Fandom Batman: Gotham's Protector

At the moment when Doctor Crane heard his cell door begin to creak, he'd been in a middle of a less-than-engaging chapter of Sapiens: A History of Humankind. While the book had made a truly valiant effort to involve the importance of fear in evolution and human history, it wasn't nearly so subtle in reality. Not helping was the triteness of the writing that would only have impressed a true novice. Besides, more interesting events were about to unfold, if Crane's time keeping was still to be trusted.

He placed the book down on his cell bed, and sat up. It would certainly be there for him to finish when he returned; almost no one else in this circus they called a mental hospital had picked up a book in their lives. Least of all the supposed psychiatric professionals. Crane got to his feet and approached the door, peering down to try and see what was happening within the lock. It was too dark to see with the naked eye, but Crane had an idea of what would happen. The growth process would be spe exponentially, and without the typical necessary elements, sunlight, water, soil. A most unusual phenomenon that Isley was able to induce. He would have liked to see a slower demonstration of the particular process that made the seeds grow so suddenly, perhaps even film it for later study. Seeing as Isley was less-than-likely to be amiable to that idea, however, Crane took his gift horse as it came.

The lock snapped open as the plant exploded from within. His salvation from something as simple as an apple seed. Crane knew that there had to be some poetry in that, but he'd rarely paid any mind to his required English classes.

Instead of stepping out immediately, however, Crane decided to bide his time. Surely enough, alarms began blaring not long after the lock broke, and a gaggle of guards stormed straight past his cell to get further into the asylum. Crane chuckled to himself. Interesting, the way they feared supposed "high security" patients over himself. It only proved how little control they all had on their fear, and how that distorted their judgment. Fools.

He waited patiently as minutes stretched on, until, at last, he heard telltale gunshots coming closer and closer. Only when he saw Dent with Ivy and - to Crane's dismay - Joker in tow, did he finally push his door open and join the fast-moving group.

"Good evening, all," he greeted. "I take it everything is going well?"

Elekta Kount DiscoQuinn Epiphany

Poison Ivy

Freedom!

The chaos of Arkham Asylum's hallways suited Ivy's temperament perfectly. These men, lording over her with their minuscule positions of power, frightened now that Gaia had proven She cannot be contained. Of course, even in the barren hallways of Gotham's most infamous rehabilitation facility, there was little to work with. They'd long since learned not to brighten the place with even a potted plant. But that didn't change her own essential physiology. And while Arkham possessed biohazard suits that limited her options further, none of these guards had the wherewithal to think of suiting up in them before trying to contain the madness.

When the first came at her, she simply sidestepped his charge and brushed one hand in a caress along his neck. Poison Ivy left him gargling on the floor, coughing continuously as his body fought the toxin she'd inflicted. The next seized her by the arms. So she spit in his face. Decidedly lacking in dignity but no less effective than her kisses were and she was free a second later as he lost the ability to stand. By the time Poison Ivy reached the main corridor where the Joker and Two-Face had gathered, she'd shed her prison uniform and once more manifested the foliage she used to accommodate human conceptions of modesty. Conceptions she'd long since grown past but, paradoxically, it was much easier to seduce men when barely clothed than when wearing no clothes at all.

Upon arriving, Poison Ivy gave Joker and Two-Face a cordial nod. "Harvey," she greeted the man with the next step in the escape plan. The Joker had already moved down the hallway and she saw no reason to pretend to politeness with that kind of insanity. "I see my part of the plan worked. Deadshot should already have opened us an escape route out. Is your part of this plan ready?"

She stiffened slightly at his threats. Her green eyes narrowed. Then the armed guards arrived, prompting a more immediate response. Joker had found a pistol somewhere and she felt satisfaction that the Clown Prince was useful, at least. Despite his threats, Poison Ivy opted to stick close to Two-Face and his shot gun. He provided the most immediate protection and he was her ride out of here. For her part, she watched his back. Guns were beneath her, of course. But what she lacked in range, she made up for in effectiveness whenever a guard came too close.

As the three cleared the next hallway, a cell door next to her opened to reveal the Scarecrow. "Doctor Crane," she said, tilting her head slightly in acknowledgement, remembering that he tended to prefer that address from his peers (as opposed to his victims). "Quite well, thank you. About as expected." Poison Ivy regally surveyed the carnage that Arkham's prisoners had left in their wake and gave a pleased nod. "To be honest, the level of service I've received at this establishment is beneath my standards and no longer satisfies me. I believe I'll take my business elsewhere. If you're looking for other accommodations as well, you might as well come with."

It wasn't exactly compassion that moved her to extend the offer. For one, Scarecrow was as insane as the Joker or Two-Face but he was at least capable of having a reasonable conversation that didn't end with his personalities arguing or insane, maniacal cackling. For another, he was one more body to put between herself and anyone who tried to stop them.

Instead, Poison Ivy pointed down the next corridor as the foursome cleared the rest of this hall. "There's the stairwell. Deadshot should be waiting for us at the bottom. Let's not keep him waiting."

Elekta Kount DiscoQuinn Hammy Literally Batman

D20
Gotham National Bank, April 24th, 23:57

Walking and being pushed around had woken D20 up a little bit.""My daddy said once 'If you don't make a choice, the choice makes you'" ¹, so I'll choose, and my choice is "I will not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" ² No Dice. Lock me up for all I care, I'm ^uh not selling out my subordinates so you can crumble an empire and arrest all my men. Besides, with me out of the picture for a bit, D12 would be more than happy to risk killing civilians to get you off his back. Somebody has to be there to keep D12 in check" D20 chuckles and looks up to a security camera in the corner of the room. "I love you guys, you're great, but can you, like, not? I feel like I'm walking on eggshells here." It was a lucky guess, but half the city away, D6-7 closed the program he was using, mildly surprised. Audio was off by default. He must've turned it on by accident.



¹ Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider
² Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, Skyrim

TekSoda

D12
Gotham National Bank, April 24th, 23:58

D12 was currently on a pay phone, with a D4. "Knowing Batman, that remark probably gave away your location. Now do you understand why I have you using a laptop on Starbucks' wi-fi?" The D4 responded, "Sir, what do we do about the laptop?" "Start the process of wiping it and then run like hell. Or hit it with any blunt objects on you, that would work as well." He then hung up the pay phone, immediately making a call on his VEM. "D8-A, are you there? Ah, good. Everything's working as intended so far. Everything's working as planned so far. Okay, I'm gonna need you to start Operation Bat Insurance and alert D8-B and D8-Γ in Blackgate that D20's there, but not to break her out. She played the part perfectly, but we can't afford the bat getting more suspicious than he already is. I'll be in contact soon. Adeiu."

And with that, D12 walked off into the night.

Poison Ivy

As Catwoman called up the Caped Crusader, Poison Ivy was the first to step out of Arkham Asylum's main doors. Long since shed of her inmate uniform, the redhead was back to wearing virtually nothing but a barely-there bikini made of leaves that...well, were probably grown out of her skin since the Asylum certainly didn't have any plants inside after the last time she'd weaponized them. In her wake come a pair of slightly glazed Arkham Security Guards, each packing an assault rifle, each watching Ivy's flanks in case of trouble. Knowing Poison Ivy, likely seduced by her pheromones delivered via a kiss.

Outcries and gunfire continued inside the looming facility as she walked briskly from the scene of battle. Down the street lay the unsecured gates to the Arkham propery entire, and across the street was parking. Gesturing to one of the guards, she snapped her fingers before lifting a palm up. Understanding at once, one guard fished in his pocket and produced a set of keys which he promptly put in her hand. Undeterred by the ongoing conflict and indifferent to the bodies Deadshot had left in his wake, Poison Ivy made for the exit, a waiting car beyond and then freedom.

Literally Batman
OOC: If Catwoman has any intention on stopping Poison Ivy (or even just conversing with her), she's entirely free to intercept Ivy at any point. While Ivy's on alert for ambush, she's hardly a match for Catwoman's ability to be sneaky after all. I'm also assuming a reasonably friendly relationship based on their mutual background, though I'm happy to change that up if you'd like to discuss further in the Discord (or the OOC thread or PMs, if anyone actually uses those).

Literally Batman TekSoda

Literally Batman Abendrot Elekta Kount DiscoQuinn olive.tree R Rizzy

When Dent didn't return his courtesy greeting, Crane merely rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure what else he expected. It wasn't important anyway. He followed the two of them to the exit of the Asylum wordlessly.

Ivy went first, of course. She would have the least trouble of all of them crossing, and Crane followed her at a safe distance. He was glad for the strength that surrounded him; without his chemicals, he was largely bidden to psychological tactics, or whatever weapons he had at his disposal. Fortunately, he saw no need to find any weapons just yet. All he had to do was fly be unthreatening and potentially useful to earn his ticket to fleeting freedom. He joined Ivy and the newcomer, Deadshot, after a moment.

"Hello," Crane greeted, again, with a courteous detachment. He glanced to the fly trap. "I see all went well."

Harvey came not long after, followed by a new gaggle of low-lifes, presumably from the low security sections of Arkham. Wonderful, more thoughtless minions who didn't so much as have the gift of loyalty, at the cost of precious timejok. Crane could only be glad that he didn't suffer from the crippling insanity and stupidity that Dent did.

Crane typically had to resist rolling his eyes when Dent spoke, but he didn't resist as Dent questioned the plant. A plant near Poison Ivy, for goodness sake. How a person could have so little ability to put two and two together baffled Crane.

"Use your brain, Harvey, more than one half at a time, please," he chided. "If the seeds in a lock can do so much damage, surely Pamela has some use for a full plant. A carnivorous plant, I may add."

Literally Batman Epiphany Elekta Kount

Poison Ivy

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The beautiful, nearly naked redhead came to a stop upon being addressed. Slowly, her head came around and she twisted slightly to look behind her. Green eyes narrowed at the sight of Deadshot before she finally turned all the way. Just when she was in the midst of a perfectly good escape! Arkham's other inmates had been useful getting her this far but they'd lagged behind, mostly to indulge their homicidal urges. A shame they were all utterly insane, as they'd proven to be otherwise highly resourceful. But dallying here would almost certainly draw the Rodent's attention and she had no wish to be apprehended by Batman again.

Then again, it was Deadshot and he'd made this escape possible. Besides which, she owed him money. Poison Ivy didn't much for, or about, money but she did care about keeping her word. A deal was a deal.

"A job very well done," Poison Ivy said, returning his greeting with an appreciative nod, even a small smile. "You played your part perfectly. You'll be well rewarded for this." When the man executed another guard, the redhead grimaced only because of the sudden unexpected noise of the mercenary's gun.

That grimace vanished immediately when he placed a Venus flytrap in her hands. A flytrap! She had a dozen in her favorite arboretum but they were otherwise difficult to transport and use in the field. The possibilities immediately made her feel better about her odds here. Smiling gratefully, she rubbed the Venus flytrap's head and the plant abruptly flowered in full, doubling in size, its 'head' now reaching up to nuzzle her affectionate fingertip. "I do," she said, turning that smile on the mercenary. "Very much so. Now, I think it's past time we-"

Elekta Kount
Two-Face's harsh shouting and liberal use of guns interrupted her train of thought and she sighed. At least the man had brought more help with him. Armed help too. Very nice. So when he moved to join them, her smile didn't slip even as she shifted her focus from the mercenary to the madman. "I am," she agreed, commenting on the compensation she'd offered Deadshot. When the scarred man growled at her plant, Poison Ivy simply chuckled and stroked the Venus flytrap's head, causing it to swell to nearly bursting from its pot. "A present for me. Something beautiful. And probably very useful, if we're not gone from here. Now."

Hammy
Crane's arrival merited a nod, though her patience grew short. When making an escape from Arkham Asylum, it didn't do to mingle outside like tourists lining up outside of an attraction. "All went well," Ivy echoed Crane's remarks, nodding agreeably. "I think it's time we left, don't you think, Doctor?"

Her eyes shifted to the road. If Two-Face had indeed arranged transportation, it should be here right about now. If not...well, there was always Arkham prison vans and she'd captivated two of the Asylum's guards so she had their cars for a more discreet exit as well.

Poison Ivy

Several of the key villains in Arkham had assembled outside the Asylum, having fought and slipped through the facility's numerous layers of security to once more taste the open air of freedom. Right on cue, a pair of vans sped around the corner and pulled up just outside the fence. Naturally, one was painted black with lurid flames painted around the wheels. The other was a rather elegant vehicle that looked like it transported local celebrities who wanted more space than a limo. Poison Ivy only sighed, and reminded herself to be at least a little relieved that the man with split personalities had actually arranged for two vehicles that, at least individually, wouldn't stand out too much. At least compared to what might have otherwise been a vehicle painted half white and half black, which would have been a glaring tip-off and a significant complication in their escape plan.

Poison Ivy briefly scrutinized the Asylum as several of the other escapees boarded the vans. No sign of the Rodent yet. But then, their escape was only minutes old and Deadshot had seen to it that no one would tip the facility's state too early. Of course, for all she knew, the Batman could show up at any minute bringing in yet another collar. It was time to go.

She turned to the white van, her eyes having drifted over Catwoman's concealed perch and yet having failed to see her. Climbing in, she blew a kiss at the two Asylum security guards she'd ensnared and whispered "If you love me, you'll tell Batman to switch his little car over to bio-diesel." Then, she sped away in the van along with any of the villains in the breakout who chose to go with her.

With one hand on the wheel, Poison Ivy's other stroked the chin of the Venus Flytrap as they sped away from the Asylum towards (possible) freedom. "I have a lovely arboretum with a dozen of your cousins just waiting for you at home," she cooed to the plant.
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Elekta Kount
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