Fiction Sha's Stories #1: My Own Worst Enemy [Archive]

dj_sha

08/04/2003, 03:45

Gotham City. Possibly the darkest city on earth. Below it's surface lived a creature of the night, the darkest inhabitant of the urban land. The Batman. Sitting in front of his computer he monitored the cities crime. Able to get to the spot in record time and swoop down on the scum of the streets.
But this week had been eerily different. Crime seemed to have vanished from Gotham. The whole week there had been incredibly low amounts of trouble, all of which Batman and his comrades had been able to easily prevent. Had those bastards finally learned their lesson? Had his war on crime ended? Batman cracked a grin at the very idea. He knew all too well that his war would never end. But until his death day he had chosen to protect his city, one criminal at a time.
"Feeling a bit lonely without your usual late night company?" Alfred joked as he came to his master with a cup of coffee. "The crooks have turned their back on you. Maybe it's time you took a day off?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Batman scowled, staring at the computer screens. "This is too quiet for Gotham. Something big must be in the works."
"My god Master Bruce, your so paranoid at times," Alfred frowned, taking the tray away.
"I'm heading out Alfred," Batman called to his butler as he leaped into the Batmobile. "Going to make sure the shipment of chemicals coming into the docks gets in safely."
"Do what you like," Alfred yelled back over the roars of the cars engines. "It's not like I can stop you."
The Batmobile zoomed to the site. Immediately Batman perched himself on the rooftop with his binoculars pressed to his eyes. After half an hour of waiting, he heard a voice behind him. He whirled around to see his first ward, Nightwing, looking back at him.
"Jesus Christ Bruce," Nightwing sighed walking toward the ledge. "Get some rest man. Take a night out on the town. You deserve it."
"But I can't take it, ####," Batman growled, turning back to the trucks. "My city needs me."
"I'll let you get away with that when you become mayor," Nightwing smirked. "But come on. I insist. I'll watch your look out post while your out. You know I'm capable of it."
Batman lowered his binoculars and turned to Nightwing. He could see a triumphant look on his face, as if he had just beaten Batman in a game of wits. He lowered his head and got up.
"Fine," he said, starting to leap down to ground level. "You know how to contact me if anything comes up."
"Nothing will," Nightwing replied. "Have a good time."
Batman got into his car without looking back. He raced back to his mansion and changed into his street clothes. He got into one of his sports cars that were parked in the garage and went out to some of the finer areas of Gotham. Dicks right, he thought as he stepped out of his car. I need to rekindle what humans left in me, until it leaves me all together.

You may post your thoughts while the story is still in production. I'd love to hear your comments.

dj_sha

08/04/2003, 04:05

Ah, sorry ignore the thing at the bottom for posting. If you have any comments, just please PM me. Any input would be much appreciated.

dj_sha

08/04/2003, 04:10

Nightwing stifled a yawn, watching the workers unload the trucks out of the corner of his eye. God, the things I do for that guy, he thought as he gazed at the moon. Poor guy. Really needs to get out more.

CRASH!

Nightwing practically fell off the roof in shock. He turned and stared down below him. Just a few moments later he heard one of the workers scream in fright. The cry was cut short. Nightwing, sensing danger, ran inside the warehouse, not thinking twice of what might await him.
I'm not going to call Bruce, he thought as he ran. I don't need him. He's having a great time. No need to stop that.
He stopped and made a quick scan of the warehouse. It was filled with crates. An unconscious man lay on the floor. The more he looked around it felt more familiar. He then recognized it. This storage warehouse belonged to Bruce Wayne himself. No wonder he had come to watch the shipment. He walked over to one of the crates and looked at the top. All it said was DANGEROUS HAZARDOUS MATERIAL: HANDLE WITH CAUTION with a radioactive symbol below the text. What does Bruce want with radioactive material? Nighting thought, scratching his chin. I'll have to ask him late...

But just then another crash came from the darkness of the warehouse back. Nightwing hesitated before investigating, but walked toward the back carefully. Another sound startled him, but he kept moving toward where he heard it.

"Who's there?" he yelled, but his usual confidence had evaporated. He did not like the looks of this. "Come out! Show yourself!"

"Where's the Bat?" a voice hissed. It was unfamiliar to Nightwing, which just made the scenario worse.

"He has the flu," Nightwing said, trying to revive his confidence. "Can I take a message?"

"I suppose you will have to do...." the voice hissed again. The hair on the back of Nightwings neck stood straight up. What was this thing? Was it even human? He put his hands up and pulled out a baterang.

But without warning a tower of crates came falling onto him. In the darkness he could not foresee the attack and dodge it. Nightwing was crushed beneath the boxes. Before he fell into unconsciousness, he heard the voice say one last sentence.

"Now to get started."

four_winds

08/04/2003, 04:16

Nice work.I do think its extremely hard to do a comic as a novel what with being without pictures and all,but I enjoyed your story.Keep up the good work.

dj_sha

08/04/2003, 22:24

Bruce Wayne returned to his mansion at 5 am. The sun was creeping over the horizon as he parked his car. Stretching and reminiscing on the past night, he walked in and hung up his coat. He started of to his bedroom to get some rest and passed Alfred.

"Have a nice time, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.

"Wonderful time," Bruce replied. "Has D.ick checked in?"

"No..." Alfred said, looking a bit confused. "Why would he have?"

"Never mind," Bruce said fast as he changed his direction and headed for the Batcave.

"Where are you going sir?" Alfred called down the hallway.

"Out," Bruce said as he ran down the steps and got into his costume. He jumped into the Batmobile and drove off at full speed. He would normally not go out in this much daylight, but he was worried. Why had D.ick not checked in? Or called him? It didn't add up....
He arrived at the warehouse and looked around the area. Nothing appeared different on the outside. The trucks had left and so had the workers. He examined something on the ground that caught his eye. Skid marks. A hat lay on the ground near them. The workers had left in a hurry....he turned and looked at the open door.

He walked around the inside of the warehouse and checked the crates. Nothing appeared to have been stolen. He glanced over and saw the body of one of the workers. Oh no, he thought to himself as he checked the pulse. The man was dead. He came to the back and saw a huge pile of fallen boxes. Someone must have clumsily toppled them over, he thought as he moved them aside. But why did they run away?

Suddenly he jumped back. Nightwing lay, bloody and broken, under the crates. His eyes were closed. Batman hurriedly picked him up and put him in the batmobile. Alfred will be able to heal him, he thought as he drove as fast as he could. Then I can find out what did this to him.

He pulled into the batcave and took Nightwing out and lay him on the medical table. He had summoned Alfred ahead of time and he was already waiting there.

"Good heavens..." Alfred whispered as he looked at Nightwings body. "What did this to him?"

"I don't know," Batman said, taking off his cowl. Nightwing was a mess. From Alfreds examination he had a broken leg and two broken ribs. Not to mention a large loss of blood and many cuts and bruises. His ear was bleeding heavily as well.

"How long will it take you to fix him up?" Batman asked Alfred as he pulled out his medical tools.

"A good few days," Alfred said as he got to work. "Not to mention the time it will take him to rest."

"Dammit," Batman said. He didn't have days to wait to find this criminal. He couldn't let more innocents be attacked by whoever, or whatever, this was. "I'll have to go out tonight and track this guy down."

"For once I agree with your outing," Alfred said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must have quiet to do this work."

Batman put up his costume and went upstairs to get some rest finally. He was going to be having a long night, just the way he liked them.

dj_sha

08/05/2003, 23:32

12:00, midnight. Batman rested on the top of the tallest skysc.raper in Gotham, scouting where he would look for this villain. He decided to just take his usual route through the city. He started leaping from building to building, peaking into windows along the way. I still don't know what this guys motive is, Batman thought as he quickened his pace. It's not weapons. He didn't take the chemicals. Money? He could have sold the weapons for high prices. Does he just have a grudge? But he attacked Nightwing, not me....

He stopped on a rooftop to take a quick rest and gather his thoughts. He took out his a gadget he used to record all the police conversations and news. He noticed the latest news involved a mysterious attacker that was no ordinary crook. He memorized the address and went at full speed, calling the batmobile along the way. He hopped in and was at the spot in just over a minute. He checked the surroundings of the building. Two cop cars were parked. He started walking inside slowly, with two baterangs in one hand.

The place was empty from what he could tell. It was a small office building, 3 stories high and a basement. The place looked trashed up. Desks were thrown over. There were a few bullet holes in the wall. He looked on the other floors but found only a few overturned wastebaskets. The guy must be in the basement, he said as he walked down, with a flashlight out in front of him. It was pitch black. He felt something beneath his feet as he was walking. He pointed the flashlight and saw the unconscious body of one of the cops. He raised the flashlight slowly and saw there was a trail of 4 total cops on the ground.

He reached the bottom of the basement and looked around. Nothing but some crates and rats. He continued walking and was looking at when he heard a voice that he knew very well.

"Finally you show up Batman," it said from the shadows. "I was thinking you wouldn't show up. I'm glad you didn't disappoint me."

"Who are you? Where are you?" Batman kept his voice calm and pointed his flashlight in all directions.

"Here," the voice said again. "Let me give you some help."

Batman pointed the flashlight to where he heard the voice. The figure stepped into the light. He looked over him and recognized who this mysterious villain was. Himself.

dj_sha

08/06/2003, 20:27

Batman stepped away in shock at seeing his own face. He scanned the perfect replica of himself over again. He was exactly like him, down the utility belt. He put the flashlight back onto the copies face to see him smirking with satisfaction.

"Suprised to see yourself here?" he said, keeping the huge grin on his face. "I would too if I were you. Have you cleaned up your friend Nightwing? He was in pretty bad shape when I left him there."

"Who the hell are, and what do you want?" Batman spat.

"Your the one who's supposed to be the great detective, Bats," the imposter said. "But of course, so am I, right? I'll just let you figure this out then."

"Don't play games with me," Batman said, taking a tighter grip on his baterangs. "Give me answers, now."

"Or what?" the imposter said, and Batman realized that this guy didn't sense any danger in the situation at all. "I'm a carbon copy of you! I know all your moves, tricks and mind games, and I can use them all right back at you. I know you Batman. Green Lantern has yellow, Superman has kryptonite, Martian Manhunter has fire. But what does the Batman have that can take him out? You don't have many weaknesses, aside from being a human being and a mortal. And having morals. You won't kill, yet you will break both of a mans legs. That's a large step between those two. Why can't you take it?"

"If you know me so well, you'd know that too," Batman said. This was a test. Did this mysterious lookalike know everything about him?

"Does it matter? You still won't do it," he responded. His eerily cool calmness had faltered slightly. Batman could tell he didn't know his identity, or other things about his past. "But back to what I was saying. You have morals. Which is why I am better then even you. I have none."

Batman stared at the imposter Batman. Better then him? Did this guy really know everything he knew? It was time to test this out. In one lightning quick motion Batman threw the two baterangs in his hand right at the other Batmans face. The other Batman caught them with lightening reflexes.

"Another thing that makes me better then you," he said as he threw the baterangs aside. "I'm stronger and faster then you could ever become."

He lunged at Batman, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks. Batman was able to deflect most of them, but a few landed on his body. They were very strong precise attacks, aiming for many pressure points. Batman fell back with the jolt of pain, but recovered quickly. He took out a fistful of baterangs and a gas gernade. The gas gernade hit the ground and exploded, covering the already dark room in smoke. Batman activated his heat goggles to see through the smoke and help him see through the darkness and threw the baterangs at different points on the other Bat's body.

The other Batman was able to dodge most of them, but one hit him on his shoulder. He didn't even stop and pulled out his own set of baterangs and tossed them. Batman dodged them all with ease.

Batman landed next to the enemy and started throwing punches and kicks at him. Many were deflected, but this Batman was not as perfect as he claimed and got hit by a few. The fighting continued, with neither wanting to give in.

Batman was bleeding from the mouth and nose now and had many cuts and bruises on the rest of his body. The other Batman appeared unscathed and undamaged. Batman knew he could not continue this fight. He would have to learn more about this enemy to defeat him. But how could he escape this new villain....

dj_sha

08/07/2003, 03:04

Batman could not last much longer fighting this more powerful version of himself. It was hopeless, but he could not escape his clutches. Every time he tried to move away, the impostor got right in front of him with incredible speed. He had to think of something.....

As Batman ducked another punch, he reached into his utility belt. This was a risky move, but if he knew this guys skills by now it would certainly work. He pulled out one of his few grenades he kept for emergency situations. He pulled the pin and threw it straight at the enemy Bats head.

Just as he had planned, the lookalike ducked, while the grenade hit the wall blowing it to pieces. The impostor looked behind him and ran to the wall to block Batman's path.

"Ha!" he said, turning around. "You can't outsmart me that easily Bats!"

But as he turned around his wide grin quickly sank. Batman was nowhere to be found. He looked around the room and saw the staircase. Batman had run up it while he had gone to block his exit through the hole in the wall. Cursing, the impostor jumped out of the hole and ran away into the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Batman returned to the batcave soon after. He had gotten into the batmobile and headed straight there without looking back, which he realized later was a mistake since the impostor could have followed him. Walking in he saw Alfred waiting for him, drinking tea next to the medical table where Nightwing still lay.

"Any luck, sir?" Alfred asked pleasantly, raising his tea cup to him. He then saw the cuts and bruises on Batman and his expression changed dramatically. "Well, it seems you did. Who was the culprit?"

Batman walked over to the spare medical table he kept for these situations. "You won't believe me if I told you, Alfred," he said, beginning to lay down.

"Try me," Alfred said, taking the hint and walking over to the medical table to heal the wounds.

Batman sighed. "I ran into a man who looked exactly like me and knew all my moves, gadgets, secrets, everything," he looked over at Alfred and saw the shocked expression on his face. He continued, "I got away barely. He had amazing stamina. He didn't seem to feel pain or get hurt at all. I'll have to find out more about this guy...."

"Well you won't find out more for a day or so, you need to heal and rest," Alfred said. He saw Batman open his mouth, sighed and said, "Not that that ever stops you from going out..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Batman had scoped the city for four nights now. He had found many police sitings that were the same as the one he had read the night he met his impostor, but when he arrived at the scenes all he would find were some unconscious cops and a note that read "I'll wait till your all better for another fair fight."

Batman was getting impatient. He looked over Gotham and knew that out there, somewhere, that bastard was on the loose. But all that left his mind in an instant. A bank alarm rang over his police communicator. He pulled it out and listened to which bank it was and left immediately. This guy doesn't seem the one to rob banks, he thought to himself as he drove through the streets, cutting off cars and taking alleyways. If he wants to fight me, what does he need money for? New gadgets?

Batman stepped out of the batmobile behind the bank and climbed atop the building. He looked from the shadows and saw a crowd of cop cars outside the front. He turned away and went inside the vent. This guy is either careless or wants me to get to him, he thought.

He reached the main room and looked through the slits. He couldn't see the mastermind, but could see a few thugs. If he's trying to be me, why would he use thugs? He reached into his belt and dropped a gas tablet through the slit. The room filled with knockout gas. He could hear the thugs coughing and dropping to the ground. He pushed the gate open and dropped to the ground, with his gas mask on.

Looking around the room he saw a group of hostages, a few who had caught some of the gas and were drooped over asleep. Bags of money were piled up on the counter. Human shaped shadows littered the floor. But there was one figure who was still standing. A gun shot fired. It missed his arm by a hair. Even if this guy had a gas mask, the smoke must be getting to his aim. Batman through a baterang that knocked the gun right out of the mans hand and onto the floor with a clatter.

"Dammit," the man cackled, gripping his hand. "Your not going to get me as easy as the rest, Batsy!"

Batman froze and stood up straight, staring into the dark fog. "Joker?"

dj_sha

08/11/2003, 23:12

"Joker?" Batman said, puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

"Well Bats, I had to do something to get you to come to me," he replied, still gripping his wrist. "After you took out the rest of your enemies I wasn't about to go down easily."

"Took down my enemies?" Batman asked, getting more confused by the second. "I haven't attacked any of my enemies...."

Then it hit him. This lookalike must have been attacking his enemies. But why? What would he gain from that?

"That hasn't been me, Joker," Batman said. "Someone has been impersonating me lately. I've been after him for the past few nights. What do you mean, "taken out my enemies?"

"You, or your "impostor," has been striking down people like Two-Face, Scarecrow, and Bane," he replied. "Somehow he knows where they have been hiding out. He hasn't taken them to the cops either."

"Then where has he taken them, Joker?" Batman asked, moving closer to him as the smoke began to clear.

"I don't know," Joker chuckled. "But he needs to be stopped. I can't do it alone Batsy, and it looks like neither can you. What say we call off our pasts and work together on this one, eh?"

He put out his hand, but Batman knew all too well that the Joker could not be trusted. Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice. He needed some help, and with Nightwing out of commission Joker may be the only help he could find.

"Fine," he said, ignoring Jokers hand. "Meet me tomorrow night in the Wayne Industries warehouse by the docks at midnight."

Without looking back, Batman jumped into the vent and left the way he came, leaving the Joker alone in the bank with an army of police outside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Batman got to the warehouse at 11:30, and had been waiting there for an hour before the Joker arrived.

"What took you," Batman spat, walking out of the shadows where he had waited.

"Well, getting away from a bunch of pigs in uniforms takes time," Joker laughed. "So how are we going to catch this caped crusader copy cat?"

"We'll look over the city," Batman said. But I've done that every night, he thought to himself. I've got to come up with a new plan.

"That won't be necessary," a voice called from outside. The impostor Batman walked into the warehouse, with the same confident grin on his face. "I listened in on your conversation in the bank, and I couldn't miss a chance like this to catch both of you here at the same time."

Joker pulled out one of his pistols and fired three shots at him. He pulled his cape over himself in time to deflect the bullets. Batman prepared himself for the fight to come.

"Why have you been attacking the criminals in Gotham?" Batman asked the lookalike.

"Just trying to help out," he responded. Seeing the look on Batman's face, he added, "and also to get some personal payback of my own. Can't have competition for killing you, can I?"

With that, he took out a fist full of baterangs and threw them at Batman. Batman was ready for this and dodged, ducking behind a pile of crates. He heard more gunshots as he took out some smoke bombs and tossed them behind his back. The smoke filled the warehouse, and he jumped out of his hiding spot and attacked the lookalike with a flurry of punches. The impostor was not prepared for the blows, and took them all. Batman heard footsteps on the stairs. The Joker had run to the upper level.

A volley of strikes came right back at Batman, which knocked the wind out of him and made him tumble into a pile of crates, knocking them down. He rolled out of the way of their fall just in time. Joker threw down a some exploding gum-balls, which hit the impostor. Batman had to narrowly avoid those too. Jokers careless, he thought, finding shelter behind another pile of crates. He doesn't care if he hits me or not. He's about as dangerous to the enemy as he is to me.

Batman leaped out and struck the impostor in the back, getting back into the fray. The fight raged much longer, with each of them exchanging blows and dodging machine gun fire from the Joker. Eventually, the lookalike knocked Batman away again.

I can't continue this, Batman thought as he watched the impostor throw another round of baterangs at the Joker. He'll beat me if this keeps up. I'll have to end it...at whatever cost.

Batman took out one of his electric baterangs and lunged at the impostors turned back. He grabbed onto him and plunged the blade into the back of his head. Jumping away, the baterang fried the impostor, and he fell to the ground.

It's over, Batman thought. But at what cost. I killed him. I went against everything I believed in, everything I fought against. I've sunken to his level.

"Good job, Bats," Joker said, sliding down the rail of the stairs. "Finally ya got the balls to kill em."

But just as Joker put his feet on the ground, something impossible happened. the impostor moved. Batman jumped back, shocked. How could any human survive that? he thought.

The impostors arm reached behind his head and yanked out the baterang, throwing it aside. He was not bleeding, but a discolored, brownish goo oozed out of the wound. He turned his face directly at Batman. The body began to dissolve. It was beginning to more and more not resemble Batman's own. His face was brown with sunken holes for eyes and a mouth. His face was clay.

Key-gun

08/11/2003, 23:47

That story was grrrrreat.

dj_sha

08/11/2003, 23:58

Hey dude, it's not over yet!

dj_sha

08/13/2003, 16:18

Jokers jaw dropped. Batman stood still, looking into Clayface's sunken eyes. Before he could open his mouth, Clayface spoke in a low, hiss.

"Surprised, Batman?" Clayface said as he got to his feet, in his own body form now.

"You can't be Clayface," Batman replied softly. "The Clayface I knew was never smart enough or strong enough to pull this off. Who are you?"

"Well your right, the Clayface you knew could never pull this off," Clayface said. "But I am not the Clayface you knew. I've evolved Batman. Grown. Learned to use my powers to their full capability. Before I was some thug who would be beaten by you every time, like this clown here," he gestured to Joker, who was still speechless. "But now, now I am much more then you, a mere man, can handle."

Batman was still staring at Clayface. "And how did this change occur?" he said, not moving a muscle.

Clayface paused, looking down at the floor. He raised his head again and coughed. "I was locked in Arkham. In there, you have a lot of time to think. Thinking is all there is to keep you from going psycho like the rest. I thought about my powers, how they could be used to their fullest capability's. I had plenty of idea's, and one I decided to test out. When the guard came to serve me my food, I let some of my body slip into his ear. From there, it could travel into his brain and scan through it. I could control that little bit perfectly. I thought all his thoughts and looked at his memories. When he came back later that day, I knew all about him. Exactly how to act like him. I killed him and turned myself into him, allowing an easy escape from that hell hole. Outside I decided to try this out on bigger pray," he smiled at Batman. "That's where your little friend Nightwing comes in."

Batman couldn't believe this, but it all added up. The blood coming out of Nightwings ears. How he was able to learn his own voice, fighting abilities, all of it. But how did he not know who he was then?

"I was expecting you to come," Clayface continued. "But was disappointed when your partner arrived. He would have to do, so I knocked him unconscious by knocking over a pile of crates on him. I could not kill him. If he was dead, I could not explore his mind. But if he was unconscious, that was even better. When I was in the guards head, I had to be extremely careful not to make any disturbance, or he would realize I was in there. I didn't have much time to explore Nightwing's mind because you might show up at any minute. I looked through his memories and found out he had taken over look out duty for you. After that I memorized and copied all he knew about your fighting style and everything else I would have to know to impersonate you. I couldn't find out who you were behind the mask, as much as I tried," he said, seeming to read Batman's mind. "Somehow Nightwing was able to hide that information...but no matter. I'll find out who you are soon enough."

Batman opened his mouth, then closed it again. Reading his mind....

Batman put a finger in his ear and after searching through that area, found a glob of goo. He took it out and without hesitating, burned it with a lighter he kept in his utility belt. Clayface must have slipped it in there during their fight, he thought. He hoped that was the last of it.

Gunfire rang out through the warehouse. Batman leaped aside as he felt hot lead zoom past him. Joker had gotten over the shock and had pulled out two machine guns. He was firing like a madman at Clayface.

"You little bastard!" Joker screamed. "Attacking your allies!"

Clayface laughed as the bullets went into his body. After a few seconds, the bullets popped right back out at the Joker. Joker ducked just in time.

"Haha," he laughed as he stretched his arm and grabbed Joker by the back of his coat. "As I said, I needed to get the competition out of the way. I've got dibs on Batman now."

Batman knew he couldn't miss this opportunity. He couldn't fight Clayface here. He had to prepare, but knowing the trouble he had had before with escaping from him it would be difficult to find an exit. But now Clayface seemed to be distracted with the Joker, giving him a chance to slip away. Batman began crawling out to the doorway, and broke into a run, leaping onto the nearby building top.

"You sure you want me, Playdoh?" Joker spat into Clayface. "If you got dibs on the Bat, you better start running after him."

Clayface turned and saw the open door. In a flash he threw Joker against the wall and started running full speed after Batman.

That bastard, Batman thought as he leaped from building to building. I knew he couldn't be trusted. Batman looked behind him and saw Clayface gaining on him. He had already called the batmobile, and it should be meeting him a few blocks away.

Shooting a grapple onto the top of a taller building, Batman scrambled up it. Making it to the top, he turned around and saw Clayface, grinning at him.

"You should've know you can't run from me," Clayface said, walking up to Batman. "Now it's time to finish this, right here, right now."

Batman backed up, almost loosing his balance when he reached the ledge. He looked down. It was at least a 800 foot drop. He looked back at Clayface and saw him stretching his hand to grab Batman. It seemed to be going in slow motion. Batman leaned back, avoiding the hand, but at the same time loosing his balance. He was in a free fall off the 800 foot building. This was not the escape he had planned.

dj_sha

08/14/2003, 13:28

Batman fell. He had seconds before he hit the hard pavement. He didn't pull out his grapple. He knew there would not be enough time. He had to rely on faith, something he didn't like to rely on.

He landed with a hard jolt on a padded surface. The batmobile had gotten there in time and had released the pad it kept to break hard falls. Retracting the pad, he climbed in. Before he even touched the pedal, the car raced away as fast as possible straight to the batcave. That was close, he thought. Too close.

Batman jumped out of the batmobile to find Alfred waiting for him. The medical table was ready, but Batman didn't want to be treated at the moment. He hadn't suffered too many injuries that night, and had much researching to do.

"Sir," Alfred said a bit awkwardly as Batman walked right by him. "Sir, your hurt. If you are to fight that Batman lookalike again, you must be at your full strength."

"The lookalike is Clayface, Alfred," Batman muttered as he sat down at his computer. Alfred walked over right away while Batman began searching for something to stop this new threat to his city and himself.

"Clayface?" Alfred gasped. "But, how could Clayface possibly "become" you? He's certinely no mastermind...."

Batman told Alfred everything Clayface had told him that night. The whole time Alfred had his mouth wide open in shock. When Batman finished, Alfred scratched his head.

"So what do you plan to do next, Master Bruce?" he finally said after a long pause.

"I plan to bring him down," Batman replied stonily. "I'll track him down when I'm ready for him."

"And how do you plan to defeat him?" Alfred asked. "Freezing him has worked in the past, as has many other methods. Shall I prepare a suit for your next confrontation?"

"Yes, please," Batman said. "I'll inform you on what to load onto it. Make sure to add extra strong padding. Clayface is also hitting harder and deadlier then he used to."

"Right, sir," he said at once, hurrying off to help. Alfred's a good man, Batman thought to himself. He's always stood by me when I needed him, whatever it would be. I owe him a lot more then I'll ever be able to repay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Batman stood on the rooftop where he had escaped Clayface the last night. His suit was loaded with everything he might need. An ice gun, flamethrower, grenades, ultra sonic blaster. He was ready.

Clayface will track me down, he thought. He's after me as much as I'm after him. Sure enough, moments later Clayface slithered up the building side and formed back into human form in front of Batman.

"Well, you decided to show your face so soon?" Clayface sneered. "And you got a new outfit too for the special occasion? How touching."

Clayface looked at Batman's gear, but showed no sign of fear. No time for small talk this time, Batman thought, gritting his teeth. He had gotten all the information he needed. Now was the time for action. He gripped the trigger on the ice gun. Time to mold some clay.

dj_sha

08/15/2003, 14:31

Batman pulled out the ice gun and fired a thick beam of frozen water directly at Clayface. When it hit Clayface, it froze instantly on his body, turning him into a giant ice sculpture. Batman walked up to him. It can't be this easy, he thought.

Sure enough, the ice began to crack. Small amounts of clay oozed out. Batman walked back as Clayface reformed outside the ice that was shaped like him.

"I've also learned how to deal with my old weaknesses," he said as he shot a clay dagger at the ice gun, destroying it. "That did hurt, but you can't get rid of me so easily."

Batman had plenty more tricks up his sleeve. Equipping sound proof shields over his ears, he turned on the ultra sonic blaster he brought. The shrill high pitched sounds rang throughout the area. Windows on the building they were standing on shattered. Clayface vibrated, but seemed unharmed.

"I have no ears you fool!" Clayface yelled over the noise. "That may shake me up, but it won't beat me!"

Clayface lunged at Batman, hardening his fist and smashing Batman across the jaw. Batman stumbled backward, but recovered quickly. He pulled out the flamethrower, shooting jets of fire at Clayface. Clayface dodged, but some flames caught him, hardening the clay it had touched.

"Agh," Clayface groaned, grabbing his shoulder which had been hit. "That should wear off soon...."

He turned his hand into a blade and tried to stab Batman's chest. Batman moved out of the way and turned on his electric gauntlets. He lay blows upon blows on Clayface, each time shocking him. The electric shock stunned Clayface for enough time to let Batman lay another punch on him. Clayface was on the ground now, in a puddle. Batman stopped attacking, panting slightly.

But to his horror, Clayface started crawling up his legs, hardening on his own body. He could feel his legs began to paralyze. Without a second thought, he activated the defense gear on his suit, spreading an electrical shock throughout the outside of the costume. Clayface fell off, and reformed in front of Batman.

Batman could tell Clayface was getting frustrated now. He was done talking, and as soon as he reformed he punched Batman right in the face. Batman started blocking the attacks, but could not block them all. He reached for his flamethrower, but Clayface stabbed it. Batman grabbed Clayface. His fingers slipped through Clayface's shoulders. Taking a grenade out of his utility belt, Batman plunged it deep into Clayface's chest. Batman jumped behind a vent on the roof, while Clayface exploded. Bits of clay flew in every direction. Batman stood up. It was finally over.

But suddenly he felt a tight grip form around his neck. In utter disbelief, he turned around to see Clayface scowling at him. He struggled, but Clayface threw him onto the ground, making a dent in the concrete.

"This ends here, Batman," Clayface growled as he kept smashing Batman into the ground. "You die here tonight!"

Batman could not get away. He kept feeling the hard surface smash into his face and body. Some of his ribs were now broken, and his face was scarred and bloody. His brain was not working at it's normal pace, giving him no time to think of how to stop this before he hit the concrete again. He tried kicking at Clayface, but his strikes went through him, not phasing him at all. Everything was going dark. He could not see out of one eye. It was getting hard to breath. I can't loose, Batman thought through the intense pain. I can't.

His armor was completely shattered. He had no protection at all to the hard blows, which had not slowed down at all. He could not stay conscious. He slipped into the clutches of death.....

Clayface stopped. He dropped Batman to the ground. He was now a complete mess. His costume was torn and bloody. Clayface checked his pulse. He was barely breathing, but still alive. Clayface grinned.

"I'll let you live with this pain," he said. "That's a worse punishment the killing you and relieving you of this torture. But there's one thing I will take and save for our next fight..."

Clayface reached for Batman's mask. He ripped it off, and stared at the face of Bruce Wayne. Even through the scars and blood, he could still recognize it. He grinned even wider. Turning around he leaped off the building, leaving Batman laying there, no mask, unconscious, bloody and scarred, and barely alive.

dj_sha

08/16/2003, 11:53

Batman awoke to see a bright light in his eyes. Looking around, he saw Nightwing and Alfred staring at him. He was on the medical table. Before he could say anything, Nightwing spoke.

"Finally Bruce!" he cried in relief while Alfred continued healing Batman, but now with a smile on his face. "We thought you were, well...."

He trailed off, looking away. Batman didn't rise. He was almost too hurt to move.

"What happened?" Batman said, through gritted teeth.

"I found you on the rooftop after your fight with Clayface," Nightwing began. "You were almost dead. For a moment, I was worried you were. I took you back here as fast as I could, and Alfred began operating on you at once. You've been out for about 10 hours. You'll need to rest for at least one day before you'll be able to even walk properly."

There was a long pause. A day of rest at least, Batman thought. I'll have to. I can't take another shot at Clayface in nothing but my best condition.

"There's one more thing, Bruce," Nightwing said, a bit quietly. "When...when I found you, you weren't wearing your mask...."

Batman froze. He looked over at Nightwing, who was staring at him. Clayface knows who I am now, then, Batman thought. Now he knows everything he can learn about me. What if he comes here? What if he comes here when I'm not ready to fight yet?

All these questions zoomed through his mind frantically. But all of them went away instantly as he felt a sharp jolt of pain on his leg.

"I think we should put you out, sir," Alfred said. "You may be strong, but we wouldn't want you to feel all this pain while you need your rest."

Batman nodded, and Alfred reached and pulled out the sleeping gas. Everything went black, and Batman immediately went into a deep sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Batman awoke this time and saw Nightwing working out and Alfred reading a book.

"Ah, your awake again, Master Bruce," Alfred said, looking up from his book. "All the work I could do has been done. Now you'll just have to rest for two days to regain all your strength."

Nightwing looked over and smiled at Batman, but continued training. Batman looked around. He must have been out for at least half a day. He lay back down and started thinking about how he could stop Clayface. After a few hours, he drifted back into a deep sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two days had passed now, and Batman was back at his full strength. Immediately, he started researching how to stop Clayface. Nightwing walked up to him while he was doing this and looked over his shoulder at what he was doing.

"Got any ideas yet on how to stop Clayface?" Nightwing asked, reading what was on the monitor.

"Not yet," Batman said. "But I'll find something. Everyone has a weakness."

"I was thinking," Nightwing began, then paused for a moment. "I was thinking, why don't you call Superman, or the JLA to take care of Clayface? I really think Clayface is out of even your league. Maybe you should get some help for the job?"

Batman kept reading. He then turned around and stood up, staring down directly at Nightwing.

"This is my city," he said, hardly moving a muscle. "This is my job, my buisness to take down Clayface. The JLA and Superman will have no part in this."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?!" Nightwing yelled in frustration. "Can't you just once ask for some help? It's okay to get help! Why can't you just swallow your pride and get it?"

Batman opened his mouth, but just at that moment there was a crash at the door. Batman and Nightwing looked at each other, then ran upstairs in front of the door. When they got there, another crash sounded, followed by a voice.

"Knock knock!" it yelled. "Guess who?"

Clayface had arrived.

dj_sha

08/17/2003, 15:34

Batman grimaced. This was not good. He still had not found something that could destroy Clayface, but at least he was at his full strength. Nighting became even more frantic and worried.

"Come on, Bruce!" he cried. "Call the JLA! You need help! Or at least call together the other heroes here in Gotham to help you! I'll help you! I know Huntress, Oracle and the rest of them will help!"

Batman ignored him and went back to the batcave. He'll have to take whatever time he can get. He's not going to walk right into Clayface unprepared in broad daylight. I'll research until he breaks down the door, he thought. But he knew that that would not take Clayface long to break down a wooden door if he really wanted to.

Nightwing started after Batman as he walked down the stairs to the batcave. "Fine!" he yelled after him. "I'll stall Clayface for you! If you don't want me to help you out, just try and stop me!"

You idiot D.ick, Batman thought. You can't stop him. You'll just hurt yourself. But he was too worried himself to stop Nightwing from taking on Clayface.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clayface was growing impatient. "Come on Mr. Wayne!" he yelled. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Oh, don't be so conceited, you wad of dung," Nightwing said as he jumped down, landing on Clayface's head and squashing it into his body.

"Gah!" Clayface moaned as his head sprouted right back out and turned to face Nightwing. "So the Batman sends his little helper? And I thought he couldn't sink lower."

Clayface started firing punches at Nightwing. Nightwing had not fought Clayface yet and was not prepared for this. He was knocked back into some bushes. Shaking his head, he got to his feet and through some ropes at Clayface in an attempt to slow him down. Clayface was wrapped up for a second, but just laughed and melted through the ropes.

"You think that will stop me?" Clayface laughed as he smacked Nightwing into a statue. "You stupid fool....."

Nightwing got up and through some smoke bombs and baterangs. The baterangs sliced right through Clayface and the area was quickly covered in smoke. Nightwing sighed. This will give me some time to hide and recollect myself, he thought. But out of the smoke, a clay hand formed a vice grip around his neck.

"You can't run or hide, boy," Clayface said, punching Nightwing with his other hand while he tightened his grip. "You can't stop me! I'm invincible!"

Everything was going black. Blood was trickling down his face. Clayface's rock hard fist kept hitting Nightwing. He couldn't stop him. Clayface paused for a moment.

"Looks like this is goodbye," Clayface grinned. "But you know, Nightwing, you've helped me a lot. Without you I wouldn't have been able to master Batman's fighting skills. Without you this would have ended just like my old fights with Batman. So to thank you for that, I'll save you the pain and suffering and just kill you now."

"Not so fast, Playdoh," a voice cackled. "I hate to be saving the boy wonders little butt, but me and some friends here have some buisness to settle with you."

Clayface and Nightwing both turned to look at where the voice had come from. The Joker was standing there, and behind him stood a group of some of the most powerful villains in Gotham. Bane, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Riddler, Man-Bat, Killer Croc and more stood there. And they didn't look very happy to see Clayface.

dj_sha

08/18/2003, 19:00

"Well hello there gang," Clayface smirked, dropping Nightwing as he walked closer toward the group of villains. "Are you here to get even? Because I beat Batman twice after the rest of you could hardly do it once?"

Joker was angered by Clayface's calm nature, and didn't choose to tell any of his patented jokes this time. "Get him!" he cried, pointing at Clayface.

Immediately the gang attacked Clayface. Bane slammed his giant fists into Clayface's face, knocking him backward. He followed up by punching Clayface in his stomach and chest. Clayface was now shriveled and disfigured. Bane smiled as he watched him twitch. Everyone else stopped their charge for a moment.

But Clayface reformed his normal shape, to everyones shock and horror. "That the best you got?" Clayface said, smashing his own rock hard fists into Banes body. "I can do that too, buddy!"

Bane was knocked back into a tree as the everyone else restarted their charge. Croc bit into Clayface and Man-Bat clawed onto his shoulders, trying to pick him up but to no effect. His claws went right through him. Meanwhile the bit of Clayface Croc had bit went through his body and into his brain. Quickly absorbing his own fighting techniques, Clayface grew fangs and claws. Croc was too disorientated from feeling something moving in his brain to stop Clayface from ripping him apart, as Clayface left his shocked, bloody form on the ground.

Man-Bat flew back, but this time Clayface stretched his hands up to grab Man-Bat by his wing edges and threw him into Wayne Manor, damaging his wings and body severely.

Suddenly what seemed like a thousand bullets flew through the air, aimed directly at Clayface. Clayface began walking forward, flinching slightly when more rounds of bullets struck and went through his soft body. From the middle of the firing squad, a beam of ice struck Clayface, freezing him. Mr. Freeze grinned, admiring his work. The gun shots ceased.

But yet again, the ice cracked and Clayface oozed right out. The guns started firing again, but Clayface took advantage of the pause to rush in beat down some of the gun holders. Penguin, Riddler, and Joker all went flying aside. When Clayface reached Freeze, Freeze fired his ice gun again, but Clayface shot a sharp dart through the gun, making it explode. Freeze dropped the remains of the gun and took a swing at him, but Clayface smashed open Freeze's helmet, making him fall to the ground, gasping.

Scarecrow dropped some of his fear gas bombs around Clayface, but Clayface simply absorbed his nose and mouth and smashed Scarecrow over the head. More gun shots rang, and Clayface turned to see Two-Face firing at him. Clayface shot a volley of darts, stabbing Two-Face and destroying his gun.

"Come on honey," said a voice from the bushes. "Every strong man needs a strong woman...."

Clayface turned and felt the body of Poison Ivy up against his own. He frowned at her and hit her aside. She got up and made the bushes and trees attack Clayface. He cut the plants to pieces and stretched his hand to finish off Ivy. Harley Quinn ran at him and through a bomb inside him. It exploded, scattering Clayface's pieces everywhere. Harley squealed, but the pieces reformed behind her and knocked her out in one punch.

Clayface looked around. The bodies of Batman's villains littered the ground. Clayface walked over to the body of Joker, who was stirring.

"And now I've destroyed your group of half wits and sideshow freaks," Clayface grinned, bending down to look at Jokers face. "What do you have to say to that?"

Joker just grinned at him. Clayface ducked just in time, and Banes fists landed on Jokers head. Clayface dissolved and formed behind Bane. He proceeded to knock Bane into submission, leaving him in a heap next to Jokers bloody body.

Clayface walked back over to Wayne Manor, like nothing had happened. "Come out Batman!" he yelled yet again, banging on the door. "I just finished off your sidekick and rogues gallery! I understand now if you don't want to face me, but I'll get to you if I have to!"

A boot struck the back of Clayface's head, smashing it into the door of the mansion. Clayface's head splattered, then reformed itself. He turned his head to face his attacker. He smiled as he saw his opponent.

"Get off my lawn," Batman growled.

dj_sha

08/19/2003, 13:29

Clayface sneered. "Don't bats only come out at night?" he looked at the sky. It was still daytime, but clouds were forming overhead. "Is that what took you so long?"

"Go to hell," Batman snapped, punching Clayface and knocking him back into the door once more. I have to move the fight to a different area, he thought. If I fight outside my mansion, which is far apart from other houses, people may suspect something. It would also get darker afterward.

With this in mind, Batman hit Clayface once more and bolted for the batmobile, which he had parked outside while the previous fight waged. Jumping into the seat, he jetted away. He could see Clayface reforming and starting to run after him through the rear view mirror.

But now Batman had to find a place to fight that would also work to his advantage. He speed up, flipping through the map of Gotham which he had memorized by now. He reached the highway now, and saw a gas station nearby. He pulled over and got out of the batmobile, looking around.

"Everyone, leave!" Batman yelled. Everyone looked over at him, and without a second thought ran to their cars and drove away. Batman turned around and waited. How fast was Clayface, he thought. He couldn't be even close to as fast as the batmobile....

After waiting roughly five minutes, a truck pulled up. Clayface stepped out of it and began walking over to Batman. He looked at Batman, then looked over his shoulder at the truck.

"Stole it from some old truck driver," he said, still walking toward Batman. "Killed him too," he added, grinning.

Batman clenched his fists, but stood still. Clayface was now only a couple feet away from where he stood. They both stared at each other.

Suddenly, Clayface grabbed Batman's neck, strangling him. Batman grabbed Clayface's hands, but his fingers just slipped into them. Clayface tightened his grip. Batman activated the electric defense system on his suit, frying Clayface's hands.

"Augh!" he cried in pain, grabbing his hands as they began to smoke. "That stung!"

Without missing a beat, Batman followed up with a round of punches and kicks. Clayface was too stunned to block most of them, but recovered and grabbed Batman's leg. He picked Batman off the ground and threw him through the window into the gas station.

Batman got up, shaking broken glass off of him. He pulled out some electric baterangs and threw them as Clayface dived through the broken window. Two out of five of them hit him, shocking him as they traveled through his body. He fell on the ground and splattered.

Batman braced himself, and sure enough felt Clayface's cold touch behind him. Ready, he turned around, slicing Clayface's head in half with a sword he had pulled out. Clayface reformed and laughed.

"A blade?" he chuckled. "You think cutting me is going to hurt me at all?"

Batman simply smiled. He pressed a button on the sword, and it ignited into flames. Clayface stepped back with a wide eyed, stunned expression on his face. Thank you Azreal, he thought. He plunged the burning sword into Clayface's abdomen, scorching his clay body. Without stopping, Batman kept slicing Clayface's body to shreds as Clayface cried out in pain, spitting out bits of clay onto the floor.

Clayface writhed on the floor, flames coming up from his body. Batman paused and looked down at his foe. He was reforming bit by bit, but his clay body was rock hard. Clayface turned his head to look at Batman.

"I'll recover from this soon enough," he said, regaining his old air of confidence as he stood up. "My body may be hard and slow for now, but in just a few seconds, I'll be back to normal."

Batman rushed out the gas station immediately. He could hear Clayface's sneering wisecracks behind him, but he didn't care. A few seconds was all he needed. If this plan didn't work, he didn't know what could work.

Clayface laughed as Batman left. "Running away again, Batman?" he sneered. "Your pathetic! And I thought the famous caped crusader had more guts then this! As soon as I heal, I'm not going to waste anymore time in killing......"

But Clayface stopped before finishing his sentence. His mouth was wide open in fear. Through the front of the gas station, the batmobile was driving straight toward him. Batman pressed a button in the car and jumped out of the car and out of the gas station.

The batmobile exploded. The huge explosion spread, blowing up the gas station around it. Batman looked around, then froze. The gas! he thought, sprinting away as fast as he could. How could I have been so stupid to forget about the gas going off!

Batman reached safety just in time. As he dove behind a hill, the fire reached the gas and exploded once again. Fire now consumed the whole area. Batman stood up and looked over the damage. Clayface was nowhere in sight. No reforming, no crawling out of the fire, nothing. Clayface was finally gone.

dj_sha

08/20/2003, 23:17

Batman returned to the mansion soon after the fight had ended. He had decided to not stick around at the site, even though that might have been a good idea to make sure Clayface was gone.

"Were you successful, sir?" Alfred said hopefully, walking down the stairs.

"Yes," Batman said, removing his cape and cowl. "Clayface is gone."

"I do hope so," Alfred said while he grabbed Bruce Wayne's robe. "He was becoming quite a monster."

Batman said nothing. He took the robe and went to change out of his costume. He had not taken too much damage in the fight, so he decided not to get any medical attention for the wounds.

He walked upstairs and looked out the window. It was raining now. The unconscious bodies of some of his worst enemies littered the front lawn. Raindrops mixed with their blood on the ground. Alfred walked next to him and looked outside too.

"I took Nightwing in and did all I could for him," Alfred said, turning to Bruce. "He's resting right now. I thought you would like to take care of the rest of the lot."

Bruce walked over and picked up the phone.

"Commissioner Gordon?" he said. "Yes, this is Bruce Wayne, and I would like to report some unconscious bodies of highly wanted criminals are lying outside my mansion. There was a fight this afternoon between them and the impostor Batman. It seems the impostor is really Clayface. He changed during the fight. No, Batman came and he and Clayface left. No I do not know why they were on my lawn. Perhaps they were trying to rob me. You'll be here in a few minutes? Excellent. Goodbye Commissioner."

He hung up the phone and looked at the clock. It was only 7:00. He decided to wait for the police to arrive, then get some much needed rest. As he waited for the police, he thought over the fight he had had with Clayface in his mind. Is he really gone for good? he thought as he sat down in an armchair. Can he even die? Maybe the rain put out the fires ahead of time, helping him regenerate.

All these thoughts and worries rushed through his head. Suddenly he was interrupted in his replays of the battle when the door rang. It was the cops. They had brought many vans to haul the villains back to Arkham. As he watched them load the damaged villains into the trucks, he decided not to worry about Clayface. It was over. And if Clayface did come back, he would be able to handle it, one way or another. And until then he would just do what he had been doing for years. Fighting his own war on crime, even if it took one criminal at a time.

THE END

Thank you all who have been following my story. Please post what you thought of the story and any questions you have. I'd love to hear them, and it will also help keep this thread near the top for others to read. I will be starting my second story, JLA: Bizzarro American League of Justice, hopefully tomorrow. I may have to start it on Friday since I may not have the time Thursday, but I'll do my best.