Beneath
Gotham City
- Gotham Docks -
"It broke out!" a Checkmate commander yells as he and another soldier run for their lives along the docks of the city. Gotham is masked in the cover of night, the musky cold air makes their breaths visible to the naked eye.
"Keep running!" the lower-rank member calls to the man running beside him as an inhuman growl follows after them like it was their own shadow. From behind, two yellow eyes open that glow within the darkness. The pupils narrow into slits.
"Call it in! We need backup ASAP!" the commander orders the other man next to him. A green scaly tail quickly ensnares the commander's foot and drags him within the cover of the dark, as he claws at the ground and screams.
The remaining Checkmate soldier keeps at his pace, trying to outrun whatever is following after him. The ambient rough growl persists, becoming louder and louder. His attempts at escape are made futile as an outstretched scaly hand with three rigid claws comes at him from his side and whacks him across and sends him into one of the shipment containers.
The man hits his back against the hard metal container, which blinded his mind with pain. He fights against the agony of each movement and sits himself up. He holds his sides and snivels as his gloved touches a bloodied wound. He hears pronounced footsteps coming closer, stomping towards him "Please… don't kill... me..." the Checkmate Soldier begs, his voice straining from his broken ribs.
"... The last guys... said the same thing... look where they're now..." a beast-like figure growls. A ten-foot creature covered reptile-like scales snarls as he reaches his outstretched hand to the Checkmate Soldier. Killer Croc lunges forward as he stretches out his jaw and showing his rigid sharp teeth. One last blood-curdling scream echoes throughout the docks for a single moment as an unnerving silence soon takes over the area.
Wayne Tower
The Next Morning
- Bat-Bunker -
"How can a hospital lose a person?" Bruce asks in an annoyed tone. He stands with his arms folded as Lucius looks through the files appearing on the screen in front of them "I know that things have been crazier lately but I don't understand how they can lose a person..."
"Well from what I can see from their recent admissions, Selina isn't even on the list" Lucius reads the file "Gotham General was compromised a few nights ago which left the treatment to select few Checkpoint outposts, and I doubt Selina would want to be taken there considering her recent involvement with them"
"She has to be somewhere, Lucius" Bruce looks over the files too "She was only attacked because he wanted to get to me. I can't risk giving him time to come back and finish the job. She has to be alright, she has to be..."
"I'm worried about her too, Bruce. I'm trying as hard as I can but I can't locate her" Lucius explains. "
"I won't be able to live with myself if anything happened to her because of me." Bruce's voice takes on a tone of regret, one that reveals his emotions for the woman in question.
"That's cute of you" Selina calls down to Bruce as she makes her way towards him and Lucius "You almost sound like you care about me". She is dressed in a black crop top and jeans with ankle-high boots. One overt detail led Bruce and Lucius to look at her left should which was bandaged up.
"Selina?" Bruce turns to face her "Where have you been? We've been looking for since last night. We tried searching the hospitals but none of them had any record you being there. You had us all worried." Bruce reaches out to the woman. Selina pulls her arm away from his reach, her eyes narrow.
"Who was that man, Bruce?" Selina sternly asks, not wanting any half-truths or lies. She sees a shift in Bruce's expression, one that showed fear, vulnerability and repentance. Truth be told, she never saw such a mix of emotions from him before. Selina notices that the man was trying so hard to fight his urges and tell her something, something that he didn't want her to know. Like he didn't even want to admit it to her or anyone, not even himself.
"S-Selina, I can't tell you. You have to trust me on this" Bruce says in a near whisper "Please, you need to leave it alone"
"Leave it alone?" Selina subtly shakes her head and bites her lip "Like hell, Bruce. That son of a bitch attacked me in my own apartment. He stabbed me in the shoulder. I'm going to find him and get some payback" Selina empathises her grievance "Prometheus is bound to show his face again, and I want to be there when he does"
"Tough. You won't get the chance. I'm dealing with him" Bruce firms his voice "I'm telling you to leave it alone and that means you leave it alone, got it?"
"No. You aren't the boss of me, Bruce. I'm done listening to your bullshit" The raven-haired woman spits with a small hiss. She looks up to glare into the man's eyes "You've barely been back for more than a day... and you're already back to being an asshole. I don't know what I was expecting..."
"Well excuse me if I don't want to see you getting yourself killed, Selina. You mean a lot to me and I don't want to see you do something this reckless" Bruce argues, trying to reason with the woman whose eyes he looks into "You can't beat Prometheus. You won't even be able to hold your own against him"
"So what? You just want me to hide away and cower in the corner like a helpless damsel? That's not who I am and you know that" Selina looks away from Bruce with her body eventually following "I'm going after him. That's the end of it" Selina walks away and heads towards the exit.
"And in the process, you are going to drag Talia and Harley into it with your little vigilante club? Not only are you letting your anger blind you into getting yourself killed but you are going to drag them to their deaths too. Is that what you want?" Bruce calls out to Selina. The woman stops in her tracks.
"Of course you knew that. Of course, you do. After all, the only person in Gotham allowed to have secrets is you, right?" she throws her arms in the air "No one else is allowed to fight for this city, no one dare try to make a difference in the same city as Batman. I can handle myself, Bruce. I'm not made of glass!"
"This isn't about you, this isn't about me, this is about doing what is needed to stop Prometheus and that does not involve you" Bruce reaffirms.
"Its always been about you, Bruce. Your crusade, your weight to carry, your code..." Selina turns back to look the man in the eyes "Bane may have broken your back but you were spineless long before that. Thanks for nothing" she turns and walks towards the exit while flipping her middle finger up at Bruce. Bruce was left in silence after for some time. Lucius was there for it all, all the words exchanged, all the harsh tones and anger. His attention was taken away from that and to the screen as a new tab opened.
"Oh thank god" Lucius internally thanks for the distraction from the scene that unfolded right before him "We got something, Bruce. Multiple homicides at Gotham docks, police are on the scene"
"It's day time, Lucius. I'll check it out later tonight" Bruce walks back to Lucius.
"I think we might want to look into this one pronto. The victims were listed as being Checkmate officers... you can bet that Waller is going to be on this."
Bruce reads the report "Forensics are saying that the victims were partly eaten. I doubt a regular guy could cause this much damage... well... I was hoping to get some more sun" Bruce heads towards the glass case which held the Batsuit.
"Actually it's not really sunny, just gloomy, really gloomy" Lucius replies.
"It wouldn't be Gotham if it wasn't"
The Narrows
Selina knocks at the apartment door, waiting for someone on the other side to open it. Eventually, the door was opened by a blonde woman who wears a pair of glasses and a red jumper and black skirt. Harleen smiles as she sees the woman "Selina? What a great surprise, I wasn't expectin' for ya to ever come over." The blonde moves aside and lets Selina enter after her "What brings ya over?"
"We need to talk," Selina tells Harleen.
"Oh... sounds serious" she pouts "I was just about to head to work"
"Work?" Selina muses as she and Harleen walk into the living room. Her emerald-eyes spot Harvey Dent standing in the corner of the room as he packs a bunch of stacked boxes. he looks over and smiles at her. Harleen folds her arms and looks over to the news broadcast being shown on the television "Yeah, I-uh... got a job at Wayne Enterprise. You are lookin' at Bruce's newest PA"
"So... you know that he's back? Of course, you do" Selina's eyes keep to the screen to the sight of the overview of the docks "Do you have somewhere more private that we can talk? Its kinda sensitive information". Harleen nodes and leads her to the kitchen. On her way, she glances back to Harvey "Good to see you, Harv. How's it going with you?"
"Just getting things on track, like everyone else in this city. How have you been doing?"
"It's been... complicated" she smiles at him.
The two women enter the kitchen with Harleen closing the door behind them "Are you okay? You seem like you just got off a rollercoaster of emotions." Selina leans against one of the counters and slides her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
"Bruce knows your secret"
"M-My secret...? He knows... it?" Harleen asks as her hand slowly reaches behind her to take hold of a knife from the wooden block "How did he manage to find that out then?"
"I don't know. He just told me that he knows you, Talia and I have been taking out some Checkpoint outposts" Selina reveals which came as a relief with the blonde. Harleen smiles as she steadily returns the knife "Oh... that? Well... I guess that he was bound to figure out sooner or later. You know how he is..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Selina asks, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh-uh... nothin'. He's quite the character... that's all" Harleen keep her smirk "Actually, Harvey and I are in the middle of packin'. Bruce offered us to stay in one of his penthouses and I would have needed to be even more of a ditz to turn down that offer"
"Bruce really does like you, doesn't he? He gave you a penthouse and all..." Selina comments.
"Oh I wish... but being a psychologist tends to give you an insight into a person's true intention. He's just tryin' to look out for Harvey. Bruce is a true friend, it makes you wonder just how loyal he really is"
"I think I have a good idea of that..." Selina responds.
Elsewhere
Gotham Docks
Gordon and Waller look over the docks and the shipping containers all across the yard "Evidence points to another perp from the one suspected of the massacre last night. Whoever did this needed to at least be over seven-foot and even that is lowballing it" Amanda informs the commissioner as her eyes spot something strange in the distance. A quick-like shadow that blurs from cover to cover. Her lips curve into a small smirk "So tell me, James. Have you heard anything from your old pal, Wayne?"
"Not really. He's still at the ski resort last time that I checked" Gordon replies slightly confused by the woman's sudden question "Looks like he made the right call of getting out of the city before everything went to hell..."
"I'm not too sure, James. I got a feeling that he's closer to home than you think" Amanda Waller suggests.
Batman stealthily moves alongside the containers, quickly moving from one to the other. He eventually reaches near the crime scene that was still swarming with both the G.C.P.D and checkmate units. He kneels down and looks to the ground where he spots something that caught his attention. He reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a pair of tweezers where he picks up what appeared to be a pile of green scales "Are you getting this, Lucius?"
"Yep..."
"These are defiantly reptilian in nature but they are much larger than any reptile I've ever seen" Batman's eyes focus on the scales "I will need to get it back to the lab to properly examine it" Batman sees two Checkmate soldiers approaching the container which he was at. He places the scales into his utility belt and jolts away before he could be seen by anyone. He manoeuvres around the shipments and crates, being as quiet as possible.
He stops as he hears heavy breathing from around him followed by a rough growl "I know that scent..." an inhuman voice shouts. Batman looks around as a beast jumps out from the water. A ten-foot reptilian creature crawls along the ground. His hands and feet were outstretched with three long rigid claws on each. His pupils narrow into slits as he locks onto Batman. His four-foot tail slams against the ground. His arms, tail and back were covered by protruding spikes-like bones.
Killer Croc arches up, easily shadowing over the dark knight as almost double his size "I'm not... going... back!" the beast growls as he looks down with a smirk that showed all of his teeth along his snout "I... will... kill you!" Killer Croc lunges forward and tries to bite at Batman. The dark knight quickly shoves a pellet into the creature's mouth which explodes and erupts into a trail of smoke that makes him gasps and move back.
"You... bas...bastard!" the creature rams its arm into the dark knight and sends him flying across the docks. Killer Croc prepares to follow but was stopped as a sudden bombardment of bullets were shot at him. Croc turns and sees a group of both G.C.P.D officers and Checkmate guards firing at you " I... want... WALLER! GIVE ME... WALLER!" he snarls darkly. Killer Croc begins to walk towards the group causing the storm of bullets.
The officers and Checkmate guards slowly backway while still shooting the creature. The bullets appeared to have no effect, simply bouncing off his leathery skin. Killer Croc charges forward and grabs one of the cops and bites of their head, throwing their body into the river. He then uses his claws to slice through the rest and his trail to slam them against the container. His rigid claws were narrow stained with their blood along with his snout "Give... me... Waller...!" he roars, looking to Amanda Waller and the commissioner who was firing at him.
"Jim, go! I got this!" Batman leaps down from the shipping container, punching the creature's snout on his trip down. Batman rolls on the ground and jumps to his feet. He reaches into his utility belt with both of his hands and takes three Batarangs in each hand. He jumps up and throws all six at Killer Croc, each Batarang explodes on impact, knocking him back with each subsequent strike. Killer Crock was knocked off balance. Jim listens to the dark knight's words as he drags Waller away from the creature.
Batman leaps up and left-hooks the creature and then hits him with his right fist. Then kicks in the air which spins him and around and forces Croc back further. Batman heaves, his body now aching from all the sudden movements. Bruce was well aware that his body wasn't recovered enough to keep at his sudden movements and strikes. Killer Croc regains his footing and wipes the blood dripping from his snout. His face stretches into a grin "...My...Turn..."
The reptilian creature swings again with his left arm which Batman ducks under. The Dark Knight hits the beast's snout again and slams his right elbow down on it after. Croc grabs Batman's arm and lifts him up high above his own head and rams Batman into the container; hitting his back right against it and erupting once lost sense of agony for him. The monster than slams the dark knight down onto the ground "...Es-pected… more..."
He grabs Batman's cape and brings him back over his head "I'm... going... to... enjoy this..."
"You wanna get nuts...? fine, let's get nuts..." Batman growls as he rams a Batarang through the beast's right eye. Killer Croc throws Batman across the ground and brings his claws and covers his face. The reptile-like man backs away and growls. His trail recoils and has enough power to completely flip over one of the containers.
"Eyes not important... I can... smell you, hear you... taste you" Killer Croc snarls as he removes his hands from his face, showing his wounded eye. He reaches down with his claws to Batman "...You...die...now..." Batman couldn't move, his body disobeyed his please of movement, his back hurt like hell, just like before. He sees Croc's hand coming closer and ready to grab his head. Out of nowhere, an arrow was shot between them and flash bangs the area.
"... Not finished... kill you... Waller too!" Killer Croc growls as he jumps into the river and swims down, leaving Batman lying alone on the ground. From across the docks, a man dressed in a leather green tactical suit with his hood concealing his face. He holds an advanced bow and a quiver on his back that holds dozens of other arrows. Green Arrow looks over Batman as he sees a new team of Checkmate soldiers heading towards the downed vigilante "You are going to owe me big time"
He leaps across the containers and lines up another arrow and fires it at the ground next to the Checkmate Guards, then firing another and another. The tips of the arrows shoot out nets that cover the soldiers and electrifies them. Green Arrow jumps down and lifts Batman up over his shoulder.
- Across Gotham -
Selina Kyle looks over to the back of the woman in front of her. Talia Al Ghul stands in front of a large glass window that outlooks the gloomy city of Gotham. She's dressed in a sleeveless whine-red dress "Harleen's in. I'm just waiting to see if you are game. We can take him on if we work together" Selina directs towards the other woman. Talia rolls her eyes, not seeming to care about Selina's request. She brushes her hair behind her ear.
"So this guy just breaks into your apartment and attacks you only to leave you alive? Why wouldn't he just kill you?" the demon's daughter questions the woman's account. Keeping her eyes straight she sees Selina's reflection in the glass "I'm going to need more to work with"
"From what he said it sounded he had a history with Bruce " Selina steps forward "If we can take him down then Bruce will have no choice but to stop getting in our way. We can do this"
"Bruce has history with a lot of crazed men. You are going to need to narrow it down" Talia's keep her eyes on the city.
"This one is different. I don't know why but I know that whoever the guy was... he is something new. Something that made Bruce scared at the mere mention of his name. Honestly, Bruce never mentioned this Prometheus before... it makes me wonder just what else he's hiding" Selina casually tells the other woman. Talia's eyes widen at the spoken name, she turns her head to back at Selina.
"Did you say Prometheus? No... he can't be in Gotham..." Talia's voice shakes, a clear contrast from her usual demeanour "Bruce has every right to be scared. Prometheus is the most feared man in the world..."
"Wait? You know about him, how?" Selina asks.
"Unfortunately, I do. Bruce and I encountered him a long time ago... but that's long in the past. I rather not relive that day..." Talia turns around to face the other woman "The League of Shadows were the most powerful and dangerous group in all the lands... but Prometheus was the most dangerous man to ever walk the earth... my father was scared of him too, he never crossed his path, never"
"Do you know who he is?"
"No." Talia sighs "There have been rumours that have persisted throughout the ages. Some think that Prometheus is a mantle passed down from father to son through generations, some think he's an immortal and others believe that he doesn't exist and is just a legend. No one knows who is behind the mask"
"Immortal?" Selina mused "Last night, I managed to cut him with my claws but his wounds just vanished... like they weren't even there. I even sliced his throat yet he acted like he was fine"
"Listen to me carefully, Selina. I know you and I have little to agree on, but I am warning you to stay away from this. You do not have the skill to take Prometheus on. He will kill you..." Talia folds her arms and sees the annoyance on the woman's face "Bruce and I will figure something out"
"But we can stop him. Me, you and Harley can do it. Sure he healed every cut I gave him but he was bleeding. If he can bleed then that means that we can take him out... or weaken him to a point of him not being a threat anymore... we can do this" Selina tries to persuade Talia into joining her. The daughter of Ra's Al Ghul shows a clear disdain for the idea.
"This is foolish, no... it's asinine and suicidal. You are going to get yourself killed... don't you see that?" Talia argues, venting her frustration.
"If Bruce faces off against Prometheus in his current state, he'll get himself killed and even if he beats him. You know that he won't kill Prometheus. He needs to be destroyed, disposed of. You, Harley and I are willing to go that far to make sure Prometheus won't be able to hurt anyone ever again"
"Even if I were to agree to such a foolish plan, just how do you plan to draw him out?" Talia lifts one of her eyebrows as she questions Selina.
"That's easy" Selina shrugs "What's the worst thing that can happen to a man hidden within the shadows? You make the whole world aware of him... that should convince him to come for us..."
Wayne Tower
- Bat-Bunker -
"Where is he?" Leslie Thompkins hurries along as she is escorted by Lucius who leads to a table which had Bruce lying on top. The upper torso of the Batsuit was off which left his top half bare. She drops her bag to the floor and takes out her ophthalmoscope. She pries open Bruce's eyes and tries to get him to look at her "Dilated pupils... signs of slight concussion... Bruce? Can you hear me, Bruce? Can you follow the light?" she moves the tool to the side to which Bruce's eyes weakly follow.
"That's some good news... he's still aware of his surroundings... or really bad depending on how much pain that he's in" Lee rests the ophthalmoscope over the side. She looks across to Lucius who stands on the other end of the table "I need your to help me turn him over. I need to check on the plate in his lumbar. The collision could have dislodged it"
Lucius nods as he and Lee carefully turn Bruce over to lie on his front "Is he going to be alright?"
"It's far too early to tell. Just what the hell were you thinking to let him go back out there?" Lee's hands caress Bruce's lower back "Faint signs of bruising. Could mean that he's suffering from internal bleeding. That's not good..."
"Lee?" Lucius asks concerned for Bruce's health.
"I need painkillers. Morphine is ideal... I'm going to have to operate here." Lee reaches into her bag and pulls out a pair of plastic gloves which she puts on "We need to hurry"
"What's happening? Lee! What's going?"
"No wonder he's having trouble fully recovering. His body is rejecting the metal implant. The internal bleeding isn't helping either. It is going to rust the implant and that could kill him..." Lee answers the man. She kneels down and looks through her bag.
"His body is rejecting the implant? How could you not realize that sooner?" Lucius looks over the bruised area of Bruce's lower back.
"I had no time to test him for being allergic. He was literally dying when I had to put it in him" Lee places a closed case on the table "And Bruce sure as hell wouldn't let me get a good look at it when I did my check-ups"
"If you take that thing out of him, that will make it even more difficult for him to recover, won't it?" Lucius observes Lee return his concern with an unsure look in her eyes.
"Right now my main concern in keeping him alive"
Elsewhere
- Across Gotham -
Selina zips up her jumpsuit, tightening her gloves and pulls up her boots. She clips on her angled belt and then pulls her cowl over, sliding down her red-shade goggles. She attaches her whip to the side of her belt and runs black lipstick over her lips. She then puts on her sash bag over her back. She stretches out her hands and rakes her claws "Ready"
Talia zips up her garbs and raises her hood over to conceal her face. She clips two belts around her waist and the holster on her back. The back of her garbs tails down to her shins. Pulling on fingerless leather gloves and placing her dual blade into her holster "Ready... I still can't believe that you talked me into this." her green eyes peek out from the depths of her hood.
Harleen separates her hairs into pigtails, tying them over with bands. She sprays each pigtail with coloured hairspray to make her left red and her right black. She puts on her red and black parted diamond jacket and pulls up the zipper. She paints her nails red and black. She applies white face paint to pale her face, then adding red and black lipstick to her mouth with red and black eye shadow to match her pigtails. She tightens her diamond-shaped belt. She puts on boots, one red and the other black "You needed to be talked into this? Some friend that ya are"
Catwoman, Talia and Harley look over the city from the rooftop. The pigtailed blonde fidgets, almost jumping on the spot. She holds her metallic bat over her shoulder and has a shotgun on her back with dual pistols on her belt "The gals are back!" she chirps to the dismay of both Talia and Catwoman who both groan.
"This isn't a game, Harley. One wrong move and he could kill you, let me lead" Talia kneels down on the ledge and looks to the streets "If by some miracle that Prometheus doesn't kill us... I got a feeling that Bruce will. Your plan better work." Talia glances to Catwoman "I'm putting a lot of faith in you"
"Have I ever let you down?" Catwoman smirks, resting her hands on her hips.
"Yes. The time where you stabbed me is a stand out example" Talia honestly replies, resting her left arm over her curved knee "You have yet to inform on what your plan is to get him to show up. Why would he even come here?"
"Yeah. I was 'bout to ask the same thing" Harley chimes in as she blows up a ball of bubble-gum.
"Let's just say I've recently come into contact with someone who has the resources to put Prometheus' name in all the major paper and news broadcast in Gotham and the rest of the country with where we are. And that should be happening in 3...2..." Selina counts down.
Unknown
Vandal Savage's eyes look up to the hologram emanating from the Mother Box in front of him. He was shown the image of a meteor moving through space and on course for Earth. His brown-hair is gelled back and he wears a long-sleeved V-neck shirt. He wears prideful smirk as his eyes reflect the video playing out before his eyes. He stands with his arms folded and without any slouch. His eyes strain as he hears the Mother Box bleep, alerting him to something.
"Mother Box, show me the divergence"
The hologram scatters only to reform into a new image. One of a newspaper. Vandal looks over the article and more importantly the headline "He really knows how to pick 'em." he grabs onto the Mother Box in his hand "It would be ill-mannered of me not to show up" the Mother Box's circuits glow brighter as its holder was consumed by a white light that fills the room.
Wayne Tower
- Bat-Bunker -
Bruce's eyes jolt open, sitting up and holding his sides. He hisses as pain shocks his system like he was stabbed. He turns to see Leslie Thompkins sitting in a chair beside the metal table which he was sitting on. He sees the woman look at him "You almost died again, I saved your life again. You are probably going to do it again..." Lee directs her frustration at him like she was expecting him to almost get himself killed again. Lee stands up and arches over to Bruce "You're welcome by the way"
"If you are going to keep being like that then I would have rather you just let me die" Bruce jokes with a small laugh. He clenches his sides and leans forward "... Ah... it hurts when I laugh..." Bruce goes to stand up but Lee gets in his way. She pushes him back onto the table.
"You're staying put, Bruce. I just got done putting you back together again, any sudden movements could reopen the wounds and set us back straight to square one" Lee tells the man, knowing that he most likely wouldn't listen to her advice.
"Can't do that. That thing is still out there and he's going to kill more people if I don't stop him..." Bruce glares at Lee "I need to stop him. I can't let that thing stay loose around Gotham."
"Really?" Lee questions "Just how do you plan to do that? You couldn't do it before and you damn sure can't do it now..." she glares back, one that shakes Bruce "You could have died... again. This isn't some game, Bruce. One of these days you are going to run out of luck and I won't be there to save you... Lucius showed me the Batsuit's capture... you could barely keep it back"
"I'll think of something to take him down... I just need time" Bruce stands up, grabbing at the table for support as he feels his body tremble in agony "My back... wha-what happened?"
"I had to take the plate out. Your body was rejecting it and it was becoming poisonous to you" Lee explains as she helps eases Bruce back onto the table "To be frank, it's a miracle that you can even use your legs in your state. Yet again, you are probably going to waste it and push your luck"
"I need it back in, you are going to put the plate back in me. I need to be able to fight..." Bruce shudders in agony, holding his sides as he looks into Lee's eyes "I have to get back out there"
Lee rolls her eyes and snarls "No. Absolutely not. That thing was going to kill you if I hadn't taken it out. I cannot in good conscious put that back in you when it is going to end up ending your life."
"A lot more people are going to die if you don't. I'm the best bet of stopping that thing and you know it"
"That's not what I saw earlier. That thing stomped all over you. Sorry, Bruce but I can't let you go after him again... if you still think that it's a good idea then maybe you need a doctor for more than your physical injuries" Lee turns her back to Bruce and begins to pack her bag "You're my friend, Bruce. Your my husband's friend. You mean too much to me to risk sending you to your death. You might be conformable with that... but I'm not"
Lucius walks into the room, looking over to the two "That won't be necessary. I think that I've got the perfect alternative to this dilemma we find ourselves in" he walks towards Bruce and Lee "I was going over the schematics to the Batsuit and realized a few adjustments that we could make to it"
"I'm all ears" Bruce turns to face Lucius Fox.
Lucius moves over to one of the computers and types "You won't be needing the plate. We are going to add an exoskeleton to the Batsuit. With it, you should have little trouble moving as much as you need. Of course, we are going to need to make a trade. To keep the light-weightiness of the material, you are going to have to deal with a less sturdy getup, we can keep it bulletproof but the Batsuit will be perceptible to knives and heavy-duty weapons"
"You're what?" Lee detests as she storms to Lucius "Bruce needs to get some rest, plus how are you even going to keep the exoskeleton powered?"
Lucius looks to the screen as blueprints for the Batsuit pops up "There's a defibrillator in the suit. I can retrofit it to also power the exoskeleton. I can even have the exosuit partially increase his strength."
"That's great, Lucius. Can you get right on it?" Bruce asks. Lucius smiles, turning to look at Bruce.
"C'mon, Mr Wayne. You should know me better than that by now. Batsuit 3.0 is primed and prepped"
- Across Gotham -
Catwoman, Talia and Harley are on the ledge of the rooftop, waiting for their target to show. Harley lies on her back, resting her head under her arms and kicking her legs. She blows a bubble of gum, popping it and starts to blow it again. Talia keeps her position, kneeling on the ledge in silence. Catwoman stands with her hands on her hips and goggles folded up. She looks around her, searching for anything out of the ordinary. The city was quiet, disturbingly so. There wasn't even the faint sound of a siren.
"We've been up here for over an hour, my lips are numb from the cold" Harley complains "Ya sure ya got the guy's name right?" her eyes look up to the soft snowfall hitting the city and its rooftops.
"He could've figured out this was a trap for him" Catwoman admits, sensing the flaws in her plan "Maybe I should've thought this through more. Prometheus probably knew that we would try and draw him out" she adds, looking over to the woman lying on the roof "He's not coming"
"He will come here" Talia coldly replies as she keeps her eyes trained on the streets below "He did not appear out of fear... but strategy. He knows this is a trap but that won't get in his way"
"It's a good thing that we have Harley for moral support" Catwoman dismisses Talia's claims "If what you say is true then shouldn't you be keeping an eye out rather than looking at the ground?" Catwoman turns around and spots the target. From the building across stood Prometheus, the man in white "Contact!"
Harley jumps to her feet and grabs her bat "'bout time"
Talia rises and faces Prometheus. She reaches behind her back and grabs her dual swords from the holster "I stare death in the eyes not as one that stands before it but as someone it stands before..." she chants. Her green eyes look to the man in white from under her hood.
Catwoman grabs her whip and glares over to Prometheus on the next building "You said that death gave up looking for you a long time ago, well... let's see if can find you today. Remember the plan, make. him. bleed" she hisses.
Prometheus watches the three women in silence as he grabs one of the swords on his back. He is concealed in a flash of bright light which once faded revealed him now standing on the same building as them. Prometheus's hand clenches the hilt of his blade as he stands in stands in complete silence.
"Yeah, buddy? Whatcha say we do this dance?" Harley smirks.
"The plan, Harley. Follow the plan" Catwoman approaches Prometheus along with Talia.
"Yeah, I get it. Follow the stinkin' plan" the pigtail blonde mimics.
"Get him!" Catwoman calls out as she rakes her claws. Talia lunges forward and swings both of her blades at the man in white. Prometheus deflects one the swords with his own, catching the other blade between the fingers of his other hand. He snaps the tip of the sword and rams into Talia's arm. The daughter of Ra's al Ghul moves back and kneels, holding her hand over her arm. Prometheus then jumps back and evades a swipe of Catwoman's whip.
Catwoman strikes again with the whip, this time the man in white lifts his right arm and wraps the weapon around it. He yanks his arm back and drags the woman with it, throwing her over his head and onto the roof. Selina jumps back up and kicks the man in the back. Prometheus moves out of the way and grabs her foot, throwing her back onto the ground. He then kicks Catwoman in her chest, knocking her onto her front. Prometheus turns and sees Harley readying a swing of her bat.
He's covered by a bright white flash and warps behind the blonde, making her miss her shot. Harley's eyes widen, seeing the man vanish right before her eyes "What the?". Prometheus's eyes narrow as he grabs the woman's hair and throws her over to the ground, making her wince in pain. Talia rips out the shard out of the arm and stands back up, she picks both of her swords back up and swings at the man. Prometheus moves out the way, like a white blur he moves behind her.
Talia turns on her heels and swings her blade at him again. The man in white moves again, blurring around her, again and again as he dodges all of her attacks faster than the eye could see. He grabs Talia by the throat and warps up onto the Water Tower of the roof. He holds the demon's daughter outward and dangles her the streets of Gotham. Prometheus' eyes narrow as he increases his grip around the woman's neck. Harley still lies on the ground, she reaches for her bat and throws it at Prometheus.
The man in white catches the metal bat with ease and throws it over the ledge. Prometheus turns his head to look at the blonde, he throws Talia back onto the roof and warps in front of Harley, mere inches away from her. He arches over and towers over her and grabs her chin, making her look at him "Not good enough" he says chillingly. Harley's lips curve into a grin as she blows up the gum into her mouth and pops it, spreading over Prometheus's mask.
The blonde then knees the masked man in the groin and knocks him back "Heal that" she chirps. From behind, Catwoman spins several bolas and flings them at the man at white. The bolas ensnare Prometheus' legs and bind him. Talia throws her blade and has it penetrate through the man's back and through his chest. Catwoman reaches into her bag, looking at the two other women "Now!" Catwoman pulls out a bow from her bag, Talia brings one out from under her garb and Harley takes one from her belt.
The trio fire all at once, launching spikes into Prometheus, through his chest and both his feet. Catwoman then reaches into her bag and throws a metallic ball down by the man in white. The ball explodes into a mess of caltrops that cut at Prometheus' feet "Harley! You're up!" Catwoman orders. Harley front flips behind Prometheus and wraps a trail of barbwire around his neck, tightening it causing a whine of red to ooze around his skin.
"I'm next, get back you two!" Talia warns Catwoman and Harley as she throws her own ploy. A small metallic box that explodes that unleashes a bunch of nails that cut through the man's arms, legs, chest and even head. Prometheus grunts in pain as his white garb is drowned by his blood that trails down. Harley, Talia and Catwoman now stand together as they look at the downed man who was covered in blood and wounds, more than any human could handle.
"H-holy shit... we actually did it, we actually did it?" Harley chirps, clearly surprised by their victory.
"Looks like your plan of inflicting blood loss was better than I gave it credit for" Talia compliments Catwoman.
"It worked better than even I thought... and I'm the one who came up with the plan" Catwoman looks through her red-tinted goggles.
G.C.P.D
- Captain's Office -
Waller slides another magazine into her pistol as she looks down on her desk at the captured image of Killer Croc. Jim looks over Amanda's shoulder and to the same image that she was looking at "You mind telling me what Croc's issue is with you? Both of you didn't really come across as close friends"
"That's way above your paygrade, James" Waller puts the gun into the holster around her thigh "I would imagine that thing has a problem with any person with a badge. He's a criminal. Murderer, cannibal and savage. Take your pick." Amanda heads to the doors leading out of the office and into the rest of the precinct. Gordon follows her out of the room and to the top of the stairs that overlook both the GCPD officers and Checkmate soldiers.
"Listen up. Target is to be considered highly dangerous. But he is a valued individual. You are to use non-lethal rounds only. Normal rounds bounced off of the assailant's skin and had no viable effect in either slowing him down and weakening him. So you will be using modified tranq rounds" Waller informs the men and woman below her "Do not let him escape."
10 Minutes Later
Amanda Waller and James Gordon walk down the steps of the precinct and head towards the line of parked armoured military transport. The whole area outside the front of the building swarmed with security comprised of both GCPD and Checkmate with the latter having a more dominant presence. The soft cold gales breeze past the street, covering everything it touches in an icy touch. Leftover ice and grit cover the roads. Jim meets up with Vanessa Harper on the sidewalk and Waller greets a group of Checkmate guards.
"Have you seen Harvey?" Gordon asks Harper who returns his question with an uncertain look.
"He's not with you? Bullock sure is picking great times to vanish" Vanessa comments as she looks over to Waller "This whole thing is sketchy. Waller never gets directly involved with this kind of thing"
"I know" Gordon inches closer to Harper "I overheard Croc when he was fighting Batman. He seems to have been there for Waller and he sure was pissed at her for some reason and I'm positive that she knows why," Gordon glances back to Amanda who was overviewing a map of Gotham on the trunk of one of the cars.
"Is it just me or are you having a hard time deciding who is a bigger threat right now out of Waller and that creature?" Harper asks the commissioner next to her "Its easy with Croc... he's monstrous on the outside, but Waller? She's definitely hiding something"
"I got a feeling that she's hiding a lot of things and none of them are good" James slides his hands into the pockets of his overcoat "First Deadshot comes back in town under Waller's orders and now Croc is back after being unaccounted for months. Who knows what else Waller is behind"
"With all due respect, maybe you should consider getting your old friend in on this. If there's anyone who can stop Waller... it's him" Vanessa suggests which brought Gordon to dismay. The commissioner looks away and up into the sky.
"Absolutely not. He couldn't even prevent Gotham being brought to its knees again. And even if I agreed with you, Waller has my family's freedom at her mercy. One wrong move and I could never see my daughter again..." Gordon vents, "The further my family is from Batman, the better."
Jim and Harper see Waller get into one of the military vehicles along with several other Checkmate soldiers. The transport drives off with four other vehicles following behind.
- Several Minutes Later -
The column of armoured vehicles drives on the icy roads of the city, not being deterred by the conditions. From within the one in front, Waller and four Checkmate soldiers look at a map of Gotham. A commander traces his fingertips along a narrow path at the edge of the city on the map "Target was last spotted up east near Chinatown, 6.5 minutes ago. A strike team is on route and support team in deploy, commander Waller"
"Excellent. Do not let Jones escape again" Waller orders.
From outside the line of vehicles, a snarl can be heard and soon loud footsteps that got closer and closer by the second. The front transport is knocked over as Killer Croc rams into it which threw it into the front of a store on the other side of the road. Killer Croc growls as sees the rest of the vehicles stop in their tracks and a small army of Checkmate soldiers jumps out and begin to fire at him. Like earlier, the bullets bounced off of his skin like they were made of rubber.
"Wall... WALLER!" Killer Croc claws his way through the twentyish men unloading on him. Blood spatters against the icy and grit roads as he the beast slays his way to the first car. Croc uses his tail, claws and feet to clear a path for him, his body gets covered by small spats of crimson red with each swipe and with each swipe came one or two fewer obstacles in his way. Eventually, there were only three men stood between him and the last vehicle.
Killer Croc uses his outstretched hands to grab the two on the side's heads and squash them with ease. He throws what's left of them to the ground and bites off the last one's head. Jones spits out the face and looks to his clear path of a red river and limbs. He slivers his way to the transport and rips the door right off its hinges and drags Waller by her hair. He pulls her out of the damaged vehicle and drools all over her face, his rotten teeth and slowed breathing were on full display for Amanda.
"...Payback..." snarls the creature as he smirks.
Wayne Tower
- Bat-Bunker -
"How are you feeling, Bruce?" Lucius inquires to the man dressed in the Batsuit with the cowl down. Bruce walks normally like his injuries were no longer weighing him down. He felt almost good as new, stretching his arms and practising his combat prowess with swift punches in the air.
"Good. Great even. This has to be some of your best work to date" Bruce walks over to join Lucius next to the monitor "Not to mention that this will also benefit me in more than just being able to stand without issues. People will have a harder time placing me as Batman if I can barely walk outside the suit." he reaches into his utility belt and takes out the tweezers which grasped the scales.
"Well... that's more disgusting in person" Lucius inches over to get a closer look at the shed scales "Hopefully we can find a DNA match in the G.C.P.D's archives. " Lucius puts the scales into a DNA scanner "But the one thing that is bugging me is that why would he comes to the scene of the crime when it was swarming with Checkmate?"
"Croc seemed to be after Waller. It came across as being more personal than just him randomly coming after her" says Bruce with an unsure tone, his eyes focused on the scanner "We have to find him before he hurts anyone else"
Leslie Thompkins watches the two from the corner of the room "And pray tell us, just how do you plan on stopping him? He shook off a bombardment of bullets like it was nothing to him and not mention he smoked you. You would have to be insane to just go out there without a plan," she slowly walks over to the other two "I don't care how many fancy toys that you have, Bruce. They won't mean anything if you end up dead"
"Then help me" Bruce blurts out "I doubt today is the last time that I'm going to need someone to patch me up. I know that I can trust you"
"And I can trust you to almost get yourself killed... again" Lee shakes her head "Fine. I'll play along with this obsession with yours. Not because I believe in it but because I don't want to sit back and watch you die" Lee firmly retorts "Don't make me regret this, Bruce"
"I won't, Lee. I'm not a kid anymore" Bruce assures her.
Lucius' eyes widen as he sees a match from the DNA "We got something," Bruce and Lee join him in looking at the result "That's... strange... it turns out our scaly friend wasn't always scaly." The mugshot of a brown-haired man looks back at them from the screen "His name is Waylon Jones, 38, from an early age he suffered from a form of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis"
Lee crosses her arms "Fascinating, I dealt with patients who have epidermolytic hyperkeratosis before... but this? This is on a whole new level. This... Waylon Jones must have a mutated variant of it. Not only did his skin change but he grew almost double in height - this is unprecedented "
"I've seen this guy before" Bruce comments as he stares at the image "Back when Gotham was a no man's land, Alfred and I went underground to look for a creature that was eating people. He showed some signs of what he is now but he was still mostly human"
"I guess a lot can happen in eleven years" Lucius searches through the file "Remember last year when you and him fought when the court of owls business was going down? The was no record of him being put into police custody. He was moved across the country to a redacted site. One guess of who was behind that"
"Waller" Bruce growls "She must have kept him for all kinds of inhuman experiments. They must have been transporting him into Gotham when he escaped... but why?"
"That's what we are going to find out" Lucius taps the keyboard which caused for another tab to appear over the mugshot "But right now we have bigger problems, G.C.P.D has just put in a report that Waller has been taken by Jones. He's going to kill her, Bruce." Bruce turns and pulls up his cowl over his face. His eyes change to glow bright white in the mask.
Lee leans against the desk and sees Bruce heading towards the exit "How are you going to find him?"
"Because I know where his lair is. I've been there before" Batman growls.
- Across Gotham -
Catwoman, Talia and Harley look to the trapped Prometheus that kneels before them "So... what do we do now?" the pigtailed blonde asks. Catwoman and Talia don't turn away from Prometheus who was just sitting in silence as he too looks back at them. Catwoman's stretches her claws, glaring down to the man.
"One more" Catwoman slices her claws against Prometheus' neck which squirts blood across the white-laced snow layer forming on the roof. The man in white barely reacted, remaining silent and motionless "Tough son of a bitch, eh? Not for long..."
"Done yet?" Talia scoffs to Catwoman "He is beaten, any more would just dishonourable"
"Beaten? That's one way to look at it" Prometheus laughs.
Harley giggles as she points to him "Ya kinda bleedin' out here, just what are ya squabblin' 'bout?"
"This was only just to show what you are messing with and I am done humouring you three" Prometheus jumps to his feet, somehow managing to escape the bolas. Talia, Catwoman and Harley were gobsmacked by Prometheus' move. The man in white grabs the second sword from his back and swings forward, kicking Catwoman to the ground and throws the bolas at her legs which wrap around her legs. He directs his blade towards the demon's daughter. Talia blocks the strike with her own sword.
"I cannot be killed, I cannot be stopped, I cannot be beaten" Prometheus warps behind Talia and kicks her onto her front. He warps in front of her and kicks her face, knocking her onto her sides "Your father may have been the demon, but I am the devil. Make no mistake"
Prometheus jumps back as Harley fires at him with a pair of dual pistols. The man in white warps between each shot, getting closer and closer to the blonde until he is mere inches away from her. He grabs her by the neck and lifts her "And you are the snake." Prometheus drags Harleen towards him and impales her with the sword that was thrown through his chest. Harley gasps as her body is weakened by the blade breaking through her stomach and back. Blood pours from her mouth as she stares blankly into Prometheus' eyes.
"No!" Catwoman screams as she sits up and looks on in horror at the sight of the blonde's fate. Prometheus drags Harley off of the blade and drops her to the ground as he looks over to Catwoman. Harley weakly brings her hands over her wound which were died red by the crimson liquid coming out of it. Prometheus reaches behind to his back and yanks out the sword and throws it onto the roof as he walks towards Selina "... What... are you?" Catwoman stands back up.
"I vow that in due time... the whole world shall know what I am... but for now..." Prometheus grabs his other blade and returns the both of them back to his back holster "I hope that this little demonstration is reason for you... to never try this stunt again. If you know what's good for your loved ones..." the man in white warps behind Catwoman and rips off the barbwire from his neck. He then warps on her left as he pulls out the spears. He warps back in front of her and tears out the nails.
Prometheus then vanishes in a flash of white which took him from the site.
Catwoman pulls down her cowl and screams, her hands caress through her hair. Selina calms as she sees Harley over on the ground. She rushes over and to the blonde's side. Talia does the same, moving to Harley as the blonde weakly looks up to the other women "... C-c-c-cold. Don't f-feel... too h-hot," Harley quivers. Talia presses her gloved hands over the woman's wounds, pressing down tightly. The demon's daughter turns to look Selina in the eye.
"I warned you..." she trails off as she turns back to the blonde "She's going to bleed out. She's needs treatment ASAP"
"The bunker" Selina gasps "Bruce stocks it with all kinds of medical equipment. Lucius should be there to help"
Talia shoots her gaze back to the short-haired woman "Selina, if you take her there, she is going to learn of Bruce's secret"
"If I don't she's going to die!" Selina hisses "I don't think Bruce would want that on his conscious"
"Make no mistake, Miss Kyle. This is your doing, her blood will be on your hands" Talia rips the tail of her garb and wraps it around Harley's stomach and knots it "We best hurry while she still has a chance of making it"
Gotham Sewers
Waller is thrown against a wall and splashes down in a shallow layer of sewage water. She turns to see Killer Croc coming for her. His snout stretches into a grin "You... tortured... me. Cut me... open and tried... to control... me" the reptilian man tramps towards her. His pupils narrow into slits as he stretches his jaw "You are going... to die down here… I will feast on your flesh and bones... slowly... make you hurt... as you hurt me"
"Do your worst, Jones. I'm not scared of freaks like you" Waller goes to stand but the creature's hand shoves her against the wall and in place. Killer Croc learns over and snarls, saliva forming between his teeth. He breathes heavily through his nose, strong enough to blow strands of her hair. Waller is unphased by Croc's prescience. She effortlessly looks into the beast's own gaze "Go on. Rip me to shreds, feast on my bones. It won't change the fact that you're a freak, an abomination. A blight upon this world"
"But you'll be... dead..." Killer Croc grins. His nose twitches, sensing something close by "...That scent... he's here...," he throws Waller into the water and turns to the dark knight who stands concealed within the shadows "... Batman... you're here... like... before... before I... was... this..." Croc looks down at his large leathery-skinned hands and rigid claws.
Batman trudges through the sewage, his cape swerving with each step taken. His white eyes shine from within the low-lit tunnel "I know who you are, Waylon. I know that Waller took you and did all sorts of inhumane things to you but killing her won't take away the pain"
"I'm not... the only killer here... Waller... kills too... anyone... who gets in... her way" Killer Croc grumbles as he slouches "I... look not human... but Waller's the... monster," he looks down Waller who was crawling away. He ensnares his tail around her and lifts her up. Waller fights against its hold but she couldn't break its grasp on her. Croc traps towards the dark knight "She deserves to... die"
"Can't let you do that, Waylon" Batman readies himself as he takes an orthodox boxing stance.
"My... name is... KILLER CROC!" Croc rushes the vigilante, ramming his head at him. Batman moves out of the way and lets the large beast overshoot and charge away "Kill... you... then Waller" Croc spins around hitting his tail at Batman who dodges under it. He reaches into his utility belt and throws a Batarang into the creature's back which cuts into his flesh and throws Croc forward and makes Waller drop out of the hold of his tail. The Dark Knight then jumps, leaping off the wall and onto Croc's back as holds on with his left hand and uses his right arm to ram the fins of his gauntlet into his shoulder.
Killer Croc howls as he tries to shake the vigilante off of him. Seizing the opportunity, Batman shoves a handful of small black pellets into the creature's mouth as has them explode into bursts of smoke that drives him off Balance. Batman kicks off of Croc and watches him stomp around and choke with a trail of smoke flowing out its mouth and nose. Killer Croc growls as he slashes his claws at the man in front of him. Batman spins out the way, stomping down on his hand and runs up his arm. Batman punches him in the snout and backflips off of him, kicking his snout too in the process.
"Mr Wayne, I trust that the Batsuit 3.0 is a success?"
Batman delivers another blow to Croc's face that knocks him over into the sewage water "You could say that." Killer Croc gets back up and wipes the blood from his jaw. The creatures throws a punch to Batman who blocks with his gauntlet. Croc then left hooks which the dark knight blocks against but being thrown back in the process. Croc then rams his head forward and knocks the vigilante into the air and slams him against the ceiling of the tunnel. Killer Croc then uses his tail to whack Batman against the wall of the tunnel and into the sewage.
"Time... to die..." snarls Croc as he walks over to the downed vigilante "You were next... on my... list anyway...you'll suffer for what... you did... to my eye..." he claws at each side of the tunnel which leaves a trail of scratch marks as he comes closer to Batman.
The Dark Knight's eyes widen as Croc's earlier words playout in a loop in his thoughts "Eyes not important... I can... smell you, hear you... taste you." Batman rises back onto his feet and reaches into the utility belt around his waist and throws a handful of pellets that roll under the larger man's feet which release streams of green smoke that croc breathes in; Killer Croc coughs, throwing his arm over his snout; protecting him from the gas.
Batman then throws two Batarangs at Croc which unleash a bright flash and high-hissing pitch that blinds the creature. Croc holds his hands over his eyes and screams, tumbling around and swiping with his claws to find the vigilante "...Where...where are you!" the disorientated creature hisses.
"He's not going down. Any ideas, Lucius?" Batman taps his earpiece "Haven't got that much time until he's back on my tail"
"Alright give me a sec. Ah, you are surrounded by water... get up high and use your shock Batarang. That should do the job"
"In a sewer? I'm not really looking to get myself blown up today"
"Okay, okay... let me think. Alright... there is one way that doesn't involve anyone getting blown up..."
"Why have a got a hunch that there's a *but* coming?" Batman replies.
"Because there is... you are going to have to bring down the tunnel on Waylon and hopefully not yourself. Explosive Batarangs are out of the picture... so - got it! The tunnel is old, unstable even. If you use your grapple gun in the right spot... it should work"
"What do you mean *should*?"
"Use the augmented strength that the exosuit gives you, now Bruce! I got the layout of the tunnel with me, I'm sending the weak point to your lenses" Batman pulls out his grapple gun and fires it off the centre of the top of the tunnel and tugs on it with all his strength. Killer Croc's vision slowly unblurs showing a skewed image of the dark knight. The reptilian beast slowly trudges towards Batman; the dark knight pulls the cable with all his might; the top of the tunnel cracks.
"Kill... Kill..." Killer Croc charges forward as Batman gives one final muscle tearing pull and the ceiling falls upon the behemoth, crushing him under piles of debris. Batman walks forward to Killer Croc who was weakly fighting against the debris over him "... Waller... needs to die... I wasn't... the... only one. She's... taking others..."
"Other?" Batman glances down to Croc "What others?"
"T-t-task force... x" Killer Croc stops fighting against the debris "And... you're on... her list... too..." he weakly chuckles as his slit pupils change back to normal "... She... wanted me to capture you... for her. I refused... no one tells me when I kill... you"
"Why are you telling me this?" Batman kneels down.
"I want Waller... dead. But you? You can... destroy her in ways... I couldn't even imagine" Croc laughs "Plus... you are going to... need to... silence her..."
"Why's that?" Batman glares down.
"... You'll see... you'll see..."
Meanwhile...
Wayne Tower
- Bat-Bunker -
Lucius Fox and Leslie Thompkins stand in front of the monitor that showcased the sewer system map. Lee turns to Lucius with an unsure look "Bruce managed to win this time... but what about the next fight? He can't save this city alone"
"He's not alone" Lucius smiles "I'll always have his back... what about you? You've given it any thought?"
"What's there to think about? My husband's friend goes around dressed as a bat and beats the hell out of criminals and now... crocodile men" Lee shrugs and folds her arms "If I do this If I agree to help Bruce in any matter that contributes to his vigilantism... I will be going against everything Jim believes in. You just can't expect me to be so eager to agree to this"
Lucius nods, understanding her dilemma "But... what do you believe in, Miss Thompkins? You knew about Bruce's secret for months but kept it to your self, you came to his aid when he needed you and even now you are still here for him"
"It's not that simple, Lucius. I wish it was though" Lee sighs throwing her head back "What would happen if Jim found out? That would make it easier for him to find out that Bruce is... you know"
"Bruce and I would never think of asking you to betray your husband, but just don't go betraying yourself in the process" Lucius advises Lee as he leaves her side and makes his way over to the weapon cache next to the case that is used to store the Batsuit. Lee was left standing alone, deep in thought as she decides on what to do. Her focus was ripped apart when she hears the sound of screaming heading into the lair. Both Lee and Lucius turn to see Selina run into the room along with another woman that was holding Harley in her arms.
"Selina?" Lucius turns and is brought into shock as he sees Harley bleeding from her stomach "What happened?"
"I... I made a mistake" Selina brokenly admit as she and Talia rest Harley on the metal table "... I was stupid..."
"We all were. I told you that Harleen had no place among us" Talia walks to the other side of the table and grabs medical supplies "And now she's suffering for our unwillingness to do what was needed"
"Selina, you're... that cat bugler ?" Lee runs to join the four other people surrounded the table. Her eyes look down to the dual pigtailed blonde who was weakly wheezing in pain "This is bad. She's bleeding out"
"Really?" Talia sarcastically replies "You don't say"
"And who are you supposed to be?" Lee coins at Talia "Get back all of you. I need to work fast." Selina, Talia and Lucius all leave her side and leave her to work. Talia walks off into the corner of the room and slams her dual blades on the desk. Meanwhile, Lucius grabs Selina's arm and drags her away.
"You did it, didn't you? I went after the one guy Bruce told you not to" Lucius blasts the woman "... What were you thinking, Selina?"
"I... I thought we could stop him" Selina yanks her arm away from Lucius' hold.
"Well... you thought wrong and now Harleen is laying over there fighting for her life" Lucius points over to Lee and the blonde patient "How could you be so reckless? I thought that I knew you better than that, you have crossed a line today, Selina. You let your emotion rule you and you are on the verge of getting someone killed because of it"
Selina rolls her eyes "You don't know me, Lucius. And Bruce sure as hell doesn't. I don't even know myself lately... I have been going through a lot lately... and maybe, just maybe... I wanted to see if there was still some good in me..."
Lucius shakes his head and looks over to Lee "I hope you got your answer, Selina. For your sake, I hope it was worth it," he turns his back to her and returns over to Lee. Selina folds her arms and breathes in. She turns and leaves the lair.
"I did" she whispers.
"It's bad, Lucius" Lee informs the man next to her "She's lost too much blood. She is going to need a transfusion if she is going to have any hope to make it." Lee walks around the table "Do you know what her blood type is?"
"Yeah, I took note of it just in case anything like were to happen" Lucius walks over to the computer and brings up a file "Let's see... here we go, O-Negative"
Lee's eyes glance to Lucius "O-Negative? That's going to be a challenge, that needs another O-Negative blood donner, and I'm not that" Lee looks down to the blonde under "Harleen? Can you hear me? Do you have any family in Gotham, a mother perhaps? Sibling?"
Harley looks up to Lee in with blurred vision "...I... sister... but she's... gone"
Lucius looks over to Talia "What about you? You a match?"
"B-Negative" Talia answers as she pulls down her hood "Plus since I've used the Lazarus I doubt my blood would be compatible even if it was"
"Lazarus?" Lucius thinks to himself. He heads towards a glass case and opens it. Lucius sees a row of test tubes full of green bubbling liquid in front of him. He reaches out takes hold of one. Talia sees the tube in the man's hand which drawled her suspicion. Lucius empties the tube into a hypodermic needle; he hurries back to Lee and hands her the needle "Lee... trust me on this. Its called Lazarus... it can heal any wounds. It may be the only thing that can save Harley right now"
"What are you doing with that in this lab?" Talia coldly affirms as she walks to Lucius and Lee "The Lazarus water is not some common medicine for you to fool around with, it's dangerous and not worth the risk. You have no idea of its true destructive power"
"Talia, can it save Harley's life?" Lucius asks, pressing his hands against the table "I'm not a blood match for her, Lee isn't, you aren't, Selina's not. Harley has no family left in Gotham so finding a suitable match for her in time could be impossible and will take too long. She'll be long dead by the time we do. Can it save her?"
The daughter of the demon nods "Indeed its healing capabilities can mend her physical wounds but heed my words, it will leave scars... just not ones viewable by the naked eye. The Lazarus can and will change her, alter her very being"
"That's a yes then" Lucius looks to Lee who agrees. The man penetrates the skin of Harley's arm with the needle and injects the Lazarus into her. Lee looks over the change in the blonde's body as the veins in arms tint green "Come on..."
Lee looks to Talia with an unsure look "If Bruce had this... Lazarus thing all this time then why didn't he use it on himself?"
Talia lifts her eyebrow "You're about to learn that for yourself."
Harley's eyes widen as her body shakes uncontrollably as all her veins glow green as well as her eyes. She screams as her glow become more prominent "She's going into shock!" Lee leans over to press the woman down "What's going on with her? You said that it would work!"
Talia al Ghul looks Lee in the eye "When translated, Lazarus roughly comes to God has helped... as you can see, this is not a gift from the heavens but an evil lauded by demons"
Gotham Rooftops
Batman looks down from afar, down below to the streets of the city. His glowing white eyes pinpoint the site which had Killer Croc being dragged away, bound and leashed by an electric collar and being brought into the confines of a reinforced transport. The Dark Knight turns as he sees an arrow shot into the ground beside him. Green Arrow zips down and lands on his knees. The man in green stands up and steps next to Bruce "Still in one piece I see."
"Almost doesn't feel like it. He did a number on me" Batman turns his upper torso towards the emerald archer and folds his arms "If you're looking for a *thank you* for the save earlier... you've come to the wrong vigilante"
"Gratitude never was your strong suit. Relax, I would never dream of demoralizing you to the point of expecting a simple thank you" Green Arrow replies as he grabs the strap of his quiver "Also, us billionaire vigilantes gotta stick together"
"We're not friends. Not even close. What happened in the past is going to stay as just that"
"I get it, Bruce" Green Arrow understandingly acknowledges "The last time we teamed up to do some good... a lot of people got hurt. We failed to stop him, and I'm sure that you also have to live that every single day."
"You know that he's here?" Batman questions Green Arrow although his tone made it come as cross as a statement.
"I saw the aljamal alqatil too. That's his calling card" the archer answers, "I came to this city to find the reason behind Waller transporting her tech into Star City... but now? I guess that you can't run from your demons"
"This isn't your concern. Go back home and let me deal with this. This is my city... and my fight" Batman turns the rest of his body to align with Green Arrow's "I won't let him hurt anyone else"
"Hate to break it to you, Bats. This is my fight too. If peoples lives are in danger, I'm going to be there. You're not the only one who made that promise" Green Arrow aims his bow at the next building across and aligns a bow "You need help to do this. No man is an island, Bruce. Take it from a guy who was stranded on one for years," he fires the arrow and has it penetrate the exterior of the building "I'm going to be in town for a while. I still need answers from Waller," he ziplines on the tether and leaves the eyesight of the dark knight.
"Waller and I have our own business to discuss too" Batman walks over to the ledge and leaps off. Bringing out his arms and expanding his cape and glides away.
- Unknown -
Later...
Killer Croc sits with his arms bound together by titanium cuffs and a shock collar around his neck. He is imprisoned behind a large glass case that was enclosed around him. Croc's pupils narrow into slits as he sees a person walk into the room and stand before his cage. Amanda Waller smirks when she sees the state of the beast. The woman looks to Waylon in a malicious glare while keeping her conspicuous smirk. Waller starts to come closer to the glass with each step she took unnerving the creature.
"Mr Jones... how disappointing. You were making quite promising progress too" Waller now stands right before the case, the tips of her shoes touch the glass "What did you tell Batman?"
"...Enough..." Croc answers with a low-tuned snarl.
"That is very sad news to bare... for you, that is" Amanda loses her smirk and holds a face of thunder to Croc "But I suppose that there can still be some use for you. At first, you were merely a tool to capture Batman and bring him to me. But without Batman, I will be forced to find a replacement for the team that I am working on."
"... Not... interested... don't... care..." Killer Croc hisses as he arches forward and presses his snout against the glass "... Kill you... when... I get... out of here..."
Amanda Waller walks away from Croc, "Welcome aboard to Task Force X, Mr Jones. Your country thanks you for your service"
Beneath Wayne Tower
- Bat-Bunker -
The Batmobile races through the underground road and into the lair of operations. The Dark Knight parks the Batmobile and leaps out, he pulls down his cowl. Bruce walks up the metal staircase and to the main platform. He gently caresses the muscles in his arms through the suit to help with the aching, he looks around and notices the absence of both Lucius and Lee. His eyes look over to the metal table in the corner of the room which now has more blood on compared to when he was on it previously.
He takes a few more steps towards the table and spots both Leslie Thompkins and Lucius Fox unconscious on the ground beside the table. The vigilante's eyes were drawn to the slight blood trail that drips from their skulls like they were given trauma by being pushed against hard surfaces. He kneels over Lucius and presses his middle and index finger against the man's neck. Bruce's concerns were slightly eased as he feels a pulse, same with Lee.
"Who could've done this?" whispers Bruce as his eyes finally land upon the empty tube shattered on the floor with some drops of green liquid, "Lazarus." Bruce's hears heavy breathing and careless heavy footsteps dragging themselves from behind him. Turning his head, Bruce is greeted by the sight of the crazed blonde who is hyperventilating and shaking her body unnervingly like she was possessed. Bruce stammers as he sees the blonde reach for him and wrap her gloved hands around his neck and forces him down to the floor, hitting his head on the table which knocks the wind out of him.
"Ha-Harleen! Lazarus is messing with your head. You need to fight it!" Bruce gasps, still disorientated by the impact as Harley chokes him, slamming his head back against the floor repeatedly. The blonde's vocals consist of mere high-pitch screaming and primal-like growls. Bruce uses his remaining strength to kick the woman off him and send her flying over a metre away. He rolls onto his front and attempts to lifts himself from the ground but the screaming persists, Harley crawls her way back to him.
She stops when a small dart was fired into her neck which made her movements become more sluggish until she completely falls into a slumber on the floor. Bruce looks to his side and sees Talia stood with a tranquillizer gun in her hand "First time's rough for everyone."
"Talia?" Bruce uses the table and pull himself up "What's going on here? And why is Harleen in the bunker?"
"I'll tell you... but you won't take it too fondly" the demon's daughter places the tranq gun down "Then maybe you can tell me why you have the Lazarus water as your little pet project"
To Be Continued...