Ch.57: Fragmented

Talia and James Gordon find themselves in a narrowing dim tunnel with loud bursts of thunder coming from the speakers, along with flashes of lightning that are projected across the walls at their sides. Leading the charge was Talia, Daughter of the demon as she and Jim continue on the path towards whatever laid head of them. Whatever would greet them could have been a thousand possible things, however, it wasn't enough to bring them into that kind of discussion, they were not willing to do so as both of their pride restricts their minds.

But, they both knew what the other was thinking without the need to oust a single breath, they knew whatever was ahead - couldn't be good.

Beginning to undergo a nerving sensation brought on by the tightening walls, Gordon brought on his best poker face, not wanting to show any sudden turmoil with his features, regardless of it it would be that so-called living mannequin from earlier or the mysterious woman that was leading him through the darkness, given little alternative with only dead ends waiting for him from the path behind. He has never been one to feel strongly with the fear of claustrophobia, however, the conditions of his surroundings brought on such a feeling.

Wondering in the dark with his only guide being the walls and the fluorescent paint presumably put below him to act as a sort of crude guidance, but for what? That was the question he was both wondering and dreading. And what did this mystifying woman have to do with any of this? He remembers her, clear as day from their last meeting, the night she attacked Bruce and then him. What was her goal? He was already aware that she was not one to be trusted, but that did not stop him from trying to uncover her.

Talia stops, narrowing her eyes as she looks to be concentrating on something, "hadha alsawt?," said the woman in her native tongue, seeing no reason to continue speaking English at the moment. Locking onto a distant sound, she picks it out as a distorted crying that was being muffled by something, a woman's voice. Giving up all previous concerns, she runs through the pathway and quickly leaves the commissioner by his lonesome in the path of darkness.

"Hang on! Wait!," bellowed Gordon as he watches the woman quickly vanish into the umbra of the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rushing into the next instalment of terror, Talia is greeted with a horrific sight that even threatened to shake her stoic front, but she was able to keep a hold of herself against all odds. Landing her gaze upon the middle of the room, she sees Leslie Tompkins gagged and restrained by zip ties, held against the railings of a roundabout, covered in fluorescent green and purple paint. A haunting choir of distant voices sing around the room, demonic sounding, but Talia gradually understood the noise as some kind of perverse laughter coming from the mannequins around the room, which all seemed to be surrounding Lee.

Coming to the woman's aid, Talia quickly gets to work to remove the cloth around the bound victim's mouth while Lee gasps and cries through it, seemingly trying to tell her something, "Thompkins? What happened to you?"

Once ungagged, Lee immediately screams, "It's a trap! He's behind you!"

Glancing over her shoulder, Talia's eyes focus on one of the mannequins, realizing that it had somehow moved its position and was closer to her, "Aerf," she recites in her first language, looking upon the mannequin with anger, "I am the daughter of the Demon, all that oppose me shall be slain, whether man or monster, all shall fall." The rest of her body follows to match the direction of her gaze, fully facing the living mannequin, "You claim this act of yours is not personal, but continuing to stand in my way...shall prove you wrong, dead wrong."

"Oh you misconstrued my actions, Ma'am," spoke the life-sized doll as he aims his blank face at Talia, rubbing his palms, "I was tasked with leading you to Miss Thompkins here, and from the looks of it, my task is now complete - I really do apricate you being a good sport and playing along."

"*Maetuh*, enough of this! I'll knock that attitude right out of you, *wahasha*," Threatened Talia as she glares at the mutation that was once Basil Karlo, "What did you do with Blüd? Just what did become of the man that I was with before you dared to strike me!"

"Blüd? Ah, I'm afraid that will come later, sorry for the inconvenience but Joker doesn't everything spoiled this quickly," answered the mannequin in the same emotionless voice, void of any character that worked to create an unnerving experience, "As for these threats of violence from you, It's simply not in character for me to hit a woman, see violence really doesn't sit well with me, but" shifting his body, the mannequin transforms into a previous monstrous beast, Clayface.

"-But not for me," grinned Clayface with a toothy smile and widening golden eyes. The creature casts Talia in a shadow of his form as he transforms his boulder-sized hands into dual blades, "It looks like you will finally make the...cut!" Swinging downward with his hand-blades, he is evaded by Talia who moves back to avoid colliding with the weapons of the beast. The two continue their dance of Clayface going in for strikes and Talia expertly evading.

The motion led the two away from Lee and across the room with Clayface continuing to go on the offensive and swinging his blades at Talia who continues to dodge, running up a wall and backflipping off of it to avoid a dual strike from both of the blades, "Your big, but slow! You would have better off in that previous form of yours, without the weight to slow you down!," said Talia as she evades another swing from Clayface and his blades, "You will soon come to regret ever laying a finger upon a daughter of Ra's al Ghul!"

"Lady, I don't even know who that is, but there is one thing that I do know," smiled Clayface as he throws himself onto the ground and spreads out until he completely vanishes from sight and takes his place as the very ground itself. Now treading carefully, Talia quickly circles around and eyes her surroundings, confused and unaware of the pain that would soon come her way. Taking a single step, Talia was struck by a large fist that thrusts out of the very ground itself which threw the daughter of the demon onto the ground.

Before Talia could make sense of her new-found situation, two smaller hands emerge from the ground and lock around her legs to hold her in place and then a new pair lock around her arms, drawing out an angered scream from her as she struggles against the tightening hold of the beast, "*Al'iifraj eaniy!*," continuing to scream for her release, Talia increases her efforts to tug against the locks of Clayface.

Meanwhile

"Bruce... that tape wasn't real, I would never be able to do something that...malicious to a person. That lunatic is t-trying to drive a wedge between us, we can't let him do that," Harvey Dent implored Bruce as they journeyed through the makeshift graveyard, covered in fake tombstones and sheeted ghosts for cheap scares. Psychotic laughter played from the ghosts above the two men, almost as if they were put there to mock them. Similar to the other rooms, sounds of thunder was echoed from the speakers along with quick flashes of lighting. The scene was completed with a soft downpour that came from the sprinklers above them.

Bruce keeps the other man at arm's length, unconvinced of his words. His once unwavering trust now turned to an unsure hesitance for the man he called his friend. There was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to be able to take Dent's words and know that Jeremiah's words were nothing more than just a ploy to torture him. But then there was his other half, the detective and the Dark Knight who couldn't be blinded by their love for a friend. The vigilante might be the darker part of himself, but deep down Bruce knew that part was also the most observant, barely ever wrong.

"Hey, Bruce! Are you listening? I'm talking to you - Bruce?" Dent continued trying to get Bruce to hear him out, but Bruce was unwilling to take part in such a converse, instead, his attention was aimed at the path ahead and the horrors that follow, "Bruce?"

"T-This doesn't make any sense," examined Bruce who looks around the attraction which draws ire from Harvey.

"Being kidnapped? Yeah, what the hell is going on! Why would that maniac take me?" protested Harvey with a sigh that held all his anger.

"No, I mean this whole place doesn't make any sense," continuing to look at his surroundings with his sharp eyes, Bruce scowls as the darkness of the Batman threatened to breakthrough Bruce and take hold, however, Bruce kept his metaphorical demon under control, "The layout of this place, it's impossible. We've been walking for nearly an hour, but we haven't found any of the exits - places like these should be covered in emergency doors."

"That madman," whispered Harvey as he takes hold of his coin and rolls it along with his hand, "He must have retrofitted this place to make it impossible to escape! That crazy son of a bitch is probably laughing at us right now..." clamping his fist around his coin, Harvey's eyes narrow with venom as he strains the last of his words.

"No, it goes beyond the lack of emergency escapes...there's something else about this place, look" shifting his eyes to the ceiling as a guide for the other man, Bruce thoroughly looks at the details of the roof, "See those sprinklers? They're spraying right on us, but...," looking at the back of his hand, Bruce watches water pour over his skin, however, his flesh remains dry, "There's something off with this place."

"What's that even supposed to mean, Bruce? What does that have to do with anything!," Harvey exclaims as his patience thins far past his line of comfort, growing more visually agitated by the second, "You're not making any damn sense!"

Before Bruce could try to calm Harvey down, the speakers of the room were taken over by the voice of the Joker, bringing both men to turn towards the antagonizing voice, "Oh, Brucie... You've figured it out, haven't you? That was far faster than even I thought you would figure it out, ha...looks like Harley wins our bet...that little..."

"Harley?" stumbled Harvey.

"What is the point of this, Jeremiah?! You're not proving anything! Why did you bring us to-," Bruce yells as Joker swiftly interrupts him.

"Now, now Brucie...no spoilers! I hear...they really kill the excitement - Observe!"

Bruce and Dent's eyes flinch as new audio plays through the speakers which were comprised the voices of Selina and Bullock:

"You're losing too much blood! Hang on, I'm gonna try to cover the wound! Just stay with me, okay...please?"

"S-She shot me...crazy bitch shot me! Oh god..."

"Calm down, Harvey... breathe! You can be pissed at her later, just focus on not dying in the meantime!"

"N-No... you need to get out of here before she comes back or someone worse...I'll just slow you down!"

"No... No way."

Bruce's ears prick up on the sound of Selina's voice, along with something else like a gentle ticking, "Selina? Selina! Can you hear me? Selina!"

"Sorry, Brucie-boy but she can't! So this is how it's going to go, you keep your adorable mouth shut and I won't send my guys to use that woman of yours and Bullock for target practice? C'mon, I'm being more than reasonable...Ha!"

Grasping at his coin towards the sound of the speakers, Dent speaks with disdain for the madman, "How do we know that recording is even real? I know you faked that audio of me with that recording, so why would I trust a single word that comes out of your sick, twisted mouth!"

"Harv..." Bruce attempts to deter the man from further escalation.

"Ha! Who said that was my recording...? I'm just the messenger!"

"What?" pondered Harvey with a growl, "You're lying! I think I would remember gunning down Aubrey, I saw his assistant do it! And to make your lies even more obvious, the dear mayor never would have had cameras in his office, he was too paranoid for that! You somehow faked audio that made me out to be his killer, it's the only possibility!"

"Hmmm, are you sure about that, pal? There was indeed a camera in Aubrey's office, however, it was planted by someone way more paranoid than him! And I simply obtained the audio from this certain someone's private network - Oh, Dent... someone is lying to you, and I know it isn't me, care to take any guess on who is?"

Obscured from Harvey Dent's line of sight was Bruce who quickly faced him with a regretful look, one that reeked of guilt, "He's trying to get into your head, Harv. That's what he does, he's trying to turn us against each other."

"Yeah-yeah, I know that, Bruce. There's no way that I killed James...I'm not the kind of person that could do that," replied Harvey as he stares at the blood-covered side of his coin, fixating his gaze on it and only it, "I'm not that sort of person..."

Bruce has a delayed response, looking upon Harvey with hesitance before speaking, "...I know that. I know, Harv. - Follow me, I know where Selina Is."

The two then share a single look before going onward, towards the next danger, "What? H-how?" asked Harvey, walking beside Bruce, "This place is a labyrinth, it never ends..."

"No, not quite. I know where Selina is because no one knows this place better than me, that audio of her also had a certain sound that I recognize. I know how to get there."

Meanwhile

Lucius Fox makes his way through the empty parking lot of Wayne Enterprise, basked in silence as he believes himself to be the only one present. Reaching into his jacket for the keys to his car, Lucius' mind ponders over less important things, such as what he wanted for dinner. Throughout this, came a hidden danger from behind. Two masked henchmen make their way towards him with their guns at the ready. Before they could take another step, they were taken down by several shots that came from their side.

Lucius snaps his head back to find the source of the shots, discovering Alfred not too far behind him. Lucius then sees the two gunned down Joker henchmen, "Huh...I'll call dinner off...again."

Alfred holsters his gun as he approaches Lucius, offering a stern look, "Sorry 'bout that mate, but we have quite the dastardly situation on our hands here. Master Bruce and the lot have been taken."

"They've what? How? Who could manage something like that?" asked Lucius before he hears the sounds of someone new coming their way, echoed by the hollowness of the parking lot.

"Indeed, Mr Fox. Just who could manage such a feat? Your culprit is none other than the man you call Jeremiah Valeska, he has seen to it to trap both Wayne and his allies by using the most reliable tool in any war, far outclassing any weapon: Deception," Nyssa speaks as Lucius faces her, mouth agape at her prescience, "I order you to find the location of Wayne and my sister."

"...Nyssa? H-How...?," inquired Lucius nearly speechless at the mere sight of the woman. Desperate, Lucius turns his puzzled mind upon Alfred, "Hold on...you knew about this...about her? Why didn't you tell us about this, Alfred?"

"Believe me, Lucius, when I say that this is not pleasant for me either, but right now my boy is in danger - we can discuss this matter late, but right now they need our help. Then, I have my own scolding to do."

Meanwhile

Clayface grins as he throws Talia across the floor, laughing as he watches her hit against the wall. Lying on her side, the daughter of the demon struggles to move with pain coming from all over her body, eyes flinching with her hair covering her eyes. Clayface cracks his knuckles before deforming, becoming the featureless mannequin once more, "Oh, dear. Did I overdo it, apologies Miss," the mannequin walks towards the downed Talia with his arms at his side, "I misjudge my strength sometimes, I do hope that I haven't caused any permeant damage to you," the mannequin apologized in a sincere tone as he looks to the crinkles in his suit, "If Joker asks, can you tell him that I did a good job? Sorry, but I really need him happy, he has quite a way with the city."

"L-leave her alone!" Lee screams at him, unable to move from the trap that held her.

The mannequin changes his point of interest from Talia over to Lee, "I didn't do anything to her, that was all Clayface. I swear, he can be quite a nasty creature sometimes, but unfortunately...that is the role that I must play" replied the sentient blank mannequin as he checks his cufflinks.

"Basil, right? That's your name? You worked for all kinds of criminals, but Jeremiah? I thought that you would never go that far," Lee tries to fight against the zip ties, pulling with all her might, "What can he possibly have to offer you that you can't get on your own? look at you, what you can do! You can be anything that you want, so why work for Jeremiah?"

The mannequin moves into a thinking pose, pondering over Lee's question, "Indian Hill changed my life, it killed the man that was Basil Karlo and just left...blank, a creature that could copy anyone's appearance. Do you know what that does to a person? Taking on any face, but never having one that you can call your own? I barely remember my time as Karlo, nothing that can make me him again," explained the mannequin as he continues towards Lee, "Everything about Basil is gone, erased. Not even a file of his birth. As far as the world is concerned, he was never born. And if I can't learn about him, I can never reclaim that identity...my identity."

Lee creeks her neck over to look at the mannequin, "So you're doing all this just for an identity? You're trying to kill my friends because you can't remember a single face?"

"My face! It's my identity, the one that I can call mine. I'm tired of playing the part of others, I just want to know who Basil was, that way I can finally look at a mirror and see a face that's mine," the mannequin replied as he stops in his path to Lee, "I know his face, but that's not good enough. I need to know *him*. I need to know who he was, what he was. Only then can I finally retake that form, and Joker's the only one with the files on him. I work for him and I get the files I need."

"Get the hell away from her!," shouts Gordon, entering the room and keeping his eyes trained on the mutated man, "Is that why you masqueraded as Harvey? Just so you could get your greasy hands on your file on G.C.P.D? Where the hell is the really Bullock!?"

The mannequin connects eye contact with the commissioner, "I didn't have anything to do with your friend's capture, honest. I was tasked with keeping tabs on you by pretending to be Harvey Bullock, but that's as far as my involvement with Bullock's capture goes. It was my job to keep you alive and off the trail of anything that could lead you figuring out Joker's plan, and in return, I would have the chance to use Bullock's credentials to obtain files on Basil Karlo, but even the police records were gone, somehow they too were taken."

"Then what? If the files are gone, then they're gone. There's nothing that *Joker* can offer you now," reasoned Gordon as he slowly moves to Lee's side, "He doesn't have any files to give you, don't you get it? He can't give you what doesn't exist."

"Uh-Uh, Jimbo, think again!," Joker's voice begins to play from the speakers, "There is still one file left and I have it! Somehow someone wanted to delete all of mudflap's records, I have no idea why anyone would want to do that, but hey...it gave me an opportunity and I sure wasn't gonna let it go to waste!"

"Jimbo?" thought Gordon.

"But whoever is behind erasing all of Basil's files missed one! And thanks to my dearest friend, I now have access to it. It has everything Clayface here needs: Life experiences, criminal history, marital status, birth certificate, medical history and even a psychiatric profile. And only I can give it to him now that my friend is experiencing some login issues...Ha! Now, Clayface...do your job"

"Yes, boss," the mannequin nods, "If you want a way out of here then follow me. I'm the only one here that knows the way out." The mannequin then morphs again, this time taking the form of a viper that slivers away at a break-neck speed out of the room.

"Basil!," Gordon yelled as he rushes to Lee's aid to help loosen the zip-ties, "What is he planning?"

"Jim!," Lee bursts to get his full attention, "That woman, Talia. Check on her, please? She's here to help."

"What?" came as Gordon's only response.

Elsewhere

"Four twenty-seven, four twenty-eight, four twenty-nine, four-thirty, four thirty-one," counted Bruce as he catalogued his own steps down the dimly lit hallway, cast in the faint glow of the neon green paint. To anyone else, his ramblings sounded nothing short of a madman, a sentiment that Harvey was beginning to share. The two make their way down the path, Bruce was taking the lead while Dent followed close behind, "Four thirty-nine, four-forty, four forty-one, four forty-two."

"Psst, what are you doing, Bruce?," asked Dent in a whisper shared between him and the other man as they pass another set of speakers, "Isn't it a bad time to be getting in your daily steps? We're in a bad situation here."

"You heard Jeremiah, Harv. He'll send his goons after Selina and Bullock if I tell you what's happening...you are just going to have to trust me, alright? And of course, I know that we're in the middle of a complete mess! I don't need you reminding me every five seconds...my eyes are fine," answered Bruce to the best of his abilities.

"Well excuse me for being on edge when my best friend thinks that I'm a murderer, believe it or not, that puts a guy on edge," Harvey growled as he continues to follow the path shown by Bruce, " Oh, and waking up handcuffed to the floor also doesn't help!"

"Four fifty-three, four fifty-four, four fifty-five," stopped Bruce as he pinpoints his eyes to a wall as he bares his hands against it, "Not so smart now are you, Jeremiah?." Pressing his ear against the wall for a few moments, Bruce's eyes widen as he comes to a realization.

"What are you doing?"

Bruce moves his head from the wall and faces Harvey, "It's a hollow wall. Help me with this, Harv."

"Hollow wall? Come on, Bruce - Now you're just grasping at straws! This whole thing is completely insane!," stopping as he watches Bruce effortless punch through the false wall, Dent changes his tune with a quick gulp, "Just how did you know that?" joining the other man in the act of tearing away the false wall, Dent couldn't help but stare at the look of determination on the face of Bruce, unlike anything he has ever seen, best described as a calm storm.

"Our *gracious* host sure has been mute for the last half-hour, it's not like him," commented Harvey as he tears a strip from the wall, "Can't believe that I'm saying this, but that madman is even scarier when he's quiet. At least when he's mouthing off with speakers, we know he's far away from us, but the bastard could be anywhere..."

Once they were finished and had created a large enough space for them to pass through, the two men make their way into the next part of the house, walking into the right wing of a small theatre. Bruce's eyes recognize the sight, knowing its true location. His ears pick up the soft-ticking from earlier, leading him to look at the projector above his head. Harvey looks around, eventually finding something of importance, "Bruce, look!"

Bruce's eyes find Selina near the front row of seats and hurry to her, "Selina!" Finding both the dark-haired woman and Bullock, Bruce moves to his knees and examines the state of the grounded man, "What happened?"

"Bruce? How d-did you?," asked a distraught Selina, masked by the smudged makeup on her eyes, rosy-red cheeks and soaked eyes, making her emerald eyes stand out more from the dimness of the room, "H-Harley-shot-him! Bullock needs help now."

Bruce roams his hand over Bullock's wounded leg, covering his palm in the blood leaking from the limb, "Okay-um, give me a moment. He's bleeding bad, but it looks like she didn't catch his fibular artery - I can save him. Bruce removes his Demin jacket and rips off one of its sleeves, "Bullock, this is going to hurt."

Bullock gives a smile despite his pain, retaining his optimism, "Oh, and here I was thinking h-how mu-much a walk in a park the bullet to the leg w-was." He begins to squirm and swallow several harsh swears as Bruce ties the torn clothing around his leg. Bullock holds his arm over his mouth and bites down on the leather of his jacket to conceal his screams as Bruce knots the torn clothing and tightens it. Selina sighs in relief upon seeing Bullock now bandaged up.

"Will that hold?" asked Selina.

"Hard to say, he's lost a lot of blood. We need to get him medical treatment as soon as possible. I'm glad that Harv and I got here when we d-," looking over to Dent, Bruce sees the man staring intently at something, "Harv?" following the lines of his gaze, Bruce too finds what he was looking at, "Oh my god..."

Watching the screen of the private theatre, Bruce sees the looping footage of Harley's murder of Maria, over and over, the grainy-filtered footage plays, never becoming less terrifying, "That's the apartment that I set Maria up in before she left, but-but that's not... No...Karlo..."

"H-Harleen...?," Dent ponders as he holds his temple, "No, no...she's wouldn't! This much be another one of that clown's tricks..."

Taking the opportunity, Selina leans in closer to Bruce to whisper, "Harley's a monster, Bruce. She was playing you for that...bastard. She needs to be taken out before she...s-she takes another life. She has to pay for what she did."

"S-Selina, I... This is..."

"Heya, do I hear my ears burnin'? Oh hi, B! Lookin' goooooddddd! Covered in blood suits you, if ya want, I can help you with that look! Sorry 'bout the whole knockin' your ass out before, but I couldn't just ask you to come with me, hope ya understand! So...cat's outta the bag, eh? Yep, I sliced the kitty's mom and gave Bullock one-hell of a thrashin', ah...good times."

"You.." growled Selina as she stands up, "The next time I see you... you're dead...dead..."

"Butt out, I'm talkin' with, B. Geez, such an attention whore, I ONLY killed your mom, sheesh. - you really need to learn to let bygones be bygones, lettin' all of that anger built CANNOT be good for your health, trust me...I am a doctor!"

"Harleen!," Bruce yells to retrieve the blonde's attention, "I knew that you had your weird tendencies, but falling for Jeremiah? You're deluding yourself if you think he has the ability to love anything! He'll throw you to the wolves once he's done using you, just like he did with Ecco!," facing the speakers of the room, Bruce continues, "He did tell you about her, right? Ecco worked for him, every waking moment before and after Jeremiah became nuts! And what did he do to thank her for her devotion to him? He shot and killed her without pause."

"Ya think I don't know what I'm doin', B? Sheesh, I'm hurt... Oh wait, that's just a cramp. You think I don't know workin' for Mistah J isn't a risk? That any moment, he could just shoot, stab or impale me? That's part of the thrill! And just like life, you never know when you're gonna get screwed, but that doesn't stop ya from living it!"

"Goddamn crazy bitch...," Bullock mutters under his breath.

"Why do you think I wanted to work at Arkham? Because the risk was so...excitin'. And why do you think I wanted to work for you, you're the most dangerous man in this city, B. Bein' with you was so memorable, an' I love ya for it."

"What about your father, Harleen? You made a promise to him, are you sure that this is what he would've wanted you to become? He wanted nothing more than you to help those in need, those who are desperate! You could've been a hero in your own right!," yells Bruce towards the speakers, "You could have been Gotham's hope!"

"Ah, so you pulled that card, eh? I Gotta say, B...that's cold...even for ya. I like it!"

"Bruce..." Selina stammers.

"Sure, I miss my papa, but what can I say? I am keepin' my promise to him, by helping those in need! You all are the very same people I vowed to help, B. You keep fightin' for this impossible dream of savin' Gotham if anythin'...you all are the delusional ones. Mistah J and I are here to show you all the truth, openin' your eyes to the true world, an abyss of deception and lies, a hellhole not worth savin'."

Without changing his expression, Bruce's mind is bombarded by countless thoughts of regret that were all for the blonde, "We gave you a home, Harleen..."

"And I'm gonna give you somethin' even more valuable: the truth. This is for you, B. This is my love for you all. - BUT moving on from that sentimental crap, let's air some dirty laundry. Hmmm, let's see... Dent and my own secrets have already been exposed, so who will be next...? Hmmm. Ah, I know! Let's skin the cat!"

Selina's eyes narrow upon hearing the blonde's words, "I have got nothing to hide from you, Quinzel! I'm not gonna let you have the satisfaction, you crazy-ass freaking bitch-clown!," turning to face the others to reveal the truth on her own terms, Selina finally reveals her secret. "Bruce...there's something that I have to tell you, I know I shouldn't have hidden it this long, but...I'm Carmine Falcone's daughter."

"-W-what...?," whispered Bullock as he moves to sit up, "Your sisters with Sofia? Damn, that's nuts, but that's it? Honestly, that's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Wait...you...y-you don't care about that?," asked Selina who looks to Bullock and Bruce, "I th-thought if you knew...you would hate me...?"

"Oh, kiddo...every family has its psychopaths, don't be ashamed just because yours has a bigger name than most," smiled Bullock to Selina.

"Selina...," averting the woman's attention, Bruce was next to speak, "Your still just Selina. A Kyle or a Falcone, you're always gonna be Selina to me, and I wouldn't want it any other way." Selina then turns her eyes towards Dent who stares at her.

"Dent?"

"A name is just that, it's the meaning you put behind it that counts...," answered Dent, secretly squeezing his coin behind his back while he fronts a smile to Selina, "Continue to live freely without the fear of consequence, it's what you deserve..."

"Thank you, hear that?," shifting her eyes back towards the speaker, Selina harshly gazes, "Your twisted joke of getting us to fight amongst us won't work, we're above whatever you have planned! I told them my secret and they don't resent me!"

"Oh, that's the thing...who said I was gonna reveal your secret? There's more than one way to skin a cat, Kitty. But, this has given me an even better idea! By coming out to these fools, you think you've been proven of their care for you...oh how wrong you are, but that's gonna have to wait! You want a rematch with me so badly, don't ya? Then come and get me, let's end this. - How about we finally get that double-date plan out of the way? Me and Mistah J are waiting on you Kitty and B."

"You're on, I'll destroy you," hissed Selina.

"I'm already shaking with excitement, Kitty. And to B, if you truly do know where you are, then you should know where to find us. I'll give you a hint: tic-toc, behind the clock! You and Kitty come alone, Toodles!"

"I knew it," thought Bruce as he shuts his eyes, "...I hate being right sometimes."

Selina turns her attention to Dent who a frail look, "Harv, I know that I'm asking a lot, but could you keep an eye on Bullock? It's too dangerous for you to go against Jeremiah and Harley, I know what they're capable of. Same with Bullock, he's in no condition to move, can we count on you."

Dent walks over to Bullock, eyes locked onto the still looping film, "Do what you must... I'll look after Bullock."

"Thank you, Harv."

"Hold on you two," protested Bullock as tries to sit up, "You can't go at it alone, it's far too dangerous. We need to wait for backup if there is any."

Dent sits down in the seat nearest Bullock and looks to Bruce and Selina while he holds his coin, "Let's hope that somehow Batman knows what's happening and is coming to save us. He has to know something, he always does."

"...B-Batman? Just what we need, another masked lunatic running around," stammered Bullock as he continues to struggle, "But right now, I guess beggars can't be choosers."

Before they headed out Selina takes one more moment to look over Bullock, "Do you still have your flask?."

"Uh-Sure, but what for...damn things empty," Bullock takes out his flask to show Selina who snatches it out of his hand. The dark-haired woman then growls, hurling the flask up towards the projector and breaks its lens, ending the nightmarish loop of the film from continuing, "My dad gave me that thing," mumbled Bullock.

Selina then follows Bruce towards the exit of the private theatre.

Elsewhere

Watchtower

Alfred and Lucius stand at the Batcomputer, looking over the screen. At regular intervals, Alfred would look over to Nyssa to check her location and her current actions. The older daughter of the demon stands at the face of the opaque clock, looking disinterested in conversing with the two men. Lucius continues to work through the files on the monitor, but becomes agitated over time with a constant lack of progress in locating their allies, "It's not working, Alfred. Whatever protocol was triggered with that Ivy fiasco is still messing with the system. I'm locked out of doing anything."

"How's that possible? You bloody designed the blasted network, how are you not able to get through it?" Alfred queried Lucius' position.

"I don't know, Alfred. The network might have seen the attempt to access the Batsuit's inner functions as a hazard to Bruce, so it locked Talia out. But that shouldn't have happened since she is cleared to access the Network. In fact, alike you, Mr Wayne and myself, she is granted absolute access as per Mr Wayne's instructions," Lucius explains while he still tries to get through the firewalls in place, "She should have never been locked out in the first place."

Alfred holds his arms behind his back, clearly becoming impatient, "Think of something fast, Lucius - We need to find Master Bruce and the others, think. There has to be a way." The humble butler faces Nyssa when hearing her chuckle to herself, "Oh, I'm sorry - Is there something funny happening here, missy?"

Nyssa stands while resting her chin over the back of her hand as she continues to face the face of the clock, "Only your naivety. You all have become too reliant on your precious technology, that is why Alwatwat can never rule over the League of Shadows. He cannot be a myth when he cannot function with the tools of man."

Alfred holds his hands in his pockets as he steps towards Nyssa, "Oh, is that right then? Why don't you tell me your solution to this dilemma, if you have one that is?," sternly glaring at the woman, Alfred lifts his hand to point at her, "And his name is Bruce, stop with this *Alwatwat* nonsense."

Nyssa's smile widens, "Not even he calls himself *Bruce* anymore, he surrendered that identity when he trained under the league. The boy who you once know is gone, only the bat remains." Nyssa then turns to stare down Alfred while keeping her smile, "And for your inquiry, I grant you the privilege of my assistance." Playing with the knife in her hand, she begins to pace, "May I offer you this piece of advice, Mr Pennyworth: How about instead of focusing on the kidnapped, you focus on the kidnapper, hmm?"

"Jerome Valeska?" Alfred's eyes track Nyssa's movements along with the knife that she was holding.

"Bingo, my-my, you're a perceptive one," taunted Nyssa as she was not below still toying with the man, "Where would that vile creature think of putting Alwatwat? What would be the sickest and most twisted place that he could think of, hmm? What is the one place that can be used to torment Alwatwat and is free from all prying eyes, well?"

"What are you getting at, Al Ghul? Well then, out with it, mate."

"Forgive me, I forget how dense you are, no wonder Alwatwat counts on Mr Fox for the important matters," brushing stands of hair from her eyes, Nyssa stops moving and grins, "Isn't quite the coincident that the Batcomputer's network is glitched when a matter like this is happening, what are the chances of that? Still don't get it? Very well, let me ask you this Mr Pennyworth, what is the one place that can hold the Batman? The one place can only be watched by the Batcomputer's network that is currently useless?"

Alfred finally understands what Nyssa wanted him to know, realizing the truth behind her words and now able to see everything clearly, "My god... Valeska has done it. But that would mean that he...," shifting his eyes towards the Batcomputer with an intense look, one that screamed anger, "My god..."

Meanwhile

"Bruce, what did Harley mean by that whole spiel of you know where we are? You don't exactly seem like a person who would be up to date on their haunted houses?," Selina asked as she and Bruce make their way into the newest room, a wider room with bordered windows and furniture all coated in the same fluorescent paint, decorated by cobwebs throughout and skeletons, "Seriously, this is all whack." Selina watches Bruce move away from her and go towards the Grandfather's Clock.

"Don't trust your eyes, Selina. Don't trust your ears. Trust only your instincts, I know this place like the back of my hand. It's all the same, exactly the same as...," without looking, Bruce reaches off to the side and towards a chessboard, moving the Knight piece, "We're not in a haunted house, but this place does have its ghosts..."

"...Bruce?"

The Grandfathers Clock begins to chime, moving out of its spot to reveal a hidden passage, "This is my home. We're in Wayne Manner and somehow Jeremiah has tricked us, made us see things that aren't true but I know this house, the layout."

"That psycho," agreed Selina who stands next to Bruce, "They're in the Batcave? How is that possible?"

Bruce thinks for a moment, eyes narrowing, "Jeremiah used Harley for more than we thought, he used her to gain access to the Batcomputer's network through the Bunker. That's why you were locked out of the network with the situation with Ivy. And that how he got... - He has everything, all my research... he has everything. He was watching us through my own network and I had no idea..."

"Then he must have activated the Batcave's lockdown protocol, right? Shit, so this really is the mansion. Why do I have the feeling that the only thing that deactivates them is also the Batcave? So we have to go down there to face them? Good, 'bout time I got to hit something."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Meanwhile

Batcave

[I tried so hard my dear to show that you're my every dream. Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme. A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart]

Joker sits with his legs crossed at the main hub of the Batcave with the Batcomputer behind him. grinning as he latches his eyes to the monitors and sees Bruce. The crazed man's eyes reflect the features of Bruce, watching him like a hawk. The pleasure he feels from such a simple act as witnessing the man stumble his way through with Selina was nothing short of a miracle. Like a thousand Christmas at once and hundreds of screaming disappointed children. The man in purple crosses his arms as his grin stretches wider, "Oh, Bats...you already have me shaking... Oh, I CANNOT wait for the main event...HA!"

[Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart]

Facing towards the other screens and spotting Jim with Talia gave the man pause, followed by a roll of his eyes, "Looks like good ol' mudflap is keeping the B-team busy, which means Bats and I can have some time to ourselves". Shifting his position, Joker plants his feet on the floor, twirling in his chair and facing Harley, "And you and the Cat can have your own date."

[Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue. And so my heart is paying now for things I didn't do]

The blonde was filing her nails, seemingly uninterested in the going-ons of the room as she only gives some attention to the man in purple, "You got it, Mistah J. Man, this Batcave-thingy is a whole lot roomier than I thought it would be."

"Well, of course, it is. My Bats doesn't settle on anything less than perfection, I love him for that - makes it easier to overpour him now that I control all of his little toys," exploding with a hit of laughter, Joker continues to spin on his chair, "Well then, Bats! Let's really make something special this time! HA, HA, HA!"

[In anger unkind words are said that make the teardrops can't I free your doubtful mind, and melt your cold cold heart...]

To Be Continued...

A/N:

You may have noticed that this chapter was the first upload after months of nothing being added to the story, this is because I was taking a break from writing - for both rekindling my passion for this story and to also focus on real-life things, apologies for the delay of uploads and future apologies as I will not be able to keep up a consistent uploading schedule, Unfortunately. Though I am still committed to this story, I am unable to spend too much time on it.

But I will TRY to get a chapter out possibly one every month, once again I do apologize for this as I may not be able to keep to this schedule.

But to move this onto a more positive note, there are a few things coming to this story hopefully in the mere future. First are layout changes to hopefully impose the reading experience through the mobile app and changes involving the chapters themselves.

First, edit changes:

1: I've noticed that the soft scene transition indicator or the "-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-" can become two separate lines in the mobile app, so to hopefully resolve this, it will be shortened to "-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-" Hopefully this will help with a cleaner and more visual appealing experience for users of the app while still being clear to said readers.

And for the changes to the chapters.

1: Redux Chapters.

- From reading the first nine chapters of this story, you would not be mistaken to think of them as rough compared to the state of the story now, so eventually, I will be returning to those chapters and updating them to better match the most current chapters. Such changes will include a more fluent arc that will still resemble the original, as well having the same story beats. - It was still be about Nyssa and Talon, however, it will be greatly expanded with the characters. - Now with reference to what I want the characters to be, I can now hopefully go back to better plant those seeds for their growth.

2: Season 6's future

- Starting from Chapter 23 and spanning all this way, the current story of Season Six will indeed soon end and will make way for the next part which will introduce Robin (But Dick Grayson will appear before that as a minimal role in the next few chapters) As such, a few changes will be made to his character. Such as his age, he will not be eight nor twelve-years old as per his usual incarnations, he will be a little older and in his mid-teens to compensate for Bruce being older compared to other versions of Batman.

Character Deaths

- Also near the end of the current story, there will be deaths of certain characters. Not going to say who, but more than one character in the supporting/main cast will die. I'm sure those more familiar with the Batman mythos will be able to figure out the deaths before they happen.

Returning Heroes

- A couple familiar faces will be returning! Characters from the Gotham TV show will be coming back in this story during its next arc. To be clear, it's not going to be a bunch of characters, but will only be a few. For instance, one of those characters will be Silver St. Cloud. I'll leave it at that.

New villains

- Villains of old and new are coming to Gotham, first is Punchline, Joker's new Henchwoman.

The next adventure!

A lot of people want a more grounded street-level story, so I'm pleased to inform you that the next main villain with be Hush with loose inspiration from the story that shares the same name as the character. There will also aspects from Dark Victory, with the introduction of Robin. As a relief, the story will be no where near as long as this one and you only span around 10 or so chapters.

Along with Hush, Robin will have a plot involving Tony Zucco and his release from Blackgate that could drive the boy wonder down on a dark path that is made more enticing by Hush, who uses far more extreme tactics to control the underworld of Gotham. Willing to kill and torture those in his way, Hush will be a villain that will challenge Bruce's ideals as said villain will shake the underworld of Gotham far more than Batman ever could.

Changes in the main cast:

Acting a somewhat new season (Like how I consider the current story a "Season 7", the next will be a "Season 8"), the story will feature a rotation of several characters to take centre stage alongside Bruce. Obviously the first is Dick Grayson, next will be Silver St. Cloud, Barbara Gordon - and for no reason what so ever, Thomas Elliot will have a large role - but I wouldn't think too much into it, it's nothing - really. Vicky Vale will also have an upgraded role, but more of a recurring character than a main.

This story will take place after a three-year time jump after the conclusion of the Vandal Savage plot.