Although there were only 48 hours until the Wayne event, I became excited for our scheme. The whole plan started to fit together as Rachel and I worked day and night. Neither of us had left Graceland since we started. We ordered Pizza, Chinese, and about any other kind of food we could get dropped off at the apartment, without having a distraction from our work. Everything seemed pretty organized by now, so I decided to take a walk. To reassure Rachel I would not get myself in trouble during my walk, I had to leave everything Enigma related back in Graceland.
Despite the fact very few people knew Emily, I still wore a Gotham Knight's baseball cap to hide my face. Rachel was right, I did not want to risk our work for catching some 'fresh' air, which was never really fresh when you live in a city like Gotham. With my luck I would run into Bruce or Commissioner Gordon. The nice part of taking a walk was the fact I could hear myself think.
A soft chuckle came from the distance, making me freeze. I heard nothing but the pattering of rain, when I paused. My imagination could be hell at times having startled me before with weird dreams and hearing things. Maybe the sanity I thought I had was slipping.
HAHAHAHA
A creaking sound of laughter echoed from behind me. Imagination or not, I broke out into a sprint. The chuckle sounded dark, twisted, chills surged through my spine. No doubt the Joker had found me. I slip in my run, the raindrops playing against me. In my stumble, the baseball cap is left behind.
Lightning flashed again, as I caught sight of green hair in the distance ahead of me. I spring back up to my feet, taking a turn down one of the numerous alleyways Gotham had. His laugh started to get closer as I find a large dumpster in my way. No way would I let the clown catch up to me, I jump up on a garbage, pulling myself up over it. Why was he after me? I had done nothing wrong, yet. Well, besides blowing up some his warehouses. My feet come to a halt as another roadblock stood in my way. A dead end, which I could not scale. I pause, looking down at my civilian clothes. How did Joker know it was me? ...or did he? Right now, I was dressed as Emily, which meant the Joker could not possible see me as Enigma unless the laugh did not belong to him.
"Miss me dearie?"
His taunting voice came from behind as I stared back at the dead end once more. Only one boy in the world could be confused for the Joker, the two faced devil himself, Jesse Kane. No way I would humiliate myself by running from a fool like him. He was never the one I feared.
"Kane." I speak in disgust as I spun around, acting more bothered by his appearance than anything.
His wicked smiled curled up along the sides of his face, outlined with a darker maroon tint. Personally I felt the red clashed with his shaggy green hair. "Well?" His eyes glimmered with a type of wickedness as he got closure. Jesse started to pace back and forth, circling me. "Dearie, I couldn't hear that loud mouth of yours, Miss me?" The voice he used kept a taunting tone like I were his prey. I knew him well enough to hear the anger in his mockery. Kane strutted toward me with confidence, a casual, yet hell of a lot of crazy lurking from within. My heart started to pound in my chest, warning me of the danger I put myself in. Why was he so angry with me? Kane held no right to be mad at me, considering he knew about Jason's death. He was the reason I happened to be locked away. In fact, it was Kane, who played a part at every turn, without giving me so much of as a warning. The worse thing he did was trick me. Kane had no right to be angry with me, but I, I had all the reasons to want him dead. Last time we met he called me weak. Weak because I could not finish what I should of. Jesse Kane should have died that night, not Jason.
"Kane, I see you haven't gotten over your Joker fan girling." I snarl, not wanting to back down to him. Oh, I bet he would be so pleased to know I thought the clown himself was the one chasing me. I proceeded to act as if I meant to run down a dead end alley. He took one step closer, creating a tension between the two of us as he lurked over me.
A shrilling laugh escaped his brightly colored lips, echoing off each of the walls until it faded. His lips lowered down into my ear with a harsh whisper. "Depends. Have you gotten over your Robin fangirling my little E?"
I glare straight back into eyes, which were full of crazy. He knew very well how angry his words would make me. I shove him back in annoyance, walking towards the dumpster behind him. Kane did not come straight after me, as he knew I would not run, or maybe he knew his speed was greater than mine. "My, my it must be hard to praise something that died so pathetically." Although loud, his tone of voice held a coldness about it.
His laughter added to my pain and anger. I stop, glaring at the ground. "At least Robin had balls to stand up for what he wanted."
I growl under my breath.
Without missing a beat Kane smirked, "You'd know that very well, wouldn't you?" He chuckled hard but his voice sounded more annoyed than amused as he made a mockery of what relationship I used to have. I went silent at his response. "I'm where I've always wanted to be, E." He paced around me, circling again. "Powerful, respected. I became what I've trained for, and, and as for you-"
"Respect?" I scoffed, shaking my head. He looked up slightly confused. "Is that what you call this? You're wearing more makeup than I do in a year and that's only including your left eye."
He rammed me up against the wall hard, I felt a cracking noise in my neck. I growl under my breath.
"Well-" He spoke lightly, giving a pause. "Aren't you the jokester?" Kane smirks right in front of my face, taunting me on as his hands had me pinned.
Out of strategy, I choose not to fight his pin. Obviously the smile on my face was fake as I replied calmly. "Well, One of us has to be the comic relief." He pauses, tilting his head. Oh, he was expecting a sadistic reply or rant from me. I knew that my response would catch him off guard. I kicked him backwards, but his instincts help him dodge the punch to his face.
Kane looked pissed as he fell on his ass. "Yeah, pretending to be dead for six months had us all laughing." A hint of emotion escaped his voice. I swear, for a second it sounded hurt.
"I imagined that." I spoke sarcastically, "too bad that wasn't my doing."
Jesse looked perplexed, tilting his head. He always made assumptions. Did he really think I died? Gordon may have believed that, which only proved how foolish the Commissioner was.
I smirk, my turn to know something he did not. "Guess you didn't hear. Got sent to death row for my 'part' of what happened to Robin." I crossed my arms, Kane calmed to the point where he did not immediately attack me back. He stood up, listening. "Bats assumed I had a part in killing Jason. Therefore he locked me up, in a place I didn't even know existed. They did mental therapy, drugs, childhood analysis, trama reports and in a couple weeks I would have been in the electric chair because I was only getting worse." As I spoke, I found myself getting more furious, hands gripping to fists as I explained what happened to me. My anger consumed me to the point where I did not take notice of the sympathy slipping through his crazed green eyes. The memories from R.E.D Row were not something I would like to recall any time soon. "Well." I stop my sentence abruptly, "No need to worry now." I spoke sarcastically, knowing Kane would never waste time worrying about me. He thought of me as a fool and a mark to please the Joker. Right now my 'people who want me dead' list is longer than most stay at home moms grocery lists so it wouldn't surprise me. I shake my head, "All you need to know is I'm alive, and back now, which means I'm taking my territories back."
He rolled his eyes, "Shocker going back to your daddy, You know he had a part in-"
"I never said that." I kept the emotion out of my voice. "I am not going back to that man."
This made his grin widen, he started to crack up laughing. "No...No way." His cheshire like smile taunted me, why was he finding this amusing. Have I said too much? "Oooo Oooo, The reason you're mad at me, your old man, and let me guess Joker as well...is...is-" He laughed insanely, unable to control himself. "That's what brought you over the edge!? The birdie!" Kane could hardly speak he was laughing so hard. I shoved him back. He did not understand. I loved Jason, Kane did not have most emotions besides amusement or anger. He would never understand.
"No..." I pause, knowing it was useless to lie to him. He knew my patterns. "yes...okay." I admit, Kane was at least respectable to let know why I would be the one to kill him. "Yes fine, you all had a part in killing the love of my life-"
Kane's rude interruption of a scoffing noise caught me off. "Please, what did you do with the real E?" His eyes rolled.
"What do you mean?"
He paused to see if I was serious before frowning, "Please, Girlie I've known you for years. Give me some credit. I know when you sound nothing like yourself."
In distraught I glare, he could not be serious. I did not change, if anything I am even more of a psychopathic genius as I was when we first started. "You're fucking joking." I reply.
"Please, I would never peg you for the E I knew." Jesse spoke with disgust, shaking his head. He was acting like I was some newbie to the criminal world, or even worse a civilian. Kane continued to defend his point, "Look at yourself, you are boy crazy and don't give a damn about your old man. I would never peg you for the E I knew."
I thought about it a second, before shaking my head. Only one response came to mind, "She died with the boy wonder."
That was the last thing Kane wanted to hear, watching how cold, how serious I became as I said that.
"and what now." He forced himself to ask. I knew better then to consider his response a question, no it was the edge.
The next few minutes were the calm before the storm. I don't know what made me explain myself to him as I started to tell him my plans. I wasn't stupid. What I said was not the full scheme, only parts of it. Maybe I knew why I said what I did. Deep inside a part of me wanted to prove to him I was still dangerous, that I had not changed. The words gracefully slipped from my lips as I spoke about the event. Kane kept a blank expression on his face until I finished.
"No way." He broke out into laughter, clutching his stomach. Did he find my plan funny? I meant what I said. Soon Kane realized this, which made him pause, confused. "You're Serious?" I nod. His gaze shifted to look ticked off about my plan. I figured he was upset I did not include him. "Some plan, Your gonna get yourself killed."
Jesse stared back at me, trying to understand what was going through my mind. He noticed that I didn't look concern, which only made him more upset.
"Your suicidal." He says slowly and in a more quiet tone.
"What? You don't think I can do it?" I avoided his question and he knew it. Why do I feel like everyone's judging me? First Rose, now Kane. Who cares if I am suicidal? Maybe, I have just had enough with Gotham and the insanity it brings. Jesse was the last person to go judging, considering how much danger he is involved with. Jesse Kane, the boy who left his normal, wealthy, family to join the joker and pursue a life of a criminal. How dare he judge me. Unlike him, I never choose this life.
"You want to know what I think?" He takes a step closer, sounding annoyed. "Let's just say now...Now, I think you should go back to being your old man's lapdog."
I growl, "You hypercritical little-"
Kane cuts me off, his green eyes locking with mine. "And you're just a spoiled brat, who is too smart to for her own good." He paused for a split second, getting in my face. "Or, did Jason destroy that too? Hmmm? Did he take away your ability to think when he destroyed your self respect, your pride, stripping all the fun out of you-"
In anger, I slapped him across the face. No one ever dared to speak to me in that way. The slap stung, but to Kane it meant so much more. My response pushed him off the very thin ledge of sanity we both stood on. A twisted look shot through his eyes as he shoved me backwards. In seconds we were brawling with one another. He pulled out a knife, I pulled a razor blade. We clashed hard, both frustrated for each other.
His knife skims my cheek, cutting it along with a curl from my hair. Countering his attack I jab the razor blade towards his abdomen, ripping his shirt. He smirks, knocking the blade out of my hand with a swipe of his knife.
My razor blade fell onto the floor before him. He smirked, assuming he had me beat. "Always too cocky." I mutter, dodging his knife strike once more. He dared think my intellect was a rogue, I would show him. My father taught me to always be prepared, which is why I suspected Kane would seek me out at sometime. I had my secret weapon hidden inside my boot, incase this went south.
"Says the queen of ego" Jesse Kane rolled his eyes. As he charged forward, for what I would assume to make his final move, which would be to pin me down. Time to catch him off guard, I thought as I reached down for my boot. My plan was to draw my pistol on him. A single bullet right to the center of his head for what he did to Jason, but to my surprise he was ready. He threw his knife in the air. Therefore, as I dodged the blade coming for my head, he took advantage snagging the pistol out of my boot. No! How did he know? The situation became worse, when I felt the warehouse wall to my back. A psychotic Kane cornered me, out smarted me, how? To be honest I knew this confrontation would end with either me or him dead, however, I thought it would be me who stepped over his body in the end.
I shut my eyes, waiting for death. His cold breath felt close to my neck as the words, "Say it" , whispered in my ear. His tone of voice sounded almost playful, like one that completely ignored how dark we both were only a few seconds ago.
"Say what?" I sound confused before understanding what he meant. No, I lost. I die, that's how today would work. My eyes open, staring back into his as I shake my head no. "Pull it, do it...pull the trigger."
His knife laid on the ground beside me, yet there was no way to reach it. "And I thought I was the crazy one." Kane smirks, disabling the safety of the gun. He laughs, "Come on Baby Riddles. All you have to do is say it, and your life will be spared. You know the words." He misunderstand, I didn't care that I've lost because I'm done playing.
My emerald eyes met his with the look of is to say I could beat the Batman, or the Joker, when I could not even kill Jesse. I would rather Kane end my life, than either of those idiots. "No, you won. It's over. I have nothing left to fight for, so good ahead. Pull the trigger."
His eyes widen, realizing the game was in fact over for me. His gun wavered a bit, "Em stop with this bullshit. He was a boy, there's plenty of them in the world." Kane snarls, back to sounding pissed. "Not to mention, you guys weren't even dating that long. What happened to the E I knew? The one who preached the false illusion of love, and didn't fight for anyone but herself."
Silence.
How could I respond to him, when I didn't even know the answer to his question. Instead of facing him, I look down, waiting for his gun to fire.
"That's what I thought." Kane lowers the gun, taking a step back. He turns to leave.
What was I not good enough to be killed by him? A part of me was pissed he never pulled the trigger. I sigh, about to go on my own way when my eyes catch sight of his knife. Quickly, I glance upwards to double check his back was still to me. Fool, there is a reason why you never turn your back to your opponent. I bend down to pick up the knife, keeping it in the palm of my hand. Deep inside, I knew only one of us would leave alive. In one motion, I jumped up on his back, throwing him down with the force of my legs. A confused Kane frowned, trying to shove me off of him.
"What the hell E?" He pushes me away, only for me to shove him back to the ground. How dare he? Did he really think he could leave, just walk away after humiliating me?
"I should have killed you when I had the chance.." I say out of hate and spit. Everything came back to me, like how he was the crucial part in killing Jason. A new reason formed on why he would be better to me dead. Now a days he had a direct connections to the clown, meaning a dead Kane would affect the Joker badly. His death would fit perfectly into my plan for revenge. I slide the knife up his neck, as I told myself why his death was a good thing.
Once I got out of my head, I looked down at Kane. I respected him enough that I would look him in the eyes when I cut his throat. Something felt odd about the boy who laid under my knife. Unlike the Jesse Kane I knew, this one did not fight back or even smile. For once, the dark clown prince did not act like he was having fun. What scared me the most was his eyes. Instead of the common factor of insanity boiling in them, or even anger, they almost looked at me with the emotion of concern. I never saw that in him before. He sighs, noticing how long my knife rested against his neck. "Go on and do it. If you're going to kill me Em, just make it fast."
Without much hesitation, I press the knife against his neck roughly. Blood started to drip from the cut as it sliced deeper into his throat. No mercy I showed, cutting slowly. A stunned Kane noticed the pain and the blood that followed. He seemed startled for a second, in awe that I would actually kill him. Then, in a matter of seconds, I found myself thrown off of him. The knife flew out of my hand as I fell on my back. The situation changed all to quickly as he pinned me down. The weight of his body too much for me to stand or fight. For now all I could hear was the pounding sound of his heart. I watch the blood, dripping down his neck. Once again Jesse fell into a position, where he could easily kill me. I had no weapon, no way out, and Kane knew he had full domination over the situation. His knife, which he slipped out of his sleeve, kept me in place. Surely, now he would kill me. I brace myself for the knife as he lifted it above my throat. One final strike, I imagine would plunge down on my throat. He would not make the mistake I did by trying to bring death slowly. I laid on the ground, ready to encounter death when something rather unusual happened. Jesse Kane shook his head, throwing the knife was thrown away. His actions were followed by a sad sounding laugh of disbelief. I watch as the knife hit the wall with such a force to it, that the blade snapped in two.
"Ha." He sighed, shaking his head as he moved off of me. "You really don't get it, do you Emily?" I stare at him, confused, never before had he used my real name. Jesse's hand softly touched his bleeding neck, wincing in pain from the wound. His eyes fell down to his hand, gazing at his blood. "Of course you don't." He looked away for a second, before helping me to my feet with his clean hand. "You're the smartest girl in the world, who can solve equations and challenging word problems in a blink of the eye, but your not trained to see what's in front of you." I had never heard him sound like this before. His voice seemed annoyed in a way that did not sound threatening or angry, just disappointed.
In my head I tried to give my best guess to what brought on this unusual attitude from Jesse. All I could come up with was Kane happened to be so shocked from almost dying, the shock created confusion, which prevented him from killing me. It may seem far fetched, yet nothing else made sense.
Kane noticed I still had not a clue to what he was talking about and cracked a small, tired smile. "Good luck with your scheme E." Without another word the green haired jester moved swiftly, flipping up the fire escape. I watched as his silhouette faded out into the darkness with the strange feeling coming over me like I missed something.
