A spark flickered to life with the metallic flick of a lighter's flint. The flame cast a dim glow against the night's darkness.
The owner of the light slowly brought the light to his face, illuminating the painted, unshaven face of the man dressed in a gray prisoner jumpsuit. He placed a cigarette against his lips, the end flaring bright orange as the tobacco caught fire.
With the first long drag, the end of the cigarette glowed. Smoke curled around him as he enjoyed a moment of peace alone on the watchtower of the Asylum's front entrance.
However, unbeknownst to the henchman perched on high, an invisible infrared dot was dancing on his chest with lethal intent.
Through the lens of a rifle scope, a sniper's eye followed the oblivious inmate with the detached focus of a trained predator. Every twitch, every puff of smoke was captured in the high definition of the crosshairs.
Turning a few knobs to adjust the scope, the sniper's vision immediately zoomed away from the man on the guard tower as the scope retracted to take in the wider scene of the gothic architecture looming in the background.
Arkham Asylum, the infamous mental institution that housed Gotham's most deranged and criminally insane, was now a twisted playground for the madman it intended to contain. Graffiti stained the decades-old walls while banners draped over the buildings.
The GCPD sniper eventually tapped into his earpiece. "Central, this is Gargoyle One, all things look quiet from the top. No movement except for the Joker's men in the watchtowers. Over."
"Copy that. Report any unusual movement but do not engage without calling it in first. Central out," a strained voice responded.
In a police mobile command unit, Lieutenant Harvey Bullock, a long-time veteran of the police department, ended the transmission and handed the microphone back to the radio operator.
He then snatched up a styrofoam cup of coffee, sipping its steamy warmth.
"Is it too early to start drinking on the job?" he remarked. "I'm getting there…"
"Understood." A weary voice from behind prompted him to turn around to see the Deputy Commissioner, Peter Foley, as well as other high-ranking officers all huddled around him.
"Please tell me you got good news, Pete," Bullock asked.
"The mayor just quit," he sighed. "That whole hostage situation at City Hall tonight was the last straw. A few days from now, he's gonna announce his formal resignation in a press conference."
"Huh. Knew I shoulda voted for the other guy," came the Lieutenant's sardonic response. "Does that mean we don't have to wait on nobody's sayso now? We can just storm that damn place and put the crazies back in their cages?"
"Unfortunately, the city council is convening to vote on any such action," Foley informed. "That's policy."
"That's bullshit," came another voice, much more fired up than that.
Slamming his fist onto a table with blueprints of the asylum spread over it, Lt. William "Billy" Pettit made his voice known, "We're waiting on politicians to tell us how to do our jobs while that lunatic is wreaking havoc inside?!"
"Which one? The one with green hair or the one with pointy ears?" Harvey remarked sardonically.
"If it were my call, we'd take them both out," Pettit growled.
"Gordon's still inside. Even if I could sanction a full-on assault, he's in danger of being caught in the crossfire. So is every other guard, nurse, or personnel on the grounds," Foley pointed out.
"Yeah, and they could all be tortured or dead as we speak. Even if they aren't, I'm fine with some collateral damage if it means stopping those psychos here and not letting any of them get off the island."
Bullock raised his brow at Pettit's somewhat cavalier approach, but didn't say anything.
"For the sake of your career, Lieutenant, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that last part," Foley told him tersely, before pointing at the blueprints. "For now, we're going with the action the mayor already signed off on before he quit. Am I understood?"
Reluctantly, the other two men nodded.
"Alright, let's go over the mission objectives here. Gentlemen, you've been assigned teams. Bryan-" He gestured to another officer. "Alpha Team's objective is to suppress any riot activity in the Penitentiary and then work your way up to the Security Center. Tell your men to try and stay nonlethal, but only shoot if absolutely necessary."
"Yes sir."
"John, you've got Bravo Team. This is mainly a rescue op. Lead them to the Medical Facility. A guard, Aaron Cash, informed us over radio that he and other staff were still there. Extract them and return them to home base."
"Understood, sir."
Pausing, he continued on. "Charles, you're with Delta. You're reserves, for now. If anyone needs backup, you need to back them the hell up."
"Yes sir."
Finally, the acting commissioner turned to Pettit, "And I want Charlie Team to sweep the remaining sectors, including the mansion and the Botanical Gardens. Our comms guys picked up some radio activity that points to Joker's men taking up a nest there. There could also still be staff hiding out there that need extraction."
"The latest intel suggests Joker's in Intensive Treatment right now. Shouldn't we all be heading there to take him ou- put him in custody?" Pettit quickly corrected himself mid-sentence.
"We will, once the asylum personnel are all safe and accounted for. Their safety is paramount here," Foley reminded him. "That's a non-negotiable, Lieutenant."
"Right, but-"
"I said , non-negotiable," the superior officer reiterated. "You got that?"
"...I copy, sir," he said, clearly not happy with the orders given.
"Thank you. Alright, head out. Stay safe out there, everyone," Foley told them all, prompting the team leaders to make their departures.
All including Lieutenant Pettit whose glare lingered for a moment before he finally stepped out of the command vehicle and into the night.
Shrouded in the dense foliage of the forest's edge, Sergeant Lambs melded with the darkness.
Eyes narrowed, he observed the asylum keenly through a set of binoculars, searching for any sign of abnormality in the foreboding structures that housed madness and mayhem.
"See anything, Sarge?"
The inquiry came from Officer McKnight, his youthful visage barely visible in the dim light as he peered through his rifle's sight.
Lowering the binoculars, Lambs turned towards the rookie. "No, not much aside from those inmates on the towers. You?"
McKnight's brow furrowed as he observed the distant figures. "Those aren't patients from Arkham, sir. Judging by the uniform, they seem to be from Blackgate."
"I got my start on the force working guard duty there," Lambs remarked somberly. "Could give Stryker's over at Metropolis a run for its money."
"What'd I miss?" A yawning voice came from behind the pair.
McKnight turned around and found both Johnson and the now reawakened Smith joining them.
"We're about to go in," the young man informed them. "How'd you sleep?"
"Not long enough," came Smith's reply, as his gaze shifted uneasily towards the Asylum grounds. "Man, this place is just…evil. The sooner we can get in, the sooner we can get the hell out."
Before the sergeant could reply, a voice roared behind the SWAT Officers.
"MEN, ON ME! WE'RE GOING IN!"
Lieutenant Pettit strode forth from the mobile command vehicle, his presence as forceful as his voice.
Lambs raised an eyebrow as he quipped dryly. "You trying to give away our position already, Lt?"
Pettit, unamused by the jest, responded impatiently, "What the hell took the squad so long to assemble? You're all dragging your feet or something."
"There were a few roadblocks in the city we had to go through because of the clown's bomb threat. You know how the EOD guys work, even our truck is no exception," the Sergeant replied, clipping his binoculars back to his vest and shouldering his weapon.
"Hmmm." The team leader grunted before turning back towards the rest of the team, "We're moving out- now ."
His gaze landed on each member of the team, sizing them all up.
"About damn time," Officer Dalton smiled, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Once they all gathered in formation around him, the Lieutenant declared, "Our objective is to sweep the mansion and the garden. Look for personnel to rescue, neutralize any and all threats. Got it?"
"Sir yes sir," they all responded in unison.
"Outstanding." He nodded, turning back to the grounds.
"All assault teams, sixty seconds to entry. " Bullock's voice rang from the officers' radio.
In a symphony of disciplined movement, SWAT and riot officers moved to their designated points, the night air filling with the tense hum of focused energy.
"Gargoyles, take the shot."
The night air was punctured by the cough of suppressed sniper fire. Henchmen on the asylum's towers crumpled silently, a choreography of precision that left no room for alarms.
"Here we go," Rodriguez whispered with excitement in his voice.
"All teams, move out and godspeed!"
With Foley's order coming out from the radio, all officers spring into action. The night erupted into action as GCPD officers poured forward, a blue tide of justice storming the gates of madness, ready to reclaim order from chaos.
They kept in formation, marching towards danger with discipline and determination.
Pettit took lead, the second-in-command Sergeant Lambs right on his shoulder with the others following closely behind.
Soon, the other teams branched off and disappeared into the darkness, each one bound for their own destination while Charlie Team continued on the forwarth path.
Under the Lieutenant's seasoned lead, they moved through the courtyard.
The moonlight cast an eerie glow from above, bathing the dark, twisted foliage around them in silver light while casting menacing shadows on the ground.
It was clear to see the aftermath of Joker's takeover written in the language of crude violence. Blood streaks and bullet casings were everywhere, the fallen bodies of the Asylum's staff sprawled out on the ground here and there.
Some members of the team glimpsed briefly at them, but none of them paused too long.
The mission came first.
So far, the officers did not encounter any resistance- armed or otherwise. The only evidence of the enemy were the solitary bodies atop the entrance watchtowers, now limp and lifeless.
"Where's everybody?" Officer Johnson's whisper cut through the silence, a seemingly shared sentiment as they neared the Botanical Gardens- the first destination.
Despite his foreknowledge through blueprints and briefings, the approaching sight of the Garden struck a chord of awe in the youthful Officer McKnight.
The glasshouse, crowned with massive domes, reflected the ominous moonlight to create a spectral glow. The imposing stone gargoyles flanking the entrance seemed to sneer at their approach, their winged forms casting long, sinister shadows.
"Eyes open," Pettit hissed over his shoulder as they neared the entrance.
The once well-managed stairs were now overgrown with weeds, the previously guarded gates now hanging wide open with rusty hinges creaking and swaying mournfully in the wind.
Surprisingly, there was a dead silence that greeted them. No screams. No sounds of fighting to permeate the unnerving quiet.
With a hand signal, the Lieutenant sent his men rushing off to take cover positions inside of the open gates.
He himself took a knee under the shadow of an empty guard tower.
Lambs, staying close, would eventually take a knee as well next to him.
"What do you make of this, Lt?" the Sergeant asked his superior, who scanned the area with his rifle before finally making an almost disappointed observation, "Someone just saved us a whole lot of bullets."
There were dead bodies on the ground around them. Dead inmates.
"God…" the other man breathed, feeling a twist in his gut as he took in the macabre scene before them.
"Pretty sure He hasn't been here in a long damn time," again came the Lieutenant's cynicism. "The intel was right, at least. Joker's men were here."
"And then someone else arrived," the Sergeant added. "We should call this in."
"Let's get inside first. Maybe find out exactly who it is first," Pettit pointed out to him, before gesturing to the others.
Without hesitation, they all started to converge on him as both leaders rose to their feet and headed towards the entrance.
With another hand signal, they all took up positions at the entrance.
"Alright, prepare for entry," Pettit called out. "Anyone needs to check their weapons, do it now."
McKnight would give a cursory inspection of his assault rifle while the other more seasoned members kept up a confident disposition.
Petit was the first to go, and the rest followed.
All of them ready to plunge into whatever potential peril awaited them behind the metal doors.
Just as they started to make entrance, the Lieutenant suddenly caught a glimpse of a slender silhouette moving across the interior.
"Freeze! GCPD! Stop where you are now!" He ordered, his voice echoing through the entrance and alerting the others as well.
The mysterious figure answered with nothing more than playful, mocking laughter before slipping into the darkness of the glasshouse.
"What the hell was that?" Officer Smith wanted to know, feeling a shiver creep down his spine. "Sir?"
"I'm guessing an inmate," Mason replied sardonically.
Lambs would offer a more cautious response. "Should we hold here until backup arrives?"
Pettit, visibly annoyed, dismissed their concerns with a wave of his hand.
"Negative Sergeant. If someone wants to play hide 'n seek, we'll play along. See how he or she likes the consequences," he declared confidently, turning to address the rest of them, "We're going in."
The lieutenant's firm, unflinching words would prompt all the other officers to finally nod in agreement, all except Lambs.
"Something still doesn't feel right, Billy," he insisted, his brow furrowed with concern.
Naturally, Pettit ignored him and opened the glass doors, prompting the rest of the men to hurry into the glasshouse entrance and into the building.
Little did they know, a sinuous figure lurked in the shadows of a vine-infested security station, observing the men's every move through the monitors.
Her delicate fingers traced the outline of a twisted vine as it slithered and coiled around her verdant-skinned arm like a snake.
The woman's emerald eyes glinted in the dim light, a sly and malevolent grin playing on her crimson lips as she silently watched the meat wander into her garden.
Author Note:
I know, I know, I broke my promise about updating. Because of life and other stuff, my original plan was interrupted, but thankfully I should be able to update my story more frequently. I really thank those who read the first chapter last year, especially those who sent a private message to me asking if I had abandoned this story. I really appreciate your support.
And for those who have watched or played Arkham Shadow (Absolutely recommend trying if you haven't!), there's a Billy Pettit in the game. While I tried to stick to canon as much as possible, let's just say the one in Shadow is the one that appeared in my story's relative lol.
'The Garden' is completed, I will upload the last part in a week or two after a final preview(I promise!). And the next chapter, 'The Labyrinth' should be ready next month, I'm still editing it right now.
This work is based on the Arkham Series' lore and also the long fic that I mentioned, Batman Arkham City: Reconstruction written by batman4life and posted on FFN. I must thank him again for providing suggestions and helping with editing my story. And I also want to congratulate him here again for completing his long fic after so long. For those who enjoyed my story, please check his story as well, I'm sure you will enjoy it as well!
I also had to thank the artists who helped me to visualize my story, PamelaKageKagami and NungMeeNui on Deviantart, especially PamelaKageKagami who had been so supportive of me, especially for the time when I was having a hard time in life.
If you want to support the artists that I mentioned, here are the links:
Batman Arkham City: Reconstruction: https/s/10348481/1/Batman-Arkham-City-Reconstruction
PamelaKageKagam: https/pamelakagekagami
NungMeeNui: https/nungmeenui