The television continues to showcase the destruction of the city. Barry sits on the plush couch, staring intently at the screen. Bruce and Diana left only minutes ago, leaving the teen in the care of Alfred. The old man is taking the chaos in stride, declaring he will bring out more refreshments for the two of them to enjoy while they await their friends' return.
Watching the carnage on display, Barry attempts to calm himself, utilizing the techniques he has learned from Diana over the past months. His anxiety refuses to be abated, and he finds himself spiraling, feeling helpless while his friends risk their lives. Without thinking, he finds himself moving toward the bookshelf, the hidden doorway still slightly ajar from Bruce's use of it.
The stairs are steep and treacherous, but the gentle automatic lighting ensures that the young man can see every step, and he quickly descends into the cavern. Behind him, he hears Alfred's voice calling out, first in confusion, then alarm. The clatter of the serving tray falling to the floor echoes softly around the cave.
Reaching the lower platform, Barry orients himself. He has heard Clark and Bruce speak of the Bat Cave, but he never thought to see it. Noting a wide flat path leading to a separate cavern, he reckons that the airships must be at the far end of the runway. No other walkway looks large enough to hold a small plane, and the armored car sits in the center of the cave, obviously angled to drive down a ramp leading in the opposite direction.
Jogging ahead, he glances over his shoulder to see Mr. Pennyworth at the top of the stairway.
"Master Allen, where are you going?"
He ignores the man, continuing into the attached chamber. A pair of machines sits in the makeshift hangar, with an empty area indicating where the latest Batwing would have sat. He quickly looks over the two jets, deciding the rightmost one looks newer. Opening the small cockpit, he slips into the seat and begins fastening the safety harness.
"Young Master, I must insist that you step away from that, these are very dangerous. Master Wayne would not want you to be harmed accidentally."
Barry scarcely hears his words, intently studying the console before him. This looks nothing like Ace Combat or Flight Sim, but almost like the Mechwarrior arcade game control board. He flips a few of the more obvious switches, and the machine comes to life. Turning a knob labeled IGNITION rewards the youth with the roar of the engines powering up. Alfred steps back, moving far away from the entry to the main cavern.
A small screen flickers on, showing a map of the world, with three blips, all bat-shaped. Two are directly atop one another, in Gotham. The third is heading directly from Barry's location toward San Fransico. Realizing what he is looking at, the young man taps the furthermost blip, and a message box appears on screen.
AUTOMATIC TRACKING MODE?
Y N
Grinning, amazed that it was this easy, he presses Y, and the cockpit's bubble silently closes. The machine trundles out of the cavern, turning automatically to face the long runway carved into the rock. The jet engine roars to life, and the Batwing 2.0 barrels down the tunnel, the false wall dropping just in time. The plane bursts through a waterfall cascading into Gotham Harbor below and climbs, already angling West to follow Bruce into battle.