Gotham Is... Chaos

Chapter 1: The Book Burning Club

ALERT! PRISONER ESCAPE IN CELLBLOCK C5! ALL HANDS EVACUATE! ALERT! PRISONER ESCAPE IN...

As the sirens blared and staff fled, a dark figure stalked the darker halls of Arkham, an institute for the criminally insane.

It was chaos, but not the right kind. Doctors and guards were screaming and running, the alarm was drowning everything else out, but not a single prisoner had left their cells.

Batman walked between the wide-open cells, locking eyes with inmates who seemed to just be relaxing.

"Batman, do you think you can do something about that noise?" Edward Nygma held up a book. "It's making it rather difficult to read."

"Sound affecting your sight?" Jervis Tetch snorted, looking up from his own well-loved book. "And they call me Mad!"

"What is going on?" Batman asked. "Who did this? What is the plan, why are you just sitting there?"

"It's too stormy to go out, Batman." Edward rolled his eyes. "I'd much rather stay in and read, wouldn't you?"

He held out a book, blue with gold letters on the front. A heavy fog filled Batman's vision, seeping into his mind until the bound volume was the only thing that existed. His hand moved before he could think, fingers grasping the worn pages-

"No!" The book was knocked to the ground, and his awareness snapped back like a rubber band. Something grabbed his wrist, pulling him along the corridor and into an office before his senses were fully back online. A lock clicked shut. "That was a close one, Batsy."

That voice... He knew it, but couldn't place it until the owner let out a breathy chuckle. He twisted around, staring at a familiar bleach white face. "Joker!" He grabbed the clown, pinning him to a wall.

"You've got a funny way of saying thank you." Joker grumbled, then laughed. There was something wrong with that laugh, it was tired. "But that's just your special somethin', ain't it?"

"What was that?" Batman growled, mentally shaking off the thought. Joker didn't get tired. He had to be imagining it. "What did you do?"

"You're giving him too much credit, Batman." A sultry but angry voice whispered behind him. A vine climbed up, lightly tapping Joker's cheek. "Down, boy."

Joker scowled, but stopped trying to escape. He winked at Batman. "Time you met the gang, dear. We're the Book Burning Club!"

Batman turned. Out of the shadows stepped Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Clayface, Mr Freeze, Killer Croc, and Manbat. Manbat sneered. "I has telled, not us name."

"Oh, loosen up Manny!" Joker rolled his eyes, still not struggling against the hand holding the front of his asylum uniform. "We burn books, get over it."

"Technically we're burnin' da dust, Puddin'." Harley corrected. She waved. "Heya, Bats! How's it been?"

"What. Is. Going on?" Batman growled, a headache that may or may not have been related to the earlier fog creeping in. "Why-?"

"We'll explain in a bit, right now we've got to get out of here." Ivy walked up to the door, peeking out the glass window. She glared at Joker. "Someone got the Worms angry."

"The what?"

"The Worms -- do try and keep up, dear." Joker laughed.

"That is how we are referring to those affected by the Reading Dust." Mr Freeze busted open a large vent. "They are rather docile, but have proven dangerous when provoked. Damaging books seems to be an easy way to provoke them."

As if to prove his point, a bang sounded on the other side of the door, the Riddler could be seen leading a mob in an attempt to bust it down -- each one of them holding at least one book.

One by one, the 'Book Burning Club' made their way into the vent. Batman reluctantly followed, shoving Joker in front of him.