Fear The Reaper: Batman And Michael Myers Part 2 (2)
Mark Brittan

 

CHAPTER FIVE: CIVIL WAR

June 20, 2001--It had been months since Batman had been seen on the
streets of Gotham. There had been rumors he had been killed by one of his
countless enemies. However, since none of them took credit for the deed,
nobody knew for sure. If one had defeated the Batman, he/she would have
surely gloated. He was simply gone.
Meanwhile, Batman’s absence had begun to put a serious strain on his
partner. Robin was a formidable crimefighter on his own without Batman. But
the boy wonder could not handle Gotham City by himself. Not yet anyway. He
was only fifteen years-old. Not even old enough to legally drive although he did
anyway. He had been instructed by Batman never to engage any of Gotham’s
most dangerous criminals alone. That group included the Joker, The Penguin,
The Riddler, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Bane, The Scarecrow, and King
Snake. All of them were off-limits to Robin. Batman had been very reluctant to
take on a third Robin after the second one was killed in an explosion
orchestrated by the Joker. The first Robin, Dick Grayson, had outgrown the job
and moved on to Gotham’s sister city, Bludhaven, to fight crime there as the
vigilante Nightwing. Tim Drake had been the only person ever to deduce the
secret identities of both Batman and Nightwing. Doing so had opened the door
to him becoming the current Robin.
Robin had defied his mentor. He had to. Without the Batman’s presence
on the streets, the criminals had started taking over. With Batman out of the
picture, there was nothing stopping them. Among the opportunistic villains was
Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman. She had adopted the Cat as her
disguise shortly after Bruce Wayne had adopted the Bat as his. The two were
polar opposites. Catwoman prayed upon the wealthy like a modern day Robin
Hood. She had stolen millions of dollars worth of precious jewelry over the
years. She had been captured by Batman many times but always managed to
escape once in police custody.
Catwoman had heard on the news about the recent missions to Titanic
and how a scientist named Brock Lovett had recovered a gem nicknamed, “The
Heart of the Ocean.” It had been rumored that the gem was originally owned by
King Louis XVI of France and was called, “The Blue Diamond of the Crown.” It
disappeared in 1792 when he was beheaded. Upon its recovery from Titanic,
the gem had replaced the Hope Diamond as the world’s most valuable stone.
The temptation was far more than Catwoman could resist. Robin had
caught her in the act. He confronted her at the Gotham City Museum where it
was being kept. While he did manage to prevent her from stealing the diamond,
he was unable to capture Catwoman herself. In fact, she left three grotesque
claw marks across his left cheek as a warning to him.
By the time Tim had returned to the Batcave, he was totally exhausted.
He had passed his threshold hours ago. He was unprepared for what he found
once he got there. Two young men, both in their late twenties were arguing.
Tim knew them both very well.
One was Dick Grayson, the first Robin. He was dressed in his Nightwing
costume but did not have on his mask. At 5’10” and 175 lbs., he was not an
intimidating presence physically. What Nightwing lacked in brawn, he more than
made up for with dexterity. Prior to becoming Bruce Wayne’s ward, Dick
Grayson had been a member of the circus high-wire act called, “The Flying
Graysons.” Tragically, his parents were shot one night while performing a show
and Dick became an orphan. Bruce Wayne adopted him and later trained him to
become his partner, Robin. Together they caught Tony Zucco, the man
responsible for the death of Dick’s parents.
The man Nightwing was arguing with was Jean-Paul Valley, also known
as Azrael. Jean-Paul had been a failed experiment in genetics by the religious
order of St. Dumas. The order had attempted to create a super assassin by
tampering with human DNA. Once perfected, the assassins (the Azraels),
sometimes called the Knights Templars, did the bidding of the order as their
“Avenging Angels.” Paul was the latest in a long line of Azraels. He only
learned of his condition at the time of his father’s death. His father quickly
explained to him who he was and what he had been born to do before he
succumbed to a gunshot wound. Putting on the Azrael costume activated all of
the instincts the order had harvested for him. He knew instantly the most
efficient ways to kill. If not for Batman’s intervention, Jean-Paul would have
become another instrument of death for the Order of St. Dumas. Together,
Batman and Azrael captured the man responsible for shooting Paul’s father.
Like Dick Grayson, Bruce took Jean-Paul Valley under his tutelage. In
that respect, Dick and Paul were like sons to Bruce, hence brothers to each
other. When Bane broke Batman’s back, Bruce selected Jean-Paul to replace
him as Batman because Dick had already made a life for himself as Nightwing in
Bludhaven. It had been a decision he would later regret. Dick deeply resented
Bruce for not picking him instead. Furthermore, Jean-Paul had allowed his
conditioning to take control of him and he killed a man while wearing the Batman
costume. Dick wanted nothing to do with Jean-Paul ever since.
Jean-Paul Valley was dressed in his bright, fiery orange Azrael costume
which was heavily armored. He was also unmasked.
“Why don’t you just go back to Bludhaven and let me handle it?” Paul
shouted at Dick.
“Like last time?” Dick countered, “So you can kill again? So you can
stain the Mantle of the Bat with more blood?!!?”
“He picked ME last time because you were too weak! Maybe that’s what
this city needs, someone who comes down HARD on these street scum!” Paul
hollered.
“You crossed the line jerk!” Dick yelled, “When you kill, you BECOME
one of the THEM. You’re no better than they are!”
Jean-Paul Valley became enraged. He put on his helmet and drew a
sword which looked as if it were on fire. He swung it at Dick Grayson’s head but
missed badly. Dick anticipated the attack and did a back flip landing gracefully
behind Paul. He’s slow, clumsy, Nightwing thought. Dick delivered a powerful
kick to Azrael’s kidney but did no damage because of the armor. The kick had,
however, heavily dented the armor in that spot. Azrael spun around rapidly with
his sword extended. Dick narrowly ducked under it in time. Fortunately for him,
he was limber enough to do the splits. The miss had disoriented Jean-Paul and
Dick pressed his advantage. He brought both of his legs together and swept
Paul’s out from under him causing him to fall to the floor hard.
“Enough!” Robin finally said. He could no longer stand by and watch.
“We’re supposed to be on the same team, remember?”
Both men rose to their feet. Nightwing climbed back into his vehicle and
drove off; Azrael ascended up the staircase to Wayne Manor; And Robin
entered a secret passage to a tunnel leading back to his father’s house next
door.
The Batcave was home to a giant Lincoln head penny from the “Penny
Plunder’s” case; The life-size mechanical dinosaur from the “Dinosaur Island”
case, and the mammoth playing card bearing the likeness of Batman’s arch
enemy, the green-haired, white-faced Joker.
Alfred had been hiding behind the penny...

CHAPTER SIX: THE VENUE

August 29, 2001--Michael Myers had been Warden Zehrhardt’s prisoner
for the past two months and nine days. During that time he did not speak a
single word nor eat a single morsel of food. Nevertheless, his body did not
appear to deteriorate from malnutrition. In fact, it seemed to somehow be getting
stronger. The fall from the plane and the attack by the shark had weakened him
severely. It would have surely killed any other man. But Michael was no
“normal” man. Zehrhardt had no idea how dangerous Michael really was. To
him, Michael was merely a means to an end. He would serve as a sacrificial
lamb to the KGBeast and/or Bane and then his usefulness would be gone. He
could rot in hell for all Zehrhardt cared.
Zehrhardt and Sir Edmund had arranged for Michael to oppose the
KGBeast first as a “warm-up” for Bane. The winner would serve as
cannon-fodder for Bane who would then go up against Sir Edmund himself for
the title. All three fights were scheduled for the same night. As a result, the cost
of admission had tripled. Instead of $500,000 to watch via satellite, viewers had
to pay 1.5 million. And instead of one million to watch live from the Venue itself,
spectators had to pay a ridiculous three million dollars.
The Venue was virtually invisible to the outside world. It was hidden deep
within an underwater cave off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It was as if its
existence was an accident of nature. Under the trillions of gallons of water that
filled the Atlantic Ocean stood a single cave containing a pocket of dry land and
breathable air. While there were virtually thousands of underwater hills and
mountains, very few contained large caverns. The cave that housed the Venue
was so spacious that it hollowed out over half of the area of the mountain it was
contained within. Furthermore, the water level in the cave only rose a third of
the way to the ceiling leaving an area the size of a small basketball arena
without any water in it. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get to this spot
without a special underwater craft. Moreover, there was one way in and one
way out. The number of people who knew about this phenomenon, much less
with the financial means to exploit it, were very small.
Sir Edmund Dorrance liked the idea of being able to have a place that the
law could not reach him. Not only did the cave exist in international waters, it
was also completely sealed off from the outside world. It would be impossible for
the federal government, much less the Gotham police, to find him there.
Using his billions, Sir Edmund turned the damp, slimy cave into a palace
worthy of a king. A King Snake. Seventy-five percent of the cave’s walls were
covered by deluxe suites similar in design to a suite one might find in a
professional basketball arena. In effect, he had created a mini hotel for the
purpose of making his clients feel more comfortable.
A makeshift floor had been built over the top of the water. Giant pillars
held iron grating in place. This was the surface on which the fighters fought. In
addition, the Venue also had three jail cells for the inmates, and two other rooms
which were sealed off to the spectators. One room was Sir Edmund’s office and
the other was his personal training facility.
Two giant cables connected the Venue to the outside world. One cable
was for the satellite so that the fights could be broadcasted, and the other was
for ventilation. It provided fresh, breathable air to those inside the Venue. Each
cable stretched all the way back to Gotham (underwater and underground)
where it connected to one of Sir Edmund’s buildings, disguised as a legitimate
business. There had been no detail Dorrance had not thought of when
constructing the Venue.
Sir Hemingford Gray was one of the select few who enjoyed the fruits of
Sir Edmund’s efforts. In many ways, Sir Hemingford was a mystery. Very little
was known about him other than what one could see with his own two eyes. He
appeared very old, probably in his late eighties or early nineties. For reasons
unknown, Gray was paralyzed from the waist down. He was confined to a
wheelchair and was tended to by his chauffeur, Charles. Both men had thick
English accents. This was Sir Hemingford’s first visit to the Secret Ring. Most of
the other guests had dismissed him as an eccentric old codger. A few theorized
that Gray was drawn to it because of his own condition. Had he been crippled in
a violent fight during his youth?
The mere sight of Michael Myers entering the Ring caused Sir
Hemingford to grit his teeth. It was as if Myers himself had been responsible for
Gray’s condition. The Shape calmly took in his new surroundings. He looked
completely disinterested in the idea of fighting yet he wielded a large butcher
knife. He was joined shortly thereafter by Anatoli Knyazev, a man known much
better as the KGBeast.
During the waning days of the Soviet Empire, a renegade Russian agent
known only as the KGBeast came to Gotham. He was one of the world’s most
feared assassins and the master of several martial arts. His strength had been
cybernetically enhanced and he was as strong as four healthy men. In his first
encounter with the Batman, the KGBeast was so determined to escape that he
literally severed his own hand to get away. Unfortunately for the KGBeast, his
sacrifice was made in vain because Batman later captured him.
In place of a hand, a large blade extended from the KGBeast’s left wrist in
the form of a prosthetic. He was dressed in a red and blue costume and
resembled a professional wrestler.
For reasons unknown to the audience, something was not right with the
KGBeast. Those who had seen him fight before knew the ferocity with which he
usually entered the Ring. He typically did a superb job of intimidating his
opponents prior to the start of his fights. This time it was as if he was struggling
against some invisible force. Was he sick? Was he afraid of Michael? the
crowd wondered.
The KGBeast’s muscles burned. He did not know why they did or how to
react. He usually felt his strongest at the beginning of each fight because of the
steroids they injected him with. Dorrance and Zehrhardt wanted their fighters at
their peak physical condition so that they could perform better. Neither was
opposed to the idea of giving the combatants a little boost from time to time.
They used a form of anabolic steroid common to football players in the National
Football League. The fighters were never told of this for fear they would turn it
down. Instead, they were told the injections contained vitamins.
While his fighting skills were superb, the KGBeast’s mastery of the
English language was not.
“In pieces KGBeast will be breaking masked man!” he shouted as he
swung his blade at Michael’s abdomen.
Michael made no attempt to move.
The blade had opened up a grotesque wound in Michael’s midsection in
the precise location the shark had bit him. Michael seemed unfazed and
unimpressed by the KGBeast’s attack.
“You are being nothing to me. I am making you less than nothing!”
The KGBeast moved to strike again but this time Michael stepped aside
and buried his knife into the KGBeast’s back up to the hilt. The KGBeast did the
best he could to mask the obvious pain he was in. Furthermore, his condition
was getting worse. His whole body felt like it was on fire. He looked completely
lethargic.
He pulled the knife out in one violent tug and fired it back at Michael. To
the KGBeast’s surprise, Michael caught the blade in midair, then dropped it.
“You are not being so tough!” he yelled at Michael.
The KGBeast’s breathing was labored and he struggled to get his words
out. Michael’s plan was working beautifully. On the night before his battle with
the KGBeast, he escaped his cell and broke into the cabinet which housed all of
the pharmaceuticals that were used at the Venue. Among them was Thorazine
which was used to sedate the fighters who refused to return to their cells
afterward. Michael took the needle intended for the KGBeast’s injection and
replaced the steroids with Thorazine. Instead of giving him a boost, it had the
complete opposite effect. The effect of the Thorazine was compounded once
the victim became active. The drug rested deep within the muscle fibers until
the muscles were stretched. Once stretched, the Thorazine entered the
bloodstream and the desired effect occurred. Michael used enough Thorazine
to paralyze a four hundred pound man. He had his share of experience with
Thorazine while at Smith’s Grove...
His pride at stake, the KGBeast ran at Michael, tackling him like a
linebacker. He grabbed him around the neck with his only hand and screamed,
“You is saying I am king of Blackgate. Say I am king! I am best! Say you are
being nothing and I am king! king! king!”
But Michael did not speak. Instead, he reached for the KGBeast’s bladed
arm and began to apply pressure to it. The pressure gradually increased until
the KGBeast’s wrist shattered in Michael’s grasp.
“Aggghhh!!!” the KGBeast shouted, “Stop it! You win! Let go!”
But Michael did not let go. In fact, he continued to apply even more force
until finally the KGBeast’s wrist snapped backward and then detached
completely.
Michael held the blade which was once a part of the KGBeast’s arm and
regarded it curiously. It still had small pieces of muscle fiber attached to it and it
was soaked in blood. In one final violent maneuver, Michael forced the
KGBeast’s own blade into him at the point between his chin and Adam’s Apple.
The blade cut through his flesh like a hot knife through warm butter until it finally
emerged out of the top of his head. His body crumpled to the floor and seizured.

Meanwhile...
“I’ve got it, we’re in!” Oracle exclaimed.
It had taken her months but she had finally hacked into the computer
system that powered the Venue’s satellite. Her jubilation was cut short once she
realized what had just happened there. She and Nightwing looked on in horror
as the Shape hovered over the KGBeast’s dead body.
“Is that HIM?” Oracle asked.
“I don’t know,” Nightwing answered, “But he looks just like Bruce
described him.”
“We’ve got to tell Batman,” Oracle said.
“We can’t. He’s gone. Nobody knows where he is.”
“Well, I’m not just going to stand by and watch while this freak show goes
on. I don’t just have access to their satellite. I’ve got their life support too. It’s
going to be pretty damned hard to breathe in there in about a half-hour or so.”
“That will KILL everybody in that place!”
“Don’t worry Boy Wonder. I’m not going to drain it all out of there at once.
I’ll just fix it so that fresh new oxygen doesn’t get pumped in. The guests will
have plenty of time to abandon ship before--”
But Nightwing was gone. Oracle had no idea how long she had been
talking to herself. Damn, she thought, Just like Bruce...

“Bring in Bane,” Dorrance said to Zehrhardt.
“Already?” Zehrhardt asked, “Shouldn’t we wait for--”
“No time like the present. Bring him in.”
Born to serve the life sentence of his father, Bane’s childhood and early
adult life was spent behind the walls of Pena Duro, the infamous prison/fortress
of Santa Prisca. At the age of approximately eight he killed the first of many men
confined with him. After more than three decades Bane was made the subject of
experiments with Venom, a gene-altering drug capable of giving its user
tremendous strength in exchange for sanity. His enormous physical strength
and capacity for rage amplified by the poison in his veins, Bane affected an
escape from Pena Duro for himself and three comrades. Free for the first time in
his life, Bane made for Gotham City where he soon disabled the Batman and
ruled Gotham’s underworld until brought down by Jean-Paul Valley, pretender to
the Mantle of the Bat.
At 6’8” and 425 lbs., Bane was much larger than the KGBeast and much
stronger, even without the Venom. Like Michael, Bane wrestled with, and
defeated a great white shark during his escape from prison. Michael turned his
attention from the KGBeast to Bane. A large tube was coming out of the back of
Bane’s head. The tube connected to a small control pad on his hand.
“Your life is forfeit,” Bane said to Michael, “You will beg for mercy. You
will scream my name! Scream it!”
Clearly Bane enjoyed the power he wielded in the Venue. He moved
slowly towards Michael with both hands extended. He was challenging Michael
to a contest of strengths. Bane had heard stories of Michael’s awesome
strength. He became offended by the notion that anyone might be stronger than
him. Michael accepted his offer.
The two grappled with one another for several minutes, each trying to
gain the upper hand. For awhile, it appeared as though it would be a stalemate
until Michael began to overpower Bane and forced him backwards. Sensing his
loss of control, Bane broke contact and stepped back. The crowd could not
believe what they were seeing.
Bane looked furious. He refused to be beaten. Fortunately for him, he
still had his ace-in-the-hole. His trump card. Michael had won round one, but
how would he do against Bane on Venom? Bane grinned. He reached for the
control pad on his hand and pressed a single button. The tube was transparent
so the audience could literally see the Venom make its way through the tube and
into Bane’s head.
Bane grabbed his head with both hands.
“Aggghhh!!!” he screamed.
Once again, Michael’s plan had worked beautifully. While Bane didn’t
receive prefight injections like the KGBeast, he did rely heavily on the steroid
Venom for his success in the Secret Ring. Michael had overheard Dorrance and
Zehrhardt talking about Bane’s dependency on the drug so he switched his
Venom with industrial-strength Drano. First the KGBeast, then Bane.
Bane dropped to his knees and howled in pain. He had begun to bleed
from his eye sockets. The chemical was slowly dissolving Bane’s brain the way
it normally would a clogged pipe. His death was slow and agonizing.
Michael walked over to Bane and grabbed the tube and pulled it forcefully
from the back of his head. Blood and Drano shot out like a geyser. Bane had

 

 

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Copyright © 2001 Mark Brittan
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"