Ch.19: Compromises
Danny remained tense under the hands of the troops escorting him to his death. Even though his muscles had begun eating themselves to stay alive, they were twisted painfully to keep himself mildly calm. Even though his face was blank and didn't seem to really care about where he was being brought, inside he was running through scenarios he could've done to stay alive and not get caught. He thought of all the things he could've been doing at that moment: hacking, training, traveling, visiting, anything else.
Danny remained stiff as the guards pushed his slow form down the hall, closer to the iron door looming ahead. He bit his lip, trying hard not to attack the older male every time his hand landed on his shoulder or mid-back. The teen thought of all the ways he could kill the escort: snap his neck, slit his throat, shoot him through the heart. The cuffs on his hands and around his wrists did not allow him this kind of mobility though.
Closer and closer to the iron door they walked. Danny tried to slow the process as much as possible, absolutely terrified of dying, but the troop pushed him forward still. The prisoner growled at him but the escort rolled his eyes in annoyance, even though he'd heard all the stories of what the teen had done.
So what if he had killed dozens of people and hacked plenty of people without a second thought? Danny was in custody. He couldn't do anything to change what he was going to happen even if he hacked all the people in the world.
The second escort, who was more sympathetic to the teen's plight, gestured for his buddy to stop antagonizing Danny. He patted the boy's shoulder reassuringly, as if it would make a difference, but was shrugged off. He frowned and got a head-shake from the first troop.
The three walked up to the door, the first escort pushing Danny roughly. He got a sharp look from the teen and a disapproving word from his troop friend. The escort rolled his eyes before opening the door and pushing Danny in again.
Danny looked around the room, very on edge now. He was having trouble containing it at that moment, as all the sights and smell hit him like a train at a full speed.
The prison warden and a few other officials were waiting in the room. Most wore emotionless expressions, not showing any signs of sadness or remorse for what was about to happen but not being sadistic and smiling that they had caught and put a highly dangerous criminal down.
The bed with various straps and padding waited for Danny. Machines of all sort stood next to it, as well as an IV tube that would be used to inject the lethal drug into his system. A stale, sterile air wafted through the air, making it almost hurt to breathe, irritating the nose tremendously.
At the end of the bed and farther back was a large, glass wall. Beyond the wall was a large, dark room with various rows of chairs at different elevations. People Danny had never seen before in his life sat emotionless in the stands. Most hadn't even bothered to wear black.
In the front row, Jazz, Maddie, and Jack sat in their chairs while silently crying. All of them were decked out in funeral garb, as if they had just come from one or were about to go to one. Jazz hadn't bothered to wear makeup but Maddie's eyeliner and other makeup were smeared badly, some making a black river down her face. Jack, as the water cascaded down his face, bit his lip and tried to take in what he saw.
Danny could vaguely understand Jazz's sadness. He couldn't understand his parents', though, after everything he had done to them.
The first troop roughly pushed Danny closer to the waiting bed but the second escort sighed in annoyance before gently leading Danny over, leaving his friend to roll his eyes in his own irritation. The teen was guided over and he got on the cold sheets. The troop had to forcefully lean Danny back and lock him in, since Danny was still resistant to all forces, even in his weakened state.
As the assigned medic began inserting the needle into Danny's arm, the prison warden asked "Is there anything you would like to say?"
The teen mulled over the thought before answering "Ya'll suck and are a bunch of hypocrites. How's that for some last words, hm?"
Many eye rolls were sent his way as well as a few sighs.
Even though he was facing death, Danny had to congratulate himself for managing to be irritating still. Some people would smack him and that was oddly comforting, though it did nothing to ease the anxiety churning his stomach horrendously.
One of the more official people gestured for the medic to begin injecting Danny with the drug. The medic nodded before turning on the machine. A fluid seeped through the tube and into Danny's tense body. The teen strained against the bonds for the longest time before he began feeling sleepy. He began relaxing until…
He snapped back to reality. He was still standing just inside the door.
Danny spun around and kicked the second escort away before quickly throwing his arms over the first guard's shoulders, getting the chain in-between the cuffs over his head. Danny fell behind the guard and pulled, choking the older male and guarding himself from the other armed officials in the room.
The teen looked over the choking man's shoulder and glared at the other occupants in the room. They all had guns trained on him and were hesitating to move forward. The occupants in the dark room just beyond were mostly standing now, staring at Danny in absolute horror. His family wore the same expression, even though seconds before they were crying at their loss.
Danny rolled his eyes. He was going to live, wasn't he? Why weren't they happy?
Oh, maybe because he was escaping illegally and was probably going to kill someone else in the process.
The teen, now smirking, walked carefully back, dragging the guard with him. "Well, it was nice seeing you all and everything but I'm just going to leave now because, frankly, I don't wanna die. But then again, who does?"
With that, Danny dragged the guard out and shut the iron door behind him. Still choking the troop but loosening his hold, Danny pulled his hostage down the hall with him. He looked through various halls and such casually, just trying to find a place to ditch the deadweight he was carrying around, as well as something to break the cuffs he was wearing.
A storage closet came across their path and Danny ducked into it while closing the door behind him. The teen threw the guard into a wall, getting the chain out from around his neck and bashing his joined fists into the poor hostage's head. The guard crumpled instantly and collapsed to the floor.
Danny waited to see if the adult would wake but, alas, he did not and the boy pondered what to do about his cuffs.
After much struggling and cursing, Danny managed to break the chain with a hammer but just barely.
The teen glared at the cuffs still around his wrists but surmised he'd get them off when he wasn't in the immediate danger of getting caught. Just as he pondered what to do next, the alarms blared outside his room and he quickly changed into the guard's outfit, noticing how baggy it was. Danny did his best to make it look more form fitting but didn't succeed too much on that.
Sighing, Danny shrugged and sighed before sliding over to the door. He peeked out and swiftly slid into the chaotic mess of guards searching for the escaping prisoner. Danny, trying to hide the fact he was a lot younger than any officer around, kept his head ducked and snatched a baseball cap from someone else.
Rushing around the prison and getting lost multiple times, Danny finally found a sign that would lead him to the exit. Just as he was about to follow the sign, someone roughly bumped into him and the loose hat fell away from Danny's head. The panting guard reached down and picked up the hat with a half-hearted apology. As he rose, he saw Danny's own panicked face and blanched.
"Oh, look at the time… I should really be going…" Danny mumbled before knocking the guard down and sprinting away, down the hall that pointed to the exit. He heard shouts behind him, over the loud alarm, and picked up his pace as he was pursued by a large group of troops.
Panting, the teen saw the exit ahead of him. Eager to be away from his confide, another burst of speed overtook him. Danny drew closer and closer to the doors. He was very close to making it and couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why no one had shot him yet.
Just as his hands were about to meet the door to push it open, something pierced his arm and he slammed into the exit out of surprise. Ignoring the pain he just stupidly inflicted his ribs and head, he yanked the syringe from his arm and looked around worriedly.
His eyes met the Dark Knight's own hard stare and the tranquilizer in his hands.
Slowly, Danny slipped to the floor and wondered 'why?' before falling unconscious under Batman's stare and the guard's quick approach bearing down on him.
Danny surfaced to consciousness and noticed immediately he was lying on something very uncomfortable and very familiar. His ears strained to hear something but were only met with the sound of heavy footfalls pacing the room he was in.
Danny knew those footsteps.
Blue eyes opening, Danny looked up at Batman's pacing figure, going up and down his cell restlessly. From what Danny could see on the male's mostly hidden face, he could conclude the Dark Knight was very irritated with something; probably with him, if Danny knew any better. One arm was crossed across the hero's chest while the other hung loosely from its socket.
Danny watched Batman pace back and forth from his spot on his cot. His bored blue eyes followed the hero from where he paced in a straight line, back and forth.
"Is that fun?" Danny asked dryly, gaining the attention he wanted from the Dark Knight.
"No but you wouldn't know." Batman stated harshly back.
Danny shrugged before sitting up and getting on his own feet. It was a little woozy at first but he pushed through it, remaining standing on his own two feet without any help from any other person.
The Dark Knight watched, uninterested.
"Did you have to mess with my escape? Now they'll just probably reschedule my death day, right?" Danny asked, anger flaring in his eyes at the thought. And to think, he willingly took a lollipop from the man in front of him just the night before. The world was a sick, sick place like that.
Batman glared back, un-amused. "I don't know what they're going to do. They were yelling at each other when I left."
"Why? Were they berating themselves for being idiots? Again?" Danny asked, mocking a pout and batting his eyes sarcastically. The teen clasped his hands in front of him cutely for extra measure.
The Dark Knight glared at the teen. "No. They were deciding whether to let you live or not."
"What's stopping them from trying to kill me again? Seriously? If anything, I should be dead right now. Kill me in my sleep and all that loveliness just to get me off the living plane. Why aren't I dead?" Danny asked, giving the adult a serious look.
"Because I made a deal with them." Batman's voice said, hard and stern.
Danny looked up at the adult with a confused and serious look. "A deal? …what kind of deal..?"
"I told them I could convince you to a reform if they took you off death row." Batman stated.
"Reform me? Dude, I haven't bought a new outfit in a year! How can you expect me to change my entire attitude when I barely even change my clothes?" Danny asked, completely astonished by the very concept of switching from the dark side to the light.
"I couldn't get you off death row any other way. They didn't want to lock you up for life with a chance of possible escape. They wanted you dead or on their side. I thought you didn't want to die." Batman explained sternly.
"Who wants to die?! I know I'm a messed up person but I am not that kind of screwy!"
Batman rolled his eyes. "Moving on. I was just coming to get you and stop the injection when the alarm starts going off. You're apparently making an escape. I barely stopped you from doing so and now the ones in control of your fate are deciding whether to go on with the deal or to finally put you down like the rabid dog they think you are."
Danny glared at Batman heatedly. "You imagine walking down that cursed hallway, thinking of every plan to escape and kill your captors. I want you to imagine stepping into that room, everyone staring at you as if you're the monster when they're about to do the exact same thing you've done. Imagine how anxious you would be. Then times that by ten. Then times it by a hundred. If you can honestly tell me you wouldn't try something under that strain then I guess I am nothing more than a cowardly dog, got it?"
Batman, completely straight faced, stated "I would try something."
"Then don't go acting like I did something wrong." Danny stated.
The two's conversation was abruptly interrupted by a guard at the door. It was the same man that Danny had kidnapped just a few hours before. He did not seem to be happy about his capture and his scowl only deepened when Danny smirked at him darkly in amusement.
After the troop silently put another set of cuffs around Danny's wrists, making sure they were extra tight even though Danny showed no signs of discomfort, he led the two occupants of the room out of the cell and down the hall. Batman walked behind Danny while the troop played line-leader.
The three silently walked into another room where all the officials were waiting. Most were still heated about the attempted escape but there were a couple who were completely calm or they were just hiding their anger very well. Danny couldn't tell which.
As they walked into the room, Danny lifted his hand with a smirk and said "Hello ladies~! I'm-a so happy to see all your pretty little faces again!"
Batman slapped him upside the head hard for that.
Danny's amused grin dropped instantly after being slapped and he glared up at the adult, hiding his nervousness under sarcasm, insults, and irritation.
The prison warden walked forward and stood in front of the small group while the escort dropped back by the door. Batman stood straight behind and beside the teen he was trying to save while Danny remained slouched forward, not thrilled in the least.
"Against their better judgment," The warden started, earning many eye rolls behind him. "these agents have decided to let you live and are willing to proceed with the deal Batman set up and most likely told you about?"
Danny hummed and said "To say I am thrilled to go along with this would be the biggest lie I ever told. But I'm still going to do it. Reluctantly."
The warden sighed but replied sarcastically "Isn't that wonderful?"
"That's the word I would use…"
Smack!
"Ow!" Danny yelled as he instinctively rubbed the back of his head. He glared up at the black-clad adult behind him and said "You are very irritating, you know that?"
Batman didn't respond, just stared forward without any signs of emotion.
Danny grumbled to himself but looked back towards the warden. "Alright… Since I'm going to be "good" now, what's the first thing I'm supposed to do? Say sorry to the puppy I last kicked? Ride a pony? Surf a rainbow?"
Behind him, Batman was close to kicking the teen to the moon.
"We have something else in mind." One of the supposed government agents said as he stepped forward.
Danny narrowed his eyes at the agent. "Fan-frikkin-tastic."
I hope you all made it to the end without dying.
For those who enjoy criminal-Danny... I enjoyed that a ton too but this story was going to end one of two ways. A) Someone we all love is going to die. Or B) With the way I'm currently taking. And I am also currently looking at my track record and counting how many times I've killed someone. And the body count is still rising. So I'm going with option B, yeah~!
Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: Tsukinopen, TimeLordLucario, TwilightWakerofTime.
Reviews:
Tigergirl1723: Well Danny becomes something... Not necessarily his partner but something...
Roselin: You were the only one who didn't feel too surprised. XD
Anime Hotty Lover. 18: :D I enjoyed your reaction.
Grava: That's what I was aiming for so score on my part!
Poohbearmorris: You actually thought I was gonna kill someone?! *looks at track record* ...never mind...
YumiStar: ...SCORE...
Guest(1): I did that. *points to chapter*
Scheffelman: He does something like that.
Guest of Honor: Glad you enjoyed that hilarious part at the end. XD I hate death row too. We so don't have that right to take other's lives. And, since Joker can and does plead insane, he gets out of death row. Wonderful, right?
Ninuhuju: I agree with your cheer so much. :D
SFN: Well, that didn't quite happen... Sorry?
Saiyan Moon Goddess: I feel ya on that. It is hypocritical. Death row itself is a hypocrite. XD That's what you think of me as? Sweet~! I enjoy making you guys wonder!
Tsukinopen: Why thank you!
Bibbledoo: I quite enjoyed your reaction to this chapter. XD
16ckelman: Oh, you left me speechless alright. XD Don't feel bad~!
Sarra Torrens: That's what I was aiming for~!
Expergiscimini: Cause the world is an unfair place like that... Oh well.
Astroshadow: *thumbs up*
SweetyKinz: THAT REVIEW, BY NO MEANS, WAS SHORT. IT BARELY FIT MY SCREEN. NOT EVEN JOKING. MY FACE WHEN IT CAME IN WAS PRICELESS. XD Oh, dude, I only talk to you daily too! I have no regrets about that either. :D I wuv talking to you so much~! :DDD
KainVixenheim: I am an evil person. Thank you for noticing. *grins*
KuriMaster13: That idea would have been interested but I had this chapter done before you reviewed so... Whoops? He does live though! :D
Shadow: That's what I was aiming for. *smiles contently* I got it at B&N's! Here: www. barnesandnoble (add the dot com here) /w/myths-and-legends-various/1110804815?ean=9781435144200 (Erase spaces. Obviously.)
Allietheepic7: Not exactly... :D