addy and steph are the (blondebat) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2013-04-22 16:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | door: dc comics, stephanie brown |
who Cluemaster and Batgirl.
what Gotham's version of a daddy-daughter fight.
when At the same time as this
where the docks, Bludhaven.
warning Violence! hella angst, too. broken-hearted bb steph. :[
Cluemaster stood on the edge of the Bludhaven docks as his radio buzzed. The cargo ship he was waiting for had just left the Gotham shore with no trouble and the thugs he planned on using for the heist would be enroute within twenty minutes. That gave Brown time to think, time he didn’t necessarily want. Nigma had been quiet and Stephanie hadn’t done anything rash or stupid, which meant the question marked man had talked her out of pursuing him or they were up to something. The latter, of course, was more likely. That’s what lead to all this secrecy across shores and the urgency he would have to use to sweep the banks of Bludhaven. Even if Stephanie caught up, she wouldn’t be able to take down an entire gang of thugs without the help of Nigma’s technology. That was all Artie could allow himself to think about. Not about how Eddie managed to get under her skin or what kind of twisted, sick plans he had for her. Those kinds of thoughts sent his blood pressure through the roof.
So, instead he turned and walked towards the warehouse he had been using as a base to prepare for the rest of the night. Pulling the facemask away as he reached the mirrored door of his warehouse office, Artie checked his reflection just long enough to remind himself that the scarring wasn’t there anymore. That he was younger than he had been the last time he saw Stephanie or Eddie, but still older than the both of them somehow. It made him feel like he really did know better than either of them. That Eddie was lost in his own young crazy and Stephanie was being pulled along for the ride. It was every father’s nightmare that a daughter, no matter how estranged, would end up with a sly motherfucker like The Riddler who took for himself every chance he got. Change? Men like that didn’t change. Just like men like Artie never changed. There wasn’t a universe where he could just be a regular joe making regular money. The sooner Stephanie understood that, the better.
Artie’s office was a small rectangle that had no visible signs of who worked there. It clearly was the type of place that was interchangeable for criminals and mobsters alike, moving in their own equipment and then shipping out the second their crime was done. All he had was a small desk, a computer and a locker full of his own supply of guns and ammo. He went straight back there, checking pistols, ammo and then his shotgun. Trying to keep his nerves straight.
The night was cool, cooler than it had been since they’d all arrived in Bludhaven, and Batgirl took her time moving from the roof of Harper Row’s apartment building to the docks. It’d taken she and Eddie just a few more days to pinpoint exactly the time and place Arthur had designated, and a couple days of planning things out. Luckily, they both knew their roles already. Eddie was currently sneaking onto a ship from Gotham bound to Bludhaven and having a little playtime with the Cat. Stephanie, on the other hand, needed to take care of business that she let fester for far too long. This night, almost more than her birthday, had her ruminating over the steps that led the three of them to this point. The mistakes, the hesitations, the failures. As she swung through the uncaring Bludhaven skyline, bang and swish, bang and swish, she couldn’t help but regret not putting a stop to this sooner. Arthur handed her plenty of opportunities, but she hadn’t taken them. She’d been too weak, too emotional to take them.
She knew she couldn’t be emotional tonight; she couldn’t let him cloud her judgement. Arthur Brown needed to be taken care of, and he needed to be stopped, and he needed to be thrown into Blackgate where he belonged. Stephanie needed to leave Stephanie at the door and become full-on Batgirl. No strings, no emotions, just pure logic and justice. Well, that was a good thought, wasn’t it? To be able to separate herself completely. One moment a girl with pink hair and a penchant for pop culture references, another completely assimilated into the cowl. Yeah, that was a nice thought, but there was no separating Steph from Batgirl, not really. Especially when it came to her dad. The proof was there; she could have taken him down that first night in Slaughter Swamp, but she hadn’t. She could have neutralized him at her birthday dinner, but she hadn’t. And she feared, as she swung onto the roof next to the warehouse where Arthur was based, that she wouldn’t be able to do it tonight either.
Sighing shakily, she took a moment to steady herself. Eddie was counting on her. Bludhaven was counting on her. She couldn’t back out now. “Okay, Brown, you can do this,” she told herself with that shake in her voice. Bang and she pulled herself to the other building to parallel to an open window. Swing, thud, and she landed on a catwalk lining the windows around the warehouse. She spotted the office, the little rectangle with light beaming out, but she wanted them out in the open. Who knew what he had hidden in that small room? She stood above it on that catwalk and cupped her mouth to shout.“Arthur!” Stephanie called out, opting not to start with the dad moniker and pull her weak cards out immediately. No, there would be time for him to manipulate her into loving him yet.
Arthur recognized her voice immediately and gave a shocked look up in the middle of loading his shotgun. A moment passed and then he walked out from the office and looked up at her from the catwalk. “Is it just you?” He asked a little proudly of himself. “This isn’t the time to have a family chat. If you wanted to talk to me, you should have done it before coming here.” It was his way of shooing Stephanie off before any of the big guns got there because there was no way she could take a ship and truck full of goons that were going to be there soon. And, there wasn’t anything in his voice that suggested he thought Batgirl could even take him alone.
The tell-tale blonde hair was nowhere to be found, chopped pink hair logically tucked away, but those blue eyes gave it all away. Stephanie watched him carefully, on edge and expecting someone else to just pop out of the sides and take her down through a blind spot. Why would he just be here, alone and exposed? Was he asking for it? “It’s just me,” she snapped, gloved hands gripping the bar before pulling herself to perch on it. “Is it just you?” She caught that tone, that smug challenge laced in his words, and she felt her stomach lurch with anger and a sick sort of hurt. Here she was, still wanting to prove her father wrong. That she was good enough. That she was better than him. “I’m more of a face-to-face kind of girl.” She waited a second more before pushing herself off and landing into a crouch a couple of yards away from Arthur.
Arthur crossed his arms as his face started to harden and turn a shade of crimson. The Browns were mad at each other for the same reason, but from different sides of the story. Stephanie could never accept his criminal lifestyle and he could never accept her running around in a costume to fight crime. “Just me. For now.” He didn’t move, but there was a twitch of his hand towards his holstered pistol that was some kind of deliberate show that he’d be willing to shoot her to get what he wanted. Even if both of them didn’t believe that. “You’re too late, Stephanie. Soon my men will get here and we’re going to hit this city and make all the money I couldn’t with Batman in the picture. And, you’re not going to do anything about it unless you want to get killed. Get me?”
But, Artie was distracted. She could tell from the way he looked at his watch or towards the dock once and awhile. He didn’t want to have this conversation with his daughter, but he did want to complete his plan to become one of the richest criminals in both Bludhaven and Gotham.
Steph recognized that red face, a trademark trait of the Browns when they couldn’t communicate exactly how they were feeling. The blonde bat was a blusher and a stammerer sometimes, and Arthur’s face burned up in rage. They were more alike than they cared to admit. Both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Her stare mirrored back in his when she caught his eye, and that stomach lurch vibrated through her body again. “No, I’m not. I’m not too late.” Her voice shook, and she stood up straight to convey how much she was not fucking around this time. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I’ve let things go, but this isn’t happening, Dad.” Crap. That familial connection snuck in before she could help herself, and she visibly balked for a split second. Recover, Brown.
She didn’t think he would shoot her, but then again, he’d thrown her off a roof without a second thought, so maybe she should be a little more cautious. Still, she edged closer. “You know I can’t let all this happen. It’s over.” Her fingers itched for the Batarangs lining the utility belt resting her hip, but the pistol wasn’t in his hand yet. Instead, she inched closer, hands up in some sort of surrender. “We can do this the easy way, if you really want. You still have a chance.”
Artie paused, his hand almost touching the edge of his pistol before putting his own hands up in a mirrored surrender. “A chance?” He laughed at her, taking a step forward. “If you don’t leave now, there’s going to be an entire squad of my men that even Batman couldn’t defeat all on his own. I’m giving you a chance.” Then there was a seriousness, something close to how a real father would sound when he spoke. “Get out while you can with your life. Don’t be so stupid.” Stupid, like someone who would dress up as Batgirl. Stupid, like someone who would be so easily tricked by the Riddler after everything he did to the Brown family.
That tone in his voice caught her off-guard, and she lowered her hands slowly. She hadn’t heard him play really concerned in a long time. Certainly not in Slaughter Swamp, nor when they were huddled around a table at Sal’s. She didn’t take a step toward him, but she did note him inching forward. “Dad,” she said desperately, teeth gritting. “I’m not the one being stupid. This is it.” Steph stepped closer then, hunching her shoulders forward, gloved palms exposed. “This is your last chance. I don’t want to--I really don’t want to have to--.” She sighed in frustration and clenched her fists to her side. “You need to stop underestimating me.” Everyone did, didn’t they? But, especially him. He didn’t know what he was messing with. She knew she only had a short period of time with him, but if she could just convince him to come quietly with her, maybe they could work something out. Maybe she wouldn’t have to think of her dad in Blackgate again. And, she hated herself for being so sentimental about it. She should have just called Damian or Jason in to do the job.
“Stop being so goddamn blind,” she offered finally. “Do you think I’d be here if I didn’t think I could take care of this?” Sure, the family was falling to shambles, and Batman was far, far away, but she had people she could call on if she need.
Without warning, Arthur’s temper snapped suddenly and violently. A habit he hadn’t shaken since she was just a little kid running around in her cape playing pretend too loudly for him to hear the television. “You shut the hell up! You’re the one who’s been blinded! Ever since you were a kid you were obsessed with these freaks in masks and capes and now you’re blinded by the Riddler. The Riddler!” He shouted so loud his voice echoed through the warehouse. “You don’t want to trust me? Fine. But, believe me when I say that what’s showing up here in-” He checked his watch, “Ten minutes? Is going to kill you. And there ain’t a damn thing I can do about that. So go home to your-”
But, he was cut off by static and then a voice shouting from his hip as his handheld radio started beeping. Confused, he gave Stephanie a long, hard look before answering. “Talk.”
“Yeah, uh, Catwoman just took Johnny down and I think Rid-”
“You what?” Arthur screamed. “Get another boat in to stop them! Now!” His face was completely red now, veins popping out his neck as the wrinkles carved in his mouth and eyes suddenly seemed almost cavernous. He lower the radio and looked to Stephanie. “So, you want to pull a fast one on me? Huh? You working with Catwoman now too? Who’s next? Penguin? The Joker?”
She jumped just the slightest when he snapped, memories slipping quickly back to every single time he would do the same as a child. There was a lot of that in Stephanie’s life. Flashbacks to her childhood or her own mistakes, and she had been good lately to try not to make the connections, but it was hard. It was hard given her past staring at her in the face. But, now, she could fight back. She could shout and hit and overpower him in a way she hadn’t been able to even as a teenager. Even while he and the Riddler (because he would be the Riddler when Steph thought back to those times) squatted in the Brown household. Opening her mouth to snap back, she stopped short when the radio jumped to life. Arthur’s confused look was matched with a pair of raised eyebrows lost in the cowl and the slightest tilt to her head.
See, Stephanie Brown had at least one upperhand in all of this, and that was Eddie. Eddie making quick work on the ship and destroying that machine before it could do any real damage. “Oops,” she said, a little mockingly, mostly rough and angry, and she shrugged. “I’ve heard my sense of humor is really popular. A lot more popular than some loser just shouting his face off.” The familial affection or whatever was lost in that moment, and she edge closer, this time tense and clearly preparing herself for the gun at his side or whatever else he might throw her way.
Arthur flexed his fingers into tight fists, his stance like he was staring down a member of the Bat family instead of one of his own. His eyes told a different story. Almost betrayal, which was likely something that had been trying to surface since he found his ex-partner (if you asked Eddie, Artie was always just a pawn with a big mouth) and his daughter were in cahoots with each other. “Ha, right. I heard those psychopaths love a good sense of humor. So you need them to take me down? Is that it? Well, let me tell you something Stephanie. He’s going to take that machine and go rob those banks for Sal with Catwoman by his side. I know Eddie and I know you. He can’t resist a good steal.”
But, he already was starting to feel defeated and tried to think of his options. If Riddler was going to take the ship and the machine for himself, it’d be in Arthur’s best interest to get Stephanie to trust him. Arthur forced himself to calm down, fist slowly untightening along with his tone. “He knows how to hack that machine, doesn’t he?” Arthur worked out their plan out loud. “And, we both know he’s in talks with every mobster in town. Who’s to say they didn’t set me up? Makes sense to me. Play nice with a bat until there’s a good job and a chance to stop the competition. That sounds like Riddler, doesn’t? He’s done that plenty of times to anyone that’ll trust him. What makes you so special?”
“They aren’t working with Sal.” And there was no doubt in her voice about that. Even for the Cat, Stephanie knew that they weren’t tangling like that with the mob anymore. Eddie wasn’t dealing with them much at all anymore, at least as far as she knew. Of course, they didn’t really talk about his business dealings much at all because they both knew how that might affect things. Still, she knew he wasn’t working with mob families tonight, and she was certain Selina was the same. “You don’t know anything about either of us, especially me.” How dare he claim to know her after everything he had done? After not being there for her at all? “And, you never will. You’ll never understand anything because you don’t want to!”
Her breathing was heavy, hard, and angry, and she searched his face with bright blue eyes as he spoke, as he worked out their plan. It wasn’t hard, once he knew where Eddie was with Selina in tow and with Stephanie shaking like an angry leaf in front of him. “I--No, that’s not--.” She tried to talk over him again and again, but she felt herself deflating for a moment. There wasn’t much space left between the two of them, maybe a foot and some change, and he could see her struggling to drown out what he was saying. What made her so special? She almost said they were partners, but that would be misconstrued. “Because he’s in love with me!” she snapped, voice echoing off the corners of the big warehouse and bouncing back into their ears. The little blonde bat was seething, and in another context, it might just look like a father and daughter fighting over some boyfriend he didn’t approve of. Which, it was, in essence, but Gotham always made things far more complicated than some teen dramedy.
Arthur paused a long, long time after that outburst. Eyes wide, but not confused. Not confused at all. And, there was anger there, but for the first time tonight it wasn’t directed at her. “He told you that?” Arthur asked, voice empty and dangerous. “He’d sink that low. That sonofabitch would sink that low just to get at me and ruin you.” He looked down in thought, giving a dry laugh that someone did right before they were going to snap and throw a punch or start screaming. Eddie might have had some Arkham crazy in him, but Arthur was all Blackgate. Just pure, criminal violent anger. “I’m gunna kill him.”
He turned and the radio on his hip started buzzing with the sound of thugs updating him on the situation. The cat and Riddler had managed to get to the machine. Status unclear. The extra group of thugs had arrived on their boat and were armed and ready to kill him. “I’m going out there now. You should come with me, Stephanie. See what your boyfriend is capable of.” Then he snapped back to look at her. “If he isn’t stealing that machine right under your nose, I’ll go back to Blackgate without any trouble. I promise. But, if he does I get to go free. And, you don’t make any more visits as Batgirl.”
Steph’s knees knocked together as she stood, anger simmering and boiling over in the silence that followed the bubbled outburst. She brought a shaky hand up to her open mouth and covered it as she took deep, shaky breaths to steady herself. Watching as Arthur’s eyes turned wide with fury that wasn’t meant for her. Something got caught in her throat, and she caught his gaze with her narrowed one. “Ruin,” she choked out, hand falling down in shock. “Oh, Dad, if we’re gonna play that game, I was ruined long before Eddie came around.” The bitterness tasted sharp on her mouth, and she didn’t want to think about everything she’d suffered through because of her father. She had thought she’d buried that away again, but here he was, dragging it back to the surface without thought.
Arthur wasn’t the only Brown with irrational anger, and Steph had been able to keep it in check in the months following the pit, but it still bubbled under there. It licked and burned in her chest as she stared at him. Stared at the lines across his forehead and the red tint to his cheeks with growing nausea. “I don’t believe you,” she said, inching forward yet again. “You aren’t going to just let him get away.” Still, she wavered. She was close enough to grab him, close enough to try to wrench his wrist behind her back, but she waved at the door to indicate him to lead the way.
Arthur pulled his radio up and told his men to keep theirs on so he could hear what was happening on the ship. With a buzz, all they heard were the goons talking nervously to each other about how fast Catwoman took down Johnny and what happened to the nerd stuck with the machine. He turned to look down at his daughter. “You don’t believe me? If Riddler isn’t working for himself and he actually shuts that machine down, then that means he’s not using you. He’s still screwing me over, but it wouldn’t be the first time.” Arthur kept walking out towards the docks, texting his truck of goons to hold their position away from the warehouse for now and looked for a boat he could use.
“I’ve never known Riddler to give up something that valuable. I can promise you he’s not going to start now.” He stopped to look at Stephanie. “Once a criminal, always a criminal. That’s how Gotham works.” And, with that the chatting on the radio suddenly went quiet and Arthur gave a smug, smug look as he pulled it up and turned the volume as high as it would go.
“Attention S.S. Goonship!” Riddler’s voice sounded over the radio. “I’ve destroyed your cargo and now I’m appointing a new captain. But, first? A good, old fashioned, walk of the plank.” There was a pause, a stunned, silent pause from every single goon there. “Now, who’s going to be the new captain? Do I have any volunteers?”
And, with that chaos broke out over the line. Yelling, like they were going to tear Riddler apart and then the sound of the cat’s voice before Artie turned it down as his men systematically got taken down. He turned and looked at Stephanie, more defeated than he had been when he found out that his ship was being boarded by Riddler and Catwoman. “Did he tell you what happened in Slaughter Swamp? He wanted to come out and talk. So, I went to talk. With some firepower, of course. And, he talked like he always did so high and fucking mighty. I didn’t know what to think. Before I knew it? Bam. He hit me with his cane again and again like he was tenderizing meat.”
Stephanie trailed behind her father, keeping a little distance between the two of them and urge mingling between running away and knocking Arthur out right then and there. That unchecked rage still boiled under her skin, cheeks and the tip of her nose red, and she had to take deep breaths in tandem with her steps. In through the nose, out through the mouth, thud thud. She focused on the succession of actions, the noises within her father’s rants, because she didn’t want to flip out. She didn’t want to give him reason to call in something to put Eddie and Selina in harm’s way. But, she let a beat pass after Eddie’s voice sounded over the radio, the twitch of her lips betraying the fight not to smile, and she looked at her father. “Maybe I’m more valuable than anything he could get from that machine. I know I’m not to you, but I am to him.”
And the bitterness, the fury in her voice shook through her bodies to her fingertips, and she looked at him in disgust. The cool air had her scrunch her face up, twisted into a grimace that seemed more sixteen than twenty. She felt so young when he was around, when he looked at her with that heavy blond brow and the lines across his face. “Oh, yeah,” she said as they closed towards the edge of the docks where water crashed against the wood. “Because you’re completely, 100 percent innocent, Dad. He didn’t do that,” she continued, but there was a timid doubt in her voice. “Not without you provoking him.” There, that made more sense, and she stepped closer to him, fingers flexing and aching to throw a good punch. But, she didn’t want to ruin things, not yet.
Artie caught the doubt and smiled at her to let her know. “He doesn’t give you the whole story. Big surprise. Even if he shut that machine down and says he cares about you, don’t expect a straight answer about anything. I know him, too. Don’t forget that, Stephanie. I know him, too.” He pointed a finger right in her face, a last bit of angry assertion before resigning it. Artie was dumbfounded he could be wrong about Riddler and maybe this new Gotham really did bring a kind of change, but in the end he didn’t want to go to Blackgate for it. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Except for what happened with Riddler, but that was just making the score even. Why don’t you just let me go and I’ll stay out of your way? I can’t show my face in Gotham after I screwed up Sal’s plans. So, just let me go and you won’t hear from Cluemaster again.” Artie stepped back towards his boat, hands up a little like he was surrendering even if he was clearly trying to walk away.
“I don’t need the full story because I actually trust him.” And, she did. Part of her didn’t really want to know what kind of lengths Eddie went to in order to get what he wanted. She suspected, she imagined, she had inklings, but nothing that would turn her away yet. Nothing that really left a bad taste in her mouth. She followed Arthur closely, and left a mere foot between them as he edged close to his boat. His talk was distracting, and she could feel herself falling for it. Felt the tug in her belly that told her she should let him go. She bit down hard on her lip to quell the tremble and the lump in her throat. Fuck him for making her feel guilty, right? She took a deep, deep breath and steadied her watery gaze on him. “Yes, you did. You tried to destroy us, and you aren’t going to stop.” And before he could respond, she swung her fist at his nose as fast and hard as she could, then swept a leg underneath his to try to knock him off his feet.
Artie didn’t see the punch coming or the sweep to his feet. He didn’t even think she was fast or strong enough to pull it off. So when he hit the ground, he didn’t move out of sheer stunned shock. “You bitch.” He said under his breath instinctively, holding his face as blood gushed and he looked up to her in angry surprise. A look she was getting accustomed to seeing tonight. And, just then, if things couldn’t get any worse, his radio crackled on from the urgent channel.
“Game over, Artie.” Eddie’s voice was dark and smug in the way only the Riddler could be and it sent Artie in a sudden and furious rage. He tried to scream back at Eddie, but the line mysteriously fizzled out, so instead he just smashed the radio on the ground over and over. His hand, covered in fresh blood, reached for his gun and he pointed it up at Stephanie. His arms and hands shaking with anger that only family issues could make a man feel.
But, the gun wasn’t in his hand for long. No matter how little Artie wanted to change from his life of crime, he couldn’t shoot his daughter. So, he tossed it to the side and put his hands up in a slow defeat. She could have her stupid victory this time, but he’d get out and he’d find a way to get past both of them.
The little blonde bat didn’t even notice the gush of blood, or at least she didn’t catalogue it in her brain as something to be concerned about. Good, let him enjoy a lick of the pain he put her through over this past month. Over years. The thud of him falling to the ground, the snap insult, the smashed radio. Eddie’s voice. She all felt disconnected from that in the moment and could only focus on how angry he made her. Stooping, Steph readied herself to swing again when he trained the gun right at her. And, she couldn’t believe it, really. That he would even think of aiming a shaky gun at her chest. She was his daughter. No matter what, she was his daughter, and he actually, from a split second, considered shooting her. She froze, arrested in the spot with her fist cocked back ever so slightly, and when he looked at her, she felt the tension grow deeper.
But, he tossed the piece to the side, and Stephanie sighed in relief internally. On the outside, however, she stared at him with that stone-cold fury and that shake in her body that he’d never really seen before. Not in this way. “I told you,” she said through gritted teeth, “to stop underestimating me, Dad.” She kicked at his side, not as hard as she could have, but enough for him to feel it. “You bastard,” she choked out as she stooped down to hover over him, swinging her fists at his jaw, his cheeks, his eyes. Lost in the rage and blinded by tears, she kept going. Sitting on his chest so he couldn’t escape until swallowed a loud sob and disintegrated into a mess of sniffs and hitched breaths.
By the time she was finished, Arthur was barely conscious. His face now slowly starting to puff in different directions as one of his eyes rolled and squinted towards the ocean like he’d still be able to escape. Eventually, he looked back up at her, sadness pouring through the bloody eye along with pain and maybe even a little regret even if it was hard to tell for what exactly. “Why-” He whispered to her, barely able to open his cut open mouth. “Why couldn’t you have been like their daughters? Everyone in Blackgate with one ended up so diff-” Arthur’s eyes slowly vanished behind his eyelids, but his mouth was still moving. A silent ending to a sentence they both knew.
Because girls like Stephanie were supposed to grow up to be like their dads. Ruthless, able criminals to pass on a couple generations worth of Gotham filth. Blackgate was full of thugs with kids who dealt drugs at twelve and got in fights over gambling money before they were old enough to date. And, if girls didn’t follow in their father’s footsteps, they ended up with men who did. Not someone like Eddie who trained Arthur, only to try and walk the straight and narrow like some kind of show off.
Arthur’s mouth stopped moving and his head rolled back, passed out from the pain and the hits to the head. He was still breathing though, so that was a good start.
His question stung in her chest, like someone stabbing a sharp needle right into her heart, and she coughed up another sob as he trailed off. Fists resting on her thighs and tears sliding down her face, dripping down to fall on his swollen cheeks. Why couldn’t she have just been like those other daughters? Life would have been easier, her father would have loved her more, and she would be following the plan. The plan Gotham had for girls like her, products of their upbringings who fell into bed with criminals and abusers or became ones themselves. But, Stephanie Brown had never been able to follow orders very well. Whether from her parents, the Bat, or even society as a whole. She always worked against the grain. But that didn’t make all of this hurt any less, and she could honestly feel her heart aching inside of her chest. Fuck her father. Her fists tapped on his chest again, half-hearted abuse because that was all she had left, as his mouth moved in a silent confession of wanting something more from her.
When his head lolled back, she shook his shoulders. “Dad? Dad?” she called desperately, tapping the side of his face, but how could he feel that? He was breathing at the very least, and that was all that mattered. The tears still streaked her cheeks, but her sobs quieted slightly and shoulders shook. After a second, she tumbled off of him and fell into a pathetic sort of slump. Knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to nothing. Arthur wasn’t listening; no one was. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.” She repeated the apology over and over, rocking there and indulging herself for a moment. She knew she only had minutes before his goons, the ones left, realized something was wrong with everything.
She fished into her utility belt for ropes and bound his wrists and ankles, and once she was sure they were secure, she pulled out her cellphone to dial the Bludhaven PD with a tip about something going on at the docs. “I’m sorry,” she said yet again, guilt coming as waves of nausea, when she hung up the phone. A shaky, shaky breath, and then she forced herself to her feet. The goons would be here any moment, the cops there within minutes, and she needed to get out of there. After beeping a Morse Code message to Eddie to ensure he knew the deed was done, she pulled out her grapple hook gun, shot it with a bang, and as off with a thwip through the cool winter night. Off to curl up in an apartment she didn’t like, in a city she didn’t know, surrounded by guilt that she couldn’t stand.