"Batman!" I shout into the comms system as I run across a rooftop. "Please tell me you can hear me. I think I know who the Knight is! Batman?"
There's no reply. I speed up, jumping and grappling between buildings, heading towards the abandoned shopping mall.
"Fine," I pant while running. "On the off chance you can hear me but I can't hear you, watch your back. I'm pretty sure the Knight is actually Jason Todd! Which I know sounds ridiculous, and I'll explain later. But if it is him, he's after you and he's going to be pissed. Please respond!" The silence urges me on faster.
I stand on the roof of a skyscraper, looking towards the building Riddler tracked Gordon too. I can see a lone figure standing on the roof, looking out over Gotham. My eyes narrow.
It's Crane.
I see red, and all logical plans go out of my mind. I want revenge for kidnapping me when I first got to Gotham. I want revenge for sending Zsasz and Tetch after us. I want revenge for having to look over my shoulder for weeks. And I want revenge for terrifying the snot out of me.
I grapple over and land lightly on the scaffolding that covers the roof. A sound to the side catches my attention, making me pause.
It's an elevator. The doors open and Batman and Commissioner Gordon come out. Gordon has his gun drawn, pointing at Scarecrow.
"On your knees, Crane. Now." Batman orders. Crane turns slowly, hands raised, to face him.
"So you did it." He rasps. "I must admit, I had my doubts that you could make this happen."
"I'm not asking again," Batman warns.
"And I wasn't talking to you. It is time." Crane says, and to my horror, Gordon turns his gun on Batman.
"Jim?" Batman's voice gives away his shock.
"I'm sorry." Gordon sounds remorseful. "It was the only way." He turns to Crane. "Get me my daughter."
A militia goon wheels Barbara Gordon out from around the corner.
Barbara!
A wave of shock and relief hits me so hard I nearly fall off the scaffolding I'm perched on.
"Dad?" She exclaims, taking in the scene.
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Gordon asks. I knew he wanted his daughter back, but this?
"What are you doing?" She cries.
"Call in the transport." Crane orders, ignoring the drama unfolding before him. "We're leaving." He walks to stand behind Barbara, hands on her shoulders. "It is time for the people of Gotham to see their saviour for who he truly is. A man. Just a man. Devoid of hope, betrayed by his friends… crippled by fear."
"Let her go!" Gordon orders.
"You both still have a part to play."
Gordon turns his gun on Crane. "We had a deal." Militia goons respond by training their guns on the Commissioner.
"Once I understood your greatest fear, controlling you was simple. You blame yourself for her condition. You need to protect her, but buried deep down is the inevitability that you will one day fail." Crane's raspy voice has a way of getting to you. Hypnotic. "And that fear makes you mine. Think carefully about your next move. Her life depends on it."
Between one instant and the next, Gordon turns his gun back on Batman and fires. I scream as Batman flies backwards, over the edge. Against my will, my legs begin to shake and I lose my footing, dropping down from the scaffolding. My stomach feels like it's in my throat and I can't seem to get enough air. Distantly, I can realise I'm in shock. Batman is dead.
"Hold her." Scarecrow orders and three militia goons instantly step forward, grabbing me roughly, stripping me of my escrima sticks and utility belt. I can't muster the energy to fight them.
I can hear Scarecrow chastising Gordon for shooting Batman, but I can't make out the words through the fog in my head. Batman is dead.
I see Scarecrow approach Barbara and push her to the end of the building. Gordon is restrained by militia as Crane tips Barbara over the edge. I muster up a scream, but I can't escape the men holding me.
Gordon puts up a better struggle but he can't get free either. A large transport helicopter lands on the other end of the roof.
"Bring them." Crane orders. I'm hauled to my feet and dragged onto the airship. I can hear Gordon swearing and shouting at the men restraining him but to no avail. He's cuffed and thrown onto a seat, same as me. I put up no fight. Batman is dead.
Through the haze in my mind, I register my name being called. I blink away the confusion and look up, right into Gordon's face. He's shouting at me to wake up, to do something. Batman is dead and it's his fault.
I shriek, wordless rage, and dive at Gordon, raking my nails down his cheek. He was your friend, he trusted you!
I don't know if I actually speak, or if I just think the words. Two militia goons grab my arms and pull me off him, forcing me back onto my seat.
"She has some fight left in her after all." I look around to see Crane standing there, watching the interaction. "Quinn will be pleased."
Quinn. Crane. I'm in trouble.
What would Batman do?
Adrenaline helps to pull me out of the fog in my mind, bring me back into the present. Wherever Crane is taking me, it won't be good. I shoot a withering glare at Gordon, who is holding his bleeding cheek and has the audacity to look shocked that I would attack him.
I'm cuffed behind my back but I can feel the comms unit still on my wrist. I carefully move my hands until I can press the first button on the cuff, trying not to attract attention. I press the button and pray the comms unit is working again.
"Great job, Commissioner." I sneer. "You shot the hero of Gotham and now we're off to God knows where in Crane's airship." I get no response, and my heart sinks. I try the button again. "Anyone want to tell me where we're going?" I direct my question towards the militia. No surprise when no one answers. Unfortunately, my voice draws Crane's keen eye.
"No one thought to take your communications device, I see." He says, reaching behind me to take the unit off my wrist. "I imagine there is an earpiece, as well?" He leans down his face directly in front of mine. I can see every terrifying detail. He reaches out and pulls my cowl off and removes the earpiece.
I feel surprisingly vulnerable without the cowl. Of course, Crane narrows in on that straight away.
"Using your mask as a shield between you and the world. Not uncommon to use clothing as armour." He rasps. "It does say something about you, doesn't it? You don't think you can face the world as yourself? Or do you just enjoy the visual association with Batman?" He asks, head tilted.
I look away, scooting as far away as I can. Obviously Crane isn't too invested in my answer, because he simply straightens up and walks away to stand behind the pilot.
Gordon looks at me, the blood drying on his face, eyes pleading. I scowl at him, looking away.
"Damn it, kid, he isn't dead." Gordon hisses at me. I look back at him, searching his face for any signs of a lie.
"How do you know?" I ask.
"I knew what I was doing," Gordon replies. "Trust me."
I want to believe him. So badly.
"You can believe the Commissioner, child," Scarecrow says. "I have learnt it takes more than a simple bullet to end the Dark Knight."
I don't know what to say. My breath comes out shaky and despite everything, I can feel a relieved smile spreading across my face.
"Hold your celebration," Crane warns. "He may be alive, but he will be far too busy to chase you."
"Are you going to tell us what that means, or are you just going to be vague and creepy?" I shoot, trying to cover my fear with sass.
Scarecrow does what I imagine is his version of a smile and turns back to look out the massive windshield of the airship.
¿?
I put up less fuss than Gordon when they transport us from the airship to military vehicles. I try to look around at our surroundings, try to find any landmarks but it's too dark and I'm not familiar with the area. The drive isn't too long and we're soon pulling to a stop. I can hear Gordon cursing as I'm dragged from the car, wriggling and still trying to break free of his bonds, but with no result. Scarecrow's goons haul us into a very familiar-looking building.
"Is this the Asylum?" I ask the group in general. "Are we actually going into Arkham Asylum?"
Gordon looks over at me. "You know, this place is usually full of crazies, and I've never heard anyone as excited to be here."
"It was on my Gotham Tourist Attractions list." I shrug. "Though my tour guide was less than keen to visit."
Gordon gives a small, gruff smile. I count that in the win column. Probably we won't have much to smile about soon, so I figure we should smile while we can.
We're marched into the long-abandoned Arkham Mansion. I nearly break my neck trying to look around, take in everything. I can see the massive bell that fell, still cracked on the floor. A lot of the room is still covered in Ivy's massive vines, though they are long dead now.
I take in all these details as quickly as I can because Crane and his militia don't give me a lot of time to look around. We're quickly bought to a dark office off to the side. The room is set up with several TV sets, all tuned to news coverage of Gotham.
And someone is already here.
"Robin!" I shout, trying to shake free from the goons with renewed force.
"Belle? Gordon!" Robin strains against the ropes tying him to the chair.
"Are you okay? What happened?" I whirl around to face Crane. "Why is he here? What are you doing?"
"The Knight knew how to get into Batman's base at the movie studio. It was simple to use the Commissioner's voiceprint to gain access. Just another way to prove to Batman that this is his end." Crane boasts.
"Batman will be here soon, hang on!" Robin tells me. Scarecrow ignores us.
"Tie the Commissioner. Take the girl to the next room." Crane orders. I shoot Gordon an alarmed look. I don't want to be separated from him.
The Militia goons quickly follow his orders, tying a struggling Gordon to a chair next to Robin and two other goons drag me though a second door and into a larger room.
"Hiya Belle. Long time no see. Killed anyone else lately?" In the back corner of the room stands Harley Quinn, waving at me. "Right on time Doc." I look behind me where Crane has just entered the room. "Is Eddie on his way?"
"Soon. She needs to be alive when he arrives, Quinn. Be patient." He chastises, making Harley pout. "I need to send my next message to the Dark Knight. Feel free to catch up with your old friend." He leaves us, taking the goons with him.
"This is your end game?" I ask Harley. "Hold me here so Edward comes for me?"
"Only the Doc is interested in Eddie. Me? I still want my revenge for what you did to Mistah J."
"Come on, I didn't kill him! Well, I did back in my world, but that hardly counts. I didn't kill him at the Monarch Theatre. He was sick, and the infection killed him." I try, again, to explain to her.
"He's dead because of you. And you're gonna pay." She glares at me. I can hear parts of Scarecrow's speech from the other room.
"You are not safe. You are not protected. Batman will not save you. This is the beginning for the end for you, Dark Knight." He speaks for a moment longer and then a sound like distant fireworks begins.
"What is that?" I ask, not really expecting an answer.
I get one, however. "B-man won't be able to come save you if he's trying to save the dumbass police from being blown up!" Harley cackles. "Now shush. I'm listening to the Doc's speech."
Crane's raspy voice filters through from the next room. "Looking for someone? You should know by now that nowhere is safe. The Commissioner was so eager to betray you earlier, when his daughter's life depended on it. And now, I have your Robin, the caged bird. Fascinating that your fears would drive you to lock your closest ally in a prison cell. And that girl you've trained. How she screamed when you were shot." I can hear Robin shout something and then the sound of someone being punched. Scarecrow continues, "Now those same fears will make you do as I say. There's a storage depot in Kingston. Go there, alone. Prepare to take off that mask. Or your friends will die."
"He'll never fall for that," I tell Harley, shaking my head.
"We'll see." She smirks. "I think you're givin' Bat-brain too much credit. He'll be here, trying to save the day. It just won't work."
"Well, I don't think you're giving him enough credit. He'll be here, kicking your ass, before you even know what's happening." I counter, and Harley shuts me up with a swift kick to the jaw. I drop to the ground, blinking away the stars in my eyes. I hadn't seen that coming. "Are we moving on to the fighting part of the evening?" I ask, getting back on my feet.
"I'm supposed ta wait until Eddie gets here, but I've done enough waiting." She says and crosses the distance between us with a perfectly executed backflip.
I raise my fists, trying to ready myself as best I can. No cowl, no belt, no weapons. I don't feel like much of a hero. I block her next kick with my forearm, and the blow sends waves of pain up to my shoulder.
I attack quickly with a series of punches to her midsection, with several of them hitting their target. They barely seem to worry her. She regains her balance and another kick hits me in the side, sending me flying to the wall.
There's no doubting Harley is a good fighter, and if I don't pull my act together this will be over quickly. I get back up, using the wall for support.
"I can almost hear Mistah J cheering me on," She sighs wistfully. Then she frowns. "Oh no, it's just the Doc talking to Batbrain again."
"…how fitting that I will win and Batman's life will be over. Not because of what I have done to your precious city, but because you are scared of what I will do to your friends, your family." Scarecrow is addressing Batman. The masked fool must have gone to the storage depot. I stop listening to Crane when Harley grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks, forcing me to look up. I sweep my leg out under hers, making her fall, and retreat a few paces while she stands back up.
"Leave your equipment on that table, and we can find out." Crane is saying. "Now, the truck."
"No!" I shout, hoping against hope that Batman can somehow hear me. "Stay away Batman!" Harley laughs at my efforts, springing across the space between us and starting her attack again. I block as many hits as I can, but it won't be enough. If the fight continues in this pattern, she's going to win.
But the next voice I hear gives me hope.
"We spent a lot of time trying to leave this place, Crane. Why would you make this your base of operations?" A familiar, cocky voice drawls.
"Surely you can understand the poetic justice, Nygma," Crane replies. "They tried to banish all their nightmares here, locked safely away. It seemed only fitting the destruction of their city should come from that same place."
Harley pauses, an unhinged grin on her face. "Now the real fun starts." She tells me.
"The real fun? Then what was this? The warm-up?" I complain, out of breath. The door opens and I see Riddler's face as he and Crane walk in. To anyone else, he might seem unconcerned, but I notice the way his eyes scan me for any injuries, and the way his jaw clenches when he finds them.
Crane notices too. "You were supposed to wait." He tells Harley.
"She wasn't real polite, Doc. I was just teachin' her some manners."
Crane seems to ignore this. "Bring her. It's time."
"Oh, that's not ominous at all," I grumble as Harley roughly drags me along behind Crane and Riddler. We pass back through the first room, where Gordon and Robin are securely tied to chairs. Robin now has a wound on his forehead.
"Keep your fists up, kid," Gordon tells me as we pass by them. I nod at him and Robin, a silent signal that I won't be going down without a fight. I'm focused on taking deep, calming breaths when Crane opens the doors to another, much larger, room.
"Edward," I say, my voice coming out as a shaky whisper. My eyes dart around the room, taking it all in. "This is a riddle room."
"It is." He agrees, voice dark. The floor is classic Riddler, covered in large metal tiles, guaranteed to shock whoever steps on them.
Except…
Rather than being hooked up to deadly amounts of electricity, these tiles look to be connected to gas canisters lining the walls of the room. I notice the industrial elevator on the opposite wall and the platform hanging above us.
"This is the first Riddle Room Batman had to do back in Arkham City!" I exclaim, recognising the layout.
"With some improvements," Crane says.
"Improvements? That's one way of looking at it." Riddler looks around the room, looking unimpressed. "I assume there is a safe route across the room that doesn't trigger the fear gas?"
"You would assume wrong."
Riddler and I turn to look at Crane. "That's not fair!" I shout.
"How do you expect me to cross the room, then?" Riddler asks, still relatively calm, looking back around the room with a sharp eye.
"Your rooms allowed only the brilliant to escape. My toxin affects the genius and the fool just the same. It's a matter of time," He rasps, and Harley giggles behind me. "This batch of toxin increases in lethality the longer it is in your system. It targets the body first… then the mind."
Riddler's mind is his most valued attribute; it's what sets him apart from everyone else. Of course Crane would know Riddler's greatest fear would be losing his brilliance.
"Wanna give up now?" Harley asks, teasing. Riddler shoots her a withering glare.
Crane leaves the room, but soon a projected image of him fills the far wall.
"That is very you," I say to Riddler, and he smiles just a little. The platform dangling above us starts to lower.
"Come on, wanna-be-bat. You and me are going up there." Harley grabs my arm, tight enough that her nails pierce my skin and draw blood, and drags me onto the lowered platform. I swing my head around, trying to see Riddler.
"It's fine, Belle." He calls out. "You'll be down in no time." The confidence in his voice makes me feel a little better. He'll be fine, right?
Crane raises the platform once Harley and I are on, and when we stop again we're high up. Too high to jump, which I'm sure is Crane's goal. If I jump, or fall, it'll result in a broken leg at best.
I'm stuck up here with Harley. She smirks and waves from the other side of the platform. I stay where I am on the edge, watching Riddler.
"Now would be the time you would taunt Batman with a speech on how brilliant you are, and how he will inevitably fail." Crane begins. "But I do not need to. You can see it will be impossible to save the girl." That doesn't sound so good. "First team, attack." At his words, the door opens again and four militia goons run in, fists raised. "Now, Edward Nygma… Face your fears." Crane rasps and the canisters lining the walls fill the bottom of the room with fear gas. I panic, but the toxin never rises. It stays close to the ground, like a fog. "Once you reach the elevator you will be able to rise above the toxin cloud. While you remain in the cloud the toxin will infect you further, worsening your symptoms. Once exposed for too long, its effects will be irreversible."
The militia goons soon feel the effect of the toxin and start yelling. "He said we were safe! We had the vaccine! It isn't supposed to hurt us!"
"I lied," Crane tells them calmly. "You were injected with a chemical compound that, when exposed to fear toxin, causes the subject to become extremely aggressive." As if on cue, the four men turn on Riddler. His strong suit is his mind, but he can still fight pretty well. He fends them off until one by one, they drop to the ground.
An unexpected hit to my head sends my vision blurry. I'd been so busy watching Riddler, I almost forgot Harley.
"The Doc is gettin' his payback, now I get mine." We pick up where we left off earlier, with me getting kicked in the head.
I shake my head clear and follow Gordon's advice, putting my fists up in a defensive position.
Batman is alive. I just need to stay alive until either he or Riddler get up here and help me kick Harley Quinn's ass.
I can do this.
I take the offensive, surprising Harley, and manage to knock her on her ass and give her a split lip. The murderous look on her face tells me that wasn't a good idea.
"Team 2, enter," Crane says, and I hear the door open again, and the sound of several pairs of feet thundering in. Definitely more than four people this time. I can't risk a look down, Harley is waiting for that. I keep my attention focused on her.
There's a hiss as more toxin is released, and the sound of fighting on the ground mixes with the sound of Harley and I trading punches. I send her flying with a very lucky kick to her midsection and chance a look down as the third group of thugs enter.
"That's like ten against one, Crane!" I shout indignantly. "That isn't fair!"
"This isn't about being fair," He rasps, voice even. "This is about revenge."
I risk another look down and I don't like what I see. Riddler is still fighting, but his movements are slowing. One leg doesn't seem to be working properly. I would guess that's the fear toxin at work.
I turn back to Harley just in time to dodge a punch. I'm not so lucky on the next one. She hits hard. I can taste blood; I think I bit my tongue. She doesn't slow down; the next punch sends me backwards, landing hard. Everywhere hurts. The cuts on my face and arm from earlier in the night have opened back up and are bleeding pretty steadily.
Harley isn't without injury though. She'll be black and blue tomorrow with bruises, and she's starting to tire too.
"Well done, Nygma," Crane says. I turn my back on Harley, trying to find Riddler on the ground. He's made it to the elevator and raised it to be just above the gas that has slowly started to dissipate. He's keeping himself propped up on a table on the elevator. I can see two things on the table, but I can't make out what they are from this distance. Riddler keeps looking around at things I can't see, flinching away from things that aren't there. The toxin has reached his mind.
"Both of the objects on the table will end this, one way or another," Scarecrow announces, and Riddler flinches at the sound of his voice. "In the vial is the antidote to the toxin you have been exposed to. The button on the table will lower the platform and you will be able to heroically rescue the girl from Doctor Quinzel. To use one, however, you must destroy the other." Harley chooses my moment of distraction to strike. I'm knocked to my knees and she comes behind me, quickly putting me into a chokehold and slowly squeezing. I flail, trying to free myself, but I can't. I can't breathe, and I can't stop her. This is it.
"Your mind will not survive two more minutes of the toxin." Scarecrow sounds triumphant. This is how he hoped this would end. "She will not survive two more minutes with Harley. Which do you truly value more? The girl… or your intellect? Which do you most fear losing?"
I'm not really sure what happens next. I'm on the very edge of consciousness, and Riddler is fighting something I can't see. It seems like neither of us are going to survive this.
I hear Scarecrow shouting about someone escaping, but I can't really make out the words. A large black shadow swoops down above me, and my oxygen-starved brain thinks I've died, and the devil is here to take me down to hell.
But he doesn't. Instead, the devil sends Harley Quinn into unconsciousness with one hit and leans over me, checking my pulse.
"You're not the devil," I say stupidly, blinking hard as my vision comes back into focus. Batman gives me a look but otherwise doesn't reply. He helps me to my feet, and I stand unsteadily until my balance returns. "Edward!" I spin and see him still on the elevator, now struggling to pick up the vial. He needs help. I take a running leap off the platform and land two inches from the edge of the elevator. The height difference is less than that between the platform and the floor, but the shock of the landing still sends pain up my legs.
Riddler has the vial now but to my horror, he isn't trying to open it. His arm is pulled back like he intends to throw it.
"Edward, no! No!" I rush forward, grabbing his hand and the vial, keeping it safe. "Take it, here." I uncap the antidote and push it towards his mouth. He fights, trying to get away, but his movements are stiff and I win easily. He swallows the cure, groaning. I slide to the floor next to him, holding him as his eyes close. His face doesn't look as terrified as it did, which I take to mean that the cure is doing its job.
Batman is on the ground now, and the toxin cloud has completely disappeared. He's striding towards the door when it bursts open and dozens of militia burst in, surrounding him. He doesn't look worried.
"You escaped your bonds once, you won't escape now. Hold him." Scarecrow's voice orders and all the goons jump Batman at once. He fights off a lot of them, more than I could take, more than Tim or Dick could take, but there's just too many. They crowd him, and when they step back he's strapped to an upright gurney. Robin and Gordon are bought into the room, still securely bound, followed by a militia goon carrying a video camera.
"This isn't going to end how you think, Crane." Batman cautions.
"Enough bravado." Scarecrow doesn't seem concerned by Batman's warning. "It's too late for that. I don't care who you are, but the rest of Gotham will. I'm going to rob them of hope. As they stare into your eyes they will blame you...Failure will have a face and a name."
It takes me a moment to realise what he means. He's going to unmask Batman, on video. Bruce Wayne is going to be outed as Batman.
A/N: One chapter and an epilogue left. We're so close to the end!