Chapter 15
Oswald shoved Ruby as the shadow grew. She hit the ground with a grunt. There was a loud thump, accompanied by the clinking of metal. Ruby raised her head as she rubbed it. She froze in her tracks. Standing before them was a cloaked figure wearing a combination of leather and metal. His face hid behind a mask and he carried a long, wickedly sharp sword in his fist. A shadow among shadows. A bringer of death. Oswald yelped as he sprung back. But he was too slow. The assailant grabbed him by the throat. Lifted him off his feet. Ruby scrambled to her feet, quickly taking refuge in the shadows. The metal mask was inches from Oswald's face. "My, my." Came the scratchy rumble. "Here we are."
Oswald murmured something as he tried to loosen those metal fingers.
"What?" The assailant released his grip by a fraction. "Speak up."
Oswald wheezed. "Who the devil are you?"
"Your guide to hell." Oswald frowned. The figure reached up with his free hand and pulled his mask up. Oswald felt his blood freeze in his veins. Theo Galavan smirked at him. "Hello, Penguin. And, goodbye." Without another word he rested the sword against Oswald's throat. It bit his damp flesh.
"LET GO OF HIM, YOU BRUTE!"
A second later something crashed into Theo, tilting him sideways like a tree in a whirlwind. He dropped Oswald, who fell in a gasping pile on the cement. He eyed the object that had saved his life: a motorcycle, now lying on its side. Oswald sat up, coughing, and rubbing his throat, when his hand came away sticky. The faint scent of copper tickled his nose. Oswald shivered.
Theo straightened. A trash can hit him in the head. It almost knocked him over. It also pissed him off. When a third flying object - a tire - Theo roared and swung his sword. The tire split in half. Its fragments flew apart, hitting different parts of the alley. Oswald lifted himself up with his cane, wincing. As he did, his eye landed on something upon the wall. Old, fading posters promoting Theo Galavan as mayor. Oswald spat on them. Then, he charged. He tackled Theo from behind, wrapping his thin arms around that thick throat. Theo thrashed and wriggled like a fish out of water. He clawed behind him and raked deep cuts into Oswald's back. Oswald channeled his pain into anger. "You aren't supposed to be alive!" He shouted. "I saw you die, you disgusting worm!"
Theo finally grabbed Oswald by the hair. He tore him off as one might remove a tic. Only tics don't scream that much. Oswald grasped at his hairline, trying to stop the fire burning in his scalp. He gave Theo a kick. Nothing. His feet hovered uselessly above the ground. "You cannot kill me," Theo purred, "any more than you can kill vengeance." That was when a rope of sorts, rubbery and long, reached out and coiled around Theo's legs. Tightened. Yelping Theo fell to the side like a tipped cow. Oswald landed a couple of feet away, rubbing sorely at his hairline.
From the shadows Ruby watched. Relieved. Her arm released Theo's legs, slowly winding back to her. Bones regrew beneath the rubbery flesh. In the space of a second, her arm had returned to normal. But she was far from done. Ruby closed her eyes and began to focus.
Theo began tearing through the alley, cutting anything and everything in half. The screeching of metal clanged through the greasy air. "Where are you!?" He screamed. "Who dares to challenge Azrael?" Oswald paused, a broken bottle in his hand. Azrael? Shrugging off his curiousity he charged. "Hey!" He yelled, catching Theo's attention. A second later he was ducking and swerving past the singing blade. He jabbed at Theo with his switchblade. But it was like trying to stab lightning.
"Oswald!" Ruby's voice rung out. "Move!" Oswald fell back immediately. He'd barely gotten out of the way when a giant, flesh-colored ball sped past him. Slamming into Theo full-force. The cloaked madman went flying. "What in the name of...?" Oswald pressed himself against the grimy wall. Shocked beyond words. Especially when the ball zoomed against the wall, bounced off it, and rolled at the speed of light. It was like watching a giant billiard ball roam across the world's biggest - and dirtiest - table.
It stopped for a split second. "GO!" It screamed at him in a husky voice. Not waiting for an answer, it sped towards Theo.
He'd expected it. Somehow rising, he held his sword out. Ready for the ball's next move. It came, but not in the way he anticipated. Rather than go towards him, it lurched upward and began bouncing like a basket ball. Crushed him beneath its weight. If he hadn't pointed his sword upward, then it would have bounced again.
Instead, there came a blood-curling scream.
Oswald recognized the voice, and this confused him even more. He ran towards the scene, a broken bottle in his hand. As he watched, horrified, the ball straightened. It was too dark to make out its features, aside from its hulking, broad-shouldered figure. He spun aroumd, searching for a better weapon, and found a cracked knife lying on the ground. Perfect.
A few things happened while Oswald turned his back. The creature turned to clay. Melting. Slipping away. It puddled away from Theo's sword, which was now bathed crimson. The clay feebly crawled away, taking on a new form as it did. First, a pair of feet in battered pleather boots. Slender legs in ripped jeans. A light jacket beneath a crimson T-shirt. A head of curly hair, and a round face. Big, dark blue eyes. Oswald faced the scene again and gasped when he saw her. Those eyes stared at Oswald pleadingly, but with dying strength. She winced, clutching her shirt. It was only then that Oswald realized that her shirt hadn't been crimson during the evening's genesis.
It had been white.
"Ruby!" Oswald threw the knife. It flew like a bird towards Theo. Landed in his neck, all the way to the hilt. His blood spilled like melting snow. He noticed. But rather than scream in panic, he just shrugged. "Such is fate." Azrael turned to the creature that he'd just executed. It had resumed its human form, but he hadn't been fooled. He'd stayed in Arkham for a few days prior to embarking on this mission. Azrael had seen the monsters , spotting them felt almost second-nature. Hideous, nightmarish ghouls straight out of a lunatic's hallucinations. Just like this thing, twisting its shape into all sorts of horrendous forms. Almost as heinous as the Son of Gotham.
He watched, pleased, as the Penguin knelt beside the monster. Looking close to tears he gathered her in his arms. Staring at the growing stain with nothing short of terror. It reminded Azrael of another life, when this same man had held a loved one in his arms. Watched her die. Funny how history repeats itself.
He could of course just kill the crippled bird and be done with him. But judging by the look of anguish on his face, he was suffering more than Azrael's sword could do.
Smirking, Azrael holstered his sword and marched out of the alley. The Son of Gotham awaited.
Oswald cradled Ruby in his arms, trying to keep the tears in. Ruby heaved, eyelids fluttering, as she clutched her side. Blood painted her hands. "This is gonna spoil my whole day." She coughed. Oswald hushed her. "Don't speak. You need your strength."
"Why didn't you go?" Ruby closed her eyes. Tears glided across her cheeks. "I told you to go."
"I'm a criminal." Oswald replied. "Disobeying commands is set in the job description." Ruby chuckled, just as he'd hoped, but the laughter ended in another hacking fit. This one stained her lips scarlet. Oswald's heart rate picked up. "Come." He helped her to her feet. "We must head for a hospital immediately."
Ruby shook her head dizzily. "Noo..." She recalled Arkham, how the doctors had poked and prodded her with needles. She recollected how they'd pumped her body with who knows what kind of drugs. The kind that either took away her ability or reduced her to a human puddle for days afterward. But above all, Ruby remembered the pain.
Oswald grabbed her by the face and forced her to look at him. His eyes were bright with tears, yet his expression was fierce. "Ruby. Besides being my friend, you are also my servant. Right?"
Ruby nodded, looking dazed.
"And as my servant, you must follow my orders. Right?"
Ruby nodded again.
"Good." Oswald pushed some hair out of Ruby's eyes. "That is why I order you not to die."
The next four hours were the longest that Oswald could remember since Father's funeral.
He half-dragged, half-carried Ruby to the closest hospital. It turned out to be the same one he'd tried to kill Falcone in over a year ago. Funny, the coincedences of life. The nurses had tried to make excuses at first, saying that the emergency room was full (as always) and the doctors were too busy. Without thinking twice, Oswald had removed one of the jewelled buttons from his shirt's cuff. It was an emerald the size of a pinball. The second the doctor saw it, dollar signs replaced his pupils.
Ruby had been placed on a gurney. Wheeled away. Pale as death and scared as a mouse, she turned to look at Oswald. Her eyes had pleaded him not to leave her there. He'd silently promised that he wouldn't. Ruby had reached out to him as two orderlies pushed her away. Right until the elevator door closed. Oswald had dropped his head, trying to keep it together.
Ruby had lain there, panting, as her sticky clothes were cut away from her body and peeled away. She had crossed one arm atop her small breasts, the other over her gushing wound. She had tightened her legs tightly as her pants were forcibly removed. The doctors stared down at her with utter indifference. They had seen hundreds of naked bodies in their careers. One more wasn't going to break the shield they'd formed in their minds. But Ruby hadn't carec. She had just wanted to scream at them, "Don't look at me!" She had winced as the blood crusting around her wound was roughly wiped away with a cloth. The doctors had murmured amongst themselves, never once looking at her. Then, they had pressed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. Only it hadn't been oxygen seeping down her throat.
Ruby's eyelids had fluttered. The last thought she had managed to hold onto was: I hope Oswald didn't see what I really am.
Now, at two a.m, Oswald sat on one of those cold plastic chairs. His cane was leaning against the bed, its polished body gleaming. He watched the I.V's bags shrink a little bit at a time, their liquid scarlet dripping down a tube. Giving Ruby new life. She lay under the covers, wearing a thin hospital gown, sleeping like a log. Her hair spread across the pillow like ginger roots, all tangled and wild. Her face, which had seemed so lifeless before, had taken on a healthier complexion.
The blood transfusion would take another two hours, the doctor said. Due to her blood loss, her hemoglobin level was at 3.5 when it should have been from 13 to 15. Just a hair's width away from death. That was as bad as it got. The sword hadn't hit any vital organs. It had scraped a few bones and punctured a kidney. They'd been forced to remove it. A kidney transplant would be discussed in the future, if the paitent so desired. But, they'd assured Oswald, one can survive without a multitude of organs. Tonsils, spleen, a lung, stomach, colon...and a kidney.
Oswald scooted closer to the bed without getting up from the chair. His leg, which always hurt, had been pushed to its limit tonight. But right now, he didn't care about that. Reaching out, he pushed some hair out of Ruby's still face. A finger lingered, tracing her cheekbone. Her skin was cool, like the other side of the pillow. Tears filled Oswald's eyes. "I never should have brought you along this evening." He said sadly. "If I hadn't...yes, I would have missed out on the most wonderful hours I have had in a while. But at least you would be safe." No reaction. A tear ran down his face. "At times...I fear that I'm a disease. I contaminate everything - everyone - that I touch. Normally, I revel in that. My enemies fall to their knees, kissing my feet."
He chuckled weakly, remembering just a few of his victims. Fish Mooney, screaming as she toppled over the roof's edge. Those two disgusting sorority boys, mocking him when he'd still been a pathetic nobody. Grace, crying and screaming as his knife sank in her throat. Theo Galavan...
Images flashed by in a second, or perhaps even less. Theo Galavan back from the grave, robed in steel and insanity. The cold bite of metal against Oswald's throat. Ruby throwing everything that could be used as a weapon. Her apparently rolling herself into a ball to hit him. Amusing idea. In the shadows, she had truly seemed like someone...something...else. But above else he remembered the scream. And the blood.
Oswald shook his head. He raised his hands and pressed the tears back into their ducts. "Everyone I care about dies as well." He swallowed hard. Staring down at the sleeping face. It was all too easy to remember it wide awake, smiling and laughing, smirking with knowledge, or even crying. He would have taken any of those emotions over this. "Your pain will be paid for a thousand times over."
As if that speech had actually been a magic spell, Ruby's eyelids fluttered. Movement shifted beneath. The steady breathing disrupted. Oswald's heart stopped. He leaned forward a little, daring to hope. Ruby's eyes slowly opened, wincing at the bright flourescent light. She held a hand up to block it out. The tube in her elbow went taut. The I.V edged closer. Ruby gasped at the sight. She lifted her arm again, examining the tube with something akin to horror. Her breathing quickening she reached to yank the needle out.
"No!"
Ruby twisted around. Gasped again, clapping a hand over her mouth.
"Please." Oswald said gently. "Do not pull it out. You lost a lot of blood, and your hemoglobin levels must return to normal."
"Oswald..." Tears streamed from Ruby's cheeks like liquid silver. Oswald fought the urge to wipe them away. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "I couldn't keep you safe."
Oswald seized her hand. Tight enough to show that he was serious. Ruby blinked, staring down first at their hands and then back at him. His expression was gentle, but firm. "Ruby, listen to me. You are the reason I'm still breathing."
Ruby blinked again.
"If you hadn't distracted him, he would have bled me out like a pig. I owe you my life." He squeezed her hand. "I'm just sorry that your heroic act cost you so dearly."
Ruby frowned. "What's wrong with me?" Besides the obvious.
"You lost nearly enough blood to die," Oswald winced as he reported this, "and a kidney."
"Oh." Ruby grimaced, rubbing her side. "I guess that explains the ache."
Oswald gave a tiny smile. "The wit in your words is surely a good sign." He quickly grew serious again. "Ruby...I know who did this to you. I know not how he lives, but I assure you that he won't be doing that for long."
Ruby blinked a third time, then looked away. Pushed some hair behind her ear. "Oswald, I don't want you risking your life over something like this."
"You almost died!" Oswald nearly shouted.
"So did you." Ruby gave a shy smile. "I guess we kinda saved each other, huh?"
Oswald's anger vanished as quickly as it had come. He straightened his tie, nodding. "I suppose we did." Ruby leaned forward as much as her I.V would allow. Then, she wrapped her arms around his middle. Nuzzling his chest, directly below his prominent collarbone. Oswald responded immediately, holding her close. He rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing deeply. They stayed like that for a long moment, silently rejoicing each other's survival.
And then a certain voice tickled Oswald's ears. A deep, male voice that used to speak to him with devotion. Right before he got 'fixed'.
Butch Gilzean. That one-handed Judas.
Oswald's heart quickly thickened into steel. Reluctantly, he let go of Ruby. She looked up at him questioningly. He rested a hand on her cheek. "Wait here. Rest. I'll be a moment." Ruby nodded, still worried, and watched him leave. Hugged herself. Grateful that he hadn't seen the monster that she was. She'd held back during the fight. Just in case the lighting had been good enough for Oswald to see. But it hadn't, and he'd stayed in the dark. Good. That issue quickly gave way for the greater one.
Tonight, they had met a greater monster than she could ever be. He had come back from the dead, hell-bent on vengeance because it gave him purpose in a world without purpose. He had tried to kill both her and the man that she had sworn to protect.
Next time they met, Ruby would more than gladly return the favor.