Robin was a great teacher—much to his chagrin—and I picked up nearly everything he taught me after a single explanation.
Appropriate spacing.
Distractions.
How to walk soundlessly.
How to more naturally hide your actions and avoid cameras.
But none of that prepared me for the silent scrutiny I received when I returned to base, fully healed.
"You're alive," Shade observed from his chair, "and recovered."
I blinked. "Wait... were you spying on me while I got my ass toasted?"
"No," he said simply, then clicked the remote on his table. The news flashed onto the screen, showing the tail end of my fight with Firefly. How someone managed to record it was beyond me.
I was covered in third-degree burns, and Batman had stopped me just in time.
"Could this be a new sidekick or vigilante being mentored by the Dark Knight? Only time will tell."
"Well, at least our little plan is working," I said. "The public's eating it up."
"They're calling you Samaritan," Shade replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.
I laughed. "The irony is practically punching you in the face."
"So, where did he take you?" Shade asked—no preamble.
"A safehouse," I lied smoothly. "Same one we negotiated the deal at. I'd be a sitting duck at the hospital, and the hideout was too far away."
"I could've come for you," Shade countered.
"Batman was already there," I said. "Figured it was smart to maintain distance."
"I think it's best if you stay here for a while," Shade said. "We're closer than ever. Mask is finally consolidating his resources. I've run a scan of all his properties, and the most likely destination is that old bank near the morgue. The vault still works. It's easy to guard—and even easier to infiltrate."
"We should have the location of the drug factory in the next two days," he added. "The plan is to hit both places simultaneously."
I raised a brow. "No offense to you and the twins, but I don't think we can take on two small armies."
"Don't worry about it," he said. "I have a plan for that."
I peered at him, more curious than ever. "Any chance you're going to share that with me?" I asked, settling on a desk near a monitor with an open port.
"All in good time," he answered, turning back to his computer.
I slipped in the thumb drive when he looked away.
It was tempting to wait, to check if Shade noticed the deception, but the smarter move was to leave—so I did.
"I'll pick out a room," I said, leaving Shade to his work.
I returned later that day when the girls came back and palmed the drive just as they left to train.
The next morning, I finally received the news I'd been waiting on: Candice and Sasha's passports and IDs were done.
It meant I was almost ready.
Two more level-ups, and I'd be Second Grade. Then, I'd finally be strong enough to strike out on my own.
I also made a call to Batman to confirm the hack worked, and confirmed that he'd been right about Tom.
Apparently, he wasn't the leak. Just a horny patsy dumb enough to keep a roster of regular girls.
"If we get one girl to flip, it's enough to hit him with several prostitution charges," Bruce said.
"Ironic, isn't it?" I laughed behind the protection of a Curtain barrier. "He went from fall guy to actual weak link."
"Someone else is propping him up," Bruce said. "Using him to hide their collaboration with Penguin. And it could be any of the other four. They all have the means and opportunity."
He also confirmed that the drug factory's location was still a mystery. Shade had been telling the truth about that. Shade had dozens of potential sites but no confirmed target yet.
The highlight of the call was Gordon's announcement of the police raid. He was living up to his reputation as a no-nonsense arbiter of justice.
Gordon said something about not letting that much money or influence fall into the wrong hands.
When I raised concerns about safety, he brushed them off.
"It's not unusual for the police to tail people of interest," he said. "Besides, neither side will know where the leak came from."
"But the mole will," I countered. "And they'll want answers."
"Then we bring Tom in before they start asking questions. Press the other lieutenants. Sow doubt in their ranks. Insulate you."
I massaged my brow. It was a stopgap solution—especially with Black Mask's reach—but that was a problem for future me. Hopefully, a me who'd be long gone.
Bruce ended the call with a revelation that chilled me to the bone.
Shade handled Penguin's spy network and blackmail ring.
Cops, judges, administrators, politicians—everyone in power knew Shade's face and feared it. There was nowhere he couldn't reach.
Shade wasn't just another asset. He was Penguin's nuclear option.
And when the inevitable backstab came, he'd be the one twisting the knife.
D-Day came, and Shade called me to the main room—not for intel about the factory raid, but for something else entirely.
"Samaritan! I know you're watching, you cockroach!"
A masked man barked through a voice changer. He was dressed in all-black military gear and held a detonator in one hand.
Behind him was a parked bus, surrounded by a police perimeter.
Inside were people—men, women, children—all wearing collars with blinking timers.
"You've got thirty minutes before I start blowing heads."
I stared at the screen with a strange tightness in my chest, the faces of the hostages burning into my mind.
Some of them were toddlers.
Others were familiar. I recognized a face. Denise—my mother's sister.
She'd housed Candice and Sasha when they'd initially fled the city. Now that they've moved on, she is the next best thing.
Shit.
Black Mask knew exactly what he was doing. He was done playing. This was his endgame. He was tired of the hits, the stealing, and the humiliation.
There were probably several Fireflies lying in wait.
Going in was suicide.
The smart thing would be to leave it to Batman.
I felt Shade's gaze on me.
"Two weeks in and I already have my own arch-enemy."
"This is probably about the bounty," Shade said. I agreed.
"And an obvious distraction," I added. "Mask probably wants us scrambling while he moves his money and guns… but to stoop to this?"
"He knows your heroic persona isn't entirely manufactured. You proved that with Firefly," Shade said with audible distaste.
I didn't deny it.
"And you see it as a problem." I scoffed. "Tell me, there aren't any nieces or nephews you'd risk a job to save?"
"In another life, maybe. But now I know better. I suppose this is where you make your choice," he said. "Stay the course and see this through—or leave now and never come back."
I blinked. I'd expected Shade to be harsh, but not so… dismissive.
"They're kids…" I began.
"And not your problem," he cut me off. "You'd be walking into your death."
As opposed to what I'm doing here?
Wasn't he planning to put a knife in my back any day now?
What was the point of agreeing to this deal, of putting up with Penguin's bullshit, if I couldn't save my family when it mattered?
Wasn't that the whole reason I started this crusade?
Justice?
Revenge?
Batman's words echoed in my head.
So did Artemis's.
Aunt Denise wasn't going to be another Eddie.
Not when I was alive. Not when I still drew breath.
And as much as I've come to respect Batman, I can't count on him or the police to put it all on the line—not for me or her.
I got Denise into this mess. And I was going to get her out.
"What about the job? You're not afraid I'll rat you out or something?"
"The girls and I managed fine before your arrival," he said simply. "And everything you know will be irrelevant in 24 hours."
That was oddly specific.
"I thought you couldn't take down Black Mask without me?" I asked.
"And we won't," Shade said. "Dead or alive, you consume Sionis's thoughts. Even now, he underestimates us. He's about to lose it all."
It was strange, saying goodbye.
I half-expected Shade to lunge at me. Start our final battle like we were in some movie.
After all that anticipation, leaving like this felt... anticlimactic but right.
Gordon and Batman would be disappointed, but I didn't care.
"It's been a pleasure, Shade," I said, turning toward the armory. "You don't mind, do you?"
Extra chapter as promised. Happy new week.