Chapter 90: A Falcon's Soiree & A Cat's Revenge (3)

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"In the shadow of every towering conflict between parent and child lies the silent scream of love, unheard but resonant in the echoes of their hearts."

- Elena Rivers, (Whispers of Tomorrow)

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<Omniscient POV> 

'So fucking easy.' Carmine Falcone chuckled in his mind as he opened his zippers to relieve himself in the restroom.

Initially, he was very worried about all the damage that his various businesses were continuously suffering from because of the gang wars, and the huge loss of money he had suffered from the fall of the Wayne Corporation with the value of the stocks he held hitting almost rock bottom. Then there were also the attacks by the so-called Dark Knight. But with these promised investments from that foolish Wayne brat, he would not only be able to make every penny he had lost in the last week back but also grow even richer and rise higher in power than ever before.

With free unlimited access to the Wayne family's fortune, regardless of how weak or lacking the Wayne family has become, it would still only be a matter of time before Falcon would be able to swiftly get rid of the competition and reign supreme in Gotham.

Of course, that didn't mean he would just betray Bruce or deny him any profit. No, the kid was important to him, or more specifically his money and connections were important for the continued and unrestricted growth of his criminal empire. Bruce was his golden goose. Falcon would give him just the minimum right amount of profit to keep him happy and satisfied so that he could fleece him for more deals. He would make sure that he had the kid eating out of his hands just like his dead father.

And, as for the 'demon bat' who had been destroying all his shipments and warehouses while getting his men arrested, well, he had a special type of hellish torture prepared just for him once he got his hands on the guy. The bat would certainly die but it wouldn't be any normal death. No, Falcon was determined to set an example through his death, to warn everyone else of the dangers and consequences of ever messing with him again.

"A man dressed as a bat, hahaha. Just wait, you bat-fucker. Once I get my hands on you, I'll make sure to blind you like a bat too since you are so fond of them." Falcon uttered aloud to himself in a daze due to his intoxicated state of mind.

"Oh, I'd like to see you try." A female voice suddenly sounded behind him, startling the gangster and forcing him to quickly turn around without even having the time to zip himself up. He was extremely annoyed at the disturbance of his privacy. 

He had expected some whore, trying to seize an opportunity to flirt with him and make some connections to rise above in her life, like so many others before but contrary to his expectations, the figure before him in no way looked like a whore. In fact, he couldn't even see what the female actually looked like because she was covered in sleek black armor that hugged every inch of her shapely body, completely covering it from view. Even her face wasn't visible and was covered with a plain, blank violet mask that had two sharp ears at its two sides.

But the most bizarre thing about the figure wasn't the cat-like ears, the weird mask, or the high-tech-looking armor. Instead, the weirdest thing about the female figure was the presence of a long metallic tail slowly moving behind like a snake. It looked exactly like a whip with a sharp blade at its end.

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"First, a man dressed as a bat, now a woman dressed as a cat. What the hell is happening with this fucking city?" He muttered to himself with a chuckle, still not being able to comprehend the situation he now found himself in due to being drunk.

"I have wanted to meet you for a long time now... Carmine Falcon." 

"And what the hell are you supposed to be? Also, you might have sneaked in by the guards but just one shout from me and this place will be swarmed by men thrice your size. So, you should be ready for a run little girl." Falcon mocked with a snicker. 

"Guards? Oh, you didn't mean those weak-boned lackeys that were standing outside, did you? Sorry, I don't think they would be walking on their legs anytime shortly, let alone run. Now, I have some questions for you that you NEED to answer. Who knows, if I like your answers, I might even let you live." 

"You don't know who you are messing with girl. I will end you. Once I find out your identity, one single phone call from me will be all it will take to utterly ruin your life. If you think you have any chance of beating me, then think again." Falcone threatened with a furious voice. He was undoubtedly apprehensive of the situation but years of experience of being a criminal overlord made it possible for him not to stop that dread from leaking into his words. 

"A reasonable threat. But you see Falcon, right now, you are not the one in control. I am. Your life is currently in my hands for me to do as I wish. And believe me, I do not wish you well." Selina smiled cruelly behind her mask before using the whip tail connected to her armor to brutally slap Falcon in the chick, drawing blood and then wrapping it around his neck, dragging him towards her.

"Tell me, do you remember this woman here?" Selina asked with a slightly shaking voice as she showed Falcon a hologram image of a beautiful middle-aged woman through a small projector attached to her armor's wrist. 

The woman looked a lot like Selina. Anyone who had seen them both would be able to notice the similarities between them and conclude that they were related to each other. And they wouldn't be wrong since the woman was in fact her own mother. However, unfortunately for Falcon, he could neither see Selina's face nor could he recognize the woman in the image.

"No, who is she? Is she the one who sent you to kill me? I will pay you double *Bam* *Bleugh*" Falcone couldn't finish his words. A single punch from Selina's fists had dislocated his jaw from its original position, forcing him to throw up blood from his mouth.

"LOOK AGAIN. DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE THIS WOMAN?" She yelled, unable to keep her emotions in check despite her rigorous training in doing the same.

She had expected a lot of things from Carmine. She had expected him to be cold towards her mother, to not acknowledge her as a significant part of his life or even ridicule her but she had never expected him to not even remember her, to not remember the very woman he had used, impregnated, and then thrown away. It was the worst insult that he could ever show to her mother or her.

"I-I raally d-ant knaw." Falcone somehow uttered amid choking sounds as he tried to set his jaw straight again but failed miserably due to the intense pain he suffered every time he tried it.

He was confused at the reason for the girl's anger, He was telling the truth. He really did not remember this woman. Was this someone he had offended or insulted in the past? Maybe she was someone who lost her life at his hands or perhaps was she a new rival who wanted to take his position.

Selina was beyond furious but after a while of silence, almost all of her anger seemed to disappear as she just stared at him with cold eyes.

"... You know, I always dreamt of this exact moment. All the things that I would say to you. All the things that I would do to you. Every time, I ran this situation through my head, I always got a different result. Sometimes, I would be angry, sometimes sad. When I was young, there were even times that I wanted to forgive you, foolishly thinking that perhaps it was all a misunderstanding, that perhaps you didn't mean to do what you did, that you didn't abandon us, that perhaps you deserved a second chance. But, now I realize, it was just the little girl in me dreaming...

Now, I see the truth. You are nothing. You. don't. matter. to. me. In fact, I have to thank you for this. You showed me the difference between love and hatred, or maybe should I say, you showed me the difference between love and indifference. *Sigh* I don't even have the desire to kill you anymore but still, I once promised my mother that I would one day find you and kill you, so I'll have to do it. For the sake of the promise I made to my mother, you will have to die... " Selina said as she manipulated the tip of her tail using the neuro interface of the suit to close in on Falcon's neck, ready to slash his throat with one swift move.

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<(Bruce POV) >

"Despite your size, you aren't that brave, are you Penguin? Clever yes, but brave? Definitely no." I spoke through the sound modifier inside my armor's mask which made my voice sound a lot like Kevin Conroy's deepest Batman voice.

"Shit, you are a freak. I told you, I don't know anything about Falcon, I am just a small-time nightclub owner. I don't deal with the mafia or drugs or weapons and stuff." Penguin put on his best act, trying to make me believe his lies while tightly clutching his recently dislocated shoulder, courtesy of yours truly.

But truthfully, he was a damn good actor. Because I would have honestly believed his lies somewhat if I wasn't currently holding a folder filled with proof of all his illegal dealings with Falcon that I had found in his office just a few minutes ago.

So instead of responding to his lies and wasting my words, I just continued looking into his eyes without even moving the slightest bit.

"... Okay, okay fine. I don't do anything illegal... normally. But Falcon forced me. He threatened me with his goons and guns. I had to let him use my nightclub as his warehouse and for all his illegal deals, otherwise, he would have killed me. I didn't want him to sell his drugs here but I was powerless to stop him. He is the crime lord of the city, for god's sake. Please, you have to believe me. I am innocent for the most part." Penguin pleaded.

"I don't believe you. Your heightened blood pressure, elevated heart rate, and the dilation pattern of your irises are telling me that you are lying. You are Falcon's partner and did all this willingly, maybe quite happily at that too... But still, I am going to let the cops take you this time since you haven't hurt anyone yet or participated in any gang war. But, remember Penguin, the next time I catch you, doing anything that will hurt innocent Gothamites, I will break your spine. And if you still don't stop, I will take your puny little insignificant life." I warned in an ominous voice as the sound of police sirens outside the nightclub slowly rose. 

The cops would need a scapegoat after today to appease the public and I had a hunch that Falcon probably wouldn't be able to fill that role. So, if one bird wasn't available, the other flightless one would have to do. 

Penguin at this time didn't know it himself but he was soon going to become the biggest face of the Gotham criminal underworld, a face that the general public, the government, and the cops were all going to hate equally. He would get exactly what he wanted, he would be the most famous and well-known crime boss in the city and even the state but the only question was, would he be able to handle the fame?

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