Batman: One Final Fright

by gladv

As one adventure ends another begins, a few years after The Red Cowl incident an old foe of Batman's has begun to make his return just as Batman begins to feel that his age is finally catching up with him. this story is told in the same continuity of my Teen Titans story and is a part of a bigger saga yet to come.

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 03: Fear factor part 02

' Gotham city, from the outside one can easily jump to a conclusion that it's a city reaching to the heavens and beyond, a cultural and financial mecca that anyone would kill to be a part of it, however at the same breath there's always a flip side just like a coin.'

a few minutes after Night-wing received the call that Batman was returning to Gotham an alert blared across the Bat computer as it turned out that Poison Ivy wasn't the only one who attempted a successful escape from Arkham. Two Face along with some of his goons managed to highjack an ambulance out of the asylum before finding a faster mode of transport as Night-wing swiftly took off in pursuit after them. At first Night-wing figured that Two Face would want to lay low after the attempted escape however he drove not to any of his hideouts but instead drove around the city like a maniac in search of something or someone.

At this Night-wing attempted several times to pull over the unpredictable dual minded villain before forcing him to stop as he blew out a couple of tires from the stollen vehicle. Stumbling outside Two Face tried to put some distance between him and Night-wing with his goons trying to buy him time, key word trying as the young hero made short work out of them before catching up with the villain.

" trying to leave before I could here your testimony?, how unlike you Harvey."

with that Two Face replied as he tried to shoot Night-wing.

" we've got no time for this."

Without a second warning Two Face managed to squeeze off a couple of shots as Night-wing expertly dodged before knocking the wind out of the villain as the hero tried again.

" now that I've got your undivided attention, mind telling me what are you up to in that fractured mind of yours?"

Two face at that tried to laugh but the wounds and scarring on the left side of his body began to act up sending him jolts of pain instead.

" why should we tell you anything?"

Night-wing at that smirked.

" let's try a different line of questioning…. I know Ivy escaped, now the question is what do you need from her?"

At that Two face refused to talk as he tried to endure the pain he was feeling with Night-wing, while taking no action, was keeping his eye on the villain waiting for him to talk.

" are we in a cooprative mood or should I treat you like a hostile witness?"

Two face at this point relented as he began spilling the beans on why he was searching for Ivy as by the end of it Night-wing surmized.

" so you figured out that Scarecrow was up to no good and you figured Poison Ivy could offer you protection, is that about right?"

At that Two Face simply nodded a 'yes'. At this point Night-wing noticed that the pain for Two Face was excritiating as he asked.

" think you could find out what Scarecrow's planning?"

at this Two Face nodded a weak 'no' as Night-wing sighed while reaching for his utility belt as he pulled out a mild sedative administering it to the villain but not before making sure that said enemy was unarmed. As the EMT's arrived Night-wing left the scene after securing the rest of the criminals for the GCPD as he rode back to base.

The Bat cave, about an hour later.

As Night-wing parked his motorcycle in the Bat cave he noticed Batman returned already as he got straight to the point.

" learned something useful?"

With that Night-wing returned in kind.

" a couple of things, one, whatever Scarecrow's planning it made Two Face nervous, enough that he sought out Ivy's so called help… though I doubt she'd help him."

Batman added to his point.

" the more likely scenario is that Scarecrow needs Ivy's chemicals to boost and bolden his toxins."

Night-wing didn't skip a beat as he asked.

" so how do we find her before Arkham's resident crazies spill on to the streets trying to escape?"

With that Batman corrected.

" me, you're still needed here."

At that Night-wing detected a disapproving tone as he asked bluntly.

" you disapprove on how I handled myself earlier, aren't you?"

Batman simply replied as follows.

" you took too long interogating Two Face, letting him suffer from his condition, I can't say I approve of that."

With that the two shared a few moments of silence as Batman programmed a few new coordinates for the Bat-wing, once he was done he faced Night-wing directly.

" this wasn't me scolding you, I'm just reminding you to always strive and be better than the mad men we fight against."

Night-wing at that acknowledged as he asked.

" speaking off, do you need an extraa pair of eyes and ears?"

Batman at that walked towards the Bat-wing but not before answering silently ' it's always welcomed'. Withing a matter of seconds Batman has already taken off yet again as Night-wing turned on his commns .

" so what has Two Face got wrong?"

Batman's reply was instantenious.

' he thought Poison Ivy was hiding somewhere in Gotham.'

Night-wing at that asked.

" so what are our options then?, if I were her I'd go straight to the beginning."

At that Batman countered.

' her parents were cold and emotionly distant, especially the father.'

Night-wing acknowledged as he recalled Ivy's background.

" so are you on your way to Seattle then?"

With that Batman acknowledged with a grunt before Night-wing ended the conversation with.

" okay, I'll help you narrow down the search."

Night-wing at that began to narrow down a few places where Ivy was most likely hiding before he radioed in Batman as he gave him a few possible locations.

" Lake View Cemetery , Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home & Cemetery, Evergreen Washelli Columbarium , Forest Lawn Cemetery , Greenwood Memorial Park & Funeral Home , and Washington Memorial Park."

At that Batman decided to test Night-wing detective skills as he asked.

' why cemeteries of all places?'

Night-wing didn't skip a beat as he replied.

" well my first thought was to search where exactly Ivy studied Botany but then again colleges are too public for our plant obsessed villain, so where else you'll get a fresher start than a cemetery."

Batman only asked at this point.

' which one?'

At this Night-wing smirked as he answered the question while Batman already programmed the coordinates into the Bat-wing.

Washington Memorial Park, early in the afternoon.

On an unusual quiet afternoon, even for a cemetary, the once striking Pamela Lillian Isley or better known as Poison Ivy was currently walking among the headstones to replenish herself from the soil as she half heartedly glanced at the names carved on them until she stumbled upon her name sake.

" pitiful….."

At this Poison Ivy considered destroying her former name sake as she done so numberous times before, however before she could do any of that the Bat-wing rushed through the quiet skies as Batman jumped down from the cock pit as he landed a few feet from her.

" well if it isn't the world's greatest detective, what brings you to this parts of the world?"

Batman answered bluntly.

" your help, Scarecrow's after you and I want to know why exactly and how to stop him."

At that Poison Ivy answered sarcastically.

" you expect me to help you?"

Batman at this pressed on all the while judging her reaction and body language.

" you do realize that regardless of what he's planning…"

With that Poison Ivy finished for him.

" let me guess, he probably won't let me live once he's done with me."

Batman indicated that she was correct as she made the following point.

" have you forgotten how I came to be?, I am already a corpse."

At this point and time Batman was about to counter her argument however Night-wing was trying to reach him. Gesturing Ivy to wait Batman responded as follows.

" what's the situation?"

Night-wing responded in kind.

' four vehicles heading your way and fast.'

Batman's only reply was.

" same as the ones who tried to do me in?"

At that Night-wing concluded the conversation with.

' that's inconclusive for now.'

With that Batman turned to Ivy as he said the following.

" Scarecrow has made his move, the enemy of my enemy?"

Poison Ivy replied sharply and clearly.

" only until I make a clean escape."

At this Batman countered just as a silhouttes of a couple of standard sedans and hatchbacks were visible on the horizon.

" you're escaping with me, none negotiable."

Poison Ivy hissed in annoyance for her lack of options as she moved her arms towards the trees as she prepared to manipulate the vegetation to her favor that is until Batman stopped her.

" no matter who's after us, do not kill them, restraint only."

before Ivy could say anything against Batman's stipulation a group of four ordinary looking civilians got out of each car. As they walked slowly at first Batman noticed their glazed looks and dilatated pupils as Ivy relaxed a bit as she stated.

" these are what Scarecrow's sent for me?, frankly I'm insulted."

Without warning the group rapidly surrounded the duo before charging at them head on while Ivy managed to snare one group in her vines before sedating another with her pheromones.

" sedated before you'd even ask."

At that Batman used his cape to disorient one group before knocking the group unconscious with minimal force as he tossed a smoke pellet towards the last group as the duo made a run for it.

" good."

as the two gained enough distance from the group as possible Batman called in the Bat-wing as the duo climbed on board with the latter wasting no time by asking.

" what Scarecrow wants from you?"

Poison Ivy replied as follows.

" since you're being a gentleman he wants me, more precisely he wants to harness my chemicals to enhance his fear toxin to the point no cure could be found."

Batman gestured her to continue.

" I refused, I saw nothing to gain from that."

Batman acknowledged Ivy's response as he programmed a new set of coordinates, destination Bludhaven.

" if there are no more questions for me I'm leaving."

Batman countered as follows.

" you're welcome to leave only for Scarecrow to try and catch you again, or you could trust me, the choice is yours."

At this Poison Ivy sighed heavily after relenting to the fact that Batman, once her enemy made a fair point. Bludhaven, a former whaling town, which was officially incorporated as a "Commonwealth" in 1912. The town had a generally poor socio-economic populace, owing in part to failed efforts to transform itself into a manufacturing and shipping center.A city lived through a corrupt balance of underhand dealings and unlawful policies, which was helped kept in check by the local police force. A kind of place that even if it was nuked it wouldn't have mattered to it's citizens.

An undisclosed safehouse, a couple of hours later.

As Batman and Poison Ivy entered a seemingly unremarkable but well kept apartment Batman headed deep into it turning towards what could be seen by Ivy's eye as a modest bathroom as she remarked.

" and what pray tell are we doing here?, if Scarecrow could send out a few of his pawns back in Seatle, surely he could recruit some bums from here, god knows this city could offer it in droves"

Batman kept quiet and to himself for a few minutes until he returned with a few items, a change of clothes, a money strap and a syringe in hand.

" we're not hiding, you're going to lay low."

with that Batman plunged the syringe to Ivy's neck as she sarcastically said.

" ouch."

At this Batman reached into his utility belt as he activated a hidden button as a screen appeared on his right arm gauntlet as a steady beep could be heard.

" tracking seems to function well."

Batman at that didn't say anything else as he gave Ivy the money strap and the change of clothes.

"…. thanks, for being a gentleman."

With that Poison Ivy dressed up as she made her way towards Batman.

" how long before Scarecrow finds out where I am?"

Batman answered bluntly.

" unpredictable why?"

Poison Ivy returned the favor by simply replying.

" I wouldn't mind to rest a bit after today."

Acknowledging her request Batman pointed her towards the bedroom as he said the following.

" no less than two but no more than three."

Batman at that left Ivy in the apartment as he got back into the Bat-wing just as Night-wing checked in.

'feeling confident in ourselves aren't we?'

Batman replied as follows.

" not much in the way of confident as it is well planned in advance."

Night-wing at that continued the conversation.

' speaking of, rumors on the street suggests that penguin is putting his affairs in order'

Batman's only reply as he concluded the conversation was.

" understood"

As Batman returned to the Bat-wing he climbed on board punching a new set of coordinates before flying straight back to Gotham as the hero made a mental note for himself.

' time to tackle the problem head on.'

as the time went by Batman kept the tracking beacon active as he noticed that Ivy's making her move seemingly going into hiding as she maintained a low profile as Batman suggested, speaking of low profile.

Outside the Iceberg lounge, early evening.

If Gotham city could be defined by one landmark, the Iceberg lounge would be certainly it, a posh nightclub and casino,Using the club as a front, the Penguin secretly continues to control Gotham City's underworld by trading in illegal information and stolen goods. A place where diplomacy is a far useful tool than any gadget or fist. Even though the Iceberg lounge had minimal capacity at this point and time and not many of Penguin's goons were making their rounds throughout the establishment Batman still sneaked his way in to the owner's office as said owner simply said.

" oi…. I grew eyes at the back of me head a long time ago….."

Batman at this point replied bluntly.

" so you know why I'm here."

At that Penguin sighed.

" to make sure I'm on me best behavior…. We've done this bloody song and dance number for far too long…."

At that Batman continued the conversation thusly.

" for once I don't."

At that the Penguin's mouth turned into a grin as he caught on to the direction the conversation was going.

" you need a favor…. And by the looks of it an under the table one at that."

With that Batman continued with the blunt instrument approach.

" you're going to feed me intel on Scarecrow from the inside."

Penguin returned the favor by asking.

" and how in the Christ almighty am I gonna do that?, we ain't exactly mates you know."

Batman at this concluded the conversation with this.

" you're going to broker a deal with him, selling him extra muscle and weaponry."

At this Penguin had to try his luck.

" and what if I decide to flee this coocoos nest with me precious nest egg?"

Batman by this point made sure to be extra menacing as he began leaving the Iceberg lounge.

" I'll make sure you're locked up in Blackgate where Scarecrow's men could get to you with no problem."

At hearing that the Penguin relented and agreed to Batman's deal as the hero informed him on every detail involving the villain's part as the latter stating that he will be in touch in a few days as the former provided him with means to make contact.

The Bat cave, a few days later.

As Batman was busy at keeping both David Nerviosa's public movements and Poison Ivy's precise whereabouts using the Bat computer on top of keeping up with his usual patrols a few days flew by as he got a very brief phone call.

' it's done, you're in.'

At this an all too familiar voice asked.

" was that Penguin by any chance?"

Batman answered briefly before continuing his work.

" it was."

At that Alfred remarked sarcastically.

" ever the conversationalist master Wayne"

With that Batman payed no heed to that remark as he continued working through the day as Night-wing came in to the Bat cave stating.

" shift change."

Batman got up from his station wordlessly as Night-wing took his place as the older hero was about to go out on another patrol as the latter stated.

" it's far from me to tell you how to do your job but I'd be keeping a closer eye on the devils you've made deals with recently, especially Ivy."

Batman at that simply replied with the following before returning to his routine.

" noted."

Night-wing at that shrugged his shoulders before laying fresh eyes on the console screen, making sure Ivy won't escape his as he noted.

" still frugal with your words… somethings never change around here… now back to you Ivy….."

As both data from Ivy's movements and penguin's intel coming in the days passed on as they began melding into each other. on the other hand somewhere undisclosed around the U.S Poison Ivy stuck to her word as she laid low to the best of her abilities, never sticking in one place for more than a week on ends, finding odd jobs relating to taking care of plants, her latest job was helping around a local flower shop, a mundane enough job that is if it wasn't for the fact that she was being watched from a far by a few mysterious figures in a tinted windowed sedan with the driver talking to someone on the phone.

" target acquired, should we deliver her to you as well?"

With that the unidentified voice on the other line spoke.

' no need my employees will pick up the package, I need it to be handled with care anyway, you have your oredres back at Gotham.'

The driver at this point ended the conversation as he drove away from the scene unaware that Ivy began looking over her shoulder intently before contacting Batman.

" if you're listening I've been made, I'm disappearing for good"

Poison Ivy did not wait for anyone to answer on the other line before she crushed the tracker Batman planted on her with her powers as she left after finishing watering the plants.

Meanwhile in the bat-mobile.

Batman was doing his usual patrols at this time around downtown Gotham as Night-wing contacted him.

"how bad is it?"

with that Night-wing replied as follows.

' Ivy left a message before destroying her tracker'

without even asking Night-wing has already sent the recording as Batman listened intently before requesting the following.

" don't waste your time tracking her down, restrict her movements to a place we know and intercept her."

At that Night-wing replied.

' I've got the perfect place in mind over and out.'

Batman at that did another swift and thorough patrol of the area before driving back towards Wayne manor. As Batman returned to the Bat cave just as Night-wing was heading out taking the Bat-wing towards the destination he manipulated Ivy into taking as the former took charge of the Bat computer as he made sure Ivy was 'following' the planned route.

A few hours later.

As Batman made sure Ivy followed the plan Alfred came in with a lunch tray in hand as the former was going through security footage in Gotham international, seeing the expression on the master's face the head butler deduced.

" I see trouble's stirring."

Batman's only reply was.

" three, Anatoli Knyazev , Floyd Lawton and Bane."

With that Alfred's only remark was.

"coming for you no doubt."

Batman by this point was already about to leave before he got a call from one of Penguin's men on the inside about an intell drop off point. With Batman confirming the call Alfred pointed out.

"that was no coincidence."

Batman's reply was.

" most certainly but I need to stop those three before they'll cause chaos just to get to me."

At this Alfred acknowledged Batman's resolve as he contacted Night-wing.

" I'm terribly sorry to disturb you but we have a situation on our hands."

Night-wing asked what kind of situation as he went over the security footage as he muttered before stating the following.

' be there as fast as I can.'

With that the transmission got cut off as Alfred continued moderating the situation with Batman as he drove to his destination, the street where the Monarch theatre still stands.

Within the Bat-mobile.

As Batman got closer and closer to his destination the only thought that ran through his head was.

'so they're banking on it to end where it all began…. Well I don't intend to end it just yet'

as the Bat-mobile made it closer and closer to the Monarch Theater Batman ejected himself out of the car throwing smoke bombs to conceal his presence from his would be assailants, as the smoke got thicker and thicker the older hero started to move about scanning the area as he heard a bullet being shot grazing his right upper arm as a stinging sensation ran through it.

" armor piercing bullets… great…."

With that being said and done Batman continued throwing smoke bombs every few feet as he tried finding a way around the sniper after him, Deadshot, Floyd Lawton, a former millionaire turned assassin for hire known for his accuracy even with trick shots. What enabled the man to become this much of a dangerous foe was a customized silver mask with a built in targeting computer in it as it tracked Batman using the latest in infrared tech as Deadshot deadpanned before firing another shot.

" not today."

Deadshot without so much as hesitating squeezed off a shot from his wrist mounted guns as he yet again grazed Batman this time near his cheek and right ear, thankfully the modifications the latter made to his suit protected him for suffering any major injuries from such a shot. With that Deadshot continued to shoot as he led Batman closer and closer towards the Monarch's entrance as a voice was heard through a shared link between the villains.

' what's taking so long American?'

Deadshot replied with the same tone.

"making sure you'll have someone to shoot at Russian!"

from an even greater distance and on the opposite direction from Deadshot stood another one of Batman's foes KGBeast, an enhanced soldier from a rouge Soviet Union commando unit who itched to pay the older hero back after interfering with a previous assignment causing the soldier to fail his mission and for that he had a surprise for the hero, a miniature rocket launcher capable of firing a projectile which in turn can break apart to six miniature rockets.

' watch it ruskie, we don't want him dead just yet.'

KGBeast ignored Deadshot's advisment as he shot the rocket on Batman as he in return used his grapler to pull a trash bin towards him to stop the missle and give him time to duck out of the way so he could find a way to neutrilize the angry Russian before he'll level the whole street at this point.

" sukin syn."

KGBeast at this point reloaded his launcher yet again as Batman scanned the area for yet another object to deflect the blast. Having no such luck Batman did spot a few trash cans near by him as he tried to come up with a solution.

' if I expose myself I'm a sitting duck and they're too far apart to take down both at once, my best option is to take them down from the roof of the Monarch…. Though that's a gamble since they're not firing randomly which makes me believe I'm being led towards something or someone.'

Deciding to take the gamble anyway Batman detached his cape as he dressed one of the garbage cans with it as he launched said can towards the middle of the street. At this point the missiles hit the decoy as Batman launched a Bat-a -rang towards KGBeast to confuse him giving him more time to escape before the villain managed to reload, as for Deadshot he kept mostly out of sight as he managed to find a spot with the shortest distance between the two before jumping across with the grappler as he found the trick shot sniper. Closing as much gap between the two Batman threw a couple of precise kicks to the wrist guns before engaging in hand to hand combat with Deadshot.

" what….. Crane promised you?!….."

Deadshot answered while dodging Batman's strikes but just barely.

" what do you think…."

At that Batman refocused his efforts from hitting Deadshot's face towards aiming for his stomach.

" I know your clientele…. And he's not one of them… unless…."

Deadshot at this point confirmed Batman's suspicion while trying to dodge the strikes while landing a few of his own in return.

" that's right… Scarecrow….. promised that….. my clientele….. wouldn't be targeted by his next attack… I made sure of that….."

Batman at this point took advantage of a small opening that Deadshot made as he kneed him in the face and while the villain stumbled just enough for the hero to reach for his opponent's mask he made sure to knock him out just as quickly before he dropped smoke pellets as he began running towards KGBeast.

' now to take KGBeast out before the blows from Deadshot start to take effect.'

Batman closed the gap considerably as he inched his way towards a good throwing distance of yet another Bat-a-rang. That bat-a- rang though merely grazed KGBeast's arm attachment as the ex soldier retreated from his position using a near by fire escape as he ran at a steady pace so Batman would follow him as he headed towards inside the Monarch. Following close behind Batman made it to the ill kept lobby of the Monarch as he spotted his target heading towards the far right screening room. At this point Batman had two options either following KGBeast's direct route or try and surprise him by heading towards the box seats as the hero decided on the roundabout way since he took quite the beating from Deadshot already.

As Batman made it to the box seats of the far right screening room he noticed that some of the lights were off as the others were dimly lit as a bigger and taller figure than him sat quietly staring at the blank screen in front of him.

" you've lost your element of surprise."

With that the figure got up as he replied.

" believe me senor I intend to fight you head on…. Besides you've needed it more than me."

The hulking figure started running towards Batman as said hero began striking the villain's body which now was confirmed as the muscle for hire Bane thanks to his two distinguishing features, his luchador mask and tubing spread throughout his arms and upper back, however the hits did little to stop the behemoth as the older hero tried a different tactic, trying to limit his opponent's movements as much as possible.

As Batman led the villain towards the projection booth at the top of the screening room Bane kept up at a leisurely pace.

" a futile effort Batman."

As soon as Bane reached the projection booth he was greeted with a smoke pellet and stun grenade to the face as he was partially stunned while Batman immediately tried to sever the tubing connected to his body, however Bane managed to activate the device that made him such an effective killer. Within a minute an impressive dosage of Venom, a highly effective and highly dangerous concoction of chemicals and steroids pumped through Banes body as he swatted the smoke as Batman glided towards the front rows of the screening room as the villain jumped down after him causing a small earthquake as he began running like a bull in a china shop towards the puny hero, well puny against the juiced up villain out to get him. As Batman gained some distance from Bane he once again tried to launch a bat-a- rang at the tubing connected to the villains body only to bounce of him since said tubing were now imbedded to the opponent's skin which caused the hero to mutter.

" guess I have no choice."

At this point Batman turned around and charged straight at the hulking behemoth as bane cracked the wooden floors of the room with each step he took. As Batman got close enough he managed barely to evade Bane's grip as he jumped on his back using the bat-a- rang as a make shift knife trying to disconnect the tubing at the most exposed part, the back of the villain's head, however before he managed to make an actual cut a flurry of bullets were whizzing at the older hero thanks in no part to a well concealed KGBeast. As Batman had no choice but to jump off bane's back KGBeast changed his arm attachment quickly as he was about to fire yet another rocket at his target, yet this time an all too familiar Escrima stick made contact with the Russian's face causing him to stumble.

" sorry for being late, tickets were impossible to get at this hour."

Batman at this point continued his fight with Bane as KGBeast got his complete focus on Night-wing.

" I remember you… like the man of bat, you've cost me my mission."

Night-wing at that quipped.

" well I'd like to say I've missed you too but that would be lying."

At this point Night-wing charged in landing a few solid good hits with his Escrima sticks across KgBeast body while the villain still tried to shoot towards Batman as Night-wing mock pouted.

" and here I thought I was someone important."

Night-wing continued keeping KGBeast busy until the villain made a surprise move, he aimed his rocket as close as to the floor as he could before shooting it causing an explosion that even the younger hero couldn't escape easily as the upper boxes collapsed near where Batman and Bane were fighting. A few moments passed as Night-wing came to as Batman helped him up.

" how can someone get a hangover if they don't drink…..?"

Batman at this addressed Night-wing calmly.

" focus, I need you to pull out KGBeast out of the wreckage he caused and wait for the EMTs to arrive."

Night-wing noticed right away that Batman was severely injured as he stressed.

" you know it's practically suicide to go after Bane right now."

Batman just gave him a silent look that said ' I can't let him escape' before opting to say this.

" after KGBeast make sure Deadshot is still secured, once you're done return to the Titans."

Knowing why Batman chose that tone of talk Night-wing could only reply with.

" just don't take any more unnecessary risks"

At that point Batman was already gone in pursuit of Bane as Night-wing refocused his efforts on getting KGBeast out of the wreckage he himself created. The efforts went with relative ease since KGBeast was knocked unconscious with most of his wounds superficial with only a few broken ribs to count as serious injuries as Night-wing restrained him.

" you have the right to keep your mouth shut, so please let it be a quiet evening"

That said and done Night-wing limped himself towards where Deadshot was left off as the hero thought.

' at least I didn't dislocate my shoulder, or anything else for that matter.'

underneath the Monarch, the old Speakeasy tunnels.

Gotham city much like New York, Chicago or any other eastern cost metropolis had often built on top of it's history, sweeping it under the rug as one can say rather than acknowledge it existed therefore creating an elaborate maze of tunnels that dwarfed anything it's top side counterpart had to offer. The only clue towards where Bane has actually gone to were small droplets of Venom that Batman managed to pick up on as he willed himself to continue despite the pain and exhaustion he was experiencing at the moment.

As he eventually caught up to Bane Batman noticed that the villain returned to his regular size as he tried to patch up his equipment.

74

" it's over Bane, your equipment is malfunctioning and you probably won't withstand another Venom dose."

At this bane chuckled softly as he replied.

" with all due respect senor, we're both warriors , there is no surrender for the both of us."

Batman at that launched himself towards Bane using his grappler gun as he tried to knock the villain out before he reached the Venom knob on his arms, however his enemy noticed the hero's condition as he managed to reach the dial as he turned it on it's highest setting as the poison ran through his veins at rapid speed enlarging the mercenary to at least triple his original size.

' I'll break you in two!…'

With that the monster launched himself on to Batman as he in turn willed himself to ignore the pain as he tried to vary his attacks with the goal of tiring the villain or finally turning his biggest advantage to his most lethal weakness. As the battle dragged on so did Batman's movements have become slower while the behemoth of the man called Bane did not lose any of his stamina eventually though he managed to catch the older hero of guard. Without a second to spare Bane threw Batman as high as the ceiling allowed as the villain jumped after him as he caught the hero by his arms and legs with the intention of breaking his back. Just as he was about to plant his knee into Batman Bane was distracted by a flying Escrima stick as the older hero managed with difficulty to escape the death grip as he reached the Venom dial setting it to maximum sending an overdose of the substance to it's user.

As Bane convulsed in pain before he eventually collapsed in pain Batman put him out of his misery as he disconnected the damaged tubes as the villain returned to his normal size.

" since when did you start acting like Jason?"

Night-wing simply replied.

" since I'm not fond of the idea that my dad would become paralyzed from the waist down."

Batman grunted as he tried to catch his breath.

" I'm grateful for your concern."

With that Night-wing continued the conversation as follows.

" i'll be grateful for no more close calls, speaking of."

75

Night-wing got a communication alert as he picked it up with Red Arrow being on the other line of the video call.

' hey there boss, we've finally managed to 'calm' Ivy down, how's it going on your end?'

At that Night-wing replied.

" just a few cuts and bruises, nothing I can't walk off."

Red Arrow immediately asked.

' and what about your old man?'

As Batman heard that he couldn't help but smirk at the lack of tact displayed by Red Arrow as he responded in favor.

" the same for the old man himself though he still has his hearing."

Red Arrow at this point cleared his throat awkwardly as Night-wing noticed something was bothering the archer.

" anything else you'd like to say?"

With that said and done Red Arrow tried to pass it off as just a bad feeling however Night-wing insisted he'll voice his concern so he did.

' I've been near Scarecrow like for a hot minute and he gives off an impression like he has guys working for him everywhere so what's protective custody will do for Ivy?'

Batman at this point chose to answer.

" Scarecrow, apart from using chemicals and other psychotropic drugs on his victims loves to create psychological fear, so my best advice would be to constantly move her around from one secure location to another while being as tight lipped about it as possible."

Red Arrow at that acknowledged Batman's course of action as he ended the transmission while Night-wing stated.

" speaking of moving around, let's make sure our three gate crashers are at police custody before we make our own next move."

Batman at this gave a small nod as he countered.

" you're next move is to make sure Poison Ivy is transported to a safe house like I told you."

with that Night-wing concluded with.

" scold me as much as you want but I won't have your death on my conscious."

over the next couple of hours batman and Night-wing handed the villains to the authorities as the younger hero convinced his former mentor and adoptive father to let the Bat mobile's computer to do the driving while he followed behind on his motorcycle back to the Bat cave. Once there Alfred escorted Batman to the infirmary wing as Night-wing took the Bat-wing flying as fast as he could.

Over the Jump city skyline, 10 miles away from the Titans tower.

Throughout most of the trip from Gotham to Jump city Night-wing allowed himself to rest as much as he could, though that rest would be short lived since as he got closer and closer to the tower he noticed a gaping hole in the building where the living room should've been. Not bothering to land Night-wing lowered the Bat-wing just enough for him to jump to the roof before sending the jet back. As Night-wing raced towards the living room he found it somewhat intact as Red Arrow, Changeling and Raven were trying to get on their feet.

" Changeling, what happened here?"

Changeling coughed a bit since he was winded before saying.

" let's just say Ivy didn't share our sense of optimism…."

Night-wing at that let him catch his breath before he confined in Raven.

" do any of you have any idea where are the others or where Ivy was heading?"

At this Raven took a few deep breaths herself as Red Arrow replied.

" she said she's going to hunt down Scarecrow, turn him into minced meat."

Changeling at this grunted as he said.

" I sent the others on patrol, Star and little M'ari are with them."

Night-wing at that gave a sigh of relief as he half joked.

" remind me to give you a raise."

Changeling at that grinned while stating.

" Night-wing…. Give me a raise."

Night-wing ignored the joke as he addressed Raven asking her for the following.

" think you've got enough strength to make sure Red Arrow and Changeling are ready and raring to go?"

With this Raven only gave him a silent look that said ' like there's another choice right now' and with that said and done the empath and medic on the team got busy checking how her other two teammates were fairing as Night-wing contacted Batman with an update report and a request to use a few of the Wayne satellites to help track down Poison Ivy.

A few minutes later, towards Ivy current position.

" not to doubt your brilliant strategic mind here but what makes you certain that Ivy's heading towards the biggest park in the Jump city area? Instead of the city limits?"

Changeling answered Red Arrow in between changing forms as he gained speed and momentum.

" she'll need considerable amounts of energy to keep herself from falling apart so trees and plants are her food and minerals so to speak."

Red Arrow nodded and acknowledged.

" oh yeah the whole living and breathing corpse, how did I forget…"

Before the conversation could be sidetracked Night-wing spoke up.

" at any rate she's most likely to try and draw Scarecrow out into the open instead of waste precious energy hunting him down, we must not let it happen."

Confused Red Arrow asked the following.

" why not let her….."

Before he could finish asking the question something dawned on him as Night-wing confirmed this realization.

" yeah, she wouldn't care if bystanders get caught in the crossfire."

At this point Red Arrow turned to Changeling asking.

" hey how about changing into something other than an eagle and offer us a ride?"

With that Changeling morphed back to human form to answer quickly before he'll risk sky diving with no parachute.

" you know how much energy it will cost me!?"

Red Arrow at this point turned to Night-wing while making progress throughout the streets of Jump city.

" care to say anything to Mr. Cents to the gallon over there?"

At this Night-wing shrugged, replying with.

" logically speaking Changeling has the best odds at taking Poison Ivy one on one."

Red Arrow acknowledged the answer before a thought ran through his mind.

" tell me again why are we running instead of driving towards Ivy's hideout?"

Night-wing at that answered briefly.

" if we make too much noise she'll try to escape, and yes despite our best efforts we do make noise."

Red Arrow scoffed before muttering.

" well we could've run her over and solved two problems at once."

Night-wing at that caught Red Arrow's mutter as he asked.

" what!?"

Red Arrow caught himself as he pretended he said something else.

" I said I haven't seen Lian in months….."

At that Night-wing smirked.

" that's what I thought you said."

Changeling by this point continued flying on until he reached the park, once there he morphed into a pigeon as he flew across the park trying to locate Ivy. Once he picked up on her trail and scent Changeling returned to his teammates as he morphed into human mod while starting to run with them.

" located Ivy, she's at our 11 o'clock…."

At this Red Arrow was about to make a joke before Changeling channeled his inner Raven as he gave the following reply.

" don't even think about it."

Red Arrow fainted innocence by this point.

" think?!… I'm not thinking about anything"

with that changeling dropped the subject as the three present Titans got to their destination as Night-wing and Red Arrow immediately began to scan and evacuate any potential casualties while he tracked down Poison Ivy. Once he found her Changeling noticed that the plant life around him were already wilted as he quipped.

" so much for being an eco terrorist."

Poison Ivy at that didn't pay any mind to him, to be frank it annoyed Changeling when people did that to him so he went for a direct approach. Charging at her he morphed into a variety of animal forms as Ivy intuitively send a few vines from around her body to attack the hero as she finally paid him attention.

" oh it's you."

Changeling at that grinned.

" why you don't sound so pleased."

Ivy replied listlessly.

" that's because I'm not, now leave me be and consider that a show of mercy"

With that the bout continued a bit longer as Changeling managed to reply between attacks.

" sorry… but I can't do that….."

As the battle continued to drag between Changeling and Poison Ivy Night-wing and Red Arrow managed to evacuate the park completely as the two began to make a perimeter trying to cut off the villainess's escape as the latter remarked.

" hey Changeling, aren't you supposed to be the guy with green thumbs around here?"

Changeling narrowly managed to avoid Ivy's latest attack as he shouted.

" seriously…. You want to shoot some arrows or shoot some more jokes?"

Red Arrow at that gave a short smirk as Night-wing and him made their move and officially entered the battlefield as Poison Ivy continued her attacks emotionlessly.

A little while later.

Just as the three Titans were gaining the upper hand in the battle they began to feel breathless as Changeling noted.

" now would be a good time to…"

Before Changeling could finish his sentence Cyborg and Starfire flew in from above as the latter finished the sentence as fired a few shots from his white noise cannon managing to catch Poison Ivy by surprise.

" call in the cavalry Greengo….."

Cyborg at that fired his cannon so smoke and dirt would impede Ivy's vision as Starfire swooped in as she pinned the villainess to the ground as she started burning her slowly with her star bolts therefore avoiding her enemy's deadly qualities.

" surrender, no one needs to die needlessly."

Poison Ivy at that replied in a monotone.

" only Scarecrow, now leave me be, I've much work to get done."

Starfire ignored Ivy as she lifted her to the ground while addressing Night-wing.

" tell me Batman has a device to secure this woman."

Night-wing grinned as he said the following.

" even better, he's gracing us with his presence shortly, we just have to make sure Poison Ivy isn't going anywhere."

At that everyone felt pumped satisfied in how they handled the situation until Changeling's ears picked up a faint sound.

" don't break out the champagne just yet…."

Before anyone could ask what he meant a few sedans drove into the park, some of them went the extra mile to run the Titans over. As the Titans dodged the cars Red Arrow asked Night-wing.

" here's a dumb question, how short is shortly for Batman?"

Night-wing replied as followed as he readied himself for yet another battle.

" knowing him?!"

before Night-wing could speak an all too familiar sound of the Bat-wing roared through the sky as Night-wing finished.

" not far behind."

with that Night-wing gave his famous battle cry as him, Starfire and Cyborg charged head on while Changeling and Red Arrow were put in charge of protecting Poison Ivy. As a few dozen mind numbed minions ' working' for Scarecrow tried taking the Titans head on Changeling spoke directly to Ivy.

" you wanna kill the bastard?!, well hop on and don't let go, that means you too red."

Changeling at that morphed himself into a T rex as he lowered his tail for the two to climb on board. With that said and done Changeling began charging towards the rest of the Titans passing them as he began running on the main road for as long as he could before entering the residential areas, once there he immediately morphed to a pterodactyl as his passengers hanged on for dear life. Flying across the city away from the chaos he noticed some civilian vehicles following them. Flying even faster eventually he caught the shape of the ever recognizable Bat mobile as he flew in even lower letting his passengers down before morphing back.

While Ivy was seemingly fine Red Arrow fought back from throwing up his lunch as he said sarcastically.

" you owe me lunch…"

changeling at that only grinned.

" good I know a little restaurant that serves sausage and fresh peppers."

Red arrow at that remark was about to deliver Changeling a gut punch as the Bat-mobile put a stop to it by stopping in front of them as Batman got out.

" get in Isley."

Poison Ivy gave him a cold stare as she asked.

" and you're not going to help them at all?"

Batman corrected.

" I already am."

as if on cue the Bat-mobile transformed a bit revealing a few grenade launchers from the hood as they launched flash bang grenades. Exploding in mid air Batman simply nodded as Changeling explained the strategy to Red Arrow.

" first of all the business with the Bat-wing was a diversion on Batman's part and second I fly, you shoot"

With Ivy on board the bat-mobile roared to life as Changeling morphed a second time with Red Arrow riding on the pterodactyl's back. Flying low enough so Red Arrow could keep away assailants vehicles from the Bat-mobile the ride at first was smooth enough, that is for about 20 minutes in before yet another batch of civilian vehicles were gaining ground on the Bat-mobile as Red Arrow spoke.

" I don't know if you get this but I'm running low on ammo so keep yourself steady."

With that said and done Red Arrow began shooting his ammo towards the assailant vehicle's tires as the Bat-mobile itself remained untouched. Within the bat-mobile itself Ivy had a question that needed to be answered.

" why do you bother saving me when this is over we'll return to being enemies?"

Batman replied briefly and to the point.

" I don't choose who to save or who doesn't, besides letting my enemies kill each other is the easy way out."

Speaking of too easy at that the road became clearer and clearer as some of the assailant's cars began backing off little by little as the Bat-mobile gained some more distance. Right at the edge of Jump city in the middle of the road a lone figure dressed up in dirty surgeon's/ dentist's outfit outfitted with what seemed to be an oxygen tank on his back connected to wires running down his arms into specialized gloves with needle tips a noose tied around the neck like a tie and a skin tight patchworked mask made of brown leather. That man was none other than Scarecrow waiting for the Bat-mobile to either run him over or stop dead in its tracks. Seeing that Red Arrow gestured Changeling to get as close as he could only to notice he had only one shot

' I need to make this count.'

With that the prehistoric flyer came closer and closer before Red Arrow decided not to shoot since he couldn't find clear openings.

" smart move Robin Hood."

eventually the Bat-mobile arrived also as Batman jumped out of the vehicle tossing smoke bombs making for Ivy difficult to see and assault before he could get some info from Scarecrow.

" do we really need to talk?"

Batman's only reply was.

" Poison Ivy has been itching to kill you, so what I'm going to do is get you locked up back in Arkham, now call of your lackyes."

At this Scarecrow faked astonishment.

" Oh… is that all I have to do!?, and what makes you certain I'll comply?… it's obvious I'm not afraid of dying….."

At that Batman countered.

" I know something you're even more afraid of."

Scarecrow just grinned.

" well go ahead….. you've got my full attention."

At that moment something didn't seem right with Batman, the Scarecrow he had the displeasure of knowing wouldn't have missed the opportunity to spring a trap on him or use his specialized gloves to try and inject him with fear toxin so at that moment the hero unmasked the villain before him only to find a stranger staring back at him with a strange collar like contraption around his neck as the voice of the actual Crane coming out of a set of speakers.

' what gave me away?'

At that Scarecrow continued on talking.

' well… it doesn't really matter, the collar around the man's neck is a highly advance bomb, now the only way to disarm it is to meet my demands….. I'm sure you know them by now…..'

With the transmission cutting there and then Batman returned to the Bat-mobile as he asked Ivy.

" you knew it wasn't him didn't you?"

Poison Ivy's only reply was.

" no, I just didn't expect it to be any easier, are you going to inject me with another tracker?"

Batman just nodded a simple 'yes' before injecting another tracking device into Ivy as she simply stated.

" at some point in time you'd have to stop trying saving those who don't want to be saved".

Batman stood quiet for a while as let know Scarecrow his decision and while he disarmed the bombs a few civilian cars arrived to take her before giving her a proper response.

" on the day it happens only then would I acknowledge that I've truly failed"

as the civilian vehicles disappeared out of sight with Poison Ivy among them Changeling and Red Arrow arrived at the scene with the former speaking of.

" let me guess, should we keep a close eye on our new 'friends'?

Batman only replied with.

" as much as you can, any reports should be made to Night-wing or to me."

At that Changeling nodded as he asked.

" need some help back in Gotham?"

At this point Batman has already made it into the Bat-mobile as he replied.

" I'll let you know."

With that the Bat-mobile roared into life once more as it headed back to Gotham. True to his words Batman began tracking Poison Ivy's movements heading across Jump city in the opposite direction as a call from Alfred came in.

' sir there's been a massive break out of Arkham, your presence is required.'

Batman acknowledged with a nod before ending the call while he called Changeling privately.

" does your offer still stands?"

Changeling at that nodded saying.

' let me take care of a few things first and I'll fly there as soon as possible.'

Batman at that ended the call as he went back to tracking Ivy while driving as fast as he could back into Gotham.

To be continued in Chapter 04 ; vegetative state.