"No fair!" the Hatter screamed as he started tearing his hair out.
This was supposed to be his moment of glory. This was all Batman's fault; the real one. Even in death the Caped Crusader haunted him. Why did he have to bear such torment from the man in the cowl?
"Hatter, Wonder Woman is leaving the room with the prisoners…" Zatanna started announcing.
"She isn't under my control anymore!" Jervis shouted. "I know!"
"Mister Terrific is starting to break through the teleporter blocks. He may be able to teleport the rest up here soon…"
"Good!" Hatter said pacing around irrationally as Therese violently began to destroy what was left of the tea party. He hadn't planned for this. He didn't anticipate that this could happen. They needed to be stopped. He worked too hard, endured too much trials and humiliation to end like this. Even Mr. Robinson abandoned him but he still triumphed.
"You two!" Jervis shouted at Superman and Green Lantern. "Go with the Flash! Kill them all! Don't worry about prisoners anymore!"
Superman and Green Lantern flew out of the Monitor Womb with the doors shutting behind them, securing the Hatter with his Alice. He figured it would be better to let the slaves he had left on the Watchtower root out the pests instead of waiting for them to come to him. Besides, any minute now more reinforcements would come, or so he hoped.
"I assure my dear, they won't be able to get in," Jervis said while cooing Therese.
Wonder Woman and Shayera flew down the halls of the Watchtower, hoping that Hatter would send Superman or Green Lantern after them so they could trap them. Batman and Robin went on the other side to try to engage and trap the Flash while J'onn waited in one of the panic rooms. Diana and Shayera were currently gliding across the empty somewhat spooky halls of the satellite. It was really quiet and awkward. Neither woman had said anything. Finally Shayera, deciding she couldn't stand the silence because it was making her think of her other problems, decided to speak.
"So…"
"We're not discussing what happened earlier," Diana snapped. "We have a mission."
"Right now we're going in circles. I doubt us talking will hurt the world."
Diana ignored Shayera and continued to stare on forward, her eyes narrowing.
"Look, I know you don't want to talk about this but…"
"It's my personal problem. None of your business."
"It doesn't hurt to talk to someone else though!" Shayera shouted before reminding how she was acting the same way with her pregnancy. God she was becoming a hypocrite.
"Shayera," Diana warned. "I know you're trying to help but drop it."
"I'm pregnant!" Shayera shouted.
"What?" Diana asked a little shocked by the revelation.
Shayera closed her eyes and sighed.
"I'm pregnant right now. I had a feeling for about two months but refused to acknowledge it but the test came back positive today. Stewart's the father."
"What?" Diana asked in surprise. "Isn't he dating…"
"Vixen still. Yeah I know, men are scumbags. Well anyway I can't decide what to do now. Do I keep it, give it up for adoption, or…"
"I think you would be a great mother Shayera," Diana remarked.
Shayera shook her head.
"It's a lot more complicated than just the pregnancy. Do I tell John and face the risk he'll break my heart again or that he'll get back together with me only because he feels guilty and I'll have that hanging over my head for the rest of my life? No, I rather he come back to me because he wants to, not because he feels like he has to. And how the hell am I going to raise a kid while being on the League still? I barely have enough…"
"Shayera," Diana said with much assertiveness in her voice to stop the winged woman from ranting. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I haven't really talked to anyone about this and trust me, it feels a lot better now! Now it's your turn, talk!"
Before Diana could try to come up with a counterargument, a buzzing was heard in their commlinks.
"Wonder Woman. Hawkgirl. This is Oracle. I've managed to get connected to the League commo. Based on the cameras, it seems Hatter has now sent Green Lantern and Superman after you two."
Diana sighed. Good, the Hatter was getting desperate and not thinking things through. The more he sent out, the more vulnerable it made him.
"There's a problem though…"
"What?" Shayera asked. What could be worse than the father of her unborn baby trying to kill her now?
"Mister Terrific's breaking through my blocks back at the Metro. I can slow him down but not indefinitely. They'll be able to teleport some of the mind controlled leaguers up at the Watchtower as reinforcements soon. You need to hurry."
"Is there any way you can shut down the teleporters?" Diana asked.
"I could try but I'm sure Mister Terrific has some sort of back up. I can try to bottle neck it though; disable all but one so they can only teleport one Leaguer at a time when they're able to connect to the Watchtower again."
"Alright. Keep us posted. Wonder Woman out," Diana said and hung up on her commlink.
She looked at Shayera.
"I can take John…"
"Oh hell no! You don't think I pass up an opportunity to hit that prick in the face?"
Diana couldn't help but smile a little.
"Good luck," she encouraged. Shayera eyed Diana with her brilliant green eyes.
"We'll continue this discussion later. You aren't off the hook yet Princess."
Batman and Robin stood at the end of the corridor.
"Hey! Hey!" Robin kept shouting while jumping up and down. "We're right here!"
"Flash doesn't have superhearing," Batman corrected.
"I know it was worth a shot. He can easily search the entire Watchtower in a matter of seconds. Why is he taking so long?"
"I dunno," Batman remarked. "Perhaps because half of his mind is trying to fight the Hatter's control it's able to slow him down and he can only go super fast?"
Batman wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. His mind was distracted by what happened moments ago. It wasn't kissing Diana that was bothering him. It was what happened during the kiss and afterward. His mind kept thinking about her, not Diana. When he started to kiss Diana with passion, his mind wandered onto her. After all this, it was her the whole time. He wasn't thinking of Diana when he kissed the Amazon which was something of a challenge considering Diana was a very beautiful woman. He was thinking of Barbara. After everything, for some reason his mind had wandered to her during the kiss. For a second he forgot he wasn't kissing Diana and imagined it was Barbara's lips he had bonded to.
But that was only half the story. When the spell was broken, he was snapped back to reality and saw that Barbara had seen everything via the monitor. She looked hurt by the action Dick had done. Why should she be hurt? They broke up a long time ago. They were over each other. It was just a summer love. But the way how Barbara's eyes had widened, her face slightly red and her lips thinning was still popping into his head. It was as if it wasn't Wonder Woman who got a rude awakening but him. Why was he thinking about this now?
"Batman, he's coming," Robin said, looking at a scanner that showed a fast-moving red dot.
"Wait for it," Batman warned. In the distance he could the faint sound of someone moving fast.
"NOW!"
VRRROOOOM!
"WHOA!"
A red flash of blur headed toward the Dynamic Duo but immediately it stopped to show the Scarlett Speedster spinning out of control midair. Batman and Robin were floating as well. They had activated Flash's countermeasure; turn off the gravity in an area and it made it hard for him to walk. Flash however began to rotate his arms really fast to try to propel them but Batman was ready. He threw an electronic battarang that hit the Flash right in the neck, sending an electric pulse throughout his body.
ZZZZSSSSSSAAAAAAAPPP!
"ARGH!"
Flash's muscle began to spasm and twitch until he stopped moving indicating he was out cold.
"Alright J'onn he's out, you can turn the gravity back..."
THUD!
"Ow," Robin complained from the pain he felt in his body from J'onn suddenly turning the gravity back on.
"A little heads up would be nice," Batman muttered before walking over to pick up the unconscious speedster.
Special thanks were due to Mister Terrific for giving Bruce that idea awhile back.
Diana stood in the hallway, waiting and listening for her opponent. She knew Superman was coming in her direction. She was ready and the trap was set. Normally she would prefer fighting head on as it was more honorable and akin to the Amazon way instead of a sneak attack but it was the best way to subdue Superman at the moment. Bruce's plans always required a little sneaky subtlety. That forced Diana's mind to focus on something else.
Bruce…
She couldn't help but notice she was standing in the same hallway that she had an interesting conversation with him a few years ago. It was a night she never forgot. The night he had to admit there was something between them. Was it love? Who knows? But still, it was an important night to their relationship.
"And truthfully, it's all still pretty much of a blur to me. Did I miss anything?"
"Not really. The important thing is that you're safe."
"Yeah. Of course, that's not the only important thing…"
But then CADMUS came around and they were distracted by other things so they never really had a chance to talk about their relationship. She always thought there would be plenty of time. She didn't know why they both put it off. Was it fear? A desire to be alone?Diana shook her head, she needed to stay focus. She needed to be on her toes.
BOOM!
SWOOSH!
Sure enough, the not so subtle sound of Superman flying through the hallways was heard. Diana got in a defensive stance as she watched Superman charge at her in his stupid Wonderland costume. Superman went for a flying punch but Diana expected that and dodged it while making sure to bring her knee to Superman's gut.
"UNGH!"
The Man of Steel grunted and Diana head-butted him, making sure her tiara hit his head hard. Superman's eyes only squinted in pain for a second. Diana knew it was time to run now. She had his attention and he was mad.
SWOOSH!
Diana took off flying and Superman followed in hot pursuit.
ZAP!
Red hot lasers grazed Diana's side and she realized he was trying to get her with his laser vision. He was going for the kill. She was almost there though…
"NOW!" she shouted.
A blinding burning red light hit her in the face but she kept flying until she heard a loud thud. Quickly she stopped and turned around midair to see Superman on the ground groaning in pain. The entire hallway was lit up with red light. Red solar light to be specific. Diana knowing to take advantage when an opponent was down quickly sped and knocked Superman unconscious before he had a chance to get to his feet.
"I'm sorry Kal," she whispered as she used her strength to carry him down the hallway.
Shayera stretched and gave a few practice swings. She had a lot of pent-up rage just begging to be released. What was taking John so long?
BAM!
A green blast that almost hit her got her attention and she saw John flying towards her. His blank glowing eyes focused on her.
"You want to dance sweetheart?" she challenged and flew into the air with him chasing after her.
BAM! BAM!
He kept firing blasts but she dodged them. John wasn't always the most creative with his ring. She then turned a corner with a sharp turn before doing a one 180 which allowed her to get a good strike at John and totally take him by surprise.
WHACK!
"Ooomph!" John groaned.
However he soon regained his composure and continued to fire at her. Shayera dodged the blasts again and took off. John was right behind her when she suddenly did a dive roll on the ground that John passed over her. She sprang back up and managed to get another good swipe at him bringing down her mace on his back.
WHAM!
She had to admit, she was enjoying this a lot…
"Shayera you need to lure him to the trap! You can't try to knock him unconscious on your own…"
CRASH!
Shayera managed to knock John right in the face with so much force and charge with her mace he passed out cold on the ground. She immediately took off his ring. She knew him too well.
"I'm sorry you were saying J'onn?" Shayera asked proudly. She didn't need a trap.
J'onn, Batman, Shayera, Wonder Woman, and Robin all stared at their three unconscious prisoners. They looked so peaceful and harmless while unconscious but they all knew they didn't have much time. They needed to free their minds.
"We'll start with Flash first," J'onn said and looked at Batman who gave an understanding nod. J'onn's eyes glowed orange and Flash began to stir.
Batman found himself in what looked like Metropolis or what was left of it. It was littered with bodies and Darkseid stood triumphant while beating a lifeless Batman all over the place. Flash was stirring before he woke up and started to cower in fear of the sight before them. Batman almost found himself desiring to flinch as well. It was even more disturbing when the beaten Batman spoke as Darkseid continued to slap him on the ground.
"You are a disgrace…a slacker…worthless idiot you couldn't save me…"
"No!" Flash protested. "No!"
"Batman…"
"I got this one," Batman cut J'onn off. He knew what the problem was probably because he was a little friendlier to the Flash.
"Wally," Batman said, imitating Bruce's voice. "You aren't a disgrace…"
"Don't listen to him…" Darkseid mocked. "You failed…"
"Sometimes we fail. Even I do," Batman shouted back in Bruce's aggressive voice. "A real hero isn't about never failing; it's about getting back up and rising from the ashes!"
That seemed to reach Flash who stopped shaking slightly.
"Think about it. Who was it that defeated Brainiac on his own when no one else was standing? Who was willing to sacrifice his own life to the Speed Force so his friends can live? Would you want me to blame myself if you had died?"
"Don't listen to him!" Darkseid shouted. Flash ignored it and started getting to his feet.
"Why should you be allowed to sacrifice yourself and not me? You know our jobs need us to make difficult choices," Batman reminded. "It's all part who we are. It's why I can call you a hero…"
"Don't listen!" Darkseid warned
"No!" Flash shouted while looking at Darkseid and the fake Batman. "The real Batman would never blame us for his choices. Time and time again he showed he was willing to give his life for the mission just like the rest of us! You aren't him!"
The world around them began to distort and Flash fell to the ground clutching his head. Batman was already prepared and didn't let the momentary pain flashing across his head bother him this time. Before he knew it he was back in the panic room with the rest of the gang and Flash was shaking his head.
"Wha-what happened?" Flash asked.
"They'll explain," Batman said pointing to Robin, Shayera, and Diana who were standing on the side watching.
"Dick?"
"Let's go for John," Batman ordered the Martian.
"Don't you want to rest?"
"We don't have time," Batman reminded.
The Martian sighed.
"I'm coming with you guys," Shayera ordered.
"Shayera I don't think it's wise…" J'onn began to speak but Shayera responded with a glare and a tap of her mace that silenced the Martian.
"Very well," J'onn said reluctantly as his eyes glowed orange again.
Shayera and Batman found the world swirling around them. This time they were in what looked like the Metro Tower. John was stirring and like Wally and Diana, was beginning to cower and cry in fear like a child.
Shayera, J'onn, and Dick realized on the computer screen in front of them was a tape replaying two people kissing. One had wings…
Shayera's face went deep red. Batman and J'onn were staring at her.
"That's how some people grieve!" she shouted angrily in her head.
"You used my death to sleep with her…" a voice taunted. Batman and the rest realized another bloody Batman was there, this time he had his arm around an imitation of Shayera. It wasn't a good one. She looked so weak and helpless.
"You drove her into my arms when you broke her heart."
"What?" the real Shayera asked confused. That never happened. Was John that jealous?
"How does it feel to drive the real woman you love away? And as soon as I die, you use her emotions to sleep with her just so you can hurt her again!"
"No! It wasn't like that!" John shouted.
Shayera finally was reaching an understanding. The Hatter had used John's guilt with not only Batman's death but his guilt over hurting her. It was also playing on his own jealousies and insecurities. A part of her was touched by this. John was feeling guilty for hurting her…
"I'm sorry John…" the fake Shayera said as the fake Batman pulled her closer.
"Oh hell no!" Shayera shouted angrily to John.
"Shayera I would advise…"
"Shut up J'onn!" she screamed in her head and walked over to John to slap him in the face.
WHAM!
"Ungh!"
John groaned in pain when her hand made contact with him.
"Snap out of it John!"
"That's not the real her…" the fake Batman tried to start.
"Oh please!" Shayera shot back. "John you know me too well. Do you honestly think I would be so cowardly and weak like that?"
Clarity seemed to be reaching John as his eyes finally made contact with the green eyes of the real Shayera. For a brief second Shayera saw the look of love before they were replaced by the shocked look of recognition.
"Shayera?" John said.
"NO!" the fake Batman yelled as he charged towards them.
Without even turning around Shayera, swung her mace over her head and made contact with the fake Batman as she grabbed John's hand.
WHAM!
When the mace made contact a blinding white light appeared again and they all found themselves back in the panic room.
Batman was rubbing his head. He didn't even have to do anything this time.
"What the hell?" John said as he looked around.
"You owe me big time," Shayera muttered and pushed John to the ground tossing his ring back to him before stomping to the other side of the room.
J'onn looked at Batman and shrugged.
Batman nodded. Only one left; Superman. For some reason Batman was feeling a little nervous.
Pretty quickly Batman and J'onn found themselves out of the panic room and somewhere else for the fourth time. They were in Metropolis again. There were piles of bodies of all the League members with Bruce's on top. He was standing hunchbacked while looking down on Superman who had finally come to.
"This is all your fault Clark!" the fake Batman accused.
"No it's not!" Batman protested in Bruce's voice while noticing the irony. A few hours ago a part of him was blaming the Justice League especially Superman for Batman's death.
"Yes he's right!" Superman cried. "I failed. I failed all of them."
"No Supes, listen to me. You didn't…"
But the cries fell on death ears. Superman collapsed on the ground and continued weeping.
"It's all my fault…it's all my fault…I'm so sorry…"
"Yes," the fake Batman taunted. "If there was anyone to blame for my death it's you. I died because of you. I died because I had to get in the way to save your pathetic soul…"
The world around them began to distort. Batman, Superman and J'onn watched as in front of them was what looked like a replay of Batman's last moments. Batman watched how Darkseid bent down to kill Superman and how at the last minute Bruce came swinging in. Batman wanted to turn away. A part of him didn't want to see Bruce die but he couldn't.
Batman watched as Darkseid walked over to a nearly unconscious Bruce while Superman tried to break free from the prison Darkseid had restrained him in.
"Good-bye Batman…" Darkseid said as he shot the omega beams out of his eyes.
Bruce didn't even bother to flee. Instead he looked to his side at Superman who by pure determination was getting to his feet and fighting thru. Just as Superman broke free Batman saw the omega beams heading towards Bruce.
"BRUCE!" Superman in the memory cried helplessly as Bruce just smiled at him while the omega beams hit him, incinerating him.
The memory ceased and was once again replaced by the fake Batman.
"You see, you failed to save him!" the fake Batman berated Superman. "You fell into Darkseid's trap and he had to give his life for your mistake…"
"I'm sorry…" Superman pleaded.
Batman was paralyzed. Seeing the death of the man he had grown up to love as a father was affecting him deeply. He never thought Bruce would go down like that. Just sit there and await his fate. With a smile as well…
A sudden epiphany was reaching Batman. Bruce was smiling not because of the circumstances of his fate. It was a message to Superman. A message of hope. It was Bruce's way of saying goodbye to Superman. It was Bruce's way to let Superman know it wasn't his fault…
"My blood is forever on your hands…"
"No!" Batman shouted angrily. He stopped using Bruce's voice and replaced it with his own.
"Superman, don't listen to him!" Batman ordered while taking off the cowl to reveal his face. Superman looked up and realized that it wasn't Bruce but Dick in this costume.
"Dick what are you doing?" J'onn asked.
"I'm saving Superman," Dick explained in his head.
"See he's not the real me!" the fake Batman accused. "An imposter…"
"Who knows Bruce better than anyone else Clark? Who's just as good enough to be the next Batman? Don't listen to this monster, it's a trick! Bruce didn't blame you for his impending death!"
"How can you be so sure?" Superman asked. He didn't look like Superman. He looked like a little boy who just had his whole world destroyed in front of him.
"He can't! I'm the real Bruce! I just want to let you know that I died knowing it was all your fault…"
"Bruce didn't die for your mistakes Clark!" Dick shouted back. "He died because he was your friend and he wanted to protect you. He died for you, not because you messed up!"
That seemed to be reaching Superman who was starting to show signs of life again. He struggled to get to his feet.
"Stay down!" the fake Batman ordered. "How do you think he knows how I really felt?"
"Because I hated you!" Dick shouted back. Superman looked surprised and hurt by that revelation. "I hated you ever since you showed up to the Manor with his ashes. A part of me blamed you because it made it easier for me to accept his death. It seemed so much simpler to say that Bruce died because you screwed up. I guess a part of me couldn't let go…"
"He did mess up!" the fake Batman retorted.
"Yes Clark," Dick shot back. "You may have made a mistake, but Bruce gave his life to save you. And after seeing this, even I can't blame you anymore. And if I can't blame you for causing Bruce's death even though a small part of me wants to, that means Bruce didn't blame you either."
That seemed to hit Superman whose face tightened in concentration as he grunted and got to his feet. He turned around to look at the fake Batman.
"You will never sleep…" the fake Batman began to warn.
POW!
Superman with one punch had destroyed the fake Batman who disappeared into a million pieces.
Before Dick knew it, he found himself back in the real world with the rest of the Justice League. Superman was struggling to get to his feet. Diana ran up to help him up.
"Are you alright?"
Superman coughed a bit.
"Some vitamin D and I should be good," he said weakly before looking at Dick. The two men just stared for what seemed like forever. Both their facial expressions unreadable but everyone knew what was going on. The two men had reached an understanding.
"Thank you…" Superman said.
"I'm sorry," Dick said. That startled everyone, not because they rarely saw a Batman apologize but rather it was Dick doing the apology.
"For what?" Superman asked.
"For not letting go and taking it out on you," Dick said and offered his hand to shake. Superman grabbed it with the biggest smile.
"We could still use you, Batman," Superman remarked.
"As much as I hate to break up the bromance," Oracle spoke, "They finally got through my blocks and have started teleporting heroes up here."
Dick looked at Superman.
"You ready?"
Superman grinned.
"After you…"
Jervis with Therese on his shoulders started humming to himself out of tune as a blinding light was shown. The teleporter was back online, sort of. It could only teleport one hero at a time. So far Obsidian, Fire, and Ice had been brought up.
"Hatter, they are coming!" Zatanna shouted.
Hatter swore and raised his fists in the air.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" he ordered.
The mind control heroes sprinted out of the Monitor Womb. Hatter was running around frantically before an idea came to him. He ran to the teleporter pad.
"Teleport me to earth!" he ordered. The sounds of fighting were heard. His slaves had made contact with the Justice League.
"But Hatter…"
"Do it!" he shouted as Therese screeched.
"But Hatter, we still haven't been able to hack through the block that teleports people from the Watchtower to the Metro…"
Hatter groaned and almost threw his hat off but caught himself. No this wouldn't happen. He would win…
"Lock all the doors!" he cried as he saw on the screen that the mind control heroes he brought up were engaging Green Lantern, Superman, Hawkgirl, the Martian Manhunter, the Flash, and Robin. His slaves were at a disadvantage because half the founders were fighting them.
"Shouldn't we teleport more up…"
"Shut up!" Hatter cried and began to curl up in a ball and sniff like a child throwing a temper tantrum. This was supposed to be his finest hour. It was not fair…
BAM!
"Hatter their breaching the doors…"
Hatter didn't hear her and just kept pounding the floor. The doors were knocked down and in flew Batman and Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman charged straight at the Hatter who didn't even seem to notice her entrance.
Batman meanwhile ran up to Zatanna.
"Hey Zee!" Batman shouted trying to reach her. "It's me-AWW!"
"YEE-AHH! YEE-AHH!"
Therese had jumped on Batman's shoulders and started pounding her surprisingly strong fists on his head. Batman quickly grabbed the monkey and threw her against the wall. The monkey moaned and began to look ashamed.
"I hate that monkey," Batman muttered as he turned around. Diana was angrily holding the Hatter by the neck.
"Wonder Woman…" Batman warned.
"Put me down!" Hatter ordered, feeling insulted.
Diana instead with her other hand grabbed the Hatter's hat and smashed it with her bare fist.
CRUNCH!
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Batman turned around when he heard someone screaming and saw Zatanna had fallen to her knees while rubbing her head. Batman ran to help her up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see through one of the monitors, the other mind controlled Leaguers on the Watchtower were being freed from the Hatter's control as well. The signal was broken permanently.
"Oooooooh..."
The Hatter began to moan pitifully.
"You…" Diana whispered angrily. It was clear she felt violated by him. She wanted to hurt him so bad.
"Diana…" Batman warned.
"He hurt us, all of us Batman!" she complained.
"We still have rules…" Batman warned.
Diana glared and looked at Hatter who started to mutter to himself.
"Why is the raven like a writing desk…" he whispered.
Diana sighed. Even if hurting him like he had hurt her and the League would make her feel good, it would accomplish nothing. He was defeated. He was now nothing more than a pathetic wretch. With disgust she threw him to the ground.
"He's all yours…" she muttered and went to the Monitor screen to see if all the heroes were freed down at the Metro.
Zatanna was still rubbing her head.
"What happened?"
"I'll explain later," Batman promised before grabbing the Hatter.
"You're coming with me…" he threatened and dragged the squirming Hatter out of the room.
WHAM!
As soon as he was a good distance away from the Monitor Womb, Batman violently threw the Hatter against the wall. The man cried in pain but Batman ignored him. His eyes were screaming murder at the twisted mad man.
"Who was helping you?"
"What?"
"Don't play dumb," Dick threatened. "Someone had to help you plan this. This is too high stakes for you. Plus you were lying too low to try to rob any banks so you had to have had a benefactor footing the bill."
Hatter just glared at Batman who just smiled wickedly.
"You know, I knew you wouldn't talk. I could have used Wonder Woman's lasso but I didn't, because I'll be honest, I'm going to enjoy what I'm about to do to make you talk…"
That was only half-true. The real reason was he wanted to practice interrogating suspects. See if he had what Bruce had. It seemed to work because Hatter's eyes showed fear and as Batman pulled one fist back violently Hatter began to cry pitifully.
"Okay stop it!" he begged. "I never met him in person. He would communicate through me electronically! That's also how he gave me the money as well!"
"Who was he?" Batman demanded.
"I never met him…"
"You're lying!"
"I swear please!" Jervis choked out pitifully. "The payments stopped halfway anyways. I tried getting a hold of him but he stopped contacting me."
"What?" Batman asked.
"After the original Batman died, he want dark and so did the money. I had to do the rest from scratch. That's why I took so long…"
"Is there anything else?" Batman asked while pulling out an unusually sharp battarang.
"He gave me an alias!" Jervis blurted out so fast his face was deep red. "Mr. Robinson!"
Batman continued to glare at him suspiciously.
"I swear…" Jervis begged.
Batman dropped him before aiming a good punch to his head, knocking him out.
"That felt good," Batman muttered cracking his neck.
Superman stood outside the Monitor Womb looking at space. To think they were so close to becoming slaves to the whim of a madman. Maybe Bruce wasn't wrong with the countermeasures after all. In the background he heard J'onn announcing all Leaguers to check in with him to have their minds clear. J'onn was making all the mind controlled heroes go through his transconscious articulator to wipe out the remnants of the Hatter's signal in case he tried to activate it again. Luckily the founders didn't have to go through with it because they were freed from it by other means.
Superman couldn't help but slightly smile. Despite the near accident, maybe it was all for a reason. Dick was going to join the League now. They had a Batman again. For the first time in a while, Superman could actually feel like he could let go for good. It was over now. Bruce had died, and he needed to stop blaming himself. Deep down a small part of him always would blame himself of course. Bruce did die for his mistakes after all. But the fact that Dick, someone who originally blamed him for Bruce's death, was going to forgive him made Superman hopeful that maybe, eventually he would forgive himself too.
"Superman," growled a rough voice.
Superman turned around to find himself staring at a stocky man with a strange helmet.
"Orion!" Superman shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard the League was attacked the other day. Came to make sure everyone's alright."
"Well I'm not going to lie, some of us got hurt a lot, but they'll push on through," Superman said with optimism. Orion however didn't seem as cheerful.
"I'm also here for two other things," Orion said gravely.
Slightly apprehensive Superman gave Orion a questioning look.
Orion took a deep breath.
"I'm resigning from the League."
"What?" Superman asked in shock.
"Highfather is stepping down to become one with the Source. He's offered me to replace him…"
"You can still remain on a provisional basis…"
"Someone needs to keep an eye on Apokolips," Orion warned. "Even with Darkseid gone, there is always something evil festering there. I won't have time to help you all. Besides you got plenty to pick up the slack."
"What's the second thing you wanted to talk about?" Superman asked.
Orion sighed and pulled out a book and presented it to Superman. It was an ancient book with an Omega symbol on it. Superman quickly skimmed through the book and realized what language it was written in.
"Kryptonian?" Superman asked, amazed that Orion had something like this.
Orion nodded. "It's in an ancient dialect of Krypton. In fact it's so ancient no one from New Genesis could translate it; I figured the Last Son of Krypton can."
"Where did you get this?" Superman asked.
"Remember the reason why I took a leave of absence?"
"One of your people was missing?"
Orion nodded.
"Yes, but he wasn't just a typical New God. He's a scientist, probably the smartest one in the universe. He was the one who developed the Boom Tubes. He calls himself Metron. He's a bit of what you call an observer."
"What do you mean by observer?"
Orion sighed.
"He travels through time and space on this strange device he built. He never interferes though. He just travels around the past to see significant events in history while traveling around space in the present to witness the important current events."
"And what makes you think he's missing? Maybe he's on a journey in the past or in another galaxy."
"He's a time traveler," Orion pointed out. "He always comes back to the exact point he left. Even if he's not traveling through time but just roaming around space, he leaves a way to contact him for emergencies…"
"But he didn't this time?" Superman finished.
Orion nodded.
"Yes. My people have concluded he's probably most likely dead right now. Probably got too close to one of his observations…"
"So what does this have to do with the book?" Superman asked flipping through the book.
"We searched his lab. We found this lying there. Although like I said we couldn't really translate it, we we're able to understand the title of the book."
"Which is…?"
"It is something that we know as, the Omega Sanction," Orion said showing fear which was unusual. "It is an ancient weapon. An evil weapon. One that we have coined the "Death that is Life." It is both a weapon and a punishment. Not only is it a truly destructive weapon but it is also a fate worse than death to the unlucky victim who is given it."
"And you think this book is about this thing you won't speak of?" Superman asked indicating to the book. "Why give it to me?"
"First Metron is missing which has raised my suspicions; secondly my fath-Darkseid was rumored to actually have found a way to use the weapon. There were rumors he had used it before on prisoners that gave him a lot of trouble. Yet it was also reported even he rarely used it because he knew it was a risky and volatile weapon itself."
"You think Darkseid might have used this or activated it somehow before he was defeated?"
Orion nodded.
"It's quite possible. I gave you this book in hopes you can learn more on it than my own people and be able to determine the answers. I can't stay any longer. New Genesis needs me. If you need to get in touch with me, use Barda's Boom Tube."
And before Superman could say anything, Orion activated his Boom Tube and disappeared into the portal, leaving Superman by himself holding the ancient mysterious book. He examined it closely. On the surface it looked harmless but something about it gave an aura of evil. Skimming through the pages he tried to read it but it was in ancient dialect like Orion said. He couldn't understand. He probably could use something in the Fortress of Solitude's archives to help him translate it but it would take time.
He paused to reflect on Orion's warning. Could it be Darkseid, even in death, was still a menace? Could Darkseid possibly have a doomsday weapon ready to attack them? No, Darkseid disappeared with Luthor for good. He was gone.
"You know Bruce, you aren't always right."
Superman shook his head at that flashback of when they first thought Darkseid was gone for good. Bruce was sure he was vanquished. But even Bruce proved to be wrong once when it came to Darkseid. The New God always found a way to come back in some way or another. Superman began to feel even more guilt. He almost died once the last time they mistakenly thought they defeated Darkseid because he let his emotions take control. Once again if Bruce hadn't been there to save him….
Anger began to burn up inside him. If Darkseid had found a way to still harm anyone in the universe even beyond death, Superman was going to make sure this time he would be stopped. No more would get hurt by the evil New God. Superman quickly went to the teleporter bay to get a request to be sent to the Fortress immediately. This was a priority now.
Himalayas
Ra's looked over the blueprints and began to hum to himself.
"Master," Ra's heard Ubu speak from the entrance. "The two you requested are here."
"Send them in," Ra's said as he pulled out some photographs to study them.
Bane and Two-Face entered. The latter seemed a little grouchy.
"What do you want with us?"
"I want you two to rob a museum…" Ra's said nonchalantly.
"What?" Two-Face asked. "You want us to just rob a museum? What about all this talk of new world order and greater plan?"
Bane meanwhile cracked his knuckles threateningly.
"I will admit myself I have reservations about this plan as well El Jefe," he said with mock respect.
Ra's however didn't even look at them and was still studying the documents on his table.
"This is just the first of many stepping stones to the plan," Ra's explained before showing the two Gotham criminals a picture of an amulet.
"What's that?" Two-Face asked a little suspiciously.
Ra's smiled.
"It is the Medallion of Morgan Le Fay," Ra's explained. "It is rumored to grant the wearer untold magical power. It will be very useful for taking on the League's mages."
"So why don't your own men get it?"
"My men don't have the proper ingenuity you two possess. You understand a robbery like this requires a few weeks of planning and finesse. I'm putting you two in charge of it. You will have whatever resources you need at your disposal. All I ask is that you make sure nothing gets traced back to the Society."
"Where is it?" Bane asked.
"Something you all will be familiar with, the Gotham City Natural Museum."
Batman teleported back to the Batcave. He quickly stepped off the pad and took off his cowl to sigh. It had been a long day. Dick was up at the Watchtower all day planning to get inducted into the League. There was a lot more behind the scenes and paperwork involved in joining the League than he thought. Even though like Bruce he was joining as a part time member, there was a lot of stuff he needed to fill out. He then thought about Hatter's mysterious benefactor. He only had one name to go off of; Mr. Robinson. Probably a dead end though. Hatter claimed to have lost contact with him a long time ago…
He was about to take off the costume when he discovered he wasn't alone.
He stared at Barbara who looked like she was just about ready to leave the Batcave and go up to the Manor. The minute they made eye contact their cheeks blushed and Barbara looked the other way. They hadn't really talked since the incident with the kiss.
"Hey Babs…" Dick said awkwardly.
"Hello Dick," she said stiffly. "How did the meeting go with the League?"
"Good, you know, the usual. Do you want to stay for dinner…?"
"Actually I have to go with my dad. Bullock's getting out of the hospital today and he and Montoya are heading over to welcome him. He'll be coming back to the force soon. I'll talk to you later."
And before Dick could protest, Barbara had taken off, leaving Dick to himself. Dick shrugged his shoulders and began to take the costume off when someone hidden stepped from the shadows startling him.
"I take it they welcomed you with open arms, Master Richard?" Alfred asked as Dick jumped in fright. And people thought Bruce was a master of sudden appearances!
"Geeze Alfred! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Dick complained.
The young man caught his breath before answering Alfred's question.
"Seems everything's squared away. I heard Zatanna came down today. How did that go?"
Alfred sighed sadly.
"Miss Zatanna said the recent attack has made her feel like she needs some time to herself. She's moving out again…"
"Why?" Dick demanded. Zatanna was like family to them.
Alfred shook his head.
"She said she felt like she was only staying with us because she had deeper feelings for Master Bruce and was trying to live them out through us. I told her I know that's not true because she has given us the love and support that only someone who truly cared about us could offer. But I respected her decision and she has moved out. Hopefully with time we can see her again…"
Dick could tell Alfred was pained by this. Zatanna had become family to the Batclan. She was almost like a daughter for Alfred. Turning around so he could continue to undress, Dick heard Alfred speak again.
"Her name was Andrea Beaumont," he explained.
"What?" Dick asked.
"The password," Alfred answered. "Andrea. It refers to a woman in Master Bruce's early life. Her name was Andrea Beaumont."
"Who was she?" Dick asked curiously. There were a lot of things he didn't know about Bruce that perhaps only Alfred could tell.
Alfred sighed sadly.
"She was his first love. He met her when he was getting ready to become Batman. Almost gave up everything for her. He was willing to settle down and be happy with her."
"What?" Dick asked with shock. Bruce giving up his desire for vengeance to settle down? Not in a million years.
Alfred nodded.
"It's true. For the first time since he was eight, Master Bruce felt happy again. He chose her over the mission. But she left him. Broke his heart and made him believe his last chance for happiness was gone."
"Then why does he still have her as his password for a lot of things? Do you think he still loves her?"
"I'm not sure," Alfred sighed sadly and sat down in a rare moment of vulnerability. "She returned years later and became the very thing Master Bruce swore he would never become. The Andrea he knew was lost forever. I think Master Bruce has her name as his passwords to remind him every day the pain he felt from love. A reminder for him to stay away from love because it keeps him from doing his job and all it has ever brought him is hurt."
Alfred then looked at Dick right in the eyes.
"I heard how Princess Diana managed to break free from the Hatter's control from Miss Barbara. I always thought there was something between the princess and Master Bruce. Sometimes I hoped if there was one woman who could get him to believe in love again, it was her. Master Bruce needed to realize he could still allow himself to love someone else without forsaking his mission despite what happened to Andrea."
"You think Diana had potential for that?"
Alfred nodded.
"If there was any woman in his life that would've accepted him for who he was and understand the importance of his mission, I would pick her. And now it has been confirmed she indeed had deep feelings for Master Bruce. She was probably the one who could have saved his soul and given him the hope he long lost."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Alfred sighed.
"Master Bruce is dead. I promised his parents I would try to keep him happy and I failed. I always hoped there would be that one woman that would heal him. I really do think Master Bruce like Princess Diana did for him had some deep feelings for her. But neither really acted on them and now it's too late. I don't want to see another person in this family miss the opportunity to be with the person their heart belongs too. You deserve to be happy with her."
And before Dick could say anything Alfred got up and began to exit back up to the Manor level with the same regal poise and grace Dick was familiar with.
Diana sat in her room on the Watchtower. She had her lasso tied to her wrists. She was using it to do some soul searching. The fact she had been forced to confront her own feelings was making her feel very doubtful. It in turn made her also feel weak and hopeless. She didn't like those feelings. She was trying to use the lasso as some sort of therapy but all it did was bring memories of the past with Bruce. There was no denying her feelings. She may've kissed Dick, but she thought she was kissing Bruce. She loved him. And she would've bet that he loved her too or at least felt something more than friendship. But they were both too proud and fearful to take the next step. Now it was too late and her sweetest friend was gone, before they could resolve anything.
She sighed defeated and stood up reluctantly. The lasso was just showing her the truth she already knew. It wasn't bringing her closure though. She needed to do something else. With reluctance she walked out of the room and headed towards J'onn's which was right across hers.
She didn't even remember the trip. The next thing she knew she had entered the room to find J'onn who was sitting next to his transconscious articulator looking at her curiously.
"How did the treatments go?" Diana asked indicating to the machine.
J'onn still watching her uncertainly, began to speak.
"Everyone on the League that was under the Hatter's control has had the signals permanently broken from their minds. He or no one else will ever be able to control them with that technology again."
Diana wasn't really paying attention though. She came here for something else.
"You were right," she admitted.
"What?"
"I wasn't properly grieving over Bruce's death which was making me feel guilty. I guess I was afraid mourning him would remind me of my feelings for him and that I'm too late to express them now."
J'onn sighed and stood up while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Diana," he said softly. "We all are sometimes too proud of ourselves because we're afraid to be seen as vulnerable."
Diana nodded.
"I know," she said. "That's why I'm here."
"What?"
"For me to be able to move on for Batman I need to bring closure. To make the guilt go away, I need to be honest with myself."
"What are you talking about?"
Diana looked at the transconscious articulator.
"You said that can put our minds into our subconscious? Well I think I finally need to confront something there."
J'onn sighed.
"Diana I would advise against…"
"Please," Diana said clutching J'onn's hand. "I need this."
J'onn gave a defeated nod.
Within a half hour Diana was in a robe lying in the soft liquid of the machine. A strange helmet was placed on her as she waited for J'onn to turn on the sensory and auditory dampers so she could be in her own dreams in peace.
"I just want you to understand. This shows no truth or the future. This is just you and your own heart."
"It's my heart that I need to talk to," Diana explained.
J'onn sighed and placed the earmuffs on her and shut the lid as he turned on the machine. Diana felt a slight pain in her head and the world went black. But for only a second.
She was on Themyscira again; her island home. The one place she could feel at ease. It was the most beautiful day it ever had. The soft waves caressed the beach floor with the wind blowing a gentle breeze in her face as the sun kissed her skin. She wore only a robe and just stood out staring in the sea. The water was calling for her and she began to walk in it. It felt slightly cold but comforting as her feet got ankle deep. The slight force from the tide was massaging her feet. She sighed. For the first time in a while, she felt at a peace.
She sensed a presence behind her and she turned around.
Standing behind her was Bruce. He was still wearing his Batman costume but the cowl was gone. Nor did he usually have a cold look on his face. His facial expression may have been blank, but his eyes showed warmth.
"Diana…" he whispered softly and walked to her.
Diana smiled back at him.
"Bruce…" she whispered his name with so much love and met him halfway. Still ankle deep in the water, she pulled him into an embrace. For a long time, what felt like a million years, the two were bonded as one. She began to cry slightly.
"What's wrong?" Bruce asked with concern and broke the embrace so he could look into her eyes. With one gauntlet covered hand he gently began to wipe the tears streaming down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"You have nothing to be sorry about."
"I hesitated. I wanted us to try to take our relationship further but I delayed it. Now it's too late."
Bruce looked in her eyes while smiling sadly.
"It's never too late Diana," he assured her. "Love has no boundaries. Not even time or death can stop it. I will always be in your heart. I never have really left you."
Diana choked and pulled him into an embrace again. This one seemed to last about a billion years. Diana knew she would have to let go again eventually, but she just wanted to make it a little longer.
"I have to get going soon," Bruce said reluctantly.
Diana gave an understanding nod and reluctantly broke the embrace. She had both hands on his shoulders and was looking into his eyes with a look of love.
"I guess this is goodbye," Bruce said sadly.
Diana managed to stop herself crying again. She knew this was important. This was the closure she needed. She never got the chance to say goodbye to the man she loved, let alone reveal her true feelings to him.
"Goodbye Bruce," she said sadly.
Bruce put one hand on her waist, the other on the back of her head.
"I love you Diana," he said as he pulled her in for a kiss.
Diana lied in the machine liquid. Her eyes still covered and hearing muffled. The machine was still on and she was still in her subconscious, undisturbed. She would be waking up soon. She had just dreamed Bruce said the he loved her. This was the chance. Her chance to admit her feelings finally. It may have not been the real Bruce but at least she would be honest with herself.
"I love you too Bruce," she whispered in her dreamy trance like state. Her lips tightened and she began to kiss the air. It may have not actually happened, but it was real for her, and that's all that matter.
This was the end of something. She needed to let go. It was a last kiss. But also the first kiss for a new beginning. The beginning of her finally moving on.
Up next we ride into the next arc, The Code of Honor. Bruce is in Camelot where he meets new allies and faces old foes. However he soon finds himself being haunted by death…literally.