XI - Heads Will Roll
"People were like Russian nesting dolls - versions stacked inside the latest edition. But they all still lived inside, unchanged, just out of sight." - Megan Miranda, All the Missing Girls
•••
Bird lingered in the doorway of the kitchen in Wayne Manor with the smile on her face growing with each passing second.
Bruce, unaware of his sister's eyes on him, was hurriedly buzzing around the kitchen. The island in the center of the room had several cutting boards laid out with assorted types of lettuce and other salad fixings in varying stages of perpetration.
The sink was piled up with countless bowls, measuring cups and utensils.
She could smell fresh baked bread in the air and the counter had several baking dishes laid out. Some looked ready to go into the oven and others were still empty.
Bruce was in the middle of slicing up a cucumber to add to serving bowl of ever-growing salad when he finally caught sight of Bird.
"Starling." He greeted, his eyes going a little wide as he wondered how long she'd been there.
"Hey, little brother." She returned the greeting.
He watched as the smile never left her lips and she kept looking at him with an expectant expression.
"You look very nice." He complimented.
"Thank you-"
"Shouldn't you be on your way to the Founder's Dinner?" He added.
Her eyes narrowed playfully at him, "Trying to get rid of me? Why? Afraid I'll embarrass you on your first real date with Selina?"
"No." He cleared his throat but broke eye contact and tried to focus back on slicing the cucumber up in thin, even slices.
Glancing around the room again, she tried to joke, "You sure this is enough food for one night?"
He stopped midway through another cut into the cucumber, "It's too much, isn't it?"
"No." She quickly tried to assure him.
"I just…" He breathed, dropping the knife on the wood cutting board, "I want everything to be perfect."
Bruce pulled in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he tried to calm the fluttering in his stomach. When he finally opened his eyes back up he saw Bird watching him, with her hands clasped over her mouth in an attempt to hide the smile on her lips.
"Please don't laugh at me." He pleaded.
"I'm not." She cleared her throat and looked around the room again, "Here, let me help you."
She started toward the sink to wash her hands but Bruce stopped her.
"No, what if you get something on your dress?"
Turning back around to face where he was standing she arched a brow, "I can cook, you know."
"I know." He agreed, "It's just… your sort of better at baking and I want everything to be perfect."
"Alright…" She breathed, holding her hands up in surrender, "I'll leave it to you then."
"Thank you."
Bird watched as he abandoned the salad ingredients and started to set the table.
"Um…" She started before stopping herself.
"What?" Bruce demanded to know looking up after he'd placed a folded cloth napkin in the center of a plate.
"It's just….you know… maybe you don't two forks." She tried to offer a helpful hint.
"One is a salad fork and the other is a dinner fork." He blankly stared back at her. He knew very well she knew that.
"I know." Bird nodded, her eyebrows jutting up some as she waited for the realization to hit him.
"But Selina might not…" Bruce's face fell some as he realized what was standard for a nice dinner for himself might make his date feel like she didn't belong there.
"Thank you." He gratefully said as he started to rework the place settings, "I just want-"
"Everything to be perfect." Bird repeated back to him.
He stopped what he was doing and looked back up at her. Clearly Bird had more she wanted to say but was holding back -which only caused him further concern as that was so unlike her to do.
"What?" He pushed.
"Real talk?" She questioned.
"Always." Bruce answered.
"Tonight isn't going to be perfect." She said, "You're going to have a good time, but it's probably going to a little awkward -and you're probably going to go to bed tonight cringing over something you said or did-"
Shaking her head Bird added, "But just remember that Selina is just as nervous as you are right now and that she's going to have a good time tonight too, and she's probably also going to feel awkward at times to -and she'll have trouble going to sleep tonight because she'll keep replaying the cringe-y parts over in her head."
Seeing the fear and regret on his face, Bird walked over and rested her hands on his shoulders as she offered a smile and promised, "But that's okay. That's normal."
"Okay?" Bruce sounded like she'd knocked the air from his lungs, "How is that okay?"
"Because." Bird chuckled, "You really like her. You care about her enough that you've spent all afternoon trying to make everything absolutely perfect for tonight. And she cares about you too. Likes you enough that she accepted the invitation. It's going to be okay."
Slowly he nodded.
"You sure you don't want any help before I go?"
"I'm sure." Bruce nodded.
Even if the night wasn't destined to be perfect in every aspect, he still wanted diner to be an event. Something he could take all the credit for.
"Wow…" Alfred exclaimed as he walked in the room, "Quite the operation you've got going on in here isn't it, Master Bruce?"
Alfred looked over to where Bird was standing before offered, "Need a hand?"
"No, I got it." Bruce said.
"Right…" Alfred said, "What time can we expect Miss Kyle?"
"Six, I think," Bruce answered as he tossed the salad forks he'd gathered from the table back onto the counter and got a mixing bowl out to start on the chocolate cake mix.
"We'll see, won't we?" Alfred said under his breath.
"She's coming, Alfred." Bruce insisted.
"Yeah." Bird agreed, "She'll be here."
"If you say so, Lady Wayne." Alfred glanced at her again.
He wanted her to show up and Bruce's night to be as perfect as the young Wayne had intended, but at the same time he didn't want him to get his hopes up only to have them crushed back down.
"She will." Bruce repeated before leading, "Oh, and Alfred, when she gets here…"
"I know." He nodded, "I'll make myself scarce. I'll give you all the privacy you need. Within earshot, of course. And the lights on."
Bruce avoided Alfred's gaze and side-eyed Bird, who was struggling to hold back a laugh when she added, "And the door open? Damn Alfred, why not just have him set a third place at the table and you can be the third wheel."
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Alfred questioned her, "And going stag tonight? No Detective Gordon?"
"It's the Founder's Dinner." Bird reminded him, "Invite only; no plus ones."
"Ah, yes, that's right." Alfred agreed before pointing out, "But your dear friend the Mayor will be there."
"Yes, he will." Bird feigned a smile. She walked towards the exit as she plucked her small clutch bag up from the counter she'd laid it on and muttered, "Hopefully he'll get food poisoning."
Alfred watched as she left before turning to Bruce and asked, "What was that about?"
"I don't know, Alfred." Bruce shrugged.
•••
"Cretin." Oswald muttered under his breath as he scrubbed at the side at the silk fabric of his tie with a white cloth napkin trying to lift all the spilled champagne from the expensive fabric.
"Is that any way to talk to your best friend?
Looking over he saw Bird approaching him. Looking flawless as usual with a less than friendly smile on her red painted lips.
"Bird." He let out a sigh with her name, "Good evening."
He politely greeted before explaining, "I was speaking of the gentleman who bumped into me."
Bird glanced around wondering which other guest to the Founder's Dinner had caused the spill.
"Well, a friendly word of advice; be careful where you're hurling insults tonight. There are people here with far more pull in Gotham City than you." Bird offered up.
Though despite her words, the statement sounded anything other friendly.
It was just minutes ago she'd witnessed him speaking to the very member of the Court of Owls that had both she and her brother abducted.
"Ah, Bird." Oswald swooped a fresh glass of champagne up from one of trays a waiter was carrying past them, "This hardly seems your choice of venue -or event. I'm surprised you made an appearance tonight."
"I am a Wayne." Bird smiled, "Technically a Falcone too. My families have done so much for this city and the people in it. I've always had a seat at table -you're the newcomer."
Lowering his head some, Oswald chuckled and warned, "Careful, Bird."
"Why?" Bird took a step closer to him and his body tensed, "Am I getting under your skin? You feel like you might lose it? Close to snapping?"
When his eyes finally met hers; she dared, "Plenty of knives on the table over there. Afraid I'll push you a little too far and you'll snatch one up, press it to my throat in front of all these people and show the city who you really are?"
"Shut up." He hissed, clutching onto the stem glass so tight he thought it might shatter in his grip.
The still healing wound on the back of his hand from where she'd stabbed him with a fork the day of their fight started to burn like acid on his skin from beneath the fresh bandage.
"Shut up?" Bird's head cocked to the side, "Mr. Mayor, is that any way to speak to one of the biggest supporters of your political campaign? You do realize the only reason you're holding an office is right now because of all the work and support I poured into you, right?"
"Oh, Bird." He angled his head to the same side hers was tilted, "That nasty little mean streak is rearing it's head again. Of course, it always does when you don't get your way. When you realize all you'll ever be is second best."
Not giving her a chance to speak he quickly added, "We plotted to take over the crime world yet I was the one sitting on the throne. It doesn't matter how much credit you want to take for my being Mayor, not when I hold the title -not you. Though it's really nothing new to you, is it? Coming in second… not when your parents adored your brother in ways they never could you. And I'm willing to bet if someone was holding loaded guns to your heads that Don Falcone would choose Mario to live."
Bird's jaw tensed before an unsteady laugh slid out of her.
Oswald's head tilted back with an unhinged laugh of his own.
Perhaps the only thing keeping them from trying to literally tear each other apart was how they were surrounded by Gotham's elite.
"Jim picked me." Bird stated once she calmed herself down enough to speak without seeing the room pained in red, "Tetch made him pick. Save me or Lee -and he picked me."
"Good for you-" He started to say, but it was Bird's turn to have the floor and she didn't let him finish.
"No underhanded tactics involved; because he loves me. Unlike you having to sabotage Nygma's new relationship. Tell me, how much does Isabelle resemble Kristen Kringle? We talking they could be related or dead ringer?"
"How did you-" Oswald's face twisted up.
"I saw you speaking with Kathryn earlier…" Bird explained, "Overheard how you made a stop on the way here to inform Isabelle of Nygma's time in Arkham. And you know…" She breathed, "I'd imagine he'd be pretty upset with you if he found out."
"Hmm." Oswald's unhinged laughter returned, "You wouldn't do that. Bird, if you start spilling my secrets then I'd be forced to start spilling yours and… correct me if I'm wrong, but Jim Gordon still doesn't know you're the one who killed Lily, right?"
He saw her jaw tense and he bit down on the side of his tongue with a nod.
They were at an impasse. A stalemate.
Neither of them willing to back down and both capable of taking the other one with them if they fell.
Empty threats. Taking jabs only to try and hurt the other.
"I see no reason we can't be civil." Oswald took a drink of champagne.
"I'll try." Bird agreed, leaning in further as she centered his tie from where he'd been dabbing at it and left it askew.
Once she was done, she placed an open palm against his chest and gave a few pats with a crooked smile on her lips before pointing out, "But Oswald, you always did bring out the worst in me."
"Miss Wayne."
Looking over Bird caught sight of an old friend of her parents. She smiled a greeting at them and seemed to no longer have time for Oswald as she casually said, "If you'll excuse me."
He watched her, roughly drinking down the last of the glass in his hand as he watched her effortlessly mingling with people he knew very well she didn't care for.
If they weren't currently in the middle of a disagreement he'd have asked more about this Kathryn woman, who Bird must have known, to have identified her by name.
He couldn't even remember how he'd come about talking to the older woman with sharp, one might even severe, features on her face.
Nor was he entirely sure why he'd told her all about his intervening in Ed and Isabelle's new-found relationship.
At the end of the conversation he'd asked how she scored an invitation to the Founder's Dinner and she'd told him she came from one of Gotham's oldest families -and was also a part of a group that oversees everything of importance in Gotham.
Kathryn had parted with letting him know her cabal had -had an eye on him for quite some time.
Now he couldn't stop thinking about how Bird knew the woman.
After the bell was chimed to signal the start of the dinner part of the affair, Oswald made his way into the dining room and took a seat at the table diagonal from the seat Bird had chosen.
He continued to watch her with squinted eyes; wondering what on earth his best friend was up to.
Bird tried to ignore Oswald, who was openly staring at her from across the large table. She glanced up at one of the waiters who was holding a tray with some glasses of a red wine. He wouldn't make eye contact back. Just stared straight ahead.
Turning in her seat some, Bird saw the waiter on that side of the room was doing the same thing.
They didn't seem uncomfortable, just vacantly stared ahead -as if they were in a trance.
Oswald's brows lowered as he watched Bird seeming to grow more uncomfortable by the second.
He followed her line of sight to the wait staff and noticed himself that they seemed to be acting very oddly.
The former friends locked eyes from across the table and in near unison they scooted their chairs back, both deciding not to stick around to see what was going to happen.
But they'd only just gotten to their feet when sounds of gunfire rang out and the rest of the table erupted in terrified screams.
"What is this?" Oswald yelled at the man he'd seen earlier, the one who'd bumped into him and spilled his drink -who was now entering the room with a gun in his hand.
"I'm afraid your evening has been hijacked, Mr. Mayor." Jervis Tetch answered before his eyes cut over to where Bird standing as he greeted, "Bird, I must insist you take your seat."
Oswald looked over to see she did as she was told and he also backed up to his own chair to sit back down.
"I see the champagne didn't leave a mark." Jervis inspected Oswald's suit before brushing the barrel of the gun against his cheek and adding, "I'm so glad."
"For those of you who don't know me. My name is Jervis Tetch." He introduced himself to the crowd, "I promise not to take up much of your time. But the fact is that you are the heads of Gotham and tonight; the heads of Gotham will roll."
The Terrible Tweeds who always accompanied him now both cocked their shotguns and the waiters started to serve everyone a glass of wine.
Bird knew why they'd chosen a burgundy to begin the night; to hide the blood in the drinks.
Jim had called her from the hospital earlier that day to warn her that Jervis had stolen Alice's body. Once thawed out both her blood and the virus within it would be viable.
"But first!" Jervis continued, "A toast. A drink to your health."
"And if we don't?" Oswald protested.
"Change, my friends is nigh. Drink the wine or else you die."
He pointed the handgun at Oswald's face.
"Don't drink it." Bird spoke up.
"It must be poison!"
A voice rang out several seats away from where she was sitting.
"You've all seen the news reports about GCPD investigating a virus in Alice Tetch's blood." Bird announced, "That's what he's spiked the wine with."
With a loud laugh, Jervis walked over to her with a small serving tray in his hand's he'd had a waiter bring in. One so small it might contain a dessert tart and not much more.
"I'll offer you a choice." Jervis explained, "One that I didn't give James. After all, we've both been hurt by him."
"What did you do to Jim?" Bird swallowed hard.
It had been hours since she'd spoke to him.
"Drink." He nodded to the glass sitting in front of her.
"No." Bird stubbornly argued.
Her eyes cut back over to where Oswald was sitting as she advised, "Don't drink it."
When she went to turn back to Jervis, he lifted the lid from the small serving tray and blew the red powder right into her face.
"Bird!" Oswald gasped, jumping to his feet only to be pushed back down by one of the Tweeds and watch helplessly as Bird's body collapsed on the floor where she'd crumpled out of her seat, "Bird!"
•••
"Bird!"
Bird's eyes slowly fluttered open, she thought she'd heard someone calling her name. A familiar voice from her past echoing through the open air around her.
With wide brown eyes Bird stared up to a cloudy night sky with a blood red moon.
Her head felt scrambled. She couldn't remember where she was or how she'd gotten there.
Nor did was she able to recall why she was on the ground.
"Bird."
The view of the sky was obscured by a shadowed figure that leaned over where she was lying.
"Liza…" Bird breathed as the other woman's face came into focus.
"What… what is this?" She huffed as she scooted away on the broken pavement beneath her. Small jagged stones getting embedded in her palms during the scramble, "How… you… you're… where am I?"
"You got dosed." Liza simply stated, taking a step forward and extending a hand to her friend as she questioned, "Remember?"
After she was helped to her feet, Bird looked around her eyes traveling back to the crimson hued moon and slowly the puzzle piece memories started to fit together in her mind.
She remembered the puff of red powder in the air.
How it burned like acid in her eyes and stole her breath.
"Tetch…" Bird breathed shaking her head realizing this was all in her head. She was hallucinating, "You're not real. None of this is real."
Looking around the barren stretch of land, Bird turned back to her late friend and questioned, "Why are you here?"
"Maybe you missed me?" Liza guessed tossing her arms out to the sides and offering a smile.
Bird looked her over. She looked more like the Liza she'd first met. Messy dark hair, charcoal lined eyes, skin tight clothes complete with fishnet tights.
"Or maybe you still feel guilty about how I died?" Liza continued giving a shrug and a smile, "We're in your head. You tell me."
Bird's head dropped forward, shoulders slouched in defeat. Locked inside of her head was one of the last placed she'd willing choose to be.
"Here."
She heard Liza say.
Opening her eyes, Bird saw Liza was extending her hand once more only this time there was a ticket laying on her open palm.
"You'll need this." Liza continued.
With an unsure hand, Bird reached out and plucked the ticket up which read 'admit one', before questioning, "What do I need this for?"
"Come on." Liza dropped her now empty hand, arm lazily swinging at her side, "You know how this works. You've got to ride out the trip."
Bird stared in silence as Liza raised her arm again again pointed out to the side.
Slowly, Bird turned her head and followed the direction Liza was pointing. She staggered several steps back when she saw a large fence and gate that wasn't there just seconds ago.
Bird's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to see what lie beyond the gates, but a thick fog blocked her view.
"What's waiting for me on the other side?" She asked.
"Don't know." Liza softly said.
Bird tried to swallow down her fear; but her throat felt tight. Heart raced. She felt dizzy and there was a numbness starting at her finger tips.
"I'm scared." She admitted out loud.
When Liza didn't answer, Bird pulled her gaze away from the dense fog gathered around the gate to see her fallen friend, but she wasn't there any longer.
The only other being she was able to see was a dark hooded figure standing by the gate.
Pulling in a deep breath that left her lungs feeling like they were coated in ash, Bird forced herself to step closer to the figure.
They didn't say anything, Just held out a hand for her ticket.
A wave of sickness rolled through her stomach when she saw the hand was just bone. No flesh and blood. Just bone. Death.
With nowhere else to go and no other feasible options, Bird placed her ticket on the bone hand and watched as the gates slowly creaked open.
Each step she took into the fog felt like she was wading through water with her feet stuck down in wet sand.
The air was viscous.
Gluing her clothes to her skin like stepping outside on the most humid day of the year.
By the time she'd waded through the fog and came out on the other side she felt like she'd been walking for years. Her breath was gone. Mouth dry.
Her legs gave way from under her and she fell to ground. Knees landing painfully hard against pavement.
"How ya doin' sunshine? You don't look so hot."
The voice sent a chill down her spine and she didn't need to look up to see who had taken over Liza's place as her guide through the hallucination.
"No…" She groaned, shaking her head back and forth, "No way."
When she finally gathered the strength to look up she saw Jerome standing above her. Dressed like a carnival ringmaster.
"Miss me, gorgeous?" He questioned with a wide smile and wink.
White gloved hand extended to help her up.
"No." She repeated, only this time to answer his question.
Smacking his hand away she got up by herself and demanded to know, "What are you doing here?"
"We're in your head." He reminded her, "You must want me here."
"No." She repeated her new favorite word, "Trust me. There are a million other people I'd rather have here than you."
"Ouch." His face scrunched up in feigned offense.
Hands clasped over his chest, sweat beaded across his forehead and he doubled over as if in pain from a heart-attack.
The pained noises he made soon turned into a fit of laughter. The contagious sound echoing all around her. Filling up any empty space.
Amplified as if he had a microphone and she were surrounded by speakers.
Standing up he pointed an accusing finger at her and named-called, "Heart-breaker."
With another boom of laughter he questioned, "Get it?"
"Yeah. Ha-ha." She sarcastically replied, "Real funny. Hilarious, even."
There was a loud ding.
As if someone had managed to strike the puck hard enough on a High Striker game to ring the bell at the top.
Bird started to turn her head to see who else was there with them, but Jerome grabbed on her arm and started hastily skipping away, dragging her along with him like they were running late with somewhere to be.
"Ta-da!" He excitedly proclaimed as they wound up at the boarding entrance of a haunted ride attraction.
Bird stared as the empty cars moved along the exposed track; rhythmically.
One after the other disappearing through the shreds of black fabric at the entrance.
Each time one entered, just moments later another would come out of the exit. Slide forward and jerk to a stop after colliding with the one on the track in front of it.
Walking up the short metal stairs, Jerome turned and faced Bird as he offered a up a twisted smile and said, "Ladies first."
The heavy feeling seeped back into her extremities and it seemed to take an unusual amount of energy to climb the grated stairs.
Another cart on the track exited the dark ride and slammed into the one in front of it.
Bird stepped into it and sat down on the built in seat then Jerome hopped in beside her.
Their car was fourth in line to enter.
She held her breath, watching as they moved closer to the shadowed entrance.
One empty car after another getting swallowed up until it was their turn.
Her clammy hands gripped onto the bar in front of their seats as the track clicked and their car rolled through into the darkness.
The shredded fabric leaving a feeling of spider webs on her face and hair as they passed through.
Eerie music played once they were inside. Her throat felt like it was closing up from the over use of smoke machines.
Monsters leapt forward from the shadows and manufactured smoke. Attached to mechanisms that jolted the creepy figures towards the track -just shy of having them collide with the car.
"Any idea where we're going?" Bird finally asked. Pulling her eyes away from classic grim reaper figure off to the right.
Jerome started patting himself down. Acting like he was trying to figure out which pocket he'd left something in.
"Hmm…" He hummed, "Must of lost our travel guide. Oh well, well just have to wing it."
When the car jerked to a stop on the track. Bird looked over to see that same shadowed figure she'd seen on the other side of the gates, hooded with only an exposed bone hand awaiting her entrance ticket.
"What's that?"
Bird turned back to look at Jerome when he spoke.
He reached out as he added, "Behind you ear…"
Moving his hand back he proudly portrayed a single entrance ticket, clearly proud of and thoroughly entertained by his own magic trick.
"What's in there?" She questioned, "Facing my inner demons? Worst fears? Regrets?"
"Not sure." He admitted still holding the ticket out for her to take.
When she didn't make a move to exit the car, he scooted over, moving even closer in the already confined space and commented, "Isn't this cozy?"
Bird grabbed the admittance ticket away from him and quickly left the car.
Handing the ticket over to the gatekeeper, Bird was granted entrance to the first attraction.
She stepped through the pitch blackness. Cautious steps and arms outstretched to make sure she didn't run into anything -or anyone.
"Hurry."
"Bruce?" Bird yelled when she heard her brother's voice in the dark.
"Come on."
"Bruce?" She called out again, "Where are you. I can't… I can't see anything."
Her eyes were wide. Non-blinking. Searching for him but finding nothing.
Just a void. Emptiness.
"Starling, what are you doing?"
"Trying to find-" She started to answer until her hands finally landed on something.
Her fingers traced over the smoothed wood. Cool to the touch.
A door?
She felt for a handle until finally she grazed over a cold metal.
Fumbling with the handle, she finally got the door pushed open.
Hazy white light flooded out into the darkness and for a few bumbling seconds she was just as blind as she had been in the dark.
"There you are." Bruce said in a monotone voice as he stood in front of her, "I kept calling for you."
"I know." Bird blinked rapidly in an attempt to get her eyes used to the light and minimize the pain of her pupils constricting, "I couldn't find you. It was dark and-"
"I needed to show you this." Bruce turned and started walking away, "Show you what you've done."
When she was able to keep her eyes open long enough to get a look around she saw they appeared to be in a large freezer.
With an exhale she saw her breath turn to mist in the air and that's when she became aware of the frigid cold.
She wrapped her arms around herself and followed her brother deeper into the walk-in freezer.
"Why…" Her teeth chattered, "Why is it so cold?"
But her brother didn't answer. Just kept walking and Bird followed him.
Looking up she saw some meat hooks on an exposed track from the ceiling and nearly bumped into Bruce when he abruptly stopped.
"What are we doing here?" She asked.
"I needed you to follow me. To show you." He stated.
"Show me what?" She asked as she watched him pull a lever on the wall.
A mechanical whirring sound picked up and the track started to move the hooks along.
Bird watched as more hooks came through the thick plastic paneling covering an opening in the wall until the hooks were no longer empty.
Her mouth hung open, fighting for air amidst the horror her eyes took in as Bruce pulled the lever again the whirring stopped. Leaving her parents' dead bodies swinging on the hooks in front of them.
Translucent skin. Blue lips. Frost on their eyebrows and hair.
"Why?" Bird gasped, unable to pull her eyes away from them, "Why did you want to me show me this?"
"For you to face what you've done." He answered.
"I didn't!" She cried out, "I didn't hurt them!"
"You didn't hurt them?" He repeated back.
Shaking her head and scrambling to defend herself Bird clarified, "I didn't kill them!"
"But you did." Bruce argued, still speaking in a monotone voice. No emotion. No feeling. "They were sentenced to death the moment they took you in."
"That's not true." She argued. Tears burning at her eyes, "I loved them…"
"And that's what doomed them." Bruce explained. Staring straight ahead as he spoke, "That's what doomed them all."
He pulled the lever again and Bird watched helplessly as her parents' dead bodies were whooshed away, but that wasn't the end of it.
The hooks kept going, several empty ones until Liza's body passed them.
Then Fish.
"No. No." Bird gasped, "She came back to life."
"For how long?" Bruce asked, "How long for any of them?"
"What-" Bird started to ask but her question was answered before it was even fully voiced as the bodies of more and more people were soon on display.
Alfred.
Harvey.
Oswald.
Jim.
Bird couldn't breathe. The frost covered faces whizzed by, blurring together as she stood helplessly and watched the parade of the dead.
Loved ones, both dead and alive -mixed in with faces of strangers, some she even recognized as people she'd killed.
"Stop." She pleaded.
Seconds passed like hours. More and more dead bodies were on display. Even with the cold to freeze them in time the scent of decay started to rise up in the air.
"Stop it!" A shrill shriek escaped her this time.
"Why?" Bruce asked.
"Because I can't take it anymore." Bird admitted. A tear running down her cheek and freezing against her skin as it went when Jim's lifeless body passed in front of her eyes again.
Obeying, Bruce pulled the lever and the whirring slowed and stopped until the track finally went silent. Now with all empty hooks -except one.
The one right in front of her.
When she raised her head to see who it was, she couldn't breathe. It was her brother.
Dead. Frozen. Eyes open and staring right at her.
"Bruce!" She yelled, looking back to where he had been standing.
"Do you understand now?" He asked.
She frantically looked between the motionless corpse and where he stood by the lever.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but no sound came out. Only a thick trail of blood. Staining his teeth and running from his chin.
Her body shook. Trembled and not from the cold as she looked down and saw the edge of a blade protruding from his upper abdomen.
"NO!" She screamed, running forward to his aide. But she was too late.
The blade slid down, slicing him open. Splitting him at the middle.
Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't breath.
Blood poured out of his open skin. Organs and insides started to spill out.
She tried to keep them in. Tried to hold him together, but meat kept spilling out.
His blood felt like it was boiling against her near frozen skin; it hurt, burned at her frost bitten flesh.
"Poison…" Bruce choked out.
Bird watched as the places she'd touched him started to rot.
The air grew putrid.
The more she tried to help him the more he'd rot from the inside out.
Like her every touch was toxic.
He started to fall backward and Bird rushed even closer to try and catching him, but her feet couldn't find traction in the all the blood and her legs kicked out from underneath her.
She fell. Her mouth open in a silent scream.
Falling and falling.
Like the earth had opened up from beneath her and she was plummeting it it's core.
Arms and legs flailing in the air.
Until it stopped.
And suddenly she was back in the dark ride with Jerome.
Seated back next to him as if she'd never left. No blood on her hands or clothes. No traces of the horror she'd just seen. Nothing left aside from the trauma.
"You tell Brucey hi for me?" Jerome asked, wagging his eyebrows at her before he started to laugh and the car they were in rolled along the tracks.
"Shut up." She managed to say under her breath; still feeling like it was impossible to breathe.
"Don't wanna talk about it, eh?" He pushed. Staring at her as the car clicked to a halt on the tracks, "This is our next stop anyways."
"Don't forget this." He added handing her another single admission ticket.
Silently, she took the ticket and headed to door. The hooded bone guardian already there awaiting her ticket.
She didn't really want to go in. She didn't want to stay on the ride with Jerome either.
All she wanted to do was wake up.
Once she handed the ticket over she hesitated before going into door.
Pulling in a breath she pushed it open, finally deciding whatever was inside waiting on her couldn't possibly be worse than the previous stop.
After crossing the threshold it took her mind a few moments to catch up.
The red tinted lighting. The smell of booze in the air. Traces of smoke.
A live band playing from the stage. Noisy chatter whirling around her.
Fish's club.
"Bird."
Turning around she smiled as she saw Oswald walking towards her.
"Your leg." She motioned to him as he moved closer without the noticeable limp.
"What about it?" He questioned, warmly returning the smile.
Blinking she shook her head, "Nothing. Never mind."
"Are you okay?" He questioned walking past her and she nodded as she followed him up to the bar.
Slowly climbing onto one of the stools, she looked around the popular dive. Her smile growing as she saw Fish's back from one of the front row tables. Butch protectively standing by their boss.
Pulling in another deep breath of the air, she closed her eyes and let herself be taken back to a time that felt more simple.
She watched him in silence as he picked up a newspaper off the bar, left behind from someone who'd been sitting there before them.
Shifting uncomfortably from her gaze, Oswald nervously glanced at her sideways and pointed out, "It's rude to stare."
Letting out a laugh, she happily clasped her hands then nodded, "I'm sorry. I just… You have no idea how badly I've missed this."
"Ah!" He called out as he finally located the movie listings from the theater and slid the paper closer to her on the bar and asked, "Which film was it you wanted to see tonight?"
"What?" Her brows lowered.
"I'll collect our coats and we'll be off." Oswald offered. As if he were in a separate conversation than she was.
"Oswald?" Bird asked but he walked into one of the employee only rooms as if he couldn't hear her.
Looking around she noticed the club was now empty. No one else was there aside from her.
It was quiet. Too quiet without the hum of talking and laughter from Gothamites enjoying their night out.
Slowly, she slid off the stool and stood up. Looking around confused as she tried to figure out where everyone went without her.
"Ready?"
Turning around she let out a relieved noise to see Oswald had returned.
She wasn't alone after all.
"Can't we stay?" She questioned with a hopefulness in her tone.
"Stay?" He shook his head and laughed like she'd told a joke, "No, silly. If we don't get going we'll be late."
"But-" She stammered as Oswald held her coat for her to slide into.
"I don't want to see a movie." She verbally protested despite letting him help her get her coat on, "I want to stay here."
"Look around, Bird." He stepped closer and lowered his voice as if someone would hear them, "It's closing time."
The lights blinked. Signal for last call.
Time to gather yourself and belongings then head to the exit.
"I'm scared, Oswald." She openly admitted. She could feel the loss already happening as she looked at her best friend. If they stepped out of those doors she was going to lose him.
Her voice shaky and low, "I don't want to be all alone."
"Bird, don't be ridiculous." Oswald smiled at her, "You're not alone. You've got me. You've always had me."
Her face twisted up as she stood otherwise motionless.
Oswald reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out the dark gray knit hat she'd always wear in the winter.
Reaching out he pulled it on her head for her and repeated, "We've got to go."
The lights blinked again.
"Nothing makes sense out there." Bird pointed to the doors he was trying to move them out of, "Please Oswald, let's just stay here. If we go outside I'll lose you… you'll leave me."
"Impossible." He assured her, "I could never leave you. You are the most important thing to me, you know that."
"You say that now but-"
She started to argue but the lights blinked again. The air grew colder.
"We have to go."
This time it was she who said it.
"Right you are. Bird." Oswald agreed, offering up his arm to her in his usual fashion.
Looping her arm with his, she let him lead them towards the exit.
"Promise me that you won't let go." Bird pleaded.
"I swear I will never let go." Oswald vowed as they reached the doors, "You are my very best friend. I would rather die than live a single moment without you at my side."
Before she could respond he pushed the door open with his free hand. The frigid air swept in around them. Carrying a red powder with it.
Dust that coated her face and airways.
And she did the one thing she'd made him promise he wouldn't.
She let go of his arm to wipe her face and eyes so she could see.
"Oswald!" She screamed with her eyes still pinned close.
"Nope. Try again."
Bird popped her eyes open to find she was back in the ride with Jerome.
Looking around them, pretending to be searching for someone or something, he pointed out. "Still just us."
With that the gears on the track ground and they continued through the ride.
"What's with the sad face?" He questioned.
"He's my best friend." Bird stated. Her eyes cast down as she added, "My family."
"Family?" Jerome repeated back, "What has family ever been good for?"
"You only say that because you killed your own mother." Bird reminded him.
"So did you!" He burst out with a laugh and Bird stared straight ahead, refusing to look at him.
"Ooh…" He teased nudging her side, "Don't like that I know your dirty little secret?"
"Lighten up, Bird." He bumped her side again, "It'll stay our little secret. Plus… they both had it coming."
"Maybe." She agreed. Her stomach dropped as the car jolted to another stop, "But do you ever regret what you did?" She asked.
"I'm not getting the crap beat out of me on a weekly basis." Jerome flashed a wide smile, "So I'm going to have to go with no."
"You're dead." Bird reminded him.
"Ah." He huffed with his head cocked to the side and accused, "Buzz kill."
Turning as much as she could in the confined space, Bird sighed, "I thought I'd feel better with Lilith dead, you know? Or if not better than at least free, but I don't. Not really."
"Do you think…" Bird began, "That maybe killing them was more symbolic? Like we were trying to kill the parts of ourselves we got from them?"
"Nah." He shook his head, "I just wanted the bitch to suffer and die."
Pulling in a deep breath, Bird stood up and exited the car.
"You'll need this." Jerome called after her. Standing up in the car and holding out another ticket.
When she took it from him he nodded towards the hooded figure waiting for her to pass through and stated, "Last stop."
As the gears to the track cranked back to life, Jerome took a bow and called out, "Catch ya in the next life!"
Bird stood in place watching until the car exited the attraction and any last traces of his laughter dissipated in the air around her.
"Last stop." She repeated under her breath as she handed the ticket over to the skeleton hand and crossed through the pitch black and followed where she saw light bleeding out from under a closed door.
She tried to open it, but it was locked.
"Hello!" She yelled out. Pausing for a moment before she raised her hand and started knocking.
"Patience, Starling." Martha Wayne said with a chuckle as she opened the door and recalled, "It was never one of your strong suits."
"Mom?" Bird's voice came out with a forced exhale, like someone had grabbed onto her lungs and squeezed until nothing was left in them.
"Come." Martha smiled, reaching out for Bird's hands and clasped them in her own, "Join me for a drink. It's been too long."
"I've missed you." Bird nodded as she let her mom lead her into the room and she looked around.
They were on the screened in balcony on the second floor of Wayne Manor.
It was dark outside, a cool night breeze blew in through the screens.
"I remember these." Bird reached up and touched one of the many strings of lights hung up in the enclosed space, "I remember when we hung these lights up."
"Yes." Martha chuckled, glancing up at her daughter before focusing back on the corkscrew as she opened a bottle of white wine, "The first year you decided you were both too cool and too old to go on that hike with your dad and brother."
"Sit. Talk with me." Martha offered out a glass of the white and pushed, "It's just us girls again."
Bird took the glass and sat down in the chair across from where her mom was taking a seat.
"So?" Martha asked.
"So…" Bird questioned.
"Tell me about him." Her mom laughed, "You've got that look. You're in love. Who is he?"
"Jim." Bird answered, "He's, uh… well, he's a cop. A detective."
Her nose wrinkled, "Or he used to be."
Bird looked back up at her mom and added, "He's a good man. You'd really like him, mom."
Martha smiled widely and Bird's eyes fell to the glass she was holding in her hand.
This was something she'd always wanted. To sit with her mom and talk; connect. Bond. Not only as mother and daughter but woman to woman; friends.
To have an actual relationship with her that went beyond disappointment and feuding.
"It's really hard not having you around." Bird admitted, "Bruce has grown up so much these past few years."
"So have you." Her mom pointed out, "And I want you to know how proud I am of you for stepping up to be there for your brother."
"Maybe I shouldn't have." Bird set the wine glass down on the table, "I think I let him get too close. I think I poisoned him."
When her mom gave her a confused -nearly dumbfounded expression, she tried to explain, "He's got a darkness in him now and I know he's been through a lot; too much even. But I just keep thinking that you and dad radiated warmth and kindness and so the bad in him had to come from somewhere else. What if it's because of me?"
"No one is all good or all bad, honey." Martha watched her with concern, "We all have darkness in us. Your father and I are no exception. But it's the choices you make that count. If you dwell on that darkness then it's all you'll have-"
"Mom, I tried." Bird stammered, "I tried to be good. To do good. But everything blew up in my face. I have tried so hard turn things around and the more I fought against it the worse things got. Maybe I never really had a choice…"
"Of course you have a choice-"
"But do I? Did I ever?" Bird scoffed, "Nature vs nurture -and I don't think it's in my nature to be good. I claim you and dad as my parents; but that doesn't change the fact that I'm the biological daughter of a crime boss and psychopath."
"So it's tougher for you to focus on doing good, is that what you're saying?" Martha pushed.
"I just…" She ran her tongue over her lips, "I feel like any light that I had in me scabbed over and formed scar tissue."
"Then you fight harder." Her mom stated, "You learn from the mistakes in your past and make better choices for the future. Why do you think Liza was here?"
Bird's eyebrows lowered.
"You're still haunted by what happened with her and how you weren't able to save her." Martha stood up and walked over, extending a hand to her daughter and pulling her to her feet, "So, tell me why the self-proclaimed daughter of a psychopath and a mafia don would still be holding onto that, if as you claim, goodness isn't in your nature."
"Maybe it's just easier to pretend it isn't?" She added with a knowing expression.
The door to the room opened on it's own. What should have opened up into a more interior sitting room was instead a blinding light.
Bird squinted in it's harsh glare.
"It's time for me to go." Martha said as she leaned in, pressed a kiss to the top of Bird's head and started to walk for the light.
"Mom!" Bird yelled, "Don't go!" She scrambled after her into the blinding light after.
When she opened her eyes she saw Mario staring back at her.
"Can you hear me?" He questioned shining the pen light across her open eyes again to check for pupil dilation and response, "Bird?"
"I hear you." She sighed with a groan before pinning her eyes shut again.
"You're going to be fine." He assured his half-sister, "Tetch dosed you with a powerful hallucinogenic. If you were under much longer we could have lost you for good."
Bird cracked her eyes open again and glanced around the otherwise empty room, wondering who exactly this 'we' was he was referring to.
He watched as her eyes moved around before landing on the I.V. port in her forearm and explained, "Haliperidol."
"An anti-psychotic." Bird struggled to raise up in the uncomfortable bed, "Great."
With a smile, Mario asked, "Have you heard of a drug called Red Queen?"
When he saw the realization on her face he nodded, "Like I said, much longer and we'd have lost you. You and Jim are both lucky."
"Jim?" Bird's heart raced and she raised up in the bed more.
"He's fine." Mario held up a hand trying to calm her, "Tetch dosed him too. Here at the hospital actually. Left the bottle behind and that's how I knew what we were dealing with. I knew you had to have been given the same thing."
"What about Oswald?" Bird asked.
"Last I heard was that everyone made it out of the founder dinner unscathed."
"But he's not here?" Bird questioned.
After a short pause Mario suggested, "I can have someone call him for you-"
"No. She quickly cut him off with a forced smile, "It's alright. I guess I just thought maybe a part of him still cared if I lived or died."
There was a knock on the door just before the nurse pushed it open and said, "Dr. Calvi? We need your signature on some forms."
With a smile and nod to her, he then looked back at Bird and said, "Let's give it another hour. I'll have someone bring you some juice and crackers. Then you should be good to go, okay?"
Usually she'd have argued. Make it clear that she wasn't sticking around for longer to be monitored, but instead all she did was nod in agreement.
Even if she'd been given the all clear to go, she wasn't so sure she'd have the strength to do so.
Facing herself had never been something she'd excelled out and being taken on a trip through her inner psyche felt like it had drained all the life force from her.
•••
A/N - Thank you all for reading! I really hoped you all enjoyed the trip -haha!
I want to wish you all a great holiday season and since I'm not sure if I'll be able to update again before the end of the year - to wish you all a happy new years as well!
Thank you to: AGBreads, Shadow knight1121, xenocanaan, SmellYourScentForMiles, xxXWolfsLullabyXxx, Love. Fiction. 2018, Havana, Munyue, Katniss789, DancingDorisDay and to the Guests who left a review since my last update.
Thank you all for bearing with me as updates recently have been few and far between and understanding that I'm still trying my best to bring Bird's story to life and share it with you all.
Your reviews always keep me inspired to keep writing and posting updates.
xx