—004
KILL YOU

𝘑𝘈𝘕𝘜𝘈𝘙𝘠 6𝘵𝘩, 2013
2:35 𝘈𝘔 𝘉𝘓Ü𝘋𝘏𝘈𝘝𝘌𝘕

𝘙𝘐𝘖 𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘖𝘋 𝘈𝘛 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘊𝘖𝘙𝘕𝘌𝘙 of a brick building. Her eyes waited for a man to burst out of the building next to her, running with a child in his arms. Her instructions were to kill him and take the child back to her mother immediately. She wasn't completely a terrible person. Stopping a sex trafficker from trafficking his own child sounds like a damn good thing to do.  She twirled the knife in her fingers, she heard a scream, so in moments the man would be in front of her. He parked just a few blocks down, so either way she could chase him if needed. A door was slammed open, and footsteps heavily sped down the streets of Gotham, right in front of Rio.

It was easy, just a quick stab behind him, grab the baby, and leave. The cops would deal with it in the morning and see that he had several other charges previously linked to him, so they would not give a single damn about the man laying on the dirt and grime of Gotham city. They'd assume gang violence. She looked at the baby in her arms as she held her tightly against her chest, she was fast asleep. She ventured up the side of the building, stopping at where a woman stood in a window, tears strolling down her face. Rio smiled, returning the child to her mom.

The woman mouthed a thank you, before shutting the window. Rio was left alone again in the darkness of the night. She hopped down into the alley again. The body was gone.

"I know you know how to dispose of evidence," a bold voice spoke from behind her.

The hair on the back of her neck rose. Rio reached for her gun. Rarely did she ever find the case to use it on random, but this was unexpected. She turned around, aiming straight at the man speaking to her, "listen, you can walk away and we don't have to do this."

She could barely see him, but what did catch her eyes was two pointy ears. Her breath hitched. She never had come in contact with Batman before, but she had come in contact with Bruce. She was no match for the man, and she knew it. She retired her gun quicker than it had been pulled out. She stood a stance of defense.

"I'm not here to fight you. I just want to talk," he moved closer to her, revealing the pale white of the bottom half of his face.

"What did you do with the body? What do you want from me?"

"He's with the police, I had been eying him for a while."

"Then why stop to talk to me? If I did your job for you, why?"

At this point Batman and her were just a foot away from each other, the streets of Gotham stopped moving just for a second it seemed.  And though it was covered, it looked like Batman's brow had furrowed, "you didn't 'do the job' for me, I made sure that man had a chance at staying alive. But someone you and I both know, he's been distracted from his job recently."

Robin.

"He has been trying to find you."

"Woah woah woah Bats whatever you think it is, it's not that. I spoke to him once," she raised her hands in defense.

"You're an assassin, Rio," well no shit ya dumb twat. Batman's tone remained consistent; calm and bold, "my...sidekick... is trying to uncover every single thing in your cartel, as well as I. But he reaches dead-end after dead-end, because he cannot put a face to the name of the one person they send to kill."

Rio was unamused. Truly. And the parts of her face that were uncovered showed it.

"Now since the cartel you're a part of is about to be uncovered," this perked her attention a bit, "I'd like to list some conditions with you."

"I die with my father," she stood firm. No one, not even Batman, was going to take her from her family.

"Part of my list of conditions is that you and your father remain out of prison, but that's if you do a few things for me," through his mask, he glared at her slightly.

Her face conformed to that of confusion, looking him straight in the face. She decided it best to not respond. Her silence was enough. Batman looked into the sky, off into some abyss of thoughts before he looked down to her again, "you're going to come with me. I do not expect you to reveal any information, but you will remain safe."

"And why would I go with you?" Now she turned up at the sky, wondering what compelled him so. Gotham was a polluted city, you could barely see Venus staring down at you.

"Otherwise, you go to jail, right here, right now. And I also cannot assure the same wouldn't happen to your family."

Her face neglected to change expression, she stared straight at him, "and what stops me from killing you first?"

She knew she could fight him. She might not win but she could fight enough to give her time to think. And run. She could tell her father. This whole thing would be over. There was no obligation for her to change her whole life in an instant all because some man in a bat costume cornered her in an alley. Except the possibility of what this strange man could do to her family.

"Nothing, except for we both know that's not going to happen."

She thought for a moment, "if I go with you, what do I gain from it?"

The rain patted lightly against them as the short girl looked up at the man. The only thing you could see in the night was the white of her eyes as the little bit of moonlight shone through the dark clouds.

"I'll never understand why they make a kid do what you do," he spoke harshly, as if his mind was clouded, "you'll never have to do it again."

"What if I want to? What if I enjoy what I do? You ever stop to think I do this for the people I care about?" Rio could feel the tension between them increase, her being a murderer was obviously not on Batman's consistent list of worries,"and what about Robin? What makes him any different from me?"

The question striked Batman, but it was not visible, "I hope he never kills a man."

"Some people don't deserve to live. That man was going to sell his own child into sex trafficking," Rio balled up her hands into fists, "I don't think he ever should've seen daylight again."

"That's not your decision to make," he stepped one foot closer to her, a hand reaching out to her, "but this is. I'm offering you a chance. Jail, or this."

Rio brimmed with anger. This was not right. Legally, it was technically kidnapping. And Batman had no right to rush her with this type of decision. To be what, a hero? What good would it do her when the real evil was behind walls that the Justice League would never touch.

"No."

Planning and thinking ahead was never her strong suit.

She ran through the rain, her feet almost slipping against the wet sidewalk. She removed a knife from her pants and held it out as her eyes roamed to find the man she knew would be following her. The city was only a mile ahead. She heard a swish in the air and looked above her to find him gliding from building to building. In a split second motion, she ran across the street, a few cars honking as she maneuvered through them. She heard more honking even as she had reached the other side. Shit. She continued to run, refusing to look behind her as she neared a gas station. Barely anyone glanced at her as she ran inside, but she knew Batman would not risk public attention towards her.

Her wet boots squeaked against the tile floor. The cashier gave her a miserable look, "do you need something?"

Rio rolled her eyes at the woman and walked away. She traveled down to the women's bathroom, pounding on the locked door. A middle aged woman coughed out some curses at her before Rio stepped in and locked the door to the bathroom. She plumped down against the wall, ignoring the dead roach and paper towels thrown on the floor. And the little bit of piss that somehow missed the inside of the toilet and instead pooled at the front. She had seen worse, but it still made her stomach churn just a bit.

Her ski mask was soaked, the cotton uncomfortably sticking to her face. She pulled it off, her hair being entirely disheveled by the whole ordeal. Her deep brown eyes met that of her reflection, and the stings of pain encompassing her body began to flood through her. She worked day and night relentlessly, fighting off the devils of the earth or the devils in her head. There was not a moment where her body felt at peace in this ruthless reality she lived; except when her hands curled around the trigger of a gun, or her fists meeting already bruised flesh of criminals across the world. Then, and only then, did her body feel all encompassing peace. Peace that was accompanied by everlasting rage.

The truth was, more people felt themselves when they were hurting others than anything. The realists, purist versions of an individual exist when they defy all moral compasses, and decide to instead act purely on instinct. The instinct that ran towards the fire and not cowered away. The instinct that knew survival was more important than living.

Rio found herself always running towards the fire. And, without fail, her flesh would burn.

Rio removed both of her long, black braids that she had tied together that morning, fingering through her hair before braiding it again. Someone started pounding on the door, as if desperate. Rio sighed in annoyance, before shouting at them. She squeezed the rain water from her mask into the sink, and also attempted to do the same with some of her clothing. Eventually the woman from the front knocked on the door, threatening something about calling the cops.

Rio walked out, her face once again covered by the mask, "listen, I just had too much to drink and took way too much of I don't know what. Now let me buy a few things and I'll be on my way."

The woman noticed the gun holster and didn't bother asking questions. Rio stepped out of another woman's way, and marched through the aisles to find whatever she needed before parking herself at the cashier. She threw a water bottle, an umbrella, and a lighter onto the counter. Her hour-long pit stop should have deterred Batman enough for her to walk home or get a cab.

Well, you'd think. But patience is a virtue.

Rio removed her gun from its holster and held it straight at the figure that had just walked in. He grimaced through his mask as Rio continued counting the cash she had with her right hand and handing it to the woman who just vaped as the event occurred. She had pressed that not-so secret button under the counter that alerted 911.

"You didn't have to do that, did you?" Rio glared as the woman's hand lingered under the counter, "it's not like I'm stealing anything."

She finally turned to Batman, her gloved hand cocking the gun up at him, "men don't know how to take no for an answer."

She kicked Batman's knee, causing him to buckle for a moment before he grabbed her foot. She fell onto her ass, the gun shooting off into the air causing the few people inside and outside the gas station to start screaming. She pushed herself out of his grasp, using her other foot to kick him in the face. She slid against the ground a few feet away from him now, cocking her gun again. She aimed at the man, but when she opened her eyes he wasn't in front of her anymore. She turned to her left and found him down the aisle, standing patiently. She stood up, annoyed. She returned her gun to its hollister and instead pulled the nunchaku off her back. She swung it with her left hand, approaching the man.

"I'm not going to fight you," Batman looked down on her.

"'Cus you're weak," she swung the nunchaku again, swinging it at her opponent. He caught it in his right hand, allowing her to knee him in his stomach, which disappointingly had armor, and then kick him in the side before using her nunchaku again.

"You're too impulsive, you need to think things through. That attack could have worked if you had-" he defended against her next attack, blocking every motion.

Rio heaved, "shut the fuck up."

Sirens could be heard from outside the gas station, but Rio did not acknowledge them. She continued her anger-fueled attack. "You really think you can turn any kid you meet on the street into a hero?!"

She received no response, and continued her fight. They worked around the aisles, crashing into shelves every now and then. Rio had finally found herself presse against the counter, blood dripping from her nose after she received a punch from Batman. She had gotten under his skin, and she felt rewarded enough that he had fought back. But her moment of reward was soon interrupted when she looked up and faced a man in blue. Fuck.

"What's your name, kid?" The man lifted her up by her underarm, reaching for handcuffs from his belt.

"No habla inglés, pig," Rio spat onto the ground, a custom she had watched her father do every time he was arrested.

Another officer started listing her fifth amendment rights in Spanish and they handcuffed her, leading her into a cop car. The red and blue lights blared as she turned to face Batman, who stood in the doorway of the gas station as cops scrambled behind him. She looked at him with disgust before being shoved into the car.

︻╦̵̵̿╤─ ҉~•

The annoying clicking of computer keys by the receptionist outside Commissioner Gordon's office made Rio want to punch something. She kept, purposefully, hitting the back of her head against the glass that revealed the inside of the Commissioners office, causing him to close the blinds as she kept looking in to watch the two. She would give Batman the middle finger everytime he glanced towards her.

Her attempt to draw a middle finger on the glass out of the blood on her knuckles was interrupted as a woman in a trenchcoat sat next to her, "so, feel like talking?"

Rio gave the woman a smug look, "just because you aren't white and speak spanish doesn't mean I'm going to talk."

The woman put her long black hair up, not looking straight at the girl, "listen, I get it, Batman's a force to be reckoned with. But there was no reason for you to be in that gas station armed with several weapons, unless there's more to your story."

Rio remained silent, perfecting the blood on the glass. The woman shrugged, "if you say so. If you need anything, my name is Renee Montoya."

A card with a phone number was thrown onto Rio's lap. She debated aiming it at the mesh basket a few feet away from her, but she instead stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans.

A man rushed into the office, "my love."

She stood up, being embraced in his arms, "Papi, I can explain."

Now, the door of the Commissioner's office was open, and there stood Batman, looking down on the two. Her father wasn't exactly dressed in the most appropriate apparel. He wore pants twice his size, and wife-beater shirts were the trend when you worked as a part-time mechanic. And the tattoos on his neck didn't make it any better.

"Can someone explain why my daughter is here?" He looked at the two men, acting not entirely stupid considering he does not know exactly what led Rio under the nose of Batman.

"Illegal firearm possession and disturbing the peace. But there's a motion for a different route than juvenile detention," Gordon looked at Batman, who nodded.

"Mr. Solivan, can we talk?"

"METROPOLIS?!" Rio stared at her father, her mouth gaped. Her father rubbed her shoulder affectionately, as he informed her they planned to send her to a correctional program for a few months. Her nostrils flared, "I'd rather go to fucking Belle Reve."

"Rio, I am under the impression they are onto me too, and I do not want to risk everything, my love," he sighed, "you do this, I can get the crew to lay low for a while."

"But what about-"

"The family will be fine. If anything, we are protecting them. I'll get you out, I promise," his face was not as compassionate as his words, but Rio took them to heart.

Her mind rushed with thoughts of Selina and her family. She told her dad to update Selina, but under no circumstance mention Batman. She ran her fingers through her hair, turning to her father for answers. He walked away, silent. Rio could only stare into space. Her heart had run cold with regret, and pure hatred for Batman.

I fucking hate superheroes.

TAINY'S NEW ALBUM IS HEAVEN SENT
anyway, i'm thoroughly addicted to Rio and her life so continue to expect updates from me
Rio's dad definitely looks like a tanner Rio from Good Girls lol
also this is like one of my favorite chapters
this is also kind of the end of an arc? if you get what i mean?
thanks for reading!! comments are always appreciated.

edit: guys sorry for not updating i started college so i'm like STRESSED and tryna maintain a social life. but i do edit in my free time, so updates soon🥳

edit pt. 2: my long-term relationship of 2.5 years randomly ended on a sunday a couple months ago, so highkey this ain't been my focus. BUT IM BACK