Chapter 24

That night, Gotham crashed into the hands of madness.

Ruby and Oswald watched it unfold piece by piece. As they prepared for nightfall, the TV kept them informed. Strange was staying for the time being, but a school bus had been seen leaving Arkham. Presumably, its passengers were not exactly uniform-wearing children. The police were swarming the asylum now.

The public was apparently not taking the news well. Thousands of cars, filled with hastily-packed bags and shivering families, had been crowding the bridges for hours. Those that were staying were either crowding Arkham alongside the police, ready to kill the source of their terror, or barricading themselves in their homes. For a brief moment, Ruby wondered what her own parents were doing right now. Then, she shook it off. They probably hadn't spared her a thought since their car rolled out of Arkham's parking lot; why should she? Seeking distraction, Ruby glanced back at her friend. The air froze in her lungs.

Oswald looked like death's advocate. Dressed in a shimmering, deep-blue suit, his movements were made as fluid as water. His cuffs' jewels were polished and his hair was immaculate. As an afterthought, he plucked a white rose from the table's vase, snipped the stem away, and placed the bloom into his breast pocket. He and Ruby shared a smiling glance. Finally, Oswald propped up his umbrella and struck a pose before the window. Outside, the full moon glared down at them like a blind eye. "There's nowhere to hide, Strange." He said menacingly.

Ruby said nothing. She had dressed in what she hoped was battle-gear. Thick pleather pants and a bulletproof vest pulled over a sweater. And, of course, diamond bracelets and a matching necklace. Tying her wild hair back with a bandanna, Ruby felt the knot in her stomach grow. The incoming events were rushing towards her, as large and unstoppable as a tornado. Its destruction was already spreading through the city like a cancer. But what would happen once this tornado collided with her world? This mansion, the crypt...and Oswald? What if the experiments got out of the bus and attacked them? What if Fish Mooney recognized her old umbrella boy and decided to settle the score? There were too many things that could go wrong with this plan. Too many things that could cause him harm.

Ruby inhaled deeply. Pressed her fingers against her temples. "Oz."

Oswald turned to her questioningly.

Ruby gave him what she hoped was a comforting smile. "You don't know what Strange cooked up in there. I do. So I won't blame you if you decide to sit this one out."

Icy-blue eyes widened, then narrowed in disgust. "Excuse me?"

"What if you get hurt?" Ruby asked. "Then, everything we've worked so hard for would fall apart. Is getting revenge on Strange really so important?"

"Yes!" Oswald bellowed so loudly that it made Ruby jolt. Behind the anger, though, she could hear the fear. The entitlement. "He took away everything that kept me alive! He turned me into a simpering fool! If it hadn't been for you, I-" He broke off, looking away. Breathed shakily. Ruby bit her lip. Slowly edged towards him as he tried to bottle it all up. Her hand found his and squeezed it. Oswald glanced up. His eyes were shinier than usual. Ruby tugged at his wrist and pulled him in a hug. He didn't hug back immediately. But he didn't pull away, either. Ruby rested her chin atop his spiky head. They stayed like that for a moment, snuggled in a cocoon of silence. Oswald closed his eyes. Suddenly tired. Ruby did the same, but for a different reason. Finally, she opened them again. Stray tears ran down her cheeks. "I understand." She spoke softly, as if to a child. "He put you through the most unspeakable torture, and turned you into something you're not." She looked at her hands. Watched the skin ripple across the bone like waves over sand. "Believe me when I say I know how you feel." Ruby gently pulled away, holding Oswald's shoulders. "But vengeance is not worth your life."

Oswald watched her, blinking quickly, and nodded. His expression was unreadable, yet soft. He reached out and traced her cheek. "Ruby," Oswald made her name sound like a melody, "Strange of all people is not going to take my life. Nor will his...things." Ruby secretly appreciated how he'd refrained from using a more offensive terms, in light of their earlier discussion. Oswald smiled a little. "If I could survive Maroni, the GCPD, Fish Mooney, and the river, what is a mental asylum?"

Ruby tried to shut out her doubts. Her fears. Oswald was sure that he could make it; and even if he was bluffing, he was going to dive in anyway. Yes, she wanted to protect him. But what if, just this once, he didn't want her protection?

The maid sighed. Mirrored Oswald's smile. "Yeah, you're right. Once you've got Strange out of the way, you're going to make the world bow."

"As long as you are there with me." Oswald said somberly.

Ruby's heart skipped a beat. "Don't look so sad." She lightly punched his bicep, widening her smile. "I'm not leaving you."

Oswald blinked, then slowly grew a genuine smile.

There came a knock on the door. Oswald cursed under his breath and reluctantly stepped away, wiping the corners of his eyes. Ruby watched him with a mixture of emotions. At the ready. Butch poked his head out. Oswald snapped, "What?"

"Sorry, boss." Butch apologized, "but we got a lock on the bus filled with Arkham's circus freaks. They crashed."

Oswald and Ruby shared a glance. The former turned back to his minion. "Go on."

Butch did. "We don't know if Strange is there, but we know the bald guy is."

Ruby went rigid. "Clayface?" Butch nodded. Ruby clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw ached. Her words, mixing with Basil's, rang in her mind's ear.

"My Master said...I'm perfect...the way I am."

"Then he had low standards."

"And to think, I spared his life." Ruby cracked her knuckled. Stomped through the door, pushing past Butch. "He'll wish I hadn't." Oswald watched her march out. Simultaneously impressed and worried. Putting on a porcelain mask over his sentiments, he straightened. "Saddle up, Butch." He, too, pushed past his lackey. "We've got an old friend to catch."

Butch, now having been shoved aside twice, was left with nothing to do but salute his boss with his metal hand.

It happened under Gotham Bridge.

The river was just a few feet away, reeking of decomposition and rubbish. The grains crunched beneath united feet. Even though sirens and yells were audible everywhere else, this place was as quiet as the grave. The very air seemed to be still, as if in anticipation. Steam rose from the object of interest. The yellow school bus, caked with grime, was toppled over a crushed police car. Butch led the group of men, each one carrying a gun as heavy as a child and nowhere near as innocent. The safety was off...on all of them.

Ruby glanced about, seeing no one. In her pockets, her hands had developed long, cat-like claws. She gave a grim nod. "Everything's fine so far. Let's get closer to the bus."

Butch glared at her. "Who died and made you queen?"

In response, Ruby kicked him in the shin. He doubled over with a yelp. His lackeys chuckled, albeit nervously. Ruby marched towards the bus. The lights on its were still glowing neon-red. Ominous. Was it empty? Ruby hoped so but thought not. Butch wouldn't have fed Oswald a red herring unless he had a death wish. Ruby edged closer to the bus and felt her heart sink. She could already hear movement from inside. It chilled her to the bone.

Oswald appeared beside her. "Professor Strange!" He yelled. When this bore no fruits, he yelled again. Getting dangerously close to the bus. Ruby was his shadow. "Come out!" He banged his cane against one of the windows. Up close, Ruby saw that the bus's sides were riddled with bullet holes. A jab of concern filled her. Oswald either didn't notice or didn't care. "Strange! We need to talk. You did a very bad thing to me."

Butch gasped. "My God."

Ruby heard soft footsteps. Right behind them. She spun around. Waiting for her was none other than Fish Mooney. Dressed in pale blue and shiny bronze. Staring at her with those mismatched eyes, the former crime boss looked half like a goddess and half like a demon. Ruby positioned herself directly between her and Oswald. Fish's expression was distant...but not wicked. "How sweet." She commented.

Oswald froze. Slowly turned around. Ruby reached out behind her and grasped his arms. When Oswald's eyes landed on Fish, his face lost what little color it had. His breaths came out in jagged tufts. "Impossible." He barely got out. Fish reached out, past Ruby, and rested a hand on Oswald's cheek. Her fingers glowed. Their luminescence spread across Oswald's cheek. "Nothing," Fish whispered, "is impossible." Oswald's eyes rolled back in their sockets. His knees buckled. Ruby reached out and grabbed him just as they gave way. She went down with him, cradling his head. "Oz?" She began patting his cheek, trying to wake him up. "Oz?!" She shook him. "Please, no!" She glared up at Fish. "What did you do to him?!"

"I know you." Fish commented in a dreamy voice. "You were the one who visited me, aren't you?"

Ruby froze.

"You wore a different face," Fish said, "but I've seen too many things to be fooled by such things now. I believe one of us has a bone to pick with you." She glided back towards the school bus. She seized the back door's handle. With a grunt she tore it off its hinges. Backed away. Throughout it all, she never looked away from Ruby. "Oh, Basil." She called out sweetly. "You've got a visitor."

A hand shot out and grasped the gaping hole's rim. Ruby hugged an unconscious Oswald tighter to her. A familiar face emerged from the bus's belly, pale and hairless. When he saw her, his uncertain expression melted into dark joy. "Well. Back for a rematch, runt?"

Ruby gently placed Oswald on the ground. As an afterthought, she removed her vest and stuffed it under his head. With one last worried look, she stepped towards him. From the corner of her eye, she saw Butch and the others fleeing. Typical. Ruby's hands tightened into fists. "Last time I checked, I beat you. How's the new eye?"

Basil twitched. "Not bad." He climbed out of the bus. Others followed his example. Ruby sucked in a breath at what she saw. A man with scaly skin and claws. A woman with a muzzle. A red-eyed albino. A guy with bat wings fluttering behind him. They all climbed out, looking at this new world with the kind of innocent curiosity that was usually reserved for infants.

Just like that, Ruby knew that she couldn't harm them.

But Basil was a different case.

With a roar she broke into a run. Basil did the same. The other experiments lingered, watching with confusion and excitement. Basil tackled Ruby to the ground, his arm coiled around her throat. His other hand grabbed her scalp. "Stay still," he said, "so I can snap your fucking neck."

"Ooh," Ruby mocked viciously, "yeah, I'm definitely gonna stay put." She closed her eyes. Her body melted beneath Basil's fingertips. He watched as Ruby puddled under him. Shocked. Then, a dozen hands sprung up at him. In seconds, he was sixty feet above the ground. Basil fought and bit like a wildcat before turning into a bird. Flew out of their tenting fingers and landed a few feet away. Human. Ruby reformed. She growled at him. "I planned to offer the experiments relocation and safety." She informed him coldly. "But in your case? Not so much!" Ruby broke into a run. Straight towards him.

Basil stood at the ready, fists raised.

A few of the other subjects began to hustle towards the scene. Ready to intervene. But Fish stilled them with a raised hand. She watched.

Basil's hands turned into rifles. A rainfall of booms heralded their onslaught of hardened blood bullets. Ruby ducked her head and covered it with her arms. Her skin thickened until it looked like, well, clay. The bullets hit the sticky surface and remained there, like flies on honey. Ruby leapt and swung a kick at Basil. He avoided it and threw punches, aiming for all the vital points. Ruby grabbed him by the outstretched arms. Her arms bulged like balloons. With ease she tossed him in the air. He landed nimbly on his feet.

The two stood like that for a moment. Sizing each other up. Then, Basil's feet turned to melting clay. This propelled him forward at a blinding speed. At the last second he jumped and regained his legs. Using them to kick Ruby. She hit one of the bridge's base walls with a groan. Breathing heavily, Ruby rubbed the back of her head. When she retracted her hand, it was sticky and smelt of copper. Flinching, she glanced back at Oswald. Still out for the count. Still unnoticed. Good.

Ruby bloated like a beach ball. She rolled towards Basil at the speed of light. In a second she was pinning his face against one of the bus's windows. "Look at yourself!" She yelled. "Is this really what you want to be?"

Basil stared at his reflection with wide eyes. Then, they narrowed. In a second it was Ruby being slammed against glass. Cracks spread across the surface. "Aw, look at the second generation! Acting all high and mighty!"

As the two Clayfaces struggled, one of the experiments glanced about. Wide-eyed about this new, yet familiar world. He - the guy with the bat wings - took notice of the fallen man. Raised his eyebrows.

Ruby and Basil melted at the same time, wrestling in their semi-solid forms. Everyone watched, spellbinded, as their bodies formed a single, throbbing unity of clay. Every now and then two figures would emerge, fighting with blood-lust, before sinking beneath the surface again. At last, in a flash of bright light, the two broke apart. Solid. Angry. Ruby was panting and nursing a series of cuts on her chest. Basil was wincing as one of his eyes grew swollen. "Give...up!" He yelled. "You...can't...beat me!"

"I did!" Ruby snarled. "And I'll do it again!" She got ready to attack again when a voice rang out. "Hey! Croc! I got a snack for you!"

Ruby twisted around in panic. The guy with the bat wings was raising a still-unconscious Oswald by his hair. The lizard-like man licked his chops when he saw him. "Put him down." Fish said coldly. Croc either didn't hear her or was too hungry to listen.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Ruby burst forth in a flurry of clay. Bits landed on the experiments' feet, rooting them to the spot. The winged man groaned as he struggled to free himself. He dropped Oswald, his interest in him forgotten. With his face on the ground, Oswald stirred. Ruby tried to reach him, but a chunk of clay landed on her legs, fusing them together. The gravel reached out to give her a kiss. She lay there for just a second, too stunned to move. Then, she looked down at herself. Clay was bound tightly around her legs, from the knees to the ankles. Swearing, she began tearing at it. A yelp stilled her hand.

She turned towards the sound. She screamed.

Basil was holding Oswald's head between two gorilla-sized hands. Grinning wickedly at her. Oswald, still dazed, reached into his pocket and revealed a revolver. He emptied the rounds in Basil's face. It turned to reddish-white goo, only to reform around the hot lead. Oswald stared up at him in horror and hopelessness. That was when he saw reality. He wouldn't make it. He couldn't. His only weapon had proved useless, and he was still too woozy and weak to fight on his own. Plus, this beast had him at a dreadful disadvantage.

Oswald had come here for revenge and had died in attempt. Ruby had been right.

Ruby.

Slowly, he turned to face her. She was still struggling to get the clay off her, but her desperate eyes never left him. Oswald gave a tiny smile. "Thank you, Ruby. You did your best." He said gently. "Thank you for being my friend."

Ruby stopped. The truth dawned on her. Oswald had anticipated her failure. He'd expected that, sooner or later, Ruby would not be able to protect him. And he'd accepted it.

But Ruby?

"NOOOOO!" Ruby shrieked.

The next few seconds were all a blur. Yet they would remain imprinted on the memories of all those present. Especially the participants.

Basil got ready to crush Oswald's head.

Ruby got rid of the last pieces of clay.

She jumped directly into Oswald.

The impact knocked them out of Basil's grip.

There was a flash.

Then, where there had been two figures...was only one.

Fish gasped, hands covering her mouth. All of the experiments watched with dropped jaws and wide eyes. Standing in a small cleft was someone entirely new, yet familiar. It stood taller than Oswald, yet shorter than Ruby.

Its clothes were a mixture of the two: it had Ruby's sweater and pants, but Oswald's jacket and tie. Ruby's jewelry remained intact. The bandanna had been torn off. A wild, curly mane the color of night rippled around its face like a halo. The skin was pale, like Oswald's, but had a hint of Ruby's peach tone. Its lower body was Ruby's, with healthy thighs and strong legs, with no limp. But the upper part was Oswald's: flat and hunch-shouldered, with long-fingered hands.

The face was also an amalgam: it was round and weak-chinned like Ruby's, but the beak-like nose and thin lips could only belong to Oswald.

The figure slowly opened its eyes. One was icy-blue. The other was indigo. They widened. It gasped, looking down at itself. "Wh...what?" The voice was neither masculine nor feminine; it danced somewhere in between. "What...what is this?"

Basil stood aside, his eyes the size of dumplings.

He knew what was going on here. He'd heard Strange talking about it with the orderlies when they'd believed that Basil was zonked out. Strange had mentioned Clayface Point Two, and how her defective DNA had brought forth a new ability when combined with the formula. It was the ability to be absorbed into another's body, mix her own genes with her host's, and thus unite her strength...and mind...with another's.

Basil couldn't do it. And he was glad.

"Time to put an end to this embaressment!" Basil began to step forward, turning his hands into knives. A hand grasped his bicep. He winced as he stopped. Turned to meet Fish's harsh gaze. "That. Is. Enough." She growled. The experiments turned to her in recognition of her tone. It was the tone of a queen displeased at a subject.

The figure turned to her blankly. Its icy-blue eye widened. Fish nodded at it. Curious. Proud. "Let's go." She told her followers. With one last look at the figure, they followed her into the shadows. Some watched the figure with disgust. Others, admiration. Soon, they were gone, and the figure was alone.

Blinking, it looked down at itself again. Tenting its fingers. Gyrating its ankles. It felt so strange...yet familiar.

It spoke. "Is...this...?"

But it was too much for either of them.

There came another flash. The figure split in two. The pieces fell backwards, reclaiming their forms. Ruby and Oswald looked down at their solidified forms, too shocked to speak. Oswald stared at his hands, shivering, while Ruby rubbed her eyes.

The world down here was silent. Small waves crashed against the grimy shore. The bus continued to emit steam. Above their heads, chaos ensued.

But they were alive. Both of them. Ruby realized this with a grin. When she looked up at Oswald, however, that brief joy was shattered. He was staring at her as though he had never seen her before. He looked...scared. Of her.

Ruby looked away. Closed her eyes. Deep beneath her sweater, her heart cracked.