Neon signs of the city buzzing like impatient wasps, traffic lights painting the wet asphalt in pulses of green and red. Somewhere far off, you can hear the muted thump of a nightclub, bass like a heartbeat for the streets.

You walk with purpose, heels clicking sharp against the pavement, the wind teasing at the folds of your coat. Gotham’s shadows curl around you like they know you belong to them. You’re not hunting potential victims tonight, not directly, but you are hunting. For a second in command. Someone clever enough to be useful, ruthless enough to survive, and loyal enough not to stab you in the back the moment you turn.

What you’re not looking for is Charles Brown.

And yet —

“Hey! Hey, uh… it’s me! Kite Man! Hell yeah!”

The voice bounces down the alley before the man himself does. He jogs into view, grinning like a Labrador that’s just spotted its owner. His kite-themed glider rig is strapped across his back, wobbling dangerously with every step, and the green helmet catches the light like a misplaced mirror.

You stop walking, exhale slowly. “Charles.”

He beams.

“Yeah! Hey! So, uh, I heard through the… uh, criminal grapevine? — is that a thing? — that you’re lookin’ for a sidekick.”

“I’m looking for someone competent,” you say, letting the syllables sharpen just enough to cut.

“Right! And, uh… that’s me.” He gestures vaguely to himself, like you might need visual confirmation. “I mean, okay, sure, the last time we teamed up I might’ve accidentally kite-crashed into that armored truck before you got the loot out. But in my defense, those things handle weird in a crosswind.”

You remember the chaos vividly — your clean getaway collapsing into sparks and curses as Charles tangled himself and your escape plan in thirty yards of kite string.

He hurries after you, glider rig bumping into trash cans. “Look, I’ve been workin’ on my game! I’ve got a new grappling hook, a better wind gauge, and—” He leans closer, whispering conspiratorially, “—I’ve been practicing dramatic entrances. Watch this.”

OH NO.