Lethal Secrets
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Bruce, the jokerz or anybody/anything else DC or Warner Bruce or anybody else owns. All I own is Daphne, Jake, Sara and the other characters I will make up. Poor me…
Author's Note:
Stress 'Thought' "Speech"
I appreciate reviews and welcome criticism.
Friday, 13 February, 2041
5:10 pm – Gotham - Daphne's P.O.V
I had quit sector 15 three months ago. I had left it never to return. After I had found out that my boss – head of theFBI branch in Gotham – was a serial killer, I told the proper authorities. They didn't take action fast enough and he escaped. After that, I decided not to trust anyone at the sector except for my secretary, Sara, and my brother, Jake.
When I left the agency, I knew what I was leaving behind. The challenging adventures, the smart traps, the fighting courses and putting my life at risk to save an innocent kid stuck in The Jokers' Territory. Sometimes I would wonder if I did it for the fun of kicking bad guys or because I wanted to walk around the city without seeing dead bodies at every corner or if it was purely out of revenge…
Things were getting worse in Gotham. An old yet extremely resourceful criminal, known only as The Assassin, was back in town with at least a hundred followers. He was planning something big. That was for sure. But till then, he hadn't made a move. That wasn't all. Apparently, The Joker had a nephew who had come to lead The Jokers and dozens of pickpockets, thieves and murderers to taking over Gotham then demanding a large ransom from the government. Despite Batman's attempts, The Jokers had taken over the Western side and the poor neighborhoods beyond Gotham Bridge. They had marked their territory well with dead bodies on the sidewalks. The police couldn't help much with the jokers since they were too busy protecting the mayor and senior Gotham officials from random attacks. My agency, as I hear from Sara, is of little assistance since it's got its hands full with the internal disturbances. Ever since my ex-boss – Sanlan - was exposed, things were going haywire in Sector 15. The police wanted to get national help, but the mayor insisted it was not a problem his trusty boys in blue couldn't handle. My theory is that someone threatened him…
The situation reminded me of that of "No man's land" more than 40 years ago. Not that I actually witnessed it. It's just that I studied it in history around a zillion times at school. I'm so glad I'm in university now.
Well, back to the point. Even though I had left the sector, I couldn't stand back and do nothing. I considered it my duty to keep Gotham's streets corpse-free. Sometimes I would patrol the city at night riding my trusty Hoover cycle. Other times, I'd sneak into the enemies' hideouts; activate a couple of my old spy devices then go home to watch their activities while drinking hot cocoa. I would always wear a long black coat with the hood up. No one would even think twice about me being a normal pedestrian protecting herself from the harsh winter winds.
I looked out the window and saw a snowball shatter into pieces on the glass. I looked down and saw a couple of kids playing outside and laughing, ignorant to what was happening to their beloved city. The sound of their happy laughter got me strolling down memory lane. Back to when mom and dad were agents. Back to when I was twelve and they used to take Jake and me out to play in the snow, before they were murdered. They were found besides each other. Both were shot in the chest but by different laser guns, probably by different gunmen. They were in an orphanage when it happened. And they weren't the only victims. It seemed like a massacre had happened there. I'm sure, now –since they were shot in the front and not back- , that they had entered to stop it from happening, but they were outnumbered. I remembered that day clearly. There were so few officers at the crime scene it surprised me. The only two agents there were Margaret, my Mom's best friend and Dennis, my Dad's best friend. They were also brother and sister which made the whole situation more suspicious. When Jake and I entered the building I remember passing by so many bodies until we reached our parents'. I had been stunned by the news, and even when I saw them on the floor lying so still, I refused to believe that they were dead. At one point, I started hallucinating and thought I saw my father blink. I wasn't allowed to go near them despite my pleas. Jake just stood at the doorway with no color left in his face. We only stayed for a couple of moments, and then we were ushered out.
Five years have passed now since that horrible day. Now I knew who did it and he was going to pay. I had walked in on Sanlan, around three months ago, stabbing a girl in the throat. All the victims at the orphanage – other than my parents - fit the same description: 17-year-old orphan girls, all found at their homes with a pocket knife sticking out of their throats.
I had joined the sector three years ago with my big brother. I was fourteen then, but the agency made an exception. I had undergone many of their intellectual tests and had scored the ninth in all of their history. It was only then that I was told that my parents had been in that sector. They scored third and fourth on the list.
I didn't tell Jake about Sanlan. Actually, I hadn't seen my brother for three months, ever since he had gone on yet another mission. I spoke to him every week, though. It was his 23 birthday yesterday. I can't believe I had forgotten. 'Maybe I'll call him when I come back…'
Another snowball went SPLAT on my window. It was growing darker outside. The mothers were ushering their kids away. These days, the streets were empty at night. Everybody stayed at home, hoping that no one carrying a laser gun enters their shelter. In a few minutes I'd be on my way to Sanlan's hide-out. I wanted revenge. I needed revenge. I had been planning this for days, ever since I found out that Sanlan was plotting against the people of Gotham in alliance with The Assassin. I saw him meet The Assassin on one of the spy videos. Then I followed him to his hide-out. I had to be careful. I knew he was more experienced than me in the stealth area. I had to fight the urge to shoot him in the back and kill him there and then. I wasn't prepared then, but today I was.
I put on my coat, pulled the hood down and headed for the door. I stopped when I heard a familiar clicking right outside the door. 'A timed bomb?' I asked myself. 'No. It isn't synchronized'. Then it hit me. Someone was picking the lock. I backed-up a couple of steps. 'I don't have time for thieves now' I thought.
The door opened and in entered the last person I expected. Sanlan. 'But how does he know where I live now?' He wasn't alone. There were three others crammed in the doorway. I recognized two of them as The Assassin's followers from the video. Each one of the three was carrying an antique weapon from the early 2000s. Pistols.
At first Sanlan just stared and smiled at my shocked look. When he finally spoke up, he said with a sneer: "I've been keeping an eye on you too, Daphne… A word of advice: next time make sure you don't write all your plans in your journal... But then again… there won't be a next time… You honestly don't think I'll let you destroy all my hard work now do you?" He held up a small leather book. My diary.
I wanted to say something. Anything that would prove that I wasn't afraid of him. I couldn't find the words. Instead, I grabbed Sanlan by the neck, held him close then I pulled out my laser gun and put it at his temple. I had pulled him in front of me as a shield in case one of The Assassin's followers decided to take a shot at me. "You're not going to pull the trigger." Sanlan said as if he were still my boss.
"I think I will" I retorted. I tightened my grip on the laser gun, but I couldn't get myself to pull the trigger. I couldn't shoot. I wanted him dead but I didn't want his blood on my hands. He did deserve to be executed and as much as I wanted to revenge my parents, I just couldn't do it. I'd never thought about that before. But he was right… I couldn't kill him. 'Maybe I can show Commissioner Barbra Gordon the facts and get her to execute him. But I'll have to kidnap him first' Then, a ridiculous thought came to my mind, 'Too bad he's not a kid'. It was going to be hard, kidnapping him. There wasn't another door to the house. And if I took him through the window, I'd momentarily be an easy target for The Assassin's followers. 'Can I bluff? Threaten to kill Sanlan unless they backed away? Will they fall for it? Is there a better way?' A thousand questions crossed my mind. Sanlan took advantage of my hesitation. He took out a pocket knife, broke loose from my grip and high-kicked my laser gun away. I heard it clank against the bare floor behind me. Then, he grabbed me by the waist, flipped open the knife and held it to my gulping throat. He held me so strongly I could barely breathe let alone move. I felt so helpless…
"I haven't done this in a long time." Sanlan said. "I thought you were smarter. 17-year-old-girl, no parents…Boo Hoo"
I tried to growl at his followers. It was all I could do since he was behind me. But it didn't even come out since I was out of air.
Batman's P.O.V
I peered through the frosty window. I could see a big bald man's back and a couple of guys with old pistols. I could hear the bald man saying,
"Heh heh heh... Give it up, Daphne..."
"In your ... dreams! Awww!"
"Say goodbye Agent Maller."
"Don't … ever … call me … Agent!" said somebody I couldn't see between gasps of air.
'Time for my entrance'. I activated a bat bomb and through it at the window. Pieces of glass shattered in front of me. I flew in using my jetboots. I loved that part of the job.
It would be easy. Throwing a couple of batarangs at the pistols would do the job, I thought. Unfortunately I was wrong. The bald man turned to face me holding a girl. He had a pocket knife to her neck. I couldn't see her eyes, since they were covered by her hood, but I could tell that she wasn't afraid. 'Weird'. She also looked kind of familiar even with half her face hidden. "Boys... kill the rodent" Said baldy.
The goons leveled their pistols at me. I threw three battarangs at the men's' wrists. They all dropped their pistols and ran out the door. 'Yippee'. Unfortunately I was wrong again. They were replaced by half a dozen goons.
"Wait!" said the girl, "This is between you and me, Sanlan. Let Batman go." Her voice was dripping with hatred. But what bothered me was the fact that she was acting like I was the helpless damsel in distress and she was the hero. Sanlan opened his mouth to reply. Bad move. The girl, Daphne, if I heard right, turned quickly, freed herself of her capture and directed a hard hawk punch at him. And while he was recovering, she pulled the pocket knife out of his hand and threw it out the window. Then, she dove for a laser gun on the floor I hadn't noticed before. She was fast but Sanlan was faster. He Karate-chopped her hand and grabbed the laser gun. The goons were aiming their guns at her. I jumped up and kicked two of them with my hard jet boots. They dropped down unconscious. I dropped to the floor and pulled the welcome mat from under another's feet. He fell on his head. I stole a glance at Daph. She was fighting Sanlan furiously. But he blocked her every attempt easily. I turned back to the goons. 'Three down, three to go'. One was busy reloading. I took the other two by their collars and slammed their heads together. 'Ouch. That's gotta hurt'. Then, I let them sink to the floor. Last one. I punched him in the stomach and he doubled over.
I turned to Daph. She looked pretty beat up. I could see her eyes then. The hood had fallen back revealing her reddish black hair. One of her goldish-brown eyes was swollen shut. I was impressed by how fast baldy was. He grabbed her arm then threw her at the wall. She fell down unconscious. I couldn't do anything. When I finally got my senses back I decided to teach him a lesson. Too bad I never got around to that. I heard a click behind me and when I turned, a rifle came down hard on my head. I heard mocking laughter behind me. Then, everything went black…