Chapter 11
(Wow, guys, I'm so sorry I abandoned this story for so long. I won't bother you with the miserable excuses though, so onwards with the story c: Also, I appreciate all your patience and support! I'd like to thank WinterRain36 for helping me with part of this chapter :) )
"Noelle, you are one crazy girl," I mutter to myself, wiping sweat off of my forehead after having to tie a highly energetic robber to a lamp post, wheezing slightly from where he had managed to kick at my ribs. I'm still sore as hell from yesterday, and my powers that I have yet to understand fully are also weakened. I suppose I should feel something for just brutally murdering an insane psychopath, something Bruce would probably agree with, but I'm either too exhausted or I just don't care that the green haired freak is finally out of my life permanently. Maybe some peace will come out of this after all, and perhaps Bruce and I will finally be able to sit down and actually talk about things for once. I haven't…told him what I feel yet. Given his history, and what I know about him from experience, a certain three worded sentence won't sit as easily with him, at least not yet.
"Well, one idiot down, and….however many more to go." I adjust the mask that covers only my eyes, something I swiped out of a hidden compartment in the precious bat cave. It's more comfortable and easier to wear than the one I wore earlier, though as for looks go, I prefer the old one.
A sudden wail of a nearby siren pulls me out of whatever land my head was in, sending me slipping into the shadows in order to follow them. Wherever they're going, it means trouble, seeing this is Gotham City. Any other place and I probably would think it was just a cat stuck in a tree, but in Gotham City, the home of notorious villains and a certain caped hero, not to mention little ol' me, anything can happen. And by anything, I mean anything.
I propel myself into the air with a powerful thought, enjoying the rush of air greeting the expanses of skin I've left uncovered. Bruce would kill me if he knew that I'm only dressed in part of the suit he made for me, wearing the Kevlar pants and a mere bodice. It matches, surprisingly, though right now I have more things to worry about than fashion sense.
After tailing the sound of sirens for a few minutes, I arrive at some sort of laboratory shrouded in a dense green fog. Wait, fog? What the hell? Upon closer inspection, I see that there are several large, rather mutated plants protruding from different parts of the building, all ending in brightly colored petals that scream sinister and poisonous. From what I can tell, the mist is also venomous, as several officers have fallen upon going anywhere near the stuff. Guess it's a good thing I grabbed a small breathing tool from another array of Bruce's toys. I need to ask him where he gets such cool gadgets.
Slipping it into my mouth, I soar stealthily over their heads, swooping down onto the roof and wearily glancing around for any signs of danger. So far there's nothing, unless you count the eerie presence of swaying plants. Call me crazy, but something is ringing a bell, something…familiar? How could any of this strike a memory when I'm pretty sure I've never encountered a mass of creepy vegetation? Ugh, tonight just seems to get better and better, doesn't it? I should probably send some word back to Bruce, just in case, or perhaps Alfred, since I told him I'd check in at least one time during the night. I don't like going into things blind, and I know absolutely nothing about what is going on here. Well, I've made up my mind then.
"Hey, Alfred? I'm just checking in…and stuff. Uh, how's Br-Batman doing?" I catch myself just in time, and I'm glad no one is nearby as I speak into the mouth piece stolen from the arsenal of gadgets and thing-a-majigs.
"Oh, Miss Walters. I'm afraid Master Bruce won't allow me into his bedroom at the moment, but he sounds as though-" He cuts off there, and I'm about to ask him what made him cease speaking only to hear a familiar chuckle, one that is a bit low and yet highly feminine.
"Looks like someone's lost. Tell me, little bird, how long have you been caged? How long have your wings-" I stiffen involuntarily, eyes narrowing sharply at the figure who strolls casually through the mist ahead of me. "Sorry, did I hit a nerve? Please forgive my manners, I must have forgotten that horrible incident between you and the laughing madman. It's a shame you took care of him before I could re-educate the Joker in paralytic toxins for the times he decided to steal from me." The woman's plump, red lips curve into a sinister smile, pearly whites glinting. "I think I have to pay a visit to your new friend, the one who parades in a rubber suit and calls himself the Batman. Some part of me wants to see what he's been hiding in his Bat cave, if you get my meaning." My stomach threatens to hurl my previous meal, and I can barely resist the urge to smash that pretty face of hers into my knee for that ridiculous innuendo.
"You know, I'm pretty sure Batman doesn't bond very well with egotistical criminals," I answer, judging the stranger to be someone who likes to keep an image, given the costume she wears is extremely revealing and no doubt only able to be pulled off by such an attractive person. Not that I find her attractive. Yeah, she's got looks, some of which are familiar, but it's just an observation. "Yep, he likes to let his fists do the talking."
"Jealous, are we? Or defensive? Seems like someone harbors a...what's the word? Crush perhaps? Such a strange word for the way it's used. I'm sure you know crush means flatten?" I'm not sure how to respond, though it doesn't matter because I soon find tendrils of vines wrapping around my ankles. Before they can pull me off my feet, I summon my strength and wrench them away, smirking at the red haired woman. However, it doesn't last long, the ground connecting suddenly with the back of my head.
Hopping up quickly, the mist converges upon me, senses overwhelmed by a sickeningly sweet scent. "I don't want to fight you now, little bird. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you very soon." The voice drifts away, disappearing quickly. The moments pass by slowly, the temptation to sleep overwhelming, but I shake myself instead, shooting upwards and out of the fog. Whatever that stuff is, I feel drained, like the energy was sucked out by leeches.
"Miss Walters?" Alfred's voice rings in my ear. "Bruce is frustratingly stubborn. I would like to inform you that he is currently persuing a case."
Damn you, Bruce.
It doesn't take me long to find him, surprisingly, especially with a few instructions given by Alfred concerning where exactly Batman might be heading. What does astound me is how gruffly he addresses me, as though we're back at square one and I'm nothing more than a criminal again.
"You didn't tell me that your idea of dealing with Joker was brutally torturing him," he says, back turned to me while he stands on the edge of a building, staring down quietly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you wanted to pamper a psycopathic murderer! Oh, yeah, I should have asked him if he'd like a drink, and if he wanted a shoulder massage, or maybe if he would like a damn pass to run rampant through Gotham!" There's no denying it; I'm furious.
"You're no better than him when you stoop to that level, Noelle!" He snaps, whirling around and allowing me to see the fury in his steel blue eyes. "He should be in Arkham Asylum, where he can get help-"
"Oh, so you think you could have helped him? There was nothing left to save, can't you see that? And you know that poor excuse of an asylum would never be able to hold him for long. Now stop bitching and tell me why you decided it was okay to leave in your condition?" I practically snarl, taking a step towards him.
"I'm fine, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I didn't know I was leaving the people of Gotham at the hands of a murderer!" He flinches as soon as the words leave his mouth, and the glare drops from my expression.
"What, so what I've gone through doesn't matter anymore?" My voice is painfully soft, and I feel as though he's stabbed me in the chest.
"Noelle, I didn't..." He sighs. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." Bruce is suddenly wrapping Kevlar covered arms around me, causing me to rest my head on his shoulder, despite the pain. "I-"
He's cut off when he realizes I've just ripped his utility belt away, holding it in one hand and then angrily tearing his torso armor off. "See these bandages? You are an idiot, and you're also in need of some sleep," I mutter, pulling him forward roughly. "So we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."
He answers this through actions, shoving himself away and his eyes narrowing on my figure. "Hard way it is." I admit to feeling guilty as I lift him into the air, following moments later.
"Put me down, Noelle!" Bruce exclaims, struggling to no avail. I don't answer him, too busy remembering the cold, sharp words spoken just minutes earlier.
"What matters is that I didn't know I was leaving the people of Gotham at the hands of a murderer!"
