Chapter VIII

As Cities Burn

Nightwing stared at Wade Wilson as he sat in the chair, chained so as not to attempt escape. He knew it was more of a point than actual security, but he figured Wilson wouldn't get out of the BatCave on his own.

Cold brown eyes stared at Nightwing, straight into his mask, and, it seemed to Dick, straight into his soul. Whatever madness and mirth Deadpool had once had, Deadlock was devoid of it. He only put on a sham as a distraction. Now he revealed his hatred, pure and simple.

Nightwing cleared his throat.

"Why are you after Batman?" he asked, getting straight to the point. "Who hired you to kill him?"

Wadey laughed, a low, slow laughter that chilled Nightwing to the bone.

"I'm not," he said, clicking his tongue against his mouth to emphasize the t. "I was hired to kill Bruce Wayne. There's a difference, is there not? Two different people... one same life."

Nightwing heard Batgirl gasp through his ear piece. The others were behind a reflective glass, watching Nightwing interrogate Wilson. He too felt stunned, though he controlled his emotions better.

"What makes you think Bruce Wayne is Batman?" he asked carefully. Wadey snorted.

"C'mon!" he said, rolling his head. "It's so obvious! Well, to someone like me... I know anything I want to know. Like your name... Dick Grayson."

Nightwing's eyes widened, but his mask hid it. Wadey chuckled.

"I'll tell you everything," he said. "I'm an honest guy. But... well, I'll let you connect the dots."

"You'll tell me the truth," Nightwing guessed, "because you're sure you can fulfill your contract. Not even being captured by us can stop you."

"Got it in one," Wadey said, leaning back as far as he could. "I'm letting you hold me here. I know we're under Wayne Manor. You actually helped me out. I'm now closer to Wayne."

Nightwing was astonished by how much Wilson knew. It was frightening.

"Who hired you?" he asked, raising his voice.

"Professional courtesy," he said. "Client confidentiality." Nightwing slammed a fist into Wadey's collarbone. He didn't flinch.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" he asked. "More importantly, what was that supposed to prove?"

Nightwing growled.

"What's the difference between killing Batman and killing Bruce Wayne?" he asked, his voice sounding ever so slightly like Batman's rasp. Wadey laughed again, driving Nightwing's nerves on edge.

"Batman and Bruce Wayne are two different icons," he said. "Wayne represents industry and technology. Batman represents justice. My... employers still want that justice aspect of Gotham to remain, while striking at the heart of a possible..."

"A possible what?" Nightwing asked. He pulled out a small blade, sticking it into Wadey's shoulder. It dug in deep enough to hurt. He drew his breath in a gasp, the first reaction he had. It made Nightwing feel good.

"Careful, Dick," said Oracle over the com.

"Whatever happened..." Wadey gasped through the pain, "to the Boy Wonder?"

"I grew up," Nightwing snarled. "Answer the damn question, who are you working for?!"

"What..." Wadey said, "would the Titans say if they could see you know? What would Starfire say?"

This question stopped Nightwing cold. He held his knife frozen in the air, quivering slightly.

"I'll tell you one thing," Wadey said, shifting his weight a little in his chair. "This city's gonna burn. I don't want to destroy Gotham... I want to make it bleed. I want to hurt it something fierce. 'Cuz when you hate something so much, making it go away sometimes doesn't make your hate go away, does it?"

"And after Gotham... the world."

It happened in an instant. The chains holding Wadey snapped. Nightwing, caught off guard, was flung against the opposite wall. He hit the wall and landed with a crunch. He felt dazed.

"Stop him!" he shouted, seeing Wadey smash through the solid steel door that kept them both in. He watched as he tore through Batgirl, Huntress, and Redwing, and started to round a corner of the structure.

Out of nowhere a staff came, slamming into Wade's head as he ran into it. The combined forces knocking Deadlock to the ground, where he grasped his head, moaning.

Robin stepped out from behind the corner, his staff raised for another blow.

"Nice work, kid," Nightwing said, walking up to them. Wade seemed out for the count, but Nightwing knew better than to assume that. He looked at Tim, a feeling of admiration growing.

"Very nice," he repeated. "I think you've earned that costume."

Tim, Robin, beamed.

Wadey started laughing again. Nightwing growled, picking him up by his collar.

"What did you hope to accomplish by that?" he snarled, shaking Wadey forcefully. He continued to laugh, like it was all just a big joke. Maybe it was.

"You let me in," he said through sniggers. "You let me get too close to Bruce Wayne. There can be no hope for y'all now. Well, for you guys, sure, hunkered down here, safe in the reinforced BatCave. But what about the mansion, eh? What about Brucy, eh?"

Nightwing felt his insides grow cold. He dropped Wadey, who writhed on the ground, laughing his head off. Not insanely... but because he really found it funny.

Which meant...

"Titans!" he said, unconsciously. "Get to Bruce! He's in-,"

An explosion shook the cave. It also stopped Nightwing's heart as he realized it was coming from above... from the mansion.

"The mansion!" he yelled. Everyone was moving, trying to get to the elevator.

"Oh, god," Batgirl whispered, staring up in the shaft. "Oh my god."

Nightwing rushed to her, and also stared up. A fiery cloud was bearing down on them, forcing its way deeper and deeper in the shaft. That meant that there was no room in the house for it to go. That must mean...

"Everyone DOWN!" Nightwing bellowed, throwing himself on Batgirl, knocking her to the floor.

The second after, the heat wave struck, hitting the ground, and spreading throughout the Cave. Nightwing shut his eyes, holding on to Batgirl for dear life.

A large chunk of debris fell down from above. It blocked off the heat. Everything became still, but they could still hear the sound of destruction coming from above.

Nightwing got to his feet, helping Batgirl up.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, and when she nodded he looked around, raising his voice. "Is everyone okay?"

There were grunts and affirmative noises. Robin, however, was missing.

"Where's Robin?" Nightwing asked, feeling the words in his mouth and thinking that they felt weird. But then he noticed something else. "Where's Deadlock?!"

He ran to the spot where they had been. Looking around, he ran in the direction of the east wing, thinking that maybe Wadey had run off, and Robin had gone after him.

Stupid kid... why didn't he wait for us?

Oh, wait... that sounds like something I would do. I would have done the same thing.

He felt the passageway steep upwards as he made for the east exit, thinking that he heard the sounds of a fight before him.

He was right. As he burst into the open air and saw the small light of dawn in the distance, his gaze fell on Robin, who was sprawled on the grass. He looked dazed.

Just like me and Slade, Nightwing thought. Oh, god, please don't go down the path I did.

Wilson was gone. Robin seemed bruised, but otherwise okay. Nightwing looked around.

If his heart had been beating fast before, it now stopped. The sight of Wayne Manor burning, for the second time in its life, was horrifying. There was no way anyone could have survived that.

Oh no... Bruce... Alfred...

"NOOOOOO!" he yelled into the chill morning air. He started to make his way to the burning edifice, but arms, strong ones grabbed him from behind. He tried to break free, but more arms were holding him back. He began to fight, and he barely heard the words over his rage and grief.

"...still, hey, stop it...!"

"It's no use, we need to trank him."

"Sorry, Dick..."

He felt a needle in his neck, and the edges of his vision started to darken. Everything swirled and blurred.

He didn't even feel the ground rushing up to meet him. He didn't have to.

Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth... and Batman. They were gone.

They were dead.


Deadlock looked at the mansion burning, a feeling of satisfaction growing in his chest. A smile appeared on his lips as he took it in, breathing the cool morning air that was tinged with smoke and death.

His contract was complete. Now he had some calls to make.

The first was to Tom Harrison, whose secrecy was blown to smithereens. Nothing was kept secret from Wadey Wilson. It suddenly made a lot of sense, if he thought about it. And he did.

"Mission accomplished," he said, speaking into his com. "I'll be around to pick up the money later."

"Excellent," Harrison said. "But I do wish you hadn't freed Arkham like that..."

"Tough, Mr. Secretary," Wadey said, dropping a little bomb. "My mission, my rules. Good day."

The second call was to the Joker, who was waiting in a formerly abandoned hotel with his small army of thugs.

"It's done," he reported. "Gotham is yours, gentlemen."

They would lay waste to the city, and not even the vaunted "Bat Family" could stop them.

The third call was to Slade Wilson, Deathstroke.

"Hey brother!" he said cheerfully when Slade answered. "Guess what I just did? I killed Batman!"


Batman is dead.