I Am The Law [Invited]

[Batman]

Players: Jason Todd, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter
Location(s): Arkham Asylum
Plot Summary: After a mysterious group of cultists have broken into Arkham Asylum and released its prisoners a few of the more influential inmates have decided to hold a court preceding for those who have robbed them of their freedom. The JLA [and that wacky kid Jason Todd] set out to stop them!

What used to be the mess hall of Arkham Asylum had been turned into a massive courthouse. All the entrances and exists were blocked by ugly and twisted vines that occasionally shifted to allow the former prisoners and security guards inside Arkham. Moss covered the lights in the mess hall and cast an eerie green glow over the massive room. Hundreds of people were crammed around the room and in the center was a single chair. Whoever sat there was chained to it with thistles and knotted grass. A massive throne built by a jumbled mass of books, chairs and flora was elevated high above the other people in the room. In front of the throne were two holes. One led to death and the other led to exile. Currently the security guard known as Lyle Bolton AKA Lock-Up was struggling against his bonds.

“Mr. Bolton!” Jonathan Crane adjusted his glasses as he peered over a stack of books at the large man. The security guard continued to struggle in vain. His face was red from exertion and his eyes were totally focused on the green bonds that prevented him from moving. “Dr. Woodrue, please restrain him.” Jonathan Crane said calmly as Bolton somehow managed to tear a bloody hand loose from the thistles. The bailiff stalked towards Lock-Up and touched his chair. Lyle let out a roar of pain as his body was wrapped tighter in even more thistles. The man soon found that he was unable to move at all. The crowd jeered and laughed in response.

“Mr. Bolton. You are charged with aggravated assault and unfair treatment of your patients. Arkham Asylum is not a prison. It is not a place where you physically assault those who need help. You are hereby guilty of the charges I have presented for you. What do you choose? Execution or Exile?” Lyle Bolton twitched weakly. Any move he made could result in him tearing his skin on the thistles he was trapped in. Still a part of him felt rebellious. “You think I give a sh*t what you sick bastards think? I’ll beat every single one o’ you to the ground and I’ll do it again!” A rock sailed through the air and crashed against Lyle Bolton’s head. The man sank in his chair; unconscious. Jonathan Crane idly scanned the crowd to find the source of the man who had thrown the weapon but was unable to find him.

“Very well. Exile. He does not belong in this city!” Jonathan Crane slammed his gavel down and Bane stepped out of the crowd. The massive man crossed the room and grasped Lyle by the shoulder. With one impressive tug he ripped the man free from his bonds and tossed him over his shoulder. With that he turned and walked out the room as the crowd’s jeers followed him. Jonathan Crane nodded in approval before he turned and scanned the list yet again. “Aaron Cash! Please step forward!” Bane soon returned holding Aaron Cash firmly by the elbow. The man was struggling but Bane squeezed his arm until a “crunch” was heard amongst those close to the pair. Aaron Cash sagged in Bane’s grip and Bane was able to slam the man down into the chair. Not long afterwards thistles wrapped around his wrists and ankles; keeping him in place.

“Aaron Cash? You are guilty of aggravated assault, attempted murder and sexual harassment. How do you plead?”

[Red Hood]

Maniacs had come to Gotham City this fall. And not your usual garden variety maniacs. Well, actually that wasn't true. Gotham had seen her fair share of cults but these guys weren't home grown and they most certainly weren't welcome! They made some sort of point of going after Batman, something about gods and blah blah blah. Jason actually wasn't interested in hearing in, all he knew was these guys weren't the usual customers and they were throwing the Gotham balance out of whack. Arkham Aslyum was probably the best example of that. The asylum was a dark and twisted place, its history even darker and more twisted than the numerous corridors which lead to the cells of the most insane Gotham had to offer.

As a child Jason had feared the asylum, now he just plain old hated the place - and everything it represented. Jason didn't hate Arkham because of how it treated it patients, or because of its sick doctors who were often unethical. He didn't give a shit about the place's bureaucratic problems or its dirty little secrets. Jason hated the place because of its revolving door and status as a safe haven for the most dangerous criminals that'd ever walked a Gotham street. The place needed to be shut down, that or be loaded with hundreds of electric chairs. An Arkham Execution house would be much more fitting for Gotham.

However, today the asylum appeared to be renovated into a makeshift courthouse, ran by the inmates themselves. Sneaking in through the roof access Jason navigated through the asylum silently and virtually invisible. He had come because during all of the mayhem with the cultists news had been revealed that the cult barged into Arkham and released all the prisoners. While many of the mad men and women locked in the asylum had taken to the streets to cause chaos, others had stayed behind and decided to run the asylum themselves. As much as Jason hated Arkham and viewed it as a failed system he knew that it was also a symbol to the people of Gotham. They were given some degree of comfort whenever one of the resident lunatics were thrown into the place, no matter how short of a stay it was. This meant that control of Arkham needed to return to the forces and those inmates needed to be thrown back into their cages.

[Batman]

Gotham City was a place that Supergirl tended to avoid despite the fact that it was home to some of her closest friends. Bruce was basically her adopted father while his protégés were people that Kara had come to depend on. The reliability of her allies in Gotham and the stoic presence of Bruce was something that had become a requirement for surviving in Gotham City. While Kara was confident that she had what it took to defend Metropolis City she had always wondered if she could survive Gotham City’s inherent darkness. She hadn’t spent much time in Gotham City and she had already witnessed things you’d never see in Metropolis. Yet Supergirl was a member of the Justice League and she could not allow these things to faze her. She was better than this.

Their mission was simple. J’onn J’onnz and Kara Zor-El had been tasked with returning Arkham Asylum back into the hands of the government. The cultists had been able to overwhelm the guards and psychiatric staff through trickery and surprise. Yet even though many of the security guards had been tried and some killed many were still alive. All they needed was the opportunity to break free. While J’onn was responsible for helping break the prisoners Supergirl was going to have remove Scarecrow from his high pedestal. Literally and figuratively. She was currently one of the most powerful people in Gotham City which gave her the ability to ward off the currently released Gotham Rogues in the room. She anticipated having some trouble but she was confident she could take down the most dangerous villains in the room while J’onn freed the prisoners.

The trick was her managing to take them out before they were able to kill anymore hostages. She was confident that she could handle it. Unfortunately someone who looked like Supergirl couldn’t exactly pass as Arkham Asylum material. As a result she was wearing a synth-skin mask that made her look like an evil witch from a fairy tale. Supergirl had called on her own rudimentary acting skills to walk with a limp and she had been spending the last several minutes navigating her way towards the front. Some men had been killed on the spot but most of them had been tossed in a holding cell near the therapy chambers. J’onn would handle that room as well. All Supergirl needed to do was make sure people like Bane or Man-Bat wouldn’t cause any unnecessary trouble.

If she incited a riot amongst the prisoners than maybe J’onn would be able to help the men escape without anyone noticing. Ironically Scarecrow had the crowd under his control. He had whipped them into such frenzy over being able to murder their former tormentors that most of them remained in the room. Occasionally someone would wander off but they always came back. Supergirl finally made her way to the front of the crowd and found her way blocked by a massive man towering at 6’3. He was fat, sweaty and aggressive but Supergirl still had a subtle way to take him down. She reached out and touched a nerve cluster right above his waist. The man grunted and fell forward but no one noticed. She made her way to the front just as Aaron Cash was sentenced with death.

As Bane came forward to collect the man she decided now was as good a time to give J’onn the distraction he needed. Supergirl ripped off her mask with one fluid movement and stood straight. She then soared across the crowded cafeteria and landed one solid blow to Bane’s chest. The man soared across the room and crashed into a wall before slumping in the ground. “I’d just lace my fingers over my head and give up if I were you.” Supergirl said as she stood in front of Aaron Cash and eyed the hundreds of prisoners. Of course they didn’t listen. They never listened. Next thing Supergirl knew demons and ghouls and monsters were crashing down on her and she was feeling an anxiety she never understood. While she felt a fear she didn’t understand possess her mind she fought back. She wasn’t going to let childish nightmares prevent her from doing her job.

[jonn]

The place had an air about it that bothered Jonn in a way that was unlike any other. It was not that he was afraid of the place it just made him uneasy. That was probably the best way that anyone could put it. Jonn approached Arkham Asylum and looked at it as a whole before setting his sights on his goal. Jonn then began his ascent. The basic plan had been for them to surprise the guards that were there and then use that surprise to overwhelm them quickly before they could really use the defenses that they had. One of the advantages of being the attacker was you got to choose when and where to fight. A location is not something that moves or really changes and thus give the attacker many different options on what they want to do.

Jonn circled and looked at the targets that he was choosing ever so carefully. He needed an approach that would surprise these guards and be in position to release the other guards to even the odds. The tricky part here was making sure the guards did not alert the others around them that something was going on. The entire plan depended on stealth and quick action. If they wanted to brute force this it would have to take a much different approach. Because in this situation Jonn could easily find himself in a fight for his life if there were too many people alerted.

Plotting his course of action Jonn finalized his ideas and quickly took action. Dropping low Jonn struck two guards by one of the doors by the prisoners. They fell silently on the ground and Jonn started looking for a way to release the prisoners from there spot. Motioning for them to be silent Jonn waited for the moment that Supergirl created a mass disturbance. He was not really sure just what it was that she was going to do but it needed to be a big distraction so that he could get these men to safety in the middle of the fray.

[Batman]

It was only a matter of time before the heroes showed up to end Scarecrow’s fun. At least that’s what they thought they’d be doing. Scarecrow had been in the game long enough to know when someone was trying to ruin his day. At this point in his career he knew how to change a potential buzzkill into a battle for the ages. There was no way he was going to let a teenager end his reign on Gotham City. Unknown to her and a majority of the prisoners the impromptu courtroom was rigged with fear gas. Gas that would drive everyone in here insane if they didn’t have preventive measures to protect themselves from the gas. As Supergirl made her presence clear Scarecrow stood to his feet. “Court is adjourned!” He shrieked.

He raised his gavel and slammed it down on a button directly to his right. Almost immediately a dozen balloons around the court room exploded and gas expanded everywhere. Colorless and odorless gas rapidly expanded through the room. As it did Scarecrow watched as Bane discreetly adjusted his mask. Floronic Man’s natural physiology prevented him from being affected from the gas. The man was more plant than human. The rest of the prisoners in the court room began to riot and instead of attack each other turned against Supergirl. Scarecrow had engineered the gas so that the members wouldn’t turn against each other. Instead they’d turn against the most foreign person in the room and who was more foreign than Supergirl? Scarecrow wasn’t foolish enough to believe that they could take down Supergirl but she also didn’t kill or seriously maim her opponents. Which meant they had a better chance of distracting her. During the riot Aaron Cash managed to escape but that wasn’t what Scarecrow was worried about.

If Supergirl was here than there was someone else who was trying to release the prisoners. This was how the Justice League. This was how they always worked. As Scarecrow stepped off of his throne and began to stride towards the exit Bane and Floronic Man flanked him. “I saw one of Batman’s protégés wandering around the crowd. The Red Hood is here.” Bane reported as they pushed their way through to the exit. Scarecrow paused for a moment. That did not bode well. Supergirl he could handle. Yet someone like Red Hood who knew all of his tricks and wasn’t afraid to put a bullet in his skull? “Handle him.” was all Scarecrow said. “Professor Woodrue, come with me.” Floronic Man nodded. “It will be my honor.” Bane confirmed Scarecrow’s order before he began to push his way through the crowd towards Red Hood.

Floronic Man and Scarecrow soon found themselves in the cell block where the various guards and psychiatrists were being held. “Come out wherever you are!” Scarecrow taunted in a quiet yet commanding voice. He had enough fear toxin to kill a man if he wanted to. He was certain he could handle whatever B-List vigilante the JLA had sent along with Supergirl. Floronic Man turned and covered the entrance of the cell block with thick green vines. This hero was now trapped inside the narrow cell block with the two most dangerous professors on this side of Gotham City. As they continued to walk down the narrow hall they passed their prisoners who were cowering in their cells; reliving their worst fears from Scarecrow’s latest dose of fear toxin.

[Red Hood]

Mr. Zsasz was the first to discover him. The man was a formidable opponent, when in a dark alley and he had the jump on you. Zsasz could hold his own in a fight but his most dangerous qualities were his will and knife skills; neither of which Jason was particularly fearful of. "I will make it all better." The man said in a low growl as he moved toward Jason hunched over and waving his knife. Red Hood took note of the new, still bleeding, cuts in Zsasz's flesh; he'd gotten more kills tonight. "I'm not a zombie." "Sshh," Zsasz quieted Jason with a finger pressed to his own lips. "Let me kill you now."

With that the insane man lunged at Jason, a quick sidestep saw Zsasz's bloodstained knife cutting through the fabric of Jason's jacket. Quickly Jason locked the inmate's hand there under his arm and his his other to drive a number of punches in Zsasz's face repeatedly. When the Red Hood released him Zsasz simply stumbled backward, still up on his feet. Blood trickled down the scarred inmate's chin and he licked it with a grin. Zsasz leaped and lashed out with a kick at Jason's face, he blocked with his forearm and quickly jumped back to create some distance. Zsasz closed the distance immediately, throwing a flurry of punches and jabs with his knife. A few punches struck Jason's chest and his mask and the knife impacted Jason's armor a few more times than he'd have liked.

Now that Zsasz was so close though, Jason was able to wrap his hands around the man's throat and slam his hood into Zsasz's bleeding face. The Arkham inmate stumbled once again and in a flash his knife was in the Red Hood's possession. "My knife! KILL YOU!" Zsasz lunged again, his final time, and Jason plunged the man's own knife into his chest. Victor Zsasz gasped and collapsed into Jason's arms before getting dropped onto the floor. "Pray we get this Asylum back under control, that's the only way someone'll get here in time to save you."

Leaving the knife in Zsasz Jason sprinted off back into the shadows, moving closer to where he could now hear a sudden riot going on. However, before he could reach the party he found his path obstructed by a 6'8'' 350 pound obstacle. "Huh. Didn't know you were currently in Arkham."

[Batman]

Bane stalked through the crowd and as he did so he ran into his fair share of foolish prisoners who believed they could stop him. It was a belief they would not have if they were not under the affect of Scarecrow's fear toxin. Bane silently cursed the man. It had not been his intention to run into this type of trouble. His reasons for being in Arkham Asylum were dubious at best. The Suicide Squad had decided that Bane's services could best be used spying on an inmate in Arkham Asylum who had the ability to turn into a living atomic bomb. Currently the man was under treatment that would allow him to repress his powers but Amanda Waller had believed that there people who would try to trigger his powers all over again. When the riot had occured Bane had aligned himself to Scarecrow to try and gain information about what had happened and find the living atomic bomb.

It turned out that Scarecrow was as clueless as Bane was and Bane had come to believe that the riot was not related to their atomic man. Yet the fact remained that the city was still in danger. It was just on two fronts instead of one. He had decided to confront Red Hood. Not because he wanted to beat the man [he knew he could] but instead because he needed to team up with him. Red Hood was not the most rational member of the Bat-Family but he was certain the man did not want the city to suffer from a nuclear attack. Bane's standing amongst the Bat-Familyw as dubious but they knew he was not evil. He was hoping that his reputation would allow them to end this conflict quickly. "If you believe that I am in this hellish Asylum due to my mental state then you are not as intelligent as Bruce led me to believe." Bane sneered. He wasn't particuarly fond of Bruce Wayne or his children. He respected them well enough but he had no reason to like them.

Yet they protected this city and that was admirable within itself.

Bane then unleashed a flurry of powerful moves aimed at Red Hood's face, neck and chest. Yet they were predictable, slow and significantly weaker than his usual attacks. It was all for appearances. Bane was careful to keep his guard up because he knew that Red Hood always went for the kill. That had been clear enough with Zsaz. "This city is always on the brink of war and destruction. Your reasons for defending it are beyond me." One of the men attempted to grab Bane from behind and Bane stopped for a split moment to grab the man by the scruff of his neck. He then tossed him at Jason in an attempt to distract him from Bane's own offense. "I am not here because I support Scarecrow. I am here because there is a man who can destroy this entire city regardless of the Russian's presence here. I need you to help me stop him." With that Bane tackled Jason around the waist and attempted to push him out of the cafeteria. Once they both fell outside of the hall Bane stood up and quickly closed the two massive doors and locked them.

"He is not in the cafeteria. He is likely in the restricted sections of the Asylum. Can you help me?"

(Apologies for the god-moding, let me know if that needs to be changed)