KM: The Demon's Trap PART ONE

====Beneath Arkham====

 

"Drury, can you hear that?"

 

Drury- Like a-

 

Miranda- Like a heartbeat.

 

She draws her sword. Whatever's nearby, it's loud, and it's powerful. Before Drury can shine a torch up at it, a ball of brown and yellow slashes his back, and he stumbles forwards. Miranda and Norbert turn around, just barely dodging a series of sharp shurikens. Bearded and crazed, their attacker jumps down.

 

"It's true. Cats always land on their feet."

 

Miranda- Blake. Strange send you here?

 

Blake- Wasn't hard sweetheart, I'd recognise your scent, anywhere. The pineapple shampoo, the coconut perfume, the copper blood- A-Positve.

 

Drury- Blake, we're friends!

 

Blake- Friends! Is that us? Now, I bet you've already told Chuck and Rigger and Len the good news, that you're getting them out, right? Maybe even Jules! But, you were planning to leave *me*, weren't you? All because I tried "sleeping with your wife"

 

Drury- You... Did?

 

He looks at Blake, betrayed, then at Miranda.

 

Miranda- Shot him in the leg. It's fine.

 

Blake- That hurt! Thinking maybe I deserve a little compensation...

 

Miranda- Compensation? I call my sword that, maybe-

 

Drury- Wait, just shut it. Sorry. ... You're arrogant, yeah, you're a womaniser, yeah, but you're not some tacky rapist. You don't beat women, you don't force yourself on- I mean, you're much better than that, surely? You aren't an *actual* cat, you don't even have green eyes, you-

 

Drury squints his eyes. Blake has brown eyes. He's always had brown eyes, so why... Why are they green?

 

"You aren't Blake."

 

The Faux-Blake licks his lips

 

Drury- Oh no.

 

"In a sea of other Misfits, it's the Cat who's King"

 

Norbert- I don't understand, he's not the cat man?

 

Drury- Worse.

 

Miranda- Much worse.

 

The King of Cats laughs, his green eyes the only light source.

 

"Oh, you can't imagine how long I've been inside that Pretender! Sometimes, he protests... But he doesn't even know what's going on... You brought me my sister, Mr Drury. And when she and I are together, I will be whole again, and you might have Mr Thomas. What's left of him

 

Miranda- You can't believe-

 

Kyle- The Fireman. The Rat-Man. The Bouncer. The Zodiac. Each have tried to snuff me out. But five, five lives are left. Not even you, Ms Miranda, can kill me five-

 

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

Four bullets. And with that, four lives are gone, and Drury Walker drops a mask of his own.

 

Drury- I want you to know, I could damn well have shot you again. But, you're alive, because there's a chance, a small chance the real Tom Blake's in there. Now get the hell out of here.

 

Kyle grins, Blake's smile perverted by him. Then slinks off into the abyss.

 

Miranda- Drury-

 

Drury- I'm just- I'm just getting sick of damn betrayals.

 

Composing himself, he grabs his torch and shines down the tunnel. A dark figure illuminated by it.

 

====The Belfry====

 

Selina- Bruce, look.

 

Bodies everywhere... Someone did this with their bare hands.

 

"Tread lightly."

 

She winks, replying slyly, "It's like you don't even know me," before going on her tip toes. "There was a cell block this way, ran into a wonderful, not-at-all Hannibal inmate."

 

Batman- Day?

 

"That's the one"

 

From his cell, Julian stares at Batman, with utter contempt. It's true, some C-Listers respected him, some, like Walker, even admired him, but the Calendar Man? Julian Day felt nothing but hatred for the Bat. Many did. He nods to Selina, and they walk past. As they near the guard's room, an empty bottle of beer rolls along the ground towards them. Slumped across the table, Abner Krill dozes peacefully, either ignorant or uncaring of the massacre. The duo, still very much in sync, sneak past him, and enter the elevator. Bruce pauses, then puts his hand to his ear.

 

"Walker?"

 

=========

 

"Uh, Batman, I think we found your pulse..."

 

He doesn't even look human. Large metal wires are plugged into his chest, cables strap him into a generator, with electricity crackling through his veins. If not for the tattered remains of his red and yellow costume, Drury might not have even recognised him.

 

"Cobb."

 

Norbert- Who... What is he?

 

Drury- Signal Man, he's a supervillain, a real asshole-

 

Miranda- A terrorist. Let's say it how it is.

 

Drury- A terrorist with cancer... Jesus, what did they do to him?

 

"Only what was necessary. Never more. Never less."

 

The lights flick on, illuminating the ancient architecture. They're in the Court of Owls, and they've been expecting them.

Ubu is wheeling Ra's in, flanked by Talia, and two masked ninjas. Above them, hundreds of Owls watch, heckling them,

 

"Hello Mr Walker, I believe you've been looking for me."

 

=====Warehouse Six====

 

"They've been gone too long." Chuck's failed, Firebug and the Ten-Eyed Man are dead and the Penguin's still in power. That's the only thing Needham can think, as he stands watch over the warehouse. But, once again, as if someone had been listening to his thoughts, Rigger, Reardon and Sharpe arrive at the camp, panting for breath, but very much alive.

 

Needham- Sharpe? Rigger, what's-

 

Rigger mumbles something about Evil Ninjas as Reardon starts to remove Zeiss' bonds.

 

Needham- What the hell are you-

 

Rigger takes a deep breath.

 

"Some weirdo's following us, Rachel Ghoul wants to kill everyone, Drury's here to stop him, and he probably will, but failing that, we're leaving. We need to move, and that includes *him*"

 

Meghan- That bastard tried to kill us! And where's Chuck?

 

Ten- Oh, god knows...

 

"My guess is he went to visit Black Mask." Zeiss is on his feet, brushing the dirt off of himself. "Which means Penguin's secrets are likely out." Which means... Which means... I've failed my contract!" He draws a knife, Mayo in his grasp. He turns to Chancer.

 

Mayo- Rigger, help!

 

Zeiss- How rude of me. You're new. You must be one of the accomplices Lock-Up mentioned.

 

Chancer- Chancer.

 

Zeiss pushes Mayo over, and drops his knife, raising a hand to Chancer.

"Zeiss. Philo Zeiss." "You must know about the owls."

 

Chancer- I do.

 

Zeiss- Good. We don't have long, your pursuer will be here soon, but I'll hold him off as long as possible.

 

"But-"

 

Zeiss- Penguin will be at Pike Munitions, it's not far and you'll find your friend, Charles there. ... What? I'm an assassin, I'm not unreasonable. Go.

 

As the Misfits depart, a purple clad figure drops to the ground, his purple cape flapping in the wind. He smiles at Zeiss, and calls out, rather cheerily, "Hey!" Zeiss picks up his pistol and turns around to meet his assailant, this would be his final stand, a challenge worth his mettle. Him... and Prometheus.

 

"I like your glasses."

 

=====The Court of Owls=====

 

"How long?"

 

Ra's smiles, faintly. "You mean, how long I have been meddling in your affairs? Since you failed me. Since my Lazarus Pit was destroyed, and you left me a decrepit, dying old man. I warned you, Mr Walker. Fail me, and I would kill everyone you loved. I started with your boy, Axel, sending Cain to eliminate him. It is... fortunate, that he had Cain's daughter by his side. He might not have lived otherwise. And, of course, if not for Cypher."

He points to Cypher, standing among the other Assassins, his eyes pleading with Drury's. His limbs replaced with cybernetics, no doubt a consequence of defying Ra's.

"He urged me to reconsider. Told me of your bravery, of your honour, when you saved Ms Pike using the Pit's waters. I admit, I was impressed, perhaps I wrote you off too quickly, a mere insect. Or... perhaps not. Maybe it always was the company you keep."

His gaze wanders over to Miranda, and then to Norbert.

 

"I've allowed you to come here, the three of you, as a professional courtesy. Because you deserve to know your enemy, and to know exactly what is going to happen.

In this past decade of rising supervillany, and their growing need for fame and power, do you know who has done the most damage to this accursed city? Not the Joker, no. Not Bane, or Doctor Crane, or that ridiculous cabal of supervillains- the Secret Society I believe... No. Mother Nature. Where were you when the first earthquake hit Gotham, insect? In the comfort of your home? In that basement of yours? I recall where I was. Toppling the corrupt governments of Qurac. It was... inspiring, I'll admit, to watch the world itself do what thousands have tried and failed to accomplish. Hundreds dead in one destructive stroke. And in their hour of need, where was your government? They were planting signs.

 

Miranda- You're going to create an earthquake?

 

====The Belfry====

 

"Oracle, I'm sending you everything from the Arkham database. Get this to Mayor Grange now."

 

Oracle- Is that-?

 

"Cobb... They're using him as a generator, and given enough time... He'll explode, taking half of Arkham with him, just-"

 

Oracle- Cassie's on it. Bruce, if Drury can't- I'm sorry.

 

Bruce sighs, and turning away from the console, finds Selina unconscious on the ground.

 

Batman- You killed those guards...

 

"She's right. You can't save everyone. If you don't open those gates, the inmates will die. Buried in rubble, if they haven't killed *themselves* first. But if you do..."

 

Batman- The inmates run free. And with enough firepower to level the city. Whatever I do, people will die.

 

"And you will be their killer. The Gangsters, or Gotham. This, is the Demon's Trap Batman."

 

Batman- They won't fail. The inmates will evacuate. Safely.

 

"Yes. The little people. But Two-Face? Black Mask? The Penguin? Would they listen when they are too busy fighting each other? No. You've put your faith in the hands of Killer Moth and men of his ilk. You've put them up against The Demon's Head, and the League of Assassins. I wonder if, they too, will die buried by the city they called home."

 

Batman- Why are you here, Bane? To gloat? Kick me while I'm down?

 

Bane- No. I have come to help you. The Society-

 

Batman- Please. You're a figurehead who built his reputation off of my back. You're nothing to them.

 

Bane- Lies! I am Bane! I have power, more than I have ever-

 

Batman- And you think that gives you leverage on Sinestro? Grodd? Ocean Master? They'll abandon you just like they did Luthor

 

Bane- The choice is yours Batman. Killer Moth can not save Arkham. I can.

 

Batman- And in doing so, you'll have recruited another hundred agents to the Society.

 

Bane- Yes.

 

Batman- No. I don't want your help.

 

Bane- I thought not. And I am still disappointed. Those who have not taken a life do not understand the value of it. Or it's meaning.

 

Batman- And those who have, are placed on a path where they're liable to take another. And another. And another.

 

Bane- You can't still be so naive. Yes, Walker may save some, but not all of them- they'd be souls, Batman, you would have let die. No one would blame you. They wouldn't even have to know. But I know you would. You are Batman. Just one death is too many, isn't it?

Or save them all.

 

====The Court=====

 

"Yes. One that envelops Arkham City, and it's population of thieves and rapists. Earth can not sustain its people, I've seen it first hand. It is running out of resources, and running out of space. The least we could do, is remove the undesirables sucking up air. And there are... other benefits."

He gestures to another machine, greyish liquid moves about, it's shifting, transforming. The device looks familiar, almost like the Cloudburst.

 

Drury- But what's stopping you from getting buried with the rest of them?

 

"Nth metal. The Owls built this complex centuries ago, in the days of false gods and metal. The vibrations will move through the facility, but not harming those of us within.

Of course, with the inmates too busy hunting rogue snipers and killing each other, our work here has remained relatively undisturbed. It takes immense energy, to power such a machine... Fortunately, we have the perfect battery. All we needed was to move Mr Cobb from his home in the Belfry's generator room, to here. ... Nothing more to say?"

 

Drury kneels before Ra's, then swallowing, looks up, and grabs his hand.

 

"I challenge you to trial by combat."

Done