Crimson X

Chapter 10: Little Birdy

“Come on pick up, pick up…” A voice groaned into a pay phone. Her eyes glanced around her nervously. “Mom! Are you okay?...No, I’m fine. I just have a scrape, but it wasn’t from him…No, he’s back at Arkham right now…A payphone…Alright, I’ll go there I just need to change into my civilian disguise…Alright, love you too…Uhuh…Bye.”
Crimson X put the phone back on its holder and looked around her. She pulled her scarf back up to hide her wound, as she pulled it down so her voice wouldn’t sound all muffled on the phone. Casually, she started walking back to her apartment, making sure no one was watching or following her on the way back.
After a few minutes, she climbed up the fire escape and snuck into her apartment. Her eyes jumped from place to place, seeing it wasn’t how she left it. Her hand tightened on the wooden sword as she kept her back close to the wall. She picked up a picture frame that was knocked over; its glass cracked. Her eyes narrowed as some smudges on some larger shards of the glass. They weren’t finger prints, more liked glove prints, leather at that.
Quietly, she placed the frame back down and secured the area in her bedroom. If the person was still here they’d either be in the bathroom, living area / kitchen, or the guest bedroom. Crimson X walked out of her bedroom and silently closed the door behind her, moving the door knob down just a bit to where she would be able to figure out if anyone else used it.
“Three blind mice,” She hummed to herself and swung her sword back and forth. Stealth wasn’t going to be her game anymore; the person most likely already knew she was there. “Three blind mice. See how they run, see how they run.” A shuffling sounded from her right, “They all ran after the farmer’s wife.” She walked over to some curtain and slowly grabbed them. In an instant she threw the curtain away and held her sword up to the intruder’s throat, all the while saying, “Who cut off their tails with a carving knife.”
“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were Crane,” Her eyebrows furred together at the young man’s – perhaps boy – sentence. “Relax. I’m not here to hurt you.”
Crimson X didn’t put her sword down and glared at him, “Then why are you here?”
“I work with Batman,” the man watched the girl calmly, it’s not like the knife was real. “I’m Robin, and you’re Doctor Shar Channing, right?”
X growled slightly, but put the sword down, “How did you know?”
“Ba—Oracle did a search on people who would be able to fit your description,” he looked Crimson X up and down. “And then we got a DNA sample, which matched yours.”
“Tch,” Crimson X turned around, “So what are you going to do? Send me to Arkham?”
“No,” Robin shook his head, “That’s not why I’m here. We were looking for any signs of you after Riddler took you hostage. Seeing as your fine my jobs done here. Oh, and pretty interesting disguise by the way.” Robin chuckled as he held up a blond wig. “I wouldn’t think of trying to hide your real appearance during the day time; smart.”
“Thank, I guess,” Crimson X took the wig from him. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have a little doctoring up to do.” She pulled down her scarf, “Scraped my face while I was helping Bats take down Joker.”
Robin quirked an eyebrow, “Want help with that?”
“I’m fine,” Crimson X sighed.
“Alright, well I’ll get going if you don’t need anything, then,” Robin waved goodbye as he climbed out a window to who knows where.
“Weird kid.”
Crimson X shrugged and walked to her bathroom. She pulled out her first aid kid – something she’s assuming she’ll have to keep stocked – and began treating her scrape. She hissed at the stinging sensation as she applied the alcohol. After a few gauze pads and medical tapes later she was good to go. Her eyes traced her face in the mirror, which made her grimace. If she didn’t know any better she would have guess she just got done with some extensive face surgery.
“Now to think of an alibi,” She paused for a second. “I was held hostage by Riddler…So he gave it to me.”
Crimson X pulled her hair up into a hair net and put her blond wig on; not before changing into some normal clothes, though. She looked and the mirror and shrugged, it’d have to do for now. At least until she met back up with her parents and beloved dog. She’d most likely have to go to the police station.
---Time Skip---
“What happened to your face?” Her mother shrieked as she opened the door to the hotel room. “He didn’t do this to you did he!?”
“I’m going to kill him,” a male from behind the mother growled.
Shar waved her hands rapidly as she walked into the hotel room and closed the door behind her. “It wasn’t Riddler, but we’re going to say I got the scrape when I escaped. I got it when I was helping Batman fight Joker.” She crossed her arms, “It’s still bleeding pretty bad, mom. Don’t try to take the bandage off.”
Her mother jumped back and nodded her head, “Right! Don’t you think we should go to the hospital, though!?”
Shaking her head, Shar spoke as she sat down on the bed, soon to be joined by Riolu, “No. It’s already been an hour or so, so the skin will have already started to grow back. If I did need stiches they wouldn’t really be able to do anything. Besides, I need to get to the police station, just to let them know that I’m not missing. Want to escort the poor little victim?” She smirked at her parents.
Her father stood up almost instantly. Apparently, he didn’t want his little girl walking around the streets of Gotham by herself during the night. Her mother nodded as well. Shar clipped the leash onto Riolu’s collar and walked out of the hotel room, her parents close behind her.
---Time Skip---
People were running around the police station frantically as they tried to file documents. Shar, and the rest of her family, sat in chairs patiently. Her father kept on checking his clock impatiently. Meanwhile, the mother was humming a merry little tune to herself. Shar occupied herself by petting Riolu behind the ears, smiling all the while.
“Shar Channing?” A voice questioned, causing her to shoot her head straight up. She gulped, it was Jim Gordon.
“Y-yes, Commissioner?” She stuttered. He knew where Crimson X was injured.
“This way please, we just have a few questions for you,” He motioned for her to follow him. “Your parents should come as well; they did witness you being taken hostage, after all.”
The group made their way to a decent sized office. A rather large desk rested towards the back of it, with three chairs. Another chair was off to the side, which was soon pulled up towards the desk, so all of them would be able to sit. The Commissioner took a seat, and encouraged the rest to do the same. He took out a pen and some forms.
“Would you care to start from the beginning?” Gordon asked.
“R-right,” Shar nodded. “When I got to my apartment I noticed a green question mark on my dress…I knew that it must belong to Mister Nygma’s, so I urged my parents to leave the apartment as fast as possible. While they left, I grabbed a few things and followed after them. I noticed a car with some question marks pull up. Assuming it was the Riddler; I got in front of them and confronted him. Before I knew it there was a needle in me and…” Her head hung down as tears started to weld up in her eyes. “M-my…” She choked on her words as the lump in her throat grew. “My brother was there in a pool of blood…It was from the night he was shot while he was protecting me…” Tears dropped onto her hands. “I blacked out shortly after that…”
“It must have been Crane,” Gordon took a few notes. “Is this what you’ve seen?” He glanced at the two parents who nodded. “Alright, what happened when you were there?”
“When I woke up I was tied to a chair. Mister Nygma was there. He asked me a riddle, which I answered correctly and he removed the blind fold. I was in a room filled with water. He left and locked the door. Once I escaped from the bindings on the chair I had to unlock the door by destroying an electric lock. It was on the other side of the water, though. The water had a mechanical shark. After a while I managed to unlock it.” Shar pointed at her bandaged face, “I did earn this while doing that, so. I slipped on some water once I electrocuted the shark and scraped my face on the floor.” She laughed lightly which caused her parents to shake their heads. “Anyways, Riddler was mad, but he showed me to the room I would be staying in.”
“He didn’t do anything to you?”
Shar shook her head, “He was mad that I’m not an idiot. He kept on asking me why I wasn’t.”
“What about the broken wall? Do you know anything about it?”
Shar burst out laughing, “I did that. I was trying to escape so I threw myself against it. It ended up having myself landing right in his lair with him being very annoyed. He pushed me into his chair and yelled for a little bit, but that’s it. I sat around while he watched Batman solve his riddles; he wouldn’t let me leave the room. He did pull my hair to get me to yelp and let Batman know he was holding me hostage. He probably got bored of Batman doing nothing about his trophies. Riddler left to us some food, so I let Batman know where some of the trophies were form the various cameras Riddler had.”
“Food?”
Shar nodded, “Mmm. Sandwiches, they were pretty good. He did take a chip off my plate, though.”
“Oh God,” Her father sighed.
“What is it?” Gordon looked at her father.
The father waved his hand, “She’s just very strange when it comes to food.”
“What happened after that, Miss Channing?”
Shar looked up at the ceiling and moved back and forth in her chair, “I grew bored after a while; I solved all of the riddles that were lying around. So I started to ask him some riddles I made up and then he asked me a riddle…And then.” She froze and her cheeks flushed; luckily they were covered by bandages. She looked away and touched her lips.
“And then?”
“And then,” Shar gulped and glanced at her father and mother. If they knew…”Uh…Uh…”
Gordon looked at her parents, “Can you leave for a moment, Mister and Mrs. Channing?”
“Right,” Her mother stood up and glanced nervously at Shar as the two walked out and closed the door to the office.
“What did he do after that?” Gordon frowned and looked at Shar who was fidgeting in her chair.
Shar closed her eyes and clenched her clothes tightly, “He kissed me…” she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
Gordon’s eyes widened as he leaned back in his chair. Millions of thoughts ran through his head. He glanced at Shar. One though scared him. No, scare isn’t strong enough of a word. It mortified him. Harley Quinn. Shar Channing didn’t seem disgusted by the fact that it happened, she merely seemed embarrassed – like a school girl. What if she became the next Harley Quinn?
“Miss Channing, I need you to answer me honestly,” Gordon looked at her seriously, his face becoming darker. “What are your feelings for Edward Nygma?”
Shar looked at him shocked, “He’s my patie—.”
“I don’t care,” Gordon snapped, “What are your feelings for him?”
Shar jumped slightly as sweat started to trickle down her brow, “Edward Nygma…” She looked down at her hands. “I’m found of my patient. I find it enjoyable speaking to him. I hate myself for it, but I do believe I’m starting to like him more than I should.” She looked up with determination in her eyes. “But if you think I’ll become another criminal I could never do that. My brother died standing up against criminals. I will not let him down. I will keep a professional relationship with my patient, Commissioner Gordon.”
Gordon leaned back in his chair, his eyes lost as his mind was full of thoughts, “I only hope you can keep that to that, Miss Channing.”
“I will, you don’t have to worry, Commissioner,” Shar smiled slightly. “Now if you would please…Don’t tell my parents about what Mister Nygma did, please…” She blushed more, “My father would go insane…I don’t want to be his psychiatrist.”
Gordon chuckled lightly, “You have my word.”
“Thank you,” Shar nodded. “Anyways, after a while, when Nygma left the room, I found an escape hole in the wardrobe in the room and escaped. It took me awhile to figure out where I was, it must have been in the sewers.”
“Then what did you do?”
“I called my parents on a pay phone, met up with them at the hotel and then I came here afterwards,” She paused and looked at him concerned. “Is the asylum okay? I heard some things about it in the station.”
Gordon sighed and rubbed his head, “Joker tried to take over. There were a lot of deaths, I don’t know if you should go back to work tomorrow.”
“All the more reason to,” Shar’s eyes glinted something dark. “If the patients witnessed the deaths, then they may be even more unstable. If some doctors died, then there will be more demand. I have to go, even if Strange tries to have me killed again.”
“Your courage is admirable,” Gordon stood up. “Just use it for the right thing. Thank you for coming here, Miss Channing. We’ll get back to you, though it might take a while, with what happened with the asylum and all.”
“Please, take your time!” Shar smiled and shook his hand. “Thank you for meeting with me Commissioner.”