Spanish/Mexican Translated:
Yo sé, permítanme tratar este = I know, let me handle this
Callate = shut up
Issue #10
Into the abyss
Gotham City
09/19/2023
21:06
He was in the middle of drinking his martini (something to settle his nerves) when the sound hit his ears and the ground shook, and the windows shattered.
Black Mask's eyes widened, clenching the glass too tight before the ground beneath him started shaking more violently. He grabbed onto the table to stop himself from falling over. Survival instincts kicked in and he ran, stumbling in the process.
Three of his men were already running/launching themselves towards the exit and Deborah was struggling to run.
The mob boss made a run for it as the ground started to crumble beneath him. The rumbling grew until finally the ceiling on the floor beneath gave way. Black Mask's eyes widened as the floor swallowed him up whole, leaving him falling down into the chaos below.
The tower was crumbling right in front of him with Black Mask still in it.
Jason's temper was at boiling point, the pain from the Birdarang stinging his leg. The pain reminded him of who was responsible for the mistake. He turned around and pointed his gun at his replacement as the boy struggled to prop himself up when Jason walked over with a fierce hatred in his gaze.
Robin looked up and froze when he saw the gun pointed at his forehead, the barrel pressed against the child's forehead.
…Child. That made the Red Hood stop, hesitate, and stare at the kid whose eyes were wide with unmistakable fear.
Jason's face scrunched up tightly, grinding his teeth. He growled and backhanded the boy across the face with his gun, knocking out a tooth.
The replacement hit the ground, coughing out blood as some dribbled down his chin.
The Red Hood glanced at Batman who was unconscious, narrowing his eyes. He looked away when he heard a noise from up ahead, a figure cloaked in dark colours approaching, flipping from one rooftop to another.
"Damn it, Sis," he growled, recognising her. He touched the wound on his leg. "Tt." He made a run for it slipping over the edge. His gaze strayed to the collapsing building as he climbed down the building, balancing his feet on the windowsill.
There could be a chance Black Mask was still alive and unless he wanted what little remnants of his plan to completely shatter he needed that sleazy bastard…
Her stomach dropped when she saw the building start to collapse. "Huntress, emergency services have been dispatched," Oracle's voice drummed in her ear. "But, we need crowd control."
"I'm on it." Huntress jumped onto the roof where her dad and Tim were, the both of them in bad shape. Her insides shrivelled up when she saw her dad's still form, hurrying over she checked his pulse and let out a sigh of relief when she realised he was just unconscious.
Her gaze strayed over to Robin who was groaning on the ground. "Robin?" she called, rushing over to him.
Robin spat some blood onto the gravel, his gums and teeth caked crimson. "I'm fine," he mumbled, wiping his mouth. "How's Batman?" He looked up, worried.
She forced a smile. "He'll be fine," she reassured, helping him to his feet. She flinched when she heard a scream from below. "I need to do crowd control. You look after dad," she ordered, wiping some blood from his face. "Can you do that for me?"
He nodded, straightening up. "Yeah, I got this."
Her smile softened, nodding. Huntress glanced over her shoulder at her dad, smothering the impulse to stay with him. Quickly, she withdrew her grappling hook and slid down the building, the rope burning the material of her gloves.
The top floors had collapsed leaving the fourth floor and downwards the only thing holding it all together as the fire grew. The debris had spread onto the street and a few people were caught up in it, some unconscious or trapped.
"Robin's looking after Dad. I'm in the building; you see me?" Huntress touched her ear pieces when she touched down onto the second floor of the apartment complex, resting her weight on the window sill. "The Fire's spreading."
"I see you. Try not to get burned this time."
"I barely even got burned last time." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, you'd think Firefly would invest smoke alarms in his hideout," Huntress retorted, swooping down onto the street.
"Yeah, yeah—focus. There's a guy injured on your right," Oracle said.
There was one man whose leg was trapped underneath a large block of cement, he was knocked out and losing a lot of blood.
Damn it, she needed more help.
"Is there any sign of Blue Beetle?" Huntress asked, weakly, regretting her earlier outburst. "I could really use him right now…"
Sirens could be heard up ahead, getting closer. Huntress got the man free, shifting his weight to pick him up. The smoke was choking the air and there were people screaming as they escaped the building.
"I've found him, he's not too far away," Oracle answered.
Huntress smiled in relief. "Thank god." She dragged the man to safety, propping him up against the wall. "Any way of contacting him?"
"Wait… ugh, I can't access his armour," Oracle replied, irritably. "Just hang in there he should be able to see the fire from over a mile away."
Huntress helped another civilian to their feet, as the Fire Fighters and ambulance services arrived, followed after by the police. "I'm gonna search the building for survivors while the police deal with crowd control," she said, handing the civilian over to an ambulance worker while the Fire Fighters rushed into action. "Can you find survivors with thermal vision?"
"Just about, the flames are getting worse. Be careful."
Huntress felt a swirl of dread but masked it with a smirk. "When aren't I?" she chimed, heading into the burning building.
"Do me a favour and leave the jokes to Nightwing," Oracle retorted dryly.
She clicked her glass rebreather mask into place, the thin metal joining onto her purple mask. "Why? He makes enough bad ones as it is," Huntress muttered, skimming over the flames when she jumped through the hollow window. The room was wrecked, resembling something of an office. "How'd this happen anyway? Jay's a good shot."
"It's partly his and Robin's fault, from how the CCTV looks," Barbara answered. "Two survivors down the corridor on your left."
Huntress followed the direction, avoiding the chunk of ceiling that nearly hit her. "It'll be a miracle if Black Masks even survives this."
"Can't say he'll be missed," Oracle muttered.
"I can't argue there." She smiled grimly, closing in on the two survivors, two maids who were struggling to breathe. "Make sure the Fire Fighters are in position."
A sliver of fear trailed down his spine when he saw the blaze of fire. Blue Beetle flew through the air, eyes wide in shock. "Okay, you were right, she definitely doesn't have the situation under control," his voice hitched.
'Unsurprising,' the Scarab replied. 'Her skills of deception were mediocre, which is a sad revelation considering she still fooled you,' the machine chastised.
Jaime frowned; he really didn't need to be reminded of Helena's lies when people were dying and there were a bazillion questions racing around in his head. He needed to focus. "Can we please focus on the burning building?" Shit, this looked bad. Was Helena okay?
'I'm sure this isn't the first-'
"Cállate!" Jaime snapped, shutting the Scarab up. His frown faded when he saw Robin struggling to lift Batman up. "Hey! You guys okay?" He zoomed down onto the roof.
Robin looked up, looking in worse shape than his mentor. "We're fine. Just go help Huntress." The boy pointed to the burning building.
Blue Beetle looked at the two worriedly for a second before nodding, flying off towards the building. Fire trucks were positioned with their ladders drawn up to rescue survivors through the windows. Jaime concentrated and materialised a mask to filter out the smoke, it covered the lower part of his face.
He dived into the upper floor where most of the injured would be and started searching, wincing when a flame came too near his face. Blue Beetle lifted up some rubble as he searched. "Keep an eye on our body temperature…uh…amigo." He didn't even know what to call this thing and it had been over a week.
'I do have a name,' the Scarab said coldly.
Jaime winced, feeling a little bad. "Sorry, you never said."
'You never asked.'
Blue Beetle held back a sigh, did Scarab really have to pick a fight now of all places? "Right, sorry. Anyway, can you do a scan for any injured?" he asked, scrutinising the destroyed room as the flames devoured the furniture.
'Scanning.'
The ground shook beneath his feet, making Jaime hover in the air. He really wasn't sure this place was going to last another ten minutes. His stomach flipped, making him feel sick.
'Down the hallway to your right.'
Jaime blinked and quickly shook his head. Focus. He rushed down the hallway, the corridor falling apart as pieces of the ceiling cracked and fell, which is when he saw a man run past. "Hey, I'm here to help!" Blue Beetle yelled, chasing after him. "I can get you out through-"
The man turned around, mid-run, and shot at him. Jaime skirted out of the way in time as the bullet skimmed passed. He only caught a glimpse of the shooter, who had dark hair with a white streak at the fringe, with a domino mask over his eyes. Then he disappeared down a literal hole in the floor.
It made him wonder what this building was used for. Blue Beetle flinched back when a large chunk of the ceiling came down.
'Other life forms detected down the right-hand corridor,' the Scarab said, unfazed.
"Hopefully they won't shoot," Jaime muttered, flying down the hallway.
The Fire engine's ladder couldn't reach the destroyed upper floors, so Huntress had resorted to dangling out of the window as she handed the people over.
The two top floors of the tower were completely destroyed and had given way, adding more pressure to the already unstable foundation. Her costume clung to her skin as she sweated, and her hair was sticking to her mask and cheeks.
Huntress ran down the hallway which was flooded from the burst pipes, twelve inches of water submerging her ankles.
"Huntress, Blue Beetle's entered the premise," Oracle told her.
Helena felt a swell of relief, as her lips curved into a smile. "He never disappoints," she murmured, running down the hallway. "Anyone else on this floor?"
"The thermal readings are getting blurred by the flames, but I think I can make someone out further down the hall," she replied. "Take a left."
Huntress jumped over a small hole in the floor where water was flowing down like a makeshift waterfall. "Any news on Robin and Batman?"
"They're heading back to the cave, but Batman's still unconscious," Oracle answered. "You need to be quick, the building isn't going to hold for much longer."
"I know, don't worry," she promised, it wasn't like this was the first time she'd been in this situation, the only difference being that Batman had been with her. "Which way?"
"Second right –avoid the hole—and it looks like they're trapped under some concrete," Oracle instructed.
Huntress slid into the room, looking around. The water had diminished most of the flames, looking six inches high, leaving the room dark and devastated by the fallen ceiling, with leaking busted pipes poking out of the walls, and furniture was thrown everywhere. There were still some flames on the furniture but that was the only other source of light.
"Far right of the room," Oracle said, her voice rising. "You have ten minutes, and then you need to pull out."
"Copy that." Huntress hurried over to the pile of concrete, she could hear a noise/groan coming from it. "Just hold on." She started moving pieces of brick, revealing the ankle of bloodstained trousers.
"Ffffnth!" shouted an unintelligible voice.
She threw the concrete over her shoulder, straining a muscle until she managed to get a majority of the rubble off the person. The floor creaked loudly like a tree branch starting to break.
"Fucking hurry it up!" Now she recognised the voice.
Black Mask's body looked broken and twisted, with his leg snapped back under a pipe, clearly broken. His white suit was now brown and the physical mask that was burned on his face was badly cracked in places.
He didn't look happy to see her. "Hurry up!"
"Huntress, get your ass out of there right now," Oracle snapped, her voice vibrated against Helena's ear.
"I am." Huntress narrowed her eyes, swallowing a bad taste in her mouth. "Hold on," she replied, moving to lift him up. He grabbed onto her when she pulled him up onto his knees, his fingers digging into her waist. "I need you to work with me here."
He gritted his teeth and glared at her, pushing nearly all his weight on her. "I fell through two floors, kid, you're lucky I'm still conscious," he growled, managing to find his footing as she wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
She wrinkled her nose when his breath touched her skin, wanting to recoil. "Come on," she snapped, dragging him with her, but she froze when her foot hit a weak spot in the wood panelling, a loud crack erupted when the combined weight landed on the spot.
The floor gave way beneath them like a chasm, bringing a waterfall of water and brick down with them.
Black Mask yanked on her arm while she grabbed her grappling hook, shooting upwards on instinct, not paying much mind where she was aiming, only focussing on upwards as they fell down and dirty water hit her face.
"Huntress?!" Oracle was yelling through the earpiece.
The hook lodged into the ceiling on the upper floor, creating larger cracks in the plaster. It stopped the fall for a second, leaving them hanging on for dear life, but the hook wasn't holding and started to loosen.
"Huntress, come in."
Huntress hastily clicked the retractor to pull herself up while Black Mask wrapped his arms around her neck.
The ceiling gave way as she was pulled up and the hook fell. She grabbed onto the side of the flooring, scraping her arm against the split wood in an effort to grab something. Her salvation came in the form of a metal pipe that was spraying water; the grappling hook fell from her hand as she grabbed the pipe to stop herself from slipping off into the gaping chasm.
The water splattered her face and got in through the filters of the glass mask. Black Mask coughed and spluttered when the water hit him, grabbing her waist. "Hold on," she snapped at him, breaking her other arm free. Her gaze landed back on the grappling hook while she tried to grab the pipe with her free hand.
"Huntress, you better answer or I swear to god—"
"Copy!" Huntress spluttered, as the sharp edges of the wood panelling dug into her ribs. "Save the threats for when I'm not in a deadly situation!" She grabbed the pipe with her other arm, feeling the Black Mask's weight slip to her thighs.
"Someone's coming down the hallway," Barbara warned. "I called Robin, he's on his way."
Huntress gritted her teeth "Great," it was hard to speak and she wasn't sure what kind of answer Oracle was wanting, right now Barbara was a viewer watching on a screen. Even if Robin hadn't made it to the cave and was close by, he still wouldn't get here in time.
The water made her costume too slippery and Black Mask lost his grip. She felt him claw to grab tom her belt, so her free hand—instinctively—whipped out to grab his wrist before he fell. The sudden jerk had a domino effect.
The floor she was holding onto cracked and the sound felt like a punch in the gut as the pipe bent and the floor gave way, pulling her and Black Mask down with it.
A hand wrapped around her wrist.
Jason was above her, flat on his stomach, with his arm stretched out just far enough. "God damn it!" he snarled, trying to pull her up, but the combined weight of her and Black Mask was too heavy. Her gloves were soaked from the water.
Black Mask crushed her hand as his other hand grabbed onto her arm, straining Jason's grip further.
"Let go," The Red Hood hissed.
The building was coming down around them and her fingers were breaking from the mobster's vice grip. Huntress met Jason's gaze and bit down on her tongue so hard it bled, subconsciously her hold around Black Mask's hand loosened.
The mob boss held her hand so tight it felt like the bones would break.
A large chunk of the ceiling nearly hit Jason, which triggered an expression which was panic with a mix of fear as his face scrunched up tight. "Oh fuck you," he snarled, his right hand let go of hers while his left held on.
He grabbed his gun from his belt and shot Black Mask in the forehead.
She flinched at the sound and the heat of the bullet grazing her cheek. The iron grip that had crushed her fingers broke as Black Mask's dead weight fell down into the hole.
Jason dragged her up and across the floor, away from the edge as the room crumbled in on itself. Huntress was thrown against the wall.
"Next time when I say let go, you fucking let go!" he shouted, spit hitting her face. "That piece of shit was not worth dying for, do you understand me?" He roughly grabbed her face in his hands, glowering at her.
She tensed, pressing her body against the wall, the rage on his face was frightening. She nodded quickly. "Yes," her voice was hoarse.
His glare softened a fraction while his hands tightened. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, bruising her ribs, smothering her face against his shoulder. "I can't lose you," his voice was hushed against her neck.
He pushed her away when they both heard a loud crash as the walls cracked. "Come on," She shoved him away, grabbing his hand.
"Huntress, Blue Beetle's two floors below, on your second left," Oracle's voice had a hard edge to it, concerned and anxiousness mixed into one. "Get the hell out. Him too."
Jason held her hand as they ran through the collapsing hallway. Huntress tried to regain her focus, pushing Black Mask out of her head. Focus on those consequences later. Get out.
"Take a left," she snapped, dragging Jason in the right direction. "I got a friend. Two floors down."
"He better know how to fly," he growled. They reached a massive hole in the ground. "Shortcut." He jumped down, pulling her with him. She landed ungracefully. "Keep up, sis," he quipped.
She glared at him. "Stop dragging me like a rag doll then," she snapped, heading for the stairs which were partly destroyed with a few mangled dead bodies torn apart on the steps.
"Right turn," Oracle instructed when they landed on the right floor.
"Right turn," Huntress repeated to Jason. She saw Blue Beetle through the door archway, handing a civilian over to a Fire Fighter. "Blue!" she shouted, gaining the teen's attention. "Get us out of here."
Blue Beetle looked over his shoulder, eyes wide when his gaze shifted to Jason. "Wait a sec he—"
Huntress body slammed into the armoured boy when the walls collapsed, the building finally fell.
Jason wrapped himself around her while she grabbed onto Jaime's neck as a burst of blue light surrounded them, another person was pulled into the embrace as smoke and ask consumed them all.
The noise roared in her ears as scrunched her eyes closed, afraid she'd be blinded by the ashes or some form of debris. She only opened them when the temperature around her changed from hot to freezing.
They were outside, surrounded by some kind of blue force field and hovering twenty feet in the air. The Fire Fighter was holding onto the civilian, a dark haired woman in torn clothing, and was gripping onto Blue Beetle's arm. Jason was still wrapped around her back, latched on tight.
The building behind them was completely destroyed, nothing but a giant mess of bricks and concrete. The ash covered the entire area like a thick fog, the lights from the ambulances, Fire engines, and police cars blurred together.
"Relax guys, we're safe," Blue Beetle reassured, lowering them to the ground. The force field disappeared like a bad aerial reception.
She loosened her grip and slid her hands from around his neck when her feet touched the ground. "Thanks," she said, stepping back when Jason let her go. It was only when she made eye-contact with Jaime she remembered their earlier confrontation. Huntress opened her mouth to speak but stopped short when she heard Jason take a hurried step back. He was going to escape.
She grabbed her handcuffs and whipped around to fling them on him. Jason was ready for her and grabbed her wrist, using his foot to knock her off balance. He handcuffed her to Blue Beetle and then kicked the boy to the ground, her along with him.
Jason smiled down at her apologetically. "Sorry, Sis," he whispered, and then turned on his heel, disappearing into the thick brown smoke as it started to spread.
"Oracle?" Huntress growled in frustration, yanking Jaime up with her when she got her feet.
"Don't worry I've got a lock on him. Head back to the cave," Barbara told her, sounding calmer. "Arkham's said they moved the Joker to a secured location."
Huntress nodded. "Copy that…" She sighed. Her thoughts flashed back to Black Mask, with him dead this unveiled a whole new set of consequences and the gang war was already getting worse, and the last thing they needed was a power vacuum. At least it meant Jason would need to revise his plans, though—
"Please tell me you have the key?" Blue Beetle said, raising his cuffed wrist.
And, then there was Jaime. She hesitated for second before turning around to face him. "It'd be stupid not to," she replied, trying to smile but didn't quite manage it.
Blue Beetle stared at her for a moment, his mouth setting into a thin line and leant forward. "Helena," he whispered, making the hairs on her neck prickle. "I know."
Of course, you do. She wanted to bash her head against the tarmac. This is why it wasn't wise to get close to people, hadn't her dad taught her that already? In their line of work, the detachment was key and this was a perfect example of why.
"How did you figure it out?" she addressed the metaphorical elephant.
"The Scarab never trusted you and well, the hair, voice, and eyes were kind of a clue, but it's also the way you speak."
Huntress chewed the inside of her mouth, she'd worked hard to try to make Helena Wayne sound posher than Huntress but it looked like she'd let her guard down. Stupid and careless. Her dad was so going to be pissed off with her, and God help Jaime.
"So, did you just pretend to like me?" Blue Beetle asked, uncharacteristically cold.
The comment actually stung. "No," she answered, as her brow creased. "I liked spending time with you, and I rarely do with other people," she told him stiffly, swallowing a bad taste. He frowned. "Unsurprisingly, I don't have many friends…"
His frown deepened, the two of them staring at each other as other people rushed around them. She stopped looking when a red motorcycle came through the fog with Robin at the wheel.
The boy quickly dismounted and took his helmet off, smiling in relief. "You're okay," he said, stuffing his helmet underneath his arms. Then his gaze wandered to the handcuffs and he frowned. "Why are you two handcuffed?"
"Not the time, Robin." Huntress sighed, glancing at Blue Beetle from the corner of her eye. "We need to get back to the cave and tell Batman what's happened." She looked pointedly at Jaime. "Come on."
His eyes bulged in surprise. "Wait what?"
She dragged him with her over to Robin who looked just as confused. "We can't bring him?" the boy wonder argued. "And, what about the cops, they kind of need to know what happened."
"He knows, Robin," she said sternly, walking over to the R-cycle. "You can send the Commish a report when we get back."
Realisation dawned on the young boy's face. "Oh…" He grimaced when he looked at Blue Beetle. "Well, the boss won't be happy." He put his helmet back on and sat back down on the leather seat.
"He's already in a bad mood," she murmured, sliding onto the seat behind Robin, jerking Jaime forward. "Come on."
"I can fly," Blue Beetle said, stumbling when she yanked him forward. "Yo sé, permítanme tratar este," he hissed, irritated. He better have been talking to the scarab.
Robin passed her a helmet. "You don't know where we're going," she replied, putting her helmet on. "Get on."
Jaime pursed his lips stubbornly but got on the motorcycle, barely fitting on the end. He wrapped his arms around her waist to stop himself from falling off. The grip was a lot less painful than Black Mask's, which was appreciated.
Robin started the engine and reversed out of the area. Blue Beetle held on tightly, his armour pressed against her back. Her lips dropped, as guilt and frustration swam around in her stomach. "Hey listen…" she muttered, half turning her head to him. "If it makes any difference, I'm sorry for lying. It's kind of part of the job but…yeah, I'm still sorry," she apologised uncomfortably, looking away.
Blue Beetle remained silent while the Scarab beeped loudly like a low whine. "…Did you really like spending time with me?" he asked quietly.
She felt a tiny warmth light up in her chest as the corner of her lip tugged upwards. "Well, you make a nice change from all the usual doom and gloom, I guess." She swallowed thickly, biting down on her bottom lip.
His hold loosened and was almost tender. She frowned. Strange. Her stomach was doing that weird thing again like she'd jumped too fast off a skyscraper.
Batcave, Gotham
05/21/2014
22:45
Jason peeled his mask off as he walked over to Batman. His Robin costume was soiled with mud and he had some dirt on the side of his face. "One of these days I'm gonna kill Beast Boy," the teenager snarled.
Batman was staring at the computer, looking through some hospital files. "You'd have to get through M'gann first," his mentor replied evenly. "I heard the mission was still a success."
Robin rolled his eyes and leant against the big leather chair. "By the skin of our teeth, so Nightwing wasn't happy," he replied. "But we still pissed off the Light, so I consider that a win."
"Hm, good." Batman hummed, still staring at the screen. He was looking at a recent John Doe that had turned up in the city morgue.
Jason scrutinised the screen. "Who's the dead guy?" The body was a bald white guy with a heavy tonne of muscles, he had a number of bad looking bruises on his face and body, and a big old bullet hole in his forehead.
"Judging from the fingerprints, Silky Cernak," Batman answered, grimacing.
Robin tensed, narrowing his eyes. His lips formed a snarl, so this was the shit-head who Helena had been having nightmares about. "Who bumped him off then?" he asked, frigidly.
His mentor's lips grew thinner. "There's a rumour he stole from Black Mask."
"Pfft, idiot more or less signed his own death certificate."
"Selina led the operation," Batman said, coolly.
The teenager's shoulders stiffened. "Oh…" Ah, fuck. "Is she…?" He was already imagining Helena's heartbroken expression, it made his chest tighten uncomfortably.
"We still don't have a body," Batman answered, detached.
Shit, this was uncomfortable. Robin scratched the back f his neck uneasily, averting his gaze. "She fell from a bridge three months ago, whatever's left could be long gone," Jason said softly, inwardly wincing. "And the blood they found-"
Batman's jaw clenched. "Selina is not the type to commit suicide," He stood up from his seat, making Jason stiffen. "Not when she has Helena to think about," there was an edge of steel in the vigilante's voice.
Robin's throat was dry, nodding quickly. "Okay, my bad… sorry, boss," he replied, as his brow furrowed. "You're the one always telling me not to rule things out."
His mentor scrutinised him like an ant under a microscope. "Until I find a body, Selina is MIA, understood?" Batman's voice remained cold.
Jason bit down on his tongue, not trusting himself to speak, so he just nodded instead, crossing his arms.
Behind them both a small box in the corner of the screen flashed red, distracting Batman's attention. It would be one of the movement sensors upstairs. When the cameras were brought up they saw Helena, dressed in her pink onesie with white polka dots, wandering around on the ground floor, looking lost as she hugged her stuffed animal close to her chest.
Robin's shoulders slumped, unfolding his arms. "She must have had another nightmare," he stated, scowling. "I'll deal with it."
"No, it's fine," Batman lowered his cowl, frowning at the screen. "I'll go talk to her."
But, Bruce wasn't good at comforting; he'd just make a mess of it. Jason's scowl grew. "No, I got this," he said, starting to take off his costume as he walked away. "She likes it when I comfort her."
His mentor's brow furrowed, arching an eyebrow, but he ignored him and wandered off. She didn't climb into Bruce, Alfred's, or Dick's bed when she was upset, she preferred Jason, and he liked that. He liked that quite a lot because, well… it was nice to be appreciated.
Batcave, Gotham
09/19/2023
22:34
His head was hammering and he could hear the squeaks from the bats, the sound echoing around the cave. There were also voices, a fourth which he didn't recognise at fist.
Bruce groggily opened his eyes and was blinded by a surgical light, a thick bandage wrapped around his crown.
"Ah, welcome back to the land of the living, Master Bruce," Alfred spoke.
He sat up quickly, wincing from aches and pains in his back. His thigh was sore and bandaged up. The stab wound, he remembered, clutching his head.
"Hey, Dad…" Helena stepped into view of the light, clasping her hands anxiously. Her mask was off and a pair of handcuffs were dangling from her utility belt. "You had a concussion."
Bruce's face scrunched up, as his vision became less fuzzy, looking around. Robin was hanging back in the shadows next to… his eyes widened.
Blue Beetle was in the cave, the armour around his head pulled back to reveal his face. The teenager gulped and held up a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr Wayne."
The cave was silent as Bruce felt his muscles tense and his eyes narrow. He got out of the bed, despite the soreness and hint of pain. His bare feet hit the cold stone, putting pressure on his injured leg. "Start explaining," he growled, taking a threatening step forward despite the pain throbbing from his thigh.
Jaime Reyes took a step back while Helena quickly pushed herself in front of the boy. "He figured out my identity which is why I brought him here so you could…well, you know, lay down some ground rules," she said hastily, raising her hands up.
Bruce ground his teeth together. "How did he find out your identity," he kept his voice calm.
She lowered her gaze, fiddling with her hands. "Helena Wayne may have hung out with him longer than necessary…and lowered her guard."
"Why are you speaking in third person?" Blue Beetle frowned.
"Shush," she snapped, shooting him a glare from behind her shoulder. The glare disappeared when she looked back at her dad. "I know I should have listened to you, I'm sorry," she apologised quietly.
Bruce folded his arms as he glowered at her. Then Alfred cleared his throat. "It's not a crime wanting to spend time with someone your own age, Ma'am," the elder man said firmly, narrowing his eyes at Bruce. "And, it'd be hypocritical of your father to hold it against you."
His butler had an amazing talent of making him feel ten years old again. Bruce's glare faded, glancing away to avoid the elder gentleman's ire. "I'm not holding anything against anyone," he muttered, pursing his lips for a second. Bruce sighed and looked back at his daughter and then his scowl returned when his gaze shifted to Blue Beetle. "Well, it can't be taken back, what's done is done." Besides, a mind wipe probably wouldn't work with that machine on his back.
Helena glanced up. "So, you won't drive him out of town?" she asked hopefully.
Blue Beetle squirmed under his glare. "I'm not letting him out of my sight," Bruce replied coldly, moving towards the young hero as he gently nudged Helena to the side. "And if you do ever betray our trust I will make it my mission to take away every joy, hope, and dream you have," he growled, towering over Jaime as the kid's eyes widened like saucers. "Do I make myself clear?"
The teenager's shoulders hunched up as he shrank away. "A-absolutely, Sir," he stammered, his head bobbing up and down frantically. "I'm never going to tell anyone, I swear to God."
"Okay!" Helena pushed herself in-between them. "That's enough threats for today." She pushed them apart. "We need to talk about Jason."
Bruce glanced away from Blue Beetle and nodded grimly. "What did I miss?" he asked, absently touching the bandage on his head when it itched.
"I messed up." Robin's gaze was glued to the ground when he stepped forward. Bruce frowned, turning to him. "I wasn't paying attention when I shot a Birdarang at Jason," Tim explained, looking up. "He got off balance and shot the middle floor of Black Mask's tower. The whole place came down."
"And, Jason killed Black Mask trying to save me," she added, clasping her hands behind her back, tense. Robin looked at her in alarm while Alfred sighed. Blue Beetle was struggling to understand the ramifications of this.
Bruce looked at them both with a tight expression, not sure where to start. "Black Mask is dead?" he repeated, staring at Helena who nodded. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We need to prepare for the fallout…" A bad taste formed in his mouth. "I'm executing contingency plan #23."
"23?" Jaime commented, frowning. Bruce threw him a sharp look, making the teenager wince. "Right, none of my business."
Tim's forehead creased for a second before he nodded. "I'll update Oracle."
"Is the Joker still secure?" Bruce asked.
"Locked up tight," Robin answered.
"She contacted us earlier," Helena said. "Jason didn't return to his apartment and he's on the move again."
Bruce's face grew cold and more closed off. "Where?"
"He's taken cover in Chinatown," she answered, looking him over. "You're not in good condition to fight him, dad."
"Finally someone with sense," Alfred drawled, standing at Bruce's side. "You won't be jumping from rooftops with that limp, Master Bruce."
Bruce felt a rise of frustration, turning to the elder man. "I need to bring him in."
"You'll need our help next time," Helena argued, folding her arms, exchanging a glance with Tim. "No offence, dad, but you aren't exactly a spring chicken."
"Watch your tone," he warned. He was still capable enough to fight, it wasn't like he was fifty. Bruce ignored the blood that was trickling down his leg, the wound had reopened.
She raised an eyebrow while Robin tried to hide a smile. "I'm just saying, you'll need a hand… maybe Jaime could even help," she proposed, uncertain, fiddling with her hair.
Blue Beetle looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
"Absolutely not," Bruce shut down the idea.
Her eyes narrowed, resting her hands on her hips. "Don't be stubborn. He's powerful."
Jaime smiled, holding himself up a little higher. "And untrained," Bruce countered.
Blue Beetle's shoulders lowered and the smile vanished. "And, I'm still standing here by the way," he remarked, scowling. "A little courtesy please."
"Sorry." Helena smiled at him sympathetically. "Anyway." She glanced back at her dad. "Jaime was great helping rescue people when the tower came down."
Bruce crossed his arms and looked pointedly at Blue Beetle. "I'm well aware you're powerful, Blue Beetle, but this is a personal matter that I'd prefer you'd stay out of," he said sternly. "Anything involving the Red Hood or the Joker is business you keep away from."
The teenager's scowl was replaced with concern. "I hear you loud and clear, Mr Wayne, Batman… sir." Then Jaime glared at the thin air. "Will you shut up for five minutes," he hissed, groaning.
Bruce arched an eyebrow in Helena's direction, she smiled warily in response. "What? The scarab on his back talks to him," she replied, shrugging.
From the corner of his eyes Jaime cringed. "I'm going to find Jason," Bruce stated, taking a step passed his daughter.
"Master Bruce," Alfred's voice lowered threateningly, he was in front of him in an instant.
Bruce grimaced, his forehead wrinkling. "I don't have-"
Alfred's eyes narrowed. "You are not leaving this cave until you have a minimum of five hours sleep, food, and the wound on your leg stops bleeding on all over my floor," he chided briskly, while his eyes flicked to the bandage which was soaked with fresh blood.
"Your floor?" He almost sighed.
The butler's passive expression remained unchanged. "I cleaned it earlier, sparkling almost." He maintained Bruce's hard stare. "Shall I draw you a bath while Miss Helena changes your bandages?"
Bruce let out a long sigh, knowing the battle was lost. "The minute he acts up…" he warned, turning around to head upstairs.
"I'll have your tights ironed, just in case, sir." Alfred followed behind him.
Tim and Helena failed to hide their smiles when he walked passed, and Blue Beetle looked like he'd witnessed some kind of worldwide phenomenon. Bruce gritted his teeth and tried not to limp, favouring his better leg.
When he reached the foot of the stairs he heard Blue Beetle (the words carrying cross the cave despite the hushed tone). "Your butler's awesome," the teen whispered to Helena.
Don't encourage him. Bruce's lips curved into a grimace. "Go home, Reyes," he ordered over his shoulder, making the teenager jump and Helena laugh.