Chapter 1…
…Legacies
For once the skies above Gotham seemed to be clear of pollution, only the thinnest of smog snake past the skyscrapers. The optimistic could see it as a sign that Gotham is at last out of the dark ages that the worst has finally passed. Wishful thinking perhaps, but for the most part it's true; the worst is over but Gotham is not even close to being crime free. But maybe the scene before him can finally give the people of Gotham a light at the end of the tunnel…
Barbara sits amongst some of Gotham's politicians as the mayor gives his speech to the paparazzi filling the street in front of his office. She looks really uncomfortable and even stands out with her hair cut short. She shifts uncomfortably – nervously – and rightfully so when it comes to what she's planning to do at this address.
"…promises made in the past were made by the corrupt. And even if it wasn't by the corrupt, it was made empty by monstrous villains who plagued our streets," Mayor Yusseph speaks boldly and confidently. "But the past is the past, and it cannot hold us back from our future, a future to make Gotham rival Metropolis in clean energy, a fantastic economy, and a low crime rate. I cannot promise that this will happen today, or tomorrow, or even this week. But the first step has been made here, now; as we welcome the second Commissioner Gordon in Gotham City history. Ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner Barbara Gordon."
The crowd gives a modest applause as Barbara hesitantly steps up to the podium. She adjusts her tie then clears her throat. "I know that many of you believe I obtained my new position through connections, giving me the easy road to here. But I refused any offer of a free ride given me until I felt I deserved a proper promotion. The corrupt police force of Gotham in the past was built on shortcuts and free rides, and I don't want this proud force stained like that ever again…"
She pauses out of hesitance; he could see her fears already sipping to the surface until she audibly takes a deep breath.
"…and that is why I feel that – as your new commissioner – I must come clean about my past. For a number of years, I have assisted the Batman with the aliases of 'Batgirl' and 'Oracle'…"
She pauses to allow the media to erupt in gasps and questions before she gestures for them to settle down.
"Call this the truth, call this a scam, call this whatever you want. Either way I would like to do my job without any secrets. And that is all I have to say for now; I will answer any other questions through phone calls and emails, thank you."
The media erupts again as the mayor returns to the microphone and Barbara cuts through the media with the help of fellow officers to her car. Damian half smiles at the circus Barbara created and left, amused that it's so easy to push the paparazzi buttons. He admittedly felt awkward – even after eight years – taking on the Robin persona in broad daylight; but he felt like he needed to watch over Barbara at this press conference, just in case. As he watched her drive off, he thought back as to why she wanted to do this; leave the Bat family and carry on her father's duties. He couldn't remember what exactly happened – he wasn't very interested – but it had something to do with Dick; a lover's quarrel he supposed.
A sudden beep in his ear would pull him out of his thoughts as he quickly answers the incoming communication.
"Oracle," Robin greets flatly.
"Robin, reports are flooding in; the Jokerz and the Bats are at it again," Oracle informs him. Amusement Mile, it looks like both gangs are after something."
Robin's eyes narrow. "Is it Joker's old hide out?"
"From the chatter I'm picking up, it sounds like the steel mill alright," Oracle says.
"I'm on my way, I might need back up though," Robin says as he fires his grappling hook and takes off over the rooftops of Gotham.
"I'll try and get a hold of Nightwing," Oracle reassures him.
"No, not Nightwing," Robin snaps as he runs and jumps from rooftop to rooftop.
"Why not?"
"He's too inexperienced and hot-headed; he'll get himself killed," Robin huffs.
"He's not dead yet, and he's on route," Oracle points out, only wishing Robin can see her smile.
Robin sighs stressfully but continues on course as he crosses the invisible boarder into Old Gotham. After the earthquake, Arkham City, and numerous other incidents, much of Gotham was abandoned and its people moved and rebuilt; leaving what was left of Old Gotham in the past. It's now mainly occupied by the homeless and the criminal element, maybe even a bunch of kids who found someplace cool to hang out. With many of Gotham's greatest threats following the lead of the rest of its citizens, Old Gotham became torn between two primary gangs; the Jokerz and the Bats.
Both gangs started innocently enough – given the circumstances. Both were small fan clubs and appreciation groups for the Joker and the Batman, mainly dressing up in cosplay and having fun with little to worry about. But as the violence rose in Gotham, it was only a matter of time before the two groups would follow in suit. For the Joker fans, multiple violent thugs would join in their fan clubs and influence the group to become completely loyal to the mad clown and his cause. With the new "Jokerz" gang starting up a new crime wave throughout Gotham; misguided Batman loyalists rallied fans of the Batman to the cause of stopping the Jokerz from committing their crimes by any means necessary. The events gave Gotham their very own constant gang war; and after what happened in Arkham Asylum, it got much worse. Now the Jokerz are run by a woman named "Partygirl", their most violent and steadfast leader by far; and "Bat-Hood" now leads the Bats as though he was the reason Gotham is safe. A god complex of sorts. Either way, both the Jokerz and the Bats are more dangerous now than ever before and it's starting to show in how constant their appearances are now. And from the sounds of the gunshots that already were making Robin's ears ring, it sounds like both gangs have upped their arsenal.
Robin glides onto a nearby rooftop and tumbles as his red wings collapse back into his pack, and he crouches to head over to the edge where he takes a peek over the edge to assess the situation. Separate firefights spread throughout the entirety of the mill, though the heaviest sound as though it is coming from the back of the mill. Well then that's where he is going too!
An incoming revving engine catches Robin's attention as a blue motorcycle blazes onto the scene. A rather unlucky Joker found himself with a tire in his face as the rider leaps off and double kicks another clown. Within moments of the wannabe crusaders realizing a new player had hit the field; the blue suited vigilante jumps the cover and kicks both of the Bats, almost burying them into the ground.
"Could you make a louder entrance?" Robin demands as he grapples onward toward the rear of the steel mill.
"Stow it, bird!" the biker huffs as he makes his way into the interior on foot.
"Oracle, Nightwing's here. Any word on what these gangs are shooting each other over?" Robin asks.
"The place is old but I got access to a few cameras. I'm seeing canisters somewhere in the basement levels of the steel mill, might be left over Joker toxin. Judging by the radio chatter they're close but they've hit a snag."
"Look at that, the Bats are doing something useful for a change," Nightwing scoffs as he ducks behind a wall. "What's the snag?"
"I don't know, they're saying it's Bane but I have no way to confirm. You two use caution!"
Robin drops in on two Bats and conks them out the next moment with solid blows to the head. He then swiftly enters one of the main buildings, accidentally catching the attention of a small squad of Bats.
"Holy shit it's Robin!" one of them exclaims as they raise their guns. Robin immediately drops to a knee and tosses out three pellets that release thick clouds of smoke. With his vision quickly switching to x-ray to see through the smoke, Robin charges into a sliding kick to trip a Bat and elbows him in the back of the head. His palm then slams itself into the chin of the girl before he leaps over her and into a flying kick into the bigger guy's jaw. The Bat shakes it off and starts to swing the butt of his gun as Robin slips behind him and grapples the last Bat, punching his sternum multiple times before finishing him with an uppercut. Finally, as the smoke begins to clear Robin calmly walks up to behind the big guy and quickly kneels down to bring his arm up between his legs. The big guy squeaks in pain as Robin takes his gun and butts him with it to finish him.
Emerging from a vent, Nightwing pulls out his three-section staff and rushes through the hallway. Within seconds the voices of the Jokerz reach his ears and he follows the sounds to the small team of five.
"Where the fuck is he?" a brute demands.
"Stay quiet and keep moving! No way Bane's this sneaky!" another barks.
"It's not Bane you should be worried about," Nightwing warns as he steps out from the corner. All the Jokerz turn to fire but Nightwing swiftly unfolds the staff and whips it across each of the clowns' faces. Most of them drop their weapons and the two who don't find themselves meeting Nightwing's kicks as he kicks off of one and slamming his shin piece into the other. He quickly finishes the first one with an elbow then spins to trip another with his staff and whips him in the back of the head. The two girls scramble to their feet and one rips out a knife to charge the blue vigilante but Nightwing backhands it, erupting with an electrical spark that makes the face-painted girl jump before Nightwing palms her stomach then finishes her off with a choke slam. The last girl fires her rifle with a burst of bullets and three bullets hit Nightwing's chest. He falls to the ground but then rolls and flings a chain that wraps itself around the girl's ankles. She loses her balance and falls over, her gun spilling out of her hand. She crawls for it only for Nightwing to curb stomp her head with a frustrated sigh.
"Robin where are you at?" Nightwing demands.
"Descending to the furnace, Joker volumes are increasing, we're getting close," Robin informs him.
"You're almost right on the spot guys," Oracle confirms. "Robin keep following your hallway, Nightwing take a right at the next doorway."
"There's probably going to be a good number of Jokerz in that room, Nightwing," Robin warns sternly. "To be on the safe side let's take them together!"
"Don't tell me how…" Nightwing trails off as he spots a shadow disappear out of the corner of his eye.
"Nightwing? Are you there?" Robin asks.
"…just keep going, I think I just found a fourth party," Nightwing says as he chases the shadow through the hall.
"Nightwing! God dammit…" Robin curses.
"Keep going, Robin. We can't let the Jokerz get their hands on the toxin," Oracle orders sternly. "Nightwing what the hell are you doing?"
"I think I saw who's been attacking the Jokerz down here, I'm in pursuit," Nightwing says as he turns a corner. "Any chance you can pick up on them?"
"I'm trying…" Oracle sighs. "Got him…Nightwing it's just a clown on the run."
"We can bring him in for questioning then," Nightwing says as he picks up the pace. Oracle groans as she types to check up on Robin's progress.
"You're almost there Robin, it's just straight ahead!"
Robin runs toward the steel doors and stops, taking in a deep breath before slowly opening one side…
Nightwing finally catches up with the Joker and grabs him by the back of his jacket. But just as the Joker stops, he turns with an elbow to the side of Nightwing's head. The red-haired clown quickly follows it up with a backhand and a hook that sends Nightwing reeling and he drops his staff. But he is able to block an incoming kick from the clown then punch his chest with an electrical spark that stuns the clown. Nightwing grabs him by the collar and throws him into the wall where he begins to hammer at the Joker with repeated kicks. The clown is beaten profusely until he quickly throws himself at Nightwing, tackling him into the wall where the clown hammers at his face with punches. They were powerful, and they hurt; but they were slow and sloppy as well. Knowing this, Nightwing takes the blows until he finally reaches his arm out and catches the man's fist in his hand. But even with electrical currents surging through him, the clown simply leers at Nightwing with seemingly dead eyes. Nightwing winces slightly at the clown's lack of reaction but his focus returns to him as the clown grabs his arm. Instantly Nightwing throws him off and proceeds to beat the clown down with his shock gloves. But right as Nightwing moves to deliver the knockout blow, a hail of bullets impact around them and Nightwing is forced to drop the clown and retreat behind cover. The clown climbs to his feet and runs at the other Joker, taking aim at Nightwing with two desert eagles. Nightwing takes a chance and peeks out to see this particular Joker with only half of his face painted, but he ducks again as the clown fires on him again before the two disappear behind the corner.
Robin steps into the room, nothing but a steel grated bridge overlooking the furnace that is somehow red hot and active. He would've asked himself why the furnace is on, but almost as soon as he steps inside Robin spots someone clad in dark, military gear pulling a cart of green canisters toward a missing section of railing. Robin watches him for a few moments as the masked person stands behind the canisters and – with one good push of his leg – sends the canisters toppling into the furnace where they erupt in a cloud of green mist before disappearing the next moment.
"Hey!" Robin shouts. The person looks up at Robin, revealing a wolf-design on his mask, which covered the entirety of his head, hiding all of his features. He backs away from the railing, never taking his eyes off of the Boy Wonder.
"That's…not Bane…" Oracle says hesitantly.
"No, but he looks affiliated," Robin says, meeting the masked man's gaze with his own.
"He could be a member of a new gang like the Jokerz and Bats; we can't let him go!" Oracle insists sternly.
"I know," Robin replies equally. The masked man begins to step back slowly when suddenly Robin charges while throwing his birdarangs. The masked man ducks below the projectiles then performs a back flip as they spin back around. But right as he lands on his feet, Robin slides into a kick that trips the man and as he falls onto Robin, the Boy Wonder lifts his elbow. The elbow would have buried itself into the man's chest cavity but at the last second the masked man holds himself up with his hands then quickly flips off of him. Surprised but not phased, Robin spins into a sweep but the man lifts his leg to avoid it and Robin continues to spin and stand up into a roundhouse that the man blocks. Robin goes into a full on assault with several strikes and the masked man retreats backwards with bobs and weaves as though he were in a boxing match. Shin kicks and low strikes are blocked with lifting knees and descending elbows until the masked man lashes out with a straight that grazes Robin's dodging head. Robin uses the miss to his advantage as he grapples the man's arm then wraps his body around the same arm and he drags the masked man down into an arm lock. But the submission does not last long as the man rolls onto Robin and slams down on his chest with a fist that knocks the air out of Robin. The next move, the man wraps his hands around Robin's throat before lifting him up and power-bombing him to the grate. The wind is knocked out of Robin again but this time he grits his teeth and takes the blow before recovering quickly and kicking the man dead-on in the face.
The masked man reels back as Robin hops back to his feet as he jumps at the man and flings his winged cap at him. Robin had used this move to stun even the most intimidating of opponents in the past, stunning them long enough to lay the final beat down; causing so much damage in mere moments to take such Goliath's down. But this time, the masked man tucks and moves underneath the flinging cape as Robin finds his back to him. The man wraps his arms around Robins waist and from mid-air slams Robin onto his head, neck, and shoulders with a hard German suplex! The man rolls over Robin and as he lands on his feet, he raises his elbow and drops down toward Robin. Despite the pain, Robin pulls himself together and puts his feet together where they meet the man's elbow and push him off. The man tumbles to the ground as Robin climbs to his feet then leaps onto the back of the man with a chokehold. The man coughs as Robin's arm tightens around his throat and even though the man manages to climb to his feet, he stumbles with his constant decrease in oxygen and Robin's weight. Suddenly, the man reaches up and grabs the back of Robin's head and begins to pull him over his shoulder – though it felt like he was trying to rip his head off. Nevertheless Robin only tightens his hold even as the man pulls him onto his shoulder; he even switches his hold around to make it more effective. But Robin did so too late as the masked man charges forward and body slams Robin into a pile of old crates. The wood splinters and shatters, littering the hallway with busted wood. The masked man climbs to his feet and darts away as Robin is still trying to piece together what had just happened.
"Robin? Robin are you okay?" Oracle demands.
"I didn't know crates could hurt this much," Robin groans as he climbs to his feet and stops himself from tumbling into the wall. "Whoever he was he got away…"
"The Jokerz that Nightwing was chasing got away too," Oracle sighs. "But I don't think they got their hands on the Joker toxin."
"They didn't," Robin explains as he walks back into the furnace, stretching out his sore back. "Whoever that guy was, he was only interested in destroying the toxin. And he succeeded."
"I'll get to work trying to figure out just who that was," Oracle says.
Robin nods, "Check with any records involving Bane's old mercenary connections, the guy looks the part."
Robin looks up at the sound of the other door opening to see Nightwing walk in as he pouches his three-section staff; his face bloodied and bullet holes in his suit.
"What happened to you?"
"Had a run in with a scrapper with face paint," Nightwing sighs in frustration as he glances over the railing. "Should we assume that there are three gangs in Old Gotham now?"
Robin shakes his head with a contemplative expression. "Unless we start to see more of people like him, we'll have to list him off as an unregistered vigilante."
"Vigilante?" Nightwing echoes with an inquisitive brow.
Robin nods. "He destroyed the toxin, he didn't want him for himself. And he did it in the middle of a Jokerz and Bats warzone. We can assume that he's not a friend to either of them seeing as how the Bats never got this far down and he was taking out Jokerz left and right. And he even could have killed me but didn't, he left me stunned and ran off."
"I see your point now," Nightwing nods. "But then again he can't be a Bane merc either based on what you just said."
Robin nods again. "That's true as well, but he might have a history with them."
"Which means that he could have a retribution thing going on in his head," Nightwing groans as he stretches out his right shoulder.
"Guys, come on back to the cave. We can discuss this in a more safer environment," Oracle insists calmly. "And the police are on their way to round up the gang members."
Both teens exchange glances and nod before proceeding to leave the area. The police make their way across the freeway toward Amusement Mile, witnessing the sight of Nightwing speeding past them on his bike while Robin glides overhead. Barbara – leading the charge so to speak – smirks at the two, remembering how she enjoyed gliding over the buildings of Gotham in a time long-since passed. Main streets become side streets, side streets become urban streets, and urban streets disappear into a forest trail. Robin and Nightwing both sail into the cave and burst through the waterfall, at last returning to the sanctuary of the Bat Cave. Nightwing's bike skids to a stop as Robin lands beside him, the platform beneath their feet rises to meet an extending bridge that the two teens begin to cross. Both teens remove their masks upon seeing Oracle working furiously at the computer terminal.
"Any word Stephanie?" Nightwing asks.
The elder blonde sighs and plops back in her seat while combing her fingers through her hair. "Nothing yet, the wolf design on that mask was way too common back when Bane's merc were in abundance. Most of the ones who wore it are either dead or in jail." She turns and looks at the boys. "Jesus Horus…"
"Shut up, Steph," Horus sighs as he walks over and sets his staff on the tool table. "One of those clowns were lucky enough to clip me, that's all."
"You're lucky you had that chest plate," Damian points out as he removes his wing pack. Horus reacts by slamming his hand on the table irritably.
"That struck a nerve…" Stephanie mutters as she turns back to her virtual keyboard.
"And it should."
The three of them glance up to see Dick Grayson descend the stone steps to join them.
"You got a lot of potential, Horus. Bruce saw that in you," Dick says. "Unfortunately you also got a lot of attitude that make you jump the gun and get shot in the back; or in the chest…in your case." Horus looks down at his suit then heatedly unzips it as he heads for their suit chamber with Dick in pursuit.
"No one is saying that you can't do this job, Horus," Dick insists, avoiding the chamber as Horus enters it. "We're all just saying that you get your head on straight before those bullet holes wind up somewhere that's not bullet proof."
"If you're so worried for my safety then why didn't you protect my dad when he needed it?" Horus demands heatedly.
"Whoa, what?" Dick asks.
"I don't think I stuttered," Horus replies. "If you had protected my dad that night then he wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have sworn revenge. Thus none of you would have to deal with me!"
"Don't start with this crap again, Horus!" Dick warns sternly. "Your father died a god damn hero that night, his entire squad became heroes. We are all sorry that we couldn't save him, every time we fail to save a life that's another night of sleep we all lose over it."
Horus emerges from the chamber with his jacket and backpack and he walks right up to Dick until they are face-to-face. "Stand over my dad's grave and say that then…"
With that, Horus storms up the steps and out of the cave. Everyone left behind shakes their head slowly as Dick walks over and sits down with a heavy sigh at a terminal next to Stephanie's.
"Don't get yourself down too much, Dick. He's a brat," Stephanie tells him as Damian begins to remove his chest plate.
"A brat in mourning…" Dick sighs as he glances over at Damian to see an indentation in his chest plate. "Damn Damian, what the hell did those guys hit you with?"
Damian pauses and looks down at the plate to see the dent as well. "I…don't know…I don't remember getting hit by anything."
"I don't think it's a 'thing' at all," Stephanie says as she stands up and walks over to trace the dent with her fingers. "Guys, that's the outline of a fist."
"A fist?" Dick repeats as he stands up.
"From that masked guy," Damian nods as he remembers the punch to the chest he received.
"Bane?" Dick asks.
Stephanie shakes her head. "No, but we suspect that whoever that guy is was probably a member of Bane's mercenary group at some point."
"He may have fought through that Jokerz and Bats warzone just to destroy the Joker toxins they were after," Damian explains. "But we can't be sure."
Dick nods and rubs his chin. "Look into it but don't make it a top priority until it needs to be. In the meantime let's keep an eye on those gangs, if the Jokerz were after the toxin then that means they're up to something big and that means that the Bats will feel as though they need to raise the stakes to bring them down."
"Agreed," Stephanie nods. "Get that off, Damian. I'll get to work repairing it."
Damian nods and heads for the suit chamber. After he changes into his civilian clothes, he picks up his chest plate to gaze at the indentation again. It wasn't the perfect impression of a fist he had ever seen, but the separate fingers and knuckles could still be made out. Just who was it he fought in that furnace?