Batman:

Warzone Chapter 7

"Well," Edward said. "This is a tad awkward." he said while holding his hands above his head.

Cain sighed. "For a high level genius, you talk too much."

"Will you both shut up?" Floyd said sternly.

"Why don't all of you shut up, and we kill you?" Joker suggested as he aimed a purple revolver at Edward.

Batman reached out and lowered Joker's gun. "Nobody kills no one." he said.

Cain piped up. "For once, I agree with the Dark Knight. There are bigger threats than each other."

"Like what?" Joker asked. "That Valley boy and Harley? Please, Harley couldn't find her way out of an empty room without my help."

"Azrael recruited more goons to his little crusade. Most notably Anarky and Electrocutioner." Cain informed Batman.

"Machin and Buchinsky are loose also? It's not like we were already looking for someone." Deathstroke said.

"Who were you looking for?" Floyd asked.

"If our mutual brooding friend is correct, Scarecrow." Deathstroke replied.

Edward sighed. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"Well, what do you say is our best course of action?" Floyd asked.

"Coordinate, hunt the members of the Suicide Squad, anyone else who is on the loose and stop them from sending the Island out in flames." Cain suggested.

Batman exhaled. "Possibly."

Cain stepped out and in between the two groups. "If anything, Deadshot and I will look for members of the Suicide Squad. Batman, you and the Joker will try and locate any explosives."

Edward cleared his throat. Cain turned to look at him. "What about me?"

"We need someone with enough brains to resist a fear toxin." Cain said with a smile.

Edward's shoulders slumped. "Shit."

"I'll go with the boy. Make sure Jonathan doesn't kill him." Deathstroke volunteered.

"We all have our tasks," Batman said. "Best we get to them."

/

"I am not entirely sure this was the best idea on the planet." Edward said quietly as he and Deathstroke crept through what appeared to be a freeze morgue.

"Where else would you find a maniac hell bent on exposing fear but a place where they put dead things." Deathstroke replied.

"I don't know, a psych ward?" Edward said hopefully.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from the throat of man. The pure pain in his voice sent chills down Edward's spine. Deathstroke glanced back at the shivering teenager and smiled worryingly.

"I do not like the look of that smile." Edward said.

"I didn't want you to." Deathstroke said, turning his attention to the corner ahead.

The two unlikely heroes turned the corner. There, a pile of frozen corpses blocked their path. Flies buzzed around and one giant pool of frozen blood stretched to Edward's prison shoes.

Edward's hand flew to his nose at the smell that wafted from the bodies.

"Is this what Scarecrow does in his spare time?"

Deathstroke holstered his gun. "Exploited every single fear in these men before having them overdose on his toxin. Excruciating pain. So, yeah, this is what a madman does in his spare time."

"Wait, we're both inmates in an insane asylum. Aren't we both madmen?" Edward asked.

Deathstroke sighed. "Not this crazy."

A demonic voice called through the freeze morgue. "Two more willing subjects for my tests? Delightful."

"We aren't here to be 'test subjects,' Crane." Deathstroke said.

"What other reason are you here?" Scarecrow asked from wherever his hiding place was.

"To put you back in your cell." Deathstroke replied.

Scarecrow chuckled. "Not going to happen, Homo Sapiens."

A tall, lanky, figure dressed in brown cloth rags emerged from the pile of bodies. A glove on his arm had four syringes built into the fingers Freddy Krueger style. Yellow glowing liquid dripped from each of the syringe points. Yellow tubes ran up his arm and stopped at a metal box on his chest secured by a harness. A hood was pulled over his head and a demonic mask concealed his face.

"Wilson, Nygma. Oh, how I crave to know your fears."

"Let's just say I'm adding skinny men in brown rags." Edward said.

Scarecrow threw his head back and cackled. "I never took you for a joker." he said.

"The quota of Jokers around here is already filled." Deathstroke said.

Edward's mind zoned out from the eventual monologue Crane was about to go into. Somehow, his thoughts led him to the ceiling where he noticed pipes of an air based toxin floating around. Edward subtly got Deathstroke's attention and pointed at the ceiling.

Scarecrow stopped his monologue when he saw Deathstroke toss his gun in the air.

"Edward!" Deathstroke shouted.

Edward took that as his cue. He caught the gun and aimed it at Scarecrow's hand. He fired. His hand exploded in a spray of red blood. Scarecrow screamed in agony and grasped his hand, two of his fingers were stubs now and a gaping hole lay in his palm.

Deathstroke lunged forward and tackled Scarecrow to the ground. he cut one of the tubes holding the toxin and a syringe and plunged it into Scarecrow's neck. His green eyes under the ragged mask became dilated as he screamed in agony and horror. Soon, he fell into a fitful sedate.

Deathstroke stood up and exhaled. "Well, that ought to do it, for now."