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A Stray on the Roof top.
She ducked into the shadowed alcove as the Bat and his new female bird swung by heading off to save the day in the nicer parts of Gotham. She felt a minor bit of annoyance that she’d tracked down the john who was branding and black mailing the working girls near the docks so easily while Batman either hadn’t or wasn’t working the case yet. It was true no one had been killed but the sick fucker still needed to be stopped and if the Bat wouldn’t then she would.
She was about to make her way down to the man’s window when she stopped there was a familiar looking boy following along slowly after Batman and the blonde Robin. She had actually expected to learn he’d been killed but instead there he was dressed in dark civilian clothes with a back pack looking miserable. “Shouldn’t you be wearing something much brighter,” she said dropping down behind him. He jumped but then relaxed when he saw it was her. She was glad he was alive since a new Robin so soon after a death would have been disturbing but it would have made some sense this didn’t.
“I always thought you had to know but he insisted you didn’t,” the kid said looking toward the direction the two of them had gone. “I really don’t know why he thinks you can’t figure it out I mean I did.”
“So that explains how you got the job,” she said walking over to look him over. He looked so young he couldn’t be more than fourteen or fifteen at most. “So why are you here here and not swinging along has he turned Robin into a time share?”
“I got fired,” he said miserably. “The new Robin is a message that he doesn’t need me trying to come back since he’s already got a Robin.” She considered putting an arm around the kids shoulder but decided against it. “It’s okay I broke the rules so I understand.”
“That’s bull shit kid,” she said waching him jump. “Your a kid, you shouldn’t even be out there on the streets with him at all but if he’s going to use you child soldiers then he should expect you to fail some times.”
“Consider how close the two of you are I’d have thought you’d be on his side,” he seemed surprised. “I mean you knew the other Robins and you never told him not to bring kids along before.” This boy was a weird one he wasn’t acting like she expected someone who looked so young to act.
“I love him in both his mask,” She said glancing over the Wayne Enterprises building. She saw the kid following her line of sight and he seemed relieved. So he hadn’t been totally convinced she really did know until now. She had to admit he was already a natural actor and if he hadn’t got fired he’d have been a scary one. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t see his flaws and I ignore you Robins for the same reason Gordon does, kids get mixed up in our world all the time but at least with him teaching you then you have a chance.” That explanation sounded awfully hollow now and the kid didn’t look like he believed it.
“So what will you do now keep stalking him until he takes you back?” She asked changing the subject to something less uncomfortable. “You know if I recognized you without the mask someone else might as well.”
“No I just wanted to see her in the costume once,” the boy said clearly talking about the girl. “I think she’ll do a good job.” She guessed that he knew the new Robin then and that bothered her. The bat shouldn’t be involving someone the kid knew if he wanted him gone. “I guess I’ll go home and try to forget about things now.”
“Or you could come along with me on a little errand I’m running,” she offered before she could stop herself. “There’s a rich prick in this building who likes to brand working girls and then black mail them I’m here to send him a message if you’ve got a mask in that back pack that is.”
He hesitated and then pulled out a ski mask and put it on. She recognized the fever the desire to help that all his little birds had seemed to radiate. “I have to warn you this isn’t going to be how he does it I’m going to hurt this sick freak a lot more than he would.” She didn’t want to have to fight the kid, “If I don’t the cops will never investigate enough to connect him to the assaults and brandings.” She knew the cops wouldn’t even find the blackmail. “Also we are stealing back the money he’s taken from the girls to return it.” She looked at him then he looked unsure, “Don’t come along if your not sure.”
He nodded and then said, “I’ve already broken his main rule what’s a few more if it gets someone that bad off the street I’ve seen the pictures of those girls,” he said sounding way to old. “He said we’d get to intervene if the cops didn’t solve it by the time we finished up the new mid town drug ring.”
“Ah yes that’s how it always is for my neck of the woods the Bat can only do so much so the good honest folks get protection first and way to often the working girls and boys get left to fend for themselves.” She expected him to defend the Bat the Robin’s usually did when she brought up her criticism but he didn’t just followed her to the ledge.
She made her back back to the window and was pleased that he kept up. He didn’t have the Bat’s toys anymore but he seemed to have acquired some nice one of his own. They were bulky and not built for stealth but they got the job done. She made quick work of the alarm and noticed him watching her cataloging everything she did. This one was always watching and learning she realized and she wondered if the Bat knew what he’d given up by firing him. She wondered briefly what he meant by main rule but that was a discussion for later now she had to work.
Once inside the room he surprised her by going to the man’s computer. She started to ask but he just held up his hand and pointed to where she had already identified the sounds of a mutated tv from another room. She nodded and left the boy to whatever he was going to do. She found the sicko watching the latest tv cop drama with a beer cheering as the cops hauled in the killer. She took him by surprise easily enough and then all too quickly had him restrained and gagged he hadn’t put up a fight. She supposed he was used to scared vulnerable young women and not someone like her. She searched around the apartment and all too soon found his torture kit and safe. She turned the branding iron that looked like it had been made out of an old hair curler on and sat it in front of him. “Tell me the combination to the safe and I won’t leave you marked like you left those poor girls.” She moved his gag and he quickly spilled the combination before she put it back.
She could see real fear in his eyes and something about it seemed wrong. He was too afraid she’d met way to many of these sickos over the years and this kind of fear usually wasn’t present. Instead it was rage that a woman had gotten the drop on them.
The boy entered the room then looking grim and from how he was carrying himself that he was not happy. He was glaring daggers at the man she had tied up. “He’s done this before in other cities,” he said keeping his voice low to disguise his age. “He does this by hire for the pimps targeting the girls without them.” She looked back at the man whose eyes widened in shock. “He was planning to head to Bludhaven in a few days to take care of some girls there.”
She removed the man’s gag and looked straight at him. “Is this true?” She asked already knowing it was just from how he was looking. It took all her control not to slash him across the face as he confirmed it. She hated men like him even more than the sick freaks at least they often couldn’t control themselves but he was just an opportunist. “So why black mail the girls?”
“So they’ll run to the pimps who promise to get the video back for them and then they do,” he said his voice quivering with fear. “Just take the money from my safe there’s fifty thousand in cash there just let me go.”
“I say we brand him and then leave him the police will match the brand to the girls who came forward and he’ll go to prison.” The boy said surprising her. She saw the man’s eyes widen so she shoved the gag back into his mouth. She could tell he meant it which meant he had a lot of rage at the moment. “Or we could just take the money and leave him for the cops I have a list of the pimps who hired him if you want to pay them a visit or expose them.”
She grabbed the hot brand and moved it toward him and the man pissed himself and passed out. It would be sad if he it wasn’t pathetic. “Let’s leave and send a tip to the police there’s enough evidence open on his computer to expose him.” She nodded and cleaned out the safe she expected him to object to her taking the money the Bat would but he was already heading to the window.
She glanced at the computer on the way out to see all his files were open on the desk top. “Your very good with those things,” she said and he nodded. “I’m going to trip to the alarm head to the tall building with the gargoyles three blocks over.” He nodded and she carefully closed the window and removed all the alarm bypass and then broke the window with her heel. His alarm company would call and then send the police and the evidence of his crime would be in plain site so he’d be going to jail soon enough.
Later as they stood on the other roof watching the cops arrive she turned to the boy to see him smiling. “It feels good to help one last time,” he said talking to himself. “Thank you for this.” She tossed him a small bundle of cash. “I don’t want or need this.”
“Use it to buy some better equipment for next time.” He raised his eye brows. “You’ve got talent kid you don’t need the bat to make a difference.” He looked at the money and then tossed it back to her. “So no repeat performances?”
“If I take you up on that offer he’ll come after you,” the kid said with a frown. “I’m under orders to never play hero again or there will be consequences.” He looked down at the police cars and then turned to go. “It was nice Miss Kyle.”
“I’m sure it was Mr. Drake,” she said seeing him smile. She watched him go then and felt a pang he was like every underfed Stray she took in off the street that odd mix of confidence, anger and fear. She decided she was going to have to find out the whole story about what happened between him and the bat.
The end.