- Unleash Hell - justprompts -
Elise Crane
Batman (OC)
855 words
Gotham City was a dangerous place, especially for a very young woman, even more so when that young woman would be accompanied by a stranger. Going into that situation, despite going in the middle of the day, presented many risks. However, a smart young woman knew that there were ways to protect one's self.
An even smarter young woman knew that those ways should always be tested first.
Elise Crane's sleep was troubled again, had been for three days. She worried what would happen when her father found out what she was going to do. That, though, did not serve as the primary thing to haunt her sleep. Something else crept into her mind, a faceless creature, tall and gaunt, announced by a sharp caw that startled her awake before she could determine what creature the crow announced.
Such fancies were childish, and Elise knew that. Still, she would look into her mirror after waking from the nightmare and see not her own reflection but her father staring back at her. His blue eyes caught hers, held her gaze. He leaned closer to her, closer and closer still. His hand touched her hair, his breath was heavy. He wouldn't say it, but she saw it. He needed someone who understood, someone who could follow where he would lead.
More than once, the daughter of Jonathan Crane had been forced to take a shower in the middle of the night before she could get back to sleep. Even the water, no matter how hot or cold she made it, could not make her stop trembling from the look in those eyes, from the desperation to have someone to share his vision.
In the time between their session and her date, only a day away by the time she realized it, she worked to not only arm herself against whatever might wait for her in Gotham but to try and share what he had hinted at. She used notes she'd found in the Crane House, abandoned by Jonathan Crane at some point. She used information gotten off the internet about police work. She never let her father know what she was doing, what she was preparing. She used his laboratory only when he was out, and she carefully replaced everything just as she'd found it.
Friday night found the girl walking a park well after dark. She rolled a small glass bottle around in her hand, her long fingers fiddling with it, waiting. It was a silly thing by itself, one of those sample-sized bottles of perfume, complete with liquid a lovely shade of blue. She'd dyed it to have the particular Crane flair to it.
It took an hour. Finally, as eleven o'clock rolled around, a man approached her. He looked right then left several times as he came up to her, and Elise pretended not to notice him. He touched her arm.
"Awful late for a kid to be out," he said, looking around again.
"I suppose it is," she replied, offering him a faint, almost pained smile.
"Old man's probably worried about you."
"Oh, he doesn't care anymore. Left Mom and me years ago." Elise bit her lip.
"Oh. Well. Shit. Sorry about that, kid." He looked around again. "Say. I don't normally do stuff like this, but-- you want to make a bit of money?"
The girl said nothing. He was a deserving target, she could tell by the way he'd asked that question. After all, she wouldn't want to harm someone with value to society, just in case the compound she had created was more permanent than it was supposed to be. She held up the bottle in her hand and sprayed it right into his face.
He stagged back, clawing at his eyes for a moment as the liquid burned into them. Then the real effect began. He screamed, clawings at his flesh, desperately trying to get at the visions clawing their way out of his arms. The girl watched as he staggered back, thrashing wildly, screaming at the top of his lungs. Her eyes widened as the second half of the compound hit and the seizure started.
She took off running and did not stop until she reached the townhouse. She was out of breath, her sides ached, and her legs threatened to give out on her. Such physical exertion was not a typical Crane activity. Still, the concoction had been a success. Tomorrow, of course, would prove whether the seizures had resulted in temporary paralysis, which was her desired outcome, or whether they had been severe enough to kill.
Elise took a few moments to compose herself before going into the house. She stopped outside her father's bedroom door, light streaming from beneath it. She closed her eyes as she raised her hand to knock. She could see that little smile of his, see him looking over his glasses, proud. She was a Crane. She was his daughter, not her mother's. He would be proud of her, would be pleased at what she had created.
She stopped herself from knocking, still short of breath from the run. She could always tell him tomorrow. Or the next day. Right now, though, she needed to take a shower.