Trigger Warning: Possible scenes of drug use, extreme violence, suggested rape.
[8 Years Ago]
Ada's mother suffered from locked-in syndrome. The fact made it so that Ada's eighteen year old life was not the same as many others'.
Ada silently resented her mother, as selfish as she knew it was. Eleanor Moore was unable to move or speak and so Ada considered her to be there as much as the bedside lamp or coffee table. A sick part of her mind wished that her mother had died in the car crash, so that she could move on without having to acknowledge the ghost sat beside her as a living, suffering being.
Ada's father was a well-paid lecturer at Gotham University, majoring in the psychology of fear, and so David Moore was able to hire a nurse for his wife's condition. If it wasn't for the nurse taking care of her mother, Ada would have simply ignored the woman and allowed her to die of neglect. At the very least, Ada might have been able to decide what to watch on the television. Instead, the nurse would chastise the girl for disrupting 'her mother's' programmes.
Besides that, Ada was a fairly normal girl. She loved cereal, cartoons, singing badly to her favourite bands, and she wanted to be a writer. She had a strict father like most girls in her class and her grades were excellent. She had friends, though she rarely saw them outside of school hours, and boys liked her.
It was an overcast October day when this normalcy in Ada's life drastically changed. Ada was sat in her room, listening to music and worrying that she looked stupid in her online profile photo, when her dad knocked on her door.
"Yeah?" She'd called out absent-mindedly.
Her dad wasn't a tall man, though women still found him attractive. Ada couldn't see why, though. His hair had turned grey really early and his beard aged him even more. "Adelaide," he started, always using her full name, "A colleague of mine is coming around shortly. A past student, really. If you could stay in your room and not distract us for an hour that would be great."
Ada sighed, "Yeah, whatever. Sounds dull anyway..." Her dad opened his mouth with a frown but was stopped short of saying anything by the doorbell. He turned to leave but gave his daughter one last look, saying, "Do your homework," before he closed her door and padded downstairs.
It was only ten minutes later that Ada jumped at the sound of a loud pop from downstairs. She wasn't sure what the sound was but it made her heart race and had her glued in her seat. For a while she wondered if she should go downstairs and ask her dad what had happened but even then it took her over a minute to actually work her feet. Pressing out of her room, Ada noted the silence that rang out through the halls. It felt somehow wrong to disturb the ominous silence. Ada cautiously leaned over the banister and called for her dad. After a moment she tried again, "Dad? ...What was that sound?" Still nothing.
Ada felt the panic ebbing through her stomach. Curiously, she palmed the banister to the bottom of the staircase but froze mid-step as she spotted something furry lying in a bloodied lump. "...C-Callie?!" she cried, her voice high. Wide eyes searched the hallway but found no-one. Tentatively, Ada made her way towards the dead creature and identified the lump as her family dog, Callie. The tears had welled in her eyes before the gasp had left her mouth. Ada squealed in fright and her body instantly flew into action. She ran across the floor to where the cordless phone was usually docked, only to find it gone. "Oh, my God," she whimpered, her body reeling in the fact that something was terribly wrong.
"Dad?!" she called out again, trying to find him. Her body tingled in fright as she moved towards her dad's study only to have the way blocked by a lean man pointing a gun at her. She froze. Her teary eyes widened and her breathing had hitched. All she wanted to do was call for her dad but the weapon had her locked in place.
Ada hated how helpless she felt. She was frozen in fear. She felt like her mother, motionless, powerless. It terrified her that she couldn't do anything but stare at the man in cowardice. Her mouth opened but no speech came out. Uncontrollably, her eyes drank in his appearance. Though he looked years older than her, she found the man somewhat attractive. More than that, she was struck by the normalcy of his voice.
He cocked his head to the side and inhaled deeply before asking, "So, who are you? The daughter?"
His eyes, so blue and calculating, swept across her form. As they snagged on the revealed skin at her hips and neck, her mind alerted her that she was very vulnerable and that this man might be here to rape her. Tugging her clothes about her she tried to disappear in them.
"Wh-who are you?" she challenged meekly.
The man lifted a brow and smirked. His voice cracking slightly he said, "I am a doctor, here to test out my new medicine." Blue eyes flashed dangerously.
Ada tried to swallow but found it impossible. She cast her eyes around the man but didn't see a doctor's bag or a single sign of his 'medicinal' practice. Rather than call him a liar, her stomach still bubbling anxiously, Ada offered, "For my mother?"
The question surprised him, Ada could tell, as his eyes narrowed in veiled confusion. This man was playing a game with her, made obvious when his lips twitched and he replied, "Yes." It didn't comfort Ada that she could tell he was lying. It didn't give her a one-up and it only made her more afraid.
But talking seemed to distract her from the gun still aimed at her, and if she got out of this she could give all of this information to the police. So she asked, "Where's my father?" but meeting the man's eyes Ada wondered if she really wanted to know.
The man smirked, "I'll take you to him."
[Present]
They had filed out of the van, caused the same kind of chaos and then left with three hostages. The driver-clown greeted them as they re-entered the van with the captive family. "Where to, Boss?" he asked as Ada clambered into the seat next to him up front.
"City Hall," ordered The Joker from the back, where he terrorised the hostages with his hunting knife and stories of his scars. He aimed his gruesome smile at them and said, "We have a delivery to make."
Ada had been to City Hall once before for a student led protest. Ironically she and her friends had protested against gun crime and violence in Gotham. Now she returned gun in hand.
A man in a red scarf had stopped their van on approach to the building. He pointed a rifle at the windscreen and ordered the clown-masked driver to get out of the van. Ada readied the gun she carried in case something went wrong, still unaware of The Joker's plan. Soon enough, the clown came back to the van, mercenary following behind, and opened the back doors.
The mercenary's gaze froze on The Joker momentarily before he motioned to the hostages grunting, "Bring them inside."
Ada sat, turned in her seat, watching as the hostages were ushered out of the van, followed by Patch, and then followed by The Joker. "Coming, dollface?" he asked, somewhere between a sneer and a smile. Ada turned and unlatched the van door, climbing out obediently. Her eyes flicked to Patch, who seemed just as unsure as she was as to what was going on, though he was still wearing a clown mask so it was hard to actually tell. Ada liked Patch, she suddenly decided in that moment.
Joining the others in following the mercenary, Ada one-handedly fiddled with pulling her loose slacks up. The other hand was ready on her lowered gun. She didn't trust these people. Her eyes studied the red-scarved men and wondered why The Joker hadn't made this the simple drop-off delivery like it had sounded. There were enough men to muscle in three temperate hostages. They were more restrained than the previous couple had been, and even they had been mild. Ada's watchful eyes took in the family they were shepherding. It looked as if the mother-figure was shushing the crying daughter, hands held tightly together, and that the father-figure was bravely playing the part of the perfect captive. In other words, they were easy to manoeuvre.
Ada's suspicious mind had caused her to slow slightly behind. Did it really require the five of them to control these people?
She didn't stop the thought from coming - It only took one man to control your dad and you. Ada grimaced.
They entered the heavily guarded building to find more mercs inside. The mercenary leading them nodded to someone as they passed by and soon they had entered a cavernous room filled with dirtied civilians hugging the floor. Gruffly, the mercenary forced the family to the ground and said, "You will wait here until your trial."
Ada looked around the room at the barbed wire fences and trash cans filled with fire and understood that all of the people on the ground were prisoners awaiting punishment. For a moment Ada was surprised that legal procedures such as trials were even undergone any more. It didn't seem fitting amidst the chaos of Gotham. Ada couldn't help but hate the people around her for being allowed a trial. No-one gave you such a chance.
Then Ada noticed just how much attention the group of them had attracted. Almost all eyes were fearfully glued to The Joker. He'd pulled a knife out of his pocket and was twirling it, clicking his tongue. "You people are so easy to control," he muttered. "Just a couple of guns and you become mice."
She turned away from him then, wondering if she could just leave and return to the van. Sure, it felt better to no longer be on the prisoner side of things, but the power dynamics were fucking her up a little. They'd kidnapped five people that night and thrown them into a prison camp. If things hadn't turned out the way they had for Ada, she probably would have been in their place. She caught eyes with a frightened woman and saw herself in her place. Why are you even here? she asked herself. Ada's insane adrenaline had all but diminished now.
"Boss!" Grunted a familiar voice. Ada turned and saw the clown who drove the first van coming their way. Two scarf-garbed mercenaries flanked behind him. "You can go and see him now," he said.
Ada frowned. See who? She didn't like the way the goon had glanced her way.
The Joker giggled from behind her and playfully grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into him. He smelled musky, like old clothes. He hummed in her ear, "Ready to go, Dollface?"
She didn't answer but allowed herself to be pushed along. She wondered if they were going to see Bane. Did the hostages they delivered act like a resume? An initiation into the league of chaos?
She could hear deranged shouting coming from the room even before they entered. Hoards of people lined the walls, hooting and hollering in disorder. Their attention was focused on the centre of the room where a man sat in a chair, held down by a merc. It took a while for Ada to distinguish the chanting in the room but she was able to separate one voice enough to hear the word "Death!" She heard the tell-tale sound of a gavel being knocked and realised that this must be where the trials were held.
Ada eyed the back of the room seeing an unstable assemblage of furniture, papers and junk with a table perched atop it. It was hard to see the man at the desk but she narrowed her eyes unable to stop focusing on him. The gavel banged four more times before the man spoke. "What'll it be, Mister Dyer, death or exile? We really haven't got all day. So, if you please speak up." There was nothing special about the man's voice other than the way it cracked slightly. Still, it made Ada's eyes widen and her breath hitch.
"Ah, looks like Scarecrow's enjoying his new job," came The Joker's shrill voice. Ada had never found his voice irritating before but the derisiveness made her growl. He smiled and raised his eyebrows at her in mock surprise and she glared back.
The gavel produced two more resounding bangs and Ada's eyes instinctively drew back to the dishevelled man at his desk. "Death it is," the man said and threw a crumpled ball of paper behind him. The action distracted Ada and she jumped out of her skin when a loud gunshot suddenly rang out. Startled, she watched as the body of the defendant slumped to the floor. Cheers erupted from the room as the body was then unceremoniously dragged away. Over the chaos, the 'judge' neatened a stack of papers and completely ignored the preceding. Finding control of herself once again, Ada felt acid repulsion bubbling in her stomach. Slipping away from The Joker's side, Ada stepped forward to the centre of the room.
Mustering all of her hatred into one word, she seethed, "Crane!"
Her voice rang out above the commotion and the small figure atop the mountain of junk finally noticed her. Rather, he noticed the gun pointing his way.
Teeth ground together, Ada unhesitatingly pulled the trigger.
[8 years ago]
Tears immediately pricked her eyes when they landed on her father, tied up and leaning against the wall of his study. He snapped his head to her as she entered, followed by the lean man. She immediately made a run for him but was sharply pulled back as the man painfully grabbed her arm, causing Ada to hiss.
"Adelaide!" her dad cried, looking both relieved and afraid.
The man addressed her father mockingly, "Now, now, Professor Moore... You really should have told me you had a daughter." Ada was harshly tugged around to meet the man's shocking blue eyes once more. "Adelaide, was it?" he smirked.
"Crane, leave her alone!" cried her father.
The man's wolfish features fell and his eyes snapped dangerously to her father. All sounds of mirth were gone as he said, "Doctor Crane, Professor. I cannot tolerate rudeness." Then he shoved Ada forwards, re-aiming the gun at her, and barked, "Lie on the floor face down, girl."
A small sound involuntarily escaped Ada as she stumbled forward and compliantly crawled to the floor. She couldn't stop the fleeting thought that what the man was doing counted as rudeness. She lay with her face turned sideways so that her eyes could watch her dad. From the corner of her eye she could see 'Crane' moving towards her with a cable pulled out from her dad's computer. She wondered if this man had anticipated her father being alone since he was tied with rope, and now the man looked to be improvising.
She felt Crane's weight on her legs as he knelt on her, pulling her arms behind her back, and then tightly bound them together. As he did so he chuckled darkly, Ada's eyes involuntarily searching for the man's, and he said, "Good. You're facing the right way."
Cryptically, Crane rose and moved to the desk to where a silver briefcase sat. Ada's watery eyes overspilled as she wondered what was inside the case. She forced her eyes onto her father instead, seeking his comfort, and a sob escaped her lips as she noticed how afraid he looked as well. Nevertheless, he cooed, "It's going to be alright, Adelaide. He's here for me, not you, honey. Got that?"
Ada sniffled. Then she nodded. Selfishly, his words had made her feel better. That was until the other man said, "Actually, I'm here for both of you." He grinned, "Little Adelaide is quite the hidden bonus." The man had moved back to them and was holding something in his hand. "Now, Professor. If you please, can you tell me what are your fears?"
David Moore barked, "Is that what this is about, Crane?!" And Ada's eyes widened. There were two somethings in the man's hand. A sack and a syringe.
Crane's lips stretched as his grin widened. If Ada hadn't become completely petrified, and if the man's eyes weren't so crazed, she might have found it attractive. However, thoughts of being suffocated by the man with the sack, and being drugged and raped by the man with the sack, and being murdered and raped and suffocated and drugged and tormented by the man with the sack, were clouding her thoughts.
"We're both men of science, Professor," smiled Crane as he once again walked out of Ada's line of sight. "You know how important it is to have extensive research. The work we both did has made way for my new... medicine, if you will-"
"The work that WE did?!" Moore scoffed.
A bitter chill ran through Adelaide as the intruder's next words were slow and deep. Not only that, a terrifying burlap sack now covered his head. His words croaked out beneath a poorly sewn grimace, "- And my medicine needs to be tested."