Arkham Knight Chapter 5
The long-awaited final chapter of the Arkham Knight fanfic. I can't believe I actually finished! I've been in fandoms and writing fanfics for nearly a decade, but this was actually the first fanfic I finished. Please enjoy.
Reader is written in a way where gender isn't specified.
Prequel Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Bonus Drabble
~[Insert Boarder Here]~
When (Name) came to, they were standing outside Pauli’s Diner. Funny how even under the influence, they instinctively come back to this diner like it was a safe space, and they guess it is.
With clarity of what they have to do next, they need to find Jason, but with no ride and their work phone currently scrambled due to the Cloudburst, locating him is going to be hard.
First thing first, they have to get to higher ground. They grapple up the side of the building across Paulie’s Diner to get above the Cloudburst. The first place to look would be his headquarters, but it’s most likely he’ll be with the Cloudburst. Find that and they’ll find him.
When the explosion went off, it was by Perdition Bridge, so they should go there first. Grappling from rooftop to rooftop and a lot running on the suspended railway connecting all three islands together later, they made it to Bleake Island.
“Now, if I was a Cloudburst, where would I be?” They squint their eyes and try looking for anything that would be sticking out, but it was useless, “This stupid freaking fear toxin is too damn thick, and who knows what other messed up stuff that thing can cause if I go back down there.”
And somewhere deep in their mind, they can hear the voice of Jason- the one from their hallucination- quietly repeating, “Because you lived your life while I suffered in the hands of a madman.”
Maybe… Maybe it was their turn to suffer in the hands of a madman so Jason can live his life. It’s the least they can do.
They hook their grappling hook into the ledge of the roof, “The cabin is gone, (Name)... You can do this…” They quietly encourage themself. Taking a huge deep breath, they step forward and plunge into the Cloudburst below.
It was strange, quiet. They have never seen anything like this in Gotham.
“Hello!” (Name) calls out into the quietness, “Am I just talking to myself?” No response.
“You are, but I’m here,” Jason’s voice says in their ear. Turning, they see their hallucination of Jason in his Robin suit, but this time, he isn’t broken, just a little bruised. He scratches the back of his neck as he comments, “It looks like you’re starting to accept the fact it’s not your fault,” He looks around the empty streets of Bleake Island, “And not just that, you’re also letting go of that stupid argument between you and Bruce.”
They softly laugh and nod their head, “Yeah… Thinking back on it, I held onto that for way too long like some stubborn child,” They start walking through the streets with the hallucination of Jason following them, “Sometimes, I get so narrow-sighted on things and want to be proven right; especially with Batman. But I just look like some brat when it’s dragged out for so long.”
He nods his head in agreement, “It’s why you’re afraid of becoming Joker. You heard him tell you that so many times during the short moments you met him, you actually started to believe you were destined to do so,” He walks a little ahead of them so he can keep talking to them while walking backwards, “You want to prove you were right, that you aren’t Joker.”
They can still remember the moment Joker told them that for the very first time.
–
On the road to Arkham Asylum, the three of them- Batman, Joker, and (Name)- ride inside the Batmobile. Batman and them just stopped Joker from blowing up the mayor in a “patriotic way.” Taking him down felt too easy, something was definitely up, but the two don’t know what yet.
Joker, always smiling a yellow tooth grin, keeps bothering Batman while the vigilante drives before changing his focus to them, “You know, Rabs- I can call you ‘Rabs,’ right?- You have this spark in your eyes I like.”
They don’t respond to him as they keep looking out the window.
Taking this as his invitation, Joker keeps talking, “I mean it, I really do like that spark. It reminds me of me,” His words sound so thoughtful and he looks like he’s telling the truth- which makes them a bit nervous.
Looking over at Batman, Joker continues speaking, “You see, Bats and I are two sides of the same coin, but you and me…” He looks at them again, “We’re the exact same side of that coin,” He leans a bit closer to them, “We’re one of a kind. No one is quite like us,” He happily sighs as he looks forward, “If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you were my own flesh and blood,” He pauses and his smile twists a little more dangerously, “Maybe you actually are…” He starts with a chuckle before devolving it into a full blown laugh.
(Name) hates that thought. Being related to Joker in any way is a fate they don’t want.
Batman- who has been silent this whole time- glances back at them with a flicker of concern for them before masking it and keeping his eyes straight ahead.
“Or maybe, I’ll just break your mind down and build you back up to believe I really am your father-” Joker gets cut off when Batman punches him.
Joker mockingly pouts and rubs the forming bruise on his jaw, “Take it from me, Rabs, I have a real eye for seeing what’s underneath that mask of yours, and I see a clown smiling back at me,” He sounds giddy about that fact as the sight of Arkham Asylum comes up, “You’ll be just like me, kiddo.”
–
“...And even after, he never stopped telling me that. It was probably the most honest he has ever been, and I think Batman knew as well,” (Name) murmurs. They doubt they will ever fully understand why Joker chose them, but who cares now, right? …Right?
They push those thoughts to the side and keep marching forward through the fear toxin to find Jason.
Feeling the ground rumble, they stop and wait for whatever is causing that to show, and soon a Cobra tank rolls by next to them, clearly searching for something bat-shaped.
They quickly run from the area and hide behind an alley, “Great… I can’t look for him in this condition…” They quietly grumble. What exactly are they supposed to do now? They can feel their mental state being eaten away by the fear toxin.
“You can’t stay in here for long,” The hallucination of Jason points out in a worried tone of voice, “You have to get out soon.”
They shake their head, “No… I have to stay; I have to find Jason,” They’re determined and desperate, still very stubborn.
He groans in frustration, “Are you kidding me? You don’t have to put yourself through this!” His form starts to break a little and he winces in pain.
“You suffered for so long!” (Name) shouts back as they whip their head in the direction of their hallucination, “It’s only right if I suffer too if it means I can help you.”
Before he can respond, an explosion of one of the Cobra tanks goes off nearby and causes (Name) to run from their spot.
While running behind them, he yells, “You’re seriously punishing yourself for all this because you think you have to make up for his crimes?!” He stops them from running any farther by grabbing their wrist and turning them around, “That is so selfish of you!” He firmly grabs their shoulders, “That is not your job! If you really want to help me then-”
The hallucination of Jason gets cut off by singing.
“Is something singing ‘Destiny’ by Paul Anka?” They quietly ask before looking out into the street.
Practically skipping out of the fear toxin is (Name) dressed like the Joker while singing and twirling a crowbar in their hands, “You are my destiny. You share my reverie,” They swing the crowbar low to let it scrap against the road, “You are my happiness. That’s what you are. You have my sweet caress,” They bring the crowbar up close to their face and snuggle their cheek against the steel, “You share my loneliness. You are my dream come true,” Holding out in front of them and staring at it with a lovestruck expression on their face, “That’s what you are.”
“Huh… I’m surprised I actually remembered the lyrics to that song…” They quietly mumble under their breath while still watching their other self, “Also why that song? Don’t get me wrong, it's good, but why?”
“Are you for real?” The hallucination of Jason asks, “We were literally just talking about you punishing yourself for Joker’s crimes, and a Jokerized version of you comes skipping out of your mind singing ‘Destiny’ happens at that exact moment. That’s not a coincidence, it’s-”
Once again, he was cut off by the other (Name) appearing between them with a crazy smile on their face, “It’s fate, other me!” Then they take a swing at Jason with the crowbar.
The hallucination of Jason didn’t get the chance to duck in time when the crowbar hits him square in the mouth and knocks out two teeth. The next one hits him in the ankle.
Snapping out of their shock, the real (Name) grabs the crowbar before the other them can hit him again, “I won’t let you do that!” Then pulls with all their might to take it from the other (Name)’s grasp.
But the other them was stronger as they pushed the real them away, “You really think you can overpower me?” They laugh out loud like a full crazy belly laugh, “I’m the new and improved version of you!” They twirl the crowbar between their fingers, “Everything you can do, I can do better!” They turn their attention back toward the hallucination of Jason, “For example, breaking the wings of little birdies!” They hold the crowbar above their head.
(Name) quickly gets to their feet then tackles their other self to the ground before they can hurt Jason even more, “JUST SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!” They straddle their other self then push the crowbar into the other (Name)’s throat to choke them, “I won’t let a thing like you exist!”
Despite being stronger, the other them doesn’t fight back and instead allows the real them to overpower them, “Y-Yes… Kill me… Then you’ll b-bring… m-me to life…” They say through gasping breaths.
The other them is lying. The cabin with Joker inside disappeared from their mind!
(Name) presses the crowbar into the other (Name)’s throat even more. The light in the other’s eyes slowly drains while the feeling of bloodlust rushes through their veins.
They can’t tell if the quiet chanting of “Do it” is coming from them or their other self, but it doesn’t matter. Everything around them is blending together as another memory is pushed to the front of their mind.
–
(Name) groggily blinks their eyes open and takes in their surroundings. They’re still inside the manager’s office in the Steel Mill.
That’s right, the night started with Bruce’s campaign to close Arkham City, but Dr. Strange had some Tyger guards interrupt the whole thing and take them away. Once inside, they dealt with Penguin, got into their suits, went out to find Catwoman and save her, then eventually made their way to Sionis Steel Mill to interrogate Joker, but he got the jump on them.
They try standing up, but they are tied down to a wheelchair. Tugging on the rope around their wrists, but it was useless, “Damn it…” They grumble under their breath.
“Lookie here! My favorite little bunny is awake!” Joker happily says in the darkness of the room, “Sorry I wasn’t there to welcome you inside Arkham City-” He’s caught off by harsh coughing. Once it died down, he slowly staggered into the light, “But when you’re in my state, gathering a whole welcoming committee is a bit too ambitious for me.”
(Name) cringes at the bubbly, leather skin of Joker, “God, you’re ugly.”
Joker places his hand on his chest with an offended look on his face, “That’s very rude,” He moves closer to them and places his hands on either side of them, “Now, listen, mini me, I have to warn you that it’s going to be a long night,” He playfully boops their nose with a smile on his face, “So you better be prepared!” He backs away from them.
Their eyes look around the room a little more before landing on the mannequin dressed in the same Joker suit. They look back and forth between the suit and Joker then asks, “What’s with the other suit…?”
He looks back at the suit then slowly turns his attention back toward with a huge grin on his face, “Isn’t it obvious, Rabs? It’s for you,” He teasingly taps the blood bag next to them, “With this, you now have my blood flowing through your veins. Little by little you’re becoming me and I want to be ready when the inevitable happens,” He sounds giddy about the possibility, “It’s amazing! Soon, I’ll have my Joker Junior committing crimes with me; a father’s dream come true!”
They lean back further into the wheelchair to try and create some distance between them. The way he talks always just makes them uncomfortable and how he always insists on what their future self is going to be. Even if they’ll continue to deny it, little by little they’re starting to believe it.
–
Suddenly, the hallucination of Jason drags the real them off the other them, “Don’t kill them! You remember what you told Joker in the log cabin?”
The other them chokes out a laugh as they rub their neck, “Oh, I remember… ‘Even if we are in some ways, it’s the way we decide what we want to do for the world is what truly makes us different,’” They mock the real them and laugh some more, “God… Lying to yourself to pretend you aren’t as crazy as he was. That’s sad, and we all know it,” They stand up with the crowbar in hand, “Just admit it, you can’t change what’s meant to be. You are the new Joker,” They nod their head toward a broken window, “Whether you like it or not.”
Staring into their reflection, the real (Name) only sees the Joker smiling back at them.
They stumble back away from their reflection, “That’s not me…” They rub their eyes in an attempt to rid the image from their mind.
“But it’s totally you. You can’t escape it,” The other (Name) responds in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, “Just accept reality then go to a hospital, kidnap a bunch of newborns, then see how many babies it takes to paint a wall.”
“You have to move on from this,” The hallucination of Jason quietly murmurs as he cradles their face between his hands, “You can’t do that if you continue to ignore the problem like this. You’re only hurting yourself, (Name).”
They try to calm their breathing, “Jason…”
The other (Name) grips the crowbar in their hand tighter then swings it at his temple, “You shut up, bird brain!” They rest the crowbar on their shoulder, “Always spouting some nonsense to ruin the plans.”
The impact from the crowbar causes him to fall to the ground as he grunts in pain, “Damn…” He looked up at the real (Name) with tears in his eyes, “Listen to me, by ignoring the problem, your mind stays in that place,” He pushes himself up onto his elbows, “You have to confront your fears.”
A classic saying: Confront your fears. They doubt whoever started that saying ever thought someone would confront their fears like this.
The other (Name)’s eye twitches in annoyance and anger, “Stop talking!” They bash the crowbar into the hallucination of Jason’s head, “I. Need. You. To. Stop. Messing. With. My. Mind!” Every word is punctuated with another crowbar swing at a random part of his body. Soon, they stop beating him then look at the real them, “Here,” They hold the crowbar out for the real them to grab, “Finish the job and become your true self.”
(Name) looks down at the crowbar with a blank expression on their face.
Taking that crowbar will end all of this. They don’t have to think about any of this ever again.
After a few seconds, they help the hallucination of Jason up while not acknowledging the other them.
“What do you think you’re doing?” The other them asks, “This isn’t what’s supposed to happen!” They stomp their foot angrily like a rabbit.
They shrug their shoulders, “Why bother?” They help support him against the wall then turns to their other self, “I’m tired of all of this,” They use their hand to gesture their other self, “You are just the worst and I’m just done with the whole thing,” They cross their arms and narrows their eyes into a glare, “I tried ignoring you- pretend you don’t exist- but that doesn’t solve anything.”
“Exactly! Just embrace me!” The other (Name) bangs the crowbar against the brick wall, “You can’t escape it!”
(Name) softly sighs then looks away, “I’m only going to get hurt,” Their eyes meets their other self then places their hand on their other self shoulder, “You’re something I thought about constantly, even though I tried to push you out of my mind,” They push the other them away, “I will always have that fear of becoming Joker, but I have to stop believing in you. I’ve proven to not just everyone, but to myself as well that I’m not him and never will be,” They look at the hallucination of Jason, “Let’s go, we have to finish all this once and for all,” Then they leave their other self behind. (Name) knows that part of them won’t disappear, but they have to keep moving forward.
They use their grappling hook to finally leave the fear toxin. They are of no help if they can’t tell what’s real or fake anymore. Once out of the cloud, they look around at the different rooftops and spot a familiar Bat. Quickly running and grappling across the rooftops, they meet up with him, “Sup, boss man, how you feeling? Haven’t seen you since Stagg’s airship.”
Batman seems a bit surprised to see them, but he doesn’t let the look last long, “What have you been up to, Rabbit?”
Besides sleeping with the enemy, taking down a humanoid crocodile, and going through fear toxin trips then learning lessons from them, they haven’t been doing much.
(Name) shrugs their shoulders, “Eh, nothing much, I had a lot of stuff going on,” And before he can ask more about that, they just move on to the next subject, “Anyway, you have a plan on how to get rid of all this?” They ask while gesturing to the large cloud of fear toxin around them.
“We have to see Ivy,” Batman answers, then turns his body in the direction of the Botanical Gardens on Miagani Island, “She went dark.”
Knowing that it is better not to push, they decide to just trust him, “I’ll be right behind you,” A sudden idea strikes them, and before they can stop themself, they blurt out, “Bruce…”
Hearing his name stops him immediately in his tracks. He hesitates for a moment then looks over his shoulder at them.
(Name) takes a deep breath then says, “I forgive you… For everything,” They look down at their hands, “And I’m sorry for the argument. Feelings were high and thoughts were running wild, but that doesn’t excuse how I acted toward you.”
The argument was stupid, they fully realize that now, but the stubbornness between them blinded them to it.
“I shouldn’t have pushed you to say that you killed Joker on purpose,” They run their fingers through their hair and push their hood off their head, “You had a lot going on with saving the entire city and dealing with all those smaller problems in Arkham City,” They wrap their arms around themself, “I guess…” Their eyes meet his again, “I guess I just wanted to see you avenge Jason’s death in some way.”
His eyes drift down toward the ground for a split second then looks at them again, “(Name), there is something I want to tell you,” He steps closer to them, “I did want to kill him. When I saw him in that state for myself inside Arkham City, I thought about how easy it would be if I just let him die,” Another step forward, “After all, I wanted nothing more than to kill him, to subject him to the same torture he put others through, then end him,” He stop in front of them, “But if I did… I’ll never come back from that,” A bit of a faraway look appears on his face as he thinks back to that night, “At the end, I decided to save him, even though I hated the thought of doing so.”
They take a step back from him. Batman admitted to what they’ve been thinking, but that look in his eyes- the same one from Arkham City- and the way he talked, it sent chills down (Name)’s spine in the same way Joker used to do.
“Well…” They pull their hood back over their head, “I guess we finally talked about it…” Their fingers play with the lining of their hood, “We’ve taken a step into the right direction,” Their voice is quiet and a bit playful.
Batman nods his head in agreement, “I guess we have,” He looks between (Name) and the direction of the Botanical Gardens before turning toward it, “We have to leave now,” He gestures for them to get on his back.
(Name) quickly gets on Batman’s back and the two make their way to Poison Ivy.
Once they get there, Batman calls out for her.
The plant she’s inside opens up and reveals Ivy’s weakened state. She picks herself up off the ground and fully attaches herself to the plant while crying out in pain, giving her life to the plant to help it grow stronger. She falls forward and Batman catches her in his arms. Her skin looks grey and decaying like a tree. She looks up toward and reaches out, “Nature always wins,” She whispers her last words then finally passes on. Her body falls apart and fades into the wind until all that’s left is her satin shirt.
Batman gently lays the shirt on the ground while Ivy’s plants clear the fear toxin from the air. Millions of dandelion seeds slowly fall from the sky like snow and cover all of Gotham.
He walks toward the edge of the rooftop to stare across the clear skies of Gotham while talking to Alfred.
(Name) stands there and mourns the lost of Ivy, “In your final moments, you did more than just save every plant in Gotham, you saved every living thing here,” They carefully take out a defunct stuffed rabbit- it was supposed to be another EMP rabbit, but it didn’t work- and sets it down next to her shirt. They stand in that spot for a few more seconds before walking over to Batman.
He glances over to them and explains his next move, “I’m heading to GCPD to investigate the transmission sent on a SWAT channel from within the city. Are you coming with me?”
They nod their head, “Yeah, I’m coming with you,” They follow him to the Batmobile then drive over to the GCPD.
Once there, they head into the underground parking lot then through maximum security. Different police officers and people Batman saved were praising them for taking care of the Cloudburst while the militia soldiers Batman put away were taunting him about what’s to come next.
Batman, however, ignores everything people are saying and keeps moving forward. That’s something (Name) always respected him for. He doesn’t let the harsh words of criminals get to him, and he doesn’t run around dressed as a bat to be praised by people. He does it all because he truly does care about Gotham City and everyone who lives here- criminals included.
The two vigilantes enter the communications room and talk to the officer sitting in the corner.
As Batman talks to the officer, (Name) looks around the room before their eyes land on the picture of the Arkham Knight on the whiteboard.
They wonder where Jason is now. He’s probably setting up the next thing to try and kill Batman with. Their fingers brush against the promise ring hanging around their neck as they gaze upon the picture of him.
Batman heading toward the door snaps them out of their trance before they follow him out. He talks to Alfred through the gauntlet comms about Gordon’s transmission. It seems like finally Batman finds where the Arkham Knight’s headquarters are at.
They get back into the Batmobile and head off toward Founders’ Island. They stop in front of the closed shutters leading into the abandoned shopping mall where Gordon’s signal lies.
The two leave the Batmobile then enter a service hatch to access the area below the road. In that area below, they make their way through by turning off then on a nearby electricity box before climbing into a vent below the militia feet.
One militia soldier forces Gordon into a nearby elevator. Gordon warns them that they’ll need a lot more men once Batman comes, but the soldier just threatens him.
Batman uses his voice synthesizer on one of the militia soldiers, “Open the shutter! Now,” His voice sounds exactly like the Arkham Knight.
“Ugh…” They quietly groan low enough for the soldiers above to not hear them, “Don’t use that voice around me…” They rather not think anything unprofessional about that voice while knowing it was Batman actually speaking.
Batman gives them a questioning look before getting the remote control for the Batmobile ready once the shutter opens. The Batmobile makes quick work taking out all the militia soldiers.
They leave through the floor grate. The first chance they get, they adjust their uniform, “Man, I can’t wait to get out of this again once this whole thing is over.”
Batman rewires the fuse box to open the shutter into the next room- a giant hole with fans leading further down in the abandoned mall. He glances over toward them briefly as he questions them, “‘Again?’”
(Name) quietly curses to themself for that slip up, “It’s nothing, Bats. You’re thinking too much into it.”
“There was something Nightwing mentioned to me earlier,” Batman uses the Batmobile to blow a hole across the giant area in front of him, “He said that you…” He hesitates to say the next thing on his mind. He quietly clears his throat then finishes his sentence, “...had relations with someone tonight.”
Richard John Grayson is going to die tonight.
They turn their head toward Batman, “Did he now?” They cross their arms and avoid his gaze, “He must’ve hit his head harder than I thought.”
He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “I’m not going to deal with this now,” He walks toward the edge of the giant hole in the ground, “I know if I comment on it, you’ll say something about that.”
They nod their head in agreement, “You’re right, I would’ve called you a hypocrite,” They check their nails nonchalantly even though they’re wearing gloves, “Even though I was a bit out of it from dying in Arkham City, I did hear that comment Talia made about your night in Metropolis with her,” Moving closer to him, they stand right next to him, “It’s a fact I didn’t want to know about, but here we are.”
“Likewise, I don’t want to know anything about your intimate life,” He grapples to the metal beam in the middle of the room then glides into the room across.
Scarecrow continues to mock Batman over the speakers, his voice bouncing off the walls.
Grateful for the conversation to be dropped, (Name) waits for him to open the barricades to allow the Batmobile through.
Once Batman was on the same side again, the two entered the Batmobile and used the anchor point above them to help support the Batmobile on the wall. There is a problem they have, the giant fans are still whirrling and will kill them both if they’re not careful.
Using the Batmobile again, he blows a hole in the ceiling above them- some debris falls toward them and eventually breaks further on the fan.
Batman briefly looks over at them next to him, “I’ll shut down the fan, stay here,” Then he ejects from his seat right before they can give him an answer.
(Name) watches him grapple up as a thought crosses their mind, “We have a bad habit of just leaving before the other person can say something,” They cross their arms and lean back in their seat, “We should fix that…”
A couple minutes go by before the fan below them stops spinning and Batman joins them in the Batmobile again. They slowly descend lower and blow another hole in the wall- the two vigilantes are quite destructive- then quickly take down three militia soldiers behind it.
“You want me to come with you?” They quickly ask before he can leave again.
He thinks for a moment then nods his head, “Fine, you can come with,” Then he ejects and glides into the opening while (Name) grapples to the other side.
Scarecrow continues to talk through the speakers, but who cares, no one is listening- well, they’re not.
In the room, the elevator doors won’t open and their next best way to continue forward is to move the elevator from above.
Shooting one of the exposed industrial motors, the elevator moves downward before stopping at a weak wall.
“Sweet! Graffiti time!” (Name) gleefully says as they move their hand to take out the explosive gel, but Batman beats them to it. They narrow their eyes at him and grumble, “You take away the fun out of everything…”
They blow a hole in the wall and climb out to meet two militia soldiers with stun rods, “He said you’d be coming for the generator!” One of them yells while twirling the stun rod in his hand.
Not to waste any more time with all this, Batman takes out the remote electrical charge and quickly fires it at the two soldiers to shock them then quickly knocks them out.
A quiet laugh escapes from (Name), “I don’t know why, but that was a little funny,” They walk up to the unconscious soldiers then gently kicks one of them in the leg, “I thought you handed that over to the GCPD after Arkham City,” Their eyes drift over to meet his, “Looks like you can’t part from your toys for long.”
“It was necessary to get to the Arkham Knight,” Batman explains while flipping the lever down to open the door.
The two were now underneath the fan, the generator is right there! …Behind thick glass.
“There’s the generator powering the second fan, Now we just need to find a way to get to it,” His eyes scan the surrounding area for any type of entrance before landing on the opening to another room behind them.
In that room, the two vigilantes can hear a few militia soldiers talking behind a bit of scaffolding and tarp. Grappling to the top of it, they see the soldiers standing in water with some exposed wires submerged in the water.
(Name) quietly taps Batman then makes a gesture with their hand to silently tell him to give them something while nodding toward the generator nearby. He hands them the remote electrical charge without any question. With this power in their hand, they use it to power the generator and electrocute all the soldiers standing in the water before the generator blows and stops producing power. They shake their head with a look of disappointment as they hand back the remote electrical charge back to him without a word.
After moving the elevator at the end of the room to continue moving down, the two hop down the elevator shaft then crawl through a vent to the next room.
Inside the empty, converted barroom, a briefing with twenty-one people in attendance. There is a large projector screen showing off the different information The Arkham Knight has on Batman. Luckily, there’s metal beams holding up lights the two vigilantes can use to quietly move above the group.
“Quiet!” The militia leader calls out to the rest of the men in the room, “OK. This briefing is to remind you all of the tactics employed by our alpha target… The Batman,” He nods his head back toward the projector screen behind him, “Take a look at it. Study it. Imagine yourself pulling the trigger and blowing a hole in it,” He points to the close up picture of the Bat symbol on Batman’s chest, “You shoot him there, and you’re just helping him. And we are not, I repeat NOT in the helping him business.”
(Name) is a bit impressed with the whole briefing. They lean in closer to Batman and whisper, “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I love me a smart man like Knight,” They slip out their work phone and take a picture of the projector screen.
While inspecting the scene below, the militia leader continues the briefing, “Our training, training personally designed by the Arkham Knight, gives us the tactical advantage here!”
“How does he know so much about Batman?!” One of the soldiers questions out loud.
The militia leader gives the soldier a pointed look, “Why don’t you stay back after this briefing and we’ll go see him. You can ask him personally.”
Batman narrows his eyes on the militia soldier, “Their leader is wearing an explosive vest. I need to neutralize him first,” He gives his partner one last look before taking the disruptor to sabotage whatever he can.
“Who cares? I’m not scared of Batman! You put me in a room with him and I’ll tear his head off,” Another militia soldier confidently proclaims with a bit of his chest puffed up.
The militia leader quietly sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “And that is why you will fail. He won’t come at you straight on. He’ll watch you. He’ll study you from the shadows, and when you make a mistake… he’ll be ready. If you need an example of how to act, look no further than right here,” He gestures to the vest he’s wearing, “There is no way that he will get near me. That brings me to point two. The Arkham Knight has chosen me, and me especially, to test out his latest weapon in the fight against the Bat.”
Batman takes this moment to quietly move across the metal beam to get behind the projector screen as the soldiers continue to talk below.
The moment Batman rips through the projector screen and quickly disables the bomb strapped to the militia soldier’s chest, (Name) takes a second to turn on some music. No one is going to attack them due to the Arkham Knight’s order.
______________________________________________________________________________
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
______________________________________________________________________________
Hearing the drum intro of the song start to play through their headphones, they drop down into the middle of the room as a few of the militia soldiers attack Batman.
The night we met, I knew I
Needed you so
And if I had the chance, I'd
Never let you go
Their feet touch the ground and they stay crouched low to the ground. Letting the music take over them once again, they slowly stand up with a small stretch. They quietly tap their foot and move their shoulders up and down individually.
They cross their feet and slowly spin while pressing their hands against their chest as they lip sync the lyrics, “So won’t you say you love me?” They point straight forward at a random militia soldier, “I’ll make you so proud of me.”
The militia soldier pauses and looks around before pointing at himself in a confused way.
(Name) takes slow, calculated steps toward the militia soldier. The closer they got, the more their mind changed the soldier into Jason.
We’ll make ‘em turn their
Heads every place we go
They stop in their tracks and tilt their head curiously at him. He isn’t really there, they know that, but can’t they just live in this make believe world with him a bit longer?
Grabbing his hands, they drag him with them back to the center of the room to dance with them. They grab the sides of his head to bring him closer for a kiss.
So won’t you, please (be my, be my baby)
Be my little baby? (My one, and only baby)
In reality, (Name) grabs the sides of the soldier’s head and headbutts his head as hard as they can, and once the soldier staggers backward, they jump up, lock their legs around his neck, then throw him to the ground with their body weight.
They stand from the ground and notice Jason wasn’t on the ground with them anymore. Letting the music influence their movements again, they sway their hips side to side while bouncing on the balls of their feet to the beat of the music, “Say you’ll be my darlin’” Then sings in a louder tone of voice, “Be my baby now!” Their arms swing around like they’re gesturing to everyone around them before placing their hands over their heart.
Somewhere behind them, Batman uppercuts a militia soldier in the jaw then grabs the wrist of another militia soldier who tried to punch him and kicks him in the gut.
A third militia soldier grabs Batman from behind to let other soldiers attack the trapped bat, but Batman throws his head back to stun the guy behind him before throwing him over his shoulder at a few other militia soldiers.
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Turning behind them, (Name) sees Jason standing behind them with a big boyish grin on his face. They run up to him and grab his hands then spin in circles with him while quietly singing, “I’ll make you happy, baby, just wait and see.”
After spinning, they threw the militia soldier into a wall.
Dazed and confused, the soldier tries stopping the spinning in his vision, but their hand grabbing the front of his head then slams it back into the wall over and over again until the soldier blacks out.
(Ooh) for every kiss you give me (ohh-ohh)
I’ll give you three (ohh, ohh)
One soldier realizes the increasing brutality of (Name)’s actions and tries stopping it. He grabs their shoulder and turns them around. Before he can even do anything more, (Name) grips the soldier’s armor then punches him in the nose three times- each one being harder than the last- then they drop the soldier to the ground, his blood staining their knuckles.
(Name) walks through the room with a pep in their step and twirls with roses all around them, “Oh, since the day I saw you,” They pick a rose and brings it close to their lips like it’s a microphone and keeps singing despite the thorns scratching their hand, “I have been waiting for you,” Their eyes drift down toward a lone, out of place cockroach crawling around. Without any hesitation or remorse they step on the cockroach. And since it’s a bug of its kind, it doesn’t die, so they keep stomping on it. Through gritted teeth, they continue to sing, “You know, I will adore you ‘til eternity.”
The blood from the soldier on the ground stains the soles of their shoe more and more the longer they keep stomping their foot into his head.
Eventually, they stop and drag the bottom of their shoe across the soldier’s torso to clean the blood off as best as they can.
So won’t you please (be my, be my baby)
Be my little baby? (My one, and only baby)
A militia soldier holds a barstool over his head then throws it toward Batman the moment the soldier sees an opportunity, but the vigilante catches the barstool and breaks it over the soldier’s head.
Another soldier rushes at Batman- intending to grab him- but Batman moves out of the way to let the soldier crash into an electrical box then grabs the back of the soldier’s head and slam it into the box- causing the glass to break- to shock him.
Say you’ll be my darlin’
(be my, be my baby)
With the help of a running start, (Name) slides across the room- risky business style- their arms spread out by their sides to help keep their balance.
Standing in front of a militia soldier, they knee the soldier between the legs. The soldier drops to his knees and holds himself in pain right before (Name) picks up a nearby pipe and swings it into the soldier’s head. They swing the pipe down on the soldier’s body a few times for good measure.
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh
(Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh)
They hop from gravestone to gravestone- making sure they don’t fall into the sea of cockroaches below. It seems like no matter how much they try to escape it, the cockroaches keep climbing their purple clown suit.
Wait. Purple… clown suit…?
Looking down at their hands, they see their white gloves stained red. And those cockroaches weren’t cockroaches, but fingers. Those fingers were trying to drag them further down into madness.
But (Name) won’t let that stop them. This fear of theirs- though it will always be there- won’t keep them down!
So come on and be (my one, and only baby)
Say you’ll be my darlin’
(be my, be my baby)
Be my baby now (my one, and only baby)
Oh, oh, oh, oh
They slap themself a few times to bring themself back to reality. They don’t want a repeat of a learned lesson.
Looking around the room, most of the soldiers have been knocked out on the ground.
Batman kicks a soldier backward then uses him as a stepping stone to reach the light fixture above and bring it down on the soldier’s head.
He flips off the soldier and uses gravity to kick another soldier behind him.
Taking out a batarang from his utility belt, Batman throws it at an incoming soldier.
(Be my, be my baby) be my little baby
(My one, and only baby) oh, oh-oh
(Be my, be my baby) oh oh
(My one, and only baby)
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh
As the song begins to fade out, (Name) keeps dancing. They sway their hips and bob their head to the music then shifting the rhythm from their hips to their shoulders- moving it up and down in time with the music.
Any remaining soldier who notices the more calm movements of the rabbit theme vigilante seems to almost sigh in relief before being knocked out by Batman.
(Be my, be my baby) oh-oh
(My one, and only baby) oh, oh-oh
(Be my, be my baby) be my baby now
(My one, and only baby) oh, yeah…
They remove their headphones and rest it around their neck before they follow Batman, “Boy, oh boy, you’ll never believe the trip I’ve been going on,” They call out just as he rewires the fuse box inside the room.
“I’ve noticed the blood,” Batman calmly points out while leaving the room with them.
Once reaching the open entrance of the room, they see a weakened wall ahead.
Pointing it out, Batman says, “Gordon’s just beyond that wall. We’re going to need the Batmobile to destroy it and reach him.
(Name) leans out a little to look above them at the giant drilling machine above, “So… how are we going to get the Batmobile down here?” He does the same as them while explaining his plan, “If I can lower the car on top of that drilling machine, I might be able to move it down to this level.”
At the bottom level is another open area for the two to explore. They quickly make their way there and- using detective mode- sees a sentry gun aiming at the open elevator shaft.
Batman uses the remote hacking device to blind the sentry gun before the two make their way up. At last, they made it to the generator.
While Batman deals with that, (Name) prepares to remotely control the Batmobile. Now with the generator dealt with, they use the tank to slowly move the drilling machine to the weakened wall and blow a hole in it then down to the open entrance at the bottom level. But there’s still the problem with the sentry gun, luckily they can just use the Batmobile to block it and let the two back inside safely.
Moving the drilling machine back up, they finally make their way forward to where Gordon is being held.
First Batman has to rewire the fuse box to open the way further then talk to Alfred over the holographic screen on his gauntlet.
Driving through the excavator tunnels, they have to drive along the wall to avoid the large obstacles standing in their way, then eventually they speed over a ramp to get to the other side, but right behind them a giant excavator drills up from the ground with the Arkham Knight inside.
(Name)’s mouth nearly drops at the sight, “Holy shit, that thing’s huge!” A moment of immaturity takes over the mind before being serious again.
They hear the Arkham Knight’s voice through their earpieces, “I did ask if it came in black, but then I thought, nah you’d just get all jealous,” The drills start to spin again while the Arkham Knight gets ready to chase after them, “You didn’t think I was gone, did you? No, you knew better. You get knocked down, you pick yourself up again. See, I learned that from an old friend.”
Batman quickly turns the Batmobile around and drives as fast as he can away from the Arkham Knight.
Going through the tunnel, once again they had to drive on the walls and ceiling to avoid all the obstacles while the Arkham Knight gets to blow right through it all. At the end of the tunnel there seems to be bombs embedded into the walls. The Batmobile is able to go through it just fine, but the giant excavator takes massive damage from it and eventually fills the tunnel with dirt and debris.
Inside the Batmobile, Alfred calls them up, “Master Bruce there’s no way out. I believe the exit from those tunnels is being remotely controlled by the Arkham Knight.”
“Then I have to fight him,” Batman says with a bit of a grim look on his face.
Alfred is a bit surprised by this, yet also knew he would say that, “Sir, the Batmobile’s armor and weaponry are no match for that vehicle.”
“But I am. I’ll find a way,” Then he hangs up the call before carefully driving further into the tunnels.
Over their comms, they hear the Arkham Knight talking, “You can’t stop me! You’re going to die down here, forgotten. In the dirt,” The ground begins to shake as a sign that the Arkham Knight has reamerged once again, “I’ll find you, Batman!”
Soon, they find the excavator and fire the Batmobile’s weapon at it to gain his attention before driving off.
The Arkham Knight follows them into one of the tunnels breaching from the main area.
In tunnel number one, the Batmobile had to jump over two ramps to make it to the end where more bombs were waiting for the excavator and bury him once again in dirt and debris.
The two were given a moment to breathe away from the Arkham Knight stalking them.
(Name) looks over at Batman with a grin on their face, “That was fun. Can I have a turn?”
Batman grips the steering wheel a little, “This isn’t a game…” But then he relaxes his hands, “I’ll let you drive only once,” He hands them the controls.
“Awesome!” They greedily take control and drive around for a bit as they wait for the Arkham Knight to appear again.
The two hear the conversation between Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight through their comms.
“Stop this, Knight. Everything is in hand,” Scarecrow says, his voice sounding a bit strained in frustration as he tries to keep up the calm act he has.
Without a moment of hesitation, the Arkham Knight fires back, “We’re done, Crane, I owe him!”
“We had a plan. He is going to suffer,” Scarecrow explains.
“I told you I’ll go along with your plan as long as they stay safe from it all. You sprayed them with fear toxin and now I won’t play along anymore. Batman is going to DIE,” The Arkham Knight snaps before ending communication with Scarecrow.
There was silence again before the ground shakes to let them know the Arkham Knight is back.
(Name) readjusts their grip on the steering wheel, “Well, well, well…” The smirk on their face widens, “Let’s see where my man is…” Then drives off to find him.
Once again, they see him first and fire the Batmobile’s weapon then drive off while laughing their head off.
The tunnel they choose has them riding on the walls and ceiling to avoid stationary obstacles then having to dodge a few slow moving fans to get to the bombs at the exit.
The bombs bury the Arkham Knight once again in dirt and debris.
“Let’s go!” They pump their fist into the air, “It’s even better when you’re in control!”
“Enjoy the feeling,” Batman takes back the controls, “Because that was your only turn.”
(Name) narrows their eyes into slits and aims their harsh glare at the side of his head, “What the fu-”
“Be careful of what you say,” He warns as he slowly drives the Batmobile forward.
Their shoulders deflate as they look away, “...Fun.”
He quietly smirks, “Good job,” Deep down, he does understand the fun they have when they mess with him. He just messes with them on rare occasions to catch them off guard.
“Scarecrow’s right,” The Arkham Knight’s voice can be heard over their comms, “The world should see you for the worthless thing you are. But I already know,” He takes in a quiet deep breath then finishes his sentence, “And I’m not waiting anymore,” The ground shakes one more time and Batman drives around faster to find the Arkham Knight.
It doesn’t take long to find the giant excavator- the thing is literally floor to ceiling length and wall to wall width- Batman fires the weapons at him then speeds off into the final tunnel.
This one felt a bit like a racetrack to them. Once again they had to drive on the wall to avoid the obstacles and a small missing chuck of the ground, but this time it’s exclusively wall. Batman has to be careful, one wrong subtle movement from the Batmobile can mess up the entire momentum and get them killed. After that, they had to dodge one fan and the last of the bombs were right there.
The Batmobile flies off the ramp as the dirt and debris bury the Arkham Knight inside then lands right in front of the door leading to their way out.
“Sir,” Alfred’s voice is heard over their comms, “I’ve remotely disabled the door lock! Might I suggest you leave?!” The door behind them opens and they drive through.
At the end of the tunnel, there was just one giant fan above them. Easy work, just attach the power winch to it then pull it down. But the ground started shaking again and the Arkham Knight came up from the ground to block them in.
“No way out,” The Arkham Knight calls out, “I did it. Cornered you. Done what no-one else could,” He stands up from his seat inside the excavator, “All these years, all your enemies. But none of them understands you like I do,” He taps his chest to emphasize himself. He cocks his head mockingly, “You think Crane found Oracle on his own? I’m the one who told him about Barbara,” His movements inside the cockpit become a little more erratic as he gestures to himself. The excavator he’s in seems to be breaking down a little from all the damage it sustained , “Me! I told you I knew everything about you, didn’t I?” He seemingly relaxes in his seat as he says the last bit of his sentence, “But don’t worry, Bruce, I kept some secrets to myself.”
The excavator inches closer and closer to them, there was no way they could get out of this situation with the Batmobile, so they did the only thing they could, they eject from the Batmobile and escape through the giant hole above them. Right behind them, they can hear the excavator destroying the Batmobile.
They continue to grapple up in what looks to be like an old cave system before walking through a long, semi dark hallway. They climb up into the narrow section underneath some floor grates and finally find Gordon tied to a chair and a few militia soldiers surrounding him.
The soldiers were taunting Gordon. Oh, they don’t know the world of pain they’re about to be in.
Batman quickly slips out of the floor grates and uppercuts the medic, then elbow the ninja in the jaw, and finally slams another ninja into the ground.
The last medic in the room tries to help the other fallen medic, but (Name) puts the medic into a chokehold then slams his head into the ground.
They fire the grappling hook up their sleeve and grab onto one of the ninja’s swords. Giving it a firm tug, they yank the sword out of the ninja’s hands and into their own. They raise the sword into the air before flipping it to hold it backwards then hits the ninja in the jaw with the hilt of the sword.
Two ninjas try attacking Batman at the same time from behind. Batman grabs the wrist of one ninja to stop his sword then kicks the other ninja in the chest to knock him away. Turning to the other ninja, Batman elbows him in the throat then knocks him out.
(Name) stabs the sword firmly into the ground then uses their grappling hook again to drag a militia soldier over and pull his head down hard on the sword’s hilt to knock him out.
As Batman takes care of the last of the ninjas, they check their work phone to see where Jason is at and see he’s right here with them.
Realizing what this means, they whip their head around just in time for the Arkham Knight to surprise Batman with a kick to the back of the knee then pistol whipping him in the head.
Batman staggers backward then shakes off the pain. His gaze meets the Knight’s and narrows his eyes into slits.
“This is where it all ends, Hero,” The Arkham Knight sneers as he aims his gun at Batman, “There is nothing else that will get in the way of me killing you.”
Before the Arkham Knight can say anything else, Batman throws a batarang and it scratches against the armored part of the Arkham Knight’s neck.
The Arkham Knight’s hand instinctively touches the scratched part of his armor before he aims his gun again. He fires a couple times as Batman runs to dodge the bullets.
(Name) runs over toward Gordon and unties him, “Hey, Commish, haven’t seen you since ACE Chemicals,” Their hand touches his shoulder in a comforting manner.
Gordon rubs the rawness on his wrist, “Yeah… Been a bit,” He looks up toward the two fighting.
The Arkham Knight throws a smoke bomb at Batman to blind the older man. Taking this moment he sneaks around him and kicks Batman in the back then flips off him.
Stumbling a few feet forward, Batman takes out a freeze blast and tosses it at the Arkham Knight’s feet. The Knight takes a step back and fails to notice the Batclaw being fired at his chest. Batman pulls him closer then elbow the bottom of the Arkham Knight’s skull.
The Arkham Knight doesn’t hesitate to use a hidden blade on his belt to attempt to stab Batman in the side.
The vigilante moves his body out of the way from the first slash then moves his head to avoid the second slash. Expecting a third slash, Batman is a second too late to stop the Arkham Knight from kneeing him in the gut.
Batman grunts then uses two batarangs to cut the Knight’s mask twice before pushing him away for room.
The vigilante rushes toward the Arkham Knight and tackles him to the ground. With the little room he has, the Arkham Knight aims his gun to shoot Batman point blank, but Batman backs away before the Knight can get the chance. The Arkham Knight rolls back and places his hands on the floor next to his neck, then kicks his feet out and throws his hands forward into a floor kip-up.
A low dark chuckle escapes from the Arkham Knight, “You know… This is turning out to be fun,” He aims his gun at Batman again, “I would’ve been disappointed otherwise.”
Gritting his teeth and clenching his hands into fists, Batman asks, “Who are you?”
The question irks him, “You really have no idea,” The Arkham Knight presses the button on the side of his helmet to lift his faceplate and reveals his identity to Batman, “do you, Bruce?”
This was it, the moment everything comes to an end between them, and (Name) can’t help but watch the whole thing unfold right in front of their very own eyes.
The reveal catches Bruce off guard. Standing right there in front of him was someone he considered like a son to him, “Jason? But…” His clenched hands relax by his side, “you’re dead.”
Jason slowly circles Batman like a predator. His gun still trained on the bat; never once wavering. The silence between them stretches on until Jason is fed up with it, “What’s the matter? Lost for words? I expected more…” He places his free hand on his chest like he was offended, “I’m hurt.”
Batman subtly shakes his head a little, a look of disbelief crossing his face, “Joker sent me the film…” His fingers twitch by his side like he wants to reach out to Jason, “I saw him kill you.”
“Don’t you dare lie to me!” Jason snaps, his gun shaking in his hands in anger, “How long did you wait before replacing me? A month? A week?” The shaking in the gun becomes more noticeable as he thinks back to that time, “I trusted you… And you left me to die!” He stops walking. His breathing is a bit faster as he tries to not act just yet, but it was easy to tell he wanted to fire his gun into Bruce’s body until it was empty.
“That’s not what happened,” Batman clarifies quickly before taking a small step forward.
The anger in Jason’s voice subsides and a calmer one takes its place, “You always told me Bruce… focus on what I want to achieve… and it’ll happen,” He grips his gun tighter, “Well you want to know what I want now, huh?” He walks closer to Batman, “I want you,” He presses the gun underneath Batman’s chin, “dead.”
Batman smacks the gun out of his face then headbutts Jason.
He stumbles back a couple feet and takes out another gun then, without any hesitation, fires the guns a few times, but Batman has already disappeared.
(Name) takes this opportunity to wrap Gordon’s arm around their shoulders and leaves the area to a safer place. It’s best not to get involved with the situation.
Jason looks around the room for where Batman can possibly be hiding, “You can’t hide from me! I will hunt you down!” He presses a button on the gun in his right hand and the back of it extends out. Pressing another button on the gun in his left hand causes the front to extend forward into a longer barrel and the back of the gun to open and let him connect the guns together into one to create a sniper.
He rips off the broken part of his Arkham Knight mask and tosses it to the ground before pressing the button on his mask to cover his face again, which also causes the blue on his armor to change to red. He uses his grappling gun to get to a vantage point to hunt Batman down.
From the ground, (Name) watches Jason with a look of sorrow. How did this night end like this? What could they have done to prevent this? Or maybe this was bound to happen.
“I didn’t expect your boyfriend would rise from the dead as the Arkham Knight…” Gordon comments in a gruff tone of voice while massaging a sore spot on his jaw.
“Huh?” They tear their gaze away from Jason and look at Gordon, “How did…?”
Gordon meets their gaze, “I’m not deaf nor am I dumb. Batman called him ‘Jason’ and thought he was dead. The Arkham Knight called Batman ‘Bruce’ and asked how long until he was replaced. My little girl works for Batman,” His eyes narrow a little as he takes in their facial features, “That means you’re mostly likely (Name) (LastName), right?”
They have no words at this moment to deny anything so they just muttered, “No wonder you’re the Commissioner," They playfully nudge him with a grin on their face, “We got to get you a bat costume now.”
Gordon shakes his head, “No, not interested.”
“Fair enough,” They respond with a small shrug, “Gotham needs good cops than vigilantes.”
“I was just a kid,” Jason calls out as his eyes sweeps the area for any sign of Batman, “You turned me into a soldier, sent me to war,” Tears stung in his eyes as memories of the past flood his mind, but he blinks them away, “It was all about you, what Joker did. He ruined me to spite you!”
Hearing all this hurts their heart too much. (Name)’s hand instinctively grabs the promise ring hanging around their neck tightly.
Gordon notices this and hesitantly places his hand on their shoulder to comfort them in some way.
“I can still hear him laughing,” Jason’s voice shakes as he utters those words. Tears threaten to spill, but he tries to hold them back and a few slip through, “He’s still in my head!”
Bruce manages to get underneath the gargoyle Jason’s on and grapples up to him. He fights Jason with the gun, trying to get it out of his hands while talking to him, “Jason. I can help you!”
Jason grits his teeth underneath his mask and glares daggers into Batman, “There’s no helping me!” He fires the gun to cause ringing in Batman’s year then falls off the gargoyle and uses a smoke bomb to get away.
A large shutter with the Arkham Knight emblem opens and more of the room opens.
On top of a gargoyle at the far end of the new area, Jason perched there with his sniper, “You’re not the only one with sidekicks.”
Gordon looks up at where Batman is at and yells his encouragement, “Go get ‘em, Batman!”
They can hear militia soldiers entering the room and a drone flying around. It looks like Jason isn’t going to make this easy for Batman.
(Name) looks around the area before quickly sneaking downstairs to help take down any soldiers they come across.
Using the environment of the abandoned shopping mall, they silently takedown only two soldiers when they hear Jason talking again.
“You had so many chances to kill him. It’s your fault Joker got to me!”
They pause their movements to just sit behind a plant. They want to defend Bruce, but they can see where Jason is coming from. In his point of view, Batman did abandon him and just got a new Robin, however they saw the turmoil Bruce went through searching for Jason and how his methods of dealing with criminals got bloodier.
They hear glass breaking far off and catch their attention. Peeking out from the corner, they watch the struggle between them.
Bruce grabs Jason’s shoulder and gun as he continues to talk to him, “Joker got to you. I know what it’s like.”
“Don’t pretend to understand!” Jason snaps then uses another smoke bomb to get away from him.
The shutter to that area closes with Batman still inside. Jason gets himself situated another gargoyle as he explains in an almost crazed tone of voice, “You’ll die in there. In pain.”
Batman escapes the trap and looks around for where Jason is at now.
“I learned how to take a little pain, Batman, I learned from the best,” Jason’s voice is sounding more crazed and broken the longer this whole thing goes on, “But you can’t hurt what you can’t hurt what you can’t see,” More militia soldiers wearing special armor comes out to join the hunt for Batman, “Optic deflection armor. Your sensors won’t work. Use your eyes, Batman. If you remember how.”
Just like last time, (Name) sneaks around to thin out the threat and make it easier for Bruce.
As the two continue to work on silently taking down the militia soldiers, Jason keeps talking, “Do you know where Joker kept me? I was so close.”
Just the thought of back then being so close to Jason without even realizing it sends a stabbing feeling through their heart. What if they looked a little harder, maybe they would’ve found him.
“Do you even know what Joker did to me?” Jason asks as a few more tears roll down his cheeks, “The games he used to play? This is mercy compared to what he put me through.”
Eventually, Bruce makes it under the gargoyle Jason and grabs his gun, “Stand down, Robin!” He’s desperate to reach out to Jason on a deeper emotional level.
Hearing the old name he used to go by, more tears slip past his guard, “Don’t call me that! That’s not who I am!” He headbutts Bruce.
Bruce rolls onto his back and kicks Jason off him. Once again, Jason uses smoke bombs to disappear.
Jason takes position on another gargoyle and takes aim, “I’m not afraid of you, Bruce. You’re not a legend to me,” This time, he relies on machines to help track Batman down.
There’s nothing (Name) can do to help, so instead they carefully make their way to get closer to Jason without getting caught.
“Joker made me hate you. But you let him do it,” Jason calls out as his gaze sweeps the area. He stops for a moment when he catches a glimpse of rabbit ears peaking out.
They know he saw them and they wanted him to. Looking out a little further from their spot behind a crate, they look around for a safe path forward and not get shot to hell and back by the sentry guns.
Bruce was faster than them, he managed to get underneath and grapple up to him. He knocks the gun out of Jason’s hands then blocks him when he tries to punch him before punching Jason himself.
Jason stumbles back against the wall for support and tries to push himself forward, but Bruce pouches him back then rips off the Arkham Knight chestpiece, “You’re Robin, Jason,” Bruce says, “You’re not what he made you!”
Having enough of this, Jason pushes Bruce back and snaps, “Stop! Stop talking to me!” His voice cracks as he speaks. He runs forward and tackles Bruce off the gargoyle.
The two fall on the ground and Batman pins Jason to the ground with his fist raised and ready to punch him, but the broken, sad look on Jason’s face causes him to soften and backs away.
Jason sits up and glares at him, “You did this to me!”
Bruce lowers his gaze then softly murmurs, “I’m sorry.”
“You left me to rot in that abandoned wing of Arkham,” Jason points his gun at Bruce, “for over a year…” His gun in his grip shakes, not with anger, but with despair, “with HIM!”
(Name) runs over to them and crouches next to Jason, their hand on his arm to push away the gun if he decides to fire. They wrap their other hand around the back of Jason’s neck to cradle him closer to them.
It seems at that moment Bruce starts to connect some dots that they most likely already knew the Arkham Knight’s identity and been meeting up with him.
He closes his eyes and looks away, “It’s not too late,” Bruce slowly opens his eyes and meets his gaze again, “We can fix this…” He holds his hand out to Jason, “Together.”
Jason grips his gun tighter before ultimately letting his arm drop and leaning closer into the crook of (Name)’s neck. He’s defeated and tired.
Bruce turns around to talk to Alfred and the two take this opportunity to leave together.
The farther they got from the abandoned shopping mall, the more tears streamed down Jason’s face. Militia soldiers who followed the Arkham Knight and saw him as a strong leader were shocked to see the state he was in after his confrontation with Batman. They would not quite stare at him, always watching him out of the corner of their eyes so he wouldn’t notice their stares, but he did notice.
He locked himself in his office and (Name) stood on the outside waiting for him. They lean back against the wall beside the door with their arms crossed. Soldiers would walk by and stare at them being there, but they would just glare right back.
After some time of waiting, they decide to get in there. Pushing themself off the way, they look around for some kind of vent to crawl into and get inside, “Where, oh, where would you be…?” They look over their shoulder then point to a passing soldier, “You! Is there another way to get inside this room?”
The militia soldier is surprised to be called on like that, “Uh…” He quickly looks around the area then shrugs his shoulders, “I’m pretty sure there’s a vent around here.”
“Well, thanks for your input,” They said before using their detective vision to find the vent- this is something they should’ve used first.
The vent was a few feet away and hidden behind a crate, why it would be hidden like that is beyond them.
(Name) pushes the crate away then pulls off the vent covering before crawling inside. After a few turns later inside the vent, they climb out on the other side inside the office. Jason sat at his desk chair with his hand over his face and seemingly trying to make himself smaller by curling in on himself.
“Oh my sweet…” They carefully walk closer to him so as to not spook him somehow then sits on the desktop next to him. (Name) doesn’t say anything- what is there to say right now- and cards their fingers through his hair.
The touch was a balm of comfort for him as he leaned closer into it. He doesn’t know what he wants anymore; he had the chance to kill Batman, to do what he has been thinking and planning for nearly three years, but in the end, he didn’t take that chance, it seems like it wasn’t something he truly wanted.
Silence stayed in the room with them, it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward, but it was heavy with unspoken words. Randomly, (Name) gently takes Jason’s hand into their own, then stands up, “Let’s go on a walk.”
A walk? He didn’t expect that, but he just nodded his head and left with them.
They had to get away from here, go somewhere no eyes would ever see them, and there was only one place for them to go.
He stares at the blinking sign of Pauli’s Diner then turns his attention back to them, “A classic…” He murmurs like he was making a joke to himself, but his voice was hollow of humor.
A small, quiet smile graces their face as they take him inside, “You love the classics.”
The two sat across from each other at the booth in the far corner of the diner, it was like their first date all over again.
For a long while, there was nothing said, just the two sitting there together.
(Name) is the first to break the silence, “For a while, I had this fear I was deathly afraid of,” They kept their gaze on their hands, “I was afraid I would eventually become exactly like Joker.”
Jason is surprised to hear this, “How… Why?” He hesitates for a few moments then places his hand over theirs.
But they move their hand to be on top of his instead, “Joker made comments about how I was just like him over and over until eventually I started believing it for myself, but do you want to know something I had to come to terms with?” Their gaze met his, “I was hurting myself constantly thinking about it, even when I didn’t know I was,” They squeezed his hand, “I have to move on.”
“I never thought you would be like him…” He mumbles, “You’re the complete opposite of him in every way,” He brings their hand to his lips and kisses their knuckles.
They softly smile, “Thanks, I needed to hear that earlier, but I’m not the one who needs comforting right now,” They bring their hand away from his lips and continue talking, “I’m not going to claim my thing is just as bad as yours. My problem is like a stubbed toe compared to your amputated leg of problem, but the same lesson can be learned,” Their free hand cups the side of his face, “You’re mind is trapped inside the asylum and it’s hurting you more than anything else can do. It’s going to be really hard, but I’ll be here with you to move past this. The best way is to end this whole madness Scarecrow started.”
Jason’s gaze turns downward as he takes in everything they said.
Letting a small chuckle leave them, (Name) adds, “Don’t forget, you promised me that you’ll make it up to me for nearly killing me by doing anything for me,” They tilt their head a little to look into his eyes, “All I want is for you to be happy and this is how you can do it.”
Finally he meets their gaze again then slowly nods his head, “Scarecrow plans to reveal Bruce’s identity to everyone in Gotham inside of Arkham Asylum,” He stands up from his seat, “Follow me, I know where the truck is at,” With their hand still in his, he gently pulls them up from their seat.
They stare at the empty spot on his chest then gently trace it with their finger, “Since you’re giving up on the Arkham Knight identity, you should take up something new.”
“Red Hood,” He responds without any hesitation, “If I want to do the healing process, I’ll claim Joker’s old name and make it my own,” They start walking toward the exit as he continues talking, “Also, I can use it to continue provoking Bruce.”
Outside of the diner, (Name) calls the Batcycle and the two head to a looted art store to pick up red spray paint then head to the location, a storage depot in Kingston.
Once there, Jason spray paints his new symbol on the side of the wall next to the door as a sign for Bruce to see, “He’ll know what it means once he sees it,” He stands up and turns to look at them. He flips the spray can in his hand then holds it out for them to grab it, “You think you can recreate my symbol…” His other hand taps the empty space on his chest, “...right here, darling?”
(Name) takes the spray can from him with a smirk on their face, “I’ll try my best.”
For the next couple minutes, they carefully spray the symbol on his chest as best they can, and when they are done, they have to admit they did pretty good.
Afterward, the two lie in wait on the rooftop across the storage depot for Batman to arrive. Their plan is to follow behind the truck on the Batcycle to Arkham Asylum and save him if anything goes south.
Eventually Batman does arrive and notices the Red Hood symbol on the building before entering. Then soon after the truck drives off and the two quickly hop on the Batcycle and follow. They made sure to follow from a distance to not get caught by the driver, but close enough to now lose sight of it.
When (Name) sees the familiar road to Arkham Asylum, they remember the first time coming here then the long night fighting alongside Batman, but that was something to think about another day, right now they focus on what’s happening.
At the entrance, they watch Scarecrow strapping Batman to a gurney from afar then quietly follow them inside.
They hid above the room when Gordon took off Bruce’s cowl and when Scarecrow pumped him full of fear toxin, however (Name) can tell whatever was going through his mind is gone now.
“Do you understand Gotham?” Scarecrow asks the camera recording all this live to everyone in the city, “You have no savior. No more hope…” He slowly turns around to face Bruce, “No - more-” He stabs his needles into Bruce’s chest, “Batman!” He leans in closer with a sick smile on his face, “I’ve won.”
Bruce struggles against the fear toxin, but ultimately overcomes it, “I’m not afraid, Crane,” He says as he glares at Scarecrow.
The villain is shocked at the turn of events, “Impossible…” He rips the needles out then takes a few steps back. He takes a gun out from behind his back and presses it against Bruce’s forehead, “Without fear, life is meaningless,” He cocks the gun, but Bruce remains unphased.
Jason takes aim at the gun then shoots it out of his hand. Scarecorw looks up at them in surprise then back down to where his gun landed. Then Jason aims his gun at one off the cuffs keeping Bruce’s hand in place.
(Name) salutes to Bruce with a confident smirk on their face, “Au revoir, Bats!” Then the two head out and leave the rest to Bruce.
Outside the entrance to Arkham Asylum, the lovers stand hand in hand. It feels like a lot of things have finally gone to rest and the two leaves the madhouse together.
(Name) looks over at Jason and gently squeezes his hand, “It’s over, there’s nothing left for use to do now.”
Jason presses the button on the side of his helmet to reveal his face to them, “Except move on from this,” He smiles at them and turns to fully face them, “And I want to start our new life with this…”
He pulls them in and gives them a sweet kiss, a promise for more to come in the future.
~[Taglist]~
@akkahelenaa @demonsvessel @rae-akarui @samiltonwk @theonlysakura @976evils @simplymygojo
