Chapter 75: Aegis Protocol
Batman rolled backward as the creatures's clawed foot crashed into the concrete where he'd been lying, sending chunks of debris flying.
Although it had no eyes, the creature moved flawlessly. Its eyeless head followed his every step accurately, while five tentacles coiled and uncoiled like snakes, feeling through the air.
"Aegis Protocol, full defensive configuration," Batman commanded through gritted teeth.
His armor responded immediately. Plates shifted and expanded across his torso and limbs, creating overlapping layers of reinforced protection.
The cape's fabric stiffened into a shield while additional armor segments emerged from hidden compartments in his utility belt. Within seconds, Batman's silhouette had transformed from sleek to an armored fortress.
The weight increase was significant, but the enhanced protection would be crucial against a such a heavy creature.
The creature lunged forward with frightening speed while its razor-tipped appendages sweeped in wide arcs to break Batman's defenses. The Dark Knight ducked under the first swipe and rolled left to avoid the second, but the third caught him across the chest plate.
Sparks flew as claws scraped against reinforced armor. The impact sent Batman sliding backward across the laboratory floor.
The Aegis Protocol's enhanced plating held, but the force behind the blow was staggering—easily equivalent to being struck by a speeding vehicle.
"Armor integrity at eighty-nine percent," his HUD reported. "Recommend maintaining distance engagement."
But distance wasn't an option in the confined corridor. The creature's tentacles gave it advantages in ranged combat, while its size and strength made close quarters extremely dangerous.
Batman drew a pair of explosive batarangs and hurled them at the creature's center mass. The weapons detonated against the chitinous armor, sending black ichor spraying across the walls, but the creature barely staggered.
The creature retaliated by lashing out with two tentacles simultaneously, forcing Batman to dive between them while the appendages crashed into the laboratory door behind him.
The reinforced steel buckled and twisted under the impact, and Batman realized with growing concern that his defensive perimeter around Firefly was being destroyed piece by piece.
His comm system crackled with Robin's voice: "Batman, I'm tracking your location through the mesh network fragments. I'm coming to assist."
"Negative," Batman replied, rolling under another tentacle swipe. "Situation is extremely dangerous."
"I can handle myself. We just have to keep it busy a little longer until the League arrives."
Batman launched himself at the creature's legs, trying to destabilize its footing while avoiding its appendages.
The tactic worked momentarily—the creature stumbled as Batman's enhanced strength drove his armored shoulder into its knee joint. But its recovery was almost instantaneous.
A clawed foot caught Batman in the ribs, lifting him off the ground and sending him crashing into the corridor wall. Even with the Aegis Protocol's protection, the impact drove the air from his lungs and left him seeing stars.
"Hold on, Batman," Robin's voice continued through the comm. "I'll be there in soon."
Batman hurled a sonic boom grenade and used the moment of distraction to activate another weapon system—micro-rockets built to punch through armor.
The tiny projectiles shot toward the creature's head and chest, detonating in succession across its carapace.
This time the damage was more significant. Cracks appeared in the chitinous plating, and thick black fluid began oozing from multiple wounds.
The creature's roar of pain and fury echoed through the facility. The sound seemed to vibrate through Batman's bones even with his audio dampening systems active.
But pain only made it more dangerous. Its movements became more aggressive and frantic.
It began using its tentacles to tear chunks of concrete from the walls and debris and threw it towards Batman.
Batman dodged a piece of debris the size of a car tire, only to be caught by a follow-up tentacle strike that wrapped around his ankle.
The appendage lifted him into the air and slammed him down against the floor hard.
"Armor integrity at seventy-one percent," his HUD warned. "Structural damage detected in left shoulder assembly."
"Almost there," Robin reported. "I can hear the fighting from here."
"Stay back," Batman ordered, managing to cut through the tentacle with a small monomolecular blade before the creature could slam him down again. "That's a direct order."
The severed tentacle writhed on the floor, spraying ichor as the creature recoiled. But Batman's victory was short-lived—the remaining four appendages coordinated their attack, creating a web of attacks.
Batman activated his cape's rigid shield configuration, using the reinforced fabric to deflect two tentacle strikes while rolling under a third. But the fourth caught him across the back, sending him sprawling toward the laboratory entrance.
The creature pressed its advantage and lunged forward while extending its massive claws.
Batman rolled aside at the last second, and the creature's momentum carried it crashing into the sealed laboratory door. The reinforced barrier finally gave way under the tremendous impact, and Firefly's unconscious form became visible through the breach.
The creature's head turned toward the unconscious serial killer, its jaw opening to reveal rows of needle-sharp teeth. But Batman was already moving, drawing his most powerful remaining weapon—a plasma charge with enough power to cut through armored vehicles.
"Not today," Batman snarled, activating the device and hurling it directly at the creature's exposed throat.
The plasma detonation was blinding in the confined space. Superheated gas expanded outward in a sphere of destruction that reached temperatures capable of melting steel. The creature's roar became a shriek of agony as the energy tore through its neck and chest cavity.
When the light faded, the creature was still standing, but barely. Its elongated head hung at an unnatural angle, connected to its body by only a few strands of tissue and bone. Black ichor pooled around its feet as it struggled to maintain its vital functions.
Batman didn't wait for it to recover. He drew his remaining explosive charges and attached them directly to the creature's spine, targeting the neural pathways that seemed to control its tentacle appendages.
"Protocol Ten, maximum yield," he announced, activating the charges and diving clear.
The explosion sent shockwaves through the entire level. When the dust settled, the creature's remains were scattered across fifty feet of corridor.
Batman pulled himself upright, his armor's systems reporting multiple critical damages. His left shoulder felt dislocated, and several ribs were definitely cracked despite the Aegis Protocol's protection. But he was alive, and Firefly was still breathing in his damaged laboratory.
"Target eliminated," Batman reported into his comm, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. "Laboratory secure."
"Copy that," Robin replied immediately. "I can see the hole in the ceiling the creature made."
Batman closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself the luxury of exhaustion. The facility was quiet for the first time since the nightmare had begun.
"Good work tonight, Robin," he said into the comm. "But stay alert. The Architect might have—"
Footsteps approached from above, drawing closer to the hole.
"Finally, I got here atlast. This place is a mess. Are you hurt, Batman?," Robin's voice came through the comm, syncing with his real time voice from above the ceiling.
**************
Advanced chapters on patre*n
DC : Architect of Vengeance
patre0n*c*m/Lord_Meph1sto