By Blood
12 Years Ago
A man with greyish-brown hair and wearing a lab coat gently places down a tape recorder on his workbench. The man looked to be in his forties fifties. Kirk Langstrum eases himself as he looks across his workbench to a pile of notes that he had taken along with a syringe full of crimson-like liquid "Doctor Robert Kirkland Langstrum, August thirteenth, eight-forty-seven PM. Journal entry 35. My hypotheses for healing hearing impairment and deafness has become much more feasible now that I have discovered the needed specimen to further my research. The Desmodontinae, also known as vampire bats have shown more response to my tests compared to the other kinds of bats"
"Through months of rigorous and almost endless researching, I feel that I have finally discovered the long-awaited answer that I have been looking for. I have been suffering from impairment with my hearing, I fear that sooner or later my hearing aid will no longer be as effective as it is now. The thought of losing the ability to hear... scares me. Just the lingering knowledge that I will no longer be able to listen to music, talk to my loved ones or hear mundane things such as the cars outside nor the sound of rain pelting off my window frightens me so". Langstrum picks up the syringe and holds it against his right wrist "That is why I cannot wait for approval to begin testing. If my cure can heal me... then think of the good that it can do for everyone else... it's only right that I take the risk myself... it is for the best..."
Present Day
- Streets of Gotham -
9: 23 PM
"You see the game last night?" a Checkmate guard asks as he and another guard patrol beside each other as they cross the road. The snow-covered streets have all but vanished leaving the surface damp with small chunks of melting ice.
"Nope. I was busy babysitting the civilians. Honestly, one minute later and I would have gunned those bastards down myself... it's not like I couldn't get away with it" the other guard replies which drew a chuckle from the other "All they do is complain... it gets annoying after a while"
"You can say that again. With all the royal shit that this city is in... I would say just purging everyone would do a lot more good at this point"
"Amen to that" the other replies.
Both men jolt as a shadow passes over them from above with a loud screech. They both look up and aim their weapons to align with their sight "What the hell was that?" the right guard questions as he begins to follow the path of the shadow by pacing down a long alleyway "Watch my six" he orders which the other guard nods to. The guard ventures down into the dirt-filled narrow path which was ended by a large gate that separates each side. Unbeknownst to him, a trail of heavy breathing follows behind him along with an outstretched shadow what slowly catches up to him.
"Any sign of trouble?"
The guard reaches for the radio attached to his vest and holds it against his mouth "No hostiles are detected, heading back n-". The shadow-like figure swoops down and catches the guard with a loud screech. The Checkmate guard that stood outside the alley hears screams from within the tight space, blood-filled screams full of agony. He readies his firearm and runs down the alley without hesitation. He stops in his tracks when he is confronted by a horrifying sight.
A grotesque leather-skinned like creature with large pained ears and even larger wings is in the alley with him but had its back to him. The creature was preoccupied as it appeared to have it's pointed fangs in the other guard's neck. The horrid sound of slurping and gulping made the standing guard feel sick. Finally losing it, he opens fire on the creature. He lets loose several shots before the creature ripped itself away from the other guard, blood splatters all across the right wall of the alley.
Now wounded, the creature cries out a screech and takes off into the night sky. The guard was now left alone along with his fallen comrade, looking up he sees the creature shooting off into the distance and eventually disappearing from his sight. The Checkmate Solider runs and knees beside the fallen guard, checking for a pulse on his neck. He grabs his radio in a frantic and breathes heavily "10-999, officer down, I repeat officer down. Request medical support, I repeat, needs medical attention ASAP"
"We got your location, please stand by for support - t-minus five minutes"
"Hang in there pal... you're going to be alright..."
Gotham General
- 23 Minutes Later -
The doors to the ward are shoved open as four soldiers carry a stretcher which supports the fallen checkmate guard. His helmet was now off which left his face bare. His blond hair was a mess and his green eyes look to be dilated. The veins in his neck were swollen and almost purple-like with a yellow liquid that oozes out of the small holes in his neck. He has bags under his eyes and was sweating heavily, hyperventilating too as his chest paces up and down at an alarming rate.
Leslie Thompkins stands in the ward with her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. Her head turns towards the sounds of the soldiers making their way through the hall. She swiftly makes her way towards the group "What's going on?" she asks in a hurry as she too grans hold of the stretcher "What happened to him?"
"Something just bit him, it looked like no animal that I have seen before. I think it was a bat" one of the soldier answers.
"A bat did this?" Lee inquires as she stops the guards. She takes out her ophthalmoscope and shines it in the guy's eyes. Lee sees the man's eyes barely take notice of the light, the pupils do not even change in shape or move. She leans closer to take a glance at the holes in the man's neck. They looked to be too big for a normal-sized bat to make or any animal that she knew about.
"It was a big bat, more like man-sized, it was taller than me. I think it was drinking his blood"
Lee stands straight and looks at the checkmate guards "Alright. I need you to take him to quarantine. If he was bitten by an unknown creature then who knows what damage that it has caused. I would feel a lot safer if he was kept apart from the other patients"
G.C.P.D Precinct
Jim Gordon sits behind one of the desks in the main hall with Vanessa Harper sitting on the desk next to him with her arms folded over "Really? It's that bad between you two?" she asks the commissioner in a sincere manner. James pouts as he runs his hands through his greying hair. The man's face had aged throughout the last few months. Maybe from all the stress or maybe he was really just getting that old. Finding himself so busy and preoccupied gave him no chance to fully shave, thus there was a slowly forming moustache over his lips with a beard flowing suit though barely visible unless you were up close with him.
"We barely talk, we hardly ever see each other and when we do... she always looks disappointed in me... she never lets me get a word in. She can't even look me in the eye anymore... not that I can even blame her, I hate myself for going along with this... but what choice do I have? If I don't do it, Waller will hurt the people I love... I can't even tell Lee that since that would put her in danger... I can barely sleep at night anymore, knowing that Lee might not be there when I wake up..."
"You got it rough... what about Barbara? What does she think of this?"
"She said the same thing to me as Lee, but with some more... colourful language. Right now her priority is our daughter and that's for the best. I'm in a corner, Harper. I'm either supposed to betray myself and all the people I care about or risk losing the people I love..." Gordon leans over and looks to the floor "... How am I supposed to win in this situation?"
"Sometimes it's less about winning and more about just living to fight another day. Maybe if you bide your time long enough, you might be able to come up with a way to get yourself out of this mess. You need to be careful, Jim. Remember, you don't have your vigilante friend anymore to get you out of rough patches" Harper reminds the man as she looks up to the captain's office "Just don't forget that you still have friends here"
Jim looks down to his coat as he hears his phone ring. He pulls it out from inside his overcoat and flips it open. He holds it to his ear "James Gordon"
"Jim. You need to get here now" Lee's voice tells him.
"Lee? Where are you? What's going on? Are you okay?"
"First, yes. Gotham General, one of your guys was admitted here and seems to have been bitten by some strange creature. And.. no, I'm not okay. Since your one of the big shots for Checkmate, I thought you should know about this" Lee's chastising tone booms through her voice.
"W-wait a minute. What do you mean he was bitten by some creature? Did you get any clue of what it was from him?"
"Not him but one of his pal's described it as being *bat-like*."
Jim straightens his posture "Lee, listen to me. I think I know what did that to him. You need to get the man to a secure location and keep him separated from everyone else. He could be carrying a dangerous-" he was cut off as Lee speaks up.
"You seriously think that I wouldn't have thought of that, James? The first thing that I did was having him put in quarantine. I know what I'm doing"
Jim stands to his feet "I know that you do. I'm coming there, Lee. Do not approach him until I do, understand?"
"You want me to just leave him to suffer in agony until you get there? That's at least almost an hour wait until you do... I can't do that, even though I hate these checkmate guys. Unlike you, I'm not willing to betray my morals. This guy needs help and I'm going to give it to him" Lee affirms to Gordon with an annoyed tone.
"Lee this isn't about us, this is about that man being contaminated. You need to trust me..." Gordon reinforces.
"I did... I did, Jim. So did Harvey, so did Bruce. Come here if you want but just know that you won't be welcomed with open arms" Lee hangs up without pause. Jim's eyes narrow as he turns his head towards the exit of the precinct.
Gotham General
- Several Minutes Later -
Lee puts on a pair of latex gloves, pulling them on tightly. Her eyes look down to the blond man lying on the bed before her. His breathing was staggered, rough and unfocused. The veins in his neck and arms had protruded, pressing hard against his layers of skin, a bright purple, almost black. His eyes had darkened and were dry. He was sweating more than before which soaked his simple tank top which he was now wearing. His throat looked to be swollen as he was dribbling from his mouth. The marks on his neck had yellowed, almost like it was infected with something with yellow-like ooze leaking out of the holes.
"Alright... let's assess the damage here..." she kneels beside the man and uses an antiseptic wipe to clean the man's forearm. She then takes a syringe from the near-by table and takes a sample of blood from the man "How are you feeling? Can you hear me?"
"Gh-ghh-grrr" the man barely spoke, more like whispered with a strained throat.
"Okay, okay - take it easy, alright? You're in a safe place. Your friend told me that you were bitten by some kind of bat-like creature. I brought you here so that I can run some tests on you so that I can get a good idea of what's happening to you... and how I might be possibly able to help you, understand?" Lee sees the man weakly nod in response. Lee places the needle down on the table beside her and glances back down to the man "I can tell that you are in a great deal of pain. So I'm going to have to put you under anaesthetic for now. You will be perfectly fine so you do not need to worry"
- Later -
Lee sits in the next room over, sitting before a white table as she squeezes a drop of blood from the needle on a glass slide before underlaying it with another slide. She slides them under a microscope and looks down through the lenses. Her right hand steadily twists the dial to zoom in closer to the image of the blood shown to her. Her eyes narrow, her attention grew and she brought her concentration up, ignoring the outside world as she did. Her mind was solely focused on what was in front of her.
Everything looks normal at first, until...
Lee's eyes double-take as she sees the white blood cells blacken as something strange and definitely out of place stuck itself to it. The first thought that came to her mind was the culprit being some kind of bacterial. One that the man hadn't previously been exposed to or protected against. She turns the dial to close-in on the selected cell. She then sees the cell reach out with thin black lines that attach themselves to all other surrounded white blood cells, turning them black and misshaping them, mangling them beyond recognition.
"...What is this...?"
[The Next Room]
The man lying on the bed lunges upward in a sitting position. His eyes widen and gasps. The veins in his face all slowly darken and swell. His eyes become blood-shot. He leaps off of the bed and onto the floor as he holds his sides. His spine begins to protrude, ripping out of the flash of his back. Unable to scream due to his throat soreness. His attempts at alerting others to his situation formed in more than a quiet whimper. He pukes up blood, dribbling a puddle of the crimson liquid, soaking his hands and lower body in red.
[Lee]
Lee continues with her dumbfounded gaze at the sight before her. She sees that all the remaining white blood cells were infected along with the cells soon following the same fate. She reaches over and grabs her phone from across the table. She dials a number and holds the phone next to her ear, resting it with her raised shoulder, keeping her eyes through the lenses of the microscope. She hears the phone ring and waits for the desired person to answer.
[The Next Room]
The blond man's shoulders roll back and bends upward as bones break out further, causing for several streams of blood to flow down his skin, staining it. His ears begin to change, stretching upward and outward into a point-like shape. His face pushes outward, ripping out most of his teeth with sharp thangs breaking out and slicing his thongue open with their length. His fingernails were ripped in half, making room for long, rigid claws that break out at the end of his fingers.
He cracks his neck sideways and looks towards the room where Lee was. She had her back to him and were too focused with her activity. The beast-like man slowly stands to his feet and drags himself towards that room, leaving blood-stained footprints behind. He hears the sound of Lee's phone and the ringing on the other end. It all help him see through the room. The phone blasts sounds waves which helps him envision his surroundings. Lee was marked fully in white along with her phone.
[Lee]
Lee sighs out loud, annoyed that she was still waiting for an answer "Come on, James. Pick up already..." she shakes her head "The one time that I want to talk to you for the last few months and you give me the cold shoulder? C'mon..." her eyes soften as she sees a shadow form over her and the table. She then hears rigid breathing and footsteps. She was beyond confused as no one in the hospital at this time should have the clearance to enter besides her... so that only left.
She turns around and is greeted with the grotesque sight of the now deformed man. His bloodshot eyes, his vicious fangs. The bones and ribs ruptured outside of his skin. The oozing crimson liquid that drips from his mouth and his long nails.
Lee let looses one loud soul crushing screams as she rolls onto the ground to avoid a swipe of the guy's claws. She reaches over the table and grabs the microscope and bashes it over the vicious man's head; knocking him to the ground. She frantically craws away, screaming over and over again, putting his lungs to the test. Each cry for help she made only fuelled the man's sight. Each sound she created clued him on her location, powerful sounds waves hit back at him, brightening Lee in a white glow.
"HELP! HELP! HELP! Lee screams as she crawls back and feels her back hit the wall of the room. Her eyes looks back and sees the rabid man slowly crawl towards her. His claws sharp enough to makes marks in the floor "HELP! HEEELLLPPPPP!"
"What the hell is going on in there?!" a voice yells from outside the other room. Several Checkmate Soldiers stood outside and kick open the locked door. One of the soldiers then takes the lead. One that showcased a red coloured Knight over his shoulders as he readies his weapon. The commander runs into the room and towards the cries for help. The commander stops in his track as he sees the sight of the rabid man crawling towards Lee "Stand down! I repeat stand down!" he commands the man crawling towards Lee.
"I said stand down, final warning! I said stop!" the commander calls out.
The disfigured man stops crawling towards Lee and turns his head towards the commander. He growls, drooling blood onto the floor. He jumps to his feet and runs towards the commander. The Checkmate Soldier walks backwards and aims his submachine gun at the man running towards him. The commander unloads his weapon on the beast-like man, shooting him in his torso and chest repeatedly over and over, filling him with holes.
The infected man eventually falls to his knees and then onto his back, bleeding all out on the floor, creating a large pool of crimson red. The Checkmate commander waves his arm over to Lee "Doctor Thompkins, you are to come with me"
Lee was beyond confused. Petrified by the encounter she just had, she was shaking all over, her lips trembling. The Checkmate commander steps over the infected man and towards Lee. Grabbing her arm and pulling her up to her feet "I said move your ass!" He shoves Lee past him and grabs onto her right shoulder as he leads her out of the room. He looks to the other three Checkmate soldiers who surround him and the Doctor "Clean that mess up. I don't want any wet nosed reporters catching wind of this before we even know what this is"
"Yes sir!" the three subordinates salute their commander as they walk into the room with the downed target.
The commander escorts Lee out of the room and into the hall of ward "You want to tell me just what the hell happened back there? How the hell did one of my men become that freak?"
"H-his blood. There's something in his blood" Lee answers.
The commander presses Lee against the wall of the ward "Like what?"
"I'm not completely sure. I'm a doctor, not a scientist. But I'm guessing that's it's some sort of virus. I was told that he was bitten by some sort of man-sized bat. It could be possible that the creature may have passed something onto your soldier. From what I managed to observe, it's super contagious and need's to be disposed of properly. But we can't risk doing that until we figure out how the virus is transmitted. For all I know, burning it will just bring the cotangent into the atmosphere" Thompkins replies.
"Don't worry yourself too much. We are going to secure the body. Freezing the body should cause what-ever-it-is inside him to sleep for now" the commander shoots back as he turns his helmet towards the open door that leads into the room where they were previously.
[Inside the Room]
The three Checkmate guards keep their position around the downed man. The one standing in the middle looks over his shoulder to the soldier standing on his right "Get the stretcher, then we can load him up" he commands. The one on his left nods as he walks out and towards the next room. The middle Checkmate Soldier's eyes narrow trough the vizor of his helmet as he sees the floored man's left hand twitch. Kneeling down to the floor-level he examines the man closely "Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"Could have sworn that I saw his hand move..."
"Relax will you? It's just the rigor mortis settling in"
"This soon after death? His body hasn't even gotten cold yet" the Checkmate Soldier reaches over and presses the tips of his fingers against the man's pale neck "That's weird".
"What is?"
"I can still feel a pulse. I saw the commander fire like an entire clip into this bastard... how the hell could he even have a-". The beast-like man's bloodshot eyes open as he snarls. The Checkmate Soldiers screams as they jump back "Holy shit! Back up! Back up! Target is still alive, TARGET IS STILL-"
[Lee]
Both Lee and the Commander turn their heads to the sound of blood curdling screams coming from inside the room. The Commander runs back inside along with Lee as they see blood splatter across the window that gave a view into the room across from them. The sound of gunfire and blood-filled yelps slowly die down and then stop. The commander readies his weapon and aims it at the door leading into the next room. He steps forward, not taking his sight off of the entrance "Unit 3 report, report Unit 3" he yells.
A disfigured hand grabs onto the door frame and drags the rest of it's body with it. The vicious blond man returns to Lee's view. The man had several dozen holes through his chest and stomach. His one neat tank top that hanging off of him with more bones breaking out of his body and skin. His mouth was soaked in blood along with his teeth. He sets his sights on the commander which increased the rate of which he breathed. His chest pumps up and down and bullet holes in his front slowly decrease in size and fully healing.
"Son of a bitch..." Lee whispers.
The man charges towards the two which left the commander to unleash another storm of bullets into him, covering his body in holes once more. Lee covers her ears from the gunfire which she was stood next to as she sees the rabid man gunned down by a hailstorm of ammo all unloaded in his chest. But no matter how many bullets were shot, he still stood, though stunned by the shots. The commander's eyes look over to the corner and sees the three checkpoint soldiers emerge from the doorway but something was wrong with them, really wrong with them.
They were soaked in blood, most likely their own and their uniform was torn across the top with claw marks and marks over their necks. Their vizors were cracked which left the sight of bloodshot eyes. The commander backs away with Lee "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Run for it!" he runs out of the room, dragging Lee with him. The blond rabid man and the three blood thirsty Checkpoint soldiers chase after them with deafening screeches.
The two run as fast as they can, as fast as their bodies would allow, as fast as their legs could carry them. If their bodies felt overtired and unable to continue, the horror sounds from behind them was motivation enough to keep on going, enough motivation to ignore the desperate please from their body for rest. They both knew as stopping now would mean certain death... or worse. The Commander looks ahead towards a set of doors that block the ward from connecting to the other.
"There! Huff it!" he orders Lee as he grabs her wrist tighter.
"I'm t-t-tr-... I'm tr-tr-trying!" she gasps.
"Geeyyyahhhh" the blonde bloodstained man hisses, head shaking violently as he runs after the two fleeing people.
The Commander and Lee run through the double doors in a panic. The Checkpoint solder steps back and stands against the door to block the four monster-like men on the other side "Now!" he screams. Lee slides across the floor and scans her ID badge against the scanner which locks the double doors. Lee's eyes soften as she lets out one loud sigh. The commander too takes a breather. Though his relaxation was switftly ended as a mangled hand punches through the glass and grabs him by the throat which holds him tight.
Horrifying screeches echo from the other side, one after the other in a sort of chain. As well one of the infected Checkmate guards slams their head against the other side of the door; right against the glass; cracking it more with each impact. The commander's gasps as the hold around his neck toughens up. Lee slowly backs up as she sees the scene, the blood curdling growls on the other side, the bloodshot eyes of the freaks. It was something out of a horror movie.
"Hang in there" Lee gasps as she takes out the syringe from her pocket and stabs it into the infected hands; causing it to hiss and to reluctantly move its hand off of the commander. The checkpoint agent swiftly moves away from the door and leans against the wall, throwing his helmet across the floor and grabbing his throat. Lee steps beside him as she looks back to the four monstrous men on the other side who slammed, punched and scratched against the door.
"That door is made out of steel... it should hold them" Lee tells the commander in a stunned tone.
"My men... look at them... those poor bastards" the man comments, now revealed to be a dirty blond with green eyes. He softly caresses his throat as he looks back at the checkmate soldiers on the other side "Just what the hell is going on?"
"I told you. Whatever was in his bloodstream must be contagious" Lee reminds the blond.
"I know... what I meant was... I SHOT THAT SON OF A BITCH OVER FOURTY TIMES YET HE'S STILL STANDING! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!" he yells in a panic.
"I know... I was there" Lee looks to the dirty blond "They didn't cut you, did they?"
"No. But my throat is going to kill in the morning... that is if I am even alive then. You best hurry and evacuate the staff and patients here. Anyone being here is at high risk of infection" the man kneels down and picks his helmet back up "We can't risk letting this thing spread. I'll contact my end and call in a clean-up crew"
"Will do..." Lee turns and walks away from the commander "By the way. Do not let anyone press the evacuation switch, it'll open up every door in this place... even that one..." she looks back to the infected soldiers clawing at the doors "By the way, what's you name?"
"Name?" the dirty blond asks.
"Yes. Name? You have one, right?"
"Trevor. Steve Trevor... now get going" Steve tells Lee as he sees her walk off. He takes hold of his radio "Command, this is squad unit 4B-7 Alpha, request line to Red Queen, I repeat. Request line to Red Queen, confirmation code Zeta 010101 - 0101"
"Confirmation code accepted, patching you through to Red Queen"
"Red Queen, come in Red Queen. Do you read me?"
"This is Red Queen, over"
"There is a situation going down at Gotham General, code red, I repeat, code red gamma-4 going down at Gotham General, request clean-up crew on select targets, over"
"Squad unit 4B-7 Alpha, please repeat situation"
"Code Red Gamma-4 going down at Gotham General, four total infected. Requesting clean-up crew for select targets, I repeat. Request clean-up crew for infected only. All targets are trapped and ready for clean-up" Steve repeats into his radio.
"Clean-up crew authorized, ETA twenty minutes. Squad unit 4B-7 Alpha, do not let any civvies leave the building"
"Copy. Over and out..." Steve replies with his eyes being fixated on the four infected on the other side.
Outside Gotham General
Gordon drives up through the main street. He looks out the window and sees several Checkmate Soldiers standing outside the hospital with none other than Waller with them. Jim parks the car and gets out, jogging towards the other officers. Amanda Waller turns her head towards Gordon with an annoyed look yet with a small smirk that contradicts her glare. The rest of her body follows the lead of her head to fully face Gordon as she sees the man close the distance between them.
"James... what brings you to Gotham General at this hour? I didn't call for you" Waller addresses the man.
"What's happening here, Waller? What the hell is going on?" Jim gives his own scowl to the woman, one that didn't tame Waller's nor made her see him as a threat. His ears ring with loud blaring police and ambulance sirens in the distance and some closer, probably he would guess around the corner. Waller and his faces are hi-lighted by the red and blue flashing lights. Jim sees countless more Checkmate Soldiers approach the hospital, all carrying heat and looked to be ready to kill.
"Waller... what's going on?!"
Waller shrugs, brushing strands of hair behind her ear "We have a code Red Gamma-4. A believed biological weapon has been let loose in there. And I've already lost several of my men to it. Apparently the infected share several key similarities with that bat-creature which you failed you capture on your last mission"
"Lee... where is she? Where's my wife!?" Gordon loses his composure and barges past sever Checkmate Soldiers before being tackled to the ground "Lee! Where is she!?"
"She's still in there. C'mon, James. Do you seriously think I would just those people out when they could have possibly been exposed to a virus? Sorry but I'm not taking any chances. No one is getting out until I am positive that they are free from contagion..." Waller folds her arms and lifts head towards the upper floors of the hospital "Lords knows the carnage that this thing could cause if it were to get out. Maybe if you did your job and actually dealt with that creature before... your wife wouldn't be in danger..."
Gordon is left free by the guards and knees up, looking to Waller "What if Lee and the others are contaminated... what are you going to do then? There are over a hundred people in there..."
Waller's facial expression doesn't change in the slightest "It's not a call that I want to make, but right now. It's a small number of people or the lives of millions more. I'll do what is logical... which doesn't always mean sleeping easy." She turns her head as she hears her name called.
"Strike team ready and waiting for deployment - just give the word" a specialized Checkmate Guard informs Waller.
"Attempt to establish contact first. We need to gauge what we are dealing with" Waller orders.
"Yes, Ma'am" the guard replies, walking off.
Waller walks towards Jim, arms still folded and glare as present as ever "I would offer you a part in the strike team, but I know just how messy operations can get when you have a personal stake in it. I hope you understand why I can't let you be involved in this. Your love for her will cloud your judgment and put your and many other's lives in jeopardy"
"Go to hell, Waller" Gordon stands and brushes himself off "Don't act like you care about anyone but yourself"
"Just get out of my sight, James. Don't go causing any more trouble for us" Waller walks past him. Gordon looks around the area, a group of Checkpoint soldiers were heading down the street from him with one lagging behind the others. Gordon breathes in "Hell with it".
Inside Gotham General
- First Floor -
"They completely sealed off every exit... those bastards," the brunette receptionist tells Lesley Thompkins with a whimper "We're stuck in here with those... those... those things"
Lee rests her hands over the woman's shoulders "Calm down, alright? You and everyone else is going to be fine. Those things are locked inside quarantine... they have no way of getting to us now. You just need to relax and let all of this just blow over. We should be free soon"
"If-if you say so... but what if we aren't? What if they leave us to die?" the brunette tresses.
"That won't happen, I promise" Lee re-emphasises in a positive exterior but with doubt flooding through her mind over her own words. Trevor descends the first flight of stairs to the same level as her. The commander makes his way towards Lee, holding his helmet down by his sides. The dirty blonde's eyes lock onto her, walking forward and butting in between Lee and the brunette's space.
"There you are-" Lee comments with a glare "What the hell did you say to them? They've locked us in with those... things"
"It's standard protocol" Steve answers sharply "Whatever this thing is, we don't know how it's transmitted nor how contagious it is. For all we could know, everyone is this building could have been exposed to it. We can't risk letting this thing out into the city"
"So you are happy just keeping us prisoners here? You can't just trap us in here with those things upstairs. It's... it's... inhumane" Lee disputes.
"Maybe, but it's a whole lot better than those things getting out and infecting the whole damn city. Once my guys have secured this place, nullifying all targets. We'll check everyone, and if they're fine. Then they will be allowed to leave" Steve reinforces his stance. His eyes glare at Lee "I don't like being here either but I will rather be here than cause thousands of people to be killed"
"There are kids here, Trevor. What am I supposed to tell them? That they are locked inside the same buildings as bloodthirsty monsters that want to kill them...?" Lee folds her arms, shaking her head in annoyance at the man.
"I'm sure you will think of something. Now if you would mind, make sure that no one leaves this floor. Once the strike team gets here... they will see anything on the floors above as a target, understood? Our orders are very clear" Steve orders Lee, stepping closer "No matter what you hear... you must stay on this floor. If you try to leave the building without permission... you will... all of you will be taken out. Just sit tight and keep quiet and everything will be fine. Trust me on this, I don't want any more casualties either"
"Bullshit" Lee cusses "If you cared about people... you wouldn't be working for Checkmate"
"Don't act like you know me. Believe it or not, not everyone that works for Checkmate does it willingly. Most of us don't even want to be here, but we don't have a choice. Some of us have seen things that we weren't supposed, met people who you weren't meant to..." the commander slowly looks away form Lee "... Met someone that we weren't meant to meet." He holds out his right palm open "Key Card"
"What?" Lee's hands reflex into her pockets "That's the only thing keeping those things in quarantine"
"Wrong, it's the only thing keeping me out of quarantine" Steve replies with a glare "Key card, I will not ask you again"
"If... if those things get out... they will..."
"They won't. Trust me" the man gestures with his hand.
Lee's eyes narrow, her lips puck. She bites her lips as she passes the key card over to the commander "...Don't you dare... think of letting *those things through*, because they will be the least of your problems..." she threatens, glaring at Trevor.
"Godspeed," Steve says, grasping the card in his fist, turning his torso towards the stairwell. He walks off away from Lee and begins to climb the gauntlet of stairs. He grabs on to the radio placed on his chest. He leans his down and speaks into it "Command, this is Squad Unit 4B Alpha, proceeding to rendezvous point now. ETA 5 clicks". He slides his helmet back on, tightening the chin strap, ascending high above the ground floor. Lee's eyes track his movements until he leaves her field of view.
"...Hell with it" she says under her breath.
- Gotham General Rooftop -
00: 06 AM
An armoured black helicopter lands on the roof. The rotor gradually slows before coming to a complete stop. Seven Checkmate soldiers leap out of it, holding their weapons to their chest and heading towards the entrance across the roof "Touchdown initiated, heading to the rendezvous point - over" the one in charge speaks into his radio. They enter through the roof and descend through the floors of the hospital until they reach their destination.
They walk through the hallway that leads to quarantine, approaching slowly and with their guard up. They spot another checkmate soldier standing near the locked door. The one in front of the others reaches down to his radio "Squad Unit 4B Alpha spotted, establishing communication now. Appears to only be one survivor"
"Squad Unit 4B Alpha, reporting," Steve says to the six other soldiers making their way towards him "Listen up fresh meat. We have a Code Red-gamma 4 on the other side of that door. We have not identified the biohazard itself so keep helmets on at all times, do not take those things off no matter the circumstances, understood?" the commander tells the other soldiers, turning his head back to the door that blocks off quarantine. The infected were gone from the main hall.
"Second. These things are vicious bastards and fast too. I filled one up with lead and it had no effect, so here is what you are going to do. Aim for the limbs or head. If you can't kill them, lowering their options of movement is the second-best thing. Do not let these things touch you. Three of my men were infected by this contagion in a matter of seconds. There are four targets and seven of us. We should have enough firepower and manpower to stop these creatures... so stick close together and watch each other's backs... we are the only thing that is stopping Red Queen from blowing this place sky high, understand?"
"Yes sir!" the four subordinates salute the commander "Let's take out these freaks!"
"Hold on a moment..." one of the lower-ranked men questions, glancing behind his shoulder "Counting you, Commander. There should be eight of us"
"Really?" Steve asks "Doesn't matter. We'll sort that out later but for now. We need to deal with the targets before Red Queen loses their patience.
The commander takes out the key card from his pocket and scans it with the scanner. A loud beep echoes from the door. The seven soldiers hurry inside, one after the other in single file. Steve scans that card again, to lock the door behind them "Stay vigilante and stick together" Steve says as his looks at the bloody handprints across the walls on both sides of him and the other soldiers. Their eyes slowly glance down to the floor, which left a trail of red footprints that lead down the hall, along with countless other blood trails that lead in and out of every room.
"This looks like it was ripped straight out of a horror movie. Shit, this is disgusting" the soldier behind the rest of the group comments. He turns his head to face each doorway that they pass by, snapping back and forth in a pattern.
As the seven keep at the journey down the hall, so as well did the bloody footprints which look just as unorganized as when they started down the ward. Steve stays vigilant, not faulting from his orbiting gaze at the doorways and the path ahead of him. He leads the rest of the pact, his weapon aimed for usage and his steps were slow and spaced out like he was tip-toeing "Something's not right here. Those freaks were all-but ready to attacks me before... where the hell have they gone?"
"Hopefully off to die in a ditch" another soldier inputs.
"Don't get cocky, these things can tear you apart if you're not careful" Steve replies, he stops as he eyes spot something strange on the walls next to him and his men. The bloodied handprints were changing in size. At first, it was hard to notice but seeing all of them for comparison. The prints of hands were more stretched out and the fingers were almost claw-like. The dirty-blond than sees what's around the corner at the next room. The door was broke open with torn pieces of clothes scattered inside the room near the entrance.
He kneels and grabs hold of clothing, raising in his hand to get a closer look. The material was covered in cuts and looked to be stretched-out like something grew large in a shot-amount of time. Steve's eyes slowly glance up towards the ceiling. His breath pauses and his body stiffens. Above him and the other men were monstrous figures hanging down from the ceiling. Humanoid-like men with stretched out ears and long fangs, covered in tears in their skin and leather-like skin. Their skin was grey-ish and their ribs and bones poked out from their bodies. Their hands and feet wore elongated with sharp-like claws on their fingers and toes. Their bloodshot eyes had tamed and were pure red.
The creatures drool blood onto the floor.
Steve imperceptibly ascends, not breathing nor making any sudden movements. He backs out of the room which the rest of his men followed "Don't. Make. A. Sound" he whispers. He takes one more step back but slips over the trail of blood. Skidding his boots against the floor and echoing the sound throughout the entire ward. The four creature's eyes widen as they screech, dropping down to the ground and sprinting towards the men.
Steve jumps to his feet and runs "Fall back! FALL BACK!". He runs past the rest of the soldiers towards the exit "Get some distance!"
One of the Checkmate Soldiers is tackled to the ground and clawed into by one of the grey-like creatures who scream a deafening screech. The man screams as the infected claws at his back, spreading his blood against the walls beside them "AGH! AGH! AGGGHHH!"
The other three infected follow after the other six soldiers, sprinting and swiping their claws to try and reach them. One of the creatures manages to capture its claws against one of the checkmate soldiers. The beast drags the man back towards him as it launches its fangs into his neck; squirting blood up across the walls. The vicus beast drags the man to the ground as it too claws at its victim, ripping him apart. The two more of the soldiers were brought down by the two remaining creatures.
Steve and the two remaining lower-ranked soldiers stop at the locked door of quarantine, their backs pressed against it as they look out to the bloodbath unfolding before their own eyes "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Steve screams as he unloads his weapon upon the four creatures feasting away "You bloody animals!"
He manages to shoot one of the creatures in their head, knocking them backwards and onto the ground "FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"
The other two soldiers follow orders and aim at the creatures, firing in their limbs and even torsos, but nothing seemed to keep them down. Steve's eyes look onward as he sees the four checkmate soldiers across the hall slowly stand back up but with a blood-thirsty look in their eyes and blackened veins around their face and necks. He then sees the one he shot moments ago stand back up with the bullet wound fully healed. He and the two others were now left inside the hall with eight infected creatures all running towards them.
"SHIT! On me, men" he scans the key card against the scanner and unlocks the door.
He makes it out of the hall and onto the other side but his other men weren't' so lucky. They were pulled back into the hall as they swarmed by the creatures, being bitten, chewed, clawed and scratched all over. Steve's eyes wince as he sees the struggling soldier grasp out, trying to break free of the beasts' hold on him, with one last attempt, he pulls at the leather on the alarm attached to the wall. Then screams after screams until they stop. Steve was left to stare through the glass to the now ten monstrous being screeching and growling as they claw at the door to get to him. His ears hear the loud, screeching alarms signalling danger throughout the floor.
Then the doors were shoved open, allowing the infected to hurry towards the commander. Steve quickly turns on his heels and sprints away from the creatures, getting a couple metres ahead of them, hearing their disturbing yells, their blood cackling screeches.
Gotham Gerneral
- Lower Floors -
Lee Thompkins traverses up the stairs, her hand gently slides against the metal bannisters which were just as cold as it was outside. She lifts on her tip-toes to peek around the corner. Her eyes shoot open as she sees a Checkmate soldier meet her at the top of the stairs "What? Have you done it? Is it safe for us to leave?".
"Lee, It's me," a familiar voice tells her.
"... Jim? What are you doing here?" Lee steps closer to the man. Jim takes off his helmet and holds it to his sides.
"I'm here to get you out. We have to get out of here before Waller does something drastic..." Jim reaches out to Lee's hand. The woman jerks her arm back to avoid contact with him. Lee sees a puzzled look consume Jim's face.
"What about all the other people here, James? Are you seriously saying that we should abandon them? Like hell" Lee spits with venom in her voice "Unlike you, I haven't given up on helping others. You know, seeing you here for a second, you almost made think that you were here to save everyone here... but no. You are here just to get me out... like I'm all that matters here?"
"That's not fair, Lee" Gordon replies in a defensive tone "I know what is causing the infection. A while back, I and a few other soldiers were tracking down a sort-of winged beast that had been linked to a handful of murders. It's highly dangerous, all of us couldn't even gun it down. And now that there is four of them in here...? It's far too dangerous for anyone... let alone someone who has no combat experience" Gordon tries to reason with Lee with which she dismisses with a scowl.
"Too dangerous? Juxtaposed with all the other things I was brought into the middle of? You know... my life was perfectly normal before I met you when I worked in Arkham. My life was never put into danger by some nutjob's scheme nor was I ever caught in the middle of a biohazard crisis" Lee firmly shoots back.
"To be fair, you caused that first outbreak and you chose to be *the queen of the narrows*. So stop acting like everything wrong that has happened to you is somehow my fault. You made those choices, you chose to break the law and you chose to put yourself in those situations, which left me needing to fix your mistakes"
"And you chose to sit back and watch those bastards beat the hell out of your friend. You sat back and let Harvey be beaten within an inch of his life... you stood back and just let Harleen scream over and over for your help... and. You. Did. Nothing. You let Waller control you like a puppet, like a good doggie, You are perfectly happy just standing back while Waller destroy this city as her little bitch! You betrayed me, your daughter, Bruce..., Harvey... and even yourself... so don't start acting like you care about me... because I know you don't" Leslie grabs back onto the bannister and continues to ascend upward.
"Lee... I hate this as much as you - trust me. I'm in an impossible situation here"
"That's never stopped you before" Lee flicks her hair and looks back to Gordon "What did you think was going to go down? Did you think that you rushing in here with arms open to sweep me off my feet and all would be forgiven?" Lee asks.
"I was just trying to get you to safety"
"You've done enough, Jim. Probably too much... maybe it's time that I realized that you're no longer the man that I fell in love with... or even if he ever existed." Lee continues upon her journey. She stops after a few seconds and takes a glance back down to Jim "Recently I have seen a lot of people's true colours... maybe it's my fault for not seeing it sooner. Everyone that I trust always turns out to have a dark side to them... some more blatant than others"
"Lee..."
"If you do want to help then maybe you should go join the other soldiers... at least they are willing to save lives up there. Just don't talk to me" Lee follows up through the stairs with Gordon following behind. Their heads lift up and gaze towards the upper levels. The sounds of screaming haunts the floors and the blaring alarm that echoes, together a spine-shivering sound that was getting closer and closer to them by the second. Lee's hand trembles, backing down the stairs and behind Jim "No..."
"That's not good" Jim soberly replies to the woman behind him.
"James... there's injured on the ground floor. They will be defenceless against them..."
"Go! I'll draw them away - buy you some time... as much as I can" Jim turns to face his wife as he loads his handgun "Keep those people safe"
Lee almost spits at the man's words "Are you crazy? They'll kill you... or worse".
"I need to do this..." Jim reassures the woman, giving a soft smile to her "I love you. I never did say that enough, did I?," he strafes up the stairs and from the company of Lee Thompkins. He can hear himself getting closer towards the sounds of the monsters with each step that he took. rising along with the levels of the stairwell and turning the corner into the ward, he sees the creatures, sprinting, slashing their claws with their footsteps along with that came the last remaining Checkmate soldier, a commander who struggling to outpace the beasts.
"Hey!" Gordon shouts at the feral men, which caused for them to snap their necks backwards and look directly at him. Several of them start running at him, growling. Jim's eyes widen, turning heel and running away, leading them away from the lower floors.
Outside Gotham General
Amanda Waller, the slim woman dressed in a black suit tightens her grip on the radio in hand. Her eyes look to the windows of the hospital, observing the upper levels to find any signs of the hostiles. She stands with her arms folded, her right was angled to place the radio near her mouth. She was surrounded by several high-ranking Checkmate soldiers, some were commanders and the rest comprised of even higher-ranked individuals.
"Commander Waller, we have a problem," from the corner of her vision, Waller sees a new Checkmate soldier approach her "We discovered one of squad unit 4B-7 Alpha's members unconscious nearby. Most-likely he was jumped, uniform was stolen. I don't know who would want to go in that place right now, they must be really stupid"
No, just trying to piss me off..." Amanda grits her teeth "Patch me through to him, now!"
"But, Commander Waller... we don't know who-"
"I do, now do it" Waller orders again. The Checkmate Soldier salute her and hurries off. Waller's eyes narrow into a glare "Goddamn it, Gordon"
- Inside Gotham General -
Jim runs into one of the rooms, quickly moving over and pushing the table to block the door. The infected reach outside, bashing their arms and heads against the glass and frame of the door, screeching with all movement that they made. Slowly backing away, Jim's eyes focus on the beasts. Their mangled bodies with bones that protrude from their skin, their stretched jaw and snout-like nose. Their crimson eyes, their sharp fangs, their outstretched fingers and their elongated feet. They were the stuff of nightmares, one that was all too real and was ready to rip him to shreds.
"Gordon. You better hope that you aren't still alive, those things won't tear you apart like I will when I get my hands on you!"
Jim looks down to the radio strapped to his chest, he takes it off and holds it off "Waller?"
"That's Commander Waller to you. What part of stay out of this did you not understand!?"
"My wife! She's stuck in here... I had to... I wasn't going to let her die," Jim almost yells.
"So...you thought getting yourself killed was a better used of time? You and I are going to have a long talk after this shitshow is over"
"Those things are indestructible, Lee told me that they served shots to the head and have a healing factor. Just how do you plan to deal with that?" Jim grits his teeth, seeing the infected on the outside had managed to crack the windows and were close to breaking through "I'm a dead man"
"Not until I say so" Waller smirks "I met one of your *friends* from Blackgate, he was just jumping at the chance to see you again, I believe that you two didn't end up on the best terms, right?" Waller brushes a strand of hair behind her ear and widens her grin "You might wanna take cover. Now!"
Jim jumps down onto the floor as a berede of bullets were shot through the ward, bouncing off the walls and directly hitting all of the infected men in the head, taking them down. One after the other, until they were all thrown onto the ground and into a puddle of their own blood. A pair of black boots begin to slowly walk through the hall, echoing and alerting Gordon to the new figure's prescience "Heat rounds, they can't heal when their brains are nothing but ash, you alright you lil' piggy?" a metallic voice calls out.
Recognizing the voice, Jim slowly levitated upward and peaking out to see the man now standing outside the room. He was dressed in a red and black armoured costume with a white helmet with one red-glowing eye. His shoulders and torso hosted all kinds of ammo rounds. With a bullet-themed gauntlet around both of his wrists and a sniper attached to his back. Black and red armoured gloves and black boots. Jim was soon standing to be level with the other man's gaze.
"Floyd Lawton, what are you doing out of Blackgate?"
"It's Deadshot, and I'm here to lead a brand new Task Force for Gotham, pig" Deadshot rolls back his shoulders and bends his hands into fists "Now... I believe we have some... catching up to do...," he lifts up his arm and aims his gauntlet at the glass and the man who stood on the other side of it "Let's see if that glass if bulletproof... Nah... it won't make any difference with these babies anyway," the red lens of his mask flashes brighter for a split second.
- Across Gotham -
Selina Kyle walks down the stone steps of her apartment complex, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. She walks on the sidewalk and keeps up at a steady pace. Her attention is brought to her side as she sees a black limousine drive along beside her, keeping to her pace. Selina stops and turns her body to face it. She sees the darkened window slowly pull down and reveal the figure of Sophia Falcone smirking as she was known for. Selina's green eyes focus on the notorious crime boss, readying herself for any possible altercation.
"Selina Kyle, right?" Sophia moves a strand of hair behind her ear as she keeps her grin "I hear that your mother is back in Town... tell me... just how is she doing these days? I heard that she and her boyfriend had quite the unfortunate... separation..."
"Okay, listen here. I don't care what history you have with my mom. I have nothing to do with it, so leave me alone and leave me out of it..." Selina hisses.
"Miss Kyle, you have a lot more to do with it then you know. More than your precious mother ever told you... but I can tell you the truth that she was hiding from you all this time" Sophia gestures as she opens the limo door open and invites Selina in "It took me a very long time to track you down but alas... here we are..."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Selina flutters her eyes.
"It's simple..." Sophia crosses her legs "You know all about your dear mother, right? Well... prepare to learn about your father..." she sees that her words had left Selina speechless and nerve-racked. Sophia takes the glass of wine from the stand and sips "Well c'mon. Standing out there is bound to get you a cold..."
Darkness.
Darkness all around, silence all through, a painful coldness surfaces.
Bruce walks through the grungy alley. He looks all around, trying to see where he was which was made harder by his lack of vision. There was a chilling silence, made more prominent with each step that he took. The sound of his footstep echo loudly, carrying all through the path, bouncing off the two parallel brick walls and out into the outer scape of the darkness. He stops where he stands, feeling a soft breathing down his neck. The hair on arms stand up and his breaths spike.
"It's you... isn't it?" Bruce's whisper-like tone makes it way to the figure standing behind him. His eyes keep to his front, glancing up to the sign of the path. They fixate on the words: Crime Alley. Bruce feels the breath hitting his neck subside as the sound of a cape swerving echoes throughout the alley. Bruce turns towards the direction of the noise, looking up to the fire escape and sees the shadowed figured. One with pointy ears on their cowl and a black scalloped cape swerving through the soft breezes of wind that pass by.
"I knew that this was going to happen sooner or later" Bruce yells up to the darkness shrouded figure "Why did you bring me here? Just what the hell are you!?" Lightning strikes the ground between them, both lighting the figures in a flash of blue.
"You know who I am. I'm Batman" the shadowy figure growls from up high.
"No! I'm Batman! I'm the one who wears the suit!" Bruce calls back.
"Wrong. You are the suit. You are the mask. You have been the disguise since the day you saw your parents murdered in cold blood!"
"That's not true! Batman is a means to an end, not the man"
"I am the end" the shadowed figure leaps down, using his cape to slow his descent to the ground. His boots hit the ground, echoing through the alley. Bruce sees the figure still hidden beneath the layers of shadows and darkness. But he could still clearly see the silouette "I am the end of you. Bruce Wayne is long dead, I am the one who you are, a new beginning, the one that Gotham needs" Batman growls with his voice modulate.
"You're my guilt, aren't you? The embodiment of my failures..." Bruce steps back "You're the reminder of what I've lost... what was taken away from me"
"No. I'm the symbol of what you are going to do about it" Batman lunges forward and throws a punch towards Bruce who caught his fist with both his hands. The shadowed figure kicks up his knee into Bruce's stomach, grabbing hold of his right arm and twisting it, straining the bones in the man's arms "And you are the anchor that is weighing me down". Bruce throws his head back and hits Batman's cowl, knocking him off balance. Bruce quickly moves out of the hold, and throws his own right hook at the dark knight.
Batman catches Bruce's hand in his armoured gloved fist, winding up a kick and striking Bruce in his leg. The dark-haired man's eyes widen as he feels his knee break. Batman then repeatedly punches Bruce in the chest, over and over, finishing his cycle with a kick to his chest which knocked him onto the ground. Bruce's head hits the cold, hard concrete, inside the outlines of his deceased parents. Disoriented, he looks up with blurred vision as he sees Batman circling around him "i'm-I'm... I'm not a disguise, I'm not. Bruce Wayne lived, I lived to honour my parents"
"You look dead to me. Sitting alone in your mansion, being too busy feeling sorry for yourself, lying to yourself" Batman growls as he kneels over Bruce, grabbing his collar and lifting him up "We both know the truth. You're body is fine, your back healed long ago... you are just scared. You are pathetic! Even now, you are falling on your injury to keep yourself down! Get up. I SAID... GET UP!" Batman's voice booms.
"-I.. I... can't" Bruce stammers.
"Wasn't a request" Batman single handily lifts Bruce to his feet. Batman jumps and kicks Bruce against the brick wall "You stood by and let your parents die!" Batman strikes Bruce across the face, in the stomach, chest and face again "Will you stand by and do nothing as everyone else you love is killed?! Will you let Thomas and Martha Wayne deaths mean nothing!?" Batman strikes again, but this time Bruce lifts his arms to block the strike.
"That day... means everything!" Bruce kicks up, which Batman blocks with his hand. Bruce lunges forward, throwing punch after punch, after punch. Batman guarded all of his attacks, one after the other. Bruce's eyes narrow as he sees none of his strikes were breaking the figure's guard, Batman perfectly blocked or deflected every single one of his attempts. Batman's cold glance intensifies as he jumps over Bruce's shoulders, standing back-to-back with him. lifting his arms behind him and over Bruce's neck, lifting him up off the ground.
"Then fight like it" Batman lets Bruce out of the choke-hold and grabs his shoulders, kicking his boot in Bruce's shin which forces the man onto the ground. Bruce holds his neck, glancing around to the shadowed figure that circles around him "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Because no one else is going to pick you up... besides yourself. Stand up! Stand up and face me... or just sit there and forget everything your parents taught you"
A Batarang slides out of Batman's gauntlet, he grabs it within his grip and lifting his arm up "Make your Choice". Batman slices across Bruce's chest with the Batarang, over and over. Until a bloodied outline of a bat was formed over his chest.
- Gotham City -
The dead of night oversaw Gotham, the moon shines brightly from above. On the road of the city was a black limousine driving, within it sat both Sophia Falcone and Selina Kyle who sit opposite each other. The crime boss holds a wine glass in hand as she keeps her eyes on the other woman "I must say that I am thrilled that you accepted my invitation to join me. Trust is a hard thing to find in this city, and even harder to keep. I appreciate you giving me a chance to explain myself, Miss Kyle"
"Cut the crap. I know all about you, I know that you wouldn't have let me refuse" Selina crosses her arms "So this must mean that what my mother said was true. She and her dumbass boyfriend took your daddy's money and you want her to pay you back? I don't see how I fit into that" her green eyes tense up "Also if you think using me as leverage is going to make my mother go good on her end... hate to break it to you. She's abandoned me twice without a second thought"
"Leverage? Oh dear me, Miss Kyle. You fail to cognize my reasons. Though it is true that your mother is in debt to my family, our meeting has nothing to do with it. See, my father made a ton of foolhardy decisions that I would have disapproved off if I was given a say, you are your own woman, like me" she tips her glass "Speaking of which, we have more in common than that, a lot more..." Sophia crosses her legs as she sees a puzzled look form on Selina's face.
"Us? Common?" Selina sniggers "Last time I checked, I wasn't a mafia crime boss"
"Alleged Mafia crime boss, keep that in mind, Selina. It will save your ass from claims of slander and a hefty lawsuit" Sophia replies with a smirk "Just look at us. We're both strong, beautiful women, both of our families are broken and we both *allegedly* delve in our own special kind of lawbreaking. I, organized crime. You, common petty thievery, though with a nifty skin-tight leather outfit, that does wonders for your body though"
"You know? How did you-?"
"Your old friend, Bridgit. She spilled your little secret to every criminal in Gotham, and word travels fast here" Sophia lifts her eyebrows "You might want to watch your back now. Catwoman has stolen from many powerful people in Gotham with influence over its underworld. You and the people you hold dear could be in a lot of danger, you better be grateful that the pieces you stole from me were all worthless replicas, otherwise, this car ride could have gone... very differently"
"Then why are you warning me?" Selina questions "You wanna be besties or something? What's in it for you? You told me that you were going to tell me the truth about my father but you haven't said a single goddamn thing about him"
"Your father? That's a sore spot for you, is it not?" Tell me, just how much do you know about him?" the Falcone asks with a smirk as she twirls her hand and the glass that she was holding. She moves a strand of hair behind her ear "Family is the most intriguing thing, for one person, it can be the best of their memories, but for others... it could be a dark past which they wish to forget"
"Pretentious much?" Selina comments.
"Amusing" Sophia replies as she reaches into her coat "Y'know, they say that humour is an ideal way to deal with tragedy. Of course, you must have had a lot of practice considering your upbringing" she pulls out a large envelope from her coat and hands it over to Selina "You may choose not to believe my good intentions but I do have a vested interest in your well being, now that I know the truth. Inside this are the answers that you want, but I must apprise you, by opening it, you will also be opening up Pandora's box"
"How can I even trust this? For all I know, it's all fabrication" Selina reaches out to the envelope.
"I thought of your concerns, inside you'll find a genuine DNA test, if you do not believe it then feel free to do another one yourself. But feel free not to open it if you are scared of the beasts that you will unleash out of it, knowing just what is inside will change your entire world. You should only do so if you are absolutely certain that you want the truth... and not your version of it" Sophia sees Selina take the envelope from her and rest it on her lap.
"You're not going to see if I open it?" Selina touts.
"With this, isolation will become your greatest ally, Miss Kyle, that and probably a strong bottle of champagne. I hope that we can find a way to work together as your strapping Dark Knight is no longer around to keep you safe. Watch yourself, Mr Luthor hasn't forgiven your previous encounter with him, he'll be gunning for you, but for now, you should focus on the threats in Gotham. My power and influence can only reach so far, there will be outliers who will not heed my warnings" Sophia warns as the limousine stops.
"What about my mother?" the short-haired woman asks.
"The pleasantries are between us two only, your mother made a deal... it is up to her to see it through, she knows of the consequences when she made it"
"She said that Cole's the one who took the money?" Selina double-takes.
"Did she? That's cute" Sophia looks towards the door as the chauffeur walks around the limousine and open its "Lies upon lies, her only consistent trait. Please, take it easy, Miss Kyle". Selina steps out back into the cold streets right outside her apartment complex, shuddering as she is struck the freezing air, she could see her own breath each take she exhaled. She holds the envelope down by her side, as she sees the chauffeur close the door to conceal the other woman's figure. The man returns to the driver's seat and with that, the limousine drives off, leaving Selina alone.
Bruce is thrown against the wall of the alley, hitting his back against it and rolling onto the hard ground, next to the outlines of his parents. He slowly crawls away while a shadow steadily follows after him. He dribbles blood from his mouth, his eyes lock onto a single pearl that rolls towards him. He shudders as he feels the shadow fully consume him, his eyes see the figure's silouette on the ground, pointy ears and cape alike. Bruce sluggishly reaches his hand out to the pearl.
He stops as a boot presses down on his hand, applying enough force to make Bruce squirm.
"Whose going to be the next person to die because you do nothing? Gordon? Dent? Alfred? Selina? The longer you hold me back, the sooner someone that you love is going to die. Whilst you are feeling sorry for yourself, a boy could witness his parents being shot and killed in alley just like this one!" Batman snarls. The dark knight presses his boot harder on the man's hand, reddening it. Bruce's eyes widen as the pearl rolls away from him.
"I-I c-can't"
"The last time we spoke, I told you that you should be scared of me! A symbol is pointless if the wearer even refuses to believe in it. We belong in the darkness, we thrive in it but you have fallen victim to it!" the dark knight chastises Bruce. The man slowly glances up, following the movement of the pearl. It stops rolling, next to a young boy crying who was holding a blanket around him tightly. He was sitting on the stairs, his eyes were reddened by the tears.
Bruce watches in silence as he sees feet walking past him, turning his head, he sees a much younger James Gordon making his way towards the young boy over on the stair "Why?! Why are you showing me this!?" Bruce stammers. The shadowed figure removes his boot from Bruce's hand as he too looks over to Jim Gordon sitting next to the boy "Have you forgotten?", Bruce hears the shadowed figure reply. Bruce keeps his eyes towards Gordon and his younger self
"When I was about your age, a drunk driver hit our car, killed my dad. I was right next to him" Gordon softly tells the sobbing boy. He leans forward "I know how you feel right now and I promise you, however dark and scary the world might be right now, there will be light. The will be light, Bruce" Gordon's words reaches the boy as he slowly turns to him.
"Your parents were killed that night but I was born, hidden away within the deepest parts of your mind, trying to claw my way out. But I got out, I got out. Vengeance burns bright, especially within the shadows," Bruce's eyes narrow as he tries to pick himself up. Batman steps away from him, turning his back to Bruce "You let a few lowlifes make you break your promise, your vow to your parents, did that oath really mean so little to you?"
"Shut-up!" Bruce stands up, his legs slightly wobble as he tilts his body to keep his balance "You don't think that I want to be out there? You honestly think that I'm happy doing nothing as innocents could get hurt... or die? I can't... do anything. I can barely stand, let alone put up any fight"
"You are still broken but it's not your body that has cracked..." Batman turns on his heels and punches towards Bruce, who catches the figure's wrist with his own hands "You're scared, you're scared that you will fail again, the thought of failing this city is what is keeping you down" the shadowed figure growls as he roundhouse kicks towards Bruce. The dark-haired man swiftly throws his palm down and catches the other figure's boot "You can stand just fine, you can fight just as well, the only thing that has changed is that you are now a coward".
Bruce shoves the dark knight's boot away, Batman backflips away and begins repeatedly punch at Bruce. The man blocks all the blows while throwing his own fists at the dark knight as he too blocks the attacks. The two keep at this cycle for almost a minute, both blocking each other's strike and retaliating with their own. Soon both punches and kicks were added to their stalemate as they mirror each other's actions and responses. Lightning strikes down on the ground next to them, again and again as quick flashes of light illuminate them.
"All these years and I always thought you were just a product of Ivy's toxin, but now I see you for what you really are... you were always there... since that night. The toxin only broke you loose in my head... and my soul. You are just the manifestation of the darkest parts of me... my guilt, my rage, my desire to protect... my need to punish... we need each other, otherwise we are incomplete... broken. I can see that now... I'm not running away from you any more..." Bruce keeps up his defence against the shadowy figure that strikes him "You are the that I cannot escape, the one that I cannot kill... you are... the man that I need to be, but I'm not scared... not any more"
"Our mission isn't over, far from it. We have barely begun..." the shadowy figure blocks one last punch from Bruce as he explodes into hundreds of bats that swarm around Bruce, almost making a tornado shape as they screech, all out of sync that echo throughout Crime Alley. Bruce lowers his head and sees the carved Bat symbol in on his chest as the bats continue to swarm around him. He closes his eyes and embraces the sound and feeling of bats circling around him.
Bruce holds out his arms and straightens his posture, lifting his head up to face the sky as a light is pointed up from a far away building and brightens it up. The light formed a bat shape that mirrored the design of the one on his chest. Bruce's eyes look to his front as he hears a dark chuckling. His eyes land upon the sight of a man with his back to him, dressed in a purple overcoat, yellow gloves and green strands of hair hanging of his fully pure white-face.
"...Joker..." Bruce's eyes narrow as the cackling slowly evolves into a uncontrollable laughter.
"Gotham is a wonderland of lunatics, Batman, and us?" Joker turns his head to Bruce "We are the main attractions, we are the stars of the show... Batman and... the Joker..." he follows up with a burst of laughter.
{}
Bruce lunges up from his bed, sweating and breathing heavily. His eyes narrow as he jumps to his feet, finding the motion trivial compared to the last few months. His left hand forms into a fist as he feels the motions with his body were no longer stiff or painful. He looks over to a pile of his clothes and grabs them.
Now dressed in a red dressing gown, he makes his way down to the lower floors of Wayne Manner and into the Batcave, ridding down on the elevator. He slides open the cage and enters the leir, treading carefully down into the main deck of the place. He stops as he comes face to face with the glass case which holds the Batsuit. He sees his reflection in the glass, his eyes and mouth were mirrored within the cowl. Bruce lowers his arms to his sides as he keeps his eyes trained on the suit.
Minutes pass by as he watches the case in silence. Bruce only ceases his concentration as he sees the main light to the cave was turned on. He turns his head towards the entrance to see Alfred standing there "Master Bruce? Just what ungodly hour do you call this then? I thought we had a bloody intruder..." the older man tells Bruce as he makes his way towards him. Alfred looks over Bruce, seeing that the man was clearly standing up without a slouch "I see that you are up and running again then, sir. Let me take a guess, you are planning on suiting up and getting yourself in the exact same situation that you did before and get you back bloody broken"
"I kept trying to fight it, Alfred. I kept trying to fight my true calling, I thought that hiding away in the dark would undo all the problems that I have caused... but while I was here feeling sorry for myself... the criminals of Gotham, Checkmate... have been destroying the city that my parent's gave their lives for." Bruce presses his hand against the glass and over the Batsuit's bat symbol "The only thing needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing..."
"Sir? You are obviously still tired, how about we go about getting you back in bed for a couple more hours of kip?" Alfred rests his hand over Bruce's shoulder "Once you get some more rest, you are bound to think more clearly..."
"No, Alfred" Bruce eyes narrow "This is the most clear that my mind has been for the last few months. It took me a while but I finally realized no matter how hard I try, there is no holding back the darkness inside of me, he will always find me eventually... and I have found him," Bruce turns his head towards Alfred "Waller... she's our main priority for the moment, once we get her out of the way... the rest should be simple enough... we need something more than a physical threat to get her to shake, we need something more drastic, something that I hoped that I would never have to turn to..."
"Sir?" Alfred questions.
"Alfred, go get my lawyers on the phone, actually... I think I know the perfect person the job" Bruce says with a smile.
Selina Kyle's Apartment
Selina sits on the edge of her bed and holds the envelope in her lap. Her jacket was thrown onto the other side of her bed, which left her in a low-cut black top. Her emerald eyes were fixated on the glued down the opening of the envelope. Her mind thinks back to Sophia's warning. Selina shakes her head and runs her hands through her hair "Opening Pandora's box? Well, I guess that Miss Falcone isn't exactly known for her subtlety... though she is probably playing me... but..." she could not turn away from the package in her lap.
"Well y'know what they say about cats and curiosity... oh hell with it" she tears the envelope open and pulls out all the sheets of paper. Her eyes stop on sight and her body stiffens, her heart feels like it pauses and her breath ceases. A sharp chill moves up her spine and her mouth was left open. She is shocked, dumbstruck, frightened by the results in front of her. The paper holds the records of her genetics, fingerprints and even blood. And beside all of her results was a picture of a man, one that she recognized.
"No... No... this can't be... this can't..." she grabs the front of her hair "This can't... be true..." her hands shake as her eyes keep on the image of the man. Carmine Falcone's image plagued her vision, her thoughts and her body as she shakes uncontrollably "How could she keep this from me...? How could she...?"
"You're honestly surprised?" a familiar voice comments from the side.
Selina jumps onto her feet, throwing the sheets of paper back onto her bed. She turns to see Bruce Wayne standing next to the door to her bedroom "Bruce? What are you doing here? I thought, I thought that you were... never mind, why are you here?"
"I saw that you were with Sophia Falcone, that could only mean one thing... she was going to finally tell you the truth, honestly... I was hoping that you never be burdened with the truth. Criminal flows through your blood, your body and now... your soul... It must be a lot to take in" Bruce replies, wearing a white shirt and black jacket with his right hand in his pocket "But hey, look on the Brightside, that newfound bloodline of yours could give you one giant bank account... you can afford all the skin-tight leather catsuits that you could ever want"
"Hold on, did... did you know? Did you know about this!? And we're you following me!?" Selina hisses.
"You're a cat-burglar, Selina. A thief, you killed before, remember good ol' Reggie Payne? The guy you shoved out a window, the man that you killed? Actually, come to think of it, you probably don't even remember his name. You're a murderer, you assisted Firefly in setting fire to that building which killed a good man as a result, you were more than happy to kill Lex, you held the gun right to his chest and fired away..." Bruce walks towards her "And you know who I am. I can't have someone like you waltzing around unchecked, can I? I've been keeping watch over you, making sure that was being a good lil' girl"
"Is this some sort of a sick joke?"
"Oh, Selina, Selina, Selina... always the victim, oh poor, poor Selina... alright, listen. Once you see both of your parents gunned down in an alley right before you eyes, then you can complain to me about how hard your life is. Good news, only one of your parents is dead and the other one abandoned you... I got to say... Maria is a smart woman, she really dodged a bullet with you" Bruce smirks "Actually, think of all the child support that she could have gotten out of Carmine... now that is a payday. It makes you wonder if she is really as money-hungry as you think she is, Why didn't she just do that, but instead she ran off and left you all alone..."
"Why? What is... wrong with you?" Selina tears up as she looks to Bruce "Why are you being such an asshole? This is the first time that we have spoken in months... and it's like this! Did I mean nothing to you...? Was our... our love worthless to you?"
"Love?" Bruce lifts an eyebrow "Now that is a sick joke. I love you? You're a pathetic street rat that I was feeling sorry for, to be fair, you do have a nice face... and an even nicer body to go along with it. Maybe if you weren't such a drag, we possibly could have made it work. Honestly, leaving Gotham was really because of you, learning the cool ninja moves were just a bonus. Seriously, why would I settle for you... when there's Talia? Now that is a smoking babe... beautiful, smart, curvy in all the right places - the whole package"
"Bastard, you bastard" Selina snarls.
"But hey, now that you know that you are the daughter of an infamous criminal, looks like you and her have even more in common. That could really help you two get along more, just try not to stab her, she really seems to hate it" Bruce laughs "It was really easy finding out who your daddy was. Just quick search with your DNA and there is was. I didn't tell you because I thought that you would relish in it, use it as an excuse for everything that you have done to break the law, you know? Like how you always seem to blame me when anything goes wrong in your life, you do that a whole lot"
"What-what are you talking about!?"
"Oh come on, Selina. *Oh Bruce, I only shoved Reggie out of the window for you, Oh Bruce, I only was an accomplice to grand arson and manslaughter because you were ignoring me, Oh Bruce, I only shot Lex because I wanted to spite you*" Bruce looks around the room "Need I say more? But if I saw the distraught that the news would bring you... I would have shouted it from the rooftops". Bruce points towards the woman "The ball is in your court, Selina. Whatever will you do? I can't wait to see you screw up this one"
"Shut-it!" Selina screams as she takes an empty glass from the stand and throws it towards Bruce. The glass goes right through him and shatters against the doorframe. By the time Selina looked back, Bruce had vanished, like he wasn't even there. Tears stream down Selina's cheek and her face was red, she growls. Unknown to her in the corner of her room was a hidden flower pot with a blooming rose that glows with black veins that is slowly releasing spores.
To Be Continued...