Robin throws something on the ground just as Ozzy's men all begin firing at him. Smoke billows through the room, and I see Robin's visage running in the opposite direction.
"Oh no, you don't!" Ozzy declares, jumping out through the smoke and tackling me to the ground.
"Run Robin!" I tell him, making sure he doesn't try to come after me.
The smoke clears, to reveal that Robin's disappeared. Grabbing my arms, Ozzy pulls me to my feet, keeping my hands behind my back,
"You've been a naughty girl, haven't you? Thinking you can play with me one more time."
"I never intended to trick you Ozzy, just free the doctors."
He shakes his head, "No, that's exactly why I kept them around. I knew you'd come after them, you can be so predictable sometimes."
I snarl at him, but he just pulls me into a kiss, and I nearly gag as I taste raw fish and wine on his lips and tongue.
"Come, you wanna see the poor doctors? I'll show you where they are." he assures me, taking my hand and leading me into the elevator.
None of his men follow us into the elevator, as Ozzy opens a secret compartment in the elevator and inserts his umbrella into a keyhole. The elevator closes, and begins descending. I look up, if this elevator is up to fire code, then there should be an escape door hidden in one of the rooftop panels. I could escape through there. Ozzy sees my eyes wandering, and he pulls me closer to him, letting my head rest on his shoulder. Or I could just do that. Besides, if he really is going to take me to the doctors, it'll be the perfect opportunity for me to rescue them.
The elevator opens up to a dark sewer, with dimly lit wax candles serving as the only source of light. In the middle of the sewer water stands a boat shaped like a yellow rubber duck. Okay, the penguin submarine was reaching, but this is too much.
Ozzy walks up to the boat and gestures for me to board. I do so, and he follows, taking out a large rowing oar and beginning to push down the sewer.
"Don't be worried about running into any unsavory characters here. I've had this place sanctioned off from the rest of the Gotham sewer line for quite some time now." he assures me, looking down at me as he rows.
We approach misty waters, and Ozzy puts down his oar, letting the natural current carry us the rest of the way. He sits down next to me and, not saying another word, grabs me and pulls me into another kiss. Why don't I pull away? Why do I let him take me as he does? Why do I...enjoy his warmth, his touch, even as his possessive embrace practically squeezes me to death and his breath is horrid?
I pull away as the mist clears and reveals a cryptic hideaway, guarded by an iron wrought gate and many, many wax candles. Dr. Leland and Whistler both hang from the ceiling, bound upside down and facing the dirty waters below. Their bodies and tied up completely, and their mouths are gagged as well. Ozzy pulls his boat up to the stone landing, and pulls me out of the boat as I stare in awe at the doctor's predicament,
"How long how they been bound like that?" I ask him.
"Ever since I captured them, the boys come down here to feed them every now and again." he walks over to a lever and pulley system, with two levers representing the two doctors, "And sometimes, I do this." he pulls one of the levers and Dr. Leland is dunked into the water, her entire body submerged. I run to rescue her, but as soon as I get to the shore Ozzy pulls the lever again and Dr. Leland comes rising back up. He chuckles, "Fun, isn't it?"
"Not to me." I counter, crossing my arms.
He frowns, but then he smiles again, only this time the smile is malicious, "But that's not all…" he pulls both of the levers at the same time, and both of the doctors plunge into the murky waters. Only by pulling the heavy levers again are they unsubmerged.
"I was hoping I'd never have to use this as a tool against you, but you leave me no choice." he growls lowly, keeping both of his hands on the levers, "Sure, if I really tried to kill them, you could save maybe one...but definitely not the both of them. At least one of them would have to die."
"So what? You're asking me to choose?" I ask him, seeing the horrified expressions on the doctor's faces.
"It doesn't have to be a choice." he tells me, climbing down from the levers are approaching me, "Vow your life to me, and I let these nice doctors go."
He takes my hand, and kisses my cheek, before placing the ring into my hand, and closing it. My breathing accelerates, throw my life away for two women I hardly know? The logical side of me tells me to forget them, but, even if I were to refuse, would Oswald ever stop? As much as I'd like to think he would, the part that knows him, also knows that he wouldn't. And...and there's something else too. I...I want this. I want him, as much as I hate myself for it.
Taking the ring, I place it on my finger. Sparks fly in Ozzy's eyes, and he grabs me and lifts me, spinning me around, "Oh my darling, I knew you loved me all along, it just took the right push."
My eyes begin reddening, "Please...just let them go."
"Not quite yet dear, we've got a wedding to plan!" he declares, putting me down, grabbing my hand and rushing me back to the boat.
A black batarang comes flying out of no where, hitting the rubber duck boat and deflating it, sending it into the waters below, "Your time is up Penguin!"
I look up and see up on the details of the catacombs is, "Robin!"
Ozzy aims his umbrella and fires at Robin, who runs across the detail, and throws two more batarangs, each of them flying across the catacomb and cutting the ropes attaching the doctors to the ceiling. They both go crashing into the waters,
"Ha! Look what your precious Boy Wonder has done now! Now the doctors will die!" Ozzy declares.
I rip myself out of Ozzy's grasp and charge for the waters, while Robin prepares to dive from the detail, "You forgot Penguin, now there's two of us."
We both dive in at the same time, Robin going after Dr. Leland and I going after Dr. Whistler. I try to keep my eyes open as I spot Dr. Whistler sinking to the bottom of the sewer. I grab her at the waist and pull her up to the surface, bobbing up and tasting some of the disgusting sewer water in the progress.
I look to my right and see Robin is pulling Dr. Leland out of the water, and to my left, a dejected Ozzy, defeated again.
I help Robin untie the doctors, "I'll be right back, I've got a small rowboat I used to get here. We can use it to escape."
I ungag the doctors. Both of them in shock, Dr. Leland starts screaming, "What?! Aren't you going to arrest that monster!"
Robin looks over at Ozzy, who has his head bowed down and buried in his arms as he sits on the steps, "Yeah...we'll get to that."
He dives into the waters and swims out, leaving me with Ozzy and the doctors.
"Hang on, where's Dr. K?" Dr. Whistler asks.
"We found her in another catacomb, she's already up on the surface." I lie.
Ozzy chuckles, which turns into a eruptious laughter, frightening the doctors.
"Couldn't you...tie him up or something?" Dr. Leland asks.
I grab the ropes that'd bond the doctors and bring it over to Ozzy, "Alright, are you going to make this easy or difficult?"
He looks up at me, his eyes large and puppy-like, "Trixie, I love you."
I sigh, approaching him, and getting down on one knee. I take his hand, and give him back the ring, but he pushes it away, "No, keep it. It's yours...I'm yours."
I pull Ozzy into a tight hug and whisper into his ear, "Oswald Cobblepot, in another lifetime, we'd be perfect for each other."
I let go as Robin returns with a wooden rowboat. I tie Ozzy up to one of the stone columns in the catacombs before boarding the boat with him and the doctors.
I watch, solemnly, as we sail off into the waters, feeling a single tear fall to my cheek.
