009

— the burn, the blood, the broken —

THE STREETS WERE COVERED IN A HEAVY FOG, THE LIGHTS BLURRED JUST AS THE MOON WAS COVERED BY HEAVY CLOUDS. The streets were alive, alive in the sense that every few streets someone was doing something illegal, hiding in the shadows and the darkness. "Do you have a place to start with?" Komand'r questioned as they walked through one of the rockier parts of Gotham.

"Cole messaged about a bar called Zion," Hazel answered, looking at Komand'r who walked beside her, "Busted for a mob meeting a few months back, but it re-opened a little too fast afterwards."

They reached a sleek black bar front, gold lining the plating around the doors. "ID please," The bouncer ordered, looking down at Hazel. Hazel looked at the burly man, her eyes glowing a bright gold. He stammered and took a small step back, "Uh, never mind."

He pushed the door open, and Hazel nodded for Komand'r to follow her. They stepped inside, joining another dozen patrons sitting at the tables, another ten crowding the bar with a couple moving around the room. The room was consumed by the smell of cigarettes, men freely smoking in the back of the room. The bright blue neon sign hung behind the bar, displaying the business name and soaking everything in a washed out a blue light.

Hazel and Blackfire walked to the bar counter and sat on the stools, a taller man with a twirled moustache and arm tattoos walking toward them. "Two rum and cokes. Start a tab," Hazel ordered. The bartender nodded and quickly started making their drinks. "You like rum don't you?"

"I think," Komand'r said, shrugging. The bartender set the drinks down, Hazel offering him a smile as she took the detailed glass. Blackfire sipped on the drink, tutting as she lulled over the taste as Hazel's eyes wandered over the bar, looking over the different patrons. "How do you plan on doing this?" she asked, looking at Hazel from the corner of her eye.

Hazel sipped on the alcohol and looked up at Komand'r. "Koriand'r and Super-Boy could have watched you, they could have left you at the Manor with the boys, but Kory got me to watch you. Do you know why?" Hazel caught the sight of a tattoo on the side of a man's neck, and she picked up the drink.

Blackfire paused, "I don't know."

"Because Kory trusts me, she thinks I'll look out for you, keep you in check," Hazel muttered, she set her glass down and nodded for another. "But right now, I'm gonna go beat the shit out of that guy there." The bartender set down a second drink and Hazel smiled at Komand'r. "Feel free to blow off some steam."

Blackfire watched her closely as Hazel walked to the table of seven men, covered in leather and tattoo's, the tallest, scruffiest man with a very prominent red scorpion tattoo on his neck. "Hey," Hazel smiled, setting her glass on the table. "That scorpion's pretty cool," Hazel said, motioning to the tattoo.

The older man looked up at Hazel, flicking one of his lip piercings. "You think so sweetheart?" The man questioned, leaning forward slightly.

"Yeah, I remember it from somewhere. Oh!" Hazel clicked her fingers and smiled. "The drug cartel that started trading in human trafficking."

Hazel smiled and the man's eyes widened. "Who the fuck are you?"

"God, or close enough." Hazel grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against her glass, shattering it to splinters to cut up his face. Panic and shock ran through the bar, Blackfire jumping from her seat as she watched the man's blood spill over the table. A man tried to pull his gun out, but Hazel grabbed his arm, pulling him from his chair and throwing him to the floor. Hazel flicked her fingers, vines sprouting from the thorn in his skin and strapped him to the floor, immobilising him.

A pair from across the room sprung to their feet, running at Hazel but she quickly spun, kicking a small table into the men, the wood crashing against their body's. The men tumbled to the floor, groaning in pain. A man pulled a gun out, aiming it towards Hazel. He yelled at her to freeze, but Hazel waved her hand and the gun rippled to sand.

She hit another five to the ground, sending flares and roots around the room. The first man with the Scorpion tattoo stood and ran at Hazel but she grabbed him and threw him into the bar top. As he fell to the floor, Hazel grabbed him and threw a punch across his jaw. She didn't know what took over her bones, where the burn in her throat came from or why the pulling at her chest became so tight, but she recognised the rage in her veins.

Blinded by whatever had taken over, she seized the man by the collar of his coat and threw him to the floor, striking at his face, breaking bones in his face and splashing red, sticky blood over her hands and face.

"Hazel!"

Komand'r's voice cut through the sound of violence and Hazel froze. She glanced back at Komand'r, who stared at her with wide eyes. Hazel glanced around the room before she released the man, his head falling to the ground, his body limp. Hazel wiped a hand down her face, smearing blood across her cheek. She turned and grabbed a drink from the bartender.

Hazel skulled the drink and stepped beside Blackfire. "I would advise you all to tell me the truth," Hazel began, "Tell me everything about Jonathan Crane and Red Hood."

Hazel and Komand'r ventured to two more bars before wandering back to Wayne Manor, stopping in the living space. Blackfire sat across the couch, taking a scotch Hazel handed her. Hazel stepped back to the small liquor tray, searching through the drinks. "Are you okay? That all seemed rather... intense," Komand'r said, turning her attention to Hazel.

Hazel grabbed the whisky bottle and turned to Komand'r, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Kory said you were evil, you killed your parents," Hazel sipped her drink and Komand'r straightened, listening to Hazel. "I'm just not entirely sure why you care."

Komand'r laughed softly, "Do you believe everything my sister says?"

"Not all the time," Hazel teased.

Komand'r suddenly went very serious, her smile dropping. "My father used to say, sometimes in life the good decisions are only a little better than the wrong ones, he called it the 51 percent rule."

Hazel nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it's um, my mom always talked about this moral problem, is one life worth more than 10?" Hazel shrugged softly and Komand'r looked up at her. "Many over the few."

"One may lose their life, but you save 10."

"A few men may have some very broken bones, but at least we know what Crane wants," Hazel hummed before sipping on the alcoholic drink. Blackfire smiled at her and took a swig from her own drink. "Hey those nerves you were thought you were on, definitely not."

Hazel turned her head, listing the sound of heels growing ever closer, than Kory's voice echoing down the hall. "Get Cole to check the Bat-Computer for homicides."

"Wait, you don't think Blackfire has actually killed people, do you?" Conner questioned.

"I don't know. But Hazel's on edge and those two together is not something I want to deal with," Kory said, stopping in the entry.

Conner and Kory froze as they looked down at the pair sitting on the couch. Hazel raised her hand and gave them both a small wave. "Of course, she does," Blackfire hummed, smiling up at them. "And I commend Hazel, a better fighter than I expected."

"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?" Kory snapped, glaring at Blackfire.

Komand'r twisted herself to sit properly and faced Kory, sipping from her glass as she did. "We were on the wrong side of the tracks, where you should have been," Blackfire explained. "We went to some bars, cracked some skulls and found out from the rats of Gotham that Crane is in bed with the mob."

Hazel took a bloody note from her pocket and presented it to Kory. "Our lead is a very unhappy mobster, adamantly against Crane," Hazel finished as Kory snatched it from her. "She's pretty pissy about the whole thing."

"See? Talk to those who don't belong, and they'll tell you everything," Komand'r said, nodding at Hazel. Hazel raised her glass to Blackfire as she sat down again.

"Conner, give us the room," Kory ordered, not looking back at the boy. Conner nodded and left the room.

Kory turned and glared at Komand'r and Hazel straightened up. "Kory, it was my idea," Hazel insisted.

Kory turned her attention to Hazel. "Put the drink down, I'll deal with you in a bit."

"Kory-"

"Go," Kory repeated.

"I'm not a kid Kory, you don't get to order me around like that," Hazel snapped, raising her voice.

"No, but you're my responsibility. So go-"

"Why are you like that?" Hazel interrupted, pushing herself to stand, the same rage returning. "You and Dick. You wanna be heroes, you wanna help but you won't let anyone else do the same. We did the right thing, we were helping!"

"This isn't the right thing!"

Hazel scoffed, "Well I'm sorry Princess but what is the right thing? Should I go around setting people on fire? Blowing things up? Cause that's alright, isn't it? Princess Kory of Planet no one actually gives a fuck can kill whoever she likes, can do whatever she likes as long as she sees it as right? Well, I think that's bullshit." Hazel grabbed the bottle of whisky threw her hands up. "Sorry for doing my job, for trying to help."

Hazel raced up the stairs, slamming the door closed to her room. Hazel sat against the side of her bed for a moment before sliding onto the floor, her head dropping into her hands. She popped the lid off the bottle and sipped, the alcohol running down her throat with a terrible burn Hazel's phone started to ring and Hazel huffed, setting the bottle, initially intending to ignore the call but the bright screen displaying Jason's name made her stop.

She fumbled to answer it, her eyes widening. "Jason?" Hazel whispered. "Jason?" Hazel paused, part of her thinking it was a bogus call, but she could hear breathing on the other end. "Jay, if you can hear me, please talk to me. Let me help. Let me see you, just you and me, I won't tell anyone." Hazel waited a moment, grinding her jaw when the line disconnected.

Hazel fumbled to call him back, but she was simply met with Jason's voicemail. Hazel clicked her phone off and dropped her head onto her knees. Hazel racked her fingers through her hair, trying to keep her breathing steady. But there was just an empty feeling in her stomach and a burn in her bones. Hazel threw her phone across the room, making a terrible sound as it hit the wall and tumbled to the floor.

Hazel sat in silence for a few moments more, sipping from the bottle in the soft glow of the lamp lightning the room in a golden glow. Cole stood at the door, rushing to see what was wrong after he heard the bang, but he had paused when he got there. He took a deep breath and stepped inside, his steps slow as he approached Hazel who had dropped her head back on to her knees.

He crouched next to her, "Hazel?" Cole's voice was gentle, barely a whisper as he reached out a hand, his touch light as he rested it on her shoulder. Startled, Hazel looked up, her tear-stained face illuminated by the soft light. At the sight of Cole, her expression softened, before quickly hardening as she tried to wipe her tears.

"Uh, sorry- I didn't mean to wake you," Hazel stammered, trying to dry her face with the end of her sleeves. She scurried to shut the bottle and push it aside, still mumbling apologies to Cole. Without a word, Cole sat beside her, his presence a silent comfort as he wrapped his arm around her trembling body and Hazel fell against his shoulder.

For a long while, they sat in silence, the only sound the quiet rhythm of their breathing and the faint hum of the lamp. Hazel barely had time to lift her head to speak when Cole interrupted her, "Don't you dare say sorry." Hazel laughed softly and dropped her head against his shoulder.

— rage —