Arkham's Keepers
Chapter 1: "We're All Mad Here"
A/N: An AU story. Continuation of Batman and Ivy. Batman partnered up with a new hero called Poison Ivy. They had their differences, and Ivy resorted to killing in a few instances. Now, she's in Arkham, referred by Dr. Strange and her co-worker and friend, Alisa Adams, to overcome traumas leading to her presumed delusions of plants being intelligent creatures, and her tendencies toward violence.
Dr. Strange looks up from behind his thick glasses. He is a short, Caucasian man with a bald head and a dark beard stretching from sideburn to sideburn. He is wearing a white lab coat and gray dress pants.
"Have a seat, Dr. Quinzel."
A blond woman comes to the man's desk in the dark room.
"I don't like this. It's unprofessional, Dr. Strange."
"Please, call me Hugo."
"Look, Hugo. None of us wanted to see Ivy fall, but here she is. But to make her think she's crazy—"
"Isn't she?"
"It's not our job to modify a patient's beliefs, unless it's specifically causing harm to themselves or someone else. The woman can control plants—"
"She can make plantlife an object of her will. She is a metahuman; her powers are of science, not magic. You are new here, and I warn you not to interfere with my methods. You want the Joker, you give me what I want. Or I can notify Director Arkham how you really got this job. Do you hear me, Dr. Quinzel?"
The blond squints briefly. "Last I heard, the Joker was still at large."
The man in the thick glasses chuckles. "Joker will be back soon enough. He always comes back."
The cafeteria is filled with inmates. It somewhat resembles high school, with clusters of people gathered together—perhaps gangs. And like some schools, they all have the same uniform: Arkham orange, from their shoulders to the inseams of their pants, and brown slippers. There's the odd lone inmate at their own table, though not uncommon in Arkham. And in one corner sits a large, green crocodile-man sitting in orange pants (JUST orange pants), sitting on a chair. Sitting alone. A green-skinned woman with long, red hair and luminous, green eyes joins him.
"Hey again, Croc. Mind if I sit here?" Ivy looks around, alert for anyone who might catch her by surprise. Working with Batman, she'd helped put quite a few of them in Arkham to begin with. Luckily, killing Scarecrow (a crime which landed her in here to begin with) helped get her on Croc's good side, as Scarecrow loved to torment the other inmates [A/N: Batman and Ivy, Chapter 10].
Croc pierces a raw steak with a fork, puny in his giant claws. He tears off a third of it in his teeth. He puts his food down and narrows his eyes, as if entranced.
"Croc, what's wrong?"
"Food. So much food."
Ivy doesn't understand. For a creature twice the size in stature of a normal man, Croc would need much more than the small plate they gave him. Croc's eyes narrow again. His tongue slithers. He begins to rise from his seat. There are guards along one of the walls of the cafeteria, wearing blue jeans, armored vests, and helmets with grates in front of the faces.
"Lookit this mother. Croc wants to get tased again, bet," one guard says to another, as they watch from against one of the walls.
"Croc…?" Ivy asks, raising an eyebrow and giving him all her attention, forgetting all the other dangerous inmates.
Croc stands on two feet. He snarls and spreads his arms. He starts walking slowly.
"Here we go agaiiiin…" one of the inmates remarks to another.
Zap! "AAAaaaaAAaaaaAAaahhhHHhh!"
Croc's heavy body falls forward with a thud. Three of the guards from the wall come to drag his body away.
Ivy, not knowing what else to do, picks nervously at her food, once again remembering the environment she's in—one she'll need to get used to for the next four years, if she even lasts that long.
A table of seven guys—and one woman with a mohawk—start making their way toward her. But before they do, another trio of guards also starts towards Ivy.
"The plant bitch, knife her."
One of the guards passes a knife to another. The gang of eight takes their seats again. The guard hides the knife behind his back and makes it to Ivy. Ivy alternates her gaze between the gang of eight and the trio of guards.
Just as Ivy looks back at the guards, one of them brings the knife overhead and slices down towards her. She dodges and starts to back away. The other two guards come in and flank her at either side. The guard on her right grabs her arm. Before the other guard can grab her left arm, she uses it to cross punch the guard on her right in the face. The guard in front of her swings with his knife again. She blocks his arm with hers.
The guard on her left draws a taser. She looks at the guard on her right. The obvious choice. If she were to dodge now, he would be in his line of fire. But Batman taught her better than that. She throws a jab at the middle man's crotch, which is quickly blocked. While she's engaged with man in front of her, the man on the left takes his shot. She stretches out the middle man's arm, so he takes the taser. One down, two to go. That takes care of the taser and the knife.
The cafeteria erupts in commotion. Ivy threatens with the knife, but it doesn't take long for reinforcements to show up, as they know by heart what to listen for. Reinforcements hold her down and escort her from the cafeteria. The first two guards back off, as the tased one is attended to.
- 7 hours ago -
Hugo Strange stares at Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter. He is a short, thin man with short, blond hair and sideburns halfway down to his chin. Thirty years ago, he had a crush on a girl named Alice. He read Lewis Carroll's Alice duology to impress her, only to find out that she died.
"Tell me why you continue to insist Alice is still alive, Jervis."
"I'm sure… I'm sure now that she's not. But I—I see her everywhere. Always, always, not my Alice. They're fakes, they're frauds! And why am I here? Because… because I'm mad? Because I'm… in love? That mock Alice… the mockery of a Batman! Ivy, she fooled me. Made me think she was Alice, she put me in here!" [A/N: Batman and Ivy, Chapter 2]
Doctor Strange smirks. "I'm glad to see you're making progress, Jervis. Indeed, Poison Ivy is not Alice. I need you to focus on that. Now, who is Ivy, do you think?"
"She's… greener—and her petals are shorter, I think. She's one of the thorny kind."
Strange taps his fingers silently on his clipboard. "Focus, Jervis. Batman. Ivy lives here, in Gotham City, same as Batman. She worked… with Batman. Gotham is a real place; I need you to focus on this."
"SHE DECEIVED ME! SHE DESERVES TO DIE!"
Strange lowers his clipboard. "It's okay, Jervis. Calm now. Why does she need to die? How does that help you?"
"Helps… helps me. A dream… a dream is not reality. But who's to say which is which?"
"There is a way to know."
"The best way to explain it is to do it," Jervis replies.
"Relax, Jervis. You'll be well again in no time."
- Now -
A third person visits Dr. Strange's darkened office. Ivy takes a seat on his dark, red, and comfy linen lounge chair.
"It's quite dark in here, don't you think?"
"Be at ease, Pamela. I only wish you to be free from distractions. Though, if adjustments must be made…" Strange takes a breath, interrupting himself. "I truly am sorry we must meet this way from now on, Pamela."
"Why am I here, Hugo?"
"I was told you picked a fight with some of the guards, otherwise…" he trails off, allowing her to speak.
"They attacked me."
"As you wish. I was not there and will not claim to know what transpired. As for why I recommended your stay in Arkham, it is so we can make you better, as I'm sure you've inferred."
"With these crazy people? I don't feel safe here, Hugo. You know I'm different from these people."
Strange nods. "This is indeed true. I have increased security since my employment here. However, if you prefer to be in isolation, that need can be met. You have my personal guarantee you'll be treated no different."
Despite Ivy's better judgement, she'd rather not be alone anymore. She's wasted too much of her life in isolation. If she can't be free from Arkham, she should at least be free from herself.
"No. No, no." Ivy lets out a quick breath.
"Don't be hasty, of course…"
"No, it's fine. Really, it's fine."
The guards finally walk Ivy down the arched brick hallway with vertically barred cells on either side, dropping her off at her cell for the first time. Inside is an athletic Caucasian redhead with long hair sitting on a bench, who grins as soon as she sees her. Ivy is taken inside. The barred door is locked behind her. The athletic redhead crosses one leg over the other and pats the empty side of the bench next to her, inviting Ivy. Ivy rolls her eyes, then sits next to her, crossing her arms.
"So, my roommate is Roxy Rocket."
"Ha!" Roxy twists her body and leans towards Ivy. "Who else would ya expect? There are more bad boys out in Gotham than us bad gals. We gotta make a name for ourselves!"
A frown finds itself on Ivy's face. "Unlike you, I don't exist to make trouble. I don't know if you've noticed, but I sort of do the opposite…"
"Just sayin'… you totally couldn't have taken me into custody without Batman's help."
"I'm… gonna have to disagree with you there. I have powers… you have a rocket."
"Pssh! What's all this big talk about when we can go at it right now?" Roxy stands up and puts her hands on her hips. "No challenge is too great for Roxy Rocket!"
"Yeaaahh… I kinda don't have my powers in here. I mean, I do… but there aren't any plants in here, so…"
Roxy slumps down onto the bench. "Aw," she grumbles.
/
A guard walks down the halls to Jervis Tetch's cell. Due to disciplinary action, food was delivered to his cell earlier, as he was not allowed to go to the cafeteria. The guard finds Jervis lying in bed and the food untouched.
"If you ain't eatin' this shit, I am."
She waits for a response. She reaches through a horizontal slot in the bars and picks up a tray of food. She also picks up a cup and loudly slurps Jervis's water. Receiving no response, she walks into the cell to check on Jervis physically. There is a mere dummy under the covers. The guard pushes the silent alarm on her radio.
"Tanya, why have you triggered the silent alarm?"
"Patient escape, I'm s'posed to. If the other inmates know, they might attempt a mass escape."
"My memory of protocol needs no refreshing. Who is the patient?"
"Jervis Tetch."
"Not to worry. I believe Jervis to be in the building. I will handle this myself. I want all security back to your posts. Cancel alert. That will be all."
/
"So, you and Killer Croc, huh? I thought that guy didn't have any friends."
"Up until a few months ago, I didn't think I had any friends either," Ivy tells Roxy.
"Have you fought him yet?"
"Hm, Croc? No. I've fought Two-Face, Clayface, the Ventriloquist, Catwoman, the Joker, Scarecrow… uh, the Mad Hatter. I haven't actually met Croc until today."
Roxy scrunches up her face in confusion. "Well, then how did you two become friends so quickly?"
"Oh, yeah… I killed Scarecrow, and… he, um… appreciated it." [A/N: Batman and Ivy, Chapter 10]
"I see," Roxy says with a smile. "And you say you're not a villain." Roxy's eyes fix on some random spot beyond the ceiling. "I sooo wonder what it would be like to fight Croc. That would be awesome."
Ivy shakes her head. "See, Roxy, no. That's why Batman and I had to put you in here. You needlessly put yourself and other people in danger. You know that, right?"
"Right, right," Roxy says listlessly.
"Alright, ladies. Cut the chatter. You're coming with us."
The two of them look at a group of five guards outside their cell.
/
They walk with the guards through the facility and down many halls. Nothing seems off until they get to the library. Being an asylum library, it's not very large (or at least the ceiling isn't especially high), but Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, is just short enough to sit in a chair situated on top of a table, and still have room enough for the green top hat atop his orange Arkham ensemble. Oh no. His hat. And the guards are wearing protective helmets. Ivy realizes she and Roxy are in deep trouble. There's no way these guards don't have hidden control chips in their helmets.
"Well… well… well…. Have a seat, Alice."
The five guards join two more who are on either side of the Hatter. They pull out a pair of felt chairs for Ivy and Roxy.
"Jervis, we've been over this. My name is Pamela, not Alice. You can call me Ivy if you like."
"No, no, but that's what you would like me to believe."
"I thought—" Ivy glances at her hand. She sighs. "Can't you see I'm green?"
"You deceived me last time. Made me believe you were something you were not. Made me believe you were my Alice."
Ivy grows frustrated. It's clear to her there will be no way to reason with him. He is unable to grasp reality.
The Hatter looks at his mind-controlled guards. "Why did you all bring Roxy here? I said just Ivy! Well, of course, I can't let you be a witness, now can I?"
"Now, wait a minute! I didn't agree to be your red shirt, pal!" Roxy protests.
Well, that doesn't sound good. The Arkham staff have so far been careful not to allow Ivy near the outer walls of the complex, or else they keep her on the third floor. Ivy sees the windows leading outside, to the Green, to nature, but she's too high up to be within reach. Eight against two doesn't seem very doable without her powers.
The Hatter entwines his fingers. "I have sought you many years, dear Alice, dreaming as the days went by, but I must put an end to this dream, to this illusion. And just as I did with my darling friend, Connie, I shall do to you. I shall weep no tears as I send you to your own Wonderland, for only the insane equate pain with success. Now… off with their heads!"
A pair of guards grab each of them by the wrists, six of them moving toward the windows.
"Hey, now that's a nice prop!" Roxy remarks.
One of the windows has been modified with a blade on its underside to act as a guillotine. There is a round, two-piece restraint underneath, big enough to fit someone's neck. But Ivy notices something else in the window. Something green.
Roxy watches as they take Ivy to the window. "Is she going FIRST?!" she cries. She stomps on her right guard's foot, loosening his grip on her wrist. She uses that wrist to cross punch her left guard in the face, then doubles back on the right guard, delivering a swift rear kick to the stomach. "No one makes Roxy a side act!"
Ivy rolls her eyes. Moss jumps into the library from the window and into the faces of the guards on either side of Ivy. The other three guards draw weapons: Two stun batons and one Ruger LC9 semi-automatic pistol. Make that just two stun batons. Roxy had grabbed a guard's T-baton nightstick and now throws it across the room, knocking the gun out of his hand.
Hatter gasps at the turn of events. He jumps down from his makeshift throne and quickly makes a move for the gun, but stops to dodge as Ivy throws a ball of moss at him. The ball of moss misses the Hatter and hits one of the guards, quickly mummifying him and throwing him off his balance, making him helpless and restrained on the floor.
"WHAT?! This is an outrage! Poison Ivy can control fungus now? Since when?!" Hatter exclaims.
Ivy delivers a swift kick right between his eyes, knocking the Hatter over. "Moss is a plant, you dipshit."
Hatter holds his face in agonizing pain. He crawls backwards and sees his puppets getting their asses handed to them. He looks at a table in his proximity and grabs a bunch of books from it, throwing them at Ivy. Hatter makes his way towards the exit. Ivy is about to follow, but gets hit in the stomach by a guard, making her double over. Roxy follows the Mad Hatter out, instead. Hatter looks behind him and gasps as she grabs him by his orange Arkham uniform.
"Wait, wait! This is all just a misunderstanding! My knaves weren't supposed to kill you."
"If I'm going out, it's going to be performing the most death-defying stunt ever pulled. Not by some creep in a cheap hat."
The Hatter gasps. "Cheap?! But hats are my speciality."
There is a bang behind them as a guard is tossed into a wall. Ivy meets them just outside the entrance.
"Roxy, would you take his hat from him so these guards will stop attacking us?"
"Yeah, soon as I kill this chump," Roxy says, still holding him by his shirt.
"Wait," Ivy says. Roxy looks at her. "Just leave him to the guards."
"This maniac tried to kill us!" Roxy vociferates.
"I… I know. It's just… I think Batman had a point. We don't need to kill him."
"And he tried to kill you, by the way? I can't believe you're defending him." Roxy neglectfully loosens her grip with one of her arms.
"Just let him go."
Roxy hesitates. She the shoves him back and swipes his hat off. Two beat-up guards see the three of them out of their cells.
"What happened?" one says to the other.
"Hey. You all need to get back in your cells. Is there a problem here?"
Ivy looks at Roxy. "Thank you."
Four people. Twenty-five years. As an eight-year-old child, Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered in front of him. He vowed a war on crime and became the Batman. But he had a rule: No killing. Most don't know why.
Bruce found his parents' killer one night, a man named Joe Chill. He killed him that night. The first and only life he ever took. Little did he know, his own son witnessed the murder just the same.
And then there was Two-Face. He was prepared to kill Chill for Bruce, but Bruce was unwilling to kill when Two-Face became a victim of another violent crime. You see, the two of them were best friends.
Then, I got involved. It was suddenly two people warring on crime, Batman and Ivy. Two-Face knew Bruce was Batman. He wanted to make a point. So, he had half of City Hall set on fire. 56 people died.
There are people out there. People like Two-Face… Scarecrow, Professor Pyg, Red Claw. People who kill. People who upset the balance of nature. But they always escape. So, I killed them. Then, Bruce came to me just yesterday, made plain to me that I killed a man who was his best friend. I don't know whose side I'm on anymore. Is Bruce crazier than all of us put together? Or is morality perhaps beyond logic and activism? At least Croc seems to be happy with me. At least somebody is on my side.
I wake to a harsh, unshakeable hand wrapped around my neck. Roxy!
/
"Sir," one of the guards says. Doctor Strange turns around in his seat. "Jervis Tetch has made his move."
"Good, good," Strange says. "Make sure the patient is secured. I do not want him escaping."
"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter, sir."
"Excuse me?" Dr. Strange furrows his eyebrows.
The asylum guard is holding a welding torch. He locks Strange's office door and welds the lock in place.
"Sorry, but the Mad Hatter says he's not done quite yet."
/
Roxy has Ivy in a rear choke hold, one arm behind her neck and one arm in front. Ivy tries to bend down and to the side, to pick Roxy up from behind, like Batman taught her, but Roxy brings her down to her knees instead. Ivy struggles, quickly running out of air. In her panic, she had forgotten about her powers. She secrets acid out of her skin, burning Roxy's arms. It has no effect.
Dammit, no pain! Hatter's controlling her! Have to escape—!
She considers secreting a toxin instead. But even if it could poison her quick enough… Batman or no Batman, right or wrong, she can't kill one of the few people on her side in Arkham.
Time to improvise. She grabs hold of one of the iron bars of her cell in front of her. She pulls on it with both hands until it dissolves at both ends and rips off. Her vision is getting fuzzy. She must act quickly. She jabs hard at Roxy's stomach, twice, finally releasing her grip.
Roxy stumbles back. Ivy gasps and holds her throat. Roxy spin kicks Ivy in the side of her face, knocking her over, and launching the bar from out of her hand. Ivy can see the red trilby hat atop Roxy's red hair and Arkham orange. Roxy is airborne, though her hat is held on tight. She body slams Ivy and gets ready to kneel on her to pin her arms down. It's now or never. Ivy must gain an advantage!
Ivy brings one of her arms up, letting the other slip between Roxy's legs. With all her strength, she throws Roxy over her, slipping under and behind her. She wraps around Roxy and slams her head into the floor several times.
Her attention turns to the iron bars, behind which are three guards and the Mad Hatter. Just as one is about to block off her escape through the gap between the bars she made, she charges him and tackles him into a wall. The other two whip out straightsticks. They begin pounding on her as the Mad Hatter chuckles away. Ivy drips green blood all over the floor as he watches intently. Ivy has her sights on the end of the hall.
As one of them brings their straightstick down on her, she catches it and uses it to hit another guard in the side of the helmet. She makes a run for it. The Hatter is both amused and confused.
"And where do you think you're going? This is a dead end! There's no way out but down, down, down!"
Ivy props herself against a wall, not knowing how long she'll be able to stand. She looks at the reinforced steel door, and then at the panel on the wall. It requires a PIN to open. That's gonna be a problem. The guards slap their straightsticks against the insides of their hands, approaching her ever so slowly.
She looks at the door again. The hinges are out in the hall—Of course! The bigger concern is to protect the hinges from what's contained on the inside of the room. If she can just dissolve the hinges…. She places a hand on each hinge. Smoke begins to seep out.
"Wha—what do you think you're doing?" The Hatter exclaims in terror.
Ivy pants from both exhaustion and relief. "Surviving."
The door slams open with a thud and a roar echoes in the hall. A large figure goes straight for the Mad Hatter, smacking each of the guards into walls along the way.
"No… NOOO!"
There is a loud crunch, accompanied by some brief squishing and sloshing sounds. Ivy beholds the sight in front of her. It worked, but… that's not quite what she had in mind….
"OH. OH GOD, CROC."
The Mad Hatter's head was bitten clean off.
- End Chapter 1 -