"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow. Willis chuckled, grin spreading across his face. He leaned forward against his desk, steepling his fingers.
"Supposed to be, being the operative words," Willis quipped. Bruce growled and attempted to apprehend him, but an invisible wall blocked his path. "Oh, I'm afraid you've come all this way for nothing. You see, that is a kinetic barrier. Fun piece of technology, that. The more you strike it, the stronger it gets." Willis rose from his chair and rounded the desk, shoving his hands in his pockets as he approached the group. "You'd be surprised what kind tech, or hell, magick even, that I have at my disposal.
"How'd you do it?" The Question asked, approaching the barrier. Willis turned toward The Question and grinned.
"Ah, now there's a good question," he said, pacing a little in front of them. "I know you, all of you. I know your secrets, I know your fears, and I know…well, everything." He stopped and turned toward them again, still grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Meanwhile, you all stumble in the dark, ignorant of the workings of the very world itself. In fact," Willis went on, opening his arms out wide. "I'd argue that this is the engine of the world!" Willis gave a light laugh then padded over to the desk. He reached inside and grabbed a cigarette, lighting it up and taking a few puffs.
"But back to your question. You've been a good sport and made it here; no one, and I mean no one other than the Broker, has ever set foot inside this room."
"You sound proud of that fact," Dick said. Willis chuckled, taking another puff of his cigarette.
"Well, it is quite the accomplishment. And so is you, being here." Willis took another drag on his cigarette, pausing for dramatic effect. "You see, my predecessor was on his final days. No disease was ever going to take him, no. As The Broker, he had access to the best doctors and medicine in all the world. No, old age had come to claim him." He took another drag on his cigarette. "He needed a nobody to replace him. A literal nobody, a person that no one would miss, that no one would notice was gone, someone who could hide in plain sight; invisible to the whole rest of the world."
"So he chose you. Well, congratulations, Willis. You're still a nobody," Jason quipped. Willis laughed and made his way back over to his desk, putting the cigarette out in the ashtray and flicking it into the trash can.
"You're absolutely right; I'm a nobody," he replied, turning back to face his son. "I'm the most powerful nobody in the world! My predecessor offered me all of this! I didn't believe him. In fact, I figured he was full of shit. But twenty in prison has a way of making you grasp at even the smallest hint of freedom. He helped to fake my death, then trained me to become the next Broker; I'm just the latest in a long, long line of nobodies. The most powerful, influential, richest nobodies in human history!" Willis gave a laugh. He sauntered over toward the group again, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Did you known, all of you, save for Damian, possess the metagene?" Willis said, arching an eyebrow.
"Wait, why not me?" Damian scowled.
"You were engineered, kid."
"What does that have to do with anything," Jason snapped angrily. Willis was silent for a few moments, eyeing each one of them in turn.
"It's a simple proposal; a deal if you will. I have access to advanced technology, human and alien alike," Willis began. He turned his back on them and moved toward the desk and began pacing. "You leave now, forget you know of this place, and I, with my vast trove of secrets and technology-" he paused, turning back to them and said "will unlock your metagenes for you. Think about it; with your skills, intelligence, combat experience, and now powers? Your crusade against crime could reach new heights."
"Tempting. But no. We could fight crime all across the world, usher in a golden age of peace, even," Bruce growled "but no; you will still exist. As long as The Broker sits in the shadows, pulling the strings of the world, that could never happen. Because you need crime don't you? You need conflict for this little operation of yours to thrive. Conflict is where you get your secrets, how you get your leverage. It's all just a scam to make yourself rich."
"Bruce Wayne. The man who dresses in a bat suit to beat up criminals because someone killed mommy and daddy. It's sad. Pathetic even," Willis snapped at him. "But your work has been quite impressive. Despite having a truly pathetic origin story, you've done so much for, not just Gotham, but the world." Willis approached the barrier again, coming face to face with Bruce. "And yet for all your intelligence, you're still just an ignorant, rich jackass."
"Been sayin' that for years," Jason muttered, getting an elbow in his side from Dick.
"You think this is all just about making money? You think the world is all black and white? Well it's not. You see, when I first started training, I thought similarly to you; how could I use this to make myself rich and powerful," Willis began, moving across the room to sit at his desk. "But then I began to see this place for what it is; a scale. The Broker exists to make sure the scales of the world remained balanced. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Sure, we buy, sell, and trade information to pretty much anyone who possesses something we desire," Willis went on, leaning against his desk "but we also leverage people in positions of power. We make sure that nobody gets a leg up, that nobody gets too greedy, and that the scales of power remain…balanced. Otherwise…well, you remember World War 2, don't you? That's what happens when someone amasses too much power. My predecessor made some…mistakes. And he helped to correct them."
"So, basically, you're saying humanity is like a bunch of children, and you've elected yourself to be the parent? Totally not Orwellian at all," Dick quipped, rolling his eyes. Willis chuckled in amusement.
"Mmm, yes, that's true. George Orwell couldn't have dreamed this shit up. But Bruce Wayne could have," Willis replied, glancing over at Bruce. "We found and stole a copy of your plans for…what was it you called it? Brother Eye?" Everyone turned their attention onto Bruce, who glared at Willis. "Here we are, ladies and gentlemen; the man behind the mask who claims the moral high ground and acts like some…self-righteous moral authority on what is good, and what is evil." Willis moved across the room again and stood before Bruce. "A hypocrite."
"What's he talking about Bruce?" Dick asked.
"Bruce…what the fuck is Brother Eye?" Jason snapped.
"Go on. Tell them Bruce. Tell them how you were designing a satellite, a semi-autonomous artificial intelligence surveillance system, to collect a massive database of information on every meta human on the planet. Oh, George Orwell eat your heart, you were on a path to be just. Like. Us." Willis laughed as Bruce punched the barrier.
"That satellite was meant to protect people! Not spy on-"
"So metahumans aren't people?" Willis interrupted.
"That's not what-"
"And yet here we are! Your technology helped leap this operation forward by leaps and bounds! Except, we use it to keep the world in balance! You wanted to use it to put yourself on top of the world; the undisputed king of morality!"
"No!"
"Yes! But we've wasted enough time talking! I'm going to kill you, all of you, one by one! It may tip the balance, but I can fix it. You can all be replaced," Willis shouted back, grinning from ear to ear. He stormed across the room to his desk and began typing some commands onto the console. He turned back toward the vigilantes as a pedestal came up through the floor with a ring on the stand. Willis approached it, plucking the ring, with had a gold band with a green stone on it, and put it on he finger. Willis snapped his fingers and the barrier fell.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," Jason said with a grin, cracking his knuckles and putting his helmet on. Willis smiled smugly and places his hands behind his back. Jason charged him with his guns drawn.
"No wait! Something's not right!" Dick called after him. Jason jumped into the air and brought his heel down toward Willis' head. Willis reached out and caught Jason's foot with ease.
"What the fu-" but before Jason could finish that sentence, Willis threw him across the room like a rag doll. Dick jumped in the caught and caught him, the two vigilantes sliding across the floor, hitting the wall. Willis unfolded his hands from behind his back and held up his hand with the ring on it.
"You're probably wondering how I threw you across the room like nothing? Well you see this gem here?" Willis asked, tapping the glowing green gem with his index finger on his other hand. "It's a lovely little mineral accidentally created by Supergirl called "X-Kryptonite". It grants a number of temporary Kryptonian powers to non-Kryptonians."
"Great. Just what we needed; a Kryptonian without a weakness," Damian huffed in annoyance, sheathing his sword. Willis laughed.
"Did you really think The Broker would just be some helpless pencil pusher? That once you got through all the mercenaries, all the technology, the security, that it'd be as easy as cuffing him and carting him off to prison?" Willis asked, clenching a fist. "No, The Broker plans for every eventuality. Despite my efforts to stop you, I planned for this meeting long before you arrived here."
"It doesn't matter what toys or secrets you have; it ends here, Willis," Bruce growled. Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, and The Question lunged in at The Broker, a simultaneous attack in an attempt to overwhelm him. Willis, however, didn't seem to concerned. He ducked a punch from Batman and retaliated with a punch of his own, sending the man crashing against the wall. He ducked as Nightwing threw a kick, then threw him into his desk. As Red Hood attempted to pistol whip him, he grabbed his arm and threw him into Robin.
"Ow," Jason muttered.
"Get off me, Todd," Damian snapped. Jason rolled off of Damian and pushed himself up onto his feet.
"Well, that went swimmingly."
"Care for round 2? I have all of Superman's powers, with none of his weaknesses. In fact, I'm rescinding my offer. Here's a new deal; leave now and live, or die," Willis said casually, firing heat beams from his eyes at Batman. Batman dived out of the way and fired a line at Willis, tugging on it hard once it wrapped around the man's legs. Willis growled as Nightwing, Robin, The Question and Red Hood descended on him to try and subdue him, but he threw them all off, snapped Batman's line, then stalked over to his desk and threw it at them.
Nightwing raced toward him, jumping, and sliding over the desk as it came at him in mid air. He electrified his escrima sticks, dodging a swipe from Willis, then quickly landing a series of blows on him. Willis howled in pain as electricity coursed through his body, then turned and managed to land a blow on Nightwing, sending him crashing into a server.
"You get to die first," Willis growled, stalking toward Nightwing as he faded in and out of consciousness.
"Don't touch him!" Damian and Jason roared in unison as they attacked. Damian went low, striking Willis in the stomach, while Jason punched him in the face. As they jumped away from Willis, Batman dived in, grabbing Willis by the throat and throwing him away from Nightwing. The Question followed up by clothes-lining the man. As he attempted to stomp him, Willis grabbed his foot and threw him into the attacking Batman.
"Enough! The game ends here!" He shouted, attempting to kill The Question and Batman with his heat vision. Several moments passed and nothing happened. "What?! But I-" he said shocked, then looked down at his hand and noticed the ring, gone.
"Looking for this?" The Question asked, showing the man the ring.
"What?! No, give me that!" Willis snarled, attempting to retrieve the ring. Instead, he got pistol whipped in the face and stumbled backward. When he recovered, he stood facing an unmasked Jason who had a gun pointed right at his forehead.
"I'm surprised you're even alive, Willis. Not so much that you're a still a fucking scum bag. But that ends now. I'm gonna put a bullet in your fucking brain, and put you where you belong; in the dirt with the maggots," Jason snarled angrily.
"Jason no!" Bruce called after him. "He must stand trial! Killing him…it wont change what he's done!" Jason glanced over his shoulder at Bruce and snorted.
"Are you fucking stupid? He's The Broker! All the courts are in his god damn pocket! Nobody is going to convict this mother fucker," Jason snapped. He turned his attention onto Willis, brow furrowing as he glared at the man. "We kill him now, it ends for good. No chance he'll ever get free and terrorize anyone ever again. We let him live, chances are, he buys his way out of trouble and disappears to some other base where we'll never find him again." Jason glanced over his shoulder again and added "I know my father better than anyone. He's a cockroach."
"And what do you think Roy would want you to do?" Jason growled when the man played the 'Roy' card. Roy would've stood by him, not matter what choice he made, but he also knew that Roy would want him to 'make the right call', and spare Willis.
Jason heaved an exasperated sigh as he slowly drew the gun back. He grunted then, when Willis punched him in the stomach, trying to wrestle the gun from his hand. The two wrestled over the gun until it went off; Willis stumbled backward, having been shot in the stomach. He clutched at his stomach, blood coating his hands.
"You…can't do…this…this isn't my end," Willis muttered, stumbling toward the exist before collapsing to the ground. "I can't…" The man died moments later and Jason just stood there and watched. He turned to Bruce and shrugged his shoulders.
"It was an accident. You saw what happened, right?" He said in an even tone. Bruce glared at him, but otherwise, didn't speak.
"Ungh. What happened?" Dick asked moments later as he pulled himself back onto his feet, rubbing his head.
"It's over," Bruce said simply. Dick noted Willis' corpse on the floor, then opened his mouth to object. "He killed himself trying to wrestle Jason's gun away," Bruce interrupted. Dick closed his mouth and nodded. He made his way over to Jason, wincing in pain and clutching his side; it felt like he had a cracked rib.
Jason was still staring at his father's corpse, when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. He looked over at Dick who wore a look of concern.
"You gonna be okay, Little Wing?" Jason snorted in amusement and a smirk tugged at his lips, despite himself.
"You haven't called me that in years," he replied. Dick smiled a bit. "But yeah, I'll be okay. My father was a jackass. Certainly not a person I've ever felt any kind of affection for. Besides, I have a better family," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Alright, now let's get out of here."
"Wait, what do we do about this place?" came Oracle's voice. Bruce was standing in front of one of the computers with his cowl off, having granted Oracle access to the systems. "There's a literal treasure trove of information here; more intel than you could possibly imagine. In the right hands-" Oracle began, but The Question cut her off.
"There are no right hands. This place is George Orwell's worst nightmare. Destroy it. No being alive should have this much power," The Question said smoothly.
"Agreed. Right, Batman?" Jason asked, wrapping an arm around Dick's waist to help him walk easier. Bruce's brow furrowed a bit as he considered the possibilities. It occurred to him that Brother Eye was likely floating in space above them; a vision he'd had, completed and ready to be used.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop. Now," Dick said sternly. Bruce looked up at him and frowned. "This 'Brother Eye' that you created? Look at what it did in the wrong hands. Even ignoring that, think about what such a device even means. It's wrong, and I think you know that."
A silence filled the room as Bruce stared at a computer screen; they were all waiting to find our what he'd do, to find out what his answer would be. Bruce heaved a sigh and pulled his cowl back on.
"You're…right. We should destroy this place. All of it." Bruce began punching in commands on the console, sending off an evacuation order, then pointed toward the exit. "We have to leave, now. I've programmed the Brother Eye satellite to crash into this location. It'll destroy everything. So we need to leave now."
"Don't need to tell me twice," Jason said, turning to the exit with Dick. The Question came up on his other side to help them move faster, with Bruce at the forefront, and Damian behind them. The alarms blared loudly as the mercenaries rushed to evacuate the facility, seemingly ignoring the vigilantes in their bid to escape. The five of them made their way out of the ship as the satellite gleamed in the air, signaling its entrance into the atmosphere. They rushed toward the plane and boarded quickly.
"Tim, get us out of here now!" Bruce called, Tim starting the engine and taking off into the air as everyone got seated. As the plane flew up into the air, he quickly switched places with Bruce, who gunned the engine. They watched from a safe distance, as the satellite crashed into the ground and exploded, the ground caving and destroying the ship beneath it.
"You made the right call," Dick said softly, flashing Bruce a smile.
One week later...
Jason and Roy came down the stairs in civilian clothes, their hair a little disheveled, and made their way into the room where everyone was gathered.
"Sorry, Roy and I were just-"
"Screwing?" Dick asked with a smirk and an arched eyebrow. Jason grinned at him as Roy straightened out his hair.
"Napping. We were napping, Goldie," Jason replied. Roy gave a yawn and playfully ribbed him in the side with his elbow.
"Let him have his fantasy, Jaybird. Bet he's imagining himself between the two of us-"
"Okay, you win, I surrender!" Dick called desperately, blushing crimson. Jason and Roy laughed and flopped down onto the couch beside him, Dick on Jason's left, and Roy on the right.
"Can't handle the heat, Dickie, get out of the-" Jason began.
"-Sheets," Roy interrupted, laughing when Jason jabbed him in the side with his elbow. Dick blushed crimson and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Why do I associate with you?"
"Hey, you're the idiot who insists on being my best friend," Roy teased, earning a laugh from Dick. Damian rolled his eyes and rounded the couch to sit beside Dick, while Tim followed him, sitting in an arm chair.
"Hey, thanks again for inviting me to this Family movie night or, whatever," Roy said with a genuine smile, playfully elbowing Jason in the side.
"Hey, if I have to put up with these fuckers-"
"Language Master Jason," Alfred scolded. Jason flashed an apologetic smile.
"-then you have to put up with them, too."
"Face it Jaybird, you like putting up with us," Tim teased. Jason sighed and gave a shrug of his shoulders.
"Yeah, well, you got me there."
"Where is father?" Damian asked, arching an eyebrow as Alfred began setting up the TV. Alfred turned to Damian and gestured toward the grandfather clock.
"Master Bruce is finishing up some work in the cave, and will be with us shortly."
Down in the cave, Bruce sat in front of the computer. He stared at the screen while his fingers glided over the keyboard, finishing up an investigation into a double homicide. Once that was done, he closed the programs down and began typing in some new commands.
Upon finishing, Bruce stared up at the screen, fingers interlocked, as a red eye appeared on his screen…