"Discord and Disorder"

Disclaimer: I only own Ginger.

A/N: There might be cases of OOC for the canon characters mentioned. Please, read and review! I gladly accept constructive criticism.

EDITED 5/27/2014: Added two minor characters.


Chapter 1: The Newbies

To the ordinary, law-abiding citizens of Gotham, Arkham City was one of the scariest places they've ever seen. They also thought it was an abomination to the metropolitan area. Then again, most of them haven't been or seen inside the dystopia, but the rumors flying about caused constant chatter and gossip among individuals.

According to a few of Gotham's politicians, Arkham City was not a place of rehabilitation for the criminals from Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison, so they would still be a danger to the people of Gotham. Plus, the inmates were a risk to themselves and others within the penitentiary. If anything, it was a confined area away from the city where the crime bosses could continue waging warfare in conditions comparable to poverty. After their speeches against Arkham City, the men simply disappeared.

The wealthy legislators weren't wrong, depending on who was asked. The more... sane convicts were likely to agree; the land was a vicious battlefield in nearly every aspect. Food, water, and proper medical supplies were limited resources, which often led the jailbirds to mangle one another for nourishment and protection. Murders were fairly common, especially within the limits of Amusement Mile, the Bowery, and Park Row.

Those regions were the main war zones, considering the fact that there were three powerful Rogues battling for control and power. The gang war originally began between Joker and Penguin, due to the clown and his followers ruining the grand opening of the Iceberg Lounge. The arms dealer maintained a grudge and made it his mission to destroy the other male and his possé.

As soon as Two-Face was incarcerated, he took advantage of the situation to begin his rise to the top of the food chain. Since the other two were too busy being at each other's throats, it gave him the chance to start building his empire. Given, it took him a while, but after a few weeks, he was on the same level as Joker and Penguin, in terms of dominance.

It wasn't too hard to recruit men into his crowd. Something happened - he wasn't sure what, exactly, although he heard something about someone leaking information to Joker - and Penguin instilled a new recruitment initiation, with each one being different from the last. The men were practically flocking to Park Row, asking to join the gang. Although having no commencement could be seen as foolish in the eyes of the others, it didn't matter to him. He was satisfied, as it helped increase his numbers and even the odds, but no opportunity came without a liability.

More members elevated the chance of bringing in a double agent. They would do this for various reasons; better benefits and protecting their safety and well-being were the top ones. Given, Two-Face only had to deal with a small handful, personally. Gossip from the grapevine proved that working with Joker was basically suicide, especially with how Harley Quinn was acting; they provided extremely limited benefits. Employment for Penguin had its added advantages, like protection, warm clothing, and rare pleasure items, like alcohol and cigarettes. Due to the limitations, the thugs in his own guard were supplied with the basics; if they found anything, they could keep it for themselves. This was why remaining alert and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity became a top priority on the list of things to do.

Now, the former District Attorney was in his office, talking to a few of his newest recruits. The main leader of the trio was a female, a very rare occurrence in the stockade. Besides her, there were two gruff-looking men. A few minutes earlier, some of the thugs brought them into his room within the Solomon Wayne Courthouse, saying they wished to meet with him. They were fairly hostile around the small ensemble and vice versa, but, on his orders, they hesitantly left him alone with them. Doubting their boss' own skills to handle a situation... He should've just shot them then and there.

Linnea Reed, better known as Ginger, was an unusual mercenary. Working in the industry for nearly a decade gave her plenty of experience to act on. Over time, what caught the attention of the authorities and criminals alike was her brutality. Since she worked with Black Mask and Penguin, Two-Face didn't find this too surprising. Combined with her agility and marksmanship, Ginger's ferocity made her a dangerous individual. In ordinary circumstances, she'd be a /perfect/ asset to his gang.

However, there was the issue with her list of employers... or, employer. Very little was known about her employment under Black Mask, aside from the fact that it didn't last long. On the other side, she remained beside Oswald Cobblepot through thick and thin for five years, rising through the ranks as an accomplished leader in his organization. If she stayed with him for that long and decided to leave him all of a sudden, then there was something wrong.

The males weren't as infamous. To be honest, they looked like typical run-of-the-mill hustlers. The one flogging the left was more buff and taller compared to the one on the right, but those were possibly the only traits that stood out. Even then, finding someone big and jacked wasn't exactly difficult, especially in Arkham City. It wouldn't be too surprising if those guys were on some sort of muscle-enhancing pill.

Despite this, Two-Face wasn't concerned about their past affiliations like he was with Ginger.

"So, Ginger..." Two-Face looked over at the lead female over his shoulder while his hands were intertwined behind him. "We've heard that you worked alongside the Penguin for a long while."

The red-headed female leaned against the wall, arms crossed with one leg propped up against the wall. She seemed to be a bit antsy as her fingers drummed along her forearms. "Pretty much." Her tone was bored, much like the expression on her face. The two others were standing patiently by the door.

He turned around to face them. "And you want to work for us?" His voice deepened as he switched his persona and added a disbelieving tone.

A brown-eyed glare burned into his skull as she gave him a look that was far from amused. "Like I'd work for the... clown." A feral growl sounded from her throat as she clenched her energetic fingers tightly around the jacket-clad elbows. The skin around her jaw tightened in apprehension. One of the men that came with her made a move towards the angered redhead, but seemed to have second thoughts and retreated back to his original position.

It was easy to tell that she didn't take too fondly to The Joker; Two-Face wasn't surprised in the least, as it was something he could use to his advantage. The assassination attempts on Joker never went unnoticed by the members of the Rogues' Gallery; all of them were unsuccessful, but it seemed that her determination wouldn't allow surrender to be a thought.

The former District Attorney began to flip the half-burnt silver coin in his hand, warily planning his questions. "According to my sources, you seemed to have had a high-ranking position in his group, and you've been with him for a while. Why'd he kick you out now?"

An unladylike snort made its way up her nose. "A few of us left after arguin' with Cobblepot 'bout food." She shrugged. "Said somethin' 'bout replacin' me with that huge-ass Russian guy... Sickle, I think it was? Guy's a fuckin' monster." Disgust was evident on her face. "When ya got someone like that, ain't gotta need for lil ol' me no more. Brawn over brain, I guess."

Two-Face nodded and chuckled. "I see." Ginger wasn't known for being the most rational human being, according to some of the other mercenaries, so her statement was pretty ironic. He knew who she was talking about, though; the Abramovici twins were in attendance at the trial against The Joker. "What makes you think we should take you in?" Again, personalities were changed as his speech slowed down. He didn't really have any objections with the boys joining, it was just her. Always the females...

A smirk crawled up her lips. "Well, I could tell ya 'bout how Penguin's gettin' his hands on Mister Freeze as we speak." She cocked an eyebrow. "Dunno why, but I remember hearin' 'bout it. Somethin' 'bout..." A huff and her eyebrows furrowed. "... the bastard bein' sick." Under her breath, she grumbled, "Pretty sure he's fuckin' fakin' it for a good laugh." Back to her arrogance, the smirk reappeared. "Now that's shit that these two dicks wouldn't know about."

The one on her left scowled whereas the one on her right rolled his eyes.

At this point, anyone who saw the clown knew he was in horrible condition. Then again, what Ginger mumbled was also taken into consideration; an act like that wasn't exactly out of bounds in Joker's range of gags. For all they knew, the blotchy patches on the sinister jester's face could be more make-up, yet he'd have the whole town fooled.

However, most of the Rogues saw the psychotic lunatic and his deteriorating condition at the case that was setup. Hell, all of Gotham probably knew about Joker's illness. Anyways... Nearly all of the Rogues were in the jury, aside from Harley Quinn, who was appointed as the male clown's attorney. Had the jurors' decision to execute him gone through, Joker would've been gone for good... Problem solved, for just about everyone in Gotham, if the Batman didn't interrupt the proceedings and allow the prankster couple to escape.

The literally two-faced man gazed over at the red-headed woman with curiosity in his unscathed eye. "What else do you know?"

"I'd tell ya..." Ginger taunted with a smirk, "... but lemme join yer gang first. Then, I'll let ya know." She carefully fingered the old rifle laying against the wall next to her, ready to act, if necessary. The guards beside her tensed, preparing for the outcome.

A sneer was sent her way as the male turned around, talking to himself.. "She's worked for the enemy! Who knows what she could be up to? ... But she probably has some valuable information. It could aid us in seizing control of this place." After a few moments of grumbling, he turned back around to face her, giving him a weird expression that he was so used to. The coinage was in his hand, cold and rough. "The coin will decide if we let you join... Heads, you're in. Tails, you tell us what we want to know then leave." Two-Face tossed the silver item into the air before catching it in his good hand, flipping it onto his bad one and uncovering the clean side of the coin. "... Alright, you got what you wanted. Now, spill."

Ginger couldn't look anymore smug if she tried, and it irritated him. "Penguin's been recruitin' men like crazy; there 're specific areas he goes to for that. I can show yer men where an' we can bring 'em 'ere for recruitin'. I know when an' where they usually are."

"We make the plans around here." His harsh voice wiped Ginger's arrogant look off of her face, leaving him feeling satisfied.. "No, we have enough men already..." He smirked and gazed over at her. "We want you to bring your men and some of our recruits to one of these places; lead a strike against his forces. Think you can do that for us, doll face?"

Again, the cockiness returned. He expected it, though, along with the hint of annoyance on her face at the nickname. "What do ya take me for? 'course I can do it!" Her expression turned into one of determination. "Just tell me when and we'll head out."

"It'll be soon, so don't get too comfy," he told them. They only nodded as she gathered their items and headed out, chatting with a few of the other members of his gang once the small group was out of the confined space. His underlings didn't look too fond of them, but Penguin's former employees seemed to be making the best of it at this point.

If they came back successful, then they'd prove their worth to him in his group.