AN: Hey guys! Well, another season of RWBY has come and gone, but the fandom still thrives. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I know the next one is gonna be awesome! I've started school again and I'm caring for some ill grandparents (nothing worrying, thank god), so updates might be a little slower, though. I'll next be working on a chapter for Puddin and then RWBYS before I come back here for Chapter 3.
As always, many thanks to my lovely beta annbe11.
With that said, I hope you enjoy! Be sure to leave a review :)
Chapter 2 – Crazy Town
"Guys? I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since breakfast. Can we stop and get some food? Can we get some pancakes? Please?"
Officer Jim and Officer Bullock just kept their eyes on the road and ignored Nora's desperate pleas. She pouted as her stomach just growled even louder. Any longer without food and her stomach was going to start trying to digest itself. Nora huffed before leaning against the window, watching the city fly by as they drove. The drive was silent, interrupted only by short messages on Jim's police radio or honks from other cars on the road. Nora was focusing on the city, searching for anything at all that was familiar to her, but she saw nothing. Gotham City didn't match any place she had ever seen in Mistral and it looked nothing like the pictures Ren had found for her when they all had to write essays about other kingdoms for History class.
Ren.
Nora's foot started nervously tapping all on its own. She still had no idea of where Ren was. She also didn't know about the rest of her team, but she was mostly focused on Ren. As long as they found each other, she was sure that everything would be alright. Still, she had no way of doing anything to find him, only compounding the nervousness she was feeling. Her foot started tapping faster.
Eventually, the stress became too much and she needed a distraction. With a small jerk of her arms, the chain connecting her handcuffs snapped in half. Bracing herself against the divider between her and the officers, she started pulling herself through the small window in the divider.
"Can we turn on the radio?" she asked politely. "I'd like to hear some music."
"SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Harvey before he started blindly grabbing for his gun.
Jim didn't say anything, but he was so surprised that he jerked the wheel to the side, almost sending them into a parked car before he got their vehicle back under control. He skidded to the side of the road, even driving up onto the curb, before bringing the car to a stop. Then, for the second time in less than fifteen minutes, Nora found both police officers pointing guns at her.
"Okay, okay, we can leave the radio off," Nora said, holding her hands up in surrender.
"How did you get out?" Jim asked, looking like he was trying to keep everything calm. Nora just grinned and shook her arms, letting them see the broken halves of the handcuffs. "Damn…" he said.
"Do we have any bigger... stronger cuffs?" Bullock asked. Jim looked thoughtful.
"Not sure that would make much of a difference," he muttered. He turned his attention back to Nora. "You could have broken out and got away anytime you wanted, right?"
"Um, I guess so?" Nora said after some thought. Jim nodded and put away his gun.
"Stand down, Harvey," he said.
"Jim?! You can't seriously be thinking that this is in any way okay!" Bullock snapped, his face beginning to turn purple.
"Since the moment we arrested her, Nora has done nothing that would mark her as hostile to us. I don't think she means us any harm. We can relax."
Bullock obviously didn't like it, but he still put his gun down. Jim nodded to him and turned to Nora.
"You said your name was Nora Valkyrie, right?" Nora nodded, prompting him to pull a bulky laptop off of the dash and type her name into the search bar. The computer beeped, which made Jim frown in confusion. He tried a second time, but the beep came again.
"You're not in any of our records," he said, looking at Nora curiously.
"Well, I have citizenship in Vale, so that should help," she offered. The two officers just looked at her in confusion.
"…I actually don't think it will," Jim said, giving her an odd expression. "Tell you what, I know a guy who knows some people that can definitely help you get back to where you're from. Sound good?" Nora gasped and started nodding so fast her head became a blur.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she cried happily. She froze when her stomach growled again, and she gave an embarrassed laugh. "Do you guys think we can get some food?" After a moment, Jim nodded.
"I think we can do that. It's early enough for the best donuts."
"Jim…" Bullock started to say before Jim glared at him.
"Harvey, do you think we can work to try and not antagonize the friendly girl of unknown strength and temperament who is sitting in our police car?" Bullock took a long moment to think about this before he just looked forward and crossed his arms with a huff.
"Fine," he grumbled. "Go ahead and make friends with the girl who snapped your handcuffs." Jim just shot him a look before putting the car back in motion."
Minutes later, Jim had taken the car to a drive-thru donut shop and Nora was happily scarfing down a box of glazed donuts. They weren't nearly as good as pancakes, but she was happy to have something sweet.
Just as Nora was licking her fingers clean and thinking of asking if they could stop and get some more donuts, the police radio started squawking.
"All cars, we have a Code 351 at City Hall. Repeat, Code 351 at City Hall. Witnesses say that The Joker has taken the mayor hostage and that he has a bomb. Be advised, witnesses state Batman is on-site."
Bullock spat his mouthful of coffee onto the car's dashboard.
"The Joker?!" he coughed. "I thought he was still in Arkham!"
"Must have broken out early this month," Jim growled.
"What's going on?" Nora asked, poking her head through the divider window.
"You sit down!" Bullock snapped. Nora grumbled but sat in the back with her arms crossed. Bullock turned back to Jim. "Step on it, Jim! We need to get there as fast as we can!"
Jim turned the car down another street, but he showed no real sign of being in a hurry. Bullock looked like he was about to start shouting again before Jim cut him off.
"If I know anything about Batman," said Jim, "we should be hearing something right… about…"
A moment passed before the radio squawked again.
"All available units, proceed to Gotham City Hall. The Joker has been apprehended. Batman is now en route to Arkham Island."
"There we go," Gordon said with a grin. Bullock just huffed in annoyance.
"So, what now?" he asked as Jim brought the car into motion and took the next turn.
"Arkham," said Jim. "I need to oversee Joker's transfer back to custody. Plus, I think we need to talk to our big friend about our little friend here." Bullock shot a look at Nora before nodding in agreement.
"Who's 'The Joker'?" Nora asked. She grinned. "Is he someone that likes jokes and games and things like that?"
"Oh yeah, he does," Bullock said with a roll of his eyes, "as long as the punchline involves a dead body."
Nora felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"What?" she asked.
"Joker is one of, if not the, most evil individuals in the world," said Jim as he glared at the road ahead of him. "On a whim, he will torture and kill dozens of people – innocent people – because he gets a laugh out of it. It's our job to keep him in Arkham Asylum where he belongs."
After an explanation like that, Nora found herself in the odd predicament of having absolutely nothing to say. She just sat back and watched the city pass her by as they drove. The way Gordon had spoken about Joker made Nora think of the many evil people she had met over the past year. There was that scorpion man who had tried to take Ruby and the Cinder woman who had killed Pyrrha.
The thought of Pyrrha made Nora want to curl in a ball and pray for the days when monsters and midterms were the worst things she and her friends had to deal with.
Nora had worked very hard to put on a brave face for her teammates and to do what she could to help keep their spirits high, but she missed Pyrrha just as much as they did. Pyrrha was the first girl her own age that Nora had ever really connected with, and the thoughts of her death still made her heart break. Nora drew herself up and took a deep breath. Right now, she needed to focus on finding her teammates. She needed to find them so they could get to Mistral and track down Cinder.
Nora looked out the window again and was surprised to see that the landscape had changed dramatically. First of all, it had started to rain. Secondly, the city was gone while instead there was a dark and spooky forest lit only by flickering street lamps and flashes of lightning. As Nora looked around, she saw a large sign by the side of the road. It told her that Arkham was up ahead and also that "Hitchhikers may be escaping patients".
What kind of place are we going to? she thought to herself. She got her answer soon after as Jim drove through a black iron gate flanked by large hooded figures holding lanterns. As they made their way up the cobblestone driveway, Nora got her first look at Arkham Asylum. The enormous manor was practically dripping with gothic horror, with the lightning storm overhead, the eerily shaped structures, and the ominous clock tower at its center. The building itself looked like it was waiting to eat her or something.
"I've never seen a Grimm in building form," she muttered to herself, "but I bet that's what it would look like." She scooted closer to the divider window. "What is this place?" she asked.
"This is Arkham Asylum," said Bullock. "Gotham's looney bin."
"It's an insane asylum," added Jim. "People who are not mentally well get sent here with the hopes that they can be healed enough to rejoin society." She saw him roll his eyes at that.
"Wait…" she said in confusion, "they send people to a place looking like this to make them less crazy?"
"In theory," said Gordon as he glared at the building ahead of him. "It's never worked very well, though."
"No kidding," Nora said as they pulled up close to the front door. "I think I'm going crazy just looking at this place." Jim turned the car off and both he and Bullock climbed out of the car before Jim opened the door for Nora and let her climb out. Nora idly looked down at the dangling cuffs on her wrists before shrugging and tearing them both off. She didn't miss Bullock's flinch, but Gordon's face stayed the same. The rain started coming down harder, so Nora pulled her jacket off and held it over her head. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
"What's the plan, Gordon?" Bullock asked, eyeing Nora as he pulled up the collar of his trench coat.
"Let's head in," Jim answered, pulling on his own jacket. "We'll take care of Joker and make Nora's introduction to Batman. After that, we'll see where the rest of the night takes us." Jim opened the trunk and pulled out Magnhild. He shot Nora a stern look. "I'm going to keep a hold on this for a while. If your talk with Batman goes well and you prove yourself trustworthy, I'll make sure this gets back to you. Okay?" Nora nodded.
"Okay," she said. She didn't like being separated from her hammer, but she knew Ren would be mad at her if he found out she caused trouble with the police.
Just then, the radio squawked again.
"Car 428, please respond. Car 428, please respond. Over."
"What now?" Bullock grumbled as he leaned back into the car. He brought the radio to his lips. "This is Detective Bullock. What's the sitrep? Over."
"We have a 187 on Park Avenue. Suspected ties with the Penguin. You and Gordon are needed on site. Over."
"That might be hard, Dispatch," said Bullock. "Commissioner needs to oversee the Joker's processing. It's gonna take a while."
"Why don't you go on ahead, Harvey," Jim said. "You can link up with Montoya and I can call in for a ride when I'm done here." Bullock nodded before relaying the information to the operator. Jim turned to her and motioned toward the door. "Let's get out of the rain," he said.
There was a large and imposing metal door ahead of them, but it opened as the two of them stepped up to it. They were in a long hallway with armed and armored men lining both walls, all of them wearing face guards and wielding assault rifles. Nora paused to shake her jacket dry before putting it back on.
"Does this place really need so much security?" she asked quietly. Jim leaned close to her ear.
"Arkham Asylum holds some of the most dangerous individuals in Gotham and the surrounding area," he answered. "It also has a fairly high breakout rate, so, if you ask me, the security's not tight enough." He stood up straight and began walking down the hallway. The men flanking the room nodded to him, but they kept their eyes firmly on the door the two of them had entered from.
Nora and Jim reached the end of the room, where they were met by a small group of people. Three were dressed in the uniforms of security guards while the last, an aging bald man, wore a wrinkled suit, a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, and carried a cane.
"Commissioner Gordon," he said, holding his hand out.
"Warden Sharp," Jim said, shaking the offered hand. "Looks like we're in for a long night."
"Quite," the warden said with a nod. "My men and I will make sure that the clown is processed posthaste." Warden Sharp seemed to notice Nora for the first time and he blinked in surprise. "And what is your name, young lady?"
"Nora Valkyrie," she answered, smiling and holding out her hand for the man to shake. She noticed a fair amount of hesitation before he shook her hand.
"And what brings you here?" Warden Sharp asked her. Nora opened her mouth but paused to think about it. She tapped her chin in contemplation.
"I think I'm still under arrest, but I'm not sure anymore." She turned to Jim. "Am I still under arrest?" Warden Sharp sputtered while the guards behind him shifted their grips on their weapons. A particularly unfriendly guard with a scar across his eye seemed to snarl at her.
"Commissioner, why is this child under arrest?" Warden Sharp demanded, rounding on Jim.
"Child? I'm eighteen!" groaned Nora. The two men ignored her.
"She caused a disturbance downtown and she was found with a deadly weapon," Jim said, holding up Magnhild for emphasis. "She's strong enough to break her handcuffs, but she's been very agreeable so far. She seems lost, so I figured that it would be best to introduce her to Batman."
"I… I see," Warden Sharp said with a nod before waving to the large metal door behind him. "You can go through Intensive Treatment toward Patient Processing. Batman will meet you there when he arrives. Do make sure she stays out of trouble."
With that, Warden Sharp fixed his attention back on the metal door, his hands clenching and unclenching around his cane. Nora took it that they had been dismissed, so she followed Jim through the door marked Intensive Treatment. They took an elevator down to the bottom floor of a large open room and made their way down a long corridor.
"This place has some nifty security," Nora said, eyeing the countless security cameras and electric gates that lined the hallway.
"Just recently got upgraded," Jim said. "We'll see how well it works out." Nora nodded and they both walked in silence for a little longer.
"Who's Batman?" Nora asked. "I remember hearing about him over the radio and that the warden mentioned him, but I don't know who he is."
"Batman is a vigilante in Gotham," Gordon answered. "He first showed up over ten years ago and he's been fighting crime and imprisoning villains for all that time. He doesn't always act within the law, but I trust him. He's a good man and a good friend, even if he can be a little intimidating at times. He's the best fighter I've ever seen and he's also a brilliant detective. He's saved my life more times than I would like to admit."
"He sounds cool," Nora said with a smile on her face. "I can't wait to meet him." She gained a bounce in her step at the thought of meeting this Batman, making Jim chuckle. "What's up?" she asked as they stepped into an elevator.
"You remind me of my daughter when she was your age," he said wistfully. "She was always really excited about Batman, but at first I was too stubborn to listen to her about it. She and Batman eventually won me over, though. She's working as a software programmer in the city right now, but I know she always wanted to be a cop."
"I've wanted to be a Huntress for as long as I can remember," Nora said with a smile as the elevator started descending. "I can understand the need to do some good."
"About that," said Jim, looking curious. "You said you and your team hunted monsters, right? What do you mean by that?"
"The Creatures of Grimm, of course," she said. After a moment of thought, she shot him a glance. "By the way, what kinds of protection does this city have? Based on what I've seen of the city, you guys should be up to your eyeballs in Grimm by now. How are you guys doing so well?" Now Jim just looked confused.
"We've, um, never had any problems with any of these 'Grimm'. I don't think they're anywhere around here."
"But Grimm are always everywhere," Nora said, now looking even more confused. Jim scratched the back of his head and looked a bit uncomfortable.
"Nora, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, so I think we should just leave this subject for when Batman arrives."
"Oh. Okay then."
By now, they had reached an area that looked like a waiting room. A tired looking woman sat behind a counter surrounded by what looked like bulletproof glass. She looked up when they entered and gave Jim a small smile.
"Good evening, Commissioner," she said.
"Good evening, Deborah," Jim said. "I'm signing the Processing papers for the Joker again."
"I see," she said, grabbing some files and putting them on a clipboard. "I just got word that Batman has arrived with the Joker in custody. They should be down here shortly."
"Good," said Jim as he took a pen from a plastic cup on the counter. "I'd like to get this done quickly. Nora, why don't you take a seat?"
Nora nodded and took a chair against the wall while Jim started signing papers. He looked like he was only barely paying attention, as if he had done this so often he was running on autopilot. With what he had told Nora earlier, she considered, he probably was.
That didn't really seem fair. Whenever Nora tried sleepwriting her papers, she always just got an F because the teachers didn't like it when she ended up drawing pictures of her and Ren eating pancakes, no matter how detailed they were.
Maybe I should have tried drawing something other than pancakes, she pondered.
Nora was jolted from her thoughts by the sound of a loud, sharp cackle coming from the hallway she and Jim had entered through. The mere sound of that laughter was enough to make her hair stand on end. Back over by the desk, Jim sighed as he finished signing the paper.
"Well," he said, "there they are."
