Day 8
Well, before I get into what happened today, I have to record what happened last night.
After my escapades in the skies above Arkham, I was fairly "psyched" about going out on patrol. However, the patrol didn't exactly comply with my wishes, being fairly uneventful. I think perhaps I've scared a large proportion of the criminals out of this part of town- the pickings aren't juicy enough to run the risk of vigilantes. Perhaps I need to expand the area I'm covering- a tall order when you're on foot. Perhaps I should get a horse? Right.
Anyhow, I was walking back to my apartment, when a trenchcoated man stepped in front of me, blocking my path. As he looked up, I inhaled sharply in shock. Covering his entire face was a mask- no eyeholes, no mouthhole, nothing. just a smooth surface marked with a bullseye. Nevertheless, he seemed to be looking right into my eyes. I (somewhat naively) tagged the man as a fellow vigilante,
"Why, hello there. It's nice to see another vi-"
"Blam."
He'd pulled a gun out of his trenchcoat and fired without warning. It was only my pill-enhanced reflexes that kept me from dying instantly- and without my helm I would still probably have suffered a fatal wound. As it was, the bullet ricocheted off my helmet as I dived for cover behind a dumpster. Head ringing form the close call, I looked up- and ducked as another bullet went flying over my head, followed shortly by another "Blam.". The man was certainly no vigilante- but at least he telegraphed his shots. I needed a plan, and I needed one fast. Sliding my hands under the dumpster, I upended it- but he dodged, and fired another bullet, right into my chest. A few inches of steel and kevlar protected me from lethal harm, but it still hurt like hell. I staggered against the wall, and my mysterious assailant advanced. I was dead meat. Suddenly, an ebony missile hurtled out of the night- and right into trenchcoat's gun. It went flying, and with a quickness of thought born of desperation, I lunged towards the masked man and tackled him, He fell to the floor, but it was his turned to get stunned- by an angry vigilante in 60 pounds of armor. I raised a fist, preparing to bring it down in an incredibly forceful blow.
"This is for trying to kill me!" I exclaimed as I raised my fist, and then- darkness.
I awoke some time later propped against an alley wall, The man in the trenchcoat had disappeared. I achingly limped home (you should see the bruise on my chest), and I only managed to write half a journal entry before collapsing, still armored, on my couch.
I had quite the odd dream I was running form the Joker, who was chasing after me in a clown car, while a thousand fire alarms joined the chase. Wait, fire alarms? I groggily lifted my head of the pillow, only to see the glowing digits of my alarm clock shining 10:45 AM back at me. Wow, was I late for my appointments! Doctor Arkham was not going to be happy- and neither was Poison Ivy, if she'd noticed me on he first time around I hurriedly showered, dressed, and rushed off to Arkham.
It turns out I needn't have hurried. I arrived in Arkham to the slightly perturbing sight of a moss-covered parking lot. As I walked into the building, the secretary hailed me.
"You don't have to rush, Doctor. Poison Ivy escaped last night- along with Harley Quinn and the Joker. Then, in all the confusion, Scarecrow and Roxy Rocket slipped away- with a concussion, too. I don't know how she did it. The place's in lockdown, so you don't have any appointments. Why don't you go join the staff in the lounge? Actually, just go home, you look like a zombie." I did just that, sleeping for eight blessed hours at my home. I even had time to watch a movie with dinner. Later in the night, I was just opening up the closet to pull out my armor when a gravelly voice interrupted behind me.
"I wouldn't do that." I spun around, to be confronted with a giant, pointy-eared shadow. Good lord, Batman was real! Of course, I probably could have deduced it form the conversations I'd had with the Arkham inmates, not to mention my Bat-generated salvation last night. But let me tell you, it's very different seeing the Batman in the flesh.
"I'd have thought the incident with Onomatopoeia would have taught you a lesson, but it seems I was wrong," The shadow continued. "Let me spell it out for you. Gotham is deadly, and I don't need another dead vigilante in my city. So stay out of things that don't concern you." He turned and walked to the window, but by that time, I had found my voice, and responded to the receding hero:
"And why is it none of my business?" Turning around, the Batman stalked up to me.
"Three reasons. One, you're unprepared for the city- look at what Onomatopoeia almost did to you. Second, you'll find crimefighting's harder without your supply of Miraclo to back you up. And thirdly," and here he picked me up and held me against the wall, " you're not doing this for other people. You're just doing this for your jumped up, fresh out of Ivy Town, conceited self!". He dropped me, and by the time I looked up, he was gone.
I sat there dazed for a moment. Miraclo? what could he mean by Mira-no. I practically dove into my armor, but my entire supply of pills was gone. Well, there went my superhero career. Wait! I still had a small amount of pills left- inside my aspirin pill-bottle. I reached into my jacket pocket, and pulled out a pillbox. I smirked. Batman hadn't gotten everything after all. I opened the bottle and- I had a sudden vision of the bottle being empty, but thankfully, that wasn't the case. I only had three hours of Miraclo left, but it would be the best three hours of superheroics I ever put in.
Cut to two and one-half hours later. I was moving past Robinson Park when I heard...crackling. I moved into the park, hoping to find the source for the mysterious noises.
Ever read Heart of Darkness? That's what it felt like as I moved towards the park's center. The vegetation grew oppressively thick, but I was still too thick to make the connection. It was only when I reached the central lake that i realized the true extent of what was occurring.
Phosphorescent Fungi lit up a truly appalling scene. Batman hung entangled in a mesh of living wood, shacked more securely than the strongest of manacles, Poison Ivy stood over him, horrifically resplendent in unholy botanical glory. I realize my language might seem a bit hyperbolic, but the experience was somehow so... I can't describe it. I climbed up a tree to get a better view.
"At last, Batman. Finally, you stand, powerless before the might of Gaea's avatar. At last, the end of Man's rule-destructive, corrupting, blighting Man's rule- is upon us! You should be honored, Batman. You are the first sacrifice of Gaea's reign!" Yeah, she was crazy. She hefted a- was that a spear? and prepared to drive it straight into Batman's heart- except that she was aiming at the wrong side. It was just too much. I hurtled from my perch on the tree just in time. Poison Ivy was thrown into a bed of moss, but I wasn't as lucky. I must have sprained my ankle in the jump. I staggered up to Batman, and set about trying to pull Batman from his wooden cage.
"Antiplant gas. Left pouch." Batman ground out. I shoved my hand into the pouch, and I came out with what looked like a smoke grenade. I popped the pin and dropped it. Orange gas flooded the scene, and the greenery just- i supposed wilted. Batman stumbled forward, just as Ivy rose up from the ground.
"You will pay for your desecration!" she spat as a vine swung towards me, batting me into the lake. I surged out of the water, ready to do battle- and promptly collapsed as my Miraclo rush wore off. I struggled frantically to get in reach of the shoreline, but my armor was just too heavy, and the lake bed too clingy. I sunk under the lake water, still desperately trying to escape my watery confines. But is struggled in vain- my lungs burnt, and my head spun, as I sunk into inky dark blackness.
(Author's note: Oooh, cliffhanger! Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed. I really appreciate it. For those of you who haven't dropped a line yet, this is my first serious stab at fiction, so icould appreciate any comments, criticism, advice, or praise(sic) you would like to send my way. Thank you!)
