Arkham City
"This is Vicki Vale, reporting live from Arkham City, the controversial super prison built right here in the heart of Gotham," the blonde reporter said. Mary sighed. If only she could get out there. "In a few moments, Bruce Wayne will be live on stage to explain his sudden interest in Gotham politics. The infamous playboy millionaire has never been one to–"
"It's billionaire Vicki. Millionaires are so last year," a suave sounding dark haired man in a suit corrected as he passed. Mary's eyebrows rose. How in the world was this man Gotham's Dark Knight?
"Mr. Wayne!" the cameras all immediately turned to the man, who made his way up onto the stage.
"Thank you, thank you Gotham!" he thanked the audience. He turned to the wall behind him. "Imprisoned behind these walls, gang leaders are fighting a bloody war in the middle of our once great city. Every inmate of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Penitentiary has been relocated to this facility. How can this be safe for the People of Gotham?" he asked. Strange smiled.
"Time to go in captain," he instructed into a microphone.
"Today, I am starting the campaign to close Arkham City, and make Gotham safe again," Mr. Wayne said, just as TYGER guard trucks pulled up.
"Remember, Wayne is the priority target," a voice from the radio reminded. Gas canisters were thrown into the crowd and the TYGER guards shouts crackled from the channel.
"Surround him!" one shouted as Mary watched the guards cut off Bruce Wayne's exit routes.
"Hands in the air Wayne! We have Wayne!"
"Target secured." As the butt of a TYGER guard rifle collided with Mr. Wayne's head, Mary wincing at the memory of her own experience with those, the camera began to shake and then went to static. Strange's grin grew even greater.
"The guest of honor will be arriving soon my dear. Get ready."
Strange activated the electro shock chair and Bruce Wayne awoke with a cry of pain. "Wake up Mr. Wayne. We have much to discuss."
"Strange? You won't get away with this," he growled, searching for the man but only seeing white.
"I already have," Strange smiled. He motioned Mary over and she looked into Bruce's Wayne's wide-open but unable to see clearly. Another shock caused Wayne to shout again, Mary wincing in pity as he did so. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch this man but Strange made it clear that if she so much as let him see her, then he would kill her. Mary hated the Professor and wanted nothing more than to see him defeated by the man he idolized but followed his orders nevertheless. After seeing so many people die, whether second hand or first, Mary feared death and wanted to post pone her meeting it for as long as possible.
"I assume that you thought yourself untouchable. Well as you can see, no one is untouchable," Strange remarked, before giving Wayne another shock.
"Shut Arkham City down! It's out of control," he grit out. Mary smiled. This man was trying to fight Strange even while being tortured.
"Shut it down? By the end of tonight I will be a hero. Just like you… Batman," Strange smiled. He looked at Mary and wordlessly told her to stay in the shadows. She nodded and reluctantly obeyed. Bruce Wayne gazed up at Professor Strange, who was currently leaning over him, eyes a little more focused now. "I feel I should thank you. Capturing Bruce Wayne is so much easier than Batman. And now that we have you, Protocol 10 is ready to begin. It will be my legacy, a monument to your failure. And if you try to stop me, I can guarantee everyone will know your secret." He straightened up and left the room, dragging Mary in front of him. The criminals waiting to be inserted into Arkham City perked up when they saw her.
"Hey sweetheart! Why don't you come over here and join us?" one of them called and the others started catcalling and shouting similar insults. Mary subconsciously moved closer to the Professor, who chuckled and patted her head.
"Don't worry child. No one will harm you here." Giving him a look, Mary shook her head. This man was a genius and yet absolutely ignorant sometimes. Calling over a TYGER guard, Strange instructed, "Take her to the balcony. I will join you momentarily." The guard nodded and he and Mary climbed the ladder. Heading up through the halls of the facility, they eventually made it to the balcony overlooking the Insertion Area. Mary watched as the doors opened and several men in blue jumpsuits tentatively began exiting. Political Prisoners, Mary realized sadly. Most of the normal criminals were never this nervous upon entering the city. Several inmates who were gathered climbed over the fence and began beating up the inmates. However, one man was different from all the rest. Bruce Wayne was countering the inmates' attacks with ease, and was even able to help the one surviving political prisoner by fighting off his attacker.
"On your feet Ryder! I said get up!" Bruce Wayne shouted, helping the man to his feet. The two began making way to the gate only to find that the Penguin himself was waiting behind it.
"Oh no," Mary murmured. Penguin hated the Waynes every bit as much as he hated the Joker and Two-Face, and knowing him, he wasn't here just to bid Bruce Wayne hello.
"Well, look who it is!" he cried, as the gates opened to reveal Bruce Wayne helping the prisoner. A man wielding a bat jumped behind Wayne but before Mary could cry out and warn him, a black-gloved hand grabbed her wrist, and Mary looked to see Professor Strange staring her down. "Welcome to Hell Brucey-boy!" the Penguin greeted as the man hit Bruce Wayne and knocked him and the man he was helping to the ground. The Penguin threw his cigar down on the ground. "Nighty-night." With that he kicked Wayne in the face, knocking him out cold. Mary sighed.
"How can you let them do this?" she asked Professor Strange, somewhat rhetorically.
"Quite easily. If someone causes a problem in your plans, you simply do what it takes to remove the problem," he replied.
"But they are innocent," she maintained. He chuckled.
"There is no such thing as innocence. Now come, we have much to do before the night is done." With one last look at Bruce Wayne being dragged away, Mary followed him, back into her pretty little prison.
"All units, we have confirmation that prisoner 4011 is in the courthouse. I repeat,
Catwoman is in the courthouse," a TYGER guard's voice proclaimed over the communication channel.
"Is she in danger?" Strange asked into the microphone.
"Affirmative, we believe that Dent intends to kill her." Strange chuckled.
"Stand down. Let Two-Face have his fun." Mary gave him another look.
"You are going to let her die too?" He shrugged.
"She's a criminal."
"So are you," Mary pointed out.
"And so is the Batman," Strange retorted. He turned to face her. "Speaking of which, what did you see in him?" he inquired. Mary took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The only other mind she'd ever come across that was as complex as the Batman was the Joker's and as such it took a bit more concentration to dig through his thoughts and memories. He'd been through so much good and bad Mary wondered how anyone could possibly go through what he had and still be able to function, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Then Mary remembered that she had the minds and memories of every person she'd ever really met stuffed into her head, and it made her realize that people are more durable than even themselves may believe.
"I saw… loss… of the people he could never bring back … loneliness… due to lack of understanding, even from his loved ones … anger… at the injustice of the world… frustration… because it will never end… and fear… of them winning and him losing everything." Strange smiled, apparently pleased. "But also…" Strange frowned as the young girl continued, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Hope… of a better future for his city… strength… courage… selflessness… a hero." The next thing Mary knew, her back was on top of the desk and the Professor was leaning over her, hands around her neck.
"He. Is. No. Hero. Understand?" Strange said. "He deserves to be in Arkham City as much as anyone else here."
"As much as… you?" she choked out and Strange's grip on her neck tightened.
"You're lucky you're still of use to me, otherwise I would've snapped your neck or thrown you out into the street a long time ago," he hissed, before releasing her neck. Mary fell to the floor and started rubbing her neck, coughing. "You are nothing and if it weren't for me you'd still be rotting in a cell in Arkham."
How is rotting in a cell worse than being in a gilded cage with my only company being scum like you? she wondered but didn't say. Provoking him even more at this point would not end well for her. So she bowed her head and stayed silent instead. The Professor glared down at her before turning back to the computers to watch Batman take down a bunch of goons out inside the walls of Arkham City. Once Mary was able to breathe properly, she dragged herself up into her chair and curled up, yawning. Her nightmares had been getting in the way of her sleep, meaning she was feeling a bit more tired lately. She sighed and her eyes started to close. Maybe she could rest for just a minute or two…
10 hours later, Professor Strange looked upon the little girl curled up in the chair, apparently asleep. He frowned; how could she possibly sleep at a time like this, when the world they had created was so alive with energy? The TYGER guard had given more reports that night than they had in almost the entire existence of Arkham City. He sighed; he'd have to discuss her sleeping habits with her later. Now was their time of victory. He shook her shoulder and said, "Mary. Mary, wake up."
"No," she moaned. The Professor sighed.
"For God's sake, wake up you insolent child or I will make you." She groaned.
"Fine," she yawned, opening her eyes and stretching.
"You have missed a lot tonight my dear," Strange commented.
"So what? Watching them tear each other apart is your hobby, I just sit back and try to ignore the screams. Why did you wake me?"
"Because I have gotten the clearance for Protocol 10," Mary paled, "and I want everyone involved in the process to witness our triumph." The girl reluctantly nodded and got up, following the Professor to the Main Control Room.
"Good evening. Protocol 10 will commence in 30 minutes," Professor Strange said into the microphone. "You all have specific orders for this situation: follow them." The girl stood by his side, looking over the monitors. Her eyes focused on the screen monitoring the heart rates of the TYGER guards. Suddenly, one went out. Blinking, Mary looked at it again. Another one went out.
"Professor," she said, pointing to the heart rate monitors. The Professor glanced at it and realized what was happening.
Turning on the microphone, Strange growled, "Check your numbers" to the guards in the TYGER Confiscated Goods Vault. Mary looked at him.
"Is something wrong?"
"Just an inmate attempting to get into the TYGER vault. Most likely Miss Kyle, attempting to retrieve her loot," he explained. "However, we have more important things to be worrying about." The twelve year old frowned, looking at the heart rate monitors that were continuing to go out, one by one.
"This is TYGER 54. We have confirmation that Batman is in the Steel Mill. I repeat Batman is in the Steel Mill," a guard's voice informed the Professor over the communication channel.
"Good. Make it our first target," Strange instructed. "Protocol 10 will wipe the Batman and the Joker from this earth." Mary crossed her fingers in prayer, hoping the Professor wouldn't notice.
"Target is set."
"Then let Protocol 10 commence," the Professor proclaimed, and the girl beside him began to wonder how long he'd wanted to say that.
"Understood. Commencing in 3… 2… 1…" Wonder Tower and the TYGER guard helicopters then began firing upon the buildings and prisoners that populated Arkham City. Screams of the dying and injured filled the TYGER guard channel as they began to report number of casualties. Professor Strange smiled; his years of hard work and studying had accumulated into this one, glorious evening.
"Look at it Mary. Every criminal in all of Gotham is being purged from the world. Isn't it glorious?" he remarked, partially to his ward, partially to himself. But the child could not answer. In fact, she could not do much of anything, except stare at the screen filled with violence and death that most only saw on television, movie, or video game screens. She could only stare, as political prisoner and common crook alike were brutally slaughtered like dogs on the street, their cries echoing in her ears. She could only watch, as she imagined the smell of charred, rotting flesh, the taste of metallic blood, and felt her heart break more and more with every sound of a gunshot.
"No, no, NO! STOP YOU HAVE TO STOP PLEASE YOU ARE KILLING THEM!" she begged, grabbing Strange's arm but he just threw her off so she started banging on the control panels, trying anything and everything she could to stop the screaming and the blood.
"GUARDS RESTRAIN HER!" the Professor shouted and two TYGER guards grabbed her arms.
"YOU HAVE TO STOP! PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO!" she pleaded as Professor Strange took a syringe from a drawer and stabbed it into her neck. He pushed the plunger and Mary's eyes began to close. The last thing she saw was the Professor standing over her, muttering, "Take her to her room. I will deal with her later." He never did.