"Batman Is Dead."
For the first time since before the untimely accident that rendered him what he was today, Victor Fries felt a chilled smile curl up upon his lips. Before him sat his frozen foe, no longer a terror of the nightly shadows... but simply a man, forever etched in a thick ice block. Freeze could almost hardly believe it... but the proof of such sat blankly infront of him, signifying his ultimate triumph. Gotham City was no longer held from his icy grasp because of some costumed vigilante who would thwart his efforts. Batman was no more.
Batman...
was no more.
Poison Ivy stared, with widened eyes, as The Dark Knight remained immobile under the towering ice that covered him. She couldn't believe it, aswell. But Freeze had managed to pull off the one thing that Two-Face had warned them would never happen. And now, Dent was wrong. And so was the plan. Ivy casually strolled up to Batman's chilled corpse, and touched the ice covering his face with a free hand. Blood still trickled down her cheek from the lashing backhand he had given her shortly before his demise. To see him now, helpless, frozen in ice, did little to null the pain... but did wonders for Ivy's satisfaction. A gleeful squeal echoed out of her, as she brought her hands together.
"Oh my god, Victor, you did it! You did it! He's dead! Batman's really dead!", She exclaimed, happily, leaning on the tomb of ice, as if taking in every bit of essence of the man within.
"A pity, though, that we never got our kiss. But, as go the casualties of love and war..."
Rachel Dawes stared, from afar, still tangled in Ivy's vines. It seemed... too surreal, to see Bruce finally succumb to these monsters. But as her lip quivered, and her eyes welled up with tears... she became far more accepting, laying her head down in grief. Gotham's last hope was lost. Frozen forever in time, symbolically, in his last effort to save those he cared for most: The people of this city. Batman had been a hero, and Bruce Wayne had been the driving force behind such a growing legend... but now, he was cut down in his prime. It still didn't seem real.
Ivy turned, after finishing her admiration, and signaled in some vines. Watching as they slithered in from the ceiling, Pamela turned, her murderous eyes obsessively fixated on Batman's body.
"Darlings, our revenge must be swift! Let's finish the job, and rid our lives of him forever..."
Suddenly, just as Ivy's plants were to attack the corpse, a mistful glow shot out from the side, striking the plants head on. Ivy watched in horror as her 'babies' were rendered frozen, just like The Dark Knight himself. In an instant, Ivy turned, speechless, as Mr. Freeze's coldgun let out the last of the glowing aura. His crimson eyes stared back at her, angrily, as he stepped forth, as if guarding Batman's body.
"No, Ivy. The Body Shall Remain Intact."
"Are you out of your mind?!", Ivy demanded, furious.
"All I was going to do was crush him! It's not like it matters, does it?! He's already gone!"
"Yes. So He Is.", Freeze scoffed, proudly turning to his handiwork.
"But I Want Him To Remain As He Is. It Is A Symbolism. A Trophy, As It Were, Of My Conquest. I Want To See The Faces Of Those Innocents That Depended On His Virtue. Those Cold Tears, Running Down Their Faces, As They Realize Their Savior Has Fallen."
"To hell with that!", Ivy argued.
"Don't you think for one second that they'd try to revive him?! At least my way, we can be sure!"
Freeze towered over Ivy, peering at her with hatred.
"They Will Not. Even If They Were Able To Free Him Of The Ice, His Vital Signs Would Have Already Plummeted. His Heart Will Fail In Minutes, And Die."
Ivy stared back at Freeze, defiant... but eventually dropped her guard, accepting Freeze's wishes as she slowly moved away from Batman's body. Freeze turned, loading his weapon's power circuit, as it hummed with life once more.
"For Now, We Have Other Buisness.", Freeze continued.
"Despite The Added Bonus Of Batman's Demise, He Was Not Our Prime Target, By Any Means."
The two headed out of the lobby, as Ivy's growing annoyance with her partner took second place to her eagerness to finally shut Rachel Dawes' mouth. But even as Batman still stood, unmoving in his eternal encasement, what the two criminals did not see was the brewing occurance that had begun to take place. Even as Batman's vital signs plummeted, and his heart came to a dangerously slowing crawl... there was a tiny hiss echoing from within the ice's structure. The hiss was originating from a heat generating within, and moments later, tricklets of water began sliding down the cold surface of the ice. Somehow, someway... the ice was beginning to melt.
Mr. Freeze stepped forward, staring up at the mourning District Attorney, as she finally looked up and widened her crying eyes in fear. Freeze turned to Ivy, instructive.
"Release Her. If We're To Do This, It Is To Be A Combined Effort."
Hesitantly, Ivy turned to the plants, and mentally commanded them to free Dawes. Instantly, the young District Attorney screamed, as she was released and dropped from the ceiling, landing hard on the solid ground below, just inches from Freeze. Trying to back away with desperate resilliance, she grit her teeth, as Freeze's coldgun immediately rendered her legs frozen to the ground. She turned, slightly, in immense pain from the sudden shock, as the gun lowered towards her.
"You Have Served This City Well, Miss Dawes.", He stated, chillingly, preparing to pull back on the trigger.
"But There Comes A Time When Everyone Must Face The Bitter End. Let Your's Be Embraced In Cold..."
Suddenly, the same vines that had bound Rachel to the ceiling snapped forth, infront of her, and towards Freeze as he stepped back in surprise. Turning, he coldly stared at Ivy, as she held up her hands, obviously commanding the plants' action.
"You said that we'd both get to kill her!", Ivy accused.
Freeze turned back, ignoring her plight.
"Does It Matter?"
"It does to me!"
"Then It Does Not."
Ivy bit her lip, with a low growl. The comment had visibly agitated her, as she moved towards Freeze, ready to attack him. But Freeze turned around, instantly aiming his gun at her, suspecting as such.
"Two-Face Instructed Me To Kill Dawes, Isley, But He Said Nothing Against The Notion Of Killing You Aswell."
Ivy raised her hands, once more, as vines exploded through the floors behind her.
"My thoughts exactly!"
The two stared at eachother with fierce intensity. But just as they were ready to attack, the two paused, as a loud noise echoed through the corridor. Turning, the villains looked down the hall, trying to assume it was their imaginations. But when seeing that the other had reacted, there was no denying it.
"That wasn't..."
"Impossible...", Freeze scoffed, rushing past her, with Ivy following right behind.
But by the time they had reached the lobby of the courthouse, once more, both's fears had elevated to new heights, as they shared a simultaneous gasp at the sight before them: Batman's encasement was empty, and shattered... with no sign of his escape. Freeze stepped forward, almost unbelieving, trying to make sense of any flaw he might have given his victim... but Ivy was already fuming with anger.
"What did I tell you!", She screamed.
"You let him do this! You let him live, and he escaped!"
"He Could Not Have Possibly..."
"Then where is he, Victor?!", She pressed.
"WHERE. IS. HE?!"
Almost as if on cue, the lights went out above them. The entire complex was now basked in darkness, as Ivy and Freeze, startled, turned around, looking in all directions. But they knew exactly who had done it from the moment it happened. And soon, their thoughts were confirmed.
"Drop the gun, Victor."
Freeze looked back, into the darkness, before firing his cannon in the direction of the voice. But the ice simply built upon a wall, as Freeze stared, seeing no one encased within it. Angrily, Freeze raised his weapon, and began firing in all sorts of directions.
"I Underestimated You, Batman. You Are Quite... Resourceful.", Freeze admired.
"It Is Not A Mistake I Intend To Make A Second Time."
"You won't get that chance."
Freeze's jaw dropped, hearing his opponent's voice respond. Even though he had covered a fourth of the room in ice, Batman was still breathing... still living, somewhere in the darkness. It was almost maddening to consider that his triumph had been so short lived. Raising the gun again, Freeze's actions were hindered, as he was knocked back with force, crashing into a wall on impact. His cold gun dropped to the floor, and slid across the ice... landing just next to Batman's feet. The Dark Knight stood, finally showing himself, as he stared down the villain with haunting eyes.
Instantly, he was grabbed by another vine, from behind. Batman wreathed, and turned his head, seeing Ivy staring up at him with an insane grin on her face.
"Don't fight it, handsome! You know you can't resist me..."
Reaching into his utility belt, The Caped Crusader produced a batarang, and tossed it ferociously at the vines.
"We've already been down this road, Pamela..."
The vine instantly snapped, causing Ivy to drop her grin.
"And I imagine we'll be down it again."
I drop from the vine, as Isley steps back. No doubt prolonging some kind of other attack from behind. Before she can implement it, I spin around, and take out my grapnel, firing the hook into the base of the plant. It wreathes back, before falling to the ground. Just as I place the weapon back in my belt, however, I instantly hear running footsteps behind me. I almost cringe at the predictability.
Will they ever learn?
With a sharp kick, I spin back, and nail Ivy in the midsection, sending her back and knocking her over the receptionists' desk. She grunts, in pain, falling to the floor admist a scattered stack of paperwork. Somehow, I don't believe that they really ever believed me to be dead... but refused to give into their doubts. Maybe Freeze was right. Maybe I have made too many enemies in Gotham City... but, that's a fact I won't be able to help anytime soon. Not at the rate that the war is going.
Now, to figure out where Harvey's stake in this lies...
"B-Batman..."
I turn, hearing the voice coming from the other corridor. It's weak, but a familar one. Then I realize it...
"Oh, no..."
Not allowing myself any assertions, I rush down the hall, and see it for myself: Rachel, laying on the floor, her legs encased in thick ice. Immediately, I get to her and kneel down, helping her sit up. She looks up, and smiles at me, even in her condition.
"Y-You're alive?"
"Yes,", I mention, as I inspect the ice covering her.
"There's a thermal heating pad in each joint of my armor. After I faced Freeze the last time, I suspected it'd be wise to think ahead."
Carefully, I scoop my arms under her, and carry her away. She needs medical attention, before the shock affects her with a more severe result. Even so, she keeps talking. Maybe to distract me from the severity of the situation. Or maybe just because I
need it, after all of this.
"B-Bruce,", She whispers under her breath, so as to not cue in anyone else in the building to my identity.
"Bruce, you've got to... got to stop him... he... Harvey, he's..."
"I know.", I cut off, continuing to the lobby.
"He's been orchestrating this for the past month."
Her eyes widen.
"Orchestrating w-what, exactly?"
I narrow my eyes, even thinking of it.
"Whatever he, those two, and The Scarecrow are involved in."
"And you didn't tell me?", She asks, concerned.
"Try to understand, Rachel,", I assure her, setting her down on one of the waiting benches.
"Harvey is... was a close friend of your's. An emotional attachment like that isn't easily severed. I would know that better than most."
She looks away, but eventually nods her head.
"Just promise that you still trust me."
I look her in the eyes, serious, to stress the validility of my words.
"My trust, or even my faith in you, has never been an issue. I promise."
Rachel nods, again, a little more relaxed.
"Thanks..."
"Now stay here, and don't move. Paramedics should be here any minute."
She looks up, just as I turn.
"Where are you going?"
By the time I've answered, I'm already in the other room.
"To have a talk with the only man who can bring Two-Face to us, at this point."
"You Are Wasting Your Time, Batman."
Freeze doesn't cooperate immediately, even after I've bound him and removed his armor, leaving only the unprotective layers of his suit, and his containment bubble. Dent has convinced him to remain loyal, somehow, and I don't fully believe that Freeze's trust is so easily earned. There has to be a catch.
"No. You're wasting it.", I urge, with a growl.
"Whatever Two-Face has offered you, he's playing you for a fool. That's all that you and Ivy have been to him, this entire time."
"Would A Fool, As You Put It, Risk Everything For The Ultimate Prize?"
I sneer.
"Money?"
"Life.", He corrects.
"My Wife's, Batman. He Promised That If I Were To Be Successful In His Endeavor, He Would Supply Me With Access To Unfounded Riches... All To Fund Research For A Cure To Re-Animate My Beloved Nora."
He stares back at me, with a profound hatred.
"You've Doomed Her."
I remain silent, for a moment.
"I'm sorry for your wife, Victor,", I explain.
"But I couldn't condone murder, even for her sake. Dent's promises, however tempting they may be, were nothing but lies to assure your loyalty."
Freeze looks away. I think he knows that, too.
"Now, tell me. Where is he hiding?"
"Do You Believe Me To Be One Of Your Pathetic, Wretched 'Criminal Lot'?", He asks, sarcastically.
"I Will Tell You Nothing. Even If Nora Is To Suffer, I Shall Take Comfort In Knowing That Gotham Will Aswell."
I grit my teeth, before lunging forward, grabbing him, and slamming him against the wall.
"I've read up about the armor you constructed after your accident, Victor.", I begin.
"The bubble that surrounds you is your only means of living. Naturally, you had to make it virtually unbreakable."
Reaching into my belt, I slip out a batarang, and hold it to the bubble, causing him to finally show one clear emotion: Fear. If there's any life he values just as much as his wife's, it's his own. And that's exactly what
does make him one of my 'wretched criminal lot'.
"Virtually,", I continue, inching the blade closer.
"But not impossible. Now tell me!"
Freeze turns back to me, and sighs.
"I Do Not Know Where Two-Face Dwells.", He answers, before an almost murderous smile comes to his face.
"But Perhaps It Would Be Wise To Ask The Prisoners Of Blackgate Prison. Because As We Speak, They're Enjoying A Newfound Freedom That Even You Would Be Unable To Prevent."
My eyes widen, as I drop him, and rush out of the room, heading to The Batmobile. There are three thousand and twenty six prisoners in Blackgate, seventeen of them in maximum security. A breakout there would be a cost to the city, no matter how large in scale. I've got to stop it...
Distraction... it was all a distraction... but for what? Why is Dent really going to all of the trouble?
