(A/N: I had the hardest time deciding on how to end this chapter… I really wanted to get Jason in here, but I finally decided against it! *hides from angry fans* Sorry! I promise the next chapter will be up soon, like tomorrow or in two days~ THEN you will get your fill of Jason, I promise. Now, enjoy as the drama builds ;P~)
5 Years Later…
I was on the rooftops, right where I belonged. It was where I was almost every night, and it's where I'd still be many nights to come.
All of the criminals in Hinder knew my name. I was something to be feared, a curse to swear, I was their destruction.
The civilians knew me, too. I was something to respect, a protector by night, a silent guardian of those who were innocent…
I was the Fox…
Right now, I was on my patrol… though, I was more or less "staking out" and watching for information on something I knew was going down semi-behind my back… (Isn't that what staking out is?).
Drug deals; they were everywhere, but this one in particular was huge and involved the biggest gang/cult in the criminal world of Hinder… This gang was run by none other than Maroon (who got his name due to the dark red scar that split his face into two sections) (yes, it's healed, his face is not actually like IN TWO PIECES, but it looks like it).
So, Maroon was the dealer… and I knew what the drugs they were handing out were, but I still wasn't quite sure to whom they were going… and that's why I was here right now, to try and figure that out.
I watched silently, my tail occasionally swishing back and forth, as some hit men loaded up a rather large truck with crates and crates of the drugs, pills and such. So far I'd seen them load up; laughing pills, knock out pills… and several other miscellaneous items that would dye your skin, mess with your health, brain and stuff like that…
All of this sounded too familiar, and my hopes were rising with the thoughts of whom it could be that they were dealing to… I tried to keep them down though, because you couldn't always be sure (and I was NOT sure yet).
I saw one of the higher ranking hit men start talking to the driver and I instantly got to work. I turned on the camera in the eye holes' lenses of my cowl and zoomed in on the two. Then, I used my heightened hearing skills to listen to what they were saying…
"… is heading out at six tomorrow morning, going straight to Gotham," the hit man was saying to the other man. "You need to head out at three, though, so you can get there when we do, got it?"
The driver nodded and so did the hit man.
"Good, now, when they're done, get out of here and be ready in a few hours to leave," he finished up, and then the driver headed over to help the other men load up.
They were headed to Gotham… which meant I'D be headed to Gotham… I couldn't believe it; I hadn't been there in so long… I'd avoided the place like it was a plague for years… and yet, I was dying to go there.
They had to be taking a train, I didn't know what else would make it there around the same time the truck would… Gotham City was about a six hour drive away from Hinder and only three by a non-stop train… so they couldn't really be doing anything else…
I instantly pulled up my computer in my cowl and searched for trains that were non-stop to Gotham tomorrow… There was only two from Hinder leaving tomorrow… one was around four in the evening and one… was at six.
I quickly went and booked me a ticket; luckily there was some seats still open. Then, I hacked into the sight and tried to find out what seats THEY (as in Maroon and his men, he may not do the usual dirty work, but he was always there when a deal dropped).
They would be using an alias like I did… I knew Maroon very well though; I knew what to look for when it came to aliases…
"No… no… no…" I breathed quietly as I scrolled through the list. Then, I found it.
He'd booked under one of his more used names this time (Michael Redburn), with his two men feigning as one relative and a bodyguard (so one could carry a gun).
They were only a cart in front of me… I quickly moved my ticket around so I was in the same one as they (while also bumping someone else back, I didn't feel too bad for them, though, if they knew they were in the same cart as a killer they'd THANK me for the switch).
Just then, I heard the sliding of a large metal door as it closed with a bang. I turned off the computer mode so I could see and watched as the men headed away from the truck. The driver headed around to the front and climbed in… Then, he started it up and left…
The hit men slowly headed back into the building, also shutting a large, metal door behind them…
Once they were all gone, I stood up and walked away. My work here was done, and now I needed some rest so I could get up early tomorrow and catch the train.
Gotham here I come.
…. …. …. …. ….
I woke-up bright an early at five o'clock. I already had my bag packed with everything I'd need: clothes, necessities, laptop, and my gear hidden in a special x-ray and airport security proof bag that I'd made myself. If they saw it it'd give away my identity.
I showered and dressed, deciding to sport some jeans, an Aeropostale shirt, a blue jacket and some shades today. Then, I messed with my hair and quickly packed a purse before I headed out the door, just making the 5:30 bus that headed to the train station.
When I got there, I quickly got into the line to check my baggage. Then, I found my train and headed on it, taking my seat in the cart I'd gotten "assigned" to.
I looked around and took in my surroundings. A few other people were in the cart with me already. It was only quarter 'til so not everyone was on yet…
The three men I was looking for weren't on yet, though.
I waited for a while, staring out the window and looking up every time I heard someone enter the area… It wasn't them yet…
Outside my glass I noticed a man yelling at one of the workers on the train. I peeped into his thoughts and realized he was the victim of my seat switch. I smiled to myself, snickering a bit also as I watched.
Just then, I heard another person enter the cart (a few actually). My head snapped up and I watched as three men went over and sat near each other, two across from the other…
It was them, I could feel it… but I hadn't seen their faces yet so I couldn't be sure.
The man seated across from the other two turned to look around and that's when I saw it; the scar… It WAS him…
Maroon met my gaze (though he didn't know it due to my shades) and I simply kept moving my head as if to be looking around. Then, I slipped my iPod out of my purse and put in the headphones, fiddling with the device so as to appear to be turning on some music… Instead, I focused my hearing on what the three men were saying.
"Three hours… just three more hours until we get there… Then, we set up and get ready for him. The deal is going down tonight," Maroon told him men. They nodded.
"Now, look, if anyone gets suspicious of us and they try to stop the train, you grab someone and put a gun to their head," he instructed sternly. "Just tell them the person dies if we don't get to Gotham on time."
"Won't they try and call the cops on us?" one of the men asked. Maroon simply shook his head, though I heard from his thoughts that he was a bit annoyed by the question, making him roll his eyes.
"No, they won't, because if they do we kill the person, it's simple," he told them.
Just then the conductor announced a last call to board, and after a minute the doors closed. The train ride was beginning.
As our steel engine slowly began to move, a Ticket Checker began to come around, asking for out tickets (of course).
The man went through a punched everyone's ticket and did nothing different whenever he punched Maroon and his mens' tickets also… though he did do a sort of double take when he saw Maroon's scar, but a quick scowl from Maroon kept him going. He then came over to me and punched my ticket before continuing on…
For most of the ride, there were no incidents. No one tried to challenge Maroon or his men, nor did they get disturbed by them (at least, not enough to say something about it). I still listened as they spoke to each other occasionally… but otherwise they were inconspicuous, acting like normal passengers on a train.
The three hours went by rather quickly and soon the conductor was announcing our stop in Gotham City and our arrival time. The train gradually began to slow down… As it did, I looked out my window at the familiar scenery coming towards us…
The skyscrapers, the slums, the Wayne buildings… all of it was just so… soothing, like coming back to home after a long vacation, which is basically what I was doing…
So long… I hadn't been here in so long…
I winced when a sharp memory came back to me at the sight of something memorable; it was the substation near-by in the suburbs…
I was only seven… Bruce had taken the day off to spend some time with just me on THE DAY (of my parents' death)… to get my mind off of it.
We were in downtown Gotham. He'd taken me where ever I'd wanted to go so far… and my next choice of destination was where I'd grown up at for the first two years of my life. I wanted to see the house I'd been originally intended to live in. After some pleading, Bruce finally agreed, but he said it'd be quickest if we took the subway… so I agreed.
We headed down to the terminal and I began to freak out a bit, I'd never been on a subway before.
"You'll be fine; we've rode trains before, right?" Bruce reminded me softly. I nodded, biting my lips in my sudden fear.
Bruce squatted down to my level, placing his hands on my shoulder. "On those trains, we rode through tunnels sometimes, right?" he continued on. I nodded again.
"Well, just imagine a subway and its station like a train in a tunnel," he told me with a slight smile on his face."Do you think you can do that?"
"Yeah…" I whispered softly.
Just then, the subway showed up and the doors opened. Bruce waited a bit as people came out, but then he took my hand and we got on.
The whole ride I held onto a pole while watching the walls and lights flash by. We even passed by another subway going the opposite direction.
By the end of the trip, I was smiling and bouncing up and down.
"Can we go back on a subway Bruce?" I begged him as we got out.
Bruce laughed. "Sure we can Kristi, it's your day."
I shook my head, pulling myself out of the memory. His laugh had seemed so clear, so real… A tear fell down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. I missed him so much…
I shook my head once more, this time clearing my thoughts. I had to stay focused so I could keep an eye on my targets…
Just then, the train pulled to a complete stop. The conductor announced we were here and we were free to leave. Then, he thanked us for choosing their train system…
I stood up and grabbed my bag from overhead and then slowly made my way out into the isle and shuffled out of the train behind Maroon and his two men.
Once we were out, I weaved through the crowd skillfully, keeping a close eye on Maroon. I was practically stalking him, but he hadn't noticed yet.
As we got out of the station, I noticed a dark car waiting. Maroon and his men headed for it and I sped up, slipping a tracker out of my pocket as I did. I accidentally bumped into the trunk of their SUV and stuck in on there under the handle.
"Hey, watch it!" One of Maroon's men growled.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized quickly, but as I turned back around I rolled my eyes before calling a taxi. I needed to go to my hotel now so I could use my laptop and find out where he was heading.
The first cab that passed me quickly stopped when I waved it down. I smiled to myself before opening the back door of it and sliding inside.
"Where to?" the driver asked as I shut the door behind me.
"The Marriott Hotel, 1300 South Path," I told him and he slowly started moving.
"You're not new to Gotham City, are you?" he guessed as we began to merge into the early morning traffic.
I shook my head. "I used to live here," I told him honestly.
"Ah, no wonder you knew the street name, because see, as you well know, there are two Marriott Hotels in Gotham so I always ask for the street name when tourists come and they never know it…" he explained and I just nodded and smiled a bit.
We drove slowly along for a while… but after a few minutes the driver spoke again.
"Just curious, but how long has it been since you left?"
"Five years," I replied simply, as if there was nothing odd about my absence (he didn't know that there was but there sort of WAS).
"And you came back… why? Not to be rude, but I've been trying to get out of here forever, but I just can't for some reason! This place is such a scum filled DUMP!" he exclaimed, and I knew what he meant. Gotham was filled with more insane psychos than I'd ever seen in one city alone.
I merely shrugged, though, as he finally pulled up to the hotel. I paid him, grabbed my bag, and then answered his question.
"THAT is a matter of opinion," I pointed out with a slight grin. Then, I got out of the vehicle and headed inside without another word.
(A/N: So… How did I do? You guys like? If so, *or if not and you want to tell me why* PLEASE REVIEW! ALL of them count and mean a lot to me~~ So just DO IT~ SWOOSH!)