"Ah welcome to the stately Bat-Station." Alfred greets the two appearing in the rundown subway station, while he is standing in the impromptu kitchen. Despite the surroundings he manages to appear like he was standing in a Michelin-star worthy restaurant. Over the period of Raven's stay in Wayne Manor the old man has become used to her sudden appearances, to the point of it seeming like he was expecting her even when he almost walked into her, much like he handles Bruce.
"Thanks Al, how are things here?" Raven asks as she folds her hood back.
"Splendid, if one cares for the dirt, the rust, the cold and uncomfortable living quarters." Alfred replies with a smirk. "And so good to see Master Richard around you without a mask being involved."
"Yeah, it was a really close call." Richard admits.
"But you pulled through, as we knew you would." Batman says as he emerges from the shadows between the abandoned train carts followed by Robin. "Good to see you back."
"Good to be back." Richard replies with a smirk as the two remove their masks.
"What's with the helmet?" Tim asks, noticing the one Richard is carrying with him.
"Well, I just got this." Richard admits as he puts in on a table in front of him. "It will sound a bit weird, but don't try and wear it, you will get stuck unless it approves of you."
"Right." Tim smirks, somewhere in Richards head, something makes a note to not be surprised when he has to get Tim out of it later tonight. "So you two?" He asks while wiggling his finger between Richard and Raven.
"Yup. Is that an issue?" Raven asks while looking at Bruce.
"You are both professional enough to leave it at home when in the field." The man shrugs, with a slight smile. "This isn't something I am going to have to talk to Diana about?" He continues as he points at the helmet.
"Nope." Richard replies as he remembers what Athena told him. "That reminds me, would you have happened to have fought any Greek mythological monsters or heroes in the last two years?" Bruce quirks an eyebrow along with Alfred and Tim.
"I had to fight off the entire Greco-Roman exhibit of the Gotham Museum a year and a half ago, statues and paintings came to life around me, when they were all done, nothing could be seen that anything had happened, the only thing that I have as proof it did happen was a note written in glowing letters, addressed to me. I suspect it was Athena." Bruce explains. "Happened to you as well?" He asks Richard who nods at him.
"Thought I was going nuts, Diana came over to New York yesterday and offered we could stay at the embassy before coming here. I thought I was getting followed everywhere I went, it didn't help that Raven's friends kept talking in a language I couldn't understand. Then last night I got up and found every statue and painting staring at me, turns out Athena wanted some entertainment, since Ares is no longer around, so had me fight off four Greek legends, one of them gave me this when I was done." He says as he pats the helmet. "Diana wasn't at all happy with the damage done to her lobby and the statue of Athena, which had stood up, didn't help that she had at first erased the security camera's recordings of it all."
"Why'd she do that?" Tim asks.
"She has some kind of hope that I won't blow her off if she one day asks me for help, and she was trying to force me to tell the others what Terra did to me… Actually, that reminds me, you think Diana will pass it on?"
"She isn't a gossip monger and she knows it's not the sort of thing everyone has to know about." Raven shrugs.
"Think I better warn Connor if she decides to send something his way as well." Tim mentions before turning to Raven. "By the way, Cassie says her lasso is acting up, like it's running out of juice."
"Is it possible she got the Lasso from Ares?" Raven asks, though Bruce and Tim had asked her to subtly have a look at the thing, she never saw it out of Cassandra's hands or on her hip. "I remember something about her evil half berating her for not taking up an offer Ares made her?"
"It's possible." Bruce says after thinking it over for a second. "He is her half-brother after all and she never told anyone who gave it to her."
"She has a rather spectacular family tree." Alfred notes, remembering when Cassandra, Bart and Conner visited Tim at the Manor. "Sandwiches will be served shortly."
"Time to change." Raven says as she closes her eyes for a moment before her cloak and leotard is replaced by her Batgirl attire, she stretches a little to get it to sit properly as Nightwing puts his mask back on. "All set otherwise."
"Same here." Nightwing says. "Where are we going?"
"Southwest docks have become a refuge for people that refuse to go to the camps, we have heard rumors of some of the gangers have taken notice of this as well. I want you and Tim to check it out discreetly, we are still in the process of mapping out everything, so bring back every piece of information you can. Raven, I need you with me in the McArthur Park, Ivy seems to have returned and taken up residence there." Bruce says as he folds out a small map from his belt and points out the general area he wants them in. "I know you are aware of it, but I will say it nonetheless; be careful out there, the greatest threat you will meet out there is the city itself." Nightwing just nods at him, noting how bad it must be for Bruce to actually point it out.
"Guys, I think I have found Arthur C. Hindlight." Richard sends to the others around five in the morning, his and Tim's assignment having ended hours ago. "Three clicks north of the refugee warehouse on O'Connell, heading west."
Tim had headed back to base to rest while Richard has stayed out to regain the feeling of the city that reminds him of Jump City after Trigon broke the world. Bruce had reported earlier that they have negotiated a treaty with Ivy, she would be allowed to stay in the Park, for now, if anyone entered, she was to gently evict them if she didn't want them there. Richard was certain Bruce will have mentioned between lines that if Ivy killed anyone, then she would be back in Arkham by the next night. Currently Nightwing is perched on a building roof, following a one armed man in black pants, white boots a light brown jacket and baseball cap.
"Follow and observe, do not engage." Comes Bruce's rumbling reply that leaves little to Dicks imagination that he didn't think the joke was appropriate at all, but it was hard for Richard to stop that because he had been calling the suspect that ever since Jump City.
"Will do." Nightwing sends back before resuming his trailing of the man, following him for around 10 minutes while sending updates to the others before he notices other shadows on the other rooftops, the quick confirmation of the others presence is enough for him to lose sight of the target. "I lost visual."
"Ducked into the alley up ahead." Batgirl replies.
"Assemble on the roof above it." Batman adds and soon enough the four of them are looking down into the dead end alley, but they can see no trace of the their target, as if he just disappeared in the garbage that litters the place.
"The cardboard box." Tim guesses, getting a nod from Batgirl confirming the man's whereabouts.
"Loud and fast." Batman says as he points Batgirl and Robin to cover the exit of the alley and Nightwing to take the back, while he takes the front. They all get into position before he nods at them to begin. Batgirl makes the loudest racket as she lands on the lid of a half filled dumpster, while Nightwing comes a close second on the pile of plastic bags he lands on, the other two are virtually silent in comparison.
"Whu…wassat?" There is a bit of movement before a wasted looking Arthur Light peeks out from under his shelter, at first he doesn't even seem to see them before Batman lifts the box of the man, revealing several liquor bottles inside along with several blankets. "NYAAA! I ain't done nuttin! I aint done nuttin! I was just sleepin!" He screams as Batman grabs him by the collar of his jacket and hoists him off the ground, noting how the man reeks of alcohol.
"Arthur Light, you have three options now." Batman says sternly. "One; you come with us peacefully and is admitted to Arkham. Two; you resist, we take you down the hard way and you get there anyway. Or three, we leave you here and I call up Wonder Woman, Zatanna and Raven and tell them where to find you." He growls through clenched teeth. They can see Light go rigid at the last option, even in his drunken state it seems he realized what that would mean for him. "Well?"
"I…. But…" Light stammers in protest getting Batman to sigh before bringing his head into Arthur's with a crack, knocking the man out.
"Hmm, not much of a fight." Nightwing notes.
"He is still far too dangerous, even in this state." Batman says as he slings him over his shoulder. "Let's get him handed over." He continues and pulls out his grapple gun the others do as well and soon the quartet is moving across the rooftops towards Arkham.
The small group continues to patrol the ruins of Gotham, along with the construction sites that soon begins to appear. To the surprise of the others, Bruce decides to post-pone the rebuilding of Wayne Manor for a month, something he explains with he felt that in a way that it was good for him to return to the basics, fearing he might have become too dependent on the gadgets, machines and computers. If there were any who didn't like his decision, they didn't say it out loud.
With League assistance, Tim still spends the weekends at Titans Tower, after the second week he comes back to report that Slade had awoken. While initially confused about his location, he was nonetheless thankful for the assistance he had been provided, but he was very saddened to hear of the loss of Wintergreen. The Monday after they would find him gone, leaving only a note for Rose and Joey that he needed some time alone. This worried a lot of people.
Raven and Richard had time to explore their relationship, while Bruce hadn't forbidden them from doing it, they didn't do anything worse than share the bed in their train car and to both of them, the closeness is enough. While awake, one could usually find one near the other as they didn't stray far from each other unless ordered to. What impresses Bruce however is the fact that when the costumes are put on, their relationship seemingly ceased to exist. They didn't complain about being separated by missions or miles of rubble and they didn't complain when the other was sent somewhere after someone particularly dangerous.
They aren't without visitors however and Superman and Wonder Woman, stop by a few times over the month while also making sure to be seen assisting in some way with the rebuilding effort outside. Superman goes so far as to blow away a weather system that had caused a downpour for a week, threatening the refugees with various diseases. Superman also came during the third week to personally deliver a request from the courts to have the Titans appear at Terra's trial in a month's time as witnesses.
Gradually Gotham recovers, in all ways, as plots are slowly cleared and buildings are slowly rebuilt, so are old networks reestablished. The Falcone family being the first to be found plying their trade amongst the construction workers, providing protection, gambling, drugs, booze and prostitution to them. Try as they might, the Bats move in to stop them, going so far as stringing up the protection crews at their 'employers' work sites with notes on them, asking how they could provide protection, when they couldn't protect themselves. What really sets off the alarm bells however is when the Clan detects the presence of the League of Assassins inside Gotham, working on their own mysterious agenda.
"Old place never looked better." Richard notes as he is holding hands with Raven as the five are making their way up the driveway to Wayne Manor, which had been restored in the span of two weeks, Bruce having reached out to a number of specialized contractors from abroad to have it done quickly and discreetly.
"I agree Master Richard, it will be good to have central heating again." Alfred adds while they are all pulling their small suitcases after them, more for show than anything, since most of their equipment from the station has been sealed away till the next time. What they do carry however, is all from New York, after Raven had them all transported there so they had a chance to be seen moving back. "So when will the rebuilding begin Master Bruce?" Alfred asks as he holds the front door open to let them all in.
"When we are all unpacked, I want you all to meet me in the cave." Bruce says as Alfred closes the door.
Fifteen minutes later they are all gathered in the ruins of the cave, with Bruce having started up the generator and the computer, having changed into costume.
"Now, before we begin on the most critical operation we have to solve; the League of Assassins presence in Gotham, I think you should see and have a chance to add your input to the designs I made for the cave." Bruce says as he hits a few keys and the big screen lights up, showing a rendered image of the cave as it looked before the quake that slowly rotates around its own axis, before it is zoomed out to include some of the currently unused caves before the old structures are replaced with new ones. Instead of the suspended platforms that had previously been employed, each level of the old cave has been replaced with a concrete deck, eliminating the old walkway systems leaving each level as one big platform with two stairs and a cargo ramp for each of them and an elevator built into the wall next to it. Also, Bruce has plans for two of the currently unused caves, but the others can't tell what it is. But they can tell that the structure of the new parts are planned to be earthquake proof.
"What are you planning with the two new caves?" Richard asks.
"I want to move some of the more dangerous aspects of our operation into one of them, the chemical lab for instance, the other one I was wondering if it could be warded sufficiently so that Raven might have a place to practice her magic?" Bruce asks as he turns to face them again.
"Well, the gesture is nice." Raven notes. "But as we agreed, I don't live here and I don't work magic in the field and not here? While it is possible to mask it, if I start practicing magic around here I might draw unwanted attention to the cave. And I don't need to remind you how long it's been since I last blew up something by accident."
"I know." Bruce says with a smirk, remembering how he had come home to watch Alfred storm past him with first a growling couch, with a wildly barking Cerberus and Raven in pursuit. "But we will deal if anything shows up, besides, Fate has noted that if anything is lured here, they will know who actually lives here. Also, other than Fate's tower, in case of crisis, we might need a local command center for the magicians, one that is possible to get in touch with."
"Well, I can agree that for those outside the circle, Kent is a bit hard to reach at times, but I can't promise you that everyone will come here, the Tower of Fate has been standing for a substantial amount of time." Raven says, actually even Dr. Fate didn't know how long his tower had been there or if it had always looked like it did. "But it can probably be made into a suitable gathering place for such an event that the tower is unavailable, if you are comfortable with having that many of that kind of people here?"
"Emergency purposes only." Bruce replies. "I trust you can manage them."
"I will." Raven replies, hoping she wouldn't have to bring in some of the more maverick mages she had met at Fate's tower, not every mage had been equally fortunate in their exposure to the magical element and what it contains, along with people like Constantine, the Enchantress and Rac Shade.
"So what are we going to do with the extra space this gets us?" Tim asks.
"We will figure it out." Bruce says with a smirk. "But we have to deal with the League first and foremost." He says as the screens suddenly begin flickering before they change the image to that of a man in his fifties with a graying streak of hair on the sides of his head and sideburn mustache in the same otherwise dark hair. "Speak of the Devil." Bruce grumbles.
"It is good to know our presence has been noticed Detective, no thanks to your bumbling minions." Ra's al Ghul says from over the feed.
"Ra's." Bruce grumbles at the man. "What are your people doing in my city?"
"I have my reasons." Ra's replies as he gives them the impression the answer is beneath him to answer as he raises his brow. "But I feel compelled to announce my presence to my most worthy adversary, Talia sends her regards." He says before shutting off the feed, Bruce turns away from the screen and faces them with a scowl on his face; the others need no other prompting to get changed.
"Sir, I may remind you that he is baiting you?" Alfred says as Tim and Dick run into the wardrobe, while Raven changes costume.
"I know." Bruce replies. "That's what makes him so dangerous."
"Think he finally is making good on his promise for the hair?" Raven asks.
"Has to be, we haven't heard the slightest peep from him since that. Means that you will be in his sights in particular, he will have figured it out." Bruce replies to her.
"I know, I'll be careful." Raven replies, assuming Ra's only made this move now because he thought he had something to neutralize her.
"Where do you want us?" Nightwing asks as he and Robin emerges from the wardrobe.
"The refugee camps. With the city in ruins, Ra's will be going after the survivors. Dick, you check out camp Alpha and Bravo, Raven you take Charlie and Delta and Tim takes Epsilon and Foxtrot. Be careful out there, this is obviously something he has been planning for a while." None of the question him in this matter, even if they are the actual targets, they can't let that put the innocent at risk.
"You will be doing something else?" Tim asks.
"I need to make sure of a few things, call if anything happens." Bruce says, getting a nod from them all before Bruce nods at Raven, allowing her to teleport them to where he wanted them all.
"You suspect he has been here?" Alfred asks, secretly questioning the wisdom in sending them all off alone.
"I am almost certain of it." Batman says as he walks to the edge of the cliffs on the side that used to house the chemical lab, but had collapsed during the quake. "But what he's been doing here, that's what I need to confirm." He continues before jumping down. Using his cape as a glider he makes his way down to the level that houses his lab and the vault; that Raven had assured him was intact and untouched when she took stock of the place, but with the rest of security down and the time that has passed since then, someone could have been there since.
Her words prove true as he lands on the ledge and enters after running the scan, that he still had to do, since it ran on its own power, a small hydro plant he had been testing once. Looking inside he finds it as he remembers it, but he still takes careful note of every plan and schematic hanging on the wall, every file case and the three half-baked inventions he had been toying with. Finding only a few screws that had fallen off the table, he moves to take a look inside the circular room that Batgirl's costume had once occupied, he finds that as untouched as the first room and moves to examine the vault. Twisting the handle of the door is too easy he notes to himself, someone had been inside. He admits internally it could have been Raven, but that would have been a first, she was usually quite firm about closing the doors behind her and this door had once been a struggle to open after she had been inside.
Fearing the worst, Batman pulls the door open as fast as he can, getting greeted by the glow of the various types of Kryptonite he stores here, it doesn't calm him and he enters. Quickly he notes that one of each Kryptonite crystals is missing, as are finished countermeasures against a number of the Justice League and Teen Titan members. There was supposed to be a small unmarked black box hidden under a panel in the floor that had the box of green Kryptonite standing on it, the box itself was unremarkable and its contents wasn't registered anywhere other than in Bruce's head. But in spite all of this, he finds the box empty and that's when it hits him; who the real target is. And he curses himself for thinking it could have been otherwise.
"Raven... Broken Arrow! I repeat Broken Arrow!" Bruce practically shouts down the telepathic link he shares with Raven and the boys, a cold knot form in his stomach when he receives no reply at all.
"There were at least twenty, she didn't go down easy." Nightwing says as he gives his impression of the remains of the center of the muddy camp Delta, as feared, the armed guards had proven no obstacle for the League, some refugees had even claimed some of the guards had turned on their fellows. But of Batgirl, there is no sign.
The area is a mess of blackish mud, overturned tents and the remains of those refugees who had been deemed a danger to the League; from what the three can tell, they died without pain. With the rain pouring down from above, they only have an impression of the battle that resulted in some blood shedding from the combatants, Tim had already taken samples, but chances are high that the sample is polluted with the water and the blood of others.
"Question is, if she is still alive and was taken with them or?" Dick asks, if Bruce and Tim hadn't known him for as long as they have they wouldn't have been able to tell how affected he was by it all.
"I made a mistake." Bruce grumbles to himself, but the others hear him. "Ra's has been in the cave vault while we were out of the house."
"You had a… counter… for her?!" Nightwing asks in half way in surprise, halfway in outrage.
"We did." Robin sighs. "In case she ever went completely nuts. She knew it was there, but asked not to be told what it was."
"What, was it?" Nightwing asks.
"A special sedative, one that would knock her out for several hours with the dose that is missing from the cave, even if transformed." Bruce says as his voice gradually hardens, a part of him really wants to punch something; but nothing around here is solid enough to take it. "Come on, Ra's has a reason for doing this now." He says, knowing where Ra's would hide, now that the first step has been completed; Wayne Tower.
"As always, your skills remain impressive." Ra's al Ghul notes as he regards the three entering the main meeting room for the board of directors, dragging an unconscious ninja behind them each. "Alas for the company you surround yourself with." He sighs, while he respects Batman as an adversary, he rarely shows anything but disdain for either Dick or Tim.
"Where is she?" Batman asks as he drops the black clad ninja on the ground.
"You need not concern yourself with the fates of offal like that." Ra's replies without a hint of concern. "I am here as a favor…"
"Where is she?!" Nightwing asks, interrupting Ra's for a second before he continues.
"…to my daughter, she has decided it was time to reveal that the seed you sowed a decade ago has borne fruit and that he is ready to join you." He says as a figure drops down from above to land on the main table, it's a boy of around 10 years of age, dressed in a Robin costume with a red shirt, with black sleeves and pants along with green boots and gloves. "This is Damian."
"Hello father." The boy replies with a smirk at Batman who just stares at the youth along with Tim, while Nightwing is busy boring holes in Ra's.
"Ra's, what have you done with her?" He asks, completely ignoring Damian.
"You are interrupting a beautiful family moment gypsy." A voice says behind Nightwing as a sword slides into his field of vision over his shoulder, the voice is enough to catch Batman's attention.
"Talia." Batman says as he turns to face her, while Nightwing returns his gaze to Ra's. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Why I am introducing you to our son, my love." The dark-haired woman replies while she keeps the blade at Nightwing's throat. "Oh have you forgotten about our night in Paris?" Both Nightwing and Robin look to Bruce in surprise at this.
"That was ten years ago." He grumbles. "Why should I believe you? You showed no signs of pregnancy when I saw you seven months later."
"She had me matured in an artificial womb and grown to perfection." Damian replies. "And since I trained to become worthy of being your partner."
"Think about it love… Batman and son." Talia continues. "Now we only need to remove the rest of the undeserving." She continues as she leans closer to Nightwing, who stands rock still, his eyes locked back onto Ra's.
"My offer remains as open as it always has Detective, join me and we will cleanse this world of the evil that infests it." Ra's adds.
"How old are you?" Batman asks Damian.
"10." The boy replies crisply.
"Hh." Bruce mutters before turning to Talia. "Your tale could be true, and Damian is mine. But you will not threaten any of my sons." He growls, getting a surprised look out of the woman. "And I will have Raven back. Where is she?!" Ra's sighs and shakes his head.
"Truly Detective, I will never comprehend why you insist on surround yourself with these vermin." He says as he throws his cloak over his shoulders, revealing the twin sables sheathed there. "But rest assured, you will see it our way after tonight!" He continues as he draws both blades, before rushing over the table between himself and Batman to engage him. Damian follows him as he passes as he folds out a metal rod, meeting the rod of Robin. Nightwings own battle starts with him elbowing Talia in the side, right as Ra's stops talking, before slipping away to face her, but he is quickly engaged by black clad ninja's that rush out of the shadows of the far corners of the darkened room with raised swords.
"With you gone, Drake, only the one who is truly worthy to fight alongside of my father will remain!" Damian snaps while he and Tim are dancing an elegant dance of strikes and parries with their weapons, fists and feet.
"You don't earn this by killing anyone, least of all me." Tim replies flatly as he blocks the kick aimed at his head with his arm.
"You know me Detective, I am a man of honor and I respect you." Ra's says as he and Batman are dancing their own routine, while Nightwing is laying about himself. "Call off your minions and cast them out and I will allow them to live."
"They have earned their places many times over, all of them." Batman replies as he ducks under a slash aiming at his head, he knows Ra's doesn't intend to kill him, only distract him. "Where is she?"
"I do not dispute her abilities, unnatural as they are; my Men of Death had an exceedingly troublesome time of bringing her down even after the dart." This has Batman freeze for a second to batter a sword strike off mark, Ra's al Ghul's Men of Death are the deadliest cadre of the League of Assassins, an organization filled with skilled killers.
"You sent the Men of Death against her? Where is she?!" Batman roars as his mind struggles with the idea that Batgirl had faced this group and who knows how many others and come out on the losing side, while he gets past Ra's guard and manages to strike his jaw, getting the man to stagger back to taste the blood in his mouth.
"She has poisoned your mind Detective, I knew a time when one such as her would never have provoked such a response." Ra's says as the two squares off against each other. "She is unworthy of your company."
"I decide who I fight with." Batman says calmly as he straightens up casting a quick look out the window behind Ra's. "Duck!" Batman's shout is immediately acted upon by Tim and Richard who hit the ground as the windows are blown in, the air pressure throws everyone still standing to the ground.
"So Ra's, are you going to answer the man?" Superman asks as the dust dies down enough for the people inside to see the Man of Steel hang outside the ruined windows, wearing his radiation suit along with Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and the Martian Manhunter. Behind them, the door is kicked off its hinges, revealing a less than pleased looking Wonder Woman and Flash who is constantly blurring with motion.
"Please, do resist." Hawkgirl growls as she brandishes her mace like a disapproving housewife with a rolling pin.
Ra's growls as he takes stock of the situation he is in before smirking. "Hmm, till next time Detective. Turaab." At the last word, Ra's and Talia fade from view as tiny tweets begin coming from the belts of the ninja's who all look down in surprise.
"OUT!" Batman yells, realizing what is about to happen. Superman is quickly inside to grab his arms and exits the building while Wonder Woman races over to grab Nightwing and Flash takes the two Robins out of the room. They barely have time to get clear before the meeting room is atomized in the suicide blast.
"DNA confirms it." Dr. Mid-Night says as he is addressing the founders of the League on the Watchtower along with Nightwing and Robin an hour and a half after they left Gotham. "Damian's DNA is half yours." He says as he looks to Batman, who remains stoic.
"J'onn?" Diana asks, prompting the Martian to reveal what he learned from Damians mind.
"Damian has been raised by Ra's and the League of Assassins, from birth he's been trained in their ways always being told who is father is and that it's his destiny to become Robin. I have also learned of his part in Batgirls disappearance. Ra's knew of her true identity and came prepared; while she was distracted by the Men of Death and the other assassins, Damian climbed a guard tower with a rifle loaded with the counter measure he had been told his father had prepared for the eventuality that she should be removed." He says calmly as Diana stares at Batman.
"A sedative, one I knew would knock her out even if she transformed." Batman says while refusing to meet anyone's stares. "She knew I had something, but she didn't want to know any more so its effectiveness wouldn't be deluded."
"And what were you planning for the rest of us?" Shayera asks.
"It's better we don't know, in case we are the ones going mad." Diana sighs.
"Ra's stole samples of Kryptonite from the cave, one of each of the five other strains I have encountered beyond the green." Batman says to Superman's surprise. "I have predictions about what they would do to you, but I am not certain about the effect. As I told Wally, the countermeasure Ra's has against him is a vibration bullet that, if it hits him, will cause him to go into a supersonic seizure. Diana's is a similar device that will induce a hallucination of her fighting someone equal to her, trapping her in an unending battle in her mind. John is a marine and an architect, and relies a lot on his eyes, his was a hypnotic suggestion to his mind that he had gone blind and his ring would render him as such. J'onn needs to beware if he he sees nanobots being fired at him, as they would latch onto his skin and turn it into magnesium, which burns in contact with air. Shayera will need to watch out for her mace as Ra's took a chip from the cave that if installed would make it backfire its electrical power into the wielder."
"And nothing else was taken?" Superman asks.
"A prototype counter I was making for the New Gods, but it was still very early phase, the idea was to have their motherboxes taken from them before the projector was to return them to their world, buying some time before they would return." Batman replies.
"Ok, can I ask why you had these things made? I know I am not the one who should be asking this, but I am." Shayera says.
"Because I asked him to." Superman sighs, getting a look of surprise out of a few of them. "After Darkseid brainwashed me, I asked Bruce to store a green Kryptonite crystal in case I should ever become a threat to the world again. I suspect it got him thinking that I was not the only one this could happen to."
"Umm, guys. Could we get to the topic of how we are supposed to find Raven?" Tim quips.
"I agree, these Men of Death will know." J'onn adds. "Assuming she is still alive?" He asks the Bat clan.
"The bond hasn't changed." Bruce says. "J'onn, is it possible you can find her?"
"I will try." The Green Martian replies before turning transparent and sinks through the floor.
"Tracer in her suit is offline?" Diana asks.
"It is." Batman confirms. "We need to set up search teams in case she's been taken to a shielded location. I know of a number of Ra's hideouts, in case that fails, I know who to ask to know where more are…"
For two weeks the League scours the planet for Raven, after J'onn fails to track her. The Justice League, Teen Titans and other teams show up in force at each location for safety measures, they strike without warning and with speed so swift that the League of Assassins doesn't have the opportunity to raise their defenses or commit suicide, in most of the cases. The attacks result in many biological weapons being uncovered and a lot of hidden plans being uncovered with them, but the League has the feeling that they are all being played as their actual target remains lost and without leads to her whereabouts.
The Shadowpact is also asked to search for Raven in more untraditional manners, in hopes they could track her mystic signature. Alas they report after a week's search that it was like she had fallen off the face of the planet. Fate is quick to caution that, like psi-shielding, there could be wards placed so they simply couldn't detect her. Jason returns later with the report that the Pit and Hell did not contain her either, at least he and Etrigan was not able to coax any information about her from the Underworld.
While this is going on, Bruce, Dick and Tim are trying to get their minds around the mystery that is Damian. On one hand he seems to almost worship Bruce and doesn't hide his desire to work with him, on the other hand, he has only contempt for any of the other Clan members. Quickly earning the ire of Richard after detailing what Batgirl had gone through after he shot her. Tim suffers the worst of Damian's taunts, since he claims to be the rightful Robin and that if he had his way Tim would be a cold corpse in a ditch. When the subject of Batgirl is touched, both of them, receives a torrent of degrading and often sexist comments. With the investigations in progress and the potential risk Damian poses, the boy is locked away most of the time in a cell Mr. Miracle helped Bruce make, the only one he couldn't break out of. The other times they were fortunate that either Wally or Barry were around. Diana is not fond of him either as she is also a target of taunts, however she also knows that lashing out at him is what he wants.
Eventually, the leads dry out by the fourth week, the Bat-Clan knows the buffer zone Ra's had set up for them to batter themselves against has served its purpose. Nightwing is angry at the development, but he knows that without leads now, they have nothing to act on. They all know they are being forced to deal with Damian, being the one person who would know of any additional bases. Bruce knows he would, but the knowledge was buried outside of J'onn's telepathic abilities and the questioning Merlyn, a former Man of Death, proved equally as fruitless. Bruce, Dick, Tim, Diana and Alfred agree that the only way they are getting any information out of Damian is to play Ra's game and let Damian out. To the surprise of the others however, Bruce asks them to keep a wary eye on him and stop the boy if he does something they don't approve of, citing the possibility of him being incapable of doing it himself. Before parting after reaching the agreement, Dick lets the others know that he would continue his search on his own and he already knows who he plans on enlisting.
Next Chapter: Who is Nightwing enlisting? How far is Damian willing to go to become Robin? And what else can the Bat's do to find her?