Chapter 4

Game on

The pier filled the view of the speeding bat-mobile's windshield while the caped crusader tirelessly tried to reach Catwoman but was only met with radio static. Nothing concerning the shootout of Maroni's hideout came in over the GCPD scanner which meant there would be no other help arriving aside from the Dark knight himself.

The bat-mobile skidded around the corner and smashed through the security gate blocking the docks and navigated through the maze of shipping containers and began having trouble isolating Catwoman's position.

"Alfred." Batman said over his comms.

"I'm here sir."

"Reroute a Wayne satellite on the shipping yard to boost the signal of a beacon placed in one of my two way radios."

"You have imparted one of your communications devices with someone?"

"I gave it to Catwoman to investigate the Maroni shipping yard. Her last transmission said there was a shootout and she got hit in the cross fire."

"Oh dear, is she all right?"

"I don't know, I can't get a hold of her. Can you see if the area clear?" asked Batman as the signal strength increased for him to pinpoint its location.

"Checking the satellite imagery now." said Alfred who went quiet for a moment.

Right as Batman drove up to the warehouse he came back on,"Sir, I'm not seeing any activity but thermal imaging shows many motionless bodies, yet one of them seems to be maintaining regular body temperature right where the beacon's signal is originating."

"Thanks Alfred, have the medical bay ready back at the bat-cave."

"Very well sir."

He exited canopy and got onto a crane where he could survey the entire scene with his detective vision. There were many recently deceased, but no active gunman, so he swooped down into the warehouse via the skylight.

Once inside he found a freshly burned set of tire tracks leading out a smashed bay window and assumed it was from Maroni and Takame getting away. His feet was littered with shell casings with a good few of them appearing custom made. Whoever came here and shot up the place was no mere gangster, but a very particularly skilled gunman.

A groan came from behind the crates standing in the corner, so he over to where Catwoman's crumbled body lay rested. Pulled the crates and boxes out of the way he went down to rouse her.

"Batman, is that you?" she coughed.

"I'm here Selina." he said hoisting her up.

She grimaced in pain while Batman assessed her injuries and saw a bullet wound just left of her sternum. Immediatley he switched on his deep tissue scanner for a closer look.

The bullet had entered and shattered the anterior rib adjacent to the heart leaving broken fragments of bone and led lodged deep within her thoracic cavity. They narrowly missed her heart but her lung was severely damaged from the penetrative force and cavitation.

The chest wound produced a wet sucking sound whenever she breathed and blood was gradually filling into her chest cavity slowly obstructing her lung. When she coughed again it let crimson streaks come dripping out the corner of her mouth.

If she did not receive emergency medical attention now, she would die.

Carrying her out into the center of the warehouse, he laid her down, punched in a few commands, and said, "Hang on Selina."

Her face was going pale who said with eyes tinged red with delirium, "They…shot me…"

"Try not to talk." he coached while getting a few on hand medical supplies ready from his belt.

He opened her suit, exposing the wound, and covered it with an occlusive dressing while keeping the bottom flap vented. Next he pulled out an injector and pressed it into the under rib.

"Brace yourself."

The injector shot in a chest tube making Catwoman jolt that let the building blood drain out the catheter. He took a moment to look over the wound again, then at the crates she was hiding behind and examined the ballistics. The round was not a stray bullet, whoever fired it, knew she was there and aimed to kill.

"Selina can you hear me?" he pled.

She lifted her head up, "Y-yeah…"

"Do you know who attacked the warehouse?"

"He…came…from…up….there."

Her hand struggled to rise and point towards a shattered skylight, then fell limp and she passed out.

"Selina? Selina?!" he coaxed, but to no use, she was unresponsive.

Batman pulled out another injector, a custom made fast IO, which he planted into her sternum delivering life saving medications. She flinched when her bone marrow displaced then went still again.

At that time, supersonic jets of the bat-wing began looming overhead hovering over the skylight. A line gurney dropped from the belly and lowered down into the warehouse for Catwoman to be placed on.

Once secured, she was placed on a ventilator and hooked up to the on board monitor to keep her vitals in check. The gurney then began reeling up into the fuselage where the jet auto flew back to the cave with one patient on board.

"Alfred," Batman radio'd, "I'm sending Catwoman over with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Right now I've got her stabilized, and monitored, but the bullet fragments need to surgically removed. See if you can retrieve them to do an artificial reconstruction of the bullet's shape. It may help us identify the shooter."

"Very well sir, I will keep my thoughts and prayers that Ms. Kyle will make it here safely."

"I know she'll be in good hands."

Suddenly Barbara chimed in, "Batman."

"I'm here Oracle."

"I was listening in, and hope you don't mind that I contacted the GCPD about what happened."

"How far out are they?"

"Maybe ten minutes."

"Thanks Oracle, I'll be finished before they get here."

He ended communications and began a more thorough investigation of the crime scene, starting with the skylight. He scanned the frame and shattered glass below which blast pattern suggested a high caliber round passed through it. Beyond there was a crane overlooking the roof. Given its relation to the warehouse, he could indicate a general trajectory when looking for wherever the bullet struck the ground.

He found where the bullet had ultimately scored with a ballistics pattern that did not match with any known manufacturer,

"Just like the other bullet that hit Catwoman," he thought to himself, "this high caliber round was custom made which suggests the proficiency of the gunman. But there's no sign of blood found anywhere near the round that broke that window. I doubt the shooter wasn't aiming for someone, so it's most likely he missed his initial target who may have been moved out of the way."

He then compared the caliber with the one that hit Catwoman, "The caliber that hit Selina was smaller, more appropriate to a handgun, not a rifle, plus each were fired from a different range. Maybe the shooter dropped through the skylight and switched to a sidearm."

Batman got on his comms, "Oracle, I'm sending you the data for two custom made rounds, and their respective ranges. Use the batcomputer to simulate the schematics of the firearms they were shot from, and then cross reference them with possible suspects matching their profile."

Oracle did as requested then informed, "At least two dozen people came up, most if not all are just above your typical hitman, and two are in prison."

"Narrow it down by psychological profile, namely one who would be willing and skilled enough to assassinate Salvatore Maroni on his own turf."

"Alright, also, maybe the shooter wasn't gunning for Sal, but Takame instead?"

"That's possible, see what you can find out."

"Okay, give me a second."

After some silence, she came back on.

"Alright, one name did come up."

"Who?"

"Floyd Lawton."

Batman creased his eyebrows, "Deadshot."

"According to recent records, he's supposed to be in a high security detention facility."

"They always find a way out." he gritted.

He then investigated the area of impact, and noticed the main table was overturned, with all its chairs flipped over.

"Maroni, and Takami were most likely sitting here, who quickly built when the first shot hit." Batman said.

"Hang on," Barbara interrupted, "if Floyd was sniping from that crane, then there's no way in hell he'd miss either of them. He could've capped both of them with a single shot, and you know it."

"I'm aware of his skill." Batman said, "Something may not have gone according to plan."

He then inspected the warehouse and discovered a camera. After calibrating his cowl to highlight its wiring feed, he followed it into the monitoring room. Once inside he was treated to a grid of monitors showing where the other cameras where placed, but unfortunately none of them had a recording feature and were most likely used as look outs.

"Maroni most likely didn't want these recording because they could be used evidence against." he said to himself.

Yet this did not mean they had no clues to offer, on the contrary, sometimes what is unseen had a lot to show if you knew where to look. As Batman examined each monitor he found one covering the roof with the crane in view.

"Oracle, I think I know how Deadshot missed. Whoever was in this security booth must have spotted him setting his shot up, then warned Maroni just in time."

"Do you think Floyd dropped then through the window to finish them off at close range?"

"It's possible, but Floyd wouldn't just drop into the middle of group of armed men, especially when he's been found out."

"Maybe it wasn't Deadshot."

"That's crossed my mind too, I'll return to the warehouse and examine the bodies, maybe they can help us identify who the real shooter is."

Returning back to where the gunfight happened, Batman scanned as many battle signs found in the bodies and walls as he could, "Oracle judging by the varying trajectories from each of these gunshots implies the shooter was incredibly agile and athletic. A lot of these vantage points suggests he was dodging incoming fire while retuning at the same time."

He then spotted two bodies side by side that painted a clearer picture.

"Barbara there are two bodies here, one with a high caliber wound that came from the same distance as the crane, and the other has been stabbed. The state of congealment suggests they were inflicted simultaneously."

"A long range weapon and a close range weapon used at the same time? Then that can only mean…"

"Exactly, there were at least two assassins working together."

Barbara gasped, "Who on earth would go to such lengths to have Maroni killed?"

"It has to have something to do with his new business partner Takame. Whoever he is, he must have brought some powerful enemies with him, and Yuki and Ame are involved somehow."

"Then we need to find them as soon as possible, there's no telling what kind of danger they're in."

"Stay calm Barbara, we've no idea what we're really dealing with yet."

"You're right, I know. If we can only find Ivy, we can get to the bottom of this."

"Actually, we have another lead we can try first."

"Oh?"

"We just need to be willing to play a little game."

…

Within the dark and dreary chasms of the bat-cave, where stalactites formed a toothy jaw, Alfred was tending to Catwoman with the tenderest of care and utmost precision. Her condition was still critical, but stable, who had yet to awaken.

Soon the thunder-tones of the bat-mobile resonated along the walls until it roared onto its platform. Batman leapt out holding Riddler's gaming device who took a moment to stop by the medical bay to check on Catwoman's condition.

"How is she?"

"See for yourself, Master Bruce." said Alfred shifting for him to have a better look.

Selina's afflictions had been surgically widened so every fragment could be removed cleanly and collected into a petri dish. As for the shattered ribs, Alfred was in the process of fuzing them with metal plates.

"All that needs to be done now, are the stitches and bandages and soon will have her in post anesthesia recovery." Alfred then could not help but add, "I must say this hearkens my memory back to your earlier career Master Bruce."

"I'm sure Selina will appreciate the experience you've gotten on my account."

"In due time we shall see." said Alfred suturing Catwoman's flesh back together, "In the meantime I have run the reconstruction diagnostic for the ballistics awaiting for you at the computer. Also, with the help of Mrs. Hana, I have been able to successfully gain access to Yuki's email account."

"Thanks Alfred." said Batman walking towards the mainframe, who stopped to ask, "And how is Hana?"

Alfred glanced back mid stitch, slightly astonished, and said, "She has yet to call upon me for anything, but I have heard crying coming from her room from time to time. I assume she is naturally mourning the loss of her children and have let her alone until she is ready."

Batman said nothing then went to the computer to go over the data. The bullet reconstruction calculated tan 85% accuracy rate to its original form who began cross referencing its design with any other weapon and person aside from Deadshot.

As it was processing, he began hooking Riddler's gaming device up, firewalls active of course. Lastly, he put into text the final audio recording Riddler had given him and displayed it on the corner screen.

The cross referencing was completed and the results showed that it was likely military made, but not affiliated with any group or persons on record. He slouched in his chair and looked at the gaming monitor that now showed Riddler's logo swirling in circles above the 'press start' prompt.

Batman first ran a malware diagnostic which came back clean, then entered the game. The main hub world came on screen which was an overhead view of what appeared to be Gotham city with a bat wearing a blindfold flapping in place, thy player character. There were many icons he could steer his character towards, which most likely were levels and such, but which one to choose first?

He read the riddle over again in hopes that some hidden clue might point him in the right direction. Eventually Alfred strolled up behind him and looked over everything he had set up.

"Are you sure playing video games is a productive use of your time sir?" he said with a playful tone.

"It's a riddle box Nygma had waiting for me," he answered, "he seemed to suggest that all the answers are held in here if I reach the top score."

"And if you fail?"

"I'm not sure. So far the bat-computer hasn't detected any malware or trojans in the device. At the very least I'd expect some kind of kill stick that'd brick the device if I failed the game, but so far it seems like a regular gaming console with no strings or traps."

"How unlike Mr. Nygma." Alfred observed.

"I know, in fact the death trap he had waiting for me was fairly simple to navigate. If I didn't know better, I'd say Riddler was actually trying to help me."

Alfred frowned, "Why would one such as Mr. Nygma want you to succeed?"

Batman sat back rubbing his eyebrow and said with a chilling tone, "Because he's scared."

"Scared of whom? You?"

"Of the king."

"Begging your pardon sir?"

Pointing to the riddle written down he said, "The death trap and his last riddle were chess metaphors. There's a reference and a warning not to go straight for the king, who is the real mastermind behind everything that's happened. From what I'm gathering, there's been an invisible war brewing between powerful factions. Factions so powerful that they could threaten the entire world on their own, and it's about to boil over."

"If it's such a cataclysmic end Nygma hopes you'll prevent, then why not simply reveal everything he knows to you in a single go?"

Wiping his jaw, Batman answered, "Because whoever these factions are, they're more than capable of finding out if he was the whistle blower, and there's no telling what would happened to him. But if he can leak the information in the most indirect way possible, it might keep him off the radar."

Alfred nodded and looked over the hub world, "So…how does one play this game exactly?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Around that time another grumble of engine acoustics came down the access path. It was Robin's motorcycle who leapt off the moment his kickstand went down.

Jogging up the steps he said, "Barbara filled me on most of what's going on. How's Catwoman?"

"She's fine." Batman said abruptly, "Any luck on locating Ivy?"

"Not exactly, but Barb was able to track those pheromones to an abandoned subway station that may have served as a laboratory she used when cooking up those monster plants."

"What makes you say that?"

Tim took out some research notes and diagrams of plant leaves and double helixes and added, "These are the blue prints behind that chlorophyl sample you took at the museum."

Batman looked them over and commented, "It seems like Ivy was working on a new species of plant. Ones that could specifically detect certain DNA strands and respond accordingly."

"What kind of responses?" Tim asked with a hint of unease.

Batman pulled up the security footage of the heist and replayed the moment the plants took action.

"Look here, this one begins shooting barbs that were gunning only for Maroni and Takame. And here, the other one emits some kind of mist that doesn't seem to be effecting anyone else, except Yuki and Ame."

Robin watched the teenagers become suddenly placid and approach the vines like dullards who allowed themselves to be wrapped up and carried away without a fight.

"I'm guessing it produced one of Ivy's mind controlling pheromones that were bioengineered to effect Yuki and Ame specifically." Batman said before closing the feed.

Robin folded his arms and pondered out loud, "But what would Ivy want with Yuki and Ame to begin with?"

"It's not so much Ivy, but the one she's working for."

"You mean the culprit who put Giro up to all that nasty business in Tokyo last year?"

"Exactly. Riddler referenced him as the King, and playing this game is the only way to learn more about who it is."

Robing looked over it and asked, "So, how do you play?"

Alfred spoke, "That is what we are trying to discover."

Robin studied it then said, "Can I try it?"

Batman looked at him dubiously but Alfred said, "Sir, I believe when it comes to electronic video games, a teenager's intuition would prove most valuable."

The dark knight moved away and let Robin take control while he began going through the emails Riddler and Yuki were exchanging with each other. He began running encryptions and ciphers to see if there were any encoded messages.

While that was going on Alfred asked of Robin, "How are things coming with the game Master Drake?"

Tim furled his brows, "Well it's not giving me much hint on what locations are playable levels. And when you do discover a level, it won't let you play it because it's not in the right order."

"Well, then I suppose we must discover level one."

"That's it!" Robing exclaimed, "Level one has to be where it all began, the museum."

He guided the bat icon to the museum and selected it, but was met with a buzzer.

"I don't get it." he gritted.

Batman answered, "Because the museum is not where this all began."

Tim rubbed the back of his head, "Well how are we supposed to know when this king started all of this?"

The caped crusader came over, "The player icon is a bat, so it's where it started for me."

"Oh that's easy, you got mixed up in all this when there was that breakout at Arkham…Asylum…" Robin trailed off then immediatley moved to the infamous institution and pressed select. The game chimed and the screen changed to a side scroller featuring a crude looking Batman on some kind of platforming venture.

It was fairly standard run and gun level where Batman could jump off walls and launch batarangs to navigate and remove threats along the way. Things took a dark turn when reaching the top level where the wall blew out where Freeze, Penguin, Two-Face, Killer Croc, Scarecrow and Joker jumped out. They all pointed and laughed at the dark knight then ran off screen baiting the player into chasing them.

As Robin did so, the screen changed to a selection screen of the rogue's gallery mentioned, with words blazing 'who was first?'

Batman pointed, "Killer Croc."

"But I thought it was Joker you were tracking that originally that brought you to Japan."

"Yes, but it's asking for the first of them I captured. It was Waylon Jones."

Robing selected the scaly giant who was congratulated with pixilated confetti and Riddler's recorded voice.

"Congratulations on completing the first stage of this pile of pixelated power fantasy. You know what I find most amusing about video games? They're free from all logic!"

"Sheesh." Tim sulked.

"Let it play."

"Don't get too full of yourself dark knight, the game only gets harder from here, but alas I will now give you your first clue on what you're truly up against. In fact, I will be so generous as to help you discover who the king is!"

Batman hardened his scowl.

"Yes indeed! The true master mind behind all these escapades is an early game easter egg, just be sure to heed my initial warning before you proceed."

The screen then changed to a point and click type CD-ROM of the exhibit that had taken place earlier tonight. Robin would click on an artifact which would bring up a detailed history, but nothing more interactive than that.

"Click on the weapons." Batman said.

Robin did as instructed and pulled up the swords that were embroidered with the kanji of the ancient Razaro clan. There was quite the wealth of information including how the steel was folded, but there was something else that had Batman intrigued.

"That's interesting."

"What is?"

"The blade and hilt are comprised of different metals that are welded together, a concept originating from the Vered Jericho sword of ancient Israel dating as far back as 600 b.c."

"Do you think this Razaro Samurai clan originally came from the middle east?"

"That, or their sworn enemies did."

Batman then leaned forward, "What a minute, I've seen other weapons forged similar to this and recently."

He then commandeered the controller and began scrolling through the rest of the Razaro artifacts stopping on the demon faced chalice. He read through its ceremonial purposes including the warrior drinking from it to gain immortality.

"Oh my God…" Batman said which unsettled everyone else.

"What is it?"

Turning towards Alfred and Robin he declared, "I know who the king is."