For a small-town girl like Jessica Jolene Kent, life in such a big city would be terrifying for her. It thrilled her. Not many fascinating things happened while in Smallville. Sure, she's maybe been a part of a cattle roundup after the Lang's longhorns broke free from their stables during a bad storm, but that wasn't the excitement she was looking for.
She wanted an adventure.
Surely, she couldn't be blamed for that. In turn, Jess's life has always been a bit different from all the other children in her town of Smallville, Kansas. She was adopted, alongside her brother, Clark Kent. Her parents were the wonderful Jonathan and Martha Kent, a respectable couple with a farm that goes back five generations.
When they first met, Martha was raised in a rich penthouse that overlooked the skyline of Metropolis. Her father, a wealthy lawyer, and her mother a renowned doctor. She couldn't believe the backlash she got from her father when she decided to become a Homicide detective instead of following the carefully pinpointed roadmap to becoming the next best lawyer. To add salt to his, already dramatic, wound, she fell in love with a firefighter from a small town. Martha Clark, with her perfect chocolate skin and almond color eyes, made stubborn Jonathan Kent fall to her feet as if she were a goddess to be worshipped.
So, when Jonathan's father fell ill, he had to take care of him and his dementia declining mother. The couple recently eloped, they had no choice but to quit their jobs and run the farm. In turn, it was the best decision Martha had ever made. Out of the troubles they faced, a beautiful life was promised with two amazingly talented children.
Named after her kindhearted grandmother, Jessica Jolene was the epitome of the girl next door. She was a young woman, in her mid-twenties, with a hard exterior and a heart of gold. She was a mystery to most people she came across. A true and rather rare beauty.
Long black hair, perfect cream skin, long legs, a cute button nose, and an athletic body that she, selfishly, hides under baggy yarn sweaters and mom jeans. She was perfect, which reeled in most men she went on dates with. Until they found her caring and clumsy personality boring, leaving her single and lonely. She wasn't extraordinary, she wasn't a model, and she damn sure wasn't an actress. Just a regular woman of society, double blessed with the gift of a beautiful mind, soul, and face.
Now her stubborn, jackass, persona she gives off at work is completely her father. Once she's stuck on something, it's going to get done whether it takes months or years from now. It would have to be the devil himself to drag her away, by her hair, to get her to stop doing whatever task at hand. She doesn't have the time nor the patience to sit around and wonder if her knight in shining armor was going to come to save her. Time didn't stop for her and she damn sure wasn't going to waste precious seconds on a man.
And that, ladies, and gentlemen, is how Jess found herself in the bustling dark world of Gotham City.
She had just been promoted to the homicide department in Metropolis and soon found herself being transferred from the 54th precinct of Metropolis to the 32nd precinct of Gotham City. That alone sent her older brother for a spiral. It was no shock to Martha, she knew it was coming. Jess scored the highest, out of her other peers, on her NDIT- National Detective/Investigator Test. It was a matter of time before Gotham City, the panicle of homicides and sociopaths, would want her.
These days, Jess, and her brother hold many secrets. For one, they crash-landed on the fields of the Kent farm in a spaceship while holding nothing but each other. Not that much of a big deal, right? All her life, Jess has denied the use of her powers to just have a chance at a normal life. It confused Clark to no end. They could help the world with their gifts. Instead, Jess chose to slide on a blue ring, made from her home planet of Krypton, use her smarts, and help the world by bringing criminals to justice.
Currently, Jess tapped her foot against the dark oak wood floor of the restaurant with a bored sigh. She has a date, shocking for her to have one at that. She dolled herself up since, normally, she looked like an intimidating cop half the time. In the euphoria of getting ready, she forgot her ring at home, leaving her to deal with all her powers crashing down on her at once.
She tried to focus on the date at hand, which seemed to help. He was very handsome, a real gentleman, when he spilled his coffee all over her by accident the other day. She chalked the date up to him not wanting to get arrested but she said yes anyway. Going out with a handsome man and getting dressed up is a nice excuse to leave her apartment.
But said the man was running over twenty minutes late. She pushed back her curly hair while blowing a quiet raspberry. "Just my luck." She grumbled to herself. Life may give her the looks, but it doesn't stop her from saying yes to guys who just walk all over her. When she stood up from her booth, a man she recognized from another bad date stopped in his tracks. She brushed out her black dress that kept hugging her figure no matter how many times she puffed it out.
She pretended not to see him at first, turning around to look for someone sitting alone so that she could squeeze into a booth and convince them that they were together. No luck there. Instead, she slipped past a waiter and into the lady's restroom. She cracked the door open to see him waiting against the wall. He was going to stand there and wait to talk to her. "Oh, great." She sighed.
She spun around, checking to see if there was any way she could escape. Alas, there was a window that looked like it could fit her frame. Firstly, she put on her jacket to avoid suspicious stares from people. She then pushed the window open and wiggled her body through the opening. That was until her ass got caught on the upper frame of the window. "No, no, no, come on!" She growled while trying to push herself forward. "Ugh, tonight couldn't have gone any worse."
"Need help lady?" A voice called from the shadows of the alley. The man, dressed in a clown mask, whistled at her predicament. "Say, that's a sexy outfit you got going on."
Jess glared at him. "I'm fine, thank you."
"Don't be a bitch." He growled, grabbing her arm. On more than one occasion, Jess has had to use her powers to get her out of predicaments like the one she's in at the moment. And it looks like tonight was the night she would have to use her powers. She flung her arm forward and hit her assailant in the throat with her palm. There was barely any force to it, it felt like she tapped him, but to the thug, it was a full-blown punch.
He choked, falling backward into the trashcans. Frantically, Jess kept trying to push her way out of the window. If she went any harder, she was going to break it and she didn't want anyone wondering what the hell happened to the window that would warrant a giant hole on the side of the woman's bathroom wall.
The thug coughed a couple of times before getting to his feet again. "You're gonna regret that, slut." He cursed.
"You attack me, you're attacking a cop." She warned, motioning her head towards her badge on the ground. "I'm giving you a warning."
The thug only laughed in her face. "I ain't scared of a little piggy." A deep glare formed on her face as her blue eyes began to glow a vibrant red. She didn't get the chance to do anything when, from the shadows, another voice sprang out. This time, it made Jess's skin crawl with chills and that happened on occasion.
"Then you're going to love me." Immediately recognizing the voice, the thug tried to run away from the problem he had caused. A hook shot out, wrapping around his legs, and dragged him into the dark. Jess watched in shock at the way it happened so quickly.
Suddenly, heavy boots thumping across the ground made their way into her sights. The man was dressed, head to toe, in military-grade armor, it was black and grey with a bat stitched on his chest. Batman was a name known in Gotham. He was the savior of the innocent and the punisher of the wicked. Jess had never seen him in person, only a select few like Commissioner Gordon, have. She swallowed thickly at the piercing gaze he was giving her. "You're safe now." He spoke, much softer than the one he gave the thug.
"I… thank you." She looked behind her. "Can you maybe…?" She motioned to the window. Batman cleared his throat and stood in front of her. He opened the window, while also allowing her to wrap her arms around his shoulders so she could pull herself out. Out of reflex, he supported her legs. This resulted in her being carried over to the edge of the alley.
Meanwhile, Jess was a mess on the inside of her subconscious. So many thoughts were racing through her mind, and she didn't know which one to focus on. The best thing she could think about was which one was appropriate to focus on.
"Goddamit, he smells so good." She thought to herself.
Nope. She decided not to think at all. "Are you alright, miss?" She heard him ask. She blinked her blue eyes a couple of times before turning to meet his voided blue ones.
"He has the prettiest pair of blue eyes I have ever seen." She thought to herself once more. "I… yeah, I'm fine." When she realized he was still holding her, she motioned for him to put her down. "Thank you, again, I was… running away from this guy inside the restaurant after my date was a no show." She felt her cheeks heat up. "But you don't really care about that." She felt his eyes on her as she moved to pick up her purse and her badge.
"You're a cop?"
She smoothed out her dress again before turning to the Bat. "Homicide detective."
"You look a little young."
Jess scratched her neck. "I'm only 27 but I'll take that as a compliment." She gave a curt nod. "Again, thank you for saving me." She walked into the lit sidewalk and turned around. She was met with an empty alleyway. She furrowed her arched brows and investigated the sky only to find no one there as well. "I guess I'll see you around.
With a deep breath of the night air, she could taste the exhaust of a passing taxi and feel the prickling cold of the winter season. She pulled her red leather jacket closer to her body and moved with the late-night crowd that was from the subway below the concrete sidewalks to get home before the chaos started. If Jess stood still enough, she could feel the vibrating of the rumbling train shot past to deliver its passengers where they needed to go in a timely fashion. Since she remembered to put her ring back on her finger, the cold pinched at the skin on her face mercilessly.
In her hands was a blue, paper, coffee, cup that held a delicious steaming beverage inside known none other than coffee. On the sides of the cup, we are happy to serve you, was etched in a dark yellow Grecian font. It was unique to Gotham's corner stores, and everyone always had it in their hands. During the holidays, such as the one she's experiencing in the city for the first time, they served hot chocolate or gave out warm, creamy, cinnamon-filled, oatmeal.
Jess yawned in retaliation for the late-night shift she has. The air pushed out from her lungs came out in a mist. She cut through the crowd to walk through the spinning door of the GCPD. "Evening Detective." A voice, equally as tired as hers, greeted.
"Evening Jones." She replied, her voice sweet like honey. "Hope Jenny is doing good with her postpartum."
"Ah, the woman is a fighter." He smirked. "Oh, listen, the Commissioner wants to see you."
Jess stopped in her tracks and turned to face her friend that never left his desk. "For what?"
"I don't know, but it sounded urgent." He shrugged. Jess marched her way towards Gordon's office, the older man who has made her short time in Gotham feel like home. She's gotten to know his wife and daughter. His house was home away from home. Barbara, his wheel-bound daughter, instantly became a close friend of hers, besides Lois Lane of course. She was spunky, independent, and overall, the coolest girl in the world.
When Jess came into the Gordon's life, Barbara had just lost the use of her legs. She was shot in her spine by the Joker in the comfort of her apartment. Jess's spunky nature made Barbara laugh in what felt like years. Jim had no words and eventually started calling Jess his second daughter.
The Detective knocked on the door of Jim's office. "Commissioner," She started while opening his door. "I promise, whatever it is you think I did, it was Jones."
"Hey!" He shouted from across the room.
Jim turned his gaze from the corner of the room to Jess. "Come in Kent and close the door behind you." Cautious, Jess did just that. "We have a problem."
"And why is that?" She asked with a cross of her arms.
"It appears that you have an admirer." Jim handed her an envelope along with a carefully made rectangular prism. It seemed bulky and heavy. The worst things were running through her brain. It could be a finger, or it could be someone's tongue. But, then again, the box would be in forensics if it was.
"A very dangerous admirer." The same voice from the other night shot right through Jess's beating heart. She spun around to be faced with Batman once again. She decided to pretend what happened the other night didn't exist. "Familiar with him?"
She could hear his jaw clenching. "No, but I will."
To regain her professional wall, she turned to face Gordon. "Any idea of who it can be?" She asked in the middle of opening the box. The two men watched her before her face dropped. "Oh, man…" She picked it up from the box. "It's a Cryptex." She messed with the rotating letters. "These were popularized when the Da Vinci Code came out." She began to count each dial. "One word, six letters, each with 26 characters of the alphabet." She pursed her lips. "I've never dealt with anything like this before." She looked at the letter. "And I'm afraid it's only going to get more complicated from here."