The Ultimate DC RPG - Season III

[Andy C.]

"I'm worried," I say nervously, sitting by a man I know can't hear me. "No, it's more than that. I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm about to make a huge mistake, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

I'm sitting in a room at Gotham General, still wearing my full Robin costume. This is the first place I went after agreeing with Raven and Starfire to leave Gotham, to follow the stranger Jinx and go to the HIVE. I needed someone to talk to, someone who might give me some advice.

Batman would know what to do.

But Batman isn't in any condition to talk.

So here I am, talking to the battered and comatose form of Bruce Wayne, still fighting for life after the attack that left him broken and half-dead. I still blame myself for him being here, my own attack leaving him injured and unprepared for the person who nearly killed him.....a person whose identity I haven't made any progress in discovering.

"We leave tomorrow, and I don't know when we're coming back," I say. "I left a note for Miss Cooper, saying I got in contact with some relatives upstate and am going to go get in touch with them. I can't imagine that's going to sit well with her, but it's better than just disappearing without a trace. I don't know how I'm going to excuse my absence at school, though...."

Honestly, though, school is probably the least of my worries.

"There's so much here that I haven't done yet," I say, frustrated. "I still don't know who attacked you or why. I still don't know where Tony Zucco is. I still haven't made up for attacking you. I can't just leave all of that behind, can I?"

Then I think of Rachel, of the desperation and anger in her eyes.

"But I can't let her go there alone," I say with a sigh. "I mean, Starfire's going with her, but she hardly knows anything about this world, or what kind of people are in it. And considering what Rachel is going through, I'm just as worried that she's going to hurt someone as I am that someone might hurt her. I just......I need to know she's going to be okay."

I feel a pang of guilt at saying that. I don't really know exactly what my feelings for Rachel are, but to say it out loud that I'm essentially running away into a possibly dangerous situation just because I want to stay with a girl, makes what I'm doing seem incredibly selfish and stupid.

"I don't know what's going to happen at the HIVE," I say. "I don't know if the invitation is on the level, or if we're walking into a trap. But if I can help Rachel and Starfire, then I can't just walk away. And if there are other people there who are in danger, then I can help them, too. Either way, even if it does turn out to be everything that Jinx said it is, I don't think I can just ignore it. I have to go with them, at least for now."

"I know that.....I've screwed up. I've let everyone down, again and again. Miss Cooper, my teachers, you, even my parents........but I can't let my friends down too. They need someone to help them with what they're going through. A friend, maybe a leader if we stick together as a team. And I'm the only one with enough experience in this kind of life to fill that role.....even though, if I'm being completely honest......I still don't really know what I'm doing."

I pull a device from my utility belt and place it on the stand next to Mr. Wayne's bed, by his smartphone and personal effects.

"GPS tracker that I borrowed from the Cave," I explain. "Wherever I am on the entire planet, this will show you exactly where I am. If I screw this up.......you wake up, and come get me, okay?"

Mister Wayne doesn't respond, of course, but I don't really expect him to. I can only hope that he pulls through eventually--I'm pretty sure he's the only one who would understand what it is that I'm doing and why. It also doesn't hurt that he's not really in any shape to tell me "no" at the moment.

I climb out of the hospital window and dive into the night, the glider mechanism in my cape catching the wind, allowing me to slip through the darkened sky and back to Miss Cooper's penthouse, where I can finally get some sleep.

After all, I've got a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

 

[Byrd Man]

After a few infuriating moments of silence between us, I finally throw my hands up and walk away, heading for Batgirl. Poor kid's going to bleed to death if one of us doesn't act like an adult. Since he doesn't seem interested, I guess he's getting his way.

"And you know what? You're starting to make me regret it."

He just stands there and watches as I scoop her up off of the street, throw her body over my shoulder, and toss the whip out into the night's sky. He wants me to take care of her? Fine. I'll take care of her. But it's the last favor that I'm doing for anyone tonight.

Sorry, Wayne. But there are some things even you can't turn me into.

I watched as Catwoman disappeared over a rooftop. Standing on shaky legs, I brushed dirt from the lapels of my suit and turned to Hood.

"It's been a minute or two since that rocket hit and we haven't been shot at since. I think whoever is up in Wayne Tower, they want us to follow their trail. We're headed into a trap."

 

[Batman]

"And you know what? You're starting to make me regret it."

With that overreaction out of the way, Catwoman finally grabs Barbara and makes for the nearest clinic in the city. Which is at least a good five miles away from any of the hotspots we've encountered tonight, finally giving me one less thing to worry about. I've been waiting for every excuse to sideline the thief from this - whatever the hell it is - for the last few hours, but she's more than a little persistent. I had practically wondered if she was actually just trying to be as curiosity-prone as her namesake, but it seems I'll be afforded the chance to table it for now. I wanted her gone and she's gone. End of story.

Which leaves only the next obstacle in our paths. A very big one, always overlooking Gotham like an overbearing shadow. Wonder Tower isn't exactly the most famous landmark that the city has, but it's definitely close in terms of tourist's attraction. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to bypass the security of that place, but someone succeeded. Which means that whatever Question and I are heading into, we could be dealing with multiple parties.

I'll have to do alot of the heavy lifting, but something I noticed the first time we met is his knack for improvisation. It makes him essential in going up against an enemy less than predictable. Which I'd say is evident, given that the guy just fired an RPG off of the top of the city's largest standing structure. The scum in this town are getting a bit too theatrical, for my tastes.

"It's been a minute or two since that rocket hit and we haven't been shot at since. I think whoever is up in Wonder Tower, they want us to follow their trail. We're headed into a trap."

He's right. Shockingly. This was definitely intended as a message, not genocide. Which means we're also dealing with someone who thinks pretty highly of themselves. I know how to exploit that. We just have to be careful.

At least, he does.

"Yeah, but traps are just another word for variable. You manipulate the situation enough, you can turn the tide. You've just got to be smarter."

"Still. A little recon could work to our advantage. Let's go scope the place out."

Firing out a line to the nearest rooftop heading North, I grab my partner-in-crime for the rest of the evening and bring us both into an ascension. Aside from a taser and a few trick weapons, I don't think Question actually has anything under that coat to use in scaling a seventy story tower. Which means we're gonna have to find an alternative route inside.

Works for me.

Contrary to what I told Catwoman earlier, a bowie knife is hardly all I have under my sleeve...

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Rhiannon enters her apartment and her mom is watering her plants.

Alice says, "Welcome home Rhiannon."

Rhiannon replies, "Thanks mom it's good to be home again."

Alice asks, "So how did your trip go?"

Rhiannon replies sitting on the couch, "It had it's moments, but not bad at all. If you'll excuse me I'm really tired and I think I need some rest before I go back to work tomorrow. Anything happen while I was gone?"

Alice shakes her head and says, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Except the Legion of Doom is launching an attack in South Africa."

Rhiannon rubs the bridge of her nose and says, "It's always something. Let me get a shower and a couple of hours of rest and then I'll head to HQ. Right now I'm in no condition to deal with a group of angry Girl Scouts much less the Legion of Doom."

Rhiannon starts to leave the room and Alice asks, "How's Kent?"

Rhiannon replies, "He's doing all-right. He's going to a conference in Philadelphia for the next 10 days."

Alice asks, "Are you going to call him?"

Rhiannon turns and smirks and asks, "What do you think?"

She leaves the room and gets a shower and lays down for some much needed rest.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Oswald mingles through the crowds at the Iceberg Lounge. To him this is just another evening of being the boss, but he still feels a sense of emptiness that his friend is gone.

He stops and talks to Lucy his new manager and tells her, "So far so good. It's like we haven't missed a beat."

She replies, "I had a great teacher in Patrick."

Oswald nods and says, "Agreed. Stop by the office tomorrow morning at 10:30. We'll negotiate your new deal."

Lucy replies, "Sir there is no need to do that. I'm just glad to be working here."

Oswald scuffs and says, "Non-sense Lucy. This is not a time for modesty. You are the new manager of one of the most well-known night clubs in the world. That means many many more responsibilities and you should be compensated justly."

Lucy nods and says, "Well thank you sir. I look forward to our meeting."

Oswald gives a quick wink and continues mingling. He eventually makes his way to his office and finds Titan on his perch.

He feeds him his dinner and says, "Yes my friend you have served me well. Sadly though I fear that your work may not be done yet."

Oswald checks his watch and makes his way to his secret basement.

The members of The Outfit are enjoying a buffet and drinks at the bar.

Oswald closes the door and says, "Now that we're all comfortable and relaxed let's begin."

He motions to the table and everyone sits down.

Oswald says, "As you all know Jozek was the one betraying us. He took his life rather than face the humiliation of appearing before us. I can respect that. Mayor Thorne is on the ropes. It's time for the knockout punches to be thrown."

Gamble asks, "How do you purpose we do that Oswald? An assassination could attract too much attention."

Oswald nods and says, "I agree with you my friend. No no the violence that has had a lull in it will now resume. I want as much chaos and mayhem as possible from you all."

Everyone nods and Oswald says, "Of course there are some ground rules. Number one nothing to do with children! No child is to be harmed in any way shape or form. Any child killed or injured as a result of our actions and I will personally deal with all of you! Number two nothing near the hospital especially Bruce Wayne he is not to be touched. Number three no assassination on Mayor Throne he is to live to watch Gotham burn all around him. Once he resigns then we will start making our move to take over Wayne Enterprises."

He looks around the room and gauges the feel mood of the room. Those gathered know Oswald's words are not to be taken lightly concerning this plan.

Oswald nods and says, "All-right. If you're not sure about something check with me first. Otherwise enjoy the rest of the evening and starting tomorrow we begin our first step in taking over Gotham."

He stands up and begins pouring glasses of Champagne.

Oswald hands them out and Oswald says, "The first step may it not be our last."

Everyone toasts and drinks.

 

[Byrd Man]

"Yeah, but traps are just another word for variable. You manipulate the situation enough, you can turn the tide. You've just got to be smarter."

"Still. A little recon could work to our advantage. Let's go scope the place out."

Firing out a line to the nearest rooftop heading North, I grab my partner-in-crime for the rest of the evening and bring us both into an ascension. Aside from a taser and a few trick weapons, I don't think Question actually has anything under that coat to use in scaling a seventy story tower. Which means we're gonna have to find an alternative route inside.

Works for me.

Contrary to what I told Catwoman earlier, a bowie knife is hardly all I have under my sleeve...

Fifteen minutes later, Hood and I were walking through a hallway on the 34th floor of Wonder Tower. Lots of cutesy posters and framed articles about all the good stuff in Gotham's past. The World's Fair in '55 is a popular point in history, but they seem to leave out how Silas Adams used the World's Fair as cover to take the lives of fifteen tourists that summer. One of Gotham's many serial killers, and one of its most prominent.

"Wait," I said, holding my hand out and stopping Hood. "You smell that? Ozone..."

I pulled my breath spray from my jacket and squirted it into the air. The spray floated through the air, revealing a crisscross of lasers just feet ahead of us.

"Hmm. Looks too well made to be a regular security feature. They could be just an alarm, or they could be rigged to proximity mines. What do you say, Red?"

 

[Spike_x1]

"Jimmy?"

I almost can't believe my eyes and the word coming out of my mouth. Jim Olsen is here and he seems to recognize Clark Kent as Superman without giving it a second thought. "You... I..."

"C'mon! We need to get you out of here." Rushing forward to grab my arm to help take some of my weight, Jim begins leading me to the emergency exit. Thank God, my legs feel like they're made out of jelly. Jelly that weighs one hundred-thousand tons. "In case you forgot, there's still a bounty on your head, and as strange as it is to say it, I don't think you could fight any supervillains off if word got out about you right now."

Opening the exit door leading outside to the STAR Labs loading bay area, I breathe a sigh of relief when I remember that the STAR employees have gone home for the day by now and no one is here to witness this, as well as not getting caught in the superhuman crossfire earlier. The calm chill breeze from the ocean hits my face and I feel some small measure of life returning.

"I don't suppose you've got a change of civilian clothes on you, do you?"

Somewhat groggily, I look down at my skintight uniform, then back to Jim in confusion.

"Hey, I dunno how you go about this stuff. For all I know, you could have a suit and tie folded up in a super-compressed ball hidden in your cape." Taking a look around to reconfirm that nobody is watching, he starts running away towards the parking lot. "Wait here. I'll bring my car around."

His hatchback? I had a better chance of surviving a fight with the Parasite than I do in that car.

With Jimmy gone, I finally have a few moments to myself to think and I keep falling back to thoughts of how helpless and handicapped I feel. It's like the city that I used to see and hear hasn't only been muted; it's almost like the world I used to know is completely gone. Things are so silent now, and the bright and vibrant lights of life in Metropolis have been replaced with cold concrete buildings and dirty streets. Is this how normal people see the city?

And the sheer staggering silence is something that I try not to think about.

What if this is permanent?

Suddenly Jimmy's car comes around the corner and stops beside me with a jerk. "Come on! Sirens are coming! We gotta move!"

The tires are burning rubber before I've even closed the door behind me, and Jim wipes the sweat from his brow before looking over at me. "That was close, but I don't think anyone saw us."

"What were you doing there anyway?"

"After Hellgrammite attacked the Planet, I followed you. I figured there were going to be some prime photo opportunities." Pause. "And there were, but most of those photos aren't going to see the light of day."

I don't think that I would ever encourage Jim to shy away from a story, but I'm thankful in this case. The last thing Metropolis or the Justice League needs right now is for it to be made public knowledge that Superman is powerless and out of commission. Rao only knows what kind of opportunity that information would present to the Legion of Doom, or even just regular street crime around here.

"So where to? I assume you have a change of clothes stashed away somewhere...?"

"The Daily Planet is closer than my apartment from here. I have my things hidden up on the roof, and I also need to check in and see if that creature has made any noteworthy appearances in the city yet."

With his pal Superman waiting in his car, Jimmy Olsen makes his way through the city room of the Daily Planet and successfully reaches the exit to the roof of the building without drawing attention to himself. Quickly scrambling up the stairs, he keeps a clear focus on what needs to be done. I know some people come up here for a smoke, so I need to make sure the coast is clear first of all. And Clark said he keeps a change of clothes hidden behind the switchbox for the Globe, so main priorities established: check.

Opening the roof access door and stepping out to see the entire Metropolis skyline and the staggering monolithic buildings all around him, Olsen had to pause for a moment to take in the view. He suddenly regretted not having come up before now.

Is this how Clark sees the city?

"Take a picture, kid. It'll last longer."

Startled back to the present, Jim nearly fell over at the sound of the voice of Lois Lane, leaning against the projector for the holographic spinning globe, barely ten feet away from him and taking a drag on a cigarette. "Lois! Jeez, I... hey, I thought you quit."

Looking down at her cigarette, Lois grimaced a bit before dropping it to the ground and stamping it out under her shoe. "Don't tell Kent," she said, crossing her arms. "I don't want him thinking I took up the habit again just because we broke up."

"...Did you?"

"Shut it, twerp."

"Now I may be just a simple country Hyper-Chicken, but didn't you quit in the first place because you two were dating?"

Lois only shifted her eyes repeatedly back and forth between Jimmy and the nearby ledge, thirty stories above the street. "No jury would convict me." Finally, not seeing any potential avenue of conversation that she'd enjoy taking with Olsen, Lois growled and marched back into the building, shouldering past the kid and slamming the door behind her.

Dumbstruck, it took an minute before Jimmy remembered what he was there for and walked around the giant glowing hologram projected above him until he finally found the switchbox. "Bingo."

I'm not used to feeling so useless. I've always felt most at home when stepping up to a challenge and fighting the good fight, whether I'm in the spotlight and people are watching or not. It's what I try to do, both as Superman and as Clark Kent. It's who I am.

But now I've been forced to hide in Jimmy Olsen's car in a dark corner of a parking garage. Man.

For right now though, what else can I do? I have no powers to take the fight to the Legion of Doom or that purple monster, and I can't exactly walk through my office or my apartment building to get clothes for myself so that I can at least do my part as a journalist and try to figure something out. So I'm stuck and totally dependent on Jim, and again, I'm not used to depending on anyone.

A knock on the car window gets my attention and I turn to see Jim has returned with a knapsack full of my clothes, and eagerly open the door to receive them. "Thank Rao," I say under my breath as I start throwing my shirt on over my uniform.

""Rao"?"

"Hm? Oh, it's a, uh, Kryptonian God of Light, a sort of personification of their sun."

"Right. I keep forgetting the whole alien thing.

Putting my pants and shoes on now. "What?"

"Well, I mean, you're not human and you've probably got your own alien language and culture and stuff."

"It's not really as black and white as that. I value what I know of the planet I came from, and certain lessons I learned from them has influenced me, but in the end I was raised as a human being. Clark Kent isn't a disguise, and neither is Superman. I'm not faking anything when I put on tights and take to the skies, and everything you know about me as a person... as your friend Clark, has always been true. I'm not going to lie to you."

"What about Lois?"

"Lois is the last person I would lie to." Buttoning up my jacket and tying my tie, I begin walking toward the elevator. I really hate to end this here, but I need to check in on the latest updates on the Legion of Doom and the Parasite. "I really can't thank you enough for what you did for me today, Jim. I promise, we'll talk more later and I'll tell you everything you could ever want to know, but I have to go to work."

 

[Batman]

Fifteen minutes later, Hood and I were walking through a hallway on the 34th floor of Wonder Tower. Lots of cutesy posters and framed articles about all the good stuff in Gotham's past. The World's Fair in '55 is a popular point in history, but they seem to leave out how Silas Adams used the World's Fair as cover to take the lives of fifteen tourists that summer. One of Gotham's many serial killers, and one of its most prominent.

"Wait," I said, holding my hand out and stopping Hood. "You smell that? Ozone..."

I pulled my breath spray from my jacket and squirted it into the air. The spray floated through the air, revealing a crisscross of lasers just feet ahead of us.

"Hmm. Looks too well made to be a regular security feature. They could be just an alarm, or they could be rigged to proximity mines. What do you say, Red?"

Something isn't right about this.

The game they're playing, I mean. Oh, don't get me wrong, they sure as hell want to make it look as if it's nothing more than a simple siege or a high-scale robbery. But the way they've set it up, and the methods they're using to leave no stone unturned. They're making it way too easy. Not only is it incredibly telling of a pre-planned setup designed to deliberately throw us off of our game - making sure that we're utterly convinced of the fact that we're going up against a band of small-time con artists with a few fancy toys - but it also suggests that the idiot behind this has come up against "our kind" before. They've studied the specific methodology exclusive to vigilantes, because I can tell you right now that they could have easily disoriented a SWAT team with the traps.

They're not being careful, they're just testing us. Toying with us to find out what makes us bend and what makes us break. The RPG strike was just the carrot to dangle over our heads, leading us into the maze like a couple of rabid mice. Played for theatre to someone else's amusement. If we don't make it to the top soon, I'm really gonna have to hit something to calm my nerves. Just who the hell are we dealing with?

"Gut's telling me we're not gonna like the answer either way. Hate to say it, but we might need to forgoe the stealth approach."

Which is exactly the intent, I'm sure. Whether the party responsible knows it or not, I'm not Batman. I can't just pull something out of my belt that disables the trigger beams. And if Question's little trick with the breath spray told us anything, it's that the beams are lined up from the floor to the ceiling. No way to sneak past all of that.

Trying to figure out another method to get us through, I accidentally step onto a metal plating in the floor. Curious, I scrunch my fingers beneath the fold and rip the plate off of it's hinges. A cooling vent. Doesn't lead us anywhere out of the room, and certainly not past the trigger beams, but it's a big enough space for two...

Gives me an idea.

"Alright, I've got a plan. But it involves the two of us tightly bound in a cramped space."

Even without the appearance of any facial features to speak of, I can tell he's giving me a look. I sigh under my breath, knowing exactly how it sounds. No one said this line of work had to be easy.

"Just get in the duct."

He complies, and I turn towards the trigger beams, pulling out a handful of inactive smoke grenades. Meant to drop these off by Arkham for a refill, but I think they'll be just as useful to me unarmed. Winding up a swing, I toss them all onto the floor ahead and dive into the duct with Question.

"Christ, could you move your knee? It's in my...."

A series of small explosions rock the hallway, prompting smoke and debris to fly over us. Guess his theory about the proximity mines was accurate. And here I was, hoping it'd just be a simple mounted machine gun, or something.

"Jesus! You hear that?!"

"I think everyone on this side'a Metropolis heard it. Get down there now!"

A door is kicked open and several footsteps can be heard. Tilting my head upwards, I can spot at least several armed men enter the hall through smoke that's already beginning to dissapate. Now's my chance. Divert all of the fire towards me and Question can handle the rest.

"You see anything?"

"Nah. Can't see past the smoke. You s'pose it was a malfunction?"

I leap out and somersault my way into the group.

"Maybe you're just not looking hard enough."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Rhiannon finally wakes up after her nap and walks out into the living room in a pair of sweats.

Alice says, "I was just getting ready to leave you a note. I'm heading over to a publisher's office this afternoon. Figured now was a good time to get back into the swing of things."

Rhiannon nods and asks, "What are you going to write about?"

Alice replies, "Your father and I."

Rhiannon says, "Usually you like to keep that stuff private."

Alice says, "I know but I just need to write again and writing fiction when compared to your real life just seems so boring. I'll be home in about 3 hours."

Rhiannon replies, "I'm going over to HQ and might even see if I can pitch in on the South Africa situation."

Alice and her say goodbye. Once her mom leaves Rhiannon transforms into The Atom and travels through the phone to Justice League HQ.

She cuts on the computer equipment and says, "Now let's see what kind of trouble I can get into today."

 

[Byrd Man]

Star City, California

"Justice League, huh?" The blonde man with the bow and arrow asks as we stand on a roof overlooking the city. "I don't know, Flash," Green Arrow says with a shrug. "All that firepower, what the hell can a guy with a bow and arrow do to help?"

"You'd be surprised. Three of us went up against Batman and he managed to whoop us with just a few gadgets. Still feel embarrassed about that."

"You should be. But anyway, that's Batman. A psycho like him, who knows what he can do? I'm not him."

Arrow fires a granpel line into the air and swings away. I'm already waiting for him on the next rooftop by the time he lands.

"Have you been hearing the rumors coming out of Gotham?"

"That's all the way across the country. I can't exactly go where ever I want in a blink of an eye."

"Well, the rumor is that Batman's dead. He's been MIA for awhile now. I've been going through Gotham whenever I get a chance. I try to look for him and help out where I can, but it's getting bad."

"Well, it's Gotham. How worse can it get?"

I turn to Arrow. "What do you say about my offer?"

"I'm still not sure exactly what I can do with the Justice League."

"You can make a difference," I say. "You've seen the news. That crazy Legion of Doom causing chaos around the planet. We have to stop them, and we'll need all the help we can get. Heavy hitters and powerhouses are one thing. There are contingency plans for them... but who the heck would possibly account for a guy with a bow and arrow?"

Green Arrow chuckles before he finally shrugs. "Alright, you convinced me. Besides, who could resist a chance to ogle Wonder Woman up close?"

*****

Bishop Laboratories

Keystone City, KS


As contractors to the US government, Bishop Laboratories housed many a top secret project. As such, security inside the facility was the highest. A dozen armed guards patrolled outside the facility. An electric fence surrounded the compound and the lab itself had three feet thick, steel reinforced walls. For all its security measures, all it took was one man's powers over Mother Nature to make it all crumbling down. The electric fence had been shattered to ice shards, the armed guards frozen and encased in blocks of ice. And now, ice was eating through the secure walls and eroding away the reinforced walls.

WHAM!

A frozen chunk of wall came crumbling down, allowing a perfect hole. A figure walked across the frozen rubble and entered the lab.​

"Captain Cold to Top. I'm in."

"Proceed to lab 4F," the voice of Dr. Roscoe Dillon said into Cold's earpiece.

Snart acknowledged and came to a stop outside a sealed door marked 4F. A quick blast of frozen energy knocked the door down. Cold walked inside the lab where a box was sitting on a table. He popped open the box and looked inside at three vials, one filled with red liquid, one filled with green liquid, and one with blue liquid.

"I found it," Cold said into his mic. He picked the box up and looked at it. "What is it?"

"Need to know only, Snart. Now--"
"That," a deep, calm voice crackled across the line. It was a voice that Snart had only heard once before. The time he had met Dillon's boss. The Octopus. "That is how I take the Twin Cities for all they're worth."
​

 

[Byrd Man]

A door is kicked open and several footsteps can be heard. Tilting my head upwards, I can spot at least several armed men enter the hall through smoke that's already beginning to dissapate. Now's my chance. Divert all of the fire towards me and Question can handle the rest.

"You see anything?"

"Nah. Can't see past the smoke. You s'pose it was a malfunction?"

I leap out and somersault my way into the group.

"Maybe you're just not looking hard enough."

While Hood took the lion's share of the baddies, I squared off with two of them. One had a pistol, the other was equipped with a submachine gun. I had my billy club out and swinging it wildly at the two men.

"It's go time, mutha****ers! I may not know karate, but I know ka-razy!"

The crazy ploy sent the two men reeling back as I swung at them. It doesn't take the long to recover. I swung wide with my billy club and miss one of them. The butt of a pistol hit me in the forehead and I stumbled back, knocking my hat off. I tipped over and fell flat on my ass with a thump. The thug with the submachine gun charged towards me... and his foot slipped as he stepped on my hat. He fell backwards, firing rounds into the air as his finger spasmed on the gun trigger. The gunfire scared his partner off, allowing me to stand up and recover.

I pick my club off the ground and rush forward towards the thug with the pistol. He levels the pistol and prepares to fire... only to be taken out by a flying body courtesy of Hood. With the gun-toting baddie out of the way, I turned to the thug on the ground and knocked him out with a swift kick to the head. Hood was finishing up on the last thug when I picked my hat off the floor and brushed the dirt off. I placed it back on my head and looked around at the unconscious body.

That was easy... kinda.

 

[Spike_x1]

Explosions of gunfire ring out, both further down within the confines of Wonder Tower, as well as in the streets. The law of Bane marches onward and I smile, leaning on the railing overlooking my empire. Lessons have to be learned, and if tough love is the sole option for this city...

It is merely a shame that I have no actual love for it, leaving only the toughness.

A soldier named Isaac approaches me. "Bane, sir, there's gunshots a few floors down. You want us to go help out?"

"No. They are doing exactly what is asked of them."

"What about when we blow this place-- er, I mean, when we implode the tower? Anyone that the capes knocked out, won't they be caught in the mess and die?"

"There are evac teams waiting in the wings. Once the heroes move on to another floor, the teams will move in and evacuate our wounded soldiers. For each floor. There will be no fatalities in our ranks tonight."

An eruption of fire echoes through the night somewhere in the streets not far away and I stand straight, cracking my neck and checking the Glock strapped to my thigh and reaffirming the contents of my backpack. All of my men have the same equipment, as I have left nothing to chance this evening. "Have no illusion, the heroes won't be stopped by our men in the building, so do not be surprised when they make their entrance here. Be ready to follow the plan."

 

[Batman]

"It's go time, mutha****ers! I may not know karate, but I know ka-razy!"

The crazy ploy sent the two men reeling back as I swung at them. It doesn't take the long to recover. I swung wide with my billy club and miss one of them. The butt of a pistol hit me in the forehead and I stumbled back, knocking my hat off. I tipped over and fell flat on my ass with a thump. The thug with the submachine gun charged towards me... and his foot slipped as he stepped on my hat. He fell backwards, firing rounds into the air as his finger spasmed on the gun trigger. The gunfire scared his partner off, allowing me to stand up and recover.

I pick my club off the ground and rush forward towards the thug with the pistol. He levels the pistol and prepares to fire... only to be taken out by a flying body courtesy of Hood. With the gun-toting baddie out of the way, I turned to the thug on the ground and knocked him out with a swift kick to the head. Hood was finishing up on the last thug when I picked my hat off the floor and brushed the dirt off. I placed it back on my head and looked around at the unconscious body.

If I weren't in the middle of kicking some ass, I'd see if no-face needs any help with his brunt of the barrel. From the sound of that discharge, he's either gotten himself into some deep mess, or he's gonna beat me in the race of making quick work of some human trash. Not gonna happen. I may have at least twice the guys that he does, but I always know exactly how to even the odds. Just need to make sure that I don't underestimate these guys. They may be dressed like a common level street-tough, but something I've began to notice is that they don't fight like one. Hell, one of them even clipped me in the gut with a pair of brass knuckles.

No one ever touches me. Not without some serious outside influence in terms of skill and training. Bruce would always just barely be able to counter my attacks in those practice runs we did awhile back. These guys aren't him. They're instructed to be different. Aggressive, but timely. Planning out their moves, rather than rushing in like a flock of morons.

If there's anything I hate, it's the hired help that don't wanna go down.

"C'mon, flank him! Somebody grind him into---"

I backhand the talkative one across the face and wrap his skull into my arm, driving him face-first into the solid wall.

"Yeah. Not really the time to be citing your gameplay tactics, genius. Offense can hear."

I dodge the next one's attack and grab him by the throat, using raw strength to lift him into the air and tilt his body into a slant, forcing him hard onto the ground to stomp out his jaw. Another fires his gun in my general direction, still blinded by the smoke that's coating apart of the hall, missing me by inches. I slide onto the floor and take out the back of his calves with a leg sweep, rolling onto him with a hard elbow and thrusting my knee into his nose, breaking it into a clean split.

The next one swings a knife, slashing my helmet and causing a spark, but it doesn't break the mold. Hardly surprising, given the density of the materials that I use to make these things. After that first encounter with Belsaraph, I decided it may have been time to upgrade the shell's protective element. Glad to see it paid off. I take his wrist, twist it, and give a hard jab to his throat, leaping up into a backflip that forces both boots into his head, knocking him into a display and to the ground.

Next two decide to gang up on me. Alright, that's more like it. No more kid gloves, just straight into the action. This is what I've been waiting for. They both come at me at once, wielding a machete and a chain, respectively. They're certainly more diversive than your common thug, I'll give 'em that much. Machete guy swings first, hoping to chop a limb. I react by leaping backwards and pushing myself against the wall, missing the blade and subsequently pushing me back into the air, catching him with an elbow.

Using the momentum to twist his arm behind his back, I pull him hard enough to use as a shield, letting him take the damage of the chain. As he cries out in pain, I toss him aside and dive at the other, wrapping both legs around his neck and tossing him with the twist of my waist. He goes flying into another, who was ready to recover. Standing up, I brush myself off and look down at the victim of the chain whip, clutching at his face in agony.

"Thanks for that. Sincerely."

The idiot ignores me, still in too much pain to be of any further issue. With a wide smirk underneath the helmet, I walk over to Question as he disperses his last two, waving the smoke past us so that we can see eachother. I pat him on the back, leading him over the string of unconscious bodies that I left in my wake.

"Nicely done, sir. You just about nearly had me beat. Apart from the fact that, y'know. You didn't. But good try, nonetheless."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Oswald watches Mayor Throne give a press briefing. Although the violence has increased Mayor Throne has not resigned and has vowed to fight on and do what ever it takes to make the city safe again. Oswald shakes his head

Oswald begins feeding Titan and says, "Perhaps it's time to for The Mayor to have an omen visit him."

Oswald clicks three times at Titan and points to Mayor Throne. Titan lets out a slight squak and Oswald smiles.

Oswald walks over to the window and lets Titan fly out.

Oswald watches the press briefing and there are noticable gasps, and some giggles as Thorne talks about life and hope when a Vulture suddenly appears to be sitting on the gates behind him.

Oswald raises a glass with scotch in it and says, "Perfect!"

He lets out a laugh that even The Joker would envy.

Several of The Mayor's bodyguards approach Titan who immediately takes flight back to Oswald's Office.

He lands on his perch and Oswald is truly jovial as he says, "Well done dear friend! Well Done Indeed!"

Oswald gets out several scraps of Filet Mingon and puts them in Titan's bowl and says, "You have earned the good stuff today my friend!"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

The Atom begins monitoring the situation and sees that the Suicide Squad is battling Giganta.

WOW! I thought I had the market cornered on the whole size changing thing. Well there goes my reputation. Regardless though that crew looks like they might need some help.

She studies the scene and sees a phone number on the side of the building, and begins to access it through the computer.

Hopefully the lines aren't down, and not to mention I have never tried doing this to another country. If this doesn't work...I really don't want to think about what could happen to me.

The phone picks up on the other end and The Atom doesn't even wait. She immediately shrinks down to microscopic size and rides the current all the way to Cape Town South Africa.

Once she exits the phone on the other end she begins to grow back to her normal 6 inch size. The Atom quickly lands on a nearby book-shelf and leans against a bookend.

Wow! That was trip and a half. Made it here in record time..not that I wanna do that again anytime soon but...nice to know that I got another trick in the bag to use if I need it. Now to find out where the battle is at.

She floats to a nearby window and sees Giganta swinging the wrecking ball over her head.

Okay if I try to float up to her that gust of wind alone would slam me into the nearest building, and if that thing makes contact with me I'd be dead within the blink of an eye.

The Atom looks out a window and sees two cars parked on the street on top of a hill.

I may not be able to stop her, but maybe I can buy that crew sometime.

The Atom floats out to one of the cars and releases the parking brake, and then quickly does the same for the other and watches them roll down hill at Giganta.

Now to introduce myself to the people I'm trying to help.

Atom floats over to Flagg and says, "I'm from the Justice League; need a hand?"

 

[Byrd Man]

Now to introduce myself to the people I'm trying to help.

Atom floats over to Flagg and says, "I'm from the Justice League; need a hand?"

"See, Flag?" Waller hissed into his earpiece. "We're black-ops, dammit! You get wrapped up in a goddamn international incident and we get the Justice League and people like this nosy ***** involved."

Flag ignored Waller and instead turned to the Atom. "I'm Colonel Mustard, and unless you happen to have a F-16 hiding somewhere on your body, I don't think you can do much."

Deadshot appeared next to them and instinctively turned his rifle on the Atom. "This the big *****'s backup?"

"Justice League," Flag said, motioning for Lawton to lower his weapon.

"Justice League?" He asked, eying Atom. "Batman's a punk *****."

 

[Byrd Man]

The idiot ignores me, still in too much pain to be of any further issue. With a wide smirk underneath the helmet, I walk over to Question as he disperses his last two, waving the smoke past us so that we can see eachother. I pat him on the back, leading him over the string of unconscious bodies that I left in my wake.

"Nicely done, sir. You just about nearly had me beat. Apart from the fact that, y'know. You didn't. But good try, nonetheless."

"Pretty sure I'd kick just as much ass if I was all jacked up on 'roids like you, and worked out until I was cut like a Greek god..."

Stupid, sexy Red Hood with his muscles.

Hood and I made our way up to the penthouse area of the tower, fighting our way through baddies on each floor. We were outside the penthouse when I pulled out my .45 and turned off the safety.

"Let's do this."

 

[Spike_x1]

Hood and I made our way up to the penthouse area of the tower, fighting our way through baddies on each floor. We were outside the penthouse when I pulled out my .45 and turned off the safety.

"Let's do this."

As the two crusaders march through the tower and eventually find their way to the uppermost floor and prepare to make their final assault, the doorway leading out to the observation deck suddenly explodes inward, pelting them with dust and debris.

It takes several moments before the smoke clears enough that the heroes and villains can finally see one another. Facing the two vigilantes are seven heavily armed and well trained henchmen, all with assault rifles trained on their targets, and myself in the center.

"Yield."

 

[Byrd Man]

As the two crusaders march through the tower and eventually find their way to the uppermost floor and prepare to make their final assault, the doorway leading out to the observation deck suddenly explodes inward, pelting them with dust and debris.

It takes several moments before the smoke clears enough that the heroes and villains can finally see one another. Facing the two vigilantes are seven heavily armed and well trained henchmen, all with assault rifles trained on their targets, and myself in the center.

"Yield."

"Oh, God!" I cried out, falling to my knees. I took my hat in my hands and held it to my chest as I begged. "Please! Sparemeimbeggingyoutoletmego! It's not even my fault! I'm just following orders! Don't shoot me! DO NOT SHOOT ME! PLEASE, I HAVE SO MUCH LIVE FOR!"

 

[Batman]

"Oh, God!" I cried out, falling to my knees. I took my hat in my hands and held it to my chest as I begged. "Please! Sparemeimbeggingyoutoletmego! It's not even my fault! I'm just following orders! Don't shoot me! DO NOT SHOOT ME! PLEASE, I HAVE SO MUCH LIVE FOR!"

You can't be serious.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Question's grovelling isn't making this any easier for us - even if it might stand the slightest chance of making our enemies laugh until they can't breathe. But with eight heavily armed and well-protected mercenaries catching us off guard at close range, without the element of surprise on our side, we could be very well and truly ****ed.

Have to play this straight. Work within the perimeters and see what we can accomplish on pure luck and circumstance. It'll be a risk, but we've got nothing left. Aside from charging in like a couple of idiots and getting our asses pumped full of lead.

"I don't wanna be the first person minigunned to death!"

"Question,"

I raise my hands into the air, to show the group that I'm not concealing any weapons.

"Give it a rest. It's over."

I drop to my knees aswell, placing my hands atop of my head.

"They've won."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

"See, Flag?" Waller hissed into his earpiece. "We're black-ops, dammit! You get wrapped up in a goddamn international incident and we get the Justice League and people like this nosy ***** involved."

Flag ignored Waller and instead turned to the Atom. "I'm Colonel Mustard, and unless you happen to have a F-16 hiding somewhere on your body, I don't think you can do much."

Deadshot appeared next to them and instinctively turned his rifle on the Atom. "This the big *****'s backup?"

"Justice League," Flag said, motioning for Lawton to lower his weapon.

"Justice League?" He asked, eying Atom. "Batman's a punk *****."

Atom looks at Lawton and says, "Really? Is that the best you got? As a first impression that sucked. No wonder you're with this outfit because the Legion would laugh you out of the room with that trash talk."

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes and says, "Whatever."

Turning back to Col. Mustard she says, "I may not have a F-16 but those two cars rolling down here should buy us sometime, and not to mention if they hit her tendons just right she's gonna fall down and go boom. It's just a matter of physics."

She smirks and says, "I heard your boss on your ear piece. When you talk to her again tell her Atom says hope you're enjoying life away from the agency."

 

[Spike_x1]

You can't be serious.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Question's grovelling isn't making this any easier for us - even if it might stand the slightest chance of making our enemies laugh until they can't breathe. But with eight heavily armed and well-protected mercenaries catching us off guard at close range, without the element of surprise on our side, we could be very well and truly ****ed.

Have to play this straight. Work within the perimeters and see what we can accomplish on pure luck and circumstance. It'll be a risk, but we've got nothing left. Aside from charging in like a couple of idiots and getting our asses pumped full of lead.

"I don't wanna be the first person minigunned to death!"

"Question,"

I raise my hands into the air, to show the group that I'm not concealing any weapons.

"Give it a rest. It's over."

I drop to my knees aswell, placing my hands atop of my head.

"They've won."

The Question and Red Hood. Word about the various vigilantes in Gotham City has always traveled fast, and these two have both built a reputation for themselves. My only disappointment comes from the fact that neither the red-clad boy or the supposed "Batgirl" made their presence known here this evening. From what I have heard, both of those children have modeled themselves and their methods much more closely to Batman than either of the men standing before me now. They would have been the perfect candidates with whom to make an example of, and truly illustrate to this city that Wayne's legacy is dead.

"Bring them out here," I tell my soldiers, indicating that I wish the prisoners brought out to the edge of the observation deck overlooking the city. "I want them to see this firsthand."

Pushed at the barrel end of several assault rifles, the heroes begrudgingly comply and walk out until they can see the entire city's skyline. Pillars of smoke and fire still billow up from the scenes of the earlier riots, but things are now distinctly quiet, save for a stray burst of gunfire in the distance.

By and large, the city appears to have miraculously calmed down within the last two hours.

"Do you hear that?"

If I could see the faces of either men, I imagine there would be some small measure of confusion before realization slowly dawns on them.

"The authorities refused to rescue this retched cesspit of a city, and both of you have been fighting your way through Wonder Tower for hours. And I very much doubt that the Bat children or Catwoman have the sheer manpower necessary to calm sweet Gotham in such a short amount of time." I turn from looking out at the city back to the two masked men. "Someone had to step up."

"No."

"If you thought that all of my forces were here in the tower tonight, waiting to be beaten by the likes of you two, then you have vastly underestimated the size of my army." A cry of agony hits the air from somewhere in the streets below before a single gunshot from an Istiglal anti-material sniper rifle rings out and silences the cries of pain. "While you two neanderthals have been bruising your knuckles up here, I've actually been cleaning up your town."

"One wasted life at a time." I reach into my belt to pull out the detonator linked to the explosives planted at key structural points in the tower, making sure that Red Hood and the Question can get a good look at it. "You're welcome."

 

[Batman]

"No."

"If you thought that all of my forces were here in the tower tonight, waiting to be beaten by the likes of you two, then you have vastly underestimated the size of my army." A cry of agony hits the air from somewhere in the streets below before a single gunshot from an Istiglal anti-material sniper rifle rings out and silences the cries of pain. "While you two neanderthals have been bruising your knuckles up here, I've actually been cleaning up your town."

"One wasted life at a time." I reach into my belt to pull out the detonator linked to the explosives planted at key structural points in the tower, making sure that Red Hood and the Question can get a good look at it. "You're welcome."

This can't be happening.

From below the surface, when you're in the thick of the streets themselves, you never really see the real magnitude of what you're fighting against. Sure, you can catch glimpses if you're high enough. Pieces of the impossibly overwhemling odds stacked against you, threatening to weigh you down with every glimpse you allow yourself to take in. But that's the thing about fighting on the streets. You have the every advantage. You get to tell yourself that the obstacles ahead aren't as bad as they appear. And you get to lie and say that, no matter what happens, Gotham will still be there in the morning.

From the several hundred feet above ground that Wonder Tower stands, there are no allusions. Whatever we had hoped to accomplish tonight by fighting off the chaos, no matter which way you spin it - it... it was all for nothing. The ruins of what used to be the East End are little more than a smoldering mess of half-destroyed buildings, streets littered in debris and the corpses of innocent and guilty alike, and blinding fire that rages against the night's sky. People always compared the city's worst corners, it's blackest shadows to a piece of what Hell on Earth would be like. Now they finally have a corner of Gotham to truly make that statement a reality.

And it's all because of him.

"You..."

My voice growls and quakes at the same time, split between rage and agony.

We failed her. We failed the city, and now our big mystery man is looking to reap the benefits.

Scratch that. He's not looking for anything. The spoils are already his.

"I'll kill you for this. Do you hear me?"

Words I never thought I'd hear myself say come out, but I'm numb to their effect.

All I want do is push him off of this ledge.

"I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

His men quite obviously tense up, aiming the barrels of their weapons squarely at me so that I calm down. It's hardly a surprise, given that I felt myself even beginning to make a few steps towards him. It would be so easy to just dive at the man, right now, and let us both plummet to the streets.

It'd be stupid. It'd be reckless. It'd be just.

But I hold back. Just enough to be smarter.

Kill you...

 

[Spike_x1]

"I'll kill you for this. Do you hear me?"

Words I never thought I'd hear myself say come out, but I'm numb to their effect.

All I want do is push him off of this ledge.

"I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

"Yes. I hear you." I take a moment to savor the feel of the detonator in my hand. It's heavier than one might expect, as I consider its weight and turn it on. "Now hear me." The singular red light pulsates ominously in the dim light coming from Wonder Tower.

"I am the man who robbed your city of its dark knight defender. I have conquered its families of crime, I put the fear of God into its citizens, and I am going to keep this hellhole under my thumb until the fates themselves pry it from my hands."

I press the red button.

"Some would call me a terrorist for what I do, but I get results nevertheless. I will maintain order." A low rumbling begins to shake the tower, working its way up from the lower levels towards the top. The shrieking sounds of bending metal calls out to the night as I crush the detonator in my hand. "If that means having to send the occasional message to the scum of Gotham, so be it."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Oswald watches the Wonder Tower in the distance becoming a pillar of molten steel and smoke from his penthouse while enjoying a Brandy.

He shakes his head as Bach plays in the background.

I have a pretty good suspicion who is behind that one. Bane wants Gotham and frankly he can have it. As long as he leaves Wayne Enterprises alone I don't care.

Oswald gets a phone call on his L-Phone from Gamble who says, "My sources in The Mayor's office says that he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown between our actions and the Wonder Tower being reduced to rubble I'd say he is well on his way."

Oswald replies, "Agreed my friend. Now it's time to begin our take over of Wayne Enterprises in earnest."

Gamble asks, "A direct assault?"

Oswald replies, "No no nothing that drastic the last thing we need to do is to destroy the company we want. I have a list that I will be sending out within the hour of companies that Wayne has a minority share in. We start attacking those and we will go from there."

Gamble says, "Sounds like a plan to me."

Oswald says, "Like I said I'll be getting the list out within the hour. We'll all get together tonight the lounge around 7 and decide which ones will get hit and go from there."

Gamble says, "I'll get the word out see ya tonight Oswald."

Oswald replies, "Goodbye Gamble."

Oswald sends out the list through his L-Pad and then crosses over to Titan and begins feeding him.