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 there readers it's me Nomad88 retuning with another awesome chapter in my ever-expanding world of Batman Beyond. The Court of Owls have hit and it's time for the New Heroes and Old Heroes to strike back. I won't spend too much time talking but I will say this please continue to Read, Review, and of course ENJOY!
Chapter 8: The Court of Owls part Eight
The Past-England Court of Owls Dojo
Seventeen-year-old Lincoln March spit some blood out of his mouth before ducking under the sword that was supposed to separate his head from his shoulders. He came up and then forward with a slash from his own sword. The white masked opponent met him in the middle and the two struggled for a moment before Lincoln spit blood onto the mask blinding him. The action made his opponent lose focus which was all the opening that Lincoln needed.
He shifted his weight to the left making the masked enemy tilt off balance, he then lifted his blade, stepped to the right and came down on his opponents wrist cutting both hands off. The white masked enemy let out a scream of agony before it was silenced by Lincoln removing his head with the second motion from his blade. The head rolled across the mat and at the feet of the three Court of Owl judges that were watching the fight.
The judges did not outwardly react but they did look away from the head and to the four other heads that were scattered about the bloody dojo. They then looked between themselves before Lincoln's voice caught their attention.
"Send another." he said.
The judges heard the request before looking up towards the rafters up above, where there were cameras on the ceiling pointed in their direction.
"Send in the next instructor." One of them said.
Lincoln spun his sword and turned to face the door that his next 'instructor' would come through. He did not care who was going to walk through because his anger blinded him. The rage that filled him was directed at those that were trying to control him, the Court of Owls. He hated every one of them and he wanted to cut off each of their heads but he stayed his hand and that was mostly because of his mother.
It had been about two months since she along with his 'father' had died in a horrible car accident. When the Court of Owls told him, he did not believe it but they showed him her mangled body so he had no choice but to believe them. He had been beyond hurt and the pain was immense but they did not let him even grieve for her. They in fact doubled his training and his rage was only thing that kept him going.
He was still confused as to who they were fully but he had learned enough to know what his role was supposed to be. He was to be their weapon, their Talon, to be used in some sort of vendetta against the Dark Knight of Gotham. He still did not understand why he and his mother had been targeted but he didn't care because she was dead.
Lincoln stood there waiting for the next person to walk through the door, and as he did that he looked at the blood-stained sword in his hand. It would be easy for him to end it all, just take the sword turn it towards his heart and kill himself, he let a small smirk grace his lips because the thought of killing himself to spite them made him happy. And yet he stayed his hand. The smile on his face fell as he remembered the conversation, he had with his mother a few years ago.
She told him that it was up to them to save each other and to do that he needed to learn whatever they wanted to teach him and use it against them. And so, he stayed his hand. He would continue to learn until the time was right. He would honor the plan that his mother laid out for them to follow. And he would destroy them all as well as Batman.
CREAAKKKKKKKKK! Came the sound of the doors opening. A figure began to emerge but was obscured in the shadows just outside of the training room.
Lincoln gripped his sword tighter as the figure walked further in allowing for a clear look, he was surprised to see a woman dressed in white. She was in his opinion old; he could tell by the graying white hair that was braided into a single long braid and the wrinkles around her dark tanned forehead and eyes which were the only thing he could see of her face. The woman in white also had a white half-mask covering the bottom half of her face.
She was lean for someone her age, and he could see the strong muscles through the tight white unitard outfit she had on. Lincoln caught a glance and her hands which had the wrinkles of someone that was old but he could also see callouses and scars going along her knuckles. He then caught sight of her long legs that had scars and burns that had healed over from battles that had long passed.
"Is this the child." Came her weary yet firm voice.
"Yes. He is the one that is need of your skills." The Judge to her left replied.
"Who are you?" Lincoln demanded, while pointing his sword at her.
The woman in white narrowed her hard gray eyes before moving swiftly towards him. In a matter of seconds, she closed the distance between them. She hit him in the throat making him gag. She then chopped his wrist making him drop his sword before jumping in the air and kneeing him in the face. Lincoln was knocked backwards and to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
"You are weak." She said.
Lincoln gritted his bloody teeth and fought his way to his feet. He took a stance and then charged at the older woman dressed in white. She deftly dodged each of his attacks and with each attack he was getting even more frustrated.
"You're still a child." She said.
Lincoln yelled as he jumped and did a spin kick in the air that was supposed to snap her neck but she easily blocked and then grabbed his leg and then threw him to the ground. She cast a glance towards the white-masked Judge who was silently chuckling to himself.
"Leave us." She commanded.
"That was not part of the deal." He said.
"If you want the Legacy to be worthy of his birthright and your mantle then you need to leave. I must have privacy to work." She replied sternly.
The judge wanted to say something the but look in her eyes, ones that promised death and agony forced him to remain silent. He merely nodded his head and slowly retreated from the training room, leaving only the woman in white and her new charge.
Lincoln spit out some more blood.
"Who are you lady?" he asked.
"A better question is who are you child. Why do they push you so and why do you fail?" She asked.
Lincoln did not reply nor did he rise, he sat on the mat staring into the hard eyes of the woman before him. After a long moment she nodded her head and then scoffed.
"I see. You do not know, who you really are." She said.
"I know enough to know that you are a psycho, along with the rest of these owl freaks." Said Lincoln under his breath, however his words found their way to her ears.
"You know nothing, now stand and face the truth of who you are." She said.
Lincoln reluctantly began to rise to his feet and prepare himself to fight the mysterious woman in white however to his surprise no attack came. She merely stood there looking at him.
"What are you looking at!" he shouted, "Come on, let's do this!"
"There is nothing worse than an unfocused fighter. My sensei, before I killed him, used to say one must know thy self if they are to be great at anything. And you know nothing, so we must rectify that."
"I know who I am! I am the guy that's gonna kick your old ass!" He yelled.
Lincoln charged with a series of quick punches and kicks and each were painfully blocked or dodged by the woman in white. He spun around with a back-fist and that missed by a mile and she responded with a palm strike to his chin and then she swept him off his feet where he hit the ground hard.
"Tch." She scoffed, "I think not. At least not today. You are a boy tapping his fists against stones you are not able break, but you will."
Lincoln spit out some more blood.
"Who are you lady." He asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I am your new sensei. I am the White Canary, but when we are here you call me sensei." She said
"And who am I?" he asked.
"You are the forgotten legacy to one of the most dangerous men on planet. You are the son of Bruce Wayne, known to me and the Court of Owls as the Batman."
Lincoln stared up at her, completely at a loss for words. He wanted to say she was lying but her eyes told him the truth. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as her words continued in his mind. He had heard of Batman; it was all the Court talked about. And now it all made sense, as why he and his mother were in a sense prisoners. He had so many more questions but before another word could leave his lips, she held up her hand.
"All the answers to your questions will be answered in due time, but for now the first lesson has been taught. And that lesson is know thy self, know who you are and now you do. This lesson shall continue tomorrow where I will not be so kind." She said.
Lincoln watched as she turned and walked out of the training dojo leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Elsewhere: Gotham
Julie Madison-March tearfully wiped her eyes as she watched her son yell and break down crying after the mysterious White Canary told him the truth. She turned away from the screen and to the Court of Owl judges that were behind her.
"You sick bastards!" she screamed.
"Mrs. March, we realize how hard this must be for you but understand this is for the greater good. Gotham has grown sick, infested with corrupt ideals and costumed buffoonery that your former paramour has inspired. And his seed shall be the tip of the claws that pick this city clean."
"STOP IT! STOP IT! I want no other part of this! IT has gone on too long." She said.
"There is nothing you can do to stop it. He already believes that you are dead and we will kill you before you even think about finding him and telling him. We are everywhere."
"Then do it! I'm tired of living behind these veiled threats. Why am I even alive?" Julie demanded.
The judges looked to each other and then back to her.
"We recognize that you have a gift. You are a true nurturer, we watched you with Lincoln and how you kept him focused and in control enough for us to truly begin his training; such talent should not be wasted. We want you to work for us." Said one of the judges.
Julie stood up from her spot.
"I will never work for you. I did what you said to protect my son." She replied.
"Fine, then I suppose we'll have to kill the children."
"What!" Julie exclaimed.
A short judge with thick gray hair and a porcelain mask over his face moved passed her and towards the computer screen she had been watching. He typed in a few keystrokes and he pulled up video footage of several children sleeping soundly on cots, each of them were of various ages.
"These are the newest recruits within our organization. We have been studying Lincoln closely and we feel if we train them early, we have a bit more stability as they age. An experiment was ordered and we were hoping that you would be able to nurture this new generation into our cause but since you have refused, we'll have no choice but to execute them." He said.
"NO! You can't!" Julie shouted.
"Why not, we certainly can not raise them. And you have refused our offer so they are a waste." He said.
"They're children!" she yelled.
"Who serve no purpose, but they could, they could be so much more just like Lincoln. A purpose more meaningful than just being future gotham-slum statistics, that get their faces bashed in by a man dressed like a bat." He said.
Julie stared at the young children and while she did feel something for them, she could not help but think about her own child.
"And what do I get out of this. You want me to raise these children into believing your bullsh** about the Court of Owls. What do I get?" she asked.
"You get to see your son, albeit in a limited capacity, but you'll get to see him and follow his progress. The choice is your Mrs. March."
Julie gritted her teeth as they dangled the only thing, she wanted in front of her but the stick of having to perpetuate the ideals the Court was almost too much for her to bear. However, she could not turn away from a chance of seeing her son and so she hung her head and nodded to their terms.
"Excellent choice Mrs. March. You can start immediately." He said, "And I do hope you teach them well."
"Do not worry. I'll teach them everything they need to know." She said darkly.
Present: Clock-tower- Lower Level
Yinn tugged on the thick grappling line that was tied to the captured Talon. He heaved a heavy sigh as the heavy foe was lifted off the ground and hung upside down. He tied the line around one of the old metal bike racks that was nearby.
Yinn stepped away and he looked around the dimly lit underground bunker. He could tell that at one time it was used and well kept but now like the upper levels it had been lost to time. There was rusted metal everywhere. The large O in the center of the bunker was faded and covered with webs. The lights were almost red signaling that the bulbs were on their last legs and could blow at any moment. It looked more like a dungeon which was perfect for his needs.
He removed the blade he had taken from his prisoner; it was sharp and heavy. He spun it around in his hand a few times before gripping the handle tightly. There was a small breeze that passed along behind him and with it there was a presence, one that he had been feeling more and more lately. The light above flickered as an eerie chuckle filled the bunker.
"Yanng." He said.
"Brother, does my eyes deceive me or are you going to do something you swore to never do again." Yanng replied in a whisper.
"It is not out of pleasure I do this and you know it." He replied.
"Ah yes the greater good. I'd be careful if I were you Yinn, the so called greater good often turns into the lesser of two evils. And from there it is a thin line until, well, you become that which you hate the most….me."
Yinn whipped around with the blade but he hit nothing but air. The chuckle returned as Yanng's dark presence found its way back to him only he was even closer to Yinn's ear.
"Make sure when you're inflicting pain you go for the soft spots, just like we were taught." Said Yanng.
"Why play these games, show yourself." Yinn demanded.
"In due time, we will meet again for now I'll let the Court of Owls tenderize you and your allies."
"You know of the Court?" He asked
"Of course, I do. All evil secret organizations know about each other, heh. They're a zealous lot but I'm sure you'll be able to fight them. Good luck brother, you'll need it."
Yinn felt the breeze leave and the lights above returned to normal. He could not feel the dark mystical presence of his brother anymore. He was alone with the Talon, who was beginning to stir. He calmly walked over to him and he eyed the plated armor before he spotted a weak portion near the abdomen. He shoved the blade through the weak plate in the armor and found flesh.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled the Talon in agony.
Yinn twisted on the blade which made the Talon scream even louder. He then leaned down to where they were face to face.
"Hello friend. I am Yinn and you seem to be one of the Talons that can feel pain, how fortunate for me. You will tell me everything about the Court of Owls." He said.
"N-Never." The Talon growled out.
"You say that but….." Yinn started before twisting the knife again.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Clocktower- Upper Level
Barbara turned towards the elevator as she heard a muffled sounding scream echoing. She started towards the sound but stopped herself, the cop in her wanted to stop the torture that was going on down below, but the calculating Oracle side of her knew that it was necessary. She never liked interrogation tactics especially ones gained by force but time was of the essence, and lives were on the line so just like in the old days of the cape and cowl she had to compromise.
She turned back to the computer and back to being Oracle. She checked over the screens and from the newly hacked Wayne-Power satellites she could see everything. She could see Wayne Manor, NGCPD, Southside District of Neo-Gotham City, the National Guard and finally she could see the Power Plant. A power plant that was owned by a very well-known blue blood and shrewd energy mogul by the name of Maximillian 'Max' Shreck.
The Shreck's were an old family, almost as old as the Wayne family and for the most part they were a force for good, never participating in the corrupt business practices that several of the other blue bloods of Gotham partook within. However, in more recent times, once Max Shreck took total control corrupt business practices started to appear.
Oracle pulled up a file on the Power plant and when it's construction began, the cost of it and the affect of it on Neo-Gotham's power grid, specifically the southside.
"This power plant is sucking energy rather than diverting it. I guess that explains the occasional blackouts in the southside. If this power plant is sucking energy where is it going." She said to herself.
There was another muffled scream and she had to force herself not to turn in the direction of the elevator. She continued to study the general information from the web, in order to know more she would have to wait until Dick and Nightwing implanted the hacking tool. At the thought of Dick, her mind shifted to their brief conversation.
All her instincts said that she could trust him, however she was still upset with him. She remembered how after the incident with Tim and Stephanie all those years ago, she went looking for him. She had read the note that he left for Damian but she thought that he would at least talk to her, even though there was some bad blood between them she thought in light of the tragedy they could work through it, but she found not one trace of him. She had checked high and low in Gotham, she went to Titans Tower, she went to the Watchtower, any place that Dick Grayson could have possibly gone but no one had seen him not even Kory but she always had a suspicion that Kory was lying but she did not push, it was never wise to push a Tamaranean. Oracle had hoped that one day Dick would reach out but he never did, until now, thirty years later.
Emotions she had buried deep were starting to bubble to surface, most of it was anger and resentment for leaving without a word but there were a few others.
Oracle followed Dick and Nightwing's trajectory to the power plant and zoomed in on the facility. The plant was near one of the rivers in Neo-Gotham. It was built upon the ruins of the old Ace Chemicals plant. The chemical plant was destroyed forty something years prior by the Joker and Batman after a rather brutal battle. The owners of Ace Chemicals let the facility rot until it was bought by the Shreck's not long after the Incident.
Oracle continued to study the layout of the Power Plant and the more she did that she realized that if…when her allies got into trouble there would be no clean way out, there was only the single bridge that lead towards the facility and since it was a private facility there was a strict no fly zone and so she began to think of way they could escape and small smirk found it's way to her lips and she switched screens to that of the NGCPD.
She let her fingers fly across the keyboard until a black screen appeared. She then typed in a message and then pressed send.
"I hope she has her phone on her." Oracle whispered to herself.
NGCPD Headquarters
Detective Montoya Bullock grunted as she felt the medic tend to her arm that Nightwing had patched up. The motion of them escaping up to the roof had re-opened the wound and it had started to bleed again but thanks to the medic he was able to re-patch it.
"Thanks." She said to the medic
He nodded his head and went to tend to the other officers that had been brought in after the Court of Owls siege upon Neo-Gotham City. Montoya stood up from her spot and she made her way over to her desk. She grabbed the photo of her late father Harvey Bullock and released a heavy sigh.
"Dad, how the hell did you handle days like these." She said to herself.
Montoya's eyes drifted towards the drink in his hand in the photo and a smirk graced her lips. She put the photo do and opened one of the drawers at her desk. At the bottom was a half-empty bottle of scotch as well as a single glass. She grabbed both items and she poured herself a drink and tossed it back.
"God that is so good." she said.
Montoya eyed the hustling and bustling bull pen, the national guard had made their headquarters into a command center, there were armored guards posted at all the exits, there were medics tending to any wounded officer or civilian that had been ushered inside. The chatter and noise was almost a bit overwhelming but the alcohol made it tolerable.
She spotted a couple detectives she worked with and then nodded to her and she raised her glass of scotch to them. On the outside passing by the windows where flying tanks, that had the explicit orders to blow anything that resembled an owl out of the sky. And with all that she could tell that her acting Commissioner Ellen Yindel was right in her element. She admired how strong Commissioner Yindel was but she was no Barbara Gordon. Yindel was more stubborn, and not an easy person to talk to or give advice. She had a clear-cut black and white view of the world but any cop worth their salt knew that the world was a bit grayer.
Montoya smirked as she saw Yindel light another cigarette. She was arguing with Mayor Young, Barbara's husband. The detective could not hear what they were arguing about but it she could definitely guess.
"Can I have some of that please? It's been a long day." Came a voice.
Montoya looked away from the Commissioner's office on the second floor and to the teen that had sat down in the seat next to her desk. Carrie Kelly smiled and reached for the scotch but Montoya pulled it out of her reach.
"Come on. I like scotch." She said.
"Listen little girl I know we just had an adventure but could you shoo away over there. I really just want to drink alone at my desk." Montoya replied.
Carrie scoffed.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a rude ass bitch." She said.
"All the time, now f*** off kid." Montoya snapped.
Carrie leaned back in the seat and she studied the older woman. She admired tough women, and it was not lost upon her that she had come across two of the toughest women she had ever met. Barbara who had opened her home to her several years ago as well as recently, there was a quiet toughness to her and she had an air about her that told her there were some dark secrets in her past, and more than one skeleton in the closet.
And now there was the foul mouthed and clearly hard drinking Detective in front of her, who had faced down an owl theme psycho killer with nothing more than her gun and grit. She did not know Montoya's story but she could tell a few things. Her father taught her how to read people, which made it easy to steal from them or con them out of money.
Carrie could see the photo at the edge of the desk that had an overweight man with a brown trenchcoat on and a glass of alcohol in his hand. She assumed that was her father, which told her that she had probably became a cop because of him. She did not see any pictures of her mother and that told her that they must not be close.
The red-haired teen chuckled to herself before holding up a wallet in front of Montoya. She flipped through it and Montoya furrowed her brow and patted her back pocket and to her surprise her wallet was gone.
"Is that my wallet?" she asked.
"Yes. I took it when you weren't looking." Carrie replied.
Montoya snatched it out of her hands while muttering a few curse words. The teen in front of her was annoying but there was something about her that was familiar.
"Shouldn't you be with your parents?" Montoya asked.
"My kinda-sorta legal guardian is upstairs yelling at your Commissioner." Carrie replied.
Montoya poured herself another glass.
"What's the story with you the Mayor? Exactly why are you with him?"
Carrie reached for the glass in Montoya's hand and it was slapped away.
"I talk better with scotch in my stomach." She said.
"Kid you're testing my patience, either you talk or you'll get a foot in your ass as well as your stomach." Montoya replied before tossing back the full glass.
Carrie folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in the seat.
"It's kinda a long story but to make it short. I'm not with the Mayor, its more along the lines of him tolerating me being around; his wife Barbara took me in and she was nice to me. For a while I was happy with them but…. some stuff happened with my family and I ended up running away. I came back because, because well I had nowhere else to go."
"I did not know the Commissioner was into caring for strays." Montoya replied.
"I'm not a stray." Said Carrie.
"You're the definition of a stray little girl, but since we're on the subject of my Commissioner, where the hell is, she."
Montoya's phone began to ring; she grabbed the device from her pocket and she answered the call.
"Detective Bullock speaking." She said.
"Detective please do not hang up." Came a feminine modulated voice.
"Who is this?" she demanded.
"You may call me Oracle and I am a friend to Commissioner Gordon and Batman." Said Oracle.
"And how the hell am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth." Montoya returned.
"I'm the one that sent Batman to save you, the Mayor and the girl." Oracle replied
"Thanks, but you know my training as a detective tells me to doubt the mysterious voice over the phone, that just so happens to call during a crisis with a twinge of hope." Said Montoya.
"Look. I understand how strange this may seem, but I am on your side."
"Prove it."
"The girl that's next to you, her name is Carrie Kelly, tell her that, tragedies in life do not define you, it is the choices that come after that do. She'll understand." Said Oracle.
Montoya took the phone away from her ear and she looked at Carrie for a moment, her eyes then drifted towards the cameras inside the police bullpen. She said a curse under her breath as she realized that whoever was on the other end had hacked their headquarters and could see them and probably hear them as well. So she had a choice, she could either alert her superiors or she could roll the dice and decide to trust the mysterious voice on the other end, the Oracle.
The hardened detective released a long sigh before eying the girl in front of her.
"Who's on the phone?" Carrie asked.
"Tragedies in life do not define you, it is the chioces that come after that do. Does that mean anything to you?" Montoya asked.
Carrie was stunned for a second that Montoya came out with that phrase; it was something that Barbara told her when they first met.
"Yeah, it means something, Barbara said that to me after…she found me. Is that her on the other end?"
Montoya held up her hand and put the phone back to her ear.
"Okay Oracle, the girl checks out your statement but that does not mean I completely trust you."
"That's fair, just as long as you trust me now. As I was saying I am working with your Commissioner as well as Batman, right now there is a plan in play to partially cripple the Court of Owls. We have found one of their hubs where they have been storing money. We're going to re-route that money elsewhere."
"How much money are we talking?" Montoya asked.
"Somewhere around fifty billion credits." Oracle replied.
"HOLY F***!" Montoya exclaimed.
"We're hoping to get their attention when we re-shuffle the money, and maybe we can catch them off guard."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll get their attention, especially if that's your plan. So exactly what the hell do you need from me?"
"We have allies who are going to hit the hub but from where the hub sits, they have limited modes of egress. I need you to somehow convince acting Commissioner Yindel to bring her forces to the hub, meanwhile you help them escape."
"That's a big f****** ask Oracle." Said Montoya.
"I'm aware, but if we don't do something, we will lose this city and everyone in it."
Montoya could hear the desperation in Oracle's voice, and she had to admit that what she had said was true. It was now the time to mount an offensive because if they do not then they could lose everything. She did not know whether it was her injuries, sheer exhaustion or the alcohol but she decided against her better judgement to trust the voice over the phone.
"For f**** sake, fine. I'll do it." She said.
"Thank you." Oracle replied.
"How long before you guys attack?"
"They're en-route right now. I'll send you a page for when you need to gather your forces."
"10-4." Said Montoya.
She hung up her phone and she hung her head, silently wondering what has become of her life, however her musings were interrupted by Carrie.
"So, where are we going?" she asked.
Montoya reached inside her desk for her spare weapon, loaded it and then reached for her bottle of whiskey once more.
"Into the nest." She said before taking a swig.
Elsewhere- Power Plant
VROOM! SCREEECH! Came the sound of Dick's motorcycle coming to a stop in front of a giant metal wall. The wall stretched for miles in every direction cornering off the massive power-planet that sat just on the other side. The reason for the wall was because the power planet used fusion energy that supplied the sprawling mega-city of Neo-Gotham with its power. It was about one of three that were around the city but the one they were sitting in front of was the only one that used fusion, the others used electricity.
It was on the edge of town because just in case it went critical, they could disconnect the entire facility from the city and the sink it into the ocean. Dick and Nightwing who was driving the motorcycle followed the wall upwards where there about a dozen cameras in every direction, some were mounted on the cement wall and a few flying drones were up above as well.
"So how are we getting in here?" Nightwing asked.
Dick reached up towards his domino mask.
"Oracle is there any way you can give us a blind-spot?" he asked.
"Negative. That facility is off the net, runs off its own security system. I am the one with the blind-spot. You'll have to go in fast and heavy, but not to worry egress has been planned and will be waiting." Oracle replied.
"Roger that." Said Dick.
"Egress? What the hell is she talking about?" Nightwing asked.
"An escape route." Dick replied, "Alright Nightwing do you mind if we switch places."
Nightwing got off the motorcycle and allowed Dick to sit in front while he hopped onto the back. Dick took in a deep breath and he revved the motorcycle up loudly.
"Hold on tightly." He said.
Dick let a small smile for on his lips as the motorcycle lunged forward. He leaned lower towards the handles and Nightwing did the same.
"Anti-gravity." he said.
The advanced bike gave off a chirp just as they neared the wall. Dick suddenly jerked upwards pulling the front wheel forward, it stuck to the metal siding and allowed them drive vertically up the wall. Dick controlled the path of the cycle and he made sure to steer clear of the dips in the wall and only stick to the smooth metal. The bike they were on was an older model and so any heavy jolts would deactivate the anti-gravity.
As he rode at top speed up the wall, he was briefly taken back to years ago when he was a young man, no not a man a boy, the boy wonder to be exact. A couple of criminals had robbed the Gotham reserve, but thankfully Batman, Robin and Batgirl were on the case. He could remember the feel of the adrenaline of chasing down those thieves. In his mind eye he could see just ahead of him an image of Batman, his cape flowing in the wind and on his own cycle.
"Hey, keep up boy wonder, you're falling behind." Came a voice.
Dick turned to his right and he could see the smiling face of Batgirl who was on her motorcycle as well. She winked at him and sped up and all he could see was her red hair flowing. He revved up his cycle and caught up to them.
"I'll show you who's falling behind." He said.
"What!?" Nightwing yelled.
Dick was jostled from his memory when he heard his protégé's voice from behind him. He could see that the wall was coming to an end.
"Thrusters."
BOOOOOOOOOM! Came the sound of the thrusters activating.
The motorcycle lurched forward again and sent the duo flying upwards through the air, and over the edge of the wall.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Dick shouted.
"Are you seriously having fun!" Nightwing
Dick did not answer, he was too caught up in the moment, because in the air in front of him was Batman and Batgirl. The three of them hung in the air on their motorcycles for a second before the pull of gravity over came them. He could vaguely hear Nightwing behind him.
Dick ignored him so he could focus on their descent. He caught a glance at the massive facility, and that over the wall there was a security outpost at the bottom that sat at the edge of the large bridge that led into the power plant.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEECHHHHH! Came the loud sound of the back wheel hitting the other side of the metal wall. The anti-gravity function made the tire stick and Dick was able to gently bring down the front end.
The duo was in a nosedive down the wall.
"Lateral thrusters." Said Dick.
Two sets of thrusters emerged from the sleek black plating on the side of the motorcycle. They came to life and pushed the duo off the wall and directly in the path of the security booth. Dick and Nightwing saw two armored guards emerge out of the booth and point upwards at them but they eventually had to scramble away once they came down and speed pass them.
Dick revved the bike once more and zoomed down the long bridge that had the harbor on either side of it.
"Kid listen up we're going in hard and fast. We get in, install the hacking device, we wait to see if they take the bait and then we get out."
"Sounds simple enough." Nightwing replied.
"Ha! Nothing is ever as simple as it sounds." Dick replied.
They came to towards the end and they could see the security team inside was trying to cut them off by raising the bridge. Dick made the cycle go faster and they managed to jump off the ramp and land safely in front of the entrance.
"Assault missiles." He said.
From the front plated end of the cycle two rockets emerged fired and blasted an opening large enough for the two of them to pass through and to the inside. Nightwing looked around the interior and shook his head.
"This place is a maze, how are we supposed to find the main console to put this whatever it is in so Oracle can do her thing?" Nightwing asked.
Dick held out both his arms and he fired out several wing dings that embedded themselves into various areas around them. Nightwing saw what he was doing, and he too followed his actions. Once they were done, Dick hit several keys on his gauntlet.
"Change the frequency on your mask to sonar. The wing-dings will release supersonic frequencies that'll give us a map of this facility and hopefully some sort of direction." He said.
The duo reached up to their domino masks and tapped the side and sliding down over their eyes was a blue layered lens that showed a reflected image of the power plant from the frequencies being emitted.
Nightwing could see an outline of the entire facility, all the passageways, all the private security soldiers that were around. Dick with his experienced eye looked at all of the information from the sonic wing-dings in front of him and he homed in on a spot located about thirteen floors above them. It was heavily shielded, and slightly obscured in his vision.
"I see an office of some sort above us. I think we should start there." Said Dick.
Nightwing and Dick hopped off the cycle and headed towards the elevator that was to their left. They entered the elevator, where Nightwing tried to press the button for the thirteenth floor but to his surprise there was no button.
Dick followed his protégé's line of sight and he hit the eleventh button.
"Most buildings do not have a thirteenth floor, a silly superstition thing so we'll ride to eleven and then climb the next two floors up." He said.
Nightwing looked at him.
"You're enjoying this aren't you." He said.
Dick shook his head.
"No, I'm not." He replied.
"Old man you are definitely enjoying this, we've been in this city what five minutes and I can already see something of a change. I'm not judging you or anything I understand completely, this city changes you but not only that but being around people from the past….it does something to you too."
Dick did not respond.
"So that was her, the one that got away, the one that still haunts your dreams at night. The one that was also so close yet so far." Nightwing asked.
Dick did not respond again.
"She's uh…. intense." said Nightwing.
"You have no idea." Dick replied.
The elevator came to a stop on the eleventh floor, and the two stepped out however before fully exiting Dick hit the bottom floor button. The elevator closed and went downwards. The duo wordlessly grabbed the edges of the door and pried it open then looked up. Nightwing was the first one to jump into the elevator shaft and start climbing upwards, Dick followed and before long both were in front of a door with no number on it, just a white masked symbol.
The two looked at each other and slowly pried that door open. And once it was open the first thing, they felt was a cold draft of air. They pulled themselves up into a large server room that was almost freezing cold.
"I think we've hit the jackpot." Said Dick, he then reached up to his ear, "Oracle we're in, we've reached some type of server room."
Nightwing carefully pulled out his escrima sticks and slowly walked further into the server room where there were rows of computer servers, each emitting heat which explained why the room was so cold. If not cooled down the servers could overheat. He came to a stop when he saw a central computer screen next to a cot.
"Over here." He said.
Dick quickly made his way over to the computer and from a compartment on his wrist he removed a flash drive with a green Oracle O symbol on the flat side of it.
"Alright kid, once we do this there is no turning back, they'll be on us like rabid rodents. Are you ready for this?" Dick asked.
"Do the damn thing, Max's life hangs in the balance. I have no other choice but to be ready." Nightwing replied.
Dick nodded his head, and he inserted the flash drive into the computer console. A giant O symbol appeared on the screen.
"Oracle, device has been planted." Said Dick
"I'm aware. I'm running an encryption code now and once it's cracked; I'll have full access to that facility as well as the money. And once I have access and transfer the funds, blow those servers."
"Understood." Said Dick.
Elsewhere: High Above Wayne Manor
Batman pulled back on the control and made the Batmobile hover right over Wayne Manor. He hit a couple of switches and the entire mansion became visible to them on the screen, which showed several Talons posted on the roof the house, and around every exit on the surface. Batman toggled towards the outlines that showed him the batcave and he could see dozens of Talons centrally located in the cave.
"Place is well guarded." He said.
Damian let out a cough from behind him.
"It's the crown jewel of information, so of course it's going to be guarded McGinnis. We just need to know if Dick and the new punk have succeeded in infiltrating that power plant."
Batman turned to him.
"So that was him? Dick Grayson, the original robin."
"In the flesh." Damian replied.
"He's a lot taller than I expected." Said Batman, "Do you think…." He started then stopped.
Damian could tell what was on his mind even before he finished his statement.
"Do you think he's in on this Court of Owls business is what you're going to ask right." said Damian
Batman nodded his head.
"I'm so proud of you McGinnis. You're starting to think like Batman instead of the frat boy meat head."
Batman grunted and turned away from his mentor and trainer.
"Of course, I thought that, it was one my first thoughts when he swooped in and rescued me from Lincoln, but after talking with him, plus getting the third degree from Barbara, I believe that he's not one of them." Said Damian.
"How can you be sure?" Batman asked.
"Call it instinct." He said before bursting into a fit of coughs.
Batman glanced at him again.
"I'm not sure your instincts are purely one hundred percent. Are you going to be able to make it through this mission?" he asked
"Maybe, but even if I don't, I'm praying that Batman can pick up the slack." Damian replied.
The mentor and the student fell silent for a moment, each caught up in their own thoughts about the mission that were about to embark. There was a chance that neither of them would make it out alive but that is not what they feared the most. For Batman it was the thought of not only failing to rescue his best friend but failing to live up to the legacy that had been handed to him.
In a manner of days, the Court of Owls had managed to almost destabilize Neo-Gotham City, and in that time, he had been captured, tortured and been brought to the brink of death. He was failing at the mantle but the mission in front of him was a chance at some sort of redemption.
Wayne Manor and the batcave was under siege and takeover by the enemy and he had vowed to the fever dream or the real Bruce Wayne that he would become the Batman and it would start with this action. An image of Bruce passed across his minds eye and he had to rub his tired eyes to shake the image.
It still was surreal and he wondered if Damian had ever had a vision like the one he had.
"Hey, Wayne I got something to ask you,…." Batman started before being interrupted.
"Oh God McGinnis you're not gonna ask me to prom or something. Our touchy-feely moment is over, just focus on what comes next. It's us against them get your head in the game."
Batman scoffed.
"Whatever." He said.
Damian looked at his protégé of sorts and as the words left his mouth, he regretted them because mostly he was referring to himself. He wanted to tell Terry that he had faith in him and faith that together they could retake the city that they both loved but of course true to form, like his father and his mother he had trouble with showing his emotions.
For Damian what he feared was becoming like the people that raised him. Since his father's death he had found himself reflecting on his life and from what he could see he had spent most life trying to live down the treacherous legacy of being the grandson of the Demon's head Ra's Al Ghul and the son of Talia Al Ghul; and along with that he had been trying to live up to the legacy of being the son of Bruce Wayne, the Batman.
Both sides always a tug of way in his mind, his heart and even in his soul. In his youth he thought it was his duty to be like his father The Batman. Even while being raised by his grandfather and mother the stories of his father enthralled him to the point of worship however after finding him and staying with him that worship turned to hate.
After falling out with his father, as a young man he then found himself returning to his mother who had for a time usurped power from his grandfather. He listened to her teachings wanting to believe what she believed but between her fanaticism and belittlement it drove him to hate her and so he did what he thought he was supposed to do.
Damian smirked a bit as he thought about the first time, he donned his Gray Ghost persona, a homage to his father's hero. He then set out to be the force for justice that he believed his father wanted while also trying to exact the justice that his mother's teaching demanded. And for a time, he thought he was happy, but it was not until he had been poisoned and on the verge of death that he realized that he had become what he feared, he had become just like his mother and father.
Damian let his mind drift to Rose, and his children, he had not seen either in person in a long time. He received cryptic messages from time to time from Zoe and Christian however he had not heard from Rose or Madeline in months. He was worried, beyond worried but unfortunately, he could not let that worry distract him from the mission.
'The mission' he thought to himself, 'Always another mission, isn't that right father. The thing that consumed you, consumed us all. And here I am about to die and for what, for Neo-Gotham City. The world is bigger, my world is bigger. My children…. Rose. I am not sure how much longer I can let your mission rule my life. I am not you. I am not my mother or my grandfather. I am….I am….'
KRZZZZZZZZZZZZZ came the sound of their communication lines. Both perked up at the sound.
"Alright guys, I'm hacking into the system now. And I am about to start with the download. Is everyone in position?" Oracle asked.
"Ready." They all said.
"Good, because here goes everything." She said.
Bat-Cave
The Talon clad Lincoln March folded his armor-clad arms across his chest as he stared intently at the bat-computer screen. IT was still in lock-down and the supposed tech genius Max was still trying to crack the code. The whole process was taking too long in his opinion and with each ticking moment he was getting more and more frustrated.
He was so close to fulfilling a promise he had made to himself and to his mother all those years ago. He would destroy everything Batman stood for and he would burn Neo-Gotham to the ground and build something new in his own image. And it all started with the obtaining the wealth of information on the computer in front of him.
"How much longer." He demanded.
Max looked away from the computer and to her armored captor.
"Hard to tell, this system is highly sophisticated and I'm pulling out all of my best tricks." She replied.
Lincoln took several steps towards her, his stature towering over her.
"Work faster." He said in a dangerously low tone.
The Riddler tapped his cane on Lincoln's shin.
"Have you Talon lot never heard of patience being a virtue. It will be open when it is open. I believe what you should be concerned about is our bat problem. I believe he has escaped." Said the Riddler.
Lincoln looked at him and for once he was thankful to be wearing his mask because if the green clad man next to him saw any sign of weakness he would not let up in his questioning. He hated the Riddler because of that, his constant questions and riddles. If he was being honest with himself all he wanted to do was slit the man's throat.
The Riddler spun his cane before jamming it into the ground.
"Riddle me this, Riddle me that, where Oh where is the big bad bat?" he said.
"How about I riddle you with holes from my knife." Lincoln replied while removing a knife from his waist. He stepped closely towards the older green clad gentlemen on did a have a look of concern on his face.
The Riddler then put a smile on his face as the communicator in Lincoln's ear beeped loudly.
"I'd take that if I were you Mr. March." He said.
Lincoln turned away from him.
"Yes, mother I can hear you." He said in a low voice.
"Wayne, the Bat and his friends have struck at one of our strong holds. They have stolen billions of credits out of our systems."
"What?! HOW?!" Lincoln shouted.
"Unclear, however you are the closest to the power planet. The judges and I want you to send a squad to intercept them."
Lincoln took a moment to think about the information given to him and his new set of orders.
"They are playing us." He said.
"I am aware, but the others are more concern about the carefully gathered forty billion credits. We need that money. So, send a squad but you stay there and be ready."
Lincoln took his hand away from his ear and he curled his hands into fists.
"Trouble with mother dearest and her band of hoots, I am assuming." Came the Riddler's voice.
Lincoln growled and he turned towards the loyal and silent Talons that had the cave surrounded, and he pointed to one of them.
"You, take a squad of twenty and head to the coordinates that I am sending you now. We have some uninvited guests that are trying to take something that does not belong to them. Find them and remove them from this life, stop at nothing to complete your mission."
The talon nodded his head and he and several other talons sprinted towards the stairs that led up into the mansion, leaving only a handful left to secure the batcave.
Outside Wayne Manor- In the Air
Batman looked at the screen and he could see movement from down below.
"Hey, they're on the move." He said.
Damian from his spot in the back wedged himself up front to the screen and he could see dozens of Talons dashing from different weak point along the mansion and across the open field.
"You ready?" he asked.
Batman nodded his head and took the controls in his hands. He activated the stealth mode and the batmobile vanished from sight. Once they were cloaked Batman flew lower towards the still under siege Wayne Manor.
The duo was silently hovering a few feet over the roof, they could see there were three Talons stationed on the roof. Damian ripped the sleeves of his black shirt off and then wrapped a few of the shreds around his fists and around the bottom half of his nose and mouth.
Damian let out one last cough before readying himself. Batman reached up and pulled on the two levers above him and the bottom of the batmobile opened and allowed the two of them to silently drop down to the snow-covered roof.
Batman and Damian silently crept up to the Talons. Damian punched the one in front of him in the spine making him buckle and then grabbed him by the throat in choke hold. The Talon struggled before going still where he was then dropped.
Batman grabbed the two talons in front of him by the head and then slammed them together knocking them both out. Once the roof was secured Batman and Damian moved towards one of the chimneys and he elbowed one of the bricks which broke it in half. He dug out the false brick and he placed his hand on the old scanner that was there.
"Damian Wayne, Beta-Ro, 45232, confirm." He said.
"Confirmed." Came the automated voice.
The bricks around the pad separated and receded into the roof of the house, revealing a pod like container. It opened and showed a Robin suit.
"This Mansion is full of surprises." Said Batman.
"You have no idea McGinnis." Damian replied.
Damian pushed aside the small sense of nostalgia he got from seeing one of his old costumes that he had stashed as a just in case, and he grabbed the fin gauntlets and slipped them over his wrists, the metal shin guards and the utility belt. It was a tight fit since he had grown since the last time the costume was used but it was manageable.
Once he was ready, he touched the pad again.
"Open roof access." He said.
Batman turned around and spotted a section of the roof opening and without another word he slid down the vent and into the interior and Damian was close behind him.
BatCave
Max leaned back in her seat when the screen in front of her went from dozens of zeroes and ones into a blank screen that said access granted.
"I'm in. The system is cracked." She said.
"Good. I want you find every single file on every Crime Syndicate in Gotham, and every corrupt cop, I want details on every single member of the Justice League past and present and their weaknesses, Task-Force X, League of Assassins as well as Kobra. I want all information concerning Amanda Waller and the US government. I want to know everything that Batman knows."
"How about you just ask me dreg!" came a voice.
Lincoln, Max and The Riddler looked up to see Batman and Damian landing just a few feet away, right between them and the remaining Talons. The armored clad villain cracked his neck before chuckling. He got a good look at the two of them and he could see they were both disheveled and exhausted.
"The Prodigal son returns, along with his ill equipped protégé." He said.
"How about only son. You are not who you say you are." Damian returned.
"Oh, but I am. I am your brother, the lost and discarded son of Batman or should I say Bruce Wayne." He said.
"What!?" Batman exclaimed.
He glanced at Damian.
"You forgot to mention that part during the briefing." He whispered.
"Because it's not true." Damian growled.
"Whatever. Brother or no brother you are trespassing, get the hell out of here now and take your friends with you!" exclaimed.
Lincoln reached towards his waist and removed two of his long knives.
"McGinnis, you should really keep your mouth shut, the grown ups are talking." He said in a low and dangerous voice.
Max let out a gasp as she heard the name that left Lincoln's mouth. She looked directly at Batman and she could tell he was looking at her.
"McGinnis?" she whispered
"Later Max." he said.
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU TO DO GIRL! DO IT NOW BEFORE I SLIT YOUR THROAT!" Lincoln roared whiling turning to her.
Max took a few steps back in fear however the sound of whistling caught her attention. Lincoln whipped around and slashed the batarang in half with his knife. He readied himself and then he charged.
Batman and Damian wordlessly charged forth with the other Talons at their heels.
The Riddler watched the two sides clash and a large smile formed along his lips.
"And now the real Riddle begins." He said.
End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey Bat-nation, this is Nomad88 back with the closing comments. I do apologize for this chapter taking longer to come out. I went on vacation and got behind, LOL. Do trust I am hard at work on the next chapter. I'll try to get the next one out before this month is out to make up for last month.
There were a lot of important things that happened in this chapter, namely with Yinn, Damian and Dick. Even though this story is about Terry and his stepping into the role of Batman, I am trying to dive into the other characters as well, one of the many reasons why it takes so long for chapters to come out and why this story is so long too LOL.
The Court of Owls arc is almost over but the action does not stop there. You'll have to keep reading to find out how. This is Nomad88 saying later
Next up: The Court of Owls part Nine
Summary: Batman and Damian face off against Lincoln and the Talons, while Dick and Nightwing escape the power plant.