Hey guys! Its me again. Sorry for the lack of an update this week. I have had a really short attention span lately, making it extremely hard to sit down and write. Buuut I finally got this done, and made it extra long for you! Things are definitely heating up in the world of Elise and its only going to get better! Thanks for patiently waiting and I hope you enjoy! :)
And as always reviews, favorites and followers are much loved! ;)
xXXXXx
"Last night, Commissioner Gordon was admitted into Gotham General hospital, after suffering multiple gunshot wounds from the bar-fight. He is believed to be in critical condition."My eyes darted up to the screen Bane was watching. I smirked, glancing over at him. His face was full of annoyance.
"You do realize, the whole police force of Gotham is going to come ransacking this place, now that Gordon survived and knows your whereabouts." I stated matter-o-factually.
"My plans are already in progress. It will not matter if the police show up. In fact, I welcome it." Bane replied, shrugging my statement off. I blinked at how nonchalant he was about the matter.
What was he up to?
"Three officers were also killed in the line of duty, in last night's bar shooting. The officers have been identified as: Sergio Aleman, Craig Birkholz and Elise Johnson. A Prayer Service will be held on Wednesday for these fallen officers and their families."
"What..." I got up from the bed, limping next to Bane. "...The. Hell!?" I cried out in disbelief. "Don't bother coming to look for me or anything guys! Just cover it up the best you can, sweeping the rest of the little details under the rug! That makes everything all better, right? Riiiight." I snarled, slamming my fists down on the desk.
Bane's laughter echoed through the room. "You see, my dear, no one cares about one little beat cop. Nor do they care about facts. These people have been fighting to keep things 'peaceful' for years now. But their 'peace' means nothing more than intricate lies and cover ups. Illusions, if you will. Even your precious commissioner and 'Gotham's finest D.A.' are guilty of these crimes."
"ENOUGH!" I roared. "How dare you! Its one thing to accuse the commissioner, but to attack a man that gave his life protecting our city..."
Bane's eyes danced with amusement, "Are you sure? Or did Dent become the very thing he fought against?"
"What are you getting at?" I questioned, eying him suspiciously.
Bane pulled a few pieces of paper from his pocket. "These were taken from the commissioner's person when he was searched." He handed me them, intently watching my expression. "It is time you were enlightened."
A part of me died inside the moment I laid eyes on those papers. Chills ran down my spine and my stomach started twisting itself into knots, as I continued to read on. Each sentence I read unraveled more and more lies. I was in utter disbelief. Who knew a few words on a piece of paper could make a person so squeamish.
"How could Gordon do such a thing?" I asked myself out loud as I sat back down on the cot, staring blankly at the papers I held in my hand.
"Do you see now? Gotham can never been cleansed from the filth, because its hands are permanently stained black. You cut one corrupted head off and two more will take its place. The only way to truly rid the city of evil is to purge it and start new." Bane stated.
I nodded, understanding his words, but still staring blankly at the papers. "That seems a bit extreme though, doesn't it? There are still plenty of good people left in the city..."
"It is a necessary evil, for the greater good. This place is the spawning grounds for all the corruption that goes on in the world. We seek to stop it before it spreads any further."
"We?" I raised an eyebrow at Bane.
"Indeed," Bane nodded. "But that is all you need to know as of right now. Perhaps once I am sure you can be trusted, I will tell you more."
"Fair enough." I said, handing the commissioner's speech back to Bane.
Perhaps I had it all wrong. Maybe Bane really wasn't who I had him pinned as...but then again, he may be even more dangerous than I had originally thought.
xXXXXx
A few weeks had past since I had read the commissioner's speech. My injured leg had almost completely healed, but my mind had taken a turn for the worst. It had been poisoned with betrayal and lies, making me into a very bitter, resentful, and cynical woman.
I also hadn't showered or had a change of clothes in those few weeks either. To say the least, my mind matched my wardrobe. I was a complete mess inside and out. Bane didn't seem to mind though, or maybe he just didn't care. He went about his business, leaving me to mine for the most part. I was free to go where I wished, but I never wandered too far from Bane's sight, for fear of his wild mercenary men.
He may have given me the illusion that I was free, but he knew as well as I, that if I wandered too far away from him, I would wind up getting myself killed.
So what did that leave me left to do? Not a whole lot, to be honest. I usually spent my days staring at the ceiling, fighting back the madness that threatened to take over my mind.
I wanted to hurt somebody; release all this pent-up rage. My dreams were plagued with death and destruction, at the hands of some feral beast, which, in the end, always turned out to be me.
I couldn't exactly pinpoint when or where these thoughts arose from. Maybe it had to do with Commissioner's lies and betrayal, being held captive by a masked monster of which whom I had no idea if he was really friend or foe, or maybe I was just slowly falling off my rocker. One thing was certain, I needed to get the hell out of this place, before I went completely bat-shit crazy.
"Everything is set in order, sir." A few of Bane's mercenaries marched in, all decked out in bulletproof vests and G36C's. I looked over my shoulder at the men, meeting a nasty glare from one of them. I grinned deviously, recognizing the man as the one I had bashed in the face, a few weeks back. The man eyed me nervously, not expecting to be met with such a maniacal gaze. He shifted uncomfortably, clutching the gun he had slung around his shoulder for security.
Bane finally turned away from the computer monitors that had kept his attention for weeks now. "Good, see to it that the perimeter has been set up. We cannot afford to make mistakes." One of his men handed him, what looked to be, a miniaturized computer, before they all headed out the door. "Let the rest know; the fire rises." Bane said before he swiveled back around, connecting the mini computer to a USB cord.
I watched with curiosity as he downloaded Bruce Wayne's fingerprints and a program unknown to me, onto the miniature device. "I will be going out for a while," Bane answered before I could even open my mouth. "See to it that you do not get yourself into trouble, you certainly have a knack for it." He rose from his seat and made his way to a chest, next to the cot I was lying on. Bane rummaged through it briefly before pulling out a military-style jacket. Slinging the jacket over his shoulder, he grabbed the mini-computer and left the room without another word.
Mercenaries seemingly came out of the woodwork to follow him. They were all very colorfully dressed. Some donned construction outfits, while others were decked out in business attire, or janitorial clothing.
What the hell was going on?
I rose from the cot, walking out of the room for the first time in weeks. There were hardly any mercenaries around, which was a nice surprise. I had guessed that most of them had followed Bane on his little escapade. The only ones that I noticed were left, were the few hanging from the ceiling, drilling away at it.
Perfect! This was my chance to make a break for it.
I walked briskly through the nearest tunnel, looking for an exit of some sort.
It wasn't long before my eyes locked onto a small beam of light, and a ladder leading towards the surface.
Bingo!
I rushed over, quickly scrambling up the ladder.
Placing a palm on the manhole cover, I pushed with all my might, jarring it from its resting place. Rays of light pierced through the cracks, disorienting me.
"What are you doing up there, little piggy?...Don't want to stay down here and keep us company anymore?"
I huffed in annoyance, looking down, but not being able to see anything. The sun had dotted my vision.
"You guys aren't exactly my type," I shrugged, yelling down into the darkness blindly. "Psychopaths and mindless drones don't exactly do it for me."
My reply was met with a firm grasp on my leg. I yelped in surprise, kicking my captive leg down at my attacker. The man grunted, "Hold still, bitch! You'll make us both fall." He climbed the ladder over top of me, grabbing a fistful on my hair. He pulled my hair back roughly, so that my face met his.
"I'm afraid I can't let you leave, honey. Orders are orders, ya know?" I wriggled around, trying to pry his fingers off the ladder. "I am free to go where I please!" I hissed through my teeth. "Not what I was told..." The man growled, trying to keep his grip, all the while pushing his body up against me, crushing me into the steel ladder.
Clawing at the man's hands, I placed a well-timed shove into his gut, sending him reeling backwards. The man instinctively grabbed out, trying to get a grasp of something, finding the seat of my pants to be a suitable choice. My body jerked from the sudden extra weight, making my grip wane.
"Let go you dumb-ass!" I yelled down at him. "We'll both fall!" I desperately tried to hang on, as the steel ladder cut into my palms. My arms and grip grew increasingly tired the longer I hung on. In one last effort, I attempted to swing my elbows up over the bar of the ladder I was holding onto, trying to get a stronger grip on things. Which ended in failure, as it made me completely lose my grip, sending both of us plummeting towards the ground.
A loud thud filled the tunnel as my attacker and I smacked into the cement. I had a slightly cushier fall, seeing as I had landed on top of the man instead of the hard concrete. The mercenary groaned as I rolled off of him, snatching up his gun in the process.
I stood up, eying the pool of blood forming behind the mercenary's head, before pointing the man's own weapon at him.
The mercenary laughed maniacally, "You don't expect me to fall for your bluff, do you? I know you law enforcement types! You have rules of engagement..." I knelt down beside the man, flicking the safety off the gun. "Are you sure about that...?"
"No, please!" The man blubbered, shrinking away from me. "I have a family..."
"Had..." I replied, shooting the mercenary at pointblank range, not even thinking twice about it. The shot still resonated through the tunnels as I stood up, tossing the weapon to the ground.
I had just murdered a man. I thought, as I made my way back up the ladder, towards my freedom.
He would have killed me too, if he would have been the one holding the weapon.
Or at least that's what I kept telling myself, to justify my actions, in my mind.
xXXXXx
The light completely blinded me as I pulled myself up out of the sewer. I sat at the opening, letting my legs dangle down, while I took a moment to breathe the fresh, crisp air and let my eyes readjust to sunlight once more.
It wasn't long before my presence was noticed. I looked down the opening of the alleyway to find a few bystanders congregating around, pointing and whispering in my general direction. "What the hell are you all looking at?" I yelled down the alley at them.
Standing up, I brushed globs of dirt and dried blood from me. Not that it really mattered since my clothes were permanently stained with muck from the sewers and my right pant-leg had tears all the way up it, completely exposing my filth covered leg.
"You're the officer that was said to have died in that bar-fight a few weeks back, aren't you?" An elderly man, asked in bewilderment.
"Yeah..." I grumbled in annoyance, re-remembering the events from last week. "I am."
"Well then what in tarnation are you doing in the sewers?"
I sighed, staring down at the manhole. "Its a long story...I'd rather not share."
"Well all right then, I won't pry anymore. Can I at least offer you a ride to the hospital?"
"NO!" I snapped suddenly, making the man jump in surprise. "...No...I'm not in need of medical assistance. What I need is to get back to the station."
The elderly man stepped forward, gently grabbing my hand. "C'mon then, let me give you a lift."
I hesitated for a moment, before allowing him to lead me to his rusty old pickup truck and help me get in.
"I'm sure they're going to be ecstatic that you're still alive and well!" The old man exclaimed cheerfully, completely oblivious to the sneer that had suddenly taken over my face. "Yeah...I'm sure." I responded rather dryly.
xXXXXx
I thanked the elderly man for his kindness, before he drove off into the distance, leaving me at the foot of the steps to the police station. My left eye suddenly became very twitchy as I made my way to the entrance.
Glass rattled, as the doors slammed into the walls, from my forceful push.
Whoops. Way to make an entrance, Elise.
The woman behind glass at the front counter looked up, glaring at me like I was some sort of hoodlum. Glare turned to shock as soon as recognition hit. She looked me up and down, eying my tattered uniform, disheveled hair and just downright plain ruggedness of me.
"Get Foley out here immediately," she said, speaking into the intercom.
I sat down on one of the benches, staring up at the ceiling, while I waited patiently.
"This better be good..." I heard the Deputy Commissioner's voice echo as he entered the room. "What is it?" He barked at the woman behind the counter. She looked at him briefly, then pointed over at me. Foley's eyes widened as they landed on me.
"Johnson?!...Oh my god..." He yelled, rushing over. "We thought you were dead! Are you okay? What the hell happened to you?" He frantically asked, patting my back for a moment before slinging my arm over his shoulder, leading me towards his office. Foley sat me down in a chair across from his desk, then returned to his seat.
"He's down there...in the sewers..." I breathed, staring blankly down at the floor.
"Who's down there?" Foley pried.
"Bane...the rumors are true...You have to get every man we have down there and stop him!" I urged, bringing my eyes back up to meet the deputy commissioner's.
"I've already had a handful of men never return from those sewers, Elise. I cannot afford to send any more men unless I have cold hard evidence. Sending too many officers down there will set Gotham into panic."
"Am I evidence enough for you?!" I howled angrily, my left eye beginning to twitch again. "He has a goddamn army down there, that continues to build day by day! Gotham does need to panic! This man is extremely dangerous! They shot the commissioner...tormented me...what more do you want?!"
"Shhh...Elise, its going to be all right. You're safe now." Foley tried to comfort me.
"Yeah...no thanks to you," I mumbled.
"How about we get you cleaned up and in a change of clothing?...Blake!" The man walking by the doorway stopped instantaneously. "Yes sir?"
"Go get officer Johnson some hot cocoa and a change of clothes, please." The deputy commissioner snapped.
"Right..." The younger man responded, sighing for a moment, before realizing what Foley had said. He turned back in shock, "Elise?!"
I looked up at him, smiling weakly and giving him a halfhearted salute. "'ll be right back!" He shouted, quickly scampering through the hall.
"Elise, I think you need to take some time off...You've had quite a rough few weeks." Foley rose from his seat, striding over to me to pat me on the shoulder. "Why don't you just go home, clean yourself up and take a few days to recoup. My treat. It won't come out of your vacation time."
I looked at Foley's hand, sneering. All I could think about was snapping his wrist, though somehow I refrained from putting my thoughts into action. "What do you mean?"
"You're very frazzled right now, Elise. Its clearly written all over your face. I think you need time to clear your mind. I don't need anymore officers running with their emotions, charging into things and sending the city into panic." Foley said, watching as officer Blake returned, carrying a new uniform and a beverage.
"So, Bane is down there, isn't he?" Officer Blake questioned, taking a seat next to me.
I cackled at John's question, startling him a bit. "You don't even know the half of it! He has a whole army down there..."
Officer Blake shot the deputy commissioner an 'I told you so' look before continuing.
"We could sure could use another person on this case, especially one with some inside intel..." Blake pressed, looking at me hopefully.
"Absolutely not! I do not need you two stirring up a storm, when this can be quietly snuffed out..." Foley yelled.
My hand wrapped around the deputy commissioner's tie, roughly bringing him close to my face, "You are a fool and a coward." I growled.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Blake grabbed my arm lightly. "Easy, Elise..."
Officer Blake jarred me from my madness momentarily, allowing me to get a grip on reality. I stared blankly at Foley as I released him. He recoiled, a look of horror flickered in his eyes.
"Have you gone mad?" He breathed, fixing his tie. "This is exactly why I do not want you involved!"
I was about to reply with some sort of smart comment, when static from the police scanner interrupted, making me almost fly out of my skin.
"Attention all available units! A hostage situation is taking place at Gotham's stock exchange. Shots have been fired. Proceed with caution."
Foley looked over at me hesitantly, before throwing me the new uniform officer Blake had brought. "Change quickly! We need all the help we can get..."
xXXXXx
I stepped out of my squad, walking over towards Foley and Blake, meeting a lot of bewildered looks as my old colleagues took notice of me.
"This is the Gotham City Police!" Deputy commissioner Foley yelled into the megaphone. "We have the place surrounded, lay your weapons down and come out with your hands up!"
Normally, my adrenaline would be surging through me by now, pumping me up for a bust...but this time I felt nothing. I looked down sadly at my new utility belt, placing a hand on my Glock. I wanted, so desperately, to be my old self again. To feel proud wearing this uniform once more. But I just couldn't seem to muster enough courage to swallow the bad taste that had formed in my mouth...
"Elise, you okay?" Blake nudged, giving me a look of concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine...Just nervous. That's all." I replied, unconvincingly. By the strange look John had given me, I knew he didn't buy my lie at all, but I honestly didn't care.
Nervous rustles of our fellow colleagues dragged the attention away from me. We both looked up to see a steady stream of people walking out of the stock exchange. Officer Blake and I drew our weapons in unison, anticipating trouble.
It wasn't long before the eerie silence was broken. Four motorcycles burst forth from the building, almost running down a few pedestrians in the process. Raising my gun, I aimed at one of the bikers. He moved too quickly for me to sight in, so I switched targets.
My body turned to ice, as my eyes befell the man sporting a bright red helmet, and a familiar, gray, military-style jacket. "He's here...that one is Bane..." I said in a monotone voice. Blake glanced over at me, reaching for his radio. "All units target the motorcyclist wearing the red helmet."
"STAND DOWN!" Foley barked into the megaphone. "I repeat, all units, stand down! They are carrying hostages! Follow in pursuit, but do not open fire!"
I couldn't help but smirk as I scrambled with the rest of my team, to get back to our squads. Bane and his men certainly were clever...but just how clever? I was sure I was about to find out as I flicked the light bar of my squad on and punched the gas peddle to the floor, trying to catch up with Foley and Blake.
My squad easily closed in the distance between Blake, the deputy commissioner and I within mere minutes. We drove neck and neck for a while before Foley radioed me in from Blake's squad.
"Elise, fall back. We do not need any recklessness screwing things up...there are still hostages at risk!"
No sooner had Foley spoke, one of the men we were pursuing tossed his hostage to the pavement.
"Well would you look at that..." I exclaimed. "An opportunity." I floored my squad again, the engine roared as I aimed my vehicle at the man.
"ELISE!" Foley roared. "What the hell are you doing?! What has gotten into you?!"
Ignoring the deputy commissioner's cries, I focused in on my target. The man turned his green helmeted head to look back at me. I had assumed if he had not worn the helmet, his face would've been painted with terror.
I was inches away from the man when the lights suddenly shut off, along with my squad, the light bar, everything. I shrieked in anger as the man, somehow unaffected by it, drove off.
Something suddenly whizzed past my squad car, taking me by surprise and dialing down my anger for a second. It looked like some sort of motorcycle, but I really couldn't tell. When the foreign-looking bike disappeared from view, the tunnel lights, our squads and everything else started working once more.
No sooner did we pick back up our pursuit, a woman on the radio broke through. "Its the Batman! We have him surrounded." "Hold him there! We're on our way!" Foley cried ecstatically.
I squinted, hearing a whirring noise of a bike engine coming closer. As the bike and rider came into view, I noticed the red helmet.
Bane...
He effortlessly zipped past us, heading in the opposite direction, weaving in and out of the rest of the squads.
"You're not going to just let him get away are you?!" I cried out, expressing my concern over the radio.
"Who cares about that guy, when I could have the Bat who murdered Dent!" Foley almost squealed.
I sighed at his ignorance and foolishness. I was not going to follow this man any longer, I decided. What little respect I did have left for him, disintegrated at that moment.
Slamming on the brakes, I watched as my fellow 'brothers' swerved around my squad trying not to hit me.
"Johnson!" Foley roared "What are you doing?!" I flicked my light bar and sirens off before turning around, speeding back in the other direction. "Going back to the station..." I replied before shutting off the radio, leaving them to their wild goose chase with the Batman.
xXXXXx
Foley turned to me, slamming his fists down on his desk. "You...what the hell were you doing back there? Blatantly ignoring my orders, attempting to commit vehicular manslaughter...you know how hard that's going to be to cover up?!"
"It shouldn't be too hard, since you've mastered that art a long time ago..." I mumbled under my breath, sneering at the deputy commissioner.
Foley turned away, clutching his head. "I don't know whats gotten into you, but I certainly will not tolerate it. I can't have some loose cannon on my team! As of now, I am extending your time away, indefinitely. You are off the force, Elise. You're lucky I don't have you locked behind bars, for your actions." He turned his hardened gaze to me.
"Get out of my sight." He spat.
"With pleasure," I rose from my seat, walking towards the door.
"Leave your weapons," Foley ordered. I stopped, glancing over my shoulder. "Dammit woman! LISTEN to me!" He stormed over, grabbing my shoulder.
I whipped around, grabbed my gun and pointed it at the side of his head, all in one fluid motion. "I will be taking my belongings with me, thank you very much." I kneed Foley in the groin, making him topple over in pain, hoping that would stall the inevitable.
Slipping my Glock back into its holster, I made my way down the hallway towards the exit. I walked briskly, trying to hurry, but not too fast as to cause alarm.
Wait for it...
Wait for it...
"Stop her!" I heard the deputy commissioner cry, as he struggled to get back on his feet. "Detain her, shoot her...do something!"
There it is!
That was my cue to get the hell out of there as fast as I could.
Bolting through the station, shots and cries rang throughout the halls. I burst though the doors, thinking I was home free.
Wrong!
In my frantic scramble, I tripped my own self up, sending me flying down the station's stairs. I laid there on the concrete, in a crumpled pile, cursing and flailing my arms.
Dammit...
My grace certainly had shot the getaway horse in the face.
"Hold on, Elise. You need to chill for a second, if I'm going to help you."
A familiar hand reached down to grab a hold of mine.
"Blake?" I questioned, a little shocked and disoriented as he pulled me to my feet.
"Go, get out of here...I'll stall them as long as I can." He whispered before lightly slapping my back, pushing me away from him.
"Thanks," I nodded at officer Blake, before scurrying around the corner, slipping into the alleyway next to the police station.
Shit!
...Dead end.
I looked around frantically, before spotting a manhole cover, an arms length away.
With no hesitation, I dove for it, prying it open with all my might.
I managed to slip into the safety of darkness, just as a couple gunshots ricocheted off the lid. The manhole cover slammed shut behind me, echoing through the tunnels.
So much for a quiet entrance.
I hung around, for a moment, out of curiosity, hearing officers mumbling.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Foley asked.
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't know..." Officer Blake responded, lying through his teeth.
I heard the deputy commissioner grunt in irritation, before I turned away, walking deeper into the tunnel. I pulled my flashlight off my belt as it became too dark for me to see.
"Well, here I am again..." I sighed.
It seemed as if I couldn't escape this place, despite my efforts. I knew, if I was going to have any chance of survival, I'd have to confront him, again. I was capable of holding my own, but only for so long.
Hopefully he wasn't too upset at my sudden disappearance...Though something told me that he wasn't going to be very receptive of the idea of me just waltzing back in here. But I had to try...