Melanie stared at the chicken meat on her cutting board, the knife in her hand halfway through the breast. Her eyes slowly landed on where the cut she had gotten a few hours before had been. It didn't even scar.

Slowly, Melanie raised the knife to her hand, breath hitching as she quickly swiped it against her skin. Her skin opened quickly, a few dribbles of blood slipping out of her wound before it closed up faster than the last one.

She dropped the knife in shock, eyes wide. She knew she was a meta already, but she only believed herself to have heightened senses. Since accelerator exploded, she's been able to run longer distances without getting tired, and her five senses have been better than ever before.

But this was going to raise a lot of questions. She hoped Sterling wouldn't ask about her injury.

Her TV was playing the news, glancing up to see a blurry picture of Robin fighting a criminal. After a few moments of panic, Melanie continued to cut the chicken as the news reporter spoke.

"—Robin has once again been seen fighting alone against a group of gang members. Batman, who hasn't been seen in well over a month, following the brutal attack led by Gotham's own Joker, has been presumed dead, or critically injured." Melanie glanced up at her TV as she sliced down on the chicken, confusion, or possibly fear, written all over her face.

Melanie quickly shook her head, going back to making her dinner. Thoughts circled her head. Batman couldn't possibly be dead, could he? If he was, then what was the point of moving to Gotham? That's all she came here for. Was to get his help.

She could have gone to Barry, get the Flash's help. But the Flash doesn't do what needs to be done. He doesn't fight to the death. He just fights to unconsciousness. Not to mention, Barry has his own problems with the new evil speedster.

Melanie tossed the chicken onto her pan, listening to it sizzle before throwing her noodles into the other dish. The TV continued to play in the background, something about a recent bank robbery. Maybe that's all the news would ever be in Gotham. Robberies, murders, kidnappings.

Gotham would be nothing like Central City. It wouldn't have Flash Day, or talk about CC Jitters creating a special new drink. The thought crossed Melanie's mind that Jitters was founded in Gotham, so there had to be a place around her apartment somewhere.

She hoped it was relatively close.

•••

Melanie's stared down at her phone as she walked through the streets of Gotham towards the police department.

The sudden smell of coffee clouded the stench of trash and the off chance of human shit and Melanie's paused, looking up from her phone to see a large "GC JITTERS" sign. It looked like it was illuminating as of Heaven was sending her a gift, and Melanie's straight face turned into a bright smile.

She spun on her heel and quickly walked into the coffee shop, where she was greeted by the sweet aroma of coffee. There was a sign next to the register along with a picture of a dark roast cappuccino with a bat symbol in it. Below that was a picture of a red and yellow Frappuccino, which Melanie assumed was for Robin.

She guessed that even as vigilantes, they still technically saved the city. They deserved some sort of reward.

Melanie walked up to the counter, still holding a small smile even though the barista didn't flash one. "What can I get for you?" The woman asked in a monotone voice, and Melanie glanced up at the menu.

It looked somewhat different compared to Central City's Jitters. Of course, this Jitters didn't have the Flash drink, which she usually went for to wake up. She turned to the barista and raised her brows.

"What's the most caffeinated drink?" She asked, and the barista sighed quietly.

"The Vivian."

"What's a Vivian?" Melanie mumbled to herself before shrugging. "I'll take it in the largest size you have. To go, please." The barista tapped at her screen before turning to Melanie.

"$7.53."

•••

Melanie walked out of the Jitters with her coffee, taking a sip of it before gagging in disgust and looking down at her drink. "Jesus Christ did someone shit in this?" She let out an averse grunt, continuing her walk to GCPD as she continued to sip her coffee. Even though she hated it, she wasn't going to waste that seven dollars.

Melanie swung the door open to the precinct, pausing to look around in confusion as a heavy cop waltzed over to her. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Uh... I'm looking for James Gordon?" A few eyes landed on Melanie as she said his name, the cop shrugging and gestured towards a flight of stairs.

"Up the stairs, fourth door down." The cop then walked away as Melanie headed towards the stairs, and someone whistled loudly, proceeding to yell.

"Boone! I told you to get that paperwork done on the Giavani case!" Melanie stopped as she reached the top of the steps, staring at a tall, strongly built man that was leaning against the balcony railing and staring down at the cubicles below.

"I said I was almost done with it!" Melanie glanced down the balcony, spotting Sterling looking up at who she assumed was James Gordon. She could see Sterling's lips move, probably swearing under his breath as he turned back to his papers.

"Who are you?" Melanie's head snapped in the direction of the loud voice, her brows raising as her eyes widened. James walked with a heavy foot but his shoulders were still raised high. He had good poster and was an extremely tall man.

Melanie slowly started to look up as James got closer, her eyes becoming larger as she realized just how tall the man was.

"Never make him mad. Jesus Christ he has to be at least a foot taller than me." She thought to herself, gripping her phone as if she could use it as a weapon against a man who was almost literally two times her size.

"I'm uhm... Melanie Nyx. I'm the new CSI transfer. Or detective transfer. Captain Singh from Central City said you didn't really care where I was— Where I was put."

"Right. You're the girl that solved that serial killing in Star City a few years back. You said you do detective work, too?" Gordon said and Melanie nodded quickly.

"I did when I was in England for a year. But I was a CSI in Central City." She answered as James gestured ahead.

"Follow me, I'll set you up in your paper work." Melanie rushed past James quickly, feeling as if his strides were much larger than hers so she would have to walk faster than usual.

James shut the door to his office once the two were in and held a hand out to a chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat, Miss Nyx." Melanie slung her bag over the chair and sat down, still gripping her phone as James sat down behind his desk. He typed something in before throwing on a pair of glasses, and Melanie pushed hers up towards the bridge of her nose.

"We haven't had a CSI here in well over a year. As you said before, Captain Singh assigned you to work either as a CSI or detective here. I don't really give a shit, but we need the workers. Half my men here are corrupted but I don't know which ones—"

"I could figure it out for you." Melanie interrupted quickly before clamping her mouth into a thin line. James tilted his head to her, leaning back in his chair.

"You can now?" He raised a brow. Melanie stayed quiet for a moment before nodding.

"I'm good at reading people. I was a good detective in England, I could probably figure out whose telling people information, whose selling the missing drugs in the evidence locker. Who stole John Doe's lunch from the break room." James hummed in amusement.

James stared at Melanie for a moment and she sunk in her chair, the large man letting out a sigh. "Well, people aren't usually ones to be a CSI and detective, but you look like you can handle both jobs." Melanie's brows raised in surprise, glancing to James' computer as he went to type something in. He picked up a small camera and Melanie straightened up quickly.

"I'm going to take a picture of you and have your I.D and badge ready by this afternoon. Can you handle a gun?"

"I got one a few years ago—"

"Good. I'm going to have one of my detectives take you down to the gun range and see how well you shoot. Can't be a good detective if you're a shit shot, you know?" Melanie let out a strained noise and James held up the small camera connected to his computer.

"Eyes at the camera." He turned to his computer as Melanie stared into the camera, doing her best to not look nervous, and a small shutter noise echoed in the quiet room. She leaned forward to see the computer screen, where a decent photo of herself loaded up.

"You ever done anything illegal?" James asked as he lowered the camera. Melanie glanced to him, then back to the computer as he started typing information down.

"Uhm... I stole a pack of gum when I was ten." James paused and look to her, frowning. "I got caught by my mom. Haven't shoplifted since."

"Right. Can your mother back you up on that?" Melanie leaned back in her chair, shaking her head slowly. "Well then I'll have to do another background check on you. Your lab is at the end of the building. Go crazy with the decorations if you want, just don't destroy it with chemicals."

"Yes, sir." Melanie answered quick, standing up. James turned to an intercom, pressing a button.

"Grayson to my office. Get up here now." James stood up then and after a few moments, the door to his office swung open.

Melanie turned her head quickly. A man, who Melanie assumed had to be the man Sterling was talking about the night before, stood in the doorway with a tight grip on the handle. He was wearing grey slacks and a simple white button up, the top button undone and it appeared he had been sweating. Melanie could smell it, too, and see the sweat beading down of his forehead.

"Yeah, Captain?" Grayson's eyes flickered to meet Melanie's, but his out of breath stature didn't change, and his chest heaved as he sucked in a sharp breath in an attempt to slow his racing heart.

"Why the hell are you sweating so damn much?" James asked in a bothered voice. Grayson stood up a bit straighter, his heavy breathing slowing down.

"I was in the training room. Whose..?"

"Melanie Nyx. She's our new CSI. And detective. Melanie, this is Dick Grayson." Melanie looked back at James before a short memory clicked in her mind and she let out a quiet snort, covering her mouth for a moment before shaking her head. Dick's look dropped to annoyance and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Sorry. Sterling told me a joke yesterday and... Entirely his fault." Dick pressed his lips together and looked to James, who shrugged. Melanie stared at his eyes for a moment, noticing how dark they were. It wasn't just the color of his eyes, making it appear like they were entirely black, but she could see he was holding something back. She could almost feel it.

"Melanie here needs a gun. But before I can give her one, you're going to take her down to the training arena and see how good of a shot she is." James explained as Dick sighed quietly, shaking his head for a moment before turning to his Captain.

"Look, Gordon, I got a guy to interrogate in a few minutes—"

"Then bring Nyx with. And change your damn shirt while you're at it. You smell like shit, Grayson." Dick clenched his jaw at the Captain before giving him a swift nod.

"Alright, Captain." He turned back to Melanie, who glanced between the two awkwardly. Dick gestured out of the office, his jaw still tight. "Come with me."

Melanie grabbed her bag, turning to the Captain, who nodded for her to follow Dick as he left the office.

Melanie was quick to notice that he was silent compared to Sterling. He didn't even look her way, which gave Melanie a strange sense of relief. He kept to himself, but if the two were going to be with each other for the next five to ten minutes, he could have at least tried to strike up a conversation.

Then again, Melanie could do the same thing, and she decided against that. Which Dick noticed fairly quickly. He noticed that she didn't even attempt to ask him anything, unlike nearly every other woman that worked in the station that didn't have a boyfriend. Dick immediately assumed that's why Melanie wasn't talkative, but he was also incredibly suspicious about it.

Dick opened the door to the gun range, grabbing a pair of earmuffs and Melanie grabbed herself a pair, slipping them over her ears as Duck handed her protective glasses.

"You know the basics?" Dick asked as he pulled out his own hand gun. Melanie nodded quickly as he handed the gun to her and she took it carefully. The two walked up to a stall, where a few paces ahead stood a piece of paper with a target in the shape of a man. There were far too many bullet holes in the head.

"Yeah. Safety, magazine, chamber, safety." Melanie was quick to unload the gun and check the magazine before slipping it back in, clicking the safety off. Dick rested his back on the edge of the stall, watching Melanie as she aimed her gun at the target.

At first, she aimed for the head, before her shoulders dropped and she went for the center. She shot, missing the center circle and hit the middle of the second. She lowered her gun, turning back to Dick as if he was about to give her a clap of approval.

Instead, he just shrugged and gestured his head. "Again." He spoke bluntly. Her shoulders went lower, and Melanie turned to the target. She sucked in a quiet breath, listening to his rhythmic heartbeats, his steady breathing before staring down the gun and pulled the trigger.

Dick hummed quietly as he looked to where Melanie had shot. "Better shot than Boone. Maybe you'll replace him." Dick joked and Melanie turned to him, flashing a quick smile. "Just don't make any bad jokes about my name like he does."

"He's a dad. It's in his blood." Dick let out a short laugh and Melanie clicked the safety back onto the gun before handing it to him. "Now. About that interrogation."

"Look, I'm a do-it-alone detective. You just... go to your lab and set everything up. You're about a year behind on paperwork." Melanie's small smile dropped to a bothersome look and she huffed.

"Right. Might as well get to it now so I can finish it before I retire." Melanie complained as she turned around, slipping the earmuffs on and put them back in the rack. "So.. What are you going to tell Gordon? I did only take two shots." She asked Dick as the two walked out of the gun range.

"That you're a good shot. He'd still make you a detective even if you weren't." Dick slowed to a stop as they reached an interrogation room, peering in through the window. Melanie paused to look back at him and he pointed to the door. "I need to take this."

"Right... Well, I guess I'll see you around." Dick gave her a quiet "yeah" before walking into the room and left her alone in the hallway. She waited for a moment before shrugging and walking away.

It didn't take Melanie long to find her new lab, which was considerably large compared to Barry's back in Central City. It took up the entirety of the south wing of GCPD, leaving Melanie with a lot of natural light and no curtains for the giant window.

Melanie did a quick spin to get a better look at her new lab. There appeared to be a blood stain, or maybe a chemical stain left near a shelf of chemicals but the entry door. There was an emergency exit on the right and a door on the left leading to the street. Melanie could simply walk in and out whenever she wanted. She just needed a key.

There were a few desks with forensics and science equipment spread around the lab, as well as a large desk in the middle of the room, which sat just in front of the window. The window didn't have a very appealing view, but Melanie assumed it would give her the perfect view to see the bat signal go up in the air.

"Oh my god." Melanie mumbled to herself before looking towards a flight of stairs, which just so happened to reach to the roof. She immediately broke into a sprint, ascending the stairs two at a time before bursting through the rooftop door.

Melanie came to a halt as she stared at the large light. Her eyes widened in pure shock at how massive it truly was. She approached it slowly, running a hand over the black metal before a scoff left her lips.

"You just had to see it for yourself, didn't you?" Melanie jumped out of her skin at the sound of Sterling's voice and he let out a quiet gasp. "Shit, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I was coming into the lab to see how you were doing and I saw you run up the stairs—"

"I'm okay. It's just... I know the Flash. And now I'm going to know Batman. I think... I mean, have you guys really not seen him in over a month?" Melanie turned to Sterling with a deflated look and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Last time I saw him before the Joker fight, he was actually saving my life. That's what got me the Medal of Valor, actually. I uh... Was fighting this guy that had kidnapped this girl and got thrown out of a fourth story window." Melanie eyes widened in surprise when Sterling lifted his shirt to reveal a deep scar on his side.

"Batman used his uh— grappling hook? And just caught me. Shard of glass fell right into my side and I almost died. Saved that little girl, though." Sterling lowered his shirt and Melanie smiled softly.

"Sounds like you were the real hero that day." Sterling shrugged and a smile fell on his lips as he leaned against the door.

"Yeah, I guess. Since that guy didn't exactly let go of me when I was thrown out the window." Melanie hummed in amusement and she turned back to the Bat Signal, a small wave of hooe crossing over her. "My accident happened... Maybe a month before Batman and Joker's fight. Joker's locked up now but... No one has seen Batman since."

"What do you think happened to him?" Melanie wondered, turning to Sterling. He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck.

"I don't think he's dead. But he's an old guy, I know that. Maybe he finally retired and left Robin to take care of business." Melanie frowned at Sterling's response and again, she turned to the Bat Signal.

She hoped he was right. That Batman wasn't dead but in fact just living his best retired life. She hoped he was still out there, waiting for a reason to get back into it. To keep fighting.

She hoped he could save her.