Follow Your Passion: A Seamless Tumblr Journey
I need to clarify a few things about my last four pots and the future of this blog.
In reality, I only posted two different things, translating them into English. These posts do not form part of any of my stories.
Currently, I only have two stories published here, being the ones tied to my oc's from DC comic's
There's another one that I've intended to translate and post, but my time has not been right, and I haven't posted it. But the title is already on my list of "Stories on this blog" or something like that. I don't remember the title of that post.
The things I published today, along with a few stories of mine with the length of one or two chapters, will be labeled as "Independent mini-stories", including some of my ideas and stories I write for school.
I say this because last weekend I wrote a story for my philosophy class and my teacher liked it.
As you may have noticed "Princess of Gotham" will be on an indefinite hiatus because my main focus at the moment is "Terrors of Gotham", a prequel to my first story.
The last thing I want to ask, to anyone who reads my works on this platform, is to have patience. I'm about to start my college admission tests. I also have other million things to do.
R.Cabrera
Chapter 3: High Enough
I remember when I was a child, my father was the clear example of what I would never be, alcohol and cigarettes seemed to be the most horrendous things, drugs were an atrocity. I thought about what would be the reasons why people would try those things, and whatever they were, I hoped I would never have them.
Memories, because in that alley, after stepping on the end of the cigarette to put it out, I took the syringe and the bottle of green stuff that Cheis offered me. Fear toxin, for many, deadly, for the Batfamily something like a poison, for me, a simple drug that little by little lost its effectiveness.
The first time I tried that stuff was in that same place, two months after meeting Angella, I woke up near Wayne Enterprises, but that didn't stop me from continuing to kill myself slowly, besides it seemed that the shadow liked to be subjected to that fear.
At that point what hurt the most was the needle piercing the skin, after that a shiver all over my body, and little by little the sensation of the muscles starting to loosen.
"Ven niña, let's go get some beers," said Cheis, taking the empty syringe from my hand to throw it to the ground and break it with the heel of the boot, then they put their arm over my shoulders making me start to walk with them.
For many, seeing a Gotham vigilante with the granddaughter of the richest man in the city would be strange, especially considering Cheis' reputation, but there came a point where rumors no longer mattered.
"You're only 18, I don't think they want to sell you anything," I complained, feeling lighter than before and with a smile on my face.
"It's Gotham, I'll find a place," answered my companion.
Of all my colleagues, Cheis was the one I trusted the most. I had met them shortly after founding the Warriors Society. I never offered them a spot, they just came to me and ordered me to put them on the team, the more shooters the better, to tell the truth. They were a living arsenal, they could handle any firearm and had taught me how to assemble and disassemble guns in record time.
They never offered me the drug, one day I simply saw them smoking something that was clearly not a simple cigarette and asked them to get me some, at first they refused but eventually agreed on the condition that I would only do it in their presence. Despite being only two years older than me, they were among the most mature people on the team. They were always on my side and the simple fact of letting them see my weaker side said a lot about that relationship.
"Will you tell me what's tormenting you, or will you make me read another book to find out," they asked, still hugging me, but this time with a look of concern.
"Admit it, Crime and Punishment was very good," I joked. That had been one of the books Bruce had forbidden me to read at the mansion, but Jason had about three copies in different languages in our apartment.
"What a man can't do, the devil does," they said, with a smile on his face, like someone who remembers a good joke, "Although I really liked the one by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, what was it called?
The quotes in the books were like our secret language, I would read it first, mark the most important phrases and then lend it to them, weeks later they would return it to me, with new phrases marked and we would discuss them in private. With each book, we seemed to understand each other better.
"No one writes to the Colonel," I answered, remembering one of the books that still remained in the bookcase of the old Hart house, "And in the meantime, what shall we eat?"
"Shit," we both shouted at the same time, quoting the end of the book. We squirmed with laughter and at one point had to stop to catch our breath.
Moments like those were the ones I treasured the most, and the ones I hoped my mind wouldn't twist or erase from my memory.
"Seriously, what's wrong with you," they asked again as we began to walk through the busy streets.
"I thought I had a boyfriend, but apparently not. There may be a spy or spies on my team. I need a rescue team to LexCorp and because of the spy thing I don't know who I can trust to go," I said quietly and as quickly as I could, hoping no one had to hear.
"Pretty much, then. Well, how about a beer, tomorrow we all go to that taco place I recommended and then we worry about the rest," they suggested.
"The problem is that the more time passes, the more information they will take from us and the easier it will be for them to destroy us," I needed someone to finally understand my reasons behind everything I was doing.
"Your friend outside can't help us?"
"I don't want to torment her with all this."
"If you really are that close friend she will understand, and honestly I don't think you are paranoid, I too have noticed a strange attitude in some for a few months now. My recommendation, train a team with people to whom you can entrust your life, with whom you don't have to talk to understand each other, that team will discover the spy and his allies, and if you want, among them can be your mysterious friend," they said, bringing me closer to them so I could listen to them better.
"Would you join that team if I asked you to?" I asked after a few minutes of walking in silence, still under their grip as they seemed unwilling to let me go. So far they seemed to be the most suitable person for the job.
"We'll have to be more than two, princess," they said, stopping in front of a liquor store, of which I had no idea it was there.
"Please don't call me that," I said, running my hand over my face in embarrassment, finally I was released to enter the establishment, "And what are we doing here? I thought we were just going for a beer," I asked, grabbing a bottle of brandy.
"Mike offered me 50 if I could get him a good tequila, I told him that 40 would be enough, but he said it was my pay for the effort. But you need it more than he does," they explained, strolling down the aisles of whiskey and wine.
"So are you planning to steal two bottles of tequila, or pay for one and steal the other?" I asked, picking up another bottle and reading the alcohol content on its label.
"I was actually thinking of letting you pay...but I don't think you brought more than 10, so I'll ask them to put it on my tab and I'll come to pay early tomorrow morning," Cheis replied when they finally found the area they had been looking for since the entrance.
"Don't you think it's strange that this place is open at this time of night?" I asked, putting my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt.
"These people open and close when they feel like it, neither the government nor the police is going to be telling them what to do. Besides, they earn well, in these areas there are drunks las 24 horas los 365 dias and they don't ask for identification," they said smiling, as they picked up two bottles to check them in detail.
"How long have you known this place?" I continued, looking around. At the back, there was a cashier, next to a young man who seemed to be counting the money in the cash register. There were several mirrors that served as security cameras. It was a big place, with several aisles and hanging cold white lights.
"About a year ago, but I almost never buy, there are always drunks at the entrance who won't let me in," they explained, examining another bottle on the shelf. "These two will be fine, the sodas and beers we can steal," they said, turning to look at me to wink at me and head for the cash register.
After paying, or something similar since apparently, the young man recognized not only Bruce Wayne's granddaughter but also the vigilante Cheis, we headed back out to the street.
"Hey, not to worry you anymore, but I can't put up with this much longer," they began to say when we had already crossed a few streets towards the real park, "If there is a spy, he will try to get very close to you and your family," Cheis said, and when they finished speaking we had already arrived at a small grocery store, perfect for buying beers and sodas.
"Why do you say that," I asked, entering the place to check first of all how many people were there and its security system.
"Alice confessed yesterday that she liked your brother and that she was really looking for something serious," I felt as if a bucket of cold water fell on my head, how was that possible?
I didn't wait any longer, the effect of the toxin was null in those moments and I needed to stop thinking about it once, losing consciousness for a few hours because the alcohol wouldn't be bad. I opened the refrigerator, took two lime sodas, while I indicated Cheis where there was a beer box. They took it and we ran out, but not before grabbing a pack of disposable cups, the place was actually totally empty, there wasn't even a vendor or security camera, anyone could have done the same thing.
The walk to the park took forever, I knew that Cheis' intentions were the best, I didn't know and I didn't want to think about what my reaction would have been if it was Persia herself who told me. All those talks that as a demigoddess she could not relate in that way with any mortal could go to hell.
When we arrived at the park we took a bench and started with the lightest thing, the beer, the carton had 12 bottles completely full, we divided them so that each one got 6. Although we were not one hundred percent prepared for this, Cheis' arsenal surely had something to open all the bottles, and if not, surely the bars of the bench would work.
"Salud, for life," said Cheis, clinking his bottle and mine.
"Salud," I replied, before taking a good swig. I had never really been a fan of alcohol, the raspor in my throat was the worst, and every time I took a bottle I remembered Roy's threats, saying that the last thing he wanted was for me to end up like him. I tried to quit once, but I missed the light feeling it gave me, the problems slipped away, my mind thought of nothing.
Three bottles of beer later and our true selves were beginning to show, we laughed at everything and everyone, we brought out every rudeness, on one of those we even played music on my cell phone to lighten the mood. Someday we will regret that but not for the moment, we were still young and, in my case, life was only enjoyed twice.
The beer bottles were completely ignored at three in the morning when Cheis opened the tequila and started pouring.
Again, we toasted.
"Salud, to this horrendous city," he said, already slurring his words as his free hand pointed at the huge buildings surrounding us.
"Salud, because one day this pigsty will respect us," I replied, almost in the same tone, and then began to laugh.
Chapter 2: Pretend and Wait
The Wayne Manor was distinguished from others in Bristol for being the biggest and most luxurious of all, the enormous steel doors, the wide gardens, the garage with dozens of cars, the floral bushes, and the occasional motorcycles were characteristic marks.
Upon entering the mansion, the first to greet me as always was Alfred, although on this occasion his face denoted confusion, and looking me over from head to toe he told me to go upstairs to my room to change if I wanted to have dinner with the rest of the family.
On my way upstairs, exchanging my visor for my glasses, I couldn't help overhearing parts of the conversation in the library and resisting my curiosity, I went straight to my door.
As usual, my room was dark, curtains closed and my mess was on the floor. I turned on the lights and with the help of another switch adjusted their intensity. From the piles of clothes on the floor I grabbed a baggy, closed sweatshirt and jeans. The shadow got rid of the coat, boots, and gloves. Before I went into the bathroom to take a shower and change clothes, my phone rang from somewhere between my desk and my bed. I ignored it, I didn't have the energy to argue with someone on the phone.
I needed to organize all the thoughts in my mind, to start distributing my time among the most important tasks. Organize the three missions leaving available the team that would be dedicated to infiltrating LexCorp, look for a distraction for Angie, and see if I could escape to the forest for half an hour. On top of that, I had to talk to Roy Harper, and ask him to lend me an island.
The mere thought that in the long run, I would have to throw away years of friendship made me sick, I tried to think about it as little as possible, but my mind always betrayed me. At one point I didn't know if what was running down my face was water droplets from the shower or tears.
The idea was to simply take a lukewarm shower, no longer than 15 minutes. However, I was so stressed that the water came out almost boiling and I was under the stream of water for almost an hour, and it would have lasted longer if it wasn't for that person screaming and almost knocking on the door of my room to the floor.
"Pasley, dinner is ready," I couldn't quite identify whose voice it was, but I thanked him for silencing my mind, even for a few seconds.
I didn't answer, I didn't expect him to have been waiting for one either.
When I entered the dining room, it was already full. Grayson, Drake, the two Wayne's, to no one's surprise, Arthur Johnes, my father, and my brother, sitting in their respective chairs. Alfred had already served everything and some were even beginning to serve themselves and eat.
"You're early." And my plans to go unnoticed were ruined at that moment. Bruce looked up from his plate and turned to look at me, Jay mimicked his action.
"The meeting," I said to see if the girl sitting across from me noticed the intentions behind my tone of voice, "took less time than expected due to the, at least to me, surprising absence of everyone. And I didn't feel the need to stay on patrol," Angie and Arthur were still engrossed in their world, talking to each other almost in whispers, as if they knew everyone at that table could read lips, pretending it was just them alone in that room.
"I'm glad you're all here, how about a training session?" asked Dick, not noticing or ignoring the tense atmosphere between me, my cousin, and what I thought was my boyfriend.
"Sorry dad, we have classes tomorrow," Angie replied, taking a bite of food.
"They gave us a day," James contradicted.
"Hm, then I forgot."
The rest of the dinner was harmonized by the Wayne brothers and their harmless bickering and complaining towards Batman. As soon as everyone was satisfied they began to retire one by one to different rooms in the mansion.
Angie and Arthur sat for a while in the dining room, still talking about their things and pretending that neither my brother nor I were there. It was strange, they had never behaved that way before, in all those years I knew them they had never behaved so irresponsibly.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to talk to Drake," I reported before getting up from the table and leaving the dining room.
Any stranger would get lost in the hallway. If my memory served me correctly, which often failed me, I also got lost in so many rooms. Nowadays I knew every hallway like the back of my hand, which made tasks like that easier.
"Tim, can you help me with something?" I said, knocking on the door. I waited for an answer, probably a no, but what I got was the sound of something banging against the door, the floor, and some of the furniture, so that finally someone opened the door.
"Hi, I'm sorry, I was organizing some things and by accident, I knocked everything over. Come in, come in, sorry for the mess," he said quickly, letting me into his personal sanctuary.
"I'm the one who's sorry, this isn't even important it can wait," I said, starting to turn around to leave.
"What do you say we talk about it tomorrow?" he asked scratching the back of his head, his room wasn't really a mess, if we didn't count the clothes on the floor, the pile of wires on his bed, and desk.
"That's fine with me," I told him, once I left his room.
Sleeping with so much on my mind was almost impossible. That's why as soon as my cell phone started to ring, still in my clothes, I deigned to look for it, not in such a hurry because I knew that if it was urgent they would leave a message or communicate directly through Oracle's systems.
To my surprise, it was only Cheis, asking me if I had time to go for a walk in Row Park, walks that I was grateful for and that meant more than just that. Escaping from the mansion at night, when the security systems were activated, was much more difficult than entering, but the shadow was of some use.
Walking the streets of Gotham again, more aware than a few hours ago, made everything feel more real. My problems, my life, everything.
The streets on the East Side were horrendous, the floor was sticky, the air felt humid, maybe it was just my imagination. I had spent my entire childhood going back and forth from alley to alley, stealing from anything that moved and in all those years I had never complained about the environment, surely I had become weaker after living so long in the mansion, surrounded by luxuries with always clean floors and food on the table.
As I turned right at one of the corners, I could finally see the face of my companion, who by the trash on the floor I could tell had started the fun without me.
"You are late," they said, without even turning to look at me.
"Too early, too late, why nowadays people don't settle for anything?" I asked, taking the cigarette and puffing on it.
"Do you want to get philosophical with me or do you want another dose of the toxin?" asked Cheis, rummaging through his suit pockets.
"The last thing I want right now is to think."
Chapter 1: The Warehouse
The south side of Gotham, where crime and international business came together. Plus the proximity to Black Gate meant that many people avoided living near the ports and let hero groups, like this one, settle in and keep a close eye on the arms trade.
The Warriors Society held its meetings on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays it was patrolling in the other sectors of the city and from the afternoons the teams were organized to keep everything in order and avoid intervening in Batman's affairs.
That day, Thursday, only 8 members of the then almost 20 were around the main table, with Jim directing the business to be transacted.
"I'd call the roll, but I'm too lazy," he said, tossing the sheets containing our names to the floor, "Next week is Casper's birthday, we'd give him the day off but...
"...But I have nothing to do that day, so, patrolling with my brothers?" interrupted Lightningale, trying to talk at average speed and not like he always talked to Mike or the League speedsters.
"We've got Bruce Wayne's granddaughter, and we're not even going to buy her a cake?" Jim asked after he pulled a paper clip out of one of the table drawers and threw it in my face, as a sign for me to settle my feet on the ground, although this time I was paying attention and the shadow stopped the small metal object and absorbed it.
"Thanks for ruining my plans, Bullock," I said, throwing the paper clip back at him.
Actually, it had all occurred to me in those few seconds. I had completely forgotten the date of that day. And with Casper's birthday came Jason's birthday. That month was all about spending money on gifts.
And with it came asking Grandpa for money, which was funny but I didn't like doing it. In the future, I would ask him to get me into his company in some small job to make good money.
"I'm sorry, now... I have three missions, one in Star City, one in Qurac, and one last one here," Jim continued, tossing the three folders on the table, a quick inspection of the table and starting to rule out options for the mission in Qurac.
Oswald, Casper, James, Henry, Sam, Alice, Jim and me. Bullock didn't like or find the missions in the field intriguing, preferring to stay behind the screen coordinating the missions. Henry was out of the question, he would probably be better off at Star, and with Oswald, who knew the city well and could keep him in his sights. Casper, James, Angie, and I, plus everyone who was missing, minus the team that was going to Lexcorp.
"I'm sure Arthur will ask for Qurac, and with him will obviously go Alice," Alice commented in front of me, playing with a stream of air in her hands.
"How are you so sure about that?" asked Sam, who for some time now has been even more attached to me and a thousand times more alert than before, maybe I should follow her example.
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Alice, leaving the little clean air in the area alone, making the papers on the floor fly around us, "Those two have something, and I'm sure they like each other.
The reaction of more than one was the same, turning to look at me with intrigue. By way of distraction and to avoid yelling at my friend I decided to pull out some of the shade and play as she was doing a few moments before.
"As long as the little romance doesn't interfere with our affairs," I said, answering the silent questions of my companions.
And with that Angie, Arthur and Alice were ruled out of the mission to the Qurac. The situation was only getting more stressful as time went on. I had to think things through clearly, look at things from every possible angle, and analyze the results.
"I suggest that Jane and the 3 warriors talk it over calmly and give me the members of each team for the next meeting, where I hope we will all be there," said Jim, probably noticing how overwhelmed I was by all of this.
The Warriors Society was a very large group, so from the beginning, it was divided into 4 teams, with a leader each called a Warrior. James, Oswald, and Sam were all capable enough to control their team on patrols and simple missions, but with new developments, it had become common to start breaking these teams up.
The meeting was adjourned as soon as the sun went down, shortly after Alice reminded us that the courtyard was no longer an available place for training.
We all got up with masks, visors, face shields, or weapons in hand and slowly made our way out the front door, some on foot and others on one of the motorcycles. For my part, I stood near one of the computer screens, pressing a couple of keys, a new window opened, showing the location of the rest of my colleagues who did not show up that day.
I quickly passed that information to the visor and left the warehouse, closing the door behind me. The harbor at that time of night seemed a quiet place. The sound of the water lapping against the boats could lull anyone to sleep. I walked slowly through the alleys until I came out onto one of the busy streets near the Fashion District.
Arriving at Wayne Manor this early in the night wasn't an idea I was too fond of, especially knowing who was staying that night, but I had nothing else to do, and postponing a problem wouldn't make it go away.
Walking slowly to the train tracks, watching the night sky for a moment I thought about what it would be like to disappear, to fake my death, and make everything I worked for these past few years go to waste. When I least noticed, I was already crossing the Robert Kane Bridge, from Gotham to Bristol. I had crossed almost the entire city in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, the cape of the suit had transformed into a long coat, I was grateful for it, but I hoped no one had seen me do that.
If James decided to end his patrol early, we could get down to discussing the missions and who knows, ask Tim, who was also leading a team of heroes, for some advice.
Prologue
Log #59
My name is Jane Pasley Todd, also known as the vigilante Eclipse. I have worn this mantle since I returned from the dead (a few years ago now) and have never doubted this identity until now.
My team has begun to act in strange ways. Although my position as leader was democratically elected, many have begun to ignore my orders even if it means endangering the lives of others. They have started to become even more stubborn than they already were in the beginning, I am glad they are sticking to their ideals, but not when it could wipe them all out.
Angie, my cousin, says I should let someone else take over, as she has begun to notice signs of anxiety and lack of control over my shadow, but I don't trust the team to adapt quickly to the new leadership, especially when we are in such critical times.
My brother doubts that Angie's intentions are the right ones. Although to be honest, he has never trusted her, as has Assana. But he says that as long as Richard has his eye on her, he won't say anything to the rest. Apparently, he's the only one who still keeps his trust in me.
Arthur starts to pull away from me and try to fight over any measly thing that happens. He urges violence at the worst times. The same thing starts to happen with Andrea and Henry, although from the latter I understand it, his powers are enhanced by anger. But from her I would never have imagined it, of course, her character has changed over time, copying some of the reactions of the rest of our companions as soon as she left the orphanage and felt much safer with us.
The reconnaissance mission in Lexcorp, Metropolis, went better than expected. We managed to gather even more information than expected. Unfortunately, the second part had to be postponed at the suggestion of Casper and Oswald. Between the three of us, we started thinking about possible rescue team members.
Shade has not notified me if she has any plans to settle permanently in Gotham. This simply means that even she doesn't know if there's anything behind this whole mess.
End of Log for Pentagon.