Barbara Queen

Option B

There's a nock on the bar door, I open it to see penguin. The game is afoot.
"Barbara's at the bar." I say in a not so polite voice. Oswald ignores me and limos over to Barbara. She's sipping a drink while examining her nails.
"Ossy! Well don't you clean up nicely ." She says with a bright smile.
"Well," he says "where is everyone!"
Barbara becomes very serious.
"There not coming." She says.
"What?!" Asks penguin.
Barbara sighs dramatically "I called them but none of them showed. Apparently they've lost interest. The said the don't work for you anymore."
Oswald swiftly pulls out a knife.
"Is that so," Barbara eyes it calmly "because I think that maybe this is just one big rouse."
"Whatever do you mean." Barbara says innocently.
"I don't think you called a meeting at all," penguin states, "in fact I'm willing to bet that if I called them now they'd have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about."
Barbara rolls her eyes like it's the most preposterous thing she's ever heard.
"You know I was wondering why you were being so kind, why you seemed so invested in helping me and then it clicked! You are just manipulating me so that you can have Gotham all to yourself! But I will not-"
The phone rings interrupting him.
Barbara picks it up.
"Hello? Yes he's here."
"It's tommy bones" she says shoving the phone into penguins hand.
"Hello." Says penguin. I watch his face melt into terror before he hands the phone back to Barbara. He plan is going quite well.
"He has Ed, bones has Ed. I have to go!" he says rushing out of the bar.
Barbara grins as he leaves.
She then clicker phone back up.
"Tabby, he bought it" I hear the muffling sounds of Tabitha speaking over the phone and then the distinct sound of a gun shot. I jump slightly. Barbara just smiles to herself.
"Is he dead?" She asks.
Barbara snickers as Tabitha responds.
"Alright, the members of the families will be here soon. Alright, yes I know. Yes, uhuh, bye now."
She hangs up.
"That was Tabitha she's coming back now, I want you to get changed before they get here."
"What will you do to them?" I ask.
Barbara smirks, "that depends on tabby" she says with a dangerous smiles. "Now go on," she says shooing me away like a fly. I nod and he'd into the back room.
I pick out a black leather skirt, knee high leather boots and a purple mesh top.

After doing my makeup and straightening my hair I come back out. I'll admit I look pretty badass. Barbara would be proud of the look if she weren't to busy planning her takeover of Gotham.
When the crime families arrive it's all arguing. Tabitha arrives soon after.
The three of us sit down on the couch watching the men argue with one another. "Alright," says tabby "so penguin thinks they kidnapped nygma meanwhile there still looking for Tommy bones."
"Hmm" says Barbara handing Tabitha a drink.
"Who they won't find because you already killed him" she says.
Tabitha smiles "and now these nimrods are terrified for their lives."
Barbara downs her drink in one.
"Which is why there here, with there guards  down." she says.
I watch the men, they don't seem to smart especially considering Barbara is conning all of them and they don't even know it.
"You gotta hand it to nygma," Barbara says "he knew how to get penguin to turn on the five families. Poor Ossy is tearing apart everything he built."
Tabitha sighs.
"Remember when this is over and where in charge, Nygma dies. You made a promise."
Barbar grabs her chin and leans in close.
"Sealed with a kiss baby" she says pecking her on the lips.
She turns to the families arguing.
"Now, what about them? We got option A appeal to their reason, convince them we alone can protect them from penguin."
"Seem unlikely they are men." Tabitha states.
"Your just saying that because you like option B," says Barbara.
I don't know what option B is but I'm assuming it's much more aggressive than A.
Tabitha shrugs and Barbara rolls her eyes giving in.
"Fine option B!" She says. Tabitha jumps up from the couch, happily pulls out her machine gun, and open fires.
Barbara picks up the phone.
"Ed honey, everything's set. Penguins all yours"
I have to cover my ears from the insane screams and sounds of bullet shots. There's also quite a lot of glass breaking.
"Yep, yep option B" she says.
Tabitha finishes with her killing spree just as Barbara hangs up.
"Well that was quick." Barbara says with a smirk.
Tabitha shrugs happily.
"That was intense." I say.
Barbara and Tabitha laugh at me.
"Oh please, you don't even know what intense is!" Says Barbara. They're both wheezing from laugher at this point. Ignoring them I get up. I'm sick of Barbara and Tabitha always treating me like a child one minute and a personal slave the next.
Barbara much worse that Tabitha but still I don't like the treatment. It's quite degrading, and depressing, but I will admit that this life is growing on me.
I'm defining less naive than I was when I first arrived in Gotham. It's funny to think that it's only been a couple of months. It's felt like years to me. But thats probably just because I've spent most my time fearing for my life.
Butch enters the bar to the sight of the bodies. Their littered all over the floor.
"Oh good, butchy you and El can clean up these dead bodies. Then I want you and Tabby to go kidnap Oswald for me."
Butch roles his eyes "why do I have to clean these guys up?" he asks.
"Because" says Barbara, "I only have one employee and if you don't help I'm worried she'll crack form the weight of all these dead men." She smiles at me.
"Also I read somewhere that unstable environments can alter a growing teens personality and we wouldn't want that now would we." She says stroking my hair. I frown angrily shoving past her. As if she cares about unstable environments.
"I'm pretty sure, my mental well-being is damaged beyond repair after all this." I say sarcastically. Barbara doesn't seem to amused.
"Well then, nothing wrong with few dead bodies. Chop chop."
She says. Her and Tabitha laugh as they go into Barbara's office. She locks the door behind them.
I can tell that both me and butch are thinking the same thing.
"What do you do you thing they're doing in there?" He asks me.
I shrug, "your guessed is a good as mine."
I don't say what I actually believe is happening. I think that would just be mean. Buts it's pretty obvious if you ask me. Barbara's already kissed tabby once today and I'm willing to bet she's doing it again. Butch shakes his head and gets to work. One by one we drag the bodies into the alley and threw into dumpster bags.
"I'll dump these throughout the city." Says butch.
"You stay here."
I nod,
"Thanks, I could use a break."
"Ya no shit." He says. I go back into the bar and flop down on the couch. It's felt like ages since I've had a proper sleep, let alone a restful one. Maybe Barbara won't notice if I jut drift off for a bit.
"Elllllll!!!"
Barbara calls me from the office.
"Ughhh" is sigh pulling myself up and dragging myself to her. "Yes?" I say opening her office door.
"Come in here please." She says with her fake sweet voice a smile.
"Is butch gone?" She asks me.
"Yes" I say looking at her and Tabitha.
"He went to get rid of the bodies. He said I should stay."
Barbara claps her hands together.
"Oh good, it's just us girls!" She says excitedly. I slouch, all I want is some sleep.
"I have an idea." Says Tabitha.
Barbara stares at her with interest.
"Go on." She prys.
"Well since it's just the three of us I figure we may as well do something. Maybe it would be a good idea to teach her how to fight."
Barbara smiles "oh what a great idea." I can tell she only wants to do this as an accuse to beat me up.
"You don't know how to fight, do you?" She asks me.
I shake my head.
"No not really, I took karate for a few years but I quit when I was twelve."
Barbara and Tabitha look to one another and back to me. They seem far to excited about this.
"It would be good for you to learn a thing or too." Says Barbara.
"you'll need it." Tabitha says. I back away from the two of them slightly.
"I, I'm not so sure about this, I don't know if fighting is really my thing." I say.
Tabitha rolls her eyes.
"Oh please, anyone can fight. You just need the right teacher." She says.
She waves for me and Barbar to follow her out of the office.
"Here" she says placing me in front of her.
"This is a good place, nice and open."
I look around, from what I can tell there's nothing for me to smash into or break.
"Alright come at me." Says Tabitha casually.
"Seriously?" I ask.
She nods "seriously, common your best shot, three, two, one"
Fists raise I charge at Tabitha. with in a minute she slams me to the ground.
"Ughh," I groan as I hit my head hard on the bar floor. My back feel like it's broken.
"My turn!" says Barbara excitedly yanking me up.
I feel like a toy.
I'm slightly dizzy but I shake it off ready for round two, this time with babs.
For my sake I hope she's not as skilled as tabby.
I raise my first ready to fight. I run at Barbara but she kicks my in the stomach sending me to the ground. Despite being winded I get up, she twist my arm, kicking me in the back of the leg. I yelp and fall to the ground.
I roll over but she slams her heel down on my chest.
"Aghhh" I can barely breath. "Barbara stop, stop," I tap her leg begging her to let up.
Slowly she bakes off.
"Well that was pathetic!" Shes says.
I roll over in my side clutching my stomach.  She kicks me in the face.
"Barbara's that enough!" Tabitha says pulling her away from me.
I cough sputtering up blood. My nose is bleeding.
"What was that for!" I ask slowly getting up. Tabitha helps me.
"That, was a lesson." Says Barbara.
I give glare at her angrily.
"If you don't learn to defend yourself you'll never survive." She says.
"You didn't have to go that far!" I stammer. Barbara rolls her eye not seeming to care.
"Oh get over it, your just lucky I stopped when I did. "
I shake my head, walking away from her and Tabitha.
"Hey! Don't you walk away from me!" She yells grabbing my arm.
I try to wriggle from her grasp. She leaves bruises where she grabbed me.
Just Butch walks in.
"Did I miss something?" He asks looking at the three of us. Barbara let's me go and walks to the bar.
"It's nothing," she says, "you and tabby should get going, I want penguin here before Ed gets back!" She orders. Tabby rolls her eyes but does as Barbara says.
Tabitha and butch leave but I stay. I'll only slow them down. I sit down on the bar stool, Barbara hands me a plastic bag full of ice.
"Here, I can't have you looking like that." She says,
"It's bad press"
I snort, as if she cares about that.
"Stop it, stop acting like you care one minute and like I'm your worst enemy the next! It's not fair!"
Barbara looks at me with a stoic face.
"Well, I hope that little outburst was worth it!" She says, "do it again and I'll slit your throat." She raises a knife threateningly.
I swerve away from her.
"How do expect anyone to follow you go you act so callous and cruel." I say. Barbara paces the knife back into the table.
"I don't expect them to support me, I expect them to fear me." She says.
"I want to see them gravel and kneel until their knee caps break and their veins burst."
I can't help but think this is a bit extreme, but what kept frightening is how much she's thought about this.
"Fear isn't power." I say nobly.
Barbara just laughs,
"Oh honey, that's exactly what it is."
She leaves me speechless as usual. I'd Tom know what to say or how to respond because part of me believes her.
What is power and fear really are the same?