Inevitable Tide
Chapter 3
Foster Spurn or 'Hex' as he preferred it limped into the warehouse watching the chained dogs cautiously. He leapt back as the dog growled and snapped his jaw in his direction sending saliva on the concrete. The large dark dog continued to yank at the end of his chain until an employee with a gun threatened the animal with a dark tone.
He continued past crates of guns and men wearing weapons strapped on backs and bulging from their pockets. Despite the fact he chose this line of work he never did like the heavy atmosphere his employers usually carried at their headquarters.
In the corner of the building an office sat. It was looked like any typical office except the windows had been tinted save a clear hole where the panel could slide out and a high powered weapon could poke out.
Before knocking Foster felt his loose jaw and the tender teeth. The bitch had done some serious damage to him. If he didn't have a super high metabolism he would have bled to death on that roof. But thanks to a large amount of hydrogen peroxide and gauze he felt somewhat revived from the multiple blows.
He didn't linger on the pain knowing full well his employer would rip out his throat anyways. That was the threat in this line of work. Failure was not accepted well. He had more than a few competitors in the business disappear and reappear in curious situations and body bags.
Finally he took a deep breath and knocked. After a course 'come in' he twisted the knob and entered shutting the door quietly behind him.
The Domineer, in charge of the third biggest underground weaponry, sat with his back to the lanky man. He appeared bland in color due to the holographic screen circled around him, and the monochromatic color scheme he seemed to prefer.
"You come alone?" His shoulders visibly rose with tension. His broad form seemed to take up the entire office space. "Do you have the girl?"
Foster struggled back his fear, and kept a calm expression on his face. "No, when I came through after her she became enraged, and proceeded to attack me."
Instead of anger the shadowed man chucked. "That's Remille for you." He remained quiet for a little while before speaking up again. "Do you know where she escaped to?"
"No." Foster said slowly, careful to word correctly. "She left with the new league, after they were alerted by the light."
Domineer chuckled. "She always manages to make life a challenge.
"I'll have to start up the search again for the original Batsey if I find him it'll be a sure lead to her location."
Foster spun around quickly agreeing to the order put out by his employer. His hand was on the knob in a matter of seconds when the Domineer halted him.
"Oh and Foster." The elastic man frowned and turned around.
He never noticed the bulky Domineer spin his chair around a thin gun in his hand. In one motion he shot at his previous employee catching the man in the shoulder.
Foster stumbled back a hand flying to his wound.
"I don't like failures." Before the lanky man could dodge he shot another bullet off hitting him square in the heart. The man fell to his knees and promptly to his face where a pool of blood formed beneath the body.
The Domineer scoffed and spun his chair around to face the screen. He pressed down the intercom button. "Someone clean up this mess please." He calmly ordered and released the button.
-Justice League-
The percussion of the rain echoed through the sleepily waking Gotham. Streetlights were starting to go out and the drone of engines escalated. Despite the sky brightening in veins of purple lightning the darkness still hung in the gloom of the clouds.
Tucked on a dip of Bruce Wayne's roof Rem sat curled up with her arms circling her legs. Sleep had successfully avoided her, after she found shutting her eyes only gave her clear images of everything, and most importantly, everyone she had left behind. Meaning everyone she could have picked up the phone to call and vent her emotions on wouldn't understand the situation, would be too old to relate, or may even be dead. Meaning years of homework, tests, and exams were erased and if she wished to continue schooling she would have to start a scratch. Meaning money earned from her tiring jobs had long since been claimed by the state.
Thoughts kept bombarding her internally while she was pelted with precipitation externally with only denim, socks, and a thin, zip-up hoodie to protect her. Although protected from the wind by the angle of the roof, it did little to comfort her from the chill.
Not that she wanted comfort. She had received far too much of it. Coming here she had been babied, pushed to nourish herself, bandaged with a soft hand that hadn't appeared to care too much before, and given an ill-fitting comfortable bed.
From its low position in the sky, the sun rose higher before her, pushing through the clouds and offering a ray of warmth. The clouds began their slow retreat starting by calming the downfall it was sending. She stood from her position stretching out her stiff limbs, but careful to watch her footing.
She braced herself against the shingles before kicking off and landing in a splat on the grounds behind the mansion. Around her flowers beamed and trees stretched upward as dictated by the cuts previously made on branches.
She had managed to land in a section housing marigolds displacing mud and uprooting a few of the blooms.
After a quick audible apology she patted down the ground and best corrected the disturbed flowers. Content they were as perfect as she could make them, she continued through the garden up to the back door of the expansive building.
Although unnecessary, she scratched the bottom of her feet along the mat, still leaving a trail of mud up to her midsection. After jimmying the lock she turned the knob and entered a well lit sitting room; and a mess of chaos.
"If you idiots hadn't gotten drunk you could have heard where she went." Bruce's growl seemed to be coming through the closed double doors.
Whoever responded didn't seem too pleased. "We did not get drunk; we just had a few cold beers. Besides I didn't stay here to babysit."
"No maybe not but you did stay here to make sure no trouble came to her." Bruce growled back.
Rem sighed and rubbed her temple before crossing the room and shifting the doors open. Four pairs of eyes immediately shifted toward her.
She imagined she didn't appear to look too good based off of the assessing glances she received. Not that she thought that she was too beautiful at the given moment. She didn't even feel the part. Exhaustion, and a chill bit at her, along with the annoying prick of hunger pain.
"And where have you been?" Bruce bit, obviously anxious to cross the space, but careful to keep the distance between them.
Rem shrugged nonchalantly squeezing out her tail. "Outside."
Finally he couldn't hold it in. Bruce crossed the space and grabbed her hand taking in the clammy feel. His hand grazed her forehead and leapt it back. "For how long? You're burning up."
She shrugged again taking a defensive position. "I couldn't sleep, and I like sitting on roofs."
"While it's storming?" Bruce demanded. He ignored her pose and shifted up her sleeve taking a glance at the bandages. A disapproving look crossed his face when he found them soaked. "What made you think that was a smart decision?"
"I wanted to think." She dragged back her arm and shoved down the sleeve. "Look I don't need you to fawn over me, I'm fine."
Bruce ignored her. "Go upstairs and take a hot shower. I'll be up later to re-bandage that arm." When she didn't respond he frowned and ground out. "Now."
Too tired to argue she went upstairs shoving past the other three not glancing back. The four watched her retreating figure until she disappeared.
"Make sure she got there Terry." Bruce ordered. Not bothering to see whether or not the kid had left yet he threaded his hands in his hair and shut his eyes. "Damn child, spending the night on the roof. She could have gotten hyperthermia."
"Daughters," Virgil smiled. "They tend to test you."
Not moving from his position Bruce sighed. "Unfortunately true." He ground. "She's far too much like her mother. I swear she was just as bull headed and-''
His arms shifted away from his head and he turned around to look at the two. Virgil stood shifting his weight to one leg and grinning.
"That obvious?" He sighed shifting down into a chair.
"Wasn't sure until we talked it over last night, but there have been some obvious signs." Virgil rested his hand on the elders shoulder.
Rex remained where he was but offered a kind look. "She doesn't seem too keen on being here, with you."
"That's all my fault." Bruce muttered. "I realized Dianna was pregnant and that she was scared; Amazons don't normally have to go through that. But I never grew up with a family. I wasn't 'daddy' material. I'm still not. So I told her I couldn't be a part of it."
Even though Dianna hated me I still received an email annually with pictures. I watched her grow up through them, still have them stored somewhere. Dianna quit contacting me when Remille disappeared. I haven't a clue where she is now."
Virgil shrugged offering a smile. "It doesn't matter what happened in the past. All that matters is that you can be here for her, now."
Bruce looked up and gave the man a genuine smile, then seemed to find himself again and the cold mask slipped again in place. "I need to get the kit and some Tylenol." He pushed up and hobbled toward the dining room.
-Justice League-
Hair spilled into her face as she ducked her head down and rubbed the towel around scattering her hair. The warmth of the shower had calmed her down some making her eyes start to droop. Her arms however stung and like it or not she was going to have to wait for Wayne to replace the bandages.
A polite knock sounded at the door and Rem made sure she was appropriate before offering a quiet, "come in."
Bruce poked his head in and waved the kit before fully entering and keeping the door cracked behind him. "You finished cleaning up."
"Yep." She shook her hair out before jerking it back behind her head.
Placing the first aid kit on the bed Bruce sat down beside it and allowed his hand to go up to her flushed face. "You're still warm. A Tylenol should make the rest go away, of course after some sleep."
She shifted his hand away and gave him an awkward smile. "You don't owe me anything so don't bother being so nice to me."
Bruce started to dig through the kit, more to keep busy than anything else. "I'm not just being nice." He told her his voice guarded.
"Then why else are you doing all this?" She demanded her voice rising.
He ignored the question and gripped the antiseptic in his hand reaching down with his other hand to find the cotton balls. "Now hold out your arm."
Eyebrows cocked she studied him and gave the man a hard look. After a second she extended her arm letting him take it and dab at the healing wounds with a damp cotton ball. Her expression however read that she wouldn't let the matter be.
"Why are you helping me?" She asked again.
He soaked another ball and looked back up at her. "You're my daughter. Why shouldn't I?" He gripped her wrist and continued cleaning it.
Although it stung she didn't make any noise about it. "It didn't seem to matter before." She told him tensing up, as if preparing her emotions.
"I was scared then." Bruce told her. "I still am now…but that doesn't mean I can't at least be there for you when you need me."
"Scared? You?"
He released her arm and tapped the other to alert her that he needed it. She obliged and raised it up allowing him to take hold. He soaked another cotton ball and gave her a look before dipping his head down and rubbing the ill spots.
"Yeah, I was scared."
-Justice League-
A lone plate sat on the table when Remille finally stumbled down the stairs from her undesired mid-day nap. The warmth and odor had long disappeared from the plate. Rem fingered the food for a second before finding it unappealing and turning away to stumble back up the stairs. Before she could move away from the table however she heard a sharp, "what are you doing up?"
Bruce stepped out of the shadow beside her his brows knotted up. "I gave you a good dose of antihistamine so you could sleep the day through."
"Sorry but Nyquil, as you could put it, really doesn't affect me." She unwillingly yawned and frowned. "Ok, so my muscles feel sluggish and I don't think any thought beside sleep is coursing through me. I'll admit it was a good dose."
Hobbling to a chair Bruce scowled and released the weight he had been putting on his legs. "Obviously it wasn't good enough. I can never tell what enough is for you and your mother. You Amazons have an amazing immune system."
Rem's groggy mind twisted and she conjured up an image of her mother in her suit beating away at the tall lanky fellow who had dragged her through to this time and day. "You sure you haven't a clue where she is?"
"I'm sure. I used to receive annual email updates, and of course I had you two flagged in my computer so whenever you moved or made any change electronically I would know, but she dropped off the face of the earth a few weeks after you were gone." Bruce scratched at an itch on his forehead. "I even kept feeding money into her account, but she hasn't touched a dime in the years."
Shock read on her face, clear as day. Obviously with the medication coursing through didn't allow her to mask her feelings quite as well. "Is that how we always managed to have money in the account? And how she, and I for that matter, always managed to keep her job even after she broke something in the office, or remained to have multiple absences?"
His face tilted in a grin. "I always was watching over you two…figured the least I could do was make sure that money wasn't an issue. Your mother was always too proud to accept anything from me so I just made it look like she earned whatever she received."
"She probably knew." Rem muttered sitting down beside him. "Whenever I asked her how we always managed to make due she would smile and tell me that a dark angel was smiling down."
"Dark Angel?" His head shot up and he frowned. "How could she conjure up that image of me?"
Rem smirked and rubbed her forehead trying to push away some of the cobwebs stuck in the woodwork. "You wear, well used to, a dark suit and guard the helpless when there is danger. I'd call you a dark angel too if I didn't know any better."
She glanced around the house and sat still for a while soaking in the quiet. "Where did the yahoo's run off to?"
"Well, Terry is in school, and Rex returned to his job at the office." Bruce shifted in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. "Just returning to their apple pie lives until tonight when I'll need them again."
"What's going on tonight?" Rem asked cocking her head to the side and her brow quirking up.
Bruce fought down the butterflies as he almost instantly saw her mother in her. "Commissioner Gordon is asking that I watch the art gala tonight. She says some pricy pieces are going to be present and it'll be a choice opportunity to snatch a few for private collections."
"Wait, isn't Commissioner Gordon a he?" Rem asked sticking her finger in the food and spreading it around the plate.
Bruce sighed and shoved the plate away from her giving her an aggravated look. She noted playing with food as one of his pet peeves.
"The Commissioner Gordon you knew was her father. Barbara is now in charge." He told her flicking open a cloth napkin from the table and making a move to wiping off her finger.
"Like father, like daughter it seems." Rem smiled and popped her finger in her mouth sucking off the food before he could grab a hold. It didn't seem to matter anyways, because he scooped her hand in his and wiped the saliva covered finger.
"I find that she makes a remarkable commissioner due to her years training with me." Bruce told her not a hint of pride in his voice.
Through this conversation Rem couldn't help but think what a great father he would have made. Even though he didn't contain much experience at the time he still could have been nice to be around. How many things must have gone wrong to keep him away?
"So is there anything to do around here." Rem asked changing the subject. "Because as tired as I am I don't want to sleep all day."
Bruce scowled. "You are the one who slept outside last night."
"I was thinking on the roof, because I couldn't sleep." She corrected with a frown. "I'm being serious thought."
He gave it some thought and his eyes lightened almost instantly. "I have just the thing for you."
The mahogany chair creaked as he pushed back the chair and stood up. "Come on I'll show you the garage. I think you'll like what's in there."
Bruce, careful to avoid any bandages, helped up his reluctant daughter. Rem gave in, a little suspicious of where he was taking her, but curious to see.
After going down a twisty hall and through an entry way they stopped at a door. He fingered the knob nervously and glanced back at Rem.
"Not even the boys know about these." He confided before inserting the key. A panel slid from the door with no evident buttons. He pressed expertly at an unseen key and the door's lock clicked. He spun the knob and opened the door letting her enter first.
The room was dark with shadowy blotches scattered throughout the room. Bruce leaned over her and flipped the switch causing a dramatic cascade effect with the lights. After the first set of lights switched on Rem immediately knew where she was.
Cars ranging in age and styles dominated the room. A few up front remained the obvious Bat mobiles that had upgraded through the years. Behind them Bugattis and some unique Gullwings sat on thick elevated discs. One she instinctively recognized was a Tucker, and in good shape too she deduced based on the fact it was nearly a hundred years old.
Others were obviously futuristic and models she had missed during her time jump. A few looked oddly angled and pointy, while others consisted of soft rotund shapes that, in her mind, destroyed the overall effect of the car.
Yet the most exciting thing to her she found propped on their kickstands and positioned handsomely around the cars; hugged close to the walls. Motorcycles ranging from crazy flame designs flanking the sides to the beautiful simplistic bikes angled up from the floor. The classic Indian was one she pointed out almost instantly.
With one bike she would be set for life; except for, however, one little odd ball in the middle of all the finery. It was of generic shape and color with nothing exceptional about it.
"These are all amazing, but why do you have that one?" She asked him turning her head to look at him. "All these would fetch a fortune but I don't think you'd get anything over a thousand for that one."
Bruce shrugged. "I saved it from the landfill after its owner abandoned it. I think you'd find it interesting though. Why don't you go take a look?"
She turned back around confused. "Ok…" She walked casually over; the closer she got the more she couldn't help but notice she recognized it. Halfway there she noticed a long scratch near the gas tank and nearly fell over. Picking up speed she jogged the rest of the way and touched the familiar soft leather on the seat.
"Heavens above…" she gasped. There was her blue Softtail looking just the way it had when she left it in the parking lot at the museum. The scratch along the side was from a fallen branch when she had avoided an oncoming vehicle driving in the wrong lane. There was a slight crack in her side mirror from when she had broken up with Thomas; which she had apologized profusely to the bike immediately after. There was even the random scratch and sniff sticker seven year old Abby from her neighboring apartment had stuck on the handle.
"You saved it." She gasped as the familiar sound of his cane thumped closer.
Bruce nodded. "You're mother disappeared and nobody claimed you're items for a while. After six months her place went into foreclosure. The bank had a foreclosure sale on location and I had a few items bought. Photo albums, letters we had exchanged at the beginning of our relationship, and of course you're bike. I even saved that stupid animal, Claris, from being sent to the pound."
"Oh, you saved the cat?" Rem smirked thinking of the lazy feline that had enjoyed basking in the sunlight and leaching off the love and attention directed toward her.
"Yes, I saved the stupid thing. It scratched up my sheets when I forgot to feed him." Bruce told her stiffly. "I had the thing put in a shoebox and buried under the marigolds in my garden."
Rem instantly sent up a prayer of apology to the poor cat she had disturbed while landing that morning.
"Why on earth would you have saved my bike though?" She asked rummaging through the leather bag hanging on the side and smirked when she found the key chain and the solid blue, two ball dangling from it.
Bruce stayed quiet for a while then finally spoke up. "I figured it was the only link between us at the time, beside photos of course. I also thought if you ever returned I could hand back the keys to you."
He patted the vehicle, "updated the engine so she should go twice as fast. Didn't know whether or not you'd want the paint touched up or not, but if you wish I can have it taken care of by tomorrow morning along with fresh tires."
She smiled wide and seemed to think a second before crashing into him and roping his arms around his neck. He lost balance for a little while leaning on the bike to catch it again. Although quiet Bruce's mouth ticked up as Rem propped up on her toes and whispered, "Thank you dad."
(Sorry it took so long. Thanksgiving, school exams, work, and Christmas held me back for a bit. But here it is- er was- chapter three! =D)