Not Quite Human

Thoughts

Alternate/Mask Speech

Speech

Chapter 23: A tumble into Darkness

After making sure that Edward would be alright and Jervis was keeping Jonathan in check I took out my suit and slipped it back on. The metal framing had to be adjusted but Randi was able to help me with that. After attaching the claws and taking a good long stretch I spun around like a child until I was dizzy. I felt like myself again once I was fully back into my suit and my mask in place. I clipped my metal bikini top and bottom on and danced a bit from foot to foot brimming with energy. I had to run, I needed to jump and feel the air flying around my body. The sun was bright in the sky and the birds were chirping in the trees.

"Make sure not to go too far, I don't like the way Scarecrow keeps eying us." Max called out making me chuckle.

"Don't worry I've got this, I need to be free. To let the demoness out of her cage from time to time." I waved at everyone making Max and Randi laugh before taking off into the cornfield surrounding the house and jumping as high as I could. I felt like I was flying as I soared above the corn and landed on the soft ground with a loud thump. I giggled feeling free and just letting the air surround me as I jumped from place to place like a giant demonic frog.

I jumped until I reached the edge of the cornfield and a forested area sprang out before me. Without so much as a look back I began jumping from tree to tree, climbing them as fast as I could and leaping without bothering to check and make sure that the limbs would catch me. Climbing to the tallest tree I could I looked out over the landscape around me. Jonathan's little house and barn were still in view and it looked like someone was being chased around the house. I just shook my head and turned my attention to the forest before me. Nothing looked dangerous and I didn't see any wild animals so I took a leap and worked my way down to the lower parts of the tree.

I was sweating and pleasantly exhausted by the time I was ready to turn back and head home. I'd run probably several miles and my fingers were aching from using my claws so much. I ran and jumped back to that tall tree I'd surveyed the landscape from and took another look around. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary I jumped from it and attempted to catch myself on one of the smaller trees on the way down. Really bad judgment on my part as I missed grasping a thick branch and grabbed one that snapped under my weight. I slammed down hard on another branch feeling a cracking in my ribs and having the wind knocked out of me. I wheezed and righted myself on the branch before holding my ribs and taking a moment to let loose a string of cursing that would make Randi giggle.

After I caught my breath, I took off running again and began leaping a little more carefully as I could feel my ribs popping and crunching like popcorn on my left side. I was going to have to call Randi and let her know to have some ice and caffeinated beverages ready for me when I got home. Taking a leap to the ground I screamed as it gave way under me with the sound of splintering wood. I managed to see that the solid ground I was on was just some grass that had grown over some rotted wooden planks. As I began to fall into darkness I felt fear sliding up and down my spine like tiny daggers.

I tried to grab onto anything and everything I could to slow my fall. There were wooden planks and bits of metal sticking out from the sides of the walls and I'd almost grabbed onto a pipe to stop myself when my ribs cracked making me scream again and drop it. I didn't know how far down I was going but I was sure to be broken and bloody once I hit. I landed in what I thought was China by the time I slammed into the ground. I thankfully just landed on soft earth but I still felt something snap in my back and legs making me unable to move. My vision swam in and out as I lay there looking up at the small pin prick of light above me.

"I'm gonna die down here aren't I?" I managed to choke out those few words tasting blood on my tongue and I managed to flip my mask off before coughing up a lung full of blood and rolling onto my side. I couldn't feel anything under my ribs and breathing was becoming so hard. My vision swam in and out before I gave in to the darkness and blissfully passed out.

When I woke up again everything was dark save for the soft glow of my mask a few feet from my face. I rolled onto my stomach and coughed up a lung full of coagulated blood and hissed in pain as I managed to feel my legs once again. I popped my back and saw stars before freezing and taking it slow. Fuck I snapped my spine and that's gonna take the jump right out of me for awhile. I thought back and wondered if I'd broken my spine before and couldn't remember if I had. Sighing I curled up into a ball and took a shaky breath as hunger started to gnaw at me. I needed coffee and food if I was going to heal fast and I had neither. Could this day get any worse?

I had to start looking for a way out as the pain started to set in once again. I could feel my body shaking with wave after wave of it sliding up and down my spine. I dragged myself to my feet and picked up my mask. I could manage a slow walk but anything faster then that made my vision swim and gave me the strong urge to vomit. Licking my lips I slipped my mask back on and switched to my night vision mode. I was in a series of tunnels and nothing was marked. I looked up to see if I could climb back up and I would have to jump at least twelve feet straight up to catch a beam of rotted wood sticking out of the side of this pit.

"Who the hell doesn't put a warning sign outside of a freaking pit? Seriously I could have died!" I hissed out before starting to limp down a random tunnel hoping that one of them would lead up. After several dead ends and a few hours of being curled up in a ball crying in pain I finally found one of the tunnels that led upwards. I hated being underground and my phone function was acting screwy. I couldn't get any reception and I hoped to god that my battery didn't go out before I could get to the surface. Freezing I clutched my ribs in pain as another one popped back into place and began fusing itself back together. If I survived this then childbirth should be a freaking breeze for me.

I was near tears as I took the final tunnel knowing that I had to be close to the surface. I could smell fresh air and I pushed myself until I saw stars. I was so close to being out until I ran into several large wooden beams blocking the entrance closed. I was drenched in sweat and in so much pain that I could barely lift my head to see straight. Collapsing to my knees I wanted to give up and cry. I froze as a fresh wave of pain radiated up my spine making me fall onto my side and scream as if I were being murdered. My body thrashed as my spine popped and ground in a way that made me wish I were dead. Just before I gave into the darkness swarming my vision I saw that I had a single bar on my phone and dialed the first number that I could click on. Damn I hoped that Max wasn't out drinking because I wasn't sure how long I'd have service.

"Hey D where the hell are you? It's like midnight and you haven't come back yet." Max sounded exhausted but unharmed.

"I'm fucked up Max. Took a tumble down some kind of mine shaft and seriously need help." I didn't know where the hell I was or even how to explain how to get to me. I heard some yelling over the phone before Randi's voice took over.

"You bitch! What the hell did I tell you about being careful? Do you even know where you are? What happened? Did Batman get you? Did you get into a fight with a bear? What mine shaft?" She was rambling off questions so fast that I couldn't grasp them fully. I just groaned and said the first thing that came into my head.

"Dude just track my mask, and bring coffee or something. I'm like dying here." Before I could say another word my worst fear happened. The little battery icon started flashing across my screen and my mask went into power saving mode. My phone call ended and my mask powered down just enough to let me see but I couldn't access anything. Oh shit I'm gonna die, I'm too young to die and I haven't even done anything with my life! I threw a pity party in my head as I lay there covered in sweat and dirt with a body that was sluggishly healing and quickly losing strength.

I don't remember passing out but when I opened my eyes again my mask was dead and I slipped it up seeing as there was light streaming through the beams. The world was a blob around me and I couldn't see anything in any type of focus. I felt sick to my stomach as I dragged myself over to the beams and found one that I could peek through. I could fit my arm between the gaps in the beams but the wood wouldn't budge and I felt weaker then a kitten covered in butter.

I tried digging down under one of the beams and felt a small victory as I reached the base of them and started slowly digging a tunnel between two beams so as to keep them from sinking down and hurting me. I was on my stomach and only one arm was able to pull the dirt away from me. I dug until I felt like every muscle was made of jell-o and then I stopped to catch my breath. I felt microwaved my inside was burning up but my skin was freezing, I had sweat so much that my suit was caked in mud and some of the metal joints in my legs had seized up due to the grit in them.

I pushed my mask through the hole I made and started to inch my way through like a slug. Inch by inch I wiggled under the beams until I was on the other side and free. I could see daylight and the air smelled so fresh. I started crying as I reattached my mask atop my head. I was still blind but I was free and I crawled out of the tunnel I was in until I reached a tree. I laid down against the tree and cried feeling so much pain and relief flooding my system. My tears dripped down onto some exposed roots and I laid my head against the cool ground.

"I could really use someone to save me right about now. Anybody?" My voice was weak and I sighed taking in the scent of fresh earth and grass. I was spent and my body was screaming for me to get any type of food or drink into my system. I was half tempted to start gnawing at the tree root before me. I froze when I heard something rustling through the brush nearby. I visibly relaxed when I heard a familiar voice and my eyes raised to see none other then Poison Ivy standing before me.

"Well what have we here, a poor injured spider lily. Don't worry Ivy will take care of you." She purred as she walked over to me as if she hadn't a care in the world. I couldn't move much even if I wanted to and she softly cooed to me as if I were a small child as she lifted me into her arms. I winced and pain flashed throughout my body as my spine shifted and ground together once again. I managed to gasp out in pain before my world blacked out. I never saw the concerned glance that Ivy shot at me as she carried me off into the foliage.

When I awoke again the world was blurry and I was slightly chilled. I took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as stabbing pains filled my very core. I winced and grabbed at my chest feeling bare skin under my fingers. With shock I looked down seeing that I was in my underwear lying on a patch of soft moss. My skin was also slick but not with sweat, some kind of semi sticky gel that reminded me of aloe. I wiggled my toes to make sure that I still could and attempted to sit up. My spine ground painfully together and I flopped back onto the soft mossen bed with a whimper. I looked around the best I could but all I could make out was that I was surrounded by plant life.

"Oh my little sprout awakens. You should get some more rest; I can almost feel the pain you're in." Ivy's voice purred from my left making me turn my head to see her. I watched her blurry form glide over and kneel next to me. She stroked my hair and kissed me on my forehead making a wave of exhaustion shoot through me. I could barely keep my eyes open and before I could ask her what was going on I started to drift off. I could feel her reapplying the sticky liquid to my body as I slipped into dreamland once more.

I awoke again feeling in significantly less pain then before. I could take a deep breath with only a dull ache radiating throughout my body. Brief flashes of memories were drawn to the surface of my consciousness, Ivy holding a leaf full of liquid for me to drink, her having me eat some strange petals from a large flower she carried. I licked my fangs tasting something sweet still clinging to them. Then there were more flashes of her rubbing that strange plant gel on my body and I wondered if it was helping to dull the pain.

I could feel my bones shifting as they healed and I drifted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like several days. Ivy had been taking care of me the whole time and I had to trust her, not like I could really fight back at the moment. The pain in my body lessened each day until it was just a constant throbbing in my muscles and I was glad to be alive. I was getting used to sleeping on a bed of moss when Ivy shook me awake with fear laced in her voice.

"Come now little sprout, I know you're still broken but Ivy needs to move you. Let's get this metal back on you and your skin slipped back on. We have company and not the kind I wish to entertain at the moment." She picked me up and half carried half dragged me over to a tree and started slipping the metal of my suit on. I must have lost quite a bit of weight as the metal wasn't fitting quit right and hung off my frame. My suit was also a bit loose and rubbed against my skin making it feel raw instead of clinging to it. Once I was suited up and my dead mask placed upon my face she dragged me off into the foliage.

"If you keep going this way follow the river and it will take you back into town, I took the liberties of slipping some cash into the pockets of your suit so find a place to hide until it's safe to rejoin the world." Ivy's worried voice drew my attention as she lowered my mask into place. I couldn't use any functions but the lenses helped clear my vision and what I saw made me cringe. Ivy was hurt, badly. She was covered with what looked like burns that were healing but still somewhat fresh and she sported several cuts to her face. I wanted to reach out and touch her to make sure she was alright but she just pushed me away and turned back where she had taken me from.

"Ivy?" My voice was muffled behind my mask. She snapped her head back towards me and shook her head as if to silence me.

"Go sprout, now isn't the time. If I can I will find you later. Now hurry!" There was a flash of fear in her eyes that made me quickly take off the best I could. My muscles felt like they were knotted and locked together and I limped along at a slow pace. How long had I been lying on that moss? I felt like my bones were healed but still weakened as if I'd been starved for quite some time. After what seemed like an hour I stumbled across the river and began following it. Sure enough it led me to a road just a few miles from the outskirts of Gotham. The trees thinned out and the bare dead earth of progress spanned out before me. I didn't see any cars so I walked the road until I reached the far side of the narrows.

I stumbled across one of the cheap yet clean motels and paid in cash, Ivy had stuffed my pockets with more money then I'd seen before and I silently prayed that she was alright. Surprisingly my outfit didn't even raise an eyebrow and no one bothered me as I stumbled to my room and let myself in. Locking the door behind me I also shoved a chair under the knob and looked around the small room. I had a single bed along with a small table in the corner. A dresser sat lopsided with a small TV atop of it and the bathroom didn't have any bloodstains or bugs in it.

Limping into the bathroom I had to know how bad my wounds were so I stripped in front of the mirror and froze at my complexion. I was a mass of fading bruises; they were a dull brown and green on every inch of my skin from my shoulders down. I turned to look at my back and grimaced seeing that the bruises there were fresher and still held some red to them. I was so thin I could see my ribs whenever I took a deep breath and they were still slightly spongy to the touch. Something in that aloe that Ivy had been rubbing on me had left my skin with a slightly green tint to it. I still felt like myself but I looked even more inhuman then before. What all had she been doing to me?

I was healed but I wouldn't be doing any running or jumping for awhile yet. I sighed and limped to the bedroom and sat on the corner of the bed before clicking on the TV and switching it to the weather channel. I wanted the background noise and it seemed the calmest bet. I froze when I saw the date in the lower corner.

"This can't be real; I couldn't have been out for that long." I shook my head so hard that the mask nearly fell off my face. It had been a full two months since the day I took my tumble. Ivy had hidden me for two months and nursed me back to health, but why didn't she contact any of the other rogues to let them know I was alright? Questions flew through my mind and suddenly a vision of Edward flashed through my mind. Was he alright?

I ripped off my mask and held my head in my hands as I shook trying to comprehend what all had happened to me. A single tear rolled down my face but it felt sticky. I wiped it away and looked at my fingers almost expecting to see sap on them. It was still a tear but instead of being salty it was sweet like honey. Blinking away the pain I collapsed onto the bed and groaned feeling my bones shift slightly from the pressure of my new position. I was still partially human right?