"The Redneck & The Scientist"

Disclaimer: I only own Ginger.

A/N: Wow, over 3000 words! I think I info-dumped. Anyways, sorry for the wait! This was sort of rushed. It mostly consists of flashbacks concerning Ginger's past. I may redo this one in the future... This was actually one of the reasons that I asked if Ginger was becoming a Mary-Sue. I figured her boyfriend was enough of a minor character (figure out who he is and watch his Origins "battle") for me to get away with...

I know I never really respond to my reviewers, but I love you guys to bits and pieces. Please read and review! I gladly accept criticism. P.S.: Quick character summary at the end, for what you guys should already know. I may have more ideas for fics that I'll probably come up with sooner, rather than later.

Chapter 4: Only Human

The air was cold as Ginger breathed the smoke of a cigarette in and out to calm her frazzled nerves. Her breaths were shallow as sobs racked through her body. Why did she insist on keeping that promise? Especially to a man who didn't appreciate it, nonetheless.

From the viewpoint on top of the old Gotham City police building, she could see the groups of thugs running about. Penguin bombed the bridge from Amusement Mile to the rest of Arkham City, so the rubble was still there, along with a shot down helicopter from the news station. Gun shots and screams echoed loudly through the area as a war was fought.

It reminded her of Gotham only five or six years ago. Truth be told, she didn't find that it changed much. The crime rate wasn't decreasing, like the citizens would hope. The slums still existed, housing the worst of criminals. The only difference she noticed were the positions of power held by Gotham City's Rogues. Black Mask, a former kingpin at the top of the food chain, was nothing compared to the likes of the Joker, the clown prince of crime, and Penguin, a high-ranking businessman and weapons manufacturer. Plenty of newer Rogues were dominating the criminal activity in Gotham.

A common fact to all of the inmates at this point was that Doctor Hugo Strange was a deranged psychopath; more civilized than the average psycho, yet just as sadistic. This was why she was thankful to be under the protection of a Rogue, whether it be Mr. Freeze, Penguin, or Two-Face. Rumors ran amok concerning the devilish man's tortures on men who were unfortunate to be captured by the brainwashed Tyger guards.

Staying with Penguin in the Iceberg Lounge wasn't necessarily optional for her, considering her ranking in Penguin's guard. No, if she had a choice, she would've stayed with her remaining family in a better part of Gotham. Unfortunately, there was no swaying Cobblepot and this was how she ended up staying in this rotting Hell. Truth be told, she missed her relatives, and it pained her to be away from them.

A familiar spot of black and orange caught her eye before Tyger helicopters started to fill the sky. Not long after, explosions followed in various areas of the city. From her vantage point, she could see them all over the Arkham City region, and one was heading right in the direction of the Gotham City Police building. A missile was fired and landed fairly close, as the impact was enough to knock her off of her feet and cause the cigarette in her mouth to fall out. Hastily, she maneuvered her way inside the structure and to the laboratory where Freeze was containing himself.

"What is all of the ruckus?" was the first question he asked, noting her disheveled appearance. He didn't seem to really care about the noise, though; it seemed to be more of an attempt at minor conversation... It was almost as if he was getting used to her being around, slowly yet surely.

By this time, Ginger felt like a mess. Her hands were shaking and her heart rate was increasing - the sure signs of a panic attack. It became harder to breathe as her breaths were shallow. The sweat began to gather on her palms and she began to feel warm, despite the cold air in the room. "Strange is destroyin' the fuckin' city... Goddamn, I thought Joker was the only one insane enough to do it... Guess I was wrong."

Mr. Freeze continued to type away at the computer in front of him, but replied, "So, I suppose this was what 'Protocol 10' entailed."

His reply was ignored by Ginger, who was currently pacing around the freezing lab. The loud noises were close and it made her feel uneasy. "Do ya think we're okay in here?" Her eyes darted around the room, observing the structural materials anxiously. "I mean, if they hit the building..."

"They won't." He could hear the worry in her voice, and the last thing he needed was a panicking woman disturbing his work. Then again, her just being there was ruining his concentration, albeit slightly. "This building has been built to withstand the harshest of attacks. If a missile hits, it will not do much damage, if any."

She wouldn't have any of it, though. Her mind seemed to disregard Victor's reply as it repeated a male scream of terror, sirens, and Joker's laugh all at once. Hands made their way up to her hair and grasped, pulling it harshly as she paced faster. Remembering the techniques taught to her by her therapist, she began taking deep breaths in order to calm herself down. However, it did very little and she tried pinching the underside of her upper arm instead. Sure, it hurt, but nothing compared to other injuries she's had in the past, and it worked.

Now, she was able to focus more on the reality of the situation: Strange was trying to kill them all. If anyone, her first suspect would've been the Joker. Then again, him, Penguin, and Two-Face were pretty much killing each other for power over the area, plus the clown was practically dying on his feet.

"L-look..." She turned to Fries without haste. "You... just know that I've been with Penguin's crew for how long, right?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Well... It didn't exactly start out that way... Hell, nothin' really started lookin' my way 'til I went off the deep end. I was originally workin' for Black Mask... That's actually how I got my... boyfriend, onto the list of assassins to kill the Batman."

Late into the night, the snow fell and fell. It was only a few days from Christmas Eve and Black Mask had something fairly... interesting, planned. She found it a bit unusual, but not to the point where the urge to question was strong. He told them that he was going to offer a bounty for the death of the Batman, with eight hired assassins battling over it. Out of all of the offers, only seven people took it and the search for one more was tedious.

Roman Sionis could be a patient man, but, as of late, that patience has been wearing thin. Becoming very impatient, he said he was willing to accept any suggestion for a replacement. This would be the opportunity of a lifetime for any brute wanting to make it to the big time.

It took her a while, but Linnea managed to nab her boyfriend's GCPD file from the office. Sionis only mentioned that he wanted proposals and it wouldn't be long before one popped up, so she did her best to hurry up to her boss' room.

Cautiously, she raised her closed fist to the door and knocked, hearing a relaxed yet short, "Come in!". As such, she took it as her cue to enter the room and opened the door, revealing the masked criminal mastermind himself. "Ah, what a pleasant surprise! Miss..."

"Reed, sir," Linn replied, advancing up to his desk, "Remember how ya wanted one more assassin for yer lil' bounty hunt? Well, I've the perfect candidate." She put the file onto the desk and slid it across to him. "He may not seem like much, but he's gettin' better."

"Hm..." The Black Mask leaned back in his fancy leather chair, feet on the table as he opened the manila folder and scanned its contents. "I'll look into it. Is there... anything else?"

"No, boss." Her body was tense and she was more than eager to leave the room. Something seemed off with her employer and she couldn't shake the bad feeling, like something was going to go wrong. It was easy to brush it off, though, and she turned around and walked out of the office. Before she could leave the threshold, he continued:

"Just remember, Miss Reed, that if this man performs poorly, there will be consequences."

She bit the inside of her lip, but nodded and gave another brief glance to the man in the chair. "Yes'sir, I know." Finally, she was able to leave the room.

"I don't think it took Joker too long to think about it; he got the envelope concerning the damn bounty on the night before Christmas Eve." Ginger sighed, the air feeling refreshing to her worked up lungs. "Man, he was pretty happy, to say the least, so I guess it ain't half bad... Actually, I dunno. Really don't."

The night before Christmas Eve, thugs of all types were making their ways through the alleyways of Gotham City. One in particular, dressed in old mobster attire, was approaching a man covered in electrical wiring. However, before he could get close enough to hand off the envelope, an electrical shock punch knocked him out.

As the brute bent down to pick up the papers, gentle footsteps echoed behind him. He quickly rose to his feet, ready to fight, but the sight he saw allowed him to relax. "You're back early, Linn."

A smirk graced her face as she walked up to him and stood by his side. "So, I see Black Mask chose ya after all." She gave him a devious smile and whispered in his ear, "Consider it an early Christmas present." Her lips went to his cheek, giving him a swift yet soft kiss on the cheek. "Maybe you'll get another one tomorrow night if the Bat's taken out. I gotta few lil'... surprises, up my sleeve."

She heard him chuckle as she pulled away from him. He wasn't much taller than her, but she still had to look up at him. "Don't worry, I'll take 'im out myself; it'll be a piece of cake." His hand grasped her chin, moving it so he could give her a lingering smooch on the lips. After a few moments, they pulled apart. "I got a surprise for you, too, sweet cheeks."

"Aw..." The smile she had been waiting for appearance as they began walking. "Yer too good to me, Lester."

"Who was your beloved?" Freeze couldn't help but ask, "It seems as if you and him had a good relationship."

"Lester Buchinsky," Ginger quietly replied, but he caught it, "The... former Electrocutioner. He wasn't much in the crime world, aside from a street fighter. I doubt you'd know him; he... died, around the same time you popped up. I dunno how I ever put up with his ego... but, I dunno." She shrugged. "I loved him, and sometimes you can put that shit aside, I guess."

Work was exhausting. Sionis had them patrolling just about every area he could think of, and it was taking a toll on her body. However, the motivation to see her sweetheart was overwhelming. This was why she was onboard The Final Offer. It took her a while, but she managed to get there fine.

It looked like the rumored Batman came through. Everywhere she looked, bodies laid on the ground, unconscious. As much as she wanted to worry about Lester, it seemed that the Bat only knocked out his opponents. Then again, she heard about what happened to Ricky "Loose Lips" LeBlanc only a good hour ago. Now that would make her sick.

The main steel doors to enter the ship were closed. She knew her way around - she had been there once or twice, for spying purposes. The way to the arena was a bit long, for her tastes, but that's where he told her he'd be, waiting for the Batman. One jail-like door, a thick as steel door, make her way through the flooded Deck 2, and up to the Boiler Deck.

He didn't look too bad, once she saw him leaning against the wall next to the door. If anything, she could tell his ego was shattered and there would be a lot of complaints tonight. It was one of his few downsides; he dealt with her's, so she dealt with his.

"Hey, babe." Linnea had opened the door and stood next to him, not blocking the doorway. "What happened? Did ya fight 'im?" She gave him a soft, almost sympathetic smile.

"He got lucky," Lester defended, angrily, "That was a cheap shot, the kick to the face. I mean, who the Hell does that anymore? I could've kicked his ass with one hand tied behind my back!"

"Hey, hey, hey." Her hand went up to his bicep, squeezing gently. "You probably did fine. If you don't get him, someone else will. Just go to the meeting with the others and we'll celebrate when you come back home."

Later, she learned from Ricky that Electrocutioner had been knocked unconscious with a simple kick to the face. Holding it over his head would only lead to an argument, so she stored it in the back of her mind. It made her giggle a bit to this day, though. He had always been one to put brawn over brain.

"The clown killed him." It was more of a statement than a question for Mr. Freeze. He was able to put the facts together: her grudge being the ultimate betrayal of her history.

"Yes." The answer was short and curt. Her face turned into one of anger, fist and jaw clenched. "I knew about the deception before he did, and I tried to warn him."

Running. From what? The insane new clown villain who had posed as Black Mask for the past month. When he revealed himself, he personally killed all of the henchmen who wouldn't work with him.

How did she get out of it? Well, she was pretty small, compared to the men, and sneaky. This "Joker" wouldn't mind losing one lowly henchman... or, woman, in her case. Now, she had to warn him. This new villain was very spontaneous and trigger-happy. She could only think of what would happen if he heard of Electrocutioner's horrid failure to kill the Bat.

Dodging through cops, hobos, and streets, she finally made it to the place she needed to be: Royal Hotel. That was where the assassins would be meeting up. For what? She had no idea, and she didn't want to find out. All she needed to do was warn him and leave.

The doors slammed open and she noted how the lobby was empty. He was already there. All she could do at this point was look for him and hope he was still alive...

It was also so sudden. The shattering glass, her boyfriend falling from the ceiling, the chandelier crashing, the brief flicker of electricity... This all seemed like it was in slow motion, if only to torture her.

He wasn't moving... Hell, he didn't even seem conscious. It just left her in shock... No screams, no tears. Her expression was stunned. She felt pale... Hell, she was pale.

The Batman came onto the scene a few moments later. He looked over at him, then her. Before he could make his way to her, seeing as she was still wearing her Black Mask thug attire, she spoke, quietly: "Is he dead?"

The question puzzled him, to say the least. Then, he remembered the reports of Electrocutioner working with a small time female thug. At this point, he assumed it was her. "Yes. You might want to leave-"

"Joker, I know." She nodded, solemnly. "I saw what he did; got away and tried to warn him... but..." Her eyes remained focused on the fallen man's corpse. "I didn't make it..."

While she talked, Batman took the chance to nab Electrocutioner's gloves. Linnea didn't seem to notice. "You need to get out of here. He's killed lots of innocent people already."

It felt like moments had passed by, but the Bat was gone, more people were gathering in the lobby, and the sounds of sirens seemed to wake her out of her stupor, sloppily making her getaway.

"Needless to say, ya can't blame yerself for everything." The sounds of explosives was gone by this point, which allowed her to relax. "Wish I could take my own advice, but it's true - things happen; shit happens, and, in the end, we return back to normal... eventually."

"Normalcy is not an option for me," Victor stated, "I will forever be confined to this heavy, refrigerated machinery. Nora and I will never be able to walk, hand-in-hand, on a warm, summer's day."

Ginger shrugged. Really, there wasn't much she could say that she hadn't already said. "... Freeze, like I said - try asking for help. Sometimes you need it." She pursed her lips before she continued on. "I'm sure Mister Wayne could vouch for you, perhaps." When he gave her a hostile look, she shrugged again, "Hey, I'm just suggesting."

Banging on the door roused them from the conversation as someone was trying to pry open the electronic mechanized door. As such, Ginger took this as her cue to leave and went to her "room", packing up the necessary materials before heading towards the back exit. However, she stopped in the doorway of the lab and said, "Freeze... I'll get ya money. Secret bank account... I can give ya the deets when I return back to Arkham... or wherever they're puttin' us this time." With that said, she slipped out the exit.

Hiding from the police on the roof of the old GCPD building, Ginger took her time to think of what became of her life. Electrocutioner's death wasn't the end of the stress - no, it was only the beginning. After that, it seemed to be piling on like no one's business.

Sorting through the items in their apartment, Linnea was taking what she needed, or what was her's, and planned on leaving the apartment abandoned. They always paid in cash, so no credit card information was revealed to track her.

Her hand grasped an item in a small bag under the weak Christmas tree they stole. All week, she had been feeling depressed, empty, and miserable. It would only be a while before she broke.

Taking out the content of the bag, she began to sob uncontrollably. In her hand was a white pregnancy test stick with a blue positive sign.

Linnea "Ginger" Reed: 5'10" female red-head with long, wavy hair in Arkham City. She originally worked for Black Mask, a year or so before Arkham Origins. She had also worked freelance with her boyfriend, Lester Buchinsky, a.k.a. Electrocutioner. Sweetheart ends up dead and, well... Leading up to Arkham City, she's worked with Penguin for a long while and advanced the ranks to a relatively high-standing. Excellent marksmanship skills.