Here we are, the final chapter. I hope you have enjoyed this story. I don't own Amalgam Comics.
Bruce sat on the passenger seat of the Clawmobile, staring awkwardly out of the window. At the back of his mind he knew Barbara was going to kill him later when she found out she went behind her back and told SHIELD to send a few agents to help bring Hyena in without her. But he knew she was in a angry and vulnerable place right now, and what she shouldn't do is let that anger drive her into doing something that will only end badly. Hyena is an unpredictable person, and Bruce needed his people to be calm and collect when going after the criminal.
"So I assume you've contacted SHIELD?" Dark Claw asked him as he drove.
"Yes, I've made sure that a few agents will come to help bring Hyena in. I would prefer it if we waited, but I know you would go without me if I did." Bruce replied.
"Prefer to have me where you can see me?" Dark Claw questioned.
"Obviously. You're still a vigilante who called himself Dark Claw, so you're clearly not stable." Bruce replied. "Hell, you even have a car called the Clawmobile."
"I don't call it that. Sparrow does." Dark Claw responded.
"And there's another thing. Training a minor, even if she is a metamutant, to illegally fight crime. How you get away with that is beyond my understanding." Bruce told him, but Dark Claw ignored him. Or at least tried to, which he failed due to what Bruce said next. "And the whole Arkham situation. My God, why don't you just kill them."
"Because unlike you I have rules. A code. If I killed I would be just like them, lowering myself to their level. You're the director of an agency that does what ever it has to do to achieve it's goals." Dark Claw almost hissed in anger. "I have done stuff in my life that I regret, but I know they pale in comparison to the things you have done. So don't take the moral high ground."
Bruce didn't respond at first, just stared out of the window. However, eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he turned to speak to the vigilante. "And what have you don't that is so bad?"
To Bruce's surprise, he saw Dark Claw's jaw clench briefly and his body language betray him for the briefest of moments. Bruce had trained to understand what people were thinking, but he would never have expected for Dark Claw to act hesitant.
"We're here." Dark Claw finally said, and indeed they were. They drove into the abandoned carnival, and soon saw who they were looking for. The Hyena, with his Pack and Gordon in a cage. To Bruce's horror, though he didn't show it, he could see Hyena carrying an arm and a body of someone behind him.
Dark Claw stopped tribe car and the two nodded at each other before leaping out, Bruce pulling his gun out a firing quickly at an incoming thug. The bullet killed him instantly, and the secret agent returned his focus to the other Pack members. He knew his reluctant ally would hate that he was killing, but Bruce honestly couldn't care. He saw Dark Claw disabling his enemies, though he only used his claws to cut through their guns and not sound him. Bruce's eyes went to Hyena, who was chuckling happily, then to Gordon who just stared at what was happening with no emotion. Then Bruce saw the person being dragged away by a few members of the Pack after Hyena briefly said something to them, armless but without a doubt alive. And impossible to mistaken for someone else due to his mask being removed.
"Jason!" Bruce shouted in horror, as he saw the now former SHIELD agent be dragged away. He tried to run after him, but Hyena quickly grabbed him and using his metamutant strength threw him back towards the car. Bruce hit it and yelled in pain, but quickly focused and got back up.
"Sorry Mr Super Spy, I'm afraid Moondork can't play right now." Hyena told him with a smile. "By the way, it's good to see you again Bruce."
"What's he doing here!?" Bruce asked, aiming his gun at the Hyena. Guilt was hitting him like a truck, as he knew that in all likelihood Jason was here without anyone to get backup because of his decision. "How did you get him?"
"Hey he came after me, so it's not my fault. He found out I had escaped and decided to prove himself to you after you fired him." Hyena explained, throwing Jason's arm to the ground and making Bruce want to throw up. "But don't worry. He will be fine. For now at least."
"Let him go!" Bruce shouted as he fired his gun at Hyena, but the metamutant easily dodged the bullets.
Hyena lifted his hand to strike the agent with his claws, and Bruce prepared to leap out of the way when Dark Claw came to his rescue. His adamntium claws unsheathed and swinging at Hyena, the two archenemies swiped at each other, the scars they receive almost immediately healing. Eventually however Hyena delivered a swift kick into Dark Claw's stomach and run off into a building. Bruce saw Dark Claw almost chase after him, until he looked back and saw Gordon still in his cage. Without hesitation, the two went to the cage together and soon had it open.
"Charles, are you... are you alright?" Dark Claw asked with fear and worry in his voice. He approached Gordon, and when he put a hand on his shoulder in a desperate attempt to comfort him the police commissioner began to cry. Without hesitation Dark Claw huger him and spoke to him in a reassuring tone. "It's ok. Let it out."
"Oh god! He...he hurt Moira!" Gordon said between sobs, before looking up at Dark Claw. "Where is she? Where's Moira?"
"She's at the hospital." Bruce explained, and Gordon finally noticed he was there.
"He has one of your agents with him." Gordon said. "Moonwing. He's going to do something to him."
"Police and SHIELD agents are on the way Charles. I'll stay-" Dark Claw began, but Gordon interrupted him.
"No, I'm fine! You need to catch that maniac and you need to save your friend." Gordon said, pointing at Dark Claw then Bruce, before focusing on his friend. "And I want him to be brought in by the book. Because we have to show him. We have to show him our way works. Do you understand?
"Yes." the hero replied, and after handing the agent a spare earpiece from his belt the two dashed in opposite directions.
"So I assume the super agent has gone to try and find his friend?" Hyena said through some speakers as Logan carefully walked past the mirrors, sniffing to try and find a scent to track. "It doesn't matter. I won. Gordon has had his one bad day, and I'll have proven my point."
"What are you talking about?" Logan muttered, but he was surprised when he was answered.
"I can hear you. I figured we should have a conversation." Hyena replied. "And I'm talking about how all it takes to drive the sanest man to insanity and beyond is one bad day. One day something happens that pushes them towards a destination. That's all that separates the rest of the world from people like me, or the other people you throw into Arkham. You can relate to that."
"What?" Dark Claw asked as he smelled something and began to follow it.
"Well you had a bad day once, am I right? I mean you never told me what it was, mainly since you were convinced you would miss me more when I died if we became closer friends, but I know you did. Why else would you dress like that?" Hyena said with a chuckle. "You had a bad day, but for some reason you won't admit how crazy you are. You keep pretending that you can make sense of the insanity of life and define a reason for every horrible thing nature creates. It would almost me noble, if it wasn't so nauseating."
Dark Claw didn't respond, trying to ignore him. He saw stairs by a wall, and a light coming from a door at the top. With little options, he began to walk up the stairs.
"Honestly, just tell me what it was! Girlfriend cut up by some mugger, perhaps? Brother murdered by the mob? I know it was something like that, it's the only explanation for why you are the way you are. I know, because once upon a time, something like that happened to me." the Hyena explained. "I won't lie, sometimes I remember it one way and sometimes another. Sometimes my wife was murdered, sometimes my sister and me were tortured by our uncle, other times it's something completely different. We can both blame Weapon X for that though can't we? With all those implanted memories, how are we suppose to know what was real and what was fake? But sometimes I kind of like that my past is multiple choice."
Dark Claw finally reached the top of the stairs and to his surprise found himself in what appeared to be a kitchen. Except the table, the chairs, the cooker, sink and everything else was on the ceiling. Through a large window, Logan could see the moon in the night sky.
"But regardless of what is was, the fact is that I went crazy!" Hyena shouted as he suddenly appeared from behind Dark Claw. "And unlike you, I'm sane enough to admit it!"
Grabbing his old enemy by his cape, his claws cutting into it slightly, he pulled and swung Dark Claw against the wall. Before Logan could regain control, Hyena pulled again and swung him up to the ceiling, causing him to collide with and shatter the table on the ceiling. Wood fell everywhere as Dark claw collapsed to the ground while Hyena continued to talk.
"I mean it's all a joke! Everything anyone has ever hopes, suffered for or valued means nothing. I mean how many times have we come to world war three over a flock of geese on a computer screen?" Hyena asked as he bagan to kick Darin claw in the head. "You remember Vietnam, you remember what that was like! You remember how many of the people we worked with like Bane Simpson happily gave up their morals to just kill and hurt people, and then easily went back to their lives. It's all one big, sick gag, so why can't you see the funny side? Why aren't you laughing!?"
Before Hyena could deliver another swift kick, Logan's claws popped out and he swiftly stabbed them into Hyena's leg. Hyena growled and tried to grab him, but Logan pulled his arm to the side, his adamntium claws and Hyena's adamntium bones meaning that this caused Hyena to fall to the ground.
"Because I heard it before. And it wasn't funny the first time." Dark Claw said as he stood up and pulled his claws out of Hyena's leg. "Incidentally, I spoke to Gordon when I came in and he said he wanted you to bring in by the book. That means that despite your sick and demented little games, he's as sane as he ever was. That means-"
Dark Claw stopped when Hyena began to giggle, before laughing loudly. This continued for a few seconds, until the monster calmed down enough to talk.
"Oh my god, you are dumb." he said between chuckles. "Did you really think that it takes just one day and then that it? I never said it took just one bad day and then he's crazy. I said that all it takes for someone to go crazy is one bad day. This day will haunt him for the rest of his life, torment him day and night until eventually he can't take it anymore and he will just lose it. Did you think I just went crazy after everything went bad? We were in the military together! Look at you, it took you a long time before you wore that get up. The road towards insanity starts at a bad day, but that's what it is. A journey."
"I don't care, because unlike you Gordon won't go crazy." Dark Claw argued.
"Sure he won't." Hyena said, before punching Logan.
Dark Claw gasped for breath, but acted when he saw Hyena break open a cupboard and pull out a shotgun. He dashed forward and grabbed Hyena, causing the two to crash through the window and tumble to the ground in pain. Shaking his head and looking up, he saw Hyena bleeding slightly, thought healing, as he grabbed the shotgun. The metamutant aimed it quickly at Dark Claw and pulled the trigger. Logan winced, expecting a blaze of agony, but instead all that game out of the shotgun was a flag with the word bang on it.
"Oh damn it, wrong shotgun. I knew I shouldn't have trusted those new idiots in the Pack to do everything right." Hyena muttered, before looking at the vigilante. "Well what are you waiting for? Kick me about, then throw me back into the madhouse before getting your standing ovation."
"Why?" Logan suddenly asked, surprising himself by wha he had said. But he knew he had to ask.
"Why? Because that's your job. That's how this game of our's works. Do I really have to remind you of the rules?"
"No, I don't mean about that. Why are you so obsessed with me? Why do you do all these thing and make them so personal?" Logan asked, as he slowly pulled back his mask to talk to his old friend properly. "Why do you do it Creed?"
Hyena didn't answer and just stared at Logan in bewilderment. Logan was about to give up and put his mask on, when a hesitant voice emerged from his greatest enemy. "Because you're the only one I know for sure I knew before Weapon X, much less existed Logan. You're lucky that you remember your past. Me? I don't know how old I am, where I come from or even if Creed Quinn is my real name. Everything before meeting you in RCAF, I have no idea if it's real or fake."
"Lucky?" Logan responded in surprise. "Creed, I don't know what's real. Besides my parents and some other parts of my childhood, I don't know what's real and fake until Weapon X, and even then some of that is just me hoping that's the case. I know what it's like to fear that you're defining yourself by something that's not real."
"Where are you going with this Logan?" Creed asked, the fear and hesitance in his voice sounding nothing like the psychotic monster that had been here moments ago.
"Let me help you. I could rehabilitate you. You don't have to be alone, and we don't have to kill each other." Logan pleases, for the first time in all this time seeing what he always wanted: a chance to end this fatal rivalry of theirs. To prevent a destiny that had seemed to inevitable, until right now. "All you have to do, is tell me where Moonwing is."
"He's..." Creed began before he stopped, his face crunching up as if this was as painful as cutting off his hand, but he continued to speak and pointed at a nearby building. "He's in the warehouse over there, where we keep most of our weapons."
"What are you doing?" shouted a figure form the shadows, whicj was soon revealed to be Bruce Wayne. "What makes you think he's telling the truth? He's the Hyena!"
"Since you're here, that means you haven't found Moonwing. You have no other choice." Logan said as he pulled his mask back on, and helped Creed to his fight. Reluctantly, the three walked to the warehouse.
When they got to the rust admit worn down building, they pushed the door open easily before entering. They looked around for any members of the Pack to show up and try to kill them. But to both Logan's and Bruce's surprise none came. They walked past crates of weapons and explosives, until the saw a familiar figure sitting on a chair facing away from them, a bright light shindig down on him.
"Jason!" Bruce shouted with relief as he dashed towards him. Logan followed, feeling that at long last, it was over. Creed will get the help he needs. Logan knew it will be a long jand hard ourney, but he was willing to do it to end this fighting between them once and for all.
"Jason are you alright?" Bruce asked as he reached Moonwing, but the look of happiness on his face instantly vanished when he was face to face with him. For good reason Logan discovered, when he saw that it was just a mannequin with a panted smiling face dressed in the costume and a bomb in its hands, multiples wires connected to it and leading away to different crates.
"You know Logan. Part of me really did want to take you to Moonwing." said the Hyena, a mad grin on his face as he pulled a detonator from a crate.
"Creed, no!" Dark Claw shouted but it was to late. With one push on the button, everything changed and the hope Logan had died.
BOOOOOM!
Fire exploded everywhere around them, sending chucks of wood everywhere. Bullets blew up from the heat, some hitting Logan when he moved to protect Bruce. Despite the pain of the bullets and the fire coming closer to burn him slightly, he acted quickly. Pulling out the clawgun, he aimed it at a open window and fired. A claw sprung out and grabbed hold of the side of the window, and after grabbing Bruce, the two were reeled up into the air and thrown outside the building. It was just in time as well, as not a second later there was one last explosion that fully set the warehouse on fire. Logan and Bruce fell to the ground hard, the vigilante able to hear some of the bones in Bruce's body break due to how close they were.
"Not bad Logan. Quick thinking." said the Hyena as he strolled up to them.
"Where is Jason you fucking psycho!" Bruce shouted in pain, pearly unable to stand.
"I told you. In the warehouse." Hyena replied as he pulled out a handheld radio from his belt. He flipped it on and a familiar voice could be heard.
"Help me! Someone please! I need help, I-" the voice of Jason Todd said before it suddenly became static.
"Oh no, things don't sound so good for Mr Todd. Too bad, I was sort of starting to like him." Hyena told them cheerfully, while Bruce and Logan stard In horror at the hiring building then back at Hyena. "What? I thought I would try to kill three birds with one stone."
"Jason..." Bruce whispered, feeling numb and disconnected from what was happening. Logan however, felt the opposite.
His claws popping out he charged at Hyena, who was surprised by that action. He collided with the monster, his claws stabbing him into the chest. As he continued to push Hyena backwards away from Bruce, Dark Claw proceeded to pull one arm out and then stab Hyena again while the other arm pulled out, doing the same again and again. Blood began to splatter everywhere, due to Dark Claw stabbing Hyena and Hyana dragging his claws against Dake Claw's back and tearing off bits of his costume and skin. As they collapsed somewhere onto the ground, they continued to stab and slash at each other, tearing away at each other like wild animals. However Dark Claw eventually began to dominate Hyena, stabbing him faster than his enemy. He was lost in his rage, and only began to slow down into a stop when at the back of his mind, he noticed that Hyena was no longer fighting back. Looking down, he saw Hyena's just laying there with his eyes close. Confused, Dark Claw took a step back and brought his head down to Hyena's chest.
He heard nothing.
Hundreds of feelings flooded through Logan Wayne's mind as he realised what had just happened. Anger, guilt, disbelief. But there was anothe feeling, hidden behind all that. A feeling that horrified him more than anything in the world. As he began to wonder what he was going to do, he heard the Hyena suddenly caugh.
"Wow...I didn't expect you to go so far." Hyena said with a smile. "So, how did it feel? To finally do what you always wanted to do?"
Dark Claw didn't respond, just stared at Hyena. The villain took this as a sign he could continue talking.
"Let me guess. You felt relived right? That this was finally over?" Hyena asked, as he began a to laugh. "This gag worked better than I had hoped. Destroying your faith that this would never end by making you think I was going to change was one thing, but this? Making you relalise that you are a killer like me and that even then, I still won't die? Oh it's just so funny!"
His laugh began to cut through the noise of the burning warehouse and the storm starting to brew above them. It sounded as vile and vicious as the man himself, and slowly but surely another laugh could be heard. This laugh originated from Dark Claw himself, but unlike Hyena this wasn't a laugh of joy. This was a laugh of despair and anger, as he finally accepted for the first time that no matter how much he wished it would be, his battle with the Hyena will never be over.
THE END
Tell me if there are any spelling mistakes or sentences that don't make sense. So when I first started this, I wanted to do the one bad day thing from the Killing Joke the same way. But as I continued with the story and made small edits on the story that eventually led to changes in what was going to happen, I realized it didn't make that much sense to me. Because if Dark Claw and Hyena became who they are in the 80s or something after Weapon X, but I'm making them have their Marvel components old age, then clearly that premise won't work in this. This made me feel a little stuck, until I came up with this idea where having a bad day puts them on a journey towards insanity. Also one thing I hated about Dark Claw is how they gave his origin very quickly and explained his background, as I would have preferred that they made his background more mysterious like Wolverine. That's why I had it that Dark Claw isn't as certain about his background as he acts. I hope you enjoyed what I did and that you thought it made sense, and I hope you liked the ending. I was a bit unsure of it if I'm honest.