Batman
Batcave
The car roared into the cave and skidded to a stop. Batman hopped out and went to the passenger side to remove Zatanna, who was still unconscious.
"This way, Master Bruce. I have the medical room ready."
"Thomas?"
"Monitoring with Master Tim."
"We'll need to get someone else here. Robin will have his hands full with analysis and I need you to take care of Zatanna."
"Yes, sir. I will send out a request for someone to watch him."
He laid Zatanna on the bed and pulled her jacket and boots off. She was bruised and her hands were scraped, but she had escaped major injury.
"We need to keep her sedated. I don't want her waking up until the toxin is completely clear of her system."
Grabbing a needle, he drew several vials of blood from her arm and handed them to Alfred.
"The same toxin?"
"Yes, but more potent. He injected her with something. Probably more of it, but check to be sure."
"Of course." Alfred walked over to the analyzer and began to run the tests. "You'll be going back out?"
"They need as much help as they can get."
"The League?"
"No. I can't risk one of them being exposed and losing control."
"I understand. Be careful, sir." He handed him his watch and phone.
"Let me know the results of her tests." Leaning down, he pressed his lips to Zee's forehead. "I'll be home soon."
Returning to the car, he sped back downtown.
"Victor has first shift on little man," Tim said once he'd arrived at the scene of the attack. "Don't worry about him. He'll be in good hands...metal ones, even."
"Good. Drone?"
"Up and overhead. It's a damn mess."
"I know. Where should I start?"
"Alley to the right. There are some people running...panicking. Six, I think."
He turned and ran down the alley toward the sounds. Their panic only increased when they saw him. "Damn it. I need a better strategy. Anything they see is going to terrify them more."
"Especially a giant bat running at them. Concussion rounds?"
"I don't have enough to deal with all of this." Or enough zip ties.
"Hey, guys." Batgirl's voice came over the line. She was out of breath. "Beating up these innocent people isn't my idea of a good time."
"You have an idea?"
She grunted and took a few seconds to respond. "Quit struggling. I'm trying to help you," she grumbled. "That tech you used in Zatanna's beacon. It certainly took her down fast. Can you make that happen on a larger scale?"
"In theory. I could use the emitter on the plane. We'd need Lucius on it. I can't leave."
"Got it," Tim said. "Hope he didn't go to the theater this evening."
"Have the GCPD get some industrial-sized fans and every helicopter they've got. Anything that will move air and help to dissipate the gas. Everyone else in the general area needs to be evacuated." He grappled up to the roof of the nearest building. "I feel like we're just making things worse by being here."
"Like you said, anything they see is going to scare them," Batwoman said.
"Then let's take their sight." He took a knee and pulled out his Batwing remote. "Smoke bombs. Keep your heat vision on."
"Sounds good. It's better than using our fists."
"Plane will be here in ten minutes. Robin?"
"Lucius is working on the coding for the emitter. He said it's theoretically possible, but isn't sure about the execution over a large area. Said some other tech stuff that I won't try to relay."
"Warn the GCPD that the smoke is us trying to give them some help. When we're ready to send out the pulse, they'll need to withdraw and get out of the radius." More gunshots rang out across the road. "We need ambulances ready to move in when it's safe."
Setting the plane to autopilot, he glided down to the source of the shots, tumbling under a hail of bullets and taking the gunmen down.
"Injuries?" Robin asked.
"Wound to the abdomen. Conscious, but losing a lot of blood. I'm dressing it now."
"Plane's overhead."
"Take it, Robin. Fire smoke everywhere you can. If nothing else, it will make it harder for shooters to aim."
He could hear the sound of the smoke pellets being fired from the plane as he continued to work on the victim's wound. After applying heavy pressure for several minutes, he was able to get the terrified man's bleeding to slow.
"Okay, that's all the smoke we have."
"People are definitely getting more disoriented," Batgirl said. "Fighting less. I'm tackling and tying them up. This is awful..there are kids."
"I know. I don't like doing it, but we need to get control."
Standing, Batman ran toward the plane and grappled inside. He patched his communicator into the system. "Lucius? How long do you need?"
"Just another few minutes. But like I told Robin, this is only a theory. I can pretty much tell your emitter do to whatever I want, but that's a lot of people to test it on."
"We'll start with the less dense groups."
"Okay. I can always adjust, but doing human trials..."
"Is wrong. I know, but so is fighting them."
"I suppose so. I'll have it ready shortly."
He turned the plane and headed to the outside edge of the chaos. "I'm going to try to direct a few people into a small area. Batwoman, get up and help me spot."
"A group of four to your six o'clock."
"That's a good test size. Lucius?"
"I'm sending the coding to your computer now, one second. Okay. Give it a try. Let me if it doesn't work."
"Alright. We have them isolated. Firing."
The pulse floored the group immediately, leaving them motionless on the ground.
"I think that worked. Nice job, Lucius. What kind of radius can you give me?"
"Cranked up all the way, 50 yards diameter, give or take."
"Let's the clear the cops out. Batgirl, Batwoman, get to a safe distance."
Once everyone was clear, he started making passes, firing the pulse and downing the crazed citizens. It took over half an hour, but the streets were quiet once he finished.
"The commissioner is asking if they can move back in," Batgirl said.
"Yes. Let's get in and help with triage. Whatever they need."
It was going to be a long night...a night of more tragedy than he was ready to face. And the man responsible was on the loose.
"If you need to get home..."
"No. I need to be here. Alfred has things under control."
Scarecrow
Gotham City
The air was thick with it. Their eyes were filled with it. Fear.
Batman showed up, just as he always did. He was able to see up close just how potent the toxin could be. The injection test went well. He could see the terror in the woman's eyes when it hit her system. Clearly, the needles would have to be stronger, but the serum was powerful and effective. She would be screaming until her mind let go of the crutch of her fear. She would be free.
He returned to his hideout to prepare more. More gas. More serum. More tests.
More fear.
Bruce
Batcave
The cleanup had taken over 20 hours. He could barely stay awake on the flight back to the cave and had to drag himself into the shower when he got there. When he no longer reeked of sweat, he went to the medical room. Zatanna was gone.
"Alfred?" He called out, frantically searching. "Alfred! Zatanna!"
"Hey, in here, Bruce." Tim called from the monitoring floor.
"Where the hell are they?"
"Calm down. Alfred took her to the Watchtower."
"Why? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Because you said not to interrupt you."
"That's my wife!"
Tim stared at him, holding his hands up. "I'm sorry...I just...you said..."
Bruce took a breath and tried to calm his frayed nerves. "No, I'm sorry, Robin. You didn't...I'm exhausted. Why did he take her there?"
"He wanted more help. The toxin wasn't clearing her system."
Fuck.
"Where's my son?"
"Upstairs with Dinah. She's on duty until morning."
"I need to get to Zee."
"We have everything under control. Do what you need to."
He checked on Thomas, who was showing off all of his toys to Dinah, before heading to the Tower. He asked for his mommy, but wasn't making a scene about it...yet. That wouldn't last for long. Their worlds revolved around each other.
His legs felt weak when he walked to the medical ward. Victor, J'onn, and Alfred were gathered there, talking in hushed tones. Zatanna was in bed, attached to a machine that was processing her blood.
"What's her condition?"
"Hard to say," Alfred said, moving to stand next to him. "The injection was potent, but the levels in her blood finally seem to be dropping. Master Stone was able adjust the dialysis machine to filter most of the toxin out."
"Thank you, Victor."
"You're welcome. Now we need to discuss what to do when we take her out from under sedation," he said.
J'onn moved over to join them while Bruce reached down to grab her hand. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but he wondered what was racing through her mind, remembering the horrors of the dreams he had when he was exposed to a fraction of what she had been.
"If we bind and gag her, we can..."
"What the fuck did you just say?" Bruce interrupted J'onn before he could finish the thought.
"Bruce, she's dangerous. We don't know what her state of mind will be when she wakes up."
He let go of Zee's hand and moved to stand toe-to-toe with him. "Never call my wife dangerous or threaten to bind and gag her again."
"Master Bruce, please," Alfred grabbed his arm. "We're all concerned. I'm certain Master Jonzz didn't mean to be threatening."
"She's just been through a nightmare. I'm not making that worse by doing something that makes her feel even more defenseless. Is that clear?"
J'onn nodded and put his hand on his shoulder. "Forgive me. I wasn't thinking about it as a friend." He'd always been more analytical than emotional, but he never meant any harm.
"Forgiven." Bruce turned back to Victor. "How much longer does she need to be on the machine?"
"I'm already returning the rest of her blood to her. It's removed everything it can."
"Good. As soon as you're finished, I'm taking her to Shadowcrest."
"Alone?" Alfred asked.
"Yes."
"Just give me another 20 minutes," Victor said.
None of them looked thrilled with his idea, but they all knew better than to argue. He sat down and watched while Victor finished his work. Once she was free of the machine, he unhooked the sedation.
"How long until she comes around?"
"An hour, maybe a few. Just depends on how her metabolism handles it."
"Here," J'onn said, walking over and handing Bruce a syringe. "Another dose. Just in case."
He hesitated for a moment, but took the syringe and put it in his pocket. "Thank you. All of you."
"I'll return to the cave to help the others. Please let me know if you need anything." Alfred stepped into the Zeta tube first. Bruce followed with Zatanna in his arms.
They arrived at Shadowcrest, where he laid her in her bed. He looked around the room, trying to decide how best to handle things. This was uncharted territory. Lying down next to her, he pulled her over to lay on his chest, thinking the familiarity would ease her mind when she came around. After half an hour, he thought better of it and moved to sit in a chair at the end of the bed. He wanted her to feel as safe as possible when she woke and didn't know if his being there would be a good or bad thing. It would all depend on how much the toxin was still affecting her. He also didn't want to fall asleep. Alternating pacing and sitting, he waited for her to wake. It took three hours, but she finally started to stir. He sat back down and stayed quiet.
Her breathing picked up and she started to shake, but he fought the urge to go to her. After several minutes of shaking and panting, he heard her small voice.
"Tom...Thomas."
"At home. Safe," he said quietly.
"Bruce."
"Right here."
"No."
"I'm right here, Zee."
She suddenly sat up and opened her eyes. "You aren't my husband."
"You were exposed to the toxin, Zee. The same one I was exposed to. Whatever you think..."
Before he could finish, she jumped from the bed and held her hands up. "I will kill you if you hurt my son."
He stayed sitting, hands in his lap where she could see them. "I would never hurt our son. You know that."
"You aren't my husband. They took my husband."
"No one took me." Slowly, he raised his hands to her and stood. She took a step back, but kept her hands out, eyes starting to glow. Moving carefully, he reached forward and took her wrists, lifting her hands to rest on each side of his head. "It's me, Zee."
Her hands were trembling while she touched him, but she finally pulled them away and dropped them to her side. "I need to see my son."
"I know. We will. But we can't do that yet." Her hands started to raise again and the glow in her eyes intensified. Reaching up, he laced his fingers with hers. "Do you want him to feel what you're feeling right now?"
"I need to see my son," she repeated, still shaking like a leaf. He stepped closer and put her hands behind his back, then pulled her head forward to rest on his chest.
"I know," he whispered. She began to cry, clinging to the back of his shirt. He felt her start to collapse and turned so she could sit on the bed. "I know, Zee," he repeated, running his hands through her hair while she buried her face against his stomach.
"Please, just...I need to see him."
He wasn't sure if she was still doubting reality, but he knew he couldn't keep her from going to Thomas if she really wanted. Pulling out his phone, he sat down next to her and pushed the button to video call. A happy boy's face appeared, so he held it up in front of her.
"Mama! Hi!" Thomas waved at the phone and Zee grabbed it from his hand.
"Oh, hi. Hi, my sweet boy."
"Hi, Mama!"
"Hi. Are you okay?"
"Okay," he said, looking down and resuming whatever he had been doing before they called. He was working feverishly, face serious. Zatanna squinted, the glow clearing from her eyes and her expression shifting.
"Thomas...what is all over you?"
"Oh, yeah," Wally said, turning the phone slightly so that he was on camera, too. "That's paint! We're painting!"
"You gave my toddler paint?" In a few seconds, she had gone from panicking to being a mother. Bruce relaxed and leaned over to kiss the side of her head.
"It's, uh...it's non-toxic, washable," Wally said, holding up the package. "I really hope that washable thing is true. He keeps touching my shirt. Looks like I got mugged in Munchkinland."
"If you're getting that on my hardwood floors, you'll be cleaning the Watchtower toilets for the next 12 months," Bruce said.
"I have a tarp down. Would you two chill out? I know what I'm doing. I babysit my cousin all the time. I'll take him out front and hose him off when we're done."
"Can I see what he made?" Zee asked, leaning her head over onto his shoulder.
Wally moved the phone again, showing the paper with everything from splotches and splashes of color, to little hand prints, to what looked like crumbs from a graham cracker.
"He's a regular Picasso. Or Pollack, maybe."
"That's so good, sweetie," she said, appreciating the art that only a parent could love. "I'm really proud of you. Can you make me one?"
"Ya!"
Wally moved to give him another piece of paper to turn into a masterpiece. Bruce could hear Zatanna's stomach growling.
"I'll go make us some breakfast," he said, kissing her head again. She'd kept the kitchen stocked for their days there, so he cooked up some eggs and french toast. When he returned to the room, he found her curled up on the bed, still holding the phone and singing a silly song she'd made up for bath time.
"I like to sail on my little blue boat
My little blue boat across the sea
And I am happy on my little blue boat
Because you're sailing out with me"
Thomas was playing with his little blue boat and singing with her, getting "blue" and "boat" and "me" right, but whiffing on the rest of the words. Wally was scrubbing the paint from his hair and face and, thankfully, the "washable" claim seemed to be legitimate.
"Ready to eat?" He sat down on the bed.
She sighed and wiped her eyes. "Okay. Wally? Thank you. Please take care of him."
"I will, Zee. Good to see you awake. Don't worry about this guy. We're having a blast."
"I love you, sweetheart. See you soon."
"Bye, Mama!"
Reluctantly, she hung the call up and put the phone down. She sat up and stared at the floor.
"Here," he said, handing her a plate and fork. "I could hear your stomach growling from downstairs."
She look small bites, tears still falling from her eyes. He didn't really know what to say to make her feel better. When she finished, she waved her hand and cleaned the plate, staring at it in her lap. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He took the plate from her and set it on the chair. Moving up, he laid down on the bed. "Lie with me?"
He pulled her down to lay across his chest, letting her tears soak his shirt. "I want to go home."
"I know. Tell me when you feel like it's okay." He had to fight the sleep that was threatening to knock him out. Trying to find ways to keep himself awake and distract her from whatever was running through her mind, he thought back and chuckled. She turned her head slightly and frowned. "I was just thinking about our honeymoon. We hadn't even been at the house in Ravello for a day when you wanted to go see Thomas."
She sniffed and wiped a tear from her face, looking up at him bashfully. "I like him."
He smiled and wiped another tear. "Me, too. We made a good one. And then, of course, there was the no-clothing policy you magically instituted as soon as we walked in the door. Couldn't even find a pair of boxers."
She grinned slightly and laid her head back down. "Saved time."
"Yeah, I guess it did."
She mumbled "Laeh elkna."
"Better?"
"My ankle was hurting. I remember falling."
"Off the roof."
"I fell off of a roof?"
"Ran off of it."
Rubbing her forehead, she sat up against the headboard. "Well, that's stupid. You caught me?"
"No. I had help. Selina wanted me to pass along a message. She says you're even now."
Her eyes cut over to him before she looked back down. "Noted."
"You landed a left on her."
She smirked and rolled her head to stretch her neck. "Noted. Thank her for me. Neck hurts, too."
He got a lump in his throat and reached up to rub it. "Bad?"
"Aches. Something...had me. From behind. Was it her?"
Dammit.
"No. That was me," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. You were so scared and I...I had to get you out...Zee, I..."
She looked over at him. "Did you have a choice?" He shook his head. "Then don't apologize. At least I'm not dead. Sounds like I was trying hard enough to be."
"I'm sorry, anyway."
"Bruce, if the roles were reversed, what would you want me to do? Let you run off of a roof?"
"No, but..."
"But nothing. I'd knock you on your ass and you'd be grateful."
Shaking his head, he put his hands up to her neck and gently ran his fingers along her skin. "I'm still sorry."
"Fine. Be sorry. How long was I out?"
"Close to 30 hours."
"Explains the hunger. And the smell. I need to shower."
"Go ahead. I'll be here."
Zatanna
Shadowcrest
She leaned against the wall of the bathroom and slid to the floor. With her knees drawn up to her chest, she began to rock back and forth, holding her arm over her mouth to muffle her crying. The nightmares wouldn't stop replaying in her head. She knew they weren't real. They couldn't be real. Bruce was there...it was him. Thomas was okay.
I need to hold my boy.
Still, the feeling of dread was lingering like a dark chasm in her chest. The feeling that she had lost everyone and everything. The feeling that it was all her fault. She'd procrastinated on dealing with the damage she had caused between dimensions and it had cost her everything.
Dammit, Zatanna. It's not real.
It felt real. Even in Bruce's arms, she could feel the sting of loss. Even hearing Thomas singing with her, she couldn't shake the horror of believing she would never see him again. She started trying to focus and meditate. Her magic was there...right there where it always was. She clung to it and tried to let it calm her nerves, but the tears kept falling.
"Zee?" Bruce's voice was quiet on the other side of the door. "Are you okay?"
No.
"Yes. I'm just..."
"Zee..." He opened the door and stepped in. "Come on. I'll get the shower ready for you."
"I can't stop seeing it," she whispered while he turned the faucet on.
"I know. I still have the dreams sometimes."
It was the first time he had mentioned the nightmares since the morning after his own exposure to the toxin.
"You should have said something. I can help."
"You did. You helped that night. That's more than I could do for you."
"Oh, yeah. Not like you kept me alive or anything. What good are you, even?"
"Glad to see you can still be a smartass." He turned and pulled her to her feet.
"It's a skill. Just give me a few minutes."
"Need me to stay?"
She shook her head, but must not have looked sure, because he sat down on vanity bench while she got in. It didn't take her long to clean up and Bruce was waiting with a towel to wrap her in when she stepped out.
"Can we go home now?"
"If you feel like you're ready."
"I think so. I can always use a spell to calm myself if I start to lose it."
He pulled her close and kissed her. "Okay. Let's go see him."
Once she was dressed, they got in the Zeta tube. She quickly tracked down the laughing boy in the den watching cartoons with Wally.
"Hey, little man," she said, kneeling down and trying to fight back the tears.
"Mama!" He tumbled down off of the couch and waddled toward her, falling down halfway in his excitement. "Oop. Mama!"
She picked him up when he made it to her and clutched him tightly. The tears flowed, despite her best efforts. "My sweet boy. I love you."
"Uv you," he whispered, sniffling. "Be okay," he said, comforting her the way she usually comforted him.
"I know. I'm okay now. Thank you, baby."
She loosened her grip a little and he looked at her, eyes teary. "Nee kiff?"
"Yes, I think a kiss would make everything better." He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek and laid his head on her shoulder. "That's just what I needed. Thank you so much."
She stood and walked over to the couch so he could keep watching his cartoons. Bruce thanked Wally as he left and came to sit next to them.
"If I'd known a kiss would work so well, I would have tried that hours ago. Repeatedly, if necessary."
"Sorry. Yours are great, but his are magic."
"Should have known that."
"Don't you need to go to work?"
He shook his head and leaned back. "I wouldn't be able to stay awake. I need sleep. This spot seems good for it."
"You can go to bed."
"Can't. Sleepy."
It was mere minutes before he was snoring. Thomas laid down in her lap and watched the TV while she ran her fingers through his hair and listened to his giggling. She turned to watch Bruce's face.
I really don't deserve him.
There were a dozen different ways he could have handled the last 30 hours, but he'd been exactly what she needed. They weren't perfect, but it amazed her how he had adapted to her personality so well over their time together. Maybe it shouldn't, considering how his mind worked. He was good at anything he wanted to be. She could already see the same traits in Thomas. He had a dogged determination about learning new things and was already well ahead of the typical toddler milestones.
"Glad you got your daddy's brain," she whispered. "Mine's a train wreck."
He pointed at the screen and whispered something, too busy watching Tom chase Jerry to care what she thought of his brain.
Bruce was only able to sleep a couple of hours before his alarm went off. She handed Thomas off to Alfred to help with dinner and joined him in the shower. Wrapping her arms around him, she pressed her cheek against his back.
"How are you feeling?"
"Guilty."
"Explain?"
"I never should have gotten involved. I should have stayed in the damn car. If I had, you would have been saving citizens instead of me."
He turned and glared at her. "Stop that."
"No."
"Zatanna, you were trying to help."
"And I made things worse."
"Stop!" He slammed the faucet off and got out. "I'm not going to listen to you beat yourself up."
"I'm trying to apologize!"
"You're trying to take blame for something that wasn't your fault. I hate it when you do that."
"I'm sorry, I just..."
He wrapped the towel around his waist and pulled her back into the bedroom. "Do you remember what I told you when you asked why I loved you?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"The woman I love doesn't sit in the car while people are in danger. She doesn't listen to me when I tell her to stay out of it. She doesn't play it safe and she doesn't give a damn if I get mad at her."
She laid down and got under the covers, half-wet from the brief shower visit. "I give a damn right now."
He tossed his towel aside and got in bed next to her. "I'm not mad. I just don't want to hear an apology from you."
"Fine. But you sure as hell seem mad."
"I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm not mad," he said, pulling her over to lay on top of him. "And I love you."
"I love you." She stretched up and kissed him.
"More than you love Thomas?"
"Hell, no. What are you, crazy?"
"I probably should have guessed that."
"I love you both equally."
"Do you really?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to."
He laughed and tried to run his hand through her damp hair. "Why'd you only take half a shower?"
"Fuck you."
"You didn't. You didn't fuck me at all. You ran off a roof."
Then again, maybe he's exactly what I deserve. "You're still an ass."
"Glad you're feeling better."
"Me, too. Thanks for saving my life."
"Just doing my job."