A/N: Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I was on spring break and didn't really have time to get to the computer. Here's the third chapter though, I hope you all enjoy! Remember to leave a review and please favorite if you really liked it!
Guest: Yeah, life isn't easy when you're Batman. Then again, it was his choice.
Isaac Clark: It's cool dude, I haven't really been checking up on this story for the past week. Sorry for being so late with this next chapter!
Chapter Three: Barbaric Games
Kara Zor-el gasped for air as she lay on the cold stone floor. Her head felt as if it was splitting open, it was a kind of pain she wasn't very used to. She could feel multiple bruises running down her body where she had been abused and beaten by her cruel captors. The air was damp in the small closet she had been kept in for days. Ever since her powers had been suppressed, she and the one other person she was with were at the mercy of the animals in Armageddon State.
"Kara, are you all right," a concerned voice called from the darkness.
"I'm fine," she coughed, spitting out a bit of blood, "it wasn't as bad as most days."
Green Lantern limped out from the dark corner of the closet and walked over to her, bringing some smuggled bandages and medicine.
"I got these from some of the thugs. They should help with your wounds," he told her as he wrapped her arm with a bandage.
Kara managed a weak smile and told him, "Thank you…"
Lawrence nodded and sat down next to her. His hand was broken along with his spirit. The warden had taken his ring, leaving him powerless as well. Unfortunately, he did not have the hand-to-hand combat training that some of the others had, making him an instant victim.
The two sat breathing heavily, trying to regain their strength. Both had been beaten and humiliated, but they had not yet lost their pride. It was the one thing those bastards couldn't take.
"How long do you think we can take this," Lawrence asked, as he pulled out a piece of bread he had hidden and gave part to Kara.
She took a bite and answered, "They'll come for us. We will get through this."
Lawrence chuckled, "Sweetheart, you sure are an optimist."
"Well I'm around so many downers, somebody's got to keep spirits up."
Deep down, Kara was beginning to have doubts, though. The convicts had kept them prisoner for a week now. It was hard to look at the bright side when there wasn't one. She wouldn't break though. She would stay strong.
"What, no way!"
They heard one of thugs talking to another outside of their door. Kara moved closer to the door to try and hear what they were talking about, since her super hearing wasn't an option.
"Yeah man, the boss is flipping out about it. He's actually in this hell hole."
One of the thugs began rambling in a worried tone of voice, "Well he's got one of those collar thingies on right? If he don't got no powers, then he ain't a problem!"
"Are you that stupid Mick? Batman don't got any powers! Can't take away what he don't got."
Kara's eyes went wide; her breath went short. Batman was in Armageddon State? She continued to listen, hoping to find more information.
"So what, is he just going around cracking heads," one, who she assumed to be Mick, asked
"Yeah," the un named one answered, "He just busted one of our strip joints yesterday night, took that Wonder Woman chick. Damn shame too, I never got to see that little number dance."
"Yeah, I just hope we don't see the freak. Last time I ran into the Bat, he broke my arm and three of my ribs. I was in the hospital for days man."
Kara backed away from the door. Batman was coming for them, and thank god for that. She knew that hell hath no fury like an angry Batman, and if he found the condition Cassie was in, he was probably already pissed.
"Well, what was that all about," Lawrence asked as he chewed on his bread
Kara smiled happily, "Batman's in the prison GL. He somehow got his gear past security and already freed Wonder Woman."
The news made Lawrence sit up straighter. He chuckled, "Damn, Bats got all his shit in? He's a sneaky bastard, isn't he?"
Kara laughed with a bit of difficulty, "I just hope he makes it on time. I don't know how much longer Osprey will keep us around with Batman here."
The door of their makeshift prison was suddenly flung open and in walked Osprey himself, along with four other thugs. Both Lawrence and Kara shot him angry glares, not giving him the pleasure of seeing them scared and week. Osprey glared back and sneered, "Grab 'em"
"What the hell did we do?" Kara demanded as two thugs grabbed her violently by the arms.
Cobblepot took a drag from his cigar and then blew the smoke out in her face. "The Bat is here, which means he's probably coming after both of you. Especially you luv."
Kara laughed, giving him a cocky look, "What makes you think he'll come for me first?"
"Oh c'mon, everyone knows you and him got something going on. He'd give his heart for you."
This made Kara laugh even more, much to Osprey's distress, "Hah! Have you met the guy? He doesn't have a heart!"
"That's not what I heard from Joker," Cobblepot growled, giving her a swift kick to the gut.
Kara gasped for air, as he continued to kick her in the stomach. Lawrence fought against his captors, but was to starved and weak to do so.
"Don't ever talk back to me bitch," Osprey yelled, "know your place!"
Kara just continued laughed sadistically, "He's outsmarted you and beaten you before, what makes you think this is any different?"
Osprey spat in her face and then waved for his goons to drag them behind him. The thugs pulled them on the floor after Cobblepot; making sure they 'accidently' hit as many walls as they could.
Kara feel the man dragging her shaking inside his thick black and white coat. She smiled to herself, if only she had her powers. She would have thrashed these bastards.
"Where are you taking us," Lawrence asked
"You're gonna start with our entertainment right now," Cobblepot answered with an evil grin.
"What are you talking about?"
"Come now, why would I keep you alive if I didn't have some other purpose laid out for you already? You two are going to be our gladiators."
Kara had never been afraid of a fight, but she was slightly worried about this one. She was hungry, out of energy, injured, and in no condition to fight. Also, she did not have the raw skill that some of the other fighters had. While she could easily take down eight, nine, or even ten thugs out at once, fighting a force the size of the one that had grabbed her would be impossible.
Osprey had sent out about forty people to grab her along with GL. Knowing Cobblepot, he probably would make the odds just as fair in his tournament. It was disgusting.
"How am I supposed to fight like this," Kara asked Samuel, trying to buy time while she thought of a plan.
"It's either that or be my personal slave," he told her, "you are very welcome to choose the latter."
That shut Kara up. No matter what, she was not going to be… whatever he had in mind. Hearing Cobblepot's threat made Lawrence, the way he licked his lips when he said slave made GL want to punch the bastard's teeth down his throat.
"A shame, you do have an impressive shape," Osprey laughed, taking another breath of smoke.
Kara gritted her teeth angrily, wishing that the stupid collar might short out. While their incarceration and punishment may have seemed equal to that of the criminals, the collars tipped the odds in the scums' favor. Of course, the collars were Luthor's idea, to keep the heroes to take their 'unjust fury' out on the 'powerless'. Now not only were they outnumbered, but they were outgunned.
"I want the blonde when she gets offed," one of the thugs cackled, nudging the guy next to him like it was some joke. The group suddenly all stopped and stared at him.
"What?" he asked
"That's messed up man," the thug next to him answered, glaring at his comrade.
"Terrance," the penguin told the thug holding Green Lantern, "Kill Mick."
"Gladly," the thug said, raising his gun, "Sorry bud, but Mr. Cobblepot don't like weird shit like that."
Before the other thug could protest, his head was blown straight off his neck by a point blank shot. Osprey nodded and the thug grabbed Kara by the wrist and dragged her next to Green Lantern.
Osprey continued checking his watch, as if he was late to an event. Hopefully, it wasn't the spectacular demise he had planned for them, a fight to the death.
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Batman and Artemis hid in the shadows at the top of the stands, looking down onto the field. A crowd was gathering around them, cheering and already getting drunk. Whores were making their rounds as criminals continued to file in each row. Artemis pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked out into the mass of prisoners. She looked for Osprey, who would obviously be seated in the best spot, most likely one of the boxes.
Batman leaned against the metal rods that held up the huge floodlights, scanning all the prisoners. As far as he could see, only a few were carrying firearms. Cobblepot had probably confiscated most upon entry to keep himself and his operation safe. Batman could almost feel the excitement in the air, the unadulterated blood lust that filled the stands. He clenched his fists tightly, keeping himself calm and level headed.
"You remember the plan?"
Artemis nodded, "You create a distraction and help them escape while I nab Cobblepot."
Batman was glad she was paying attention, and also glad she was fighting with him. Artemis was one of the most skilled fighters he had seen in his life. Her hand-to-hand combat prowess was incredible, as well as her uncanny aim of course. She was almost as good as he was, almost. He was also glad she had ditched her normal suit at the apartment and exchanged it for a black and dark green one. Bright green was not very stealthy, and would have gotten them caught on multiple occasions.
"So what are we doing now?" she asked him, leaning on one of the horizontal rods.
"Waiting for the main event," Batman answered
"What main…"
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Cobblepot yelled from his seat, grabbing the attention of everyone in the arena, "Have I got a show for you tonight! Two of our most hated enemies in a fight to the death! Toy Man, Frost, bring out the contestants!"
The small plastic man and the icy blue woman dragged out Superwoman and Green Lantern as the crowd booed loudly.
"Ain't so scary without powers, are ya!" a prisoner called from the sidelines, receiving cheers and amens from the crowd.
Batman glared when he saw Kara, who was bruised and bloodied. Lawrence didn't look like he was holding up too well either. It seemed as if the prisoners had taken some sort of sick poetic revenge and broken some of his fingers. Both needed medical attention immediately.
"Batman, are you alright?" Artemis asked, noticing Batman's heavier breaths
"I'm fine," Batman snarled, "Just be ready for a fight."
The two heroes were pushed at each other as the armed thugs pointed their guns and screamed, "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!"
"Alright Kara, I need you to take me out," Lawrence coughed, trying to raise his broken arms.
Kara shook her head adamantly, "I'd rather die then take another life."
Batman grew more and more angry as he watched Osprey lean back in his seat and light another cigar. There was nothing he wanted more than to punch the bird's face in.
Before the two could attack each other, a loud whistle caught the attention of the whole stadium. Batman and Artemis looked over to the opposite side of the stands, where a woman in a white stealth suit stood holding a bazooka.
"Not now," Batman growled, "Artemis, go for Cobblepot right now."
"But he's still guarded," Artemis protested
"I said now!"
Artemis nodded obediently and jumped down off her perch. She snuck off into the shadows while Batman watched the situation unfold.
Siren waved over to Osprey and blew him a kiss, "Oh Sammy! I think you have something that doesn't belong to you!"
Osprey stood from his seat, his eyes wide with fear. "Bloody Hell…"
"Say cheese Sammy!" Siren aimed the bazooka towards the box, much to Cobblepot's distress.
Osprey began sprinting towards the exit frantically, causing Siren to laugh. "Wow, he really can move when he wants to," she joked, pulling the trigger of the launcher.
A rocket burst from the bazooka and shot straight towards the box office with deadly accuracy. The crowd screamed as the whole thing erupted into flames, smoke billowing out from the broken glass. Some of the prisoners pulled out weapons and began to shoot at the white assassin.
Siren tossed the launcher aside and jumped off the top of the stands, gliding down to the middle of the arena with a pair of razor sharp glider wings. She landed in front of the two heroes and pulled out her duel pistols, firing them into the crowd.
Batman decided to try and grab Kara and Lawrence before the situation got even more out of control. Jumping down, he spread his cape and descended down upon the group of armed men like an angry demon.
With one powerful kick, he took out one of Osprey's thugs, knocking him to the ground. He dodged the butt of another's gun and landed a left hook into his gut, causing the criminal to double over in pain.
"Batman!" Kara called, stumbling over towards him
Batman didn't acknowledge her, as he was focusing on fighting off hoards of angry prisoners. Right before the explosion, he had seen Artemis grab Cobblepot, now all that was left was securing the two members of the league.
Batman was about to deliver a jaw breaking punch to a large inmate, when blood suddenly exploded from his forehead. Batman turned to the sound of the gunshot instinctively, and found that Siren herself fired the weapon.
Giving him a wink and a seductive smile, she said, "About time you showed up handsome. I was beginning to think that you hadn't really been thrown in here with the others."
Siren was about to fire off another shot, when Batman lunged over and knocked the gun out of her hands. "What the hell?" she sneered, glaring towards him.
"No guns, no killing," he told her sternly, giving her a stone cold glare
Siren shrugged and dropped the other pistol, then raised her fists. "We do this the old fashion way then."
Batman turned to Green Lantern and Superwoman and commanded, "GL, get Superwoman out of here. Artemis will be waiting outside, but hurry!"
Green Lantern nodded and motioned for Kara to follow him. The two ran out towards the exit as the prisoners began to surround both Siren and Batman.
"Still feeling good about our odds without a gun?" Siren teased as they went back to back
"Guns are loud and clumsy," Batman answered, raising his fists
The inmates hollered and charged towards the two, the whole mass of criminals closing in. Batman and Siren went to work, using their superior fighting skills and gear to lay a beating on their attackers. The two worked in perfect synchrony, as if the fight was a dance. Batman would deliver a low punch to the stomach, while Siren would jump over and give a spin kick to the same criminal. Batman would grab a convict by the arm and throw him at Siren, who would jump over him and stomp the criminal to the ground.
They continued to punch, kick, and break every inmate that dared charge them. They were an unstoppable force. Batman hated to admit it, but he got a certain adrenaline rush when fighting alongside Siren. She was one of the best-trained fighters he had ever seen, but that wasn't even what was incredible about her. What was incredible was that her moves were so much like his. Sure, she was faster where he was more powerful, but they still practically had the same moves. It was as if she learned from whoever taught his father how to fight.
Batman continued to work each criminal, making sure none left without at least a broken rib and a terrible limp. He viciously punched anyone that came within his reach, and countered every attack they threw at him. Siren was surprisingly following his no killing rule, not even breaking a single neck or firing a single shot.
"This is a fun first date," Siren laughed as she punched a convict in the ribs, causing a bloodcurdling crack.
"This isn't a date," Batman growled as he kneed an inmate in the groin and stomped on his hand once the man was down.
"Well you haven't tried to punch my teeth down my throat, so I'll take that as a start."
Batman didn't know what it was, but something about her got to him. Criminals trying to instigate banter usually didn't faze him, but Siren had a way of provoking him.
The inmates began to peel off as their comrades were all knocked out and beaten up by the assassin and the vigilante. Siren chuckled as the last criminals began to retreat. She was about to turn back to Batman, when she felt cold metal click around her wrists. She looked behind her and saw the dark knight had handcuffed her hands together.
"Really?" she asked him, giving him an annoyed look.
"You're still a criminal and you're still dangerous. I'm taking you in."
Siren sighed, "If you haven't noticed already Bats, I'm already 'taken in'."
Batman opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but then shut it. She did have a point, not much could be worse then this hellhole.
"Besides, that bastard has something of mine, and I intend to get it back," Siren told him as she quickly picked the handcuffs and dropped them on the ground in front of him.
Batman made no attempt to recapture her, but rather asked her, "Why are you doing this? I've seen your file, you only attack and steal from criminals. Why stoop as low as them?"
Siren glared at him, he had obviously hit a raw nerve. "Because, they deserve nothing better then the harm they cause others. Gotham is sick, and you aren't willing to do what's necessary. Sometimes, when a sick limb isn't salvageable, you have to amputate it to save the rest of the body. You have the power and means to be a great hero, yet you choose to be lenient on the scum of the city."
Batman returned her angry look when he heard this. He did NOT like people calling Gotham a lost cause. He knew that eventually, all his work would pay off, that he would make a difference. That's what he hoped at least.
Siren picked her guns off the ground and began to walk away, waving to Batman as she left. "Well it was fun handsome, but I've got things to do. Sammy still has something of mine and I intend to get it back."
With those last words, she vanished in thin air, her movements undetectable because of the stealth suit. Batman shook his head in frustration and then left the stadium making sure to step on as many unconscious convicts as he could.
Artemis, Green Lantern, Superwoman were all standing around Osprey, waiting for Batman. When he arrived, he quickly grabbed Osprey by the collar and slammed him against the run down ticket booth. Osprey cringed in pain as Batman wrenched his arm up at a painful angle and growled, "What did you take from her?"
"I don't know what you're… AGH!" Osprey screamed as Batman pulled his arm up even higher, slowly dislocating his shoulder.
"Tell me!"
"Alright, alright," Osprey cried, "That bitch has been messing with my operations for too long, so I decided to return the favor! I stole this device from her!"
The weakened crime boss pulled out what looked like a smart phone from his jacket and handed it to Batman. The dark knight grabbed it out of his hands and dropped Osprey on the ground, turning his attention towards the phone. When he tried to open it, he found there was an encrypted lock on it, set to destroy the phone after three failed attempts to get in. Whatever was on this thing, Siren didn't want anyone knowing it.
"Artemis, get Cobblepot out of my sight," Batman commanded, putting the phone in his pocket.
Artemis nodded and grabbed Osprey by the hem of his shirt and threw him in the middle of the street, where he lay writhing in pain.
"Who was that?" Kara asked as Batman picked her up in his arms
"She calls herself Siren. She's a professional thief as well as assassin, and one of the best fighters I've ever seen in my life," Batman answered
Artemis let Green Lantern lean on her as they all walked back to the safe house. Batman was trying to run the possible connections that Siren could have to Armageddon State in his head. Her suit was Lex corp, but she had told him that she stole it. She could have been lying, but it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for Siren to steal from a powerful and corrupt man like Lex.
Batman shivered a bit when he felt Kara bury her head in his chest and fall asleep. There was the only other woman who could make him feel as uncomfortable as Siren did, except in a different way. He and Kara had history, the two had dated through college and had a stressed 'on off' relationship ever since he became Batman. He heard Artemis chuckle to herself, much to his annoyance. She had obviously heard everything from Wally, that traitor.
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"Kara, wake up,"
Kara's eyes fluttered open as she sat up from the couch she was lying on. She felt light headed and dizzy, but overall better then she had felt before. Wally West was sitting down next to her with a wide grin.
"Wally, what happened," she muttered, massaging her temples to try and assuage her pain.
"Well, there was a bunch of fighting, explosions, and running, but bottom line is that you and GL are safe."
Kara sighed in relief, at least she was out of the hands of those monsters. She felt her neck and found the metal collar was still around her neck, and still wouldn't budge.
"Has he found a way to get these things off yet?" she asked, pointing to the inhibitor
Wally shook his head, "Apparently these things will be stuck on us until we get our hands on the unlock codes. After that, we're outta here."
"Where are the others? We still don't have Superman and Miss Martian."
"We haven't found them yet," Wally told her, "Have you heard anything?"
Kara shook her head, "They didn't tell us anything. We were locked in the closet the whole time."
"Well you're safe now. Here, eat up," Wally said, handing her some rations that had been dropped recently.
Kara gladly took a couple loaves of bread and ate them, feeling some of her energy coming back to her. As the two ate, Artemis walked in the room and sat down next to Superwoman, pulling off her cowl and sighing in frustration.
"What's wrong babe?" Wally asked, his mouth still full of food
Artemis glared at him angrily; he knew that she hated that nickname. "Well Wally, the Bat is almost as impossible to work with. The guy acts like he doesn't even want our help!"
Kara laughed lightly, "That sounds like him. It's all right; you can let him brood alone. Come hang out with us."
"Alright, Wally toss me some bread," she told the scarlet speedster as she put her bow down on the table in front of her.
Wally tossed her some bread and then sat down on one of the disgusting armchairs. The three sat around the table and ate silently, resting for any future battles. Kara occasionally glanced over to Batman's room and wondered what he was doing. He definitely wasn't relaxing, and probably wasn't eating either. Eve was taking a nap in her bedroom, so there was no one to force him to take breaks.
"So blue eyes, how'd you and GL end up in the hands of Cobblepot," Flash asked.
Kara heard Flash's nickname for her and turned back towards him.
"Oh, well GL and I were released into the same district," She answered, thinking back to their first coupled days in Armageddon State, "They had strapped the collars to us from the start, so it took a little bit for us to get oriented without powers. As we tried to find the rest of the league, we were ambushed by a couple of Osprey's thugs. We disposed of them pretty easily, but as more kept coming, we started to loose. Eventually they had overpowered us and captured us."
"Yeah, Artemis and I got lucky. If she hadn't smuggled her compact bow in, we would have been screwed," he told her, winking towards Artemis, who rolled her eyes.
"You should have seen their faces when Artemis pulled the thing out," Wally laughed, "Oh it was priceless! Prisoners running left and right, their tales tucked under."
Artemis continued their story, "After we fended off the criminals, Wally and I searched our district for a place to stay. Eventually, Wally found this piece of crap and we've been staying here ever since."
Kara nodded, at least their experience had gone much better then hers, but how had Batman smuggled his equipment in? From what she heard, he was captured as Christian Wayne. It wasn't that she was surprised; Batman always had some sort of trick up his sleeve. This wasn't even one of the most impressive things he's been able to pull.
"What is he doing in there," Wally asked Artemis, gesturing over towards Batman's room.
"Oh, Osprey had some sort of device that he had apparently had stolen from Siren. I think he's trying to break into it," she answered, taking a sip from one of the bottled waters.
Kara frowned, "What does Siren have to do with anything?"
"Well she did steal an extremely expensive stealth suit from Lex Corp. He thinks that she may be linked to Luthor in some way."
"That suit wasn't the only nice thing about her," Wally murmured dreamily.
Artemis socked him in the jaw for the comment and turned back to Kara, rubbing her fists, "As I was saying, he doesn't think she actually stole the suit. Batman thinks Luthor gave it to her."
"Why would he give her such high tech equipment," Kara wondered aloud
Artemis shrugged, "You'd know chrome dome better then I."
"That's Batman for ya," Wally joked, standing up shakily, "Always thinks theirs some big conspiracy behind everything."
"That's because there almost always is."
Everyone looked around and saw Batman standing at the doorway with the phone gripped tightly in his hand. He grabbed a wooden chair and pulled it towards the group. He then threw the device on the table, letting everyone get a good look at it.
"We need M'gann," he told them
"Aside from the obvious reasons, how come?" Artemis asked
"I can't crack this code. I need M'gann to read Siren's mind and pull it out of her."
"None of us know where she is though," Kara said
"That's what reconnaissance was made for," Batman told her, pulling out different recording devices and binoculars out of his belt, "We are going to split up, each of us covering a different district and reigning criminal. When one of us finds either Superman or Miss M, we contact the others."
Wally laughed, earning him a bat glare. "Hold on Bats, I think you're forgetting something. None of us have powers!"
"I know, that's why I made these," Batman growled, pulling out two strange devices and placing them on the table next to the phone. Both Kara and Wally picked up the strange devices, eying them suspiciously.
"What are these," Wally asked
"They're devices I've created to help with those collars. They should allow at least one of your powers to manifest. Flash, this should give you back your super speed and Superwoman should be able to retain one of her abilities."
Kara placed the device on her collar and felt a strange electrical tingle shoot through her body. She stood from the couch and asked Batman, "So, how do I choose which power I want?"
"You can't" he answered, "We just have to hope it's a useful one. I also have no idea which one you have right now."
Kara nodded and moved over to the couch, which she then lifted as if it was nothing. She held it up by its corner effortlessly, smiling happily, "I should be fine for now."
Wally zipped around the room at super speed and then screeched to a stop in front of Batman. "So Bats, who are we going after?"
Batman pulled a map out of his belt and spread it on the table. It was a map of all Armageddon State. He had sectioned off different parts of the massive prison state, dividing it into five parts. "The various gangs have secured different sections of Armageddon State," he told them as he pointed towards the map, "But there are five main factions we need to cover. The crime lords holding the most ground in Armageddon State are Osprey, King, Moxie 'Boss' Mannheim, March Hare, and the Joker."
Kara saw Batman's fists clenched noticeably when he mentioned that last name. She already knew how this would be split up. She would go after Intergang, Flash would go after the now massive Royal Flush Game, and, of course, Batman would go after the clown. He and the Joker had some sort of personal war, something that Batman would not let them be a part of. Every time the Joker showed up, no matter what, it was just the clown and the bat.
A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed, remember to leave a review or a favorite! Thanks for reading!