CHAPTER 2: Aftershock
Author's note: I've always loved the ripple effect portrayed in Injustice and the tie-in comics. I bring this up because that version of Harley has always stuck with me as being one of my favorites. As such, I've taken inspiration from that version for this fic. As well as a few other things from it as well.
Diana slowly and gradually walked down the stairs, nervous and mind racing. Bruce saw her face and concern washed over him. He asked her if she was alright, if everything was okay. Uncertain of how to answer, Diana merely told him the news she had just found out. He asked if she was sure. She told him she was. Alfred's stoic expression was replaced by elation and pride, whereas Tim's was of shock and amusement. Alfred asks if there had been any intention. Bruce fumbled with his words, to which caused Tim to laugh, and soon the entire room was filled with joyous laughter. The news was something to approach with baby steps, but for the first of many, this was not so bad.
"This is Vicki Vale reporting live on site at what was once the ACE Chemicals factory in Gotham. Previously slated for demolition, a bomb was set off mysteriously just moments ago, with Superman and other members of the Justice League surrounding the area in search of something. Any attempts to get closer have been dissuaded by Justice League members and any – hold on something's happening! There's a sort of commotion going on, and now the Justice League are leaving. Over there is Superman, let's see if we can get some information as to what had occurred here. Superman! Superman!" Vicki called out as she and her cameraman ran towards him. The Metropolis superhero stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, his suit covered in soot and his eyes red from the smoke. He wiped his arm against his eyes and smiled.
"There's nothing to be concerned about, Ms. Vale, just a terrorist attack by the Joker against the Batman," he said.
"Can you reveal any other details? How about the Joker's condition? Or Batman's status?"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Vale, but I really must go," Superman said, before launching away. Vicki turned back to the camera.
"There is folks, another plot by the Joker thankfully foiled by the Batman. Yet there are still questions unanswered: is the Batman okay? What of the Joker? And why was the League so invested in blocking off the area for so long? Stay tuned, but in the meantime, Vicki Vale out!" dropping her smile, Vicki looked to her cameraman. "How'd that look? Not too bad? God, this wind is playing hell with my hair."
*/*/*
When he was high enough not to be seen by anyone, Superman slumped his shoulders, tightened his fists, and roared. It hurt him deeply to create such a deception, to give the idea that somehow Batman survived. He would have wanted it, no doubt; for Gotham to lose Batman would be to allow the floodgates of pure chaos to be demolished. Every criminal and villain worth not even a damn would pour out like water just to take advantage of the Batman's absence. Superman would need to talk to Robin and Oracle, maybe even Nightwing as well, on the plan moving forward.
"Watchtower to Superman," he heard Cyborg say over the comms.
"Superman here, go ahead Victor," Clark responded.
"Heads up, I think Wonder Woman is gonna cause trouble in Gotham. She saw –"
"Already on it, Victor, thanks."
"No prob," Cyborg replied, stoic but with concern. Clark scanned the entire city as fast as he could, knowing full well of where Diana was probably headed towards. The Joker was dead, but he often did not act alone and in a moment of unsurmountable grief, Wonder Woman would seek an outlet for her rage. He found what he was looking for in moments and immediately headed over to hopefully intercept Diana before she did something that she would greatly regret.
*/*/*
Harley felt the tremor before she saw the rubble. Coughing and spitting away the dust that filled the chamber, she sought a structure to hide behind. She felt a warm hand grab her wrist and pull her aside as she heard the slithering of vines and green surround her, smothering out the light.
"You know it's rude to burst into a public building like that, let alone the cost of repairs. Sure, Wayne can afford it but how will you make it up to him?" she heard Red talking to someone.
"Hand over Quinn and I won't make this hurt!" a woman yelled, the voice coarse and rough. Sounded like Wonder Woman. Why was she after her? Harley didn't do anything to her in the last month, did she? Maybe it was a little prank that she forgot about? Well whatever it was, it couldn't have been bad enough that Wonder Woman sounded like she wanted to kill her.
"Harley had nothing to do with whatever the Joker did! She's been separated for almost a year now, they've had no contact at all! Batman should –" Red didn't finish the sentence, being cut off by a loud impact that sounded like it destroyed a wall. And did she mention Mistah J?
"Don't say his name! Don't ever say his name to me!" Wonder Woman shouted. More footsteps; the guards, has to be. They were ordering her to stand down. Harley almost laughed; Wonder Woman, being ordered to stand down by a bunch of Arkham guards? With what, BB guns? That was a sight to die for. Well…hypothetically speaking.
"Bring me Quinn and I will gladly leave!"
"No prisoners are allowed outside without authorized supervision, and you are not an approved supervisor. Stand down, Wonder Woman, none of us want to make any of this ugly," Cash told her. Brave man. Stupid too. Lucky Croc got just the hand. Wonder Woman might finish the job if he wasn't careful though; she sounded pretty pissed. "Please, just put the sword away, no one has to get hurt."
"No one but Quinn!"
"Diana!" Harley heard Boy Blue call out. Was this a party? Who else was gonna show up?
"Stay out of this Kal!"
"Harley Quinn is innocent in this, you know that," Superman was trying to save her, how about that? Wait, why were they here in the first place? If something was going on with Mistah J wouldn't Batman be here instead? The vines around her shifted allowing Red to pull her out and keep her in a crouch. 'Follow me' she mouthed and Harley did just that, tuning out the argument between the two heroes. They snuck past guards and inmates alike for what had to be a minute or two before the building rumbled again. They were past the gardens and making their way to the outside when once more the roof collapsed in a thunderous boom. Knocked to her butt, Harley looked up and saw the almost menacing figure before her. With a sword pointed down at Harley, Wonder Woman gave the mother of all death glares, tears running down her face with red, sore eyes.
"Hiya Wondy, how ya doing?" Harley nervously asked. A scowl planted itself on Wonder Woman's face as she raised her sword.
"Die," was the most venomous order Harley ever heard in her life. She closed her eyes to stop herself from seeing the deed done. But instead, she felt a strong and swift gust, heard a loud bang, and still breathed. Opening her eyes, she saw nothing in front of her. No doubt Superman actually managed to save her life. She should thank him for that. A Christmas card would work.
*/*/*
Clark held Diana by the forearms tightly as he soared straight. She struggled, she ordered, she shouted, but it was futile; he would let go and listen when they were far enough, high up to the point that should she pursue Harley Quinn, he'd be able to stop her in time. When he determined enough was enough, he stopped climbing and let her go.
"Why? Why did you stop me?! She has to pay!" Diana bellowed. She was still crying, even hours after learning of Bruce's fate, of learning there was nothing left of the man she loved. How much effort it would take to show her how illogical she was being was unclear, but Clark was nothing if not tenacious.
"Diana, you know deep down that she had nothing to do with the Joker's plan. Any reasoning you come up with to justify her death is not only a figment of grief but also an insult to Bruce's memory," he calmly told her. Reeling from a fist to the gut, Superman recomposed himself.
"Don't you dare say that, not now! Not ever!" she sobbed. "You never knew him the –"
"He was my brother, Diana. The best man to my wedding. The godfather to Jon. I may not have loved him as you did, but I still knew Bruce would not want you to kill an innocent over him. He wouldn't want you to kill anyone for him. Please, Diana, just listen to your heart," Superman stressed. He watched as Diana came to terms with the last several hours, her face going from despair to shame to agony. She suddenly embraced him and began to weep, sobbing loudly into his chest. He tried to keep firm, to not budge, but soon he too began to feel tears well up.
"He's gone, Kal! He's really gone!" Diana cried. "I can't, I just can't –"
"I know Diana, I know. But we need to be strong. We need to make sure Gotham will be safe without him. I was thinking of getting in touch with –"
"No, Kal, I mean I can't…Kal, Bruce and I wanted to surprise you later on after the attack was over. Kal, I'm…I'm pregnant," Diana told him with a small smile, some elation cutting through the pain. Superman stared at her dumbfounded.
"Oh."
*/*/*
Diana looked down at Harley and Ivy, seeing how the latter was doing her best to shield the former. Around them were Arkham guards all ready to act at a moment's notice. It took a moment for them to relax, after understanding that Wonder Woman had no intentions of any further violence. Diana glanced over to Ivy nursing a bruise on her side.
"About that punch, I'm sorry," she said a bit sheepishly to Ivy. Diana turned to look at Harley. "And sorry, for earlier. I wasn't in the best of places."
"No biggie, for what it's worth I hope B-Man is alright. He's been doing okay by me and Ivy for a while now," Quinn replied with a shrug. Diana stopped herself from wincing. Kal told her about the plan to deceive people about the reality of what had happened and was falsely feeding information that Batman survived the attack and is being treated in the Watchtower. Only the League and the Batfamily were to know the truth. Diana planned on meeting Kal at Wayne Manor later on.
"Right, I'll be sure to pass that on. He had mentioned being impressed with the amount of progress you two have made in rehabilitation."
"Batman promised that Wayne would create more parks and limitations of construction in Gotham. As long as he keeps up that end of the deal, I see no reason why I should take action," Ivy coldly remarked.
"And, uh, Wondy, if ya ever need someone to talk to about those anger issues, I do happen to be a psychiatrist," Harley said, her tone chipper. Diana smiled.
"Sure, I'll think on it. Take care you two," she said, and flew away, heading to someplace she was starting to consider her home.
*/*/*
Jim Gordon stared emptily into his coffee mug, watching his reflection with disinterest. Something was wrong, he knew it to be, but every avenue he mentally took ended in a way he didn't like. Sighing deeply, he looked at the clock. Late morning, just before afternoon. His grip tightened, and he swallowed the remaining contents of his coffee. Getting up from his chair, he put on his coat and grabbed his keys.
"Bullock, I'm going out for a little bit, take point while I'm gone," he ordered. A curt nod and a confirmation were given back as Jim went to his car and drove. He drove until he reached the gates of Wayne Manor and pressed the buzzer. A tired voice was courteous in the response, but Jim could hear the fatigue in every word. "It's Commissioner Gordon, I need to talk."
"Apologies, Commissioner, but Master Wayne is not feeling –"
"I want to talk to my daughter, I know she's there. Just please, can I come in?" Jim pleaded. A short pause, then the gates opened.
"I'll be waiting at the door dad," he heard Barbara say over the intercom. Jim couldn't determine what was in her voice but he had a feeling there was a hint of betrayal. Pulling his car up the long winding driveway, he parked his car near the main entrance and got out after turning it off. He banged on the door, which opened moments after and was greeted with the old butler of the Wayne family and his daughter in her wheelchair.
"Hey Barb, sorry for dropping in like this," he said, trying to lighten the mood, though as to why he wasn't sure.
"How long, dad? How long have you known?" Barbara asked pointedly. Ah, so much for beating around the bush. Jim nervously scratched the back of his neck.
"Years. I had suspicions long before the Joker put a bullet to your spine, but the moment Batgirl disappeared and you were in the wheelchair I guess I stopped fooling myself. I'm coming clean now so I'd appreciate it if you would come clean to me. Be honest, is he still alive or are the rumors just that?" he asked, yet the sole moment of silence was just enough to be an answer. Jim's shoulders slumped and he found himself falling into a chair with his hands running through his hair. "Shit."
*/*/*
"I know you'll understand Lois, I just can' abandon Gotham right now. The city is extremely vulnerable and the criminal elements are volatile enough that anything can have massive repercussions. I'm working on a plan with Bruce's cohorts, but I might have to skip dinner for a few days just to get everything settled enough. I've already called Perry and requested some days off and Kara is managing while I'm gone for now," Clark said into the phone.
"I'm not asking for you to stop or to leave Bruce's city to the wolves, Clark. I'm asking what I should do? Do you need me to help push out the idea that Bruce is still alive? Actually, forget the Batman, what do you plan on for Bruce Wayne himself? It's clear you're intending to maintain Bruce's secret identity," he heard Lois say on the other line. Clark grimaced.
"One step at a time, honey. Please."
"Of course. Take care Clark," Lois said before hanging up. Turning back, he noticed Alfred descending down the stairs of the Batcave with Barbara and…
"Commissioner Gordon, this is a…pleasant surprise," he said slowly when they came in earshot.
"Superman," the commissioner responded with a nod. "Though I guess I could call you Mr. Kent if you'd prefer?"
"Uh," Superman looked at Barbara, who shrugged.
"He figured it out apparently," she told him.
"Come on, journalist invites Bruce Wayne to be the best man at his wedding. When you take into account Batman being Bruce Wayne it doesn't take much to realize the connection. I'll continue to keep my mouth shut, but if you don't want anyone else to make the same conclusion I did we best figure a way to have Bruce Wayne still be seen."
"There's also another thing to take into consideration, but I think I'll wait for Diana before we talk about it," Clark said, looking over to Alfred. A slight incline of the head was enough to tell him that it was not a complete secret. "We should also have the other members of the Bat-clan here to figure out a plan for the future."
"Kate is busy mopping up the streets of the Joker's goons and Tim is tracking down Two-Face who managed to escape in the chaos," Barbara said, disregarding secret identities altogether as she pulled her wheelchair to the Batcomputer. "Dick is on his way, but he doesn't know that Bruce is…well he knows the story you've been pushing, Superman."
"I got notice that Penguin was released from custody about an hour ago, thanks to his lawyers, so there's that to mull on for a while. Bottom line, we're on a powder keg. We need to formulate a plan now while the iron's still hot and we can control the chaos that'll follow this damn power vacuum," Gordon graveled. "And that's if we can contain the reality of Batman's death from the criminal rumor mill. If not, then that adds a whole load of other problems."
"Alfred, were there any –" Clark cut himself off when he noticed how exhausted the Wayne family butler looked. "Oh Rao, Alfred I'm sorry. With everything that's been going on, I completely forgot to ask if you were doing alright." There was a pregnant pause as Alfred Pennyworth considered those words.
"Am I doing alright? Mister Kent, I have had exactly 17 hours and 43 minutes to think on such a question. My answer is simple: my son is dead, sir. No, I am not doing alright" Alfred somberly declared. Gordon put a hand on his shoulder as Barbara wrapped her hands around one of Alfred's, his head hung low. The sound of a motorcycle echoed through the halls, and all heads turned to see Nightwing ride into the Batcave.
"Hey sorry I'm late, I tried to get here as fast as I can. Is Bruce alright? Is his condition serious? Wait, why's Commissioner Gordon here? Why is Superman here? What's going on?" he asked, the concern increasing in his voice with each question as he began to slowly realize what each answer meant.
"Dick, I'm so sorry," Clark stepped forward, only for Nightwing to take the same number of steps backwards. Tearing off the mask, Dick Grayson glared at Clark.
"You lied. You sick son of a bitch, you –"
"Is there a problem?" Diana called, as she landed next to Nightwing's motorcycle. Dick considered her for a moment.
"Why the demented ruse? What's there to gain from lying about Batman's survival?" he asked pointedly.
"Dick, I wanted to tell you but it was too fresh, it…please Dick, don't blame Superman. Don't blame anyone other than the Joker," Barbara pleaded, on the verge of tears. There was a silence between them all as they each weighed their shared grief and wondered what was their plan moving forward. Barbara looked at Alfred, who looked at Dick. After some careful consideration, Diana inhaled deeply.
"I…I have something to announce to everyone. Alfred and Tim already know about this, and it was supposed to be a surprise but…well, it's no use in hiding it now. I'm pregnant," she said, mustering the courage knowing Bruce was not there to share in the moment. The congratulations and encouragement made the last several hours almost worthwhile. While it did not ease the pain knowing Bruce would not be there for her, it comforted her knowing that she had family all around her.