I- Ava

The bluish-black clouds in the sky hid the stark white moon and sent droplets of rain to the city below. Here, in Blüdhaven, a neon playground danced, the reflections from gaudy street signs pooling in small puddles of fresh rain. Most passerby hustled quickly along the sidewalks, reluctantly curtailing their night plans, not wanting to be wet by the weather.

But not everyone got to spend this rainy night curled up on a warm couch as they watched the storm from their windows. Some were homeless and had nowhere to call home; some had homes so unwelcoming that no one would want to stay for long. Others still, like Ava Madden, frittered the night's hours away at her office desk, hunched over a laptop.

Her fingers moved slowly over the keyboard and she took a long swig from her mug filled with hours-old coffee. Looking at the time on her computer's screen, she let out a heavy sigh as it read an unwavering 8:00.

Just one more hour, she thought wearily, running a hand through her wavy hair.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her chair away from the desk and stood up. Walking past a row of darkened, empty cubicles, she made her way through the dim hallway to the only fully lit room on the floor.

"Mr. Harding, I finished the restaurant sanitation piece. I'll send it to you. Anything else you need me to do for tomorrow's issue?" said Ava, standing in the doorway of her boss's office.

He looked up, looking just as frazzled as she did. Daniel Harding had worked as a Senior Editor for twenty-five years, and each of them manifested as small lines and creases on his face. Dark bags ringed his eyes, and his once-tied tie now sat crumpled in a small pile on a nearby chair.

"No," replied the man, leaning back in his seat. "I had the opportunity to read it earlier this morning, and it's pretty good. You made the scrubbing practices of cafe dishwashers sound as big as the discovery of the atom bomb…I like it. Keep that up and you'll be working the
big stories soon."

Ava lit at his comment, smiling through her haze of exhaustion. She had been working at The Blüd Sun, Blüdhaven's premier newspaper, for two years, and still had not gotten an assignment beyond a human interest story. The first year was spent as the office 'go fer', and she ran pointless errands for the editors most of the days.

Only six months ago, when she was promoted to Junior Analyst, did she gain the ability to demonstrate what four years and a Journalism degree from New York University could do for the Sun.

"Thank you, sir." sighed Ava, a yawn suddenly seizing her. Mouth widening, she did her best to control the fatigue that was painting the world around her a dull gray.

Harding eyed her knowingly fully aware of the fact that the young woman needed rest. Her hair was disheveled, and from the slight shaking in her hands, she had consumed at least five cups of strong coffee that day.

"Go home kid; you look like hell."

Ava shook her head 'no', wiping her now-bleary eyes.

"I just want to get one more story in," she muttered, eyes widening in an attempt to appear awake, "then I'll go. Do you have another interest topic?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Harding observed her with incredulous amusement. She was determined, and he wished that some of his senior employees took the same initiative as she did.

Many of them were content to come in at nine and leave exactly at five, without any regard for the daily deadlines the paper faced. Besides that, their writing had little of the emotion and quality that he had seen in Ava's articles.

He shuffled through the medley of papers on his desk, searching for something to give her.

Unfortunately for the local newspapers, things in Blüdhaven had been slow the last few weeks. Aside from the usual murders, scandals and robberies that were rampant in the city, nothing of true interest had taken place forcing the Sun to cover big stories in neighboring cities like Gotham.

It was such a cesspool of filth and sin that the news seemed to perpetuate itself. The latest attraction there was the District Attorney campaign season that was beginning on Monday. Aside from being a source of hope in the midst of all the negative news, the candidates themselves were quite interesting.

Harding stared at the assignment, almost tempted to give it to her. But he had already charged the task to one of his Senior Analysts.

"Sorry, I don't have anything else for you. I'd give you your first out-of-city, but I already assigned the job to Mitch."

Ava's face fell slightly, and she fought to keep the disappointment out of her voice as she spoke.

"Alright, thanks anyway. I guess I'll just go home." she declared, deflated.

"You should; it's been a long day." started Harding, gathering his own belongings and making ready to depart. "I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"Goodnight Mr. Harding." said Ava, turning to leave.

"Night Ava. And go have some fun, eh? It's Saturday for God's sakes."

Laughing softly, she nodded, and left the room.

Stepping into the elevator, she shifted tiredly from foot to foot, waiting to reach the ground floor. She had been at the Sun since six that morning, working through both lunch and her scheduled breaks.

In total, she had finished three stories for Sunday's paper, each taking her at least two hours to write. That didn't even take into account the four days she had spent amassing information in several interviews.

It had been a long week, and as Ava stepped out of the red brick Blüd Sun tower into the cold damp evening, it became even longer.

Great, she thought, glaring at the sky in annoyance as the rain hit her face. Just what I needed.

Running to the block's corner, Ava frantically waved her arm, attempting to hail a cab. The bass 'whoosh' of cars skimming along the wet street sounded in her ears and she winced, the noise hurting her head.

She raised the hood of her gray sweatshirt and set to waving again, now anxious. The last thing she wanted to do was walk four blocks to the nearest subway station in the pouring rain.

Three, four, five cabs drove by in rapid succession, every one either occupied or off-duty. A good minute elapsed before a passing yellow cab slowed down.

Ava hurriedly got in, slamming the door behind her. Setting her purse down and leaning her head on a headrest, she mumbled, giving the driver a heading.

"67 Samson Boulevard." she called, her head lolling.

"You got it." answered the heavy-set man at the wheel.

Looking out the window, she watched as the drenched gargoyle-adorned buildings of the city's Art District morphed into slick, towering structures of the Financial District. They became blurs as the taxi drove her home, and she began to think of all the things she would do once she got there.

Maybe I'll watch a movie and order some Chinese food. The thought garnered a smirk from her and she reached into her purse, fishing her keys and wallet from it. The cab weaved in and out of congested downtown traffic, heading toward a fully-illuminated bridge that stretched on the horizon.

Turning a corner at a green light, the taxi descended below the Tomlinson Bridge, high-rises slowly giving way to a modest residential sector.

Instead of glaring advertisements and billboards that were common in the commercial part of the city, bodegas and ethnic restaurants dotted the streets. Far fewer people roamed about here, and rightly so.

Harem Cove, as this part of Blüdhaven was known, was not particularly dangerous, but not particularly safe either. Almost thirty years ago, it had been Blüdhaven's drug trafficking hub, and housed some of the city's most vicious gangs.

Since then, the Cove had cleaned up considerably, its once-run-down buildings remodeled into apartment complexes. Still, remnants of old gangs and rumors of new ones kept everyone from roaming around too late at night.

Ava glanced at the meter and readied her fare, the taxi now nearing her home. It approached, a tall brownstone with narrow entry steps and wrought-iron railings.

As the cab eased to a stop, she grabbed her purse and got out, handing the driver the ten dollars she owed him. Cautiously looking from side to side, she made sure that no one was watching her and buzzed into the building.

Squeezing through the small entryway, Ava hiked up the winding staircase that ascended each floor to the top.

One, two, three. she counted as she rounded each floor. Ignoring the musty smell of the faded yellow wallpaper and creaking of the steps, she continued.

Four.

Passing the floor before hers, Ava caught sight of two men skulking in the corner of a corridor, money slipping between their hands. She quickly averted her eyes, careful not to appear interested in their dealings.

Stepping into the hallway of the fifth floor, she walked down three doors and turned her key until the lock to her apartment clicked. Walking in, she set her things on the table and flipped the lights on in her cramped living room.

The home was snug but pleasant, and Ava had gone to great lengths to make it that way. There was a two-person table in her kitchen and next to it a wall that housed a red sofa and squat bookcase.

The television sat across from the couch, almost overlapping the door to the bathroom and various pictures lined the walls. Her salary didn't give her room to be extravagant, but she tried to make the apartment feel warmer than the neighborhood she lived in.

She trudged into the bedroom, stripping off her wet clothes as she went.

Changing into an oversized wolf t-shirt and a pair of grey boy shorts, Ava sat on her bed and attempted to call the restaurant down the block, her stomach grumbling.

Picking up the phone, she sank onto her pillows, propped on one elbow. She pulled the menu out of her nightstand's drawer and began to dial. Struggling to press the numbers, her eyes fluttered and shut, the drumming of the rain immediately putting her to sleep.

A/N: Welcome to the party. I know that was pretty peaceful, but I promise things won't stay that way for long. Reviews are always appreciated!

~L.L