Chapter 3 - Family acquaintance

As expected, buying three whole yards of natural silk was not cheap and with Henrico showing up early, her funds were running dangerously low. Tanya would need to sell the meagre amount of shares that she had bought from Wayne Enterprises if she wanted to stay afloat for another month. Cost cutting was also why she bought the cloth unprocessed in the first place with the only exception being, of course, her new underwear. A properly made silk outfit would have financially ruined her even if she wasn't being exploited by the mafia.

Her sewing skills were a bit rusty, but she was confident that after a quick refresher at the library she would be able to cleanly line the insides of her clothes with it. That would not only make them bearable but would still give them the appearance of normal streetwear. No one sane showed off their wealth in Gotham if they were not confident that they could protect themselves. She had no interest in attracting undue interest with her choice of wardrobe.

Which was just a tiny bit difficult if she had to wear a bulky pair of sunglasses everywhere...

Strolling through the Thomas Wayne Memorial Mall – colloquially known as the Thomas Mall or the biggest marketplace in Gotham – Tanya kept an active eye out for a solution to her problem.

There were tourist stalls and pharmacies selling sunglasses or regular glasses but those wouldn't help her. Entering an empty optician shop on the fourth floor, she opted to simply ask an expert for advice.

"Good morning, Miss. How can I help you today?" asked the middle-aged man from behind the plexiglass counter.

Getting straight to the point she pointed to her face.

"You see, I have been in an accident recently-"

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that, Miss."

"Yes, and it has made my eyes more... sensitive . A lot more sensitive to be exact. Sunlight of any form is painfully bright for me and so I am forced to wear sunglasses all day. I was hoping you had an idea of how to help me with this problem."

"Mmh... Hard to tell without running some tests, but I assume you have asked your doctor already about this?"

Of course she had not, but nodded anyway.

He grabbed his chin in contemplation: "Mmh... I don't- wait. I might have an idea."

"Oh?" she politely encouraged him to continue as the man appeared to lose himself in thought.

"Ehm, have you ever worn contact lenses by any chance?"

Coming here had been a wonderful idea.

-W-

Sadly, she would have to return tomorrow while the optician dyed her lenses. Naturally there were no commercially available lenses that were tinted in a way that impeded human vision, because no one liked being blinded. The guy had not believed her at first when she described how dark she wanted him to make her sunglasses replacement, but a hundred dollar note had quickly convinced him to give it a try. Normally he only made stuff like that for Halloween when children wanted to show off their cool, scary eyes, but maybe he could break into a new market with this. Tanya wished him luck.

That left one last item on her shopping list: A couple of knives.

She had her trusty pistol of course; sitting well oiled and cared for at home. However a knife served many more purposes and was generally better all around. It could be used as a tool to cut ropes and cloth, it was silent when used in stealth, it never ran out of ammunition and was easier to conceal to boot. Not to mention that it was on average far less lethal than a bullet. Tanya didn't want to kill anybody if she didn't need to.

There were a couple shops that offered self defence knives but those puny things were overall useless, only meant for intimidation. Kitchen knives she had at her apartment and the crap that the army shop was peddling to teenagers wasn't worth mentioning.

Checking the clock and noting that she could still try her luck somewhere else before lunch, Tanya hopped onto the nearest monorail train to central Gotham, the middle island of the city's three main ones. It connected to the southern island through a wide land bridge which coincidentally housed Gotham's poorest district despite lying between the two richest. (At least if one discounted the area surrounding Wayne Manor which probably held a quarter of the region's wealth.)

The Narrows were a cesspit of poverty and violence if one believed the media and a region of great possibilities if you knew what was actually going on. Of course the newspapers and TV stations were right to call it a dangerous slum where people regularly lost their lives, but what they didn't talk about was that you could acquire nearly everything there. Mostly drugs and art pieces of questionable origin and used cars, but also unmarked weapons and perhaps – if the rumours were true – fresh donor organs.

It was there where her mother had bought the pistol in one of the better decisions of her life. Following in her footsteps by purchasing her own weapons there did not irk Tanya as much as she would have thought.

Not many shops were open across the dirty streets and those that were had uninviting looking steel gratings in front of their windows. Garbage blocked side alleys assaulted her nose as she searched for her target, careful to keep her face tucked into her shawl and senses alert for any possible ambush. Her enhanced hearing alerted her to a sound nearby, but it turned out to just be a shaggy looking cat stretching its legs.

'Garson's Variety Goods' was a nondescript title if she ever heard one, but Tanya supposed it suited its undoubtedly shady business just fine. Tucked into an unassuming dead end and barely legible as the sign was, she would not have found it if not for the address her mother left her. Given that it was her fault that Tanya needed to come here at all, she refused to be thankful for the information.

When she lightly tried the doorknob it didn't budge. She increased pressure and that ended equally fruitless. In lack of a bell she knocked on the metal door and found it shockingly sturdy.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

She tapped on it again, this time knocking off flakes of the ugly red paint where her knuckles met steel.

"Hello?!"

No answer.

'Figures. The owner is probably elsewhere or maybe even dead after all these years. What a waste of time.'

Tanya was on the verge of turning around when she heard a board creaking behind the door. A single sound that just yesterday would have been lost to her ears over the sound of wind and cars now signalled to her clear as day the presence of another human being.

"I know you're there. I just want to buy something! I have cash!"

A few silent seconds went by while she stared expectantly at the direction of the noise.

"We're closed."

Judging from the voice, the speaker was a young woman with obvious musical talent if she managed to make even those short three words sound melodious.

"I'll make it quick. I just want some good knives."

"You don't sound like you're from around here."

It wasn't a question, but an answer was demanded from her all the same.

"I'm not. I could buy some anywhere else, but I need something sturdy. Something that won't let me down in a real fight. Just good enough quality for chasing off a mugger won't suffice."

"And if you're not from here, how did you know about my cozy little store?"

"My mother told me about it a long time ago. Do you remember a 'Gabrielle Degurechaff'?

"Gabrielle is your mom?"

Tanya was about to reply when the door was ripped open and the most stunning redhead she had ever seen dragged her inside.

-W-

Something was strange about the woman that claimed to be Gabrielle's daughter. She looked like one of the countless homeless lying around after New Year's Eve, all pale and cold and frozen solid. Yet she was neither shivering nor delirious, so it couldn't be a health issue. Hopefully ... And what was up with those sunglasses in December?

Regardless, this was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. Pamela had never met the little girl that Gabrielle had spoken so fondly of, but if she was half as brilliant as she was described and half as wise as her mother then she would not be bad company.

It had been a while since she had a real conversation with a living person, so she felt somewhat awkward... Pamela hesitantly decided to break the ice.

"So if you really are her daughter, you must be... Tatiana, right?"

"It's Tanya actually."

Ouch. She walked right into that one. She had never really cared for the names of humans, so she forgot them often.

"Well Tanya, how is your mother then?"

"Dead. Has been for nearly three years now."

"What?!"

The words flew unbidden off her tongue before she could even register that she was shouting.

"What happened?!"

"Lung cancer. Ironic considering that, from what little I know, my father died from it as well."

Her throat clenched and her fists balled up at her sides. Pamela didn't know what to think or say. She just felt so... hollow. A dear friend had been taken from her and she had not even known it. Her life had become emptier and in her ignorance, in her cowardice she had not even realized it.

"God damn it."

"You can say that again."

The world was truly a cruel place. All those kind words, all those laughs had now become a monologue as the person she shared them with was no more. And they would never meet again. They would never get the opportunity to smile together again.

Forcefully, she wrenched herself back into the present and tried to move on. She could mourn later when she planted some flowers on Gabrielle's grave as a late and futile apology.

"I... I am terribly sorry to hear that."

"I am sure she would have been happy to know that you cared. Anyways, Miss Garson, I was under the impression you sold weapons here."

"I really don't. I'm more of a... herbalist, you see."

"Oh."

Seldom had she heard someone express so much disappointment while keeping their expression completely flat.

She winced.

"And my name also isn't Garson. That sign was already here when I moved in. Call me Pamela."

"Well then, Pamela, I am afraid I'll have to leave. I wish you-"

Tanya couldn't leave yet! Not now! She had to make at least a token effort to connect with her or else she knew she would regret it forever if she let the last legacy of her friend slip by.

"No! Wait! I- uh... I might have what you're looking for! Just, uhm... Did your mom ever tell you how we met?"

Gabrielle's daughter raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"I presume through her work? She got around a lot as a journalist over the years."

"Well yeah I guess. We worked together in the past on a few of her investigations. Do you maybe... want to hear about it?"

Oh god, she really was terrible at holding conversations. Plants were so much better listeners...

Her guest eyed the room warily (damn it, she needed to clean the front room more often, this was embarrassing) before massaging her nose and sighing deeply.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Yes! She had not messed everything up! Success!

"Great! Would you like some tea? I've made it myself! Come, I'll show you my greenhouse."

Despite the sad news, maybe this day could be the new beginning of something beautiful as well?

-W-

Gotham was truly a city of extremes. Here, in one of the poorest and most crime-ridden urban regions of the country lived a lone woman who could have been the top star of any fashion or beauty magazine and instead eked out an independent existence as a self-sufficient farmer. How was that possible?

When she had asked, Pamela had grinned mysteriously and evaded by saying that 'she knew how to defend herself'. If she was this confident then she must have indeed been a formidable threat. Still, the giant backyard greenhouse had allegedly remained unnoticed for a decade? Impossible.

"- And with my soil analysis we were able to pin down that those bastards were dumping their waste into the river. Three months later and that shithole got shut down for good. I would have never managed that without your mom. She was a real fighter."

Tanya sipped her tea. It was definitely the best she had tasted in her whole life, but she still would have preferred a coffee.

"Were you friends?"

The answer was obvious but she felt obliged to ask.

"Gabrielle was the best woman I've ever known. No one else actually cared."

"I'm glad to know that you think so highly of her."

And she really meant that. As much as she despised her mother for putting her misguided sense of morality before both their lives, she was not so petty as to retroactively wish her a bad reputation.

She let her eyes wander over the little jungle that they were surrounded by. Trees the likes of which she had never seen before were blooming in all colours of the rainbow, strange aromatic flowers proudly reached for the sun and twisting vines curled around everything, forming a soft carpet to walk on. Everything inside the hothouse gleamed in the richest verdant green like summer had never left this place of the earth.

Yet all that lush wildness was subject to a subtle order that she could appreciate. This was the work of a master botanist who had painstakingly planned each spot for each individual plant to perfection. Nearly no piece of flora went without sunlight and those in the shade seemed no less well for it.

"Your mother... She saved me. I think if she hadn't found me... I would have gone down a dark path. I was so bitter back then and in a way I still am, but what I am trying to say is... She showed me there are people out there who understand. Who aren't greedy, exploitative idiots. That there is... hope."

Tanya mechanically nodded her head.

"Preserving the ecosystem is of vital importance. Humanity is dependent on the natural balance of the planet and to destroy it is inviting disaster."

Short term gain was not worth a long term system's collapse. Avoiding climate change and resource depletion followed the same logic as avoiding inflation by endlessly printing money. Unfortunately most people didn't plan for more than a few years ahead and remained wilfully ignorant of the long term consequences.

"Exactly! Plants are precious gifts, not some endless stream of money to be ripped out of the earth!"

The trees and bushes around them wriggled around them, rustling their leaves as if to signal their agreement or anger. No, that must have been a simple gust of wind. She had been sitting here for hours already and was evidently fatigued to be entertaining such thoughts.

"As wonderful as this discussion has been, I best head home before it becomes night time."

Glancing at the darkening sky through the transparent roof, Pamela apologetically waved her hands.

"Oh, sorry. Haha. It's been a while since I had a guest. I don't get out much if you can believe it, haha."

"I'd imagine. With that neighbourhood..." she waggled her hands meaningfully.

"Yeah. You came here for knives, right? Come with me. I might have something in storage."

'Storage' as it turned out was a cellar with multiple shoddy shelves arrayed alongside its walls. On them laid piles upon piles of random junk. Tanya idly noted the alarming number of wallets, wrist watches and shoes. There was no way that they had been acquired legally.

Her suspicion was confirmed when she noticed a glass eye on the upper shelf and a small box with gold teeth beneath it. She was tempted to ask what Pamela had done with the bodies, but that would have been poor etiquette Not to mention possibly hazardous. Some questions better remained unspoken.

"Those should be somewhere around here... Ah! Look! Here are some knives. Feel free to take what you want. I don't care much for this junk. I just like collecting, haha ."

Tanya purposefully did not turn her back to her beautiful host as she rummaged through the box full of stabbing weapons. The majority were too weak to handle her grip strength if she squeezed too hard, but two stood out to her. They were obviously military quality with their thick and long black blades. One was in perfect condition while the other had become rusty along the blade.

On closer inspection the flaky brown substance flaked off fine after she ran her thumb over it. Dried blood?

Pamela sheepishly scratched her neck.

"Sorry. Forgot to clean them."

"No, no. It's alright." she placated the dangerous botanist. She definitely wanted to get out of this cellar now. It wasn't fear but healthy caution. She would not disrespect her mother's friend by underestimating her.

"Uh, if you're done here, do you have a phone?"

Only a landline one, but she supposed that she would buy a mobile flip phone soon. Cultivating a relationship with this woman would certainly be beneficial in the future. They exchanged numbers and after a brief handshake she went her merry way – as merry as a walk through the Narrows could be.

Dusk's orange light would have sent others into a frenzy, eager to flee from the encroaching darkness, but she relished the opportunity of loosening her sunglasses after wearing them for hours.

Prior to seeing him she heard the bum around the corner shuffling around, although his smell was hidden under the layer of omnipresent garbage. He seemed to be distracted looking for bottles, so she paid him no mind as she passed his position.

That was a mistake.

"Come here, bitch!" hissed the guy and as his dirt encrusted hand stretched out for her and the world abruptly slowed to a crawl.

In that singular moment Tanya felt the entirety of her assailant's being. She smelt his sweat, his damp rags and the stench of tobacco on his yellow teeth. Every muscle in his emaciated body was highlighted under his clothes in clear and obvious detail, describing the potential for every motion they were about to perform. The way his arteries pulsed and his heart weakly beat inside his chest told her more about his constitution than an autopsy ever could. At the frozen point in time she saw his very being and she understood .

Her arm shot out, violently displacing the air in its wake and struck him in the throat before his hand had even a chance to touch her. Indomitable and unyielding bone met feeble flesh and triumphed with a wet crack. Reverberating from the point of impact she could see his skin rippling out in waves before it broke under the strain and blood arced agonizingly slow through the winter air. The man's limp form was thrown backwards and crashed into the withered cobblestone street with an unceremonious splat.

His chest rose ferociously in one last spasm, one final attempt at drawing breath, but the instinctual efforts of the body to save itself were in vain. The spinal cord had already been crushed along with the trachea, sealing his end. There was nothing to be done as his hands weakly shook and his bladder emptied itself. And in the span of a few heartbeats later, her attacker whose name she would never learn, ceased to exist and became another unremembered corpse on the streets of Gotham.

Tanya stared.

That was not what she wanted to happen. Her fist was still outstretched, pristine as if it hadn't just pulped the neck of another human being.

That fact before all else stood out to her as... obscene.

Life was so cheap it had not even cost her the inconvenience of wiping her knuckles clean. There was no sense to it... If he had chosen someone else as his victim he would still be alive. If he had done something else with his life he would not be in this situation. In the end it all came down to decisions. Actions and consequences. Reactions and effects.

She looked down in disgust.

Everything in their lives had led them both to this point. Ultimately, what was the difference between him and her?

She had been in control. He had not been.

Tanya vowed to never end like he did.

No matter the cost.