Father, did you do this? What were you thinking? In a house where only two people live, were you worried our personal items would get mixed up when hung to dry together?
Avery firmly decided he would never embroider something like that for Bruce.
Once everything was in order, Avery made his way to the kitchen, preparing to use the ingredients he had gathered the day before to cook, well, a late lunch.
He worked through the ingredients in order, but as he did, a sudden burning sensation from his shirt pocket interrupted him.
His previously relaxed expression shifted slightly. Putting down what he was doing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object—a black earring. He quickly slipped it onto his right ear, casting a barrier spell around the kitchen to ensure no one would stumble upon what was about to happen.
Instantly, a large, holographic blue projection, filled with a sleek technological design, was projected before him from the earring.
This earring was both a symbol of identity and a communication device for a mysterious organization. Without the correct passcode, outsiders couldn't access its functions. Avery had only learned of it through interrogation and had discovered that as long as certain core secrets weren't touched, the mental restrictions placed on the organization's members wouldn't be triggered.
This piqued his curiosity even further. What was this core secret? At the same time, it made him suspect that this seemingly low-profile, abnormally restrained organization was perhaps plotting something big. They had managed to keep themselves almost invisible, even within the hidden realms of the underworld.
"There's a mission for you."
It was the same assertive host, still as secretive as ever. He wore a black cloak, but this time, he didn't hide his face. Standing before Avery was a man in his forties, with two deep furrows etched between his brows, giving him an air of sharpness and experience.
Avery casually tossed the knife he was holding to the side, maintaining the indifferent attitude expected of his assumed identity. "Go on, what's the mission? Does it require me to personally get involved?"
Although the middle-aged man seemed displeased with Avery's lack of seriousness, he refrained from reprimanding him this time, indicating that the mission at hand was of significant importance.
"No. While you're monitoring Batman, you're not to take part in any missions. We can't risk him sensing something's off. Have your subordinates handle it," the man said, his tone firm. He continued, "You likely aren't entirely in the dark about this mission."
"Oh?" Avery raised an eyebrow in surprise. Then the man in front of him spoke a name that took him off guard.
"Margaret Williams must be eliminated. We can't allow this woman to reveal our secrets."
Avery's eyes widened. How had this woman become entangled with a secret organization that spanned worlds? And more importantly, what forbidden knowledge had she uncovered?
He kept his composure and asked, "How did she come to know about us?"
"It was through the official who's been working with us. He has a fondness for older women, and Margaret was once his lover. That's how she inadvertently learned about our activities," the man said with visible resentment in his eyes. "If it weren't for her using this secret to avoid prison and blackmailing him, we might have never known that our organization's secrets had been exposed. The official, terrified of his betrayal being discovered by the U.S. government, so he came to us for help to silence her."
The man's voice hardened. "After this is over, I think I'll need to have a chat with him—and perhaps tweak his mind a bit while I'm at it."
The latter comment was clearly a reference to the unnamed official, one Avery had no knowledge of.
Avery was inwardly shocked. So, there was more behind Margaret's recent acquittal than met the eye.
He nodded, saying, "Understood. I'll have my people pick the right moment and take care of it."
The man nodded in return before the hologram vanished from Avery's sight.
Left staring at the now empty space before him, Avery lowered his gaze, deep in thought. Ultimately, he decided he would take on this mission himself. His current cover didn't allow him to ask too many probing questions about the details of the secret, as it was highly likely that the original "James" would already be familiar with the entire situation. Asking too much would risk blowing his cover.
The allure of uncovering the secret Margaret was hiding was too tempting for him to pass up.
Looks like I'm going to have to break my word, Avery thought, remembering his promise to Bruce that there wouldn't be a "next time." He chuckled softly to himself.
Not that I've ever been one for keeping promises anyway.
"Heh."
..
Regarding the murder of the Grayson couple, Avery and Bruce soon uncovered the truth.
"...Haley... if you had paid... the protection fee, this wouldn't have happened..."
"You murderers..."
Hearing the conversation through the eavesdropping device, Avery and Bruce who are sitting in the dimly lit basement, exchanged a knowing glance. They now understood what had transpired.
It seemed that a local crime syndicate had tried to extort Haly's Circus, and after failing, they lashed out in anger. They sabotaged the trapeze ropes with acid during the performance, leading to the tragic fall that killed the Grayson couple in front of a horrified audience.
In the final moments of the recording, Haley, the circus leader, reluctantly agreed to pay the protection fee, hoping to prevent further misfortune for his troupe.
"Tony Zucco." Bruce slowly uttered the name, identifying one of the many crime lords in Gotham, whose territory overlapped with where Haly's Circus operated.
In Gotham, there were countless crime syndicates. Tony Zucco wasn't the largest, nor the smallest, and not even the most notorious. Batman was aware of him but hadn't had the chance to deal with him yet. But in just this short period, an innocent child had lost both parents due to his actions.