It had been several hours since Clark had started playing the Arkham games, and he had finally stopped being sent back to the start of the game. This time, he had found the strength to stop himself from killing the Joker the moment he saw him. Instead, Clark took a steadying breath, forced his hands to unclench, and calmly handed the restrained clown over to the guards.
As he was escorted inside, Clark passed many inmates lining the corridors, cheering the Joker's name, banging on their cells, and laughing wildly.
"Why are inmates from another prison here?" Clark asked one of the guards, his voice low and suspicious.
"Oh, there was a fire at Blackgate. Most of the prisoners had to be transferred over here, and most of them are part of Joker's crew," the guard explained matter-of-factly.
At that, Clark narrowed his eyes and glanced back at the clown, still strapped tightly to the gurney. Joker's only response was to chuckle softly with an evil grin stretching across his face.
Further along, they passed Killer Croc, who had just stepped off the elevator. The massive reptilian man sniffed the air, yellow eyes locking onto Clark with predatory intent.
"These restraints can't hold me forever, Batman. I have your scent. I will find you," Croc said menacingly.
"Not if I find you first, Croc," Clark shot back, stopping just long enough to deliver his best imitation of the Bat glare.
Croc flinched slightly, baring his teeth before turning away and being escorted deeper into the asylum.
Clark smirked faintly and thought, "I'm starting to see why Bruce prefers to be feared by his enemies".
They rode the elevator deeper into the facility. After a brief blackout, and Clark enjoying strangling the clown after he made sudden movements, the elevator finally came to a halt at booking.
The officers wheeled the Joker further inside, and Clark broke away to meet up with Commissioner Gordon.
"This has been one hell of a night. I've had to juggle the Joker, the higher-ups, SWAT, and you all at once. How are you holding up?" Gordon said tiredly, rubbing at his eyes.
"I don't like it, Jim. He gave in too easily, and with his henchmen already here, I can't help but feel he planned this," Clark said grimly, his gaze tracking the direction Joker had been taken.
"I really hope you're wrong," Gordon said with concern.
Right on cue, chaos erupted.
The Joker slipped out of the guards' grasp, took them both down in a flash of movement, and bolted.
Clark leapt into action, smashing through the nearby window in pursuit, shards of glass scattering across the floor as he gave chase—just in time to see the Joker slip through a security barrier sealing it behind him with a mocking laugh.
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Back in Wayne Manor, Bruce watched the screen with narrowed eyes, his jaw set as the situation escalated.
"Joker taking over the asylum… I do have a contingency plan for something like that, but I've never had to use it. I'd better update my files after this. Even if the Joker's dead, there's no guarantee someone else won't try this," Bruce said grimly, already planning revisions.
"Yeah, it's a terrifying thought," Dick said casually from the back of the room as he munched on popcorn, eyes still glued to the screen.
"How long have you been here? I wasn't paying attention," Tet asked curiously, glancing over his shoulder.
"Oh, I've been here from the start. I was watching a movie before all of you showed up and just took over without asking," Dick said with a small frown.
"This is my house," Bruce said flatly, giving Dick a sideways look.
"I'm a god," Tet replied simply, unfazed.
"And I'm a goddess," Tia added smoothly, folding her hands with a pleasant smile.
Dick raised his hand, opening his mouth to argue, but after a moment he couldn't seem to find the words.
"Just give up, Master Dick," Alfred said plainly, not even looking up.
Dick sighed in defeat and sank back into his chair, returning his full attention to the screen as the chaos at Arkham continued to unfold.
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After taking down several of Joker's thugs, dealing with a hostage situation involving Victor Zsasz, purging an entire room choked with Joker gas, listening to Harley gloat about kidnapping the warden, and fighting some massive mutant Joker had unleashed, Clark finally had a moment to breathe. It didn't last.
He had to listen as Joker gloatingly announced the kidnapping of Commissioner Gordon.
Clark just stood there for a moment, shoulders rising and falling as he processed the sheer, relentless insanity of it all. He pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes briefly closing before he looked upward, as if Bruce might somehow hear him through the concrete.
"Dear God, Bruce, is this what you deal with on a daily basis?" Clark muttered, disbelief and sympathy mixing in his voice. "No wonder you have so many sidekicks. This is an inhuman workload. When I get back, I'm forcing you to take a vacation."
Shaking his head, Clark activated Detective Vision. The world shifted into glowing trails and outlines as he quickly picked up the path left behind by Officer Boles, the man who had kidnapped Gordon. Without hesitation, Clark gave chase.
The trail led him straight to an elevator, where a guard was angrily kicking at the control panel, cursing under his breath.
"Stupid and unreliable. Batman, how did the Joker get—"
The guard was cut off as Clark raised a finger to his lips, silently shushing him. Clark's gaze snapped upward just in time to see Harley Quinn slide down the elevator cables, boots screeching against the metal as she descended with grace.
"Uh uh uh uh, B-man," Harley sang, dangling playfully. "Mr. J doesn't want you following us just yet."
With a grin that promised chaos, she pulled out a detonator and blew up the elevator in a thunderous explosion of sparks and twisted metal. As debris rained down, Harley ascended smoothly using the severed cables, disappearing upward with a delighted laugh.
"Why didn't you stop her?" the guard demanded with panic and confusion written across his face.
"Because if she doesn't go back, they might kill Gordon," Clark replied calmly, already moving.
He pulled out his grapple gun, jaw set and eyes focused, and fired it upward as he began his ascent, launching himself after her without another second wasted.
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"Hah, Supes thinks this is a tough night. This is a Wednesday for us," Dick said with a laugh amused by the comparison.
"Perhaps," Bruce replied evenly, arms crossed as his eyes stayed fixed on the display, "but it won't be easy for someone who isn't used to it. Especially someone who's used to having powers. And his night's only just started," he pointed out, his tone calm and thoughtful.
"I, for one, would like to point out that it's a good sign that Mr. Kent is using his head rather than allowing his emotions to dictate his actions," Alfred said, a small, approving smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"True. If he had taken out Harley just now, who knows what Joker's men might have done to Jim. This is progress," Bruce agreed. After a brief pause, his expression shifted, a hint of curiosity creeping in. "Also, I know this is a game, but I'm stealing the idea for that Detective Vision. Why I didn't already think of that, I don't know."
"Oh yeah, set me up with that too," Dick said excitedly, straightening up as enthusiasm lit his face.
"Huh. It never occurred to me that them watching this might cause them to advance their technology," Tet said with a laugh, rubbing the back of his head as if the thought had only just occurred to him. "Oh well, if this is gonna be a learning experience, might as well bring the rest of the family."
With that, Tet snapped his fingers.
In an instant, several people were teleported in from out of nowhere, appearing midair before unceremoniously landing in a tangled heap in the room, groans and startled movements filling the sudden chaos.
(Authors Note:sorry about the delay another chapter should be out tonight also I am gonna be taking my own liberties as I go this a fanfic not a word for word copy of the games script)