Death Bird's Cry

Chapter 4

Skye thrashed around in her sleep as memories flashed through her head. Skye stood in a backyard full of snow, there was a woman making a snowman and beckoning her over to help. Before she could move the scene changed and she was in a car with the same woman. Without her snowsuit on though Skye could see the similarities between the woman and herself.

            “Mom?” Skye saw a truck headed towards them and she screamed. “Mom, look out!”

            The car swerved to the side and clipped the truck before rolling over repeatedly until it landed upside down. Their screaming stopped but Skye’s pulse was still racing, she looked over at her mom and found blood running down her head.

            “Mom, get up we’re okay… Mom?” Skye’s blood chilled and she began to panic. Ra’s had warned her about memory loss but he said people could usually force themselves awake, if that was true why wasn’t she waking up?

            The scene shifted again and it was now Summer, Skye stood in front of a large mansion while an old kind man led her towards the mansion. She tried to come up with a name but drew a blank, was he her grandpa? He looked old enough to be but she expected the owner of Wayne Manor to be younger. Before she could ponder over it anymore though blackness engulfed her vision and she could faintly hear someone calling her.

            Skye sat up, her hood falling back with the motion, and Jonathan jerked his hand off her shoulder as if he’d been burned. “No… No, Joker said you died.”

            She gave him a confused look before reaching up and realizing her hood was off. “Speak of this to anyone and I’ll kill you.”

            “How did he bring you back?” Crane asked after regaining his composure.

            “Not for you to know. Now why don’t you be a good little Scarecrow and go make more fear toxin before I slit your throat?”

            Scarecrow glared at her spitefully. “Someone’s here and I could’ve abandoned you to Arkham or woken you up before your screaming led them right to you.”

            “I was trained by Ra’s al Ghul. I’d like to see them try to take me to Arkham.” Skye snapped as she grabbed her scythe.

            There was a crash from the other room and Scarecrow winced. “They found my toxin…”

            “It would help if you said who ‘they’ are.”

            “Nightwing.”

            “Don’t tell me you’re scared Nightmare King.”

            Scarecrow scowled at her and took out his old mask and toxin, as Nightwing’s footsteps grew closer. It was silent for a few moments before the door crashed down, before Scarecrow could do anything Skye jumped behind him and held the blade of her scythe to his throat.

            “What are you doing?” Scarecrow tried to pry the blade away from his throat but only managed to cut his hands on the sharp edge.

            “Move any closer and I’ll kill him.” Skye shouted, ignoring her hostage’s thrashing.

            “Crow let release Scarecrow now.” Nightwing growled as he took out two escrima sticks. “Never thought I’d say that…”

            Skye felt a memory beginning to stir but shook it off, that couldn’t happen now or she’d be caught. Instead of listening to Nightwing she dug the blade in deeper until there was a trickle of blood coming from Crane’s throat. “Why don’t you come make me?”

            Nightwing made electricity run through the ends of his weapons and walked closer. Skye stood her ground and watched the hero walk closer, she failed to notice the knife Scarecrow had taken out until he stabbed her in the arm with it, he managed to stumble free before the blade was again at his throat. Skye saw him getting ready to stab at her again while Nightwing looked for a way to attack without ether one being killed, taking her chance she jerked her scythe back and blood splattered the ground as Crane’s head nearly came off his shoulders.

            “I warned you.” Skye called to Nightwing as he froze in shock.

            Nightwing tore his gaze away from the body and launched himself at her. Skye rolled to the side and tried to kick him away but he was still able to reach out and shock her before hitting the wall. A singe mark was left on her side from the energy and she sat rolled to the side to dodge another attack before finding her footing again and swinging her scythe around to gut him.

            “I need back up…” Nightwing spoke into his communicator. “You never said anything about a highly trained nut case with a scyt-”

            Skye knocked him in the side of the head and Nightwing fell to the ground blinking rapidly to stay conscious. “How many times must I explain that I’m not insane? Honestly, it’s really not that hard to see the difference between a psycho and I. They kill for fun where as I do it for good reasons.”

            Nightwing came to his senses and pulled her leg out from under her and holding down the arm with the scythe in it. “Never underestimate you opponent.”

            “Funny you would think I needed to be reminded of that.” Skye grabbed Scarecrow’s knife with her free hand and stabbed him in the knee so Nightwing’s leg gave out from under him and freeing her other arm.

            She started to scramble to her feet but misjudged Nightwing’s stubbornness and got shocked again, this time landing on the knife. Skye clenched her teeth as she pulled out the knife and rolled onto her back, when she looked up there were two more figures in the room, Batman and Robin number two had finally shown up.

            “Knock her out, we can interrogate her when we get back.” Batman growled before walking over to look at Scarecrow’s body.

            Robin walked over to her but Skye swiped her scythe at him before stumbling to her feet and breaking a window to run out before the others could follow her, she limped her way over to her motorcycle and drove off before the heroes could catch up with her. She didn’t know where she was going, she only knew Wayne Manor was somewhere in Gotham and she had people there, family, that might help her.