Thin strands of rain dripped onto metallic armor, and the cold-iron chill cut through the stirring night.
"You injected Batman with fear gas?"
The Arkham Knight eyed Spider-Man's striking suit, its hues a stark contrast to Gotham's gloomy palette. Yet, somehow, under the neon signs of Chinatown, it matched perfectly.
The cold, grim undertone wasn't the usual Batman style, hadn't Batman ever noticed?
The Arkham Knight couldn't accept Batman's subduction, let alone admit to his fall over such ridiculous tactics. Thus, he stepped forward, loading his handgun.
"That was just a slight payback," Spider-Man said.
The Arkham Knight detected an indescribable indifference from Spider-Man's words. His memory started to become chaotic.
"He abandoned you, you worthless wretch. You once trusted him so much, but he didn't look for you, didn't save you. Is this his payback for your love and trust?"
The sharp raspy voice echoed in his ear once again. The Arkham Knight strained his eyes, almost able to hear the sound of blood flowing through his brain.
"Jason, Jason Todd, your departure caters for his desires, and so does your disappearance. He's already back in Gotham with his new Robin."
Pain twitched where his waist met his right abdomen. The Arkham Knight took a deep breath.
"Read me the content on this newspaper, dear boy, and see how they describe the gallantry of Batman and his new Robin. Either you remember it, or I'll stitch it into your skin."
His breath grew ragged. The Arkham Knight could hear his own heartbeat again, followed by heady dizziness. All pain vanished, and his memory became increasingly blurry.
"No… don't…" the Arkham Knight murmured.
Then he forcefully pointed his gun at Spider-Man's forehead and said, "What did you do to me?"
"Ever since I met you, nothing has been right. What in the world did you do?"
"Does anything feel right to you?" Spider-Man said with a tone of contempt. "You've already proved you're not as powerful as I am, now you want to prove you are nobler?"
"Your master is dead, reduced to ashes and buried in fire, but that doesn't mean you're not a lapdog for super-villains, Jason Todd. Just like me."
"What are you talking about?!" The Arkham Knight was seething, but the excess pain relievers he'd taken made him sound weak. He had to stir up more emotions within himself to regain his dominance.
"I've investigated it," Spider-Man said, folding his arms. "You allied with the Joker about a year ago but that idiot got himself burnt to death. You had to find a new patron."
Rage exploded in the Arkham Knight's mind, but Spider-Man kept rambling: "You'd say you didn't do it willingly, but no one does initially. Betrayed, wounded, changing sides, we do all of it for ourselves."
"But I've waited too long for this opportunity, Jason Todd. I won't let you jeopardize my long-planned operation. Go to Hell with your master."
Boom!!!!
The loud explosion caught Batman and Nightwing's attention. But when they arrived near Chinatown, all that was left was a burnt-out wreckage.
Batman jumped down from the rooftop and walked over to the remains of a blown-up vehicle. He bent down and picked up a shiny metal shard from the ground.
A contemplative expression crossed his face when his gauntlet lightly brushed against the metal surface.
Suddenly, the scene before his eyes started rippling along with the distortion of rain droplets.
A blood-soaked young man was tied up by his hands and sitting on a chair as another figure slowly emerged from the darkness behind him.
The figure was thinner than Batman had expected — it wasn't Penguin Man, but the Joker.
Batman's heart felt tightly clenched as he heard the Joker's low whisper.
"It's already been six months. During his absence do you know what he's been through? Let me tell you, Batman."
"Did you know? People can develop reflexes to pain, and once you break the facades of humanitarianism, you'll realise how frail human spirit can be, like a savage beast."
"You whip him when he protects his food, and one day, he will be tamed. Instill enough pain every time he recalls a memory, and one day he will forget."
"And then what? Of course, implant new memories. But it's not about idly making up stories, it's about intensifying his anger and hatred. He will envision everything darker."
"Thanks to you, Batman. You didn't look for him, couldn't save him. Now look at my great achievements."
Batman felt every inch of his skin aching, pushing him to the brink of madness as pieces of memory flashed by.
Suddenly, the pain subsided, his heart rate gradually slowed, and a hazy halo appeared before his eyes. Batman looked down at his arm gauntlet and saw that the painkiller injection button hadn't lit up.