~Enigma's POV~
"Dammit Jason, answer me!" I stress, getting annoyed he failed to pick up. His life was on the line here, heading into a death trap.
Hey this is Jason-
I take a deep breath, relieved I had caught him in time. "Hey Jason this is-"
-Sorry I couldn't come to the phone right now, feel free to leave a message and I'll call you back.
"Jason this is Emily, I really need you to answer the phone. Call me back as soon as you get this, it's an emergency."
I hang up, my mind racing a mile a minute. Why didn't Jason answer his phone? He couldn't be dead already, could he? Of course not, Jason left not that long ago.I had to warn Jason, stop him from heading into that trap. Any tracking equipment or programs were still in the basement of the Nashton house my dad set up. I could use the equipment down there to locate his geographical location, maybe I would catch him in time.
Two houses down from mine, I stop running, halting immediately. A GCPD officer stood along side Commissioner Gordon at the entrance of the home. Dammit Bruce. He always had to make things harder. I thought Jason stopped him from telling them my identity. Maybe I could I return the favor by revealing Batman and Robins. No, it would put Jason in more danger and I would never get to him in time.
Actually, I wouldn't be able to save him if I ended up behind bars tonight. It would take too long for me to escape, track him down, lose the cops, and pull a plan off. I had to be careful.
I tried to think of a way in, when something bizarre occurred to me. Why would Gordon try to face Enigma by himself with only a solo cop as back up? The question was almost insulting, it normally took more men then that to bring even a petty criminal in. Except...except if... I grin, grabbing micro binoculars off my golden belt. My gaze shifts over to the two men, looking for where they kept their guns.
"There." I smirk, glad to be right. His safety was on. This wasn't Gordon hunting for Enigma. It was the Commissioner checking up on Emily.
Quickly, I start to change in the bushes, wiping off any blood from Kane and throwing on normal street clothing. In a second I had transformed into Emily. One detail remained different though, my hair was still the bright obnoxious orange color. Shit, I needed a hat or something. I head out on the street in the opposite direction of Gordon.
Quickly, I grift a Yankees hat off some guy in the street. He was too drunk to actually realize his hat was taken. Yankees? Really? Not the Gotham Knights or even some minor baseball team, the Yankees? Ugh, I was doing him a favor by stealing it.
"Commissioner?" I say acting tired as I jogged up the side of my house. This was my first time back at home since I left the manor.
"Miss Nashton. We would like to ask you a few questions..."
"I don't have time right now, maybe later."
"Miss. Nashton-" He frowned, trying to make her understand. Gordon appeared worried for her. "Miss Nashton, you've been missing for a weeks."
"No I haven't."
"Yes, you have."
"No I haven't."
Gordon sighed, shaking his head at our useless banter. "Did you know doctors make house calls to patients a week after they are in emergency care?
"Nope, I'm sorry, must not have been home -"
"for three weeks." He interrupts my lie. "three weeks and you haven't been home Miss. Nashton. Before you speak I should show you the footage." He signaled for the cop behind him to hand him something. A phone passed from one hand to another. I froze. What footage did he have, proof of me being Enigma? No, I'd be in handcuffs already. He didn't wait for me to answer as he pressed play. "This was taken the day you left the hospital, watch as you and Jason go into the house. He looks mad, doesn't he ?"
"He was mad. We were fighting at the time." I state, honestly.
"Why'd you leave with him then?"
"I don't like hospitals, I knew it was my way out."
Commissioner Gordon shook his head, leaving me in silence. I watched already semi aware what was going to happen. Sure enough, Bruce left the house with me unconscious in his arms. It didn't help the needle was still sticking in my arm. I looked pale, and in bad shape.
"Now. There's is enough evidence out there to arrest him-"Comissionar bent down to my level, speaking in a calm and caring voice. His hand rested on my shoulder, which seemed really weird. If only he knew who I really was, he wouldn't be treating me the same. What happens if Bruce or Batman tells him, would I ever see this human side of the Commissioner again. Of course not."-but only if you come by to the station and give a statement-"
"No, that's not proof of anything. Look Commissioner, you've got this all wrong. What happened was I fainted from the pain. You were right in saying I wasn't ready to leave the hospital. Now, I must be going."
He sensed I was upset and worried for some reason. I presume Gordon misunderstood, "Why in such a rush?"
"I have somewhere to be."
"You haven't been home in days and already wish to leave? You haven't even been home a minute." My assumption was they had an officer staffed here, awaiting my return. Commissioner Gordon must have been checking up on the officer staffed here when I appeared.
"Yes, took me in. That's where I've been-He and Jason took care of me. They were trying to help me get back on my feet since my father doesn't come return home until Saturday..."
"They did now? Funny thing about that-" Oh no, usually when people started a sentence with the words 'Funny thing' it wasn't funny. More like you've been caught in a lie and I can prove it. "-I thought the same thing, well almost." He paused and I knew I had been caught in a lie. "After reviewing the footage, I would say a day after it happened, I suspected knew location. Do you wish to know what him and his butler said before I showed them the video? Well, They didn't know where you were and suggested you had fled town to go back to your father." He let that thought trail for a second, I had to admit I wasn't paying much attention to his stupid case. I needed to get to Jason, before it was too late "Miss-"
"Stop!" I snap, not able to be patient much longer. Gordon looks shocked I spoken up so loudly. "I don't have time for this..." I try to push Gordon aside but fail. "Please Commissioner Gordon, a friend, someone I know is in trouble. You will kill them if you don't let me grab something from my house and leave..."
"Who is this friend?"
" Um it's someone who I wish not to give her name, she's gotten an alcohol addiction and drug addiction and lots of bad stuff going on and if I don't get going soon she's...going to kill herself please-"It sounds really obvious I'm lying, considering I used the word going three times in a row, but at this point I didn't care. My eyes showed how scared I was.
"Alright, I'll come along to help make sure she doesn't get hurt."
"No! She doesn't trust cops."
"Why not?"
"I don't have time to explain."
"Is it she doesn't trust cops or is she too scared to ask for help?"
"No, uh- just let me go...please...don't you care about if someone lives instead of dies. Commissioner please, I need to hurry...If you let me in my house tonight and leave me alone I'll answer any of your questions about Jason and I..You can come over tomorrow I swear I just need to get moving."
Gordon sighed, he could sense how urgent this was. He also tended to believe this friend was not a friend at all, rather Emily herself. For that reason he stepped aside of the door, and told his officer to back off. "Go ahead, Save your 'friend'. I hope to see you in the morning ."
I went inside. Immediately going on the computer. I had to find Jason's location. It took an easy 3 minutes of hacking before his firewall went down and the location lite up. He was at the complete other side of town, I wasn't sure I could get there in time. It was because Jason's life was on the line I had to do the one thing I would of done, ask for Batman's help. It was shameful, but I had to put my pride aside. This was for Jason.
The only logical way to call and not waste any time is that I would use my Bluetooth. That way I could move towards his location, while calling for assistance.
First I had one thing to do. I peak at the camera feed from outside my house to check if Gordon was still watching me. I highly doubted that man would be leaving in any haste. A van sat parallel to my street and I knew then it was the police. Little disappointing the GCPD couldn't think with a brain. I mean it's the middle of winter, why wouldn't I believe an air condition company was parked outside my neighbors house. I would have to leave from underground on my bike.
Too scared Kane or someone I knew would stop me as Enigma, I went out as Emily. On my way out I grabbed a leather jacket to keep warm.
Finally, after numerous of calls Alfred picked up, "Miss Nashton, I'm afraid Master Bruce and I need this line open will you please refrain from calling. Mr. Todd is not in tonight." He went to hang up.
"Alfred stop! I know-" The dial tone of being disconnecting cut me off. They'd never believe me, they would think I'm setting them up. An idea hits me as I stop my motorcycle on the road. Batman, Bruce was always out as Batman during the night. It wouldn't be to hard to hack the Bat mobile, considering my father and I did it from time to time to figure out his location. Not to mention hacking was second nature to me. I sent the GPS coordinates to him after seeing he was closer then I was. They were downloading so slowly, screw it. I had to get the memo out. Locating his Bluetooth from the car, I connect it with mine. I start to speed down the freeway as it hooks up. No way I would give Bruce a way out of talking to me.
"Alfred did you find anything on him yet?" A gruffled voice came from the other line. Sure enough it was Bruce's.
"Bruce..." I start off, and I could tell he was not pleased to hear me. "Bruce don't hang up! I know where Jason is."
"Of course you do. You are behind this all, aren't you Enigma? Another puzzle? A maze? All of confusion so you can be like your father. You only toyed with Jason to prove yourself superior. He caught you off guard once, I was foolish enough to feel pity. This is your revenge isn't it? For him almost killing you. What have you done to Robin?"
"Nothing-I-I'm trying to help. I can give you his location-"
"How do I know you won't miss lead me again, pull what your father would and give me the wrong location, so I can't save him in time."
"IM NOT! Don't you see I'm trying to-"
Knowing he wouldn't trust me I made it appeared like Jason's help signal was coming from the GPS coordinates I found. Bruce sped up upon hearing the sound, driving to west the red R was on his map.
"If I see you again, you will not be taken back to your normal cell in Arkham. I will lock you up in high security, a place you where you will never get out, somewhere deep inside Arkham where even you will regret what you've done. I don't care how young the Commissioner thinks you are to be in max security prison, you will spend the rest of your life locked up. Jason was the one person who believed in you, who was protecting you from that. If he doesn't survive this game you are playing, I guarantee you will be in there by tomorrow's dawn, and never get out again." With that the override sequence was hit and Bruce was disconnected.
His threat had no impact on me at the time, my focus was only on saving Jason. The snow storm picked up, making it harder to rid. My bike weaved in and out of traffic, speeding down the streets. Jason was the only thing on my mind, I couldn't lose him.
Upon arrival, my eyes were greeted with the roaring of flames. A pit formed in my stomach making me nauseous. Batman had to have gotten here first. Jason couldn't be in that fire. I slide off the road, too distracted with the smoke and flames to watch where I was going. I landed in a snow drift, which causes my body to tingle with cold. I kept moving, ditching the bike behind as I start to run. The rumble before me looked to me caving down.
A chance, hope, enlightens me as a dark shadow makes his way from the building. My heart beats as a drum so loud anyone near could hear it. Inside, I knew it wasn't Jason, the figure was too tall, too big of build. The dark shadow was carrying something in his hands. My eyes widen, that something was a someone, Jason.
My first instinct was to run up, help him with Jason but I could do no such thing. The Bats would be furious with me, he'd blamed me. Outside of the batmobile, the Batman collapsed to his knees. His head drifted down in utter shame.
The next few moments felt like an outer body experience. The aurora from the fire grew, lighting up Batman and his boy wonder. Jason was beaten to a pulp, dripped with the color red I used to love. The Robin uniform was torn up, shredded with little flames still attached to it. My gaze drifts upwards to see his face, or what was left of his face. Trembling, I couldn't look away. It was bloody and burnt, a horrible mixture. I couldn't recognize him.
"No." I gasped softly, falling into the snow. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry but I was not granted that privilege. Any sound from me could alert the bats or whoever did this to my location. This was my only time to mourn and I could not make a sound. I longed to scream in horror or cry in frustration. Instead I could only trembled in the snow.
Silent tears fell down the sides of my face, freezing like small icicles. Ashes from the fire burned, raining down on my hair as the Joker's laughter erupted in the distance. It mocked my failure to save Jason, the boy who dared show what love was to a girl who knew of nothing more then being a villain. He was the only one who ever cared what happened to me. It finalized my mindset, there is no hope for someone like myself. The universe proved I could only be evil by taking away the one person who ever saw good in passing began to create a pit of emptiness inside my heart, turning it cold from the inside out. The skies were the darkness that night, as any fragment of good left. Everything flashed before me, the lies, the backstabbing, the threats. They would always exist. Come morning light I would be hunted by the Batman, locked away for the rest of my life and not once will I be able to grieve over Jason. It would be too dangerous. "Jason." I whimper softly, closing my eyes to pull my vision away from his dead body. His image still lingered in my brain, tears growing in number as I felt far from the world around me.
~The End~