Arkham Asylum — West Residential — Morning
The following morning arrived in the west wing of Arkham Asylum.
Roman stepped out of his cell and stood in the hallway for a moment gathering himself as he heard Alberto move through the corridor with energetic steps, loudly proclaiming his own greatness and supremacy to anyone within earshot.
Roman drew a few steady breaths, then walked forward.
Alberto glanced at him as he passed, offering the generous acknowledgment of a man who had important matters ahead.
"One final question. I feel only someone like you could answer it," Roman said.
Alberto continued walking without turning to face him. "Why not?"
Roman fell into step slightly behind him.
"If you were ever to die," Roman asked calmly, "how would you go out?"
Alberto released a short whistle of amusement.
"Old age," Alberto answered confidently. "Surrounded by my vast wealth and some good women while laughing at something truly entertaining." He tilted his head with satisfaction. "That stands as the proper Falcone exit. In bed, surrounded by everything I built."
"Nice idea," Roman said.
He reached into his waistband and drew out the handgun from the delivery the night before. He aimed it steadily at the back of Alberto's head.
"But things do not always happen the way we want," Roman added with quiet resolve.
He pulled the trigger.
The shot rang out sharply through the west wing corridor.
Arkham Asylum — Cognitive Hazard Wing — Same Time
The new guard followed the headset protocol with careful precision, selecting a new pair from the rack at the entrance, checked both seals exactly like his training required, and walked through the double-door airlock. The moment he entered the wing, the outside world faded away into near complete silence. All that remained were the steady rhythm of his own breathing and the faint vibration of his footsteps traveling through the floor.
Jervis Tetch AKA The Mad Hatter waited at the bars of his cell, the small man wore a makeshift large hat constructed from what looked like newspaper scraps. After seeing this man was a new guard he pressed himself tightly up against the metal and spoke with rapid, theatrical urgency. The guard watched the man's mouth move and saw the dramatic expressions, but he heard nothing at all checking off his list that everything was clear. He then continued his steady walk down the corridor without any reaction, Tetch's frustration became increasingly visible as his powerful Hypnosis Quirk failed completely against the sound suppression and eventually he slumped against the wall of his cell in defeat.
The guard moved forward through another airlock and reached the next cell.
Matilda Mathis AKA Dollhouse daughter of the infamous Dollmaker who was now deceased at the hands of the Red Hood sat gracefully on her bed with her back resting against the wall. Her long blonde hair framed a strikingly pale and beautiful face and she noticed the new guard the moment he arrived in front of her cell.
Her eyes met his directly and she activated her charm Quirk through sustained eye contact. The power required eye contact, but also her voice to take hold of him hoping maybe this new guard didn't wear the headsets right.
The guard felt no shift in his thoughts as he looked down at his clipboard and checked off everything he needed to with his headset continuing to block all sound with perfect efficiency.
She gave up, then looked away toward the monitoring terminal mounted in the upper corner of the hallway behind him. It had suddenly turned on with the terminal displaying a clear message:
AUDIO PROTOCOL SUSPENDED — MAINTENANCE — EST. 4 MIN.
A subtle smile formed on her lips as she licked them and turned her attention back to the guard with renewed focus.
"Excuse me," she said in a warm and personal tone. "Could you let me out, please? I have been in here for so very long."
The guard's ordinary will offered almost no resistance after the initial shock of sound, and his mind softened rapidly as her Quirk found its foothold in his mind completely.
With smooth movements he unlocked the cell door and opened it wide for her.
"Thank you so much," Dollhouse said with fake warmth as she stepped out into the corridor holding his arm. "Would you kindly lead me out of this building?"
"Of course," he answered immediately, now fully under her complete control.
They walked together down the corridor. As they passed Jervis Tetch's cell, he pressed himself against the bars once more with eager hope.
"My dear, surely you could allow me to accompany you, there's no need for fear—" he began.
"No chance, creep," she replied without breaking stride or looking at him not giving him a chance.
They continued through the airlock and exited the building into the open area outside. The second guard stationed near the entrance looked up from his post with mild surprise.
"You finished already?" he asked. Then he noticed Dollhouse walking behind his partner and saw the dull, intoxicated look in his eyes.
Dollhouse turned her full attention to both men.
"Hello," she said smoothly and confidently. "I need you both to take me away from this place. Get me a vehicle, please."
"Of course," both guards replied in perfect unison, their wills now fully aligned with her desires.
One guard sent a call for backup and quickly a Arkham van drove by in a routine patrol of the grounds before stopping. A female officer stepped out of the driver's seat, her face showing clear confusion as she took in the unusual scene before her.
"Hey we got your request, what's going on here? Who is—"
Dollhouse met her eyes directly asking her to lend her the vehicle and activated her Quirk with full strength.
The female officer possessed noticeably stronger mental resistance than the others and she fought back for a moment.
"Security breach!" she shouted toward her partner still in the van.
Her resistance began to crumble and the charm broke through completely. Her expression softened into full compliance as she turned toward her partner with her weapon now drawn from its holster.
When her partner in the van witnessed the gun in her hand and the changed look in her eyes he immediately floored the accelerator and sped away from the area.
The breach alarm began blaring loudly across the entire facility, echoing through the grounds as Matilda looked annoyed that this wouldn't be as easy as the last time she broke out.
Arkham Asylum — Firefly Containment — Same Time
The containment room remained locked at a steady -20 degrees Celsius. The extreme cold filled every corner of the reinforced space with deliberate precision.
(I am not american idk what stupid fahrenheit is lol)
Bridgette Pike sat chained at the center of the cell with heavy alloy chains securing her wrists and ankles to floor. The low temperature kept her powerful fire Quirk suppressed to a quiet simmer but just enough to keep her alive.
The guard on shift monitored her through the reinforced observation glass from his station. He had completed his scheduled checks at the top of the hour and returned to his post but instead of maintaining full attention on his duties, he was completely absorbed in videos on his phone.
A terminal mounted in the upper corner of the station activated suddenly and Strange's face appeared on the screen for several seconds. He observed the guard with calm calculation, confirming the man remained fully focused on his device and unaware of the new presence. The feed then switched to show a direct view of Pike's cell.
The cooling system's control panel updated with a clear message: OVERRIDE — SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE — TEMP INCREASE AUTHORIZED.
The temperature inside the cell began to rise steadily.
Bridgette Pike felt the change immediately and her Quirk responded immediately as the fire inside her stirred and began to recuperate.
Small flames appeared first at her fingertips, then spread across the back of her hands and wrists. The fire climbed steadily as she opened her eyes, feeling freedom return to her and she looked down at the chains around her as she continued to heat up. They reached their limit and began to glow, then soften, then melt completely. One link after another gave way as she rose to her full height with graceful power.
The fire now covered her body, flowing from her shoulders down to the floor with continuous energy. Large, shimmering wings unfolded behind her spreading wide and catching the air with radiant heat as the entire cell glowed with intense brightness from her awakened Quirk.
The guard remained focused on his device until the sudden flash of light and heat finally pulled his attention upward. He looked through the reinforced glass and froze in complete shock. Bridgette Pike was directly in front of the glass, her fiery form fully revealed, wings extended and flames dancing across her.
His eyes widened as he registered the impossible scene,
"this was supposed to be an easy post" he muttered.
The reinforced glass began to soften and sweat broke out across the guard's forehead as the temperature in the observation station climbed rapidly.
He reached for the breach alert and his fingers pressed the button firmly, activating the alarm.
The glass gave way completely in the next moment when a powerful heat blast surged through the opening with overwhelming force. The guard had time only to blink before the incoming wave engulfed him entirely. The blast vaporized him in an instant, leaving nothing behind but a black shadow burned into the floor.
The Firefly Containment breach alarm continued to blare loudly across the island, adding to the growing chaos.
Falcone Tower — Carmine's Office
The captains had assembled in full force.
Carmine stood at the wide window overlooking the city, his office full with the leaders responsible for all the territory and businesses under him.
One of the captains spoke up clearly. "What is our plan to crush Maroni?"
"We will develop the full strategy shortly," Carmine replied, his voice carrying steady authority across the room. "The important development right now centers on Alberto, Strange will accept the terms. Once Alberto returns to the organization, the full strength of the family will move forward together."
A younger captain from the eastern side glanced around the room with visible focus.
"Sophia's seat remains empty," he observed.
"Sophia holds no importance at the moment," Carmine stated firmly, closing the subject with clear finality. "The central matter before us remains Alberto's return. Strange will see the benefit in acceptance and—"
A massive boom cut him off and every head in the room turned toward the windows at once.
A thick column of smoke rose from the south end of the Financial District. As they watched, a second explosion detonated further west, sending darker smoke curling upward in a different section of the skyline.
"That lies in my territory," one of the western captains said, recognition sharp in his voice.
More smaller explosions happened on other islands and all the leaders began shouting and then every phone in the room began ringing simultaneously.
The controlled atmosphere of the meeting dissolved completely. Captains rose quickly from their seats, voices overlapped with urgent commands, and men ran toward the doors already calling back to their operations and organizing immediate responses. The surprise attack from Maroni had begun far earlier than expected, and the captains moved to defend their territories and strike back.
Another massive explosion rocked the city, followed quickly by a final one further north. Fresh columns of smoke rose visibly over the skyline.
Within moments the room stood empty as all the captains had all departed to address the growing crisis across Gotham.
Carmine remained alone at the window. He watched the multiple smoke columns expand and drift into the wind.
The speaker on his desk activated with a soft chime.
His communications officer's voice came through clearly. "Sir, we have received a video transmission from Arkham—"
"Play it," Carmine ordered.
"Sir, shouldn't we be focusing on—"
"Play it immediately!" Carmine repeated.
The large screen lowered smoothly from its ceiling mount in front of the window. The feed began to load with a soft glow.