Arkham City Post #10: Hunting the League of Assassins

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!

Part 9: Boss Fights in the Museum

Once I was done with Grundy, that little runt Penguin had the audacity of jumping down into the arena himself with his giant rocket launcher.  I honestly don't even know if my Disruptor would have jammed his weapon - I was so hepped up on Free Flow Focus, that just dodged every single one of his rockets and delivered the imminent beatdown that was coming to him.  Then I did what any sympathetic ally would have done: I delivered Penguin to Mr. Freeze.

Victor was understandably pretty pissed at Cobblepot for taking his suit and locking him up and all, but he knew I would find some way to beat the tar out of him if he hurt anybody, so he took the moderate route and locked Penguin up in one of his own display cases.  I believe it was the one reserved for Bruce Wayne.  Correct me if that's not what's known as dramatic irony?

Freeze and I then got into a lengthy scientific discussion about the cure he was working on for Joker.  I guess he had synthesized the formula, but wasn't able to keep it from deteriorating.  He needed to get his hands on some enzyme contained in the blood that has regenerating powers.  As I was racking my brain about which criminal might have control of the underground organ market in Arkham City, it dawned on me:  Ra's Al Ghul's blood very well might have some of that enzyme, from his generations of being exposed to those Lazarus Pits of his.  It seemed too perfect at the time, so it didn't even occur to me that it was just an excuse to showcase another villain (like the Poison Ivy spores conveniently being located in Croc's Lair.  I mean, come on, what plant even grows in the sewers...?)

As the thought occurred to me, I said Ra's Al Ghul's name out loud, which instantly got a reaction from the caged up ninja dressed like Kitana.  She smashed through the glass, shouted something about the League of Assassins, and sprung off.  Of course, I thought, that ninja must be a part of Talia Al Ghul's elite ninja strike force.  And I was in incredible luck: she had cut herself as she smashed through the glass, and the blood left a perfect trail across Arkham City for my Detective Mode to follow.

But seeing as these assassins are quicker and more nimble than I - curse my gigantic thighs, which can deliver a powerful attack, but sometimes hamper my movement - I knew that I'd need another of my wondrous gadgets: The Line Launcher.  Instead of having the Batwing drop it off in a little pod, like I did last year to help me get out of the Botanical Gardens after tangling with the first of Joker's Titan-enhanced henchmen, Alfred chose to send the gadget in with a personal courier: my second-favorite Robin, Tim Drake.  Seeing him made me feel a little like Mario, running into Yoshi on top of the castle, but not being able to interact with him in any meaningful way.  Tim offered to help, but I told him that he was needed in Gotham.  To make it seem like I was telling the truth, I gave him a sample of my infected blood and instructed him to cross-check it with hospitals in the area.  I mean, it is true that I work better alone, but I mostly just didn't want him to see me in my current state.

I pressed Tim for news from the outside world, and he informed me that the St. Louis Cardinals  had just won the World Series against the Texas Rangers, completing one of the most dramatic comebacks in baseball history.  It would have been nice to see the Rangers win their first championship in franchise history - as opposed to the Cardinals, who already have 11 titles to their name, second only to the Yankees.  But I also like that a team led by arguably the best living hitter (and unquestionably the most aggravating living manager... or should I say, ex-manager) can win it all despite near-insurmountable odds.  I was looking forward to catching the highlights at home on the Bat-flatscreen once all this Arkham City business was over.

After catching up on events outside the perimeter wall, I turned my attention to the Line Launcher, which acts as a sort of instant zipline creator, allowing me to travel across a large horizontal distance.  Over chasms, through a spinning blade trap, you name it.  And I had trained further so that I could launch a second line in another direction while traveling along the first, enabling extended travel at right angles.  My increased agility also enabled me to detach the launcher and balance on the line like a tightrope walker.  Just the thing for tracking ninjas through a criminal-inhabited jungle of steel and concrete as if my life depended on it...

Part 11: Wonder City