Batman: Darkest Knight

Chapter 4: Stung

When I went to work the next day, I couldn't help but feel watched by the other employees. It might have been because they heard about what happened last night or it might have been the three guards that followed me around.

Gordon took this threat seriously and I was glad he did. I wasn't blaming him for Scarecrow being able to get in my apartment. The fault was with Ra's Al Ghul for sending a would-be assassin to harm me. It didn't feel like his M.O., though.

Why send someone who is most decidedly not an assassin to do an assassin's job. My only thought was what Batman told me about Ra's testing me. I wasn't sure why he would test me? Was this about that little punching him thing? Was he not used to being punched? I mean, come on, someone had to have punched him at some point…right?

"Is it true?"

I looked up to see Emme standing before me. Emme is one of my closest work friends. We occasionally go out after work and do things of that nature, but our relationship thrived at the office.

Emme was a busybody. 'But oh, did she have quite a body'. That's what the guys at work said about her. She was petite woman around my age with russet skin and long dark hair. She boasted pale green eyes and a curvy mouth that made the boys instantly fall in love with her. Her words.

I was already annoyed at her for knowing things she probably shouldn't know but if she knew that meant the entire office knew. She couldn't hold water.

"Well…"

"Is what true?" I asked.

"Don't you play dumb with me, Preston!" Emme said moving her bangs from one side to the other, "Is it true that Ra's Al Ghul, the notorious assassin is gunning for you?"

"When you put it like that…" I picked up papers from the desk and walked away.

She followed.

"Yes, I'm still foggy on why so don't even ask." I said as we made it to the printer, "Who else knows?"

"Everyone."

I stared at her with a look of annoyance.

"You know I can't hold water. Besides, everyone knew. This is a newspaper." Emme smirked, "Did the delicious dark knight save you?"

"Last night or before that?" I asked.

"Both."

"No, Naked Nightwing did." I joked.

"Was he really naked?" She asked.

"NO!" I said loudly. I hushed myself and put the papers into the scanner, "Nightwing saved me from the Scarecrow."

"As in Johnny Crane?"

"Yes." I nodded, "Matty is missing."

"And…you think—"

"I know." I answered, "Ra's Al Ghul took him. I just have no clue why."

"You're not blaming yourself are you?"

I sneered at her.

"Because it's not your fault. This Ghul freak is serious fucked up in the head. You've seen the things he's tried to do before." Emme said, "You must be so afraid, you poor thing." She pulled me into a bear hug.

I pulled back, "Thanks but I'm more afraid for Matt. Ra's is not some fun loving clown guy…this guy means business." I said with genuine concern.

"So what, these guys are just going to follow you until he's caught?" Emme asked, "Look, I have as much faith in Batman as you but what happens if something happens before Batman find Ra's?"

"What are you suggesting?" I asked.

"I don't know, you're in the thick of it." Emme frowned, "What's your gut telling you?" she asked as she turned and left the printing room.

As my papers came out of the printer, I stared on at her. She was right. I needed to do something more than just standing around and waiting for someone else to get hurt. I set the papers down on printer and looked around the corner.

The guards were getting coffee from Emme, who was shamelessly flirting with them. She had her uses. When I was sure she had them so tied up, snuck out of the printing room and slid out of the back.

I needed to do something and fast.

I went and dug through my closet. I found a Halloween costume that I had been too embarrassed to wear. It was an imitation of Catwoman's suit, complete with gloves. I grabbed a pair of combat boots and a leather jacket and spread them out on the bed. As I was putting them together in my head, I found the retractable staff beside my bed.

I smiled to myself as I grabbed the staff but it quickly turned to a frown. I realized that I needed some sort of name if I was going to go through with becoming a hero. I flipped on the television to the discovery channel in hopes that I could find some fearsome animal to name myself after.

My thoughts were going a mile a minute. There were plenty of heroes in Gotham, but one more couldn't hurt. Batman was usually tied up with his Justice League duties and the other heroes had their own stuff too. Gotham needed a specialist.

"You're supposed to be with the police detail." Batman's dark voice came from behind me.

I didn't acknowledge him. Instead, I placed the staff beside my new outfit.

Batman joked my side, "This is too dangerous to play superhero." He said.

"Why, you do it." I frowned.

"I'm equipped to deal with dangerous criminals." Batman said darkly, "You're not."

"Who gave you the all clear? It seems to me like you're just some guy with superhero fixation left by a hole in his life. Maybe someone you love died horribly or you just got tired of seeing the corruption." I blurted. I looked to him to see him staring at me wide-eyed. I regained my faculties and stared back at the costume, "If I'm marked by Ra's, don't you think I have more of a chance in actually kicking his ass?"

"No." He said simply.

"You don't have a say in the matter."

"I could cuff you in here." Batman said as he pulled cuffs from his utility belt.

"And I'd be a sitting duck." I said with a curt tone, "You wouldn't."

"You're going to get killed." Batman said angrily.

I nodded, "Probably. But I need to find Matt." I said decisively.

"Fine, but we do things my way." Batman said, still not sold on the idea.

I looked back to the clothes, "I need a name and a mask." I said before waiting for a response.

I turned to see that he was gone. I'd always heard the he did that, but it was even more annoying in person. I walked over to the window and saw that night was descending on Gotham. I still needed a name.

"The Scorpion is a terrestrial arachnid with lobster-like pincers and a poisonous sting at the end of its jointed tail, which it can hold curved over its back." The narrator said, catching my attention.

A smile stretched across my face as I decided on my name. I was to become the Scorpion. Now all I needed was some specific weapon that could reinforce my name. I pulled my wrists up to my face and got an idea.

I was going to have a retractable knife on one wrist and some kind of darts on the other and I knew just where to get that sort of stuff. There was a weapons store not too far from my house.

Delia Marsh was a quiet woman who lived on the south side of Gotham. She was a secretary for Dagget Industries. She'd been a Gothamite all her life and was used to the sometimes harsh conditions but she had never been harassed as she this day.

As she walked home from work this day, she had the foggiest feeling of being followed. When she turned she noticed that a couple of thugs were following her. She absentmindedly turned down an alley to escape prying eyes.

To her horror, she found herself at a dead end. She turned to be confront with the two men.

"Hey lady. Pretty fancy clothes for a South Sider." The tall, scarred one said.

The other, a shorter muscular man quickly added, "I think we have something that doesn't belong." He smiled.

"I've lived here all my life!" Delia protested.

"Of course you have, sweetie. Hand over your purse." The shorter man said as he pulled something from his pocket.

The other man's weapon was apparent in the moonlight. He was holding a rather large knife. It soon became apparent that the shorter of the two had a pistol on him. Delia froze and fought off a scream.

"Lady, nobody has to get hurt." The tall man said.

"What fun would that be?" A dark voice asked.

All three looked up to the fire escape above them to see a man dressed in all black with a matching leather coat. The man wore a mask the wrapped around his entire head, only showing his jawline. He had something on his wrists that he was aiming at the thug with the gun.

The masked man shot something out of his wrist that flew through the air and stuck into the man's hand, causing the gun to slide away from him. The man slid down the fire escape and kicked the taller man away from the woman.

Delia watched on in shock at the new turn of events. The thugs had regained their equilibrium and lunged at the man. Quickly, the man ducked both of their assaults and kicked the tall man in the back of the knee, bringing him down to a kneeling position and kneeing him in the face.

The other man came directly at the Scorpion but was punched for his efforts. The Scorpion grabbed the man and slammed him into the wall. Scorpion grabbed the taller man and slammed him into the man against the wall and threw them both into a nearby trashcan.

"Crime never pays…or something equally cliché." The Scorpion said staring at the woman.

She was staring at him with the oddest look on her face but erased it and thanked him. She quickly fled the scene with her purse close to her side.

"Your welcome." The Scorpion smiled, "Not equipped my ass."