Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bruce could swear he could hear every millisecond passing by while waiting for Zoey's message to come in. He had decided to attempt to do some work, but he wasn't having much progress as he kept looking at the messenger. He absolutely loathed waiting on things. Finally, finally, Zoey's message came through.

Ra's trusts me…. The idiot.

There's going to be an attack

Tonight, but I'm not sure where

Yet. I'll message you when I know

The location. Notify Gordon and

Make sure he's there. MAKE SURE

HE KNOWS I'M UNDERCOVER!!

Love,

Zoeynyx

Bruce smiled. Zoey had known that he would need a smile, and seeing her use her nickname had given him that smile. Some of the weight that had been on his shoulders rose slightly as he began to type a message back.

Just be careful, Zoeynyx.

Do what you have to so

you stay alive. I love you.

Bruce

Zoey felt a strange sense of relief as Bruce's message came through. She wanted so badly to just be with him at that point. But as she heard footsteps approaching, she stuffed the messenger into a concealed pocket in the inside of her left stiletto boot. She whirled around as Ra's approached her with a group of five men.

"These are the men that you will lead through Gotham tonight," Ra's said as if he was talking to a wall as he walked by her. Zoey had to work hard to stop herself from rolling her eyes; she wasn't sure if her contacts would survive that.

"And where is it that I am leading them exactly?" Zoey inquired.

"Gotham City Mall," Ra's responded. "It's time to send the people of Gotham a real message."

Zoey wasn't sure she wanted to know what that message was, but she nodded nonetheless. Hours later, when darkness had fallen, Zoey's heart was pounding painfully while she stood in the middle of the Gotham City Mall's large parking lot. In the distance, the Bat-Signal was visible in the sky.

"Batman's here," The nearest one of Ra's men growled.

"Batman could be anywhere in the city," Zoey snarled back as she became invisible. "We have a goddamn mission to do. You two, get on the roof, the two of you get down to the basement, and you," She barked at the remaining one. "You're with me through the main floors."

The men dispersed and Zoey felt a chill pass through her body. She looked around, and saw Batman lurking on a high branch of a nearby tree. He was staring at the spot where she was standing, but Zoey was unsure whether he had seen her disappear. She looked around; only the sycophant that would be working with her was still around.

"What are you waiting for?" Zoey snapped at him. She shoved him roughly on his back, and as she did so, she let her right hand with the ring on it become visible. She looked back to the tree and Batman inclined his head slightly. They had an understanding between them. When Zoey had sent him a message with the time and location, she'd warned him that they might have to 'fight' each other. But that wasn't really a big deal as long as the rest of the plan went smoothly.

Zoey entered the mall with the sycophant, but was hit with a burst of heat. The mall was not just warm; it was hot; too hot for Zoey, who already had a high body temperature. She unwillingly became visible.

"Is something wrong, Phoenix?"

Before Zoey could answer, another voice spoke, "Something's very wrong, for the both of you."

Zoey turned around, unsurprised to see Jim Gordon and a few of his officers behind them.

"On your knees," Gordon commanded. "Both of you."

"Wait," a new voice growled. Batman appeared, leaping over Gordon and his men. "She's mine."

The next thing Zoey felt was considerable pain as she rolled across the waxed floor after Batman's boot came in contact with her ribcage. Damn, she'd been expecting a fight, but not that hard….

"What the hell was that for?" Zoey hissed as she used the railing behind her to stand up.

"Effect," Batman hissed back. "What style would you like?"

"Keysei sounds good to me," Zoey smirked.

Batman nodded slightly as screams were heard and gunshots were fired from the floor below. There was obviously a pretty good battle going on down there….

Zoey dodged a hit from Bruce easily, using the railing behind her to flip herself away and kick him in the process. They went on fighting each other for a few minutes, chaos reigning around them, but they were oblivious to it. Until yet another gunshot was sounded. Zoey's eyes widened slightly. She didn't realize it at first. Something warm and gooey was beginning to make a trail between the leather she was wearing and her skin. She reached to her back, and when she pulled her hand away, it was covered with blood. Her eyes widened further as the pain hit her.

"Zoey!"

Blackness engulfed her. Blackness, and confusion together. She had fallen into unconsciousness, and when she felt her consciousness returning, she wasn't sure she wanted it. She knew she wasn't on the floor of the mall anymore; she didn't know where she was for sure. But if Ra's had found out the truth, she might as well commit suicide. Slowly, her eyes opened. She felt the contacts sting slightly as she did so. The world around her tilted dizzyingly. But for a split second, Zoey thought she was going crazy; she was back in Ra's hideout, but when she looked at the ceiling, she could swear she'd been looking up to the eyes and cowl of Batman. When she looked again, he was gone.

That's not possible, Zoey thought as she struggled to sit up. She realized that she was not actually lying on anything, but hovering in mid-air. She realized that was very smart actually, it kept her from lying on her injured back….but it was also keeping her immobile.

"Don't get up yet," Ra's voice startled her. He moved out of the darkness into the light, looking morose. "Your fever still hasn't broken."

"I always have a fever," Zoey growled as she was lowered into a sitting position on a metal examining table. Her head was pounding terribly, "How long was I out?"

"Three days," Ra's said. "The bullet got too close to your heart. I almost lost you."

There was something in his voice that made the hairs on Zoey's arms rise, He almost lost me?

"From what I hear, you were lucky," Ra's said. "There was a report that you were fighting Bruce Wayne himself. You're lucky that a gun wound was the worst you got."

"I don't give a damn about Bruce Wayne," Zoey snapped. "He may be an extraordinary human, but in the end, that's all he is. But I'm more than a human goddamn it."

"That is so," Ra's said, his hand on Zoey's shoulder. "You're more than human, but still, in the end, a mortal."

Zoey's eyes turned icy, "You insult me, Ra's Al Ghul."

"I do not mean to insult you, Phoenix," Ra's said honestly. "But since I have, I beg for you to forgive me. Your allegiance with me means more than you're aware of right now."

"Why?" Zoey inquired. "Why is it that you give a damn whether or not I'm allied with you?"

"Because your help in Gotham City is invaluable," Ra's said, his hand on Zoey's cheek. Zoey looked away from him, the place where his hand touched burning.

"Leave me," Zoey growled, her jaw clenched.

Ra's nodded and left, thought somewhat reluctantly in Zoey's opinion. Zoey was freaked after he left. She could swear that for a few moments, she herself believed that she was still working for Triton. Everything she'd been saying, doing, acting…. It was all starting to seem real to her.

Stop that, Zoey, She mentally rebuked herself. That's not who you are anymore.

She reached for her boots that were on the floor by the medical table. The untraceable pocket in her boot proved to be just that as the messenger hadn't been found yet. She removed it and found a message waiting for her.

That was me on the ceiling.

I've been watching you,

Waiting for you to get up

We need to get you out of

There, ASAP.