Harlow mellowed out pretty quickly after Black Star left. It wasn’t even an argument, it was a one-sided vent session out of frustration and she recognized that. She still wasn’t sure about Black star’s intentions, but she did help her get this far. Though if she can’t find the doctor, ripping a bullet out of your arm sounds like a great revenge. She though and yeah, she couldn’t deny that. 

Even though she didn’t want to, she turned her attention back to the TV and back to the news. It was on some other top story (though she couldn’t think of a higher one) and so she flipped through channels until she saw one that was talking about her again. In a short amount of time, she learned a couple things about the warrant for her arrest:

That 1) her “Deserter” status seemed to be temporary until she was caught and asked question. 2) That no one seemed to have known Dr. Beauregard was there that night either. So know that Miss Magia and the others know, what will that mean for her. They clearly think she’s guilty of something, and if they corner the good doctor, who knows what he’ll try and say. Finally, there was 3) the mysterious figure, the one she couldn’t place before, actually appeared very frequently on the news. Because he was the director. 

The director of International Operations in the Citadel, one Mr. Miles Chow. Harlow hadn’t recognized him before because, simply put, she wasn’t that league of superhero yet. Director Chow was supposedly very good at his job. And very good at keeping his operations a secret. Until now that is. Now he’s murdered someone and has a witness. 

Harlow felt her injury burn just thinking about it. Or maybe that was the metal itself. Either way, it kinda made sense how she was suddenly suspect number one. But it didn’t explain one thing for her. Okay a lot of things, but one of the more important things. What did any of this have to do with that video she saw? It was literally the catalyst for everything and while she regretted letting her hiding spot go noticed, she didn’t regret learning about it at all. 

But why kill Dr. Gizzard if he clearly needed her? What were they trying to do? She thought, biting her thumbnail. Surely it would have been easier to shoot Harlow even if she did escape. But a doctor like Dr. Gizzard? She was irreplaceable. Maybe that’s why they were falling back on this manhunt instead of continuing whatever project they had planned. 

Harlow’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard Black Star’s voice floating in from the hallway. 

“So, you know if you don’t wanna do it, I could always uh…do it myself. I mean, the cleanup can be all yours but I’m pretty sure i could-“ 

She was interrupted mid-sentence by a calmer, lower voice. The other person was both not-amused nor surprised by what Black Star was saying.  “Please do not perform impromptu surgeries in my hospital.” They sounded a little tired. 

Guess she found the doctor. Harlow repositioned herself to face the door directly. Black Star opened the door wider for her newfound companion to walk into the room, then casually strolled in herself, giving Harlow a small wave. 

The doctor was large man, easily taller than Harlow herself. He had pure black hair that was tied in a low ponytail at the back of his head. He wore glasses, thin and square, that seemed to obscure his face. Probably due to all the criminal he was most definitely servicing. He stopped just before Harlow, holding a clipboard and pen. Harlow wondered if he’d been dealing with other patients before Black Star had dragged him here. 

He reached his hand out to Harlow. “My name is Dr. Drake. I hear you may have some sort of bullet wound? Let me take a look.” He said, voice low yet booming. Harlow reached out to shake his hand. 

“Are you a villain too?” She hadn’t meant to say that part out loud. It caught her off guard as she watched the expressions in front of her change to surprise. Black Star chuckled before hitting Harlow playfully in the shoulder. “Ow! I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say that!” She said, batting away Black Star’s hands. “I- I am sorry…” She tried again, but was caught off guard yet again by Dr. Drake’s booming laughter. 

It seemed to shake his whole core, Harlow’s pointless question. He laughed for a good couple of moments. Before he finished he placed his clipboard on the table beside Harlow, then wiped the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. 

“I…apologize. But, no one has ever felt the need to clarify my moral stance. He said between deep breaths. “Is this something that concerns you?” Harlow felt her cheeks burn. Black Star seemed to chuckle again by her side and just leaned against the bed. Dr. Drake shook his head, then picked back up his things. 

“If it is, maybe this hospital isn’t the place for you.”He said it with such finality. Harlow herself had to wonder if she’d offended the man or not. The reaction she received was very mixed. “Well…?I have to know before we begin if you’ll allow me to treat you.” He said, bringing her out of her thoughts. 

“Uh…no?” She wasn’t sure what any other option would have been. She was already here. “No, no I’m fine. But I don’t-“ Black Star placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“She’s used to villains, doc. You’re fine.” She gave Harlow a look. One that said ‘stop talking. You’re just putting a foot further down your throat’ So Harlow shut her mouth. “Besides, we’re more concerned with the bullet wound, right? Unless you want me to do it??” She teased again. Dr. Drake shook his head. 

“I rather you didn’t, Cassiopeia. Any wrong move and you could possibly damage the nerve so badly in her should that she wouldn’t be able to use her arm again.” Black Star immediately dropped her hand from Harlow’s shoulder. Then she stepped a little ways away from her. 

Harlow wanted to asked who this person was supposed to be. She racked her brain for a supposed Dr. Drake in a villain database. Nothing really came up. She was pretty sure she’d recognize him if he was a villain. Then again, there were a lot of people in this underground base. Like a lot. Even more than she knew what to do with. Graves City was big, but it wasn’t hundreds of villains big. 

“Well, if we’re alright with that, then I can go ahead and provide treatment. Would you mind exposing the injury on your shoulder for me?” Harlow nodded, removing her shirt so that they could clearly see her shoulder. Which, now that some time had passed, looked really bad. 

Harlow wasn’t able to patch herself up before she left her apartment. While she was able to take a shower, she didn’t get to even try to remove that bullet in her shoulder. Not to mention how many times that Black Star had hit her since then. Now her shoulder was discolored, numb and even began bleeding again, though she wasn’t sure when that started. She made a face at it. Dr. Drake didn’t look at all fazed. He took her arm in one hand, placing down his things again. 

“It’s gonna be alright, it’s not gonna hurt.” He reasoned like he would with a child. He used his other hand to examine her wound. “Examine” might be a bit of a stretch, because all he really did was turn her arm over, check to see if she could feel where he would poke her wound. Then he spent a while trying to locate where the bullet was until Harlow screeched loudly, yanking her arm away. “Okay, well that probably hurt. But it wasn’t intentional, it’s just how I work.” He shrugged it off. He reached out for her arm again, and she hesitantly allowed him to try again. 

This time he waved his other hand over her shoulder a couple of times. He didn’t say anything, just like the first time, before he looked over at his clipboard. He muttered something ineligible before a faint purple light began emanating from his hand. One final time, he waved his hand over her shoulder. This time, Harlow felt something happening to her shoulder. A small hint of pain, then a surge of relief. She watched her own skin basically reverse from its injured state. 

When he was done, he pulled away and had both his hands out. It was like a muted ta-dah, but then he showed that he had something in his hand. The bullet that was previously lodged in her shoulder. Harlow quickly rotated her shoulder a couple times, hoping for some sort of pain or even something worse to happen, But it didn’t. Before she could thank him, Black came barreling into her shoulder, happily clapping her back and chuckling. “Look at that!! Doc fixed you right up!” She exclaimed. Harlow rolled her eyes, her arms meeting to make sure Black Star wasn’t leaning fully on her now-healed shoulder. Dr. Drake got up to leave. 

“Yes well, you’re very welcome. Cassiopeia, I expect you know how to contact at me for the payment.” Black Star nodded enthusiastically as Dr. Drake got up to leave. He gave Harlow one last nod before leaving the room. Harlow sat there, slightly puzzled and slightly relieved. At least she wasn’t injured anymore. 

“Can you…? Who was that?” She wanted to comment on how quick the other’s mood seemed to change, but that was an endeavor she knew was pointless. “You know you haven’t explained shit since we got here.” Black Star paused, then grinned. 

“Yeah I did, I told you that you were being manhunted by the government.” She said, pushing off of Harlow before straightening herself. “And honestly, I think you can guess the rest, Harley. You’re pretty smart like that.” Harlow hopped off the hospital bed. She shook her head and began heading for the door. “Okay, sure. But who was that? Another villain. He hadn’t really answered when i asked.” She stopped at the door, turning around to wait for Black Star. 

“He’s just a doctor. One that helps villains. For an astronomical  price.” Black Star said, catching up to an bypassing Harlow. Harlow followed her back through the chaos of the hospital. She wondered why Dr. Drake would work at a hospital at all if he could simply heal her shoulder with a wave of his hand. “Just be glad I like you.” She said, wagging a finger in her direction as they left the building. 

“Hmm…then, where to know?” She asked, narrowly dodging a couple who rushed into the hospital past her. She watched as they frantically argued with the front desk about something she couldn’t hear. 

“My place, probably. Need to see what you’re gonna do next. Then I’ll decide what I’ll do next.” Black Star finished, then nudged her head in a direction ahead of them. “Come on.”