Author's Note:
Hi everyone! I'm so, so sorry that this chapter took me so long to get out to you all. I have had a rather rough start to 2013; including a bad fall on the ice, the flu, and an exploding computer. My health has thankfully returned, and I got a new computer over the weekend, so hopefully things will get back on track now. I did start a new semester today, so things may be a little slower than they usually are, but hopefully not too bad.
So anyway, I'm not totally thrilled with this chapter, but I knew I had to get something out to you all. Hopefully everybody likes this one, and will show me some love with some new reviews. Thanks to all of you for your continued support!
- I do not own any of the Nolan characters used in this story; I only own my original characters and ideas. I am not making any money from this story.
Chapter Thirteen – Haunted
Long lost words whisper slowly to me, Still can't find what keeps me here, When all this time I've been so hollow inside, I know you're still there Watching me, wanting me, I can feel you pull me down, Fearing you, loving you, I won't let you pull me down Hunting you, I can smell you - alive, Your heart pounding in my head - Evanescence
Jim Gordon was well beyond tired, in fact, he was pretty sure exhausted had flown by a couple of weeks before, now he didn't even know the words to describe how tired he was. The worst part was that he didn't see any end in sight. In the last 24 days they had successfully rounded up 74 of the 103 prisoners that had escaped Arkham. That was a positive, but it was hideously marred by the fact that all of the criminals that had been located were lesser threats. The true threats were all still running loose, and judging by the level of crime in the city, they were having a grand time. The topper on his proverbial cake was the new guy that went by Riddler. He was wreaking massive havoc all over Gotham and his riddles horrifyingly alluded to the fact that he was working with both the Joker and Bane. Gordon could not imagine anything worse than Bane and Joker working together, and they had a third man that seemed to be a danger all by himself. How could things possibly get any worse, he pondered.
At that moment Gordon was sitting at his desk and looking down at a piece of paper that he wanted to think of as a bright spot in the darkness of his current life, but was reluctant to do so. It was only a small slip of white paper with a vibrantly black bat on it. He had found it sitting on his desk moments before when he had returned from refilling his coffee mug for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He hadn't seen a sign of anyone else in the precinct, and so this felt like something the Batman would have done, but he also worried that it was no more than a dirty joke that was being played on him by one of the many criminals running loose in the city. It was really too much to hope for that the Batman would come back, though the fact that the Bat signal had been repaired was something of an indication that it could be real.
He sat at his desk fingering the fine paper for another ten minutes, his coffee growing cold beside him. Finally he stood up and strode out of his office, walking up the narrow stairwell and onto the roof. Only a small part of him was expecting to see the dark figure leaning against the still dark signal, so he actually jumped in surprise at the sight. He immediately pulled himself together and nodded more to himself than the man before him and cleared his throat. "So, you didn't die after all…" The words sounded rude to him as soon as they left his mouth, but he was really too tired and relieved to care.
The dark figure straightened in front of him and Gordon was aware that there was something different about him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The voice that responded was so similar, but… not quite right. "I symbol never really dies, it can only evolve." The man nodded at the signal and spoke again, his voice coming across with less of the rough nature that Gordon was so accustomed to. "It's time to use this again. I'll do what I can to help you. In fact, I already have something for you." He handed Gordon another piece of that bright white paper, this time with an address scrawled on it.
Gordon studied the man in front of him, every second that he was near him made him more sure that this was not the Batman that he had known before. That was not necessarily a bad thing; it just meant that he had to learn the tricks of a new helper. He would also have to learn whether this man deserved his respect and trust. There could be no blind faith. He looked at the address for a second, analyzing where the building was and deciding it was a location somewhere in the narrows, an apartment building if he was thinking of the right area. "So, what will we find here?" He looked up and found that the man was gone… of course. "Up to the same old tricks I see." Gordon mumbled as he walked back towards his office.
It looked like it was time to go for a little ride with some of his trusted officers. He sure wished he had been able to talk Blake into sticking around; he would have liked to have had that young man at his side right then.
Tiana had found herself hundreds of feet down the slope from the smoldering remains of her home. She lay in an ice slick of her own blood upon the snow and she could feel that her body was only still living by some strange fluke. It had been a painful struggle just to rise to her feet and she had half crawled up the hill to the rubble in search of help. She had not been foolish enough to really think that anything was left, but she had still held hope. There had been nothing but charred bodies and shattered walls when she had reached her destination, but she had found a men's dress jacket that was in nearly acceptable condition and had wrapped it around her shredded body, trying to fight back the icy cold that sunk into her flesh like daggers.
She had then fled the area as quickly as possible, hiking over the mountains for two days, and finally reaching a city with a port and slipping onto a ship undetected. She had already been getting sick by the time she had reached the boat, her injuries were deeply infected and the lack of food only made her weaker. The time on the boat did not help her at all, and when the ship had reached its destination one week later she had been completely delirious from a raging fever and desperate hunger.
She wasn't aware of how she came to be walking down a dark alleyway near the docks, she was just there. Her feet moved without her really directing them, she had no destination in mind; she didn't even know where in the world she was. So, when she heard footsteps behind her, she didn't try to flee, or to fight, she just kept shuffling forward. The voice that cut through the cold and the dark was gravelly and seemed to belong to the man that followed her, "A little late for you to be out without your, uh Daddy, isn't it little boy?"
She whirled around to face the voice, but in her weakened and delirious state she fell in the process, landing on her destroyed back. She let loose with a clipped squeal of pain, but she still tried to get back to her feet when she saw that the man looked absolutely insane. His face was covered in clown paint and he wore a suit that was much too large for him. His head cocked to the side as he looked down at her from high above her. His voice was less threatening when he spoke this time, "Not a boy…. Ah, you don't look so good girly." He crouched down next to her and touched her face with the tips of his fingers. "Oh my, you are sick. You know, I hate to be sick." He seemed merely conversational, and though she knew she should have been frightened, he was oddly soothing to her… there was nothing calculating in his mannerism.
He looked at her for a long moment, not moving a single muscle, and she could tell by his eyes that he was trying to decide what he should do with her, and at that point she really couldn't say that she cared anymore. She just wished he would decide already, his eyes were making her tired. Then his tongue slipped out of his mouth and quickly licked at the corner of his mouth and she was suddenly aware of the disfiguring scars on both sides of his mouth. His scars brought her a strange sense of comfort and familiarity, he was like Bane, or at least that was what her delirious mind told her. And so she gave him a weak smile and reached her hand to his arm giving it a weak pat. Her unexpected actions seemed to make his mind up and he stooped slightly forward and picked her up. "Well… let's go home. Hmmm?" She nodded her head feebly and then it sagged against his shoulder and she fell asleep.
Tiana awoke completely alone and rather disoriented. Her dream had left her feeling confused and rather angry. Though, the memory was not a bad one in her mind, it did leave her thinking of what Joker was capable of, and in turn, what Bane was capable of. Both were fully capable of great kindness and good, but for whatever confused reason they were both dead set on destruction instead. She understood that Bane was trying to exact some mad form of vengeance for his lost love, though the fact that she had been completely broken by Ra's and in turn rather insane seemed to have escaped his notice. Talia's plan had been utter madness in Tiana's opinion and the fact that Bane seemed dedicated to fulfilling the destruction of Gotham made her inexpressibly furious.
Then there was Joker… she had looked into his actions since she had been locked up and had been rather surprised to discover how heinous his actions had been. He had caused a fair amount of destruction to Gotham and had attempted a much greater amount, and though his signature was all over what he did, the things he had done did not match up with what she had seen of him during the weeks they were together. The other thing that didn't work out about what he had done, was that he had done it all alone, or at least without the help of his trusty sidekick… The Joker she had known did very little without the help of his trusty helper and Tiana felt certain that she needed to find that woman if she was going to stop what was sure to be in store for Gotham this time.
She spent several minutes laying in her cold bed, just thinking about all the possibilities and the things that she would need to accomplish that evening. There was much to do that night and she knew the first step was going to be leaving her chilly apartment. She had made her home in an abandoned apartment building that was only a few blocks from the warehouse that Joker and Bane inhabited. It made it easier to keep tabs on the two of them, to make sure that they weren't in danger and that they weren't causing too much trouble. Interestingly enough, neither of them was doing much, though she was certain that would soon change. From what she could gather, it seemed they were letting the man in green be the face of the operation at this point. And he did make a rather interesting face, she had to admit. He liked to pose riddles to Gotham and then watch them squirm under the pressure of probable death and destruction. His fun had already killed nine people, and Tiana was slightly less than amused in spite of her grudging respect.
Generally her nights mostly consisted of watching Bane from the shadows, although she checked in on Joker most evenings as well. She was pretty sure that Bane hadn't left the warehouse since they had first arrived, and Tiana could tell that it was wearing on him, though she wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't getting out and causing trouble. Not that she was complaining, she knew it was coming and she really hadn't formulated a functional plan for dealing with the issue yet. She knew that she needed to find Joker's sidekick, find out what had caused the breakup and try to figure out a way to reconcile them. She felt confident that Mad could put a stop to Joker if needed. That woman was a tough little cookie. Bane was a much more difficult puzzle to crack, however. It seemed that he cared about very little beyond his revenge; she had thought that he might care for her like she did for him, but after watching him every night for over three weeks she was certain that was untrue. It seemed as though he never even thought of her, and he most certainly wasn't looking for her.
While she was musing she was also stretching, and then she ate the last bit of cold pizza she had brought home the night before. When she was done eating she dressed in clothes that she had stolen soon after their escape; a pair of black leggings, a black tank top and a black zippered hoodie. She still wore the boots that had been in her box at Arkham and she still carried the weapons, but had given up the rest of her outfit because she had discovered that it really no longer worked for her. She briefly considered putting her mask on, but decided that it would most likely be a hindrance instead of a help on her mission that night. Tonight was a break from the norm… she had a new friend to meet, or foe as it may turn out.
John Blake was feeling quite proud of himself, in fact he was downright smug at that moment. Though it had taken a little doing in order to get Lucius Fox to give him the things he needed, now he was fully suited up, and out there doing what he was born to do. He had been flattered when he had realized that Bruce had left the persona of Batman to him, but he had also been frightened at first. Of course, once he had found everything that it came with he had been more excited than frightened. The fear had returned when the breakout had occurred at Arkham, but now even that fear was being replaced by a calm sense of awareness. He had finally caught his first big time criminal and then he had all but delivered him to Commissioner Gordon. Victor Zsasz was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey and waiting for pickup outside of a rundown apartment complex in the Narrows. He had even given his friend the address. He felt like a real life super hero as he sat at the computer in the cold, dank cave.
He had even found what he believed to be a very valuable piece of information in the room that Zsasz had inhabited. It was a hand scribbled note that had the Riddler's question mark on it. As far as he could tell, it was an invitation to join the Riddler. It also included an address, which was what he was looking at on the computer right then. The address belonged to a long abandoned warehouse that wasn't far from where he had found Zsasz. He was incredibly hopeful that not only would he find Riddler, but also Bane and Joker. It had been alluded to that they were all working together on a single large project. He could only hope that he was really that lucky.
His eyes were jerked from the computer screen by a strange shift of the shadows; he could almost swear that he had seen someone in those shadows, but when he looked there was nothing. He shook his head to try to clear it and then looked back down at the building specs he had been analyzing. When the voice spoke it sounded sinister in spite of its warm tone, "You know you're going to get yourself killed, don't you?"
Blake flew to his feet and spun in the direction the voice had come from. He was utterly surprised and confused by the form that stood in front of him. The most horrifying part of it all was the fact that the woman had gotten within five feet of him undetected, and he was sure that she could have killed him without him ever knowing. That fact alone was enough to get her point across, but he was also rather sure that she had no intention of hurting him, at least not yet. She was incredibly dainty, almost childlike in stature, but he could tell that she was most definitely an adult woman. A very dangerous full grown woman if her arsenal of weapons were any indication.
In spite of the fact that his whole body was covered in goosebumps and he had nervous chills running up and down his spine, he decided that the best course of action was to act confident. He strutted toward her with a lazy smile on his exposed lips and crossed his arms over his chest calmly. "What on earth would make you think that, my dear?" He tried to copy the deep and gravelly voice that Bruce had achieved while he was in the suit, but much to Blake's chagrin he sounded a lot more like a scared schoolboy than Batman.
The woman reached up and pulled back her black hood, exposing hair that glowed like dying embers and a face that looked like it belonged on an angel. Maybe the angel of death, but an angel none the less, he thought. She looked deeply amused and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but her voice was quite serious when she spoke. "Well, there are lots of reasons for my feelings on the matter, but none of them are terribly important at this point. Just know that you are not ready to be Batman. You think that just because Mr. Fox gave you some fun new toys, and you went through the training necessary to be a cop you are ready to become a true hero, but you are sorely mistaken. I for one would be sorry to see such a brave soul die so young… That's why I'm here of course."
Blake struggled to keep his calm at the words she had just spoken. How could he have left such an obvious trail? Was Fox OK? He felt his cocky smile fall, and he knew that he had lost any semblance of the upper hand at this point. He looked at her, just trying to figure out what to do, what she was going to do. Finally he replied and was surprise to notice how calm he suddenly sounded. "So, you're here to kill me then? Let's get it done. I have things I want to do in the afterlife."
He was completely thrown off by the way that her face broke into a mind bending smile. He was pretty sure that there was nobody prettier on the face of the earth, and he couldn't help but feel a rather primal attraction to the petite killer. He was even more confused when she slowly shook her head and spoke, "No Robin, I'm here to save your life."
Bane stood looming over a cold metal table, staring down at a large map of Gotham with an angry scowl plastered on his face. The last month had not left him in a terribly good mood. He was tired of hiding in the dank warehouse and letting Mr. Nigma run around playing crazy… or not really playing crazy he figured. He also found it tedious and annoying that the man insisted that they call him Riddler and answer all of his asinine riddles. He really needed killing… That would have to wait until the opportune moment however, because at this point Nigma was basically the only one that was able to get things in place for his plan.
The man in question walked in, arm in arm with that damn clown. Bane had spent a rather large portion of his time with Joker, and though he wasn't willing to say that he liked the clown, he did have to admit that perhaps he wasn't all bad. He was rather intelligent and had very valid ideas regarding the destruction of Gotham. After spending time with him he was certain that Joker was crazy, but not in the way that he and Talia had thought. He even grudgingly would admit that they probably would have done well to have released him when they were on their mission. With his help, things may have come out differently. In any case, Bane was not entirely unhappy that Joker was on his side this time.
He was entirely unhappy that the Little One was not, however. He knew that she would be a valuable ally, and he felt disconcerted that perhaps she would instead, be a dangerous adversary. There was also the fact that he had feelings about her that he hadn't been able to deal with. This left him feeling confused and apprehensive. He detested the fact that the thought of her left him prone, and the darn clown was ever attentive to that fact. Joker had told him several times that she would be back, but 24 days had passed and he hadn't seen a single sign of her, and he felt sure that she had left the city. If she had any sense at all, she would have. There wasn't anything that would stop him in his mission this time, least of all his confused and misplaced feelings for Talia's sister.
Nigma and Joker walked over to the table and glanced down at the map, without much interest. "You, ah, changing your tactics on us?" Joker spoke to him with a deep and somewhat rough voice, that didn't even hint at the high, nasally voice that Bane had expected from him. He shook his head to indicate that he was changing nothing, and then focused on the map again. He was studying the placement of the bombs that the three of them had managed to get under the city. It was going to be much harder to blow the whole city sky high without the use of a nuclear weapon, but it was by no means impossible. They had nearly all the charges placed at this point, and now it was almost time to put the plan into action. Almost…
"No, clown… there will be no changes to the plan…" He glanced at Nigma and shook his head. "Well, very few changes. And they have no impact on your part of it." His voice was once again mechanical and he felt contented by the familiar sound. His medicine was flooding his body, and keeping his pain at a very manageable level, even his newer injuries were no problem to him. He had been thrilled to discover that Joker was fan of chemistry, and he now had over two years worth of his drugs stockpiled thanks to the crazy clown. "In fact, I think it is about time that we move into the second stage of our plan… it is time for Gotham to feel the full weight of their fear."