The Crane and the Falcon
Chapter XIII
Katherine - All in good time, all in good time.
Blodeuedd - Love the scoreboard…heehee, picnic of insanity…priceless
Lady Draculea - Thanks so much, I'm so glad I got Jonathan right. That was always one of my big fears…
Ailias Kurai - First off, love your name, does it mean anything? And yes, you have to be crazy to like Alg 2. There's this kid in my class who gets like 107's on his tests and I'm like "YOU'RE AN ALIEN!" And yes, do not mess with Sakura Falcone…cue ghetto snapping fingers…
"You're going down with Crane."
Sakura rounded the corner and paused, straining to hear any clue of someone following her. Hearing none, she sighed and leaned back against the white wall, biting her lip to keep back a frustrated scream. Jon could be so frustrating. He made her want to vow off men forever and go on a spree of castration, but then he could turn around and make her feel better than she ever could alone. But his stubbornness made him more attractive to her.
"Miss Falcone?" she heard a voice call down the hallway for her. She slid up against the wall and crept next to it, her heels making no noise at all. She looked like a spider, creeping along so slowly as to make no noise or sign of her presence. Slowly, very slowly, she peeked half her face around the corner before ducking back behind the wall. The quick glance told her that Dent was back in the hallway and Rachel was staring at the door to Jon's cell. "Is she gone?" Dent said.
"I expect so," Rachel replied flatly. "She left a few minutes ago."
"Ah. Well, I wanted to ask her a few questions but they'll have to wait 'till Monday," he sighed, running a hand through his thick, brown hair. Rachel turned and raised an eyebrow.
"Monday? What's happening Monday?"
"I'm having brunch with her. We're going to go over the events of yesterday."
Rachel scoffed before laughing to herself. "How the hell did you get an appointment to talk with Sakura Falcone? No, better question, what the hell possessed you to ask her?" She unfolded her arms and took a step towards Dent, her eyes serious.
"What do you mean?" Despite being the DA, he was still quite virgin in the ways of Gotham.
"I mean, the last one of our guys who spoke to her ended up at the bottom of the river. He asked too many questions and raised too many eyebrows Falcone-wise."
"Well I guess I won't be ruffling too many feathers then. I can't afford to back out on this. She seemed reasonable when I spoke with her-."
"Reasonable!" Rachel spat, throwing her arms in the air. "She just told me that my evidence against her was just stolen by her goons! Whatever Crane's been planning, she's in on it!"
Dent raised an eyebrow, "Struck a nerve, did I?" he chuckled. "And I'm not quite sure that she is working with Crane. All witnesses last night said she was screaming in terror when they arrived-."
Again, Rachel cut him off. "Bullshit, it was an act and you know it. And Crane is more than her close friend, if you catch my drift," she muttered angrily. Around the corner, Sakura narrowed her eyes. She had heard enough. In silence, she slunk away and out of Arkham.
--
The apartment seemed empty to Sakura, it's monochrome coloring had become more of an eyesore than anything else. Her Saluki, barely a year old, bounded up to her and yipped once or twice. The silver tags on his collar jingled and Sakura gave it a small smile and a pat on the head. "Hello, Dragon," she muttered, dropping her car keys in a bowl. They clinked together with the dozen others.
Sakura sighed heavily and hung up her coat, moving sluggishly as if through water. Her body felt oddly heavy and she lay down on the chaise lounge, Dragon close behind, kicked off her shoes, and dropped her purse on the floor. She could hear her own heart pounding in her ears and the warmth of Dragon curling up beside her was enough to send her into a deep slumber. This time, the memories came slowly, broken at first, and then steady and clear as day.
"Don't kill me, please don't kill me!" An older man pleaded, clutching a tattered arm riddled with bullet holes. He squirmed on the ground, trying to pull himself further away from his pursuer. "I got kids, lady, kids! Please!"
Sakura stood over him, her dark irises glowing against the white of her eyes. It was raining and the blood from the man's arm sloshed around her boots. Her hair had been long then, reaching past her breasts, dripping wet and flush with her leather coat. Her eyelids flickered as she emptied her clip into the man's head, right between his eyes.
It was done. Her first job. She had asked for it. She had wanted it. She had proved herself. Still in college and a murderer. She felt the adrenaline course in her veins. It reminded her of the heroine. The electricity, the rush.
"I didn't rat, I swear!" This time it was a greasy goon of her uncle's who tattled to the police. "It wasn't me, I never done it! I don't know how they knew, but it wasn't me!" He was handcuffed to a pipe in a dank room. The light overhead swung back and forth slowly. The click of a switchblade opening filled his heart with fear and Sakura advanced. His right index finger landed on the floor and the blood curdling scream echoed off the stone walls.
That one always got her. Jimmy Legs. He wasn't the first to rat. And he wasn't the last. Sakura's eyes opened as she gasped hollowly for breath. Tears stung her eyes as she sat up. Dragon scuttled away at the sudden movement, his claws sounding like rain on a tin roof as he passed over the tile kitchen floor. It was dark out. She glanced to the silver clock on the wall and then glanced at her watch. It was past eight. She had slept longer than she had in weeks. Her neck cracked as she gingerly moved her head while she stretched like a giant cat, the memories fading away.
From the street below, the whining sound sirens reached her ears. She could see the red and blue of the police cars reflecting off the glass windows of the building across from hers. Sakura stood slowly and went over the window, seeing a long train of police cars tearing away down the wide avenue in the direction of the Narrows.
But a sudden, rhythmic buzzing drew her away. She slowly reached into her purse, the origin of the buzzing, and pulled out her cellphone.
"Talk," she muttered.
"Sakura!"
"Jon?" She snapped up, her back straight and her eyes wide. "They're letting you have another call? What's that noise?" She could distinctly hear what sounded like muffled screaming and general panic.
"Get out of Gotham." His usual monotone, emotionless voice wasn't the same. There was a certain edge to it Sakura couldn't place.
"What? I'm not leaving, I can't-."
"Get out of Gotham," he repeated, this time the edge was more dominant. "The toxin is being released tonight and I want you out."
Sakura blinked a few times and said nothing. "No." He was a psychiatrist, he should have known that would be her answer. She heard him sigh heavily and almost growl in return.
"Don't do this, Sakura-."
"In fact, I'm going down to the Narrows right now, Crane. A large fleet of fuzz is on their way and my interest is peeked. And you know what happens when my interest is peeked."
"Sakura, it's not safe here! The inmates-."
"I'll see you in a few minutes, you can tell me then," she crooned before shutting off the phone. She stared at it for a moment before hearing a familiar jingle. The Saluki stood in the archway leading to the kitchen. "That was fun, Dragon."
The dog whimpered slightly and cocked his head as if in response. Sakura stood and grinned. "Exactly," she said while walking over to the locked gun closet.
Review, review, review! Next chapter- Again a flashback, and an actual therapy session with the one and only Jonathan Crane.