Sorry for a long absense guys. Here's another chapter for waiting so patiently!
Chapter 5: Following the Trail
"The transport system is down, best I can do is open the door you came in. Sorry." The guards apology is what snapped me back into reality, after going over the options in my head I had drifted off into my own thoughts.
"That's fine," I started, looking at him, then back at the ramp I came up with. "Maybe going back is just the thing I need to do." I finished, mainly trying to convince myself this and not just the guard. With that being said by me the guard typed in a few things and the lasers faded, letting me get through. As I walked down the ramp and towards the door I came in I pushed a button on my earpiece.
"Batman, I'm sorta stuck. Officer Boles is working with Joker and I'm not sure where I should go, any suggestions?" I asked, releasing the button so I could hear his reply. After a few seconds rolled by I heard his voice.
"Can you get back to the holding cells?" He asked, I walked through the door I came in and back down the hall, my gaze trying to avoid the smile and arrows painted on the floor. I remembered where he was talking and hopefully I'd be able to get back to it, without getting lost.
"Yeah, why?" I asked, he didn't take very long to reply. "Boles wasn't too smart. He'll have left a trail." At that moment I was quite confused as to what he meant, but I thought it would be best if I held my questions until I got back to the holding cells.
"Alright." Was all I replied with, I thought the conversation would end there but I was wrong as Batman continued talking.
"What else happened?" He asked, I bit my lip, thinking over the events that happened previously, I was considering what to tell him and what to leave out. I finally found the right words to reply with after a few seconds rolled by.
"Joker escaped from me again and sealed himself off...he uh...he's got commissioner Gordon. But uh, don't worry, I'm gonna get him back." I added on, making sure he wouldn't worry.
"I suppose...". He replied, trailing off slightly, at this I frowned. "Batman I'm getting him back, trust me. It's not like you to worry. And Joker won't win, I won't let him." I told him, my voice raising, and being a bit more stern than I wanted it to be. I sighed and apologized in a mumble. He told me that it was okay and that he understood, with that being said by him I continued.
"I'm uh...I'm starting where he was taken. I can't believe Boles attacked him...". I trailed off in disbelief, holding my head and rubbing my temples.
"Don't worry Amber, if you find Frank, you'll find Gordon. But you'll have to hurry." He explained to me, I nodded, even though he couldn't see it. With that we stopped talking and I continued walking slowly, watching my feet as one stepped in front of the other. My brain and thoughts were cloudy, too many things were happening at once. But I made a promise to myself to help these people, and now I needed to live up to that promise, no matter what it took. Part of me wish I wasn't like the way I was, so determined to finish something I started. My dad never thought that was a good quality of me either. I stopped thinking there. I didn't want to continue with that subject, not the 'D' word. I rounded a few more corners, begging mentally there would be something indicating I was heading at least in the right direction to the holding cells.
"Me and Frankie go way back!" Joker's voice came from the speakers, I had a feeling it would be usual thing. I looked up at this, snapping back into my regular 'Gotta save the people and get out of here' mode. My eyes narrowed as I continued to listen to Joker speak, it's not like I had much of a choice.
"I got him out of a spot of...bother a few years ago." He explained to me, it just pissed me off even more and I had the strangest feeling that's what he meant to do.
"So, when I need security codes or an old man to be clubbed to the ground, I know just the man to ask." He told me, I huffed in anger but continued walking none the less even picking up a little pace, I had to get back to the holding cells, and quick. I started to run, turning corners with no knowledge of where I was going. I was forced to stop my run though when I came up to one of the famous sliding open doors. The locks flipped open and the doors slid to reveal the next room. I perked up, it was the holding cells. Mentally congratulating myself with a smile I ran through the doorway, but my smile faded when I realized a laser doorway blocking my path, but there was a room to my left I had access to that sort of peeked my interest. I brought my hand up to my earpiece and pressed the button to communicate Batman.
"Batman, I'm back at the holding cells...now what?" I asked, curious to know what he had planned, and I remembered him saying something about Boles leaving a trail.
"Now it's time to set up a crime scene." I heard him reply as I walked into the room and looked around, it looked like some kind of office but that's when it finally hit me. This was the room Boles knocked out Gordon, but...how did Batman know to come to the holding cells? I shrugged the question off, he was Batman, so who cared?
"Alright...how?" I asked, still very confused about the whole thing, but I should of expected it with Batman.
"You're going to isolate something in that room unique to Boles. Now listen, third compartment to the left from the middle of the belt, reach into it and take out what's inside." He instructed, I nodded and did as I was told, they looked like a pair of hichtech glasses. They were black mainly with dark yellow lenses, not really surprising. I raised an eyebrow chuckling slightly as I looked them over more, a bit of glowing lights came from the sides.
"A pair of goofed up glasses?" I asked, yet I almost forgot I was talking to Batman, I could feel him giving me a glare all the way from Gotham, like it was coming through the earpiece.
"Uh...you were saying?" I asked, desperatly trying to change the subject, I was so relieved it worked.
"Put them on and press the button near the right eyepiece." He ordered, I opened the glasses and put them on, they fit perfectly. I brought up my hand and fumbled for the button he was talking about, once I found it and pressed down my whole vision changed. It went blue and the walls seemed as if they were glowing.
"Whoa..." Was the only thing I could say, I observed and took in my surroundings with my new view on things, it was almost too cool.
"What it this Batman?" I asked, interested to know as I continued my search.
"It's a modified mode that can look further into your vision. Don't get distracted Amber. You're looking for something that is releated to Boles, weather it be a fingerprint, a piece of hair, anything." He told me, I nodded to myself because it made sense to me. There was a computer circle...thing, that would scan certain objects that came in my view, but nothing that had anything to Boles. I continued to look, scanning the floor, the walls, and the cieling, I almost thought I had looked everywhere, I was glad I was wrong. I finally spotted a flask of alchohal on the ground, I recognized it as Boles who was drinking it when we first came into Arkham.
"Hmm, wonder if this thing can pick something up." I referred to the glasses, pushing a few more buttons on it that I didn't know. In small yellow letters the word 'Scanning...' came underneath the circle in the middle of my vision. It matched with the same substance in the air, almost like a trail.
"Of course..." I muttered to myself. "This is a video game...things are supposed to fit together." I reminded myself with a smile, this wasn't going to be so hard after all, or so I thought at the time. I walked out of the room continuing to following this path and pressed the communicator.
"Batman, I'm on his trail." I told him with a determined smirk as I walked back down the hall I came and walked through the door I had come. I felt like I was going in circles, and in technical terms, I was. Screw technical shit though, if things happened then things happened, even if the reasons to 'why' they happened completely sucked.
"Follow it, I'm grabbing every refrence to Arkham I can find, it may be useful later." He told me, I nodded and continued, breaking the connection between us. I expected something to pop out of nowhere, and was glad to figure out that I was wrong. I kept walking, following the trail I was glad I found. I paused briefly when I found a dead guard with a bucket on his head and a cruedly painted smile on it, I frowned.
"I swear I'm gonna stuff a bucket up that clown's ass when I get the chance." I said 'when' because I knew I was gonna see Joker again, I had no doubt about that. I continued to walk aimlessly down the halls waiting for something to come up. Once I spotted a door I sprinted forward and stopped infront of it, impatiently waiting for it to open. Once it had I hurried through to see a guard trying to get the elevator to work.
"What's wrong with this thing?" I heard him ask as I approached him more and got closer, I raised an eyebrow at his question and he continued to grumble.
"Stupid, unreliable..." He didn't seem to notice me as I starred at the elevator, my eyes gliding up and down it. After a few momemts the guard finally realized I was standing there and turned to me angrily.
"How did Joker get fr-." I stopped him by putting up a hand. "Be quiet." I ordered, I needed to think. This didn't stop him.
"What's goin-." I interuppted his question again. "Shut up dude!" I shouted angrily, and with a quick huff I focused back on the elevator and let my glasses do the work. Suddenly, Harley came down and landed on her feet on a part of the elevator I jumped back slightly with a small 'Shit!'.
"Ah ah ah ah kiddo! Mistah J doesn't want you following us just yet." She told me, now sitting down and wagging a finger, when I finally regained my senses I rose an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest.
"You used to be a smart woman Harley, so answer this, do you think I'm gonna listen to some middle aged clown and his slutty rag doll?" I insulted cockily, I knew it was harsh, but it was true. She just giggled at this and pulled out some cylinder device with a button, which of course she clicked. When she had I heard a distant explosion and Harley zoomed up on her plateform. That made me think, if she was going up, then the elevator was going... I didn't continue that thought as my eyes grew in size.
"Get down!" I shouted literally pulling the guard out of the way and making an epic dive to safety. As predicted I landed just a few safe feet away from the crashing elevator. I got up to look over the sparking elevator that was now completely ruined and then turned my attention towards the guard who was groaning in pain.
"Oww, what the hell happened?" He asked, stumbling to stand up back on his feet. I didn't get to reply, before I even had the chance to open my mouth Harley's voice came over the speakers.
"How'd ya like that kiddo? No way you're following us now. You're trapped down there 'til me and Mistah J are ready for ya." She informed me, and I wasn't pissed off until she let out an overobnoxious 'HA HA HA!' I walked over to the guard who was now seated in a chair and decided to start a conversation, just to make sure he was okay.
"I take it this is Joker's doing." He stated more than asked, I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms again.
"Who else?" I asked with an obvious tone, he leaned forward as he lowered his eyebrows.
"I told 'em, he's a monster! They should fry him!" He told me angrily, as much as I agreed with him that was taking it sort of far. I shook my head afterwords and uncrossed my arms, having them fall back by my sides.
"Take it easy pal. I'll stop him." I assured him, he bowed his head, maybe he was unsure. I guess I would of been too if I knew all of Gotham city's safety was in the hands of a 16 year old girl.
"Don't worry, I'm trying my hardest." I didn't know if was my hardest was going to be good enough, but I was still alive, that must of been a good start. He looked up at this, my expression was in stone, I just wish it had a bit more confidence in it. He managed a small grin which lightened my spirits slightly.
"You got guts, I'll give ya that." Was his reply, I smiled slightly in reply then turned to the elevator slowly, remembering I had something I needed to do. I found myself grapling quite a bit until I got to a ledge with a gap in between, and to make matters worse there was no ledge on the other side I could land on. There was this little slit in between the celing and the other side. I thought to myself, that maybe if I jumped and grabbed on, I could shimmy to a plateform or something. I had to get across somehow. So I backed up as much as I could and faced the gap, then with a deep breath I sprinted and jumped over, grabbing onto to the edge and dangling. I grunted, feeling the weight coming to my arms as they were the only support I had. However, slowly but surely, I began moving to the right. My arms worked slowly as I moved along the edge, cautiously as not to fall. I thanked the lord as I finally came across a spot that was wide enough for me to climb up onto. I pulled myself and breathed a sigh of relief as I was back on both of my feet. However I had to crouch so I wouldn't hit my head on the low cieling and ended up on my knees crawling through.
"Hey Ambsy!" Joker's voice rang through in a sing song voice. I frowned, I really hated that nickname and the guy who gave it to me. "I know you can hear me. I've got something for you to listen to." I immediatly knew it was not going to be a good thing. I found myself at the end of a vent and forced the lid open, kicking repeatedly as hard as I could.
"Harley and Frank are nearly out of the building with the old man." He continued, I rolled my eyes and with one last kick the lid flew off. "How are they going to get past all those guards? Let's have a listen shall we?" He asked slowly, I feared what would come next as I scurried out of the vent and stood on my feet, finally able to reach my full height. I stopped to listen.
"Hey Frank, where ya been?" I heard a guard ask, his voice echoed over the speaker system, I bit my bottom lip a little too hard at this.
"Joker's got more men on the way! They're coming around the front of the Asylum. Gotta stop them getting in! Quick! Get over there!" I heard Boles order sternly, I then heard him continue his orders.
"Damnit! Come on, everyone! Cover the main entrance!" Finally, another guard realized something was wrong.
"How many are there Boles? Wait, hang on...how the hell do you know what-" The thing fuzzed slightly and I heard gun shots before the guard could finish. I closed my eyes, afraid to know the man just died. Another guard shouted at the time.
"Boles! Frank what are you doing? No! Put it down!" More gunshots wich made me shiver, another guard spoke up.
"Frank what the hell?" Bang. Bang. Bang. I huffed a sigh, I wasn't sure how much more I could take.
"Quinn! It's clear! Get your ass in here!" Boles shouted another order, soon I heard Harley's voice come on too.
"You're some piece of work Frankie. A girl could fall for someone like you." She stated dreamily with a sigh to end it with, I gagged mentally and decided to continue on. I didn't really want to get into details of how I moved on, but lets just say I went through quite a few of big gaps, and got more grapling done. I came upon another vent and while I was kicking at it I heard Joker come back on.
"Stop flirting with the hired help, Harley." He orderd, maybe he was jealous, then again...maybe he wasn't. I crawled through the open vent and stood on my feet, starting to walk again while looking around.
"Don't worry sweetie, you know I only have eyes for you." She reassured him, I gagged again, I was right before when I thought of her as a whore. Whoops did that slip out?
"Did ya hear that Ambsy? Sounds like Frankie's working out just fine! Another valuable employee for the organization." He told me, by now I had tried to ignore him as I walked on, but his voice just rang through my ears so it was kind of hard to. I moved on, hopefully I'd be able to make it out of this part, without falling and killing myself.
I'll end it there, because the next set of events that happened would be best if I started it with a new chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter though! Not very eventful but it's gonna get better, so don't worry folks!