Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion own these characters. All credit goes directly to DC entertainment and comics. They are the owners not me, I'm in no shape or form making any money off of this story. Alright, let's get on with the show.
Hey readers it's me Nomad88, yes it is me. I know I've been gone for a minute but I'm back with another exciting chapter in the ever growing world of Batman Beyond. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter as our heroes fell into the carefully laid trap of the Riddler and the Court of Owls. I wonder how this is all going to turn out LOL! I'll let you all read and find out, but before I go remember to Read, REVIEW( a writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!
Chapter 3: The Court of Owls part 3
TV
"Attention Neo-Gotham City! This is your first and last warning, to surrender your lives and pledge allegiance to the Court of Owls! We are everywhere! We are everything! And we have been here since the beginning and we will be here till the end, there is no escaping us and there is no stopping us. For years we have watched from our perch at how this city has lost itself to sex, violence, drugs and corruption. The very foundation in which this city was built has rotten and soured, but we are here to fix the problem. We shall pick away at the brittle bones and decaying flesh of Gotham to make way for a new city, a new era of peace and prosperity. Your Mayor is weak. Your Police are powerless against us. And the Batman, cannot save you. We have him in our nest and he shall be the first of many to fall. Any who oppose us will join him in a swift but painful death. At the end of the week we will spare all who are worthy, and slaughter those who are not, so watch for our sign!"
"Hello and Good-Evening Neo-Gotham City, this is Tom Monroe and with me as always is my co-host Kim Brooms. Kim.
Kim: "Thanks Tom. Our top story is the deadly warning from the Court of Owls. The message to Neo-Gotham has been playing almost non-stop on random stations at different times for the past several days, and their message is simple one. Surrender or Else. Tom."
Tom: "It is a command that some have already taken to heart, as you can see on your screen here. There are several groups that have set themselves up in tents with the words we surrender painted in red. Whole families have begun to pledge their allegiance to this mysterious group known as the Court of Owls, asking to be spared from the culling. Kim."
Kim: "Mysterious indeed Tom, however not so mysterious are the kidnappings and murders that have happened before and after the Court of Owls message. The police now believe that the Court of Owls have been behind these heinous crimes, and so far there have been no other leads to finding these kidnapped individuals, but we do hope the police are doing everything in their power to find them and put a stop to the Court of Owls' dastardly plans. Tom."
Tom: "And speaking of the police. Commissioner Barbara Gordon-Young is still in recovery from the attack on her life and the NGCPD precinct three days ago. We have word that she is in stable condition and being held in Neo-Gotham General but all attempts to contact her for a statement has been thwarted. However, we did manage to get in a word with the new acting Commissioner Ellen Yindel who had had this to say."
Ellen Yindel- Alright, all of you bloodsucking reporters shut up! You want a statement, here's a statement. The Court of Owls can go screw themselves! And not only that but we're not as powerless as they think we are. We do not need some idiot has been in a bat costume to save us. All it takes is the courage of every citizen in this city to stand up to these jag-offs and say go to hell, we will never surrender to the likes of you."
Tom: "The acting Commissioner had a host of other colorful words which can only be seen on our website. Kim."
Kim: "Even though there have been some to surrender to the demands of the Court of Owls, there are other like our foul-mouthed acting Commissioner that will not bow to the whims of terrorist. As you can see on your screens."
Tom: "It seems as if the southside of Neo-Gotham better known as the slums of old Gotham have a different view of surrender in mind. We have some quick snippets from some of the citizens down in the southside that has a message of their own for the Court of Owls."
Citzen #1: The Court of Owls can kiss my ass!
Citizen #2: If those Owl Bastards want to take southside they're gonna need a f****** army.
Citizen #3: Court of Owls…puhlease. Do we look like the frightened idiots uptown? We've seen worse isn't that right Dee.
Citizen #4: That's right Dee, we aren't afraid of some stupid big-eyed birds, and we aren't afraid of anyone who dresses up like one."
"MOVE IT ALONG YOU ROTTEN SCAMPS!"
"Shut up Nana Harley!"
Tom: "Contrary to popular believe not all the so-called rich yuppies uptown are afraid of the Court Of Owls."
Kim: That's right Tom, here is an exclusive interview with Mayoral Candidate Lincoln March who had this to say about the Court of Owls.
Lincoln March: "Am I afraid of the Court of Owls, hell no. I have faith in the people and the police. We are Neo-Gotham City, and we are resilient. We have survived the Jokerz and the Knightbreed and so the Court of Owls are just another in a long list of idle threats. However that's not say what's happening now is not awful, it is but I do believe it's a reflection of the state of mind in Neo-Gotham right now and what I mean by that is this, Mayor Sam Young relies on a Batman to defend his city and for three years Neo-Gotham has been following along in that thought, perhaps some good was done like the disbanded Jokerz and Knightbreed gangs, but now this masked vigilante has given rise to a sinister threat."
Tom: "So you believe Batman to be responsible for the Court of Owls?"
Lincoln: I'm merely saying that he is an influence. I don't trust him and that is because I don't trust anyone whose face I can't see. If he truly is a force for good then he should show his face, stand and be accounted for like myself or Mr. Wayne and his revolutionary idea of Gothopia."
Tom: "You approve of Mr. Wayne's idea?"
Lincoln: "Whole-heartedly."
Tom: "Even though it's cutting into your own business? It's no secret that March Ventures has always dealt with Neo-Gotham's Infrastructure, and now Mr. Wayne has his eyes set on stealing your thunder it seems."
Lincoln: "Oh Tom, you wound me. My business has always been for the betterment of Neo-Gotham City and any man who can say the same is a friend of mine."
Tom: "I hope we survive to see it."
Lincoln: "It is as I said, Neo-Gotham and its people are resilient, however it would be nice to see its leaders stand tall."
Kim: "Strong words from the mayoral hopeful. He does bring up a strong point however, is Batman to blame for the escalation of events that have lead to the formation of this deadly and mysterious cult known as the Court of Owls, is he an influence, or perhaps The Court of Owls is part of Batman's plans to take over Neo-Gotham. Only time will tell if we will receive the answers to these questions. In other news there has still be no words from our current Mayor Sam Young….
Nightfall- City Hall
Mayor Sam Young did his best calm all the city officials that were gathered in his office. It was a madhouse and it had been for several days ever since the Court of Owls had made themselves known by attacking and kidnapping citizens, attacking the Roland Hotel whose owner was one of the wealthy criminals in Neo-Gotham and the assault on the NGCPD building where his wife Commissioner Gordon was left in critical condition. At the thought of his wife all the mindless chatter and arguing in the room around him started to die down until all the mayor could hear was the sound of his own breathing.
The woman he loved was in the hospital once again. Every time she was injured on the job he would take a moment and pray that she would be fine and that she was strong enough to pull through anything and usually that was enough to ease the heavy tension in his heart and allow him to believe that everything would be fine, but this time, this time felt different. It felt as if nothing would be fine.
The Court of Owls had sparked a fear so great in the heart of not only him but all Neo-Gotham City. There was panic in the streets and he could hear some of the cries from the people outside his office demanding him to surrender to the Court of Owls. And there were others like Ellen Yindel the acting Commissioner who wanted him to declare martial law and close the entire city of Neo-Gotham down so she and the rest of the police force as well as the National Guard could root out the Court of Owls.
Everything was spiraling out of control and all eyes were upon him to see what he would do or what he would say but all he could think about was Barbara, and Carrie. She had been sequestered off in a room in City Hall under guard since the Court of Owls made themselves known. After their initial broadcast, the two of them were quickly ushered off to the safest place in the city which happened to be City Hall. He briefly wondered if her returning into their lives was the cause of all this because wherever Carrie went trouble was sure to follow. It was one of the reasons why he was relieved that she had decided to leave them when she did, but now she was back.
Sam threw the notion from his mind because she was a child, a wayward teen who had no part in this fight with the Court of Owls. He needed to stop wallowing in despair and stand up and fight or do something to calm the masses down until he could come up with a plan to fight these wannabe terrorists.
The mayor gritted his teeth and he stood up from his seat, he looked to the gathered men and women and he quickly got their attention.
"Everyone quiet!" he shouted over the noise.
All eyes went to him, as he undid his tie and the cuffs around his wrist. The mayor stood tall, proud and firm.
"Listen and listen well. I will not let these terrorist tear us apart, not now, not ever. We have come too far and made too much progress to lose it to these Court of Owls. I don't know who they are or who they think they are but we will not bow to their whims, so people I need you all to control your fear. The night is always darkest before the dawn." He said.
"What do you suggest we do Mr. Mayor?" asked Jackson Wright, the Deputy Mayor.
"The first thing we do is get a hold of the situation. We know that these Court of Owls are well funded and well connected, probably to the shady underworld or to the privileged families in Neo-Gotham, I don't know, but what I do know is that no matter what age old connection they have they do not have the strongest connection to what matters the most here in Neo-Gotham City."
"And what is that?" Jackson asked.
"It's the people." Sam replied, "I need to make a statement to the people and get them to understand that we are doing everything possible to ensure their safety. And they too must control their fear, if we fear them, we give them power. The Jokerz did the same thing and they kept that hold upon this city for years."
"Until Batman returned, but I don't think he's coming to save us this time. You heard their message he's been captured." said Jackson.
"Then we shall have to save ourselves." Sam replied with conviction.
The lights flickered before the entire office was plunged into darkness. The tendrils of fear began to grip them all once again.
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOM! came the sound of an explosion in the distance, and that explosion was quickly followed by another.
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Mayor Young and the other city officials rushed to the windows and through the thick snow that was falling outside they could see several buildings on fire in the distance. The police and fire truck sirens were heard overhead as they flew towards the burning buildings a few minutes later.
"My God, this is city is beginning to burn." whispered one of the aides in the room.
"And the flames will continue to rise." Came a voice from behind them.
Mayor Young and the others turned to see a large figure stepping out of the in darkness. The menacing figure looked up and its yellow eyes glowed in the dark sending shivers down everyone's spine.
"The fires will continue and purge this foul city of the stench that all of you bring. After the cleansing, we will then pick away the brittle scorched flesh to make way for our new city. Mayor Sam Young the Court of Owls has deemed your life forfeit and I am here to collect." said the Talon assassin.
He started forward but the Mayor's aides and bodyguards took a defensive stance in front of the Mayor.
"Get out of here now sir!" one of them yelled
Mayor Young watched as they opened fire upon the assassin, he was fast and moved with almost inhuman precision. The assassin flexed his left arm and two blades emerged from the back of his armored hand. He thrusted it forward slicing through the bulletproof vest and chest, splashing blood everywhere. The Mayor felt some of the blood splash across his face and he heard the thud of the dead service man. He gritted his teeth because the man had to die but he died doing his duty which was to help him get away and so without a second thought he stood up and proceed to run.
The Talon assassin rolled along the ground avoiding the laser fire from the other bodyguards but never once did his eyes leave his target.
"You can not outrun your destiny!" he shouted at the fleeing mayor.
The Talon assassin whipped around and thrusted a blade through the chest of another bodyguard.
Mayor Young dashed out of his office along with the deputy mayor and a few of the aides. They all tore down the hall, each of them hearing the shouts and screams of the bodyguards followed by a thud. It hurt Sam's heart but again he had to remind himself that they were doing their duty and he would make sure that it would not be in vain.
The hallway was dark, but thanks to the windows some of the moonlight that filtered inside illuminated their path.
"Where are we going?" asked Jackson
"Anywhere but here!" Sam shouted.
CRASHHHHHHHHHHH! Came the sound of glass shattering.
The small group of officials saw more talons land in front of them blocking their path; their yellow eyes glowed in the dark. One of the talons threw a throwing star and it nailed one of the aides in the face, splashing more blood onto him.
"NO!" Sam screamed as the aide fell to the ground dead.
The Mayor felt two sets of hands grab him and lead him towards a set of stairs that led down to the first floor. The small group made it to the first floor and they were greeted to the sight of more Talons waiting for them as well as more dead bodyguards.
"Mayor Young."
Sam turned towards the top of the staircase to see The Talon that had spoken to him, covered in blood and his sword drawn.
"Your head is required. Kill them all but leave Mayor Young to me." He said.
"NO!" Sam screamed.
BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! Came the sound of an armored limo bashing through the front doors of City Hall. The limo tore through the Talons that were blocking the exit and making a clearing.
The driver's side door open and out stepped Carrie Kelly with a gun in her hand.
"EAT LASERS FREAKS!" She shouted.
The teen fired wildly at all the Talons who either dove for cover or deflected the rounds with their swords. The Deputy mayor shoved Sam towards the limo. He opened the door and pushed him inside along with a few other before closing the door.
Once they were inside Carrie hopped in, threw the gears in reverse and slammed her foot on the gas.
IN the Air
"Everyone hold on! I haven't exactly passed the driving exam just yet, but I'm gonna wing it." said Carrie.
She swerved through the air in reverse nearly missing a truck, she then turned the wheel all the way to the right sending everyone in the back tumbling towards the left.
"Carrie put the car in drive we need to be facing the other direction!" Sam yelled.
Carrie was about to reply when, she jerked her head to the left to avoid a sword being jammed through the front window. The Talon assassin pulled the sword from the window, managing to cut her face a bit. She could feel blood running down her cheek.
The assassin raised the sword again and so Carrie gritted her teeth and turned the wheel to the left, sending the assassin rolling along the hood finally off the limo entirely.
"HA! HOW YOU LIKE THAT FREAK!" she shouted while watching the assassin fall through the busy night sky.
The small celebration was short lived as several swords pierce the armored limo, there were two swords coming from the top, three swords piercing the left side and two piercing the right side and one sticking through the back of the rear window.
Sam pushed one of the aids off him and he managed to crawl towards the front. He looked to see where they were and he pointed straight ahead.
"Carrie put the limo in drive and head towards that building." He said.
Carrie followed the command; she threw the gear into drive and she once again floored the gas pedal. The Talons felt the sudden change in direction and they all had to grip their swords tightly to keep from falling off.
Sam cast a look in her direction.
"How did you know I was in trouble?" he asked.
"In all honesty I was about to run away again. I just needed a place to lay my head for a while I didn't know I would be stumbling back into the middle of the whatever the hell this is. I made it outside when I saw these freaky guys killing your men and so…here I am."
"Thank you for saving my life." He said.
"Thank me if we survive this Sam." Carrie replied.
"We will. Do you see that billboard straight ahead? I want you to ram it." He said.
"What!" she shouted.
"The limo will hold up, now do it!" he said.
Carrie grabbed her seat belt and strapped it across her chest. She then gritted her teeth and gripped the steering wheel tightly. A small smile crept along her face as she neared the brightly lit billboard.
"EVERYONE BUCKLE UP!" she shouted.
BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! Came the sound of the limo bursting through the billboard. The electric sparks from the ad that was playing flailed in every direction and many of the sparks were attracted to the talons that were perched on the limo and electrocuted them.
The limo came out the other side of the billboard and thankfully none of the talons were still on their ride, however there still heading for oncoming traffic. Sam gasped while Carrie continued to smile as she jerked downward on the wheel and made the car go speeding under a flying semi-truck.
The limo continued unaware that one of the Talons was staring at it intently.
"There is no escape, you will die tonight Mayor Young." He said.
Somewhere Underground
"There is no escape Batman!"
Batman ignored the taunt from the voice that seemed to come from every single direction. He hugged himself into the darkened corner before peering around the edge and down the long corridor that had a bright light at the end.
He did not know how long he had been trapped in what he assumed to be some sort of underground maze. All the communication systems in his suit were jammed or short circuited because nothing but the basic systems of his detective mode work. He was hungry, exhausted and running out of patience, however in spite of all that the Dark Knight of tomorrow remembered his training and kept calm.
'Find the escape.' He thought to himself.
"Time for another Riddle dear Bat-fake." Came the voice of the Riddler
Batman growled to himself.
'I swear when I get out of this, I'm gonna punch whoever that is in the face as hard as I can.' He thought to himself.
"So far you're zero for twenty or was it thirty. You know I have started to lose count, maybe it is my old age or maybe it is because you are the dumbest Batman ever."
Batman could hear the floor beneath him start to hum, which told him that he was about to hit with another dose of electricity. After every riddle either answered incorrectly or not at all resulted in a surge of electricity. The first day or so the batsuit was able to insulate and absorb most of the electricity but it was beginning fail, the last burst he was hit with he could feel some of his skin singeing in a few areas.
The dark knight of tomorrow gritted his teeth and he dashed from his spot just as the electricity started. The flow followed him as he ran down the long brightly lit corridor. The cover of darkness no longer his ally, he was exposed to the light and all of the eyes of the Court that he knew was upon him.
As he ran down the corridor trying to escape the surge of electricity, he remembered one of the many lessons Damian had taught him over the past three years, and that was memory was everything; the devil was always in the details and so with every pass he studied the layout of the corridors all the way until the end were there was an open area with a large fountain that had a giant Question Mark in the middle.
He flicked his wrist and produced a batarang and threw it at the question mark however a forcefield protected it. He continued and to the next corridor that was a few feet ahead however just as he reached it a door slammed down in front of him.
Batman glanced behind him to see the electricity still heading for him. He spread his wings and tried to jump however several daggers rained down from above and sliced through his wings. He managed to see something in the shadows on the rafters above him but in a blink, it was gone.
He hit the ground and gritted his teeth as he was hit with the electricity.
"OOHH So close but still so far bat-fake." Came the voice again, "Come on I'll give you an easy one. What runs around a whole yard without moving?"
Batman gritted his teeth, as he felt the electricity move through the batsuit. He thought about the riddle for a moment and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
"A fence!" he shouted.
The electricity instantly stopped.
"Well, well so you do have something of a brain."
Batman fought his way to his feet, just as the lights in the open corridor went out, plunging him in darkness. A second passed a green glow from the Question mark illuminated everything. The Dark Knight of tomorrow shied away from the green light and he ran off under the cover of darkness.
He tapped the side of his cowl trying to activate his detective mode but it was still scrambled, however the further he got away from the illuminated question mark he was able to make out a few of the structures around him. It was mostly walls, maybe some pipes but what caught his attention were the electricity currents flowing within the walls. He couldn't make out all of them but a few of them he could.
"What can you catch but never throw?" came the voice again.
Batman stopped and he thought about the question again, trying his best to solve it. He could hear the floor beginning to hum for a moment.
'Catch but never throw, catch but never throw.' He thought to himself.
"A COLD!"
The floor ceased the hum and for a moment the scrambled data around him cleared to where he could see more of the layout around him.
Court of Owls- Security Monitors
Max stared at the video screen in front of her in sheer terror and relief. She was glad that Batman was able to answer some of the questions, even though they were easy riddles.
'He's not the smartest Batman out the bunch, reminds me of someone else I know, all brawn, but he's all I got. He's all Gotham's got.' She thought to herself.
Max continued to discreetly type in a few subroutines and commands into the computer system in front of her. For the past three days, she had been studying the intricate system that the Riddler had introduced her to, the Grid as he called it. The central hub for the Court of Owls and their entire operation.
The system itself was perfect but she being the hacker extraordinaire that she was knew for a fact that no system was perfect, there was always cracks to be exploited, one would just have to know where to look and after three days she had found the perfect pressure point.
The Court of Owls were still a mysterious bunch but their money was stored in three central hubs around Neo-Gotham City, each heavily guarded and fortified but a lot of the power was routed to one spot in Gotham which she assumed to be her currently location. And so she had gone about discreetly coding the information and once she had enough of it coded she needed to send it out to someone that could take them down and the only person so knew was currently the one that they were torturing, Batman.
"I'll get you out of there big guy, and then you can get me the hell out of here.' she thought to herself.
Max glanced to her left and her right, looking at the other brain trust of hackers and computer savvy people around her. Several of them were around her age, others looked a bit older but all were frightened. They all knew that the eyes of the Talons were upon them and that their lives were worth less than nothing but she would not let that stop her. She slowly coded the information of their operation, and she eyed Batman on the screen.
'I'm sure there is a way to transfer this info to him but even if he gets it, he has to get out of here to do anything with it. I remember RJ saying something about his cowl can receive information, maybe I can lock onto that signal.'
The Nest
The Riddler, eyed the circle of the Court, their white masks reflecting from the dim lightning in the room. He shifted off his bad leg, using his question mark cane to balance himself as he often did.
He patiently waited until the Court began to speak, he recognized the voice as one of the grandmasters of the court, the judges. He had been there long enough to figure out all of their identities but he was going to keep his mouth shut for now as to what he knew and he knew a lot.
"Nygma we grow tired of the games. For the past three days we have allowed you to toy with the Batman and now the time has come to kill him." Said one of the Judges.
"He has not learned anything yet, and I was promised my time, after all that I have done for you and the court." The Riddler replied.
"And we have obliged, we have allowed you to ask your Riddles to get into the mind of the man that beat you." Said the Judge.
"He is not the man the beat me but he represents the Legacy, it has to be done the right way, only then can I rest and…"
"ENOUGH!" came an elderly woman's voice.
The Riddler glanced towards the woman who spoke and he narrowed his eyes at her. He never liked her, or her son the so-called doctor that was supposed to be helping his grandson but was really pulling him closer into the next of the owls.
"We have indulged but no more. Neo-Gotham City is ripe for the picking. The police are helpless, the Mayor will soon be dead, the people are willing to hear our message and their savior the Batman is subdued it is time to move to the next phase. We have spoken, now leave us."
The Riddler sneered a bit before grabbing his cane and twirling it and heading out of the nest as they called it.
Security Monitors
Max continued to search through the system trying to find someone to not only communicate with Batman but pass along the information about the Court of Owls. She narrowed her eyes a bit when she found a small subroutine file that seemed to be focused on jamming something. She clicked it and a rough schematic of Batman's cowl emerged and she could see that the jamming was focused on his cowl that seemed to be trying to broadcast a signal of some sort.
'I think I found my in." She thought, 'All I need to do is cause a small distraction that will get everyone looking one way while I disable the jamming and upload the info. Batman, I hope you can find a way out because this is all I can do on my end.'
Max gritted her teeth as she pressed enter on her keyboard.
Underground
Batman found himself huddled in the darkness trying to think of a way out and that's when he heard it. It was faint but enough to get him on edge. He ducked and rolled to the right to avoid the blade that was aimed for his skull. He lashed out with a kick that caught his attacker in the stomach.
The Dark Knight was on his feet, and for a brief second the bright lights flickered on and to his surprise the corridor was filled with Talons all brandishing their weapons, and the glint from their goggles trained directly on him.
"No more Riddles, it is time for your head to be collected Batman." said one of the Talons.
"COME AND GET IT!" Batman yelled.
The lights went out and they attacked.
Edge of Neo-Gotham City
In the cover of night two motorcycles came to a stop at the bridge that would take them into the heart of the city that had given them everything and taken it all away. It was not an easy discussion or decision but Neo-Gotham was on fire and it was being lit by the Court of Owls, which meant that Damian, Barbara and the new Batman would need all the help they could get.
Dick, dressed in black and silver with a black mask over his eyes revved his bike and he glanced towards his protégé and friend, Brian Millwood, who was dressed in a sleek black body suit, with a domino mask over his eyes and a stylized blue and red bird emblem that went from his shoulder across the chest and to his other shoulder.
"You ready for your first field trip, Nightwing?" he asked.
"Not really, but it's been three years, and duty calls." Nightwing replied.
"That's the spirit." Said Dick with a smile.
The duo grabbed the clutches and sped off down the bridge and into the fires of Neo-Gotham City.
End Chapter: Read and Review.
Hello All, no this is not a trick, it is I Nomad88, coming at cha with a brand new chapter after like a four year hiatus. I can only off my apologies to everyone who has patiently waited for a new chapter. I have had a lot of personal crisis and personal challenges enter my life over the last couple of years that have really tested me in every way possible and my writing suffered greatly. Thankfully through prayer, patience and persistence I am back.
I'm working on the next chapter and the chapter after that, I'm sure you all won't have to wait years for those. I'll get it out as fast as I can and I hope you readers are there, until next time.
Next up: The Court of Owls part 4
Summary: Batman escapes, Dick and the new Nightwing arrive and begin to rally. And the Court of Owls try to find a traitor in their midst. Be there!