For all that light that Metropolis had Gotham had darkness, no wonder it was often referred to as the Dark Sister. Here the corruption was still so deep that the heroes were forced to work in shadows.
Xander smiled as he adjusted his fathers' glasses. Others wouldn't be able to see it, but with his fathers memories Xander could tell just how much of an impact had been made by the vigilantes over the years. He had only heard a dozen officers shaking down citizens, twenty five drug deals, and two attempted murders sense the sun went down. Compared to how it was in the thirties, this Gotham was a paradise.
"Hey kid!" came a shout from behind Xander.
"Yeah," said Xander to the old man working a souvenir stand. The man was dirty, and smelled of cheap cigars, but he had an honest look.
"Come on over here and buy a piece of Gotham," said the man while motioning Xander to come over. Smiling at the type of stuff the guy was selling, Xander wandered over.
"So do you think he really exists," said Xander as he looked at the merchandise. Every item had a bat of some kind on it in obvious homage to the legendary Batman of Gotham.
"There isn't a person in Gotham that hasn't caught a glimpse of him if they are brave enough to stay out at night. Most don't know who or what he is, but everyone in this city believes in him one way or another," said the old man.
"One way or another?" asked Xander as he picked up a can of Bat-spray, guaranteed to repel the villains of Gotham.
"Some see him as an avenging angel, sent to save the city while others view him as a curse, or a demon."
"No one thinks he's just some guy in a bat costume huh?" asked Xander.
The old man began to glare at Xander and said, "I saw him when I was twelve. He came out of no where and fought ten men, then vanished into the shadows. Whatever he is, he isn't 'just some guy in a bat costume.'"
Xander simply nodded, conceding his mistake. From his fathers' memories Bruce was definitely more than just a man. Deciding that the old man should get something for his trouble Xander bought a tee-shirt with a bat like demon that would feel right at home in one of Giles' books.
Xander hadn't walked more than ten feet when he noticed that he was being followed by a group of men. It took another ten feet for Xander realized that these men probably planned to mug him. It took three feet for Xander to decide to lessen the criminals out tonight by the amount of the group following him as he walked into a back ally.
It took less than a minute before the gang had followed him in and were threatening him. Xander was about to take off his glasses and teach the thugs a lesson, when he heard the whisper of a steady heartbeat coming from the shadows of the ally.
To the average human eye it looked like the shadows had come alive and had decided to defend the kid with glasses. While a trained eye would be able to make out a human shape, Xander could see his defender with perfect clarity, and what he saw shocked him.
Sense when did Batman shrink and get breasts!
By the time his train of thought had reached this point this Batgirl had already finished off the thugs and was facing him. "Go back to your hotel. Gotham isn't safe for someone like you," said the Batgirl in a chilling voice.
This shocked Xander once again, so he didn't watch as closely as he should have as the darkly clad girl made her exit. When he finally did think to look around there was no sign of his 'rescuer.'
"Why is it that every girl I meet either wants to kill me or treat me like I'm helpless!" shouted Xander in frustration.
"It's probably those sissy glasses," said one of the thugs as he recovered on the ground.
Xanders only response was a punch that would knock the man out for three days. Insulting him was fine, but no one got to insult something that belonged to his father.
Deciding that the direct rout would probably work better Xander used his super speed to get to Wayne Manor before the thug he had hit touched the ground. After all in a city like this walking really was the best way to get around, especially if you could do so at just under the speed of sound.
"Hi, I'd like to speak to Bruce Wayne please," said Xander once someone had answered the buzzer.
"Sir it is the middle of the night, I'm afraid he is unavailable," said the voice.
"I'm talking about Bruce Wayne Sr. I know his kid is probably out keeping up the family business, and is unavailable, but I don't need to talk to him."
"Sir Mr. Wayne is an old man that needs his sleep. Either you come back in the morning, or I will be forced to call the cops. Good Night," said the voice before the line was turned off.
"Bruce Wayne sleeping at night while there is still crime in Gotham. Lets see, its more luckily that Satan would offer himself as the Popes love slave, I'm thinking its time to take it to the next level," said Xander just before he flew over the gate and jimmied open a window.
"I don't know how you got in here, but you are going to regret it," said a woman's voice.
Turning around Xander saw a dark haired, middle aged woman standing in the hallway aiming a crossbow at him. "Take one more step, and the bolt goes through your heart," said the woman.
"I have all of my dads' powers, but I'm still the butt of Gods cheap jokes," muttered Xander even as he used his super speed to place himself behind the woman.
"Listen, I just want to talk to Bruce Wayne Sr. Get him and this can all be sorted out quickly," said Xander from behind the woman.
Her response was to scream in rage and surprise and punch Xander in the face. The punch didn't hurt, and Xander made sure to turn with it so the woman wouldn't break her hand, but it was obvious that the woman wouldn't be much of a help.
Once again using his super speed Xander went into the den, and moved the Grandfather clock to reveal the entryway to the Batcave.
Well Xander had expected the entryway to the Batcave, what he got was a titanium door that was a foot thick, with retinal scanners for the only key. Bruce had apparently upgraded security sense his father had last visited.
Xander was about to knock very hard on the door, when he was encased in some kind of foam. It quickly hardened until it was as solid as a rock. Of course this meant that it only took him a full second to break out, instead of a fraction of a second.
"What are you?" hissed a familiar voice.
Turning around Xander saw the Batgirl he had met earlier and said, "Oh, hey there. This isn't as bad as it looks, really. I just need to talk to Mr. Wayne, and he will tell you that this was all one big misunderstanding."
At that moment the titanium door opened and Xanders world exploded in pain. It felt like every cell in his body was on fire, a fire that ended as quickly as it had begun. Looking up Xander saw an old man with hard eyes holding a led box.
"You couldn't think of a less painful way to confirm who I am than exposing me to Kryptonite?" snarled Xander as he picked himself up.
"No," said Bruce as he started to walk back into the cave. "Follow me if you want your answers Joel."
"How did you know it was me and not another Kryptonion?" asked Xander.
"You have your fathers face, and your mothers' eyes," said Bruce in a slightly softer tone. "I'll answer any questions you have, if you answer mine."
"Fair enough," replied Xander. "First question; who is the girl that wants me to spontaneously combust," asked Xander while pointing behind him at a still glaring Batgirl.
"She's Dicks' granddaughter," replied Bruce.
"Robins grandkid? Crap, now I feel old," said Xander as he tried to picture the thirteen year old ward as a grandfather.
"How did you know about me?" asked Bruce.
"I have my fathers' memories," said Xander before he launched into the events of last Halloween. Bruce didn't look too happy when Xander mentioned magic, but let it pass.
"Okay, time for the reason I came here," said Xander in a serious tone. "What happened to the rest of the JSA?"
Bruce simply nodded, as if he had been expecting that question and began to speak, "Alan was killed by a wild animal in September of '63 according to official reports. Of course I still haven't found an animal that can completely drain the blood from a man leaving only two puncture marks on his neck."
"Was there blood in his mouth?" asked Xander with dread. The thought of a vampire Green Lantern was frightening to say the least.
"No," said Bruce. "Never the less I've taken precautions against that particular possibility."
This relieved almost all of Xanders fear. When Bruce says that he has taken precautions, it means that he has an almost perfect system in place with at least twenty back ups.
"So what about Kent?" asked Xander.
"Murdered," growled Bruce. "He continued to fight after the Committee for Un-American Activities banned superheroes. As near as I've been able to figure out he was gunned down some time in '53."
"Crap," said Xander. "Have any info about who did it? With my powers I may be able to take a closer look at things."
"No, but chances are they have disbanded by now with no active superheroes around," said Bruce.
"Okay, so what happened to the others?" asked Xander as he made a mental note to keep an eye out when he was in costume form now on.
"Ted still lives in Opal, while Rex overdosed on Miraclo in '56, and Jay was killed in a drive by in '62," said Bruce.
"And Jim?" asked Xander.
"Its difficult to keep track of a ghost. Best as I can tell he stopped some time last year, but it could just be that he is laying low," said Bruce.
"I'll keep an eye out for him then. Considering where I live it probably won't be too long before the Specter has to come and stop the world from ending," said Xander with a grin on his face. "Now tell me where Dick is so I can see if he turned into a grumpy old man, or if he kept his smile."
"He's dead," said Batgirl from behind him. "The Joker killed him and my grandmother in '69."
"Sorry," said Xander as he winced at the cold tone in her voice.
"Enough about the distant past, tell me about yourself. It isn't every day a mans Godson comes back from the dead, and I don't intend to waist it," said Bruce with a hint of a true smile.
The rest of the night was filled with the sound of laughter as two people got to know one another again and for the first time.
