Later on the same day the Mayor and Commissioner entered the precinct with a herd of MCU officers in tow. It was clear what they were here for but with still nothing to deliver on – they were going to be here for a long time.

Essen waited on the balcony for the two, her lips were tight and eyes hardened.

"The information that we gave Captain," Bullock started once the important figures were out of earshot. "How many circles do you think she can do with it?"

"Not enough," James answered.

They ran through what little files they already had, trying to run deeper into the Sylos and Irtwin families. But most family members were either dead, living abroad or too old to much less pick up the phone. Finally moments later Harvey got a hit.

"Take a look at this partner," Harvey said passing over a file.

"What is it?"
"Irene Irtwin, scar face's mother."

James read through it scanning for anything that would link to Riley. It contained a police file on her suspicious behaviour towards her son as well as Nathan. However no evidence was able to be procured within the 24hr time limit that was necessary to file a charge. Three months later she died in the hospital after falling down the stairs.

"Blood entered the lungs," James muttered, "she suffocated."

"Here's the interesting thing, when forensics looked at the staircase-."

"-there were no cracks, or any indication of damage that might have cause Ms. Irtwin to fall," a new voice happily finished.

Both jumped and turned to see Ed standing in front of their desks, his signature grin beamed.

"One of my first cases," the forensics expert said.

"What the hell did I say about doing that?!" Harvey demanded.

James cleared his throat.

"You got something Ed?"

"I have compared the partial signature to numerous others," Ed explained as he laid a thick file in front of the detectives.

"Do we have to read all this?" Harvey asked.

"Starting with people who Nathan were affiliated with during his years of petty crime, then I moving into the Sylos and Irtwin family."

"Getting a little deep there aren't we Ed?"

"No," James butted in, "it's fine. What did you find?"

"Nothing on the Sylos family going through most of the living family tree that is in the area of Gotham and surrounding area."

"What about the Irtwins'?" James asked slightly dreading the answer.

Ed just opened the file.

"What's…," James's heart leapt into his throat as he read the forensics record. His eyes were reading correctly but his mind nearly didn't want to believe what he was seeing.

"Holy shit."

James rubbed his face feeling exhaustion slam into him like a tidal wave. He looked over at Harvey who too had a rare solemn look on his face.

"It…makes sense, when you h-," Ed said cautiously.

Bullock clicked his tongue interrupting the genius. "Hate when he says that."

"Thank you Ed," James interrupted before he could answer.

The forensics expert took his leave when James abruptly jumped up.

"Hey Ed," James shouted rushing up the forensics expert.

The man turned. "Can I help you detective?"

"You said that there were no fractures in the staircase correct?"

"Correct."

James pondered for a few beats.

"No evidence to an accident…," James started.

"You're saying she was pushed," Ed finished, it wasn't a question.

James let out a small sigh, his mind was already reeling from Ed's first revelation, now a second one was nearly too much.

"Thanks Ed."

The man nodded and went back to the lab. James turned back to let his partner see his disgruntled look.

"Well shit…," Harvey sighed knowing that the rest of the afternoon would be hell.

It took a few minutes for them to take what notes they needed before going up to the Captain's door. Voices rose and fell like a storm as the Mayor, Commissioner and Captain were both exchanging bouts.

"So who wants to lose their job first?" asked Harvey sarcastically.

James hesitated but knocked with three light raps – or it would've being three.

After one knock the door flung open revealing an angry Captain Essen.

"What?" she demanded.

"We have a lead," James said.

Essen hesitated, her expression still on her face but eventually she stepped aside and let them in.

Inside the Commissioner and Mayor were both in a deep conversation with each other. Once hearing the door close they looked to see the two detectives come walking in.

"What is all this about?" Commissioner Loeb demanded.

"We have evidence to who killed Bethany Sylos." James said.

"We don't care about her, we care about Flyboy!"

"Riley Sylos; Bethany's son."

There was an impregnable silence in the room.

"But that was just a guess we didn't have any evidence until now."

"What evidence?" Essen asked before anyone else could speak.

James handed over a file to his captain and she read it carefully.

"My god…," she whispered.

"Marshall Sylos had ordered Bethany's death."

Commissioner took the file from Essen and read it through.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"I had Nygma compare signatures to what would fit the faded one on the contract that we found in the Manager's desk."

"And it's Marshall's?"

Harvey nodded. "Kid was Irene's son and Nathan's step-son."

"We went to meet Nathan and he started to get agitated when we tried to get him to talk about Marshall. I think that he may have known."

"If he knew then why would he be quiet for so damn long?" the Mayor demanded.

"He's not the type to play 'happy family'," Essen agreed.

James pondered for a brief moment before answering: "I think because it would all lead back to Riley, and Nathan hated to see his son attack in any sort of way even if it's by the press. He wanted to keep it all hush-hush for him. "We need to find Marshall quickly before he decides to skip town," Harvey added.

"Where Marshall is, Riley will be there too. The whole thing was a revenge scheme, when the justice system failed Riley he turned to his own form of justice."

"Putting on a mask isn't forming justice," the Mayor argued. "It's forming madness!"

"Whatever it is we don't have a lot of time," Captain Essen intervened. "I'm calling a BP on both of them. Do we know where Marshall lives?"

"Supposedly in the East End but that was ten years ago," James answered. "He could be anywhere."

"Dispatch all units to find this guy," Commissioner Loeb demanded.

Captain Essen nodded and the two took their leave with the MCU close by. Once the door was shut the three paused for a brief moment, Essen still absorbing the baffling information that had being delivered.

"Go out there now," she finally concluded. "If the MCU or any other officers get to Riley they're going to shoot first."

James and Harvey both nodded and bolted out the door stopping only to grab the coats and keys.

XXXXXX

Once on the road James headed down to the East End since that was their only lead. But it was a lead that was from ten years ago. Harvey couldn't help but talk first.

"We can't just drive around in circles hoping that we don't crash into some stranger's house."

Harvey's phone rang and he took it out.

"Hello?"

"Detective Bullock," Ed's voice rang, "I found something of interest to your investigation into the whereabouts of Marshal Irtwin."

Harvey took the phone from his ear and pressed speaker.

"Ed?" James inquired.

"Detective Gordon," the forensics expert confirmed, "I have found something from the records."

"What is it?"

"I looked into records of properties that the Irtwin's have possessed over the past ten years," Ed explained, his voice slightly static over the phone. "It shows that Marshall sold the house he grew up in in exchange for townhouse on the East End about two years ago."

"Why?"

Papers could be heard in the background, than an answer came.

"He claimed that the townhouse meant more to him that his own."

There was a pause – then James understood what the statement meant.

"What if Marshall wasn't completely finished with hurting the Sylos?"

"What does that mean?" Harvey demanded.

"After Bethany's death Marshall must've known that there would be clues left behind for anyone who took a good hard look. Knowing that his step-brother's testimony would be thrown away, and that Riley would be likely to have revenge, so why not go down swinging? Why not hit Riley where it will hurt? What's the address?"

"1256-A Tennath."

"That's where Riley and Bethany lived," Harvey said.

"That's where Marshall lives."

XXXXXX

Riley closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply as his eyes flashed back open. He looked at the other townhouses along the lane remembering how his mother would walk him to the bus stop just down at the intersection.

He opened the gate and walked through the canister strapped diagonally across his back didn't feel as heavy as it had been at the beginning of Riley's crusade.

Riley never realized that Marshall would actually come back and live at his old house. It was an add to insult.

Placing his hand carefully on the messenger bag, he could feel the weight of the insects he had created. Each time he had felt one on his hand or the wings whipping around in the air, Riley felt a sense of pride. He was doing this for his dead mother and his disabled father.

Unlike the police, medics and witnesses, Riley wasn't blind. He knew that Marshall was the one who crippled his father. He knew that his step-brother still held a grudge against his father ever since he had his face slashed with a butcher's knife.

Carefully opening the side gate Riley walked through with his head held high. The answer was around the corner, the solution to all his problems – for the past twenty-five years.

"What are you going to do little brother?"

The voice made Riley pause for a few moments. He looked at the man sitting underneath the tree.

His face was partially shaded by the thick twisted branches and the long slender leaves. However his ugly scar stuck out well noticeably.

"Your mother was well to pick this neighbourhood," Marshall continued his voice level and calm. "It's beautiful, neighbourhood friendly, and a promise of crime free environment. Which makes this encounter a bit…ironic don't you think?"

Riley didn't say anything. His hand remained on his messenger bag and the other on a remote in his pocket that controlled the levels of pheromones in the tank.

"Which do you prefer?" Marshall asked, "Riley….or Flyboy? Personally I think both are a bit dull but Flyboy does sounds like you have a purpose. Not like the waste of flesh and blood mother thought you always were."

The older step-brother rose to his feet and stepped into the light revealing his full darkened features. This seemed to malice the scar even though it really wasn't necessary.

"What do you think brother?" Marshall demanded.

"You are the waste Marshall," Riley finally spoke, his hollow voice resonated. "My father saw it, my mother saw it and so did your own."

Marshall paused, his scar twitched with slight irritation.

"She lied. The insurance was willing to pay for half of the operation to restructure your face,"

Marshall stood there, expression blank and no slight difference in his relaxed posture.

"You know there was an accident with my mother?" Marshall asked turning away from the topic. "Fell down the stairs, poor woman – but then again she was always clumsy when she was disoriented."

Riley was the one to show expression but it was slight. "I assume that she wasn't drunk?"

Marshall gave a slight smile, his scar lifted. "No."

Riley let out a small breath.

"And my dad?"

"A freak car accident, turnout wasn't exactly as expected but I supposed pissing through a tube for the rest of his life is a lot like a life sentence."

"My…."

"Mommy?" the scarred man finished with a mocking tone. He then straightened and looked at Riley. "Do you know what it's like to be around dreary, down, and depressed people?" Marshall added slowly, "do you know what they are?"

Riley didn't answer.

"An infection," Marshall answered. "An infection that brings everything around them to heel, to a standstill – when it should be moving," the man paused. "That's what you and your damn father was – an infection. But all infections have a cause and that cause was your mother. Cut out the core! Remove it from the body and the body will get better and continue to thrive."

There was an ominous pause. The step-brothers' stared at each other for a few brief moments – an impregnable silence.

"That's what I did," Marshall finally admitted. "I removed the core of the infection. But oddly enough the infection remained in fact and I think that it had actually festered."

Riley stood there; motionless. His eyes were narrowed as emotions started to rise in his mind despite all the barriers he had prepared for this meeting alone.

"I had thought about cutting it out myself, but personally I didn't think that it was going to work out. You see, due to the trauma that came from the wound your father gave me – my left eye is actually fake. So being a one-eyed killer?" Marshall chuckled at the thought. "One slight misstep would mean my life. You know with the core being well trained to defend itself."

"Petri…."

"Medication can be messy, even though I didn't pay for a sloppy job."

Riley remained silent; still. His breath was slightly audible and he couldn't stop his fingers from shaking – no matter how hard his clenched his fist.

"Get it little brother?" Marshall asked. "I did it for Nathan, our dad. I did it for you."

Riley's breath clogged in his throat. His body was numb as his mind worked rather patiently, rather calmly as it reached a divine psychological point. A twitched smile flash across Riley's lips so quickly that even Marshall didn't see it. His eyes flashed and his hand moved.

"Rip him apart."

The zipper came down and a cloud of bugs shot out at Marshall who staggered backwards colliding with the fence. They swarmed and buzzed covering any escape Marshall had planned out. He could feel bits and pinches against his skin causing it to rip small holes.

"You forgot something vital brother," Riley said quietly.

Marshall gritted his teeth as he tried to crush and swat the flies away but there were too many. He tried to run but he couldn't see and ended up smacking into the fence again.

"All infections leave scars."

Marshall screamed.

XXXXXX

James and Bullock parked in front of the Sylos's old townhouse. It had an old fashioned design having being one of the last standing buildings to be kept as such design and laying. Despite the beauty and peace, the atmosphere darkened immediately as a pitched scream ripped through the air.

James pulled his gun out of the holster and raced towards the backyard. He saw Riley standing rather still – disturbingly still as he watched the flies devour his brother. His expression was calm but his eyes were sharp and dark yet accepting what he was doing.

Around the young man was a rather weird clear waves that swung in the air. It almost looked like Riley was covered head to toe with some sort of gas but some of the pheromones were shifted towards the insects.

"Riley Sylos!" James shouted raising his gun. "Riley, stop the bugs and hands up."

"Leave," the single word was filled with calm anger.

"Stop the bugs and hands up," Harvey repeated coming around in a flanking position.

Riley slipped his hands inside his coat, he was ready to take it out then – bang!

The tank exploded throwing Riley to the side violently making him slam against the tree trunk. He screamed as pieces of the canister dug deep into his back. The pheromones dispersed into the air and the bugs reacted.

Immediately all of them took flight and zipped here and there, in no particular direction – simply going nuts. They rose higher and higher into the air until the singing of wings suddenly stopped, as if someone had flicked a switch. Then they plummeted back to Earth.

Riley watched as his creation landed on the ground, legs and wings gave a final paroxysmal spasm before laying still for good.

"No," Riley whispered, his voice slightly cracked as his eyes narrowed and fists clenched. He looked over to see Marshall clutch some of his more major wounds on his arm and side but other than that he was okay. With one fluid motion Riley took out what looked like a gun, the same one that he had killed Leo with.

"Put it down Riley!" James warned. "Down now!"

"You have being a bit of a pain Detective Gordon," Riley said taking aim. "Now be nothing."

As the gun raised Riley looked out of the corner of his eye just in time to see Harvey tackle him to the ground. Bullock grabbed Riley's hand, turned it to the side and torqued it downwards effectively breaking it.

"Should've gone with his offer," Harvey said pulled Riley up to his feet.

"Ambulance is on their way," James said putting his phone into his pocket. He looked over to see Marshall completely passed out due to loss of blood. "Shit…"

"You care for a man who avoided justice?" Riley accused. "You're even more warped than I imagined."

"He will face a trial as will you," James shot back.

"Those men would've never being found if it weren't for me, had I not done what I did the justice system would've tossed them back out to freedom. I gave them what they had coming for over twenty years."

James was about to respond when something stopped him. He knew that deep down Riley was right, those men would've never seen the inside of a cell – ever.

"But your actions placed hundreds of innocent people in harms' way, simple bystanders. If you had made a mistake…."

"I don't make mistakes detective," Riley countered quietly.

Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder as they approached.

"Think about this detective," Riley said.

"James…," Harvey warned.

"If an action that places innocents in the way of justice, can it still be called justice or does it turn to chaos?"

James paused – that one he couldn't answer.

James and Bullock watched as Marshall was driven off to the ambulance and Riley to the precinct.

"He's nearly as bad as Nygma," Harvey commented. "Don't think too much on it partner, he's just another nutter."

"Arkham?" James asked slightly surprised.

"Most likely."