Murder Number 4 felt like a slap to the Wayne family.
Once again. Yet another murder they couldn't stop.
The ridiculous thing about the murder is that it was committed right outside the premises of Wayne Enterprises or at least, the body was disposed there. Due to this fact, most of the workers panicked and 6th April, today was declared a holiday under grounds of Unnatural Circumstances to ease their minds.
As a results the Waynes were all huddled up in the Bat Cave, engulfed in silence.
The murderer was yet again not caught on camera.
"So she reveals herself, when she wants to be revealed," Dick stated, breaking the silence.
"Guys!" Jason exclaimed, gaining back his lost personality, "I think we all need to do our independent research to find out."
"I need to leave for the Fall Conference right now," Selena commented, timidly.
"I thought it was cancelled," Helena questioned.
"No, it wasn't," she shook her head, "Besides, didn't you want to meet Chloe?"
"I don't think that would be relevant right now," Bruce stated, rubbing his temples in exhaustion, "Right now, this case is more important."
Damian and Jason were quick to protest, "What do you mean, not important?" Jason questioned, "Wouldn't you want to know what happened in Paris? Why would Marinette have witnessed so many deaths?"
"Jason, we are in the middle of a crisis," Bruce argued, in frustration, "Do you realize that the LJ Killings are going out of hand? She went as far as dumping a body in our waste bin and we don't even have a picture of her face or to a minimum her identity or maybe her purpose. Yes, Barbara did give us a wonderful theory, but we have no evidence. It's all going around what-if's!"
Bruce took a deep breath, "I'm not denying you from finding out, just not right now, please. We have one case to solve. Only then can we move to the rest."
Jason relent, although he grumbled a disagreement.
Feeling satisfied at getting his point across, Bruce was going to continue until he was yet again interrupted by another.
Iris countered, "I have a feeling that this case has a lot to do with Paris."
Everyone turned to the blonde, who was gazing intently at the messages the killer left behind.
"Who let you here, Iris?" Tim protested, "You need to rest."
"I'm pregnant, not dying, you imbecile!" she glared and they knew that her hormones were kicking in.
"So, as I was stating," Iris began, as she walked to the projector and projected the four messages on the whiteboard, "These wordings have been messages or warnings from the killer, right?"
"Yes, Iris," Bruce grumbled, "Stop wasting our time."
This was not meant for anyone's ears, but she heard it and turned livid.
"Oh ya?" Iris seethed, giving Bruce a glare that could even put the infamous Bat-Glare to shame.
Jason whistled as Bruce cowered slightly.
"The killer is not hiding, instead she's taking credit for the murders. I think she is leaving behind clues, on purpose. She leaves behind only what she wants us to know," she said then picked a marker and underlined certained phrases from the quotes, "I didn't understand the references until I remembered how Damian always traced back the origin of a used weapon back to Europe, more specifically France."
1- Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the city,
Tremble before your sole guardian.
The dead man needs no one's pity
For his death held a special union,
The union of crime and duty will be preserved,
For justice has finally been served...
________________________________________
2- A liar she was through and through
Charming her peers with a smile in disputes
Amidst her sheep, her confidence grew,
There are no such things as half-truths
She is hereby declared a partner in crime
To leave the Earth? It is her time...
_______________________________________
3- When gifted the power of high authority,
The power to point out the right and wrong
The ignorance, manipulation-such impurity
For he was a trusted accomplice , all along,
This man of high degree should never have forbidden
What he lacked the urge to prevent then.
________________________________________
4- A surgical knife can cut deep,
The deeper the cut, the more the pain.
When million place their beliefs to weep
He chose to protect the insane
It is better to prevent than to heal
But he forgot to keep his end of the deal...
__________________________________________
"You see the underlined words?" Iris asked.
"At first the message seemed to be simply enough telling us the identity of the victims or just adding drama in general. We have three of their identities discovered, right?" she asked.
And on seeing them nod, she continued, "These quotes are a word play on quotes by famous French people.
Louise-Sebastien Mercier, an eighteenth century French novelist made the statement -
"Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world! Tremble before the virtual writer!"
She just twisted the words in her favour.
"Il n'y a pas de verités moyennes" stated by Georges Bernanos that translates into, 'There are no half-truths.'
"One should never forbid what one lacks the power to prevent," stated by the very famous Napoleon Bonaparte.
"It is better to prevent than to heal" that is a French proverb."
Iris concluded.
"France is a common name throughout the investigation and I refused to think of it as a coincidence. Is that enough proof for ya?" she asked, raising a brow, before gulping down a glass of cold water.
Bruce was stunned into silence.
"Wow, Replacement!" Jason teased, "You have created a monster!"
Iris glared at him and he immediately shut up, "Good to know that I have the power to shut you up, Todd!"
Bruce sighed, agreeing with the blonde, "OK, fine. Selena will bring this Chloe home. We will try to establish the French connection during her interrogation. Now we have that settled, shall we analyze all the information we have regarding the victims?"
Selena left for the Conference, leaving behind hot-headed desperate Waynes.
"So Victim Number 1: Foster Martin, born and brought up in Gotham City, South; had been a mugger and thief, but had it stopped after the Laws. His whereabouts have been unknown for more than a year. Found dead in an abandoned shack behind Judith Theater on 26th March at 12:33 in the morning, death by a pair of scissors," Damian summarized.
"Victim Number 2: Olivia Truscott, one of Gotham's most adored, but in reality she is a serial liar and manipulator, a tabloid reporter famous for her blog called Liv. Found dead in a warehouse near Tart Corner on 3rd April at 1:09AM by a dagger. She has been feeding off the fame from celebrities with her b-" Stephanie got carried away, only to be stopped by Bruce, "That's enough, Stephanie, I get that she was the reason your boyfriend broke up with you, but let's not drag the personal problems in, hmm?" he asked and she nodded, slightly embarrassed.
Helena picked up the chain next, "Victim Number 3: Otis Waylorn, also known as Chief Justice of the Court of Gotham. He has been in the position for ten years. Been given the Nobel Peace Prize for role in bringing peace and justice to this world. Found dead in the Post Office in The Parliament Square on 4th April at 12:14 AM caused by asphyxiation due to a scarf."
"Wow! Why would LJ kill someone like that?" Jason asked, "Shouldn't he be worshipped by her?"
"We don't really know about that, yet," Tim asserted, "Victim 4's information just got updated in the Police Database. Victim 4 is Dr. Victor Fries. A forensic doctor who is part of the Gotham Medical Force (GMF) and Forensic Team (GFT). He was found dead on 6th April at 1:56 AM in a waste bin outside the Wayne Enterprises Headquarters. The cause of death has been declared to be overdose of cantharidin in body system? Huh?"
"Wait, isn't that the substance released by the Blister Beetle?" Barbara asked, "Didn't know it could kill!"
"It could kill if it is inserted in large amounts and the person is left untreated," Cassandra justified.
"OK, guys, lets split up and research independently. We'll get back in an hour," Dick stated and the family split up.
_____________________________________________________
An hour passed by but with very depressing results. Bruce looked around to find the family spread out in the room.
Tim was draining his coffee. Damian was looking into the pictures on the Board, his hand using the hand exerciser, gripping it strongly.
Jason and Dick were seated on the sofa each with their devices in their hands.
His girls were a whole other story.
Iris was situated on the bean bag, munching on some weird flavoured chips as she searched something on her phone.
Barbara was watching the Pinboard , as she paced in front of it.
Cassandra and Stephanie were sprawled out on the floor, a device in each of their hands.
Carrie hung upside down from the monkeybars in the Training Area, while Helena sat in the darkest corner of the room.
Bruce shook his head fondly at his children. They were the most annoying little things ever.
And suddenly "Yureka!" someone shouted, followed by an 'Ouch!' and the whole family turned to face Carrie who had fallen from the monkeybars.
"I figured the code! I deciphered it!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.
She ran to the projector and displayed a coding sequence.
Then she brought out the code the killer left behind.
20 15 2 13
TO BM
14 5 24 20 13 15 14
NEXT M ON
8-4
8th April or HD
"I couldn't figure out the roman numerals, though," Carrie sighed slightly disappointed, "But this means my first theory is correct. She just sent a personal message to Batman explaining that the next murder would be on 8th April, just not where," she perked up slightly.
"Does it mean she knows our identities?" Cassandra asked.
"Possibly," Tim shrugged, "After all it is the worst kept secret in Gotham City."
"But it could also be a coincidence," Helena added.
"So we basically have less than two days to figure out which LCR will the next murder occur," Cassandra sighed.
Then came the ring of the bell and the family knew that they had a guest.
Jason, Carrie, Bruce, Damian and Stephanie were the ones who chose to meet the visitor.
_______________________________________________
"Uhhhh! This is ridiculous," came the voice from the end of the corridor, "So utterly ridiculous."
"Didn't you tell me, we were going to meet the Waynes?" The annoying voice continued, "Why am I even following such a rich peasant?Uh I really need to work on my manicure. Maybe Daddykins would get me an appointment with Laviant."
Bruce looked at his wife, who looked tired and literally done with life, followed by a blue eyed blonde in a high ponytail and striped yellow gown that when observed carefully, could be identified as an MDC Original. As soon as Selena stepped in, she looked relieved and retired to her room.
"You must be Bruce," she acknowledged his presence, "I am Chloe Bourgeois, but you already knew that, didn't you?"
On seeing him shake his head, she whined, "Brucikins!"
And Jason let out a snort, while many other snickered at the term of endearment.
Only then did the blonde see the rest of the family. Her misty blue eyes scanned the length of the room, studying each of their faces.
She finally looked at Carrie and greeted with a smirk, "Hey Carrina," she started, "What favour do you need?"
"Chlo," Carrie started, completely unbothered by her attitude, "What we are about to say is highly confidential, so this should not leave this room."
"Trust me on this, Carrina," Chloe stated, her bratty attitude, minimising rapidly, "I'll not breathe a word. What do you take me for?"
"OK," Carrie nodded, then gestured for Jason, who took out his phone and showed her the clips, which consisted of glimpses of death all across Paris.
Her blue eyes slowly widened.
"How..how," she cleared her throat, "How did you get this video?"
"That is not the question, Miss," Jason spoke, "What is happening here?"
"I can't really speak about this, White Streaks," her voice started getting closed off and annoying once again.
"Miss Bourgeois," Bruce tried, "This is important. We have a feeling that this could be linked to a murder case in Gotham. Just a gut feeling. Please," he almost begged.
She sighed looking down, "OK. I'll tell you. This shouldn't spread though. Daddykins would get mad, if this leaves Paris. You see, we had a Confidentiality Law signed and approved by Daddykins that prevents leakage of information from Paris."
"We promise," Bruce assured, "Whatever you'll say will not leave this room."
She took a deep breath, "Paris had a Villain called Hawkmoth, weiler of the Butterfly Miraculous, starting around ten years ago. This Villain used butterflies to amplify negative emotions in people and make them deadly. We used to call them akumas. At this time, heroes called Ladybug and Cat Noir emerged, who helped defeat each of these akumas. Hawkmoth's motive through this was to obtain the heroes' Miraculous, then make a wish by combining them."
"Wait," Damian's eyes widened, "Did you say Miraculous?" He asked and on seeing her nod, he showed signs of recognition of the word. The same look that Bruce held.
"Do you know about it? You seem to have heard about it before?" Jason asked him.
"Yes, I've heard it from mother in the LA," he answered, "They are jewellery that allows the wearer to use powers for the greater good, ideally, but many have misused them."
"So are you planning to contact her and ask?" Jason asked Damian, who simply shook his head rapidly.
"Hellllooo!" The blonde haired diva whined, "I've been trying to get your attention for a while. You all are ridiculous. So utterly ridiculous. Especially you, White Streaks."
"I'm Jason," the white streaked blackette grumbled.
"What are shown in the clips?" Stephanie asked, giving the blonde the spotlight she craved.
"These are some of the akumas. The first in Syren, then Pharaoh, the roller skater is TimeBreaker, the pigeon one was Mr.Pigeon, then the part where Cat Noir falls into darkness, must be Gamer2.0, there were several others including me before Hawky got defeated," Chloe told them, opening a website on her phone and showing them.
"LadyBlog?" Stephanie asked, "Why could we never access the blog?"
"To prevent a drop in Tourism in Paris, Daddykins, being the mayor made it such that only people with Paris database or in built system can access to the website. It was very useful, though," Chloe explained, while examining her nails.
"Is it OK if I copy your database into my device?" Stephanie asked and Chloe allowed her to do the needful.
"Wait, did you say Hawkmoth got defeated?" Carrie asked, "When did that happen?"
"About two years ago," she answered, "LB and Cat fought a long and hard battle before they found that Mothman was fashion designer Gabriel Agreste," Chloe rambled on, "And my poor Adrikins went numb once he found out, though I had heard that he moved out of the mansion the moment he turned 18."
"By Adrikins, do you mean Adrien Agreste? Gabriel's son?" Damian asked, recalling the fact that he had heard the name before.
"Umm, do you know him?" He questioned.
"Of course I do, he was my best friend!" Chloe cried.
"What happened to him after his father was exposed?" Jason questioned.
"He disappeared into thin air. No one has seen him since, though rumour has it that he had a secret girlfriend, who he had married," she gossiped.
"Hmm. And do you know a Marinette?" Damian asked, remembering how Lila's taunt seemed to trigger a distant painful memory for his favourite person, "Was this girlfriend rumour related to someone called Marinette?" Damian asked, slightly envious.
"You mean Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe asked and the audience perked up, "She and I used to be mortal enemies. I really haven't seen her in a long time. Though, she had the biggest obsession with my Adrikins, but I don't really think she got the chance."
"Thank you Miss Bourgeois," Bruce commented, "You may take your leave now. In case we need more help, we will be sure to contact."
Chloe nodded her head, before exchanging good-byes and leaving.
"I didn't think she'd leave," Jason commented.
"So we have new information," Carrie observed, "Maybe the Paris connection can be confirmed using this source?"
Just then an 'I figured it out!' from the Bat Cave caught their attention and they moved in to see what happened.
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞______________ ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜)
Not going well? I really hope you like it. Also, I'm seriously losing my head! Now about some things....I never really told you if Lady Justice is a male or a female, now did I?
Also, since many of you believe Marinette is LJ, what would probably be her reason? Then again, with this chapter, I'm giving you other people who could be suspected.
All in all, I have no idea how to continue...😐😶😕
Toodles - ARchiac