"Master Bruce, what did you find?"
"A silver coin."
Bruce examined the ancient-looking coin in his hand. "An owl is engraved on the front. This should be an Athenian Owl, first seen on ancient Greek coins, representing wealth and power. I don't believe this is an ordinary coin."
After wiping the mud off the coin, Bruce recited a nursery rhyme: "Beware the Court of Owls, watching your comings and goings. They spy upon Gotham City from the shadows, hidden between the attics of low buildings. They live in your home, they sleep in your bed, never speak their name."
"Or Talon will come for your head. Alfred Pennyworth, have you heard this rhyme?"
Alfred Pennyworth fell silent for a moment on the other end of the communicator. "Master Bruce, you know it's only a nursery rhyme. They don't exist."
"I've seen this symbol before! A mysterious man was murdered. Even after searching the state and federal databases, I found no record of his DNA. That mysterious man died horribly. I found an owl symbol inside his third molar, exactly like the pattern on this coin."
Bruce put away the coin and rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on Gotham's hazy nightscape.
"I know what you've been through, Master Bruce. You've always been searching for that elusive organization, but—"
"Alfred Pennyworth, I always thought I understood Gotham well, but the truth is, I don't."
Bruce interrupted the butler. "Whenever I have too many thoughts, it proves that I can feel countless blades at my back. And when faced with the threat of blades, all I can do is remind myself to be even more vigilant."
"I suspect that man from earlier must be connected to the owl organization, or he... might be the owl I've been searching for."
Bruce recalled