Chapter Text
Red Hood was pissed.
Sam knew that he had one more shot to keep his head on his shoulders, so when Red Hood said round up the alley kids for the Wayne Foundation sponsored Easter supper, he shrugged on his jacket and stalked up and down the younger kids’ usual haunts for anyone who was stupid enough not to show up.
The streets, alleys, and abandoned apartments were empty, most of the kids not one to turn down free food, especially under the orders of a boss that didn't work them to death. Sam shivered. He remembered Black Mask, the way that no one was safe. At least Hood seemed to give a crap about the little ones on the streets.
He kept moving, stopping when he swore he saw a pair of bright blue pigtails in the darkness. He got out his phone, turning on the flashlight. “Hey! You get out here, or the boss will be kicking both of our asses!”
He looked up, and saw two blue braided ropes hanging up on a support beam.
“Oh? Is that what we are going to do? Play hide and seek?” He grabbed onto the rope. “Come on, get down!” He tugged on it. The girl shrieked, and fell off the beam, flattening Sam on the floor. Sam grabbed her around her waist, sitting up and refusing to let go even as she screamed and clawed at his face and arms. He grabbed one of her arms and stood up. “Come on, we don't have time for this.” He grabbed his dropped phone, pointing the flashlight in her face.
It wasn't a kid he recognized. But, she was a kid, possibly sixteen at the oldest, covered in pastel blue tattoos and wearing a ripped up crop top and a pair of ragged pants. Sam groaned. “come on, the least you can do if you want to fuck off and miss the family dinner is to wear clothes that won't get me castrated.” He pulled her into his car, locking the doors and getting into the driver's seat. “The boss is gonna kill me, I swear. He took off his coat. “Tie this around your waist. You're basically naked, and I don't want to get shot in the parking lot.” The girl didn't say anything, but did what she was told.
Sam pulled over to let a teen and his little sister in, the teen putting the kid on his lap. “The kid goes in the back, Rick.”
“The new girl is taking up all the spots.”
Sam looked back and saw that the girl was spread out over the backseat chewing her nails. He sighed. “Sit up.”
The girl hummed. “Uh uh, the bossy boss always lets me have the whole back seat. You Meatheads have to stay up front.”
Sam swallowed a retort as he pulled into the community center where the dinner was taking place.
He parked, the teen and his sister getting out. “Thanks for the ride. Uh, the new girl looks a little roughed up, you should probably take her to Leslie's once she checks in with Hood.”
Sam looked back to see the girl slumped over, drooling. “Shit. Get out of here, Rick.” He got out of the car and flagged down Red Hood’s long term boyfriend, Jason. Jason was sweet, but a little slow at times. “Hey, boss’s babe, get over here. The new girl decided to take a nap, and I ain't touching her.”
Jason ducked his head in. “Is she on something?” He asked, feeling her pulse before unbuckling her seatbelt and taking her out of the car. He sat her on the hood of the car, peeling open her eyes.
The pupil was shattered, black fragments that looked like obsidian glass floated freely in her eyes, the iris glowing an unnatural purple. “She's a meta. A meta that's definitely on something. I'm taking her to Leslie's. Sam, we'll talk later. Expect a pay cut.” He picked her up again and put her on his motorcycle, grabbing a spare helmet off another bike and strapping it on her head. She slumped forward, and he got on, fastening an elastic band under her armpits and around his waist keeping her from flopping over the front of his bike.
He rode off, pulling over once the center was out of view. He groaned, and took out his phone, typing in the number he knew by heart. “Hey Agent A? Could you send the black special occasion car to pick me and a guest up?”
“Alright then. Meet it at the usual spot. I’ll have a room ready.”
“Basement room, and have a change of clothes set up for her.”
“Of course. Ride safe.”
Jason met the driverless Bat van at the edge of the Narrows. He got the girl buckled into the passenger seat before shoving his bike into the back. He got in and drove it through one of the Batcabe’s many hidden entrances.
He parked the van, getting the girl out of the car. “STEPH! Alfred! Guys, get down here!” The girl shifted in his arms, taking off the helmet and throwing it aside. Spoiler jumped down from the shadows, taking the girl from Jason.
“Oh, she's filthy. I will get her into clean clothes and have Agent A run a blood panel. Whatever she's got in her system, it must have activated her meta gene.”
“Really? I thought all that” he gestured to the blue hair. “Was just dye.”
“The roots are blue, Jason. Plus, maintaining color like this is expensive even if you do it yourself.” She walked over to one of the containment cells off to the side, pressing the button to open the automatic door. She placed the girl on the bed, before pressing the button to make the glass frost over for some privacy. She then closed the door behind her.
The girl came back to herself more as Stephanie removed her shoes and hair ornaments. She replaced the rags tying the braids with two mismatched scrunchies, placing everything into an evidence box at her feet.
“Do you want me to help you get changed?”
The girl didn't say anything, just pawed at a pouch around her waist. She pulled out a vial of a thick, noxious liquid that glowed the same pink of her eyes.
“Nope, that's not going to fly here.” Steph pinned the girl’s arms against the bed, taking the vial. She pressed a button on the wall, and Orphan appeared out of the shadows. “Help our guest change, then we'll talk.”
Cass nodded, and took off the girl’s belts of pouches and tools and random junk, before grabbing the paper hospital gown Alfred had provided and slipped it over the girl's clothes before undoing the clasps of the clothes underneath. She had to cut off the rag the girl used as a bra, the filthy thing leaving a sponge line of grime. She slipped them off and put them with the other items in the evidence box.
Steph made a face at the paper gown. “Really? Couldn't we have used one of the ones with the snaps?”
“Safer than sorry. Saw the stuff.” She picked up the box and stepped out of the room.
“Did Vi tell you to do this?” The girl asked, her eyes starting to clear back to a light blue. Her pupils were still fractured, but she seemed to be seeing just fine.
“No, I don't know anyone with that name. What's your name?”
“Jinx. I'm’a Jinx. Where's Silco?”
“I don't think you're a jinx. Give it time, I will be back every hour or so to check up on you. Dinner will be brought down shortly.” Stephanie left the girl alone in the room.