Dynasty: A Batman Tale Part 18

NOW

The fog hovering over Gotham Harbor was dancing in colored light as the Gotham Police and Harbor Patrol boats were surrounding the Antarctica. Penguin was pacing back and forth his chalice in one hand, his extended cigarette in the other. In a few moments Ivy would be in police custody and if she had any additional information now was the time to retrieve it. He needed to find out why they disappeared. Penguin feared now that Joker had returned, the past might have returned with him. The murder of the Mad Hatter Jervis Tetch may be proof that it did.

Chester walked over to his fully stocked bar and dumped a fifth of Gin into his chalice followed by a shot of Vodka and a splash of Vermouth. He downed it and poured himself another. Next to him on the bar top was a communication box that allowed him to be heard throughout the ship, he hit the ‘Talk’ button. “Bring her up to me,” he ordered.

Minutes later, two of his guards escorted Ivy up from the brig, her hands were bound behind her back.

“No, no, that won’t work.” Penguin motioned to his guards, “Her hands.” One guard raised his rifle at Ivy while the other maneuvered to unbind her hands.

“Thank you, I was ab…” She began to say, but the guard revolved around her coming in between herself and Chester.

“You were saying?” Penguin asked while holding out a cocktail for Ivy to grab as the guard rebound her hands, but this time in front. “How else would you have been able to share a final drink with me, Martini?”

Ivy’s silent smirk spoke volumes. She took the drink from Penguin as he motioned for her to walk with him. Both guards were following with their guns at the ready.

“The Mad Hatter is dead.” He watched her carefully.

“I know.” The answer surprised Chester. “Harley wanted to kill him the day of the accident, but resisted. Hell, I wanted to kill him the first moment I met him.

“The accident?”

“I couldn’t tell you what really happened cause truthfully I don’t know, it was a few days before we were going to pull a job, we were gathered in this underground bunker beneath the Primrose building. Basil and I were discussing floral prints on some fabric he’d come across and was asking me to identify, he’s such a queen. Edward was standing with Harley and Joker over a scale model of the vault we were going to blow. Joker was pointing out vulnerable points to place explosives when Tetch entered. He was responsible for gathering the supplies. I still see it in my head as if it were yesterday. How none of us were killed in the accident, I’ll never know. Jervis dropped the duffle bag he was carrying under the table we were gathered around. A moment later the room exploded, Tetch must have mishandled the explosives or something, but Joker was blown across the room and slammed into a concrete wall. When the smoke cleared everyone was banged up a bit, but Joker was in a coma. We took all our scores and disappeared together, either because none of us trusted each other or we all felt indebted to the Joker for freeing us from Arkham.”

“And now that Joker is awake?” Penguin asked

“He blamed Jervis for losing the last ten years.”

Chester and Ivy stepped out onto the deck of the Antarctica. The approaching police boats were moments from boarding. Chester’s men were stationed all around the perimeter of the ship. He took Ivy’s martini, “Well, it looks like this is farewell my dear. I do believe our relationship has come to an end. One last thing you should know.” Penguin paused to take a deep satisfying drag from his cigarette. He exhaled with a smile. “It was NO accident.”

THEN

An anonymous beneficiary had paid for Selina Kyle’s funeral. No one had any idea that Chester had flipped the bill, but then again nobody had any idea that he and Selina had been involved romantically. There were no family members there to mourn her, no friends to grieve. The Penguin stood there listening to the pastor recite psalms as the sky over Gotham cemetery opened up. Penguin was grateful for the rain that camouflaged his tears.

Over the next year Chester was driven by revenge, he devised a plan that would keep him out of Joker’s crosshairs. Penguin established an extensive black market for supplying weapons; he set up three of his underbosses in business for themselves. To the outside world these men would create their own empires. No one would know that it was still penguin that supplied all of Gotham. Penguin waited for the precise moment to act. Luckily he didn’t have to wait too long.

“You’re absolutely sure that it’s him?”

“Yeah boss, he said his name was Tetch, Jervis Tetch. Real piece of work this guy, wore a big stupid hat.” Johnny Red was one of Chester’s former capo’s that was elevated to boss of his own crew, only Johnny himself and the penguin knew of their arrangement. Penguin poured two shots of his favorite Malt Whiskey, he handed one of them to Johnny. Chester knocked his shot back and picked up the Mad Hatter’s supply list. “Oh yes, this will work out perfectly. Listen up here’s what you’re going to do.”

Tetch’s supply order was quite large, a variety of munitions were on the list ranging from sticks of dynamite to C4 plastique explosives with time detonators. Penguin had Johnny fill the order, but instructed him to remove the safeguards on the ‘Timers’ effectively activating them with a four hour clock. This way Penguin was insured to have his revenge by taking out Joker and his crew.

Chester just as well assumed his plan had been successful. Suddenly Joker was gone, Neither him nor any of his followers were anywhere to be found, and as time went by there continued to be no Joker sightings of any kind being reported. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months became years and still no Joker. Penguin had had his revenge, or so he thought.

NOW

Penguin took great joy from the expression on Ivy’s face and the sheer shock she was experiencing. All of his guards were alert and at the ready as the GCPD led by Commissioner Gordon made their way aboard the Antarctica.

“Evening Commissioner Gordon, I have a present here for you all wrapped up and ready to go. Would you care for a drink?”

“No thanks, Oswald.”

Ivy had remained silent since Penguin’s revelation. As Gordon approached to place her in custody, she reached out with her bound hands and slapped Chester across the face, “You son of a bitch.” She screamed.

Penguin’s guards instinctively raised their rifles, their crosshairs all aimed at Ivy. In response, every GCPD officer aboard the Antarctica as well as still stationed on the police boat drew their firearms. “NO!” Chester yelled, “It’s quite all right, I believe she needed to get that out of her system. Right? My dear!”

“Let’s go Ivy, we don’t have time for any nonsense. It’s time to take you in.” Gordon motioned for two of his officers to place Ivy in custody.

Before they reached her, a fiery and full of rage Ivy yelled out at both Chester and the commissioner. “NONSENSE! This city is going to burn and you’re all going to die!” She gave a Chester a seductively evil look then without any warning grabbed him and kissed him forcefully on the lips. She’s killed me!

Chaos unraveled from there. Penguin’s private security force opened fire on Ivy while Gordon’s men returned fire upon the guards. Bullets flew through the air as Gordon hit the deck. The entire showdown was over within seconds. Ivy lay dead on the deck, an expanding pool of blood draining out around her body. None of Jim’s police officers were injured, unfortunately, the same could not be said for Chester’s guards. Four of his men were injured and three were dead. Gordon walked over to Chester who had fallen to his knees when the shooting began. “Cobblepot, you hit?” Asked the commissioner.

“Not by bullets!”

“What the hell?” Gordon saw Penguin’s face. It was swollen and covered in pustules.

“There is a reason she’s called Poison Ivy. Her kiss kills…” Chester started convulsing; he coughed violently as blood started seeping from his nose and eyes.

“Oh Christ, we need a medic now.” Gordon ordered, but it was too late. Penguin was dead.