Down To Mexico [Nina, Jimmy, OPEN]

[Deleted]

(OOC NOTE: This takes place the same time as Catwoman and the Joker's FBI plot threads. This is open to FBI agents near the border (once we get there) and Heroes who have figured out the riddle...and I guess Batgirl if she just happens to be suspicious of her brother. Be forewarn once you join this thread, you cannot join Catwoman or Joker's thread. The Joker is plotting something quite interesting so if you want to prevent people from dying, consider your choices.)

Edward rubbed his purple glove hand along the interior of his new car. He loved expensive new toys to play with, especially one like this. He almost wanted to drive the car himself. He wanted to feel his hands wrapped tightly around the leather steering wheel as he pressed on the accelerator. If he wasn't in Gotham currently under the strict security of the FBI, he would have. Though he had never been into cars in his youth, after the lost of his ability to run, he started a new hobby for fast things. His other car was far faster then this one, but bright color green was not going to get him out of this town. He needed a car that could blend in, so he went to a dealership last night and plucked one that felt right. He decided to go with the BMW M Series and a simple black color. It was classy, yet still had a emphasis of strength. It was too bad, it was only a one day ride. He would have to enjoy it while it lasted.

His eyes glanced out the window from the back seat at the Gotham City Middle School only a few blocks away. Allen was inside to pick up his new employee, Little Jimmy Gordon. He still could not quite understand how that piece perfectly landed in his lap without him even having to lift a finger. He was not going to complain though, the boy would be of great use in the future. They had already finished a quick surveillance of the area and noted that their were no GCPD or FBI scum around besides for the normal amount on the streets. It meant that the boy hadn't told his family and also that he hadn't chickened out on the proposition.

At this point, though, it was too late to back out. With a man as large as Allen walking into a school, he wasn't one someone turned down. Edward suspected a strange glance here and there, but the simple story he gave Allen would be enough to get the kid out. He stuck Allen in a nice black suit to appear like an FBI agent. He then just had to state that 'We just need to talk to Jim Gordon about possible cheating on the state exam.' With all the nonsense going on with the FBI, the school system would not even think to question it. Allen would then walk Jimmy out and towards the car and then there off.

Edward checked his watch to make sure they were ahead of schedule. He did not want to be near any education area when things started. He wasn't entirely sure what the Joker was planning, but he had an idea. He pulled on his cuffs to fix them just right. He always was slightly fidgety before a big event. He was in his full green suit, purple tie, green bowler cap, and purple gloves. He truly was the Riddler and anyone could see that from a foot away. If they could pear through tinted glass of the car. He wore the outfit, because 1) he loved it, 2) he knew nothing in his plan would go wrong, and 3) if he did run into a hero or FBI, he wanted them to see him at his best before they meet their ended fate.

He turned his eyes to the side and saw Nina seating in the back seat next to him. He held his eyes there for only a moment before turning them back to the window. She had been acting strangely these past few weeks. She seemed withdrawn and focus. She kept asking him strange question that caught him off guard. He only pried once and was immediately switched off the subject. She was hiding something from him. He knew it. The fact mad him angry. He didn't understand why she would hide anything from him. He was letting her in on one of his grandest schemes (though he told basically nothing about). He was letting her be a liability. Why was she acting so suspicious? A small part thought she had gone to the cops, but he pushed that a side immediately. She wouldn't...would she?

A small frown played on his lips as he chewed over the annoyance. He saw a small boy round a corner with a much taller man. The frown turned to a creepy grin. Allen lead him to the front door of the car.

Well at least, his employee issue was solved.

[Nina Stenet]

Nina's currently in a bit of a mixed mood at the moment. She's still on a bit of an emotional high from the night before, and she genuinely curious and a bit excited to see what Edward has planned for today. And though the loss of her lab is still a bit of a sore spot, she managed to ease that feeling of loss by making the most of the situation.

But then, that's why she didn't tell Edward about it. She doubts that he'd understand what an absolute need she'd had to respond to the FBI's blatantly unfair attack on her and her work. And for it to be her doing it her own self, even if there was a bit of risk involved. If she'd have told him, then he'd have probably tried to turn it into his own scheme - if he didn't just deem the whole thing unnecessary outright. That would never have satisfied her.

Of course, she knew that he would also be unhappy about her not telling him too, though a part of her hopes that once what she did comes to light he'll be okay with it. Actually, a part of her hopes that it will surprise him and cause him to realize that she's not a helpless woman he needs to babysit constantly, recent attacks on her person aside. Though more realistically, she's hoping that he'll be no worse than moderately annoyed - something he can shrug off after telling her how stupid it was. A part of her could actually agree if that's what he decides it was - maybe it was a bit stupid. But it also made her feel better. Point is, she has absolutely no idea what he'll think when he finally finds out.

But though she knows that he's not pleased that she's hiding it from him, at least he can't say that she's made much if any attempt to hide the fact that she's hiding something. The only way that could have been clearer is if she had told him outright. In fact, she's only down to a few reasons why she doesn't tell him the whole thing now; last time she did something without telling him she was shot partly due to assumptions he made about the full effect of what she'd done. And it's probably better to delay letting him know for awhile if he doesn't find it out himself - until he's had enough time to see that he will not immediately end up at Arkham or worse because of her actions, nor will his current plans be thwarted. In fact, she'd specifically planned for her activities to not be even vaguely linked to him in any way, and she's seen no sign that there was any fault in that aspect of her plan.

Actually, she's seen no sign that any part of her plan didn't go according to plan. Probably because she'd kept it very straightforward. But that's why, as she sits beside Edward, she looks rather relaxed. She only has two worries at the moment: that something will go wrong today, or that he'll react very badly when he gets the full story of what she did last night. But the former is negated by the fact that she believes that success is very much more likely than failure, and the latter because she just doesn't think that what she did will turn out to be that big of a deal to him in hindsight.

So when she sees his eyes shift momentarily in her direction, she gives him a small, relaxed smile. A 'there's nothing to worry about' smile. She seemed to have lost it after that awful adventure with the FBI, but found it again sometime after she woke up this morning. After what was definitely too little sleep the night before, but though she went straight to bed after she got back she forced herself to catch the morning news to find out what she could of the after-effects of her little adventure. Lingering around a crime scene to see what happens next is a stupid idea, no matter how much it matters to you. So the sleepiness factor is probably a part of the reason she's so relaxed, though she'll probably be much more alert just as soon as they get to doing something that looks more important.

Whatever they're doing at this high school, it seems a little boring thus far. And it only gets mildly more interesting when Allen comes back with a boy that looks too young to be going to this school. She recognizes the effect of the suit on Allen - yeah, he could definitely pass for a agent. Then again, the combination of him looking like one of the people hunting for her and the fact that she's been feeling this vague sense of unease around him lately that even she can't explain doesn't exactly make her feel comfortable. Still the kid gets most of her attention, though her expression is only mildly curious.

[jimmyg]

It hadn't been very long since Jimmy's encounter with the Riddler at the pharmacy. Since then, he hadn't given the man much thought at all. The prospect of a job sort of drifted away after the first few days went by with no sort of contact. The very first day after, he was by all accounts somewhat paranoid. Expecting the man around any corner he turned. But as the days wore on, he became less and less worried about it, and once again more focused on his school work. Not that the time he didn't spend thinking about it made it harder. It wasn't. It was ridiculously easy. Almost offensively easy, really. Freshman year of high school so far was his least favorite in his educational career. It was as if the faculty considered the lowest class of students nothing more than kindergarteners. Frustrating, to say the least.

It was only about half way through the day and Jimmy had just arrived, like the others in the room, to his algebra class. This particular class was quite small, especially for a Gotham Public School sized class. Only about fifteen kids all together, gathered for an advanced placement algebra that was nearly at the senior level. He'd been told that he could've taken a pre-calculus class his first year if he wanted, but being under the impression that it'd be a wasted effort anyway, he resigned to do the easier work first.

Class had only been in session for about a grand total of maybe twenty minutes at the most, when the large man entered his class and asked for him by name. There had in fact been state exams a bit earlier, and he had heard the murmur between the random man in the suit and his teacher, and he'd seen the look the teacher gave him. Returning one of his own, he gathered his things as he was instructed, and walked out of the door with the man, still under the impression that he was in some sort of trouble for 'cheating' when he didn't.

The thought that the man might be one of the Riddler's other employees hadn't even crossed his mind until he was led out of the school doors. Edward had mentioned he'd be picked up, but that didn't necessarily mean by him personally. The Riddler, if he remembered correctly from the stories he'd heard on the news and from what dad had told him when he was curious enough, preferred to have others do his dirty work. Someone like him probably considered picking a child up from his school 'dirty work' too, so it made sense.

As they rounded the corner, he caught sight of the nice car out front but remained emotionless. He hadn't told his family a thing about what had happened at the pharmacy. Now, he was beginning to think maybe he should have. What if something happened to him? Where would his dad even begin to look? There was that feeling of fear, but behind it, he did somewhat trust the man in green. Sort of. As an employer, since.. well, now he was technically in Edward's employ, wasn't he?

He was led to the front seat of the car, which was odd in itself he thought inwardly. Though as he sat down in the nice leather seats and glanced back, he saw why. There was a woman in the car, one he'd never seen before. Maybe she was a hostage. Probably not though. Either way he didn't really care. He saw Edward in the back but instead of saying anything to him, set his backpack down on the floor, resting the back of it against his legs and adjusted his glasses, reaching up for his seatbelt and waiting for the driver. He wasn't going to ask any questions. He was just going to sit, be quiet, and hope for the best for now.

[Deleted]

Edward would have assumed the boy was perfectly calm if it weren't for the small tenses in his facial muscles as he walked towards the car. He had to admit, he was quite pleased to see how the boy reacted. He was cool and collective. The boy took note to what he saw but avoided comment. Even though he was partially afraid he continued as if everything was normal. The boy could handle stress and with that knowledge, Edward was quite pleased with his choice. He found his grin getting bigger. Nina's suspicious behavior could not even deter his rising good mood.

Allen opened up the driver seat and plopped in. "Boss, he a little young aint he?" Allen asked as he put his key in the ignition. The large man stole a few glances at the kid. Allen had worked with young ones before, but they were plucked off like flies from a bug zapper. His buddy Robby being the perfect example.

Edward shot Allen a glance before looking at the new puzzle in his front seat. Edward truly did have ADD. He loved the newest things and quickly jumped from one to the next. It would only be a matter of time before the boy began to bore him, but right now, the child brought pure fascination. "He might be young but he is far from incapable," he noted, "The two words are not synonym. I suggest a thesaurus before you lose ability to think." He leaned forward and flicked Allen in the head, similar to scolding a cat. He then looked down at the child. His form and the way he was seated looked nothing like a fourteen year old. He looked like a man well into his sixties.

"How nice to see you again. I hope I did not interrupt actual educational learning, but with the public school system, we can only assume that chances of that occurring are .01 to .02 percent," he said. He stuck his hand into his jacket in search of an envelope. He found it quickly.

Allen put the car in drive and pressed on the gas. The benefits to Edward having Allen as an employee was that the man understood his deadlines. Edward did not have to remind him when they were on a tight schedule. Edward was hardly effected by the car's movements. He merely pulled out the envelope that held 50 grand. He placed it on the compartment between the two. "I pay half before and half after. Though every job differs. It also depends on how reliable and long you stay under my employment. Allen is basically on salary at this point," he informed with the wave of the hand. This type of pathetic bargaining only bored him, but it was necessity to hiring appropriate henchman.

He leaned back into his comfortable seat, finally taking note to Nina. His brow lifted for a moment before he turned his gaze back to the blond hair that barely reached over the seat. "How rude of me, I have completely forgotten introductions. Jimmy, is that the name you go by," he merely muttered before continuing, "Jimmy this is Allen," he pointed his cane to the man in the front, "He has worked for me for four years now. I quite hate stupid questions, so if you have a question I suggest you ask him first." He pulled back his cane and nodded to the woman next to him. "And this is Dr. Nina Stenet. She is..." he paused for a brief second, "an important person to my organization."

"Nina and Allen, this is the James Gordon Jr. or what ever silly nickname he prefers to be called," he added with little concern. Edward only knew that he certainly would not be calling the boy Jim...or Jim Gordon. He cringed at the very thought.

"Hey Kid, welcome to the club," Allen said his peace. He still appeared to not be liking the idea very much. Edward wasn't concerned. Allen tended to eventually take a mother hen approach to what ever younger person he brought in. He taught them how to aim, shoot, and intimidate. He also kept them in line. No, Edward was not concern. The boy would do fine with Allen.

He was however extremely curious on how Nina would take this. He found himself leaning against the nice car door, so his eyes could focus on both Nina and the boy in the front seat. He hadn't warned her of his new employee. It wasn't her business after all, but he still found himself curious of her opinion.

[Nina Stenet]

If one didn't know that Nina's basically incapable of doing any such thing, one might assume that she was wearing a poker face at first as she observes the boy get into the car without a word. Actually, she's simply waiting to react properly until she finds out why he's here. For all she knows the kid is a hostage or something along those lines. But no, the exchange between Allen and Edward quickly dispels that idea. Especially when Edward launches right into saying good things about the kid.

Once it becomes clear that he's actually a new hire, Nina leans back slightly and looks thoughtful as Edward starts explaining money. Exactly how is this kid an acceptable person to hire and Shawty isn't, she has to wonder? Must be smart - he doesn't seem to have anything else going for him. And she has to agree with Allen: too young. What is Edward thinking, hiring him?

That's when she gets a partial answer to that thought. Well, after Edward's explanation for her presence is completely botched. "I am? That's nice," she comments to Edward quietly, looking somewhat amused. But that's why she likes her other name for herself so much.

However, she's completely sidetracked from that thought when Edward gives the kid's last name. Her eyes suddenly shift back to the kid with surprise and renewed interest. How ironic that she just met this boy's father last night... She's so taken off guard that it takes her an extra moment to realize that it's essentially her turn to say something, but she merely says, "Pleased to meet you." Neutral, polite... what else can she say? It's not like there's anything she could say now to convince Edward that this is a bad idea.

That's when she notices that Edward is watching her with a curious expression. Her full attention shifts from the boy to Edward, and she looks at him with a passive yet thoughtful expression - it's as if she's trying to figure out what he's thinking about. Several dozen questions almost come to mind, but none of them are ones that she really wants to ask so she ends up simply watching him watching her and the kid.

[jimmyg]

There were plenty of things that could draw a shocked reaction from Jimmy, since after all, he was merely human. A human child in fact, who despite having a bit of a problem with truly feeling empathy in appropriate situations, was still not immune to actually feeling primitive emotions such as fear. As much as he tried to hide it and as much as he was thinking those feelings into repression, at the bottom of his age appropriate center, he was very scared. Not only did he have no idea what was going to happen to him, but neither did his family. To be in this situation was something he always feared, despite the fact that he was more or less a willing participant in this particular example.

In essence, he felt like this was a kidnapping. Not an illegal one since he did agree to work for the man, but he was taken from school unexpectedly and was surely not allowed to tell anyone of his whereabouts. He wondered if and when one of the adults in the car would ask for his cell phone that he carried around, but only really used when he needed to call either of his parents or his sister for something. Being a Gordon, he helt invaluable information on the city's police commissioner and though he always felt like dad could protect him, being unable to call for his help was not a good situation for him to be in.

The man who had picked him up had been looking at him, as if judging him due to his age since the time he brought the kid out of the building. The mention of him being too young resulted in Jimmy going into his standard 'ignore the conversation' mode, since he really had nothing to add to it. Yes; he was young. But clearly, he'd shown that he was capable of doing whatever it was that Edward needed him to do. The flick to the larger man's head went by mostly unnoticed, and in any other situation Jimmy probably would've at least grinned, but he simply looked over, and then looked down at his bag. This wasn't a good idea. He never should have agreed to this.

Shaking his head, he nudged his glasses up again and shrugged. "You didn't." Jimmy said quietly about how Edward hoped he hadn't interrupted any actually important classes. The math class he had been in wasn't even a challenge for Jimmy. He currently held the highest grade in the class, though in his own mind it wasn't much of an accomplishment. The class was just that easy.

When the money was sat down on the compartment between him and Allen, he only briefly looked down at it. Yes, he was an employee. But for some reason, he really didn't expect to be paid at all. Ever. Not even kind of. He was under the impression that, since he worked for one of Gotham's so called "super" criminals, being able to walk away from the situation alive was his payment. The way he felt after the puzzle he'd solved in the pharmacy, he deduced, was an attempt on his life. He could've died, probably. Jimmy was no toxicologist but he could put two and two together. So, he didn't reach for the money at all, merely blinked at it and looked up at Allen, expecting him to take it or something along those lines, even if it wasn't meant for him.

At the introductions, Jimmy only barely peered back at the woman sitting with Edward, and nodded curtly to her, but didn't offer anything in the way of conversation. So, she was a part of his organization? Probably a girlfriend then. Or something like that. Whatever someone like Edward referred to a female friend as. Though with nothing much to say to anyone, he decided that Allen was the easiest to talk to, since he was the one in front and he didn't have to crane his neck back to talk to the others this way.

"..Thanks." He muttered quietly, and nodded at Nina's welcome. They all seemed decent enough, but they were all criminals. Not that he particularly cared about that either. As he had told Riddler back at the pharmacy; he wasn't his father. Where someone stood in terms of the law didn't mean much to him, and his father couldn't really claim to be so black and white either in his eyes, since he was in cahoots with the majority of the illegal vigilantes in the city as well.

As curious as Jimmy was as to where the group was headed, he didn't ask any questions, still. Instead, he leaned forward to unzip the front portion of his backpack, reached in and pulled out the book that his sister had gotten for him as a gift not too long ago that he was nearly finished with titled, 'I am Not a Serial Killer,' flipped to the last page he was on, and began to read quietly as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

[Deleted]

Allen's eyes were focused on the road, but when he noticed the kid had picked up a book instead of his payment, he found his eyes dancing to the large stuff envelope. Boss certainly knew how to pick the weird ones. "Kid, you don't want the cash, I'll take it," he remarked as he took a sharp turn to the edge of Gotham. Boss had already told him exactly where you going. Compared to his usual request, driving to the fence in a less guarded area and cutting it down was not that difficult. "Ya also want to grab the gun from the glove compartment and get familiar with it," he added to the kid. He sure the boss liked people reading, but not on a job. He didn't want the kid to get killed within the first few minutes of being here. Boss's moods were an emotional whirlwind and you had to know how to tiptoe around it.

Edward was somewhat surprised the boy hadn't asked any questions. Compared to Robby who asked questions about every meaningless thing in his sight, the lack of commentary was nice. A paranoia part of him found it disturbing. When a person did not ask questions, it meant they thought they understood what was going. Since most people are idiots, that presumption of knowing is obviously false. They end up making mistakes because they never took the chance to learn. The boy was smart, though.....or maybe, he was just being respectable. Nonetheless, he had little use for the boy today. It would be quite difficult for him to mess it up.

He ignored Allen's comments. He didn't particularly care about the mingling between his employees, so he turned to Nina. He had noticed it sometime between the boy joining them and now, but Nina was happier. She also was not pushing for an argument. He had expected one right as the boy sat down. You hired a child? You hired the Commissioner's son? It would overall lead to another wonderful repetitive fight about his career. He mentally sighed at the thought.

But Nina hadn't brought it up....

She was being polite and...smiling? For the past few weeks, she had been suspicious, serious, and cold. Something had happened. People don't just flip a switch and everything is fine again. Was she happy to be leaving Gotham?

"You're happier today," he stated aloud, looking for a reaction that would give him a clue to this occurrence. They were still ten minutes away from their location and they were ahead of schedule. He could spare a few thoughts away from his plan for her.

[Nina Stenet]

Does Nina have objections to Edward hiring someone so young and as dicey as the Commissioner's son? Of course! There's even a small hint of that as her lips purse just slightly when Allen tells Jimmy to get familiar with a gun - she didn't need a reminder that the kid would need one. In fact, she doesn't think that she could make a comment on the situation mild enough that it wouldn't turn into an argument.

An argument she'd rather not get into because it's both not important enough to her and she knows that she wouldn't win it. She knows that Edward is accustomed to having more help than just Allen, so if not Jimmy then he'd be hiring someone else at some point so that aspect is unavoidable. And when it comes to this particular kid, she has to assume that he knows what he's doing - that there are risks involved is too obvious for him to have not taken that into account and yet decided it was acceptable to him.

And for once this is a matter that's entirely Edward's business instead of hers. Whether or not her assistant should be killed right when she needs her is her business and something to fight about. Jimmy is not. She's never fought with Edward about his career itself - Edward just assumes that she does because he expects her to.

Though she is glad when Edward distracts her from those musings to her present mood which is, as he pointed out, quite good. It's actually somewhat of a relief to her that she no longer feels the need to carry around such a large amount of cold rage at the man and organization who stole her ability to do her research, robbed her of her ability to walk properly, disturbed her peace of mind, and could have easily killed her.

The smile quickly returns to her face as she reaches over and 'accidentally' brushes Edward's neck with her finger while straightening his already straight collar. "I am," she confirms when she's done, and it's easy enough to see what she's thinking about as her eyes go over the lines of this particular suit. She'd express the thought out loud if they were alone: You look so handsome in that thing.

Given how much focus she was giving to her now completed plan, she didn't have much attention to spare on Edward - even if he'd had much time while finalizing the details of his own plan. But now that hers is over, she literally has nothing to do but wait and see what happens for the foreseeable future. She hopes that Edward will have more free time himself after this, because he does not want to see what Nina is like when she's bored. Or, actually, he probably does.

[jimmyg]

"Go for it." Jimmy muttered, already pretty into his book. There was no reason he needed all that money. Unlike other kids his age, he wasn't blinded by greed or all that impressed with money in general. A few hundred dollars to get some new books would be nice, but he had other things to consider. What would he do with the money that wouldn't capture any unwanted attention? Nothing. He could save it, but the chances of it being stolen were pretty great. He was bullied on a daily basis at school. Someone would find it and take it.

The mention of a gun in the glove box did capture his attention more than the money did, and folding the corner of his book and setting it back in his lap, he leaned forward to open said glove box and indeed, there was a gun in there. He'd never even held one before, but he reached in and picked it up, observing it quietly for a moment, knowing how they worked but unsure of the way that particular model was operated. That's what Allen would be teaching him, he assumed.

Turning the gun around between his hands, he did as he was instructed. Familiarize himself with the gun while occasionally looking up and out the windows to see where they were going, all the while still feeling incredibly guilty and scared about the entire situation. His regret for taking the job sank in further, and with a pit in his stomach he put the gun back in the glove box. Afterward he let out a sigh, trying as hard as he could to avoid the shakiness in his voice but failing.

With his book still in his lap, he crossed his arms and resigned to looking out of the passenger window in his helpless state. He couldn't get out of the car. If he tried to run away after they stopped moving he assumed he'd probably be shot or something. Falling silent again, he ignored the two in the back of the car and began to ignore Allen. Really, he just wanted to go home.

[Deleted]

When Nina's fingers traced against his neck, his breath caught for only a moment. His eyes focused on her features, trying to understand the quick shift in her behavior. He felt her hands against his collar, and noticed the way her eyes dip down his body before coming back up to his. He swallowed in almost a nervous way. The two word response did nothing to help determine the cause of her mood. He still felt the riddle prying at his mind. What had happened? Something must have occurred during his absence last night. It certainly was last night because less then twenty four hours ago, Nina seemed indifferent to the outside world. He couldn't say he enjoyed Nina's happiness. Her hand being so close to his skin, he almost wanted to grab her wrist and pull her into a kiss. How long ago had they truly showed each other affection? It had been over a month. He hadn't had time for any pathetic pinnings for a woman. Actually, he didn't have time currently for any lustful actions. Women were far too time consuming...and distracting....and why is she giving me a 'come heather' look from the eighteen hundreds.

His hand fidgeted against his slacks as he forced himself not to move. He needed to determine what had occured...he couldn't be distracted by a few light touches. "The city has been quite depressing recently," he began probing to see what topic caused the most reaction, "I have to admit, I will enjoy sleeping between Egyptian silk again and not hiding from the rat FBI. I am happy to be leaving for a temporary time." His statements were simple and had little direct commentary on Nina's behavior, but if she reacted to certain words, like her eyebrow arch just a millimeter, or her muscles tense for a second, he might be able to determine what had happened.

Allen ignored the two nauseating people in the back. He had gotten good at ignoring the chicken bull shit that came out of their mouths. His boss was smitten by a quite boring person to Allen. The kid was also boring. The boss must like boring people. The kid distracted his thoughts when he said he could have the money. Allen's eyes widened in shock. The kid was givin up his first paycheck. Did the kid not realize he now had to pay for rent and bills. He would have to pay even more cause he's a kid. It would take more to bribe, but the kid had decided to turn it away. He would probably end up sleeping on the street like a homeless bum. "Don't have to tell me twice, kid," he muttered, grabbing the envelope and stuffing it into his pocket.

When the kid studied the gun, Allen became more unsettled. Kid looked like he never seen one. He looked like he had never shot one. If things did go bad, kid would hold them back. Allen would have to teach him when he made it to the destination. He whipped around another corner. "Have ya ever kill any'un?" he asked the kid.

[Nina Stenet]

Basically ignoring what's going on in the front seat, Nina's attention is completely on Edward at the moment. Though after making doubly sure that his collar is perfectly positioned, she returns to keeping her hands to herself. She knows perfectly well that this is not a good time to be distracting. But, then again, he seemed curious to know what's on her mind so she thought that she'd let him know.

And fortunately for Edward, she doesn't catch on to the reason why he's saying what he's saying so her expressions are perfectly natural. His statement about the city gets a slight frown, almost sad. She liked the way Gotham was before and doesn't like seeing it this way. But the frown flips around briefly at the thought of sleeping elsewhere, though that disappears quickly and is replaced by a flash of anger in her eyes at the thought of the FBI. She may have settled things with them as far as she's concerned, but that hardly means that she's completely through being angry about it. She merely doesn't have it stewing around in the back of her head all the time anymore. His last sentence makes the small hit of anger disappear and she returns to being happy and relaxed - she too is happy to be getting out of the city. With the FBI now after her, out is definitely a huge improvement on being in.

"I hate feeling like they've got us trapped in here, even though I don't really leave Gotham much anyway. It makes me feel... stuck. I don't like it," she comments with a frown, "Though some of that's my leg too. I mean, I'm already able to get up more easily, but it's still a hassle doing anything." She shakes her head and sighs, "But now I'm just griping." Though even a little griping doesn't shake her overall good mood. Indeed, the small expressions on her face only indicate a little annoyance and irritation about both being in Gotham and her leg. Both cause problems to her life, but neither of those are anything she'd get that worked up about.

Thinking about her leg causes one of her hands to drift to the top part of the knee immobilizer Edward's doctor gave her when she refused anything stronger or more permanent. The padded, splint-like support simply keeps her from bending at the knee and accidentally doing damage to it, though it's only secured by a few Velcro straps and she starts fiddling with the corner of the top one.

The immobilizer is worn most comfortably on the outside of clothing, and that plus the fact that they're traveling and her knee is not pleased at all by what she did to it last night prompted her to put on a sweatsuit today instead of any of her normally more sophisticated outfits. Then again, though Nina pays no attention to branding and isn't normally a fan of expensive clothing, she does know how to pick out things that look nice on her. The cut of this particular black sweatsuit matches her natural curves and has sporty-looking white stripes down the sides. Her clothing literally doesn't get any more casual than this, but trying to look her best just isn't happening today. Not that she looks bad - she's still a far cry from that.

[jimmyg]

Like Allen, Jimmy completely ignored the two in the back. In fact, he almost forgot they were there as he studied the gun as carefully as he could, making sure he knew at least the basic design of it. Given who his father was, he felt like he should've known at least how to hold a gun, but he didn't. Much less shoot one, and even less to actually hit a target when he did shoot one. As far as the rent and bills and whatnot went; no, Jimmy didn't realize any of that. He had assumed that since they seemed to be a part of a team, they would be housing together, wherever they happened to end up. Though if the former was the case, he would certainly find out as soon as they arrived.

Leaning into the turn so that he didn't bash his head up against the window thanks to Allen's rather crazed form of driving, Jimmy looked up at him at the question and hesitated, but shook his head. No, he'd never actually killed any other person. Animals, yes. He'd killed a great deal of small animals, but that's probably not what he was getting at. Plus, they had been strangled, bludgeoned, or cut open. Not shot. "No, I haven't. Not yet, anyway." He said quietly, adding in the last bit for good measure, sice just because he hadn't actually killed anyone did't mean he didn't want to, or lacked the ability to.

[jason]

After being ordered by Batman to go out and track down the Riddler, Jason had jumped at the chance to do anything at that time rather than finish his homework. Bruce had hardly said a word to anyone since he found that riddle. And now with it solved, he seemed to have other things to deal with.

Jason may have jumped at the chance to take up the mission although he was pretty much ordered to stay on stand by rather than to engage in a confrontation with the Riddler, but leaving Dick in charge of running the mission from the head-quarter's computer?! Really?! What was Bruce thinking? Jason was beyond annoyed at this new ruling of leaving Grayson in charge over him on this mission. Just because Nightwing had more experience under his belt in the vigilante life, did not mean that Jason wouldn't be able to handle this on his own,

He had not voiced his outrage over this concept that had taken place. He simple grumbled about it to himself. Though if anything went wrong in the mission the blame would sit squarely on the shoulders of Grayson in Jason's view. Even with the communicator going off for Nightwing to inform him of any new found information. Robin pretty much ignored the calls and didn't reply back. He followed what he felt was important.

And for miles he had already be patrolling, nothing was turning up. All that had come up between the two were the main focus of finding a car that is traveling around out in that area and keep a sharp eye out. Though Dick had mentioned to keep track up any odd plates or tags on any vehicles while out on the search. It was more than likely Riddler would not be wanting to draw attention to himself.

When communicating with Nightwing over the communicator, Robin pretty much was giving him the cold shoulder, rolling his eyes, or the 'whatever' treatment. Robin didn't need Nightwing's help to watch over his shoulder, even at Batman's orders.

After traveling through the back Jason had slowed down and taken one of the back roads toward a gravel path off the main roads. He was hoping to find anything. As he traveled a long, his scanner picked up on the traces of a near by car. There weren't even any FBI vehicles out at the time patrolling the roads. Besides, the FBI didn't know the limits of Gotham and the many unmarked trails and roads like those who lived there.

Jason sped up to try and track this car down. It was the first shot since he got out patrolling on the red and black motorcycle. It didn't take him long to find away to meet up with the road the vehicle was traveling. There he found a black BMW M Series vehicle. He slow down as it passed the trail he was on. There were new plates on it. And by the looks of it...fakes. Jason should know enough about stolen vehicles.

Jason smirked at the new challenge. There weren't many cars traveling around off parking lots this far away from the city. He might get a lucky hit and this be the Riddler. If not, it would be just a waste of his time. Jason revved up the engine on the motorcycle, If the person drove faster to get away from him, he knew he probably had the man they were looking for.

If it ignored, him he might try to take a closer look before moving on. Jason sped out of the trails on the side of the roads, hidden in the wooded area and started after the black vehicle. Robin was on the tail of the new come car that crossed his path. There was no way to tell if this was the Riddler or not from just looking at the car, but there had now been any reports just yet on and new stolen vehicles.


(ooc: hope this is ok. I know it would be every unlikely for him just to happen to find them as much like this on the roads, but it seemed like a better set up than them having all the information they needed seeing as all they had to go off of was the riddle. Let me know, and I can change it up. ))

((ooc: edited to fit the time of day))

[Deleted]

Well her reaction provided no useful information. She was angry at the FBI and happy to get out of the city. What person within Gotham City Limits did not feel that exact same way? If he were to determine the true source of Nina's happiness he would have to be far more creative in his line of conversation. It only became difficult because he had hardly spoken to her since she had been staying in the Warehouse. He had been far too busy to have even the faintest ideas of her thoughts. Was he merely being paranoid? Possibly, but his paranoia was rooted in intellect. He would have to quiz Allen later when Nina wasn't present. Allen had been watching her.

"I would suggest that you get use to it, but that would be a lie," he remarked causally to Nina's complaints on her leg. She would heal. She would walk again. He wouldn't. Was he jealous? Possibly. He decided to focus on the other part of her conversation though. He didn't want his mind wandering to the pain in his leg in the middle of a job. "I do agree though, Gotham has turned into a cage. I can't say China is less of one. Their authoritative control over the internet keeps their citizens not only physically trapped, but mentally as well. Though the firewalls are something to be admired," he smirked as he imaged the few codes he had been glancing through. He would have fun. Hacking was one of his favorite hobby.

Allen gave the kid a weird glance. Boss always choose the strange ones. As of now, Allen liked Robby more. The other kid might have been a bit shaky with a gun, but he was a nice person in general. This boy seemed on the verge of sociopathic. As far as Allen was concerned, that was not the type of person you wanted to watch your back. A flash of red appeared in his window. Allen eyes jumped to it. "Well kid it looks like that might be changin soon," he mumbled, "Boss, the bird kid is following us."

Edward snapped out of his conversation. His head quickly turned to find what Allen had mentioned. His brow lifted with mild interest before he smirked. "It appears Batman finally figured out the riddle and the Joker is keeping right with plan. I do love when the pieces move exactly how I want them," he said before facing forward again. He reached for his cane just in case they were forced to get out of the car. "Don't speed up. The windows are tinted, and he has no reason to suspect us. It won't be until we past the last turn back into the city that we will have to pick up our speed." He checked his watch. It wasn't time for Catwoman's part yet. He didn't want to get to the fence to soon. They wouldn't get through it. They would have to wound the boy, so he wouldn't be to much of a disruption. He pulled out his pistol from his waistband. "Patience for now."

Allen nodded, "Got it boss."

(OOC: It all sounds good to me boy blunder. Just so you know, it's not at night. It's in the middle of the day, but a lone car traveling towards the edge of the city limit would be quite strange because all citizens know they can no longer leave.)

[Nina Stenet]

Ah, but just how angry is Nina at the FBI? Or, more accurately, was she? As far as she's concerned personally, that particular score has been settled. Now she just wants to keep away from them just like any sane fugitive would. Which is why she'll be so happy to get out of Gotham; having the federal government after you is bad enough, but being encircled by them at the same time is a bit much.

Her mouth twitches in some vague sort of discomfort at Edward's first comment. She hadn't meant to bring up his leg, though she told him a long time ago that she could fix it and would fix it if he asked. Gladly, even: Edward's one of the last people on the planet she'd want to be in pain. But that he's never asked means that he's chosen to remain as he is and he therefore has no reason to complain to her about it. At least, that's the way she sees it.

But she too doesn't want to spend much time thinking about his leg, or her leg for that matter, so she concentrates on what he says next. "I'll take a virtual wall over a literal one any day," she replies, about to comment more when Allen's words catch her attention.

Her head whips around as she quickly focuses her attention on the young man on the motorcycle. Robin? Her forehead creases in confusion. How long has it been since the bank robbery where she first ran into the Ventriloquist? That wasn't long before she first met Edward, but that seems like forever ago. Batgirl and Robin had fought him off: caught his men, but that disgusting man escaped. But if this is Robin, it looks like he's had a costume change since. But also shrunk a bit, and that's why it's confusing - people don't do that. Is she remembering wrong? It has been a long time, but...

She glances at Edward as he calls this planned and decides to file that one under 'ask Edward later'. Her eyes linger on the young man a bit longer as she reminds herself that she knew that this was a possibility. In fact, she finds herself fingering the large sunglasses she'd put in her pocket in case she needs them. While she trusts Edward to plan for things like this, she also has her own precautions to take and she'd rather not be identified while she's with Edward at the moment. Of course, given the crutches, with the right evidence and the wrong thing happening the sunglasses would only do so much. Then again, better to not make it easy. Even if, out of all people, Robin finding out isn't so bad.

When Edward pulls out his gun, her eyes go to it of their own accord and she can feel her adrenaline rising. Yeah, she knew that was a possibility too. Yet her expression is remarkably blank and her eyes soon shift to the road ahead instead. I'm just a passenger, she reminds herself as she takes a deep breath to steady her nerves, My presence here means nothing.

Edward had probably just assumed that she'd be coming with him, but it had been a careful choice on her part. She could also have refused to go with Edward and stayed in Gotham with Shawty to protect her instead. Probably would have been a terrible argument, but she could have done that. But Shawty doesn't have nearly as many resources for keeping an injured, wanted woman away from the FBI as Edward does, the thought of being outside of Gotham instead of in the middle of this mess was very tempting, and since she now has nothing keeping her in Gotham she'd much rather be with Edward instead of sitting somewhere alone, worrying about him. But now they're in the thick of the downside to her chosen course.