A/N: Hey guys! I don't know if anyone else is aware of this, but National Write a Novel month is coming up in a couple of weeks. So that's what I've been getting ready for and my new job, hooray!
Also, want to do a shout out to two great stories on here. Congrats Shadowknight1121 and Tonycakes for finishing two very lovely trilogies. I loved how everything was neatly wrapped up and having an exciting epilogue for everyone! I'm going to miss Jayden and Sarina though…*sniff*
So with that said, enjoy and destroy!
Dog Eat Dog
"Hey Batman, there's something I think you should know." Marjorie said as Batman began escorting her back to her companions. "Dr. Fries' notes had been stolen. I've got good reason to believe that Dr. Young was the person who had been filching them." Marjorie told Batman in a low voice. They were alone but it would be best for them to not take chances in case someone was listening. "The notes were sewn inside her headscarf. I think she's in deep."
Batman had come to the same conclusion. "I'm going to ask Oracle to look up everything she can find on Dr. Young. I'll look over it when I get to the cave."
"A Batcave? On Arkham Island?" Oracle's voice came over the comm link.
"I built it years ago. Figured it would be best to plan ahead for situations like this."
"How'd you manage to keep this one a secret?" Oracle, still surprised, asked.
"Because he's the goddamn Batman?" Marjorie jokingly rolled her eyes as she pressed down the comm link in her ear. Batman chuckled. After so long, she could still make him smile. "Are you laughing?" She asked him when she let go of the comm button.
"I might be." Batman said before turning serious. "You better get going." He pointed at Cash and Dr. Young, both of whom were waiting by the doors.
"On my way. Be careful." Marjorie said. She began jogging towards them.
Wait…there was something… "Marjorie?" Batman called. She stopped and looked back at him. Wait…could he say it? He couldn't talk. Marjorie looked at him expectantly. "You be careful too." Batman said, nodding at her. She nodded her thanks and hurried off. He quietly kicked himself for being unable to say it.
I love you.
"Sorry about that. I wanted to check something with Batman." I explained breathlessly once I caught up with Cash and Dr. Young. They nodded but said nothing as we passed through the doors. "It's important that we stick together." I told Cash and Dr. Young as we walked through the corridor between the East and West ends of the island. "But if I tell you two to run, both of you find a safe place and hide, understood?"
"Yes, Wilde." Cash said. Dr. Young nodded.
The doors to Arkham East opened. I stopped. Something was wrong. It was quiet. Too quiet. "Don't." I said, yanking Dr. Young back.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Something fell from high above. Dr. Young screamed and pointed up. I looked in the direction she had pointed.
Two Arkham guards hung from ropes tied to their ankles. Their throats had been slit and they had long bled out. Like pigs at the slaughterhouse.
It confirmed my worst suspicions. "That's why." I said as I ran to the control panel and yanked the emergency deadbolt. The light turned red. It would hold them but I didn't know for how long. "The inmates have taken over Arkham East. The mansion is probably swarming with them."
"So what do we do?" Young asked between sobs.
"Unless we've got a back door to get us past those monsters, we're stuck." Cash said, wrapping his arm around her and trying to comfort her.
That reminded me of something Sam told me long ago…"The Harrow." I remembered, heading to a protrusion in the wall. It took some prodding but I finally found the latches and pushed them. It clicked.
"The what?" Cash asked as I pulled the rock back, revealing a small door. The guard saw what I was doing. "Let me help you." He helped me push the heavy wooden door open. It led to a dark tunnel, the air choking and stale. We went in and pulled the fake rock back into its place. Nobody would notice it if they weren't looking for it. "How'd you know that was here?"
"Because I was looking for it." I explained. "The whole island and the old Mansion are honeycombed with caves and tunnels. The Arkhams used them for smuggling. That's how they got so wealthy so fast. Later on, the few…sane…family members used the tunnels to help hide slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Only noble thing the family did for Gotham."
"Sounds like you've done your homework." Cash said as he turned on his flashlight. "Wouldn't surprise me if you know every secret on this island."
"No. That was Sam." I whispered as we walked through the darkness. "He was fascinated with the Arkhams, read up on everything he could find and interviewed everyone who knew anything about them. I'd dare to say he knew more than all of the wardens put together." I nearly tripped over the staircase. "Watch your step."
Cash asked as we began climbing the steps. "Who's Sam?"
"Her twin brother." Dr. Young said, watching for rotten or loose floorboards. "Both of them were members of G.C.P.D.'s District 13 before she transferred here."
"I didn't know you had a brother." Cash said, batting away a large spider web.
I got a little sad, realizing that this was most I had talked about Sam with Cash or any other of the Arkham staff besides Dr. Fries. Little wonder, as I was still shaken by the memory evoked by the fear toxin. "It's not something I really like talking about. Sam was killed in the line of duty a couple years ago."
"I'm sorry about Sam." Cash rubbed my shoulder in sympathy.
"It's ok, you didn't know." I said. But I was getting nervous. "How do you know about Sam, Dr. Young?" What else does she know about me?
"I studied your file while I was making a profile of you." Dr. Young mumbled.
We continued walking in silence. Cash and Dr. Young probably sensed my discomfort and decided to say no more. I wanted to get out of that tunnel as fast as I could. But until we could get out, the memories haunted me.
"On." Batman commanded. The lights and computer in the Batcave activated, giving the otherwise dark and damp cave light. A regular home away from home. He glided to the main console. Oracle had been hard at work. All the notes were ready to go.
"Here you go, Bruce, everything I could find. Dr. Young was in charge of a project. It was huge, lots of external funding. Mostly by one Mr. Jack White. Here are the last notes she filed. But I can't make heads or tails of them."
Jack White…one of the Joker's oldest aliases…he had tricked Dr. Young into researching this project.
Batman sat down and began skimming through the notes. "Looks like she was trying to create a formula using the Venom compound, enhancing a host's speed and strength. It only barely resembles the Venom compound. But apparently she's gotten it to the point where even a small amount triggers a Venom like transformation, eliminating the storage tank Bane requires." There was something wrong. "Hang on. These notes aren't complete." The last page was missing… "The formula's missing! That must be the secret Dr. Young was hiding." Batman stood up, noticing the Batclaw beside him. "If Joker gets his hands on that, he can create an army of a thousand Banes."
"Can Joker do that?" Oracle asked before sighing. "What am I saying? You have to stop him."
I will stop him. Batman promised himself as he fled through the exit leading to the sewers beneath Intensive. I won't let him hurt anyone else.
Especially not Marjorie.
"Is the coast clear?" Cash asked as I lifted the flap over the portrait's eyes. Nobody really studies the portraits hanging on the walls. Good thing too. I thought as I scanned the hallway. It was empty.
"Yep, hurry. Help me get this open." I pushed up the latch locking the panel closed. "Young, keep an eye on the hallway." She nodded and took my spot. Cash and I leaned our shoulders on the panel. "On three. One. Two. Three." We pushed hard. I cringed as the panel squeaked open.
The air smelled of dead flowers and ancient mothballs. The paneled walls glistened and the deep red carpet on the floor exposed the asylum's more opulent days as a mansion. The Arkham's crest, the scarab beetle, was stamped everywhere. I shivered, the place reminded me of a haunted house. No wonder I hated spending time in there.
"It's clear. Come on, let's go." Cash said as he helped Dr. Young out and helped me close the wall. "Looks like we're in the East Wing. Where's your office, Doc?"
"In the West Wing, by Sharp's office." Dr. Young jumped at the sound of the latch of the panel clicking locked.
"Perfect, because I need to get the keys from his office." I sighed, daring to hope that things would finally go our way. "Cash, lead the way, I'll guard the rear. Doc Young, you're in the middle. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Let's go."
The door between North and East opened. The first thing that grabbed Batman's attention were the two guards hanging upside down. They were dead. Were they…? He checked with his cowl vision. Neither were Marjorie or Cash. Thank you, God, Batman thought.
The emergency deadbolt on the door had been activated. Batman knew the only way that could happen was if it was on the inside, so they didn't go through the doors. Little doubt as to why. So where did they go…?
Oracle's comm link came on. "Batman? I just remembered something. Sam told me once that parts of Arkham Island are riddled with secret passageways and rooms. Maybe they can be helpful."
That's it! He turned the cowl vision to search for fingerprints, preferably Marjorie's. She and Sam were twins and spent much time together. If anything, he would've mentioned something about them to her. A rock had traces of her fingerprints around the corners. Got it! He pulled at the rock. The passageway was there, waiting for him.
My breathing got shallow and deep. Each creaking footstep in the floor seemed like the whole building was falling apart. A hissing radiator. A creaking shutter. A camera squeaking. My adrenaline was flowing at full steam.
The thrill of the chase. Oh, how I missed it, the days from Precinct 13… "What are we looking for now?" A voice broke me out of my thoughts. We had made our way into the Library, the separating point between the East and West Wing. Cash and Young stopped in front of me. Young began sweating, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Some kind of formula. Joker wants it pretty damn bad." Another inmate grumbled as the sounds of flying paper ripped through the air. We backed up against the wall. They hadn't seen us, apparently.
"I have to get to my office and I have to get to it now." Dr. Young could barely speak. I squeezed her hand; she gripped it so tightly I thought she would snap it in two.
"Right." Cash nodded. "I see them in the middle of the room. They look distracted, Wilde." But it looked very unlikely that we'd be able to get from one side of the room to the other without being seen. Unfortunately, there were no secret passageways I was aware that could help us bypass the thugs.
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. But we weren't safe where we were. So what other choice did we have?
"Let's go." I said. "Move quickly and quietly." We swept down, making our way through the maze of filing cabinets, keeping eyes and ears opened. I think Batman would've been proud of us. There were no signs of them having noticed us. We were just yards away from the West Wing's door when the Joker's voice boomed over the P.A.
"Hey boys! You might want to take a look by the West Wing entrance; you'll see our friendly neighborhood security guards and guest starring Doctor Young! So what are you waiting for?!"
How did he know…I looked up and saw a camera staring down at us. Damn it…why did I forget he had control over the cameras?!
The thugs dropped whatever they were doing and ran over. I didn't see if any of them were armed. Cash and I drew our weapons and began firing. We backed towards the door, taking shelter behind a wall.
Cash covered the corner. "Wilde, Doc Young, run for it! I'll cover you!"
"No!" I gripped his shoulder. "Never leave your partner behind, remember?!"
Cash looked at me. "I'll catch up with you later! Get Young's notes and turn on lockdown! Go!" I recognized that look. He wasn't backing down. And I knew he was right.
I swallowed back the building fear of losing Cash. "Good luck, Cash." I said in parting before yanking the West Wing door open. "Let's go!" I pulled Young into a run. Young's office was around the corner. But the hallway seemed to go on forever and ever just like in that bad movie. I kept my eyes forward, but my ears listened to the gunshots behind us.
Wait…the cameras… I aimed at the cameras and shot them. They stopped moving, sputtering and sending sparks everywhere. "Ha! How do you like them apples Joker?" I snickered, keeping an eye out for more trouble. Young reached her office before I did. She was fiddling with her keys, trying to get the door open. "Hurry up! They'll be here any minute!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Young screeched. She finally managed to get the door open and we shuffled in. Young locked the door. The camera promptly turned to us. No doubt Joker found us. I took it out. "There we go." Young slumped to the floor. "We're safe."
"Not for long." I began looking around for another way out. A plan began forming and I began tapping on walls and furniture, looking for a passageway. "Get your notes. They know we're here and it's only a matter of time until they come for us." I finally found a niche built into the wall. A panel felt loose. I pressed it and the niche sunk down, revealing a passageway. Perfect! Now to give them a lead to search…there was a window just above the safe where Young was getting out her notes. "Penny, you have another scarf?"
"Yeah sure, right here. What are you doing?" Young asked as I pulled her desk chair to the window and opened it.
"Sending them on a wild goose chase." I took the scrap of cloth she held up and stuck it in the corner. "You see something you can use to defend yourself, grab it." I drew an arrow to the niche in the wall with my finger. If Batman is as smart as I remember, then he'll figure out where we've gone.
Just in time. The door began being pounded upon. "Break it down…!" A menacing voice said from outside. Oh shit…
Young was waving at me from the niche. She had found a tranquilizer gun. "Marjorie, hurry!" I ran in and found the mechanism to activate the lock. "Where to next?" Young asked as we were shrouded in darkness.
"Hopefully the Warden's office."
Batman exited to the hallway and continued following the trail. That was until he reached the Library. That's because when he grappled to a gargoyle high above the Library ground floor. To his horror, he saw that Cash was tied up next to a giant present. "Hello Bats!" Joker yelled over the P.A. "I've got a big surprise for you and Cash down there! In two minutes, the room will flood with happy gas and leave Cash with a permanent facelift! That is…unless you can find some way to get down there without using any doors. The clock's ticking…" There was a loud hum as the security gates activated. The sound of a ticking clock also filled the room, courtesy of the P.A. system. Ok, now how to get down there? It would take way too long to open the grates…then he noticed the grand chandelier. Hmm…he tossed a Batarang at the chain holding it up. It snapped, crashing through the two glass floors.
Batman jumped down, gliding to break his fall. He carefully walked to the box and touched the lid. He jumped out of the way as a giant boxing glove rose up. The clock's ticking stopped. "Oh come on Bats! You are such a party pooper, just like Margie Do-Right!" Joker whined.
"You ok?" Batman asked as he freed Cash.
"Yeah." Cash groaned, visibly ashen. "Batman, I sent Marjorie and Young on ahead. We had no choice, somebody needed to distract the goons looking for the doc's notes. You've got to find them!"
"Stay here. I'll find them." Batman said, picking up the trail. Damn it, that girl knows how to get herself into trouble…
"Where are we?" Young whispered.
"Don't know, we'll find out soon enough." I waved the flashlight to the walls, trying to find a peephole or an exit. "I'm surprised, these are in pretty decent condition." There, I found a portrait with a sliding panel over part of it.
"Wish I knew where we were." Young said, shivering.
"I'll be granting your wish." I slid back the panel. It looked like an office, dark and well organized. But not one I've seen before. Young looked at me expectantly. "Looks like an office. Don't recognize it though."
"Is it the Warden's?" Young asked anxiously.
"Definitely not the Warden's. But if my sense of direction is correct, which it usually is, we're very close." I felt around for a handle to unlock the wall panel and get in. I did and the panel creaked open. The air wasn't as stale as it was in the passageway. We gulped down the fresh air like it was water in the middle of the Sahara Desert. "Jesus, this place is creepy." Now we encountered another problem. "I don't see a door. So how do we get out of here?"
My flashlight waved around, revealing campaign posters. Sharp obviously didn't want this place found. "Found a lamp." Young said, pulling on the lamp string, bathing the room in light. The room was small, tight, like a cage. Ignore it, Wilde. I thought as my claustrophobia began kicking in. Deep breaths. You're going to be ok. "Oh my God…" she began picking up pieces of paper. "Marjorie, you should see this…"
"In a minute." I said, tapping the walls and furniture for a door. "We need to get out of here." My fingers found a protrusion. When I lifted it, I found a doorknob. "Found a door." Carefully, slowly, I opened the door, looking out for trouble. There was a crackling fire in the elaborate marble fireplace…we had reached the Warden's office. "Hey, we made it." I turned back and whispered to Young.
"Look out, Marjorie!" Young shrieked, aiming the tranquilizer gun. There's a sharp hiss of air from the gun as she fired. Before I had a chance to see who or what she had shot, a hard crack hit the back of my head. I fell down, stunned as a figure ran past me. Young screamed, dropping the tranquilizer gun. It clattered, landing next to me. "Let me go!" There was a scuffling noise as she was dragged into the Warden's office. What happened? I got to my feet just in time to see a knife being held to Young's throat. The arm holding it was scarred with tally marks.
"I've got you now, my pretty Penny. Give up the formula!" Zsaz yelled. I picked up the tranquilizer gun and fired
"Let go of Young, Zsaz!" I got into my defensive stance, aiming the tranquilizer gun at Zsaz, but I couldn't shoot him without risking hitting Young.
Batman turned the corner and saw that Dr. Young's office was being broken into. Sticking to the shadows, Batman snuck up on the two crooks, taking them out before they could get into the office. That was easy. Too easy. Batman managed to unlock the door and stepped inside.
The safe was wide open as was a window high above. A piece of cloth billowed from the corner of the open window. A chair was pushed up against the wall, under the window.
The scene seemed staged, almost too perfect. Why? Young had gotten in, or rather somebody with her keys. Batman turned on his detective vision, looking for answers. Then he noticed something on the wall. It looked like an arrow. What the…? The cowl scanned for identifying marks. Finally one came back. It was Marjorie's DNA.
Atta girl, Marjorie. Batman thought as he scanned for her recent fingerprints near the tip of the arrow. There were some alongside a wall panel. A secret passage. She had shown him where she and Young had gone.
I was losing hope. Penny was crying as Zsaz held her hostage. But then I heard a click and the sound of quiet footsteps. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Batman's pointy eared cowl. He found us! Thank God!
What to do…I had to distract Zsaz long enough for Batman to hit him. Something pressed into my thigh pocket. Something small and square…the blank memory chip! "Ok! You win!" I said as Batman took his defensive position, taking out a Batarang. "I've got the formula." I tucked my hand in my pocket, giving Dr. Young a warning glance to remain quiet. Taking it out, I held it up so Zsaz could see it. "See it?"
Zsaz moved his head from behind Young's and looked.
Now! Batman threw the Batarang at Zsaz's face. He collapsed. Young got away, shaking. Marjorie got up and fired a tranquilizer dart into the maniac's chest to make sure he was out. "Thank you, Batman." She said, putting the chip back in her pocket and running over to cuff him.
Young began pounding on Zsaz's back as Marjorie cuffed him with the riot cuffs. "You monster! You evil, evil monster!"
"It's ok." Batman said, helping Young stand up. "You're safe now." He wasted no time. "I saw Bane."
Dr. Young sighed, relieved no doubt. "I had been working on the TITAN cure for months now. The Warden was specific that he wanted Joker cured."
"No surprise, considering that it would boost his campaign for Mayor." Batman said.
"Is that what you stole Dr. Fries' notes for, Penny?" Marjorie asked, walking to the Warden's desk. "For this TITAN project of yours?" Marjorie lifted a statue sitting on the desk. She unscrewed the base, taking a couple of keycards out of the secret compartment, no doubt for the hub in the basement.
"Yes, it was an enzyme I needed in order to trigger the catalyst." Dr. Young ran to the Warden's safe, hidden behind a plaque on the wall. "God, Joker's got gallons of the stuff! There's a lab, hidden in the gardens! It's sealed off, but the codes to get in should be in the Warden's safe!"
"What else has Joker got planned?" Marjorie stepped back to Batman.
"How should I know?" Young mumbled, putting in the combination to unlock the plaque. "Sometimes, I doubt he's really insane…" A party favor blew as the plaque opened. Confetti flew everywhere. A smiley face was spray-painted in green on the safe door. "Oh my God!"
It was a trap…"Get out of the way!" Batman wrapped his arms around Marjorie. BANG! A fireball erupted, sending everyone flying. Marjorie held onto him as they flew back. He was enveloped in blackness.
Batman wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious. A few seconds. A few hours. Everything was blurry and his ears rang. What happened…? Marjorie still lay next to him, out cold. He couldn't move, no doubt unharmed.
"Poor Doc Young." Quinn said, stepping into his line of sight. In her hands were scraps of paper, no doubt Young's notes. "Still…you know how Mr. J. hates squealers." She pointed to Marjorie's unresponsive body. "Pick her up! Mr. J. has a seat of honor for Margie." A goon picked up Marjorie and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. No… "See you later, Bats! Get him boys!" Quinn hollered as she walked away. "But not too rough! Mr. J. wants him for the party!"
Immediately four goons surrounded Batman. One held a shock stick. It buzzed menacingly. His head cleared immediately and he leapt up. It took a bit, seeing that one of them had the shock stick, but he punched and kicked them to kingdom come.
"Oracle! Young's dead." Batman said into his earpiece. "Quinn's got Marjorie. Can you lock onto her comm link so I can track her?"
"Done. I'm sending it now. God…"
"I'm getting her back, Barbara." Batman said, turning on the scanner to look for Marjorie's signal. He hurried out of the office, following the static.
Everything now depended on him getting Marjorie away and safely into the hub.
A/N: I am bad, aren't I? My goal is to have this story all done by Janurary. I would also like to start a sequel...who wants a sequel to this story? Leave a review and tell me 1) Would you like a sequel and 2) What would you like to see in the sequel?
