They only have seconds to prepare themselves before the inmates attack. Then it's complete chaos.
Prisoner after prisoner comes at the four of them, an unstoppable wave of violence. Both Warden Sharp and Gordon are armed with stun guns, and though it helps somewhat to fend off a few of the attackers, it is hardly enough to take on the mass as a whole. Robin's bo staff whips through the air impossibly fast, smacking aside prisoners and knocking them to the ground with a determined ferocity. Batarangs fly from Batman's hands with exact precision, bringing down some of the inmates that come too close to Robin, Sharp, or Gordon, while he simultaneously takes out other prisoners using bodily attacks.
"Ladies and maniacs, I apologize for this interruption to your regular entertainment."
Joker's voice echoes out from the hall speakers, carrying over the sounds of the fight.
"Up until a few seconds ago, I was going to kill everyone in the room and then watch cartoons, but then...well...you know how I do love a captive audience."
"Doesn't he –" Robin grinds out, knocking an inmate back before smacking him over the head with his bo staff. "– ever shut up?"
Batman doesn't reply. He crouches and spins, kicking the legs of two prisoners out from beneath them. Straightening, Batman studies the end of the corridor opposite of where he and Robin had originally come from with Gordon and Sharp. The electric security gates are still in place, locking them in from both sides of the hallway. He eyes the edges of the gates for anything he might be able to rewire to get them to open, but before he can look any further, thick arms warp around him from behind and lift him into the air.
Batman twists viciously, kicking his boots backwards into the shins of the inmate. But the burly man hardly seems to feel Batman's attack and instead lets out a low growl, throwing Batman down and slamming him to the floor. Batman grunts at the impact, and his body rolls across the ground a few feet. Shaking his head, Batman lifts his gaze to see the prisoner advancing towards him menacingly.
/
"This whole thing was a trap," Dick says in horror, helpless to do anything but watch through Bruce and Tim's masks' cameras as they fight off dozens of Arkham inmates. "And we fell for it."
Alfred straightens, struggling to hide his own franticness. "We must stay focused, Master Dick," he says. "As long as we are in contact with –"
Suddenly, the video and audio footage linking them to Bruce and Tim cuts out, plunging the screen into silent blackness.
Dick and Alfred blink, both equally stunned. A moment passes, and then Dick hurriedly types a command into the computer to bring up Bruce and Tim's mask cameras. The program doesn't respond.
"What the…" Dick mutters. Panic rises in him as the computer continues to reject his repeated attempts at rebooting the program.
Seconds tick by, and then a new video tab opens in the center monitor, revealing an anxious looking Barbara.
"Barbara!" exclaims Dick. "What happened? Did your feed from Bruce and Tim cut out too?"
Barbara nods. "Yeah. It looks like all communication signals from Arkham Island are being cut off. I'm completely shut out."
"So there's no way to contact Bruce and Tim?" Dick asks.
Barbara lifts her hand in an uncertain gesture. "I think I might be able to connect back to them, but it will take a while to break through the firewalls put up. Whoever Joker hired to do this, they're good."
"How long will it take?"
"Thirty minutes? Maybe more?"
Dick groans.
"And…" Barbara shifts in her wheelchair uncomfortably. "There's more. Harley sent a message to GCPD ten minutes ago. She says that there are bombs planted throughout Gotham, and if anyone tries to get onto or leave Arkham Island, she and Joker will detonate them."
Dick stares at Barbara in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me," he finally sputters out. He runs his hands through his hair, shaking his head. "This just keeps getting better and better." Letting out a heavy puff of air, he paces in a circle, thinking. "Okay, Harley might be bluffing about those bombs. But in case she's not, I need to find a way to get onto that island without being detected."
"Got any ideas?" Barbara asks.
Dick stops pacing, suddenly looking incredibly uneasy. "Yeah," he says slowly. "But I really wish I had a better one."
/
The prisoner that had thrown Batman stands above the Dark Knight, looking down with a cocky grin. He raises his foot to slam it down on Batman's face, but before he can, Robin jumps onto him from behind and locks his bo staff beneath the man's jaw.
Robin yanks the bo staff backwards and the man instantly staggers along with it, choking. Not wasting an instant, Batman springs up and delivers a hard kick to the man's stomach. The inmate stumbles back, and Robin uses his hold on his bo staff to give him leverage to flip over the man's head. As he somersaults through the air he twists and gives the prisoner a hard kick to the jaw, snapping the man's head back and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Robin!" Batman shouts, throwing out his arm. Robin immediately reaches towards Batman, and they grasp each other's wrists. Batman then swings Robin outwards in an arc, giving the boy enough speed and power to effectively take out two more prisoners with swift kicks to the face.
"Where's Commissioner Gordon?" Robin asks as he lands. "And the warden?"
Batman glances about them. "There," he nods, pulling out his grappling hook.
On the other side of the chaos, Gordon is being held against the chest of one prisoner while another repeatedly punches him in the gut. Warden Sharp is a few feet away, pressed up against a cell door as he holds out his stun gun at approaching prisoners.
Batman shoots the grappling hook into the ceiling and uses it to swing over the heads of prisoners; he slams his feet into the man attacking Gordon, sending him flying into the far wall. Releasing the grappling hook, Batman pulls out a Batarang and throws it forward. The weapon strikes the man holding Gordon in the head, and he collapses to the ground, pulling Gordon down with him. Lunging forward, Batman grasps onto Gordon's arm and tugs him upright.
"Thanks," Gordon says breathlessly.
Suddenly, the main security gate opens, and at least forty guards come streaming into the corridors, shouting orders to cease and raising their stun guns. Some of the prisoners pause in surprise at the sudden appearance of the guards, but most of them charge forward with a new ferocity.
"Oh, phooey! I hate it when the fun gets spoiled like that," exclaims the Joker, peering out curiously from the security monitor. "Well, no matter. Bats! Why don't you come and give me a proper welcome?"
Batman turns his head towards the opposite end of the corridor. The next moment, the electric gates shut down, clearing the passageway leading further into Arkham.
After delivering a sharp punch to an inmate, Robin immediately charges forward through the open gates.
"Robin!" Batman shouts. "Don't!" Shooting his grappling hook, he propels himself back over the crowd of prisoners and security guards. Taking out a prisoner in his landing, he rolls forward and jumps to his feet, running after Robin. The moment Batman crosses through the gates, they buzz back on, cutting off Batman and Robin from the rest of the crowd.
Batman and Robin spin around at the sound of the reclosing gates, unable to do anything but watch as the guards force the inmates into submission. As the guards round up the prisoners, Batman breaks off the lid to the electric box built into the wall beside the security gate and begins trying to manually force the gate back open.
Fortunately, with the sheer number of them giving the guards a much needed advantage, soon things seem to be under control within the prisoner corridor. Giving the mostly rounded up prisoners a vicious glare, Gordon turns and rushes over to the electric security gate separating him from Batman and Robin.
Glancing up at Gordon, Batman shakes his head. "It's odd, I can't open it from the security pad here," he says. "I should be able to, but there seems to be a backup lock in place that covers even the manual switch."
Gordon snaps his head around to the guards behind him. "Someone gets these gates open!"
One of the guards runs forward, raising a small systems control tablet in his hand for Gordon, Batman, and Robin to see. "I can't! The system's jammed! We had a little bit of control a few minutes ago, which is how we were able to get the first gate open, but now…" He shakes his head and taps at the tablet's screen in frustration. "It's not going to happen. We're stuck; it looks like Joker's in full control of the security gates now."
"Right-a-roo!" comes in Joker's voice through the hallway speakers. "I'm in control of the Asylum now. You're not going anywhere I don't want you to. Especially you, Bats. Understand?"
Batman grits his teeth. "If you think I'll let you run…"
"Blah, blah, blah. Always with the hero speak! I'm getting bored of watching you." The Joker gives a sinister chuckle. "Why don't you just come find me…" Then the speakers turn to static.
Batman looks at Gordon. "Will you be alright?"
Gordon glances back at the subdued prisoners. "Sure, no problem." His gaze flits past Batman, staring into the dark hallway beyond with unease. "You know it's a trap, right?"
"Of course it is," Batman says darkly.
Gordon presses his lips together, though he knows he can do nothing. Silent, Batman turns and nods at Robin, and together the two head into the depths of Arkham Asylum.
/
Dick rushes back over to the computer and begins opening up dozens of archive files.
Alfred frowns, stepping forward. "Master Dick, what are you doing?"
"Pulling up Bruce's security codes," Dick says. "He's got to have a hidden file in here somewhere with the codes for the security system on Jason's room. I'm going to Arkham, and I'm taking Jason with me."
"And how is bringing along Master Jason going to aid you?"
Dick grimaces. "I…I'm hoping he might…know another way in." He pauses, shame coiling within him as he glances at Alfred. "I know this is the last thing I should be asking of Jason. I feel like crap even considering it. But…we're out of options. And I need backup on this. I need Jason."
Alfred is silent for a moment. Then he nods. "If you are certain this is the best way to get into Arkham Asylum, then I will not dissuade you from it."
Dick's hands clench, hovering over the keyboard. He gives a quick nod, as though to reassure himself, and he continues to type commands into the computer.
"However," Alfred says. "I believe it would be more efficient to simply allow me to unlock the security system."
Dick pauses and looks over at Alfred in surprise. "What?"
"You don't think Master Bruce would leave without giving me the codes to Master Jason's room, do you?" Alfred gives a wry smile. "Come now, Master Dick."
Dick's mouth drops open slightly as Alfred ushers him up out of his seat. "Let's get a move on then; we're wasting time."
With Alfred in the lead, the two of them hurry upstairs. Upon reaching Jason's door, Alfred flips open the camouflaged security pad hidden within the wallpaper on the left side of the doorframe. He presses his hand to the revealed touchscreen, allowing it to recognize his prints. A security screen is pulled up, and Alfred presses in the correct code. The sounds of the heavy locks sliding out of place can be heard dully through the hard wood of the door. Dick's hand is already pressed against the door, and the moment the final click echoes he gives it a heavy shove, swinging it open.
The room is still a disaster. Even more so now, as dozens of books have been tossed to the floor in large piles. Standing amongst them is Jason, who is fiddling with wires torn up from the spot in his bookcase where The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes used to sit. Jason is winding two of the wires around each other, his concentration heavy as he flips his gaze from the bookshelf to the opening to his personal elevator. The hidden doorway has moved about five inches out so far, revealing only a glimpse of the old-fashioned elevator behind it.
"Jason?" Dick says hesitantly. He takes a step forward.
Jason's hands tighten on the wires at the sudden voice. Slowly, he turns to face Dick and Alfred. "Dick?" he says in quiet surprise.
After all that has happened today, the simple sight of his brother almost makes Dick forget his reason for coming. He rushes forward, pulling Jason into a fierce embrace before Jason has a chance to properly react.
"Jason, I'm so sorry," whispers Dick. He tightens his arms around the younger boy. "I tried to convince Bruce to let you out, but he was being a complete ass, and…are your hands you okay?" Dick pulls back, keeping his hands on Jason's arms as he studies his brother. "Tell me you're okay."
Despite his relief at seeing Dick, the misery encompassing Jason does not lesson. "I've been better," he admits in a soft voice.
Dick presses a hand to the side of Jason's head comfortingly. "Whatever Bruce said to you – he's an idiot. We're going to fix all of this, okay?"
A bitter sadness mixes in Jason's eyes at the mention of Bruce. "Sure, Dick," he mumbles.
Dick grimaces at the expression on Jason's face. Then his attention diverts to the torn up bookcase behind Jason. "Geez…you've been busy."
Jason glances back at the mess. "Yeah. I just got…tired of sitting."
"Actually, I'm impressed you got that far," admits Dick. "That security system is a hard one to beat."
Jason shrugs. Then he blinks, giving Dick and Alfred curious looks. "Wait, what are you guys doing here? Does Bruce know you're here?"
"Not exactly…" Dick rubs the back of his neck nervously. "We've got a problem."
Jason frowns. "What?"
Dick exchanges a look with Alfred. "Well, after the fire at Blackgate, over a hundred prisoners were transferred to Arkham, since there was nowhere else for them to go. Long story short, some men got loose while being checked in and they managed to break out Joker and Harley. Now those two are missing in Arkham somewhere."
"You've got to be shitting me," Jason moans, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"It gets worse," says Dick. "Bruce and Tim went to Arkham and help recapture Joker and Harley, but when they got there…" Dick pauses, utter shame pooling within his eyes. "We were so stupid. We should have seen it coming; it's so obvious now, looking back…"
"What?" Jason asks anxiously. "What is it, Dick?"
Dick grits his teeth. "It was a trap. Bruce and Tim got there – with us watching through their mask cameras – and once they got to Joker's cell, all hell broke loose. Joker was on the security monitors. He locked Bruce, Tim, Commissioner Gordon, and Warden Sharp in the cell corridor, and then…released the other inmates."
"What?" exclaims Jason. "Where are they now? Where's Tim? Is he still with Bruce?" He steps forward, grabbing Dick's arm frantically. "Where's Tim, Dick?"
Dick gives Jason a worried look. "I…I don't know. We got cut off from them; it's a complete communications black-out – no video, audio, nothing. They were still fighting off the inmates when it happened."
Jason folds his hands together and presses them against his mouth as he paces frantically. "Shit." He stops, looking back at Dick. "Barbara – she can't reach them at all?"
Dick shakes his head. "We're completely cut off." His jaw tightens. "We've got to go there. We have to go in after them."
Jason raises an eyebrow. "I'm sure Joker has some sort of defense set in place."
"Harley says they've planted bombs throughout Gotham. They'll go off if anyone tries to get onto or leave Arkham Island."
"Well of course they fucking did," says Jason. He lets out a frustrated snarl. "How could Bruce have not seen that this was a set up? And to drag Tim into it so carelessly?" Jason delivers a savage kick to a pile of books, scattering them. He returns his attention to Dick. "We have to do something. We have to get Tim out of there before the Joker…" Terror lodges the words in his throat.
"I know." Dick says. "Look, Jason, I don't know of any other way into Arkham except for all the entrances sure to be monitored by the Joker." He stops for a moment, bracing himself. "Jason…we need…do you think you…" He gives a defeated sigh, unsure how to continue.
"You want to know if I know another way in," Jason says quietly.
The guilt on Dick's face is enough of an answer.
Alfred steps forward and lays a comforting hand on Jason's shoulder. A long silence follows as Jason thinks, staring at nothing in particular with that haunted look Dick hates seeing in Jason's eyes. Jason's muscles grow tense, and they do not relax even when he reverts his gaze back to Dick's.
"Yeah," he mutters. "Yeah there's another way in."
Hope flickers across Dick's face. "So…" he asks tentatively. "Can you show me?"
"Are you asking me to show you on a map, or are you asking me to come?"
"If you're up to it...I'd like you to come with me. I could use the backup." Dick shifts, the nervousness on his face obvious. "Look, Jason, I know what I'm asking of you, going back to Arkham. So if you don't want to come, I understand."
Jason is silent. Despite his fury at Bruce, he knows he can't abandon him and Tim. Especially Tim. Even if it means facing his terror of going back to that godforsaken place. But a bitter thought keeps Jason from accepting the offer right away. "Even if I want to come, aren't you afraid I'll go berserk and try to kill someone?" There's a layer of contempt in Jason's tone, but really his voice sounds more exhausted than anything else.
Dick levels his gaze with Jason's. "Are you planning to?"
Defensive anger flashes in Jason's eyes, followed by a flicker of guilt. "Well I guess you trying to stop me from doing so would only slow us down, so no," he says. "Not tonight."
"Then we're good," Dick says. He tries to look confident, but Jason's added on words to the end of his statement unnerves Dick. He reaches out, gently grasping Jason's upper arm. "You're my brother, Jason, and there's no one else I'd rather have with me on this. But I need to know I can trust you, okay?"
Biting his lip, Jason nods.
Dick gives Jason's arm a gentle squeeze before releasing him. "Okay then. Let's get going."
/
/
/
Sorry for the delayed update! Writing fight scenes is one of the tougher things for me to do, so it slowed me down a bit. Also, to those who haven't played the games (or watched the walkthroughs), some of the dialogue I'm taking straight from the game. So I can't take credit for *all* of Joker and Batman's lines. ;)