Lilith and her personal guard had made their way to Stagg's Airships that were located on Founder's Island. The CEO, Simon Stagg had gotten into contact with Jonathan in hopes of making a deal to profit off of Fear Toxin, even lending the militia some of his Nimbus Tech. He soon creates the Cloudburst, a weapon designed to launch and amplify the effects of the toxin. While they were definitely interested in the Cloudburst he had offered, Jonathan and Lilith were not interested about the profit he would make from testing their toxin. Once the CEO discovered this, the little shit turned his back on them.
So to make up for this betrayal, Scarecrow, Panik, the Arkham Knight and his militia decided to collect the Cloudburst for themselves. Passing Biological Engineering, the militia swiftly captured Stagg and held him hostage as the two continued on their path towards the Cloudburst Chamber. Arkham Knight was set up outside the airship, waiting for extraction. Everything was put into place as the foot soldiers began to charge the Cloudburst with energy cells. As Scarecrow began running his calibrations. They were only in an hour into their mission, until Arkham Knight communicated with the couple. "Scarecrow, Panik, my men have stopped reporting in. And that only means one thing. You have seconds at best. Are we ready?"
"Not yet, the Cloudburst must be fully charged." Scarecrow.
"Then we'll have to do it off-site. Prepare for extraction." Arkham Knight declared.
Panik, watching the security footage of Stagg's cell they laced with toxin as Batman tried to get him to talk. "No, not this time." She murmured as she clicked on the button to release the toxin and Stagg was consumed into his fear and madness, causing Batman to continue onward towards them. Panik glanced at the entrance before strutting up towards Scarecrow looking up at him running his calculations they were 98% done. They were going to succeed and it would be too late for the Batman.
The doorway opens and in comes the Dark Knight but Panik side-eyes him as he stumbles into the room. Scarecrows dose from Ace Chemicals seems to be having continuing effects on him. Perfect. She grinned viciously as she side steps around as he went to attempt to grab Scarecrow, but was really just grabbing at the air as the two then dosed him again in their own toxins. Batman slowly drops to the floor, coughing and twitching.
"You're not dying, it just feels like you are. Our toxins filling your lungs, drowning you in your greatest fears." Scarecrow called out as he circled the hero.
"What can you see?" Scarecrow asked him, "A city engulfed in fear? Betrayed by those you trust the most? Your darkest secrets revealed?"
"As we tear your mind apart. Gotham will watch. I will cut that mask from your face and the whole world will see the fear in your eyes. Then they too will understand. There is no savior. No more hope... No more Batman."
"Maybe it's already happened." Batman spoke, shocking the two as the voice was abnormal. Scarecrow was then grabbed by the throat, as Batman slowly stood back up.
Quickly thinking, Panik called in a swarm of militia soldiers for back up as she then swiftly stabs at the Dark Knight's which causes his hold on Scarecrow to break as she pushes him towards the Cloudburst, signaling the Arkham Knight to speed up the extraction. Scarecrow observed the hero and his abnormal, aggressive behavior towards the soldiers as he fought them off more brutally than how he usually does.
"Astonishing, such brutality." Scarecrow commented as the Batman went to strike at him again, Panik raised her arm towards him and blocked the blow, but Batman quickly counteracts and punches her, leaving her distracted as he then throws her off to the side. Panik slightly startled by the fall quickly shuffled onto her elbows as she gazes up at him, and sees his eyes, were once blue was now a noticeable shade of disgusting green. As he continued to stare her down, as if contemplating on what to do now. Whatever battle he was fighting within himself right now she didn't care as she swiftly stood up and scurries off back to Jonathan, him in a rough, but soothing manner grabbed her arm and pushed her behind as they now were on the platform where the Cloudburst rested. Batman suddenly dropped to his knees as if distraught over something.
"Something's changed." Scarecrow analyzed. "You're different."
"You're trapped. There's no where to run." Batman slowly got up as he walked up towards the pair.
Scarecrow raised a detonator that he had in his hand, "Who said anything about running?" Before pressing the button as explosions went off as the Cloudburst quickly disconnected from the airship and was retracted by wires connected to one of the Knight's helicopters. Scarecrow tightened his hold on his beloved as they began to take off, right after the Knight launched two rockets at the Batman before they escaped with the Cloudburst.
Later they would return to their hideout as everyone began the work into weaponizing the Cloudburst. Scarecrow starts his next broadcast involving Barbara Gordon and his plans for her. "How does it feel to see your city on the brink of ruin, your friends in the clutches of death." The camera switches back to him. "You stretched yourself too far this time, Batman, and now your failure is all but complete. As that final dying breath escapes her body, she will know you are the one who failed her." He ended the broadcast.
Scarecrow then sets up this ruse, to hurt the Dark Knight further, by thinking Barbara Gordon was now dead. Who was in fact alive and being interrogated by Scarecrow, before the Arkham Knight roughly took over. Narrowing her eyes as she departed the hallway.
Lilith soon departed, and went back to her team back at her main watchtower. "Well what's the update?"
"No word or sight of Batman at any of the other two watchtowers, ma'am. We've also finalized our preparations at Osamu Tower as well as the Cornfield.
Perfect than let the show begin. One militia member with access to a laptop began typing as he uploads a broadcast of an earlier recording of Panik, her plan now officially starting.
"Batman, your time as this city's protector is over. I've placed bombs in two central buildings across Gotham you're time is thirty minutes. Let us see how much of a hero you are as you watch your city get razed to ashes."
•~★~•
Let's give a round of applause for the great Christopher Nolan for the upcoming release of Oppenheimer and lighting my extinguished spark for Cillian Murphy which caused me to watch a couple of Scarecrow edits on tiktok and for this revival. Guys I'm so sorry I abandoned y'all truly. Things have been chaos lately as things have slowly taken ahold of my life, but I bring some good news and bad news. Good news is my house has now been finished with whatever renovations we had to do after Hurricane Ida so my home life is now back to normal in which I have access to playing the game and or watching playthroughs of it. Some bad news is that 90% of my life is still revolves around working my job. My life has slowly transitioned into other interests during this hiatus, I've picked up on reading a lot of books again (I just finished Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and now able to watch season 2 of Shadow and Bone GIVE US SoC SPIN OFF), Tears of the Kingdom had came out and I already have like 170 hours in it and I'm like nowhere near completing the story been too busy collecting all the damn koroks and such.
But yeah enough sidetracking I really do wanna finish this book and I know it's going to continue to be a slow process and I truly thank whoever decides to stick around. Y'all are absolutely wonderful and amazing. By the time your reading this I will hopefully be halfway finished the second chapter where hopefully things start focusing on Lilith and her plans for Batman and Gotham and how she will grow throughout the story and what her future is. (Don't look at me though I still have no idea how I'm gonna end this hahaha I'm just as intrigued as y'all) So that's basically it. Here's chapter one I hope y'all enjoyed it. I don't find it the best chapter tbf so hopefully it gets more entertaining as it goes on. Sadly I can't promise consistent updates so please bare with me nor have a schedule for this, I apologize. Thank y'all once again and see you next time!