Birds of a Feather (Oswald Cobblepot)

The Adventures of the Gray Ghost

    Barbara, Renee, and I sit around a two-way radio that's been placed on the coffee table in the living area of the hotel room. It's a quiet evening, with snow lightly drifting down outside. Barbara's prepared mugs of hot chocolate that we sip as the three of us tune in for the famous radio action thriller.

"We open our story with the Gray Ghost investigating a cry for help in a dark, city alleyway," the narrator's voice explains.

"Oh Gray Ghost, help me!" the hammy voice of a female actress cries.

Footsteps clop along concrete, and they're suddenly brought to a halt, "The masked marauder ventures into the foreboding side street, but finds nothing but the filth and grime of the trash-ridden alley."

Slurping down her hot chocolate, Barbara speculates aloud, "Maybe it's the Damsel Spy again-"

"Shh!" Renee and I hush Barbara as we listen to the drama.

The sound effect of a rattling trash can plays, "Suddenly, there's movement among the rubbish! The Gray Ghost whips around with lightning speed, but sees nothing but a heap of metal trash cans filled to the brim with all manner of disgusting material."

We three lean forward in our seats as the narrator changes tone, "But suddenly, the garbage in one of the cans starts to shift around as something begins to emerge from the reviling heap. A gruesome hand, detached from its body, begins crawling out of the garbage. With skin like clay, pieces of it sagging behind it to reveal patchy pink flesh underneath, and fingers that extend to a boney length, the Gray Ghost can't help but recoil in horror."

"Great Scott! It's the decapitated, mutated hand from an experiment gone wrong, which escaped from the laboratory! Otherwise known as: The Claw!" Simon Trent, the Gray Ghost's signature actor, delivers the otherwise sudden and corny line with ease.

"Becoming aggravated by the Gray Ghost's presence, the Claw curls its tendril-like fingers into its palm, and begins to shake. Its skin becomes molten, and starts to bubble, as the hand becomes red with rage. The Claw begins to grow, expanding in length and size, stretching toward the skies. The Gray Ghost flees the alley, and when he looks back, the ever-growing Claw casts a dark shadow over our hero."

In time with the narration, a shadow covers the nighttime streetlight near our window, as a car alarm goes off in the distance.

"The Gray Ghost whips out his trusty grappling device just in time for the Claw to turn in his direction. Extending its now enlarged fingers the size of street lamps, the Claw slams down onto the Gray Ghost. However, using his trusty grappling device, the Gray Ghost narrowly escapes the grizzly clutches of the Claw."

The apartment building starts to shake, with dust falling from the ceiling.

"What's going on?!" I shout, standing.

"The Claw is real everyone!" Barbara reacts, clutching a couch pillow.

Renee shakes her head, getting up as well, "No...it must be an earthquake of some kind-"

The radio drama becomes nothing but static, as the narrator's voice is replaced by a stern newsman, "We interrupt this program with shocking news. A large, morpheus mass has been spotted in the downtown area of Gotham City. The blob, which when described, sounds like something straight out of a science fiction novel. It is said to be flesh in pigment, with tinges of black and white. Some even say that it can speak. All residents living in and around the Gotham City area are asked to stay indoors, and are to lock and doors and windows."

"A flesh-colored mass...oh my god, Eel!" I realize aloud.

I run for the door when Renee grabs my hand, "Is this more stuff we should know about?"

I look back at her, and sigh. I explain the situation to Barbara and Renee.

After hearing my explanation, Renee places a finger on the side of her lips, "So one of Cobblepot's henchmen fell into a vat of chemicals while helping you retrieve the gemstone from the Court of Owls statue? Hmph...well, on one hand he did help us get the gemstone, on the other hand...he is one of Cobblepot's men-"

"Oswald's man or not, he's in trouble, and I'm going to help him with or without you!" I bark, wrenching my wrist out of Renee's grasp.

"Hold on Natalie!" Barbara cries, "We'll help you. We shouldn't be concerned about how this man can or will help us; if he needs help, we'll give it to him regardless."

Standing firm, Barbara turns to Renee for her response. Renee puts her hands in her coat pockets, before giving a heavy sigh, "Fine, but we're going to have a talk after this is all over."

Author's Note: I will be making a permanent return on February 29th, the same day as Gotham. While I've been away, I've applied for colleges, performed in a school play, a choir concert, and this Friday, an instrumental music concert (viola). I've written a play for my seminar project that I will also be submitting to a state conference, and landed a principal role in the school musical. The week of February 29th will actually be tech week for the musical, so I might be late on release, even though the chapters are already written. Anyway, thanks for letting me rant about my personal life, as you guys are so generous enough to share your stories with me through reviews, comments, PMs, etc.