Dracula concludes his meeting with Gotham's crime lords.

He had spent many days in the cold frozen lair of this Mr. Freeze, observing him work, observing the frozen woman that was his wife held pristine in a glass cell, like a slice of time captured of her perfect serenity. This man kept his home cold, freezingly so, there were quite a few times Dracula was forced to use his powers to heat the spot he stood lest his blood freeze over.

“You are uncomfortable here.” A statement more than a question, wheezed the voice amplifier from Freeze’s suit, not even turning to face Dracula as he continued to work. “My choice of work place is chosen out of necessity than luxury.”

The vampire count moved over to a simple desk with research notes and little else save a photograph of Victor and his wife Nora smiling under the shade of a tree in summer, picking it up, he found the man’s skin looked healthier and pinker as opposed to the stark albino his skin had become. Placing the photo down and taking a better look around, something caught Dracula’s eye. “You have not a place to rest and eat?”

“I do not rest, I do not eat.”

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Dracula continued. “Then how do you live here?”

“I do not live at all, I was exposed to the same chemicals that placed my wife in cryogenic stasis after an altercation with my… Employer.” Turning to face Dracula, Mr. Freeze stomped mechanically past him towards the desk where he repositioned the photograph and reclaimed his research notes. “My condition separates me from other men, I will never die, but as a consequence I do not live; I have become numb to all around me, I starve but never hunger, I lament but never cry, the world of the living can no longer comfort me, only Nora matters now.” Finding the page of notes he was looking for, and with the same mechanical motion, Mr. Freeze turned right around and returned to the other work desk, continuing his work.

“What of your Nora? Would she want to see you as you are?

“What she wants is to be out in the sun, with a hot breeze in her hair and a warm hand in hers…”

Looking back to the entrance of the lair where Zatanna waited patiently, Dracula looked back to Freeze and made an offer. “What if I could tell you I could cure your wife? Perhaps give her the gift of vampirism, yes? You would have her back to speak, to touch, to love once more.” Seeing Mr. Freeze pause in his work, Dracula gestured to Zatanna to join them, pulling her close where she giggled and pressed up against him. “She would be free of the chains of death, of disease and misery, an eternal creature of the night like myself and Zatanna.”

Turning fully to look at the couple more closely, Mr. Freeze paused in thought. “And what is the condition to this act of charity?”

“We’re here to kill the king of werewolves, once that’s done, my lord Dracula will leave.” Purred Zatanna, leering back at the cold stoic Freeze and his unreadable face. “We’re here to ask for a little help from the locals.”

“I will take your offer under consideration…” Returning to his work, Dracula saw himself out of the lair with Zatanna. As soon as they left the freezing cold for the night air where the near half moon hung overhead, Dracula leaned over close so only Zatanna could hear him. “So long as I stay in Gotham, NOTHING happens to those two.”

“Yes, my love, as you wish.” Purred Zatanna with an obedient bow, her top-hat in her hand gracefully before standing back up and waving her hand in front of her. “Egnuol grebeci eht ot su nruter!” a circle of arcane magic appeared before the two, a hole in space where inside Dracula could see the meeting he left earlier with the criminal element of the city. Stepping inside, it surprised him to find that the three arguing crime lords, their body guards and even the Penguin’s secretaries Candy and Tracy were frozen in place, a hint of ozone could be smelled in the air just as Zatanna entered through the portal and closed it behind her.

“You stopped time, why?”

“You left so abruptly to confront Mr. Freeze that I didn’t want to risk these three leaving or causing a fight… As they are, they are still reacting to when you turned away to leave. Does this please you my lord?”

Tracing a sharp finger under her chin, Zatanna leaned into the affectionate gesture, her eyes fluttering.

“I knew it would be entertaining to turn you to me my love, release them.”

Separating from her count, Zatanna closed her eyes and made gestures with her hands. “Emit drawrof wolf.”

“YOU GOT ANOTHER FUCKING THING COMING IF YOU THINK YOU CAN WALK OUT ON THE BLACK… Mask.” Blinking and looking around, the three leading crime lords looked around in confusion before turning their attention back to the man who summoned him.

“Gentlemen, you’ve all been brought here for one reason and one reason only, I have arrived in Gotham to deal with a singular crisis, a crisis you will assist me in resolving.”

“The Bat?” Asked Two-Face out loud, flipping his silver dollar in his hand, as if expecting an affirmative.

“Aye, Batman’s been a stick in me craw since I first floated me business up the docks of Gotham.” Huffed the Penguin, replacing his cigarette pipe where Tracy lit it without needing to be asked.

“The Wolf…” Taken back in confusion, Dracula explained. “A werewolf, a KING of werewolves plagues your city, no doubt you know of the murders on your streets and the missing people?”

“So? Who gives a flying fuck! People disappear in Gotham all the time, sometimes intentionally.”

Turning his attention to the third man at the table, Dracula gave Roman Scionis a better look. He recognised him from the ball at the Wayne manor when Dracula first arrived, disrespectful and cruel even when he pretended NOT to be the man wearing the black wooden mask and cream coloured business suit in front of him. “I’m one of the longest lasting crime bosses in this shit hole Dra-Cul-A. I’ve been a casino owner, racketeer, gun salesman and a drug trafficker, I ran this city to the ground and back up again, but one thing I’m not is a fucking dog catcher.” Flicking his spent cigarette at the Count’s expensive coat, Zatanna’s eyes went red and her silk black hair began to flow and rise above her shoulders as if a strong breeze had blown into the room. Much to her surprise, Dracula waved his hand idly at what WOULD have been her reaction, before he got up from his seat and slowly made his way towards Black Mask.

“Do you know you are a very haunted individual Mr Sionis?”

“The fuck you talking about?!” Leaning back in his chair, the man’s bodyguards moved to reach for their firearms.

“I can see the dead of this city; the recently deceased, the walking and crawling dead… And the lingering tethered spirits. Some of you have ghosts here even now, whispering, judging, screaming… YOU have the most they wish to have words with.”

“Look ass-hole, I’m not someone you want to fuck…” Before he could finish his threat, Dracula was already eye to eye with him, his red eyes glaring into his own, he barely noticed the pin prick of the count’s clawed finger before it was pulled away from his forehead.

“Perhaps you’d like to see and hear what they have to say?” Once Dracula stepped away and gave some room between him and Sionis, the Black Mask looked around… And screamed. Dozens of spirits, the ghosts of all the men, women and even children he had killed for angering him or getting into the way of his business crowded around him. Trapped in the moments of their deaths, clawing out and reaching for him with wisp thin fingers while crying out silently with slack wide-open maws. Gripping his chair so tight his fingers bled, Black Mask screamed louder when they finally managed to touch him, welts and abrasions formed on his hands and neck and if it were not for the fact he wore a black button shirt and white suit, he would have had them on his chest and stomach. The touch of death scarred his entire body as the restless spirits of his slain victims clawed out to him. By then a cold chill filled the room, his breath becoming visible despite going hoarse with his screaming, frail hand prints of frost formed on the table and chairs around him, like an invisible crowd of people leaving behind paint slick hand prints on canvas.

Eventually it was too much, leaping from his chair and clawing at his mask and eyes, Roman Sionis ran screaming out the room and down the hallway, blind and terrified he jumped head first out the third-floor window.

Dracula did not need to turn to look out the door to know the man had killed himself. Sitting back at his chair at the table, Dracula looked to the Penguin and Two-Face. “The wolf and his pack must be slain before the next full moon, do not doubt that for one second I cannot take what I need for the task, I merely offer you enough respect to offer you to do it for me.”

Shaken by just what happened, the two super criminals looked to each other, and gave their decision.