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 from this story. Alright, let's get on with the show.
Hey readers it's me back again with another chapter. We're getting deeper into the story now, I thinking were about halfway done with the Court of Owls arc. The first couple chapters our crew have been on the defense, now comes the offense. LOL! I'll stop talking and the let the story speak, but please remember to read, review, and of course enjoy!
Chapter 6: The Court of Owls Part 6
Central Gotham: Old access tunnel underground
Damian collapsed to the ground breathing heavily, the poison in his system was beginning to burn through his temporary anti-toxin. He needed another dose however all his vials were at the Mansion, and in his haste to escape he did not grab any extra. Yinn was the first at his side, checking him over and a grim expression pass over his eyes.
"What's wrong with you?" Dick asked.
"Poison, extremely potent, and it is only getting worse the longer it stays in his system without a legitimate cure." Yinn replied.
"This is Poison Ivy at her best Grayson, it spreads quickly, faster than anything I can remember in the past, except, wait a minute, it reminds me of that poison she used back when she took out the Rossestti family for their dumping of toxins in her garden." said Damian.
Dick nodded his head as he remembered that case and fight with Poison Ivy. She was in rare form that day but as always, the two of them together managed to defeat her and send her back to Arkham. He looked over his fallen friend and he reached towards his utility belt and he removed two vials of a blue looking liquid and an injection gun. He loaded it up and pressed it against Damian's neck.
PFFTT! PFTT! Went the sound of him injecting the liquid.
"This is the only anti-toxin I have on me right now. I think it will help but as I'm sure you know it's no permanent cure." Said Dick.
Damian grunted as he felt the anit-toxin burn slightly as it coursed through his system. As the burning settled, he started to feel a million times better. He could feel his strength returning, his senses and thinking becoming clearer. Damian nodded to Yinn who backed away and then he looked to Dick and his new silver and black uniform.
"I never thought I'd see you dressed like that again or even back in Gotham." He said.
"Neither did I, but you know, things change. And at some point, we gotta face our demons, isn't that right Babs." Said Dick.
He glanced over his shoulder and at Barbara, who had her flashlight out and was searching the warped walls and faded bricks of the service tunnel they were inside. She stopped for a moment and cast a glance in his direction.
"I didn't know I was one of your demons Dick." She said.
"That's not…. exactly what I meant but it is nice to hear your voice again, you haven't said more than two words since the Bridge." He replied.
"What do you want me say, that it's nice to see you or rather its convenient that you showed up during a crisis that lord knows we haven't seen the likes of since the old days." said Barbara.
"If you got something you wanna ask me then you go right ahead and ask!" Dick shouted.
"Are you one of them? Are you with the Court of Owls because if you are, I'd rather the betrayal happen right now than f****** later." She shouted right back.
Dick scoffed and shook his head. He removed his domino mask and he looked her in the eyes.
"I came here to help, but if you don't want it then I sure as hell can leave this city and you." He said.
"HA! Lord knows you're good at that, running away."
"Okay, I don't need this sh**." He said.
"I'm just skeptical because you made it very very clear that you would never return, and yet here you are, Dick Grayson in the flesh. Nightwing in all his glory, cracking jokes and throwing his wing dings around like its nothing." She said.
"You sound just like him, always questioning help rather than being appreciative. I guess on all of those nights together he must've really rubbed off on you huh." Dick returned.
"Okay, I don't need this sh**." said Barbara, while turning away and continuing her search along the walls of the tunnel.
Yinn tapped Damian, who was stretching his stiff limbs, on the shoulder.
"Master Wayne, has there always been this much tension between them." He asked.
Damian scoffed.
"Yes and no, back in the day it was sexual tension, right now it's tension-tension which is just sad because they're old." He said.
"SHUT UP DAMIAN!" Dick and Barbara shouted at the same time.
Dick heaved a heavy sigh, because right now he knew that now was not to be fighting amongst themselves. He knew that she had a right to be skeptical, after what he just seen the force of the Court of Owls was not something to sleep on. They knew next to nothing about them or how far their reach extended, and so in all honesty it was a fair question, even if he did not like it.
"Babs, look I'm not with the Court of Owls. And yes, I said I would never step foot in this city again or see any of you ever again after what happened with Tim and Stephanie, but that was thirty-years ago, THIRTY YEARS AGO! Things, have changed since then, I have changed."
Barbara came to a stop next to a faded-out brick wall with the letter O etched into it. She let her fingers roam over it fondly.
"I really wish I could believe that Dick but people do not change. They just get better at hiding who they truly are…. case in point. Scan."
Barbara took off her glasses as one of the bricks in front of her rumbled for a second before flipping around and revealing a green eye scanner. A green ray of light shined across her right eye.
"O-Oracle I-I-Identity con-con-confirmed." Came the stuttering automated response.
The brick wall slid downward revealing an elevator.
"Let's go" she said while stepping inside the rusty and old elevator.
Yin started forward and stepped inside. Damian put a hand on Dick's shoulder.
"You were right just like old times." He said.
Damian then passed by and stepped onto the elevator. Dick grumbled to himself before he too followed suit. The four of them watched as the brick wall slid upwards. After a minute of nothing happening, Yinn cleared his throat.
"When was the last time this elevator was used?" Yinn asked.
"About twenty something years ago, so either we're stuck and will die a horrible death or we give it a minute." said Barbara.
Another minute passed and finally, the elevator gave a frightening shake before the rusty metal gears began to pull them upwards and towards the top.
"What is at the top Master Wayne?" Yinn asked.
"The Clocktower, home to Oracle." Damian replied while glancing at Barbara.
Up Above
The rickety elevator finally reached the top and the doors opened to real Barbara's old home away from home, the Clocktower. The first thing they saw was the back of the giant clock that hung on the outside of the tower; the face of it was cracked and the hands were broken in half.
The roof, or at least part of it was caved in a bit exposing some of the metal underneath the wood, the windows were blown out allowing snow to filter inside which was scarcely decorated anymore since she moved out over two decades ago. There was a broken bookcase that had a few books left on the shelves but they were covered in snow. On the ground there was giant green O in the middle but it was faded and chipped away with the wood a bit. The Clocktower was old and needed some care but for a few of them it still felt a little like home.
Barbara stepped inside and she looked around and she was followed by Dick, Damian and Yinn. She pulled her coat a little closer to her bruised body because it was freezing inside her old home. She remembered the last day that she had been oracle. It was to find a murderer and kidnapper by the name of Klein Anders. It did not take her long to triangulate his location and send in the cavalry but even though finding him brought her joy just the thought of being Oracle brought her sadness. It was too close to being Batgirl again and after the Fall and the fight between her and Huntress she could not bring herself to open that door anymore. And so, she purged the system, moved out and shut the door and joined the police force but now here she was again, about to open the door to a world she wanted to forget.
"Oracle Online." Said Barbara
Another ray of green light emerged from a small scanner right above the face of the clocktower and it scanned her entire body. The entire top floor shuddered for a moment before metal gears began to come to life.
Yinn watched with curiosity and a bit of amazement as metal shutters closed over the broken windows, the hole in the ceiling, as well as the face of the clock. A holographic screen emerged from the scanner above the clock's face. The floor rotated a bit so that the horizontal O in the middle of the floor was now facing the clock. Once the floor was locked into position a keyboard came up from the floor in front of Barbara as well as a seat.
The screen in front of her remained blank.
"Oracle Interface program." She said.
A green face appeared on the screen, along with the words: ORACLE INTERFACE VOICE RECOGNITION PASSCODE.
"Jim Gordon." She said.
"ACCEPTED."
Barbara watched with a mixture of dread and anticipation as the Oracle interface began to happen. The screen filled with dozens of zeroes and ones and a map of old Gotham city appeared before a new updated map of Neo-Gotham city appeared however the map was incomplete. A few more seconds passed and she saw her system trying to locate Wayne satellites but only a few were able to be accessed.
"O-O-Oracle interfaced in-in-incomplete." Came the warped automated voice.
Barbara was about to begin typing into the keyboard when she was pushed out of the way by Damian. He fiercely began to type into the computer and on the screens an image of Wayne Manor appeared. The image then shifted to that of the hidden security cameras in the Batcave.
The small group watched the Court of Owls move about the Bat-cave destroying everything.
"They wasted no time." Said Dick
"Would you." Damian returned.
Barbara pushed Damian away from the keyboard consoles.
"Forget the damn cave, they can't access anything because of the lockdown. We need to know what's going on out the city and we need figure out how to mount a counter-attack." She said.
Barbara found herself back in control and began to type into the keyboards; several screens appeared in front of them along with the footage from the bat-cave. It was a news screen, and a camera source that showed the NGCPD, and camera source that showed the tanks that were beginning to flood the skies of Neo-Gotham.
"The National Guard will turn this city into a Warzone." Said Dick
"It's already a war zone." Damian replied
"The only way Yindel would have gotten permission for them to come in is if my husband gave the order to her which means he's out there somewhere."
Dick stepped towards the keyboard and he reached toward his forearm gauntlet and pulled out the line jack and plugged it into the keyboard and then activated his holographic communicator.
"What the hell are you doing?" Barbara asked.
"I didn't exactly ride into town alone. My apprentice of sorts is with me and I sent him after your husband. If he gave the order for the guard it means Brian succeeded in his mission. So why don't we give him a call." Dick replied.
Central Neo-Gotham- Bar
Nightwing pulled tightly on the wrap that was around the wound on Montoya Bullock's arm. The knife that she took to the arm had nicked a small vein which resulted in a slow bleed but he put some powder on the wound which stopped the bleeding and tied it tightly so it wouldn't reopen.
She looked at the makeshift bandage.
"Thanks. It feels like you've done this before." She said.
"Once or twice." Nightwing replied.
She smiled at him before glancing over her shoulder and looking at Mayor Young who was pacing back and forth, then to Carrie who was looking out the window and finally Jackson who was sitting quietly with a bottle of bourbon in front of him.
"What are our chances of making it out of this alive, because something tells me that the Owls won't stop until he's dead or maybe til we're all dead." Said Montoya.
"I don't know, but I do know that we do not need to panic." He said.
"Easier said than done. I've lived in this godforsaken city all my life and never have I seen anything like this. I might regret saying this now but seeing the Owls, I'd rather fight the Jokerz in an open war again. At least I knew what they were about but these weirdos is anyone's guess."
Nightwing nodded his head because he knew what she meant but he had had his fill of clowns. He never wanted to see any of the Jokerz again. Even though it had been three years since his life fell apart, he still dreamed of them more specifically Terminal. He still remembered the day where they fought and he killed him. The sound of the bullet firing from the gun as well as the sound of his skull splitting apart and the splashing of blood.
It still haunted him but he remained firm in his belief that Terminal needed to be put down. Nightwing was broken from his musings when he felt his forearm vibrate softly. He looked at it and moved away from the Detective. He reached towards the device and he tapped a button on the side.
"Go ahead old man." He said.
"Did you secure the Mayor?" Dick asked over the line.
"The Mayor is secure as well as his entourage, some kid, an aide and a Detective by the name of Bullock." Nightwing whispered, "How about you? Did you help your friends?"
"Yes, they're with me now. We're trying to regroup and form a plan on how to attack the Court of Owls." said Dick
"Good luck these guys are not like the normal thugs that we handle in Bludhaven, they're trained very well." Nightwing replied.
"I've noticed, what's your location?" Dick asked.
"I'll set up a beacon now." He said.
Nightwing reached towards his left sided gauntlet and he activated the beacon, which was an intermittent long range gps signal.
"We got your signal. We're not that far away, but I want you to still keep the Mayor hidden for now but we'll be in touch with a plan soon." Said Dick
"I read you loud and clear, Nightwing out."
Clocktower
Dick pointed at the screen as a red ping appeared over the incomplete map of Neo-Gotham City.
"That's where the Mayor is hiding out." Said Dick.
Barbara typed a couple strokes into the computer and she released a breath she did not know she was holding. She was happy that Sam and Carrie were safe and accounted for, even though she did not know who Dick's apprentice was at the moment, she was choosing to trust them.
"We're here, Sam and Carrie are there, and I'm sure that the acting Commissioner is right here at NGCPD calling the shots. We need to find the kid next."
"I do hope Master McGinnis is doing well." Said Yinn.
"McGinnis huh, so I'm guessing he's the new Batman on the block. I hope you all explained how much being Batman will cost, how much it will hurt." said Dick.
"We told him the whole story and the kid is still all in." Barbara replied over her shoulder.
"Brave kid, stupid, but brave." Dick replied.
Damian folded his arms across his chest as he stared ahead at the broken and incomplete map. He would never admit it out loud but he was worried about Terry. He had trained him to endure many things but the Court of Owls was a threat on a whole another level. An invasion of epic proportions that had everything and everyone scattered and their central hub shutdown.
'In all honesty I'm excited and ready for another fight but McGinnis, well he's tough and adaptable, so I'm sure wherever he is he's taking care of business.' Damian thought to himself.
Southside Neo Gotham
Batman grunted as he felt a punch smacked him in the jaw. The blow made his teeth click together and blood pool in his mouth. He growled and then returned with a solid punch of his own that caught the Talon in front of him in the face. He came around with another punch followed by an elbow and then a hard sidekick.
The Dark Knight of tomorrow took a second to catch his breath and look around him; he was slightly surprised to see the citizens of southside fighting alongside him. He was surprised to say the least but he was happy to know that Neo-Gotham still had some fight in them. It spurred him on because he was their protector, their Dark Knight and so while they fought, he would fight harder.
Batman flicked his wrist and he threw the batarang at the hand of the Talon across from him which knocked the sword out of his hand and saving the man he was about to skewer. A laser shot rang out in the night again followed by the sound of laughing. He turned to see the Dee-Dee twins with smiles on their faces, enjoying themselves amongst the chaos. He recognized them instantly, even without the ridiculous Jokerz make-up.
Batman narrowed his eyes at them as they turned to him.
"Look Dee-Dee our old friend B-Man." Said Delia.
"It's been so long B-Man, it's almost as if you've forgotten about us since Terminal got the express train to hell." Said Deidre.
"I did, the two of you aren't that memorable." Batman replied.
"Ouch, I guess next time we'll have be more memorable." Delia said darkly.
"There won't be a next time." Batman replied.
"Don't be so sure B-Man, vengeance is coming and it's coming soon." Said Deidre.
Deidre raised her gun and fired a shot that passed Batman and hit the Talon that was behind him in the eye. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Talon fall dead and then turned back to the Twins.
"Watch your back B-Man." Said Delia.
The twins began to laugh again as they slinked back in the chaos on the streets.
'Freaks.' Batman thought.
The Dark Knight put them from his thoughts as more Talons came upon him, he blocked and defended against them and when he struck, he made sure to make it hurt. Batman kicked a Talon in the knee and there was an audible cracking sound. He then deflected an overhead strike with his fins and came around with a hard uppercut.
As he fought with the Talons around him, he suddenly found several spotlights appear over them. He looked up to see news helicopters flying overhead as well as several National Guard tanks, and NGCPD police cars.
NGCPD Headquarters
Acting Commissioner Ellen Yindel took a long drag from the cigarette in her lips as she stared at all the screens around her. Neo-Gotham City was beginning to become a warzone and so her military training began to kick in. She and her police force were law and order and any person who did not obey would be dealt with swiftly.
"Ma'am, we've got eyes on the slums." Came a voice over their comms.
Ellen turned her hard-light gray eyes to one of the screens in front of her and she tapped it and it enlarged over the others and she could see a full-on brawl going on in front of her. There were fires, men and women laying dead in the streets, and it looked like the Court of Owls were fighting ordinary people on the streets of the slums but not only that she saw something else that made her blood boil a little and that was Batman. He was still alive.
She took another drag of the cigarette, and then blew out the smoke. She hated him, she hated how the former Commissioner has allowed him to run amok for three years, thinking that he was above the law. The police were the law…. period. In her opinion she thought that all of this was Batman's fault to begin with, and he would pay, just like the Court of Owls would pay and it would all be in blood.
"Ma'am we have eyes on the slums. We can see the Court of Owls and, we also have a visual on Batman. What are your orders?"
"If they're wearing a mask shoot'em down!" she shouted.
"Even Batman?"
"Especially Batman, this city is for the people not some costumed f*** that has a problem with authority."
Clocktower
"Damn it!" Barbara exclaimed.
"What is it?" Dick asked.
"My systems can't connect with all the satellites needed to get a better view of the city or connect with the comm tech in the bat-suit. I've managed to cook up a work around but it comes with a cost." She said.
"What cost?" Damian demanded.
"The cost of privacy. My systems currently work off of the Wayne Enterprise satellites, at least the ones that haven't been decommissioned but Wayne-Powers satellites work just fine and I'm sure that the Bat-Cave systems are tied into them but of course Bruce took precautions so no one could track any of the bat-computer's hacking. If I hack into the systems now without a patchwork update, which would take about a year, then some pencil pusher at Wayne-Powers could track everything back to the Clocktower, back to us." She said.
"You mean Paxton Powers, or his night light father Derek. Both of whom work for Kobra." Said Damian.
"Kobra, the terrorist organization. Yeah that's not good but honestly what choice do we have given our current situation." Said Dick.
"Agreed. It's not ideal but Powers and Kobra are problem for tomorrow. The Court of Owls are our problem right now and right now we need to find the kid." Damian replied before nodding at Barbara.
Barbara turned away from them and back to her Oracle program. She was a whirlwind as her fingers danced across the keyboards, the screens changed to zeroes and ones and she understood every bit of code that was shown. She was in her element more so than the costumes, the fighting or even the badge.
She tried to resist but she couldn't and a small smile crept along her lips as she blasted through a Wayne-Powers security firewall. Oracle, then continued to slip pass all the state-of-the-art security systems, they were nothing to her or her skills that have not lost a beat.
"Okay, I'm in the system. And I'm about to patch in and the update is about to commence." She said.
The screens completely went black for a moment but then they re-appeared and the map of Neo-Gotham City was completely updated. They could see everything, all camera systems were operational, all listening devices were only a finger tap away and all the secrets of Neo-Gotham were hers for the taking. In that moment, Oracle had returned and it felt good.
"We're back in business. I'm pulling up a feed now. It looks like Yindel has eyes on Batman who's on the Southside." Said Barbara.
The screen switched to a real time camera that showed Batman in the middle of the street fighting three Talons while a spotlight was on him. Each of them could see the bodies of the citizens however they also saw people fighting back as well.
"Alright people, I'm about to patch us through to the cowl, just remember this is a party line so be careful what you say." She said
"Thank you, mom." Damian replied sarcastically which earned a look of disapproval from Yinn but he paid it no attention.
Southside
Batman looked away from the spotlight because of the Talon's that were coming for him. He started to fight them off when suddenly a dozen zeroes and ones flashed across his eyesight. It blinded him for a second but it disappeared right as his comms line came to life and he heard Damian's voice.
"Listen close Batman, we're on a party line so watch what you say. You do know what that means don't you?" he said.
Batman scoffed.
"Is it weird for me say that I missed your condescending voice, Prophet." He replied, "Yes, I know what it means. I'm glad you're not dead because I could use some assistance here with these bozos."
Damian was about to respond when the voice of Commissioner Ellen Yindel echoed in the night.
"ATTENTION CITIZENS OF NEO-GOTHAM, CEASE AND DECISTS. GO BACK TO YOUR HOMES NOW WHILE THE POLICE DEAL WITH THE OWLS. FOR THE COURT OF OWLS SURRENDER OR YOU WILL BE SHOT! BATMAN! SURRENDER OR YOU WILL BE SHOT! YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO COMPLY!"
Batman took a defensive stance as men and women in tactical national guard gear dropped down from their tanks up above and to the snowy street, and they were followed by full tactical gear police officers as well.
"TIME'S UP! LIGHT 'EM UP!" Commissioner Yindel yelled.
Batman gasped as he had to duck and roll from an onslaught of bullets from the soldiers and the police.
"Who the hell is that in charge and why the hell is she shooting at me!" Batman yelled into the comms as he threw a batarang, which knocked the gun that was trained on him out of a soldier's hand.
"That's acting Commissioner Ellen Yindel, she's not too fond of people in mask so get out of there!" Damian shouted.
POWWW! POWWWW! POWWWW! Came the sounds of the rapid fire that seemed to come from every direction.
Batman dashed and dodged his way out of the path of the bullets. He made sure run in the direction that was away from the civilians who were running away. The Talons also started to retreat by throwing smoke pellets to the ground and disappearing.
The Dark Knight curled his feet and made the rockets in the soles come to life however since one of his wings were destroyed he awkwardly took to the sky and barely managed to make it to the ledge of a nearby building that was still standing. He grunted as he pulled himself up and over the ledge and to the roof.
He took in a few deep breaths trying to recover when another spotlight found it's way over him. He only had a moment to get up and start running before the gunfire rained down upon him again.
"Sonuva bitch!" Batman yelled.
He bounded across the snowy rooftops of Old Neo-Gotham, when he reached a gap that was too big to jump, he active his rocket boots and closed the distance. He was coming to an electronic billboard that had his picture plastered upon it and that's when a second police car emerge over the billboard. He flicked his wrist and threw a batarang at the spotlight and smashed it to pieces right as more bullets rained down upon him.
Clocktower
Barbara narrowed her eyes as she watched Batman dash away from the hail of bullets but what unsettled her were the zeroes and ones that flashed across the screen and briefly obscured their vision.
"What the hell." She whispered.
"THEY ARE GOING TO KILL HIM!" Dick shouted.
Barbara snapped out of her daze and she focused on the problem at hand.
"What can we do from here?" Yinn asked.
"Call the batmobile!" Damian exclaimed.
Barbara's hands danced across the keyboard as she searched for a signal that was like the batsuit. The batmobile and the batsuit have always been connected even back in the day and so if she could find one, she could find the other by using a tracing ping. It took her a minute or two but she found the signal to the batmobile.
"Kid if you can hear me the batmobile is en route to your position, head due-west and stick to the shadows." She said over the line.
Streets of Neo-Gotham
"STICK TO THE SHADOWS, TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW!" he yelled while diving off the building.
Batman fell through the air while the police cars were on his tail. He neared a speeding delivery truck and managed to slow his descent enough to land on the roof of the vehicle. He dug his fins into the metal to keep himself from falling off.
The delivery truck he was on lowered a bit and then went into a tunnel that shielded him from the police. He sighed in relief but it was brief as the police lowered down and entered the tunnel after the truck.
From the front of the police cars that were flying behind the truck dual wire lines fired out and hooked onto the metal roof. He flexed his fingers and each of the digits sharpened just in time for him to swipe at the lines and cut them before they released a controlled emp.
"Batman! Look behind you!" came Damian's voice over the line.
Batman turned to see that at the end of the tunnel the batmobile hovering and waiting. He smirked to himself and he curled his feet activating the rockets in his feet. He spread his one good wing and awkwardly flew towards the waiting vehicle.
He reached the batmobile and he climbed inside. Batman closed the hatch, pulled on the levers and pulled upwards on the controls. The batmobile flew upwards and through the sky, the police cars were still chasing him but he activated the cloaking device and he vanished from sight.
Inside the Batmobile
Batman leaned back in the seat breathing heavily. He was exhausted and at the moment was the first time he has had the chance to rest.
"Kid, come in are you safe?" Barbara asked.
"Depends on what you mean by safe Comis…..." he started before being interrupted.
"Oracle." She interjected "Call me Oracle."
"Okay. Oracle, I'm in the batmobile and the cloaking is in effect. I'm heading to the Cave now." He said.
"No!" Everyone shouted.
"The Cave is overrun with the Owls. They know who we are and they've taken the Cave."
"What!" Batman exclaimed "If they have the cave, then where are you guys?"
"I'm sending the coordinates to the batmobile now and remotely bringing you here. We'll explain everything when you get here and we'll start working on a plan of attack. See you in a few Oracle out."
Batman felt the batmobile swerve to the left and take a dip towards the high-rise skyline that was located towards central Neo-Gotham.
Elsewhere: In the Air
Max tried her best to relax in the cool leather seats of the limo that she was riding in, however it was hard since she was blindfolded and her hands were tied. She was afraid, but she took some comfort in the fact that she was not going to be killed, at least not now. If the Riddler wanted to kill her he would have ratted her out to the Court but he did not.
After the Riddler fingered Estebon as the hacker he then grabbed her and took her to the side and he whispered to her that he knew what she had done. He didn't get a chance to go into further detail because the Judges had called him away. Max thought she was clear after that but not long after she was blindfolded and then ushered away into a limo and whisked away.
She shifted again in her seat.
"Stop that incessant shifting." Said the Riddler.
"Sorry, tends to happened with I'm blindfolded and tied and not knowing where I'm going." She replied.
The blindfold was ripped from her face and she could see that they were driving through the air. The snow was falling harder and the wind was terrible but what caught her attention the most were the fires that were raging down below.
"My God, what are you all doing to the city." She whispered.
"They are picking the city clean or at least that's what they say they're doing." He answered
Max looked away from the window and to the side to see the Riddler sitting next to her. He had a contemplative look upon his face.
"Why? What is their goal?" Max asked.
The Riddler chuckled.
"Wrong question my dear, Why and What are always secondary to the most important question."
"Who." Max stated.
The Riddler shifted in his seat and looked at her intently.
"So, who are you Maxine? Because truly I believed that you were someone with potential. I still believe that but helping Batman to escape was not a smart play." He said.
"It is if you're playing the right game and asking the right questions." She replied.
"Hmm, now you do have my attention. Go on." He said.
Max looked out of the window again and at the fires.
"You said that Who, is the most important question to ask. I say What, is right up there with it. For example, what will this city look like under the control of the Court, what will happen to us once they win. And what will they do if not all the boxes are checked off in their master plan." She replied.
"I have been asking those same questions since the day they forcibly recruited me and my grandson." Said the Riddler, "The illogical things we do for love."
"What's wrong with him?" Max asked while looking away from the window and to the old former villain.
"A rare blood disease that will ultimately kill him. The Court, has connections and resources needed to supply the ingredients for the medicine they give him." He said solemnly.
"I get what you meant by a bleeding fist. The crazy things we do for love or the crazy things we do as a result of falling out of love. You asked me Who I am, and right now I am a woman that has gotten herself in over head because of a broken heart." She said.
"Hmmph. So, the question is how do we remove ourselves from this little pickle we're in. You seem to think and even I thought it for a moment that Batman would be the answer, but after the display I saw in the maze, he is not. I have miscalculated, and so have you. The new Batman is an imbecile, far removed from his predecessor the only man to have caused me to lose sleep over because of the sheer conundrum that he is or was at least."
"I think he's still the answer. He may just need a little help." Said Max.
"Help?" The Riddler questioned "The old Batman never needed help! And neither should the new Batman, either he wins against me or he loses. I will prove that I am the superior intellect."
"Dude, I don't know if anyone has ever told you but you are seriously obsessed with Batman." Said Max.
"It has been mentioned over the years. I remember the last therapist I had, right before he died a gruesome death for not answering a simple riddle, mentioned my unhealthy obsession with Batman." He said.
Max shook her head.
"Glossing over your murderous past or whatever. There must be a way to take these Court of Owl bastards out. You and I want the same thing." Said Max.
"We want the same thing up to a point dear Maxine. And there is a way to defeat them or at least cripple their numbers, and the path to that lies in the answer to a simple riddle. One that I have given to Batman but I fear it might have been lost." He said.
"Wait, you can stop all of this! Why don't you just answer your own riddle and be done with it!" Max returned
"I wish I could, however my psychosis won't allow it." He replied, "And not to mention once the trojan horse to the Court of Owls forces has been enacted the Judges will know that it was me and RJ and I will be hunted by their most prized Talon, Mr. Lincoln March. I was hoping Batman would be able to dispose of him but again I might have placed too much faith in the new Dark Knight."
"Wait, hold on one more time. Lincoln March, of March Ventures and the mayoral candidate is mixed up in all of this. He's one of those freaks in the masks."
"Yes, and trust me when I say that he is much more than just a freak in a mask, much more. And not only his anger but his mother's anger will roll this city until there is nothing left." Said the Riddler ominously.
The Past- March Mansion
Twelve-year-old Lincoln March struggled to breath as the bigger and older boy tightened the choke hold around his neck. He could feel his vision beginning to swim because the hold was so tight.
"FIND THE ESCAPE BOY!" shouted Henry.
Lincoln fell to his knees and he began to tap on the boys shoulder indicating that he admitted defeat. The older boy looked up towards Henry and few others that were in the training room and they nodded their heads to him. It was only then that he released the hold.
Henry March released a frustrated sigh, yet again Lincoln failed to best the older the boy. He gritted his teeth and he turned away in disappointment, a look that was not lost to the young boy.
Lincoln rubbed his sore neck and he wipe some of the blood that was trickling down his nose.
"Can I please take a break?" Lincoln asked.
"No!" Henry shouted, "You will take a break when you learn to best your enemies."
"I'm tired!" Lincoln shouted back, "I've been at this all day, I can't beat him! He's too big."
Henry looked at the faces of the Judges who were looking as if they were beginning to lose faith. He could not let that happen, this was his ticket into the future of Gotham, something that his father and his father before had been trying to do since the Court of Owls inception. The March family has always been trying to claw themselves out of mediocrity but between fate and bad business decision they have always come up short. It was by mere amusement that the Court tolerated them knowing their secret.
And so, it was a blessing in disguise that when he married Julie that she happened to have the child of their most hated enemy Bruce Wayne or better known to them all as Batman.
"I thought you said you could mold him into what we needed him to be Henry. You lied." Came the voice of a judge. A young man in his thirties that looked like he came from wealth.
"I can, I just need more time." Henry replied.
"Stop this right now!" came a shout.
Henry and the others turned to see Julie running into the training room. He quickly cut her off and stopped her from reaching Lincoln.
"I won't let you monsters corrupt my son any further!" she shouted.
Henry shook her and forced her to look at him.
"Calm yourself Julie!" he said.
"No, screw you and them." She replied while wrestling herself from his grip.
The judges shook their heads. Henry could see their disappoint and it was a like a knife in his heart and it was in that moment that his frustrations began to get the better of him and Julie's shouting was grating his nerves and so he raised his hand and slapped her across the face. She fell to the ground a hand flying to her eye.
"NO!" Lincoln shouted.
He tried to run to his mother but the older boy grabbed him and flipped him to the ground and held him there. Lincoln growled to himself as he squirmed and tried to escape the boy's grip; finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he was able to free himself. He then hit the older boy in the throat and then yelled as he pushed him off.
Lincoln straddled the choking older boy and started to hit him repeatedly. He didn't stop when he felt blood splatter on his face, he didn't stop when the boy beneath stopped moving nor did he stop when his mother called his name. He only stopped when he felt someone grab him by the shoulder.
He turned away from the bloody mess beneath to see the worried eyes of his mother Julie. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly, even as the laughs from the judges filled the training area.
"Yes! That is what we want and that is what we need, the ruthlessness of a Wayne."
Julie hugged her son tightly as she heard the Judges continue to speak and her 'husband' Henry chiming in with his thoughts and plans.
"Don't worry baby, I'll find a way to get us out of this. I'll find a way." She whispered to him.
Three Days Later
A soaking wet Julie Madison stepped into the lavish hotel that was located on the upper west side of Gotham. She pulled her wet jacket close to her body trying to get some warmth from the cold hard rain. It had taken effort but she had finally managed to slip pass her guards. Ever since Henry revealed to her the Court of Owls, and their plans for Gotham, Bruce Wayne and her son she had been kept under guard and constant surveillance.
She had played the part of subservient wife in fear of them harming her son but she realized how much they had riding on him and so she knew that would never kill him, which embolden her to plan and make a move to get help from the only person she knew that could help her, and that was her former fiancé Bruce Wayne.
She had managed to track him to the five-star hotel she was standing in but locating him would prove to be a challenge. Julie took a minute and looked around the lobby praying by some miracle that she'd spot him but she didn't.
Julie made her way over to the bar and she ordered herself a drink. She never had much use for alcohol in the past but it had quickly become her only solace. She downed the whisky in one shot before working up the courage to walk to the front desk and speak to the receptionist, however on her way there out the corner of her eye she saw one of her 'guards' enter the Hotel entrance.
"Damn it" she whispered.
Julie turned away and made a quick beeline towards the woman's restroom.
Julie quickly entered one of the stalls and she stood on the seat, she then locked the stall praying that the court did not find her before she was able to reach to Bruce.
SLAMMMMMMMMMMM! Came the sound of the restroom door opening and the sound of two voice filtered inside followed by the door locking. Julie peeked through the cracks to see a beautiful red-haired woman with green eyes and a snarl on her face and to her surprise she saw Bruce walking towards her with a sincere look upon his face.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! I'M ON A VERY IMPORTANT JOB!" she yelled in a hushed whisper.
"Selina listen to me this isn't a game anymore." Bruce replied strongly while quickly looking under the stalls, making sure that they were alone, "You have no idea how hard it was to lure you here."
"Lure me! What are you talking about, I'm after…" she started.
"The Manchester diamonds that are around the neck of the wife of the Spanish prince who's on the top floor of this awfully expensive five-star hotel. I know, I'm the one that invited him to Gotham knowing that you would follow."
Selina scoffed as she pulled off her wig to reveal her short dark hair.
"Of course, you do. The Bat knows all." She said while stepping close to him, "But you know if you wanted to see me all you had to do was call."
"I needed to see you in person to let you know that your thieving days are over." He said sternly.
"What?"
"Selina listen, the cat and bat games you and I have played over the years has now come to an end. Amanda Waller knows all and she is coming after everyone." He said.
"Because of that whole Buckingham Palace incident, I mean come on people are not stupid enough to believe that you were actually responsible for that or that manifesto." She replied.
"Some people are because Amanda Waller has been given the greenlight to bring Batman in but she's after everyone except me. She knows who I am, that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one in the same but she wants to hurt me, like I hurt her. She is arresting anyone who has ever had any involvement in Batman Inc. and that includes you."
Bruce reached into his suit pocket and he removed a flash drive, a passport and several credit cards. He placed the items in her hands and stared into her eyes.
"Selina, since the Fall of Batman initiative started by Waller, I have been losing people left and right. I can't lose you too. I have been able to mask your movements from afar but I can't keep diverting my attention to you once they get too close. So, I am asking you, begging you to take this ticket out. I have created you a new identity with all the necessary paperwork on the flash drive. You have a new passport undetectable by any government agency and finally you have a very sizable nest egg of money. I drained several of my offshore accounts and I think it's safe to say that you'll never have to worry about money again." He said.
Selina carefully gripped the items in her hand and she opened the passport.
"You're serious about this." She said.
"Deadly serious, as I said the game is over." He replied.
"How did this happen?" she asked.
Bruce heaved a heavy sigh.
"It was the Joker. He did something that was unforgivable even by his normal standards and now everyone is paying the price. The only bright side is that he's finally dead but it came at an even bigger cost." He said.
Selina growled before shoving him.
"You should've killed that bastard years ago. How many times did I tell you that he would be the death of you, of us if you didn't handle him permanently? Bruce I can't just give up my life because of your mistake." She snapped.
"You're not giving up anything Selina! What! What are you giving up! I have given you everything you will ever need to survive. You will never be that little abandoned girl on the street that had to steal to survive anymore. If you don't take this now, then I might not be able to help you when Waller comes. And she is coming!" He said.
"You sound like you're afraid of her." Selina challenged.
"Don't be ridiculous. I am not afraid of her; I'm only concerned about you." He replied in a calm tone.
Bruce gently grabbed her by the arms and he pulled her close.
"Selina, there are three that I love more than life itself. One is Damian, even though if you asked him, he would tell you something different, but he is my son…my only biological son and I love him dearly. The next is Gotham. This is my city; my home and I know it may seem like it'd be easier just to kill or raze the filth and grim that is staining my home but there must be a better way. If I were to go down that road of killing, I'd turn into something truly dangerous and ugly and I swore I would never do that. I swore that I would do any and everything I can to save this city from itself without taking a life. And yes, it's hard but nothing worth a damn is ever easy."
He paused for a moment.
"What's the last thing you love Bruce?" Selina asked
Bruce let his hands travel up her arms and to her beautiful face. He stared into her green eyes and he could see the love she had for him and she could see the love he had for her in his own eyes.
"You." He said, "It has always been and will always be you. I have known my fair share of women but none will ever come close to you. There nothing else that I want other than to go away with you and us to get married and live out our days on a deserted island, but…."
"But that's not you." Selina finished.
Bruce shook his head. Selina hung her head for a moment before looking back up at him and his pleading eyes. She wanted to say no to him but when he was like this in front of her, vulnerable, she always found it hard to do anything other than agree. And this time was no different.
"Okay, I'll go." She said in a low voice.
"Thank you." He replied.
The two of them leaned down and kissed, both unaware of the tear filled eyes of Julie Madison-March.
Later: March Mansion
Julie was shoved to the ground by one of her guards but she didn't care. Her one and only chance to escape went up in flames. A small part of her had hoped that when Bruce saw her that the man who had fallen in love with her would be there but after the exchange with that woman…Selina she knew all hope had been lost and it destroyed her.
"What were you thinking!" Henry shouted
Julie barely registered her husband Henry standing over her shouting and screaming but she did feel the cold steel of a knife pressed against her neck. She could not see her attacker but she knew it was one of the mysterious guards that had been lurking around the house, they were different from the ones that followed her, they wore white masks.
She felt fear creep along her spine as the knife pressed against her throat, and it was the fear that brought her attention back to her extremely dangerous situation.
"Wait!" Henry shouted "Please do not kill her, she is my wife and she is just having a hard time accepting all of this. It is new to her."
"She tried to contact him!" came a shout from behind her.
"She was found in a restroom at a hotel that is owned by Bruce Wayne, our enemy."
"Well obviously she did not say anything because if she did Batman would've busted in here by now." Henry returned.
"Even still, she flew too close to the sun and so she must be dealt with, there is no betraying the Court. Kill her."
Julie felt panic grip her tightly and in that moment her life began to flash before her eyes and her mind landed on her son Lincoln. If she was about to die then who would watch over him, who would he become without her there to protect him. And it was with that thought that she made a ditch effort to save her life.
"I CAN MAKE LINCOLN FIGHT!" she shouted.
"Stop!"
The knife on her throat did not drag across but halted.
"What did you say dear?" came the voice from behind her. It sounded like an elderly woman's voice.
"I said I can make Lincoln fight. I can make him into whatever you want, I am his mother after all. You remember how he acted a few days ago. I can make that permanent." She said.
The judges could be heard whispering. Julie tried to turn her head but the 'guard' kept her head forward and at her husband Henry who had a concerned look upon his face. The judges continued to whisper amongst themselves until they finally came to a decision.
"Release her."
Julie felt the knife disappear and she felt herself being rolled over to face the white masked guard as well as the judges.
"You will help to make Lincoln into one of our Talons, but not just any talon. He needs to be able to go toe to toe with his real father and win. We will provide all the best teachers but you will ensure that he mentally remains on track. We will keep track of his progress and if he does not live up to his potential you will die and we will take over. Is that clear?"
Julie nodded her head.
"Good, but you still need to pay for breaking the rules." Said one of the Judges.
The guard looked at them and they nodded their heads to him. The guard with the white mask held the knife over her face.
"Do not move." He said.
The 'guard' picked a spot on her face and drug his knife down in a slow painful motion.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Julie screamed at the top of her lungs.
The guard picked another spot and did the same motion. In all he left three long marks across her face; each were bleeding and painful to the touch. She screamed with each mark and once he was finish her hands flew to her bloody face.
"Consider your transgression forgiven but you only get one Mrs. March. Now I believe your son needs you, he needs his rest but it seems like he won't go to sleep. How about you go read him a bedtime story." Said the elderly judge.
They then swiftly left the study, leaving her there screaming in the arms of Henry.
1 Hour later
Julie, with bandages on her face made her way into Lincoln's room. He was laying on his bed curled up into a ball and facing the wall.
"Lincoln." She said softly.
"Mom!" he exclaimed while turning over and looking at her, but as he faced her he gasped at the sight of her face, "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!"
Julie quickly went over to him and the two of them embraced each other tightly. He sobbed a bit as he hugged his mother.
"They hurt you didn't they." He said.
"Yes, baby they did." She replied.
"It was because me wasn't it. I'm sorry, I'll do better mom, I swear."
Julie quickly shushed him. She leaned down close to him, close to his ear.
"No it wasn't because of you, but Lincoln help isn't coming dear. I tried to get to your father but he doesn't care, apparently, he never cared and so you and I will have to rely on each other. You and I will have to find our own way out of this mess." She whispered.
"How?" he whispered.
Julie hugged him tightly and she happened to catch a glimpse of her face in the window of Lincoln's bedroom. She stared at the bandages and the blood that was seeping through. She could feel tears threatening to fall but they cleared when she saw the Bat-signal illuminate the sky. The sadness of the tiny bit of hope that was shattered when trying to see Bruce along with the hopelessness of her situation becoming even more apparent, anger began to take hold.
And that anger began to simmer and then it began to boil over into rage.
"I'll tell you how Lincoln, but you have to understand that we'll have to become something dangerous and ugly to be free." She said.
"Okay." He replied.
Present: Bat-Cave
The white masked Talon sensed two new people entering the bat-cave. The other talons that were in the cave behind him made a path. He turned to see the Riddler walking or rather limping forward with his cane but next to him was a young woman with pink hair.
"Riddle me this, Riddle me…."
"Save it!" The white masked talon snapped.
He stormed over to the Riddler and grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him the rest of the way.
"HEY!" Max shouted but her cries fell upon deaf ears.
The white masked Talon shoved the Riddler into the bat-computer that still had the message lockdown flashing across the screen.
"Unlock it. Now." He said.
"I can't because I'm not the computer expert, but she is my masked friend. So, if you'd so kindly treat your elders with respect that would be great." The Riddler replied.
The white masked talon released his hold on the Riddler and turned to Max who at that moment felt as if she were a deer caught in headlights. He stalked over until he towered over her.
"Unlock this computer, right now." He said.
Max nodded her head and she went over to the bat-computer and she sat down in the chair. She cracked her knuckles before glancing at the Riddler who nodded his head back to her.
"Here goes everything." She said before her fingers started to fly across the keyboard.
Elsewhere: Bar-Central Neo-Gotham
TAP! TAP! TAP! Came the soft sound from up above. Everyone inside the bar missed the soft sound, except their armored clad protector.
Nightwing slowly stood up from his spot and he stared up at the ceiling. He narrowed his eyes as he felt a chill go down his spine. He remembered the training from Dick and that shiver told him that something was about to happen.
'Always trust your feelings and your gut.' He thought to himself.
He curled his fists and his electric brass knuckles appeared.
"Everyone listen to me, do not make a sound, but go and hide because we're not alone anymore." He said.
Jackson was about to say something when Carrie lunged at him and put her hand over his mouth. She shoved him towards the back of the bar where Montoya and Mayor Young were already heading which left Nightwing alone in the center of the bar.
He tilted his head as he heard what sounded like cutting tools. It was faint and would have gone unnoticed to an untrained ear but he heard it and he prepared himself for a fight. Nightwing slowly stepped backwards and into the shadows as a red dot appeared in the metal ceiling.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Came the sound of the roof being blow inward, kicking up dust and debris in every direction.
A single Talon dropped down inside, it was the same Talon from before, he had somehow managed to break the magnetic bonds that held his chipped and broken armor in place. The Talon's eyes glowed red for a second as he looked around the seemingly emptied bar. He could see several heat signatures coming from the back of the bar however before he could make a move towards them, he heard something whistling through the air.
The Talon turned just in time to get struck in the eye with an escrima stick. The stick cracked one of the infrared lenses. The owl themed assassin growled to himself as he looked up to see Nightwing emerge from the dust.
"You are becoming a pain in my ass." Said the Talon.
"The same could be said for you." Nightwing replied.
The Talon removed his sword and held it in a ready position. Nightwing held out his hand and his thrown escrima stick returned. He tapped the edges of the sticks together and an electrical current flowed between the ends connecting them and turning them from single sticks to nunchucks.
Nightwing flailed his electrified nunchucks in a defensive manor before holding out his left hand and gesturing for the Talon to come at him.
The Talon let out a roar before charging.
End Chapter: Read and Review: Hey there readers it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. We're getting deeper and deeper into the story of the Court of Owls. I hope everyone is enjoying the twist, turns and big battles, and do trust there are more on the way.
I'm not gonna spend much time here in the closing section but please leave a review if you liked the chapter and if you didn't still leave a review and tell me. I'm all ears to all criticism, even though I survive off positive criticism. Also, if you want you can hit me up with a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP.
This is Nomad88 saying later….
Next up: The Court of Owls part 7
Summary: Batman, Damian, Dick and Nightwing strike back. More of Lincoln March's history is explored as well as his relationship with his mother. Be There!