Previous Chapters: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic/8/ravager4s-fan-fic-archives/660884/#1
Disclaimer: I do not own any DC characters or locations. All rights belong to DC Comics.
Rating: T+
Note: I think I'll count this chapter under the previous arc, since it's more or less covering the aftermath of it. So, the new arc will begin next chapter.
Rose Wilson: The Ravager #26
Int. Silverstone General Hospital – Day
Becky lets out a long groan as she awakens, the pain in her chest becoming severely evident as sleep leaves her. Yawning, she brings a hand up to rub her eyes, quietly wishing she could just fall back asleep again. She might be healing, but the pain sucks something awful. Her woes are forgotten, however, when she realizes that she isn't alone in the room. Blinking a couple of times, she notices Rose sitting there in the chair next to her.
Becky: Hey... shouldn't you be at work?
Rose: Took the day off, thought I'd spend it here.
Sitting up straighter, Becky lets out another yawn, wincing a little at a sudden flare of pain.
Becky: Didn't have to go and do that.
Rose: I wanted to. Besides, I wasn't gonna let you be alone on your birthday.
Confused, Becky blinks a couple of times and narrows her eyes.
Becky: Say what?
Rose: March third, right? That's your birthday.
Becky: Oh Dios, is that today? Oy, I've lost all track of time since I've been in here.
Rose: Well that's why you have me here, right? To remember these things for you.
Becky laughs, holding her arms up to her chest and crossing them. Smiling, she gives a nod.
Becky: Couldn't imagine where I'd be without you. So, guess I'm twenty-four now, ah? Funny, don't feel any different.
Rose: Probably because you've been high on painkillers for the past week.
Becky laughs again, smirking widely.
Becky: Si, could have something to do with it.
Rose: So, I got you a little something here.
Leaning over to the side, she reaches for a small white box and brings it up into her lap.
Becky: Oh come on, you didn't need to do that.
Rose: Actually, this I did. You'll see when you open it.
Becky takes the box from Rose and sets it in her own lap now, giving it a curious look before gently lifting it apart. Inside is a small vanilla cake with 'Happy Birthday' written in icing. When she sees it, Becky's mouth goes into a wide smile, eyebrows lifting up.
Rose: I figured you'd probably prefer a birthday cake over a 'glad you're not dead' cake. It's not much, but-
Becky: No, it's great. Really, this is... thank you.
Rose: Also got to better than the crap they're feeding you here, right?
Becky: Ha, very true. Not sure I could stomach anymore cleverly disguised TV dinners.
Rose reaches down to pull out a couple of plates and some plastic utensils, then hands them over to her partner to go ahead and cut the cake. Becky does so gladly, more than eager to dig in to something that isn't hospital food.
Rose: Oh, and more good news. We caught the guy who shot you.
Becky: Seriously?
Rose: Yeah, he should be on his way to Gotham now to await his trial.
Becky lifts an eyebrow.
Becky: Why Gotham?
Rose: Because that's where Blackgate is, and I didn't want that b**tard going any place else.
Becky: And how'd you pull that one off?
Rose: I pulled some strings.
Becky: You pulled strings?
Smirking, Rose takes a bite out of the piece of cake that Becky had given her.
Rose: I have a few connections up in Gotham.
Becky: Ha, I had no idea.
The two continue eating their cake quietly, enjoying each other's company as the time goes by. Rose stays there for the better part of the day, as they talk about recent events, mostly how things are going down at the station. The place hasn't really been the same since Becky got put up in the hospital, and everyone is looking forward to when she gets back. When their conversation eventually falls on The Blade, though, Rose shifts uneasily in her seat.
Becky: You guys any closer to catching her yet?
Rose: Can't say we are. She's uh... she's a slippery one.
Becky: Guess that's alright, we'll work on it when I get back, ah? Maybe we can bring her down together.
Rose: I don't know if we'll even have to worry much about her anymore.
Becky: And why do you say that?
Rose: Just a feeling, I guess. The only reason we caught the guy who put you here was because of an anonymous tip that led us to him.
Becky: You think she's the one that tipped you?
Rose: Maybe. I mean, it's possible, right?
Becky: And I suppose her little crime spree helped her to 'tip' you? Doesn't make sense if you ask me.
Rose: I know, was just a theory. Just wondering if maybe she isn't as bad as we think she is.
Becky: Only way to find out is to catch her, then, right? Find out who she is, have her answer some questions.
Rose: And then lock her up for her crimes?
Becky: Maybe.
A soft sigh leaves Rose's lips, as she leans back in her chair again.
Rose: Guess we'll find out if we ever catch her... anyway, I gotta get going. I have to be at the school in thirty minutes to pick up Holly.
Becky: Tell the kid I said hi, ah?
Rose: I'll bring her back here and you can tell her yourself, how's that sound? I'm sure she'll want to wish you a happy birthday, too.
Becky smiles, nodding.
Becky: Works for me.
Int. Rose's Penthouse Suite – Night
Rose sits on the edge of her bed later that night, arms crossed and just staring at the back wall, where all her Ravager gear is displayed. She takes in deep breaths, thinking. Though she's been here before, contemplating the same thing, this time it feels like a much more important decision, much more real. Should she continue trying to help this city outside the law? Should she keep donning her costume and going out at night?
Sighing, she glances down at the floor, gaze narrowing. It will certainly be a hell of a lot more difficult now with the police actively on the lookout for her. Sure, she stops much more crime than she could just acting a a police officer, but is that really worth it? There is a lot wrong in Silverstone, and a lot that needs to be cleaned up, but maybe she should concentrate on doing it within the confines of the law...
But if I do that, then people like Jerry won't ever be caught, she reasons. Acting as Ravager lets me do the things I can't as a cop.
Still, though, every time she goes out as Ravager, she's putting the people she cares about in danger. If someone learns who she is, they could go for Holly, or Becky, just like Jerry did. And next time, they might not be as lucky. Next time, someone might end up dying. But at the same time, the more crime she stops overall, the safer a place Silverstone becomes for all of them, right?
Letting out a frustrated groan, Rose falls back onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling now. Why does this sort of decision have to be so damn difficult to make? There are pros and cons no matter which way she goes, none seemingly outweighing the other. So what exactly does she do about it?
A break, she decides. That's what I need, a break. The Blade needs to disappear for a while. Then... well, we'll see.
Perhaps after an extended period away from her mask, she'll have a clearer head on the matter. Then, she can make a real decision.
Ext. Somewhere Between Silverstone and Gotham – Day
Jeremiah Belmont sits in the back of the police transport vehicle as it travels down the highway, his wrists and ankles cuffed together. He had his doubts, but Rose pulled through on her threat to send him to Blackgate, with his trial now taking place in Gotham. With the amount of evidence they turned up at his laboratory, there's no doubt that he'll be getting quite a hefty sentence. That is, of course, only if he ever makes it there, which he won't.
He holds his hands up, glaring at them while he attempts to gain control over his newfound 'gift'. He had just enough time to inject himself with Hugo's finished sample before being assaulted by Rose and brought in. However, getting it to work is a different can of worms altogether. All he needs to do is concentrate, will it to happen... and it should happen. So far, though, nothing. Letting out a small breath, he looks up to the small, barred window between the prisoner's section and the driver's section of the vehicle.
Jerry: How much longer until we reach Gotham?
The officer in the passenger seat glances back and narrows his eyes at him.
Officer: What's it to you?
Jerry: Merely curious, is all.
Officer: Couple hours. Think you can shut up for that long?
Jerry: Of course, officer.
He goes back to staring at his hands. Still a decent amount of time left to figure this out. He just needs to concentrate. A few more uneventful moments go by, and then it happens. His fingers begin to quiver and change shape to how he pictured. Caught off guard by the sudden transformation, he loses focus and his fingers return to normal. That's good, though, he's finally starting to get the hang of it.
For the next solid hour, he continues practicing, going completely unnoticed by the two officers in the front of the vehicle. After he grasped the initial hook, advancement comes quickly. Every minute that goes by, he gains astoundingly more control over his ability, until he's certain that he has it nearly mastered. Now it's time to act. Turning in his seat, he brings one hand up to the dividing wall between him and the front, and points his finger against it.
Instantly, his finger elongates, hardens, and sharpens into a blade-like structure, puncturing through the wall and piercing the officer in the passenger side through the throat with the sudden, sickening sound of flesh being ripped open. The officer in the driver's seat screams out in surprise, jerking the steering wheel harshly and trying to pull over on the side of the street. Jerry pulls his finger back and returns it to normal, as the fatally wounded officer twitches and gurgles on his own blood.
After coming to a complete stop on the side of the highway, the other officer pushes his door open and rolls out of the truck. He stumbles briefly, hand going to his gun as he runs around the back to open the doors to the prisoner's section. When he does, he points his gun forward at Jerry, who is sitting calmly at the back with his hands folded.
Officer: What did you, huh? The hell did you do?!
Jerry: Me? What could I have possibly done from back here? I'm cuffed, unarmed, and have no way of defending myself, let alone attacking a man through solid steel. What makes you think it was me?
Officer: Don't f*ck with me! I know it was you! What are you, some kind of meta freak?
Jerry: Would you like to find out?
Officer: What are you-
The man never gets a chance to finish his sentence. Jerry points his arm forward, the entire limb extending the distance between them in an instant, while forming into the shape of a spear and piercing the officer through the chest. He then alters the shape slightly, wrapping it around the man's body and pulling him inside the vehicle. When Jerry's arm returns to normal, the officer crumples to he ground, already dead. Jerry takes a moment to examine himself, impressed at his newfound gift.
Jerry: Fascinating. Now, let's see what else I can do.
Altering the shape of his arms and legs, he easily slips out of the cuffs and then stands up, walking over to the dead cop. Kneeling down, he places a hand against the man's face, closes his eyes, and concentrates. The top layer of his skin begins to liquify, dripping over the the cop with the texture of liquid metal, and then slowly reconfiguring the man's facial structure. In moments, the officer has a new face, a very familiar face; he has Jerry's face.
Standing up again, Jerry's own face begins to morph, obtaining the consistency of liquid for a moment until finally settling on something new, a face of his own creation. Now with his new appearance, he quickly works to exchange clothing with the man. He gives the officer his own suit, then reapplies the same injury to match the clothes with the wound. Then, he dresses himself in the officer's bloodied uniform; he'll have to do something about finding cleaner clothes later, but for now this will do. As far as anyone coming across the scene will be concerned, Jeremiah Belmont is dead.
Hopping out of the back of the truck now, Jerry glances both ways down the highway, watching the traffic go by. He receives a few stunned expressions from the drivers that happen to look over at him to see the big red stain on the front of his uniform, but there isn't anything they can do about it. Turning from the highway, he begins to head down the nearby embankment, into the surrounding woods. He isn't returning to Silverstone, though, no. He'll meet Rose again, he's sure, but in the meantime, he has some work to do.
Int. Silverstone City Central Police Station – Day
Six weeks later...
Becky takes in a deep breath, wincing only slightly at a small twinge in her chest. The pain is mostly gone, but every so often it's enough to make her flinch. Still, now that she's back near a hundred percent, she can finally return to not just work, but her life. It feels good to be out of that stuffy hospital. As she walks down the hallway, whole groups of her fellow officers stop to greet her, some clapping, some calling out to her, and all of them telling her how glad they are that she's back and that she made a full recovery.
It takes her about twenty minutes to get down to the women's locker room because of this, but she doesn't mind. She's glad to be back, just as much as they are to have her back. When she does eventually reach the locker room, she opens the door to find a few other female officers getting ready for the day. They take a few minutes to greet her the same as everyone else did, then continue changing into their uniforms.
Becky heads over to her locker, glancing around a little. It's strange for Rose not to be hear yet; she's usually early. She must have got held up in traffic after dropping Holly off at school, or something. When Becky sits down on the bench in front of her locker, however, an arm comes around her shoulders. Looking up, she sees Rose standing there next to her and smiling.
Rose: Welcome back.
A broad smile of her own forms on Becky's face.
Becky: Good to be back, believe me. I couldn't stand another second of that hospital.
Rose: I know the feeling.
Taking her arm off Becky's shoulder, Rose goes over to her own locker and starts taking out her uniform to change.
Rose: So listen, I was thinking, since you were stuck up in the hospital on your birthday, maybe you want to go out and do something later on? You know, as an official birthday... thing.
Becky: You're suggesting we go out?
Rose: Yeah, we could, I don't know, go bowling again or something. Whatever you want.
Becky: Okay, who are you and what have you done with Rose?
Rose: Very funny. So what do you say?
Becky: Please, girl, you had me at bowling.
Rose smiles a very small, but pleased smile.
Rose: Meet you around eight?
Becky: Sounds perfect. Now come on, I want to get out on patrol already. I can't imagine what you've done to our poor cruiser.
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Chapter #27 Preview: As a way to try and clear her head over recent events, Rose has given up being Ravager for a couple of months, also allowing the recent media storm and police watch over her recent crime spree to calm down, as the city's mysterious Blade disappears from the public eye. During that period, however, a new force has gained a foothold in Silverstone, and threatens to take over crime on a large scale, forcing Rose back into costume to put a stop to them.
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