Biking across Gotham certainly took much longer than driving. But it was also faster than walking. And Aryess wasn't in the mood to break the law by driving her motorcycling while underage, even if she did have a (false) license.
Ary didn't mind the long ride. It was a nice way to clear her head in the simple task. She could have gone without the heat, though. The beating sun had forced her to exchange her hero uniform for not her usual civvies: blue-and-gray striped shirt, hooded jean jacket, and jeans, but instead a spaghetti-strap top and black shorts. The fingerless gray gloves stayed in place. Silver didn't mind too much, but it was harder to conceal her arm sheath, so she had settled for only the knife hidden in her boot. It was a draw-back, but she doubted her trip would acquire her to fight.
She pulled up in front of the garage and parked her bike next to the black motorcycle that occupied the drive way, occupantied by two other cycles and a Chevy.
Nobody protested as she ducked under the half-closes garage door and entered the car garage.
No one took notice as Aryess made her way past the working mechanics to the car parked furthest back. It was lefted slightly off the ground on a platform, enough for a person to fit under.
Ary smiled when she recognized the boots on the legs sticking out from under the car. They were simple black combat boots, but painted in the sides were bright orange and red flames. She remembered when those flames had been painted in their as a signature of the firecaster. She strode over and nudge one of the legs with her shoe.
Immediately, the mechanic rolled his creeper (that's what it's called, I kidd you not) out from under the automobile. A wrench rested in his left hand, covered in the same black oil that smugged his forehead. The expression on his face turned from confusion, to annoyance, and back to confusion in ten seconds flat.
"Aryess?" Nic said. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you," she said.
Nic sighed and moved back under the truck. "You could've just called me."
"I wanted to talk about this with you in person," she explained.
"I gotta finish up here, Ary."
"Ten minutes."
"I have to finish this-."
"Please, Nic," Aryess pleaded. "It's important."
Nic sighed loudly and rolled back out. He looked her over, checking for visible cuts or bones. She wasn't visibly injured, though it wouldn't have been the first time he had to patch her up.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Can we go somewhere a bit more private?" she said, shifting uncomfortably.
Nic sat up on the board, rubbing his hands on a rag to wipe away the grease and sweat. When he didn't immediately respond, she bit her lip, the only nervouse tell he had ever detected from his protege.
He finally nodded and stood, kicking the creeper back under the vehicle.
"Mac," he called to another mechanic, "I'm going on break." Before he could protest, Nic guided his student to a door half hidden behind a stack of tool boxes. The room was the coolest in the entire building. The desk set on thoppisite side was covered in blue-prints and car models. Posters of Derbies and the piston cup were plastered in the wall.
"The manager's office," Nic said, noting Aryess's wondering gaze. He closed the door quietly shut and locked it.
"We aren't allowed to be in here, are we?" she asked.
"What's the big emergency?" Blaze asked instead of answering.
Aryess hesitated before launching into a tidal wave of words, as if they had been building in pressure in her mouth and were finally rushing out.
Nic let it go on for five full seconds before placing a hand over her mouth. Her babbling halted, but he felt her mouth shift again beneath his hand. "Do not bite me," he ordered.
He lowered his hand, watching her cautiously incase the tsunami made a come back.
"Now, slowly. What happened?"
Ary took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm her nerves. "Alek and I were searching for a hit on CADMUS. Any suspicious activity that would hint in on Dae's kidnapping." Her voice faltered slightly, as if the words reminded her that her older brother was still missing.
"And?" Blaze prompted.
"There was a red flag. A series of reports made about a building here in Gotham. We went to check it out. Standard alarms, big guys with guns-"
Blaze held up a hand to stop her. "Long story short," he requested.
"We found this." Silver fished a flash drive from her back pocket. She handed it over to her mentor. "I need you to check it out. We would do it, but there are certain... Boundaries that, as members of a team associated with the League, restrict us from investigating." The way she said "boundaries" made Nic simutamiously more eager and cautious to check the info on the drive. He nodded. "I will."
Aryess smiled with relief as if she had actually expected him to refuse an opportunity to cause trouble that the League could not. She moved around him and unlocked the door. She opened it, but halted in the doorway.
"I wish I could go with you," she said quietly, as if it would change anything.
"You're the one who wanted to play hero," he responded. Aryess nodded solemnly and walked out of the office, out of the garage, and biked as quickly as possible back to the zeta tubes to the cave to change back into her uniform. She hadn't told him she liked "playing hero" to keep from making him angry. It only made her more eager to go back to being SilverWings, instead of Aryess.