Chapter 6: Duel

C Squared's Laboratory

" Caitlin I can't intervene yet, the council will destroy me if I do it without their permission," Said Loiterer, through floating orb, Caitlin had contacted him, they need all the help they could get, and having A reaper might turn the tides of the battle

" Loiterer, he's killed C, he killed Jigen, he's slaughtering everyone in the city, he's going to kill all of us if you don't help!" Shouted Caitlin desperately "We need you"

" I'll be there soon then" Said Loiterer as the orb floated to the ground,

Caitlin sighed and sat down, above her she heard the sounds of battle, Joe was in the palace.

Inside The Memphis Palace

Joe hurled a guard into a wall, the man hit the wall, his spine snapping, and he fired a dark bolt into another soldier, causing him to explode in a torrent of blood. He smiled to himself, the carnage appealed to his twisted mind, that was until the wall beside him exploded and he was hurled face first into the ground. Managing to regain his footing he kicked up, sending the giant mech back, Joe sprang up surprised to see who was piloting the mech, in the cockpit sat Riddler, a determined look in his eyes

Joe began to laugh, "Oh this is rich, you're going to fight me riddler, really this should be..."

Riddler didn't wait for him to finish, firing a laser that blasted Joe in the chest and he was hurled back through a wall, Riddler held down the trigger as laser bolts rained down on Joe's body sending him flying back out of sight. As the smoke cleared , only for Joe to fly forward at full speed, slamming into the mech sending it hurtling back, The enraged Darksider rained blow after blow onto the mech , but the hull didn't cracked, riddler quickly pressed a button, and a missile fired from his shoulder at point blank range into Joe's chest, the explosion tore up his chest and sent him back wards, taking the opportunity Riddler had the mech slam his giant metallic fist into Joe's head repeatedly , he brought his foot down on Joe's chest trying to crush him. Only for him to feel great resistance as Joe began to push back the Mech's legs buckled and Joe hurled it through it through a wall.

Joe walked through the hole in the wall, he recognised where they where, in Riddler's Workshop, the distraction gave Riddler enough time to fire a powerful laser straight into Joe's chest breaking his bones and burning the scales, boiling and breaking them.

Joe , feeling the rage building within him he roared and fired a huge blast of Dark energy, blasting apart the laser and slamming into the mech tearing open it's hull and sending him flying back.

Joe walked forward ready to finish Riddler off, however the downed engineer had one ace up his sleeve, he pressed the command button in the mech, a buzz came from behind Joe, he barely had time to turn around before a highly concentrated laser beam tinted with white energy , the beam seared into Joe's chest, burning him, atomising his corrupted cells, he felt his entire body tear apart, the beam lasted for but a few seconds, but it left Joe as a burning pile of flesh on the floor,

Riddler let out a sigh of relief he began to climb out of the mech, only for a dark energy beam to slam into his arm, severing it, and burning it up. He fell to the ground, screaming in Pain. Joe Pulled himself up from the ground, the scales on his body where burned and they hung off of him , his flesh had turned black, "You, You are an Idiot" He screamed at Riddler, slamming his foot into his chest, breaking his ribs,

Joe bent down, grabbing the engineer and lifting him above his head "So I think it's only right I repay the little blow you dealt me today" And with a final roar Joe brought Riddlers back down on his knee, snapping his spine. Instantly Riddlers body went numb, he lost all felling, he couldn't move speak or talk,

The darksider left the now vegetative Riddler to starve in his workshop, Joe limped back into the palaces main hall, he still had a job to do.