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[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

Bastard.

He'd gone in good faith, discharging his responsibility to Dent, to help get him out of Arkham. He'd ended up being accessory to the breakouts of at least one, if not two others. Which wasn't that much of a problem, Nygma was smart enough to keep his distance from Floyd, lest he wind up with a new and unplanned hole in his forehead. No, the real problem was that while he was planning a vast distraction by blowing up the Arkham motor pool, Dent scampered off into the night and left him.

No, not Dent. Two-Face. He was pretty sure Harvey wasn't driving the bus this time. After all, Harvey had to know that leaving him would get him shot.

Still, it was a damn miracle that he'd made it off the Arkham grounds not lashed to the front of the Batmobile like a goddamned war trophy. He knew staying in Gotham was pressing his luck. Plus, Zoe was back in Metropolis, but he'd made arrangements to have the old neighbor couple keep an eye on her. The real problem was, if he let Dent Two-Face get away with leaving him behind, what it would do to his rep. Everyone would think that they could get away with taking Deadshot off on a job. That's the kind of thing that winds you up dead at the hands of a third-rater like the Spook or Magpie.

On the other side of it, he was presumed dead. And Floyd Lawton's face was pretty well known in Gotham. So was Deadshot's. This little caper had to be handled delicately, and delicate work was never his strong suit. So, he'd holed up in a little no-tell motel off of Crime Alley for now, to figure out his next move.

He was really strongly considering kidnapping someone close to Dent and putting the word out that he'd send them back to Harvey's alter ego with more lead in them than your average tacklebox. That was just the anger talking. Enough cheap beer and that would move out of the way and give him about two hours of clear thinking before he passed out. Where the hell were Rick Flag or the Wall when he needed someone to draw up a plan, anyway?

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[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

When he next awakes, the vision he'll see isn't a comforting one.

A skeleton in a suit, smoking in his bedroom.

"You've been a bad boy, Lawton."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

Gun was the only thought he had when that walking anatomy skeleton spoke. He rolled, reaching for the .357 magnum he kept in the night table.

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

It's in the man's hand, but he's not pointing it at him.

Gun is always the first thing Lawton thinks.

"Relax. You're not in trouble yet."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"When there's a skeleton in a Brooks Brothers suit in my bedroom, holding my peice on me, I'd say the trouble got started before I woke up." Floyd eases up in the bed, reaching for his cigarettes, if Bones hasn't taken them too.

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

Bones left those for him. He prefers his stogies.

"I'm not holding it on you, Lawton. You're feeling jumpy. You just broke several murderers out of a nut house and trying to avoid the law. It's understandable. I'm just making sure you don't kill me before you hear your way out of this jam."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"Nah," he said, flipping his lighter over, holding it between two knuckles. Any wrong moves by the skeleton, he'd be wearing it in one of his eyeholes. "I broke out one. He did the rest. Man had a grudge, and I owed him one. That's about the size of it. What's on your mind, Bones?"

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

"You break out none, this kind of unfair blame wouldn't happen. So you're still feet-to-fire on this one."

A long drag on his cigar. He's in no hurry and, well, his face gives no indication of whether or not he's intimidated here... or really, if he's even looking at Lawton.

"How are you and Waller these days?"

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

One eyebrow arches, interested. Nobody in government service drops Amanda's name unless they're working for her, or working against her.

One way or another, this was a recruitment speech.

"If you're trying to get me into a new Suicide Squad, Bones, I got a condition. I've got a daughter to look out for."

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

"Another reason why you don't want to take the rap for this Arkham mess. And another reason you wouldn't want to join up with anything with 'suicide' in the name."

Smoke pours out of the nose-hole in his face.

"Is your daughter enough to keep you on this side of the line, provided you're paid as well as you're going to be paid just to be on retainer?"

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"For Zoe, I'd smoke anybody I had to," he said simply. If Bones was here, had found him, there was no way he didn't know exactly where she was. "I'd do the same to protect her if I had to."

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

That gets a nod.

"Then you won't be too put out when I offer you a slot in the team I'm putting together. We're calling it Helix, because I'm a sucker for nostalgia. Working directly for the DEO, it'll count as parole for you. Steady, legit paycheck that you can even tell your daughter about so she doesn't think you're a murderer."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"She doesn't know, Bones. I want it to stay that way. Let her think I'm a cop or a fed, hell I don't care which."

He lets smoke rush from both nostrils for a moment in silence.

"I don't want her being ashamed of her father, like I was."

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

"Then do her proud. Be all you can be. Then we can forget about your Arkham heat and get back to being sensible men."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

He sits there, smoking in silence for a moment. Picturing himself, wrapped in the American flag, a gen-u-ine hero for Zoe to look up to. Although he'd probably have to be on some cable channel that didn't broadcast the news for that.

"What's the job, Bones," he asked finally.

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

"You'll know when we need you. You'll need to be a team player when the time comes. Until then, you'll get a steady paycheck and some time off to spend with your family. If you can do that and stop with the freelance murder for a while, we'll call you up when we've got work. Simple enough, and a damn good deal."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"I've got a score to settle before I leave Gotham. I told Dent if he left me, he'd end up having a short and fatal conversation with me."

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

The skull looks him dead in the eye.

"Drop it, Lawton. Good fathers don't waste time with stupid vendettas."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"I'll catch up to him down the road," he said, jaw setting, grinding his teeth against the filter of his cigarette.

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

Smoke billows out of the nosehole again.

"Are you telling me you did a favor for Two-Face and didn't expect to get double-crossed? Way I see it, the fault is all yours."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

He flicked the ashes off his smoke into his palm.

"I always pay what I owe, Bones. Always."

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure Dent considers you squared up. What's more important? Your ego or your daughter?"

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"I get the point, Bones, goddammit," he snapped, grinding his cigarette out in the ashtray like he was planning on pushing it through the ceramic.

[saw-bones.livejournal.com]

"Good. I'd hate to have to keep hammering common sense into you."

Bones puts the gun on the counter next to him.

"Head home. Be with your girl."

Then, he stubs the cigar out on the ash tray.

"We'll be in touch. Good to have you aboard, Lawton."

[wrist-magnum.livejournal.com]

"Government can find me someone good to watch her, right? She can be a handful. She's her father's daughter, after all."