THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS
xxvi. THE POINT OF NO RETURN
❝HAVE FAITH, ANASTASIA.❞

IT WAS TIMES LIKE THIS BRUCE WAYNE REMEMBERED he was flesh and blood, feeling the air escape his lungs as the impact of the gunshot hit his chest. His suit had absorbed most of the impact, but bruises were bound to color his skin. The ringing continued in his ears, but he could begin to make out the individual voices of Lieutenant Gordon and the officers as they approached.

He had seen it coming, knowing she was going to shoot from the moment her finger touched the trigger. But, he hadn't been fast enough to avoid the blast. Still, he had managed to reach into his utility belt and take out a tranquilizer dart he reserved for the Infected. The dosage may have been too high for Anastasia, but it wasn't lethal. She had fallen at the same moment as him and that left the GCPD officers confused about what had happened. It was the best outcome, considering any other action would have injured an officer from her shotgun blast or they would have opened fire on his wife. He turned to look in her direction, seeing her laid on the ground with her eyes closed. The shotgun had been knocked out of her hand, a few feet away as smoke left the barrel. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, providing him with relief. Still alive.

Batman slowly rose to his full height, ignoring the hand Gordon had extended for him. The older man cleared his throat, lowering his hand as he noticed the damage done to his suit. A wince appeared upon his features, sighing. "You alright?"

"Handcuff her," he said instead, brushing off Gordon's concern. He could feel the ache in his chest, hearing Alfred's voice echo in his ear as he asked if he was alright too. But, it wasn't something he could focus on. "We don't know how long we have till the drug wears off."

Gordon nodded to his officers, giving them permission to approach Anastasia. They were hesitant, sparing glances between one another before they did as they were told. After handcuffing her wrists, a team of paramedics approached to put her on a gurney before taking her toward an ambulance. Civilians lingered around the mouth of the alley, trying to get a peak of what was happening inside but they were held back by a few more officers that arrived at the scene. Hopefully, no one would be able to piece together who the GCPD had arrested.

"Look, Batman," Gordon broke the silence, causing him to look in the Lieutenant's direction. He wore an uncomfortable expression, keeping his eyes in the direction of the ambulance as its lights illuminated the alley red. "We can't take her to the hospital."

He frowned, waiting for Gordon to elaborate. With the injuries he had spotted on Anastasia in the few seconds he had looked at her, it would be best if she got treatment as soon as possible.

"We have reasonable suspicion to believe she's infected," Gordon muttered, reaching into his pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. His exhaustion showed on his face, knowing how preoccupied he had been with the Infected cases and Mayor Dent on his case along with the new military presence. It took him a moment to light it, putting it to his lips before he let the smoke settle in his lungs. With a slow exhale, he continued to speak as his hands steadied. "We can't introduce that to the hospitals again, not after what happened last time━━"

Last time. It had happened a week ago. Three infected patients had been brought to Gotham General hospital, spending hours in the E.R. before they had lost their minds. In the struggle, two doctors and six nurses had lost their lives. The police were given shoot-to-kill orders when they arrived, shooting down the three infected patients. It was the event that led Mayor Dent to rely on heavy private military presence throughout the city. It was the military's job to hunt down the Children of Arkham and find an end to the virus. Within two days, all of Gotham was under martial law with a strict curfew of midnight. Checkpoints were located on every other street, monitoring the people who came through. Leaving the city required strict rules and entering the city was near impossible. All suspected Infected people were taken to the GCPD and tested for the virus. If it was negative, they would be allowed to leave. If it was positive, they were taken to Arkham Asylum where the scientists worked hard to create a cure. Despite all the new rules, conditions continued to worsen in Gotham.

"━━the best we can do is take her to GCPD headquarters," Gordon continued to speak, drawing Batman's attention again. He had burned through half of his cigarette, watching as the officers dealt with the public. "Keep her in an isolated room, run a test and see if it comes back positive."

Batman nodded, agreeing with Gordon's plan. The virus couldn't be allowed to spread, considering so much about it was unknown and it was lethal. It was a rot against the city, one he had no idea how to stop it yet. "Sounds like the best course of action," he said, following Gordon toward his police car. "Lead the way."

"You want to stay for this one?" Gordon asked, looking back at him with a curious expression. The two of them reached his car, ignoring the public that snapped photographs of the two of them. It was a surprise the news outlets hadn't arrived at the scene yet.

"Yes, this isn't just any other Infected case," he responded with a nod, hearing the click as the car unlocked from a press of a button. "She's been missing for two weeks, possibly taken by the Children of Arkham. There's a lot we can learn from her, perhaps even the base of operations or more about the Children's leader. And if not about them, we can learn more about the virus."

Gordon nodded, dropping the cigarette to the ground before snuffing it out with his foot. "Well, I'm glad you're tagging along for this one," he said, opening the driver's door as Batman did the same with the passenger door. There was more he could learn from Gordon, opting to go with him rather than traveling to the GCPD on his own. "It's a high-profile case, considering everyone in Gotham knows who Anastasia Lovejoy-Wayne is. The media will be all over this once they find out she's in police custody. Not to mention, her husband who'll cause trouble once he finds out too."

It was unusual riding in the passenger seat of Gordon's police car, considering he awkwardly fit in there. His suit took up most of the room, forcing him to move the seat back to fit. Still, both men tried to clear the awkwardness in the air as they chose to speak about the case instead. He watched Gordon from the corner of his eyes. "So, how'd you find her?"

"Well, the first responding officers were following up on a call that stated they heard gunshots throughout the street. It's typical for Gotham, unfortunately," Gordon muttered, stopping the car at a red light. "From there, they found her wandering in the streets stuck in some kind of delusion as she fired her shotgun at anything that moved. It's a miracle she didn't get anyone killed. After that, we were in pursuit for some time before we cornered her in that alley."

"Anything before that?" he asked, wanting to know as much as possible. "How'd she end up on the streets? Where'd she get the gun?"

"So, one of the officers at the station tracked her movements through surveillance cameras set up throughout the city and the first sign of her is at the mainland near Bristol," Gordon explained, causing a frown to set on Batman's features. She was first seen somewhere near Bristol? Why not head to Wayne Manor, considering it was closer than Gotham? It seemed that Gordon had the same thoughts. "I'm surprised she headed toward Gotham and not Wayne Manor. It would have been a shorter walk. Instead, she walked fourteen miles to the city."

"She walked?"

"Yeah, she was spotted on a dirt road along the coastline first," Gordon explained, driving again. There was traffic, he could see the car next to them staring at him in surprise. But, he ignored the strange looks. "It's grainy footage, no street lights so it's hard to make out what's going on. But, uh, there was a white van and it looked as if she was thrown out. For several minutes, she just laid there. Probably unconscious. Once she wakes up, she picks up the shotgun and starts to head into the city. They kept tracking her and it's all just erratic behavior."

"Then?"

"Once she got into the city, something in her behavior changed," Gordon said, sighing. "Like I said before, she began to shoot at anything that came too close. People called the police, our officers came onto the scene and tried to apprehend her but she shot at them too."

"She fired at the officers?"

"She did," Gordon replied, but then he hummed as he shrugged. "Well, she didn't fire at them. More so, she fired into the air. It was most likely an attempt to scare them off. After that, they chased her and cornered her in that alleyway until we all arrived. Then, you show up and save her life. Those officers would have killed her."

"The van," he said, changing the topic. He didn't want to think of what would have happened if he had arrived too late, not wanting to imagine how he had almost lost her when he had just gotten her back. "Do we know who it belonged to? Was it the Children of Arkham?"

Gordon shrugged. "Not sure, still running plates. We can only make out the first three digits in the footage, unfortunately. They left the scene rather quickly, heading away from the city."

"Are we sure she was in the van?" he asked, wanting to know if they were Anastasia's captors or if this was a case of a hit-and-run. After all, they still didn't know where Laura was and it's possible the drivers of the vehicle may know.

"Well, she didn't appear out of thin air," Gordon muttered, not wanting to think of the possibility of someone just appearing in front of a van. But after the two weeks they had, he couldn't disprove anything anymore. "She had to have been. There's no other possibility."

Batman frowned, thinking.

━━ ━━ ━━

ALL EYES WERE ON THEM AS THEY ENTERED THE GCPD HEADQUARTERS, being greeted by friendly and disapproving expressions. Consensus was that working with Batman would prove useful for the GCPD in the case of the unknown virus and the Children of Arkham, but a lot of people still disagreed working alongside a vigilante. Mayor Dent was one of the first to voice his concerns, but he allowed the alliance to happen... for now. News was hidden from the public, including any new information about the virus. However, rumors spread fast in Gotham and panic began to brew within the citizens. But, there was no concrete evidence of anything sinister happening other than the military presence and strict midnight curfew.

"Come on," Gordon said, ordering Batman to follow close behind as they watched the paramedics take Anastasia into the infirmary. "It's best if we're in the room with the medics. If she truly is infected, they won't be able to handle her if she wakes up. We've seen the Infected eat bullets like it's nothing. We can't take the risk."

He nodded. "I understand."

The infirmary was cold and bright, a stark difference from all the blood they dragged in. The two paramedics moved Anastasia from the gurney to the medical table. A doctor stood close by, writing a few notes down. She turned, looking over Anastasia before she dismissed the paramedics. "So, we've found the missing Mrs. Wayne," the doctor commented, lifting one of Anastasia's eyelids to flash a light. She hummed, writing it down in her notes. "So, what am I treating?"

"Whatever injuries she might have gotten before we found her," Gordon informed, leaning against the cabinets as he watched the doctor do her work. Batman stood beside him, rigid and stern. "We can't take her to the hospital, Doctor Moore. She might be infected, need to run a test."

"I see..." the doctor muttered, mood immediately changing at the mention of Anastasia being infected. "We're seeing more and more infected cases these days, Lieutenant. Feels like you're bringing me a new one every day."

Gordon sighed, shaking his head. "We're doing our best, but it's still something we're struggling to understand."

"Don't I know it," Doctor Moore responded.

Slowly, she lifted Anastasia up to remove the leather jacket she wore. It wasn't the same clothing she wore when she had disappeared, he noticed. Underneath, she wore a green top stained with a deep red. He recognized the faded band symbol on the shirt. It was a rock band, one of things that always surprised him was Anastasia's taste in music. She enjoyed the typical pop and indie music, but he would always catch her blasting rock music everywhere she went. Though, he couldn't be too surprised from what she had told him about her past and the time where she worked closely with a band.

"You can see the impact of when she fell out of the van," Gordon pointed out, staring at the gash covering most of her right arm. The leather jacket had taken the brunt of the damage, but bruises had already begun to form on her skin.

"She's lucky nothing seems broken," Doctor Moore commented, pressing down on various places along Anastasia's arm. "We won't be sure until we get an x-ray done, but I don't see much except surface injuries."

"What about all the blood?" Gordon asked, seeing how it stained most of her clothing. It had dried over time, but it still looked fresh. It must have been some time from the last day or two, but it was difficult to tell without the proper forensic tests.

The doctor frowned, shifting around Anastasia's clothing to see if there were any injuries they couldn't see. But, her search found nothing. "I don't think the blood belongs to her."

Her words caused Batman and Gordon to share a look.

Doctor Moore did the best she could, treating most of Anastasia's injuries and wrapping them in fresh bandages. He couldn't help but notice all the new scars that littered her skin. He didn't know what she had suffered during the last two weeks, but he was sure to bring her captors to justice. Too much had happened for him to standby, it was time to take direct action. Hopefully, he could learn a lot from Anastasia and she would be able to uncover new leads for him to follow.

"I need to draw some blood so we can test it for the virus," Doctor Moore informed, getting her supplies ready. She held two empty vials and a needle. She gave them a playful smile, tilting her head. "One of you wants to hold her down? In case she wakes up, I don't want her biting me."

Batman approached, holding onto Anastasia's left arm as the doctor applied a tourniquet. He watched her face, looking for even the slightest movement to indicate she was waking up. But, the tranquilizer should still be taking an effect. It usually took victims hours to wake up, but the Infected were unpredictable. But, even as the needle entered her skin, she didn't react.

"There," Doctor Moore whispered, looking at the blood in the two vials she had collected. Batman eased his hold on Anastasia's arm, watching as the doctor placed a bandage at the needle site and removed the tourniquet. She turned her attention back to the vials. "I'll send this to the lab for testing. We'll know in a few hours or so."

Gordon nodded. "Thank you, Doctor."

After the doctor's visit, Anastasia was taken to one of the interrogation rooms. The lights were dimmed except for a single lightbulb above that filled the room with pale yellow lighting. Gordon hooked her handcuffs to a bar bolted onto the table, making sure she would have limited mobility if she did awaken. With all the Infected they had encountered, they couldn't take another risk ━━ even if it was Anastasia. A heavy sigh left Gordon's lips, placing a blanket around Anastasia's shoulders. She was still asleep, no signs of waking up any time soon.

"Not the way I was hoping for this to turn out," Gordon muttered, the two of them leaving the interrogation room. He locked the door behind him, not wanting anyone to enter without his permission. They entered the room adjacent, able to watch Anastasia through a one-way mirror. "We still don't know where Laura Moretti is."

"It's possible she knows," Batman said, keeping his eyes focused on Anastasia. He had been so focused on her that he had forgotten to think of where Laura was. His mind wandered to Selina, knowing how angry she would be at the thought of Laura still being missing.

Gordon shoved his hands into his trench coat's pocket. "Hopefully, we find her alive."

"Unlikely."

It hadn't been him to speak. They looked back, seeing Detective Rafe Gideon standing in the doorway dressed in a dark-wash pair of jeans paired with a white shirt and a leather jacket. His choice of clothing was similar to the one Anastasia wore, but his badge was proudly displayed on his jacket. He walked inside, wearing a small smirk as he took in Batman's presence. Detective Gideon had been put in charge of the investigation into Anastasia Lovejoy-Wayne and Laura Moretti while Lieutenant Gordon was in charge of all Infected cases. In this instant, their cases overlapped and neither looked too happy to see the other. Rafe held a file in his hands, placing it down on the table. He didn't open it yet.

"We found Anastasia," Rafe commented, stealing a glance at the sleeping woman in the other room. "I was suspecting to find Laura Moretti first, considering she's worthless compared to a woman worth literal millions ━━ if not billions. Mrs. Wayne is more valuable to her captors. If they let her go or if she escaped, then they would have no use for Moretti."

Gordon crossed his arms, glaring at Rafe. "We can't assume she is dead yet."

Rafe ignored Gordon's comment, turning on the monitor hanging on the wall instead. It showed Anastasia's information for a moment before Rafe selected a video, pulling up the surveillance footage of Anastasia's first sighting. It was only from one angle, but they could see the speeding van and the point Anastasia fell out and hit the ground. From the angle, they couldn't see the van door opening nor could they get a close look at who was in the van. And, as Gordon had said earlier, they could only make out three of the license plate numbers. The van had stopped for a few moments, but had sped off down the dark street. After a few minutes, Anastasia had awoken and picked up the shotgun. She didn't react to the pain, even when she walked with a limp.

"Suspicious, don't you think?" Rafe asked, rewinding the footage to a point where the van was in focus. He clicked his tongue, looking at Anastasia through the one-way mirror. "She was thrown out at sixty miles per hour, that should have killed her. But, she brushed it off like it was nothing."

"That's why we believe she is infected," Gordon added, drawing Rafe's attention again. Batman could tell there was history between the two of them, bitter feelings that manifested in their tone. "Invulnerability to pain and pair that with her erratic behavior, she fits the description of every Infected we've seen so far."

"Whose blood do you think she's covered in?" Rafe asked, noting how the ends of her blonde hair were stained red. His tone was playful, rather than investigative. Almost as if he was enjoying the situation, finding it to be entertaining. "I spoke to Doctor Moore and she said it isn't hers. So, I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking Anastasia killed someone... or something."

"We don't know anything yet," Gordon said, shaking his head. He didn't outright disagree, but didn't want to make any assumptions yet. "We have to wait for her to wake up."

"I have a few theories," Rafe said, opening the case file to look over his extensive notes. Detective Rafe Gideon was an ambitious man, always solving all of his cases through his aggressive methods. He was one of GCPD's finest detectives, but his pompous attitude was what constantly got him in trouble.

"What are they?" It had been Batman to ask instead.

"Well, the first one is simple," Rafe began, smirking at him as he urged him to come look at his notes. He stayed where he was, watching him through narrowed eyes. He had experience with Detective Gideon, having spoken to him as Bruce multiple times throughout the past two weeks. "Her captors held her until she showed signs of the infection and then decided to get rid of her. Maybe she got too dangerous to hold."

There was a flaw in that theory, considering her captors would have known about the infection from the moment they picked up Anastasia and Laura. They were picked up at the Charlotte Hotel, and fought off an Infected. The virus was transferred through blood, something they had quickly noticed. It was a blood disease, rather than a brain one as they originally thought. They always knew from the beginning it was a possibility that Anastasia or Laura may be infected. But, until the blood results came back, they didn't want to assume anything.

It seemed Gordon had the same thought process. "Why take them in the first place? They would have known they were infected."

"If it's the Children of Arkham like we originally theorized, who knows the reason?" Rafe shrugged, frowning. "But, what we do know for now is that Wayne's captors have no need for her anymore. It's very likely Moretti is already dead and it might be her blood Wayne is covered in."

"We don't have proof of that," Gordon sighed, rubbing his temples in clear annoyance.

"Not yet, but we can test the blood on her clothing. We have Moretti's DNA in the system already. If it's a match, it opens up a new line of questioning," Rafe countered, flipping the page in his notes. He was organized, having given a lot of thought into the case. "Second theory, she isn't infected at all. Just in a state of trauma, leading her to behave in this manner."

He walked toward the window, staring at the unconscious Anastasia. She hadn't moved since they had left her there, the only sign of her still being alive was the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders.

"Trauma is common in cases of abductions," Rafe continued to speak, clasping his hands together. For a moment, pity laced his voice as he regarded Anastasia. "Until she wakes up, we have no way of knowing what she endured during the past two weeks. In the footage I watched of her in the city, she looked terrified. She ran from the cops, instead of charging toward them to kill. She shot her gun into the air, making sure not to hurt anyone. And, the bodycam footage from the officers showed she still had her speech and motor skills. Infected don't talk. They behave like animals, prepared to kill. Anastasia didn't behave like that."

"I suppose you're right," Gordon muttered, mulling over Rafe's words. "But, there are stages to this infection, Rafe. The Infected quarantined at Arkham Asylum are in a similar state. It takes time for the infection to spread and then... They're put down when the patient has reached the point of no return."

"It's possible she is infected, I'm not denying that. It's theory number one for a reason," he said, facing Gordon with a grin. "But, we can't put all our stakes in her being infected. We need to be prepared for anything."

Infection meant a death sentence, it was one Bruce wasn't willing to accept. But, he needed to be prepared for the possibility. He couldn't allow his emotions to take over, not like they did at the debate. He needed to be Batman, not Bruce Wayne who was mourning his wife's disappearance. Batman didn't know Anastasia. He needed to do what was needed to protect Gotham. He needed to treat this like any other case, any other person. He couldn't look at her and see Anastasia, the woman he loved. Personal feelings couldn't cloud him. Not now. He needed to be Batman, prepared for anything.

"Last theory," Rafe said, walking back to his case file to flip the page. This time, he turned it around to show them information about Anastasia's life. "Trouble seems to follow this girl around, probably for a reason. First, we have everything that happened with her father but that was chalked up to self-defense. Next, we have her association with Carmine Falcone. The Lovejoy Corp hotels were built on money provided by him. Allegedly, of course."

The three of them hovered over the case file, looking over the meticulous details Rafe had gathered during his investigation. He had dug deep into Anastasia's life, trying to find suspects and motives from any corner he could find. Most of the information Bruce had already known, considering he kept his own file of Anastasia's past on the hard drive of his computer. Along with the documents she had found, he was able to slowly connect the dots of the past. Rafe was missing a lot of information, but his assumptions were correct. Carmine Falcone, William Lovejoy, Hamilton Hill, and Thomas Wayne were all in league with one another as they took over Gotham. Now, all of them were dead ━━ victims of their own creation.

"Then, we have her encounter with Doctor Rupert Franklin. He fatally injured himself after their private talk in his office. Is that really a coincidence?" Rafe pointed out, pointing to the copy of Doctor Franklin's death certificate. "And most recently on the day of their disappearance, we have her and Miss Moretti posing as college students and sneaking into Arkham Asylum. For what? We still don't know. At sundown, we have them tracked to the Stacked Deck where they met with known associates of Falcone ━━ Emmett Novak and Erina Sato. Both of which have rap sheets a mile long with multiple warrants out for their arrest."

"What's the point you're trying to make, Rafe?" Gordon asked, raising a brow. Both of them knew the point that Rafe was trying to make ━━ Anastasia was guilty of a crime and this was all a set-up.

"Anastasia Lovejoy-Wayne is not as innocent as she looked," Rafe shrugged, looking down at his notes again with a frown. He had the most notes compiled for third theory, meaning it must be the one that he believed in. "She's been 'kidnapped' for two weeks and she just appears out of nowhere with minimal injuries━━"

"She's skin and bones, Rafe," Gordon pointed out, sparing another glance in Anastasia's direction. She was covered in multiple bandages, but the two of them had seen her injuries. And, if she was truly infected, she would be healing rapidly. Even Bruce could admit that Anastasia looked much more frail than she was before, meaning she hadn't been properly fed in the past two weeks. Her skin was pale, almost colorless as if she hadn't seen the sun in a long time. She looked sick... almost as if she was infected. "You can't look at me and say that she hasn't been through hell."

"Yes, we covered that in theory two," Rafe scoffed, rolling his eyes as he slammed the case file shut. He crossed his arms, giving Gordon a pointed look. "Aren't you listening at all? I thought we wanted to cover all our bases."

Gordon grumbled, sparing a glance in Batman's direction. However, he didn't do much but remained emotionless as he continued to listen to the both of them. In fact, he had his own theories of what had happened and some of them did align with Rafe's. But, he didn't want to comment until they had spoken to Anastasia and gotten the test results back.

"Fine," Gordon muttered, pointing to the case file. "Say whatever it is you want to say."

"Well, as I was saying. Anastasia Lovejoy-Wayne is a goldmine and who in their right mind would let her go? One ransom note and her abductors could have been rich. But, we got nothing," Rafe said, opening the case file again. This time, it opened to a page about the Children of Arkham and their spending habits. "Where do you think the Children of Arkham are getting their funding?"

"Are you saying she is a part of it all?" Batman asked, clenching his jaw at the accusation Rafe was so easily throwing around. "Of the Children of Arkham? Of the virus?"

"It's possible with her... history. Her father lived a life of crime. So does her husband, Bruce Wayne and the generations before him. But, for more concrete evidence... We have Emmett Novak in custody because of you, Batman, and he revealed his involvement with the Children of Arkham after Falcone was murdered," Rafe replied, giving him an innocent smile. From the case file, he pulled out Emmett Novak's statement and slid it across the table to him. He caught it, skimming the pages as Rafe continued to speak. "He revealed that Anastasia was willing to pay him off, offering him five million dollars. She has money to throw around. We caught Novak, but are there any other members of the Children that Anastasia has paid off? Ones we haven't caught yet."

"That is suspicious... Perhaps, we can have another look at the company's accounts to see if any money has been shifted around," Gordon muttered, scratching at his beard. "But, if Anastasia is working with the Children of Arkham, why would they try to kill her at the debate?"

And, she was drugged at the charity gala by the Children of Arkham one night before her disappearance. But, Batman couldn't point that out. After all, Bruce Wayne had never filed a police report and he hadn't taken her to the hospital. He had created the antidote himself and administered it. Watched her all night to make sure her condition didn't worsen, all by himself. Perhaps, he should have taken her to the hospital and gotten it on a public record. But, there would be more evidence to exonerate Anastasia. He couldn't believe she would be working with the same people he was trying to take down.

"I was stumped at that too," Rafe said, nodding at Gordon. It seemed as if the two of them were slowly finding themselves on the same team, agreeing with one another. "But, I think her recruitment happened afterward. The Children of Arkham gained access to military-grade weaponry and Wayne Tech after the debate."

"But, Bruce Wayne called us and told us about the breach in security," Gordon pointed out, staring at Rafe's notes. "We got rid of most of our Wayne Tech, but replacements have been coming in slow and we don't have a lot of funding. Some of his tech is still being used throughout the station."

"It could have been a ploy to gain trust with the GCPD," Rafe commented, writing down Gordon's words on a spare corner on the paper. "I was thinking the shooting at the debate could have been a set-up too. Penguin shoots Hill in the head, but then he non-fatally shoots her? She survived her injuries with ease."

"Penguin didn't kill Mayor Dent either," Gordon mumbled, poking holes at Rafe's theory to see how much traction they truly held.

"Yes, but he was immediately stopped by Batman," Rafe reminded, sparing at glance at Batman's direction. He stood by the one-way mirror, watching Anastasia instead. He still listened, of course. But, he refused to put in any more input till he had more information. "Penguin had plenty of time to kill Anastasia, but chose not to. Instead, he walked away and allowed Batman to save her life. He could have shot her in the head, but he needed her. Thus, her recruitment into the Children of Arkham. Hell, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe, he threatened her and forced her to join."

"It's too circumstantial, Rafe," Gordon clicked his tongue, shaking his head. But, he still had listened to the whole theory and seemed to somewhat believe in it himself. "What theory are you leaning toward the most?"

"A mix of all three, I suppose." Rafe grinned, shrugging his shoulders as he closed the case file and held it close. He looked toward the window, chuckling when he noticed Anastasia's fingers begin to twitch. Batman had noticed the change in her breathing, knowing it wouldn't be long till the tranquilizer wore off. "Looks like she's waking up, it's showtime."

"Rafe, wait," Gordon said, knowing the detective hadn't dealt with Infected individuals firsthand yet. "She could be infected."

"Please, Jim, she's handcuffed to a metal table that's bolted to the ground. She can't escape from that," Rafe said, chuckling. He held his hand out. "Give me the keys."

"Fine," Gordon muttered, pulling the keys out of his coat pocket before handing them to Rafe. "It's possible she might not be infected at all, but still take caution. We won't know for sure until we get her test results back."

Rafe shot the man a wink, grinning. "You almost sound concerned for me, Jimmy."

He left the room with the keys, but he didn't appear in the other room for a few minutes. They watched in silence as the minutes passed, frowning only when they heard the lock rattling and Rafe entered. He held his files in one hand and a bowl of what looked like chicken-noodle soup ━━ something he undoubtedly grabbed from the break room. He placed it in front of Anastasia, tapping the table a few times to get her attention. But, she remained asleep. It wouldn't be long till she was fully lucid.

Rafe looked toward them, shrugging even if he couldn't see them. He took a seat across from Anastasia, starting to go through the paperwork. After a few more minutes, a soft groan left Anastasia's lips. The handcuffs rattled against the metal bar as she tugged at them. She began to move, slowly ━━ very slowly ━━ lifting her head.

"Morning, Princess," Rafe said, giving her a small smile as he waved a hand in her face. She didn't seem to register it, seemingly staring at nothing as she swayed. He gestured to the bowl. "I bet you're hungry. I got you some soup."

With her sitting up, he could access her condition with ease. The first thing that stood out to him was how sickly pale her skin had gotten. It didn't hold its natural glow anymore, appearing dull and dry. She must have been kept somewhere dark for the past two weeks, perhaps underground or a basement. A dark room? For her sake, he hoped that wasn't the case. She didn't need a repeat of her past traumas caused by her father. Her hair was longer, he realized. But, it could be his eyes playing tricks on him. Blood still coated the ends of her hair, but she didn't seem to notice... or care.

He pushed the bowl toward her, offering her a warm smile.

Anastasia did nothing, staring past Rafe. She didn't acknowledge his presence. Nor did she acknowledge where she was. Perhaps, the tranquilizer was still wearing off.

Rafe didn't say anything further, looking through the file. They expected Anastasia to peek at what he was doing in curiosity, but a few silent minutes passed. She did nothing, didn't move a muscle. Rafe frowned, looking at her expressionless features. He pointed to her soup. "Are you gonna eat that? It's getting cold."

Again, she did not respond. She wore a dazed expression, almost as if she wasn't there. Almost as if they were staring at an empty shell.

Rafe shrugged, pulling the bowl to him before he began to eat the soup himself. This continued for a few more minutes and he could see Anastasia slowly come back to reality. She looked uncomfortable as she watched the man across from her, subtly tugging at her handcuffs. But, she was aware enough to not make any noise to alert Rafe. But, Batman and Gordon watched her every move.

"Do you think I should call her husband and let him know we found her or...?" Gordon hesitantly began, earning Batman's attention. The older man looked uncomfortable at the thought, shaking his head. "If she's infected, she's just going to end up being quarantined at Arkham and all the patients so far... Well... They've all died a few weeks after the initial infection. All the doctors can do at the moment is make them comfortable and lessen the mutation, so they still die as... humans. Not as monsters."

It was the truth. Everyone infected died, even Eric Sato in his frozen state was slowly dying. The only ones who didn't seem to perish were the ones wandering the streets. They vanished during the day and only appeared at night, hiding somewhere unknown still. Lucius had mentioned some anomalies underground, perhaps that was where the Infected had built a nest. But, the final form of the infection was still unknown. They found a few areas, mostly basements where fungus and vines had grown haphazardly with spores entering the air. It took people in hazmat suits to go in and clear it out, finding an Infected buried deep within the fungus growth in a state of sleep. They were always captured, but too far gone to be considered a human being. They always died after being brought to Arkham, 'put down' as the Doctors liked to say. It was a blood disease, but it behaved in a way that wasn't normal. He had run test after test, finding elements within the DNA that was not from their world. He couldn't explain it, nor could anyone else. The best they could do was end the infected person's life before the virus mutated into something they couldn't control. If Anastasia was infected, he couldn't let her die. That wasn't a possibility he wanted to consider. He would need to prep another cryo chamber, put her in there and work until he found a cure. But, every test failed. It all continued to fail. Over and over again, driving him with rage and frustration. Something was missing. He just didn't know what yet.

"Batman?"

"Let's not worry the husband yet," he replied, shaking his head at Gordon. Calling Bruce Wayne to the scene would help no one, especially not Anastasia. She didn't need him. He couldn't help her. The only person who could help her now was Batman. He was the one who needed to find a cure, find a way to stop the Children of Arkham, make Gotham safe again. "We don't need him here, causing trouble."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Gordon agreed, humming. He looked at the time on his watch, sighing when he realized it was close to midnight. It would be another late night for all of them, something they had all gotten used to in the past two weeks. It made him think of Alfred on the other end of the comms, still listening. He had been silent the whole time, but Bruce knew Alfred was always listening. "I'm sure he'll use some loophole and find a way to take her home. Then, we'll find all of their dead bodies mangled up in their manor."

Batman looked in Gordon's direction, frowning.

Gordon cleared his throat. "Well, if she's infected."

"If she's infected, I can take her with me," he said, keeping a straight face as he stared at Gordon. "Keep her stable till I find a cure."

"No," Gordon said, refusing his offer. It made him clench his jaw, feeling a twinge of irritation but he hid it well. "You are already breaking the law by having one of the Infected locked up... wherever you live... But, we need to follow protocol now. Everyone knows we have Anastasia Lovejoy-Wayne in custody, especially since news travels fast in Gotham. I'm surprised Mayor Dent hasn't shown up, especially after he claimed to be in love with her after the debate."

The mention of Harvey Dent made him bite his tongue, holding back the things he wanted to say about the man. He didn't know what he would have done if the man had shown up, refusing to work alongside him. But if it was for the betterment of Gotham, perhaps he could put aside his differences. He still didn't want that man near Anastasia.

"She has to go to Arkham Asylum, quarantine for two weeks like everyone else. If she gets better, great. If she doesn't, she'll share the same fate as the rest of them," Gordon muttered, sighing. "Everyone has eyes on us, Batman. We can't screw this up."

Batman didn't say anything further, trying to seem indifferent to the situation. He needed to speak to Alfred, come up with a plan. He wouldn't let Anastasia die. But, he couldn't go against Gordon and risk becoming the GCPD's target again. Perhaps, he could break Anastasia out of Arkham but all signs would point to him. Unless, he paid off one of the doctors or guards and allowed them to release her. It would take Bruce Wayne to do this, not Batman. As Bruce Wayne, he didn't care if the GCPD was against him. He would seem like the worried billionaire husband who flashed his money to rid any problem. It could work. He needed to allow things to play out first. But, a two-week timeline was all you had before the virus took over completely. It rotted a person from the inside out and turned them into monsters. The doctors at Arkham Asylum with his help had found a way to stop the progression into monsters, but death was still guaranteed. He didn't have enough time to find a cure. But, he had to. Anastasia's life was on the line.

They heard the harsh crack of a bone breaking before they heard Rafe's terrified scream. They both looked into the room, seeing that Anastasia had found a way out of her handcuffs. With inhuman strength, she ripped the metal pipe off the table before she swung it at Rafe. He fell to the ground━━

It was all Batman needed to see before he rushed out of the observing room and headed toward the interrogation room. He swung the door open, seeing Anastasia there prepared to escape. She lifted the pipe, swinging it toward his head. But, he was faster as he grabbed the pipe and ripped it out of her hands. She stumbled back, glaring at him.

"Fucking hell!" Rafe shouted, holding his arm where she had hit him with the pipe. Gordon was immediately by his side, checking over him for injuries. It wasn't his bone that had been broken. Anastasia's hand was broken, making him frown as she didn't show any discomfort on her face. Rafe grumbled, standing with the help of Gordon. "She's like a goddamn feral animal!"

Batman and Anastasia circled one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. He didn't want to engage with her, knowing she was injured and he might make things worse. Though, her features shifted between being confused and dazed to angry and afraid. One of the first things he noticed was how dark her eyes were, almost black. It might be the dim lighting playing tricks on him, considering the lightbulb only illuimated a small circle of the room. The corners were engulfed by darkness, making the room seem smaller than it truly was.

"Get away from me!" she screamed at him, picking up the metal chair to create distance between the two of them. He held up a hand, prepared to catch the chair if she threw it at him. But, she seemed more content to using it as a shield. Her eyes welled with unshed tears, backing into a wall as he slowly approached. "I won't let you hurt me again! Just stay back!"

"No one is going to hurt you," Batman said, sparing a glance in Rafe and Gordon's direction. They stood on the other side of the table, watching the scene unfold. Rafe was standing on his own, cradling his arm. He turned his attention back to Anastasia. He placed the metal bar on the table before he lowered his hands, trying to show he wasn't a threat. "Put the chair down now."

She shook her head. "You're a liar. You have always been a liar!" Her words cut deep, even if he knew she wasn't talking to Bruce. The chair was pointed in his direction and he thought she might strike, but she held her stance. "You tried to kill me," she continued, trembling. "I can't trust you. You are a monster!"

It was then that he realized she wasn't talking to him. She stared beyond him, looking at something behind him. He glanced back, but there was nothing there. Yet, there was still something that was terrifying her ━━ something in the shadows he couldn't see. Slowly, he walked over to the main light switch and flicked it on to illuminate the room in harsh white lighting.

The anger faded from her expression as she paused, seemingly listening to someone they couldn't hear or see. He watched as her eyes returned to their normal shade of green and her expression turned into one he recognized. The chair fell from her hands, clanking with the ground. She clutched her head as a pained whimper left her lips, swaying before she collided with the ground. Her hands against the floor, blood dripped from her nose. Rafe and Gordon could only watch, fearful to approach in case she was turning. However, he slowly approached in an attempt to help. But, she flinched back when he came into view. She pushed herself back, hitting the wall as she looked up at him with wide fearful eyes.

"Where..." Anastasia whispered, speaking in a quiet tone as her eyes took in the room. She wiped away the blood, staining her hands and clothing even further. But, she seemed to calm when she faced him again. She... She trusted him. He could see it in her eyes as she faced him. Good, it might help with the questioning. "Where am I?"

"GCPD Headquarters," Batman responded to her question, towering over her sitting form. His shadow covered most of her, shrouding her in darkness.

She looked confused, staring up at him. "How did I get here?"

He frowned, sparing a glance at Rafe and Gordon who silently told him to bring her over to the table where they could handcuff her again. They didn't want another scene, but they knew Batman could overpower her if needed. He turned back to Anastasia, noticing her staring at the other two men in the room. Slowly, he kneeled in front of her to get a closer look. The light hit her face, causing her to squint her eyes shut. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I... I... I was walking down the street as I tried to make sense of what the world, the Overseer, wanted from me," Anastasia mumbled, looking down at her trembling hands. They were stained red, along with dirt being caked underneath her nails. One of her hands slowly began to swell, the one she had broken to get out of the handcuffs. Her nose wrinkled, balling her hands into fists as she hit them from view. Her voice was barely present, low as she trembled from the cold. "I was trying to hide, I think, but I was attacked by one of the creatures. I don't remember what happened next."

Batman extended a hand, knowing Rafe and Gordon were waiting to officially start questioning Anastasia on the record. She hesitated, but took his hand. Lifting her off the ground, he made his way toward the table. He picked up the chair, placing it behind her before telling her to sit down. He tried to get a look at her broken hand, but she nursed it close to herself. He picked up the blanket off the floor, putting it around her shoulders again to shield her from the cold. She seemed thankful, offering him a small nod.

He made his way over to where Rafe and Gordon stood, standing in the corner of the room where they could speak out of Anastasia's earshot. "She doesn't remember anything about what just happened," he informed them. "The last thing she remembers is being attacked by some creature."

"Yeah, right," Rafe muttered bitterly, stealing a glance at Anastasia over Batman's shoulders. His eyes narrowed, clenching his hands into fists. He no longer cradled his arm, anger taking over the pain he once felt. "She didn't realize you were here and changed tactics. She's faking it."

Gordon sighed, grabbing the pair of extra cuffs hanging from his belt before he made his way over to Anastasia. She winced as Gordon moved her hands around, but showed no other reaction. Did she even know she had broken her hand? She didn't complain about the cuffs, placing her hands on the table as she glanced at the broken metal bar. He watched Anastasia, almost as if he was daring her to grab it again. But, she didn't.

Instead, Anastasia had no idea where the bar had come from. Her eyes wandered the room, quickly realizing she was in an interrogation room. But, how did she get there? The last thing she remembered was still being in the other world, having been rejected by Memory Lane. The Overseer had been furious when she didn't have the offering it wanted. It had locked her out, pushing her out of the memory to be surrounded by bloodthirsty beasts. She had narrowly dodged the creatures, hiding. It was how she had spent the last few m━━

"I need two ice packs in Interrogation Room Two," Gordon said, interrupting her train of thought. "And, maybe a first-aid kit."

He spoke into a radio, releasing the button to hear a quick 'Copy that.' She recognized Lieutenant Gordon and Batman, but the other man was someone she didn't know. All eyes were on her, making her feel uncomfortable as she kept her gaze focused on the handcuffs around her wrists. For the corner of her eyes, she could see Gordon walking toward a camera set up on the side. He hit the record button, causing a red light to blink from it. The camera's wires went into the wall, disappearing behind the mirror that encompassed most of the wall. She wondered if anyone was on the other side watching.

For a moment, she continued to stare at the mirror as the image began to twist. The world flickered to the darkness until the lights completely went out, causing her to let out a shaky breath as she clenched her hands. It was just her alone in that room, listening to something pound heavily on the other side of the glass. It screamed her name, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut as she took shaky breaths. Is this another trick? Was she still in the other world? The Overseer liked to play games. It was always playing games.

Anastasia jumped, looking at the fingers snapping in her face. "You there, Mrs. Wayne?"

She stammered, looking at the three men in the room. Gordon and the other detective ━━ the badge he wore said his name was Rafe Gideon ━━ were seated across from her. Batman was standing beside the table to her left. He looked prepared to attack her if she was being honest, forcing her to keep her eyes low. "When..." she began softly, hearing her own voice crack. "When can I go home?"

"Home?" Rafe scoffed, shaking his head. He held an ice pack to his arm, making her wonder what relief it could give if he was putting it over his jacket. It made her wonder where her own jacket was, wearing only a top and black leggings. She held the blanket closer, shivering. "I wouldn't think about going home for a while, sweetheart. You can add attacking an officer to your list of offenses."

"Enough," Gordon snapped, shooting him a pointed look. He held out the other ice pack to Anastasia. She took it from him, frowning when her brain finally began to register her injuries. He gestured to the recording camera. "Can you state your name for the record?"

"My name is Ana," she mumbled, keeping her eyes trained on the multiple cuts on her hands. One of her hands was swollen and turned a pale shade of purple; it ached when she pressed against it. She placed the ice pack on top of it, letting out a soft sigh. She wore multiple bandages, feeling them underneath her clothing. One of them covered her whole right upper arm, hiding an injury she didn't remember receiving. Glancing in the mirror, she could see her own sunken reflection staring back. There was a gash against the side of her head, making her wonder when she had hit it. She looked terrible. It had been a long time since she cared about her appearance.

Gordon frowned. "Your full legal name, please."

She sighed, meeting Gordon's eyes. "My name is Anastasia Lovejoy-Wayne."

"Okay, perfect," Gordon said. He pointed to himself. "I'm Lieutenant James Gordon." He pointed to Rafe. "This is Detective Rafe Gideon and he has been the one in charge of the investigation into your and Laura Moretti's disappearance." He didn't point at Batman, but he did look over at him as he cleared his throat. "And you, of course, must know Batman."

She hesitated, but she looked up at him. He stood rigid, gloved hands inches away from the metal bar on the table. His blue eyes held no emotion, studying her for even the smallest irregularity. It was an awful feeling, making her chest tighten as she took slow breaths to keep her emotions in check.

"Why am I here, Lieutenant?" Anastasia asked, turning her attention back to Gordon. "I want to go home."

"Mrs. Wayne," Gordon began slowly, clasping his hands together as he stole a glance at the case file on the table. It was the first time that Anastasia's attention went to it, noticing how thick the file was. It felt as if they were accusing her of a crime, as if she was the villainess of their story. But, she knew she didn't do anything wrong. "You've been missing for two weeks."

"No, not two weeks," Anastasia stopped him, shaking her head. Two weeks wasn't correct, considering she had spent much longer in Memory Lane alone. She wasn't sure exactly how long she had been gone, but it was longer than fourteen days. "It's been much much longer than that."

Rafe chuckled, tilting his head. He had blue eyes too, like Batman. His hair was a dark brown, matching his beard but the gray streaks had begun to come through. But, he couldn't have been that old. Perhaps, he was in his forties. "Do you know what day it is, Mrs. Wayne?"

She shook her head. If she had to predict, it would be close to the new year ━━ 2016.

"Approximately," Rafe started, shrugging his shoulders, "how long do you think you've been missing?"

Anastasia paused, thinking. It was difficult to keep track of time when trapped in perpetual darkness, especially when she seemed stuck in the past when she was in the other world. Time worked differently there, considering Memory Lane skipped months at a time. Cece and Charlie told her that Memory Lane jumped, but she remained stagnant. It had been a while since she thought of them, considering the connection she had to the Heart had been cut when she had been rejected and thrown to the creatures.

"I think..." she said softly, digging her nails into the palm of her hands. "I think I've been gone for about two or three months."

No one was happy with her response, making her even more uncomfortable than she was before. "Two or three months?" Rafe repeated, writing down her response on a small notepad he had pulled out of his jacket's pocket. He scoffed. "It's barely been two weeks. Where the hell have you been for months?"

"It's been months, I'm sure," Anastasia claimed, squeezing the ice pack tight. Her hand didn't hurt anymore, the pain having faded away during their brief conversion. "It's impossible that it's only been two weeks!"

"Right..." Gordon said, nodding his head as he tried to keep her calm. She quickly realized the dynamic of the room, seeing Rafe as the instigator, Gordon as the rational one, and Batman as their omniscient third-party. He pulled out his phone, showing her the date. It made her heart drop. "Mrs. Wayne, if it had truly been months as you've said, then it would have pushed us into the new year. It would be January at the moment, but it is only October."

"Well, it'll be November 1st in three minutes," Rafe added, looking down at the watch around his wrist. "So, I'll give her that."

"I... I don't understand," Anastasia whispered, mostly to herself as she looked down at her hands. Her vision blurred, but she blinked the tears away as she tried to control her emotions. Crying would get her nowhere, something she learned in the other world. Stay strong, Anastasia. She needed to stay strong, try to figure out what was going on. She repeated herself. "It's been months, I know it."

"Okay, let's say we believe you," Gordon said, trying to move on to another question. Something that Anastasia was grateful for, she didn't need everyone looking at her like she had lost her mind. "Where have you been all this time? From the beginning, please. I want you to start with what you were doing before you were abducted."

Anastasia nodded, regarding all three men. She trusted Lieutenant Gordon, knowing he was one of the few good cops left in Gotham City. Bruce and Alfred talked, sometimes she overheard them. She trusted Batman, considering he had saved her life three times. As for Detective Gideon, she didn't know him nor did she trust him. But, he was in charge of the investigation. She had to trust him too. "I'll tell you everything, I promise."

"From the beginning then, Anastasia."

"Laura and I... We were... Uh..." Anastasia trailed off, twiddling her fingers as she tried to figure out how much she should tell the police. After all, she had committed some illegal activities and associated with criminals over the course of a few months. "We were out on Founders' Island for some work and━━"

"What were you doing before that?" Rafe interrupted, turning to a fresh page in his notepad to take more notes.

"It's nothing relevant," she muttered, keeping her eyes low.

"Really?" Rafe asked, tilting his head as he narrowed his blue eyes. He opened up the case file, showing Anastasia surveillance footage of them on the ferry and in Arkham Asylum. She looked at the photo, feeling a heavy weight placed against her chest at Laura's photo. "Our evidence has you and Laura Moretti placed at Arkham Asylum in the early morning and afternoon the day of your disappearance. The two of you were in disguises, actually. Do you have anything to say about that?"

"Right, I suppose I forgot about that," Anastasia whispered, picking up the photograph to get a closer look at it. She sniffled, feeling guilty at putting Laura at risk. She should have known better, never involved the woman in the first place and now, Laura was gone. "We were there to see the progress on the new hospital and learn more about the current staff. We've invested so much money into the project, my husband and I through the mayoral campaign for Harvey Dent. So, I thought it would be a good idea to go to Arkham and learn more about what was happening behind the scenes."

"In disguise? Posing as college students?" Rafe asked, trying to find holes in her story. But, it was the same lie she had told the warden there. The only person who knew she had been lying was Doctor Arthur Radcliffe. He had to know what was going on with the Infected creatures and the other world. He had warned her. Was the other world what he was warning her against? She needed to meet him, speak to him again. He tapped her arm, getting her attention again. "Pay attention, sweetheart. Why the disguises?"

"I thought it would be fun," Anastasia lied, shrugging her shoulders as she offered him a smile. She pulled her hands off the table, holding them in her lap instead. She noticed Batman shift, making sure he was able to get a clear view on her hands at all times. It was strange, considering she didn't have the strength to break out of them anyways. "My days are filled with paperwork and boring galas, so sneaking into a heavily-guarded hospital sounded like a... thrilling adventure."

Both Rafe and Gordon seemed to accept her answer, taking their own separate notes. However, she could feel Batman drilling holes into the side of her head with his intense gaze. It was almost as if he could tell she was lying, but she couldn't allow herself to falter. Perhaps, that was his interrogation technique. He was there to scare her into telling the truth. And, she would tell the truth. But, there were things she needed to omit from the story to protect everything they had worked hard for. And, to keep people like Erina safe who had put their trust in them.

"Okay, how about what you were doing after that?" Rafe continued, moving on to a different event in the timeline. He flipped the page in the case file, showing off pictures of them outside the bar. "After getting caught and kicked off Arkham Island, the two of you stopped by Laura's apartment. We have you leaving the apartment after fifty minutes in different clothing, heading to the Stacked Deck where you..."

He wanted her to finish the statement. She gulped, nodding her head as she tried to gauge what the detective knew thus far. He didn't know the true nature of their visit to Arkham. Perhaps, he didn't know what they were doing at the Stacked Deck. "Laura and I went there for a drink, that's it."

Rafe and Gordon shared a look, quickly making her realize she gave them the wrong answer. Shit. Batman hadn't reacted, quietly listening as he had done so the whole interview. But, he must have the same information as the GCPD. If they didn't believe her, he didn't either.

"I see you're lying to us very early in the interview, Mrs. Wayne," Rafe said, setting his pen down on the table before he folded his hands together. He didn't look happy, more irritated if anything.

"I'm not lying," Anastasia tried to defend herself, not wanting to reveal anything else to the police. She didn't trust them, considering they never helped and only knew how to make more trouble for everyone. "We were just there for a drink!"

"So, you have no idea who Erina Sato or Emmett Novak are?" Rafe questioned, raising a brow. He picked up two different files from her own, opening them before he placed them in front of her. One of them belonged to Erina, the other was Novak's. It highlighted their records, a list of all crimes they were convicted of and which ones they were suspected of committing. "The former is missing, but there's video footage of the three of you leaving the bar together. As for Novak, he was very eager to throw you and your friends under the bus during his interrogation."

Anastasia bit the inside of her cheek, feeling uneasy. Once upon a time, the thought of being associated with a criminal would have stressed her out to no end. She remembered how nervous she had been with Carmine Falcone finding his way in their house, almost having a breakdown in front of Gotham's elite. And now, they had her working alongside two known criminals. But sometimes, that was the path you needed to take.

"Fine, you want to know the truth?" Anastasia mumbled softly, sighing as she rubbed at her right eye. She could feel the effects of sleepiness hit her, knowing it was past midnight. It was November 1st, something she was still struggling to wrap her head around. But, she couldn't focus on that yet. "Laura and I have been looking into the disappearance of Eric Sato. He works for Wayne Enterprises in our I.T. Department and that's how I first met him. I locked myself out of some documents that I needed for a meeting. So, I enlisted his help in fixing my computer. And, he took the hard drive home to work on it. He actually got it done that same night, but I wasn't available to pick it up."

"Why weren't you available?" Rafe asked, continuing to take notes.

She let out a dry chuckle, biting her cheek. It all felt like a lifetime ago, wishing she could go back to a simpler time. She would rather be shot a million times again before having to endure what she did in the other world. "It was the same night as the debate. I ended up getting shot and was in a coma for about a week. So, I was a bit preoccupied," Anastasia continued, earning a look from all three men. "Once I got out of the hospital, we tried to find him at work but his boss, Jacinda, said he was out on sick leave. Laura and I went to his apartment to pick up the hard drive instead. He didn't answer the door, so we... kind of... may have picked the lock."

"Breaking and entering, I see," Rafe mumbled, jotting it down in his notepad. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Anyways, we found his apartment in... chaos. Things were knocked over and broken, blood splattered all over the place," Anastasia said, remembering how terrified they had been to see the state of Eric's apartment. "Then, we found him in his bedroom. It was covered in blood and he was chewing on something... Looking back, I think it may have been his pet. He tried attacking us when he realized we were there and somehow, we ended up outside."

She stole a glance at Batman, remembering that he was there. It was the third time he had saved her life, always coming to her rescue. Or more so, she was a magnet for bad luck and she should consider it a miracle he was there to make sure she didn't die.

"Batman saved us," she said, causing the attention to drift in his direction. "He stopped Eric from tearing into Laura and almost captured him, but he ended up escaping while we were all distracted."

"Is that true, Batman?" Gordon asked, trying to find confirmation for Anastasia's words.

Batman nodded. But, he didn't say anything further. She let out a relieved sigh, knowing that they were starting to build some trust with her. But, she still needed to be careful about what she revealed.

"I didn't know what was going on back then, nor did I know how to react. All I saw was a friend in trouble and..." And, I blame myself for what happened to him. She wanted to say, but she bit her tongue. It was the reason she needed to help Eric. It was why she needed to save Laura. It was all because of her, dragging them into her mess. "And, I needed to save him. So, Laura and I started our own investigation into his disappearance."

"Why not come to the police with this?" Rafe asked.

Anastasia set her lips in a straight line, narrowing her eyes at him. "I don't trust the police."

"Fair enough," Rafe muttered, writing down her answer. She wanted to see all his notes about her, but he did well to keep the notepad hidden from her view. "So, tell us, what did you do instead?"

"We went to his family, asking if Eric had come to them for help. It was back when we thought he would still be lucid enough to have his own thoughts," Anastasia said, remembering meeting with his mother and stepfather. They had taken the trip to Metropolis and spoken to his other sister, Ella, too. "Eventually, we met Erina Sato and asked for her help in the investigation."

"Even though she's a known associate of Carmine Falcone's?" Rafe asked, frowning. He was trying to make her look guilty, something she quickly realized. But, she had truly done nothing wrong other than a few small crimes. If they wanted to charge her for that, they could. The company lawyers were always a phone call away. "We know she's responsible for at least eighteen assassinations over the past ten years, but it's hard to track all of them. She's probably long gone from Gotham since your disappearance was made public."

"I don't know anything about that," Anastasia lied, shrugging her shoulders. She knew Erina had worked for Falcone and killed for him, but she also knew the woman was forced into it. Falcone had threatened her family, kept her under control with a device planted within her brain. She had no choice. "I only knew Erina as Eric's sister."

Rafe smiled, filling Anastasia with dread. "So..." he started slowly, turning the page in Novak's case file to show his statement with some parts redacted. "It didn't stand out to you that Erina Sato had Emmett Novak tied to a chair and tortured?"

"That's not what happened!" Anastasia lied, gulping as she turned to the side to avoid the man's stern gaze. She knew it was something that would come back to haunt them, but she couldn't admit to it. Nor could she throw the blame to Erina.

"No?" Rafe chuckled. "That's what Novak said happened."

"And, you believe him?" she asked, scoffing. She held her head high, trying to make it seem as if Rafe's words and hidden accusations did not bother her. "Emmett Novak is a wanted criminal. He'd say anything to get his sentence lessened."

"Maybe, but━━"

It was her turn to interrupt Detective Rafe Gideon, continuing to speak as if she hadn't heard him. "The three of us sat down and had a talk with Novak in the bar's basement, away from listening ears. He was one of the last to see Eric before the infection took over and that was information we needed to create a timeline for Eric. We were hoping to find him and perhaps, the source of where he got infected. We were quite literally sitting around a table with drinks. No one was tied up. No one was tortured. He willingly gave up all the information. Well, he talked for five million dollars. It's a price I would pay to find a friend."

Rafe whistled. "Five million dollars is a lot of money for information."

"It's more like pocket change," Anastasia said, shrugging her shoulders. It earned her a look from Rafe, causing her to give him an innocent smile. "And, we all know how greedy criminals can get."

"Okay, enough," Gordon said, holding his hand out to stop Rafe from his third degree. After all, they were focusing on the wrong thing. She hadn't said a word about what had happened during her disappearance. Instead, they seemed so interested to learn what she was doing when she was here in Gotham. "Enough about what you were doing the day of your disappearance, we need more information about where you've been the past two weeks. Or months, according to you, Anastasia." He looked at Rafe. "That is what we're here for. Right, Gideon?"

"Sure," Rafe muttered, rolling his eyes. He closed Erina and Novak's case files, putting them off to the side. He returned his attention back to Anastasia's case file, turning the page to possible theories. He didn't let her take a look yet.

"So, tell us, Anastasia," Gordon said, forcing a smile to his lips. "Where have you been?"

She frowned.

"I know this is going to sound... unbelievable..." Anastasia began slowly, sparing a glance in Batman's direction again. He was silently watching her, taking in everything she had said. She wasn't sure if he believed her or not, but something told her she could trust him. If anyone could save Gotham from the Overseer and the rot from the other world, it was him. "But, I was in this other world. We got there through an open rift in the Charlotte Hotel."

"Okay, uh, backtrack for us," Rafe muttered, confused by her words. "We have you tracked by surveillance cameras until you enter the Charlotte Hotel with Laura. What happened? Why did you enter the hotel in the first place?"

"Oh, right..." Anastasia mumbled, nodding her head. She didn't miss the strange looks she got from the two men sitting across from her when she had mentioned the other world. But, she couldn't lie. After all, Laura was still trapped there. Yet, she had made it back. She didn't know how yet, considering her last memory was in the Upside Down. "So, we━━"

"We?" Rafe asked for clarification, pointing toward the camera that was still recording.

Right, the camera. "Laura and I, we had just finished speaking to... God, I don't remember her name. I think it was Cecilia?" She muttered, trying to remember all the smaller details her mind had forgotten. "She works in the pharmacy across the street. From her, we learned that Eric had been in her store and he had wrecked it completely. I gave her money for repairs and she told us that Eric ran off. And, that was all she knew."

"Money for repairs?" Rafe asked, trying to poke holes in her story again. "Or, was it money to keep her quiet?"

"For repairs," Anastasia snapped, clenching her jaw as she tried to keep her anger under control. She wanted to pick up the metal bar and swing it at Rafe's face. She wanted to shut him up and━━Stop. She caught her notes, stopping the rage in its tracks. She let out a shaky breath, trying to finish answering the question. "We headed back to Laura's car, thinking we hit another dead end. I remember speaking to my husband briefly on the phone. He was wondering where I was and I lied to him. Said I would be home soon, but I... I vanished instead."

She bit her lip, feeling guilty. A part of her wondered what he was doing, wondering how he had dealt with her disappearance. Did he care? Or, perhaps, he felt relieved she was gone. After so many months apart, it gave her time to think about their marriage. It was starting to fall apart, but they were working on mending it. Every relationship had its ups and downs, even theirs. Still, she had missed him more than anything and had counted the days till she could see him again.

"No wonder Bruce Wayne was no help in the investigation," Rafe muttered, crossing out something on his notepad. "So, you lied to him too? Had the whole city accused him of murdering you?"

She frowned, letting out a heavy sigh. As always, she had added unnecessary stress into Bruce's life. It was the last thing she wanted to do, considering she had taken every step to keep him safe. "I lied to him because I wanted to protect him," Anastasia confessed, biting the inside of her cheek. "He would have worried, wanted to help. I didn't want to drag him into my mess."

"Finding Eric, that is," Rafe clarified, humming. "And, then whatever you were doing at Arkham Asylum."

Gordon shot him another glare, silently telling him to back down. "Okay, Mrs. Wayne," Gordon said instead, speaking in a kinder tone than Rafe's. It was still stern, but it didn't hold the accusatory tone that Rafe's did. "You were on the phone with your husband?"

"After I got off the phone with him, I saw an Infected in the alleyway..." Anastasia recalled, remembering the scene in flashes. "It looked to be a woman, long black hair and skin as white as paper. She was thin, tall, and held a squirming rat in her hands. Kind of like staring at a ghost." She had snapped pictures of the woman, but she had lost her phone months ago. She didn't have it with her in the other world. "I followed it and Laura followed me."

Rafe scoffed. "You followed it despite knowing how dangerous they are?"

Anastasia nodded, regretting her decision after everything that had happened. "I wasn't thinking. I was so tired of not getting the answers I wanted that I was willing to do anything." And because, she remembered that Eric in his Infected state hadn't attacked her. She had foolishly believed she would be safe, forgetting that Laura would be with her too. She covered her face, shaking her head as another wave of guilt hit her. It was all her fault. "God, I was so fucking stupid."

"Mrs. Wayne," Gordon said softly after a few quiet moments of her sobbing into her hands, clearing his throat. She looked at him through her tears, noticing the pity that graced his features. Even Rafe, he kept his gaze down as his grip tightened on his pen. "What happened next?"

"We followed the Infected girl into the hotel, entering through one of the maintenance doors in the back," Anastasia whispered, trying to find her voice. But, she could barely raise it above a whisper. She brushed her hands against her cheeks, trying to stop the tears from streaming. She missed Laura. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Eric and Laura. Or, what was actively happening to all of Gotham. Deep down, she knew she was the cause of it. She sniffled, letting out the breath she had been holding. "We couldn't find the girl, but we kept wandering. I felt as if something was calling out to me. Something I didn't understand. It led us to this office down the hall, probably belonging to the maintenance workers' supervisors."

"This office?" Rafe asked, pulling out a few photographs from the file. He placed them in front of Anastasia, allowing her to shift through them.

She frowned, pulling the photographs closer as she studied them. Everyone's attention fell to her hands, especially the one that had previously been swollen. But, it didn't hurt. The cuts on her hands had disappeared too, but that wasn't something she had noticed. She picked up one of the photographs. Her handcuffs jingled as the chain hit itself, feeling heavy against her wrists. "Yes, this is the office," she mumbled, recognizing the furniture and safety posters. "But, it was different when Laura and I were there."

Rafe hummed. "How so?"

"Most of the room was covered in dry blood and this wall..." Anastasia said, pointing to the far wall in the photograph. "These circular cracks in the wall, they oozed this strange substance Pure black, some kind of thick liquid. Laura thought it was mold."

"Black mold can explain the hallucinations," Rafe mumbled quietly to himself, writing down his notes. Anastasia ignored his comment, knowing what she saw wasn't a hallucination.

"There was nothing else in the room, so we were going to leave," she said, pausing when she felt her throat start to close up again. Don't cry, don't cry. She kept repeating to herself, trying to ignore the echoing of Laura's screams in her mind. "Laura... She... She opened the door... and there was this... this monster there... and..."

Her hands began to tremble, remembering how warm Laura's blood had felt against her cold hands. The creature had ripped into her throat, causing her to quickly bleed out. She had pressed her hands against Laura's wounds, trying to save her life. It was the last time she had seen Laura, having only Cece and Charlie's words that she was still alive. No one can survive after losing that much blood. Was Laura dead? No, she had to trust Cece and Charlie. She couldn't be dead. She had to be alive. Laura Moretti was a survivor. She had to be.

"Was it one of the Infected?" Rafe asked, tapping the table again when he noticed Anastasia start to drift.

"No, it was something much worse... Some kind of monster, something I had seen before in what I thought were dreams..." Anastasia confessed, squeezing her hands into fists to stop the trembling. The 'dream' she had at the hospital. The recent hallucinations at the gala and at Wayne Tower. It was all glimpses into this other world. She took slow breaths, watching the scene unfold in her mind. "It tore into Laura, almost killing her. I fired my gun at the creature, but it had no effect. It would have killed me, but then the rift opened." She pointed to the circular cracks of the wall in the photograph. "These vines sprouted out and dragged us into this other world."

It was quiet in the room, too quiet.

It made Anastasia nervous, waiting for someone to say something. To ask her another question, there was so much she needed to say. So much she could tell them so they could aid her in the search for Laura. But, they all remained quiet as they looked at one another. They all avoided her gaze.

"Really?" Rafe broke the silence first, letting out a small chuckle. He didn't believe her, of course. Lieutenant Gordon looked exhausted, trying to make sense of her words. And, Batman, he continued to not show a single emotion as he remained standing. "So, Anastasia, where are your injuries from this so-called monster?"

"They healed," Anastasia confessed, knowing they would be nothing but fading scars. But, that didn't mean she had no evidence of the creatures. After all, she had been attacked by countless monsters during her time in the other world. She had an abundance of scars to show them if they needed proof. "It's been months."

"Okay, fine," Rafe muttered, letting out a heavy sigh of his own. He decided to continue the interview, deciding it would be best to keep gathering information ━━ even if he didn't believe a word she was saying. "What happened after you were dragged into the rift?"

"I was trapped within a memory," Anastasia said softly, remembering the moments she had first gained consciousness in the other world. She looked down at her left hand, brushing a finger against the spot where her wedding ring used to be. She had lost it. She smiled sadly to herself. "It was of me and Bruce on a date while we were still engaged. We went out to a bar, saw a band playing, and a young woman named Simone recognized me."

"So, you were dreaming?" Rafe asked.

"I thought so at first too," Anastasia confessed, shaking her head. "But, it was a memory replaying in my mind. It was something the Overseer wanted me to see. It was in my head, connecting to me. But, I think I interrupted it somehow."

Rafe hummed, but didn't interrupt this time. Instead, he waited for her to continue.

"I snapped out of the trance and I found myself in this... cocoon..." Anastasia mumbled, feeling her stomach twist in disgust. "It was humid and wet, coating me in this strange substance. It took me several minutes to break free from it."

She did see what Rafe wrote in his notepad this time after her words, catching a glimpse when he turned to a new page.

SHE IS INFECTED.

"Then?" Rafe asked, wanting her to continue when she stayed silent.

Her hands balled the hem of shirt, trying to find a distraction to soothe her mind. She knew she wasn't infected. It wasn't possible. "I tried to look for Laura..." Anastasia whispered, remembering how disorientated she had been. "I was so confused. I didn't understand where I was, so I wandered as I tried to make sense of what was going on. That's when I saw them ━━ these grotesque creatures and their eternal clicking."

"And up to this point, you have no idea where Laura is, correct?" Rafe asked, slowly starting to make sense of Anastasia's words.

Anastasia shook her head. "No, I don't. She wasn't with me when I woke up and there weren't any other cocoons around for her to be in."

"And before you continue," Rafe mumbled, frowning. "This is a different world, you said? Some place the rift took you?"

She nodded, feeling relieved that they finally were starting to believe her words. "Yes, exactly!" she cried, clasping her hands together. "It was another world, some kind of different dimension. It looks like Gotham, but it isn't our Gotham! Everything is in a state of decay ━━ destroyed completely or rotten to its core. The world is abandoned, only having those creatures as company."

"Back to the creatures," Rafe murmured, keeping his eyes on the notepad. He didn't look up at her anymore, keeping his eyes down. Gordon had been silent, keeping his hands folded together as he watched her with tired eyes. Batman was quiet too, not saying a word as he kept his eyes on the table. "What happened when you saw them?"

Her nose wrinkled, remembering how it felt when the creatures had attacked. She still had deep scars on her leg, a reminder of her first night in the other world. "There were two of them, both clicking as they walked down the street," she recalled softly, staring off to the side of the room. "I tried to sneak away, but I wasn't watching where I was going. I stepped on one of the overgrown vines and it alerted the creatures. They charged after me ━━ both of them."

Her words earned looks of pity again, but she didn't dare look at them. She bit her cheek, digging her nails into the palm of her hand. You're safe now, Anastasia. She tried to remind herself, knowing she must be in the real world now. But, she feared she was dreaming. She feared it was another trick and the people around her would fade. And, she would be left trapped in the darkness again.

"One of the creatures tackled me down, leaving deep scratches in the back of my leg. It's, uh, three scratches from the middle of my thigh to my ankle," Anastasia mumbled, not sure why she was giving them so many details. All she could remember from that night was the pain, remembering how it had numbed her mind. She hadn't been thinking straight, having lost so much blood. "I only got away because I picked up a discarded piece of glass and stabbed the creature with it. It distracted both of them ━━ the hive mind probably made them think they were both in pain."

"Hive mind?" Gordon mumbled, urging her to elaborate.

"I think that's how they communicate with one another," Anastasia mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. She wasn't sure how the creatures and the world worked, considering she spent most of her time fighting for her life. She let out a dry laugh, looking down at her handcuffs. They had started to leave blisters against her skin. "If you hurt one part of it, the rest come running to defend it."

"So, you got away from your captors━━Sorry, creatures," Rafe corrected himself, clearing his throat. "What happened next?"

"I ran from them and locked myself in the back office of this café," Anastasia answered, remembering the night she had spent in the café. If she was being honest, it was one of the better nights she had spent in the other world. "I stitched myself up and I must have passed out... I remember waking up a few hours later and the creatures were gone. From there, I thought the best course of action was to head to the Charlotte Hotel."

"Why?"

"It was where the rift originally was when I entered the world, so I thought it would be the way out," Anastasia confessed, letting out a heavy sigh. She shook her head, remembering the shock she had felt when she realized the world wasn't what she thought it was. "It was difficult to make out where I was, all of the streets blended together. But, I could see Wayne Tower in the horizon line. So, I started to walk toward it. After all, the Charlotte Hotel is north of Wayne Tower ━━ just need to cross the bridge into Founders' Island."

"Right," Rafe said, agreeing.

"I moved slowly and carefully this time, trying not to step on any more vines. As long as I was careful and quiet, the creatures didn't know I was there and continued to wander," she kept recounting the event, slowly coming to terms with it as she spoke about it. "I realized something was wrong when I got to Wayne Tower."

"What happened?" Again, it was Rafe to ask.

"The Anastasia Hotel wasn't there," she whispered, frowning to herself. Wayne Tower and the Anastasia Hotel were staples of Gotham City, standing tall together as they graced the skyline. Everyone in Gotham knew what the buildings represented, something they could be proud of as their family worked tirelessly to help the city. But, times had changed. "And suddenly, everything began to make sense. The outdated buildings, the vintage cars, the old technology. I was in 1987!"

"Oh, wow, so you not only traveled to a different dimension, but you also traveled back in time?" Rafe asked, tilting his head. Anastasia wasn't sure if he was making fun of her or genuinely curious. She was too tired to tell the difference.

She could only nod to his question.

Rafe offered her a playful smirk. "And, you survived alone in this world of monsters?"

"Sort of," Anastasia said, placing her hands on the table again. The chain of the cuffs rattled against the desk, causing the sound to echo in the room. She didn't want to be in the interrogation room anymore, feeling as if the interview had gone on for too long. She wanted to go home, see Bruce and Alfred. It had been too long. "There were others there, two people who called themselves Cece and Charlie."

That seemed to pique both Gordon and Rafe's attention, causing them to share a look. "Were these other people that had been abducted?"

"I think so," Anastasia guessed, nodding her head. It didn't feel right mentioning Cece and Charlie, considering she had never met the two. She had only ever seen them as words, appearing around her whenever they pleased. But, they had become a comfort in that world. She wasn't sure if she would have survived without them. "They didn't speak of themselves often, but they told me they were trapped in the Heart of the world. And, Laura was too."

"The Heart?"

"Yes, the Heart," she echoed, letting out a soft sigh. Her shoulders fell, feeling exhaustion start to set deep within her soul. She readjusted herself, leaning back in the chair. At her movement, Batman shifted to stand closer. Perhaps, he feared she would attack? It surely seemed as if he was prepared to stop her if she tried anything. As if she would try anything with him standing there. "Cece and Charlie told me that the Heart is beyond Memory Lane and that I wasn't allowed in yet. They said I wasn't whole, that I was... lost. I needed to be healed, mend my mind and get my memories back. Only then, I would be allowed in."

Rafe hummed, tapping the end of his pen against the notepad. "So, they didn't let you inside because you are infected with the virus?"

"What?" Anastasia asked, dumbfounded how Detective Gideon could have come to such a conclusion from her words. "N-No! That's not right. I'm not... I'm not infected!"

"Anastasia━━"

"They said there was something wrong with my mind," she interrupted, not wanting to hear anything else that Rafe had to say. His theories were incorrect. He drew up the wrong conclusions. Nothing he said made sense! He was trying to undermine her, make her seem as if she had lost her mind. But, she knew what was real. Everything she had gone through was real. It had to be. "I had to fix myself, only then I can be allowed into the Heart to save Laura!"

"Look, you don't expect us to believe such a tall tale, Anastasia," Rafe began slowly, clicking his tongue as he set down his notepad.

Anastasia ignored him. Instead, she looked at Batman and Gordon, hoping that, at least, they believed her. They watched her, having been silent for most of the interview.

"Please, I'm telling the truth!" Anastasia pleaded, hearing desperation intertwined in her tone. Her voice stuttered with every word that escaped her lips, feeling her hands start to shake like her words. "I was only trying to save Laura! They said I needed to do exactly what they said if I wanted to save her life. You have to believe me!"

For a brief moment, her eyes met Batman's. An emotion flashed in his eyes, but he remained guarded. He held up walls she couldn't climb, something she didn't dare even attempt. No one believed her, making her feel even more alone than she had been in the darkness of the other world. It was back to the real world. A place where no one believed in monsters or different dimensions. And, they all believed she had lost her mind ━━ Anastasia and her imagination. It was something she had heard over and over again throughout the years.

Perhaps, it had all been in her head.

But, that wasn't possible. Her experiences were real. She had the memories that lingered in the mind. She had the scars to prove it. It was the truth. She had been telling the truth. Her truth.

"So, you admit it?" Rafe chimed, drawing her attention back to him. "You were being held captive by this Cece and Charlie and they made you help them in their schemes, using Laura as leverage."

"No, that isn't right!" Anastasia screamed at him, tears lining her waterline again before they began to spill down her cheeks. She was tired of not being heard. "Cece and Charlie were trying to help me. They're stuck there too, terrified of the world and the Overseer. I promised to help them too," she whispered, speaking in a quiet tone as she forced control. "But, I needed to go through Memory Lane first. I needed to heal, to be whole to save them. I tried my best to go through the memories, but then the Overseer wanted a gift."

"A gift?" Gordon asked. He seemed to still want to listen to Anastasia, curious on what she had to say. It was Rafe who rolled her eyes, unaffected by her show of tears.

She laughed, shaking her head as she wiped at the tears. But, they wouldn't stop. At some point, she had to run out of tears and that's what Anastasia needed to wait for. "It wanted a gift," she said numbly, shrugging. "The last memory I saw was of my mother and father fighting over his involvement with Carmine Falcone. She ripped her wedding ring off and threw it on the dining table. Then, the memory paused and the ring began to glow. That's what the Overseer wanted ━━ my mother's wedding ring. But, I didn't have it and I couldn't move forward without it."

"I don't understand, Mrs. Wayne," Gordon confessed, confused. She didn't blame him for his confusion, knowing she had felt the same way when she had first stepped into the memory. But, she had no way of knowing how to explain something she didn't understand herself. "It wanted your mother's wedding ring?"

"I tried to break the rules, thought I could trick it by giving it my own wedding ring and be able to sneak into the next memory," Anastasia continued, chewing the inside of her cheek. She let out a shaky breath, closing her hands into fists. "But, that only made the Overseer angry. The memory collapsed on itself and it tried to kill me."

"It tried to kill you?" Rafe asked, frowning. "Did you see what this Overseer looked like?"

"No, I never... I never saw them," Anastasia whispered, the tremble still present in her voice despite how quietly she spoke. She closed her eyes, still feeling everyone's intense gaze ━━ including the one she feared the most. Their sharp nails dug into her shoulder, whispering incoherent words into her ears. The hair on the back of her neck stood, making her shudder. Her eyes snapped open, trying to ground herself to reality as she faced the three men. "But, they're everywhere. I was constantly being watched, making sure I was suffering for disobeying."

"What did it do?"

"It felt like a child throwing a tantrum," Anastasia confessed, sniffing. She shifted in her seat, trying to ignore how her throat began to close up. She didn't want to cry in front of them anymore. "It shut me out, refusing to reopen Memory Lane. I was stuck in the cold with all those monsters. I don't know what happened to Cece and Charlie... They stopped talking to me and I was all alone..." She pressed her lips together, breathing through her nose. She could feel the cold creeping in, making her tighten her grip on the blanket around her shoulders. The screams of the creatures still echoed in her mind, forever ingrained in her memories. "I think that was the worst part, spending so many months by myself. All I did was hide from those monsters, food was so sparse that I wouldn't find something for days. And, I couldn't stay in one place for too long because it would just flush me out. That whole world, it's just death."

The tears had begun to free fall again, forcing her to cover her face as she turned away from them. The endless nights had all begun to blend together, fighting for her life every waking second.

"It's alright," Gordon whispered, handing her a box of tissue. "Take all the time you need, Mrs. Wayne."

"Being all alone, it gave me a lot of time to think and... I wanted it all to be over," Anastasia confessed, sniffling. She still looked away from them, unwilling to move. "I was so tired... I couldn't take it anymore... The only thing that kept me going was that I knew I had people counting on me. I couldn't abandon Laura. I couldn't abandon Cece or Charlie, not after I promised them that I would save them. But, I... Fuck, I'm so tired."

"We're almost done, Mrs. Wayne," Gordon reassured, offering a kind smile at her words. His eyes held pity. But, his words were a lie ━━ that much, Anastasia could tell. If this was just an interview, they wouldn't be treating her like a criminal. She would have been in a hospital. "So, the method that this Overseer hurt you was through the creatures, right?"

"Only when they found me," Anastasia said, shrugging her shoulders. She tried to ignore Rafe's smug expression and Batman's intense gaze. It was unnerving. "Usually, I can hear them coming. I would hide if they got too close."

"Do you know what they're planning?" Rafe asked. "The Overseer? With all its creatures ━━ the Infected too?"

She shrugged again, shaking her head. "I don't know. My only focus was trying to save Laura, Cece and Charlie."

"And to save them, you needed to heal," Gordon reiterated. "To restore yourself?"

She nodded.

"So, were you healed when they put you in the van?" Rafe asked, trying to take over the questioning again. She didn't get the chance to answer before Rafe shot off another question. "Or, were you put in the van because you couldn't find a way to heal yourself?"

She frowned. "What van?"

Rafe pointed to the bandages covering her right arm, forcing Anastasia to look down. She wasn't sure what her injuries were, not having seen them prior to getting treated. But, they didn't hurt anymore like they did at the start of the interview ━━ nor did her hand hurt. The swelling had disappeared and her hand had returned to its normal state. For a moment, she looked toward herself in the mirror and noticed that the gash had slowly begun to heal. But, the redness remained. "Those injuries are from when you were thrown out of a moving van," Rafe said, earning a confused look. She didn't remember a van. "Do you think you can recall the faces of your captors?"

"Captors? There were no captors! I wasn't kidnapped!" Anastasia snapped, trying to readjust as she tried to hide her injuries. She felt as if she was being scrutinized, every detail under review. It made her want to hide, but the blanket had slipped off her shoulders and fallen to the ground. She didn't want to reach down and get it, especially with Batman besides her. She had begun to feel the same way as the rest of Gotham did. Fear. Scared of Batman and scared of the police officials in front of her. She couldn't trust anymore.

"Okay, then," Rafe hummed, acting as if he had figured her out. His expression was smug, secure. He looked over his notes, giving her a smirk. "So, what did these monsters look like?"

"It depends on which kind and what stage," Anastasia sighed, knowing that Rafe would find another way to twist her words. "The ones I saw often were pale and had this whitish-gray skin. While others, they are plated heavily with this glowing fungus. It was hard to see, Detective Gideon. It's so dark in the other world, the sun never rises. It's eternal darkness."

"Pale and white? Sounds a lot like the mask that the leader of the Children of Arkham wears. As for the other monsters you've been seeing, I believe you were kept near other Infected," Rafe mumbled, opening the case file again as he looked at some photographs. "Perhaps, you were being held where they engineered the virus. The monsters you saw were test subjects... The no sunlight thing... Either you were kept underground or some kind of basement."

"No!" Anastasia snarled at him, clenching her teeth together as her thoughts burned with rage. Her aggression caught everyone's attention, causing them all to be on edge. "You're not listening to me!"

"Just tell us the truth, Anastasia!" Rafe scoffed, shaking his head. He leaned back in his seat, throwing his notepad on the table. He crossed his arms, grinning. "Admit it! It was the Children of Arkham who took you. They're the ones who started the virus, we all know that."

"It wasn't them!" Anastasia said, knowing it wasn't possible the virus was created by the Children of Arkham. The other dimension existed long before the Children of Arkham had come into play. It originated from the experiments that took place during the 60s and 70s, involving her parents. Perhaps, the world existed even before then. "This virus is from this other dimension. It's rotting our world and wants to destroy it. Gotham is just the start!"

"Oh, my God," Rafe muttered, running a hand over his face at her words. "This isn't a movie or a video game, Anastasia. It's the real world. We need to come up with logical conclusions."

"Please, you have to believe me!" Anastasia pleaded, clasping her hands together. "I know how it sounds, but it is the truth! The Infected is just the beginning, we're all going to die if we━━"

Rafe slammed a fist on the table, causing Anastasia to flinch. He opened up the case file, throwing it in front of Anastasia. She looked down, staring at the photographs of mutilated bodies ━━ all killed in Infected attacks. There were other photographs, monuments and other Gotham landmarks that the Children of Arkham had destroyed. "These are the people you're trying to protect?" he spat out, glaring. He came around, jabbing a finger in her shoulder. "Their actions have gotten people killed. And, you're trying to tell us that they're not behind it."

"I'm not protecting anyone!" Anastasia gritted out, slapping his hand away. She stared back, despite his face being inches away from her own. He smelt of cheap whiskey, overwhelming her nose.

"What did you offer them, huh?" Rafe asked, tilting his head. "You said so yourself, you couldn't handle it in there anymore. You must have bought a way to freedom. After all, money talks. You know how greedy criminals get."

He used her own words against her, causing her to narrow her eyes into a glare. "It isn't like that."

"Look at that, you're giving us a story, trying to convince us that you're crazy!" Rafe laughed, shaking his head as he faced Gordon and Batman. They didn't look impressed by his interrogation tactics, but they didn't do anything to stop them. Perhaps, they hoped he could frighten the answers out of her. "We're not gullible, Anastasia. Now, tell us the truth, sweetheart. Who took you? What role did you play, huh? Whose blood is covering your clothes? You kill someone? Was it Laura? Cece? Charlie? Your guilt speaks for itself."

"Stop it!" she screamed at him, pushing away the papers as they scattered all over the floor. She sobbed softly, covering her face in her hands as she shook her head. She didn't kill anyone. She couldn't have. Rafe towered over her, clicking his tongue. "Please, just stop. I can't..."

"Okay, that's enough," Gordon sighed, standing to his feet. "Rafe, outside. Now."

A string of curses left Rafe's lips, directed at Gordon as the two of them left the interrogation room. Anastasia held her hands close to herself, sobbing quietly as she kept her eyes focused on the horrific photographs of mutilated corpses all over the floor. Infected attacks had increased tenfold over the past week, at least according to Rafe. It made her sick, nauseous, to look at the bodies torn limb from limb. Her mind engrossed with the last moments of the victims and the fear they must have felt. And, somehow, it all felt like it was her fault.

Batman circled slowly, taking a seat across from her where Gordon previously sat. His blue eyes never left hers, but she couldn't bring herself to look up at him. She could only continue to cry, feeling lost. She shouldn't have been surprised that no one believed a word she said. It had always been like that. The only person who had ever believed her was Laura. And now, Laura was gone. She held her hands close to her chest, shivering.

"You're afraid of someone. The Overseer, right? Is that the reason for this tall tale?" he questioned, speaking for the first time in a while. His voice was low, changed by whatever voice modifier his cowl had. She didn't look at him, sniffling. When she refused to answer, he asked a different line of inquiry. "Did someone hit you? Is that how you got those injuries?"

She tried to find her voice. "It wasn't a human anymore."

Despite her quiet murmur, he had heard her words. "Describe the creature for me then ━━ the one that attacked you."

"It had elongated limbs and walked on all fours. Its nails cracked the concrete underneath its feet as it walked. It's thin, almost as if it's just skin and bones. You would think it would be frail, but its strength is inhuman. If enraged enough, they can lift and throw cars," Anastasia whispered softly, remembering the things she had seen the creatures do. "The one that attacked me, it didn't have a face. At least, not anymore. Instead, it's as if a fungus has grown out of their brains and taken over their faces. But, they still have their mouths with these sharp long teeth. Blood drips from their mouths, most likely their own from the mutation."

"How do they see?"

She frowned, wondering if Batman believed what she had to say. He didn't react like either Rafe or Gordon, staying neutral instead. "I think it's some kind of echolocation, maybe," she confessed. "They click a lot as they move. And, they're constantly sniffing around ━━ almost like dogs. But, you can always tell they're coming by their clicking noise."

"Clicking?"

"It's the noise they make when they're stagnant, searching," Anastasia whispered. "They scream when they've found you. It's this ear-piercing sound. It's disorienting, could deafen someone if close enough," She sighed, brushing her hand against her left ear. The misfortune was hers that she had encountered so many of the creatures, listening to their screams had caused some damage to her ears. But, she healed fast. And, she learned they were sensitive to noise too. It was why she chose a shotgun as her weapon ━━ the sound left them skittish. "There's different versions of this creature, all of them lethal."

"But, the injuries you have look as if they were caused by a human being," Batman countered, making her frown. "Your arm was injured when you were pushed out of the van."

"No, when the van hit me," Anastasia corrected, seeing flickers of a memory coming back. She remembered the van, seeing the headlights coming her way when the rift had first opened. The impact was what she remembered, hitting the side of the van before colliding with the ground. For several minutes, she had just laid there in pain. But, it had quickly faded and her mind had gone blank as someone else took the reins. "I was never in that van."

"So, you do remember the van," he said.

"I do now," Anastasia whispered, nodding her head.

The memory began to piece together in her mind, making her remember her long walk to the city. Her mind blended the real world with the Upside Down, unable to figure out what was real and what was in her head. She remembered being cornered, having guns trained on her and then Batman had arrived. She had lifted her gun and━━

"Oh my God! I shot you!" Anastasia gasped out, eyes shooting down to his chest to see his damaged suit. It had been caused by her, having shot him point blank in the chest. "Are you... Are you okay?! I could have killed you!"

"You don't have to worry about me," Batman said, clenching his jaw. He returned her attention to his questions. "The injuries on your arm were caused by you colliding with the ground. But, the others?"

He pointed to the bruises along her jaw and the gash against the side of her head. There were other miscellaneous injuries, too small for Anastasia to pay attention to. None of them hurt anymore.

"They look as if they were caused by a person?" he continued. "Were they caused by this Overseer?"

"No... The Overseer didn't directly cause these..." she whispered, shaking her head. She bit the inside of her cheek, letting out a sigh. "I don't know who the Overseer is for sure... but I... I have a feeling... And, from all the clues left around that world... I think it might be my father, William Lovejoy. He was a part of the experiments, had this strange addiction that gave him... strength. And, when he died, I know he was dragged into this world. I think his soul is trapped in that place. Somehow, he was there. I know he was."

He stared at her, unmoving.

"Please, I━━"

"Your father was a cruel man," he said, looking down at her case file all over the ground. His eyes landed on a page that Rafe had flipped through earlier, showcasing her past troubles with the law. It said she had attacked her own father in self-defense. But, his body was never recovered so they could never be sure what had happened. Anastasia could see the exact file he had his eyes on. He picked up the files, placing them in front of her. "He neglected you throughout your childhood, left you alone for days on end with nothing. He hurt you, well into your adulthood. Just as your captors did to you over the past two weeks."

"It was longer than that," Anastasia grumbled, shaking her head. "I've already told you━━"

"Do you think that's why you're relating your captors to him?" he continued, ignoring her words. "Your mind put a face to them and it was William Lovejoy's?"

Her jaw clenched, glaring at him through her lashes. "Do not psychoanalyze me," she spat out, feeling a rush of anger overwhelm her as he continued to stare at her as if he had her all figured out. "You think you know me? You don't know anything, Batman! You may think you do, but you know nothing!"

"Just answer the questions, Anastasia."

"Why?" She asked. "It's not like you believe me!"

His eyes narrowed, tired of not getting the answers he wanted. "Things will get a lot easier for you if you start telling us the truth."

She laughed. "Or what?" She challenged, tilting her head. She picked up the case file papers, throwing them at him. "Fuck you," she gritted out. Then, she turned to the mirror where she knew everyone else was watching. "Fuck all of you! You think you can sit there and tell me that I'm wrong? That I imagined everything! How dare you?!"

"Enough!" he shouted, standing to his feet as he slammed his fists against the table. She met his eyes, unrelenting. "Do you not understand the severity of the situation?"

"Do you?" She asked, speaking in the same tone as he was. She stood to her feet, returning his glare. "We're all going to die if we do nothing! The other world, it's coming for us all. This is just the beginning."

"And, that's what you were doing in this other world?" he asked.

"I have to get into the Heart," Anastasia whispered, staring at him. Her anger had begun to fade, turning into fear instead. "And to do that, I need to finish going through Memory Lane. I need to restore myself before I can stop this."

"But, why you?"

"I don't know..." she confessed, sighing. She had asked Cece and Charlie the same question, having only the response that she was connected. "I learned that I have always been connected to this world. It's been with me since I was a little girl. Maybe... Maybe even before then."

He frowned, pressing his lips together at her words. "But, you were kicked out?"

She nodded.

"Because of a ring?"

"Yes," Anastasia huffed out, not wanting to go through the whole process of questioning again. "It wanted an offering, one that I didn't have."

"How did you get back here then?" he asked. "To this world?"

"I was holed up in this one house... The only house I found that had a case of water and food... I just slept for a long time..." Anastasia mumbled, sighing. She looked down at her hands, unable to face him any longer. "But, it found me. It always does."

She paused for a moment, trying to collect her words.

"The shotgun blast usually scares them off. Shooting them does nothing. You can't kill them, but a loud noise is enough to send them running. It didn't this time..." Anastasia brushed a hand against her bandaged arm, forcing herself to look at him. "I guess it was so determined to kill me. It pinned me down and... I thought I was going to die... But, then I didn't. I saw a light and a rift opened... I fell through."

"The van door opened," Batman corrected, making her frown, "and they pushed you out."

"Sure, why not," Anastasia muttered, rolling her eyes as she took a seat again. She stared up at him, meeting his blue eyes. "There must be something I can say or do to convince you."

"You can start with telling me the truth━━"

"I have other injuries!" Anastasia interrupted, a smile erupting on her face. Perhaps, the scars that the creatures caused would be enough to convince them. "They've healed over the past few months, but the scars are still there."

She slowly stood again, aware that he was watching her every move. However, the handcuffs stopped her from going any further.

Anastasia held out her hands in his direction. "Can you remove these, please?"

"No."

"Why not?" she scoffed, lowering her hands. "It's not like I can win a fight against you."

Batman looked at the mirror, knowing as well that there were people on the other side watching. Gordon and Rafe, for sure. But, perhaps, other members of the GCPD were there too. "It's for your own protection, Anastasia," he said, looking at her again. "Everyone here thinks you're infected."

"I'm not infected," Anastasia spat out, tired of hearing them say that. She would know if she was infected, considering she would be turning into a monster like the rest of them. She wouldn't be herself anymore. "Please, it's only for a moment."

"Go ahead, Batman." It was Gordon's voice that came over from the intercom.

Batman didn't say a word, walking over to her with the keys. He took her hands, unlocking the handcuffs. Anastasia sighed, rubbing her wrists to ease the pain that cuffs had left. She lifted her right leg, placing it on top of the chair. She lifted her leggings from the cuff as far up as they could go. He watched closely, frowning. She showed him the three deep scars that the creature had left on her first day in the darkness. He moved closer, looking at her leg.

"I got these scars on the first day I was there," Anastasia whispered, looking up at him. He was mere inches away, watching her closely. She hoped she could convince him to believe her; she needed someone on her side. "I stepped on these vines and it triggered the creatures. Two of them attacked me and one of them managed to get close enough to do that. It took weeks to heal, but I still stumble if I step wrong."

"These could have been caused by a knife," he said, taking a step back. He created distance between the two of them, making her frown. "They're too sharp to have been caused by an animal."

"Okay, fine," Anastasia huffed, setting her leg down on the ground. She turned around, lifting her shirt to show him her lower back where new scars were littered across her skin. "I got this one a week after my leg. One of them snuck up on me, tore straight into me."

She turned around, facing him to show the scar where the creature's nail had gone straight through her abdomen. He could only stare, looking at the healed skin. It was obvious something vicious had ripped through her. It had taken so long to heal, Anastasia remembered all the painful nights as if they had just occurred.

"Please, you must remember I didn't have these wounds before. You were there at the debate, you stopped me from bleeding out. You must remember I didn't have this then," Anastasia pleaded, lowering her shirt. She clasped her hands together, staring up at him. "I'm begging you. Please, believe me."

"We need to bring up your medical reports," he said coldly, turning away to look in the direction of the mirror instead. "Only then, we can accurately compare."

A soft sigh left her lips. "Till then, you'll accuse me of lying and working with the Children of Arkham?"

"Until you tell us the truth," he said, watching her from the corner of his eyes. "Or evidence favoring your story comes to the light."

She didn't say a word, taking a seat instead. She was done, having nothing else to say that could convince them. The scars were all she had as proof, evidence that everything she had gone through was real.

The door opened, but she didn't look up.

She could smell the cigarette smoke, knowing it was Lieutenant Gordon. He held up a file. "Blood report's back."

He showed it to Batman first.

She watched them curiously, but could feel fear start to creep its way into her heart as she watched their expression drop. She could read their faces ━━ even Batman couldn't hide his emotions.

Batman faced her, holding the report tight in his hands. "You're infected."

"N-No..." Anastasia stammered, shaking her head. "That's impossible!"

"It all makes sense," Gordon said, taking the report back from Batman. He held it close, walking over to show Anastasia. She stared at it, noticing the word POSITIVE stamped on the paperwork. "Your hallucinations are caused by the virus, Mrs. Wayne."

"It couldn't have been a hallucination!" Anastasia cried out, clenching her fists as she felt her chest begin to tighten. Had any of it been real? She shook her head. "I know it was real. It felt so real. I was there!"

"Other infected people have described similar things," Gordon explained. "It's possible that when the creature attacked, it passed the virus to you. Someone came and took the two of you, kept you somewhere hidden. Detective Gideon believes it was the Children of Arkham's doing, but we have no concrete proof yet. What we do know is your account of things, proving that even in your disillusioned mind, you were aware that someone took you and kept you hostage. Perhaps, slowly the memories will come back. You are feeling an immense guilt over what happened, Anastasia. You speak of Cece, Charlie, and Laura as if you know where they are, but your mind can't quite make it out."

She was in trouble, that much Anastasia could tell. It wouldn't be long till they blamed her for Laura's death too, considering they already believed she had sided with the Children of Arkham to buy her way to freedom. She gulped, facing them. "I want a lawyer."

"Not an option, I'm sorry," Gordon said, frowning. He sighed, sparing another glance in Batman's direction who couldn't find a word to say. "Gotham's under martial law because of this new virus. If you're infected, you don't have the same rights as everyone else. To keep the city safe, you will be put under immediate treatment."

"Please, I just want to go home," Anastasia sobbed, hearing the desperation sneak back into her trembling voice. "I want to speak to my husband. I need to tell him I'm okay, that I'm still alive."

"No," Batman said sharply, earning another deep hit to Anastasia's heart. "The protocol for Infected individuals is quarantined isolation at Arkham Asylum. You'll be monitored and medicated by doctors for at least two weeks. Either you get better... or you don't."

"That's just a nicer way of saying that I'm going to die," Anastasia mumbled, sniffling.

Gordon frowned, trying to provide some solace as he took a slow step forward. "Nobody said that, Mrs. Wayne."

"Everyone infected dies, Lieutenant Gordon, and I would rather die than turn into one of those monsters," she said, digging her nails into her skin as she tried her best not to cry again. "It's fine, really. I'm... fine. I'm fine."

Batman and Gordon shared a look. Ultimately Gordon sighed, grumbling. "I'll prepare transport."

It was the last thing they said before leaving Anastasia alone in the interrogation room. Though, not completely alone. A voice continued to buzz in her mind like it had throughout the whole interview, but it was too distant and muffled to make out. Someone was reaching out to her, trying to tell her that it wasn't over. Eventually, she heard the voice as if the speaker was standing behind her. It was a woman. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

Have faith, Anastasia.

♡

SO, THIS HAS BEEN MY LONGEST CHAPTER YET. It is close to 21,000 words and I can only hope that everything transferred correctly from my docs to Wattpad. I am sorry for the long chapter, but I couldn't figure out a place to split it since it's all one scene. But, I don't think any other chapters will be this long! I will try my best to keep them a suitable length. But, I still hope you guys enjoyed it! I know it's not the reunion we were hoping for, but slow and steady.

I am excited to have Ana back into the real world and we'll see how things have changed in Gotham. It may have been two weeks for Bruce, but it has been months for Ana. The next chapter, we'll be in Arkham Asylum again and we'll see how the city is handling the virus. I have been getting a lot of inspiration from the The Last of Us show too! The infected in the show work very similiar to how the Upside Down and the creatures / infected behave. I super excited to go more into that plot. I know we have kind of abandoned the Telltale game's plot, but we'll slowly get back into it! For now, we'll focus on Anastasia's plot and ahhh, I am so excited.

We were introduced to a new character! Detective Rafe Gideon will show up here and there! But, he has bigger roles in my other DC fics than this one! Gideon is played by David Harbour! He's a very gruff and reckless man, but he always wants to do the right thing. And, he's very good at his job! He has a very huge history with Gordon + the GCPD and with another character of my mine, Elide Dean. We'll learn more about him eventually!!

Anastasia and Batman's relationship is going to have a lot of ups and downs, but I am so excited to write it. They're going to have so many team-ups as they try to figure out the Upside Down together. Poor Bruce, haha. His fault for keeping the secret for so long then not having the courage to tell his wife. But, eventually, we'll get there. For now, enjoy all the secrets and Ana + Bats. But, I am excited to write Anastasia seeing Bruce. That will be a sweet scene (sad but sweet). I am making their lives so hard right now, but they will get a happy ending.

I truly enjoy writing this book and I hope you guys are still enjoying it too! There's a lot of plot that will be coming to the light and a lot of questions that will be answered. Slowly, but surely, we're going to get there! I want to thank everyone who has supported this book because it would be nowhere if it wasn't for the support and love of all you guys. Thank you, truly. From the bottom of my heart, it means so much to me.

AMARA.
[ PUBLISH DATE ━━ 01.30.2023 ]