The police cruiser uttered a metallic screech as its driver slammed on the breaks, stopping just in time as the lone figure in the middle of the street came into full view.
Following the lead of the vehicle, the rest of the convoy promptly stopped in its tracks as well.
With the car's headlights partially illuminating the figure still draped in darkness, the two officers exited the car with guns at the ready.
The driver kept his handgun level with the shadowy figure's torso while his partner brandished an assault rifle using the open door as cover.
"GCPD! Identify yourself or we will shoot!" the driver ordered loudly, his finger on the trigger and sights firmly set on the potential hostile.
"Dispatch, we've got a situation here. Please standby," the second officer muttered into his field radio while tensely shouldering his assault weapon.
"Identify yourself, NOW! Do not make me repeat myself!" the driver repeated, his authoritative tone finally compelling the figure to slowly take a step forward.
Both officers watched his every moment as he took another step forward until he was fully in the spotlight.
Then, they saw.
A confused look crossed the rifle-wielding officer as he focused in on the R symbol through his scope, realizing then who it was.
"Wait a second. Ain't this the Bat's kid?" he hissed to his partner, who had a similar reaction upon glimpsing at his armored suit.
Lowering his weapon, his partner was relieved yet at the same time flabbergasted by this new development.
Resting his rifle against his shoulder, the GCPD officer reported into his field radio again as the other officer sheathed his weapon.
Unbeknownst to them both, the enthralled Boy Wonder reached into his utility belt while they both exchanged quizzical looks while waiting for an official response.
"Look uh, tell Batman we appreciate the assist, but it's not needed. Precinct's only a few miles away, and I doubt she'll be trying anything with that collar on. But we'll definitely let you guys know if something comes up," he said, trying to appease Robin who had all but ignored him.
Sighing to himself before walking out in front of his car, he tried again.
"We're on a schedule here, kid. We need to get this prisoner out of the open and into a cell as soon as possible, so if you could-" He never finished the sentence, as Robin's hand suddenly shot out and threw the shuriken right past him.
The projectile caught the second officer before he could even look up, tearing into his uniform and knocking him down.
"Son of a bitch!" the other officer exclaimed, frantically aiming his sidearm as Robin took off towards him.
Cocking back the hammer, he squeezed the trigger just in time for Robin to activate his ballistic shield.
The resulting gunshots ricocheted off his protective shield, allowing the young man to continue pushing forward until he was upon the officer in just a matter of seconds.
Wasting no time, Robin slammed the shield into the officer's chest.
Flailing wildly through the air, the man let off a pained grunt as his fall was broken by the car windshield.
He let out one last groan before rolling off the hood, glass shards littering his jacket as he flopped to the ground.
Retracting the bullet shield back into his bo staff, Robin then turned his attention to the second officer.
Having seen what just happened, the other officer bit back the pain now blossoming in his right shoulder and rolled over on his stomach to retrieve his assault rifle.
Turning over on his stomach, he made a mad lunge for his assault rifle.
Taking hold of the weapon, the officer started to raise it only for Robin's boot to stomp down on the barrel, keeping it pinned down to the ground.
Trying in vain to lift it up, he glowered up only to see Robin's emotionless scowl shrouded in his raised hood.
His gaze then lowered a few inches, causing him to realize what else he was facing down.
"Uggghhh…" The blunt end of the metallic staff drilled emphatically into his forehead, knocking him unconscious next to his rifle.
Retracting the staff, the bewitched Boy Wonder then turned to the armored truck with the driver now flooring the gas pedal.
Merely observing as the truck shot past him and further into the darkened streets, Robin then turned his attention back to the two remaining police cars that followed in the truck's rear.
Walking back into the middle he quickly threw down a smoke pellet as the screaming sirens neared him.
The thick radius of smoke quickly engulfed the hooded vigilante, surprising the GCPD personnel now arriving on the scene.
Slamming on brakes, the two cars swerved around the still present smoke cloud before coming to a complete stop.
Exiting the vehicles, all four officers brandished assault rifles as they strategically formed a circle around the now dissipating smoke.
Using their cars as partial cover, they kept their weapons trained as the area finally cleared, only to collectively realize something.
"What the hell?" one officer wondered aloud, echoing his colleague's thoughts as they realized the Boy Wonder was nowhere to be found.
Puzzled by his sudden disappearance, they warily approached the spot.
"Where'd Robin go?"
"Screw that, why is Robin fighting us?" another one spoke up, just as puzzled as the others.
"Yeah, I thought Batman was supposed to be on our side, not against us," another one brought up.
"He is. The man saves my life at least once a week. This can't be that simple," another one insisted, which only seemed to further complicate the issue at hand.
"The kid just took out Thraves and Jacobson, simple as that. Look, we can figure out motive later. For now, the priority is keeping that green bitch from getting out again," another officer stressed, gesturing towards the truck accelerating out of sight.
Oblivious to all four, however, the "kid" in question was perched atop a street light just above them, waiting for an opportune moment.
"I'm requesting backup. We need extra eyes up here," one officer pointed out, activating his field radio.
"Smart," another one nodded, not noticing the caped silhouette dropping down on top of him. "In the meantime, least we can do is set up a-ugggh!"
Swinging down from the pole with his grappling hook, Robin lanced his right boot directly between the man's shoulder blades, knocking him flat on his stomach with the other officers now scrambling for their weapons.
Brandishing his bo staff, he pressed his advantage by nailing the closest GCPD officer to his right with a powerful side kick to the gut that sent him reeling backwards.
Lunging forward, he disarmed the second officer of his weapon with a glancing swipe before continuing the forward momentum with a spinning heel kick to the torso.
As the officer started to double over, he was about to finish him but out of the corner of his eye noticed another man lining up a shot at his vulnerable back.
Shifting instinctively behind the coughing officer, Robin held his staff handle against the man's throat and forced him back up to his feet.
The armed officer now had his automatic weapon aimed at two people, with Robin in dangerously close proximity with his colleague.
"Shit. Can't get a shot," he cursed under his breath, unable to fire with Robin strategically using a fellow officer as a human shield.
Taking advantage of his indecision, Robin reached into his utility belt with his free hand and hurled another shuriken his way.
With much of his focus preoccupied on keeping the captive hostage close, it didn't hit its intended target but it at least shattered the rear view window right next to the officer.
The sudden outburst of glass caused the man to flinch and shield his eyes, opening up another window for the Boy Wonder to operate in.
Using only one hand, he emphatically drove his front knee into the man's lowered face.
As the officer crumpled down to the concrete, Robin took off again towards the other officer.
Jumping on the hood of a car to build up momentum, he lept into the air before felling the officer with a flying forearm to the face.
Rising up to his feet with the officer now unconscious before him, he started to turn around before the muzzle of another assault rifle burned into the base of his neck.
"Drop the stick and get down on your knees! Don't make me put a bullet in you, kid!" the officer behind him commanded.
Seemingly following his instructions, Robin slowly raised his hands above his head with the gun still level with his hood.
Eyeing the man's position from his periphery, the Boy Wonder then dropped his weapon.
"Good, now get down on your-!"
Bursting into action while he spoke, Robin knocked the rifle barrel upwards with an elbow, causing the man to instinctively fire into the air just a few inches above his head.
In that same second, Robin swooped down and grabbed the staff just before it could hit the ground.
Rising back up, he forcefully smashed the handle into the man's lower torso before smashing it underneath his chin.
Grunting as the staff rattled his jaw, he staggered backwards only to be lifted off his feet.
Judo flipping him overhead using his gun arm as leverage, Robin ended his writhing with a prompt smack to his forehead, a flurry of offense completed in a single fluid motion.
The sound of rapid footsteps alerted him to the last remaining GCPD officer, who was now armed with an elongated police baton.
Expertly twirling his staff as the last officer approached, he found himself almost immediately on the defensively with the policeman lashing out first.
Dodging the first hit with ease, he shifted back again to avoid an attempted sweep before finally spotting his opening.
As the officer reared back for his third shot, Robin brought his staff up and blocked the incoming hit before it connected.
Grabbing onto Robin's staff in a last-ditch attempt to reverse his luck, he started to push inwards only for the enthralled protege to lift up his back leg and break the stalemate with a light roundhouse to his wrist before kicking him in the chest with the same foot to create distance.
Knocking the baton into the windshield, the officer sorely felt his now bruised wrist before lunging at the Boy Wonder again.
Sidestepping to the right to avoid the attempted takedown, Robin first delivered a swift uppercut into his outstretched stomach to slow him down before bringing his staff up from behind and whacking the officer lightly on the back of the head.
Now standing behind him, he brought the staff down hard on the pressure point at the back of the man's knee, forcing him down to a kneeling position.
Wincing as he felt his back leg give out, he glowered up as the still silent Boy Wonder loomed over him menacingly.
The officer was still at a shock for what had just happened, and it certainly didn't help looking into the face of the perpetrator once thought of as one of GCPD's, and more specifically, Commissioner Gordon's closest allies.
"That truck's long gone by now. You'll never catch it in time," he taunted weakly.
Robin responded by cracking the staff against the side of his head, knocking him out facefirst on the concrete.
Ignoring the man's words, he regarded the pile of incapacitated GCPD officers around him for a moment before producing his grapnel gun.
Firing it off into the darkness, he cast a determined look in the direction of the truck before the grapple hook propelled him upwards in pursuit of his final task.
"Blackmore, Richards, anybody, come in!"
Aaron Cash was never one to show his emotions, especially in the presence of his prisoners, but even he couldn't hide the slight panic in his voice with the walkie pressed against his mask.
"..." The growing static from the other end only infuriated him more, in stark contrast to Poison Ivy's absolutely beaming expression.
"Call it in," Hutch told him gravely, as none of the accompanying officers had responded for over a minute now.
"All units, we have a Code Red! I repeat, Code Red! Prisoner #181 is still in custody, but none of the escort officers have responded. Request immediate backup!" he announced, eventually lowering the walkie out of frustration while waiting for a official response from the Precinct.
"That doesn't sound good," Ivy commented mockingly, earning scathing glares from both officers with Hutch just barely resisting the urge to shock her again.
Scrutinizing her a moment longer, Cash reluctantly looked away and began relaying coordinates to the walkie while Hutch continue watching her with growing suspicion.
"How'd you get Robin to do your dirty work, huh? Blackmail?" Hutch demanded.
"I'm a popular girl. All the boys want to make me happy," she responded cheerfully, flashing him yet another smug grin.
"Well I wouldn't count on it. We've got reinforcements en route, so let's see how your little boy toy deals with a couple dozen of Gotham's finest. This truck just needs to hold you five more min-"
BAAAAM!
The distinct sound of something, or more specifically someone landing atop the roof forced the officer to eat his words, with Cash instinctively aiming his assault rifle at the double doors.
"You were saying?" she taunted sweetly, with Hutch reluctantly raising his rifle to the ceiling with the panic permeating through his gas mask.
"This can't be happening," he muttered to himself again and again.
Now more desperate than ever, Cash banged his prosthetic hand against the metallic surface.
"Mitchell, he's right on our asses! Drive that pedal into the ground if you have to!" he ordered.
Maneuvering past parked cars and city property, the driver found it increasingly difficult to follow Cash's orders while also trying to throw off the vigilante in body armor clinging to the back of his truck.
Driving the sharp end of a shuriken into the surface as a means to remain secured atop the moving vehicle, Robin carefully began crawling forward inch by inch towards the windshield with his cape flailing wildly in the wind behind him.
Barely able to cling on to the shuriken as the truck swerved around yet another street corner, he nonetheless neared his objective.
Reaching into his utility belt with one hand, he fished out a circular device and upon pulling himself up to the very edge of the windshield dropped it directly in the driver's view.
"What the-?" The driver barely had time to recognize the Snap Flash before it exploded, releasing a white hot burst of light that engulfed his visual field.
Instinctively averting his eyes to avoid being blinded, he turned towards the leather seat as the effects of the flashbang eventually vanished.
Once he felt the blinding flash cease, he turned back to the wheel only to have the grenade be replaced with something else- the Boy Wonder himself!
He went for his holstered pistol only for Robin to quickly smash through the glass with his gauntlet and send his other fist hurtling towards the gaping officer.
Delivering a strong right that almost immediately knocked him out, Robin then unlocked the door next to the unconscious officer.
With the man's foot now lifted off the pedal, the truck had slowed down considerably.
Maneuvering himself over the edge of the broken windshield until he could fully open the door, Robin then grabbed the man by the scruff of his jacket and tossed him out of the moving vehicle.
Watching as the man's body rolled limply onto the nearby sidewalk, he then took hold of the wheel.
Narrowing his eyes, he cast a glance over his shoulder to ensure it was an open area before suddenly turning the wheel counterclockwise.
The vehicle screeched as its wheels slid to the left without warning, causing it to veer unbalanced.
With only a split second to react, Robin kicked off of the truck just as it lost traction with the road.
Gliding free of the incoming wreck, the vigilante took to the skies while the truck tipped over on its left side.
Scraping loudly against the road, the armored truck skidded forward for almost another block before finally slowing to a halt.
Landing gracefully on the street, Robin stood up and without hesitation began approaching the now immobile police vehicle.
"Ugggghhhhh…."
Officer Hutch finally came to, wincing heavily as the feeling returned to him.
Sprawled out on the floor after the initial impact, he groggily opened his eyes as memories of the last minute flooded back, stinging just as painfully as the growing welt on the back of his head.
He had her held at gunpoint, recalling Gordon's instructions to not let his guard down for a second.
The pounding on top of the car seemed to grow fainter and fainter, giving him the impression that Robin had been knocked off.
Then, he heard the sound of broken glass, presumably from the truck windshield.
Seconds later, the screeching sound rang out from the truck wheels.
The first jolt rocked both Cash and him, before the truck outright tipped over on its sides. Ivy remained shackled in place, but they weren't so lucky.
Cash hit his head on the metal wall first, his body slackening up as he slumped against the bench.
He, on the other hand, dislocated his shoulder against the wall he was leaning on before flopping down unceremoniously at her feet.
There was barely enough time to even register the growing pain in his shoulder before the truck abruptly came to a halt, sending him sliding across the floor where his head collided with the metal surface yet again.
Then, darkness.
Groaning heavily as he partially regained his bearings, Hutch tried in vain to move his left arm, but thanks to the impacted shoulder it was numb to the touch.
His rifle, which had escaped his grasp during the crash, was on the floor next to Cash's apparently unconscious form.
Craning his neck back, he noticed a slight gash trickling down from the officer's forehead from the initial bump. Besides that, however, Cash seemed to at least still be breathing.
Using his right arm to prop himself up slightly above the floor, he reached for his walkie only to see that it was on the other side of the truck, out of his reach.
And in his current condition, with an unresponsive gun arm and a blistering headache pounding away inside his temple, he couldn't yet muster the strength to retrieve it.
Pressing his ear against the wall, he listened past the sound of spinning wheels and eventually heard a glimpse of something reassuring: police sirens.
It certainly wasn't close, but it was enough to bring some much-needed relief to the battered officer who wiped a mix of sweat and blood from his forehead.
Biting back the pain for now, he started to pick himself up before a sudden realization hit him.
He wasn't wearing his gas mask!
Panic swept across his face as he numbly felt his now exposed face.
Now fueled by pure adrenaline, Hutch started to force himself up only to come face-to-face with the sneering visage of the plant queen just inches away from his panicked expression.
Poison Ivy was indeed all smiles as he stared into her eyes, almost frightened by the fervent insanity within them.
With the shock remote out of reach, and her rosy lips perilously close, Officer Hutch knew there was only one option left. The only problem: she knew it too.
He fumbled for his holstered handgun strapped around his hip, but it was already too late.
Throwing herself on him before he could draw the weapon, the man's desperate protests were immediately silenced by her lips latching on to his pale skin.
Despite still being handcuffed to the bench, her sudden ferocity simply overwhelmed the officer already handicapped by a concussed head and only one functional arm.
Forcing herself on top of him as his right hand struggled desperately to remove the pistol, his eyes bulged in pure, unadulterated fear against her infamous liplock.
Kissing him with a sensual yet aggressive intensity, her toxins slowly seeped through the roof of his mouth and began invading the rest of his body.
Her lips, moist in her natural toxicity, thoroughly saturated his with his frantic protests only seeming to embolden her moans of ecstasy and triumph.
Tearing up as this foreign agent of pain began travelling down his throat and spreading throughout his body, he tried in vain to throw her off but his body had already locked down with copious amounts of toxins now poisoning his veins.
Moaning victoriously with her hands keeping his shaking head in place, she wrapped her slender legs around her waist as another safeguard with his right hand now limp.
Feeling him squirm and struggle underneath her, she drew even more delight as his facial veins began darkening into floral green.
His legs briefly convulsed violently as the venom spread down his waist before growing limp.
Tenderly sucking on his lower lip as if draining the remaining fight out of him, the temptress slowly let go of his bloated lips and leaned back to admire her work.
Unable to move or breathe with his internal organs constricting against his ribcage, Officer Hutch's complexion had now started to resemble the plant queen with his lips now soaked in her venom.
Barely conscious and unable to move even his fingers, Hutch could only stare blankly at her satisfied expression.
With the officer now at her mercy in a complete role reversal from just minutes before, Poison Ivy's leering expression suddenly darkened into something much more vindictive as she leaned in even closer.
"I bet you're wondering why you're not dead now," she growled into his ear, a question that he hadn't dared ask himself.
Smirking at his frightened silence, she continued to taunt him, "That'll come later, of course, but why rush? After all, you made my babies suffer. Why should I grant you a quick death when you denied my children the same mercy?"
And on that note, she sat back upright just as the double doors creaked open.
Tossing her hair over her shoulder as the hooded figure filled out the doorway, she almost effortlessly struck a seductive pose while still straddling the paralyzed officer.
"What took you?" she purred at her hooded rescuer, who propped the doors open before entering.
Crouching down next to her, he unclipped the key chain from the man's belt as Ivy offered her cuffed hands to him.
"The GCPD had checkpoints all around Arkham City. Cutting the convoy off in the middle was my only opening," he admitted, finding the right key and inserting it into the metallic hole.
Click!
Unlocking the handcuffs that kept her tethered to the truck, Robin quickly removed them from her dainty wrists and tossed them aside next to the still unconscious Cash.
"And Batman? What does he suspect?" she demanded.
"Only what you intended. I covered my tracks as you requested. He has no idea what's coming."
Cooing in delight, she stroked his cheek affectionately. "Good. And Selina?"
"Waiting for you back in Arkham City," he told her, standing back up as the sound of police sirens drew closer and closer.
Taking his outstretched hand, Ivy rose back up as well.
"We should go. They're on their way," he informed her, fitting the final key inside her shock collar and turning it.
Ivy immediately let out a relieved sigh as she felt the metallic clamps lift off her shoulders, with her converted crusader tossing it aside seconds later.
"So much better," she breathed out in pure ecstasy, sauntering past him slowly with her pheromones compelling him after her.
Dropping down from the overturned vehicle and stretching her limbs, she happily welcomed the nightly breeze caressing her floral skin as opposed to the cramped spaces she had endured for far too long.
She enjoyed inhaling this newfound freedom for a few more seconds before the cold, barren sensation of concrete against her bare soles reminded her she was not yet back in her natural habitat. This was simply urban purgatory, until she returned to her true paradise in Arkham City.
At that point, two GCPD police cars rounded around a nearby street corner and began racing towards them with sirens flashing.
"I'll take care of them," Robin said, starting towards them with his bo staff in one hand only to be stopped by Ivy's stern hand on his shoulder.
"The chivalry is appreciated, lover, but we are on a schedule, remember?" she reminded him.
Retracting his staff as she now stepped in front of him, a look of pure boredom crossed the plant queen's face as she made a flickering motion at the two cars who were now less than a block away.
Sensing their mother's distress signal, the sudden movement of light tremors foreshadowed something much more monstrous underground hurtling towards the vehicles.
The redheaded siren simply stood back next to Robin and watched her children protect their mother.
Out of nowhere, a vine the size of a subway car suddenly exploded out of the ground in front of the first car.
Smashing into its hood from the side, it somehow managed to reverse the car's momentum even at its current speed by sending it careening over the sidewalk railing and crashing into a closed shop.
The second car fared little better, with the fully visible gargantuan vine rearing back and slamming into its windshield just seconds later.
Swatted away like it was a house fly, the driver immediately lost control of the vehicle which rammed into a nearby light pole.
Smoke immediately trailed upwards from the now demolished engine, with the officers inside trapped inside their own vehicle.
"That was fun," she remarked gleefully, a twisted smile adorning her face as the vine retreated back underground.
"What now?' Robin asked cautiously, approaching her from behind.
Finding a perverse satisfaction in the familiar sounds of human suffering and burning metal that rang out in the background, Ivy relished in it a second longer before turning to address her most faithful and instrumental servant.
Cupping his face with both hands so that his eyes could find reassurance in hers, she stood on her tiptoes before simply whispering two words rooted in her fervent conviction.
"We win."
Author's Note: Firstly, hope everyone here in the U.S. had a great Fourth of July! Again, apologies for the start-and-stop routine with these new chapters. School happened the last few months, and I just got back into the writing mojo last month. That's the bad news; good news is that I'm halfway through the next installment which should most definitely come out this summer.
Besides that, I've also (FINALLY) officially updated all of my early chapters from like four years ago. To be honest, my writing definitely wasn't as good or concise then as it was now and while nostalgic to me doesn't make it very new reader friendly. I also read a lot of the early reviews, and having grown as a writer since then I decided to cut out a lot of the overly descriptive fat out and focused instead on updating the dialogue to be more in line with the characters now. I've also cut out some early plot threads not in my current outline. So yeah, sizable chunks from the original text are gone but hopefully the new revised version will flow a lot better for you. I'd appreciate any feedback on if the early chapters are easier to get through now, or still the same.
This is also the last flashback chapter, so going forward everything will be in present time. This chapter basically set the groundwork for what's to come in later installments, but if you have any lingering questions about the narrative feel free to PM me at any time.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and I apologize again for leaving you hanging for so many months. Feedback in any form (reviews, favorites, constructive PMs) are always welcome, and I always read criticism (no matter how negative) to help me become a better writer. Again, anything you can tell me will go a long ways towards improving my skills as a writer and storyteller.
My only tease for next chapter: Gotham City Sirens!
