Sparks | (nolanverse AU)

TEN - ORDINARY PERSON

I'd come to Gotham National Bank to withdraw cash for Helena's upcoming school field trip. The process had been straightforward until I found myself in a bathroom with my cell signal dead. When I finally checked the time on my Blackberry, the realization struck me that something was terribly wrong. The faint echoes of screams and cries from outside the bathroom door made it clear that a robbery was underway—an intricately planned one at that.

I cracked open the bathroom door and peeked out cautiously. The noise was louder now, coming from the main lobby rather than the hallway. I took a deep breath, mentally assessing my options. I could run in, fake hysteria, and get close to Genevieve before they told me to sit down. Or I could turn the corner with my hands up, allowing them to force me down once they noticed me. Bruce would probably prefer the latter for its higher survival chance.

I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and turned the corner with an expression of surprise. I walked quickly toward Yvonne, but a man in a clown mask spotted me. He cut me off, his gaze cold and unfeeling. With a grim sense of calm, he pulled out a grenade from his dirty blue suit and approached me. My heart raced as I raised my hands to my shoulders.

"I was in the bathroom," I stuttered, trying to sound as terrified as possible. "I didn't realize."

The man's silence was heavy and intimidating. He grabbed my arm, twisting it with a crude technique, which I didn't fight back. Let them think they have control of the situation. He shoved me to the ground and pressed the grenade into my hands, pulling out the pin before letting go and walking away. I clung to the grenade with a mix of fear and determination.

I glanced around the lobby. About half the hostages had grenades, and one had collapsed, either fainted or worse. The two burly men in the lobby waved their guns around, trying to intimidate the remaining hostages but were not paying much attention to me in the corner. Slowly and carefully, I moved toward Yvonne. She was one of the few without a grenade.

"Take this and hold on," I whispered urgently, transferring the grenade to her hands. Yvonne's eyes were steady as she accepted it.

I observed the thieves as they dragged duffle bags of cash from the vault. The man in the blue suit was dragging the last bag when a siren's wail pierced the air. My heart skipped a beat. I caught myself before I made any rash moves.

"Thank God," Yvonne said, her relief evident. "The police."

But the thieves showed no sign of panic. Instead, it was clear that the sirens were part of their plan. The man in the blue suit exited the vault with a final bag of money, while another man in a fireman's suit began counting the bags.

"Last one? Where are the other guys?" the man in the blue suit asked, turning his head toward his companion.

Before he could answer, the man in the blue suit raised his gun and shot the fireman. The man dropped the bag and collapsed. The remaining thief stood by the glass doors, seemingly waiting for a signal. The sirens grew louder.

I seized the moment. I crawled toward the fallen man, checking his pulse. My heart sank when I realized he was dead. Crouching behind a teller booth, I watched as the sirens blared and a fire truck parked outside. My jaw dropped as a single fireman jogged into the building and began lugging the duffle bags of cash out to the truck.

The man in the blue suit watched, circling the bags like a predator. The fireman hefted the final bag onto his shoulder and prepared to leave.

I leaped from my hiding place, flinging my arms around the man in the blue suit and twisting the gun from his hands just as he was about to shoot the fireman. The gun clattered to the floor, and I kicked it away. Stunned, the fireman dropped the bag and ran for the exit. The man I grappled with spun around, trying to kick me. I anticipated the move, dodged, and countered with a swift kick to his solar plexus followed by a solid punch. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

A hostage yelled and grabbed the clown's discarded gun, aiming it threateningly. The clown glanced at his situation and decided to flee. I heard a shot echo outside as the fire truck engine roared to life, driving off with its siren still blaring. Most of the hostages began to stir, aiding those who were trapped. Yvonne ran over to me.

"Let's get out of here," I said calmly, trying to keep my voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through me.

Yvonne nodded, her face focused and resolute. We made our way to a side exit, carefully avoiding the police and media that were converging on the bank's main lobby. I quickly shed my glasses and pulled on a hoodie over my sweater. I added a baseball hat to the mix and handed Yvonne my glasses and a poncho. We needed to blend into the shadows.

She slipped on the poncho and adjusted the glasses. Now, we looked like just another pair of people trying to blend into the crowd, not people who had been part of the chaos inside.

Just two ordinary people.

Nothing more.

***

AN: Song inspo for this scene "Ordinary Person" from Leo. This is what I feel should be the background as Andy and Yvonne are walking out subtly changing disguises. Andy has her reasons for conducting herself in the way she does, but we'll get to that. :) As always like and comment your thoughts.