Trouble Brewing #144

Gray's hideout

"Mother fucker..." I remarked to no one in particular, rubbing the back of my neck as I sat on my couch, viewing the documents, pics, and videos Abbot and Whisper gave me.

Ultimately, I had to see reason and let go of my urge to tear them new to shreds, which I did not understand even now. I sympathized with Cassandra. I did.

However, I never thought I'd almost enter a fit of murderous rage if someone threatened her, not to mention I wasn't even sure she was the one Abbot meant.

Richard was my teacher. He found me at my lowest and lifted me to what I am now. I owed him too much to let some bitch with a violin threaten his well-being, even in passing, even if bursting out in anger at the time wasn't the way to go.

Cassandra? I wanted her to have her happy ending and cared for her in my own way, but not nearly enough to contemplate killing someone, especially not at such a critical time with so much on the line, or so I thought.

However, I stand corrected. It was honestly too confusing for me to even think about it, so I dropped the subject to focus on more important things, like the two fucking organizations trying to topple Gotham.

Abbot explained to me that the ritual (sacrificing the twice-named daughter of Cain) would cause the destruction of the city and unveil the source of unimaginable power that Gotham holds.

It was honestly terrifying how well the religion of crime was hidden so deep within the city with no one the wiser. Thieves, prostitutes, government officials, and even regular people were followers of the dark faith, and they all served the religion in their own ways.

Furthermore, their actions were so subtle and irrelevant to each other that no one would link them unless they knew what to look for, and no one did so far because no one had any fucking idea about their existence.

The fact they didn't leave any digital traces as they used handwritten messages and actual books to keep their records made them that much harder to find.

Still, now that I know what to look for, I'll be able to uncover their higher-ups with time and effort and stop their plans. Should I find myself too busy or unable to handle the matter, I'd only have to slide it over to Batman since actual criminal investigation was his forte.

Either way, I'd need to assess the situation before making the final judgment, and I'll do just that by monitoring as many of the religion's people as possible.

Though the organization had no digital trace, it was basically impossible for anyone to exist without one. I'll use that to monitor the ones I know belong to the religion until they lead me to their buddies and leadership.

"But first... I have a little demon I need attend to..." I muttered, chuckling as I looked at Soot sitting on the ground in front of the couch, glaring at the laptop in my lap as if it was his worst enemy.

...

Old Gotham

It was business as usual in Old Gotham, one of the busiest districts in the city. The streets were crawling with people hurriedly going to and fro, in a hurry to finish whatever business they had before the hour grew late.

Those with a keen eye and a tendency to look up might notice a brunette in a revealing dark green and golden outfit in the sky, but the woman's magic made sure no one would see her.

The woman stopped and levitated above a restaurant, surveying the area to ascertain her destination. She nodded to herself as she checked the address and landed in the alley next to the building.

The brunette adjusted her hair as she landed. "Enchantress," she quietly remarked after looking around and finding no one around, causing her flashy, revealing outfit to disappear, replaced by casual clothing.

The woman took one last look around before reaching for the restaurant's back entrance, promptly making her way inside. She nodded at the chefs and waiters she came across in greetings as she walked towards the basement fridge.

She entered the fridge and opened a secret entrance behind a shelf packed with frozen foods, which revealed a hidden elevator. The brunette went inside and pushed the only button, watching as the door closed.

The door soon opened as the elevator reached its destination, and the woman found herself staring into a gun barrel, prompting her to smile as she flashed the badge she'd already prepared in front of the man holding the gun.

The man looked at the badge and nodded. "Agent, Enchantress. We were expecting you," he said as he lowered his gun and started walking away, gesturing for her to follow, which she did.

"Director Waller said you'd be here quickly, but we didn't think you'd be this fast," the guard asked, turning to look at Enchantress over his shoulder as if to explain why he welcomed her with a gun to the face.

"It's ok. You were only doing your job," Enchantress carelessly, clearly unbothered by the unwarm welcome, and the man took her word for it, merely nodding as he kept walking.

The duo soon reached an isolated lab. The guard pushed a button on the door and stepped to the window to show his face. An elderly gentleman in a lab coat came to take a look. He hurriedly opened the door and exited when he noticed Enchatress' presence.

"Do you have it?" the elderly scientist questioned without even bothering to greet Enchantress or her escort, clearly impatient to get his hands on whatever the brunette was supposed to deliver.

"I do," Enchantress said, nodding as she reached forward with an open palm and a pulsating, bright red stone appeared in her hand, encased in what seemed to be a glass containment unit.

"Yes! Finally! The brimstone core...!" the elderly scientist said, quickly snatching the stone out of Enchantress' hand, raising it high in the air to admire it, almost losing his breath out of excitement.

"We have much to do..." the elderly scientist said after taking a deep breath to calm himself, though he could not hide his lingering giddiness from anyone.

"You will be called when your services are required, as Waller had instructed. Make yourself scarce until then," the elderly scientist concluded, unwilling to waste any more time on Enchantress and the guard as he quickly went back into the lab.

Looking at this scene, Enchantress had a look that was a mixture of confusion, annoyance, and amusement at the elderly scientist's brash attitude, but she didn't bother to comment on it.

"Eggheads, am I right?" the guard said, chuckling as he looked at the brunette, to which she could only shrug and sigh. "I'll escort you to your room... you are free to roam the facility as your clearance level allows," he added as he started walking away, with Enchantress following suit.

"Damned geezer nerds been jittery ever since they heard you were coming with whatever that thing was," the man said, lighting up a cigarette without stopping his steps.

"Oh? Is that curiosity I hear in your tone?" Enchantress asked, raising an eyebrow at the man's words, which she couldn't help but interpret as an attempt to gather information.

"Curiosity? Lady, I've been doing this for a long, and if there's one thing I learned, it's that knowing too much gets you killed," the man said with a chuckle as he inhaled a puff of smoke.

"So no, I'm not curious. Not one bit," the guard added with a chuckle as he exhaled the smoke. "But another thing I learned is that eggheads are not good company, so you'll excuse me if I try to make conversation," he concluded with a shrug.

"Good. But even if you were, you'd be barking up the wrong tree," The brunette said with a slight laugh. "I'm as clueless as you are," Enchantress carelessly added as she followed the man into a turn.

"I was only asked to deliver that thing here and stay put until they ask for my help," she explained as the man stopped before a door that had the number 23 on it.

"Is that so? Well, let's hope they take their sweet time, then. I'm getting tired of staring at old foggies in lab coats, and you're a sight for sore eyes," the guard said, grinning at the brunette.

"I'll give you an A for effort," Enchantress said, smiling as she turned to the door. "Is this my room?" She asked, changing the subject, and the guard nodded.

"It should have everything you need, but feel free to ask if anything is missing," the guard replied as he opened the door, gave the key to Enchantress, and turned to leave.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a punch of balding old farts I need to babysit for the next three hours."

...

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