4Hey guys! I was not expecting to be writing another chapter this soon, let alone publishing it. If you haven't seen it yet, I have redone chapter 1 and I suggest that you go re-read it since I am taking this story on another path than I thought I would.
I'm gonna stay in the past for a little bit as I set the backstory to the fic. I don't know maybe I'll flash back and forth from past and present. We'll see where my brain takes us lol. Anyway, I've got my Cafe Bustelo so let's get this show on the road.
I do not own Gotham. If I did, they'd be filming Season 6 and we would've been able to see Bruce and Selina really become Batman and Catwoman, not having that weird ten year time jump.
The song being sung is Asleep originally by The Smiths but I am using the Emily Browning version.
This takes right before Fish breaks everyone out
Also FYI it's gonna be really depressing in this chapter and there's gonna be some parts that are going to be tough to read for some people. I will section them off in case anybody wished to skip over them. Just look for the: ***** and you will know when it starts and ends.
Nearly One Year Earlier
Indian Hill
Deep in Indian Hill a soft voice drifts through the hall singing a song in a melancholy way
Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I don't want to wake up
On my own anymore
Sing to me
Sing to me
I don't want to wake up
On my own anymore
Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I really want to go
The singing is coming from room 24601 where twenty-one year old Wendy is curled up in the far corner of her cell, the only light coming from the dim old hallway light bulbs shining through the tiny window in her cell door. Even after being tortured and experimented on for three years, she still sings. She sings to try and keep herself from falling into the pit of madness and depression that are luring her in. She tries to keep the hope that somehow she will escape or that someone will find and rescue her.
Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
There is another world
There is a better world
Well, there must be
there must be
There is another world
There is a better world
Wendy jumps, the singing suddenly being cut off as her cell door opens with a loud bang. She trembles in fear, all of the training taught to as a child has gone out the window once this place started to crush her spirit and soul. Men in white uniforms and white surgical masks step into the room, Dr. Strange trailing in after them. Their gloved hands reach down, grabbing at her to pull her to her feet. Wendy screams as loud as she can, still hoping that someone can hear her, the screams making her hoarse. She flails around, her dirty hair whipping around her face as she tries to wrench herself out of their grasp.
The men drag her backwards down the hallway, her dragging her feet the entire way. They bring her into the sterile room that has been her personal hell for the past six years. She sobs uncontrollably as they strip her out of the white dress she was put in and strap her down for the next round of experiments, wedging a leather gag between her teeth to stop the screaming and to her from biting herself. Doctor Strange steps up the crying young woman, stroking the side of her face as she looks at him with wide pleading eyes.
"Don't worry my dear. I'm sure this will be the last time. Your DNA is just wanting to be quite difficult," he moves over the side pulling out a weird new contraption, "This should finally work to turn you into the beautiful creation I always knew you could be." Wendy trembles in fear as the men in white start to move the contraption over her. Strange presses a button, filling the room with opera music. Everything is locking into place while O Mio Babbino Caro plays through the speakers. The contraption makes an evil hiss as it starts to lower itself over Wendy's body. All at once big needles sprig from contraption, stabbing into her body at the same time and injecting her with a fluid that feels like lava in her veins. Her back arches off the table, pulling against the machine and her restraints. She lets out the worst possible scream that makes it through the gag.
All around Indian Hill and into Arkham people can hear the cry of anguish. A middle aged woman with black and red hair and blue and brown eyes and a young woman with curly hair both sit up in their cells at the sound. Upstairs in the Asylum a young man with a pillowcase over his head tilts his head at the noise and another man with messy hair and glasses sits up with his brow furrowed. The scream is hard to ignore for anyone and is suddenly cut off.
Back at the lab the men in white scrubs frantically pulling the contraption off of Wendy as she starts having a violent seizure. The heart monitor starts going crazy as she thrashes against her restraints. Suddenly in the blink of an eye she goes still and the monitor lets out a long beep. They remove the restraints and the gag. Doctor Strange sighs and takes off his glasses to clean them.
"Such a waste," he tuts before putting his glasses back on, snapping at the men, "Put the remains of 24601 down where we keep the rest. Perhaps we can use her for spare parts." Shortly after he speaks those words a loud gasp is heard from the table as Wendy jerks on the table. The heart monitor sets its pace at a speed slightly faster than the average person's.
"My dear, can you hear me?" Strange asks as he approaches Wendy, her hazel eyes silver around the edges. She gives him an unreadable expression, staying silent. Strange's men march her back to her cell, throwing a different dingy white nightgown in at her. This one has a satin ribbon sash around the waist with more ribbon dangling down to tie off. She dresses slowly, careful of the still bleeding gashes left from the contraption, and ties the ribbon up. She goes back into her corner and glares off into space, accidentally causing her battered Peter Pan to fall off the little built in ledge in her cell. Wendy jumps in fright looking at what just happened. Slowly she crawls over to book, snatching it up in her hands before going back into the corner. She sets the book down in front of her and stares down at it, her brows furrowing and nose scrunching up. She stays in that position for several minutes before the book opens and the pages start to slowly shakily flip. A big grin breaks out on Wendy's face. She spends the rest of the night and into the next practising her newfound power. That next night while she's spinning her dinner tray and the book in the air, sirens go off and a red light fills the hallway. It shocks her into dropping everything. The orderlies come down the halls to different cells, opening them up and taking the prisoners to a bus, skipping over Wendy's cell entirely.
"Hello?! Hey what the hell is going on out there? Somebody let me out!" she starts to yell. She spots a woman in a strange costume with black and red hair walking down the hall, the lights making it hard to see her face, "Hey lady, can you tell me what's going-" she cuts off suddenly as the woman slows her walking, letting Wendy see her face, "Fish?..."
Fish stops in her tracks as she faintly recognizes the voice. She steps up to the cell door, going face-to-face with Wendy. Dewy hazel eyes meet a brown and blue eye. Fish takes in a sharp breath of air as she realizes who she is seeing.
"Wendy?" She snaps her fingers at the orderly thats with her, making them open the cell door. Wendy immediately rushes out to hug Fish tightly who places a hand on the back of the younger girl's head before pulling back, "As much as I'd like to catch up, child, we have to go. Now. Strange is about to blow this place to kingdom come." Wendy nods and quickly grabs her book before running with Fish to the bus. Wendy sits down in an empty seat behind the driver's seat, hanging on for dear life as Fish drives the bus as fast as it can possibly go. After they pass the Arkham gate, Wendy allows herself a tiny smile before resting her head back on the seat and closes her eyes, not fully believing she's free after so long of being a prisoner.
Yes I changed her powers. The reason? It's just easier to write someone with these powers lmao