Gotham City, March 12, 2016 14:25
This is such a bad idea
That was her only, or the main thought that went though her head as she pulled open the window, too foggy and old to even try to look though. She had other rational thoughts to her whole plan, and maybe the word snoop flashed in big bright letters in her head but she she had a gut instinct to know what the hell was going on, and who was she to ignore her gut? Never steered her wrong before.
Stephanie peaked down the dark alley-way once more before entering the boarded up shack viva foggy window, kicking her legs in first and sliding in, back arching a little to avoid nicking her favorite purple hood on the rust nails that stuck out of the old wood in the window sill.
Why was miss Stephanie Brown, local teen-age fresh-man in Gotham City, lover of all things eggplant in a dusty, creepy and paint smelling shack at two in the morning? The answer was simple...
She stood up, and walked through the crowded closest space, things like boxes and old machine pieces and tool lying around that she had to be careful to not step on because of noise, tetanus and the fact she`d have to pick it up just so it looked like no one was here in the first place and she didnt really fancy touching all of the grease covered things without her gloves.
So reasons for being here, a few weeks ago, her father had gotten out of Black Gate, no, he hadn't broken out, surprisingly! Good behavior of all things-meaning he hadn't killed anyone with the kitchen sporks. He`d come home, talked to mother who while he was gone mind you praised his absence, fell into a happy fit he was alive and well and "rehabilitated"
It wasnt that simple! If you, a clue leaving, not riddles, clues leaving thief person were truly rehabilitated, would you really come back to the city that grows wackos and crazies like mushrooms? Nope! She didnt like her father, maybe it was a daddy issue thing that movies referenced a lot, or maybe her gut instinct was right and something wasnt in fact right... only one way to find out, meaning, search Daddy`s old secret lairs till you find incriminating evidence that would satisfy you and tell you that he`s the same person he was before...just without the clues.
But again it was even more complicated, she needed her father to be dirty, to be guilty, why? Well because late last year, during her mother`s worse drug addiction run in three whole years, her father had run out, being the...snoop she was she followed him all the way to star city where he was planing on robbing a few high end places for extra cash, donning his Cluemaster outfit at the time. Being the good samaritan she was she turned him in, it had nothing to do with being the reason her mother was a drug addict or the fact she totally hated his guts.
If her father was back in Gotham, and more importantly, back in her life he`d defiantly be holding a little bit of a grudge, and she wasnt keen on settling scores with him.
So far, all she knew about he father was his old villain name, Cluemaster, catchy right? And a few other useless tidbits of information that were in fact useless, though her snooping skills far exceeded that of her father`s life and instead pushed her to look around her own house, finding a few old addressees that may or may not of looked promising.
So here she was, at her father`s old rusty shack, looking for something interesting to hand over to someone who could do something about him. Getting him out of her and her mother's life for good.
She pulled the door open, the higes creaking slightly as she dd so, walking into the slightly bigger room, there was still a bunch of crap lying around thought a T.V rested in on corner while a love seat was pushed roughly into another corner, a small space behind it that she checked for anything cool thought it was just more space.
She took a moment to read a few of the old papers thought they were crinkled like they had been dried from the rain and had a thin layer of dust on them.
She was just about to open the next door when something loud sounded further in the building, like wood and nails hitting the ground, a door being broken into, well...maybe someone else had the same idea as her.
Please be Batman, please be Batman!
Because Batman totally didnt beat up fifteen year old high-school girl, as to her knowledge... though by the muffled voices she head and the way her stomach clenched with a little panic, she jumped onto the couch, grunting as she pushed it out a little further to slip behind it, it was a tight fit but she did in fact fit, legs to her chest and hand over her mouth to stop from breathing to hard because shit she could totally feel her heart racing.
She heard the door being pushed open roughly, the sound of boots connecting with the floor, the small of liquor and cheap cigars filling the room. She heard paper`s crumpling, "The fuck`s this?"
"Put it down Jimmy!" a man growled, "Where here for the freak and thats all."
"Can we take the T.V?" Another man asked.
"No," the same man said bluntly, "Go search in there you lazy fuckin` rube, go, I swear it`s like I work wit` children!"
"I love ya ma!" a man snickered, jimmy and she head the sound of someone getting smacked, "OW! wah`ya do that for!"
"For being a smart ass, now go help Reg, I gotta call the boss and tell `im we didnt find the lunatic, need a new address."
She heard the pounding of footsteps head to the room she had entered in, the clank and clatter of old things while she heard the harsh breathing of the first man, he was indeed calling someone and she prayed that this call wouldnt bring more people down on her head.
"Hey,Boss, yeah we got a problem, Cluemaster`s not here, any where else we could check?" The man asked, his voice tight with worry.
"Yes sir, yes, well find him sir...,"the man said before handing the phone up with an angry sigh, there was a long pause before she heard footsteps head into the other room and the small gang of men start conversating, instantly she grabbed the back of the sofa and pulled herself up, rushing to pull herself from the cramped space and leave the house.
She pulled herself over the back of the sofa and jumped off of it, heading to the door they had come through, in a hurry, her shoulder nicking a plastic shelve with an abundance of car parts and heavy items that flee over hitting the wall by the open door, making her jump back with a yelp, having been inches away from getting knocked down.
He head snapped the the sound of rushing footsteps and she jumped over the broken objects, "Perfect!" she hissed running out onto the sidewalk, looking around her eyes squinting a a car zoomed by on the deserted street, the sounds from inside made her move down the side walk, running as fast as she could, the bottom of her shoes hitting the cement loudly as she ran, her heart thudding loudly in her chest as she skidded down an alley way.
It was a stupid idea, something she did on impulse because she didnt know what to do. Just as she turned into the alley a loud shot rang out and dust from the wall rained on her head, "Really?!" she gasped, were they really shooting her!? Another shot rang out and she yelped in fright, yeah...they were shooting at her.
Where the hell was Batman when you need him?
She ran out of the alley way, tripping on her own feet as she tried to turn though thankfully she didnt fall on her face as she ran across the street, a car horn blaring as it zoomed past. She kept going, the sounds of gun shots ringing out behind her making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
She hurried past a small group of people in a small circle smoking and drinking while she passed them gasping for breath and gaining some stare as she ran, she was only a few feet away from them when one of the girls yelled, and not at her. She ducked into the next opening as another few shots were fired at her and curse flew out of her mouth along with her breath. She was breaking her mile time for school if she looked at the bright side.
Shows you what you can do when you have that little extra shot of adrenalin.
She hurried out of the alley way and cursed once more, she knew were she was, Cherry Hill, not the best place to be thought it was better then Crime Alley where she was more likely to get mugged for just for being there, noises behind he made her move once more and she slipped under the nearest car, pulling her knees to her chest as she curled by the tire to hide herself better in the darkness.
She saw the men`s feet running out of the alley way and closed her eyes tightly behind thick lashes and there was silence other then the sound of shuffling feet looking around the long street, the many alley exits seemingly daunting the group.
"Where is she? Think she`s gone?" Someone asked
"Probably if she`s smart she`ll stay that way, come on, lets go before someone comes look, as far as we know we were never here, boss doesn't need to know about her, probably just someone stealing from Cluemaster. Maybe he`s pissing off more people then us right now, come on."
She ducked her head further into the darkness as a car crawled into view and the men jumped in. the car racing off with out hesitation and she stumbled out from under the car gasping as she hurried back the way she came, greasy hands running over the red brick walls as her head spun.
She took a moment to pull herself together before she started back to her house, legs aching from her run, a light rain starting almost as soon as she took her first step, yep, that was totally Gotham, making her smell even better as she walked back to her house, her home and nice warm bed, finding out what her father was doing could wait till her nerves calmed down.
She paused blinking pas the bright headlights as a car pulled up beside her the, the passenger door flying open, she looked down and forced herself not to yelp when she saw her father, "Get in Stephanie."
She didnt argue, she did as asked , pulling the car door shut with a light slam and tucking her hands between her knees as the car pulled away. It was a few minutes before she spook, "What did you do." it wasn't a question.
"I was looking for you," He said, the inside of the car lighting up orange and yellow as they drove under and past a street lamp, both faces hidden in darkness, "I think we should talk-,"
"Where`s mom?"
"Asleep, home." He stated, meaning she was probably using again, weather willingly was still unknown to her, "Stephanie, I want you to know that were both blood, family, an it is important for us to stick together, I`m not...mad at you for what you did-,"
"Great, cause I`d do it again, in fact," she swallowed, forcing herself to look up at him as he drove down the long street, "I will do it again, I know your planing something again, that rehabilitated stuff is crap and I know it, I`m gonna make sure me and mom never have to see you again."
"I`m better now Stephanie-,"
"Is that why when I checked out the shack on main street someone tried to shoot me?" she asked matter of factly and her father`s head snapped to hers and he frowned, "Your snooping again?"
"It`s a survival tactic," She growled, "With you coming back do you really think I wouldnt look you up again?"
"You really should of stayed out of this one Stephanie," He sighed, parking the car in the dark, the sound of heavy rain outside, "I really cant have you messing around in things, why cant you just be good?"
"Cause I`m a human," she snapped, "Not a dog, and I wont let you ruin my life."
She pushed the door open, rain almost instantly soaking her hood and shoulder as she looked around, they were at the Gotham Docks, close to home, she could walk and she started, her father slamming the car door and hurrying after her, grabbing her wrist, "Stephanie! You need I cant just let you walk away." He yelled to her over the roaring sound of rain and the rising Gotham Bay tide that gushed black and white foams below.
"Because I know too much, or because I`ll ruin your new plans for more money?" she asked glaring at her father as much as she could with the rain in her eyes and face.
"You gotta trust me on this on Steph, trust me that I can work this all out and make things better, but I need you to stay out of this or I wont have any choice in the matter." He stated and she pulled off her hood, rubbing her wet hair out of her face, "No, I wont stop, either you do or I`m turning you in, again and again and I`ll never stop spoiling your plans."
Way to keep your head Steph.
"Then I dont have a choice Stephanie!" He snapped, "What I do is too important, and I`m not going to have an ungrateful brat ruin everything for me, not when everything is falling into place!" He snapped and Stephanie opened her mouth to shout something back when the palm of his hands hit her shoulders so roughly she was pushed into the wooden railing that shattered around her when her back made contact, she screamed hands grasping out at the air, at the rain before3 she hit the water, hard, driving the air from her lungs before she sank.
Such a bad idea.