Chapter 9: An Ugly Surprise!


Much later that evening; Detective Roland met up with some more supers at the Midtown Tower, as promised. Among those present were Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Hawkman of the Avengers. Solid Snake and Samus Aran were also there, along with Chun-Li, Cammy, Jill Valentine, and even Wolverine and Spiderman. "So, uh...how's life been?" Solid Snake asked casually. "Another day, another dollar here in America." Captain America muttered. "It won't be for long if those laws keep up!" Wolverine added.

Jill Valentine watched with envy and frustration as Samus flirted with Snake, which caught the attention of Chun-Li and Cammy. "I see that look on your face, Jill." Cammy teased. "What?" Jill snapped. "You got the hots for Snake, don't you?" Chun-Li giggled. "Yeah, so? It's none of your business!" Jill growled. "Take it easy, we're just messing with you. Besides; everyone knows that Snake already loves Samus, so it's not like you have a chance with him or something." Cammy laughed.

Jill looked like she wanted to punch Cammy in the face for saying that, but had to do everything in her power to control her temper. "You just better watch yourself; don't piss me off if you know what's good for you!" Jill growled before walking away. Chun-Li and Cammy were surprised by her attitude; Jill hadn't been this moody before. "Jeez, what's her problem?" Chun-Li wondered. "Uh, I think it might have something to do with her...you know?" Iron Man said as he overheard their conversation.

Cammy and Chun-Li looked at him funny before they realized what he meant. "Well that's not a very nice thing to say, is it?" Cammy demanded. "Yeah; don't be such a pervert!" Chun-Li snapped. "I didn't mean it like that!" Iron Man blurted out. "All right, enough is enough everyone. Take a seat; we have a lot to discuss!" Roland announced as he entered the scene. "Oh, yay...class is now in session." Spiderman said in pure sarcasm. "Spidey, hush! This could be very important!" Black Widow scolded.

While Roland discussed with the others about their progress of finding out more of the mysterious murders caused by Spawn; Batman, Rorschach, and Robin traveled over towards the Empire Plaza Prison to talk to their source. When they arrived, they were stopped by a couple of prison guards. "Halt! What are you supers doing out here this late at night?" one of them barked. Rorschach walked towards them, whispering something in the guard's ear.

The guard sighed as he shook his head and stepped aside, while the other guard unlocked the doors for them. "All right. You've got five minutes; better use it wisely. And for the record, you still owe us from your previous visits!" the guard snapped. "Don't worry about it, I'll have the money ready for you two by the end of this week!" Rorschach insisted. "All right; go!" the guard said obviously out of patience. Rorschach then led his friends inside before they began searching for a specific cell. "Uh, listen...about what you saw and heard back there-" Rorschach began.

Batman held his hand up to stop him. "Never mind; I don't even want to know what's going on between you and them. Just take us to this source of yours and let's get out of here!" Batman said. "Yeah; this place makes Arkham Asylum look like a daycare center!" Robin added.

As they ventured through the hallways, Batman and the others were shocked to see some of the supers who were behind bars. Solomon Grundy was in his cell rocking back and forth against the wall, crying. "Grundy didn't do nothing wrong; Grundy promise!" Grundy whimpered. "What the devil?" Batman muttered. "You can't keep me locked up in here forever! I'll get my revenge if it's the last thing I do!" an angry Green Goblin roared. "Oh, would you just shut up already you moron!?" Electro screamed. "Yeah; nobody cares!" the Rhino added. "Be quiet; all of you!" the jail warden thundered.

Rorschach and the others finally arrived at their destination; Cell 102. Inside of this cell was a psychotic lunatic named Cletus Cassidy, wanted in several different cities for countless acts of murder. "Hey, Cassidy! Remember that solid you owe me? Well, guess what? I've come to collect my dues!" Rorschach growled. Cassidy merely laughed with sinister delight as he stood up from his bed, slowly approaching his visitors. "Oh, how wonderful. I guess you're finally ready to bail me out now?" he teased.

Rorschach grabbed Cletus by the neck as he stuck his arm through the bar, but the lunatic only laughed as he was lifted into the air. "I don't have time for any of your guessing games. I'm on a tight schedule. So tell me what I want to know, before I change my mind about helping you out!" Rorschach demanded. "I see...perhaps I have no other choice but to give in to your little demands. But first, answer me this: Which secret do you want to know even more? Do you want to know who this murderer is that's responsible for all those deaths in the alleys? Or do you want to know where he is?" Cletus said snidely.

Rorschach let go of him, while Batman and Robin looked at him with caution and suspicion. "How did you know about that?" Batman demanded. "How else? I was there to see everything; and I must say...I'm very impressed by this newcomer. He makes you clowns look like amateurs...but then again, he ain't exactly human." Cletus explained with an evil grin. "What does he look like?" Rorschach snapped. "Picture Batman here...except he's bigger, badder, wears red, has spikes that could shish-kabob your heads together, and glowing green eyes that could melt the shit out of someone's skull. I should know, because I've actually seen him do that before! I probably would've seen more of what this guy could do, but unfortunately the cops arrested me and threw me in here." Cletus continued.

Rorschach nodded his head before he spoke again. "Ok, then...here's the next question. What is this guy's name?" Rorschach growled. "I hear people refer to this guy as Spawn. As in...a Hellspawn; meaning he's undead. I bet he was a psychotic killer like me when he was still alive...but then again, who goes around melting people's brains out of their skulls by shooting fire from their eyes?" Cletus cackled. "That's not funny!" Batman said angrily. "Oh, yes it is. It's hilarious! You should've seen the look on that guy's face when he was-" Cletus howled.

Rorschach punched him in the face to shut him up. "Ok, last question. Where is he now? Where does he like to hide?" Rorschach demanded. "Where else do you think? Out in the beautiful sunshine in public view?! Of course not; he's a creature of darkness and resides where nothing else would dare dwell. In the deepest and darkest shadows! I hear he resides in an old abandoned church in the southside of town. There...is that helpful enough information for you? Or should I have to walk you there and arrest him for you!?" Cletus retorted.

Rorschach grabbed him by the neck again before slamming him against the bars and threw him on his back. "We can take care of this guy ourselves, thank you very much. Now you just sit there and shut up...and hope that your sentence doesn't go on much longer!" Rorschach growled. "Oh, take your time...I'm in no hurry. In fact; I know that you'll be coming back soon enough. I'll be waiting!" Cletus snickered.

As Rorschach left, Cletus Cassidy was heard laughing maniacally. "Jeez...what a sick little bastard; makes the Joker look legit!" Robin muttered. "No...he's much worse." Batman said. "He might be psychotic, but he's not stupid. We better check back with the others before we decide to go after this Spawn fellow." Rorschach suggested. "Good idea; I need to head back towards the Bat Cave to do some research anyway." Batman said. "I guess I'll go with you too, considering I've got nothing else to do!" Robin said out loud.

But just as they left, Cletus Cassidy received another surprise visitor. It all started when the same guards saw a shadowy figure approaching the entrance. "Hey! No visitors unless you have-" one of the guards began. A grab to the face and twist of the neck silenced him quickly, and the other guard didn't even get to reach the alarm button in time when a knife stabbed him in the back and then slit his throat.

The villain made his way into the prison, searching for his prey. Cletus woke up a few minutes later to the sound of footsteps approaching his direction and chuckled as he saw a shadowy figure approaching him. "Ah, you're back already? Tell me...did you miss me? Because I sure did-" Cletus began. He didn't even get to finish his sentence when his cell bars were torn wide apart, and the menacing figure ominously towered above Cletus. Cletus fell on his back and cowered away in terror as his oppressor stood above him, tightly clenching his fists. "What do you want from me, man?! Please don't hurt me; I was just kidding!" Cletus whined. "I want the same thing your little friends got; the address of the one they call Spawn." the menacing villain snarled.

Cletus laughed nervously as he slowly stood back up. "Spawn? I'm afraid I don't know anything about a guy named-ACK! My neck...you're choking me!" Cletus gasped as the steel grip of the villain's hand grasped him by the throat. "Don't play stupid with me...it makes me very angry. So I'm gonna ask you again; where is Spawn?" the villain demanded. "I seriously don't know what you're talking about! Do I look like I'm that smart to you?" Cletus whimpered. "Well then...perhaps you need a little refreshing of your memory!" the villain growled.

He then punched Cletus in the gut before kneeing him in the crotch, and then slammed his head against the concrete wall. "Ow! That hurt, you maniac...if you're gonna play rough, then you should warn someone ahead of time!" Cletus groaned as he held his bleeding nose. "You want to know what real pain feels like? I'll be more than happy to show you unless you cooperate with me!" the villain snarled as he kicked Cletus in the face and sent him flying against the wall. "Ouch! Ok, ok...I'll tell you. He's over in the southside of town; that's all I know!" Cletus cried as he tried to scoot away.

The villain grabbed Cletus by the scruff of his neck and slammed him against the wall, breaking his nose and bloodying up his face. "That's not good enough! Where is he exactly? I need all the details!" the villain growled. "I already told you! I don't know anything else!" Cletus groaned. "Lying will only make things worse for you, my friend!" the villains sneered as he kicked Cletus in the crotch and then slammed his head against his concrete bed. Cletus was losing a lot of blood, but that didn't stop him from sobbing in agony and pain.

The villain grabbed Cletus up by the neck again and glared into his eyes, while raising up towards a pipe in the ceiling. "Last chance, asshole. Tell me where Spawn is hiding or I'll hang you by your entrails!" the villain threatened as he drew out a deadly looking blade. "Ok, ok, ok! I'll talk; he's hiding out in the old abandoned church in the south town. You can probably get to him before those supers do! That's I all know; I swear it this time!" Cletus cried. "Supers? Who are they?! Give me their names!" the villain demanded. "The only ones who know are Batman, Robin, and Rorschach...they're probably on their way to tell their friends about him now. You might be able to stop them if you reach the highway leading up to Midtown. Let me go and I'll take you there!" Cletus whined.

The villain tightened his grip before pinning Cletus to the wall. "Thanks...but I don't need your help; not anymore. Think of this as an early execution; at least it's better than the electric chair!" the villain sneered as he stabbed the blade into Cletus Cassidy's skull. Cletus couldn't even scream by the time was stabbed into the wall and was left hanging, blood dripping all the way down to his feet and creating a puddle. The villain looked at Cletus's hanging body with anticipation before he left the scene. He had to stop those supers quickly before he could get to Spawn.

Meanwhile; Batman, Rorschach, and Robin were waiting impatiently they were stuck in traffic at the Empire Plaza Bridge. "Come on; what's the hold up?" Robin groaned. "Looks like there must've been an accident." Batman suggested. "I guess the weather didn't help much, did it?" Rorschach snorted. Apparently, there was an accident in the middle of the bridge. An 18 wheeler truck had a tire blown out and T-boned a couple of cars. To make matters worse, it was close to midnight, raining, and the temperature was dropping by the minute.

Just when Robin was about to get out and walk, he heard a strange noise. "What the hell? What's that noise?" he exclaimed. But just as he looked up, he was horrified to find a rocket speeding towards their direction! "Shit! Get down!" Robin screamed when the rocket hit a nearby car and blew it up to smithereens.

Everyone else started to panic once the smoke started clearing. "Whoa! What the hell was that?" a male civilian cried out as he felt the shockwave. "I have no idea! What the hell is going on down there?" a paramedic demanded. Another rocket flew towards them, blowing up the ambulance filled with the injured passengers from the accident.

Batman's eyes widened as he saw this and turned around. "Oh God...we're in trouble now!" he muttered. Suddenly; the loudest crashing noise was heard as somthing...or someone landed feet first on a bus and started pouring out gunfire in all directions. The people screamed as they were blown away by the heavy automatic gunfire. Even the police scattered around the area had no time to react as they were blasted left and right, with their heads and chests shredded wide open with the automatic gunfire.

Batman knew they were toast unless he got them out of here. "All right, hold on! This could get a little rough!" Batman cried as he fired up his boosters. The Batmobile took off with a loud thunderous roar, knocking away several smaller cars and made civilians scatter away faster. "Get out of the way! Move!" Rorschach shouted as he shooed away some stragglers. The gunfire was now focused on the Batmobile, peppering against the armored vehicle. "Bruce, do something...we're gonna get turned into swiss cheese!" Robin insisted. "Hold on; we're almost there!" Batman said.

The villain bounded his way up the bridge beam and took aim with a rocket launcher. "You're not going to make your heroic getaway this time, assholes. Not now...not ever!" the villain whispered before he fired a rocket. The rocket whooshed over towards the end of the bridge and destroyed the exit, causing it to cave in and blocked the way with a huge pile of debris. The Batmobile screeched to a halt just in time before their exit was blocked. "Damn! A dead end; now what do we do?" Rorschach grumbled. "We better call the others and let them know we'll be a few minutes late." Batman said as he grabbed a phone.

Suddenly, gunfire hit the Batmobile and glass was cracked up, startling the supers. "So much for that bulletproof glass, huh?" Robin said sarcastically. The villain had leapt towards the direction of the Batmobile and opened fire with an M60 machinegun. "If you have any bright ideas, now would be the time!" Rorschach cried over the noise of screaming bullets. Batman scowled before he pressed a red button in the center of his navigation system. It was a good thing too, because the villain had fired four rockets towards them.

An enormous explosion took place, created a mini mushroom cloud of fire and smoke. The villain chuckled in evil triumph before he marched away, but he was unaware that Batman had used a seat injector to send him and the other two supers flying sky high before they were blown to smithereens. "Well...that was a pretty good idea!" Robin said as he floated gently down on a parachute. "Whoever attacked us is gone by now. Do you think it could've been Spawn?" Rorschach said as he landed back down on the ground. "I don't know...but I have a feeling that whoever attacked us won't be too happy the next time he sees us." Batman replied as he looked at all the carnage. "Great...now we're really gonna be late!" Robin mumbled as he brushed dust off of himself.

Meanwhile; two small time thugs arrived at a seedy club downtown called the Zion. "Hey! What is this place? I've never seen this place before." the first thug wondered. "It's a secret hideout for supers; the cops haven't been able to find it, and I seriously doubt they ever will. It's also the only place to get some real entertainment." the other thug replied. As they began to make their way towards the secret entrance, they were unaware of a very menacing pair of eyes watching their every move.

They approached a large steel door and knocked on it, before a small opening revealed a pair of yellow eyes. "Password? What's the password?" a deep, throaty voice growled. "Every Villain is Lemons; EVIL!" the first thug replied. "Yeah, I thought that was you. But who's that guy? The one with the big dopey grin on his face?" the voice demanded. "Just let us in; we're already late enough as it is!" the thug snapped. "All right...come on in!" the deep voice said before the door finally opened.

*Motorhead: Ace of Spades plays!*

As the door opened, the voice came from none other than the Killer Croc. He led the thugs inside before closing the door shut and locking it tight. The two thugs made their way through a dance floor, which was crowded with partying people of all sorts of seedy types. Pimps, prostitutes, druggies, psychos, and escaped convicts as far as the eye could see. "Sweet! Now this is a hideout; it would only be better if it had-" the second thug began.

Suddenly, Harley Quinn approached them with a tray full of fancy looking drinks. "Hi, fellas. You're just in time; Mr. J's serving drinks and snacks!" Harley announced. "YES! I'm definitely happy now!" the second thug cried happily as he grabbed the tray and gulped down the martinis. "Hey! Who's the new guy?" Harley exclaimed. "Eh, we gotta have some kind of recruits. I think he'll be all right!" the first thug shrugged.

10 minutes later, the Joker arrived with some other super villains. "Well, it was a long night...but it was totally worth it. Please; make yourselves comfortable ladies and germs...because I have quite a speech prepared for this special occassion." Joker announced as he sat down on a cozy chair in front of a TV. "Oh, wonderful...another one of Joker's speeches! Just what we needed!" Two-Face grumbled. As he sat down on a couch, a woman cloaked in green sat down next to him. "Hey, Harvey. Long time no see...did you miss me?" she purred.

Two-Face looked like he wanted to rip her heart out with his bare hands. "Poison Ivy! Get away from me; I'm not in the mood for your little games!" Two-Face growled. "What's the matter? You're still not upset over that little incident at that diner, are you?" Ivy teased. "You know...half of me wants to rip your heart out." Two-Face snarled. "Oh? And what about the other half?" Ivy pressed. "The other half wants me to run your face over with a bulldozer again and again and again!" Two-Face cried angrily. "Huh! Well I never..." Ivy scoffed.

Just then, another notorious villain approached them. "Do you mind if I sit with you? I'm growing weary of listening to the Joker's same jokes over and over again." Mr. Freeze said as he pointed upstairs. "Jeez...was this even such a good idea to begin with?" Two-Face muttered in disbelief. "Actually, this wasn't the Joker's idea." Mr. Freeze said as he seated himself. "What? Well if it isn't his idea...then who-" Two-Face began.

*Song ends!*

Suddenly, the music silenced as the Joker entered the room. "All right; party is over. It is time to get down to business! Everyone who is not a super, leave at once. Those who are supers, follow me upstairs." Joker announced. In what seemed like an instant, all the others left while the super villains made their way up the stairs. "Ok, now this should be interesting!" Two-Face muttered. "What's he got planned this time?" Ivy asked. "I believe he has plans to unite us against a common foe." Mr. Freeze suggested.

Soon enough; the Joker led the villains in a huge office that had an enormous table. Every villain sat down in a chair while Magneto was at the head of the table. Among all the villains present were the Joker himself, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Cat Woman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and Lex Luthor. "So...this is it? This is all who are left? What of the other supers who were once our greatest allies?" Two-Face demanded.

The Penguin stood up to speak, his face heavy with sadness. "I'm afraid the others have either chose to live normal lives...or are dead. I hear that Edward Nygma has announced that he has decided to dedicate his life to running his own company. Among many others, I do not know of their whereabouts." the Penguin began gravely. "Well, then. Anyone else with more uplifting news?" the Joker snapped.

Lex Luthor stood up to speak. "Many of the once greatest villains are no longer existant, according to this abomination these political puppets call a set of laws and regulations. These laws have jepordized my corporation and my alliances with many other well known supers. I am sad to say that even Superman had no choice but to accept the choice of either living as a super or a prisoner. He has chosen neither, and is an exile. Where he is now, I cannot say. But I am aware of the others and their fate." Lex Luthor began.

While Lex Luthor explained about what happened to other notorious super villains and super heroes, Joker yawned out of pure boredom. "Big deal...it's not like this affected Batman or anything. I mean, if it did...then I'd have a problem, because only I'm allowed to be his tormentor!" Joker muttered. "Even Batman has been forced to resign as Gotham's sole protector. Now that this new police force is under the control of-" Lex Luthor continued. "WHAT?! No more Batman? Ok, this is the final straw! Who is responsible for this? Who?!" Joker demanded as he bolted from his seat.

Everyone stared at him before Lex Luthor finished. "If anyone is to blame for this madness, you can thank none other than Michael Hartman. The mastermind behind these anti-super laws; I was there when he signed it!" Lex Luthor said as he pressed a button and put on a newsreel showing Hartman on the screen. This brought absolute outrage to the Joker; his one true friend had betrayed him by doing the unthinkable, and that was killing the Batman. "Oh, now you've done it Mikey! You think you can cross me? Nobody takes the Batman away from me; because only I'm allowed to off the Batman!" Joker shouted.

The Penguin stood up to speak his mind. "It is not just Batman, you fool. This man is after all supers; those who weren't lucky were killed off in some of the most horrific ways you can imagine. I truly wish I hadn't seen the result of the Scarecrow at his own house-" Penguin shuddered before sitting down in silence. "We have all lost someone to this murderer; and I speak for everyone when I say this. It is time we make a stand and put this miserable miscreant in his place. If he thinks he can scare us by these cold tactics, then I'd be more than happy to show him just how cold and heartless I can be. I say, we make Hartman suffer for his crimes against us!" Mr. Freeze announced.

Meanwhile; Killer Croc was reading a magazine by the door, when he heard a loud knocking. "Huh? Oh, jeez...I thought I told those losers to beat it." he muttered as he got off a couch and approached the door. He slid open the tiny window and tried to warn the person off. "Hey, buster. Beat it before I-" he began.

Suddenly, a huge explosion shattered the door into shrapnel and sent Killer Croc flying away into the dance floor. "Ow! What gives, you moron? You could've killed me!" Killer Croc snapped. The intruder grabbed Killer Croc by the throat before slamming him against the wall, forcing him into another room and knocking him out cold. Heavy footsteps lumbered up the stairs, while many guarding henchmen and thugs began swarming around to see what was going on. "What the hell is going on? Did you guys hear that?!" a thug exclaimed. "Hey, who goes there?" another cried as he pointed a Beretta pistol at the incoming intruder.

Like a flash of lightning, many thugs were instantly killed by heavy machinegun fire. However, one extremely lucky survivor managed to get a good look at the killer before he reached for his radio to warn the others. "Oh, shit! I gotta warn the others!" he gasped with sharp pain. Back upstairs, the villains continued to argue over who would kill Hartman until Mr. Freeze shut them all up. "ENOUGH! Quit bickering like little children for God's sake; we have a serious problem on our hands. We have to act now before Hartman destroys us all!" he shouted.

Suddenly, a radio started making static noise. "I got it, I got it!" Harley said as she grabbed a walkie-talkie. "Hello? What? I'm sorry, I can't hear you. What was that?" Harley asked. "Bosses...you gotta get outta there...there's a monster coming your way; he's killed off all the other guys...uhh...I'm the only one left; oh, God...I think he shot me...uhh-" the thug's voice said before the radio died. "Harley, who was that on the other end of the radio?" Joker asked. "I don't know; some guy saying we should leave because somebody's coming, I guess." Harley shrugged. "Wait, what? This is serious! Who could be coming this way?!" Cat Woman cried.

Suddenly, the large locked doors of the office were blown away with another massive explosion. The force of the explosion was so powerful, it actually knocked several of the supers off their chairs and flying back into the floor or slamming against the wall. As the dust settled, a huge figure slowly walked into the room. "(Cough, cough!) Something tells me you're not the pizza man, are you?" Harley coughed. "Ooh...was it something I said?" Joker said with a dizzy expression.

The intruder literally walked over them, stepping on them with a forceful impact that made both the Joker and Harley cry out in pain as they felt bones being broken. "Ouch! Watch where you're stepping, you big galoot! Who do you think you are?!" Harley screamed through pain. The killer ignored them, and instead focused on aiming a grenade launcher and an M60 machinegun at Mr. Freeze. "Who do you think you are? You dare to threaten me with you pathetic little toys?! Do you know who I am?" Mr. Freeze demanded furiously.

The dust finally cleared up; revealing the intruder and murderer of several innocents. He was not your average ordinary super villain; he was far from it, really. He was in fact a Hellspawn, but was a very unique and menacing type. His entire body seemed to be armored up in black brimestone and steel, along with some decorated skulls and spikes on his shoulders, waist, and knees. His head was a skull, but its eyes were piercing blood red with pure evil and hatred. This Hellspawn was unlike any other, and he had many good reasons to be feared.

The Hellspawn glared up at Mr. Freeze, not moving an inch or even lowering his weapons. "I do know who you are, and I think you can safely assume why I'm here. Hartman sends his regards and hopes that you reunite with your wife..in the flaming bowels of Hell!" the Hellspawn growled in a low demonic tone. "How dare you!" Mr. Freeze cried as he began surging with icy rage.

He fired a bolt of icy energy at the Hellspawn with his Ice Ray, but to his shock and dismay it did no damage to him. "Not even a tickle; but don't worry, you shouldn't feel too much from this!" the Hellspawn sneered as he opened fire with his massive assault weapons. Mr. Freeze grunted and cried out as he was barraged by bullets and explosives, but it wasn't enough to hurt him. "Hmph! Pathetic...you Homo Sapiens and your guns never cease to bore me." Mr. Freeze scoffed. The Hellspawn merely scoffed back before he lunged forward and stabbed a strange blade into Mr. Freeze's neck.

Mr. Freeze cried out in agony as he felt all his power draining from him, and the other supers were shocked to see a powerful super forced down onto his knees as he started crying out in pain. "What have you done? What's happening to me?!" Mr. Freeze cried out inbetween winces of pain. "Necroplasm can do some weird shit to a man, but it's truly devestating as to what it's capable of doing to a mutant or in your case, a super. You won't die immediately...you'll die slowly and painfully, just like the rest of the others." the Hellspawn said with evil laughter.

Mr. Freeze gasped as he finally tore out the blade from his neck; it looked like a tiny dagger, but it seemed to be coated in an eerie green substance. Mr. Freeze gasped and coughed violently before he fell limp on his back; his entire body was shutting down slowly, one organ at a time. The Hellspawn snickered in evil delight as he started marching around the room and executing the other supers.

The Hellspawn stomped his foot onto the the Penguin's chest, aiming the machinegun at his head. "You...you were friends with Nygma, weren't you? Don't worry; you'll be reunited with him soon enough. But before I kill you, you should know that I'm the one who killed the Scarecrow. Why, you ask? It's simple: I'm the ultimate face of fear in these parts now, so let those words and my bullets get that through your thick skull as a friendly little reminder." the Hellspawn sneered before he blasted the Penguin's head into hamburger meat.

Harley Quinn cried in fear as she covered her ears, but it didn't do much to help as this evil Hellspawn began murdering the other supers. It was too horrific and gruesome to describe in mere words, but this Hellspawn's executions on these poor defenseless supers scarred the lucky survivors for life. Finally, the Hellspawn grew bored of killing off these supers and started to walk proudly away. But in a last effort to fight back, Cat Woman snagged her whip at the Hellspawn to try and drag him back.

The Hellspawn turned around and grabbed onto the whip before he yanked Cat Woman forward and kicked her away into the wall, causing her to crash down into the streets below with an explosive force. "Please just stop! Why are you doing this? Who are you!?" Harley sobbed. The Hellspawn approached her and grabbed her up by the neck, glaring into her eyes. "My name is Shelby Diamondback Darrel...but you can call me Skulker. And while we're at it, I have a little message I want you to give a certain someone." the Hellspawn growled as he squeezed her neck.

He brought Harley's face close to his, and poor Harley nearly puked from his putrid breath that ranked of death and fiery brimestone. "Tell Raizo that I'm back in town, and I have a score to settle with him. Tell him...that I'm ready to finish him off for good, and that he better be ready to fight. And if he tries to run away or hide, I'll just keep looking for him even if I have to burn this fucking city to the ground and search every crack, corner, and pile of ash dusted corpse. Tell him that for me, ok?" the Hellspawn growled as he squeezed her neck. "Ok...please let me go!" Harley whimpered.

The Hellspawn nodded his head slowly before he dropped Harley to the ground, and he walked away from the ruined office before making his way out of the building and into the streets. There was a new villain in town, and he had promised to make sure his sworn enemy would have hell to pay. Anyone else who got in Skulker's way would only be fair game. It was just like Vietnam all over again...only this time, Skulker didn't have to worry about anyone stopping him. He was going to enjoy this and make it last for as long as he could before he finally ended it; he deserved it after literally going through Hell for the past 20 years!