The shot was deafening, and a ringing filled Marie's ears as her eyes snapped to her mother. Her large blue eyes were wide with surprise, and the grip she had on her daughter began to slacken. Blood ran from the hole in her green shirt, making a large stain that became bigger and bigger as seconds passed. Marie grabbed her as she slumped to the floor. She tried to scream, but the ringing in her ears kept her from hearing her own voice as she begged her mother to hold on. She barely noticed Black Mask walk out of the kitchen with his thug. She didn't care at the moment. All she could see was the blood on her mother.

"Mom...mom!" Marie shook her, and her mother looked up at her. She tried to smile, but she coughed, and blood welled from her lips. She made an effort to reach up and touch Marie's face. Marie gripped her hand.

"Okay..." her mother's voice was like gravel. "Okay...s'okay...It..." her breathing became rapid then, and her body spasmed as Marie sobbed. And then, her mother's body suddenly went limp, her blue eyes dull, looking into nothing.

"No...ma...mama...mom..." Marie shook her, as if it would bring her back. But it did nothing, and her mother slid from her arms onto the floor. "Someone..." Marie whispered. "Help...help!" she tore her eyes from her mother and searched for the phone. She needed the paramedics. She stood up shakily and rummaged through the wreckage of the house, finally finding the home phone under some ripped out drawers. She dialed nine one one and put the phone to her ear. Someone answered.

"Nine one one, what is your-"

"My mom was shot and she isn't moving!" Marie shouted at the woman who answered.

"What is your location?"

"I'm at seven, six, six, six, Sycamore Avenue! Please hurry!"

"Police and paramedics are on their way. Is your mother breathing?" the operator asked.

"No, she's not."

"Please tell me what happened, Miss."

"She was shot!"

"Do you know the shooter?"

"The Black Mask!"

"...Are you quite sure?" The operator's tone changed suddenly, and Marie didn't like that. She threw the phone across the room and ran back to her mother. She kneeled down next to her, her knees becoming stained by the blood that was pooling on the floor. There was so much. Marie gripped her mother's hand again.

"They'll be here soon, mom. They'll be here soon. They'll fix you up... Promise. I promise..." she mumbled, mostly to herself.

It took two hours for the police to arrive, and Marie, who was close to passing out from the stress and pain, watched the officials file in, taking their time as they maneuvered through the house to where she was. By then, she knew it was far too late. Her mother's body was cold, and becoming stiff. They all stood around her looking over the scene. Marie's focus landed on the coffee in their hands. Steam still rose from it, indicating it was fresh, just purchased. One cop was halfway through a donut. What felt like a stone dropped in her stomach. They had taken their time, and didn't even try to hide the fact, their faces little more than interested as they shuffled around to make room for the paramedics.

"You're all...disgusting..." Marie's voice cracked as they lifted her up to lead to the ambulance. "Disgusting..." Once they had her in the ambulance, they went back with a stretcher to retrieve her mother, who came back strapped down and in a black body bag. They shoved the stretcher inside and slammed the doors shut. Marie heard the officers outside.

"Looks like a robbery gone wrong." one said.

"It's weird. I was told it was a vandalization."

"Yeah. Maybe it got mixed up in the system."

"Or maybe someone was payed off."

"Nah-"

"Oh c'mon. Shit like this happens all the time. The broad was probably workin' for a drug dealer. Drug dealer doesn't like her no more. Pop, pop. Pays off a mole in the station. Call gets reported too late or incorrectly. Dealer never gets caught 'cause evidence goes missin' or is tampered with. Either way, the world's probably better off without the broad, anyways. She was probably a crack-whore or some shit. The kid's probably no good, 'neither..."

"Ya think so?"

"I know so. I've seen this shit happen all the time. So long as you got the dough, you can do anything and get away with everything in this day and age. Just how it works."

"Damn, wish I was rich."

"Don't we all? Get in the car..."

Marie let the information soak in as the ambulance lurched forward, nearly knocking her out of her seat. The operator she'd spoken to had falsified the information. She'd been paid off. Marie hugged herself, sobbing dryly. She had no more tears to shed, and her voice was gone from screaming.

"Why..." was all she could say, over and over again as she and her mother's body were driven down the cracked road and away from their home. Black Mask had certainly accomplished what he'd sought to do, and Marie was left broken in every way she could imagine.

...

"Marie?!" Marie looked up to see Timothy rushing towards her hospital bed. She had bandages all over her, and the light of the room hurt her tired eyes. Everything was so white. She hated it.

"Tim..." she muttered. "What..." He looked down at her with intense worry. Bruce followed him inside, his eyes showing concern and anger.

"Oh, god, Marie..." Tim said when he reached her. He grabbed her hand. "Are you alright? Of course not, why did I ask that? Shit." he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Your mom...is she..." Marie nodded slowly, and turned her head away from him to hide the tears wanting to escape. "I'm sorry..." he said.

"Don't be. You're not the reason she's dead..." Marie whispered.

"Do you know who did it, Marie?" Bruce asked, and Marie turned to look at him. She remembered what Mask had said, that it didn't matter what she said. He'd still get off scot free. She shook her head.

"No..." she said. "No...I don't..." she felt like he was analyzing her again, but she didn't care. She looked out the window to the night sky. The lights of the city blocked the stars.
I used to not believe in God..." she said. "Now I can't stop praying...for her..." her body began to shake as she cried. "She did nothing wrong. She didn't deserve that."

"Neither of you did..." Tim said.

"I deserve a bullet in the belly..." she said, gritting her teeth. "I couldn't protect her-"

"Stop saying that, now..." Bruce said, making her freeze. His voice was so stern, almost angry. "You don't deserve any of that." he walked to her side, and rest his hand on her head. "You're stronger than this, remember that."

"What if you're wrong?" she asked.

"I'm never wrong." he said. The corners of her mouth pulled up to a grim smile.

"You seem so sure of yourself..."

...

Three weeks later, Marie was sitting up in her hospital bed, her fingers absentmindedly stroking the rough fabric of her blanket. It was silent in the room, even as the doctor spoke to her. She looked at his mouth as it moved, but it seemed that not sound came out. What was he saying? She tried to focus. These medications were messing with her...

"...fter tomorrow, you'll be sent to the East Side Orphanage." the doctor said.

"What?" Marie asked.

"I said, the day after tomorrow, you'll be sent to the East Side Orphanage. It's on the other side of the city." he said. Marie shifted in the bed.

"C-can't I just...go home?" she muttered. The doctor gave a laugh.

"You're only fourteen, hardly old enough to live on your own. We were able to retrieve some clothes from your home. They're on the chair. You can wear them when you leave." he went to leave then, but Marie stopped him.

"What's tomorrow?" she asked. "I mean the date."

"Tomorrow will be the twenty-fourth." he said, and left. Marie blinked, and slumped into her pillow. Tomorrow was her mother's birthday.

"Huh..." she huffed, looking down at her bandaged arms. There was significantly less bandages than she'd had originally, and she was able to walk again without the bruises bothering her so much. She looked at the wall clock. It was nearly nine p.m. So, they'd send her to an orphanage, huh? Her gaze drifted down to the clothes on the chair.

She didn't think so...

...

Two hours later, Marie was walking through the city. Her sweatshirt covered her bandages, and her hood was up, hiding her face so no one would recognize her. No doubt there was a search party looking for her. Or maybe there wasn't. She didn't care.

As the meds wore off more and more, she began to feel the dull pain of her bruises again, but at least her mind was clearing up, and she was able to think normally again. The events of that night ran through her mind over and over again. She thought of her mother's sightless eyes staring up, never moving. Marie found that what used to be grief was forming into intense anger, at herself and everyone else involved. The cops, the operator, Black Mask. She was especially angered by Gotham's so-called "finest". They let it all happen without protest or question. And now, Marie's mother was dead and Black Mask was free. The emotions that were welling up within Marie were almost unbearable. It was chaotic. She stumbled, and leaned against a brick wall for support. A neon sign that read "Nitro" shined over her, and she could smell the alcohol and hear the loud music through the entrance of the club. Laughing women in skimpy outfits walked in. Marie shook her head, and went to lift herself from the wall, when she caught sight of a familiar black car parked outside the club.

"Small world..." she muttered, staring at Black Mask's vehicle. She wondered if he'd have her killed if he saw her, and figured the chances of exactly that were high. With that thought in her mind, she walked to the entrance, and pushed the door open. "Que sera, sera..."

...

A block away from the club, a person walked casually on the telephone wires. He huffed, the lids of his black eyes lowering.

"I'm bored..." he mumbled, cracking his neck and removing stray strands of his black hair from his face. His orange cat mewed at him from the top of a telephone pole, and he frowned. "We did that yesterday, you're not helping...stupid cat." he said, and he viewed the city under him, cars passing below and people walking by with their minds on nothing but last minute sales before Christmas. The figure's frown deepened into a pout. "All that happened this week is two old ladies fought over a Tickle-Me Elmo. This sucks..." he walked over to his cat and leaned on the telephone pole. "Where's the mayhem, my darling Teekl?" he asked. The cat made a throaty noise, and he sighed. "This town is usually so lively. There used to be so many delightfully destructive events to witness. Now there's nothi-"

The figure stopped himself when he felt a sudden pull. It was like a small string in his mind that suddenly went taught, and he turned his head in the direction the tug came from. His dark eyes landed on the club, and he smiled. Something wonderfully awful was brewing there, he could feel the intensity growing ever higher. A single flame of absolute chaos, growing bit by bit, needing his guidance to turn into a full-on fire.

"I think, Teekle dearest, that something promising may have just come up..."

...

In the club, Black Mask lounged in one of the booths, flanked by two lovely blonde women. The multicolored strobe lights lit the area in flashes bright enough to cause seizures, and the dance music made it near impossible to hear anyone more than ten feet away from you. The level of the bass was high enough to knock someone out of their seat, should the right song come up.

"I love this place." one of the girls with Mask said. "It's so chill, you know?"

"Shut up..." he told her, and she gave him a look before returning to inspecting her nails. Mask stared out into the crowd of dancing people, most of them years younger than he was. He noticed a handsome young man dancing in the center with some girls, and Mask tapped the black mask that would cover his face for the rest of his life. He used to look good. But now...

He snapped his fingers and one of his lackeys walked up to him.

"Yeah, boss?"

"See that kid over there?" Mask asked, pointing to the man in the crowd.

"Yeah."

"He's bothering me. Punch him and throw him out..."

"Alright boss." his lackey said, cracking his knuckles as he stepped into the crowd to do as he was told. Mask smiled.

"It's good bein' me..." he said.

"Yeah, I bet it is..." Mask heard a voice say. He looked to his left to see Marie walking toward him, a bottle of cola in her hand. One of his guards blocked her.

"Let her through." Mask said, and smiled. "She won't do nothin'. She's a smart kid."

Marie gave the guard a look before sitting across from her former employer.

"How's it been?" she asked. Mask smirked, and looked to the two blondes flanking him.

"Go away." he said. Each girl huffed as they gathered their things and made their way from the table. Marie gave an expression of amusement.

"Polite as ever..." she said. Mask rest both of his arms on the back of his seat.

"Don't need to be polite when you got money, kid." he said. "The girls come racin' back no matter how you treat 'em."

"Such the gentleman."

"You're still supposed to be in the hospital, aren't ya?" he asked.

"Why would you know that?"

"I like to keep tabs on people, just in case they get stupid ideas..."

"Like ratting you out? You already proved that no one would believe me, and even if they did they wouldn't do anything knowing they'd be rewarded for their silence." Marie said, setting her coke down and leaning her elbows on the table. "Besides, I'm a smart kid remember? Why would I have any stupid ideas?"

"I guess you're right." he said. "So why the hell are you here? What do you want?"

"I want you to kill me." she said, and Mask froze. She looked into his eyes. "You're not the kind of person to leave a job unfinished." she said. "And there's no one to miss me when I'm gone." Mask blinked, and laughed.

"Damn kid, I thought you were smart!" he yelled, smacking the table once as he attempted to control the laughter. "Willin' to die just because you had a rough day!" finally he stopped laughing, and slowly composed himself. " No, I'm not gonna kill you. It'd be too easy, not to mention pathetic. C'mon, whaddya really want, besides a bullet between the eyes?" Marie's eyes landed on her cola bottle, and she watched the condensation slide down and pool around the bottom.

"I don't really know, actually, which is weird, since I used to know exactly what I wanted." she said, and sighed. "But then you fucked up everything when you killed my mother." when she said it, Marie felt another swell of anger, only this time it was more intense, which surprised her. She gripped her hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

Off in a dark corner, where the lights seemed unable to reach, someone smiled.

"Well," Mask said. "I'm so sorry to hear that, truly." he scratched his head. "But, at least you have your brain still. I was nice enough to not blow 'em out of your head, you see. And you're still attending that academy." He leaned forward. "Here's where I'm gettin' at. Get an education, and get the hell outta this town. Go live your life instead of sitting here and moping like a damn brat. That's a damn good piece of advice if you ask me."

"I-"

"Not that?" Mask asked. "Alright, how 'bout money?" Marie looked at him them, surprise on her face. He smiled. "Oh, do I see interest?" he asked, and pulled out his wallet. He took out a number of bills and tossed them down in front of her. "There. Ten grand. Take it and go before I change my mind." Marie's shaking hand touched the bills.

"This is the money you owed me." she muttered, and he nodded.

"Think of it as a going away gift. Now please, go away." he said. Marie shook her head, not noticing the tears falling down her face.

"Now?" she asked. "Now you're giving me the money? After all that shit you put me through just to keep me from getting it? Why didn't you give it to me in the first place?" Mask shrugged.

"Welcome to the real world, kid. It's full of disappointment. You'll have fun here."

...

In the corner, the figure's smile grew.

"Oh, this is perfect..." he mumbled, watching her as she stared at the cash on the table. The orange cat mewled at his feet, and he hissed for her to be quiet. "Of course she hasn't done anything yet, you idiot. The poor thing is an emotional wreck. She needs guidance..." his eyes turned a blood red, and he melted into the shadows.

...

Marie didn't know what to think. The money she worked a year for, and lost her mother over, was in front of her. She could take it and follow Mask's advice. She could leave now, and get out of this city. She could live her life.

An image of her mother's corpse flashed in her mind, and she slammed her eyes shut. No. She couldn't take this money. Not after what the masked bastard did.

'You should kill him...' a small voice in her head whispered. 'He did so much to you. You should take that bottle and break it against his skull. Dig the shards into his skin. Let him bleeeeeed...'

Marie blinked and touched her forehead. What was she thinking? She looked up at Mask. He was talking, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. There was a ringing in her ears that drowned out everything, even the music. She saw something behind Mask, and her eyes widened. Her mother stood there, her sightless eyes showing grief.

"Ma..." she went to say, but her mother's apparition held her finger to her mouth to silence her. Her mother pointed at Mask then, and swept her finger over her throat with a smile.

'See?' the voice returned, and Marie froze. 'Even she wants it to be done. Kill him. You can do it. You want to do it. The bottle is already in your hand...' Marie looked down at her hand, the neck of the cola bottle grasped in it firmly. She gasped. 'Now all you have to do is strike...' the voice went on. 'Do it...'

"And hell," Mask said as he looked over at the crowd, not noticing Marie in the slightest. "Without that baggage of a woman to take care of, you can do a lot with that bit of cash, can't you?" he said, and laughed. "I mighta done you a favor!"

Something small snapped in Marie's mind, and she stood.

"I think I know what I want now..." she muttered, and he glanced at her.

"The cash not enough, you greedy brat?" he asked.

"You said I couldn't do anything to you, because I have nothing." she replied. "You're right, I have nothing. You took away everything from me. My mother, my home...and now I think you've taken my sanity. I don't think colleges take too well to nut-cases..." she lifted the bottle a little, and poured the remaining liquid on the floor. "But now that I have nothing, that means there's nothing to hold me back from having any stupid ideas..." Mask looked at her fully now, his eyes hooded.

"You're not scaring me kid, if that's what you're trying to do..." he said evenly. "I highly suggest you leave before I decide to stop being so nice..." Marie almost did as he said, but something kept her from letting go of the bottle.

"All you can do is kill me." she said.

"I can do much worse than that..."

"I see..." Marie said, and slackened her grip on the bottle. She looked up at him. "Then show me." before he could react, Marie smashed the bottom of the bottle against the edge of the table and slashed out at Mask, cutting through his suit jacket and raking against his chest. He shouted before she stabbed him in the shoulder. She heard someone laughing loudly near her, and her anger only rose into an intense rage as she continued to slash at Mask.

A large hand grabbed her shoulder and tossed her backwards. She steadied herself before she could fall and lunged at Mask again. His guard picked her up and threw her this time. Her head cracked against the middle of the dance floor, and everything faded to black as the crowd around her gasped in shock.

As the darkness took her, all she could hear was that hysteric laughter.