Chapter Text
𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒 floated around me when I first came to, flooding my hearing first out of all my senses. I didn't dare to stir, holding myself as naturally still as I possibly could as I audibly surveyed my situation. I had no clue who, where or what I was, only that I was possibly under threat. I focused on the whispers seeming to swirl around me in a taunting manner, however they seemed bodiless, as if spirits mocking my vulnerability. Just as I went to attempt to decipher them, a hasty alarm bell blared out.
Acting as a jackhammer to my skull, the obnoxious alarm continued to berate me as my hands shot up to cover my newborn ears, searing pain roared out in my wrists as if i were being held in a skin-tight metal coffin, suffocating blindly. My eyelids peeled open and hastily surveyed the room, then falling on the thick metallic restraints encompassing the entire of my forearms and lower legs as well as my ribcage being tightly compressed by what looked like an overly secure amusement park ride's seat.
The room was completely ghost white, devoid of any colour or life at all. It looked like someone with OCD's paradise, being devoid of any dirt or dust, and mini malia tic with the only items in the room heavily organised. There were no windows in sight, only one entrance and exit right in front of me, of which above housed the glaring red siren taunting me. my view was restricted by a head brace, forcing my eye-line straight ahead as the door ahead was dramatically busted open and countless men armoured head to toe in what appeared to be S.W.A.T-like gear, all armed with heavy machinery, swarmed the room like flies on a rotting carcass.
My body was then almost lit up like a Christmas tree as red aim lights shone from all of the guns and centred amongst my head and chest, almost blinding me as I squinted to see a doctor walk in slowly with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Well, if it isn't my little trouble maker. Glad to see you're finally awake."
Short black hair and ice blue eyes, he was dressed in average medical getup, securing a file tightly in one arm as he slid his glasses further up his nose bridge obnoxiously with his other. I had no recollection of this man, nor for the situation I now found myself in, but I held a firm glare on him, already wanting to kick in that malicious look he has plastered on his face until it caved, along with his skull.
"Now, boys, try not to blind him completely. He's just woken up after all!" The Doctor bellowed out with a swift chuckle. His face then suddenly fell and he turned to lock me into a trace almost. After an awkwardly pregnant paused, he chuckled again before shrugging and turning to one of the soldiers jokingly. "Oh well, you know what?"
Before I could register it, he'd lunged at me with his hand out, dropping the file in his hand as he began to gauge my eyes out, tearing open my eyelids as his fingertips gripped my eyeballs and his fingers weaselled into the socket, churning through my insides. A blood-curdling scream rang out as my vision began to black and I quite literally felt him scoop my eyes out of their sockets, thrashing pain blaring through my face and straight into my brain as I failed to thrash about, the head brace stilling me.
"There! How about that, huh?" The Doctor laughed lightly as I felt liquid ooze out of my now hollowed out sockets. Quickly growing faint, I began to waver as the Doctor startled me in his grip of my shoulders, coming in real close. "Oh no, don't black out yet. The fun's just started! I really thought the process would be quicker, but just stay with me a few more minutes and I promise it'll be worth it."
Enthusiastically, I felt him loosen his grip before stepping away, almost as if I were a circus freak he got kicks out of watching. Just as I went to slip into my unconscious again, finding more comfort in the thoughtless-darkness than the now more painful and permanent darkness that sat where my vision was supposed to be - spot of light bled through.
My blood, just almost boiling, felt now like each individual strand of my DNA was reaching out and merging, attaching onto each other as figures began to distinguish themselves before me. The pain remained, lingering as if to haunt me, however my thoughts were more succumbed in the unnatural occurrence of my sight.
The Doctor's grin had grown ten sizes since I saw it last, and as grateful as I was for my sight back, the mere glimpse of his face made me want to gauge my own eyes out again. I'd rather face death than his repulsive face again. "Oh, now I know I said you were troublesome, it took me forever to get your blood off the walls last time, but wow! Truly, you are now my favourite toy."
Just then, as his eyes seemed to soften for a millisecond, he turned towards the door, glancing only halfway back before commanding. "Tear him apart."
Not even giving me chance to argue or challenge the orders. I felt hundreds of different bullets cut away a hole where my chest, arms and face used to be. Hollow, sitting almost like a husk with strings of flesh and muscles clutching onto the cutout of me, I clung on as long as I could, but that was barely anything at all as what remained of me stilled in the chair. I hope my blood, guts and brain bits stain his fucking perfectly clean walls.
Darkness had consumed me yet again, and somehow it felt way more comfortable than consciousness ever did. I wasn't sure about before I was put into this torture lab (if there even was one), but any form of light just reminded me of the throbbing white LED's that beamed down during my consciousness, and it gave me more of a headache than I already had, having my head quite literally blown apart into a hundred little pieces.
My eyelids, heavy and persistent as they were to droop, drifted open and surprisingly, there was no difference. Consumed by darkness, I had no awareness of my surroundings at all - where even was I? Who was I? Face pressed against a chilling metallic flooring, I was haste to sit up, unsure of whatever caused the surface to be so damp, possibly my blood, possibly not. I was not willing to take that risk.
My whole body ached and shrieked in agony, almost immediately mutilating and contorting itself as spasms of pain shot through me. My head throbbed violently as I pushed myself back until my spine sharply hit a solid titanium wall, giving myself something to prop up against as I struggled to compose myself. How wasn't I dead? Was I dead? Or maybe dying, at least? I had no clue.
Come to think of it, I had no clue who I even was. Not even a first name. The only thing I grasped in my memory was the basic understanding of the situation I found myself in. I couldn't stay here, but could I escape? Most likely not with all that weaponry they had before, though it didn't seem to fully effect me. However, while I may have somehow survived, I was out long enough to be physically moved, God knows how long. I couldn't take the chance of dying during an escape only to get put back in an even worse situation, if that were possible.
Suddenly, lost in thought, I hadn't noticed the darkness truly enveloping me. What I thought was a clear void space in a pitch black room turned out to almost be alive - the darkness held me, comforted me, surrounded me. I felt secure, oddly enough. How was this possible? Was I underwater drowning? No, that couldn't be the case or I'd be suffocating by now, besides, the air inside the room was very clearly present.
Just as a shrill screech of masses or locks being undone echoed out, I merely awaited my fate as a door presented itself in front of me, now open. I was boxed in a tightly confined space, a metallic coffin, if you will. A uniformed man stood before me, his rifle unmoving as his aim lingered on me. By this point, I feared not for what he could do with his gun but more so why the darkness grew colder surrounding me. While the dim lighting shone in around his silhouette, he spoke out in a broken voice, cracking as if he hadn't spoken in a while. "Get up. Doc wants to see you."
Using the wall for support, I made myself to my feet, feeling faintly accomplished by such a little achievement. Further using the walls and guard as a guide, I moved to the doorframe and adjusted my eyes slowly, blinded for a second. Three other men stood beside the guard, all armed and dressed up in military gear as they eyed me intensely. As to not stir the soldiers, J carefully snuck a look around, surveying the small corridor for cameras or some ventilation to escape through.
Just as my eyes clocked a camera sitting, almost taunting me in the top right or the corridor, the guard shit my shoulder and shoved me forwards with the barrel of his rifle. "Hey! Get moving, or I'll shoot more than just your arm."
The shadows in the room almost started whispering to me, stirring more and more as the guard continued to prod at my now bleeding arm as if I were cattle. The burning beams of the white LED's above started to flicker as I felt the darkness's anger grow, as well as it's strength. Just as I glared back over my shoulder at the men, the shadows cast on their faces snarled menacingly at me, plastered right over the guards sudden looks of terror.
Growing as restless as a caged animal, the darkness crept up behind me and consumed me, almost like a later of protection or strength as I sought out my chance to escape this hellhole. Tilting my head slightly to the left, the shadows overcast their faces immensely and suddenly snapped. The shadows came to life: clawing at their ankles, gnawing at their fingers, the illuminated depths began to mutilate and burn through their bodies like acidic, starting with the shadows on their faces.
"Holy fuck." I muttered, stunned speechless as they succumbed to melted human ice cream, mushed up all with chunks on the floor. Just then, the void's whispers stilled as my vision started to go patchy. Was I dying from blood loss due to the shot in my arm? Was I going insane? It all eventually didn't matter as the lights went out in the corridor, and so did the ones in my head.
I came to in a daze, unknowing to whatever the fuck was going on, especially since I was now God knows where. How the hell did I get here? Where even was I? Catching sight of a city near, I wondered closer, following the cracked tarmac as I was led directly into the city centre. As I remained completely lost, as if I were an amnesiac in a strange city- oh, wait.
The night began to dawn on me and as the idea of going to a motel sprung fresh into mind, was just as quickly shut down as I realised I had no money on me. I could go to an ATM and get money to pay, however that would require me knowing who I was and having a wallet on me, of which I didn't at the time.
I wasn't about to stay out in the streets, unknowing to where I was and how dangerous this city may be, so I improvised and pretended to be locked out of my non-existent sister's apartment building. Making my way onto the rooftop, I found hidden area behind the door where it was covered, protecting me from weather and possible threats if I needed to sleep there.
Collapsing onto the floor with a sigh, I rolled my head back against the wall. What the fuck was going on? I had no clue who or where I was, how I ever got in the situation of being experimented on, and what to do next. What's a person supposed to do when they're a stranded amnesiac with people after them?
Wait- thinking back on it, I had no clue what happened at the facility and how I got out after I blacked out. I must have either fought or found my way out, or by some kind miracle, one of the soldiers had chosen to be merciful and set me free. Either way, with how secured my holding cell was and what they seemed to want with me, I doubt they'd let me escape and roam free.
A small clank was heard of the other side of the rooftop as my eyelids flew open responsively - I didn't even realise I'd closed them. Staying hidden behind the rooftop door, I noticed what appeared to be a superhero or vigilante at the edge of the rooftop, crouched and surveying the alleyway below. The colour scheme looked very similar to that of Robin's from where I was observing, however Robin both operated in Gotham with Batman mainly, and secondly, wasn't seen as often anymore.
Tilting my head to the side ever so slightly, I frowned at the anonymous rooftop spy as he pulled out weapons and was gone over the edge of the room within a second. Not long after, smoke erupted form the alleyway where the masked man had made his decent down the side of the building. Lifting up into a crouch, I hurried across to the roof edge as I remained out of sight, peering over slightly to see the infamous vigilante, Robin, fighting with the thugs below.
What the fuck? Wasn't he supposed to be in Gotham with Batman? Though, from his physique, I could tell this wasn't the child-like Robin that Batman usually had accompany him around. While this Robin's fighting style and size would fit the perfect description of the first Robin, obviously now grown up. It was funny - I couldn't remember my own name but I could remember who he was. Maybe he could give me answers to my identity? I mean, I always presumed Batman would have good identification technology to help him fight crime, so that could be of use.
Snapping out of my haze, glancing back down to Robin back at his usual antics, I recognised a darkness in him, he was much more brutal that I recalled. I guess that's what growing up as Batman's sidekick and seeing the worst sides of humanity every night does to you. I overheard a slow grumble, "If you ever touch your kid again, I will find you."
All of the men but one had been knocked out, and one remained in a car, the supposed leader of the group. Robin commonly went after bad guys, but to know that this guy had touched his own child in some form of way made my vision flash red. While unwanted intrusions to my brain overloaded thoughts and ideas of what this monster could have done, Robin had kneed him in the head before pulling him out of the car and throwing him harshly to the ground. Birdboy then proceeded to repeatedly stomp on the guy with as much force as he could muster until the man battered on the floor stilled.
Robin began to walk away, only peering back over his shoulder to curse out Batman before disappearing into the night. I had no clue what I could do to get his attention or somehow get access to Batman's technology through him, but as a thug littered in cuts and bruises began to stir on the alleyway floor, an insatiable hunger took over me as I dropped down to the alley below, eyes not ever shifting from him.
A burning sensation ran through me as my thoughts went wild yet again, and a sudden realisation came to me. These men didn't deserve to live - deserve the chance to hurt and have their way with children ever again. However, I could get two birds with one stone, well, one black and blue bird and a group of thugs with one stone. My vision started to black out again as I felt the control I had over my own body slip, the casting of shadows in the dimly lit alley suddenly growing darker along with my vision. Oh, not again.