BATMAN HEROES
CHAPTER TEN
The Grand Finale
Robin ran as fast as he could to try to reach the outside of the manor. When he opened the doors he saw the Manbat carrying Batman by the shoulders. Batman was desperatly flailing at the monster's legs with his batarang. Batman needed help and right now Robin knew he was the only one who could give him that help.
He pulled out his grappling hook and shot it. It hooked around one of Manbat's ankles. Manbat seemed to be off balance in his flying and wobbled a bit. Robin swung himself by the cord of his grappling hook to land on Manbat's back.
Now Robin was on the back and Batman shifted his body and was now hanging onto Manbat's leg with both arms. Robin began pounding on the back of Manbat's head.
Batman crawled his way up onto Manbat's back as well. "I don't think hitting him is going to work kid" he said. Robin looked discouraged and out of ideas. "Bats are sensitive to light intensity and can visually discriminate shapes and patterns in extremely low light situations" Batman preached. "Boy you really know your bats" Robin said. Robin suddenly came up with an idea and he pulled out his own walkie-talkie like device. "Barbara fire up the Bat Signal" Robin said into his walkie talkie. After hanging onto Manbat for thirty minutes, the Bat Signal was fired from the top of the police station.
Batman and Robin steered Manbat towards the Bat Signal light. Manbat hissed and began turning back into his human form. Batman and Robin jumped off his back and swung themselves to the top of the Police Station beside Barbara. Manbat's loud screeches were heard for miles throughout the city. Suddenly Batman saw the shape of the gigantic bat creature transform into the shape of an elderly man. Kirk Langstrom then fell to his death. "People will do anything to escape death" Batman said when he was thinking about how Kirk had taken the serum to stop his weakness of old age.
Early Next Morning…
Bruce, Tim, Barbara, Commissioner Gordon, and Maggie Paige were all in the mansion, dressed in their most formal clothes. Gordon approached Bruce and put his hand on his shoulder in a fatherly way. "Alfred's funeral is in an hour… are you sure you are ready for this boy?" he asked. Bruce nodded, although he was very unsure. The last funeral he had attended had been for his parents and he did not take it well either.
The group walked outside and Maggie got into the drivers seat of the limousine. Bruce got in the passengers seat. In the back was where Tim, Barbara, and Commissioner Gordon sat, along with Barbara's now folded up wheelchair.
Even though Alfred had lived to be one hundred and two years old it didn't make the situation any easier for Bruce.
At the funeral the group stepped out of the car and were greeted by an attractive man in his late forties. The man had short brown hair and a british accent. Bruce had remembered meeting this man a few years earlier, just after his rendezvous with Poison Ivy. His name was Julian Pennyworth and he had previously helped Bruce Wayne win a battle against the Scarecrow.
Julian shook hands with Bruce and lead him to the gathering in front of the tombstone. Many friends and relatives were surrounding Alfred's coffin, including several members of the Gotham City Police Department, including Renee Montoya and Harvey Bullock. Bruce the gravestone. It read, "Alfred Pennyworth, Loving Father, Great Friend". Then underneath the dates read, November 23rd 1912- December 8th 2014.
The priest stepped forward and began giving a speech about Alfred and his life and Bruce felt a tear appear rolling down his cheek. Behind him he heard Julian whispering to Barbara, "Where's Dick?" There was no answer which usually meant he wasn't here yet. Bruce knew that Dick wouldn't have missed Alfred's funeral. Something was going terribly wrong.