The next afternoon
"Thank you so much, Doctor Kaiwalski for seeing me on such short notice." I said as I shook my new Gynecologist's hand. She smiled and then escorted me to the billing desk, "Absolutely, Ms. James. Everything looks great so far. Make an appointment for next week and we'll see if we can determine your baby's gender." "Sounds wonderful. Thank you again." The receptionist confirmed my next appointment and I left the hospital and was able to grab a cab to return to my apartment. Unfortunately, since my appointment was the last one available for the day; this resulted in the taxi being stuck in rush hour traffic. The driver of the cab was shouting in a foreign language that I didn't recognize, making me slightly nervous. Suddenly, we heard an explosion and saw a large cloud of red smoke billowing from the Gotham Train Station. Panic gripped my heart and I yelled at the driver to drive. Fortunately, he had the same idea that I did and lurched the car forward; weaving between cars and dodging people that were staring at the source of the commotion. Just as I thought that we were going to escape the scene, when we crashed into a car that suddenly blocked our path. I wasn't able to prepare for the unexpected stop, and my head slammed into the plastic barrier between myself and the front of the car. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was the sharp pain in my head followed by chaos outside of the cab.
"She's hurt..." "Well obviously! But we gotta get outta here, things are nuts!" "No, we gotta get her some help. Don't you remember? She's one of the good ones." "Yeah? Well hurry up and get Fritz over here, I can't carry her by myself."
Oww, my head... I opened my eyes and saw a dirty, hole-filled tarp above my head with stars peeking through. My back was lying on something stiff and made it less than pleasant to lift myself up. Removing an old, ragged quilt from my legs, I looked around to figure out where I was. The air was filled with traffic sounds, echoing from all sides of my make-shift shelter. The conversation that I heard between a man and a woman was still fresh in my mind so I called out, hoping to get a response. "You hear that?" a female voice whispered. Then the tarp was pulled aside to reveal a familiar face, Marie. "You alright, Ms. James?" the older woman asked as she came over to feel my head. "Just wishing I had some aspirin...thank you Marie." I heard a small chuckle from her as she shook her head in disbelief, "You remember me? I'm surprised, it's been so long..." "It has been a long time..." I responded as I shifted myself carefully to a less uncomfortable position. "What happened?" I asked. "A bomb went off at the station, caused some kind of gas to fall from the sky...People are going crazy, it's not safe." I nodded. "How long have I been out?" "A few hours. I got Fritz and Joe to help get you here. You remember them?" I couldn't help but smile as I replied, "How could I forget them?"
A couple of hours later
After catching up with the old friends from the homeless shelter, they offered to help me get to wherever I needed to go. But I had a difficult time trying to decide where was the best place to take shelter. My apartment is too close to the chaos and I don't think I would be welcome at Van Dahl manor. Maybe I should stay at the shelter till things calm down... I voiced my last idea, but my friends advised me against it. "There are some new residents there, they're bad news. Any new people have to be 'initiated', and it's far worse for the women than the men. Why do you think we're staying out here?" I sighed in disappointment. Maybe I should see if I can contact someone... Suddenly, inspiration struck. "Marie, do you know Oswald's? The club that used to be Fish Mooney's a long time ago?" Her response was an affirmative. Soon enough we were walking through alleys like an 80's maze video game.
At Oswald's club
By the time we reached the front steps of the club, my feet were on fire. The sandals I was wearing weren't designed for long walks. I'll be sure to have some wicked blisters after this. I thanked Marie and Fritz for escorting me there and asked them to be careful. I hugged them and they disappeared from my sight. I walked through the door, finding what I expected. The club was emptier than expected for a Friday night, with only ten or so patrons amongst the employees. After asking one of the waiters to speak to their manager, I sat down at the bar, grateful to get off my feet. "Ms. James! It's wonderful to see you again!" Anthony walked toward me with a large smile on his face that fell as he came close. "What happened? Are you okay? You look like you've hit a truck." I explained what happened and he nodded in acknowledgment. "Yeah, I saw the news, thank God you didn't get hurt. So why are you here? Have you found out anything about Mr. C?" I shook my head and told him that I couldn't think of where else to go. "I can't go home, Anthony. It's too close to where the explosion happened, and I..." "Say no more," he interrupted while tapping my hand in reassurance, "I'll get you somewhere safe, till things calm down."
An hour later
The car was being driven by one of Anthony's employees while he sat with me in the back seat. He was surprisingly quiet compared to his normal demeanor. "So where are we going?" I asked. "Don't worry, I have friends that have a nice place available on the East side of Gotham, it's a high rise." He then was quiet again for the remainder of the trip. Then, the car pulled up to a very tall building and Anthony escorted me to the elevator. I noticed that his attitude was completely different from what it was only an hour before. Before, he was laid back and optimistic; now I could see him fidgeting and looking around nervously. "Anthony?" I asked as he pressed the button for the 15th floor, "Is everything okay?" He didn't respond. "Anthony?" Again, silence. I placed my hand on his arm, but he still didn't look at me. Before I could speak again, the elevator doors opened.
He took my arm and gently led me forward down the hallway. I heard music coming down the hall and saw several people waiting in the hallway. Finally, we reached a couple of large doors with a sign reading "The Sirens" next to them. Maybe Anthony's friend is works at this club? Or owns it? The bouncer at the door recognized Anthony and stepped aside, allowing us to step into a dark club with lights and loud music. The large, oval-shaped bar in the center of the room was lit with blue and gave the room a modern elegance as blue streaks of light moved about the room and caused the patrons to appear as strange illusions. Most of the patrons were dressed elegantly, with sequins and shining jewelry. We walked toward the back of the room where the band was playing in front of a large window overlooking the Gotham skyline. We walked past the stage and reached a door at the side of the room; another bouncer was guarding it and lifted his hand to stop Anthony in his tracks. "I called a little bit ago," Anthony explained, "she's expecting us." The bouncer nodded, then went inside the room. It was then that I felt his hand tighten on my arm. I tensed up and debated on whether I should try to run; but before I could make my decision, I was led into the room. "Anthony! It's such a pleasure to see you! And of course, Ms. James..." The source of the voice, was Barbara Kean.