"Alfred, I'm heading to the abandoned subway terminal. It's time to end this." Bruce told Alfred via cell phone, as he exited the hospital.

"And Ms. Page? That was a short visit."

Bruce said nothing, simply walked across the street to where his batmobile...and suit...were cloaked and waiting.

"I'm...terribly sorry, Bruce." Alfred lamented, deducing what happened from the silence.

"The subway terminal is under Gotham Square, pull up any old architectural designs, see if you can find me the easiest way in." Batman said, peeling off and heading downtown.

"Very good, sir." There was silence while Alfred looked up schematics online, but he broke it several moments later. "Have you considered telling her, sir? Telling her your secret?"

Of course Batman had considered it. But up until this point, he had told a very select few people...and never to anyone he was in a relationship with. To make that step...to put her in that kind of danger...it was a side of him he never would've wanted Linda to see. Maybe this was for the best...maybe his life as Batman was meant to be an isolated one.

"If I may sir...at some point...if you want someone to be a part of your life...you have to let them into it." Alfred continued.

"...any luck on the schematics?" Batman asked.

Alfred sighed. "It involves the sewer."

"I'm no stranger."

Batman parked the batmobile several blocks away, and cloaked it, before grappling to the top of the Gotham clock tower, overlooking the square.

"Sir, Zatanna has contacted you. She says she just felt a powerful, magical energy emerge."

"Tell her I'm already there, and to stay put." Batman said, gliding down to a sewer grate, and pulling back the manhole cover. The stench hit him in the face immediately, but after so many years, it was a smell that he was unfortunately used to.

Wading in the Gotham filth was never fun, but often, it was the most efficient means of travel through the city. After a quarter mile or so of walking, Alfred directed him to a grate above, that used to run off into the sewer. But since the terminal was abandoned, so was its use.

Batman leapt up and pulled himself inside, crawling for what seemed like an hour (though it wasn't nearly that long), until finally he heard voices...chanting.

"Avi soro gritte soro...avi soro gritte soro...avi soro gritte soro…"

"Yes, that's it, that's it!" Came Genesis' laughter.

Batman activated his 3-D imaging, and to his surprise, though there were lots of cultists, there were no guns present. If it was a trap, it would be too easy to foil. With a grate directly above him, Batman roughly pushed it out of his way, and jumped from the crawl space.

"Genesis!" He growled. "Have your men stop their chanting."

"Ah, the Agent! Just in time." Genesis smirked, turning from his cultists. On the ground, a large seal of some kind ran the length of the terminal platform. It was glowing a bright green and comprised of shapes and runes within the large circle.. His cultists chanted at the edge of it, all with their wrists raised, and a knife in their other hands. The seal is what Zatanna must have felt, once it was conjured.

"Batman, are you familiar with sanguinem magicae?" Genesis asked.

"Blood magic."

"Very good!" Genesis said. "It's old sorcery...nasty stuff...but powerful."

"We end this now. Stop the chanting!"

"...avi soro gritte soro...avi soro gritte soro…"

Genesis snapped his fingers.

"Avi soro gritte soro." Just like that it stopped, and an eerie silence filled the room.

"Now, my faithful followers. You know what to do." He said softly.

Almost in unison, each cultist took their knives and sliced open their wrists, bleeding all over the seal. Almost immediately, the seal began sizzling, emitting smoke, and turned a deep orange.

"Enough!" Batman charged at Genesis, to take him out.

"Confuto." Genesis commanded, outstretching his hand towards Batman, who froze immediately. He couldn't move a muscle, not even his eyes. What had Genesis done?

"As I was saying, powerful stuff. Once the seal is activated, there is virtually nothing I cannot do." Genesis turned and outstretched his arms to the ceiling. "Genesis porta, et accersi. Veni foras!"

Suddenly, the whole underground began trembling, and the air changed. Batman wasn't mystically attuned, but even he could feel it. The seal turned from dark orange to a bright white, and a large arch began emerging from the ground, the rumbling even causing the foundation above them to shake.

Large, and made of an almost pristine stone, it looked identical to the diagram Batman took to Zatanna. The gate was here, and Batman literally couldn't lift a finger. He hated magic.

"Look at it. Isn't it marvelous?" Genesis admired. He snapped his fingers and Batman dropped to his knees, unfrozen. "Grab him. I need him...mobile... for this."

Before Batman could recover, two of the larger cultists grabbed his arms and shoulders, and kept him pressed to the ground.

"Bring me the required materials!" Genesis demanded. 4 cultists entered, bearing a casket, and another holding a small box.

"Genesis, don't do this." Batman grunted through gritted teeth. "You don't know what you're about to unleash."

"Will my envoys step forward? Those who carry the flesh of the Crownes, and Parks inside them."

Four cultists stepped out from the circle, and joined Genesis in front of the gate.

"My children...remember, those who sacrifice all are rewarded first. Now go, into the gate. Open it for us."

Batman struggled to free himself, but was slammed into the ground for his effort. "Don't do it! You're sacrifice isn't for what you think!"

From their waist bands, they all drew knives, and stood in the middle of the arch. They lifted the knives to their throats, and…

"No!" Batman yelled, as the four bodies dropped, and the inner-gate began glowing a trandecent blue.

"Genesis… I know about Santiago. I know you're trying to bring him back to life." Batman struggled.

"Do you know what's in this box?" Genesis asked, as it was handed to him. Genesis pulled out a hand, belonging to a woman.

"The hands…"

"That's right. The Crownes…"

He tossed two hands in.

"The Parks."

Two more.

"And Mr. Page. Yes, I managed to still get my hands on it." Genesis chuckled.

"He was your lover, wasn't he?" Batman asked, as the smile left Genesis' face.

"That's why your parents disowned you...they found out... and tried to erase you from their family."

"You don't know half of the story!" Genesis hissed.

"Two men from wealthy families, sharing an apartment in the Bowery? It didn't make sense...until I learned he committed suicide. Then it all clicked. The Gate...why you seemed to vanish from the Cobb family...their murders,"

"Enough of this nonsense. That body is a sacrifice of rotting flesh. Everything I'm doing tonight is for the Gates of Genesis!"

"Enough of the lies, Robert."

"How dare you use my name! Bring him here, to the gate!" Genesis commanded. Bruce was dragged to the glowing gate, where he was made to stand before Genesis.

"Curious why we wanted you here, alive, Bruce?" Genesis asked. "This ritual...requires pure blood. The Crownes...Parks...powerful families. But a Wayne? Your family basically built Gotham. You're blood is as pure as it gets. And I need it fresh."

"You're psychotic." Batman spat.

"And you're a dead man, Mr. Wayne." Genesis reached out to grab Batman's mask, but was met with an electrical shock...an anti-tampering feature of his suit. Genesis stumbled in pain, and the cultists holding him were caught of guard- the perfect opportunity.

Batman dropped to the ground like dead weight, causing his captors to let go, and he backrolled into a fighting stance.

"Get him!" Genesis shrieked, clutching his hand. The two cultists, and six more attackers, all came at Bruce.

To the one directly in front of him, Batman delivered an uppercut to his chin, before throwing a back kick to the one charging behind him. Not wanting to waste the momentum, he pivoted his body, and slung the first stunned attacker over his shoulder, before throwing him into the second attacker.

A punch to the nose, a strike to the throat, followed by a groin strike incapacitated another. One of the cultists grabbed his cape and pulled him backwards, but he literally rolled with it, and used his arms to spring himself up and send both of his feet flying into the man's chin. He was out cold.

Four were down, but a couple were starting to stir, and he still had four more to deal with. A nearby woman threw a punch, but he slipped it, pulling her arm down while simultaneously punching up and breaking her arm. While she stumbled in pain, a spinning roundhouse kick sent her flying.

Then he was struck, someone sending their leg straight into his back. He stumbled forward, but before he could recover, another punched him across the cheek. Then another punch came his way, but this time he blocked. Countering with a punch of his own, he then charged forward, delivering another two in quick succession.

He struck the bridge of the nose of another attacker, before grabbing the back of his head and slamming it into another attacker that was trying to charge him from behind.

Three attackers stood back up, ready to go again, but Genesis once more tapped into his seal.

"Confuto!" He shrieked. Everyone, including his own cultists, were stopped in their tracks. "I weary of this. Obruat eum. I suppose the World's Greatest Detective wants to know the whole truth? Not that it matters...you're about to die."

Batman screamed on the inside, every fiber inside of him wanting to move.

"Don't worry, they can't hear a thing." He whispered, getting within inches of Batman and motioning to his cultists..

"The Cobb name was a proud and powerful one. If there was a military contract somewhere, chances are, we were on the other end of it. Missiles, guns, equipment for espionage...it didn't matter. My grandfather's company was just a small manufacturing company before World War II...then it became an empire."

"Then, 40 years later, enter me. My life was perfect. Two doting parents, two fun-loving sisters, and every wish or need was catered to. Then, I got into my pre-teen years, and I began to feel...different. I'd find myself staring at male classmates, and when I caught myself, I'd shudder. What was I doing? To reassure myself, I got a girlfriend. But even with her, I had these...thoughts. Well, then I met Perry."

"At first, it was innocent. We were just friends...got in all kinds of trouble. But when we first kissed...everything changed. I accepted who I was. Unfortunately, my parents didn't feel the same way. And when Penguin cut in on our family business, the stress ate my family alive. My father threw me out, said he wouldn't raise any fag. My mother didn't dare anger Ruben, and my sisters were...snobs."

"So, Perry and I got an apartment together. Incidentally, his family was cut from the same as mine...and was just as unwanted. Our life together was meager, but it was happy. He worked so I could go to college...paid all with scholarships I might proudly add...until the layoff. Perry...lost his job. He struggled to find work, but instead found the bottle. I tried to help him, encourage him, but it did little to lift his spirits. Every late payment, every month we had to plead with the landlord for a little more time took him further away from me."

"One day, I returned home from an especially long day. I was now working two part-time jobs and was still juggling my classes. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to see Perry." Genesis stopped speaking. Batman knew what was coming next.

"He had hanged himself...an empty bottle of scotch broken next to him. Police said he kicked it off the table when his legs were flailing. Pretty picture, huh? Well, after that… I just couldn't move on. You know about loss, don't you Wayne? I was distracted at work, in my classes...overtaken by grief I lost my jobs and my scholarships. I could no longer afford my apartment, and was out on the streets."

"Every night I spent shivering, every night I spent wet or broken… I thought of my parents. Of my disgusting family and how, because of them, I had absolutely nothing. Well one night, it was storming especially bad. And the thought of them warm in their home just kept burning inside of me, like an uncontrollable rage. Enough was enough! I went home that night, and after I had apologized...after they had forgiven me and made me a bed… I murdered them all in their sleep. Sliced them open like they were one of my anatomy projects back in college, like they had sliced me open."

"I returned to the streets, vindicated. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I decided to use the opportunity to learn. I really grew to know these poor, broken people. The soldiers that return home from war with nothing...forced to sleep under bridges. The single mothers who were forced to choose between feeding their children and keeping their home. I heard stories, similar to my own, of those crushed by the powerful...who felt true loss thanks to the corruption of the corporate world. Most importantly, I learned of magic...of forces that were far beyond our understanding...forces that could even bring the dead back to life. For years, I experimented with it, mutilating myself for the cause... I made it my goal to right the wrongs in the world...and bring Perry back to me."

There was so much pain, so much hate, behind Genesis' story. Robert Cobb was so misguided and warped by those who wronged him that he was bringing hell to innocent people that did nothing to him. As tragic as his story was, he was blatantly lying to his followers to have them lay their lives down for his selfish cause. Genesis had become a monster that had to be stopped.

"Meht esaeler!" A familiar voice rang out through the terminal, and Batman dropped forward, he could move again.

Three batarangs whizzed through the air, one slicing Genesis across the cheek, and another stabbing him in the shoulder.

"Ahh!" He cried out, grabbing the batarang from his shoulder, and throwing it to the ground.

"Batman, are you okay?" Zatanna teleported to Batman's right, and Batgirl grappled over to his left.

"Saving your ass seems to be a pattern these days, huh?" Batgirl smirked.

"The bat from the Mayor's Manor… I was wondering when we would encounter you." Genesis grunted, recovering from the attack.

"Watch out, this seal gives him his power." Batman warned the two. He told them not to come, but Batman couldn't argue that their appearance couldn't have come at a better time.

"Don't worry Batman. You're in the presence of Zatanna the Great," Zatanna winked. "Etag, eb enog ot eht noisnemid morf erehw uoy emac!"

But the gate didn't budge. It remained, glowing and unmoved. Genesis began cackling.

"Silly girl!" He taunted. "You think your backwards magic has any effect on something so ancient and powerful? Apage!"

A powerful force lifted the trio up, and expelled them from the inner circle, slamming them all against the backwall of the terminal, before they fell and hit the ground with a very loud thud.

"Venit Bruce Wayne!" Genesis commanded, as a magical pull began to compel Batman to the gate.

"Tcetorp Ecurb Enyaw!" Zatanna countered. Once more, Batman dropped, free of magical control. Batman growled, the magical tug of war was starting to piss him off.

"I tire of these games. We're running out of time. Bring me the body!" Genesis commanded.

"Genesis, you don't know what you're doing!" Batman growled.

"You're dealing with forces you can't possibly understand!" Zatanna yelled. "Geez, that sounded cliche…" She added, under bated breath.

"Wayne, just be thankful you're little sorceress is there to keep you from being sacrificed. We'll have to make due without your blood. Claustra!"

A magical force field appeared before the heroes, keeping them confined to the edge of the circle. "Zatanna, can you break it down?" Batgirl asked, after pressing against the perimeter of the barrier and being repelled back.

"He's smart. He put us on one of the seal's fault lines...it's going to be very difficult to break." Zatanna said.

"Get started, we don't have a lot of time." Batman stated, watching on as Perry Santiago's casket was brought before the gate.

Zatanna outstretched her hands and began chanting furiously, trying to compel the barrier down.

"I need a sacrifice to accompany this body of flesh." Genesis said to his cultists. "I know Bruce Wayne was supposed to be...but this now proves impossible. Will anyone give themselves to the cause?"

"I will, Progenitor." One of the female cultists said, stepping forward and bowing on her knee before him.

"Thank you my dear," He said, kissing her on the head. "May much prosperity come to your family, through your sacrifice!"

"The barrier extends through the top, too." Batgirl groaned, as her grappling hook fell to the ground, defeated.

"Zatanna!" Batman growled. But she continued her chanting, shooting him a dirty look.

"She's working as fast as she can, but there has to be another way." Batgirl said.

"No, we're too late." Batman said, as the female cultist stepped into the gate. She lifted her knife, and without any hesitation, slit her own throat, the blood spilling over the open casket.

"Lacigam seigrene nrut ot eci!" Finally after trying every spell or wording she could think of, their barrier froze into a sheet of ice. "Now Batman!"

Batman shoulder checked the barrier, busting free and rolling back into the terminal.

But the gate was flashing a full spectrum of colors. The rumbling began again, and debris started falling from the top of the foundation. It sounded as if electricity was bouncing through the air, crackling and popping.

"This is bad." Zatanna murmured.

"You think?" Batgirl retorted, sarcastically.

From the casket, Perry Santiago's body rose, but something was wrong, everyone could tell. Even Genesis stopped laughing. Flesh began returning to his body, but that flesh began bubbling...as if it was boiling. The body began shrieking in pain, as this red aura began overtaking him, and his body started transforming.

His eyes, once lifeless, where turned jet black. The aura completely enveloped him, transforming his flesh into pure, condensed energy, and he grew to what had to be nine feet tall.

"Perry!" Genesis cried. "Perry, its me. Come back to me!" He put his hand on Perry's arm. With inhuman speed, the creature that was once Perry's body grabbed Genesis by his throat, and lifted him feet in the air.

Batman grabbed several batarangs and threw them at the creature's arm, but the aura, acting like a shield, extended like an arm and blocked the batarangs, causing them to partially melt and drop to the floor.

"Perry…" Genesis whispered. Snap. With one arm, the creature snapped Genesis' neck, and dropped him to the floor, where he lay dead. Cultists began screaming, and running for their lives. Batman grimaced.

"Uh, any ideas?" Batgirl asked.

"Zatanna, how do we defeat this thing?" Batman asked.

Zatanna was at a loss of words. "I- I'm not sure. We're now looking at a being of...energy. Demonic energy. How did Genesis not know this was going to happen?"

"He believed what he wanted to believe...like his followers."

"Well, we better come up with something quick, because he's looking right at us!" Batgirl yelled, crouching down and getting ready to bolt. The creature barrelled toward them, and they all took off in separate directions.

Batman shot the creature with his taser, but like the batarangs, an aura extended from his body and shielded him, melting the wires before they even touched the creature.

The creature let out an ear-splitting shriek and leapt up, crashing through the ceiling and propelling himself to the surface.

"If it's demonic energy...we need a seal. I can conjure one...but it 's going to take some time. Can you both keep him busy?" Zatanna asked.

"How?" Batgirl asked incredulously.

"He's not invulnerable, we just have to to avoid those arm-like manifestations of his." Batman said.

"He should be correct." Zatanna agreed.

"Should be?" Batgirl chuckled.

"Come on, we have to keep this...thing...from hurting anyone." Batman growled, launching his grappling hook to follow the creature to the surface.

Batgirl followed suit, and Zatanna cast a spell to allow her to levitate.

In the streets, it was pandemonium. Citizens were running and screaming, while he was tossing cars and exploding fire hydrants.

"First things first, we need to find a way to fight this thing." Batgirl said.

"Zatanna, get to work. Tell us when you're ready, and we'll lure the creature to you," Batman said. "Batgirl, come with me. One of us will distract him while the other attacks."

"Right." Batgirl nodded.

"Tcetorp Lrigtab dna Namtab morf snrub!" Zatanna chanted, followed by a cold, tingling sensation that washed over Batman. "That'll protect you from most burn damage, if he happens to strike you with those...things."

"Most?" Batgirl asked, incredulously. The joke was getting old.

"Come on!" Batman growled, charging at the creature.

Batman threw several batarangs, while simultaneously grappling to a building, allowing him to swing at the creature in an arch. One "arm" blocked the batarangs, but as Batman approached, a second manifested and swatted him away. And while Zatanna's enchantment protected him from the heat of the energy, it didn't protect him from the force, which sent him flying into a nearby car.

Batgirl seized the opportunity however, and attacked the creature from behind, leaping off a building and striking the creature in the back of the neck with a powerful kick. The creature stumbled forward, the attack connected, but he retaliated with another swat of his "arm," sending her flying as well.

Batman dug himself out of the car's windshield and threw a supersonic grenade at the creature's feet. The grenade detonated, letting out an intense frequency that caused the creature to scream in pain, and shattered every window in the nearby proximity. Batman charged forward while he was stunned, and kicked out the creature's knee and delivering an electrified uppercut to his lowered chin with his electric pair of brass knuckles. Before the creature could retaliate, he jumped back and grappled to a safe distance.

Suddenly, several cop cars began zooming into the town square, the cops getting out of their vehicles and firing shots at the monster, but it was having no effect.

"What the hell is going on?" Gordon yelled, running at Batman with his gun drawn.

"Jim, have your men create a perimeter...and get these people out of here!"

"What is that thing?" Gordon asked.

"Genesis' abomination. I have someone working on a way to get rid of it, but we need these people out of here. You leave the creature to me."

"You better know what you're doing," Gordon growled. "But you're right, the people are our number one priority." Gordon ran off, and started barking orders at his men.

Batgirl was back up, and dancing around the creature, throwing a mix of smoke pellets and batarangs at the creature.

"Sir, how can I help?" Alfred asked, through the comm-link.

"Send the Batwing. Gordon's clearing the area and creating a perimeter as we speak. And then-"

"Fireworks." Alfred finished. "I'll pilot the Batwing from here. You worry about it from the ground."

The creature picked up a car and threw it at Batgirl, who grappled away to the top of another building. They met eyes and Batman nodded his head. It was time to coordinate their strikes.

Batgirl grappled in close, and the creature dove at her. Batman took this opportunity to run in, and throw several plastique explosives at the creatures feet, causing him to lose balance. Batgirl joined Batman and he bent down, locking his hands and holding them low for her foot. Once she stepped on, he launched her up, and with electric brass knuckles of her own, delivered a powerful right hook.

The combined assault was more than the creature could handle, who came down with a crash. The manifestations seemed to have minds of their own however, and grabbed a hold of both of them, slamming them into the ground, before tossing them in opposite directions of the square.

Batman tumbled, striking a tree with such force, he saw stars. He also could feel where the manifestation's touch had started to burn through Zatanna's enchantment. Batman shakily stood up, clutching his arm in pain, as it had connected with the tree before the rest of him. Batgirl was thrown against the side of a building, and hadn't stood back up yet.

Batman looked over to the top of the clocktower, where Zatanna stood chanting. Green energy was spinning around her, symbols forming from within them, but Batman could tell she wasn't ready yet.

The creature began standing up, which meant Batman couldn't wait for Batgirl to recover...he had to strike now. Batman attempted to grapple above the creature, but the creature cut the line with one of his "arms" and as Batman fell, delivered a massive punch to his gut. With the strike, he felt a rib or two break. But Batman had no choice but to shake off the pain, and broke into a roll, diving behind the creature and running around the corner of a building to get away.

"Penny-one, where are we on the missile?"

"Batwing is armed and on standby sir, but not everyone has been evacuated from the area yet. I would estimate you need 5 more minutes."

Batgirl was standing back up, but she had been hit hard...and was in terrible shape. Batman could tell by the way she was swaying and clutching her chest.

"ARRGGGHHH!" The creature sent his "arm" swinging through the building Batman was hiding behind, cutting through it like a knife. As the building began to collapse, Batman quickly grabbed his grappling gun to get away, but as the escaped the creature swung with the second manifestation, striking Batman's right leg. Pain shot through his body as he felt the strike sear his leg. He was sent to the ground in agony.

Coughing, he threw a flashbang at the creature's face. He blocked it with the arm of energy, but the grenade still exploded, dazing the creature and buying Batman enough time to get up and hastily limp over to Batgirl, though every step with his right leg sent pain shooting through his body. He activated a button on his utility belt, and reached out to Batgirl.

"Are you alright?" He panted.

"What about you? That looks nasty." Batgirl mumbled, pointed at his leg. His suit covering the area had been burned off, so his leg and the burn were exposed.

"We need to get the creature over to Zatanna, so when the Batwing strikes it with the missile, Zatanna can be on standby with her spell."

"Okay." Batgirl said unsteadily. "What's the plan? Neither of us are in a condition to run."

Then, the sound of an engine in the background began to grow louder and louder.

"Is that…?" Batgirl asked.

"Yep." Batman answered. Moments ago he had called the batmobile via his utility belt from its nearby location.

The vehicle burst through one of Gordon's barricades, causing police to jump out of the way, and screeched to a halt in front of the two moments later.

"Head to the perimeter, as quickly as you can." Batman ordered, getting into the driver's seat as quickly as his body let him.

"But-" Batgirl began to protest.

"Trust me." Batman said, closing the top off the car and taking off, charging right at the creature.

It roared and lifted its "arm" to slam down on the batmobile, but Batman took a hard swerve and drove in the opposite direction toward the clock tower. As he had hoped, the creature began pursuing the vehicle.

"Alfred, now!"

"But sir, you're in the blast radius."

"I'm in the batmobile, I'll be fine!"

"But sir!"
"NOW!"

Seconds later, a missile came crashing down and exploded on the creature, creating such an impact that it caught the batmobile, and sent it flying. The batmobile hit the earth and rolled several times, crashing into the side of the clocktower.

All sorts of sensors and lights were going off inside the batmobile, whirring, chirping and hissing. If it weren't for the seat that auto-stabilized and corrected during impacts, Batman wouldn't be conscious right now. It didn't completely protect him from injury, but it did protect him from most of it.

"Sir, are you alright?" Came Alfred's voice.

The car was on its side, but the canopy popped itself off, an emergency feature, and Batman crawled out, having trouble seeing straight and with his whole body screaming in pain.

"Sir?"

"Z-Zat..anna…" Batman groaned, looking up at the sorceress. She was shocked by the impact, but otherwise okay. In fact, she looked more worried for Batman than anything. However, she gave Batman a silent nod. The seal was ready.

As for the creature, the energy that had been condensed into human form was so shook by the blast, that it was having trouble maintaining its form. Several "arms" shot up and squirmed in the direction of the sky, as the body struggled to rebuild itself. Now was the time for the seal.

Zatanna summoned a top hat from thin air, and threw it in the direction of the creature. "Erutaerc, eb enog ot eht noisnemid morf hcihw uoy emac!" The green seal around her began spinning wildly, before launching itself at the creature, and containing the creature within its orb. The orb began shrinking and closing, as the creature shrieked and tried to escape to no avail. Then, as if it were one of her magic tricks, the orb contained itself to the size of a tennis ball, and disappeared inside her hat.

Zatanna collapsed to her knees with a sigh of relief, completely exhausted.

"Bruce, can you hear me?" Came Alfred's voice again.

"Yes Alfred… I'm fine…" Batman answered, pushing himself up, and sitting against the batmobile. "The creature...is gone…"

Zatanna teleported down and collapsed next to Bruce. She was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, but she was chuckling in glee. "So...I guess I can add... exorcist to my resume." She joked.

"Are you both alright?" Gordon asked, running over to the two, with Batgirl limping behind him.

"You should be able to find the remaining cultists below, in the abandoned subway terminal. I doubt many of them got too far." Batman told Gordon, struggling to stand up.

"And Genesis?" Gordon asked.

"Dead." Batman answered. "Killed by…" And he nodded his head in the hat's direction.

"What happened down there?" Gordon asked wondrously.

The batwing started a slow descent down nearby, and Batman began stumbling over to it.

"I'll fill you in later." Batman answered.

"Can I grab a lift?" Batgirl asked, limping to catch up with Batman.

"Once I get my breath, I'll heal you two up." Zatanna said, catching up to the pair.

"So? Still think you could have handled this by yourself?" Batgirl teased.

"You ladies...did well tonight. Good work." Batman praised.

Batgirl and Zatanna looked at each other, sharing glances of amazement by his statement.

"Did you hit your head, Bruce?" Batgirl chuckled.

"Yeah, you can't be feeling well. That was a compliment!" Zatanna quipped.

"Almost sounded like a thank you!"

"Oh, you thought so too?"

"Tell Alfred to get you to a hospital, stat!"

And the girls laughed and teased like that all the way into the batwing.

Author's Note: Only one chapter left! Thanks so much for following along this far. Let me know what you think of the revelation behind Genesis, and the climatic fight!