What Doesn't Kill You

"Alan, huh? So what do you do?" I asked him once we were a while clear of the house. He pulled over by the water under the bridge out of Gotham.

"What do you mean, what do I do?"

"I mean, everyone I've met does something. You can't just be normal Alan. There's the Bat. There's the Joker. There's Maye Daye--"

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about. I have a proposition," he said. That's when I noticed his tongue. It was thin. In fact, his whole face was a little weird. His skin seemed a little... green. "I'm frog. You're right. Not just plain Alan. But what you don't know about is our little underground, well, team we'll call it."

"Another one? Seriously, is half this city underground doing something?"

"Just listen. There's us and there's them. Them is the girls you met before plus a few others. Then there's us. Us is me, Rot, Pink, and some more people. Think of us as in constant battle."

"So you guys battle eachother? But I've only heard of Eight and Maye Daye and people like them fighting off like, minor villians and stuff."

"Well," he started, "well we both do that. But we fight each other too."

"So you're both doing the same thing, the same girl, virtually, we'll say, but you're fighting eachother also?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, when you put it that way it sounds dumb."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, thanks for the lift, but I'm not getting caught up in this sorority vs. fraternity thing."

He jumped in front of me to stop me. "Both sides are boys and girls. And there's a reason to our fighting."

"What is it?"

"Well, we just... we both want to be number one."

"Why don't you join and both be number one. You know, you'd really like Maye Daye."

"Will you be quiet, I haven't even given you my proposition yet."

I sighed, "I'm listening."

Maye Daye's Point of View

"I haven't even given you my proposition yet," that stupid green bastard said. She'll turn him down.

"I'm listening." Why she--!

They started whispering and I could feel myself growing hotter.

"So I'd be working with you?" she asked.

He nodded and I stormed off to call up headquarters. If she wants to doublecross us, she'll be in for it.

Normal Point of View

"Look, buddy, I'm not doing that. I don't wanna get involved in this. Really, I have a purpose, I don't need any help, I don't need to stray from my purpose. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Look, we could really use you, and you don't want us as an enemy."

"Is that a threat?" I asked, stepping closer to him and lowering my voice. He smirked. "I'll wipe that motherfucking smirk off your face. You don't wanna fuck with me. I don't care how many of you there are, because there's no better drive than revenge and justice. Got it? So just stay the fuck out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

I stormed off, hoping it would be dramatic enough that he'd just figure me a lost cause.

I ran into a body. "Amphetemine, you're asking for it. Talking to scum like him."

"Look, it's not what you think."

"No, I'm not that dumb."

"I'm serious, I just turned him down."

"Look, I know what I heard, and I just wanted to tell you, this is war."

She vanished and I rolled my eyes. Fucking great. Just what I needed. Now I have the Bat, the Joker, and two rival gangs after me. Along with the city of Gotham. What a better way to let off my steam than in the full moon.

Where to start today?