Secret
Secret Chapter Two
24 Hours Earlier
“What’s that noise?” Farah, the owner of Kane Orphanage, asked loudly, knocking on the door of Charles’ room. The small boy was playing music beyond his bedtime, and it was against the rules. Farah pointed to the wall, and Charles whimpered and turned off the radio before walking towards the wall. The older woman took off her belt, but there was a loud thud suddenly. “Hello, Farah! Fancy seeing you here.” A female voice said. Charles risked a peek to see Charlotte Wayne standing beside Farah. “What are you doing here, Charlotte?” Farah demanded, sounding irritated that the woman had returned and interrupted the discipline that she was about to give Charles.
PRESENT
And that was how it started. Charlotte had received an anonymous letter that night, done in cut-out newspaper letters, telling her how to get her revenge on the place that had caused her so much pain. That’s why she was currently sitting in the bedroom of the Joker’s headquarters, having Harley Quinn doing her makeup. Harley had taken her in as her “little sister”, so Charlotte was now convinced that she wasn’t who she thought she was. Charlotte only had one family, and it was not the man named Bruce Wayne that practically owned Gotham. It was the mad man and woman that stood before her, completely welcoming her. The Joker was absolutely insane. Completely psychotic; and that was the appeal.
“Why were you trying to kill Darcy Kane?” Charlotte asked Harley, who was whistling an erratic tune while she worked on her new friend’s face. “She’s not a very nice lady, Ms. Charlotte. Did you know that? Not very nice at all. We don’t like her much.” Harley said in her sing-song voice. Her face lowered until she was eye to eye with Charlotte, noses almost touching. “You don’t LIKE her, do you? I hope you don’t, Charlotte. That wouldn’t make me very happy.” Harley whispered; her eyes wide behind her black eye mask. Charlotte shook her head quickly, and Harley stood back and clapped her hands, beaming. “That’s a good girl! You look so BEAUTIFUL!” Harley screamed.
“Let’s go to the hospital, my girls. Oh dear, Harley, you did such a wonderful job. Why don’t you take Charlotte to see the dress you made her?” Joker said. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss Charlotte on the cheek, winking at her before waltzing out of the room. Charlotte bit her lip, and she followed Harley into the other room. Her curiosity was piqued, especially when she wondered about what they could possibly do in the Gotham hospital.
Finish the job, that’s what. Darcy was in the hospital, hooked up to a machine that was keeping her tethered to life. There were three figures in the room with her sleeping figure. The Gordons, both Sabrina and James, and Bruce Wayne all sat around, waiting for some sign of movement. Darcy stirred slightly before opening her eyes. “Oh goodness. What is Bruce Wayne doing here?” she demanded, noticing the man immediately. “Your parents requested that I come on their behalf.” Bruce explained, standing up and approaching the fragile, small girl. Sabrina nudged her father. “We’ll just be leaving.” She said, clearing her throat as Commissioner Gordon tried to argue. “Commissioner, wait outside for me. I’ve got some things to discuss with you. Sabrina, are we still on for dinner?” Bruce said.
Sabrina’s eyes widened as she looked at the billionaire. “I… Yes, Mr. Wayne.” She gasped out, shocked. Darcy eyed Bruce as the police officer in training left the room. “What’s that about?” she demanded. “I’ve got some checks to write for the station. I figured that if Ms. Gordon is going to spend her time dealing with that, she may as well get a nice dinner at the mansion out of it.” Bruce replied, fluffing Darcy’s pillow. She slapped his hand away. “You never invite me over for dinner.” She scoffed. “I invite you over for dinner. You never say yes!” Bruce argued. Darcy shook her head as Bruce sat back down. “You don’t need to cover your tracks, Wayne. I don’t really care who you date.” She snapped, turning her head away from his stare.
“You think I’m DATING her? Really, Darcy? That’s not quite the way I do things.” Bruce said, raising an eyebrow. He leaned back against the hard chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He shut his eyes, and Darcy sighed as he started to snore lightly.
The door flew open quickly, and Harley and Charlotte marched in. Charlotte saw her older brother immediately, and she grimaced in anger. Bruce’s eyes had opened, and he shot out of his chair, grabbing at the gun that Harley had pointed at Darcy. What he didn’t factor in was the fact that Charlotte, now known as Harlot, had pure fury on her side as she struck at Bruce Wayne. Bruce recoiled as the shotgun that Harlot held smacked into the side of his temple, and he pulled it from her grasp and shoved the back of the gun into her stomach, sending her backwards. Bruce used the gap in the attack to knock Harley into the wall, and he yanked the IV from Darcy’s arm (sending her screaming in pain) and picked her up, carrying her out of the hospital room.
Commissioner Gordon and Johnny came running forward; pistols drawn as Bruce came barreling forward. Harlot and Harley charged after him, and Bruce spun on his heel, kicking at Harley’s side. She leapt forward, attempting to tug Darcy away from him. Gas seeped into the air suddenly, and Harlot and Harley broke through it to get out of the building, leaping through the windows to get down. Joker laughed and made his way into the gas, staring down at Commissioner Gordon. He pulled on the Commissioner’s arm, yanking him out of the building and using his own handcuffs on him.
Bruce covered his face and crawled over to Darcy, using his body to shield her from taking in the gas. “Don’t breathe in.” he choked huskily, and Darcy’s groggy mind recognized something about it. Outside, Harlot was shoving Commissioner Gordon into the back of Joker’s getaway car, and she climbed into the back beside him while the other two got into the front. As Joker pulled the car away, he failed to notice the faint beeping of a tracking device beneath the car.
“What’s that noise?” Farah, the owner of Kane Orphanage, asked loudly, knocking on the door of Charles’ room. The small boy was playing music beyond his bedtime, and it was against the rules. Farah pointed to the wall, and Charles whimpered and turned off the radio before walking towards the wall. The older woman took off her belt, but there was a loud thud suddenly. “Hello, Farah! Fancy seeing you here.” A female voice said. Charles risked a peek to see Charlotte Wayne standing beside Farah. “What are you doing here, Charlotte?” Farah demanded, sounding irritated that the woman had returned and interrupted the discipline that she was about to give Charles.
PRESENT
And that was how it started. Charlotte had received an anonymous letter that night, done in cut-out newspaper letters, telling her how to get her revenge on the place that had caused her so much pain. That’s why she was currently sitting in the bedroom of the Joker’s headquarters, having Harley Quinn doing her makeup. Harley had taken her in as her “little sister”, so Charlotte was now convinced that she wasn’t who she thought she was. Charlotte only had one family, and it was not the man named Bruce Wayne that practically owned Gotham. It was the mad man and woman that stood before her, completely welcoming her. The Joker was absolutely insane. Completely psychotic; and that was the appeal.
“Why were you trying to kill Darcy Kane?” Charlotte asked Harley, who was whistling an erratic tune while she worked on her new friend’s face. “She’s not a very nice lady, Ms. Charlotte. Did you know that? Not very nice at all. We don’t like her much.” Harley said in her sing-song voice. Her face lowered until she was eye to eye with Charlotte, noses almost touching. “You don’t LIKE her, do you? I hope you don’t, Charlotte. That wouldn’t make me very happy.” Harley whispered; her eyes wide behind her black eye mask. Charlotte shook her head quickly, and Harley stood back and clapped her hands, beaming. “That’s a good girl! You look so BEAUTIFUL!” Harley screamed.
“Let’s go to the hospital, my girls. Oh dear, Harley, you did such a wonderful job. Why don’t you take Charlotte to see the dress you made her?” Joker said. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss Charlotte on the cheek, winking at her before waltzing out of the room. Charlotte bit her lip, and she followed Harley into the other room. Her curiosity was piqued, especially when she wondered about what they could possibly do in the Gotham hospital.
Finish the job, that’s what. Darcy was in the hospital, hooked up to a machine that was keeping her tethered to life. There were three figures in the room with her sleeping figure. The Gordons, both Sabrina and James, and Bruce Wayne all sat around, waiting for some sign of movement. Darcy stirred slightly before opening her eyes. “Oh goodness. What is Bruce Wayne doing here?” she demanded, noticing the man immediately. “Your parents requested that I come on their behalf.” Bruce explained, standing up and approaching the fragile, small girl. Sabrina nudged her father. “We’ll just be leaving.” She said, clearing her throat as Commissioner Gordon tried to argue. “Commissioner, wait outside for me. I’ve got some things to discuss with you. Sabrina, are we still on for dinner?” Bruce said.
Sabrina’s eyes widened as she looked at the billionaire. “I… Yes, Mr. Wayne.” She gasped out, shocked. Darcy eyed Bruce as the police officer in training left the room. “What’s that about?” she demanded. “I’ve got some checks to write for the station. I figured that if Ms. Gordon is going to spend her time dealing with that, she may as well get a nice dinner at the mansion out of it.” Bruce replied, fluffing Darcy’s pillow. She slapped his hand away. “You never invite me over for dinner.” She scoffed. “I invite you over for dinner. You never say yes!” Bruce argued. Darcy shook her head as Bruce sat back down. “You don’t need to cover your tracks, Wayne. I don’t really care who you date.” She snapped, turning her head away from his stare.
“You think I’m DATING her? Really, Darcy? That’s not quite the way I do things.” Bruce said, raising an eyebrow. He leaned back against the hard chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He shut his eyes, and Darcy sighed as he started to snore lightly.
The door flew open quickly, and Harley and Charlotte marched in. Charlotte saw her older brother immediately, and she grimaced in anger. Bruce’s eyes had opened, and he shot out of his chair, grabbing at the gun that Harley had pointed at Darcy. What he didn’t factor in was the fact that Charlotte, now known as Harlot, had pure fury on her side as she struck at Bruce Wayne. Bruce recoiled as the shotgun that Harlot held smacked into the side of his temple, and he pulled it from her grasp and shoved the back of the gun into her stomach, sending her backwards. Bruce used the gap in the attack to knock Harley into the wall, and he yanked the IV from Darcy’s arm (sending her screaming in pain) and picked her up, carrying her out of the hospital room.
Commissioner Gordon and Johnny came running forward; pistols drawn as Bruce came barreling forward. Harlot and Harley charged after him, and Bruce spun on his heel, kicking at Harley’s side. She leapt forward, attempting to tug Darcy away from him. Gas seeped into the air suddenly, and Harlot and Harley broke through it to get out of the building, leaping through the windows to get down. Joker laughed and made his way into the gas, staring down at Commissioner Gordon. He pulled on the Commissioner’s arm, yanking him out of the building and using his own handcuffs on him.
Bruce covered his face and crawled over to Darcy, using his body to shield her from taking in the gas. “Don’t breathe in.” he choked huskily, and Darcy’s groggy mind recognized something about it. Outside, Harlot was shoving Commissioner Gordon into the back of Joker’s getaway car, and she climbed into the back beside him while the other two got into the front. As Joker pulled the car away, he failed to notice the faint beeping of a tracking device beneath the car.