A Pair of Talons

William Cobb crouched silently on the roof of a low-rise building as he looked through the window of the apartment of the girl he was ordered to protect.

He did not know what prompted him to make himself known to the girl, she seemed fairly capable of defending herself.

William said nothing as a second Talon joined him on the roof.

"Why did you kill him?" The Talon signed with her hands.

"It was to Keep the target safe," William whispered back, his eyes not leaving the window of the girl's bedroom.

"Not hide body?" The second Talon signed back.

"No need, This is a Poor neighborhood, The Police won't investigate the cause of the murder, they'll throw it as Gang Violence and be done with it," William whispered, frowning underneath his mask as he spotted movement coming up the street.

"Danger?" The second Talon signed in question.

"No," William whispered in answer, "It's just her guardian," He furrowed his brows as he watched The Penguin's newest enforcer exit his car, his mask held inside a small bag he carried in his arms.

"Why not get better Guardian?" The second Talon signed to William, he frowned at such a childish and stupid question.

"We can't replace Fisk without questions being raised, not only from Forrest but from Cobblepot as well," He answered before he turned to look at the Talon beside him.

"I want you to keep an eye of Fisk, Don't interfere with what he's doing, and don't be seen. I want to know everything that he's doing," The second Talon nodded her head and jumped off the roof, disappearing into the shadows of the nearby alleyway as she made her way back to the Labyrinth beneath the city.

William Cobb scoffed to himself as she disappeared before he made himself comfortable for another night of sitting in the same spot, making sure nothing harmed his target.

At this rate, He'd start hoping the girl gets into more life-or-death scenarios, at least he'll have something to do when that happens.

"Although..." William thought to himself as his mind replayed the fight in the alley earlier that day, "A Split personality..." The frown he seemed to always have worsened as the idea of speaking of his finding to the court made themselves known.

"Are you sure this is his place?" William was pulled out of his thoughts as a small group of men stopped to talk beneath the building he was hiding above.

"The Rose? Has to be, It's that old lady's place, the one we killed two months ago," William crept closer to the edge of the roof, looking down to see a group of men wearing baggy clothing, obviously hiding weapons on their person, standing together and looking at a window in the apartment across the street.

The Apartment he's supposed to keep safe.

"Firebomb the place, and Tobias Whale will let us in, we'll be eating well I'm telling you guys," One of the men told his cohorts as he pulled out an unlit Molotov cocktail.

William didn't wait for the men to light the cocktail, a trio of razor-sharp knives flew out of his hands as he jumped down the alley.

Three of the men died on the spot as the knives pierced their skulls. Another two followed immediately after as William Cobb landed in the midst of the three remaining men, a pair of knives slicing open their throats.

The last man didn't get the opportunity to scream as William grabbed his head and snapped his neck, killing him.

In less than five seconds, all six men were killed. One attack for each.

William looked at the six corpses at his feet and frowned harder. It'll be much harder to get the police to look away from this.

"Tobias Whale..." William whispered the name the men spoke of as he dragged their corpses into a dumpster.

Two months ago a gang from Metropolis known as The 100 has started making moves into Gotham, clashing with The Penguin in the process. This same gang is responsible for the deaths of Delilah Forrest and Rose Forrest's late parents.

"I'll have to ask for permission to get rid of him," William thought with a frown once he finished dumping the bodies.

"But... What if someone else deals with The Whale for us..." William stared at the apartment on the other side of the street, a plan forming in his head on how to get rid of Tobias Whale and keep his mission interesting.

"Perhaps your Split Personality is the perfect Loophole..."

..........

Mary Turner moved as quietly as she could through the Gotham sewers, leaping over the water and avoiding the areas of the Crocodile Man, before she reached a specific wall.

Tapping twice on the wall, she waited patiently as it opened for her, before quickly stepping inside as it closed behind her.

"Talon, Any update on the Mission?" An old woman asked as she sat hunched in her wheelchair, an owl mask covering her face and hiding her identity.

"Rose Forrest Safe, New Order, Investigate Richard Fisk, Follow?" Mary Turner signed to the elder.

"Richard Fisk?" The Old woman scoffed, "That boy is a nobody," A small smirk appeared under her mask, "Follow him, I authorize these new orders of yours," The Old woman held her hands together, "I'd like to see what you find," She cackled to herself before an Aid wearing a blank mask came and started pushing her wheelchair.

Mary Turner nodded her head in silence at the authorization of the new orders as she stood on the spot, barely moving a muscle as she started thinking of everything she knew about her new target.

"That boy is a nobody," What the old woman said is the most they actually know of the man.

Richard Fisk simply didn't exist until three years ago, with no prior documentation, and no birth certificate, the man is, as the old Owl said, A Nobody.

Mary nodded her head once more, turning back to the wall she came in from and returning to the sewers.

She had new orders to follow.