8This is based on the metafictional graphic novel mentioned in Bruce Wayne: Agent of SHIELD and is apparently a combination of The Killing Joke and A Death in the Family, two of the best Batman comics ever made. I don't own Amalgam Comics.
Commissioner Charles Gordon threw his cigarette to the ground and stamped on it to put it out as a certain car drove in front of him. Her was standing outside Arkham Asylum, though according to recent news it sounds like politician and crime boss lord Edward Fisk might actually get his Arkham Tower idea. The door of the car opened, and out stepped the Clawed Crusader himself.
"Mind explaining to me why you're doing this?" he questioned the masked hero.
"I have to talk to him." Dark Claw responded as he marched into Arkham, Gordon following quickly behind him.
"He's been in here for nearly two years. he's had no contact with anyone more than once. Hell, the person who gives him his food though a hole in his cell is someone new everyday." Gordon told Dark Claw, hating being here surrounded by maniacs who would happily kill him. That is why he made sure to be a safe distance from one cell that held Harvey Osborn, also known as the Two-Faced Goblin.
"I still need to talk to him. It will be fine." Dark Claw replied swiftly.
"He's insane. It's a mistake to think you know what he will do." Gordon insisted, hoping to convince his friend and ally on the war against crime. The two turned a corner and found themselves at a cell door, being guarded by two police officers. One of them reluctantly nodded and even more reluctantly opened the door for New Gotham City's hero.
"You're wrong Charles." Dark Claw said with a tone of sadness in his vice. "I probably know him better than anyone."
Dark Claw entered the dark cell to see him sitting on a chair, sorting through a deck of cards while the door was closed behind the crime fighter. Creed Quinn, the infamous supervillain known as the Hyena. It always puzzled him that this creature, who was savage and wild, seemed perfectly fine with doing simpler and quieter things as well. Dark Claw sat down on the chair opposite of him, the darkness hiding much of the inmate's features and making him even more sinister. He was wearing a large orange jumpsuit most inmates wear, though the sleeves had been torn of. Their were scratches all over the cell, likely caused by the Hyena's sharp claw like nails.
"Hello. I came to talk." Dark Claw said. Hyena didn't respond, just continued to sort through the cards and lay them out on the table.
"I've been thinking lately. About you and me. About what's going to happen to us, in the end." Dark Claw continued. "We're going to kill each other, aren't we?"
A card was laid on the table.
"I know that it might be difficult for people like us, but I think it's perfectly possible that we could do it. Perhaps you'll kill me. Perhaps I'll kill you. Perhaps sooner. Perhaps later." he continued, getting angrier as Hyena didn't respond. "I just wanted to know that, despite everything we've been through together, I made a genuine attempt to talk things over and avert that outcome. Just once."
Hyena put another car don the table, and that was the last straw. Dark Claw grabbed Hyena's arm tightly, struggling to control his anger at the fact that the Cackling Canine was being silent for what must be the first time. However, while not letting go of Hyena's arm, Dark Claw found the strength to control his temper.
"Are you listening to me!? It's life an death that I'm discussing here. Maybe my death, maybe yours." Dark Claw said as calmly as he could. "I don't fully understand why our relationship has to be so fatal, but I don't want your murder on my..."
Dark Claw trailed off when he noticed something. Something he had failed to notice at first due to the stress of what he was doing. Hyena's scent was different from what It should be. Which meant only one thing, and it infuriated him more than anything else could have. Dark Claw reacted by grabbing the inmate by the throat and picking him up, which isntnatly caused the imposter to start talking.
"Hey! Wait a minute! Don't touch me, I got rights! You're not allowed to...," the man began to yell, before tailing off when he saw the fury that Dark Claw's mask didn't hide, "...touch me."
"WHERE IS HE!" Dark Claw yelled with the voice that terrified every criminal of the city, causing the man to start screaming for help. "Do you realize what you've set free? What it's capably of? Where is he!?"
It had taken SHIELD agent Bruce Wayne three weeks to track down where HYDRA agents have been secretly meeting to pass along weapons and secrets, which was a warehouse in New Gotham City. Wayne was carefully hidden on some boxes, observing a number of HYDRA agents talking and showing each other weapons. Whiel they did not know it, there were SHIELD agents all over the place just waiting for his signal. He was just about to give it, when his partner apparantly had other ideas, as he suddenly leaped out of their hiding spot towards the enemy agents.
"Moonwing! What do you think you're doing?" Wayne asked his costumed partner, who was secretly SHIELD agent Jason Todd.
"What I was trained to do!" Moonwing replied, kicking one of the HYDRA agents as he landed in front of them.
"Damn it! Cover has been compromised! Move in!" Wayne yelled into his com link, before leaping in after Moonwing.
Wayne was furious that yet again Jason had ignored his orders for this mission, like he has been doing a lot lately. He didn't understand why he was doing it though. Jason has always been reckless and headstrong, but he has never been like this before. He's been moody and resentful, acting out at the smallest things. Wayne just couldn't understand why, but he chose to ignore it for now in favour of surviving against the enemy agents. He followed Moonwing and pulled out his gun, shooting at anyone who would come near him. Just then SHIELD agents burst in through the windows, swinging inside using ropes, and the HYDRA agents chose that escaping was better than fighting.
Moonwing was brutal to his enemies, clearly breaking many bones and probably crippling many of them for the rest of their lives. While Wayne wasn't one to judge considering the list of enemy agent she has killed or interrogated, but he could tell from Jason's body language that he was enjoying this way more than he should. Like he was using this to let out all the repressed anger he had, which Bruce knew was unhealthy. And he was quickly proven right by what happened next.
Jason leaped at an agent and started smashing his fists into his face, causing blood to splatter a little. Other HYDRA agents, probably out of sympathy or friendship, tried to attack Moonwing and save their fellow agent. But Moonwing simply used their attacks against them, hitting them and using their momentum to further help himself win the fight. Using his acrobatic skills Moonwing easily flipped through the air and beat his attackers, and eventually he was brutally hitting one HYDRA agent, with all the rest having been beaten and captured by SHIELD.
"Hey buddy, do you mind handing this guy over to me?" one agent asked as he approached Moonwing. Then the unthinkable happened, as Moonwing spun around and kicked the agent, sending him flying backwards and into a large tower of boxes that had ben stored in the warehouse. Wayne yelled as he saw one of the boxes was open and as the tower collapsed onto the man, knives fell out of the box. There was a scream from the agent of pain that quickly faded, leaving everyone in shocked silence.
"What have you done?" Wayne said to Moonwing in shock, whose horrified expression was clearly visible through the mask.
Rain poured from the sky above, dark clouds making everything seem sinister. And due to the run down state of the carnival, the clouds made it seem terrifying, like it was a from a horror movie about a psychotic serial killer. Which is why the owner Jim Moore wan ted to sell it to anyone who would take it, as he didn't have the money to restore it and honestly he just wanted to leave the city, through any means necessary.
"Ah! There you are!" he said as he saw the very large and muscular man he was looking for, who wore a large purple trench coat and matching fedora. But as Jim got closer he began to see the chalk white face, his green hair that resembled animal fur and his long sharp nails. Despite his fear, he continued to talk. "Have you had a chance to inspect the property and decide if it's what you were looking for?"
"Well," the man responded, "it's garish, ugly and derelicts have used it for a toilet. The rides are dilapidated to the point of being lethal, and could easily maim or kill innocent little children."
"Oh." Jim said sadly. "So you don't like it?"
"Don't like it?" the Hyena responded in surprise, before giving Jim a large grin that showed off his sharp teeth that resembled daggers. "I'm crazy for it. This is exactly what I've been looking for."
"Really?" Jim asked din surprise, happiness and hope filling his heart. "And the price isn't a problem?"
"A problem? My good man," Hyena said with his grin as he patted Jim on the shoulder, almost giving him a heart attack, "I know I'm going to be making a killing."
As the two began to walk around the carnival, memories began to fill Hyena's mind as he continued to speak, memories he would give anything to forget. "Besides, I haven't had any problems in a long time..."
Tell me what you think and if there are any spelling mistakes or sentences that don't make sense. Now for this story I'm re-reading both comics and doing my best to combine the plots using the little bits of information I can find that mention this events in actual Amalgam comics and trading cards, though I will add my own stuff to make it work. Anyway, next chapter will be a flashback showing the origin for the Hyena, much like how The Killing Joke did the same for the Joker.
