He could stamp his feet, throw his fists (to no avail), cover his ears and try to deny every single word that comes out of her fat, grating mouth. He could do the same exact thing that he’s done every day since he’s been in the City. It would be so, so easy. Waller is the enemy, he could rationalize. As bad as the Bat that wrecked him.

Instead, he takes a wary step back, flopping himself back onto the rigid bunk; gaze casting downwards, away from her accusing look.

“Okay.” Hands clench, unclench by his sides. “Okay.”

“I don’t have that many options, Waller. I’m a bit luckier now—the Six isn’t back, no, but at least there’s one more person around to hook me down—but I still don’t have any goals, nor do I have anyone to follow. Besides getting even, I can’t drudge up any other motivations.”

A sigh. “I can’t let myself fall back into that state again. You know I can’t.”

"So, where do I lie? Right now? As much as you might want me to drift off into polite obscurity, that's not a possibility."