Halted

[D.C. Forensic Lab | Washington DC | Two Days after the Murder of Sam K. Lucas]

"Damn it!" Dr. Daniels pounded the messy worktable almost causing it to collapse. Countless receipts and empty bags of Japanese corn puffs fell off the ground. Their only clue was a dead end.

The team around him had somber attitudes. Not only did they waste manpower for this hopeless case, they also caused DC to panic when citizens saw so many officers searching and confiscating trash.

This caused a large public panic and had to move many government officials to chip in to quell the panic. And although their higher-ups were sympathetic to their cause, they also had to show the public the sternness of misusing government assets. This unreasonable use of manpower that could have been diverted to stop other crimes had to be punished! Or god-forbid what the tax-paying police-hating liberals in Washington would do to the city.

(A/N: Please don't debate political views in the comment section. Just remove my political story telling from this time period we are in. I'll do my best not to show my bias but fair warning ahead)

They had a multitude of insignificant privileges taken away but important things like bonuses and pay weren't deducted. Still, this left a bitter taste in their mouths. They were doing their best to avenge a war-hero! They were doing their job!

Now whether the general was a hero was debatable. Especially if one looked at his conduct on and off the warzone. He was an awful father, unfaithful husband, and a racist old man when he wasn't working. He was a sexist war criminal while on the job. However, the terrorists he killed, and the many more he created, numbered in the thousands. That had to count for something.

Of course due to the "American Exceptionalism" movement, this wasn't all apparent to the forensic team. Or maybe they did know but didn't care about the lives of those not American. But what didn't change no matter how they thought is the fact that they had no leads. The general would never be avenged and his family would never receive closure.

"Damn it!" Dr. Daniels roared when the thought creeped through his mind. He was never superstitious but maybe the times he begged for a hard case compiled itself in front of him. Ever since this case, Dr. Daniels never once begged for a difficult problem.

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[Inside a School Bus | Gotham City | 4 hours after the Assassination of Bart S. Clemson]

'Why did I go bounty hunting?!' Price complained.

Price was frantically searching through his notes for examples on the problem on the worksheet. Due to the stress of Death's encounter, he was unable to go to sleep. Therefore, he decided to take a couple hits around Gotham. What he didn't realize was how difficult the homework was and how he was unable to finish the assignment before the bus entered the school.

His fingers trembled for a second as a wild thought entered his brain.

'Do I even have to do this?'

There was nothing stopping him from scraping by High school. There was nothing stopping him from not finishing his homework. There was nothing stopping him from pursuing bounties full time.

Price took the time to survey the people around him. Their faces were full of smiles while they talked to their friends. Some were playing games on their phones. Others were just nodding off. In the loud and ambient environment, Price felt alone.

He looked at the kids who were pretending to have depression. He looked at the bright light in their eyes that his lacked. Why would they want to feel hollow?

Then he took a look at the window. He took a look at himself.

He looked just like them. He should have been just like them. Unconsciously, Price had been doing his best to fit in with the people around him. To throw away the loneness that clung to his soul.

'I - I want to be like them.'

Price wanted to be like those kids. Price wanted to stop killing people. Price wanted to stop getting hurt.

'Yes! I - I can give up!' The thought was liberating to his soul. 'I can be normal!'

But then he remembered the creepy black pulse that almost killed him. The thousands of people he killed came to his mind. THEY were normal and they ended up dead. If he were to quit this job, would the entity send someone after him?

The thought made him shiver.

Suddenly, a melodic voice interrupted his early-life crisis. "Is homework that scary?"

Price turned his head and looked at the red-head that sat next to him. Her curly hair cascading down her shoulders. Her intuitive green eyes scanned his features.

Automatically Price said, "No."

Without any thought Price said no. It could be said to answer her question but she knew that it was something deeper. He rejected her invitation to ask questions. Everyone knew who she was. If he asked her and he was willing to learn, she wouldn't have hesitated to help show him the answers.

For the first time, her bus partner caught her interest.

Price turned his head away from her and continued to look at his paper. He decided that he would continue doing what he needs to do until he finds something that he wants to do. It didn't hurt him to continue this life-style anyways. It'll pay out when he is as strong as Death itself.

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[Batcave | Gotham City | 9 Hours after the Assassination of Bart S. Clemson]

"Alfred, any news with the bullet?" Batman's gruff voice sounded through the Batcave. It was more correct to call him Bruce Wayne since he had his cowl off. Even though he just came back from the office, he was already working.

An array of broken down contraptions were on the table in front of him. There were fried computer chips and circuit boards and salvageable metal parts placed on the table. They formed a broken down and burnt hand. Bruce was tinkering with the largest part of the robotic arm.

His eyes furrowed when he saw the familiar Wayne Technologies logo on multiple parts of the hardware.

"None sir. It appears that not only is the bullet of unknown but also the weapon. However, this kind of bullet has been identified in multiple cold-cases." Alfred said as he handed Wayne a tweezer.

"Hmm." Wayne grunted. "Who were the victims?"

"Surprisingly sir, a variety of people. From small time crooks to accountants to late Major General Lucas." Alfred said calmly, "I do recommend taking a break Master Bruce. You've been at this since the criminal escaped."

The criminal Alfred was talking about was a murderous robot that went toe to toe with Etrigan the Demon. Without the assistance of League members, the Gotham's death toll would be incredibly high.

Wayne ignored Alfred's comments and focused on the last part. "Sam K. Lucas?"

Bruce Wayne automatically filtered his thoughts. To have a variety of targets might mean a sporadic killer. However, the moment you add a general to the mix, it becomes a different story.

"Contracted Killer. Maybe multiple people." Bruce said out loud. "Where have these murders happened?"

"There has been a concentration of kills in Gotham, DC, New York, and Jersey." Dick Grayson walked in with a couple papers in his hands. "Our killer likes these areas."

Bruce raised his eyebrows as Dick passed the papers to him. He also handed him a pen.

"I need your signature." Dick said as he crossed his hands together and leaned on the table. "Field trip."

Bruce scanned the paper and asked a question. "S.T.A.R. Labs? Since when were you interested in-you think the robot came from there?"

"Maybe, but it wouldn't hurt. Plus, Walley has always talked about how great S.T.A.R. Labs is. It's about time I checked it out." Dick Grayson said with his signature smile.