Chapter 8

After the Riddler got a big slice of humble pie, I stood on the roof of an apartment building waiting for Batman to call me about regaining the cure from the Joker.

"Well, hello stranger." that seductive voice belongs to only person who could that.

Catwoman.

"Evening Selina." I greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Admiring the view." By admiring, she was checking me out.

"Sure you do. And before you try to make a move on me, I'm taken, darling."

"Wasn't trying to." She pouted. I scoffed.

"yeah right. And what's that smell?" I sniffed and made a disgusted face. "It smells like pheromones."

Then I realized. "Ivy, really? Really?"

She shrugged like she was caught and she was, guilty as charged.

"Awesome" I said sarcastically. Just what you think it can't get any worse.

She was about to defend herself when I interrupted her. "Don't say a word, just do what you promised Ivy to do, I have bigger problems to deal with, ok?"

"Sure." She said and gave me a blowing kiss as she left.

"God, help me." I prayed once again hoping to survive tonight.

A few moments later, I waited and waited hoping that Batman would get the cure back when I heard footsteps. I turned around to see a blonde woman wearing the League clothing.

"What you're doing here, Sara?"

Sara Lance. Former Starling U dropout and Nyssa's long time lover shrugged. She was the Billionaire Playboy Oliver Queen's lover once when she got shipwrecked five years ago and was stranded on a island somewhere in the North China Sea. "I was in the neighborhood. Thought I popped by and say hello."

Seeing my unconvinced look, Sara told me the real reason why she was in Arkham City. "I'm here on official League Business. I'm looking for clues that would tell me where to find Malcolm Merlyn. I have my sources telling me that he's still alive. "

I raised my eyebrows slightly. Malcolm Merlyn? Alive? Yeah and I'm the queen Elizabeth I. "I heard he died few years back."

"Well, my sources are telling me otherwise. And besides, you know as well as I: In the League, Death is an illusion." Sara stated.

Can't disagree with that one. "Touché. Well, I don't see any psycho billionaire sporting a black hood around here."

"I Figured." Sara said. "Is it true what I heard from Shawn? That Strange knows who you really are?"

I nodded. "Seems that way." Before Sara could suggest that she should help me I held up a hand to stop her. "I can handle Strange. Last thing I need right now is for you to be in his crosshairs. Nyssa would never forgive me if something happens to you. Remember the Riddler?"

Sara's face darkened slightly at the mention of the egomaniacal intellect. "Don't remind me." The Riddler made an appearance in Starling City a few months ago kidnapping some employees of the it apartment at Queen Industries and put them in the mechanical death traps all to prove his superiority. Laurel, Sara's sister was caught in the cross fire and barley made it out alive out of one of his death traps. In a fit of rage, Sara with a little help found her and the Riddler, beating him within an inch of his life. If it hadn't been for Laurel, Sara would've surely killed him on the spot.

"Exactly."

Sara sighed seeing that I wasn't gonna change my mind. "Ok. But if you need anything."

"I know. Now go." I requested. Sara nodded before leaving the rooftop as the News chopper flashed its spotlight on me. Vicki Vale, the famous reporter/Journalist was sitting on the ledge. Great. MY fifteen minutes of fame has arrived.

"My god, our mystery caller was correct. Batman's new partner is in Arkham City!" Vicki Vale reported.

"Is he really? Hello, Gotham. It's me. I'm afraid Ms. Vale will soon be leaving the air waves." Joker said.

Soon after his message was sent, A RPG missile struck the chopper, destroying the tail rotor. "We apologize for this interruption." Joker declared.

"We've been hit! We're going down! Mayday! Mayday!" The chopper crashed down near the old Gotham freeway abruptly ending the SOS.

I ran towards where News chopper went down and saw a distressed Vicki Vale hiding in fright at from the snipers at the old FM Building. I had to take them out simultaneously. I snuck up behind them and banged their heads into each other I jumped down rolling through the landing to the freeway where Vicki Vale was residing.

"Vicki Vale, You should be safe for now. Head to the church. Officer Cash will be waiting" I advised her.
"Any chance I could get an exclusive. Care to tell Gotham's what happening in Arkham City?" Vicki

"No." I told her bluntly. "I already had my fifteen minutes of fame."

"Now, That's no way to talk to that nice lady reporter, Baby Bats."

Perfect. Just what I needed. Another call from the Clown. "What do you want?"

"Who you're talking to?" Vicki asked me perplexed.

"Now see what you've done? The poor woman is all confused. Though it's hardly surprising, I suppose. I mean she's been in a terrible accident." Joker giggled.

"That you caused." I reminded the Clown, causing the Joker to gasp in horror.

"How dare you?! I have never been so... Oh, what the hell? All right, it was me. But I just needed a little time to guarantee that Harley got back to me with that delicious cure. If Bats is being a good little boy, I may save a little. It's unlikely, I know. But really, i'm his last chance, aren't I?"

"Don't remind me." I muttered as Vicki Vale reported through her cellphone about her latest brush with death.

"Jericho, meet Batman at Wonder Tower, Strange just initiated Protocol 10. You need to leave now."

"I know." I said as I got the hell out of dodge by jumping from a building to another when a missile was launched from a chopper and hit the building. I ran as quickly as possible to avoid the missiles. They were coming from every direction, hitting everything with a heartbeat. I Jumped into a used vehicle that was surprisingly still functional so I hijacked the car and drove off, avoiding the spotlight from the Tiger copters.

Some of the inmates that were in another car drove next to me, laughing at my expense. It seemed that I was missing out on the joke and it was a real good one.

"Oh, come on." I groaned as a missile was heading towards me. I got out of the car rolling on the pavement as it struck the vehicle setting it in a blaze of glory. I hope the person who owned it has a pretty good car insurance. My newly made comrades weren't so lucky as they met their ends by a missile.

But I finally made my way to Wonder Tower and met up with Batman. He was a quite a mess himself.

"You ok?"

"What happened?"

"I found Joker in the Steel mill hoping to get the cure back but when I was about to apprehend him, Protocol 10 activated and I was buried under some rubble. Just when Joker was about to kill me, Talia interfered. She made a deal with Joker. My life for the Lazarus pit."

"Is she nuts?! What the hell was she thinking? Goddamnit!" I was in rage, but in that rage, I understood why, she cared for him. love can make you do strange things. I just didn't believe that she would go this far. "I'm going after her!"

"We'll save her, Jericho. But right now we got to stop Strange from obliterating Arkham City and the whole of Gotham. at the Wonder Tower. I also found this." Batman said as he grabbed me a necklace and I recognized it immediately.

"I don't believe this." I chuckled studying it. "It was a birthday gift I gave to her 6 years ago. There is no way she would leave it."

"That means one thing. She's alive, Jericho."

I let out a sigh of relief. For now.

"Come on, let's end this madness." Batman said

"You took the words right out of my mouth." I agreed as we both went to Wonder Tower.

As we went further into the tower, tighter the security was, it wasn't easy. Strange was paranoid but being paranoid has it advantages, I'll give him that. As I made up to the upper floors, I thought to myself. Turn around. The whole thing screamed suicide, but I didn't give a damn. At least, I'll die being a pain in the ass.

"How much further?"

"Not long, we're almost there."

"Can't wait to get my hands on that son of a bitch."

We had to climb up the tower when the elevator was shut down until we finally made it to the top. Strange had locked himself in a bulletproof chamber, it was heavily guarded by Tyger guards, he thought he was safe, he was wrong.

We split up, I took care of the guards on the balcony. He crawled under grath and knocked out a few guards himself they fell one by one until Strange was all by himself. Batman used his sequencer to hack in the terminal and when he succeeded, Strange was not intimated by our presence. I have waited a long for time this since the minute he dragged my ass to Arkham City. Payback time.

"You have not won, you can not win. I Hugo Strange am your successor. I have saved Gotham. "

Batman and Strange locked their eyes each other for a moment. Then Batman head-butted Strange and thrust kicked him sending Strange across room. Then he went to a computer and pressed a button.

"Oracle, shut this place down!"

"My pleasure." That's my girl.

"You've ruined everything." I stomped Strange right across his face.

"Shut up!" I snapped as I grabbed him and pushed against the window

"Look what you done, you son of a bitch!" I growled as I showed him Arkham who is now in smokes.

"it's glorious isn't?" he cackled.

"You're an excuse for a human being you sick bastard. Bruce, take him down."

"Not a problem." He grabbed Strange and threw him to the ground.

"You're finished Strange!" Batman snarled as Strange got back up on his feet.

"I have powerful friends, Batman. This is just the beginning, you can not stop me. I will soon command forces beyond your comprehension. I have achieved what the great Batman could never do. Gotham will forever thank Hugo STRANGE!"

He was stabbed through his stomach by a sword. He fell and behind was my father Ra's.

"Your part in this is over, Professor Strange." He spat as he sheathed his sword while batman and I rushed to strange in an attempt to tend him. He didn't have long.

"Why, I did everything you wanted?" Strange asked in disbelief

"Indeed, you have clearly demonstrated Batman and my son are better than you." Father said as he stared at Arkham in ruins through the window.

"You son of a bitch!" I growled realizing what had just taken place. Ra's Al Ghul was Strange's benefactor. He was the one who arranged Arkham City plans to go through.

"Let him die son. You know you want him dead too,"

"He was your puppet, Ra's. Why?" Batman asked in rage.

"Y-You said that I could replace you. This was our vision." Strange said as he's on verge of death.

"And you failed to see it through. When you came to me with Batman's Identity and Jericho's whereabouts, I gave you this chance to prove your worth. Providing you with limitless resources for your plan you came close. But you have failed me."

"This is a whole new a level of a sadistic plan, you have become something you fought against, Father, a monster. I made a promise not long ago that I will never follow your steps. I will stop you." I snarled.

He laughed sinisterly. "I doubt it."

On his last breaths, Hugo Strange gave out his last command. "Computer, activate protocol 11."

"What are you doing?" Ra's asked worried as he turned around.

"Passcode: Wayne." With that strange died in Batman's arms as I looked at a computer terminal and it showed a clock read 5 4 3..

"Oh no." I said. The Tower was gonna explode.

"Get out of there!" Barbara yelled.

Batman and I charged at Dad and then burst through the window as the bomb went off. We went freefalling out of the tower, Batman tried to save my dad, but the stubborn old man stabbed himself with his sword as he went falling to the ground below. I reached out my hand to Batman and he grabbed it. He used his grapple gun and swung us onto the ground below. I took a minute to catch my breath. We looked down at my dad's body which was impaled of the main gate's spikes.

"Thanks." I said.

"Don't mention it."

"Bruce are you okay, is Jericho with you? Whole tower just exploded." Barbara inquired.

"I've noticed and Jericho is fine by the way." Batman reassured her.

"Thank God you're alright." She said relived that we were ok.

"My dad was Stranges mystery partner, in fact, Arkham City was a part of his plan." I revealed.

"You're kidding. Where is he now?" Barbara breathed in shock.

"Let's just say he's on a trip to a Lazarus Pit." Batman joked.

"Hellooo, anyone there?" Joker's voice spoke through a loud speaker.

"We'll get back to you, sweetheart. Something's come up." I said as Joker popped up on giant TV's near the gates, completely healed. My blood boiled when I saw Talia on her knees, tied up and had a gun at her head.

"Hello Batman oh and I see that you have your girlfriends brother with you. It is so nice to meet you at last. I haven't caught you both in bad time have I? I was worried that you forgotten about little old me. Take a look at your girlfriend as you can see she's in danger of having her brain splattered all over this camera, haha."

"Ignore him, beloved. Let him die!" She barked as Joker circled around her stroking her cheek. I was furious at that point.

"Aw, how romantic, only problem is I've never felt better and we all know either of you can't ignore me. Can You? So listen boys, I'm putting on a little show for you it's going to be a doozy real red carpet affair, better hurry though, if you wait too long, the leading lady might be found dead in her dressing room." He chuckled as the broadcast ended.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"She put a tracking device on her jacket before she left, we can follow through that."

"Good, let's go and stop that sick bastard. You're up for it, old man?" I asked.

"Are you?" Batman countered.

I chuckled which meant yes.

"Let's go." With that we went to stop Joker.

We had one more card to play.