S t o r m Cloud

F o r t y F i v e

「 F  O  R  T  Y F  I V E 」

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Scarlett sat slouched at a bench leaning over a small table. Her body slumped with exhaustion as she tirelessly tried to regain her conscious thoughts. Her tiresome grey eyes wandering the cracks in the concrete flooring as she avoided all interaction with other inmates. Her mind was swirling with agonising nonsense, her body still sore from her latest visit with Arkham. This wasn't her first rodeo after all, this was her third time out of isolation. There wasn't many inmates in this controlled environment. Guards over looked them, staring down from the rafters like hawks watching field mice scurry along the over grown dead fields just outside of Gotham. This irked Scarlett she hated their lingering stares, she'd often wonder what it'd be like if she could just snap her fingers and make them turn away. Their constant patrolling and leering sneers as
they seemed to encourage the violence of inmates towards one another seeking enjoyment out of their suffering, as if Arkham's sessions weren't deteriorating them all. She hated it, but she was relieved to have some sort of social interaction, even if neither of them engaged in friendly conversation. They all just seemed to brood in opposite sides of the open space. The only words leaving their mouths when you made contact with one of their glares.

But one guy did speak, he never stopped. He seemed smarter than the rest, familiar almost. He did however become agitating after a while with his constant thoughts rambling from his mouth. Scarlett wanted to rip out his tongue at times when his babbling became to much of a headache but it was then she realised maybe his constant rambling was a tic of sorts as he would laugh as he analysed every little thing, his mind going a mile a minute as he spoke of so many different conundrums and theories, riddles you name it that man was something else. But one thing stood out about him, he had ways of finding out information that she did not.

" Tell me do you not find it strange why you're the only girl in here?"
The mysterious man asked catching Scarlett attention, and that of a few others that loitered in the room. " Surely you have  questioned why you're in here. But would could a small thing like you have done?"
Scarlett nails began to dig into her palms as she grew irritated by the sound of his voice. He'd been pestering her for a little over an hour now, her mind was still aching from her recent visit with Arkham. " we've all heard the screams, not to mention those rather purplish bruises taunting your oh so youthful skin." Flashing a sadistic grin across his lips leaving Scarlett to just glare at him. Wonder what he'd look like with purple bruised skin?
"Enough." She snapped smacking her palms against the table. " I don't know why." She spat her eyes lingering in his for longer than he expected as a small smug smile began to grow upon his face showing off a darkness to his features. " Of course you do." He scoffed excitedly  sounding like a child caught doing something they shouldn't. " You just need to think harder you're not seeing it. It's painfully obvious you're just not looking closely enough." His words getting under her skin. " Why do you care?" Scarlett asked not really caring for his answer. In all honesty she just wanted to be alone her thoughts driving her almost clinically insane as her mind began to race, her teeth almost grinding as he began to badger her even more. His words almost inaudible as the ringing in her ears grew louder.  " shut up." She seethed earning a laugh from a group of inmates that lurked in the corner. " You're quite the spit fire aren't you." Said the voice of a tanned brute walking forwards towards the bickering pair. " You look familiar." Another stated " Have we ever met Darlin?" Scarlett internally groaned as she felt a snarl beginning to form on her face. She didn't know why she didn't feel intimidated or threatened. It was evident that any one of these men could snap her in half.
"I don't think so." She stuttered shrinking into herself hoping the ground would swallow her whole. After all she may be feeling confident but she wasn't an idiot. She knows how this would go down if she was to talk back. In case you was wondering it wouldn't end well. " No I've seen her before I know it." The mystery man snickered at the group his arrogance radiating off his body like a bad stench invading  Scarletts nostrils.
" what are you sniggering at Nigma?" The tanned brute snarled adjusting his posture to stand taller. " You know who she is Tony don't pretend you were ever good at that whole manipulation game." The man named Nigma said looking bored almost as if Tony wasn't appealing to him. " so what if I do? Maybe I just wanted to hear her say it.—maybe I jus—." "You just what? You wanted to be the one to deliver the news?" Nigma interrupted moving from his seated position to face them all fully. "But what news would that be dear Tony?" His words catching both their attention. " The news of who she is or the news to the man with the bounty hanging over her head?"

" Looks like you have it all clued up Nigma. You got me." Tony began moving slowly with his hands in the air as he manoeuvred himself behind of Scarlet. Her breathing becoming slow as she cautiously eyed the guards up above. " Do you know what sort of immunity I'll get once I deliver the news to him." Scarletts eyes catching Tony's hand slowly moving into the corner of her eyesight. Without hesitation lurching her arm towards Tony wrist twisting down towards the cold metal of the bench she sat upon leaping to her feet. " How do you know he hasn't already got the news?" Scarlett asked twisting Tony's arm further into the table. Tony let out whisper of a laugh rolling his head back. " How do you know that there's a bounty on my head, I'm no one." She spat through gritted teeth. " I think we know you aren't no one sweet pea." Tony sassed, his free hand roughly grasping her jaw digging his dirt encrusted nails into her skin. " Handing you over is going to settle a big debt that I intend to repay." The pair scowling at one another. Scarletts hand releasing his wrist clawing at his hand pitifully trying to loosen his grip fixating her in place. " Handing you back to joker will in turn hand myself immunity in this city." His fingers squeezing Scarletts cheeks no doubt leaving intricate little bruises along her jaw. " You're pathetic if you think he'll hand you any of that. I mean nothing to him." She spat managing to release herself from his hold stumbling back. " Believe me sweet pea you're the bargaining chip I've been waiting for." He sniggered walking towards her. The guess above unphased at the brawl that was seconds from happening. " I have two things to say to you Tony." Scarlett spat angrily. " Fuck. yourself." Just like that he'd ignited a spark within her, just that little something that had managed to trigger something within her body leading for every ounce of hate filled emotion to become the fuel that pumped through her adrenaline filled veins. Throwing herself forward Scarlett brought her legs to wrap around his arm pulling the duo down into a entangled heap a backwards rollover onto her feet before landing a sickening crunch as she brought her foot down onto his hand. Her fingers enclosed into a fist as she landed a sharp upper cut to his face. The small group scurrying forward to defend their leader.

" Sir don't you think we should intervene?" An officer said ready to burst through the high security gate into the open space where the bickering inmates resided. " Not yet, Arkham wants to see how his little project gets on." The guard looking at Officer Griggs in confusion as they watched the blonde defend herself against her attackers, her attackers grasping her roughly tackling her to the ground. "Sir—." " Not yet." He snapped as he leaned over the railing catching Scarletts eyes as she lay pinned to the floor by the tanner man roughly grasping her face before smacking his hand across her cheek. A cry of pain leaving her lips as she spat blood from her now popped lip into his face.
" Right boys." Griggs spike merrily walking towards a control panel "hit em" the loud buzz of the security gate being opened as a hoard of armed guards stormed the inmates. The once fighting inmates frantically separating from one another as they became restrained, dragged out of their containment back to their holes of isolation. Scarlett stood shakily rubbing the back of her hand across her bottom lip laughing almost as her eyes glossed over Nigma giving her a polite wave as he was escorted off site. " What did I say about playing nicely?" Griggs taunts as he places the hand cuffs back onto Scarletts wrists. " To go fuck yourself?" She spat before earning a smack to the face.

Scarlett began to slip more and more away from her sanity. Arkham was slowly tearing every piece of herself from her. Her thoughts consumed by rage and confusion. Constant questions running through her mind as she tried her hardest to cling to her sanity. Her hands clawing at the restraints keeping her immobile as Arkham began to adjust the setting on his favourite toy. She was sick of feeling numb with a rage inside her. She was becoming a wild card a uncontrollable force. Her outburst becoming more frequent as she lashed out at anyone and everyone. Her constant isolation not providing any solace for her aching mind. The ghosts of her past taunting her in her sleep depriving her of salvation. She couldn't do it anymore. She'd hit rock bottom. The thrilling burn of the electroshock singeing her veins as she let out a cry spitting out the guard in her mouth. Her mind humming as her memories contorted and swirled into nonsense. Her breath heavy as the familiar feeling of cold sweat coated her skin. Her eyelids heavy as she smacked her head back into the seat hoping to numb the pain, fingernails digging into her palms cutting deep as the voltage became more amplified. The shrilling cry of her screams vibrating in the air making one of the in looking guards flinch as she thrashed about in a numbing agony. One thought evident rattling around her mind. Joker had a bounty on her head. It was only a small amount of time before he found her. A small amount of time until The clown prince of crime returned to Arkham Asylum.