jla_watchtower | Dead Drop

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Dead Drop

Normally, when Roman wanted to schedule an appointment with someone, he usually carved the date, time, and place of the meeting onto the corpse of a loved one/associate. Unfortunately, he had to be a bit more subtle. With Brucey's weak stomach, he'd probably vomit all over the corpse, pass out, then someone would come in and find one of the models he dated dead and draped across his desk, the cops would get involved, and things would get messy.

Well, messier.

So, this time he had to be just a touch more subtle, which was kind of annoying since he really really wanted to burn part of Gotham to ground after The Batman had barged in unexpectedly and given him a rather sound beating.

Bastard.

At least he had the Albanians to take his rage out on. Over the last month, he had quite emphatically squashed the small group, and taken over their operations in the north east. And lucky for him, he knew a place that was great for rounding up women that he could then sell to the highest bidder. Perhaps he'll shelve those plans to destroy Selina's shelter after all...

But back to Bruce, who was simply left a cellphone on his desk at work. It's previous owner wouldn't be needing it anyway, poor girl. But, later that night, Bruce would get a call on that phone, with a recording telling him where to bring the money that night.

And currently at that location, a rather run down mill in a long since abandoned industrial complex, the Black Mask was waiting.

Don't be late, Bruce.

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"Oh, good - you're awake."

His tone is dry, but there is a measure of relief in his face - clearly things have gone beyond the Riddler's plans tonight.

"You were grazed by a bullet - though in the rush of things, we thought it might be worse than that. I brought you out of the line of fire, since I think Selina would never forgive me had I done otherwise."

Here is where Bruce might have thanked Nygma, but as Hell has yet to freeze over he grunts and queries, "Where is she?" while starting to rise.

"Inside, of course - giving Roman the beating of his life, I imagine. She did see you take a bullet to the head. Harvey, Jonathan, and Nightwing are also running about, so it's not as if she's lacking for assistance.."

Once more vertical than horizontal, Bruce sways a bit and reaches out for support, probably finding - and gripping fiercely - Eddie's shoulder. "Need to check. Too damned quiet in there."

Nygma turns back towards the building, listening for a moment.

"You're probably right. Shall I go have a look then, or are you the sort to insist on looking for yourself, despite the head injury?"

The question is asked as if the answer is not in doubt.

Bruce drapes his arm around Nygma's shoulders and leans on the poor little guy, answering, "You're coming too," as he uses the sleeve of his already-ruined Italian silk suit to wipe blood from his features. He looks pretty much like a horror show.

Nygma, bathed in a lot of his blood, can't look much better.

The amount of his weight that Bruce is putting on Eddie, however, isn't unbearable; perhaps this is for show? But from the way he weaves a bit heading toward the door...perhaps not. With this man, who knows?

Selina can be seen staggering out toward them. She is also bleeding and covered in what looks like spatter from someone else's wound - and maybe something that isn't blood at all. The color of her skin is akin to that of blackboard chalk, her eyes wide. It seems likely that she's currently in some level of shock.

Seeing Bruce and Eddie both standing brings her forward motion to an abrupt halt.

Nygma shoulders the burden with a wry smirk, but whatever retort he was about to add dies on his lips as he sees Selina come staggering out - and he tries to pick up the pace as much as Bruce is able.

"Selina, are you hurt?"

As much as Bruce is able?

Screw that.

The moment Bruce sees his paramour and fiancée (they got engaged again, didn't they?), he straightens, moving away from Nygma toward Selina in long strides to cut the distance between them. "Are you hurt?" he says in that growling tone more familiar when coming from under a cowl.

Well, she's wearing the ring, so that would usually mean they did.

"I'll be okay." She's still bleeding from a wound in her arm but it doesn't seem to have hit anything life threatening. Her gaze focuses on Bruce, "You're not dead."

She's getting to the point that if it ever actually happens, she'll be in denial for weeks.

"Just a nasty head wound - bled a hell of a lot, but he's still kicking. What the hell happened in there?"

If Selina's not injured, there's only one other likely way this went down..

Bruce looks at Selina's arm before taking the handkerchief from his ruined suit's jacket and reaching for her bicep to bandage it. He seems, other than the forehead still oozing and the blood smeared everywhere, more or less himself, and he keeps quiet for Selina to answer Eddie's question. His eyes, however, flicking glances everywhere to assess.

Typical Bruce.

"Harvey shot him."

It shouldn't bother her so much and yet it does. Harvey killed Roman /for her/. She wanted him dead but to have someone else willing to kill for her is .... strange. "I think .... He's been dead before...."

Eddie grabs the bridge of his nose with a pair of gloved fingers, face scrunched with frustration.

"God damn it, Harvey.."

With just a handkerchief Bruce can do a handsome job of a field dressing - practice makes perfect, likely - and ties off the bandage before turning to look at the burning body. Happily Batgirl seems to have ensured that the cash was not stolen, but Bruce would have let it go in exchange for a live Black Mask to prosecute and jail.

He says nothing, but his expression is eloquently angered, frustrated, dismayed.

Selina winces as Bruce ties off the dressing, looking toward him and blinking a few times before she looks to Eddie and then back again. She swallows and seems to be mentally finding her way back to herself. Her hand finds Bruce's bicep, "I don't have it in me to regret that it happened. I'm not that charitable."

Not after everything he's done to the people she loves. The relief is too great for regret.

"I told Harvey it would be better for everyone concerned if Roman went to Arkham. I didn't think he was quite this close to the edge.."

The Riddler doesn't regret what happened either, beyond the extent to which it inconveniences him, of course.

"You need a doctor," Bruce says quietly to Selina, his voice steady, cold. A hand emerges from his coat pocket with a cell phone, and rather deliberately he dials 911.

That's for ambulance AND police, kids.

The /last/ thing Selina wants right now is a hospital and it is obvious in the slight slump of her shoulders. And they're going to take her to the hospital. If she's lucky, they'll make her stay overnight for observation. That's her favorite.

She looks to Eddie and gives him a brief flicker of a smile, "Thanks, Eddie."

The line rings - because 911 does ring, once or twice at least while the connection is made - as Bruce holds out the phone to Eddie, hissing, "Ambulance and police, Nygma."

Once the phone is handed over? Bruce glances back at the mess inside with the baddies being rounded up and Harvey...where is Dent, anyways?

Bruce can't be Batman now. He has to be Bruce. So his eyes turn up, and he looks to, well, faint at the other two's feet.

He's in no mood to argue about it - hopefully Harvey's made his escape already. Nygma nods in response to Selina's gratitude, and waits for the line to connect.

"Hello - we need ambulances and police at the mill at Fifth and Aparo. Two people with gunshot injuries, other with bruises and abrasions of various sorts."

Calling Roman's condition 'injured' was charitable, to say the least, so he adds as an afterthought.

"You probably want to send the coroner as well."

Selina moves to catch Bruce as he faints. The catch is only so well done and it bears both of them to the ground. In the end, that will be well enough for the ambulance to find them both. She moves his hair from his forehead as best as she can manage as the blood has started to grow tacky, plastering his hair to his face.

"Oh God."

"I'm fine," the billionaire murmurs from the protective cradle of his fiancée's embrace, from which he can't be seen or heard easily. "Nygma...do the right thing."

It's an order, really. Then he exhales, letting go some of that iron will and tension and turns his face toward her hand, lightly kissing the palm before growing still again.

In the background are sirens, distant but distinct.

In the foreground, fire erupts throughout the warehouse, beginning to engulf it.

The silhouette of a lone figure can be seen emerging from it. Even heading their way.

Selina looks up from where she's got Bruce in her lap at the sound of fire growing larger quickly. Her first thought is to whether they're far enough away or not. Her second is to Harvey, who is approaching.

Swallowing, she tries to think of something to say but all of the words are stuck in her mouth, unvoiced. She gives Eddie a look of uncertainty as she instinctively tightens her grip on Bruce. Please, please, please, please don't try to get up.

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eddie-nygma.livejournal.com - 2009-07-02 00:44 (UTC) - Expand

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