A/N: Well, this chapter turned out longer than I expected. Not sure if it'll be like this for the rest of the story, but if so, then so be it.
Oh, Bruce Wayne finally appears in this series! I've been wanting to write him in for a long time, ever since Vengeance and Punishment. Hell, I even thought about having him help the Boys in some way or form, but then, that would've taken away from the whole point of them being the Boys.
Music: Scarecrow's Theme From Batman Arkham Asylum
Alice looked around, finding herself back in the sewers of Gotham. At her feet was the body of Mouse, her best friend and the closest thing to a brother. How did she get here? She was supposed to be in a cell in Bagalia, with Cartwright forcing her to inhale… a tube full of...
Fear gas. Alice shuddered, realizing none of this was real. She's still in Bagalia. She wasn't in the sewers, with the only thing keeping her company was Mouse's body. Beth gulped in fear, remembering the last time she was exposed to the fear gas. She had hallucinations of Mabel Cartwright, the Queen of Hearts. But here, in the sewers...
A blue blur suddenly zoomed forward, slowing down to reveal a man wearing the American flag for a cape. In his hands was a body wearing a black suit with a bright red bat symbol on the chest. The head appeared smashed in two, but Beth knew who it was.
"Homelander." Alice gasped, as the supe dropped the body at her feet. "Please, please, don't hurt me-"
"Why?" Homelander asked nonchalantly. Alice looked up, and her breath hitched at a horrifying sight. Instead of a complete face, Homelander had both eyes missing, with the entire right side of his face blown off. In addition, the top of his head had been popped off, with pieces of his brain missing- the same way his corpse appeared when Frank and the Boys killed him.
The ghoulish apparition lunged forward, grabbing Alice's shoulder, and drew his hand back.
"I'm the world's greatest superhero. I can do whatever the fuck I want." Homelander grinned, as Alice saw his hand form into a fist. "You should be thanking me. I'm doing you a favor by reuniting you with your dyke sister."
Alice screamed, just as Homelander's arm went through her stomach, and her vision faded to darkness.
1105 Hours
"No, stop!" Alice screamed loudly, though her voice was muffled by the oxygen mask placed on her face. She didn't go anywhere at all. She was still in that cell in Bagalia, sucking down fear gas.
"I can't do this! I can't!"
1145 Hours
Getting real tired of this bullshit. HYDRA goons putting me in comas, only to take me back to the cell. Gotta find a way out of here. Gotta find Bill, and I gotta find Alice.
Frank groaned, opening his eyes to stare up at the dark ceiling of the isolation chamber, while a loud banging was heard against the door. When the banging persisted, Castle slowly stood up, looking over at the door to see a HYDRA agent glaring at him through the square gap that served as a window.
"Your time has fucking come, Castle." the agent sneered. "You're gonna fucking die for what you did today."
"That right?" Frank scoffed. "What happened to Zemo wanting me for a pet?"
"He's finally come to his senses and realized you're useless." the agent laughed. "You, your friend Russo, and that bitch Alice are gonna be executed tomorrow."
Frank narrowed his eyes, as the gears in his head began turning.
Shit. If we're planned to be executed tomorrow, I really gotta get them out of here. Luckily, I know just the thing.
"Why wait?" Frank challenged. "How about you and your Nazi fuck buddies get this over with? Or are you still scared of what Zemo will do to you?"
The guard's anger flared, and he reached through the door's window.
"You motherfuck-"
Frank's own arm shot out, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it at an odd angle.
"Scream and your fingers are next- one by one." Castle threatened in a low voice. "You know I'll do it."
The guard bit back a yell of pain, as he looked at the Punisher in fear.
"What… what do you want?"
Frank simply smirked, leaning closer to be mere inches away.
"Open this door."
Music: "Aer Vis" by Sean Householder (The Warrior Song)
1155 Hours
Millie felt someone shaking her shoulder, causing her to wake up to see a woman with dark red hair staring back at her. It only took her a few seconds to remember she was the bird's pilot. Val, short for Valkyrie. Millie didn't personally know her, but she did know Frank and the rest of the Boys. One of the original members, Dax, had been her best friend, back when they ran around with a group of mercenaries. A shame he died during Chaos Day, killed by Homelander himself. Kessler would have loved to meet him.
"Are we there yet?" Millie asked dryly, standing up in the Blackhawk.
"Close. Five minutes." Val reported. Millie nodded, as she secured her gear.
"Thanks for doing this." Kessler smiled, as she and Val shook her squad mates awake, starting with Clayton and Keener.
"Frank was a friend of Dax's." Val reminded her, while waking up Alice. "He's my friend too."
Millie grinned, checking her watch. 11:57. Three minutes.
"Alright, we all know what we're doing?" Kessler announced, seeing Alice, William, and Harley nodding in agreement.
"Good. Before we go, I'm gonna leave us all with this reminder."
Millie took a deep breath, before she paraphrased what Frank had told her, when they first met.
"There is a great and terrible beast loose in the world of men. It awoke in the dark times, to fight a terrible enemy. It stormed through Europe, across the beaches of the far Pacific, and crushed the evil that it found there under its feet. But when it reigned victorious, when the crooked cross fell and the rising sun set, the Great Beast's keepers found they could not put it back to sleep. The Beast had many heads, each with written names: Lockheed. Bell. Monsanto. Dow. Grumman. Colt. Even Vought, for a time. And the Beast had many more, and all were hungry.
"So the Great Beast must be fed; and every generation, we go to war to do just that. A war for war's sake, usually one that can be avoided… but not today. But the Beast, it doesn't care, as long as there's blood. Whether it's theirs or our own, it makes no difference, just as long as it's in unspeakable quantities. And so today, when we reach Bagalia, our time has come. Today is the day we feed the Beast."
Millie looked each of her friends in the eyes, taking in their grim expressions. Before she could add anything, Valkyrie's voice cut through the chopper, as the doors automatically opened.
"Guys, if you're gonna jump, do it now!"
Kessler quickly nodded, as she, Alice, Harley, and William stood at the edge of the bird, preparing to jump out into the wind below.
"Never forget-" Millie shouted over the wind. "We get dirty, so that the world stays clean!"
Deciding not to wait for their reply, Kessler jumped out of the Blackhawk, free falling through the sky. Below her was a dense forest that was getting closer by the second. Thirty seconds later, she opened up her parachute, crashing through several tree branches, but otherwise landed safely.
"Dammit." Millie grumbled, picking out twigs from her uniform and unclipping the parachute, before activating her earpiece. "You guys good?"
"Copy." Alice's voice echoed, just before Pierce herself entered Kessler's field of vision.
"Roger that." William replied.
"I copy." Harley added.
"Great." Millie smirked, reaching up to the top of her helmet and pulling a face mask over herself. A facemask that was modelled to look like the skull on Frank's Punisher vest.
"Good Girl, with me. Arrow and Mechanic, stick together. Let's move out."
1205 Hours
While Alice was still under the influence of fear gas, the scenery changed to the foyer of Wayne Manor with herself sitting at the piano. In front of her was Jacob Kane, having his gun raised.
"You're a failure, Alice." Jacob said harshly. "You got Kate killed."
"No, no!" Alice shouted, backing away. "It was Homelander! He killed Kate!"
"He should've killed you!" Jacob roared, aiming his gun at her head. "But don't worry, I'll fix that!"
"No, please!" Alice pleaded, but Jacob didn't listen, squeezing the trigger, and her vision suddenly went black.
"Stop it!" Alice sobbed, as she continued to inhale the fear gas. "It wasn't me, it was Homelander!"
1215 Hours
Frank walked down the cell block, peering into the individual cells to try to find Billy. Unfortunately, his hopes would turn to disappointment, as he would see nobody but criminals.
Every cell I looked in, another piece of shit reared their ugly head. Supes, assholes that the Avengers fought before, even normal ass murderers and rapists were in here. Again, I asked myself, why? Bagalia's supposed to be a nation of supervillains, not a super max for them.
Just as Frank was about to give up, he turned a corner to find Russo in a corner cell. Upon seeing his friend, Billy jumped up, grabbing onto the bars.
"Frank!" he yelled out loud. "They took Alice!"
"Yeah, I figured." Castle muttered, striding over to the cell door and pulling out a set of keys. Thank god the guard still had them on his person.
"You got an idea where?" Frank asked, unlocking the cell door and yanking it open. Billy shook his head, staring at his friend in worry.
"After those HYDRA agents knocked you out, the Warden said he was going to have fun with her before her therapy." Russo murmured, as he ran a hand through his hair. "Oh God, what are they doing to her?"
Never seen him this worried before. Not even when he was threatened by A-Train.
Frank placed his hands on Billy's shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eye.
"Bill, I promise you, we'll find her, yeah?"
Russo slowly nodded, and his face peeled up into his usual smile, seemingly forgetting they were in a cell block.
"Thanks Frankie."
Frank gave a short nod, looking back toward the end of the hallway.
"Okay… let's go get her."
1225 Hours
Just outside of the walls of Bagalia's prison, Millie looked through a pair of binoculars, seeing a pair of towers at the South side, each with one guard.
"Arrow, need you to take out the guard towers."
"On it Butcher."
Kessler smirked, watching as two arrows flew seemingly out of nowhere, hitting the guards in the chest with deadly accuracy.
"I still don't get why you chose that nickname." Alice muttered, once Millie lowered the binoculars.
"Same reason you chose yours- to mock our tormentors." Millie shrugged. "Besides, Punisher was already taken."
"That's… that's fair." Alice sighed, as Kessler scanned the prison with the scope of her rifle, seeing an electric generator near the front gate's guardhouse.
"Mechanic, I'll need you to hack the generator- and security cameras."
"Consider it done." Harley's voice said cheerfully. Seconds later, Millie noticed the outdoor gates opening up, as well as the cameras freeze.
"The prison's blind. Emergency power will come on in thirty seconds."
"Copy that." Millie muttered, as she marched forward.
"You know that will raise the alarm, right?" Alice asked. "Zemo will know something is wrong."
"It's a risk we had to take." Kessler replied, without looking over her shoulder.
"But hey, it's Frank, I'm sure they'll be fine."
At the citadel, Zemo sat alone in his office, reading a book on Machiavelli. The same one he had during his time in prison, before Thomas Elliot helped him escape. Ah, it was a shame the Punisher had to kill him. A greater shame he could not convince Frank to join him, since they really did have similar views on so called "superheroes"…
The doors to Zemo's office were thrown open, and Mouse stormed in, wearing a displeased look on his face.
"That bitch Tatiana just killed the warden." Cartwright seethed. Zemo raised an eyebrow, setting his book down and clasping his hands in front of him.
"Yes, she had already reported to me in the matter." Helmet replied crisply. "Seeing as how he had attempted to rape Miss Kane, I am not sorry to see him go. Furthermore, he was a loose end, one that I should have let be tied by SHIELD or Homelander years ago."
Jonathan narrowed his eyes in anger, stepping forward to the center of the room.
"And have you also seen that the generators to the prison have been cut? After you instructed the guards to have them executed? That can't be a coincidence!"
"Regarding Warden Boss? Unfortunately, it is." Zemo sighed, reaching under his desk and pressing a hidden button. "Regarding Frank Castle, however, certainly not."
Mouse looked at the baron curiously, as Zemo stood up from his desk.
"What are you up to?" Jonathan asked. Helmut merely smiled, staring out the nearby window.
"Castle's allies are trying to rescue him. His surrogate daughter Kessler, most likely." Zemo explained. "No doubt Mallory betrayed us, but it doesn't matter. They will all die here."
1230 Hours
Frank and Billy walked with purpose, seemingly dashing through the cell block, when the lights suddenly went out. Castle frowned, stopping in his tracks, and crimson colored lights flickered on.
"Shit." Frank muttered, as a siren-like alarm went off. Russo grimaced, as the cell doors slowly opened.
"That's… that's not from the power being out."
Damn right. The emergency power would've kept the doors shut. Which can only mean one thing.
"Zemo." Frank growled, while four inmates stepped out of their cells.
"Hey look, it's Castle!" a bald man with a goatee shouted, pointing to Frank. "And he's wearing HYDRA's duds!"
Frank and Billy clenched their fists, before charging at the inmates. Castle roared loudly, throwing a haymaker into the first criminal's face, then followed with smashing his forehead against another's in a headbutt. Billy was right behind him, kicking an inmate to the ground and digging his thumb into the final criminal's eye, before punching him in the groin area.
"We're wasting time!" Russo shouted, running past the fallen inmates. "We need to find Alice!"
"Right." Frank muttered, kicking one of the inmates back down, before following after Billy.
Not sure where she was, or what kind of therapy she was getting. All I knew was Bill was scared for her, and we needed to find her fast.
1235 Hours
Alice's vision was blinded by fire, forcing her to strain her eyes. Kane saw a blazing inferno, burning across a hilly landscape before her, annihilating anything in its way. With a chill, Alice realized that the fear gas was making her relive the destruction of Coryana, as evidenced by the roses that quickly burned before her very eyes.
"No…"
The scenery suddenly shifted to the medical room in Bagalia, where she was strapped to a gurney. The room had taken a darker tint, signalling she was, unfortunately, still under the effects of the fear gas. She began to sob, all the while hyperventilating from the hallucinations.
"Alice!"
Kane twisted her head to the side, seeing Billy barge into the room with his gun raised.
"Billy." Beth smiled, as she continued struggling. "Billy, you're here!"
"Don't worry, I'm here." Billy said softly, quickly walking over and starting to undo the straps on the gurney.
"Bill, stop."
Alice looked past Russo, seeing Frank standing in the doorway.
"Leave her, Bill. She's sick."
"No, we can save her." Billy insisted.
"She's a lost cause." the Punisher shot back. "She's better off dead."
"No." Alice pleaded. "Billy, you know that's not true."
"She's a maniac, Bill." Frank told his friend. "She has to be punished."
Billy looked over at Alice, before nodding in indifference.
"You're right." Russo murmured. "She's not worth it. Her sister was right for abandoning her."
"No." Alice whispered, as Billy and Frank turned to leave. "No! Don't leave me! Don't leave me!"
Russo didn't answer, and slammed the door shut, leaving Alice to sob even harder.
1240 Hours
Billy raced down the halls of the prison, looking through every door as quick as he could. It seemed like he was going a hundred miles an hour, as he spared a quick glance through cell doors. An inmate here, an empty room there… Billy was beginning to think she wasn't in the prison anymore-
Wait. Russo squinted at one door in particular, seeing Alice hunched over in a chair, with a tube attached to her mouth. Billy followed the tube, seeing it was connected to a large tank that was decorated in an upside down bat symbol, with triangular eyes. His eyes widened, remembering that he saw images of these tanks before- in classified files of the Gotham based terrorist known as the Scarecrow.
"Oh God." Billy's eyes widened, beginning the jiggle the door handle. Unfortunately, it seemed that it was locked from the inside. Russo grit his teeth, as he began to ram his shoulder into the door.
"Alice!"
Millie and Alice quickly walked through the prison's main complex building, moving past the front desk and coming across the personal belongings room.
"Wait." Kessler ordered, stopping to open the door and scan the small area. As her eyes glided across the rows and rows of clear boxes, she finally landed on three in particular.
Castle, Frank.
Russo, Billy.
Kane, Beth.
The last one made Millie stifle a laugh, as she took the containers from the shelf.
"What are you doing?" Alice asked curiously, while Millie placed the boxes on a book dolley in the corner.
"Well, if we're going to get Frank and Billy back, they'll want their own gear, right?" Kessler pointed out.
"And Alice?"
Millie stopped, staring at the box that had a pink jacket and skirt inside, with a ballisong knife resting on top.
"Call it a courtesy." Millie shrugged, before wheeling the dolly out.
"Let's go find them."
Music: "Inner Demon" from Batman Arkham Knight OST
Alice screamed in anguish, twisting her body to the side and causing the entire gurney to fall over. She cried out, struggling to free herself from the restraints, but once freed, Alice ran over to the medical room's door. Unfortunately, it was locked tight from the outside, much to her despair.
"No… I can't do this again." Alice wept, her eyes scanning the room and resting on a scalpel on the table. She reached out, grabbing the small tool, and held it up to her throat. The last time she tried this, her father had been there to stop her. Now, no one would come. She had no one left.
"I can't… I can't do this again-"
Alice suddenly heard the door crash open, and she looked over her shoulder, seeing Billy standing in the doorway.
"No!" Russo yelled in surprise, reaching out to her. "Alice, don't do this."
"Go away!" Alice yelled at him, as she felt hot tears stream down her face. "You're not real!"
"Alice, it's me!" Billy insisted, inching closer. "I'm real. It's the real me, I'm here."
"You left!" Alice retorted. "You and Frank left me here!"
"No, that wasn't me." Russo told her. He had an idea what she was getting at; that the fear gas made her see him leave, but it wasn't real. "I swear, I'm here. The real me is standing right here, and I'm not going anywhere."
Alice hesitated, staring into Billy's eyes, before turning away from him.
"I'm sorry, Billy…" Alice whispered, pressing the scalpel to her neck. "I can't do this… I'm not strong like you."
"You are, Alice." Billy told her, stepping forward. "I know you feel like you've lost everything, but you haven't. So can you please… please give me the scalpel?"
Alice slightly shook her head, closing her eyes.
"I don't… I don't know how to tell you're real."
"The fear gas is still running through your system." Billy realized, as he stepped in front of Alice, resting his hands on the side of her head. He knew what he was about to do was a risky gamble, but he had to try. Frank told him he used to try this whenever Millie had nightmares of Necropolis, so maybe it would work for him too.
"Alice… Beth." Russo murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. "It's just you and me Beth. Just you and me."
Alice opened her eyes, staring into Billy's, and opened her fingers, allowing the scalpel to clatter to the floor. She began sobbing once more, and Billy pressed her head into his chest.
"I'm sorry." Alice sobbed, while Russo kept her close. "I'm sorry Billy."
"Hey, you're okay." Billy whispered. "You're okay. I'm here now."
They stayed like that for some time. An hour. Three. It didn't matter. What mattered to Alice was that Billy had come for her.
"'I wish I hadn't cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. 'I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears!'" Alice recited, as she sniffled against Russo. Billy pressed her closer, rubbing her back in a desperate attempt to comfort her.
"'Just then she heard something splashing about in the pool a little way off, and she swam nearer to make out what it was: at first she thought it must be a walrus or a hippopotamus, but then she remembered how small she was now, and she soon made out that it was only a mouse that had slipped in like herself.'"
Alice slightly stopped crying, realizing that Billy had recited a passage from her book.
"You… you've read Alice In Wonderland?"
Though he didn't say anything right away, she felt his chin bob up and down.
"Yeah."
Despite her face buried in his chest, Alice smiled, almost laughing to herself. Maybe they were meant for each other after all.
"Bill."
Alice lifted her head from Billy's chest, seeing Frank standing in the doorway. Instead of his skull vest, however, he wore a HYDRA uniform.
"We need to go." Castle reminded them. "Zemo knows we got out, remember?."
Billy sucked in a breath, before looking at Alice.
"You good?"
Kane wiped her eyes, and nodded.
"Okay." Billy nodded in kind, before looking over to Frank.
"Let's go."
Frank, Billy, and Alice ran down the cell block, turning a corner to see three inmates blocking their path.
"Well well." one of the criminals, a bald African American, said while licking his lips. "Looks like we're having fish for dinner!"
Castle stepped forward, balling up his fists. Before he threw a punch, three gunshots rang out, and the inmates all had bloody holes in their chests. Frank tilted his head to the side, as the inmates all fell to the ground, revealing two individuals in spec ops uniforms. One had reddish-blonde hair and was holding a smoking pistol in her hands, while the other wore face mask over their head and was pushing along a dolley that would normally carry books. But what caught Frank's eye the most was the fact that the face mask was decorated with a certain skull.
All it took was seeing her wear my skull that tipped me off. That and her partner in crime. Or battle buddy, as we know in the Marines.
"Hey Mill." Frank grinned, before glancing over to the other woman. "Pierce."
The soldier pushing the dolley reached up, lifting her mask to reveal the face of Millie Kessler.
"Hey Frank." Millie greeted in return. "Looks like we showed up just in time."
"Yeah." Frank nodded, as he and Billy walked forward. "You got Keener and Clayton with you?"
"They're outside disabling the security, Mister Castle." Pierce informed. Frank nodded, while looking over at the dolley.
"We brought your toys too." Millie grinned, handing Frank, Alice, and Billy their containers. Once she gave Kane hers though, she looked directly into her eyes.
"I just want you to know, Frank, Billy, and Wayne are my priorities." Millie told her coldly. "You better keep up."
Alice smirked, accepting the challenge, and wordlessly nodded.
"Now get dressed."
"Right." Frank muttered, prompting himself, Russo, and Alice to strip their prison uniforms off and put their regular clothes on.
"You couldn't give us a room for privacy?" Alice asked dryly, while slipping her jacket over herself.
"Our unit has co-ed showers all the time." Millie snarked. "Besides, we don't have a lot of time. We're supposed to be in and out on this."
"You borrow a ride?" Frank asked, once he had his bulletproof vest secured on his person.
"Yeah. Valkyrie's waiting at the Slovakian border." Kessler reported. Frank nodded, checking his pistols, and looked up.
"Okay. Let's get moving, yeah?"
Music: "Gym Showdown" from Punisher Season 2 OST
1250 Hours
Millie and Alice led Frank and Billy outside, with Alice lagging behind. Billy looked over his shoulder, noticing she was almost… limping…
"Alice, what's wrong?" Billy frowned in confusion.
"I don't know…" Alice murmured. "It feels like my injuries from the fear gas… carried over…"
Russo's eyes widened, as he dashed over and picked Alice up bridal style. He didn't know how wounds from a hallucination could possibly manifest physically, but that didn't matter right now. They had to get her out of Bagalia, and fast.
"We have to leave ASAP!" Billy yelled, right before Alice reached up and touched his shoulder.
"Wait… we find Bruce first…"
Russo looked down at Kane, shocked at what he was hearing.
"Alice, we don't know how serious your injuries are." Russo murmured. "You could die-"
"I don't care." Alice interrupted. "I'm not leaving without my cousin."
Billy formed his mouth in a tight line, before slowly nodding. Meanwhile, Frank watched two young men, one carrying a bow and arrow with the other carrying a normal rifle, walked up to them.
William Clayton and Harley Keener. The other two members in Millie's squad. Good kids, being raised and mentored by Oliver Queen and Stark.
While Castle kept thinking internally, he suddenly felt a fist cross his cheek, sending him reeling back. Confused, he turned completely around, seeing that same woman in the black robe and sword dodging Millie's and her squad's gunfire, while kicking Russo and Alice to the ground. William fired an arrow at her, but she caught it just inches before it reached her face. What was her name again?
"Stupid girl." the woman snarled at Alice, unsheathing her sword from her back. "I'm going to enjoy killing all your friends and making you watch."
Oh yeah. Tatiana. The woman who trained Alice. Yeah, that sounds about right. Fucking forgot she stuck around the prison.
Millie rushed at Tatiana, but the assassin was quicker, sidestepping and kicking her in the stomach. Just as the assassin punched Millie to the ground, Frank tackled her away from the group, pulling out his knife and jamming it into her side. Tatiana gasped in surprise, before slamming her knee into his face and smashed her forehead into his.
Dammit, these League of Assassin types are no joke. But nothing I haven't handled before.
Frank pulled out his pistol, preparing to shoot at Tatiana, when a butterfly knife suddenly flew through the air and embedded into the woman's neck. The assassin gasped once more, before her body fell to the ground, making small movements.
Who the fuck is-
Castle looked over his shoulder, seeing Alice standing on shaking legs, her arm outstretched. So she was the one who threw the knife. Of course.
"I had that." Frank grunted, reaching down to retrieve the knife.
"I know." he heard Alice reply, almost in a panting voice. "But I wanted payback for what that bitch did to me."
Castle paused, his fingers nearly touching the knife, as he saw Tatiana still breathing.
"Please… let me go…" the assassin feebly gurgled out in desperation. "You can leave Bagalia…"
"I'm not leaving." Frank said bluntly, aiming his pistol at her head. He squeezed the trigger, and a bullet painted the ground with the back of her head.
"There's a lot of assholes I need to see." Frank muttered, yanking the knife out of the dead woman's neck and handing it back to Alice. Kane produced a weak smile, as she wobbled on her knees. Billy quickly caught her, slinging her arm around his shoulder.
"Whatever's happening to her, it's getting worse." Russo said in alarm, frantically looking around the prison entrance. Thankfully, some of those HYDRA agents left behind an armored truck.
"There." Billy pointed towards the vehicle.
"Perfect." Millie muttered, as she and her squad led Russo, Frank, and Alice towards the back. Castle climbed into the truck first, helping Billy and Alice up, while William and Harley got in after them. Millie and Alice took the two front seats, and Kessler quickly began driving away from the prison.
"Got an idea where Wayne is?" Pierce called back, looking over to Castle and Russo.
"He's in the citadel!" Frank told her. "Zemo said it himself!"
Though she wasn't the one addressed, Millie nodded, stepping on the gas and heading straight for the tower up ahead, which was decorated in red and black HYDRA banners.
"Zemo, what are we going to do?"
Helmut sighed, looking away from the window in his office to face Mouse, who was looking at him in anger and panic.
"The Punisher is coming, along with Alice and whoever else helped them escape!" Jonathan continued. "What was your plan here?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Zemo asked innocently. Cartwright took a deep breath, as he tried to calm himself.
"You brought the most dangerous man in the world… a man who lives to kill criminals, supes, and other villains… and you dropped him onto an island full of supervillains!" Mouse listed off. "And that just so happens to be the same island we are on!"
Cartwright panted from his rant, seeing Zemo's lips curl up into a sly smirk.
"Precisely." Helmut grinned, making Jonathan's face fall.
"This… this was your plan this whole time-"
Mouse suddenly felt a sharp pain in the middle of his back, and he fell to his knees in pain. A figure walked out in front of him, and he looked up, seeing Safiyah holding a bloodied knife.
"Your part in this is over… Mister Cartwright." Sohail murmured, standing right next to Zemo.
"Why?" Jonathan gasped out. "I did everything you both wanted… you promised me I'd have my revenge on Alice… I thought we had a shared vision…"
"And you failed to see it for what it really was." Zemo shrugged with indifference. Mouse feebly watched, as pressed several buttons on a control board attached to his desk. "It's like I told Frank Castle and Thomas Elliot from the very beginning: superheroes, and their supervillain counterparts, cannot be allowed to exist. Therefore, they must be destroyed."
With a final press of a button, Helmut smirked, as he and Safiyah looked outside. At first, there was nothing, but then…
Despite being in a cushy office in the citadel, the explosion had left a deafening impact that shook the entire building.
1300 Hours
Millie drove right up to the citadel, ramming through the front doors and crashing the transport into the first floor. In and instant, a dozen HYDRA agents rushed towards the vehicle, firing at the windshields. Kessler didn't waste anytime, as she and Alice quickly got out, returning fire, before they were joined by Frank, hefting two assault rifles.
Been a while since I've fought by Mill's side. It seemed every other time I loved her getting kidnapped, or vice versa. But damn, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it.
Frank let out a primal roar, causing Millie to look up in his direction and smirk. Just like her father figure, she too missed these… "bonding" moments.
Just as William and Harley jumped out of the truck to support their squad mates, a deafening explosion rocked the entire citadel, giving everyone pause. Even the HYDRA agents looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what was happening.
"What the fuck that?" Millie frowned. "Some kind of earthquake?"
Frank shook his head in confusion. An earthquake was damn near impossible. Zemo had the country rebuilt so it wouldn't be a watery crater between the Czech Republic and Slovakia-
Frank suddenly looked out his shoulder, seeing a mushroom cloud in the distance.
Oh. That would explain the explosion.
"Shit." Castle realized.
It was like I got hit by a freight train running two hundred miles an hour. Suddenly, it all made sense, why there were supervillains in the prison with us. This wasn't a safe haven for criminals and supes. It was a death camp, they just didn't know it.
Millie looked over towards Frank, seeing his grim expression, and immediately understood.
"Zemo's going to blow up Bagalia."
Frank slowly nodded, just as Billy and Alice exited the truck, with her arm over Russo's shoulder. Kane looked straight ahead, seeing the HYDRA agents running away, and took out her butterfly knife. With a precision that Billy thought would've been lost by now, she threw the knife through the air, embedding one of the guards in the leg,
"Oh God, let me go!" the agent pleaded, while Millie walked over towards him, pistol raised.
"Where's Wayne?" Kessler asked.
"I don't know anything." the guard said. Millie rolled her eyes, shifting the gun to the side and unloading around, making the agent jolt in fear.
"Oh, come on!" the guard begged. "I swear, I don't know where he is! Only Zemo and that bitch Safiyah knew!"
"Then where are they?" Kessler pressed.
"Probably in Zemo's office- top floor. You can't miss it." the guard said quickly. "That's it. That's all I know!"
Millie paused, looking over to Frank. All he did was give her a short nod, almost giving her permission to what she was going to do.
"Fair enough." Kessler sighed, moving the gun back to the agent and squeezing the trigger, coating the floor with his blood and brains. Millie holstered her pistol, as she turned back to scan the first floor, seeing an elevator in the corner.
"That way." Millie lead her squad, Frank, Billy, and Alice towards the metal box, ushering them inside before stepping in herself.
"Damn, it's low on power." William noted, taking apart the button panel and looking at the circuits. "Zemo must have cut it."
"Mechanic, can you fix it?" Pierce asked Harley.
"Sure can." Keener grinned, approaching the panel and pulling the wires. "Tony taught me a thing or two."
Just then, they all heard another explosion, this one closer to the citadel.
"Might wanna hurry." Frank murmured, while Billy and Alice braced themselves inside the elevator.
"Don't worry, I got it." Harley smirked, just as the elevator lit up again. In an instant, they all felt the box moving up. While most of them rode up to the top floor in silence, Alice tapped her earpiece, hearing Valkyrie's voice on the other end.
"What is it, Kessler?"
"Change of plans, Val." Millie told the pilot. "Zemo's planning on nuking the entire country. I'm gonna need you to extract us from the citadel shown in the briefing."
"Shit." Valkyrie cursed, before calming down. "Okay. I'm on my way. ETA will be fifteen minutes."
Millie grimaced, hearing yet another explosion rock the entire building, forcing William and Harley to crouch down.
"Try and get here sooner. I'm not sure we'll have fifteen minutes."
The elevator stopped at the top floor, with the doors sliding open. Frank and Millie were the first to jump out, with the rest of Hellhound Squad following behind to stay in front of Billy and Alice.
I was kind of expecting there to be a fuck ton of guards here. Instead we got treated to an empty hall. Guess all those assholes wised up and jumped ship when they realized Zemo was gonna nuke the country.
"STOP!"
A single HYDRA agent, with his dark brown hair and grey eyes shouted, popping out from behind a corner. Millie quickly raised her rifle, only to have Frank gently lower back down, as he studied the guard.
Kid looked about the same age as Millie. Maybe even younger… shit.
The guard's body was shaking all over, yet he still pointed his rifle directly at Frank's head. Castle sucked in a breath, as he slowly stepped forward, his hands raised.
"Easy kid." The Punisher murmured. The guard's eyes widened, taking a step back.
"Don't come any closer!"
Frank didn't listen, and continued closing the distance across the hall.
"I know… I know… I know you got your duty." Frank murmured. "We're the enemy, yeah? Put us down, take out HYDRA's enemies. But I don't want to have to kill you."
The young agent kept backing away, as his eyes were now the size of dinner plates.
"Now look… we're gonna go that way-" Frank nodded in the direction past the guard. "And you do what you gotta do."
The agent felt a massive lump of fear in his throat, as the Punisher, Hellhound Squad, Russo, and Alice simply walked past him. Along the way, Millie stopped, placing her hand on the agent's shoulder.
"I'd advise you get the fuck away from here." Kessler muttered. "Zemo's nuking his own country. He doesn't give a shit about you, or the people Bagalia is supposedly for."
The young man numbly nodded, and the group continued down the halls. As they looked through the doorways, trying to determine which room was Zemo's office, Alice let out a loud snicker.
"Didn't think the big bad Punisher would go soft on HYDRA."
Frank turned to look at Alice with a raised eyebrow, before letting out a soft sigh.
"He was just a scared kid. No older than Mill or Pierce." Castle barely whispered, turning away. "Probably didn't have a choice in joining HYDRA."
Millie said nothing, but she did stare at the ground, drowning out the explosions outside. Sometimes, she wondered how her life would've turned out, if she never met Frank Castle. Would her life had spiralled out of control? Would she had run into the arms of organizations that meant to harm others?
As Millie continued pondering this, she overheard a cry of anguish, and looking up, saw Alice and Billy staring through an opened door at the end.
"Mouse!" Alice let out a strangled gasp, as she staggered into the room. Frank, Russo, and Millie rushed in after her, while the rest of Kessler's squad stayed outside, in case there were more HYDRA agents out to attack them.
Castle was the first to step into the room after Alice, seeing a desk and chair a few feet away from them. Bookshelves lined the walls around them, and laying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood…
Alice looked down, seeing Mouse's unmoving body, and crouched low. His chest rose and fell in short breaths, as he looked up with glazed eyes.
"Mouse…" Alice murmured, feeling tears stream down her face. Seemingly hearing her voice, Cartwright slowly turned to look up at her, breathing heavily.
"Alice?" Jonathan murmured. "I'm sorry…"
"Why, Mouse?" Alice shook her head in confusion. "You had every right to be angry with me."
"Maybe…" Cartwright numbly nodded. "But the fear gas I had you ingest… was modified to transfer your injuries from your hallucinations."
Alice's eyes widened, realizing her's and Billy's hunch was right.
"How much time do I have?"
Jonathan sighed, looking over to a far bookshelf.
"It depends." Cartwright told her. "A few hours, a few minutes… the modifications were never finished, so it's all dependant on how much you've sustained."
Despite the pain Alice still felt in her stomach, she reached out, resting Jonathan's head on her lap.
"'O, Mouse!'" she sadly recited the same rhyme they had always spoken to each other. "'Do you know the way out of this pool? I am very tired of swimming in my own tears.'"
Mouse let out a small smile, as he feebly pointed towards the bookshelf opposite to them all. Frank followed his finger, seeing a certain black book on the third shelf, squinting to see the depiction of a golden bat outline on its spine.
"'I do know a way.'" Mouse whispered, as Castle briskly walked over to the bookshelf and pulled the bat book. In an instant, a mechanical whirring noise was heard, and the bookshelf opened up to reveal an iron door behind it.
"'I will help you escape your pool of tears.'"
Cartwright's arm hit the floor with a thud, and his chest stopped rising. Alice stared at her brother's now dead body in sadness, before using two fingers to close his eyes.
"Goodbye, Mouse."
Just as she finished closing his eyes, Alice felt a hand on her shoulder, and looking up, saw Billy standing over her.
"Come on." Russo told her softly. "Frank found something."
Frank and Millie slowly opened up the newly revealed door, finding a near pitch black room. The only light available was the one shining in from the opened door, making Castle squint to see a man chained to a chair, his back facing him. Scars ran all along his body, either as fresh crimson cuts or faded white lines, with a head of messy black hair all over the place and a scraggly beard to match. Frank frowned, stepping forward and grabbing the chair, turning it around to see a man with piercing blue eyes, looking down at the floor.
"Oh my God."
Frank looked over his shoulder, seeing Alice shrug off Billy's hand and run forward.
"Bruce!" she yelled, kneeling down and cupping Bruce Wayne's face, ignoring everyone else's stares. "Bruce, it's me! It's Alice- Beth."
Bruce painfully groaned, slowly looking up to meet her eyes.
"Beth?" Wayne asked in disbelief. "What… what are you doing here?"
"I've come here to get you out." Alice said quickly, as she tried to pry the chains loose. "Come on. Zemo's bombing his own country. We need to get out of here-"
"No." Bruce shook his head. "Leave me."
"Bruce, what are you talking about?" Alice shook her head, still trying to tear away the chains. "We need to get you out of here, that's the whole reason I came here-"
"Beth… don't."
Alice stopped, looking up and staring at her cousin in disbelief, just now realizing that he had a… broken look in his eyes. She hadn't seen him in over twenty five years, but she never remembered him looking like this before.
"Bruce… what happened to you?" she barely whispered. Wayne sadly turned away, staring into the darkness.
"I'm no better than any of the criminals here." Bruce closed his eyes in shame. "Thirteen years ago, I gazed into the abyss- and the abyss gazed back."
Gotham City
2015
Bruce Wayne, wearing the black as night Batsuit, stood perched on the rooftop of Wayne Tower, overlooking his city. It had been a week since the rogue AI Ultron destroyed Sokovia, and the world was in a state of shock. There were calls for the Avengers, and even other vigilantes, to answer for the damage they helped cause. Unfortunately, that led to the government trying to crack down on the Batman himself, despite the city fully supporting him. Nevertheless, government interference began to strain his relationship with the GCPD. Sure, they still used the batsignal, but it was very sparingly.
As Bruce mulled over his thoughts, a spotlight illuminated the dark night, with the shape of a black bat in the center. Speaking of the batsignal…
Wayne jumped off the ledge, divebombing straight down and extending his arms. His cape became rigid, forming wings behind him not unlike a bat, as he glided over the rooftops, stopping on the roof of the GCPD building. Batman slowly stood up to his full height, facing a man wearing glasses to accompany his gray hair and beard, watching him shut off the batsignal light. In his hands was an old fashioned cellphone, dark gray in color.
"Stay safe tonight, Barbara." the man spoke softly. "I don't want you out tonight."
Batman stepped closer, as his old friend shut off his phone, and turned around.
"Thanks for coming." the older man said gruffly. "I know this has become more… difficult, what with Stark's pet robot blowing up a foreign nation. Secretary Ross wants us to bring you in."
"I'll deal with Ross." Batman interjected, stepping forward and shaking his friend's hand. "How are you holding up, Jim?"
Jim Gordon sighed, pulling out a pipe from his dark blue coat and striking a match.
"Same as ever." Jim grunted, lighting his pipe and taking a puff. "I'm still moving on from what happened to Barbara. This city has become a bigger cesspit than ever before. We have Vought sending their money making 'supes' over here, and they're not as cautious as you or the big guy from Metropolis. Then there's that rumor that the League of Assassins were spotted in Starling City last night. At this rate, we're competing with Hell's Kitchen for being the biggest shithole in the country."
"I think we won that title long ago." the Dark Knight replied grimly, while Gordon stared out across the city. The air was quiet, with the skyline looking beautiful, but they both knew better. Beneath that beautiful exterior lied a dark, vile underbelly that ate through the heart of Gotham. One that granted haven to the criminals and supervillains that had amassed over the years, making the city a paradise for them.
As Jim closed his eyes, he heard the squawking of his shoulder's police radio, and a moment later, he heard a female officer's voice.
"All units, we've got a 10-90 at the Gotham Merchants Bank. Suspects are part of the Joker's crew, and are wearing clown makeup and purple colored undershirts."
Gordon's eyes widened, looking up from the radio.
"Hey, Batman-"
Jim looked around, seeing that he was alone on the building's rooftop. Gordon simply shook his head, before turning away towards the roof's exit.
"Every damn time…"
Music: "Fear Within" from Batman Arkham Knight OST
Bruce opened up his cape, landing safely on the ground. As he stood back up, the Batman tapped a small button on his gauntlet, and a holographic image appeared to show the face of an older man, older than even Gordon. His balding head retained some white hair, with a mustache to match, and round glasses over his eyes.
"Alfred, the Joker is robbing the Gotham Merchants Bank." Bruce reported. "Send the car to my GPS."
"Certainly Master Bruce." Alfred Pennyworth's voice chirped through Wayne's earpiece. Within minutes, a black, tank like vehicle with metal wings on the back wheels drove right up to Batman, causing him to jump up into the air. A cockpit door on the front opened up, and Bruce landed in the driver's seat, before racing down the streets of Gotham. The Batmobile was what it was called. The final weapon Lucius Fox created for his arsenal, before his untimely death outside a Sip&Dash convenience store.
The Batmobile roared down the road, twisting and turning throughout the city, until it finally reached the Gotham Merchants Bank. The car skidded to a halt, and Batman climbed out, looking up at the building's gold lettering. The moment he exited the vehicle, the sound of alarms assaulted his ears, mixed in with police sirens in the distance. Wasting no time, Bruce tapped his cowl, and the entire area became saturated in a deep blue. Behind the bank's doors were five armed men, filtered to look like orange skeletons.
Bruce scoffed, as he pulled out a small grapnel launcher and aimed at the building's roof. Only five? This was going to be easy.
Wayne pulled the trigger, and the grapnel cord shot out, latching onto the edge and pulling himself up. Just as he was about to reach the edge, Bruce picked up speed, launching himself into the air. In a split second, Wayne somersaulted in midair, spying a glass skylight, and aimed himself downward. The Batsuit's boots slammed into the glass, shattering the skylight, and Bruce dived down into the bank, startling the five robbers below him.
"Oh shit, it's Batman!" one of the criminals shouted. Wayne lashed out, punching the thug that noticed him in the face to knock him out, then delivered a roundhouse kick to the one next to him, sending him sprawling to the floor. The other three robbers turned around, aiming their guns at the Dark Knight, but Batman was faster, reaching into his belt and grasping a smoke pellet. Right before the men pulled their triggers, Bruce threw down the small bomb, enveloping the entire area in white smoke. The remaining criminals began coughing, and Bruce activated his detective vision, seeing three orange skeletons stumbling around.
Moving silently, Batman tackled the first thug to the ground, knocking him out with a single punch, and proceeded to fire his grapnel launcher at the second. The hook latched onto the criminal's shoulder, with Batman pulling the man towards him, slamming his arm into his face in a clothesline. The thug crumpled to the ground, leaving one man left standing. By that time, the smoke had cleared, allowing the man to see Batman and fire blindly with his rifle. Thinking quickly Wayne ducked, using his cape for cover, as the bullets ricocheted off his bulletproof armor. As the thug continued firing, Wayne quietly pulled out a small bat shaped projectile, called a batarang, and threw it at the criminal, embedding its sharp edges into his hand and forcing him to drop the rifle. Upon hearing the man scream, Batman stood back up, calmly walking over to him, and grabbing him by the throat.
"Where's the Joker?" Batman demanded, pushing the thug up against the wall. When the criminal didn't answer right away, Bruce, grabbed the batarang and twisted it deeper into the mand's flesh, causing him to scream loudly.
"Talk! Where is he?!"
"Fuck you!" the thug screamed. "I don't know! He didn't come with us!"
"Why?" Batman growled, twisting the batarang even more.
"I swear, I don't know!" the criminal yelled, staring at the Caped Crusader in terror. Bruce narrowed his eyes behind his cowl, before ramming his head into the criminal's, knocking him unconscious. Batman dropped the thug, turning back towards the bank and stepping forward, kicking the doors down and climbing into the Batmobile.
"Alfred, the Joker sent his men to the bank, but he wasn't with them." Bruce reported. "I'm heading back to the cave."
Instead of his butler's crisp, british accent, a horrifying crackle echoed through his communications.
"Oh good, Batsy. It's past your bedtime anyway."
Wayne's blood went cold, as he suddenly stomped on the gas pedal.
"ALFRED!"
The demonic cackling continued, as Batman tore through the streets.
"That's it, Bats. Fly home to Mommy and Daddy. We're just dying to see you… HAHAHAHA!"
The Batmobile drove straight through the waterfall and into the Batcave, screeching to a halt on a circular rotating platform. Before it stopped completely, Batman jumped out of the car, rushing over to the computer at the far end of the cave. There, he found the screen and keyboard vandalized with purple and green lettering spelling the simple word "Ha". Taped to the middle of the monitor was a note, written in big red letters.
Late late, Batsy! Let's see if you'll make it home for your family reunion! Mommy and Daddy are waiting!
Bruce frowned, staring intently at the note. He was already home. What was he talking about-
Wayne suddenly looked up in shock, crumpling the letter. It was so obvious, what didn't he see it before?
The Joker had taken Alfred to Crime Alley. Batman turned around, rushing back to the Batmobile and driving off. Alfred was his closest friend and family after his parents died. He'd be damned if he let him die.
Bruce drove through the streets like a maniac, making it to an old theater with the name Monarch emboldened on the doors. Just as he excited the Batmobile, Wayne heard several gunshots, fired rapidly from a machine gun. Bruce's eyes wideneed, realizing they were coming from the mouth of the alley.
Oh dear God, no…
Batman rushed to the side of the Monarch Theater and into the alley, ignoring the sign above that read Crime Alley, crudely painted red. Bruce ran as fast as he could, but nothing could prepare him for what happened next.
In the middle of the alley was a man with pale white skin, emerald green hair, blood red lips, and wearing a violet suit. In his hands was an Hunziker J-108 carbine rifle, which was furiously smoking at the barrel. And at his feet…
"Alfred!"
The Joker cruelly laughed, firing his weapon at the Dark Knight. Batman ducked and dodged, whipping out a batarang and throwing it right at the clown. The projectile slapped the firearm out of Joker's hands, and Bruce pushed him away, before kneeling down next to the older man with a balding head and pencil thin mustache.
"Alfred, you can't-"
Pennyworth coughed out blood, looking dazedly up at Wayne. The butler feebly reached out, grasping Batman's gauntleted hand.
"Master Bruce… don't add me… to the weight you carry…"
Alfred's hand went limp, and his head lulled back on the ground. As his blood soaked into the pavement, Bruce finally realized that there were two chalk outlines on the stone, drawn in the exact places that his parents, Thomas and Martha, were murdered, all those years ago.
"Ha, heh, heh, ha, ha…"
Bruce slowly looked back up, seeing Joker crawling towards the Hunziker.
"Late late, Batsy. Now poor old Alfred has reunited with Mommy and Daddy."
Batman's eyes burned with rage, as he rushed forward, tackling the Joker to the ground before he could reach his rifle. Joker wore a maniacal grin, as Bruce began to repeatedly punch him, forcing him to spit out blood against the alley's walls.
"Come on, Bats-" Joker cackled, in between blows. "-Is that all you've got?"
Batman's only response was to punch him even more, turning the clown's pale face into a bloody red mess. He only stopped, when Joker's laugh got softer, sounding more like a gurgle.
"That's it… I made you lose control…" Joker giggleed. "But we both know there's only one way to stop me."
Bruce narrowed his eyes, as he quickly pulled the clown to his feet, turning him around and wrapping his hands around his throat and head.
"Do it!" Joker laughed with glee. "You know you want to!"
Batman tightened his grip on Joker's throat, but still hesitated to do the deed.
"What are you waiting for?" Joker goaded. "You know I'll just go and kill somebody else! Who will be next? Gordon? Or should I just finish the job on Barbara? How about Lucius? Oh wait, he's already dead-"
That was the final straw for Bruce, and his twisted the Joker's head to the side with a sickening snap! The clown's body crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap, just as Gordon ran into the alley.
"Batman-"
Jim looked around, seeing the bodies of Alfred and Joker at the Dark Knight's feet. Bruce himself looked down at his hands, seeing them stained with blood.
Music: "Inner Demon" from Batman Arkham Knight OST
"Batman… what the Hell happened happened here?" Gordon asked. Wayne didn't answer, and began to slowly walk back towards teh mouth of the alley.
"Batman!" Jim called out again. "What happened?!"
Still, Bruce stayed silent, as he reached the Crime Alley sign. Gordon looked back at the grotesque bodies one last time, piecing together what had transpired, taking off his glasses and sighing.
"Wait… Bruce."
This time, Batman did stop, deciding to look over his shoulder at the police commissioner- the man he considered to be one of his best friends.
"No one's going to blame you for what you did." Gordon told him. "But Gotham still needs Batman."
Bruce swallowed the lump in his throat, and slowly shook his head. The gesture wasn't noticeable to Gordon, but Wayne turned back around, walking back to the Batmobile.
"No." he murmured. "It doesn't."
Back in the Batcave, Bruce placed the Batsuit on the stand in the corner, next to the computer. He stared into the blackened eyeholes one last time, before pressing a grey button on the side, sealing the case shut. Wayne hung his head in shame, turning around and walking towards the cave's elevator.
He broke his rule tonight. He went too far, and he took a life. No amount of justification was going to make him feel better. It was just another failure, added to the pile of his growing list. Dick Grayson being pushed away. Barbara becoming a paraplegic. The Kane family being torn apart, with Gabi dying and Beth gone missing. Jason Todd dying on his watch. Luke Fox losing his father. And now losing Alfred and being pushed to murdering the man who took him away.
As he entered the elevator, Bruce took one last look around the cave, before pulling a lever next to the door.
"Never again." Wayne murmured, as the cave was plunged into darkness.
Bagalia
Now
Alice stared at Bruce in mortification, as his gaze was locked on the floor.
"I left Gotham for good a few days later. I knew that I couldn't put that suit on… not after what I did… I knew I'd never stop." Wayne sighed. Behind Kane, Frank raised an eyebrow, letting out a small scoff.
Jesus. He actually thinks he fucked up with killing that piece of shit. That kind of twisted self righteousness makes me sick. Even Red understood that sometimes, there were assholes that needed to be put down.
Unfortunately, Alice heard Frank scoffing, and she turned around, narrowing her eyes.
"What?" she hissed. Castle matched her glare, addressing both her and Wayne.
"You can't seriously be feeling bad for that piece of shit." Frank said harshly. "That clown killed your friend, Wayne, and you're sorry you killed him?"
"I had to be better." Bruce mumbled. "Without my code, I'm no better than him. I belong here."
"Bruce, don't say that!" Alice shouted, as she tried to undo the chains around his body. "You never gave up on me. I'm not giving up on you!"
"Maybe you should." Bruce snapped. "Everyone around me, everyone who gets close to me, dies. Alfred. Kate. Lucius… don't make the same mistakes they did by staying by my side, or following in my footsteps."
Frank rolled his eyes, striding over to stand behind Wayne and aim his guns at the chains.
"We don't have time for this." Millie muttered, shooting the chains apart and roughly grabbing Bruce by the arms. "Bagalia's being blown to shit, and we've been tasked to extract you."
Kessler slung one arm over herself, while Alice did the same for the other, and they all quickly left Zemo's office.
"Val, how's the ETA looking?" Millie asked, tapping her earpiece.
"Two minutes. You better get there." Val's voice crackled, as more explosions rocked the citadel.
"On it." Kessler groaned, as Frank led them through the halls and up the stairwell. Castle and Russo were the first to run up and exit to the roof, making sure the area was clear for Alice, Millie, and Bruce to enter, with the rest of Hellhound Squad covering the rear. Just before Kessler activated her earpiece, the sound of helicopter blades whirred, and a blackhawk touched down on the roof.
"Get in!" Valkyrie's voice shouted, just barely being heard of the chopper's blades. Frank ushered Millie, Alice, and Wayne forward, while Russo helped them all into the bird. Pierce, Keener, and Clayton entered next, leaving Castle to climb aboard last, seeing Alice and Bruce laying down on the metal floor.
"Get us out of here." Millie ordered to Valkyrie. The former mercenary simply nodded, and they all felt the Blackhawk take off, quickly gaining altitude. A good thing too, as moments later, while flying away, Frank and Millie looked back to see the citadel crumble, as if it was a sand castle that got its base kicked out.
"That was a close one." Kessler murmured. Castle nodded in agreement, still staring at the ruins of Bagalia. All that… just to kill every supe there.
"Yeah." Frank muttered, turning to face Russo. His best friend was crouched low, resting his hand on Alice's cheek in worry.
"How is she?"
Billy looked up, having a look of concern in his eyes.
"Getting worse." Russo barely whispered. "The physical trauma of the hallucinations are starting to show."
While Frank and Billy continued discussing Beth's condition, Millie kept staring out of the Blackhawk, spying a private jet about to take off from the runway.
Zemo, Millie thought with anger, as she turned towards William.
"Arrow, Zemo's about to cut and run. Think you can place a tracking arrow on his bird?"
Clayton grinned, standing up from his seat and gripping his bow and arrow. Pierce and Harley held William in place, as he nocked an arrow into his bowstring and got into position. He took a deep inhale, watching the jet just leaving the ground, and smirked.
"Got him."
William let the arrow fly, tracing the projectile through the air. Millie looked through her scope, just in time to see the arrow embed itself into the top of the plane.
"Nice shot." Frank murmured, having watched the arrow fly.
"Thanks." William nodded respectfully, while looking at his wrist gauntlet.
"What good will that do?" Billy asked curiously, having only seen Clayton shoot.
"That was an arrow outfitted with tracking nanites." William explained. "Dad used them on Malcolm Merlyn, Lonnie Machin, and Black Siren, to name a few."
William continued staring at the wrist gauntlet, seeing the nanites tracking the plane. From the direction, altitude, and angle of the jet, the gauntlet could accurately predict where it would land. And where it was going now…
"Oh, Hell." William murmured, his eyes widening. "I know where they're going."
"Where?" Millie and Frank asked in unison, looking at Clayton in surprise. William looked back up, expressing a look of mortification.
"They're going to Gotham."
A/N: Alright, we're finally out of Bagalia, and heading back to Gotham. I'm thinking the next chapter will be a condensed version of the last 3-4 issues of the Punisher arc this was based on, but with my own spin. I'm also trying to incorporate a couple elements from The Boys comic, similar to how I had Payback in Justice And Judgement, because despite this being largely a crossover with Alice from Batwoman, this series is still technically a core crossover of The Punisher and The Boys.
I had Scarecrow's fear gas linked to Freddy Krueger because I wanted to tie in Michael Myers and Allyson Nelson's side story a little bit more, and this felt like the logical way to do it. I'm not sure if I'll actually have the Scarecrow appear though in the story.
That whole bit where the Punisher didn't kill that one HYDRA agent was taken from the tv series, where he didn't want to kill a young soldier after escaping Rawlins' compound. I thought this scene fit in line with my version of his character, especially because going back during the 1930s and 40s, there were a lot of people who either joined up with the Nazis or turned a blind eye because they were either misguided or afraid of what would happen to their own families. On a side note, I find it annoying whenever someone begins a conversation with "If I were alive back then, I would-" No. You don't know that, just like I don't know that. Most of us don't know what we'd do, because we haven't been placed in that kind of situation before. I know it sounds callous, but personally, if I was alive back then, I probably would have ignored what they were doing, for fear if I spoke up, my family would be next. That shit terrifies me, and I hope I'm never put in that kind situation where I have to make that kind of choice.
Sorry, rant over. On another note though, Bruce's flashback is a blend of scenes from Batman Beyond, the Hush Beyond comic, and the original Hush comic. I wanted to provide an actual reason Batman broke his code in the Arrowverse, instead of that vague bullshit the Batwoman show spewed out. From the way it was executed, it comes off as Bruce just woke up one day, said "Fuck it, I'm tired of Joker's shit", and murdered the clown. That's not how that works. We all saw Injustice. Superheroes don't just decide to kill villains, no matter how vile, out of the blue. They supposed to represent the best of us, but they also have to be pushed too far to finally snap. So, I had Joker kill Alfred. That's the only reason I'd find acceptable for Batman to just kill him and then fuck off and quit, especially when, in the same year that he killed Joker, Ra's Al Ghul (one of Batman's oldest enemies) was attacking Starling City. But, as it stands, Alfred is still alive in the Arrowverse, so unless they do something equally drastic, like saying that he killed Joker right after he tortured and murdered Jason Todd, or crippled Barbara to drive Gordon insane, I'm calling bullshit.
Dammit, that turned into another rant. Anyway, also in the next chapter, we'll see how long Bruce has been held prisoner, and we'll be seeing some returning faces to the story. Until next time.