Chapter Text
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Trust built the foundations i know today. It seems like a joke, but it was my whole life; i was a fragile young child. A child who spent their time in the wilderness.
I never knew why my life felt as if something was always missing. Not a piece of the puzzle lost but a piece that was broken.
Something that couldn't be repaired. I figured it was just my imagination, as if i was being delusional.
That i was making a big deal out of something as small as raindrops crying into the ocean. I made truth to the fact that nothing could be wrong.
Maybe that's why these foundations were trashed, telling me that I was lied to. Now that i’m here, awake in the present, lost in the sunlight that caresses my face,
i chase the fact that it’s okay to be scared, that it’s normal to accept such drastic changes.
That's how the world works. “Tovvie?” I hear a name muttered behind me.”Who?” I answered. Turning around, i see a familiar scene. “Don’t be silly. That's your name?”
My thoughts become crowded from the person in front of me. “You must’ve mistaken me for someone else; sorry, but i’m not Tovvie.”
I replied. They looked like someone i knew, but i couldn't seem to recognize them; their face mixed in with the scenery. It feels like i’m living in a memory
“Oh. Well then, what is your name?” I wonder to myself. Why do they want to know my name?
“.. I’m Noel... And you?” I answer unwillingly. “I’m Ava, do you know me?”
“Know you? I don’t know. I don't believe i do..” I try to make their twisted face make sense to me…”I know you.” Ava said…
“Why can’t I remember who you are?” I feel dizzy, that i'm losing my sense of speaking and losing my sense of seeing.
It’s like there's another person with me, someone hiding around my blind spots, making sure I can’t see them, but everyone else can.
‘“I-i.. uhh.. ..” I stutter; my brain feels like static. Thoughts erase from my mind.. “uhm..”
“Are you okay, Noel?” She giggled as i felt my senses retreat from darkness. I can’t remember being outside.
“Yeah.. I’m okay..” I say, exposing my state of amnesia.
“Why are we outside?” I finally questioned.
“We just went for a walk. It’s a nice day out. Should we go get some coffee?” Ava asked.
“Yeah! Let's go do that.” I agree, hoping my memory would regain itself from this brain fog…
––––—
“Shit-” I tumble over, smashing my leg into the ground; a course of pain rushes to my stomach as i quickly regain myself.
What a day to be attacked.
I swing my leg across the cement, tripping the person in front of me.
As they slam to the ground, i grab my wallet and bolt across the empty street. Or so i thought; a car brushes past, nearly smashing into me.
Why is everything aiming for my early grave!?
I ran through alleyways and shortcuts, losing the people who tried to rob me.
Why did i decide to go out at night!? I just wanted some candy. Is that all a grown man can ask for before almost getting robbed!!
Oh yeah.. I live in Gotham City.. I keep forgetting to consider that most people around here want me dead. Or- well.. not that we're opps, just different lives.
Oh god… where am i now??. I look around at the street signs. I can't seem to recognize any of them.. As i walked down the sidewalk, i accidentally bumped into a man leaving the bar.
“Oh- Sorry-” he said as he grabbed my arm to make sure i didn't fall.
“Uh-”
“OH- So sorry again-” he nervously chuckled as he quickly let go of my arm embarrassed. I definitely felt better about this interaction than the one i had just a moment ago.
“You're fine- heh.” We lock eyes for just a second in an awkward silence.. “You going to the bar?” he asked as he moved aside.
“Nah.. Just tryna find my way home..” “You're lost?” WHY DID I SAY THAT!?
“Uhh- i-uh well-” I'M ACTUALLY GONNA GET ROBBED THIS TIME!
“Sorry- bad question- i'm about to get a taxi, i can get you one too?.” Wait, wait, wait. Stop the panic.. Free taxi? Am i really gonna take this offer?..
Free…
Free… I take a small glance at the man again.. He doesn't look mean.. or like The Penguin.. He's quite tall.. sooo..
No way i'm actually standing here considering hopping into a car with a guy i barely know just because he doesn't look mean and is offering to pay for it
let's ALSO not put aside the fact that just a moment ago, i was JUMPED and just so happened-ly escaped with my wallet and whatever other belongings i had on me and also nearly getting one of those men ran over, including myself…
…
“..You're gonna give a random person a taxi?” I just had to ask..
“Well- we are very close to Crime Alley… I mean, you don't look like the embodiment of evil, so why not?”
He answered. I don't even know his name… And wait- he's just basing my appearance on how EVIL i am??
No way someone can get this low in life. . .
Well i did the exact same thing just a moment ago…
Unless he's like some secret millionaire. Oooo- he could be my sugar daddy-
OH GOD, I'M DAY-DREAMING AGAIN…
Dammit… am i really this pathetic and dumb? Take a random man's offer for a free taxi and most likely end up trafficked..
“..........................Sure.”
AAAAAAHHHHH.
“Alright then-”
Life's too short to say no, which I suppose makes my life shorter. After a phone call, an Uber arrives.
We both hop in, and it's pretty silent. As the Uber drops him off, he hands me a small note. His name and his number? Wha-
“So where are you heading?” The driver asked..
This is gonna be a long ride home…
I glance at the paper and read the name
Daniel Hall.
No way his last name is HALL.. LMAO-
And- wait.. i don't have money for this- i spot a stack of hundred dollar bills under the driver's seat… Daniel had left it there for me.
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FIVE BANDS???
WAIT, NO WAY MY THEORY OF HIM BEING A SECRET MILLIONAIRE WAS RIGHT!!-
––––—
“Ugh…” The days passed by quicker than the speed of light, each one the more i looked back at them, i couldn't remember.. Memories i can't believe happened…
I wasn't capable of recalling this entire year… Only texts and pictures describing my life from a third party and what felt as real behind modern eyes..
What was wrong with me?
It's like i’m an illusion, the memory trapping me inside a never-ending loop of hell. I feel as if i was no sentient being that held the foundation for love, yet just to crush it beneath my palms.
I can't resist the urge to end it all.. Thinking of my existence… My experience of life.
What was the meaning of living if the living in my life was only for someone else?
I wasn't living my own life. I was paving the way for this random “else” somewhere inside me.
———
I undergo the resentment of one man's treasure. A scientist, a man of many, Daniel Hall, he was a smart man… and a sweetheart.
Though i couldn't remember where i had met him… He led me down a spiral of continuous circles that reimbursed my mind with a better world of living that someone like me could have never reached without such support.
Support that led me into this place of denial, denial of the rain that drowsed this forsaken land. That let the sun shine over the gloomy buildings. The wind that sang songs to the lonely.
He was the lyrics to my music. Even though i didn't need them, it made it sound even better.
…
Said the romantic in me.
Remember when i said he was a scientist? Yeah, well, by nighttime, he was a demonic deity trying to make himself known as the most feared supervillain in Gotham City.
He called himself “The Author”
I'm guessing “The Ventriloquist” was already taken.
Taken in fact that i was his new vessel to toy with.
For some reason, he was so nice, and then.. the next moment.. he was harming me.. not that i remember much of it, though.
———
There was a problem with me.. One i couldn't figure out.. That single “why” straining my focus to dwell on the past.
Think Veda.. THINK..
When i was seventeen..
I.. managed to get on the roof of a tall building by sneaking past security..
I was looking over the edge…
Something.. spoke. to me
It was telling me not to do it.
Not to jump.
That it would give me a better life if i… went with it..
But by the end of that conversation. I was already too far gone in thought.
I was ready to get this over with.
I remember falling. It was peaceful.. but the closer i got to the ground, the more i felt my heart pound in anguish.
This was my end.
I could finally.. finally join them.
But..
then…
i woke up
———
“Will you.. Marry me?” Daniel said softly under the moonlight, holding a small box with a ring inside.
Things had happened so fast between me and him.
My face turns warm as i’m filled with excitement.. It was a shine in my eye and soul, wishing me good luck to the future!..
Everything i had ever wanted came exploding in my face like adrenaline had taken the path down to my alley.
“Yes!!” i said as he put the ring on my finger, then his.
This was my new life, something to escape the past and live amongst the hierarchy.
Even though he is a schizophrenic psychopath who randomly decides he wants to kill me- but that doesn't matter!
No matter what.. He was my life.. My escape.
———
“Author is such a controlling bastard,” I said calmly under my tongue. It wasn't me against Author; oh no, it was a battle between me and my mind.
Something.. SOMEONE… Making the decisions for me. It was voices deep inside my head that never left the gaping wounds.
I couldn't escape Author no matter how hard i tried. It wasn't the fact that he owned my life.
It was the fact that my brain couldn't live without him.
———
Twisting my reality into some unforeseen chamber, then exposure to a radiant green liquid that corrupted my anatomy.
Tests ran through years trapped in a black void of misery and acceptance to the hell that he released upon me.
Endurance to the pain and suffering that he built into me.
Verity to the war he entangled my mind to contain it with.
Abstraction to what once was considered human.
I was a monster. His monster.
———
What was i thinking about again? A leaking faucet catches me off guard. Maybe i shouldn't focus on things.. unimportant.
I glance around my room, notebooks and papers flood a corner of it. From the corner to the opened closet beside my bed, i realized i wasn't just in my safe place.
Something feels wrong. Like the lamp bending weird.
Looking..
Somewhat different than what was real.
I get off my bed and stroll towards the kitchen. I was lost in my own home. For some reason, everything felt off… Not that i was being watched. Or maybe?..
What was this feeling?..
The feeling of coming back from amnesia..?
The feeling of regaining one's mind?
Whatever it was, i couldn't think..
I needed to do something.. But that thing was lost inside my head.
The leaking faucet, my messy room, the empty kitchen, and the TV playing non-stop.
I needed to wake up.
———
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My thoughts echo across the makeshift walls.
The void around me swallows what is left in it, but the darkness is what is to protect me from what lies outside..
Or so i was told, but it's not just dark, the strings above me that shine, leaving such faint light, the aerial hoops,
the dark colors with a sight of gold, making the room isolate but welcoming. Whilst the soft wisps in my head spill out bit by bit, i'm still left with emptiness consuming my awakening thoughts.
This place brings me fear but a weird sense of comfort…
It's lonely but perfect to eventually recollect my thoughts..
Let me backtrack…
Met a guy named Daniel, some demon possessing him goes by Author,
Apparently, Author made me as an artificial human and my entire life is a lie, Daniel had no idea and fell in love with me as so i did to him,
We married, and then Author decided to hop on by and introduce himself to let me know the rest of my life i’m gonna suffer as his unwilling goofy villainous sidekick. . .
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.
.
Sounds about right.
It's not like i chose this life, but this life chose ME.
Which inevitably sucks for me both in the long and short run.
I look upon the room Author had built for me. It's ugly, dark; the only thing that gives this room color and happiness is the gold bars that hang around me.
I'm not a fucking circus clown, but i guess that's what he wants me to be.
At least it gives me something to do in my spare time. Besides painting. Painting in my victim's blood.
Maybe i was built for this life. Well, i guess i can't really say that metaphor since i ACTUALLY AM rebuilt to be a murder machine.
If only i had some cool sci-fi robotic limbs and guns like Cyborg, BUT NOOO I'M REBUILT AS AN ARTIFICIAL HUmAn!- HOw fun is that!?
Sucks to suck i guess.
I got what, whatever mother nature did NOT plan. Nor intended on somehow working.
Look, i may work in some way, but this body is so fake most people can tell it out.
My hips? Yeah, they don't lie. Made of clay and stretchable material i look like a twink version of Cardi-B
Waist? un-mothafuckin-humane. My ribs hurt SO BAD MOST OF THE TIME.
My ORGANS?? HAHAH.
Yeah, well, Hah, let me tell yah, the AMOUNT, of organ problems i have is unexplainable and HORRIFIC to deal with.
Like how i either starve to death or die from constipation.
One thing Author has done for me is completely get rid of my genitals. I'm not fucking joking.
It's because “THEy'LL dISTrACt yOU dURiNg bATtLe” FUCK YOU AUTHOR
anyways–
Ever had a heart attack? Well, put that pain in not only the chest area but the stomach area.
YOU FEEL IT IN YOUR VEINS. Maybe that's a different problem i need to discover, though.
Oh, and a LOT of my problems could be fixed if i was allowed to gain weight. I'm a hundred and twenty pounds of pure muscle and PASSING OUT SYNDROME.
That feeling you get when you get up too quickly? Imagine that EVERY. TIME. YOU. MOVE.
Hell- My eyelids don't even close all the way!! I SLEEP WITH MY EYES OPEN. I CAN CLOSE THEM MOSTLY BUT NOT ALL THE WAY. MY BOTTOM LIDS DON'T WORK!!!
This is why we don't allow demons to try and sculpt human anatomy because CLEARLY, this demon had NO IDEA what he was doing.
Like FUCK I'M A DUDE BUT WITH FEMALE ANATOMY. I wonder when he'll fix me.
AND HE'S HAD EXPERIENCE MAKING OTHER HUMANS. So that says A LOT. Apparently, i'm the best it could get.. WHICH IS NOT MUCH.
But let's not dwell too much on my suffering and put more mind to my schedule.
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…
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Yeah.. schedule..
Uh..
YES, RIGHT. Dan- UH AUTHOR, Has big, big plans this afternoon! .. Oh fuck what time is it?..
Two thirty.. hmm. I wonder how late he assumes afternoon is.
Better get going before i get slam-dunked into acid.
———
In honesty, my day can't really get anymore worse than when i'm around Author
He's the embodiment of Greed, Wrath, and Pride.
It's why he's so focused on getting to the top, why he gets so angry over the littlest mess-ups, and why he prides himself over any suffering innocent person or animal.
I mean, one, he's a demon, and two why do you think he created me? It's to speed up the process of getting closer to his success.
His other creations escaped early, freeing their souls from his damnation. It was when everything was simpler to do, like when villains didn't have the power to destroy the world.
I guess i got caught in the hell of it.
It's not too bad now though! Just a little.. Country destroying thing here or there.
He does the hard detective work whilst i be rid of his enemies trying to block the path.
Whoever's in the way.. i… Send em off to heaven's gate.
It's just my thang
“Where were you?”
A voice had interrupted my internal dialogue.
I'm guessing staring at a blank canvas was the wrong thing to do when i'm apparently waiting for someone.
“Sleeping.”
I answered truthfully. Or well.. not really i think i was hallucinating.
I don't really remember anything though, though i do write down my thoughts ever so once in a while since.. I'm pretty forgetful.
“Don't give me attitude, Manic.” Completely forgot that's what he named me
“Focus on me, k?”
He finished his sentence.
“Yeaaah, yeah.”
I was already annoyed. One more ‘You're doing everything wrong’ phrase is gonna make me snap.
“I'll backtrack to you, what we've already talked about.”
Whaaat?
“I gave you a list, you did it, SO. I got you a little something.”
…
It's like my thoughts were morphing with the air. empty-headed…
…
“ðis wes en anyrmyus chenga end ə'd ðyught yn gəvəng oyu ðe banafət yf ðe dyubt.”
Dizzy so i’m?… not i… do him understand…
falling it like feels 'm
“Wa era myvəng ty-”
“huh?” It's like i almost passed out for a second..
“Blüdhaven.”
….
“Oh cool.”
I didn't understand him for a moment so.. I hope he didn't say someone died or something…
“And i got you a brand new apartment!”
Oh god.. Put the context clues together… Blüdhaven.. New apartment. OMG, HE'S SHIPPING ME TO BLÜDHAVEN??? LIKE.. BY MYSELF????
“OOOOOhhhhhhh…. Awwwwesoooome….”
Oh no.. OH NO… I can't handle change.. Or well- I CAN JUST.. NOT SO.. FAST?.. AND ALONE?
“You were zoning out, weren't you?”
Author was already annoyed.
“No-”
“I’ll re-say it AGAIN.. ME, YOU, MOVING, BLÜDHAVEN, NEW HIDEOUT, NEW BASE, NEW VILLAINS, NEW HEROS.”
“OH NO-”
“It's a perfect new spot for me to take over. Once i get the lower places. Then i overrun the bigger places.”
“This isn't prison!! I don't wanna move” :(
“No, no, you'll love it.”
.
.
.
I indeed did not enjoy it.
But maybe this place just needed to grow on me.
Luckily Author is keeping my old apartment.
But that doesn't help the uncomfortableness of needing to befriend villains and learn about this other vigilante guy.
This was way too much of a new scenery and i was also way farther away from Avas, more than i'd like.
All because he got bored of Gotham… What's the next place gonna be Metropolis???
Oh god, i hope not.
———
These people were indecent, fatuous, incomplete to the standard of the masses
It was like a meteor playing ping pong with their heads.
It was already enough that Author had started a new name for himself,
i just didn't think that his new name meant taking back what was his.
The plague of vicious and violent men he had created, left on the streets to resume their master's orders
He always had the power to fight with the other hierarchies possessed of privilege
The lifeless monsters he had sculpted by the blood of innocence.
Torturing the souls of the unfortunate, turning them rogue
They expressed the need for speech, so they tried to fight for it
Author sewed their mouths shut for eternity.
Was i unlike them? Why hadn't he done the same for me?
Same for those who escaped with their head?
I was the prodigy of his success.
Raised on the unkind and relentless, he had trained my mind to accept it.
To accept the abuse;
And to remain cold, cold to the touch, cold to blood on my hands.
If emotion was what kept the story going, where had mine ended?
And why.. Why couldn't i find it.. A single piece of my past. Something to tell me….
That..
I
A M
R E A L ?
That i am unlike his other mistakes.
THAT I AM THE TROPHY HE HAD EARNED.
What was i, without being something for someone..?
———
Murky and dismal was it?
Blüdhaven was said to be worser than Gotham.
That being said, i'm sure Author's reasoning for moving only a city away is just for his incompetence in Gotham.
Staying low for a “glow up” is just his way of.. building an army per say?
Dreary of course but a simple break won't cut it with him.
Author had his way with charm, he knew the right thing to say at the right time. Naturally to the right people.
For me, anything he says is dreadful. It just means more work for me.
“I've gotten into contact with a fella willing to help us.”
Author said probably hoping my brain cells would pop out of annoyance.
“And how would that be? Another clown eager for a theme park.”
Avid for silence i could only be cautiously vexing.
“Hah. Funny. Cut the bullshit already M, this is something to celebrate. We're more joining a.. How can i say.. ORGANIZATION? Yes. yes.”
“GREAT. Great. With.. WHO? Exactly?.”
“You would know. Carmine Falcone? Obviously.”
“He works in GOTHAM.”
“He's willing to do some filling here. Kind of. He's sending some men for the favor i had done him.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
“Sass i see? Stop being a brat yeah?. As i was saying, you will help by getting some expensive items very passively aggressively. K?”
“K.”
Rolling my eyes, i step back and pack a dagger. Just in case
———
“Hey, you four, over here.”
I called to the armored members sent from Gotham.
They glanced over to where i was confused. I forgot they couldn't see me.
“No over here.”
I said making them look crazy.
I was mounted on top of a short building looking down to them.
“Ey what do you want, you the man that called us?”
“No, i'm his assistant. I'll be helping you get to your assigned destination.”
“No conference, what is this?”
A car pulls up behind them.
“There's your taxi. Get goin’.”
I snapped my fingers at them like some of those rude people wanting the waiter to come over.
“What the fu–..”
———
“The plan is simple: Falcones' minions are gonna quietly take over a warehouse or some poor guys house and bring in an order of explosives.
What i haven't told you is that i may or may not have hired a group of assassins—specialists who can take care of the gang lords without leaving a trace.
No mess. No attention. They’ll do the work for us, clean up any loose ends, and make sure we’re never associated with it.
Being pals with a mafia boss is great for our cause.
And also you having the most extraordinary and handsome boss ever.”
“Coooool. In any way, where in satan's name do i of all people end up on this list.
There's no damn WAY you had thought of all this and then just leave me alone for a minute so what is it?”
“Uhhhhh well.. I guess you can be there when that vigilante figures us out.”
“So you didn't add me to the plan and you assume they know everything BUT I DON'T? I thought i was supposed to help get valuables?!”
“OH C’MON. Those guys know everything. And plus I DID add you.. Kind of. Just in case they come on by you can Wa—chow ‘em. And the valuable shit is for something else.”
“Wisdom has always been chasing you, it just sucks you're faster.”
Like i said of him having a way with words, he just doesn't have the real brains to include me in actual things. Most of the time he leaves me isolated and bored out of my head.
———
“Author?”
Manic called as he walked through the messy rooms and hallways. It was an illusionary illness, if only he didn't have to look at it all.
“Where—are you even here?”
“I'm sorry my friend he isn't!
A demon maid jumpscares Manic!
“WOAH- uH.. hey—?”
“Jajo, my friend!”
“Right- hey, Jajo. Uhm.. Do you know where he is? I kinda need to tell him our progress.”
“I'm so sorry, friend! He's not wanting visitors. Specifically you!. But, i can bring you some tea as we wait for him to recollect his thoughts!”
“Wait.. what did i do wrong?”
“Nothing you need to worry about my friend!
Now then, tea?”
Manic has a rogue gut feeling.. What did he do? He'd do anything to reverse it.
“YeAh.. SuRe...”
———
In such a way, it was romantic to receive a wilted flower from Author. It's how he perceives me, every petal, a different person drifting away to death.
Drying out and crumbling in his palms, it reminds me of prom. I had no friends at that time, they all died horribly.
Everyone harassed me, saying i was a murderer, saying i was the next school shooter.
My uncle, Laughter, weird name i know but he never told me his real name. He was into gangs, violence, and idiocy. He was a villain.
I got to see some cool tapes of him fighting Green Lantern before The Batman came along.
A few nights before the prom i had come to Laughter for help, i couldn't stand being in that school, it's not like he could do much though.
I wanted to vandalize it, destroy every part of it. Of course, my plan wasn't Laughter's style, he intended to blow it up with everyone inside.
When i told him no it's like i saw a different person, he wasn't himself, i remember a green hue and him hurting me.
It wasn't so great of a memory.
I woke up an hour before the prom would start, blood everywhere… It was like a horror movie and i was the last one standing. I needed to stop him…
I put on a jacket and quickly made it to my school, i snuck through the back so i wouldn't be recognized.
I eventually found him in an empty classroom, no one was around weirdly.. It's like they were all hypnotized to be in the gym. I tried to talk to him, do anything i could to stop him.
It's like i was a stranger to him.
Before i knew it he was holding one of the bombs, right near his chest, five seconds left. I irrationally made a decision, if he was gone, i wouldn't want to live anymore.
I bolted towards him but someone grabbed me, a dark silhouette with a cowl, he shielded me from the blow then yelled for me to quickly get out of the building now that the other bombs were set to explode.
I ran out… I had failed.. No no no no…
It was like the world was against me.
I couldn't think, everything had gone black afterwards.
———
Blinking i realized i was in my kitchen, the faucet pouring out and the windows flowing air inside.
What was i doing again?..
No, what? I'm kinda hungry.
I open my fridge to an empty sighting.
Fuuuuck, i need to get groceries…
“We should leave now or we'll never get any.”
“Maybe. Yeaah fine.”
Why am i talking to myself?
I need to stop being so weird.
I NEED TO TURN THE FAUCET OFF, WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN EVERY TIME!?
———
Succumbing to ignorance i could only sit and wait for anything to go wrong.
In such a way, why does he think i'll be able to do anything?
Or well, want to do anything.
While i'm here i should probably recap why.
I was seventeen, the night i would turn eighteen. January sixteenth, was i completely done with life.
I was fresh out of the psych-ward after six months and let me tell you, Gotham isn't so great for mental health even with experts.
So, with all the medications i had saved from the years that they didn't work, going from new medication to them just thinking i'm seeking drugs, i swallowed them. All.
Only after thirty minutes did they actually kick in though, before i thought of the countdown.
I was gonna die in half an hour. I was fully ready.
Then i woke up as an adult. Not in the hospital, not in the ward, not in my home.
It was a lab. I felt plastic and clay-like, like a doll. A human doll.
My skin wasn't color, but a suit.
Some fingers and my face were normal but aged.
I couldn't remember what happened. Where i was, or why i was here. Meeting Author was a fever dream.
For some reason i still don't feel like i'm an adult. I don't like this body, blacking out and ending up in weird places.
I just wanna be home.
..
..
..
..
..
I feel weird.. Like my motor functions not wanting to work. Is it sadness?
Probably.
..
..
..
Uh. . .
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.
.
…Ew–is that a dead raccoon?...
What a way to start my night.
———
Somewhere in blüdhaven, a silly birdie, flocking about, stalking in the night within the city.
The gray and polluted sky making it slightly foggy.
A vigilante crouches over the vibrant city.
“I've got some more data on it, Avalon Hill, in one of the houses, i found some footage of Falcones' minions bringing in some suuuper secret packages into a civilian's house.”
Oracle mentioned from the comms.
“Oh really? Of all the places, instead of a warehouse or abandoned building they make up space, in some randos place?”
I responded.
What psycho is out doing whatever the hell they have in those packages in someone else's home?
Luckily i'm the right man for this type of job.
What the fu-
A scene of what looks like to be a hostage scenario makes my face scrunch.
Again?
It's like a trend right now.
“We have hostages.”
I said to Oracle but my comms come back as static..
I move forward before a voice catches my attention.
“You should leave with your head and health before something coincidently bad happens to you.”
I look around the view and see no one in sight
“And for what reason should i? You the one orchestrating this?”
I answered hoping whoever was there wasn't in my head.
“You should heed my warning. Like a good little boy.”
The voice said in a deep whisper.
“I'm not up for games, whoever you are. What, can you not talk to me face to face?”
“Why would i when i can just... tikitikitikitikitikitikitiki”
i hear a home made sound of someone ravaging around me.. All of a sudden something touches my head.
Then, a faint giggle. Creepy.
I look back to see no one. All there is, is shadows surrounding me.
I get a strange gut feeling. Something telling me to flee. That whatever is here isn't right.
“Was that–i'm not up to games. Show yourself or scurry along.”
But i'm interrupted by it now having a tantrum
“NO, YOU!! GO AWAY!”
“Don't lose your temper with me–and i don't even know who you ARE!”
Then, out of nowhere—WHAM!—something long and heavy slaps across my face.
I freeze, blinking.
Wait a minute—did this thing just slap me… with its hair? It’s made of shadows. How does that even—
“HEY–what was that for!?”
I said snapping back to reality
This was a real type of special i haven't seen often.
At least i know it's real
“LEAVE!”
It yelled
Wiping my cheek, my hand meeting something that feels... wrong. Like it’s not really there. Shadows.
It turns to mist as i touch it..
“Not exactly the welcome i was hoping for..”
I muttered under my breath.
The last thing i need is to escalate things without understanding what i’m dealing with.
I might even need backup if this thing won't leave me alone.
Wait a minute–i can't call for backup the comms are fucked!
God dammit-
“Maybe you should take your own advice.”
I said, hoping it backs off. i don't feel as THREATENED as that thing wants me to be.
“Well then. Sucks to be you. Guess you’re not as smart as i thought.”
It answered with a more feminine voice.
Just as i think i'm out of the deep end the shadow grabs my arm and throws me off the rooftop
“WAIT-”
———
Huh. Must suck for that guy.
Took his grappling hook.
Might be cute for a ‘stolen hero goods’ collection!
Maybe he'll land in the dumpster who knows.
Well… I could have more fun... I don't get out much. Meaning… I could do something of my own..
Do something cute for my own character, and not follow under some WICKED STUPID DEMON!
Let me… have some fun..
———
Nightwing groans, his body stiff as he pushes himself up from the grimy dumpster floor. The smell hits him first, a blend of old food and city waste..
“Ugh... nothing like a dumpster dive to start the night,” he mutters, pulling himself to his feet with a grunt.
He checks himself over, grimacing as he brushes some of the filth off his suit. His grappling hook is gone, along with whatever small gadgets he had on him. Just great. The one time he really needed his gear, some shadowy freak had to toss him like a ragdoll.
“Not exactly how I wanted to make an entrance,” he grumbles, before looking up at the rooftop where he was thrown from. His eyes narrow.
I adjust my mask.
With a flick of my wrist, i activate my communicator—no static. It's working again. Oracle’s voice crackles through.
“Nightwing? You alright?”
“Yeah, just… taking a detour,” i replied, a dry tone adding to my ego. “I need eyes on the house. Let’s see if we can figure out what’s really going on with the Falcones.”
A sprinkle of water drops to his head.. oh no.
In only a few more seconds it starts raining.
At least i'm not too dirty anymore..
Oh god this is nooot where i was before
Looking around leads me to realize i wasn't even near the house anymore. Looking at the street sign i see that I'M ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN??
How did this happen? Whatever that thing was must've teleported me here somehow
or i'm just crazy and hallucinating
My hand instinctively brushes against my utility belt. Nothing.
Gotta improvise.
There’s a slight noise to my left, like a soft whisper, almost inaudible beneath the sound of the rain. But it’s enough.
I was being watched.
"You still here?" I call out, annoyed that that thing is still messing with me. "Not done playing games?”
A chuckle rings out from somewhere in the darkness.
They won't let me get to that house.
Reaching for my comms yet again there's static. Whenever this thing is around it disables my communication.
I should've called backup when i had the chance.
“You're silly”
A child's voice plays from deeper in the alleyway.
There’s a tension in the air, something thick and unnerving.
It’s like the whole alley has warped, shifted around me. The shadows move unnaturally, almost... alive.
I force myself to stay focused.
I’ve been in situations like this before—where things didn’t add up, where nothing felt real.
But this?
This is different. This is more than some guy with a gun or a group of goons trying to get the jump on me.
“Why don’t you show yourself? I'm tired of playing hide and seek.”
I know that IT knows i'm pushing past the horrible gut feeling i have.
“Let's play a game!”
“NO, no game!”
“You Run! I CHASE!”
“NO–”
Before i know it everywhere around me becomes pitch black, as fast as mixing iodine and cornstarch together
“THREE!
TWO
ONE!”
Silence… Run and Chase does not sound like a fun game.
“tikitikitikitikitikitikitiki”
I grab my escrima sticks, the only light giving me some vision..
"Come out, i'm not playing your game.”
“...That's too bad…”
A more Marilyn Monroe voice answered..
Then.. i see it.. a face.
I couldn't make out a silhouette but seeing the face of this thing felt a bit easing.
Although i don't think any ease would help me during this.
It swoops down past me, i point my escrima stick towards it..
“Tikitikitikitikitikitikitiki”
Seems like they're having fun
“SHI–”
———
“Nightwing? Darn it..”
Typing in some info then looking through the live cameras near the house Oracle notices Falcones thugs now leaving the place…
“Nightwing?... Somethings wrong..”
Getting a bad gut feeling she decides to call in backup.
“Batwomen, Nightwings in trouble, you got a minute?. or two..?”
Static comes in but eventually she get an answer
“What's going on?”
“Nightwing was on patrol doing an investigation but something is stopping our communication. I can't find him on the cameras either.”
“Well.. It would take a moment for me to get to Blüdhaven. So if you do get into contact, tell him to hold on.”
“I'll send you the location.”
“On my way.”
——
—CRAAAAASH—
Nightwing’s boots hit the cold, wet pavement, the rain slicing through the air as the overwhelming darkness presses in around him.
He wipes a streak of blood from his lip
A shrill giggle echoes from every corner of the alleyway. It’s unsettling. It sends an icy chill down his spine
His mind is sharp, his reflexes honed, but this? This is something else.
The shadows move.
Suddenly, one of them shoots out from the ground like a snake, wrapping around his ankle, and pulling him down into the slick alley.
He grits his teeth and kicks out with his free leg, but more shadows quickly replace it, forming a web beneath him, closing in on every side.
His escrima stick lights up again one last time sending a tazing effect to the mist..
The eyes blink at him for a moment as the electric shock gradually destroys the shadows… just missing that thing..
…
Electricity can.. harm? it.
I think.
It pounces forward
Nightwing rolls to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding the dark mass, but that only leaves him vulnerable to the next wave.
Before Nightwing can react, a sharp pain shoots through his side as something slams into him from the darkness. He gasps, wind knocked from him as he’s thrown off balance, crashing to the wet pavement.
The shadows swarm around him, suffocating him with their weight.
The shadows stretch, tugging at his limbs, pulling him down again.
It’s like it's controlling the environment
He fights against it, but the weight is too much. The more he resists, the more they tighten, squeezing around his body until he can barely move.
“Hang on!”
A voice, familiar, sharp, cuts through the suffocating silence.
A streak of crimson and black blurs through the air above him, and before the shadows can pull him under again, a gloved hand grabs his wrist, yanking him up
Batwoman. Nightwing’s vision sharpens as she pulls him into an upright position, her other arm quick to defend him from the weird shadow tendrils
“So Oracle did notice something off.”
“Not the time for small chat N.”
Dropping to the side she slices one of the shadows, it turns to a thick mist
“You brung left-overs? How rude!”
The voice said, mocking the second challenger.
The shadows grow heavier, spreading out across the alley like an encroaching fog.
Nightwing’s boots skid against the slick ground as he forces himself by the shadows, narrowly dodging another tendril that shoots toward him from the dark abyss.
“Keep moving!” Batwoman’s voice, sharp and urgent.
Nightwing flashes a grin, despite the blood trickling down his lip. “I was planning to, it's stopping me from saving some hostages.”
“We can get to that after we escape!”
She responded ducking under a shadow arm trying to swipe her
———
“Batwomen?”
Oracle called through the comms but all that came out was static. Again.
“Seriously?”
———
“Here–” Batwomen gasped, sliding down under a conveniently placed dumpster. Nightwing follows along
“Ya'know i feel like we could've kept running–”
A hand snapped to his mouth, silencing his complaint with startling efficiency.
They both froze, watching as shadows drifted past like condensation forming near damaged gas pipes.
The Vantablack color erasing their vision
The sound of hissing and whistling following along
The smell of sulfur messing with their senses…
…
The hand moves away from his face
“Smart thinking.” His voice was thick with sarcasm.
“Shut up,” Batwoman snapped, pushing out from under the dumpster with barely a glance in his direction.
They bolted, sprinting in the opposite direction, eventually finding a clear view from the numbing mist
“Maybe while that thing is distracted you can help with an investigation?”
Cracks of static broke through the comms. A familiar voice pierced the noise.
“Nightwing? Batwoman? I see you on the radar now. You okay?”
“Yeah... we’ve got an issue with a…” Nightwing hesitated, throwing a quick glance at Batwoman, who raised an eyebrow in response.
…
“Just say ‘shadow thing,’” Batwoman muttered.
“Yeah, well… it's not just a shadow thing. It’s some kind of... weird shadow creature.”
“...Okaaaay... Maybe you should take a break from patrol for a bit.”
“Oracle, trust me, he’s not losing it. I saw it too. Whatever it is, it's a threat. A big one.”
“Something we can't handle on our own without more intel. Did you catch anything on the cameras? Any clue of what we’re dealing with?”
Nightwing adds
“Nothing. The cameras went out the same time the comms went down.”
“Just great,” Nightwing muttered, his frustration laced in his voice.
———
How in hells name did i LOSE THEM!?
Ugh. I might as well go back to that shitty house. let's see…
Oh. They left.
huh.
Wait i wasn't in this plan–
———
“They're not here anymore.”
Batwomen mentioned in an annoyed tone.
“Damnit… Where are the hostages?”
Glancing around they both realize there was no hostages… Just human dolls..
“What…”
He muttered with concern.
“Gross. So it was a distraction… Oracle, the hostages were fake.. They're dolls.”
“Really? Guess you didn't need to go back…
Falcones minions left a while ago.
They're going past Woolrich Ave so far. Pretty sure they're heading towards Baily Church.”
Oracle stated.
“Baily Church? Seriously?”
Nightwing groaned
“I already sent the Nightbird to your area. It'll be there any minute now.”
“Right…”
———
“Author?... You didn't tell me they were gonna leave Avalon Hill!!..
Author?
Jajo, did Author just abandon me again!?”
“Yes sir! I'll be sure to bring you some green tea. But before that i must ask you, your hair is knotted again!”
“yeaah i know… Lets not worry of that though–”
“This is a big worry my sir! Sit down, sit down!”
“Jajo please–”
“No need for concern my sir!”
“AaAHh–”
“Let us get to brushing!”
“I'M NOT RAPUNZEL!!!”
———
“Nightwing, Batwomen, i was looking through some old footage, the packages contain explosives. Be careful…”
“Why would they be smuggling bombs into the old Baily Church?”
Nightwing commented
“Lets not question their antics and stop them before we find out.”
Batwomen retorted
“Alright, alright.”
“WHY?”
Nightwing gasped in awe…
On top of the church watching the thugs set up, finally they open the packages…
The packages weren't just C4 but also HMX and dynamite sticks.
What a combo.
“Oracle, we’ve got a full spread down here. C4, HMX, dynamite sticks... I’m no expert, but that seems like overkill for a little break-in, don’t you think?”
“HMX?? For what reason…”
She sighed. Nightwing could hear her hand go to her temples in frustration.
“Nothing ever goes as planned in Blüdhaven. Let’s focus on the now—disarm those bombs before anyone gets hurt.”
“Agreed. Batwoman, you cover the east side. I’ll hit the west. Let’s clean up this mess.”
They take their shots near the openings, to do whatever they can. Stealth is definitely the plan but a church doesn't seem too dark and closed up for secret knock down…
The church is deceptively quiet.
Inside, the smell of damp wood and old incense lingers in the air. Dust drifts lazily through the shafts of pale light coming through the broken stained-glass windows.
Nightwing crouches low behind a row of pews, the church's wide open space offers too many places for someone to hide—and too many ways for them to be trapped.
The sound of his boots barely makes a sound as he shifts, but the echoes from across the nave threaten to betray him.
“Gotta move fast. Gotta stay quiet.”
He whispered to himself..
He catches sight of the thugs near the altar, fumbling with their explosive packages—these men are clearly out of their element.
They’re too focused on the task at hand to notice him, but Nightwing knows the slightest noise could send everything into a frenzy.
Nightwing glances at the wall of pews ahead of him. A few carefully chosen moves and he could slip past, just close enough to the packages to start disarming them.
His eyes never leave the goons as he silently approaches the closest package.
Just as he’s about to move to the next one, the sound of footsteps clack through the church. One of Falcone’s thugs rounds the corner near the confession booth, unaware of Nightwing’s position.
He ducks down, staying low
“Too close. I’ll have to improvise.”
The thug pauses, scanning the room, but the shadows obscure Nightwing’s position.
Nightwing’s muscles tense, his hand reaching for a smoke bomb. If this guy sees him, it’s over.
He waits for the thug to move again, glancing back the thug notices a figure, Nightwing hurls the smoke bomb into the air.
It lands just at the thug's feet, bursting into a thick, opaque cloud.
Nightwing moves fast, darting across the smoke-filled space like a shadow, grabbing another explosive package off the stack as he passes.
The thug, caught off guard, fumbles for his gun, but by the time he clears the smoke, Nightwing is already gone, crouched behind another row of pews.
These dumbasses had the detonators in the packages. This was a failed job to it's finest.
“Got the ones i can, be quick, they're alerted.”
He murmurs from comms..
But wait… These are Falcones guys… What the hell are they planning? Could this be a trick?..
“WHO WAS THAT!?”
“MOVE–MOVE–MOVE!”
On the opposite side of the church, Batwoman doesn’t have the luxury of staying hidden.
She has to make her presence known.
The thugs by the door are well-armed, spread out in a loose perimeter. But they don’t know she’s there—yet.
One of the thugs is standing just beneath her. She waits.
"Let’s turn this place into a graveyard.”
She silently leaps down, landing behind the nearest thug with a soft thud.
She’s on him in an instant, her fist driving into the back of his head. He crumples without a sound.
The others spin around, pulling weapons from their holsters.
The church’s silence is shattered by the clatter of gunmetal, but Batwoman’s movements are fluid.
She quickly gets out of their line of sight, using the pews for cover.
“Bad news, they have great ears and a lot of ammo, hurry up before i'm a human smoothie.”
As she speaks, one of the thugs turns the corner toward her, his gun raised
She sweeps his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground, then she delivers a swift elbow to his temple.
Nightwing darts to the side… Wait a minute… these detonators aren't real.. there's no wiring–”Take as many of them down as you can. IF you can.
Apparently to them there's a difference between a fake detonator and… the real detonator..”
“There's fake ones? Maybe they aren't stupid.”
“OR THEY'RE REALLY SMART..”
He said in a very concerning tone
———
“Author PLEASE answer meee… I thought i was apart of this–”
“CAN'T YOU EVER SHUT UP, BRO? Just fucking sit here and watch.”
“But–”
“And KEEP… That ANNOYING mouth of yours, SHUT. M'kay?”
;(
Looking at his monitor i realize he definitely did not want me in this. For what reason I DON'T KNOW
but hey this is 4K of these thugs getting beat up
In a church
by Nightwing and Batwomen
HOW MUCH DID I MISS?..
“...”
“...”
“...”
“For your information i have the real detonator.”
“Really???”
“Yep! When the bomb squad arrives to dispose of the obvious threat i'm gonna kill them all. See? Smart me.”
“So that's why you didn't want me in this!
You probably did just create an enemy of Carmine Falcone since you are trying to kill off his thugs like the sims but you unincluded me so that i wouldn't get hurt!!!
You're so hot when your nice to me~”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Once the bomb goes off you are gonna leave a note at the half destroyed (my doing) church!”
“Awhh!!! Okay.. So.. What's it gonna be?.”
“Well… A short and confusing poem. Meant to lead them on. Give them false hope (type shit.) It doesn't mean too much.”
———
The sound of sirens grow louder outside the church, the flashing lights spilling through the cracked stained-glass windows, casting chaotic red and blue hues across the dusty floor.
Nightwings fist meets the last thug before reaching his comms the last time
“Sounds like BPD and the bomb squad are rolling in.”
Batwomen responds interested in other things
“Good timing. Let’s get out before we’re caught in the middle of this mess.”
“This church is about to get a lot less holy.”
He joked.
“Get the perimeter! Nobody in or out! Bomb squad’s taking over from here!”
Nightwing and Batwoman watch from a distance as the officers move through the church, checking for any threats or hidden explosives.
The thugs are out of the building before… The worst and unexpected… The explosives go off!
Destroying everything around them…
“NO–”
“HOLY–”
———
News helicopters hover overhead, their blades cutting through the chaos below.
The scene is a mix of destruction, police activity, and smoke curling up into the gray sky.
The familiar hum of the news studio fills the background as the screen cuts to a reporter standing in front of the wreckage.
“Breaking news here in Blüdhaven. A violent explosion has rocked the Baily Church, leaving a trail of devastation and chaos in its wake.
The explosion, believed to be caused by an elaborate bomb plot, occurred just hours ago and only now was it safe to enter it's grieving end.
Early reports indicate that the bomb squad and Blüdhaven PD had responded to a potential threat, but despite their efforts, the situation escalated beyond their control.
C4 and HMX, had been discovered at the church nearing sunrise last night before sadly taking the lives of many officers.
Sources suggest that the explosive materials were smuggled into the building by a group of now identified criminals. However, their exact motives remain unclear.”
The TV cuts to an interview with a Blüdhaven PD officer, his face grim in despair.
“We didn’t expect the explosives to go off since we had the detonator. Or so we thought… We’re still investigating the cause of the premature detonation.”
It cuts back to the reporter
“Over thirty fatalities have been reported, and over eighty people have been injured from the radius.
Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage.
This marks the latest in a string of criminal activity tied to the notorious Falcone crime family, though no official connection has been confirmed.”
The screen cuts to an image of the church's ruined interior, with broken pews, scattered debris, and a thick cloud of dust still hanging in the air.
“The city's been on edge recently, but tonight’s events only raise further questions about what’s happening in Blüdhaven.
Could this be another attempt to destabilize the city by the criminal underworld? Or, is there something more sinister at play here?
Authorities are calling it a ‘tragic accident,’ but with so many unanswered questions, we may not know the full story for days.
One last thing, officers have found a condescending note left in the rubble after the explosion! I will let my buddy read that to you, right now.”
“Fina Kean here, on the mysterious note near The Baily Church, reading
‘Cat and mouse, bat and bird, underground the snake, unheard, aching for a meal it heard, the snake climbed up to hunt.
The cat it had no interest in, led it to the bat who said, the mouse is out of sale my friend, the bird can satisfy hunger.’
Whatever this could mean it's still tasteless
Seriously? All we have? And with some useless poetry is all that was left unharmed in the tragic event.”
Dick sighs, turning the TV down.
“It wasn't your fault ya'know..”
Barbara stated
“I know.. I just..”
“I mean i had no idea those bombs would just go off suddenly either.. They're right for speculation but i think we need to look into that shadow creature thing.
Clearly they’re a part of this.”
“Let's look into it then. They said they found a note left to the rubble, i'll get Alfred to help examine it.”
———
The mirage of faces that were lost on such a night…
I was made to enjoy it..
To express such-and-such of warm feelings.
Joy in hell
But this time… Felt.. Different.
I truly felt… bad..
I could've done something to prevent that
yet i didn't
hmm..
“Author?...
…
…
…
Whatever, i'm going home.”
———
Why i am–God…
Why won't she just LEAVE ME ALONE
Here i got it–’Stop spamming my phone you stupid bitch’
sent
…
Perfect.
I grab a pop and sit down at my couch
Turning on the Tv to the news i hear something rather normal
“The Joker has escaped again from Arkham Asylum”
Ughhhh this is like twice in a week he's escaped. I. Don't. Care.
All the same endings.
Nothing new.
It's like a really shitty trivia…
On a very hackable site…
With porn for some reason plastered all over the fucking screen.
I wanna pirate some cool ass movies now…
Knock Knock Knock
“Bitch–who is it now…”
I uttered
Checking the peep hole i see.. No one?
“Wow, funny prank. haha.”
Rolling my eyes i turn to go slump back on my couch again until
Knock Knock Bang
“BRO.”
Opening the door with a skilled quickness i again meet nothing..
“Holy shit did i just let a ghost into my house–”
“SURPRISE!!!!”
“AAAAAUUH– KENZIE??”
“HAH. Got you. Anyways i came to pick you up since you haven't been speaking with your ma and she's kinda upset!
I get you an emo teen but c'mon she raised you!
Let's go see yo mama.”
“Wait–”
Grabbing my arm she drags me out of my room.
…
…
…
What… Wait… That's not how that memory went–Wasn't i-
I was an adult then a kid–what the hell is going on with my memory??...
The story doesn't match…
why… WHY?..
Why can't my memories align??
Everything is..
weird…
MISSING..
THIS ISN'T RIGHT..
You
Are
DEAD
———