Chapter 54 Owl Returns ( ) Time to go to work!
First came a throwing knife, which knocked the gun out of Dick's hand.
A figure landed behind Dick and picked up the gun from the ground.
Jason stared warily at the figure.
A brown uniform...that's a claw.
“Hey,” Dick said to the claw, “are you still hiring summer workers?”
“Obviously, it’s not summer vacation now,” Claw answered matter-of-factly. “Besides, we never hire summer workers.”
"Could you give us some weapons and equipment, just because I almost became your colleague?" Dick pleaded.
“You rejected us,” Claw retorted, “and you chose Thomas Wayne.”
"What about for Night Owl's sake?" Dick asked Claw incredulously. "Didn't you say I could come in anytime I wanted?"
"I'm sorry, this was a promise made by His Excellency the Supreme Court, but his whereabouts are currently unknown and his fate is uncertain."
"Did something happen to Night Owl?"
Surprisingly, Jason reacted the most strongly of the three: "How is that possible?"
“I don’t know, but we haven’t heard from him for weeks…” Claw paused for a moment, “Okay, now we have news. He told me to give you the equipment, and you guys wait for me here.”
Watching Claw's retreating figure disappear, Barbara asked suspiciously, "You really haven't been in Gotham for very long?"
“Absolutely,” Dick said. “So, are owls really that powerful?”
“What do you think? A few years ago, there were always mangled corpses and severed limbs on the ground in the East Side,” Jason replied. “It’s gotten a bit better these days, probably because he’s killed off all the people with guts.”
“And the GCPD has absolutely no clue about Night Owl’s true identity,” Barbara added. “All capture plans have failed; they couldn’t even get a glimpse of his cape… How did you come to know Night Owl?”
“I don’t know,” Dick said honestly. “I had only been in Gotham for a few days when they kidnapped me, took me to their headquarters, and said that my grandfather was Claw, so I was one of them.”
"Great, so you know where their headquarters are?"
"I don't know, but I speculate that it's on the ground..."
“Night Owl asked me to tell you,” Claw appeared out of nowhere behind Dick, startling the trio, “Don’t say everything, he’ll be watching you.”
He then handed the uniform to Dick.
"Does he really think he's an owl?" Dick asked skeptically, flipping through the specially made claw-like uniform in his hand. "Do I really have to wear this? Don't you guys think this color is a bit outdated?"
“Night Owl said this uniform has some protective functions,” Claw said matter-of-factly. “If you don’t like the color, you can change it yourself.”
“Well, that’s pretty humane,” Dick muttered, looking at the weapons offered by Claws. “Where do I go to exchange them?”
“Obviously you can only change in the car,” Barbara said, “or I’ll turn around and you can change here.”
“I’m going to the car,” Dick took a deep breath. “Sorry driver, I’ll pay you back. Sorry Batman, sorry Thomas, sorry Bruce, sorry Alfred…”
Barbara politely turned her back.
Soon, Dick climbed out of the taxi.
"It looks much better now," Claw said calmly. "That's what the Night Owl thought."
"Thank you? But why are these clothes different from yours?" Dick adjusted his clothes somewhat awkwardly and brandished his weapon a couple of times.
“‘Because we don’t usually hire summer workers.’” Claw stepped forward and gave him a brief explanation of how to use the weapons.
Barbara hesitated, but considering they were still with Claws, she held back.
Only after Claw left did Barbara sidle up to Dick and whisper, "Do you think this dress is too tight or too loose?"
"Hmm? No, it fits perfectly."
“That’s exactly the problem,” Barbara frowned. “It’s a bodysuit…”
"How did Night Owl know my size?!" Dick reacted very quickly. "Is the security at Wayne Manor really that bad?!"
“That’s scary,” Jason added. “Looks like Night Owl really wants to hire a summer worker.”
“…Let’s not complain now,” Dick rubbed his arms. “I just want to take this outfit off right now.”
“Bear with it, summer job,” Barbara picked up her laptop again. “Thomas Wayne will thank you for your sacrifice… I just found his trail.”
Where?
“A nearby block,” Barbara replied quickly, “but the surveillance there seems to have been sabotaged beforehand; there’s only footage of him entering that street.”
"How is Thomas doing? How many enemies does he have around him?"
“That’s the problem,” Barbara frowned. “He seems completely free, with no one around, and he’s even on the phone.”
"Is Thomas going to rebel again?" That was Dick's first reaction. "Honestly, I think he's really capable of doing something like wandering around outside after the attack just to get some fresh air and not going home."
“...It’s really strange to hear you use the word ‘rebellious’ to describe Thomas Wayne. He’s someone who can rival Night Owl and has left many GCPD officers with psychological trauma under completely legal circumstances,” Barbara complained, then immediately analyzed the situation seriously. “However, the surveillance footage shows that Thomas Wayne did not show any signs of being coerced at all.”
“Okay, now the task has changed,” Dick relaxed, “to persuade the rebellious Thomas to come home.”
“My personal suggestion is to persuade him to return to GCOD,” Barbara said. “There are still many people who believe that Thomas orchestrated the attack in order to escape from prison.”
“That makes sense, but do you think Thomas will listen to you?”
Won't.
“Okay,” Barbara continued typing, “let me see if I can recover the surveillance footage.”
“It doesn’t need to go through that trouble,” Jason said. “I know this place and the people here, I can ask someone.”
"Okay?" Dick hesitated for a moment. "Who are you looking for?"
Then Jason pulled Dick aside and intimidated a group of gang members.
As it turned out, the owl's intimidation was quite effective. They believed half of it when they saw Dick's attire, and with Jason's fluent jargon, they easily figured out the route Thomas had taken.
"So Thomas fought off a bunch of gangsters just to go into an abandoned hospital, take a quick look around, and then come out?" Dick frowned. "Was he going to explore the hospital?"
“…I guess not,” Barbara kicked the two robbers lying on the ground beside her, who were trying to steal her computer. “This should be a hospital that the late Wayne couple invested in, although it was later abandoned.”
“And this is right here in Crime Alley,” Jason pointed out to Dick and Barbara.
"Crime Alley? Why are all the place names in Gotham so weird..."
The two Gotham locals were silent for a moment, and finally Barbara said, "It's best not to mention Crime Alley in front of Bruce and Thomas. It was originally called Park Street, but after the Wayne couple were attacked and killed, the security gradually deteriorated, and it was then called Crime Alley."
The atmosphere around us became heavy.
"I'm sorry." Even though the Wayne brothers weren't with them, Dick still sincerely apologized.
“There’s also a memorial to the Wayne couple there,” the three of them said, skipping over the topic. “I think Thomas Wayne should be around there.”
Jason hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
He suspected that Thomas didn't really care about his parents.
Thomas could even suggest to Jason that he kill his parents without batting an eye, casually saying that he had no feelings for his deceased parents.
But this was their only clue, and the trio eventually headed towards Crime Alley.
“Tell me more about Bruce and Thomas,” Dick whispered.
"Do you really want to hear it?" Barbara asked him in a very low voice. "It's not a good story. I've only heard my dad mention it... You can ask Thomas to tell you. If he happens to be missing the Waynes, he should have someone to listen to him."
As they approached Crime Alley, their pace slowed.
They could see a figure in a full suit standing on a copper coin on the ground, holding a cell phone and seemingly saying something. They could only make out the words "catch him" and "don't let him get away."
"Phew—" Dick breathed a sigh of relief, "Thomas!"
The figure put down the phone, turned around, and sure enough, it was Thomas.
“Great, you’re alright!” Dick took off his mask and waved to Thomas. “...Never mind that, I have no intention of working a summer job at the Owl Court.”
He rushed to Thomas, excitedly saying, "You have no idea what I've done today! Alfred is definitely going to take all my snacks, you have to make up for it..."
Barbara frowned, took a step back, and deliberately made a noise to make Dick turn around.
Her movements were a little strange, and Dick noticed this, following her gaze down to the ground.
Thomas blocked some of the words, but Dick could see the word "Wayne".
This is a memorial to the Wayne couple, and Thomas is standing on it.
Thomas noticed Dick's reaction and said, "I...I've always hated them."
“By the way, Thomas, you should go back to the police station,” Dick said, taking a step back somewhat uneasily. “Someone suspects you staged this whole thing…”
"I can't go back, I can't go back."
Thomas put his hand on Dick's shoulder.
This side of Thomas is somewhat strange.
But it was still much better than the time he suddenly appeared in the middle of the night with an axe.
"What's wrong, Thomas?"
“I killed someone,” Thomas said, “and I don’t intend to stop.”
He crouched down, meeting Dick's gaze: "Would you kill someone for me?"
“Wait, wait, Thomas,” Dick took a step back and stammered, “are you having a schizophrenia episode?”
“Perhaps,” Thomas replied, “kill the girl behind you; she has evidence of my crimes.”
“No… wait, Thomas, I think you should go to the hospital.” Dick surveyed the surroundings, thinking that knocking Thomas unconscious might be better.
“So you’re unwilling.” Thomas stood up, his tall figure blocking the light, his face hidden in shadow.
"You don't want to..." Thomas's voice carried a hint of amusement, which made the atmosphere even more sinister.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to, let’s go back to Wayne Manor.” Thomas took two steps toward the alley entrance.
Dick hesitated before following Thomas, while Barbara remained motionless with her arms crossed. Jason thought for a moment and finally decided to go with Dick.
Okay, it's two to one. Barbara is still worried about Dick and Jason, so she chooses to follow Thomas from a distance.
"Thomas, what you just said..."
“I was just kidding, I’m a law-abiding citizen.”
Dick breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Barbara continued to scrutinize Thomas with a serious gaze.
Jason... Jason and Thomas weren't familiar with each other, so he couldn't figure out what was going on.
The three of them followed Thomas cautiously.
A flash of silver light appeared.
"Watch out!" Dick shouted, grabbing Jason but not Thomas.
Perhaps subconsciously, Thomas, with his skills, didn't need him to lend a hand at all...
But this time Thomas couldn't dodge; he covered his ears and fell to the ground.
A silver light flashed near them, then flew back into the sky, where a silver-gray figure caught it steadily.
The owl was standing on the rooftop looking down at them, just like an owl looking down at ants.
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Author's Note: While writing, I realized the owl hasn't appeared in a while, so I'm bringing it out for a spin! Welcome, owl! Please share your thoughts, owl!
"Coo coo coo!" (Sound of an angry bird)
Thank you, owl, for your excellent speech! (Gets pecked to death by the owl)
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I mentioned "Thomas" before [rose emoji]. Let me see which little angel guessed it correctly! The first angel to guess correctly will receive a red envelope after tomorrow's update~ [starry-eyed emoji]
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