The Demon's Trap #2- Daughter of the Seas

=Strange's Laboratory. Chinatown=

 

"The video tape you're about to see, was handed over to GCN 30 minutes ago, by order of City Hall. Since then, we have received no word on the whereabouts of Mayor Grange, the tape itself was exported onto a USB drive, containing audio files, blueprints, documents, and a taped confession from the Mayor herself.

Viewer discretion is advised."

 

"My name is Marion Grange, and I have betrayed everything I stood for.

 

When I inherited the mayoral position from Drury Walker, I was left with a difficult task. It's not every day the mayor is impeached for first degree murder. I tried my best, and sometimes, that's not good enough.

Gotham politics have always been difficult. It almost seems like corruption is inescapable- Harvey Dent. Gillian Loeb. Peter Grogan. Danto Twag. But I thought I could be better, I thought Gotham could be better. Even when Blackgate was torn apart, I still believed. When Arkham City was first opened, I still believed. When the Calendar Man set the damn city on fire, I still believed. Because I knew, that so long as Gotham had hope, we were capable of anything. I told my predecessor I would never allow innocents to be imprisoned without due process, I told him torture would never be an option. I believed that, too. But I was lied to. That doesn't excuse anything I have done as mayor, or anything I allowed to happen, but I was lied to. Right now they're probably sending out hitmen, I might well be dead before you see this. For, I know now that there are hundreds of people that have died without justice, or compassion. That there are those who's killers still walk free, and... And there may be more deaths to come.

There is a vast, insidious conspiracy, not just in Gotham, but across the entire country. We've been targeting the wrong people, men like Charles Brown, Philip Reardon, Leonard Fiasko, when the real enemy, the real monsters have been pulling the strings. They might not wear spandex outfits paired with gaudy colour schemes, their names may seem average, normal even, compared to "Condiment King" or "Crazy Quilt." That's because, to the untrained eye, that's exactly what they are. That's how they infiltrate our systems, and hide their true nature.

The information enclosed in this file contains the names of the most influential members of this conspiracy-

 

- Michael Fairbanks, Amertek CEO. Many will now believe that The Joker killed him. But this is a lie. A lie perpetrated by the Court of Owls, to cover up their involvement... one I was foolish enough to fall for.

 

- William Duncan, Vice President, Kord Industries.

 

- Lucio Viti, Chairman, Falcone Construction.

 

- Cirsi Myers, CEO, Janus Cosmetics.

 

- Professor Hugo Strange, Chief Psychologist, Arkham City

 

Strange looks at the TV vaguely amused. Impressed, even. Bolton, less so.

 

"Turn it off."

 

- Lyle Bolton, head of Security, Arkham City.

 

- And Senator Wade Eilling, to name a few.

 

Bolton smashes the TV, snarling. "What... What the hell has she done?"

 

==Louisiana, One Hour Ago==

 

"Don't you want a world without Superman?"

 

Zod scoffs. "If I were to eliminate Kal-El, I would not require your help to do so."

 

"And yet seven, maybe eight years on.. you haven't."

 

He turns to face Bane. "Clearly, you understand very little. I have heard these words before. Humans like Luthor, Henshaw, Metallo. They all came to me with plans to overthrow him, they all got in my way."

 

'They offered you flimsy promises and simple alliances, I offer you something more."

 

"Power, Bane? Is that it?" He smiles, his eyes glowing red

 

"I would be careful, General. It is not venom that flows through my veins. It's Kryptonite. Harmful over long periods, perhaps, but if needs arise- it wouldn't take long."

 

"Hmm. You *are* curious. This cabal then, I suppose you lead it?"

 

"In a manner of speaking. Our needs align."

 

"Then tell me, what exactly are *my* needs?"

 

Under his mask, Bane smirks, satisfied. "I'm glad you asked. Kuttler, it's your turn"

 

====Arkham City. Now====

 

-Watchdog Command? Watchdog Command! They've taken the north quadrant, killed half the guards. I repeat, the inmates are tearing Arkham to bits, come in, Command!

 

The gunshot rings out, then he falls. Dead. Another casualty lost, another pawn of the Owls fallen.

 

Chuck- Stop! They're just soldiers, they don't know any better!

 

Sionis reloads his magazine. "That's their mistake, not ours."

 

"Boss, Freeze is gone! Said he was going to the armoury!"

 

"Armoury? You mean he's gone for his wife. For fuck's... Firefly, get me more napalm!"

 

"It's Firebug-" Rigger responds, just dodging Copperhead's tail. The man himself hisses orders at the remaining guards

"Hold the line! Blake, where have you been? Where's Prometheusssss?"

 

'Blake' sniffs his nose, skulking past Copperhead. "The purple man? Oh, I saw him by the warehouses"

 

"Zeissssssss... He'ssssss gone after Zeisssssss," he murmurs, before biting off an inmates' head.

 

"What did you say?" Sionis calls back at Rigger.

 

"I said, it's Firebu-"

 

"Oh, bloody hell, who cares!" Penguin cries, his umbrella unloading a flurry of bullets, blasting the snake off the balcony. "What?"

 

Rigger pauses. "I just... I just didn't think it actually did that"

 

====

 

"Open fire!"

 

It's one of Penguin's goons, brandishing a Rocket launcher. Abner Krill rubs his eyes, still tired, then opens a portal, redirecting the rocket back into the thug's path. Kaboom.

 

"You have one lousy nap, and suddenly hell's ascending..."

Krill grabs his charge, The Psycho Pirate, by the arm as they run through the corridors, past the raging battle. Hayden's still babbling about worlds living, world's dying, all that shite. "More trouble than it's worth, you are," Krill mutters, as he slices one inmate in half, and opens a hellish portal beneath a second.

 

"Kill him!"

 

"Oh that's nice," he grumbles, sending a dozen flaming disks at the charging inmates, each finding their mark, each leaving behind a huddle of decapitated bodies, with only one left alive. He grabs Hayden's ankle, screaming in pain, begging for help.

 

"You are broken. You are nothing. You are sad, very, very sad. You want to die. Oh, you want nothing less but death! You want to take your friend's knife, and stab yourself with it. Once, twice, a thousand times! You want help? Help yourself."

 

Krill manages a smile. Maybe The Pirate ain't so bad after all.

 

====The Belfry====

 

"Command, please help! Please respond"

 

Head's spinning... Sure packs a punch.... What-?

 

"He's gone."

 

Bruce.

 

"Bane, I mean." He's still staring at the console, just where I left him. I pull myself together, and-

 

"So what exactly did I miss?"

 

He sighs. That's never a good sign.

 

"He left me this. The access codes to the north exit."

 

"Well, that's good, right?"

 

"Yes.... Yes, it is. But, if I open those gates... I'd be letting loose an army. Bane's army. An army with nothing to lose. An army filled with rage, and a target. Betrayed by the system, nothing would stop them. But if I *don't*- If I don't, if they can't stop Ra's... they all die."

 

She places her hand on his, and weakly smiles. "Together?"

 

He nods, their hands placed on the lever. "Together."

 

====Gotham City====

 

"We were jealous of him, in one way or another- Crane, Cobblepot, Myself-" Jesus how pretentious can you get? Ha! *Ahem* "Despite everything we did, we always ended up playing second fiddle to the "man" in clown make-up. When the Joker struck, our capers were moved to the back of the newspapers. Our wanted posters torn down in favour of his. There was just something intoxicating about him. Like he was a walking car crash- something so horrible about him, so twisted and wrong, that you couldn't look away."

 

Someone... someone was talking, reading... Where-?

 

"Uncle Gar, you're awake!"

 

Kitten? What the hell- how did I-?

 

"-Dropped on my fucking doorstep like he's Harry fuckin' Potter and I'm Richard Griffith..."

 

Gaige too? What is-? I'm at the house... Drury's place, but-

 

"Found you out back, fed the baby, as best as I could-"

 

"I helped!"

 

"... Kitten helped. A bit," Axel replies, a bit embarrassed..

 

"Josie! Where the hell is-!"

 

Axel- Relax! She's in Cammy's old crib!

 

Kitten- Uncle Gar, are you alright?

 

I shake my head. "No. No, I ain't."

 

====The Court====

 

"Drury, what the hell are you doing?"

 

Drury turns to Miranda, gets up off his knees, and grins boyishly.

 

Ra's- Yes, pray tell, I'm wondering that myself.

 

Drury- A forfeit. I win-

 

The crowds cackle.

 

Drury- I win, and you leave! You leave Gotham, and you don't come back. And whe- if, I lose, you win. You win, because if I fail, then why even try, y'know?

 

"Hm. Amusing. But, it begs the question. Why, would I ever accept your challenge? I have every thing I need to complete my plans, and you? You have nothing to offer. Nothing to bargain with."

 

"You'd have the satisfaction of beating me."

 

"No greater satisfaction than that of a child, crushing an ant beneath it's boot."

 

"You'd have me!" Miranda pushes past the assembly, and nudges Drury aside.

 

Drury- Wha-?

 

"You win, and I will rejoin the League of Assassins, as your servant. Just leave my husband alone"

 

Ra's scratches his chin. "Aibnat Albahr... You really do love him, don't you?"

 

"I do."

 

"Then surely, you understand that Al'ahmaq can not possibly win." He's disrobing, leaving his ornate robes at the base of his wheelchair, revealing bulging, greenish veins all across his body.

 

"I do."

 

"Say it." He's standing now, as finally, he peels away his oxygen mask.

 

Miranda unsheathes her sword, and plants it in the ground. "*I* challenge you to trial by combat, on the behalf of my husband, Drury Walker, for the fate of Arkham City"

 

"Good. A battle by proxy, then."

Done