Chapter 15

"You better explain yourself or the deal is off. I will personally take you to jail right now and send the court of owls with you right after." Batman said to the mutant leader as he flew beside their car.

"I know. I know. Follow us and I'll tell you." The mutant leader waved him off with his hand that was holding the gun. "I know your suit is bulletproof, so, I'll shoot you now."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He shot Batman right in the face after he said that. No hesitation. He didn't let Batman get a chance to get ready. He missed him the second and third time because Batman flew up and evaded it.

"Urgh!" Batman grunted. It didn't hurt so much as it felt just like a light tap on the head because of his suit, but being shot at is still an unpleasant feeling.

He gets why the mutant leader shot him. It's for the witnesses to see if there were any so they can erase any suspicion of them working together.

Batman flew up so that no one will see that they're together as he followed them while hiding in the night sky.

It has been at least only an hour after they met and struck a deal, but it appears that their deal will be over if the mutant leader says one wrong thing to him about the current situation.

The car stopped in an alleyway beside an abandoned church.

The passengers of the car got out and waited for their ally to arrive.

Batman glided right to where they were.

"Who did you abduct?" Batman asked immediately. He was impatient to know what was going on.

"Calm down. This is my informant. Henry Page." The mutant leader replied.

"Then, why was he afraid in the car?"

"It's a natural response, don't you think? A man dressed as a large bat was chasing us down. What normal person wouldn't be scared?"

"..." Batman who was doubtful was silent before facing Henry, the mutant leader's informant. "You." He pointed at him.

"!-Y-yes!"

"Are you working with the mutants?"

"Yesh" Henry bit his tongue.

"Don't be afraid. He's a friend. He will help us." The mutant leader said to calm him down.

Henry looked at the mutant leader with a troubled expression but decided to trust him and calmed himself down.

"It's best to tell the rest of the story now, mutant leader, while I am still being patient."

"So testy. Ehem. Right. Henry here, was also supposed to be a talon like me. We met when we were seven, at the owls nest. Just a year after that, they discovered Henry has a gift that would be wasted if they made him a talon. He was gifted in computation and numbers. And so, he was brought back to his parents and they advised them to nurture this talent within Henry.

Probably about two years ago when the mutant gang started to gain attention, I met him again. I never forgot his face because I was jealous of him being let out early of the nest. When he learned that I was that child he met years ago, he immediately divulged of information about the court of owls and their plan to take back their control over Gotham. They already have a foothold in every infrastructure.

It was fortunate for us because, before I met him, the targets that I give to the gang were all just assumptions I made based on how the owls work and whose names I remembered. His presence has helped me minimize the casualties.

He tells us where they keep their money they made through illegal methods because they can't put it together with honest money."

"How exactly do you know that they are a member of the court of owls?" Batman turned his face to Henry.

"I am an accountant. Exclusively for them. I've made my name because the members of the court have always been influential people. I do not accept any other clients aside from them."

"Then, what was the show for earlier?" Batman asked referring to Henry being kidnapped by his allies.

"He felt that the court was closing in on him. The court has noticed that their members are being targeted by us and was finding the one who has been giving out information. Henry already got his family smuggled somewhere in Asia to hide before he called me. He needed a way to disappear. And because we don't want the court to directly associate his disappearance with us."

"Wouldn't they still assume he's with you because he is somehow connnected to you?"

"Haaah" The mutant leader made a deep sigh and paused. "...I didn't want to tell you this because you'll be against it."

"Tell me what?"

"We shared information to the other street gangs."

"What information?" Batman narrowed his eyes.

"Information about our targets- Kahk!" Batman slammed the mutant leader against a wall. He raised his hand to Cedric who was about to attack Batman to stop him.

"Do you know what would happen if they ever get that kind of information?! They're not as organized as you! They don't have the same morals as you! Blood will be spilled!"

"Of course, I know. We're fighting a war here, Batman. Even before you came and offered help, it is a given that we are outgunned, outnumbered, and outclassed! I had to grasp at straws. I needed to use anything that can give us a little bit of breathing room. What was I supposed to do?!" The mutant leader vented out his frustrations.

"You don't need to do that anymore." Batman loosened his grip on the mutant leader and let him go. "I'm here now. I'll give you aid if it ever comes to that point."

"But it's already done..."

"Hmmm. Do you have any information about what their plan is or can you get someone to get it?"

"No." The mutant leader replied with a glum look.

"Then give me the locations. The plan is still set, but I'll have to involve them."

"...Okay"

Originally, the plan was to let the mutants get away with the heist, then batman and the police will investigate the crime scene and try to find any evidence that the money that was stolen was linked to illegal methods. They will do that every time until one by one the members of the court of owls can be convicted. It's a loophole so that the police wouldn't even need a search warrant to investigate.

Now, Batman has to stop the gang in the act and let the police investigate the crime scene.

"I need your numbers. From now on, we'll guard every location every night. Call me so I can call in the police immediately." It was to prevent any mishaps in case two heists or more were to occur at the same time. "By the way, where is he going to stay?"

"He'll move with me everywhere I go. Cedric and I are enough to keep him safe."

"'Everywhere you go.' You mean, you're constantly moving from one place to another to hide. You don't have a single base that's safe?"

The mutant leader smiled. "Yes...and no. Don't ask things about my base if you're not ready to tell me about yours."

"..." They met eyes for a moment, then Batman left.

-----

For a whole month, Batman and the Police have apprehended every gang that tried to do a heist on the list of locations that Henry Page gave. Consequently, filing charges to the owners of the safehouses that they broke into for the questionable source of their money. Even the vice-mayor was among the people that they arrested. Fortunately, the mayor is clean.

"It's been a month, Terry. If we are still not finished with this, I'll arrest your friends just to keep suspicion away from my organization."

"We're almost done."

"You know that we can't keep these people on hold for long right? Even if we're done with this, if the investigation on these wealthy pigs don't provide something, anything to keep them locked up, then it is all meaningless."

"We have a witness to stand trial against them. All we have to do is finish this until we can reveal that card to our opponents."

They are inside Wayne manor discussing about the progress of their plan.

They can't reveal Henry to the public yet until they rounded up everyone involved or they'll just pay someone to kill him before they get to stand trial.

Alfred was with them in the living room sipping his afternoon tea.

Ding dong

The doorbell rang.

Terry got up to see who it was. He looked at the screen and saw a woman at the front gate. He turned on the intercom to ask who it was.

"Alfred Penny worth residence. Who is it?"

"Tell him it's Amanda Waller."

Terry widened his eyes. Of course he knew who it was. It was his parents' old boss. The director of Argus.

"Alfred, she says she is Amanda Waller. What do I do?" Terry turned his head towards Alfred.

"Let her in. Someone like her won't come here personally if it's not important."