G O T H A M: Season 6

by Bluesparkz

Gotham, a cesspool of crime and corruption has reached its breaking point and is in desperate need of a new hero, a Dark Knight, However, with a new force for order, there must also come an equal force for chaos. Bruce and his allies fight against enemies of old and new to save their city. With his new crusade, Bruce is forced to face the man who he's become and his darkness.

22. Knightfall

Knightfall

---

12: 07 PM

Underneath Wayne Manner

- Batcave -

[13 Hours, 53 Minutes Until Operation: Knightfall]

"That was a stupid thing to do, Thomas - going after Bane on your own like that, you should've come to me first" Bruce hands over an icepack to Thomas, the younger man slowly takes it and holds it to his sides. Bruce's eyes track over to the man's sides, the blood-stained patch of his shirt, the now dark and dry layer of blood that had soaked into the material "You could have gotten yourself killed, why didn't you tell me that you were back in Gotham?"

Thomas slowly turns his head, his shoulder-length hair followers after, swaying due to the movement "I wasn't going after Bane, my target was Nyssa al Ghul. I was interrogating some of Black Mask's men, trying to get them to give me her location and then Bane showed up - bloody did a number on me, I am so grateful that I can't feel pain"

"Still...you should have come to me first, we could have taken Bane on together - coming to Gotham just like that? That is bound to draw some unwanted attention"

"You referring to that girlfriend of yours?"

"Talia? Yeah, she was dead set on finding you. She wasn't too happy with me when I told her that you were under my protection" Bruce walks over to the Batcomputer, folding his arms and looking to the large screen "Talia has the League of Shadows all through this city, she seems to know everything that goes on, everything that I do - there's no doubt that she knows that you are back here"

"You worried that she might try to kill me, I wouldn't worry about. Nyssa taught me everything she knew, and from the looks of her last fight with her baby sister; they seem to be somewhat equal - trust me, I can hold my own if it comes to it"

"She taught you everything that I know" Bruce counters, turning his head slightly "Talia and I got into a fight a while back, well...she attacked me first, but...I sure as hell couldn't keep her down, I doubt that you will have any better luck - especially with the new wound of yours..."

"You talking about the fight between you and her at Wayne Tower? You too had a wound, yet you are still standing here to this day, once I used the Lazarus; my body shall be returned to peek condition" Thomas looks to Bruce's lower back "You too would be wise to use the Lazarus to heal your wounds from last night, those will only result in slowing you down" he advises, tightening his grip over his wound "I'll take it that you are already aware that Jerome Valeska was only meant as a decoy to distract you from the true terror yet to sweep this city?"

"Yeah. It was obvious that it was a ploy to get me off of their backs, but I still had to stop Jerome before he could cause any more mayhem here, I still have the rest of today to stop Knightfall from happening, I need to make the most out of what time that I have," Bruce turns around "Do you have any leads?"

"A few, yes" Thomas nods "You may have found that trying to find the escapees have been impossible, there's not even a trace of them"

"It seems like it" Bruce leans against the console of the Batcomputer "There has been not a single reported sighting of them, which does not go with some of their . Cobblepot and Edward Nygma live for attention, plus then there's...Jeremiah Valeska. He couldn't have gone this long without making a move, it's not like him, and if Bane was in Gotham - that fails my theory of them not being in Gotham"

"Maybe Bane wants to be first in the line of trying to kill you, that or he's holding it for Nyssa"

"I can't believe that she's back, I thought that Talia would have killed her when my back was turned, honestly...I'm starting to think that I should have let her finish the job"

"You really should have - you know how bad she can hold grudges, and with the majority of the League of Shadows behind her... I fear that you may have missed your only opportunity to stop her" Thomas' eyes tense "People are going to die because of your inability to see the bigger picture, I sure hope that you can live with that blood on your hands" he inches closer and glares up to Bruce "Because... it is due to her that I have to live with the blood on mine... "

Taken back by the man's comments, Bruce was left in a daze of thoughts "Thomas, I... I..., listen...killing Nyssa won't wash your hands clean or redeem you - that's not how the world works... trust me..., murder is murder no matter how justified that you think that it is... it can change you, just like everyone else - no one is infallible, not even us"

"Like hell, Bruce" Thomas grits his teeth "You don't get it do you? She brainwashed me! Manipulated me! She found me when I was near death, a weak rotting corpse - she said she could give me a purpose, a reason to live! She used me, made me...do... all of those horrible things - made into a weapon, a murderer!" he fumes "And... I... I just went along with it, lying to myself that I was doing the right thing... I only started seeing the truth when she wanted me to hurt the girl... that was when... when... I just couldn't continue, when I finally saw her for what she was..."

"I understand how you are feeli-"

"No! You do not get to say that to me!" Thomas yells "Everything that has gone wrong in my life is your fault, Nyssa only made me into a monster because she wanted me to become you, to take over your destiny! And I was only...born because of you, to replace you...well screw you, Bruce! I'm not you, and I never want to be!" his eyes begin to water "It's because of you...that I spend every day slowly dying, suffering, knowing that my body is failing me..., that I can't even have a life of my own!"

Bruce wraps his arms around the much younger man, holding him close "I know...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry for all of this..."

"...I never wanted this...I didn't even want to be born..." Thomas cries.

"...I know..."

---

Meanwhile

- Wayne Enterprise Tower -

- Ground Floor -

Selina Kyle and Talia Al Ghul sit around a wooden table, sitting opposite of each other. Selina held a cup of coffee in hand which she sips, not taking her eyes off of the other woman. Talia too held her gaze at the other woman, whilst picking out a cheery from her dessert "Is this your idea of some kind of joke?" Selina rolls her eyes, seeing Talia gently push the cheery into her mouth "I ask you to tell me about Bruce and you decide to take a lunch break? Glad that you are taking this seriously" she plants the coffee back on the table.

"Oh, believe me, miss Kyle. I'm taking you as seriously I feel appropriate" Talia's eyes flutter "You requested me to tell you about Bruce's journey and I will, I was just really dying for a lunch break" she uses her spoon to gather up a spoonful of the dessert and moves it into her mouth.

"You're messing with me, aren't you?" Selina says unamused and with a lack of patience flooding her voice "Are we doing this? I thought that we could both be more mature than being hostile towards each other, I know that we have a *thing* for the same guy, but c' mon. We are better than this"

"You believe my actions to be a result of jealousy?" Talia could barely hold back a smirk "No, think of me as more... intrigued. I know of you Americans and your clichés such as *the jealous ex*, thus I am not here to be hostile towards you - or even unwelcoming"

"I'll believe that when I see it"

"Miss Kyle, I am not a villain, but I sure as hell have no plans on being a hero - I just do what I must as I watch over Bruce, to see if he has become the man that my father had envisioned, I am not plotting against him - I want the best for him, I truly do"

"*Watch over Bruce*? Is that how you knew about Alfred? You're also keeping an eye on the people close to him, what's bothering me is that even though you claim to have Bruce's back, yet you don't bother to tell him about something as important as that?" Selina scoffs.

"You think that I had no desire to? I was going to originally, but then... then I thought of something, a little experiment. Bruce thought that he lost the closest thing that he had to a father, the anger that he must have felt, the pure rage...it was...quite something"

"You were going to see if he was going to kill Jerome, weren't you? How...cold can you be..."

"No, I wanted to see if he wouldn't. His self-control has vastly increased, though anger did indeed take hold of him, he was strong enough to fight it, to choose to spare the life of such a diseased madman, seeing how far he has come... how much he has changed..." Talia's eyes look down to her dessert, taking another spoonful "I finally realized that I failed my father, Bruce is just too... stubborn to see the bigger picture, too soft to make such important decisions - too naïve to see the flaws in his own logic, to arrogant to ignore his blatant hypocrisy"

"Just figure that one out? Bruce has been like that for years, even before he left"

"I guess that I did" Talia comments, taking another spoonful into her mouth.

"You know..." Selina nervously speaks "Bruce can be an ass sometimes, but even I can't lie, Bruce has a good heart too. He can be hard as hell to work with, but he's only doing what he thinks is best"

"Spare me the pleasantries, you and I both know that the very nature of his quest is that what dooms it, Gotham can't be saved, and its destruction cannot be delayed any further" Talia drops her spoon down. Picking up a napkin and wiping her lips clean, with her eyes closed "You do not know what is to befall this city, I was hoping to finally show Bruce that of which is needed to save Gotham from the incoming storm, but once again, he refuses to heed my words and chosen to stay true to himself even with the knowledge of Gotham's looming destruction"

"Bruce can handle the escapees in his way, no blood needs to be shed to save the city"

"That's cute..." Talia observes in a patronising tone "But the breakout and the escapees are only the beginning of the end for this city, in due time, they will seem like nothing in the grand scheme of things"

"You need to have more faith in him, I know that he can pull through and save the city, that's what he does"

"On the contrary, I believe that things have only gone as far as they have because of my faith in Bruce. I chose to stay out of it and allow for him to claim his destiny as Gotham's dark knight, however, I now see that my faith in him has been misguided and made bias by my feelings for him - I should have seen his refusal to do what is needed far sooner, but I went against my common sense and gave him way too much leniency" Talia slowly opens her eyes, wielding a glare of annoyance towards Selina.

"...eh? What are... you planning on doing now?"

"My father once told me of a legendary dark knight who shall one day take his place as the saviour of Gotham, a true force for order who shall bring about a new are for this city - yet I have to see such a tale come to fruition - I have yet to see Bruce accept his true destiny, my whole life I have been trying to honour my father's last wish to bring to life the vision he saw - the prophecy of the dark saviour, it makes me wonder if he even understood it himself"

"I don't understand...you think your father was wrong?" Selina asks.

"Before The Dark Knight can rise, he must first fall - Maybe... Bruce is meant to fail so that can rise to become even greater"

---

1:04 PM -

- Gotham Docks - Shipping yard -

Batman and the Talon jump down from the cargo containers on to the platforms of a large boat. The Dark Knight looks around, seeing that the deck was completely clear of people, and appeared to host only both him and the Talon on its wooden surface. The sky was grey, dull as usual for the city, multiple layers of clouds block most of the sun's light, leaving the area in a dull unsaturated sickly hue. Small drops of rain fall from the sky that were few and far between each other.

The Talon lands on his knees, planting his fist into the flooring. His white orbed eyes looks around as he too sees the ship was essentially a ghost-town with not even a sign of the captain, yet alone any members of the crew "It's quiet... too quiet" he observes as he slowly stands up straight, just about reaching to Batman's shoulder "When I got one of Black Mask's men to sing about this place, I expected a lacklustre welcoming party, but...nothing..."

"He probably didn't see the need to, you were clear in your mission of going after Nyssa, he might have just thought that you would just go after her and leave his own dealings alone" Batman suggests as he steadily walks forward, his cape swerving against the wooden flooring and draping around his shoulders "This ship belongs to the Falcones, Gordon rightfully thought that this was Sophia's main way of bringing the illegal goods into Gotham, but could never get a search permit from Mayor James - it frustrated Jim for years"

"The commissioner doesn't need to worry about that anymore since the good ol' mayor got a bullet between his eyes" Talon blinks as he sees Batman turn his head towards him. Talon throws his arms up and rolls his shoulders "What? I read the newspapers. The mayor getting 86ed it kind of big news, though I'm glad that the scumbag finally got his comeuppance - He was actually next on my list back then" he follows after Batman as they both explore the abandoned ship.

"Harvey didn't kill James" Batman coldly replies.

"Eh? Yeah, I know - Aubrey probably had more enemies than you do, the whole thing reeks of a frame job, not even a good one at that - framing his most well known political rival? The press will eat up anything that can keep them in the spotlight" Talon emotionlessly says as white orbed eyes narrow, looking all around him "Usually if it's a trap, the ambush usually comes out by now - yet again... Nyssa knows us both far better than we would like, she can probably guess our next moves..." he looks down to his armoured hand and forces it into a fist.

"If what you said is true, then we may have to deal with members of the League of Shadows - so stay focused" Batman orders in a calm tone, stopping his movement and stands still "The deck is clear, I say we use this time to check some of the cargo containers" the dark knight turns his head and walks towards a large green container "This ship arrived here last night, I doubt that it's much of a coincidence that it belongs to Sophia Falcone and that it arrived just in time for Knightfall to begin"

"I was thinking the same thing" Talon walks over to face a large yellow container "Let's see what goodies are inside" his armoured hands unlock the bolt and pulls open the container to be greeted with a pitch-black path. His white orbed eyes look ahead, lighting up the path ahead "Nothing" he calls out to Batman.

The Dark Knight glances inward at the opened green Cargo Container "Clear"

Batman turns his head with his body following shortly after as he walks to a red container and opens it, once again seeing nothing inside "Empty again"

"Mine too" Talon folds his arms, looking inside a new emptied container "Would it be pointing out the obvious to say that all four being empty is a cause for suspicion?"

"We are on a ghost-ship with no sign of any crew in the middle of the day and it's the containers being empty that makes you suspicious?" Batman questions, seemingly unclear in his tone of voice. He reaches behind his back under his cape "We need to do this faster, every second we waste is another second Knightfall draws closer" he pulls out a small screen from his utility belt and holds up to meet with his eyesight. Talon walks next to him.

"What's that gizmo of yours?"

"A portable X-Ray scanner, this should hurry things along. I thought of the idea after I encountered someone in Metropolis" Batman looks through the lens towards a blue cargo container "Empty" he turns his head towards another one "Empty" he turns to another once more "Empty" Talon walks off towards a yellow container and begins to unbolt it. Batman's eyes narrow as his eyes land on a container in the distance, inside seemed to be a person who was holding a long sword by the entrance "...Some are trapped, Talon - don't open any more-" he turns his head towards Talon.

Once he opened the container, Talon was kicked onto the floor being caught off guard. A woman leaps out who was holding a katana with the bottom of her face covered by a scarf. Talon's eyes narrow as he kicks upward into the woman's stomach, ejecting the knife from his boot. He rolls over and kneels up as he sees the woman fall to the ground, holding her stomach in pain as a pool of blood oozes out of her "League of Shadow members? I told you"

"Less talking, more...fighting for your life-" Batman looks up at the top container on the pile as another woman leaps out and slashes her sword downward along the way. Batman lifts up his hand and stops the sword mere centimetres from his head. He rams his head forward to headbutt the League of Shadows member. She too was dressed in the same attire as the previous woman. She takes a swing with her sword, Batman steps back and ducks under the blade, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward. He rams his elbow down and breaks the sword.

"Incoming! Six o'clock!" Talon warns Batman before he sides-steps out of the way of sword swung at him by another League of Shadows member. He grabs a dagger from his back and rams into the woman's shoulder, making her drop her blade. He then grabs the woman's arms and throws her behind his back and right into one of the cargo containers.

Batman turns his head left to see another woman running towards him with her blade, ducking once she begins to swing her blade "How many are there?" he calls out, jumping back up and spinning on his heels. Grabbing the league of shadow's member and throwing her into the other one next to him, knocking them both to the ground. His cape swaying with every single movement that he made.

"More than I would like!" Talon rolls under another sword of the league of shadows members, now surrounded by three of them "Eh? What do you know? Looks like I also got your luck with women!" he rolls forward and uses the dagger in hand to deflect another swing of a blade, kicking the woman into the door of the container and quickly moving out of the way as the woman behind him charges. Talon kicks behind him, hitting the woman's shin, then ramming his elbow back into her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Batman growls, yanking the assassins blade from her, ramming it down on his knees and snapping it in two. He then uses both of the parts to trip up the woman and make her fall to the ground. He spins the broke blade in his hand and hits her over the head with its hilt, knocking her out "I recognized them! The uniform, its only worn by the elite members of the shadows - I thought they were under Talia's command, but I guess she doesn't even know what's happening under her nose"

"Can we talk about this later? Kind of busy here!" Talon yells, grabbing his grapple gun from his sides and firing it at one of the assassins, wrapping the hook around her wrist, he yanks her over his head and launches her into two other members, he backflips and dodges a blade that was hurled at him. Landing back onto his feet, he fires his grapple gun at the top vantage point above, the top cargo container which launched him up to it. Now standing on top of it, he grabs several of the knives from his back and lunges them towards the five women quickly in pursuit of him.

He manages to hit three of the assassins in the chest with knives, which only left two on his trail and the three pinned to the floor "Man, this is tiring..."

"Don't let yourself become slow! That is bound to get you killed!" Batman calls back as he lunges forward and rolls on the deck, grabbing three Batarangs from his belt and throwing them towards an equal number of opponents; knocking the blades from their grasp. Batman stands back up, slowly as his eyes narrow "Why are you here?!" he asks the three assassins in a cold tone of voice.

"To kill you at our master's request, you threaten the league and thus you must be dealt with!" the middle woman replies.

"Stand-down, none of you need to get hurt - tell me what I want to know and you can walk away from this unharmed" Batman warns as he holds his arms down by his sides "Who is your master?"

"You do not demand answers from us, traitor. You have forsaken the great Ra's al Ghul's legacy if you accepted your role as our new leader you could ask for such answers!" she growls.

"Uh-oh, looks like they are here to kill you, I wonder if they will let me go then" Talon lifts his armoured arms up to block a swing of the assassin's sword "Yeah... I didn't think so". The Talon lifts up his leg and kicks the woman off of the cargo container and back onto the floor below.

"Enough!" Batman growls as he grabs one of the woman's fist and throws her into one of the open cargo containers, he then turns on his feet, ramming his elbow across another's woman's face and then repeating the same action for the last as he throws the two into the same container as the previous. He bolts the door shut and locks the woman inside. Batman's eyes widen as he breathes heavily "That... that... was..." he hits his fist back and knocks over the last assassin from behind "...enough..."

The Dark Knight looks up to see Talon hurling another woman over onto the floor, throwing a knife down into her shoulder which pinned her onto the floor. Talon perches over and holds his sides "All...that...could have...been avoided...if...I just waited... one...more second to hear you...out" he grumbles.

"Yep" Batman confirms "Let's get the others secured, then we are heading to Wayne Tower"

"Why Wayne Tower?" Talon says with staggered breaths.

"Talia works there" Batman replies as he grabs one of the unconscious women and lifts them over his shoulder.

"You know... I'm too tired to even... ask" Talon drags one of the women by their leg "I need...to save every... breath that... I... can"

"Are you alright? That encounter shouldn't have winded you the way that it did" Batman asks.

"I'm... fine... just need a... minute..."

---

1: 20 PM

- Wayne Enterprise Tower -

- 5th Floor -

"It's been nearly five hours and you still haven't told me a single thing, I am honestly starting to think that you have no intention to tell me about what I want to know - You are making me think that I am just wasting my time here" Selina blows a strand of hair from her face. She stands against the back of the elevator, arms folded and eyes set ahead at the closed doors. Beside her stood Talia, who mimicked the other woman's position with her too standing with her arms crossed, though where Selina had a blank stare, Talia wore an amused smile.

"Really?" Talia taunts with a small laugh "Just so that we have an understanding, I do fully intend to tell you what you want to know - but here's the thing. You desire to learn a piece of knowledge, yet I do not see you offering me anything in return, and I sure as hell hope that you don't think that your company is enough to get on my good side"

"Really? What could I possibly offer you" Selina groans.

"How about a piece of knowledge of your own? I too have questions"

"You say that you want to know something about me? Does this mean that you are warming up to me?" Selina asks with a clear as day annoyed tone as she taps her foot against the floor "Fine, whatever - what do you want to know? Ask away"

"What was it like when Jeremiah Valeska shot you? I believe that he crippled you, broke you and left you to rot" Talia asks coldly as she didn't take her eyes away from the front "That must have been a quite traumatic experience for you..."

"What...? What the hell?" Selina hissed, turning her head to Talia "You...have no right to..."

"Answer me, Miss Kyle - how did that experience make you feel?"

"Go tell hell, I am not talking abou-"

"And then it seems that our business is indeed finished for now" Talia sees the doors to the elevator open "Good Day, Miss Kyle" Talia steps out onto the floor and begins to walk off. Selina fumes, following after Talia until she follows the woman into her office.

"Don't walk away from! We are not finished!" Selina growls "I said don't walk away!" she goes to grab Talia, but she swiftly moves out of the way. Talia then grabs the woman by her neck and slams her back onto her desk. Talia's eyes narrow as she presses her hand against Selina's throat, both women look into the other's eyes.

"As I thought, that moment brings out all of your weakness, all of your misjudgement and anger! Deep down, you are still the poor, pathetic crippled girl who feels sorry for herself!" Talia leans forward "All these years later...you are still haunted by that one moment... the one moment when you felt your most helpless - when you were no more than just a mere empty shell of your former self..."

"...Shut...up..." Selina exhales.

"Why? Are you going to make me?" Talia lifts an eyebrow "That moment now means nothing to you. You can stand, you can have a life - the weight of that moment is gone, you are free to live your life as you please, you could have had a family of your own - a much happier life, yet you chose to continue this path of yours - you willingly put yourself in danger to satisfy your selfish desires..." Talia vents. leaning even closer to Selina "...So tell...me. What did you feel at that moment? What felt so good that you needed to throw away your second chance?"

"I...wasn't afraid" Selina spits.

"Not afraid?" Talia smirks "So you felt fearless at that moment? While lying there in your own blood...you were not intimidated by the threat of death? It looks like Bruce isn't the only one with the darkness within him..." Talia removes her hand from the woman's neck and steps backwards "How interesting...another denominator that both you and Bruce share with each other, how fortuitous" she comments, resting her chin on the back of her hand "Yet you must be angry at Bruce, since that madman only attacked you to hurt him. You must have felt so grateful when he shot you, like all the weight that you carried, all the pain and sorrow that you endured would just vanish, you were hoping to die, weren't you?"

"Are you done?" Selina holds her neck, breathing slowly.

"For now, I suppose" Talia confirms.

"Good" Selina punches Talia across her face, turning the woman's head by the force "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again."

Talia slowly turns her head back with blood dripping from her bottom lip "You are quite a fascinating individual, Miss Kyle..." she uses her thumb to wipe the blood off "I must ask if Bruce is aware of that little detail of yours? You say that I should not hide such details from Bruce, yet you do the very same thing - why might that be?" she asks, now smiling "Doesn't he have the right to know about your wellbeing?"

"Bruce means a lot to me, but that doesn't mean that I am ready to tell him everything about me, he still hasn't earned that back" Selina sits down on the desk "I want to trust him, I really do - but there's a part of me that is dreading that he will just vanish again one day, and leave me behind"

"See, that is where you and I can finally agree. I want to help Bruce, I do - but I am afraid that if I keep holding his hand, he will never fully become the city's saviour. I know you may think of me as heartless, and I don't blame you" Talia sits down beside Selina and folds her arms "...I just want the best for him..."

"Then help him, trying to guide him from a distance will only result in him hating you if you do care about him - then you need to be there"

"I know that Bruce has been becoming more hostile towards me ever since I arrived in this city. I originally came here after hearing that Nyssa was back here, I chose to help Bruce then because he would have no chance in taking down both my sister and the Talon at once, I was scared...that he would get himself needlessly killed" Talia rubs her eyes, looking at the ground.

"So, why did you attack him at that party? Honestly wasn't the best way that we could have been introduced" Selina questions.

"By the time I had arrived in Gotham, Bruce had already suffered a great deal of injury from a conflict between him and the Talon, I was fully aware that he would not listen to my advice and stay out of it, so I had no other choice but to incapacitate him myself, so that I could go after the Talon and my sister by myself - I may have also used Bruce's new condition to draw out the Talon so that I could face him"

"How'd that go for you?"

"Fine... until the commissioner showed up and got in my way, letting Talon escape"

"Could have been worse, he could have shot you" Selina glances down to her left leg "...Be glad that Gordon didn't shoot you...because that sure sucks..."

"After a while, I just gave up and let Bruce come along, sometimes he can be too stubborn for his good, though I would be lying if that trait of his wasn't charming in it's special kind of way. He and I worked together to take down my sister and the Talon, and we managed to do it"

"And in the process, you saved my friend and her daughter, I guess I do owe you for that - Bruce sure as hell couldn't do that without you, but we both know that he would have tried, regardless of the odds against him..." Selina sighs.

"...That's what I love about him..."

---

- Gotham Docks - Shipping yard -

Commissioner Gordon walks onto the deck of the large ship, followed by a group of other cops "Alright men, I want this whole place searched! Do not leave a stone unturned here! Harper check the cargo, Alvarez take a team with you and search inside, let me know if anything suspicious is found" Harper and Alvarez both follow their orders, taking a small group with them as they part from Gordon "Stay in communication range!" the commissioner advises as he turns his head towards a small number of cargo containers

He takes his gun out of his holster and readies it for action, as he slowly follows the path between two of the containers "GCPD! Come out with your hands up!" he calls out. He turns a corner to be greeted with the large railings to the ship. His eyes narrows as he hears something move behind him, seeing a faint shadow by his feet, one which had large pointy ears and a cape that slowly swerves "I was wondering when I would see you again" Jim turns around to face the dark knight who stands in front of him, his cape draped around his shoulders and arms.

"I have been where I am needed" Batman replies coldly.

"If you say so, we really could have used your last night" Jim returns his gun back to his holster "So... Falcone shipping? I always had a feeling that Sophia was using this business to help with her criminal activities, but the Mayor- Ex-Mayor never would let me have a warrant to search this place, shame that it took him dying to finally give me the authority to" Jim looks to one of the cargo containers "I am a little perplexed that you are spending the time to track down shipments when you got a whole circus of looneys out there, this honestly feels like it's not worth your time"

"Me being here has nothing to do with Sophia Falcone, I was here looking for a lead towards the escapees, I was recently told that they are making their move at midnight - and I am no closer to locating them any more than I was when the Breakout happened - whoever is organizing this, it's like they know how I think, what moves I am going to make..." Batman tells Gordon with a firm expression. The small drops of rain hit down on both Batman and the commissioner, along with the wooden flooring; making it somewhat slippery.

"You think that it's Nyssa al Ghul, don't you?" Gordon pulls out a small metal knife with owl-themed markings on the hilt "These were used by the person helping her, right? If he's back in Gotham, it's not much of a stretch to believe that she is too"

"She may know how I move, but the way that I think? She's not that familiar with me, it has to be someone else - it's like this whole week has just been a game, a battle of wits - that's not Nyssa's style" Batman walks over to stand beside Jim as they look out to the city of Gotham in the background "When a make a step closer to discovering the truth, something just happens to come up which needs my attention, whoever is behind this... I feel that they have the whole thing planned out"

"If it's not Nyssa, then who?" Gordon asks, standing with his hands in the pockets of his overcoat "You are right about this whole thing feeling like one elaborate game, it's like Gotham is now one giant chessboard. Completed with...pawns, castles, Knights... the whole deal..."

"While I have been trying to get to the bottom of this, no matter how many criminals I have interrogated, no matter where I go searching in this city... there is always one name that keeps coming up, a name that all of the criminals seem to be frightened of..."

"Who...?"

Batman turns his head towards Gordon "The Joker. - Bane, Ivy, Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow - they all seem like nothing compared to him, it's like the underworld is all scared of him and what he can do, most of them are even more scared of him than me..."

Um...Batman? I'm taking a big risk in trusting you, I need to know if you can stop them - we can't let Gotham fall again, we have just fully gotten back on our feet, another blow like that and this time...there may be no hope of us returning to normal..."

"That's not going to happen, Jim. Not on my watch - but I need you to be ready just in case that I fail, I need you to begin evacuation of Gotham ASAP. Just in case that I do fail and if Gotham is brought back in a dark age, I can at least feel easy knowing that we saved as many lives as possible" Batman turns his entire body to face the commissioner "I am going to go after Bane, he and Nyssa are somewhere in the city, if I can find them - there's a chance that I can stop this whole thing before it starts"

"I'll put the word out, but without probable cause - I can only make it a voluntary evacuation - millions of people will still be in Gotham when it goes down, there's not much that we can do about that" Jim informs the dark knight who held no change of expression.

"Nyssa has a vendetta against you and Barbara. You need to make sure that her and your daughter is safe - you need to get them out of the city now, this may be your only chance to keep them safe" Batman suggests in a calm manner "Also, the Doctor from Arkham... Harleen Quinzel. She is no longer safe in the city, you need to get her out too along with anyone close to Bruce Wayne. Nyssa hates him just as much as Barbara Kean"

"Already on it, you really don't think that you can, do you?"

"...I'll try to" Batman nods.

Gordon turns his back on the dark knight "We will stop this, I know that we will! We have to, we have to... all of this... was to get rid of you... that means that you are working! It means that the criminals of Gotham are cowering in fear of you, goddamn it! This whole thing is beyond screwed!" The commissioner vents, turning his head to see that the dark knight had vanished. Jim lowers his head, running his hand through his hair "Be careful..."

---

- 3: 26 PM -

Batman perches over the top of a gargoyle as he looks out into the city and towards Wayne Tower. His right rests over his knee and his left hand was planted on the surface. His cape slowly swerves from the cold breezes of wind from the height that he was at. He presses his hand to his neckpiece "Lucius, I need you to go over a few things for me" he waits for a few moments, slowly becoming more puzzled by a lack of answer from the other side "Lucius? Come in, Lucius?"

"Damn it, Lucius should be in his office around this time - something must be wrong" he stands upon the gargoyle "I need to check in with Talia right away"

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Batman turns his head towards the direction of the cry for help down below. He leaps off of the building and begins to fall towards the ground a great distance below, reaching out with his arms; his cape expands and slows his descent towards the ground until he lands onto a two-story building that oversaw an empty alley. Landing down on his knees and planting his fist into the ground, he looks over the edge and glances through the void passage.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

Batman jumps down onto the fire escape below, grabbing onto the railings.

"HELP!"

The dark knight jumps over the railing and glides down to the ground. His cape falls over his shoulders and arms, he looks straight ahead and his feet begin to walk him down the dark and stingy path. He follows after the voice calling for help which took him further and further into the unclean and unlit alley. Eventually, he found himself face the end as the path leads out into the streets of the city. Batman sees cars drive past the gap between the two buildings along with a few pedestrians who walk on the sidewalk across the road.

"HELP!"

Batman turns his head and sees something attached to the by his side. He recognizes it as being a cell phone being tapped to the bricks. He sees it flashing with each cry of help which happened to come from the device. He rips it off the wall and brings the phone to his ear and answers it.

"Hello Bruce" a female voice greets him.

"...Nyssa..." he growls her name.

"Oh... the fierceness in your voice, it is quite... breath-taking" Nyssa coos.

"You better save as much breath as you can because you are going to need it" the dark knight threatens as his hand tightens around the phone.

"Threatening me? Well... I'm sorry but I can be scared by you, not when I have always perceived you as a scared little brat who killed my father"

"Ra's brought that upon himself, he was a diseased madman - he was responsible for his demise"

"Ra's Al Ghul devoted his life towards the salvation of the world, but you stood against him even when he offered you a chance at greatness"

"Enough with this, Nyssa. Come out and face me"

"Not quite yet, Bruce. I indeed want to be the one kill you, but I'm afraid you are going to need to wait for now, however, I will be more than happy to kill you tonight. The others all want to kill you, but I'm the only whose doing for a just reason"

"Revenge? You tried that before and you failed, and you will fail again and again until you get it through your head. I'm not that scared kid anymore, but you are still the cold, heartless woman from all those years ago" Batman narrows his eyes "Name the place and I will come for you, I will stop you here and now!"

"Shhhhh. Patience is a virtue, one that you seemingly are not too familiar with"

"I'm not playing your game, Nyssa! I am sick and tired of you"

"Oh, Bruce. If that's how you feel then I will just kill your butler here and now...do you wanna say goodbye to him?"

"What?" Batman says speechless "...It was you..."

"When I had Alfred taken, I just wasn't quite ready to give him back yet - so I had Hugo Strange make a duplicate for you - to keep tabs on you, but before I could get the most out of the little project, that madman let loose the Jerome clone who killed the copy, I wasn't too happy with him when I heard that"

Batman clenches his left hand into a fist "When... I... find... you... I... will..." he grits his teeth.

"Bruce!" Alfred's voice yells, terrorized "DON'T COME FOR ME! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! DON'T-"

"Alfred? Alfred? ALFRED? ALFRED!"

"Shhhhhh now, Bruce. There will be plenty of time for that later when we meet face-to-face, farewell for now. In the meantime, tell Talon that I can't wait to get my hands on him, he will die for his treachery" Batman's eyes widen as the call ends. He breathes heavily, ramming his fist into the brick wall and denting it.

"AGGGHHH!" He screams.

---

3: 54 PM

- Gotham General -

"I know that I am asking a lot right now, but you are going to need to trust me, take Barbara with you and get out of Gotham. Whatever those escapees are planning, it's all going down tonight. And I need to make sure that you. Barbara and my daughter are safe, I can't live with the worry of something happening to you..." James Gordon holds Leslie Tompkins close to him, looping his fingers in hers "You will be safe while I work to try and keep the peace"

"Jim? If what you are saying is true, then I have reason to stay here. Those maniacs will hurt a lot of people, and I am not just going to run away and hide while good people are suffering here" Lee's eyes glimmer as they reflect the commissioner "I'm staying here - where I am needed"

"Lee, this place might become an actual warzone - I just got word that the feds are coming here, and they are notorious for not playing by the *ethical* playbook, I got a bad feeling that they will only worsen the situation. Right now, this city - is not safe for anyone"

"Which is even more reason to stay here, James! I didn't leave last time that Gotham was on the verge of being destroyed and I am not leaving now. I am putting my foot down, Jim" Lee makes her position clear, taking her hand away from the commissioner's "I am staying here - end of discussion"

"There's no changing your mind, is there?"

"Almost eleven years of marriage and you now just get that?" Lee questions "I became a doctor in the first place to help people in need. I'm not a cop, nor some kind of vigilante, right now - this is the only way that I can make a positive difference for people. I need this Jim, and those people out there need me"

"I know..." Jim rests his hands on his hips "No wonder Doctor Langstrum is so impressed by your work"

"He said that?" Lee muses.

"He said that it was *absolutely splendid*" Jim reinforces with a small smile.

"Aw, that's kind of sweet, coming from him"

"He seems like a nice guy. You know, I was talking to him earlier and he told me how he wanted to spend all the time that he could with his wife, It was honestly admirable that after all those years of Marriage, that he still loved her so much" Jim comments. Lee's expression changed to a blank and confused look.

"I'm sorry, what?" Lee bewildered tone expresses all of her concern.

"Something wrong?" Gordon asks.

"Jim..." Lee moves in closer to him "Doctor Langstrum's wife has been dead for years - He never likes to talk about it" the commissioner was brought to an expression of wariness as he hears Lee's words, taken back by the sudden divulgence of information. He was only taken out of his trance when he hears a ringing coming from inside his overcoat. He pulls out his phone and holds it to his ear.

"Commissioner Gordon, speaking"

"Jim, you need to get your butt back to the station right now" Harper's voice warns him.

"Harper? What's wrong?"

"The feds are here and they are dead set on talking you, you should probably hurry to get back ASAP before you get on their bad side"

"Harper, I'm currently busy - can't you keep them talking for now?"

"No, not anymore - you need to get back"

"Alright, alright... I'm on my way" Jim closes his phone and returns it to the pocket inside his coat "Lee... I need to get back-"

"Okay, be careful - alright?" Lee leans towards Jim and kisses him on the cheek "Don't go getting yourself killed"

"I'll try..." Jim kisses the woman back, but this time on her lips "Take care, I love you" he then moves out and begins to jog through the ward. Lee steadily playfully shakes her head.

"I love you too!"

---

4: 01 PM

- Wayne Enterprise Tower -

"You know... as much I hate to admit it, I have very well become accustomed towards you - though, I wouldn't take it as a full confirmation that we have... what do you Americans say... *bonded*?" Talia stood in front of the window that outlooks the city "I was never expecting to stay in this city for as long as I have, I mainly stayed to understand just what was Bruce's fascination with this city. I always narrowed it down to being something as sentimental to him, after all, he did indeed grow up here"

"But...?" Selina asks as she sits on the desk behind Talia "This is going somewhere, right?"

"Apparently so, I have studied this city thoroughly to the best of my abilities - you see... when I was much younger, my father always made out that this city was beyond saving, like it was meant to be demolished - eradicated" Talia watches her reflection in the glass "When I was on my way to this city, I was under the assumption that was indeed what I was going to find, I was sure that I would see that Bruce's love towards this place is ill-advised and dangerous for him to have"

"Are you going to say that you were... wrong?"

"No" Talia sharply counters "I was right to think that, this city is filthy and full of diseased lunatics who want nothing more than to tear it down, it is everything like my father told me all those years ago. It's almost daunting just how accurate his words truly were"

"Oh... oh... you aren't going to go crazy like your father and sister, right?"

"I should want to take this down, I should want nothing more than to bring this city to ash - to destroy all the corruption and crime - after all, that is indeed my Father's wish for both me and Bruce to achieve together" she turns her head to face Selina "but... lately, I am beginning to feel strange. I feel that there is a part of me who sees the truth in Bruce's mission, his goal to save the city in his way - no matter how flawed or lacking in judgement that his goals come across as..." her voice was full of complexion.

"There's a part of you who believes in what Bruce is doing, no matter how foolish you think that it is - I know that feeling all too well..." Selina flutters her eyes as she speaks, nervously rubbing the back of her neck "I know what you are feeling"

"You do not understand my emotions, Kyle. Do not pretend that you do, you know nothing of me or what I have been through, while I have been informed about your past, you know nothing of mine"

"Then tell me" Selina suggests "I know a thing or two about having a tragic background, plus you still haven't told me about Bruce yet..."

Talia closes her eyes "Very well, I guess that I have been putting it off for long enough" she tilts her head to see Selina's reflection in the glass "Do you recall when I said that it wasn't exactly a happy story? I never meant that it was his tale..."

"Huh?"

"After the first time that my Father was resurrected in this city, he informed me of the vision that he had, both my sister and I were. He told us that one day, A dark knight shall rise from the ashes of this city and become the saviour that this world is in need for..."

"Sounds simple so far, I guess..."

"He told us one more thing. He told us that he would not return to us, nor will we ever see him again - he made it clear that his last wish was for us to follow his orders and to make sure that Bruce would one day take his place as the dark saviour of this city" Talia stilts her expression "And with that, we both knew that our father would once again... meet his end, and he did -though be it by his lunacy, he willingly worked with a madman to bring Gotham down to its knees... I love father, I do - but resorting to such an unhonourable tactic is unforgivable"

"So... you were perfectly fine with him blowing up the city? Your problem was that he... did it with the aid of Jeremiah?"

"Of course I was, I was raised to hold such beliefs - but my Father would have once never chosen to lower himself to aligning himself with such a parasite, but just as I feared. All his exposure to the Lazarus pit melded his mind, changed him - made him lose who he was..."

"Made him go evil?"

"Make no mistake, Kyle. My father never fell into the social norm of *good* or *righteous*, but his intentions were pure and came from a good place, I saw his faults, yet he was my father, and I loved him, no matter how questionable his actions may have come across as"

"Okay, got it..."

"Then... you know what happened next. Nyssa chose to ignore our father's last wish and made her way to this city where she attempted to kill Bruce as an act of revenge for our father, because she was under the belief that he somehow wanted justice when in actual that, he wanted a successor - which my dear sister decided to go against"

"Barbara stabbed her and she was on her way out" Selina finishes Talia's words "Kina funny that she got stabbed by the same knife as her father"

"And well deserved, Nyssa deserved every bit of pain she endured for her foolishness - I only wish that Barbara finished the job, that would have saved me a lot of trouble"

"Okay so, I got the rundown? Great, could you jump to what happens next?"

"I was getting to that, quiet" Talia hushes the other woman "Finally realizing that he has a much larger fate, Bruce left Gotham in his travels. And thus begins the dark knight's journey and his rise" she turns around and leans against the glass, folding her arms and looking to Selina "I kept tabs on him for the first part of his journey, the first three or so years were pretty standard when it comes to training. From what I can gather, that was when he began his combat training, and where he learned the basics, but nothing that would help with his journey"

"Let me guess... you then found him"

"Bingo" Talia compliments "During his miscellaneous adventures he somehow fell in with the wrong crowd and was thus detained and imprisoned, poor Bruce was trying to steal his own property. He remained imprisoned for a good few months, but in the time he sure as hell earned a rep for being a tough son of a bitch. Though his previous training was indeed lacking, he still had more than enough experience to become top dog, all the other inmates were scared of him..."

"But one day, a couple of the inmates got the bright idea of ganging up on him" Talia continues as she brushes a few strands of hair behind her ear "And as expected, they were swiftly subdued by Bruce, however, the guards had finally enough of Bruce and his antics and thus he was thrown into solitary confinement - for roughly a few weeks, until I decided that it was time that we were formally introduced"

"I have been wondering just how Bruce would just so willingly put his faith in another of Ra's daughters after the last one wanted him dead"

"It was simple, I just left out that part - I needed to first earn his goodwill" Talia admits "I came to him as simply Talia Ducard, a somewhat of a similar alias that my father was once known for using - I needed to have it be made of both a real name of mine and a decoy, thus to make it seem believable towards Bruce - though he wasn't anywhere near being the great detective that he is today, he was more than able to detect a dishonest front"

"A lie with a sprinkle of truth?"

"I came to him with a proposition, I would assist him with his escape only if he was willing to come back with me to the shadow's stronghold so that I could begin training him, improving upon what he already was," said the darker-skinned woman.

"Kinda sounds more like an ultimatum rather than well... a choice? Anywhere where did you take him? Now that I think of it... where is the league even located"

"Apologies but that is one detail that I must leave out of this, to divulge such information to an outsider far surpasses betrayal to the league"

"Fine, just get on with it"

"Try being quiet for more than five seconds and I just might - how many times do I have to tell you to stop interrupting me? This is growing slightly tiresome" Talia says irritated by Selina's constant intrusion "It took a while but eventually, Bruce came around to my offer. And once he did, we both headed to begin his true training - our relationship started as standard as it possibly could. I designated myself as his instructor and he was made to follow all my orders - of course, Bruce made some days far more difficult than others"

"I saw the flaws in Bruce's previous training, his previous mentors were too soft on him - they all just saw it as a simple job that they were paid to do, but I?" Talia begins to pace around the room, Selina follows the woman around the room with her eyes "I knew what was at stake, thus I was not as gentle as them. On the contrary, I was given even more reason to be more rough with him - as well the loss of my father may have influenced my cruel nature towards him"

"I often had Bruce face off against other members of the shadows, and sometimes even me it did not go well for him - he was often hurt, beaten and humiliated - over and over, becoming a bloodied mess..." Talia crosses her arms "...but no matter... no matter how many times he was knocked down, no matter how many times he fell or was beaten, no matter how many times he should have given up - he got back up, he never surrendered, getting up again, and again - that's when I first saw it, what my father had told me about..."

"That is when I saw the dark knight that my father foretold of, and that was when I began to feel... strange, when I discovered that I somehow cared for Bruce, I realized that that idiot had somehow won me over, and I felt my care for him - the whole thing was confusing for me. I somehow fell for the man who killed my father, yet I wasn't angry at him anymore - nor was I meaninglessly hostile towards him -" she sits down on the desk beside Selina.

"Being raised within the shadows... never really gave me a chance at a normal life per se, I was never surrounded by other people of my age, rather I and my sister were given over to many trainers in the league. My father wanted us as followers more than he desired us as his children, thus he mostly left us alone to our own devices, we were lucky to see him every few years" Talia crosses her legs and rests both of her hands over her knee "...my lack of interaction with people similar in age to me, must have subconsciously driven me to become much closer to Bruce that I should have, I was well aware that my father told me that Bruce and I would be close, but I thought he meant that I was to be merely his teacher..."

"He never said that I would fall in love with him, he and I both shared such feelings and they lingered between us - we were both aware, but we left it alone, we did not dare speak of such a matter - but one day, I guess... we just lost it, during one of a sparing session... we just lost control and by the time I regained my clarity... we had already finished"

Selina slightly turns her head away from the other woman as she nervously chuckles "...Oh, it was one of those? Yeah... I can relate...I've had a couple of interesting nights before - sometimes I would wake up in the morning after and not even remember the guy's name"

"We... I certainly had no choice but to stay near him, I was assigned as his trainer after all. What made that little episode of ours worse was that I somehow was... happy afterwards, he and I were in love and we both knew it, and what previously happened only quantified our assumption to fact, after that, we somehow gained an active relationship, that meant a lot to us both - through his training resumed as normal and just as harsh, maybe more so now with what we knew"

"For years his training continued, and so did we - they went hand-in-hand with each other, until one day... I feel it, he was finally ready. His training was mostly complete and he was ready to return to Gotham, of course, it would have only been a temporary ordeal to see if he was actually ready for such a responsibility, so I sent him off back here with the condition that he was to return to the shadows after three months - and as I feared, he did not make good on his end of the deal and he remained here when he was not ready or prepared to do so"

"... Son of a bitch..." Selina leans forward "Bruce abandoned both you and me, back-to-back? Goddamn it, Bruce..."

"It would appear so, I will admit, I was hurt by his betrayal of must trust, however, I shouldn't have given it to him in the first place, allowing for my feelings to cloud my judgment was all my fault, and dangerous when it comes to my lifestyle"

"I was then greeted with some very curious news. I was told that a few members of the shadows were somehow murdered by someone who appeared to have all of Bruce's training, of course, I was not ready to believe that Bruce would have used me to get me to train him to only use it to begin an attack against the shadows - I knew that it was the doing of someone else, and thus I began searching on my own, as I had a good idea on who could be behind the attacks"

"Your sister?"

"My sister, yes. She was the only person that I know who could do such a thing like that, but I noticed how whoever killed my men were somehow the exact level that Bruce was at. So I looked to my men inside Gotham and was told that for a few months. There has been someone moving around Gotham's rooftops with a similar style to the shadows, even when... Bruce wasn't even there - That is when I was informed of someone who went by the name of Talon"

"So I decided to come here myself as Bruce would have no chance against my sister, not when he refuses to kill. And when I got here, as previously stated, I made sure to take Bruce out of harms way, for his safety and for me to do what I needed without him looming over my shoulder - but you know how that tail goes" Talia looks to the window of the room with both Selina and her reflection "Even after I chose to help him, train him, and even decided to follow his request of leaving both the Talon and my sister alive - Bruce still just sees my as Ra's daughter and an enemy towards him..."

"It doesn't matter how much I try to help, how much I try to prove him wrong, at the end of that... he just thinks that I am just another villain for him, someone who wants to hurt him... even after all that we have been through... all the time that we spent together... I'm not even considered an ally to him..."

"You said that it wasn't a happy story, right?" Selina holds a hand over Talia's shoulder "You were talking about yourself, weren't you?"

"Almost, I was talking about you and I" Talia replies with a dejected tone, one of sorrow "I know that my family has caused you harm, and I'm sorry if I ever contributed to it - for the longest time, being Ra's Al Ghul's daughter was the only thing I knew, it was the only thing that I wanted - but... Bruce... I think he changed that, changed me... I see good people fighting for this city, people who seem locked in a never-ending battle and they know it, yet they still... they still fight to save it..."

"Man, if only Bruce was here - he needs to know just how much of a pain in the ass he has been for-" Selena and Talia both turn their heads as they hear the doors to the office open. Bruce steps in with a look of anger on his face.

"Bruce?" Selina stammers.

---

4: 07 PM

- G.C.P.D -

Jim walks into the precinct and is greeted by his officers who look back to him. Among them were what appeared to be armoured men, similar to the S.W.A.T team, however, this group was much larger and were not wearing any uniform that he recognized. Their uniforms were mostly pure black and red markings over the, similar to chess pieces, some had marking of Knights and others of pawns "What the hell is going on here?" he demands the armed men answer. Gordon looks to his side as he sees Harper walk over and stand beside him "Harper? What is the meaning of this? I thought you said that they were meant to be feds? I have never seen this group before in my life..."

"Neither have I, nor has any of our own see them before - they seem to be a governmental secret agency - apparently even more secretive than the FBI and CIA combined, and wait until you get a load of their leader, a right pain in the-"

"GORDON!"

"And there she is..." Harper sighs as she and Jim turn around towards the owner of the voice. Gordon's eyes look to a woman standing by the entrance, dressed in a black suit, with long black hair down to her waist. The woman looks to be in her late thirties or early forties. Jim couldn't quite make an accurate guess to her real age. He feels her glaring at him, looming over him like she was some powerful force that he shouldn't mess with. Her prescience along just by simply standing there was something that Gordon had only felt from one other person, the dark knight, this woman - whoever she came across as even more intimidating and dangerous than even him.

"Good luck" Harper wishes as she leaves Jim alone to confront the woman.

"Commissioner Gordon, I presume? What a failure that you are, you are completely incompetent - You have been causing trouble since the day you got here in this city..." the woman walks forward and glares at the man, which left Jim confused about her "A breakout of the world's most dangerous lunatics happened on your watch, yet you have done nothing to relieve the situation, in fact, you have been completely useless in the matter..."

"I'm sorry? Just who are you?" Jim asks with disdain "You just can't come in here and start yelling at me"

"Oh yes I can, and I bloody will!" she folds her arms "I am special agent Waller, you can call me Amanda - but you will address me as your new boss, signed by the president himself" she replies in a calculating tone, one that worked to get under Gordon's skin "I have been put in charge of a salvage operation to clean up your mess. It is my job to make sure that those animals are put back into their cages and I have a one hundred percent success rate when it comes these kinds of Operations, got me? I will not tolerate any kind of insubordination from anyone: you, the breakfast club that you call a police department, no citizen and absolutely no... vigilantes"

"Are you threatening me?"

"Think of it... as a friendly warning... from a not so friendly person - ... if you catch my drift" Waller warns Jim as she glances around the whole precinct "The moment you become a problem, is the moment I arrest you, this is your only warning, there will be no second chances - hopefully, we can both find common ground to work together so that we can sort this whole matter out. The sooner it gets dealt with, the sooner we will be out of your way"

"If you say that your people can get this whole thing done with, then you won't hear me complaining. Saving as many lives as possible is my goal - if you have the means to do that... then fine, but we do it by the book"

"Glad to see you be so reasonable, Gordon. That's the attitude that I want, don't go losing it - you are going to need it to combat these monsters" Amanda looks straight at the commissioner "This is your city, I respect that - but as of now... it is under my command, which includes you and all the G.C.P.D which means you all now play by my rules"

"Only if their legal and just, acting against the law will make us no better than the people that we are trying to catch" Gordon reaffirms.

"James, thanks to the President - the law is whatever I say that it is, right now... I am the law"

"That's absurd, no one in the right mind would so easily give someone that much power, that's crazy"

"Commission, this is Gotham. And the government couldn't think any lower of this city - the highest homicide rate in all of America, more than double of the second place. This city is full to the brim with lunatics. And this city is still recovering from the last time that it was blown up... the President? The government? They couldn't care less about this place, it's just a stain on their country. He didn't even hesitate to sign me permission to enact martial law"

"They're here, Ma'am" one of the guards informs Waller as she smiles.

"Thank you, bring them in"

Gordon looks over Waller's shoulder and sees two guards walk into the precinct "Hey! let us go!," he sees Harleen and Harvey Dent escorted in by those same guards as they looked to be dragging them in "Aye, watch where you puttin' your hands, pal!" Harleen yells.

"Jim! Who the hell are these men?" Dent questions, clearly distressed "They just broke into Wayne Manner and dragged us out"

"Waller!" Jim growls "Harleen is supposed to be in witness protection! You bringing here is putting her life in danger!" Jim looks over to Harvey "Don't worry you two! Everything is going to be fine, Waller here is going to understand the mistake that she made and will take you back to-"

"I don't think so, James" Amanda swiftly replies "Miss Quinzel's witness protection has been revoked by me, and Dent's transfer, which was illegally done has been nullified too also by me" she lifts an eyebrow "Let's get one thing straight here, Commissioner "I make the rules, if there are ones that I don't like, I will change them. If there are ones that I want, I create them - nothing is off-limits when it comes to the safety of my country, not a single goddamn thing"

"This is wrong, Waller, this is... beyond abuse of power" Jim growls.

"Noted, now get out of my way" Waller looks around to her men "Listen up. Those animals could make their move at any moment, so I want men on the rooftops, at least one per street and I want it done soon! You have all been given a list of targets of both the escapes and other T.O.I's. I want them all taken down or taken out ASAP!" Waller turns her head to another group of the armed men "Alpha team, it's your mission to take the streets - I want checkpoints established before sundown! No one is to pass you without first being cleared - no exceptions - as far as we are to be concerned, this city is now a warzone so treat it like one!"

---

- Wayne Enterprise Tower -

"Nyssa? Bruce that is preposterous!" Talia vents as she glares at Bruce "The League of Shadows under my command made sure that she would never see the light of day ever again, it is impossible for her to somehow be in Gotham"

"Oh? Do you mean the same League of Shadows that attacked me this morning? Yeah, something's telling me that you aren't in control that much!" Bruce growls as he steps towards the woman "You had one simple job! one! To keep your goddamn sister out of my city! AND SHE'S BACK, Even worse she's the one who took Alfred!"

"What? Bruce... how do you know if she's even telling the truth?" Selina asks.

"I do. I heard him, Selina! I heard him! He was in pain and scared - yet he told me to stay away from Nyssa, well I am done letting her get away with this crap!"

"Bruce, please hold on" Talia begs as she had trouble even looking the man in the eyes "I swear... if had known that she was responsible... I would have... I would have told you about Alfred... I just... thought... that you needed to hold your own... I did it to help you... in the long run, I never know that she was here..."

Bruce's eyes widened as he covers his mouth with his hand, backing away from Talia "...You... knew... about... Alfred...?" he asks with a heartbroken tone and a shattered spirit. Talia could only gently nod, ashamed of her actions "...You... knew...?"

"Bruce... C'mon, I know what she did was stupid but we more important things to..." Selina looks at Bruce slowly turns his head towards her, his eyes were watering. His eyes flooded with anger, pain and the feeling of betrayal "Bruce..."

"You knew... that she lied to me?" the billionaire backs away from both of the women "How... how could you hide this... how could you hide this from me? How could you take her side? How...could you... Selina..." Bruce hyperventilates as he ruffles his hair with both of his hands "...How... long... how long have you known...?"

"Gordon told me last night, and Talia told she me she knew too, but I got a bad feeling... a bad feeling that there's a part of me that has known for even longer... it hurts whenever I try to think back to that day..." Selina says, holding her hand to her head as she feels a sharp pain in her head "Bruce... this isn't the time to turn against each other, we need to work together and save Alfred - we... we can... we can sort this out later, but right now... Alfred is what is important"

"Selina's is right here, Bruce. We need to focus on saving Alfred" Talia says, slightly weak.

"...How dare you..." Bruce growls "You knew this whole time, you could have told me as soon as you found out, yet you did nothing, you let me be heartbroken, be angry and almost made me lost control... you have no right to even talk to me, Talia... no right..."

"Bruce, I didn't think things would get this bad... you need to believe me..." Talia sorrows "I was stupid, I was really was - and I am so, so... so... sorry..., there is nothing that I can do... there's nothing that I can possibly do... to make this up to you... but you need me... without me... you can't beat Nyssa, none of you can - you need to let me help..."

"No" Bruce's eyes narrow and his teeth grit "You need to get the hell out of my building, out of my city! I never want to see you again, l have vouched for you... I have always defended you against people who said that you nothing but trouble... and this is what I get?"

"Bruce, please... I-"

"No. I never want to see you again, I should have never have trusted you - I should have learned that your family is just out to destroy me that you are all a disease - well I am sick of it, I am sick of your father, your sister, and I am sick of you! Never, Never, NEVER come back here!"

Selina steps between the two "Wait a minute. She is really is trying to help you, she really does care about you..., she is a friend. And you need to begin treating her like one, stop trying to villainize her for everything she does! Sure... what she did was wrong, but yelling out her won't fix it - you need to... you need to calm down and think clearly..."

"She knew... and you were aware of that? You hid that from me too..." Bruce's hand forms into a fist which he holds by his side "I am done with you, the both you - lying to me is one thing, but... Alfred? That is something that you do... you do not hide, that is beyond cruel..."

Selina looks up to the man as she sees the hurt in his eyes "Bruce... I know that Alfred is the closest thing you have to family, but-"

"HE IS FAMILY! He... is..." Bruce walks backwards, not taking his eyes off of the two women "This... this... this is unforgivable. I know that I have hurt you both, but I would never... I would never do what you did... not when family is on the line... I'm done with the pair of you, I'm done!" Bruce turns on his heel and barges out of the room with the whole floor staring at him from overhearing his yells. Talia and Selina both watch on in silence as they see Bruce head down the stairwell in a hurry.

"Oh my god... what did we do?" Selina turns to Talia who remained silent, her eyes still looking the way that Bruce left. Her hands were trembling and her heart was racing. Her breaths were heavy, yet delayed and slowed. Tears gently slide down her cheek from her eyes as they flutter.

"... I really am just like my father..." she whispers.

From down below, Bruce's ears prick as he hears a ringing coming from his jacket. He takes out the same phone from before and answers it "Nyssa... where are you...?" his handshakes with anger, his voice cracks as he speaks, showing how unhinged he truly was "... Let's finish this..."

"That's the fire that I wanted, I can see why my dear father entrusted the future of the shadows to you..." Nyssa chuckles "I just needed to be sure that you would be alone, this is just meant to be about us, and I am feeling ready to meet you. I tell you what, if you come and meet me alone, I shall give you back your precious Alfred - but that feeling of the reunion will not last, as I have plans to kill you" Nyssa leans forward as she hisses her words.

"You were watching us?" Bruce asks, looking around the stairwell "That's a little unfair, don't you think?"

"Oh, Bruce... I was never raised to be *fair*. I was raised to be the best and win, no matter what gets in my way and you have gotten in my way too many times. Today is the day you die. I am going to kill you and avenge my father"

"... you're going to try..." Bruce traverse down another floor "I'll even give you the first shot"

"How kind of you, but I won't need it - I just need to get the last shot. I'm going to give you an address and you better be there at the time I say - don't try coming for me any sooner, otherwise... think of what can happen to poor little Alfred? I'm sure... you won't be able to live with yourself if something happened, right?"

"If... you touch a single hair on his head, I will..."

"Hush now, Bruce. I am way past that point, I am offering your butler alive - I never claimed for him to be in pristine condition"

"Name the place"

"Good boy, now that's what I wanted to hear...one more thing, Bruce. After you are dead, I don't want to get bored so do me a favour and bring... um...what do you call him? Ah, yes... bring *Thomas* with you" Bruce hears Nyssa laugh "I got to admit that Thomas sounds much better than 514A, kinda cute how he named himself after your Father. Do I sense some kind of *brotherly* bond between you two? That's adorable..."

"You can have me, but not him. He has nothing to do with this, you've done enough damage to him"

"I believe that I will be the judge of that, he betrayed me and my trust and you know how the league handles betrayal in its own ranks. Bring him to me or I will kill Alfred, you do not have a choice"

"But you do! Your father is dead, you don't have to follow his teachings anymore, you can stop this right now and walk away. No one has to get hurt, please... I am begging you to stop this"

"No. Not until I am overlooking your lifeless body! I was everything my father wanted, I was beyond skilled enough, smart enough and powerful enough to take over the league after him, but he chose you over me! After all that I did for him, he wanted you to take his place! First Barbara Kean and then you! I will never be worthy to lead the league until I prove myself by killing you! He had two daughters who followed his commands without complaint or hesitance but then... then he came to you and forgot about us... like... we were nothing to him like I was worthless to him!"

"Are you trying to make me feel bad for you? It's not going to work, I have had it with you and your family coming into my life and hurting the people that I love!" Bruce's eyes narrow and he spits with each word "As much as I hate you, you were right about one thing"

"Oh, yeah? And would that happen to be?"

"You were a disappointment to Ra's, he told me that himself"

"You... little..."

"I am offering to play your game, I never claimed that I would play nicely..." Bruce replies "Now are you going to name the place?"

---

8: 54 PM

- G.C.P.D -

Jim Gordon stands insides the captain's office of the G.C.P.D, looking across where he sees Amanda Waller sat behind the desk. She holds a phone to her ear and was speaking to someone on the other end of the line. The commissioner was left to standing with his arms folded, not much else that he could do with the woman there. He had a bad feeling that she could arrest him just for breathing wrong, let alone him conveying any aggression against her.

"How much longer until the checkpoints are operational?" Waller asks, tapping a pen in hand against the desk "Not good enough, I wanted them done before sundown! And we are just past that. Get them online before I call again or there will be trouble, hear me?" he threatens whoever she was talking to. Gordon decided to stand there and not draw any unneeded attention from her. She was the one who called him in, however, she remained in her call even when she saw him walk in. If he had to take a guess, he would say that he could have been standing there for nearly ten minutes as she went through call-to-call.

"Yes, you better" Waller said before she abruptly ended the call and places the phone on the desk "Oh, sorry about that" Waller smiles, a clear as day fake and insincere attempt to be friendly towards him, and one that he could plainly see right through "Commissioner, take a seat"

"I would preferer to stand"

"Very well, you are an adult" Waller stands up from the chair "I am grateful that you have been so easy to work with, sure you have had a few outbursts - but that is to be expected when your command is suddenly overthrown by some stranger like me - there are usually some more complications"

"I don't have a choice but to play nice, considering you just enacted martial law"

"I said that I was grateful, I never said that I was surprised - usually it takes me to assert my authority until people like you learn to take me seriously" Waller holds her arms behind her back as she paces around the commissioner "Oh I have read all about you, James and honestly your record is exactly what I thought it would be, which is not a good thing, far, far from it"

"Permission to speak freely" Gordon bluntly asks.

"I would be disappointed if you didn't"

"I know a lot of terrible things have gone down on my watch, but if you think that I am the first commissioner to go down with this record, you would be wrong. My record is the cleanest out of all the other commissioners that have come before me - and trust me, that doesn't make me sleep easy, but it let me knows that I am on the right track"

"Oh sorry, my bad" Waller says in a fake surprised voice, full of sarcasm "Don't try to bullshit me, James. A rose by any other name can still be cut down just as easily as any other"

"You said it yourself, Waller. Gotham is not your regular forte, a dirty record here is the equivalent to a squeaky clean one from Metropolis or even Star City, I am not proud of that - but I have learned to make peace with it"

"Good for you, James, however, I am not so lenient with these matters" Waller picks a folder from the desk and opens it "Funny that you happen to name all of those cities, Commissioner. Do you by chance happen to know what Gotham, Metropolis and Star City all have in common?" she hands Jim a sheet of paper that she took out of the folder.

Gordon looks at the sheet closely and sees a sketch of what appeared to be Batman "Heroes?"

"Heroes?" Waller lifts an eyebrow, clearly amused by the man's response "Is that what you call them? That's a very strange perception for someone who's job is to hold up the law to have. Batman, Superman, that robin Hood wanna be are vigilantes, they actively go out and break the law as they see fit. I will not tolerate any of them, and the best place to start is with the *The Dark Knight* himself, snazzy name by the way" Waller smirks as she sees the uncertainty on the commissioner's face.

"This is a power play to stop Batman and the others?" Gordon asks perplexed.

Boasting a cunning smile, Waller rolls eyes "This is about stopping all the criminals on my list, and Batman is numero uno - who did you think those rooftops units are for? Oswald? Nygma? No, our prime target is Batman and the rest of his rogues gallery comes second, along with every other criminal that I see fit - so you better play nice"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gordon asks as Waller stops behind him and leans up to his ear.

"See, I noticed that Barbara Kean and Leslie Tompkins were exonerated of all charges even though, one is a murderer and the other spent time as a crime boss? What gives you the right to play favourites and let them off the hook for their crimes? That sounds like an abuse of your power, isn't that right? The same thing that you were accusing me of, how funny is that?"

"No..."

"Oh yes," she breaths down Gordon's neck "I can get your wife locked up for decades, I can get Barbara Kean arrested and receive the death sentence and your daughter? I can make it so that she put so far through the care system... that you will never see her again, understand?"

"You can't..."

"And do you know what makes me different from all the lunatics that you have gone up against? I can destroy you, your life, your loved ones all in a snap of my fingers" Waller runs her index finger under the commissioner's chin "I have the law on my side, I can make everything bad that you can imagine happen to you, and I can do it all legally..." Waller walks away from Gordon "So next time you think of having a rooftop chat with your vigilante buddy, just remember... that I will know and your life will come crumbling down right beneath your feet..."

"Good day, Commissioner"

---

- Across Gotham -

10: 26 PM

The dull grey sky had darkened and the city was left in the cloak of night. Lights ignite the city in a soft glow, one of neo-blue and red lights from all across with a few greens and yellows mixed in to make the city a treat to look at night, especially around Wayne Tower where the colors were at their brightest and most diverse. The light-neo blue lights that glow through the tower, almost making it a beacon for the rest of the city, the glow is most prominent on the W of the tower outstretches far past the city's limit.

Among the rooftops far below the tower stood both Batman and Talon who stand on the ledge. Batman stands firmly, his arms by his sides and his cape was left to gently swerves as it was blown by the hard-hitting rain over befalls the city, the raindrops were coloured in by the bright neo lights from across the city, making some drops have a tint of blue, red and yellow with a few have a combination of them. Batman stands now soaked from head-to-toe in costume.

Beside Batman stood Talon who rests his hands on his hips, they both overlook the city as they stand beside each other. Talon's armour was indeed soaked by the storm, the assault of the rain all over that hit his body made small clanks as they hit the armour, dripping down once they splash down on him. Talon's vizor's glow help to highlight several drops of rain, brightening them as they pass down or drip over the white orbs themselves.

"There's no use pointing out that this is a trap, right?" Talon says with a calm tone, he looks over the ledge and down to the ground seeing cars drive by. He sees people hurrying through the streets, some with umbrellas to shield themselves from the storm, but others were not as fortunate. He could make out an old man who was using a newspaper as cover, though it looked like it wouldn't last much longer before the rain would force the paper apart and soak it beyond usage.

"I know" Batman replied as he too turns his gaze down below to the streets "But this could be my only chance to get Alfred back, I couldn't live with myself if I don't get him out of harm's way"

"I worked closely with her, and I should warn you that she knows that. She will try to use that against you, try to distract you and make you an easy target" Talon kneels down on the ledge as he rests his right arm over his bent knee and uses his left arm as support, pressing his hand against the ground "If you go to her on her terms, she will have every advantage over you - you will have nothing to challenge her with, going there now will only resort in your death..."

"Anything to protect Alfred" Batman closes his eyes "Nyssa only went after him because of me, I can't live with that. I can't forgive myself for being the reason that Alfred is suffering," the dark knight holds his hand to the bat symbol on his chest "All the harm that has befallen my city, all the criminals loose and the people that I love that are hurt, it is all because of this" he clenches his armoured hand into a fist "I left Gotham all those years ago to make sure that I could protect everything that I held dear"

"And you still can, you just need to think clearly about this one. Make a plan, a strategy to face Nyssa"

"Selina, Talia, Gordon, Alfred... in my journey to try and protect them, I have accomplished nothing but getting them hurt, either by me or my enemies" Batman looks down and sees a small boy walking along with both his mother and father walking beside him, holding his hands in theirs. The three were smiling, laughing even with the parents holding up an umbrella up over their heads each which shielded themselves and their son "Harvey... damn, I wanted to see him win the Mayor's seat, I guess that I just need to be there with him in spirit..."

"Why are you talking like that? You're going to be fine, you have me and the others by your side - understand?" Talon jumps back onto his feet "Nyssa does not get to kill you! Not after all this! She does not get to win after all that she's done, all that's done to me... to your friends... to you... she can't win after all of that, she just... can't..."

"I made a mistake when coming back here, Thomas. I believed that I could just somehow jump back into a life that I haven't had a long time. I could be surrounded by the people I care about, keep fighting the good fight as Bruce Wayne, but I can't. That's not who I am anymore - that man vanished a long time ago, maybe he was someone who never existed in the first place... maybe he was just a dream, a hope at a normal life... well I have finally woken up, I'm not Bruce Wayne anymore, his life cannot be mine..." Batman turns his body to face Talon.

"I... I... I don't understand, Nyssa said that she wanted me to come with you if I don't do that... she will kill Alfred, and just like you... I can live with the thought of someone else paying for my crimes, let me come with you... this is our fight and we can end it... together"

"I'm not taking you with me, that will be the same as escorting you to your execution. And I'm not trading your life for Alfred's - he would never forgive me, and I couldn't forgive myself either. Nyssa's grudge is against me, it's the reason she used and manipulated you.. go, Thomas. There's a much bigger world out there... go and live in it, have a life - one that I could never have, go and be happy. Go and finally become your own person, you deserve it" Batman pulls out his grapple gun and lifts his arm up.

"Bullshit! I am not running away! I am not leaving you so that you can go to your death!" Talon stresses as he glares at Batman.

"I have a plan, don't worry about me... just promise me one thing..."

"What...?"

"Tell Selina... that she can keep that diamond, tell Talia... that by the time she found me in the prison... I already knew who she was, and Gordon..." Batman looks to Talon "He once said that no matter how dark and scary the world might seem, there is light..." Batman closes his eyes "Tell him, thank you for being that light for me..."

"What's the plan? Please... don't do this, I need to know that you are going to be alright, please?"

"The plan is to do the one thing I know Bruce Wayne would do... save Alfred, no matter what happens, take care of yourself..." Batman grapples away and was launched across the skyline. Talon's eyes narrow as he quickly makes a ploy to grab his grapple gun, but stops when he sees that it was missing.

"That bastard took my grapple..." Talon whispers as he watches Batman glide across the city until he was so far out that Talon could no longer see him. He eyes look over to Wayne Tower as he slowly glances upward until his eyes are set on the top of the tower "What kind of life can I have besides this one... I was made for this"

[5 Minutes Later]

Batman was perched over a gargoyle as the rain pelts down hard against him. He reaches into his utility belt and brings out a phone. He dials it and holds it to his ear "I'm on my way..." said the dark knight, sounding defeated in his tone.

"Don't keep me waiting, Bruce" Nyssa laughs.

Batman ends the call and crushes the phone in his armoured fist "You don't get to be that fortunate..." he growls, lightning strikes down from behind him "...You don't get to be that fortunate..."

---

Wayne Enterprise Tower

"He wasn't thinking straight, Talia. Bruce... he has been going through a lot, I know that once he thinks this over, he will come back and make amends with us - he cares about us, I know that he does - that is the one thing that has always stayed the same about him" Selina tries to reassure Talia was sat behind her desk, signing a pile of papers, once after other without taking a moment to rest or to even look at Selina "Talia? Can you even hear me?"

"Yeah... yeah, I can" Talia places another sheet of paper to the side.

"What are you even doing? You seriously cannot be working on business after what just happened" Selina asks, concerned for the other woman "Bruce was harsh, I know that and overly harsh when it came to you - he just needs some time to cool down and then you see... he will be as good as new"

"Bruce was right, Selina" Talia throws another sheet to the pile beside her "What I did was unacceptable, unforgivable and selfish. I let my nature cloud my judgment, I allowed for my father's past words to dictate my future, and look where it has gotten me, here. I thought that I was doing the right thing by stepping aside and allowing for Bruce to solve this matter on his own so that he could reach the potential that I know he can but in the end... I only ended up hurting him and destroying any resemblance of trust that he and I had..."

"Hey, it isn't all your fault, Bruce didn't need to blow off as much steam as he did back there, he went way overboard - honestly it sounded like he was just projecting his hate of Nyssa and Ra's onto you. Truth be told, when I first met you... I blamed you too, I only saw your sister and father in you, I never once thought to think of you as your own person, you had your own life, your own experiences - sure you aren't perfect, but who is? What I am saying is that... all the times when Bruce defended you from every ill word I spoke of you with, I thought that he was just doing it out of... well...you know? But I understand that he saw the good in you that I didn't even bother to look for..."

"I am honoured that you look upon me with a newfound fondness, I will remember you, Miss Kyle"

"Remember?" Selina asks, confused.

"As Bruce said, I am leaving Gotham effectively immediately, he was right to ask me for such. He reminded me that I do not belong here, that my place is not with him nor his journey, I'm afraid that he is where we must part ways, miss Kyle" Talia stands up from out of her chair and neatens the pile of papers "I just finished my resignation, my place in this company and Bruce's life is now finished, not that I felt welcomed, to begin with..."

"Hold on, you're leaving? Just like that? What about Nyssa, Bruce is planning to go after her and you said he doesn't have a chance"

"Forgive me, Miss Kyle, but Bruce made it clear that he does not want my assistance, thus I am to honour that request"

"But Bruce wasn't thinking clearly! He was thinking with any logic, just his emotions - you can't be seriously willing to let him face your sister on his own?"

"I don't like it either, Miss Kyle - but I have betrayed him more than I want, I cannot stand to go against his wishes anymore... I know that I sound like I a-" Talia turns her head towards the window "Do you hear that?" she asks, lifting her arm to push Selina back.

"Hear what?"

"Get down!" Talia shoves Selina to the ground as a figure crashes through the window; shattering it all onto the floor inside. Talia's eyes focus on the person that had broken into the office, one that she instantly recognized "Talon..." she hisses. Talon slowly stands up from his knees, holding his arms by his sides and looking straight at both Talia and the women on the floor "With Nyssa back, I thought that you wouldn't be far behind... you may have gotten away the last time we fought, but not this time..."

"I'm not here to fight you" Talon tells Talia in a cold voice, echoed from inside his helmet "I'm here to talk" he leaps forward onto the desk, perching on it while he keeps the white orbs of his helmet trained on Talia "Bruce needs your help, he was talking crazy, like he was going on suicide mission"

"What?" Selina slowly stands back up "He's already going after Nyssa? That's not a good sign..."

Talia rolls her eyes "Please, you expect me to be fooled for such a simple trick? I know that you work with Nyssa and have actively murdered members of the League of Shadows, I cannot allow for that to go unpunished, I see that you have revered back to that outfit of yours...such a tainted loo, following after my sister... such a waste of potential, just who do you think you are?" Talia questions. She sees The Talon slowly reach for his helmet.

"Wait! Don't!" Selina advises.

"I'm more connected to Bruce Wayne than you think" Talon throws his helmet on the ground, giving the two women a good view of his face. Talia's eyes widen, as she sees the man in front of her "I'm trusting you with this so that you can trust me - Bruce is in danger and we need to get to him pronto before he gets himself killed..."

"No, that's impossible... Nyssa just wasn't trying to make her own Batman, she was trying to make her perfect Bruce Wayne... why she chose you... it all makes sense... she was trying to take mine and Bruce's legacy which my father foretold of... this whole time, she was trying to take away my very own last wish to my father..." Talia commented as she was shaken by the sight in front of her, her eyes were dazed and her mind was racing "My sister has always been heartless, but this? This is new low... even for her, this is sickening..."

"As much as I hate playing devil's advocate, especially for your sister... this clo- this guy in front of us... wasn't made by your sister, he was an experiment of some place called Indian Hill below the asylum" Selina folds her arms "He also pushed me out a window one time, and it hurt like hell"

Talon jumps off of the desk and picks up his helmet, he puts it back on and looks over to Selina "To be fair, you did stab me after that"

"Yeah and you didn't even notice until Alfred pointed it out, Mr I don't feel any pain, we are not even - just so that we are clear" Selina rolls her eyes.

Talon walks towards them and opens up his hand "Nyssa has been calling Bruce all day. She told him that was going to kill Alfred if he didn't do what she said. I was originally supposed to go with him, but he made me stay behind - darn fool went off to face her on his own"

"You didn't go after him?" Selina asks.

"I couldn't since he stole my grapple gun, but I managed to take something of his" Talon explains.

"What was it?"

"It's not on me, it's on him..."

---

G.C.P.D

Harleen Quinzel and Harvey Dent sit beside each other behind one of the desks of the main floor of the precinct as a flurry of both officers and soldier scatter about, walking all around. Some were even holding weapons that were ready for use. Harleen lowers her head to the ground and rests her hands in her laps "This is crazy... I woke up this mornin' waiting to get my new dress, I was having fun with you and Bruce - it was like I finally found myself... some friends... it was so sweet, so perfect, but then once again, just as my life is going great and I'm having fun, enjoyin' myself, it is once again ripped away from like it was just a cruel joke all along..."

Harvey turns his head to the blonde and he slides his hand over hers "Hey, don't talk like that. I don't know for the life of me what is going on, but Bruce and I are still going to be here for you, Harleen. I'm not going anywhere, I promise..."

"Easy to say now" Harleen lifts her hands and embraces herself tightly "I've never really been what you would call *popular*. I never really had any friends growing up, let alone in my adult years, every time that I feel like I have made a new friend, every time that I think I made a new connection with someone... they just leave me, just like that. Like I never really meant anything to them... after a while, it just all wears you down, breaks you..."

"Harleen..." Dent brings his arm around the woman's shoulder and brings her closer to him "Bruce and I aren't like that. We stick with our friends no matter what, that is why Bruce and I chose to work together to save this city... well... why we teamed up to get me into office, but... from the looks of it..." Harvey looks around the room to the multitude of masked men wondering about "...It's going to take much more than simply a good person in office to change things..."

Harvey's eyes widen as he sees Jim walking down the stairs and towards them "JIM! OVER HERE!" he calls out to the commissioner. Gordon turns his head towards Dent and starts pacing towards both him and Harleen. Both Harvey and the Blonde stand up to greet the commissioner "What the hell is going on? Who the hell are these guys? I demand you tell us, right now - they just came barging into Bruce's home and dragged us out and something's telling me that they don't have a permit!"

"Harvey, keep your voice down - please do not cause a scene" Jim advises the other man as he rests his hand over the man's shoulder "Right now, there are no permits, codes or regulations. Right now... there is just what she calls for..."

"What?" Harvey speaks with disdain "Jim, how can you be okay with that? She has broken dozens of violations that would cost you your badge in a heartbeat! This is wrong, no this is disgusting and the fact that you are going along with it just makes you even worse..."

"Harvey, please be quiet - for your own sake" Gordon hushes the man, seeing that they were gaining the attention of the masked men all around the room who turns their heads to see the two "You do not know what she is capable of, trust me..."

Harleen's eyes look to Jim "Whoever that woman was, she's blackmailing you, isn't she? I don't need my PHD to see it all over you - you are actually scared of her...," Harvey uses his own hand to force Jim's off of his shoulder.

"Is this true, Jim? What can she possibly have on you that would make you complacent to such... such violations of basic human rights?" Harvey asks with a horrified expression as he looks to Jim in a way that he never thought he could "... What does she have on you?"

"My family, Harvey. Lee, Barbara and my daughter. Waller can take them all away from me, and I won't be able to anything about it - I'm in an impossible situation here" Gordon whispers to Harvey and Harleen who were beyond outraged.

"Your family? She's using your family as a bargaining chip?" Harleen flutters her eyes "Jim, she will always have that over you know, now that you have shown weakness to her once, she will now know how to exploit it as much as she wants... there is no winning now..." the blonde warns the commissioner.

"So you are more than happy to turn against your friends?" Harvey folds his arms "Let me ask you this, Jim. What happens when your Waller buddy decides that Bruce is causing trouble? What if being the true friend he is, he doesn't fall in line like you and actually defends his friends? What if Waller tells you to go after Bruce and arrest him? Would you do that? Would you betray his trust just because you were too weak to stand up against basic blackmail?"

"Harvey, this isn't abou-"

"Answer me, Jim. Would you do it?"

"Harvey... it's a complicated situation, I know... what Waller is doing is beyo-"

"You would, wouldn't you? You would turn on Bruce to save yourself and your family's" Dent glares at Gordon "Get out of our sight, Gordon. I think that we are done talking to you..." he warns the commissioner who could only answer with his silence.

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" one of the guards comes up to them, holding his uzi across his chest "You lot better pack it in before I am forced to settle this debate for you" Gordon nods and waves at the guard with a smile.

"No, everything's fine. Nothing is wrong, don't worry we have settled anyway"

Dent's eyes narrow "Excuse me? Did you just threaten me along with my friend? Who the hell do you think you are?" he steps towards the guard. Harleen stood behind Dent as she tugs at his hand, trying to make him look at her.

"Harvey! Please don't do this, you heard Jim, these guys don't care about the regulations..."

"No! I did not spend decades as the district attorney just so that some thugs can come barging into my city and disobey and ignore every rule that I have fought tooth and nail to preserve! I'm not backing down from these... these thugs when they represent everything that I have been fighting against!" Harvey barks back to Harleen "Jim may be willing to play by their rules, but not me. I have the respect and love for my city to never give in to such betrayals of the system I have been fighting for!"

"Harvey, don't!" Jim yells.

"You heard the man, you better shut it before I shut it for you" the guard replies.

"I will NOT be threatened, now I want to speak to your boss so that I can tell just how much she disgusts me, how she is a blight upon this country and the rights that it gives its people! She should be ashamed of herself" Harvey looks ahead to the office above the stairs "I think I will do right now"

"Sir, if you take a single step towards that office, I will use hostile force"

"You can't scare me, you can't make me fear you. I stand up for this city's people and their rights! To not challenge you is just the same as letting you continue with your cruel endeavour!" Harvey yells "There's an old saying that I live by, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," Harvey tells the guard. The soldier shrugs his shoulder and without a delay, whacks Harvey across the face with his uzi which knocked the man to the ground.

"Seems like you are doing nothing to me" the guard laughs as he lifts his boot and kicks Harvey's face repeatedly, over and over. Harleen's eyes widen as she goes towards Harvey but she was suddenly pulled back by another one of the guards. A couple more guards had joined the fray as they too kick Harvey mercilessly, one in his lower back, another in his stomach and the third still hitting his face. Blood spills out of Harvey's mouth and nose.

The taste of metallic fills his mouth and blood covers his teeth, he dribbles the crimson liquid out onto the ground where his face led, covering the left side of his face in the metallic red substance, sticking it down to the floor. He bleeds heavily out of both of his nostrils, his nose was broken and distorted. He yelps and screeches with each new blow delivered to either his face of the body. He begins convulsing, shaking all over and spasming, spitting out blood from his mouth.

"STOP! STOP! STOP!" Harleen yells, turning her head to Jim "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DO SOMETHING! THEY'RE KILLING HIM, THE'RE KILLING HIM... THEY'RE KILLING HIM!" she tries to struggle out of the hold of them binding her "JIM! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! DO SOMETHING, PLEASE...PLEASE JUST DO SOMETHING!" she screams, losing all composure "WHY ISN'T ANYONE DOING ANYTHING! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!," However Jim stood there, watching at the sight in horror, seeing Dent becoming a blood-covered mess.

"What the hell is going on out there!" Waller yells as she storms out of her office and sees the sight of Harvey lying on the ground, bloodied, broken and crying "What happened?" she yells as she looks to the three men surrounding Harvey "Explain this now!"

"Commander Waller! We were just minding our own business when Dent started to get all hostile, he was yelling out wanting to *put a stop to you* so we looked into it. Once we did, Dent got all hostile and attacked us - we were just defending ourselves!" the guard calls up to Waller.

"What?" Harleen gasps as she growls "LIAR! HE ATTACKED DENT! HE ATTACKED DENT! JIM TELL HER! TELL HER THE TRUTH! HARVEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG, HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!"

"Gordon! Is what Miss Quinzel saying true?" Amada asks with a smirk as she looks to him.

"YES! YES, IT IS, THESE BASTARDS ATTACKED HIM, LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID TO HIM! LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID TO HIM... LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID... look at what they did..." Harleen cries.

"I saw it with my own eyes, Waller" Gordon had to look away from Dent's blood-soaked face "Dent did indeed instigate the incident..."

"Oh, so it was true? Very well... Gordon, please arrest Mr Dent for assault" Waller smirks "Let this be a reminder to anyone who thinks they can go against me or my command, right Gordon?" Waller leans on the railing as she looks to the commissioner.

"What? No! JIM... HOW COULD YOU, HOW COULD YOU! BRUCE WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU, HE WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU!" Harleen screams, kicking the man holding her in the shin, she then kneels beside Dent. Her hands caress the man's hair, becoming soaked in the man's blood "Harvey, Harvey! Can you hear me? Oh my god...oh my god...oh my god, OH MY GOD!" she lifts the man's head up, revealing that the left side of the man's face was badly bruised and missing large patches of skin "No...no...no..." she slowly turns to Jim "He's barely breathing, Jim... how could you... how could you...?" she sobs, the tip of the bangs had become exposed to the blood of the man, causing them to look almost died in a faint red tint.

"...He was your friend, Jim..." Harleen lowers her head "He... he... was your friend... you are dead to me... Jim..."

"GORDON! I said arrest Dent" Waller repeats herself.

"Waller, he needs medical attention! Leaving him in a cell in his current condition... could be fatal" Jim gulps, looking to the woman high above him "I'll arrest him, but he needs treatment otherwise he could die, a man could die"

"Cry me a river, Gordon. Dent should have known better than to challenge my command and assault my men. Whatever happens, happens!" Waller shouts down "I tell you what, throw Miss Quinzel in the cell with him, and give her some supplies - she's a doctor, right?"

"Of Psychology, she isn't prepared to deal with most of his injuries"

"Then have her attend to the ones that she can and hope for the best"

Harleen's eyes widen as she hears Harvey try to speak, his lips were mashing together, like a fish on land and Harleen could barely make out what he was trying to say until she adjusts to his gasps "B-b-b-br-br-br-bru-br"

She slides her hand over his blood-stained one "Harvey... Bruce isn't here, I'm sorry, I'm sorry - looks like I'm the only one here for you right now..."

---

- 11: 00 PM-

Batman glides down onto the red carpet that covers the floor on his knees, his cape droops over his shoulders and he looks around. As ordered by the oldest Al Ghul daughter, Batman had arrived at an empty church, full of dozen row of wooden benches and the large angelic statue at the front above the Organ.

The place was dimly lit with the most source of light coming from lit candles surrounded all around the large isle. The multi-coloured stained windows show glimpses of the harsh outside world, with the sounds of thunder sound distant and afar from the sanctuary.

"I'm here! Now show yourself!" he yells, slowly ascending upwards until he was standing straight. The rain from outside was just as vicious as ever, storming down with thunder and lightning adding to the fierce weather that shakes Gotham. The dark knight waits for a few moments for an answer to come, but it the time he gave, one did not and he was left to presume that he alone "NYSSA! COME OUT NOW!"

"NYSSA!"

"NYSSA!"

"NYSSA!"

His eyes narrow as he sees Nyssa al Ghul walk out from behind the angelic statue, humming a tune as she leans back against the Organ. She was positioned with her left leg raised and was curved backwards against the Organ. She turns her head to look at Batman, looking uninterested at this prescience, however her smile was the sign of her own believed grandeur rather than Batman's.

"Hello, Bruce - it's good to see you, I missed our meetings together, they were always so... memorable" she pushes herself forward and off of the Organ "What? Something wrong, you don't seem to be happy to see me, I'm honestly hurt by your calisse, I expected more from you... like the Talon... I don't see him with you"

"NO GAMES, NYSSA! You already have me!" Batman struts forward with aggression "WHERE IS ALFRED?"

Nyssa gives a silent laugh, looking amused by the man's outburst "Oh, Bruce. I am honoured bound to keep my end, don't worry!" she begins pacing back and forth between spots "You will see your dear Alfred soon, but it will be the last thing that you will ever see..., I can see that the plan worked exactly as planned"

"All this? The breakout? Jerome? They were all distractions, distractions to stop me from discovering that you had taken Alfred so that you could lure me here. Is this what Knightfall is? A petty scheme of revenge for your bastard of a father!" Batman growls.

Nyssa chuckles, throwing her head up as she laughs "Wrong, Bruce - ever so wrong. You are right about me using these distractions to my benefit, but I wasn't the one who came up with this. You really have no idea just what is going on right under your nose, have you?" she says discourteously towards the vigilante "This was whole scheme was the brainchild of one... very, very... sick man"

"Fine, I can just settle with taking you down!" Batman responds with his usual rough growl "No more games, no more hostages - we do this fair, no distractions, no excuses to hold back! This is it!"

"Yes! That is what I want to hear, Bruce!" Nyssa applauds "You were trained in the ways of shadows, not just in the way of combat but in our ways of thinking!," the dark-haired woman takes pleasure in the man's worry as she slowly inches towards him with every step that he took "In a fight, the mind can prove to be far more deadly than any weapon that one could wield, see a sword? An axe? They all have their limited possibilities, but one's own mind is not held back by such limitations!"

"I don't care about your words, Nyssa! I don't care about you! What I care about is Alfred Pennyworth! Show me him, now!" the dark knight snarls at Nyssa "I am not listening to you! I am not playing by your rules! You and I are enemies! NOW SHOW ME ALFRED!"

"Oh... Bruce, I was just starting to like you too... very well" Nyssa snaps her fingers "Eduardo, you know what to do!"

Batman turns his head behind him when he hears the doors to the church open. There stood Bane who shoved Alfred onto the ground. The Dark Knight's eyes widen as he sees the man's condition. He was bleeding, with cuts across his face and neck. His suit was torn and looks dirty, unclean. Alfred's hands were covered by bandages, and he could barely make out a single in tellable word. Seeing the vigilante before him, he slowly tries to reach out to him "...M...m...Mast-ma... b-b-r-br... you... shouldn't have... come..."

"Alfred? ALFRED! ALFRED!" Batman screams.

"It... did warn you of what you might find, Bruce" Nyssa laughs as she sees the terror on the man's face which was clear to make out, even with his cowl covering most of it "Just to prove that this is indeed Alfred..." she nudges towards Bane. The brute lifts his leg and pressing his foot against the man's back; causing him to scream. Batman could faintly hear a crunch sound coming from the man.

"Oh... my god, Alfred..." the dark knight grinds his teeth together and he clenches his hands into fists "All this...? You did this all to me, just because I got handed a fate that I didn't even ask for! All the pain that you have caused, every single life that you have taken - it all ends here!"

Nyssa shrugs "I promise of death from a man who has sworn to never take a life? How adorable, Bruce. I will tell you how this will go... you and I are going to fight... and we aren't going to stop until one of us is dead! That is the only that I may fully control the shadows!" Bane turns around and drops the barricade down over the door; blocking the entrance and possible exit. Nyssa cracks her knuckles, tilting her head and grinning "If you cannot bring yourself to kill me, both and your butler shall die here today! As well, I will make the death of Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent and even my sister happen, the only to stop me is to indeed kill tonight!"

"Even after he is long dead, you are still allowing for your father to control you! When will you learn that he never loved you, he never loved Talia - He was a selfish man who threw away all his loved ones just so that he could make me into his successor! Why are you worshipping a man who didn't give a damn about you!"

"We all come from somewhere, Bruce. And sometimes not everyone understands why some of us are perfectly fine with that, but you and I? It was never about where we came from, it has always been about where we are going!" Nyssa narrows her eyes taking out the sword from behind her back "...And I'm afraid that only one us can make the final journey, shall we?"

"I'm not going to kill you, Nyssa" Batman reaffirms.

"We'll see about that. The heat of battle can drive us to do all kinds of drastic things..." she runs forward at Batman who lifts his arms up "And I am feeling really heated!" she swings with her blade. Batman uses his armour hands to block the swing which scratches his armour. Nyssa smirks as she kicks upward, the dark knight brings his hand down and stops the leg's motion. Batman then jolts forward and slams the front of his cowl into the woman's face.

She rubs her hand over her chin "Not bad, not bad at all..."

"Enough!..." Batman throws a punch at the dark-hair woman, who grabs his incoming wrist and yanks him towards her. Nyssa then takes another swing at Batman with her blade which cut across his chest, leaving a long fin mark across the bat symbol. Batman rolls onto the ground, grabbing a Batarang from his utility belt. The dark knight lunges forward, grabbing at his cape and using it to knock the woman off balance. He then slides in behind her, quickly jabbing the Batarang into her left shoulder "...Is...!"

Nyssa grabs at the bat object stuck in her shoulder, pulling at it. She rams her head backwards and into Batman's nose which made a loud crack noise which was echoed throughout the hall. Batman brings his hand under his nose where two trails of blood drip onto, coming from both of his nostrils. Nyssa then kicks upward, hitting the man in his throat and making his gasp for air, then going for another blow to the man's throat with her hand this time, making the man gasp again.

"Nice toys! You really should keep track of them though!" Nyssa tightens her grip on the Batarang in her hand, slashing it across Batman's throat. The Dark Knight sees her move coming, and catches her hand in his own. He brings his other hand to the woman's wrist, stopping its momentum entirely. Batman kicks up into Nyssa's stomach with his boot; knocking the wind out of her. He rams his head forward and headbutts her, knocking her back.

"..ENOUGH!..." Batman then grabs the woman's left arm and throws her over his shoulder into the row of wooden benches; scattering the row as Nyssa has thrown to be sitting in one. She slowly looks up and sees Batman coming closer "..., NYSSA!" he lifts up his hand, holding the same Batarang that the woman took before as he aimed at her head. His eyes tremble and his hands shake, unable to take the next step, unable to throw it at her, unable to end her.

He then throws it.

Nyssa's eyes drift to her side, seeing that the Batarang had landed a couple of centimetres away from her head and was stuck in the wood. She lets loose a small series of sombre laughs, lifting her gaze to Batman "... Even when you've won... you can't bring yourself to claim the victory... oh, Bruce... you could have been a true force to be reckoned with, only if... only if... you had the guts to see it through!" she jumps back onto her feet and throws the blade towards Batman.

The Dark Knight's eyes narrow as he brings his arm forward and catches the blade, ramming it down on his knees and breaking it in two. Nyssa charges the vigilante, her target grabs his grappling gun and fires it upward, launched him towards the ceiling. Nyssa's eyes widen as she sees Batman holds out his arms, his cape extends outwards as he descends in front of the angelic statue, landing him on top of the Organ. His cape falls around his shoulders and his eyes glare at Nyssa.

"What's that you said before, Nyssa? I don't need the first blow, just the last?" Batman kneels down and presses down on his utility belt. Nyssa's eyes widen in horror as her ears pick up a beeping sound from her back, she slowly pans her head to see a small device stuck to her. The sound of a swarm of wings flapping came from outside, soon surrounded the whole church along with layers of high-pitched screeches as they draw closer and closer, shadows ram against the stained glass windows, pelting against the - cracking them, over and over.

"Do you know why Ra's chose me over you? He saw your flaws, you are arrogant, unable to accept your own shortcoming! And you never, never learn from your past" Batman growls "But for me? My whole life I have been learning, changing who I am and seeing my flaws! I adapt, I learn, I become! I am! Vengeance, I am the knight, I AM BATMAN, THE DARK KNIGHT OF GOTHAM!" his dark voice booms throughout the room like he was not even human-like he was some unstoppable force. Nyssa's eyes tremble and her body shudders "I am the one that you cannot escape, the one that you cannot kill... I am..."

Simultaneously, all the stained glass window shatter as the whirlwind of bats swarm into the hall, the two windows behind Batman break too, engulfing his sides in the wing beasts as they charge towards the dark-haired woman, surrounding her in a hurricane of them. Nyssa screams a deafening rattle as she feels the bats, bite and claw all over her as they attacked without mercy or delay, clawing, biting and tearing chunks out of her. Nyssa falls to her knees, flailing her arms around to force them off of her.

Batman presses his utility belt again, this time it caused the device on Nyssa's back to turn off, dismissing the bats as they one-by-one flock off of Nyssa and swarm around the hall, looking for a way out. Batman slowly rises back up, not taking his eyes off of Nyssa "It's over, Nyssa"

Now covered in newly left cuts, scars and scratches all across her face, she looks up to the vigilante "I...I... I just wan-ted to make my father proud... you of all people should... understand..." she weakly says, blood leaking out of her mouth and the cuts across her face "...you should… have... understood..."

"My father wasn't a monster" Batman bites back.

"...Neither was mine... to me..."

"BRAVO! BRAVO!" A new voice echoes through the hall. Batman turns his head to his side, seeing a grotesque looking man, with burnt skin pained white, dressed in a green suit and a purple overcoat. Joker grins, looking to Batman with his lips stretching into a grin "What a show! What a show! THERE was action, THERE was emotion, and there was BLOOD!" he laughs, cackling uncontrollably as he turns his sighs to Nyssa "AND YOU! YOU WERE AMAZING TOO! That beating that you took? Beautiful, something just... beautiful"

"It's you..." Batman growls, readying to pounce on Joker.

"Bane, if would mind" he waves at the brute. Bane nods, looking down and grabbing Alfred's collar and lifting him up. The dark knight sees Bane's actions, growling at them. Joker's eyes turn to Batman "Hello, Batman... my darling, I missed you... I missed you ever so much... oh... the heartbreak has been... has been unbearable, I just needed... to see you"

"... Jeremiah... you..."

"Jeremiah?" Joker looks behind him "I don't see a Jeremiah here, do you? No, oh no sir... there is no Jeremiah here" Joker walks down the sile towards Bane, turning his upper torso towards Batman "...He moved out... he left ever so long ago, there wasn't enough space for us both, oh no there wasn't... only I can have you... only I can..." he flips a handgun around in his yellow gloved hand "You be a good boy and stay up there until I say otherwise Bane will..." he turns around, running his thumb across his throat "...kill your manservant..."

Joker walks past Nyssa who glares up at him "You diseased freak! I'm going to ki-"

"Shut-up, Mommy and Daddy are talking," Joker said nonchalantly, firing into the woman's stomach, sloping her down the floor, gasping and holding her stomach as blood pours out onto the red carpet. She struggles to breathe, her vision was blurred and her chest heaved.

"NYSSA!" Batman calls out.

Joker's ear prick at the concern in the man's voice "What is this? Do... do... you feel bad for her? Geez, Batman..., you have a record of caring for woman who beat you up... heh... don't tell me that's another reason behind that leather of yours?" he turns around to face Batman, holding his hand over his heart "...Well then... in the case..." Joker looks down to the wheezing woman, gasping for every bit of air that she could. Her eyes were set on Batman, she lifts her arms up towards him, almost like she was reaching out for him. Joker kneels down and gently strokes Nyssa's hair, patting her like she was some kind of animal.

"Batman? Ever hear about the injured woman lying on this floor who went on to have a happy and fulfilling life?" he looks up to Batman "Yeah... me neither" he giggles unloading his weapon one more time, firing in Nyssa's head, splattering her blood all over Joker's face. He steadily leans into the lifeless body and grins "Oh... that one was... supposed to be the flag, ah - whatever," he jumps to feet, keeping his eyes on the dark knight "I would say that she's in a better place now, but c' mon? We all know that's she going to hell, right? RIGHT?"

"You killed her..."

"Did I?" Joker glances down to Nyssa's corpse "Oh... yeah I did, she's like super... super dead" Joker turns his head as he sees Bane approaching him, dragging Alfred across the floor alongside him. Bane throws Alfred across from him onto one of the wooden benches "Ah, Bane? Thanks for being a pal and putting up with that woman for this long, you have proven yourself..."

"I did not betray her for you, I did so for him!" Bane points to Batman "You promised me a fight, and I am here to collect"

"Oh?" Joker shrugs "Whatever he's all yours... I'm going to be over here..." he moves over and sits down beside Alfred who looked at the man in terror "Ah, hiya, old man - how are you fairing these days?" Joker shakes his and turns his head "Nah, I'm just joking. I don't really care about you"

Bane stares at Batman as he cracks his knuckles, then his neck "I have been waiting a long time for this day to come, I was promised a strong opponent and you are the biggest bad in this city..."

"Change of plan, Bats..." Joker leans forward and grins "Bane wants himself a little match, you better give it to him otherwise he will hurt Alfred... and look at him, who would hurt this old fellow?" Joker squeezes Alfred's chin, crinkling his flesh "Look... he is so adorable!"

"Bane! I thought you were loyal to Nyssa, how could you betray her like that?"

"I am a soldier, I can only perform to best of my capabilities when I am under the command of a worthy leader, Nyssa as such was no longer that leader. I was given a new purpose, a new mission - a new enemy..." Bane runs towards Batman. The Dark Knight front flips off of the Organ and behind Bane. The vigilante rams his fists into Bane's lower back repeatedly in a cycle, though Bane was not even fazed by his attacks "You are that enemy, and it is my mission to beat you - Nyssa would have interfered with that"

"So you just stood that and watched her die? WHAT KIND OF SOLDIER IS THAT!" Batman yells.

"Your spirit is waning, my friend" Bane jabs his elbow behind him; hitting Batman's face "You too exhausted" Bane follows up as he uppercuts Batman, making him spit blood. Batman wheezes, slouching in his stature. He readies his fists, throwing a punch towards Bane who catches it with his hand "Both mentally and physically, my friend you are nearly broken -" the brute bulldozes Batman over with a right hook. Batman was thrown onto the ground, left crawling and gasping.

Alfred's eyes widen "Br-br- ru-ru-run!"

Batman slowly crawls away from Bane, though the titan follows after, one step at a time "We are not finished yet..." Bane kneels down and grabs Batman's shoulders "... Mr Wayne," he rips off Batman's cowl and throws it across the room, leaving Bruce's face out in the open for all of them to see "You, my friend, are not worthy of such a uniform..." he slams Bruce's head down onto the floor; breaking his nose and leaving a river of red to flow from his mouth and nostrils "They say that it is the man who makes the uniform, but the uniform is always designed to stand for something... and you my friend, are a disgrace to it," Bane lifts Bruce's head up again and slams it back down.

"Al - al- alfr-alfr-" Bruce says between tight breaths.

Bane flips Bruce onto his front and punches him across his face, over and over "My friend, may you find the peace in death that you were stripped of in your life...," Bane readies another punch to Bruce's bloodied face. His right eye was bruised and his lip looked swollen. He lifts his hands to struggle against Bane's hold "That's the spirit, my friend - now... rest!"

"3...2..." Joker looks to the watch on his wrist.

Bane's eyes widen as a knife was hurled into his hand. Looking at his side, he sees the Talon leap through one of the windows "Over here! Big guy!" he yells as he hurls another knife towards Bane, who catches it. Bane releases his hold on Bruce and drops him on the ground. Bane slowly stands up and glares.

"You again? You must be a fool to come back for another round" Bane yells as he sees Talon leap towards him. Talon ejects the blades in both of is boots and kicks towards Bane. The brute catches both of Talon's legs with his hands and slams him into the ground and through one of the rows of seats; breaking them into wooden chunks.

"...I mean... you're not wrong..." Talon rolls out of the way and grabs a pair of knives from his back and slashes towards Bane.

"T-t-t-t-" Bruce heaves.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't let you die! I placed one of your own trackers on you!" Talon reinforces his grip of the tilts of his knives and slashes upward at Bane who grabs the man's hands and crushes them. Talon's eyes widen as he hears every bone in his hands break and snap, one by one. Bane throws Talon onto the ground and then reaches inside the pockets of his cargo pants, taking out a syringe and injecting himself with it. The veins in his neck glow bright green and so do his eyes.

"Ah..." Talon breaths heavily as he looks down to his mangled hands "Damn... I can't feel pain, but my pride sure is wounded...that... I can feel" he garbles, seeing Bane impose over him. Bane slowly shakes his head, reaching down to the Talon and lifting him up over his head. Bane hurls Talon up into the air, high enough for him to be thrown against the ceiling. Talon grunts as he plummets down, crashing into rows of seats, cracking most of the bones in his body.

"...Aghhh" Talon tires to lift his arms, but they do not listen to him. He couldn't feel his hands, nor most of his legs "I-I-can't...I can't...feel...anyth-," he sees Bane approach him, his shadow looms over him. Before Bane could take another step, Catwoman leaps onto him from behind, wrapping her arms his neck, clawing at his face. Talon turns his head "...you...t-took...your...t-t-t-ti-"

Bane lifts his arms up to grab Catwoman's shoulders and throws her over his head and onto the ground, she rolls over and slides out of the way. Talia runs in from behind and uses a sword in hand to slice both of Bane's ankles, knocking him forward. Joker jumps up to his feet and laughs "And they saw that church is boring!". Talia kicks Bane's knees, forcing him to drop onto his knees and growl. Her green eyes piece through Bane as she circles in front of him and hold the sword to his chest.

"Yield" Talia orders in a cold tone "Submit and surrender" she repeats. Without her knowledge, Catwoman slowly reaches to the floor for one of the Knives belonging to Talon. Talia curves her blade across Bane's neck "You cannot beat a daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, yield..." she says one more time. Bane's eyes look to her side, gaining her attention as she follows the direction.

"Kill me then, I let your sister die" Bane challenges.

Talia leans closer to Bane "My sister meant nothing to me, I myself came here today to kill her...," she replies with a cold tone "This is where you will-," her eyes widen, feeling a sharp pain in her sides. Talia drops her sword, turning her head to the side of the pain. Catwoman stood holding a knife that had stabbed her in the left of her stomach. She was beyond speechless, beyond words themselves. Talia looks to Selina in confusion and dismay "...Selina...?"

Catwoman's eyes widen "Oh my god... what did...I?" she drops the knife "Talia, I didn't... I didn't..."

Bane jumps back onto his feet and slams his fists into both women, knocking them onto the ground and out for the count. Talia was thrown next to her sister, blood leaking out of stab wound. Talia's eyes flutter and she heaves, feeling the blood clot on her hands "...Forgive me... my love..." she rolls onto her back and holds her wound tight. Catwoman was thrown onto a pile of broken tinted glass, cutting her hands and face. Her eyes trembles as she sees Talia "...how...why did...?" she groans, dropping her head.

"I got to say, Bruce - your girl's a keeper! Both of them!" Joker laughs as he rubs his hands together "This has gone down better than I even could have imagined..."

"All of you are pathetic!" Bane yells, making his way back to Bruce "You are all weak! YOU ARE A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR SOLDIERS!" Eduardo slams his fists together "YOU CAME HERE AS A TEAM, CUT CAN'T EVEN WORK TOGETHER! If you were on a true battlefield, you would have been dead long ago!" Bane stops as he feels something sharp lodged into his back. He turns on his heels and sees the Talon lying on the ground. Bane reaches over his shoulder and pulls out the Knife.

"You.. little..." Bane growls, storming towards the Talon "You won't stay down...," Bane grabs Talon's throat and lifts him up over his head. Talon gaps, struggling against the man's hold. The white orbs on Talon's helmet narrow, "But...I bet that...this will do the trick" Bane stabs Talon with the knife, through his stomach, making him squirm. Blood oozes out of the wound, and onto the floor "Such a waste...," Bane uses his strength to drag the knife upward and cuts through Talon's insides.

"AGHG" Talon throws his head back and screeches "...I...I... don't...wan't..to..d-d-d-..." he drops his head. Bane tilts his head and throws Talon to the ground.

"N-N-N-NO!" Bruce screams as he forced himself back onto his feet, his knees were wobbly and his body felt heavy, it was battle within itself to even move. Bruce's bottom lip was cut and bleeding down his chin. He couldn't even open his right eye and his left was just barely open. His vision was blurred, distorted even. Bane's imposing figure was changed to a simple blurred figure that came closer and closer. He was hunched over, holding his sides and dribbling trails of blood coated saliva.

"This was meant to be between you and me, Batman - they came here and ruined it, thus I had to take them out of the picture" Bane throws a punch towards Bruce. The vigilante lifts his arms up in an attempt to protect his face, but the force of Bane's punch knocked him back down onto the floor "NO! GET UP! I SAID GET BACK UP!," he grabs Bruce's hair and drags him back up to be standing "WE ARE NOT FINISHED!" he delivers another blow across Bruce's face, making him spit blood.

" …s-s-st-s" Bruce couldn't even speak clearly.

"You are the saviour of Gotham?," Bane right hooks the dark knight, and then hits him with his left fist "THEN SAVE IT! Defeat me, my friend," Bane slams both of his elbows down onto Bruce's upper back. He grabs Bruce's neck and rams his head down to Bruce's face. The vigilante couldn't even make a move, his own body was beyond salvage, his arms and legs felt like nothing, he couldn't move them or even realize what they were doing.

"How disappointing... looks like we know which one broke first, my friend - now... this is over!" Bane lifts Bruce over his head with both of his hands upward "You are no more, Batman! Your spirit is shattered and you are..." Bane narrows his eyes as he slams Bruce down onto his knee. The vigilante's eyes widen as he feels his body break, his spine shatters and what little feeling that he had left in his legs vanish - in less than a second. Bruce releases one high-pitched scream, widening his mouth with his blood-stained teeth with blood that leaks out all over his jaw.

Bane drops Bruce onto the ground, stepping over him and looking over to Joker "...broken. Farwell, Batman"

"AH!" Joker jumps on onto his feet and claps "AMAZING! THAT WAS AMAZING! IT REEEEAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY GOT MY BLOOD PUMPING!," he grins "Remember, Bane. You need to follow up on your end of our little deal, remember?"

Bane spits on to the ground "He's all yours, freak. I have no more business here...," he looks to Alfred "What of the old man?"

"Nah... there's really no point in killing him at the point... Batman isn't nearly conscious enough to even see us do it - it will just be waste of a bullet..." Joker steps towards Bruce who was lying on the floor on his back, broken and completely out of it "Let him and the others go, I want something to keep me entertained after this...," he kneels down beside Bruce with a grin "Hiya there, Batman. You, my friend... did exactly what I thought you would throughout this whole ordeal... it... was quite the journey, huh?"

"J-J-Jer-J" Bruce garbles.

"Shhhh" Joker holds his finger to Bruce's lips "Don't say anything, Batman. I can see it all so clearly... in your eyes..., now... let's go on a little trip, shall we?"

---

G.C.P.D

- 11: 49 PM -

Harvey Dent lies on a bed inside a cell of the G.C.P.D. The left side of his face was bruised and mangled, and the left of his shirt was covered in dry blood. He was still, motionless and seemed to be completely unconscious. Harleen sits beside him, holding his hand in hers and uses a damp cloth to clean off as much of the blood as she could. She rubs the cloth gently across his neck and face, making sure to be extra gentle around the bruises "...Bruce... where are you...," the blonde whispers.

She hears the door to the cell slide open and footsteps approach. Jim Gordon stands behind her with him holding a basket of medical supplies, pain killers, bandages and dressings. His eyes wonder over to the state of Harvey's face "... Harleen... I brought... some... some supplies... that can help..." he places down the basket next to Harleen's feet. Hs slowly rises back up, once again being greeted by the horrific sight of Harvey's face, severely beaten, black and blue all over his left side.

"...Get out..." the blonde hisses.

"Harleen, when I can. I will get Lee over to have a look at him. I'm sorry, but there's nothing that I can say that can-"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Harleen screams at the commissioner "GET OUT! GET OUT!"

Gordon turns his head in shame and heads out, leaving Harleen alone with Harvey. The blonde reaffirms her hand over Harvey, she lowers her head "He was right.. people... they are so cruel... they will do anything to save themselves..." she begins to cry.

Gordon walks out back into the main hall and hears yelling "Suit up!" Waller orders down to all of her men "The escapees are suspected to make their move at any moment! I want men on the rooftops all across the city and I want troops on the ground too! DO NOT leave any part of city unsupervised, this is only chance to stop this whole mess before it can get worse!" the troops on the ground, ready themselves.

They load their weapons and head out of the precinct in one long line "Alpha team, you are to strictly focuses on the listed targets, all other criminals are to be handled by bravo, understood!?"

"This is it! Do not fail me!" Waller yells.

---

Joker kneels near the ground as Bruce lies next to him on his front as he looks out towards the city of Gotham "We have the perfect seats for when the fireworks go off! OH...Batman... you are GONNA LOVE IT!" he laughs as he grabs Bruce's hair and pulls at him, lifting his head to look at the city "Do you wanna know how I outwitted you? How I outsmarted and outperformed you...? It was all quite simple really... I myself made the whole thing as if it was just a simple game of chess..."

"A game of strategy, and you wanna know what the best strategy to use is?" Joker flips Bruce over onto his back and then they looked each other in the eyes "... Making your opponent think that you will make one move... when you have a completely different one in mind..." Joker's hand glosses over the bat symbol on the other man's chest "Knightfall? Quite a snazzy name, right? But... I got a little secret for you..." the grotesque man leans closer to Bruce "...It was never about you, Batman. Knightfall isn't the plan itself... it's just the initiation to what is to come next..."

"Knightfall? Knowing that it was about you, must have made you feel guilty? Making you feel responsible for us, right? Oh.. poor Batman. You overworked yourself, made all the wrong decisions. And when you did get close to uncovering it, I set loose my dear brother once again - I knew that you couldn't help but deal with him first, which gave me every bit of time that I needed to finish up things..."

"I'll... st-st-stop you..." slurred Bruce as he glares up at the other man "I'll st-stop you..."

"I'm counting on it" Joker chuckles, looking upward to the sky "That's what we are, Batman and that is what we do. I bring chaos and you fight me with order, our ideologies couldn't be further apart, but I have never felt so close to anyone else but you... that's why I need you, Batman and you need me - tonight is all about us, all about us... you can take the inmates out of Arkham, but you can't take the Arkham out of the inmates..."

"Gotham is a wonderland of lunatics, Batman and us?" Joker turns his head to Bruce "We are the main attractions, we are the stars of the show... Batman and... the Joker..." Joker laughs "...We will go down in history together, we will become a real dynamic duo... "

"J-J-Joker...?" Bruce winces as he is unable to move a single muscle "...It was...you..."

"No, Batman - it was all us..." he looks down to his watch "... And. Here. We. Go!" from afar, Gotham was shaken in an eruption of explosions that go off all at once, all across it's skyline. Joker and Bruce's eyes reflect the raging flames from the distance "Let's watch the world burn together, shall we..."

HA!

HA!

HA!

HA!

HA!

HA!"

---

To Be Continued...