IV
The farther they walked into the city, the more signs of life they saw. From what Violet could figure, most of the inmates stayed far away from the processing center. For good reason too, she thought bitterly. They continued to weave in and out of alleyways with scary expertise. She wondered how long he'd been in Arkham City before he had broken out. It seemed like he knew the streets fairly well. Unless, of course, he knew the area before the walls went up.
So far, Black Mask had been able to keep any and all unwelcome visitors away from them and for that she was grateful. She knew that with how many men were in this prison, if she were on her own, she'd be in serious trouble. If she ever made it out of there alive, she'd have to look up any information she could find on Black Mask and see just what he'd done that made other convicted criminals stay away from him. For now, she preferred not to think about the specifics of the madman next to her, since she knew he wasn't helping her out of the kindness of his heart.
She put her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. It seemed that the temperature was dropping even further. Hopefully, wherever they were heading was indoors. Granted, it probably wouldn't have any heat, but wherever it was had to be better than out in the cold. She wondered where exactly it was that they were heading. She also wondered what kind of company Black Mask kept. Chances are they'd probably be about as upstanding as he was.
As they were passing across another street and into an alleyway, a payphone attached to the side of a nearby building started ringing. That gave Violet an idea. If she had money, she might be able to call outside of the city and get a hold of her parents or even one of the twins if she were lucky. She stopped and started towards the payphone, thinking about how to get around not having money. If she could catch whoever was on the line, and tell them to call someone, maybe there was hope for her yet. She had her hand outstretched to answer the phone when a gloved hand clasped around her own and forcefully pushed it down.
She looked over to see Black Mask standing entirely too close to her. How he had moved that fast and that quietly, she had no idea. The phone stopped ringing, "Hey! I was gonna try and get a hold of-"
"Don't ever pick up a ringing phone in this place. You'll end up getting yourself killed in a very painful way."
Not even listening to what he was telling her, Violet began to argue, "If this phone works and I have a chance to call my parents, I'm going to take it." She could be stubborn when she needed to be. Although, right now she wasn't sure she liked the look she was getting.
"I don't think your parents are going to be able to help you at this point. Besides, that phone isn't hooked up to make calls, only receive them." He let go of her hand and stepped back, but didn't attempt to move into the alley.
Behind her, the phone stopped ringing, signaling the end of any plans she had half thought up. She let out an exasperated breath, "Well it doesn't matter now, does it?"
She noticed his eyes narrow slightly behind his mask and she couldn't help but regret talking back to him. This was a dangerous man she was with, not one of the twins, who she could sarcastically talk back to and have them laugh it off. If she had to guess she'd say most people who talked back to this man probably ended up dead.
Without another word, Black Mask turned around and continued into the next alleyway. It felt like they had been zigzagging around different alleyways for over an hour. Violet had no way of knowing what time it was since she didn't have her phone. It could also have felt like longer to her because the shock of being arrested and almost dying was slowly wearing off. Regardless, Arkham City was much larger than she could've fathomed from listening to the news reports.
To the man walking in front of her, the narrow alleys seemed familiar. To Violet, they all looked more or less the same. All of them were damp, smelled vaguely of pee or blood, and had graffiti scattered about them. Something she noticed that seemed to be a common theme however were the question marks painted intermittently in most of the alleys they had passed through. Most were next to glowing green buttons, but some had elaborate looking puzzles set up near them. After passing another one for the umpteenth time, curiosity got the better of her.
"What's up with all the question marks?" Violet asked while pointing to one painted above a chain link fence.
Black Mask glanced back at her quickly, but did not pause in his walking, "You weren't lying when you said you weren't from around Gotham." He paused now at the end of the alleyway and from the shadows, they watched as a few inmates passed by, loudly talking about some crude subject or another.
"The criminals in Gotham City aren't exactly your run of the mill criminals. You at least know that, right?" He asked in a tone that sounded like he was talking to someone much younger than herself.
"I said I don't live near Gotham, not that I lived under a rock." Violet quickly shot back. Again, she thought that she needed to work on thinking before she spoke around this man. "I've heard about some of the crazy things that have happened here. I just don't know specific criminals."
He didn't seem phased this time by her sarcasm, "Most of us have some sort of calling card, at least the larger players do." At this, he gestured with the hand that was holding the gun towards his face, "You can see what mine is." He moved the gun towards the chain link fence and used it to point towards the green question mark painted above it, "That's the calling card of another one of Gotham's most upstanding citizens."
Violet nodded, understanding now why Black Mask had some sway in this place. He had said the larger players have a calling card of sorts, with his being his signature black mask. That most likely meant that this man was one of the more well known criminals in this place. "So, do all the criminals know each other?"
He laughed a humorless laugh and for a second Violet felt as though she had asked a dumb question, but he said, "You could say that. We know of each other if not directly. Most of them are always actively either trying to screw the others over or kill them." He shrugged and without warning sprinted out of the alley, causing Violet to stumble a bit as she tried to keep up.
As they had just entered the alley across the street, an explosion rang out from somewhere behind them. That caused both of them to pause again. Violet turned around and from above the buildings they had just emerged from, she saw smoke rising steadily up into the night sky.
"Let's move. That was a little too close." Black Mask said from behind her, motioning for her to follow again. Something about the tone in his voice made Violet wonder even if he was a powerful criminal, just how many more criminals were more powerful or more feared than him in Arkham City. Again, she felt that those were thoughts that were better left for when she was out of this place and could look things up from the safety of her computer. Assuming she made it out of there at all. And even if she did, there was no guarantee she wouldn't be sitting in a prison cell somewhere else. What she had done was something worth going to prison for for sure.
They reached the end of the alleyway, but instead of continuing into the street, Black Mask threw his arm out like a bar to stop Violet from moving. Lost in her thoughts, Violet didn't notice this at first and slammed her diaphragm right into his surprisingly solid arm, letting out an, "Oof!"
He quickly shushed her, but somewhere out in the open of the street in front of them, she heard someone say, "Did you hear something?" The voice sounded very close to where they were standing in the shadowy open of the alley.
"Nah. Probably just one of the political types locked up in here with us. They're always hiding out in the alleys acting like sobbing messes. Pathetic." A second voice said, responding to the first.
Using the arm that was still thrust out in front of her chest, Black Mask started backing them up further into the alley. Once they were firmly back in the darkness of the alley, Violet watched as two men carrying what looked like high-powered assault rifles walked by the spot they had just been standing by. That answered the question of who was just talking. However, it also raised a slew of other questions in Violet's mind, like who were these people and how did they get high-powered guns in this prison because they clearly weren't TYGER personnel.
They were both clad in odd outfits, definitely not similar to what the guards back at the processing center were wearing. One was wearing a black and white ski mask with a puffer vest on while the other was clad in a dark camouflaged outfit. Both were wearing some sort of armband on their upper arms. She couldn't quite make out what was on it since they were standing a ways back from where the two men were walking, but she could've sworn it was an outline of a penguin. Certainly she was mistaken-penguins weren't exactly the symbol of manliness and definitely not an animal she would associate with two assault rifle wielding inmates.
Once they were out of sight and Black Mask had lowered his arm, Violet asked in a hushed voice, "I guess those weren't the type of inmates to cower at the sight of you?" Violet wasn't dumb, she knew if Black Mask wanted to avoid those particular inmates, whether because they were enemies or because they had large high-powered guns, they should avoid them.
He gazed into her eyes from behind his mask and with a steely look said, "They have their own allegiance. One that doesn't align with my own." Violet gave him another quizzical look, wondering what exactly that meant and who they were aligned with. Black Mask, taking the hint, glanced at the end of the alley before continuing in a hushed tone, "Look, I'm not going to explain everything to you since you have no clue what's going on in here anyway. All I'm going to say is most inmates choose a side when they enter this place. That side happens to be with one of the major criminals." He pointed towards the place the men had been, "Those guys work for a man named that goes by the name of Penguin. He's one of the three people in here who have the most inmates working for them."
The way he said that told Violet that Black Mask himself wasn't one of the other two major criminals. "So this Penguin guy…" She trailed off, not knowing where to even start with the questioning.
"Isn't someone to be messed with." Black Mask finished with a tone of foreboding. "He and I have done business before. If I had to side with anyone in this place it would be him." Violet opened her mouth to say something, but Black Mask cut her off before she had a chance, "But that doesn't mean that his men are trustworthy. Hell, he isn't even trustworthy." He paused to look at her again, "And trust me when I say you wouldn't want to end up being passed around by his guys. They'd have a field day with you."
Violet felt her cheeks flame up. She was just thankful they were in a dark alley where Black Mask couldn't see her reaction. She was aware of course of that particular danger since there were practically no women in this place to her knowledge, but it definitely wasn't something she wanted to think about or even imagine. She was thankful she was with Black Mask if not for the whole saving her life thing back at the processing center, then for the fact that he hadn't done anything heinous to her in that way.
"The point I'm trying to make is that you shouldn't trust anyone in here. Got it?" He finished, looking at her for a moment before turning and edging towards the end of the alleyway once more. This time, he was much more cautious in his approach, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Violet inched her way behind him, hyperaware of what was surrounding her so she wouldn't trip over anything and get them killed.
He poked his head slowly out from the alley entrance and glanced left and them right before motioning for Violet to follow him. Her heart sank as she realized he meant to actually make a run for it so quickly after seeing two people who wouldn't be receptive of them if they were spotted. Without warning, he took off at a sprint. Violet stood there stupidly watching him get further and further away from her before it registered in her head that she needed to move and move quickly.
She took off after him at the closest thing to a spring she was capable of. At that point she was convinced she was moving on pure adrenaline, since normally she would've been tired out long before they had gotten that far into the city. She focused on his back, which was some ways in front of her now. She was honestly afraid of what she'd see if she looked anywhere other than at the man in front of her.
They were approaching what appeared to be some defunct subway entrance. There were several well-worn signs hanging around with arrows pointing down to different stairways leading underground. She noticed that above them was a glass covering that may have been opulent at one point, but now had several missing panes. Regardless, she was happy for at least some sort of coverage from anyone who may have been lurking above them. As she was passing under an overpass she looked up and caught sight of an orange flag blowing on top of one of the buildings. The flag had the same outline of a penguin as the two men's armbands had. They were deep in enemy territory, she suddenly realized.
She flew into an adjacent alley underneath another overpass, but didn't see Black Mask anywhere. Immediately, her heart rate increased as panic settled into her chest. Certainly he wouldn't have left her would he? Of course he would, she thought at once. He was a criminal in a high security prison; he wasn't going to babysit her all night. What was she supposed to do now though? He led her into a trap that would certainly lead to her death if nothing else.
"Hurry up!" Violet whipped her head towards the sound of Black Mask's voice. He was standing against the wall at the end of the alley she had just entered. Relief flooded her body at once. Somewhere in her mind she knew that she trusted this man to some small degree and that was a definite problem. She shouldn't feel relieved to see a crazy criminal. She jogged over towards where he was hidden in the shadows.
"We're almost there now." He gestured somewhere in front of them, to their destination Violet supposed, not that that meant anything to her since she had no clue where they were heading. He took off at a brisk pace this time, not a flat out sprint like before. It seemed like he was getting anxious to get to wherever it was he was leading them. Again, Violet had no idea that this wasn't some sort of trap and something deadly wasn't waiting for her at their destination. Something was beginning to settle in her stomach now.
They hadn't run into any other men thankfully, probably because they were on the ground floor of this particular part of the city. Looking up, however, Violet spotted a blurred shape moving above the glass every now and then, which she assumed were other gun-wielding criminals working for this Penguin guy.
They rounded a corner and were faced with a chain link fence underneath a bridge. The fence had barbed wire at the top of it that almost touched the bridge above. It extended to the side of the buildings to their left, which used to house small shops. To their right, there was a staircase leading back up to the upper level they had been on before. Violet didn't like this one bit. She already knew what Black Mask was going to tell her before he spoke.
"We have to go back up don't we?" She said in a monotone voice. That feeling in her stomach strengthened even more. She felt like she was going to be sick.
"We have to get to the other side of this fence. There's a door right over there." He pointed to the wall underneath the bridge. She squinted a bit and saw that there was indeed a steel door tucked in the corner of a brick wall on the other side of the fence. "The only way to get to it is to go up these stairs and hop down over the railing of the bridge."
Violet gave him an incredulous look, "Are you insane? If that fall doesn't break our ankles, one of the gun toting maniacs up there will definitely catch us."
He shrugged and looked annoyed with her, "Look, it's the only way to get to the door from this side. So if you don't want to do it, I'm not going to beg you, but I'm not waiting around." He started moving towards the stairs.
"But how do you know there aren't any guys up there right now waiting at the top of the stairs?" She asked again, in a panicked tone. Her chest felt very constricted at that moment.
"I don't." That was all he said before he started his ascent. Violet made a split second decision to follow him up, but if gunfire started she was out of there. She wasn't sure where exactly she'd go, but she wasn't sticking around that was for sure.
They exited the stairs and did a quick sweep of the area. There were, thankfully, no men patrolling that area. Violet let out the slightest of breaths. They weren't in the clear yet though. Black Mask quickly made his way over towards the stone railing of the bridge. Violet took note quickly of their surroundings as she followed him. Behind them was a statue of a horse. To their left was a set of well-polished double doors. She wasn't sure why, but the sight of the pristine wood in this place made her pause.
"Be quick." Black Mask said. She turned around just in time to see him disappear from the railing. She leant over and saw him land deftly in a crouch. There was no way she wasn't going to break something, especially since her wrist was already probably sprained tonight. Below her, Black Mask stood up and motioned at her, "Come on! Quick!"
She took a deep breath and put one leg over the railing and then the other. She leant back against the railing, feeling the cold stone bite at her legs through her jeans. Her feet were balanced on the miniscule ledge on the other side. She looked down at the masked man below her and unknowingly shook her head. From this angle the jump looked a lot higher than it probably was.
Black Mask noticed and, to his credit, he stuffed the gun in the waistband of his pants before holding his arms open. "Just jump! Land firmly on both your feet." Then, almost reluctantly he said, "If you think you're going to fall and hurt yourself I'll try and catch you."
Violet nodded her head, feeling the slightest bit more confident in jumping now. She thought to herself once again that she definitely shouldn't trust this strange man. "Alright, I'm going to jump." She said more to herself than to him.
He nodded at her and impatiently motioned for her to hurry it up with his outstretched arms. They made eye contact for a brief moment and in that time, even with a mask on, she saw a look of panic overcome his face, "VIOLET!"
Her right foot barely left the railing before she felt two strong arms wrap around her chest and pull her back up and over the railing. She couldn't see who grabbed her, but she saw two men come up on either side of her as she was being dragged backwards. She watched in horror as the two men approached the railing and started opening fire on the area below. She hoped Black Mask had taken cover when she was grabbed. She hoped she hadn't just got the man who had been trying to help her killed.
Her mouth opened in an attempt to scream, but before any sound had a chance to come out, a gag was placed roughly in her mouth, leaving her speechless. It was only then that she realized the two men shooting at Black Mask were the same men they had seen pass by the entrance to the alleyway before.
"Oh the boss is gonna like this one." Said the man holding her. He spun her around and she got a good look at him. He was a bald man with scars scattered on his face with a voice as rough as his appearance. "And if he doesn't, I sure will."
This caused the other two to chuckle in a sinister way. The one wearing the ski mask spoke up in a squeaky voice, "Who knows, maybe she won't even make it to the boss."
Violet felt like a can of worms had just been opened in her stomach. She realized quite suddenly that the feeling in her stomach earlier had been one of foreboding, as if she subconsciously knew this was coming. All the men were laughing while Violet was having what she thought might be a panic attack. Her vision was starting to go a bit blurry and she was having a hard time breathing. But that might have been from the dirty gag in her mouth.
They didn't have to go far, in fact they ended up walking over to the set of pristine double doors she'd taken notice of before. The man with the squeaky voice banged on the door four times. Another man dressed in similar gear opened the door and immediately leered at Violet. "Where the hell did you find that?"
"None of your damn business. This one's going straight to the boss so watch out." The bald man barked out and pushed his way inside the building with Violet in tow. They made their way through a dark hallway. She shuddered as the heavy double doors slammed behind them, echoing out in the darkness.
Violet was moving on autopilot as they walked further into the building. As if her night couldn't get any worse, she'd managed to probably get the one person who would treat her like a person in there killed and now she was being marched towards a criminal kingpin. She could only hope that this Penguin man was somewhat levelheaded. If he wasn't she would have to think of a way out of this quickly. She couldn't see any way out other than death.