Chapter 11: Confrontation.

-Batman-

Batman: "W-Where am I?"

I was knocked unconscious by Assassin after I went to look for Ra's al Ghul's body. I was confronted by Talia al Ghul and apparently she's found a new lover.
This man, Assassin, worked with Talia against Ra's from the shadows, manipulating Ra's waiting to betray him.

I wake up inside a holding cell protected by force fields. I take in my surroundings to work out where I am.

But, this place is familiar enough to me for me to know where we are, but that's impossible...

The Watchtower.

I was inside the Watchtower's holding cells. These are cells that have been designed to dampen superpowers, most supervillians that are master escape artists can't escape from these cells.

Around me, were the other members of the Justice League, all of them. Superman.
Wonder Woman. Flash. Aquaman. Green Lantern. Everyone but Cyborg was here.

They had black liquid pumping into their bodies from tubes connected to their bodies...

I notice that my belt is gone. Talia must have removed it.

Next to me, a monitor lit up and i see Assassin's skull mask on screen.

Assassin: "Glad you have awoken, Batman."

Batman: "Assassin! Where are you? Where's Talia?!"

Assassin: "Back on Earth. It's just you and me right now, Batman."

Batman: "How did you get up to the Watchtower?!"

Assassin: "Cyborg."

On screen, Victor Stone appears next to Assassin. His eyes and facial expressions are distant, as if he became a zombie.

Batman: "What did you do to him?"

Assassin: "I infected him with a computer virus. Normally, Mr Stone's cybernetic defenses can defend against any ordinary virus. So this virus was designed after the common cold. You can't defend against the common cold as the pathogen changes constantly. The virus ensures Cyborg's cooperation."

Batman: "I see. I know how you've been able to get to the Watchtower. You used Cyborg's Fatherbox to transport yourself up here."

Assassin: "I see why Ra's al Ghul addressed you as 'Detective'. Yes, I found Cyborg in Detroit and I infected him with the virus. I used his Fatherbox to travel across the globe to capture the Justice League more quickly and efficiently. Cyborg is capable of sending 'Hush-Tubes', so that neither your systems nor Superman could find me."

Batman: "But, how could you have taken down the Justice League in so short a time?"

Assassin: "Talia managed to siphon resources from under her Father's nose and transport them to me. I used those resources to gather material necessary to capture the League. Kryptonite for Superman, hypnosis for Wonder Woman, Fear Toxin for Green Lantern, you get the picture. Thanks to Cyborg's Hush-Tubes,
I took down each member of the Justice League quickly before each member realised what was going on."

To be able to take down the Justice League with such precision even with their weaknesses all gathered... Assassin is no ordinary human being. If he even is human.

Batman: "But, why?"

Assassin: "Don't you recognise the black fluid entering the bodies of your fellow League members?"

I looked carefully at the black liquid making it's way into the other League members' bodies. It was Black Sky.

Assassin: "That's right, Detective. Black Sky formula. I'm using it to clone the Justice League."

Clone the Justice League?! The Black Sky is capable of cloning human being, but Kryptonians? Amazons?

Batman: "That shouldn't be possible. The Black Sky shouldn't be able to clone beings with different physiologies."

Assassin: "Oh, it can. But, it takes time. For Superman, the cloning process could take hours. So it's lucky I started a few hours ago. It should take another three hours before the Superman clone is created, the others should form just after that."

Batman: "What is this for? Why clone the Justice League?"

Assassin: "Sorry, Batman. But, you'll have to wait. I have to prepare for someone."

The monitor then cut out.

Avenger.

-Third Person-

All around the city of Gotham, it's been a few hours since Batman's signal went offline.

Alfred: "Any luck locating Master Bruce?"

Alfred was in the Batcave sitting at the Batcomputer trying locate Batman. He was talking to members of the Bat family that were searching Gotham City.

Nightwing: "Me and Damian checked the place in Chinatown. He's not there."

Alfred: "But, where could he have gone?"

Red Robin: "If this is the someone that's capable of kidnapping the Justice League members, then we might not be able to find him."

Batgirl: "Don't say that! We haven't checked everywhere yet!

At that moment, the Batcomputer made a pinging sound. On screen, there was a highlighted location on the map of Gotham City.

Alfred: "The Batcomputer is picking up Master Bruce's utility belt."

Robin: "Where?!"

Alfred pauses for a second because he is shocked at the location.

Alfred: "Rivers Attorney At Law."

-Riley Rivers-

Riley: "You did what, Lauren?!"

Lauren: "Yeah. I kind of tried to investigate Thomas Elliot and ended up getting kidnapped by Emma Grace."

Lauren told me that after I told her about Hush, she tried to investigate him in order to find proof that Batman had falsified his identity to keep him in Arkham.

Lauren: "Emma Grace bailed out Thomas Elliot. So me and Miss Vale followed her to the Gotham Tower apartments. We got caught by Grace's men. Red Hood and Batgirl saved us in the end."

Riley: "That was very dangerous, Lauren! What if Red Hood and Batgirl never shown up? You could be dead!"

Lauren: "Riley..."

Riley: "When I told you about Hush, this was not what I had in mind!"

Lauren: "Riley."

Riley: "What?"

Lauren took something out of her pocket. It was a vial of white liquid.

Lauren: "I found this after Grace was arrested. She called it White Sky."

White Sky?! Grace already started making it?

Lauren: "Do you know what this is?"

Riley: "It's supposed to be a sort of miracle cure. It's supposed to cure ailments in people, but it's flawed. It almost killed my mom."

Lauren: "This is that dangerous?! I better get rid of it."

Riley: "Wait, keep it for now."

Lauren: "Why? Didn't you say it was lethal?"

Riley: "I did, but I think it could help. There's still a vial of Black Sky out there."

Back at Harper's apartment, Batman said that the Black Sky's properties aren't strong enough to affect the Lazarus Pit. So, what if whatever Talia accidentally shot Ra's with wasn't the Black Sky at all? What if she used something different?
But, why would unless she wasn't planning to hit me from the start?! She was planning to poison Ra's.

That could mean that a vial of Black Sky is still out there somewhere and the White Sky is only thing that can counteract it.

Lauren: "Riley? What are you thinking about?"

Riley: "Just a theory. But, why would Grace be carrying this around? She has a lab that she would hold this stuff in."

Lauren: "Didn't you hear? Emma's manor was burned down the other day. If she had a lab, then it's probably cinders by now."

What if... What if Ra's knew about the White Sky and sent someone to burn down the manor? That would make sense.

In any case, I don't think this ordeal is over yet. Talia al Ghul is still out there. And there's still the question of who shot Kieran with an arrow.

Lauren: "Riley, is there something you're not telling me?"

Should i tell Lauren about the League of Assassins? I don't know if I should. Knowing too much could make her a target... But, she's trusts me to the point that she went after Hush just because I told her about it and she believed me.

Riley: "Do you know anything about the League of Assassins?"

Lauren's eyes lit up when i mentioned the name.

Lauren: "Hush mentioned it when he was being tortured by Grace! He mentioned that someone from the League wearing a skull mask saved his life after he was drifting down the Gotham River. The same man was the one who burned down Grace's manor."

Riley: "If it was the League of Assassins that burned down Grace's manor, that would mean that Hush was working for the League from the start."

Lauren: "He did admit that as well. He was a double-agent."

I visited Harvey Dent as Avenger before. He told me that Hush was the one who fixed his face so that he would work with Galavan, but Dent betrayed him to work against the Order of St. Dumas. What if, Hush knew that would happen?

Riley: "The League of Assassins have been behind this entire thing. They saved Hush so that he could fix Harvey Dent, but in truth, they wanted the Order of St. Dumas out of Gotham. With Batman, Dent, GCPD, me all against the Order,
we did the League's work for them."

Lauren: "But, why would they do that? What do they want?"

Riley: "I'm not sure. Ra's al Ghul wanted me and Cassandra. But, someone wanted something else."

Lauren crossed her arms and she glared at me...

Lauren: "Explain now, Riley. Who is Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins?.. And who's Cassandra?"

I explained to Lauren about the League of Assassins being environmental terrorists who want to kill off humanity to save the planet and that Ra's al Ghul is their leader. Since I slipped up, I also explained to Lauren who Cassandra is. She was bred to become an assassin and to marry me so that we could lead the League.

Lauren looked... Annoyed when I talked about Cassandra.

Lauren: "So you're engaged to her or something?"

Riley: "No. Cassandra didn't want to be with the League so she escaped. She's been helping me fight both the Order and the League."

Lauren: "She's that woman in the black hood, isn't she?"

Riley: "Crow. She chose the name."

Lauren: "So... There's nothing going on between you two?"

Riley: "No. There's nothing going on."

Lauren: "Oh, that's... Okay."

... Lauren's really acting strange about this whole 'marriage' thing. I-Is she jealous? I don't know if I'm flattered or not.

Riley: "Okay. Moving on. I think that Ra's daughter, Talia al Ghul, could be behind this. She could have poisoned her father intentionally to get him out of the way, but who is the man in the skull mask? Could he be her partner?"

?: "Well done, Riley."

A voice called out from behind the door! I recognised the voice and she wasn't friendly!

Lauren: "Who's that?!"

Riley: "Stay behind me."

I quickly went to the door, pushing Lauren behind me. When i opened the door,
I saw her.

Talia al Ghul.

Lauren: "Who are you?"

Riley: "Talia al Ghul. Ra's daughter."

Talia: "Daughter of the Demon, to be precise."

Riley: "Why are you here, Talia? I know that you intentionally poisoned Ra's.
You gave the real Black Sky to someone else. The man who saved Hush after he fell into the Gotham River."

Talia: "You figured out the plan at the same time as the Detective. He wondered that too. He went to find my father's corpse."

Talia then revealed a yellow belt in her hands... That was Batman's utility belt! She tossed it to my feet.

Riley: "What have you done with Batman?"

Talia: "That's what i came to talk to you about. The man you talk about. The one in the skull mask. My Assassin."

Riley: "Assassin? So you really were behind all this? Placing Harvey Dent as District Attorney. You knew he wouldn't betray Gotham, so you manipulated him into pointing the finger of blame at the Order of St. Dumas. You used Ra's desire for a new heir against him. For what?!"

Talia: "You only have it half-right. It's true that we did 'convince' Doctor Elliot to play the role of a double-agent. And we did depend on my father's desire to continue his legacy through an heir to continue our plans, but that isn't the reason why we wanted the Black Sky."

Riley: "Then why? What was the plan?"

Talia: "If you really want to know that, then you must go to Assassin."

Riley: "Where is he?"

Talia: "The Justice League calls it The Watchtower."

Lauren: "The Watchtower? Isn't that the HQ of the Justice League?! Why would he be there?"

That's what I thought. There's no way a member of a terrorist organisation can be on inside the Watchtower... Unless, they're being held captive.

Riley: "You captured Batman and the other Justice League members."

Lauren: "But... That's impossible. Can anyone just do that?"

Talia: "Assassin can. Now, will you accept this challenge, Riley Rivers?"

To fight someone who captured the Justice League... This could be a suicide mission. I might not come back if I go.

Talia looks at her wrist. On it was a small communicator.

Talia: "I think Rivers needs some motivation."

A hologram came out of Talia's wrist watch. It showed a man with a long coat with a hood and a skull mask... This must be Assassin, Talia's partner in all this.

Assassin: "Hello, Riley. I hope you're not intending of refusing me."

Riley: "What about Batman and the others?!"

Assassin: "I need them alive, so you won't have to worry about the Justice League.
But, the same can't be said about Gotham."

Riley: "What do you mean by that?!"

Assassin: "Did you know that the Justice League has a weapon of mass destruction on board? It was a weapon to use in case there was an invasion force from Apokolips.
A binary Fusion cannon."

Binary Fusion? I'm a lawyer, not an engineer. So i didn't understand, but Assassin explained.

Assassin: "The Watchtower is powered by it's own on-board nuclear reactor. The weapon draws power from it to fire. If i wish, I could reduce Gotham City to complete oblivion. If you refuse my challenge, you know what will happen."

He'll destroy Gotham is what will happen.

Riley: "I don't have a choice. I accept."

Lauren: "R-Riley?! You can't!"

Talia: "He can. And he just did."

Assassin: "I'll give you ten minutes to prepare yourself. For now, Talia, I'm sending you a Boom-Tube. Stand by."

Boom-Tube?

Behind Talia, a portal of some kind in the shape of a circle appears. Talia smirks as she walks through it. And then...

BOOOOOOOOM!

The sound of a massive boom erupts in front of me and Lauren! The noise was so loud,
we couldn't even stand! Even covering our ears wasn't enough to block the noise!

Eventually the noise stopped... It was only for a few seconds, but that felt like eternity.

When I got up, I went over to my briefcase. And I took out the Avenger suit.

Lauren had followed me into my office and she tried to take the suit off me.

Riley: "Lauren! What are you doing?"

Lauren: "You can't go. They're not telling who this Assassin guy is, but if he's dangerous enough to take down the Justice League, you might not survive!"

Riley: "I can't just condemn them! And if I don't go, Assassin will destroy the entire city with that weapon!"

Lauren: "What about the Bat Family, they..."

Nightwing: "They what?"

Outside the office, Nightwing, Red Robin, Red Hood, Robin, and Batgirl were all standing there. They were holding Batman's utility belt.

Robin: "Where's Batman, Rivers? Tell me now, or you're in for a world of hurt."

Red Hood aims a gun at me.

Red Hood: "What he said."

Nightwing notices Lauren and the fact that we're arguing over the Avenger suit.

Nightwing: "You told her?"

Riley: "I did. I trust her enough."

Red Hood: "We're not here to talk about his love life! Where's Batman?!"

Love life?!

Lauren however let go of the suit and got in front of me.

Lauren: "Leave Riley alone! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Robin: "Need girls to fight your battles for you?"

I walk past Lauren.

Riley: "You more than anyone should know that's not the case, Robin."

Lauren: "Riley! Wait!"

Lauren again get in front of me.

Riley: "Lauren. You need to let me go."

Lauren: "And let you go up to the Watchtower to die? No!"

Red Robin: "The Watchtower? What is she talking about?"

I told the Bat Family what just happened. That Talia and a mystery man named Assassin have kidnapped Batman and the rest of the Justice League. Assassin has challenge me to fight him on the Watchtower. I also told them that Talia has been behind everything that has happened so far in Gotham, the battle with the Order of St. Dumas,
Harvey Dent's becoming District Attorney, Hush, everything. I told them that if I refuse, Assassin could destroy Gotham with the Watchtower Binary Fusion cannon.

Batgirl: "I wondered if the Justice League had a weapon like that... Now I know."

Robin: "Mother... Only she could do something like this."

Nightwing: "So what are you gonna do?"

Riley: "I don't have a choice. I have to fight him."

Batgirl: "If this guy is skilled enough to take down Superman and Wonder Woman let alone the entire Justice League by himself, you might not be able to take him."

Riley: "I don't have a choice."

Lauren: "Yes, you do."

Riley: "Then tell me, Lauren. What course of action can I take that doesn't result in Gotham being wiped off the map?"

Lauren stood there and stared at me as if she was pleading with me. I noticed her hands balling into fists.

Lauren: "It's too much. How can you be expected to carry the city on your shoulders?!
It's not fair! What if you get killed? I'll have to talk to your mom and explain this whole thing!"

I put my hands on Lauren's shoulders.

Riley: "Lauren. I'm not gonna die. I'm going to beat Assassin, save the Justice League, and save Gotham."

Wow, that sounds like a very tall order now that I say it out loud.

Lauren doesn't stop me and allows me to go into the spare room to change.

Lauren's right. This is a lot to take on... Even for me. I thought I could handle it at first, but what if I do die? I don't want Lauren to have to tell my mom.
Speaking of mom, i really made her upset. What's in the past is the past, for whatever reason, she decided to cheat on dad, i can't hold it against her forever.

I should see the positive. I have Charlotte for a sister!

As I put on the mask, I walk out of the room.

-Third Person-

A Boom-Tube opens up and Talia is the one to step through. Assassin is typing at the League's computer along with Cyborg

Assassin: "Welcome back, Talia. I'm almost ready to proceed."

Talia: "Good work, Assassin. How is our caged friend?"

Assassin: "He's harmless. Even he can't escape a cage designed for containing escape artists."

Talia: "Perfect. How about the cloning process?"

Assassin: "At this rate, the Kryptonian clone should be ready within 28 minutes."

Talia: "All that's required then is to kill Riley Rivers."

Assassin stopped typing for a second before resuming. Talia noticed that.

Talia: "You wanted this opportunity to face him. You better not hesitate."

Assassin: "I won't."

Talia went over to Assassin and cupped his mask-covered cheek.

Talia: "You secured us a golden path to a new world. A world that you fought for harder than anyone. The League will always be your home, a home when nobody cared about you. You just have to kill your past once and for all."

Assassin: "I know. I will give you the world that you dreamed of... But, I will make the offer one last time. I owe Riley that much."

Talia: "As you wish, but if he refuses... You must kill him. He is too great a threat. But, then again... You knew that already."

Assassin watches as Cyborg opened another Boom-Tube and Talia walked through it.
She knew that Assassin had to do this alone and he planned to finish everything once and for all.

And it was finally time.

Assassin: "Cyborg. Bring Riley Rivers to the Watchtower."

And another Boom-Tube opens...

-Avenger-

In front of me, another Boom-Tube appears...

This is it. Once I step through this, there's no going back. No, I've already crossed that road.

Nightwing: "Are you ready for this?"

Avenger: "I have to be. There's no other way. Talia and Assassin have set the game up, we have to play by their rules."

Red Hood: "But, why does he want you of all people? It makes no sense."

Avenger: "I'll find out when I get up there."

Robin: "Avenger... You better bring Batman back or I'll kill you slowly."

Damian's worried, i can tell. He's scared his dad may die up there and there's not much he can do.

Avenger: "Don't worry, Robin. I'll bring him back."

I walked towards the Boom-Tube, but...

Lauren: "No. Please."

Lauren got in my way again. She hugged onto me with a grip that said she won't let go.

Lauren: "Anything but this! Please... Don't leave. We'll find another way! These people here save Gotham on a regular basis, for God's sake! They must know a way to stop this. I won't let you sacrifice yourself!"

Lauren. She's always been there when I needed her. She cares so much that she doesn't want me despite the risks. She makes me want to come back... To her.

Avenger: "Thanks Lauren."

But, I can't let you stop me.

I placed my hand at the base of Lauren's neck and i pinch on a pressure point.
It renders her unconscious. I gently hold her body in my arms and I slowly lean her up against the wall.

Red Robin: "Did you do something from Star Trek?"

Avenger: "I just knocked her out. She'll be alright."

Batgirl: "She won't be happy about this."

Avenger: "She'll eventually understand."

I walk back to the Boom-Tube. I can't keep Assassin waiting.

Everyone except Damian wishes me good luck before I jump into the Boom-Tube.

I'm coming for you.

It felt strange inside the tube. It was hard for me to explain, it was like being inside a red vibrating tube with a high pitched noise...

But, almost instantly... I found myself on a deck.

What is this place? Is this really the Watchtower? The League's home away from home?

I looked up and I saw Earth... A blue orb slowly rotating. I've seen video and images, but never from this angle.

It's incredible. That's all that can be said.

Assassin: "Welcome Riley Rivers."

At the exit stood Assassin.

Assassin: "I'm glad you could make it."

I walk down the stairs from the observation deck.

Avenger: "Where's the Justice League?"

Assassin: "They're in the lower levels. Locked inside the holding cells. But, I wouldn't be concerned about them. We have family business to attend."

Family business?! What does he mean by that? Is this guy trying to screw with me?

Assassin then walked off and I followed him through the Watchtower. I looked around as i followed Assassin through the Watchtower... Who built this place? Surely even Batman doesn't have enough resources to make a place this size in secret. This place is like looking into the future.

Come on, Riley. You can't just think about how great this place is. You have a job to do... But, I think Harper and Stephanie are going to be very jealous that I was here.

I lose track of Assassin very quickly. In a place like this, it could take me a while to find him...

Assassin: "Keep going, Avenger."

I can hear him, but I can't tell where he is.

Avenger: "Where are you leading me?"

Assassin: "You'll see."

I simply made my way through the Watchtower until I found my way to a room where there was a giant hologram of the planet Earth...

Assassin: "Welcome to the central hub, Avenger. This is where the Justice League monitor the Earth. Take a look at the monitor screen, it's the massive console in front of you."

I look at the monitor screen like Assassin says. He must have a reason for bringing me here. After all, if the Watchtower has the power to wipe an entire city of the face of the Earth, then he, Talia, and the League of Assassins could hold the Earth at ransom... Unless there isn't a weapon to begin with.

Avenger: "Assassin. Is there even a Binary Fusion Cannon?"

Assassin: "You've caught on. Since you're here, there's no reason to hide anything.
No. There's isn't a weapon. It was just a trick to get you here and everyone else away. The world would never allow the League to have that much power... But, that's one of the main reasons I brought you here."

I looked closely at the screen... It showed what was going on overseas. The various wars in Kahndaq and other countries in the Middle East.

Avenger: "What is this?"

Assassin: "The Justice League are a collective of the most powerful people on the planet. Yet, war is going on, famine is still rampant, death of innocents are left unavenged."

Avenger: "And you think it's the Justice League's fault?"

Assassin: "Far from it. The Justice League may have the power to save the world,
but the world shouldn't need Gods to save it. The human race should be able to save itself... But, it can't."

Avenger: "What do you mean?"

Assassin: "I know about your battle with Winston Grace, Riley. You saw first-hand how corruption can spread. Judges, the very people we rely on to make the tough decision, were brought. Attorney, people who must defend or prosecute those that may be innocent or guilty, were brought. Officers of the law, men and women who are responsible to maintain the peace in this world, are brought. Worse,
they would sell out their comrades in a heartbeat and wouldn't give a damn if they all died."

One incident came to my mind when he spoke about police officers... The massacre in Chicago. My dad was the only survivor.

Avenger: "But, what's the point of all this?"

Assassin: "I plan to bring a new era to the planet. An era of peace where justice can be carried out as it was meant to. The system is broken, Riley. It's always been broken. It needs a reset."

Avenger: "And how do you plan to do that? You said that the Watchtower has no weapon of mass destruction. How do you expect to..."

It was then I figured it out. Why Assassin wanted the Black Sky. Why Talia shot Ra's with the poison.

Avenger: "You're planning on cloning the League. Then unleashing them on the world."

Assassin: "Think about it. An army of the Justice League under my control. It's unfortunate that Yami Keshin refused to manufacture more of the Black Sky for me,
so I had to dispose of him."

Avenger: "You killed him."

Assassin: "Yes. The Yakuza are known for their tradition. He only shared one vial of Black Sky with Ra's. Yami would have never cracked, so he was useless."

Avenger: "You talk about justice, yet you murdered a man. He never even saw a trial."

Assassin: "WAKE UP! A trial would have never worked. How many times as The Joker escaped custody only to kill people? How easy was it for Jean-Paul Valley to have the Joker released from Arkham? How easy it was for Hush to be bailed out?
Justice is broken."

Avenger: "You're lying."

Assassin: "Am I?"

The voice was more clear now and it was directly behind me. I turned and he was there. Assassin.

Assassin: "Do you really believe I'm lying, Riley? I know you well enough to know that you have doubts."

Avenger: "You know nothing about me."

Assassin: "I know you enough. I know that for your 8th birthday, you were given a stick to practise stick-fighting. The following week, you mastered almost every technique you were given."

H-H-How does he know about that?..

Assassin: "I know that four years ago, you asked your mother if you could switch to an all protein diet to build muscle. You were able to bench press nearly 500 pounds in less than two months."

There's only one person I told about that...

Assassin: "Do I know enough to convince you?"

Avenger: "Who are you?!"

I shouted at the man, but he didn't flinch or even move.

Assassin: "I am Assassin. I'm a man who exists but doesn't."

Avenger: "You're messing with me."

Assassin: "I assure I'm not. I want to make an offer, Avenger."

Avenger: "What offer?"

Assassin: "The same that Ra's al Ghul made to you. Join the League of Assassins. You were born to lead it. You can help me make this world a better place.
Bring justice to the world and peace to all."

The way this man talks about Justice... It reminds me of my dad.

Avenger: "You're insane."

Assassin shook his head.

Assassin: "I'm disappointed in you, Riley. I thought you were raised better than this."

Avenger: "Just who are you?"

Assassin: "You really have no idea, do you?"

Assassin placed his hand to his mask and started to remove it. The anticipation made the moment feel like hours, but it was only a moment...

The mask then fell to the floor but before it hit the ground, i saw his face...
Time felt like it stopped as i stared into his eyes. Those familiar brown eyes that stared at me the same way they did for all those years.

Avenger: "No... It's impossible."

The mask then hit the ground and it bounced away from him.

?: "It's true... Son."

It was my dad. Michael Rivers. Alive. Right in front of me.

Michael: "Look at you, Riley. You've grown into a man in my absence."

I took off my mask. I didn't feel that it was right to wear it right now.

Riley: "Dad!?"

Chapter 11 End.