NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: **Chapter 10: Escape and Revelation**
**Chapter 10: Escape and Revelation**
Cipher's laughter echoed through the chamber as Ethan steadied himself. The containment pods hummed ominously in the background, their unknown occupants stirring inside. Batman's voice remained steady in Ethan's earpiece.
"I've got the data. We need to move."
Ethan dodged Cipher's next strike, rolling to the side and reaching for another fusion. He grabbed a stun grenade and a smoke canister from his belt, pressing them together. The instant effect created a disorienting pulse of blinding light and thick, choking mist.
Cipher staggered, momentarily thrown off. "Clever," he muttered, his voice modulated through his mask. "But not enough."
Ethan took the opportunity to retreat, sprinting toward the sealed exits. Batman had already begun hacking the security locks remotely, his efficiency unmatched.
"You're clear," Batman announced.
Ethan burst through the doorway just as Cipher's reinforcements flooded into the chamber behind him. He sprinted through the dark corridors of the Apex Solutions facility, his mind racing for options. The alarms blared, red lights flashing in rhythmic warnings. Security drones deployed from hidden compartments in the ceiling, their scanners sweeping for intruders.
Ethan didn't slow down. He fused his combat knife with a mini-explosive from his belt, turning it into a high-impact throwing dagger. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent it soaring into the nearest drone. The explosion knocked two others out of the air in a chain reaction.
More guards flooded into the hall, opening fire. Ethan took cover behind a steel support beam, breathing heavily. He activated his comms. "Batman, I need an exit. Now."
"I'm working on it," Batman responded. "You've got hostiles closing in from every direction."
"No kidding," Ethan muttered. He glanced around, spotting an overhead pipe labeled **Liquid Coolant - Cryogenic Storage**. A dangerous idea formed in his mind.
Grabbing a stray firearm from one of the downed guards, Ethan aimed at the pipe and fired. Supercooled liquid burst forth, instantly flash-freezing the nearest guards and drones. The air filled with frost as Ethan made his move, leaping over the icy bodies and sprinting for the nearest exit.
As he reached the final security door, a reinforced barrier slammed shut in front of him. Cipher's voice crackled through the intercom. "Running already? I expected more from you."
Ethan scowled. "You talk too much." He fused a breaching charge with his reinforced gauntlet and slammed it against the security panel. The door exploded inward, and Ethan dove through, landing hard on the asphalt of a hidden exit tunnel.
A sleek black vehicle skidded to a stop in front of him. The Batmobile. The cockpit slid open, and Batman's voice came through the onboard speakers. "Get in."
Ethan wasted no time, diving inside as the vehicle roared away from the facility.
Back at the Batcave, Ethan, Batman, and Lucius Fox reviewed the data extracted from Apex Solutions. The decrypted files revealed something even more disturbing than they had anticipated.
"This isn't just about Gotham," Lucius said, adjusting his glasses. "Cipher's operations extend globally."
Ethan scrolled through the documents, his brow furrowing. "Weapons manufacturing, enhanced soldier programs, cybernetic research… this is an arms race."
Batman's expression was grim. "And he's winning."
Their investigation revealed that Cipher's true backer was a clandestine organization with ties to several global conflicts, pulling strings from the shadows. And their next target? A classified research facility beneath Arkham Asylum.
"We have to move," Ethan said, pushing back from the console. "Whatever he's after in Arkham, we can't let him get it."
Batman nodded. "Then we prepare for war."
Two nights later, Ethan and Batman stood atop the crumbling rooftops overlooking Arkham Asylum. The facility loomed below, its gothic architecture a relic of Gotham's twisted history. Security was tighter than usual, guards patrolling every perimeter.
"They know we're coming," Batman said. "Cipher's people are already inside."
Ethan cracked his knuckles. "Then we don't disappoint them."
Batman led the way, grappling down to a hidden maintenance shaft. Ethan followed, fusing a small drill attachment to his gauntlet to quietly cut through a steel grate. As they entered the depths of Arkham, the air grew colder, filled with distant echoes of madness.
They navigated through abandoned wings, past empty cells that had once held Gotham's worst criminals. Suddenly, a distorted voice crackled through the asylum's PA system.
"Welcome, guests. I was hoping you'd come."
Ethan tensed. "Cipher?"
"No," Batman said grimly. "This voice belongs to someone else."
A shadow moved in the darkness. Then came the laughter—high-pitched, eerie, and unmistakable.
The Joker.
Ethan's blood ran cold. "You have got to be kidding me."
The asylum's lights flickered, and the cell doors burst open one by one. Cipher had made an alliance with Gotham's most dangerous lunatic.
And now, Arkham was a battleground.