FicWad

It was an early Summer-evening in Gotham City, not that you could really tell as rain fell from the clouded heavens above. A red Ford Victoria drove through the downpour as the road it followed ran beside the northern side of the Gotham River. The Car's driver was a young Woman with long brown-hair and was smartly dressed in a pair of figure-hugging grey trousers and a red blouse under a grey blazer, keeping her attention on the road ahead as visibility was quite poor with the heavy rain hitting the windscreen before her, the window-wipers were not much help either as they went back and forth, brushing the water left and right as it continued to run down the glass. But even then, the silhouette of an island could be seen up ahead on her right.

'Doesn't look very inviting…' she started to think as her attention drifted toward it as the distance between her Car and it lessened with every moment, which brought more detail to her as she started to make out the buildings that stood upon it.

'…since it looks like a ghost town over there.'

And it really did as virtually every building that she could see on the island's edge looked in severe disrepair, like ancient ruins that would refuse to crumble away and be forgotten. But towering over them was another building which looked similarly rotten, though clearly still alive since light shined out from it's numerous windows.

'I could think of better places to have an Asylum.' the Woman thought before returning her attention back to the road as she approached the entrance to the bridge up ahead, which connected the City to the Island. So she then lessened her foot's pressure on the accelerator and signalled before turning the car into the first security check-point of the bascule-bridge.

A security guard wearing a black-raincoat with reflective stripes on it's arms and a black protective helmet exited his booth and walked up to right side of her vehicle , gesturing for her to wind down her window. So she obliged, allowing the Man see her face as he kept his right hand over his holstered side-arm.

"Excuse me Miss, but what business do you have on Arkham Island?" he asked with a questioning stare, which made the Woman turn her attention to her handbag that was lying on the front passenger-seat beside her.

"Just a moment…" she said back while reaching in before pulling out a card and turning her attention to the Guard once more.

"…here you go." she replied while handing him the piece of plastic, which he studied first before scanning the card with an electronic-device and reading the data that appeared on it's screen, making his stern-expression lessen.

"Okay, so you're the new Intern, Penelope Young."

"That's right, I officially start on Wednesday but was asked to come in tonight for my orientation." she said back as the Guard returned her ID card, re-clipping his device back to his utility belt and pointing towards the island.

"Alright, I will radio ahead and let Warden Sharp know that you are here, you can go as soon as bridge is lowered. The road system on the island is like a maze, but we have 'Cat's eyes' on the road that leads to the Asylum, so just follow them and you will get there just fine…" He started to explain, earning a nod from Miss Young as she looked at him.

"…also just keep in mind that the entire island is now the Arkham grounds and if you see anyone between here and the Asylum who isn't a security guard, then you should assume that they are escaping patients. If that happens then do not stop, just carry on to the Asylum and report them and their location to the Warden." he added, gaining a worried look from the Woman.

"Seriously, does that happen a lot around here?" she asked, which made the Guard smile back reassuringly.

"No, of course not. Since we updated the Asylum's security, There hasn't been a single escape, not since the big breakout a few years back. But we have to remain vigilant at all times as we do have a number of dangerous individuals locked up here. Now if you will excuse me." he replied before turning around and walking back to his booth, earning a nod from the young Woman as she rolled up the window and turned her attention to the raised, while taking a deep breath in return. But then a second later and the sound of metal moving alerted her to both sides of the bridge lowering into place, allowing her passage to Arkham Island. This made Penelope sigh with a little apprehension as she looked at her destination through the rain-soaked windscreen.

'Okay…no turning back now.' she thought as she drove the car past the check-point and started to cross the bridge, just as the sky began to darken as night fell upon the City. It was almost like it was the island itself that caused the day to disappear, like it was almost exclusively shrouded in darkness.

'Well that is an eerie coincidence.' the Intern thought as she past the bridge and entered the island, passing through the second security checkpoint.

'I guess it's too late for me to turn around and leave.' the Intern thought as she drove under the arched sign reading 'ARKHAM ASYLUM'.

Penelope then looked into her rear-view mirror and saw it's barrier drop down and cut off the way back to civilisation, making her feel a little uneasy as she returned her attention ahead of car and saw the abandoned district called 'The Narrows', which at one time was Gotham's poorest area.

'Oh boy...' she began to think, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she saw what could only be described as something straight out of a post-apocalypse movie, as the buildings she passed by looked even worse up close. For there was no sign of life at all from their within their interior, none that she could see through their windows, which had nothing but darkness within their frames. But Penelope could not help but feel her heartbeat hasten as she looked at the old and battered buildings, for anybody could be watching her from within those husks of brick and stone and considering the population of this island, that was a frightening prospect indeed.

'Stop looking at the buildings and concentrate on the road.' Penelope thought to herself whilst shaking her head before returning her attention back to the road ahead of her, which had special lights at it's edges that reflected her headlight beams back and revealed the path that she should follow.

'Thank god for those 'Cat‚s Eyes'. With all the roads that run through the Narrows, it would be very easy to get lost without them.'

But then as her car went round one last bend, passing a Security Guard as he stood by another block of flats and shone his torch into a broken window on it's ground floor, the Asylum then came into view.

'And I thought the Narrows looked worse up close.' Penelope thought, her eyes widening as she looked upon the massive building. It looked just as weathered and beaten as the rest of the buildings on the island, but the fact that it's windows were lit up made it look even more eerie. It looked like it was still going strong despite the obvious decay, which just felt wrong to the Intern.

'This whole island should be demolished.' she added while driving into the Asylum's car-park and stopping in one of it's free spaces and turning off the engine, just as another Security Guard approached.

"Excuse me…?"the individual started to ask as the Car's occupant stepped out in a rain-coat and holding her bag, before turning around to lock up the vehicle.

"…Are you Miss Penelope Young?" he added, gaining a knowing nod from the Intern as she turned back to him.

"Yes…why? Were you expecting someone else?" she asked with a slight smile, noticing that this particular Guard looked far younger than the one at the bridge.

"What? No, of course not. I was just being thorough, like Cash continuously tells me to be." he replied a little awkwardly, making Penelope's stare become more inquisitive.

"Well I thought I was nervous starting here, but I guess I am not the only new person this week, huh?" she asked, making the young Man's eyes widen a little in surprise before sighing and relaxing a little.

"Does it show that much?" he asked, making the Woman shake her head a little, while he smile grew slightly more.

"No, not that much. But then again, when you see this place…" she started to reply, only for the Guard to cut her off as he turned around and looked at it with her.

"I know, right. Not exactly a welcoming sight is it, I think we can agree on."

This gained a nod from Young in return as the pair started to walk towards the building's main entrance, just as the rain started to die down.

"So who is Cash?" she asked with a curious tone, making the Man look back to her.

"Oh yeah, it's actually Aaron Cash. He is one of the most senior Guards here, as well as the team leader here on the night shift." he replied as they walked up the steps to the large metallic double-doors, which almost looked out of place when compared to the weathered brick walls that surrounded it. But then a device above the them activated as the pair stopped just a meter from it, making the Guard gesture to Penelope to stop as it blinked amber for a second or two.

"Please don't move Miss Young, we have to pass the security scan." he replied, earning a nod from the Woman as the device emitted a thin beam of light than ran over both of them.

'And here I was expecting a sliding peep hole to appear, with someone asking for a password.' she thought to herself, before the scan stopped and the light changed from amber to green, which made the double doors open up and allow entrance.

"Okay, you can enter now. The Warden and your Team-Leader are waiting for just beyond the inner doors." the young Man replied before turning around and starting to walk back to the car-park, which made Penelope turn around in return with a curious look.

"You're not coming in too?" she asked, making the Guard shake his head in return with a sad smile.

"Afraid not, since I am on Car-park duty. But you should go in now, don't want to keep the Boss waiting Miss Young." he replied, which made the Woman smile wider as she held out her hand.

"Please call me Penelope…" she said back with a curious look, gaining a mirrored smile from the Man as he stopped and shook her hand.

"Eddie, Eddie Burlow." he said back.

"Nice to meet you Eddie Burlow. Young replied with a friendly and warm tone as she looked back to him, making the Guard almost blush.

"Welcome to Arkham Asylum Penelope." Eddie said back, before turning around and walking back into the rain, which had lost a lot of it's strength in the last minute or so.

'So I have been here less than a few minutes and I think I have already made a friend, plus the rain is dying down. That's got to be a good omen.' Penelope thought as she turned around and entered the Asylum.

THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

Having come inside from the rain, Penelope found herself standing in a large and quite Victorian-looking Hall, with a large paintings on the walls. It looked quite different from the exterior. There she was greeted by an older Man in a smart suit with white hair and thick black rimmed-glasses, as well as a Woman with red hair tied at the back and wearing a white lab-coat over her casual clothes.

"Miss Penelope Young, welcome to Arkham Asylum…" the former said as he held out his hand to the Intern, who in return shook his hand.

"…I am Warden Quincy Sharp…" he carried on before gesturing to the latter beside him.

"…and this is Doctor Sarah Cassidy."

Both Penelope and the Doctor shook hands, with the latter looking the newcomer up and down, noticing how wet her coat looked.

"I see the rain has not let up yet." she remarked, gaining a polite smile from the Intern.

"It was just starting to die down as I parked up outside, but it was very heavy on the way here."

"If we hadn't been experiencing a heat-wave over the last couple of days, you wouldn't think that we were in the middle of Summer would you." Sharp replied, earning a nod from Miss Young in return.

"No sir, not from what I saw out there."

This earned a friendly smile from the Warden as he simply shook his head in return.

"Now please, you can drop the 'sir'. I think you will find that we have a rather informal relationship amongst the staff here."

"Yes, considering what we see here, day in and day out. Having a level of normalcy with each other is paramount to keeping a level head, considering how past members of Staff turned out." Dr. Cassidy added, which made Penelope look at her knowingly.

"Are you referring to Doctor Jonathan Crane, aka 'the Scarecrow'?" she asked, making the other two nod back as they gave the Intern a joint awkward expression, like the mention of that name was something they did not want to be reminded of.

"If you mean the previous head of this Asylum, then yes you are correct." the older Man replied.

"And I am right to assume that he is still being held here in Arkham?" the young Intern asked back with a curious look, one that Dr. Cassidy noticed in return.

"He is, but I hope you're not just here in the hope of trying to treat him. Because we already have 'another Intern' here with similar ideas when it comes to another of our patients. If so, then I will tell you what we told her…" she began to say in calm yet stern voice, instantly earning Penelope's attention.

"…You need to have been here several years helping the less dangerous Inmates of this Asylum before you are even granted the chance of treating the far more dangerous ones, do we have an understanding with this or should we just show you the door now. Because despite the fact that you passed your interview and test back at Gotham General and look to be very promising as a Psychologist, we do not want anyone here who is merely out to make a name for themselves."

This instantly made the younger Woman shake her head in response, looking at both Sharp and Dr. Cassidy with an apologetic expression.

"No, of course not. I apologise for any misunderstanding, I was simply curious." she then replied, earning more relaxed looks from her new employers as Sharp sighed and smiled back, while the other Doctor merely stared back with a far less questioning look.

"Well, that's good to know. Well if you will excuse me, but I have paperwork to finish before I go home. So I will leave you in the capable hands of Dr. Cassidy, but I look forward to seeing more of you in the future." he said back in a warm and friendly manner before turning away from the pair and walking away down the nearby corridor, leaving the two Women there in the hall.

"Alright, I will give the tour now as we start your orientation. Right now we are standing in the North section of the Asylum, which is for visitors and Staff…" she started to say, gaining a nod from Penelope as she looked around again.

'Yeah, I can agree with that since it looks much nicer and welcoming than the outside.'

"…, the part you will be spending most of your…hopefully…early years will be the West wing, which holds our patients who are committed or have had themselves committed for such things like depression or have psychological conditions that are not overly threatening." Dr Cassidy continued while the Intern listened intently while turning her attention back to her.

"Now the East Wing will currently be off-limits for you and others of your stature, since this holds 'three' of our most dangerous Patients."

Immediately those last few words made Penelope's eyes widen with curiosity once more, something which the Doctor recognised again as she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes…Penelope, please ask your question so we can get it out of the way." she replied with a slightly irritated tone, but the young Intern just ignored that and followed through.

"Okay, I did my research on this place when I applied for a position here. Now I know that you are holding both Crane and the Joker here, but you said 'three'….so who is the third one?"

Dr. Cassidy then gave the young Woman a worried look as she looked around at their surroundings, noting that they were at this moment alone.

"I cannot say…" she began to reply, only for Penelope to cut her off enthusiastically.

"You mean you know?" she pressured, but the Doctor regained her composure and looked back calmly.

"No Miss Young, I do not. There is not much to tell, other than the fact that whoever the third Patient is was brought in on orders from Commissioner Gordon and is as rumours put it…in a coma."

"I see, that is interesting." the young Intern replied, only for Dr. Cassidy to gesture for her to follow.

"Now that's enough talk, let's start your orientation already." she replied, earning a nod from the younger Woman as the two walked out of the hall towards the West Wing.

Meanwhile in the dim-lit and dank interior of the East Wing, inhuman and soft laughter could be heard from one of the only three occupied cells that made up the entire section. The second cell was quiet as it's occupant sat on his bunk and looked at the floor, like he was picturing something from the dark stain that was engraved into it. But from the third cell, there was a deathly silence as the person in there was lying on it's berth and appeared to be fast asleep. But despite how peaceful this person looked, with only one half of their full body barely visible from what little light shone in from the window overhead. The person then began to mutter between the soft breaths, while movement could be seen under their closed eye on the lit side of their face.

"…Ra…Rac…Rachel…"

THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

Meanwhile as the rain had finally came to a stop, three GCPD Patrol-Cars were in the middle of a high-speed pursuit against a lone blue-Van as it raced through the streets of 'Old Gotham'. With the Narrows no more, this district was now known to most 'well-off' Gothamites as the Ghettos and a place to keep well away from, leaving the area to fall into decay when it once stood proudly as a symbol of where the City of Gotham had risen from. So as the chase continued with the Police-Cars sirens blaring and their lights illuminating their surroundings as they sped through the dense and cluttered streets, the people unfortunate to have to live there stayed in their homes behind locked doors as one white hockey-mask wearing Thug leaned out of the right passenger window of the Van and fired several bullets at their pursuers with his hand-gun.

"Take that you fuck'in Pigs!" he shouted back, only to yanked back inside.

"Why the fuck did you stop me?" he spat furiously to the driver, who was wearing a black hockey-mask and focusing on keeping their vehicle on the road.

"Because you're not gonna shoot shit from that angle, and I hate to see good ammo being wasted." he replied, earning a head-shake from the other guy as he reloaded his weapon.

"So what do we do then, I mean it was your idea to enter this shit-hole, with you saying that there was no way that they would follow us in here." he spat back, making the driver shake his head before spinning the steering wheel and cause the Van to make a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway, earning a similar reaction from their pursuers.

"Okay, I made a mistake alright. I thought with how bad this area had become, that the Pigs would not even try to follow us…" he then started to reply, before glancing at his side mirrors to see how close the Patrol-Cars were. But as the alley was very narrow, he could only see a mixture of white, red and blue lights flashing though the gap between that side of the Van and the wall. He then returned his attention to what was coming up while gesturing behind him with his right hand, making 'white mask' look over his shoulder at the back of the Van.

"Tell me you guys have finally got those M4 Carbines ready back there?" he asked as two more guys fiddled around with a pair of the assault-rifles behind the driver's and passenger seats, with one wearing a red hockey-mask and the other a blue.

"Funny you should say that…" the red-masked one replied as he held up the weapon, while the other moved toward the back doors with his own.

"…because we just did."

"Thank god, now deal with those Pigs will you." the driver said back with a slither of relief to his voice, which made both men nod as the green-masked Man then flung open both doors as his friend aimed the Carbine directly at the Patrol-Car, earning wide-eyed expressions of shock from both Cops.

"Eat lead fuckers!" he spat while opening fire, his friend quickly joining as the pair fired a continuous barrage of bullets into the pursuing vehicle, which shot up their windscreen before passing through and riddling them both. This caused the Car to suddenly lose control and slam into the left wall, wedging the vehicle there and blocking the two other pursuers while the Thugs cheered as their Van then turned back onto an open street and out of view. The second Patrol-Car quickly hit the breaks and screeched to a halt just behind the now smoking wreck, with one Officer quickly getting out to check on the crashed vehicle of their colleagues while it's driver stayed in the car and used the receiver of their radio.

"This is Patrol-67175, the suspects have gotten away from us. I repeat the suspects are in the wind." he replied.

"This is Lt. Foley with Patrol-0149, we have you on GPS. What's the condition of Patrol-1269?" the voice on the other end replied, which made the Cop look out at his Partner who was no bending down to look into the crashed car ahead of them. But he then turned around and with a grim expression as he shook his head, which made the driver sigh sadly in return.

"They are down, Patrol-1269 is down." he replied with a solemn tone.

"Damn it..." Foley replied with a tinge of frustration to his voice, while the Driver's partner got back into the Car beside him.

"...okay, I want you and Patrol-1298 to Double back and reacquire the suspects trail. I am looking at the map of 'Old Gotham' now and the road you left should get you back on the same one as that Van, meanwhile I have called in our 'Eye in the sky' to keep track of the suspects while Patrols 0149, 0153, 0177 and myself are heading into the area via it's North side, which is the only other exit out of the district." the Lieutenant added, earning a nod from the driver as his partner then looked back at the Patrol-Car behind them and gave them a hand gesture.

"Okay Lieutenant, we are on our way." he replied before both his vehicle and Patrol-98 reversed out of the alley and back onto the main street.

Meanwhile the Blue-Van continued to hurtle down the streets as it increased the distance between itself and it's pursuers, while it's occupants started to breath easy.

"I tell you guys, we really should send a thank you note 'the Bird' for these guns." the red-masked Thug said while admiring the assault-rifle in his hands, gaining a nod from the green-masked guy standing beside him.

"Sure did, he was a Man of his word with this gear."

"Well these guns did come at a price though, half of the score we swiped from the Gotham National Bank." the driver added, which made guy sitting next to him chuckle.

"Ha, I can't believe that we used to scared of stealing from that place too…" he started to reply, only for the Driver to cut him off mid-sentence.

"Yeah, but back then the Mob used to run that Bank. But now that they are all rotting away in Black-gate, that Bank's security has lost a lot of it's bite."

But just as the group chuckled at that comment, the black-masked passenger suddenly looked up at the roof-tops with a startled expression.

"What is it?" the Driver asked, having noticed this.

"I don't know, but I could have sworn I saw something leaping over us up there."

"You don't think it was…" of the pair behind started to say with a worried tone, only for the white-masked Driver to cut him off.

"Stop right there, don't even say his name!" he replied while keeping his eyes on the road ahead, while the others looked at each other nervously.

"But…" the red-masked Thug began to say back, only for the Driver to carry on as he looked into his side mirror and saw a light shining down from the sky just behind them.

"Anyway, we have a more pressing issue right now." he added, gesturing to the back door windows with his right hand and making the pair turn around and look out at what was behind them.

"Oh shit, the Pigs have a chopper on our assess." the Red-Masked Thug called back in a panicky tone, which made the Driver shake his head in return.

"Okay, then I guess we will just have to ditch this Van and hold up somewhere."

This gained the black-masked Man's attention as he looked back with widened eyes.

"What? But we will be like fish in a barrel, what kind of a plan is that?" he asked back as the Van veered around another corner, while the Chopper kept it's search-light pinned on them.

"Well with these weapons…" the white-masked Man began to say, while gesturing back to the Carbines the pair in the back were still holding.

"…the Cops won't have a chance against us with just the pistols they carry, also we will never lose that Chopper. So I say we stop and make a stand now, unless anyone else has a better idea?" he added, which made the others go quiet for a moment as they thought on it.

"What the hell, I say bring them on!" the green-masked Thug replied, gaining nods from the others though the black-masked Guy was a little less enthusiastic about it.

"Yeah, okay."

"Right then, get ready guys…" the Driver began to say while pulling in next to a run-down four-storey building, before turning off the engine and turning back round to face his Mates.

"…because this will be our stop, at least until we deal with those incoming Pigs."

A moment later and with the search-light of the Police-Chopper illuminating their Van, the four masked-Thugs exited the vehicle and rushed straight into the nearby building with Carbines in hand.

"We make our stand on the top floor, right in the middle." the leader said as he and the group ran up the stairs, all the while the chopper could be heard hovering outside. But as they all made their way to the top floor, with each and every footfall of theirs making the wooden steps creak loudly under their weight. The black-masked Thug suddenly spoke up, making everyone stop just short of the doorway ahead of them.

"Isn't this kinda stupid though, I mean we will be trapped and that Chopper won't be going anywhere, no matter how many Cops we kill."

This made the white-masked Leader turn and look back at him as he stood at the doorway at the top of the stairs, his hands holding the Carbine-rifle steady as he kept it close to his chest.

"Look, we take out the Pigs that are on their way here. And then we get back into the Van and outrun that Chopper, which is currently burning up fuel while it hovers out there right now...got it?" he replied with a frustrated tone as he looked at the questioning Thug, before turning his attention to the others who just nodded back as they stared wide-eyed at him.

"...Okay..." the black-masked Man started to say, only to be cut off by the sound of creaking floor-boards from the ceiling above them. This made all four Men look up in response, with the former quickly aiming his rifle up at it.

"What was that?" he said in an alert and worried tone, which made the red and green Masked Men look at each other, but the Leader just shook his head in return before turning back to the doorway.

"It's nothing, this is just an old building...come on." he replied while gesturing for them to follow, which the group did, abet a little slowly.

"What if it's...'him'?" the black-masked thug asked, never taking his eyes off the ceiling while the White-masked Driver looked at the darkened room they had entered, whose only light source was the dim light of the street outside entering via the cracked and damaged windows that lined the right-hand wall. He quickly took note that room was quite large and had only one other doorway ahead of them, while the light brightened somewhat as the Chopper's search-light shone close to their location.

"It's not him..." he began to reply whilst not even bothering to look back at his friend, focusing more on their surroundings.

"...since 'he' is busy being hunted by the same guys who are currently after us." he added, which made the Red-Masked Guy look over to him.

"That's true, but he still hasn't stopped coming after guys like us."

"Yeah, one of my mates got his arm broken only a few weeks ago when 'he' stopped him mugging a pensioner." his green-Masked Mate replied, which made the black-masked guy nod back nervously.

"Yeah, it's like he's changed since killing that 'Dent' bloke a while back, making him more ruthless."

But the Leader just turned around and shook his head, showing his frustration despite his face being covered by his white hockey-mask.

"Look, this place is abandoned. There is no-one here but us and there is certainly no...god damn Bat!" he almost shouted back, making his friends simply stare back as they noticed the hand he was holding his rifle with start to tremble as he held it at his side.

"Okay...Boss, you say there is no Bat, then there is no Bat." the Red-masked Thug replied, before another voice suddenly spoke up.

"No...there's no Bats here..." a calm and eerily playful male voice began to speak, which made the Men all spin around and point their guns towards the other doorway, just as the sounds of cars screeching to a halt outside could be heard.

"…which is fortunate for someone like me."

Meanwhile Lieutenant Brody had just arrived with his back-up as he equipped his radio whilst stepping out of the Car, the officers did the same while being illuminated by the Helicopter's searchlight.

"What's the situation Air-03?" the Lt. then asked into it, with the Chopper-Pilot's voice speaking back almost instantly after.

"Sir, the suspects entered the building next to you several minutes ago Sir and they have yet to reappear."

This made Brody take a look at the three-storey, noticing it's old and decrepit appearance.

"Alright Air-01, we will handle it from here." he replied before connecting his .

"Good call Sir, we are in need of a refuel as it is. Good hunting." the Pilot replied before suddenly veering away while deactivating it's searchlight, leaving the Cops on the ground with just the flashing red and blue lights of their vehicles to properly illuminate the area since the street lamps were very dim.

"Alright Men, this is what we are going to do…" Brody then said while turning his attention the other Officers, who all kept their attention focused on him.

Just as this was happening, the Thugs were still focusing their Carbine-rifles on the newcomer who stood in the shadowed doorway ahead of them.

"Who the fuck are you?" the white-masked Leader said in a threatening tone, only for the Man to chuckle to himself.

"…me?…" he began to answer eerily while taking a step toward them, allowing the red and blue light shining through the windows to illuminate him and earn gasps from the masked-Men in return.

"…I am the one who will set you all free."

"Oh my God…" the green-masked guy began to mutter, for standing before them was a slim yet well built Man with a shaved head and goatee-beard. He was wearing a run-down pair of blue jeans and a blood-stained white-sleeveless T-shirt, which revealed countless scars of cuts running down both of hi"You wish to be the first, do you?" the Killer replied with a gleeful tone, but the White-masked Thug shook his head in return, glad that the mask shielded his nervous expression from the Psychopath as he started to tighten his finger's grip around the trigger of his Carbine.

"No I don't, you sick fu..." he started to say while pulling the trigger, only to be cut off as Zsasz quickly reached out and grabbed the barrel or his weapon. The Thug did not seen this coming as the Killer then yanked the rifle towards him, making him stumble forward and into arm's reach. Then with blistering speed, Zsasz followed through and stabbed him in the gut with his knife. This made the Thug grimace and drop his own weapon as the Psychopath then got him into a hold in front of the group, holding the blood covered blade at the injured guy's throat as he stared back gleefully.

"Boss!" the red-masked Man called back as he felt his heart-beat speeding up as fear slowly took over, making Zsasz's eyes look straight at him like a predator singling out it's next prey, almost as if he could sense it.

"My oh my, are you that eager to be next?..." he started to ask with anticipation in his voice while pressing the knife more at the Leader's throat, making it dig a little deeper into his skin while he using his free hand to apply pressure to his bleeding wound.

"...for you will all bleed for the mark, because I know it will need far more blood spilled before it's thirst is quenched this night..." Zsasz continued to say, while the others just kept their guns trained on him.

"Just...shoot...this...fucker!" the White-masked Man said back with what little anger he could muster between heavy breaths, since he could feel his life pouring out of him.

"...Now, now..." the Psychopath replied with little care in his voice, while his eyes darted between each of the remaining masked-Thugs before glancing back to his bleeding hostage.

"...no need for that kind of language, not when I am about to bleed you completely..."

The Killer then tightened his grip around the knife's hilt and started to move his arm in one quick motion, which made everyone's eyes widen behind their masks.

"No!" they called out in a panic, while Zsasz smiled back with an gleefully evil smirk. But then a speckle of dust dropped down from the ceiling over his head, making the Psycho stop and look up. This also gained curious stares from the Thugs, who too looked up at the ceiling which started to creak and crack.

"Oh...no!" Zsasz then began to mutter as his eyes widened in response, before suddenly that the very spot in the ceiling collapsed on-top of him along with something that knocked the injured thug away. arms and neck.

"…it's Victor Zsasz!" he added, making all but the Leader take a step back as their hands began to shake while holding their weapons tightly.

"Yes and tonight you will all serve the mark…" the Psychopath started to say while revealing himself to be holding a Kitchen-knife that was dripping with blood, which he used to point at the fresh cuts on his forehead.

"I don't think so…" the Leader then began to say while taking a step closer to Zsasz while keeping his weapon trained on him, only to find himself stopping as the Manic tilted his head and stared back with a unnerving look while bringing holding the knife down at his side.

"You wish to be the first, do you?" the Killer replied with a gleeful tone, but the White-masked Thug shook his head in return, glad that the mask shielded his nervous expression from the Psychopath as he started to tighten his finger's grip around the trigger of his Carbine.

"No I don't, you sick fu..." he started to say while pulling the trigger, only to be cut off as Zsasz quickly reached out and grabbed the barrel or his weapon. The Thug did not seen this coming as the Killer then yanked the rifle towards him, making him stumble forward and into arm's reach. Then with blistering speed, Zsasz followed through and stabbed him in the gut with his knife. This made the Thug grimace and drop his own weapon as the Psychopath then got him into a hold in front of the group, holding the blood covered blade at the injured guy's throat as he stared back gleefully.

"Boss!" the red-masked Man called back as he felt his heart-beat speeding up as fear slowly took over, making Zsasz's eyes look straight at him like a predator singling out it's next prey, almost as if he could sense it.

"My oh my, are you eager to be next?..." he started to ask with anticipation in his voice while pressing the knife more at the Leader's throat, making it dig a little deeper into his skin while he using his free hand to apply pressure to his bleeding wound.

"...because you will all bleed for the mark, for I know it will need far more blood before it's thirst is quenched this night..." Zsasz continued to say, while the others just kept their guns trained on him.

"Just...shoot...this...fucker!" the White-masked Man said back with what little anger he could muster between heavy breaths, since he could feel his life pouring out of him.

"...Now, now..." the Psychopath replied with little care in his voice, while his eyes darted between each of the remaining masked-Thugs before glancing back to his bleeding hostage.

"...no need for that kind of language, not when I am about to bleed you completely..."

The Killer then tightened his grip around the knife's hilt and started to move his arm in one quick motion, which made everyone's eyes widen behind their masks.

"No!" they called out in a panic, while Zsasz smiled back with an gleefully evil smirk. But then a speckle of dust dropped down from the ceiling over his head, making the Psycho stop and look up. This also gained curious stares from the Thugs, who too looked up at the ceiling which started to creak and crack.

"Oh...no!" Zsasz then began to mutter as his eyes widened in response, before suddenly that very spot in the ceiling collapsed and something dropped down, quickly knocking Zsasz out which simultaneously pushing the injured Thug out of the way, all while remaining shrouded in the thick dust that had been brought up by the disturbance.

"What the hell, Boss you all right?" the Green-masked Man asked back in response, with the others looking over at their friend as he lied a few feet away from them. But then as the group started to ede closer to the Leader, the black-masked guy suddenly noticed a figure moving in the dust cloud that started to sink back down to the ground.

"Wait...there's someone moving in there." he said in a nervous tone, bringing his Carbine up and pointing it at the spot where an unconscious Zsasz lied while pinned under some rubble.

"I see it too, what the hell is it?" the red-masked Thug replied as he copied his comrade's action, followed by the last guy as they all aimed their guns at the shadowy figure who started to rise up. But then the former's eyes widened as he recognised the figure's silhouette, especially the pointed ears.

"IT'S THE BAT!" the black-Masked Man then shouted as he opened fire, making the new-arrival quickly dive out of the way as the others followed their comrades example and literally emptied their carbines of bullets as everyone of them hit thin-air.

THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

Meanwhile outside, the sudden sound of gunfire caught the attention of Brody and his men as they all turned and looked up at the old building.

"We go right now..." the Lieutenant started to say as he gestured the closest Officers to follow him with a hand signal, before pointing at the rest standing furtherest from him.

"...while you circle round the back and cover the other exits!" he then added, earning nods from those men as the group separated and headed towards the building.

As that was happening, the Thugs quickly found that they had hit nothing with their combined gunfire and turned around and looked at their surroundings in a panic.

"How the fuck did we miss him?" the Green-Mask said with a fearful tone, making the Red-Mask shake his head while looking at their empty and dark surroundings.

"No idea, that amount of bullets should have ripped right through him..." he started to say back, before the Black-masked guy quickly cut him off.

"Quiet, both of you. And stay aler..." he angrily began to say before he was then cut off by the sound of thud, which made his mates turn around to find him lying on the ground unconscious with nothing around him.

"What the fuck! How is he doing this?" Red-Mask replied with a terrified voice as he quickly spun around and looked everywhere with widened and fear filled eyes.

"How the hell should I know, there isn't anywhere to hide eith..." his friend started to say before he felt something grab him from behind, making Red turn around to see that the latter was in a neck hold by none other than the Batman.

"Oh my god..." he muttered as he felt his heart-beat quicken, while the Green-masked guy tried to struggle against the Vigilante's vice like grip.

"Just...shoot...him..." he tried to say between the heavy breaths, while the Batman just kept his eyes focused on the last Thug, who then aimed his Carbine at him in return with shaking hands.

"Let him g..go..Batman!" he said with fear oozing from his every word, but the costumed Man merely narrowed his eyes as he stared back, like he was looking right through him. And just as the Red-masked man panickly started to pull the trigger, the Batman made his move. Quickly throwing Green against the wall and charging towards the last Man, knocking the gun out his hands as it fired off one shot before following through with kick to the chest, which sent the criminal onto his backside.

"Oh...m...my...god!" Red almost shrieked as he tried to quickly back away as his heart bat so fast and loud, that it was virtually the only thing he could hear at that moment. But Batman was quickly on him and pulled the fearful Man back onto his feet, before holding him by the scuff of his tears ran down the other's eyes.

"Now you're going to help your injured friend over there..." the Dark Knight began to say with his deep and growl-like voice, which made the Thug nod back frantically as he literally began to pee himself there and then.

"...and confess everything to the Police, aren't you." he added.

"Yes...Yes I will, I swear to god." Red replied in a completely delirious tone, which only made Batman tighten his grip around the Thug's jacket and pull him closer.

"Swear to me!" he spat.

"I swear, my god I swear!" the Criminal cried out, which made the caped Vigilante then drop him back onto his backside.

"Good, because if you don't..." Batman began to reply, before stopping while he glanced over to the stairwell as the sounds of footfalls approached them. This too made the Red-masked Thug look in that direction too, breathing fast and heavily as his entire being was gripped in fear. But the Dark Knight then quickly looked back at the Man, a slight smirk appearing on his face.

"...I will find you and make you bleed."

The Criminal quickly snapped his attention back to Batman, but found himself to be now alone with the unconscious bodies of his friends and Zsasz. This made his eyes widen even more, before quickly getting onto his hands and knees.

Then all of a sudden, Brody and his team burst into the room with guns ready and their torches lighting up the area.

"What in the?" one of the officers then asked in a confused tone, as before them was the sight of a masked-Man tending to one of several unconscious men, blood seeping out from under his hands as he applied pressure to the other's stab wound.

"Secure the area!" the Lieutenant quickly ordered, gaining nods from the other Officers as they spread out into the room, while he found himself looking down at the only concious Man left.

"...b...b...b..." the Guy was muttering to himself, making Brody squat down as he held his torch to the guy's face which was still hidden by his Red-mask.

"...Batman?" the Lieutenant then asked with a knowing tone to his voice, which made the Criminal instantly nod back in return as tears flowed down from under the mask.

"...b...Batman."

This made Brody sigh as he stood back up and shook his head, like the mention of that name left a bad taste in his mouth. But before he could think any more on this, one of the Officers called him over.

"Lt. Brody, I think you will want to see this."

The Lieutenant quickly stood back up and walked over to the young Man's side, who was aiming his flash-light and gun at one of the other unconscious Men.

"What is it?"

"This guy is not like the others Sir." the Officer replied, which made Brody kneel down and turn knocked out Criminal over. This quickly made both Men's eyes widen as they looked down at the Man lying before them,

"That's Victor Zsasz!" the lead-Cop then exclaimed with a surprised tone.

As this was happening, the Batman was observing the Police from the safety of a neighbouring building. He stood there on it's rooftop, his long cape covering the entirety of his armoured body as his eyes narrowed while he watched Brody through the derelict building's windows.

'Him again...' he started to think, only to have his thoughts cut short by the instantly recognisable voice of his trusted Friend and Confidante, Alfred Pennyworth, who spoke via his com-link in a respectful and friendly tone.

"Master Bruce, it's almost dawn. Don't you think it's time you called it a night Sir, or are you extending your patrols to mornings as well?"

This made the Dark Knight sigh as a knowing smile appeared on his face while he turned his attention to the sky and noticed that the darkness of the night was fading away as it started to become lighter on the eastern horizon.

"Just finished Alfred, I'm on my way back now." he replied with his disguised voice while holding his right hand to his cowl, which gained a relieved sigh from the Butler over the Com.

"Glad to hear that Sir, I'll start warming up your supper now then."

This made Bruce's smile widen some more as he then turned around, threw back his cape and calmly walked over to the other side of the roof before dropping off it, his cape flapping in the air behind him as he disappeared from view.