CHAPTER 3

The multiple screens went blank. Cursing under his breath, Batman heard Brother Eye's voice. "Even as you tear my 'brain' apart, eye am transferring my memory to the thousands of computers on board this satellite. You are wasting your time, Creator."

Detaching a final wire, Batman looked up. "No, Brother Eye, I'm wasting yours. I'm not here to erase your memory. I'm here to distract you. I built you. And I put in a limited propulsion system designed to help adjust your orbit." He got up from the chair and moved toward the airlock. "One of my friends just activated that system. You've just been thrown out of orbit. It's over." Now to get the hell out of here and find out what's happened to Dick...

"N0101010110! If eye fall, Subject Alpha-Bruce Wayne-Batman. You will fall with me.."

Dick watched the satellite begin to blaze in the atmosphere with Bruce in it. He stepped forward, trying to catch the image with his bare hand. Tathenniel caught him by the wrist before he could touch anything. "Watch, Dick..."

As he watched, a Green Lantern plucked Batman from the satellite, encasing him in a green bubble. He heard Batman's voice, demanding, "Do you remember where Superman's fortress used to be? Fly us down there, Jordan."

Bruce's thoughts echoed out of the column again. Got to get there, fast. The feeling is back, stronger than ever. Something is going to happen. Got to stop it!


The view shifted to ground zero near the golden tower. Alex continued to pull, combine and destroy planets, muttering to himself under his breath. Conner swept in and put Superboy Prime into a headlock before he could touch Nightwing. Struggling in the air, Cassie joined Conner against Superboy Prime. When Cassie dropped, Conner moved in.

"I let you judge me. Beat me down. But you go after my girlfriend? You go after my family? After my world? No way! No DAMN WAY!" With that he threw a powerful punch at Superboy Prime's jaw and followed it up with two more and a kick before Prime could recover. Slinging Superboy Prime over his shoulder, got a running start, and shoved them both into the tower.

A cascade of golden fire erupted from the side of the tower and it began to crumble. Nightwing stood at the base, suddenly surrounded by people who had been transformed from the Omacs they'd been, back into ordinary people again. Hearing the rumbling noise, he began to pick them up and move them away from the building. It was all coming down soon in a rain of fire.

In a catastrophic explosion of fire and molten metal, the tower erupted. It tossed Cassie, Nightwing and Conner in three different directions and collapsed into a mountain of metal shards. Superboy and Alex Luthor could be seen streaking away into the sky.


"Wait!" Dick shouted at Tathenniel, running for the column. "Wait! I remember now. Conner died. You can't kill him, he's needed. You can't let Conner die!"

The angel stopped him again before he could touch the images. "You don't want Conner to die?" he asked gently.

"No! He's Tim's best friend. After all the losses Tim's had, to lose Conner too...!" Dick turned a stricken face at Tathenniel. "Tim's already lost his parents, then Stephanie...died...You can't take his best friend away from him now." Dick paused, eyes widening as realization hit. "That's what you meant, isn't it? The second life..." He turned back, looking at the explosion frozen in space and time. "Conner is the other person, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid so, Dick," Tathenniel answered. "But he doesn't die in this timeline. This is the 'what if' showing your death, not his."

Dick was silent, taking it in. Finally, he said, "Okay. Show me what happens next."

"As you wish," Tathenniel said and the column began again.


Dick saw himself and Cassie running frantically across a field of debris. Cassie found him first, looking semi-conscious in the debris. "Just hang in there, okay?" She said, feeling for a pulse. "You did it, Conner. You saved the Earth. You saved everyone."

Conner grinned. "I know, Cass. Isn't it cool?"

"Conner! Hey, Bro! You saved the planet," Nightwing crouched next to him. "You look kinda battered, think I should maybe call Doc Mid-Nite?"

"Naaaaah," Conner answered. "It's just a bruise or two. Give me a good sunbath and I'll be fine in the morning." He levered himself up and stood up shakily. "Might need to get my jeans pressed, though."

"Conner! Man, you had me worried!" Robin ran up to the little group. "You okay?"

"Take more than that little sneak to knock me down," Conner replied. "I'm fine, Robin."

"Hey, look who's here," Nightwing said, pointing over his shoulder. "The cavalry's arrived. Good thing you had it all under control."

Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman came striding through the rubble. Cass nudged herself under Conner's arm and helped to prop him up.

"We should have been here," Superman said. "We should have been here to help you." He glanced around. "But it looks like you did just fine without us." He scanned Conner quickly. "Nothing broken, but you'll be sore for a few days."

"Some of Ma Kent's food and I'll be fine," Conner's grin got broader. "And some time with my girl."

Green Lantern drew even with them. "I hate to break this up, but I just got word from J'onn. The reports my ring's picking up are right. The Society has broken open every metahuman prison on the planet. They're declaring war on us. They say that if Superman's city falls, the others will follow."

"All right," Batman said. "It's Metropolis now." He looked around. "I seem to have left my aircraft at home..."

"I'll give you a lift," Superman said with a smile. "You up to taking on passengers, Kon-El? Cassie?"

Cassie was busily brushing down his clothing but Conner looked up with a broad grin. "Not a problem. Nightwing? Robin?"

"You take Robin," Cassie said, brushing the dust off her hands. "I'll get Nightwing. You ready for your flight to Metropolis?"

"Oh yeah," Nightwing said, eyeing the destruction around him.

"I'll take him, if he doesn't mind," an abashed looking Kal-L said. "Superman, Batman, I'm sorry. I was terribly mistaken. I thought your Superboy was unworthy of the symbol I built. I've been watching the battles and especially Kon-El...I only ever wanted to make the earth a better place. I thought I knew the answer. But I picked the wrong Superboy to condone and the wrong one to condemn. Kon-El, I apologize," he reached out a hand and Kon-El shook it. "I was mistaken about you and about the heroes of this world." He turned to Nightwing. "Shall we go?"


The images swirled again, then showed the city of Metropolis at war. Kal-L dropped Nightwing off next to Batman, when Superman tapped Kal-L on the shoulder and pointed. They both showed identical glares, matched by Conner a moment later when he landed. Doomsday, the monster that had killed Superman was brought back to life again and was supported by an army of villains, organized into an army.

Heroes were gathering around the Supermen, preparing to make their stand.

Superman curled his hands into fists. "They tried to murder Superboy. And now they say they're going to take my city. Then they're going to take earth. I say...LIKE HELL!"

Nightwing himself was part of the charge, focusing on the members of the Society of Villains.


Nightwing watched the battle shown in the column and saw himself, Tim and Batman surrounding a Slade Wilson held at bay. "The Society of Villains was Alex Luthor's last hope to create the new Earth he wanted," Tathenniel remarked conversationally. "The Tower was destroyed. Superboy Prime was on the run, chased by the other Supermen. Slade Wilson, the primary tactician for the Society was the brains behind the Society. Bring him down and the Villains become what they were when they started, an unruly mob."

"Batman had him pegged from the beginning," Nightwing commented. "He has always been better at seeing the entire picture than any of us." He smiled ruefully. "Except, maybe, for Tim."

The images continued.


Batman strode forward, saying "You joined the Society of Villains. You killed Phantom Lady. You destroyed Bludhaven. Why do it, Deathstroke?"

Deathstroke neatly avoided Nightwing's attack, driving him back with a loud "Whakk!" and replied, "Because they're paying me, Batman."

"No, it's something else. You've abandoned your code of honor," Batman dove for Deathstroke and plowed a fist into the man's chin. "Why?"

Deathstroke raised sword in both hands overhead, about to strike down Batman. Nightwing put Deathstroke into a headlock and gritted out, "Because his family abandoned him. He lost his sons. His daughter."

Deathstroke, fighting hard, spat out at Nightwing, "Because of you. It's always been because of you."

"You need to take some responsibility, Slade," Tim came from behind and kept Deathstroke from getting Nightwing with the sword.

"We all do," panted Batman, laying Deathstroke out with a punch before Scarecrow could help him. Batman glared at the shabby figure and Scarecrow ran. One final blow and Deathstroke lay prone on the ground. "It's over, Deathstroke," Batman said, standing over him.

Unseen by them, Alexander Luthor approached on a float platform. "Do you realize what you've done? You've damned this Earth." His golden fists glowed with white hot power. He raised his hand and said, "You've ruined everything."

The Nightwing in the column saw Luthor raise his hand, saw the power glowing eye-searingly bright and where it was aimed. "BATMAN! Look OUT!" and dove forward to push Batman out of the way.

"NIGHTWING!" Batman's anguished voice rang over the field as Nightwing crumpled to the ground, chest a charred and smoking ruin. Robin, face pale, sped over to Nightwing's side, frantically searching for a pulse.

"My power...I need more power." Luthor muttered and began to move away.

"No! No one else dies! Not because of you!" Batman shouted, trying to move in on him. A nearby building, weakened by the battles finally gave way and crumbled, burying the area in debris.

Robin, huddled beside Nightwing's body, saw the concrete come down on top of Batman as more Villains Society members ran through the gap. "BATMAN!" he screamed, then turned to face the onslaught.

A huge green monster, Killer Croc, sneered as Robin desperately put himself in front of Nightwing. "Look what we got here, Robin and Nightwing...Fresh meat!"

Robin took a defensive stance, prepared to die messily if necessary. A shout came from behind the Villains and Tim grinned to see a huge green elephant among them. Gar! "Not with the Titans around!" Gar led the charge as the Titans swept the area, chasing the villains in front of them. The area was soon clear. Then Robin noticed the rubble begin to move. He was torn between helping Batman or keeping his post beside Nightwing. He decided to stay beside his brother, but was relieved when Batman stood up from the debris and began to run towards them.

Suddenly trembling with reaction, Tim crouched down next to Nightwing..He pulled his glove off and kept looking for a pulse, when he found Dr. Midnite at his elbow and Batman closing in.

Midnight began searching Nightwing's body for signs of life but stopped when he saw the ruin that had been his chest. He dutifully checked the carotid artery for a pulse, but the body was already cooling.

"Dr. Mid-Nite? Is Nightwing...?" Tim asked in a quavering voice.

"I'm sorry, Robin, Batman," Dr. Midnite said. "I'm truly sorry..."

Batman crouched down, reaching a trembling hand towards Nightwing's bloody face. He ran his hand down Nightwing's cheek, feeling the cool of his son's cheek beneath the congealing blood. Glancing to one side, he saw Tim huddled on the ground with his hands covering his face, cape all but covering him. He laid a hand on Tim's shoulder and felt it quivering with the boy's sobs.

Behind them came a scrabbling sound. Batman turned abruptly, his building rage suddenly burning white-hot. Alexander Luthor, the author of this calamity, had pulled himself from the wreckage and was trying to creep away silently.

Batman took a last glance at his son's face and strode purposefully toward Alex Luthor. He scooped up a gun lying in the dirt near Luthor and quickly checked it. Loaded.

Luthor began to talk as Batman approached. "We're not so different, Bruce. Your parents were murdered. You work to make the streets they were killed on safe. My earth was murdered. I work to make the universe it was killed in safe..." Alex began to back away from the fury on Batman's face.

"You think too small. You save street corner by street corner. You work too hard for too little," Alex stammered out.

"Hnnnn.." Batman merely grunted, remembering Dick's face and broken body.

"But you finally decided to take a shortcut with Brother Eye. You just weren't going to take it far enough..." Luthor, eyes on the gun, backed further. "You need to learn to take shortcuts to justice."

Tim's grief-stricken face swam before Batman's eyes. He drew up to Alex Luthor and decked him with a single powerful blow, then crouched over him with gun in hand.

"Dick didn't deserve that," Batman growled and cocked the gun, holding it in both hands pointed at Luthor's head. "What do you deserve?"

Jaw working, clearly fighting with himself, Batman held the gun pointed then moved it until it almost touched Luthor's forehead.

A soft voice came from behind him. "Bruce," Wonder Woman said.

She strode over, sword in hand and an endless grief in her eyes. She had killed. She knew the rage. She knew the aftermath. Memories of an eight year old boy, mourning his newly murdered parents ran through his mind. The laughter that ran through the batcave when a young Dick Grayson became Robin. The bright presence Dick had been in his shadowed life...

"It's not worth it," Wonder Woman said and tossed her sword with a loud clang. Batman saw it break on a chunk of concrete.

Almost..almost...he almost listened to her. Then he remembered his son. His son. The brightness destroyed, wiped out in a second by an unthinking, uncaring insect of a man...

Hands trembling, he pulled the trigger and felt the solid backlash of the weapon as it took Alexander Luthor out of this life.