"I'm not pleased Nico. I must tell you up front that I am not pleased." the velvet voice whispered as soon as he entered.
Fear gripped Nico, it had ever since they'd found Greco's body. "I understand." he managed to croak out.
"I gave you a second chance, and I feel that you took that chance and what did you do with it Nico? Once again you come before me and I am dissatisfied. This isn't the best use of the opportunities that I've given to you."
"Yes, of course, you're right." he answered.
"Georgia, tell Mr. Kramer how we frown upon mistakes." the gloved hand patted the thigh again. Then the hand trailed up to her breasts. She giggled and leaned closer. "Or maybe we just show Nico how we feel about mistakes. Shall we tell him about Mr. James?" As quick as a snake striking out the gloved hand darted to the woman's throat and started squeezing. She tried clutching at the hand, and her eyes filled with terror. The hand just squeezed harder. Nico watched in horror as the life of the woman was snuffed out in front of him. The woman's body dropped to the floor, eyes still open and unfocused. "If Wayne isn't dead by the annual Wayne Foundation Ball this weekend our next discussion will not be as pleasant. Do you understand me fully Nico?"
"Yes." Nico couldn't tear his eyes from the woman.
"Billy, show Mr. Kramer out." Billy grabbed Nico by the collar and rushed him down the corridor and threw him into the alley. Nico hit the wall and the blow stunned him momentarily. He walked down the alley with plans swirling through his troubled mind.
"I'm still alive Lawrence." she spoke softly so as not to agitate him. His mind was chaotic. Something had snapped inside of his head and his thoughts weren't going in any type of chronological pattern. Every once in a while she would get a flash of him plunging the knife into someone's chest, but she couldn't tell if it had really happened, or if he was just delusional. At this point anything was possible.
"You're a ghost. A corporeal ghost. There's only way to get rid of a ghost. We have to exorcise it. A cleansing."
Callie backed away from the man cautiously. Why hadn't she been able to tell he was this close to the edge? Or had he been? Had something else happened to him to drive him to this point? "Lawrence, did someone hurt you? Did someone do something to you?"
He started laughing and it was a sick, high pitched laugh that caused her to shiver in fear. "Oh yes, I was bad, and I was punished, and now I'm gonna fix it." Lawrence started smacking his forehead with the hand not holding the knife. "You should have died Calliope, but no, you went to sleep. Why did you go to sleep Calliope? Why didn't you just die? Everything would be perfect now. But you came back and now I've failed. And failure is not accepted. Failure is never accepted." he stalked her around the room.
She kept the distance between them, but knew she couldn't keep it up forever. Callie wasn't sure what would happen if she used her mental abilities to strike at him. Making him see what she wanted him to see wouldn't work on his fractured mind, and the other pain would probably just make him more volatile. Whether she wanted to or not she knew she might end up having to try. "Lawrence," she began quietly, "Why don't you put the knife down and we can talk about it? Please?"
"Oh, now you beg!" he shouted. "You humiliate me, choose Wayne over me, and then you take my job, and now I'm supposed to let it all be okay, and talk to you! It doesn't work that way Calliope! You want to be Wayne's latest whore that's fine, but let's see if he touches you when I'm done. That is if you live through it!" With that said Lawrence leapt at her, and she screamed.
Callie ran hoping to make it her room. He grabbed her by the arm and her instincts took over. She flew into a kick aimed at his hand and the knife dropped to the ground. Lawrence swung out and slammed his fist into her face dropping her to the ground. He went scurrying for the knife and she kicked out again catching him in the ribs. A yelp escaped him and he snarled at her. Finding the blade he whipped out with it and sliced her arm open. The sting almost drove her to her knees, and blood dripped down her arm immediately.
Suddenly a huge black form crashed through her sliding glass doors from her balcony. Glass flew everywhere, and Callie covered her face. Batman stood and looked at the scene in front of him. Lawrence screamed again and kicked out catching Callie in the knee. She dropped to the glass covered floor and waited for the final blow, but it didn't come.
"I thought we had a talk about hurting women James." Batman's voice grated out. He moved as if lightning and grabbed the arm holding the knife. He twisted the arm, and the blade dropped to the ground. The snap of the arm was audible, and then Batman threw Lawrence across the room into the wall. The man crumpled to the floor unconscious. Batman moved to Callie who was on her hands and knees. Her arm was bleeding profusely, and her face and knee was swelling. He swung her into his arms and looked into the one eye not swollen shut. "We have to stop meeting like this." he quipped. Inside concern flared to life in Bruce's belly.
She coughed. "Yeah, at least this time I'm awake for it."
"Good point."
"I suppose you're gonna take me to a damn hospital." she winced.
"Best place for you."
"Yeah, that's what all the boys say." she joked half heartedly. "They should just rent me a room there."
"Does seem like you like to visit."
"Well, between my new patio door, and the lovely redecorating job that Lawrence did, I guess I'm gonna have to step up the whole house search." she muttered staring around her. She felt like crying, but didn't want to in front of this mysterious man.
He set her gently on the counter, the only place not covered in glass, and restrained Lawrence. Then he picked up Callie again and went to the patio. He looked at her and spoke. "Hope you don't mind the drop." So saying, he stepped off the patio and it felt like they free fell, but then they came to an end of a line he'd attached. He was surprised that she hadn't even flinched. The last thing she remembered was him putting her on a stretcher, and then she blacked out from the pain.