A/N: Hey guys, right now I'm completely at a loss for things to say in these authors' notes. So, I'm going to continue straight into the story.
- Meanwhile -
(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's STORY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH JESSICA. LINK ON MY PROFILE)
Eddie headed down the street, his duffel bag swung over his shoulder and his Phobia costume neatly folded inside. The streetlights shone down on him, giving his hair a yellow neon appearance. He reached up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawning once finished.
"Man, scaring the crap out people REALLY takes it out of you" he thought to himself, swinging his head to get his hair out his eyes. As he noticed the familiar coffee place on the corner, a grin spread across his face.
"I could use a pick me up," he thought, hastily making his way across the street. As he opened the glass double-doors, Jessica looked up, making a similar grin appear on her face.
"Eddie, long time, no see" she greeted as he sat down at the same stool.
"Good to see you again, Jessica. I'll have the same as last time, please?" he replied with a smile. She headed over to the coffee machine and returned with another black coffee.
"You better be able to pay for it this time," she threatened in a friendly way.
"Sure, how much?" Eddie asked, reaching into his back pockets.
"$2.25" Jessica replied, holding out her hand. Eddie's hand emerged, holding the correct amount of change. He placed it in her hand and she placed it in the cash register.
"So, how've you been?" she asked.
"Can't complain. What about you? How's things with your job?" Eddie replied before taking a sip of his coffee.
"It's going well. I've been having a friend staying over" Jessica replied, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"Cool, by the way, thanks for the advice you gave me. It's really helped and I've felt really better" Eddie thanked, making Jessica smile.
"You're welco-what are those boys holding?" she trailed off, looked over at the window. Eddie followed her gaze, causing dread to flood his soul. Outside, holding bottles of vodka and a few rags, were Doug, Donald and Connor, each with an evil grin on their faces.
"Oh my God, they're going to do it again," Eddie said to himself, making Jessica look at him.
"What'd you say, honey?" she asked, slightly confused. Eddie downed the last of his coffee and headed out the door. On the way out, he bumped into a girl with long, orange locks and carrying a bundle of black clothes.
"Sorry" Eddie apologised, quickly heading past her.
"That's okay" she called after him, heading inside the coffee place. Jessica smiled as she recognized the customer.
"You okay, Charlotte?" she asked cheerfully.
"Sort of, I'm meeting somebody tomorrow…" Charlotte began explaining.
- Eddie's Apartment Building-
Doug, Donald and Connor headed up the stairs and along the corridor until they reached Eddie's apartment. Doug grinned as he pulled a cigarette lighter out of his pocket. He pulled off the cork out of the bottle and soaked the rag in vodka. He turned to his friends as he placed it under the door.
"Okay guys, we need more fire than last time so they can't get out" he explained. But Donald and Connor had worried looks.
"Man, aren't we going a little bit too far?" Connor asked, making Doug glare at him.
"Too far? That little son of a bitch got me suspended again; we have to do this so he knows what happens when he messes with us. That way, he'll never get us suspended again. Now give me a hand," he ordered, tossing them the bottle of vodka. Donald caught it and let out a worried sigh. Him and Connor repeated the process and placed the rags under the door. Doug grinned as the small flame erupted from the lighter, illuminating his face. He held the flame above the rags, slowly loosening his grip.
"I hope you weren't planning to drop that," a muffled voice said from the end of the corridor. All at once, they turned their heads to the source of the voice. Standing by the open window, was Phobia, fear toxin glowing inside his metal gauntlets.
"Oh Christ, that's Phobia. Screw this, Doug. You're on your own," Donald said, running towards the stairs.
"Ditto" Connor replied, following close behind. Doug just stood in horror as the vigilante headed towards him and stopped inches away. Phobia extended his hand to Doug.
"Give me the lighter or else," he threatened. Doug slowly placed the lighter in his hands and ran towards the stairs. Phobia closed his hands, crushing the lighter in his palm. He pulled the rags out from under the door and growled.
"If I let him go now. He'll try again," he thought, heading back out of the window and up the fire escape.
- Doug's Apartment -
Doug quickly ran inside and closed the door behind him, snapping the lock shut. He glanced through the peephole to make sure he wasn't followed, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. Once he saw the coast was clear, he let out a chuckle and headed into the living room. However, he became weary when he noticed the window was open, when he'd made sure it was closed before he left. He headed over and closed it, his heart racing as he did so. But his heart briefly stopped once he turned to see Phobia standing in the kitchen doorway.
"How…how did you get here so fast?" Doug asked, his voice a mixture of fear and rage.
"The next best thing to flying: Roof Travel" Phobia replied, maintaining a fighting pose. Doug let out a scream and charged at him, pushing him into the kitchen. Phobia was pushed back against the fridge as Doug repeatedly hit him in the mask.
"Let's see who's under that mask," Doug said, slowly moving his hand towards the straps. But Phobia grabbed his hand, headbutted him and kicked him in the stomach, sending Doug flying back into the living room. Doug got up off the ground, but Phobia grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against the wall. Phobia began repeatedly hitting Doug in the face, each punch getting faster and faster. Finally, he stopped, raising his needle tipped hands and running them across Doug's neck. Doug whimpered as a trickle of blood poured out of his nose.
"I've seen what you've done, kid. And I'd be doing the whole world a favour if I killed you now" Phobia said demonically, almost as if Eddie had disappeared from behind the mask.
"No…please…you can't…" Doug begged, tears trickling down his cheeks.
"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T?" Phobia yelled, making Doug sob even more. Eddie had heard all of Doug's lies, his pranks, his excuses; he was ready for anything Doug had to throw at him.
"Because…i-if I die…my dad'll have nothing to live for" he choked out.
Except that.
Slowly, Phobia lowered his fingers, dropping his arm to his side.
"Your…your dad?" he asked, Eddie slowly returned.
"My mom…she died when I was a kid…I-I was so angry, I couldn't find a way to get rid of it all. So, I decided to take it out on other people, making them feel how I felt. My dad…he was so depressed, I walked in on him when he was about to hang himself. I got him down and I made him promise that he wouldn't do it again. I just wanted people to feel my pain, I never wanted it to get this far" Doug explained, silently sobbing as Phobia loosened his grip around his neck, letting him drop to the floor. Phobia looked on in sadness as Doug wept, revealing his true nature.
"I'm sorry for everything I've done. I promise I won't do it anymore, I'll be a nicer person, please don't kill me" Doug begged, looking up at Phobia, who secretly had a tear forming in his eye. He slowly backed away, heading towards the window. Once out on the fire escape, he looked back in at Doug.
"I forgive you, I had no idea" Phobia replied, closing the window behind him and heading up to the roof. He ran and jumped across every roof, not wanting to let his tears go until he felt safe. It was only when he reached the fire escape and climbed down until he reached the one window he knew would let him in. He tapped on the glass before reaching up and removing his mask. The purple curtains opened, allowing Clea to see who was at her window. She slid it open and looked into Eddie's eye, tears threatening to seep over the edges. A look of sadness crossed her face.
"What happened?" she asked, just before Eddie let the tears go.
"I-I went t-too far again," he sobbed, burying his head into her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back comfortingly. Eddie was too depressed to notice a similar tear beginning to roll down her cheek.
- The Next Morning -
Batman rubbed his eyes as he headed across the room to the BatComputer, its bright lights flashing as it powered up for the day. He yawned as he sat at the chair in front of it.
"Ugh…Alfred's right. I really should take a power nap every once in a while" he thought to himself as he looked at the Latest News Feeds. His gaze became attracted to a news article entitled: CLAYFACE IN NEW YORK. LATEST VIGILANTE "RAVEN" APPREHENDS. He raised his eyebrows, impressed at the young hero's efforts. His head spun around as he heard a creaking at the window. He relaxed as the winged girl climbed inside, a plastic bag swung over her shoulder. Once she'd closed the window, she headed over to where Batman sat.
"Nice to see you again" he greeted, as Raven reached inside the bag.
"You too" she replied, producing a cup of Starbucks Coffee.
"I didn't know what you had, so I got a regular," she said, handing it to him. He grinned and took it from her grasp, instantly raising it to his lips and taking a big gulp. Raven retrieved her own coffee from the bag and did the same. Batman placed the coffee on the ground beside him and wiped his lips on his arm. He noticed a small orange stain on the bottom of her skirt, dried into the fabric.
"Uh…you have something on your skirt" he said, making Raven groan as she tried rubbing it off.
"Sorry, I got it from last night. I've tried getting it out" she replied.
"Clayface, right?" Batman asked, making her eyes widen.
"How did you know?" she asked, making him bring up the article on the screen.
"News travels fast in New York. You're on your way to becoming a fully-fledged hero" Batman complimented, making her blush slightly.
"Coming from you, it's an honour. Wait…you said you were with Catwoman and Daredevil, right?" she asked, glancing round the room. Batman got up and headed over to the window.
"They were out on patrol the last I checked. I'll send out an S.O.S. beacon, they'll have to return to base," he explained, reaching up to his earpiece.
- Hell's Kitchen, Matt Murdoch's Apartment -
The sound of birds chirping filled Matt's ears as he slowly rose from his slumber. He stretched and yawned as he felt the heat of the sun embrace him. He reached over to his side table and began tapping, sending his electric blue senses across the room. Once he recognised the remnants of his costume scattered across the room, he grinned as he remembered the events of last night. He removed his covers, the cold draft making him realise he had no boxers on. After applying a new pair, he began placing his costume back on, but as he reached for his mask, he felt another one beside it. He began moving his hand across the leather surface, his fingertips making out the shape of cat ears. He grinned to himself.
"She's still here," he said to himself, placing his mask on in the process. With Catwoman's mask under his arm, he began making his way up to the roof. Once at the top, he tapped the ground with his left foot, sending more waves across the roof, also showing the silhouette of a curvaceous woman. Catwoman stood near the edge of the building; her eyes were closed as she breathed in the new morning air. A small smile spread across her face as two, red clad arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a reverse hug. Daredevil leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek, making her smile even more.
"Morning" he greeted, she giggled and turned to face him, her black hair blowing in the wind.
"Good morning" she replied, pulling him in for a long kiss, almost like the one they had yesterday. They separated, allowing Catwoman to gaze back into his mirrored eyes. Daredevil held out her mask, waiting for her to take it.
"You left this behind" he explained as she took it from his grasp and placed it on.
"Thanks" she replied, about to pull him back for more. Unfortunately for them, a beeping suddenly erupted from each of their earpieces. They simultaneously reached up for their earpieces and pressed the Button with the Bat Insignia.
"What is it?" they said in unison.
"I need you two to get back here now. Raven's just told me everything about Phobia and you need a briefing" Batman explained.
"We'll be back soon" Daredevil replied.
"Over and out" Batman finished as the feed went silent. Daredevil looked at Catwoman with a grin.
"You want a race?" she asked, a similar grin now spreading over her face.
- The Safehouse -
"So wait, Phobia's in High School?" Daredevil asked Raven, sounding as confused as ever. He sat on the ramshackle sofa, Catwoman at his side. Raven sat on an old stool opposite them.
"Yes, he's in my Science Class. I've known for while now. So, what are we going to do?" Raven asked, making all heads turn to Batman who sat typing away at the BatComputer.
"I'm working on it" he replied, not even turning to face them. Catwoman decided to have her input.
"There's still one thing I don't understand, why would this kid suddenly want to continue Scarecrow's work?" she asked.
"Maybe he was a fan" Daredevil guessed.
"Or he's continuing the family business" Batman corrected, making all heads turn to him again.
"What?" Raven asked, heading over to Batman as he brought up Eddie's student records.
"I was doing some research on him and came across this in his student records. Apparently, Eddie has no recorded birth father. But look at this, Eddie was born January 12th 1997, nine months before that, Scarecrow broke out of Arkham and headed to New York" he explained, Daredevil and Catwoman headed over and stood behind him.
"Two-Face said Scarecrow broke out again to see him on his first birthday, did he break out again?" Daredevil asked, remembering the "conversation" they'd previously had with the prisoner.
"Yes, one year later on the exact same day. Two-Face said he brought him a package, whatever was inside must be connected" Batman explained, suddenly Raven's eyes widened.
"The Necklace" she said out loud. Batman turned to face her, confusion spread all over his face.
"What necklace?" he asked, concerned.
"The day those bullies in my school had panic attacks, Eddie put something orange in their foods. He had it in a necklace thing with a vial on the end" Raven explained, making Batman turn back to the BatComputer.
"Of course, that explains how they got infected with the fear toxin. Scarecrow must've given him the necklace when he was a kid and, when the time came, he could continue Scarecrow's work from beyond the grave" Batman concluded.
"But wait, how come when Scarecrow came back to Arkham he seemed all depressed?" Daredevil asked.
"We'll have to figure it out later. Right now, we need to convince Eddie to give up the toxin" Batman said.
"What do we do? Just go to his house and say to his mom: Hi, we're here to convince your son to stop being a fear spreading vigilante?" Catwoman asked, making Batman rub his chin.
"We'll have to find him whilst he's on patrol, if any of us see him, we should radio in on our location so we can all get him at once" Raven suggested.
"Good idea, we'll head out tonight. I'll scout the North Part of the city, Daredevil will take the west, Catwoman will take the East and Raven, you'll take the South. If this works, Phobia will be finished by tomorrow" Batman concluded.
"This is going to be good" Daredevil said.
- Wilson Fisk aka. The Kingpin's Office Building -
(I'm basing this Kingpin off the one from the Daredevil Movie. The office is the same as the movie too)
Kingpin headed through the lobby as three men in suits followed close behind him. One of them handed him a folder marked 'CONFIDENTIAL', it was the records of the crimes Phobia had stopped. Kingpin gritted his teeth as he read them.
"Seriously? Five of my men in almost a week?" he asked, making all three men nod.
"Yes, they all say the same thing. They were all stopped by this Phobia" he explained, making Kingpin narrow his eyes.
"Try to get a lead on who he is, I'll be in my office" he instructed. Each of the men nodded as he stepped inside the elevator. The doors slowly closed and he began to rise up to his office. He began making his way across the marble floor, the room a green hue with glass pillars of water placed across the floor and on the walls. Suddenly, the leather chair opposite his desk spun around, making his eyes widen. Sitting in it was a man with chalk, white skin, ruby lips formed into a horrific grin, green hair, all topped off with a purple suit and tie.
"Ah, Mr. Fisk, I've been expecting you" greeted, cackling slightly. Kingpin narrowed his eyes at the intruder.
"You're Joker, right? I thought you got arrested a few days ago" he said.
"I did, but on the way back to Gotham, the guards died of a…unfortunate accident" Joker replied, giggling evilly.
"What kind of accident?" Kingpin asked, obviously not buying it.
"I broke out of my cuffs and placed a bomb in the driver's compartment. There was a huge mess; I was only supposed to blow the bloody doors off" Joker replied with a grin. Kingpin started walking back towards the elevator.
"Where are you going? I just wanted to talk" Joker called after him, Kingpin turned back to face him. The lift numbers began to change, indicating that somebody was coming up.
"I'm not talking to you, but whilst you were explaining, I set off a silent alarm in my pocket. Right now, my guards are on their way up" he replied, grinning as the lift doors began to open. But his smile faded as he saw the elevator's contents. Standing in the elevator was a woman with blonde hair, put up in pigtails, wearing a red and black leather costume with matching boots. Her face had been painted white with black eyeliner and red lipstick. Behind her, two security guards laid dead on the ground, both of their throats cut. The woman produced a blood stained knife from behind her back, her other arm on her hip.
"Did you mean those guys?" she asked, gesturing to the corpses. Kingpin narrowed his eyes at the woman and turned back to face Joker.
"Wanna talk to me now?" he asked, leaning back in the leather chair and placing his feet on the desk. Kingpin sighed.
"Fine" he agreed, heading back over to him. Joker looked past him towards his girlfriend.
"Harley, wait downstairs. And if anybody comes up…" he said before raising his thumb to his throat and dragging it across like a knife.
"Sure thing, Mistah J" she replied before heading back inside the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Kingpin began speaking.
"You hooked yourself a keeper, I see?" he said, chuckling slightly.
"You have no idea, Fisk. Or is it Kingpin?" Joker asked in return.
"I prefer Kingpin when I'm not in public" Kingpin replied, heading across to the mini bar near the wall. As he reached for it, he heard a gun getting cocked behind him. He turned his head to see Joker aiming a pistol at him.
"What are you doing, Tubby?" he said, more serious than before.
"Getting a drink, why? Did you want one?" he asked. Joker thought for a second before placing the pistol back in his trousers.
"Scotch on the rocks" Joker said, Kingpin obliged and poured him a glass. He headed back over to the desk and sat opposite Joker.
"So, why are you here?" Kingpin asked as Joker took a sip of his drink.
"My dear Kingpin, I'm here because we both face a similar problem: Friggin' Vigilantes" he explained.
"Go on" Kingpin instructed, obviously interested.
"On the night I got captured, it was that little munchkin Phobia who got to me. I've noticed that you've been losing a lot of men to him, am I right?" Joker asked, making Kingpin nod.
"Continue," he instructed.
"Well, since we have the same target in mind, I figured we could from an…alliance. That way, we can both get what we want," Joker continued, still grinning.
"Why on God's earth would I join forces with you?" Kingpin asked, taking a swig of his drink.
"Think about it for a second. Me, the infamous clown prince of crime and you, the leader of all organized crime in New York. Together, that hell-raiser doesn't stand a chance. And besides, after we're done with him, we can take on our second order of business" Joker explained, making Kingpin raise his eyebrow.
"What second order?" he asked.
"Do you remember that little store robbery not so long ago?" Joker asked, making Kingpin's eye narrow.
"Yeah, that owner owed me money. Since he wouldn't pay us up front, I decided to take of his store. I sent a few of my guys to give him the message, but then…" he trailed off, allowing Joker to butt in.
"Some girl with wings arrived and saved the day. I read the paper, her name's Raven and she's beginning to be a pain in my ass too" he finished, producing the latest newspaper and tossing it to him.
"Who's Clayface?" Kingpin asked.
"A pal of mine back in Arkham, after I broke out, I figured I'd need some form of security. So, I broke him out with me and took him here. Who do you think popped the bomb in the police van after I got captured? Unfortunately, the police got him before he could get back to base. He would've escaped too if it wasn't for that pesky little bird. She took him down last night, never thought she'd have it in her" Joker finished, taking another big gulp from his Scotch.
"What does this have to do with me?" Kingpin asked, not following.
"Think about it Fisk, they're both making their way up the Most Wanted list. Phobia took down me; Raven took down Clayface, who do you thinks at the top of the food chain? You, sooner or later" Joker explained gravely. Kingpin thought this over, knowing Joker as right.
"You may have a point there, but I may need a favour from Phobia" he explained, making Joker's eyes widen.
"WHAT? Are you with me or against me, Fisk? Do you want me to call Harley back up?" he threatened angrily. Kingpin chuckled at the Joker's overreaction.
"Let me explain, I've been planning a bank heist for a while now. I've been working out the plans, but I'm going to need two more things" Kingpin explained before reaching into his desk and passing Joker the bank's blueprints. He looked them over, nodding ever so often.
"What do you need?" he asked, sounding interested.
"Most of my men are in jail, so I'll need some help from yours if you have any" Kingpin replied.
"I may have a few still breathing. What else?" Joker replied, almost like a child guessing what his Christmas present is.
"Phobia, I'll need him to be brought here alive. When I'm done with him, you can do what you want. Then, you and me will go after Raven" Kingpin said, grinning away.
"That's a pretty good plan, Fisk. So, do we have a deal?" Joker asked, raising his scotch. Kingpin reached for his and they clinked glasses.
"Deal" he replied, they both downed their drink, laughing happily.
"Kingpin, my boy. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship" Joker said, his tone a mixture of seriousness and glee.
A/N: Sorry for the long update guys, but look on the bright side…THIS STORY HAS PASSED THE 1000 HITS MARK THANKS TO YOU GUYS! (Virtual Group-hug). Laters and I'll see you next time. Cheerio.
