With Love, 𝓜𝓇. 𝒥

𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕪

He began to hyperventilate. Sydney could hear the fizzling of the acid just a few layers of wood away, and tried desperately to find some way outside of his coffin prison.

After punching, shaking, and yelling himself to near exhaustion, the Squid begins to tear as he whines, " I guess this is the end.." He squints and prepares for the sharp sting of acid when instead his makeshift coffin began to spin. Sydney was thrashed from hollow side to hollow side, now speeding through what felt like a water slide. He held his breath and closed his eyes, fearful of where he would end up.

The Squid tried his best to stay calm, the loud rushing of water beside his coffin letting him know that at least he was out of the acid somehow. He began to kick at the corroded wood, praying to himself. Eventually, the nails began to give and the cold, crisp air began to seep inside. Sydney could've cried, he was so overjoyed that he forgot he was tired of struggling. A few more kicks and he could slip his hand through the crack, finally able to wiggle the top of the coffin off.

Once he was free he quickly called one of his his gang-mates, stumbling over his words, begging him to send someone to get him out of town. However, his mate arranges him a visit with Rupert Thorne, probably the only person capable of getting Sydney out of Gotham. Sydney's meeting with Thorne was dishearteningly short, as Thorne dismissed Sydney's many pleas for help.

Thorne sat looking pleased at his desk, his fingertips pressed against each other.

"... from pinching pennies to rubbing elbows with The Joker. Not bad, Sidney. "

" Please, Boss. Connections like him I can live without... He kidnapped me, I just barely escaped. Please, you gotta help me! "

" Sure, sure, and I'm gonna believe that a shrimp like you is still alive without some help..."

" Boss, " Sydney pleaded, " please, I told you it was an accident. I should be dead right now! "

" Yea, you should. "

He thought Sydney was trying to work his way into his drug operation, something he simply would not allow. Thorne becomes determined to get rid of this "liar," here and now and before Sydney can beg for his life, Thorne whips out a pistol and presses it against Sydney's nose.    

" You're lyin' ta me. Killed Batman and defeated Joker in a matter of hours. Huh, didn't think I'd believe that one, would ya, ya bastard? Don't insult me. "

Thorne loudly cocked the gun and prepared to pull the trigger when the window behind him suddenly burst and Sydney took his opportunity to duck away. Thorne had been wrestled to the floor and Sydney found himself peering underneath the desk to figure out what had happened. His boss was thrust upwards and slammed against the destop and the black, coweled figure holding his arms back growled.
" Go."   The figure said, and the Squid scrambled from the floor, and just as if he had seen a ghost- he fled past the door and into the night. In fact, it was almost like seeing a ghost because Sydney realized with all the secret relief he held, that Batman was alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, there seemed to be a dark cloud looming over the HaHacienda. Joker had been slurping away at his lo mein, serious as he could be. Harley was beside him, digging her fork into the carton and shoveling celebratory rice down her gullet. Even the goons were as happy as anyone had ever seen them, drinking to their hearts content.

Frost lifted a beer around the rest of the henchmen and proposed a toast to the caped crusader, " To Batman " he snickered, " may he rest in pieces! " The rest of the Henchmen raised their glasses, and Harley chimed in raising her carton " To tha' dead guy! " she giggled.