It has been a month since Oswald and Ed have seen one another. Eddie has been plotting Oswald's demise with Butch and Tabitha while Ed sits in the backseat. There are a few times when Eddie gets reprimanded by his backseat driver once alone, and Eddie returns to the crowd a little different. More annoyed but less medieval. Oswald and Ozzie, meanwhile, have built a torture chamber in their mayoral house just in case it may be necessary. Oswald delegates Victor and the staff to most of the mayoral duties, only showing his face when need be. While Ozzie is busy keeping Penguin at bay as he completes many torturous devices, Oswald separates himself from his counter ego to do something good for Gotham that does not intermittently effect him. He is revamping the old orphanage and foster home.
As far as the City of Gotham knows, their wonderful mayor is taking up his time to do something magnificent for the community. They aren't actually aware of what is happening, as Oswald is also moving the foster home. It is already in shambles, so off in a better area of the city, Oswald and his 'helpers' are rebuilding it and making it nicer. Oswald still believes he is Ed's best friend, while Ozzie explains to him that their friendship is the only reason they are still alive. Behind Oswald's psychotically calm eyes, he is terrified that Ozzie may be right.
Oswald cracks open a bottle of bourbon wit the intention of sharing with Victor. A knock comes at the door and a rugged man is at the other side. Ozzie joins Oswald and Victor lingers in the back. Oswald sends the staff away as he takes in the man. He looks disheveled and there is oil on his clothes. His hair clamps to his face as a sign of steamy humidity and bad decisions. Oswald lets him in the house but doesn't allow him to stray. He instead gives Victor a sign and the madman gleams with high hopes. He drags the unwilling stranger, following the hobbling Oswald to the torture room. As the doors close, Oswald grins similar to Victor.
"Don't run, friend. It's been awhile since I've had a, heh, play date."
The man cowers at the sight of the mayor. The kingpin of the underworld. Despite the older man's frivolous words, there is a hardened, murderous glaze over his crystallized eyes. His grin is infectious for Victor, but terrifying for the man.
"Please, please. My name is David. I'll tell you anything you want to know. My car busted on me when I was on my way home."
Oswald, or maybe Ozzie, gestures for Victor to connect David to what seems to be an electrocution chair. He clamps the bars around David's head, wrists and ankles. Oswald then hobbles to a nearby table, revealing a few switches and several types of blades, tools and torturous devices. He and Victor also connect a few wires to the stranger and Oswald glares at him.
"Where were you coming from?"
"Work!" He answers automatically.
"Where do you work?"
"A coffee factory!"
"Really?" Oswald asks, unconvinced.
He turns a little knob, sending volts of horrifying electricity through David's system. The man refuses to cry and Oswald asks again.
"Where do you work?"
"It's not just coffee. We sell biscuits too. And"
Oswald cuts him off by setting the knob higher and increasing the voltage. David starts crying now and could swear he is about to start bleeding through his eyes.
"You weren't at work, friend. Don't lie. Where were you coming from?"
"My co-worker! Stacey! I, I stayed at her place to go over some"
The knob increases more pressure. When the electric shocks die down, Ozzie takes over momentarily creating a few stabs wounds in agonizing yet non-lethal areas of the man's body. He hooks up a few pliers against David's knuckles and Oswald regains control.
He laughs bitterly. "Why must you lie? Why must people lie? Victor, why is he lying to me? Have you ever lied to me?"
"I would never lie to you, Mr. Penguin. Mr. Cobblepot."
"Thank you." He reassures with demonic sugar in his voice.
"Okay!" David wails. "I don't remember her name and she doesn't work with me. I have a crap job but I get paid enough so I can get a hooker on my way home to my wife and son. Are you happy?"
"No." Oswald confesses. "I haven't been happy since my mother was still alive. Since that time in my club when that foolish man heckled my mother and I killed him without a care in the world. I couldn't save my mother, David. It's possible I can't salvage what is left of the friendship of the man who means the most to me. So, I'm not happy. But Ozzie is, and I think I'm going to take the backseat on this one."
"Backseat?"
Almost immediately, Ozzie returns. He grins maniacally and twists one of the pliers stuck to David's left ring finger. A ghastly sound is made as bones crunch and the finger is decapitated. David screams in agony but Ozzie punches him in the mouth with the butt of a gun. He grabs a sophisticated knife and plunges it deep into the man's abdomen. David cries harshly and begins coughing up blood. Oswald has a lot of built-up tension, though, and Ozzie is fulfilling it.
Kingpin Oswald though is filled with rage. He is allowing Ozzie's words to really get to him. He doesn't want to think of it as truth, so Oswald decides they need surrogates. He gets word to his cronies to bring a specific gang member over through the back way. This specific member, Orlando, seems to be in it for the fun or the fame. He seems to think he is protected simply because he is in Oswald's gang. The Penguin's gang. Fury rises in Oswald's chest as he recalls the many idiotic jumps Orlando has given the gang. He twitches rather violently while Ozzie is having fun playing autopsy and the barely-live 'patient', as he thinks about the pretty boy.
Oswald does not allow Victor to leave when Orlando is brought over. One of the staff members does instead. Orlando is excited, thinking he has been chosen for something enticing. The man who had brought Orlando over bears a striking resemblance to Butch. Ozzie pays this no mind, but something flinches in Oswald's mind for it to be true. Victor allows them into the room upon Oswald's request, locking it back at once.
Orlando's eyes trail over the man in the chair. There is blood spilling out all over his body, and on the chair and the floor. David's organs are being harvested, but not in any way to be useful. David is barely breathing, begging Ozzie to kill him, end him of his misery. Orlando looks a little aching to be here. Oswald barely but distinctively hears Orlando whisper to the man who brought him. He can hear the name 'Aaron.'
"We don't need you, Aaron." Oswald speaks up, interrupting Orlando's whispers but not stopping Ozzie's attachment to their victim. "You can leave."
Aaron gives Oswald a look. It is only there a tenth of a second, but Oswald sees the mistrust. He can't have any of that in his gang. As Ozzie ends David's life with the finals stab wounds cutting off his heart, Oswald brandishes a pistol from the back of his pants. He doesn't turn around. As Victor opens the door to allow Aaron out, a bullet finds its way through the hefty man's skull.
Orlando cries out in shock as Aaron's lifeless body falls against the doorframe. He winces as the taller man's skull cracks backward. Victor stares back to Oswald, who has two faces almost. On one side, he is maniacal and the other is serious, silently instructing Victor to shut the door and leave him be.
At The Sirens, Butch, Tabitha and Eddie are ready to go. Riddler is waiting impatiently, fighting over the good conscience of Ed. The three are set out to destroy Penguins' existence with Butch and Tabitha up front. This gives Eddie a chance to delve into the inner workings of his brain.
"He's my best friend, Eddie. Don't actually kill him."
"Well, whom am I supposed to kill? And don't say no one. That's not very"
"Kill Tabitha." Riddler speaks grimly. "Eddie, you're a maniac. I kill with precision. Let me out."
"You kill with precision." Ed agrees. "But also without consequence. You'd kill anyone in your way, including us."
"You two keep me at the realm and I can stop. I can kill who I am directed to kill."
"Should we?" Ed asks Eddie tentatively.
"We better make our decision quick. We're coming up on his house."
Ed and Eddie sigh in defeat. Riddler is already grinning with the murderous glint. He wonders if he can poke the bear and make Penguin come out to play. Then, they'd be murderers together instead of against one another. Maybe a few others will die in the process, but Riddler has a feeling about Penguin. He never trusted the look-alike as much as Ed claimed to love her. The three in the one body can vaguely comprehend the two lovebirds in the front. Barbara is back at base. Oh, how Ed hates that woman. Riddler isn't fond of her, but Eddie is crazy for her. Ed had loved the look-alike and Eddie has fallen for the crazy. Riddler is "in like" with the psychopathic bird, so who will win?
The car stops and the doors unlock. Riddler takes his rightful place in leading Ed. There is an absolute depressing grin playing on his features. Riddler doesn't need glasses, as he doesn't see by sight. He can feel what he needs to know. Where he needs to go. Penguin isn't the target for him. He is the target of them. He has been working with them a good long month. He would like to say he is ready for all their antics. Every trick they should decide to pull.
Best of all, Ed lived in this house with Oswald, before things went haywire. Before Ed discovered Oswald and Ozzie were the ones behind the mysterious car crash. Before Ed discovered Oswald was truly in love with him. Riddler notices a flash of electricity consistent of an electrocution chair through an upstairs window, close to where Oswald had murdered one of his servantboys. One of the times Ed had felt sick and unable to work, Oswald had put on a murder show for him. Riddler smiles warmly at the memory before pulling himself together for the excruciating task at hand.
He pushes himself farther than his limits as Ed had begun to pry his way to the front. Riddler can feel the tension in his body, as well as the tension Oswald must be procuring at the moment. He likes to think he and Penguin are in mentality sync. Both are insane and he likes it that way. He has found Oswald intriguing since Ed had decided to follow him around the precinct that one fateful day.
Before Riddler realizes it, they are already sneaking around. Tabitha takes to the basement and Butch takes control through the backdoor using Eddie's expert lock-
picking skills. Riddler is a beanpole, easy enough to shimmy up the drainpipe. Easy enough to unlock Oswald's window to his bedroom and slither in like a snake. Riddler goes over in his mind, all the scenarios of what happens next. Is Oswald ready? Is Ozzie too busy? Will Penguin come out and play?
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[][][][ Hey, there. Sorry if it's not what you expected. I am going to start the next chapter soon and I'm really aiming for a quicker return. Thanks to everyone who actually took the time to read this even if you had to go back to reread the first chapter because you forgot what happened. Love you guys! ][][][][]