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 welcome
Chapter Eight – Hostile Takeover
Morpheus didn't hesitate. He punched Agent Smith in the face whilst Trinity wrapped the seat belt around his neck. Smith punched at Morpheus, banging his head against the side and tried to kick him. Space was severely limited in the Batmobile and it meant he could not fight as well as he could normally. Trinity got a gun from her belt and pointed it as Smith's face. She cocked the gun and Smith's face morphed back into the girl's he had possessed.
"Ooh hello," said Nancy. "I've just had the most peculiar dream. Who are you all? What am I doing here?"
Batman grabbed hold of one of the struts of the helicopter. The Joker swooped the helicopter through the tops of the trees. The branches threatened to knock the Batman off. Batman grabbed a flash/bang grenade from his belt and threw it into the cabin with the Joker. There was an explosion and a burst of light. Smoke poured out of the cabin and the Joker kicked the helicopter door and sent it flying into the night. With a lurch the helicopter flew up at a steep angle. Batman looked below. The helicopter had climbed up several hundred feet. He felt strong hands grab his shoulders and he was suddenly face to face with the Joker.
"Hello Batty, glad you could join in!"
The Joker was controlling the helicopter expertly with one foot.
"I've always wondered what you would look like with no head. He raised Batman up to the spinning propellers.
Batman gripped the Joker's hands and tried to stop him strangling him. He was too strong! He looked up and could see the blades approaching his head. He kicked the Joker in the crotch but he was wise to this now and moved to one side and Batman caught him on the thigh. The tops of his Bat ears were sliced off. He kicked again at the Joker and caught him on the knee. With one free hand he punched the Joker in the throat. The Joker hissed with pain and dropped him. Batman dropped off the helicopter. He spun around in mid air and caught the wheel on the bottom. The other helicopter with the agents in was fast approaching. He fired a line towards it, which wrapped around the rotor, sending the helicopter into a death spin. He tied the other end to the Joker's helicopter and leapt off into space. The ground was two hundred feet straight down and no handy buildings to attach a grappling hook too and just a short flat squashy death to look forward too.
The two helicopters were now irretrievably tied to one another. The Joker, whilst struggling to breathe, realised that the helicopter was attached to the other helicopter. The helicopter went into an uncontrollable dive.
"Oh muffins!" Said the Joker, looking at the ground fast approaching.
The Batman grabbed hold of both sides of his cloak to slow his ascent and aimed for a particularly big tree. At the last second he pulled his arms and legs in and landed with a fearful cracking sound of broken branches in the centre of a huge oak tree.
After the cracking of broken branches noise died down, Batman looked around him. He was about 30 foot up in the tree. He flexed his fingers and legs experimentally. All seemed to be working. Several scrapes and abrasions but no breaks. The sound of a helicopter engine in severe pain made him look up. The helicopters, fatally wrapped around each other, were just about to crash onto the tree.
Batman leapt out of the branches, grabbed hold of a long branch as he fell to slow his ascent. As he landed he rolled to minimise the impact got to his feet and started running as behind him a huge fireball erupted. What was left of his cloak started smouldering. Bits of helicopter fell about him and his side felt red-hot. He realised he was on fire. He quickly rolled on the ground to put it out.
He stopped running and looked back, whilst pressing a button on his belt. Thetree was a raging inferno. Through the smoke and flames he could see a flickering. The Joker ran out of the flames, closely followed by the two agents. They were all three on fire but that did not stop them. Batman felt his stomach lurch. They were unstoppable. They were unkillable. They were inescapable. His insides felt like they had been turned to cold jelly. He was hurt, in pain and frightened. He observed the feeling with almost humour. It was fear that kept you alive it was said. He had not known fear for a very long time. Time to hide the fear. Using an old Tibetan trick he fought against and hid his feelings. He could feel his muscles tense and the familiar icy cold feeling of impending combat took over him. Let them come.
Batman adopted a quin lang self defence pose designed to fight multiple opponents and tried to steady his breathing for the coming combat. Through the flames and smoke of what remained of the tree the Batmobile came roaring through. Morpheus side swiped the Joker and the agents aside and stopped the car inches from Batman's feet.
"What kept you?" Growled Batman as the roof slid open. He grabbed hold of a surprised looking Nancy by the hands and lifted her out. "My seat I think." With that he leapt into the car. He pointed towards the lights of Gotham and said. "Gotham is that way. Sorry you really don't want to travel with us."
"He's right," agreed Robin. "He is a terrible conversationist."
With that the roof slid back.
Nancy looked about her in shock as the Batmobile roared off. Her jaw still hurt where the Joker had hit her. There he was! She was very angry and stormed up to the Joker who was just getting to his feet. His purple suit was smouldering still and he was in a rather confused state. He looked up and smiled.
"Nancy my dear! Wonderful to see you! I can explain about the whole trying to kill you thing. I am at the mercy of my feelings. I never did ask what lipstick you use?"
Nancy slapped him on the side of the face. The Joker fell to the ground again with his ears ringing.
Batman was busy nursing some of his scrapes and bruises with the onboard first aid kit. Morpheus was driving the car at obscene speeds through the countryside. Morpheus was like a statue, his every fibre of being concentrating on the driving.
Batman glanced over at Morpheus. "How do we beat these agents then?"
"You can't. Not while you are in the system."
"What about you?"
"We have not been able to beat them either."
"And you two are outside the system?"
"We stand a better chance than most but we still can not beat them. However…" He allowed that word to trail off and he looked at Batman.
"However what?"
"You have devoted most of your life to combat and other skills. You have already survived first hand combat against these agents, something I would not have deemed possible. If we can get you out of the system we might be able to increase your already considerable skills."
"We need to get to Arkham to this exit point then?"
"Yes indeed."
Batman thought back to the recent fight. Part of him railed against leaving the system and trying this unknown out. He did not know these people. They were offering him an escape. But was it an escape? Were these people the good guys? They were dressed in black leather with black sunglasses. Unlike in the old cowboy movies the good guys no longer wears a white hat and rides in on a white horse. He flexed his arms and legs. Several contusions and a sprained shoulder. Considering what he had been through he was lucky to be alive. He thought back to Zorro. The good guys don't always wear a white hat. He would trust them. Unless they gave him a reason not to…
At ten thousand feet a squadron of USAF Hawker Harriers was engaged in NATO manoeuvres with a squadron of British Hawker Harriers. The dogfight was going well with both sides scoring "hits" on the other. Jim Carrigan the flight leader of the USAF Hawker Harrier's was just pulling out of a barrel roll when he saw his wing man start descending rapidly.
"Charlie one to Charlie two. Maintain visual. Charlie two. Come in Charlie two."
"Oh hello!" Trilled a voice through the comlink. "I've never driven one of these before! Which is the bit that goes bang?"