Chapter 6: Rā's

Buffy hung from Batman by a harness as they fell. Batman slid his hands into the activating pockets of his cape and immediately the cloak became a rigid wing, smashing into the window, halting their downward plunge. Their fall became a glide, controlled by his arms.

"This is fun," Buffy said. "Remind me to try skydiving when this is over."

Batman laughed as he flew them into the labyrinth that was the Narrows. He tilted his body and swerved in midair. The top of his cape hit the top branch of a tree and they spun madly, out of control, for a second, helpless. Then he flattened his body and adjusted for Buffy's extra weight and they were again flying smoothly.

They swooped over a rooftop nosing downward. Just ahead, the roof of a blocky concrete monorail support loomed, its edged softened by the mist. Batman dropped his legs so he was in a vertical position and used the cape wings as air brakes. They lost speed. When his boots touched the roof, he ran a few steps and stopped before he told Buffy she could stand up. He thrust his hands into the cape pockets and the wings seemed to melt until they were only black fabric hanging from his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Batman asked.

"Yeah, Slayer healing remember? I'll be fine in the morning." Buffy replied.

They looked around. To their back, there was a street, and to their front, a steep drop down to buildings arrayed along a narrow avenue that wound down to the edge of the river. On a rooftop to their left, two ninjas were putting a bulky machine—the microwave transmitter—into a train.

Rā's stood a few yards away, mist swirling around him.

"It ends here." Batman said.

Rā's raised his eyebrows. "You two are not dead? You two should be dead."

"But we're not," Buffy said.

"I have to admire your persistence," Rā's said as he glanced over Batman's costume. "You took my advice about theatricality a bit literally, don't you think?"

Four ninjas came around the corner of the monorail support and positioned themselves in front of Rā's.

"They won't save you," Batman said. "Give it up. Or meet me man to man."

"I doubt that you would be able to do me serious harm because I doubt that you would be able to look upon yet another father figure lying dead before you. But no matter. I decline your invitation to combat. I've done you the honor of killing you once today already, and I can't save the world by killing one man at a time." He looked to Buffy. "When I burned his house down, I hated depriving the world of a Slayer. But there are so many of you now, thanks to your friend Willow. The loss of one won't matter anymore."

"You think we can't beat your pawns?" Batman said.

Eight more Ninjas rappelled down from the rail above them.

"As you wish." Rā's smiled as he looped a hand around a rope and swung up.

"Why can't they just be demons," Buffy said.

Batman tackled the man nearest him, and locked together, they both went over the side of the monorail support.

Five of the remaining ninjas went after Batman, the remaining six turned to face Buffy.

"Just so you know," Buffy said. "I'm a Slayer. And Slayers are built to fight vampires which are supernaturally stronger than humans. There is no way you can win."

Something landed at Buffy's feet and exploded with a blinding flash and a puff of acrid gas. She was glad that Batman had given her the mask. She leaped at the ninja that had thrown the explosive and smashed into him just as he was about to throw a second one. With a roundhouse kick she sent him flying off the roof.

Buffy turned and elbowed a second ninja's chin, knocking him unconscious before he could even blink.

Far below Buffy saw Batman raise his grappling gun. She turned and ran and just as Batman fired the grappler she leapt straight into his waiting arms as he flew past. "If I intend to help you in the future," she said. "Remind me to get some of your toys."

Batman smiled. "Sure, Buffy."

Buffy strapped herself into the harness and then reached for the grappler. "If you could just stay still, Bruce," she said as they swung from the train as it ran out over the river.

"I'm trying my best," Batman said with a smile as Buffy attached the grappler to his belt and the line began retracting.

They were pulled upwards toward the train. And the moment they reached it, they curled their fingers around the tiny metal lip running around the top of the car. Not much to hang on to. But maybe enough.

Batman and Buffy jumped, and that gave them enough altitude to get their palms onto the top of the train car, and they straightened their arms and slid on their chests until their entire bodies were on the silvery roof.

The train was still accelerating. They saw a geyser of water shoot up alongside the track bed and knew pipes and hydrants were exploding below.

Rā's would be in the first car, so that's where they had to go. And fast. With each passing second, more toxic spray was releasing into the air, to be breathed in by innocent men, women, and children—to drive them insane.

Wind howed in their ears, the sound mingling with the screech and clatter of steel wheels on steel rails, and the car wayed under their feet. Ahead, Buffy and Batman could see the silhouette of the familiar Gotham skyline, black against the moonlit sky, with Wayne Tower dwarfing the other skyscrapers. They knew time was running out.

Buffy and Batman ran, jumped to another car, ran and jumped again and again till they reached the lead car.

Batman sat on the edge of the car and swung his legs backward. His boots struck a shatterproof window and knocked it from its frame. As he dropped to one of the seats Buffy was matching his maneuver and dropping into the seat behind him just as he crouched facing the front of the train.

The microwave transmitter blocked the aisle, humming and vibrating slightly. Behind it stood Rā's.

"You are still not dead," Rā's said.

"Obviously not," Buffy said.

"Stay back," Batman said not looking at Buffy. "We can end this now Rā's. There's no need for further bloodshed."

"Oh, you are wrong, Bruce. There's an enormous need," Rā's said.

"I'll stop you."

"No. You won't. Because to stop me you would have to kill me and you will not do that," Rā's said. "Neither will Ms. Summers."

"You're sure?" Batman said.

"Yes. You could not stand to see another father die." Rā's edged around the machine and slid his sword from the cane. "But I have seen many of my children die. Another one won't make much difference to me. And as I already mentioned one Slayer won't make much difference either."

Rā's advanced, the sword in one hand, the cane in the other. He feinted with the sword and swung the cane at Batman's head. Batman trapped it in one of his scallops, twisted, and the cane went spinning over his shoulder at Buffy who ducked as it flew past.

Rā's thrust the sword point at Batman's chest. Batman pivoted and the steel slipped past his chest, grazing his costume. Rā's kicked. Batman sidestepped and Rā's kicked again, striking Batman's hip. As Batman stumbled, trying to regain his footing. Rā's arced the blade downward toward Batman's head, but something stopped his swing. He looked up to see Buffy's holding the sword.

Buffy smiled and with a violent shove she thrust the sword hilt backwards into Rā's chest making him stagger back and release the sword. She bent it over her knee and snapped the sword in two.

"Buffy," Batman whispered low enough that he knew Rā's would not hear, but because of whom Buffy was, he was sure she could.

Buffy looked to Batman and then followed his gaze and nodded. She jumped onto a seat and past Rā's to the train controls. She grabbed the brake lever but before she could pull it back, Rā's cane was thrust into the mechanism, jamming it. Before she could free it, Rā's swung his clenched fist at the back of Buffy's head, bouncing it off the windshield. Rā's struck again and Buffy fell and rolled onto her back and Rā's was straddling her., his hands clenched around Buffy's neck, his thumbs pressing into Buffy's throat.

"Don't be afraid, Bruce …" Rā's said as he looked up at Batman, "you hate this city as much as I do, but you're just an ordinary man in a cape. That's why you couldn't fight injustice in this city … and that's why you can't stop this train …"

"Who said anything about stopping it?" Batman said.

The train car shook and Rā's grasp relaxed for an instant. He looked through the windshield at the track, twisted and smoking.

"You'll never learn to mind your surroundings," Batman said, "as much as your opponent." He punched his right gauntlet into Rā's face making the man stagger back off of Buffy as he pulled her to her feet and toward him. He then grabbed Rā's hair with his left hand and pulled a Batarang from under his cloak with his right. He raised the weapon over his head; a single downward swing would bury it in Rā's skull.

"Bruce, justice is not about revenge," Buffy warned.

Batman glanced at Buffy and smiled and nodded before looking back at Rā's.

Rā's smiled. "Have you finally learned to do what's necessary?"

Batman flung the weapon at the windshield. The glass cracked and then broke. "We won't kill you …"

He pulled a small mine from his belt and threw it at the back door of the car. There was an explosion and the door was gone. "But we don't have to save you."

Batman grabbed and strapped her into the harness as they moved to the other side of the transmitter. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his cape. It stiffened and became a wing as it caught the wind and yanked out the back.

Batman caught a thermal that lifted them a couple hundred feet into the air. They looked down and watched as the train crashed into the ground below and exploded.