*Chapter 2: Working Together*
Batman ran through the halls as the alarms went off. The inmates got out of their cells to run free around the Asylum, or trying to escape from the island. Everywhere the Joker goes, death is sure to follow. Batman fought off two inmates before continuing down the corridor and found one of the security guards.
"Batman, what happened?" He asked.
"Joker happened. You're lucky to be alive." Batman told him.
"He must have gone this way." The guard said, pointing at the locked steel door behind him. "The door's jammed. I'll try and get it open." Then, his walkie talkie made a sound, a male voice is heard.
"We need help in Pacification. I repeat. We need backup in Pacification. Can anyone hear this?"
"Can you hear me?" The guard said, hitting his walkie talkie, trying to get it to work. "I'm with Batman. Hello?"
"Where are they?" Batman asked with a look.
"Back down there." The guard pointed behind the Dark Knight. "Do you need help?"
"No. I work better alone." Batman replied.
"Zsasz is free. Oh god. He's got Mike!" A voice said from the walkie talkie. Batman didn't waste time but to run back down the corridor and got in contact with Oracle, telling her what is happening. She is concerned about her father and Mia being on that island. Batman trusts Jim to keep Mia safe from anyone and try to get out of the asylum.
Batman soon reached the Patient Pacification Chamber and found set of guards. They are looking through the gates to see Zsasz holding up a trigger to electrocute a guard, Mike, in a chair. He is threatening anyone that he will kill him if he sees Batman on sight. The Dark Knight will have to catch Zsasz by surprise when the other guards are talking to the marked man.
"Put the trigger down, Zsasz!" One guard shouted. Batman looked up to see the gargoyles on the walls. Perfect. He grappled up and found he is behind the crazy man who started to chuckle. He glides down and kick the back of Zsasz's head, and knock him out cold. Batman got Mike free.
"Someone put this animal back in his cell." One of the guards said.
"Get away from me!" Mia screamed as she threw a coffee mug at Boles. The man groaned and see that Mia locked herself in the room. She felt guilty for not helping Jim earlier after Boles knocked him out. "Why are you doing this? Have you been working with Joker?" Mia asked, pointing a gun at him.
"Shut up, bitch! You can stay in there all you want, but you ain't leaving this place! No matter where you go, you will always be trapped here with the bat!" Boles said, taking unconscious Jim with him, dropping his flask. Mia then sees Harley appear in her nurse uniform.
"Well, Nurse Harlow. Nice to see ya here." Harley greeted with a smile. "I'd love to stick around and chat with ya, but we got bigger plans for the commissioner here. Feel free to stick around the island. You ain't going nowhere for a while."
"We'll see about that, Harley. You and the Joker will be stopped." Mia said with a look in her eyes. "Batman will find you."
"Yeah, yeah. Well, see ya later!" Harley and Boles left with Jim. Mia started to pace around the room, trying to think of what to do next. She had to wait for Batman to arrive. She will help him, but she needs to find Dr. Raymond. Her phone started to ring. She answered it and hears her boss's voice.
"Mia, thank god. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Where are you? Are you safe?" Mia asked.
"For now. Look, I'm really sorry for all this. If I had known-"
"Dr. Raymond, it's okay. It's not your fault. We'll get out of here." Mia said. "Wherever you are, just stay there. Batman will help us. Turn down your phone too." She hung up and sat on the chair.
At least it didn't take long for Batman to arrive at the Holding Cells. Mia unlocks the doors and let the Dark Knight inside the room. No harm is on Mia. Batman was relieved, but he had to find Jim. He is contacting Oracle to set up a crime scene. He found a flask on the ground. Now he could follow a trail.
"Wait here. I'm going after Boles." Batman said. But Mia grabbed him by the arm. He turned back to her.
"Let me come with you." She said.
"No. It's too dangerous."
"Batman, please. My boss is somewhere on this island. Tell you what, once we find Jim and Dr. Raymond, I'll leave this place with them. I could count on you for stopping Joker. Right?" Mia asked with a side smile. Batman couldn't help but to smile back.
"Don't fall behind. The last thing I want for you is to get kidnapped or get hurt." Batman said. Mia followed him down the corridors to follow the trail of Boles' alcohol.
XX
They reached the elevator to see a guard by the panel on the wall, trying to get the elevator to work. Mia looked around quietly as the guard was asking questions, but Batman silenced him as he uses detective mode to see the alcohol at the shaft. A dead end perhaps? But, pair of boots dropped down in front of Batman.
"Ah, ah, ah, B-Man." Harley spoke. "Mr. J doesn't want you following us just yet." Harley took out a device and press a button. Explosion was heard from above. Harley was shot up in the air, laughing. Scraping metal sounds were heard as the elevator came down. Batman tossed the guard out of the way before throwing his arms around Mia to keep her safe from the metal and static that flew by them. Mia let out a yelp as she gripped on his shoulders. The top right of the bat suit is ripped, but no cut or red mark.
"Are you all right?" Batman asked.
"Are you?" Mia asked, looking at him.
"Owww, what the hell happened?" The guard got up, holding his side. Mia checked on the guard, making sure he is okay. Harley's voice called down to them.
"How did you like that, B-Man? No way you're following us now. You're trapped down there until me and Mr. J are ready for ya." She taunted. Mia looked up where the elevator fell. There is no other way to get up there. Unless Batman has ideas.
"Gordan was taken up to the surface in the elevator." Batman spoke. "If we want to follow them, we need to do this in the old fashioned way."
"Which is?" Mia asked. Batman wraps his arm around her waist, and grapple up to the ledge. Mia gasped and held onto him. Batman moved quickly so Mia could hold onto him while heading up at both times. Not once did they ever do this. Mia wouldn't have the guts to do what Batman does while he was out crime fighting, climbing buildings and such. Now Mia is a part of this and will learn what it was like.
After many climbing and shimmying, Batman helped Mia climb on the ledge and spotted more inmates surround two guards. Mia was told to stay out of the fight as Batman fought the inmates. But the nurse didn't want to stand around as she noticed one man trying to pull the pipe piece from the wall. She ran up to him, grabbed a gun and hit him with a handle in the face.
"Ahh! Fucking bitch!" He growled. He grabbed her wrist, about to snatch a gun away from her, but a batarang hits him on the back of the head. Mia then kicks him in the groin, making him howl. Batman knocked him out with his fist as Mia puts away a gun.
"Where'd you get that?" Batman asked.
"From Jim. Before Boles walked in, he insisted me to have a weapon." Mia said. "I won't be killing anyone tonight. I swore I wouldn't." Batman touched her shoulder, looking at her face.
"I know you won't. After what happened two years ago, you promised yourself. For you and your son." Batman said. Mia smiled up at him. If the security cameras are off, she could kiss him right now. "Let's keep going." Batman said. "The doors are locked. I hope you don't mind crawling through vents." He added as he reached the vent to pull on it. Mia sighed a bit, but anything to get out of here.
Batman crawled through the vents as Mia followed behind. They hear voices of plead and gunfire from the Cell Block Transfer. Mia covered her mouth from making a sound as a gunfire was heard. Batman sees two guards being shot down, dead. Joker's men got a hold of the guns. Batman quietly got the vent open, and told Mia to stay hidden behind the wall so neither of the inmates would see her. Batman grappled up to the gargoyles and disappeared above. Mia waited for the sign to come out.
'God, how long has it been? An hour since the Joker got away?' Mia thought to herself. She checked her phone to check the time. It's past ten-thirty. After the three inmates were down, Batman told her it is safe to come out. As they reached the door, they hear another voice coming from the room upstairs. Batman gave Mia a silent gesture as they silently walk up the steps to see an inmate speaking to the Joker who is on the tv screen.
"No problem boss. The boys are just finishing off. The Arkham chumps never stood a chance." The thug said.
"Good. Our friendly neighborhood rodent is on his way. You need to set a trap. He must not leave this building." Joker said. "Do you understand me?"
"...Yes, boss. The Bat is as good as dead."
"I hope you keep your promises boy. I'd hate to have to go and punish your family just to teach you a lesson. I can promise you. They won't be laughing." Joker giggled.
"But, Joker!"
"Just do it! And have fun. I know I will!" Joker started to laugh manically. Batman then knocked out the inmate as Mia walked up to the screen with a sneer. Batman joined by her side, glaring at the screen as Joker gave them a grin. "Oh, look who it is! Are your pointy ears burning? I suppose I'd better warn my boys you're on the way. Hey, maybe I won't. It'll be a nice surprise!" The screen went off. Batman turned and pull a vent and crawled through as Mia followed him.
"Remember what I taught you about fighting back." Batman told her. "Hit them where it hurts."
"I know." Mia said. "And you know something, Bruce? Feels like we're on a crime fighting date." She giggled. Batman rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"I'd never let you be involve into something like this." He said.
"Hey, we've been together for two years, and we have been working together since. Last year Ivy tried to take over Gotham with her plants, and Barbara and I helped you through it." Mia said. Batman turned back to her as Mia squeezed though to look at his face. "As I said before, I'll leave this island with Dr. Raymond and Jim. I'd hate to leave you here, but I'm not a great fighter like you or Robin."
"I'll be fine, Mia. Don't worry." Batman gave her a kiss on the forehead before moving forward through the vent.
XX
After fighting off the armed inmates, Batman and Mia climbed up the ladder and see a cart with Boles strapped on it. His mouth was open with green paint on his face. Mia reached up to feel a pulse. He's dead.
"Joker must have figured out how we were tracking Gordan." Batman said. Mia let out a sigh as she backed away from the body. Joker's chattering teeth move around the floor, making laughing noises. The door opened from below and revealed an officer with a gun.
"Batman! Over here." He called. Batman and Mia climbed down the ladder and approach the man. "It was a massacre. Boles came walking in telling everyone to cover the front entrance. Said something about Joker's army coming through the main gate! Two of my guys moved to the exit and Frank shot them dead. They never stood a chance."
"Was Boles alone?" Batman asked.
"Thought he was, then I saw Harley Quinn. She was surrounded by Blackgate prisoners. They were just killing everyone in the room! I had no choice. I got in here and locked the door. I could see it all on the security feed. They had someone with them." The man said.
"Was it the commissioner?" Mia asked.
"Yeah. I believe so." The man replied.
"Boles is dead." Batman said. "They carried on without him. Must have outlived his usefulness." The man made look on his face.
"Good. He was scum." Batman and Mia walk pass him and walk through another door.
They walk down several stairs until they found the locker room for the doctors and the guards. It was a mess in there. Mia could hear a radio playing a tune. But the nurse halts by one locker and did the combination. She opened it and brought out the dark blue buttoned sweatshirt to put on. If only she had another pair of shoes to switch onto. She took out a device from her pocket and show it to Batman.
"In case anything happens, I will contact you." She said.
"Put the bud in your ear. You can speak to Barbara along with me." Batman said. Mia placed the earbud in her ear and fixed her ponytail. A voice from a radio was heard, interrupting the music. Batman and Mia stood there to listen.
"We apologize for this interruption to our regular broadcast. Jack Ryder is live from the Gotham bay area with some breaking news."
"This is Jack Ryder with breaking news in Gotham bay." The tv reporter's voice spoke through the radio. "We're getting reports of an armed siege on Arkham Island. Two minutes ago, Joker broadcast to all news channels this chilling message:" Joker's voice took over.
"Greetings, Gotham. This is the voice of your new master. Oh, hang on, I've skipped a bit!"
"I know I say this a lot, but...he's gone insane." Mia spoke as she walk pass by Batman. "What am I saying? He is insane. What is he planning this time?"
"I'll find out soon." Batman told her. They walked through another door that is a file room. Nothing but boxes and files except a vent.
Batman grappled up to the cliff while holding Mia with one arm. At least they are now outside. They both walk up and stood near the ledge to see a view of Arkham Asylum, and a big full moon above it. Mia can't lie about the amazing view. It'll be more breathtaking if Joker hadn't got away and have his inmates running around. Batman looked down and let out a sigh. A big drop.
"Mia, hang on to me." Batman told her, holding his hand out.
"What?" Mia asked, but realized what he meant. "Wait, no."
"It's the only way."
"Batman, I don't think I-"
"Just hang on, and never let go. Trust me." Batman said. Mia looked down, then up at him. She went up to him, wrapping her arms and legs around him as Batman leaps off the ledge and glide down with his cape spreading out like a parachute. Mia kept her eyes closed as she feel the cool wind. Good thing she didn't weigh much. Batman lands safely on the ground. Mia unwrapped her legs and her feet touch the ground. They looked at each other in silence. Batman gave Mia a side smile, gently stroking her cheek. But they hear Joker's voice throughout the island.
"Hmm. Harley tells me that the Batman's car is still parked just outside of the Intensive Treatment building. Now, we can't just have him up and leave us, can we?"
"Oh shit." Mia gasped. "My car was parked there." Batman could hear the alarm going off in his cowl. His Batmobile was being triggered. They both waste no time but to go to Arkham North to get to the Batmobile.