the danger of the city [chapter 9]

"Looks like things are going to get complicated," Ted, who had just exited the party, could be seen. He caught the gaze of a short, fat man with a pointed nose, clad in a black and white suit. "Oh well, it's not like I didn't come prepared. After all, I am a rune carver," he chuckled, earning a frown from the short man who whispered to his henchmen.

Walking toward a black car with tinted windows, Ted boarded it and commanded, "Drive." The driver nodded. After about 15 minutes, another black car emerged, matching their speed. On the passenger seat, the window rolled down, revealing an RPG. "Ahhhhh," the Penguin snickered to himself as he fired the rocket launcher, targeting the car supposedly carrying Ted, hitting the car, and causing it to flip over.

"Go get him, if he's alive," the Penguin ordered his henchmen, continuing to snicker. As his henchmen approached the still-burning car, they found only the screaming driver. Some of the men even laughed as they checked the back, but Ted was nowhere to be found. They looked through the burning car, attempting to put out the fire, but no matter how much they tried, he eluded them. "What the hell is taking so long?" Returning to their boss, they reported, "Boss, there's no one there." The Penguin stopped talking before a folded umbrella poked out of the window into the man's head. "Fucking useless."

*BANG*

-scene change-

Back in Old Mike's antique shop, in the kitchen, where two old leaflets lay for old and retired people, Old Mike could be seen making two sandwiches slowly and carefully. He groaned, "That kid should be home by now. What in God's name is he doing out late this night?" He complained to himself before a brief image of a young man in a military uniform with an idiotic smile flashed briefly. He shook his head as he groaned, "Idiots, all idiots," finishing making the sandwiches. He left them in the kitchen with a cover before taking the other sandwich back to his room, passing by an old framed photo.

The photo depicted three people: Old Mike, but younger and donned in a military uniform; a woman with short brown hair, dark chocolate skin, and a pearl necklace, wearing a bright smile; and a young man with light skin, short black hair, bearing a striking resemblance to Old Mike, also in a military uniform, sporting the same warm smile as the woman.

Glancing briefly at the phone before heading back to his room, Ted heard the bell on the door open. "He's finally back," Old Man Mike exclaimed, placing the sandwich near the photo. "Now, where the hell have you been? Do you know how dangerous it is outside at this hour?" Old Mike began to scold, expecting Ted. However, mocking laughter filled the room. "Yes, in fact, I do."

The voice didn't remotely belong to Ted, evident from the widened eyes of Old Mike. He reached for a knife, decorative on the wall among many artefacts, only for another knife to pierce his hand, pinning him to the wall. "You see, I just got out of the ward with a little help from my father, who still believes me. But father and son, what a duo," the man said, stepping into the light. He revealed bright orange hair, dark blue eyes, and a lean build, wearing glasses that exposed a long scar running through his closed left eye, suggesting he was blind.

"But why am I saying this," he chuckled, taking out another knife. As he looked at Old Mike, expecting fear in his eyes, all he saw were dead-cold eyes staring back at him. This angered the man, prompting him to launch at Old Mike. However, the old man swiftly turned around, trying to stab the shadow behind him. The shadow dodged the knife, grabbed the man's hand, and threw him through the door.

"Are you okay, Old Man?" Ted's voice came as he attended to Old Mike. "I'm fine. Go beat his ass," Old Man Mike said, holding his hand. Ted wasted no time, going through the door as his morph mask's intuition prompted him to duck. The attacker's hand went over his head.

Seizing the chance, Ted delivered a powerful hook to the man's chin, knocking him back and onto the ground. Ted immediately disarmed the man, pounding him left and right without pausing. "Stop," a feminine voice sounded, and Ted felt something gripping the collar of his shirt—hard, like metal. A tremendous force pulled him back, and the sound of a wire retracting echoed.

Batgirl landed in between Ted and the man with a broken nose, bleeding from mouth and nose. "You've done enough," she said, looking at the man on the ground. Ted, still fueled by anger, moved forward, but Batgirl stepped in. "Trust me, I know you want to kill him, and so do I, but we can't. I'll throw him in Iron Heights where he belongs, and this time, I'll make sure he stays there. I promise," Batgirl asserted, visibly angered. Ted looked at her, then at the man laughing on the ground, before turning back into the shop, thinking, "There's no benefit in killing now, especially in front of Batgirl. I still have some plans in this city before I become a fugitive."