Chapter 9: Cold Cold Heart
"Bane"
Mina breathed, unable to stop herself from taking a step forwards as she stared at the unconscious supervillain laying on the slab.
"Incredible isn't he?" Doctor Young smirked "One of the world's heaviest substance addicts. Too bad he turned to a life of crime. He could've done good with his gift. Oh well…at least he can do some good now. Or at least the venom will"
"Venom?" Mina stared at Doctor Young with wide eyes. "A-as in the-"
"Super steroid. Yes." Young nodded her smirk widening. "It's the only substance that will be able to effectively bind with the formula we are producing with the Titan plants. But seeing as it is illegal for the Asylum to order in Venom from overseas, we had to make other arrangements to acquire it off the books. And as Bane is one of the few people in the world to have a high tolerance for the drug, he is logically the perfect test subject for the prototype formula. We really have killed two birds with one stone."
Yeah…and we're the two birds.
Mina hissed in her head, though on the outside she just nodded quietly.
"Ah…I see. So what do we do now?"
"Now we keep him sedated and secure until the machine can begin draining him of the venom" Doctor Young's smirk fell a little as she shifted uncomfortably. "he's already been given a high dose of extremely potent tranquilizer but still…keep your guard up. Until he's had at least ten per cent of the Venom drained he might still be strong enough to break free of the cuffs"
"Alright."
And we call the inmates insane…
Mina rolled her eyes as she made to prep a syringe of strong sedatives on a nearby table
this woman just is fucking nuts if she thinks she can keep this brute in for more than a day.
She felt her pocket buzz and jumped. But it was only her cellphone. She quickly checked it and felt her heart sink as a text message from a blocked number showed up.
Iceberg Lounge, Christmas Eve, nine o' clock evening, reservation under John Haywood. Don't be late - Ghost
"What is that?" Doctor Young snapped sharply and Mina tucked the phone quickly into her pocket.
"Nothing" she smiled innocently "A guy just asked me out for drinks tomorrow evening"
"Oh…a guy huh?" Doctor Young's eyes narrowed, all previous tenseness suddenly replaced by shrewdness "Someone from Arkham or-"
"No" Mina shook her head quickly "Just some guy I met at a bar last weekend"
"oh good" Doctor Young sighed with relief "because I should warn you, Doctor Whistler is not keen on Arkham staff fraternizing with each other outside of work. Says it interferes too much with their duties and is potentially dangerous"
"Oh yeah how so?" Mina asked politely though she could already guess the answer even as Young shook her head.
"Giving out too much information about our personal lives can be a liability. If one of the inmates holds a grudge against us they can use that knowledge to hurt us, by remaining distant we can protect not just ourselves but others we care about..."
There was a pause as Doctor Young bristled uncomfortably in her spot.
Mina knew exactly why her boss looked so disturbed. She'd seen some of the transcripts of the Riddler's older patient interview tapes whilst filing the other day. Needless to say, the probing questions of the riddling narcissist still freaked Doctor Young out till this day.
A good reminder
A small voice at the back of Mina's head sneered.
You can never let your guard down in this madhouse.
And speaking of guard…
She turned her head as a soft grunting sounded from behind her.
"Where…where am I?"
"Shit! Oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit!" Doctor Young swore as she checked Bane's vitals which were beginning to spike as he began to stir. "Quick sedate him! He's still not ready to be woken!"
As quick as thinking Mina swept up her full syringe and smoothly slid it into the vein along the inside of the supervillain's outstretched elbow.
There was a tense silence as both doctor and assistant watched the contents of the syringe empty out slowly into the big brute's system.
As she waited, Mina was horribly aware that a pair of dark brown eyes were fixed on her face…and not in a friendly way.
"Who-who are you? What…what are you doing to me?" Bane slurred, his Spanish accent even thicker in his tranquilized state.
Swallowing down her nerves, Mina forced a gentle soothing smile before reaching out and oh-so-tenderly stroking his face.
"Don't move" she whispered in that gentle voice mothers use on tired children "You were hurt pretty badly. You need to rest-"
"But I-I-" Bane tried to struggle but Mina hushed him softly.
"Shh…it's alright. Just shut your eyes and sleep…just sleep and dream…"
And before the supervillain could say another word, his eyes slid shut and his body went slack.
And he knew nothing more.
Christmas Eve…
"Mina! Mina it's eight o' clock already"
"Okay" Mina called back as she stepped out of the shower of her parent's apartment.
It was a much larger, and much nicer, apartment than she currently owned in downtown Gotham. And most importantly it felt more like a home.
Mina sighed contentedly as she scrubbed the towel through her damp hair which now smelled faintly of roses and vanilla.
Just like the middle aged woman who came shuffling in holding something red in her arms. She was a mousy woman with dark hair and dark eyes, small and very thin with her bald head wrapped in a nice red and green Christmas themed silk headscarf, and tough she moved timidly through the room, it was clear enough to see that she was almost bursting with excitement.
Mina smiled at the woman who smiled back warmly as she neatly laid out the dress on her daughter's old bed.
"Thanks mom. Sorry I'm not going to be here tonight but-"
"Oh don't give me that Minny" Emilia Poole waved her off as she made to flatten out any creases in the red material. "You've always spent every holiday with us old fuddy-duddy's without fail. Plus after all the horrible things that have happened to you at that horrible asylum, it's high time you got out there and enjoyed yourself. But I just have one-"
"John Haywood." Mina snorted before her mother could even finish "the guy I'm meeting is called John Haywood."
To anyone who didn't know Mina well they would've been mortally offended by her bluntness. But Emilia Poole on the other hand was so used to her daughter's brisk attitude it that she ignored the tones and excitedly tittered.
"Ooh, and what's he like? Is he good looking? Is he nice? What does he do for a living? I mean sure he's got to be pretty well off if he can afford to meet you at the Iceberg Lounge-"
"He's a security guard for some high-class socialite. I forget which one" Mina shrugged vaguely doing her best to ignore the widening smile creeping up her mother's face. "I met him whilst walking back from work the other day. He helped push off a few thugs that were trying to have a go at me. As for looks…I guess he fits into the strong, dark and mysterious category"
"You guess?" Emilia frowned and Mina quickly coughed.
"Yeah well it's kinda hard to say if he looks good or not. He has a tendency to hide his face with-"
"Facial hair?" Emilia's face split into a wide fond smile. "Yes Bobby was a lot like that when we first met."
"What? You mean back when you and dad were students?"
"Yeah" Emilia's eyes turned misty and dreamy. "He was really struggling to get a job. Couldn't even afford a decent razor to shave so he had a beard for a very long time. It was only after he started working at the hospital that he could shave it off."
"Man what I'd pay to see that" Mina chuckled softly only to jump as her phone suddenly pinged with a message.
"Oh hurry up now it's almost time for your taxi. And you've still got to do your hair and make-up"
"Okay mom, okay" Mina rolled her eyes, only to blush as her mother suddenly swooped in from the side and hugged her close.
"Mom-"
"Oh hush" Emilia chuckled "It's Christmas and you owe me"
So many favors I owe people nowadays…
A dark little voice hissed even as Mina made to lean into her mother's touch.
This is going to be one heck of a Christmas…
The alarms were blaring, the lights were flashing and still the strong form of the Dark Knight could not be stopped as he all but stormed his way towards the door of a cell.
It was wide open, the padded room beyond empty and devoid of life. Meanwhile outside, a bruised and battered guard was stirring.
Without even pausing to wait Batman crouched before the man who cried out in alarm, only to sigh in relief.
"Batman…oh Batman thank goodness- He –I couldn't stop him-he just-and she-"
"Calm down. What's the first thing you remember?" Batman growled his voice dark but measured so as not to distress the frightened man any further.
"What-what happened? I-I don't know- no wait! H-He-He-the J-Joker" the poor man spluttered gulping to take huge soothing breaths as he sat up straight "That's right the Joker, h-he was singing-he was singing loudly in his cell. I wouldn't have gone near him normally but the other inmates were complaining so-so I asked him to just lower the volume some"
"What happened then?" Batman's teeth clenched uncomfortably as he made to pull the shaken guard to his feet.
"The Joker-he-he just stopped laughing." The guard shuddered "Y'see we know Joker's a wildcard but he normally just laughs us off whenever we try to tell him to do something. But this time was different. He went completely dead silent after I spoke. Went quiet for about I don't know five minutes. It was freaky. I went to go check up on him but then something hit me hard at the back of the head, something big like-"
"Harley Quinn's baseball bat?" Batman's jaw hardened as he muttered, more to himself than the guard "So she's escaped Arkham too. Joker obviously has something big planned or he wouldn't be dragging his hired help along for the ride"
He turned back to the guard who was shaking his head out trying to clear it.
"And Joker wasn't behaving off before he sang?"
"N-no" the guard frowned. "He was perfectly okay-o-or at least as okay as well as anyone like he could be. Actually he has been behaving rather well for the past few days, save for the constant singing-"
"Singing? What kind of singing?" the Dark Knight clipped sharply, the lenses of his cowl now just slits of white that made the poor guard shudder even more.
"Just these really old songs. Always a different one every day, but they all seem to be about some 'Darling' of his."
"Darling?" Batman frowned and the guard nodded vigerously.
"Y-yeah like Darling Clementine…uh…and Merry Christmas Darling I-I think. I mean I'm no musician but-Hey! Where are you going?"
But Batman was already striding back the way he had come down the corridor his face set in a scathing glower.
It was so ferocious that even Aaron Cash jumped back as he passed him by.
"Batman there you are-what-?"
"You should get that man a medic then call up Commissioner Gordon" Batman steamrolled firmly over Cash "Joker and Harley Quinn have both escaped tonight. By now they might already be back in Gotham City. We need to secure the island before more prisoner's escape"
"Fuck! Those bastard clowns" Cash cursed venomously his hook hand shaking as he leaned against the wall "How the hell did they get out so quietly? Harley at least would never leave without causing a scene-"
"She's only staying quiet because she's following the Joker's lead" Batman barked "he's up to something, something big but he doesn't want anyone else to follow his tracks till he's ready to reveal his plans."
"And these plans are?" Cash quirked an eyebrow to the vigilante who bristled uncomfortably where he stood.
"…I don't know" he finally murmured after a moment of silence "But I think I know where I might find him next…"
And I'll have to hurry if I'm to make it on time.
He thought quietly as he strode away from Cash, his dark cape billowing about him.
"Alfred" He muttered into his comm link "I need a location on Mina Poole, right now. It's an emergency-"
"Master Tim and I have already located her sir. She seems to be spending the holidays at her adoptive family's apartment in the Kingston District on Miagani Island. I'm sending the address right now"
"Good. I'll make my way over as quickly as possible. Keep me informed of any updates from the GCPD."
"Will do" Tim Drake's younger voice called from the other end of the comm link "But before that just what the hell is going on? Why is Joker suddenly feeling the call to action now after all these months? And why Mina Poole?"
"I don't know" Batman growled, doing his best and failing to ignore the heat of anger bubbling in his chest. "But I have a very bad feeling we're going to find out soon."
The Iceberg Lounge
One of Gotham's most luxurious and most expensive nightclubs.
With fine dining, best music and the most exclusive clientele, it was certainly NOT a place Mina Poole frequented often.
And yet here she was on Christmas Eve facing down a very timid looking usher sandwiched between very burly pair of bouncers. All three of them were wearing black penguin suits and all three of them looked almightily uncomfortable under her piercing stare.
"I'm meeting someone who has a reservation. His name is John Haywood"
"Haywood…" the usher gulped as he checked his VIP guest list. "Y-yes he's here…I'll um…get Jay to show you in. Jay!"
A very attractive woman with short dark hair and wearing a tiny black dress, with a matching bow tie around her throat, stalked forwards.
"Yes Mister Sparrow?" she droned in a mechanical bored fashion.
"Jay, if you wouldn't mind escourting this young lady to Mister Haywood's table." The small usher, Mister Sparrow (a fitting name Mina couldn't help but note) tittered.
"Of course. Right this way miss" the woman, Jay turned her back briskly on Mina who couldn't help but smirk at the long queue of patrons still waiting on the other side of the rope.
Many people, mainly women, glared at her as she was ushered in first, some of them even complaining about line-cutting.
But Mina didn't care.
She was too busy examining the giant Iceberg in the middle of the room.
She had to hand it to the Penguin. For a criminal he sure had style.
Her first impression of the Iceberg Lounge was that it strongly reminded her of the posh old fashioned hotel she'd seen in Hello Dolly, except that this lounge had a large iceberg floating in the large pool in the centre on which a very slick jazz band accompanied a beautiful woman as she sang rather smooth and sexy renditions of popular Christmas tunes. The sound was loud enough to travel to the top this iceberg where a platform raised high above.
No doubt the boss sits up there
She grunted as she caught a glimpse of a few figures standing on the platform, one of them distinctly shorter than all the others.
"this way please" Jay's drone cut through her head sharply, and quickly she made to follow the woman towards one of the private VIP tables which was separated from the main diner's by a set of rich red curtains.
As soon as she'd stepped into the space, Jay wasted no time in taking her coat and sliding the curtains behind her shut before Mina could even thank her.
"pff! Wow…that girl really loves her job huh?" she snorted to herself, only to jump as a familiar scrambled voice snorted softly.
"So do you I hear"
She turned quickly to look at the table.
There standing on one side of the circular table hands in his pockets, was a tall figure dressed in a sharp black suit, with a red waistcoat and wearing a white skull mask over his face.
He was strongly built, but not overly so, Mina noted as she cautiously stepped towards him, eyes drifting to the top of his head. However instead of seeing a head of hair, she was sorely disappointed to see a black cap of a body suit.
"Enjoying the view" Ghost smirked behind the mask.
"Are you?" Mina raised her eyebrows.
There was a pause as Ghost's eyes drifted over her form up and down.
Not that anyone could blame him. She was wearing a very tight, very short wine red halter necked dress, with black stilettos and a plunging neckline. Her white blonde hair hung loose in vintage styled waves over her back, and her lips were painted a very inviting deep rich red, which turned into a thin line as her gaze hardened on her observer.
"Hmm…pity this is just business" Ghost muttered, almost it seemed to himself.
"For you yes" Mina's lips quirked upwards ever so slightly and he bristled uncomfortably.
"We're wasting time" he clipped stiffly gesturing to a seat opposite him.
Mina took it graciously as a waiter strode in to serve a glass of red wine into her hand.
As soon as the man was gone the Ghost forwards in his chair.
"So…the Joker-"
"Is staying quiet" Mina cut through sharply. "He's being kept under constant supervision in his cell in the Intensive Treatment Building."
"Any reason why?"
"According to Doctor Crane he attacked a guard for interrupting his make out session with Harley Quinn in the Rec Room"
"You talked to the other Rogues?" Ghost grunted
"Only Riddler and Scarecrow." Mina smiled oh-so-charmingly "And even then Edward couldn't wait to boast about being all the excitement. It took me forever to shut him up about it during our session."
"Edward huh? I'd never have pegged you to be the Riddler's kinda girl" Ghost grunted, but Mina could almost hear the suppressed venom in his tones, venom which only seemed to grow as Mina haughtily scoffed.
"Oh please, narcissists are so not my type."
"And Crane-"
"Too old, too skinny, too high a voice and too obsessed with his experiments. Though I will admit I've probably learned more of psychology from him then I ever did in class or with either of my bosses" Mina smirked as she sipped at her wine. "And speaking of bosses, are you working for someone or self-employed?"
"That's none of your concern" Ghost growled, and Mina was sure he was almost at breaking point "What matters now is that you work for me and that means you give me all the information you have-"
"And I don't have much right now" Mina snapped waspishly. "I don't get to see much of Joker and Doctor Young is doing everything in her power to keep me away from him. She seems to think that because I'm young and naïve that I'll fall into his lap like that dimbo Quinn of his. I have to work with what I can get and what I can get right now is only accounts from other people, and even then it's dangerous to ask too many questions, what with that bastard Batman coming in every day-"
"Batman? He's at Arkham?" Ghost muttered as he silently fingered an entrée knife on the table.
"Yeah" Mina sighed heavily a scowl gracing her features as she remembered the big black caped crusader's growling face "He's been coming in frequently for a few days, checking on the security on all the top level patients, and that includes Joker's cell-"
"And what of your new Patient X? Has the Bat found him yet?"
There was a deadly silence, punctuated only by a waiter strolling in with a tray and placing delicious foodstuffs on their table. He was quick to leave, but Mina barely paid him any attention for her wide eyes were glued to the perpetually grinning skull mask of her employer.
When she finally found her voice, it was almost breathless.
"No…no he hasn't found him yet"
The silence that stretched between them now was so thick that even I knife wouldn't be able to cut through it.
Somewhere behind the mask, Mina was sure her Ghost was smirking at her. Not that she liked it very much.
He had caught her out.
And how she hated it when that happened.
Her black eyes turned all to ice as she hissed through gritted teeth.
"I've given you what I know. Now tell me what I want to know"
"Hmph! And people call me short tempered." Ghost chuckled softly as he stood up from his seat his feet stalking towards her slowly and carefully "That alley way I found you in. The one in Park Row"
"What about it?" Mina grunted doing her best not to move as her ghost prowled behind her like a shark, his voice as soft as a hiss.
"It's got a lot of apartments around it. All of them are pretty old and many of them are abandoned. You should go check them out sometime if you're not too busy"
"Why?" Mina's frowned "What's so important about them?"
"You'll know it when you see them" Ghost chuckled before leaning down to murmur softly "But be careful not to visit the place at night. Batman's got eyes and ears on all of Gotham but he's particularly fond of Crime Alley…it's a…heh-very special place for him"
"How so?"
"Because" Ghost's breath voice was barely a whisper that brushed over her neck "It's the place where it all began..."
"Where what began?" Mina inhaled sharply, doing he best to ignore her now racing heart as a pair of black gloved hands slid over her bare shoulders.
"Batman…me…you…your pal Jack" Ghost's voice was almost a deep (still scrambled) silken purr into her ear, his hands sliding upwards towards her red-
Mina's fingers suddenly scratched into his gloved wrists and he winced in pain.
"Sorry Phantom of the Opera" she snarled, her sharp nails digging through the gloves and piercing his skin "I don't mix business with pleasure. If you want a whore, go find one of the waitresses. I daresay they wouldn't mind getting fucked over by a mysterious stranger"
"Tch! I forgot you were feisty" Ghost smirked seemingly half torn between disappointment and approval as he pulled away, though his hands still rested on her shoulders.
"hmmm what's this?" he murmured pulling aside her styled waves to eye her shoulder.
"Just an old scar" Mina shrugged trying her best to remain as still as possible, though she couldn't help the horrible shiver that spread through her as a lone finger ghosted over the crooked mark on her back.
"It's nothing-"
"Doesn't look like nothing" Ghost muttered darkly and Mina was surprised to hear anger lacing the once smug voice.
But she was distracted from addressing him by the buzzing of her phone.
"answer it and put it on speaker" Ghost growled.
Mina would have argued, had it not been for the threatening pair of hands that suddenly placed themselves on her shoulders, dangerously close to her neck.
Rolling her eyes she pulled out her phone from her clutch and set it down on the table
"Hello? This is Mina Poole"
"Mina! Mina!" a familiar woman's terrified voice all but squeaked into the open air voice spoke worriedly through the receiver. "Mina! Where are you? Are you safe-"
Mina tried to speak calmly but her voice shook as it came out in a tumbled rush.
"Mom, I'm fine I'm still at dinner. What's wrong? Where are you?"
"I'm at home-in the bedroom. It's locked. Oh Mina-Mina! He's here-he's here! He shot Bobby and now-now he's trying to shoot me too-"
"Who's trying to shoot you mom?!" Mina cried out but Emilia Poole was in hysterics.
"MINNY PLEASE YOU HAVE TO CALL FOR HELP! PLEASE-PLEASE-"
There was a loud bang and then Emilia screeched, her scream piercing the air even through the phone's speakers.
"Mom! MOM!" Mina called only to gasp as a high pitched giggling suddenly sounded from the phone.
.
I tried so hard, my dear, to show that you're my every dream
Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme
A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart?
.
The voice then suddenly cleared its throat, before continuing to sing, it's voice attempting to retain some melody even through the choked giggles of mirth.
.
Another crime before my time made your heart sad and blue
And so now you make me pay for things I didn't do
In anger unkind words are said that make the teardrops start
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart?
.
"That bastard" Mina faintly heard her ghost mutter behind her back, but she was too engrossed in the song to pay him any heed.
.
You'll never know how much it hurts to never see you smile
You know you need and want to laugh, and you claim that "Not your style"
Why do you hide behind that mask?"I'm trying to do my part!"
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart?
.
There was a time when I believed that you belonged to me
But now I know your heart is shackled to a memory
You won't admit that we're the same and it's tearing me apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart?
.
The silence that followed was so deafening that Mina could barely move for fear as she breathed:
"You…"
"Hello Darling. Miss Me?"
"YOU!" Mina snarled all fear forgotten as anger suddenly flooded through her. "What have you done with my mother?!"
The high pitched voice sighed.
"Tut-tut Darling, is that any way to talk to an old friend. Memo to myself, I must teach you some proper manners when I see you next"
"Not before I teach you not to mess with my mother, asshole. Now let her go!"
"Or what Darling?" the voice turned into a deadly hiss "You going to call the police? Or the Delusional Dark Knight? Last I checked you and the big old Bat weren't so cozy with one another. And as for this old bat I don't know why you're even bothering with her. It's not as if she's your real mother"
"She's real enough for me" Mina barked angrily; though she was betrayed by the one tear that spilled from her eye.
A tear that the man on the other end seemed to notice even if he couldn't see it.
"OH…Come now Darling you can't obviously expect me to believe that. Hee-hee-hi-hi-hi! You, care about this tiny little liar even though you're spending all your time at that madhouse trying to find the truth? Man…and I thought us inmates were the crazy ones."
The voice chuckled softly.
"But seeing as I like you so much Darling, I'm gonna cut you some slack and make you an offer. I have all the answers you want and will give them to you IF and only if, you join me by my side where you belong-"
"And become another Harley Quinn. No thanks" Mina snarled. "The only way I'll let you tell me anything is if you let my mother go right now."
"…Let her go?" the voice sounded thoughtful "hmm…If you say so…Come on toots this way"
"NO-WAIT PLEASE-" Emilia Poole shrieked just as Mina cried out.
"What are you doing? I said to let her go!"
"Oh I am letting her go alright" the high pitched voice sneered "but you never specified where…How does six stories sound to you? Too low? I personally prefer rooftops, much easier than windows. Oh well I suppose I'll have to make do for now-"
"MOM! NO!"
There was a loud scream, cut short by a loud sickening thud.
Mina froze and was quite sure her heart had stopped in her chest along with her breath. Had it not been for her Ghost's abnormally tight grip on her shoulders she felt she might have fainted there and then as a loud shrill laugh broke the silence.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Wow would'ya look at all that red. With all that, even good old Saint Nick won't have a problem finding this house. And to think I was even considering sitting alone in that cell and missing out on celebrating all the Christmas Cheer. Bah-humbug"
There was silence as the laughs suddenly fell away into a silken purr.
"Merry Christmas my Darling…It won't be long till we meet again. I promise."
And with that the line went dead.
Her date for the evening had yelled at her to calm down and stop.
But she didn't even register his voice.
Her feet were aching and bleeding from blisters in her heels as she ran out of the club and down the road.
But she barely noticed them.
She also had over-payed the cab-driver by at least fifty dollars as she rushed out of his car.
But she didn't notice that either.
All she could focus on was the front of a large apartment building, at which several policemen and paramedics were standing inside and around the yellow tape, warding off the straggles of spectators that were gathered about, talking in hushed horrified whispers.
Amongst them all she could see faintly, a tall dark shadow stalk his way around the taped off area, stopping in spots as another middle aged man talked to him in hushed urgent tones.
It was to this dark figure that Mina all but ran to, ignoring all the cries from all the other officials that were trying to keep her back from the scene as they zipped up the smallish body bag.
"Miss-miss wait-"
Too late.
There was a loud sharp thunk as Mina's small pale fist met a strong chiseled jaw and everyone gasped.
Everyone except the Batman, who reeled back in surprise as the young woman all but screeched in his face, her limbs thrashing wildly at him:
"YOU! YOU! IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU ASSHOLE WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE LEFT US ALONE! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO POKE YOUR NOSE IN! THEY WERE ALL SAFE BEFORE YOU CAME ALONG AND RUINED EVERYTHING!"
"Miss-Miss calm down" a weary Commissioner Gordon tried to reach out to grab at Mina, only to be thrown back hard. "Bullock help me get her off-"
"Stand down" Batman's voice was not loud, but it carried all the same. All the policemen, even Gordon and Bullock quickly backed off as the Dark Knight swiftly managed to grab Mina by the wrists and hold her back from him.
"Mina-Mina listen to me, you need to calm down-" he tried to hiss but Mina was in no mood to listen.
"YOU CLAIM TO WANT TO HELP ME BUT WHERE WERE YOU? WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU WHEN HE PUSHED HER OUT THE FUCKING WINDOW HUH?"
"Wait-How did you-" Batman breathed but was once more cut off by her loud yells.
"BECAUSE SHE CALLED ME! SHE BEGGED FOR HELP! AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MOTHER FUCKING BASTARD DID? HE LAUGHED? THE BASTARD JUST LAUGHED AND THEN….and then he…"
Mina's words were choked, as the sobs finally racked through her, engulfing her as her aching feet finally gave way beneath her.
Gently as he could without letting his firm grip off of her, Batman coaxed her to kneel down on the floor, where she shivered shook and wept, her fists still trying to slap at his chest.
"I hate you" she sobbed softly "I fucking hate you, you-you're a-you're a-a-It's all your fault…all your fault-"
"I know" Batman murmured so quietly, that only she could hear "and I'm sorry Mina…I'm so sorry"
"…no you're not" Mina murmured.
And when she looked back up at him, he saw nothing but pure cold loathing pierce him straight from the depths of those black eyes.
Good lord…what have I done?
Dun-dun-DUUN!
:0 woah. and here i thought i was gonna have a happy chapter released during the holiday season. Well i suppose this will have to do (maybe my other fics will be happier).
Anyways for the past week of my leave i've been chilling out and catching up on some much needed gaming, Including finishing up my game of Arkham Origins (where this version of the song in this chapter is played during the credits).
Hope you guys enjoyed, review if you want more and ALSO enjoy your holidays.
MERRY XMAS Everyone!