Chapter 10: Forgiveness

Back at Nanda Parbat…

Bruce was already packed up from his stay when the Master beckoned him to wait a little longer.

"There is only one thing left that I can teach you but it is not something you can learn from me."

"What is that, Master?"

"You must learn not to tare yourself up inside. It's not you who is to blame for the faults of others."

"Pardon my disagreement, but if I would believe that, then how could I be the man I am today?"

He didn't have a reply except that he may go.

The past…

Batgirl slunk into her room from the window. She took off her mask and turned on the lights to see her father sitting on her chair.

"Don't stand there startled. I know. I knew for a while."

"But dad…"

"No. You don't have to explain yourself. As a policeman, I have to condemn what you're doing and, as a father, I worry every damn night I'll find you dead. I want you to know… I'm proud of you. What you're doing is really saving Gotham. I really couldn't be prouder right now."

"Dad…thank you. I didn't think you would understand. It's…difficult to talk about."

"My little girl doesn't have to hide secrets from her dad. Since your mother died, you're the only family I've got. Well, besides my officers. What you need now is an alibi. I know you just graduated from college and that was a good alibi for a while. However, you'll need an excuse for all those bruises you get everyday. How would you like to work with me at the Headquarters?"

"That would be great, actually. I always wanted to get into the family business. That and there really aren't any jobs out there nowadays for recent graduates."

"You'll rise through ranks fast. Not because of shameless nepotism. You're a Gordon and I won't expect anything less than excellence."

"Can I go get some sleep now, dad? It's been a long night."

"I understand. Remember, those fancy gadgets you got aren't your only weapon. I always have your back. No matter what. I love you, Barbara."

"I love you, too."

The present…

Batgirl ran through the sewers covered in grime and filth. She felt nothing. No pain. No regret as she tracked the trail of clay through the darkness. Green Arrow followed her and he echoed the same words over and over again.

"Barbara! Barbara stop!"

She kept running after Clayface, who was shedding clay as the sewer water mixed in with him. Green Arrow kept chasing her.

"It's suicide! You can't harm him, Barbara! Stop! We can talk about this!"

She kept running until she headed right into the darkness following Clayface. Green Arrow kept chasing her.

"Damnit! Where did you go? Black Canary was right. I should've brought my night vision mask."

Bruce still held Black Mask against the wall, his arm choking him.

"I killed Barbara Gordon tonight. Bet you didn't see that one coming, Bruce?"

"No…but I don't think you saw this coming either."

Bruce let go. The SWAT team burst through the door and took hold of Black Mask.

"I won't go away so easily Bruce. In this town, no one stays away for long. When I get out, you'll know what it's like to lose EVERYTHING. Then, only then, will I let you kill yourself out of despair."

The SWAT team gagged him and took him outside. Bruce walked steadily outside. Nightwing as Batman followed him out. He discreetly talked to Bruce in the shadows.

"Bruce…it's not Barbara. It's Commissioner Gordon."

"Find Barbara. She'll go over the edge if we don't find her soon. I…need to maintain this disguise. Otherwise it will look suspicious if I disappeared with hundreds of officers swarming the place."

"I'm on it."

He disappeared. Bruce wept quietly there in the dark.

"Not like this…not like this."

Barbara came out the end of the sewer tube to a chemical plant. She looked around to find Clayface laid out in front of a giant vat. His body now was made up more of filth from the sewers than of clay. Barbara loomed over him.

"You think….you think that your bullets will kill me? That's funny…that's funny."

"No, that rusty vat of sulfuric acid there will."

She aimed the pistol and the acid vat looming over Clayface.

"Let's end this."

His face morphed into Commissioner Gordon.

"Barbara…sweetie…put down the gun. You can hurt someone. Don't do it. I love you."

She aimed but her grip remained unsteady. Clayface's head morphed back and forth erratically between Gordon's and Matt Hagan's.

"Don't kill me…let me live…forgive me…"

A hand took hold of the pistol from Barbara. It was Nightwing.

"Don't do it, Barbara. Think about what will become of you."

"He's not even human."

"There is still some humanity left in Clayface and, as long as there's that, we can't kill him."

"Weren't you the one who said we should kill?"

"Yes…but I didn't mean it. There's a difference between saying it and actually going through with it. I didn't kill Killer Croc but I feel like I did. I tried to justify what I did so I could feel better. We all seek to justify our actions. To justify our bloodlust with lies that make it all seem better. But it doesn't. It nags in your head when you realize what the truth is. Would your father's death justify this? Would your father want to know that you killed a man in cold-blood?"

"He deserved better than this. He didn't deserve to die like he did."

"He saved your life. He sacrificed himself to save you. That's the noblest way to go out as an officer. As any of us. If you kill Clayface like this, he didn't save you. Barbara Gordon would be just as dead as him."

She looked into the mass of clay and looked away. She gave the gun to Nightwing.

"I don't want this burden. Take my father's gun…and throw it away. I need to be alone now."

She slowly walked out into the darkness. Nightwing stayed to interrogate and looked down at Clayface.

"Who sent you?"

A series of sparks went off in Clayface's head. He screamed. Giant knives sprung from his body and flayed around the tank. They scraped the vat and acid leaked out all over Clayface, dissolving him.

"Peace…peace…finally…"

There was no consciousness left to Clayface. After many false endings, he left no more encores.

Green Arrow entered the room. Inside the mound of smoldering mud that used to be Clayface's head was a device of some kind. Nightwing examined it.

"This is Tetch's work. No doubt about it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"It didn't melt in the acid. That and it's a mind control device. Tetch managed to find his mind in all that junk. Clayface wasn't in control of himself after all. Bruce was right. Someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Someone new. Someone that can and will manipulate all of these people to work together so effectively."

"Black Mask?"

"He was only a pawn. Maybe a rook or a knight but he wasn't the king of the chess set."

"Where ever this case leads to, I won't get in your way. I'll get the League off your back…if we find someone with a connection; we'll forward them to you. If it gets too big, don't be afraid to call us."

"We aren't. You shouldn't be talking with me, though. You know who you should really be talking to."

He tossed Green Arrow the com.

Bruce Wayne was walking home alone battered and bruised from the day's affair.

"Bruce?"

He checked his pocket for the com Dick slipped him. It wasn't Dick on the other line.

"What do you want Oliver?"

"Look…I want to apologize. About all of what's happened. We won't interfere with what's coming. We know it's Gotham."

"Of course. The League doesn't know my town like I do."

"We all have our towns to look after. Why don't you join us again, Bruce? Like old times. We don't need to bicker and quarrel anymore. This is for the greater good."

"You didn't look for him. None of you did. You left Tim Drake to be driven insane by the Joker. For the greater good."

"I can't justify why we did it. I would've helped too if it wasn't for…"

"For what, Oliver? You always said the League was family. Well, Tim is part of my family. Family helps family. All you and the League ever needed was my money so I could fund your intergalactic crusades and your shiny buildings. You can still take Bruce Wayne's money but let it be known that Batman is no longer and will no longer be affiliated with the League. Good night Oliver and get the hell out of Gotham."

"You know I can't do that…"

He tossed the com to ground and stomped on it. He thought how much that would hurt Oliver's eardrum and gave a small grin.

He opened the door to Wayne Manor. It was a long night. Being kidnapped by Black Mask. Gordon and Bullock dead. Barbara going nearly over the edge. She may still, he thought, and he'll have to keep tabs on that. All he wanted now was to clear his head from the night's ordeal. Alfred walked over to him.

"Sir…there's a guest for you."

Bruce walked into the living room. Laid out on the couch right next to a burning fireplace was Selina Kyle, shivering and her arms filled with puncture wounds.

"Bruce…I'm cold. Warm me up…"