Nightmare in Arkham
Chapter 29: "Executions" (Part 1)
-As Bane made his way down the stoned-wall cellblock, he found that the atmosphere had shifted immensely from the time he was a child. Bane remembered when he was about two or three years old, this was the place where he had first learned to crawl, how to walk, and also, where he learned the most rudimentary form of play. For you see, as inconceivable as it may seem, Peña Duro had at one point offered a sense of happiness to Bane. Not the sort of happiness that stems from having power or complete control over an entire house of corrupted madmen, but the happiness of childhood innocence. How could he have remembered a time so buried in his mind, so far away on the calendar of his life? Because those few years of innocence were the only years he would ever know such a feeling. And now, having returned to these God-forsaken crypts of the dying and the damned, Bane felt like he was walking through a haunted house located at the darkest corner of his subconscious.
-There was not a living soul anywhere, not a single a voice or cry of pain echoing through the halls, but then again, this was the infirmary block (the place where young meat was housed and kept from spoiling before being thrown into the slaughter house). It was nothing more than a long, narrow hallway with a length of about 30 feet, but for a naive child, running up and down these hallowed halls made him feel free as a bird.
-Bane was nearing the end of the cellblock when a noise caught his attention. It was a soft, weeping sound that Bane almost recognized. It was the sound of a woman who had been stripped of all hope and had all but given up on life. It was the sound of his mother.
-Bane started to feel a cold shiver run up his spine and as he slowly turned to his right, the cold ran through the rest of his body. Bane was standing outside of the cell that he had called his home as a child. And on the far wall, under a barred window with the pale light of the moon shimmering onto the rocky floor, was an old ratty bed (the last place Bane had seen his mother alive).
-As the sobbing echoed behind the metal bars of the cell, Bane started to see visions from his sixth year of life. As he peered into the cell, he saw his mother lying in the bed with her face and body as deflated and haggard as that of a scarecrow with a burlap bag for a head.
-Young Bane was standing beside his mother as she feebly tried to speak to him, but was so drained that all she could do was choke out the last of the air inside of her lungs while using the final ounces of strength within her to display her love for the child in her eyes.
-Meanwhile, young Bane was also doing his best not cry. He tried to hide his tears behind a look of contempt. For even then he knew that tears were a sign of weakness.
-As Bane watched the final breath escape from his mother's lips, the tears he hid before came flowing. Bane beat his fists against the bars cursing himself for waiting until now to realize the sacrifices his mother had made for him.
-Bane stopped hitting the bars and buried his face into his fists, weeping softly.
-"They should have sentenced her to execution," he said with tears running down his cheeks, "It would have been so much more merciful than a lifetime of suffering."
-Suddenly, the bars on the cell fell down with a loud clatter, startling Bane and causing him to lift his head. For a moment, Bane stood vacantly as he gazed into the cell at the empty bed. Then he slowly made his way into the cell and stopped right at the spot where he had watched his mother die. As he looked down, he could see her frail, debilitated body resting limply on the mattress. Bane gazed to the empty, marble eyes of his mother as she lay in her eternal rest and, after a short pause, he reached his hand to her face and used two of his fingers to gently close her eyes.
-"You're free mother, you have earned your freedom," Then Bane slowly lowered his head and planted a soft kiss on his mother's forehead. His tear ran down the side of her face.
-Rising to his feet, Bane made his way out of the cell, turning back for one brief moment to look at the empty bed one last time, then he made his way farther into the prison.
MEANWHILE…
-Alice's adrenaline was working overtime as she fought her opponent. Sekhmet had managed to get in a few good bites and scratches and hits but Alice had kept a clear head and refused to allow fear or distress cloud her mind. Sekhmet's claw was her strongest point and Alice knew that if she could avoid that then she might stand a chance. This wasn't easy of course. For every time Alice would move in for a hit she would have to dodge the weapon of death and she had a few claw marks from times when she was less lucky. But as long as her heart was still beating Alice would fight til it wasn't.
- "You lasted longer than I thought you would; I'm impressed," Sekhmet commented with a sneer.
-Alice starred back her breathing heavily, "I ain't dead yet."
-"Meow, I can see why they call you 'Alley Cat': you're definitely a kitty with a set of claws."
-"Shut up and fight bitch!"
-"I'm sorry, I think you have me confused for a dog!" Sekhmet replied angrily. Then she pounced on Alice and took a swipe at her. Alice jumped out of the way and the claw's tips scratched across her hip and thigh and knocked her Bug Zapper off of her belt, sending it sliding across the floor until it bumped into a wall next to a circuit box.
*From within Freddy's throne room Horseman, Hatter, and Emperor Penguin were watching Alice and Sekhmet's fight on the screen. Emperor Penguin was sitting on Freddy's armchair taking a swig from a bottle of crystal champagne while Mad Hatter and Headless Horseman were seated on either side of the chair.
-"Wow," the Emperor said with his eyes glued to the screen, "Ownley time I eva sawz a fight thiz intenz was win I threw a piez'a foolz-gold between two of me' candy girls. Bout damn time we gut us a rewl woman, eh!" The Emperor exclaimed with lustful delight.
-"What about Bridesmaid?" The Horseman replied.
-The Emperor scoffed, "She's juss a tiny child, an' incase ya havn' bin payen attention, the lil' tart's bin swoonen over the boss. Ha, I wish er' the bess a luck with that!"
-"You do realize she's a cat and you're a bird right?" Mad Hatter asked.
-"An' your point is?"
-"She'll eat you alive…"
-"Exactly!" The Penguin said with a wild, depraved look in his eyes.
-Mad Hatter rolled his eyes and turned back to the screen just in time to see Alice and Sekhmet start fighting a bit suggestively. Sekhmet had pinned Alice down on the ground and she was lying between Sekhmet's legs as the cat-creature brought her claw down to finish her off. Alice grabbed the claw and used all of her muscle power to hold the deathblow back. As she did, Sekhmet leaned down closer to Alice until their faces were almost touching and Alice was forced to buck her hips in order to deal with the added pressure. With an evil purr, Sekhmet released her sandpaper tongue and licked it over the spot on Alice's cheek where she had extinguished the cigarette. This caused Alice to gasp in pain.
-At this point, Penguin and Hatter were no longer able to hold back their lecherous impulses and started jacking off.
-"Oh come on!" The Headless Horseman exclaimed as he stood up and started to walk away.
-"Yeah, go on, walk away," The Emperor called over to him, "That'll git ya ahead in life!"
-"Ha Ha, very funny!" The Headless Horseman responded flatly.
-As the Headless Horseman approached the exit, something from inside of a dark cage right beside the door began roaring and hissing violently, spewing green saliva onto the floor as it did so.
-"Pipe down, or I'll nale all yur heads shut I'will!" The Emperor shouted at the unseen beast. Then he took his half-empty champagne bottle and hurled it at the cage. It flew right over Horseman in the spot where his head should have been.
-The Bridesmaid entered through the door just as the champagne glass smashed into the wall just a few inches from her head and sent glass and bitter liquid flying everywhere. A few glass shards struck the Bridesmaid. They didn't hurt her as much as surprise her and she leapt to the floor with a startled yelp. The Horseman rushed over to her and helped her to her feet.
-Mad Hatter looked at the Emperor and saw that he wasn't the least bit concerned.
-"Hey Caesar, you realize you just assaulted a blind woman, right?"
-"And..." He replied still focusing on the screen.
-Mad Hatter was about to reprimand him but was interrupted by the Horseman.
-"Hey jerk-offs, let's go! The boss says it's time to play ball!"
-The Emperor let out a disgruntled groan of unsatisfied protest but nonetheless got up and walked over to the cage that contained the mysterious beast.
MEANWHILE…
-Alice's body was on fire as she exerted every ounce of muscle power she had to overcome her opponent. She felt like she was in the arm-wrestling match of a lifetime and she could not afford to lose. Sekhmet, on the other hand, seemed as though she hadn't even broken a sweat. In fact, it was quite obvious that Sekhmet was toying with her, waiting for her to waste all of her energy by holding her back. It wouldn't be long before Alice had no more fight inside of her and then it would be all too easy for this creature to kill her.
-Alice's body temperature had risen to the point where she no longer registered the cold in her environment. In fact, she actually felt like see was inside of a sauna. Alice soon discovered why.
-Once Alice opened her eyes, she noticed that all of the ice in the room had melted away and the room was now caked in water and vapor. After about 20 seconds of thought processing, Alice was hit with a sudden epiphany that brought a smile to her face. With her mind focusing on the heat racing through her body during her struggle, Alice had unwittingly pictured her whole environment as being as hot and sweltering as she felt. By doing this, she had manipulated the environment within her dream to fit what her mind was picturing. It was a case of Mind over Matter: even though Alice was inside of a nightmare, she was still inside of a world that, with complete mental concentration, could be controlled and altered by thought and will power.
-With a sudden adjustment of her head, Alice let go of Sekhmet's claw and the force Sekhmet was exerting on it brought the five-pronged instrument of death plowing into the ground with such force that the blades actually embedded themselves just centimeters from Alice's head. Alice then struck Sekhmet in the face with a hard swing from her right hand before kneeing her in the stomach, rolling herself free from the cat-creature's grasp, and rising to her feet.
-Sekhmet growled angrily as she struggled to free her claws, which were embedded almost up to the hand. Sekhmet glared menacingly at Alice with a look that said she was going to kill her the instant she freed herself.
-Wasting no time, Alice ran to the exit with Sekhmet snarling in rage. But just as she reached the door she stopped.
-Sekhmet stopped raging and stared at Alice, waiting to see what she was planning. After a short pause, Alice very slowly turned around to reveal a slight, deviant smirk.
-"What the hell is so funny?!" Sekhmet demanded barring her teeth.
-"What's funny," Alice answered, "is the fact that your standing in a room covered in water, and you have metal claw stuck in the ground."
-Sekhmet looked confused. She was about to ask what relevance any of that carried but she didn't have to; she soon got her answer.
-Alice's eyes wandered from Sekhmet to the left side of the room until they rested upon the Bug Zapper (which was still drained of energy) lying on the floor just a few feet in front of Victor's body. Sekhmet followed Alice's gaze to the disabled weapon…and then to the circuit box hanging on wall just a few inches off the ground. Sekhmet turned back to Alice, eyes wide and mouth agape.
-"You wouldn't dare," Sekhmet said sounding shocked and appalled. This made Alice's smirk widen into a full grin.
-Turning her head and focusing all of her mental concentration on the circuit box, Alice managed to force the tiny door to open on the box. Then Alice shifted all of her mental power on the livewires in the box. Suddenly, one of the wires broke loose and writhed through the air like a serpent. With her eyes still locked onto the wire, Alice brought a hand up and motioned her finger toward the Bug Zapper. The wire obeyed the command and snaked its way over to the back of the device and plugged itself in. There was a loud humming noise from inside of the Bug Zapper and it started to slightly vibrate and give off small electrical sparks. Alice turned back to Sekhmet and with a wicked smile she said, "Bye-Bye kitty."
-Alice took off running just as the Bug Zapper overflowed with power and began spraying a concentrated beam of electricity throughout the entire room while flailing through the air like a fire hose. Within milliseconds the entire room ignited in a sparking flash of purplish-blue light as it became engulfed in electricity. Shockwaves ran across every wall and across the floor and ceiling. Sekhmet's arm acted as one giant lightening rod, drawing a good majority of the current toward her and sending it racing through her body. Her screams of pain vibrated as her body contorted with involuntary muscle spasms, her fur began to smoke, and her vision became nothing but static gibberish.
-The amount of energy being discharged throughout the room became so strong that the electricity started to move through the wires in the ceiling. In the hallway where Alice was making her escape, the light bulbs began to flicker sporadically before popping one by one like firecrackers. As the electric flow continued, the shockwaves began running through every wire throughout the building like snake venom inside the bloodstream. Before long, the circuits all throughout the building became so overloaded that everything that was connected to the wires began to explode. Walls began to burst, roofs and ceilings began to collapse and cave in, and everywhere that had a wire running through it became engulfed in flames.
-In the ensuing chaos, Alice dashed through the crumbling building searching for an escape hatch or a fire exit. But by now most of the escape routes had been blocked off or destroyed, and there were no windows for her to duck out of. Suddenly, Alice just stopped in her place, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated. Clearing her head of the noise and danger surrounding her, she focused her energy on the wall in front of her and imagined a gaping hole that would lead her to safety.
-Sure enough, the wall burst open. Alice walked through it and came to a second wall. This time, however, she didn't have to pause and gather her mind before she cleared her path. She just kept her focus narrowed on a straight path and every time a piece of falling debris or bolt of electricity started making its way toward her Alice would redirect it.
-Before long, Alice had cleared a complete tunnel through the building's structure that lead directly into the streets. Once outside, Alice casually walked down the street as the building continued to crumble and burn. When Alice was a fair distance away the entire building exploded in a fiery inferno that sent flaming shrapnel and debris flying through the air and through the windows and walls of the surrounding buildings. But Alice continued to walk away without so much as glancing over her shoulder.
-Once the fire started to die down Freddy appeared in front of the decimated building and watched Alice's departure with an amused smile.
-"Almost got'er," he said while extending the fingers on his right hand.
-Behind Freddy a figure emerged from the smoldering heap. As it walked toward him, it emitted a kind robotic noise as its legs carried it forward.
-"Good to see you're finally awake," Freddy said to the figure as it stopped beside him. The figure's body gave off a short electrical charge. Freddy turned his head around to face whatever was standing beside him. "So, you ready to have some real fun?" A glowing red light appeared where the figure's eye should have been.
As Alice continued walking down the dark streets of Arkham City she kept her mind clear so that she could expect the unexpected. She had walked about a mile through the streets when she heard what sounded like a vehicle approaching.
-Alice stopped in her tracks and turned around just as a pink convertible slowed to a halt beside her.
-"Need a lift?" Poison Ivy asked with a smile.
-Alice could not believe what she was seeing. Sensing that Alice may have doubts of whether or not it was in fact really her, Poison Ivy held up the poker card. This convinced Alice, and she found herself laughing out loud at the unexpected but welcoming odds that had crossed her. She hopped into the passenger seat of Ivy's car and they drove off into the city.
MEANWHILE…
-Bane found himself becoming more and more disconcerted the deeper he wandered into his former "home". The true horror that lingered in the atmosphere did not come from the rusted bars on the cells, or from the lead-paint that was dangling from the wall in crumbled strips like dried human flesh, or even from the haunting darkness that occupied every corner of the building (all of those disgusting traits were present even in Bane's youth). What truly made Bane feel ill at ease was the fact that he was all alone in this forsaken house of pain.
-Every turn, every room, and every prison block carried a horrible memory that remained as vivid and fresh in Bane's mind as it was the day he experienced it. He remembered the spot where he had witnessed a prisoner (#0176 he recalled) get stabbed in the belly and left to rot in the dark, grime-covered basement (His first exposure to death). From outside the prison window, he recognized the "Punto de Tiburon" where his mother's lifeless body was callously thrown to the sharks while he was forced to watch. And as he walked farther into the gothic structure, he arrived in the block where general population was held. This was where the most raw and painful memories stemmed from because most of them concerned the day when he was first brought there as a small boy. He could still see the savage faces of all those countless, depraved maniacs as they eyed him like dogs waiting for a biscuit. But strangely, their absence actually made Bane feel even more vulnerable because he was now locked away in the place that haunted his childhood with no one to rise above. The pain and sorrow of the prison was now his, alone, to endure.
-Bane was broken out of his nostalgic terror by what sounded like a faint howling in the distance. Bane drew out his knife and looked around.
-"Who's there?" He demanded. No one answered, but the howling continued. With each passing second the howling took on a more distinct form and soon Bane realized the noise was actually someone screaming. The screaming hit a crescendo and Bane realized it was coming from somewhere within with the room. Bane shot his head in all directions like a search light but there was no one to be seen. Then Bane stopped; for now the direction of the noise became apparent: it was coming from above him.
-Looking up, Bane was struck by a yet another horrifying vision from his past. It was the vision of young Bane falling from the third story prison balcony. This happened during his first day in general population. He was accidently knocked over the edge during a prison brawl and suffered what would have been a fatal head injury had he not been visited by the apparition of his "future self" and motivated to rise above pain and fear to become the man he was today.
-But now, there was no such apparition. There was only the terrible sight of fear and doom in the eyes of his former self. Seeing the fear in his own eyes was even more horrific than the fear that Bane felt in that moment when he nearly fell to his death.
-Normally Bane's natural response would have been to reach out his arms and catch the child but the horror of seeing himself fall toward him caused Bane to shield his arms over his face as if the child were a bloodthirsty bat swooping down on him. The screaming climaxed as the vision struck Bane like a sack of bricks, knocking him to the floor.
-Bane frantically struggled to his feet, breathing hard in a cold sweat, and was astonished to see what the vision that had fallen on him actually was. "Edward?"
-The Riddler, who was almost as shaken as Bane, shot his eyes forward.
-"Bane?" The Riddler asked astonished.
-Bane let out a relieved laugh. "Oh Edward, you have no idea how glad I am to see you hombre!" He exclaimed while putting a massive arm around the Riddler's skinny shoulders, nearly crushing him. Then he asked, "How did you get here."
-"Well," The Riddler answered, "After hitting up my old girlfriend and giving my barbaric father a lesson in playing ball I escaped the jaws of two beasts that no longer exist by riding the Hand of Fate until it ever so carelessly dropped from a height of at least 33 stories into an open sewer which lead me into this…" The Riddler paused and looked about his surroundings.
-Bane looked confused, "Eddie, are you trying to tell me an overly complicated riddle or-"
-"Oh never mind," the Riddler interrupted, "It's a long story," Then he went back to studying the macabre and ruined prison setting.
-"Good lord, this place makes Arkham look like the Ritz. What is this place?"
-Bane sighed. Taking a good long look at his former home he replied, "This, my friend, is the place where nightmares are born."
-"I couldn't have said it better myself!" Freddy's voice called out.
-Both men jolted in surprise but before they could fully react to the sudden intrusion they were consumed by a blinding flash of light.
-A few seconds later there came a loud, piercing noise that sounded like wild cheering. When the light cleared, Riddler and Bane found themselves standing in the center of what looked like tens of thousands of spectators. All of these spectators were prison inmates (both male and female) and all of them appeared as repulsive, almost inhuman beings like something created by Rob Zombie and Tim Burton. They were separated from Bane and Riddler by giant metal prison bars like animals in a cage. Looking down, they saw that they were now standing in some sort of sandpit.
-"Why is there sand everywhere?" Bane asked as if he were expecting the Riddler to know the answer.
-"Ladies an' Gentlmen!" The Mad Hatter's voice shouted. Riddler and Bane both shot their head up and noticed a TV monitor slowly descending from the ceiling. The Mad Hatter was shown on the screen seated in front of a microphone. "Welcome to the first ever Arkham City Annual Pain Olympics! I'm Mad Hatter and-"
-There came a sound like an ax breaking through a wooden door and the Headless Horseman appeared, "Heeeeere's Johnny!" He then sat down next to the Mad Hatter in front of his own microphone.
Mad Hatter: "And standing before all you lovely blokes are two very special guests of honor. First we have Edward Nigma, also know as' Riddler': A super genius who is living proof that playing things smart won't always keep you out of trouble."
Horseman: "Or make you anymore popular with the ladies!"
Mad Hatter: "Yes indeed. And next we have Bane: This behemoth is a lifetime veteran of the prison system. Since he was but a tiny lad he's lived, breathed, and embraced the prospect of a sudden and violent death."
Horseman: "And tonight we're going to see if all that death-lovin has prepared him for the ultimate trial."
Mad Hatter: "Right you are mate. For tonight brains and brawn will have to join together because in here there is no judgment, no testimony, no deliberation. There is only…."
-The entire crowd chanted loudly in unison, "EXECUTION! EXECUTION! EXECUTION!" It was then that Bane and Riddler realized these demonic psychos weren't meant to be the animals in the cage, they were.
Headless Horseman: "Alight ladies and gents, without further ado let's get ready to rumbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!" The crowd roared with praise.
-Looking up, Bane and Riddler noticed the The Emperor Penguin taking a seat on what appeared to be a king's throne situated high above the wall directly in front of them. As soon as the Emperor was seated on his throne he puffed heavily on his cigar, took it out, and blew from his mouth, not smoke, but a giant stream of roaring flames, which encircled the duo in a ring of fire. Now they both saw what they were actually standing in: a huge Roman Coliseum gladiator arena.
-"Um, Bane…" the Riddler said nervously.
-"Yeah?" Bane responded equally as nervous. "To answer your question: sand makes it easier to clean up our spilled blood."
-"Release the Hydra!" Exclaimed the Emperor. Suddenly, just below the Emperor's throne, a large double-door made of solid stone and reinforced with steel began to creak open with a ghostly moan. Seconds after the door opened, a massive reptilian head emerged from darkness; it was the head of Gourmand. And then a second head appeared; an exact duplicate of the first, then a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth.
-The five serpents slithered out of the doorway and revealed themselves as one entity: five snake heads attached to one serpentine body. Each head had a length of "neck" that would allow the heads to move independently. On the base body, just below the spot where the heads joined, there was a cavernous hole in the stomach.
-After Gourmand was defeated by Bane it was decided that he would be given a "re-molding". Freddy had ordered his minions to collect the body and he instructed the Emperor Penguin to dismember the creature's arms and legs and give it a serpentine rather than a crocodilian body. By sticking the severed limbs onto the creature's upper back, they transformed into four extra heads that were just as vicious and just as ravenous as the original. And thus, Gourmand was reborn as Hydra-Gourmand.
-All five heads opened their mouths revealing foot long fangs that dripped a lime green liquid that resembled toxic waste. Both men backed up as the serpent slowly advanced. But the Riddler soon noticed that none of the heads had its attention on him; they were all focused on Bane.
-The Riddler turned his head toward Bane and his eye was immediately drawn to the bite-mark on his arm.
-"Bane, how did you say you got that scar again?" The Riddler asked nervously.
-Bane didn't answer, but he did come to a horrific realization: the beast had tasted him once and now it, no, all five of them were hungry for the rest. Four of the monster's heads flanked Bane on both sides, two at a time, to block off any escape routes. Then the middle head coiled its neck back and launched itself at Bane like a rubber-band projectile and sent him flinging backwards across the sand.
-The Riddler started to run to his friend's aid but was knocked to the ground by an eruption in the sand directly in front of him. When the Riddler looked up, towering above him was the warped reflection of what used to be Victor Fries.
-All traces of his humanity had been almost completely drained and replaced with machinery. The one human eye was as dark and glassy as the pupil of a dead fish while the other eye glowed as intensely as the light from a sniper rifle. The body looked like a human skeleton covered in metal and steel. The legs were completely robotic while the arms were covered in a thin, pale-white leathery substance that had massive tears in them; the Riddler took this as a poor attempt at trying to replicate human skin. Under the tears, the Riddler could just make out black chucks of what appeared to be burned flesh. One arm consisted of nothing but symbiotic human tissue while the other arm was completely mechanical and appeared to be a charging mechanism for the cybernetic hand, which was fashioned into some sort of metal gauntlet. The head was encased inside of a glass helmet that made it seem as though the head were trapped inside of a snow-globe. His face was covered by a mask with a voice projecting system at the mouth (This mask was exactly like Bane's mask from Dark Knight Rises). But the most horrifically striking feature was the abdominal region. Victor's stomach and chest cavity were visible behind a glass casing that held all of his internal functions. There were no organs left, only a pair of metal cogs for lungs, a tiny motor for a heart, a jumbled mesh of pink and blue wires that appeared to serve as the creature's veins and arteries, and a set a steel bars that had replaced the ribcage.
HEADLESS HORSEMAN: "Oh my! Ladies and gentlemen, it appears as though a fourth contender has arrived to even the field!"
MAD HATTER: "And not just any contender! Straight off the assembly line and already packing a punch so devastating that not even the wet kisses from all of your mommies combined could heal the bruises, it's the one, the only, PAINKILLER!"
-The entire arena burst with applause.