Chapter 7: One Crazy Night
A midnight storm made its way above Gotham City, every five minutes lightning would flash in the orange glowing sky along with the rumble of thunder. On the roof of Gotham's National History Museum, Catwoman was crouched down using one of her lock picks to open the latch of the skylight while Batman stood there, his cape draped over his shoulders trying to stay clear headed.
A sense of dizziness entered his body as his gloved hand touched his armored mid section. "What's happening to me?" He thought as his dark hazel green eyes gazed at Catwoman.
She lifted up the frame and placed her hand on the steel edge which switches odd the silent alarm. Catwoman turned her head and looked at the Dark Knight. "Patience handsome," She purred. "Breaking and entering is an art."
"Which you are a natural at right?" He commented.
"You would know."
She formed her crimson lips into a smile. Batman walked over, wrapped his arms around her waist and both of them jumped down landing on an office desk. "That was easy," She said with an insightful tone. "Care to explain just what are we doing here?"
Batman was silent as he tried to regain his focus. That jump if anything made his swimming mind feel submerged and he waited as the wave passed and he felt like he regained his composure.
"Always the silent type," Catwoman said as she jumped off the desk and headed for the Egyptian exhibit that was directly across them. She flipped her ear shaped goggles over her eyes and zoomed in on the red lasers that surrounded the floor.
"Careful handsome," She addressed placing her hand on Batman's armor plated chest. "Allow me." She positioned her body and carefully slid her slender shape through the lasers without touching one of them. She crawled and then did a back flip landing perfectly on her feet.
Batman was looking at her attractive features including her curved hips as she made it to the other side and arose. Catwoman used one of her skeleton keys that she used in secured areas and opened the lock of the switch and turned off the lasers. "Clear," She whispered.
Batman nodded.
Catwoman removed a vial of graphite power and smeared it over the lock to remove finger prints. Batman was right behind her, his long cape touching the floor. "Who says I'm not a good at what I do…"
He smirked and shook his head.
Catwoman removed to the office that had the name plate William Blackstone in black lettering then she lock picked the door and slowly entered the room.
"Now can you tell what we're doing here Bruce?" She asked in a direct tone and called him by his name.
"Gathering in-tell." He spoke shifty as both of them moved to the desk. Catwoman flipped up her goggles and sat in the leather desk chair looking through files.
"Nothing important." She said slamming the folder down and moving to a book shelf. One book caught her attention as she removed it and flipped through it.
"Selina," Batman growled. "Put it back where you found it."
Selina rolled her eyes under the cowl. "So enlighten me about Vedette the goddess of your desires handsome."
"That's nothing to talk about." He answered. "Stay focused."
"Focus? Why there's nothing that speaks murder in this place." She bought her attention back to the book she was holding and read: Bubastis or the House of Bast. The cat was sacred animal and the representation of the goddess Bast." She closed the book and placed back on the shelf.
"What does Bast have to do with Blackstone." She thought shifting her eyes back to the desk. "There's something hidden in this room."
Catwoman quickly walked over to the desk and checked for a locked drawer.
Batman turned and glared at her. "Selina,"
"Not now ," She instructed pulling out a lock pick from her belt. " Blackstone is hiding something and I'm going to find out why. Three nights ago I found vials of blood in ..."
"In what?"
Catwoman unlocked the drawer and pulled out it. Inside was a journal. "Found something handsome," She whispered in a playful tone. "And here I thought you were the detective."
Batman walked over and took the journal. He scanned through the pages.
"Well what does it say?"
"Mostly about his views on cults. Primarily the Bubastis cult in Egypt."
Catwoman smacked her lips together. "Hmmm..." she thought .
"Selina," Batman responded. "I sense that is something you're not telling me."
She moved in closer to the desk and pulled out another drawer. "Blackstone is dead Bruce."
"Do you know that for a fact? Remember it's unwise to make wrongful assumptions."
"You would know."
Batman acted standoffish to her.
"Look I'm not making an assumption I'm following the pattern here handsome." She pulled out a folder. "Blackstone was in Egypt, my guess is that he was going research about the Bubastis cult for an exhibit but he got carried away and met up with the wrong people." She paused. "He didn't come back empty handed. He bought the two twin cat statues and returned to Gotham."
Catwoman opened the folder and pulled out a sign statement of a shipment from Zagazig. "Zagazig is a town in lower Egypt and also where the temple of the cat goddess can be found." Her eyes met up with his. "Not bad for a cat burglar right?"
Batman bit his tongue.
Catwoman sat in the desk chair with her feet on the edge of the desk and read the journal. "According to these notes, Blackstone was doing most of this research on the two goddess of the Egyptian mythology Sekhmet the goddess of sickness that was originally for healing and Baset the goddess of the sun and moon. Looks like he's been investigating on a few underground cults that have the obsession with draining blood from..."
"From what?"
Catwoman looked up at him. "Part of the page has been ripped off."
Batman was beginning to have a dizzy spell. He loss his balance and fell onto the floor.
"Bruce," Catwoman said as she instantly walked over and helped him back onto his feet.
"I'm fine."
Before she could use a retort against them a small whimper made both of them turn their heads to a closet.
Catwoman acting on impulse walked over to the closet door carefully. She could hear a small faint cry coming from inside. Her instinct was to use her lock pick to unlock the door. She quickly removed a pick from her belts compartment and knelt down to placed the pick inside the hole and twisted her hand.
"Selina," Batman growled feeling light headed struggling to pull himself to onto his feet. He could not believe the effects he was feeling. He hated feeling weak and not in control of his faculties.
"Relax handsome. Let this woman do her work," she says while still focused on her task.
She unlocked the door and slowly turned the knob only to find a small child sitting in the dark with a blanket wrapped around her frail body. The child shook in fear at the sight of these two strangers.
"Batman," Catwoman said. "I found the treasure." Catwoman bent down to the child's level and could see the apprehension in the girls eyes. "It's OK. I'm not going to hurt you."
The girl's eyes widened when they gazed at Batman. She gasped and withdrew further into the small space she was confined in. Batman stood in the background, doing his best to stay lucid.
Catwoman pointed her thumb at Batman. "He may look scary but he's not going to hurt you either." Batman gave her one of his trademark scowls and an intense glare showing that he wasn't amused by her comment.
Catwoman could tell the child was unresponsive. She pulled off one of her gloves and tried to place it on the girls forehead. The child jerked her head trying to back away. Catwoman relaxed her movement to try and calm the child.
"I'm not going to hurt you little one," Catwoman said in a calming tone. "I just want to check your temperature to make sure you're alright."
Batman gazed at the woman in the leather cat suit. Never before had he seen her with much compassion for a stranger. He was beginning to wonder maybe Selina Kyle did change her spots. Maybe she's done being a self-serving woman that only cared about her own survival.
"I know that you don't trust me." Catwoman looked into the child's eyes. "Maybe this will help." She pulled off her cowl to reveal the face of Selina Kyle that had a hint of grey makeup on her eyes and bangs hanging down.
"See I'm just a woman that wears a mask."
The child cautiously held out her hand and touched Selina's face. "You're a..." She coughed.
This was Selina's chance she felt the child's forehead and then looked at Batman with alarm. "She's burning up."
Batman nodded. "Let's get out of there."
Selina scooped up the girl who held her cat cowl in her arms, looked at the door. "Shall we handsome?"
Just then the alarm went off, flashes of red entered the room.
"What?" Batman growled looking at Catwoman.
"Don't look at me. I didn't touch anything."
"No. Someone else tripped the alarm," he grimaced at the noise which didn't help his tortured mind regain any of its composure since climbing to his back onto his feet.
"Then I suggest that we leave before security turns the whole place into lock-down."
Leaving no room for argument, both of them headed to the door, Catwoman still held the child in her arms.
"Batman," She said knowing that it was unsafe to called him "Bruce" as that could give away his identity and children pick up things.
"What?" He quickly said.
"Could you be a dear and hand me your cape. It will keep her warm."
Batman unclipped his cape and wrapped it around the little girl. There was a sound of footsteps coming towards them. Selina looked at Batman. "Now what handsome?"
Batman unhooked his grappling hook from the belts' holster and lifted his chin upwards to a closed barred window. "I've got an idea."
"Oh. I hope so."
He grabbed Selina , pushed her up to his chest and wrapped his free hand around her. "Hold her tight." He commanded referring the sickly child. Selina put the cape over the child's head. Batman looked at the locked window above.
"That's our ticket out of here."
Selina turned her head in question. "The window?"
"Now is not time for complaining," Batman growled as he fired his grappling hook on the ceiling tile above and pressed the button on the middle part of his bronze belt.
All three of them shot up and Batman fired a mini bomb at the window, which exploded breaking the steel bars. Then he swung his whole weight with Selina and the child weights as well and then swung again.
"We only got one chance." Selina placed her hand over the girls head as all them broke through the glass.
Batman landed on the pavement hard, he felt the impact through the sole of his boot. He winced and settled Selina and the girl down gently.
"Well that was fun." Selina said releasing her body from his arms. She quickly looked the child over for cuts.
"Are you alright?" Batman asked.
"Since when are you the concerning type?" She asked placing her free gloved hand on his chest. Tension was forming between them but she pulled away and looked at the child. "I'm fine but I don't like our little friend is."
Batman pressed the radio transmitter in his cowls right ear. "Alfred."
"Master Wayne," Alfred voice answered.
"Patch me through to Gordon's cell phone."
"I'm on it sir."
Jim Gordon was making his way home in his black pick up when his cell phone rang. "This is Gordon," He answered.
"I found a missing girl. Gotham Museum." A deep voice stated.
"I'll be right there."
"She needs medical attention."
Gordon dialed 911 for the Gotham Emergency response unit and told them the situation.
Few minutes later...
Batman saw Gordon's black pickup pull into the parking lot. Gordon emerged from the truck and walked over to where Batman and the unmasked Selina Kyle stood with a child in her arms.
"How is she?" He asked looking at the child.
Selina narrowed her eyes down. "She's fading."
"I called for the emergency response team. They should be hear any minute. Any idea who this child belongs too?"
Batman shook his head while the sound of sirens echoed in the distance.
Selina handed the child to Gordon. "It's alright little one," She said with sorrow as she lifted her head and looked at the grey haired commissioner - a good man that she learned and respected over previous encounters.
"You're in good hands."
Gordon gave her a smile and nodded. Selina looked at the child who was now gazing upon her with gratitude in her eyes. Selina blinked and couldn't the help the feeling of immense satisfaction. "Is this what it feels like to be a hero?" she thought to herself.
Selina walked over to Batman who stood staring into the distance, appearing a shaken judging by how his shifted frequently as it did in the museum. She decided now wasn't the time to question him about it.
"So I guess I will see you around Dark Knight?"
Batman kept his mouth shut, he felt embarrassed showing his affection for a woman. Before he had the chance to reply to her question, red and white flashes reflected off the museums windows as an ambulance pulled into the lot.
"Thank you," Gordon said.
Batman gave Gordon a quick nod and turned to leave before the ambulance would arrive. He disappeared into the shadows trailing Selina but to his surprise she was gone.
The smell of dry blood underneath the finger tips that was touching flesh.
"Hello there," An vile eerie voice whispered like a hissing snake in the shadows. A middle aged man sat bound to a chair in the middle of dark office - blindfolded. He blinked repeatedly as his blurred vision could only make out a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
It swayed back and forth over head, the motion casting haunting shadows to move about the room aside from make his head feel like it was spinning with it. A slouched shape stood back against the wall watching him with sick amusement in his eyes.
"Where am I?" The cop asked with panic as he struggled against his bounds. His heart was racing as dozen scenario's raced through his mind and all of them spelled trouble for him. In the corner of the room the shape whose face was conveniently hidden by the moving shadows traced the edge of his weapon in his hands.
"What the hell do you want?" the cop yelled, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. He heard the sound of a tongue licking a pair of lips. He didn't know where he was, all he saw was darkness. There was no answer.
"Answer me!" he cried. He knew what kind of creepy place Gotham had become since Batman arrived and if he was lucky this was just a mob boss trying to buy or intimidate him.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid? Tell me do you fear death?" The sound of switchblade popped opened. The shadows shifted in the background enough for several clippings of a woman wearing a catmask to be seen. Bloody smiles are drawn on her face.
"What..." He was beginning to breath heavy; sweat was rolling on his bulky face.
"Answer me." The rough tone made his body quiver.
Fear overtook the detective as he imagined who his captor was and the very small likelihood that he might get out of this alive. He closes his yes, restraining tears. "Please I'm..."
"What a good man? There are no good men in this depraved world detective, you may think you're a good man wearing that fancy uniform but deep down there is something inside good men that turns them into monsters. A monster that can become useful in destroying justice." The captor paused as if thinking to himself.
"I'll give you an example, you see the average men walking the sidewalks without an idea that there is something lurking in their minds. Something that forces the monster to come out and devour everything that was once good to them. That made them feel noble to this society of law and order. You see once you take the fall and become senseless to your own power than you will become something that you hate," he hissed. The detective could feel footsteps circling his position and tried to control his trembling heartbeat.
"What?" he whispered quietly.
"Me."
The Joker removed the blindfold and placed the knife on the detectives lips. "Do you want to be a freak like me ?"
"No please..." The detective could do nothing but stare wide-eyed in fear at the psychotic clown in front of him who felt had nothing to fear or feel remorse in killing him. Threatening him wouldn't work, neither would bribing him, reasoning with him and he soon doubted that his pleas for help wouldn't sway him either. Joker chuckled maliciously.
"Come on it's not all that bad, sure you get judged for the scars and the yellow teeth but you'll find one day that acceptance comes from within. Now we just have to find the inner clown."
He took the knife and slashed the throat without missing a beat. The blood sprayed onto the Joker's white pained face and the clown barely blinked while the detective choked and started coughing up blood.
"There he is. Now laugh for death is a joke, it makes you feel free."
The detectives eyes rolled back.
"There. Now we're starting to understand each other." Joker gave the corpse a pat on the shoulder while he walked off cleaning his knife.
Nuita pulled off the black cat mask to reveal the face of Vedette. "I must say that your work is delightful to watch."
The Joker fixed his purple overcoat collar with pride, eyes skidding over his handiwork. "Well I do have a way with people."
Vedette smiled. "I know. That's what I like about you." She circled around him placing her polished finger nails on his shoulder. "You and I are going to own this town." She licked her lips. Joker remains still and watches her with a devilish glint in his eyes.
Countess stops in front of him and traces a stain of blood of his painted face. "Once the Bat is disposed of I will let you keep him as your pet. To torture, to mock, to do break as you would."
The Joker was liking the sound of that. In his insane mind he was picturing Batman in a cage with a chain wrapped around his hands and knees on the ground as Joker subjected him to watching his city burn and its people turn into the rabid monsters he believed they all were.
"I like the sound of that." He licked his lips then cocked his head to the corpse behind them. "Tell me what do you want me to do with the dead cop over there? Pinata? Gift basket to his loved ones?"
Vedette walked over to the lifeless body, untied the bounds and threw the body onto the floor. She pulled her sharp edged dagger from her over coat pocket.
"Ever watch what a butcher does to a dead pig?"
She hissed waiting for an answer from the clown. Joker didn't answer sensing it was a rhetorical question. "At first he drains the blood from the body." She bent down and sliced the neck releasing the crimson liquid onto the floor.
"Then they go for the limbs."
The Joker's eyes were beaming. Never had he met a woman that shared this level of blood lust like himself. Sure she didn't do it for laughs, but her imagination was impeccable. He was loving every bit of this woman.
"Usually most of my victims are alive like Blackstone snd that worthless fool that thought he could hide from me," she licked a smear of blood off her finger. She rose to her feet then sat back into the chair the dead cop had been tied to. She crosses her legs and smiles sinisterly.
"Yes. I heard that. You killed him didn't you?"
"I did more than that handsome. I killed his family. As we speak and loving family is at the Gotham Docks in crates waiting to the so called Gotham police to find them. I took the liberty of killing them by myself but the youngest daughter the seven year old, I kept her alive so that the Bat would find her."
"So you let the brat live?" Joker rested his shoe on the cop's severed head and rolled it like it was a soccer ball.
"No. I'm not that generous. She's been doused with a toxin that will kill her frail body within 48 hours."
Vedette rose from the chair and watched as the Joker gave the head a kick and turned halfway with a slouch and gazed at her with awe. "You are an amazing woman."
He moved in closer to her. "You got any more plans?"
"I don't plan. I do things on impulse. The perfect murder is never planned. There are no blue prints you just have to go there and do it without any concept of feeling guilty. But I have no guilt. I have no reason to care for the worthless souls of this city. They will all die soon enough." She soaked in her own words as she would in the power she wielded. The Joker approached the back wall and stared up at the photo he marked with a smile. -
"So what about the Batman's girlfriend?"
"I'm leaving her up to you."
The Joker licked his lips with thoughts of making her one of his best jokes.
"Do whatever you like to her but don't kill her. We need to have her alive so that the Bat will wish that he was dead." Vedette removed a match box from her pocket and stood up over the remains of the corpse.
"Poor man," she said looking down at the body. "He had so much potential in his life but I will gladly pay for his funeral." She lit the match. " Do you how to get rid of body?"
"Cut it up into pieces feed it to some dogs." Joker offered with a sadistic smile.
"That's one way. I prefer the less messy approach. All you have to do to get rid of unwanted remains is to light the match and watch it burn." She threw the match onto of the body. "We're done here."
Two hours later...
Bruce Wayne emerged from the passageway behind the grandfather clock that led to the cave. Alfred was sitting in a wing back chair enjoying a late night cup of tea as the dark haired billionaire winced holding his stomach.
"I warned you about too many late nights having a toll on your body," Alfred stated putting the cup down. Bruce turned and looked at his butler with a pale face.
"I don't know what's come over me," he said grimacing. "I've never felt these effects before." He thought about the time the Scarecrow gassed him in the Narrows with his fear toxin but this was a different feeling. He could feel the contents of his stomach rising in his throat.
"This is worse. It feels like my stomach is slowly tearing apart from the inside." Bruce had thought these ill effects had subsided after his last outing as Batman, but they wouldn't cease its hold over him.
Alfred arose with a condescending look. "You've always been a stubborn boy," he quickly stated. "Granted you have strong will- power when it comes to the common need of saving people but you need to learn how to take care of your own body. You're not getting any younger..."
"I can still do the things I used too." He interrupted with a growl. Alfred slightly grimaced at his outburst, he knew if there's was one thing his master hated talking about besides his health was his limits. Right now it appeared his limits we're being tested by whatever sickness had grabbed him.
"That may be but right now you look like you about to fall over. Sit down and I will go prepare a herbal tea," he eased Bruce into a chair and turned to leave the room.
"I saw her again, Alfred."
Alfred turned around. "Who?"
"Selina."
Alfred's face lit up. He adored Selina Kyle, she was a woman that had fire in her soul and never took no for an answer. He knew that the truth about the independent cat, that she was in love with his master. Deep down he wanted Bruce to settle down with her but he knew that would never be not when Gotham needed the Dark Knight to endure it's battles on the streets.
"Did you engage in another romantic moment?"
Bruce shook his head. "No." He said wincing and panting. "We found a little girl in a closet of Blackstones office."
"Who in there right mind would dare put a child in a closet with proper nourishment?"
"That's what I'm going to find out." Bruce arose but then felt uneasy so he sat down again. Sweat was pouring out of him and he could feel faint chills.
"Indeed. You stay right were you are and I'll be back in a few minutes."
Bruce nodded and made his way to the leather couch. He plopped his body onto the soft chair and pulled off his sweat drenched shirt. He swallowed hard and averted his eyes away from his torso. His skin had grown even more pale over the last 48 hrs. His hair was greasy and untamed, dark circles formed under his eyes from lack of sleep, his cheek bones had become more pronounced as his body fat seemed to be shrinking and his throat was scratchy while his stomach turned.
He laid his body down and swiped the sweat off his forehead. He thought over his performance tonight and how he was was disoriented for most of the mission. Had he been less capable of resuming his mental focus, he felt he would've put Selina and the child in danger because of his weakened condition.
"What happening to me?" He grumbled.
The sound of the door bell rang.
"I got it Master Wayne," Alfred shouted heading to the front door. He had a sinking feeling that it would be Vedette Countess standing on the stone steps. He had a unsettling feeling that with each visit she paid Bruce his condition seemed to be decline even more. He prepared himself and unlocked the door. He slowly opened the door with much surprise to see a youthful dark haired woman standing in a brown over coat.
He smiled, "Miss Kyle?"
"Hello Alfred, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" She asked looking at the white haired butler. "I need to talk to you about... Bruce."
Alfred nodded. "Alright. Let's go in the kitchen."
She nodded.
10 seconds later... both of them were sitting at the kitchen table, Selina was still wearing her overcoat. "How is Bruce holding up?" She asked with concern in her voice.
"Not good. He seems to be getting a bit weak and yesterday he was throwing up vile."
"Tonight it the museum he lost his balance," she said with grim reflection. She'd said nothing about it at the time as she had a feeling he would merely shrug it off. Alfred wouldn't though.
"He didn't tell me that part. Knowing him he never does."
Selina smirked. "The real reason why I came over is to warn you about Vedette."
"Yes, that woman appears to be very deceptive."
"I know. I don't trust her and I think she is the reason why Bruce is sick. The cat statue that Bruce sliced his finger on was dipped into cursed blood. I've done my research and found out that many worshipers of this deity Baset which the statue resembles have died from sickness."
"You think Master Wayne has been infected with this..." he asked unable to mask his worry.
"I'm not sure. For now we just have to keep an eye on him."
Alfred arose as he heard the tea kettle whistle. "He's in the study if you want see him, although he's a bit out of sorts."
Selina arose.
"I know something that will make him feel better."
Alfred smiled as he poured the tea in a cup.
Selina left the kitchen, her high heels echoed down the hardwood floor making Bruce raise his head and looked at the direction of where she was coming from.
She entered the room.
"Where did you go?" He asked.
"I had an appointment to keep." She moved closer to the couch. "Alfred is worried about you Bruce as I am."
"There's nothing to be worried about."
"Stop being a stubborn brat."
Bruce moaned as he sat up and let her sit down beside him.
"I'm here because I'm worried about you handsome."
He laughed. "You worried about someone other than yourself, that's a first."
She gritted her teeth, trying to restrain her annoyance.
"Fine if you don't want my help than I'll leave seeing that it's almost four in the morning." She arose but he stood and rubbed his bare chest against hers. She shook her head and tried to push away.
"No Bruce... I'm not going to watch you wither in your own destruction." He wrapped his arms around her. "No. I'm not going..."
"Oh shut up-" He said crashing his lips onto hers and they became embraced into a full minute kiss. Every thought of his sickness and Vedette melted away as he felt Selina's body heat rub off of him. The chills in his body were fading by her warmth.
Alfred entered the room and stopped in his tracks with a gleeful smile.
"Just what the doctor ordered," he turned and left the room still grinning.