Jumped Chain [Open]

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Victor had rushed around the corner and slipped into the alley. The turn was too sharp on wet ground and tripped and hit the ground hard. Damn this spring weather coming in. Gotham truly did receive the best and the worst of all its seasons, but wet ground and cloudy skies were a sure sign that spring had come. Although he fell he didn’t let it keep him down for very long. There was a substance leaking down from his head, he must have hit it hard on the asphalt. But after he had just recently escaped the asylum there was no way he was getting caught again, not this soon.

Red and blue lights flashed from around another corner alley of Park row and he stopped himself from running further. Instead he found a shadow next to a full dumpster and sucked his body back to the wall. Victor lingered in the shadows until the lights came through and passed. He was safe for now.

Victor finally came out of the shadows. His heart was beating hard to the forefront of his chest. The rush always felt good but he didn’t want to go back to the asylum. There was still too much he had to do outside. The ridiculous part of the matter was that he wasn’t even being chased for who he was. The GCPD had come around at the right time to bust a heroine deal that he had just made. He had only been out of confinement for less than 16 hours and already needed a fix. His hands were visibly shaken in the alley as he pulled out the small baggy from his pocket and stared at the substance within. The bust had actually made him come out with more than he originally was going to buy but he wasn’t going to complain. The zombie wasn’t going to use it anyway.

Victor could have had it as it was, but he wanted to tamper with it a bit. After so many years of doing what he was doing he needed a little bit more of a jump start each time. He knew it wouldn’t be too terribly difficult to get what he needed on the east side, but something was eating him from the inside already. He went down the alley until the edge of it opened up to the street and he saw a telephone booth across it. It was lit up by a single working streetlight on the row. This place really did go to hell at night but Victor didn’t mind…

[“The payphones right there”] [“It’s too far, you’ll get caught”][“He has to go now.”}

Victor twitched and grabbed the side of his head as the auditory came to his ears. It was even more reason that he wanted to go across the street to the payphone. Not because his choices were being influenced, but because he was simply experiencing them. Slowly, he made his way out and across the street. When he came to the booth he reached out for the phone but then drew his hand back. He knew Dr. Arkham would pick up if he called. He had missed a session with him earlier today because he jumped chain. Victor fought with himself on the choice, picking up the phone and setting it down several times.

[Deleted]

Piper constantly kept looking over her shoulder, fully aware that this wasn’t the place to be as a citizen of Gotham with her social standing. It was a crime-infested, shady area of the city that her father often neglected when it came to ‘making Gotham as safe as his own manor’. A majority of this sector of town was abandoned, featuring a notorious bar which Piper could safely say was one of the few of Gotham that she had never set foot in.

The young blonde’s reasoning for being in this particular side of town was to provide her with more of a fix than anything. Even after her recent stream of scandals, the Mayor’s little angel had a very addictive personality, one that more than not got the best of her and led to many downfalls. With it would be easy for a woman of her connections to find a middle man to do the fetching for her, but the more people that were involved meant the more people that knew – and the more people that could possible release yet another dirty little secret to the looming press. Piper scowled at the idea of it, knowing that the last thing she needed was her drug addiction plastered all over headlines and her father shipping her off to some rehab resort.

After all, she could always stop when she wanted too, but in her profession, the others seemed sharing her talents were far from the best examples. Even behind the set of her latest gig alcohol and drugs were passed around like they were in Hollywood, which was probably to distract the crowd from the notion that they obviously were not.

The spring air blew through her blonde hair as she quickly approached her destination. Her town car was parked a great distance away, having convinced the driver she was simply grabbing a quick cup of coffee with her director to discuss the preparations for the show when really she had an arranged meeting with one of Gotham cities many drug dealers. The streets were practically empty, giving a ghost town effect that sent chills down her spine. She looked down at her phone, re-reading the texts to insure she was in the right place. Then again, her lack of knowledge in regards to this side of town wouldn’t have helped in pair with the desired location anyway.

Assuming she was right, as always. She noticed a figure standing in a phone booth. That had to be him. The build was familiar, though Piper encountered so many people in so many social settings that the faces all seemed to run together after a while. The blonde picked up her pace a bit, hoping to get what she needed and get out before anyone could notice she was there. “Tapping on the side on the glass, she moved to open the phone booth, providing a nervous smile at the man as she reached into her bra to grab her rolled up wad of money she was intending to pay with.

“Sorry, I know I’m a bit late. I had a bit of trouble finding you. Um, so let’s hurry this up a bit. I’ve got some charity bullshit on the other side of town I am expected to be at. Oh, and like you wanted…” She rolled her eyes, having obliged her dealers demand. “There’s extra for your silence.” However, the man before her didn’t have the same personality as the dealer she remembered. Had she walked up to the wrong person? The pretty little blonde swallowed for a moment, hoping she was simply paranoid and hadn’t just started up to a random stranger in the shadiest area of Gotham that the city had to offer. Something told her she had just royally messed up.

notes: hope this is okay? <3
outfit: piper is wearing this

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The phone shook in his hands each time he picked it up and set it down. He had been standing in it for so long now the glass around him had begun to fog. Why couldn’t he just call him? He wouldn’t answer at this time of night would he? [Would he?] Victor shook his head and put the phone down again.

But just before he decided to pick it up and dial a tap came to his little nook he’d placed himself in in the city. A young beautiful lamb approached the box and began speaking with him. At first he wasn’t sure whether the lamb was actually talking to him and he looked behind just to make sure. When she didn’t move he finally seemed to find the right words to say. “ Oh…Yes…” Victor took the money from her hands and in exchange handed her the nice plot of Heroine he had just gotten before they met. His hand shook as it handed her the bag, not wanting to let it go. But it was alright…The little lamb wasn’t going to go far.

“ There’s been a bit of a problem on the streets tonight…” He assured her and took a few steps out of the phone booth. He motioned for her to follow him deeper into the alley beside them. “The other half is over here…” Victor sank from the light into the shadows in front of her. The little lamb needed to be herded to the slaughter.

As he backed up he felt a spot on his under arm that had yet to have its final tally mark to complete itself. She would make it final and permanent; it would be a completed spot and he needed the mark. The mark was the reason he’d left from his sessions with Dr. Arkham…..He was going to be dreadfully late to his next one…But he’d understand wouldn’t he?

[“Why would he understand? You left him to come here.”]

He gripped his head and stopped stepping backward. In the shadows he dwelled waiting for her to come closer to him, if she would or not. He took a small hunting knife out of the back of his belt and let it grace the side of his pants as he waited. He could play her dealer; he could play whatever she wanted him to do be. It was all for the mark….and he would have it.

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Piper glanced casually over her shoulder before turning back to face the man, waiting for him to subtly slip her the large quantity of drugs and let her be on her way. Maybe she would get a little fix before she went to that stupid event – or maybe she would just get so high that she never even makes it to the event in the first place. Still, she was impatient, her foot taping as he handed her what she constantly craved. She cracked a brief smile before tucking it into her bra for safety, but the smile quickly faded. “There is no way that this is all of it.” She had bought enough drugs to know. “Do you know how much I just gave you?”

Growing slightly irritated, the annoyance quickly fled her face as he informed her that he had the rest, but he hadn’t brought it all at once due to some issues. “Oh, okay. That makes sense. Lead the way.” She followed him blindly in to the dark alley, the only noise being the clicking of her heels on the damp pavement. Glancing around her, she couldn’t help but shake and eerie feeling that surrounded her. Taking her phone out of her purse to shed a bit of light and ease her mind, the area before her was bathed in the light emitted from the device.

“Where? Look, I really need to hurry this up. I’m already running pretty late at it is. This was supposed to be a quick, under-the-radar exchange, not a scavenger hunt.” She tossed her long hair over her shoulder and began to look around the empty alley, lined with several boxes and trashcans that produced an annoying smell. She cleared her throat nervously, unable to see any source of where the rest of her drugs might be stored or where he was leading her. Piper did her best to maintain her distance, keeping several feet away from the man before her. Her hand nervously running along the short him of her tight skirt, she bit her lower lip and waited for him to answer her and fill her palm with the rest of her drugs.


outfit: piper is wearing this

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If he were talking to Dr. Arkham here, lingering in the dark he knew what he’d say. He’d try to tell him that he was having an episode, something that was potentially harmful to him and others. But he didn’t care about that, it wasn’t harmful….It was to end the pain. His doctor knew that and yet he still tried to show him that there was another way. Another way just meant that they had to suffer longer and he was here to deliver them from their meaningless existence. But he would also talk to him about his delusions of needing the mark.

The mark popped into his mind as he stared at the young but less than innocent woman coming toward him. He knew what his own intentions were, voices or not. They were just annoying; he knew what he wanted and what he needed. She had given him money and that was a good thing, but she had taken his drugs and he wanted them back. It was like having everything neatly packaged into one and now she was willing to hand over her life to him. There was nothing that would prevent him from giving her release from the pain of this life to go to the next.

Victor stepped back into the dark until his heels hit a molded box in the alley. It was completely dark except for one spotlight hanging over a door about midway down it, but he didn’t plan on going over there. “ It’s just right here…right here in this box you see…” He pointed it it in the dark to assure her. The box was decent sized and it would have been a safe spot to hide such an amount that she was looking for, but she wouldn’t find any there.

The lamb that seemed to want the drugs so much didn’t want to come to close to him. He could see it by the way she swayed and waved a circle around the darkness to the alley. To put her at ease he walked a few steps away from the box to let her have free reign at looking inside of it. He didn’t need to stand too close to her while she got a glance at what her life had brought her too. It gave him a chance to rest before he couldn’t stand not having the mark anymore. His eyes grazed his skin, making sure he knew that the spot he thought of before what exactly the spot she needed to be. It was perfect for her. “ I know how busy a young lamb like yourself must be, going through the world, scoring what you must to get by…” Victor said idly, almost as if he wasn’t talking to her. He had begun fidgeting with his arm where he had fallen before.

[Deleted]

It was a little sad honestly, but Piper was so keen on getting her much-desired drugs that she was oblivious to the danger that loomed over her. In fact, the young heiress strutted around the streets of Gotham as if she had owned the place. After all, her father was the Mayor, and that title alone provided the blonde with a false sense of entitlement. This was one of the rare times she was alone, but with the media attacking her every chance they got after her most recent stream of DUI’s and car accidents, it seemed to be the best option to go alone rather and limit the risk of a middle man squealing to the press that the Mayors daughter blew 3 grand on drugs from some shady character she had met at a club a few weeks back.

Wrinkling her nose at the alley surrounding them, the stuck up blonde tried to stick to whatever limited light was provided. Taking out her cellphone, she used it to bath a path of light so that she wouldn’t have to worry about tripping or stepping into something particularly gross. After all, it was still an alley. The smell was pungent, but she quickly adapted to it as she continued to follow the man before her, growing incredibly impatient. Small noises of annoyance fell from her lips as she followed as if informing him that he was wasting her valuable time. “In that? That is disgusting. You can’t expect me to- you know what, never mind.”

She started toward it with a roll of her glacier blue eyes, bending at the knee knowing that her skirt was much too short to do otherwise. Piper ignored him completely, annoyed by his odd behavior and his stalling to give her what she rightfully owned. “Yeah, sure.” She said as if she was actually listening to him, but after peering into the contents of the box, there were no drugs present, or anything that look with drugs. Her eyes narrowed and a scowl graced her pretty face as she turned to look up at him. “Hey, what the hell? There is nothing in here! Quit fucking around and give me what is rightfully mine.” The young blonde demanded.


outfit: piper is wearing this

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As Piper bent over the box with her back exposed, Zsasz moved in quickly the glint of the moonlight off the knife blade in his hand the only sign of danger incoming for Piper. But it was enough. As Zsasz started to raise the blade, a whistling could be heard through the cold Gotham air, before a batarang thudded hard into Zsasz's wrist, forcing him to drop the knife. Zsasz staggered back a step or two, clutching at his wrist in pain, but even as he spun around to look up at the night sky, he knew what he would see. And sure enough, the flying bat come down from the sky, driving both feet hard into Zsasz's face and sending him flying backwards, crashing down hard on the other side of the street. Batman landed on his feet and pulled his cloak back around him, walking slowly towards the downed Zsasz.

"Not this time Zsasz. No mark for you. Just another trip back to Arkham."

Batman turned slightly to look at the blond, sizing her up to check for any bruises or injuries, but seeing none. Spotting her face though, Batman raised an eyebrow. Piper Hill. What was she doing in this part of town? Shaking his head he looked at Piper, and then down at the box, and back across at Zsasz. This area of town was known for one thing above all others. Zsasz xould be seen as the kind to get that. Piper had come here hunting and it had nearly cost her, her life. Looking Piper right in the eyes, Batman snarled.

"Miss Hill, the police will be here soon. I'd suggest you get out of here. And get some help with your addiction. Next time, you might not be so lucky."

[Deleted]

Victor’s right hand that held the knife was beginning to twitch. When was the last time he’d taken a hit or had an IV? It seemed like an eternity. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t take care of here in the next few minutes. Once the little lamb was laid to rest he could take what was his in the first place and finish what he wanted to do. But first he needed the mark. His top teeth had begun to grind his bottom lip when she bent over to check.

When her pretty face turned around he returned her smile with a menacing grin as the knife flashed in front of his teeth. He had almost got his hands around her but before he could make a move to slaughter the lamb the knife was knocked of his hand. Victor staggered back startled as the whizz from whatever hit his knife was still ringing in his ears. He grabbed his right wrist and cursed under his breath as the sting finally hit him. His vision twitched, he felt like he was falling into one of those old televisions that sketched back and forth with the picture and as his eyes turned up to the sky he saw it.

The hit came to him hard and the next moment he found himself on the ground several feet back with pain aching through every part of his body? What was going on?! But when that voice hit him and sent a gripping chill down his spine he knew. The smalls of his eyes became microscopic as he turned to see the Batman. His vision clicked again and again. Victor scrambled and crawled back as the Bat came closer and closer.

“No! No! It’s not as it seems. I was helping her. I was giving her what she needed! You’re not listening to me!” His voice seemed frightened at first in his cries but it lulled over to pure madness in his quivering voice.

[The knife! – Shut up he doesn’t have the strength – It’s right there, it’s right there!]

The bat kept coming closer but his reality was shifting rapidly and changing form and color. He blinked and suddenly Batman was gone. The world went completely red. He saw the sheep beyond the alley way but he could no longer see the one that was pursuing him. Was it a dream? His panic lowered and then suddenly his hand brushed upon something sharp. He grabbed the knife and the world came back into focus with Batman suddenly in front of him again.

“I’ve been saving….saving one….” He spoke through an unsteady voice.

[Deleted]

Piper was growing increasingly irritated the more time that he wasted. While she was able to put on that fake smile that her politician father had modeled for her so well, the impatient blonde was not willing to waste such energy on a drug dealer. She only needed them for one thing and that was to get her fix. Making a simple transaction should not have allotted such time. So clearly, the moment he told her to look inside the container in search of what she rightfully paid for, the blonde wasn’t even cautious of the stranger looming behind her. When she was ultimately disappointed, she turned to look up with him, her face contorted with rage.

However, what she saw was not what she nearly expected. With a twisted smile and wielding a knife, the blonde fell backwards and released a deafening scream. “Get the hell away from me!” She shrieked as she crawled backwards, only to have a man from the shadows arrive to her rescue. The Batman. The young heiress’s eyes grew wide and her jaw literally dropped at the presence of the man. Never before had she been so close to a man that her father loathed so much. She was obviously distracted until her attacker spewed out a lie. The moment she managed to regain a regular heart rate and collect herself, she managed to her feet addressing the masked man first. “Don’t tell me what to do – you are just as much as a freak show as he is! Just wait until my father-“ The blonde began, clearly outraged.

She wasn’t sure what to do, nonetheless what to think. For once the drugs were not a priority at the moment, but she wasn’t too concerned with her safety either. It wasn’t until her previous attacker managed to wield the knife once more did she speak to someone other than herself. “He’s got the knife!” She squealed, half tempted to simply turn and run down the length of the alley until she couldn’t any longer.


outfit: piper is wearing this