Issue 9:

Gotham Nobodies:

The Rabbit Ran

The Rabbit ran, sailed down the alleyways of Gotham's darkest streets. Close behind SECURE troops followed at least one hundred strong spread parallel across a three block area. Clapping in lockstep their boots pounded the scattered trash into the cracked asphalt. They combed the narrows like a young mother battling lice in a youngster's hair. Eliminating any unsavory elements the troops always ignored the women, mostly junkies or working girls. Those are the only ones out this late at night, she thought, and rabbits. Why should they be ignored? What makes them any different than the thug in the doorway, the pusher in the shadows? The only real difference was the women could make more, and they would. Their boys would grow up unsupervised, undisciplined, and fall in with those who gave them any attention, positive or negative. Merle should have sung a different song.

"Mommas don't let your babies grow up to be villains. Don't let them steal plutonium and blow up the mall," she sang to the empty city. These thoughts passed as quickly as the peeling street signs before and behind. Still the troops trailed a block back. They would never catch her, tonight or ever. She was the White Rabbit born to run. Like a coat of foundation or streak of lipstick the mask applied to cover what she desired to add or subtract.

Playing at masks remained a man's venture which was never easy to break into for any woman. They acted threatened, frustrated, and disrespected. After all this time where had it brought the world? Technological wonders littered the planet to be sure, but could they eliminate disease, war, and poverty? Could anyone? Women played their part in the grand scheme and then some. To temper the sword, heal the wound, carry the grief, mind the homestead, and question the rationale, women worked while dragging society kicking and screaming into progress. Only the fool believed women to be second-class or inferior.

White Rabbit reached the back entrance of a sketchy strip club nearly colliding with three freaks in knockoff Italian suits. They surrounded a young girl scantily clad. Her tan thick fur ran down her face and across her chest. The girl looked at Rabbit with shock as the three men turned towards her. Great White Shark, The Ten-Eyed Man, and King Snake seemed as shocked as their victim.

"Go home Cherry." Ten Eyes demanded, "Be back tomorrow night with the day's take plus what the girls were short on today. We'll square up then." The girl said nothing but retreated down the alley.

"What do we have here?" Rabbit asked. "Great White Manatee, Tinnitus, and is that King Snake? What happened to him?" Once a vibrant healthy man, King Snake now appeared rotting and near catatonia. He seemed to recognize her and as the drool fell from his lower lip he made a pathetic sound over and over, "Bay-Bay-Bay-Bay".

"Old man's not doing so hot these days. We found him in the gutter," Shark growled, "Ten figures he's about ninety percent brain dead."

"I see you're pimping now, and was she a freak girl? You three are just rock bottom aren't you?"

"Certain people in Gotham got certain tastes, Rabbit," Ten Eyes stated, "The three of us are getting back in the game. We're crime lords again."

"You're sad sacks of shit, Phil." Rabbit replied. A blade flipped out from his fist as he stepped forward.

"Why don't we just stay in tonight and make a stew?" Ten Eyes spat.

"Yeah, ain't no bitch gonna talk to us like that," Shark agreed.

"Speaking of, Shark, I ran into Marci from the pool hall. Remember her? She mentioned when the two of you went out you had a little trouble keeping your cartilage rigid." She offered, and Shark stopped dead in his tracks.

"I-I never…" Shark stammered.

"Got it up? I know. She told me. I wouldn't worry about it though. After all," Rabbit couldn't help the smile plastered on her face, "there's plenty of fish in the sea." Shark's eyes rolled up in his head, pupils blank white. Roaring he pulled his gun firing blindly. She jumped planting a foot on his forehead as his jaws viciously snapped and launched herself over the other two. Laughing hysterically she flung herself down the alley skidding around the corner as bullets flew. They followed and she heard Shark on the phone calling their crew to meet back at the safe house. Palms forward Ten Eyes reached out tracking her movements across the streets. She felt the touching glance of his power burning her back.

Fine I'll give you something to watch she thought. Rabbit ran back and forth, around corners and through dark passages. Even with ten eyes there are only so many angles you can see. Soon she slipped his stretching gaze and escaped into the inky night.

"We gotta herd her back to the safe house. There's a trap laid up for her," Shark said when they stopped, "Gimme a second. I'll catch her scent."

"Spread out," Ten Eyes ordered. Shark led them north then bore west across three streets. Eventually they caught her attempting to double back on them. Gotham herself seemed to focus on the scene. Building tops stretched together blocking out the moon. The alley tightened like a throttled throat. The city watched her favorite entertainment, the circular chase. It was endless.

Nature's balance in predator and prey always led to an end. Somewhere out in the wilderness an invisible finish line laid across the spattered landscape. Wolves would chase their prey for a mile before they quit their pursuit. The prey knew only the urge to run unaware of the possibility of safety. Nowhere and nothing was safe. More often than not prey could outrun the predator which is why they relied on ambush and confusion. However if those tactics failed it came down to the race. The predator just had to keep up hoping the prey would make a mistake, hoping they would stumble.

The rabbit ran, pushed back towards the club from where she'd fled. Passing the buzzing neon lights she turned back down that alley with her pursuers closing. On a patch of loose gravel her footing betrayed her, and she hit the concrete hard. Blood welled up between her gritted teeth as she crawled away from the men only to find the alley filled with their thugs. Shark snatched her up and slammed her against the brick wall.

"I'm gonna eat your face off, whore!" he screamed, "We own this town with the Bat gone!"

"That's what I told SECURE when they came to me. This town is poison and full of monsters like you," she choked.

"SECURE? What'd they want with you?" Ten Eyes asked.

"They want to fix this city into a decent place to live. Most of their troops are hardened men like you only soldiers. I would have told them to go to Hell until they introduced me to the Moody Sisters. It's a task force of about a hundred strong women, and they hate men like you. They asked me to join." Rabbit explained.

"Why?" Shark demanded, "Why would you turn against us?"

"Why would I turn against pimps and hustlers like you? I guess I'm just a bad girl, Sharkey."
"What could you offer?" Ten Eyes wondered aloud, "What did they want you for?"

"They needed someone who knew the streets. They wanted someone to hunt for them."
"Hunt for them," Shark laughed, "Who do you think you're going to hunt, little bunny?" Rabbit stroked the side of his hideous face, and for a moment there was sadness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Warren." She stuck a hand out, and a canister dropped from above into her palm. With her thumb she flicked the pin, tossed it into the air, and covered her eyes. When the flash bang erupted chaos swept across the alley. Men cursed and called out in fear. At the far end of the corridor a black armored truck pulled up blocking one exit. Rabbit took the opportunity and jumped from wall to wall until she vaulted over the rooftop ledge. Troops without helmets appeared at the open end of the alley. Varying ages, races, and nationalities, the women had loosened their hair, and it fluttered while military style M16s cocked. Ten Eyes managed to raise his hands warding them off begging them to wait. The bullets sang in a thousand fatal harmonies through the trapped prey. White Rabbit laid on the rooftop puffing and listening to the music below. An armored woman grabbed her by the arm pulling her upright.

"That's great work, Jaina. We're wiping them clean out," the grizzled Sister stated and spat.

"Thanks. Give me a minute and we'll set up again," she replied. Five minutes later the Moody Sisters reformed to continue their sweep. Somewhere ahead sprinting through the darkness the rabbit ran.