I Am The Night- Part Eleven by: Enemyoffun Steven Brown has a rough time, wanting to be a girl and hiding it from his angry abusive father. But when Steven gets a chance to express his hidden side through a fantastic opportunity, things change, including himself.

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Author's Note: Here's Ch. 10, with a nice cliffhanger at the end. I think when the next chapter comes around a new picture might be needed because things are about to get very interesting. I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing and DC Comics for the characters.

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Chapter Ten:

I stood on the corner, blowing into my hands. It was fairly cold which was a little rare this early in September. Usually the weather didn’t get this cold until mid to late October, but that’s Global Warming for you. What with all those horrible storms we had in the spring and the bitter winter before them, things weren’t looking so good. It was safe to say that 2011 wasn’t a good year for weather and tonight was a bad night to not wear pants. Why I had chosen a skirt---one as short as this---was beyond me. OK, so I know why I chose the skirt, it was a part of the plan but why it had to be the shortest jean skirt in the store was far beyond me.

“It’s a distraction,” Jen had said when I complained an hour ago.

“I look like a tramp” was my quick reply.

“That’s the idea.”

OK, so that was only one part of the idea. The whole plan had sounded pretty good when we spent the last four days coming up with it. I was to pretend to be a Seeker looking for a hit, going from street to street in hopes of drawing out a dealer. Then once the deal was made, I was supposed to follow him back to his supplier. I’m not exactly sure what I was going to do when I got there but Jen made me buy the best cell phone on the market with a good memory chip and camera. She thought if I could get video of the suppliers and dealers I might be able to anonymously send it to the police. It wasn’t exactly the kind of justice I wanted for Arnold but it would have to do.

When I told her about wanting to get revenge for poor Arnold, she knew exactly what I wanted to do. She wasn’t very keen on the idea of me dressing up in purple and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. She thought we should be more subtle. So that’s what we did. Last night I followed one of the kids from school to this spot. I staked him out all day, making sure he was the right mark. Then I went to his house and waited in the shadows. I followed him to this corner. Then I witnessed him making a transaction, catching all of it on video. But it wasn’t enough. I needed the suppliers and in order for me to do that, I needed to follow the Dealer.

I blew into my hands, my mind straying to Arnold. He was still in a coma but according to the doctors, his condition was better. When I wasn’t at home or school, I spent my time there. I took a leave from the Clinic and from the Manor; both Leslie and Bruce understood. I wanted to be there for Arnold, I wanted to make sure he was all right. It was killing me standing here, not being by his bedside right now in case he woke up. Uncle Jim was being a prince about it, too. I think he was just happy to see one Seeker not end up in a body bag. Since Arnold’s hospitalization, three more kids had died from the drug. The police were really starting to knuckle down. A day after Arnold’s incident, my Uncle put a Thrill Task Force into place, led by Detective Gage. The TTF has so far been successful in busting up at least two Parks---that’s what they’ve been calling the drug dens where the Seekers have been hiding out. But according to a press conference, it was believed there were several all over the city.

The vibration of my phone nearly scared the hell out of me. I jumped then cursed. I pulled it out of back pocket and flipped it open. The damn thing was so small I thought I was going to break it. I put it up to my ear and sighed.

“Yes, Mother” I said sarcastically.

“Just checking in” said Jen in a hushed tone.

It was after dark and her grandparents didn’t like her on the phone this late.

“Nothing new to report except that it’s freezing out here” I said, shivering, my knees practically knocking together.

Jen laughed. “You must suffer for your trade in order for it to be successful.”

“Can’t you conjure up something witchy and make them reveal themselves to me?”

She scoffed. She knew I was just messing with her. I had a lot of fun at her expense about her so called magic powers. She and I had a few laughs about it too and she kinda enjoyed teasing others into believing she was actually a sorceress. The two of us joked about it a bit on the phone, her coming up with all these insane ideas. We were laughing and having a good time. I almost didn’t see the guy across the street, stepping out of the alley for a smoke. I quickly clicked off, telling her I’d call back later. It was the same guy from last night, the one I lost. I tried tailing him last night but I got sidetracked by a cat---it jumped out of nowhere and scared the hell out of me, causing my pant leg to snag on a broken piece of chain link fence. By the time I had pulled myself free the guy was gone. Now there was no way I was going to let this bastard out of my sight.

We locked eyes and he nodded, stomping out his cig and walking across the street toward me. I took a deep breath as he approached.

“You looking for a roller coaster, baby?” he asked, using the code word he used last night with my fellow schoolmate.

“I have a ticket right here,” I said, pulling a wad of cash from my bra.

Jen had forced me into a low cut top and push up bra; she wanted me to really sell it. It sucked that it was my own cash though. Jen had a nice allowance but withdrawing that much from her account would bring up too many questions with her grandparents. So we decided we were going to use my Government money. I frowned as I passed the five hundred over to him---sad to see that much go. He smiled as he took the cash then reached into his jacket, pulling out the needle. I took it from him with delicate fingers. He didn’t linger around long enough to watch me shoot up. Which was a good thing seeing as soon as his back was turned, I threw the shit down the nearby sewer drain.

He walked back across the street and disappeared into the alley.

I took a deep breath and ran across, following him. He wasn’t too far ahead, disappearing into the dark. I kept far enough away that I could follow but not look like I was following. But it didn’t matter because he never turned around to look. Apparently, he wasn’t the paranoid type. I stuck on him like glue, taking my time as the two of us wove through the underground of the city. We went far into the Narrows; farther than I wanted to go. Luckily, the police had scared off most of the criminals who used to lurk in these parts. The only real good the TTF had done was clean up parts of the street again. The rest of the criminals were afraid of the Seekers. It was pretty common knowledge now that Seekers were super strong and prone to fits of rage. No one would be stupid enough in their right mind to go up against them, except maybe another Seeker.

I’m not sure how far or long I’d been following him but eventually we got to the place where I lost him last night. There was no cat this time though and I made sure to avoid that particular part of the fence. As soon as I went through the hall, I saw how I lost him. He went into the building across the street, the entrance obscured by a stack of wooden crates. I took a deep breath and followed, looking around to make sure no one saw me. As soon as I squeezed between the same two boxes he did, I found an entrance. It was low to the ground so I had to crawl, which was bad because my bare legs went through unidentifiable muck.

It was an opening big enough for a person to fit through. I managed without a problem. On the other side however, I found myself crawling right into a pair of legs. Well boots first then the legs attached to them. I slowly looked up and saw the looming figure standing over me. He was huge and bald. He didn’t say a thing. Instead, he reached down, grabbed my shoulders and lifted me off the ground. He set me roughly on my feet---still holding my shoulders---and pushed me into the room. I got a look around, it wasn’t much. The place was run down, most of the dirty windows boarded up, cobwebs and dirt everywhere. It had a musty smell which was made worse by the vomit, urine and BO. I squinted in the near darkness to see a little more than a dozen people, all in some form of Thrill high.

My perp was lounging on a beat up couch, two scantily clad girls on either arm. He smirked when he saw me.

“Sweetie” he said as he got to his feet. “If you think I’m stupid enough not to know when I’m being followed, you’re stupider than I am.”

I bit my lip. I quickly thought on my feet. “I knew you’d lead me to this place.”

He nodded then looked around. “What do you think guys? Do we have a little NARC on our hands?”

There was some laughing and then a chorus of “NARC” shouted a few times.

“I’m not a NARC,” I said, stuttering.

The stutter was part of the plan, hoping he’d see it as a drug induced side effect.

His eyes narrowed. “So little Miss Not a NARC, what are you doing here then?”

“I told you” I said, “I wanted to know where the nearest Park was, the cops busted up my last one.”

A few of the guys, who appeared around us, shook their heads. It was clear they didn’t believe me for a second. I didn’t believe myself, either. I hadn’t planned on being caught. I was hoping that this place would just be a cut through, an abandoned building that led to the real one. Who would have thought it would be the actual Park. It was kinda a stupid location for one actually, so close to where he sold. I’m surprised the cops hadn’t found it actually. The last Park they busted up was only a few blocks away, I “accidentally” took a glance at a report Uncle Jim left on the table two nights ago.

My perp didn’t say a thing. Instead, he nodded to the thug who was still holding my shoulders. The guy was so close to me now that I could smell him, and trust me, that wasn’t a good thing. Then he squeezed my shoulders causing me to scream out. I may not be able to be cut or bruised but that sure as hell hurt. My scream seemed to be all they needed to hear. Apparently Seekers felt no pain on thrill and as far as he knew I’d just shot up a few minutes ago. In essence, I just completely blew it. My perp’s eyes narrowed then anger flashed across them. He reared his arm back and threw a hard punch toward my stomach. I snapped out of the other’s arms, dropping to the ground in a full split. My attacker slammed his first into the giant bald bastard’s chest.

I was a bit awe struck at what I just accomplished. I hadn’t done a split in years and yet it was second nature to me now. I recovered from the shock quickly because that punch didn’t seem to do a thing. I rolled away from the two of them and got to my feet. As soon as I did all hell broke loose. I’m not sure what happened exactly. There was a loud smash and glass came falling from above. With the glass came a figure. He dropped into the room, landing in a crouch. I saw him fully this time unlike the last time when he’d been half shrouded in shadow. He had a long black cape and cowl, dressed mostly in red. When he rose from his crouch, he came up swinging a metal pole. The pole connected with the closest Seeker under the chin, sending the bastard flying.

The Seekers forgot all about me and went for him.

He moved like a maniac with that pole, spinning and twirling it. He dropped three of them before they got close. Another two went down when the pole was jabbed into their stomachs, sending out a sparking shock. Clearly, it was more than it seemed. My two attackers took a step back, afraid of what they might endure at his hands. But it didn’t take him long to realize they were getting away. He spun on them, dropping my perp with a blow to the knees, sending him stumbling. The big guy ran. I grabbed the closest thing I could find---which happened to be a wooden crate lid. I let it fly. The makeshift wooden Frisbee flew through the air and smacked the bastard hard in the back of the head, sending him sprawling forwards.

When I snapped back to the action, it was all over. Every single Seeker in the room was lying on the ground, moaning and groaning. I smirked; I thought these bastards couldn’t feel pain. But it was clear that whatever he did to them was more than enough. When he turned to me, I saw his piercing blue eyes through the slits in his cowl. The lower half of his face was visible too and his lips were pursed in a frown. It was clear he didn’t want to see me here. I wonder if he remembered who I was?

“How is it” he said in a stern voice “that every time I come across you, you’re in some form of trouble?”

I shrugged. He remembered. It sent my heart a flutter.

“Just unlucky like that” I said.

He shook his head. “Or you go out seeking it.”

I shrugged. “What can I say, I’m a magnet.”

He frowned again. “What are you doing here, Miss.”

“Maybe I’m a Seeker?”

He raised his eyebrow. “Highly unlikely.”

I sighed and nodded. “My friend was put into a coma from taking Thrill. I wanted to hunt these bastards down and make them pay for what they did to him.”

He sighed and nodded. “You could have been killed you know. This is not a job for amateurs.”

I bit my lip. “Then teach me.”

I’m not sure where the hell that came from but it felt right. I’m not sure why. He raised another eyebrow. But he didn’t say anything, at least not at first. Instead, he went around, nudging each of the unconscious Seekers. I think he was looking for evidence. It made me wonder what his stake in all of this was. He didn’t look like the type who might be helping the police. But at the same time he didn’t seem to be the type who stalked around the city just looking for trouble either.

When he finally spoke, it was rather cold. “Go home little girl, this is no place for you.”

I opened my mouth to disagree but didn’t get the chance. Instead, he threw something on the ground and the room erupted in smoke. I started to cough and gag, my eyes tearing up. I stumbled about in it, moving out of its path. I waved my hands in front of my face until the smoke cleared. When it did, the Roving Ravager was gone.

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The next few days were interesting to say the least. I tried to fit myself back into my daily life but it was hard when I found myself thinking about the Ravager’s words every time I had a chance. They stung to say the least and they’d hurt even less if they weren’t so true. He was right I was an amateur and I really had no place being where I was. But there was no way I was giving any of it up. After leaving that building the other night, I spent a lot of time thinking about it. I came to the conclusion that in order to be successful at any of this I did need something. I decided I needed help and there was no way I was going to seek him out to ask for it. He made it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with me. Which was fine as far as I was concerned? I proved it to myself and him by going back out onto the street the very next day. I went back to the building but everyone there was gone. I didn’t know it but the police raided the place on an anonymous tip after I left the night before, everyone there was now in jail or the hospital. With this Park closed, I tried to find others but with no luck. I couldn’t help but think maybe the Ravager was right and I was an amateur. I didn’t go out after that, without any leads there was no point.

But the Ravager and justice wasn’t the only thing that was dominating my thoughts. Arnold was at the top of them, too. Two days after the Seeker incident, he woke up. To say that the doctors were shocked was an understatement. I’m not sure they were expecting him to ever fully recover but I knew Arnold was a fighter. I was in the room with his Mom when it happened. He was a bit groggy and disoriented but when he saw us, he smiled. Then of course, a few seconds later he told me to “get out.”

Baby steps I guess. At least it was good that he was OK.

The rest of the things in my life were going pretty smoothly though. I was back at work---driving my new car to and from. It finally came the other day---fresh from the factory---and I love every bit of it. They couldn’t make it purple for me but it was midnight blue. It was a nice little compact car, with good mileage and all that junk. I didn’t know much about cars but I knew I loved it. I think out of everyone---including Jen---Alfred loved it the most. Now he didn’t have to take time out of his busy schedule to pick me up and drive me home. Not that he minded, but I think he liked his quiet time in the Manor, doing whatever it was he did while Master Bruce recuperated. Bruce was recuperating slowly. At least he was giving me more duties now. I just wasn’t the errand girl anymore; I was now getting involved in the business.

Just yesterday, I filed some papers for him and spent a few hours fielding phone calls. OK, so I was now a pseudo secretary but it was better than nothing. Now I wasn’t alone. Two days ago, I got some company in the form of Summer. She was Bruce’s PR girl, recently graduated from college and eager to please. I’m not sure why Bruce brought her in but she was a big help. Whereas I was his file girl, Summer became the Gopher. He ran her rampant, making her do all the crazy stuff that I had to do before. I wouldn’t really call her a replacement though I did find her a lot more efficient than I ever was.

Which brings me to where I was now. The two of us were in Bruce’s room---Bruce set up a small desk with a phone for Summer to work at. She looked all official in her crisp business suit, trying to look important while making phone calls. Me---I was a casual teen girl in her jeans, haired pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. Not that Summer thumbed her nose at me. She was really sweet and nice. She was good to talk to as well, having just gotten done with her Masters---which made her about twenty five. She was cute too, which was probably the only reason Bruce kept her around. When they thought I wasn’t looking, the two of them made goo goo eyes at each other. I’m not sure why they were being so discreet about it, it’s not like I had feelings for Bruce.

I was putting another folder into the filing cabinet when I noticed the phone wasn’t ringing. Lately the damn thing had been ringing off the hook. Apparently, Wayne Enterprises could function without the man in charge. So far the acting CEO was doing a bang up job but the company was starting to discover that things couldn’t run as well without Bruce. That’s why Summer was here now, to help him field some of that responsibility. According to Bruce’s latest medical checkup, it would still be at least two more months before he was well enough to go back into the office. You’d think something like that would make a business man like him happy but when Leslie told him the news a few days ago, he actually frowned. Not that I could blame him---I think I’d like the idea of lying around like a bum too.

Which brings me back to the phone call. Summer answered the phone before I could. She smiled when she saw me stick out my tongue. We were constantly competing and having fun doing it. I’d win a few rounds and she’d win a few. Nothing like healthy competition.

“Bruce Wayne’s office” said Summer, Bruce asked us to refer to this place as his “office” while we were here. “Good afternoon, Mr. Fox.”
Bruce grimaced and shook his head, indicating he didn’t want to speak. Lucius Fox was the man that Bruce put in charge while he was “away”. Only Lucius and a few select members of the Board knew what really happened to Bruce---his “accident”---everyone else thought he was on extended vacation. Ever since Summer had arrived, Mr. Fox was calling all the time. Mr. Fox was actually the Head of Wayne Enterprises’ R&D Department but with the boss away, he took on full responsibilities. I think Bruce enjoyed the change of pace, being able to kick back and relax. Looking at him now---smiling at the frown Summer gave him---it was clear he was enjoying not being in charge.

I put away the file and closed the drawer. Bruce mouthed something to me; I think it was “lunch”. Today was Saturday and though I usually only came in on school days, Bruce wanted me to help with filing today. So I arrived here a few hours ago---after breakfast. It was the first time I drove the car all the way into the city and was more than happy to park it in the garage amongst all the really expensive ones in there. I thought about bumping Tim’s bike---by accident of course---but didn’t want to explain how a car got from one end of the garage to the other by “accident”. When I got here this morning, Summer was already here. It made me wonder if she was now a permanent fixture. She was already here when I arrived from Leslie’s in the afternoon and still here when I left after dinner. It made me wonder how much she actually did for Bruce, after hours.

Bruce gave me silent orders so as not to speak in case Mr. Fox heard him. I’m not sure when I picked up lip reading but I was able to make out what he said clearly enough. I left the room quietly, making my way into the parlor. I paused a moment to look at the bookshelf. Every single day I came into the room I thought about pulling it and going down to that room again. Not that I was a snoop or anything. It was the picture of my mother actually. All my memories of her were good but she never once smiled---at least not like she had in that picture. When I saw it made me feel closer to her somehow. She looked so happy back then it was so hard to imagine she was the same woman who raised me.

I half walked, half ran down the spiraling staircase. I had to laugh at how easy it all was now. When I first started coming here, it had been a real chore going up and down those stairs. Now it was like walking across a room, I didn’t even break a sweat. When I got to the bottom of them, Alfred was coming up the hallway. He had a tray in his hand, a plate of food on it. I smiled and shook my head, sometimes I thought he had ESP. I looked at the plate and it was the exact meal that Bruce asked me to bring him.

“How do you know these things, Al?”

He smiled. “Miss Stephanie, Master Bruce has been eating the exact same thing for lunch since he was nine years old.”

“Really?” I said, surprised. “How come?”

Alfred frowned. “It was the last lunch his mother ever made for him.”

I felt a little stupid for asking. As someone who lost her mother early in life, I knew how Bruce felt. I wouldn’t be lying if I said I wished it was Dad and not her but I definitely understood the loss. I also knew what it was like to want to hold onto her memory. For two days after my Mom died, I refused to take off the clothes I was wearing the day she died because it was her favorite outfit of mine. I wore it to the hospital that day hoping it would make her feel better to see me in it. I hated my Dad more than anything after that too, especially when he tore the clothes off me, ripping both the shirt and the pants. That was the first time I really started to hate him. Then he started drinking and I hated him every single day.

I bit my lip and frowned at Alfred’s words. “I used to do things like that after my Mom died too.”

He smiled weakly. “Mrs. Wayne was a wonderful and caring person. She would have liked you a lot; you are so much like your mother.”

Hearing things like that made me feel like I was a thousand feet tall.

I offered to take the tray to Master Bruce, which I think Alfred really appreciated. I don’t think he liked climbing all those stairs. When I got to the top, I carried it gleefully into the room. When I walked in, the two of them were laughing. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking rather comfortable. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat, announcing my presence. You would have thought I was a poisonous snake ready to strike. As soon as I cleared my throat, Summer practically jumped off the bed. She straightened her skirt, fixed her tight hair bun and returned to her desk. I put the tray on the bedside table and asked if there was anything else he needed.

“You can go to the kitchen, Steph,” he said with a smile. “I’m sure the chef can fix you something too.”

I smiled but before I left I winked at Summer. She flushed, causing me to smile all the more.

When I walked into the parlor, I was about halfway across the room when I stopped. I slowly turned on my heel and looked at the bookcase. I bit my lip then looked around just to make sure I was alone. I didn’t want Al to sneak up on me this time. Making sure I was completely alone, I rushed over and tugged on the book. There was a hiss and a metal grinding as the bookcase moved away and opened up. This time I had my purse and I reached inside to pull out the little flashlight in there. I used it to light the way as I walked lightly down the stairs. I smiled when I got to the bottom of them, crinkling my nose at the moldy, dusty smell. I knew exactly where to go this time, heading straight to the box.

I pulled it open gently, finding the picture right on the top. I took it out and hugged it to my chest. It was no substitution for my real mother but somehow it felt a bit comforting. I held it there for a few seconds then pulled away. I didn’t even know I was crying until one of my tears fell on the glass, landing on my mother’s smiling face. I wiped my eyes and carried the picture over to the rocking horse. It was big enough for maybe a six year old but seeing as I was so small I was sure I’d be able to sit on it without a problem. I took a deep breath, looked it over to make sure it was sturdy. I decided to sit on it sidesaddle, just allowing my butt to gently rest on the seat.

When I sat down, I made sure not to rock. I looked down at the picture in my hands, smiling down at Mom. She looked so happy there, Bruce did too. I figured Mom had to be at least thirteen or fourteen there, which made her about four or five years older than Bruce. The two of them could have been siblings though her hair was lighter and she had a smattering of freckles on her cheeks. He looked pretty much the same except a lot happier. Hadn’t Alfred said it was taken right before his parents were murdered? I looked it up on the Internet and just thinking about it made me shiver. I couldn’t imagine watching my Mom and Dad gunned down in front of me like that. I couldn’t imagine what something like that would do to a kid, especially one so young.

I reached out and gently stroked my finger across Mom’s face. Then I found myself stroking the very same finger across Bruce’s as well. As I did that I moved, gently moving the horse with me. But there was nothing gentle about the way the horse moved. It jerked forward slowly, making a clicking sound as it did so. Then there was another noise but it didn’t come from the horse. It came from behind me. I snapped around and my mouth dropped open. A section of the wall was slowly moving away, revealing a space behind it. I jumped to my feet, setting the picture on a nearby box pile. I stared at the wall as a bright light emanated from it.

But that wasn’t the crazy part. The crazy part was what the wall had been hiding. It wasn’t a very large section that moved away, just big enough for a few glass shelves and a large space in the center. In the space was a black armored suit, looking particularly wicked, especially with the long black cape and mask? I stared at it for a few seconds, trying to figure out exactly what I was seeing. I took a step forward, finding myself bathed in the light. I stared at the suit for a bit, reaching out to touch it but stopped at the last second. My eyes drifted over to one of the glass shelves and what lie on it. There was several of them, small and black, like throwing stars. I reached over and picked one up, marveling at how light they were.

But they weren’t any normal throwing stars. This thing in my hand was different because it was shaped sorta like a bat. It took me a few seconds to process what I was holding. When my mind finally did, everything seem to come at me at once. Bruce didn’t get hurt in a climbing accident, it was something else entirely. Something a lot crazier. He knew all about me because he was a fantastic detective, not because he was rich and had connections. He had fancy cars, secret passages, and the most advanced security I’d ever seen. I thought it was because he was a paranoid billionaire but the truth was far more bizarre. Bruce Wayne was not a paranoid recluse. He wasn’t a stuffy businessman either with far too much money and time on his hands.

I looked at the bat shaped thing in my hand and smiled.

He was the Bat.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF