The first flashback chapter of the story. These are going to occur every few chapters, both to add to the story and to keep you all entertained between the regular chapter releases. Think of these as like the death mini-games from FNAF...
That sounded way better in my head...
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"Behind every favorite song, there is an untold story." -Unknown
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Gotham had plenty of places to hide... especially when it comes to criminal activity and the many injustices of the world.
Warehouses and storage facilities o' plenty... Sewers and secret passages... Abandoned buildings and unsettling structures...
And, on top of that, plenty of people willing to commit any atrocities their minds can come up with...
Only that wasn't the case for one person in particular...
"Why does the boss want us babysitting his kid?" One goon in a horror clown mask asked his companion, his Gotham accent bleeding through.
"It ain't babysitting. She's entertaining herself. The girl wanted some time away from Joker. She chose to come with us." His buddy hissed with annoyance.
"Whatever. It's still bullcrap..."
"Just focus on making sure that the Bat doesn't get past us..."
Near a window off in the corner of the second floor, a girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen, sat with a backpack full of books, snacks, money, and clothes. Her ears were plugged with earbuds, music blaring from it. In her lap, a leather-bound journal rested with her pencil, scratching and staining the paper with words, letters, and doodles. She wove a hand through her brown, black, and white hair, pushing it out of her face. Her black, white, and denim attire made her nearly a shadow against the walls.
What felt like hours slipped by, seemingly without much incident. No suspicious activity or strange occurrences...
No Batman or Robin...
It was quiet... too quiet...
That's when the first guy was found incapacitated behind a pile of crates. Everyone within the warehouse went into a frenzy of fear and uncertainty. Meanwhile, the girl was completely oblivious, safe in her own little world.
"Crap, one of those freaks is here!"
"Where is he?"
"What are we gonna do?!"
Two more men were caught, dangling by their ankles from perches. From the shadows, a pair of white pinpoints scanned the room, looking for the next goon who needed a beat down. They briefly glanced over at the girl, sitting near the second floor window. Leaving them to wonder who she was and why she was here...
Two more guys were found incapacitated on the floor of the warehouse. They have their breathing restricted until they fell into unconsciousness. Waking them up was fruitless... they were out cold... for now.
This left the two men on the second floor with the girl at the window...
"Oh god, man! What are we gonna do?! We're dead meat!" The more portly goon stammered, his gun trembling in his grip.
"Relax. I've gotta plan..." The more scrawny one assured cooly.
"Oh yeah? And what's this plan of yours?"
"We use the girl... we hold a knife to her throat, and we force the bat and bird to surrender!"
"Dude, that's freakin' suicide! Joker will have our heads if he finds out we threatened or killed his daughter!"
"C'mon, it's not like he actually cares about her like she's his own cub. Otherwise, why else would she be here if he did?"
"Eh, you've gotta a point... Alright, let's do it!"
The skinny masked criminal moved over to the girl, shouldering his gun and pulling a switchblade from his pants pocket. His bigger friend stood behind, looking around the room with his gun still in hand.
The girl remained ensnared in her music and writing, never once noticing the approaching presence...
The white pinpoints from before were now watching the scene from above. They widened once they saw the henchman with the blade, heading towards the girl. However, the one behind them smirked smugly, knowing that this was too easy...
A chuckle emitted from the darkness...
As quick as lightning, a figure dropped on top of the bigger gunman. His boot was on top of the neck of the goon, crushing his vocal cords and knocking him out. With similar vigor, he took out and threw a silver bird-shaped throwing star. He tossed it in the direction of the man's hand holding the knife.
The sharpened wing cut the back of the thug's hand, causing him to drop the blade in reaction to the pain. When he noticed the weapon now embedded into the nearby wall, he grew angry. Only one person used a throwable tool in that shape...
Robin was here...
Before he could even gather his bearings and land a hit, he was a moment too late. Robin had sent a flying kick to his face, taking him out for the count. His body was thrown into the wall next to the darkly-dressed girl. The feeling of the collision jolted the teen out of her own self-contained bubble. Ripping her earbuds out of her ears, she stared fearfully at the two white orbs in the shadows. She had heard the stories and the thugs' close encounters with the Dark Knight of Gotham. She had her close encounters with him since she was young and was forcibly whisked into the depraved criminal lifestyle. She also heard about her apprentice, the Boy Wonder, Robin. Of course, the first one ended up becoming Nightwing and going to Bludhaven. She had yet to see the newest bird boy in action.
She immediately took to putting her hands up in surrender, saying, "Look, I have no part in this operation, I promise. I'm just here to get away from the two lead crackheads. All I know is that the goods were taken from Cobblepot and Sionis and were either being used for resupplying these dipshits or black-market dealing around the city."
The two bright eyes in the shadows seemly tilted to their left in curiosity. Almost as if they were perplexed by her action and what she had said. Without even a word, the hollow sound of footsteps crept up to her. The moonlight from the window began to reveal the person behind the eyes. The girl could see dirty military green boots with faded yellow armor over the front.
Wait a minute...
Batman doesn't wear a colored suit or colored armor...
A red chestplate came into view, the emblem of an 'R' on the left breastplate now visible. The tactical pants that match the base of the tall boots. The black cape with yellow trim, stopping at the ankles. Matching gloves and armaments to the boots, pulling the look together, and providing adequate protection. Where the white pupils were, now there were crystalline blue irises, surrounded by a black domino mask.
It was the new Robin...
"And I should believe you why?" The boy wonder asked with slight accusation in his tone.
Sighing in a manner of faint frustration, she responded, "Look, I don't have any weapons on me right now. And even if I did, I don't know how to operate or use one properly. Hell, I can't even figure out how to reload a Glock..."
The boy wonder thought on this and realized that she might be right. Besides, if she did know how to handle a weapon, she would've tried to kill him by now...
Keyword, 'tried'...
Taking a few more steps forward, he extended his gloved hand to her. Though hesitant at first, the girl placed her hand in his. He then pulled her up from the floor, the top of her head in line with the tip of his nose. The boy's eyes then drifted to a gas mask with a spade on the front on the windowsill.
"Wait, you're Spades... You're Joker's daughter..."
The girl let out a nervous and awkward chuckle, "Is it that obvious? Lemme guess, it was my mask..."
"Well, yes... but..."
"What?"
"I just... wasn't expecting you to look so... normal..."
"What do you mean by that? Were you expecting something else?"
"I kinda thought you would look more like your dad..."
After a split second of thought, she realized what he meant by that. Her brown eyes widened a notable fraction in shock, "Wait, you think I'm his biological daughter?!"
Now, it was the boy wonder's turn to be shocked...
"Wait... You're not?!"
"Ew! What?! No! Do I have the bleached white skin of a mentally unstable circus clown? He literally unofficially adopted me after my blood family died in a car accident! Good God..."
The poor girl was blushing from embarrassment, smoothing her frazzled hair with her fingers. How could this mishap happen to her? Sure, she wore her gas mask every time she was in public, but that was only because Joker forced her to. She looks practically nothing like the man who was her, although adversely dysfunctional, father.
The sound of laughter startled the girl out of her thoughts. However, it wasn't the frightening, homicidal cackling her father was known for. This was a warm and sweet sound that was hearty and tender with a boyish pitch. She turned towards the boy wonder, revealing him to be the source of the much more pleasant chuckles.
Taking a breather, he then responded with, "Sorry. I couldn't tell because that bastard is hard to identify, according to Batman. Sorry about the mix-up."
With a light laugh, she then said, "It's fine, just don't compare me to that maniac..."
The two teens chuckled at the conversation they just had. They hadn't realized it yet, but they had just bound their fates together.
For better or for worse...
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