Hero for a Day
Determination.
'Thank you for your time, and your cooperation Ms Donaldson.' The police officer offered his hand to hers to shake, 'I feel like we have gathered enough information about the situation to follow this up on our end. We will most certainly be in contact with you if we find anything further out.'
You won't, thought Claire, you only ever leave it up to Batman. Where was he? He was no where to be seen in daylight. You can't help me. You don't know how to help me.
'Thank you.' She sighed. She accepted his hand and gave him a quick but firm shake. She stood up and followed him from the statement room, back through the Gotham Police Station and then left through the front doors. She felt uneasy as she approached her car. She was careful to glance in the back seat to ensure it was empty. She even went so far as to pop the boot and inspect that, too, but it was empty as well. She checked the foot well of the front seats before she finally hoped in.
Claire didn't move. She didn't drive off. She wrapped her arms around her and finally let the sob that had been sitting at the bottom of her throat out. She felt hopeless. She felt vulnerable. She despised him for making her feel weak. She pulled herself together enough to look up into the revision mirror. She expected to see those bright hazel eyes surrounded by thick black makeup staring back at her, a few strands of bright green hair falling about his face. She saw nothing though.
Now she was angry. She grabbed for the key and yanked it hard to start the car. She grabbed the stick and threw the car into reverse, slamming her foot onto the gas and sending the car flying back. She flicked it into drive and sped out of the police station to take herself home.
When she got home she slammed doors. She screamed. She cried red hot angry tears that burned her eyes and streaked her face black with her own, more subtle, makeup. How dare a man make her feel so weak, so vulnerable. How dare she leave it to the men to help her, too. She was disappointed in herself. Of course they wouldn't help her. She would have to help herself if she wanted anything done.
She felt her rage calming. She didn't want to let it go though. So she used it. She marched into her bedroom with her blood just below boiling point. She could get angry and lash out, but that would be no good. She could calm herself, but that was no good either. She would still be helpless. No, she had to to let the rage bubble just below the surface. Enough to feed her courage, but not enough to make her stupid. In her bedroom she went through her closet. She had an old generic costume she had bought from a cheap store many years ago for Halloween. It was a one piece jumpsuit that had black shorts and sleeves and a red vest to it.
She made her way back out to the lounge room. She grabbed the first bag she had bought earlier that day and tipped its contents out onto the bench. It didn't contain what she was looking for. She did that with a second and third bag. It was in the fourth bag that she tipped out that she found it. It was a mask. Naturally it had several decorative penises cheaply glued to it. She ripped those off and stared at the mask. She could feel the anger in her coming down the a simmer as she doubted if this was the right thing for her to do. She repeated his words over to herself to bring her blood back up towards the boil.
'Now, now. Let's be a good girl. If you behave I won't have to hurt you.'
Suddenly she was pulling the mask up to her face and tying it off behind her head. She was not going to let this demon of a man treat her like a child who is scared of a wolf. No, he was merely a sheep in wolves clothing and she would tear that from him.
He had told Claire his plans. Not directly, of course. She may not have been the Bat Detective but she could at least connect the dots when they were put in front of her. She knew that when she dropped him at the bank that he proceeded to rob he was getting money to pay someone off. She believed, but was not certain, that he was planning to buy his way into an operation. He planned to meet that someone at a club down town later this evening before it opened.
Claire planned to be there to stop it going down. She had no idea how she was going to, but she wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face after what he did to her. She grabbed her car keys again. Just as she grabbed her bag her phone went off from within. She fished it out quickly to see a message from Sarah, her best friend, requesting a bottle of red over dinner. She sent Sarah a quick reply saying that they would catch up once she was done shopping. It was a small white lie to her best friend.
She threw her phone back in her bag and scooped it up. She dashed from her house, locking it behind her. She rushed to her car, once again checking it over to make sure there was no one in there before she jumped up. This time it wasn't anger that drove her. It was determination
You won't, thought Claire, you only ever leave it up to Batman. Where was he? He was no where to be seen in daylight. You can't help me. You don't know how to help me.
'Thank you.' She sighed. She accepted his hand and gave him a quick but firm shake. She stood up and followed him from the statement room, back through the Gotham Police Station and then left through the front doors. She felt uneasy as she approached her car. She was careful to glance in the back seat to ensure it was empty. She even went so far as to pop the boot and inspect that, too, but it was empty as well. She checked the foot well of the front seats before she finally hoped in.
Claire didn't move. She didn't drive off. She wrapped her arms around her and finally let the sob that had been sitting at the bottom of her throat out. She felt hopeless. She felt vulnerable. She despised him for making her feel weak. She pulled herself together enough to look up into the revision mirror. She expected to see those bright hazel eyes surrounded by thick black makeup staring back at her, a few strands of bright green hair falling about his face. She saw nothing though.
Now she was angry. She grabbed for the key and yanked it hard to start the car. She grabbed the stick and threw the car into reverse, slamming her foot onto the gas and sending the car flying back. She flicked it into drive and sped out of the police station to take herself home.
When she got home she slammed doors. She screamed. She cried red hot angry tears that burned her eyes and streaked her face black with her own, more subtle, makeup. How dare a man make her feel so weak, so vulnerable. How dare she leave it to the men to help her, too. She was disappointed in herself. Of course they wouldn't help her. She would have to help herself if she wanted anything done.
She felt her rage calming. She didn't want to let it go though. So she used it. She marched into her bedroom with her blood just below boiling point. She could get angry and lash out, but that would be no good. She could calm herself, but that was no good either. She would still be helpless. No, she had to to let the rage bubble just below the surface. Enough to feed her courage, but not enough to make her stupid. In her bedroom she went through her closet. She had an old generic costume she had bought from a cheap store many years ago for Halloween. It was a one piece jumpsuit that had black shorts and sleeves and a red vest to it.
She made her way back out to the lounge room. She grabbed the first bag she had bought earlier that day and tipped its contents out onto the bench. It didn't contain what she was looking for. She did that with a second and third bag. It was in the fourth bag that she tipped out that she found it. It was a mask. Naturally it had several decorative penises cheaply glued to it. She ripped those off and stared at the mask. She could feel the anger in her coming down the a simmer as she doubted if this was the right thing for her to do. She repeated his words over to herself to bring her blood back up towards the boil.
'Now, now. Let's be a good girl. If you behave I won't have to hurt you.'
Suddenly she was pulling the mask up to her face and tying it off behind her head. She was not going to let this demon of a man treat her like a child who is scared of a wolf. No, he was merely a sheep in wolves clothing and she would tear that from him.
He had told Claire his plans. Not directly, of course. She may not have been the Bat Detective but she could at least connect the dots when they were put in front of her. She knew that when she dropped him at the bank that he proceeded to rob he was getting money to pay someone off. She believed, but was not certain, that he was planning to buy his way into an operation. He planned to meet that someone at a club down town later this evening before it opened.
Claire planned to be there to stop it going down. She had no idea how she was going to, but she wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face after what he did to her. She grabbed her car keys again. Just as she grabbed her bag her phone went off from within. She fished it out quickly to see a message from Sarah, her best friend, requesting a bottle of red over dinner. She sent Sarah a quick reply saying that they would catch up once she was done shopping. It was a small white lie to her best friend.
She threw her phone back in her bag and scooped it up. She dashed from her house, locking it behind her. She rushed to her car, once again checking it over to make sure there was no one in there before she jumped up. This time it wasn't anger that drove her. It was determination