Busy Schedule #183

Author's note: It never made sense to me how The Joker just crippled Batgirl and left her there, considering his plan, so I had this crazy idea to let her die.

I wasn't so sure about it, so I let my patrons decide. I won't give any spoilers, but I thought I'd let you guys know for absolutely no reason.

Anyway, here's the chapter! Enjoy!

...

"Yeah... I have all the necessary paperwork handy already..." I said as I paced in my hideout, holding my phone to my ear. "Got it. I'll swing by to apply for the number some time next week during business hours. Thank you," I concluded, hanging up the call and putting the phone away.

It was already morning, and I'd already applied for a citizenship from a foreign country, which runs a territorial tax income, meaning they only tax income you earn within the country's borders.

The country was Costa Rica, and since I'd be conducting most of my business in the United States, I'd have to pay zero tax to anyone, and it's perfectly legal and permitted in both countries.

Getting the citizenship wasn't difficult either. I only had to grease a few palms. My hacking abilities and worldwide access power allowed me to find a few that needed some greasing.

It's only a matter of time before I get a legitimate, working corporate model up and running with zero tax obligations now, and I shit you not, it's that easy.

However, in the meantime, I still had shit to do. Firstly, I had to meet with Crush and fulfill my end of the bargain. It's been a while since we've made the deal, and I imagine the girl's patience is running thin by now.

Secondly, I still had to find Enchantress and Nightshade and convince them to testify against Waller, which I wasn't looking forward to for obvious reasons. I'd mentally and emotionally abused the latter, and the former might have had a part in Mark's death, even if it was a remote, unwitting one.

Furthermore, I still had The Religion and Intergang to worry about, even if they had been quiet and docile as of late for some reason.

And finally, I still had a shit ton of projects and tasks I needed to work on, like working on my AI, upgrading my machines, and making sure Leah and Jannet were properly settling into their new home.

'Og god... maybe being in a coma isn't such a bad thing after all... like where the fuck am I supposed to start even...?' I mused, feeling the urge to bang my head against the wall as I realized how much I had to do in such a little time.

Obviously, the pissed-off half-alien girl who seemed to enjoy bashing people's skulls and having her own skull receive the same treatment would take precedence for now.

I don't want her hunting me down because she thought I reneged on the deal. God knows I've got enough crap to deal with without that kind of shit on my plate.

"Off to the theatre, it is then..." I muttered as I made for the exit, but not before stopping to check on Little Soot, who seemed just as blissfully unaware and ignorant of the world as ever.

...

Gotham

The Diamond District

"The place sure looks lively..." I said as I stopped at the end of the street, raising an eyebrow at how bustling it seemed.

The area around my theatre was more of a ghost town than anything else the last time I was here, but now there were some pedestrians and shops scattered across the road.

I suppose a bunch of people suddenly showing up would do that since they'd need food and various services that many would be happy to provide to make some money, but they sure didn't waste any time.

Either way, it didn't matter.

Shrugging, I adjusted my hoody to avoid attracting attention and made for the theatre. It was in the middle of the street, and I got there without anyone recognizing me.

I stopped before the theatre's entrance as one of the residents, who I recognized as Jerry, a former marine and one of Patrick's old buddies, got in my way,

I lowered my hood and nodded, smiling in amusement as I watched the man's stern expression instantly turn into surprise before he returned the gesture in a hurry.

"Mr. Whitlock..." Jerry hurriedly said in greeting. His body unconsciously straightened as his military training seemed to kick in for some reason, to which I could only chuckle.

"Just Gray is fine. You're making me feel old," I said, shaking my head as I waved away his formal tone, to which he nodded and immediately made to step out of my way.

"Thanks," I said, nodding at Jerry before I walked past him, and he didn't waste any time getting back to his spot and looking menacing as he mean-mugged any strangers getting close to the theatre.

I stepped inside and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Patrick as he sat behind an office in the reception area, seemingly deep in thought and busy writing something down.

"Hey, Patrick..." I greeted as I approached the desk, and the man almost immediately snapped to attention as he raised his eyes to meet mine, to which he smiled.

"Hey, kid... I heard you were alright, but it's good to see you in one piece..." Patrick said, trailing off as he noticed my missing finger, which seemed to dampen his mood.

"I see what you did there..." I replied, raising an eyebrow, and Patrick's expression immediately worsened as he winced. "Relax, I'm just pulling your leg. You couldn't have known," I quickly added with a light chuckle, shaking my head.

"Here, I got you and the others something..." I said, cutting Patrick off before he could say anything, as I took out the sandwich bags in my inventory and put them on the desk.

I didn't really want to talk about what happened with Brimstone, which Patrick thankfully seemed to understand and respect as he nodded with a sigh and called someone to take the food.

"Where's Crush? Is she around...?" I asked, waiting for the person Patrick to take the bags and go before I spoke, and my question seemed to confuse Patrick.

"You know, the one, tall, pale, lesbian haircut, dressed like a 90s rock star, foul-mouthed..." I began counting Crush's most distinguishing features, and realization seemed to dawn on Patrick's face with every word I spoke.

"Oh, you mean, the lass Mara...?" Patrick curiously asked, and his words caused no small amount of confusion, which seemed to show on my face as he tilted his head.

"Wait... she told you her name...?" I asked, unable to help it as I scratched my head, regarding Patrick with a curious look, to which he nodded. "Huh, I didn't think you'd get along so well..." I said as I shook my head in wonder.

"Why not? Once you get past her rigid exterior and all the swearing, the lass is as soft as they come," Patrick said, shrugging his shoulders. "She's just rough around the edges..." he concluded.

"It's good to hear you were in good hands, then," I said, letting go of the subject. Crush was supposed to be a hero, so it's only natural that she'd have a softer side somewhere beneath that mean mug of hers.

"Where is she, by the way...?" I asked, getting to the point as I couldn't afford to waste more time. I needed to fulfill my promise and get to work as soon as possible.

"She's just in the back helping the guys with some heavy lifting... you won't miss her..."

...

Selina Kyle frowned as she stood in the hallway of a private hospital that belonged to Wayne Industries, impatiently tabbing her left foot in front of a patient room.

The door soon opened, revealing Jason Todd's face, who had a troubled expression as he stood there, seemingly at a loss. He stepped back to give Selina room to enter, and she obliged.

"How is she doing...?" Selina asked as she took a second to look at Barbra lying on the sick bed. She was clearly unconscious but still in great pain, evident by the frown on her face and the numerous life support devices attached to her body.

"The doctors said they managed to stabilize her condition, but made no guarantees," Jason said, clearly hesitating as he trailed at the end of his sentence, which caused Selina's frown to deepen as she realized there was more.

"Even if she made it through, they said she'd never walk again and might not even wake up..." He went on, his expression growing more distressed the more he spoke.

"One doctor said they would have been able to do more if we brought her here a bit earlier, even by a few minutes, if we'd just..." Jason continued bitterly in a self-blaming tone, his eyes glistening in tears.

He couldn't help it anymore and collapsed on the couch, burying his face into his hands as he began sobbing, to which Selena's frown softened, and she sat next to him.

...

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