Yuxuan and the metaphorical wall

Yuxuan hit a metaphorical wall. Another name. Crossed off. No evidence. No clues. He is left staring at a notepad filled with columns of names—desperate little leads. Corner to corner, he searched for answers. He found nothing. It’s been two weeks since the discovery. Two weeks since he crossed paths with a monster hybrid that thirsted for blood. If he continues to fail, people will die at the hands of those things. He needs to find who created it. And stop them from making more.

Yuxuan doesn’t know who to turn to. John Constantine comes to mind, but he is hardly reliable. He didn’t even leave behind a phone number or an email address for Yuxuan to contact, which can only mean John doesn’t want to be contacted. And if he doesn’t like to be contacted, there is nothing Yuxuan can do. He is not good at finding people who want to stay hidden. That is just one of the many weaknesses slowing down his investigation. Besides John, Yuxuan isn't familiar with anyone who uses magic. But…What if he doesn’t need a magic-user? Magic isn’t at the core of this crisis. A person is. A rotten individual most likely seeking power and profit. And who is best to enquire about finding this person? Someone whose lone objective is to put them behind bars. A detective.

Of course, Yuxuan can’t turn to the first Sherlock he bumps into. This case requires special skills and a specific set of morals. It calls for someone not afraid to get their hands dirty. So, no GCPD stickler. Yuxuan could try to reach Batman if he was mad. He can’t involve Batman, no matter how easier it would make things. Batman's involvement would bring much-unappreciated attention to the case. Attention that cannot be caught. This needs to stay as secret as possible. If someone finds out you can breed monsters, it will become a trend. So, no big bad bat. Which also eliminates most Justice Leaguers, Teen Titans and whatever ever’s. Cahoots with any one of them wouldn’t go unnoticed by Batman and we are back where we started. So, no superheroes. Whereas the list of potential partners is longer than the list of suspects, it’s just as unhelpful.

Yuxuan is returning from yet another failed stakeout. He froze his balls off for nothing. His sour mood is damped further by the closure of a subway station due to a terrorist attack. Why his parents chose to live in Gotham is beyond him. He decides to walk home since it’s not worth the fare at this point. He shortcuts through a deserted office building. He once found an ID of a former sales manager that had an office there. When he went to return it, the lady at the front desk told him to bin it. It was too much of a convenience to simply throw away. Now Yuxuan has a quicker way home and all the instant coffee he wants. Just as he rounds a corner, yelling breaks the quietude. He ducks behind a filing cabinet and slides down onto the ground with a knuckle white grip on his bag. Adrenaline thrums through him, strong as drums. He must remember to breathe. His qi is useless if he is not focused. Yuxuan takes a deep breath through his nose. He breaths out through his mouth. He breathes in. He b- BAM! A gunshot. Yuxuan flinches. Two more follow. There is an unmistakable sound of dead bodies hitting the floor. Fear squeezes his insides and turns them upside down. Hot sweat gathers on his forehead. He is in an active shooter situation. There are men with guns in the same room as him. Men that murdered multiple people just a few feet away from him. No demon can scare Yuxuan as much as a man can. Demons have predictable behaviour. Their abilities are written in a manual that little kids learn from. Gunman’s motivation ranges from feelings of betrayal to boredom. Yuxuan attempts to hold his breath, but it comes out in panicked gusts. The number of footsteps indicates three attackers, but there is a high possibility of more located on upper levels. He just needs to wait for these three to move up. Once they are gone, he’ll sprint out of there and call the GCPD. They have guns too, they’ll deal with it. It seems neither of the men is heading in his direction. If he can just stay quiet for a few more minutes…He closes his eyes. He is by himself on a peak of a mountain. The wind is sweeping his hair. The grass is tickling his calves. He can smell something sweet in the air. The smell turns foul and Yuxuan avoids a hit just in time. He rolls out the way. His attacker isn’t one of the gunmen. He is lightly armoured and carries no heavy guns. He must be a special soldier. This means this isn’t an everyday robbery and Yuxuan is screwed. He dodges two more hits and sets off in the direction of the nearest exit. His attacker is right behind. What would an organized crime syndicate need in a dinky office building? The assassin fires a grappling hook at his feet. Yuxuan jumps out of the way. Is the assassin not trying to kill him? Why? He changes his running pattern. Going straight makes him an easy target. He zig-zags side to side. He notices an exit at the end of a hall. What he doesn’t notice is one of the gunmen lurking around the corner. Said gunman shoves the back of a shotgun into his stomach. Yuxuan collapses on his knees, gagging. The gunman doesn’t hit him again. He merely stands above him. Yuxuan tries to get up, but someone twists his arm and pushes him to the ground. A knee burrows between his shoulder blades.

“Should we kill him?” the gunman asks.

“No,” the assassin answers him. His voice is like a hiss. “We were told to eliminate Smith’s associates. He is not one of them.”

“What do we do with him then?” Yuxuan winces as the assassin wrenches his arm further.

“We take him to Gustav.” The gunman hums in agreement and knocks him out.

Yuxuan comes to a fancy office. It must be an executive’s. The magnificent view suggests he is located on the top floor. His writs are tied to a radiator with a zip tie. His bag was tossed aside, presumably after being searched. His back is getting sweaty from the heat. Why do they even have the heaters on when the building’s closed? Someone walks to him. Gustav. A middle-aged gentleman with muscles of a Greek god. His suit is bursting at the seams, what the hell? He observes Yuxuan.

“ Are you just an unlucky thief? Or…maybe a son of a CEO?”

Yuxuan can’t tell if he’s seriously asking. Gustav squats down to his level, but he doesn’t look any less murderous. Yuxuan presses back into the heater.

“Which is it, boy?”

“Neither, sir. I-” Yuxuan chokes. He coughs out: ”taking a shortcut.”

Gustav is obviously amused by him. He slowly rises with his eyes tearing into Yuxuan. He doesn’t need to be a mind reader to know what the guy is thinking. He’s going to rip Yuxuan’s limb from limb just to see him squirm, that sicko. He might even record it for his collection. Yuxuan feels revolted. Gustav smiles at him as he takes out a knife. Bin fucking go.

“I cannot let you live. You must understand that,” he says.

Yuxuan won’t beg for his life. He won’t give him the satisfaction. He won’t scream or whimper, he will stay silent. No matter what.

Gustav grips his chin and presses the knife into Yuxuan’s shoulder. The tip tears his clothes and cuts his skin. Blood pools at the wound. Yuxuan glares at Gustav. It’s not painful. He got stabbed before. It’s the creep's eyes, shining in interest that disgust Yuxuan. The knife tunnels deeper into his shoulder, into its meat. Yuxuan swallows a yelp. Can’t make a sound. Can’t make a sound. He repeats this mantra like prayer. When Gustav jerks the knife out and slams it back in, Yuxuan has to close his eyes to keep from crying. His breath wobbles as he breaths in and out. Gustav twists the knife. Yuxuan is sitting on a mountain peak. The storm is twisting the trees. The wind is howling loud as rushing blood. Rain is cooling his burning skin. He sewers the restrains and punches Gustav as hard as he can. Gustav flies off to the side. Yuxuan stands up. The knife is still in his shoulder. He pays it no mind as he rushes out of the office.

Down the stairs. Out of the door. He manages to escape with no one following. He hides behind an archway. He peeks out just in time to catch a glimpse of a cape heading for the roof. Silluthed against the moon, another figure glides down. Batman and…Robin? No, that guy is too tall to be Robin. He has a cape so he can’t be Nightwing. Who else is there? Superboy…Signal… No, this is Red Robin. Yuxuan watches as Red Robin stops the goons from getting away. He defeats them as if on training day and manages to disable their vehicles. Just as he ties up the last of them, Batman emerges from the building with Gustav. Gustav is nursing a broken nose. Yuxuan can’t fight off the smug grin. He did that. Not Batman. He did. The smugness dies the moment Yuxuan realizes Batman will not give up until he finds out who gave Gustav the bloody nose. And with his blood all over the office, it won’t be much of a mystery. He takes his leave then. Tonight sucked but it wasn’t a complete bust. He has a last name for his potential partner’s list.