Mount Justice, October 31, 7:34 P.M.
This year's Halloween was a special one. It was a first for Hunter, Conner, M'gann and Kori. Robin had to explain the traditions and history of the holiday to Koriand'r as the other three already knew about the holiday. For the past week they've discussed what costumes they would wear. Hunter asked around and found out that the entire school was going to be dressed as superheroes, Justice League members to be exact.
"Why do I have to go as him!" Conner demanded through the doors of their rooms
"Because you're both tall, brooding and handsome!" He replied with a chuckle.
"That's not funny." He shot back, "I thought we were going to go as gladiators or something."
"Going as anything but superheroes would make us stand out, as ironic as that sounds." He replied as he adjusted the goggles over his forehead.
Conner then replied, "Ok but why him?"
Both boys stepped out of their rooms and took in each other's appearances. Conner was dressed in a Batman costume, Hunter noticed that he filled out the suit nicely with his broad muscles. Hunter on the other hand dressed as Catwoman, he got the suit from Harley who kept a spare suit for the woman herself. The leather stretched nicely over his lean muscles and short stature.
The Kryptonian could only let out a "Whoa" before he cleared his throat, "Uh, you look nice."
"Thanks, I even got a whip." He reached down and held up the weapon, "Let's go, I'm sure everyone is waiting for us."
"At least it isn't as revealing as your Star Sapphire suit." Conner replied before Hunter gently nudged his arm, "What, you know I'm right."
Conner's comment has some merit. He didn't notice how provocative the suit was until the team, mainly Wally, pointed it out to him. His chest and stomach were out for the world to see, his biceps were exposed whilst his forearms and hands were gloved, his shorts were so high they nearly revealed his butt and the thigh high boots didn't help either.
"Shut up." Was all he replied before he walked ahead, "And quit staring!" He snapped.
Conner quickly raised his gaze up from what he was craving, "I wasn't staring."
Hunter scoffed, "Sure you weren't."
Entering the mission room they heard the tortious sound of Wally's mock flying. The redhead had dressed as Superman for the holiday much to Conner's dismay, "Wally, quit torturing us." Hunter said as they approached him.
"Why couldn't you have been Aquaman or something?" Conner asked.
Wally scoffed, "Who wants to be Aquaman?" He asked before he turned around and looked at M'gann, "So beautiful, who are you going as, my favorite martian?"
"Not exactly." She replied before her appearance and clothes changed. When she was done she looked almost exactly like Wonder Woman, "I'm going as Wonder Woman, except for the hair of course."
"You look - "
Wally quickly cut Hunter off, "Amazing." He then zoomed to her side, "Maybe we should go on ahead, we're already dressed for the role of the power couple."
"Power couple?" Hunter asked aloud.
"Wait you didn't know that - "
"I'm ready!" A booming voice echoed through the cave.
Everyone turned around to see Captain Marvel dressed as Superman. Conner groaned at the sight before M'gann asked, "Are you going to celebrate the holiday as well, Captain Marvel."
"I - well - " The hero stuttered, "I thought you invited the whole team."
"I did, I also invited Zatanna and Kori as well." She replied, "You don't have to worry about us tonight, go ahead to your party."
RECOGNIZED
ZATANNA ZATARA A03
ARTEMIS B08
The two teens entered the cave after the flash of light. Artemis was dressed as Black Canary and Zatanna was dressed as Zatarra, everything down to the top hat.
"You look great, Artemis." Zatanna commented as she noticed the blonde walking beside her.
"Thanks, you too." Artemis replied before they noticed the team, "Wow Captain, you really fill that Superman suit out well." Artemis commented.
"Is the League having a party cause my dad didn't mention - "
"I - fine." He huffed before he flew across the room to the Zeta-tube, "I'm going trick or treating and I won't share any of my candy."
RECOGNIZED
CAPTAIN MARVEL 15
In a flash of light the hero was transported away. Zatanna looked back at the team and gasped, "Are they going to be doing that all night?"
Artemis followed to where she pointed to see Superboy and Hunter already kissing. She gave Zatanna a sympathetic look, "You'll get used to it. They do that at least once a day, sometimes if you're lucky you'll miss it."
"Is my disguise satisfactory?"
The team turned to see Koriand'r flying towards them. The princess was dressed as Hawkwoman. Hunter had suggested it, the mask would hide her emerald eyes and the suit would cover her bright orange skin. She borrowed a mace from Hunter to complete the suit. The days leading up to Halloween were a good distraction for the princess with all the decorating, movies, candy and costumes.
"You look nice." Hunter replied as Koriand'r landed beside him.
"Thank you, I've only heard tell of the prowess of Thanagarian warriors." She said before she swung the mace, "We shall vanquish the ghosts and ghouls of the night!"
"Talk about a killer babe." Wally muttered to Hunter who only rolled his eyes.
Artemis glared at the redhead, she had heard what he said and how he's sticking to M'gann like glue. Seeing him shamelessly gush over one girl was enough but two? No way.
"Artemis?" Zatanna asked as the archer headed back, "What about the dance?"
"Not in the mood." She replied before she sighed, "Of course sitting at home with my mom doesn't sound any more appealing."
"We'll there is another option." Zatanna smirked, "Egnahc sehtolc otni ruo smrofinu!" She chanted before their costumes changed to their uniforms, "Guys, Artemis and I are going for a girls night out."
"Are you sure?" M'gann asked, trying to hide her disappointment.
"Yeah, I was thinking of going on patrol anyways." Artemis shrugged.
"And I didn't think she should go alone." Zatanna added, "Besides I need the practice if I want to convince my dad to let me join the team."
"Sounds good." Hunter smiled, "Watch each other's backs."
"Will do." Artemis replied before entering the Zeta-tube.
RECOGNIZED
ARTEMIS B08
ZATANNA ZATARA A03
In a flash the two left the team but not a second later another Zeta-tube flashed to life.
RECOGNIZED
WONDER WOMAN 03
Wonder Woman stepped out of the light and into the cave. She saw the entire team dressed in costumes before her eyes landed on Hunter who was dressed up as well. The team also noticed that she was in her uniform.
"Mother, what are you doing here?" Hunter asked, stepping away from the team.
"I wish it was only to wish you a Happy Halloween." She gave him a concerned look, "There's a situation that requires our attention."
"What is it?" He asked before a large screen appeared in the air.
"Three hours ago, in Coast City, California, a woman's body was found in her home." A picture of a woman's body face up on a kitchen floor. Her hair white and her face looked like she was still screaming, "The autopsy report says that she died of a heart attack or rather she died of fright." She continued, "And then other victims were found in the same state in Las Vegas, Phoenix, El Paso, Middleton, Keystone City, Chicago, Midway City and Baltimore."
The team watched as more victims appeared on screen with the same white hair and looks of fear on their faces.
"Who could've done this?" M'gann asked.
"Phobos and Deimos." Hunter answered, "The gods of fear and terror."
"And the twin sons of Ares." Wonder Woman added, causing the team to tense up.
Koriand'r wasn't aware of Ares, "Who's Ares?"
"The God of War." Hunter replied, "And one of our greatest adversaries."
"If we are able to apprehend Phobos and Deimos they may tell us where Ares is hiding." Diana stated, "Their trail of victims leads to Gotham, if we don't cut them off there we may lose them."
"This could be the opportunity we need to finally defeat Ares." Hunter stated.
"But what about the dance?" M'gann asked.
"This is really important. You guys go ahead, have fun." He replied before he turned back to his mother, "I'll go get suited up." He then flew away from the team.
Returning to his room and changing into his suit he sighed. He really wanted to go to the dance but this is important. The sooner they can capture Ares and Circe the sooner things will return to relative normalcy. Perhaps then he could focus on his civilian life.
After suiting up he exited his room to find Conner. He had changed out of his costume and into his mission clothes, "Ready?"
Hunter sighed, "Conner, you don't have to come. It's your first Halloween, you should enjoy it."
"I will." He nodded, "With you. Let's kick some ass."
Hunter huffed out a laugh before they made their way down the corridor side by side. Conner took Hunter's hand in his own before he gave it a tight squeeze. The prince gave him a fond smile as they continued on their way. They nearly made it to the mission room before a door slid open and out walked Red Arrow.
"What are you doing here?" Hunter demanded.
Batman then stepped out after him, "He's here on business." He answered as Robin and Aqualad followed him out.
"If this business involves the team then we have the right to know." Conner added.
"Guys - " Robin tried before Red Arrow replied.
"My business does involve your team actually." The archer said, "But it's need to know."
"And you, someone who's rejected a position on the team, needs to know?" Hunter asked slightly annoyed, "All you've ever done is belittle us. You once said that our team was 'a joke' and a means for the League to 'keep us in our place'."
Red Arrow threw Robin and Aqualad a silent look, "You know, KF and his big mouth."
"Is it about the mole?" Conner gave Aqualad a slight glare.
Aqualad looked at Batman before he nodded to Conner, "We've come to an inconclusive end on that front."
"Not without any suspects." Red Arrow added.
"Let me guess, you're suspicious of Artemis aren't you?" He gave the redhead a glare who only glared back, "You know you have quite the interest with the going ons of a team you rejected to join."
Red Arrow stepped up towards Hunter, "I'm keeping my friends safe."
"So am I." He shot back, "If you have a problem with Artemis then you have a problem with me." He declared before he took a step towards Red Arrow leaving less than a foot of distance between them.
"Stand down, Wonder Warrior." Batman ordered.
"There's a mole on your team and all I'm doing is sussing them out." Red Arrow replied.
"And all I'm doing is making sure that my friend isn't falsely accused of anything." He shot back.
"You don't even know a thing about her."
"I know I trust her more than I trust you."
"Okay guys, let's mellow out now." Robin put a hand on Red Arrow's shoulder as Conner did the same with Hunter.
"Come on, Hunter, we've got to head for Gotham." The clone gently pulled Hunter back.
"Gotham?" Batman asked, with a deadly edge to his voice.
"Phobos and Deimos, the gods of fear and terror, carved a trail of blood across the country towards Gotham." Wonder Warrior said, "We're heading to Gotham with my mother to intercept them."
"Let's go." The Dark Knight left no room for argument as he walked down the corridor with Robin close behind.
"I don't remember inviting him." Conner grunted.
"I don't remember inviting you either." Hunter replied as they followed after them before he chuckled, "I was really spot on with that costume." He then got a playful nudge in reply.
Trailing a few paces behind Batman they arrived at the mission room. They were expecting to find Wonder Woman waiting for them but they weren't expecting to find Superman standing with her. Hunter felt Conner tense beside him and placed a comforting hand on his forearm.
"Why are you here?" Batman asked the Man of Steel.
"I could ask you the same thing, I thought tonight causes a higher crime rate in Gotham." Superman replied.
"It's been surprisingly low tonight and now I think I know why." He gave Wonder Woman a silent look, "So why are you here?"
He sighed before he answered, "I'm here because Ma and Pa wanted Conner to stop by for Halloween."
Conner blinked before he replied, "Actually I was going to join Wonder Woman and Hunter on a mission to Gotham."
Superman blinked at his clone before he looked at Wonder Woman, "What's this mission about?"
"I would like to know as well." Batman crossed his arms.
Diana sighed before she shrugged, "The more the merrier I guess."
"That's one way to put it." Hunter sighed.
Gotham City, 8:12 P.M.
Wonder Woman and Wonder Warrior explained everything about Phobos and Deimos to Batman, Robin, Superman and Superboy. They were Ares' sons and his most trusted allies. As the sons of Ares they were warriors with nearly incomprehensible skill. Being the personifications of fear and terror they had unique skills that on their own are formidable but when used in tandem they are nigh unstoppable.
"What are we listening for exactly?" Conner asked, leaning on the handles of the Super-cycle.
They split into two teams of three with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in one team and Superboy, Robin and Wonder Warrior in another. Each team went to search for either of the twin gods. If one team finds them they must contact the other so they could work together against the twins.
"Screams of fear." He replied as he scanned the dark skyline of Gotham.
"How can you tell the difference?" Robin asked from the passenger seat of the bike.
"I can feel the emotions of others with my empathic abilities." He replied, "My mother can as well but she has a far better mastery over this ability. I haven't had much of a need for it, until now."
"What can you feel now?" Conner asked.
"Fear, this place, this city is consumed by it." He looked over Gotham, "I've never felt this much fear in one place before."
"That's Gotham for you." Robin said somberly.
"It's like trying to find one particular grain of sand on a beach." Hunter sighed before he heard a wailing scream and felt a wave of terror following it. He turned his head towards the sea before his eyes locked onto a single ship, "There, that ship in the harbor."
"Miller Harbor here we come." Robin said before Superboy flew the bike towards the harbor beside Hunter, "We should wait and see what it is before we notify the others."
"Right." Hunter nodded.
Flying down, Hunter gently landed on the deck of the boat. The boat was a rather large fishing vessel. Conner and Robin jumped off the Super-cycle and landed on either side of Hunter. The smell of chemicals was heavy in the air, it almost made Conner cringe at the scent.
"I took a picture of the boat's name." Robin said as his wrist computer appeared, "It belongs to a fisherman who went missing a month ago."
"It's quiet." Conner noted, "What happened to the screaming?" He asked causing a moment of tense silence.
They were too late.
"We need to find out what's going on here." Hunter stated before he drew his sword, "Stay alert." He ordered.
The trio cautiously snaked their way down the upper deck to the lower deck before and found nothing. They entered the interior of the boat to find it completely abandoned, the crew quarters, mess hall and gallery were all empty. Going further in they found the engine room eerily silent. The only place left to look was the freezer hold.
Robin silently opened the door to the freezer hold, revealing nothing but darkness. The trio carefully entered the hold before Robin turned on his flashlight. The heroes gasped as Robin moved the light around revealing the hold was lined with clear vacuumed bags each containing numerous corpses.
"Who would do this?" Wonder Warrior asked, aghast by the sight, "There has to be nearly a hundred bodies in here."
"Each one of them was autopsied on." Robin nodded, "Look at the scars on their bodies."
The Boy Wonder was right, each of the bodies had a distinctive 'T' shaped scar on their torsos.
Conner finally spoke, "There's two more holds to check." He was clearly disgusted by the sight as he was the first to look away.
Without a word, the others followed him. The trio went down the hallway towards the second hold. Approaching the door Conner placed his hand on the handle and paused. He glanced at the other two before he took a deep breath. The tense silence gave way for the groaning of the steel door. Robin swallows down a wad of spit before he raises the flashlight towards the dark room.
Much to the relief of the heroes they found a room full of oil drums. Robin carefully entered the room and began to scan the area before he hummed. He approached one of the oil drums, "They don't smell like oil." Conner commented, "They smell like chemicals."
Robin looked over his shoulder and asked, "You guys mind opening one of these?"
Hunter stepped forward and approached an oil drum. He slammed his fingers inside one of the drums before peeling back the cover like a can. Inside the drum was a yellow liquid substance. Robin gasped before he quickly activated his wrist computer and scanned the liquid.
"Just as I thought." He muttered but the others heard him.
"What is it, this substance?" Hunter asked, looking at the yellow liquid.
"Fear Toxin, it's what Scarecrow uses to induce fear into his victims." The younger answered, "A more concentrated liquid variant. The potency of this is crazy, this could be ten times more dangerous than the regular stuff."
"Why would he need so much?" Superboy asked.
"I don't know but I'm not going to wait to find out." Robin replied before deactivating his computer, "The last hold, that must be where his lab is."
"Lab? You mean he's been developing this toxin by experimenting on people?" Hunter asked, astonished by the sheer barbarity of the situation, "It's atrocious."
Conner audibly cracked his knuckles, "Let's get the son of a bitch." His voice was laced with a new found fury.
The trio exited the room with a new found determination. Scarecrow has killed so many people since he escaped Arkham Asylum. How many could've been saved? How many were waiting for heroes to save them? Tonight they will all see that the man that subjugated them to the most heinous of torture will be brought to justice.
The third hold was by far the largest of the three. It's at the very bottom of the ship where most of the fish would be stored. They found a descending staircase that led to a singular door. Robin moved down the stairs first, his steps making little to know sound. Silently opening the trio were met with the sounds of muttering.
"Timestamp, October 31st, 2010." A raspy voice echoed through the room, "Subject name: Adrianna DeLong. Fear: Aquaphobia and Thalassaphobia. The new strain of Fear Toxin has produced remarkable outcomes. The hallucinations have become so all-consuming that the subject's own body reacted as if she was really drowning. Her larynx has spasmed, her respiratory system has failed, in short she suffocated to death."
The trio of heroes split up as they approached the source of the voice. They slinked through the room before they saw Scarecrow, in full costume, standing over a freshly carved open body of a young woman. The three of them maneuvered around the room before they all surrounded him. Robin, silent as ever, came around behind Scarecrow before he pounced.
Jumping up he kicked the older man's knees from behind and got him in a headlock. Scarecrow grunted before he quickly rolled up his sleeve revealing a gauntlet with five needles. He went to jab them into Robin's arm but a golden lasso emerged from the darkness and ensnared his arm, restraining him. He then reached for a scalpel but Conner caught his arm before he quickly broke his wrist with a squeeze.
"We've got him." Conner said as Hunter approached them.
"Fools." Crane spat out, "Fear rules over all and you can never contain it!"
Hunter then replied, "No, but you can."
Conner found a discarded chain and quickly tied Scarecrow in it. Now with the villain secured the Kryptonian threw him over his shoulder and carried him as they made their way back up to the deck. Robin quickly notified Batman of what happened before he contacted Commissioner Gordon.
Loading Scarecrow onto Sphere, Conner sat down on the controls, "Where to now?"
"Arkham Asylum." Robin replied before he hopped onto the bike, "I'm sure ol' haystack here would love to cozy up in his usual cell."
"Let's do so quickly." Wonder Warrior added as he drifted off the ground, "We still need to find Phobos and Deimos."
"The gods of fear and terror?" Scarecrow asked, gaining a glare from Hunter.
"Let's get him to Arkham." Robin said as Conner began to guide the bike up into the air.
Flying over the city Hunter looked around. The dark architecture of the city was unique from any other he's ever seen. The lights below gave the city a yellow aura. The GCPD airships dotted the sky and fired down beams of light, searching for anyone looking to do wrong.
"This place isn't exactly the most cheerful, is it?" Conner commented.
"It's an acquired taste." Robin replied.
"It's like it's cursed." Hunter muttered overcoat. he felt a chill down his spine before yelling, "Stop!"
Conner pulled Sphere to a stop just before a yellow beam fired towards them. The four of them looked up to see a single man floating in the sky. He held a staff with a blue gem at the tip of it. The man was clad in a suit and a trench coat. His red hair waved in the night air.
"Whichever one you are, surrender now." Hunter demanded drawing his sword.
Just then a large lion landed on the Super-cycle. Conner wanted to jump on the large feline but it bowed its head to reveal the head of a goat. The goat head rammed into Superboy sending him flying off the bike causing Hunter to fly down after him. Robin narrowly escaped the snapping of the creature's snake tail. The serpent tail easily wrapped around Scarecrow before it leaped off the bike.
The chimera landed on a nearby building before it transformed into a person, or rather a god, Deimos. Scarecrow looked up at the deity in shock before he was picked up from behind. Jonathan looked up to see the same face. Phobos and Deimos truly are twins.
"Jonthan Crane." Phobos said as the chains evaporated around his body, "You've done well in my name."
"Yes, your toxin has truly weaponized fear like no other." Deimos replied as his brother joined him at his side, "But you've only scratched the surface of its true potential."
"Do you wish to see what true fear can cause?" Phobos asked, extending his right hand as Deimos raised his left.
Robin's eyes widened before he discreetly activated his homing beacon. A yellow flash engulfed the villain before Conner came over the ledge of the building. The clone reeled his fist back aiming to knock down the villains before a large scythe swung towards him. The scythe would've cut him in two if Wonder Warrior hadn't used his lasso to pull Conner back by his arm.
Robin gasped as he saw what Scarecrow had become. The sack that he always wore had become one with his face. His eyes and mouth have become nothing more than sinister pits of orange giving his face the appearance of a jack-o-lantern. He's grown to a towering height, his limbs were long and skeletal like. In his claw tipped hands he held a long scythe.
"What happened to him?" Conner asked before Scarecrow let out a rumbling chuckle.
"I've been blessed with the gift of true fear." He replied before his glowing orange mouth unnaturally widened before he spewed out a cloud of yellow gas.
"Fear Gas, guys get out of there!" Robin yelled.
Wonder Warrior didn't hesitate to grab Superboy's arms and fly up away from the cloud of fear gas. He dropped Superboy on the cycle before he unsheathed his sword, "Deimos and Phobos have gifted him with some of their power."
"What does that mean?" Superboy asked as the villain looked up at them.
"He's essentially a demigod." He replied before he quickly added, "Temporarily."
Scarecrow's scythe transformed into chained sickle. The monster began to spin around the hook before he swung it towards the heroes. The chains seemed to be endless as the chain came from Scarecrow's arm. Superboy quickly revved Sphere before they flew put of the way of the hook which buried itself in the side of a building.
Scarecrow growled before he pulled down the hook along the building leaving a jagged scar across the building's face. Wonder Warrior looked at the damaged building before he raised his sword and flew down with a cry. Seeing the hero coming, Scarecrow once again swung the sickle towards the hero. The sickle darted towards Hunter who easily dodged it and continued to fly for Scarecrow but the villain pulled the hook back.
"Wonder Warrior behind you!" Robin exclaimed.
The Amazon looked over his shoulder to see the hook coming down on him. He barely had enough time to deflect it before he'd be gutted. He flew higher into the sky when Scarecrow threw the hook once more. Seeing the heroes take to the sky the villain let out a malicious chuckle.
"Run as far as you can knowing that fear will find you." Scarecrow exploded in a cloud of fear gas.
Across the city atop Wayne Tower the villain reappeared perched atop a gargoyle, "People of Gotham." He lamented, "For too long you've been blinded by the black cape of the Batman. He's blinded you to the fact that this city has been lost long ago, a shadow of what it never was." He raised to his full height, "Tonight I will show you the truth, a truth you've been denied by Batman, Commissioner Gordon and the almighty Justice League." He reared his head up towards the blackening sky, lightning beginning to flash with the unseen clouds, "The truth has been obscured by the hope for a better world but when you ingest my toxin you will finally see. There are no saviors, no hope, nothing but fear." He swung his head down before he spewed a cloud of fear toxin out of his mouth.
All across the city everyone watched in shock as they saw a yellow cloud falling from Wayne Tower. The cloud began to spread down the streets and across the city. People ran from the cloud but were unable to escape. The cloud swallowed people, cars, and smaller buildings whole.
Dr. Kirk Langstrom was on his way home from his job at Gotham Academy. It's been a long and hard road getting his life back in order after he became the Man-Bat. Thanks to Batman, who developed a cure for his condition, he can now go back to having a normal life with his wife, Francine.
Parking in front of his building he saw his wife passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. She was dressed as a witch for Halloween. He strongly denied all the offers of a costume, his days in someone else's skin are over.
Parking his car he gave Francine a smile as he approached their door. He gave the children a smile until he saw one dressed as a bat. It felt as if everything froze at that moment. The few glimpses he could remember as the monster came in flashes.
Noticing this, Francine gave the children handfuls of candy before she walked down the steps of their porch and approached her husband and put comforting hands on his arms, "Sweety, you with me?"
Snapping back to reality Kirk cleared his throat before he gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm fine, just a long day."
Francine gave her husband a peck on the lips before they walked back to their door together, arm in arm. Before they could make it up their steps they heard the sound of a car crashing. They both ran over to the sidewalk to see that two cars had collided.
"I'll call the ambulance." Francine pulled her phone out, "Go check if they're okay, honey."
Kirk nodded before he walked down the street and approached the two cars and their drivers, "Is everyone okay here?"
One of the drivers, no doubt a teenager, looked back at him before he screamed. Fearing the worst he looked down at his arms to make sure that he wasn't transforming. The kid pointed at something behind him before running off with everyone else. Turning around Kirk let out a gasp.
A wall of yellow smoke barreled down the street, engulfing anything in its way. Looking down he saw Francine who had just noticed the cloud. His heart racing he yelled, "Run Francine!"
He didn't know when he started running but soon he had her in his arms pulling her down the road in an iron grip. Looking over his shoulder he saw as the cloud swallowed people whole before he heard their Screams. They ran as fast as they could before someone knocked Francine down in their fear driven sprint.
"Francine!" He bent down and pulled her to her feet but it was too late, "Don't breathe it in!"
The cloud overtook them with a gust of wind that brought them to their knees. Kirk kept his grip on his wife as they got to their feet. They held their breath as long as they ran looking for a way out of the cloud. Eventually Francine's acting lungs forced her to exhale before she breathed in. She immediately began to scream out in agony.
"Francine!" Kirk yelled, allowing the gas to enter his lungs.
All at once pain engulfed his body. Bones breaking and reshaping, skin stretching and darkening, muscles twisting and contouring, hair sprouting all over his body. He withered on the ground as his entire body began to transform. His arms and fingers began to stretch and grow membranes before they finally became wings, his teeth elongated into sharp fangs and his ears enlarged.
Eventually his entire appearance changed until he looked more bat than human. The monster looked around before he looked down at his wing-like hands. Realizing what's happened he let out a wailing screech. The screeches ended when he finally lost himself to the monster. Spreading his wings he took to the sky with one mighty beat.
Man-Bat has returned.
The sewers of Gotham City were always home to him. They shielded him from the ridicule, the pointing, the gasps and the fearful looks. Here he could do whatever he pleased without anyone telling him otherwise. Here he could be Waylon Jones not Killer Croc, although he didn't see much of a difference anymore.
Rising from the sewer water he returned to his den. It was a humble settlement. The only furniture he had were things people had already thrown out. He stole a small box TV and connected it to an antenna he attached to the roof of a small store.
Turning on his TV he was met with the sight of static, "Piece of garbage." He growled before he looked up through the grate that allowed a beam of moonlight to illuminate his den.
Escaping Arkham was easier than finding a good signal in the sewers. Climbing up the brick walls he pushed the grate out and reached the surface. He eventually found the small antenna he had placed and began to move it around. After fiddling with it some more he huffed before he climbed down back to the alley below.
Walking back towards the sewer he heard the sounds of screaming but paid it no mind. Screams are a dime a dozen in this city anyway. He picked up the sewer grate and looked down at the sewer before he sniffed the air. He cringed at the smell of chemicals before he noticed that the scent didn't come from the sewers.
Sniffing around he looked up to see a cloud of yellow smoke coming his way and let out a huff, "Typical Scarecrow." He wasn't afraid of the fear gas, his condition had a few perks such as that of regeneration so the gas had no effect on him.
He allowed the cloud to pass over him as he positioned himself to jump into the sewer. Before he could he began to feel pain shoot through his body. He doubled over in pain before he fell down into the sewer hitting every pipe along the way before he landed in the sewer water.
The water bubbled and roiled as he convulsed in pain before it began to calm. A single scaly arm came out from the water and scratched the concrete. A second joined it before Waylon climbed out. He stumbled across his den before he grabbed his cracked mirror and looked into it.
"No. No, no, no." He jerked away from the mirror. His mouth had extended into a snout, his legs had bent almost like a dinosaur's, his arms had elongated with his claws now hooked but worst of all was the long tail extending out from. His condition is worse than ever, just as he feared it would be.
"NO!" He let out a roar of despair.
From above, the fear gas looked like a yellow smoldering cloud with only the tallest buildings in the city standing above it.
"Hallucinations were never enough." He raised his arms high, "With the gifts I've received I can turn all of your fears into reality!"
Before he could bask in his glory he was struck across the face sending him flying off of Wayne Tower. He quickly sprouted black wings from his back and stopped his fall. Looking up he saw Wonder Woman glaring down at him with Superman just behind her. Finally he saw Batman landing on the gargoyle he was just on.
"What have you done, Scarecrow!?" Batman demanded.
He let out a rumbling chuckle, "I'm tearing Gotham apart from the inside out. Their fear will reduce them to their base instinct to the point where they are no better than animals."
"Like you?"
A golden lasso ensnared his neck from behind before he was tugged back. A strong arm got him into a headlock before the grip tightened, "Get rid of the gas." Wonder Warrior ordered.
"To what avail?" Scarecrow asked, "The damage is done. I've made sure that once this gas enters the body that it will stay there. As we speak my Fear Toxin is entwining into their DNA, changing them into what they fear most."
"What is the cure?" Superman demanded but Scarecrow only laughed.
"What is the cure?" Wonder Warrior repeated before he lasso burned gold.
"There is none." The villain said smugly.
"None that you know of." Wonder Woman replied looking down at the gas below, "This is Phobos and Deimos' power. Only another god can counteract it." She looked at Wonder Warrior who nodded in agreement.
"You think it'll be that easy?" Scarecrow asked before a scythe blade sprouted from his back, impaling Hunter.
Hunter coughed up blood before he let go of Scarecrow and fell down towards the cloud of Fear Gas, "Wonder Warrior!" Conner stood up to jump after him but a blue blur stopped him.
The villain quickly pulled the lasso off of his neck before he burst into a murder of crows, escaping. Superman quickly flew down and caught Hunter before the gas could engulf him. He flew up and gently handed him to Superboy who carefully held him in his arms.
"We need to get rid of that gas." Superman said, looking down at the toxic cloud.
"You better not do anything stupid." Batman said sternly.
Superman only rolled his eyes, "Diana, you need to find a way to cure everyone of the toxin."
"I'll need a base for my abilities to build off of." Wonder Woman then looked at Batman.
The Dark Knight sighed before he got something from his belt, "The cure to Scarecrow's Fear Toxin." He tossed it to the Amazon who easily caught it.
"She won't do it alone." Hunter said as Conner allowed him on his feet.
"Are you sure?" Conner asked and the prince nodded.
"The people of this city need all of us, I'll do my part." He said before he slipped off his bracelets and offered them to Conner, "I'll trust you to get these back on me when the time comes."
Conner took the bracelets before he nodded.
"Robin, you and I will find Scarecrow." Batman ordered, "Once Superman and Superboy clear the gas and Wonder Woman and Wonder Warrior cure the city we'll all take him down together." He ordered before he pressed a button on his belt.
"Got it." Robin then used his zipline to join Batman on the gargoyle.
"We each have vital roles to play in saving Gotham." Superman said, "Scarecrow believes that our fears define us. He's wrong. How we conquer our fears is what defines us. So let's -"
"Let's kick his ass." Conner suddenly said before he revved up the Super-cycle and flew off.
"I liked his speech better." Batman said with a smirk, gaining a glare from Superman before the Batwing came into view.
The three teams flew in different directions each off to each of their individual missions. Wonder Woman and Wonder Warrior flew off towards the clouds above Gotham. Superman and Superboy flee towards the center of the city. Lastly, Batman and Robin circled the city in the Batwing as they searched for Scarecrow.
Superman and Superboy arrived at Robinson Park. The park was at the center of the city making it the best place to dissipate the gas. The Man of Steel looked around before he had an idea.
"We'll funnel the wind upward towards the sky and away from the city." He said before Conner replied.
"But won't the jet streams above sweep them away?"
Superman quickly took a pause before he nodded, "New plan, we'll contain the gas."
"Then we contain it." Superboy nodded before he asked, "How?"
"We'll funnel it up and when it gets high enough I'll fly around it in a sphere." He said before he asked, "Do you have super speed?"
"I don't know." He shrugged.
"You don't know?" Superman asks skeptically.
"I never tried." He shot back, "I didn't have anyone to teach me."
Superman sighed before he said, "Okay. Crash course: Find a roof and start running."
Conner raised an eyebrow, "That's seriously your advice?"
"Look I don't know how to explain it ok." Superman quickly said, "Just try it please while I do this."
"Fine." Conner groaned before he flew down onto a roof above the gas cloud, "So stupid." He muttered before he began to run.
Above the city, Wonder Woman and Wonder Warrior flew into the clouds, "Here." Diana said, stopping their ascent.
"How are we going to do this?" Hunter asked as his mother pulled out the antidote to the Fear Gas.
"We're going to imbue our essence into this antidote." She took his hands in her own.
"How will we disperse it?" He asked before he noticed clouds begin to form around them.
"Rain is nature's cleanser." Diana replied with a small smile, "Are you ready?"
Hunter could only nod his head before they both clasped their hands over the vile.
Much to Superboy's surprise he actually began to run faster and faster. He picked up so much speed that the smoke began to spiral around him. Taking a deep breath he kept running, faster and faster. Eventually the smoke around the city began to seep away in a funnel cloud.
Seeing this Superman quickly began to aid Superboy. Taking a deep breath he flew around the funnel. Eventually the Man of Steel began to fly around the smoke so fast he eventually contained it into a sphere allowing Conner to finally stop. The clone fell to his knees and began to cough, he had breathed in some Fear Gas.
"No." Conner coughed out before he began to growl before he let out a feral roar.
Hearing this Superman looked down to see Conner throwing the Super-cycle into a neighboring building. The cycle flew out of the building before crashing into Superboy, attempting to pin him but she was easily pushed away. Realizing what's going on Superman flew down and quickly grabbed Conner from behind.
"Superboy, you have to calm down." He tried before Conner launched them both back into a building.
In the sky the clouds began to rumble with thunder. Diana and Hunter's body began to shine bright as lightning struck around them. The light from their bodies began to focus from their hands. Finally lightning struck their hands, bolt after bolt before they released their hold unleashing a shockwave of energy along with a white cloud.
"Did that do it?" Hunter asked before rain began to fall around them, "Forget I asked." Before he could relax he heard a familiar scream, "Conner."
Wonder Warrior flew down with a boom. Wonder Woman immediately followed him. They flew so fast they beat the rain to the ground. They followed the commotion to the sight of Superman and Superboy wrestling each other. The two Amazons flew down and held Superboy down.
"Conner, snap out of it." Hunter looked into his wild eyes just before the rain hit them. Conner continued to struggle against them before he finally calmed down. Hunter cupped Conner's face and leaned down, "Conner?"
"Fear Gas sucks."
Wonder Warrior let out a laugh before he and Wonder Woman pulled Superboy to his feet. The clone groaned as he flexed his back with a pained groan, "Sorry about that." Superman let out a nervous chuckle, "Kinda had to get rough with you."
"Thanks." Superboy replied.
"The rain is working." Wonder Woman suddenly said.
The four of them listened across the city as the screaming began to die down. The Amazons began to feel the waves of fear slowly give way to relief and confusion. It worked. The city is safe.
"Batman to team." They heard Batman through their ear pieces, "We've located Scarecrow."
They flew towards the coordinates Batman sent them. They found a single house in the woods just outside of Gotham. The house was in ruins with broken windows, cracked open roof and cracked paint. They found Batman and Robin waiting for them down the road.
"What is this place?" Superman asked.
"This is where Scarecrow grew up." Batman answered, "His father was the original creator of Fear Toxin. The US Government commissioned him to create a biological weapon and he tested his experiments on his son."
"So that's the reason for his mental instability." Wonder Woman stated as they approached the house.
"He wishes to be immune to fear." Batman replied as they stopped at the porch, "And to do that he thinks he needs to master it." He climbed the porch and reached for the door before he hesitated, "Get down!"
Batman dived out the way just before a large hook burst through the old wooden door. The hook flew all the way across the yard before it was reeled back by the chain it was attached to. The chain disappeared into the house before the entire front half of the building exploded in scarlet red flames. Among the flames walked out Scarecrow.
"So you've dissipated the cloud." His voice rumbled the ground beneath their feet, "You think you can reverse the damage that's been done?" He chuckled before he began to shrink. Eventually Scarecrow returned to his regular state, "I've done my part." He declared before Diana and Hunter wrapped their lassos around him, "It will never be undone." He turned to look at Batman who gave him a cold look.
November 1, 11:23 A.M
Scarecrow's shadow loomed over the city even after the sun came up. The city tore itself apart in the short time the gas had shrouded everything. Deaths, injuries and missing people were almost too much to count. The heroes worked well into the morning saving people from flipped cars, burning buildings and helping anyone who was lost.
Eventually other heroes came to offer their aid. Artemis showed up first, she was in a panic and hastily decided to patrol the city. Then came the rest of the League and team. Everyone played a part in trying to get Gotham back to its previous state. . . or as close as they could.
"We've got this, you guys need to rest." Wally said as he appeared behind the trio of young heroes, "You guys have been up all night."
"Kid Flash's right." Kaldur said as he flew down on the Super-cycle, "It won't help anyone if you're too exhausted to aid anyone."
"Not yet." Robin replied as he listened to the police monitor on his wrist.
"There's still a lot left to do." Conner replied before he twisted his head before a satisfying crack could be heard.
"It was like a war zone when we returned." Hunter said, looking over the city skyline. The dying pillars of black smoke sprouted all across the city towards the sky. They were once fueled by raging fires that have now been extinguished, "We're not leaving until the city returns to relative peace."
"Just be careful you guys." M'gann said through the mental link.
"We will." Hunter replied before he heard crying, "I'll be right back." He suddenly flew off from the clock tower they stood on.
He followed the sounds of sobbing and crying down towards a sewer grate. Fearing that someone was trapped there he quickly picked up the sewer grate and discarded it. He flew down and looked around before he heard the sobbing once more. Following it he found himself going further and further inside the sewer.
"Hello?" He called out and the cries stopped. Wonder Warrior floated around in silence before a chunk of concrete flew at him. He easily smashed the chunk before he heard a beastly hiss, "Who's there?"
"GO AWAY!"
Hunter stopped, he recognized that voice, "Waylon?" He slowly approached the source of the hissing, "If everything alright?"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He roared with a hiss, "No one should see me like this, not even the people in Arkham."
Hunter planted his feet in the sewer water and raised his hands, "Waylon, I'm not here to fight. You've done nothing wrong." He stood still for a moment with only silence, "I can't help you if you don't let me."
"No one can help me." Waylon replied before Hunter heard thumping footsteps approach him, "He made it worse."
It was only when Waylon stepped into the light that Hunter saw what he talked about. He appeared totally different from the last time he saw him in Belle Reve. Before he appeared human with only scales, claws and sharpened teeth but now he looked like a hybrid between a crocodile and a human.
"He made it worse." He repeated not daring to meet Hunter's eyes.
"I'm going to get close to you, is that ok?" Wonder Warrior asked carefully and Waylon only shrugged. Each step towards Waylon was made carefully before he was finally close enough to float up and wrap his arms around his enlarged neck. Waylon was shocked by the gesture before he curled his head down over Hunter's shoulder, "I'm so sorry. We should've prevented this but we can help you."
"No one can help me." He replied in utter defeat.
Hunter didn't know what to say, he didn't know what he could possibly do to console him so he only held Waylon tighter.
It wasn't just Waylon who had his appearance altered. Hawkman and Hawkwoman had found the now returned Man-Bat sobbing on a roof. The cure had freed him of the Fear Gas' effects but the effects of the Man-Bat serum remained. Now he had full consciousness, although some would say that's worse than before. It seemed that the physical effects of the gas were permanent if they affected pre-existing conditions.
Was this the damage that Scarecrow had talked about or maybe it was something much more catastrophic.