Birds of a Feather (Oswald Cobblepot)

AKA Total Failure

    I kick Jessica in the back of the knee, causing her to lose her balance. Trish falls to the ground, coughing as she regains her breath. With Trish on the ground, I stand toe-to-toe with Jessica.

She doesn't hesitate to throw the first punch, I duck down and she hits the metal fire escape. The punch is so strong that the fire escape starts to creak under us. I look down as the supports tilt forward away from the building. Jessica, unfazed by this, grabs my shoulder and throws me down. My entire weight is thrown onto the escape by her super strength, further sinking the escape.

Jessica slams another punch down, but I roll out of the way, and she punches right through the metal. I get up, dodging another punch before jabbing her in the stomach several times. This does nothing to deter her, and she hardly even reacts. One good side punch from her, and I'm thrown off to the side, nearly falling over the railing. She then grabs me by the back of the head and slams me to the ground.

Trish grabs her from behind, and Jessica takes her arm and throws her over the shoulder. Trish falls on top of me, and the fire escape creaks once more. Jessica steps toward us when there's a sharp snapping sound, and the fire escape starts falling toward the street. I take hold of Trish, covering her as we tumble onto the railing. The fire escape hits the ground, setting off several car alarms and throwing up a cloud of dust. Trish starts coughing from under me, and the weight of a piece of broken metal presses on my back. We start crawling out, the collapsed fire escape creaking and snapping even after we've both gotten out.

"God...I hope Jessica made it out alright," Trish murmurs.

"Considering her strength, I wouldn't worry," I tell her, "Kilgrave knew we were here. I suggest we get out of here before Jessica attacks us again."

I start walking down the street, with Trish running to catch up, "But wait, we've still got to save Jess! She was clearly under Kilgrave's control, she didn't want to attack us."

"I know, but until we can find a way to get her under control, she's someone to be avoided. She has no control over her actions, and she could easily overpower us," I argue.

Trish stops, and crosses her arms, "Fine. I get it. You have no emotional stake in this. This isn't even your universe. But Jess is my closest friend, and I'm getting her out and away from Kilgrave."

Turning around, I shake my head, "No, no, of course I want to help Jessica. I just don't think a head-on approach will work-"

"You don't have to lie to me. I know you're just biding your time until your friend figures out a way to get you out of here. Well, unlike you, I don't get the option of running away to another universe."

Recognizing her frustration, I slump my shoulders slump, and I raise my eyebrows, "Honestly...I'm scared to go home."

Her eyes lighten, "Wha...what do you mean?"

"Well, my universe isn't exactly peaches and cream..."

From the wreckage of the fire escape, Jessica climbs out and starts rushing toward us. She catches the attention of Trish and I by shouting,

"Get out of here! Now!"

Trish dodges Jessica as she lunges at her. Jessica whips back around, fists barred.

"Kilgrave told me to kill the both of you if I see you, and to make it hurt," she growls.

She punches Trish in the shoulder, slamming her to the ground. People start taking notice of the fight, and I grab ahold of Jessica. One hand on her shoulder, I use my other hand to cover her eyes.

"There, you can't see us. You don't have to fight anymore," I tell her, keeping my voice calm.

Slowly but surely, Jessica's breathing returns to normal, "Al-...alright. But once you remove your hands Kilgrave's command will go back into effect."

"I know. That is why I'm keeping my hands here," I assure her.

Trish gets up, approaching Jessica, "Jess...what can we do...to help you?"

Jessica groans, "There's nothing you can do. No one can stop Kilgrave."

"If we can't defeat him, we can at least try to escape him. Is there anywhere you know of, anywhere you could hide?" I ask.

Jessica shakes her head, "Kilgrave would know, he's made me tell him...everything."

"Maybe you don't have a place, but I could secure something," Trish offers, "I could find you someplace-"

"Jessica!" Kilgrave's voice calls out.

"Run!" she demands, pushing me away.

With concerned looks, Trish and I turn tail and run away as fast as we can. We swerve at the nearest alleyway, and continue running. We hear Kilgrave shouting, but thankfully his voice is muffled by the brick buildings separating us. Even with Kilgrave out of earshot, Trish and I keep running, finding Jessica's stolen car and hopping inside.

Trish slams the driver door shut, and we're finally able to take a moment to breathe, the two of us catching our breath as we lean against the cushioned seats.

"Well...that wasn't a total failure," Trish sighs.

"Yeah..." I reply, unable to say anything more cohesive.

Trish, now in a more relaxed state, buckles up her seat belt and starts up the car, "I mean, I knew Kilgrave was into her...but seeing him manipulate her like that...it's just gross."

I nod, "Uhuh."

She turns to me, "Are you alright? You seem out of it."

I turn away from her, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just...thinking...about something."