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Author's Note: Here's Ch. 6, a bit longer than the other chapters I've written. From here, things should get very exciting. I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing and DC Comics for the characters.

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Chapter Five:

When I woke up in the morning, I was as confused as all hell because I had no idea where I was. I sat up–groggy---and blinked a few times, then stretched my arms. The first thing I noticed was my lack of breasts and the second thing I noticed was the fact that I was wearing a t-shirt. I looked around, confused as all hell. This wasn’t my bedroom, this wasn’t my bed. The walls were a pale blue, the bed was a queen size and the room looked like old people decorated it. I squinted and as soon as I did, pain shot up my face. I reached up and touched my cheek, it was puffy and sore. Then I remembered. The events of last night came back to me. My Dad saw me dressed as Stephanie and flipped out.

I groaned and threw off the rest of my covers. The t-shirt seemed to be the only thing I was wearing, no boxers like I usually did. I lifted up the bottom and saw panties. I blushed. Clearly someone undressed me last night but I was having a hard time remembering. The last thing I consciously remember was coming to Jen’s house. I collapsed into her arms shortly after arriving. There were a lot of questions---first Jen; then her grandparents. They had never really liked me, thought I was a bad influence for their granddaughter. I can’t imagine what must have been going through their heads seeing me half en femme. After I told them what happened, her grandfather called the police. He may have been a dick but he didn’t screw around. I vaguely remember telling a police officer what happened and then nothing more.

I inched to the edge of the bed and dropped off. My ankle was kinda sore too as well as my stomach. I suppose that hurt from when he kneeled on top of me. My ankle hurt because he had a hold of it so tight that it nearly cut off my circulation. For a second last night, I thought he was going to kill me. If I hadn’t gotten away, I’m positive he would have. Thinking about it made me cry. It also made me sick to my stomach. I felt the bile rise and ran into the bathroom. This was the spare room at the Morgan’s, I’d been in here once before. There were two bathrooms on this floor of the place, the master suite one and the floor bathroom---which joined this room and the one next door, Jen’s.

I rushed to the toilet and threw up. I threw up again then felt better. But I didn’t feel well enough to get up. Jen must have heard me because she pulled open the door and rushed in. She was dressed in a wispy silk nightgown. It was pink and looked kinda cute on her. She dropped to her knees, pulling the hair from my face.

“Hey girl.” she said weakly. “You ok?”

I turned to her, tears rolling down my cheeks. She pulled me into a hug and I cried on her shoulder for a while. When I pulled away, wiping the tears, I spoke: “Did they catch my Dad?”

She sighed and shook her head. “They checked the warehouse district but he was nowhere in sight. They scoped out the apartment too but he didn’t show. My grandpa called a few minutes ago, they’re going to put a guy on the building though, so if he comes back they’ll grab him.”

I nodded. “If he’s smart he’ll run.”

Jen nodded then slowly helped me to my feet. She said something about a shower and I numbly nodded. She helped pull the shirt over my head then slowly slid the panties down my legs. I numbly stepped out of them. Then she got the shower running. The hot water stung like a bitch, especially on my swollen face. But it felt good, too. A few seconds later, Jen slipped in, too. Any normal teenage guy would have loved taking a shower with a hot babe like Jen but I was far from normal. Besides, I had no attraction to her whatsoever. I didn’t even think of her in any other way than being my best friend in the whole wide world.

I closed my eyes, remembering the first time we met. We were in the park together, both of us about five I think. We were in the sandbox and one of the boys dumped a bucket of sand all over my head. I burst into tears because it ruined my pretty pigtails and pink dress. Yep, even back then my mother let me indulge. Well, Jen was on the other side of the playground. When she saw that, she stormed over, snatched a handful of sand up and threw it in the boy’s face. The boy screamed and cried, falling backwards out of the sandbox and onto a pile of dog crap. The other kids laughed and he ran away crying some more. Then Jen said the best thing in the world to me: “Us girls need to stick together.”

I thought it was the coolest thing in the world when she thought I was a girl. She didn’t find out I was a boy until a few days later, but even then, she still played with me.

When I told her I wanted to be a girl she smiled and called me “Stephanie”. She was the first one to give me that name and I loved it. Jen’s been my rock ever since, standing up for me when I needed it. Last night when I ran from Dad, she was the only one I was really thinking about. All that mattered was getting to her. Because I knew that as long as I was with Jen then nothing in the world could go wrong.

“You’re quiet,” said her soft voice. “What are you thinking about?”

I smiled and opened my eyes. “The time we met.”

She laughed. “We called that kid Crap Pants for weeks after that.”

We both laughed. It hurt like hell but it felt good too.

“Turn around” she said and I did as she asked. Looking at her full frontal nudity did nothing for me. If anything I was a bit jealous---her being the real girl and me, well I was a work in progress. She handed me a puff thing.

“I washed your back... now it’s my turn.”

I nodded and she turned around. I closed my eyes again and started rubbing the soapy puff across her back. I wasn’t closing my eyes to avoid looking at her naked back, I actually liked her back. I closed my eyes because it allowed me to think some more. My thoughts drifted to my father of all people. He was scum and as scum, he needed to be scrubbed from this world. I wasn’t talking about killing him---no, that would be too easy. I wanted to ruin him, destroy him like he did to me last night. A part of me died when he yanked me onto that floor and tried to beat me to death. Which part I wasn’t sure, but standing here now---thinking about it---I knew it was gone and it wasn’t coming back. Did I want to get revenge? Oh yes! But I was above all that. It wouldn’t be revenge, it would be justice. Bad people deserved justice. People who did harm to others deserved to be punished.

I opened my eyes and stopped scrubbing. “Jen” I asked in a soft voice, she responded with a hmmm sound. “I know what I want to do.”

“What’s that sweetie?”

“I want to see that bastard pay for what he did.”

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We went back into the spare room and I dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt---all girl clothes of course. No more pretending to be a boy for me, I was sick of it. After that, I pulled the laptop out of my back and flipped it open. Closing it last night probably wasn’t the brightest idea because it shut the damn thing off. When I turned it back on, I frowned, because sure enough it was password protected. I tried several things but nothing seemed to work. Jen took it from me and tried too, but she couldn’t crack into it either. It was kinda discouraging actually, that laptop was a big part of my plan. Whatever my father was doing had to be in that thing and of course now we couldn’t get into it. I wracked my brain trying to think of anyone who could do it and the only person who came to mind was my cousin Barbara.

“You have to call her,” said Jen, sitting in the chair next to my borrowed bed.

I shook my head. “She’ll just tell my uncle.”

“Isn’t that what we want?” asked Jen “he’s the police commissioner. We give him the laptop, he has his people look over it and then they arrest your Dad. Case closed.”

I shook my head. I wanted to punish him but I wanted to be actively involved in it. He could have killed me last night, he would have killed me. I’m not sure how I got the strength to get out from under him, but I did. Now I wanted him to suffer and I wanted to be there when that happened. I wasn’t going to hurt him but I wasn’t going to let him get away with it either. So yes, I’d get the police involved but I wanted first crack at him. But without the laptop, my options were slim. I only knew one other thing: the warehouse. I didn’t even know which one it was but the way Dad talked it was important.

The way he said “The Warehouse” on the phone last night meant that he’d been there before and probably would go there again. I needed to find that place but of course in order to do that I needed to find Dad.

“We can’t,” I said after my thoughts. “If we give it to him he’ll go after Dad.”

Jen looked confused. “Duh.”

I sighed. How could I tell my friend that I wanted that privilege? I’m not sure why it was so important but I wanted to be the one who brought him to justice. I wanted to watch him suffer like me. I’d let the cops have him when I was done. I took a deep breath and said,

“I don’t think there’s enough to convict him of anything.”

“He beat you up, there’s more than enough” Jen grabbed the laptop, shaking it in my face. “We have this, too. There’s got to be enough here.”

I nodded. “But I want more.”

Jen frowned. “What more can you possibly get?”

I smiled. “I want to be the one who spoils his fun.”

I quickly started laying out my plan. I don’t think Jen liked it very much but she was my BFF and promised that she’d support me no matter what. Halfway through the explanation her grandmother called up to us and told us it was time for breakfast. Before I went downstairs I went into the bathroom, I needed to see the damage. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a shadow of my former self. My face was swollen and bruised, half of it looked like I’d been stung by a giant bee. When I touched it with a finger, I winced from the pain. The bastard had really done a number on me, I was just glad that yesterday was Friday and now it was Saturday morning. If I went to school like this people would have thought I’d been pounded on by a gorilla.

On the way out, Jen was waiting for me. “I put the laptop in my trunk. I still think we should take it to your uncle but if you really want to do it your way.”

I nodded. She smiled weakly then the two of us went down the stairs. In the kitchen, her grandmother frowned at my appearance. There was nothing overly feminine about me today except maybe my clothes. But they were the only ones I had and the two of them...she and her husband...would have to deal with it. Jen’s grandfather kept giving me looks throughout the meal. I managed to thank them for helping me last night but they didn’t say much. It was always like this. Her grandparents were both retired but at one time, her grandfather used to work for the city. Because of that they were extremely well off. They didn’t exactly live in the Narrows; it was more on the edge of it. I wouldn’t exactly call their place lavish but it was a low-end penthouse, taking up two floors. That’s why they had three bedrooms and bathrooms.

After breakfast, we went to Jen’s room. Her grandmother told us to keep the door open. When we first met as kids, Jen’s parents were still alive. Her mother was a happy woman, always smiling. She...like my own mother...understood my need to be different. When her mother died and her father disappeared, her grandparents thumbed their noses at me. They never tried to stop her from being my friend but they didn’t keep their opinion of me to themselves. I knew turning up here last night was risky; especially dressed as I was, but it was the closest place.

“They’re not going to let me stay another night, you know,” I said as the two of sat together on her bed.

Jen sighed. “Where will you go?”

“Uncle Jim’s, probably.”

I thought about going to Leslie’s or the Manor. But Leslie lived in a real small place, barely big enough for her. She would have been more than happy to take me but I didn’t want to impose on her. Besides, if I walked in looking like this, she’d have a fit. I couldn’t do that to her. As far as the Manor was concerned, I felt like a stranger there. Even after more than a week of going there, I still felt odd and out of place. Bruce was still bedridden but he was on the mend and Tim had Arianna now. It was only a matter of time before I wasn’t needed, anyway. I think the only one who’d miss me was Ace and only because I was the only one who took him on walks. Not that I wouldn’t stop going there after school of course but I didn’t want to impose on them anymore than on the Morgans.

There was another reason for leaving the city too, a much more obvious one: Dad. I’m sure he’d figured out that I trashed the place. In fact, I was certain he knew I had the laptop, too. So it might be a good idea to get out of here as soon as possible. I told all that to Jen and she seemed to understand. She went to retrieve it as I retrieved my bag. I packed my stuff and she came into the room, smiling weakly.

“Are you really going to find out what’s on there?”

I nodded. “He was getting that cash from somewhere and the answer have to be in here,” I said, taking it from her and stuffing it into the bag.

“What about the rest of it” she asked and I nodded.

I opened my mouth to say something but she rushed forward and grabbed me in a tight hug, crying a bit. She didn’t say anything but she was scared for me. Hell, I was scared too. I was stupid as well but my father needed to be punished and that’s exactly what I was going to do.

_________________________________

The Morgans were nice enough to give me money for a cab. I thanked them for their hospitality and hugged Jen on the curb. I promised to call her as soon as I got to my Uncle Jim’s. When I got into the cab, I waved dumbly until I was out of sight. Then I instructed the cab driver to take me to a bar a few blocks away. Yes, I had every intention of going to my uncle’s but first I wanted to look for Dad. No, I’m not a glutton for punishment but I wanted to make him pay. There were only two places that I knew my father frequented. One was a small seedy bar a few blocks from our house called the Dive and the other was a sports bar in one of the better parts of the city called Pucks. But he didn’t go to Pucks unless the Blackhawks were playing. I knew enough to know that hockey season didn’t start until next month.

When we pulled up in front of The Dive, the driver gave me a look. “Are you sure you want to go in there, princess?”

I nodded, giving him a twenty. “I have to haul my father’s drunken ass out of there.”

He frowned. “All right but I’m not too keen about letting you go in there by yourself.”

I smiled. “You’re a good guy, but I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t wait for him to say anything else as I pushed open the cab and stepped onto the curb. I watched and waited for him to go. As soon as he drove off, I made my way to the alley. Like most of them in the Narrows, it was barely wide enough for much of anything. The alley led to the back, which is where I wanted to go. There was a fire escape back there that I climbed. When I got to the roof, I found a sky light and looked down. I could see pretty much the whole of the bar. My father was a particularly cautious man but he had habits and addictions. He might have been wanted by the police but there was no way he’d give up his Saturday afternoon drinking.

I peered through the dirty glass and found him. He was sitting at the bar, drinking alone. I looked at my watch, it was almost one. It was nice enough that Morgans let me stay until lunch but I knew even that was pushing it. I could see both of them getting agitated, afraid that a double dose of “evil” might rub off on them. So I knew I’d outstayed my welcome. Jen tried to convince them to let me stay another night but it was a losing battle. In the end, I was just gracious that they didn’t throw me out last night.

I looked at my watch again, thinking. I knew that my father would stay there until after hours, probably until at least six or so. From there I didn’t know where he’d go. I thought he went to work but now I knew that wasn’t the case. Maybe he’d go off to wherever it was that he got the money. Maybe he’d lead me to that warehouse he was talking about. I know it was a long shot but I needed one of those. My father was a creature of habit but circumstances had changed that. I knew for a fact that the police were probably staking out our place right now and probably the print shop too, even though he didn’t work there. If they were smart then they knew about this place, too. But what with them being stretched so thin, I found that highly doubtful.

I watched him for about an hour when I heard a ringing. At first, I had no idea where it was coming from. I had one of those little prepaid cell phones but in my haste last night, I left it at home. I looked around and heard it coming from my bag. I frowned and rifled through it, finding a pink cell. It was Jen’s. Damn her. I grabbed it and flipped it open, wondering who it could be.

“Hey Stevie" said a familiar voice.

I groaned. “Hey Babs.”

My cousin Barbara didn’t usually call me “Stevie”. But seeing as it was a gender neutral nickname it worked. But if she was calling me it that meant my uncle was probably close by. Whereas Barbara knew all about Stephanie, Uncle Jim did not. I don’t think he’d have a problem with it but I just haven’t gotten around to telling him. I guess I was a little scared that he wouldn’t accept me like Barbara.

‘Where are you?”

“How did you get this number?”

“Don’t play the answering a question with a question game, Cuz. I am the daughter of a cop; I know when you’re dodging.”

I sighed. I already had a pretty good idea who gave her the number, probably the same person who stashed the phone on me. “Are you alone?”

Barbara didn’t answer for a few minutes. I heard the sound of a door opening then closing. Then she said. “Now I am.”

I took a deep breath. “I’m on the roof of The Dive.”

Babs and I had no secrets. She was the closest thing to a sister I had, besides Jen of course. We were a few years apart; she was a Junior in college. She was majoring in Education with a minor in computer science, which I thought was the coolest thing in the world.

“You better not be,” she said sternly. When I didn’t deny it, she sighed. “Damn it, Steph. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“He’s in there, Babs. I can see him through the sky light.”

“And you want some revenge... is that it?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

I cursed as soon as I said it. If anyone would understand, it would be her. Babs wasn’t exactly like me but she definitely understood all about wanting revenge. When she was sixteen, she made the mistake of answering the door. It was Halloween and she thought it was a Trick or Treater. It turned out to be one of the criminals who her father was trying to catch. The man was dressed like a clown and I think he thought it was Uncle Jim at the door. But when Barbara opened it, he fired. She was lucky in that the bullet didn’t kill her but it did sever her spinal cord, paralyzing her from the waist down. Babs went to a dark place for a long time. It took months of physical therapy and counseling to bring her out of it. Even then, she still talks about wanting to find the bastard and return the favor.

So yes, she knew all about revenge.

I sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Babs, you know I didn’t mean it…”

She cut me off. “Revenge isn’t the answer. Let me have Dad call it in, he can send a car. They can pick the bastard up.”

“I want to do this myself.”

Babs didn’t say anything for a long time. At first, I thought maybe she hung up on me but then she finally came back. “Then put the laptop someplace safe first.”

I groaned, of course Jen told her about the laptop.

“You’re not going to tell Uncle Jim?”

‘How can I tell him something I don’t know? In fact, you’re at the park, thinking things through. You’ll be back home later.”

“Thanks Babs, I owe you.”

“Damn straight.”

I clicked the phone shut and took one last look into the bar below. Dad was still going to be there for hours. I took a deep breath and left the rooftop. I climbed down the fire escape and hailed a cab, knowing exactly what place I was going to put the laptop.

_________________________________

Ok, so Dad didn’t stay in The Dive all day, what do I know. After I left The Dive hours ago, I went to the local bus station. I’d been there a few times, contemplating leaving this damn city. Every time, I either chickened out or Jen talked me out of it. But I’d been in here enough to know about renting a locker. I made sure I could rent it the longest I could and stuck the laptop in there. Then for good measure, I got an envelope and mailed the key to Barbara, just in case. That took up a few hours and when I got back to The Dive, Dad was gone.

It took me until eight or so to find him. There are a lot of seedy places in the Narrows for someone like him to go. I finally found him in a little watering hole so small that it barely had room for the bar. They didn’t even bother to see if I was the right age when I slipped inside. I put on my purple hoodie before doing so, pulling the hood over my head as far as it could go. I sat in the back; the place was jammed with people. I got one glass of water---never touched a drop because it was dirty---and I waited. He didn’t crawl out of there until almost midnight. But I followed him nonetheless.

I stayed at a distance, keeping to the shadows. On the corner there was a guy selling all sorts of Halloween masks, I caught him just as he was closing up. I browsed his wares, looking for something that might hide my face better. I found a plain black mask that pulled completely over my head; there were only slits for my eyes. I gave him too much, which he thanked me for. When I was out of sight, I dropped my hood and pulled it over my head. It had a mesh front that I could breathe through and formed on my head like a second skin. After that, I pulled my hood back up and continued my following.

He walked the entire way. Well staggered is more like it. I guess I’d stagger too like that if I’d spent nearly the whole day drinking. I was surprised he was even walking, let alone standing. But my father had an amazingly high tolerance for alcohol and to be fair he wasn’t drinking the whole day. He had a few drinks here, ate some things and then drank a bit more. Like I said before he might have been a drunk but he was a smart drunk. That still didn’t stop him from being a little drunk now, stumbling about in the streets. I followed at a safe distance, moving several steps behind him. Thankfully, it was a little chilly tonight so there weren’t a lot of people on the street, good, bad or in-between. I wasn’t really in the mood to come across another bunch of jackasses. Besides tonight, I didn’t have any masked vigilantes ready to save me. At least I didn’t think I did, though it was kinda a nice thought if he was in fact keeping an eye on me.

I’m not sure how long I’d been following him but eventually he staggered his way into the warehouse district. There were a lot of them in this city; this particular one was on the far side, away from the docks. It was a shadier warehouse block, where a lot of criminals have been known to operate. The cops knew all about it of course but it took numbers to take this place down and frankly they didn’t have them. My uncle was always complaining about the numbers. That’s why he sorta turned the other way when The Bat or other like inclined individuals took the law into their own hands. He was getting a lot of flack over it from the Mayor, City Council and the District Attorney. But as far as my uncle was concerned it didn’t matter how the city was getting cleaned up just as long as someone was doing it.

There was a bulky goon at the gate. When he saw Dad come stumbling up he groaned.

“Art, you’re drunk again” he grumbled.

“My fucking kid called the cops on me, give me a break.”

The goon shook his head. “Maybe you shouldn’t have whaled on him so much then, you jack ass.”

I kinda liked this guy, even if he was a thug.

“You letting me in or not?”

The goon frowned then unlocked the gate, letting Dad pass. I waited and watched, trying to see if I could find an opening. I knew there’d be no way I could go through the same way Dad did. I watched with a frown as he disappeared in between two of the large buildings. I was losing him. I cursed and scanned the fence. The fence was chain link, about ten feet high. If I tried to climb it, I’d make noise. I looked along the length of it, squinting in the dark. I found what I was looking for about ten feet from where the goon stood. There was a dumpster there. Why they put one next to a fence---on the outside---was beyond me. I guess these guys weren’t too smart.

I took a deep breath and made a run for it. I used to be so nimble on my feet when I was younger. That’s why I was such a good gymnast.

But over the years---without practice---I was really loud. Thankfully all the work at the Manor had helped nimble me up again. I hopped onto the dumpster, barely touching it with the balls of my feet before I flipped clean over the top of the fence. It was just like the vault, if just a tad bit higher. I made the landing on the other side too, not even making a sound. I stayed low and darted from the fence, the goon never even flinched.

I took off for the same gap my father disappeared through moments before. I made up for lost time by moving fast. I just caught him slipping into one of the many warehouses. There was a goon on the outside of this place too, even bigger than the one at the fence. But I had no intention of ever going near him. Instead, I made a quick dash for the side of the building, slipping along it in the dark. Whatever was stored in these places it left the whole area smelling like a sewer. I pinched my nose but that hardly helped to hold back the smell. It was sickening and I almost gagged twice. When I reached a metal ladder running along the side of the structure, I could have kissed it. Instead, I grabbed the first rung, testing to make sure it would hold my weight.

When I found that it was secure, I scurried up it like a spider.

When I got to the top, I found myself staring across a vast flat surface of concrete and more bad smell. But I didn’t pinch my nose; instead I climbed over the little wall and got my bearings. I looked about, the only light coming from one of the numerous skylights. I chose the closest and moved toward, following it like a beacon. I moved quick and low like before, sorta like the hero did in those old spy movies. Once I got to the grimy glass and wiped it with my sleeve, I was able to get a good look on the scene below. There were at least half a dozen men down there and a lot of wooden crates. Unfortunately from up here all I could see were the tops of their heads. I guess it was too much to hope that one of them might peek up and let me see his face.

Then I saw my father. He came stumbling into my range of view. Seconds after, the goon from the door followed. I leaned forward, pushing on the frame a bit. There was a section of the pane that seemed to move, so clearly it was meant to be opened. Now I could hear what they were saying below.

“Arthur” said one of the men, holding his arms out, looking like he was going to hug my father. “You don’t call, you don’t write.”

My Dad flinched when the guy put his hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Roman.”

Dad dropped his shoulders, clearly scared of this guy. I’ve never seen Dad scared of anyone. Whoever this Roman guy was he was clearly bad news.

Roman continued, still holding Dad’s shoulders. “Why don’t you tell me what happened yesterday?”

Dad looked scared. It felt good to see him cowering for once. “It was my damn kid. He’s a fag; I caught him dressed up like a sissy. I lost my temper; beat the snot out of him.”

“You and that temper” said the guy, Roman.

Dad nodded. “When I got back into the house he trashed the fucking place. Did a real number on it actually. It took me all night to sort through the mess and when I did…”

Roman finished. “That’s when you noticed the laptop was gone?”

My Dad nodded. “The little bastard took it.”

I’m not sure how I knew it but I knew that Roman wasn’t convinced. I couldn’t see his face but I could read it in his body language. His entire body looked real tense and when the hands on my father’s shoulders tightened down on them. Dad winced. It was clear that this Roman guy was really powerful and I’m not talking about strong either. He cast a glance at his goons and that’s all it took. Two of them came forward and grabbed Dad, pulling him out of Roman’s grasp. They pulled his arms behind his back and Roman laughed. That was definitely the laugh of a man who didn’t believe a word that my Dad said. Which is kinda a shame because it was the first time I’d ever heard my father being honest.

Roman slipped something on his hand and then punched Dad in the gut. I didn’t see what it was but when he pulled back for a second blow, I saw a glint of light off metal. I was transfixed as this thug went to work on my father. There was a bit of satisfaction at watching him finally getting the beating he rightly deserved. I was so transfixed by the scene below that I didn’t hear the roof’s second occupant approach until he was almost on top of me. I saw him out of the corner of my eye though. I also saw him raise his gun, pointing it at my head.

“Move a muscle, kid and you’re dead.”

I nodded, fear coursing through me. A lot of people say they wouldn’t be afraid in a situation like this but those are the people who can only talk about it. For the other people---the ones like me---I can say that I was extremely terrified. After all, it’s not every day that someone points a gun in your face. So I raised my hands, showing him that I was unarmed. I thought maybe if I could show him I wasn’t a threat he wouldn’t shoot me.

“I’m not here to cause any problems” I said, “I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d take a peek.”

Why in the hell was I being a wise ass to a man with a gun. Where was I getting the courage to speak at all?

The man didn’t say a thing. Instead, he motioned me away from the skylight with the gun. I obliged him quickly enough. Then he stepped around it, keeping the gun trained on me the whole time. This was usually the part in the story where the hero jumped the guy when he wasn’t paying attention. The two of them have a little scuffle and go crashing through the skylight. But this wasn’t a movie and there was no way a kid like me could ever get the upper hand on him. So instead, I let him back me up toward the ladder.

He pulled out a radio. “Frank, I found someone on the roof. I think it’s one of those vigilantes. Meet me at the bottom of the ladder.”

Vigilante? He thought I was like The Bat or the Roving Ravager. I guess I wasn’t giving him any reason to think otherwise; after all, I was wearing a hood and a mask. So I actually did look a little like one of them.

“I’m not spying on anyone. I thought there might be some action so I decided to take a peek.”

He scoffed. “Wearing a mask, kid?”

I shrugged. “It’s cold out.”

He motioned me away from the wall, taking a quick look over the side. I guess I could have used that split second to slam into him, knocking him over the edge. But there were two flaws to that plan. The first being that this wasn’t an action movie and I was a kid. The second being he had to be two hundred pounds heavier than I was and a lot bigger. Slamming into him probably would have done nothing but put me in a whole lot of hurt. So instead, I let him look over the edge. He turned back to me and smirked.

“Down the ladder, freak.”

I nodded, doing as he asked. As I started down the ladder, all I could think about was how stupid I was thinking that this was going to turn out any other way.

_________________________________

“What the hell is this?” asked a figure as I was pushed into the warehouse.

The place looked a lot bigger on the inside. After getting pushed rather violently through the door, I got a good look at my surroundings. There were a lot of wooden crates, stacked on top of one another in rows and of all different sizes. There were no labels so I couldn’t tell what was in any of them but it was clear that whatever they were, they were important. At least to the goons assembled here. Besides the two that pushed me in there were actually eight in a little sectioned off area, that’s not including my Dad. I locked eyes with him. He was the only one in the room on his knees. He was also the only one who probably looked a lot worse than he did when he walked in. His face was pretty battered and bloody and he was breathing heavily, barely able to hold his head up.

It was clear that they didn’t believe his story.

One of my companions finally spoke up. “We found him snooping around on the roof.”

The guy who spoke before frowned. He was about Dad’s age, his black haired slicked back. He was handsome, I suppose, in that sinister “I’m a mobster” kinda way. The same could be said about his suit. It was expensive, not as expensive as the ones Bruce had in his closet but pretty close. He wore gold cufflinks and appeared to be the only one in the room that wasn’t packing. At least he didn’t have a gun in his hand or the tell tale bulge of one underneath his coat.

“I think you’re a bit early kid,” he said with a laugh. “Halloween is next month.”

The others laughed. This guy did all the talking and now that he was doing more of it, I was now certain that this had to be Roman. It was nice to put a face to the top of the head.

Roman held up his hand and laughing died off immediately. Then he made a gesture. It didn’t’ take me long to figure out what that meant. My two companions came from behind me, grabbing me underneath my arms. They lifted me into the air, carrying me over into the center of the area. There was a chair there and they dropped me roughly into it. Then another guy came forward, grabbing my arms and pulling my hands violently behind my back. It hurt like a bitch and felt like he’d just wrenched my arms from their sockets. When he tied my hands there, the knots were so tight that they cut off my circulation. It was clear that the knot tier had done it before.

Roman looked to one of his other guys. “Rhino, take Arthur and make sure the cops find him.”

A massive wall of a man stepped forward. I looked up and up at him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any one so big before. The big guy grinned and reached down, wrapped a large hand on my Dad’s shoulder. He pulled him to his feet then tossed him easily over his shoulder. My Dad moaned but he showed no sign of struggling. I watched as the big guy---Rhino---carried my Dad out of the warehouse. A small part of me wished I could have seen what else might happen to him, hoping Rhino roughed him up a bit more.

“Now, what do we have here” said Roman, addressing me.

First, he flipped back my hood then he grabbed my mask, giving it a quick tug. He pulled it off my head, my hair cascading out of it. His men gasped, even he was taken back. Only for a second. I tried to look stern even though I was fucking terrified.

“It’s a girl,” one of his guys gasped.

“No” said another quickly. “It’s Brown’s kid. I’ve seen him come and go.”

I cursed inwardly and searched the faces. I recognized one of them as the guy I bumped into the other day coming down our stairs. Why I hadn’t seen him when I first came in, I don’t know.

Roman smiled. “Following your Daddy, little boy?” He reached forward and grabbed my chin, turning my face this way and that. “Or is it little girl?”

His men laughed. “Only to make sure he ended up in jail.”

Roman smirked, touching my bruised face. “He did do a number on you.” He shook his head, letting me go. “It’s a shame too, because I bet it was a real pretty face, even for a boy.”

He bent down so that he was looking me eye to eye. “Steven, isn’t it?” I didn’t say anything. He smiled. “Your father told quite a tale here tonight, I’m sure you heard most of it. He seems to think that you trashed his place and then you took something of his, something of great value.”

Once again, I didn’t say a thing. There was no way I was letting this scum get his laptop back.

Roman shook his head. “It’s not nice to take things that don’t belong to you.”

He straightened back up and made a gesture. I flinched, half expecting to get the same beating that my father got. But it never came. Instead, I heard a snap sound and something that sounded an awful lot like a blowtorch. I had no idea what was going on because whatever it was, it was happening behind me. Though I did see someone pass a crowbar behind me. I fidgeted in my seat, working my hands, trying to loosen the knots. All it seemed to do was cause pain. I could feel the ropes cutting into my arms, rubbing them raw, causing them to bleed. Whatever was going on behind me was going on far too long for my taste. I wasn’t sure if it was meant to scare me or something much more sinister.

I got my answer a few minutes later.

I saw the crowbar passed to Roman and my eyes bulged out of my head. The end of it, not the curved end but the other---was red hot. They were using the blowtorch to heat up the metal and now they were going to---Oh God. I kicked and squirmed, trying my hardest to get away. Roman smirked, bringing the burning hot implement closer and closer to my face.

“I’ll pull it away as soon as you tell me where my laptop is,” he said, the crowbar about five inches from my cheek.

I could feel the heat from it, it was burning my cheek.

“I don’t know where it is” I lied bravely.

Brave to the end, until that thing burns out one of my eyes.

Roman smirked and shook his head. He moved the crowbar closer. I lashed out in one last ditch attempt to save myself. I’m not really sure what happened or how I did it. But I managed to push off the ground with the ball of my foot, sliding the chair back. Roman stumbled, shocked. Then I lashed out with my other foot, kicking the crowbar away. Unfortunately for him I kicked it right at his face. The burning hot end hit him directly across the left side of it. He screamed out in pain. It was blood curdling, like I’d never heard before. My slide ended and I fell backwards just as he dropped the crowbar on the ground. Roman was writhing about, clutching his face. All his men were trying to help him; none of them were paying attention to where the crowbar went.

I was now on my back, still tied to the damn chair. But I saw where the makeshift poker was. It fell sideways, landing against one of the boxes. I watched in awe as it burned through the wood. Then in terror when it set fire whatever was inside---I think it was straw. When the box burst into flames, the fire jumping to the one next to it---Roman’s men finally noticed. They grabbed their boss and pulled the writhing man to his feet. They half carried half dragged him toward the exit. Me they left, as the flames tore around me quickly.

I tried pulling my hands out of the ropes but it was no use. The flames were roaring around me now, many of the boxes ablaze. The fire was starting toward the walls and roof. It would only be a matter of time before the whole place went up. I twisted and turned, trying my hardest to get free. But no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t do it. The flames danced around me, moving closer and closer. I could feel them at my feet, melting the rubber of my shoes. I kicked and tried to roll away but it was no use. Then the smoke came, black and gagging. I started to cough. It stung my eyes and made things difficult. But I wasn’t about to give up. I closed my eyes and had one thought, one last ditch effort. It was crazy and it would hurt like hell but I didn’t have a choice. I wanted to take a deep breath but I didn’t. Instead, I opened my eyes and rolled toward the flames. I made sure that I got my back into them, hoping that most of it was concentrated on my hands. As soon as I felt it, I rolled away, the chair and my clothes on fire. I rolled and kicked, trying my hardest to get free.

I’m not sure how or when it happened but my hands came free. I could have screamed “Thank God”, but instead I pulled them out of the charred ropes and got a good look at them. I half expected to see charred, burned flesh but they were fine. In fact they looked better than fine. The skin was softer and my fingers more slender. I blinked back tears then pushed myself out of the chair. I patted at my smoldering clothes, my hoodie all but burnt off me. Then I got to my feet and staggered through the flames. I had no idea where I was going but anywhere was better than here. I felt strange as I walked, heavier in my chest, lighter in other places. I figured maybe it was the stress. After all, I was nearly burned alive.

The flames and smoke obscured my view and I found myself walking right into a wall. I cursed and looked around. The only exit I saw was at least ten feet up, a window. It was a vertical climb straight up, far too high for me to jump. But something came over me, something unnatural. I looked behind me, saw a burning wall of boxes about to go crashing down and took my chance. When I jumped at them I felt more flexible and agile than I’d felt in years. When my feet sprung off the boxes then, I felt alive and free. Then I hit the wall, running up it like a cat. When I reached the window, I smashed the glass with my elbow and looked out.

The ground was at least ten feet away. I was about to jump when the wall of boxes fell behind me, tumbling right toward me from behind. They slammed into the wall, sending me flying out the window. The last thing I saw before everything went black was the ground rushing toward me.

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