Apr 29
Riddler bullying Hatter, enough said
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Riddler bullying Hatter, enough said
Warning issue 278:
ARKHAM BREAKOUT: JOKER
Gothamites are urged to stay indoors and carry gas masks as this warning is in place.
There is no current known location of the Joker, and any sightings should be reported directly to the GCPD.
There are no current attacks taking place. This is not expected to last.
The Bat-signal has been lit.
Carry You
The issue was there was never any lasting impact - aside from trauma - from akuma attacks, but in Gotham there definitely was. Buildings were destroyed and weren’t fixed with a simple miraculous cure. Innocents were injured and had to wait weeks to heal. People died and didn’t come back.
She died and didn’t come back.
I know it hurts
It’s hard to breathe sometimes
These nights are long
You’ve lost the will to fight
It had started on a regular day, or at least a regular day for Gotham, but then every TV in the area automatically turned to the local news channel which read out one terrifying headline: ‘ARKHAM BREAKOUT, ALL PRISONERS OUT’.
Marinette hadn’t been in Gotham the last time there had been a major breakout like this. She had been around for a few smaller breakouts but those only included a couple prisoners breaking out, around five maximum. She hadn’t witnessed anything like this yet. She was about to.
Due to the circumstances this was an all hands on deck situation, every single member of the Bat Family dropped what they were doing and rushed to the Bat Cave as soon as they could. For Marinette and Jason this meant they had ended their date a lot sooner than they would have liked to, they hadn’t even had dessert yet but Gotham and its safety always came first.
“What do you need us to do?” Marinette asked Oracle as soon as they reached the cave.
Baraba looked over at them before giving them their orders. “I need Red Hood and Ladybird to take Crime Alley. Most other areas are covered.”
Jason rolled his eyes and muttered, “That’s cause the old man has an adoption problem,” causing Marinette to giggle slightly.
“We’re on it,” she told the hacker. “Tikki, spots on!”
Is anybody out there?
Can you lead me to the light
Is anybody out there?
Tell me it’ll all be alright
Paris was the City of Light, there were barely any streets or alleys that weren't filled with light. If there was a City of Darkness then it would, in Marinette’s opinion, would most likely be Gotham. There was the constant gloomy atmosphere that she had somehow grown to love, however the darkness of Crime Alley was something no one loved. Not only was it physically dark with so many tall buildings blocking out light, but the general place had a dark foreboding feel to it.
Marinette didn’t mind spending time in the place when she was Ladybird, but she always felt bad that she couldn’t help the kids who lived in the alley any more than doing her best to protect them from anyone trying to manipulate and hurt them. It wasn’t enough. She wanted to do more but Jason had pointed out from personal experience that the Crime Alley kids didn’t really trust adults so the only way they would let her help was as Ladybird.
Ladybird started visiting the alley a lot more after that.
You are not alone
I’ve been here the whole time singing you a song
I will carry you, I will carry you
Ladybird and Red Hood made their way through the familiar alley. They saw some of the many kids and both wished that they could go over and say hello but the mission came first. Or at least the mission came first when basically every prisoner from Arkham had broken out.
She nodded to as many of the kids they passed as possible. She didn’t want any of the kids to feel left out or to feel even more unwanted than they already did, but first she had to make sure they were safe.
Red Hood’s eyes glanced around their current area to make sure it was as safe as Crime Alley could be, before informing his partner that “Professor Pyg has been sighted in the area.”
“So he’s going after the kids again?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Come on,” she muttered. “Let’s go help the kids.”
I know you can’t remember how to shine
Your heart’s a bird without the wings to fly
The poor kids that they had been too slow to help … she didn’t want to think about that. Pyg was in the process of making Dollotrons.
Joy.
How had he gotten everything he needed to start the process already? He’d only been out of Arkham for a few hours.
She couldn’t let him hurt those poor kids like that. They didn’t deserve it. Ladybird and Red Hood were going to stop him.
Is anybody out there?
Can you take this weight of mine?
Is anybody out there?
Can you lead me to the light?
“Get off them.”
“I am trying to make them perfect.”
Ladybird shook her head, “They are perfect just the way they are.”
Pyg snorted, of fucking course he snorted the dude was obsessed with turning people into his pig-like servants. “I will stop if that is what you wish,” he started with a smirk on his face, “but you’ll have to take their place.”
“Not a chance,” Red Hood growled. There was no way in hell that he was letting Pyg go near his fiancée.
You are not alone
I’ve been here the whole time singing you a song
I will carry you, I will carry you
So maybe they hadn’t been expecting the Dollotrons to come from behind. Apparently Pyg had managed to speed up his transformation process, probably with some unknown chemicals. That wasn’t going to be good for them, for anyone.
Red Hood and Ladybird had been taken captive. No one had tried unmasking Jason yet, if purely because of the rumours that he had explosives under that helmet that would go if anyone but him removed the ‘hood’. The rumours may be technically false now, but he wasn't going to complain about that.
He was going to complain about Pyg’s actions though.
The psycho had tied his fiancée onto an old surgery bed.
There was screaming. It was loud. His head hurt. He must have been knocked out.
The screaming was so loud. It was Marinette. Marinette …
Pyg grinned madly as he stood above the vigilante, an ice pick in his hand.
Jason had to get out of the ropes holding him. It shouldn’t be too hard. Hopefully. He had to save Marinette.
A dagger dropped out from within his leather jacket. He didn’t have his guns but everything else was there. Apparently, he hadn’t been checked for weapons too well. With a wicked smirk, he cut himself free.
“Step away from Ladybird,” he managed to grind out, his eyes flashing a familiar green. “You will not hurt her anymore.”
“Or what?” Pyg whispered with a demented grin on his face. “What will you do to stop you?”
“I think the FBI will appreciate your head in a bag.”
The mad man snorted, “You’d have to kill me first.”
He let his dagger fly towards Pyg. “I don’t believe that will be a problem.”
The rogue gasped in pain. It hit right over the heart. There was no way he would walk that off. As he dropped to the ground, his grip on the ice pick was loosened and the pick dropped to its previous target.
You are not alone
I’ve been here the whole time
You are not alone
I’ve been here the whole time singing you a song
I will carry you, I will carry you
(Is anybody out there?)
I will carry you, I will carry you
(Is anybody out there?)
It shouldn’t have killed her, it shouldn’t have even injured her too much, but gravity wasn’t on their side. Perhaps it was her own luck, finally turned against her. The angle had been just right, and the pick had been heavy enough that the ice pick had soon ended up in Marinette’s own throat.
“Shit,” Jason said numbly as he saw it happen.
He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée. He’d killed his own fiancée.
Oh God, what had he done?
He had to help her. He’d already ‘helped’ her. He had to hold her.
In a panic he barely remembered to press the emergency alert button on his helmet, but just remembered when he took it off so he could see Marinette properly.
Help was coming. Whether it would be in time was a better question.
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
It couldn’t end like this. It couldn’t.
Taking her off the surgery table carefully, he set Marinette down in front of him. She lied limply on his lap.
“Hold on,” he murmured to her. “Help will be here soon.”
He couldn’t do anything but reassure her.
“You’ll be just fine. I promise.”
“Jason,” she rasped out, “Jason.”
“I’m here, sweetheart. You aren’t alone. I’ve been here all along.”
I know it hurts
It’s hard to breathe sometimes
Ladybird, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, had died.
Jason Todd carried her out to Batman when he finally arrived. Nothing could have been done.
The FBI got another present in the form of Professor Pyg’s head.
Gotham continued to murder the few good souls that dared to care for it.
But it didn’t change a thing. It still hurt everyday, Marinette was dead and she wasn’t coming back. She had taken her last breath.
Get your gas masks boys, Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane) is reported to be one of the escaped rogues. Along with Mad Hatter (Jervis Fetch), Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot) and a few more of the lesser known inmates.
Oh sweet freedom.
Thank fuck, were finally out of that goddamn hellhole. If I had to spend one more day in there I probably would have murdered someone. Best fireworks I’ve seen in a while, I have to hand it to Julian. Now that we’re out, troubles probably gonna be coming our way a lot BUT AT LEAST WE CAN FINALLY WEAR OUR SUITS AGAIN AND BE COMFORTABLE. GODDAMN.
If you want to ask us anything now that we aren’t being monitored, please do. It’s good to be back. We’re hiding with Manbat, currently too, so at least we have company.
Heh, heheh. Despite the fact we’re now “on the run” me and Rexy are FINALLY free to the dumb explosion that went off. I think it was due to the... holiday man. Either way, me and Rexy are heading back to The Boss’s place. Be prepared for more, darlings~!
Straight Outta Arkham
"Boss, there's psychos in there."
"Yes."
"They eat people."
"Some of them do."
"Is this really the best idea?"
"Are you questioning my decision-making abilities, Miss Marquis?"
"No, but-"
"I do not pay you to think, I pay you to drive. And that's it."
She closed her mouth-better-and he collected his cell phone from the cup holder.
This hadn't been as much of a pain as he'd expected-bribing an orderly had been very easy, and security had only worsened since his time here. Arranging for a mass-breakout had been deceptively simple. He hadn't wanted to, at first, but his housecat had said that Ed…failed…at breaking out on his own. So a distraction was called for.
It was either this, or explosives, and this would prevent the fire department showing up and getting in the way.
Speed…dial…four.
"Mr. C?"
The orderly he'd bribed turned out to be an impudent brat and Oswald had every intention of murdering him when this was over. There were other orderlies if he needed one again.
"Robert. Is everything on schedule?"
"Sure thing. Five minutes, power failure."
"Excellent." Show some respect, you little whelp! "Just checking in."
"No prob. Hey, I was thinking-"
Why were his minions all suddenly 'thinking'? Why? This was unacceptable.
He hung up, internally bemoaning the lack of satisfaction one got from pressing 'end call' rather than slamming the phone onto its cradle, and slumped back in the seat with a scowl.
"Why are we causing a mass breakout?"
"Silence."
"But-"
" Silence."
She shut up and he glanced at the clock. Four minutes. Ugh, waiting was tedious.
Three minutes…
Two…
One…
On cue, the lights in the building went black. Perfect.
All hell broke loose a minute later. He could hear the screams from here.
"Five minutes, then we leave regardless."
"Regardless of what?"
He ignored her, preferring instead to change the background on his phone to a new picture of dear Percival.
Four and half minutes later, the back door flew open and Ed flung himself into the backseat, hair disheveled and his glasses nowhere to be seen. Oswald handed him a spare pair from the glove compartment.
"You look rather the worse for wear."
"Lost my glasses climbing out a window."
"Um, Boss?"
"Drive."
"Cops are here."
What? How did they…orderly. That little brat was going to pay dearly for this!
"Then go."
He'd meant to just drive away. And they did. But one of the cars followed, sirens blaring, and it became necessary to drive a little faster.
"Get rid of them."
He'd meant for her to take a sharp turn and double back or something. What happened was something else altogether.
"Buckle up in the back."
And with that, she switched gears and hit the gas, flying through a red light and narrowly avoiding a jaywalker.
"Move, fucker!"
"Miss Marquis-"
"I got this-stay in your goddamn lane, asshole!"
"That's enough-"
SCREEEEEECH!
Oswald had time to grab onto the panic handle before being flung into the door when she hit a turn hard enough to fly over a curb. In the back, Ed appeared to be considering religion.
Perhaps Ed had a point.
A few more harrowing turns and one near-accident later, the car shuddered to a stop in a drugstore parking lot.
"Lost them."
"Never do that again."
"They're gone, though!" There was a sudden buzzing and a, "And we'll never be royals/royaaals!" before she lunged for her purse. "Yeah, sorry, there were police…yeah, he's fine. Uh-huh…shut up, I didn't hit anything!" She handed him the phone. "Your battery's dead. It's Gabe."
"Boss?"
Ahh. The soothing tones of competence made him less inclined to murder his idiot minion and make Ed drive.
"Everything is fine. I will be late-I need to pay someone a visit."
"Yeah, I saw it on the news."
Oh, really.
"I see."
"You okay?"
"Physically."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Proceed as usual. If anybody comes, I have been out of the city on business."
"Sure thing, boss."
He hung up and glanced in the rearview mirror. Ed no longer appeared to be considering religion, though he did look rather inclined to be ill.
"Are you unharmed?"
"Uh-huh."
"Good. I can drop you somewhere, or you may come with me to deal with a…business associate."
"I'll come with you. My apartment was seized for evidence."
Oh. Shame, he'd rather liked it. Perhaps he could buy it, use it for an emergency hideout.
"Miss Marquis."
"Sir?"
"I want you to go to thirty-five twenty-six Massengale Lane. And go the speed limit."
"Yes, Sir."
"Thank you."
Hopefully his orderly had a well-stocked fridge. He needed a drink after that sort of trauma.
THE END
Citizens Advised: Arkham Breakout
A mass breakout from Arkham Asylum occurred earlier today. Reported escaped patients include: Harleen Quinzel, Jonathan Crane, and the Joker himself. No incidents have been reported as of yet.
“This is certainly a serious matter,” GCPD Commissioner Jim Gordon said during a press release issued earlier this afternoon. “But the citizens of Gotham may rest assured knowing that we will not rest until all fugitives are apprehended and safely behind bars.”
Gotham Citizens are advised to take highest precautions until all three criminals are apprehended. GCPD urges all individuals to be safely indoors no later than 8 PM Eastern Daylight Time.