Chapter 15
Present Day
Between the Penguin's ramblings and decrypted files, it wasn't difficult to pinpoint the location of Ivy's lair. It was hidden perfectly near the Presidium Commons, in an offshoot area that could be accessed through the Commons or on the outside of the Presidium ring.
While memorizing the schematics for the hidden base, Casey couldn't help but admire the construction. The base was built to fully integrate with the Citadel's systems. It siphoned water and power from the Presidium to regulate the extravagant garden Ivy's base held.
The Batwing hovered on the outside of the Presidium's hull, magnetically parallel to the metal surface. All systems were on standby as Batman had made his way to the secret entrance of Ivy's grotto. The Dark Knight stood with this cape waving in space as he typed away on his blue omni-tool. The hack was a bit more complex than he originally thought, but nothing he couldn't handle.
Being how his father was a technical genius, Casey learned how to interact with advanced tech. It had always come pretty natural to him, but every now and then came across tech he didn't know. Through his travels he had run into many quarians all on their Pilgrimage; he often found them scavenging parts on the underbelly of society. He could empathize with them; travelling around, finding their way in the universe. Casey would often exchange stories with them as they shared their technical skills.
The blue shaded omni-tool pinged, indicating the hangar door had been unlocked. Batman crouched down and watched as nothing happened in the place he was sure the hangar was. Under his helmet, Casey lowered his eyebrows. On a whim he moved his pupils in a pattern that scrolled through the heads up displays different vision filters. He stopped on the one that detected electric systems; specifically holographic images. As he suspected, the hangar door was concealed by an image of the Presidiums hull being projected overtop of it, and with the system unlocked, Batman simply walked through the holographic image.
Walking into the bright room, Batman had to readjust his visual filters back to normal as he scanned around the area. As he walked forward, still with zero gravity, he reengaged the hangar door from his omni-tool. The doors slowly closed as the artificial gravity was reinstated.
Doors on the opposite side of the medium sized hangar opened with a squad of four running in with weapons ready. Batman had anticipated security would check out the unauthorized hangar breach and so quickly activated his tactical cloak, disappearing from sight.
The security team looked all around with one of them eventually saying it must have been a malfunction. The leader of the squad told the other three to stand guard in the hangar until told otherwise and then turned and left through the way they originally came. The squad leader walked calmly as the door leading to the hangar closed behind him. He turned a corner and sighed as he continued down the hall to the restroom. Inside, he first went to the mirror to check himself out when he gasped; behind him materialized a black helmeted figure. The squad leader didn't have time to react any further as the figure wrapped his gauntleted hand around his face.
Batman held on for a few second as the man slipped into unconsciousness. The Caped Crusader then dragged the man to an empty stall and closed the door. He then turned and dislodged a ventilation grate. Batman crouched and carefully reconnected the grate before continuing. Even if he hadn't memorized the entire base's blueprints, he had them displayed in a corner of his vision as he moved through the vents.
It didn't take long before the overwhelming scent of Ivy's garden filled his nostrils. Batman had purposely allowed air to run freely through his helmet when he knew his sense of smell would be useful. He still kept in place a filter that protected him from toxic and other dangerous odors.
He came to an opening, which led into a vast jungle of plants and trees. Batman effortlessly jumped into the green and landed on the soft ground. The foliage was all around; Batman draped his cape around him as the pushed through the thick foliage. He eventually saw a clearing covered in thick grass. The Dark Knight crouched and peered through the plants, surveying the clearing.
He saw nothing but flowers, metal walls and a door on the far side of the grass. Batman monitored all frequencies and sat patiently, waiting for something to happen.
"No need to skulk around Mr. Kane"
The female voice seemed to have come from all around, an intercom perhaps thought Batman, and even more disturbing the voice calling him by his real name. Knowing when he was exposed, Batman stood up and walked into the grassy clearing with his cape draped around himself.
"That's better" the soothing voice whispered.
Batman carefully looked all around, searching for the origin of the voice. He then heard a slight rustle behind him and quickly turned to face the jungle and saw her.
She moved gracefully through the plants, blending in with them. She wore a dark green two piece dress that barely covered her light green shimmery skin. She smiled with her seductive eyes as she drew closer to where Batman stood.
"You should have known that I sense everything that happens in here" Ivy said as she put a hand on Batman's shoulder and slowly walked around him. Batman watched her every move as he turned to face her.
"I forgive you Mr. Kane," Ivy whispered walking with her back to Batman. She stopped at the center of the clearing as vine lowered itself in front of her.
Batman squinted, causing his vision to zoom in on the vine. Shimmering over the vine was a blue aura that controlled and manipulated it; Ivy's biotics.
Ivy sat down on the vine, using it as a swing seat to move back and forth, all while staring and smiling at Batman. The Knight said nothing as stared back at the asari.
"Casey, Casey…" the asari sang to herself. She sighed and then looked at Batman, "No need for the secrecy anymore Mr. Kane" smiled Ivy as she motion with her hand for him to come closer to her. Batman began to slowly walk towards her and reached up to his helmet.
The helmet only comes off if it is touched by his specific glove pattern or hands in a certain place on the sides. The air seal disengaged and the bat shaped helmet came off revealing Casey's sharp features. He dropped the helmet at his feet and dropped to one knee in front of Ivy, bowing his head.
"I am yours…" Casey struggled to speak.
"Of course you are and as my champion none will stand in our way" smiled Ivy as she stroked Casey's matted hair. She let the vine dangle free as she knelt down in front of Casey. "Look at me" she commanded.
Casey looked up to her emerald eyes and seemed lost in them. She moved her head forward and held her face in front of his, letting him take in her intoxicating scent. Then she planted a kiss on his ready lips as her eyes became black as night. Casey closed his eyes as she wrapped her hands around his head. Every one of his senses was flooded by her scent. Ivy positioned herself closer to Casey as the world around him faded away until there was only her and him.
Then the garden disappeared as there was nothing but a hazy whiteness all around them. Casey was on his knees, bowing to Ivy, as she paced back and forth in front him.
"Your mind will soon be mine Casey Kane. Even with all your training and experience…you are but a tool for me. Here inside your mind…you will be broken." She stopped in front of Casey and faced him, "Stand up." Casey stood and looked at Ivy with no emotion on his face.
Ivy reached up on her toes to face the taller Casey and stared into his eyes, "You were not the one to defeat him" and then forcefully kissed him. The white area around them brightened as she lip locked with Casey for several seconds, completing the process she had done to countless others. It had come naturally to her as an Ardat-Yakshi, the seduction of a being and then taking them to a place inside their minds and destroying them from within.
Ivy violently pulled back from Casey's lips with shock in her black eyes. She was breathing heavily as the white mental realm around them started to turn to darkness. She looked scared by the dark mist forming around her, causing her view of Casey to disappear.
She began to twist and turn, searching for a way out of the darkness, when she saw two piercing eyes staring back at her through the dark. Ivy froze in fear as the eyes came closer, with a horned figure forming around them. The green skinned asari started to back up seeing the bat in his full, dark armor slowly walk towards her.
"You think you are the first to invade my mind, Ivianna?" he asked in a terrifying tone that rumbled through the now totally void realm.
Ivy was speechless with wide eyes as she looked at Batman through the dark haze. The Dark Knight was only partially lit up as he kept approaching the scared asari and placed his outstretched hand on top of her frilled head.
The haze of darkness began to swirl around her as she stood slack jawed under Batman's hand. The black fog engulfed Ivy, leaving only her echoing screams through the dark void.
Her screams continued as she fell back onto the green grass. Ivy tried to regain herself as she realized she was no longer in the cerebral realm between her and Casey. She was breathing heavily on the grass as she swiped dark blood from her nose. Her thoughts were racing, scattered. She didn't know what was happening; what had just happened. Ivy frantically looked around and saw the figure of her nightmares.
Armored gloves picked up the horned helmet and brought it up to his face. The air tight seal engaged as it came down over; lighting up the piercing white eyes. Ivy became wide eyed once more as her nightmares were suddenly becoming real.
"My training and experience showed me many things, Ivianna" began Batman in his deep, augmented tone.
"Stop saying that name! I am Poison Ivy!" she screamed with tears starting to form in her eyes.
Batman suddenly flung up both of his hands releasing two grenades off to his sides. The small bombs detonated as soon as they struck the ground, igniting the flowers and plants in flames. The intense flames spread to the jungle behind Batman, pumping smoke into the air filters on the ceiling.
Ivy sat in horror as her beloved garden roared in flames. Tears streaked down her face in both anger and sadness, as she let out biotic waves through her hands to the ceiling. Vines that were not on fire yet, came to life and extended towards Batman. In one quick motion, he let out a volley of three batarangs that soared upwards and cut the vines at their base on the ceiling. The vines fell lifelessly to the floor as Ivy slumped down, thoughts still erratic. Batman towered over her as he stood with the growing flames behind him.
"When I stayed in a secret Ardat-Yakshi sanctuary, I learned many things. I stayed there for two years before I earned the Matriarchs trust. She being an Ardat-Yakshi herself trained my mind in ways I cannot describe. I had never experienced such mental torture in my life."
The fire behind Batman roared as green plants sizzled and crackled. Ivy seemed to be in shock, dumbfounded as she gazed at the Bat standing over her. He continued in his dark tone.
"For a whole year she attempted every day to crumble my mind and force me to submit. The Matriarch revealed to me the only true way to overcome mental advances was to retaliate with your own. She could sense darkness within me, one that I had strived my whole life to harness. I taught myself how to use it; how to control it." The last sentence, Batman put emphasis on while standing directly over the frightened Ivy.
Batman often spoke with the Matriarch between training sessions, wanting to know more about the history of the sanctuary. On one occasion she mentioned a runaway; a young Ardat-Yakshi with a rare mutation that caused her to be green instead of blue like all asari. The runaway was ashamed of herself and never truly thought of the temple as home, resenting the others for not embracing the genetic power of the Ardat-Yakshi.
"You ran away, didn't you Ivianna? You had nearly every Justicar in the system searching for you. You became desperate and got mixed up in a smuggling gang" Batman knew he had hit a nerve in Ivy as she looked up at him wondering how he knew so much.
"You would have everyone believe that you just took over the gang and thus began your criminal empire, but that's not true is it?" Batman teased.
"ENOUGH!" boomed the loud, filtered voice. Batman had seen the large krogan wattle into the burning room seconds prior to berating Ivy. The green asari turned away from Batman and saw the krogan standing in the doorway. The weary asari slowly started to crawl towards the krogan. Batman remained steadfast with the inferno blazing behind him, watching the couple carefully.
Ivy had reached the krogan, hugging his leg while whispering, "Bane….darling".
"It was you; you saw a pretty face people would gravitate towards and whose minds would then crumble at her whim. You created a puppet to pose as a puppet-master."
Bane seemed to squint his eyes as though he was smiling under the mask over his mouth. He looked down at Ivy, who was half smiling back to him. "I'm afraid your usefulness has run its course, Osita" Bane said softly as he caressed the asari's face.
Ivy smiled at first but then a scared look washed over her face," No! I love you and you love me; you said you would protect me!" she screamed.
Batman was standing nearly a dozen feet from where Ivy sat in front of Bane. He tried to react to what he knew was about to happen, but was too late. Bane brought his massive biotic infused fist down upon Ivy in a detonation of energy. Batman stood wide-eyed with an outstretched hand; it had happened so fast, where Ivy used to be was now only twisted metal and blood.
Bane stood upright, admiring the smeared blood on his knuckles before looking back to Batman. Batman couldn't help but think that however much they had been through, whether or not Bane ever loved Ivy back, clearly she meant nothing to him.
Bane took a step forward and this time Batman reacted immediately, throwing several batarangs from his wrist gauntlets at Bane's face. Before the small curved blades struck the krogan's face they detonated into a cloud of thick smoke. The dark knight then ran forward, readying a powerful uppercut with both hands, but before the attack could land on the krogan's jaw, Bane leaped through the smoke and grabbed hold of Batman's gauntlets. Bane's eyes glowed blue as he had swiftly caught Batman's hands mid-swing.
Biotic sparks jumped down the krogan's arms as he lifted Batman off the ground, crushing his wrist gauntlets simultaneously. Struggling, Batman put his boots into Bane's chest and activated the propulsion pads on the soles of his feet, rocketing him to the floor behind him.
As Batman flipped himself upright, he remarked at how fast the krogan moved. He glanced at his gauntlets, which were completely destroyed after Bane crushed them. Batman looked back up and was able to nimbly dodge Bane's first swing, but was unable to evade the krogans uppercut.
The large first collided with Batman's gut. Batman let the air out of his chest as he was sure the punch had broken a few ribs. He landed on his knees and hands, breathing heavily. After that things got hazy.
5 minutes later
He awoke in a daze. Everything hurt; his chest, legs, and especially his back. It was all a blur; it happened so fast. He looked down and noted he was still in the Batman armor and surrounded by metal and debris. As he tried to stand he fell down to his knees, grimacing from the pain he felt in his back.
Batman grabbed his side in pain, "…apply automated medi-gel". Tiny needles throughout the inside of the Batman armor injected the soothing medicine into the injured parts of Casey's body. The pain was dulled, but still present as he got back to his feet.
He saw that he was at the bottom of an elevator shaft, along with broken metal beams and wires. The echo-locator inside his helmet chimed as it indicated that something big was heading down the shaft.
Although the medi-gel was starting kick in, he was still in a lot of pain and was just barely able to move out of the elevator shaft and into broken down corridor.
"Alfred, diagnostic check" exhaled Casey under the beaten Batman helmet.
The AI took a few seconds to answer, "It seems you have several fractures and bruises in your back; if not for your fortified armor…it would have been completely broken."
Casey took a deep breath in, "Activate the actuators"
"But Sir-"
"Now Alfred!" Casey demanded as he saw an elevator car make its way down the shaft, stopping on top of the fallen debris. The doors attempted to open, but malfunctioned. The elevator doors started to get bent from the inside.
"Activating eezo-assited actuators" somberly said Alfred. Then a hum arose from the Batman suit as Casey's painful yells echoed through the corridor.