Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows!
Now onto chapter two!
-x-
Casey stood in front of Edward's door, chewing on her bottom lip. He did say not to bother him but there was a riot happening at Blackgate. Did that call for a knock on his door? Behind her, she could hear Barbara attempting to call her Dad again and clicking away on her keyboard, no doubt attempting to hack Blackgate again.
"I can't get in!" Barbara cried in frustration.
Casey turned away from Edward's door. She decided to leave him be. If she and Barbara couldn't hack it, then Edward wouldn't be much help either.
"I guess all we can do is wait for new information. I'm sure he's alright." Casey tried to soothe Barbara.
"Yeah." Barbara stared at the screen.
Captain Gordon would be okay. Casey reassured herself. He's survived this long.
-x-
"Where's Black Mask?" The dark figure rasped dangerously to the mobster dangling in his grip.
"How the hell should I know?" The Mobster replied.
"I'm going to make you talk. How much pain you endure before that is in your hands." Batman squeezed his neck harder.
"Screw. You."
"I don't have time for this." Another squeeze.
"Okay, okay." The man wheezed. "He's heading to the execution chamber—with Loeb."
"Smart move." Bataman said and promptly smashed his fist into the man's face, knocking him unconscious.
He stepped over the body and continued on, deeper into Blackgate. Bruce Wayne kept his eye on Black Mask—also known as Roman Sionis to the public eye—waiting for him to make a move and allow Batman to finally catch him as the criminal he was. But he wasn't expecting it to happen on Christmas Eve and in Blackgate Prison no less.
What was Black Mask planning on doing with Loeb in the execution chamber? He thought grimly as he fought another group of prisoners. Batman headed into the next corridor and stopped in his tracks.
Ahead of him, a tall, green, scaly man—he had to be seven-eight feet tall—tossed a man down into the corridor before disappearing through a door. No matter who he was—Batman shook the shock off and prepared to fight another mobster—he was just another opponent.
-x-
"We're safe in here, right?" He heard Vicki Vale say after he dispatched another group.
"We should be." Her camera guy responded.
He barely spared them a glance. They would be safe in that room as long as no one left. What mattered was getting to the execution chamber and stopping Black Mask.
"I can't believe he's real." A reporter said in awe as Batman searched for an opening into the next room.
"Too bad our camera's broke. This would make the report of the century." Vicki said in disbelief.
This piece of floor is structurally weak. He discovered after a minute of investigating. He unlatched a pocket on his belt and pulled out his explosive gel. Working quickly, he sprayed a glob of gel on the floor, backed up, and hit the detonator. The result was a controlled explosion breaking the floor. Behind him, the reporters gasped in alarm.
He jumped down and found himself overlooking another corridor behind bullet-proof glass. And there he was. Black Mask. There was no mistaking him: expensive white suit and the iconic black mask that gave him his name: a black mask designed to look like a skull gnashing and baring its teeth.
"They say crime doesn't pay but someone oughtta check the good police commissioner's pockets," Black Mask was saying lazily as the crocodile man slammed a guard on the ground, "'cause they're lined with my money."
One of the escapees pushed Police Commissioner Loeb into the grip of the waiting creature. Loeb looked around desperately.
"And what have I got to show for it?" Black Mask turned to Loeb, clasping his hands. "My own men in the slammer? Not no more. No. Tonight, we're making some changes." With those words, they pushed Loeb down towards the execution chamber, Black Mask and the crocodile-man following.
I need to hurry. Batman thought.
-x-
This place was built like a maze, even more after the large creature tore his way through the halls. Batman was forced to crawl through several vents in order to make his way into the execution chamber. In the room below him, Black Mask's men were starting to release Julian Day from the gas chamber.
He urged himself to hurry. He needed to prevent anything from happening to Loeb and keep Day locked up in Blackgate.
"A part of me wants to just flip that switch." Black Mask said. "But it is Christmas Eve and he is the Calendar Man. And that's just too perfect to ignore."
He landed in the room just outside the chamber, the area where people would watch the execution just as they released Day from the chamber.
"What's this all about, Sionis?" Loeb stammered from his position on the floor. "Haven't I always come through for you?"
The creature picked him up.
"You may have, Gillian." Black Mask drawled. "But things have changed. We're starting with a clean slate and you're not on it."
"What are you talking about?" Loeb cried indignantly. "I'm not on it? After all I've done for you?" The henchmen threw him into the gas chamber. "You can't do this! I'm the Police Commissioner, dammitt!"
No! Batman threw himself at the glass, attempting break it. It didn't even budge.He had to get in there!
Gas filled the chamber as Loeb feebly pounded on the door.
"Show's over boys." Black Mask turned his back on his old ally as the crocodile-man slammed another man into the glass, cracking it.
As the door closed, Batman didn't waste a second. He crashed through the cracked glass and made his way over to the chamber. But, Commissioner Loeb lay still inside—not moving.
I'm too late. Batman thought. He clenched his fists in anger. Black Mask has a lot to answer for.
-x-
He arrived at the top too late, Black Mask was already gone. However, the creature remained behind. Though he was the first opponent to be bigger and stronger than him, his attack pattern was animalistic and easy to predict.
Batman delivered a swift kick to the creature's chin and somersaulted back off him. He staggered back and fell into a hunk of fence, got caught on it, and hung precariously over the edge of the cliff.
Without hesitating, Batman leapt up on his chest and delivered a punch to his face. "Your boss. Where's he going?" He roared angrily.
"The only boss a'me is me!" The creature snarled back.
He punched him again. "You want teeth. I want answers." Another punch.
The crocodile man snarled again but he glanced over his shoulder at the raging and rocky waters below him. He turned back. "Wait 'till Black Mask's assassins get through with you."
"What assassins?" Another punch.
He didn't answer but laughed. "Whoever wins is gonna be famous and rich!"
That did it. He punched him in the face one last time. The crocodile man visibly slumped. He was out cold.
Batman picked the man's foot up and dragged him back onto solid ground, the fence falling away into the water. He didn't obtain any information on Black Mask's whereabouts but he'd gained some new, interesting information.
"FREEZE!"
Bright lights shined down on him. He dropped the foot and lifted his arm to shield his eyes. But he could still make out the cops pointing their guns at him. In the middle stood Captain Jim Gordon, the only good cop left in the city.
As he dropped his arm, he pressed a button in his arm—calling the Batwing to his location.
"I'm taking you in!" Gordon shouted over the wind.
Unlikely. Batman could have snorted. He had too much to do to deal with nuances like the police. He backed towards the edge. "Not tonight." And he fell backwards, his cape fanning out to guide him down into the cockpit of the Batwing.
-x-
"Barbara, I've got something!" Casey cried after nearly an hour.
"Is it Dad?" Barbara raced over to Casey's desk (she had been pacing the length of the room for the past half-hour.
"No. But Blackgate's system is slowly coming online. I'm hacking it now. Let's see if I can find Captain Gordon." The few images she received were fuzzy but as they cleared, Casey's mouth dropped open.
"How in the hell did that happen?" She floundered for words. Walls were torn apart and bars were bent. That didn't look like the work of explosives. That looked like someone tore them apart.
"Can you see my dad anywhere?"
"I don't see him. Let me switch cameras." She clicked to another camera. Nothing except bodies. She grimaced.
"I'm going to call him again." Barbara declared and pulled out her phone.
"Good idea."
-x-
James Gordon could hardly believe his eyes. Were they really arresting a man who looked like a walking, talking crocodile? Did they even had the space in the holding cells for him?
"I've never seen anything like it." His partner, Harvey Bullock, whistled when they saw how large the man was.
"Neither have I." Gordon replied gruffly. Inside, he was miffed that Batman had escaped their custody. To top it off, he was sure Vicki Vale saw him but even worse, Commissioner Loeb was dead. Gassed in the gas chamber set up for Julian Day who had also escaped.
Today was not his day. "Find somewhere to put him." Gordon snapped at Bullock.
Inside his coat pocket, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and checked the I.d.: Barbara. No doubt she'd heard about the radio through the police radio.
"Barbara." He answered.
"Dad!" She cried in relief on the other end. "I tried calling you earlier but you wouldn't pick up."
"Communication was down in the prison." He replied. "I'm sorry Barbara."
"I'm glad you're alright. What happened?"
"There was a riot." Gordon answered. He didn't want to give too much away to his daughter. Especially the knowledge of Batman's presence. All that would do is spark another fight between them.
"Obviously." A third voice joined them and Gordon did all he could to repress a sigh. Casey Wilson. An over-enthusiastic analyst from the Cyber Crime Division. Her skill with computers was what made her and Barbara friends. Not that he minded but Casey shared the same sentiments about Batman that Barbara had.
But Casey was a good person at heart. She, like him, wasn't on Sionis's payroll and seemed extremely eager to do good in Gotham when she first came to the GCPD. But her enthusiasm for justice waned as death threats started rolling in from both criminals and men on the force. Now, she kept her head down and focused on crimes unrelated to the mob.
As much as he didn't want to admit, it was a good thing she did. Had she kept that attitude up for longer, she'd be found dead in an alleyway or someplace.
"Casey." Gordon greeted. "I trust you've been keeping an eye on Barbara."
"Of course!" Casey said in a chipper tone. "But we were worried when we couldn't get a hold of you. And—oh my GOD! Is that Commissioner Loeb?"
"Where?" Barbara asked and then he heard her gasp.
"He's dead." Gordon said wearily. "And how do you two know this? There's no way any of the reporters would have seen—" It clicked in his brain. "Casey, did you hack the network?"
"I was trying to find you." Casey said quickly. "See if you were alright. And holy crap, what happened?"
"I can't tell you two that." Gordon said and ducked into a spare room.
"Yes you can." Barbara chimed in. "This is a secure line. Casey and I made sure of that."
Gordon didn't hide his groan. Of course. "I can't tell you two. But Barbara, I want you stay in the precinct tonight. And Casey, I know Nashton assigned Anarky to you but if you find his location you send it directly to me or Branden. Understood?"
"Roger." Casey replied.
"I'll be back at the precinct as soon as I can. Something's going on tonight."
-x-
The Batwing burst through the waterfall protecting the Batcave from the outside world. Batman landed and promptly exited. His mind was in a whirl. Black Mask killed Commissioner Loeb, one of his most important allies in Gotham, and now there was talk of assassins coming for him.
He strode towards the Batcomputer and took off his cowl, allowing himself to become Bruce Wayne for a short time. At the ready his butler, Alfred, stood waiting for him.
As usual, he stood in a lax position, his arms clasped behind his back. "Are you back for the night, sir?" Alfred asked. "Shall I warm up Christmas dinner?"
Bruce shook his head. "No. It's going to be a long night, Alfred. I just ran into a," he paused for a moment, resisting the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it, "a human-shaped crocodile who told me Black Mask has hired assassins to kill me."
"Sounds rather dangerous—trusting the word of a human-shaped crocodile." Alfred spoke as Bruce approached the Batcomputer.
"I believe him." Bruce said as he inserted the memory card he picked up from the drone at the prison into the computer. "And hopefully this will make everything clear about these assassins."
"Assassins, sir? As in, more than than one?"
"That's right."
"And just to clarify again, you heard this from the mouth of a crocodile man?"
As if in answer, the files on the mystery assailant appeared on screen. "His name is Killer Croc." Bruce read. "And he's already behind bars."
"I pity his cell mate."
"I don't." Bruce growled.
"Let's see what else is on the drone's hard drive." Bruce pressed a few more buttons, leading to more images and videos.
He played the first one: a video of Black Mask handing out envelopes to his men. "I need them delivered tonight!" Black Mask ordered as he handed them out.
Bruce turned to the profiles. "They're all hired killers. The best in the business." He recognized some of them. "Black Mask isn't messing around." Black Mask wanted him dead.
The first image was of a man in black and orange body armor. His helmet was divided vertically with the two colors but only his left eye was visible. "Slade Wilson... Deathstroke. Former military, subject of a failed medical experiment."
"Failed, you say?"
Bruce didn't answer but moved onto the next assassin, a man covered in a mechanical suit from head to toe and wearing a jetpack. "Garfield Lynns, AKA Firefly. Burns on ninety percent of his body. Hmm... his obsession is going to be his end."
"How unlike anyone I know." Alfred droned, his eyes drilling holes into the back of Bruce's head.
Bruce ignored him.
The next person puzzled him. "I don't recognize this one. Copperhead." He scanned the list of names and reports. "Strange. These reports reference a male, not a female." The person in the photo was obviously a woman with Central American gang tattoos on her chest."Says here, she's a master escape artist."
But the next one he knew, the face mask and scope on his right eye gave him away. "Floyd Lawton. AKA Deadshot. Says here he's an expert sharpshooter. Suspected of many assassinations. Dangerous—but reckless."
The next person was a man with scaring on the left side of his face. "Street tough named Lester Buchinsky. Calls himself 'Electrocutioner.'"
Next up was another female—an Asian woman wearing ninja-garb. "Shiva. Her skill is unmatched."
But the last one. Brude did a double take when he saw the name. But there was no doubt: the large figure and face mask. "Bane. Here—in Gotham? Why would he be taking money as a hired killer?"
He didn't have time to ponder his question as he clicked on another video. This one showed Warden Joseph of Blackgate before Black Mask.
"Is that Warden Joseph?" Alfred asked curiously.
Bruce nodded. "Must be how Black Mask got inside Blackgate Prison." He didn't flinch as Black Mask stuck a lit cigarette in the Warden's left eye. "He uses torture for intimidation and entertainment."
"Eight assassins after your head. What are you going to do?" Bruce could hear some worry in Alfred's voice but he ignored it.
"I'm going to find out who was operating this drone and make them tell me what they know." He said and steeled himself. "Then I'm going to find Black Mask and put an end to this."
He exited the program, preparing himself for a long night of fights against criminals.
Alfred, it seemed, had other ideas. "Sir," he started, "I may be stating the obvious here but you do realize that since you and I are the only people who know the Batman's true identity, those assassins will all fail their mandate if you'd just spend the evening here."
Bruce glanced at his butler. The older man was obviously worried though trying his best to hide it. But Bruce wouldn't even consider Alfred's suggestion. "They'll put innocents in danger to attract my attention. I can't take that risk."
But Alfred wasn't going down without a fight. "And you think it's a better idea to just put yourself in their crosshairs?"
Bruce didn't answer. His mind was already made up.
The image of the drone he saw from earlier popped up on the screen. "There's only one person in Gotham who can get his hands on something like this." He said, more to himself than Alfred. "The Penguin. He's been tracking Black Mask."
Oswald Cobblepot, otherwise known as the Penguin, was Black Mask's number one rival in the underworld. It made sense for Cobblepot to keep notes on Black Mask's activities.
He checked the GPS log for the drone. The next waypoint was a rendezvous with Penguins men in Jezebel Plaza. That was where he would head first.
He put the cowl back on, becoming Batman once again.
-x-
And that concludes chapter two!
Writing alongside an established plotline is one of my weaknesses as I tend to hurry it along and leave out detail. What're you guys thinking so far? Is it too vague or just right since you've probably played the game and know what everyone looks like and such.
Reviews, favorites, and follows are love! See ya in chapter three where Casey and Batman finally meet!