[b]Thanks for that, guys. Here's the next, written by The Doctor, Adri, and Gregzilla.

[center]Chapter 1:  A Cut Below[/b][center]

The building was dilapidated, and dank, and mold could be spotted growing in the corners where the floor met the wall.  It was definitely an official building, judging from the various signs on the walls telling whoever glanced at them what was and what was not allowed inside, even though the room seemed to be more of a danger itself than anything anyone could bring inside, except for maybe a large bomb of some sort.  There was even electricity crackling between open wires hanging from the ceiling.  Whatever city the building belonged to either did not care, or simply didn't have the budget for repairs.

It felt like home.

Jonathan Crane stepped out of the glowing green portal, itself having appeared in the room just before he did.

Beside him stepped out a figure in black and blue combat armor with an opaque silver visor. She had her machete and knife on her, along with several grenades, but only two guns, as per usual. This venture, the soldier had taken her Seeker Rifle sniper rifle and her M6C/SOCOM handgun, on her back and at her hip respectively. She walked in, her arms crossed, and spoke, her voice the only thing giving her gender away.

"So what the hell did I have to come with you about? I know the why on why I have to go with you, but not where or the reason we're here."

Azumi Ian was [i]not[/i] in a good mood.

The Scarecrow frowned beneath his mask.  He didn't particularly enjoy interacting with Ian, unless it involved her insulting people he didn't like, usually Rikka, or Levins, but that moron had died recently, hadn't he?  This, of course, just added to the large amounts of evidence he had been compiling to prove that idiots eventually died of their own idiocy.  Which, of course, meant he would outlast quite a few people.

"Apparently madame goddess complex doesn't believe that I am capable of accomplishing things on my own, even in [i]my[/i] territory.  Believe me, I would much rather be here without you."  He stopped himself before launching into a rant.  "But I digress.  I believe that this is the prisoner holding area of Gotham's courthouse."  He neglected to mention he so easily recognized it because he had been locked within a cell in the room himself many times, "A rather inconvenient place to land, I admit."  Scarecrow briefly wondered if there was a way to control the portal's landing place, but quickly filed this idea away for later, as his thoughts were interrupted by a voice emanating from the holding cell.

"Thirty days has November...  April, June, and Semptember...  Of twenty-eight is but one..."

Curious, and somewhat recognizing the voice, Scarecrow crept closer to the holding cell, looking at the person within.  He was overweight, and wore the familiar orange jumpsuit.  Crane thought he caught a glimpse of writing on the back, but the man was turned at such an angle that he was not able to see it.  There was some sort of brace attached to his leg, meaning he bore some sort of injury.  One could guess easily what caped crusader caused the leg injury.  The man had the abbreviations of the months of the year printed on his head, starting on his forehead and going all the way around.  The strange tattoos were the tipoff Scarecrow needed to guess the man's identity.  Crane moved closer to the cell, looking through the bars.

"Mister Julian Day.  Calendar Man."

Calendar Man looked up, as if just now noticing the masked man staring at him.  "Ah, Doctor Crane.  A pleasure to meet you again.  It was a joy working with you for the feast day of Saint Roch, that August some time ago."

The Scarecrow smiled beneath his mask.  "Ah yes, I created that strand of fear toxin that caused hydrophobia.  It worked wonders in a sweltering city in the middle of August, didn't it?  It was rather ingenious of you to use the dogs, as well."

"You flatter me, Doctor Crane.  I don't suppose you would allow me out of here?"

Scarecrow glanced at the calendar in the corner of the room.  "Of course not."

Azumi looked over at the obese man. He did seem polite... but so did Ignis... She shuddered at the mere thought of him, of what he...

Silence again, but she did listen to them. Yes, a partner in crime. She did see the other cells around, assumed she probably could use them... Time to rethink things.

She looked over to Calendar Man, then to the calendar itself, the holidays marked off in circles of red ink. "Out the back or the front?" she asked flatly, not paying too much attention to him. "You'll be going first, of course. I'll need the cover."

Scarecrow rolled his eyes, although one couldn't see them.  He could create barriers and shields with his Ring, of course, but he highly doubted Azumi was speaking of actual shields.  He was aware a great many people wouldn't mind seeing him riddled with bullets.  His fear toxin tended to change their minds.  Unfortunately, he couldn't use his toxin on Ian, as per the contract obligations, so he would just have to put up with it.  Therefore, he chose too ignore her gibes for the most part.

"And who is this young woman?"  Calendar Man asked, spotting Azumi from his cell.  "She reminds me of another beautiful lady.  Ah, but she tragically passed away some years ago, on Saint Valentine's Day, no less.  Smothered."  Julian Day smiled, eyes wandering as if drifting in a fond memory.

"Such an interesting psyche."  Scarecrow said, turning away from Calendar Man.  "But no time to analyze him now.  Now, I believe that the back entrance would be safest, as we are quite near to there, and there don't appear to be any guards..."  It was then that it struck him.  Scarecrow turned, and looked out the room into the hallway that would lead to the courtroom.  "Where are the guards?"

"You've been gone for far too long, doctor."  Calendar Man spoke up again.  "Eighteen months, to be exact.  In that time, Quincy Sharp has be com mayor of Gotham, and instituted 'Arkham City'.  An entire district, perhaps even half the city, according to some rumors, has been converted into our new prison."  Calendar Man paused, then added, as if it were the most important point, "You've missed quite a few holidays."

"Eight months?  Impossible, I've been gone for only two, at the most."  Of course, the other news was the most surprising.  Arkham [i]City[/i]?  Really?  Scarecrow was beginning to think Sharp belonged in his own asylum.  It at least explained the lack of guards, if this entire section was being dedicated to the new 'prison'.

"If this is all apart of the new, ah, [i]facility[/i], then why are you locked in here?"

Calendar Man frowned at this.  "This was originally my base of operations.  And then Two-Face came.  His forces were superior than mine.  They attacked me, and locked me in this cell.  In fact..."  Day looked up, and cocked his head to the side, listening.  "I believe Two-Face is dispensing some of his 'justice' at this very moment."

Azumi similarly listened carefully. She could hear it, and looked to Crane. "Cheering. A lot of it. Sounds like men up there. Probably should check it out. Lead the way."

Scarecrow nodded, and cautiously headed out of the cellroom, walking through the hallway towards the courtroom. Wanting just a peek, and to not get too close to Dent, Scarecrow opted out of taking the stairs to the balcony above, instead choosing to look carefully through the door to the first floor.  Inside, there was a veritable mob of thugs, some armed.  Two-Face himself was standing on a stage, flipping a coin constantly. As usual, at the right side of him, he was clean cut, dark hair slicked back neatly, dressed in a mostly white suit. Of course, that was different with the rest of him. The left side of him had been badly burned, his suit, seemingly black on that side, ripped and torn at the sleeve, skin very nearly burnt off from his face to his arm, some muscle tissue exposed.

Next to the stage was a vat of some sort of chemical, most likely dangerous, around which was a red curtain, obscuring whatever was inside.  However, one could see a rope above the curtain, leading to the conclusion that someone was being hanged above the vat.  Ah, so it was an execution.  Although there was no doubt that the former district attorney's obsession with justice would lead him to give whomever was about to die a 'fair' trial, via coin flip.

Azumi looked out, flashing her VISR. Fantastic, a room of reds, that guy at the top not being much better. Still, she stayed out of sight, listening and waiting.

The clean half seemed to be the one that spoke first, far more level of a tone than the words he had given earlier that night. He twirled the coin, over and under his fingers, as he spoke to himself. "The only way to get by in this place is to get us some respect."

The scarred half came next. "[i]Fear.[/i] That's how we get respect. Show them how [i]we[/i] do things."

Scarecrow would have agreed audibly, if he weren't just behind a room full of thugs.

Well great, Harvey Dent still had his internal arguments, as per usual. Something to use against him, anyway. Possibly. Maybe.

The clean half seemed a bit scared. "We should be fair, though. This is a place of justice, after all."

Scarred again. "[i]Screw[/i] justice! Kill them, and they'll [i]all[/i] fear us." He turned around, looking to the others around, those who seemed to be dressed like the people from his old office. "Bring out the defendants!"

His voice masked by the cheering criminals, Scarecrow looked back at Azumi.  "A textbook case of Dissociative Identity Disorder."  He noted, as if she were some sort of student in a lecture hall.  "As you can see, Harvey Dent's 'light' and 'dark' sides are constantly at war.  He is able to make peace between the sides with a coin flip, which both personalities consider the epitome of fairness.  His coin is unusual, in that both sides are 'heads', one of which is dirty and scarred, much like his own face."

As the red curtain fell and immediately dissolved into the acid bath, both were visible. Held up by their ropes, tied behind their backs and over their legs, as well as around the waists to keep them together, back to back, spinning a bit. Catwoman seemed to be awake, at least, her outfit making Azumi scowl. That catsuit... she hated it so much. "Such a wh***..." she muttered subconsciously. The other just made her blurt out, barely audible, however, over the shouts. "Oh sh**."

There was Jessica Mireu, practically snarling as she struggled against her binds. If it weren't for the fact that they were over a vat of acid, she would have used her Lightning magic to burn the ropes and free them. As such, all she could do was wring about and shout at the dual-faced attorney, "Screw you! You better not kill us!"

"Ah, that would be 'Catwoman'."  Scarecrow once again whispered.  "Her identity is unknown, therefore making a complete psychological profile difficult, but she has a clear case of kleptomania, as identified by her many cat-related thefts."  He looked at the other, confused.  "Strange... I don't recognize the other one, although she appears to have similar, erm, 'traits' to Catwoman.  Although the extra appendages appear completely natural."

"Shut up!" the scarred half shouted, slapping Jess with the scarred hand before Selina spoke.

Catwoman was more subtle, as the cheers rose. "You certainly know how to keep girls [i]hanging[/i], Harv." She thought a moment. "Hey... have you had some work done?"

Enraged, Two-Face repeated the gesture to the thief, eliciting a grunt. "[i]That's[/i] for stealing from us. No-one steals from [i]us![/i]"

"Ah yes,"  Scarecrow once more whispered.  "Stealing from Two-Face would most definitely enrage him, once again going back to his justice obsession."

She sighed, trying to look innocent. "I'm sorry I've been a bad kitty..." the thief said seductively. "Untie us... and I'll make it up to you..."

Azumi just rolled her eyes in cover. Was she even [i]trying[/i]? Probably not.

Unlike Catwoman, Jess kept her aggressive approach, which only grew after she had been slapped. She just grit her teeth, and then shouted once the thief was done talking, "And do it quickly before I kick your ass!"

Scarred again. "Let's see if the [i]coin[/i] thinks you're telling the truth." He flipped it. High, high.....and caught it in his right hand, a fist that then opened and slapped on to the burned left's back, just above a watch. He let it up... and saw. Unscarred side of it. He wouldn't let them free, but he [i]would[/i] listen to his cleaner half.

Clean stepped forward, lowering his hands and putting his coin away. "This court is now in session." The cheers reverberated around the area as he shouted out. "Order in the court!" He walked around the back of his glass surrounding area in the back, the judge's podium with a gavel, and banged it twice. "Order, order!"

"Once again we see his obsession coming out.  He's determined to give the 'criminals' a 'fair' trial."  Crane seemed to be talking to himself now, more than anything.

Jessica had to scowl. Sure, it was good to see the nicer half start to be more up front now, but he still wasn't bothering to let them go. Shimmying slightly, the catgirl once again shouted, "Are you seriously gonna waste your time with this, or let us go already!?"

A gunshot was audible, and the sound of a bullet hitting wood. "Be [i]quiet!f[/i]" the scarred face said now.

"What the?!" came a shout from the crowd, quieting them.

"He's got a gun!" shouted another.

Catwoman leaned back against Jessica, wriggling very slightly, only barely enough for her to notice. "That's a no, in case you were wondering," she whispered.

Finally calm again, the clean face spoke up. "Welcome, good people of Arkham City." He probably was looking at someone [i]else[/i], or had a very warped idea of the word "good". Or both. "It's good to see so many new faces in the crowd."

Scarred took over. "[i]Fresh[/i] faces for the [i]gang.[/i]"

"Today we present each of you with an exciting new opportunity."

"[i]Two[/i] opportunities."

"To [i]join[/i] with us. To create a new force in Arkham."

"And take this place for ourselves!"

"When the clown dies, we will own this town... we will [i]rule[/i] this town!"

"'When the clown dies'?"  Scarecrow muttered.  Did Harvey Dent intend to kill the Joker, or was there something else going on here?

"Or you can just l--"

Forty-seven thugs were gathered here. All unarmed, yes, but Dent had a man on a high ledge just in case, and he himself had his guns.

That all changed in an instant. The man was in black and gray body armor, albeit with no helmet. There was a yellow belt on with many pouches, along with black boots and a black cape. The cowl over the top half of his face was also black, with two tall black "ears" like a bat, what appeared to be a black cup of sorts as sorts of over-worn underwear, and a black "bat" symbol on his chest. From his bottom half, he was Caucasian. This man landed on one of the thugs, knocking him to the ground... and they ran. Forty-one out of forty-seven, all running straight out the door.

"It's Batman!" one shouted.

"Look out!" shouted another.

"Run!"

"Get out of my way!"

Azumi's eyes widened, her mouth going slightly agape, then closing again. That... didn't look like Bruce. Looked more like someone in a superior form of his armor or something. Still, whatever worked. One Batman versus six unarmed thugs? That wasn't even a fight.

Scarecrow's mouth widened beneath his mask.  Batman!  Here!  Was that possible?  He had seen him not too long ago, when he had gotten his Ring.  Had he come back already?  Crane cursed internally.  The Batman not being here had been a major part of his plan, but now that would all have to be changed.  No, he wasn't going yet.  From his perch of darkness above, Scarecrow watched as Batman attacked the thugs, feeling his heart racing.  The bat was the only thing that caused fear to affect him.  And it was exhilarating.

[Jess reaction to Batman's arrival]

The clean half of Harvey Dent spoke. "Our friend Batman has arrived."

Scarred half cut him off. "Grab him and [i]cut him in two[/i]."

What commenced was not much of a "battle", per se, but rather a brutal beating of all six unnamed thugs. Azumi's eyes watched this particular version of her mentor without a word, watching the rather one-sided fight on the courthouse floor. The counters and arm-breaks, the one-punch knockouts and stuns, the altercation in its entirety. She only barely listened to the harsher side of Harvey Dent speaking.

"You're not welcome in my court, Batman!" The gunshot that just barely missed his shoulder. "Damnit!"

Scarecrow was just as enthralled with Batman's fighting ability as Azumi, if not more.  It was no wonder that he was afraid of the Batman, and no one else.  Those reflexes, the lightning-fast punches, it was all rather amazing to watch.  As a near master of a martial art himself, it was easy for Crane to recognize the Batman's skill.  Of course, he shuddered with the observations as well.  He had been on the receiving end of those fists many a time, each more painful than the last.  How many times had he been throne back into Arkham with a broken jaw, or a snapped arm, or a cracked skull?  Far too many to count.

[Jess reaction to the fight]

Finally, all six of the thugs were down, Batman turning toward the gang leader. The clean face could be heard once more. "[i]Objection![/i]"

The bullet that shot through the glass, hitting Batman in his right pectoral plate, knocking him to his back with a grunt. There was a dark dent where the bullet had hit, but he didn't complain, nor move much, perhaps just not thinking it mattered, body armor and all.

Two-Face raised the smoking handgun to his lips, blowing the smoke away. The scarred face spoke. "...overruled." The district attorney ran out of the side of his protective box, kicking open the door forcefully before storming over to his "defendants", raising his handgun to the top of Jess and Catwoman's heads. "Heads or tails, kitty cats?"

[Jessica response]

Azumi's hand instinctually reached for her handgun. The only thing keeping her from drawing it was the facts that she did not want to talk to Jessica as of yet, found something disturbingly familiar about Selina Kyle's voice (a name gleaned from Batman's files earlier, though not shown to Scarecrow for obvious reasons), and also knew that Batman, being in the room, conscious, and alive, was unlikely to like her to shoot Harvey Dent in the back and drop him into the acid bath. Not to mention the fact that the situation being as volatile as it was, she would possibly do better just letting Batman take care of this. Or Jessica.

[PLACEHOLDER: Cutscene from 7:26 to 9:42 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX1IhK9bDXs&t=07m23s between Jess, Catwoman, Batman, and Two-Face]

"Get your hands off me," the hidden soldier whispered harshly to the doctor. Azumi watched as the duo left, shoving Crane's hand off of her waist. It had only been him holding her back from running into the room to try to see if Jessica was okay, and she had made a move to go there, luckily not detected by the Bat.

"I don't care if that woman is your friend, child.  We are here for a job, and I will not have it ruined by your ridiculous conscience."  Scarecrow replied, allowing her to force away his hand (he had used the one not covered in needles, of course).  However, even though he didn't trust Azumi that much to control herself, he would stay for just a little longer.  He needed to learn a little more.  How was Hugo Strange involved?  Of course, Crane knew of Strange.  He had heard news of some of his more interesting experiments (such as the rejects of a mind-control serum experiment, slang-termed the "Lunatics", that were in residence in Arkham) before he had become a criminal himself.  But Hugo Strange had disappeared years ago.  And now he was back?  Not just that, in charge of this new 'asylum'?  That was interesting news indeed.

Not to mention the Joker seemed to keep appearing in conversations.  Of course, he was Gotham's most wanted, but it was interesting in the [i]context[/i] they talked of the clown.  Harvey Dent sounded absolutely sure that the Joker would die soon, and Batman seemed almost [i]surprised[/i] the Clown Prince of Crime was involved.  He needed to know more.

Azumi scowled, glaring at him, but said nothing more, looking back to Batman. She saw him look one way, to where the bullet had struck the ground, then the other, to the broken window that the shot had gone through, where the green laser sight had almost made its bullet hit its mark.

"If we don't get you, the Joker will!" the scarred half of Two-Face shouted at him as he took out the familiar black grapnel, firing the hook up and letting it drag him up to the top of the balcony at the far end. Azumi could see someone knocked out up there, and a gun near him. Probably the first target, but no matter, as this version of her mentor left.

A voice with a distinct British accent and a calm air of superiority resounded in the air, presumably from speakers around the entire district. The message was clear, but its meaning was not.

[i]"Protocol 10 will commence in ten hours."[/i] Then it cut off.

She frowned, walking out at last. Maybe he was off to find the Joker and his sniper somehow. First, she had to see what to do, how to act. Had to hide their tracks, make sure they weren't followed so she wouldn't be traced to the Scarecrow.

What to do... what to do....

Scarecrow walked out behind Azumi, satisfied that they could no longer be spotted by anyone important.  Unlike Azumi, though, he began searching the room for clues, not how to hide their tracks.  He would let her worry about that.  Naturally, their presence did not go undetected by the ex-DA, hung up as he was.

"Crane?!"  Dent's scarred half tried to swing so that he was facing the two.  "What're you doing here?!  Last I knew, you were eat-"  A yellow muzzle was clamped across Two-Face's mouth.  Scarecrow was not interested in letting that story reach Ian's ears.

"You will be silent, Two-Face.  I have much more important things to do than to talk to the likes of you."  Dent's brow furrowed, showing his frustration and confusion at Scarecrow's new powers.  Scarecrow himself chose to ignore Two-Face's presence, instead rifling through the guards' pockets for anything that could be useful.  On the last of them, he found a radio.  "Excellent,"  Crane muttered.  He could use this to monitor any other of his rivals that would be active in Arkham City.  He would have to test it in a less dangerous area, though.

Azumi tilted her head to the side in confusion, walking around to the top of the stage, crouching to be level with Dent's head. "Oh, I think he had something important to say. Maybe you should let him." She did, however, know that it was probably best to knock him unconscious. Some things couldn't be left unsaid, however.

Two-Face recoiled slightly as Azumi approached.  He had certainly had enough of women for a while.  Of course, the muzzle couldn't be removed unless Scarecrow chose to, or his power ran out, neither of which was likely.

"Mister Dent has nothing important to tell us, I assure you."  Scarecrow replied, pocketing the radio.  "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I think we should leave before whatever form of security they have here arrives."

Azumi rolled her eyes, putting a hand hooked under the clean arm, and around his chest. "So what do I do with him, then? Knock him out? Considering you have to go off and do your non-science."

Scarecrow bristled at the insult.  It wasn't the first time the woman had accused him of lacking in any actual science, but he chose to ignore it for now.  "You could always cut him down.  His death will just be less competition on my hands.  But maybe you're too squeamish."  Scarecrow began to float upwards, a yellow outline surrounding him.  "I have actual [i]work[/i] to do, so do with him what you will."

He held up the radio.  "Remember, I can monitor you.  Try anything, and it will go straight to your precious Rikka.  I'm sure she would enjoy the chance to torture you again."

The soldier tensed at the memory. She had tried hard, so hard to forget that day. To forget how she had been asphyxiated on and off for several hours until she surrendered and promised to never cross Rikka again, showed her "Zumi" personality to her and her alone. That didn't mean anything on Scarecrow's watch, but it still left a mark for her "lady". Perhaps she would just get her some supplies here to get on her good side without actually being villainous.

Still, she didn't want to kill him, just to make sure she didn't have trouble. She reached up, keeping a tight grip, and pulled out her knife with her free hand, working at the rope... Within seconds, she had him off of the precarious situation, falling on to the stage itself. As he looked up, confused and angry, she lifted a boot, standing... [i]crunch[/i]. Harvey Dent was out like a light, and owed her beside.

She spoke to him again. "And I'll be sure to do the same to you. Frequency's same as usual. Or you can try Six Twenty-One Three Eleven Twenty-Five Fifteen Twenty-One. Your call. I'll check for info and supplies, but you should do the same. If I get in trouble here, it's on your watch, remember."

Scarecrow's eyes rolled beneath his mask.  Of course he knew alphanumeric substitution, having had to use more complex codes to elude the Batman before.  He chose to ignore the childish insult.  He did, however, get a certain satisfaction out of noticing how bringing up her torture had obviously shaken Azumi.

"I assure you,"  He said.  "I can handle things in my own town, despite what your foolish mistress may think."

With that, he created a large fist with his Ring, which blew out a nearby window, and flew through it and into the night.

The soldier sighed, looking around the area. Okay, she looked over the guns available for these people. Nothing too fancy, seemed like. Due to her parkour training, getting up and out was, relatively speaking, somewhat simple. Run up the back wall on to the top of the glass box, turn around, sprint, catch the rope hanging across to the balcony, sidle along on her hands. It wasn't long before she reached the way Batman had left. Some time sliding down a ladder, and she walked out the door.

Within several minutes, Azumi realized she had no idea where she could find a map, essential in a city this large, especially for plotting her objective markers via her VISR database. She looked at the nearest building, across the street from the courthouse, and ignored the four unconscious Two-Face thugs around the entryway as she ran to a window and started to climb. The entire exercise wasn't too long, though she did slip once or twice, and the entirety was rather harrowing. Whatever it took to get a better vantage point. She could see them around, the helicopters that flew around the city, the machine gun placements under them. Nothing being fired on, though, although she did see the spotlights shining down, looking around for someone or some thing. She just wished she could find some easier way to navigate.

===========

- Azumi climbing up to a nearby roof
- End on Azrael arriving and announcing himself
[10 Hours to Protocol 10]