Necromancer | Daughter of Batman

Chapter I

Kim stepped through the doors of Wayne Tower, her school bag in hand. She removed the hood of her rain jacket as she shivered. Despite having grown up in Gotham, her body refused to allow itself to adapt to its dreary weather conditions. She smiled brightly at the receptionist. She returned the greeting and opened the electronic gate toward the offices. The elevator ride to the top floor felt like hours, and her stomach turned and churned with anxiety. Earlier in the day, her father deployed her older brother, Dick Grayson, to pick her up at school, and drop her off at Wayne Tower. This wasn't entirely abnormal, however, most days Kim was granted the privilege of walking home from her school. Very rarely was she ever asked to meet her father at work. To make matters worse, Bruce had sent his daughter an alarming text message, ordering her to meet him in his office for an 'important matter'. While for most young girls, an important matter meant a death in the family, or an announcement of some sort, it often meant a new or escaped criminal was on the loose for Kim. Judging by the fact that Bruce hadn't returned home until 7:00 that morning, this news could not have been favorable. As the elevator opened before her, she took a deep breath and trekked toward Bruce Wayne's double doors. She opened them gently, finding her father sitting at his desk, staring out the window, which took up the entire wall. "Dad..." She called.

Bruce spun around in his chair and stood up. "Kimmy." He walked across the carpet towards her, and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. She pushed him away by his chest with a look of deep concern.

Kim crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You only call me 'Kimmy' when you're worried about me." She urged. "What's going on?"

"Why don't you sit down?" He gestured toward the seat in front of his desk. She obliged, placing her schoolbag down and removing her raincoat. "Kim...It's been a long time since you've seen him, but..." Bruce sat down beside her and looked into her eyes.

Kimberly furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head with angst. "Dad, you're scaring me... What is it?" She leaned forward. "Why didn't you come home last night?"

"Your mother, and the Joker. They escaped Arkham." Bruce replied flatly. He watched with worry as the young girl leaned back in the chair, her eyes wide and filled with fear. "Last night, they were recruiting ex-mobsters to work for them. They're building an army, and they made their intentions clear to me last night."

"You didn't take them down?!" Kim exclaimed frustratedly. "How did they get away from you?!"

"It's like I said, they're building an army." Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "They're looking for you. After what happened to you and Jason..."

"Please!" Kim hissed. "Don't talk about Jason..." She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"Kimberly..." Bruce placed a hand on her back. From where he sat, he could feel the young girl trembling. "I'm taking you off of patrol. Dick will replace you for now. We'll put an end to them." He pursed his lips as she nodded slowly, unable to contain her fear of the possible outcome. "Don't be afraid. They're not going to do anything to you ever again, alright?"

"Kimmy, please, focus." Jason rolled onto his knees, slipping his cuffs over his ankles so that his arms rested in front of him. He trudged toward Ava weakly and collapsed to his knees before her. "Shit... You're losing blood." He laid eyes on her sliced, open, bleeding breasts, his stomach churning as he recalled her deafening screams echoing throughout the warehouse. The Joker had inflicted immeasurable pain and trauma on the young girl, the likes of which the two of them never imagined. Jason took action quickly, listening to the gentle beeping of the bomb before them. Only 60 seconds remained. "Kim, get up, please!" He grasped her bound hands and pulled her to her feet. Together, they stumbled toward the exit. He jiggled the knob in desperation, finding the door would not budge. "Fuck... We're trapped."