The Gotham docks were a mass of activity. Ships moved in and out from the dockyard, unloading and loading cargo every hour of everyday. Moving away from the docks, Batman slowly moved through the shadows to a part of the dockyard that was old and abandoned years ago. Looking down from the corner of the roof he stood on he saw the street sign below him.
"Denizen Street…"
The Riddler always told the truth in his riddles. Slowly moving along the roof line, Batman moved to the edge of the warehouse he stood on and saw a single old warehouse seperate from the others, light coming out from its boarded up windows. Pulling out his grapple gun he fired it, flying over to the roof of the warehouse. Quickly dropping down, Batman moved into the shadows as he heard noise. A man stood leaning against the stairwell doors smoking a cigarette.
Moving quietly behind the thug, Batman stepped out from the shadows. The thug spun around reaching for the gun at his belt, but his head snapped back as Batman punched him across the jaw knocking him unconscious. Slowly opening the door of the stairwell, Batman moved into the warehouse and started downwards.
Lethal landed in the knee high water of the sewer, aiming his pistols in both directions. He caught a fleeting glimpse of Croc's shadow moving off to the right, so Lethal quickly turned and started making his way through the water, both guns at the ready.
Lethal continued moving through the sewer…the only sound was the occasional rat and the sound of the water he was trudging through. Coming around a corner Lethal found that the tunnel suddenly dropped of into a massive catacomb. The water ran out from under him, dropping into a waterfall that went a good six stories downward into a massive pool. Iron pipes crisscrossed overhead, being held up by columns reaching up like fingers from the pool of water.
Lethal looked down into the catacomb, but spun around hearing the water suddenly splash. Lethal lifted his guns, but Croc hit him hard with a backhand sending him flying over the edge of the tunnel. Lethal tumbled through the air, falling the six stories before crashing into the pool of water below. Lethal slowly pushed himself up in the waist deep water, looking back up at Croc who's laughed echoed in the giant chamber.
"Welcome to my playpen, Lethal!"
Croc leapt off the edge, diving straight downward and slicing into the water. Lethal fired his pistols into the water as it rippled from the splash. Holding his aim at the water, Lethal slowly made his way through the water towards where he fired, but Croc was nowhere to be seen. Croc's laugh slowly started to echo again. Lethal spun looking around in the dark, but saw nothing.
"Having second thoughts about following me now?"
Croc suddenly exploded out from the waterfall crashing into Lethal. Croc dragged Lethal under the water, punching him across the face. Lethal swung his leg out, smashing his boot into Croc's jaw causing Croc to release his grip. Lethal popped back up above the water sucking in a new lung full of air. The water began bubbling and Lethal lifted his guns again, but Croc exploded out from the water, grabbing him by the wrists and lifting him into the air.
"You aren't going to get away that easy, little man!"
Lethal swung his legs upward, kicking Croc again. Croc dropped Lethal down, and then snarled as he ran at him. Lethal dove backwards, opening up with both guns. Croc ducked around, but a bullet hit him in the shoulder before he caught Lethal lifting him up and throwing him across the catacombs. Lethal slammed into one of the columns of the catacombs before dropping back down into the water. Croc growled as he touched the gunshot wound on his shoulder.
"You're going to pay for that…"
Lethal slowly stood up, water running off of him.
"Come make me."
Croc roared, diving back under the water. Lethal stood ready as the entire chamber suddenly grew very quiet. He suddenly felt his legs dragged out from under him a Croc pulled him under the surface. Croc stood up, pulling Lethal out of the water by his feet and then started swinging him around before releasing him and sending him crashing into another column. Lethal stood up, but both of his guns were knocked out of his hands as Croc grabbed him by his shoulders and slammed him into the column again, cracking the old, worn concrete.
Croc opened his fanged mouth wide and brought it downward, aiming at Lethal's neck. Lethal was able to stop him at the last second, slamming both hands into Croc's chest and shoving him back.
"No necking on the first date, freak."
Lethal pulled his knee up, slamming it into Croc's side. Croc grunted leaning over, but was knocked back as Lethal nailed his with a hard punch across the jaw. Croc growled then jumped forward again, but Lethal sidestepped him, pulling Croc forward and slamming his face into the column. Lethal pulled him back from the column and then leapt up, driving a kick into the back of Croc's head, sending it right back into the column even harder.
Lethal jumped backwards as Croc spun around, swinging a wild punch at him. Croc dove back under the water and disappeared into the black. Lethal looked around, his eyes scanning the dark water. He suddenly caught a glimpse of something and leapt out of the water just as Croc surged out through the surface grabbing for him. Lethal spun in the air and dropped straight back down, planting his foot into the back of Croc's head, driving it downwards and back into the water where it came to a sudden stop on the ground below.
Reaching down into the water, Lethal grabbed Croc by the shoulders, pulling him back up from the water and driving his knee square into Croc's face. He went for another shot with the knee, but Croc blocked it, quickly standing up and pulling Lethal up. Wrapping his arms around Lethal's body, Croc squeezed with incredibly strength, crushing Lethal's body within his grasp.
"I'm going to snap you like an twig!"
Croc laughed as he squeezed harder. Lethal grit his teeth as his body felt like it was being torn in two. Grabbing a baton, Lethal flicked it out, and then slammed it into Croc's shoulder and head. Croc roared and just squeezed tighter. Lethal finally dropped the baton, grabbing Croc by the head with both hands, pushing his thumbs into Croc's eyes. Croc yelled in pain as Lethal pulled his left hand to the side, ripping Croc's right eye out. Croc released his grip, clutching his eye. Lethal dropped to the water, then stood up lifting his baton from the water and started swinging it towards Croc.
Croc suddenly stepped forward, planting a punch into Lethal's body so hard that Lethal flew back through the air smashing into an already cracked column. The column slowly rumbled, cracks spiderwebbing their way up through the concrete before it finally started breaking apart. The pipes being held up by it gave way as the cement crumbled, crashing straight down. Croc dove backwards as the dozens of pipes slammed into the water on top of Lethal. Croc stood up, blood pouring from under his hand as he held his eye. Growling, Croc moved over to the pile of pipes and stood in front of it.
"Serves you right."
Croc turned and started to walk away, but stopped as a pipe suddenly rolled off the pile splashing down into the water. Shaking his head, Croc continued moving, but spun when more and more pipes began falling and splashing into the water. The pipes suddenly gave way, being pushed up and away. Standing up, Lethal slowly rose from the water, his combat suit torn and tattered, but Lethal was unharmed. Croc stared in shock.
"How?!?"
Lethal looked up, staring coldly at Croc.
"I still feel pain…but it'll take a whole lot more than that to kill me again."
Croc roared and ran at Lethal, but Lethal lifted a pipe up, slamming it across Croc's face. The shot spun Croc around, crashing him down into the water. Lethal lifted the pipe into the air, bringing it down again, breaking it off from the force of the hit. Croc rolled away and slowly stood up. Lethal looked on calmly as Croc cracked his neck and looked at him.
"So I guess I'll just have to pop that had off from your shoulders then."
Croc laughed and ran full force at Lethal. Lethal ducked under the swing from Croc, then stood up, slamming the broken, pointed end of the pipe into Croc's stomach. Croc let out a surprised grunt and stumbled backwards, looking down at the pipe jutting out from his abdomen. Blood slowly trickled out from his mouth as Lethal bent down, lifting another broken pipe from the water. Croc snarled, gripping the pipe and started to pull it out. He let off a roar as the blood streaked pipe started to be pulled from his body, but he was abruptly cut off as Lethal slammed the second pipe into his open mouth, driving its point through the back of Croc's head.
"You lose, freak…"
Croc's remaining eye rolled up into the back of his head as he dropped backwards into the water, his body floating on the surface. Lethal lifted his baton up from the water, sliding it into the holster, then slowly trudged through the water to a ladder against the wall that led back up to the tunnel he came from.
Batman moved out from the stairwell, walking out onto a catwalk. Silently creeping out across the catwalk, Batman looked down and saw a large tanker truck sitting in the center of the warehouse. Three men pulled a hose over to the tanker, lifting it up to the top where two other men attached it to the nozzle. Harley walked out from a group of boxes, watching the men as one of them pulled a lever. The hose shook as liquid started pumping through it, filling the steel tanker.
"Hurry up, boys…Mr. J doesn't want anything to hold him up."
Batman looked down from the catwalk at Joker walked out from an office wearing a pair of coveralls and a trucker hat. Harley let off a squeal and ran over to him wrapping her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek.
"You look perfect, puddin"
Joker let off a chuckle.
"I thought it would fit the part."
Joker let off a laugh that echoed in the warehouse. Batman reached to his utility belt, pulling a batarang out.
"Hey!!"
Batman spun and ducked under the punch from the thug, then stood up, hitting an uppercut so hard it knocked the thug off of his feet. Batman spun around and dove to the floor of the catwalk as bullets ricocheted off the metal around him. Joker stared up at Batman as he stood and ran across the catwalk, Joker's men firing their guns up at him.
"Oh goody, Bats! I wondered when you'd finally show up!"
Batman leapt off the catwalk, pulling his grapple gun out and firing it up into the roof. Swinging downward, he spun in midair, dropped down, kicking one of Joker's men off of the top of the tanker. The man flew through the air, crashing into a stack of boxes. The other man on the tanker charged at him, but Batman grabbed him, flipping him over and slamming him into the top of the tanker. Leaping backwards, Batman flipped off the tanker as Joker's other men turned and fired up at him. Joker yelled at them.
"Careful, you idiots! Don't damage the tank!"
Joker's men ran around the end of the tanker to the other side, but their guns were knocked from their hand as a batarang zipped through the air. Batman jumped forward, crashing into one of the men and driving him hard into the ground, then flipped over, facing the remaining two. They both charged at him, but Batman swung around knocking both of them off their feet with a spinning back kick. Turning around, Batman cartwheeled out of the way as a stream of gunfire impacted the ground around him. The Joker laughed as he fired the assault rifle at Batman.
"I've been waiting for you for hours, Batman…and now you want to run away and not play?"
Batman flipped behind a group of boxes, bullets impacting into them and sending splinters showering into the air. Joker laughed as he continued to fire, but suddenly his rifle clicked empty.
"Uh-oh…"
Batman leapt out from behind the boxes, hitting a kick that sent the Joker sprawling backwards and crashing into a table. Walking over, Batman lifted Joker up by the collar and held him into the air.
"You're going back to Arkham, Joker…"
Joker slowly chuckled.
"I'll save you a padded cell."
"Hey, Bats!"
Batman dropped the Joker and spun around, but Harley fired the net gun before he could reach his belt. The huge net spun out, wrapping around Batman, dropping him to the ground. Joker stood up and drove a kick into Batman's already injured ribs. Batman let off a grunt of pain and Joker laughed kicking him again. Harley slowly walked up, holding the gun at her side. Joker leaned down and looked into Batman's masked face.
"Pretty bad there, Bats…forgetting all about little, old Harley."
"Hey, who you calling old!"
Joker quickly stood up, lifting both his hands up as Harley walked up and poked him in the chest with her finger.
"Just joking, Harley…"
Joker smiled and Harley stepped back grinning. Joker's men slowly stood up painfully, shaken from their fight. Joker looked over to them.
"Alright, fellas…strap up and get ready to pull out!"
Joker let off a long laugh that echoed out in the massive warehouse.
