Although Gordon had been tasked with destroying the monorail, neither Kara nor Bruce allowed themselves to relax. They still had to confront the mastermind behind the chaos: Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows.
If destroying the monorail was the only solution, why not do it right from the island? This thought lingered in Kara's mind.
"Wouldn't it be more effective to destroy the track here on Arkham Island? Why send Gordon all the way to the city to destroy the other end?" Kara asked, arms crossed.
Bruce, visibly frustrated, sighed. "Can you stop questioning my plans?"
Kara shrugged as she kicked an approaching thug out of the way, sending him flying into the air with ease. "It's just a thought. Don't take it personally."
Her pointed remarks were starting to give Bruce a headache. But she had a point: Why not destroy the monorail here, preventing Ra's from even attempting to reach Gotham? It would also avoid putting Gordon in unnecessary danger.
But they had already made their move, and there was no time to rethink the strategy. Gordon should be in position soon, and there was no turning back now.
The entire Arkham Island had descended into chaos. Everyone had been affected by the fear toxin, causing widespread panic and violence.
As the saying goes, extreme fear can lead to either collapse or madness.
Fights broke out everywhere, as people, gripped by their worst fears, lashed out in desperation. Kara watched the madness unfold with a frown, her instincts kicking in as she knocked out multiple civilians in quick succession. They weren't her enemies, but they were too far gone to stop otherwise.
Her strikes, though controlled, were not light. The people she subdued wouldn't wake up for a while, and when they did, they'd likely end up in a hospital.
Bruce moved swiftly through the chaos as well. While he had many weapons at his disposal, he refused to use lethal force. He adhered strictly to his no-kill principle, which Kara found admirable, if sometimes inconvenient.
Suddenly, Kara reached out and grabbed Bruce by his cape, almost causing him to stumble.
"What?" Bruce asked, unbothered by her forceful grip, but curious about what she had discovered.
Kara closed her eyes, concentrating. Then, she opened them wide, alarm flashing in her expression. "Your friend Rachel—is she on the island?"
"What?" Bruce's face turned pale. "Rachel?"
Kara had sharp senses, and she had overheard something. It wasn't just the usual chaos around them; she had heard the voice of the Scarecrow.
"I'm not Jonathan Crane anymore. I'm the Scarecrow," a voice echoed from the shadows nearby.
Kara's attention shifted immediately. The name "Scarecrow" was a red flag, and she had unintentionally pinpointed Rachel's location while focusing on the villain.
"Come on," Kara said, taking off at high speed.
Without a second thought, Bruce followed her. His mind was racing with worry for Rachel's safety.
The two sprinted through the streets of Arkham, dodging the chaos until they reached a small alleyway. There, hiding behind a makeshift barricade, was Rachel, clutching a terrified child. A group of Arkham prisoners, all affected by the fear toxin, were closing in on her with murderous intent.
Bruce acted first, charging into the fray with a flurry of punches and kicks. His rage fueled him, and the prisoners stood no chance against his martial prowess.
In the midst of the chaos, however, Bruce failed to notice that Kara had disappeared.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Gotham, a horse galloped through the streets. On its back was Jonathan Crane—the Scarecrow—slumped forward with two tasers dangling from his belt. He had been fleeing ever since Rachel had taken him down with a stun gun.
Scarecrow's wild screams echoed through the streets as he struggled to regain control of his panicked mount.
Crane was a brilliant chemist and master of fear, but without his toxin, he was just an ordinary man. Physically, he stood no chance against anyone, let alone Kara.
At that moment, Kara descended from the sky like a dark shadow. Her cape billowed behind her like the wings of a massive bat as she zeroed in on Scarecrow.
Scarecrow let out a terrified cry, assuming that Batman had returned for him. Little did he know that it wasn't Bruce this time—it was Kara, and she was far more fearsome.
Squinting her eyes, Kara locked onto her target. With no hesitation, she retracted the glider function in her suit and plummeted toward the fleeing horseman.
The impact of her landing sent a shockwave through the street as she landed directly in front of the galloping horse. The poor animal reared up in terror, nearly throwing Scarecrow off its back.
Kara, unfazed, stepped forward and grabbed the horse's reins, flipping it effortlessly over her shoulder. The horse crashed to the ground with a bewildered whinny, and Scarecrow was flung from the saddle, hitting the pavement with a painful thud.
He groaned as he tried to scramble away, crawling desperately on all fours.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kara said, her voice dripping with disdain as she placed her boot on his back, pinning him to the ground with ease.
"Who… who are you?" Scarecrow gasped, panic setting in as he realized he wasn't facing Batman.
Kara smirked coldly. "Doesn't matter who I am. What matters is you're going to pay for what you've done."
She pressed down harder with her boot, causing Scarecrow to let out a pained scream.
Kara wasn't in a rush. She wanted Crane to feel the slow, creeping terror of his impending demise, the same fear he had inflicted on others. The sound of bones cracking under the pressure echoed through the street as Scarecrow's spine began to give way.
Crane screamed, the pain unbearable. His breaths came in ragged gasps as his body buckled under the immense force Kara exerted.
"You love fear, don't you? Well, now it's your turn to experience it," Kara said, her voice cold and unyielding.
The Scarecrow's vision blurred as the agony became too much. He could feel his organs being crushed under the weight of her strength.
"You're not him," Scarecrow managed to croak out, his voice barely a whisper. "You're not Batman. If you were, you wouldn't do this…"
Kara's smile widened. "Congratulations, you figured it out. Here's your reward."
With a final, sickening crunch, she crushed the life out of him.