Disclaimer: I do not own any DC Characters including Batman, Superman or anyone else. They all belong to their respected authors. As for Haley Brown, He's my original Character.
Foreword from the Author: At first I wanted to end it right at Hot on the trail but something told me to not call it just yet. Now it's Haley going against Poison Ivy. I give a shout out to Jen; I promise Mr. Tetch will be okay, maybe not in the best shape but he'll be fine.
Hoody Boy: Elseworld Stories
The Adventures of Haley Brown
Arc Three, Part One: The Return of the Blue Icicle
Haley sat on the edge of the roof in his usual spot with his feet dangling. His gaze was harsh and serious; it was a gaze many have stared into as they died. Something was stolen from Haley, something he half deserved. Poison Ivy had taken Alice to god knows where. She was probably doing some unspeakable thing to her and the Mad Hatter.
Earlier, Uncle Jim had been on the roof trying to say it wasn't Haley's fault. Haley knew better then that, he'd let Uncle Jim down by not bringing him the Mad Hatter. He'd let Alice down by not going after her when Ivy snatched her. What's worse was that Batman was right for him to make a deal. This betrayal Ivy had pulled was uncalled for, she could've beaten Haley to an inch of his life and he would've considered it pay back. But when she took what was his, she crossed the line that Haley had drawn.
"Haley…" The voice of Batman.
Haley turned his head and looked at Batman, his gaze still cold.
"You should've listened to me about not making deals. I won't blame you because you didn't know, but you're obligated to make things right." Batman said.
"Can it Batman, I don't need you to give me a guilt trip, I've got plenty of it already." Haley answered looking back to the city as if some answer lay in the sky line.
"Ivy is still in Gotham but my sources tell me she's going to be moving out of here by tomorrow or the day after which gives you little time. What're you going to do?"
Haley stood up, his back facing Batman, "Reform."
Haley walked past Batman, who shot him a questioning look, and went downstairs. He went into the kitchen and grabbed the phone and began dialing a number he never thought he'd have to dial again.
"Uncle Jim, I've gotta make a collect call. I'll pay you back no worries." Haley shouted upstairs.
The phone began the ringing tone, Haley paced back and forth in anticipation. "Hello?"
Haley's eyes lit up, "Amy?"
"Who is this?" Amy asked.
"You should know by my voice, ah well. It's Haley."
"Sorry dude but I don't know a Haley Brown."
She was doing just as she was told when Haley left two years ago, deny he existed and never ever show she knew him, "Then what if I was to say I had a pair of goggles that could see in four different visions that was in definite need of repair?"
"I'd ask if you had a Pocket that broke the simple laws of Physics. Hello Haley." Amy said with a laugh.
"Listen, I'd like to talk but I can't, I've got problems. I know you're retired but I need your help in nabbing someone." Haley answered.
"Last I checked Brown so were you. Why'd you come back all the sudden?" She asked.
"I got caught up in helping my Uncle. You got an excuse to grab those snow cone launchers of your's or do I have to make one up for you?" Haley said with a smart tone.
"Where are you anyway?"
"Gotham City." Haley said, Barbra wanted to use the phone.
"I'll be on the first train there tomorrow morning, I expect you'll be there to pick me up?" She wondered.
"Yeah, just call me before you leave 'kay." Haley replied.
"No problem." Amy said in a softer voice.
"Alright, see ya tomorrow." Haley said ending the conversation without saying goodbye.
He hung up the phone and put his back to the wall. Haley removed the goggles from his pocket and raised them to eye level.
The phone rang loudly in the still and silent house. Haley rolled over in his bed roll for a moment, then he realized why he was sleeping on the kitchen floor. Haley opened his eyes swiftly and snatched the phone of the hook.
"I'm 30 minutes out, I'll see you at the station." Amy said, the phone went dead.
Haley got out of the bed roll, rolled it up and tossed it on the couch. He threw on his Hoody and grabbed his shorts that he'd left out just to get dressed quickly. Haley burst out of the front door and flagged down a Taxi. The sun wasn't even up yet but the pre-light was out setting a semi-red orange glow across the black city. Haley hopped into the back and handed the guy a 20.
They pulled up to the station with 10 minutes to spare, Haley was lucky the roads were damn near empty. Haley dashed up the steps and started looking down the boards. Gotham City Central Station was huge, Gothic and comprised of more then a few nasty looking sculptures. Haley ran across the marble floor as the ten minute's he had to spare dwindled to a measly 4. Haley stood on platform number 6, people rushed by him, a few of them with birds, one kid with Red hair carrying rather sickly looking rat and a few Haley would probably never forget.
The train pulled up to the station, Haley didn't flinch as the train's side whizzed by his head. It screeched to a stop and the doors finally opened up. Haley was greeted by a rush of people pushing and shoving to get off the train. A tall woman in her mid twenties stepped off. Her snowy white hair blew to the side as she stepped out. Haley walked up behind her and tapped her on his black jacket. She shook her head immediately.
"Hello Amy." Haley said taking her bag.
"This better be good Brown." She said looking over, lifting one of the bags.
The two looked like a strange couple indeed. Haley was 5' 9" with brown messy hair, Amy was 6' with straight snowy white hair. They walked to the cab and threw her bags into the trunk. The ride back to Uncle Jim's house was spent with Haley telling her about what's been happening here in Gotham in the last month. Haley and Amy went up the steps bags in hand, Haley pulled out a key and let themselves in.
"Hey Uncle Jim." Haley yawned.
"Hello Haley," Uncle Jim paused and looked at Amy from head to toe, "And who is this?"
"Amy Strauss, I'd like you to meet my Uncle, James Gordon, Commissioner of Gotham City." Haley said introducing the two.
"Pleasure to actually meet someone in Haley's actual family." She said extending her hand.
Uncle Jim shook it, "Good to see Haley actually have a friend."
Haley looked at both of them, "I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch." She shook her head and set her bags down.
Haley pulled his uncle aside and brought him in low, "Listen, Her and Me used to work together, she's a master of technology. We're going after Poison Ivy tonight to get Alice back, I need that case file on her so I know what I'm going up against."
Uncle Jim stood up from his hunched position and patted Haley reassuringly on the back and nodded. Haley smiled and went up to his room leaving Uncle Jim and Amy alone. Amy went upstairs to Haley's room and found him sitting on the edge of the roof with his feet dangling off the side. She sat down next to him and looked out across the city.
"So who are we going up against?" She asked.
"Mother of all plant life. Like I said she stole what I earned, regardless of how I did she pushed me too hard." Haley said looking out forlorn.
"Got something for you." She said digging around in her knapsack. She pulled out a metallic device in the shape of a "T" and handed it to Haley, "Heard your other one broke and I have a lifetime guarantee on all my inventions."
"You improve the thing?" Haley asked looking at it.
"Improved the length, the wire is three separate wires wrapped together instead of one large fat one, I also improved the propellant charge as well as the hook. You should be set with this one." She said taking out her black rectangle sunglasses and putting them on.
Haley smiled and pulled out his goggles and pulled them around his head, "Uncle Jim'll be back with her file in an hour, I suggest we get everything set and ready to go."
As Uncle Jim pulled the file, he got the faint gut feeling that somewhere Haley was prepping just like he was. Gordon wasn't a fool by anyone's standards, the sewer bust was accredited to Him but he thanked Haley because he was the real hero in the matter. The bad part was, Haley almost died as well.
"Any word on if the Joker was captured yet?" Bullock shouted through the office.
"Nothing yet Harvey, we've got twelve dead smileys in the morgue and nothing to show for it yet." Jim called back, "I just hope Batman's getting farther with this then we are..." He muttered silently.
Uncle Jim returned home thirty minutes later carrying the folder under his arm. Haley came downstairs when he heard the door and snatched it. He had a bandoleer around his chest with bullets running down it and a double side holster around his upper abdomen that went up like suspenders.
"Thanks Uncle Jim, Me and Amy are almost ready to roll, I want the police ready to spring on Robinson park right after I make that phone call." Haley said going over his plan.
Footsteps coming down the stairs drew both of their gazes as Amy came down. Her two arms had large metal gauntlets wrapped around them, one fan at the top of each whirred silently as she walked towards them.
"Forgive me if I look crude, but you can call me The Blue Icicle or Blue for short." She smiled pushing her sunglasses up with his massive gloved finger.
Haley went back upstairs and started arming himself with every weapon he's laid on his bed. M4 Carbine Rifle, Colt .45's, 2 flash bangs, his new Grappling hook, goggles, and a large duffel bag. He threw his Hoody on over all the weapons and grabbed the duffel bag and went back downstairs.
"We'll be back Uncle Jim, remember wait for the phone call." Haley said as they walked out the door.
Haley flagged down a cab and got in the backseat, Amy following in from behind. The ride took a few minutes but it seemed like several seconds only had to fly by. Haley and Amy got out of the back seat and looked at the gates of Robinson Park. Haley gripped the duffel bag and looked at the steel gate. Vines had shut it closed and grown around the edges. Haley could only guess nothing but a high speed semi might bust those 3 inch thick vines down, he could one up it though.
"Blue it's all your's." Haley said smiling.
Amy smiled and raced her arm. Spreading her fingers caused the fan to whirl loudly causing almost an electrical hum to it. She started projecting water onto the plants, the water struck them and instantly froze over the vines. Amy sprayed the whole fence down turning it into a sheet of solid ice. Haley reached into his pocket and removed a sawed off shotgun and aimed it at the center. The shot smashed the vines into little crystal ice chunks that hit the ground with low thuds. Haley kicked the gate and sent it opening slowly. Amy and Haley walked into what most would consider a jungle in its own right. Haley put the shotgun away and they started walking down the broken concrete path.
"Must've waited till everyone left then shut the place closed." Haley deduced, "She didn't want for us to get in here."
"Too late for that." Amy answered thumbing over her shoulder back to the gate.
Haley and Amy made a turn and came to the fountain and stopped, Haley's eye twitched. A huge Venus Fly Trap, more then 18 feet tall sat in the middle of fountain, a pair of legs with a chewed off end lay near it. Haley spotted that why Amy gawked at the massive Fly Trap.
"You piss off way too many super villains. It's not like you couldn't have have stuck with the mafia." Amy said looking as it spit out a shoe.
"Could be worse, I'm lucky I carried some weed be gone." Haley answered.