By the time the Network had arrived at the museum, the cops had managed to beat them there, already setting up a perimeter. They were blocking off the streets and bringing in spotlights. Someone was really treating this seriously.
"How the heck are we suppose to get over there?" Red Hood demanded.
In answer, Nightwing fired off a cable and flew high over the perimeter, a grappling claw disappearing into the flashes of red and blue. The line grew taut as the claw grabbed hold of whatever it could and with the press of a second button, he fired a second cable directly behind him, creating a zipline when that end was also secure.
"You've much to learn, young padawan," Green Arrow quipped as he balanced the grip of his bow on the line and zipped off, sliding his way to the other building.
"Bright side of the job, we get our own toys," Nightwing agreed. Glancing at Red Hood, he added, "Don't give me that look. We've done this before only this time it's going to be a longer ride."
Katana had already gone ahead while Manhunter was attaching her zip handle to the line before taking off. Huntress was readying hers, but he noticed how much slower she was. Something was on her mind, that much was clear.
"Come on guys, we don't have all night," he ordered the rest of the Batclan, Bluebird taking her turn after giving the older, female vigilante a look. She probably noticed how the more experienced crimefighter wasn't already going into action. Whether she was questioning the why, he could look into later.
After Red Hood and Spoiler had taken their turns, Nightwing sought to nip whatever was going through Huntress' mind in the butt before it got them into trouble. "Something on your mind?"
"Oracle said it was someone in a Batsuit up there," Huntress answered. "This was the first place Batman revealed himself. As much as I hope...pray that it's him over there, my gut is telling me different."
There was a part of Nightwing that also wanted it to be him over there, but like his comrade here, he was also doubtful. "Is this something that's going to get in the way?"
"I'll deal. Besides, if it is a fake, he's going to need to know the name of a very good dentist once I'm through with him." And there was the tough as nails Huntress he remembered. Already, she was attaching her zip handle to the line, leaving Nightwing to cover the rear.
As he watched the other vigilante glide her way over to the museum, he took a second to feel out his ribs. They were doing better, but they hadn't healed as much as he had wanted them to. All the physical activity was getting in the way of that. It was best to suck it up, hope for the best, but be ready for the worst. He took out his own handle and found himself zipping on over.
By the time he had reached the museum rooftop, the police had turned on their searchlights, lighting up the night. Kinda cut that close, didn't he? He could see the younger vigilantes close to where the zipline ended, their scouts further up on the roof and taking stock of what they found. Nightwing moved past his Batclan allies and joined Green Arrow at the front to get a good look himself.
It was a dark figure straight ahead and even from here he could see the pointed horns on the person's head. Whoever this was, they had done a real good job because he was almost buying this. Almost.
"What do you guys think?" Arrow asked, a hand moving, but not reaching for his arrows, just ready to pluck one out if necessary.
"If he's the real deal, he'll know that we're already here," Huntress stated, eyes trained like a hawk on the dark figure. The cape was blocking most of the body from sight.
"We'll have to get his attention," Manhunter said.
"I'll do it. Hopefully, he'll respond better to me," Huntress volunteered.
"Sure about that?" Nightwing asked, glancing at her from over his shoulder.
"I would think that all the months we teamed up together mean something. At least, he won't try to break my legs and tell me to get off the streets," the purple-wearing vigilante replied.
"We'll be ready just in case. It would be a shame if anything happened to those legs," Green Arrow replied.
"And you better hope Black Canary doesn't hear about this," she retorted, standing up and moving around them to approach the caped figure dead ahead.
In his chest, his heart was pounding. How was this going to go? It could happen in so many different ways, some of them good, some great, and others horribly. What would Huntress say? How was she going to greet this person who standing practically in the same spot Batman had all those years ago?
"Hey! You in the cape! Who are you and what do you think you're doing?" Huntress called out in a demanding tone of voice.
Not how he thought that was going to go.
However, the dark, Batman-esque person did not move or show any signs of hearing Huntress. He remained absolutely calm, stoic, and unmoved.
Nightwing could almost imagine Huntress' face. It was like this guy was ignoring her.
Wait. He narrowed his eyes. Was it him, or did that guy's shoulders move? Like up and down? Was he...was he laughing or holding it in? Now that was not a Batman thing to do. In fact, Nightwing couldn't, for the life of him, think of a time when he had ever seen, or heard Batman laugh before.
"Is it not obvious?"
Okay, that was not Batman's voice. He would know since he had heard it before. This voice, it was way too deep. Not dark with a hint of gravel in it, just simply deep. Obviously, that confirmed that this was a man, but who was it? As if to answer him, the caped man began to turn before dropping one more bombshell.
"I am Batman."
Huntress narrowed her eyes at that declaration. I am Batman. No, no he was not because she had been by that man's side too long to not know the signs of the real thing
For one thing, this man was big, too big for the Dark Knight. His shoulders were way too broad, even with the cape draping over them and falling down to cover his body. There was an exception with the chest, as that was bare, revealing the dark, tight-fitting material cover the chest. A symbol was very prominently displayed there, that of a bat that was almost if not identical to the one she had seen on Batman's chest countless times before.
Someone had an eye for detail, but so did she. The detail in question was that there was no visible sign of armor where that Bat Symbol was. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was some kind of spandex that this man wore.
As for the mask, instead of the narrow, blank, white lens that covered the eyes, there were round, almost circular white lens that had a habit of refracting any light that came near them, giving the impression that she was looking at a bug's eyes. The mouth region was totally uncovered, though, just like with Batman.
However, the biggest giveaway that this wasn't Batman was the thick beard. Grey in color with no mustache joining it, she recognized the beard if only because she had been staring at a picture of it for several days now. It was the same style that Hugo Strange was known to have, but this couldn't be the same guy, could it?
Hugo Strange was a weakling, physically speaking. He had no fighting abilities whatsoever. Hell, last she heard he had been worked over by Two-Face and was damn near a cripple because of it. Then again, she had never met the man before and never had any intention of doing so mainly because she didn't know if she would be able to hold herself back.
Like right now.
"Don't make me laugh," she spat out, keeping her anger and fury under check because right now she needed to remain cool. Everyone here needed her to remain calm, even though she was not known for being either. "I know him, and you are not the Bat. Who are you, really."
Despite the beard, she could see the fake Batman's lips curl. "My dear, you are only half right. While I may not be the original, what you see before you is his successor."
Successor? The...the balls this bastard had, as if anyone could be Batman's successor. Maybe Batgirl could, given enough time, but she knew for a fact that there was no one in the city that could claim that. This, this reeked of ego, not unlike…
Something clicked together in her head. They weren't pieces that you would think were related, but after the rampage of the Monster Man, the confession about a bearded scientist, and now this large man dressed as a pseudo-Batman…
"You're Hugo Strange, aren't you?" Huntress accused, shooting an arm out to point a finger at him.
Those lips smirked wider. "You have intelligence. Very well, you are correct. I am indeed Professor Hugo Strange, the greatest adversary the Batman has ever known and the only one worthy to take his place in this time of chaos and disorder."
Take his place?
"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, her body tensing.
"It should be obvious to anyone with any intelligence, Gotham City needs the Batman. Before he could fall to my superior intellect, he was struck down by this newcomer, this Bane character. He is the same individual whom you yourself have been fighting, am I not correct? This is no ordinary foe and will require new methods in order to defeat." By now, Strange's smirk had widened into a very toothy grin.
"And you think you're the one worthy enough to pull it off?" Why had she used that phrasing? It was like she was being coaxed to speak similarly to this asshole somehow.
"I am the only one. No one has come closer to felling the Batman than myself. It is only natural that I take on his mantle and continue his mission." It was said matter of fact, as if there could be no other conclusion that could be made.
However, Huntress wanted nothing more than to call bullshit. No one closer than him? The Joker would beg to differ on that.
"So what? You're going to dress up like him and beat Bane just because you're smart?" She didn't even make the effort to hold in her snort.
"Bane is too much of a physical threat to rely on intelligence, I'm afraid," Strange remarked. "In my former condition, I would have stood no chance against him. No, this is a battlefield that must be evened first before any conflict can take place. And I have done just that."
Even now, he still made very little sense, if a man like this ever did.
"So how does everything else fit? Kidnapping Mario Falcone and turning him into that thing? How does that even the battlefield?"
"I would have thought it obvious, even to one such as yourself." Strange shook his head from side to side, as if pitying her. "I have found a way to even the physical aspects of this fight. But like any inventor of something new, one must first test his creation before administering it to himself. Side effects are very...fickle matters."
Test…? Wait, then would that mean…? Oh no.
"What you did to Falcone...what are you up to?" Huntress found herself taking a step back, one of her hands reaching for her collapsible bo staff.
With a short laugh, Strange threw back his cape and spread out enormously muscled arms, revealing a massive torso and thick legs. The outfit he wore looked like it was straining against his bulk yet somehow, miraculously, held on. Oh, and was that…yes, that was a machine gun that was strapped to his side.
With his transformed body on display, Strange declared, "Haven't you figured it out? I needed Falcone to test my serum before I used it on myself! If I am to defeat Bane, I must have the brawn to do it!"
"And I think you need to lay off the steroids, buddy. You have seriously over-roided yourself." What the? Since when did Green Arrow come out of hiding? Oh come on, and Nightwing too? Sure, he was holding those sticks of his but really, could they not keep themselves in reserves until, she didn't know, use it as an advantage when this thing ended up as a fight? At least Katana and Manhunter hadn't shown themselves yet.
"Ah, you did not come alone," Strange said. "I'm betting that there are others around here, perhaps waiting for an opportunity to strike me down. It matters not, but this need not come to blows. Not if you hear me out first."
"I think we've already heard enough," Nightwing retorted.
"Not nearly enough. If there is anything that I know, it is the Batman. I'm willing to wager that he was not...pleased to have you in his city, patrolling his streets. Perhaps there has been a time or two where he threatened you to leave behind this life, or he would do it for you."
That...wasn't too far from the truth. Even Huntress caught the flinch from Nightwing's body. So Batman did that with him too? Probably the rest of the Batclan as well, not that she blamed him. But she herself had received the third degree as well. Batman had not been happy that any of them were fighting crime in his city.
"However, this is the dawn of a new age in this city and isolation is not the path to salvation," Strange continued, his arms lowered though his cape remained over his shoulders. "Join me. Become my acolytes. Together, we will usher in a new reign of order this city has been begging for for decades. Unlike my predecessor, I will not turn away those who wish to help." Now he held out a single hand, the palm turned upward in offering. "Gotham needs a new kind of vigilante to address it's new woes, and I will be the balm to its injuries."
Huntress found herself sharing a look with either of the two men on her sides. It was easy to see that they were sharing the same feeling with her, and that was that Strange here was so deluded that he though only he could save Gotham. He was the man that had nearly brought it to the brink of collapse and now he wanted to save it?
This wasn't about saving Gotham, this was about inflating that ego of his. If Strange could do something that Batman couldn't, that would somehow prove that he was better than the Dark Knight. This wasn't an act of selflessness, but the complete opposite.
And like hell any of them were going to let this bastard take over the mantle of the Bat.
"Sorry, but I think we're going to have to turn you down," Huntress stated as she whipped out her bo staff, the ends extending out.
"Pity. Very well. If you will not serve me voluntarily, then you will serve as the foundation for my new Gotham." And out came that machine gun she had spotted earlier. As that toothy grin became more malicious, Strange added, "If nothing else, you can serve as a test run of my new abilities. Do not disappoint me."
And then he opened fire.
The three remaining members of the Batclan jumped the moment they heard the gunfire.
"Shit's starting up!" Red Hood swore as he peeked around their cover. Immediately, he pulled his head back as several bullets struck nearby.
Bluebird gripped her taser rifle tightly. She had figured that this might end in a fight, but there had been that part of her that had wanted differently. Oh well. Since the adults were fighting, it was a good bet that they were going to be dragged into it too.
"Let's try to flank him. If you guys can, try to draw his attention and I'll tase the shit out of him when he's not looking," she planned out, looking between her two partners.
"You think he'll fall for it? He looks pretty big," Spoiler said.
What did that have to do with anything? Hadn't she ever heard of the bigger they are, the harder they fall?
"What the hell does flank mean?" Red Hood demanded.
Bluebird rolled her eyes. "Come at him from a side, go for his weak areas. If he's anything like that Monster Man, aim for the throat, the knees, hell, even the balls. Just make sure he can't get out of the way one I start shooting."
Green Arrow was quick to dive to aside, arrow notched but not fired yet. He had not been expecting this Strange guy to be packing any heat on him. For a guy who was trying to replace Batman, a man who was well known to never use any guns, this was a far departure from that.
Hiding behind an AC unit, the Emerald Archer waiting for a lull in the shooting before taking the chance to fire back. Failing that, he listened for the slightest shift in the gunfire, anything that said that the Batman-wannabe over there was not aiming in his direction.
Without even thinking, he was moving around the unit and shooting an arrow, pulling back into the cover and doing it all in less than a second. When the gun fire stopped, he knew he had hit his target and only then did he risk a peek.
Right there, in the side of a deltoid muscle, his arrow stuck out. Strange was looking at it, though what face he was making could not be seen from here. It didn't seem like the crazy man was taking it serious as he reached up and yanked the arrow out, taking a second to snap it in half with a single hand before tossing it aside.
Just a flesh wound, eh?
A flash of metal caught his attention, and he spotted Huntress closing in, swinging her staff at the costumed wacko. Much like the Monster Man before, Strange took the hits she landed, the staff practically bouncing off his side, causing no observable damage. The bearded man seemed to take this in stride, letting her hit him with everything she had, her staff smacking against his chest, legs, back, and even his head. Stabbing one end of the staff onto the rooftop then, Huntress used it as a means of balance so that she could haul herself up into the air and land a kick right to his chin and snap his head back.
Then a second staff came down on that cowled head. Manhunter was entering the fray. While it didn't seem like her staff was causing more damage than Huntress', the red-clad vigilante was already swinging her legs forward to slam her feet into Strange's back. Surprise, surprise, Strange didn't even budge, only grabbing Manhunter's staff with one hand, removing it from his head and throwing it, and Manhunter by extension, over him. Both managed to land gracefully on the roof some distance away.
Nightwing was taking his turn then, swinging his escrima and hitting any surface he could, serving as a distraction while Huntress pulled back. Even though the ends of those batons were practically crackling with electricity and flaring with each hit that was landed, Strange continued to show no signs of taking damage.
However, the younger male was successful and knocking that machine gun away, one stick hitting the man on the wrist as the other collided with the gun. The machine gun went clattering across the roof top. Seeing his chance, Green Arrow pulled out another arrow and fired.
As if sensing the arrow was coming in, Nightwing pulled back as the arrow flew by him and hit its target, the tip detonating and releasing a mess of restraining ribbons that wrapped Strange up like a crude Christmas present from his ankles to his shoulders. The nutjob was still standing though, but it seemed like this was all a wrap.
He knew better, he really did. With some straining effort, Strange's arms ripped through the ribbon easily. Hands grabbing onto the remains, he tore them off of his body, his enhanced strength on display.
"Come now," the crazy shrink gloated. "Is that all you have?"
The beating of helicopter propellers directed the madman's attention up into the air. A light flashed from above and a voice thundered, "You on the roof! Lay down on the ground and put your hands over your heads! You are all under arrest!"
Oh crap, the fuzz.
If Strange had something to say, it was hard to tell over the whupping of the propellers. What wasn't was when he strode towards his fallen machine gun and snatched it up, taking aim and then opened fire on the aircraft. Bullets struck whatever surface they could hit and the pilot was already moving away to evade.
But Jesus Christ, did this guy not know that cops were off limits? You don't attack those guys for crying out loud!
Without even thinking, the Emerald Archer was pulling out an arrow and notching it, prepared to stop this before any non-vigilante person got hurt. However, someone else seemed to have the same idea, but had a different approach.
Strange's head barely tilted to a side as a fist slammed against it. Immediately, that Red Hood guy pulled his hand back and held it gingerly. Had that kid not learned that against these chemically-enhanced people that a simple punch was not going to work? He probably broke his hand this time judging by the way he was holding it.
The Spoiler girl seemed to have learned as she tried to kick Strange's feet out from under him by throwing herself through the air, both legs held together like a battering ram. Her aim was little off, though, as her feet rammed just under the joint and with the sudden stop in momentum, the hooded vigilante fell flat on her back.
Strange looked down at the two of them, what parts of his face that were visible holding good humor. It was as if he didn't care that these two kids had tried to assault him. However that barrel of his machine gun was way too close to those kiddies for Green Arrow's liking. Pulling back on his bow's string, he took a crucial second to aim—
—only for Strange to cry out as he fell to his knees from a discharge of electricity. Oh yeah, there was that Bluebird punk girl. Looks like she had taken advantage of Strange's distraction to sneak behind him and tase him from behind. Not bad.
Further taking advantage of Strange's incapacitation was Huntress and Nightwing, both holding on to the former's bo staff and clotheslining the demented lunatic. Despite all his augmented strength and muscle mass, between the two Gotham natives they were able to push him back and off the roof—!
Oh no.
All three of them vanished as they fell off the edge of the roof. Already slipping his arrow back into his quiver, Green Arrow ran as quick as he could to the roof's edge while pulling another, specialized one out. Basically, it contained a net designed to catch anyone who happened to be falling from high up places because you never knew when that would happen.
This looked like one of those times.
As he looked over the building's ledge, he had to jump back as the a grappling hook impaled the ledge right where he stood. Following the rope that was connected to it down, he saw Huntress, Nightwing, and Strange, a mass of limbs and body parts, which made it hard to tell who was holding the other end of the line. The cable went taut and the three went into a swing, one that promptly ended as they crashed right into a large window of the museum. They vanished from sight immediately, the sound of glass shattering echoing into the night.
Well then, it seemed the fight was now going indoors. With that police chopper circling around, perhaps it was best that they got inside too. Their comrades were definitely going to need the help if all...of that...hadn't taken Strange down.
Huntress groaned as she pushed herself off the very hard floor, rubbing a hand against the back of her neck. That had not been one of her, or anyone else's brightest ideas, but it had to be done if they didn't want anybody else getting hurt. Strange trying to shoot down that helicopter would only get the cops to start shooting back and they would be in the middle of it.
At least she had used that bearded freak as a cushion after crashing through that window. She figured he could take it. Now, where was Nightwing? That guy had to be around here since he came in with her.
The first person she found, as it turned out, was Strange, his large body lying on the floor next to a very old and pricey sculpture. Whew, barely missed that and she figured it was not going to be cheap replacing it. Unfortunately, she managed to overhear what sounded like chuckling. Don't tell me…
Pushing himself up until he had gained a sitted position, Strange looked like he was no worse for wear. "Very dramatic of you. However, it seems my endurance is greater than anticipated."
Well shit.
Huntress got back up onto her legs. She didn't know where her bo staff was, so that meant the only things she had on her was...her crossbow. Like that would do well against a machine gun that...wasn't...on...Strange's person. That thing must have gone somewhere, but at least he wasn't holding it, even as the augmented man got himself up onto his feet.
Reaching out, Strange grabbed the sculpture he had landed next to and picked it up, holding the now heavy-looking piece of carved rock over his head. Predictably, he threw it at her, and naturally Huntress leapt out of the way, going into a roll as the sculpture landed on the floor, a piece of it breaking it off as it clattered away.
Heavy footsteps alerted her to Strange's approach, the man clasping his hands together as he raised them up and brought them down in a jackhammer maneuver. A spiderweb of cracks formed in the spot that the vigilante had quickly scrambled away from, the Batman-wannabe turning his head as he watched her escape him.
One of Nightwing's electric baton things swung into view then and hit Strange right in the middle of his face, getting a yelp from the muscular man and redirecting his attention away from her. Nightwing had taken up a defensive pose, waiting for his opponent to come at him.
He was not disappointed as Strange swung a punch that was so sloppy, even a blind man could see it coming a mile away. Nightwing ducked under it, moving a little to his right as he waiting for the next one. A meaty left fist did not make him wait long as it aimed for the lithe man's head. Another duck and then a jump as Strange picked up a leg and kicked his foot out. Showing off some enviable acrobatics, Nightwing planted his hands on the booted foot and balanced on it for a second before pushing himself up and over the Batman-themed shrink.
Landing behind Strange, Nightwing spun around, swinging his electrified baton and landing a hit on the back of a large knee. That was enough to make the costumed lunatic stumble forward, but somehow not bring him to his knees.
Looking over his shoulder, Strange uttered a growl as he turned around to face the younger man. Finally, all that ridiculous good humor of his was gone.
"You're not doing so hot, are ya?" Nightwing taunted as he took a step back and to the side, starting to circle around the behemoth.
Giving an uncharacteristic snarl, Strange lunged forward, moving with all the power of a semi. That was easily dodged for Nightwing, though he didn't go on the attack like she expected. As it turned out, it was like he had tagged himself as Katana charged in from a side, slashing with her sword.
The blade managed to get under the large cape that Strange wore and sliced into his back, earning another cry from the bearded man and causing his own charge to turn into a stumble that ended when he ran into a wall.
An arrow screamed past Huntress and detonated mere feet away from the Batman impersonator to release a net that pinned the man into the wall. Lastly, another blast of electricity shrieked by and hit Strange dead on, causing him to spasm behind the netting.
Alright, the cavalry had come in early.
"Alright guys, you need to end this quickly," Oracle voice sounded through her earpiece. "The cops are starting to surround the building and it's only a matter of time until they decide to crash the party."
"I think we got things under control here," Green Arrow spoke for them all, his eyes trained on Strange whose body had fallen limp.
That is until his shoulders began to shake. "Oh, how mistaken you are," Strange spoke before the netting that restrained him increased in tautness. The small ropes snapped as the madman broke free, his arms pushing himself away from the wall.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Huntress didn't know who said that, but it either sounded like Manhunter, or it was herself.
"You have put up an admirable effort, but it was never a match to my superior mind," Strange taunted. "It is still not too late to accept my proposal. I have not rescinded my offer."
"Sorry, pal, but I have too much respect for the man who wore that get-up and none for you," Green Arrow retorted.
"This goes no further," Manhunter declared.
Strange shook his head as he chided, "How dull it must be to possess such small minds. Very well. If you will not stand with me, than I will have to step over your corpses if I am to realize my destiny."
Grabbing a very long display case, the costumed lunatic picked it up and swung it like as bat. Everyone of them were scrambling to dodge it, Huntress herself nearly getting nicked by it as she allowed herself to drop onto the floor.
Attempting to get back onto her feet, she dropped back down as the display case swung back. Lifting her head up, she watched as Strange threw the display case, with all its artistic artifacts in it, in their general direction and she took that time to get out of the way. Anything that happened to be in its way were knocked down, or crushed by the display case.
Instead of Strange strolling his way over to them, he had darted to a side, running for once with his heavy, booted feet shaking the floor beneath him. What was he...oh. Stretching out a hand, the bearded lunatic snatched up his gun and now was a pretty good time to be running for cover.
So she did, hiding behind another display case as gunfire erupted once more. Several bullets broke through the upper part of the case, raining glass onto her from above. Fortunately, she kept herself low to the floor so at least the risk of getting shot was low.
Then Green Arrow came to her side. "This isn't going well, is it?" he shouted over the sounds of shooting and bullets whizzing by.
"When does it ever?" she shouted back as she pulled out several of her H-shaped shuriken. Time to try that tried and true method of knocking weapons out of bad guy's hands, or at the very least knock his aim off. Peeking around her cover, she ducked back quickly as several bullets pelted the area. She had barely got a look at Strange before he turned right in her direction, hardly any time to throw anything.
The bullets lessened, but that didn't mean that that asshole had stopped shooting. Paintings hanging on the walls, many of them masterpieces, were being damaged beyond repair. Those were not going to be cheap to repair, if they ever could be.
"Any thoughts on how we're going to get out of this?" she shouted at her ally.
"Wait until he has to change the clip?" Green Arrow suggested loudly.
She had been afraid that would be the answer. Quickly peeking around the display case behind her, she grimaced at how smoky it was getting around here. Dust and plaster was really starting to cloud the room. To her irritation, she spotted what looked like a spent clip, meaning he had changed already. Good God, how long would this one last?
The shooting came to an abrupt stop, but not because Strange had run out, or someone had stopped him. Predictably, it was to gloat. "Have you not realized that you stand no chance? None of you are my equal. None of you are the Batman. None of you have what it takes to fill his shoes, to bear his mantle. You need not suffer this weakness, however. My Monster Man serum can fix that; all you need to do is swear fealty."
"Fuck that!" she spat out. There was no way she was ever going to accept anything from that man. Not after everything he had done and put this city through.
Strange looked like he was about to say something else, but someone beat him to it.
"Professor Hugo Strange."
It was a deep voice; ominous would be another way to describe it. It made Huntress jump at the unexpectedness of it. Where the hell had that come from? Strange seemed to be of the same mind as he too was silent, his held tilted and his body tense. Then slowly, he turned his upper body enough to look towards an alcove where a large cloud of smoke had somehow appeared. Even Huntress had to blink at it because it had blended in with all the dust and plaster in the air.
There was a dark figure that slowly appeared in the middle of the cloud before it emerged, a gray-colored cloak covering its body. Over the head was a hood and peeking out from under it was a skull-like mask. It took a second before Huntress recognized it.
"Oh hell no," she swore.
Coming to a stop, the killer she knew as the Phantasm faced Strange and uttered, "Your angel of death awaits."
"You know that person?" Green Arrow hissed, not taking his eyes off the sight. He had an arrow notched, but had yet to take aim and fire.
"Unfortunately," she confirmed. "Shit just got real."
There he was, its prey dressed as this city's fallen guardian. The Phantasm wished it could say it was not surprised, but everything it had learned about this man made this all the more believable. It hadn't needed to find the plans the man had left in his safe house to believe it.
"You," Strange said slowly. "I remember you. So you have returned and with myself as your target."
"We have unfinished business, Professor," the Phantasm retorted, slipping its right hand out to show the blade it wielded.
Strange was not intimidated. "You intend to kill me. Very well, perhaps you'll be a better challenge than these imitators." The gun the mad shrink held was turned towards it. "This is very fitting, is it not? I created you and now I destroy you. A perfect test to fully assess my newfound strength. Come, serve me this last time—"
Abruptly, the Phantasm raised its bladed hand up and fired the long, curved blade like a missile straight into the barrel of the costumed man's gun. The blade tore straight into it, decimating the weapon and rendering it unusable. Activating a magnetic mechanism, the blade was pulled back and returned to its place on its hand, as if it had never left.
That had stopped Strange from speaking as he stared at the remains of his gun. Surprisingly, he made a chuckle. "So you have improved yourself. Very good. You won't be a disappointment after all."
Holding the remains of the gun up, Strange threw it at the masked killer, the Phantasm merely throwing its arms out and surrounding itself in its smoke. The gun passed through the smoke, a harmless missile by all accounts. As the smoke dissipated, Strange had charged forth and swung a fist into it, finding nothing within to hit.
Coming from a side, the ghastly stalker slashed and cut into its prey's beefy arm, tearing through the thin material that made up the costume. Giving a snarl, Strange used his other arm to grab at it, but the Phantasm ducked under and snagged outstretched arm. Pulling down with one hand, and pushing up with its other arm, the killer threw the larger man over itself and across the room where he crashed onto a damaged display case, which two of the city's vigilantes just happen to be hiding behind.
Taking its time, the vengeful assassin stalked its way towards Strange. Light glimmered off its bladed hand, blood staining it already. To its consternation, Strange rolled off the remains of the display case and stood up, a menacing grin splitting his masked face.
Reaching under its cape with its gloved hand, it remove three needle-shaped throwing projectiles, and threw them at its target, Trails of smoke rolled in their wake, and Strange blocked them with an arm. Each one stabbed into the lower arm, and the bearded man expressed no pain at the three penetrations.
Then the projectiles detonated, earning that desired cry of pain.
Yes, the Phantasm had updated its arsenal before returning to this city. While its tried and true method of waiting in the shadows and striking after dosing its prey with fear toxin was a proven strategy, there had been a time it had been without that chemical edge. There had been targets that had put up a fight, so new methods had to be devised to handle them. The killer freely admitted it had learned from its encounters with Batman and had appropriated some of those techniques while adding its own touch to them. The infamous exploding batarangs were one such tool.
As Strange clutched at his arm, the Phantasm leapt at him, stabbing forth with its bladed hand. Looking up, its prey saw his death coming and quickly moved his head out of the way. Simultaneously, he shot his uninjured arm out and caught the killer by the throat. An immense pressure was felt all around that area of its body as it was lifted up into the air.
With a growl, Strange slammed the masked killer onto the floor, stunning it. Trauma paralyzed it for a brief instance even as Strange released him, straightening out his posture. However, it was able to recovery enough to roll out of the way of a stomping foot that shattered the floor where it had once laid.
Not willing to leave the large, bearded man unscathed, the Phantasm slashed and cut into a muscled calf, only pushing itself onto its feet and away after that. Strange fell into a crouch, his hands grasping at his injured lower leg and leaving him vulnerable. However, learning from before, it was not about to do another frontal assault.
From behind, however…
As it was moving into place, it spun around and slashed through an arrow that had been fired at it, splitting the arrow through the middle and sending the two halves to fly harmlessly around it. The vigilante that had fired at it already had another arrow ready to shoot, but instead of firing, he shot out words.
"Alright, not gonna lie, that was cool," the green-clad man quipped. "But what the hell are you doing? Are you trying to kill him?"
"That is my intention," the Phantasm stated. "Stay out of this."
"Sorry, but no one dies tonight," the archer retorted.
The masked killer chose not to respond, not when it had a more important issue to deal with. Engulfing itself with its smoke, it evaded a charging Strange who passed through the smokescreen and continued to the bearded vigilante. Said vigilante swore and dodged to avoid the attack.
"Be careful, don't breathe that smoke! It's laced with fear toxin!" the purple-clad vigilante shouted at her comrade. While it was true that its smoke was indeed laced with the poison, Strange so far had not shown any signs of being affected. As the large man exhaled and then took in a breath of fresh air, the killer figured out why. Strange had anticipated this and was holding his breath when he came in too close.
Clever, but right now, that broad back was facing the killer. Seeing its opportunity, the Phantasm launched itself out of the smoke, stabbing forward with its bladed hand. However, Strange's luck seemed to hold as a katana intercepted and blocked the strike, the Asian vigilante pushing the blade back.
Instead of pressing forward, the Phantasm withdrew, but not before leaving a parting gift of its fear-laced smoke behind. Another vantage then, perhaps further away from these interlopers.
Appearing again on the far side of the exhibit, the Phantasm observed as its target turned on his saviors, futility batting away the Asian vigilante as she danced out of his reach. Narrowing eyes behind its masked, it took only a few seconds to study the Batman impersonator and put it together with its other observations.
"You dress yourself as the Batman," it spoke, directing all attention towards it. More importantly, it had captured Strange's. "It is obvious to all that you are not him."
"Trying to get into my head?" Strange mocked. "If you think you are qualified, you are sadly mistaken."
"You are nothing but a brute. It is plain to see," the Phantasm continued. "The Batman was better. A better fighter. A better strategist. Unlike him, you need others to fight your battles."
"But not anymore," Strange retorted.
"Your dependence continues," it refuted. "Your notes reveal all, how you took the substance known as Venom and reshaped it to your own ends. This Monster Man serum is a knock off, much like yourself. An inferior product for an inferior man."
"You dare?" Strange seethed.
"You are nothing but words," the Phantasm continued its taunt. "Your faith in your knockoff steroid is misplaced and will end in your death. You believe it has made yourself superior, but it has made you nothing more than a common thug. A dirt common goon that is easily expendable."
"You know nothing! Nothing of my genius!" Its prey was baited.
"Your genius? Then why is it that people think of Black Mask before you? Two-Face? The Joker? No, you are nothing, little man. Not even an afterthought. Doomed to obscurity where no one will ever remember you. Forgotten as most geniuses are. How very...common."
"Grrrraaaahhhhhh!"
Strange was charging, the insults to his ego unable to be ignored. The Phantasm waited until a fist was swinging at it before it acted. Twisting out of the way, it sliced into the hand with its blade before pulling back and dodging the second fist. Like the first, it cut with another slash up the lower arm. Every attack Strange threw was evaded and injury left in its wake.
In moments, Strange's arms were torn up, blood absorbed into the fabric of his costume. Even then, the sleeves were tatters. Evading a grab, the killer stomped onto a foot and slipped around the bearded man, gouging its blade into the broad back and slicing upwards with it. With a yell, Strange fell to his knees once more, a hand tentatively reaching for his back, but not quite reaching the wound.
Determined to end this before there was more interference, the Phantasm stabbed forth once more, sure that there this would be it. Except, Strange twisted his torso enough that the blade missed anything vital. A hand snatched the extended arm, and then the free hand found its way to the killer throat once more Standing up, the injured shrink held his would-be killer off the floor.
"You cannot kill me," Strange snarled. "You will not kill me! I am superior! I—"
The Phantasm interrupted him by bringing its gloved hand to the bearded man's face and releasing as much smoke as it could while the deranged shrink took a breath between words, filling his lungs with the gas. A hacking fit took over the costumed man and the masked killer slipped its bladed arm out of Strange's grasp. Bringing its feet up, it planted them on the broad chest of the coughing man and flipped its way out of the other hand's hold.
Taking a step away, the killer waited for the fear toxin to take hold.
"You think...this will...help you?" Strange said between coughs even as the smoke dissipated. "My mind...is too strong!" A deep gasp interrupted him. "I will not…! I will…!"
Something was wrong, the killer noted. The way Strange's chest expanded and shrank with each breath he took was too quick. His breathing was picking up and his speech was beginning to garble. To its surprise, foam began to form on the bearded man's lips followed by choking noises.
And then he fell to the floor, his hands clutching at his chest. By all appearances, it looked like Strange was having cardiac arrest.
Indeed, it was a heart attack.
So far, this had been a crazy night, what with this new guy coming out of nowhere to fight Strange. It kinda made Nightwing think of the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Unlike that ghost, this one knew how to fight and seemed to have an actual back and forth with the Batman-wannabe. However, it became obvious that this guy was trying to kill Strange and wasn't holding back with the maiming.
They were going to have to interrupt this, weren't they?
Then Strange fell to the floor after getting a big dose of that smoke, the same stuff that Huntress had warned them about not getting close to. Something wasn't right about this. As far as he knew, fear toxin didn't make anyone react like this.
Katana was already acting to drive ghost man away from Strange, brandishing her sword. Immediately, the ghost man backed away, holding that odd, bladed hand up to fend off Katana's sword. Taking that opportunity, he ran up to the man who looked like he was—oh shit, he was having a goddamn heart attack! He had seen something like this once before, back when he was still a part of the Flying Graysons at Hailey's Circus. Of all people, it had been the lion tamer, but luckily not when he was in the cage with the lion.
What had they tried back then to save that tamer's life?
Surprisingly, he was able to bat Strange's hands away. He pressed an ear to the massive pecs and picked up the rapid, irregular thumping of a heart that was beating way too fast. Gone was the normal lub-dub of a heart beat; instead it was beating all over the damn place. Damn, that could not be healthy. But what to do, what to do? What had...wait.
Those paddle things—the defibrillators! That's what the paramedics had used back then! They had shocked the tamer's heart back to its normal rhythm. He remembered asking about it as they were strapping the poor man to a gurney, believing that the device could revive a dead man like he had seen on TV at the time. The paramedic had told him that no, it didn't work that way, and was only used to restart the heart like one would do with a computer, or a game console. The person still had to be alive to use it.
But they didn't have a defibrillator on them; they didn't think to carry one either. So what were they...damn, he was going to have to improvise.
Holding one of his escrima, he adjusting the voltage to the highest setting he could and hoped that this wouldn't kill the bearded man.
Then he stabbed the escrima down onto Strange's chest, his body bouncing as the large body beneath him jolted from the intense shock.
"What are you doing?" It was one of the others, but he didn't look to see who. He was already checking for a pulse and found that the heart beat was still way too fast.
"I'm trying to reset his heart so we don't have a dead guy on our hands," he snapped back as he readied the escrima once more.
"You seek to save his life?" he heard the ghost man demand, and it sounded like the guy was angry.
"We're not killers and I'm not about to let anyone die on my watch." He pressed the escrima back down on Strange's chest and felt the resulting tremor rock both of their bodies.
"You will not!" the angry and ominous voice declared.
"You're going to have to get through us first!" That sounded like Bluebird there, but he couldn't be sure. Nor was he about to look for confirmation. Damn, Strange was still under cardiac arrest!
There were sounds of a fight, but Nightwing was not going to take his eyes Strange. Even a second's distraction could cost the man his life.
Again and again, he applied the escrima, hoping, praying, that this insane man would respond and leave the danger zone. "Come on!" he hissed as he pressed the crackling end of the escrima down for the nth time, Strange's body jumping beneath him once more.
The costumed man gave a cough, a bunch of fluid exiting his mouth. However, there was a gasp and while there was also quick intakes of air, they were continuous. Feeling out a pulse, relief filled the young man's body as he found a steady pulse, still fast but not like it was before. Strange was out of danger for the time being.
He felt a hand place itself on his shoulder. Looking up, he found Huntress standing by him, giving him an unreadable look. "Are you alright?"
He slowly nodded his head, finding that he himself was short of breath. "Did you get him?"
"Bastard ran away in a puff of smoke. We're not going to risk going after him because none of us have any idea how he's able to disappear like that. Plus the fear toxin he put in the smoke," the female vigilante reported. "So...you saved him?"
"Yeah," he panted. "But he's going to need an ambulance and everything. He's not out of the woods yet and I don't think anybody here knows how he had a heart attack right here and now."
"Why didn't you just let him die?" The question came from Red Hood and Nightwing turned his head to look at the younger male.
"Because we're not killers," he repeated. "We don't take lives, no matter how convenient it would be to look the other way. We're here to save all of Gotham, including the parts of it we don't like. He still has to answer for what he did to Mario Falcone and everything else he's done.
"And it's because that's what Batman would do."