Four thousand three hundred seventy-seven dollars.
Four thousand three hundred and fucking seventy-seven dollars.
I knew I was repeating myself, but important things needed to be said more than once. Besides, after seeing that number, the only thing I could think about was the money, over and over again.
My hands trembled, my heart fluttered, and my gaze darted around nervously as I took furtive glances to ensure no one was paying attention to me.
The small street was as empty as I'd last checked, with cars parked sporadically around apartment complexes. The street was nearly dead quiet, with people minding their own business. A gaze wandered over me for a moment before dismissing me as a target due to my lackluster attire.
That might change quickly if I let the nervous energy building inside me escape for even a moment, but that was never going to happen. I may not be the most amazing actor in the world, but living in Gotham taught you exactly how to act if you wanted to glide by unnoticed.
Before I could stand out by literally standing in front of an ATM in a daze, I withdrew the money from the account with trembling hands. The machine seemed to freeze for a moment before complying and dispensing the bills I requested, mostly hundreds to keep the stack lighter, but some smaller ones for everyday use.
I never felt so happy to have cash be a uniform green.
I stuffed the small stack of bills into my ratty hoodie pocket and strolled away like nothing was wrong, even though the money felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket.
Again, I could feel gazes judging me, weighing exactly how much I was worth. I may not look like I had much, but I'd just used an ATM, so I clearly had something on me.
I kept my gaze low and my shoulders slumped, shaking my body in a sort of spasming tremble, scratching random parts of my body as if my skin didn't quite fit right. As I continued my act, I felt the gazes drift away.
It was a bit riskier acting like this, but my bet paid off. I was dismissed as a druggie jonesing for his next fix, the type of person who had money but would bite you if it meant running away with their cash. Not worth the hassle of getting involved, and God knows whose toes you'd be stepping on by messing with someone like that.
My heart pounded in my chest, but I just needed to walk down this street and hail a taxi to be in the clear. I'd picked an ATM with little to no surveillance, as I didn't want my ill-gotten gains traced back to me, even though I was almost certain my device had bypassed any scrutiny.
Better to be safe than to have this house of cards crash around me.
Although…
My hands clutched the money in my pocket, and a flush built around my cheeks, hidden by the face mask I was wearing.
My fear of everything going wrong no longer felt so overwhelming. Just a couple of hours of work, and I had more money than I'd ever dreamed of having for a long time.
Losing access to Barbara and the world she represented no longer felt like a death sentence. With just one confession and one device, I was able to hold onto this. Sure, what I had wasn't a fortune, but it was certainly life-changing for me. I could afford to eat what I wanted, buy what others had, and have a place of my own.
I was no longer clawing my way out of the bottom; I was in a place where I could live without a hint of worry. Sure, I was a criminal, but who wasn't in Gotham?
I only took what wouldn't be missed. Those pricks probably spent more on their Starbucks order than what I took from them. I was honestly merciful, all things considered. I could have drained accounts to the last cent, and unless someone with tech far beyond the norm got involved, no one would find me.
The only reason I held back was that it wasn't necessary, and I feared losing what little I had.
I fiddled with the device in my other pocket before raising my hand to hail a taxi.
I may be able to live as I wanted now, but I wasn't giving up on Barbara and this strange System in my life. How could I be satisfied with just this after tasting such sweetness?
It took a moment before one of the passing taxis stopped to pick me up. Before I could say anything, the window rolled down, and a middle-aged man looked me over with a frown.
"Where you off to?" he asked briskly, his eyes slightly narrowed. I could tell he was weighing whether it was worth driving me.
I wasn't exactly dressed well, and I honestly looked like I was up to something with my hoodie drawn over my head and a face mask covering the lower half of my face.
"Central Plaza," I shot back stiffly. There was a tense moment between us before the man relaxed and popped open the back door. I shuffled in without a word, and he just nodded and started driving.
I was heading to a fairly popular and public mall, so the driver had less to worry about. Although, I could still feel him keeping a wary eye on me. There was plexiglass between us, but that wouldn't stop a gun if I was really up to something.
The driver had a hand fiddling with something on his left side, so it was likely he was packing heat of his own in case things went sideways.
I ignored him as he ignored me. Our paths were only crossing for a brief moment, and they would diverge soon after. As long as neither of us became hostile, the steady peace would hold until I got where I wanted to be.
I was just glad I had a driver who minded his own business and wasn't chatting with me. Or maybe it was how I was dressed that kept him quiet. Maybe I should start dressing like this more often?
I almost let out a snort at that thought but held back to avoid making the drive even more tense.
Thankfully, I didn't have to be there for long. The cab arrived, and the driver looked back at me.
"Here we are, forty dollars," he demanded with a tense look. I nodded, reached into my pocket, narrowed my eyes, and slid two hundred-dollar bills through the slot.
He raised an eyebrow and fixed a weighted gaze on me.
"I wasn't here, right?" I asked with a firmness that brooked no argument. His eyebrow lowered, and a slight, sly smile bloomed on his face.
"Of course," he said before sliding a business card through the slot as he retrieved his hush money. It was for some random pizza place, but it had a number scrawled across it in Sharpie.
"If you need someone not to see something again, just call," he said with that sly grin.
I almost rolled my eyes but kept the card anyway.
"Just keep your mouth shut, and we don't have a problem. Trust me, you don't want a problem with me," I shot back with narrowed eyes. The sly smile on his face stiffened slightly.
"I ain't stupid, kid," he replied as I left his cab. I didn't bother responding before he took off, likely to pick up another customer.
The guy would probably keep his mouth shut around the police but would spill the moment anyone less friendly came around. Thankfully, my theft had nothing to do with the gangs, and it wasn't high-profile enough for The Bat to get involved.
Although, God only knows what that demon out of hell deemed important enough for his attention.
I went to a nearby restroom to shed the outer layers of my clothing, revealing the outfit I had underneath. I stuffed the bills into my jean pockets and tossed the ratty hoodie and baggy pants into the trash by the door.
If someone was tracking me, they might still figure out I was the person in the hoodie, as my build was the same, but this place wasn't exactly brimming with cameras either.
I paused on my way to an electronics store at a nearby kiosk in the mall selling phones. My initial plan was to collect some parts to vaguely replace the ones I used in Phil's computer, but the funds I had access to sparked a different plan.
So, I decided to splurge a bit and get a cell phone, just like any other teenager.
The salesgirl looked me over as I approached. She didn't dismiss me too much, as I wasn't dressed as badly now, though it was clear I didn't have a ton of cash.
"Hi, what can I help you with?" she asked with an artificial smile that might as well have been plastered on her face. I gave her a quick once-over.
She was pretty, but not in a stunning way like Barbara. For a moment, I hoped this random blonde girl would trigger my System, but with no screens flashing in my vision, it was unlikely. Figures, there were hotter girls at school, but Barbara was the only one who triggered my System.
The smile on the girl's face faded slightly as she caught me looking her over. A hint of contemplation flashed across her face as she assessed my clothes, and annoyance crept into her eyes.
"Yeah, I need a phone, something that runs well but not the latest model," I said stiffly. I had money to spend now, but not a ton. I couldn't afford to drop a thousand on a phone just yet.
She blinked for a moment before nodding with practiced ease.
"Are you sure? If you sign up for a phone plan, it's only forty dollars extra on your monthly bill, and you get the latest model instantly," she said with that plastered smile and words she must have said a thousand times by now.
I thought about it for a moment. A phone plan wouldn't bite too much into my funds, and with the rate I was gathering money, it wasn't exactly a worry to pay it off.
Then I dismissed the thought. I only had cash; I'd need a credit card to sign up for a plan, and that wasn't in the cards.
"Paying in cash. I need a prepaid plan with data, too. Willing to drop six hundred total," I said blandly. Her smile stiffened slightly, and a hint of scorn appeared in her eyes.
She must have thought I was just another thug in this city, using whatever money I'd rolled off someone. She wasn't exactly wrong, but I figured I ranked a bit higher on the criminal scale than just another nameless grunt.
"No problem, let me show you some models," she said and started showing off what the stand had. She might think I was scum, but a sale was a sale, and she wasn't sticking her neck out for some moral high ground.
Only an idiot did that.
A face flashed through my mind, and guilt built in my stomach.
Idiots and people too good for this city. I corrected.
Our interaction lasted another five minutes before I had one of Wayne Tech's older model phones. Not as cutting-edge as the Lex Corp stuff, but Wayne had a penchant for selling more affordable models for the less fortunate.
I was tempted to play around with my phone for a while, but I had things to do. So, I headed to a store and picked up some parts, my mind buzzing with ideas.
I settled on a plan before grimacing as I gathered the tools and parts. I hesitated for a moment. I was about to do something far less harmless than my last crime. There was a very real risk of someone getting hurt this time.
I took a deep breath and pressed on. It was wrong, what I was going to do, but this world wasn't exactly a place where right actions paid off.
I grimaced deeper, knowing Barbara would look at me with the same scorn as that salesgirl if she knew what I was plotting. I hated the thought of someone like Barbara looking at me like that, but I wasn't going to stop. Not now, even if I felt like an asshole.
With the parts and tools in hand, my fingers were already itching to get started. I nearly lost my self-control and started building in the store, but I held it together.
I left quickly while searching online for a room to rent. It didn't take long to find a place that was cheap and willing to take cash with no questions asked.
Gotham was swell like that. Rent was dirt cheap and people knew when to keep their mouths shut, so it wasn't a huge chunk of change.
Once I was alone in the apartment, I got to work. Tools were used and tossed without a second thought. Boards were cut and assembled into shelled cases. My hands danced to a tune only they knew.
It was the same eerie lack of control as before, but I was familiar enough with the feeling to not completely lose myself in the song blaring in my mind. I'd hate to use everything I had on something so simple; my last lack of control was what had me plotting this whole ordeal, after all.
By the time I was finished, I held the small device in my hands, a grin blooming on my face. It was sleeker than the hacking pen, as I had actual parts and tools this time, a small box with a screen, almost like a handheld TV with small knobs on the side and a small power cable hanging out the back.
My hands ghosted over the knobs with some hesitation before I slipped the box into my pocket and ordered a taxi to Gotham Academy. I just hoped my plans didn't spiral out of control.