Friday 1st May 2009, 04:45.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Arkham Asylum.
Entering a small open chamber with numerous large pipes disappearing into the floor, Esau, Crystal and George looked around to see that they were the first ones there. A strange thing really, considering Black Spider and King Shark had much easier ways to infiltrate Arkham than them, same with Harley Quinn and Deadshot, but it was them that were the first to arrive for some reason.
As the trio moved forwards to the centre where there was a large opening in the floor with crisscrossing bars across it, Esau crouched down to look into the water below. Despite what he had expected, there was no sign of King Shark waiting for them and honestly, there should have been no reason for him to wait considering his strength should have enabled him to move these bars with ease.
"Well, looks like we're the first ones here." George pointed out.
Ignoring him, Esau reached out, gripping hold of the bars and bracing his feet against the floor, pulled at the bars, managing to lift his side up ever so slightly. Even so, it took everything he had just to do that, his muscles straining and with a grunt, his hands slipped, the bars dropping back down into place with a loud thud as Esau stumbled back, dropping down onto one knee.
Flexing his wrists lightly, chest heaving from the effort, he noticed both Crystal and George looking at him. "Those bars are heavier than I thought they would be." He muttered in way of an answer to their unasked question.
That was when they heard movement in the pipes.
Each turned quickly, ready to fight, only for a small hatch in the pipes to open and out climbed Eric Needham in a chef's outfit, a strangely amusing sight. "I'm surprised you didn't get here sooner." Frost pointed out, but Eric ignored her and moved to look down at the bars and then at Esau, noting his heavy breathing and flushed cheeks, a sign of extreme effort.
"How heavy are they?"
"Heavy," Esau replied, slowly getting to his feet. "It'll take a lot of strength to lift them up, probably the whole team. Unless King Shark decides to hurry his ass up and lift them himself. "
Nodding his head, Eric crouched down and had an attempt at lifting the bars himself, he didn't even make them budge. "You're right." Eric panted, looking up at the three surrounding him. "Let us all try." Though it was a suggestion, it came across as more of an order, something none of them liked.
However, Frost and Boomerang moved over, ready to help lift the bars, but an idea came to Esau at that moment. "Wait." He then looked to Frost. "Freeze it."
"For you, lover boy." She smirked and leaned down, resting both hands on the bars lightly. "Anything." Out from her hands, ice rushed forth covering the entirety of the beams in a thick, blue hue and then, she rose to her feet while checking her nails, making such great power seem effortless and almost boring in its nature.
Shaking his head at just how dangerous her power could be, Esau raised one foot and stomped on the bars and they shattered in a shower of ice. Each of the fragments splashed into the water below, a smell from the sewer reaching their noses and making them all raise their noses in disgust.
The sound of a door opening had them turn to see Floyd and Harley walking towards them.
"You're late," Eric said shortly causing Floyd's frown to deepen.
"We ran into her ex." Coming to a stop he looked down to see that there was no sign of King Shark. "Where is he, he was meant to be here by now?"
Esau remained silent as the group devolved into an argument, mostly between Deadshot and Boomerang, all the while he moved to sit against one of the pipes. Thar was until he picked up on the sound of footsteps, Esau rising to his feet and moving past Frost who stood nearby who took note of his actions.
"What're you doing?" She asked curiously.
"We've got company."
"How many?"
"Just one." He answered, moving quickly he headed towards the entrance and stood by the wall.
The others were too distracted, the entire group save for himself and Frost had begun to argue amongst themselves, Harley and George both getting on Eric's nerves with Floyd trying to act as a mediator and failing. So, when the security guard entered, none of them noticed, that was until Esau gripped hold of the front of the guard's uniform and pinned him against the wall. The sound of his body slamming into the wall caught their attention and the rest of the team looked to see what was happening.
At this point, Esau had already punched the guard in the face, breaking his nose as the guy slid down the wall unconscious.
"Well ain't that just great." George accurately put it. "What are we going to do with him?"
Floyd was silent for a few moments until a bag burst from the sewers and landed on the floor with a dull thud. Knowing that they had no choice, Floyd just nodded his head to Esau who picked up the body and threw him into the water. There was a large amount of thrashing and bubbles before the blue water was stained red with blood.
Looking away from the sight of King Shark rising from the water, a dismembered arm being chewed in its mouth, Esau moved to the bag and unzipped it revealing their actual uniforms. Taking his Black Hood uniform, Esau began to get changed, making sure to check the two knives as well as the guns. Each had a full clip-in with a few additional clips provided.
Pulling on the final part of his outfit, his gloves, Esau looked around to see that the others were almost done as well, with only King Shark and Killer Frost having already been ready.
-X-
Friday 1st May 2009, 5:15.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Arkham Asylum.
The head of security at Arkham looked at the numerous monitors pertaining to the security of Arkham, eyes flickered across them with a surly frown on his face as he looked at one monitor showing the kitchen. It had, as of half an hour ago been engulfed with flames that had knocked out some power in that wing, luckily, they had been able to divert power to keep all the inmates in their cells.
'They're not getting out on my watch.' He had once been a lowly security officer at Arkham who had admittedly been just as corrupt as the rest. However, once Batman saved his son he vowed to make a difference, no matter how small it may be in the running of Arkham Asylum.
He had done as well as one could expect considering over three-quarters of his staff were just as bad as he used to be and for the most part, were worse. So while there were still breakouts, he had at least managed to limit the amount, but even then that wasn't saying much, villains still got free and caused havoc within Gotham.
"Have we managed to contain the kitchen fire?" He asked.
"Yes sir." One of his junior offices said and with a nod, the head of security turned to leave the room.
He wanted to go and check on all the prison cells just in case.
However, when he went open the door it burst open as King Shark charged through.
With a cry, the head of security fell to the ground crying out as the large foot of King Shark came down upon his head, popping it open and splattering blood across the floor. In his last moments he was only able to see Captain Boomerang and Deadshot come rushing in, boomerangs and bullets no doubt striking the other guards as well, killing the last vestige of hope within Arkham to make a difference.
Stepping into the room, Esau headed towards the computer while listening to Floyd talk to Amanda, nonchalantly stepping over the bodies that were scattered across the floor. They were all corrupt, he held no sympathy for them, they were each better off dead and so, Esau felt nothing for their deaths.
"Lawton," Amanda called and Deadshot stopped where he was, raising one hand to his ear.
"What?" Pulling out a chair, Esau sat down scrolling through to find the information he was looking for.
"GPS has you in the main security hub." Esau almost shook his head at how desperate Amanda was to be in control at all times, yet in a way she had a right to be that desperate. After all, Esau had no plans to remain under her thumb and he doubted any of the others did. "What's going on?"
Esau tuned out the rest as he pulled up an image of the Riddler in his cell. 'There you are.'
"So you found him." Crystal whispered as she pulled up a chair to look at the screen, both legs resting on the desk.
Esau nodded his head and began typing into the computer once more pulling up an image of Arkham Asylum with a blinking red light showcasing where Riddler's cell was.
"Now we know where he is." Frost smiled viciously, her plan coming to fruition.
Deadshot and the rest of the team walked past a few minutes later, have decided to play yesterday's footage on a loop in order to keep Batman from discovering them. "Frost, Black Hood, move your ass." He ordered and both did so, Esau taking a few more seconds to memorise the location.
-X-
Friday 1st May 2009, 5:20.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Arkham Asylum.
Stepping out into the yard, the Suicide Squad moved quickly to hide behind a nearby wall as they looked to see four towers, two on either side lining it.
Light fixtures on all towers covered the courtyard, illuminating the ground, moving across and leaving just enough shade for people to risk going, but at the same time, making stealth extremely difficult.
It was bait, a trap to lure people into thinking they could make it.
"Top priority are those towers," Deadshot informed as he leaned back avoiding being caught in the light.
Most of the team, especially King Shark were crouched down in order to make themselves smaller and avoid being seen. "I can scale them." Black Spider informed with certainty.
However, Deadshot had other plans. "No time." Stepping out with his wrist-mounted guns raised, he took aim.
But just as he went to shoot, Captain Boomerang shoved up to his side with a cocky smirk on his face.
"You do two, I'll do two." It took every ounce of will Esau had not to smack his face at the sheer stupidity of having a pissing contest at this moment in time and by the tense shoulders of Black Spider, he shared Esau's opinion.
Despite this, Deadshot didn't argue. "Fine, on my mark." Raising his wrist-mounted guns once more, Deadshot took a calming breath while Captain Boomerang shifted his footing in preparation. "Now!" Both of them fired, Deadshot's two bullets ripping through the air and killing his two targets in quick succession.
The boomerangs on the other hand weren't nearly as a effective.
They were slower and while one did manage to take out one of the guard straight away.
The second was not so lucky as the guard leaned down to rest against the bars, the boomerang sailing over his head.
"You missed," Deadshot said, turning to face Captain Boomerang who just smirked.
"Wait for it."
They did, Esau making out the sight of the guard seeing the other guards unconscious and reaching for his radio.
"Patrol, I need a sweep of the yard." Then the boomerang came back knocking him unconscious, but it was too late
"Boom!" Captain Boomerang exclaimed as he caught his boomerang. "In your face."
Deadshot's patience snapped then as he pushed Captain Boomerang away. "He got to his walkie. I'd score that a miss, you two-bit C-lister." Stumbling back, Captain Boomerang narrowed his eyes in anger and rushed forwards.
"That's it!" He yelled.
Esau was already in motion, pulling Deadshot back while lashing out with a kick to Harkness' stomach sending him to the ground.
Lowering his leg, Esau looked at Deadshot with a frown. "That's enough. This isn't the time or the place for you two to have your little pissing contest." There was a tense few moments before Deadshot stepped back, however, George took a little longer, the sight of Black Spider at his side, ready to restrain him proving just enough incentive to listen.
"Boys, we got company," Harley called and they all looked to see a large squadron of guards rushing down the yard.
Even so, it took Captain Boomerang a few more moments before he too relented.
"Finally, some action." King Shark smiled happily as he slammed his fist into his open palm and charged forwards despite Deadshot's cries for him to stop. But it was too late and in a matter of seconds was already spotted and while the guards went to fire at him, he was already on them, large fists lashing out with such strength that the guards were sent flying and landed on the ground meters away in a broken heap.
"So much for low profile." Deadshot irritably sighed as he and the rest of the team charged forwards.
Pulling ahead, the world around him becoming a blur, Esau closed in on a group of guards that were attempting to fire at Black Spider. Esau leapt forwards, claws cutting cleanly through their guns, swinging around with a roundhouse to one that drove him headfirst into the ground. Never once letting go of his momentum, Esau gripped his leg tightly, picking him up off the ground and swinging him around.
There he used the body of the guard as a makeshift club, knocking all the other guards to the ground before they had a chance to react. None of them were prepared for that and they were left sitting ducks as Esau unholstered one of his guns in a smooth motion, a single bullet to each head taking them out once and for all.
Yet, Esau didn't stop, already moving forwards, pistol firing out at guards to provide himself the time to get up close and personal. At which point, Esau's superior skill proved far too much, punches, kicks, elbows and knees coming down with devastating force that left them completely exposed to his knives and claws, cutting them apart.
All the while the rest of the so-called Suicide Squad were dealing with the other guards.
Unlike the fight in his apartment, Esau was no longer alone and as result wasn't being forced to fight off over twenty people on his own. Instead, the guards had been forced to break formation and spread out, something that suited Esau perfectly as he moved around the yard picking off stragglers with ease. Not only that, but unlike before, he was no longer restricted by a small room and instead was able to fully move about quite easily.
Lifting the body of one guard, Esau let the bullets riddle into the dead man's body while taking out his own gun and firing at a few of the guards, five bullets later and four guards fell to the ground dead. There he noticed a small group of guards taking cover in an entryway to the furthest tower, their position secure and giving them a good vantage point.
"Deadshot!" Esau called already moving forwards. "Cover me!" The bullets that soared through the air were accurate and took out three of the guards before they could even take cover. However, the other two managed to survive and were forced to hide as Deadshot continued to open fire on them yet other guards focused their attention on Deadshot.
Killer Frost saw this and erected a small wall of ice to cover Deadshot's flank while she in turn fired off a number of spikes that impaled a small group of guards.
As he neared the door, Esau slid across the ground, his gun already pulled out and as soon as he passed the threshold, fired. The guard closest to the door hadn't been able to react in time and so was killed, the second managed to get a little lucky and only received a bullet wound to the shoulder.
Scrapping his claws along the ground, Esau came to a stop and then pushed off, spear-tackling the guard into the wall and stabbing his claws into the man's neck. Ripping them out, Esau flicked his hand and stepped out back into the courtyard to see the Suicide Squad finishing off the rest of the guards.
So, another chapter is done and with it, the Suicide Squad's 'stealthy' infiltration of Arkham Asylum falls apart pretty much immediately. However, Esau now knows what the Riddler is and they go on to kill a number of guards. As you'll notice, he is very coldhearted about these deaths, a purposeful action to show just how extreme Esau has become, more of a villain now than an anti-hero. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.
Friday 1st May 2009, 5:30.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Watching on from her position as Batman quickly dispatched the small group of criminals, Batgirl looked up to the sky in thought. Since Esau's disappearance there had been no sign of him at all, in fact, there had been no one who had seen a thing. Whoever had taken Esau was extremely skilled and had made sure to leave no witnesses that could testify against them.
It was certainly a worrying thought.
But what was even more worrying was the fact that Harley had been extremely happy to get caught, unnaturally so. She was worried about Esau, but the Joker's dirt bomb was a cause for even more concern due to the immediate threat it posed. Esau could look after himself and the fact there was no body gave her hope he was still out there, safe and sound.
The fact that Harley was captured and delivered to Arkham where Joker was held was definitely worrying, she had not revealed anything meaning the dirty bomb was still in Gotham somewhere. Barbara wouldn't be surprised if this was all some elaborate ploy by the Joker and it worried her because she couldn't figure out what his plan was. Batman's current impatience and sour mood all boiled down to the simple fact that he was in the same boat as her.
He didn't know what the Joker was planning and like most times when that was the case, a lot of people could get hurt.
"Barbara." Dicks voice sounded through the commlink.
"Yeah?"
"I looked into Arkham like you said and it turns out they had a yellow alert at 4:35." Barbara nodded her head though Dick couldn't see it. "Since then, there's been nothing and I've looked at the security cameras and everything looks fine."
"Okay, thank you for looking." However, just as Barbara went to focus on Batman who was finishing off the last two thugs, Dick spoke once more.
"I wasn't done, Barbara," Dick said amusedly, though there was also a sense of urgency when he spoke. "As I said, everything looked fine until I started to realise that the guys working at Arkham tonight as shown by the security cameras, don't work on a Friday."
There was silence as Dick allowed Barbara to truly understand what he was saying.
"Shit!" She cursed and that's when Batman landed on the roof having used a grappling hook to bring him up onto the roof she was on. "Thanks, Robin. There's a problem at Arkham." No other words needed to be said as she directed the last part at Batman, both of them quickly rushed towards Arkham while Batman called for the Batmobile.
-X-
Friday 1st May 2009, 5:40.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Arkham Asylum.
"Firefly. Killer Moth. Maxie Zeus." King Shark listed as he looked at the names listed on the side of the wooden containers.
A little ways away, Esau was looking at a few other nameless crates, each of them containing a few knives and guns, but not much else. Even then, he still had to question why they had them locked away here instead of in a more secure location.
"Never heard of any of these tools." King Shark muttered.
Looking over when he heard a thud, Esau saw Killer Frost looking into one crate she had opened with a look of childlike excitement on her face. "Mr Freeze's gun. Score~"
She attempted to pick it up only for it to prove too heavy for her.
Snorting as she dropped it, he just watched in amusement as King Shark moved forwards to pick it up easily with one hand. Frost watched and then took it when he presented it to her, it was almost child-like in her action. She struggled again but eventually managed to alter her stance enough to be able to hold it comfortably, yet it was an awkward stance that would eventually cause serious damage.
It was amusing nonetheless.
"Raise your back a bit more and shift your back foot to the left just slightly," Esau suggested and both King Shark and Frost looked at him.
Taking his words of advice on board, Frost did as he said and found herself able to lift it a bit higher and hold it more comfortably.
It wasn't much as it was still extremely heavy, but it was certainly easier.
"Looks like shark boys got a crush," Esau said as he moved to look down at the rest of Mr Freeze's equipment. It was all broken apart to ensure that it couldn't be used and while he couldn't even begin to imagine how to build it, he couldn't help but marvel at the technology itself.
"Jealous?" Crystal teased as she rested the weapon against the crate to give her arms some rest.
Shaking his head, Esau went to answer only for them both to see a cable pierce the ground.
Looking up they saw Batman coming towards them and Esau quickly pushed Frost to one side and raised both hands up into the air just as Batman's foot struck it. Even so, he was knocked back a little though his footing remained strong, Esau slowly lowered his guard to see Frost being kicked to the ground by Batman before said man came after him.
Quickly, Esau parried Batman's first attacks, catching the last two punches in both hands and making sure to keep hold. Tensing his muscles and making sure his footing was correct, Esau pushed against Batman, edging out his superior strength over the caped crusader.
"I'm not going to fight you," Esau said only for Batman to shift his back foot and flip Esau away and into a pile of crates.
It was at that time that King Shark appeared only to have his charge stopped by a double-footed stomp to his back from Batgirl who had dropped from the rafters. Batman used this opportunity to land a number of blows to King Shark's midsection forcing the supervillain to move back slightly, his footing unsteady.
Batgirl on the other hand had already vacated her position on King Shark's head and flipped through the air while simultaneously throwing a number of Batarangs at Deadshot. The number of them as well as still reeling from their sudden appearance meant that Deadshot only managed to destroy all but one. That final one came dangerously close to hitting him and would have, had it not been for him raising his hands up and sacrificing one of his wrist-mounted guns.
Landing on the rafters, Batgirl quickly came under assault from Black Spider who was overwhelming her with his superior strength. The two exchanged a number of blows, Batgirl scrambling backwards and reeling from Black Spiders' assault. The skill he was displaying was on a level just slightly above her own, his greater physical strength and her being off balance meant that she was on the back foot.
That was until a boomerang slammed into the side of his head and stalled him long enough for Batgirl to kick him off the rafters where he slammed into a pile of wooden boxes that caved under his weight.
Batman meanwhile was already dodging a number of King Shark's wild punches until out of the corner of his eye he noticed Killer Frost aiming Mr Freeze's gun at him that while not fully built, was still ready to fire as a result of channelling her own powers through it.
Diving to one side, he avoided the beam that struck King Shark's head freezing it while also throwing a Batarang at Killer Frost's feet that upon exploding, flung her backwards to land beside Esau. The blonde vigilante remained where he was as he watched Batman fire his grappling hook at Captain Boomerang who was throwing his weapons at Barbara which the young hero was dodging masterfully.
The grappling hook wrapped around Captain Boomerangs' wrist who looked at it dumbly only to be pulled directly towards Batman. As he did so, Batman also threw one punch forwards that collided with the villain's face.
Having seen enough, Esau turned on his heel and left the warehouse, Killer Frost taking a moment to see the Suicide Squad taking on Batman and Batgirl, choosing to follow him.
-X-
Friday 1st May 2009, 6:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Arkham Asylum.
Things were silent for a while as they moved stealthily through the corridors of Arkham, making sure to keep out of sight of any security cameras as well as avoiding guard patrols. It made their journey a lot longer than Esau would have liked, but they eventually got to their location, he didn't want guards to know his exact location and prepare for him.
Peaking his head out from around the corridor, he took note of the number of guards. 'Five guards, with what looks to be two in the security room.' As his mind formulated a plan, Killer Frost was also looking around the room.
"So, what's the plan here, lover boy?" She asked.
"Don't call me that," Esau replied before becoming more serious. "You wait here while I break into the security room, then on my mark take out the guards quickly and quietly. Don't let any of them get to their radios."
Humming, Frost nodded her head in agreement.
Rushing forwards, Esau carefully moved around the outside of the prison section, making sure to keep out of sight of all the guards as he closed in on the security room of this wing. Eventually, he got there and he braced up against the door, looking through the small window to see that he was wrong. There were five guards and not two in the security room.
'Either way, it makes no difference.' He just hoped that Killer Frost would stop the rest of the guards before they could call for backup.
Slowly, Esau turned the door handle and gently pushed the door wide enough for him to slip inside.
Closing it behind him, Esau crouched down behind an empty desk and peeked out over the tops to reaffirm their positions.
Two were sat at the far end looking over the security monitors.
One was by the coffee machine.
Another sat at a desk on the left-hand side facing away from him while talking on the phone.
The final guy, however, was looking out the window, overlooking the prisoners.
Moving quickly, Esau grabbed hold of the guard by the coffee machine, stabbing him in the neck while covering his mouth to silence any sound he made.
Gently, he dragged him back behind a desk before placing him down.
Again he peaked over to see that no one had noticed, whether that would change was up for debate.
Either way, he had his next target as the guy on the phone put it down and began talking to the guard looking out the window. "Sir, there's been reports of fighting in the warehouse." He informed and Esau cursed internally when the lead guard turned around to answer.
"I see, have you contacted the head of security and the warden?"
"I have with the warden, sir. But," he paused. "But I haven't been able to get through to the head of security."
"Hmm." The lead guard hummed and then looked over the room, his eyes stopping at the sight of the full coffee mug laid innocently by the coffee machine. "Where's Mathew?" Knowing that now was the best chance to attack as they were unarmed, Esau stood up, pistol raised and with four quick shots killed them all.
There was a shout from outside and Esau could see the guards and a number of prisoners looking in his direction. However, before the guards could do anything they were engulfed in a wave of blue mist that instantly froze them.
Sparing a nod to Killer Frost who stepped into view, Esau moved forwards to look over the control panel.
It took him a few moments to figure out which button to press before he eventually found the one that opened the Riddler's cell.
Moving out, Esau stood beside Frost as they looked at Riddler who in turn looked up at them, with a smile on his face. "Do you want to do the honours or shall I?" Frost asked as her hand morphed into a blade bade entirely of ice.
"I see I am not the only one dear Mrs Waller has forced into her schemes." Edward bemoaned theatrically as he took in the sight of Gotham's new vigilante Black Hood and known supervillain, Killer Frost. It really only came down to one conclusion that made sense, they were in a situation he too had been in and didn't that make things interesting?
While curious as to how the Riddler figured it out, Esau didn't care nor have time to deal with his riddles. "Shut your mouth Riddler. I don't have the time nor do I desire to listen to you talk." Esau stalked forwards, intent on ending the Riddler and getting out of Arkham and ending the whole ordeal as soon as possible.
Edward realised this and quickly waved his arms rapidly. "Wait!" He cried desperately. "I can help you! The bombs in your neck, I know how to get rid of them."
This got Esau to pause as he looked to Frost, she in turn just shrugging. "Talk," Esau demanded. "And not in any of your stupid riddles."
"Fine." Edward pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest like a child. "Ruin my fun."
"Tell us what we want to know and I won't freeze your balls off." Frost threatened as she placed one hand on the wall covering the room in a thick frost. The temperature in the cell became noticeably colder forcing the Riddler to start shivering as his breath became cloudy.
"I need to get to the medical bay and I can help you remove them. I won't tell you how as you'll probably kill me then do it."
"And what's to stop us from killing you afterwards?" Frost asked which seemed to cause Edward to pause
"Ah, well." Chuckling nervously, he looked to Esau imploringly as he realised Frost was very serious and faltered when he saw the hard gaze directed at him by Black Hood. "Think of it as a transaction, you get something and I get something. You get those bombs out of your neck and I get to live."
There was silence for a few moments. "You'll go back to your cell after this is done. If not, I'll find you and kill you." Esau explained and while his lips did start to twist into a scowl, Edward accepted with a nod of his head. Though both knew it was a lie, it was a risk that Edward would have to take, because otherwise, he would die anyway.
Moving forwards, Esau grabbed hold of Edward by his uniform and dragged him out of the cell, Frost following behind.
So, another chapter is done and with it, Batman arrives to take on the Suicide Squad, Esau finds the Riddler and discovers a way to get rid of the bombs in his neck. He is not content to remain someone's puppet and is about to take steps to get free of Waller once and for all. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.