Chapter 9: Riots.

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(General P.O.V)

(1 Day Later)

The city was burning.

Rioters filled the street, breaking into stores and business establishments with wanton abandon.

They left a trail of destruction behind them, moving as a wave of angry protestors. Some of them were the relatives of those who had been killed during Joker's bombing.

A small part of the group was in it for the excitement. They reveled in the chaos and were the first to vandalize, set fire to the vehicles on the side walks and to pillage whatever they could.

Most of them however, were regular civilians. Gothamites who had had enough and had taken it upon themselves to save their city.

They held up signs that said, 'Justice for Gotham!' and 'Enough is enough'. These signs were the most common in the sea of banners and cardboard plaques.

They even included morbid signs like,

'Electric Chair for the Clown!' and 'Kill that Bastard Joker!!'

A few specific signs also trashed the Justice league and heroes like Batman.

'Down with the Justice League' and 'Batman sucks' were the more pleasant of the batch.

Standing on the head of a Gargoyle spire on the Wayne Tower, looking out into the city, was a figure dressed in yellow, green, red and black.

Batman's partner, the Boy Wonder.

"Robin, do you copy?"

Nightwing's voice came through Tim's Ear-piece.

The third Robin, arguably the most tech savvy of the rest sighed, the glare of the fires happening across the city highlighting his mask clad face.

He brought his fingers up and answered the transmission,

"It's pandemonium out here. The cops are trying their best but they cant halt the mob's progress. We might need to get involved."

"Negative."

Nightwing immediately refused.

"The Mayor's office is considering Curfew. And reinforcements from the National Guard will be arriving soon."

'That means things will get even more heated.' Tim thought, however he didn't say it out loud, choosing to instead follow the order.

"Copy that."

Robin nodded.

"I'll link up with Stephanie and Cassie."

"About that...Any luck tracking down Killer Croc and that other guy?"

Nightwing inquired, a barely noticeable growl at the end of his statement.

"Oh you mean, Maestro?"

Tim asked.

"Maestro?"

Upon Nightwing's confused response, Robin allowed a brief smile to appear. His fingers danced across his wrist computer.

"Yeah. Came up with it myself. He can control people so it was either Maestro or...people controller?"

Tim replied.

"Ah...right. Maestro seems fitting."

Nightwing agreed, albeit reluctantly. While a good detective, Tim wasn't the best with names.

"I'm sending you a few shots I managed to recover from the footage in Doctor Leslie's clinic."

Tim informed him.

Most of it had been too difficult to salvage but with Tim's expertise, difficult didn't mean impossible.

"Got it."

Nightwing confirmed, receiving the files.

"Weird hair..." He commented,

"What with his body? He looks-"

"Starved? Malnourished? I thought so too but from the way he's standing upright..."

Robin trailed off.

"He doesn't look weak from starvation at all."

Nightwing completed.

"He's dangerous."

"And sneaky too."

Robin added with a frown.

"The Swat Truck he stole was found abandoned on the outskirts of Gotham. Get this... 1 mile away from Somerset."

"Mmh...you think there's a reason he's headed there?"

Nightwing questioned in a curious tone.

"Yeah. According to Steph, He has the ability to control people by shooting out a green substance that wraps around a target's neck. That's how he was able to control Killer Croc."

Tim explained, pausing slightly to let it sink in.

As always, Nightwing was quick on the uptake.

"I see, so you think he has Croc back under his control and is most likely headed towards Somerset. I'm guessing Slaughter Swamp...Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Tim looked up. The sky was filled with smoke and the whining of siren sounds.

"Yeah. I think he's going to try amd enslave Solomon Grundy."

"Fuck."

Was all Nightwing had to say.

"We don't have time for this..."

"Are you still dealing with-"

Tim begun, only for Nightwing to cut him off.

"Yes. This is the third meeting with Government officials and the UN secretary-general in the past 1 day."

Nightwing sighed.

"So what's the verdict? Will they listen to reason and allow "It's" Construction?"

Tim questioned.

The It in question was a proposed project. A Super Max prison constructed deep in the ocean that could house supervillains.

The prison had a nullifying effect on all Metahuman powers. And breaking out was virtually impossible.

The Prison became necessary after the events of 'Joker's rampage', as the media were calling it.

And The Premier members of the League had been involved in talks with not only the US government,but the UN charter as well.

Unfortunately things were slow going. Not everyone trusted the League. Chief among them being... Politicians.

"Luthor is tightening the leash on what the League can do. He's using International laws to restrain our activities world wide. This Joker thing just gave him more ammunition to attack us with."

Nightwing explained,

"There have been talks of resigning from some of the League members."

"What?!" Tim was surprised.

"Things are that bad?"

"Yeah. Look, gather the rest and let's meet up at the Hospital. I'll tell you more there."

Nightwing told Tim, before the transmission was cut off.

Tim sighed once again. With Batman and Batgirl out of commission, it fell to them to make sure everything went smoothly. That Gotham was kept safe.

He stood up, the wind ruffling the cape behind him. Somehow despite it being daytime, Gotham seemed darker than ever.

(Holl's P.O.V)

I rolled my shoulder.

It was a bit stiff but that was it. After a hearty meal of steak and potatoes, my healing had been enhanced even more.

Even my ear had stopped bleeding, though it was still painful.

But the food alone, despite my upgraded metabolism,wasn't enough to get me back to peak form. That was going to take rest and time.

I'm getting ahead of myself,

So the second I jumped into the Swat truck, I wasted no time punching it and driving off.

I'd ensured to keep away from any busy streets or roads with cameras.

The truck belonged to the Authorities, so apart from standing out, they had to have been tracking it down.

The only reason I even made it of East End was because of the large explosion that happened in the stadium.

It provided perfect cover for me to escape. Thank you Joker. I'll make sure to buy you a drink if we ever meet.

A few hours later, parked in a discreet alleyway, I managed to rest a little. Undoing my transformation was not possible. I had to be far away from Gotham by the time that happened. Far away and safe.

Reason being, I would most likely be knocked out the second I reverted to my normal form.

There was also the thing with Croc. He had been silent behind the truck, unaware that I was the one driving it.

It would only be a few hours later, in the sweltering heat that he begun to bang on the walls of the vehicle, inquiring where I was taking him and why we weren't there yet.

By that time I'd managed to grab some food from a diner.

The owner tried to pull a shotgun on me upon spotting my form, going as far as to call me a freak. How rude...There was also the matter of me not paying for my food but I digress.

Several miles away from Gotham, I stopped the truck at an intersection and got out.

"Why'd we stop?"

Croc questioned from within the cabin.

"Hey! Can you hear me?! Where are you Assholes taking me?! I didn't do nothing!"

I placed a hand on the side of the vehicle, raking my nails across and shredding the metal.

Sparks were produced from the contact.

"Oh Waylon...guess who's coming for you..."

I said in a sing song voice.

Upon hearing my voice, the truck started shaking as the prisoner within begun to desperately bang the walls in a desperate attempt to escape.

Oh my, I feel like blushing at the terror I could inflict on someone like him.

I arrived at the back of the Truck, snapping the lock off by slashing it with my nails.

"Argggghh!!"

A large body sailed out of the truck, jaw opened, teeth barred and ready to rip me to shreds.

But I wasn't helpless. Yes, I had kept this state going on longer than I was supposed to. My body was also breaking down. There was a pain deep in my bones from micro-fractures.

However, I wasn't helpless. I still had more energy to spare. The food I'd had was sustaining me for now. And that was all I needed.

My hair shot out like multiple snakes, coiling around his limbs and clamping his open jaws shut. I hadn't been idle the past half a day.

My control over my hair had grown exponentially. I had started practicing by controlling the Steering wheel only using coiled hair strands in the shape of hands.

From there, I substituted my legs on the pedals for more hair constructs, leaning back and enjoying the brief rest while my hair drove the Truck.