Yep. Gotta meet the Penguin now.

"Mhm," he replied, pretending to hum to himself. They were standing less than five metres away, he needed to be cautious and inconspicuous in his responses. Luckily, the three attendees didn't suspect a thing.

"Follow us," Raven said, smiling at him. Aaron smiled back and walked behind her. Rather than the 44 Below, the three guided him to Penguin's office. They opened the door, allowing him to step in but refusing to come in themselves. He gave Raven and Jay a small goodbye before entering.

Not too large, penguin-themed, and having a fish tank in his wall, it was everything Aaron anticipated and more. There was a fireplace, a small bar, and three comfortable sofas.

Finally, there was the big man himself.

The Penguin, melting into the chair with his own fat, cigar in his mouth, and his iconic beaked nose. Beside him was a white-haired, white-hooded man, as well as a long-haired woman who wore a black trench coat and was noticeably top-heavy. The hooded man's hand gravitated towards the gun on his thigh while the woman kept her hands behind her.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Mercenary. Forgive me, I don't believe we've met." The Penguin's voice was higher-pitched than Aaron expected.

"We haven't," Aaron confirmed.

"You must be quite capable to have defeated the Dark Archer. That invitation was intended for him, you know?"

"Is that right?" Aaron put his hands in his pockets. "I'm here for a job. Give me the details or I go back. You have some fine women."

The Penguin burst into laughter. "Great, great! Right to it! I like dat! I'm sure you recognize Lady Shiva and Orphan." He gestured to the two individuals guarding him.

It took every muscle in his body not to react. 'These are Cass' fucking parents! Right in front of me! Holy shit…'

Aaron bestowed them a nonchalant smile. The assassin Orphan, David Cain, the man in white, grunted and said, "A mercenary who allows himself to be distracted is no real mercenary."

Lady Shiva remained quiet but her piercing gaze told a thousand words. Meeting like this, it sort-of felt like one of those comedic moments in television where the boyfriend meets the girlfriend's parents and they don't like him. Except the difference was Cassandra wasn't here and her parents were professionally trained killers. The father being a six-foot-two master planner with a knack for killing and the mother the world's deadliest martial artist.

'The odds always seem to be against me.' His heart and breath were strangely steady, however. His eyes analyzed every dot and motion in their bodies and although he could tell they were doing the same it was not remotely on the same level. 'Somehow, I think I'll be fine. David Cain might be a problem with his guns but I should be able to anticipate his shots. As for Shiva, her body is too stiff. I can predict what she'll do. Probably.'

Aaron kept a cool, confident head. He didn't rise to David's provocation either and replied cheekily, "Your loss. Now, Penguin, what's this you've been cooking up? Dark Archer refused to tell much before he popped."

The Penguin adjusted his monocle. "If Dark Archer was here, I'd be a little more trusting. He has a reputation and a face, unlike you." Aaron felt a flash of light in his eyes. Again, he didn't react. He remained still as the beam of light went up and down his face. Scanning, searching, analyzing.

'He's doing that monocle test thing like in that old movie, Witness for the Prosecution.' Great. He was thinking about a movie he watched in his high school law class. Were his nerves getting to him?

The light stopped moving and stayed on his eyebrow as the Penguin asked, "So he's dead?"

"Probably. There's a small chance he lived. I threw him off a skyscraper."

Aaron knew how to pass the theatrical test which was by not losing his composure at all. The Penguin put an elbow on the table, smirking. The light of the monocle disappeared.

"Good. I don't mind mercenaries fighting and letting the better one work under me but I'd still like to keep my options open." The Penguin spun on his chair, staring at the built-in aquarium. Ice gripped the edges of encasement while the fishes moved peacefully in the waters.

"Ya know, in the religion of organized crime, I'm the indisputable prophet. I've been usurped by Black Mask, Red Hood, even my own lieutenant. Yet still I've remained, as legendary and alive as Batman and the Joker. Now I ain't as crazy as those two. I don't go to Arkham Asylum when I get caught, I go to the big-boy jails, see? I'm a mobster, pure and simple." His tone went dark. "If I catch a whiff of betrayal, I won't kill you. I'll destroy you and everyone you know. I'll show you why the ordinary fear me. I'll deport your family, take your children, I'll do anything against those who double-cross me. Understand?"

"And yet you need my services."

The Penguin's chair rolled him back around. The nasty look on his face made Aaron reconsider picking the arrogant mercenary persona. "Don't get ahead of yourself, mercenary. I need protection, nothing more. I'm willing to pay seven figures for it as long as you're capable."

He saw David Cain moving. In a swift, practised motion, the older man took out a pistol and shot him.