Calling Cardinal

Remember Me

"Did you hear me? I said hands up!"

I do as he says, perplexed at the voice. I know it so well, it might as well be my own. Upon turning around, his gun collides with the asphalt road. An audible gasp leaves his lips, as it does mine.

I do know him. This is the brother I've been searching for. I remember his laugh and his cry. I recall the moment I understood him to be my closest friend and protector. I remember my goodbye to him.

"Sera?"

Sera.

Sera Gordon.

Dr. Gordon.

"Jim?"

My childhood pieces together. I recall my mother, my father, Lee Thompkins, his girlfriend, and Harvey Bullock! How could I have ever forgotten them when they made up the best of my life?

Jim sweeps me into his arms, weeping for the time we've lost and the time we almost didn't have.

"Oh god, I missed you. How are you here? You were dead, Sera. Lee and I planned your funeral."

"Strange resurrected me. He brought back everyone, Jim. I didn't even remember who I was until I saw you."

"He tried to cover his tracks by blowing the place up."

"Did Victor Fries escape?"

His brows knit together. "There's been so sign of him. Why?"

"He was my only friend down there."

My brother smiles. "You always picked the worst company, Sera."

My name feels so right on his lips, but not on my own. Am I no longer the chrysalis I was before?

There's still a vital piece of myself that's missing. It's a piece that Jim cannot give to me. Still, I crack a grin from his shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Does Oswald know?

Oswald. Oswald Cobblepot. He's the Penguin.

My confused look tells all.

Jim holds me at arm's length. "I want to keep you with me forever, Sera. Oswald is not the man I've ever wanted for you."

That definitely feels true.

"That being said, he needs to know you're alive. He needs to see you even more than I do. We can catch up later. Gotham can wait."

Just how important is he to me?

"I don't even know who he is, Jim. How am I supposed to find him?"

"You'll remember, Sera. You'll remember when you see him. If you don't, he will remember you. He and I can fill in the blanks, okay? He's hunting down a bus. He thinks Hugo Strange is on it. He's not."

"He's hunting a bus of monsters," I say. "Miss Peabody loaded the other experiments on a bus to evacuate them from the city."

"Experiments?"

"They're monsters, Jim. They are armed with powers and abilities."

"What did he do to you?"

He created a life I didn't even want.

"He created a monster out of me. I can explain later."

"The bus just crashed on the corner of 6th and 11th street. Follow the signs. Gotham works like a grid. You can't miss it."

He doesn't want me to go. To be honest, I don't want to leave either, but I must. The last, most important part of my life is waiting for me at that crash.

Jim leaves me with one last hug.

"Try not to get yourself killed again."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

I'm not sure how possible it is now, anyways. We part in opposite directions. He returns to make me a room at home. I run into the city, using my abilities to my advantage. It's an odd feeling I'm accompanied with as I speed through the streets. I have been given a new identity, but for some reason, it doesn't feel like my own.

I wonder if Penguin will clear it up for me.

There's no one to be found at the crash site. I search the bus for any sign of monsters or Indian Hill staff. All of the cages have been emptied. They've exited through the back. I follow the trail, feeling my nerves surging.

What if he hates me, now? What if he never wanted me to return?

I land on the street and lay eyes upon a fainted homeless woman. She must've fallen victim to a monster. When I turn back to the bus, I see another body. Someone else must've seen more than they should've.

This isn't just anyone.

I kneel beside the body, my eyes as wide as the moon above. Sleeping peacefully beside the bus of monsters is Oswald Cobblepot.

Oh, god.

I remember it all, now.

I remember the tenderness of the mobster, and the gentleness he only portrayed towards me. He was the king of Gotham, and I ruled as his queen. I slept in his bed and carried his heart. I cherished every moment I spent with him. He was my everything. I was his, and we lost each other to the only thing capable of breaking our bond.

My lip quivers as tears pour from my eyes. I can't believe I lost him. My trembling fingertips run down his freckled cheek. I've missed the way he loved me. I long for the way he held me. Being careful not to wake him, I situate Oswald in my arms and carry him through the empty streets of Gotham.

He only stirs once we arrive at his mansion. He doesn't even open his eyes,  yet he calls out to me.

"Sera? Is that you?"

"Shhh," I whisper. "Go back to sleep. You're dreaming."

Butch Gilzean answers the door. The distress on his face is evident.

"Oh my god. Sera, can it really be you?"

The tears streaming down my cheeks won't stop. At this point, I fear they may never will. I nod, biting on my lower lip. How could I have left him in such a way?

"Is he alive?"

"He'll be alright. He's just passed out."

"I can't believe you're back." He wastes no time embracing me after I lay Oswald on the couch.

"We really missed you so much. I did, and I know he did. You were the love of his life, Sera."

"You can't tell him I'm alive," I say, pulling Butch closer to the door.

"What? Why not?"

I pause, glancing over at the mob boss. I will always love him. He will always have my heart, but I am not ready. I am not myself. Hell, I don't even know who I am anymore. I can recall who I was, but not who I am in this new life. I am something I wasn't before.

"I need time to figure out who I am, again. I will come back, but just not right now. Please, keep it a secret, Butch."

He sighs. "You know I could never deny you anything. I'll do what you said, but only for a year. He can't go his whole life without you."

"I'll see you sooner than that. I promise."