Batman: Arkham Asylum (Pre-Edit)

Chapter 10 - Boom Boom

Now Ivy was laughing like the Joker. Crazed with power, her plants grew across the peninsula. Falling through a shallow grate, Batman found a way past the gargantuous vine, and continued onto the island. Titan must be having a different effect on Ivy. Her plants are growing, they'll soon be out of control. There was a giant vine climbing up and around the clock tower. A large mutated vine stood 10 feet away, displaying it's large pink/purple spots and glowing green veins. Batman spotted a Lunatic studying a strange swelling pod, glowing purple veins and spots.  When all of a sudden, three orbs all coloured green, purple and pink, hit the Lunatic, only one orb was an instant-kill. Batman has dealt with these before, they're lethal, but Batman has built his suit to be resistant to the orbs, but they will still be incredibly painful and will eventually kill him. Destroying the orbs with his Batarangs, and the pods with his hands, by reaching down into the centre of the pod and destroying the main organ, preventing it's existence.

The Mansion. Barely a mansion now, the floor flooded with a toxic pink fog, and vines creeping around gargoyles, and climbing up quartz pillars. Using his Detective Vision, Batman found Aaron Cash and another guard, standing ground in between the east and west wing. "I figured you'd be here about now," said Cash. "What's the deal with the plants?""It's complicated." said Batman."Let me guess. Poison Ivy. She teamed up with Joker.""All that matters is that I can stop the plants taking over the island, but-""There's always a 'but' isn't there?""Where do you keep Killer Croc? I found a door in the Sewers, but it's sealed shut.""That monster's got his own special cell. It's right below the transfer room back in Intensive Treatment. An elevator goes right down to an old sewer. We just drop meat down there every day or so and try to forget about it. It's locked off, more security than the Joker. You won't get in without the Warden's permission. He has the codes.""Thanks, Cash. And do not go near the plants. They'll kill you."

Arkham North was also littered with plants, as suspected. A huge root blocked the front of the building, Batman had to find another way in. Like always."Batman," said Oracle "Every route into Intensive Treatment is locked. And there's nothing I can do to bypass the security.""There was a sniper up on the roof," said Batman. "He got there somehow. I'll find a way."Climbing a guard tower, Batman avoided the sniper's gaze, and Line-Launched over towards him, knocking him down and out. Finding a door leading into the attic, cobwebs were everywhere, and Batman had to duck his head to avoid hitting the ceiling. Another rumble shook Batman off his balance. Another vent led Batman to the Intensive Treatment Lobby, where he had been before. Looking through the grate into the lobby, Batman spotted a goon on a ladder, planting something on one of the gargoyles. It appeared to be an explosive short-fuse charge under them. "Are they ready?" asked Joker. "Have you planted the explosives yet?""Done!" said a henchman."Razor's just finishing his off now," said another."Good!" said Joker. "Let's test 'em out!""No!" said Razor. "I'm still up heeeeeeeeere!" and he went flying onto the ground, while Joker laughed.Spread around the lobby, Batman approached a henchman, and took him down silently. He then sprayed explosive gel underneath him, forming a trap for the others. The suicide collar went off, alerting everyone in the room. They approached the unconscious goon, only to find a flash of blue-ish white light blind them and send them to the floor. Performing a ground takedown on them all, Batman found a way to turn off the security gates leading to the transfer corridor, so he used his cryptographic sequencer to hack into the booby-trapped console. Sprinting down the cell block transfer, the speakers turned on, followed by the female announcer saying "Did anyone catch the game last night?" Batman coughed. And coughed some more. Darkness flooded his eyes, blinding him, before losing consciousness.

In the streets of a once not-so-funny city, the roads were clogged with ice cream trucks. After a recent nightly patrol in Gotham City, caused by Batman, is now being escorted to Joker's Asylum, along with the remainder of the Bat-family, who were being held in the Batcave. While the Bats were being transported to Joker's Asylum by ice cream trucks, Batman got his own special ride. Business-class seating in the Batmobile. And of course, who else but the great Clown Prince of Crime was driving. Sitting and giggling in the back, mumbling strange phrases, Batman had completely lost sanity. The Joker ignored him and focused on the road. Driving onto the bridge, leading to the asylum, stood a huge gate, with the words "Joker's Asylum: Crazy Place for the Criminally CRAZY!" Was welded green and purple into the metal, while two Joker statues holding guns stood over the cars passing through. The asylum's clock tower rang, pointing to the ten and the twelve. Ten o' clock pm. Finally arriving at the front door of the Super Crazy Centre, Joker shoves Batman into the corridor.The soul of Batman hovers in an unfamiliar body. He looks down, and he is wearing white glove and a purple suit. He looks into a window, and sees his reflection. He has green hair, a white face and red lips. He also can't stop smiling. Then, he looks beside him, and a bolt of fear rushes through his body. His body has feared this for it's entire life. Kneeling, a black and grey figure, whose real name he didn't know, knelt down, sad that he was returning to this awful place. All of a sudden, Warden Quinn approached them both, and began talking to him. "He doesn't look so big and scary now, does he Mr. J.""Of course not, my dear!" said his body. His voice was croaky. Zsasz pulled Batman along on an upright stretcher, with assistance from one of his goons. Batman's soul inside Joker's body felt dread. He saw his own body, miles away from sanity, frothing and turning on this stretcher. "Get me out of this thing!" said his body. The group approached a few men. The Scarecrow, standing with a clipboard, said to Joker's body "Just got to check your prisoner, dear." he inspected Batman's body, and looked very concerned. "Whatever, just be quick." said Harley.Lightning flashed, and Batman was back in his original body. "He's not looking too good." she said again. "No," said Scarecrow. "He's not. We really should feel sorry for him. He never really fully got over his parent's death. It left him quite INSANE. What is going on inside your head, Wayne? Bah! He's gone! Just a twisted shell of a man!" That triggered something in Batman's head, causing him to lash forward and yell: "CUT ME FREE!" Frightening Scarecrow and other guards, who pointed their guns at him threateningly. "He's all yours." said Scarecrow. Batman looked desperately over to Joker, pleading for his life. "Oh goody!" said Harley. "Come on, Mr. J! We're ready!"Joker pulled out his gun, and pointed it directly at Batman's head. "I've waited a long time for this, Bats!" he loaded the gun. "Let's start the party! With a BANG!" The gun fired, and Batman felt the pain of bullet into skull, and his life flashed white, and floated away.

The Arkham Graveyard. "Bruce Wayne" engraved into the stone. Batman's eyes were suddenly filled with light, and his mouth stuffed with dirt and earth. He threw his hand out of the ground, and pulled himself out. He grunted with pain, he had a really sore headache, but no piercing pain, like a gun-shot would. The Batsuit was coated with dirt, layered onto his cape like cake icing. The landscape was another Scarecrow Nightmare. Insane Batman duplicates were squatting on the floor, either running around in circles, chasing their capes or eating a dead rat. The landscape, an identical scene of Intensive Treatment. Line Launching over a large gap, Scarecrow's voice burst in Batman's ears: "What are you trying to do?" Scarecrow's large syringe-fingers gripped themselves over the wall. Beating the nightmare, Batman reached the foglight, and shone it at Scarecrow. He screamed, and light burst out of his chest and face, creating a sun-like orb, before he was returned to sanity, holding Scarecrow's collar tightly on the other side of iron bars in the cell block transfer. "How are you doing this?" asked Scarecrow. In anger, Scarecrow plunged his syringes into Batman's suit, puncturing his skin, and the poison seeping through his arteries, making it's way to Batman's heart. "You've ingested enough toxins to drive 10 men insane! What ARE you?"Batman held his head, resisting all hallucinations. Scarecrow's voice echoed inside his head. "Why fight it, Batman? You're as crazy as the rest of us! You need us as much as we need you! And to prove it, I'll flood the catacombs with enough Fear Gas to break the minds of everyone in Gotham for a hundred years."Shaking off the fear, Batman proceeded to the same elevator where he had his first encounter with Croc. The elevator was already descending. He heard Scarecrow laughing with power, knowing that he would be the King of Fear if his plan succeeded. A security door under the shaft opened, letting Scarecrow pass, then closed off. Scarecrow was on his way to the sewers, but what he didn't know was that he had company. Batman dived down the shaft, and absorbed the shock, then to track the wires to activate the door to Killer Croc's lair. Guarded by henchmen, Batman flattened them, and hacked the booby-trapped console. Batman heard the scraping and sparking of the door opening, and without hesitation, jumped down. He reached some sort of reception area, with several henchmen chatting around in a circle. When they saw Batman, their hearts sunk, they wouldn't make it out with no injuries. Fighting anyway, the henchmen lost, and one of them would be staying there for a while, due to a broken leg and several cracked ribs. A  long, slender red line led to a brass door, allowing Batman to enter the sewers. He found the plant Ivy was talking about, and went to examine it."Too late, Batman!" said Scarecrow. Batman turned around, and there he was, holding a material bag, filled with Fear Gas. "One step closer, and this goes into the water," Scarecrow threatened. "The cave will fill with your deepest darkest nightmares, and you will never reach your precious Venom roots!", then laughed, as he stood on the very edge of a sidewalk, holding the bag over the water. "Don't do it, Crane!" said Batman.Unknown to Scarecrow, someone else was in the sewers with them. In fact, it was right behind Scarecrow now. Scarecrow looked behind himself, and saw water frothing, only a split second before giant reptilian hands clipped onto Scarecrow's body. Now Scarecrow was filled with fear, he was screaming and crying for mercy. The bag full of the gases was thrown by Batman's feet. Batman quickly equipped his Batarang and threw it accurately at Croc's collar, letting off a strong electrical current through Croc's body. Croc threw Scarecrow under his arm, and dived into the water. Scarecrow was likely to be dead.