Chapter 10 - "Vermin"
Six Days Earlier
The tall, lanky figure scrounged around in the dark alley, creeping on all fours. A sniffing sound came from the figure as it crawled around, head to the ground. Finally, the head snapped up and green, seaweed-like hair shook.
She'd found it.
The figure then crawled up into a crouch and looked around. The thing wasn't a creature at all; it was a girl. Deformed, albeit, but a girl all the same.
She had skin the color of sage green, a lighter shade than her unruly, unkempt hair that ran to her waist. Her hands and feet, both bare, were slightly larger than the usual human appendages, and the feet resembled those of a primate. The face had been deformed so much it no longer fully looked human—she had no eyebrows and no lips, her mouth just being a gateway to her razor sharp teeth. The head itself was diamond-shaped, with a sharp chin. Perhaps her most stark characteristic were her bright yellow and black irises.
The girl's name was lost to time; she knew she was in her late teens, but not quite sure of the exact number. She only called herself "Vermin," a name she had applied after being heckled by a passerby once. She had nearly killed him in rage; she would not take any mockery or insults. She held back and fled, and when she saw her reflection in a puddle of water, she got a glimpse of herself and decided on the name, and it stuck.
Vermin. For some reason, it didn't pain her to say it now as it had in the beginning. She had almost become . . . numb to the feeling.
Vermin wore only the remnants of shredded clothes; she may have been deformed, but she didn't want everything to be in the open. Had to keep some dignity. They were clothes she had worn for God knew how long, just having been shredded after weeks, months, even years of use.
The girl's mind was jumbled, and she didn't possess a clear memory of her past; she didn't know who she was, where she came from, or how she got to be the way she was. All she knew was that she was normal once, and she knew the identity of the woman who had done this to her.
Dr. Ingrid Fischer—true identity Letova Lydia Valerievna.
Vermin remembered having fallen for Dr. Fischer; she was a teacher at a prestigious boarding school, where Vermin—in her human form—had attended classes. The woman was beautiful and intelligent, and Vermin had been captured by her wisdom and elegance. One day, Fischer left a note for Vermin asking her to meet her off-campus.
Thinking it was an invitation to something more intimate, Vermin had accepted, although she was shocked when she received an injection in her neck. She had fallen unconscious, and she awoke in a tube full of green liquid. She was tested on for weeks, and that was when Valerievna revealed her true identity. She revealed that she had lured other people into her grasp through her good looks and wisdom, and she had kept them all as test subjects that she experimented on to get to the bottom of the greatest question she had: where humans came from. She ascribed to the theory of evolution, and sought to discover whether or not humans really came from animals.
All of her experiments had failed, however. The test subjects had all become mindless, grotesque creatures that only become drones for her, serving her obediently. Unlike them, though, Vermin was able to retain control of her own mind. When she awoke, Vermin crashed through the tube and moved in on the doctor. Valerievna escaped, and her subjects converged on her "failed" test. Vermin, using the hideous black claws that had replaced her fingernails, tore the mutants apart, all of them, and chased after the doctor, but Valerievna had escaped.
Vermin resolved that she would make it her mission to pursue the doctor. The mutations had given her enhanced speed, strength, instincts, durability, and senses. She used this in tandem to pursue the doctor, sniffing out her scent to pursue her. She traveled across the country, but Valerievna never stayed somewhere for too long, and Vermin was never able to catch up to her.
After scouring the country, Vermin came upon Gotham City. She realized that the doctor had stayed here, and was still there. For two years Vermin had stayed on and searched the city. It was so large, though, with so many hiding places, and Vermin had yet been unable to find her. But the scent was still in Gotham; she just couldn't find her.
So Vermin still made it her mission to scour the city daily for any new clues or traces. Today, there was nothing new. A few scents here and there, but no sight of her.
Vermin groaned. Why can't this be easier? she thought to herself as she began to move down the alley. As she drew close, she heard footsteps and voices approaching. She had been able to stay unseen—mostly—since her arrival in Gotham, and if she could have her way, she would stay that way. She turned tail and moved down the dark, grimy backstreet, moving to the end. . . .
. . . and right into a uniformed cop.
"What in—" the startled officer started before Vermin bared her sharp teeth at the GCPD cop. He backed away and his hand flew to his holstered pistol. "D-don't move!" he yelled, bringing the gun up into both hands. Vermin slung out, claws outstretched, and they scratched across the officer's hands. They flung to the right, and the pistol slipped from his fingers' grip.
As the sidearm clattered on the cement, the officer went back to his belt, fumbling for another weapon, either his nightstick or Taser. Vermin roared and charged, lifting the police officer up. She was about half a foot taller than him, standing at six-six, and it was an easy task. She grabbed him and slammed him into the brick wall, eliciting a cough and a groan. The cop dropped to his knee and breathed heavily, out of air.
Vermin turned and began to dart down the street. She needed somewhere to hide, fast. She couldn't have cops chasing her throughout Gotham.
Behind her, she heard the cop barking into his radio: "This is Unit Three-Fifty; there's some . . . giant green . . . thing, it just slammed me. I need backup on Parker Grove. No, I'm serious! Parker Grove, turning onto Belmont; hurry!"
Vermin didn't glance back to see him pick up his pistol, but she heard the hammer pull and the gunshots crackle in the night. Thanks to her heightened senses, Vermin knew exactly when to duck and where to move, dodging the three shots he fired before turning onto another side street.
She leapt up and grabbed the railing of an apartment balcony, lifting herself up. As she got to her feet, she heard sirens blaring not too far away. Doors slammed, and the officer from before shouted, out of breath, "Up there, on the fire escape. Get a chopper up there."
Before she knew it, the cops were exchanging orders calling for a helicopter on the scene. She started moving, climbing up the stairs. She couldn't let the chopper reach her before she got to a knew hiding place, or she might get caught.
Vermin continued running, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Her feet padded on the hardened roofs, their leather soles not at all damaged or fazed. She leapt ahead and was about to start down another fire escape when the sound of a loud humming filled the air behind her. She didn't have to, but she turned and looked anyways. Sure enough, it was a GCPD helicopter, flying directly overhead.
"Freeze!" a loud voice barked over the intercom. "You have nowhere to go! Surrender and you will not be harmed!"
Vermin gritted her teeth before jumping down the fire escape, beginning a run for the end of the landings. Once she reached the last balcony, she jumped to the city street below. Immediately breaking into a run, Vermin tore off down the street and was just about to cross when a black van, marked GCPD, swerved right in front of her.
Vermin raised her hands, claws ready to attack, when the van's door slung open and three uniformed SWAT troopers appeared. "Tranquilizer!" one yelled, and all three officers fired the rifles in their hands. Before Vermin could react, she felt the darts piercing her green skin and she began to see black before she fell.
She didn't even feel the thud as she hit the ground.
Vermin woke up with a vengeance, and it hadn't subsided. She was bashing and tearing at the locks of the cage she was barred within. It wasn't really a cage, just a cell, but they both served the same purpose, one was just generally reserved for animals.
Truth be told, she had always felt like an animal after her metamorphosis.
Vermin was now seated in the corner of the cell, sitting in silence. She was huffing, both in anger, exhaustion, and a mix of other emotions she couldn't name. Finally, the door into the holding area opened and Vermin perked up. There were still bars dividing her from the doorway, but it was still good to at least know you weren't forgotten.
The man who entered looked all business. Long brown trench coat, a well-kept white shirt and black tie, and tan pants. His hair was dark brown with more than just streaks of gray, but it was brushed neatly. Dark glasses rest on his nose over eyes of steel. This man was important.
"I'm Commissioner Jim Gordon," the man introduced himself. Vermin's suspicions were correct.
She let silence be her answer.
Gordon sighed before he pulled up a metal folding chair and took it as a seat. "I know you don't like being locked up in here. Not many do. But I need you to realize that it's a necessary precaution."
Vermin let a scowl come across a face. It was a bit more of an answer than her silence had been before.
"I know what you're thinking, that we don't know anything about you and that we shouldn't just lock up the first . . . different person we see. But—"
"No," Vermin said shortly. Gordon froze and eyed her, awaiting more. Her voice was surprisingly smooth considering her appearance. She further provided: "That wasn't what I was thinking. I was thinking you should just shut up."
A smile split Gordon's wrinkle-creased face and a chuckle soon followed. Not quite the response Vermin had anticipated. "Well, no one can say you're not blunt and quick to the point." He sighed, then added, "Well, looks like I need to be out front with you, too. You see, we've discussed your being held her. Since I'm in charge, I get to make the judgement call."
"And you're going to release me." Gordon noted that it wasn't a question, but a statement.
"Not necessarily," Gordon said. "At least, that's an option."
"I'll take it."
"But you haven't heard the others yet."
"I don't care. I just want out of here."
Gordon sighed. "Just hear me out, okay?" Vermin reluctantly nodded, giving him the go-ahead. Let him speak his piece. Then she could leave. Gordon started up again: "The Gotham government and other business partners have allocated funds to start a . . . movement, of sorts. To fight the crime families of Gotham, put an end to the rush of crime in the city."
Vermin perked up at that. Crime? Could that be where the doctor has been hiding all this time? Locked up in the underworld of crime in Gotham? It's possible.
"What do I have to do?" she asked, genuinely interested.
Gordon was clearly surprised by such sudden interest. "Well . . . in one week, we're planning on having a meeting concerning all the people who've been invited to this little initiative." He paused, then asked, "Are you interested?"
Vermin slowly nodded. "Yeah," she said, sounding distant. "I am."
"Good," Gordon said with a smile. "We'll provide you housing here, give you anything that you want. Within reason, of course."
Vermin snorted. "Someone to talk to?"
Gordon didn't catch on that she had meant it as a joke, signifying that no one would want to speak to her. All he said was, "I can arrange that. If nothing else, I'll come talk to you whenever I get a free chance."
Vermin stopped and eyed him curiously. "You serious?"
Gordon nodded. "I sure am."
A few moments of silence passed before Gordon pushed the folding chair into the corner. He started for the door before he asked, "Anything special you want to eat?"
Vermin thought and said, "A steak?"
Gordon grinned. "I think that can be arranged." He turned and strode out of the holding area, moving back into the main complex. As he left, Vermin continued to stare at the door. Things were beginning to look up—she was going to fight crime, maybe find the witch who did this to her, and she was finally being treated like a human being.
A/N: Hello everyone! Here we are at chapter 10, where you all get to meet Vermin, another member of the crew! We're nearing the end of the intros now, there's only 3 more that I have to write. There's still an open slot left if there's anyone reading who's interested in submitting their own OC to join this cast of characters. Be sure to leave your thoughts on the character, chapter, and story as a whole in the reviews, and I also want to thank each and every one of you who has submitted a character for being so great in responding and for showing your support, it means a lot. I'm glad you guys have enjoyed it. And don't worry, the actual story is about to begin. I just want all of the OCs to get a solid introduction first. It'll be soon, I promise. Until next time!