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Jason’s good at his job. There’s a reason he’s been recruited so frequently since he got out of the army. He’s naturally talented with his hands, and has an innate skill for strategy and planning. One of the many reasons he was recruited by the armed forces straight out of high school. He knows he’s talented and he’s happy to offer up his skills for the right price.
He finds it a bit amusing that he’s been doing espionage work since he was eighteen, but only now feels like he’s doing something shady. Spying on other country’s war agendas hadn’t felt wrong. Being hired by wealthy, shady businessmen to spy on other companies? That will always feel wrong. But he can’t complain. It keeps his bank account full and pays for all of his necessary expenses. So he can’t really be too upset about it.
There will always be a part of him, however, that hates what he does. He doesn’t like watching the news and seeing people’s personal lives blasted to the public; scandals that have torn families apart and bankrupted more companies than he cares to think about. And every time he knows it was because of him.
But an honorable discharge from the army doesn’t get you much as far as a paycheck goes, and Jason has to make money somehow. Which is why he’s now standing in some shady alleyway, waiting for his contact at a quarter til midnight.
The sound of heels precede the shadow, and then a slender figure walks into the alley. It’s dark, but Jason can make out most of her features. She’s pretty, older than him, maybe late thirties, and she’s dressed a little over the top for her job as an “assistant”. Her black leather pants and matching corset make her look more like a dominatrix, and he doesn’t even care enough to ask why her headband includes cat ears. She clearly makes good money, though, if her designer thigh high boots and diamond encrusted choker are anything to go off of.
“You Selina?” His tone is less than friendly, but he’s entitled to behave however he wants when he’s been waiting in some grimy Gotham alley for the past fifteen minutes.
“That’d be me, sweetheart. I’m guessing you’re the one I’m here to meet.” Her voice is syrupy sweet, and there’s a drawl to her words that Jason finds irritating.
“You guessed right.” He isn’t amused.
“Well, I’ve been asked by my boss, Mr. Cobblepot, and his partner, Mr. Dent-“
“Wait, Harvey Dent? The Gotham D.A.? That Harvey Dent?” He interrupts.
“Mr. Todd-“
“Jason-“ He cuts her off again.
He knows nothing about this broad, and he’s not sure how much of his file she’s seen, but there’s something going on between them. He’s not attracted to her, or anything of the sort, but he’s definitely getting a kindred spirit sort of vibe from her. They understand each other. Come from the same place. So no, he doesn’t think she’s hot, but he has plenty of respect for someone like her.
“Well, Jason, my bosses gave me strict instructions tonight, none of which included me having to answer your unnecessary questions.”
“Look, Selina,” she smirks at him, “I don’t lend my skills out to just anyone, and I’m happy to take whatever orders your bosses got for me. But it’s my ass on the line and I don’t go into a situation half- cocked. If I don’t get all the details I need, I don’t accept the offer.”
Selina’s expression turns feral, her smile all teeth and eyes, and she reminds Jason even more so of a cat.
“Well, well, well. You’re not like the others. You’ve actually got a set on you.”
Jason gives her a cocky smile.
“So they tell me.”
“Alright, kid. Here’s the deal. Cobblepot’s got plenty of business with just the Iceberg Lounge, but he wants to go in on a new joint with Harvey Dent. That’s right, the D.A. Turns out the guy’s not as sweet and clean cut as everyone thought.
“This place ain’t gonna be just any club. They want it to blow all others out of the water. Strip club, bar, dance club. They wanna wipe out the competition. Take over the business in this city so there's nothin' left for anyone else. So, your target is Bruce Wayne.”
Jason knows the name. He’s a native to Gotham, after all. Anyone born and raised in this city knows that name. Bruce Wayne had opened one of the nicest restaurants in all of Gotham about twenty years ago. He’d just been a kid then, at only twenty two. The guy is a genius entrepreneur and one of the smartest businessmen Jason has ever seen. He’s worked his way from the ground up and now in addition to his several restaurants, he also owns several clubs, and the most successful strip joint in Gotham.
“We need you to get every bit of intel you can about Wayne, and we’re going to tear down his empire piece by piece. The goal is for there to be no competition. The only clubs, restaurants, entertainment places left in this city will be ones run by Cobblepot and Dent. Got it?”
“Got it. So what’s the plan?”
Selina hands him a plain manila folder. He opens it to find pages and pages worth of documents, photos, and a whole bio on Bruce Wayne.
“Everything you should need is in there. Wayne spends all his time lately working at The Cave, a.k.a. his home base. It’s the strip club he opened a few years back and he puts quite a bit of energy into it. His clubs and businesses are the most successful this city has ever seen. That will stop. You are to find a position working at The Cave, blend in to gather additional intel, and report back to me. I’ll pass the information on. We’ll chat once a week to see what you’ve got. I’ve already got your number, and you will hear from me every week. My bosses will expect good news.”
“No problem.” He responds, his cocky smile back in place on his lips.
His eyes skim over the first page. Wayne’s bio and other info that anyone with a computer could get. He flips through a few of the photographs, ignoring the fact that Selina is still standing there watching him with narrowed eyes.
“Something else you needed?” He asks, and it comes out a bit curt.
“Was just about to ask you the same question, baby. You look a little tense, big boy. Was just wondering if maybe there was a way I could help you out.”
Jason laughs. He doesn’t do it to be mean, but he always finds it way more amusing than he should when women hit on him.
“Sorry kitty cat, you’re scratching at the wrong tree. My taste in… pussy is non- existent. If you’ll excuse the pun.” He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
A look of understanding flashes through her eyes before she reaches out a well- manicured hand and ruffles his hair.
“That’s too bad. You’re awfully pretty, though. Guess I should’ve known you played for the other team.”
Jason shrugs.
“It’s not something I feel people need to know and I don’t advertise it. But if you ever need help finding a young, hot stud, let me know. I’ve got plenty of straight war buddies that would love a go at you.”
And he could swear the noise she makes is a purr.
“I might have to take you up on that someday. See you around, kiddo.”
Jason spends the remainder of his night reading the file Selina had given him. It isn’t much more helpful than the man’s internet page, but there are a few interesting pieces of information. For one, the men in Bruce’s life: The older Englishman that tends to Bruce’s every beck and call, and is the man’s most loyal friend. The young man who Bruce had taken as his lover and is now his employee at The Cave. And about the many several businesses he owns as well as his extensive list of employees.
This definitely isn’t his most interesting mark. And he’s not even sure he’s the right guy for the job. A P.I. would charge half of what Jason does and could probably do it in a less conspicuous way. Jason isn’t sure why Cobblepot and Dent need him. He’s a former top military sniper and nationally ranked bare knuckle boxer, but he’s almost certain neither of those skills will be necessary for this case. They hadn't hired him to kill Wayne, only destroy his life.
He’s not complaining about the job, and he certainly has no qualms about going undercover at a unisex strip joint, he just doesn’t fully understand his purpose. He can worry about that another time, though. Right now he has to catch some sleep before heading down town tomorrow for an impromptu job interview at The Cave.