manage me, i'm a mess. [@GOTHAM LIVE -- with elena/nightfall

[Deleted]

With emails and meetings up to her neck, Summer was beyond busy and stressed as it came extremely close to five o’clock. The noisy, bustling floor of Gotham Live started to die down and lights began to shut off as her coworkers headed home for a nice evening with their families. Summer only wished that she could be so fortunate. There was a list of things she had to do before she could even think about heading home and even then she would be going home to a pile of even more things to go through. Several of the interns had asked her to review their work and Summer had quickly turned them down, despite how much she did want to help. With all of her own stories and deadlines quickly approaching, there was no time to focus on anyone but herself, not to mention she huge interview on her show tomorrow that she was nowhere near prepared for.

Usually, she was beyond prepared and organized, though her pompous producer had decided to push up her deadlines in fear that ratings were going to decline and was literally on her every hour asking if she had any updates on her ‘Bat family story’. Summer wasn’t sure why he even insisted on calling them the Bat Family to begin with. They had no information as to whether any of them were related! Based on her investigations, Summer believed that they were not but simply brought together by chance, however, that was only her opinion.

Eventually, the office was empty with an exception of the janitor. Summer’s office consisted of large glass windows so she could see everything going on around her and the amazing view of the park from her private quarters. She looked up to see the last of the lights turn to their lower setting and she knew she was alone in her fully-lit office, buried under mountains of memos and forwarded emails. Running her fingers through her hair, she reached for her coffee and took a sip. Pulling a sour face, she placed the cup back down almost as soon as she had picked it up to discover it was cold. “Jamie! I need more coffee, please!” She shouted to her assistant, only to receive silence back. Oh yes, Jamie had gone home like the rest of the Gotham Live staff. Summer ran her fingers through her hair, stressed to the point that she wanted nothing more than to go home herself.


NOTES: thanks for threaing
SUMMER IS WEARING:this!

[Deleted]

"Coffee will kill you, Miss Gleeson."

The louder than normal voice had come from out in the main room, from a woman that was dressed averagely, though that didn't tell anyone who she might be. Stopping by the coffee maker, a modern Keurig, single cup machine, Elena poured the reporter a fresh cup of her favorite brew just the way the red-head liked it, before she made a cup for herself. In a matter of only a few moments, Elena had passed through the door to the private office, if anything could be private with glass walls, and had set the cup down on the desk, before moving back to the door way as if to block any retreat the Gleeson woman might wish to entertain.

"You are Miss Summer Gleeson, correct? Let's see, twenty-five years of age, no real love life to speak of, heh, probably too busy with your nose buried in the search for a story. You've taken a few self defense classes, done well in them I might add, and you are currently working on a story, among others regarding the so-called 'Bat' family. Did I leave anything out?"

Elena took a drink of the coffee before lowering the cup. Her eyes locked on Gleeson's, she just looked at her, her green eyes boring into the reporter's like a diamond-tipped drill bit might a solid piece of marble. Taking another sip of the coffee before it got too cold, Elena shifter her gaze to the various decorations that adorned Miss Gleeson's wall, the plaques of accomplishments, the awards, a picture of herself with the Bertinelli woman that had been taken not that long ago if her memory served her correctly, before she returned to look at Summer.

"I know you might be thinking of calling for help, Miss Gleeson, but if I had any intentions of doing you harm, you would have felt the pain by now. I'm here to ask you some questions for an employer of mine. Shouldn't take long, then you can get back to your life, if that is what you call that pile of papers on your desk. More coffee? No..? Then you won't mind if I get myself another cup? Oh, and the phone line has been disconnected. Be a good girl and sit there, would you?"

A smile on her face, Elena stepped out of the office and made her way back to the coffee maker. In normal terms she didn't like coffee, but the Keurig was a fantastic brewing machine and the coffee she had chosen was more tea than coffee. Returning to the office again, she stopped in the doorway and relaxed, though if one really knew her, her body language might suggest a lioness ready to pounce on an unsuspecting prey, and though she did not carry a gun, Elena was quite capable of killing with her bare hands, a fact she had proven more times than one in her former line of work.

"Shall we begin?"

[Deleted]

Summer jumped when a voice broke the silence, instantly gaining her attention. Pulling her thick-framed glasses from her face she looked up through the glass walls and into the main room to see a woman. Assuming only briefly that she was seeing things, it took the young news anchor a matter of moments to discover that the woman was real and one she did not recognize. “What are you doing here?” The redhead instantly demanded, growing easily aggravated. She didn’t have time for distractions, though she blatantly ignored the blonde’s comment.

Appalled as the woman boldly entered her office and sat the cup of coffee down on her desk, Summer’s mouth opened as if she was going to stay something but she was quickly cut off. Who did this woman think she was? Speechless, the redhead sat in silence as she rambled of a list of very accurate facts about herself. Eying the coffee, as much as she desperately wanted it she didn’t want to trust a beverage that was provided by a complete and total stranger. How did she even get into this office? There was security on every floor and this was not making any since.

After a moment of silence and her mouth hanging open slightly in total shock, she blinked before conjuring the words that she wanted. “Who are you?” The facts that had reached her ears were things that some of her closest friends didn’t know. It was uncomfortable, to have someone know this much regarding her when she didn’t even know the name of the woman before her. This was unusual and beyond creepy, Summer quickly reached for her desk phone to call security. She only froze when the woman mentioned something about an employer.

“So someone set you up to this?” Summer said, leaning back in her large chair, chuckling. “Hah, of course. Who is it? Is channel seven so desperate for ratings that they are stalking me now? This is ridiculous. I’m calling security-wait what?” The redhead dropped the phone quickly after pressing it to her ear and hearing no dial tone. She wasn’t lying, it had been disconnected. Her cheeks red, Summer did not like being patronized and she watched in shock as she left momentarily to go get another cup of coffee.

Her heart started pounding in her chest, and Summer was unsure of what to do. Should she comply? After all, this seemed like she would only have to answer a matter of questions. However, the reporter was incredibly stubborn and wanted to know all the details of this before she opened her mouth and said another word. Something wasn’t right and this was incredibly unusual. Summer was usually one that asked the questions, and she wasn’t too fond of this being the other way around.

Despite how intimidating the woman before her was, Summer stood up. “No actually, I don’t know what this is about and I am afraid that this unexpected little meeting is over,” With plans on literally walking to the security desk herself, Summer attempted to push past her newfound guest.

NOTES: Summer is so dramatic. lol
SUMMER IS WEARING:this!

[Deleted]

"You don't like being on the other end of things, do you Miss Gleeson? Sit down and we'll talk, and I'd drink the coffee before it gets cold were I you. My names Elena Di Terazza and I'm a private investigator. Now sit and we'll talk, or not that is totally up to you."

She could have seen it coming and in fact had. The woman was known for being the one in control but if she was taken even the slightest bit out of her comfort zone then she flipped. Watching miss Gleeson move toward her, Elena stepped aside to let her pass, before she took another sip of the coffee. If the girl wanted to go find the security, then she would let her, as that would give her complete and solitary access to the office the reporter had left open, something Elena didn't find all that distasteful in rifling through to find her answers.

"If it will help you any, you'll find your security in the hall lunch room. For some reason they all decided to take a nap."

Stealing a glance at the retreating reporter, Elena shrugged her shoulders and then headed into Gleeson's office. In moments she was looking through the desk drawers before she noticed the file she was looking for. Flipping it open, she started looking at the Intel it presented, noting what had been discovered which thankfully was precious little in terms of what her client wanted kept secret. She knew the Gleeson woman would, at some point, return, but until she did, the files laid out so openly on the desk were fair play and very easy picking.

Her cell phone out on reflex, Elena quickly took pictures of what she had found before any could be the wiser, though once that was done she called the contact number she was provided, knowing all she would get would be a recorded and seriously encrypted voice that would be received from a voice box of borrowed design, but it would at least make it extremely difficult to trace if anyone in the city even had that kind of skill.

"Yes, what she has is nowhere close to what you were referring to. But I will stay on the case."

[Deleted]

This was beyond weird; Summer had no idea who sent this woman, nor what exactly it was that she wanted. The young reporter attempted to think back to all those she had scorned or slandered in the past and the list was simply infinite. She wasn’t sure what to do and was becoming incredibly flustered the more time that passed. A private investigator? Summer was positive now that she had never met the woman, but the last thing she was willing to do was comply at this point. As she strutted past the intruder, the redhead nearly froze in her steps when she was informed that her security was not going to be any help to her. Summer’s eyes widened as she hurried into the hallway and speed walked toward the lunch room to find a majority of her security staff unconscious.

What was going on? This was like a horror movie gone wrong, in a matter of seconds she was sure she would be staring up at the mercy of some man in a mask. Part of her considered grabbing her purse and leaving, though she couldn’t just leave the woman alone in her office. While a majority of her important papers were locked in the portable safe underneath her desk, she still didn’t want her privacy violated by some total stranger who – as far as Summer was concerned – had no right to go through her personal possessions.

With a sudden burst of bravery, she started back toward her office to find the woman rummaging through the stuff on her desk. Attempting to silence her footsteps, she thought back to the few self-defense classes she had taken in the past, some more recently than others now that she was getting a little more adventurous with her reporting. Raising both hands on either side of the woman’s head, she slammed both her palms on either side of the woman’s head over her ears with a great deal of force. “Get out of my office!”

However, Summer had been somewhat carless, not noticing the phone pressed to the woman’s ear. Her attack was not going to be nearly as effective as she thought and with her eyes wide she quickly hurried over to the other side of her desk and began to rummage through her drawer for her trusty Taser just in case. After all, she had no idea who this woman was or what she was capable of. Well, she had someone what of an idea seeing as all of her security were lying unconscious in the other room.

NOTES: Summer is so dramatic. lol
SUMMER IS WEARING:this!

[Deleted]

The blow had been as unexpected as it had been painful, though had it not been for the phone, Elena would have found herself at the woman's mercy. Her head falling back off her shoulders before she fell forward to land on the desk, Elena moaned softly and then attacked. If the woman wanted to play then play she would, but Elena had tried to be civil about the process, that strategy changing the moment the ringing had started in her ears.

Her left leg thrown out in a powerful scissor kick to the woman's lower abs, Elena grabbed the back side of the desk and pulled her body over it, before she rolled to her feet so that the desk was between them. She didn't carry a gun as a rule, but with her extensive training, she had never really needed one, though right this minute, Elena wished she had one to do something - anything, to this upstart.

"That hurt, bi***. I tried to be civil with you, tried to be nice, let you tell your side of things, but if you want to play..., want to test me, then so be it."

Grabbing the first thing on the desk she could find, in this case a ball point pen, Elena flipped it in her hand until she was holding it like a knife that would be thrust downward into a person's body, but even as she advanced, Elena caught herself. She was a private investigator, not some common thug bent on revenge, and she had to remember that it was her that had placed the Gleeson woman in such a position. Had the roles been reversed, Elena knew she would have acted in much the same way, though she would have attacked almost instantly instead of freaking out.

"This isn't me..., nor is it necessary. I came looking for answers, not a fight, and I have to admit I did place you in a precarious spot., for which I am sorry. You have enemies, Miss Gleeson of which I am sure you are aware. Anyone in your profession would garner them now and then, but you've made some powerful ones, people that would love to see you dead."

The pen tossed back to the desk, Elena moved to within inches of her would-be prey, to look her dead in the eyes. She would not trouble the woman any longer, though that did not mean she would not come back at some later point to see what else might be hidden in that supposedly hidden safe. Holding up her left hand to forestall a possible attack from the woman, Elena then reached into the pocket of her coat and produced what she had found within the safe, before she turned it around in her fingers so the Gleeson woman could see it - know it was hers - and be concerned - before Elena tossed into her hands.

"My employer, by the way, is not one of them. They are more concerned with keeping you alive. For some odd reason they like you, and I think I am beginning to see why. I'll show myself out. Have good evening, Miss Gleeson."

[Deleted]

Was it over? Had she won? Summer only hoped for the next few seconds that the woman might surrender and leave her office. This was already turning out to be an overwhelming night, but little did the redhead know it was just about to get worse. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, this woman intimidated her immensely and her presence made Summer very uncomfortable. However, seeing as she had fully taken out her entire security, she was sure that this wasn’t going to be over. Taking a few seconds to process what she had done, Summer whirled around and went to grab something that she might use to defend herself. Her shelves were only filled with modern figurines that matched the theme of her office, books, binders and picture frames. What was Summer going to do, ram a book over her head next? The redhead began to panic as she frantically eyed the perimeter of the room in search of something to defend herself.

Just as she whirled around to face the woman, a powerful kick nailed her in the stomach. Pain blossomed in her abdomen and Summer released a squeal of pain as she stumbled backward, leaning against the wall for a moment to support herself. The door was on the other side of the room or she might have just run in order to get as much space between this stranger and herself as possible. Still clutching her stomach, she reached for an umbrella in the stand next to her bookshelf, holding it in defense if the woman tried to strike again.

Panting, Summer’s facial features were contorted with both fear and pain. Suddenly, everything she had learned in her self-defense classes seemed to be slipping her mind. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as if doing so was going to make all of this disappear. It was like a bad dream, but Summer could tell from the radiating pain it was too real to be a dream. The woman was coming back at her with a pen and the redheads eyes widen with fear. What was she going to do with that? Ram it into her jugular? Cringing at the thought, she rose her umbrella like a baseball bat, her trembling hands trying to retain a tight grip. She knew she was outmatched, but the redhead wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

Heart pounding in her chest, Summer couldn’t have been more relieved when she wasn’t continuously attacked. However, the words that left the woman’s mouth were a big blow itself. “Don’t be silly, I don’t have- I mean, no one wants to kill me for goodness sake.“ Summer stopped talking, biting her lower lip. Who was she kidding? As much as she wanted to deny it, she was fully aware of those who sought to see her eliminated for either her revealing stories or meddling ways. Before Summer could open her mouth to speak again, the woman had left, literally leaving Summer with her mouth wide open.

She dropped the umbrella to the ground and slid down the surface of the wall, staring straight ahead of her. Who could she trust? Was this woman telling the truth? Running her fingers through her long, red wavy hair Summer decided it was time to call it a night. Leaving her office in shambles, she would deal with it the next day as she hurried and grabbed her purse, trench coat and keys.

The parking garage seemed much darker and creepier than usual. Summer found herself jumping at any movement, the woman’s words repeating in her head and haunting her. What if she was simply warning her for the course of events that were to follow once she left the comfort of her office? Summer’s hands were shaking as she unlocked her small sports car and quickly climbing inside, drastically checking the backseat for any more unwanted guests. This was horrible, she was going absolutely mad. Trying to shake the fears from her head, Summer turned on the car and drove home in complete silence, not even bothering to turn on the radio.

Checking over her shoulder every few minutes as she reached her luxurious flat, she was still paranoid as she unlocked the front door. Once she got inside, she set her purse down and kicked off her heels, sighing as she assumed she was finally safe. The apartment was pitch black with an exception of what light was emitted from the large, floor length windows that composed of her most outer walls. It gave her a perfect few of the city, including the Gotham Live tower. Just as she started toward the fridge to pour herself something to drink, she heard a noise from her office. Summer froze eyes wide and she listened, only confirming her fears.

Hands shaking, she reached into a cabinet and pulled out a heavy, black handgun, keeping her finger off the trigger as she approached her office. Taking a deep breath, she pointed the gun into the room, flipping on the light. “Who are you and what do you want?!” Summer shouted.

NOTES: Summer is so dramatic. lol
SUMMER IS WEARING:this!

[Deleted]

"Guns, why do people always resort to guns when natural ability can work just as well?"

Driving a solid kick to the Gleeson's wrist in the hopes of dislodging the gun, Nightfall then grabbed the front edge of the large, solid Oak door before she slammed it into Gleeson's body. She had been hiding behind the door after she had heard another person enter the apartment, and though she had only come there to confirm her suspicions regarding the dangers Miss Gleeson was facing, the fact that she thought she could talk sense into the woman's brain has caused Nightfall to stick around. Still, if the woman had taken the effort to buy a gun, then at least she felt there was some danger to her job, the ongoing attack taking place at that minute not withstanding any other logic.

"I'm not here to fight you, Miss Gleeson, but to warn you. You have made some powerful enemies over the course of the last three months and some of them want you dead. A contract has been put out on your head and I believe the silver platter has already been purchased. I'm not going to tell you how to lead your life, but you may wish to reconsider how you go about living it."

Standing above her prey, Nightfall moved to straddle Miss Gleeson while she talked. She had no real issue with the woman, none at all, but Nightfall felt she at least owed her this much. Looking down at the woman, Nightfall continued to give her the spiel she had rehearsed, never realizing the woman was still a potential threat, and with Elena standing above her, she was wide open to a counter attack..., if the reporter had the guts at least.

"Remember, you have been warned, and the next time you pull a gun, then use it, don't stand there in the light and announce where you are."