Crimson X

“Off with their wigs,” Shar giggled to herself as she threw off her blond hair and ran her hands through her more crimson locks. “Ah, much better. It’s nice to get the damn, itchy thing off of me. Oh well, it’s for you Mister Bane.” She blinked a couple of times, “Speaking of which I should get ready…”
Her crimson hair flowed behind her as she ran to her bedroom, shedding of her Arkham uniform while doing so. A sleek leather outfit took its place as it hugged her skin. Her hands, now covered by black gloves, worked her hair into two pigtails, each held in with black bands. Then, she put on her domino mask to hide her identity. Looking in the mirror she frowned.
“It’s missing something,” she mumbled as she dug through her closet. “Aha!”
Shar pulled out a red cape - that used to be part of a costume - and a red skirt. She quickly put them on and nodded in approval. This helped get across the message of crimson, but not the x. She glanced at the makeup on her end table and walked over it. Picking up black eyeliner she drew an x on her left cheek.
“There, Crimson X,” she smiled lightly before grabbing her wooden sword; that was now black with red x’s. “Let’s go kick some ass.” Her voice now rang with a British accent. “I’ll get some practice before I go pay Strange and Young a visit.”
She walked over to her window and opened it. Glancing around, to make sure no one was currently looking out their nearby windows, she climbed down the fire escape. Once she was as low it would go, apparently fire safety isn’t that great of a concern, she jumped down. With a light thud she winced as pain shot through her feet.
“Now where am I to find a crime happening?” Crimson X questioned looking around the ally way she was in.
As if on cue, a shrill scream scraped the night’s sky. Her ears twitched as she located the source. Quickly, she ran to where the screamer was. Her golden hues widened as she saw a teenage girl corned against a wall as two men grew closer. Now doubt they were intending to rape her.
“Hey!” Shar yelled and swung her wooden sword a few times. “Why don’t you boys go after someone who’s your age, hmm?”
The two men turned around to see who was intruding on them. They glanced at each other and shrugged. One of them sprinted at Crimson X. With a quick side step, she avoided him and harshly hit him upside the head with her sword. He fell down, unconscious. The other one grimaced and charged yelling.
“Oh no you don’t,” Crimson X leapt over his head and hooked her sword under his chin, sending him tumbling to the ground. She straddled him and pressed the sword on his neck, so the blood flow wouldn’t be allowed to reach his brain. “Nighty night.”
The man’s eyes fluttered closed. Getting up she walked over to the teenage girl. The girl’s face was streaked with eye makeup as she sobbed in panic. Crimson X knelt down to her and grabbed her chin. She noticed a small cut on her cheek.
“Do you have a cell phone on you?” She questioned the teenage girl who just nodded. “Call the police. I’ll stand guard nearby just to make sure those bastards don’t wake up. It’ll be okay.” Crimson X stood up and walked away, only to hide in the shadows.
“Wait!” The girl shouted after her. “What’s your name?”
“Crimson X.”
---Time Skip---
“Barbara,” A gruff voice sounded as he watched the red head walk away after the police showed up a crime scene. “I want you to find anything you can about Crimson X.”
“Alright, Bruce,” a female voice sounded on the end. She sighed after a few minutes of searching. “There’s nothing on a Crimson X. Do you have a physical description?”
“Red hair, darker than yours. Female. A tai chi fighting style.”
“I’ll get on it. Though, it might take a while. You’d be better of getting a forensic piece of evidence.”
“I’ll work on it.”
---Time Skip---
“You look tired, doc,” A smug voice chimed.
“Ah,” Shar nodded while yawning. “I didn’t sleep all that well last night.”
“And why is that? Is the Asylum getting to you already?”
Doctor Channing laughed lightly, “In a way it is, but not in a negative manor as it would most. Anyways, let’s get back to business, you’re the important one. Why do you think you started to have an obsession with riddles? That was nagging at me last night.”
“What relation would be my mother’s brother’s brother-in-law to me?” Edward Nigma questioned her.
“Your father, right?” She answered and blinked. “Your father’s the reason that you’re obsessed with riddles.”
“That is correct, Doctor Simpleton. Very good,” he scoffed sarcastically. “I would think that even a two year old would be able to solve that.”
By now Doctor Channing was used to the insults from Mister Nigma and knew not to take it to heart. “So what happened with your father?” She questioned carefully. Even though it was her job, she didn’t like going too personal too fast.
“One day I came home with a prize after being the fastest student to solve a puzzle. I told my father. He didn’t believe me. He kept on thinking I was cheating. ‘Moron!’ he yelled. He would always call me a morn and said I was too stupid to do anything with my life.” His hands clenched the side of his chair. “I’m not a moron!” He yelled at Doctor Channing. “I am the smartest person there is! I’m not a moron! I’m not! I’m not! I’m not!”
“I never said you were, Mister Nigma,” She was slightly taken back by the sudden shifts in moods. “I believe you’re incredibly intelligent.”
He glared over at her with dark eyes, “I am incredibly intelligent. I am the most intelligent person in all of Gotham. You and everyone else will soon find out that I am.”
Channing furrowed her eyebrows, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” he smirked. “Once I stop the Dark Knight no one will stand in my way.”
“I’ve heard there’s a new vigilante in town,” Channing leaned back in her chair. “I heard that she’s planning something big.” Shar glanced over at The Riddler who crossed his arms. He hadn’t heard about this, being locked up in his cell an all.
“I’m sure she’s just another imbecile, she doesn’t stand a chance against me.”
A knock sounded on the door interrupting the two’s conversation. Shar glanced up and muttered a come in. Aaron Cash walked in and informed them that someone was here to visit Shar. She looked confused, but nodded all the same. Mister Cash took The Riddler back to his cell while Shar Channing made her way over to the visitor center.
Her eyes looked around the room for someone she was familiar with, but found no one. Sighing to herself she walked over to the receptionist who was busy flirting with a taller man. Shar shifted from one foot to another uncomfortably as she waited for the two to finish, but after a few minutes went by she saw no end to it.
“Umm, excuse me,” She piped up and looked down at the ground nervously and then at the receptionist. “Is someone looking for me, I’m Shar Channing.”
The man turned around, “That would be me. I’m Bruce Wayne.”
“Bruce Wayne?” She took his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mister Wayne.”
“Please, just call me Bruce,” he waved his hand casually. “I wanted to talk to you about a few things, is there somewhere more private we could talk?”
“Oh, yes,” Shar nodded. “We can go to my office if that works.” He nodded his head. “Alright, follow me.”
She walked through the halls of Arkham, finally getting used to remembering the hallways. Shar waved slightly when they past Mad Hatter’s cell. He yelled after her, claiming that Alice should have tea with him. She frowned and kept looking ahead.
“You should be careful with him,” Wayne warned. “He’s murdered the previous women he believed to be Alice.”
She glanced over at Bruce as she opened the door to her office, “I had no idea…” Walking in she motioned for him to sit in a chair while she took her chair. “So what was it that you’d like to discuss?”
“I’m currently running a campaign to stop Arkham City,” he watched her and noted her confused look. “It’s where they’re going to allow the patients here, and the criminals in Black Gate to run around freely in the center of Gotham.”
Shar gasped slightly, “Why would they do something like that?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s not safe for the citizens here,” his stormy eyes watched her golden ones, “I want to get some support from people who are working in this asylum to try and stop it. I saw your record and thought you’d be the person to help me. I’d pay you for your time of course.”
“You don’t have to pay me, Mist—Bruce,” She nodded towards him. “It’d be more trustworthy if I did this for free, right? Can I ask who is overseeing this project and who is paying for it?”
“Professor Strange and a Mister White are making this happen,” Bruce noted. “Quincy Sharp is running for mayor soon, I think he’s just a puppet for it.”
Shar looked down chewing her lip. The same people who were experimenting on Patient X are doing this. Why would they…? Are they planning on releasing this sort of monster man out onto Gotham? Why? It’d just cause destruction. Could it be because of Batman and escalation? Still…They have to be insane to actually think this would be a good idea.
“Doctor Channing?”
Shar looked up at Bruce and smiled nervously, “Sorry, I was just thinking. Oh! And if I’m going to call you Bruce, please just call me Shar.”
“Alright, Shar,” he chuckled. “How about we have dinner this evening to discuss the how we’ll oppose Arkham City later?”
Shar nodded slightly, “Alright, where should we meet?”
“I’ll pick you up around six? Wear something nice,” he stood up. “It was nice meeting you, Shar. I’ll show myself out.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Bruce.”
Bruce Wayne walked out of Doctor Channing’s office. She leaned back in her chair and simply stared at the ceiling for a moment or two. That is, until a voice interrupted her.
“Bruce Wayne, huh?”
Doctor Channing jumped and looked around her office, “Mister Nigma? Where are you?”
“Oh, I’m just in my cell. How am I talking to you, though? That’s a secret.” Doctor Channing looked under her desk, seeing as that’s where the source of the sound was coming from. “Hey! You weren’t supposed to know that was there.”
She looked around more for a camera, but couldn’t find one, “How did you do this, Mister Nigma?”
“That’s a secret, Doctor Simpleton.”
Images flashed back from when he was out of his cell at night. He must have installed something during that time, or on another night. She mentally sighed knowing she didn’t have anything personal in her office, and she didn’t think she’d put anything in it now.
“Very well,” Channing sighed. “So why did you decide to bug my office? Or did you bug all of Arkham?”
“Just your office; for now. I also wanted to see what you were hiding. I’m glad I did bug your office, Arkham City sounds interesting,” Nigma smirked as a small screen illuminated his face and he held a microphone close to his mouth. “What do you know about it?”
“The first I heard of it was from Bruce,” She took out a piece of paper and started to doodle mindlessly. “I’ll get more information on it tonight. I’m not sure if I’ll actually be able to let you in on any of it. If I am, I’ll be sure to let you know, Mister Nigma.” Shar paused for a second, “How are the guards not aware that you’re speaking to me?”
“Oh, they don’t like going near my cell.”
“Tch, even after I told them to keep an eye on you after you’ve started taking the medication,” Shar glanced around the room, “How is it doing, by the way?”
“I notice no difference.”
“It may take a week or two to actually see a difference, it took about a week and a half for myself,” she tapped her pencil and looked at her paper some more. “If it starts working I’m going to ask to get you on parole earlier than what’s expected. If that goes well, I’m going to wean you off of it and see if it was just a chemical imbalance.”
“Very well, it’s not there’s nothing I can do from stopping you.”
“Someone’s coming,” Shar looked around nervously. What would they do if they found out that Riddler had bugged her office? Wait, why did she care? It’s not like it’s her fault it happened, is it? A knock sounded interrupting her thoughts, “Come in.”
In came the all too familiar bald man with a beard. Shar inwardly gulped at this terrifying man. While she was Shar Channing she knew she could do nothing to him and it scared her. However, if she were Crimson X then she could. No! She can’t do anything in day light hours, it’d be too suspicious.
“Ah, Professor Strange,” She gave a fake smile to him. “How can I help you?”
“There’s a new patient I want you to take care of, he’s been here for a while, but I think it’d be better if you where his psychiatrist.”
“Alright, who is he?”
“Jervis Tetch.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Jervis Tetch was the man who thought she was Alice. He killed everyone he thought was Alice, so why would Strange want her…Did Strange want her dead? Inwardly, she cursed many colorful words at him. That bastard.
“Your first meeting with him will be tomorrow. Have a good…” He paused for a second. “Evening.” With that Strange left, leaving an uneasy feeling in her stomach.
“Geez, you have to deal with Mad Hatter now and you have blond hair.” Riddler’s voice rang out. “I suggest you dye your hair tomorrow, just so he won’t try and kill you.”
“I’ll be fine, Mister Nigma…I’ll be fine. Oh…There’s something I want you to do. It’ll be in return for me not telling the guards about what you’ve done.”
An aggravated sigh sounded, “What is it?”
“If you hear anything strange from the patients, guards, doctors, or anyone else about something going on in the asylum, I want you tell me.”
“What would strange be?”
“Experiments on humans and Arkham City.”
---Time Skip---
“So how are your patients in Arkham, Shar?” Bruce questioned as the two ate their dinners in a restaurant that Shar felt completely out of place.
“Right now I’ve only had sessions with Mister Nigma,” She smiled at the thought. “I think he’s doing really well, to be honest. I can’t give too much information out, but I think he’ll actually be able to go on parole sooner than was planned. Though, I am slightly worried about some things with him.”
“Oh, and what would that be?”
She glanced at Bruce and then down at her plate as she played with her food, “He…He escaped his cell, I believe multiple times. Mister Nigma bugged my office. He overheard our conversation about Arkham City.”
“I see,” Bruce frowned in a worried manor. “You told the guards about what he did, right?”
“Even if I did, I be he’d just break out and re-bug my office,” She smirked slightly. “Besides I made a deal with him. If he hears anything on Arkham City he’s obligated to tell me. If any of the guards talk about it near his cell, I’ll be able to hear…Unless he mutes his microphone.”
Bruce shook his head, “That’s a dangerous game you’re playing, Shar. You really should tell the guards. If you don’t he’ll end up getting you killed.”
Shar wiped her mouth after taking a sip of water, “If I tell the guards that may just anger him, then what? If he’s as dangerous as you say he is, it’ll be even worse if I make him mad, no?”
Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as he overheard a nearby couple. Shar turned her head to listen in better.
“Did you hear? Two-Face escaped the asylum about an hour ago!”
“What? I swear, that place needs to have stronger security. All of those scum bags keep on breaking out. It’d just be better if we shot them all!”
“But you can’t forget that Two-Face was Harvey Dent, Gotham’s DA. He locked up half of the mob.”
“But after the incident he turned and the mob got even worst. You can’t have tolerance for people like that. Hell, even Batman should be locked up! The crime has only gotten worst.”
“But before Batman everyone was corrupt, you can’t look past that. People are working harder to lock up the criminals that are running around.”
“And they should start with Batman and that new chic. What’s her name? Emerald X?”
“She won’t last long; she’s just another copycat that’s trying to be like Batman.”
Shar twitched as she quickly took a gulp of water to try and hide the anger at the couple. It wasn’t Emerald X, it was Crimson X! Crimson X wasn’t copying Batman; she was trying to stop human experiments that were happening to Bane. Though, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride that people were already talking about her.
Bruce chuckled, “I can’t help, but agree with that couple. I mean, a person who dresses up like a bat clearly has issues.”
Shar quirked an eyebrow, “Should he dress up like a cute little bunny and beat up criminals that way?”
“I suppose you do have a point, Shar,” Bruce chuckled and looked at his watch. “Goodness, does the time fly by? I hope you don’t mind, but I have a business meeting to attend in an hour. Would it be alright if I took you home?”
Business meeting at nine o’ clock? That’s a bit late, but whatever. Maybe some people are from different countries. None the less she smiled in an understanding manor and nodded.
---Time Skip---
Through the ventilation systems she crawled. Her crimson hair flowed softly behind her from the slight breeze it was causing. Every now and then she peak through one of the gates to see where she was and continued on her way. At the sight of a certain doctor, Crimson X quietly removed a gate and dropped down.
“You scream and I’ll slit your throat,” she held a hand over the doctor’s mouth, the flat part of her wooden sword was held against the doctor’s neck. “I only have a few questions.” Crimson X glanced around and dragged the doctor into a nearby room. She locked the door behind her.
“Wh-what do you want?” The doctor stuttered in a raspy voice.
“Patient X,” The red head pointed her sword at the doctor. “Why does Strange want something like that? What is he planning?”
“I-I don’t know,” She stuttered.
Crimson X grabbed the doctor by the hair and held her up, “Don’t lie to me!”
“Th-there’s money coming in from a Mister White. I-It’s being used to make sure that Sharp will be voted for mayor, that way it’s guaranteed Arkham City will be built!”
“Why does White want this?”
“I-I don’t know! I swear!” Tears started to build up in her eyes.
Crimson X glared at her and evaluated her, “I believe you…Now what to do with you. I can’t have you alerting the guard.”
“What?! No, I told you everything!”
“I said no screaming,” Crimson X smirked and slammed the side of her hand onto a pressure point on the doctor, rendering her unconscious. “Now, to go pay Patient X a visit.” Crimson X walked out of the room and climbed back into the ventilation system she was using.
Crimson X maneuvered her way through ventilation system and eventually walked to a lower section of the facility. There was a familiar room there, the one where she first witnessed the animalistic screams and Strange’s voice.
She peered through the vent’s gate and hopped out knowing it was clear. Crimson X ran to the door and opened it, only to quietly shut it behind her. Her eyes traced the tubes and up to a body. One of her hands covered her mouth to silent a gasp. Quickly she walked over to the man who appeared to have some sort of glowing liquid drained out of him. He looked deprived of nutrients.
“How could someone do this?” She questioned as she looked around. “Patient X, or Bane, can you hear me?”
The man’s eyes fluttered opened as they locked onto Crimson X’s, “What is this chica doing in here?” He questioned, an accent dripping from his voice. “Are you another bruja?”
“Bruja?” Crimson X frowned as she didn’t speak that much Spanish. “No, I don’t think so. I want to help you, but you need to tell me what’s going on. Why is Strange making Young do this to you?”
“To create monstruos.”
“Monsters?”
“Si,” Bane nodded weakly. “He wants an army of me. I can only assume that Blanco wants the same thing.”
Crimson X sighed, “This can’t be good…” She then looked at Bane. “Alright, now to get you out of here.”
Just as her hand was about to reach up to help him escape an alarm went off. She jumped back and looked up at the flashing red lights.
“Go, chica de roja,” Bane nodded to her. “They know you’re here.”
Crimson X frowned and hesitated with what she should do, but only ran out of the room and back into the ventilation system. She heard guards yelling about Young being unconscious and to get a doctor. She moved quickly through the vents as she looked for an exit. Everything was on lock down, looks like she’ll be here for a while.
Gun shots rang throughout the air, causing her to duck and cover he head. Guards screamed as if they were in pain. This can’t be right, weren’t they after her? She strained her ears to listen.
“Ah, look at the poor little guards,” a sound of a person kicking someone else echoed. “They’re just too pathetic, aren’t they puddin’.”
“Got that right, Harley!” A high pitched cackle rang. “Now let’s get out of here before Bats gets here.”
“Sure thing, Mistah J!”
“Freeze Joker!”
“Cash,” Crimson X muttered under her breath.
“You really don’t want to be in our way, Cashy,” Joker threatened. “Oh you do? Go get ‘im Harley!” He shoved the blond girl that was with him into Cash and he ran off laughing. “Wait for me to come home, dear!”
“Puddin’!” Harley shouted after him and pouted as Cash held a firm grip on her.
“You’re not going anywhere, Quinn,” Cash glared. “I want a head count on how many these two people have killed. Make sure everyone else are still in their cells and get this bitch back where she belongs!”
“Now’s my time to escape,” Crimson X whispered and quickly crawled through the vents, only to stop by her office as she saw Mister Nigma quickly run out of it. She quirked an eyebrow wondering what he was doing in there. It’d have to wait for tomorrow though, she couldn’t risk being caught.