Arkham City Post #2: Rescuing Catwoman

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!

Part 1: Opening Sequence

Two times in one night already I'd been knocked unconscious for an extended period of time, and I hadn't even put on my Batsuit yet.  This could not be good for my brain cells, I thought, but probably nothing worse than an average encounter with Scarecrow Gas.  Except after Scarecrow Gas, I don't usually get woken up staring straight at the short and stocky form of The Penguin.  The failed society figure spouted some nonsense about my family having destroyed his family, and how he aimed to take revenge on my face with a pair of brass knuckles.

While I was racking my brain to try to remember any social strain between the Waynes and the Cobblepots, I felt the first blow land across my jaw.  As he reared back for another punch, I determined that it wasn't particularly important for me to remember our personal family histories at this juncture.  I grabbed his fist inches before it connected, bent his hand back and distinctly counted as I broke every one of his fingers.  It's a good thing TYGER security doesn't handcuff their prisoners behind the back, like how real-life police do it, because then things might have gotten tricky.  But as it happened, I was able to break free of the shackles with an extra-human display of strength and easily take down the group of about five henchmen Penguin had surrounding him.

It was tougher to pull off my awesome combat techniques while wearing a monkey suit than it normally is in the Batsuit.  The arch support is definitely not as good in my wingtips, but they're still able to deliver a walloping impact.  Also, headbutts are noticeably more painful without the reinforced molded plastic of my cowl, but the temporary sting is worth it to see the big scary henchmen fall to the ground with blood in their eyes.  Once I was done with the group, I went over to Penguin, who was nursing his shattered hand over in a corner by a fence, and delivered him a Mortal Kombat style uppercut that sent him flying higher in the air than even Sub-Zero could send Scorpion on his best day.

After that it was just a matter of getting to higher ground so I could use my wrist-communicator to contact Alfred.  He immediately had my Batsuit dropped in via the Batwing.  It's good to have Alfred back.  Don't get me wrong, Oracle was great throughout Arkham Asylum, but there's something about Alfred being a butler that makes it easier for me to order him around - as opposed to, you know, a handicapped former sidekick.  Although, I think I've provided Joker more than adequate payback for shooting Batgirl in the spine, at least in terms of gross hospital visits, and she's such a trooper to still want to contribute any way she can.

Once I got my suit on - the process actually took me about 30 minutes overall, what with all the complicated machinery involved, but thanks to modern montage technology, I accomplished the task in about four quick shots - I inserted the security card I stole from the guard into my Cryptographic Sequencer and tuned it into the TYGER security feed.  What a difference a year makes for technology, huh?  The good ol' C-S is no longer limited to overloading security panels on doors - and in addition to the TYGER feed, I could also scan broadcasts from Gotham FM and the Gotham Police Department.  And people wonder why I'm not excited about the iPhone 5...

I heard a broadcast from the security feed that my old pal Catwoman was being held captive by Two-Face in the old courthouse, and that the binary-obsessed villain was planning on killing her, and that Strange intended to have his forces do nothing about the situation.  Some quick action was in order, so I set the courthouse - which happened to be right in front of me - as my waypoint and glided straight there.    Inside, Two-Face had Catwoman suspended upside down over a vat of acid and was a coin flip away from sending her plunging to her doom.  But luckily the good head prevailed and the former District Attorney set about the process of giving the feline anti-hero a "fair" trial.  While he talked, I snuck up to a vantage point above the crowd of 40-something henchmen who were listening and dropped directly into the fray.

Many of the henchmen split immediately upon seeing my grim visage, but the ones who didn't were tough.  Luckily I was not completely out of combat practice, as I had been at the commencement of my Arkham Asylum adventures; in fact, I had worked hard to improve my skills.  Right from the start, I could take an opponent out from a standing position, provided I had enough momentum in my attacks.  I had also developed two additional techniques, both utilizing the cape: one in which I could grapple someone and quickly deliver a flurry of blows, and another wherein I could vault off a stunned opponent and deliver a fearsome strike from the air.  I also had taught myself to split my focus among multiple opponents, allowing me to counter two strikes at once in one fluid motion.  You don't think I would go so close to Arkham City without preparing myself, even in the supposedly safe guise of Bruce Wayne?

All during this combat session, Two-Face was taking pot shots at me with his pistol from behind a reinforced glass cage.  I must have performed too elaborate of a flourish on the last opponent, because right after I had cleared the room, Dent lined up a direct hit, right to the bat-logo on my chest.  It's a good thing the Batsuit is made of reinforced kevlar, but the impact knocked the wind out of me and surely cracked a couple of ribs.  While I was catching my breath, I head Catwoman escape her bonds of her own accord, right before an unfavorable coin flip from Two-Face would have spelled the end of her.  She slashed him with her claws and was about to finish the job when Two-Face pulled his second hidden gun (she should have known he wouldn't ever carry just one of anything).  Luckily I had regained enough wherewithal to grapple his ass and suspend him dangling over the ominous vat of acid.

After a touching reunion, I asked Selina if she had any information about Protocol 10.  It sure seemed like she didn't know anything - she fed me some line about how it could be Strange's big plan for dealing with me, but we didn't have any time to go into the details, as I noticed a green laser sight - in the pattern of a twisted smiley face - slowly climbing up the side of Catwoman's face.  She's lucky I'm so observant, as I whisked her out of the way just in time to avoid having to clean up cat brains from off the floor.  On the other hand, I was lucky enough to have waited until the shot was fired to make the save, as the bullet-hole through the window coupled with the point of impact on the ground allowed me to trace the trajectory of the shot, and thus find out where the shooter was situated - the bell-tower of an old church being used as a medical center.  Unfortunately, while I was analyzing the evidence, Catwoman slipped away using her whip.  But I doubt this would be the last time we would meet within the confines of the prison city...

Part 3: The Church