Three people were locked in a dark room together where the only source of light came from the dim bulb hanging over their heads. It looked like a scene out of those old mobster films. One man sitting against the wall was bald with a full beard, arms full of tattoos; a regular thug. The second man was standing, arms crossed, his fingers fidgeting against the sleeve of his clean, pinstripe suit. The last one was actually a girl – very young, likely a high school drop-out – her dark skin marked with scratches and bruises, her bright-pink hair standing out in the weak lighting. Her clothes were unflattering compared to the men in the room. While the other two were calm and patient, the girl had been blubbering the entire time.
"I didn't mean to…," she sobbed. "I didn't know, I didn't know, I wasn't gonna – "
"Shut the hell up, bitch!" the bald man snapped, kicking the girl's leg from his position, which made her twitch in fear. "We're in this freckin' mess because of you! All you had to do was deliver the package! And instead, you blabbed everything to the first guy that asked!"
"That's what we get for using a street whore," the clean henchman scoffed. "Goddamn worth more trouble than she's worth. A goddamn jinx is what she is."
"I didn't want to do any of this," the girl cried. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm – "
There was a loud clang that echoed off the walls, followed by a long creaking noise. Someone was opening the door.
The three immediately got up and moved to the back wall as the door was slowly pushed open, letting in the light that momentarily blinded their senses. When their eyes adjusted, they saw two men armed with assault rifles standing on either side of the door. But it was the man in the man in the middle that made the young girl tremble behind her burly cohorts.
Ignatius Ogilvy – the Emperor Penguin himself – was standing at the threshold, umbrella on his shoulder, the dim light reflecting on his monocle, making him look more villainous than her already was.
The Penguin strode two steps into the middle of the room, under the light, and slammed his umbrella against the cement floor. The girl flinched; the men tried to pretend they weren't intimidated, but were sweating like crazy. The posh crime lord looked between the three, clicking his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said flamboyantly. "Such a shame, really. I mean, betrayal right under my nose. And on this, the eve of my big celebration party. I am truly, and terribly, hurt."
"I didn't mean to!" the girl desperately. "These two – "
"Shut the hell up, bitch!" the bald brute spat, punching the girl in the face and sending her to the floor.
"Now, now, we're all civilized gentlemen here," said the Penguin, though his 'gentlemanly' attitude didn't extend to helping a lady off the floor. Instead, he began pacing around the room, his umbrella clacking on the floor. "Now, from what my men have told me, you three tried to sell my secrets to the NGPD. Munition records, trafficking routes, even the names and faces of some of my best – and loyal – men, all to make a tidy sum for yourselves. Is that right?"
"Please…please…," the girl sobbed. "It wasn't my fault – "
"Damn right it wasn't your fault, you goddamn jinx," the clean-shaven man hissed, giving her a quick kick in the side. "Mr. Ogilvy, if you would just let me explain – "
"No need," said the Penguin, holding his hand up. "Honestly, I'm impressed. I would've done the same thing. Hell, I have done the same thing. Which is why I'm willing to offer you a chance."
The dapper crime lord reached into his waistcoat and withdrew a single, old-fashioned revolved. The men visibly flinched, which made the Penguin laugh. The Penguin opened the chamber and made a show of putting in six bullets before snapping it shut. Her gave the chamber a quick spin, then bent down, gently putting the gun on the floor, and rose back up. The three looked between the gun and the Penguin, visibly confused.
"Take the gun and shoot me," said the Penguin in shockingly jovial tone. "If you can kill me, you are free to go. Simple, yes? So, who's going first?" He looked between the two men, both of whom looked down, fearful and fidgeting. Neither of them made a move for the gun. "No takers? Pity. I was almost looking – "
Suddenly, they heard a scramble of motion and realized that the girl had made a desperate grab for the gun. She stood up on her feet, chest heaving frantically, both hands on the revolver, which she aimed directly at the Penguin's face. The Penguin smiled with a low chuckle.
"Well, at least one of you has some fight left," said the Penguin amusingly. "Well, go ahead, girl. Shoot."
The pink-haired was breathing frantically, her hands shaking and as she inched her finger closer to the trigger…. When she suddenly turned around and pulled twice without hesitation, shooting the other two men clean in their foreheads. The girl's eyes went wide, almost not believing what she did as the two men slumped to the ground, blood trickling down their faces from the new holes in their head.
She jumped when the Penguin suddenly guffawed, stepping up and clapping her shoulder like a proud uncle.
"Well done, girl, well done indeed!" the Penguin praised. "I would have let you lived if you had taken a shot at me simply out of respect. But this is even better than I could have hoped for! Stick with me, girl, and you'll be going places. Ah, but where are my manners. I don't believe I caught your name."
The pink-haired girls breathing finally started to settle once she realized she wasn't about to die. While the emperor of Gotham's underworld waited for her answer, she stared at the corpses of her abusers, recalling their final words to her.
"…Jinx," she said, looking up to meet the Penguin's eyes. "It's Jinx, sir."
"C'mon, move it, double time, you mooks!" an armed thug in a wooden black mask shouted. "We're on a schedule here, and you know the boss doesn't like being late!"
It was another night in Old Gotham – where criminals ran around like rats when the sun went down. Half a dozen men shuffled around the abandoned warehouse in the middle of the city (seriously, why are there so many abandoned warehouses, one had to wonder.) The henchmen were lugging several crates to the back of a large truck and stacking them all the way to the roof. One man set a crate on the floor and opened the lid to check the contents.
Guns – at least a dozen laser rifles neatly lined up in a two rows. They looked like the latest models; the kind normally available to the NGPD SWAT.
"Ho-ho-ho, merry Christmas to me," the henchman chortled gleefully.
"What're you standing around for?" said another goon, slapping his accomplice over the head. "We need all of this stuff out of her ASAP or the boss'll have our heads!"
"What's the big rush?" asked the first henchman.
"The boss lady has it on good authority that this place is about to get hit tonight," said the second thug. "And the cargo is too valuable to lose. We've already taken a major hit in the last month when our deal with the China White Triad went south. You hear the reason why it blew up?"
"Yeah, the same reason why two of our spice labs were 'blew up' last week," the first henchman grimaced.
"Batman," the second thug scowled.
"Ever since that pointy-eared freak showed up, business has been in a freefall," said the first henchman. "Did you hear he did to martin last week?"
"Martian who's in the hospital?"
"Yeah, how do you think he got there?"
"Well, I'd like to see that nutjob try breaking into this place," said the second thug, pulling out one of the rifles and waving it around threateningly. "If that freak shows his pointy head, I'm gonna blast it clean off his shoulders."
"Don't jinx us, you idiot," said the first henchman. "The last thing we need is the Batman kicking our asses tonight."
Well, that poor, unsuspecting lackey was in for some bad news. Because the Dark Knight was already inside the warehouse, lurking in the shadow of the rafters overhead.
Batman jumped between the beams until he was directly over the truck, his eyes narrowing as his cowl automatically zoomed in on the crate. The onboard computer scanned the guns, bringing up a full schematic on his HUD.
"Wow, these dregs aren't messing around," Batman whispered. "Inferred targeting scope, one hundred round mag, three hundred degree plasma rounds – those things could turn an armored truck into Swiss cheese."
"All the more reason why we need to get them off the street," Julia said over the comms.
"Bet the old man wishes he was here to see this instead of a stuffy business meeting at Foxteca," said Batman jokingly.
"One of the downfalls of being a shareholder," Julia replied; Batman could practically hear her smirk. "But what I don't get is how the Black Mask got her hands on military grade rifles. She usually deals in drug trafficking and extortion. Why the sudden change?"
"I think I might have an idea," said Batman. He narrowed his vision on the back of one of the hechmen's uniforms, the cowl automatically zooming in. Even though the man was wearing a wooden black mask, the symbol of his clothing told another story. "That's the Penguin's mark. They're with the Penguin Empire."
"What, they imposters?" asked Julia.
"No, they were definitely talking like they were taking orders from Black Mask," Terry answered.
"Something isn't right here," Julia hummed. "Take out those men, but leave one of them conscious. Maybe we can get some an – "
Suddenly, a sharp ringing noise cut through the warehouse. Everyone recognized the noise. It was the ringtone of a cellphone. But asked the masked flunkies looked around, they didn't see anyone reaching for their pockets.
"Hey, who's phone is that?" one of the bigger flunky shouted.
"Not mine!" another goon answered, showing his phone.
"Not mine either!"
"Nope!"
"Not over here!"
"Then who the hell is it?" the big thug snapped irritably.
Batman cursed under his breath. That was his cellphone ringing loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood. The young Dark Knight pulled open the third left compartment of his utility belt to retrieve the device. The Caller ID and picture said it was Harper Row. She picked a hell of a time to be calling, Batman thought.
"You didn't put your phone on vibrate?" Julia yelled furiously in his ear. "What the hell, McGinnis?"
"I'm sorry, okay, I forgot!" Batman apologized. "I was a little busy being Batman!"
"Batman doesn't forget to put his phone on vibrate!" Julia snapped.
"It's fine, just let me – " Batman began when a bright light suddenly shined on his face, forcing him to shield his eyes with his hand. "Crap…."
"IT'S THE BAT! SLAG HIM!"
The Dark Knight extended his wings and glided off the beam just before the goons started taking potshots. Thankfully, they only used their normal guns and not the laser rifles; they were probably afraid Black Mask (or Penguin) would kill them for ruining their stock. Batman soared to the farthest end of the warehouse, spinning to avoid spray of bullets, then retracted his wings and dropped down somewhere in the labyrinth of crates. The False Facers-Penguin Empire bullet trails followed him and started pelting the boxes full of holes until the head henchman shouted:
"Hold your fire! HOLD YOUR FIRE!" The shooting quickly ceased and the goons lowered their guns. "Ruin the merchandise and the boss'll pluck out your eyeballs! And trust me, she'll enjoy it! Spread out, find the bat, and put a bullet between his eyes!"
Batman pressed his back against the wall of crates, keeping close to the shadows as he heard the men shuffling the warehouse looking for him. He was almost caught a second time when his phone started ringing again; he quickly switched it to vibrate, exhaling a tense sigh.
"McGinnis, if you get killed because of a phone call, we'll never live it down," Julia groaned. Batman could just imagine her at the bat-computer, massaging her head for the imminent migraine.
"At least one of us would live," Batman remarked. His phone was still vibrating in his hand; Harper's smug photo staring at him. Terry knew Harper wouldn't stop calling until he answered, so he accepted and pressed the phone to his ear, switching to his normal voice. "Hey, Harper, now's not a good – "
"Don't you 'Hey, Harper' me, McGinnis!" Harper snapped immediately, making the Dark Knight wince and pull away. "Where the hell are you? I've been sitting at Pauli's for the last half-hour waiting for you! The owner is starting to give me the stink eye because I keep ordering water!"
"Pauli's…?" Terry was briefly confused, until it hit him and the Dark Knight facepalmed himself. "Aw slag, the interview!"
"Yeah, the interview!" Harper seethed. "We're supposed to do a report on our partner's for Mr. Silverstein's class, remember? And so far, you have been a no show for all of our meetings."
"Look, I'm sorry, Harper," Terry grimaced. "Mr. Malone's been keeping me busy, and – "
"Look, I get that with your dad gone you need to support your family," said Harper, sounding like she was forcing herself to cool down. "But that old grouch keeps working you late. There's no way that's good for your health."
"Tell me about it," Terry grumbled.
Harper said something, but Batman didn't get the chance to hear what it was. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and saw one of the masked thugs turning into his hiding place. The Dark Knight and the henchman stared at each other for a moment, then the goon shouted "I GOT HIM; HE'S OVER HERE!" and started shooting. The Dark Knight crouched low to the floor – the bullet trail flying over his head – and called a batarang to his hand. Batman tossed the batarang, which curved through the air and smacked the goon in the side of the head, knocking him out cold.
Batman sprinted out of there, only realizing he was still on the phone with Harper as he hopped over a pile of crates.
"What was that?" asked Harper, her voice hitching in concern. "That sounded like gunshots!"
."Yeah, uh, Mr. Fox is demonstrating the new uh…AR training simulator…for the NGPD!" Batman came up with on the spot.
"Wow, really?" asked Harper, sounding impressed. "It sounds so realistic."
"Yeah, realistic," Batman grumbled. "Listen, Harp, my boss needs me. I'll call you back tomorrow."
"But the assignment's due – "
BEEP! Batman hung up, turned off his phone, and stowed it in his utility belt.
"Smooth, Dark Knight," said Julia sarcastically.
"Give me a break," Batman grimaced.
He was running to the end of the row when two False Facers (or Penguins, take your pick) came around the corner and spotted him. Batman shot a grapnel line from his wrist, looping it around one of the thug's ankle, and pulled. The henchman let out a startled yelp as his leg was pulled out from under him, his finger pulling the trigger and shooting wildly at the ceiling. The other henchman backed away with his head lower to dodge the stray bullets. Batman ran up to him and sucker punched him across the face, knocking his light out before dropping a knee on the face of the henchman on the floor.
A third False Facer came around and started shooting without consideration for his comrades. Batman expanded the wing on his right arm, using it as a shield tom protect himself and the unconscious thugs. He whipped out a batarang in his left hand and tossed it at the shooter, surprising even himself when the tip lodged into the gun's muzzle, causing it to explode. The goon lurched back, clutching his hand, giving Batman the chance to lunged at the False Facer, grabbing him by the face and slamming his bald head on the concrete.
Another goon ran up behind the Dark Knight, screaming like a banshee and swinging a crowbar of all things. Batman spun around, caught the crowbar with one hand, then punched the thug in the gut with the other. The Dark Knight followed up with a strong uppercut to the chin that laid the goon out flat on the ground.
Batman, still clutching the crowbar, turned around and calm stared at the last False Facer, who had his gun pointed at the Dark Knight. The masked henchman was trembling, his hands shaking, as Batman gave him the most menacing glare of his life. Then, after a moment of tense silence…the False Facer dropped the gun and made a run for the door…. He didn't get far; Batman threw the crowbar from a distance and knocked him out cold.
"Probably one of the smarter lackeys," said Batman jokingly. "Penny-1, you might wanna call an ambulance for these guys."
"Already did, along with a NGPD escort," said Julia. "You'll want to take care of the guns before they arrive. Never know who might be in Black Mask's pocket."
"Or the Penguin, for that matter," said Batman as he pulled out a putty-like disks with the bat symbol stamped on them. In the last forty years, Bruce improved the classic explosion gel to make it more compact and set it to explode to a certain frequency emitted from the cowl. "What is up with that, by the way? I thought Black Mask and the Penguin were business rivals – "
Batman cut himself off as he approached the truck when the vehicle's doors flew open on both sides. The Capeless Crusader quickly whipped out a batarang and took a stance, waiting for whatever ugly brute came out…. Batman visibly blinked in confusion as a strange pair of twins stepped out, calmly walking around the truck in perfect unison, and met in the back of the vehicle, separating the Dark Knight from the munition stash.
Their faces were hidden behind porcelain white masks with painted lips and bright-red circles underneath the painted eyes, but they were definitely oriental. Kabuki twins in fashionable emerald-green robes with large golden obi, their silky black hair down up in matching topknots.
"Uh, Penny-1, are you seeing this?" asked Batman uncertainly.
"Yeah, I see it," said Julia. "Very creepy."
"I don't know – I think they're kinda cute," said Batman.
The Kabuki Twins just stared – menacingly – for a few seconds…. Together, they dropped their robes, revealing that they were wearing bright-pink, skintight bodysuits, and that their 'hair' was fake and easily discarded with the rest of their disguise. Each of their hands was outfitted with three steel razor blades, all of them stretching and glinting menacingly in the light.
"…Still think they're cute?" asked Julia sarcastically.
"Less so now," Batman admitted.
Kabuki #1 leapt into the air while her twin lunged at Batman, slashing her claws through the air. The Dark Knight shuffled out of the way, but then looked up and saw the other twin stabbing at him from above. Batman grounded to the ground, rolled backward out of the way, and jumped back to his feet. But the Kabuki Twins were immediately on him. One threw herself at the Dark Knight taking wide sweeps with her claws and Batman crouched low to dodge underneath her arms.
The Dark Knight saw an opening and kicked the Kabuki warrior in the side, but the silent assassin effortlessly bended back to avoid the hit. Batman attempted a sweeping kick next, but the assassin cartwheeled out of the way, joining her twin side-by-side as they faced down the Dark Knight. One twin threw a kick at Batman's head, which he blocked with his forearm, then the other took a stab at his face, forcing Batman to back up. The same twin flipped over the Dark Knight, briefly distracting him, while her twin pounced and kicked Batman's chest with both feet.
Batman was thrown against a stack of crates with a pained grunt and fell to his knees, hissing from the sharp pain in his back.
"How's it looking over there, McGinnis?" asked Julia.
"Bad," Batman grimaced. "Really, really bad."
The Dark Knight gritted his teeth, willing himself to ignore the pain, then bounced to his feet and ran at the twins. He took a wide swing at the pair, but the twins casually rolled under and popped up behind him. The twins swung their legs at Batman from opposite sides in perfect synch, but the Dark Knight raised his arms to block. The twin on Batman's left side leapt into the air, did a flip, and brought her heel down on top of the Dark Knight's head. Batman flinched, which gave the other twin the chance to slice her claws across his chest.
Batman cried out and backed away, a hand clutching the claw marks on his suit. Thankfully, the armored lining inside the suit protected him from any significant damage, but the nano-circuitry was dangerously exposed.
The Dark Knight gritted his teeth as the Kabuki Twins ominously approached him, flashing their knives threateningly. Batman knew he was outmatched, considering these two were likely trained assassins and he was just a street punk with only a month of hero experience. However, being a street punk had one advantage….
As Batman reached into his utility belt, the Kabuki Twins went on the defensive, staring him down cautiously. A moment of tense silence passed…then Batman threw a handful of little disks at the Kabuki Twins, which the pair easily leaned out of the way. The Kabuki Twins started to move forward when they suddenly heard several beeping noises chirping behind them. The dual assassins turned around and realized too late that dozens of explosive putty disks were latched onto several crates of munitions, all of them flashing and beeping.
Batman pivoted on his heel while the twins were distracted and made a break for the window. He crossed his arms in front of him as he smashed through the glass, then, as he was falling, he pressed a hidden switch on his cowl –
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Capeless Crusader tucked in as he hit the ground and rolled into a crouch before turning back. He could see a dozen small fires through the broken window and thick plumes of black smoke wafting out into the night sky…. And, hopefully, none of the thugs he knocked out got caught in the explosion.
"Subtle, Batman," said Julia.
"Hey, it was the best I could do with what I had," Batman grumbled.
"And the creepy twins?" asked Julia.
The question was answered almost right away. The Dark Knight heard the squealing of the tires before he saw the truck fly out of the burning warehouse with the Kabuki Twins in the driver's seat. As they turned the corner at the end of the street, Batman saw with a frustrated grimace that several undamaged crates were still loaded in the back, although one of them fell out and broke in the middle of the street as the twins took a sharp right.
"Got away," said Batman irritably. "With enough guns to do some major damage."
"At least you took out the main supply," said Julia supportively. "That'll set Black Mask and/or Penguin back by months. Remember, these mobsters have been in power for years. You have to remember to take whatever victory you can get."
"I guess," said Batman, though clearly unsatisfied.
Off in the distance, Batman heard the tell-tale sirens of the police on their way and briefly wondered if Ethan or his partner were among them.
"Time to come back, kid," said Julia. "Let the boys in blue handle cleanup."
The Dark Knight nodded silently in agreement. He raised his fist to the air, launching a grapnel line from his wrist, and was lifted to the rooftops as the police vehicles screeched to a stop in front of the warehouse.
I don't like that I had to put (Part 1) as part of the title, but coming up with unique titles for three-part episodes is hard.
And in case you are wonder, no, Jinx in the beginning of the chapter is not the same one as the Teen Titans villain. That character still existed during the original Arkhamverse (according to me.) You can call this one "Jinx II." Whether or not she'll have mystical powers like the original remains to be seen.