Earth-52 IC

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

Kate sat up in her bed, clutching her covers to her chest. She thought she heard gunfire; then she realized it was only the pounding of her heart in her ears. She turned her gaze to her nightstand, and its drawer, and its former contents; she had removed Renee's gun after she realized Gotham didn't need an avenger, but she felt its weight this night even in its absence. She ran a hand through her short red hair, her short nails scratching her scalp as the dream's events replayed in her mind's eye over and over. Even before her trip to Israel five years ago, she'd had quizzically vivid dreams, which only intensified after she met her teachers, gone through their strict training regimen, learned their ancient ways. And now, back home in Gotham...she still rarely understood them, at least in the moment.

She knew the visions, though - she wouldn't be able to sleep, not after an episode like that. She had to get up, do something. She threw on a robe, grabbed an earbud and headed to the kitchen. She tuned the bud to start scanning police frequencies; since sleep would not come to her this evening, she would have to find some work to busy herself. She was in the middle of making herself a smoothie when she caught Gordon's voice on the radio, ordering Bullock to the LexCorp Gotham office. "Anything Gordon would send Bullock to without clear orders has got to be something worth looking into. Looks like I'm suiting up."

She headed back towards her room, and looked up to see a young blonde woman staring down at her, arms crossed. "I'm coming this time."

"Like hell you are, Bette. You've got school in the morning. I'm working solo tonight."

"Oh, come on, Kate! Who had your back when you were cornered by Croc? Who was it that totally saved your ass when Freeze had you dead to rights? And who was it that knew the name of the song that Rebecca Black sang? "

"You want to play this game, Bette? Who was it that got captured by Ivy back in No Man's Land? You want to help the fight? Then you fight on my terms, and that means you fight smart. Part of being my niece means you have to keep up appearances, and you're not going to be able to perform in school if you suit up as Rhetoric every night!"

"This is unfair, Kate. You've got responsibilities too."

"Which I'll meet. That's my decision. This is *not* up for debate, Bette."

Bette threw her arms up in the air, and stormed off back to her room. "I wonder if the Birds of Prey are hiring..." she muttered.

Kate hated to crush the girl's spirit, but it had to be done. Bette was too impulsive, and wasn't a trained detective yet. At best, the girl would only be in the way of the investigation. If push came to shove, then she might need Rhetoric's help - if she didn't, then there's no need to involve the girl.

At last, Kate stood before her closet. She put on her work clothes - fedora, trenchcoat, suit and tie, sturdy boots. Finally, she removed the most important part - a preserved piece of Pseudoderm, the miracle artificial skin that KaneTech had purchased while she was back in Israel. She pressed it tightly to her face, and exposed it to the gas kept in her earrings - the gas filled her bedroom, and profoundly changed her appearance. Her red hair became a flat black; her suit and clothing turned a light blue; her face disappeared behind the skin. Katherine Kane, Gotham socialite was gone. The Question remained in her place.

She raced across town, finally coming to LexCorp's building. She stole into the facility, sneaking past the perimeter that the GCPD had placed on the scene. She had heard the cops describing what they saw inside and where - Kate made her way towards the rent-a-cop's body. When she was coming around the corner, she heard Bullock (God, she hated that man.) saying something about "going half-blind because he worked with his hands too much." After the night she'd had thus far, she couldn't resist sniping at the slob. She walked around the corner, her hands in her trenchcoat pockets, the brim of the fedora lowered slightly. "Please, Detective Bullock - when was the last time you had a date with anyone besides Rosie Palms?" It was juvenile, it was bitchy - but dammit, it felt right in that moment.

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