Chapter 7
"Sir, Batman has decided to police the entire world. He's already ended numerous wars and toppled at least one government. If he's allowed to proceed like this, unchecked…" "What do you propose we do?" "There is one card we can play." "Have you thought about the consequences, General? If we move against him and fail…" "There will be no sign of your involvement in this, sir. Independent contractors hired through a series of shell companies. And we won't fail. We've planned this."
The doorbell at Wayne Manor rang and Alfred Pennyworth sighed as he went to open it. Ever since Master Bruce had announced his true identity, countless people had visited the Manor at all times of the day, and even now, in the middle of the night. It was insanity, really. They came within a few miles of a nuclear ground zero, all just to get a sight of the Batman at home, never understanding that they wouldn't actually see the man himself. What Alfred really didn't understand was how some of these people could truly be so absorbed in their own self-interest that they truly saw Bruce's recent actions as some act of heroism. The way Alfred saw it, the Joker had finally pushed Master Bruce over the line that could potentially lead him to become a villain himself. Alfred wanted to question the clown himself, but Master Bruce was adamantly refusing to tell anyone where he had put Joker, even though in the past, Bruce had told him everything. Alfred had thought that Master Bruce trusted him completely. It was painful to discover that that wasn't quite the truth.
Alfred opened the door a crack and said, "Very kind of you to come, but it's the middle of the night and…" Alfred broke off as he looked outside and saw several masked men on the doorstep, each of them heavily armed. One man placed his hand on the door and tried to force it open, but Alfred surprised him with his strength, pushing heavily on the door and crushing the man's hand in the door, and there was the sound of bones breaking. There was a yell of pain from the man, and then someone else yelled in rage and charged at the door, knocking it ajar. Alfred had already stepped away, however, so the door gave way without any resistance, causing the man to stumble into the room. Alfred put his leg out and tripped the man, causing him to fall forward and crash to the floor. Next, another man, probably the one with the injured hand given the way that he held onto his wrist, ran at Alfred, but Alfred grabbed his serving platter from the table next to him and threw it like a frisbee at the man's head. It collided with the man and sent him stumbling backwards in pain as the metal pan ricocheted off the man's face and was caught by Alfred. Alfred then held it up in front of him like a shield as another man fired twice at Alfred, but the bullets' impacts only slightly dented the metal, causing Alfred to raise an eyebrow. "Rubber bullets? That won't make me take it easy on you, young man. After all, you've just ruined my favorite platter." The man looked at him in disbelief and horror as Alfred jumped forward and used the platter to slam the man in the face and knock him back and into the courtyard. Alfred clutched his platter close with one hand as he smoothed the creases in his suit with the other, but then he was surprised by an arm coming out of the surface of his platter and punching him across the face. Alfred fell to the ground in pain, and when he turned again, he saw one final man standing over him, and then the man swung at Alfred, and he was sent into unconsciousness.
Line Break
"He's in the mirror world," Batman commented aloud as he watched the security footage from Wayne Manor last night. The video showed Alfred fending off several armed men before he was slugged in the face by his own platter and carried by Mirror Master into a window. Suddenly, Mirror Master's face appeared in the security camera video. Batman had secured the BAtcave against McCulloch's abilities, but the camera from last night wasn't secured. "When you watch this, Batman, know that the rules here are simple. You do what we say. Cease interfering with government affairs or you'll never see your father figure again. Except for the little bits and pieces we send you as a warning, of course." Batman narrowed his eyes. He wouldn't be able to get into the mirror realm without Mirror Master's help, so he needed to find him. Batman opened the JL communicator and spoke into it, "Diana, have the Justice League gather on the Watchtower. Alfred Pennyworth has been kidnapped by Mirror Master. I need you to find and rescue Pennyworth while I pay a visit to the US President."
Line Break
"Thank you all for coming," Wonder Woman said to the assembled Justice League members. "None of us were untouched by the tragedy in Gotham. We may have been lucky enough to avoid losing any of our own, but too many people died for this to ever be forgotten. None of us were hit harder than Batman, but he's still fighting, as always. He turned his pain into a way to help the whole world, and in response, his father figure that we all know and love, Alfred, was kidnapped. Apparently he'll be killed if Batman continues to meddle with governments. Batman says that he's going after the man that hired Mirror Master for the job, but we need to rescue Alfred. Those that have done this are trying to tell us what our place is. I am Diana of Themyscira, and I know my place. It is beside the greatest heroes of the age as they fight to not only save the world, but change it for the better. I believe in Batman, the man that's uprooted his entire life to help others in the wake of something that should've broken him. I will not stand by while he is attacked in this way." Diana looked around at all of them and added, "I know that some of you may be uncomfortable about Batman's recent actions, but he's only taking away people's right to harm each other. He doesn't seek anything from this beyond peace." They all stood in silence for a moment until Cyborg stepped forward. "I believe in Batman too. From day one, he's led us into battle after battle, never wavering for a second, and always sacrificing of himself to do the right thing. So what if he's leading us in a different direction? We've never done wrong to follow him before, and I'm following him now. He's always fought for us and the world. Let's go fight for him." Flash then piped up, "If Mirror Master is involved, one of the other Rogues probably knows where he is." Wonder Woman nodded and said, "Alright, Justice League, you heard him. Cyborg, teleport us to Central City. We need to find the Rogues."
Line Break
The President of the United States walked into his office, and as soon as the door closed, he heard, "You made a big mistake, Mr. President." The President turned around and saw Batman standing in the corner behind him. "Ahhh!" he yelled. He tried to get out the door but ran into a familiar logo shaped like an "S". "You don't touch a man's father, Mr. President," Superman said with his arms folded. The President was starting to sweat as he realized that he was in the room with two of the most powerful men on the planet, both of whom were angry at him, but Batman surprisingly seemed shocked to see Superman here. "Superman," Batman said hesitantly, "did you not get the summons to the Watchtower?" "Oh, I heard it all right," Superman said. "But I'd already figured what it was about and decided to go after the real culprit." "I-I don't understand!" the President said. They said that it couldn't be traced back to me!" "Super-hearing," Superman said casually. The President turned to Batman, who just shrugged and said, "A hunch. Now, Mr. President, what to do with you…" Superman stepped in and said, "Nothing too serious, Bruce. This is the President of the United States, after all. Just reprimand him and give him a warning." "A warning?" Bruce asked. "Superman, remember what I said about the Bialyan president? I said that he was a criminal, and his title wasn't going to protect him from facing justice. Now, this president here conspired with a known supervillain and ordered the kidnapping of an innocent US citizen in an attempt to blackmail another innocent US citizen. I can legally put him away for a minimum of 10 years in prison on those charges." "We can't just lock up the president during his term!" Superman argued. Bruce stepped forward and said, "Honestly, Superman, did you not get the point of my address? No one is getting away with crime. Not anymore. As Bruce approached the terrified president, Superman placed a hand on his chest and said, "I don't want to, Bruce, but you know I'll stop you if I must." Bruce turned to face his friend and growled out, "Try."
