SEL Chapter 20

Kate Kane is at Noonan’s, and her disguise is a shitty one. She sits in a corner, keeping a wary eye on six young people who are instantly recognizable as GCPD trainees in plain clothes. Helena is aware of the ritual of these trainees coming here in groups, but they’re supposed to wear their uniforms to keep trouble away. It makes sense that Kate feels obligated to babysit, but that’s none of Helena’s business.

Kate is only one of the notable people that Helena spots as she comes through the door.

Selina’s in a booth by the window with one of her fences; her disguise is considerably better than Kate’s. Kate has spotted it, though. No. Has she? Or is she just checking Selina out? Selina can disguise her face and hair, but she doesn’t try to disguise her figure. It doesn’t matter. Helena doesn’t care about Selina. Never has.

One of the guys at the bar has worked for Joker. Helena keeps a wary eye on him.

A pair of hulking female goons occupy a table in the corner. They don’t spare a glance for Helena in her “Mags” persona; they prefer to look at the younger of Noonan’s two waitresses, the one with the short skirt and tattooed thighs.

Helena’s “Mags” look doesn’t typically draw a lot of eyeballs unless those eyeballs belong to seriously gay women. Helena based the fit on an ex-con acting as a handyman in a certain noir film. Her military jacket, boot-cut jeans, and stained sneakers are a rung or two above stuff from Uniqlo and hunter plaid. Helena’s vague aura of latent rage looks gay to the untrained eye

Kate’s eye is trained, but she’s not here looking for a date. It’s a coin toss whether she recognizes Helena, and even if she does, she will have enough sense not to bother her.

Noonan spots Helena from the back and comes out. He’s on the wagon; he looks put together and almost cleans up well. He’s not Helena’s type, but she’s happy for him. Even if Noonan doesn’t realize he’s doing it, he’s as much of a help to the capes of Gotham as he is to the bad guys. He’s a bit like Cobblepot that way; he’s the devil they know.

“Mags,” he grunts, drawing her a beer. “Haven’t seen you around.”

“I had to lie low after Ed got tapped by Batgirl.”

“You were in on that?”

“I was backup. In case something went wrong with the shit in the gala. Green’s not my color.”

Noonan nods. It’s a safe lie; Noonan cannot and would not try to verify that Riddler had Mags on standby in case there were technical difficulties with the AV stuff the night that he hit the gala. According to Summer Gleeson’s disgustingly simpering coverage, Commissioner Gordon, or former Commissioner Gordon had been the real hero that night. But Batgirl had been the one to punch Riddler, and Batgirl wore a sexy costume and had big boobs, so she’s the only one anybody wanted to talk about. Helena knows the feeling.

“Gordon’s out. No bats on the street. It’s time,” Helena said.

“What are you looking for?”

“You know me.” That’s a stretch; he doesn’t know Mags, but it’s part of the performance. Mags is meant to be competent and reliable, but not especially bright or insightful. She’s not supposed to stand out. Helena has considered doing something deeper undercover, but that would mean bailing on her students.

“Not much going on.”

“Maybe I should put together my own crew,” she jokes.

“With who?” Noonan laughs and gestures at the patrons of the bar. “I got tourists from Metropolis. I got baby cops. Undercover cop over there,” he adds, nodding toward Kate. Helena snickers. “Those are spoken for. You don’t want Mr. Wiggles over there, and they’re taken too.” He nods toward the big goons.

“By who?”

“Who cares? Point is, it’s… it’s, uh, a strong labor market.”

“Can you find me some labor?”

“Can you find me twenty percent?”

She balks. “Twenty?”

“Sweetheart, I have rent. I have overhead,” he adds, gesturing toward the closest waitress, who is bending to pour beer. Kate’s eyes are glued to her rear end. “And I got so many cops in here that it’s bad for business.” He’s probably selling a lot of beer, but beer is less profitable than work.

“Start selling donuts,” Helena suggests.

“Might come to that.”

“Jesus. Twenty.” Helena shakes her head. “Yeah. Find me something. I’m good for it.” Helena has always been careful to sign on for small things, see them through, then get some distance between Mags and her prey before she takes them down. Mags is associated with successful jobs. She doesn’t have much of a rep, but no one has a reason to distrust her. Yet.

SEL

Cold water drips to the bathroom floor. Aki shivers, wet and naked, leaning on the sink. The shower is still running, ice cold. Fifteen minutes in there didn’t help at all. Her breathing sounds like that of an animal.

Viti knocks on the door yet again.

“Baby? Are you OK?” she asks.

“Cramps,” Aki replies tightly. She looks down at her cock, which her wife still has not seen. It’s thicker than Viti’s and twice as long. Veins the size of Aki’s little finger protrude from the angrily swollen shaft. “I’ll be OK. I have to go out again.”

“Why?”

“Wayne stuff.” Aki picks up her phone and taps it with a shaking finger. She puts the phone to her ear. “I need to see Isley. Wake her up. Pick me up downstairs in ten.”

She slaps the phone down. Now, how the hell is she going to fit this thing in any of her underwear?

SEL

Helena is starting on her third beer when Noonan comes back to her.

“You’re in luck,” he says. “A little something coming together in a hurry. You packing?”

Helena just pulls back her jacket to reveal the pistol in her shoulder holster. “Just this.”

“Fine. Maybe lookout, maybe muscle. Can you do that?”

“How much?”

“Thousand for the night.”

“Sounds low-key and fair.” That’s not like Gotham. “For who?”

“You know who.”

Figures. Gordon had been the one keeping Penguin in check this last year. When it comes to doing big crimes and trying to match egos with Batman, Penguin is terrible at it. But when he is quietly and logically extending his influence in Gotham’s underbelly… nobody does it better. Of course he’s making moves now. What did anyone expect? No Commissioner Gordon. No Batman. Hell, not even a Batgirl running around anymore. Just the blonde idiot and Dick “Nightwing” Grayson making the occasional cameo.

The Penguin is not Roxy Rocket. Does Helena want to get mixed up in this? It’s not too late to back out and hit the street in her costume.

In?

Or out?