A/N: I'm letting you know ahead of time that this is my version of the DC Universe. If the characters don't seem to be acting as they should, that's because I changed them to fit my story.
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DC Universe.
Desolation Book One: Rise of The Fire.
Chapter One: Another Day on The Job.
Arkham Prison - Present Time.
"SINCLAIRE! MAKE WAY! WE GOT A BIG ONE COMEING THROUGH!" Shouted a random Arkham guard. Jack Sinclaire, Arkham guard for up to two years, stepped aside evenly, as the Six guards walked by, leading their massive cargo. The cargo in question being the monstrous form of Killer Croc, the mass murdering human/crocodile half breed.
"Hey, Croc. Get caught again?" Asked the young man, smiling calmly.
"No shit." Growled the massive creature.
"The Bat?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Croc growled again.
"Sinclaire, get back to work." Said the man leading the team of escorters.
"Yes, sir!" Said Jack, giving a mock salute. Crock gave a throaty laugh, but was hit in the back of the head.
"Keep moving, Convict!" Shouted one of the guards. Jack frowned at the harsh treatment. No wonder Croc ate people.
"I'll see you at feeding time." Called Jack. Croc gave no way of showing he heard, but Jack knew he did. Jack was a tall man, with medium length black hair that fell slightly in front of his blue eyes. He had a five o'clock shadow, and kind features. He began whistling, walking around the many glass cells at Arkham. He waved and said hi to every inmate he saw, giving a pleasant smile and words of kindness. He stopped when he heard crying coming from a certain cell that he knew well. Harleen Quinnzel, otherwise known as Harley Quinn, the girlfriend to one of Arkhams most notorious inmates: The Joker.
"Harley, What's wrong?" Asked the man, reaching the distraught woman's cell to see her facing away from him, cross legged, on the ground. She glanced over her shoulder and sniffled.
"Oh, it's just you, Jackie." Said the woman, using her nickname for him.
"Harley, what happened?" Asked Jack, looking at the girl that usually made him laugh so much.
"It's nothing, Jackie. Don't worry 'bout it, kay?" Said the ex-psychiatrist.
"I am worried, Harley." Retorted Jack. "You should be smiling and laughing. Cracking jokes like normal. It hurts to see you like this." Harley sighed. She turned to face the Guard, and his eyes widened. Harley's face was covered in bruises and welts. Not the normal ones, that the Batman usually gave her when she resisted arrest. These had to have been done by someone else. And Jack knew the number one suspect on the list of possibilities.
"There. Happy now?" She asked, tears in her eyes. Jack frowned.
"No, I'm not." Jack used his key card to open Harley's cell, taking a knee to wrap his arms around the crying girl. At first, Harley went rigid, but after a moment she leaned into the hug, taking comfort in the man's warmth. Jack took this moment to look at the girl. She was cutely adorable, even with the bruises. With her blond pigtails, happy grin, and adorable face, Jack couldn't help but hate the monster that made her cry. She normally made him smile with her jokes and over all happy personality.
"Thank you, Jackie." Said the girl through a little sniffle.
"Anytime." Said Jack. "I don't mind giving pretty girls hugs." He gave a short laugh, Which Harley joined in on.
"Sinclaire!" Shouted one of Jacks superiors. "What the hell are you doing!?"
"Inmate Harleen Quinnzel was showing signs of emotional distress, Officer Pellman." Answered Jack. He stood up, much to Harleys disappointment. "I was acting accordingly with her psyche report."
"And how would you know about her psyche report?" Sneered Pellman. Jack smirked.
"She gave it to me." Answered Jack. "Harleen Quinzel. Mental State: Unstable. Responds Well to: Comforting hugs, candy, jokes, kindness." Quoted Jack. "As you can see, I was within my line of duties." The other man gave another sneer before walking off. Jack smirked again, before turning back to Harley, whom was giving him a questioning gaze.
"Why are you so nice to us?" Asked Harley. Jack was confused by this.
"What do you mean?" He questioned.
"You're always so nice to us inmates." Responded Harley. "I saw you playing a game of chance with TWO-FACE the other day, for cryin out loud!" Jack gave a little chuckle.
"Well, you guys are human, too." He paused. "Well, except for inmates like Killer Crock and King Shark, anyway. But even they have feelings. Human feelings." Harley stared up at him, wonder in her eyes.
"Gee, Jackie. I never thought you cared so much." She said, before a loud ring could be heard throughout the Asylum.
"Lunch time." Said Jack. "Come on, Harley. I got to feed the Big guys today."
"Okay, Jackie!" She said, grinning brightly. Jack grinned, glad that he could stop her bad mood. They walked to the cafeteria together, Jack saying he was "Escorting her." Which, in truth, he was. Jack left the girl with her best friend, Pamela Isley, better known as Poison Ivy, whom sent Jack death glares with her strange, glowing eyes. She was dressed in nothing but that skimpy little red shirt, which was the only bit of actual clothing she wore, with her red hair styled in the usual manner that she always wore it.. Jack left, feeling put off by the woman's unwarranted dislike of him. Walking towards the exit of the cafeteria, Jack stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. A charred, burnt hand. Turning to face the man, Jack smiled.
"Hey, Harvey. How you doing today?" Jack asked happily.
"Actually, I'm having a pretty shitty day, Jack." Answered Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, fiddling around with his signature coin.
"What's the matter?" Asked Jack.
"I flipped a coin to see if I should beat the shit out of that jackass guard Pellman." Answered Two-Face.
"And I'm guessing it came up in his favor." Said Jack, folding his arms. Two-Face nodded.
"You know the bastard deserves it." Said Two-Face. He was talking about Jacks superior officer whom caught him comforting Harley earlier.
"Yeah, I know, Harvey, but there's nothing either of us can do about it right now." Jack frowned. "Look, we'll talk about this later. I need to go feed the big guys. See ya." Jack walked away, waving without looking. Two-Face frowned, but nodded, walking back to his seat. Jack walked into the kitchen and grabbed a trolly which was loaded down with fresh meat. Now, protocall said that the carnivorous inmates of the Predator ward were never allowed fresh meat, but Jack knew they couldn't eat cooked meat without getting ill, which is probably what the other guards wanted. Jack managed to strike a deal with the chef. If Jack gave her all of his secret family recipes, she'd load the trolly down with fresh, raw meat. Jack said hi to the lady chef, and she smiled back at him. Jack made his way out of the kitchen with his trolly, and made his way towards the Predator ward. The Predator Ward was designed for the less than human residents of Arkham. It included, but was not limited to; Killer Croc, Solomon Grundy, Clayface, King Shark, and others like them. Jacks job was to feed the carnivorous members, but he often found himself with other guards' jobs in the Predator Ward as well, seeing as none of the inmates really disliked him. Except for Ivy and Joker, but Joker's insane, and Ivy just doesn't like men in general.
"Hey, Croc." Said Jack, walking up to Killer Crocs cell. "Brought you some fresh meat." He opened the slot that the food goes through, and Croc gladly devoured the bloody slab.
"It's pretty decent of you to make sure we never have to eat that nasty cooked meat they try to get us to eat." Said Croc with a shiver. "That shit could gag a maggot."
"Well, good thing I'm not a maggot then, huh?" Jack laughed.
"Depends on your opinion." Came an icy, cold voice from behind Jack. The kind guard turned around to look at the woman who said this. Kaitlin Snow, otherwise known as Killer Frost, glared at Jack from her icy cell.
"What's the matter now, Kaitlin?" Asked Jack, getting sick of this girls perpetual PMS.
"Don't call me that." She said to him. "My name's Killer Frost." Jack walked up to the thick glass that separated them.
"And what'll you do if I don't call you that?" He asked calmly.
"I'll kill you." She answered coolly. Jack laughed.
"You've had so many chances to do so." He said. "Every time you broke out, you had the perfect chance to freeze me to death. Fact is, if you wanted me dead, I'd be an ice sculpture right now." He slipped Killer Frosts food in through the slot in the glass, before walking away calmly, Killer Frost fuming.
"Hey, get back here! I'm not done with you yet!" She shouted. Jack ignored her. Walking down the hall a bit with the trolly, Jack found himself in front of two cells, both inmates sharing the same name. The first was a massive, snake-like man, and the next was a relatively pretty woman, with a lithe, small frame, and blond hair. These were the two Copperheads of Arkham.
"Hey there, you two. How you guys doing?" They both ignored his words, but for two different reasons. The male Copperhead, because he was hungry for the food, and the female Copperhead, because she was hungry for something else entirely.
"Tell me, Jack." Said the female Copperhead, in her Southern American accent. "When are you going to take me up on my offer?"
"Not any time soon." Answered Jack. She pouted, before grinning evilly.
"What's stopping me from breaking out of here and forcing you?" She asked.
"Nothing, I suppose." Answered Jack. "Except, if you do happen to break out, you wouldn't risk your newfound freedom by trying to rape me on your way out."
"I could just knock you out and drag you with me." Retorted F. Copperhead, Watching Jacks face for an reactions. He just kept his calm smile.
"I'd be to heavy for you to carry. Again, you'd be risking your freedom." Jack laughed at the womans furrowed brow.
"GIVE ME THE FOOD, JACK!" Shouted the male Copperhead. Jack laughed, putting a slab of raw meat in the food slot. M. Copperhead thanked him, before tearing into the meat viciously. Jack chuckled at the almost childish way the large non-human man munched on his meal. Jack turned to F. Copperhead, but her cell didn't have a food slot. She always used them in order to escape, which is why she was put in this special, escape free cell. She looked at him innocently.
"My turn?" She asked, far to sweetly for it to mean anything good.
"Behave yourself." Answered Jack, pulling out his key card. As soon as Jack walked up to the lock, F. Copperhead was pressed against the glass, an almost predatory look on her face. Jack backed up.
"Do you want food, or not?" He asked. She nodded, backing away from the glass. Jack opened the door, keeping a weary eye on the woman. Jack moved in slowly, watching as her ryrs scanned his body, licking her lips with her unnaturally long tongue.
"I'm just going to set this right here." Said Jack, placing the plate on the small table next to the wall. F. Copperhead began closing in on him slowly, and backed up towards the exit. At the last second, Copperhead lunged at Jack, but he managed to shut the glass before she could reach him and do... THINGS with him.
"Awwwww! Come back in! I want to have some fun with you!" Whined F. Copperhead.
"I said to behave!" Said Jack, backing away from the glass. "No sexy time for you!" M. Copperhead laughed loudly.
"Do you two need to act like that every day?" He asked after calming down. Jack mumbled something, but grabbed his food trolly and went on his way.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Some of us have HONEST jobs to do." Jack went towards the far end of the hallway, towards a cell that was made more like a shark tank, considering that the occupance was none other than King Shark, the massive, white skinned shark man. King floated around harmlessly in his tank, his hands behind his head. As soon as he set his eyes on Jack, or more precisely, the food Jack had, he grinned wickedly, his massive white teeth glinting.
"Hey Jack. That for me?" Asked the shark-man hybrid. Jack laughed.
"Yep. Knocked it's horns off, wiped it's nasty old ass and brought it straight to you, just the way you like it." Jack began throwing the Meat into the water. King swam up and tore into the meat as Jack left.
"See you tomorrow, Jack." Said King. Jack waved back without turning. He only had a few more stops, then he could eat his own lunch.
A FEW STOPS LATER.
"Ah! Now I can finally enjoy my meal." Laughed Jack. He pulled the small lunch box from his locker and made his way to the lounge area for guards, which was already quite full. Jack sat down in his secluded corner, away from the other guards. He was about to open the box, until he heard something sickening.
"You know, that Harley bitch wants my dick." Said Pellman. "I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at me." Jack clenched his fists. No, he had to get his anger under control. Standing up, Jack took his food and left, taking his food to eat out in the hall. After lunch was over, Jack continued his regular patrols. He walked down the halls, whistling a tune he heard somewhere, until he heard crying. And Yelling. Jack sprinted towards the cell he heard the sounds coming from. His anger boiled over at the sight of it. Pellman had Harley by one of her pigtails, and was trying to pull her clothes off, all the time he yelled obscenities at the girl while she cried. Jack couldn't help it. He just lost control. Running over to Pellman, Jack grabbed the scumbags greasy hair, pulling him back and slamming his fist into his face. Pellman fell to the ground, dazing him. When Pellman's eyes cleared, and he realized who'd assaulted him, his face contorted in rage. But, before Pellman could say anything, Jack kicked him in the face. Then, Jack grabbed him by his hair and pulled him to a standing position, before beginning a barrage of punches, causing the man to bleed from his nose and mouth. Bruises and bumps grew over Pellmans greasy face, and the man lost the ability to speak.
"You think you're so tough?" Asked Jack murderously. "Trying to force yourself on a harmless woman like that? I'll show you tough." As the viscous onslaught continued, Harley watched as someone that she'd known to always be kind and polite was brutally beating a man whom not moments before was trying to rape her. It was scary, it was surprising. it was... Really hot. Harley couldn't help but feel attracted to the man that rescued her. She watched as the light left Pellman's eyes, as his breath left him. And when he quit breathing, Jack dropped him to the ground.
"J-Jackie?" Asked Harley, watching as Jack breathed harshly. He turned to look at Harley, with specks of Pellman's blood on his face. They were both surprised when a group of Arkham guards attacked, Shooting the both of them with stunguns.
"Jack Aaron Sinclaire, you are being charged with aggravated assault and murder. How do you plead?" Asked the judge. Instead of Jack standing up, it was his brother, Jason, the lawyer of the family.
"My client would like to plead insanity." Said Jason.
"Under what grounds?" Asked the judge.
"I have a full psyche report dating back to his twentieth birthday, three years ago." Answered Jason. Jack just sat there, emotionless.
"Proceed." Said the judge.
"Jack Aaron Sinclaire: Parents, deceased. Siblings: Brother: Jason Mraz Sinclaire. Sister: Cassandra Riley Sinclaire." Jason stopped to look at his brother sadly. This is going to kill Cassandra. "Mental state: Unstable. History of Violence, Anger urges, violent episodes, signs of schizophrenia. Responds well to: Nothing. If angered, will not stop until source of anger is no longer a problem." Jason let that sink in for a bit, waiting for the judges verdict.
"What does the jury have to say?" Asked the judge.
"Insanity." Answered one of the Jours. A group of guards came in to escort Jack out of the room, and to his new home. A cell, in Arkham Prison.
As Jack sat there, he let his anger wash over him. He hated them. All of those bastards out there. All of the people in power. He punched the wall as hard as he could, reveling in the pain in his hand. He punched the wall again, and again, and again, until the only thing he could register in his hands was pain. He clenched his fists hard, and he felt an unknown heat radiating from his fists. Jack looked down, and his eyes widened when he saw both of his fists were on fire. Quickly putting the out, he stared at his hands. After a moment of concentration, Jack learned how to light them again. He'd need to practice at it, but Jack knew one day, he'd be able to use this new ability.
And there would be Desolation.
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A/N: And that's that. Let me know what you thought.