Misfit
Junior Member
Misfit In Action
Posts: 58
|
Post by Misfit on Mar 1, 2012 3:27:06 GMT -8
If there was one thing Charlie had for her mentor, Oracle, it was respect.
Despite being welcomed into the inner-workings of the Clocktower for quite some time, she still liked to allow herself the ability to follow a few select rules, proper Clocktower etticate if it were, to make sure that she never walked over any boundries. Usually, in full Misfit gear, even though she would never need to use it, Charlie would bounce in front of the front door of Oracle's inner workshop, allowing Babs herself to know she was coming from a mile away, just to make sure she didn't catch her off guard, or surprise her.
Usually, Charlie was careful. Smooth. Quiet.
This, however, was not one of those time-tables that could be described as 'usually'.
With her brain scattered, in a puff of pink kenetic energy, Misfit suddenly bounced into a random spot in Oracle's lair, which just happened to be her kitchen.
Charlie's dazed body landing right in the middle of the kitchen, causing her to trip over a random trashcan. From there, she was sent face first into Babs' coffee stand, forcing her bracing arms to knock the maker itself to the floor, as well as over 2 dozen red stirrers. Her hands gripped the corners of the table, holding herself up as the throbbing pain in her head continued to knock her sense of balance for a loop. She winced as she tried to call her mentors' name.
"O...Orac...hurrf!"
Tears filling her eyes, Misfit stumbled over to the connecting sink, finding herself puking yet again. In her young days, Charlie was prone to actual migraine headaches, and found herself throwing up each and every time. In her teen years, the migraines began to vanish, and it was thought that she simply outgrew them. Her first train of thought that she was wrong, and that they had simply returned, but with a vengence.
After coughing softly, she lifted her head and wiped away her tears, yanking her mask off in the process. The pain in her head remained, but at least she could finally walk again.
Sniffling softly and trying to fight the tears from her recent eperience, Charlie looked down and passed the mess that she made, on the lookout for Oracle.
|
|
|
Post by Oracle on Mar 2, 2012 3:59:05 GMT -8
Through the hum of her machines, the clocktower had run into an eerie silence that only Barbara would deem as a 'wonderland.' She used to remember Dinah complaining about how weird it was and then proceeded to blast a stereo on blaring some type of dance music soon after.
Not.. that she minded the music at all, but she just loved her moments of silence as well. It gave her a great time to just sit and think.
Though, a lot of the times her little thinking sessions were always interrupted by something. A com-call, a phone call--
Barbara's head turned quickly when she heard a large 'bang-thud' coming from the kitchen.
Looks like the silence was broken again. Barbara quickly reached back and grabbed her escrima sticks.
What the HELL was that?
She had to think quickly. Nothing blipped her sensors. There were no security breaches--
"Misfit..." she voice was small, incredibly worried.
Just before she moved she heard Charlie's voice weakly calling to her from the kitchen.
Wheeling herself out, she was surprised to see Charlie sprawled out on the floor with about a hundred or so coffee stirrers around her. "Charlie--?!"
She attempted to assist her protege. "CHARLIE!!"
Misfit was really looking worse for wear. "Are you okay??"
Oh. SMOOTH one Babs.
Of course she was not okay! The poor thing was clearly in great pain.
She touched her shoulder gently, trying to get her to ease up. "What IS it....?" she frowned. "You got to tell me so I can help..."
|
|
Misfit
Junior Member
Misfit In Action
Posts: 58
|
Post by Misfit on Mar 2, 2012 4:21:43 GMT -8
It was a nightmare scenerio. The thing she never wanted to experience first hand. To Charlie's mind, this was standing naked in front of her entire class. This was her endlessly falling. This was her monster under the bed. The thing that she would have done anything to avoid.
Charlie looked bad in front of her hero.
With tears forced to flee from her eyes following her sick spewed into the nearby sink, Charlie looked up at Oracle, her eyes immediatly drawn to her hand.
Funny, the thoughts and ideas that run through one's mind at the most sudden, random moments. Charlie never gave it much thought, but she was being touched by one of the two most talented, most skilled hands in the world. One moment, those hands were gloved up just like her own, dishing out pain and punishment to those who wished to poison the streets of Gotham. Then, in another world, those same hands built an entire technological empire to keep those same streets safe, but in an entirely new means. It was incredible.
Almost as incredible as the amount of pain circling in her head.
Charlie lifted her leather clad hand up and gently placed it atop of Barbara's hand, letting out a soft grunt as she did her best to try and get to her feet.
"Im...Im okay....just my head really hurts..."
Charlie took ahold of the wheel to Barbara's chair, quickly releasing it to in turn take the armrest of the chair, doing her best to get back to her feet.
"Im...not really sure how I got here...or why Im in costume....did something happen? Was I...was I summoned here, or something?"
For a moment, she was back to her feet, standing straight up with her arms loosely dangling at her sides, hands still sprawled to catch herself just in case she had to prepare for the worst case scenerio.
Seconds later, the worst case scenerio arrived.
Charlie took a step forward and completely lost any trace of balance that she could muster, crashing hard into the tiled kitchen floor, her face splattered right in the middle of the stirrers she only moments before knocked over. Her eyes instantly shut, embracing the feel of exhaustion that was immediatly brought upon her. At Oracle's feet, Charlie laid knocked out, her face looking somewhat relaxed and at peace for the first time since returning to the Clocktower.
It easily stood as one of Charlie's most embaressing moments.
The moment that Misfit lost face in front of the most respected person in the superhero community.
It was a moment she never wanted to remember.
Good thing she was unconcious for most of it.
|
|
|
Post by Oracle on Mar 2, 2012 16:04:37 GMT -8
Barbara furrowed her brow in sheer confusion as she watched Charlie struggle to keep herself balanced.
Her mind swimming with a million questions, she tried to keep a firm hand on the girl. of all the time that she and Charlie had been together, she never seen the girl in a state like this.
It worried her.
What could have possibly happened to have her return to the base in such a state?
And the question that she just asked her.... was she joking?
Charlie's humor was pretty spunky, but when she faced with troubling situations, she flew straight.
This couldn't have been a joke.
"You must have bounced in..." she countered, her hand coming to rest on Charlie's cheek. Tilting her chin up just slightly, she looked into Charlie's eyes looking for any signs of pupil dilation. Maybe.. she encountered some kind of chemical that gave her such a reaction.
Barbara was going to have to run a few tests to make sure.
"What do you remember las--"
Barbara tried her best to reach out for Charlie before she fell, in what seemed like slow motion. "CHARLIE--!!"
She cringed as she heard the ceremonial -thud- of the sixteen year old's petite frame on her kitchen floor.
Barbara cursed herself under her breath. Maybe if she hadn't had been in her chair, she would have been able to catch Charlie as she started to loose her balance.
"We... better get you bed..." she said to Charlie's unconscious frame as she gently brushed a few stray hairs from her face. She really hopped she didn't slam her head too hard on the hardwood floors too hard.
Barbara managed to take use of her upper arm strength and pull her up enough to where she had a firm hold of her. With a solid arm around her waist, she made sure to have Charlie's head resting on her shoulder. She did her best to prop her feet up on the footholds of her chair, but... well.. an unconcious body was somewhat hard to control.
With Charlie in her arms she back wheeled herself toward the back bedroom.
Hopefully, she wasn't causing too much additional bruising to Charlie's legs, considering one was dragging on the floor as she wheeled her way back.
It took her a fair amount of time to grab ahold of Charlie, wheel her back to the bedroom, and then lay the teen's unconscious body on the bed.. BUT... at least she had managed to get her resting comfortably on her own bed.
She leaned over the bed at Charlie's side, her hand gingerly placed over Charlie's pale hand. The concern now deeply etched into Barbara's face as the minutes ticked by on the clock.
The only thing she could really do at this point was wait for the young one to rouse to get to the bottom of things.
"...what happened to you...?" she asked quietly.
|
|
Misfit
Junior Member
Misfit In Action
Posts: 58
|
Post by Misfit on Mar 2, 2012 20:59:51 GMT -8
1 hour. 12 minutes. 15 seconds.
To the outside world, time had slowed to an absolute crawl. However, in Charlie's mind, there was no time. There was no nothing, really. Just the infinite abyss of exhaustion. All the pain. All the sickness. All the terror. Everything that she had most recently felt was gone. Her face, while pale and lightly red around her cheeks, was a soothing calm, at a sense of peace that can only be brought upon by sleep.
The peace, however, was plaster over her face. Plastered over a deeper pain then she knew. In the mind of Charlie, Misfit was never on active duty. She never bounced home. She never suited up. She never got her orders from Oracle. She never even heard that Green Arrow was spotted in the city. As far as she knew, she was semi-retired, only being called upon on the ultra rare times when another hero calls in sick. Or she was needed to deal with one of the slimmest of slim crimes in the city.
And yet, here she was.
Slowly, emeral eyes began to open, a tiny, squek like moan escaping her lips as she slowly looked around the room, instantly of forgotten how she had gotten there in the first place.
Barbara's hand was in her own. She recgonized the touch almost instantly, even before her eyes adjusted to see her mentor, looking back at her with a worried look on her face. Charlie's fingers gently curled, holding Barbara's hand and giving it a soft, comforting sqeeze, almost as if to tell her that she was alright.
Seconds later, words finally escaped from her mouth. Groggy, exhausted, and somewhat mumbled, but words nonetheless.
"...wha.....what's going on.....where am I...?"
|
|
|
Post by Oracle on Mar 2, 2012 23:51:29 GMT -8
Barbara had removed her glasses and set them carefully on the nightstand next to where Charlie's form was passed out.
In a way, she was extremely glad that Charlie had passed out. At least she would be able to rest in peace and perhaps sleep off her obviously rough evening.
Barbara's stomach seemed to twist in knots as she thought about it moreso.
All she really could do was sit... and wait.
Barbara had been in a loss of what to do for the last forty-five minutes as she continued to stay at Misfit's side. She kept her arm laced into her own, occasionally looking back to her watch to make sure Charlie's pulse was resting at level of normalcy.
At least that was stable... for now anyway.
Anger and worry had swept over her.
What if Charlie didn't wake up?
Barbara slipped away briefly and headed back to the kitchen to fetch a pitcher of water and a glass. Just in case Charlie happened to rouse and needed a little bit of something to help keep her senses stable. As she made her way back into the room, she set the pitcher down on the bedside and activated her com-link.
"Dinah....? Something's happened-- it's Charlie..." She frowned. Her hand slipping back into Charlie's own hand. "Can you come over?"
Upon receiving Dinah's response, she sunk back down, her head resting on the bedside. At least with Dinah being close by, she would have an assist in the situation.
Feeling the slight squeeze of Charlie's hand, caused Barbara to lift her head, her emerald eyes gazing back to Charlie with a sudden lightness.
Thank God she's alright.
"Heey... No sudden movements, okay?" she warned. "Welcome back to reality there." she greeted.
"You're back at the tower... You... must have bounced in after your patrol."
She furrowed her brow. By the looks of things, it looked like Charlie was about as confused as she was. "Can you tell me what happened...?"
|
|
Misfit
Junior Member
Misfit In Action
Posts: 58
|
Post by Misfit on Mar 3, 2012 0:43:12 GMT -8
"...patrol?"
Charlie looked at Barbara dumbfounded, her exhausted eyes lightly squinting, trying to understand what she was saying. However, when she tried to remember what happened to her recently, all she was met with was sudden pain.
It was as if something literally crawled into her head and attacked her mind from the inside out. Every thought was pure torture, repelling her to live in the here and the now. A tiny moan left Charlie's throat as she wanted to push herself, the life of a blank slant not being a particullarly good looking one.
"...Why would I be on partol...? You haven't needed me in weeks..."
Charlie didn't want to let go of Oracle's hand, as at that moment it became her secuirty blanket, something of an emotional tether to keep her frantically pounding mind at ease. Her other hand, however, was fair game. Charlie lifte dher hand and pressed it against her face, pressing her fore-finger and thumb against the bridge of her nose, sqeezing gently in a futile effort to fight back against the pain.
No luck.
"...The last thing I remember....is coming out of a crappy movie..."
A shutter came across her spine, a moment of panic that can only come with the feel of loss and abandoment, leading to Charlie holding Oracle's hand with both of hers. Its funny. Just the soft touch of Oracle's skin made Charlie feel at ease. She didn't want to let go. She was a scared little girl, and for once, she wasn't afraid to show it. There was no mission. No superheroics. There wasn't even a Misfit at that moment.
There was only a scared, worried Charlie. Laying in a bed that she never remembered getting into. Her wtery, glassy eyes looked up at Oracle, almost begging for any type of answers.
"...what....what happened?"
|
|
|
Post by Oracle on Mar 3, 2012 1:16:15 GMT -8
"Yes... About three hours ago....I had you go to The Wash to do some scouting for Green Arrow...." she trailed off her last few words very slowly.
It was then that Barbara was starting to put a few things together.
She continued to listen to the girl.
Movie theater...?
That... wasn't right.
Whatever happened Charlie had totally lost a few hours... or maybe days. She wasn't really aware what Charlie was doing before she called upon her services earlier... She could remember her stating that she was doing some type of studying, but.. that was all that was mentioned.
"You're missing time..." she breathed to her, mentally telling herself that very fact as well.
Leaning over to her nightstand she searched around for a prescription bottle and popped out a couple of pills. She gently placed the two white oblong pills in her hand and poured her a glass of water.
She KNEW that water would come in handy!
"Take these... it should ease the pain."
Missing time in Misfit's mind made her really worried.
Either she got hit really hard or.... just... SOMEthing happened. Something that Charlie couldn't even begin to recall.
Her eyes trailed down to Charlie's arms. Apparently no new cuts... or any new bruising. At least from what she could see.
"Are.. you hurting anywhere else...? Other than your head?"
She shook her head. "I..... I don't know."
She really didn't know what to tell her. "You don't remember me calling you... you coming over...Me asking you to follow a lead on Green Arrow." Her hands rolled along with her words. "....Question was here.. you bounced out to the Wash to do some recon...?"
She waited to see any type of anything registering on her face.
"....NOTHING.... At all...?"
|
|
|
Post by Black Canary on Mar 3, 2012 1:35:40 GMT -8
As Dinah neared the clocktower she couldn't help but start to worry about Charlie, Had she gotten herself in over her head and taken a good beating? was she sick? was she just bored? Oracle could have been a little more informative. Well at least her worry kept her from dealing with her own problems for the time being.
Dinah entered the tower heading up to see Barbara for the second time today. Hopefully this time she wouldn't snap at her. Dinah knew that she needed to talk to Barbara, to work things out but she wasn't ready for that, she still wasn't ready to admit her problems to herself let alone anyone else. She just hoped Barbara would understand that, at least she was distracted at the moment as well.
Entering the main room Dinah was surprised to find the giant computer that Babs was usually perched at empty. She tried the kitchen only to find it just as empty. "hmmm..." Dinah headed upstairs to the bedrooms searching each before finally finding them.
"there you guys are....whats going on?" she said with concern when she saw the look on Charlie's face
|
|
Misfit
Junior Member
Misfit In Action
Posts: 58
|
Post by Misfit on Mar 3, 2012 1:59:34 GMT -8
"...Wha....Green Arrow....Barbara, isn't Green Arrow dead...?"
Charlie wasn't exactly your average, everyday teenager. She didn't listen to bubblegum pop. She didn't acknowledge gossip. She didn't even know what the hell a "Justin Beaver" was, nor did she care. But, at the same time, there was one aspect of Charlie's life that made her just like the others of her generation.
She could care less about current events.
Despite possible appearances of Green arrow all over the news, meeting up with Oracle earlier in the night was the first she had heard of it...until now, that is. Now, its all just a mish-mash of blank slates and questionless answers.
"...Thank you..."
Charlie happily accepted the pills and popped them in her mouth, downing the entire glass, gulp upon gulp, until it was empty. She never even considered it until that moment but she was thirsty. Incredibly thirsty. Once the glass was empty, she placed it back on the nightstand next to Oracle's glasses before taking her hand again. For whatever reason, at that exact moment, she simply didn't want to let her go.
"...No, it's just my head. It's really pounding too...I don't think I've ever been in this much pain before..."
Stupid stupid girl. Even in her agony, she didn't want to lose face in front of Oracle. Hell, she already ralphed up half her intestines in the kitchen. It would be nice to save some sort of face. Considering that she was whining about a headache to the woman who took a bullet to the spine.
"...but...you know...I can manage..."
As Barabra told her the story of what had happened earlier in the day, Charlie's face was nothing but pure confusion and bewilderment. Nothing sounded even the slightest bit familiar. It sounded like the type of orders Oracle would give her, but besides that, nothing.
"...Im sorry, Barbara, but...none of this sounds familiar. The last thing I remember is going to the downtown Cineplex, seeing the Gray Ghost Returns, stepping out into the fresh air, then...my cellphone rang, and...that's it. Next thing I know, Im laying here."
Charlie looked up as the door opened, a smile forming on her face as Dinah walked in. She had hoped that not only Dinah wasn't taking time out of her life to check on her (she didn't see herself as worth the trouble, considering that all she was facing, all in all, was a headache and a slight bout of amnesia), but also like Oracle, she didn't want to lose face in front of her. Black Canary was another of her heroes, and having your hero see you in such a state...it bites.
Still, Charlie put on a brave face and did her best to sidestep the pain.
"...Dinah. Hi."
|
|
|
Post by Oracle on Mar 3, 2012 2:19:44 GMT -8
At least Charlie hadn't had anything else wrong with her, and that was good to hear. "I... want to take some blood..." she said to her after a few moments. Even though Charlie appeared to be okay, aside from the headache and the lost time, she really wanted to make sure things were 'fine.' And it seemed the only way that she could get that verified answer was though some blood work. "....whenever you're ready..." she added quickly. "If.. that's okay...?"
She didn't want to come off as the insensitive type.
The last time there was an argument like that Helena got extremely pissed off at her and ended up vanishing for a few weeks. She learned her lesson. And she was learning to push through a lot of pre-established barriers she had originally set up between herself and her operatives... her... friends.
"No... Green Arrow is probably, most likely still alive.. We're just.. trying to prove it."
She paused before she spoke again. "Okay... Well.. you just sit tight... and... don't do anything too strenuous, okay?"
Turning the moment she heard Dinah's voice, she smiled weakly. "Thanks for coming on such short notice..
"I know this is going to seem like a strange question.. but did you happen to come across anything.. strange within the last three or four hours...?
"Or take any midnight strolls near The Wash..... did you...?"
Barbara probably should have cut to the chase. But she needed a few quick questions answered first.
|
|
|
Post by Black Canary on Mar 3, 2012 2:28:16 GMT -8
"Hey Kiddo" She smiled and sat down on the bed next to her. "how are you feeling? need me to go rough anybody up?" She smiled to try and make Charlie feel better.
She turned her attention to Barbara. "its not a problem, I was just heading back from a jog....strange no just the usual Gotham grime" well other than the slight paranoid feeling Dinah felt earlier but she didn't feel it was necessary to discuss that.
"I haven't been to the watch, I jogged down to pier and back but I just ran into one thug who I am sure is quite sorry he stepped into my path but nothing else....why? Babs seemed to be darting around something, possibly hiding something that Dinah couldn't put her finger on...
"What happened to Charlie?"
|
|
Misfit
Junior Member
Misfit In Action
Posts: 58
|
Post by Misfit on Mar 3, 2012 2:49:54 GMT -8
"...a blood sample?"
Charlie took a deep, focused breath, trying to put on her brave face. She hated needles. With a passion. As dangerous as it was, she always refused to get flu shots just for her extreme hatred of needles....but for Barbara, she would do anything. There was no turning back now.
"...okay. It's fine."
Her smile grew as she let out a soft giggle once Dinah arrived. She always knew how to cheer her up. However, she didn't want to tell her about the apparent Green Arrow sighting she only just now heard about. Arrow was probabily a sore subject with her, and she knew Dinah all too well. She was a tough, but private person, keeping things all to herself. She didn't want to prod or pry. If Dinah wanted to express her feelings, she would, but for now, she was just grateful that not only could Dinah be there for her, but if need be, she could be there for Dinah.
"...Oh, no thanks. Honestly, Im not really sure why Im here. Barbara tells me that I apparently had myself quite a night, but...I can't seem to remember it....that, and I just have this splitting headache..."
Once Dinah and Oracle lowered their voice, Charlie knew the drill.
BFF talk.
Charlie finally released Barbara's hand as she gripped her bedsheets, tucking herself in a little tighter as she laid back on the bed, getting herself comfortable as she closed her eyes. Between the relaxed feeling of finally getting to close her eyes and the pain medication beginning to kick in, things were finally looking up. She was feeling a tad bit better. Maybe things could be working out for her.
If only she could remember...
|
|
|
Post by Oracle on Mar 3, 2012 4:36:47 GMT -8
As Dinah moved closer to take a seat on the side of the bed, she made haste and disappeared into the side room momentarily before returning with stainless steel tray with a pre-sealed syringe and some alcohol swabs in her lap. "Well... before you arrived I had Charlie go out to do some recon for me."
She had to remember the conversation she and Dinah had hours previously. She knew she was probably going to be sounding like a repeating record for a moment. "....looking for any trace, any sign of Ollie.
"I'm not sure what happened down there.. or.. wherever Charlie may have bounced to after.. but she came back in nightmarish state state. She landed right in the middle of the kitchen, spewing her guts out."
She thought a moment. "Kind of like how Zinda tends to get after a night on the town." And that really was the truth. Zinda was really the caged lion of the group. Many would often think it would be Helena. Most would be right, to an extent. However, when it came to nights out? It was all Zinda's game.
She was wondering off subject. She continued to explain. "She... can't remember what happened and the last thing she remembers is coming out of a Grey Ghost movie . She came back with no bruises, cuts, or scrapes.... just one serious migraine. Then she lapsed into unconsciousness. And here we are..."
Barbara moved closer to Charlie's arm and dabbed the alcohol soaked pad on her forearm and continued to speak to Dinah. "I was really hoping that maybe you happened to have seen what may have happened or something."
Reaching over, Barbara prepared the syringe. She knew how much Charlie really despised needles. It was written all of her even though she tried her best to hide it. Someone less seasoned might be able to not see her underlying fear, but she saw it. What impressed her more was that no matter her views on the subject, she always managed to push and see things through. And that? She respected.
Time for a distraction. "So... Charlie... I was thinking... you know how you were saying we all don't do enough 'together'? Well.. I was thinking that maybe we-- You, Me, Dinah-- if she'd like-- Zinda... Helena... can all take an off-day. And.. Maybe go to that amusement park you've been talking about. How about it?"
Once she was sure Charlie was distracted enough she pricked her and quickly pulled out the blood sample.
Once finished, she pressed a Batman band-aid onto the needle's point of impact to stop the bit of bleeding.
Pretty fitting, she figured and gave her a sideways smirk.
|
|
|
Post by Black Canary on Mar 3, 2012 11:40:38 GMT -8
Dinah smiled at Charlie when it seemed her mood had lightened. Charlie was a good kid with a big heart and always made Dinah feel better being around her even if she didn't show it at times.
her smile widened even more thinking about Zinda's wild nights, That girl really knew how to party... "
Charlie did you happen to save your movie ticket stub? throw it in your purse or put it in your pocket?" at least then they could establish some sort of timeline.
Dinah's smile quickly faded with Barbara's next response. "you think that if I had seen something happen to her that I wouldn't have helped her or contacted you?" Dinah's anger started to rise once again but she did her best to control it so she wouldn't upset Charlie.
She rubbed the girls leg as Barbara prepared the needle, Dinah knew she wasn't a fan of them, neither was Dinah but Babs did like to poke and prod us.
"I heard they opened a new ride that would make even superman sick" She smiled.
|
|