I'm loathe to write such fleeting thoughts in this little book. What does it matter what my feelings are, one way or the other anymore? I do what I do for science. I do it for Nora.
Chapter one
Ice cold.
Enkat walked along her usual path away from the middle school. Although the strange zig-zagging trail led her through one or two scarier looking blocks of Gotham, she knew that she would always come out of it okay enough. Enkat had very few surprises in life, as a matter of fact. She stopped in front of a corner convenience mart and ducked inside quickly, so as to not attract the attention of the mean kids coming her way. The little bell above the door rang out as she entered, and the old man behind the counter smiled at her. His English wasn't great, but she understood his gesture as he tapped at his wrist watch and raised his eyebrows at her. She smiled back at him and nodded.
She made her way over to the coolers full of soft drinks and dug into her pockets. Enkat sighed out, feeling only loose lint and a gum wrapper in her coat pocket. She stared at her reflection in the glass of the cooler door and furrowed her brow. She wasn't ugly, and she knew it. She knew it because of all the creepers on the way home who wouldn't dare talk to her in full view of the rest of the student body- oh no, but when it was just her alone… Enkat frowned and turned away from the cooler, walking up instead to the man at the counter. She grinned up at him and he made a funny face at her.
"You no money?" Said the man, laughing out at her. "No money, no honey!" He said. Enkat scrunched her mouth to the side.
"Nah, I'm just not thirsty." She lied. The little old man grabbed from underneath his counter a cold unopened can of cola, and slid it across the counter to her. She smiled big at him and opened the can up. "Thank you~!" She chirped out, as she gulped down the soda.
Her mind tingled, and Enkat snapped her attention to the doorway. Had the bullies seen her enter the store? They shouldn't have even been able to see her until they had rounded the city block. Enkat sighed out and put the soda back on the old man's counter. He eyed her questioningly.
"What you?" He asked. Enkat motioned to her stomach and left for the tiniest, and possibly grossest restroom in all of Gotham. She entered the bathroom, and opted not to turn on the light, choosing instead to stand in darkness rather than see the horrors of an unkempt public toilet. She waited and listened as two of the kids from her school entered the store and started talking loudly. They spewed some offensive garbage about the girls they liked to 'hang out' with, and offered up some profanity on the side. She heard them leave and exited the bathroom, looking around at the mess the boys had made. The old man behind the counter looked sad, daring not to reprimand the little punks.
"I'll help you Emilio!" Said Enkat, very cheerfully. "For the soda!" Emilio, the old man, nodded and smiled graciously. She went about taking off her puffy winter coat, stacking the magazines back on the rack, and picking up the knocked over candy bars from the floor. She caught her reflection again in the cooler doors. Enkat was too skinny. That was true, but that wasn't the reason why the kids picked on her and shunned her. She finished the task and walked back towards the counter.
"You know, you should really think about getting a security guard or something." Said Enkat. Emilio nodded and pointed at her with a big smile on his face.
"Yes!" He said simply, laughing again. She shook her head and grabbed the soda from the counter, taking extra care not to accidentally touch Emilio as she did so. She had taken off her gloves to pick up the candy bars- luckily for her, there was nothing on the wrappers. She waved good bye to him as she left out the door, and quickly threw her puffy coat back on. Back outside, it had begun to lightly snow. Enkat grumbled and put her hood up, starting back on her path homeward. She hated winter.
She hated the cold and the snow, but most of all Enkat hated the Christmas decorations that would pop up earlier and earlier each year. She didn't necessarily hate the holiday, but she certainly did not enjoy all the pomp surrounding it. It had been during winter, when she was five years old, that she had been sent to the Wayne orphanage for girls. It was always a hard time of year, even if the attendants were very loving, and even though she truly thought of all of her co-orphans as real family… it was depressing to remember that her real mother had passed away in the middle of winter. The day Enkat had arrived in the Wayne orphanage for girls, all the children were putting up decorations and setting up little Christmas trees. It was a terrible Christmas memory for her, she had acted like a real brat back then. Her brooding was interrupted by a bright orange streetlight buzzing to life over head. It was already starting to get dark, and it was only getting on towards three twenty in the afternoon! She huffed out and turned her next corner. Finally, for once in her life, Enkat was truly surprised.
A very bald, very pale man sat on the bank of the river walk that Enkat had always used. He was exceptional in the fact that he didn't wear a coat… or shoes… or much of anything really. He looked into the deep waters of the frozen river and looked sad. Sadder than anything Enkat had ever seen. He turned his head and locked his cold eyes onto hers, then wordlessly returned his gaze to the river. Enkat shivered at the energy that the man gave off- it was like having a vat of ice cream dumped on her head.
"Hello…" She squeaked out. Her shoulders went limp at the sound of her own voice. She couldn't believe how wimpy it had been. The man looked back over at her. He took in the sight of the scrawny red haired girl with the golden brown skin and almost amber colored eyes. He stared at the coat around her body and then at her bare legs. Enkat started feeling uncomfortable and began to shift back from him a little ways.
"Child." Began the man. His voice was hollow, and distant. It almost sounded like he was talking through a mechanical device of sorts. She shivered again as the man turned his attention back to the waters. "You must be cold." He said simply. Enkat raised her eyebrows, and looked down at the man's bare feet and uncovered shoulders.
"Me? What about you?" She asked, defensively. She put a hand over her mouth, at the realization that she probably shouldn't talk to the man anymore than she already had. He looked… unstable, at the very best. The man stared at the waters and did not reply. Enkat dropped her hand and looked at the back of his bald head. He was sweating. She cleared her throat and turned back around the way she had come.
"I didn't mean to bother you, I'm sorry!" She said, a little sheepishly. The man dipped a foot into the water, making Enkat breathe out in fear. She stood there watching him in anticipation- wondering if she should call for help. Was he going to jump in? Enkat shivered again, and slowly took off her gloves. The man turned back around and watched Enkat with curiosity. She swallowed hard and stared back at him- minutes seemed to fly by in perpetual silence.
"You remind me of him." Came his distant and metallic voice. "He wouldn't leave me alone either." Said the man, as he broke his gaze and looked out over the east side of the Gotham river. Enkat relaxed and took a breath, still shaking slightly from the stress of the situation.
"Don't jump in!" She pleaded with her tiny voice. The man snapped his attention to the girl, his stoic face and cold eyes crumbled into a smile. He turned his attention to her completely, spinning around so that he was facing her. Enkat gulped. "I mean- that you don't have to…" She said, trailing off. The man stood up, his height looming over her own. He looked as though he were seven feet tall! She hid her hands behind her back and watched him carefully.
"Are you here to save me?" Asked the man, bending down a little so as to come closer to her level. Enkat shook her head and bit her lip. The man chuckled, as the snow fall began to pick up around them. "Then why are you here?" He demanded.
"I'm on my way home- my parents are expecting me!" Said Enkat, hoping to press that her make believe parents would send out every cop in the city to look for her if she didn't come home soon. The man sighed out and stood up straight.
"Ah. Home. It's a lovely phrase, isn't it?" He said, holding his hand out to catch some snowflakes. He looked up into the sky and took a deep breath. "You never truly appreciate the word, until you've lost the roof over your head. Only then do you ever really yearn for those constant four walls that had surrounded you." Said the man. Enkat blinked. The man's words seemed kind of sanctimonious… like he was giving her some kind of speech. Enkat gave a nervous laugh and kicked some snow around.
"Well, there's no place like home!" She said with a smile. The man stared down at her, and her smiled dropped. He huffed out.
"Yes. I suppose that's true." He said, as he looked back up into the heavens. Enkat looked back down at the man's legs. He only wore a pair of Bermuda shorts, very colorful and proper for the month of July. Not at all reasonable for the month of December however. She considered that the orphanage was only across the bridge and three blocks down, and decided that the man needed her coat more than she did. Besides, there were a number of coats in the closets of the big warm house. She took off her puffy pink coat and held it out to him.
"Here mister. I think you need this more than I do." She said with a smile. The man looked down at her and the coat, his eyes seeming to go dim. He slouched his shoulders and looked into the girl's golden eyes.
"Such charity from one of Gotham's own." He said. Enkat frowned.
"I know it's a little small, but you'll fit in it! At least until you get somewhere warm!" She said, pushing the coat towards him. He took the coat with his paper white hands, and gave her a weak and almost saddened smile. Enkat let her hand slip onto the man's hand and she gripped it ever so slightly. "You should go home~." She said, looking into his eyes. His hands were freezing.
His hands were freezing and so was everything around them. Enkat looked around as the city of Gotham turned into a gleaming mountain range of ice and snow- the air became more frigid than anything she had ever felt. A shrill cry filled the air, as wind blew through the frozen buildings surrounding them. She looked up to the man, and recoiled in fear at his monstrous silhouette, two red glowing circles stared back at her. She quickly let go of the man's hands and backed away from him. The man looked down at her, his eyes looking more glossy with each passing second. The world turned back to normal, and the two of them stood in the falling snow, watching each other. Finally the man reached into his robes and pulled out a book from it's folds. He stared down at it briefly, and then handed it towards her.
"Thank you." Said the man. He shoved the book towards her, and Enkat felt obligated to take it. She smiled and put the book into her school bag. "I will." He added.
Then he walked off, past Enkat and towards the seedy downtown blocks where she had just come from. She watched him go, feeling both relieved that the whole ordeal was over, but also apprehensive about where the poor cold man might end up. She watched him slump along for a while longer, and then turned around to continue her own way home. Just a minute later, as she was crossing the bridge, Enkat heard a terrible and loud splash come from down the river. She turned towards the sound in a panic, surveying the area.
"HEY!" She yelled out. There was nothing. She examined the river, but saw no big ripples on the water's surface. She stood there shivering, looking from bank to bank, until a car drove past on the bridge and honked at her. Her lip quivered a bit- either from the thought of the impact of the man having possibly jumped in, or from the incredible cold bite of the air. She sighed out and quickly walked the rest of the way home to the orphanage.
She reached the front doors and was greeted by the house mother. The older woman put her hands on her hips and looked Enkat up and down. The mother cringed at the wardrobe selection, a loosely hanging white t-shirt and a pleated black knee length skirt. Enkat smiled up at the woman.
"Hiyee!" She said to the woman. The woman shook her head and opened the door for Enkat.
"At least you've still got your shoes, this time." Said the woman with an exasperated sigh. Enkat nodded happily and dashed into the warm brightly lit house. The house mother shut the door behind them and went about the business of locking up the doors. Enkat trailed her way to the study area of the house, where it was definitely warmest. She looked up above the fireplace and smiled at the portrait of Bruce Wayne hanging in it's solid oak frame. He was handsome~ and rich!
Enkat sat down at the sleek black wooden table in the middle of the room and set her pack out onto the surface. She grabbed her books from the bag and started her homework. Enkat was quickly joined by the other girls from the orphanage, it had become a ritual of sorts to get homework done as soon as possible so that they could all squeeze in the maximum allotment of TV time. As Enkat finished up her algebra assignment, a younger girl named Dawn sat down beside her. The girl was silent at first, but was closely examining the little dark tattered book beside the math book. Finally the girl opened the book and looked up to Enkat.
"The Diary of Victor Fries." She read out. Enkat looked over to Dawn with narrowed eyes. "Is that like French fries?!" She asked, sounding almost hopeful about the prospect of fried food. Enkat took the book from her and looked it over. She had a difficult time turning the pages with her gloves on.
"I found it." Said Enkat, looking around to see if anyone else was listening. "I think it belonged to some old guy." She said. Dawn's eyes lit up.
"Ooo! You're not supposed to take stuff that isn't yours Kat! They'll get mad if they find out!" The younger girl whispered at her. Enkat gave her a nod.
"So don't tell anyone." She told the girl. Then she turned her attention back to the diary. The penmanship was fantastic, as if whoever wrote in the diary took careful precision with each hand movement. She turned to the first page of the diary and began reading.
The Diary of Victor Fries
I'm loathe to write such fleeting thoughts in this little book. What does it matter what my feelings are, one way or the other anymore? I do what I do for science. I do it for Nora.
Whatever history will label me as makes no difference to me now.
The only thing that I care about is the result. How many years has it been now? How many times have you thwarted even my smallest of victories?
Your crimes will not go unpunished- I will seek you out for all that you have done to us! One day, when the sky is gray, and the sun is gone, I will be there. I'm going to cherish that moment, much as you have always done with every passing moment of Nora's misery!
Soon the whole world will see you for the fraud you are. They will tear down your city brick by brick when they find out what you've been trying to keep from them for all these years. Ah yes, that will be the result of all my hard labor.
Then they will see the true intentions of the Batman.
Enkat gasped out and dropped the diary, looking once more at the name on it's front page. Victor Fries- That name was familiar to her. She had seen that name on the news before, in the big story some months ago. That wasn't the name that the news anchor had used, however. No, the name that was in the headline was Mr. Freeze! Enkat felt a chill, a real chill- she had touched the hand of one of Gotham's most notorious villains! She was lucky to be alive!
"Are you okay Enkat?" Asked Dawn. The little girl looked up to her with big worried eyes. "You look like you're getting sick!" She added. Enkat shook her head.
"No! I'm okay!… I just need to go have a lie down…" She said. Enkat gathered her books back into her bag and shuffled out of the room and towards the grand staircase. She took a look back before climbing her way up to the bedrooms and saw that one of the older girls had taken her seat, and was now chatting with the little girl. Enkat swallowed in fear as the house mother crossed the hallway and looked up to her.
"Are you feeling okay Enkat?" Asked the mother. Enkat gave her the best smile she could muster and nodded energetically.
"Yep! I'm just going to study upstairs." She answered. The house mother narrowed her eyes a bit and nodded up at her.
"Okay. Just don't fall asleep, we wouldn't want you to miss dinner!" She said, as she continued down the hallway. Enkat sighed out in relief as the mother disappeared from sight. Quickly going up the stairs and rounding a bend in the upstairs hallways, She opened the door to her shared room and peeked inside. Her roommate wasn't there- at least for now. Enkat entered the room and closed the door behind her. She felt at the diary in her bag.
"Keep calm…" She told herself. "Okay. Okay~. Okaaaaay~!" She began to sing out. She shook out her hands and feet, trying to ease the tension out of them. Enkat dumped the contents of the bag onto the bed, the diary landed on top of the pile of books. She smacked her lips and eyed the diary carefully. Should she call the police? Or should she turn the book into the house mother? Whatever her course of action should be, Enkat knew that it wasn't to keep reading the diary. Especially not with her… condition.
Enkat started pacing back and forth, kicking ideas around in her head as she went. How much trouble could she possibly get into, if she were to keep the book? Surely it wasn't a crime to keep it, seeing as how the old man… how Mr. Freeze, had given it to her. Enkat stopped in her tracks. Why had he given it to her? For the coat? For the light conversation? She plopped down on the bed and took her gloves off. Minutes passed by with her just sitting there, recanting the events that had led up to her attainment of the diary.
"It wouldn't be right." Enkat told herself, as she looked down at the diary. She lifted her hand up and looked at it. Her stupid hands had caused her so much grief. So had her big stupid mouth. For once in her life, Enkat would have liked very much to have had a normal time during a game of tag. She would have even settled to go bowling without having to wear the gloves- but she knew that was a pipedream. The gloves were a permanent fixture in her life, there was no denying it. Enkat sighed out and put her hand down, staring once more at the diary.
There was no real danger in touching it, not really. If it got too scary, she could just let go! She got up from the bed and took another peek into the hallway. Ensured that she was really alone, Enkat closed the door and sat back down on the bed. She took a deep breath and held it in. Finally, she relaxed and released her breath, grabbing the diary and opening it back up to the entry that she had been on. She swallowed hard in anticipation, and put her palm against the page.
Then they will see the true intentions of the Batman.