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The Penguin and the Raven	By : AsylumWritings Category: DC Verse Comics > Batman Views: 500 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman/DC Comics, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
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Time telling me to say farewell
But I knew that I would fight hell
And I knew: We will
Go for another time we can see,
For another time we'll be free,
For no more farewell.
Farewell, Avantasia
I could feel cold concrete under my body as I slowly returned to consciousness. Opening my eyes, I was hit with an excruciating headache and nearly threw up. The lights above me were blinding, and I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die.
My eyes slowly adjusted, and I focused on checking the rest of my body. The rough rope was still tied around my wrists and ankles, but from the prickling of pins and needles in my limbs, I could tell I was still getting circulation. I was alive, which I guess was a small comfort, but the pain I was in definitely made me wish I was dead.
As I tried to work out what to do, I heard the clunk of a door lock turning. Looking around, I saw a heavy wooden door swing open. A thin man, with greying hair, walked in, carrying a chair and followed by the guy I’d scratched up. He placed it down and sat on it, lighting a cigarette. He was far too familiar, and I was suddenly hit with the realisation that I was in a lot of trouble.
“Maroni…?” I whispered.
“You’re lucky, Tommy.” He looked over at him. “If you’d done actual damage, we’d be having a very different conversation.”
I managed to sit up, tucking my bound ankles beneath me. The fear was beginning to get to me, but I was determined not to cry. There was too much inside my head, with so much having happened over the past month, and I was having trouble focusing.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, as I tested the strength of the rope around my wrists.
“Cobblepot stole something from me, and I want it back.” He leaned forwards, blowing smoke in my face. “You’re going to help me.”
I sat back, away from the smoke. “No, I’m not.”
He laughed, a deep booming sound. It unnerved me, sending a cold shiver around my spine.
“They all say that. We just have to be persuasive.” He stood up, turning to Tommy. “Take her to the warehouse.”
Tommy walked over to me, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.
“Let go of me!” I shouted, struggling as much as I could. “I can walk!”
He hauled me down some stairs to a big warehouse. There were crates everywhere, stacked as high as the ceiling. I had no idea what was in them, or what was about to happen to me.
I was dropped onto a chair, held down as my wrists were untied and my arms were then tied around the back. Loud noises somewhere in the building were pounding into my head like jackhammers, and the dizziness was coming back.
“Please don’t hurt me.” I whimpered, as Maroni walked over.
“I don’t want to have to hurt you. But you have to do what I tell you.” He crushed the cigarette butt under his foot.
My bottom lip was beginning to tremble and I was having trouble holding back the tears. It probably looked like my eyes were beginning to glaze over, and I could tell I was about to fall back into the darkness again.
“How can no one know where she is?” He shouted at Butch. “Tell me you have something.”
“I got the camera footage from your hotel, Boss.” Butch placed a DVD in the computer. “She fought back, but they shoved her into a van and drove off.”
“Let me see.” He watched the video, his brow furrowing when he saw who was in it. “Maroni’s men.”
“He’s pissed about the docks. He’ll use her as bait.”
“I know. But I’m not going to leave her with him.”
Someone slapped me, and I jerked awake, nearly toppling the chair over. I looked around, ignoring the sting on my cheek.
“Wake up.” Maroni was right up in my face, making my heart pound in fear. “It’s time to get to work.”
I closed my eyes for a second, weighing up my options. It was pretty well known that Maroni had a penchant for violence, especially when he wanted something. But the question was whether my fear of him would win out over my feelings for Oz.
“No.” I whispered.
“What was that?” He crouched in front of me.
I took a deep breath. “I said no. I won’t do anything for you.”
He nodded at someone behind me, and I felt them grab my hand, bending my finger back until I felt it snap. I cried out in pain, the sound of my scream echoing in my ears.
“Now, we’re going to call him, and you’re going to tell him that I want my merchandise back.” He told me, pulling out his phone.
I bowed my head, bursting into tears as he began the call. He held the phone to my ear and we waited.
When I heard the call pick up, I spoke. “Oz?”
“Bee?” His voice had that angry calm sound. The sound that signalled a terrifying storm was coming, and I was glad I wasn’t the target. I’d never actually seen him properly angry, but I felt I probably was going to soon. “What does he want?”
“He wants what you stole.” I managed to say. The pain was beginning to overwhelm me again, but I forced myself to stay awake. “He’s… he’s going to hurt me.”
“I’m going to get you out of there.” He replied, but the phone was suddenly pulled from my ear.
Maroni stood up, taking over the call. I could only hear his side, but I was sure that Oz was pissed at him.
“Your girlfriend is beautiful.” He leaned over and took hold of my face, his fingers digging into my cheeks. “I would hate to have to mar her pretty face.”
I couldn’t hear the words, but Oz was clearly shouting, and whatever he was saying was making Maroni grin.
“You have 24 hours. However, I cannot guarantee her safety for that whole time. She scratched up one of my men, and he’d like to punish her for that. The sooner you get here, the more likely it is that she will still have her pretty face.” He hung up the phone, letting go of me.
Looking up at him, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. I’d done what he’d asked, folding under the pressure when he broke my finger, but he was going to keep hurting me? I was already losing control of myself, there was no way I could handle much more.
“I did what you asked me to.” I cried, desperately. “Please, you don’t have to hurt me.”
“Take her back upstairs. I’ll deal with her later.”
“Get Slade in here.” He sat down, resting his head in his hands.
“Are you sure about that?”
“I said, get Slade in here.” He spoke calmly. “Now.”
“Yes, Boss.” Butch quietly walked out of the room.
It was only a few minutes before the door opened and Slade walked in.
“Is this about Brianna?”
“Yes. Maroni has her, and I need your help getting her back.”
I sat on the cold concrete floor, finally untied, hugging my knees to my chest. Shaking and panicking, I could barely string a thought together. Even though they’d bound my broken finger and bandaged the cut on my head, I was still in so much pain.
Every time I moved, it felt like the floor was going to disappear from under me, and I would fall into the abyss. All I had was the hope that Oz would save me. But I didn’t want him to give up everything he had won to do that.
The heavy wooden door opened again and Tommy walked in, crouching in front of me. He was a big guy, and I didn’t think I could fight him off if he tried to hurt me.
“Wha… what do you want from me?” I stammered, pressing myself as far into the corner of the room as I could.
“You scratched up my face. I want you to pay for it.” He pulled out a knife, waving it in front of my face.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it, but my brain kicked in finally and I sensed an opportunity. Slamming my fist into his face, I knocked him backwards. As he hit the ground, I got up and ran. But he managed to grab my ankle, tripping me over.
He pulled me towards him, flipping me onto my back and sitting on my hips. The knife came down, and I grabbed his wrist with both hands, using everything I had in me to stop him. My arms began to shake as he slowly overpowered me, the blade getting closer and closer to my abdomen. The pain from my broken finger was making it so hard, but I kept trying.
Then the blade sank into my skin. I was sure he was going to kill me right there, but suddenly he was pulled off me, the knife yanking out of me. A scream of pain escaped my lips as I pressed my hand to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
Gabe knelt down beside me, and another man hauled Tommy out of the room.
I was in too much pain to even think, let alone talk. Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the feeling of him stitching me up. An emotion I couldn’t put my finger on was beginning to rise up in me, but I couldn’t focus on it, because every small amount of pain was distracting me.
“I’ve stitched you up. It wasn’t deep, so you’ll be fine.” He got up, leaving the room and locking the door behind me.
I rolled onto my uninjured side, tears sliding across my face and dripping onto the floor. I was angry at myself for being so weak, for not fighting back enough. I’d only been there a few hours, and I was already breaking.
The cold floor actually seemed comforting at that point, and I wanted to fall asleep. But every time I drifted off, I would move, and that would send a sharp jolt of pain through me, waking me up again.
“I’m sorry, Dad.” I whispered. “I don’t think I’m going to make it through this. I’m not strong enough.”
I wanted him to be proud of me, but how could he, when I wasn’t even proud of myself. I was pathetic, unable to protect myself. My thoughts were all on giving up, even the hope was already beginning to die out. As strong and confident as I was out there, in here I wasn’t even close.
It took a while, but either the pain began to settle or I was just so exhausted I couldn’t feel anymore, and I finally fell into a restless sleep.
He paced back and forth across his office, trying to put together his thoughts and work out the last of his plan for getting her out. Having Slade on top of a nearby building was useful, but he didn’t want the situation to devolve into a firefight with her stuck in the middle.
Looking down at his phone, he realised he only had three hours left. He was frustrated that it had taken him so long to work out what to do. He’d left her there, alone and scared, to be hurt as much as they wanted, because he couldn’t make a decision.
He knew now that there was only one choice. People were going to die, and he just had to hope that he could get her out in time.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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The Penguin and the Raven