Jervis Tetch sat in his cell, muttering to himself. He could hear the other inmates of Arkham screaming and yelling to be let out.
Jervis thought them all fools. He wanted only one thing. He wanted-
An alarm blared as the inmates of Arkham all started to go wild. The cell doors opened. "That crazy son-of-a-bitch did it! Let's go boys!" They all cried.
Tetch saw his cell door open. He smiled and sat up, slowly walking out.
Tetch saw complete anarchy in the corridors as he made his way down the hall towards the doors into the exit chamber. He saw a guard and stared at him. The guard saw him and raised his baton in self defense. Tetch ran towards him and dodged the baton swing. He then yanked the baton away and held the guard by his head. He pushed him to the ground and stood over him. Tetch was a rather short man but was extremely fierce nonetheless.
Tetch brought his face close to the guard. He struggled, but Tetch's grip was tight.
"Tell me!" Tetch screamed, "I want to know!"
The guard looked frightened to the point where he was about to cry. "I don't know what you're talking about!" the guard said in between sobs.
Tetch looked at him quizzically, and then asked simply. "Where is Alice?"
I saw hell in the hallways. Two inmates ran towards me, batons they had stolen from guards raised above their heads. The first swung his baton downwards at me. I side stepped and grabbed the baton, being quick enough to kick the second in the face and flip the first onto his back and bring down my fist hard into his temple.
I made my way down the hall way, running past guards who were beating back the crazed prisoners. The fight was going well. This was an unorganized attack. There were so many flaws I was surprised it was not stopped as soon as it happened.
"Good evening, my fellow inmates." The intercom said. I recognized the voice. Victor Zsasz. "I need to ask one question. When did you all get to be so stupid? You're letting them win! Fight back!"
Zsasz was such a fool. He gave away his position by speaking over the intercom. I made my way to the main office. I saw Zsasz sitting in the chair, he looked rather smug. I was going to take that smug away from him.
I decided to make my presence known, Zsasz needed to be taken down a notch.
"Oh there you are Bat-Man. Just the freak I wanted to see." Zsasz said. He was laid back but I heard the shake in his voice.
I stayed silent. Zsasz, like so many others, were frightened by my presence. I did not need words to threaten.
Zsasz was insane. He believed that life is not worth living, no matter who you are. So he thought that he would relieve them of their burden. He marked each of his many kills onto his body. He thought me the most burdened of all.
"You know Bat Man, I think we are destined to do this forever." Zsasz said.
"The last person who said that ended up hanging from his feet forty stories from the ground" I retorted.
"But did the last person have these guys?" Zsasz said, spreading his arms wide open. I looked around me and saw five inmates surrounding me. They all had an unearned sense of triumph on their faces.
The first swung at me wildly I ducked and swept his feet from under him, spinning around fast enough to punch him in the temple and spring back up before they could swarm in. Another one tried for a jab I leaned back and grabbed his wrist, spun around and elbowed him in the base of his neck, knocking him onto the ground. The one of them picked up a baton while the other circled behind me. I tried to stay out of range but the one behind me grabbed me from behind hind while the other swung away at my body. I could hear Zsasz laughing in triumph.
I pulled a bit of my strength deep within me and jumped, letting the lower part of my body fly up as the baton cracked the inmate in the ribs. He let go and I was back on my feet before the one with the baton could swing again. I ducked under his wild swing and threw a jab to his face. He was stumbled back and I ran forward kicking him in the stomach and he fell to the ground.
Zsasz's laugh turned into an angry growl as he saw me rise to look at him.
"They were idiots anyways! I'll just kill you myself!" Zsasz yells.
Zsasz is a strong combatant, and is very handy with a knife. I've been trained to fight people like this but Zsasz is faster than I am used too.
He bursts through the window and rises to look at me. "This is going to be fun." Zsasz says, cracking his knuckles.
He jabs at my face which I weave out of deliver a blow of my own to his rib cage. He flinches a little, but only a little. He counters another one of my punches and punches me in the face. He must have been training for this moment as he's faster than I had anticipated.
I back up giving myself some room and trying to find a weakness in his fighting style.
"Come on, Bat-Boy! Don't be a pussy now!" Zsasz taunts. I don't respond.
He steps in closer and I deliver a kick to his stomach which he isn't quick enough to back out of. But he's up again and already swinging at me. I dodge each of his punches and am able to counter one of them by grabbing his arm and elbowing him in the face.
I can see I'm getting to him now because he's lost that slight grin and spits blood in my direction.
"Hope you're no afraid of sharp objects, Bat-Man!" Zsasz says as he pulls a knife he must have been hiding in his jump suit.
I step back each time swipes at me with the blade. The distance between the wall and I are closing in and any moment he could kill me. I get smart and jump back from a stab and grab his arm and his shoulder and slam him into the wall. I step on his hand and he releases his knife.
"You've lost Zsasz." I say and knock him unconscious with one more punch.
Gordon finally shows up and orders a few cops to take Zsasz back to his cell.
"Thanks for your help. We sure could have used it with Zsasz running about." The Commissioner says.
"Do you know how he even escaped?" I ask.
"He lured was able to lure a guard in close enough to be able to strangle him and take his keys."
"What about the other inmates?" I ask. I don't necessarily care about the loons. Just one man in particular.
"I know who you mean. Joker was still in his cell. He never even moved while the riot started." Gordon replied.
Joker was one of the most dangerous men I've ever faced. And if he ever got out of Arkham…it's something I'd rather not think about.
I looked at the monitor and saw the inmates being herded into their cells. I looked at Gordon, it seemed as though he's aged quite a bit in only a month since I've last seen him.
"Get some rest Commissioner. You need it." I say.
He laughs a bit and retorts, "You go around at night, fighting freaks and weirdoes, wearing a bat suit, and you tell me I need some rest?"
I don't smile at this, I usually never do nowadays. The night has been long. Maybe I do need some rest.
I'm about to leave when I hear something the catches my ear, a doctor talking to the administrator, Quincy Sharp.
"Sir, it appears that an inmate has escaped Arkham." The doctor says, a slight quiver in his voice.
"What! Who? Who is it?" Sharp demands.
"He goes by Jervis Tetch, entered Arkham for a rape and killing spree about thirty years back. He's been in here ever since. Until now…" the doctor said, solemnly.
"We've got to send someone out to find him right now!" Sharp said. He turned his head to me, but I was already gone.
