"Hey, Jack! Keep us steady, man!" yelled one of the robbers who wiped blood from a deep cut on his face.
Jack the driver nodded and took off his stupid mask that looked like a hazard cone without the top point. He swerved out of the way and nearly hit a police car while turning the wheel. He was scared to death and hated his friends at the moment. They said they were going to play a trick on Eddie's friend at the bank and pretend to be bank robbers. They tricked him but promised him his share of the money if they escaped. When they got away, they would have hell to pay. Jack nearly got them trapped in a ditch as he swerved the car to the right as two S.W.A.T. vans pulled up on the opposite street. He watched as his other robber friends fired out the window and he saw blood splatter on the driver's window and the car suddenly stop.
"What the hell, Tommy? You can't kill them!" Jack yelled.
"This is our lives, you dumbass!" Tommy yelled back, popping a tire with another shot from his pistol.
Jack shook his head and quickly turned down an alley, sparks flying from the sides of the van as it hit the brick walls. Trash cans flew from the front of the cars and the robbers screamed. Jack's eyes widened as he saw the silhouette of a bat-like creature swoop by the alley and land hard on the van's roof. They all looked up and watched as a gloved hand burst through the top of the roof and grab Mike's head, making him fire his rifle into the ceiling, slicing Batman's cloth costume and nearly hitting his heart. His painted bat symbol had a thin line sliced through it and blood was starting to pour over the grey fabric. Batman growled and slammed Mike into the side of the van. Jack turned down an abandoned street and cursed out loud as he slammed right into the brick wall of the infamous Ace Chemical Factory. The airbag flew into his face and a shard of broken glass flew right across his screaming mouth, cutting up the sides until he felt the glass grind against his teeth. He pulled the glass from his mouth as blood gushed out and screamed in pain. He looked back and saw one his friends dead, their neck completely twisted around from the wreck.
Mike groaned in pain and hopped out the broken back doors along with the two other surviving members of the robbery. Jack put on his mask as movement was heard on the roof and hopped out the driver's door, leading his friends inside the Ace Chemical building. Batman shook his head and pulled his arm back out from the roof, feeling his shoulder and knowing that it had been pulled a bit from its socket. He groaned in slight annoyance and pulled three small ninja stars from one of the pockets from his leather belt and ran after the men. He kicked open the door and was greeted with a spark as a bullet nearly hit his right leg. He spotted the men as they ascended the metal stairs that led to the main chemical plant. Batman tried his best to see in the faint light that bled through the dirty windows and quickly grabbed the top of the railing of the staircase after kicking himself off the opposite wall. He opened the next door and was hit in the back of the head with Mike's hunting rifle. His ninja stars hit the floor below him and Batman cursed to himself.
"How'd you like that, you freak?" yelled the redneck robber with Tommy laughing.
Tommy fired his pistol and nearly hit the redneck.
"What the hell, man? Kill him, not me!"
Mike and Jack were running away from the scene as they uncovered one of the old chemical tanks that was connected to a rope on the rail. Mike saw a red button and punched it, seeing all three tanks on each side of the rails start to heat up and watched as the lights hanging from the ceiling lit up. Batman suddenly jumped at his chance as the crooks still adjusted to the light and tackled the redneck, punching him in the throat while quickly breaking three of his fingers and throwing his head into the metal rail. He turned around and dodged Tommy's gunfire as he wasted the rest of the clip. Batman did a barrel roll and punched him in the stomach while Tommy hit Batman's jaw and caused blood to drip out from his lips. Batman grunted in pain and blocked Tommy's blow to the neck, hurting his shoulder even more.
"Help me, dumbass!" Tommy yelled to Jack as Mike hopped out a window that led to the harbor.
Jack reluctantly joined him in the fight and Batman knocked him down with one hit. Jack hit the railing floor hard and crawled away from the two fighting. Tommy hit Batman's head and Batman flew against the wall, dazed from the pain. Tommy laughed and ran at Batman, hitting him with his shoulders and puncturing one of his lungs.
"You're not looking so good, Mr. Cosplay!" Tommy laughed.
Batman stood up and screamed in anger, tackling Tommy and throwing him over the edge of the railing, Tommy barely missing one of the chemical tanks as he hit the ground with a sickening crack. Batman groaned in anger and pain, turning to see Jack slowly crawling away. Batman slowly approached him with threatening demeanor and Jack screamed in fear, grabbing the pistol from his back and shakily pointing it at Batman. He grabbed Jack by his jacket and tried to grab his gun but Jack pulled back, falling over the edge and barely hanging on the railing. Batman motioned to help but stood back, watching Jack's glove slip from his hand and hit the tank's side.
"I'll kill you, you bastard!" Jack said from the first floor.
Batman turned his head and flipped off the railing, using his cape to land softly on the ground. He eyed his dropped ninja stars and gave a small smirk. Jack tried to shoot him but Batman threw all three ninja stars at Jack's hands and he fired the gun, piercing the chemical tank and providing enough pressure for the side to collapse as the toxic liquid poured out. Batman used his experimental grappling hook gun and attached it to the open sunroof over thirty feet up. He watched as Jack's hands desperately called out for help and the chemicals washed over him and made the factory a twenty-foot pool full of toxic liquid. Batman shook his head and waited for ten minutes until the police arrived at the scene of the disaster. He knew he was inexperienced and stupid in his choices that night, but he didn't know that he had created his worst enemy.
Jack awoke in the outskirts of Gotham Harbor, floating on top of the water and quickly made it to shore, coughing up purple sludge that poured from his nose, mouth and eyes. He threw off the idiotic helmet he had been wearing and looked up at the moon, seeing something terrible. His skin was pure white, covered with purple veins that scrawled up his arms and neck.
He coughed up more of the terrible liquid and started laughing hysterically for no reason. Or no, there was a reason. Why was that man dressed up as a bat? A bat of all things? It was so stupid it was funny. So funny that it could make a man mad. Jack laughed out loud as hard as he could, suddenly feeling smarter and more powerful than ever. He would have to meet that bat man again.
Something was special between them two...
