19(a/n: Enjoy and review!)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
T'was the night before Christmas…actually, it was a night and two weeks before Christmas.
A bleak, freezing cold swept through the streets of Gotham City. A light blanket of snow and frost covered the streets and rooftops of the dark, grimy city.
Despite the usual darkness and gloom of Gotham, there seemed to be a light spirit buzzing through the city. Decorations and bright colorful lights were hung up around the city and seemed to lighten the mood for most folks.
From the upper echelons to the lower elements, everyone seemed to be in good cheer, everyone except Agent Phil Coulson of Shield.
During the last year or so, the Shield agent and his group had been busy trying to rebuild the shattered intelligence organization. Ever since their old enemy Hydra had returned from the shadows of history and the betrayal of their comrade, Agent Grant Ward, the process has been slow and painful.
Not really knowing whom to trust, who won't betray them to the government or even to Hydra.
As of late, the newer and smaller incarnation of Shield has been competing with their foe to keep bright young talents from falling into the hands of Hydra and doing all they can to prevent Hydra's return to their former terrible glory.
Which brings us to Gotham.
After months of work, Agent Coulson, who is acting as both an agent and the Director of Shield, and his closest comrades managed to piece together some clues pertaining to a cell of the Hydra organization operating in the bleak city of Gotham, providing both finances and manpower to the growing organization.
Currently sitting in a booth in a small and sparsely occupied café, the Director of Shield was reviewing intelligence reports one last time before they made their first move.
According to Ward, the Gotham branch of Hydra was established a while back by several operatives while Shield was still up and running. They established a foothold and through some connections to some corrupt local politicians and criminal organizations, Hydra was able to pump some money out of the city and even get a few willing volunteers to join up.
If all goes according to plan, taking out this branch will strike a huge blow to the organization.
Coulson had memorized the files and photos before the team had left their base. He pictured them in his mind and quickly reviewed the information.
Hydra mostly keeps to themselves but had their hands in many pies in Gotham. Police, city hall, criminal organizations, every level of Gotham has at least one position filled by a member of Hydra or was bought out.
Most of the money flowed from the streets, local business and politicians to the prestigious Gotham Merchants Bank, owned and ran by a crime boss allied to Hydra, who goes by the name of Roman Sionis.
Coulson frowned a little. Sionis, on the surface, seemed like nothing more than a wealthy eccentric. He donated money to charities, was publicly well known for his public projects to help clean up Gotham and improve lives, but he was always seen wearing an odd porcelain mask that hid his true face.
When asked about it, Sionis would casually joke that he's camera shy but Coulson knew the truth about why he wears a mask and who Roman Sionis truly was.
Sionis was born into power and wealth but had a brutal childhood and had a rather terrible beginning in the business world, what with his corporation falling into dire straits and having been absorbed by Stark's biggest business rival, Wayne Enterprises.
After Sionis' company was bought out, his life seemed to fall to pieces all around him. A rather cruel and public break up with his fiancée, a horrible accident that hospitalized him and long stretch of bad luck that made Ward's childhood look almost sane.
Sionis then suddenly one day vanished off of everyone's radar, including Shield.
Some said he had become a shut-in or had gone into isolation in shame. Some even claimed that he had died and for a while, that was the prevailing theory.
At least, until in recent years Sionis returned to Gotham and made a serious name for himself in black market arms deals, trafficking, and various other foul deeds that put him at the top of the watch lists of every law enforcement agency in the world, including Shield.
Coulson opened his eyes and glanced out the window to the cold, wintry streets.
A few people shuffled on past his window as the first flakes of snow began to fall and the evening began to grow darker and greyer.
The time was growing closer. Across the street was the Gotham Merchants Bank, a large, marble building that looked more like an ancient Roman palace than a bank, where the wealthy and connected have money stored and where most of Sionis' business is conducted.
Coulson scanned the street outside the café.
The streets were now becoming more and more vacant by the minute as the citizens of Gotham were heading home for the night and to get out of the freezing cold, which suited the needs of Coulson and his team.
"Everyone in position?" asked Coulson softly into his communicator.
"Just about" said Skye
"I'm good here" reported Agent May
"We're good to go" reported Agent Triplett.
Coulson nodded slowly "Good. You know the drill. Get in, get what we need and get out. Nothing fancy"
"No need to worry" said Skye "We'll be out before anyone notices".
Coulson's eyes drifted to a beat up blacked out van parked on the corner of the street near an alley. He looked up towards the roof of the towering building and could barely see shapes moving along the edges. Everything was in place.
"Lets move" commanded Coulson.
With that simple command, the Agents of Shield went to work.
Agent May stalked through the dimly lit in the upper floors of Gotham Merchants Bank. She gripped her weapon tightly and carefully scanned the empty hall for any signs of hidden security measures.
So far, there wasn't anything except empty office cubicles and a few security cameras dotting the ceiling and the corners of the room.
May glided past the cameras with no need to worry about them, thanks to Skye's handy work hacking into the cameras and causing them to run on a loop.
Her eyes scanned around the room and managed to see a hall that might lead her to where she needed to go. The experienced agent weaved through the maze of cubicles all adorned in glowing Christmas lights and slipped through a pair of tall glass doors that led into a spacious office space.
The office wasn't decorated like the rest and looked the part of the office of a powerful businessman a large wooden desk, a large swivel chair, some exotic plants and a large portrait of a handsome man in a suit hanging behind the desk.
May paused for a moment and let her eyes adjust to the dark.
Once they had adjusted, May fished a small device from her belt and scanned the dark, empty office. The device beeped, indicating that there wasn't anything relating to surveillance or security technology.
It seems as though Sionis didn't think that anyone could ever set foot in his office without his permission or didn't see the need to add small additional security measures outside of typical building security.
Big mistake, thought Agent May.
The agent went to the desk. She flexed her fingers and got to work. Quickly and carefully rummaging through the drawers, May's search yielded not so pleasing results. She found nothing that could in the least bit related to Hydra.
Unless the packet of breath mints or the supply order that lay in the topmost drawer were brilliant disguises for something more sinister, May's part in this mission was looking rather dismal.
Which isn't good. May silently cursed under her breath as she slid the last drawer closed. Her eyes scanned the darkness around her. There didn't seem to be anything that would indicate any secrets were hidden in the office, but a man like Sionis would have at least something stashed in the office.
"Anything May?" asked Coulson.
"Negative" replied May softly "There doesn't seem to be anything that…" she trailed off. Her eyes landed on the large portrait of Roman Sionis. It looked a little…off.
She touched the golden frame and nudged it to the right a little. The portrait slid aside effortlessly on a hidden track of sorts, revealing a secret wall safe that was buried almost a foot into the wall behind where the portrait was.
"May? May, what's wrong?" asked Coulson.
"I found a safe" said May "But we have a bit of a problem"
"What kinda problem" asked Skye. The door of the wall safe had a huge, gaping hole in it. May pulled the safe's door open, revealing the empty interior.
Then it hit May. "Someone's beat us to the punch" concluded May.
"What?" exclaimed Skye.
"Damn" muttered Triplett.
Coulson said nothing. Like May, the Director was more than likely trying to piece together who may have gotten to Sionis' office first when suddenly, May heard faint footfalls and whispering coming from the hall.
The agent switched off her communicator, closed the safe and slid the painting back into place than quickly slipped into a dark room behind a door on the other side of the office just as the door slowly swung open.
May held her breath and remained as still and silent as humanly possible. She heard a pair of voices chatting. Both voices were male and they both sounded very tired and annoyed.
"Come on, lets go" complained the first "The boss is waiting downstairs. You know what he's like when he's kept waiting"
"Hold on" hissed the second "I thought heard something in here". There was some shuffling sounds and some clatter outside the door. May looked down and saw some light spilling through the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.
She gripped her Icer pistol tightly and was ready for what came next. However, there was a crackle of static and a voice growled something and there were some quick footfalls then silence.
May waited in total silence and darkness for a few long, slow minutes and then let out a small sigh of relief.
She reached for the handle to return to Sionis' office but stopped. The agent sniffed the air for a moment and a faint sweet smell crawled up her nostril.
Peppermint? Thought May, curiously.
It was too dark to see, even with her well adjusted eyes. She reached down and pulled a small, pen sized flashlight from her belt and clicked it on.
When the tiny flashlight banished the darkness, Agent May discovered two things: the first being that she was in a storage closet of sorts that contained various cleaning and office supplies.
The second was the fact that Agent May and her comrades needed to get the hell out of this bank.
Downstairs, Agent Triplett and Skye strolled in to the spacious and quiet bank.
The lobby was vast and reminded the two agents more of an ancient Roman government building. A high ceiling held up by thick marble columns, a massive clock inlaid into the wall ticking away softly and grand staircases that led up to the upper floor.
Tall, skinny windows were covered in a film of frost and ice, accenting the Christmas decorum that adorned the marble walls, pillars and statues around the lobby. Two security guards manned the front desk that sat at the far end of the massive lobby.
The two men looked big, one had blond hair, the other black. Both wore plain grey and black uniforms and wore holsters on their belts.
The two guards sat with their backs to the two approaching agents and were facing a small, portable television that was playing a late night talk show. Triplett drew his Icer gun and was ready to take a clean shot but he paused.
Something about this didn't seem right. The fact that there were only two security guards in a bank as big and wealthy as Gotham Merchant's seemed a little strange.
Triplett then felt nervousness twist in his gut. Not only that, the two men were as still as statues. They didn't even react to when he and Skye just strolled in through the front door like nothing was wrong.
Triplett placed a hand on the shoulder of one of the guards and the guard slumped back in his chair and the agent turned the guard around to get a look at the guard's face.
What he saw made his blood run cold and his heart jump into the back of his throat.
Frozen on the guard's face was an inhumanly wide grin that showed his pearly white teeth. His eyes were wide open and stared up blankly at Triplett and Skye.
Skye jumped back "Whoa! What the hell!" "What is it?" asked Coulson in concern.
Triplett inspected the two guards. They were both cold and there were no heartbeats from either of them.
"We got two creepy stiffs" said Triplett "Both looked like they…they..." his voice trailed off.
"Looked like what?" asked Coulson
"Like the laughed themselves to death" observed Skye. The cold, lifeless eyes of the two dead guards stared blankly at the two agents.
Skye shivered a little. Whoever these men were, whether they were Hydra agents or not, the way they died was horrible. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy. Former agent Ward was probably the only exception.
Agent Triplett leaned in closer to one of the dead guards and sniffed.
Skye cringed "Trip, what the hell?" "These guys smell like candy canes" observed Triplett.
Skye frowned and she sniffed the air then she leaned in closer to one of the guards and sniffed. Her eyebrows rose "Huh, you're right…"
"Skye, Trip, do you copy?" spoke May.
"We read you" said Skye "What's up?"
"I got another body up here. Its similar to yours" reported the experienced agent "Even down to the peppermint smell"
"What could've done this?" wondered Triplett
"Don't know" said Coulson, sounding perplexed "Maybe some form of chemical agent or something" "Or a killer Santa Claus" said Agent May, dryly.
"That's one hell of a chemical" muttered Triplett
"We're not in danger of being poisoned too, right?" asked Skye nervously "Like its not airborne or contagious, is it?"
"Not sure" said Triplett "But whatever it is, we got to get moving"
"Exactly" said Coulson "Try and dig up what you can and get the hell out of there quickly. We don't know what we're dealing with here"
"We'll we're not alone" added Agent May "Some thugs came searching through Sionis's office and I heard them say that their boss is waiting for them".
Skye frowned "Boss?" "What do you think, robbery? Heist?" asked Triplett.
The two agents could practically hear May shrug "I'm not sure. Whoever they are, they're probably looking for the same things we are"
"Either way, the mission is the same" said Coulson firmly "In and out without a trace".
"Got it" said Skye. Triplett and Skye got behind the front desk and scooted the dead guards aside.
Skye accessed the security guard's computer and patched into the security feed and the computer's files.
The camera footage that she got was all crystal clear, no signs of anyone else. Which made Skye pause. "Weird" muttered the hacker.
"What's weird?" asked Triplett
"I can't see anyone else on the cameras" said Skye "There's like no security guards anywhere else in the bank at all. Its like they all went home for the night or…"
"Or somebody killed them" finished Triplett, grimly.
"I was thinking the same thing" said Agent May "and I may have found your answer. Pull up the security camera for conference room six in the northwest corner of the building".
Skye obeyed and searched the many security feeds on her computer and managed to find it.
When she pulled up the live feed, her blood ran cold and she felt the contents of her stomach hiking their way up into the back of her throat.
"Oh my God" breathed Skye in horror. In the conference room, there were dozens, if not at least a hundred, bodies all laid out in perfect rows and stacked up. They all had the same twisted, toothy grin frozen on their faces and their eyes were wide and seemed to stare up at her.
"More guards" said May "But most of them are bank employees, judging from their attire and the content of some of their wallets".
"That doesn't make sense" said Coulson "Why kill bank employees?"
"Maybe whoever else is here is an enemy of Hydra" suggested Triplett "and all these guards and employees are Hydra agents"
"Maybe" said Coulson "But something about this doesn't sit right".
Skye noticed something move in one of the live feeds and pulled it up. The camera was of a corridor near one of the vaults in the basement and she saw a pair of large men in black skull like masks trudging along, carrying automatic rifles and a woman in between them.
"Guy's, I think I got something" reported Skye "It looks like our mystery guests are taking someone down to the vaults"
"Can you see what's going on in the vault?" asked the director.
Skye searched among the camera feeds that she had access to but unfortunately it seemed like the cameras in the vault room were all destroyed. The hacker relayed her discovery and Coulson ordered, "May, Triplett, get down there and try and see what's going on. I'll be there in a minute. Skye, keep watch up the lobby".
"Copy that" said May
"On it" said Triplett.
Triplett took off and headed towards the vault through a doorway near the front desk. Skye watched as Triplett stalk through the empty hall towards the vault and a minute later, May striding up behind him.
Another minute or two passed and Coulson entered the bank lobby with his Icer gun drawn. "Which way?" asked Coulson. Skye gestured to the door.
Before the director left, Skye stopped him and said "Be careful down there. I…I have a very bad feeling about this"
"I know" said Coulson grimly.
The director disappeared through the same doorway Triplett used and hurried down the same hall as his agents and beyond Skye's sight.
Unbeknownst to the hacker, in the upper most corner of Skye's screen, a shadow passed in front of the camera very briefly and disappeared in the dark winter night. Had she actually kept watch, she might've caught sight of something very strange.
Coulson caught up to Triplett and May. The two agents were hiding behind two huge pallets that carried enormous stacks of boxes, all stamped with Hydra's dark insignia.
Coulson took up a position near May and managed to steal a glance from behind his hiding place. The room holding the bank vault was enormous.
It was huge and contained at least a dozen more pallets. The bank vault was wide open and several men in black skull masks were wheeling out stacks of money and loading them onto an ambulance that had backed into the room through a huge opening in the wall.
Coulson saw two men were standing there, guarding a dark haired young woman dressed in clean, grey business attire.
However, Coulson saw that the young woman looked like she was ready to burst into a fit of laughter. She had a wide grin on her face and was snickering non-stop. The director thought it strange but he then thought of the dead bodies that May and Skye found.
Maybe the woman was affected by whatever killed those people. Coulson's eyes roamed the vault room until they landed on a tall figure, dressed in an expensive white suit and wore a black, metal mask that looked like a skull.
The director immediately knew the man in the mask. Roman Sionis, also known to his criminal associates as the Black Mask.
He stood there, thumbing through a folder and humming "Carol of the Bells" as his henchmen loaded more money into the ambulance. The director was growing more confused with each passing moment.
Just what in the world is going on? Why was Sionis loading money from his bank into an ambulance? Why were most of his employees dead? It just didn't make sense. Unless…
Coulson emerged from his hiding place and took aim at Sionis. May and Triplett were confused at the sudden move but they followed suit.
They took aim at the other henchmen and were ready to act in case things went wrong.
Instantly, Sionis and his men noticed. The men loading the money all froze. The two guarding the young woman raised their guns but oddly enough, Sionis raised a hand and the guards lowered their weapons.
"Roman Sionis" said Coulson in a loud, clear voice "You are under arrest"
"Under whose authority?" asked Black Mask coolly
"Under the authority of United States Government for colluding with a terrorist organization" retorted Coulson.
Black Mask tilted his head to one side "Really? You think you can waltz into my bank and threaten me?" he reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol.
May turned her weapon on Sionis. "Don't think about it" growled the agent. The man in the mask kept his gun in his hand but was completely still.
"Tell you what Roman" continued Coulson "We'll forget about your criminal record and what you are usually up to on a Friday night, if you can tell us why a respectable scumbag like yourself is now a goon for Hydra".
Black Mask stood there for a moment and looked a little confused "Hydra? Aren't they dead?"
Coulson frowned a little. He could almost swear that he could hear Sionis giggling to himself but the businessman managed to hide it well under a short cough.
The masked man coughed "I never like their type. Sounds like a buncha losers if you ask me". He turned and strolled over to the young business woman and jabbed the barrel of his gun into her cheek "How 'bout you doll? What do you think of Hydra?"
"Ha-ha-he-screw… he, he, s-screw you! Ha!" she managed to spit out in between fits of giggling.
Suddenly, another pair of masked men appeared, carrying a figure in a tattered suit. His wrists were bound together behind his back and had a bag over his head. The two thugs shoved the bound figure to his knees.
Black Mask walked over and pulled the bag off of the man's head.
The man had slick black hair, had tanned skin and had lots of old scars on his face. A strip of tape covered the man's lips, preventing him from speaking.
Coulson and May noticed that there were some fresh cuts and bruises on the man's. The bound man looked around in confusion then he looked up at Black Mask and he began to scream a muffled scream.
"And you sir, what do you think of Hydra?" asked Black Mask. The masked crime lord leaned down and tore the tape from his captive's lips.
The bound man winced for a moment then he snarled "You son of a bitch! You think you can steal from me? Hell, you think you can steal from Hydra and get away with it? You're dumber than you look. You're dead! You hear me! You're dead!"
It was then, Coulson's theory was confirmed. The man in the mask was not Sionis.
The man calling himself Black Mask rolled his eyes then suddenly started clubbing the real Sionis mercilessly with the handle of his gun.
He screamed with each strike, "Can't...you….just…play…along!" The real Roman Sionis was pummeled until he was lying on the floor, even more bruised and covered in a lot of blood. Even when he was down, the faker threw in a few vicious kicks to the stomach and face for good measure.
As they watched the beating, the young woman burst out into loud, hysterical laughter. "You're insane!" laughed the young woman.
Once the beatings were done, Fake Black Mask gestured to a pair of his henchmen and they moved in and dragged the pitiful figure off and put him in the back of the ambulance. He turned to the Shield agents and adjusted his necktie.
"Well…this is awkward" said Coulson, after a small bit of silence following the beatings.
Triplett scowled at the fake Black Mask "So…if that poor bastard was the real Sionis…who're you".
The faker slid his gun back into his jacket and he reached up behind his mask. He fiddled around and there was a loud click and he lowered his head. The man in the mask pulled the mask off slowly and he raised his head, revealing his true face.
None of the Shield agents would really admit it but deep down, the face they saw instantly became one of the most chilling things they had seen in a while.
Standing there in full view was a man who looked like a demented clown. His face was white as paper, his lips were red as blood and his hair as green as a Christmas tree.
Coulson stared at the man for a good long moment then said, "So…who are we speaking to now?"
"The name's Joker" said the man, his voice no longer gruff or carrying the business tone. The clown's voice was softer but it still had a cold edge that made Coulson's skin crawl.
"So, you're the one who slaughtered all those innocent people upstairs" said Coulson.
The Joker grinned, "Slaughter? Yes. Innocent? No. All of them were Hydra stoolies. All of them just as wormy and treacherous as the next". He tilted his head to one side and sighed "Such a shame. Such talent wasted on an organization with such a narrow vision"
"Narrow vision?" repeated Triplett in confusion.
The Joker's grin widened "Yes. The power and destruction within their grasp and they decide to waste it on world domination" he waved a hand and said in song, "Boring! Honestly, those blowhards should've stayed dead when the big bad Skull bit the dust"
"So you decide to kill all those people and run Sionis' operation. Now you're robbing both Sionis and Hydra" deduced May.
The clown shrugged "Well, to be frank it's my operation now. Right boys?"
The henchmen all shed their black masks and donned clownish masks with various facial expressions plastered on them.
"Ok, not weird at all" muttered Triplett.
"You're making a very powerful enemy tonight, you know that" warned Coulson "Hydra doesn't take kindly to folks who steal from them"
"Oh I know" said Joker casually "In fact, they're supposed to be sending some assassins after me tonight. That is, they would be, if they didn't have that little mishap on the Gotham Bridge."
May frowned in confusion, "Mishap? When?"
"In thirty seconds" said Joker casually.
The three agents stared at the clown in surprise. The young woman continued laughing hysterically with tears starting to run down her cheeks.
Coulson scowled at the clown "Ok, you've made your point. You got what you want, now let the girl go"
"Oh life would be so simple if money was all that I wanted" said the Joker dreamily "However, it's a mere mean to an end and you dear G-men are just a tiny, little distraction compared to what I've got in store". He reached over and wrapped his arm around the young woman's waist and pulled her close to him. He rested his head on her shoulder "Me and this little cutie have a lot on our itinerary this evening".
The clown's gloved hand slipped into his jacket and withdrew with a green and purple canister of sorts that looked like a grenade.
"Here, have a laugh on me!" laughed the Joker. He pulled the pin with his teeth and he lobbed the grenade.
The little grenade sailed over the Shield agent's heads and landed with a clank. It exploded on impact, enveloping them instantly in a dark green haze. May, Triplett and Coulson tried to shield themselves and make a break for the exit but it was too late.
A sweet peppermint scent filled their lungs and all the fear and anxiety they felt moments ago melted away like ice in the summer.
In seconds, Triplett started to chuckle, then so did May and finally Coulson.
The chuckling turned to laughter and it suddenly became harder and harder to stop. It was as if someone had magically turned everything into one huge hilarious joke. The three did their best to stop but they found that they couldn't stop laughing, let alone breathe.
"Love to stay and share a few laughs with you" said the Joker sadly "But I've got plans for my huge, up-and-coming Christmas Bash for my special guests, Hydra!"
He handed the laughing young woman off to one of his men and he scooped her up then tossed her into the back of the ambulance with a bloody and beaten Sionis.
Joker hopped onto the back of the ambulance and hung onto the door. He knocked on the back of the vehicle and it started up and started to roll away.
The demented clown cried cheerfully "Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The ambulance peeled out of the bank with a loud screech and the goons hustled after him into the cold Gotham night.
Coulson tried to give chase but he found himself doubled over, laughing like nothing was wrong.
"Coulson? Coulson? What's going on?" asked Skye fearfully "What the hell is going on?"
"S-s-heh-Skye!" laughed Coulson.
That was all that he could manage before the world around him started to grow hazy.
The director of shield slowly sank to his knees and everything started to grow dark.
Before Coulson lost consciousness, he saw a huge, dark figure emerge from the shadows and rushed to his side.
The director immediately dismissed what he saw as crazy. He could've sworn that he was looking at a large bat.
End...?
(a/n: So, what do you think? Originally i wanted to put this up on Christmas Day but time just slipped on by and i tried to at least put this up by New Years Eve. So yeah, i hope that i stayed true to Agents of Shield and Batman. This is based entirely off of Arkham Origins. I might continue, if anyone reads this and actually likes this. If you enjoyed it, let me know! Anyway, happy New Years!)
