"So," Dragon's accented voice rang over her shared private channel with Colin, "when's your informant going to show?"
He kept silent for a moment. Colin wasn't completely certain that his informant—a Cape the Wards had dubbed "Skitter" following the robbery at Brockton Bank—would show up, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Colin had contacted the email address that Skitter had initially used to arrange their first meeting—only after he and Dragon had gone to great lengths to make sure it was secure. Surprisingly, Skitter responded, and they'd arranged another meeting.
The cafe Colin had chosen for their meeting was the definition of a hole in the wall: dingy and empty, save for the elderly man who sat at the counter, occupying himself with a novel. Though, if it had one redeeming feature, it was the stunning view of the bay.
"Soon." Colin whispered, quiet enough that it could be heard over comms but not loud enough to risk any potential eavesdropping. This arrangement he and Skitter had would spiral beyond his control if things kept escalating—he wasn't stupid enough to think otherwise—so he'd let Dragon in on what he had going on behind the scenes.
If it had only been a bank robbery, he wouldn't be so quick to reach out—or involve Dragon—but the vague information that Skitter had given him—the Undersiders having a mysterious benefactor and said benefactor hiring a cold-blooded killer for the team—worried him. It was probably nothing, but the whole situation wasn't sitting right with him.
Colin was pulled from his thoughts by the ring of the bell that hung over the entrance to the cafe. A young woman—likely in her early twenties—with long black curls, wide brown eyes, and a frame that Colin would go so far as to call lanky, she sported a long-sleeved olive T-shirt, boot-cut jeans, and generic sneakers. All in all, she wasn't all that impressive.
"Is she our girl?" Dragon chirped over comms. Colin ignored her as the young woman made eye contact with him, and he gestured for her to take the seat opposite him at his boot. Her eyes lingered on the elderly attendee at the counter for a moment before she took the seat offered to her.
"S?" Colin asked, holding the young woman's gaze. She let a shaky sigh fall from her lips before speaking.
"Uh, yeah. S." She hesitated before continuing. "You're A?"
"Right." Colin said, fishing an earpiece from his pocket and subtly sliding it to Skitter. It was an unassuming piece of dull gray plastic that looked vaguely similar to a wireless headphone, and she gingerly took it into her hand, inspected it, and placed it in her ear. While he appreciated Skitter's cautiousness, it was becoming increasingly clear to Colin that it was a product of awkwardness and inexperience rather than reasonable suspicion.
"Hi, Skitter." Dragon greeted her; a smirk threatened to break onto Colin's face as he watched Skitter's eyes go even wider than they were at Dragon's voice.
"Drag—?"
Colin raised a hand to cut her off.
"D."
"Right."
"Good. You've seen the news?" Colin raised his hand and whistled, grabbing the counter attendant's attention. He wondered for a moment how this must've looked to the elderly man. Skitter was young enough to be his daughter, and it'd be worse than bad if someone got the wrong impression. If anyone got too curious, he'd say he was her uncle or something.
"I haven't had the time." Skitter said.
"Brockton Bank got robbed; Amy Dallon was hospitalized. Ring any bells?"
The elderly attendee, standing at the end of their table, coughed to get their attention. Colin didn't take his attention from Skitter, as he ordered.
"Coffee."
The attendee's attention turned to Skitter.
"Coffee, please." She ordered timidly. Skitter certainly didn't strike him as confident in their previous meetings, but she'd at least had a backbone. Here, in her civilian identity, she was far more meek; she wasn't meeting his eyes. Though that was fine with him, he didn't particularly enjoy prolonged eye contact himself. "Is she okay?"
"She'll limp for the rest of her life, but she'll live." Colin said it was not at all reassuring. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit pissed that Skitter hadn't stopped Hitman from almost killing New Wave's Panacea, but he couldn't make a scene here. He'd settle for a passive-aggressive tone and an accusatory glare.
"We want to know more about the guy who shot her—Hitman. Anything helps." Dragon spoke over comms, her voice far more comforting than Colin's.
The elderly attendee came and rested two porcelain mugs of coffee on their table, nodded, and silently returned to his chair behind the counter. Colin opened two packets of sugar and poured them into his coffee and watched as Skitter drank hers black, her face twisting into a grimace and quickly putting the cup down.
"What?" Colin asked.
"I'm more of a tea person."
"Right." Colin took a sip from his cup, savoring the largely bitter taste. "What can he do?"
"She said he had enhanced agility, reflexes, and danger sense."
"Danger sense?" Colin didn't like how vague the information was, but it was something—that was better than nothing he'd managed to find on his own. "Can you tell me anything else? Any specifics? Limitations? How do his powers work?"
"I did talk to him, though. He's been active for two years, he said."
"D?" Colin addressed Dragon.
"I can review NCIC data regarding the last two years and cross-reference it with the data I've already compiled. I can't promise I'll find anything, though."
"Good." Colin downed the last of his coffee, enjoying the subtle buzz of caffeine rushing through him, and rose from his seat.
"What do I do?" Skitter asked, shooting up to meet Colin.
"Stay the course; play along with your 'friends,' and we'll keep in touch."
"If you need any help, you can contact me via the communicator Armsmaster gave you. I'll even relay information to him if I can." Dragon added.
"Good plan." Colin left $100 in loose bills on the table and stepped out of the booth. He gave Skitter a parting glance, and, as much as he wanted to be, he was finding it increasingly difficult to be upset with her. Maybe it was because she gave him the impression of innocence, considering she was still relatively new to this. Maybe it was because she was easily twenty years his junior. He couldn't place it, but he felt more concerned than angry. "Be safe." He left Skitter with those parting wards, alone in the cafe, and walked out into the cool dusk air.