Chapter 3
Alright, now I was mad.
One of the people working for me gave me a tip that the Black Mask was going to do something to some of my big named people. And by big, they meant big. Literally.
The rather large weighted man was the owner of a popular club, where plenty of business was drawn in. I've been out here, waiting outside the club, for two hours. It's past one in the morning, and I just want to go back to bed. If those men were lying to me, I swear…
I'm brought out of my thoughts by the sound of crashing. Looking over to the alleyway to the side of the club, I see two shadowed figures push the owner out the side door and onto the ground.
I feel my eyes narrow as I take in what's happening. Standing up from my position on the roof of the building across from the club, I jump down onto the sidewalk. Sneakily, I turn the corner and climb up the emergency stairs up to the top of the club, so I can get a better view of what's going on below me.
"What are you doing? We're protected? We pay up to the Red Hood!" Tyler says, and that's when I notice his appearance. He's in nothing but a white tank and his boxers, both of which have a little bit of blood covering them.
"Is that right? Cute." I recognize that voice.
"Do you know who you're messing with?" Tyler threatens, slouching down to the ground beside a car.
"Yeah, Tyler Bramford." Now I know who that voice belongs to.
"You're a club owner of some big damned drug dealer in the East Quarter, right?" The other guy says, and it takes me a second to remember who he is.
"I am the East Quarter drug trade, you stupid bags of—"
"Manners, fatty I don't care who takes care of you, you watch your mouth." Chico says, cocking the gun and pointing it at Tyler's forehead.
"Then you know who's got my back. You know who I answer to." Tyler says, not backing down. I feel impressed for a second, until anger comes along at what Chico says.
"Sure: The Red Hood. And we work for the man who's gonna take back what's his. So, at the expense of your very wide butt, we're sending your boss a message." Chico then gets in a certain stance, which tells me he's about to fire. I can't let him kill Tyler. Tyler is one of my major supporters.
I jump down from the roof and land in a crouched position on top of the car. "Okay, what's the message?"
Chico and Varco seem surprised that I'm there, until they put on a determined voice and pull out another gun.
I've had enough of their backstabbing shit. I pull out my own gun, a real one, and shoot them both in the arm. They scream, before falling and clutching the seeping wound. I do nothing, and since the red mask covers my face, they can't see my facial expression. If they could though, they'd be running in terror from just that.
Bruce did always say I had a nasty glare.
Stop. Don't get distracted.
Varco and Chico hop to their feet and retreat with blood running through their fingers. I look down at Tyler, who gives me a thankful look before getting up and heading back into the club.
I sigh, and go to climb back up to the roof until I hear some thumps behind me. Turning, I have to admit I'm a little surprised by what greets me.
"Wanna know what the message is? It's simple, actually. Care to guess what it might be?" A snobby girl says in metal armor. There are four of them in total. Her, one thick muscled guy, one rather wide and muscled guy, and the thin one.
"I have a few ideas. Any of you hired guns even know who I am?"
A tall thin guy also in armor steps forward. They're all dressed in metal armor actually. He pulls out a thin tube that shoots out two beating batons on both sides glowing a bright blue. "You're our target."
And then he attacks. He lurches forward, swinging the baton. I dodge out of the way, and draw my gun out. As he turns around, growling at me, I start shooting at him, not in deadly areas though. He knocks the bullets out of the way though, twirling the baton very fast in the process.
The muscled guy jumps towards me, and bring his bright blue stick down very fast, aiming for my head. Thankfully, I dodge out of the way just in time. I'm also glad that I always wear my hair up in the hood, or else it would get in the way.
I'm not expecting the giant to come up behind me and strike me in the middle of the back with the blunt end of his sword. I go flying, sprawling flat across the ground. I scramble to my feet and face them, keeping my back to the wall behind me.
The girl with the snobby voice steps ahead in front of them, bracing two swords. "You're just a little boy. It should be easy to take you down."
Boy? Seriously, do people not realize I have boobs? Well, actually I can understand. The hood warps my voice, causing it to sound a little manly. The clothes I wear are also a little baggy, hiding my chest a little bit. But they're only baggy because they're easy to move in!
The only other fabric easy to move in is spandex, and I have an outfit for that, but the people who work for me know me in these clothes, and spandex was… well, it's not made me for me anymore.
My pondering distracts me for a moment, and the girl takes the chance to knock me off my feet. She takes her swords and swipes my feet out from under me, so I go flying onto my back once again. If I hadn't experienced worse before, I would be crying out from the pain I'm currently feeling.
"Ow." I say, laying on the ground for a second while they surround me. The giant one blocks stands right under the moon, causing light from it to shine down on me. "So you four have all this power, and all you do with it is kill for money?"
The thin one speaks up. "From what I hear, we've got that in common."
I frown, but of course they can't see that. "You heard wrong." Sure I like that the thought of me killing people gives others a sense of fear, but I don't actually kill people. I've never killed anyone.
I go to get up, but the giant one presses his baton against my throat, holding me against the dirty floor. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight."
Then I see it. The shadow that crosses over the moon for a split second it's almost non-existent. Smirking to myself, I play along and hold my hands up slightly, leaving my gun pocketed in the lining of my pants. "Oh, the fight hasn't started yet. I'm just stalling."
They look confused, until they see what I had seen earlier. Bruce drops down onto the ground outside of the circle in none other than his Batman suit.
"What the hell took you so long?" I ask from down on the ground.
"Shut up and fight." He instructs, before throwing a batarang at the muscled guy.
I take my cue and jump up into a crouched position, before pulling out my guns and firing at them. The really thick guy charges me, drawing back his metal fist. I step out of the way as he collides with the brick wall. The thin one comes next, and manages to tackle me to the ground. We roll around each other for a minute, before I'm underneath him and he's on top. I take my feet and push up on his stomach, launching him off of me and into the air a few yards away.
The girl lets loose a battle cry, and swings the baton. I grab it, the both of us grappling with it as I try to yank it away from her. She pushes back on me and slams the baton up on my throat, as my back collides with the wall. She takes a small knife and slashes my arm. I growl and knock it to the ground a few feet away.
My throat chokes for air, and I reach up and yank on her pony tail. She growls and bends down as I pull it farther towards the ground, before I take my knee and collide with it with her temple. She crumbles at my feet, and I turn to watch as Bruce disposes of the muscled guy. The giant metal man lays at the ground where he hit the wall, and I scoff. Pathetic.
"I gotta say, I missed watching you work." I announce, taking a step closer to Bruce as he walks over to my side. He looks like he's about to say something, when I remember there were four people, and only three I can currently see.
The thin guy jumps down onto the ground, and aims what looks like a laser gun at Bruce. "Look out!" I shout, and push him out of the way.
The gun goes off, and hits my stomach. The force of impact knocks me off my feet, and I land painfully on my back a few feet from where I'd originally been standing.
Black spots dance across my vision as the pain finally registers. I glance down, and see that the laser burned a hole through my jacket and shirt, burning the skin of my toned stomach. It's blistering, red, and flaring. I bite my tongue, holding back the groan that threatens to escape.
I roll onto my stomach, and then immediately turn onto my side, as putting pressure on the wound was a terrible idea. I close my eyes, before opening them again and then feel the breath knocked out of me as I'm kicked onto my side and a foot is pressed between my shoulder blades. The thin man presses his sword to my neck, almost drawing blood.
"Awful close. You afraid you'll miss?" I say, my words mashed by the fact my face is pressed tight against the ground.
"Black Mask just wants a body. We don't need your head." He says, and then the blade is removed and I hear him get ready to bring it down on me.
"Let him go, and step away." Bruce says, and I mentally sigh. Even he thinks I'm a dude.
The breath is knocked out of me as thin man yanks me up to my feet by my collar, and wraps one arm around my neck while the other holds my hands behind my back. "A Taser? Nail me and you'll electrocute both of us."
I finally see what he means. Bruce is standing in front of us, holding the device in front of him, aiming it at us. I know he won't actually fire while I'm here, not that he cares about my health. It's probably more like I'm a puzzle that he wants to solve, and he can't do that if I'm dead.
"Maybe that's what he has in mind." I say, and this distracts my captor for a second. I throw my head back and it connects with his unguarded face, breaking his nose. He lets go, and I turn around, rearing back and feeling satisfied when my fist connects with his jaw, and he falls to the ground unconscious.
"What do you think you're doing?" Bruce asks, and he sounds ticked off.
"I'm cleaning up Gotham. More than you ever did." I snarl, finally feeling like I can talk to him normally because not only does he think I'm a dude, but also he doesn't know who I am.
"You're stealing territory from Black Mask and killing anyone who gets in your way." Bruce says, stepping closer.
I take a step back, making sure to leave some distance between the two of us. He thinks I've killed people? Now if he finds out who I really am, he definitely won't stop himself from killing me.
I decide to go along with it. Might as well play the part. "Black Mask is just a part of the plan."
That's actually true. I'm just using Black Mask as a cover to get to what I really want.
"Plan? You're becoming a crime lord."
"Yes. You can't stop crime. That's what you never understood. I'm controlling it."
Bruce takes a step closer, and this time I don't move. "You wanna rule them by fear, but what do you do with the ones who aren't afraid?"
I cross my arms, and then uncross them as I accidentally brush my arm across my stomach wound. Bruce notices this, and seems tense.
"I'm doing what you won't. I'm taking them out."
Bruce clenches his hands into fists, and comes even closer. "Tell me what happened to you. Let me help."
I let loose a dark chuckle at that, before walking backwards. "It's too late. You had your chance, and I'm just getting started." And with that, I decide to leave.
Bruce notices I'm about to leave, and tries to stop me. I'm too fast though, and before he knows it I've scaled the fire escape and am running across rooftops once again. I have a certain Black Mask that needs to be taught a lesson.
I've been here before. About two weeks ago when I heard about the drop coming in on the helicopter, and Bruce and Dick chased me. Yup, the same building where I scoped everything out.
This time, I don't have my binoculars. I don't need them. See, there's a scope on my grenade launcher that I can use to see faraway places with just fine. I have the familiar earpiece in, and I'm kind of amused right now with what they're talking about.
The usual men are gathered in Black Mask's office, and the same lady who sounds like she's bored to death.
"You're an idiot. And, you don't know Batman. He's not letting this lunatic just run wild." Black Mask says, walking angrily around his desk to the front, with his back to me.
Lunatic? That's just rude. I think to myself, as I aim the launcher. Yup, I think I'll hit that nice mahogany desk. It looks expensive.
"He can't catch him either." The blond rookie interjects, and Black Mask glares at him before moving on.
"Or it's something else." The boring lady says, looking down at her clipboard.
"Can't you feel it? We're stuck in the damn crossfire." Black Mask says, before turning around again. Just for kicks, I decide to turn on my laser pointer. It crawls slowly up from his chest to his forehead, and I laugh to myself when he tightens up and gets an ashen look on his face.
I laugh at my own pun. Get it? Ashen? Since his face looks like ash? Oh, whatever.
"Oh, hell." He says, and this causes the bored lady to perk up.
"Sir?" She asks, concerned.
Then, suddenly, he bolts from the room. The rest of them seem to notice the laser as well, and follow suit. I laugh, before aiming for a final time and pulling the trigger.
"Wow, he sure can move when he really wants to." I say to myself as I observe how fast the room was cleared.
Then it erupts in flames. The desk explodes, and the windows are blown out, sending glass shards everywhere. The door to his office flies off his hinges and out of the room. I laugh to myself again before standing up, and slinging the launcher over my shoulder.
This was a good day.
Breathe.
Air.
Water.
Lungs.
I don't know where I am. I don't know what I'm in. What I do know, is that I'm going to die again by drowning to death if I don't get out of here.
Something is holding me back though. I'm wrapped up in something, and I can't get free. I'm too weak. Or I was. Now, I feel energy. Blood pumping through my veins. I can feel it. My fingers flex, causing the wrapping to tear a little bit. My toes flinch, and that causes the stuff to tear there as well.
My heart. It's beating. I feel it. It's rapid in my chest, the only thing really moving around me. As some sudden strength comes to me, I feel I'm more comfortable. I can tear the wrapping from my arms and legs, from my face. I can get my nose free. I can escape whatever it is I'm submerged in.
Wait, where am I? I'm supposed to be dead. Is this the afterlife? Is this what I'm destined to? After the Joker beat me to a pulp and then blew up the building I was trapped in, I died. I know that. I remember that. I remember the pain… so much pain.
That thought causes me to wrench my eyes open, just so I can make sure I'm not there with him anymore. Even though all I see is a green liquid, it reminds me of him. His hair. He could be here. He's waiting, waiting to inflict pain upon me again and torture me. Bruce won't get to me in time, I'll just die again. And then I'll come back, and the process will be repeated all over again.
I need to get out of here.
I panic, swinging my arms madly. I swim for where I think the surface is, and take a huge gulp of air as I breach the top of the water. One of my eyes is still covered by the wrapping, and I scratch and tear my face to rip it away.
I see people rushing towards me, all men. One guy with pointed hair on the end is standing near the edge, watching with fearful eyes. It's him. It's the Joker.
I need to get out of here.
I stumble, trying to run away from the men. Once I gain complete control of them, I use the quickly. I gain speed and escape their grabby hands, and knock one over and into the water I had just been in earlier. I race to the rock wall and start climbing, not realizing that the inhuman sounds I'm hearing are coming from me.
I've turned feral.
I shoot up in bed, once again gasping for air. I close my eyes, taking in deep breaths of the stale comforter I'm sleeping on. I can't believe it's happening again.
The nightmares. They're back.
