Chapter 11:
"Hey, Bats! I know you can hear me, I've got a little something for you to listen to. Harley and Frank are nearly out of the building with the old man. How are they going to get past all those guards? Let's have a listen, shall we?" The ugly voice of Joker cut into my joyful soaring across the various ledges scattered around the shaft and nearly made me miscalculate a shot at a pipe that would have released who knows what chemical on me. I really hate that man ... animal ... thing?
"Hey! Frank. Where you been?" This cannot be good.
"Joker's got more men on the way. They're coming around the front of the asylum. Gotta stop them getting in! Quick! Get over there!" One word for you Boles, Die! I know it's negative but it's very true. What type of dirt sells out his peers to a psychopathic clown who'd pat you on the back one moment and slit your throat the next? Maybe the other way around at times for some of the more weirder ones.
"Dammit! C'mon, everyone! Cover the main entrance!" idiot, don't you see what he's doing? "How many are there, Boles? Wait, hang on, how the hell do you know what ..." too late! The sound of gunfire clouded the recording before the dying cries of the man's peers played horrifically as they realise their mistake. Bad Boles, go and burn in hell! Bad boy!
"You're some piece of work, Frankie. A girl could fall for someone like you!" crap, the whore! I guess Boles is covering her escape with the commissioner. Just when I thought he couldn't get even lower in the food chain, he goes into negative numbers. How proud your parents must be of you Frankie, how very proud.
"Stop flirting with the hired help, Harley!" Whore! Just plain whore! I can't stand her yammering. Sweetie this and puddin' that, how does Joker stand her? Probably by being the complete psycho we all know he is.
"Don't worry, sweetie. You know I only have eyes for you!" like a bitch, she's loyal to her master. Go figure!
"Did you hear that, Bats? Sounds like Frankie is working out just fine! Another valuable employee for the organization!" What organization? The order of morons-about-to-get-their-asses-kicked-by-a-very-p issed-off-amnesiac? What! They asked for it.
"Alert! Alert! We are currently experiencing a category Red Alpha security alert. This is not a drill. Report to your section commander!" what section commander? Everyone's either dead or dying! Stupid tanoy, always annoying me. "Warning! All patients should remain still and place their hands upon their heads. Failure to comply could result in action that could lead to injury or loss of life!" There you go again with your incredibly annoying messages and warnings. I wouldn't 'place' my 'hands' on my head! Whatever, I'm getting out of here bitch. "Warning! Multiple security breaches on level A6!" I know, I know! Everything going down the toilet, I get it already!
I started to feel a little claustrophobic after a while of grappling and shimmying across precarious edges. I need out of this place! Soon! Fortunately my feelings of the building swallowing me whole were interrupted by a gang of about six inmates that looked like they hadn't had a batb in years. Why doesn't anyone wash or clean anything in this place? Fire the cleaners, that's what I say, just not out of a cannon like I'm sure Joker would. I took on two but I had the sense not to use my little 'mumbo jumbo kung fu' in front of Batman to avoid too many uncomfortable questions. I simply kicked them in their groins and hit them on the head to knock them out. Simple, quick and down right dirty. Perfect really for any situation.
The other two quickly took their goons down but I must say Batman's technique of just giving hard punches and kicks appealed to me. He's not a pansy. Good, he'd need it later on for Joker. Batman got a call on his little communicator and I managed to whisper to Selena that I get first crack at Quinn for nearly dropping an elevator on me. "Sure, just leave me something to beat to a pulp would you? I've got a lot of grudges against her, especially after that time she tried to cut me up to make cat food ... long story!" I bet it is! Oh well, it's a death packed with irony I suppose. unfortunately, all the doors were locked so it came to reason to use the vents. Yet again. Seriously, they need some security in those vents. Anyone could get out using them. Batman went first, then Selena and finally I took up the rear. Ew, Cobwebs! I whipped them away with increasing annoyance. I. Hate. Vents.
A dying scream alerted me to a danger ahead as we stopped in front of a grate. "Please, I've got a kid! You don't have to ...!" Inmates vs Guards. Turns out, inmates win. Somehow, I'm not in the mood for celebrating. How cruel is life that we take fathers and mothers away from their kids and loved ones?
"You're right, I don't have to! I just want to! Ok, boss says no one gets past. Anything moves; shoot it! You got it! Anyone coming this way is dead!" Great, more trigger happy guards. What next, armed tanks? Hopefully not but I wouldn't put it past the Joker. He'd probably draw a smiley face on it too. Batman silently kicked the grate to loosen it before pushing it to one side. Stealth, that's the word now boys and girls.
"Four hostiles, all armed, three are around the corner and the other is up high! I'll take them, stay here and stay quiet!" Batman whispered quietly to us. Selena rolled her eyes as Batman grappled his way out of sight. I shifted slightly, before addressing the issue in my mind.
"He's a little controlling, isn't he?" I don't know how it works around here but it's a valid point that he does seem to think that we can't do anything without him. I mean, I know I'm a bit of tag along at times and that's because I don't know half the time what to do as I'm basically a baby trying to walk. I need help and it's perfectly fine that I rely on people to get that help. However, why in the world does Selena let herself be controlled by him? She's obviously a pretty talented fighter, holding her own against Batman, but she also gives off a vibe of independence that tells me she's smart enough to avoid trouble and plan around it. So if she's smart, independent and a talented fighter; why does she let Batman call the shots? Is she less powerful then I think? I don't understand.
"You don't know the half of it! Bats is not what I call the most ... talkative of guys but he's a good boy most of the time. He's saved my ass more times then I could count so I put up with it. Talking about the Bats, he's taking way too long. You stay here, I'll go and see what's up!" right, that answers a lot of questions. She's obviously attracted to the whole mysterious aura of Batman, women like mystery apparently, and so doesn't want to make him angry by asking him if she can take charge. She also feels indebted to the Batman, so will not hesitate to follow his orders as she trusts his expertise and the fact that he has protected her before. These two things make her want to back down. It seems that Selena indeed is not as powerful as she says she is. Interesting.
"Catwoman? Hey, the boss says no one gets through. That includes your cowardly ass so beat it! Go and play with a ball of string or whatever you do! Bitch!" A voice from around the corner exclaimed in a way that just made me grimace at its bad taste. The voice's owner is either the most oblivious creature I've ever had the misfortune to be near or he's just a plain jackass. Who knows? He might be both since it is in not smart to mess with Selena, my limited time with her has proved that much.
"Hey! I'm a pretty, little kitty but I ain't no-" the wallop of a punch fortunately overridded the end of her speech, and the little thump of a body hitting the floor told me that she was certainly not impressed by his confident words. Shouldn't of pissed her off, you really shouldn't have. I crawled slightly over to the side where the body of a guard lay where he fell. I felt his neck to see if he was alive or not, the latter being the result. I withdrew my hand and returned to a poised crouch before sneaking forward to get a look around the corner. Bat-Boy and Pretty, little kitty were silently taking out two inmates with guns and the third was still oblivious to them. Good. I don't want bullet holes in the bodies of the two people who have sufficient cause to protect me.
However, I do need to prove myself to the bat before he looses said cause. So logically, I should take out the third man. I won't kill him. I am not a killer. Instead I aim to knock him out or render him immobile. To do that, I need to hit him hard with something. I looked at the environment around me and then at the dead guard. Are those stun grenades I see? Light bulb! Idea formed, action needed. I crept over to the guard and grabbed the grenade, while trying not to look at him too much. The smell of death attacked my nose viciously, and I really didn't like it.
I took out the pin and threw it at the inmate, before shielding my eyes so the blast didn't affect me. The inmate however wasn't so lucky, and became very disoriented and confused, which in turn allowed me to walk straight up to him and punch him so hard that he collapsed in a unconscious heap. I flexed my fingers, finding that bare knuckle fighting is not kind on the hand nor painless, before noticing the annoyed looks glared at me by Selena and the Batman as they picked themselves off the floor. "What?" I asked, not particularly caring about their answer.
"You could have warned me Hailey!" Selena dusted off her shoulders dramatically before walking past me with some definite attitude in her walk. Yes, I could have warned you but then the inmate would have been warned as well, defeating the reason why I had used the stun grenade. A whistling sound went over me as a Batarang flew into the body of an inmate coming towards us, gun at the ready. Selena took out her aggression on the poor guy by taking a vicious swipe at his face to knock him out. Do I pity these guys for having to deal with our fists of fury? Nope, not in the slightest.
We walked up the stairs to see the gruesome face of Mr. Smiles plastered on the tv. I don't need to be a psychologist to know a complete narcissist when I see one. "Oh, look who it is! Are your pointy ears burning? I suppose I'd better warn my boys you're on the way ... hey, maybe I won't ... it'll be a nice surprise " Ok, enough of the clown. Seriously, it's a boring gimmick and his voice is so not working for me so lets just knock him out and be on our merry way? Perhaps with a harder tap then needed? With a rock instead of a fist? It's the least he deserves.
But first it's time to go through more slime covered, spider infected vents that could become full of joker toxin at any time. Oh joy!