A few moments later, Martha Wayne was the one standing in the spot, "Okay then... hopefully, we didn't mess up my clothes during that escape.". She walked over to her former 'cell' before finding her clothes and getting redressed.
"Probably should've lost the heels...", Martha admitted. She was somewhat starting to kind of enjoy the feeling of being barefoot; but that was more in her other form where the ground barely bothered Kel. Martha's feet, on the other hand, weren't exactly built to just ignore the rocks and cement, especially when she accidently stepped on a sharp rock.
"Ouch...", Martha bit her lip and grumbled, "Yeah... keeping the heels... if to avoid stepping on like a broken bottle or a nail and having to get a tetanus shot.".
It was a couple of minutes later before Martha slowly pushed away a sewer cover to allow herself out of the sewers and back on the streets of Gotham. She was walking out of the alleyway she came out of before a police car drove by and she waved it down.
"Hi there.", Martha smiled to the officers, "Could you help me locate an Alfred Pennyworth? He's probably at one of the stations, talking after seeing me being abducted by those bank robbers.".
"Being what...?", one of the officers said while the other one quickly talked into the radio. A moment later, he leaned over. "She ain't joking... APB on a missing person of her description that was taken by that crew. Hop in, ma'am, we'll take you to your... boyfriend?", the other officer asked as Martha was let into the back seat.
"Butler. But my emergency contact none the less...", Martha said with a nod. The first officer replied, "Wait, you're Martha Wayne! She was in that mugging situation, remember?", and the other officer nodded, "Oh, right...Sorry...".
Martha sighed softly, "It's alright, though I am irked at my bad luck...It was that damn illness first, and then losing...my husband, and then this...".
"Well, Ms...umm, Mrs. Wayne, maybe your luck would turn around. I mean, no offense to your bad luck, but I was told a story that luck comes in threes, so you could have good luck too...", the first officer replied.
Martha blinked in surprise, "You think so?", pretending, even though she knew that she has a good life, good friends, and her family, even if everybody would think one way or another that Martha Wayne is unfortunate, not knowing that Kel is there to save her from getting hurt, and her family is there to bring her back from the dark hole of grief and all, and she doesn't take things for granted, treating every day at a time as precious time devotedly held to her memories.
The other officer nodded, "Yep. Anyway, what happened? You look like you sloughed though sewer water and all...Er, no offense again, I swear!".
"That's exactly what happened.", Martha told them as they started to drive. "One moment I was doing some holiday shopping, then the next, the bank's alarm is ringing, there's gunshots and the thieves run out and head towards me before one of them gets the idea to nab me as a hostage. Not really sure they knew exactly who I was. I think they thought I was just some random person that could be used if the police found them.".
"And then they headed to the sewers?", The first officer asked. Martha nodded, "Yes... their hideout was there...".
The other officer whistled, "Golly...The stink must have been hell!", and Martha snorted with a disgusted nod, "You have no idea...Even after the birth of my second child, I swear my nose got upgraded in the sense of smell still...".
The first officer replied, "My wife had the same thing too.", with a chuckle as the other officer replied, "You know I think that was good luck there! I mean, you were kinda a bit popular as the pregnant widow of Wayne on gossip magazines and paparazzi rags and all, no offense, but if they recognized you like that, they would have gotten more dangerous or something...They just threw you somewhere, tied and all, or am I wrong?".
Martha fought the snarl at the thought of that, and she wouldn't blame Kel for killing the criminals if they threatened Poppy then while she was still pregnant or having her in the stroller or something which she didn't dare risk with Poppy's situation while holiday shopping.
She exhaled deeply, "Yeah, they just threw me in some sort of small dark chamber, tied and taped, on the floor and all...The door was sort of thick, but I managed to overhear some sort of argument, and then conversation, though I couldn't make out everything.".
She then shook her head, "Anyway, they didn't do the best job tying me up, so I managed to free myself. I then slowly pushed the door open to see they weren't really paying much attention to where I was, so I basically just slipped away unnoticed. After that, I heard practically all hell breaking loose... gunshots, screaming... I don't know what happened, but I just found a new place to hide until things went quiet.".
The first officer blinked, "Huh...Do you think you can find it if you could? I mean, for some of us cops to make sure of the scene and all.".
Martha frowned, "I don't know...The thieves took so much turns and twists while I was mostly out with blurry vision, thanks to something hitting me on the head, maybe one of their pistols or something, and after my head got better, I was just really focused on just getting out, not marking stuff because I was scared if they heard me scratching something on the wall or whatever...".
The other officer winced, "We got some ice and all at our station to nurse that mild concussion, if that's okay?", and Martha gave a small, warm smile, "I would appreciate that...Do I need to repeat all of this when we get to your station?...I just...I just want to get home to my children, I need to see them, to know that I'm not dreaming...", genuinely worried.
"Shouldn't be too long.", the officer driver said. "Just take in a quick statement and you should be on your way... by the way, apparently those guys were caught... pretty messed up too if what I heard over the radio was true.", with a hum. "Think it was that green monster again?", the passenger officer chuckled.
The officer driver replied, "I wouldn't know, Alvarez...I mean, it seems like that guy ain't known around here in the criminal underworld and all, even after asking some high criminals and such down to the muggers and coke dealers...I think it was random, like why does he even bother about Gotham? Sure, it's a tough and beautiful city in the day, but on the other hand, he should leave stuff to us cops, even if things are getting nasty and awful, especially with the 21st century coming around and those fancy cellphones...", with a shrug.
Martha heard Kel's insulted huff in the back of her head, mentally ranting, "Why does people always assuming that it's a guy?! I swear, if you had not been telling me how you been doing with Thomas-mate's work place, changing things as a woman, it's being a man's world!".
"Easy... easy... probably the rumor mill got things mixed up or something... that or Bruce forgot to call you she at that moment, or on purpose to try to protect us.", Martha mentally told her before she saw the GCPD station.
Kel's voice was heard mentally with a sigh, "I swear our son-pup is being scary smart when it coming to things like that...He shouldn't protecting us like that yet he did...We needing to talking with him once we getting home...".
Martha mentally nodded as she was helped out by one of the officers, and they went in before Alfred's voice called out with a relieved gasp, "Lady Martha! Thank goodness you are safe!", as she saw him getting up from a seated chair, coming to her.
Martha's eyes teared up a bit with a smile, "Alfred...", hugging him briefly and properly for some seconds, as they are in public, and Alfred drew out a handkerchief, "Here you go, ma'am...I was deeply concerned for you...Are you alright?".
"I'm alright, Alfred. Just a mild concussion...", Martha replied, drying her tears and cleaning her face, as one of her officer escorts returned with a bag of ice and a cup of water, "Mrs. Wayne, here...this should help...".
Alfred gasped softly, "Come, come, sit down before you faint, Lady Martha!", helping her sit down as she cradled the bag of ice to the side of her head, sipping her cup a bit, exhaling in relief as she felt better, "Thank you, Alfred...And thank you, officer, that feels better...".
"We will give you a few minutes to recollect yourself, ma'am, before we call you in to give your statement...It won't be too long, I promise, and soon, you will get on your way to your children.", the officer replied before leaving the duo, and Martha glanced at Alfred, "Did you give your statement already?".
"Yes... not like I could do much.", Alfred told her. "I saw the men grab you and gave chase before they fired off a few more shots and I ducked for cover. I then tried going after them again, but they moved fast, and I lost them.". He sighed, "I mean, I was... concerned...". He was now talking lower, "But had the feeling you'd be alright... shall I take to guess?".
Martha nodded. "Managed to just keep ourselves controlled until they threw me into a little makeshift cell... and considering that they're all in custody... you can understand what happened.", she gave a small smirk.
Alfred nodded lightly, "Good...", with a small smile, "I'm glad and proud of you making it out...", hinting that he was proud of Kel, and Kel's voice mentally giggled, "I think Alfred-Elder is being relieved of my control...Ooh, can we having hot chocolate on way home to celebrating for me?".
Martha chuckled, "Thank you, Alfred. I think this calls for hot chocolate on the way home to celebrate my good luck...And hopefully a backup change of clothes? Those clothes stink of sewer water and all...", referring to her outer holiday garments and such, relieved that her special hulk clothes are in better shape.
Alfred smiled, "Of course. Good thing that Master Thomas saw to it that we always have comfortable clothes as backup in the limo...", with a sad smile as it was his idea since that first year of Martha and Thomas' courtship as Thomas went with her to the soup kitchens and all in disguise.
Martha smiled sadly with a nod, sipping her water, and resting the bag of ice on her head a bit more before she was called in to give her statement, and indeed, it didn't take too long before they got on their way, with Alfred at the wheel.
A while later, after having warm Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate, a change of clothes, having passed the bridge, Martha and Alfred are getting close to home, with Alfred glancing in the rearview mirror, "You look much better now, Martha...", as they aren't in public of the city anymore.
Martha smiled, "Very much better now, Alfred...I don't even need another ice bag...Looks like Kel is giving me a bit of accelerated healing which I appreciate. Bruce doesn't deserve to see a lump on my head and all...And of course, Poppy must be hungry by now as I think I can feel her literally searching for us...".
"Maternal instinct and all.", Alfred chuckled as Martha kicked off her heels and leaned back. "Still, I'm sure Bruce will be concerned; we should've been back much sooner.".
"Yeah... going to have to tell him that I got abducted by some bank robbers for a few minutes before Kel put them in their place...", Martha paused for a moment as she took a deep breath.
"Alfred... can you be fully honest with me about this...?", Martha asked. Alfred blinked, "Ma'am?", recognizing her tone of voice now.
"Am I a bad person?", Martha asked him. "In that... I kinda enjoyed the thrill of what happened? Allowing Kel to practically scare the shit out of them, beat them to a pulp and leave them a mess for the police to find?".
Alfred exhaled deeply, looking at her in the rearview mirror between glimpses of the road ahead, not worried about the speed of the limo as they're almost home, into the long driveway, "Martha and Kel, the fact that you left them alive means that you are a good person. Yes, it's true that it may have looked bad in a perspective of things, but on the other hand, it meant they wouldn't hurt anyone for a long while, and the streets are safer without them, including the bank. "
Martha rubbed her arm as she was still thinking about things. Alfred did make a point, they were in the hands of justice now, and now more than likely wouldn't be able to hurt anyone; she had no idea what happened in the bank, but from the sounds of things, it seemed like no one got killed in the stick up.
"Alfred... that's twice now I've done this sort of thing...", Martha told him. "The first time was just like a violent birth and all, Thomas being killed, and Kel's first true steps when she killed that mugger... and now today...".
Alfred replied, "Martha, there has been several arguments of the nature vs nurture debate, and honestly, it's you in the first place...Would you have still selected to talk with Master Thomas that day if your parents were stricter, and your nursemaid a detached person instead of being nurturing, and so many other what ifs since then, including driving Kel away by nature instead of nurturing her into a good amazon?".
Martha looked at him in surprise, and she exhaled deeply...No, she couldn't have imagined her life, to know what she had if she hadn't met Thomas or was the bold, adventurous and compassionate woman she was to invite him to a soup kitchen of all things, and end up having a test drive of a courtship that became so much more...God, she wouldn't have Bruce and Poppy...And even if she took the chance to be cured from the illness again, she probably had been scared and confused if she hulked out in somewhere, like with her few socialite friends or something in the same mugging or something worse, and she would probably had run away, scared of Kel, not even seeing her as a person, getting shot at and hunted down if she never knew how to be compassionate and able to be flexible and all with her other self, never having help to see that she is one and the same, even if everybody thinks differently...
Kel's voice mentally whimpered in concern, "That would have been...being an entirely different world...I would have being always angry and scared...And I can't be imagining our life without our pups...and our life with Thomas-mate and Alfred-elder...".
"Maybe...", Martha bit her lip. She could also just be dead for what anyone knew, but what happened, happened, and now, here she was in this moment thinking about what had just happened today.
"Would... would you think it crazy if... well, Kel and I... did this sort of thing more often?", Martha asked him as he had a look on his face she could see in the mirror. "This sort of thing? Are you saying... like fighting thieves or something?", Alfred asked.
"Yeah... crime fighting...", Martha blushed. "Trying in my own way personally to make this city safer for Bruce and Poppy...". She bit her lip. Sure, there was much she could do with the Wayne Fortune, not to mention with the Kane Fortune well; some real public good, but there was still lots of dark and shady elements amongst the city that no amount of money could truly fix...
Alfred hummed in surprise, "That's certainly an admirable goal...and it's true that Gotham needs help...especially with technology advancing in ways that it's not just for the good and innocent people, but for the bad and shady people...I suppose today was a test drive, and Kel certainly proved herself in figuring out things fast while you kept her in check.".
Martha replied, "So, not crazy then?", and Alfred shook his head, "Not crazy...But it's certainly risky...You would have to make lots of backup plans and such...Tell me, does the idea make Kel feel better?".
Kel's voice mentally rumbled, "Stopping bad guys, returning stuff to good people, saving good people? I feeling better by doing that, maybe I be changing people's minds that I ain't monster or guy! And rage goes away by doing things too...I having great night eyes and since I being dark in color, bad people not seeing me coming until too late! Count me in, Martha-mate!", practically vibrating in determination and excitement.
"She's certainly all for it... but yeah... backup plans and all...", Martha nodded. "For starters... trying to get better control and such; especially if needing, God forbid, having to change on a dime practically.".