Nightmare in Arkham
Chapter 18: "Bullet to the Brain"
-After Catwoman had informed them where to look, Batman and Alice raced to Robinson Park. But, even after the 30-minute drive, the two of them still had spent nearly an hour looking for the thorn mound that Catwoman had described. Morning was starting to cross over the sky and Alice's anxiety was starting to skyrocket. She knew Harley must have fallen asleep. And the more her mind concentrated on it, the more unpleasant memories from her past started to surface.
-Alice had smoked nearly an entire pack of cigarettes and was getting to the point where she was starting to cough uncontrollably. As she took out her last cigarette and started to place it in her mouth, Batman grabbed her arm.
-"Enough", he said, "You're going to make yourself sick".
-Before Alice could respond, a loud, blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest. The duo turned toward the direction of noise and both of their eyes widened in fear. Alice screamed out Harley's name and darted off in the direction of the scream and Batman followed behind her.
-After a short time, Alice and Batman came upon the mound, which had been hidden behind a thick grove of trees and foliage. Batman ordered Alice to stand back as he threw a small, metal shuriken on the mound that had a small, beeping light on it. Batman covered Alice and himself with his cape and, after a few seconds, the shuriken exploded, blasting a giant hole in the mound. Inside, there was an old abandoned structure that looked like it had once been a storage shed. Alice and the Dark Knight both burst through the door and found the inside completely empty. However, they could hear what sounded like the hysteric cries of a female voice.
-"Harley, is that you?" Alice shouted.
-Batman looked down and realized the cries were coming from under the floor. He reached down and found a loose board and when he pulled it, a trapdoor opened up revealing a staircase that led to the basement of the shed.
-Batman hurried down the stairs with Alice not far behind and they found Poison Ivy down on her knees in a severe state distress. She was breathing in sporadic, hyperventilating heaves while grabbing and pulling her hair. Her eyes were wide with horror and when Batman approached her, she vomited a large, green puddle onto the floor.
-Batman rushed toward the plant woman and grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her steady. "Ivy, what happened? Where is Harley?" Batman asked both pleading and demanding an answer.
-"HE…HE…HE DID IT! HE FINALLY DID IT! NOO! NO! NO! NO! NO! I CAN'T…CAN'T…I CAN'T BREATHE!" Batman could see that Poison Ivy was on the verge of going into shock and he took an oxygen mask from his belt and quickly brought it over Ivy's mouth and nose. After Ivy's breathing slowly started to calm down, Batman tried to ask her again but was interrupted by Alice's horrified cry of terror.
-"NOOOOOOOOO! HARLEY!" Alice screamed from down a hallway.
-Batman shot his head up. He turned back to Poison Ivy and told her to stay where she was and keep breathing in the mask before rushing to Alice's side. When he found her, she was on her knees in front of room with an open door sobbing with her hands covering her nose and mouth. Oh dear God, no! Batman thought to himself. He ran over to Alice, and when he saw what was in the room, all of the air rushed out of his lungs in one, long, horrified gasp.
-Sitting on a bed was the bloody, broken corpse of what used to be Harley Quinn. Both of her legs were twisted like a snake's body, her eyes had been damaged to the point where all the color, including the white part, had faded away, leaving nothing but two black, vacant pits that were once filled with a child-like happiness, her skin was so badly discolored that the only way Batman could tell it was her was from the color of her hair, but, most shocking of all, her lips had been cut from her face and both sides of her mouth had been sliced diagonally through her cheeks leaving a permanent, bloody smile and, carved into her abdomen, was the word "PUDDIN".
-Batman felt his stomach churn and he staggered back as he stared horror-stricken at the scene before him. After a moment, Batman slowly walked toward Harley's body, his breathing shaken. He stopped at the far side of the bed within arm's reach of the mangled corpse. Batman wanted to speak but said nothing; there was nothing to say. He had failed another one.
-Batman brought a trembling hand to Harley's face and gently closed her eyes. Then he dropped his head in despair. He stood by her while Alice sobbed in the doorway until both of them felt the ground start to shake under their feet.
-Poison Ivy's fear had converted to pure, blood fueled rage. She had gone down into her Eden and slammed both of her fists into the tree that stood before her memorial to her children and, with a loud, ear splitting cry, she sucked all of the life out of the tree and into her body causing the tree to decay and rot. But she didn't stop there: she drew in all of the strength and life out of every last plant, every last one of her children, until her Eden was reduced to a barren wasteland.
-Ivy's body had changed immensely from the energy she had gathered: her eyes had turned pure emerald green and shown so bright that they started to emit green beams of blinding light, the muscles in her body doubled in size, the tendrils on her body turned into black, thorn covered briars and the leaves that sprouted from the tendrils fell off to be replaced by giant, inch-long cactus spikes and some of the tendrils even broke off into thorny, whip-like vines, her teeth became sharp and pointed like the ones of a venus flytrap, and poison began to ooze from her mouth like a rabid dog. After her beastly transformation, she screamed in a manner that sounded like an animal roar.
-Batman and Alice ran into the now destroyed Eden and were dumb struck by Ivy's monstrous appearance. When Ivy saw them, she roared at them and swatted one of her arms off to the side causing the giant thorns on her arms to fire at them like missiles. The two of them leaped out of the way as the spears shot past them and Ivy shot one of her whipped tendrils to the ceiling where the thorns anchored themselves into the roof. Ivy then retracted the tendril causing her body to quickly lift off the ground toward the ceiling where she burst right through it and into the park.
-Batman and Alice ran to the spot where Ivy had ejected herself. As Batman reached for his grapple gun he looked at Alice and said, "Grab on". Alice grabbed onto Batman's torso as he hoisted himself and Alice to the surface. Once they were back in the park they heard Ivy's agonized roaring screams in the distance.
-"Oh no" Batman said with fear in his voice.
-"What is it?" Alice asked.
-"She's moving toward the city"
-"Well come on! Let's move!" Alice said grabbing Batman by the hand and running toward the Batmobile.
-As Batman started the car and the two of them sped toward the city Alice asked "Any ideas on where she might be heading".
-"One" Batman replied.
Poison Ivy tore through the city leaving a trail of destruction and pandemonium in her wake. Her speed was that of three lions and her agility was just as powerful. She ran through the streets and sent cars flying through the air and occasionally leaped into the air and swung through the city by her briar vines sending frightened pedestrians scattering like ants when she landed. A squad of SWAT team officers arrived on the scene with helicopters, barricades, and an armored truck with a gunman at the ready. Ivy took them out with no effort: She shot her spiked thorns clean through the shields of the officers before leaping into the air and grappling onto the helicopter and when she swung past the chopper and released it, the chopper plummeted to the ground right on top of the armored truck causing a massive explosion
Freddy watched the chaos from his lair on his screen while wearing a pair of 3D glasses and said to himself as he watched the shredded limbs and car parts go flying, "Great graphics".
-After a long rampage through Gotham, Ivy could see her destination: the "Laff City" theatre. Inside the theatre, the Joker sat on his couch with two of his henchmen. They were watching Dane Cook's standup show. One of his henchmen was laughing himself silly while the Joker and his other henchman starred at the screen confused.
-"Um, how is this guy being funny?" the first henchman asked.
-"Oh come on! Don't you get it? Okay here let me explain: ya see-" The henchman was cut off by a shotgun blast that blew his head to pieces.
-"Never…explain…a joke," the Joker said angrily. He then turned his attention back to the screen. "How is this guy being funny?" the Joker asked himself scratching his head.
-Then, out of nowhere, Ivy burst through the wall, smashing the television and sending debris flying across the room. The couch was knocked over and the Joker and his henchman fell behind it. When they rose to their feet the henchman was terrified at the sight of Poison Ivy while the Joker looked only mildly stunned.
-"Damn Pammy, you look good! You been workin out?"
-"YOU!" Ivy shouted angrily pointing a finger at the Joker, "YOU KILLED HARLEY!"
-"What the heck are you talking about? Harley's in the other room sleeping on her laid out newspap-I mean, cozy, comfy bed".
-"B-B-But boss, you threw her out 2 weeks ago, remember?" The henchman stated terrified.
-"Yeah, so what? You're saying she never came back? Huh…she usually shows up a few days later. That's just not like her to-" Ivy screamed and wrapped the Joker tightly in her briar vine as his henchman started to run in terror. Ivy shot her spear thorn at the henchman as he was making his way to the door and it struck him right in the upper back and penetrated out of his chest. He froze in place, gasping in agony before falling forward. The tip of the spike embedded itself in the ground and the body slid down the shaft leaving a coat of blood on the thorn. Then she turned her attention to the Joker. She starred angrily into his eyes with green fluid seeking through her teeth. The Joker swallowed nervously.
-"Ivy Stop!" Batman shouted from the doorway. Ivy and the Joker turned to the hole in the wall and saw him and Alice standing there.
-"Please, don't do this" Alice begged as she approached the plant woman, "It wasn't him. It was-"
-"NO MORE LIES!" Ivy shouted and she struck Alice with the back of her hand sending her flying across the room where she slammed through the hard concrete wall. Ivy then sprinted toward the exit and knocked Batman aside as she fled into the city with the Joker.
-Batman rose to his feet and ran toward Alice, who was lying limply on the ground among the rubble from the wall. As he approached her she groaned in pain and tried to stand but when she pressed her hand on the ground she was dealt a jolting rush of agony as she fell back down.
-"What's wrong?" Batman asked concerned.
-"I…I think my arm's broken"
-"Alright, come on. I'm bringing you to the hospital", Batman said as he tried to lift Alice's good arm over his shoulder.
-"No, go after them" Alice insisted, "I'll be fine".
-"Alice-"
-"No more innocent people have to die!" Alice shouted. Then she started to cry as she thought about Harley.
-Batman hesitated for a moment. If Alice had any idea of what the Joker was truly like he knew she wouldn't have said that. But it didn't take long for the pain in Alice's eyes from losing her friend, which completely disregarded her broken arm, clicked in his head. They were the same eyes Batman knew he must have had after losing his parents. Batman took a step back and ran toward his car and sped away following the trail of destruction Ivy left behind. After following the trail for some time Batman soon realized where Ivy was heading: the Ace Chemical Processing Plant (the Joker's birthplace).
Inside the plant, Ivy had beaten the Joker to a bloody pulp with a crowbar. Blood was dripping from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth and his clothes were all ripped and tattered and Ivy was still in the process of bashing him with the instrument he had threatened Harley with.
-"HOW DOES IT FEEL?!" (bash), "HUH?!" (bash) "HOW DOES IT-" (bash) "FUCKING-" (bash) "FEEL?!"
-"Hehe-" The Joker choked up blood and continued to weakly answer with a weak, scratchy voice doing his best to smile, "Ah, ya know, only hurts when I laugh".
-"GOOD!" Ivy shouted before slamming the crowbar down on the Joker's arm, breaking it in half. The Joker screamed in pain before calmly saying "That was my funny bone".
-Ivy screamed in a rage and tightly wrapped her barded vines around the Joker before violently slamming him against the wall. The Joker rolled on the ground with thorns sticking out of his body. Ivy then grabbed the Joker by the hair and dragged him across the ground, up a long flight of metal stairs and across a metal catwalk that hung over a giant vat of bubbling chemicals. Ivy hoisted the Joker up by his hair and held him in front of her face.
-"I'm going to crush your larynx so that you'll never be able to use that disgusting voice ever again, not even in the depths of hell! But I'll be sure to carve a smile in your face so you'll be able to look happy for the rest of your pathetic, miserable existence as the eternal fires burn your rotten flesh! Them I'm going to drop you in that vat of chemicals! The same filth that brought you into this world will take you out!"
-The Joker coughed blood in Ivy's face and gave a faint, agonized, heaving chuckle before saying "If you have to explain a joke…" (cough), "…there is no joke".
-Ivy angrily growled at the Joker and was about to squeeze down on the Joker's neck before a bat-ar-ang struck her hand, causing her to drop the Joker. Ivy howled in pain as she held her hand and angrily searched for the source of her attack. She spotted Batman standing a fair distance behind her on the catwalk.
-"Ivy, you have the wrong person! The Joker didn't kill Harley! You have to listen-"
-"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ivy screamed as she lashed her vine whip at Batman who dodged out of the way.
-"Ivy, I don't want to hurt you"
-"Too bad because I do!" Ivy shouted as she launched a thorn spear out of her body and at the Dark Knight. Batman caught the spike and tossed it aside.
-Ivy sprinted toward Batman and tackled him to the ground, "All these years I could have killed that pile of evil death-worshipping garbage, I could have saved God knows how many lives, but I chose to let him live so Harley would be happy! Now I've paid for it with her life!"
-"Ivy please-"
-"NO!" Ivy finally overpowered Batman and threw him over the edge of the catwalk but he managed to grab a hold of the side just in time before falling into the pool of chemical waste. "I'm done listening! Listening to people has always been the worst mistake of my life!" Ivy stomped her foot down on Batman's fingers. Batman growled with pain through his teeth but kept his hold on the catwalk. "I'm going to kill you too. Then I'll be rid of both of my worst pains!"
-"No you won't" Batman said bluntly.
-"Why not?!" Ivy shouted as she leaned her face into Batman's.
-"Because killing us won't bring Harley back! Nothing will!" Batman shouted at her as he looked directly into her eyes. The moment those words escaped Batman's lips, Ivy froze in place. She looked as if she had been shot. Her mouth hung open and her eyes widened into a vacant, blank stare. Nothing will! Nothing will! Those words shot through Ivy's head like a bullet. The realization had finally hit Ivy: Harley really was gone. The one person that Ivy was capable of loving was gone forever. And now, she truly was doomed to be alone for the rest of her life. As if a dam had suddenly burst open behind Ivy's eyes, all of the tears she had suppressed for so many years came pouring out in one loud sob. Ivy's body started to return back to normal as her wounded cries echoed through the room.
-Batman pulled himself back up onto the catwalk and by the time he stood up Ivy was back in her semi-human body curled up on her knees with her arms tightly wrapped around her body. Her tears had already formed a massive puddle on the ground in front of her but she continued to sob uncontrollable with no signs of slowing up.
-Batman looked on Ivy with complete sympathy and started to make his way toward her and offer her whatever comfort he could. However, before he could reach her, Ivy suddenly started to breathe erratically and she pressed both hands on her chest right above her heart as she began to scream in agony. Batman froze in fear not knowing what was happening. But as Ivy fell forward and rolled onto her back in her own tears, her body spasming uncontrollably, Batman soon realized she was having a heart attack.
-He ran to her as she passed out and performed CPR on her but stopped just before giving her mouth-to-mouth having realized that if he did so he would be poisoned. Batman tried to use harder compressions on Ivy's chest but it was no use, Ivy had already slipped out of consciousness.
-The Joker, who had risen to his feet with his broken body being supported by the railing of the catwalk, chuckled and said, "Well what do ya know: the plant monster had a heart after all".
-The Joker's sick remark turned off Batman's rational thinking for a second and he shot to his feet growling with anger and, in one quick motion, he spun around and plowed his fist into the side of the Joker's head, sending him plummeting over the side and into the vat of chemicals below. His body splashed down on the surface and vanished into the abyss of the boiling, yellow liquid just as it had all those years ago. Then Batman's senses slowly returned to him and he backed away in horror. Oh God, what have I done Batman thought to himself.
-But his attention soon broke from the Joker and back to the unconscious, but still alive, Poison Ivy lying motionless on the ground. Batman grabbed her and rushed her to his car to find her medical attention.
Freddy, who had watched the whole thing, smiled with delight. "Wow, what a great twist ending. I was expecting Little Miss Poison Kiss to take care of the one who never sleeps. But, it turns out, the one who never kills took care of the job." After taking a few moments to reflect on the spectacle that he had just witnessed, Freddy rose to his feet. "Well, now that the one who never sleeps is now sleeping for good, I guess now would be a good time to get back to work," he said as he walked to an unfinished device that sat on a stand in front of his screen alongside the card that he had stolen from Mad Hatter.
Somewhere, within the dream realm, Poison Ivy opened her eyes and was horrified by her surroundings. She was locked inside of her cell in Arkham tied down to the dry, barren floor by the tendrils on her body and she was surrounded by a bunch of dead and decaying plants. But the most horrifying sight was what stood before in place of the glass door to her cell: a giant mirror. Although Ivy's body was in its normal state, her reflection still shown as the monster she had turned herself into with the life of her children. So this is what my children died for? So I could turn into this monstrosity? "NO!" Ivy tried to look away but her roots kept her from moving and when she turned her head all she could see were the dead bodies of the plants. Ivy screamed, but her screams never left the inside of her prison.