Lose Ourselves
GCPD
- Captain's Office -
Amanda Waller sits over the desk in the captain's office. She holds a folder in her hands which she has open. Her eyes steadily trail up to Jim Gordon in a glare "I keep asking you back here, Gordon. Day after day, time after time... over and over - do you happen to know why that might be?" Waller asks.
"You don't trust me, that's why" Gordon snappily replies with his own cold glance "And you never will trust me, and you are probably better off for it. You are holding my family's wellbeing as leverage against me. You're not the one who supposed to trust me... I'm the one whose supposed take your word at face value"
"You don't trust me either? I can ensure you that I am a woman of my word"
"What you have on my loved ones... that's not something that will ever go away. The power that you have... that's not just going to magically disappear once you leave this city" Gordon replies as he keeps his glance at Waller "Whenever you want something from me or this city... you will use that same blackmail against me to get what you want. It doesn't matter how well I play along or how much you will turn me against my friends - in the end... you will have the power over me, just like everyone else who can get in your way"
"You're a smart man, Gordon. I wouldn't expect for you to flat-out say you figured me out to my face. I was expecting a little secret rebellion with your cops friends. Maybe... gather the whole city behind you to take me on... but here you are... standing right in front of me and revealing to me that you have me figured out?" Amanda lifts her slim frame off of the desk and smiles, flicking her long raven hair "I like you, Jim. Not as a friend, not as one of my men, not even as a cop as your record has shown me... but I like you for your morals. Never wavering... never backing down... even when you are way out of your league... I can relate that that - now that I think about it, we really do have a lot in common"
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm nothing like you"
"Give it time, Jim" Waller pushes the folder in her hand against Gordon's chest "We both want the same thing" she walks back to the desk and gathers up a pile of papers.
"For different reasons" Jim disputes as he holds the folder to his chest "I don't care if you do have a badge, you are the biggest criminal in this city... and that's not an easy foot to reach. You have the advantage over me... you should enjoy it while it lasts"
Waller let loose a small chuckle "It will last, Jim and don't think for a second that it won't. Let's get one thing straight here... I grow tired of this little checklist of threats you have for me" she steps forward and rests her hand over Gordon's right shoulder "The only criminals in Gotham are the ones who go against me and the order that I am trying to bring back here. I took an oath to protect this proud nation of ours... even when the threats to it are within"
She slowly slivers her hand over to Gordon's neck "Even if it's our own boys in blue or our so-called heroes that we pedestal. Vigilantes that act outside of our own laws and the people of this city, the kids of this nation looks up to them. They look to them as inspirations even though they are known criminals, that's the problem with this country now... the problem with its people... with you. You were tasked with upholding the law, you were given a badge as a sign of that promise and then you turn around and shake hands with Batman... the most known violent, vicious vigilante... who prays upon the mentally ill and deranged. Batman is the biggest criminal in Gotham..."
"Stop trying to excuse your crimes, Waller. Last time I checked... Batman hasn't been spotted since the day the escapees flooded Gotham. I guess that only leaves you left"
"I didn't make this mess, Jim. That was all on you and your incompetence as both as a leader and your role as a cop. I'm just the one who was tasked with cleaning up your mess. So next time that you want to paint me as the villain... I suggest taking a look in the mirror, that will show you the real villain here" she yanks her hand from Gordon's neck and turns around and walks back to the desk "This place is a disease, Gordon. A stain on this country... these maniacs... theses monsters... they need to be put in line, not locked back in Arkham again... they need to learn that their actions cannot be tolerated and won't be by me"
"This city... Gotham. It's not like the other cities. It's like it has a mind of its own... an essence to it... an essence that tends to bring out the worst in people. I've seen its effects with my own eyes and have succumbed to it first hand... even when I was sure that I was doing what I thought was right. It doesn't matter how you are or what you believe in... everyone eventually falls to it. Don't think for a second that you or your soldiers will be spared... no one is..." Gordon warms Waller in a tone of voice that had no hint of uncertainty but of full faith as he knew there was truth to his words.
"Then you better not cross me when it does" Waller laughs back "It's late, Jim. Go and get some sleep... maybe some rest will help set your head back on straight..." Waller suggests though her tone of voice it came across as an order "Resume your duties tomorrow bright and early. You are dismissed"
Without a word, Gordon walks out of the room as he then looks back to Waller from behind the glass of the door that now separates them "I stopped being able to sleep at night a long time ago..." he says under his breath as he heads out of the precinct.
Selina and Harley
Gotham Rooftops - North of Jolly's Toy Factory
Catwoman is perching above on the rooftop with Harley kneeling down beside her. Though Selina shows great patience in her posture, barely moving and keeping her eyes trained on the factory across from them, Harley was a completely different story. She fidgets on the spot, being more energetic in her own posture. Her breaths were much looser then Selina's seemingly not following any pattern, some exhales would come much faster than others and some came across as the blonde purposely trying to hold her breath, like she was playing some sort of game by herself.
Selina looks through the lenses of her scarlet tinted goggles, pressing down on the side of her cowl which zoomed her vision in towards the factory. She spots several armed men walking into the place from the ground in an unorganized single file "Thanks to the tech upgrade that Lucius made me, I can safely say... walking in the front door will get us blown to smithereens. It looks like we'll have to find another way to get in" Catwoman informs the blonde next to her.
"Watcha talkin' 'bout? Why do ya think we need to get in there in the first place? We can just wait till they come out again an' then do the nasty to 'em. They should be a lot easier to deal with 'em split apart" the blue-eyed blonde shrugs "I like a bit a crazy but this is too much even for me"
"We can't hang back on this one... the word is that there's a deal going down in there. Who knows what they are trading. We can't risk any of them getting away" Selina replies. She slightly leans the front of her body forward "Though it looks like they are packing a lot of heat down there. Enough to tear through us easily"
"An' the good news just keeps on comin' today" Harley rolls her eyes stands up and stretches her arms behind her back. Catwoman inches closer to the ledge as her eyes land upon the sight of one more person that was entering the factory. A person that sent shivers down her spine and made her breath stagger. The man was hairless with his head and eyebrows lacking any hair. He is dressed in a black shirty with the collar loose under a black jacket. His sleeves were rolled up which revealed a trail of Talley mark like cuts all up his arms and with a whole new set running across the side of his face.
"No... way..." Catwoman whispers.
"Whatcha whisperin' 'bout?" Harley kneels back down beside the other woman.
"Its fucking Zsasz"
"Yikes... I remember my first appointment with that guy... let's just say that it was quite the first impression. Bastard killed half a dozen guards at Arkham just in the time that I worked there" the blonde reveals as a shiver runs down her spine although she was smiling all through her words towards Catwoman "He makes a cut in 'is skin whenever he offs someone... and last time I saw him.. he sure as didn't have any on his face... looks like he's been busy"
"Zsasz is one of the escapes from Arkham and word on the streets is that he's working with Penguin and Riddler... there might be a chance that capturing Zsasz could lead us to them too" Catwoman and Harley both stand up on the ledge and looks towards the factory "We're moving in" Catwoman leaps off of the roof and lashes out her whip to wrap around so near scaffolding to swing her towards the factory. Harley holds her bat over her shoulders as she looks at the other woman go.
"Yeah... I'll be... right behind you..."
Inside Jolly's Toy Factory
Two groups of men oppose each other, one with Zsasz at the front and the other with an older looking man: Arnold Wesker. A grey-haired man whose face was covered in freckles and a frail pair of glasses that cover his eyes. Dressed in a white shirt and dark-red waistcoat. The man by himself was nowhere near being as intimidating as Zsasz, in fact, Arnold just had the look of a friendly old man, though frail, he still looked to be a kind and lovable man... all except for one little detail.
He held a wooden dummy in his left arm. Dressed in top hate and white suit with a small scar running its left eye. Scarface's plastic orbed eyes track Zsasz's every move. Not taking its eyes off of him for even a mere second. Arnold held a briefcase in his free hand and one of Zsasz's men held their own briefcase in their hands. Scarface's face was crafted with a permanent smile with a cigar hanging out "Well? Let's see the goods 'en? Doncha makes me blast a cap in your skull" Scarface growls which made Arnold slightly sweat.
"Oh we'll get there but first my constituent wants me to see if you have the money before I hand these treats over to you... we wouldn't want any unneeded casualties.. well... I kind of do... but it's not always about me... no matter how much that sucks" Zsasz smiles as he points his gloved hand to the briefcase in Arnold's hand as he wingless his finger in a playful manner "Show. Me. The. Money"
"Ya heard him, Dummy! Give him the dough" Scarface demands.
"Yes, Mister Scarface" Arnold nervously replies as he shaking hand lifts and he passes the briefcase over to Zsasz. He lifts it up and opens. The hairless man nods as he takes the case by the handle and drags it to his side. Scarface's eyes reposition back onto Zsasz "Now that our dillydallying is out of the way I expect you to hang over our weapons, capeesh? Scarface glares "Don't make me eighty-six you, you hairless monkey"
"Mr Scarface... there is no need to be so rude..." Arnold shakes in his boots.
"Ah, go and put eh' sock in it, you daisy" Scarface growls.
Zsasz snaps his fingers "I was just going to kill you at this point... but that dummy is just too much fun. You know... the iceberg lounge could really use with some new entertainment. We got singing and dancing but a puppet show...? Now that's something that can be entertaining..." four of his men hands over their briefcases over to one of Scarface's men. Zsasz folds his arms and looks at Arnold "Where did you get the dummy anyways? It looks like an antique... I remember Oswald saying something about another Dummy... just like this one"
"Watch who you are calling dummy, you pansy" Scarface shoots back "And this twit has no business talking to you 'bout our business... now scram and let the door hit you on your way out"
"It's... *don't let the door hit you on your way out*" Zsasz replies.
"I know what I said. The door is a really heavy metal one... can easily take one of your arms off..."
"I'm not humouring this... I am not humouring this..." Zsasz shrugs "All the weapons and ammo are in the case... if end up needing more... you know who to call" he winks. Arnold and Zsasz look up to the skyline as they see a shadow move across it which is reflected on the ground between them. Zsasz slowly turns on his feet as he looks up at the skyline, seeing that shadow had already passed by them. Arnold and Scarface tilt their gaze upward too.
"You got to be 'aving a laugh, right? That better not be who I think it is" Scarface's eyes roll to the side.
"Relax, will you? It's most likely just a bird" Zsasz nonchalantly says back.
"In winter? Now, who's the real dummy" Scarface scoffs.
"Good point... good point... good point" Zsasz pulls out his dual handguns from his holsters and flips them in his gloved hands "Never hurts to be too safe now. I'm not saying that it could Batman, Bane wouldn't stop boasting about how he killed him... might be... well... I have no clue"
"If you let Batman or Checkmate follow ya here... I will ring your neck so hard... your head will fall straight off your shoulders boy!" the dummy shouts as a small pellet was thrown onto the floor and rolls in between both of Arnold and Zsasz's feet.
Scarface's eyebrows raise "Oh you mother fu-"
The pellet steams out three clouds of green gas which unsettle the two men making them cover their mouths to stop themselves to inhaling it "It's tear gas!" Zsasz yells as was thrown into a coughing fit. His eyes begun to sting and redden almost swelling on the spot. The room had been full of the gas in a thick cloud which made trying to see anyone else in the place a hard task as they were all masked from each other by the gas. Zsasz's ears pick up the sound of loud gunfire in the room along with the screams of both his and Scarface's men, loud thuds and bone-breaking cracks that made even him uneasy.
Arnold was hunched over, barely able to breathe and even see. His vision and eyes have swollen and stung far worse then he could have ever imagined. Though all of the pain that he felt, he still held onto Scarface as his life depended on it "Mr Scarface... what's going on?"
"Who cares?!" Scarface growls "Take out your gun and shoot"
"Where? Shoot where... I can't see anything... I can't even open my eyes..." the man panics.
"EVERYWHERE. Light up this whole place like a Christmas tree you moron!" the dummy replies "And if we're lucky... we'll take out those slobber knockers too... now, less yapping and more blasting!." Arnold nods as he pulls a handgun from his back pocket and begins to fire into the distance without any sight or knowledge of what he would hit. He lets loose several rounds before he turns up empty and his gun just clicks. Not having another bullet to spare.
Zsasz turns on his heels as he looks at his surroundings, removing his jacket and holding against his nose and mouth to cease his intake of the gas as much as possible "Oswald is sure as hell not going to like this..." thinks to himself. His eyes jolts as he feels something, like claws slice across his back. Cutting through his clothes and even skin which created several trails of blood that drip down his back "What the?" he turns and sees a figure clouded by the gas run their fist across his face which knocks him back.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! They don't match! They don't match! THEY DON'T MATCH!" Zsasz brings up his handgun and fires in a panic at the clouded figure. Catwoman rolls over onto the ground to avoid the gunfire, wearing an oxygen mask which spares her from the dangers of the gas. She leaps up back to her feet and lashes her claws across the man's face, cutting across his face and in his right eye. Zsasz screams as blood now streams down his eye as well with it being swollen left an ungodly pain.
"NOT COOL! The more marks you make... the more people that I have to kill! Starting with you!" he goes to fire his weapon once more. Catwoman slides under the man's feet and kicks his shins in, knocking Zsasz onto his knees. Her heels had hit so hard that they fractured bones in the man's feet. She jumps up to her feet and jumps against one of the support beams and kicks off it and rams her foot across Victor's face. The man spits blood as he was thrown onto the ground.
Her heel placed itself over the man's head. Zsasz just stars blankly "Really? Tear gas... kinda dick move... I mean... I would have done that myself too but... but I would at least kill some people first without it, you know? It's about the extravaganza... the style. It really tells me a lot about how you lack creativity... did you never do art in school or anything? You're just boring and... boring is something that you should never be in Gotham... yet again, all the cool stuff is already taken... so I can understand that... but still... what a disappointment..."
"Do you ever shut up?" Catwoman hisses.
"Yes... no... yes... wait... no... maybe?... when I'm sleeping I do... but I've also been told that I talk in my sleep. It's a real problem. I ended up confessing all kinds of twisted thing that I've done when sleeping... like in explicit detail... who knew that your brain still functioned so well even when you are sleeping, crazy right? I usually go and see doctors about it... but I also usually end up killing them too as they too overhear me sleeping... it's really getting tedious..."
"You make me sick" Catwoman narrows her eyes.
"Why thank-you. I really do try to make a conscious effort. Thanks for noticing. It really means..." Catwoman kicks the man across the back of his head while rolled him onto his back as he looks up to her "Oh... Catwoman? You a hero now or something? That's cool... that's cool... to each to their own... I guess. Say, I am kinda dying her, I can barely breathe... could you possibly open a window? It's quite toasty in here" Catwoman kicks him across his face again, and again.
Zsasz spits up blood and smiles "Okay... I can take the hint..."
"How are you still conscious?" Catwoman groans as she delivers another kick to Zsasz face "Just be knocked out already!"
"You kick like a woman, eh?" Zsasz chuckles which displayed his faintly blood tainted teeth "Yet again... you are a woman... so that's to be expected"
"You are literally the worst human being that I know" Catwoman growls.
"Hey, I'm the worst human being that I know too... just the way I li-" Zsasz was abruptly interrupted as a metal baseball bat was rammed down onto his face; cracking his nose. Zsasz was left in a daze, unable to speak or even move. Catwoman looks up to see an annoyed Harley who also wore who own oxygen mask with a clear vizor.
"Ya were goin' for 'is jawline... rooky mistake. Always go for the cranium... that always does the trick" Harley informs Catwoman in a playful tone. They both look ahead to the tear gas that was slowly fading "We betta finish this up quick" the blonde and the dark-haired woman runs ahead.
Harley hangs her bat low and swings it at one of the goon's legs; knocking him off balance. She stomps on the back of his head with her boot. She then leaps off in a small hope and rams the bat across another thug's face; making a bunch of teeth to fly out of his mouth. She twirls on her heels and whacks another thug in the stomach. She then rams her head forward and headbutts him. The man was knocked onto the ground. Harley grins "Damn that felt great..."
Catwoman claws her way through a group of blinded thugs who held their eyes tights. She cuts across their shoulders, chests and legs. She stomps her boots down on one of the men's foot and headbutts him, clawing again at his chest, kicking upward and kneeing his stomach. She lifts her arm and rams it back into the nose of the guy behind her "I almost feel bad for how unfair this is for them... almost" Catwoman calls out to Harley.
"Are ya kiddin' me? This is great for working out my anger issues... I am lovin' this!" Harley slams her bat down over one of the thug's head; knocking him down to the ground. She runs and slides on the ground and swings her bat across another thug's shin. She leaps up and grabs the man's arm and yanks him towards her "I'm even gettin' a little crazy!" she laughs as she bends the man's arm the wrong way and breaks it in two. The thug screams in pain and begs for her to stop. Harley simply shakes her head and pushes him onto the ground on his back.
"Please... stop..." he begs the blonde.
"Ah... that's a shame... I thought we 'ad something goin' for us, don't ya feel it? It kinda feels like this!" she swings the bat downward and onto the man's right foot; cracking it in several places. The thug screams again as he holds his foot and rolls on his side.
"You crazy bitch! I got beaten up by the Bat before and he was never this messed up!" he screams.
"Damn right and doncha forget it" she slowly runs her thumb against the skin of her neck. Harley's eyes look over through the fading fog to see someone run out a door that leads out of the place. A smile slowly forms on her face and she lifts an eyebrow "This should be a lil' fun then!" she takes off after the person as she too runs through the door and heads out into the snow-covered ground of the outside world.
"Hold on a sec. Don't go off by yourself!" Catwoman calls out to the blonde as she rams her first across a thug's face.
Outside of Jolly's Toy Factory
"Keep goin' you snivelling birdbrained dumbass! Don't ya let those minxes get us!" Scarface yells as Arnold Wesker: The Ventriloquist slowly runs as he quickly became short of breath as he is unable to keep going. His age wouldn't allow is so he was rendered to slumping his body across the ground, dragging his feet. The old man had to stop. His body wouldn't move and he was left standing on the spot as he pants heavily. The dummy's head slowly turns to Arnold "Ya dense or somethin'? I said keep goin' you, incompetent dunce!"
"Ever-so-sorry sir! I just can't keep running. I- I can barely breath..." Arnold sheepishly responds in a shy tone.
Scarface lifts one of his thick eyebrows in irritation "Ya gotta be havin' a laugh, right? When I say move it... I mean MOVE it! Quit ya whining and get back to running you, buffoon!" The handler of the dummy nods as he looks begins again, dragging his feet and trying to get as much distance between him and the factory as possible.
The ground was still covered by snow which had mostly hardened into ice by this point as well snow still faintly falls from the sky. The air itself was full of a grey tint to it which gave everything a chilling filling. Once he got to the roads his journey became a much more easy one as the grit and gravel that covered it had subdued and melted most of the snow and ice away. Arnold was running on fumes at that point, his breaths that he took did not give him nearly enough oxygen to support his efforts.
"I can't keep this up, Mr Scarface... I can't... I can't..." Arnold slumps over and gasps "Please forgive me"
"Ah... ya are useless! I should 'ave known ya can't be trusted to do zip! Feel lucky that ya don't have any ammo left... otherwise I would be pumpin' you full of lead myself right now!" the dummy yells as it was clearly pissed at the older man "Or better yet... how 'bout I break your neck!"
"Mr Scarface, please... p-please don't be so mean to me... I have been doing my best..." the old man stutters.
"That was ya best? Bend me over and call me Sally... that what's ya say is ya best work? Thanks, Christ Almighty that you haven't been doing your worst... because then I really would have been screwed over..." Scarface growls. Arnold and Scarface both turn their head as they hear a voice call out to them from behind.
"Aye Scarface say 'ello to meh li' friend!" Harley calls out as she throws her metal stripped bat and bashes it across the dummy; cracking the right side of its wooden face. Arnold Wesker tumbles backwards in shock as he falls on his back on a pile of snow. Harley grins as she picks up her bat and then spins it in her grip "Get it? Yer called Scarface... so... so I said that line, kinda clever, right? Really? Nothing... everyone thinks that they are a comedian theses days..." the blonde puffs a strand of hair from her eyes.
"Ya crazy Trixie! Are ya out of ya bloody mind!?" Scarface screams, trying to lift up his right eyebrow through the cracks in his head make that movement impossible. Wesker slowly lifts his right hand and adjusts his glasses to sharpen his vision "Please Ma'am... I give up... please don't hurt me... I beg you... I give up..."
"Eh... what?" Harley's eyes switch between both the old man and the dummy "Somethin' ain't right here..."
"Damn right it's not! Ya crazy bitch just tried to make worm meat out of me! You are bloody crazy!" Scarface narrows his eyes "Here I was just tryin' to make an ordinary deal for weapons. I wasn't double-crossin' no one, I kept my end of the deal an' all and here ya come with ya lil' minx of a friend to destroy it! And to top it all of... you club me in the face with a metal bat when I was runnin' away and not hurtin' anyone!" the dummy snarls.
"W-what? Okay... I am super confused... are you a sad old man or a jerk... this is gettin' hard to follow... unless..." Harley's eyes light up as she claps "Oh my god... you're a ventriloquist aren't ya! Ah I always wanted one for my birthdays when I was a tiny little girl... but no... mom always went with a clown..." the blonde shrugs as she knees down and reaches out with her black fingerless gloved hand and taps Scarface "You nearly had me for a second... I almost thought that the dummy was actually sentient... wow... how dumb, right? THERE is NO way that a dummy could be ali-." Scarface was propelled forward and trapped one of the woman's fingers in its wooden teeth.
"Aggghhhh" the blonde yanks her hand back "Ah! The dummy bit me! WHAT THE HELL?" she jolts up and lifts her bat high over her head "Ya little bastard!"
"No... wait, please!" Arnold lifts his right hand up as a shield "Mr Scarface didn't mean it, he didn't mean it... he just doesn't like being called a dummy..." the man quivers in fear as the towering blonde with the pale white face as her eyes narrow.
"Awe please... she ain't got the marbles to do it!" Scarface scoffs.
"THIS IS NOT COMING TO MY EIGHTH, NINTH, TENTH, ELEVENTH OR EVEN TWELFTH BIRTHDAY PARTY!" she uses all of her upper body strength to swing her bat downward and crushes Scarface's head under the force; crushing it inward of itself. She swings her arms back up over her hand and slams them back down again as the bad crushes the rest of the dummy's head "THIS IS FOR MY MOM HIRING THE SAME GODDAMN CLOWN FOR SEVEN YEARS IN A ROW... EVEN THOUGH I AM SURE THAT HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO BE AROUND KIDS AS PART OF HIS PROBATION!" she swings down the once more and this time the bad breaks through the remains of Scarface and crushes the old man's left hand, shattering all of its bones in one swoop.
Arnold looked up in horror as he slowly turns his head to see the broken remains of Scarface along with his broken and mangled hand "Oh my... you killed Mr Scarface... you killed him... oh my... thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you!" the frail old man looks back up to the blonde and ceases his words as he still sees the anger in her eyes as she winds up another swing with her bat "W-what are you doing miss? Mr Scarface is dead, he was the threat... not me... I didn't want any part in this... he... he forced me... he made me..."
"It's nothin' personal ya geezer. Nothin' personal at all. It's just... some time ago a wise man got into my head... and made me realize that I love killin' things... it helps full the empty feeling that I have always had... I've tried to fight the urge to hurt others... I really have tried to fight it... but sometimes... I just can't... I just can't seem to care... and in those times... I love hurting people... I love it!" Harley laughs as she whacks her bat back down and crushes Arnold's other hand; breaking it too "As well you just pissed me off..."
"PLEASE, ENOUGH...PLEASE..." Arnold cries as he looks at his dual pair of mangled hands "... Please don't do this young lady... please..."
"*Young?*" Harley flutters her eyes "Why... thank you..." she flashes a quick smile before returning back to her angry gaze as she takes another swing with her bat. Arnold stiffens up and closes his eyes. Harley's eyes widen as a whip was wrapped around both of her wrists. The blonde was then yanked backwards onto her back as she looks up to Catwoman standing over her. The dark-haired woman flashes a glare down at the blonde and hurries over to Arnold.
"Jesus, Harley... what the hell did you do?" Catwoman hisses as she looks over the mentally-broken man who was crying on the ground "Harley... what the hell did you do!?"
"What's yer problem?" Harley jumps to her feet and rubs over her right shoulder "I was takin' care of him before ya lost it and floored me! Now if ya don't mind... I need to finish it an' make sure that he doesn't get up" she strafes forward only to be stopped by Catwoman who placed herself in the way between the blonde and the grounded man. Harley narrows her eyes as she looks up to meet Selina's gaze "What do ya think that ya doin'? Get out of my way"
"He's no longer a threat... you made sure of that..." Catwoman snarls at the blonde "I saw you, Harley... I saw you were about to kill him... if I didn't get here in time... you would have crossed a line, one that we shouldn't cross"
"Well maybe ya shoulda let me... at least then we wouldn't be dealing with a crying old man" Harley lifts her bat and holds it over her shoulders "Plus... I wasn't actually gonna kill him... I am just following your lead and the example that ya were setting for me... sure he might have been hurtin' like hell... but he would have recovered... eventually"
"My example?" Catwoman asks perplexed and offended by the other woman's words "I don't do this, Harley! I don't go needlessly go beating on guys who already down! There's a line and a limit, Harley and if you want to keep working with us... you better learn it. We need to be better than this. We have to be better than this"
Oh, really?" Harley chuckles "So ya fine with cutting up guys with your claws and using tear gas to damage their eyesight is fine but making sure that they stay down is takin' it too far? Ummm hellloooo? Remember Zsasz a few minutes ago? Ya were happy attacking him when he was down... ya only stopped because I had to step in and finish it. No offence but ya sound like ya don't even buy this whole *We are better than them" shtick thing that ya are preaching... considering ya only apply it when it best suits ya"
"Don't act for a second that you think that you know me... because you don't. What you did here was beyond excusable" Catwoman turns around to look at Arnold "As much as hate to admit it, Talia may have been right in saying that I shouldn't have brought you on board... you're inexperienced... and it seems that you can't even control your temper. Maybe you should go back home, Harley. Spend some time with Harvey and take some time to clear your head and get yourself sorted out... you need to learn to control yourself"
"Maybe ya need to learn to let yourself loose sometimes... seriously... all this *hero* speech doesn't fit ya. Last time I checked... you were a mass thief that steals from anyone she can to get a quick paycheck. This whole *tough* act. It kinda sounds like something I imagine Batman sayin'. Ya are goin' on 'bout how I don't know ya... but I got a sneaking suspicion that maybe ya don't even know yerself" Harley shrugs as she smirks "Just sayin' that yer' not really have a pedestal of moral superiority yerself either... Trust me on this... I am a psychiatrist. We tend to know where we're talkin' about"
"I said enough!" Catwoman spits "Go home"
"Fine, whatever... see ya tomorrow" Harley turns and skips away "Hopefully then ya won't have a tree-sized stick stuck up ya ass!" Catwoman holds her hand on her hips as she dismisses the blonde's words.
Above on the rooftops, a silhouetted figure stands dressed with a cape and with a pair of pointy ears on top of their cowl. They stand with their arms resting by their sides as they looked down to Catwoman and Harley who was skipping away from the scene. The figure has a red bat symbol on their chest and had a feminine figure. Her right fist was covered by a red armoured shoulder-length glove which held a metal a Batarang with red stripes across the wings of it.
Wayne Manner -
The Next Morning
Bruce leans back on the couch of the living room with Alfred standing behind him "You know Master Bruce when I said that I wanted to try and get you out of the room of yours... I didn't mean for you to just down here and do the same silent treatment." Alfred walks around and places down a silver tray over the table. Bruce glances down to the tray and sees a cup of coffee and a small salad "I know how you haven't been feeling that hungry lately... so I thought that instead of wasting my time and the food... I should just make something small... something bite-sized"
"Thanks, Alfred" Bruce goes to reach up to the cup on the trey, struggling once his hands got close to it. He tries to lean forward but was swiftly drawn back by the sharp pain that shoots through his body. His back was aching... hurting like hell even after all this time. Bruce winces in pain as he repeats his action, reaching out to the cup. He was once again stopped as the pain flared up once more and forced to return back to his previous position. He growls as he lifts both of his hands and runs them through his hair.
"Lighten up, Master B" Alfred leans over and hands the cup over to Bruce "Doctor Tompkins said that your recovery could still take months... even years. There is no need to lose your temper, no one is expecting you to just recover so fast. You are only human after all..."
"I know, Alfred. That doesn't make me feel any better though..." he sips from the cup "Everyday I am reminded that I'm only human, every day I am told to not to worry, not be concerned with my recovery. I have been told again and again that I may need years to fully get back on my feet. How can I forget that when I am constantly being reminded of I am just a regular guy... that I am nothing special... after a while it begins to sink in" Bruce rolls her eyes "And it's made even worse by the fact that while I am sitting here... unable to walk or do anything to help, Gotham is full lunatics and now those Checkmates Soldiers who are treating criminals and innocents alike... so no, Alfred... I am not going to *lighten up*. Not when innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire"
Alfred holds his arms behind his back "If you insist, Master Bruce. I know that my words may be falling on deaf ears... but have you ever considered that right now, the last thing this city needs is Batman? Maybe just maybe... if you can think straight, you may realize that simple old Bruce Wayne can do just as much good for it. Though by different means, you will still be working towards bringing hope to the people of Gotham"
"What the hell can Bruce Wayne do at this point? Show up all broken and unable to walk... if you don't remember, Bane knows who I am, Joker knows who I am. Me going to help in the efforts as Bruce will only put a target on myself and the ones around me... face it, Bruce Wayne is useless..." Bruce says with a hollow tone "My family's legacy means nothing to the city now, nothing to Checkmate and nothing to those maniacs. Bruce Wayne is just a person... but Batman? He's the one that Gotham needs right now"
"If you feel that is for the best... then I will not get in your way. Now if you would excuse me... there are things that I must attend to" Alfred excuses himself and leaves the room which left Bruce on his own. The billionaire sits in silence for minutes on end, he would glance at the Grandfather Clock of the room. Seeing that every time between five and ten minutes pass between each of his glances. Bruce leans back and looks up to the ceiling.
"I can't do this..." Bruce rubs his temple. He steadily leans his body forward and picks up the remote lying on the table and uses it to turn on the television and switches between channels until he lands upon the news. His eyes observes a Jack Ryder, one of the various hotshot reporters that were nowhere near being as famous as they thought that they are. Bruce raises the volume to hear the man's words.
"- The men were found badly wounded and beaten. Sources are telling us that they were covered in scratch marks and were bleeding heavily. As well some others seemed to be suffering from head trauma and are suffering from the effects of tear gas. Some of the men in question may have their vision permanently impaired, some are suffering other side effects such severe burns all over their bodies. Checkmate is denying having any involvement in this operation and say that they are looking into it. It should be noted that whoever caused this whole thing managed to capture both Arnold Wesker and Victor Zsasz, both known criminals that were previously incarcerated in Arkham Asylum and were apart of the rogue group that was broken out a few months back..."
Bruce's eyes widen as he observes the images of the two named convicts that were propped up on the screen. The image appears to have been taken after their capture as shown them covered in bruises with their eyes being swollen shut with Zsasz covered in familiar-looking claw marks and with Arnold being covered in yellowing bruises. Bruce lowers his head to the ground and rests his hands over his lap "I need to get back to the city" he thinks to himself.