Mazes Of Red

CHAPTER 25: The Bubbles Stop

JASONS POV

The gritty sounds of Gotham's bustling streets faded into the distance as I stepped onto the plane leaving the city's skyscrapers and shadows behind. 

My heart pounded with a mix of anticipation and trepidation.

 I was on a journey not just to find my mother but to unearth the truths that had been hidden from me for far too long.

The plane's engines roared drowning out the muffled sobs of a mother comforting her child a few rows away.

 I couldn't help but wonder if my reunion with Sheila would be as bittersweet. 

The classified file in my hands detailed her current location in Ethiopia where she worked as an aid worker.

As the plane soared above the clouds I tried to steady my thoughts compartmentalizing the surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

 Gotham with all its chaos and twisted alleys felt like a distant memory.

The African sun greeted me as I stepped onto the tarmac the warmth a stark contrast to Gotham's perpetual chill.

 Ethiopia held a different kind of mystery and I couldn't shake the feeling that my journey was just beginning.

Following the leads I'd painstakingly gathered I navigated the bustling streets of Addis Ababa  the vibrant colors and lively chatter of the marketplaces providing a stark contrast to Gotham's gloomy corners.

Finally I found myself at the entrance of a small aid agency. 

My heart raced as I approached, my fingers gripping the file tightly. 

I pushed open the door the chime announcing my arrival.

"Can I help you?" a receptionist asked looking up from her paperwork.

"I'm looking for Sheila?" I said my voice steady  belying the chaos within.

Her eyes narrowed, suspicion etched across her face. "And who are you?"

"Jason," I replied my gaze unwavering as I swallow my fear  "Her son."

The journey led me to a modest apartment on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.

 The door creaked open, revealing a woman whose eyes mirrored my own.

"Jason?" Sheila's voice wavered, disbelief written on her face. 

Then joy replaced the uncertainty as she pulled me into a tight embrace.

We sat in the small living room, and she began to unravel the twisted web that had ensnared her.

 The Joker's blackmail  her embezzlement to protect me—the revelations left me numb.

"You've been through so much, Jason," she said, her eyes filled with regret.

A heavy silence hung between us broken only by the distant sounds of the city.

"Where is he now?" I asked, the shadows of Gotham casting their influence even here.

"He wants medical supplies, and he wants you" she whispered her words carrying the weight of a mother's guilt.

Days passed, each one a step closer to confronting the specter of my past

  since the plane touched down in Ethiopia the land of my mother's redemption and betrayal I felt a strange mix of determination and fear.

The meeting with Sheila was heavy with unspoken truths.