10 Welcome to the Jungle

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works, if you recognise it from somewhere else, surprise it isn't mine.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old Man of the Mountain, TheDonFluffles, Malcolm Tent, Beans and Mike, God of Lore

The Guild of Gamers: The Nightmare

Chapter 09: Welcome to the Jungle

Sitting at my desk, I push the needle into my skin and hiss as my enhanced strength and regeneration fade. It's only a temporary measure as my prototype Wesker virus retreats into my heart. I can't risk any accidents causing me to bleed black blood, or take a chance of accidentally revealing my enhanced strength in this world of cardboard.

Making a suppressant wasn't difficult, I know exactly how my Wesker-Serum works, and Drug Tinker makes it trivial to make a counter-drug. It'll last eight hours, roughly. Plenty of time for Markus to do his forensic things and it should wear off in time for Legion to do his serial killer things.

Not that time is an issue anymore with my pocket dimension.

I have a fun plan to start my new career, which I set in motion last night. I always found the concept of serial killers investigating their own crimes entertaining, which is why I killed seventeen people last night in another random spree.

Big Blue has fucked off, for now at least. Star City sent the right kind of warning, and even better, Bats isn't even in Gotham because he's still up in Star City taking care of that entire shitshow. Turns out that releasing a zombie virus draws the local heroes' attention rather well- something to keep in mind.

Not that I'd like to repeat the same trick twice. I'm not fond of being predictable, though it could be interesting to release the virus again in a more populated place like China or India, with the same limitations so it can't spread indefinitely of course.

Now, step two of my plan comes in the form of the second syringe I have ready for me, my latest creation. That's a surprise tool that'll help me later.

I gained a new toy from my streams with Thea, one that'll be very useful in the coming days.

[The Fog]

You can create a thick fog that serves as a portal to your pocket dimension. Those who get lost in the fog will find themselves in your realm until you feel like letting them leave.

One step closer to becoming the Entity, this will make getting… volunteers for my games much easier in the long run.

So, I only have one piece I'm missing for my next game.

Mr Shiro, can Neo come out to play?

Are you aware that you're literally insane? I just looked into your mind to see these 'plans' of yours and you're planning on doing something for fun that not a single Guild member would do at gunpoint.

Psh, it'll be fine. So, can I borrow my favourite serial killer?

It's your funeral.

With a flash of light, Neo appears in front of me with a wave, sitting on my desk right in front of me. She's close enough that if I hadn't leaned back, my face would have been pushed between her breasts.

She gives me a curious look, even if her attire briefly distracts me due to her decision to show up in nothing but a pair of pink and white panties with matching pasties covering her nipples, her body almost entirely on display.

My brief shock amuses her, but I focus on what matters as I explain what I've got planned. She nods along, the exaggerated movement making her breasts jiggle with their lack of support, but I don't let it distract me as I continue explaining my next planned game.

Neo is obviously excited, even if she briefly seems annoyed by something, but it fades quickly as she basically bounces in excitement.

You know, in all the years me and Neo have been terrorising the Omniverse, not once has anyone willingly volunteered to be Neo's victim before, especially not knowing exactly what she is capable of.

It's no wonder you're her favourite gamer.

Neo gives me an excited grin, as I grab the second syringe and give her a nod and a smile in response, pressing the needle into my neck. My vision darkens but I laugh quietly as I collapse, Neo will take care of the rest.

– Later –

Waking up in my apartment, I check the time with a deep breath to calm my excitement and nerves. It's my first day at the GCPD. People thought I was insane to willingly come back to Gotham, and I can't say they're entirely wrong.

But this is where the action happens, who knows, I might even end up examining the crime scenes of the likes of the Joker, Victor Zsasz or even Legion.

Getting ready, I nod to myself in the mirror. I know I have bigger things to worry about, given that all my predecessors were murdered by the Riddler, but I would like to make a good first impression on my coworkers.

– Barbara Gordon (Oracle) –

It was her fault, to be honest. Her mind was distracted due to her lack of sleep, and she wasn't paying attention to where she was going as she rolled into the unknown man while turning a corner, sending his papers everywhere and making him yelp in surprise.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was in a world of my own-" the man said, gathering up his paperwork as she realised he was only a year or two older than her, her brief glance showing they were crime reports, recent ones.

"No, it's my fault. I should have watched where I was going," Barbara said, embarrassed as she realised who the stranger was. She'd seen pictures of him lately. "Mark Gray, right?"

He tilted his head at the mention of his name, even as he scowled ever so slightly. The confused cocking of his head made her smile internally, reminding her of a golden retriever with his soft blonde hair and green eyes.

"Markus, please. Mark just sounds so- I mean, yes, you're Commissioner Gordon's daughter, right?" Markus asked, making her nod. He didn't like Mark because he thought Markus was more dignified, and he was used to people not taking him seriously because of his cute, youthful appearance.

She knew his face, because Team Bat looked into everyone who joined the GCPD, the sheer amount of corrupt assholes who slipped into the force was baffling.

Markus was an odd one, fresh out of a very good university with amazing grades, he could have gone to any police force in the world. Instead, he came back to his hometown of Gotham, even after his parents put in a lot of work to get their son out of this place.

His parents had been killed in a shoot-out between the Falcones and Two-face during his second year at university, and she'd considered that he was coming back for revenge, but so far he seemed entirely legit. Perhaps one of the few good ones in the GCPD, whether he'd stay that way in this place would remain to be seen.

"That's right, Barbara Gordon. It's nice to meet you, my father spoke highly of you," Barbara said, truthfully even. "You're a brave man, choosing Gotham PD as your first job."

Watching carefully, she looked for any hint of deceit, wondering if vengeance was what drove him to come back to Gotham.

"Perhaps, but this is my home. Besides, hearing that the department was… erm, vacant right after I graduated seemed like a grim kind of fate," Markus answered, making her snort internally at his tactful way of explaining the mass murder of every forensic scientist in the GCPD. "If anywhere needs me, it's this place."

The Riddler didn't take kindly to his former colleagues making fun of him during his own time in the GCPD and repaid every insult most fatally.

Maybe it was her sleep-deprived state, but she honestly believed his words.

"I'm sorry, I'd love to talk more, but as the only forensic scientist here at the moment I'm laughably busy," Markus said apologetically, making her smile and give him a nod.

"Of course, I didn't mean to distract you from your work," Barabra replied, giving him a wave as he turned and walked down the corridor towards the morgue. Given how active Legion was last night, she wasn't surprised he was extremely busy.

Bruce was still in Star City, even if he didn't like to be away from Gotham for long, and while they tried their best, the others weren't able to stop Legion's latest rampage.

Seventeen murders, no rhyme or reason, no common link, just a mindless slaughter to satiate Legion's love for violence, to spread more fear among the residents of Gotham.

Her own dreams had been dark of late. Every night she dreamt of being the one Legion used as his example, the video of Roy's fate replaying in her mind. She hadn't really known Green Arrow's old sidekick, but she knew she could have just as easily been the one Legion grabbed to strike fear in the hearts of the heroes.

She saw him in the corner of her eyes constantly, sometimes in the mirror when she looked up, sometimes standing in a crowd before he'd just vanish and she couldn't work out if she was going insane or if he truly was fucking with her. She hadn't told anyone, she knew that she should, but it would either get her pity as Legion's victim, or her father and Bruce would become even more overprotective and she wouldn't get anything done.

Turning towards Markus, her eyes widened as she watched a fog form around his feet, seeing him blink in confusion as he paused and looked around before the fog intensified, hiding him from her view, and when it faded he was simply gone.

Before she could even shout for help, she saw the same fog forming around her and she knew it was too late as it obscured her vision and she found herself somewhere else entirely, wheelchair and all.

She didn't even need to wait for the announcement before she knew what was going on. She'd once briefly considered herself lucky that Legion hadn't started his games until after her kidnapping, having escaped without needing to play one of his sadistic games to earn her freedom.

As she looked around the jungle she'd found herself in, she knew she hadn't avoided that fate, only delayed it.

"Welcome, one and all, to the newest game I've devised for our entertainment," Legion's taunting voice announced loudly, coming from all directions. "To our lucky contestants, all one thousand of you, welcome to Isle de Legion, your number one holiday destination for thrilling adventures! For our Metropolis contestants, blame the big blue boy scout for your presence here, he invited me to Metropolis when he came to Gotham. Turnabout is fair play and I am nothing if not fair. The rules are simple, there are five gems on the island, once found they will open a portal that will allow five contestants to leave this place before closing again. One thousand enter, but only twenty-five will leave, at the very most. Of course, my island has all kinds of wonderful surprises waiting for you, don't expect my gems to be easily claimed!"

A thousand people?! Markus was likely trapped in here somewhere as well, because the GCPD couldn't have nice things.

Oh, you had to be kidding, she was in a fucking wheelchair. Her disability stung deeply as she slowly wheeled herself in a random direction, whichever way seemed the clearest and easiest to manoeuvre. She really hated Legion.

– Bruce Wayne (Batman) –

He wished he could say that he would have stopped this if he'd been in Gotham when it happened, but as always, they still had no idea how to actually counter Legion, and this fog that had been reported abducting people all over Gotham and Metropolis was a new trick for the lunatic.

This was his revenge for their attempt to arrest him. He destroyed Star City and corrupted Thea to get to Oliver, he kidnapped Canary to parts unknown, and now he was getting back at him and Clark.

It wasn't a coincidence that Lois Lane and both Kents had vanished in a fog, and both he and Superman were reduced to watching as Barbara, Lois, and the Kents found themselves trapped on an island, the map showing the locations of all one thousand 'survivors' as Legion liked to call them.

The island was large, but with that many people it was inevitable that survivors would meet, and while cooperation might seem like the right choice at the time, what happened when your group hit six members?

Barbara was stuck in a wheelchair, in a very inhospitable jungle, filled with traps and dangers, and just to add insult to injury?

Opening her profile, he stared at the character sheet declaring for all to see that she was Oracle, the former Batgirl, crippled by the Joker, her secret identity on display for the viewers to see.

Did he know before he kidnapped her the first time that she was Oracle? Had he known all along? Did he know the identities of the rest of the Batfamily, himself included? He had to assume the answer was yes, and he couldn't risk assuming that Legion didn't know who he was beneath the mask, or the identities of all his sidekicks.

Alfred was at risk, even if the old butler wasn't as defenceless as some people might assume, and he couldn't let any of the others go out in their civilian identities for now.

One thing to note, the Legion controlling the 'game' this time was not the usual Legion. The original Legion, the one who normally acted as the announcer, had made a brief appearance at the start to inform people of the rules but was quickly replaced with the mute female Legion.

She was so much easier to notice details about, he doubted she was even five-foot tall, had her hair dyed pink and brown, and was seemingly even more sadistic than the usual Legion.

Sitting at his computer, he scowled deeply as he once again failed to access the sites' servers, feeling unusually helpless. He'd fought gods and been less useless, Legion had been dancing around them ever since he first appeared.

The quiet voice in the back of his head reminded him that they had had him, that if Oliver hadn't lost control, then Legion would be in the Phantom Zone and Barbara would be home and safe, but he shook his head. Legion wanted to divide them, and Oliver had paid the price for his mistake tenfold.

– Neo –

Markus truly was fun, managing to catch her by surprise even after the aeons she'd been exploring the multiverse with Shiro.

Normally her favourite thing to do when she wasn't with Shiro was annoy the Kuro duo or Gray, but she might have a new favourite gamer to spend her time with (other than Shiro, before he started pouting).

The plan that Markus had come up with was simple, he wanted to take part in one of their games but he didn't want to know that he was Legion, having drugged himself with some wonder drug to give him a very selective amnesia.

Markus Gray genuinely thought he was just a forensic scientist. He didn't remember his powers at all, and she'd temporarily suppressed his system to prevent him from subconsciously using them (okay, she had poked Shiro until he did it).

This was where Markus and other gamers differed, nobody had ever willingly suppressed their system before, and sure, gamers had played at having amnesia, and some had even gone so far as to temporarily remove their memories like Markus had… but they always had some masterplan.

Markus was doing this because he thought it'd be fun to see things from the other side.

This wasn't about preventing people from suspecting him of being Legion, this wasn't a master plan to seduce Batgirl, this was something he was doing because he thought it'd be a good experience and help him make his games better if he knew what the victims were feeling.

He'd insisted that she make a new game mode and map for this, so even his subconscious wouldn't be able to help him, and he'd also insisted that he didn't get special treatment. There was no escape plan, no get-out-of-torture-free card, if he didn't make it out of the island he would get tortured and sent to his own prison where he'd have to earn his freedom like everyone else.

He knew how bad she could be, he'd watched her break Roy only to fix him so they could break him all over again, and even still Markus had chosen to put himself at her mercy, something that nobody in history had ever done before.

Only once he escaped, however long that took, would he get his memories back, and she was personally suppressing his Wesker virus. He was utterly on his own.

Even now he was cautiously heading through the jungle. Luckily for him, he'd actually been a boy scout, so he wasn't entirely out of his depths, even if he certainly wasn't thriving. He'd told her not to give him any advantages over the others, so his fate was in his own hands now.

She was rooting for him, even if she was tempted to make sure he failed to reach the exit. She had never had a Gamer under her knives before… Kuro had made Shiro stop her from fucking with the Guild members, and Shiro was pathologically incapable of submitting to anyone or anything. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to break Markus.

But no, in honour of his sheer planet-sized balls, she wouldn't sabotage him directly… though, she could be more subtle when she wanted to be.

The island had a temple, a mine, a volcano, an 'abandoned' village and a totally safe beach that wasn't full of giant flesh-eating crabs (promise). Five locations, five gems, Markus needed to reach one of the locations and get to the gem, both of which were difficult tasks.

The number of survivors was already dropping, people falling prey to the traps or wildlife scattered around the jungle.

Ooh, Markus found one of the hidden supply caches. No real weapons in that one, but he did get some goodies for being observant. She smirked slightly at the sight of him holding a small survival knife, knowing how many people he had butchered with a similar blade last night.

Honestly, she'd gone overboard with the abducting Fog. She had overpowered it so she didn't need to trick people into walking into it. Markus wouldn't be able to abduct people that easily for a while, but she was having fun, so who cared?

She at least prevented any true waifus like Barbara and Lois from dying too quickly, though having Superman watch his beloved fall into a spike pit and die could be extremely funny. The reporter wasn't having the best time right now, walking barefoot through the jungle since she had been wearing heels, her clothes ripped thanks to the branches and a barely avoided trap.

But it could be worse, she could be trying to navigate a deadly jungle in a wheelchair.

– Barbara Gordon –

It was inevitable, really. Her options were to crawl around or try and stay in the wheelchair, and when there were traps everywhere, neither of the options was great.

She gripped her wheelchair tightly as she looked down into the pit of acid, green, bubbling, hissing acid, her wheelchair having gotten caught up in some branches, leaving her dangling precariously over the death pit.

She couldn't reach anything to hold onto, had no way to climb the few metres back up to the top, and the branches wouldn't hold forever. After everything she'd done, all the villains and thugs she'd put away, she was going to die by falling into a cartoonish trap on livestream.

As she tried to think of a way out of this, she picked up the sound of movement above her, making her look up as someone carefully approached the edge of the pit and peered down into the abyss, his familiar green eyes widening as he spotted her.

"Barbara?" Markus asked, before shaking his head. "Hang on, I've got some rope!"

With her sensitive hearing, she picked up him muttering 'Hang on, really? What else is she going to do', making her briefly smirk as she watched him disappear for a moment before a thick rope was tossed down, his brief delay explained by the rather well-done knot he'd tied on it, leaving a hoop at the end that could be tightened around something, or someone.

She got the idea immediately, her memory triggering and reminding her that Markus had once been a boy scout, slipping into the hoop and securing it around her waist.

He looked over again, giving her a nod.

"Hold on, this is probably going to be pretty uncomfortable," Markus warned, the rope already digging into her skin as he slowly started to pull, lifting her from the Wheelchair as she gripped the rope tightly.

Just how precarious her position had been made itself clear as the small amount of movement sent her wheelchair plummeting into the pit, the acid bubbling and hissing as it reduced the metal to slag in seconds.

As she reached the top, she could see that Markus had used a nearby tree to secure the other end of the rope, and he quickly helped her up as she let out a sigh of relief.

Markus hadn't had a great time in the jungle either, now that she could get a proper look at him. He'd been wearing a rather nice smart-casual outfit earlier, but his trousers had several rips in them and his jumper was missing, his top torn in several places with some blood staining his chest.

It looked like he'd been cut by something, but not deeply, thankfully, as he gave her a soft smile.

"Miss Gordon, we really need to start meeting in better situations," Markus half-joked, a mixed expression on his face. She immediately worked out why he seemed so conflicted, he was trying to work out what to do with her.

This place was deadly for a healthy person, and she was an invalid. His chances were far worse if he stayed with her, but her chances were zero if he left her behind.

"Agreed, and thank you, I'd be dead if you hadn't come along" Barbara said, glancing at the pit that would have been her end. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Markus asked, cocking his head again before he looked at his blood-stained top. "Oh, this? I triggered a trap and barely avoided the arrows, it's just a flesh wound. I'm more worried about you, the jungle isn't exactly wheelchair accessible… not that you have a wheelchair anymore."

An awkward silence filled the air, they both knew he was considering leaving her behind before he sighed and gave her a resigned smile.

"I can tie a harness to hold you on my back, and I'm pretty sure I'm strong enough to carry you," Markus said with a soft smile, her eyes widening. "Don't look too surprised, I'm pretty sure I'd be so fired if I left my boss' daughter to die in the jungle on my first day at work,'' Markus joked.

"Markus-" Barbara started before trailing off, what could she say? That he should leave her behind? He probably should, but she really didn't want to die. It was selfish, but perhaps she should be selfish for once.

"Don't look so grim, don't you know every guy wants to save a beautiful damsel in distress? It's a pathological need for all men, we fantasise about it all the time," Markus joked, giving her a knowing smile. "That, and dying in an epic last stand against overwhelming odds, but let's save that fantasy for another time, or better yet, never."

He was trying to make her feel less bad about lowering his chances of survival, but the slight shaking in his hands as he made his harness told her that he was well aware that this decision might get him killed.

"Where did you find that stuff?" Barbara asked, spotting a small knife and a flask of water by his waist.

"It was in a box in the trees, I had to climb up to get them, but I'd say it was worth it, I'm guessing Legion left little caches all over the place, to make things fair," Markus scoffed, his tone making his opinion on Legion very clear.

Legion had a very twisted idea of fairness, and she couldn't tell if he genuinely thought he was being fair or if he was just fucking with them.

"But hey, two pairs of eyes are better than one, maybe we'll be able to find more," Markus said optimistically, making her smile as he helped her onto his back, lifting her. "And besides, when I got to the top of the trees, I spotted what looked like a temple in the distance. If I was a magical gem, that's where I'd be. Lucky I did, I was heading the complete opposite direction before I noticed it."

"Considering everything, I'll take some dumb luck," Barbara deadpanned, making him chuckle.

"You and me both."

– Lois Lane –

Pushing through the underbrush, she scowled to herself as she looked around the jungle she'd been unceremoniously dropped in. She'd heard of Legion, of course, even before he had destroyed Star City and made Metropolis panic that they would be next thanks to Clark going after Legion.

Because apparently, they should just let a mass-murdering lunatic kill as many people as he pleases, as long as he stays in Gotham. She couldn't deny the people agreeing with Legion that Superman had only gone to Gotham because a hero had been killed. The Joker still had a higher kill count than Legion even after Star City, but it was ridiculous that people were honestly saying that any non-Gotham hero should stay away from Legion so Legion wouldn't follow them home.

Superman couldn't save her this time. She'd consoled him over his utter failure to find Legion's lair after Thea Queen was taken, forced to watch a sidekick get broken into Legion's pet hunter. He'd never dealt with someone like Legion before, to be honest, nobody had, and now she had to save herself.

Her purple jacket had long since been abandoned, leaving her trudging through the jungle in a short white skirt and a damaged white shirt, knowing full well the world was watching, her bra visible through the tears in her clothing.

If she survived this, she'd have one hell of a story.

Heading towards the temple she'd spotted from a treehouse of all things, she paused as she heard more movement and then voices, a man and a woman, both young.

Realising she'd finally found another survivor- alive ones at least as she'd passed plenty of corpses- she headed towards the sound cautiously, her eyes widening at the sight of a man and a woman sitting on the temple steps, the man visibly tired and the woman?

"Barbara?" Lois asked, getting their attention as Oracle spotted her, her own eyes widening.

"Lois? You got grabbed too?" Barbara asked, immediately realising exactly why Lois was here. To get back at Superman.

"A friend of yours?" the man asked, the strange harness around his chest making sense suddenly. He must have been carrying Barbara through the jungle.

"Markus, this is Lois Lane, a reporter from Metropolis. We met through a friend of a friend," Barbara answered, somewhat awkwardly. She couldn't exactly explain that those friends were Batman and Superman. "Lois, this is Markus, he's a new forensic scientist for GCPD."

She hadn't met Barbara when she was still Batgirl, instead only meeting her after the… transition to Oracle.

"A pleasure, Miss Lane. Didn't you get a Pulitzer a few years back?" Markus asked, making her nod as she approached and took a seat next to them.

"The pleasure's all mine, and yup, that's me," Lois said with a sigh. "Have you guys seen anyone else since you got here?"

"Alive? No," Barbara answered grimly, making Lois nod. "We think a gem is in the temple, it's our best lead at least. Markus was just getting his breath back," Barbara explained with a hint of guilt in her tone.

Only one gem had been claimed so far, apparently the 'Volcano Gem' had been found by a solo survivor who had used it for herself, the portal closing before anyone else could use it. If there was a gem in the temple, it should still be there.

They exchanged small talk while Markus regained his strength, though the young man was kind enough to give her some of his very limited water seeing that she was exhausted as well, but more movement drew their attention.

She felt a brief burst of relief followed by dread as three survivors came out of the bushes towards the temple, recognising all three of them.

Martha Kent was the first to see her, getting Johnathan's attention from where he'd been looking behind them. She didn't want to know what was going through Clark's head now that she knew that the Kents had also found themselves in this place.

She recognised the third person as Vicki Vale, a reporter from Gotham, but even as she started talking to the understandably worried Kents, she knew they were all thinking the same thing.

Five people could leave per gem, and their group had just hit six.

— Bonus Scene — Thea Queen

It had all been for nothing.

The mere thought made her burst into a deranged laugh, face in her hands.

She'd done all this to save her mother, she'd ended up as Legion's toy because she'd tried to save Moira from becoming his victim. She'd tortured, betrayed and killed for Legion, she'd been tortured and raped to death repeatedly…and it was all for nothing because less than three days after Thea won her mother's freedom, her mother deliberately got his attention again.

Calling Legion, acting like the Queen family wealth could buy Legion's cooperation, her mother was actually deluded. Money couldn't convince a man like Legion, and Legion had predictably kidnapped her mother again for the insult.

Even now, locked in her cell, she tried to negotiate for her release, for Thea's release, but it didn't move Thea to tears that her mother had taken this risk to free her from Legion's clutches.

It was white-hot rage that filled her, knowing that Moira had spat on everything she had done to free her mother, that her hunts, her torture, her deaths had been for nothing because some dumb old bitch didn't understand that money wasn't the solution to all of life's problems.

It was hatred that flooded her heart as she stared at the video feed of the camera in Moira's cell. Moira didn't understand that Thea would never be free from Legion, she was his huntress and that was how things must be.

Because if she ever stopped being his huntress, she'd return to being his victim. She didn't want to be free, because here she could work for Legion's approval, to feel his gentle touch instead of the crack of his whip, to feel his cock entering her instead of his knife.

Moira didn't understand that, but she would.

She would learn, just as Thea had.