A/N: Sorry about the wait. As some of you may know, I have a few other stories to write—bad idea for fanfiction writers—and college is hell. But I'm here now and it's summer break. On with the story.
P.S. I'd like to thank the reader who gave this story its 52nd review. The number 52 has become a significant number in the DC Universe.
The Demon
Previously on Gotham
"…I performed a toxicology test on all of them and I found very small traces of an unknown chemical … At first, it wasn't noticeable, but then I saw this strange complexion on them." He showed the other men images of a spot on the base of the skull on multiple cadavers. The spot was no bigger than a penny. From afar and if their hair was concealing it, it would've been invisible. But up close… it was very odd. The skin was white. A very haunting shade of white. And the base of the few hairs in the spot were green….
"…What's all this?" Bruce asked scanning the table.
"…Grapnel gun, night vision goggles, handheld EMP, smoke bombs, and a signal disruptor," Fox explained picking up each gadget. "I was working on things like this at Wayne Enterprises for military purposes. And last year for your 'rock climbing' hobby, I thought some of these would've been a good addition…."
…one poor soul in a red cap jumped into a tank of unknown fluids as he saw Bruce approaching….
"…Before—before he died, Jeremiah gave me a message saying that one day, my skills would be needed. A few months ago… I was told to program a message for you in that gentleman's mind … to kill some time…."
"This is General William Lyonel of the National Guard. I'm here to inform you about the reconstruction of the Gotham City bridges…."
…That was how she grasped it. That was how she distinguished that she did love him.
Now
"Ooh! Feisty this morning, aren't we?" Selina said to her stomach as the baby was moving around a lot.
"Already taking after you," Bruce teased as his hands rubbed over her belly.
She glared up at him and he gave her a half-upside-down kiss.
The two of them were lying in bed in their temporary apartment. Bruce was sitting back with Selina cradled between his legs. Both were massaging her baby bump and the baby itself was playing pattycake with them. They were both naked after a night of gentle passion. Selina was now officially in her third trimester. Chances of them going back to Metropolis soon were low. Too much risk. The baby will have to be born in Gotham despite its weakened state and martial law had been put into effect.
"I just had a crazy thought," Selina said. The thought she was thinking had been rattling around in her mind for quite a while. It was locked away because she wasn't sure if she should say it. Now that Bruce switched to massaging her shoulders and other places he could reach, he was melting away those locks.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Have—uhh!" she moaned as he got a good knot out. "Have your parents ever thought of giving you any siblings? Y'know like a brother or sister after having you."
His ministrations faltered for a moment. "My mom never liked to talk about it," he spoke. "I remember when I asked her when I was little, she would get sad and distant. Alfred told me that they were going to have another child after me, but… but she had a miscarriage."
Selina suddenly sobered up. She turned her head to look up at him.
"After that, she was too scared to try again. She didn't want to go through that again," Bruce finished.
Selina reached a hand over to caress his face. She had assumed Thomas and Martha did a rich couple stereotype and stopped at one kid. She never thought his mom had gone through that. All the women she spoke to who had miscarried before said it was the worst pain they had ever felt. More emotionally than physically, they claimed. To think, if Martha hadn't lost that child, Bruce could've had a little brother or sister. Maybe a whole bunch of siblings. What would've been like if they did? How would she have interacted with a litter of Wayne kids?
"Why are you bringing it up?"
Bruce's question caught her off guard. She turned away.
Selina had no intention to say her thoughts. It was too damning and far-fetched. It wasn't really something you should just spring on someone, even your boyfriend. If only his hands weren't making her feel so good.
"Um… I—I was just wondering if it was a good idea or not to keep our kid an only child," she found herself confessing and Bruce's hands stopped.
"…What?"
"Y'know what, forget it. I shouldn't have said that. I'm still trying to get this kid out of me while my stupid hormones are making me think of having more…." Her words were lost as she started to tear up involuntarily.
As typical of him, Bruce stroked her hair and whispered soothingly in her ear. "I admit I think it's a bit early to discuss that, but I'm not opposed to it." She didn't move nor say anything. Merely listened. "As you said, Cat. Get through this kid first and then we'll worry about what to do next later. We have the time to plan."
He was right, she had to admit. They needed to focus on one thing at a time.
When she was living on the streets, her only plans were to survive. With that, she couldn't plan out her whole future. She needed to take one day at a time. Especially if there was a small possibility she could've ended up in prison.
"But I do love the idea of having a big family with you, to answer your earlier question."
His hand glided over the fading scar on her abdomen. It was so long ago that she was shot. Now there was a baby underneath the old wound and the mark was only a shade darker.
Selina turned to his smiling face. A smile she couldn't resist to kiss.
After breaking apart, Bruce continued. "Maybe in a year or two, we could talk about giving a little brother or sister to our little Tom or Terry or Damian—"
"Not Damian," she said deadpanned.
"Why not?"
"I don't know. Whenever I hear that name, all I hear is antichrist."
Pretty soon, that was all he heard after that. "Okay, not Damian," he agreed. Then they resumed their make-out session.
It was awkward to make love while pregnant, especially if she was the one on top. Yet, with cooperation and steady hands, they always make it work. And it was worth it.
After the shower, Bruce changed into a set of clothes that were good for a fight. It wasn't that armor Lucius made for him. He left that at the Manor and the bridge to Bristol wasn't done yet. He had just attached the utility belt and his black overcoat.
"You look like an overgrown bat," Selina commented from the doorway. She was dressed in her usual tough style—maternity—clothes.
"Thank you," he replied casually. They moved into the living room and Bruce asked, "So what do you have planned, Selina?"
"Oh, I'm just gonna stay here doing nothing but carrying your child," she answered, slumping down on the couch. "Though I might go see Barbara again. Come to think of it, I might need to go see Lee for a checkup."
"Alright. Have fun. See you later, Cat."
"See ya, Bat… Hey!" Her face brightened up. "I like the sound of that. That's my new nickname for you."
He smirked. "Love you."
"Love you, too."
GCPD Precinct
Jim, Harvey, Lucius, and Bruce assembled in the captain's office around a map of the city. The sections labeled for different territories to the criminals have changed size and shape since Bruce arrived. Most decreased, while Penguin's and the Sirens' remained relatively the same. Red X's marked places of the most dangerous areas in Gotham.
The captain then opened up the meeting. "Alright. The general contacted me saying that the bridges are reaching crossable any day now. And now we need to come up with an evacuation plan. For that, we need to find the right time to get the people out and which route to take."
The closest bridge was the Brown Bridge which led west. The same for the Trigate, but it was farther north. The Bristol Bridge was the furthest north, but the road to it was nice and straight with minimum turns and it leads into Bristol county where Wayne Manor was. The city was not just an island, but three main ones plus a few smaller ones. Other than the smaller bridges connecting the islands, most of the bridges connecting to the mainland were up north while the precinct was on the southernmost island.
"I'd say we take the Brown Bridge," Bullock said. "It's a quick and easy way out."
"But the Street Demons gang are in that area," Bruce pointed out.
"Then the Trigate would be good," Lucius said.
Jim pondered on that. "For that, we will have to cut through Sirens' territory. I think Barbara will give us that."
"But wouldn't she join us?" Bruce asked. "With this unknown threat underway, wouldn't she have the common sense to escape as well, especially since she's pregnant?"
Jim huffed a sigh. "Barbara has said she wanted out, but her need to control Gotham is like Oswald's. I don't think either of them really likes the thought of giving up power over Gotham."
Bruce looked down at the map again. "Well, we have five hundred refugees to get out of here. Did the general say they will supply transports?"
"Yes. He said they'll send as many as needed, plus armed troops to protect them."
"Good. But what about air transport? I know we had some supply helicopters shot down in the past, but the National Guard has to provide them. They are safer to get the people out of the city. The sick and injured above all."
"The general said there have been too many choppers shot down," Jim regrettably said. "He said he might send them but so far we need to focus on the bridges."
"But the question is, why do we need to use only one bridge?" Lucius asked.
The other men exchanged looks. With further analysis, they said that the Brown Bridge was better for its convenience. They'll handle the Street Demons before the evacuation and have armed cops along with soldiers.
"Alright, let's go and scope out the area for any gangbangers," Gordon said, holstering his gun.
Bullock adjusted his hat and followed him. "You coming, Bruce?"
"No I can't," Bruce said. "I got something else to do."
"Okay, let's go, partner." Jim and Harvey marched out to the car along with a small squad of police.
Street Demons territory
"Get these scumbags outta here!" Bullock yelled to the officers.
The last few hours were spent shepherding all of the gangbangers out of the area for the evacuation. The painted face lunatics shouted and cursed as the cops shoved them handcuffed into prisoner transports.
Jim squinted up at the sky. The sun was getting lower and lower. It was nearly dusk. How did this cleanup job take so long?
For some reason, a few of the Street Demons didn't appear to be fighting. They either appeared scared or relieved.
"That looks like the last of them, Jim," Harvey said, lifting his hat to rub his head.
"Captain," Detective Harper walked up to him. "I've been hearing some weird things these people are muttering."
"Hearing what?" Jim asked.
"Something about a freak running around at night, beating them up and vanishing."
"You see the rest of these guys, right Harper? "Harvey asked. They're all freaks."
"But they say this one looked like a monster. Something with wings and horns. Almost like a bat, or dragon, or a demon, whatever they said."
"So another whack job to hunt down. Only in Gotham," Harvey complained.
The captain scanned the perps his officers were bringing in. This one guy without any face paint had this wild glint in his eye. A faraway look for extreme concentration. It wasn't until Jim how he moved that he saw—
"YOU!" he bellowed but it was too late.
The gangster sweep-kicked the cop's legs off then rolled over a car hood. All the other cops trained their guns on him. He managed to shift his legs through his cuffed arms so his hands were in front of him.
"After him," Gordon ordered, drawing his gun.
They followed him down an alleyway. Even handcuffed, he seemed pretty agile. He was able to hop over a fence while evading bullets. Jim ordered his men to circle the perimeter to cut him off.
The chase ran into a building that had to have been condemned. Jim faltered for a second. The old, damaged sign read:
Axis Chemicals
The place hadn't been in operation for over twenty years. But then how was there smoke rising from the chimneys?
He returned to the chase. He would make a mental note later.
Kicking the door open, he shouted, gun raised, "GCPD! Come on out with your hands up—"
Bullets rained down on them. He and the others took cover.
"I AIN'T GOING BACK TO JAIL!" someone yelled. Most likely the guy they were perusing.
Gordon could tell that the shots were being fired from above. He saw a catwalk above a big tank. Then his memory returned to him. That vat was steaming! It was full of some chemicals. Acid maybe.
More shots were fired and he shrunk further away. They were being fired from a semi-automatic shotgun, he could tell.
"Can you get a good shot at him?" he asked Harper from another hiding shot.
"Not even close to decent!" she shouted frustrated.
Jim waited. He had to run out of rounds eventually. As if like magic, the shooting stopped.
"No! No, get away from me, freak! Get away—CAH…!"
Baffled, Jim took the initiative to take a peek. The sight he saw drove him out of his hiding place. His gun lowered as he gazed up.
The runaway had been punched off the platform and splashed into the tank below. In the place up above stood a shadow. A haunting silhouette of something resembling a devil. Something tall with a winglike cape and pointed ears. But the most disturbing feature of all was the soulless white eyes staring down at the vat the man fell into.
A deep, eerily voice was heard from the figure. Sending shivers down all of their spines.
"A fitting end for his kind."
A/N: The scene at Axis Chemicals was inspired by the first appearance of Batman. This chapter took some planning as will the others most likely will too.
So, I had a "demon" appear in the 13th chapter. Some coincidence that I discovered while writing this.
By the way, that moment of Selina saying the name Damian made her think "antichrist," I'd like to apologize to anyone who is named Damian.
I admit this wasn't my favorite chapter. Mostly the second half. I've been swamped with school.
