Nine months after the fall of Arkham City, one week before the death of the Batman, Gotham's citizens waited anxiously for the next big tragedy to afflict their city.
Gotham experienced historic lows of crime. For the first time in a while, all seemed well. People roamed the streets without fearing for their lives, newly opened businesses flourished, and sightings of Batman diminished. While things returned to normalcy, criminal scum plotted to bring an end to peace.
It all started with a meeting on a sunny afternoon, in an abandoned warehouse. Everyone remaining of the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery gathered there. Out of the bunch, Scarecrow led most of the conversation.
"One does not defeat the Dark Knight by simply killing him. That'd be a mercy, an undeserved gift that would morph him into a martyr for those who oppose us. To permanently rid Gotham of the Batman, we must tarnish his legacy."
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Two-Face asked.
"With flames!" Firefly blurted.
"Close, but it'll take more than a few fires to cause the damage we desire to inflict. To end Batman, we need to give him something to fear."
"If only you numb-skulls had teamed up with Mista J when he was alive. The Bat would be dead by now."
"Your reckless beloved was nothing but a fool. A self proclaimed clown prince who played with his food for far too long."
"Is that so? I'd have you know, Mista J was very good at what he did. He made Bat-brain fear far more than you ever have."
"He did nothing of the sort! The Dark Knight's legend thrived at his expense."
"You know, I think he's right, Harley. Not to be rude or nothin, but Joka was a failure. Not all is lost though. You have a real good chance to avenge him," Penguin added. Harley's unpainted face developed a slightly red hue as she pouted in her seat, crossing her arms.
"Indeed. With all of us working together, we can finally obtain justice for the agony we've endured," Harvey said.
"So what's the plan?" Ivy queried.
"You'll all play a crucial role. Penguin will be responsible for distributing firearms, while Two-Face aids in robbing the banks. Firefly can burn specific parts of the city to ash when Freeze occupies himself by coating the rest of it in ice."
"And what about me?" Harley whined.
"You? I want you to work with the Hatter."
"Ugh, boring! No freakin way I'm workin with him! Give me somethin excitin."
"Your partnership with the Hatter will help dismantle the GCPD. An important mission that'll determine whether or not we succeed. As for you, Ivy, you'll use your plants to guard areas of interest. Imagine the look on the Knight's face when he sees your plants being used to create blockades all around Gotham. No matter the effort, he won't be able to win, nor run."
"Sounds... wonderful."
"You don't seem thrilled. Problem?"
"My issue? It's Batman. He's unbeatable. Despite the odds, he always triumphs. Someone please tell me why it'll be different this time?"
"Because he hasn't had to deal with me," intruded the voice of an unidentified person, concealing his identity beneath a highly-armored futuristic suit; somewhat similar to the likes of Batman's.
"And who exactly are you?" Ivy said.
"I'm Gotham's destroyer, the Arkham Knight."
"The Arkham Knight? Please tell me you're kiddin."
"Although we do not know his true name, the Arkham Knight is our greatest asset and ally. Isn't that right?" Scarecrow said.
"Most certainly. In a week's time, the whole city will be flooded by thousands of my military personnel, dozens of land mines the size of tires, and manned tanks as well as choppers."
"Do you take me to be a fool?" Freeze stated. "To fund an assault of that magnitude, it would take an absolute fortune. The kind of which few in Gotham have."
"Well, I've got it," replied the Arkham Knight.
"Interesting. If we are to trust you, in the same way the crow does, you must reveal to us who you are. I won't take part otherwise," Freeze declared. Scarecrow nodded at the Knight, giving him a frightening look of reassurance.
"It would be an honor," the Knight responded. After pressing a button of release, the face piece of the bullet proof mask elevated from the rest. At the sight of the face, eyes widened, Harley gasped, Harvey's blood boiled, Penguin closed his fists tightly, slamming them on the meeting table. Confusion appeared upon Freeze's face, and the others in the room remained shocked."
"It's bloody Wayne?! Bruce fuckin Wayne?!" Penguin shouted.
"The one and only," the Knight confirmed.
"Do you know how much trouble you've caused me and my family? I oughta put a bullet in your rich skull right now!"
"If it wasn't for you, I'd be mayor. My whole life was ruined because of you. Now you want me to be your lackey?"
"Working with Wayne secures our victory. Put your petty grudges aside," Scarecrow insisted. The Knight walked around the round-table, maintaining eye contact with whoever fell in his line of sight.
"Huh, kinda strange. I always thought there was a chance for Wayne to be the Bat. I guess I should've known the billionaire playboy's just like the rest of the dirt-bags in this city," Harley said. The Arkham Knight smirked, continuing his walk around the rogues gallery.
"I don't blame you for thinking that way. Nor do I blame any of you for being disgruntled about my past acts of cruelty towards you. I'm happy to let you know, now, that I'm going to make things right."
"Explain, Wayne. Why agree to this? You already own the city. If all fails, you lose everything."
"Well, Freeze, I want Batman gone just as much as all of you. With my support, we can make it happen. Don't think that the death of the Bat will be your only reward from the incoming chaos. How's your wife? I promise to cure her of her ailment as long as you work with me. And you, Cobblepot, I'll give you the riches you desire. You'll never have to live a life of crime ever again. Neither will you Harvey. When we rebuild Gotham back up in our image, I'll give you any governmental position you crave. As for you, Quinn, with Joker gone, you're free. How does being gifted with your own multi-million dollar psych corporation sound? It sounds great doesn't it? If any of you want something, ask."
"So what will it be? Will you join us?" Scarecrow questioned. Everyone nodded. "Then there we have it. Soon, Gotham will be a city of fear."
"I can't believe it. We're finally gonna win, and we get to do it with a copy-cat version of Batman!" Quinn celebrated.
"Oh, you have no idea," the Knight thought.
***
"The preparations for the Halloween Bash have been made, sir. All that remains is for the invites to be delivered."
"Sounds good," Bruce replied. Up until that point, he spent the majority of daylight in the cave. He glued his attention to the bat-computer, waiting for one of his enemies to make a move. Over the radio frequencies, he heard nothing other than alerts of petty crimes. "Gordon seems to have everything under control."
"Sir, would Master Grayson be interested in attending the event?"
"You can ask, but I doubt he'll come. He's got his own matters to deal with."
"Very well. I'll give him a call to be sure. I'll be right back."
Bruce continued watching for alerts and listening to radio chatter. Then he heard it. A police officer mentioned an arms deal that was going to occur that night between Penguin and Two-Face's men. He stood from his comfy black-leather chair to begin stretching.
After fifteen minutes, Alfred returned with a question. "Sir, I just got off the phone with Master Grayson. He said he's willing to come as long as a few of his crew-mates can tag along."
"The Titans? I don't think that'd be a good idea."
"How about one then? He did make mention of a Kori, if that name rings a bell."
"Starfire."
"Is that her name?"
"I'll think about it, Alfred. In the meantime, I need you to prepare for tonight. Two-Face's men are planning to purchase firearms from Penguin."
"What for?"
"I'm going to go find out.
***
On Bleake Island, the thugs congregated. Rain poured down upon them. The city's gothic structures glistened beneath the night sky, due to the bright lights along the streets. Batman viewed the deal from the shadows. He noticed Two-Face's men hadn't transferred any payment for the guns. The weapons themselves weren't the kind an average person could get their hands on either. "There's an Arkham insignia on every vehicle. Something's not right. Let's see... Eight men, two are armed. With the disruptor, I can render their firearms useless. This should be easy." Batman jammed the possessed guns and dropped down to the ground from the rooftop. His presence was known. The men packed most of the firearms into the backs of three white vans. They rushed the Bat from all sides. Each threw punches and kicks yet failed to land on target. The two armed men tried shooting, but the guns wouldn't work. Despite everything, they couldn't match the Caped Crusader's speed and agility. One by one, he knocked them down, shattering jaws, snapping arms, and breaking ribs. He won.
While in agony, the only goon who remained conscious crawled toward a van. Before making it, Batman stopped him, flipped his body over, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him in the air.
"Two-Face, Penguin, the arms deal, tell me what you know!"
"I don't know nothin. I swear!"
"I'm not in the mood for lies. Tell me, or else you'll have more to worry about than a few broken bones!"
"Alright! Alright! I'll talk. The Penguin was giving the boss guns so that we could rob every bank in Gotham."
"Why?!"
"To make a fortune. Why else? The Penguin was gonna take a cut of the earnings."
"When?!"
"Next week. The day of Halloween."
"What about the Arkham logo on the vans?! Know anything about that?!"
"No! These were just the rides we were provided by our bosses. That's all I know. Promise!"
"I believe you," he said, knocking the fool out afterwards. Batman called Gordon, telling him, "I sent you my location. There's a group of men who need transport to GCPD. There are also weapons in three white vans that require pickup."
"Nice work. Anything important I should know?"
"Harvey Dent's hoping to rob every bank in Gotham. It's happening on Halloween. With a goal that large, this couldn't have been the only arms deal to take place tonight. Tell your officers to stay alert. I have a feeling things are going to pick up."
"Will do."
The call ended.
He used his grapple hook to leave the scene. After establishing distance, he answered a call from Alfred, who said, "I assume you've dealt with the issue?"
"Not quite. There's something bigger brewing."
"Sounds like you could use my help," Robin interrupted from his own comms.
"I can handle it, Tim."
"Sure, but it would be easier to deal with the situation together."
"When I need you, you'll know. In the meantime, contact Oracle. We need her up to speed."
"Already heard you," she replied.
"Tap into the GCPD database. See what they know."
"You got it."
"Alfred, check if you can find any new information related to Arkham's insignia."
"May I ask why, sir?"
"Those men I took out had it plastered on the sides of their vehicles."
"I see. And what will you do, sir?"
"I'll head back to the bat-cave. I need to make modifications to my suit. Maybe even touch up the bat-mobile in the process. Major crime has been dormant for far too long. If there's a war coming, we'll need to be ready at any and all costs."