A Wrinkle in Time
Part Two: Homecoming
-Martha_Wayne- Arkham? But Arkham hadn't been in use for months now... Marti raised her head, staring slightly, her blue eyes flickering back and forth between the imposters. Marti didn't know a damn thing about 'alternate dimensions', so there was just no other way to explain this. She'd gotten knocked out, probably hit her head on the roof of the State Building, and Denmark had just hired some clowns to mess with her head. Confusion was etched over every inch of her pale face, but it died off quickly enough, back into anger. "I fucking hate imposters," she growled, shoving herself off the ground in a lunge for the Joker.
-Batman_GothamsProtector- The gauntleted hand caught Martha's in a quick motion. Psychotic or not, she was neither rejoining nor trying to play hero and stop the Joker. His free hand had collected a tracer from his belt, tossing it onto the Joker's car, then making for a bigger production of restraining Martha. The Joker went roaring into the night, oblivious, at least for now, of his tracer. Batman waited for the Joker to round the corner before changing tactics. He let Martha go. He didn't have time to play babysitter over her. The Joker was definitely the bigger threat, and if he had to pick and choose.... "If you'll excuse me," he intoned, moving away. He'd have to hurry before the Joker clued in that there was a tracer on his car. The canopy on the Batmobile slid back to allow him access.
-Martha_Wayne- She could have had the Joker, if the other man's grip hadn't brought her up short. "Oh. Heh. No. I don't think so, not after you helped your clown pal take off," she replied, moving after him, her hand extending to grab his cape, her other hand raised to backhand his skull. "You go nowhere, creep, not till I find out who sent you." Even if she already knew the answer.
-Batman_GothamsProtector- Batman batted away the offending hand, his face scowling again. "Beat it, kid." Usually people never dared to touch him. He was more accustomed to people backing away in nervousness and fear. The fear thing suited him better. Maybe he really should take the time to run this little brat into Arkham. She was even more cracked than the Joker was. It would almost serve the runt right if she was killed playing out her insane story, but the philanthropist in Bruce Wayne would never allow him to actually do so. He had to tend to this person before she got herself hurt. "Get in." His opinion and mood seemed to change with a speed rivaling his own reflexes.
-Martha_Wayne- The sentiment, if not the words, was one she was used to coming from that voice. Bugger off, kid, I've got work to do. What kind of game was this guy playing? Her eyes trailed to the car. "Denmark puts on a real good show. You and that hunk of scrap, he did his homework..." Why go to all this trouble just to screw with her head? Was Denmark really that desperate to catch her off guard? "This is fucking insane," she whispered, but followed after the hired costume, entering the car. Only after he had, mistrust evident on her face. Her face flickered to surprise once she was in the car, surveying the assorted consoles. Memories from when she was much younger and had stumbled across her father's 'side job' flickered across her thoughts. Involuntarily, her hand shifted, her fingers moving towards a console to lightly brush over it. It looked just like she remembered. She violently shoved the thoughts aside. "Alright. Jesus. What kind of game is this? I already told him I'd never sell over..."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- "I don't play 'games', and you need some serious medical attention." With that, the canopy slid shut, and the car jetted forward. He'd hope the Joker was laughing off his apparent 'restraint' of the 'crazy' person, and would not search for tracers. A disappointing night. Batman's gaze seemed to dart towards her hand. "Don't touch anything." All prior experiences of button pushing in the Batmobile were bad, without fail. He didn't need another one chalked up.
-Martha_Wayne- Marti visibly shuddered at the echo of the words from her first trip in the Batmobile, and her hand froze over the console. She'd been kidnapped, and rescued by batman. It had taken her all of fifteen minutes in the car with the man to catch on. Of course, looking back, she realized he'd meant for her to. One of the few 'less painful' family moments, that, but it still made her mood even sourer. "Half of 'em probably don't do anything, even if it does look real..." she muttered under her breath with another scowl. "-I- need some serious medical attention? You're the loon that volunteered for the job of parading around in the costume of a dead man..." she trailed off, that odd, disoriented feeling returning.
-Batman_GothamsProtector- actually slowed the car a bit, casting a sideways glance at this new person. "Dead man? And since when does someone who tangles with the Joker have grounds to call me crazy?" Definitely cracked. Maybe not even in a good way.
-Martha_Wayne- Marti's gaze flickered uneasily to the driver as the car seemingly slowed in response to her remark. The man was a good actor, she had to give him that. "It's hardly old news, bucko, Batman's been dead for months. I know I must have hit my head real hard this afternoon fighting off Denmark's bodyguards, but I still have enough gray matter left to remember that much..." Laying her head back against the seat, she sighed in annoyance. The sigh broke off midway, turning to a small startled gasp as the conversation with the psycho angel sprung into her ...You're being given a second chance... She slumped forwards, almost putting her head between her knees, her fingers twisting into her long red and black curls. "This is just a nightmare... just some kind of dream... just wake up now..."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- simply glanced at Martha. It was all that needed to be said. He was certainly not dead. "I've never heard of this 'Denmark'. Who is he?" She appeared to be suffering from delusions, and had some awareness of the fact. Odd symptoms. Whatever she was playing at, she seemed insistent on doing so. But him being dead? Denmark? Imposters? An odd set of circumstances and factoids. How did they fit together though. Well, no matter. The doctors at Arkham could help her. Hopefully. They didn't seem too efficient with some of his 'foes'.
-Martha_Wayne- She wasn't waking up. "Well. You've certainly got the annoying calm routine down..." she muttered coldly at the realization that she was, for the time being, stuck in the dream. Maybe this was one of those spirit-quest dreams like the Native Americans had, maybe that was what the 'angel' had meant by second chance. "Fine, fine, I'll play along with the dream." Sighing again, she answered his question. "Denmark is the name Dennis Markinson used in the underground before he went public as the owner of Wayne-MarTech industries. After killing off the company's owners. And half of Gotham..." Her eyes shifted towards him again to study for a reaction. "Otherwise known as the city's favorite mayor..."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- "There's been no such thing happening. Hamilton Hill is Gotham's mayor, Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox run WayneTech, and I've never heard of Markinson or Denmark. Barring the earthquake that made Gotham a No Man's Land, no one has died in that large of a scale." This was starting to sound like a case of time travel, in an accidental sense. Kyle Rayner had mentioned Hal Jordan and he had both had the same difficulties and confusion.
-Martha_Wayne- "Fuck, all right, fine, so 'half' was a small exaggeration..." Marti rolled her eyes, fighting against the disoriented feeling. This guy was too good, and it was starting to unnerve her. "Denmark had Hill killed. Same with Commissioner Gordon, and anyone else that would have gotten in his way." Her eyes remained on him, her tone having become far less confident. This had to be some kind of ploy to trick her into revealing something that was the only thing that made sense. Not much sense, though, as Denmark had a knack for figuring things out on his own. All in all, she had to admit, this kind of game wasn't his style. And that psycho 'angel'... "Maybe I'm dead. I should be, after taking a dive off the top of the State Building. At least, I think I did... Jesus..." Her breath came in short, heavy bursts for a moment. "Ok. I've played along long enough, and you're starting to freak me out. If you're really who you say you are, you'll be able to prove it." She paused, then narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe in sci-fi time travel, but... "And don't give me the 'real identity' line, that doesn't count. Even if no one was able to prove it, it's a widely accepted fact that Batman disappearing after Bruce Wayne got shot was proof enough."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- "Frankly, I don't care who you think I am." Batman was an urban legend to many. That suited him just fine. "You've got no business parading around so carelessly, especially attacking the Joker like that. You'll wind up dead in just a few seconds." He'd already mentioned Wayne once. If he kept playing defensively on the point, it would become evident he was hiding. He wasn't playing her game. Luckily, Arkham wasn't too much farther. She kept sounding more and more like a paranoid conspiracy theorist. He knew enough of them already.
-Martha_Wayne- The reaction was eerily accurate. Misdirection to avoid having to deny something. Raising a brow, Marti shifted in her seat so she was half twisted, leaning more against the door than the back of the seat in order to look at him fully. She didn't know what she was trying to prove anymore, or whom she felt was the one needing proof. This had to be just a nightmare, like every other one she'd had where her own father hadn't known her. "The 'Joker' doesn't scare me. One, he's dead. And two, I can take care of myself. Aunt Sel and Harley had time to teach me that, even if you were too busy to give me the time of day." She heaved a breath in annoyance. "Pull over. Let me out of this fucking fake car."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- snorted, rather loudly. "Ignoring whatever delusions you have about being around me," the emphasis on his tone made it clear he was making it plain they were false, "whatever 'joker' you dealt with before, this one should scare you a great deal, as he is very much alive. Harley Quinn, assuming you are referring to her, is gone. She no longer exists. I don't know any 'Sel', and you are going to end up dead before dawn the way you blunder around so carelessly. I'm not letting you out until we get to Arkham Asylum."
-Martha_Wayne- "Gone? What do you mean, gone?" That was the first thing that seemed to register, the concern evidently sincere in her voice. Selina's death had been hard enough, especially since the explosion had been meant to kill Marti. Slowly, the rest of what the man had said registered in her thoughts. "Selina Kyle. She's not really my Aunt. She took me under her wing - or should I say paw?" Marti snorted in self-amusement, "Because we had a mutual goal - wanting to piss off my father. And I'm not going to dignify the Asylum threat with a response. The place was pretty much leveled after the executions. And anyway, I'm not the crazy one." She stuck to that point. It seemed important. They said when you were dead, you had to come to that realization yourself, and until you did, you remained in your own private dream world. Was she dead? Was she visiting the realm of the dead, perhaps while her body was stuck in some kind of coma? "Jesus. So much for a guardian angel."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- "Selina Kyle is alive. She hasn't been seen in public for several months, and I don't know her current location, but I would know if she were dead. Arkham Asylum is still standing, and while its doctors have a frustrating inability to keep several of its worst residents confined, it can help you, I'm sure. And I mean that Harley Quinn does not exist anymore." She could figure that one out. But who was this father? She'd said Selina had wanted to annoy him as well? Who else did Selina know like that? "I wouldn't hope for a guardian angel. They don't exist." The atheistic Batman. Believes in no one but himself.
-Martha_Wayne- "This is like the fucking twilight zone... " Marti muttered, after having listened to the entirety of what he had to say. "Yeah. I don't believe in angels either, that's just what she claimed to be. Never seen an angel that smoked or wore leather, but them I'm me, if I had an angel with a halo I'd probably want to hurt them." Marti half closed her eyes, making another vain attempt at trying to convince the man she knew him. "I should have listened to Alfred. Hair dye really does cause brain damage. Maybe I'm in a coma..." Her fingers traced over the belt. "They can't help me, because I'm not crazy. They can't help me, because there -is- no Asylum. Unless Denmark had it rebuilt just to fuck with my head. Which is working."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- The Batmobile screeched to an abrupt halt. "Smoking and wearing leather. This 'angel' didn't happen to have short, red hair, did she?" Had to be Jade. She was the one who kept popping up in the most unlikely and inopportune times. "Who is Alfred? And you mentioned a father earlier." He could try and find out who she was, how she knew Alfred, Selina, and Harley, and where she was getting all these stories about mayors and death and whatnot. She was throwing around all this information for what seemed like his own benefit, but he wanted to know what was up. For all he knew, she was one of Joker's floozies, and trying to lure information out of him.
-Martha_Wayne- Marti, rebel against the seatbelt as she had been, went sliding into the dash. Her exclamation about his driving skills was cut off by his question. She stared slightly, shifting back onto the seat. "Mostly short. Looked like she hacked it off with a knife or something. But yeah, I think it was red." Marti ran her hand through her hair, suddenly reminded that she looked like hell. "Alfred. Your butler. Took care of you when your parents were killed. He used to be a spy. He's an expert on making excuses on your behalf so you can dash off..." the last was said with a bitter note, but she continued uninterrupted. "Couldn't talk me out of the hair dye. Did talk me out of getting my tongue pierced, though, and in retrospect, I'm glad." Her intent look was almost pleading. "Come on. I know you. Even if you don't know me for some reason, you gotta believe that much."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- "Good to know he earns that paycheck," Bruce murmured. "All right, so you're not just a plant. You know who I am. I have no idea who you are, or where you come from, but if I had to guess, I would say alternate timeline. You keep saying people are dead, and none of them are. That leaves one rather nagging question - who are *you*?" He was really pressing for answers now. This whole odd story that didn't add up had certainly gone too far. She sounded like someone who had stepped into the red and yellow Robin costume. Or maybe Robin's friend, Spoiler, or some such. It was hard to say.
-Martha_Wayne- "Fucking twilight zone..." she mumbled, shaking her head, "But at least we're getting somewhere. Ok, fine, we'll go with this 'alternate timeline' theory thing, I guess..." She furrowed her brow, not entirely clear on how there could be an 'alternate' timeline, but it didn't seem important at the moment. "The name's Marti. That's all, just Marti. The whole secret identity thing became rather moot after you got killed. Once they had you figured out, they connected the rest of us." Somehow trying to convince him that she was his kid from the future or whatever didn't seem worth it at the moment. "So what's up with the angel? Know her? Or more important - where I can find her?"
-Batman_GothamsProtector- snorted again. "Her name's Jade, and I doubt you're going to find her. She's going to find you when she wants to. Long story. She does happen to deal in temporal anomalies, so it's very likely you got caught in a wrinkle somewhere in the time-space continuum. And if it makes you feel better, Selina's just in hiding, I would imagine, your friend Harley ditched the Joker and changed her name, and Alfred will be pleased to know he talked you out of a tongue ring. Even if he didn't manage to spare you the hair dye."
-Martha_Wayne- The woman - Jade - had said that she'd see Marti again, the young woman would just have to wait, it seemed. She sighed amusedly. "Well. I'm glad to see Sel and Harley are all right... Of course, they won't have a clue who I am any more than you do, but hey, I'm not selfish..." Marti smirked slightly. Now that the conversation had taken a less hostile tone, she could claim it as the most prolonged civil conversation she'd had with her old man in years. Except he wasn't her father. Not really. So it didn't matter if he was civil and paying attention. And... he shouldn't be. "You'd better go after the Joker. Just let me out here. I know how you feel about people being in your way."
-Batman_GothamsProtector- "Then you also know I'm not going to let you run around Gotham like you were." Alfred would simply love him for bringing him another charge. Of course, stroking Alfred's British ego was key to keeping him happy. Telling Alfred what a positive impact he had been on Marti in the other timeline would be key. A quick glance to his screen gave him the Joker's location. It would be first on his list after taking care of the girl. Even if Joker moved, they would undoubtedly have left a paper trail, or word of movements. The Underworld heard all, and Batman knew where to press to get the information he wanted.
-Martha_Wayne- Marti sighed. "Hey. I've been conscious for all of fifteen minutes. I was a little confused by waking up in the twilight zone without a warning, y'know? Behavior was hardly the status quo, so gimme a break. I'm over it now. I just want to find someplace to crash and get cleaned up. I haven't had a decent night's sleep since..." she trailed off. She wasn't going to complain. Complaints were a sign of weakness. Shifting in her seat, she faced forward again.
-Batman_GothamsProtector- had already started heading for Wayne Manor, in his very winding and erratic way. Kept him from being followed. "I'm sure Alfred will be delighted to pamper someone for a change." That made it clear where they were going. She seemed to have trusted the Alfred she knew. Maybe being in a familiar surrounding would help, and relax her. That would help 'encourage' her to be more forthcoming over her origins.
-Martha_Wayne- Home. They were going home. More or less. Finding a feeling of dread edging in, Marti shivered slightly and tugged the coat tighter around her slender form. It wasn't her home, it wasn't her Alfred, it wasn't her father... this isn't her Gotham. What the hell kind of second chance was this, anyway? She was trapped here while her city crumbled. Marti silently set her jaw, forcing herself to get angry to keep from feeling anything else.
-Batman_GothamsProtector- It was a few minutes later the saw the Batmobile returning much earlier than it ever had. "Ah, welcome back, Master Bruce. I trust this is in regards to 'business', rather than your reconsidering my offer to play 'Scrabble'." Alfred was rather stunned to see Marti climbing out of the car. "A bit more young than your usual dates, Master Bruce, but I am not one to comment on your....well, tastes." Bruce threw him the merest of amused scowls. "This is Marti, she needs a place to stay. She seems to be lost in time, and she knows and works with us in that other place. I don't want her on the streets." He cuffed Alfred lightly on the arm. "Be sure to use all your British manners and charm. She's a special guest, after all." Another wry smirk, and he headed back towards the car.
-Martha_Wayne- Marti slid reluctantly out of the car, her arms wrapping around her torso as her eyes trailed over her surroundings, finally falling on the butler. She kept her jaw set, trying to look annoyed and rebellious, but she couldn't keep the nostalgic amusement out of her eyes at the dialogue between the two men. She'd always envied Alfred, perhaps more than she'd envied Dick and the others, because Alfred was the one that knew her father best. Which had made him full of stories, but still no substitute for the affections desired. Covering her thoughts with a scowl, she forced her eyes to the ground. "Fuck the manners and charm. Just show me where I can take a shower and crash for the night," she muttered, moving away from the Batmobile.
-Batman_GothamsProtector- Alfred did seem a little put off by the whole dark cloud over Marti's head. Still, he never let Bruce get to him, no reason to let someone following in his footsteps to do that either. "I...see. Yes, well, if you'll follow me, then we'll get you a nice hot bath, and a comfortable bed. Goodness knows they aren't used around here." The reproachful look was shot at Bruce, who seemed to run on so little sleep so often.
-Martha_Wayne- And she found she felt bad. Even if it wasn't -her- Alfred, she found she couldn't quite think of it that way and treat him like a stranger. He was probably pretty much the same man that she'd come to think of as a sort of grandfather. "Thanks, Alfred, she murmured, her arms dropping to her side, trying to make herself feel like something other than a little kid. Seeing it wasn't going to work, she relaxed and slipped her hands in her pockets. She kept her gaze on the ground, though, after that one look, trying to avoid as much as possible of the trip down memory lane that she suspected following him through the house would be.