Once inside, Ladybug and Stinger jumping over a few gates before entering a vent. As they entered the vent, they heard Joker's voice over the intercom.
"I want all the doctors rounded up. Search every inch of the Medical building!" Joker said. "I mean it. Search every room, every office, and every trash can! If another doctor tries to get out of the building, then you won't! I'll just flood the rooms with Happy Gas and leave you to die! Hell, I may do that anyway, sounds fun."
"Does he have anything better to do than talk?" Stinger asked, getting irritated.
"Sadly, no." Ladybug said. "That man's mind is nothing but coco for Cocoa Puffs. That is assuming that he actually eats that cereal."
After exiting the vent, they entered another one. As they did, they saw that that there was a see through of a huge trim and they heard a doctor talking to an inmate.
"Get off of me." The doctor said.
"Shut it and get down there with the others." The inmate said. "Move it."
"Ok. Ok. I hear you." The doctor said. "I'm going."
"Why does he need the doctors?" Stinger asked.
"I don't know, but we've got to save them." Ladybug said.
They continued to move along the grate until they reached the end. They decided to split up for a bit to take down the thugs. Ladybug placed explosive gel on a weakened wall and ceiling while Stinger took out the men that were walking around. When they were both finished, Ladybug detonated her explosive gel, taking out the inmates Stinger didn't. The final inmate, Ladybug used her retractable wings to glide kick the final inmate.
"Hello! Is there a doctor in the house? No? Pity, I seem to have a pile of wounded henchmen that need medical attention." Joker's voice came over the PA again.
Ladybug shook her head at Joker's cruel remark before they turned to the doctors, who slowly began to calm down.
"It's okay. You're safe now." Stinger told them.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Ladybug asked Dr. Cassidy.
"I don't know what happened." Cassidy said. "One minute we're doing our evening rounds and the next armed thugs burst into the room and took us hostage."
"Did they have anyone with them?" Ladybug asked.
"They took someone with them, but I couldn't tell who it was." She answered.
"They obviously didn't want to be followed." Ladybug said. "The elevator appears to have been powered down. You're going to be OK here."
"We'll be fine." Cassidy said.
"What about the others?" One of the males doctors asked. "We heard gunfire. They could be dead. We should go help."
"Oh, no. I forgot." Cassidy said. "Doctor Kellerman was in the Patient Observation Room and Doctor Chen went to surgery."
"And Doctor Young went to X-Ray." Another doctor said. The heroines looked at each other and nodded, before looking back to the doctors.
"Ok. Stay here. We'll find the other doctors." Ladybug told them, walking off with Stinger close behind.
The two proceeded through a door and followed a set of arrows: one blue and one red. The two quickly came to the only solution... Okay, maybe not the only solution, but the most sensible one.
"Ok, we should split up." Ladybug said. I'll get Chen, you go get Kellerman, and we'll meet up after to get Young."
"Sounds like a plan." Stinger said. "See you in a bit." She finished with a teasing tone. Ladybug rolled her eyes playfully before giving her wife a peck on the lips.
"Hurry up and go." Ladybug said.
Stinger smirked at this, knowing that she won this little flirting game this time. She left and walked while swaying her hips and looking back, making sure her wife was watching her.
Ladybug saw her go, rolling her eyes and smiling, knowing what Stinger was doing before going to save Chen. As she was walking, she entered the room and saw Chen tied to a gurney.
"Ladybug!" Chen said.
"Don't speak. You're safe now." Ladybug assured him.
"But... but it's a trap." Chen said.
"I know." Ladybug said, looking at the monitor. "Just not for me." Then the screen showed Joker.
"It's true!" Joker exclaimed. "You could give dear old Batman a run for his money for title of World's Greatest Detective. How did you do that, Bugsy? Oh, what the hell. Get down there boys! See if he can detect getting punched in the face."
"Don't get to full of yourself, Bugsy." Joker said. "I'm just softenin' ya up! Think of this as a preview to the main event. You'll see."
"Please, get me out of this thing!" Chen said. Ladybug released the restrain"ts. "I'm sorry. I tried to tell you. I couldn't speak.
"Relax, you're safe now." Ladybug said. "I can handle these low-life thugs."
After making sure that would be ok, Ladybug left the room. Once she did, she saw a big present. Using a Bug Disc, it opened and Joker teeth popped out which she used a few more discs to destroy. Now she was waiting for Stinger to meet her.
I wonder how she's doing. Ladybug thought.
With Stinger, she was walking down the corridor passing by a couple of dead bodies. In addition to the other gross things such as rats and roaches running by.
"Ugh, you'd think that someone would've heard of deep cleaning." Stinger muttered to herself. Then she heard voices up ahead.
"Who's the guard?" The first asked.
"That mean son of a bitch is Cash." The second answered.
"How'd he get that hook?" The first asked, as Stinger leaned in to hear this.
"What's wrong with you?" The second thug asked. "Don't you know nothin'? Cash had a disagreement with Killer Croc a while back. Croc got free and chowed down on Cash's hand. So yeah, if you see a giant monster running at you, just shoot it, or you'll be next on the menu."
Stinger shuddered at that, the thought of losing a limb was absolutely horrifying to her. She and the others had heard of what happened to Cash from her wife but it still unsettled her at times. Shaking it off she stepped into view and started walking towards the thugs.
"The hell'd she come from?!" The first one asked.
"Who cares? She's with the bug! Kill her!" The second said, running in, earning himself a punch to the gut that and a hammer fist to the top of the head, sending him face first into the ground. The second one ran in, but Stinger took him out with a spinning round kick to the head.
With the threats taken care of, she entered the room and found two more thugs, but luckily they were facing the glass, where Cash and another doctor were locked in an office.
"It's done, Boss. The room is full of gas and Captain Hook is stuck in there. Thing is, Razor didn't get out in time, so he's stuck in there too." One of the thug's said.
"Oh, that'll teach him to dilly-dally." Joker said. "Don't let anyone out there. Even Razor. He's failed me and I don't like failures."
"Yeah, sure, boss." The thug said. "He was slowing us down anyway." He finished before he and his partner went back to mocking Cash.
Stinger silently sneaked up to him and grabbed him and his partner by the sides of their heads and slammed them together, knocking them out.
"Cash what happened?" Stinger asked.
"There was an alarm in Medical." Cash said. "I heard someone shouting and found the doc lying on the floor. When I went to help him, the room flooded with gas. These doors locked down. We can't get out and I don't know how much longer we can last."
"How brave! Let's give Mr. Cash a great, big hand. He could use one!" Joker laughed through the intercom.
"You'll be laughing out of your butt when I get outta here." Cash snapped.
"Lighten up, homes. I'm just messing with you." Joker said.
"Can't wait to return the favor." Cash said.
"Leave it, Cash." Stinger said. "Can you control the ventilation system in there?"
"Joker's filled the room with gas and we're trapped in here." Cash said. "I can sit in here all night, but the Dic over there ain't looking too good."
"Don't worry. I'll figure something out." Stinger said.
Looking around, she found a set of rectangular vents above her. Deciding that it was most likely her best bet, she decided to make use of her jet pack, going up to the upper portion of the room, finding a wall vent and ripping the cover off, crawling through and kicking the other cover off.
Once in the room, she felt a slight urge to laugh, but fought it. It must be an effect of the gas. She carefully walked around the scaffolding After a minute of searching, she had managed to find the first switch, hitting it with a long range shot from her gauntlets rather than an electric burst. It worked and the gas started to vanish as it was pulled into the fan. Some was gone, but nowhere near enough for the room.
"Don't know if you can hear this, but the board's showing power on fan one." Cash said. "Should be another switch close by."
"Got it!" Stinger said. Looking around and jumping to another platform, she quickly spotted and blasted the next switch, further draining the room of the deadly toxin.
"Power to fan two." Cash said. "She's doin' it, doc! We'll be out of here soon! Just stay cool. Good work, girl, but now there's a problem. the last fans in that room there. You better be able to hold your breath a long time if you're going in there."
Stinger looked around, before noticing there was a thug who had somehow got onto a rope hanging from the ceiling, holding onto it for dear life.
"Hey! You're one of the bugs friends, aren't you? Get me down from here!" The thug pleaded.
"Okay. Hold your breath." Stinger said, firing a round at the roof from her gauntlet into the roof, sending the man and some debris down on the weak roof of the room, allowing her to get a shot off and activate the final fan just as the man hit the ground. Stinger dropped down as the doctor burst out of the room, taking in as much air as he could.
"Surprise, surprise! Bee girl arrives in the nick of time! Next time, Cash, I'll just shoot you and be done with it!" Joker snapped over the PA.
"Are you okay?" Stinger asked the guard.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to you." Cash said
Stinger smiled, before leaving. She put a hand up to her ear and activated the comm. "I just saved the doctor and Cash." She told him.
"Good work." Ladybug said. "I just saved Doctor Chen. Meet me back at the entrance of the Sanatorium and we'll go save Dr. Young."
"On my way." Stinger said, hurrying down the path. After a few minutes she arrived at the stairs and saw Ladybug standing there.
"You ready?" Ladybug asked.
"Yeah, let's do it." Stinger said.
They went down the corridor and easily handled the three guys that were in front of the door. When they entered the room, they saw a group of inmates circled around Dr. Young. Ladybug also noticed some weakened walls that she could use her explosive gel on. But decided to hear what they were talking about for a bit.
"Why are you doing this?" Young asked. "I've done exactly as you've asked."
"Look, you think I care." The inmate said. "Stop your whining and listen good. If anyone goes near you without Joker's express permission, I've been ordered to make sure you are taken you out ASAP. Looks like you're our bargaining chip. Gotta tell ya, the boss is all over this job. Planned like a military operation. Friends on the inside and out."
"I am quite aware that this job, as you call it, requires friends." Young retorted. "What I want to know is why you chose me. Did Joker specify me? Why don't you let me talk to him? I'm sure we can settle this."
"Lady, if I have to tell you once more, I am going to hurt you." The inmate said. "You understand? Shut the hell up."
At this point, Ladybug had sprayed explosive gel on the weakest walls and detonated it, knocking out the inmates in front of them. With that done, they checked on the doctor.
"What's going on?" Young asked. "They were talking like they were in control. Is it true that Joker escaped?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Ladybug said. "But not for long."
"I'd been studying Joker's case for months when he broke out." Young said. "The Warden was very specific he wanted Joker cured."
"Bad publicity will affect his campaign for Mayor." Stinger said. Her father was mayor at some point, so she knew about the effects.
"That'll be the least of his..." Young began until she remembered, "God. I almost forgot. They said they were moving through the facility, hunting down the other doctors."
"We already saved them all." Ladybug said. "Wait here for a few minutes, then leave when you see an opening."
Ladybug and Stinger left the room and defeated a few more inmates. As they were walking, they decided to talk.
"It still doesn't make sense." Stinger said. "Why does Joker need doctors anyway. It's not like they would want to help him anyway."
"Maybe there's a bigger picture that we're not seeing." Ladybug said. "Just when I think that clown is finished with his tricks, he pulls out a new one." They opened the doors to the sanatorium when Joker suddenly decided to make an announcement.
"Oh, I'm not sure I can keep it a secret any longer!" Joker said. "Ive got two friends coming to the party. One of them is just terrified you'll leave without saying hello! The other... well, let's just say he'll be surprised to see you two as you'll be to see him! I've got a ring side seat for the big event. Harley's bringing the popcorn! I can't wait!" He laughed on the TV before turning it to static.
"I don't like the sound of that." Stinger said.
"I don't, either." Ladybug said. "Don't let your guard down."
They walked up to the other doctors, with Doctor Cassidy standing up to meet them. "Did you find them? Are they okay?" She asked.
"They're safe now." Ladybug said. The group then turned when they heard footsteps and saw Cash and Doctor Young walking up to them.
"Ladybug, Stinger, we've got a problem." Cash said, turning to Doctor Young.
"I need to get back to the mansion." Young said. "All my research is in there. We can't risk Joker getting his hands on them."
"There are thugs everywhere out there! And some of them are armed. You'd never make it." Stinger said.
"It's my life's work! You two don't really have the authority to-" The doctor started.
"I'll get her there. If you ask me, it's about time for a little payback." Cash said.
"I don't like it, but-" Ladybug started, before everyone heard a buzzing sound. "-Who called the elevator?"
"Wasn't us. It's coming from the lower floor!" One of the other doctors said.
"Cash, take Doctor Young!" Ladybug ordered. "Get her notes and find somewhere to hold up! The rest of you, go to the Observation Room. Barricade yourselves in." She then looked at Stinger. "Take cover somewhere." He told her, before grappling up to a gargoyle.
Thinking quick, Stinger ducked into the room where Ladybug had exploded the roof. The doors opened and 5 thugs exited, looking for any signs of the heroines. Ladybug easily handled the situation by dropping down on the two thugs closer together before taking down the last one, but a small barrage of fiery projectiles flew from the room and slammed into the final one, sending him flying into the wall and the other end of the room. When they were finished, they got on the elevator, and pressed the button to go down. Suddenly Joker's face came on the TV in front of them.
"Too easy!" Joker said. "Think about it! I've got you trapped in a little metal box! Hanging PRECARIOUSLY over a deadly drop! What say I just blow the emergency brake and drop you like a sack of puppies?"
Stinger's eyes almost popped out when she widened them in fear and realization. "He's right! We're completely vulnerable in here!" She said.
"It's going to be alright." Ladybug said. "He's just bluffing. He doesn't have the balls to do it."
"Say good night, you two..."Joker said, menacingly. "Boom! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Only kidding. Got a few more surprises in store for you! Prepare to face your fears... all of them! Hahahahaha!"
"What does he-?" Stinger asked, before the two heroines began to cough as they heard a hiss outside the elevator. She kept it to herself, but Stinger felt off all of a sudden. She didn't know what, but something was WRONG. Suddenly, after the elevator doors opened. They followed the screams until they came to a room ahead of them with thick glass. It looked like there was a large amount of gas in the room as well.
"Please! Doctor Crane, don't do this!" A voice in the room pleaded.
"There is no Crane..." A sadistic voice. A chill ran up Stinger's spine once she heard it. She was had a feeling of who that voice belonged to.
"They're all over me!" Another victim screamed.
"Only Scarecrow!" The voice said, now sounding even more demonic and demented, as if two people with the scariest voice ever were speaking at the same time.
"GET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE SOMEONE! OH GOD!" Yet another victim screamed as Ladybug caught a look at a terrifying silhouette. One that felt was familiar. It was wearing a hood and it's hand was menacing, looking like syringes with tubes extending everywhere.
"Is that who I think it is?" Stinger asked.
"Yeah, I think it is." Ladybug said.
"I'll get him." Stinger said, before running ahead.
"Wait." Ladybug said, quickly running after her.
Ladybug and Stinger quickly ran towards the bars beside the room. Stinger passed gate but the bars activated causing Ladybug to grab the bars while Stinger managed to run and catch the scrawny, pale-grey figure with a tattered hood.
"Stinger, wait!" Ladybug called out.
"Ooh! It looks like the good Doctor started early! Your appointment isn't for hours. I'm sure you'll be buzzed through when he's ready," Joker said ominously as ever over the speaker system.
Ladybug looked at the wall beside him, her eyes briefly flashing white before turning towards the wall to her left, spraying it with explosive gel and detonating it in order to continue forward. "Tell me, Bugsy: what are you SCARED of? Failing to save this cesspool of a city, not finding the Commissioner in time? Me, in a thong?!" Joker laughed at the end.
They turned a corner and saw Commissioner Gordon hanging onto a grate across the room. "Please. Help me, Ladybug." The Commissioner pleaded, his voice sounding incredibly raspy, as if he hadn't had water in days. Suddenly, he was pulled away. "No...!"
"Commissioner!" Ladybug said, concerned but still remained stoic. Regardless, she approached another grate and ripped it off its hinges, crawling through and kicking off the next one off. There, she came across the Commissioner, laying against the wall, showing no signs of life.
Ladybug crouched beside him and lifted his head, checking for a pulse, before lowering his head. "...I'm sorry, Roger." She said, before putting her hand to her earpiece. "Sabrina, I... I'm sorry. I was too late."
This wasn't the first time Ladybug had seen death, and she knew it wasn't the last. Things like this were never easy to handle. She had promised herself that she would defend Paris til the end of her days. As she got older, it was harder for her to maintain her composure at times, even going as far as lashing out at her team and wife. She knew that they never took it personally since they experienced it as well, but it didn't mean she didn't feel guilty about it. However, she was pulled out of her thoughts by an automated voice in her ear.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed isn't available. Please leave a message after the tone."
"Sabrina! Are you there?" Ladybug asked.
"Please hang up and try again." The voice advised.
She was confused. What the hell is going on? She quickly hurrying ahead to the room in front of them and thrusting the doors open. It appeared to be the morgue. She looked around for anyone hiding where they could be easily seen, all the while, a number of eerie voices.
"You shouldn't be here. Get out of here." The voices said, slowly and creepily. The voices came from all sides and started getting quicker. Ladybug put her hands on her ears, trying to drown out the voices.
Eventually, she finally left the room, only to apparently walk into another morgue, with 2 body bags on the left and right tables. Walking up to the one of the left, Ladybug cautiously opened it, before seeing a terrifying sight.
"Grandpa?" He asked, seeing her grandfather's face on the corpse in front of her.
Both her grandparents were victims of Joker at one point. She remembers how she had failed to save them. She was desperately trying to get to the address that Joker had given her and another victim which the police handled. However, when she got to the address, it was the other man Joker had kidnapped. She got the man out but the building behind them exploded, causing the left side of the man's body to be engulfed in flames. After putting it out, she took the man to the hospital while she went to the other address. Sadly, the building was destroyed. She had a hunch that the building exploded at the same time. She now lives with the guilt that she couldn't save two members of her family. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the corpse spoke.
"You should've stood up to him, granddaughter. Like a woman!" The body said. Ladybug was in both fear and disbelief at this, backing away as she turned and opened the next body bag, revealing a woman's body.
"Grandma?" Batman asked in disbelief.
"Help us, Marinette! Don't let us die!" The corpse pleaded.
Ladybug began hyperventilating in panic, unable to piece together any of the situation they were currently facing. she slowly walked up to the final bag and she opened it, when the body erupted from it: an incredibly thin and pale figure with the face of a scarecrow, the stitched mouth opening and roaring at her. Ladybug got scared and fell. She turned back and saw that the bodies were gone.
She turned to leave when she saw that the room was coming apart and in what appeared to be some parallel universe. She hopped across two platforms, but on the second one, she felt a pain in her head and a cackling mad laughter. But this wasn't Joker's laugh, it was something more. A syringe covered hand came into view and the face was all too familiar.
Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow. Once a respected doctor at Arkham until his obsession became reality. Using a mixture of chemicals, he is able to bring out the fear in his victims. He can release his Fear Toxin as an aerosol spray or inject it personally in the victim's bloodstream. Ladybug first encountered him and after a dose of his toxin, didn't leave her room for week, barely slept, ate , and showered. It concerned her friends and wife because of this. Afterwards, Max had developed a counter of the affects. But she didn't bring any with her.
"Poor little bug." Scarecrow said. "You're in my world now."
Ladybug saw that his eyes were like beams, able to detect her. She had to be smart to avoid it. She ran when his back was turned, or ducked behind a wall. She used her explosive gel and got out of the way just as his sight came in view. She exploded it which caused Crane to check it. He went from one side to the other which gave her an opening to go. She found a spotlight, and tilted it to Scarecrow. And just like that, the nightmare ended. She found back in the morgue but this time it wasn't a nightmare.
"Marinette! Can you hear me?! What happened?!" She heard a voice on her comms.
"I think... I'm okay..." Ladybug said, although still trying to comprehend what had happened.
"What happened to you?" Micro asked. "I lost contact. Did you find the dad?"
"I'm fine." Ladybug insisted. "I had a little run in with Scarecrow. Slowed me down. I'll get back to you."
The moment she turned off her comms, Ladybug slumped against a pillar with her hand on her mouth, as if she was trying and failing to hold back her tears. Finally, she curled in a ball, openly crying, not caring at all who saw her. She felt a hand on hers and looked up and saw Stinger. She released herself from her ball form and wrapped her arms tightly around Stinger, burying her face in Stinger's chest, her favorite spot for comfort, and cried. Stinger returned the hug, softly stroking her wife's hair.
"Spots off." Ladybug said, detransforming. Her civilian form was a pair of sneakers, blue jeans, a red and black shirt underneath a blue Jean over shirt.
"Buzz off." Stinger said, detransforming. Her civilian form was black boots, with matching black jeans and black leather jacket, with a yellow shirt.
"Are you ok?" Chloé asked, gently still stroking her hair.
"I saw my grandparents." Marinette said. "Scarecrow's gas made me see them." She went back to crying but not as hard as Tikki went on her shoulder.
Chloé knew about that. It was one of the few guilts that Marinette had carried with her, despite her's and the team's words trying to convince her otherwise.
"We'll stay this for however long you want ." Chloé said. After about 15 minutes, Marinette's cries ceased and her head was leaning on Chloé's shoulder.
"I'm ready." Marinette said, seeing that Tikki was done eating. "Spots on." She transformed into Ladybug.
"If you're sure about this, Buzz on." Chloé said, transforming into Stinger.
"By the way, if you got affected by Scarecrow's gas, what did you see?" Ladybug asked.
"I...don't want to talk about it now." Stinger said. "Maybe when the night is done."
"Ok." Ladybug said, as they both left the room. "I wonder how Rena Rouge is doing."
"Yeah, it's been a while since we've seen her." Stinger said. "I hope she's ok."
With that, they left the room wondering how the rest of the night will go.
Merry Christmas, everyone. This chapter took longer than I expected but here's it is. Anyway, I hope you all had a great Christmas with your families and I hope this chapter makes up for waiting too long.
But other than that, here's the next chapter. Next time, let's see what Rena Rouge is doing, since it's been a minute since we saw her last.
As always, let me know your thoughts.