Trouble

"Oh... oh... oh..."

Li Jie covered his face with one hand, letting out an incoherent growl, while the other groped blindly around the bedside. At last, he grabbed the blaring phone and viciously rejected the call. Less than ten seconds later, it rang again.

"Fuck! I'm on goddamn vacation. Why do I have to wake up earlier than when I'm working?"

Swearing, he brought the phone in front of his eyes. The caller's name appeared on the candy-bar handset:

Fat Bob.

"Fuck!" He let out a heavy breath and hit the answer button.

"Hey, boss, you remember I'm on vacation, right?"

"I do, but we've got a problem. You'd better come to my office." Bob sounded rather subdued. "Now. Don't worry, it won't take long."

"...All right, boss. See you in a bit."

Li Jie sighed. He could hardly say he already knew about the prisoner rescue attempt, so he threw back the covers. Goose bumps instantly rose all over his body, and a second later, he darted back underneath.

"What the hell? It's fucking freezing!" Wrapping the blanket around himself, he shuffled on tiptoe to the window. There wasn't a single snowflake outside. Then he hopped over to the radiator and touched it. It was ice-cold.

"Fuck, I paid for this!"

He banged hard on the radiator a few times, but the Russian repair method failed to work. He could only grit his teeth and get dressed as fast as possible, hissing and gasping from the cold. Before he could run downstairs, the phone rang again.

"Quit fucking rushing me! I'm not Superman!" He impatiently pulled out his phone, only to find Clark's name on the screen.

"Speak of Superman, and Superman calls. Wonder who's faster, him or Cao Cao."

"Hi, Clark," he said, answering the call. "Got any good news?"

"Hi. Can you bring that kid to Metropolis at three this afternoon? Metropolis Stadium. We contacted the Metropolis Suns for him, and their owner, Mr. Danees, said they could give him a try."

"Now that's good news." Li Jie let out a relieved breath. "See you this afternoon. I'll make sure he gets there. Thanks, Clark. I owe you."

It really was good news. Everything else aside, even if all their efforts ultimately came to nothing and Waylon Jones still became Killer Croc, he would be an opponent even Batman would find extremely difficult to handle in Gotham. But in Metropolis...?

One slap from Superman would do it. Nothing more.

Most of the officers hadn't arrived when he stepped into the Police Department. A handful lounged idly in their chairs, reading newspapers. He headed straight for the chief's office, gave the door a quick knock, and pushed his way inside.

"Fuck, did you hold a bonfire party in here last night?"

The room was still thick with choking cigarette smoke. Bob sank into his executive chair, his eyes bloodshot. Seeing Li Jie enter, he tapped the desk to indicate the chair opposite him. He stared at him silently for a moment before saying, "Major Crimes Unit at Central Headquarters is kicking the prison transport case back to the Eastern District Precinct."

Li Jie nodded. "And?"

"You don't seem surprised at all." Bob blew a smoke ring, his face appearing and disappearing through the haze. "Don't worry. Having your own sources is a good thing."

"Sources, my ass!" Li Jie shrugged. "You haven't told me the whole story yet. It's too early for me to be surprised."

"Okay, my mistake." Bob exhaled another thick cloud of smoke. "According to the interrogations at Central Headquarters, those gunmen worked for Fish Mooney, and the prisoner, Hargrove, specializes in making explosives. They were going to bust him out so he could blow open Falcone's vault."

Ah...

Li Jie searched his memory. He seemed to have heard that name in an American TV series, but it had been too long. All he remembered of the vault explosion storyline was the final shot of dollar bills fluttering through the air.

"Hmm... Fish Mooney works for Falcone, right?" When Bob confirmed it, Li Jie pondered for a few seconds. "She's turning on him? And Central Headquarters doesn't want to offend either side?"

"That's not all." A frustrated growl rose from deep in Bob's throat. "Do you know how many informants The Roman has inside the Police Department? That information probably reached him immediately. Fuck, if I'd known sooner, I could've gotten at least fifty grand out of Mr. Falcone for it."

He slammed a fist onto the desk. "Those sons of bitches at Central Headquarters pocketed the benefits, then left the East End to wipe their asses!"

"And Fish Mooney probably knows she's been exposed," Li Jie added. "She has her own sources."

"Exactly. I may not stick my nose into much, but their little schemes don't get past me." Bob stubbed out his cigarette. "Gordon's partner, Harvey, might well be in bed with Fish."

"So? You called me in because you missed out on an informant's fee?"

"So?" Bob lit another cigarette. "That survivor is evidence. The Roman wants him alive, and Fish wants him dead. Central Headquarters declared it an ordinary robbery and put the Eastern District Precinct in charge of the case and the prisoners."

"Can't you refuse? The Major Crimes Unit signed off when I handed them over."

"They said the crime took place in the East End, and East End officers responded and exchanged fire. Then they said Gordon overstepped his authority, violated regulations, and wasted resources, and kicked him out of the Major Crimes Unit. They've also tied up our personnel authority and all our resource approvals. Fuck!" Growing angrier as he spoke, Bob stood and paced around the office. "You should've left those idiots from Blackgate Penitentiary to fend for themselves."

"Then let Fish Mooney talk to Falcone. Once they reach a deal, they can tell us the result. Wouldn't that solve it?"

"No, you need to understand that woman is crazy and stupid. Or rather, all women are like that. Give them power, and sooner or later everything goes to hell." Bob shook his head. "They think having the title of boss means they can do whatever they want, and everyone should revolve around them. They don't understand that power is fundamentally about trading interests and making compromises. She'll just demand that we hand over the witness or kill him. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Li Jie spread his hands. "What's she going to do, attack the Eastern District Precinct?"

"Oh, clever boy. Congratulations, you got it right." Bob gave him an ugly smile. "She really would."

"Then... who's harder to deal with, her or Falcone? Cough, cough..." Li Jie took a deep breath and immediately choked on the smoke. "Fuck, can't you smoke less?"

"Mr. Falcone, of course. No one can stand up to The Roman." A trace of fear showed in Bob's eyes. "He's only asking us to hand the man over to demonstrate how fair and impartial he is. Fish Mooney is afraid that once Falcone gets the evidence, he'll immediately clean house."

"In that case, what's there to hesitate over? Fish Mooney doesn't have the strength to take on Falcone. Her scheme was only exposed by accident this time. Otherwise, she wouldn't need to secretly blow open his vault. She could just blow up The Roman's toilet." Li Jie thought for a moment, scooted his chair forward, and lowered his voice. "We back The Roman. Use this to get something out of Central Headquarters, then get something out of Falcone too. As for Fish Mooney, we can't please everyone, so we take her on!"

"Wow, good boy! That's what I like about you young people, all that energy and drive." Bob's face lit up with delight. "I knew you could do it. Look at those bastards outside. Just coasting until they die, scared of their own shadows. They'll never amount to anything. You young people are the Police Department's future."

He waddled over and hugged Li Jie. "I've already arranged it with Central Headquarters. You and Wilson will pick up the prisoners tomorrow afternoon."

"Fuck! This is beyond outrageous. It's only the fourth day of my vacation!" Li Jie pushed Bob away. "And you're dumping this massive mess on me? You planned this all along, didn't you? Do you remember whether you're a police chief or a capitalist?"

"You should remember Police Department regulations." Bob sat back down behind his desk. "In an emergency or a staffing shortage, we have the authority to interrupt an officer's vacation, with compensatory leave or overtime pay provided afterward."

"And what do I get out of it?" Li Jie sneered. "This isn't ordinary overtime. Unless there's something worthwhile in it for me, forget it."

"Fuck, you sly little fox." Bob gave him a sour look. "Let's be clear up front. I don't have much money to give you."

"The payoff is one thing. But right now, I need two automatic or semiautomatic long guns and ammunition, fifty slugs, body armor with Level III plates, an operational budget, and..."

"Hey! Hey! I don't have a red coat or reindeer, and I can't grant your Christmas wishes." Bob rapped on the desk irritably, cutting him off. "Be realistic."

"No, this is already realistic." Li Jie shook his head. "If Fish Mooney really is as crazy as you say, she might strike the moment we leave Central Headquarters tomorrow. I don't want to get turned into Swiss cheese before I know it."

"I know, but Central Headquarters will never approve that much equipment for us." Bob felt as though he'd sighed more today than in half his life. "Loeb is a lot more crooked than I am."

"You need to change how you think. Don't treat this as us asking Central Headquarters to approve equipment, begging for their permission."

Li Jie leaned right across the desk and spoke in a near whisper. "We're solving Central Headquarters' fucking problem for them. They should provide everything. Not just what I listed, either. You can ask for more. Brand-new armored tactical vehicles, more autonomy over personnel and resource approvals, double the budget and funding, extra bonuses, mobile units..."

"Wait, wait, wait. Why would they agree to all that?" Bob's breathing quickened, and he raised a hand to stop him. "It sounds wonderful, but they'll never agree."

"Why?" Li Jie smiled. "Because both sides losing is better than only one side winning. If they refuse, we call the whole thing off. Let them deal with Falcone themselves. Do you think Grogan or Loeb would dare take that risk?"

He grinned, exposing gleaming white teeth. "Besides, even if they won't give us anything and we still have to take the case, how is that any different from where we are now? What do we have to lose?"

"I wasn't wrong about you at all. You really are a devious little fox." A smile gradually spread across Bob's face. "But isn't this asking a little too much? We need to be realistic."

"What does it matter? They'll haggle anyway. As long as you're not planning to kick Loeb out and take his job, everything's negotiable. The thicker your skin, the better your chances in something like this. I've got faith in you." Li Jie stood and brushed the cigarette ash off his clothes. "But make it quick. We need the equipment by tomorrow morning."

"Huh? You really don't have a fucking ounce of respect for me." Bob leaned back in his spacious chair and waved him away. "Get lost. I need to think about how to write the report."