Arkham Asylum

Plans.

They were humanity's greatest tool.

Steps were taken to ensure the desired outcome came to fruition. Time and time again, with careful planning and tactical manoeuvres, humanity had overcome the greatest predators in the world, eventually becoming the top of the food chain.

Despite their weaknesses, humanity was able to come together and come up with a plan that allowed them to succeed where individually they would have failed.

Jacob was no different.

His body was weak and feeble, but his mind was powerful and strong. He took in everything around, considered every variable and came up with plans to handle them. His plans had plans, his backups had backups. He went in armed to the teeth with solutions to every possible problem.

Some ensured victory, others ensured survival, and others avoided defeat.

Not every plan was perfect.

Not every plan ensured victory.

But the outcome was always continued survival. He was never the type to recklessly risk his life, to bet everything on that slim chance of victory. Jacob didn't believe in such things, and didn't possess something as foolish and stupid as pride. He was more than willing to debase himself in order to survive so that he could come back stronger.

It was something people didn't understand, couldn't comprehend, but that was why he would succeed where they failed. He was destined for greatness because there wasn't a line he wouldn't cross, not an act he wouldn't commit if it got him that much closer to his end goal.

His mind was more powerful than any weapon and his plans, the bullets he fired. They were unavoidable, inescapable and that was why he would never fail.

Even the losses he suffered recently due to the incompetency and betrayal of those in power were nothing more than minor speed bumps. They would not stop him from succeeding, he had already planned and prepared for such things. They weren't unforeseen actions that caught him off guard, but predictable and expected.

It was why he was coming to Arkham.

Not only to deal with the thorn in his side but to also put the next step of his plans in motion. Jacob had never entered the criminal underworld of Gotham with the intention of staying there.

No, it was simply the quickest and easiest way to gain power and influence in Gotham. Those were two essential things needed to be able to do anything meaningful in this city, people just didn't like to acknowledge that fact. Look at the most powerful people in this town, all but a small select few had connections or ties to some of the dangerous crime lords in Gotham.

They were puppets, dancing to the tune of their masters. The criminal underworld of Gotham was but the beginning of his plans, a starting point that would enable him to go further.

'Though from my time in it, I have begun to understand just how corrupt the one government and the one percent are.' Jacob thought to himself.

His original plan was to build a power base in the underworld, then move away from it entirely once he had got what he needed from it. Keeping ties to the criminal element of Gotham would simply provide too much extra baggage to keep track of. However, during his time amongst the squaller and criminals, Jacob understood some very important things.

The government of Gotham was run by criminals. Their campaigns were backed by the rich one percent who to many in the city, were the true powers of Gotham. Yet, the one percent actually belonged to another group, their houses and lands being rented out to the criminals as extensions of their territories, all in return for cash flowing into their pockets.

The one percent owned the government.

The criminals owned the one percent.

As a result, the criminals ran Gotham like it was their own little playground.

It was something that he had possessed a minor understanding of before truly stepping into the underworld. One that grew when he became an accountant for Black Mask, then truly understood when he became Black Mask.

If he wanted to really make his future plans as effective and secure as possible, his original intentions of leaving the Gotham underworld behind had to be changed. He needed to not only keep his foothold there but expand it even further.

By doing that, his grip on Gotham would become iron tight, there would be nothing out of reach in this town. Every door that could have stood in his way would now be open to him. Those that would have looked down upon him would then be on their knees in an attempt to curry favour with him.

To do that, he needed to expand and Jacob had no problems with that. The problem other crime lords faced was that they were too set in their ways, trying to gain something and sacrificing nothing. They had become so certain that making overt moves for expansion would result in their ruin.

So instead, they had focused purely on securing their borders and avoiding all-out wars. Not only out of fear of retaliation from the others, but also from the Batman.

However, all one needed to do was be smart and have some balls to make a move. Roman Sionis was an intelligent man, one that Jacob could acknowledge would have proved a serious threat had he not been taken care of when he had. It was why Jacob had chosen him to be his first target, he was the only one with the smarts and the balls to make a move for Gotham.

Each time he succeeded.

Roman had ruled Gotham's underworld in a way no one else had ever been able to do before.

All because he had taken a calculated risk.

Not a reckless one.

Jacob intended to do the same.

Those that were reckless had the potential for early success, but would ultimately meet an early demise. Those that were calculated were to ensure longevity. As for everyone else, they were cowards, too afraid to rock the boat.

"Right, all of you stand up!" The guard shouted as the bus came to a stop, all the prisoners inside rising to their feet. "Welcome to your new homes."

As they were herded off the bus, the chains wrapped around their legs and wrists, connected to one another clinked loudly. All of them moved awkwardly off the boat and looked up on to the imposing sight of Arkham Asylum.

Though his intentions were to keep expanding, to eliminate the risk as much as possible, Jacob knew he had to clean up the mess in his home. However, he had not come here without moving the pieces into place already.

Now all he had to do was wait for his opponent to make the first move. But whatever move he made, it would be checkmate soon enough.

Their playing fields were not equal and they were playing very different games.

All he had to do was wait.

'Though in the meantime, I suppose I could set the board for another game.' Playing multiple games at once was a lot to do, but it was by no means difficult. One just simply had to be good enough to play the game and it became as simple as child's play. 'Now just to wait for the flying rat and the shark to make their next moves. I wonder which one will be the most predictable.'