Chapter 3: Dark Gotham
The Bad Guys were now flying to Gotham City in a JL shuttle to see it completely different then the last time they saw it.
Far up in the sky they saw rings of different realms of the city and a dark mountain in the center.
"Is that... Gotham?" Princess said in horror.
"It appears to be." Wolf said. They landed in one of the rings. They then spotted Robin with Brooklyn.
"There you guys are! We've been waiting." Robin said.
"What happened here? Gotham City has changed." Shark said.
"This happened a few hours ago. We all got separated and now we're trying to find each other." Brooklyn said.
"Well, let's go find them." Diane said.
They head to a door with a question mark on it. They walk through the door to see a giant labyrinth maze. They were in the Riddler's realm. Each ring surrounding the mountain that has unmistakable imprint of Batman's greatest rogues. This is the first. The physical manifestation of the Riddler.
"Have you heard of pharaoh amendment II?"
"Riddler?! Show yourself coward!" Robin shouts as they run through the maze.
"He created a labyrinth in Egypt that consisted of thousands of rooms and court yards... and also built a brilliant maze inside his own pyramid to thwart tomb raiders."
"Tell is where we can find Batman!" Wolf shouts as they approach a door with a bloody question mark.
"I am the maze master, heroes... and you're the tomb raiders who has wandered into the grave that is Gotham."
"Fight us, coward!" Brooklyn said as they open the door, only to get washed away by a wave of blood.
"I am fighting you! You and anyone else who tries to breach Gotham. This maze is my weapon."
The Bad Guys and heroes continue to get washed away by the bloody sea as they try to fight it.
"Down this way lies madness. Down that way lies death. I await you in the center of the labyrinth——which you'll never be able to find. There I'll share a riddle——which you'll never be able to answer!"
The Bad Guys and heroes get swept down a pit with spikes at the bottom. Before they fall in, a arrow with line is shot allowing them to hang on.
"Grab hold!"
They look up to see Green Arrow with Grommash Hellscream and his son, Garrosh Hellscream.
"Stick with us, guys. This place is a murder trap." Green Arrow said as they pull them up.
"Green Arrow!" Wolf said in surprise hanging on for dear life.
"Grommash and Garrosh Hellscream!" Snake said in surprise as well. Green Arrow, Grommash, Garrosh pulls them up from the death pit.
"What are you three doing here?" Webs asked as they got out.
"Besides saving your asses." Garrosh said with a grunt.
"I just lost my city to madmen... I came here to help, when I heard Superman and Batman went missing. The energy storms in Gotham were getting intense. But then the city just started changing around me. Been trying to find a way out ever since." Green Arrow explained.
"As for us, Orgrimmar has fallen. The Alliance and the Horde has been corrupted by the darkness. Those who survived separated to find a way to end this. My son and I saw where this darkness was coming from, so we came here. That's how we came across Green Arrow." Grommash said.
"We need to find our way to the mountain to stop this darkness and restore our world. The other heroes are probably there." Wolf said as they continue to walk through the maze.
"Already tried this way. About an hour ago." Grommash said.
"No, you didn't." Robin said.
"Look, I've been leaving arrows to mark our progress. You really want to explore a quicksand moat and a trapdoor that drops into a pit of fire, then keep going." Oliver said.
"There's a heavy magnetic charge coming from down this hallway. Strong enough to have dragged your arrow over. Can't you see?" Robin said as he shows the arrow was indeed being pulled by that force.
"What?" Oliver said.
"The broadhead is moving approximately five millimeters a minute. Which means you three went down that hallway an hour ago." Robin explained.
"You remind me of somebody else who's too smart for her own good. You should meet my daughter, Mia. She'd make a hell of a Teen Titan." Green Arrow said.
"No one is a match for my intelligence——except maybe father." Robin said with confidence.
"Yeah... look, kid. I respect your father a great deal. Don't always see eye to eye, but he's one of the greats. But from what I understand, a lot of this mess came from the fact that he tried to take all this on by himself. That he couldn't let other people in." Oliver said.
"You have no idea what you're talking about." Robin said.
"Be careful about that kind of blind devotion. Otherwise, there's no telling where you might end up." Oliver said. The Bad Guys and Garrosh thought deeply about what Oliver said.
"I'm always around, but never seen. I am often avoided, but never outrun. I might find you at the end of the road or around the next corner."
"You are... death." Robin said as they turn to see a familiar bat-figure in the dark.
"You failed me, Robin. I need you and you weren't there for me. You weren't fast enough. I'M DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!" The figure shouts. It reveals to be a zombie Batman.
"It's okay Robin! It's not him!" Grommash said.
"I know! Don't tell me what I already know!" Robin said as he, Green Arrow, Snake, and Piranha fire at the zombie.
"The Riddler has created some sort of nightmare based on..." Robin said.
"On what you love most?" Diane said.
"Havin' some trouble with the maze, boys? Me and Croc are happy to help you CRACK it!"
Two figures then appeared and killed the zombie Batman. It was Harley Quinn and Killer Croc. Killer Croc ripped into it as Harley smashed it's head.
"Well that was strangely satisfying." Harley said as she wiped her hands from the blood.
"Killer Croc? Harley Quinn?" Piranha said in shock. Killer Croc was now a member of the JL, but Harley was a villain.
"What are you doing here, Quinn?" Robin asked.
"Besides taking perverse delight in destroying that... thing he means." Brooklyn said.
"We got hometown pride, if anyone gonna make Gotham a hellhole... it would be us." Harley said.
"Not from me, my son's safety is all that matters. Meaning that destroying what threatening the world must be stopped." Croc said as he spits out the zombie hand.
"Say, Cupid? These arrows belong to you? I've been collecting them all over the maze." Harley said holding a bunch of arrows. Oliver just facepalms.
"You've got to be kidding me." Green Arrow said.
"Unclench that emerald ass of yours, will ya? I found the center forever ago— I just can't solve the stinking riddle. You comin?" Harley asked.
"We're not accepting advice or help from you freaks." Garrosh said.
"Agreed. Like we're accepting help from a clown." Snake said.
"Don't ever speak on my behalf again... but I concur." Robin said.
"Get over yourselves. You gotta fight crazy with crazy! Besides... what other choice do you have?" Harley said.
"I agree with her." Piranha said loving the craziness in Harley which Webs was starting to get jealous. They walk to the center to see Riddler in a giant Minotaur robot suit.
"Okay, so we survived the acid-soaked waterslide, the Man-bat menagerie and razor blade fans. Now all we have to do is get past this bit of bull." Harley said.
"2 of you couldn't solve the riddle, and 8 of you couldn't find your way to the center of the labyrinth. You're cheating!" Riddler said.
"This isn't the team-up anyone was expecting, but we're stronger, and smarter—— together!" Wolf said as they all prepared to fight.
"And more deliciously psychotic!" Harley added.
"Silence! Give us the riddle and let's be done!" Robin said.
"If you throw me from the window, I'll leave a grieving wife. Bring me back, but in the door, and you'll see someone giving life. Of course, it's a lot harder to think... with your skulls cleaved!" Riddler said as he attacks.
"All right, kid. You're convinced you're a genius... time to prove it!" Oliver shouts as he fires his arrows with the others joining in the fight.
"Do you really think a word game can stop me, Nigma? A grieving wife... is a widow. Someone who gives life... is a donor." Robin said as he gets to the cockpit of the mech.
"Any day now Batboy!" Snake said as he dodges the fist and psychic blast at the arm.
"Remove one letter... donor becomes door. Add one letter... widow becomes window. All because of one letter...N! The letter is N!" Robin said as he hit the cockpit.
"Noooooo!" Riddler yells as his mech crumbles.
"It's "N"... all because of "N"..." Riddler said in shock as Robin knocked him down.
"Where's my father?! What have you done to him?" Robin shouts. Oliver picks up a metal card with Minotaur mech on it.
"The hell?" Oliver said.
"It's a card?" Piranha said.
"I found an ancient broadhead beneath Gotham, more than a month ago, in a chamber used by the Court of Owls. I'm no blacksmith but I'd say this is forged from the same metal." Oliver said.
"Perhaps it's the source of the Riddler's new powers?" Robin said. Grommash grabs it and smashes it to pieces.
"Best if we don't mess around with it." He said. The others nodded.
"You idiots... you can't imagine what's coming... You'll all die." Riddler moaned.
"Hey boys? I know this has been a-maze-ing and all... but what say we get the hell out of here." Harley said pointing to the door.
The Bad Guys and heroes were now in a frozen part of Gotham. A icy frozen city. This was Mr. Freeze's realm.
"Brrrrr! I feel like a frozen fish stick!" Piranha said as he and Shark snuggle with each other.
"W-w-wish we got c-c-c-coats." Shark shivered.
"Man up! Us orcs have survived harsher weather than this." Grommash Hellscream said as he and his son continue on, considering they were half naked from the top, wearing no cloak to cover their chests.
"Whatever." Snake said. Suddenly they saw 3 figures running towards them from an ice giant.
"Batman?" Robin said.
"No... your brother and friends!"
It turns out to Nightwing, Broadway, and Hudson running away from the ice giant.
"RUN LADS AND LASSIES!" Hudson shouts as they run. Wolf then gets in front of the group.
"GET BACK!!!" Wolf yells. They do, Wolf unleashed the biggest strongest sonic howl at the giant. Making the giant shatter itself to pieces.
"Good to see you guys okay." Brooklyn said to Dick, Broadway and Hudson.
"Glad to see you all in one piece, lads." Hudson said.
"As touchy as this reunion is... but we have to go." Garrosh said as he bumps into a Court of Owls statue.
"I thought Batman got all of these removed from Gotham." Robin said.
"He did. This is new." Nightwing said.
"Why would a defunct secret society suddenly make a appearance right when everything went to hell?" Oliver questioned.
Garrosh then hits the statue as a door opens in what looked like a shed. They all head inside to seek warmth, but finds something more interesting.
"Where are we?" Diane asked.
"The armory." Nightwing answered.
"Now this is my type of place." Garrosh said. All around them in the room was weapons made out of the same metal as the cards.
"The arrow...just like the ones I found when I was last in Gotham." Oliver examining the arrows.
"It's pure Valorium. An Nth metal alloy. It's impenetrable to anything but anti-matter and metal like it. One of the blacksmiths back at Orgimmar told me about this type of metal before." Grommash said.
"It's metal. The metal. The kind that Robin and I encountered, that's somehow connected to Barbatos the demon. The Owls haven been holding it. Preparing. Now we're the only ones left to fight." Nightwing said.
"Agreed." Hudson said looking at the weapons.
"Seems like it'd be a shame to let all this stuff go to waste." Grommash said picking up an Nth Metal axe.
"Agreed." Piranha said grinning at the swords. 30 minutes later, they all come out wearing the metal armor and weapons. They then find Mr. Freeze.
"I am Freeze. And I am king of this realm." Freeze said.
"And I am the night. King." Robin said.
"I think someone's been watching a little too much television." Nightwing said.
"Crush them my ice giant." Freeze said as an ice giant comes out roaring.
"I got news for you, Freeze. Summer is coming!" Nightwing said as they attack Freeze's giant and him.
"What are you doing with my precious metal?" Freeze asked as Nightwing holds the card.
"This isn't you Freeze. Whatever this card is doing to you it has to stop." Nightwing said as he smashed the card with his foot.
"What? What happened? Where's Nora? Oh no!" Freeze said.
"Come on, let's keep moving!" Snake said wanting to get out of the cold. They then head off to the next realm.
The Bad Guys and heroes were now in a battle armored school bus driving with demon Manbats chasing them through a wasteland. The realm of Metalhead. Green Arrow, Nightwing, Brooklyn, Broadway, Hudson, Grommash and Garrosh were on the top fighting the demon bats while the rest are in the bus with Harley at the wheel. Everyone in the bus were holding on for dear life while Piranha was enjoying the drive.
"Nightwing, we're gonna die." Green Arrow said as he fired another arrow at a demon bat.
"Really? What makes you say that?" Nightwing asked. Meanwhile in the bus, Harley and Robin were fighting over the wheel.
"I hate school buses." Croc said in the bus.
"Yo Robin! Get off! Yer too young to drive and it is my civic duty as a responsible, crazy, hugely attractive adult with a giant mallet to—" Harley said.
"You'll kill us all, Quinn, you lunatic! That's a huge chasm dead ahead!" Robin said pointing ahead.
"What?!" Everyone in the bus shouts.
"We're not gonna make it!" Snake said.
"All passengers please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position!" Harley said.
"That's airplanes, not buses!" Robin said.
"Oh yeah!" Harley said as she steps on the gas, making the bus go faster.
"Uuuh, she wouldn't." Green Arrow said.
"She would." Nightwing said quickly they drive closer to the cliff.
"Oh no, not again!" Shark said thinking about the last time they drove off an edge.
"You're crazy!" Wolf said holding on to Princess as Diane holds on.
"Crazy?! She's speaking my language, chico!" Piranha said pumping his fists in the air. They speed faster as they jump off the cliff to the other side.
*VROOOOOOOOOOOM*
"YESSSS! FLYING HIGH AGAAAIN!!!" Harley said.
"WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!!!!" Piranha cheered.
"Y'know, reader with your hands over your eyes... I'm amazed to think, in this brief oasis moment of frozen lucidity amidst the tumult... that we're actually gonna make it. We are definitely gonna make it... I am an excellent driver..." Harley said only to see that they didn't make it and were now falling.
"AHHHHH! Whose idea was this again!" She screamed as they fall to their doom.
"QUINNNNNNNNNN!" Robin and the Bad Guys screamed.
"I don't want to die!" Croc screamed.
"NOT AGAAAAAAAINN!" The Bad Guys screamed. But suddenly, they stopped falling.
"We... ah... seem to have hit something that has, like, totally broken our fall." Harley said.
"Oh, you noticed that?" Webs said. They got out to see many plants and vines.
"It appears to be Poison Ivy's realm." Robin said.
They then get through the jungle they come across Poison Ivy.
"Welcome my friends." Ivy said.
"We're not your friends!" Wolf said.
"Breathe in my pheromones and you will be. With the power to prune and reshape reality, I'll finally make the whole world green!" Ivy said.
"And destroy Gotham City in the process?" Robin asked.
"Humanity has pushed the Green to the edge of extinction. It's time the Green pushed back." Ivy said.
"Attack!" Garrosh shouts as they fight Ivy and her plants.
"No! Get away from my card!" Ivy said as Shark smashed it, snapping Ivy from its corruption.
"What happened? Did I hurt Ivy?" Ivy asked.
"Maybe Terabyte and Calculator can figure it out for you plant lady." Webs said.
"Come on, Mr. Terrific just told us that he and the other heroes are at the mountain and they have the metal to stop the machine." Brooklyn said. They then fall down a deep hole and end up in the next realm.
The Bad Guys and the heroes landed in a strange and scary realm. It was the Mad Hatter's twisted Wonderland. Very different from the storybook.
"Where are we now?" Webs asked.
"Wonderland. The Mad Hatter's realm." Brooklyn said looking around.
"Wonderland! This looks nothing like the story book you guys read me when I was little." Princess said looking scared.
"Best we stay close. This place is anything but fun." Nightwing said. They then fought many creatures in Wonderland, red knights, headless warriors, and Tweedily Dee and Tweedle Dumb.
"Have a drink!" Shark shouts as he unleashed a tidal wave at the monsters. They continue on until they come across forks in their road.
"Now where do we go?" Wolf asked.
"Perhaps this way, or that way or maybe this way."
They look around for the source of the voice.
"Who said that?" Green Arrow asked.
"I did."
They look up to see a blue striped cat looking at them with a wide grin. It was the Cheshire Cat.
"Oh great, it's the Cheshire Cat." Snake groaned. Cheshire Cat then looked at Princess.
"And who might you be?" He asked as the Bad Guys stand in front of her in a protective way.
"Princess." She answered. The cat then popped in front of them.
"Princess? What a lovely name. And what may I ask what are you doing here?" Cheshire Cat asked.
"We're trying to find a way out of here. Can you help us?" Diane asked.
"Perhaps... maybe the way or is it that way?" Cheshire Cat said.
"Enough of this!" Garrosh said as he goes to punch the cat but misses.
"Swing and a miss. The only way out... is at the Mad Hatter's tea party." he said as he points the direction to go.
"Thank you." Princess said before giving Cheshire Cat a kiss. They continue on down the path until they spotted the long table with a tea set with a man in a green outfit with a top hat with a grin.
"Well, well, well, looks like we have guests here." The Mad Hatter said putting his teacup down. Around his table was a walrus, the March Hare, a bloodhound dog, the Caterpillar, and the Dormouse. Tied to chairs were dead blonde girls dressed like Alice.
"Sorry Hatter, but we're not here for a tea party!" Broadway said.
"Well, that's too bad. My subjects say otherwise." Mad Hatter said as the Red Queen, and Card Soldiers, Red Knights come out to fight.
"Off with their heads!" The Red Queen shouts.
"Sorry, but I don't want to lose my head!" Shark said as he water blasts the knights.
"I'm not gonna lose to some creeps at a tea party!" Grommash yells as he attacks the knights.
"We need to get out of here!" Wolf said as he sonic howled the Queen away. Princess fires a energy ball at the soldiers. Piranha then spots the rabbit hole.
"Everyone follow me! The rabbit hole is the exit!" Piranha said as he lightning spiral his attackers. They then follow him down the rabbit hole.
"Don't be late!" Harley screams as they fall down into the hole.
"This not fun!" Croc yelled as they landed on hay and enter the final realm of Gotham.
"Now where the hell are we?" Garrosh asked as they look around to see what looks like a wrestling arena with wrestlers in it.
"Bane's realm." Broadway said seeing all the chaos and fighting going on.
"Come on! Let's get to the others." Princess said as they run for it. Suddenly, spotlights shined on them.
"Looks like we have some new challengers." Bane said.
"So this is where you ended up, huh Bane?" Snake said glaring at him.
"To create this beautiful realm of mine. So I can be the ruler of my world!" Bane said as wrestlers came to fight. Piranha just cackles loudly as he charges in tearing them to shreds as the others join him.
Piranha manages to super speed and swipes Bane's card. Bane roars as he activated his venom and he grows more muscular.
"GIVE ME BACK MY CARD YOU FISH!!!!" Bane roars.
"Try getting it back!" Piranha shouts as he smashed it.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Bane screams before Grommash knocked him out.
The Bad Guys and heroes finally made it to Wonder Woman and other surviving heroes were there.
"Glad you guys made it. We believe we found the tower. It's time we end this." Wonder Woman said. They head off to find the tower.
They then saw Batman and Superman tied to the giant gold tower machine.
"Superman!" Wonder Woman shouts.
"Father!" Robin shouts.
"Has the Batman Who Laughs had him all along?" Nightwing wondered.
"It appears so." Wolf said in shock.
"Batman's notes say that the alloy will cancel out the frequency of that spire and shut it down." Brooklyn said.
"You're welcome to try, Nightwing, but I doubt you have the mettle. Hahahaha!" The Batman Who Laughs cackled.
As the Bad Guys and heroes fight him, the others managed to use the metal to shut it off, only for it to activate.
"What's happening? That should shut the spire down!" Nightwing said.
"Hahahaha! Base on what evidence, Nightwing?" The Batman Who Laughs asked.
"Batman's notes were... oh no!" Nightwing said realizing that they've been tricked.
"I love delivering a good punchline." The Batman Who Laughs said.
"All of father's notes... that was you?" Robin asked.
"Hacking the cave's computer is child's play for someone who knows how Batman thinks. And who better than another Batman?" The Batman Who Laughs said.
"So all of this... the gathering of metal, closing the portals?" Wonder Woman asked.
"All part of my plan to destabilize your reality. Why should your Earth succeed where mine and others failed? Your universe will sink into the Dark Multiverse and Barbatos the Bad God will rise up and destroy all of creation. I used Batman to lure Superman here so that his supercharged cells can power the spire. Now we can all take a trip to the Dark Multiverse!" The Batman Who Laughs said as he disappeared.
"Superman! No!" Wonder Woman yells.
"Batman!" Nightwing yells as the two heroes disappear as the world turns to darkness.
"I'm tracking reports of disasters across the globe! We are sinking into unreality. This is... truly dire... You may want to prepare for the worst. Though I'm not ready to admit defeat." Terabyte said.
"We need to get out of here now!" Flash said. Suddenly Doctor Fate appeared opening a portal.
"Wait! What about our families?" Wolf asked as they all rush to the portal.
"Thrash!" Princess said realizing Thrash was still out there.
"Guys! There's no time! We need to go NOW!" Grommash said as they go through the portal as the Bad Guys try to go back.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro