Chapter 14
"Well, you've kept me waiting. What's the surprise for tonight Ozzy?" I ask him as he opens the door to the car.
He smiles, gesturing for me to go first, "Just a little longer my dear, you'll know soon enough."
With both of us in the back, the car drives off into the city.
I look out the window as the car drives through Gotham's downtown area, the bright night lights contrasting against the dark Gothic-styled buildings. Tonight I'm in a purple dress, down to my knees. Guess wherever we're going, it's too fancy for my usual Trickstress outfit. At least the dress goes well with my mask.
I feel Ozzy gently scoop up my hand and he kisses it, working his way up my arm until he reaches my shoulder. He then wraps his arms around my waist and looks out with me,
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
I nod, "Yeah...it sure is."
He looks up at me worriedly, "You're distracted tonight my love, tell me, what's wrong?"
Well, the fact that his two trannies beat me in my cell isn't helping things, but I least I got Candy's knife out of it. I have everything I need to escape. Now it's just a matter of time...but honestly, I don't want to. I'm dreading the moment I have to break his heart again, but I also know it's inevitable.
"That black box that Candy stole from you...that was your mother's wedding ring, wasn't it?" I hypothesize.
He kisses my cheek, "Now, now, don't spoil the fun for me. You'll find out soon enough."
He pulls me into a full kiss, his hands grabbing at my back and pulling me into him. He's scared. He's keeping me close, literally, he's worried I'll run out on him. My eyes still open, I see out of the corner of my eye the driver watching us from the rearview mirror, classy.
We arrive at the Gotham docks where a luxury liner cruise stands out in between all of the cargo ships. Well, I know he's not bringing me onto a cargo ship.
Holding my hand, he walks me over to the cruise ship, and on it's hull reads, "The Final Offer".
"How'd you come by this?" I ask him in amazement, as we board the ship.
"Somalian pirates." he explains, "Converted her into a casino boat for Gotham's highest rollers, but tonight it's all ours."
Of course it wasn't through legitimate means, this is Ozzy after all. Still, as we enter the ship, the bright lights and refined decor mesmerize me. Behind us, the driver quickly changes from his chauffeur suit into a waiter's vest. He's certainly keeping staff to a minimum here. Does he not trust his other henchmen? Probably not, for all he knows, they could be spies sent by Amanda.
The ship sets sail on the Gotham bay as we're seated at a lone table for two. The waiter lights the single candle in between us, and Ozzy puts one elbow on the table to rest his head on his hand,
"You know something?" he asks, his eyes droopy and loving behind his monocle, "Before I met you, I'd never had anyone pay so much attention to me. Well, except for Mother of course. You know, you remind me of her quite a bit."
I smile, "So you've told me."
He reaches his hand out and places his other hand on mine, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Oh, that's incredibly cheesy...but incredibly effective, damn you Ozzy, I'm blushing. I know what's coming next, but please, please prove me wrong.
The captain of the ship, this I can only assume by the uniform he wears, walks out of one of the side doors in the ship and over to Ozzy. He whispers a couple of words into his ear before leaving hurriedly out the same door he came in.
He lifts my hand up, and by association, the rest of me, and leads me away from the table. I smile, "What, no dinner?"
"No my dear, I'm afraid there isn't any time for dinner tonight. We've too much to do...too much to discuss." he tells me, as he leads me further into the ship.
We descend a flight of stairs leading to a glistening casino room, and then another leading to the ship's lower deck, where a special reinforced door awaits us.
"Where exactly are we going?" I ask, as Ozzy leads us into the door resembling that of a meat locker.
"Patience, darling." he warns, his tone darkening slightly.
I grasp his hand tightly, "Dear, there's something wrong, I can tell. Please, tell me what's bothering you."
He shakes his head, "My captain spotted that several of the usual crew members are absent without reason. It's nothing, really, I just figured that we should continue our activities away from the ship." he reaches over and wraps his hand around my lower head and neck, "Now, don't worry your pretty head with such things. You are having a good time, aren't you?"
I kiss him on the cheek, "Of course I am."
He sighs joyfully, his shoulders slouching slightly, "At long last...love."
The metallic door opens to reveal a dark flight of stairs. We come down to a deck of sorts, with rounded windows displaying the somehow still relatively blue Gotham bay.
I'm suddenly having trouble finding words, "Is this…?"
"I'm taking you on a tour of the Gotham bay." he explains, walking over to the controls at the front.
I look out one of the windows, and see that the submarine has two flipper-like plane wings specifically painted black and white. Looking to the front, the outside front of the submarine also has a distinctive yellow nose. So...the submarine's built and painted to look like a penguin? Even for Ozzy, that seems like a bit much.
Ozzy puts the submarine on some kind of autopilot before stepping away from the controls. He walks over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder as we look out at the underwater bay, the city's night lights glimmering down from above.
"I'm surprised there're still any fish here." I observe, watching a small school of fish swim by.
"Under that ugly exterior, you may find something beautiful." he muses, rubbing my shoulder.
He releases his hand and reaches into his jacket, getting down on one knee. Oh no…
"Trixie, and it doesn't matter that's not your real name, I love you. I can't help that and, and I know you love me too, however you try to hide it." he presents the black box, opening it, reveals the diamond ring, "Please...marry me."
Just then, a shadowy figure jumps out and tackles Ozzy, knocking him to the ground. Bounding back up, the figure's dark cloak billows around him and he rises,
"Ms. Kawacatoose, are you alright?" he asks, his expression hidden by his cowl.
"Batman...why did you save me?"
He grabs my wrist and holds up a vial of blood with his other, "You placed tracking microorganisms into my bloodstream. I need them out."
Out of the corner of my eye, Ozzy slowly gets on his feet, wielding his umbrella, "You...you again and again and again!" he opens fire on the both of us, and Batman throws his cape over me, shielding me.
The cape falls to reveal that the bullets had no effect on either him or me.
"Look where you're blindness has led you to Cobblepot...you're a lovesick fool." Batman retorts, leading me out of the submarine.
"What would you know about love Batman? And besides, you can't leave! We're thirty feet underwater! You can't escape!" he declares, reloading his umbrella.
Batman throws a batarang at his umbrella, knocking it from his hands, "It's over, Cobblepot."
"Trixie, baby, stay with me, please, I'll do anything. Just please...don't leave me to my solitude." he begs on his knees desperately.
Of course I want to stay with him, he's right, I love him. But there will always be something fundamental between us, and that's the law.
Batman hands me some sort of facial mask as he puts on a modified version of it on himself. I look back at Ozzy, and I want to run into his arms, promise him I'll be there for him forever. But I can't, I won't.
"It's for the best my love." I tell him, my tone melancholy before putting on the mask as Batman opens the submarine door, flooding the floor with water, and pulling the both of us out, shutting the door before too much water gets in. He pulls me up to the surface, the mask giving me just enough air to breath. We reach the surface, and he pulls me up onto the docks, my dress now soaking wet. He helps me up, rather gentlemanly for someone who I inflicted with tracking microbeads.
"You did the right thing back there." he states.
Even though his tone is gruff, cold, and monotone, I sense there's some sort of mutual understanding in that line. Perhaps he's fallen for some criminal before, wonder who?
"Love is never easy, is it?" I reply, getting up, "So, you want the tracker out?"
"Yes, and I know you can do it. In return, I'll give you these." he reaches behind his back and pulls out my Trickstess outfit, as well as my sack of marbles and daggers.
"Fair enough. You kill the microorganisms in the beads with an electric shock. I was able to do it with one of my marbles, but they're unmarked, so which ones do that is my best gue-"
"It's this one." he concludes, pulling a random one out and handing everything else to me.
With his hand, he crushes the marble, sending blue streaks of light coursing through him. After a couple of seconds, it stops, and Batman, completely unfazed by the shock, pushes a few buttons on his arm, and a holographic screen pops up, showing a heart monitor as well as some other information. Man, this guy has it all.
"Did it work?"
He nods, "Thank you."
There's an awkward pause, "Well...aren't you going to arrest me?" I ask.
"I know you work for the government." he explains.
"Ah." I look down at my outfit and equipment, everything's in order, "Well, thank you ver-" I look back up and he's disappeared. Must not be a social guy.