Chapter 35: Karma (Patreon)

One of the officers found his voice first.

“How?” he asked, staring. “What was that white stuff?”

Sebastian looked at him.

“Cocaine,” he said. “What else?”

A brief pause followed.

Then his eyes narrowed.

“And don’t think I forgot,” he added quietly, “that you just shot me.”

His eyes began to glow white.

The officers reacted instantly, raising their guns again. But they were too slow.

In a quick motion, Sebastian closed the distance, his hands snapping forward. The weapons were wrenched from their grips before either man could react. The next moment, the same guns came crashing down, used like blunt instruments.

Both officers dropped to the ground.

Barbara was alarmed by this. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

Sebastian turned to her, still holding the guns loosely in his hands.

“And you don’t think I forgot,” he said, “that you cracked my skull and ruined my work, do you?”

Barbara instinctively stepped back. 

“I said I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to… I thought you were doing something vile.”

“Vile?” Sebastian repeated, genuinely confused for a second. “What the hell could I possibly be doing in an alley in the middle of the day?”

“You were saying weird things!” Barbara shot back.

Sebastian blinked. “What weird things? I was playing with a kitten.”

Barbara hesitated. “I didn’t know, okay? And your usual behavior doesn’t exactly inspire trust.”

Sebastian stared at her, incredulous. “You’re the one ambushing people in alleys and cracking their skulls, you just did that in broad daylight” he said. “I, on the other hand, do not start trouble.”

On the ground, the two officers slowly regained their bearings. Their expressions shifted from pain to confusion as they listened.

They had been following Barbara under Commissioner Gordon’s orders. From their perspective, they saw her stop, act strangely then rush into an alley.

They followed and found a man pointing a gun at her.

If not for hearing the conversation now, the two would have thought she was trying to protect someone from this criminal.

One of the officers pushed himself up slowly. 

“It… looks like a misunderstanding,” he said cautiously. “Let’s just calm down. Everyone.”

Sebastian looked at him.

“Where is the fairness in that?” he asked calmly. “First, let me put a few holes in each of you. If you survive, then we can have a civil conversation.”

The officers went pale.

The serious glowing white eyes scared the officers. They believed this person would truly shoot them.

Barbara stepped closer to Sebastian, raising her hands. 

“They have nothing to do with this,” she said. “I started it. I thought you were doing something… sexual.”

Sebastian’s expression went completely shocked.

“You are insane!!” he said. “Who in the world would try to…” he stopped, visibly reconsidering the phrasing, then continued, “do something sexual with a kitten, in an alley, in the middle of the day? What is wrong with you?”

He stared at her.

“And even if I was that kind of degenerate piece of shit,” he added, “why would you try to crack my skull?”

The two officers exchanged a glance, equally stunned.

One of them muttered, “Are you okay?”

Barbara stiffened slightly under the combined stares.

“It’s not like that,” she said, but the words lacked conviction.

Sebastian shifted his attention to the officers.

“You two,” he said, gesturing with the gun, “help me restrain her. This lunatic needs help.”

Barbara’s eyes widened. 

“Wait!! I thought you were molesting a child!” she said quickly.

Sebastian froze for a second, staring at her with a baffled face that slowly turned blank.

Barbara noticed the blank way he was looking at her and said “Sebastian?” 

Then he struck her across the face with the back of the gun. Barabara dropped instantly on the ground.

Sebastian looked down at her unconscious form and pointed the gun at her before he inhaled deeply and lowered the gun.

He turned back at the two shocked officers.

“We are taking her to an asylum,” he said calmly. “Or I am emptying these guns into all of the three of you.”

A short pause.

“And call her father,” he added, “inform him that his daughter has lost her mind and is now attempting to murder people in alleyways.”

The two officers took a step back as they looked at him, something about the way he was looking at them filled them with dread. He was going to shoot them for real if they didn’t obey.

———

Barbara opened her eyes slowly, and with it a severe headache assaulted her mind. At first, she stared at the ceiling with blurry eyes before blinking and realizing it was unfamiliar. She blinked several times, trying to focus, then pushed herself up.

“Babs!! Are you alright?”

The voice snapped her attention to the side. She turned her head and saw her father sitting beside the bed with a face full of worry.

“Dad?” she said, “What happened to me? Where am I?”

A sharp pain shot through her face the moment she moved, forcing a groan out of her.

“Don’t move too much,” Commissioner Gordon said quickly. “Sebastian hit you too hard.”

Barbara’s eyes widened, clarity returning in fragments. 

“Right… the alley…” she muttered. Then louder, “What did he do to me?”

Gordon frowned. “That’s what I wanted to ask you. Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you in any way?” His tone hardened. “Why did you try to kill him?”

“What?!” Barbara snapped, “I didn’t try to kill him!”

“Babs,” Gordon said firmly, “two of my men saw you charge at him and strike him from behind with your baton while he was walking in an alley. When they tried to stop you, you knocked them down and then stole their gun and shot him. He managed to knock you out before you finished him off.” He paused. “It’s a miracle he survived.”

Barbara stared at him, disbelief flooding her face. 

“That’s not what happened!” she insisted. “He was hiding, talking weirdly, I thought he had a child and was…” she hesitated, then pushed through, “molesting them. I went in to stop him, but it turned out to be a kitten. Then your men came and shot him multiple times!”

Gordon’s expression shifted, something uneasy creeping into his gaze. 

“He was shot once,” he said slowly. “In the shoulder by you. The doctors removed that bullet, there were no signs of other gun wounds”

Barbara felt the room tilt.

“That… doesn’t make sense,” she whispered. “That’s not what happened. And what about the white fire? After he… after he took cocaine?”

Gordon went quiet.

Then his voice changed.

“Barbara.”

He rarely used her full name like this.

“Be honest with me,” he continued, watching her closely. “Were you under the influence of anything? Or did he do something to you, and you’re trying to justify your murder attempt?”

“No,” Barbara said immediately, shaking her head despite the pain. “No. I didn’t take anything. What I told you, that’s what happened.”

Gordon studied her for a long moment before exhaling.

“I see,” he said quietly. “Just rest for now. The hit to your jaw was severe.”

Barbara looked around again, taking in the room more clearly this time. 

“This is a hospital… right?” she asked. “And what’s actually going on?”

“Yes,” Gordon replied. “And nothing beyond what I told you. The doctors want to keep you here for observation. They also took a blood sample to check for any substance use.”

Barbara went still.

“And Sebastian?” she asked.

“He’s fine,” Gordon said. “They removed the bullet without complications. He’s resting on another floor now.”

He hesitated, then added, “He told the doctors you were acting strange. Said it didn’t look like drugs, that you were acting unlike yourself. He claimed you didn’t even recognize him.”

Barbara’s eyes narrowed.

“What is that bastard planning now?” she muttered.

Gordon gave a small shake of his head. “For now, just rest.”

He stood, “I’ll inform the doctors you’re awake and check on your results.”

Barbara nodded faintly.

He turned and left.

Barbara stared at the ceiling again, trying to understand what happened. She was not crazy, she remembered everything that happened, yet the story she was being told didn’t match what she remembered.

“What the hell happened?” she murmured under her breath.

The door opened again.

She turned her head and froze.

Sebastian walked in, his head and one hand wrapped in bandages, a wide smile stretched across his face as if none of this was out of the ordinary.

Barbara’s eyes narrowed instantly.

“What did you do?” she demanded.

Sebastian tilted his head slightly, as if genuinely considering her question.

“Knocked you out,” he said simply. “Did you not see yourself in the mirror?”

Barbara paused. For a brief second, uncertainty flickered across her face.

Sebastian’s smile stretched into a knowing smirk. 

“I brought you one,” he added casually, reaching into his pocket. “Just in case.”

He pulled out a small mirror and tossed it toward her.

Barbara caught it instinctively. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment, but he only gestured with his head toward the mirror.

“Go on,” he said.

Slowly, she lifted it.

The reflection made her freeze.

A large purple bruise spread across her lower jaw, creeping up toward her cheek in an ugly bloom of discoloration.

Sebastian’s voice followed, almost pleased. “What do you think? One of my better works.”

Barbara lowered the mirror, her grip tightening.

“You aim for my face every time,” she said coldly. “You do it on purpose.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Not my fault your face screams ‘beat me up.’”

Her glare sharpened. “What are you plotting?”

“Plotting?” he echoed, brows lifting slightly. 

“What do you mean?” He tilted his head, expression almost innocent. “You tried to kill me. I retaliated with sufficient force.” A pause. Then, softer, “The question is… why did you do that, Eris? What did I do to you?”

“I remember everything,” she said. “And you know it was a misunderstanding.”

Sebastian shook his head slowly with a disappointed look. 

“It looks like you are going insane,” he said. “Because that is not what happened.”

Barbara’s eyes narrowed. 

“That white fire healed you,” she pressed. “Did you injure yourself afterward? To frame me?”

Sebastian stared at her for a second.

“You are either insane,” he said flatly, “or trying to sound insane so people excuse your attempt to kill me.”

Barbara went silent for two seconds, her jaw tightening.

“I didn’t realize you were this much of a scumbag,” she said finally. “Did you bribe the officers too? Get them to play along with this disgusting story?”

“Why so angry?” Sebastian asked lightly. “It’s not so bad, being seen as an unstable and dangerous individual.” He gave a small shrug. “You already believe that about others and act on it all the time.”

Barbara’s voice hardened. “You’re trying to frame me over petty revenge? I didn’t think you could sink this low.”

Sebastian’s expression didn’t change, but something behind his eyes shifted.

“Nah, I’m not that interested in revenge.” He said “If I wanted to ruin your life, I have hundreds of ways to do it irrecoverably.”

A brief pause.

“I simply chose to let you experience something called karma.”

Barbara didn’t interrupt.

“People will think you have episodes,” he continued. “Unstable and maybe dangerous. Your father will watch you carefully. Wonder when you might snap again.”

Barbara narrowed her eyes. “And then what?”

“Nothing,” Sebastian said. “The point is for you to feel how it is to be on the receiving end of your… attitude and words.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “And no, I didn’t bribe the officers. I am a very convincing person. The possibility of being cast out of divine favor and turned into ugly gremlins… tends to motivate faithful people.”

Barbara’s face tightened with anger. “You’re disgusting.”

His smile vanished completely.

Sebastian’s expression went blank, then hardened in a way she had never seen before.

“You are the cursed bitch,” he said quietly, “who keeps causing me trouble whenever I see you.”

Barbara froze.

“You are the one constantly insulting me,” he continued, “Calling me insane. Dismissing everything I say as nonsense.” His eyes locked onto hers. “You treat me like I’ve committed every crime under the sun, when you and your crime-fighting boyfriend qualify a thousand times more than I do for prison.”

Barbara stared shocked at his sudden outburst.

“Even something as simple as playing with a kitten,” he said, his tone tightening, “you twisted it into something utterly depraved. You nearly got me killed over your disgusting assumptions, and you even made it more disgusting when you got cornered.”

“I tried to be nice,” he said. “Despite your shitty attitude.”

His eyes narrowed.

“I’ve had enough of you. This is the last time,” he said, his voice growing colder, “I let you off easily. Next time you cross me, I will ruin your life. Completely”

A pause.

“And I told you before,” he added quietly, “You don’t know me. And certainly, you don’t know anything about my life. The last thing I need,” he finished, “is another petty bastard with too much ego messing with my life.”

Barbara said nothing.

Because for the first time since she had met him, he spoke seriously with no humor or smile. His eyes were full of intent and he meant every word he had said.

He turned and left not waiting for her response.