"Bang!"
The final shot hit the bullseye. In the shooting range's booth, Shiller slowly lowered his arms holding the handgun, removed his transparent goggles, and used a nearby tissue to wipe them.
Natasha walked in from outside, picked up a pair of goggles, and put them on. She moved to the booth on the other side and raised her gun. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three consecutive shots, scoring high marks.
"How's Wonder Woman?" Shiller asked.
"If I said she figured it out, you definitely wouldn't believe it. But apart from trying to understand her situation as much as possible and using it to her advantage, there's not much more she can do."
"She's a demigod."
"That doesn't matter." Natasha slowly lowered her arms and said, "If her naive fantasies about Batman didn't completely vanish the moment she found herself in this situation, then they'll never disappear. She'll also never be able to resist."
"Is this love?" Shiller put on his fingerless tactical gloves again, rubbed the peeling "FBI" lettering on the back of One Hand with his fingers, and picked up the gun to aim again.
Natasha turned around, leaned against the table, and looked at the electronic clock on the wall behind them, listening to the subtle ticking sound of the clock mechanism. She said, "This isn't love. Hopefully, she realizes this soon enough."
Natasha's headset lit up. Hearing the voice coming through the earpiece, she frowned, reached a hand over the partition of the booth, and flicked Shiller's tactical vest on the shoulder with her index and middle fingers together, saying, "Don't waste time here, something's come up."
Natasha swiftly exited the shooting range, and Shiller put down the gun and followed her out. They made their way to the base entrance, where a man in a suit and tie stepped out of a black Bentley sedan.
"Hello, I am the acting attorney from the Quin Group's legal department. I need to meet with my client to discuss relevant matters regarding the subsequent defense."
"Sorry, the CIA doesn't have that rule," Natasha said with a frown. "You can't meet with anyone."
"Is that your answer?" the man in the suit asked. "Then I'm going to have you meet this gentleman—Mr. Sean, a well-known West Coast media commentator, who has revealed twelve secrets about CIA operations during the Iraq war on his personal interview show."
Natasha wanted to say more, but Shiller walked up and gave her a look. She folded her arms and stood silently in place. Shiller stepped forward and shook hands with the attorney, saying, "Hello, I'm Shiller Rodriguez, a special senior agent with the FBI, cooperating with the CIA's special investigation team on this incident. Pleased to meet you."
"I need to see my client."
"No problem, of course. But under federal law, all individuals accused of engaging in espionage or suspected of espionage are not allowed unauthorized contact with the outside world during the investigation, unless we can be certain that the visitor they're in contact with has no suspicion of treason or betrayal."
"Do you think I'm guilty of treason?"
"Your visit was too sudden, and we haven't conducted an investigation on you. However, as for the Mr. Sean behind you, he's under considerable suspicion."
"What?"
"Accusing and exposing the CIA's top-secret work during the Iraq war, if you're not a spy, why would you do such a thing?"
"It was normal, legal media work. We went through television station approval..."
"Which stations?"
"Many, my show aired on at least 20 television networks."
"That only proves that these 20 television stations also have suspicions of treason and betrayal and cannot prove your innocence, sir."
Shiller slowly took two steps back. The lawyer thought he was making way for them to enter, but as he took a small step forward, Shiller drew his gun from his waist. With a "Bang!" he fired a warning shot.
The two men, who had been standing tall and defiant, quickly squatted down, hands over their heads. Shiller gave Natasha a look, and Natasha pressed her earpiece, saying, "Charles, bring your field team over here in three seconds, or I'll dispatch you to New Mexico."
A team of agents rushed over from the staircase, cuffing the men in a few swift moves. Another team went over to inspect their car.
"Did Batman give you any instructions?" Shiller asked Natasha with a frown.
Natasha shook her head gently and said, "All the trouble falls on me. I'll find someone to investigate what this Quin Group is about."
The two headed upstairs together. While holstering his gun, Shiller said, "You work so hard, how much did he end up paying you?"
Then he suddenly recalled that Natasha had previously mentioned what price she had asked for, and he turned to avoid speaking. Natasha, however, clicked her tongue lightly and said, "So far, it seems worth it, Agent."
"As I said, I'm not saying anything until my lawyer arrives." Green Arrow sat in the interrogation room, appearing more justified than anyone else. He said, "I hope you accurately assess Quin Group's weight within the federal economic system before claiming I'm suspected of espionage. If Batman decides to abandon Wonder Woman, then he must also simultaneously abandon me. You'd better not have made this ridiculously stupid decision on his behalf."
The interrogator slapped the table, about to say something, when the door behind them opened. Shiller and Natasha walked in one after the other.
"He's been very uncooperative," said the seasoned agent. "I know this case is different from the usual ones; we can't easily resort to torture, not even a bit of rough treatment. But I still have to say, when dealing with tough nuts like this, the best way to greet them is by throwing a couple of punches first."
Natasha waved her hand. The agent cast a final cold look at Green Arrow and left the room with the others. Shiller sat opposite Green Arrow, while Natasha stood behind him.
"Hello, Mr. Queen, your lawyer just arrived. But unfortunately, he brought with him a media person with suspicions of treason, and now they've both been detained."
"What are you trying to say?"
"The Quin Group might not require your return as badly as you think, or they would never have sent such an impulsive idiot." Shiller's tone remained as calm as ever. He interlaced his fingers and rested them on the table, looking into Green Arrow's eyes, "Do you really think that by relying on them, you can firmly stand against Batman?"
"I'm not taking sides against anyone, I just want to stand on the side of justice. What he did to Wonder Woman will never get my support. No matter what greater good he's aiming for, such reckless actions bordering on slander make him look evil and insane."
"I'm not here to hear you judge him, sir. I'm just here to help you better understand your current situation. Do you think these opinions you've expressed are helpful to Wonder Woman?"
"Of course, provided you let her know that I firmly stand by her side."
"You know we won't." Natasha added, "Agents are inherently the kind of existence that uses every means to make everyone feel isolated and helpless. Even if they're hugging each other, they feel like they're alone falling in the snow."
"Yes, and Batman has been scheming to be the leader of such a group of people." Green Arrow said with disdain, "If that's what he wants, I'll applaud him myself when he gets back, so you guys won't have to wag your tails at me."
Shiller and Natasha exchanged a glance.
"What? Finally want to punch me, do you?"
Shiller stood up and said, "That's not it, sir. We always enforce the law in a civilized manner."
Green Arrow seemed to hear a big joke and laughed heartily to himself, then realized the two agents weren't playing along, and suddenly fell silent.
"Do me a favor and say something to Wonder Woman." Green Arrow suddenly spoke before they left the room, "Think of Paradise Island, think of her sisters and mother."
Shiller paused in his act of closing the door. In the crack of the door, Green Arrow saw him nod slightly.
"Quin Group is a problem. Batman wants me to stall them for at least a week, but it's only the second day now, they will certainly have other actions." Natasha said standing in the hallway.
"Then cause them some trouble." Shiller looked at her and said, "Find out who's determined to get Oliver Queen out, check for speeding around his house and company, plant some contraband in his car. Oh, and remember to block the roads, there're too many racers on the West Coast."
After speaking, Shiller quickly walked toward the end of the hallway. Natasha stood there watching his back, raising an eyebrow.
Natasha snorted lightly, curled her fingers near her cheek, then pressed the headset on her ear and said, "Send Fiona and Porto to the West Coast, make some trouble for Quin Group. Go now."
An hour later, Natasha walked out of the elevator in the Wayne building and met the impeccably dressed Arkham Batman in the office on the top floor. He didn't look the least bit travel-worn, every strand of hair was meticulously groomed.
"Did you cause the Quin Group's CEO to have a car accident?"
Natasha immediately frowned and said, "What plane do you think could fly to the West Coast within an hour?"
"So you haven't taken action yet."
"No."
"Then it must be the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Arkham Batman gently placed the cup down.
"Damn it." Natasha realized she'd been deceived, she put one hand on her hip and turned around, saying, "Shiller told me to cause them some trouble."
"Speed checks? Contraband?" Arkham Batman said with a smile, "Do you think he looks like someone who would cause that kind of trouble for others? Remember the last trouble he caused for us?"
"Did anyone die?"
"No, he's in a coma with severe injuries." Arkham Batman shook his head and said, "I guess he'll call soon to ask if I want to eliminate the threat permanently."
"What do you think?"
"I can't treat Oliver that way." Arkham Batman said, "Quin Group already went through bankruptcy restructuring last year, and he expended a lot of effort to save the group. He's always been a key supporter of my new policies in California, which is important to both the Federation and the Justice League."
"Should he be informed about this?"
"I brought you here to have you bring him over. I want to talk to him personally."
Natasha quickly walked into the underground parking lot, got into the car, picked up the phone next to her, dialed a number, and then said, "Are you crazy?! How dare you act against Quin Group without your superiors' approval?! It's clear Batman has no intention of doing anything to Oliver, your actions can only lead to..."
"Lead to what? Being thrown under the bus? Isn't that what agents do?" Shiller chuckled on the other end, "If I remember correctly, you joined the CIA when you first came to America, and the reason you couldn't advance there isn't just because you were a Soviet."
Natasha cursed through gritted teeth, hung up the phone, and threw it onto the passenger seat. She flicked her hair, stepped on the gas, and the car shot out with a swoosh.
When she returned to the base, Shiller was still by the coffee machine making coffee. He took off his vest, leaving only a light blue shirt. As an angry Natasha stormed in, she saw him leaning slightly back, examining the buttons on the coffee machine.
"What's wrong?" Shiller turned around to look at her.
The words on the tip of her tongue took a 180-degree turn. Natasha lowered her head, looked up at the ceiling, and then said, "If Batman really throws you under the bus, what are you going to do?"
"Say you ordered me to do it." Shiller's voice was still calm, "He asked me to assist your work, so naturally I'm just following orders."
Natasha widened her eyes at him.
"He can't possibly throw you under the bus, so naturally I'll be fine too. If things get out of hand, we can just claim you're from the KGB afterward. After all, it's not unfounded."