33

Chapter XXXIII: Welcome To The City.

Last Time.

He grabbed her arm, and kanji appeared on it. "Now... You'll never be rid of me. There's nowhere you can go that I can't follow." He said as she tried, desperately, to wipe the kanji off. "Don't worry Bee.. I'll only use that the next time you go after my family. And Marie is family. You come after her, or her son again. And I promise I'll kill you."

He finished before throwing a canteen in the truck and put several gas cans on the bed. "Use the truck to get home. There's enough water, and gas to get there." He finished before flashing away with the clone. As Queen Bee stood there, dumbstruck, Kage suddenly flashed in front of her. "Oh, and, uh, one other thing," Naruto, once again, punches Queen Bee in the throat. Her hands grasp her neck as she falls to her knees wheezing and gasping for air. "Thought you could use a small reminder." he finishes by flashing away, once more.

He flashed inside Marie's house and had the clone walk to her room. He groaned as he put a hand on his stomach, and thought back to a few weeks ago.

(Flashback.)

The Watchtower; January 1, 03:00 EST.

Naruto stood from the table and heard a gasp. Turning around, he saw Wonder Woman standing behind him. "Naruto! What happened?!"

Naruto waved her off before speaking. "Savage surprised me when I was trying to free Superman."

She narrowed her eyes before speaking. "You're lying... Savage wouldn't get the drop on you. Besides. Kurama was helping you."

She turned around and walked to the surveillance room. "Diana wai-!" He stopped and grabbed the table as pain shot through him. Weakly following after, he saw Wonder Woman stand in front of a screen showing her attacking Wonder Girl, and Naruto taking a fatal shot. She turned around with tears in her eyes and walked past him. "Diana. Diana wait!"

He grabbed her arm and had her stop. "Never blame yourself for something you had no control over. You know I never will." He said before turning her around and wiped away the tears before pulling her into a kiss and had her hug him tightly.

(Flashback End.)

Naruto sighed before walking to the porch and sat beside Megan. "I think we'll need to bring Gar and Marie to the States. At least until Bee's gone." She looked at him, and he leaned toward her. "I'll tell you about it later." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

They both smiled seeing Garfield play with his pet monkey.

Now.

Gotham, Arkham City; January 18, 2013, 17:00 EDT.

A group of men wearing jumpsuits with the left side looking burnt, and 'Arkham City' on the back looked at a painting on the wall.

One wearing a mask with the left side of its face burnt walked to it and pulled it. The painting opened showing a wall safe behind it. "Look at this." He said as the others walked up to him.

"Don't touch it! It could kill you." Another man in a mask said before a third spoke up.

"How long till the boss gets here?" Another man shrugged before answering.

"He'll be here." They never noticed two shadows behind them as they talked. Suddenly, two windows broke scaring the men.

"It's the Bats!"

As they looked back, they saw Cheshire standing with another woman.

She's wearing a skin-tight body suit with the zipper pulled down showing her cleavage, knee-high boots, a cap with cat ears showing a little of her black hair, green eyes, orange lensed goggles, and a whip at her hip.

"Sorry to disappoint boys..." She said flexing her hands showing claws coming out of her gloves. "It's just little ol' us."

Cheshire dashed forward, and punched a man before blocking a punch by another, and kicked him away. "Catwoman, whatever's in that safe better be worth it! I'm missing out on some ridiculously hot sex with my man, right now!" Cheshire said seeing Catwoman wrap her whip around a man's ankle, and knocked him down.

"It is Cheshire. For me, anyway."

Cheshire broke a man's leg before jumping over and knocked two men's heads together as Catwoman finished the last man by knocking him out.

"Now that they're all taken care of... It's time to get what I came for out of the safe." Catwoman and Cheshire walked to the safe just as the door behind them opened. When Catwoman opened the safe, they saw a gun and a memory card. "Try to get one over on me, Harv? I don't think so." Catwoman said putting the card in an iPhone and saw a map.

Suddenly, a pistol was placed on each of their heads. "Get your filthy paws off that now."

They glanced back to see a man with the left side of his body badly burnt. He's wearing a suit that's white on the right side, and a burnt black on its left.

Gotham; Entrance Of Arkham City January 18, 17:30 EDT.

"This is Vicki Vale reporting live from Arkham City; the controversial super-prison built right here in the heart of Gotham." Said a woman with short blonde hair and a black coat to a camera before continuing.

"In a few moments, Bruce Wayne will be Live on stage to explain his sudden interest in Gotham politics. The infamous playboy millionaire has never-"

She was cut off as Bruce in a black suit, a white button with 'Arkham City' and the no symbol over it walked past her.

"It's Billionaire, Vicky... Millionaires are so last year."

Naruto wearing a black suit with a black undershirt and black tie walked behind him with the same button.

They walked up to a platform beside the entrance as the reporters swarmed the stage. "Thank you! Thank you, Gotham." Bruce said before pointing to the large wall behind him. "Behind these walls, gang leaders are fighting a bloody war in the middle of our once-great City. Every inmate from Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison has been relocated to this facility. How can this be safe for the people of Gotham?"

As he continued to talk, armored people with 'TYGER' on their vests, and holding assault rifles were running to the stage. "Well shit." Naruto cursed as they stormed the stage, and aimed their guns at them.

Naruto raised his hands before one guard hit him with the butt of his rifle.

Later, Naruto woke up and saw he was in a room with his hands and feet cuffed. Naruto sighed before falling out of his chair getting one of the arms for the chair to break off. "Gotta play the part." He said to himself as an alarm went off.

One man ran it and saw the downed Naruto. "What the hell are you doing?" The man ran over and tried kicking Naruto in his head.

Naruto grabbed the man's leg and broke his ankle having him scream in pain before standing up. Another man walked in, and hit Naruto with his gun, before slamming him into a TV. screen and bringing him out of the room. Naruto fell to his knees and looked up just as Bruce fell from the room beside his. Looking up, they saw a group of inmates standing in front of them as two lines were formed at the entrance of the Prison.

"Wayne! Uzumaki! Line A."

Naruto walked behind Bruce as they moved to the first line. "Hugo knows our identities," Bruce whispered as they waited in line.

"Move it! Wayne! Uzumaki! Get your asses to the front!" A TYGER guard said beside Hugo who was wearing a white lab coat.

The inmates moved out of the way as Naruto, and Bruce walked up to the inmate in front who looked back. 'Floyd Lawton.'

Naruto thought as Floyd make the gun sign with his hand. "You're on my list, Wayne. Bang!"

They walked past him, and through a metal detector that went off. The guards knocked them down as Hugo lifted his hand. "Lower your weapons. They won't be a threat. Will you Mr. Wayne, Mr. Uzumaki? Keep the cuffs on. We don't want it to be too easy would we?" Hugo said before the guards threw Naruto and Bruce inside the entrance where several people stood at another door.

"Bruce Wayne?" One man asked wearing glasses and has short brown hair. "Figures. I report on your lousy press conference and now I'm captured."

"Just stay by us, Jack," Bruce said as Jack snorted as the doors opened showing inmates behind fences.

"Like I'm taking advice from someone that's never been in a fight before."

As they walked to a gate, several inmates jumped the fence and attacked. Both Naruto and Bruce grabbed the arm of one inmate and broke it before walking to Jack who had two inmates on them. They knocked the inmates out before picking Jack up and walked to the opening gate showing a short overweight man with balding black hair.

He has a monocle over his left eye that has a scar over it, smoking a cigar, and holding a cane umbrella.

An inmate hits both Bruce, and Naruto on their knees, and forced them down as the man walked up. "Welcome to Arkham City." He greeted throwing the cigar away as they were hit in the head by the Penguin's goons.

When they woke up, they saw the man with a group of men wearing cargo pants and Arkham City vests with a penguin head on the shoulders of their shirts, and masks that look like penguins.

Naruto looked to his right and saw Penguin put brass knuckles on. "Hey Cobblepot, are Tracey or Candy still with you?! They were really easy on the eyes." Naruto said distracting Penguin as he threw a punch at Bruce.

Crack!

"AAHH!"

Only for Bruce to grab it and broke the hand. "Get them! Bastard broke my bloody hand!" Penguin yelled as the men surrounded the duo.

Naruto grabbed one's head, brought it down on his knee, and broke his shackles as Bruce did the same, and attacked the men. After easily taking care of the men, Naruto looked to see Penguin leaning against a fence before knocking him out. "Can't get a signal down here... We've got to climb higher to reach someone," Naruto said before seeing Bruce climbing the fire escape, and going to the top of the building. "Wait up!"

Naruto ran up the building and saw Bruce talking to Alfred about flying his costume over. "Miss Martian." Naruto put his hand to his ear.

"Yes, Kage?" Miss Martian spoke up after a moment.

"Hey babe, could you send my costume over?"

"Sure, I've got your coordinates."

Naruto looked to see Bruce jump onto a chemicals building and started climbing to the top before following after. As Naruto followed Bruce, he talked to Alfred about Hugo knowing their identities, and something called 'Protocol Ten' that'll start in eleven hours. Naruto looked up as the Batjet dropped a large tube down, and the Bio-Ship dropped a box. "Kage, did the Bio-Ship drop your costume?" Miss Martian asked as Naruto smiled.

"Yes, dear... Don't set a plate for me tonight... Let the others know about the situation if they didn't watch the news. And tell the Team to be ready if we need them... Batman doesn't usually have the League help in Gotham unless it's a global problem... But I get the feeling that things are going to escalate in here."

"Roger that. Be careful, sweetie."

Naruto quickly got dressed in his long-sleeved coat, Kevlar vest, cargo pants, and boots as Batman puts a memory card he stole into a cryptographic sequencer and hacked into the guard's communications. Naruto pressed his glasses and listened in as guards spoke up as inmates walked into a courthouse a block over from them.

"All Units, this is TYGER 4. We have confirmation Prisoner 4011, along with Cheshire, is in the courthouse." Naruto's eyes widened at that as Hugo spoke up.

"Stand down. Let Two-Face have his fun."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as a voice box with 'Alfred' came up in his lens. "That doesn't sound good," Batman said putting his hand to his cowl before Alfred spoke up.

"No, it does not. Mr. Dent's prediction for all things binary may not bode well for Miss Kyle or Miss Nguyen." Batman stood up before speaking.

"If anyone knows what's going on in Arkham City, it's Catwoman," Batman said as Naruto jumped across the rooftops as Batman used his cape to glide over.

Naruto stood on the wall by a gargoyle as Batman landed on it, and saw the group of men guarding the entrance to the courthouse. Naruto dropped down on one as Batman dived kicked another, and started fighting the group. Naruto grabbed two and jumped up as a third tried to attack him from behind, and kicked him as he knocked the two heads together.

After taking care of the group, Batman and Kage walked inside the courthouse and saw the right side was destroyed while the left was left untouched. "I see Dent's thugs do everything in twos, just like him," Naruto said as they walked up to the second story, saw the courtroom, and saw Two-Face flipping a coin in his fingers as he stood by a large vat of acid with a curtain above it.

Naruto zoomed in, and listen to his mumblings. "The only way to get by in this place is to get ourselves some respect." He turned to his left and continued. "Fear. That's how we get respect. Show them all how we do things." He turned back as he flipped the coin. "We should be fair though. This is a place of justice after all." Naruto saw the coin's a two-headed coin with one side blacked out, and scratched. "Screw justice! Kill her, and they'll all fear us." He finished before walking to the curtain. "Bring out the defendants!"

The curtain dropped revealing Catwoman, and Cheshire hanging upside down above the vat. "You certainly know how to keep us girls hanging, Harv." Naruto groaned at the bad joke Catwoman's."Hey, have you had some work done?" Catwoman asked as Cheshire struggled.

"Oh sure, don't mind me. I'm just HANGING OVER A VAT OF ACID! Why did I let you talk me into this?!"

Two-Face slapped Catwoman's face having her and Cheshire swing around. "That's for stealing from us. No one steals from us." Two-Face said before turning to the group.

"I'm sorry. We've been bad kitties. Untie us, and we'll make it up to you."

Cheshire gagged at that. "Please! My man's twice the size of him."

Catwoman looked at her with a confused look. "What are you talking about? Last I saw, Harv's at least 2 inches taller than Kage," She asked, ignoring Two-Face's irritated growl.

Cheshire only looked to both of them. "I wasn't talking about his height. Nor was I referring to his girth... Although he is quite, 'endowed', in that department, as well." She answered with a grin behind her mask.

This revelation gained a surprised look on Catwoman and an annoyed one from Two-Face with an eye twitch from the unharmed side of his face. Batman, meanwhile, slowly turned his head to look towards Naruto with the masked blonde massaging the side of his head in slight frustration at Jade's bluntness, all he can say is, "Really Jade?"

"Let's see if the coin thinks you're telling the truth." Two-Face said flipping his coin high in the air. He caught it and slammed it on top of his other hand. Pulling his hand off, he showed the clean side. "This court is now in session."

Naruto glanced to his right and saw a ladder running up to the next floor. Batman passed him and quickly climbed up. Naruto jumped up, and they saw an armed guard looking down from the floor. Batman grabbed him and applied the sleeper hold as Naruto grabbed the gun from falling. Naruto unloaded the gun and pulled the firing pin out. "I think that'll hold us," Batman said dropping the now unconscious guard down.

Naruto looked back and saw a wire hooked to the floor to the other side of the room. Walking along the line, both Kage and Batman dropped down and fought the group as the majority of them ran out. Naruto ducked under one man's punch before grabbing him and threw him away hitting another man who was picking up a gun.

Batman broke a man's leg before using his grapple gun and pulled another into a clothesline. After taking care of the group, Naruto, and Batman turned around as Two-Face yelled out. "Objection!"

Bang! Bang!

Only for both of them to get shot in the chest by Two-Face, who shot through the glass covering the judge's chair. He pulled the pistols up and blew the smoke before putting one in his back holster. "Overruled." Two-Face ran out to the women before bringing his coin up. "Heads or tails kitty cats?"

"Which one lets us out of here alive?" Catwoman asked as Two-Face flipped the coin.

Catching it, he showed the black, scratched outside. "Not this one. Time to die."

Catwoman giggled before speaking. "I vote for a stay of execution." She turned around and sliced through their restraints having Cheshire jump to the deck of the vat.

"Thank God!"

She looked back to see Catwoman slice Two-Face's good face throwing him down to the floor. "No gun, Harvey? Shame." Catwoman flexed her claws as she stood up. "This is going to be fun." Two-Face brought out his other gun and aimed it at her.

"Two guns, bitch!" Just as he pulled the hammer, a hook pulled him up to Batman standing on the post as an arrow opened up in front of him, and tied him up with black rope.

"And I thought it was cats that have nine lives," Catwoman said as Batman dropped down, and stood with Naruto both having a small rip in their armor and Kevlar vest from the bullets that hit them. Catwoman walked over to Two-Face before kneeling. "How's it hanging Harv?" She asked before kicking him and took the iPhone.

"Hey, honey," Cheshire said as Naruto turned back and smiled.

"Hey, little kitty." He wrapped his arms around her as Batman talked to Catwoman about 'Protocol 10'. She explained she didn't know anything, and how after disappearing for a few years, Hugo was suddenly appointed the Warden of Arkham City. Naruto pulled Cheshire's mask up above her mouth before kissing her. He then leaned to my ear and whispered, "So, you certainly sounded quite proud to talk so openly of your boyfriend's... 'height and girth'."

She smirked at that before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, you know the old saying; 'If you got it. Flaunt it'." He smiled at that.

"While I appreciate your blatant confidence in me, I'd much rather 'flaunt it' to you. But we can save that until we get back home."

Cheshire leaned back. "Oh really? Well, now I've got something to look forward to. Or at least until I finish this job with Catwo-!"

Crack!

Naruto and Jade looked back as the window cracked from a bullet going through it as Batman pulled Catwoman out of the way. "This place is dangerous. I like it. You expecting a kiss?" Catwoman asked as Batman pulled away from her.

"It was Joker. You're not safe here. No one is." Catwoman smirked as she, and Cheshire, who fixed her mask, walked away. Kage held her hand for a moment.

"Be safe out there, love," he says as she nods at him, smiling under her mask.

"Nine lives, remember?" They jumped out as Naruto scanned the bullet hole, and the window had an orange line following the trajectory to a church steeple.

"Yeah. Joker would do that." Naruto said before he and Batman jumped back up to the second story and left through a door.

Looking down, they saw four men weld the door shut before dropping on two, and knocked the other two out. "See you at the church," Naruto said jumping up to a roof and saw a caged walkway between the courthouse, and an apartment building. 'I don't know why Catwoman chose that as her house here. Especially with Harvey being right next door.' Naruto thought before seeing Batman glide by him, and used his grapple gun, to pull him up to the gargoyle on the church.

Catching up, they looked to see three men with white face paint, holding bats talking about Harley. Naruto dropped down, grabbed a bat out of one's hand, and hits him in the head. He blocked another bat before kicking his knee and broke the bat over his head as Batman flipped a guy in the air, and kicked him into the brick wall.

Naruto saw Alfred's voice box pop up on his lens before Batman spoke. "We're at the church. It looks like Harley Quinn is inside."

"That dreadful woman is no doubt setting a trap for you," Alfred said as Batman nodded. "Don't worry, Alfred. Quinn never was too smart. We'll be okay." They walked in and saw a group of Policemen and doctors surrounded by armed men. Naruto looked to see Harley with her hair in pigtails one highlighted red and the other black and a choker around her neck.

She's wearing a leather biker-themed outfit of her Harley Quinn outfit with a sleeveless top unzipped to show her cleavage, her red, and black bra, and midriff. Elbow-length gloves with spiked bracelets. She's wearing leather pants that are red on one leg and black on the other pulled low to show her thong strings and a tattoo. She also has thigh-high boots, one red, and the other black.

She somersaulted over to them, and Batman grabbed her before tossing her behind him. The men aimed their guns at them and cocked the hammers back. "Don't move! Or we'll kill the hostages!"

Harley smiled as she got up, and walked around the duo. "I think you should do as they say. It would be a shame to get blood all over my new outfit. Like it? What am I saying, 'course you do! Who wouldn't? So anyway here's the deal. Mister J is not up for a visit right now. He's not feeling himself... Well actually, he was earlier, but that's not what I meant. He's not doing so good, and that idiot doctor I sent from here didn't help."

Naruto kept an eye on the men as she continued talking as she walked around them. "I've seen more smarts from these bozos. I've got to run boys. If they try anything funny: KILL THEM!" Harley finished running out the door.

Naruto glanced at Batman before they each dropped a smoke bomb down, and jumped/grappled up to the wall, and gargoyle respectfully. Naruto turned on his vision and saw four armed men, two holding hostages on both sides of the room hidden behind a makeshift wall, and two at the large organ. Naruto jumped to the gargoyle behind the two men as Batman swung to the man to the right of the confessional booths. Naruto dropped down and knocked the two men out as Batman choked out the man from above.

Naruto jumped to the confessional booth and grabbed the man through the plywood before knocking him out. "The room's clear!" Batman yelled having the Policemen grab their weapons, and helped the doctors.

Naruto saw two men close a blast door at the entrance before walking over. "Cash."

Aaron Cash is an African-American man with a hook for a left hand in S.W.A.T. armor. "Thank God you got here Batman. You too, Kage."

Batman nodded before speaking. "After what happened with the asylum. I thought you'd settle for a quiet desk job." Aaron sighed before speaking.

"Yeah right. When Sharp closed down the asylum. It turns out there isn't much work for an ex-security guard that failed to stop a mass breakout. This is the only job I could get." Naruto frowned before speaking.

"That breakout wasn't your fault Cash. What was Harley doing here?"

"That crazy bitch broke in a few hours ago with the rest of these idiots. Took something up the tower and then blew up the staircase." They nodded before turning to the staircase "Wait! Sorry, I forgot: A couple of them took one of the docs. Quinn said something about needing her to fix up the Joker."

"We'll get her back," Naruto said before they left, and saw the destroyed staircase.

Naruto ran up the wall and stopped under a ladder leading up to a door as Batman grappled up. They climbed up and heard it lock as they saw a bunch of TVs, and two mannequins dressed like the Joker with a remote sniper rifle.

"Joker must-have remote controlled the gun," Batman said before using his vision to scan it suddenly, the Joker with sores on his face came up on the TVs. (1.)

"Well, look who it is. I haven't seen you for how long has it been? Let's see. There was an army of mine hopped up on Kobra-Venom, a big fight. Oh, that's right. You left me to die back then. Probably not how you remember it, but who cares? You just need to worry about the bombs. Hurry up now. Clock's ticking." Suddenly screens came up counting down from '10', and they jumped out the window.

BOOM!

The tower blew up before they landed on a billboard, and called up Alfred. "Alfred. We've got a lock on the signal used to remote control the sniper rifle. Joker's behind this."

After a second, Alfred spoke up. "Was there ever any doubt?" Naruto jumped to the roof as a box showing the signal's strength came up.

"The radio signal should lead us right to him." Batman finished before they took off.

"Good luck sir," Alfred said before his box turned off.

To Be Continued.