Just a little shout-out for the guests leaving reviews. Thank you my lovelies! Since I can't properly respond to guest reviews, here's my thanks. 3
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"Whoa," breathes Tim. He takes a step forward, tilting his head back to stare at their surroundings in awe.
Jason can't help but share Tim's sentiment. They've just gotten into Arkham's Botanical Gardens, and the sight is surprisingly impressive.
The roof hangs at least three stories above their heads, enhancing the already spacious feel of the building. The walls of the room are made of rock, acting like small cliffs rising up on either side of them. Various trees and roots press up against the walls, trailing onto the glass ceiling, while vines hang between overhead tree branches, twisting together and creating a sort of canopy. Thick bushes dot the ground, following the edges of pathways and gathering around tree trunks. At the far end of the gardens is an artificial waterfall, which flows into the room from an outside source. Dropping down into a thin river, the water curves its way to the opposite end of the gardens, where it disappears into a sewer gate.
"Yeah…" says Dick. "Whoa."
"Stay focused, boys," Bruce says grimly. "We need to find Joker's lab."
With Bruce in the lead, and Dick and Jason on either side of Tim, the four of them continue further into the gardens. It's fairly quiet, save for the soft rushing of the waterfall, and the crunching of gravel and fallen leaves beneath their feet. Jason can't help but hold out his hand ever so slightly as he walks, allowing his gloved fingers to run across the tops of the flowered bushes bordering the pathway. The rustling of the leaves beneath his touch brings a small smile to his face, and once again he finds that he is very grateful he has a helmet covering his head.
Tim's eyes flicker over to the source of the quiet sound, and though he doesn't comment, the corner of his lips twitch upwards the tiniest bit as he watches Jason.
"Shouldn't there be, you know, guards or something?" Dick asks, glancing about them in bewilderment. "This is just weird."
"Wherever Joker is hiding his lab, he must be fairly confident that we won't find it," responds Bruce.
"Well, he's an idiot then," says Dick. He presses his fingers to his earpiece. "Oracle, do you copy?"
There's a brief moment of static, and then Barbara's voice comes in.
"Yeah I hear you, Nightwing," Barbara answers. "Did you find Robin yet?"
"He's here with us right now," replies Nightwing. "His comm was taken away by Harley, though. Can you make sure it stays offline? We don't want anyone listening in."
"Of course," Barbara says. The relief in her voice is overwhelming to say the least. "Say hi to Robin for me, okay?"
"Oracle says hi," says Nightwing. Tim grins happily at that, and Nightwing smiles back for a brief second before turning to survey the surrounding greenery. "Hey, Oracle, we're in Arkham's Botanical Gardens. Joker's lab is hidden here somewhere, and we're assuming he's using an old one that had already been built. Do you have any outdated layouts of the gardens that might show rooms branching off? If they've been abandoned, they might have been removed from more current maps."
"I've got one pulled up right now," Barbara says. "Hm. It looks like there is one room that doesn't show up on newer maps. It's off of the northwestern wall of the gardens. I don't see anything about getting into it though, so if there's a concealed door or something, you guys might have to figure that out on your own."
"That won't be a problem," says Bruce. "Thanks, Oracle."
As Barbara cuts out, the four of them hurry over to the northwestern side of the expansive room. The wall they stop in front of is also made up of massive sheets of rock; however, the bottom strip of it is layered in square pieces of metal, which look as though they might be part of the heating and cooling system for the gardens. As they approach, Bruce pulls out his scanner and begins moving it up and down along the wall, searching for any inconsistencies in the thickness of the rock that might reveal where a room may be hidden.
Jason tilts his head to the side, eyeing the ventilation gates lining the bottom of the wall. Crouching down in front of them, his gaze is caught by a small blinking light from the third one down on his right. He cocks an eyebrow and then reaches out, tearing the piece of metal away and tossing it to the floor.
Placed inside the now revealed ventilation shaft is a small control box, which is hooked into the wall behind it.
"This looks important," Jason says nonchalantly, gesturing with a wave of his hand. He glances up at Bruce, who kneels beside him.
As Bruce leans in closer to get a look at the control box, Jason moves aside so as to let Bruce work. Bruce pulls out an electronic device used to unscramble and break codes, but then, to Jason's surprise, holds it out in his direction. Jason stares at the device for a second, then, his movements hesitant, he takes it and plugs it into the control box.
Immediately the device lights up, bringing up the coded data. A few seconds pass, with Jason in deep concentration as he works at breaking the security code. Finally, the control box's screen flickers to green, and a smile spreads across Jason's face.
"Open sesame," he says, pressing the enter button on the box.
To the left of them erupts a low rumbling sound. A section of the rock wall moves inwards about a foot, and begins sliding up, revealing an opening the rough size of an average doorway.
Jason and Bruce stand, both pulling out Batarangs. Glancing nervously at Tim's lack of a utility belt, Dick moves closer to the younger boy as he takes out his Escrima sticks, then hands Tim an extra Batarang. Together, the four of them cautiously walk through the doorway.
Before them is a short bridge, stretching over what looks to be part of the sewage system. The rushing water is dozens of yards down though, much too far for anyone to get a good look at what is down there. At the far end of the bridge waits a set of metal doors. Motion sensors are set in place, and upon recognizing the new bodies crossing over the bridge, the doors slide apart, revealing a small lab.
Computer equipment and shelves filled with various items line the right wall of the room; on the left are numerous glass cylinders at least eight feet in height, which are all connected together by thick tubes. At the opposite end of the lab is a large freight elevator, which is stocked full of crates tied with extravagant, green bows.
Standing amongst the crates is the Joker, who is flanked by two guards.
A wild grin stretches across Joker's face as he catches sight of the four newcomers. "I'm impressed, Bats! I didn't think you'd find us so fast!" Laughing, the Joker smacks one of the buttons on the elevator's control panel; immediately, the metal gates sealing off the elevator clang shut. Letting out a furious snarl, Jason runs forward, followed closely by Batman. But the elevator has already begun its ascent, disappearing into the darkness above. "Sorry to leave so abruptly!" calls down the Joker. "But don't fret, we'll meet up soon enough!"
Suddenly, something drops through the gated floor of the elevator, spinning through the air as it falls towards the bottom of the elevator shaft.
Batman's eyes widen as he watches the grenade plummet directly to where Jason is still running. "Knight!" he shouts. Jason has already skidded to a stop, but he seems momentarily frozen as the grenade hits the cement floor in front of him.
Batman reaches Jason just before the explosion goes off. Somehow, he's able to wrap his cape around the both of them, and together they're thrown backwards by the blast, crashing into a crate filled with empty glass jars. Despite the mess the collision makes, the shattering of the jars is all but lost in the sound of the elevator walls crumbling in on themselves, raining down in a seemingly endless cascade of rock and dirt.
"Batman! Knight!" yells Dick, rushing over to their limp forms. With Tim helping as best he can with his good hand, the two of them pull Bruce and Jason further away from the wreckage and clear of the glass shards.
Bruce shifts as Dick moves him, and soon he's swatting away the prodding hands and pushing himself up groggily. Letting out a low moan, but rubs a hand across his forehead, and then snaps his head up, looking about him anxiously. "Jason? Where…Jason?"
"He's okay," Tim says in relief.
Bruce spins around to see Tim gently pulling off Jason's Gotham Knight helmet. Jason's eyes flicker open as the cool air brushes against his skin, and he draws in a sharp breath, glancing about him.
"What the fu…" he murmurs.
"You ran into a grenade, you idiot," says Tim.
"Is that all?" asks Jason faintly. His eyes momentarily lose focus, but then he gives his head a shake, blinking hard to clear his vision. Sloppily, he raises one of his hands and holds up two fingers. "That's two grenades we didn't get killed by in…what? The past hour? Go us."
"I swear, I'm gonna have a heart attack before this night is done," Dick mutters, pressing a hand to his face. "I have never dealt with so much stress before."
"Oh shut up, old timer," croaks Jason, allowing a lopsided smirk to slip onto his face.
Bruce lets out an exasperated breath and shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly. Looking vaguely amused, Jason gives a soft cough, then places his hands against the floor in an attempt to sit up.
"Hold on, Jason," Bruce says. He kneels down, reaching out to stop the boy from moving any further. "Just rest a second."
Jason shoots Bruce an irritated glance. "M'fine, Bruce." Slowly, he begins to shift into a sitting position, and Bruce curls a hand around Jason's back, giving him support. A groan escapes Jason's lips as he rolls his shoulders back, stretching. "Fuck. Well, I guess that wasn't the smartest thing to do."
"No," says Bruce. Reaching out with his free hand, he brushes back Jason's hair, studying his son's face for any further injuries. Then he pulls away and stands. "No it wasn't. Dammit, Jay, don't do that again."
"Sorry. Next time, I'll be sure to politely ask the bastard if he has any grenades before I start chasing him."
Dick rolls his eyes. "Smartass." He holds out his hand, which Jason takes to help pull himself to his feet.
Turning around, Bruce examines the lab with a calculating gaze. "It looks like Joker left most of his equipment here. Seems he wasn't quite ready for us to drop in on him yet." He walks over to one of the computers in the room and turns on the monitor, narrowing his eyes as he searches for any useful documents or files left behind.
"Check out the floor," Tim says, pointing to their feet. The others look down, raising their eyebrows with amazement at the sight.
They had been too busy with the Joker and the explosion to really notice it before, but half of the floor is made of glass. There are about six wide strips of the translucent surface, through which can be seen small rooms holding dozens of strange-looking plants. The rooms are obviously temperature monitored, and it looks as though there's a watering system built in as well.
"What are they?" asks Dick, crouching down to get a better look.
Tim rubs his hand across his chin, thinking. "I bet they're similar to the plants used to make Venom."
"They're a hybrid of them," Bruce says, gesturing to the data files he's pulled up on the computer. "It looks as though this is what Dr. Young and Joker used to create the Titan strain. The plant's the key."
"I'm guessing we can't use these same plants to make an antidote, huh?" says Jason.
Bruce shakes his head. "No, these wouldn't work. We need a different plant for that."
"Any idea which one?" Tim asks.
Bruce hesitates, reluctant to answer in his uncertainty.
"Plants, huh?" muses Dick. "Well, I can think of one person on this island who might be able to help us with that."
Jason snorts. "And what makes you think Poison Ivy will help?"
"If her plants are at risk, she'll listen," says Bruce.
Jason and Dick exchange glances, and then Jason gives a shrug. "Okay, sure. I'd love to hear what she has to say about all of this."
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As is to be expected, Poison Ivy's cell is designed specifically for her. Located in the Green Mile section of the Penitentiary, it is made up of thick glass walls, is air-tight, and lined with thin vents for air filtration. There is a simple cot in the corner of the small room, but little else for furniture. The air itself inside of the cell is slightly foggy, presumably from Ivy's pheromones that the Arkham doctors have yet to figure out how to control.
Poison Ivy herself is standing in the center of her cell when they arrive, staring at the door they come through with a knowing attitude, as though she had been expecting them. Even when dressed in Arkham's dreary inmate uniform, she somehow still manages to come off looking exotic and dangerously beautiful.
"Mm," she hums, watching them approach her cell with a smug expression. "I was wondering when you'd show up, Dark Knight." Her eyes run over the three boys standing by Batman's side, and a smile touches her lips. "Though I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to bring so much…company."
"I don't have time for games, Ivy," Batman growls. "I need your help."
"Help?" Ivy gives a soft laugh. "My, that is an interesting request to hear coming from you." She taps a finger against her mouth, studying Batman. "I'm tempted to turn you away right this moment. But…I am in dire need of entertainment, and this sounds awfully compelling." She lowers her hand and draws to her full height. "Alright, I'll listen to what you have to say, Batman. But, only if you talk to me face-to-face. I won't be disrespected by being cajoled to through a glass wall."
"No," Nightwing says sharply. "No one is going inside your cell, Ivy."
Ivy smirks as she glances at Nightwing. "Always so hot-headed, your little partners." She spreads her hands in an innocent gesture. "It's your choice, Batman."
Batman frowns. "Stay here, you three."
"Batman –" begins Robin.
"Do as I say, Robin." Taking out his respirator from his utility belt, Batman begins to pull it over his face.
"Now, now, Batman," chides Ivy. "Don't insult me like that. I may not play along with you otherwise."
"You have your conditions, I have mine," Batman replies. He secures the mask in place, and then walks over to the control panel in front of Ivy's cell. Nightwing follows him, and watches as Batman slides the Arkham security card along the side of the control panel. The light blinks green on the screen, and the door to the cell opens with a low hiss of pressurized air being released. Without a word, Batman presses the card into Nightwing's waiting hand and then enters the enclosure; the moment he steps inside, Nightwing shuts and relocks the door. The Gotham Knight and Robin step up to either side of Nightwing, focusing their attention on the two figures inside the cell.
"So," Ivy says. She flips a lock of her crimson hair over her shoulder, stepping closer to Batman. "What's this about, Batman?"
"You know what I'm here for, Ivy," responds Batman. "You must have felt it."
"You mean the suffering of my children?" Ivy grits her teeth. "Yes, I've felt it. As though it were happening to my own flesh."
"Those plants, they've been used in experiments conducted by a Dr. Young to create a new kind of Venom."
"Yes," sneers Ivy. "I am well aware." Then she lets out a vicious laugh. "And I heard it through the grapevine that the evil woman paid the price."
Tim stiffens beside Dick, his good hand clenching into a fist. Keeping his movements hidden behind the control panel, Dick reaches out to steady the boy.
Batman's stony demeanor doesn't falter for an instant. "I need you to help me create an antidote."
"Oh, do you?" Ivy reaches out, laying a hand on Batman's shoulder. "And why should I? Let Joker have his fun." She begins to circle Batman, pausing just behind the shoulder she still grasps and leaning in so that her lips are just a hair's breadth away from his ear. "I'll enjoy watching you squirm."
A snarl emanates from Batman as he wrenches away from Ivy, spinning to face her. "You've been in the dark too long," he hisses. "Every plant on this island will get the same as those Dr. Young used, unless you cooperate." Then he shoves his hand into a pouch on his utility belt, drawing out a shriveled piece of vine, to which the end of clings a single leaf.
Ivy's eyes widen as they stare at the withered plant, and she snatches her hand out, grabbing it with surprising care. A deep mournfulness sinks into her expression as she bows her head, gazing at the plant.
"My poor baby," she murmurs. "Oh, what have they done to you?"
"This is one of the plants that was in Dr. Young's lab," Batman explains. "It's only a small sample of what has been done, and what Joker will continue to do, unless you help me."
A single tear seeps from Ivy's eye, trickling down her cheek and then falling through the air; it lands with a silent splash in the palm of her hand. Slowly, the drop moves down the curve of her palm until it reaches the plant, which it then soaks into. A moment passes, and then Ivy lifts her gaze.
"There's a plant," she says. "Growing deep in Arkham Island. Only it can counter the effects of this Titan strain."
"Where do I find it?" asks Batman.
"In Killer Croc's lair." Bitter amusement flashes in Ivy's eyes. "You didn't think it would be easy, did you?"
Batman doesn't answer. He begins to turn away, but Ivy's voice makes him pause.
"Is it not amazing, what nature is capable of?" she asks. Frowning, Batman looks back at her. Ivy's hand is still raised, but the plant Batman had given her is sitting up in her palm, looking much greener than it had before.
Ivy smiles at the look on Batman's face. "You humans try and try to staunch her growth and dilute her beauty. But nature is a patient, powerful force; that is a fact I am only too happy to remind you pathetic creatures of." The plant is growing incredibly fast now. It wraps around her hand, curling up her arm and over her shoulders.
"Batman!" shouts Nightwing. "Get to the door, now!"
Suddenly, Ivy throws her hand in Batman's direction. The vine soars across the cell, wrapping itself around Batman's neck and yanking him harshly in Ivy's direction.
A sinister laugh burst from Ivy's lips as she twists her hand, prompting more vines to sprout and encircle Batman's arms.
"Not good, not good," Nightwing mutters. Desperately, he swipes aside numerous pages on the control panel's screen in an attempt to find something of use, as he knows simply opening the cell doors would be a disaster.
"Move!" exclaims Robin. Shoving both Nightwing and the Gotham Knight aside, Robin begins typing furiously on the touchscreen keyboard, his movements impressively fast despite only being able to use one hand.
Sparing at glance at the frantic boys on the other side of the glass, Ivy smirks as she refocuses her gaze onto Batman. "Why don't we relieve you of that ugly mask? It looks terribly uncomfortable." One of the thinner vines reaches up and prods a leaf beneath the edge of Batman's respirator. It gives a tug, lifting the breathing mask just a hair.
Suddenly, the vents built into the cell's ceiling open wide, and a blue gas seeps into the room, quickly filling the space. Ivy rapidly recoils, gasping as she staggers back. As she does, the vines holding Batman begin to loosen, and he rips his arms upwards, breaking their holds.
Ivy screams as the vines snap, pain flashing across her face as she watches them fall to the floor of the cell. Fury sparks in her eyes as she looks up at Batman, but all she can do is let out a low moan before collapsing. Batman lunges forward, managing to catch Ivy just before she hits the ground; carefully, he carries her to the cell's cot and lays her on it.
The door to the cell opens, and Batman turns to see Nightwing and the Gotham Knight rush inside, the older of the two wearing his own respirator. Robin, who is without his necessary equipment, is forced to stay outside.
"Are you okay?" asks the Knight.
"Yes," says Batman. He glances down at the floor, where pieces of the now dead vine lay scattered. "Though I don't think we should leave this in here."
Nightwing and the Knight nod, and the three of them gather up the destroyed plants, bringing them outside of the cell and dumping them in the nearest trash incinerator they find. Robin stays to relock Ivy's cell, and by the time they return, he is leaning against the secured cell door with a fairly satisfied expression on his face.
"She won't be going anywhere," he assures them.
"Nicely done with the sedation gas, Robin," says Batman. "I had assumed that a backup security measure of some kind would have been put in place."
Robin shrugs, though he looks pleased at the praise. "I would say I'd be surprised if there hadn't been something like that, but…this is Arkham we're talking about."
A snort bursts from the Gotham Knight.
"So where is dear old Killer Croc being kept anyway?" asks Nightwing.
Batman pulls up Arkham's inmate files on his gauntlet's screen, flipping through them for a bit before opening those on Killer Croc. "Hm. It looks like Croc is in a special cell below the Transfer Room back at Intensive Treatment."
The Gotham Knight gestures to the holographic Arkham map hovering above his own gauntlet. "You mean this cell? Because it seems to be part of an old sewer system. Gee, Arkham really does pull out all the stops when it comes to treating their 'patients,' huh?"
"It's on the highest level of lockdown," continues Batman, ignoring Jason's last comment. "You can't get in without the Warden's codes."
Nightwing smiles. "I bet you anything Oracle could get those codes."
Batman turns off the screen on his gauntlet and straightens. "We need to move fast. If Oracle can get the codes by the time we reach Intensive Treatment, we should be fine."
"Oh please, Batman," cuts in Oracle's voice through their comms. "When have I ever let you guys down?"