. (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} spacecowboys) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} doorslogs,@ 2014-02-26 11:05:00 |
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What: Narrative: Going BOOM
Where: Marvel
When: Recently
Warnings/Rating: Nope
The message lit up Selina's phone about an hour after she went through the Marvel door.
She could still hear the fading echo of Blondie in her head, which was new, but she blamed the bomb and the stress and the certainty that her head was going to explode at any moment, and all without her knowing it was even about to happen. And maybe she'd held onto a little bit of control when Blondie crossed the door, because she wanted to make sure the woman actually stayed in the hotel lobby and met Tony's little boy. Blondie had, surprisingly, done precisely as Selina had asked. She hadn't called the antihero, and she hadn't asked questions. But, even now, Selina could feel the residual fear coming off the other woman; she didn't like it.
And she hated Tony Stark's lab. Being there reminded her of dying. It reminded her of the plague, and it reminded her of his death. She was sure she could still smell it on the air, even though she knew that was completely illogical. But there she was, wearing some ridiculous suit and sitting on a metal table, while Tony redirected the signal from the bomb into a decoy. He swore that would trick the Squad, and she was counting on him being right. After all, she knew Bruce's little League wouldn't stop their plans because of her. She didn't expect them to, and maybe Eddie had been a little right about that. If she was talking to him, she would have given him credit for a very, very correct assessment. But they weren't talking these days, and she didn't need the I told you so.
And the gameplan was simple, really. Tony would redirect the bomb's signal, and she'd have to stay in the suit to avoid the real bomb being detonated, should it come to that. And then Tony's little doctor friend would find a way to get the thing out. But out couldn't happen until it stopped signaling, so first things first.
And, unfortunately, the waiting was driving her insane. It had only been an hour, and she was already itching to move, to steal something, to climb off the metal table and go somewhere, anywhere. Anything to quit from thinking, because she was tired of alternating between fear and anger, and she'd never hated Gotham as much as she did at that moment.
She was trying not to think about Bruce, about the conversation they'd had just hours before, about what she'd almost said. And then the message lit up the phone. She had her Squad line patched into Blondie's journal, and she knew it wasn't good, whatever it was. The screen came to life, and she scrolled with her thumb. Scroll, scroll.
I don't believe in coincidences.
And she had no idea what they were talking about. She sent back a ?, because what coincidences?
Yellow ring stolen. Coincidence?
I don't think so.
And there wasn't even a countdown, no warning, and she'd just begun to type that they were mistaken. There was no way Bruce would let anyone steal the ring, not after how clear she'd made it. Even Eddie wouldn't-
And then the decoy bomb was gone. Obliterated.
Just like that, and she squeezed her eyes shut and waited. Her heart raced. Her breathing stopped. Seconds passed, and the suit worked. It worked, and she had to swallow hard and repeatedly, and oh, god, she was going to be sick.
It didn't sink in until hours later, until she'd finally started to believe that the signal wouldn't get through the suit and kill her at any moment. Hours later, and she realized that someone had stolen the ring, regardless of her cautionary words, regardless of her warnings. Someone had stolen it.
She was quiet. Dead, dead quiet, and the clock ticked and ticked.
And then, she laughed, and it was a brittle and hard laugh, something tangled up with a sob, broken and shattered, and she should have known better. Oh, she'd claimed to be okay with it, with the greater good, but she hadn't believed he'd actually let it come to that. Stupid, stupid kitty cat, and she'd actually thought the Bat would keep her safe.
Pathetic.
Well, she wouldn't make that mistake again.
She considered letting him know. She considered, but why should she? After all, casualties were a part of war, weren't they? As for the antihero, he could just deal with not having a wife for a little while. And if it came up? Well, Bruce would just have to explain, wouldn't he?