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Captured	By : FairyLights Category: +A through F > Batman: Arkham City Views: 4252 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Arkham Knight or any of its predecessors or characters. I am not making any money from writing this story.

Chapter List
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“Ms. Aubery I do suggest you hurry. They’re already evacuating the city.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Alfred. I’m staying with you in the Batcave.”

She heard the concern in the butler’s voice, but she’d have none of it. Aubrey Wayne didn’t run from anything. She certainly wouldn’t let a lunatic like Scarecrow push her out. The dark-haired woman knew the Batcave was the safest place in Gotham. She thought of the last time she left Alfred alone in the cave and what happened when Bane found him. As she packed up a few work papers, she could already hear his next statement.

“Your brother would want you to leave the city,” Alfred said. “You’re much safer outside Gotham than in it. We can’t risk another kidnapping.”

She huffed. The Joker had died nine months ago, but the wounds he left behind hadn’t faded. Her bruises healed, her wrist recovered and the headaches stopped, yet she couldn’t forget. The Clown Prince of Crime filled her nightmares along with his henchmen and girlfriend. She’d been trying to help a political prisoner until she quickly realised he was one of Joker’s men. A few of them grabbed her and dragged her to Joker. The Clown claimed she’d be a trophy for whoever found Mister Freeze. She merely spat at him which earned her a slap from Harley Quinn. Quinn kept her locked in the Sionis Steel Mill, demanding Joker’s thugs watch over her. They poked and prodded her, chuckling at “Gotham’s Little Princess”. One thug dislocated her jaw when she spat at him. Another said she was lucky Joker kept her alive. They could’ve done as much damage as they liked, she wouldn’t break.

Bruce-Batman-finally saved her. Joker died and Harley Quinn disappeared. Everyone awaited the inevitable power struggle that would take place. Yet, it never came. Crime actually fell. People weren’t as afraid to walk around at night; businesses stayed open longer. She told Bruce perhaps his crime fighting days were over. Naturally, Barbara and Tim disagreed with her, as did her older brother. When she offered her help, he turned her down. He said she was safer in the mansion. He couldn’t risk the Penguin, Two-Face or Harley Quinn capturing her. It’s as if he didn’t trust her judgment anymore.

“I can help you and Lucius while he’s out there,” she explained. “You could always use the extra hand.”

“Aubrey-”

“-Alfred, please. I hate being left out. I hate having to sit inside while all the work is outside.”

“Wayne Enterprises needs you more than Gotham does,” he reasoned, standing by her bedside. “Mr. Fox can handle business in the tower, but Gotham will needs a face outside the city. I’m sure they’ll be looking to you for input.”

“They’re the only ones.”

He sighed, “He only cares for you. He doesn’t want to see you hurt again.”

“He also wants to baby me like he’s always done. It’s not fair. I’m just as smart as Barbara and Tim, but he never tells me things. Those two always seem to know more than me. Something’s wrong with him Alfred; something very wrong. I can tell. He doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t eat. When he does, he has these awful night terrors. He hardly talks to anyone, even me. When he’s not in here, he’s at the studios working with Tim. When I ask him what he’s up to in there, he tells me not to worry about it. Alfred, he’s my brother and he’s always keeping secrets from me. I worry about him just as much, and I’m going to be here when it happens.”

“When what happens?”

“When whatever is killing him finally breaks him.” She straightened a few papers and slipped them into a folder, “Now, I’ll be downstairs in a minute. I just need to gather up a few things. Maybe I can get started on that China contract. Mr. Cho is a hard man to please.”

“But I’m sure someone as savvy as you will ring him in,” he grinned. “Ms. Aubrey, I know Bruce hasn’t been the same since Arkham City. Neither of you have. When you’re not here, you’re in your office. Mr. Fox tells me you shut out staff, clients and even friends. You don’t go out as often as before and friends have called with concern. You and your brother as much more alike than you know. You worry about each other and I worry about you both.”

Her face softened at him, “I know, Alfred. It must’ve not been easy for you; having to raise us alone. Mom and Dad would be grateful, and so are we.”

He held her hand as he’d done in her childhood. He then said, “Well, if you’re so determined to stay, I’ll set up a computer for you in the Batcave. It’ll give you direct access to Wayne Tower and Mr. Fox. I’m sure he’ll need your help with any gadgets or upgrades Bruce might need.”

“Perhaps. Thank you, Alfred.”

With a grin, he walked out the door. Looking out her window, she saw Gotham City in the distance. A place of skyscrapers, busy streets and crowds, crime plagued the city. She sometimes wondered why anyone bothered living there. It certainly wasn’t the safest place. She knew that more than most. She imagined buses lined up by the bridge, heading on down to Bludhaven to avoid Scarecrow’s toxin. Hours ago, the man threatened to fill the city with his latest toxin and kill everyone in Gotham. It was a horrendous thing: it caused people to hallucinate and begin attacking each other. She couldn’t imagine the chaos that would ensue if he’d released it without warning. But, she knew not everyone in Gotham would leave.

Her cellphone rang nearby and she saw Adam’s name flash across the screen. “Hey babe,” she said when she answered, “Did you get out of the city okay?”

“Yeah, I’m on a bus right now. I tried waiting for you, but Mom didn’t want to be alone.”

“It’s okay. I was planning on staying here in the manor. It’s safe here.”

She heard him sigh, “Aubrey, you shouldn’t stay there. That freak’s gas is gonna fill the city and Wayne Manor isn’t that far away. What if you guys get caught in the blast, huh? That gas stuff can seep under a window or something and you might smell it. They said it can get through gas masks too.”

“I’m gonna be fine, Adam. Thank you.” She couldn’t very well tell him about the Batcave. “Just call me when you get to Bludhaven okay? I wanna make sure you guys get there all right.”

He chuckled, “You know I will.”

“I have an apartment there if you guys need a place until this thing blows over,” she offered, looking to see buses already crossing the bridge.

“We’ll be good. Supposedly they’re taking everyone to some stadium where we’d be safe. There’s gonna food and everything. We’ll be fine.”

“Well, if you change your mind and they let you guys out, the key is under the mat.”

“Thanks,” he paused and whispered, “You know, I wish it was just us. It’d be a good chance for a moment alone.”

Her body tensed up at the suggestion. “Yeah, it would’ve.”

“Don’t get like that,” he said.

“Like what?”

“Whenever I mention us, you know, doing it,” he said, “You get all stiff. What is it? You don’t find me attractive or something? Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” he paused, then said, “Did something happen to you there? Did Joker do something to you? Did one of his men? You know you can tell me.”

“No, nothing like that happened.” It truly hadn’t, surprisingly. It’d been one of Quinn’s orders.

“Then why? You used to like me touching you. Now, you give me the cold shoulder all the time.”

“Now’s not the time to talk about this, Adam.”

“It never is.”

“Adam…”

“I’ll call you when I get to Bludhaven. Bye.”

He hung up before she could say anything. Aubrey focused on packing up. She hadn’t meant to hurt Adam. He’d been so understanding and patient when they started dating. He knew getting with Aubrey Wayne would be a mission, especially with Bruce around. Still, he continuously asked her on dates and left flowers on her desk. He attended every charity ball and event she hosted, asking her for a dance. As wonderful as he was, their spark was more flint than firework. After Arkham City, things changed between them. She’d changed.

She made a checklist of her papers: financial documents, profit charts, and contract terms. Aubrey then remembered Lucius Fox. Last night, she’d drawn a new blueprint to upgrade Batman’s suit. They hadn’t finished their modeling of a titanium tri-weave with metal plates either. It’d make Bruce move faster, hit harder and look scarier while doing it. She’d also brainstormed a few ideas for Batmobile upgrades. He’d need all the firepower and armor he can get tonight. Perhaps he might even need it against himself.

‘Maybe I can put in a few remote failsafes,” she considered.

Tim might be keeping Bruce’s condition a secret, but she wasn’t a fool. Joker had shot him with a dose of his Titan-infected blood in Arkham City. Bruce reassured her he’d been fully cured, but she didn’t believe him.

Going to her desk, she pulled open a drawer for the blueprints. They weren’t there. She was positive she’d tucked them in her desk. She would never leave them laying around. Aubrey grunted as she rifled through the drawer. Maybe she left them at the office? No. She wouldn’t have. At the office, those blueprints might fall into someone else’s hands. After checking the other drawers, she wondered if maybe she’d put them in her home office. While Bruce was running across rooftops, she was managing their family’s business. She didn’t have the luxury of others doing her work for her.

She walked down the hall to her home office, which was dark and quiet. Cluttered with papers, the youngest Wayne searched each one before sighing deeply. The drawers, then. Nope. Not there either. Turning to a corner file cabinet, she pictured herself placing them in here for safekeeping. She looked through old papers before stopping her search. A breath hitched in Aubrey’s breath as she pulled out a photograph. She had forgotten she put it there. Of course, that’d been the whole purpose of sticking it so far back. If he was out of sight, then he’d be out of mind.

But can one ever truly forget their first love? Her heart ached seeing his face. Jason Todd, the young scrappy boy Bruce brought in from the street, smiled up at her. They sat on a bench at the Botanical Gardens, both smiling and laughing. Bruce had taken the picture. He’d insisted on chaperoning their first date as Alfred did with him. Black hair swished over his brow, bright blue eyes glinted up at her even now. His laugh was an old song she’d nearly forgotten; his smile a memory she’d left behind. It’d been years since she last saw him. The heartache returned all over again.

“No…” she whispered, eyes beginning to tear up. “No, I won’t.”

She wished she could go back to that night. She wished she’d followed him into the night rather than stand in her bedroom. Jason had been stubborn and fiery. He couldn’t believe Bruce let a evil bastard like Joker continue to live. He said people like Joker should be put down. She remembered what broke him: the night Joker blew up a schoolhouse. Parents had difficulty identifying their children. As parents wept for their children, Jason fumed. He was sick of Bruce’s morals and restrictions. Joker deserved death. Aubrey agreed with him, but said he wasn’t the person to do it. Killing someone was easier said than done. Jason already suffered so much. She simply didn’t want him doing anything rash.

Still he left her. He donned his Robin suit, kissed her, and jumped out her bedroom window. He removed his tracker and com link to avoid Bruce finding him. He told her he’d be back soon. She spent hours worrying for him. Then days. Then weeks. Then months. Aubrey didn’t have Bruce’s freedom, so he insisted she leave it to him. He said he’d have better luck than her; he could defeat whatever danger Jason faced. She still looked for him. She searched abandoned buildings, shelters and even the countryside. All the while, she feared finding his body.

Then they received the tape. A tear trickled down her cheek recalling a broken, bruised Jason tied to a chair. The two Waynes listened on as Joker taunted Batman, saying he’d turned Jason to the other side. Jason confirmed it in a soft, solemn voice. Aubrey’s heart raced as she looked over his face, seeing the ‘J’ branded into his cheek and the cuts on his body. She felt his pain as if it were her own. He appeared so small sitting in the chair, most likely starved by Joker. He wasn’t the tough, strong boy she remembered. When Joker asked him who was Batman, he shot him before Jason could reply.

‘Nobody likes a squealer.’

She’d cried for months. She should’ve looked longer and harder. She shouldn’t have let Bruce handle the case. Aubrey yelled at him when she found out Tim Drake would become the new Robin. He’d given up on Jason so easily, she said. Jason was replaceable to him, she said. It’d only been six months before the tape when Tim became Robin. He crashed in Jason’s bedroom some nights. He fought in the same training room and used the same weapons. He’d never be Jason. Never. Not in a million years. He didn’t have Jason’s fire or determination. Not even Adam matched up to Jason.

Nightwing told her she should move on with her life. Alfred said dwelling on the past wasn’t healthy. She should’ve known Joker kept him in that abandoned wing of Arkham Asylum. The wing went into disuse after a fire and was beyond repair. It made sense when she figured it out. She felt so stupid even now as she held the photo. Putting it back in the cabinet, she finally found her blueprints. The pain still set in her chest as she closed the cabinet.

Aubrey tried flushing out all the memories. Everything had been so perfect. The world was brighter and more vivid when he entered her life. She wasn’t lonely and didn’t feel so left out. Jason told her everything. He never kept secrets from her like the others. He said that love and trust go hand in hand.

‘So you love me then, huh?’ she’d teased.

She gulped thinking of his chuckle. ‘Yeah, I do. I love you, Aubrey Wayne.’

‘And I love you, Jason Todd.’

He would’ve saved her back in Arkham City. She would’ve been his first priority. Damn Gotham and Joker’s city-wide threats. He’d take out Joker’s thugs with ease, hold her by the waist and grapple to the nearest rooftop. He would’ve smuggled her out of Arkham City. He would’ve ensured her safety before heading to Gotham Medical. Bruce simply ran around fighting criminals and Tim helped those in Gotham.

SMASH!

Her heart skipped a beat as heavy footsteps hit the floor. Men in red and black camouflage pointed military-grade guns at her, their faces covered by goggles and half-masks. The half-masks were simply cloths over their noses and mouths. The goggles were standard materials with no specifications added. Perfect. This made things easier. Assessing their weapons, they were semi-automatic. One pull of the trigger would send bullets flying at her. If she ducked low to the ground, she might escape some of their fire. Aubrey counter the distance between herself and the door. Only a few feet. She pressed herself into the bookshelf and felt around. She felt for engraved letters on the spines, searching for ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Lord of the Flies’. Bruce hid a smoke bomb between the books. She only needed to slip her fingers between them and pull it out. She’d made cuts in the leather in case her back was turned.

“We’ve acquired the target, sir,” one of the soldiers said as if on a walkie-talkie. “Yes, sir. Okay, Princess,” he said, coming closer, “You’re coming with us.”

He made for her arm. In an instant, Aubrey found and threw down the bomb. Thick smoke covered the area and she ducked when their guns went off. Immediately she ran towards the door, but someone grabbed her arm. It couldn’t be. Those soldiers couldn’t have heat detection, could they? Their goggles were regular rubber lenses. His grip tight, he held her in place despite her struggle.

“Let me go!” she grunted, trying to pry his hand off her.

The smoke thinned and she saw her captor. Dressed in black plated armor, it reminded her of Batman’s suit except militaristic. His helmet resembled a cowl, though his face was fully covered and eyes glowing blue. He had a white A painted on his chest with a straight line through the middle. The Arkham symbol. She coughed breathing in the smoke and shielded her eyes from the wisps

“You’re not going anywhere.” His voice was modulated, disguising it from her.

She swung a nearby table lamp at him, but he grabbed it instantly. Throwing it to the ground, he turned her around and pressed something into her back. “Walk,” he commanded, butting her with the barrel of his pistol, “Don’t make this harder on yourself.”

“Alfred!” she shouted towards the door. “Alfred, help!”

The stranger laughed, “What’s the old man gonna do? Lecture us to death?”

“Alfred!”

“Shut it!” he lifted her arm higher up her back until she cried in pain. “Now move!”

She had no other choice. A batarang Bruce gave her was in her desk and she didn’t have his martial skills. She cursed her brother as the stranger took her towards the window. Aubrey felt him zip her wrists together and stick them on a grappling hook. “I suggest you don’t wriggle,” he said, “We wouldn’t want you to fall and break your pretty little neck.”

She glared as the man pushed her out the window. Her body swayed mid-air sliding down onto the ground. More soldiers waited below and picked her up.

“Alfred!” she screamed as they dragged her to a military truck. She wondered how they managed getting through the city. Surely they would’ve been spotted by now. “Alfred!”

“What did the Commander say?!” one of the soldiers asked her, throwing her into the backseat. “Shut your mouth before we shut it for you!”

She elbowed his nose and he winced. “You bitch!” his fist slammed in her right cheek, pain immediately heating up her face. The inside of her mouth stung and she tasted blood. “Hit me again and I’ll knock your teeth out.”

“At ease, soldier,” their commander said, coming up to the truck, “Ms. Wayne won’t be giving us anymore trouble,” he pointed his gun at her hip height, “Will you, Ms. Wayne?”

She took a breath, gritting back the ache before saying, “No. I won’t.”

“Good.” He shoved her further into the car and sat beside her. His gun back on her side, he told his driver to move out.

It was Arkham all over again.
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Captured