Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews are welcome!
Chapter Three – Hostile TakeoverRobin carried on typing to the mysterious stranger who had messaged him.
"Follow the white rabbit." Morpheus typed.
"If you are trying to sell me drugs, I should warn you, I've got all the Vitamin C I need."
"Ring, ring." The screen said.
The phone next to Robin rang and Tim nearly jumped off the seat. How did they know? He turned the music off and picked up the handset like it might bite him.
"Master Drake," said Alfred. "There are some friends of yours to see you upstairs."
"I'll be right up. Is one of them in fancy dress?"
"Fancy dress, sir?"
"You know, dressed like a white rabbit?"
"She is not a bunny girl, sir. They are rather insistent to meet you."
Batman, accompanied by two Arkham guards stalked up to the glass interview room holding the Joker. Gas was still wafting around the room. The Joker looked over at Batman and stuck his head against the three-inch thick bulletproof glass and grinned.
"Hello Battyboy, fancy seeing you here? You visiting for business or pleasure?"
The two agents were standing behind the Joker. Not moving a muscle and not even appearing to breathe.
"Release your hostage, Joker and we might be able to negotiate."
"I'm not here to negotiate, Bats." The Joker pulled his fist back and Batman instinctively stepped back. The Joker punched a hole through the glass. The glass was three inches thick. Batman had seen some Meta humans able to do that but the only powers the Joker had had was to be extremely irritating and positively lethal. Batman grabbed the Joker's hand, put his foot against the glass and pulled the Joker forward. The Joker banged his head against the glass and knocked his sunglasses off.
"No fair!"
Batman looked at the Joker in surprise. Batman could bench press 260lb's. The force he had just exerted on the Joker should have not only knocked him out but given him a nose that only a plastic surgeon could love.
The Joker kicked the glass between them and little spider web cracks appeared between them. The two agents stood next to the Joker and punched the glass as well.
"Get your men out of here," said Batman to Jeremiah Arkham. "That glass will not last long." Outside Arkham asylum he could hear police sirens approaching. Fine. Judging by their strength and speed he might need help.
Tim, dressed in his normal everyday clothes ran up the stairs to the clock. Alfred should have diverted the visitors away from the Batcave entrance with his customary skill. He opened the door and peered out. He quietly closed the clock entrance and stood still. He could hear voices coming from the other room. He walked into the reception room. In the corner was a blazing fire and on the walls were several impressionist masterpieces. Bruce liked his paintings. Tim was never too sure whether his love of impressionism was an ironic joke of his lifestyle. Alfred was standing in the corner of the room next to a suit of armour. Alfred was used to strange visitors in the mansion and had hidden around the place several shot guns. If he was standing close to one of them that meant he did not fully trust his visitors. They were sitting in high back chairs with their backs to Tim.
Alfred looked up when he came in the room. "Master Tim, good of you to join us. I was just talking to your Internet friends Morpheus and Trinity? Is that your real names? I'm rather rusty on my ancient historical literature but surely Morpheus is the Etruscan God of dreams?"
"Greek," intoned the stranger. He stood up to face Tim. He was wearing a long black coat and his eyes were hidden behind mirrored glass. He was a bulky man with no hair and he moved with an athletic skill. Tim sensed he was in the presence of another martial artist.
"Wow are you really Morpheus?" Said Tim. "Wow you are the hackers, hacker! You know I wouldn't mind a bit of advice on… Woah!"
The other person stood up and Robin saw she was a shapely young woman dressed in skintight motorcycle leathers. Her jacket was covered in various pins and labels including a white rabbit.
"Do you know Catwoman?"
She smiled at him. Morpheus started speaking again. "We have been watching you and Batman for sometime now. Unfortunately…"
"Why would I know Batman?"
"You are his partner Robin. Trust us. We know all about you. This is not, however, how I would envisage us meeting."
Morpheus's phone started ringing. He reached into his coat pocket and clicked on the phone to slide down the receiver. He listened for a few seconds and then clicked the phone back into place.
"We need to speak to you and Bruce Wayne. Agents have been trying to track us down for several years. They seem to be trying a new technique. Converting humans to their cause. So far this has not caused us too many problems. Unfortunately they are trying out the Joker now. He is new on us but not on you two. We need your help."
"Hey if you need help escaping the law, you are talking to the wrong people."
"This is not the law, this is the matrix."
"You mentioned that before. What is the matrix?"
"The Matrix is everywhere, it's all around us, here even in this room. You can see it out your window, or on your television. You feel it when you go to school, or go to church or message online. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."
"What is the truth then?" Robin had the nasty feeling he was going to be asked to join some strange cult.
"That you are a slave, Tim. That you, like each and every other person, was born into bondage... ... kept inside a jail that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind. Unfortunately you cannot be told what the Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself. This discussion will have to wait though. Batman is about to face his toughest opponents yet."
"Batman has faced tough people before."
"Not like this. Come on, we have to go and rescue him."
Batman threw a batarang at the light plunging the room into instant blackness. He put a hand to his mask and dropped the starlight lenses. The world had a green tinge to it now. The Joker and the two agents had nearly broken through the glass. He took a couple of steps back and climbed silently onto the roof of the interview room. He scaled agilely up onto the glass roofed interview room and looked down. The glass gave up the unequal struggle and shattered and the three men clambered out. Batman leapt down, a foot stamped down on each agents head. Normally he would not use such a move since it could kill but judging by their strength it should not do that. He rolled to the floor and executed a perfect tai kwon do kick into the Joker's stomach and then stood up. The three men were down. He looked at the Joker. He got up; his sunglasses knocked off, and stared at the Batman. It was pitch black, how could he see him? After that move he should spend the next five minutes trying to find out if he could still breathe he certainly should not be up and looking at him. The two agents were also staring at him behind their sunglasses and quickly got to their feet.
He had beaten Meta humans before. It just needed a change of technique. Agent Smith lunged at him with inhuman speed. Batman sent in a side snap kick to Agent Smith's stomach and Smith blocked it with a perfect textbook style outside block. Batman cartwheeled backwards to send a kick to the Joker's head, which the Joker blocked with inhuman speed and sent a side thrust kick to Batman's head, which Batman only just blocked. These people were good. In fact they were better than good. Only a couple of Batman's sensei's had ever been able to do that. Batman kicked against the wall to give him lift and leapt for the broken light fitting and spun onto the roof of the interview room. Agent Smith jumped the twelve feet from the floor straight onto the roof. Batman pushed the light fitting into Agent Smith's face and the Agent received about 240 volts as Batman earthed him with one of his cables.
Blue electric lightning lit up Agent Smith. The Joker tried the same jump but Batman kicked him before he landed sending him crashing into Agent Brown. Smith still with electric blue lightning surrounding him sent a roundhouse kick to Batman's head. Batman ducked it. If he even touched him he would get electrocuted as well! Batman got a nun-chukka from his belt. He did not normally use them but Nightwing seemed to like them.
He adopted a Lung Ying poise and swung his foot round to connect with Smith's knee. When Smith went to block that move Batman connected the nun-chukka with his chin knocking him into the Joker and Brown who just leapt up again to the roof electrocuting all three of them.
Tim got into the car with Morpheus and Trinity rather worriedly. He looked over at Alfred, who was also looking pensive. Alfred had insisted that he come along as well. "How do they know?" Alfred mouthed to him.
Tim shrugged his shoulders. The car was a featureless black sedan with tinted windows. Morpheus got in the drivers seat and pressed the accelerator. This car was fast. He was used to the Batmobile's speed and although it was nowhere near as fast as that it was certainly seriously souped up. He listened with a practiced ear.
"This car has a Hekimean racing engine doesn't it?" He asked.
Morpheus who was driving like a rally driver out of the Wayne Manor's drive said. "You know your cars."
"I try to. This car does not ship with that kind of engine. What type of speed can you get out of her?"
"Let's find out."
Smith ripped the cable that was electrocuting him from him and made to punch Batman. Batman leapt backwards off the roof of the interview room and did a backwards roll to the ground. Smith, Brown and the Joker jumped down next to him. Batman kicked an agent with one foot whilst simultaneously hitting the Joker on the jaw with the nun chuka's and punching Brown in the stomach.
The Joker kicked Batman in the stomach sending him crashing against some filing cabinets in the corner. The Joker then leapt into the air. Batman's bulletproof costume gave him some protection from the kick but it was still like being kicked by a mule. Batman rolled out of the way and grabbed the Joker's foot when he landed twisting him away. Agent Smith grabbed Batman by the cape and threw him against the glass interview room. Batman twisted in midair and landed on his feet. He was tiring and starting to run out of ideas. He threw a batarang at Agent Smith's head. Agent Smith appeared to blur as he moved out of the way. He was fast. Impossibly fast. He had timed his Batarangs at fifty foot per second. The Joker picked up a filing cabinet and threw it at Batman. Batman rolled to one side with the cabinet just missed him. It landed with a fearful crashing sound, files spilling out all over the floor.
Just before he could get up Agent Smith grabbed hold of his arm. Batman struggled against him and punched him on the jaw. It was like hitting concrete. Agent Brown grabbed his other arm. He felt like he was being held in a vice.
The Joker, grinning like a kid given the keys to a sweet shop, sashayed up to him and grabbed him one handed by the throat.
"Time to see what noise Bats make when they die!"