Chapter Text
Lori didn’t get any sleep that night. Her wall became more focused. Andy Pody was all that mattered now. The first of 4 names which left her hand smeared in red ink. Lori felt manic at times with a fever one could describe as righteous. By the time Lori managed to remove herself from her plans, it was time to leave for work.
On her way to work, in her outdated car, she recounted the plan out loud to the audience of none. Her eyes are red and her frown is a little less defined. “Get Andy Pody alone, force his hand, remove him from the equation after he undoes some of the damage.” It felt less than stellar. She wanted to keep herself open to any opportunities which may present themselves. She nearly spit venom in response to the theatrics some villains carried themselves with.
“2 days.” She mumbled as she sipped her coffee.
She also had to reckon with the idea that Nightwing may step in to “defeat” her. She wasn’t some mindless criminal, though she did admit her methods were by no means lawful. She was a hero in all by legality.
She knew how to deal with birds. She had hunted them a few times now.
She had not been outsmarted yet.
Her eyes locked onto the school. She pulled into the uneven parking lot. Her car made a horrible noise as the metal nearly scraped the pavement a few times. She parked and nearly threw herself towards the building. her pace merciless and well-versed.
Her walk inside the building was followed by a slowly growing number of students. The halls were otherwise empty. Once the students and she had made it into the science lab, they all fell into a rhythm.
She seemed to mostly float between students and her computer. A triple-task occurring with the knowledge of no one but her.
A few tabs on her computer screen were for her to grade or input data from the grades.
Another tab or two was of subtle interest in the gala occurring in 2 days.
Her wandering was accompanied by questions or liberal suggestions of how to further projects or make them more complete.
She felt compelled to speak to two students on their project, due to more interest than correction or suggestion-based comments. “Conrad, what is your team’s project focus again?” The amount of loose bare copper wire made her nervous.
The boy with tan skin and a bright smile answered easily, “A perpendicular circuit, Miss V!”
She smiled at his enthusiasm. Gaining an interest in it herself. They only taught parallel circuits in upper elementary, so she was excited to see what they came up with.
“Is that so, Susan?” Lori asked her other student, Conrad’s science partner.
The young redhead nodded quickly. A grin on her face.
She’d have to keep heavier tabs on them.
This felt like a mild disaster waiting to happen.
She saw the giant smiles Conrad and Susan gained when they saw small sparks, or maybe, they were just future supervillains and that was all there was to it.
She had to give them credit where it was due. They were adorable ones, for what it was worth.
She found her eyes locked onto her screen again. People like Vicky Hale kept villains like her in business. Date, location, and an inappropriate amount of detail. It was inviting trouble.
Something in particular made her grin widely. Her students caught onto the shift in temperament quickly.
“Did something good happen, Miss V?” Conrad asked her excitingly, probably hoping for extra recess or an early dismissal to have been announced. For all his intellect he was really like any other kid. The others perked up, allowing him to fall on the possible sword.
“Oh yeah, I just got some amazing news from my sister!” She lied quickly and with ease.
They perked back down, not as exciting. She could understand, it's why she chose that angle.
No known security detail was an evil detail to include, Vicky Hale. Regardless of how true it was.
Ambulance chaser through and through.
Luckily for Vicky Hale, the major villains were not interested in lowlifes like Andy Pody. Just people like her, down on their luck types, desperate ones. She was still inviting trouble nonetheless, just perhaps not the type she planned.
The rest of the day went by quietly. The regular students came in and instruction began for the day. It didn’t feel really that “real” to Lori. She was known to disassociate but this felt like a whole meaning to the word. When the day began to wrap up, she felt like herself again. The burnout teacher was swapped out for a mastermind seeking justice.
She walked home as if possessed.
Looking for answers caused an experience of feeling rather empty on the inside.
Obsessive.
She heard that grating voice that was followed by the shadow of a woman she’d rather not remember.
A crash was felt on the shell that held her soul inside it. Her eyes locked on the piercing blue eyes of the lightly tan man in front of her. She looked up at the man.
“I am so sorry!” He said with fever. He was so bright? How can she describe that in a normal, not romantic way? He seems lively, in a way not many people in this part of Gotham were.
“Bludhaven Elementary?” He asked, it put her on edge.
Her red stained hand flicked down to the work badge.
“Yes! 4th and 5th grade science!” She exclaimed with a smile, it felt more forced than she intended for it to.
“Detective Grayson of the BPD!” He introduced himself with a joy that made her feel unsteadied. He was too much for the day she just had. She was overstimulated. She wanted to go home.
“Miss V.” She responded quietly, not unkindly.
“What do you teach?” He asked with genuine curiosity.
“Science and Math.” She answered. She didn't like how it felt as if he was examining her.
“What kind of crimes do you solve?” She countered with a stare. Surely he would become defensive now. Surely he'd shut it down. Cuss her out and leave her be.
“Serious ones.” He jokes, matching her level of sarcasm but with a lift to his voice that told her he didn’t mean it.
“You are a strange one, Mr. Grayson.” It was a clinical observation. Perhaps, that was one of those thoughts you were meant to internalize. She just couldn’t help letting it loose and into the world.
He shrugged, as if he heard it all before. “I’ve been called worse!” He didn’t deny that mental observation with his words.
A silence fell. She didn’t know why he bothered introducing himself to her. She didn’t know why she listened to this man’s ramblings.
She saw the position of the sun and took a mental note. Almost a day left before the gala.
“Well, I best be off.” She said awkwardly and with an urge to dart away.
“Thanks for talking with me!” He said he must really be a Gothamite. Who else says that sort of thing in this type of situation?
She slowly inched away, before eventually picking up speed to a mild jog.
What an odd man. She mused in her mind. He seemed familiar, but she just couldn't place him.
Oh well, she was sure the answer would come to her eventually.