"So…" Garfield said lowering the special binoculars, to face Nightwing who was standing right beside him asking for his observations "Penguin has came out of the stadium, and he is getting rock star reception down there."
Nightwing nodded "I can tell. The loud cheers and screams are enough to give it away."
"Okay…" Garfield said unsure on how to respond to this statement "so what's the matter with these clowns? The guy's a psychopath, and they must know about his father who must be just as or even more of a psychopath than him!"
Nightwing sighed heavily "My friend. How much have you missed?" He seemed to take his time marching around the roof of the empty multi – story car park as if trying to think of the right words to string together "This shows how bad things were under Prof Zoom." He said rather bluntly "The Penguin's a 'street fighter'. A man of the people. He had worked his way up from nothing but his father's awful reputation that he 'tries to drop' and people respect that. Plus he keeps them entertained, but my real question for you is this. Do you have anything on Ashley?"
Garfield pressed one of a series of button on the binoculars, and he placed it to his eyes. Nightwing had told him about the various features of these binoculars from the typical X ray vison to heat sensors and a bunch of other stuff from detecting speedsters to a zoom so powerful that it can detect an out of place atom.
Garfield was using the infrared heat sensor setting and even though he had no idea what he exactly he should be looking for and Nightwing didn't really help only saying "You will know when you see it." After a while of looking around the area something caught his eye. A three figures, one of them sitting, the other two holding something that appears to be weapons and to Garfield that can mean only one thing.
"I belive that she's locked up in that customized mall across the street. Security's tight. Maybe fifty bodies from the ground to the roof, each one armed to the teeth. It ain't goanna be easy Nightwing"
"Good!" Nightwing said walking briskly to the Bat – Jeep as if Garfield had just announced what todays weather would be like "It's a good thing that I got my genius plan!"
Garfield looked at Nightwing with a stone face "Just make sure that it doesn't involve me." He said coldly "I already told you…"
"…That you will not be a party to violence here." Nightwing said finishing Garfield's sentence "Relax Powder – puff, all you've got to do is drive."
There were two men who guarded the cell of Ashley were bored. They wanted to watch the execution of her two teammates, however the Penguin had insisted that they should watch the girl, the two men knew better than complain, so they did as they were told. The first man's name was Antony. He had a fresh young face, had long hair with hair as thick as iron, and a giant black goatee. A giant tattoo of a dragon can be seen tattooed on his entire chest and neck, he was so thin that he looked as if a single gust of wind would be enough to send him flying like a kite and he wore giant sunglasses so thick that the glass seemed to have come from the viewing window from an aquarium. He was holding a worn out rife as if it was his new-born kid, stroking it as if it was his pet cat. He was wearing a simple brown shirt, simple khaki trousers and cheap looking hiking boots.
His partner, Roberto, looked old enough to be his father or even his grandfather, even though they were brothers. Roberto was practically bald as a boiled egg that seemed to have cross bred with a dried up raisin. He had no hair, not even an eyebrow on his head. He had a thick upper lip, and he had muscles so large that he looked as if he can destroy an entire building with just a couple of well-aimed and coordinated punches. He too was a military uniform that seemed to have come straight out of a war movie, complete with an antique metal helmet, medals and badges he didn't earn and thick leather boots that would guarantee removal of the feet if one were to wear it too long. Roberto was smoking from a giant cigar and this annoyed Antony. Not because these types of cigars emitted a foul smell, but because they could have sold them for a 3-digit figure.
Roberto looked at their prisoner as if she was a priceless treasure. They stood guard at a jail cell that had a simple bed and toilet and not much of anything else. The bars were a highly complex red laser, that upon contact would sever any part of the body that it came into contact with. Ashly looked like if Guy Gardener was a girl. She had long rust coloured hair, brown eyes and a perfect looking body structure. Had she been born at a better time she would have appeared in the front page of every beauty and adult magazine in the world. She had scars all over her body and she was examining them as if they were extracts from her favourite books. She was wearing a rather provocative green lantern costume and was looking around her as if everything had personally insulted her in some way. She knew that the men were forbidden to touch her or harm her in anyway, the Penguin, villain or not still treats his enemies with honour and respect and doesn't tolerate any harm infected to them unless if it was their execution.
"I don't get what yea so angry about anyway." Antony said looking at Ashly as if she was an acquaintance that he barely knew who was on their death bed. "You don't like living here, you should try spending a week in Black Adam's area."
Roberto sneered "Penguin looks after us Lantern – Bitch." He said with disgust, not caring about his foul language "All he asks in return in a bit of loyalty"
Antony looked at Roberto as if he had personally insulted him, and he turned to the girl sounding like a doctor about to deliver bad news "I guess it must be in the blood. Your papa is Nightwing. Your grandpapa is Guy Gardener, and your other so called grandpapa is Batman. I respect that, and so does the Penguin. But I ask you. What the hell were you thinking? That you and your friends were goanna save everyone?"
Ashly looked up at him. Her face giving nothing away.
Garfield was screaming for his life, glass was shooting through the air like bullets, dust, concrete and various other powdered stuff filled up his lungs. His feet were stiff on pressing on the accelerator, the seatbelt threatened to cut through his skin like a cheese wire, he felt all the blood rushing into one side of his body, making one side feel too warm and the other too numb and stiff and his hand was frozen on the gear shift. Whatever this plan that Nightwing had, it was completely insane.
He and Nightwing was hurtling full speed on the side of a building, about to kamikaze into the side of the building where Ashley was being held prisoner. Garfield knew that the Bat – Jeep could do something like this, but actually doing it was more terrifying than witnessing it happening, not to mention actually getting the Bat – Jeep onto the side of the building was terrifying onto itself.
"Faster!" Nightwing bellowed unhelpfully as he struggled to hold on "We need to reach at least 200!"
"This genius plan of yours!" Garfield said stugging to gain a steady control of the wheel "It wouldn't just be smashing though the walls like eh Kamikaze and you killing everybody would it?"
"Yep!" Nightwing said through gritted teeth
"That aint genius! Even for a son of Batman!" Garfield said risking a glance at Nightwing
"It is if it works!" Nightwing hollered, and at that exact moment, the building ended and the two old men found themselves flying full speed towards the large looming brick and glass building as if they were fired from a cannon.
He closed his eyes as he saw his own horrified expression and Nightwing's giddy face reflected back at him from the well-polished window.
Jonathan looked at his two cards once again and tried to suppress a smile. He was sitting in what used to be an office in a mall but is now their den. The room was practically empty, it had a few rows of beds, a couple of uncomfortable chairs and a small table used for poker.
The air smelt of musky cigarette smoke and damp sweat. He looked at the three men who sat in front of him, their faces completely blank giving nothing away. Jonathan was personally chosen to work for an associate of the Penguin, who had observed his brilliant mind and physical power when he fought in one of several boxing arenas. He uses his word to irritate them into exhaustion, then go for rapid blows to take the enemy down. Jonathan had only had to hear the words 'work for us' when he immediately joined. There he rapidly rose up the ranks, helping smuggle good from drugs to weapons, oversaw one of several production plants producing goodness knows what, and 'taking out' those who had gone against the Penguin's code which included anyone from rapists to people who kill without honour, that now almost 5 years later he is considered to be 'the Penguin's right hand man's, right hand man.
The men in front of him were triplets and they were considered to be one of the Penguin's greatest assets. All three of them looked so identical from the way that they dressed to every single scar and developed muscle that they could have been made in a factory. They had the same auburn hair, the same dark tunnel eyes, the same thin lips, the same oversized hands, they wore the same plain but formal military uniform that didn't even have a single wrinkle on it and they had the same looking gun swung onto their back.
The men's name were Andy, Brian and Charlie and they were one of the Penguin's assassins personally trained by Ra's Al Ghul who now rules half of Asia and Slade himself who now resides in parts of Europe. Many people believe that they were highly involved in the death of Professor Zoom, which is highly believable weather if it is true or not. The men were born seconds apart with Andy and Brian were born merely 5 seconds apart and Charlie following a few seconds after and they hadn't been separated for longer than that.
"I raise" Jonathan said pushing his small pile of chips towards the Everest of chips that were piled in front of him. He looked at the 5 cards on the table once again as if they were his only hope. The card were from Green Lantern falls and they, of course had drawings of superheroes on them Jack of Hearts (Batman); King of Hearts (SHAZAM); Queen of Hearts (Raven); Ace of Spades (Superman); Jack of Clubs (Martian Manhunter).
The three men each silently pushed their juggernaut pile of chips forward in response, and Jonathan fought to suppress a smile. He gestured at Andy to show his cards first. And indifferently turned over his cards, his face, like his brothers was as blank as ever. The King of Diamonds (Green Arrow) and Queen of Clubs (Supergirl) stared at him as if daring him to procced.
"Two pairs!" Jonathan cried with a smile "Not bad Andy, not bad at all! And you Brian?"
Brian, who was sitting at Jonathan's left, turned over the cards with as much emotion as a kid who has been told to do their chores after getting scolded at. The Queen of Spades (Wonder Woman) and the 10 of spades (The Flash) seemed to be attempting to mock Jonathan at a loosing argument.
"Three of a kind! Nice hand! But…" Jonathan said he then picked up his cards and turned them over with skills that would impress a croupier. The Jack of Spades (Captain Atom) and the Jack of Diamonds (Aquaman) stood on display proudly. "Beat that! A four of a kind! You can't…"
But Jonathan didn't have time to finish his retort as he saw Charlie turn his card to reveal the 10 of Hearts (Beast Boy) and the Ace of Hearts (Nightwing). Jonathan blinked and swore every word that he knew. A Royal Flush. He had lost. He looked at Charlies cards with such ferocity that he wished that he could personally kill Nightwing and Beast Boy, if he knew where they were.
Charlie was pulling in the chips to his pile and gave a flicker of a smile to his brother as if sharing a private joke. Jonathan swore again and looked out of the window as if expecting to see something better out of it.
The last thing that Jonathan saw in his life was a Jeep that looked to belong to Batman hurdling full speed towards him with what looked to be an old Nightwing on the passenger seat holding what looked to be a strange looking gun at him and a strange looking Beast Boy who looked neither old or young at the same time.
The Jeep collide with the window and came crashing into the room. Jonathan and Andy was killed almost instantly, crushed by the Bat – Jeep as it cannonballed into the room sending blood, organs, chips and cards flying everywhere like some grotesque party cannon.
Charlie and Brian (who somehow stood out of the way of the collision) didn't even have the time to draw their weapons when they were both simultaneously slashed in the throat with a bat – tearing. Brian was killed almost instantly at the same time his brother Andy died, Charlie died mere seconds after Brian did.
Antony heard the deafening crashing sound and signalled to Roberto to stay put, as they both withdrew their weapons. Roberto looked around him, there were to possible entrances, the door that led to the Penguin's private area and the door that led to a corridor and the break room. He heard a crashing sound, wood flew everywhere and it stung into his eyes painfully, as he saw Antony's head get turned into a kebab with a samurai sword by an unknown assailant. "Ashly!" a voice hollered "Where is the control panel?"
Roberto was confused. He was trying to get the splinters out of his eyes and yet it seemed that this was an attempt at a jail break. He was about to aim blindly at whatever assailant attacked him when he heard the words "31 Inches to the left of my voice!"
Those were the last words he heard when an arrow struck the control panel of Ashly's cell door and another one hit Roberto's solar plexus, instantly stabbing his heart.
Ashly took a step out of her cell, only glancing at her aged father, unsure on what to say or do when the second door burst open and out came the Penguin himself still wearing his gangster uniform and a look of confusion on his face. "What the hell's going on in here?" He cried as he tried to comprehend what he was witnessing. The last thing that the Penguin saw in his life was the woman Ashly brandishing a giant rife like a club running full speed towards him.
"You made your first mistake Penguin!" Ashly cried and she swung with all her might at the Penguin's head.
The Penguins head came flying off. Blood exploded everywhere as the Penguin's face flew up into the air with a final look of horror.
"You got OLD!"
"Ouch" Nightwing said, as he felt the Penguin's head roll to his feet. "That as messy as it sounded?"
Ashly examined her father with next to no emotion on her face. Then as calmly as hailing a taxi, she wacked the side of her father's head, more gently this time.
"Wose" she said coldly as her father cried out from shock from the pain.
Nightwing fell to the cold metal floor, and he looked up at Ashly as if he could see again "Ashly! What are you doing!?" He cried out in confusion and horror
"What I came here to do" Ashly said in a monotone voice as if this was something she did on a regular basis "Seize control from the Penguin"
"Bu…but…" Nightwing cried in confusion unable to understand what is going on. "But I thought that you had came here to free everybody!?"
Ashly laughed, a cold hard laugh. "That's because you're stupid dad." She looked down at her father with so much disgust, anger and ferocity that even a blind man can sense it.
She gestured at the thugs that seemed to have appeared out of thin air, she knew that hey now worked for her now, but she wanted to kill her father personally.
She lifted the gun, not to shoot, but to club her father to death. "I killed the Penguin more or less the same way he killed Prof Zoom. And now it's time to show these boys what their new boss is made of!"
Nobody realised or saw the Jeep in the next room across from the corridor. Nobody saw the hunched-up figure with his hands on the steering wheel with death in his eyes. But nobody did and Garfield knew that if he did nothing he would die, and he can't afford that to happen. His face turning cold he swore. "Damn you to hell for making me do this Nightwing" He growled.