Ten years later
Ten years had passed since Batman had first broken his oath, and in those short ten years the city had been turned upside down. There was no longer a police force, only the assassins. Although Batman technically hadn't taken Mayor Sharp's place, it was still understood that he was in charge. His mission was still to bring peace and to protect the people, but there wasn't a single crime that he couldn't kill you for if he believed you were a danger to the rest of the people. Whether your death was decided by Batman or an assassin, any crime could result in death. For Batman, it depended on the crime, how many times you had broken the law before, and how big a threat you posed to the city. But for the assassins it all depended on what kind of mood they happened to be in at that particular moment. Despite the desperate need for intervention, because crime had nearly been eradicated in the city the president had left Gotham alone, and would only act if Batman's actions began to threaten the nation as a whole. The only shred of hope the people had left was Nightwing and the White Knights.
Nightwing didn't like the name very much, but it had been given to them by the media and it had stuck. The White Knights were a small group and had virtually no power against Batman. For the most part, all they could do was speak out against the Bat and secretly try to increase their numbers. Nightwing knew that if they could just get the rest of Gotham to join them, they could take down the Bat and the League once and for all, but getting everyone else to join them was proving to be extremely difficult, if not downright impossible. He couldn't blame them; these people had families to protect, and they could lose their lives if they tried to take a stand. If you wanted to survive, all you really had to do was watch yourself and make sure not to slip up. If you kept your head down, didn't protest, and made sure to keep the law, you were left alone, and that's what most people did.
That day, Olivia was making a speech to the city and once again requesting help from the government, an act that could get her killed right where she stood. She was wearing a bullet-proof vest, and Nightwing stood right by her side in case he needed to defend her. He had no idea if they would try to kill her or leave her alone; they could kill her easily of course, but he knew they were reluctant to do so because it was well known that she was one of the White Knight's leaders and they were afraid she would be considered a martyr and inspire Gotham to act, so for the most part they had left her alone. They would attack at her indirectly instead, killing others they suspected were Knights to try to make her stop protesting by making her feel guilty and responsible for their deaths.
He would have been speaking in her place, but she was the better speaker, and because no one knew that she was the vigilante Huntress at night, they trusted her more than him. In fact, they barely trusted him at all just because he was a vigilante like Batman. The only reason he was still alive was because Batman had ordered the assassins to not kill him. He wondered how long this grace period would last.
"The time to act is now, the city is collapsing in on itself and cannot stand much longer," said Olivia to anyone who was brave enough to stay and listen to her. "No city can function and thrive under these conditions, our city lives in greater fear than it did even in the time of the rogues. Mr. President, please help us. Don't let this man control us any longer."
At that moment, a bullet whizzed past Olivia's head by barely an inch. Nightwing leapt into action, grabbing her and pulling her out of harm's away. They ran as screams broke out as several assassins gave chase after them.
"You know, I didn't need you to try to rescue me like that," said Olivia as they ran. "I've been your sidekick for a decade, I've learned how to defend myself."
"I know, but I keep forgetting that. I'll never get used to being a mentor, and I'll never be able to accept in my head that you aren't that scrawny eleven year old anymore, so you might as well get used to it."
They found their getaway car and floored the gas and sped out of there.
"You think I did any good today?" she asked as she checked behind them to make sure they weren't being followed. For the moment, they were safe.
"We can only hope, but I doubt it. Seeing the glass as half-full gets harder to do every day."
Just then, one of their tires was shot out and they were forced to leave the car and run. Out of nowhere, twelve assassins appeared in front of them while at least twenty ran at them from the back.
"There's more of them," murmured Olivia as she stood back-to-back with Nightwing, preparing to fight. "They've never attacked just the two of us with numbers like this before."
"Batman's been recruiting just as much as we have, if not more so. He gives the real criminals a choice, serve or die. It's not hard to guess which they pick."
The assassins attacked, and though they were far outnumbered, they fought back as hard as they could. Olivia wished she were in her Huntress costume, at least that way she could take some of these guys out without anyone becoming suspicious. She hated that she could not go as Huntress all the time as Nightwing did, but his reasons were better than hers. He had no life to return to in Gotham now, and as he had said many times before, "Be glad you still have a secret identity, it's not easy being "super" all the time." Maybe he was right, but at least as Huntress she knew she was making a difference, instead of making unhelpful speeches as Olivia.
Fighting back was becoming more and more difficult for Nightwing. To fight so hard with hardly anything to show for it, most of the time he wondered if it would be best to just give up and give in, like Batman had. Like right now, as he bashed two Assassins heads together, he knew there was no way he and Olivia could win this fight, not without killing these men. The only time he had wanted to kill this badly was when Jason had been so brutally murdered. Even though he could barely resist the temptation, he was still strong enough to fight it. The only thing that kept him from crossing that line was the people of this city who so desperately needed people like him, people who were willing to put everything on the line to bring justice. He wanted to help these people, but he would not take the dark and bloody path Batman had taken. Someone had to save this city, and the job had fallen to him, and he would not give in.
Olivia couldn't fight anymore, there were too many assassins. Every time she took one out there was another to take its place. Just then, she saw a large group of people join the fight and attack. They ranged in age from not much older than her to a woman who had to be at least seventy. The assassins were caught off guard, which gave her and Nightwing an opportunity to gain the advantage.
Within minutes, all of the assassins had been knocked out. Done risking their lives, all the people who had had a part in taking them down rushed off as soon as their work was done. Olivia turned to leave, but as she did so, one of the assassins, who had only pretended to be unconscious, fired a bullet at her head. Nightwing had watched him pull out his gun and fire it, and had just enough time to shove Olivia out of the way, taking the bullet in the process.
"No! Nightwing!" screamed Olivia. She ran over to the man who had shot him and grabbed his gun and knocked him unconscious with it. She then dropped the gun and ran over to where Nightwing lay dying.
"Olivia," whispered Nightwing weakly. "You need to get out of here. Run, before they catch you."
"I won't leave you behind, I'll go get help," said Olivia, tears running down her face.
"It's too late, and if you don't get out of here they'll kill you too, and what will become of the White Knights then? You have to stop him, Olivia. It's up to you to fight this war, you can do it. I've seen you fight, you can bring down the Bat. Now go, get out of here."
Olivia had been about to protest, but she knew it would be stupid to argue. He was right, someone had to lead the White Knights, the small group of rebels would fall apart without someone to guide them and encourage them to take a stand. The burden rested solely on her shoulders, and she would not disappoint her fallen mentor.
xxxx
It took a little while for the assassins to wake up. Out of fear no one had dared go anywhere near them. The first to wake up was a man named Alejandro, a former crook who had recently been recruited. He sat up, feeling a bit dazed but otherwise okay. He was surprised that so many people had fought back today, it wasn't a good sign. He was just glad they didn't have the guts to kill, otherwise he'd be dead.
Another newbie, a man named Jackson, awoke next. Alejandro saw Nightwing's corpse lying in a pool of blood just a few feet from them, and he realized that it had been Jackson who had fired the bullet that had ended his life.
"Jackson, do you know what you did?" he asked him incredulously. "You just killed Nightwing!"
"This is not good," said Jackson, his tone worried. "Batman specifically said not to kill him, and I killed him. What do you think he'll do to me?"
"Probably nothing, after all, it's about time someone offed him. He gave that order like ten years ago, things have changed. He's been nothing but a pain and an obstacle for over a decade, I'd say this is long overdue. You'll probably get rewarded or something."
"Yeah, yeah this is sure to get me in good with the boss, it'll get me some respect with the other assassins. I just won a huge victory for the Bat, just imagine what'll happen to the Knights now without their leader."
"Exactly, which is why I have to kill you," said Alejandro as he pointed his gun at him. Jackson raised his hand, as though he could somehow stop the bullet with it, as Alejandro fired a shot that went through his hand and into his chest. He walked over to the dead vigilante and removed his mask. The face was a bit familiar, but he had no idea who the man was. He put the mask back on and carried the body away as the others began to awaken. He hadn't wanted to kill Jackson, but this was the opportunity of a lifetime, and he wasn't about to let it slip by and go to someone else.
xxxx
Batman stood in Ra's former study, gazing out at his city. It had been a difficult ten years, but he felt he had made Gotham a much better place. The only problem was the White Knights. They were a weak and tiny colony of rebels, but they were powerful all the same. Powerful because more and more people joined them every day, and they had the potential to overpower even him.
He heard a knock on the door. "Enter," he said.
Damian came through the door and said, "Dad, a there's a man here who claims to have killed Nightwing."
Batman's eyes widened in shock and he felt as though the air had been knocked out of him. He couldn't lose Nightwing, not like this.
"Send him in," Batman barely managed to say.
Damian ushered a young man into the room, with Nightwing's body slung over his shoulder. He laid the body on the floor and looked up expectantly, like a dog who has dug up a bone and proudly shows it off to his master.
"You killed Nightwing?" asked Batman quietly, fighting to keep his composure. "You, and not someone else?"
The man swallowed and said, "I killed him, sir."
"Didn't I give direct orders for him to be spared, or did you not hear me? Or perhaps you thought I was joking when I ordered him to be left alive."
"B-But sir, I've dealt the Knights a massive blow, they can't hope to recover from this. Is that worth nothing?" asked Alejandro defiantly and nervously.
In response, Batman drew Ra's sword and threw it through the man's neck. Before he could collapse, Batman went over and grabbed him by his shirt collar and growled in his ear, "Something you should have learned a long time ago, disobedience is not tolerated in my city."
xxxx
That night, Batman lay in bed with Talia as she tried to soothe his pain.
"It was meant to be, my love," she whispered. "You knew this day would come, and it is better this way, the Knights have been severely weakened."
"But he was my son, Talia," said Batman with utter anguish. "He might have joined me, given enough time."
"You know he never would have, he was too stubborn to see the truth. He insisted on being your enemy, and now he has payed the price. You must move on, you cannot let his death become a distraction."
"I know it's better this way, and that we won a major victory today, but you don't understand. Try to imagine someone murdering Damian, how you would feel."
"You are right, I can't understand, but I am here for you. We will get through this together, Beloved. We are winning this war, we cannot stop now."
"You're right. You know, I've been thinking of extending our reach outside Gotham. Gotham isn't the only place plagued by evil, and now that we're recruiting so many new assassins, I think we should start targeting the rest of the United States."
"But what about the White Knights, and the government? The second you spread your reach the government will strike back, and that will strengthen the Knights resolve."
"We have so many assassins now that that won't be a problem. The assassins can take care of the soldiers, and I'm going to have Damian try to infiltrate the White Knights and bring them down from the inside so that I can wipe them out. This won't be easy, but we can do this. We'll make them see that what we are doing is right."
"That is a wonderful plan, my darling. My dreams of the three of us living in a perfect world will be realized, I know it."
Authors Notes: To the person who left the comment saying that I must be a Talia fan and that my depiction of Batman is awful, I just want to say that I am not a Talia fan, the reason I'm using and depicting her in this way is that it works better with the overall story. And about my depiction of Batman, I know it's not the best but there is a reason for how I've portrayed him, once again it's all part of the story. I know there are some things in this story that don't make sense right now, but that was done on purpose, for reasons you'll see later. Keep reading and by the time the story is over you'll understand, I promise. Thanks for reviewing though, I appreciate feedback good or bad, and I always want to know if you guys like my stories or not, so that hopefully I can improve in my writing.