Batwoman: Hydra

Apart from the waitresses, Kate was the only woman not wearing a dress. She stood in the window facing out, drink in one hand, the other in the pocket of her trouser suit, just far enough away that her breath would not mist on the glass. Outside, blue-grey clouds tinted with black were still crawling in from the ocean. The metal and glass skyscrapers, granite and limestone spires, bridges and towers, cornered with statues and gargoyles, and the streets far below them, were alight and moving in the rain. They were covered in good vantage points, rappelling locations and landing sites, but she could not see well enough to count them all through the reflections of the party. Her own reflection, seemingly standing on the other side of the glass, looked back at her standing on the wrong side. She could almost see the pity in her own eyes.

"Here's another one," said Luke. His voice was low, but clear in her earpiece. "I'm the 47th victim of the Vanisher. I'm also - so far - the 46th one not helped by Batwoman. How long do I wait until it's official?"

"I get the point," said Kate, moving her lips as little as possible. As usual at Catherine's fundraisers, no one was paying more than unavoidable attention to her - and all of them were keeping a minimum four-metres distance - but there was no reason to make it worse by being noticed talking to herself.

"Really? How about this? Robbed by the Vanisher four days ago. Not a glimpse of him, or of our lady crusader. Zero stars out of five."

"Have you've found anything while I've been here?"

"How? I'm in the cave. And you haven't been near any of the crime scenes..."

"Then we still have no leads. This is going to take time."

"Most definitely. So maybe we should get started," said Luke. "Oh, this next one rhymes..."

Heels clicked over the dance floor towards her. Kate drew in her strength for an instant, then released it as she recognised the gait.

"If you're going to jump, could you please do it after you've spoken to everyone?" Mary's reflection appeared beside Kate's, smiling, but whispering. The butterflies on her dress managed to show off all of their colours in the glass.

"I have. No one seems to feel like a longer conversation."

"My phone? Disappeared. Jewellery boxes? All cleared. Best clothes, car and purse? Nowhere near. Batwoman? Oh, yeah! Also not here!"

"Letting them stare at your back like this is really going to encourage them. Maybe you could – I don't know – go to them?"

"Do you really think they'll welcome that?"

"It couldn't hurt. You're the interesting, world-travelling private security company heiress, who's rolled into town to build an affordable-housing empire. I'm just the hostess's daughter, who their daughters follow online, who happens to go to med school. They'll listen to you way more than they will to me."

"Not when they don't feel comfortable. What did you think this was going to be like?"

It was the routine for of all Catherine's events. Mary had seen it enough times, Kate knew, that - by now - she should understand. Her stepmother's friends, investors and colleagues were all rampantly polite when they were introduced to her. They all knew who she was, and were careful to make it perfectly clear, without saying the words, that they had no objection whatsoever to her or anyone of her orientation. Then they were even more careful - especially the women - to keep their distance from her for the rest of the evening. In most cases, they probably were being truthful. But they also knew that being seen with her for too long would catch the attention of their friends, colleagues and investors, and make them start to wonder if they were hiding something the opposite of their public image. That was why Kate always ended up with her own personal four-metre exclusion zone. Luke had insisted she take the earpiece in case anything major happened in Gotham tonight. Kate had agreed so she would have at least one person to talk to.