Third Assault on Arkham (Part 2)

"There should be a surface exit. Look for it," Batman's voice crackled through the comms, intermittent and strained, though not from anything scandalous—just the exertion of battling Bane, who was proving a tough opponent.

Commissioner Gordon dispatched half the officers to search for an exit in different directions, while the rest fashioned makeshift stretchers to assist the immobile. Thea and Selina sat off to the side, resting, watching the old commissioner bustle about.

An exit was soon found, but it wasn't exactly a grand passage; it was an abandoned sewer tunnel. The sewer was wide, a relic of a time when Gotham's rains must have demanded robust underground drainage. Sturdy as it was, the grimy floor showed no recent signs of use.

The dark, derelict tunnel gave everyone pause. It was pitch-black inside. What if there was an ambush?

"The ceiling is high enough here. I'll scout ahead on my hoverboard," Thea volunteered. As the strongest fighter present, she took on the grueling, thankless task.

Selina felt a little apologetic, but she truly lacked Thea's speed and agility. She urged Thea to be careful, and the two women shared a quick hug.

"I'm going in first. Wait for my signal," Thea said, grabbing some kindling and a torch before heading into the tunnel alone.

After advancing a short distance, out of sight from the others, she activated her bloodline shadow aspect tattoo.

"Clone Technique!" A realistic phantom emerged from her body. In less than a second, the phantom solidified, looking identical to Thea in dress and appearance, gazing lifelike at her.

It was an odd sensation: same body, same mind, different perspectives, like looking in a mirror. The clone could technically mimic her gear, but the results were laughable. Thea tested the clone's sword—it was duller than a butter knife. She decided against it and simply handed the clone a torch.

"Scout ahead," Thea instructed from her hoverboard, pointing into the distance.

The clone mimicked a pout, took the torch, and marched off.

"Much safer this way," Thea muttered, trailing leisurely behind. She wasn't about to put herself in unnecessary danger. If it weren't for this secret technique, she wouldn't be doing this vanguard work.

After less than ten minutes, Thea signaled back to the group. Though the smell was unpleasant, she hadn't encountered any danger.

"Selina, bring up the rear. I'll lead with the others," Gordon said. He trusted Selina's diligence and, despite his age, still had a soldier's spirit. He directed a few officers to take point, then followed closely behind them down into the sewer.

Although Thea had lit some small fires along the way to provide illumination, with so many people, it took twenty minutes for the entire group to enter. Selina, after ensuring no one was left behind, followed in after them.

Most of the captured Gothamites were young and hardy. Though weakened by captivity, their survival instincts drove them forward at a brisk pace.

The comms were silent, each hero quietly handling their foes.

Selina grew restless with the pace and was about to ask how far the surface was when—

"Argh!" Thea's voice burst through the comms, startling everyone. They quickly asked what had happened.

"Oh my God! I'll draw it away! You guys hurry—" Thea's words were cut off, drowned out by loud, violent noises.

"What's going on?" Selina, the least occupied, pressed for answers but got none.

"What's your scheme?" Bruce roared at Bane, who merely sneered, unfazed, exploiting an opening to land several heavy blows. Bruce had no choice but to focus on the fight.

As the group puzzled over the chaos, a dull thud shook the ground, felt both above and below.

"Hiss—" Felicity's voice came through from remote surveillance. "Thea blew open the surface. Looks like she hit the city's natural gas line. Something's chasing her…"

What could possibly be chasing her? The thought occurred to several of them. Their surprise was understandable; few enemies currently in Gotham could overwhelm a fully equipped Thea.

"Oh my..." Felicity gasped. "A huge humanoid monster, at least three meters tall, is chasing her"

Her explanation clarified little, leaving them as confused as before.

"Huff... huff... This thing is incredibly strong! I'm leading it out of the city! Get out fast," Thea panted, finally catching her breath to brief them.

She had been caught completely off guard moments earlier. She'd been daydreaming ten meters behind her clone when it suddenly vanished. Then, around a corner, a three-meter-tall, iron-skinned humanoid monster loomed into view.

Sewers here were built tall, so neither the towering foe nor Thea's hovering skateboard felt cramped. Still, she wished the tunnel were narrower. The creature's muscles were like steel, its skin gray, with dry white hair cascading over its shoulders and red eyes locked on her.

"Solomon.. Grundy?" Thea froze. Was this some kind of joke? Facing this massive zombie who had been dead for over a century, Thea was completely stunned. He wasn't supposed to show up yet! Rumor had it he could go toe-to-toe with Superman.

Could she beat him? Absolutely not. Thea understood now. This must be the secret weapon Talia had mentioned. The Court of Owls must have somehow activated the giant zombie ahead of schedule and set an ambush in this tunnel, intending to wipe them all out.

Thankfully, she had sent the clone ahead to scout. Seeing its massive fists, her real body, even protected by the Kevlar suit, would likely have been finished in one hit.

Unwilling to fight underground, Thea tapped her Black Mist Dagger's magic, she enveloped the giant zombie in a cloud of darkness so thick it seemed to absorb light itself. Unsure of the Black Mist's effectiveness, Thea created another clone and had it pass by Grundy's side. The result was satisfactory; the giant zombie thrashed wildly within the mist but failed to notice the clone slipping past.

Without a second thought, Thea flew swiftly over the giant zombie's head.

Once she was thirty meters away, she worried it might turn back toward the group. Knowing he was practically invulnerable, she decided to use her speed advantage to lure him away.

Drawing her bow, she loosed an arrow into the fog's center—the target was so large she barely needed to aim.