Injustice Dies In Daylight: The Complete Saga

Reunion with a Heavy Heart

The big wooden doors stood very intimidating compared to Roxanne's height.
She banged on them, hoping not to gain a a response.
The bangs echoed through the massive mansion that she once called home.
Memories of her time in the backyard resurfaced, climbing the trees, playing ball, the big oak deep in the woods.
She wondered if the family graveyard was still out back.
Getting no response from the doors, she turned to leave. But before she could make it down a single step, the doors swung open.
She turned, slightly irritated that she had to do this. At the door stood and elderly woman, maybe in her 50s.
Roxanne recognized her immediately.
It had been four years, but her mother had not changed much. She still had a youthful appearance that few others could retain.
"May I help you miss? Are you perhaps looking for someone?"
"Yes ma'am. You are Lucille Phoenix, aren't you?"
"Yes, who's asking? If this about my daughter I don't want to be asked any more questions." Tears welled up in her eyes as she said "daughter."
Roxanne stared at the ground. This is so hard. I haven't written her in two years.
"Ma'am, please don't be angry with us, but we had a misunderstanding. Your daughter is alive."
Lucille put her hand over her mouth as she began to sob.
"Are you sure? Can I see her?"
Roxanne pulled out her I.D, her hand shaking as she extended it to her mother.
Her mother stared at it, looked up at her, and then back down at the photo again.
She reached out and gave Roxanne a hug. She shook and sobbed as she held her in her arms.
"Mom I'm so sorry, I meant to write, but things got so busy-" Her mother cut her off mid sentence.
"Don't apologize, I'm just so glad you're here, and that you're safe. Come inside, we have a lot to discuss. I'll call Ryan right away."
She extended her arm, and Roxanne took it.
They walked inside the halls of her home together.

Roxanne sat twiddling her thumbs, waiting for her mother to finish pouring the tea.
A cup of hot green tea was set in front of her, as Lucille sat across from her.
"Your appearance has changed so much, what have you done with your hair?!" Was the first words to tumble out of her mother's mouth.
"It's a long story. My hair had to be shaved for an unrelated reason, and it grew like 7 inches more in the front than it started as. I got some wacky bangs for free, but it impacted my ability to see. I had a friend do whatever she wanted and that's the style she chose."
"Hmm, I'm not sure if I like it. And you need to tell me about what happened to your face!"
Right, the CCMF wouldn't tell her of my facial injuries.
"I..fell off a bridge...into a gorge...and was struck in the face by boards from aforementioned bridge."
Lucille gasped and held her hand to her mouth.
"Ir didn't damage anything serious did it? Is your eye alright?"
"Yes, I can still see perfectly fine out of both eyes. I'm fine mom."
She sighed as she put down her cup of tea.
"I never wanted you to join the army. Your father always said that you were a free spirit, but even I could never have seen this coming."
"Mom, I have a question."
"What is it? You can ask me anything at all."
"Did you ever read about the curse out on our ancestors?"
She paused, staring at Roxanne for an uncomfortable amount of time.
"Your father spoke of it. It's nothing but a legend, how did you come to hear of it?"
"Because it's real. And it's starting to affect me."
"Honey, don't be ridiculous. You know that's just a bunch of nonsense."
Before Roxanne could retort, a distant banging on the doors interrupted their dialogue.
"That's Ryan, I'm sure he's excited to see you."
She disappeared, and 20 minutes passed before she reappeared.
Roxanne stood up to greet her brother.
Before she could get a word out, Ryan marched up to her. He slapped her hard across the face.
She barely flinched in response.
Should've seen that coming.
"HOW COULD YOU?! WE WERE WORRIED SICK, AND YOU JUST SHOW UP LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED! ONE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN KILLED IN ACTION, THE NEXT YOU'RE STANDING IN MOM'S LIVING ROOM!"
Lucille grabbed him by the wrist, and began chewing him out.
"How dare you strike your sister! She's been through enough! Apologize right now!"
Ryan's stopped, realizing he had just slapped his sister.
"I'm..sorry. I'm sorry I hit you Roxanne, I don't know what came over me." He sat down in the armchair and covered his face as he began to cry.
Roxanne kneeled down and hugged him. "It's ok, not the worst hit I've taken. You have a right to be mad."
Now together again, the three sat down; as Roxanne recounted her stories to the both of them.

It was well past 9:00 PM by the time she had finished telling her mother and brother about her time in the service.
Leaving out of course her dealings with criminals and illegal acts.
"George sounds like such a gentleman. When do you plan on letting us meet him?" Was the first words out of her mother's mouth after she had finally finished.
"MOM!" Ryan exclaimed.
Roxanne turned red as a beet.
"No! No! It's fine. Eventually, mom, I promise I'll let you meet him before we get hitched." She said, embarrassed.
"Hmph! You'd better!"

Roxanne headed back to the docks, happy about a nice night visiting with her parents.
Remembering a shortcut she often took, she turned right through a back alley, and found herself in a ghetto area.
This place has gone down the drain.
Unbeknownst to her, she was being followed.
A hooded man shadowed behind her at a decent distance. He watched her turn corners, and climb fences; finding her way through the dark of night.
He began moving faster slowly catching up.
Something is off.
Roxanne stopped next to a condemned office building, and turned around. But no one was behind her.
I must be paranoid.
Suddenly, she felt a gloved hand cover her mouth and yank her into the condemned building.
Her arms were pinned behind her back as a burly man's arm kept her in a headlock, covering her mouth.
The man was tall enough to keep her lifted slightly off the ground, as he carried her further into the vandalized and crumbling structure.
She fought but the man's grip did not lessen.
"Stop squirming. Before I snap your neck."
She froze. She could recognize that deep, sinister, voice anywhere.
Fowler.
She stopped kicking, but rage festered.
Can't these guys leave me alone?
He finally put her down, but held her firmly in place. They weren't on the roof, but just a floor below.
He slightly uncovered her mouth with a warning. "Scream, and I'll slit your throat."
She nodded.
Out of the shadows, Rigel stepped into the moonlight standing right in front of her. She felt his rough nails dig into her lower cheeks as he grabbed her chin. He yanked her head up roughly to look him in the eyes.
"I don't know how you survived that bullet, but you don't stand to survive right now if you try anything stupid."
She tried to wrestle her face out of his hand, but he only tightened his grip.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood right now captain." He glanced up at Fowler with a sinister smirk on his face. "Me and Fowler here just left the New Ordinance. Got tired of the order of operations." Fowler tightened his chokehold slightly, as Rigel forced her to look straight up into Fowler's face.
"We even ditched Victor. He's all for bowing to Sebastian and being a lapdog to that maniac. We've got other plans."
"What does this have to do with me?" Banshee managed to barely choke out.
Rigel yanked her head back down to face him again. He leaned in uncomfortably close to her ear. She wanted to get far away from him, but Fowler was halting any escape.
"You, my dear, are going to get the government to remove any and all traces of our working with the ordinance."
He moved away from her again, with a smug expression on his face.
"And if I don't?" She snapped.
In reply, he pulled out her Bowie from her side holster. He unsheathed it, and, still holding her in place, made three tiny incisions into her neck. As he made the first incision, he spoke up. "I'll start by killing Veronica, it would be a shame, she seems so kind." The last sentence filled with sarcasm.
He moved to the second cut. "Then I'll move on to my worthless half brother. Such a mentor to you, right?"
She fought desperately to get out of Fowler and Rigel's grips, but combined there was no escape.
As he began to slice the third time, he continued the threat. "Then I'll end..what was his name? Ah yes, George. I'll destroy him thirdly. I know how much you love him."
"STAY...AWAY..FROM...MY..FRIENDS!" She coughed out, still fighting against the both of them.
Rigel ignored her. Digging his nails in deeper, drawing blood now, he finished his warning.
"And lastly, I'll kill you."
He finally let go of her face.
"Oh and if you tell anyone you've seen us tonight, we'll be sure to get in contact with your mother and brother. See you soon Captain."
Fowler released her and they disappeared onto the night as Roxanne caught her breath.
Never  dull moment.

It was well past 11:00 PM  by the time she made it back to the docks where Jonas and George had been waiting.
Jonas nodded to her, annoyed at the delay.
George hugged her but stopped when he noticed the scratches on her face and the cuts on her neck.
"Roxanne, what happened? What's with the cuts and bruises?"
Uh oh, better think of something quick.
"Oh well I went through a rough part of town and some guy tired to mug me, I'm alright."
Jonas stared at her with a concerned expression.
"Phoenix, that's not something you should just brush off. Take your life more seriously."
She turned red in embarrassment at being chastised like a child, but felt better that they believed her.
I'll tell Richard of what I've learned. From there it's out of my hands.