Batman:
Warzone Chapter 9
"What about Knyazev? You left him there alone?" Deathstroke wanted to know.
"We went back for him but he was gone." Deadshot said. "What about you?"
"Crane is secure in a containment cell, still pretty much out cold." Deathstroke replied.
"And Batman and the Joker?" Cain asked.
"Nothing, not a word." Edward said.
"Hopefully that means they're on the bomb's trail, though we found KGBeast and Black Spider in a random courtyard, I fear who Azrael has guarding a priority target." Cain commented.
Deathstroke sighed and took a seat on a bench up against the wall. "All we can do now is wait."
/
"This is rather ominous, don't you think?" Joker said.
The unlikely duo stood in front of the tall doors leading to the Arkham Asylum Cathedral. The only place of worship in the facility. That, and that it is in the dead center of Arkham, meaning, the Suicide Squad could have a bomb of minimal size and destroy the entire asylum and most of the island.
Joker made a gesture as if he were an usher. "After you, kind sir." he said with a smile.
Batman stepped forward and put his hand on the door, he stood there for several seconds.
"Well," Joker said. "what are we waiting for?"
Suddenly, Batman lunged at Joker and tackled him out of the way, just as the doors were torn apart by unrelenting gunfire. Joker had a look of pure look of surprise on his face that Batman would even try to save him.
"Stay down." Batman said, to which Joker vigorously nodded.
When the hail of gunfire subsided, Batman stepped out and into the wide, empty doorway. There, a man with dark hair and sunglasses and a big smile on his face stood. He wore a black hoodie and sweatpants, in his hands, he held two pistols and to his sides were two automated gun turrets.
"Thomas Monaghan." Batman said.
The smile disappeared from Monaghan's face. "My name is not Monaghan!" he shouted as he began firing his pistols at the doorway.
Batman dove behind cover as the bullets flew past him. Soon, they subsided.
"My name," Monaghan said. "Is Hitman."
Joker rolled his eyes. "Oh, how original." he commented from his hiding place.
"So you're the one Azrael has guarding the bomb?" Batman questioned.
"Well, one such as myself can't likely refuse one hundred grand."
"You know I need to stop that bomb, and I don't care who is in my way." Batman threatened.
"Interesting," Hitman said. "Neither do I!"
Hitman's turrets began firing again. Instead of taking cover, Batman threw two batarangs that landed in the barrel of each turret, making them explode. Hitman glanced at both turrets before aiming at Batman's head. Batman froze in his tracks as he stared down Hitman's firearm.
"Got you now." Hitman said quietly.
Suddenly, smoke filled the room and Batman disappeared into it like a ghost. Panicked, Hitman slowly backed away from the cloud, surveying the area. A single batarang flew from the smoke, knocking the pistol from Hitman's hands.
As he reached for his second, Batman launched himself from the smoke and brought the sole of his boot into Hitman's face, shattering his sunglasses and his nose. Hitman fell to the floor clutching his bent nose, wailing in pain. Blood seeped from between his fingers and dripped on the cathedral floor.
Batman stepped forward and kicked Hitman in the stomach. Ahead of him, was a wooden crate the size of china cabinet. He grasped the lid to the box and forced it open. Inside was a single note.
"Surprise! -HQ."
Azrael's voice echoed through a loudspeaker in the corner of the cathedral wall. "Really, Batman? Fooled by a dummy bomb. You've gotten naive since our last encounter. Remember? You left me to die, bruised and beaten. My rightful title torn from me and given to you."
"You were never fit to be the Batman. That was my first mistake. My second was allowing you to be Batman long enough to kill Bane."
"He deserved it and you know it!" Azrael shouted, making the one speaker crackle. "They all deserve to die."
"Is that why you're doing this, to fuel a misguided campaign against those you yourself deem unworthy."
"No," Azrael said. "This is the Client's plan. It just so happens to correspond with my plans for this retched institute."
"Insane or not, criminal or not, they are people." Batman pleaded.
"They are the scum of humanity. The lowest of the low. I understand this, but you are too blind to the truth."
With those words, the speaker carrying Azrael's voice burned out. Batman sighed.
Joker came up behind Batman. "You mean someone else was the Batman besides whoever is under that cowl now? Why wasn't I called for the part?"
Batman turned to leave. "The bomb is out there still, Azrael can blow us all to hell if he so pleased. I won't let him."
"We won't let him, like it or not Batsy Boy, we're a team now." Joker said.
Batman turned to face Joker. "We are not a team, we are temporary allies. If I had any other choice, I would drag you back to your cell and leave you there to rot."
Joker grabbed the collar of his prison uniform and pretended to loosen it up awkwardly. "Sheesh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."
/
Edward, Cain, Deadshot, and Deathstroke were all waiting for word on the bomb. It had been half an hour and they still hadn't heard anything, Cain paced around the room while Edward watched, equally on edge. Eventually, Batman and Joker burst into the Warden's panic room with another man in tow, Batman was nearly dragging the poor guy.
Batman threw Monaghan on the floor. "Tell them what you told me!" he shouted.
Monaghan coughed then laughed through broken teeth. "Azrael's gonna turn on that bomb, and you're all gonna die."
Batman kicked him again in the stomach. "Tell them!"
Monaghan rolled over. "The bomb, it's in the West Wing." he groaned.
Batman seemed content. "Lawton, take him to a cell."
Deadshot nodded and stood up. He walked over to where Monaghan was lying, reached down and picked him up.
"Come on, 'Hitman,' let's take you to a cell."
Monaghan murmured something that sounded like a weary "ok."
"So, what's our next course of action?" Deathstroke asked.
"The bomb isn't the priority anymore." Batman replied.
Deathstroke jumped up from where he sat, Cain stopped pacing and looked squarely at Batman.
"Are you insane? The bomb is still out there, it could blow at any minute!"
"No, if Monaghan was right, only Azrael can activate the bomb, there is no timer, Azrael is the priority now."
"He's drawing this out, why?" Edward asked.
"I'll ask him that when my boot is in his jaw." Batman said harshly.
