Gotham Arc #7.
From the red cage, a silhouette emerged.
Onyx stepped into the light.
She rolled her neck once, eyes scanning the arena with the detached interest of someone evaluating insects.
Her gaze landed on Jake.
She circled him slowly, predatory. Each step placed with precision. Hands loose at her sides, ready.
"The Spider," she said, voice flat. Clinical. "Cute name. I've squashed bugs with more fight in them."
Jake didn't respond. His muscles were still screaming from the electrocution. Every nerve felt raw, exposed.
Onyx dismissed him with a slight tilt of her head and moved to the far corner, settling into a stance that promised violence.
The blue cage rattled.
BANG.
BANG. BANG.
Bronze Tiger wasn't waiting for the doors to open properly. His fists hammered the elevator gate from inside, the metal buckling under each blow. The mechanism groaned, trying to slide open faster.
He couldn't wait.
The doors gave way with a screech of torn steel. Bronze Tiger burst through, mask gleaming under the lights. His shoulders heaved with each breath. Not from exertion. From anticipation.
He scanned the ring, eyes hungry behind the mask's slits. His fingers flexed. Claws ready to tear.
"Finally," he growled, voice like grinding gravel.
The crowd roared. This was what they'd paid for. Raw. Brutal. Unhinged.
"Bronze Tiger, everybody!" Riddler's voice boomed with theatrical delight. "A warrior who lives for the thrill of combat. The scent of blood. The music of broken bones."
Bronze Tiger cracked his knuckles. The sound echoed like gunshots.
The red cage opened again.
Lady Vic emerged with her chin high, rifle case slung over one shoulder. She paused at the threshold, surveying the arena with the cool appraisal of a professional.
British. Posh. Deadly.
"Apologies for the delay," she said, accent crisp as cut glass. "Traffic was simply dreadful."
She set the case down with care, unlatched it, and assembled her rifle with practiced efficiency. Each piece clicked into place with satisfying precision.
Jake's spider-sense hummed. A rifle in a cage match. This wasn't just dangerous; it was chaos waiting to happen.
Lady Vic chambered a round. "Nothing personal, darlings. But two million does buy a certain level of motivation."
The blue cage creaked.
Empty.
Jake's spider-sense spiked.
He looked up.
Catwoman crouched atop the cage, silhouette perfect against the lights. One clawed hand extended, goggles gleaming. She held the pose for a heartbeat, letting everyone see her.
Then she dropped.
No sound. Just motion.
She landed in a crouch, rising slowly. Fluid. Feline. Every movement deliberate, almost playful.
Her goggles tilted toward Jake. Studying him.
"Well, well," she purred. "The Spider who keeps surviving. Color me intrigued."
Jake's chest tightened. Four opponents. Four very different styles. And he was already running on fumes.
Riddler's projection flared to life above them, grin impossibly wide.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The moment you've been waiting for. Five competitors remain. Only one can claim the prize."
He spread his arms, showman to the core.
"The Final Showdown... begins NOW!"
The bell rang.
Nobody moved.
Four sets of eyes locked on Jake. The one who'd survived longest. The one who'd already proven dangerous.
Bronze Tiger broke the stillness first. He charged, feral and direct.
Onyx moved like water, circling wide.
Lady Vic raised her rifle, sighting down the barrel.
Catwoman... watched. Calculating.
Jake's spider-sense screamed. He threw himself sideways as Lady Vic's rifle cracked.
BANG.
The bullet tore through the space where his head had been. It ricocheted off the cage, sparking. Someone in the crowd screamed.
Bronze Tiger's claws raked the air where Jake had been. He pivoted, snarling, refocusing.
Onyx struck from the blind spot. A palm thrust aimed at Jake's kidney. He twisted, felt the blow graze his ribs. Still hurt.
He fired a web at her feet. She jumped, graceful, but Jake was already moving. He yanked himself to the cage wall, sticking high.
"Running already?" Bronze Tiger laughed, brutal and mocking.
Lady Vic tracked him with the rifle. "Hold still, would you?"
BANG.
Jake dropped. The bullet sparked above him.
Catwoman's whip cracked out, wrapping around Lady Vic's rifle barrel. She yanked. Lady Vic stumbled forward, surprised.
"Terribly rude, shooting in close quarters," Catwoman said, almost playful.
Lady Vic sneered. "Says the cat burglar."
They clashed: whip against rifle stock, close and vicious.
Bronze Tiger ignored them. His eyes stayed locked on Jake.
Onyx moved in sync with him, flanking. Professional. Coordinated without needing to communicate.
Jake's mind raced. He was outnumbered. Exhausted. And they were all fresh.
His spider-sense buzzed. He ducked. Onyx's kick whistled overhead.
Bronze Tiger lunged. Jake webbed his face, blinding him temporarily. The warrior roared, clawing at the sticky strands.
Lady Vic's rifle swung up again. This time aimed at Catwoman.
BANG.
Catwoman twisted. The bullet grazed her shoulder. She hissed, more annoyed than hurt.
"That's quite enough of that," Catwoman snarled.
Her whip wrapped around Lady Vic's ankle. She yanked hard. Lady Vic fell, rifle clattering away.
Jake saw his opening. He webbed Onyx's wrist, yanked her off balance, and drove his fist into her solar plexus.
She gasped, breath exploding out. He didn't give her time to recover. Another web, wrapping her arms. A sweep of her legs.
She hit the ground. Hard.
The floor beneath her split open. She barely had time to scream before the darkness swallowed her.
The crowd erupted.
Jake's chest heaved. One down.
Bronze Tiger ripped the webs from his face, roaring. "You'll pay for that, insect!"
Lady Vic scrambled for her rifle. Catwoman's boot pinned it down.
"Looking for this?" Catwoman smirked.
Lady Vic's hand shot to her belt. A knife flashed.
Catwoman dodged, but not quite fast enough. The blade scored her side. Shallow, but bleeding.
Jake fired a web at Lady Vic's back, yanking her away from Catwoman. She stumbled backward -- right into Bronze Tiger's path.
Bronze Tiger didn't care who was in his way. His fist drove into Lady Vic's ribs. She crumpled with a choked gasp.
"Apologies," Bronze Tiger growled, not sounding sorry at all.
Lady Vic tried to rise. Jake webbed her to the floor.
The panels beneath her opened. She cursed in clipped British fury as she fell.
Two down.
Riddler's laugh echoed through the speakers. "Oh, this is delicious! But let's make things... interesting."
The floor groaned. Panels slid open. Not just beneath the fallen, but scattered across the entire arena.
Electricity arced between exposed circuits. Blue-white light crackled and hissed.
Jake's heart stopped.
No.
Not again.
His hands shook. The memory of 20 kilovolts surging through his body flooded back. His throat went dry.
Bronze Tiger stepped toward one of the electrified panels. His foot touched the edge.
ZZZZZT!
He roared, body convulsing. The current surged through him, muscles locking. He collapsed to one knee, teeth bared in agony.
But he didn't fall.
His hand went to his chest. A talisman hung there -- jade, carved with symbols. It glowed faintly.
Bronze Tiger's body began to shift.
Bones cracked. Muscles bulged. His mask merged with his face, becoming real fur, real fangs.
Within seconds, a massive tiger stood where the man had been.
It roared. The sound shook the cage.
Jake's blood went cold.
Catwoman's eyes widened behind her goggles. "Well. That's new."
The tiger's eyes locked on them both. Predator. Prey. Electrified floor.
Jake's spider-sense was a constant scream now.
His eyes darted across the arena. How do I get out? How do I--
There.
A protrusion. Small. Metal. Out of place among the smooth panels.
It nagged at him. Wrong. Deliberate.
"I have no knob, yet yield a place..."
A lever.
Hidden. Mechanical.
"Hidden passage," Jake breathed.
The answer had been there all along. A door. But not a normal door. A concealed one. Triggered by--
The tiger lunged.
Jake threw himself sideways, web-lining to the cage wall. The tiger's claws raked where he'd been.
Catwoman moved with him, mirroring his trajectory, sticking close. Smart. She'd been watching him. Learning his rhythm.
"You've got a plan, Spider?" she asked, voice tight.
"Working on it," Jake shot back.
The tiger prowled between them and the lever. Eyes burning. Hungry.
Catwoman's whip cracked, snapping near the tiger's face. It snarled, jerking back.
"I hope it's a good plan," she said.
The cage trembled.
Jake froze. What--?
It trembled again. Harder. Like a tremor.
Then it shook violently.
The crowd's roar turned to confused shouts. People stumbled in the stands.
An earthquake?
No.
Explosions. Distant. Muffled. Coming from above.
The ceiling shuddered. Dust rained down.
BOOM.
The blue elevator door ripped apart. Metal shrieked. The ventilation shaft above belched smoke and debris.
Everyone was thrown sideways. Jake hit the cage wall. Catwoman rolled. The tiger skidded across the floor, claws sinking into an electrified panel.
Dust filled the air, thick and choking.
And through the dust came the sound of a calliope organ playing a distorted, manic circus tune.
"Honey, I am hooooo ome!"
The voice was high, screeching, and dripping with Brooklyn lilt.
Jake's heart skipped a beat.
Harley Quinn.
Outfit same as the night they met, she skipped through the smoke, swinging a baseball bat that glittered with chipped paint and old blood.
Behind her poured a dozen goons in clown masks, revving chainsaws and waving crowbars like they were part of a parade.
Harley stopped in the center of the room, utterly unfazed by the electrified floor, hopping cleanly across the black safe zones as if she had choreographed it. She looked up at the balcony.
"Eddie. You started the party without me. I am crushed. I am shattered." She spun the bat once and brought it down on Bronze Tiger's convulsing form. "I brought snacks."
The tiger flew across the cage, slamming into the mesh. His body reverted to human.
Riddler went red and sputtered. "Harleen. This is a closed tournament. Get out."
Harley ignored him completely. She turned in a wide circle, eyes bright and manic, scanning the cage.
She wasn't looking for the prize. She wasn't looking at Riddler.
Her gaze snapped to Jake.
A sharp, hungry smile split her face.
"There you are," she cooed, pointing the end of her bat at him like it was a wand that granted concussions. "You sneaky little web burglar. First you steal my mallet, my real one, my sweetheart, and now I'm stuck with this boring old bat."
She gave the bat a pouty look, then cracked it against her palm hard enough to sting.
"And then you go sneakin' through my funhouse like it was a free tour. Cute move. Dumb, but cute. I keep surprises in there. Glitter bombs. Bitey boxes. A few crying clowns. One of them even told me exactly where you'd show up tonight."
She blew a strand of hair out of her face and grinned like she was about to unwrap a present.
"So here's the plan. I whack you flat, fold you up, and go get my mallet back."
Her voice snapped into a shriek that rattled the room.
"BOYS. GET THE BUG."
Things get interesting
Announcement: Gotham Arc is a wrap in Patreon and we are off to the next arc: The Laughing Spider. Curious? Why not read ahead in Patreon.com/MimicLord