Chapter 3 – Welcome to the Madhouse
AN: Hello everyone! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry this took so long. Things have been really crazy this summer. As always, many thanks to my lovely beta, annbe11, for turning my babblings into readable material.
On another note, if any of my readers have an interest in the Tiger's Curse book series, definitely check out annbe11's enjoyable fanfic Tiger's Circus. It's a reimagining of the backstory of the book's hero and a rewrite of the first 8 chapters. Do your self a favor and give it a look.
With that, on with the show!
"Oh, come on, Bats," said the Joker with a sick smile, "you have to admit it was a little funny!" He let out a loud cackle as his gurney was pushed out of the elevator, heedless of the six assault rifles that were following his every move.
Batman just glared silently and followed behind the procession of insanity. They were coming into the office of Intensive Treatment. In a few more minutes, Joker would be back in custody and this night would be over. When Batman caught sight of the man signing papers at the desk, he felt himself relax a slight amount. As Joker's gurney was wheeled to the side of the room, Batman strode toward his ally on the police force.
"Long night, Gordon?" he asked. The police commissioner smiled at him before finishing one last signature and handing the clipboard back to the receptionist.
"You could say that," Gordon answered, shaking Batman's hand. "It's been a helluva night, and for more reasons than just… him."
Batman furrowed his brow, thinking over all the events of the night. What could Gordon mean? He hadn't heard anything noteworthy aside from the Joker and a short-lived gang fight. Before Batman could ask, Gordon inclined his head over his shoulder, drawing Batman's attention. Batman followed his gaze and saw, to his surprise, a short teenage girl sitting down and watching them with rapt attention, but her eyes were mostly focused on him.
"Who is that?" Batman asked. She looked much too young to be in a place like this.
"The girl's name is Nora. Nora Valkyrie," said Gordon. "Bullock and I picked her up about a half hour ago for causing a public disturbance. She was armed with this." With a great deal of effort, Gordon lifted a large rotary grenade launcher and held it out.
Batman took it in his hands and turned on his cowl's optic sensors, scanning the weapon before him. A cursory look showed it was incredibly complex, with a large number of moving parts made of a metal that his scans had no records of. The grenades themselves were also unusual, with all of them seemingly filled with a powder that his cowl could not find a match for.
A new kind of chemical weapon? he wondered to himself.
"I've never seen anything like this before," Batman said at last, looking up at Gordon and handing him back the weapon. "Any idea where she got it?"
"Kid claims that she made it herself," Gordon answered. "On a side note, she's strong enough to snap a pair of handcuffs just by shrugging her shoulders, so I bet she could use this baby with no problems." Batman shot another look at Nora, who was now looking bored and slouching in her chair.
"So you're handing her over to me?" he asked. "If she was found with a weapon like this, she should be on her way to a specialized holding cell, not being allowed to walk around freely."
"She's been nothing but pleasant ever since we slapped the cuffs on her," Gordon said with a shrug. "She could have broken out anytime she wanted, but she stuck with us." He too glanced over at Nora. "If you ask me, she just seems like a good kid who's really, really lost." Gordon crossed his arms and glanced at Batman. "I figured, with the sheer amount of wackos you've got at the League, you might be able to at least find someone to help her out.
Batman frowned and looked at Nora a second time and saw her in a new way. He tried to imagine the various possible scenarios, if this girl's story was to be believed. She could be an alien, but he had no idea from where. Amazon was another possibility, but her weapon was far too advanced for that to be likely and, even if she were an Amazon, she looked like she would still be at training age. He made a mental note to head straight for Diana when they were done here.
As Batman observed her fidget in her seat, his gaze started to soften. If this girl was telling the truth, she was just a kid who had no idea where she was and no idea how to get home. She would probably need all the help she could get. He let out a long breath through his nose.
"Once we get Joker locked up, I'll see what I can do for her," he said. Gordon smiled and nodded thankfully.
"Hey, Nora," Gordon said over his shoulder, making the girl snap up straight in her chair. "Come on over here. Got someone for you to meet."
Nora boosted herself to her feet and walked up to them, a wide toothy smile on her face.
"Hi!" she said, waving to Batman. "I'm Nora. You must be that Batman guy Jim was talking about. Man, you are really committed to this whole bat theme." She stuck her hand out and somehow managed to smile even wider. Batman blinked for a moment before taking her hand.
"I am," he said. "I understand you've lost your way. Once we're done with the Joker, I can get in contact with some people who might be able to help."
"Awww. Batsy, you really do care about the little people! I'm touched, really."
Batman grit his teeth and looked over his shoulder. The Joker had been taken off of his gurney and was now in handcuffs and being manhandled by guards. Joker locked his eyes on Nora and his grotesque smile seemed to grow even larger.
"Oh ho ho! What's this then, Jimmy-Boy? Did you get yourself another ginger kid? Not that I blame you." He gave a dramatic shrug. "I mean, I kinda broke the last one."
Batman moved in an instant, holding his arm out to block Gordon at the same time the commissioner lunged at Joker, probably intent to tear him limb from limb. Gordon's face was turning purple with rage while Joker just laughed as he was led down the hall.
"Jim, don't," Batman said calmly. "It won't change anything."
"It would sure as hell make me feel better!" Gordon snarled.
"You know Barbara wouldn't want to wake up to hear you'd done something like that," Batman said. That statement seemed to take the wind out of Gordon's sails and he slumped where he stood. "Are you calm?" The man took a deep breath before he nodded.
"Yeah, I'm calm."
"Good." Batman lowered his arm. "We should get moving. We want to make sure this goes smoothly."
Batman turned to Nora and thought for a moment. Arkham Asylum was not a particularly safe place for a girl her age, no matter how heavily armed she may be, but she remained a wild card and he didn't want to leave her unsupervised. If Gordon was right and she was really that strong, she would have no trouble at all incapacitating any guards left to watch her and then be able to run wild. With a slight feeling of apprehension, Batman made his decision.
"I need you to stay close," he told her. "This is a very dangerous place, but I'll figure out a way to help you once we get out of here. Agreed?" Nora smiled and nodded.
"Agreed!" she said in a chipper tone of voice.
With that, the three of them turned and followed Joker and his handlers. Batman's gaze never wavered from the insane clown. All of his attention was focused on Joker, reading his movements and waiting for the very first hint that he was about to try something.
Until, that is, he felt Nora tugging on his cape. His head snapped around and he glared at her, but she just continued pulling at it.
"What's this made of?" she asked, glancing up at him. "It doesn't feel like fabric. Is it some magic vampire cloth?"
Batman grabbed a fistful of his cape and yanked it out of her hands, glaring at her all the while.
"I'm not a vampire," he snarled.
"Oh. Okay," said Nora, smiling and nodding at him. Batman narrowed his eyes at her, but turned and continued following the Joker. He was sadly aware of how Gordon was trying to cover his laughter with a suspicious fit of coughing.
The procession continued down the hall before they reached a room of holding cells. Batman could already see the inmates contained inside, as well as the clown tattoos they all sported.
I don't like this, he thought to himself. What had caused the fire at Blackgate Prison? Why had so many of Joker's henchmen been moved here like it was no problem? Most of all, where in the world was Harley Quinn? She almost never left Joker's side unless he had beaten her up and thrown her out, and even then it was only for short lengths of time.
As everyone came up to the first of the new electrified gates, a security guard and doctor stood waiting for them.
"Hold it right there," said the guard, holding his hand out. "Sorry, Batman, but this area is for Arkham staff only."
"I assure you," said Gordon, "if anyone here is qualified, it's-"
"Commissioner, I appreciate what he does," interrupted the guard, "but he might upset some of the more violent inmates. Also, this is no place for a girl of her age." He gave a long look at Nora, causing the girl to cross her arms and pout.
"I'm eighteen…" she grumbled under her breath.
The Joker laughed as he was dragged toward the gate.
"Don't worry about a thing, Bats!" he chuckled. "I think I've got it from here. You can get back to your little babysitting gig with Short Stack over there." The gate shut down and the guard and doctor ushered him through. "Gotta say, though. It's good to be home."
Batman's hands curled into fists as Joker was led away, giggling to himself. Gordon noticed his tension.
"You alright?" he asked.
"He surrendered almost without a fight," said Batman, "and it seems like most of his crew is here. I don't like it." Batman moved into the observation booth, never letting his eyes leave Joker's back through the inch-thick glass.
He's up to something, Batman thought to himself. I'm sure of it.
His suspicions were correct.
In the middle of the holding area, Joker suddenly head-butted the guard leading him and wrapped the chain of his handcuffs around the man's neck.
"Hurry!" he shouted with glee. "We're losing him, doc!"
"Joker's loose!" snapped Batman as he slammed his fist into the window. "Get word to the Warden."
Batman was rearing his fist back to strike the glass a second time when there was the sound of a scuffle behind him.
"Nora?! What are you-?"
"Sorry, Jim! I need this! Comin' through, Bats!"
Batman barely had time to leap out of the way before Nora streaked past him, cradling her grenade launcher in her arms while leveling her shoulder at the window. His eyes widened as she made contact with it. Not only did the window shatter, but the entire wall exploded outward as she plowed straight through, almost like it wasn't even there. She rolled to a crouch as she landed in the holding area and looked up, smiling at the stupefied Joker, who was crouched over the coughing guard.
"Well," he said, "that's new." He suddenly released his hostage and made a break for the far side of the room. "Harley! Door!"
Just like that, the electric gate turned off and Joker practically dove through the opening before it closed again. Joker stepped to the side into the control room as Nora was helping the doctor and guard to their feet. Batman, shaking off his surprise at her sudden display, followed into the Holding Area.
"Well, then," said Joker's voice over the PA system, "after that little interruption to our regularly scheduled maiming, it's time to get this show on the road. Coming to you all the way from Blackgate Correctional Facility with a combined sentence of 1,593 years, we have… these guys!"
A bell rang as all of the nearby cells suddenly opened, allowing the prisoners within to walk free. Each of them looked angry and violent. Some even had clown makeup tattooed on their faces. All of them had cruel expressions as they surrounded Batman, Nora, and the two cowering staff members.
"Bring it on, boys!" Nora laughed, twirling her grenade launcher over her head before it abruptly transformed into a warhammer. She gave all of the suddenly less confident inmates a smile with too many teeth.
"She's got a hammer!" one of the inmates cried in alarm.
"And I'm not afraid to use it!" said Nora with another laugh. Batman got into a fighting stance, putting himself at her back.
"Just disable them," he said, closely watching the criminals. "No killing."
"Sure, fine," said Nora with a smile. "I know how to be gentle…ish."
She didn't give the inmates another moment to plan and lunged forward. She was fast. The first convict didn't even have the time to react before the pommel of her hammer shaft cracked against his head, sending him to the floor without another word. Another convict behind her tried a clumsy charge before she kicked him in the stomach and left him retching on the floor.
Batman would have watched longer but two other inmates charged at him and he became otherwise occupied.
After he punched one of them hard in the jaw and sent the other sprawling to the floor before twisting his leg, a third tried to hit him with a wild haymaker before Batman ducked under the strike and punched him in the groin. As the thug fell to the ground with a whimper, Batman shot another glance up at Nora and suddenly found himself staring. Nora had already incapacitated three inmates and was currently holding a fourth in a choke hold and giving him a vicious noogie with her free hand. She looked up, saw him staring, and released the man an instant before punching him to the ground and sending him into unconsciousness.
"Well… these guys weren't so tough. Where's the real challenge?"
"Ohoho Bats, I like this one!" The Joker said over the PA.
Batman spun to face the other observation post, but it was empty. He was gone. Suddenly, every TV in the room suddenly changed to security camera footage of the Joker, staring out of the screen as if he were actually looking at them.
"I mean, that hammer alone would turn Harley as green as that plant lady! And did you see her smile during that fight? Oh Batsy, what fun we are going to have tonight!"
"Batman!" came the shout from Gordon. He was busy helping the guard and the doctor up into the observation point through the giant hole Nora had made. "The system's jammed," he said. "We can't get a message out and we can't access the security measures."
"That is exactly correct, Jimbo!" the Joker laughed. "Arkham Asylum is mine now. I'm the one in control here. None of you get to go anywhere I don't want you to. Understand?"
Batman glared at the TV screen as his fingers curled into fists.
"If you think I'm just going to let you run away…"
"Run? Really? Oh no, Bats, I'd never run from this. I'm having far too much fun right now!" He threw his head back and cackled before returning his focus to Batman. "Why don't you and your new sidekick just come find me? That way, we can really get this party started!"
The TV footage suddenly cut out and the electric gate shut down, practically beckoning Batman to follow the clown's trail.
"You know it's a trap, right?" asked Gordon.
"Of course it is," said Batman.
"So, are we still going to follow him?" asked Nora.
Batman glanced down at her. She had collapsed her hammer down into a more compact form and strapped it to her back, but was now looking up at him expectantly.
"No," he answered bluntly. "I'm going after him. You're going to stay here. It's safer than what's further into the facility."
"What?!" Nora demanded. "But… but… you saw what I can do! You know I can help."
"I don't need help," Batman said before turning away from her.
He had taken only a few steps before he felt her tug on his cape for the second time. He had been expecting it, however, and spun around to grab her hand before jerking her to the side. Suddenly off-balance, she stumbled in the direction he led her, sending her falling into one of the now-empty holding cells before Batman hit a button on the nearby control panel, slamming the steel door closed.
"Seriously?!" she yelled from inside. Batman saw her hands grip the bars of the tiny window before she tried to boost herself up to look through it. Her eyes just barely reached the lip of the window. "I just want to help you and do my job!"
"Jesus Christ, Batman!" came the shout from Gordon. Batman turned to face the angry commissioner. "She's just a kid."
"Exactly," Batman said. "She's also an unknown variable in all of this. I don't need her slowing me down while I-"
BOOM!
Batman jumped and spun to look at the metal door to the holding cell, which was now visibly bending outward. Another boom came as the door bent even further, straining against its hinges and locks. With a third boom, the door snapped free of its housing and tumbled to the ground, leaving Nora standing inside the cell and looking at Batman with a smile. Keeping himself on guard, Batman spared a moment to glance down at the door, restraining his surprise at seeing clear indents of fists pressed into the metal. He looked up at Nora suspiciously.
"Are you a Kryptonian?"
Nora blinked for a moment before rocking her head from side to side, giving a 'so-so' gesture with her hands.
"Not particularly. I mean, they taste fine, most Atlesian foods do, and they go well with jam, but I prefer pancakes. Much fluffier and ten times tastier."
Batman blinked, not really sure how to respond to a statement like that. Schooling his features, he stepped up to Nora while reaching for a small, lead-lined compartment on his utility belt. He opened it and removed a shard of crystal, glowing green in the dim asylum lights. He held the shard of Kryptonite up to Nora's face. Her eyes followed it, fascinated.
"Wow," she said in amazement. "You guys have Dust? I've never seen a green kind before. That's so cool! What does it do?"
Batman considered this development, not letting anything show on his face. He was frantically trying to come up with a solution for the current situation. The girl displayed incredible strength and fighting ability, despite her age, but he had no idea what she was or where she was from. She clearly wasn't Kryptonian, as shown by her lack of reaction to the Kryptonite, but she could likely overpower every attempt to restrain her that he was capable of performing at this given time, not to mention her determination to aid him in this endeavor.
Batman had a sinking feeling in his gut.
"Fine," he snapped, returning the Kryptonite to his belt. Nora blinked.
"Fine what?"
"You can come with me. Just stay close and don't slow me down."
Nora's face suddenly split into a huge grin and she snapped a playful salute.
"Aye aye, sir! Now let's get going! The faster we catch this clown, the faster you can help me find Ren and my friends."
The girl grabbed onto his arm and started dragging the Dark Knight down the hall where Joker had fled. As Batman was pulled along, he could feel Gordon's smug gaze digging into his back.
He only hoped he hadn't made a wrong choice with this girl.
