This Gray Weather Will Fade

There is a beast that taunts her every hour. It saunters along in the hallways, creeps and presents itself in the room like thick poison. It is constantly a rainy day, it is a gray sky without purpose or hope of lifting. The beast lashes against her uncontrollably, allowing her only shallow breaths that never seem to shake her constant fear of suffocating. The beast presents a consistent fight, wrapping himself around her throat and beating his trickery into the folds of her mind. It is because of the beast she’s come to know so well that she has withdrawn from every good and worthwhile thing she’s ever set out to do. At least, for the moment.

Once she escapes this place, she will sacrifice everything in order to make sure the beast will be gone for good. He’ll have nothing to latch on to, nothing to wrap himself around and crush between the edges of his knife. Until that day, she would not let him destroy what she’s trying to build; he’ll only deter future building until she makes it.

-

Commissioner Gordon paced on top of the building, expecting him to already be there. He had his hands on his hips, walking anxiously back and forth the the edges of the property. Gordon pushed his glasses up as he turned around for the last time, finally seeing the one he was waiting for.

“It’s been three days.” Gordon said flatly, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation and worry.

“The Joker has her.” Batman growled, standing in the shadows of the building corner, not seeming as if he was about to move.

“You think so?” Gordon asked, expecting his worst nightmares to return to him if she had. It was what the Joker had set out to do, exactly what he did to Harvey Dent.

“I need access to her computer files.” Batman told him, making Gordon stop and give him a puzzled look.

“Is that going to help us find her?” He asked, turning around with a hand on his head.

The Batman moved closer to the edge when he replied, “She knew where the Joker was. It may still be saved.”

Gordon blinked, obviously taken aback from the sudden crucial fact. “She knew? Why didn’t she say anything?” He asked, and waited for the answer.

When he didn’t hear the reply, he sighed in realization that the Batman had gone. Gordon still hadn’t gotten used to his vapor like disappearances, and as he turned around Gordon only gave himself confirmation that the Batman had indeed left. The only thing he could do now was to send the files to him, a private unknown number that they often used just in case of emergencies, just as they did back when the Joker first came to Gotham.

Gordon spoke aloud to himself as he opened the door to enter back into the building, “Hang in there Gray.”

-

He had left her line of sight awhile ago, but now as she sat bruised and beaten on the cold cement floor, she heard the familiar sounds that she had made herself memorize unintentionally over the past three days. His feet, brutal on the floor, made the floorboards creak as he rounded himself to the corner of the hall. He stopped at the door, his hand on the doorknob, teasing her as he twisted it slowly. The sound of it filled her head with anxiousness, as she once again realized the insanity of what she’s done. It’s the chaotic hardness of his heart that pushed the door open, finally, and let himself skip menacingly into the room and over to the chair she no longer occupied. He imagined the floor was rough on her body, especially after the brutal interrogations, but she didn’t waver.

He hated her and everything she had done; the sense of protection she provided over Gotham, how she easily found him out, and how she knew the Batman when he was supposed to be gone for good. Infinitely worse, he hated how she wouldn’t provide even the slightest whimper when demanding answers.

Maybe if he’d given her this proposal he was about to share at the start, things would be different. Different in a way he’s always imagined consciously, hoped for without letting himself know that he wanted it. He knew better than anyone that thoughts are one’s private world, that they could take one captive in an instant, changing everything they once believed in. He doesn’t let himself think beyond a single image, a flash of chaotic and brutal actions on her part, finally revealing to everyone he was right all along: Anyone could break.

As he’s easing into the chair, the floorboards creak under his weight. She sits, wordlessly, and resumes her weak attempt at wriggling loose the ropes now rubbing her wrists raw, which just adds another wound to her many. He scratches his head, licks his lips, removing anger and frustration from his body had become a ritual for the past few nights with her there.

“Want to know something interesting?” He piped up, still leaning over the chair casually, folding his hands together and resting his elbows on his knees. Nora paid no attention.

“I’m sure you, uh, already know.” He tapped his foot and rubbed his hands together, scraping off the painted tips of his fingers. “It was hard trying to find a, uh, weakness of yours. You see, you have no connection to anybody. No friends, family, husbands..”

Nora stopped at the word, and ceased trying to loosen her hands which were now tied in front of her to listen. The Joker read this instantly, even from watching her back tense up as he sat a few feet behind her.

“Oh wait a minute!” The Joker clapped his hands together, making Nora clench her jaw shut and tightly snapped her eyes closed as her heart beat loudly inside of her chest. “That’s the interesting part.” He popped his lips together, and continued to rub his hands together as he stifled a giggle.

The Joker glanced over at the slightly ajar door, nodding his head towards one of his mean, motioning to him to act quickly. Nora turned her head slightly, trying not to make it obvious she was fear-stricken of what was going to happen next. She couldn’t see through her tangled hair, but could hear slightly the noises that pointed to her worst fears becoming true.

Two men carried in a limp body with a brown potato sack was covering their face, making the person unrecognizable at first. But when the two had tossed the person directly in front of Nora, the all-too familiar clothes were just enough to conclude her grim reality of things to come. The black tie, white shirt, and black pants, all pointed to one person.

The Joker stood up and grabbed Nora by the back of her neck, forcing her to stand next to him and stare down at the poor soul she had gotten included in this whole mess. “Let’s see who it is shall we?” The bag was lifted, making Nora stare into the eyes of an old friend whom she had grown to appreciate, respect and ultimately love: Lieutenant Donald Winters.

Nora took in a sharp breath as she took notice that her world was starting to crumble slowly, knowing entirely what the outcome of this situation was going to be. The worst feeling of it all was she knew she could do nothing to stop it. Winters’ hands were bound behind his back, and a cloth was tied over his mouth from allowing him to speak. His eyes met Nora’s instantly, and the look he gave her was something she could read even if she was blind.

He was telling her not to give in, no matter what happened. But Nora shook her head slightly, directing her vision elsewhere, making it known to him she couldn’t do that.

The Joker threw Nora on her knees, contacting with the ground harshly in front of Winters before pulling out a larger blade than usual and pressing it deep into Don’s skin. Nora couldn’t control herself as she jumped slightly and gasped, bringing both her hands still tied together, up to her mouth.

“There it is.”

-

“Ms. Gray had an incredible encryption code, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. She must have a friend who enabled it for her.” Lucius Fox said, scanning the files of what once was Nora’s protected computer.

“Can you get past it?” Bruce asked, leaning over the desk across from him.

“I already have.” Mr. Fox answered, turning the computer towards Bruce who frantically swept over each files contents, looking for anything that might lead him to find her location. In a matter of minutes, Bruce had it pinpointed to the exact coordinates. He smiled, turning to leave and to thank Fox for getting past the security codes when something caught his eye that made him hold back.

Bruce looked up at Fox in shock, “She knows who I am.”

Lucius blinked blankly at him before replying in an indifferent attitude, “I know.”