The Darkest of Knights

Spoiler:

I reeeaaaaallllyyyy needed something to cheer me up and this has.

Character Approved! Watch those pants, or wear really tight belts! The Panty Raider now peregrinates the streets of Gotham!

(Not entirely sure what to post for Karmy so..)

The Mad Hatter ran into an abandoned apartment complex and rested on an old couch. "Oh dear me.." he gasped as he tried to catch his breath. "I wonder what has become of my friends." he pondered outloud.

---

Krstal Hernandez was walking home from work, having just spent an 8 hour shift working the register at a deli. "Dockers, boot cut, size 7 and a half waist." muttered the Panty Raider as he watched the young woman entered a back ally for a shortcut. "I need a new job.." she grumbled, "I can't handle those meatheads there. God! I just wan-"

"PANTS!"

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground and her pants were gone. "what the hell!?" she looked up to see the Panty Raider, his goggles gleaming in the light. "You perv! Give me my pants back!" she shouted up at him. "Now now now my dear, no need to get cheeky! Oh wait... You do!" and he ran off laughing, holding the woman's pants close.

Dick and Barbara stepped into the Commissioner's office after waiting an entire two hours for him to be available. Taking seats, Commissioner Flass was smoking a cigar and filing the last bit of papers he needed to. "Okay, you've only got 10 minutes so start yapping." He said throwing the papers into a drawer and locking it. He folded his hands on his desk and looked at the two curiously. "Sir... Commissioner." Barbara started, her voice shaking, she grabbed Dick's hand for support. "This is about the murder of my father." Still puffing his cigar he actually decided it was rude to be smoking concerning the subject. He put it out slowly. "Go on." He replied. "It was not the Batman, sir." Dick said. "No it wasn't, it was a STEAM operative named Metallo." Barbara explained. "Yeah? Prove it." Flass said smugly. "I have this.." she said pulling out an MP3 player, it was a recording of the conversation.

"Do you know anything about the murder of Commissioner Gordon? Does it have anything to do with you not wanting to go to Arkham?" Barbara's voice came.
"Of COURSE I know about the murder- I was THERE, I set off the hookshot myself. As for Arkahm- I'm doing this crap under orders. If they found out I failed to hit my designated target, this time the Riders, and compromised the plan, they'd come and get me for sure." Metallo's voice responded.
"Who gave you those orders?" Bab's voice sounded again.
"The orders came from my superiors at STEAM. When we believed the Batman might possibly be dead a few days ago, we realized we needed another big media circus. They wanna build something- something BIG and BAD." Metallo's said.
Several voices went indistinct but then Barbara's voice came back asking about what the item they were building was. Metallo explained everything.
"The thing? it's some big new toy that some big government sect is craving- it's called an Earthquake generator, but it's not like the small fry things the new titans faced six years ago, or the ones the Black lanters were coveting. No, this is a bigger, badder thing. After the Lanterns collected all the data on the generators, STEAM was able to pool enough info together to make the much more dangerous one they're making now."

Barbara stopped the clip and folded her arms, shaking her head. "Is that not proof enough?" She asked. The Commissioner dumbfounded and confused leaned back in his chair. A look of awe was painting his face. "How did you get that?" He asked her, "And I don't want any shitty answer, I want the truth."
"That all depends commissioner, can we trust you?" Dick asked.
"Trust me? What are you talking about?"
"Can we trust you like we trusted Gordon?"
"Trusted Gordon?"
"That's right Flass."
"What do you mean trusted Gordon?"
"I need your word first."
"You have it."

Dick leaned back and Flass lurched forward, "What's going on?" he asked the couple as they looked at each other. "Does the Batman still have that $60,000,000 bounty?" Dick asked. "Not after that." Barbara looked coldly into Dick's eyes. Dick took a deep breath and said: "I am the Batman."

[O_o]

"Yeah, I know." Zero sulked. Then again, anyone would feel like that if they got whuped by some guy named Penguin. Zero hesitated for a second, considering asking Ivy his question from the other day. "Hey, Dollface, mind if I ask you something? Do you think we're.... well, NEEDED in Gotham? I mean between Robin, Batman, Batgirl and Alice, is it really nesesary for us to be here?" He asked reluctantly. There were a lot of other places that could probably use their services also- he heard Bludhaven was pretty bad of fitself.

Karmy awoke to the resounding steps of robotic feet, and by now she could pretty much guess who it was. "Why are you always carrying me?" she asked, not even bothering to lift her head. "Tick tock Karmy." Casey was walking behind them.

"Because I care too much to leave you on the ground." Cyrah said to Karmy. "Tell me, why did you run off this time? More mind control junk?" Cyrah asked.

"Cause I was gonna run away with Casey." Karmy coughed, a little bit of blood spraying out of her mouth. "Nothing like pain to remind you that you are still alive." Casey whispered.

Cyrah rolled her eyes. "You don't have to lie to ME. Really now, why did you run off? I won't get mad, just tell me why." She asked. She was there when Casey covered their excape at the Wayne building, nobobdy could have survived that. And if there was someone there, even if they were invisible, her human eye would have picked up on him anyways. It was impossible- right?

Raven was outside the room, she had heard something suspitious. Damian looked at Nicole, "Oh yeah yeah... I'll get you a new poster. And sorry for attacking you." He forced himself to say.

"I'm not lying Cyssy." Karmy said, struggling a bit. "Casey's here and he doesn't want to be seen or heard by y'all. I'm gonna go with him."

"What like that Killers song? What was it called? Smile Like You Mean it? I'm not really good at apologizing." Damian admitted. Especially if it was to a cute girl.

Damian was surprised shocked, he was about to say something when Raven entered the room again. "Sorry false alarm; he didn't try to kill you, did he?" Raven asked pocketing her communicator.

Levis walked into a... Well a Levis store, his trusty iron in his hands and a portable ironing board strapped to his back. "YOU!" he shouted at one of the patrons of the store. "Your pants are WRINKLED!!!!" he tackles the man and took his pants. "You do not deserve to wear pants!" and he ran out of the store and back to his apartment. "Wrinkled, wrinkled, wrinkled!" he muttered over and over again as he ironed the pants.

Flass leaned back in his chair, "I'll be the King of England." He said pulling his hand back over his head. "You do know that the Batman is wanted for breaking the law right?" Flass asked the two. "We trust you now Flass." Barbara told him in a serious tone. He began to curse under his breath. "Well okay fine! But you have to help me whenever I need it! Got that Grayson?"
"That's understood sir."
"Good! Cause not 30 minutes ago we picked up on a bank robbery. No survivors, all that was left was this."
Flass opened his desk and pulled out a card and placed it on the desk. A Joker Card.
"The Joker... He died two years ago." Dick said astonished.
"We know, that's why we're thinking this new Joker is a copy cat killer. Though he doesn't really care about people smiling as much as dying."
"Anything else on him?"
"He wears make-up. Has scars. No ID. They say all he has in his pockets are knives and lint."
"That's kinda stupid, don't they poke through his legs or something?"
"Ha! They probably do, and he probably likes it."

Dick and Barbara left looking at each other worried. The last Joker had crippled Barbara, she was lucky to have went through Lazarus Pit to heal herself. They decided that Dick would answe the door from now on. "The Joker huh?" Dick asked Barbara. "Every Bat needs his Clown." She suggested. "Golly gee wittikers Batman..." Dick said.

Cyrah slowed down. "Ok, I get it- if you don't wanna be around me, you could have just said so. But I can take hint:" She said bitterly, releasing Karmy. Why else would she want to get away from her so bad, if not to get away from her?

Slade finally made it to the exit. About damn time- time was going so quick, he could have swore he was in a time warp. Mame must have been totally crazed by now! Scuttling off with his spoils as fast as his insectoid legs could carry him, he finally arrived back at the abandoned auditorium.Hhe prodded Mame with his leg, trying to rouse her awake....

Karmy fell on her back and groaned in pain. "You think I'm insane! You're gonna lock me up again!" she shouted up at Cyrah. "They will Karmy." Casey said over her. "You all think I'm crazy... I'm not crazy." she muttered over and over again

(Sry if im off....i read the posts just fogot maybe if they closed off the warehouse)
Crimson was just aimlessly jumping from roof top to roof top, thinking of what to do. sence the fight with the giant kryptonite giant, crimson was totally at a loss of what to do. going to the graveyard to see rose's grave would be too depressing........... "Maybe i could explore that warehouse that was on the news one night..." he thought. So he did. After a few more buildings he finnaly made it into the warehouse. and sure enough, it was in taters from probably some kind of fight.

"Geez...must have been some fight" Crimson said. after looking around the warehouse he decided there was no reason to be at the old ranshackled warehose he started to leave.

Then a glint of a strange red gem caught his eye.

Ivy frowned slightly. "That is kind of true...." With all of them, -The Batclan and the Riders- there were seven. Eight, including Karmy. Ten, if you counted Cyrah, and Casius. It really was quite a few considering Jump City originally only had five, at the most six. Same with Steel City.

"So, when all the Bats business is done, are you saying we should move?" the heroine asked, a little downhearted at the thought of leaving Gotham. If Bruce could keep it safe with just Barbara and Robin, Dick would do even better with Barbara, Robin, and Alice. Were they needed?

"They're coming for me!" Karmy shot up and ran down the street, completely frightened. "Watch out Karmy, Dr. Fosters coming.. He isn't happy with the last experiment. He's awful sore about it. Run"

Alice spotted Karmy limping away and Cyrah. "Hey Karmy! Where are you going?" She asked running up to her.

"Yeah, I suppose. I heard Bludhaven is a right rotten peice of work- maybe we could go there?" Zero stated.

Cyrah had finally caught on that Karmy really WAS having a mental breakdown, she had already started to bolt away. But then she also saw Alice- well, she knew where THIS was going to go. Alcie was going to say the right thing, fix her up like she allways did, her and Karmy were going to get closer than ever, and Cyrah was going to take the spot of a fifth- wheel, awkward looser- as usual. Sure she tried to catch up with Karmy, of course, but she began to wonder why she was even bothering....

Knightmare walked casually through the alleys and streets of Gotham, the shadows concealing her safely. A media uproar. Something that'll make the news and stay on the news. Big enough to keep STEAM safe. But what kind of trauma would possibly be bigger than Bats killing Gordon? Wait...

He said it had to be big. Not bigger.

Let's see...What do I have at my use? the rouge thought nonchalantly. Her knives, voice changer, the fact she was anonymous, STEAM, her abilities....Her abilities! What bigger problem could there be than that? A nightmare you get launched into and can't wake up from. A few people to start off, than capture more. Trap people in the very shadows of their own minds. What could possibly be better than that?

It was when she thought this that she was passed by a crazed looking Karm. It took a few seconds before the identity registed into Knightmare's mind. Karmy was a hero. Prized and adored by others. What if she were to become caught in the elaborate web of darkness housed in the corners of her head? Wouldn't it be even bigger? Civilians, duh, weren't safe. But then the metahumans weren't either? Oh, this was too good a deal to pass up. Knightmare ran after the frantic hippie.

As soon as she was close enough, the spell flowed through her lips as easily and casually as always. Her hands did an intricate dance in front of her.

"To sleep, the body..."
Karmy slowed down noticably as they turned into an alley, her wide strides becoming short sluggish movements.
"To work, the mind..."
"Casey, why am I so tired?" she whispered. Knightmare barely noticed, focusing instead on making Karm weary. Now at a complete stop, her body slumped against the alley way wall, eyes fluttering shut.
"Let me bend...." her voice continued in a silky soft tone, as if lulling her victim to sleep.
A low breath escaped Karm's lips.
"The dreams of thine." The fiend finished, watching the slow rising movement, signaling the hippie was still alive.

But in a moment she'd wish she wasn't.

As soon as Karmy shut her eyes, it seemed as if dark clouds had rolled in on her already confused mind, storming and causing chaos. Before her stood Casey, so close, yet so far. "Casey...." she called in a stage whisper, willing him closer to her. Casey shook violently. "N-no." he gasped, seeming to lose oxygen. "Casey!" Karmy tried to move, but found she couldn't. All the other details seemed to simply fall into place as they often do in dreams.

Together, they stood, in a meadow. The flowers surrounding them lavished and grew, glowing with their own little light. The sky overheard boomed and crashed with thunder, but no rain. Karm tried to move again. Her body seemed made of rocks, she couldn't move an inch.

She found she didn't have to. Casey began to make his way towards her, still shuddering and shivering. "K-Karms...." he breathed, a foot away from her. He reached out his hand, laying it on her shoulder. "Don't worry..." Lightning flashed, and for a moment, Casey didn't look like Casey. He looked like..them. The men in white. The flash disappeared, and he looked like himself. "Don't worry, Karms...."

Thunder growled overhead, the flowers began to wilt. With the rapid sensation of dreaming, the whole scenary changed. In place of the flowers grew cold linoleum. Casey's skin seemed to melt off, lying in a heap on the floor. In his place was Doctor Foster. "Thought you could run away, could you?" he asked, keeping an iron grip on her shoulder. "You can't. We are always here. We are always waiting. You will return to us. We are all that you have." A twisted smile appeared on his features.

"That's not true." Karm replied, fighting back. "I have...the Titans....the Riders....Alice..." Foster rolled his eyes. "Oh, they care very much for you. They think you're insane. They want to lock you up. You want to be with them?" he asked coldly.

"No. I want to be with Casey."

Foster shook his head. "Sit." He commanded, pushing her backwards. She fell onto a cold metal platform that she swore wasn't there before. Locks set into place as soon as she lay down. She struggled, only to be forced back down by an invisible hand. "Casey, she said. How very funny." he chuckled darkly.

A low murmur of laughter around him. They weren't there before, but they were there now. Stepping from the shadows of the plain gray room, over twenty in men in white. A needle armed and ready in each hand.

"You can't escape us.
"We're in the only place you can never leave.
"Your mind."

Foster sneered, poking the end of his own needle near Karm's arm. "We're all that you have. We own you, Anderson. No matter what you say, we can do what we like. With you, and with Casey."

Karmy refused to cry. "Casey! Help me!" she screamed.

Foster snickered, pressing the needle into her,

"Casey is dead."
---

In the real world, Karmy shrieked bloody murder.

(Done with permission of Fishing4Karma for Karmy's character.)

Alice stopped in her tracks, "K-Karmy?!" She asked nearly backing away at the shrieking. She felt for her side as she tried to feel for knock-out gas. She heard clamping of metal feet, turning around she saw Cyrah. "What's going on Cy?"

Knightmare turned around, seeing Alice and Cyrah. Seeing a dark cloaked figure and your friend curled up into a ball screaming...not the best thing. She burst through the two girls and bolted.
---
"Bludhaven?" Ivy asked. "Sounds like....blood heaven. What a pleasant name." She laughed.