The Way We Fall | Bruce Wayne

CHAPTER 30 - Desperation

She tried to make sense of it all. Clearly they wanted her here. And she was positive they were already aware of her presence.

If they'd already managed to infiltrate the security office, there was no telling how far along they already were. The fire alarm deactivation was nothing insignificant either, judging by the strategic choices of which floors remained active. The top levels were among those that had been deactivated, leaving them vulnerable. And that was precisely where the executives held their meetings.

But how could she do anything if she didn't know where to start? It wasn't as if she could stroll into the lobby asking if there'd been an arsonist wandering about. Something wasn't adding up.

Peering around the corner, Sara watched more civilians walk by unbothered. The delivery men were just about finished rolling water jugs into the building. She noticed one guy pause to signal to another sitting in the parked car at the meter. In turn, he gestured something back, then raised a phone to his ear. The delivery man turned to wheel in the final load. He stopped only when a jug fell and the cap popped off, spilling its contents over the sidewalk. He quickly righted the jug, screwed on the cap, and lifted it back onto the cart. Who would deliver a half-empty jug of water?

She gazed at the man still sitting in the car. Watching. Waiting. It didn't sit right with her. An uneasy feeling settled within. Maybe it was paranoia.

Or maybe it wasn't.

A strong arm suddenly hooked around her middle, pulling her back behind cover and slamming her against the concrete wall of the building. She gasped and worked to regulate her breathing, Flinching, her eyes eased open, gazing upon the figure standing before her in the shadowed alley. Staring back at her were a pair of bright eyes, darkened only by black shadows beneath a cowl.

Swallowing hard, she fought to regain composure before the Batman. "Look, I'm not-"

"Who are you working for?" He echoed the former question, more forcefully than before.

She shook her head. "There's no time for this." Sara moved to bolt and regretted it in an instant. A hand grasped her forearm, yanking her back. Spinning around, she kicked a roundhouse, but halfway her leg was caught by his other hand. In one swift motion, she was thrown to the ground. Groaning, she gazed up at the dark figure looming over her. A sense of déjà vu.

"You don't understand," she grunted, working to sit up on the asphalt. "There's a serious threat. I have to get in there-"

"Why should I believe you?"

Dazed and lacking a reasonable answer, she pretended to begin to stand. Midway, she lunged for his leg and knocked him backwards, crashing into the ground. His left hand hooked a fist into her ribs, eliciting a small cry. Rolling them both over, he had her pinned. She recoiled and kicked both feet straight into his chest, colliding with solid armor but with enough force to catch him off guard. With a second kick, she shoved him aside enough for her to break free.

Sara scrambled to her feet, again making a break for it. A wire quickly wrapped around her leg, and immediately she fell to the ground again with a thud. The wire retracted, dragging her across cold asphalt. She frantically searched her utility belt with a hand, finding her small blade. Pulling it from its sheath, she swiped at the cord, snapping it after a few tries. After unwrapping the remnant from her leg, she stood to face Batman.

"Someone's in there, and they plan to light this place up. You have to let me go," she said panting, returning the blade to its sheath. The wound on her leg burned like fire, the suit's friction chafing it raw. If anything, it served as a reminder of the inferno she had narrowly escaped. Thanks to the same vigilante that was determined to stand in her way.

He had saved her life once. And now he stood oblivious between her and the disaster about the befall the man who saved her in more ways than one. If it weren't for her, Bruce wouldn't have ever been placed in harm's way. He would've never gotten involved in this entire mess. The criminal underworld was no place for someone like him. Eyeing an emergency exit, she didn't know how much time she had left. But it wasn't enough to convince the Batman that she was not what he's assuming.

The stench of fumes reached her nostrils now, as the liquid that had been spilled by the delivery men seeped into the sidewalk. It wasn't water. It was gasoline.

Heart pounding, she casually strolled closer to Batman. The sense of urgency brought a pleading tone to her voice. "Please." She took a step closer, and another. "Let me go."

Sara was close enough to gaze back into the dark eyes that looked at her with skeptical uncertainty. He would've smelled the fuel by now, but she still hadn't changed his mind. Desperation began to cloud her judgment.

And she had no more time to waste.

With a trembling hand, she gripped the handle of her blade and in one quick motion she plunged it between the gaps in his armor.

The man gasped in pain as she twisted it further.

"You saved me once," she whispered.

As she pulled the blade out, he screamed.

Sara slammed her shoulder into his chest, shoving him into a wall. He crumpled to his knees, his hands clutching the wound as it bled. She looked at him with pity, her voice nearly breaking. "I wanted to thank you." Looking down at him, she felt her urgency mix with remorse. "But I'm sorry you made the mistake."

Batman gazed up at her, the whites of his eyes glistening as they widened.

Even as she walked away, she could hear his labored breathing come in gasps as he fought against the pain. He mumbled something incoherent as she stopped to pick the exterior lock on the emergency exit.

Someone would hear his cries and come to his aid. But as she took a final glance at the vigilante, she could add another item to her list of regrets.