This DCverse is Maddening

It wasn’t uncommon for people to equate Gotham to a jungle. With the old buildings and infrastructure being the environment itself and the average citizens acting as it’s critters to keep everything going smoothly. Of course in any ecosystem, there were predators. But unlike the delicate balance nature had in mind, these were invasive.

Creatures who only knew how to consume, never adding back to their environment. Only more suffering and further fuel for new predators to rise up from the ashes.

Who would keep those invasive predators in check? The police were suppose to be like the city’s antibodies in order to keep citizens safe but even they were corrupted by this endless hedonistic desire to consume. And to have that desire be known by the very people they swore to protect, it was accurate to say they had long lost the trust of the people.

Sure they were always the good eggs. People just trying their best to do the right thing in this accursed city, but what could the few do against this infection that clung tightly to the roots?

Try their best before getting either killed or burned. That’s all…

At least that was true for the average person.

“When do you think this lockdown is gonna be over?”

A burly man asked, his breath expelling fog as he spoke.

“I don’t know.” Another man replied, his skinny frame looking ridiculous in a coat two-to-three sizes too large,” I hope it’s soon though. I’m tired of this shit.”

“Will the two of you shut up?” Another snapped before sneezing off to the side,” I’m sick and tired of hearing you two complain all the goddamned time! If I wanted to hear all that fucking nagging then I would go back and listen to my girlfriend bitch at me!”

“You probably should be there if that’s the case!” A gruff female voice guffawed,” You might find her gone soon!”

“What?!” He shot up to his feet, nose slightly running,” What are you talking about?!”

“If all she’s doing is bitching and whining,” She drawled, sending a smug look around the huddled group,” Then that certainly doesn’t bode well for your relationship. Maybe talk to her before she talks to someone else and leaves your ass.”

“Who would even wanted her?!” He nastily snorted,” She can’t cook or suck dick! And she’s been getting fat lately too!”

“I’ll go for her!” The woman said simply,” She’s a total fucking fox! I don’t mind a little meat here and there!”

She got a few nods of agreements from her surrounding companions, which only seem to rile up the man further. His face reddened further and it had nothing to do with the cold that was close in his future.

“You bitch!” He hopped up to his feet,” I outta-”

“Quiet.” A soft male voice demanded, instantly dousing the excitement like a bucket of cold water on a kindling flame. They straightened up as one and tried to pretend like they weren’t about to throw down. Things had been tense everywhere after the prison break. They had been cooped up inside all day under fear of being arrested and combine that with the food situation, nerves were running thin.

“Where did Tom go?”

The same man asked, his clothing looking distinctly different from the mismatched scraps the others were wearing. Where as they just looked like normal everyday people, he had a completely different air about him. A bright green turtleneck stretched across his well muscled frame and dark purple pants. Which anywhere else would only get him weird looks and make anyone within sight question his fashion sense. One had to be a specific person to pull off that color combination. It wouldn’t have been strange for him to be targeted for his strange color choices, if not for the iconic marking over his heart.

A single question mark.

“He went to the bathroom.”

The sickly looking man replied after a beat of silence. They couldn’t help themselves, no one wanted to anger the man. They were in this line of work because there weren’t a lot of other options for them at the time, him? Those cold black eyes hidden behind a domino mask were all they needed to know he actively sought this kind of life and relished in it. The way he stood was like some kind of bird of prey ready to pounce as he seemed to loom over the thoroughly cowed group.

“How long ago?”

He demanded, voice clip.

“Like ten-twenty minutes ago?”

The woman replied, eyes downcast in hopes of not attracting those inky pools that were devoid of any sense of humanity.

“Idiots!” The man cursed,” He’s already he-”

That was all he got out before the lightly lit room was shot into pitch darkness. It was thick, almost tangible in fact. Like they were plunged into dark waters, the fear of being watched and stalked prickled at that lizard part of their brains.

“What the fuck?!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Who turned off the lights?!”
“Shut up!” The goon roared, breathe slightly heavy as he slung his weapon back in place. A heavy bit of machinery that sunk comfortably in his hands. With a flick, a beam of light came out and illuminated the frazzled faces of the miscreants his boss had found prudent to hire. He didn’t hold back his sneer of disgust as those terrified faces were highlighted under this harsh light. They had been boasting like crazy for the last couple of days and if this was how they reacted to, then maybe it was a mistake to take them on.

Tossing them to the back of his mind, he turned his beam of light towards the most likely location ‘that’ man liked to hide. He scanned the rafters, windows and corners as the group whispered obscenities to one another. Their own guns out and waving around wildly.

But no matter where he looked, nothing appeared. No sudden movement nor any kind of bat clad man that clung endlessly to his nightmares. He knew that despite not seeing the man and his sidekick, that didn’t mean they weren’t close-by. And judging from the cries of both pain and surprise he heard over his radio, they were much closer than he wanted.

He paused for a moment before scanning back over a certain area. Empty. The old wooden frame seem to mock his paranoid mind. Poke fun at his life choices. But even then, he didn’t release a breathe of relief. And just tried to take in the dark environment. Drowning out the chatter from both his ears and crackling radio.

Feeling his rapidly beating heart. His heavy breathing. How the cold night air prickled at his exposed skin. How the chilly metal seemed to burn at his fingers. Muscles tensing in readiness.

Gripping the gun tightly, he suddenly spun aiming at a particular area before opening fire without a care in the world.

All hell broke loose.

Cries of surprise left the group of outcasts as they dove to the ground, probably believing the man had gone mad. The cold concrete probably felt a lot safer than whatever was going on with the goon. They felt like that they really shouldn’t have taken on this job.

Movement shot from multiple different directions as the darkness closed in on the man. He kept his machine gun going as he spray the area and moved in seemingly random patterns. A flicker of black here, a blur of red there.

His foes were elusive, acting more like fish that just barely kept out of sight of his tunnel of death. They ducked and dodged, danced effortlessly out of the way as they used the environment as well as any normal human walked. Their figures just barely out of sight, almost taunting him as he sprayed down bullets like his life depended on it. But with no affect.

They were like predators that stalked and prowled around their prey. Playing with their food in a way. Sweat pooled down his face as he shot around wildly, heart thumping in tandem with the sporadic kickback, his cold fingers warmed up quickly under the plooms of heat.

While it seemed like he was holding off his assailants, everyone knew that he couldn’t keep this pace up for long. There was sadly no infinite magazine in this world.

“Get up!”

He barked at his cowering ‘comrades’, already mentally tallying how much ammo was left. If they could keep up the fire while he reloads then maybe, just maybe this showdown would end in a different way.

“Stop shooting!”

The burly man hollered over the roar of destruction, still not getting up from his low position. A smart choice given how erratic the lunatic was shooting, given his own large frame he would be filled full of holes in the blink of an eye. This was just suppose to be another job, not something worth throwing his life away over.

“Shoot from there then!”

He ordered while mentally preparing to reach of the spare magazine. The group scrambled and took out their guns before shooting around wildly just like the man himself. Cursing slightly about amateurs, he pulled his sweaty finger away from the trigger and pulled out a spare. Despite his nerves, he expertly unloaded the warm machinery before sliding the device in smoothly. It only took a few seconds, easily breaking his previous records. Something that he would’ve been proud to brag about later.

But from the lack of fire, it was already too late. He wasn’t sure when, but those thugs had suddenly stopped firing in unison. Waving his flashlight, he found they were long gone without a sound. Everything was still. Even his radio had gone silent.

Breathing heavily, the goon tried and failed to see anything besides the after effects of his wild shooting that left bullet holes everywhere in this dingy abandoned warehouse. The light smog of dust only further made if more difficult to see through his beam of light. Heart beating loudly in his ears, he suddenly felt hot. Like he was wearing too many clothes in the middle of summer. But no matter how much he wanted to just strip out of this heavy green turtleneck, he didn’t dare to obstruct his eyes for even a second.

“Come out!!”

He roared out into the darkness like a human demanding answers from a creature so unimaginable that mere idea of understanding would only shatter, only silence answered. The sudden noise of something incredibly landing with an audible thump entered his ears and instantly, he spun to face whatever it might be.

Only for his heart to stop, lungs to seize up and stomach to fall out from beneath him.

There standing in full view of his light, a monster stood. Tall and heavily muscled, even easily looming above him. Clad in black armor that reflected his oh so pitiful safety net. It’s ebony cape billowed out from behind like wings and to top it all off, that bat like cowl sealed his face.

Darkness licked at the creatures frame, seeming like a lover tht desperately wanted to drag him back to bed.

No matter how many times he faced the illusory and nightmare inducing legend known as Batman, it did nothing to lessen his fear of the symbol. But even he could tell something was different about the creature.

It looked like it was going to war.

“Fuck you freaks!!!”

He roared, letting loose a barrage of bullets. Refusing to let the embodiment of fear hold him in its’ clutches like some kind of good little prey animal. He had expected the symbol to dodge out of the way and continue on with its usual way of fighting, like a feather in the breeze. But instead it only slowly walked closer to him, completely ignoring the pieces of metal that bounced ineffectually off it’s inky armor.

Those cold blue eyes of the reaper itself clutched at his very soul, acting as some kind of precursor for the fate to come. Dread filled him as the sudden click filled his ears. Empty.

The figure grew bigger and bigger in his eyes as it got closer, further looming over him like he was some kind of misbehaving child to an abusive parent. He could only tense in readiness as phantom pain made itself known.

The last thing he saw before his entire world was consumed by a giant fist was that damned bat symbol that sent a shiver of fear throughout the entirety of Gotham’s underworld.

***********************************************************************************

“We could’ve taken him!”

Robin grumbled as he watched his mentor expertly tied up the thoroughly knocked out man, it was like spending all day stalking a deer only to have a veteran hunter swoop in and take the kill. The teen and Batgirl had already taken out a majority of the people here, having only left this goon here as he had the most dangerous weapon at hand. And he had to admit, it was also because he wanted to impress his partner with an array of acrobatic flips and feats of physical might.

Then she decided to show off also and it somehow turned into a little game to see who would get caught by that beam of light first. So they had flipped and danced around the room as the man frenziedly shot into the room at their shadows. None of them were too worried about getting shot, maybe at the beginning of this they were a bit hesitant to trust this new armor but after multiple fights they still looked as good as new.

But even this little bit of fun was ruined when the large bat clad man caught them in the act and shut it down instantly.

“This isn’t the time to play.”

Batman grunted before tossing the man in the pile of groaning thugs off to the side. This was around the third bust that night and everyone’s nerves were running incredibly thin. Having to dodge out of the notice from the police possessing military grade arms and criminals alike was incredibly stressful to say the least. Add that with the fact that they were also locked up in that mansion during the day, it wasn’t strange that even his normally joking mood was beginning to show hairline cracks.

Anything was better than training to pass the time. Robin just missed television.

“Sorry.” Batgirl replied, her mouth down turned in a frown beneath that cowl,” It won’t happen again.”

She only got a grunt of acknowledgment before the man turned and stalked down the hall. His heavy foot steps echoing through the silent warehouse. The teen sent her a small reassuring smile before following behind the towering man.

It didn’t take long for them to pass by a multitude of heavily boarded up doors, those years of practice showing dividends as they scanned and cleared each room in case of a possible ambush. Especially given the man they had been hunting, it wouldn’t have surprise them if he had something up his sleeves.

But surprisingly, there wasn’t anything of note. Which only further tweaked at their fraying nerves. Robin just wanted to something to happen, anything. An ambush or trap, it didn’t matter. Anything was better than this level of uncertainty that gnawed at his senses.

He was so distracted that he almost bumped into that black cape that barely hovered above the floor. Peaking around him, he saw a rather strange sight.

Sitting in the middle of an empty room was a man that looked more like the personified version of a noodle. He wore a bright green three piece suit that did no favors for his incredibly skinny frame, with a shocking purple tie that had an iconic stylized question mark for the world to see. Glasses shined under the leaking moonlight, brown hair matted down neatly under a green bowler cap. Blue eyes looked at the trio with obvious amusement as he swung a golden cane leisurely from purple gloved fingers.

Frankly, take a way the odd color scheme and he would look like some kind of old school gentleman.

“In the dark of night, where villains roam,

Amongst the shadows, they their home.

With gadgets gleaming and capes unfurled,

They fight for justice in a chaotic world.

Who are they, these heroes bold,

Whose stories countless tales have told?

In Gotham’s streets, where darkness ends,

Hello, Batman, and his trusted friends. (Hello Batman and friends)”

“Riddler.” Batman growled and Robin could tell he was not in the mood to deal this the crazed man’s antics,” You’re going back in your cell.”

“True indeed,” He nodded, that smirk still present,” In shadows deep, I hear it said, "I shall not resist," with heavy dread. Back to that place, so dark and drear, Take me there, for I have no fear. (I shall not resist, go ahead and take me back to that dreary place).”

“What are you planning?” The Dark Knight asked wearily, signaling for the two to spread out around the room. And Robin was glad not to be in direct eye sight with the man. All of the villains here in Gotham were...just different. He had seen plenty of villains the other members of the League faces off on a regular bases. And no matter how weird or murderous they might be, they didn’t hold up too well against any of the Rogue Gallery.

Like this man with an awful sense of fashion. Despite his rather wacky looks, he was a genius rivaling that of his mentor. It was just too bad he was also bat shit insane. For some unknown mental reason, the man refused to talk in a straight forward and instead spoke only in riddles. With how much the teen struggled with riddles in schools, that showed him exactly how crazy the man truly was.

(A/N: Same, I have no idea how to write in riddles and had to use Chatgpt. I’ll provide translations along side them)

But despite how goofy the man acted and looked, he possessed a simply devious mind that could turn anything and everything into dangerous traps. Robin had found himself in a many of sticky situations and narrowly escaping with burns by the skin of his teeth. The bird themed sidekick would never underestimate this foe.

“In whispers low, a voice confides,

"I won't spoil the surprise," it decides.

Errands done, in haste and well,

Back to the cell, where shadows dwell.

Through corridors, silent and still,

Back to solitude, against my will.

In the padded cell, my fate resigned,

But the mystery lingers, in my mind. (I don’t wish to spoil the surprise)!”

He grinned wider, seeming to split his face in twain.

“What did you do?”

Batman demanded, risking it all and taking a single step forward. And to the teen’s great shock, nothing happened. No mine went off nor was any trip-line triggered. Just an armored boot stomping into the concrete below. That only made his nerves fray further and it took every once of sense control not to just expand his staff out and beat the smug man into unconsciousness.

"I'm kept secret, a joy to arise,

Whispers of wonder, beneath disguise.

Unveiled at last, to your delight,

A treasure unseen, hidden from sight.

(I told you already, it’s a surprise!)”

Riddler scolded like the imposing man was some kind of misbehaving smile. But honestly, Robin was completely lost. Hell he was still stuck on the first riddle the nutcase had spewed out and after looking over at his partner, she too might just as lost as him. How the master of broader could so easily keep up with this nonsense was beyond him.

“Hands out then.”

The Dark Knight barked, annoyance evident. It seems even he was growing weary of this conversation.

At his words, Riddler held out gloved hands mockingly. That stupid, self satisfied grin still on his face. The towering man stepped forward without a care in the world, every step more like a rampaging elephant as he tried to trigger whatever hidden trick the villain had set up. The pair circled the two predators like hyenas, ready for any slip up to pounce. If there truly was some kinda of trap laying in wait then they would be all over the trickster like bees on honey.

But despite their caution, it was for naught as Batman whipped out a pair of cuffs and slapped them on the spindly man who didn’t resist in the slightest.

"Patience, my friend, a virtue prized,

Your composure, commendably sized.

A clue I offer, a generous tease,

Where Clayface lurks, among what seas?

(I applaud your restraint and as a reward I will gift you with a hint on where you can find Clayface.)”

He only received the classic scowl in answer to his rather backhanded comment. Even while cuffed and surrounded by multiple foes that could kick his ass from here to next Tuesday, he still couldn’t help himself.

“Within the shadows, near the stage's sway,

Where thespians once held grand display.

In Old Gotham's heart, where art meets lore,

Clayface hides, yearning for more.

(Clayface is somewhere near the Old Gotham Theater of the Arts.)”

Still scowling, the caped crusader grabbed the man before dragging him out of the room. His sidekicks quick in tow, like ducklings to their mother. All the while, the two sent the other a puzzled look but knowing their temporary company didn’t dare speak out. No reason to give out more information to the weirdly dressed man.

Their journey didn’t last long as Batman unceremoniously dropped Riddler on top of the pile of thoroughly beaten thugs.

“Don’t move.”

He ordered and judging from the nods of agreement, none of those coherent were willing to piss of the man further. And with that, the trio left the abandoned warehouse as the sound of sirens slowly closed in on them. Hell, Robin could even see the flashing red and blue lights far off in the distance converge on their current location.

“I don’t like it.” Batman growled before anyone could let out a quippy remark,” This isn’t his forte. Too little guards, obvious breadcrumbs for us to follow and surrendering without a fight? No. There has to be more.”

“Maybe we stopped his burgeoning plans?”

Robin asked hopefully, but already knew that couldn’t have been the case. If that man didn’t want to be found, then it would’ve taken more than a few days to track him down. But hey, it wasn’t a sin to hope.

“I wish.” Batgirl replied,” It was too easy. I expected some traps or even the possibility of that being some kind of body double. But nope. That was him alright. Just as narcissistic as normal.”

“It’s not like we can just drop everything either.” He sighed,” Whatever it is, it’ll probably have to wait until after we fix this prison break.”

“That’s why I don’t like it.” Batman grumbled, servo motors whirling under his mounting frustration,” It’ll give him the one thing he needs, time.”

“We don’t have a choice.” She hissed,” This has to come first. The faster we can get those escapees back, the quicker the city can go back to it's own version of normal.”