Author's Note: I have to dedicate this chapter to you, Nightstalker,
because you keep bugging me to get another chapter out. Here it is. Are
you satisfied? j/k Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 9:
Barbara Gordon lay on the floor of her cold, silent cell. She laid on her left side so that her left cheek could rest on the cool, damp concrete, the closest thing she had to an ice pack. Though she had tried to protect her face as much as possible from the Joker's thugs, she believed that her cheekbone had been broken. Barbara took in a ragged breath, wincing as sharp stabs of pain laced through her body. "Broken ribs," she reasoned. She had not come out on the winning end of the Joker's onslaught. Her right arm was broken and she cradled it close to her stomach. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises and she could only imagine what type of damage had been done to her legs, the only part of her body that she was blessed with having no feeling. It was the one time that she was actually thankful to have no feeling in her legs.
Barbara closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the pain that coursed through her body. She opened them to stare at the bowl placed a few feet in front of her. After her guards were done beating her, they had left a bowl of soup in her cell. "Some hosts", she thought sarcastically. Though Barbara was starved, she didn't have the energy to move the distance to the food. She was in too much pain to even think about eating.
Barbara heard footsteps approach the door. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, her back against the wall, and prepared for another round of beatings. The door to her cell slowly opened to reveal the Joker with the same insane grin that was always plastered to his face.
He walked up to Barbara. "Hello, Barbara," he said, "it's good to see you doing so well." His face was smiling down at her.
All Barbara could muster was a weak, "Go to hell."
The Joker almost frowned, "Now,now, that sounds familiar. We don't want a repeat of last time, do we?" He paused, allowing the silence to fill the room. "I didn't think so. Now I have something I need you to do for me. I need you to hack into the Arkham mainframe and help me release my lovely Harley. I believe you put her there."
Barbara actually laughed and then winced as her ribs screamed in agony.
"You find that funny?"
Barbara looked up at the lunatic. "You think that I would actually help you. You really are crazy. I'd rather die." She said flatly.
In one swift move, the Joker produced a knife and held it to Barbara's neck. "That can be arranged," he said through clenched teeth. Suddenly, a look of calm came over his face. He smiled and stepped back. "All in good time. All in good time. You will help me Gordon; it just may take a little convincing."
The Joker snapped his fingers and the two guards entered the room. Joker walked out of the room as the thuds of fists echoed down the halls.
* * *
"Nooo!" Dinah screamed as she fell out of bed and landed on the hard floor. She had, had another nightmare about Barbara and she could not wake up. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her eyes and shake the horrible images from her mind. With each thud, she could feel the pain coursing through her own body as she watched Barbara being beaten by two men in front of her very eyes.
As Dinah lay on the floor in pain, she heard a voice from far away. "Shut up you freak!" the gruff voice called as another jolt of pain hit Dinah.
Dinah's eyes flew open to see Wayne Redmond standing over her, a belt clutched in his fist. As his hand came down to hit Dinah yet again, she used her telekinesis to stop his hand in mid-air. Using her mind, she motioned with her hand and flung him across the room, pinning him to the wall. "Stay the hell away from me," she said through clenched teeth.
Beth Redmond stood in the doorway, a look of shock and fear on her face, "Dinah, I'm so sorry. You were screaming so loud and we couldn't wake you. We were just trying to."
"To do what?" Dinah asked, slowly sitting up. She turned on the woman "Beat me into silence."
"It wasn't like that," the woman argued.
"It was always like that," Dinah said, glaring at the woman angrily. "Every single day. Why do you think I ran away from you people?"
Wayne, still pinned to the wall by some invisible force, glared at her. "You really are a freak," he spat.
The lamp on the bedside table flew off the table and crashed into the wall inches from Wayne's head. Beth shrieked. "I am not a freak." Dinah stated slowly. "You people are the freaks." She lowered her hand and Wayne fell to the floor. "Now get out."
Wayne scrambled to his feet, grabbed his wife, and ran out of the room, slamming the door as he went. Dinah slowly took a deep breath, letting the built up anger subside. Her adrenaline gone, the pain returned along with the visions from her dream. She closed her eyes, cradling her head in her hands, and cried.
Chapter 9:
Barbara Gordon lay on the floor of her cold, silent cell. She laid on her left side so that her left cheek could rest on the cool, damp concrete, the closest thing she had to an ice pack. Though she had tried to protect her face as much as possible from the Joker's thugs, she believed that her cheekbone had been broken. Barbara took in a ragged breath, wincing as sharp stabs of pain laced through her body. "Broken ribs," she reasoned. She had not come out on the winning end of the Joker's onslaught. Her right arm was broken and she cradled it close to her stomach. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises and she could only imagine what type of damage had been done to her legs, the only part of her body that she was blessed with having no feeling. It was the one time that she was actually thankful to have no feeling in her legs.
Barbara closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the pain that coursed through her body. She opened them to stare at the bowl placed a few feet in front of her. After her guards were done beating her, they had left a bowl of soup in her cell. "Some hosts", she thought sarcastically. Though Barbara was starved, she didn't have the energy to move the distance to the food. She was in too much pain to even think about eating.
Barbara heard footsteps approach the door. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, her back against the wall, and prepared for another round of beatings. The door to her cell slowly opened to reveal the Joker with the same insane grin that was always plastered to his face.
He walked up to Barbara. "Hello, Barbara," he said, "it's good to see you doing so well." His face was smiling down at her.
All Barbara could muster was a weak, "Go to hell."
The Joker almost frowned, "Now,now, that sounds familiar. We don't want a repeat of last time, do we?" He paused, allowing the silence to fill the room. "I didn't think so. Now I have something I need you to do for me. I need you to hack into the Arkham mainframe and help me release my lovely Harley. I believe you put her there."
Barbara actually laughed and then winced as her ribs screamed in agony.
"You find that funny?"
Barbara looked up at the lunatic. "You think that I would actually help you. You really are crazy. I'd rather die." She said flatly.
In one swift move, the Joker produced a knife and held it to Barbara's neck. "That can be arranged," he said through clenched teeth. Suddenly, a look of calm came over his face. He smiled and stepped back. "All in good time. All in good time. You will help me Gordon; it just may take a little convincing."
The Joker snapped his fingers and the two guards entered the room. Joker walked out of the room as the thuds of fists echoed down the halls.
* * *
"Nooo!" Dinah screamed as she fell out of bed and landed on the hard floor. She had, had another nightmare about Barbara and she could not wake up. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her eyes and shake the horrible images from her mind. With each thud, she could feel the pain coursing through her own body as she watched Barbara being beaten by two men in front of her very eyes.
As Dinah lay on the floor in pain, she heard a voice from far away. "Shut up you freak!" the gruff voice called as another jolt of pain hit Dinah.
Dinah's eyes flew open to see Wayne Redmond standing over her, a belt clutched in his fist. As his hand came down to hit Dinah yet again, she used her telekinesis to stop his hand in mid-air. Using her mind, she motioned with her hand and flung him across the room, pinning him to the wall. "Stay the hell away from me," she said through clenched teeth.
Beth Redmond stood in the doorway, a look of shock and fear on her face, "Dinah, I'm so sorry. You were screaming so loud and we couldn't wake you. We were just trying to."
"To do what?" Dinah asked, slowly sitting up. She turned on the woman "Beat me into silence."
"It wasn't like that," the woman argued.
"It was always like that," Dinah said, glaring at the woman angrily. "Every single day. Why do you think I ran away from you people?"
Wayne, still pinned to the wall by some invisible force, glared at her. "You really are a freak," he spat.
The lamp on the bedside table flew off the table and crashed into the wall inches from Wayne's head. Beth shrieked. "I am not a freak." Dinah stated slowly. "You people are the freaks." She lowered her hand and Wayne fell to the floor. "Now get out."
Wayne scrambled to his feet, grabbed his wife, and ran out of the room, slamming the door as he went. Dinah slowly took a deep breath, letting the built up anger subside. Her adrenaline gone, the pain returned along with the visions from her dream. She closed her eyes, cradling her head in her hands, and cried.