gorge City."

"You two are the ones that have been leaving those criminals tied up all over the city?" Zane asked as he helped Patty to her feet and stared over Crimson and Red Bird.

"I believe we asked a question first." Red Bird retorted sourly.

"Be nice." Crimson whispered loudly. "We have to make a good impression."

"This isnt one of your dates!" Red Bird shot back.

"No," Zane said as Patty dusted herself off, "He's right. I'm Off... Detective, Alexander Zane."

"Zane?" Crimson looked him over. "Alexander Zane. From Las Angeles. Was a beat cop for two years. Moved here to Gorge City six months ago. You been with Vice for a week?"

"How do you know all that?" Zane asked confused and slightly terrified.

"I've got a woman in my head." Crimson shrugged. Red Bird rolled his eyes.

"You're new?" Patty asked with hopeful eyes.

"Clean record." Crimson looked down at Red Bird. "Two for the price of one it seems."

"Excuse me?" Zane and Patty asked together.

"I'm going to cut to the skinny of it." Crimson crossed his arms and spoke relaxed. "We need help from the inside and finding clean cops in this town is like finding a needle in a fucking warehouse of haystacks." Red Bird scoffed and nodded. "Captain Blair we were hoping to discuss this with you, but now," Crimson stared over at Zane and smiled, "I'm going to ask you both."

"Me?" Zane asked scared. "Listen I know I'm new but I'm not wanting to die by one of my fellow officers. If I join with ya'll that's signing a death warrant!"

"I'm in!" Blair shouted and rushed to stand in front of Crimson and Red Bird, making the vigilantes step back in shock. "Just tell me what ever you need! I'm your girl! I even have a secret entrance to my office that you two can use!"

"Woo hold up Captain." Zane stepped to Patty's side. "You're already a target for being a the sole member of S.I.G.H.T. You want to put a bigger target on on your back by siding with these two?"

"Why are you a cop?" Patty crossed her arms over her flat chest and glared at Zane. "To help people?"

"Well yeah." Zane began.

"To fight crime?" Crimson asked joining in on the interrogation.

"Of course but not..." Zane tried to explain.

"To hide like a pussy?" Red Bird asked causing Crimson to slap the back of his head.

"No!" Zane stood sure footed and crossed his arms looking over the two crime fighters and the Captain of S.I.G.H.T. Zane sighed and smiled. "How do I transfer to S.I.G.H.T.?"

Crimson laughed as he pushed the side of his helmet closing his mouth from sight once more. Red Bird smiled and crossed his arms happily. Patty's eyes widened and she clapped her hands in joy.

"Already done." Crimson's mechanical voice seemed to repeat. When Patty and Zane stared at him he shrugged and pointed to his helmet. "Told you I've got a woman in my head." Patty and Zane turned from the crime fighters to stare at each other. When they turned their heads back to where the duo were standing they saw nothing but a spray painted red bird that matched what was on Crimson's chest.