With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Jet Fighter

25th October 1998
21:12 GMT -7

"Ohshitshitohshit!" The terrified man laying on the pavement grabs my shoulders as I crouch next to him. "You gotta call me an ambulance, man!"

I smile, grabbing the side of his coat with my right hand and pulling it up to reveal the hole.

"You're fine." I wiggle my right forefinger through the double hole. "See? They missed. Amateur gunfighters often do."

"Whu-?" He frowns in confusion, staring at me and then at his own coat.

I unhook my finger and then pat him across the torso before holding up my hand. "No blood. Are you in any major pain?"

"N-? No?" He frowns harder, shaking his head as if he can't quite believe what's happened. "I-. I was?"

"It might have skimmed you, I suppose. Bullets are quite hot when they come out of the barrel, and if it skimmed you then you might have felt a burn. Do you want a hand up?"

"Ah..?"

I move my right hand under his left armpit and then stand, pulling him half-willingly up with me. He takes a moment and then pulls away, patting himself down as if to… No, to actually reassure himself that he's not injured. After a moment of finding nothing he calms down a little.

"Ah. Thanks."

I smile a little more broadly. "Your attacker was so shocked that I just had to shout at them and they ran off. Not a big deal. Ah. Are you going to be alright getting home, or do you want me to call you a taxi?"

"Did you-? Did you get a good look at them?"

I shake my head. "Sorry. Between the bad lighting and the adrenaline, not really. I mean, if you want to report it to the police I don't mind-."

"Nah. No, I'll-." He manages to relax a little. "I'll go talk to 'em tomorrow. Right now, I just wanna go home and hug my kids. And… Change their curfew to Five PM."

He laughs awkwardly and I nod. "Sounds wise. You have a good evening."

He nods, turning to walk away. He gets about half way to the sounds and lights of the next street, then stops and turns his head back towards me. I wave, and he awkwardly nods and keeps walking.

Good job his brain wasn't quite dead when I got to him.

My right hand moves to the faintly glowing orange ring on my left ring finger. Yes, I could easily have captured the idiot youth who nearly killed him, but after something like this I think tracking them down and having a stern word with them… Helping them sort their life out, will really do more good in the long run. It was supposed to be a threat and they were genuinely horrified-.

I frown as I catch sight of a blond… Slightly ratty-looking man at the end of the road, where whoever that was I just intercepted from his premature meeting with his maker went. He ducks back when he notices that I've seen him. Not sure what that's about.

Now, where's the first-time gunfighter gone? I'm sure this would be easier on a world with an established superhero tradition, but… Needs must where the Devil drives. This city's enough of a mess that even a neophyte like me can find people to help, and… Not like there's much point starting again on this world's version of Britain.

Okay, start walking, ratty man apparently having disappeared. Compare my target's location with a local map… A bar. I haven't been here long enough to know whether it's a criminal underworld type bar or if he just wants to steady his nerves. I walk at a pace, hands in pockets and making good time. He was running, but he's not thinking straight. I could just appear next to him, but I don't really want to blow my own cover. Or prompt him to panic into a relapse. Let him calm down, then have a word.

Never really been a fan of bars. Music, too many people in close proximity, dancing and alcohol. Still, I can usually get a laugh out of the bar tender.

I sit down, and manage to catch his eye.

"Yeah?"

"Orange juice, please."

He stares at me for a moment. "You know this is a bar, right buddy?"

"Ah, I apologise. Orange juice, I'm a great tipper."

"Hahaokay." He ambles over to the bar's fridge. "You want ice?"

"In October? No, thank you."

He takes the cap off the bottle and pours it into a glass before putting it down in front of me. I pass him a twenty dollar bill before picking it up and taking a sip. Well… I… Shouldn't have expected freshly squeezed. The barman-.

"Hey."

I turn to my left, and it appears that ratty-man has followed me here. He's looking at me… Rather intensely-.

"Hello?"

"So, ah. How do you wanna do this?"

Ah. I've never really been sure how to handle this sort of situation. I knew… Los Angeles was basically America's Brighton, but it still…

Just have to learn to deal with it, I suppose.

"Ah. Look, I'm sure you're a splendid chap, but you're not really my type, and even if you were, congress in public toilets is extremely unhygien-"

"Ah, no, no-."

"ic-. Oh. Sorry, I-. Just assumed-." He looks as awkward as I feel. "I'd.. buy you a drink by way of apology, but I'm worried that would be giving mixed messages."

"No. Jesus. Look, I-. Saw what you did for that guy."

Ah.

"Are you a police officer?"

"I… Was."

I blink in bafflement. "What the heck did you do to get fired from the Los Angeles Police Department?"

"No, I was.. in the NYPD."

Okay… Nineties computers, but I'll manage-.

His right hand's gone under his coat, because… He just saw my eyes flash.

"That won't be necessary, Detective Stone-."

Who is listed as dead. Huh.

"Again, not wanting to give mixed messages, but you're looking surprisingly good for a man your age, who's been dead for fifteen years. Um. Are you under cover?"

His face hardens slightly. "How about we take this outside?"

"Um. Okay?"

I down my orange juice and then set the glass back down on the bar. Barman… It's a busy evening, and I think $20 for a small low quality orange juice covers the 'generous tip' part. I step back from the bar as Detective Stone gestures for me to go first.

The man I'm looking for is downing shots at the other end of the bar. He's not going anywhere. I nudge my way past the flow of people entering the bar and head out with a shrug. Other than myself, Detective Stone is the first sign I've seen that anything supernatural exists on the Earth, and I'm definitely curious what that-.

"Time to give the Devil his due."

"Um." I turn to face him as he raises his gun. "What?"