Chapter 6: Pleasurable Company
"Um…" Nightshroud started. "You want to join me? I mean I don't really operate—"
"Please James Davis." Georgina protested. "If not, can we at lest hang vith you for the time being? You have great power that you've used wonderfully!"
"Crap! She knows who I am!" James thought, despondent.
"That makes three new people that know who you are." Alcor warned.
"We have become much attracted to you because of your exploits." George added. "Plus I can see the HIV treatment in the briefcase, you also do good work outside of hero fighting."
Joe was dumbstruck. "You can see through shit too!?"
They both chuckled. "Indeed."
Nightshroud sighed. "Look, now is not the time to decide that. I'm going to a friend's quarters to help another friend get better and plus I need to find the one who's been pulling off all of these murders. It's likely they blew up the apartment complex."
The three of them nodded.
"Let us join you!" George and Georgina said together.
"Alright, alright let's go."
"What's this James? You starting an orgy party?" Pamela Isley folded her arms.
"Pam!" James spat, annoyed.
"Ooh I like her." Joe muttered.
"I wouldn't mind personally…" George added.
"Maybe later." Georgina said, turning to Pam. "You're ze' famous Pamela Isley AND my biochemistry teacher! That's fabulous!"
Pam winked at her as she readied the hair regrowth supplement, causing Georgina to blush.
After the explosion at the apartment complex, they decided to regroup at Pamela Isley's greenhouse for the time being.
"Alright James, this will do it." Pam gave him a red and purple pill on a small dish. "Take with water."
Just then, everyone heard Leslie beginning to stir. Joe quickly sat next to her on the bed.
"Leslie." He said softly. "Are you alright?"
The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at Joe.
"J-Joe?" She spoke. "Where am I?"
"You are in Professor Isley's greenhouse." James returned in his regular clothes holding a glass of water and the pill.
"Swallow." He ordered. "Joe, give her the treatment after she regrows her hair."
"Oh dear." Leslie felt the left side of her head and noticed the bald area.
After she swallowed the pill, everyone watched as new hair started to emerge from the bald areas. Soon she had recovered all of her lost hair.
"How are you feeling Leslie?" Joe asked.
"I feel a little dizzy but considering that I'm still dying from HIV, not bad." She said sarcastically.
He shook his head. "We've compiled a treatment for you."
"A treatment? There is no treatment." Leslie replied, curiously.
"Ah! But these two men have found von!" Georgina grinned.
"The briefcase." George gestured to.
"George? Georgina?" Leslie questioned. "What are you all doing here?"
"Can you keep a secret?" Joe asked.
"Of course I—"
"I mean truly." Joe interrupted. "I know we've messed with each other many times in the past, but this is very serious. Leslie, you were targeted by an expert killer. That killer also murdered your father and other big business icons in the industry. So please tell me, can you keep this a secret?"
"I get that, and of course I can!" Leslie insisted, annoyed. "What makes you think—?"
"We all have superpowers." James announced.
She stopped. "Huh?"
"Joe is super intelligent, George and Georgina have psychic powers, Pamela is Mysteria and I'm Nightshroud."
Leslie fell silent for a moment, and then spoke.
"Oh."
"Oh?" Joe wondered. "That's it?"
"Well sorry if I couldn't find anything else to say." Leslie replied. "I mean most people knew about Pamela Isley as Poison Ivy in the past, I've known Georgina and George for a few years, Joe you've been carrying out experiments that go beyond what regular scientists have done, and James…I figured that you were the one that healed my wounds after the apartment exploded. Plus you don't have a scratch on you."
Pam clapped. "Not bad."
"You mentioned the experiments." Joe said. "Take this. It's an HIV treatment James and I developed.
He pulled the stopper out of the glass bottled and gave it to her. Leslie took a sip and started coughing.
"Ugh…tastes like shit."
Both George and Georgina laughed while James rolled his eyes.
"Whatever." He said. "Just take it in small gulps."
"Yeah, I've had to do the same thing with James sometimes." Pam added. "I coughed just like that before. "
Joe and even Leslie burst out laughing while James reddened.
"Damn it Pam!" He scolded as she smiled coyly at him.
"What?" Pam shrugged. "It's a good thing! It means you can flaunt it. 80% of men can't even say that."
"I am intrigued." Georgina said sexily.
"As am I." George added.
"Good god…" James looked at the two college kids. "Are you both feeding off of this? You don't really mean it though right?"
"Well there is one thing we haven't told you about our powers." George started.
"Our powers developed through a hormonal imbalance from our parents." Georgina explained. "We are not related by blood, but we have similar side effects. Star Labs came to us and offered their help because zey were building a metahuman training facility in Gotham because of the recent spike in metahuman activity. Their treatment helped us to control our powers, but sometimes our hormones…"
As she said that she started to breathe a little heavier. James noticed a blush had formed on her cheeks.
"Uh…is that supposed to happen?" He asked.
George suddenly collapsed in a chair and grabbed both of his shoulders.
"Oh my…" Pam suddenly understood. "You DID bring an orgy party!"
"W-what!?" James turned to her, confused. "What's going on!?"
Joe opened his mouth to speak but suddenly he could see Georgina's hot breath next to James's ear.
James jumped back, but was suddenly frozen on the spot.
"What the!?" He stammered. "What are you doing!?"
Georgina suddenly smiled coyly. "Hormones. Can't help it."
"What the hell is happening!?" Leslie stood up and walked in front of Joe.
"God damn it, now I get it!" James would've slapped himself if he weren't frozen.
"Their aroused. Very aroused." He explained. "I guess the treatment and the psychic powers they have are causing this as they said."
"It feels good. Admittedly." George spoke from behind them. They all turned and saw him clutching the chair with his hands trying to stay still.
"There's more." Alcor spoke to everyone. "Their hormonal imbalances are contagious. When this is happening, their powers create a type of magnetic field that attracts anyone in the vicinity. It also opens up the mind's senses when caught in the field."
"And right now we're all caught in it!" Joe concluded.
"I apologize for the difficulties we may have caused, but that's why we don't have many friends." George clung to the chair even tighter.
"Well Joe, looks like you got what you wanted after all." James said, still frozen.
Georgina suddenly leapt at him and reached out for his face, only to be grabbed by Pam.
"Oh no you don't." She warned. "You may have everyone else hypnotized by accident, but I'm immune. If you're gonna rip his clothes off, get in line."
Pam's distraction allowed James to break out of her grip. But he could feel the hormonal imbalance occurring inside him too.
"This is bad." He thought. "Whoever that killer is likely knows we're still alive and that we're vulnerable right now."
"We need to fix this immediately." Alcor agreed. "If not, we'll likely be enveloped by the lust that is consuming everyone, and that'll make it worse."
Nodding, James raised his hands up into the air and unleashed a large flow of Solarium around the room. The blue energy floated to each corner of the room and around to each person before dissipating.
George soon released the chair he was holding onto, and Georgina was breathing normally.
"Everyone alright?" James asked.
Before he could hear their answer his head suddenly exploded with pain. He fell to his knees, grabbed his head and yelled.
"AAAHHHGGGHH!" He screamed.
"JAMES!" Pam and Joe quickly ran to his side.
"You must find the one that was forgotten…" A voice spoke in his head.
"Who are you!?" Alcor demanded.
"Someone you buried away long ago…" The voice responded.
Images suddenly started to flash through his head. He saw images from his high school, to middle school, to an unknown beach, to an unfamiliar girl, to…Batman?
Just then the pain stopped. He looked up at everyone.
"I have a sister." James said wide-eyed. "I have a sister! I HAVE A SISTER WHO'S MISSING, AND BATMAN KNEW ALL ABOUT HER!"
"Batman, I'm seeing heat levels rising on the island. You need to be careful." Barbara radioed in.
Batman emerged from his Batcave on Arkham Island and looked up into the sky. Fireworks were exploding over the main cellblock. He could see smiles and bats shining over the main block along with a down arrow pointing to the detention center.
"Ra da da da da da! Batman!" Joker's voice sounded over the P.A. system. "I know it's been a long hard night but good news! We've got something for everyone! Music! Dancing! Chemicals that make monsters, and you don't want to miss it. So get your ass on over to cell block, or you'll miss your final surprise!"
Narrowing his eyes, he glided town to the ground and stood outside the main entrance, where a team of thugs stood outside with party hats.
"Let's see now…" The thug with the clipboard checked. "A…no that's not right…B…Bane…Ah! Batman! Go on inside!"
Forcing him out of the way, Batman kicked the door open, and he could see more thugs standing on both the left and right sides of the hall with another door ahead.
"Yeah! All right!" The thugs cheered and jeered.
Kicking the door open, Batman emerged into a large circular room with the Joker himself sitting on a makeshift throne holding Scarface.
"Why didn't you stop Batman!?" The scolded the puppet.
A thug ran out of the shadows at Batman, who grabbed him and flipped him over his shoulder.
"Me!? It was your plan you goofy clown!" Scarface spat.
Another thug ran up behind him to try to tackle him, but he back knuckle-punched his face.
"Bah! I'm sending you back to the ventriloquist where you belong!" Joker threw the mob puppet to the ground.
A titan than ran out of the shadows to attack the Dark Knight, but his chain forced him back.
"You had to spoil everything did you?" Joker stood up. "Beating up Bane, feeding Scarecrow to Croc, slapping Harley around; my hobby by the way, and ruining all my precious venom plants!"
"It's over Joker." Batman replied sternly.
"Over? Well my dear delusional Dark Knight." Joker blasted back. "It hasn't even begun!"
With that, he pressed a button and the chains came off the two titans and they charged at him.
But suddenly, the ceiling crashed open and Nightshroud slammed onto the ground, causing a shockwave and knocking the two titans over.
"What are you—?"
"You knew I had a sister." Nightshroud barked. "My sister has been missing for SIX YEARS, and YOU SAID NOTHING TO ME!"
"Now is NOT the time to talk about this." Batman readied in battle position.
"Fine then!" Nightshroud turned to the Joker. "After!"
"Ah! Another contestant!" He clapped. "Good, I was wondering when I was going to use this."
He pressed another button, and two more titans came out.
Gritting his teeth, Nightshroud could feel his rage energy leaking out again.
"Careful James…"
"I know god damn it!"
Yelling, he released a barrage of Solarium at the two titans in front, forcing them back. He then flew at full speed and slammed into one titan, smashing him through the wall.
"Ooh a fight AND a show!" Joker reached behind him and took out some popcorn and started eating.
Batman quickly dodged the first titan and tornado kicked the second titan. The first titan roared and swung at the Dark Knight, only to accidently hit the second titan. He quickly grabbed the second titan and smashed him into the first titan, knocking them both out.
Nightshroud then flew back into the room and dive-bombed the third titan, smashing him through the ground and knocking him unconscious. They then both turned to look at the Joker who clapped.
"Nicely done Bats! You deserve a prize!" Joker reached down and pulled a red lever.
"Your old pal, Commissioner Gordon!"
Nightshroud gasped as Gordon fell from the ceiling and hung in front of them. He was tied up and just waking up.
"Say…he looks all run down!" The evil clown declared. "Let's pep him up!"
Joker pointed the titan gun at the commissioner and pulled the trigger.
"NO!" Batman jumped in front of Gordon and took the titan square in the chest.
"Batman!" Nightshroud and Gordon yelled.
The Dark Knight fell to the ground and struggled.
"Get…away!" He smashed is fist onto the ground and his body started to change.
"No!" Nightshroud ran next to him.
"Alcor! Can we feed So—?"
"No."
"What!? What do you mean no!?"
"It wouldn't work. This titan formula is a new chemical that I have never seen before. It would take hours to figure out the chemical composition and flush it out, and that's time we don't have."
"DAMN IT! Are we really unable to help him!?"
"Ooh hoo hoo here we go!" Joker jumped down from his perch and walked up to him. "We're going to have some fun now kiddies!"
Batman suddenly looked up at him no longer changing.
"You're trying to resist the change!" He realized. "That's not fair!"
Joker delivered a swift kick to the Dark Knight's head knocking him over.
"JOKER!" Nightshroud charged at him, but suddenly his head exploded in pain again.
"No! Not now!" He thought, terrified.
More images started to fly through his head. But this time they were all images from his high school.
He could see his classmates laughing and pointing at him.
"W-why are they laughing!?" James thought. "Something I did!?"
"Come on! Give in!" Joker demanded.
Batman retaliated by delivering a punch to his jaw.
"Whoo…" Joker felt his face for a moment then looked down at him.
"So…you wanna play hardball bats? Okay then! Your call!" He continued. The clown reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a feather and tried to tickle him, only to get another punch in the face from the Dark Knight.
"Ohhhh you're ruining my big night!" Joker pouted. "Months of planning down the crapper! I just wanted to bring down your grim façade and for ONCE let you see the world as I see it, giggling in a corner and bleeding. But you've denied me even that, I have nothing more to live for.
He pointed the gun under his chin and fired. The clown fell down to the ground and suddenly his eyes became green.
Suddenly, the images in James's mind stopped. He looked around and saw Joker on the ground.
"W-what!? What happened?" He asked.
Before Batman could answer, they looked and saw Joker's body starting to change…