Damn! Found Ned. Or was it Ted?

He went running past us, bleeding and screaming. Gave me a reason to smile.

George is the stealthy type, so we sent him ahead to scout.

And now I hear more screaming.

--

Oh, it was just Ted. Or was it Ned?

He ran back from the other direction, begging us to help him. I laughed in his face.

Lexy gave him a hug.

"We can't just let those things get him," she said.

"You're right. Of course not." I grabbed him by the collar to get his attention. "What happened to the Riddler?"

"They got Ned!" (He might have said Ted. He sounded kind of funny with his nose missing and all.)

"The Riddler," I repeated.

"Left him in a tunnel. Those things were all over him. He's dead." Disgusted, I threw him down in the sewer water.

"Come on, Lexy. Let's go get what's left of him."

--

Wish we knew where we were going. Getting lost down here - not fun.

--

Found George. Good kid.

He saw Ted or Ned get eaten by the creatures. No sign of the Riddler.

He asked what happened to the other twin.

"No! Please! You can't just leave me here! They're coming!"

Big grin. I didn't share. Might as well keep one of us innocent and happy.

Lexy won't talk to me now. Bleeding heart. I can't imagine any of the masks hiring a twerp like her. So what is she here for?

Break's over.

--

Eagle Eyes found our Eddie. Alive? Lying in a side tunnel, creatures swarming over him. Whatever they're doing to him, they're doing it slowly. I hear crying.

How do we fight them off without matches?

--

bait

--

Eddie's right. These things are smart. They know that the only reason so many tasty snacks have come down here is because we're all after the Riddler.

The creatures kept him alive for us. They didn't even hurt him this time, just swarmed over him. Used him. Bait.

He won't stop shaking now. I'm afraid he won't make it if we don't get him to a hospital soon.

Not much chance of that, though. They have us trapped in here now.

I wondered why intangible creatures would be afraid of fire. Why they would stick to the side tunnels. Why they would hide out in the sewers instead of attacking Gotham City on the surface.

Then I realized what they really are: shadows. Shadows! My God, man! It wasn't the fire they were afraid of, it was the light!

In case you can't tell, this is my angry face.

Think how much effort we could have saved, if we had just been less duh in the beginning. We could have gotten out of here by now. Ned and Ted might still be dead, but at least I would have made it quick and painless. Lexy and George wouldn't be half so traumatized, poor Eddie would probably be in some nice warm hospital bed—that or laughing at the inside of a dumpster, and honestly I think either one would be better for his mood than this shit—and I could be going back to work or spending time with those friends of mine who still remember my name (although even the Joker can't always keep up with my name changes) or maybe even grabbing some closure for that thing that still makes my ovaries go all "Rah!"

Seriously, right now my mothering instinct is screaming at me to pick up Eddie, cradle him in my lap, hug him, love him, and call him Wubby. And do the same for George. And have a baby of my own and do the same for him.

What's wrong with me? I've never been this bad with the mommy urges before. Is it just because I'm afraid of dying?

Agh.

We're under the oldest part of town. These sewers have been around since before Gotham was a city. For all I know, they could have been built by the Romans.

We're holed up in an access tunnel that dead-ends way below street level. The fire that destroyed the old city sealed off this part of the system completely. I don't know how we wandered into it.

Between the four of us, we have a keychain flashlight, a clip-on reading light, a glow-in-the-dark digital watch, and a single loose match. I am not impressed with our chances for survival.

No food. No water. Bad for us, worst for Eddie. He really won't last much longer if he doesn't replace what he's lost. I don't want to think about how long it's been since the last time he ate. A couple of days, at least. I know he's feeling it. Dehydration worries me more, though. Not that it really makes much difference. Those things are going to get us as soon as the batteries run out. Eddie can't run from them. He can barely walk, even with help. None of us are strong enough to carry him.

He's only going to slow us down and get us all killed. A smart person would just leave him behind. But I never said I was a smart one.

--

Lexy is wonderful. Ten minutes and she's got Eddie lying calm and still. No shaking, no tears, no panic. Just calm. And she did this just by stroking his hair and humming a lullaby.

I asked her if she was a nurse. She said no, she just manages a coffee shop. I asked her if she had any children. No, briefly married, recently divorced, no spawn. I asked if she was a meta, maybe with some kind of hypnotic powers. No, just an ordinary woman.

Finally, I came right out and asked her how she got him to trust her, how she knew what to do.

"I care," she said. "They can tell."

I care. She makes it sound like I'm with Ned and Ted. I really do want to help the little bugger.

I wonder who "they" are.

--

Lexy is singing to the Riddler. I'm frantically writing an account that no one will ever read. George is over in the corner, catatonic. I think it's safe to say that we're all scared.

We should be making plans. I'm writing in my notebook. My notebook! That's supposed to help me focus.

But the only thing I can focus on is the fact that I'm probably going to die this time. I'm actually going to fail. I never fail. Never

Except with Mark. I failed him, didn't I?

Shut up, stupid. Whiny little dumbass bitch, stop crying. Not here, not in front of everyone. Focus on the words. Watch the ink flow out of your pen, and remember what you ARE. You're over that depressed emo bullshit. You can't let yourself slide back that way. You are not that weak. You are not a whiny little bitch hiding your face in the Bat's cape. Grow the fuck up.

Take care of yourself. Take care of your buddies. Do it, this time. Don't sit there crying in fear and praying for rescue. You're no damsel in distress. Get up off your lazy ass and save yourself.

I mean it. Quit stalling.

Tra la la la la.

I'm scared.

--

Okay, Plan A. We send stealthy young George for help. And trust him to care enough to save us. Hmmm…

--

Outcome: dismal failure. His screaming just died away. Brave young scout, I salute you.

Plan B.

Step one: come up with a Plan B.

--

Lights dying. Plan B: run like blue blazes.