Chapter 26
U.N. Headquarter, NY
The U.N.'s leaders sat at the long, mahogany, conference table willing the call that they were all anxiously waiting to come in. As they waited an army of the world's greatest platoons was being marched to the U.S./Canadian border in anticipation of the ensuing war.
The BatPod ran steady at 115mph for the fifty mile drive to the heart of Montreal. Not even the freshly fallen snow coating the city's roads could slow Batman down; he knew that the most catastrophic war in human history could begin at any moment. Working in the daylight had Batman uneasy, the dark clouds above gave the city an ominous aura. All the citizens had been told to stay indoors due to the storm—the usually busy metropolitan area was basically empty besides a few store owners who were just now deciding to close up shop for the day to get home while they still can. Everything was quiet and tranquil.
Like the calm before the storm.
Montreal, although not the capital of the great country up north, was known to be Prime Minister's favorite. It was said that he spent more time in this city than any other in the large country. Batman knew exactly where he would be; the narcissistic leader never really made it a secret.
The skyscraper that Prime Minister resided in was not heavily guarded by any means. Who would dare challenge the man with a super soldier army? It didn't take long at all for Batman to take out the ground sentries, two with batarangs and one with chloroform, and rappel up the building and onto the roof twenty-two stories above.
The roof proved to be more of the same with only three more guards covering the vast expanse of concrete. He approached his first victim in a crouching position, coming from behind, as he swiftly grabbed him by the neck, cutting off blood circulation to the brain until rendering him unconscious. The remaining two guards stood together by the edge of the roof, overlooking the snowy city from two hundred feet above. Too easy. Batman sprinted at them from behind, his footsteps suppressed by four inches of fresh snow. By the time they heard him coming he had a hand on the side of each of their heads. In one vicious motion he smacked their skulls into each other and threw them into the snow.
An open ventilation duct lay on the far corner of the rooftop, Batman easily fit through the opening and landed in a room with hard floors and no lights. Darkness. He pulled a flare form his belt and lit the room up with a red glow. Nothing.
"Very impressive, Dark Knight." A deep voice said from the shadows.
The lights came on, illuminating the entire room; Batman winced as his eyes readjusted themselves. Finally, opening his eyes, he found himself in a room filled with officers pointing automatic rifles directly at him. The leader of the group stepped forward.
"I have to say, this was much too easy. You're losing your touch, Batman, age has made you predictable." He laughed, "Take him in."
Batman let out a slight smirk before being clubbed over the head and temporarily knocked unconscious.
The world's newest emperor was sitting in his quarters waiting for the festivities to begin when he heard a knock at the door. It was his number two. The man came running in, looking very excited.
"Emperor, I have great news, sir!"
The leader nodded, allowing him to continue.
"We have apprehended the Batman. He breached the building from the roof just as you said he would."
The emperor laughed, "Of course he did. Bring him here."
The man snapped his fingers and moments later two large officers entered the room dragging Batman by the arms and throwing him to the ground in front of the emperor, who reveled at the sight.
"Ahh, the Batman, the last hero on Earth and now you're in my custody. So much for the world's last hope, huh?" He exuded arrogance.
Batman didn't speak.
"All the things I can do to you right now, all the pain I can bring..." He took a moment to think excitedly to himself. "I can't even decide!"
"Well hurry up, end my misery."
The emperor thought, "You know this was almost too easy. To catch you, I mean. It's almost like you wanted to be caught. Why? Well I have no idea, but I've heard that you were crazy."
"No crazier than you." He spat.
The small man walked over to Batman, he kneeled down, getting directly in his face.
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm going to make it your last mistake. I have something special planned for you, you see." He spoke low, barely above a whisper. "A battle to the death with the Batman, the leader of the Justice League, and me, the leader of… well everything else. We wouldn't want anyone to miss such a big event, now that just wouldn't be fair. That's why I've allowed news stations from all over the globe to air the feed. Now what do you say, are you up for the challenge?" He asked rhetorically.
Batman glared into the man's cold, black eyes, "Nothing would make me happier."
The emperor snarled and walked across the room. "Now since you'll be allowed to use your suit and all your fancy gadgetry, it's only fair for me to use mine." He pressed a button on his desk. A portion of the side wall of the room slid away, revealing the super suit, presumably the same one he used to catch the bridge days earlier.
"You see, Batman," He started as he climbed into his machine. "What better way to kill all hope of my new populous, any confidence in a resistance, than to kill the only man capable of resisting me, on the biggest stage? Prime time."
"You're mad!"
"Maybe, but normality is so overrated… I'd expect you to understand." He motioned to the officer behind Batman who gave him a dose of noxious gas and dragged his, again, unconscious body out of the room.
Chapter 27
U.S./Canada Border, Northern Washington
The visibility was less than spectacular; the snow was falling horizontally at this point as Lieutenant Price and his platoon took their positions, waiting for the call. Price looked to either side of him and saw hundreds of squads doing the same, all led by officers like him, who were in a truly precarious position: leading their soldiers into imminent death. Regardless, Price did his best to rally his forces.
"They're just men, no different from you and me!" He urged.
His soldiers nodded in agreement, gripping their weapons so tightly that the oil was rubbing into their skin.
"They may have brawn but hey lack finesse. Wars are won with intelligence, not strength! Anything built by man can also be destroyed my man; we can defeat them!" His voice rose with every sentence.
His platoon reacted positively, shouting in agreement.
"This country was won with guerilla warfare, and today it will be preserved using the same methods!"
His soldiers raised their weapons in the air, cheering with a new sense of hope.
"We're in a forest, keep to the trees. Stay invisible, out of sight, until you have a clear opportunity to attack. Those super suits, or whatever they call them… they're big, clunky machines; they weren't designed for close combat. Let them get right under our noses, then," He held up a grenade. "Ambush those bastards."
The line erupted, every soldier cheering and chanting with optimism. Price was glad that he was able to spark his troops so well. They truly believed they could win this war, even he was starting to believe it too.
As the minutes passed they all maintained position, staring at the horizon and waiting for their enemy. Old, heavy snow fell of weakening tree branches, giving them just a moment to rest before fresh snow took its place. The sun was nowhere to be seen; the sky, covered by black clouds, was completely shrouded in darkness.
The deafening silence engulfed the forest. Every soldier tried their hardest to conserve energy and warmth. Price found himself wishing that the army would just show up already and let the inevitable battle finally begin.
It wasn't long before his which became a reality. Small, subtle tremors shook the ground, quickly becoming larger until finally Price looked up and could see the faint gleam of metal on the horizon. Suddenly, he wanted to take his wish back.
Montreal, 4:45pm
Blurred vision was only one side effect of the knockout gas. He quickly realized that dizziness was another as he almost stepped off the side of the twenty story building before finally catching his bearings.
"Good, you're finally awake."
Batman gazed across the large, square rooftop and saw Prime Minister staring at him, fully equipped in his super suit. The sun was already below the horizon; there were flood lights in every corner of the rooftop, illuminating the large concrete square as if it were still day. Two feet of snow covered the roof, impeding any movement. Overhead, a national news station's helicopter was streaming the footage live to the citizens down below, and presumably for all the news stations on the globe. The
"There's no escape, Batman, you are as good as dead. Just do them a favor," He pointed to the citizens watching on the televisions in the window of an electronics store across the street, two hundred feet below, "Try to make it a show."
Batman watched as, in one swift motion, the super suit leaped across the rooftop and swatted him with its giant, robotic arm, sending him tumbling to the edge.
"This is going to be sad, really. The world will watch one of its greatest heroes die without even putting up a fight." He bent down and pulled a water pipe from the roof, throwing it in Batman's direction. "Here, take this, it may help you live a few minutes longer." His arrogance was nauseating.
He clunked over and picked Batman up by the neck, again throwing him across the rooftop like a ragdoll. The citizens down below watched in terror as the machine that they themselves had sanctioned was making quick work of their final hope for freedom, their last hope of redemption.
The effects of the gas, which had yet to wear off, along with the beating he was currently taking, made Batman unsure of how much longer he could last; he needed to act now. He pulled a batarang from his belt and threw it at the super suit. It was perfectly placed, heading straight for the Prime Ministers face, but it shattered upon impact with the bulletproof glass that protected his head.
"Silly little bat, your toys are no match for my suit." He rushed towards Batman again and swung at him. Batman jumped, dodging the attempt, and landing behind Prime Minister.
"You've forgotten one thing, Emperor."
"What's that?" He quickly turned around.
Batman took two batarangs out of his belt and held them up.
"Haven't you already tried those?" Prime Minister laughed.
Batman smirked. He aimed for the flood lights as he threw the batarangs, shattering the bulbs and knocking out half of the roof's light source. Prime Minister raised his arm, shooting two .50 caliber rounds at Batman who expertly eluded them, jumping into the new darkness that was cast across half of the roof. From there he threw two more batarangs taking out the last of the roof's light, leaving it completely shrouded in shadows. Prime Minister searched the rooftop nervously, looking for his enemy.
"I am darkness." He grabbed the pipe that was laying on the ground and silently charged Prime Minister, swinging the pipe and hitting him in the small of the back. It was a glancing blow, and did little, if any, damage.
Prime Minister swung his arms in every direction, helplessly trying to make contact with his enemy. The helicopter up above switched on its searchlight, illuminating a small circle around Prime Minister. Batman avoided the light.
"I am the night!" He growled, swiftly charging in again and swinging the pipe, hitting his adversary in the midsection, again there was nothing much to show for it. He jumped back into the darkness.
"Show yourself!" Prime Minister desperately tried to locate Batman, still swinging his large, mechanical arms. "Coward!"
"I. Am. Batman!" He jumped at Prime Minister from behind, striking him flush in the back of the knee. The large super suit fell. He had finally found its weakness.
Swinging the pipe like a baseball bat, he took out the suit's good knee. It fell to the concrete with a loud thump. Batman pounced on the opportunity, relentlessly striking the suit with the bar, doing considerable damage with each connection. Batman felt his arms tiring as he continuously mimicked the same motion, but he wouldn't allow himself to let up. The citizens below cheered as they watched Batman persistently pound the man who had so recently coerced them. A well placed connection to the head cracked the bulletproof glass that protected the Prime Minister, hindering his vision.
Becoming more dazed with the impact of each swing, Prime Minister raised his forearms, desperately trying to block the incoming assault. He threw an occasional punch, hoping to get lucky, but Batman dodged every try whilst peppering him with the pipe.
Two guards watched their emperor take blow after blow from the entrance of the roof.
"He's losing!" The first guard yelled, nervously.
"Not for long." The second guard cocked his rifle and stepped out onto the rooftop.
Carefully aiming, he quickly double tapped the trigger sending two bullets spiraling towards his enemy. Batman was heaving the pipe far over his head, preparing to deliver another blow when he felt the searing pain in his right shoulder, quickly followed by the same feeling down in his ribcage. From such close range, the armor piercing rounds easily penetrated his suit. He immediately dropped the pipe, looking across the rooftop, he found the guard still pointing the gun at him; he realized that he had been shot. The pain started to flare after the initial shock faded, he looked down and watched as a steady flow of blood streamed from two holes on the right side of his body. He knew that the wounds weren't fatal, at least not if he was attended to soon….very soon.
The short break in action was all Prime Minster needed to recover from the brutal beating he was taking. He slowly rose to his feet and approached Batman, who was still staring at his wounds; the super suit was still very much responsive.
"Now, Bat, prepare for the most unbearable pain you've ever experienced in your pathetic, little life."
He violently swung at Batman who managed to elude the attempt but wasn't as lucky as he was caught flush with the second and third, knocking him to the ground. The mechanical machine walked over and picked the hero up by the neck. Batman struggled to speak.
"You…still….haven't won….even if you kill me."
"Please, elaborate." He strengthened his grasp on Batman's neck making it harder for him to breathe.
He reached into his belt and pulled out a small device.
"GPS….I called backup." Planting his feet on the machine's chest he kicked away from its tight grip. Flipping in the air, he landed on his feet releasing two exploding batarangs that hit the Prime Minister directly in the chest. The small explosions dazed him for a moment but proved to be yet another glancing blow.
"You just won't give up will you? Don't you get it?" Prime Minister yelled loud for all to hear. "There is no longer anything super about your friends. They are mere humans, regular, everyday mortals who possess no super powers. Unlike you they lack the intelligence and the discipline that is required to defeat me. You are truly alone, Batman, one of a kind. By killing you I am relieving myself of the only man on earth who could stop me. It will be sad seeing you die…but I'll get over it."
Lifting his arm, he readied his .50 caliber weapon for discharge. Batman watched as he locked onto the logo on his chest. He was beginning to black out from blood loss and unable to move. He closed his eyes and waited for his inevitable death.
In what felt like minutes, Batman thought back to all the people he's affected, all the lives he's saved, all the crooks he's apprehended, but even with all of his success and all of his pain, the lasting thought in his mind was his one and only regret. The refusal to allow anyone to ever get close to him, one person in particular.
Citizens watched dejectedly as Prime Minister discharged his weapon. The sound of the two shots fired echoed through the roof and the streets below, followed immediately by the sound of metal clashing with metal. Batman opened his eyes. His vision was hazy, but he could still vaguely make out the scene in front of him; Wonder Woman stood between him and Prime Minister, who was motionless. He smiled.
"How- I don't- You couldn't-" He stuttered, shocked by what he was seeing.
"Your short reign of power is over."
"You naïve fool, this suit can easily handle one of you." He yelled.
"Let's find out." She violently flew through the air, leading with her fists as she crashed into Prime Minister, knocking him off the side of the building.
She watched as he turned on his jetpack and flew back onto the roof.
"You didn't think that you could get rid of me that easily did you?" He raised his arm and fired four rounds towards her. She easily deflected them all.
"Likewise."
"It looks as if this fight will be won with raw strength. Are you up to the challenge?"
Wonder Woman clenched her fists and charged the steel machine catching it with a right hook and following up with an uppercut. Prime Minister torpedoed into the air, falling with a loud thud that could be heard for blocks.
"My turn." He slowly stood up and regained his balance.
He threw a slow punch that was easily dodged by Wonder Woman. No matter how many he attempted she eluded them all until finally countering and throwing an elbow to the machines bulletproof glass, shattering it completely. She followed up with a barrage of punches to the chest of the machine, doing considerable damage. Finally, she clasped her hands together and threw them at the machine like a wrecking ball sending it dangerously close to the edge of the roof.
She watched as giant machine lay motionless in two feet of snow. Instead of finishing him, she elected to rush over to her fallen friend who was slipping in and out of consciousness.
She ran over and knelt beside him.
"Batman, are you-" She noticed the bullet wounds on his torso. Hera, help us. The usually gray part of his armor was now a dark red due to the blood that was still pouring out of the wounds. She ripped his armor off so that she could tend to the fresh wounds. Tearing off a portion of his cape, she wrapped it around his shoulder and tied it as tight to try and stop the bleeding; she did the same for his ribs. "We're going to get you to a hospital, Bruce, hang in there."
"No-" He struggled to speak.
"Bruce, don't fight me on this! You need medical attention now!" She yelled as a tear welled in her eye.
"No…" He pointed behind her.
Prime Minister was back to his feet.
"This ends now." Four miniature missiles rose out of each of the machine's shoulders as he fired them all, exploding as they met Wonder Woman and forcing her into the brick wall that housed the staircase that led to the roof.
He limped towards her, ready to unleash his final attempt. But not before picking Batman up and throwing him towards the edge of the roof. He rolled from the impact with the snow as him momentum took him over the edge. He desperately reached up with his left arm and barely caught the gutter.
Wonder Woman watched in terror as Batman fell over the edge. She tried to get up and save him but was stopped by a large mechanical hand pushing her face into the staircase wall. She struggled to get free but the machine proved to be too strong for her.
"Sorry about your boyfriend." He laughed as he buried her head deeper into the brick. "Don't worry, though, you'll be joining him soon." He pushed her harder into the brick wall.
Batman was holding on for his life as he heard the blood curdling scream. Grabbing what was left of his cape in his teeth, he bit down and attempted to pull himself up, but it was to no avail; he couldn't conjure up the strength, and it was made so slippery by the snow.
Wonder Woman took punch after punch, forcing her deeper into the brick wall. The continuous pelting didn't allow for her to defend herself as she took each punch flush.
Batman listened the rhythmic pounding above him. He knew that Diana was in trouble, he needed to save her, she was the only chance they had left to defeat Prime Minister. He took a deep breath and took another mouthful of his cape. Biting down hard, he used all of the strength he had left in his left arm as he pulled, slowly lifting himself back over the gutter. He grunted and yelled as his torso finally cleared the edge. He leaned forward so that his chest was lying flat on the roof, his legs still dangling over the edge. Taking one last deep breath, he used his core muscles to roll over, carrying his legs back onto the roof with him.
Wonder Woman had to find a way to repel the relentless beating she was taking, but for some reason she felt paralyzed. She had been beaten before but had always seemed to will her way out of it and back into the fight, it was the Amazonian way. Now, though, she felt she lacked the necessary will power to fight and began to accept her defeat.
Prime Minister ceased his punches for a moment, just to show Wonder Woman how he was going to finish off his second Justice Leaguer of the day. He pulled out a large blade from his back. Cradling it in his hands, he traced her face with it.
"Before I finish you I would like to offer you a job. Be my empress, the feats that we could achieve together, the world would truly be ours." He caressed her body with his bulky mechanical hand. "The things I could do to you…" He whispered softly.
She spit in his face.
"Burn with Had-"
The force of his hand pushing her face back into the bricks cut her off.
"Wrong answer." He brought the blade back and prepared to thrust it into her midsection.
"NO!"
The desperate yell distracted Prime Minister as he glanced behind him seeing Batman in midair, jumping onto the machine's head and throwing it off balance. Prime Minister lost his grasp of Wonder Woman's neck as she fell to her knees gasping for air. He furiously tried to knock Batman off. Seeing that he freed Wonder Woman from Prime Minister's hold, he released his grip as Prime Minister threw him across the rooftop. He landed in a heap, but stood up just in time to see Prime Minister discharge the smaller of his two guns. The 9mm bullet spiraled into his chest, hitting Batman in the middle of his logo. He dropped to his knees, then fell to his face.
The snow started to fall even harder as Prime Minister stared at the motionless hero, almost forgetting about the stronger one who was loose again, and angrier than ever. Before he could turn to see where she was he felt a fist crash through the back of his super suit. He turned as Wonder Woman picked him up and threw him against the same wall he had her pinned up against moments before. Without saying anything, and with a slight tear in her eye, she whaled away throwing punches harder than she ever had, connecting with all of them, shaking the building's foundation every time.
It didn't take long before the super suit was diminished to nothing but scrap metal and a small, bruised man lay in the fetal position in the cold snow. Wonder Woman picked him up by his collar and walked over to the edge of the building, dangling him over the street two hundred feet below. The rain became steadier with each passing minute.
"I should drop you, and let you rot with Hades for eternity." She looked over to her fallen teammate. "But I won't, because it's not what he would've wanted." She brought the small man close to her and delivered a massive head-butt, knocking him out immediately.
Dropping Prime Minister to the ground, she hurried over to Batman who she prayed was still living.