A/N: I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW, EVERYONE'S BEEN UPDATING BUT ME! I'm sorry about that but I had so much stuff going on at the end of the year, it was absolutely insane. Plus this chapter was insanely difficult (and I would like to thank Starcrier for helping me with the 'oh so hard to write' court scene. if you haven't taken a look at her story "For Your Entertainment"... why haven't you? It's perfection). But this story will be finished by the end of the month. :( But good news... I am doing a sequel! :D It's called "A Series of Regrettable Events" and the summary is on my profile. However, since I'm doing a sequel, I'm not sure I'm going to do an epilogue like I originally planned. My original plan was this chapter, the next chapter would finish "The Dark Knight Rises," and then an epilogue that takes place about 11 years later. I'd like to post it, but I'm not sure anymore since it'll contain spoilers for what happens in "A Series of Regrettable Events." But, review and tell me what you want, epilogue or no epilogue, either way please review and enjoy the chapter. (Oh and speaking of reviews... OH MY GOD 100 FREAKING REVIEWS YOU GUYS ARE THE MOST WONDERFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO EVER REVIEWED AND EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T REVIEW THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS SINCE IT IS MY GREATEST WORK SO FAR! But anyways, please read, review, and enjoy!)
War
There she was, standing atop a building, looking down at the city below her. But it wasn't Gotham. Gotham was a beautiful place, grimy and gritty in parts and rough around the edges, but beautiful nonetheless. The Gotham she loved wasn't a burning wasteland, with trees and bushes filled with glowing embers, the people weren't animals who tore each other to shreds, and a sky that burned and clouds that rained ash. The Batgirl looked around, terrified at the horrors around her, dropping to her knees, unable to continue to watch her city die.
"No," she sobbed. "No, no, no. It wasn't supposed to end this way. They weren't supposed to win." She looked up at the sky, where the Batsignal shone brightly in the clouds. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she screamed up at the sky. "I tried and I failed you! I'M SORRY!"
"Jenna!" a voice called in the distance. "Jenna! Jen, it's alright, it's fine, but you need to wake up! Wake up!" Jenna's eyes flew open and she sat up on the couch with a scream. John Blake grabbed her arms, trying to calm her down.
"Jen, are you ok? What's wrong?" he asked.
"I failed them, I failed them, the city burned and I couldn't stop it," Jenna sobbed, tears beginning to brim in her eyes. She looked down, not wanting John to see her cry.
"Jen, look at me," he said. Jenna didn't. "Look. At. Me." Jenna looked at him hesitantly. "Gotham's not done yet. We can still save Gotham. And we will save Gotham," Blake told her. Jenna looked to the side and nodded.
"You're right," she agreed. John smiled slightly and Jenna smiled back. She got up from the couch, John helping her up, and Jenna walked to the hall, grabbed her coat off the rack, and put it on, before she turned to John and said, "Come on. We've got a city to save." He nodded and followed her out the door.
"Not as many as we'd hoped," Jenna admitted, looking over the number of currently free GCPD officers they'd managed to get together to help bring down Bane's regime. Bette, Helena, and Dinah were not among them, due to Jenna's insistence that if something went wrong, they had to have a reserve ready to finish the job.
"It'll be enough. We'll make it be enough," Blake assured her. Jenna nodded and they made their way into the building. Gordon looked up from the maps and GPS on the table and his frown became even firmer at the sight of so few.
"That's it?" Gordon questioned and John nodded hesitantly. Gordon looked over "Foley? Where's Foley, damn it!"
"You shouldn't be out on the streets," Blake warned him, but Gordon ignored him. Jenna sighed.
"Well, while Gordon takes out his frustration on the deserter, I suggest we try and find a few more men," Jenna suggested. Blake nodded in agreement. And so, they went back out onto the streets, searching for help. They'd checked all the safe houses they'd set up over the past five months but found no one else who was courageous enough to help them. After yet another failed attempt, they decided it would be best to head back. However, as they walked back to base, John, no breaking stride, whispered "We've got a follower." Jenna didn't look behind herself, but took a deep breath.
"A merc?" she asked.
"No. It looked like a woman." Jenna groaned.
"It's probably Catwoman again." Blake looked at her confused.
"Catwoman?"
"Selina Kyle," Jenna clarified. Jenna looked carefully ahead, formulating a plan in her mind. "Turn the corner and hide. I've got this," she instructed.
"You sure?" Blake asked. Jenna gave him a look. "Yeah you're sure." The dynamic duo turned the corner and blake crouched behind a nearby parked car. Jenna leaned against the wall, and as soon as the stalker turned the corner, Jenna grabbed the woman and threw her against the wall, only to immediately let go when she realized who it was.
"Miranda, what are you doing out here? It's not safe," Jenna warned.
"Looking for you. I heard that you're making you move and I want to help," Miranda explained, rolling her neck a bit.
"Miranda-" Jenna started but was stopped by her friend.
"Jenna, I am over twice as old as you were when you started getting involved in these kinds of things and am still over a decade older than you. I can take care of myself," Miranda stated.
"I just don't want you getting caught in the crossfire," Jenna maintained.
"All of Gotham is in the crossfire now Jenna." Jenna shrugged and nodded reluctantly.
"Point taken. If your prepared for the risk-"
"I am," Miranda assured her friend.
"Then let's go find the Commissioner. I just hope he hasn't gotten himself killed yet." With that they headed to Foley's house, just in time to see Foley close the door on Gordon.
"I hear you're looking for men, commissioner. How about me instead?" Miranda asked as Gordon turned to face her, John and Jenna standing close behind.
"Thank you Miss Tate, but I can't ask that of you," Gordon said.
Miranda blinked once before gently saying "Please." The Commissioner's resolve began to crumble and he looked to Jenna for her thoughts. Jenna hesitated slightly, thinking back to Selina Kyle's words of warning, before she thought, If I can't trust Miranda Tate, then I can't trust anyone, and nodded in approval.
If this doesn't work we're screwed, Jenna thought to herself as Gordon gave Miranda her job.
Don't think like that, Jenna scolded herself. Think like that and you are screwed.
"Heads up, head up," came Blake's voice from the walkie talkie. Everyone got into position. Miranda waited by the curb and looked down at the radiation scanner as the truck passed. She nodded at the others and two undercover GCPD officer walked in front of the truck as Gordon walked behind and inconspicuously threw a tracker onto the back of the truck. He looked at the tracking device GPS and said, "I got it." But before hardly any of them had time to move, Blake's voice warned "Mercenaries on your 6."
"Stand still. Keep your hands where we can see them!" a mercenary shouted as Jenna, Gordon, Miranda, and the GCPD officers' escape routes were cut off on both sides of the alleyway by mercenaries.
"Damnnit," Jenna cursed, holding her hands up slightly. Fighting this many armed thugs without her suit and with so many people who could get injured around wasn't an option at the moment. Better to bide her time and make her move later.
"Commissioner Gordon, you are under arrest," Barsad stated as he walked toward Gordon.
"On whose authority?" Gordon inquired. Barsad smiled.
"The people of Gotham's."
"No lawyer? No witnesses? What kind of due process is this?" Jenna shouted at Crane's kangaroo court. Five months she'd kept silent, fuming over this mockery of justice and wanting to end it, but finding herself unable to speak due to her being needed elsewhere. Now, if she was going to die, she was going to do it giving Crane one massive headache.
"This is not a trial. This is merely a sentencing," Crane explained.
"And what are the charges?" she yelled. Crane sighed, clearly annoyed.
"Lying to and deceiving the people of Gotham about the true nature of Harvey Dent and framing the vigilante known as the Batman for his crimes," Crane stated.
"And yet, why is it that the thousands of thieves, murderers, and rapists are not being tried in this court?" Jenna inquired, one hand on her hip and the other motioning to the violent crowd gathered, who made noises of dissent and dissatisfaction at her accusation.
"They've already been tried and unfairly sentenced under the Dent Act, named for your dear corrupt criminal of an uncle," Crane mocked.
"Harvey Dent pulled a gun on me the night he died after he shot the Batman and I tried to help him up. I have no love for Harvey Dent," Jenna defended. "As for your comment on how the criminals have already been tried, what about all the new criminals who have popped up in Gotham over the past few months? Not to mention Bane's men and the masked menace himself." At this she shot a glare at the man who had turned her city to Hell, wishing she could reduce him to ashes with a simple stare.
"They are our liberators and are allowing true justice to be served," Crane expressed.
"Is that why they aren't allowing anyone to leave the island? Or why they aren't allowing anyone to defend themselves in court? Because that certainly sounds like true justice," Jenna scoffed. Crane ran a hand through his hair irritatedly and gave a frustrated sigh that made Jenna smirk internally in triumph. She was getting to him. Good.
"Miss Dawes, I am not here to argue with you about the court system and justice," Crane explained as though to a child.
"Right, your just there to bang your hammer and give everyone headaches," Jenna smirked.
"I am here to to bring justice to the people who have wronged Gotham City, much like your beloved Batman," Crane taunted, ignoring her earlier jab.
"Don't mention him, you make him sound as filthy as you are," Jenna sneered.
"Why not, he's no better than us. The Batman is a lying, deceitful, hypocritical murderer. He claims - or should it be claimed - that he never kills, and while he may not have Harvey Dent's blood on his hands, he most certainly has the Joker's," Crane reminded Jenna. The court went ecstatic at this, clearly glad that the Batman's name was still mud, just like Harvey Dent's. However, their uproar was cut short by Jenna Dawes shouting, "You're wrong." The crowd settled at this and Jenna took a great gulp of air, trying to keep her emotion in check. Getting emotional was the easiest way to lose an argument.
"Excuse me?" Crane asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"You're excused," Jenna said. "And while I despise having to repeat myself, you seem to have gone deaf from banging that damn hammer so much, so I'll make an exception. The Batman didn't kill the Joker."
"Then who did?" he questioned.
Jenna was about to speak but was interrupted by a soft cough behind her. She turned to see Gordon staring at her. He looked as though he wanted to stop her but Jenna just looked at him, as though to say, I'm tired of lying. I'm not letting him take the fall for others crimes anymore. He looked her over before nodding and Jenna took a deep breath and said, "I did." There was silence in the crowd as they absorbed what they had just heard before they all burst into raucous, jeering laughter. Crane banged his hammer a few times, which restored 'order' back to the court, but he too was clearly amused at the thought of someone as harmless as Jenna Dawes killing someone like the Joker.
"You?" Crane scoffed. "You expect us to believe a girl who isn't more than 130 pounds soaking wet is capable of killing Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime?" Jenna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before she reopened her eyes and began.
"The Joker's official autopsy report states that he was killed by a single bullet to the chest. The Batman has many tools and weapons at his disposal, some of which could have been used lethally, but out of all his gear, you will never find anyone who will testify to the Batman carrying a gun," Jenna Dawes stated. "In fact, other than disarming opponents and occasionally directing their fire to wound their comrades, the Batman would never even touch a gun. Besides, if he ever came to the point where he deemed it necessary to take a life, the Batman would have been able to end the Joker's life in many different ways, some of which could've easily been passed off as accidents. So, tell me, why would the Batman use a gun to kill the Joker? Unless it wasn't the Batman, but instead, a scared, wounded seventeen year old girl, who'd just lost a good deal of her family to the same man who was about to kill her mentor along with possibly thousands of people, and who did not have the same physical strength or skill as the Batman, and as a result, had to use a method that she despised and greatly opposed in order to save her teacher. Now tell me, which seems more likely?" At this crowd and the Judge were actually stunned. When they thought about it, it made sense, and it seemed like something the Bat and a young girl would do.
"Well, it looks as though Harvey Dent wasn't the last murderer who was also a member of Gotham's DA office," Crane remarked. At this, Jenna could feel her temper flare.
"I did it to save the life of the Batman and thousands of others," she argued. "That constitutes as self-defense, and considering how many murders who currently reside in this court and remain unpunished, you can hardly accuse me without becoming a hypocrite," Jenna pointed out. Crane responded by holding his head as though he had a headache."You look tired Crane. What, not used to having people defend themselves and their actions? Or just not fighting back in general?" Jenna asked.
"Miss Dawes, you speak against the Judge one more time and I will have your beloved commissioner shot right here," Bane's voice warned. His voice did not sound angry or really betray any emotion in anyway, but it was a threat that hung heavily in the air nonetheless, and caused the cops gathered to crowd around Gordon a little closer. Jenna turned to Bane and narrowed her eyes him.
"I'd say bite me but I suppose you'd need a mouth for that," Jenna shot back.
Silence. A courtroom that was filled to the brim with a loud, blood thirsty mob should not have been this quiet. But it was. Because Jenna Dawes had done something no one else had ever dared to do, and directly insulted Bane.
"Jenna," a soft voice whispered urgently, and Jenna turned to see Miranda Tate in the crowd of the accused, shaking her head, silently pleading. Jenna looked at the ground before she looked at Bane and gave him a glare worthy of the Batman.
"Fine," Jenna spat. "I've had my fun. But know this," she cautioned, beginning to pace slowly, "you can kill me, you can kill Commissioner Gordon, you can kill everyone who dares to stand in your way, but in the end, it won't matter. The people of Gotham won't be controlled by any outside force, nor will they live in fear for long… though I suppose that by this time tomorrow, it won't matter to anyone here or within the blast radius, what with the bomb going off and all." At that the crowd started to whisper among themselves and for the first time in probably months, looked a little unsure of themselves, and even a little scared.
"What are you talking about?" Crane inquired. Jenna smiled. Now I have their attention and Bane isn't going to stop me this time.
"The bomb that Bane's been using to hold this city hostage isn't just an atom bomb, it's a time bomb. And I'd say at this point we have about," she looked at her watch, "twelve hours before this city becomes a pile of radiated rubble."
"A rather convincing lie Miss Dawes, no doubt an attempt to stir up a rebellion," Bane countered. Jenna turned to him and scowled again.
"It's not a lie and you know it," she hissed. She turned back to the mob gathered. "I would've told the world much sooner if it hadn't been for the rather rude interruption of me getting shot on national television. Thanks for that by the way," she shot at Bane.
"Well you obviously haven't gotten the message," Barsad commented before he cocked his gun. "Would you like me to refresh you memory?" Jenna just shook her head, rolled her eyes, and turned back to the crowd.
"See. That. That right there is the totalitarian dictatorship I was talking about earlier," Jenna explained, waving her hand at Bane and his mercenaries. She turned back to face Bane as she began to address him directly. "As long as you keep the bad people happy and the good people scared, you think no one can touch you. But your time is coming Bane, and I hope for your sake your ready for the storm you've brewed." With that Jenna inclined her head at her adversaries, and stepped back into the group with Gordon.
"Finally," Crane sighed in relief, before fixing his glasses and . "Now, how do you wish to have your sentence carried out? Death or exile?" "Crane, if you think we're going to walk out on that ice willingly, you got another thing coming!" Gordon shouted.
"More like he needs to check himself back into Arkham," Jenna singsonged. Crane glared at her and she smirked back. "So it's death then?" Crane clarified.
"Looks that way," Gordon agreed. "Very well. Death." Crane slammed his gavel onto the desk. "By exile!" Jenna resisted the urge to slam her head into the nearest solid object… or rather, Crane's head.
"Bring her to me," Bane ordered, and Jenna looked at the mercenaries, ready to fight them off if need be, but instead of grabbing Jenna, they grabbed Miranda and started dragging her toward the masked menace.
"Miranda!" Jenna cried and tried to move toward her friend but was stopped by two GCPD officer holding her arms and several mercenaries pointing their guns at her.
"I'll be fine Jenna. I promise," Miranda assured Jenna. Jenna looked at all the armed mercenaries, the size of the mob gathered, and at Bane himself. Jenna sighed; today just seemed to be full of situations she couldn't win. She nodded but even as her friend was dragged toward Bane, Jenna glowered at him and seethed "You hurt her and I'll do to you what I did to the Joker. That's a guarantee," before she, Gordon, and the GCPD officers were dragged away.
Jenna, Gordon, and the GCPD cops were pushed toward the ice covered waters of the river that separated Gotham from the outside world by Bane's men, who fired their machine guns into the air to further the message. Walk or die.
"Any ideas?" Gordon asked as they started to make their way out onto thin ice.
"Well, the sun's not out, so the ice will be hardening, making it easier to cross. I'd suggest laying down on our stomachs to distribute our weight," Jenna advised. Gordon gave her a look. "It works for Polar Bears," she defended. Jenna looked over her shoulder. "But I guess most Polar Bears usually don't have top worry about armed mercenaries who would probably shoot us for trying to glide across."
"Unfortunately," Gordon agreed. As the ice cracked beneath her feet, Jenna couldn't help but think, I survived the Fright Night, killed the Joker, and punched Bane, and I'm going to freeze to death in a river. Jenna shook herself. Don't think like that, she told herself. You cannot afford to think like that, ever, but especially not now. You will get out of this and save the city. At that moment, there was the sound of a body falling to the ground behind her, and Jenna turned to see that one of the mercenaries had fallen. The others quickly readied their guns but they quickly fell too. Jenna looked over at the banks, expecting to see one of Batgirls' allies to be there, but no sign of anyone.
"Light it up," said a rough voice, that sent chills of fear down criminals spines but was currently filled Jennifer Dawes' heart with hope. She turned to see Gordon light a flare, which illuminated the Batman's shadowy. Gordon then tossed the flare to the ground,which ignited a trail that worked its way up the Bridge until the Batsignal shined over the city once again. Jenna then walked up to the Batman and stood before him, making sure he was real, before folding her arms, putting most of her weight on her left leg, and cocking an eyebrow, trying her best to look disapproving.
"And where the hell have you been?" she asked. He turned to her.
"Hell on earth," he replied shortly, before turning back to Gordon. "Where's Miranda Tate?"
"Bane took her. He's holed up at city hall surrounded by his army." The Batman nodded and handed Gordon a small metal box that looked like some sort of device.
"This blocks the remote detonator signal to the bomb. Get it onto it before sunrise," the Batman explained. "They might hit the button when it starts."
"When what starts?" Gordon asked. "War," the Batman stated. With that he turned and headed off, ready to lead Gotham to freedom.
"Go with him," Gordon said, and Jenna smiled, before racing after him.
"You're still here?"
"You're not getting a rid of me that easily," Jenna grinned. "Oh and one more thing," Jenna said, before she slapped him across the face. He hardly flinched but looked at her as though to say, What was that for? "That was for getting your ass kicked by Bane." She then threw her arms around him and hugged him. "That's for coming back in spite of it." The Batman looked at her as she pulled away and she could tell he was internally rolling his eyes at her. The two made their way up to the Bat. The Batman looked at Jenna as he opened the cockpit.
"I found this in the back," the Batman said, motioning to Jenna's Batsuit she'd kept in the Bat just in case. Jenna looked between him and the armor and smiled guiltily.
"Can you honestly say you're mad at me?" she pointed out.
"I'm a bad influence on you."
"You're just figuring that out? Now head to Ackerman Park. We can get the cops out over there," Jenna instructed. The Batman nodded and got in, Jenna right behind him. He wasted no time in taking off and Jenna used this time to get suited up, thankful that she'd learned how to get into and out of the suit in record time, which was a necessary skill in a city under martial law. Once she was dress she looked down over the place the cops could exit to find a very familiar detective surrounded by mercenaries. "John," Jenna whispered, a little nervous.
"Looks like your boyfriend needs a little help," the Batman commented.
"He's not my boyfriend," Jenna muttered, but the Batman took no notice. They quickly landed and headed to Blake's location, to find him kneeling in front of the mercenaries, eyes closed and hands raised. The Batman and Batgirl quickly dropped down among the thugs and proceeded to punch, kick, and basically beat all the mercenaries. As Batman kicked and fought back some of the mercenaries, Batgirl made sure to watch his back, grabbing the gun of one who tried to shot him and directing his fire toward the concrete wall before knocking him unconscious. The duo quickly defeated all the mercenaries and looked to Blake as they stood over their work.
"You missed a spot," Blake commented and the Batman simply kicked the final mercenary unconscious.
"If you're working alone, wear a mask," the Batman advised.
"I'm not afraid of being seen standing up to them," Blake stated.
"The mask isn't for you. It's for the people you care about," the Batman explained. He then handed Blake one of his grenades and instructed, "Count to five then throw," before he walked off. Blake counted to five in his head, before he threw it and it exploded against the rubble, freeing up some rock but not enough to make a hole.
"Hey no offense but you got something bigger in that belt?" Blake called, and Batgirl pulled him back against the wall a second later as the Bat appeared and shot a hole through the rubble. Cops quickly began making their way through the wreckage and started to gather, awaiting orders.
"What now?" Blake asked the Batman.
"All-out assault on Bane. But you need to get people across the bridge," the Batman instructed.
"Why? Blake asked.
"In case we fail. Lead an exodus. Save as many lives as you can."
"You don't need me here?"
"You've given me an army. Now go," the Batman ordered and Blake hurried off, but he turned and exclaimed, "Hey thanks!"
"Don't thank us yet," the Batman advised.
"Well, I might not get a chance to later," Blake pointed out, before he turned to leave again.
Batgirl seemed to be fighting some kind of internal battle in her head and at the last moment, she called out, "Hey Blake!" John Blake stopped and turned to face her. Batgirl hesitated slightly. "Good luck… and be careful." The corner of Blake's mouth upturned slightly and he nodded.
"Yes ma'am." With that, he turned and headed off to do his duty. Batgirl turned back to the Batman, who was giving he a look that said if he wasn't wearing the mask then he would be smiling.
"Not your boyfriend?" he repeated.
"Oh shut up," Batgirl snapped, her blushing thankfully hidden by the fact that her cheeks were already red from the cold. The Batman turned and headed back toward the Bat, Batgirl at his heels. "So, what do you want me to do?" she inquired.
"Same as Blake: evacuation." Jenna faltered, confused.
"You don't want me on the front lines with you?" she inquired.
"The cops can handle Bane's mercenaries and I have to face Bane. Alone."
"The last time that happened, you got your ass kicked," Batgirl pointed out and the Batman gave her a glare. "What?" The Batman sighed, and looked down at the Bat in front of him, looking far more human than Jenna had ever seen him.
"Things are different this time," he explained. "It's not just my life on the line, it's Fox's, Gordon's, your's, and all of Gotham's. I was doing this for myself last time and that's why I failed. This time, it's twelve million people, and this time, I cannot and will not fail." The corner of Batgirl's mouth upturned slightly.
"You really are back," she confirmed. She sighed, realizing that it was the best decision, before adding, "I guess I'd better inform my forces then, and let them know that we're making our move." The Batman frowned.
"Your forces?" the Batman inquired. Batgirl smiled slightly.
"Apparently I'm not the only person you've inspired." She put her hand to her ear, activating her communicator and said, "Flamebird, Huntress, Black Canary, it's Batgirl."
"BATGIRL OH MY GOD ARE YOU OK ARE YOU ALRIGHT I SWEAR IF YOU'RE HURT BANE IS DEAD!" Flamebird screamed into the radio, and Batgirl cringed slightly from the volume of the outburst.
"Flamebird, control yourself," Batgirl ordered. "I am fine and I need you to listen. We're starting evacuation, I need you to spread the word and tell everyone to either go to the Midtown Tunnel or the Bridge."
"Alright. But Batgirl, we saw the Bat Signal. Is he really back?" Huntress questioned. Jenna smiled.
"He's back alright."
"… You slapped him didn't you?" Huntress concluded.
"Yes I did. Now get to work, we have a city to save." She turned off her communicator to find the Batman staring at her.
"Your friends?" he inquired, though it was more of a statement.
"Allies, Batgirl doesn't have the luxury of friends," Batgirl clarified. "And before you say anything, no, I didn't ask them for help, they all chose this, are aware of the consequences, and can back out at any time. But they chose to stay."
"And if we fail-" the Batman began but was cut off by Batgirl saying, "If we fail, we die saving the people of Gotham and it's better to die trying than to live without having ever tired at all." However, the Batman was looking at her strangely, as though he was having difficultly seeing her. "What?" she asked. He shook his head slightly.
"I never should have dragged you into this," he muttered. Batgirl's jaw almost dropped.
"Dragged me into this?" she repeated, wondering whether he'd gone crazy while he was gone. "It was my choice, it is my choice, and will always be my choice. I stood up to Scarecrow at Arkham, I pulled a gun on the Joker, I stopped Harvey from killing Jimmy, and I chose to stay and defend Gotham from Bane. It has been my choice and I will never regret it." A thought suddenly struck Batgirl and she took her charm bracelet from her pile of discarded clothes in the back of the Bat. "Here," she said, handing it to him. He shook his head and tried to give it back to her.
"I can't." Batgirl refused to take it and enclosed it in his palm.
"For luck. I have a feeling you're gonna need it more than I will," Batgirl pointed out. The Batman closed his eyes and sighed.
"You don't know tha-" the Batman stopped when he opened his eyes to find the Batgirl had vanished. The Batman looked around and shook his head slightly, before he got into the Bat and headed off for war.
"Ok ladies, what's the set up?" Batgirl questioned over the communicators.
"I got midtown," Black Canary said.
"Uptown's mine," Flamebird chimed.
"Downtown for me," Huntress commented.
"Ok, I've got South Channel Island and Sandy Hook then," Batgirl concluded.
"Batgirl, you do realize it is physically impossible to evacuate 12 million people using one bridge and one tunnel in only four hours," Huntress stated.
"It doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We can't give up just because of the odds. Besides, since when have the odds been in favor for Gotham City?" Jenna pointed out. She could hear sounds of agreement in reply. "Alright, we've spent enough time talking. We have our orders. Good luck to you all." With that she signed off and took off. Once she had arrived in the middle of South Channel Island, she took a mini bullhorn from her belt and activated the alarm, which echoed for blocks. Soon, people began filtering into the square.
"Everyone, we are starting evacuation of the city, the bomb is going to go off in a matter of hours, you need to head to either the bridge or the Midtown tunnel!" Batgirl instructed.
"Why should we trust you?" someone in the crowd called out. Batgirl's eyes narrowed.
"Because if you don't then you'll all end up fried. Now go!" The next few hours were a bit of blur, Batgirl spreading the message, helping with evacuation as much as she could. Once she'd covered South Channel Island, she headed to Sandy Hook and did the same. Though, it seemed more people here were willing to follow Batgirl, especially apparent from the three teenagers who made their way over to Batgirl.
"Nice to see you again Batgirl," red headed Angelica Jones smiled brightly, her two friends also grinning at the vigilante, especially Angelica's brunette friend Janet.
"No time, we're evacuating, head to either the bridge or the midtown tunnel," Batgirl ordered.
"Got it. Come on girls," Mrs. Jones said, ushering the trio of teens toward the exit.
"No I want to help!" Angelica cried indignantly, pulling her arm out of her mother's grasp.
"Me too!" Dana maintained.
"Me three!" Janet chimed.
"You can help by getting out of here," Batgirl argued but the three teenagers just stood there and refused to move. Batgirl groaned. "Fine. You each go to two blocks and tell people that the bomb's going off and that they need to head to either the midtown tunnel or the bridge. Then you come straight back and get out of here. Got it?" The three girls smiled at each other.
"Yes ma'am," they said in unison. With that, they rushed off happy to fulfill their orders. Batgirl turned to Mrs. Jones.
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't," Mrs. Jones interrupted. "It's fine. They wouldn't have left without trying to help anyway. I just… I worry about them," Mrs. Jones sighed.
"You wouldn't be such a good parent if you didn't worry about them. And considering the trouble they seem to get into, it makes sense that you worry so much," Batgirl assured the woman. True to their orders, the girls returned, though it seemed that they did a few more blocks than order to do. Nonetheless, everything seemed to be going well. That is, until Gordon called her.
"What've you got?" Batgirl asked after answering her communicator.
"Batgirl, we got the wrong truck," Gordon's voice said from the communicator and she felt the world freeze around her at the sound of those five words.
"What?" she breathed.
"We got the wrong truck, we need to cut over to the one on 5th, but we might need a little back up," Gordon explained.
"I'm on it. Keep the evacuation going," Batgirl instructed to the volunteers who were helping her with the exodus.
"Where're you going?" one man shouted as the young vigilante raced off.
"To save the city," she called back. Batgirl flew through the city, grappling up buildings and flying over streets, trying to get to fifth. She heard the sound of nearby explosion and dashed over to where it came from to see one of the mercenaries' gun trucks ablaze. Knowing she was close, she grappled to the top of a tall building in hopes of finding the missing bomb truck. Sure enough, with the increase in elevation she was able to quickly locate the truck. She quickly made it down to lower level roofs and began following the bombs truck as swiftly as possible. When she had the truck in her sight, Batgirl scanned it to find a very familiar looking man making his way toward the back of the truck where the bomb was kept. Just as he was about to enter, the truck hit a bum and the EMP guidance module fell from his grasp. As the Commissioner tried desperately to grab the module, the Batgirl leaped down from the building she was atop, onto the truck.
Damn Murphy's Law seems to govern Gotham, she couldn't help but think as she dropped down into the space between the holding space for the bomb and the front of the truck and reached down and grabbed the device.
"Need a little help?" she asked Gordon, handing him the module.
"Thank you," Gordon panted.
"Thank me later, now go!" she ordered. Gordon quickly crawled through the opening and attached the EMP guidance mod to the bomb, both him and Batgirl letting out a small sigh of relief when it was done. "Well, that's half the job done. Now for the other half," Batgirl said. Batgirl got out of the bomb storage unit, got onto the roof of the cab, and looked it over. There wasn't any hood so it appeared that the only ways to get in would be to either open the door and get in, or to stop the truck entirely. However, Batgirl's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sound of Wayne Tech Tumblers. Batgirl turned to see three Tumblers join the chase and Miranda Tate getting out of one of them. "Miss Tate!" Batgirl exclaimed, jumping from the truck and landing right next to Miranda on the stolen camouflage Tumbler, but she was forced to duck a second later in order to avoid being hit by Miranda Tat's high kick that would've likely broken the Batgirl's nose had it hit. "Woah! What the-" the Batgirl began but was stopped by Miranda kicking her across the face. The Batgirl tumbled backward, almost falling off of the tank but she caught herself, flipped herself back to her feet, and grabbed Miranda's wrist in order to prevent the older woman from entering the truck. Batgirl twisted Miranda's wrist behind her back and held her there. "Why are you doing this Miss Tate?" Batgirl shouted over the roar of the truck and the Tumblers. Miranda didn't bother to answer, instead twisted her arm out of the Batgirl's grasp and head butted her. Miranda then took a knife from her belt and pointed it at the Batgirl, daring her to come closer. Batgirl simply glared at her and Miranda sliced at the Batgirl. Batgirl dodged a few of Miranda's slices and stabs, getting caught once in the side, but the with the next swing, Batgirl held up her gauntlet, which Miranda's blade got caught in. Miranda struggled in vain to get the knife loose, but failed, and Batgirl then used her gauntlet to pull the knife from Miranda's grasp and throw it out into the street below. Seeing Miranda's struggle, the goon driving the Tumbler they were on took out a gun and started shooting at the Batgirl, who quickly disarmed him with a well aimed Batarang.
Note to self, Batarangs are very good at disarming opponents, Batgirl thought. However, she and Miranda were forced to duck a moment later when the Tumbler drove onto the pavement and ran into a street lamp, which barely missed the two young women's heads.
"Focus on driving!" Miranda shouted at the man and he nodded and closed the hatch, allowing them more room to fight. Batgirl and Miranda then took their stances. Miranda kicked at Batgirl who dodged and stunned Miranda with two punches across the face. Batgirl swung her fist again, but was stopped by Miranda grabbing her punch, twisting her arm, and throwing Batgirl to the roof of the Tumbler, where she then got on top of the young vigilante and began beating her across the face. Lips bloodied and nose feeling like it was close to breaking, Batgirl was finally able to get Miranda off of her by grabbing her hair and using it to pull the older woman off of her. Miranda rolled away and was only barely able to catch herself on the Tumbler, almost falling into the road. Batgirl moved to enter the cab of the truck but was stopped by a soft voice behind her.
"Batgirl. Help me," Miranda pleaded. Batgirl looked down at the woman who she had once considered part of her family. Miranda's brown eyes looked down at the pavement rushing beneath her before looking back up at the Batgirl and whispering, "Please." Batgirl cursed herself internally, but quickly helped Miranda back onto the Tumbler.
"Thank you," Miranda murmured but before the Batgirl could reply, Miranda kicked Batgirl, who rolled off of the Tumbler and into the street. The Batgirl reacted quickly and used her grappling gun to pull herself onto the truck, though she was not quick enough to stop Miranda Tate from entering the truck.
"Anyone care to explain why Miranda Tate just kicked me in the face?" Batgirl asked over the communicator.
"Bane was just a front, she's the mastermind behind all this. And her name's Talia al Ghul," the Batman clarified.
"Al Ghul? Like Ra's al Ghul?" Batgirl inquired.
"She's his daughter."
"Daughter? Ugh, you are going to be explaining a lot of things to me when we are through, you hear me!" The Batman didn't reply but the Bat soon flew into view and joined the chase.
"Nothing like a little air superiority," came Lucius Fox's voice over the communicator.
"Nice of you to join us Fox and I couldn't agree more," Batgirl responded.
"Happy to be here Batgirl. But listen, you've got to get that bomb here and you've got ten minutes!" Fox emphasized.
"Working on it!" Batgirl replied. The Bat fired at the back of the truck and the truck sped up and turned every which way it could in an attempt to throw off the Bat. The Tumblers also began to fire upon the Bat, making it even more difficult to reach the truck. Suddenly, the sound of yet another familiar vehicle found its way to Batgirl ears and one of the Tumbler suddenly exploded and flipped over as Catwoman whisked by on the Batpod.
Well so much for the 'no guns, no killing' rule, Batgirl thought to herself. Nonetheless, she was pleased to see help, even if it was from Catwoman, and was even a little impressed with her maneuvering of the Batpod as she turned it around, wheels spiraling under her, with ease. However, the Tumblers began to up their weapons upon realizing the dangers of the situation, and began firing missiles at the Bat, forcing him to break off, in order to get them off his tail. Batgirl growled in frustration and started to make use of her mines in order to try and take care of the Tumblers. They did not have much affect, however, and it wasn't until Catwoman fired at and destroyed the other tank that it was out of the game. Two down, one to go.
The Bat suddenly flew by and the missile following it hit the back of the final Tumbler, causing it to swerve into a building but leave those inside alive. Great shot, Batgirl smiled internally.
"You have to turn the truck east!" Lucius instructed over the communicator.
"We're trying Lucius!" Batgirl replied, trying to find a way to separate the trailer of the truck form the cab. The Batman responded throwing all restraint out the window and firing at the truck head on in an attempt to turn the truck. Realizing that Gordon was still inside, Batgirl quickly climbed over the storage unit of the truck, dropped down behind the truck, used her grappling gun to open the doors, before using it to pull herself back inside with Gordon and the bomb.
"Batgirl, what-" Gordon started but was cut off.
"Gordon, we gotta get out of here, if he's not careful the truck is gonna-" Batgirl was cut off by the truck crashing into what sounded like concrete and a second later the truck was falling. "Gordon hold on!" Gordon grabbed onto the Batgirl and they jumped, Batgirl using her grappling gun to slow their fall. Once they made it to the ground, Gordon and Batgirl sprung into action, opening the doors of the truck wide and Batgirl began to push the bomb forward, toward the outside world.
"Give me a hand. We can get a cable on it," Gordon called out to the Batman as he landed the Bat. He made his way to the front of the truck and stopped when he saw Talia al Ghul, slumped in her seat and apparently dying. Batman, Batgirl, and Catwoman joined him and watched as she grinned at them.
"Fox showed me how to override the reactor. Including the emergency flood," she laughed slightly. There was the sound of many alarms over the communication and Jenna heard Fox say "Oh dear."
"Lucius, get out of there now!" Batgirl ordered, though she couldn't stop the sinking feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach. After all their hard work, everything they'd sacrificed, everything they'd done to save this city… were they going to fail?
"There's… no way… this bomb… will be stopped," Miranda smiled to herself. "Prepare yourselves. My father's work… is done." And with that she took her last breath, closed her eyes, and passed on. The Batman quickly sprang into action and grabbed a cable from the Bat.
"What are you doing?" Gordon shouted.
"I can get it out over the bay!" he explained.
"Set it to fly out over the water then eject?" Catwoman assumed.
"No autopilot," the Batman revealed and Jenna felt her world stop for the second time that day. Gordon, Batgirl, and Catwoman all froze upon realizing just what the Batman was doing but Catwoman quickly recovered and walked beside him as he got everything ready.
"You could have gone anywhere, but you came back," Catwoman lamented.
"So did you," the Batman pointed out.
"Well then I guess we're both suckers." She pulled him toward her and kissed him full mouth. Jenna would've probably stuck her tongue out in disgust but felt too numb from what she had just heard to really notice. Catwoman released then him and as the Batman made his way back to the Bat, Jenna raced after him.
"You cannot leave me here. I won't let you," Batgirl said stubbornly.
"My time is over, yours is just beginning. You and Gotham don't need me anymore," the Batman explained.
"The hell we don't!" Jenna shouted at him, her Batgirl persona slipping in the midst of her hysteria. "I've always needed you and I always will Dad!" The Batman looked at her with shock, and there were two gasps from behind them but Jenna didn't really notice. "Because you are my Dad, you have always been my Dad! I've looked up to you my whole life, you've picked me up when I've fallen, you've trained me, taught me right from wrong, saved my life, and my soul. And you can't go, you just can't," Jenna sobbed, unable to keep her tears from cascading down her face and mask.
"Someone has to fly the Bat and you don't know how," the Batman argued.
"Then I'm coming with you," she said, moving to get in. The Batman looked at Jim Gordon, silently pleading. Jim nodded, before he slapped a pair of handcuffs onto Jenna's wrist and attached the other to himself. "Hey!" Jenna struggled to try and break the cuffs without success. "Jim!"
"I let Barbara and the kids go Jenna. I can't let you go too!" Jim shouted. The Batgirl tried to glare at him through her tears but upon seeing the look in his eyes and the burden of a decade of lies and loss on his shoulders, the fire of her scowl was slowly smothered. Instead she simply looked at the Batman, and whispered "I am never forgiving you for this." The Batman looked down briefly before he began prepping the Bat for lift off.
"I never cared who you were…" Gordon started. "And you were right," the Batman agreed.
"… but shouldn't the people of Gotham know who the hero was that saved their city?" Gordon pleaded. "A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended," the Batman stated, and Gordon stood there, stunned, as the cockpit closed and the Bat began to rise. Gordon thought back through his many years as a cop, thinking of all the children he'd ever comforted. One child stuck out among the rest, three decades ago, when he himself was just a rookie, to an eight year old boy whose father's coat he had put on the boys shoulders, as a security blanket, after having lost everything to a man with a gun. "Bruce Wayne?" Gordon murmured, slightly disbelieving. A thought struck him and he looked at Jenna. "You knew the whole time, didn't you?" he inquired.
"Of course I did," Jenna said, not taking her eyes off of the Bat. As it vanished from sight, Jenna said, "Gordon, please, I can't catch up to him now, but I have to watch." Gordon looked at her for a second before he unlocked the handcuffs and nodded.
"Go on." And with that Jenna took off. Up buildings and across buildings, so quick she was practically flying. She watched as the Bat struggled to raise the neutron bomb, hitting traffic lights and lampposts and scratching the streets as it was dragged. Eventually, the Bat was forced to blow up a building to avoid crashing and once it was through that obstacle, the Bat soared over the now destroyed bridge and over the bay. Jenna stopped on a building and watched as the Bat flew off into the distance, getting smaller and smaller, until the bomb detonated and all that remained of the Bat and the Batman was a fiery mushroom cloud. Across the city, millions cheered and celebrated. The five months of Hell were finally over; they were alive and they were free. But all Jennifer Dawes could do was look at the horizon and think of the man – the hero – the legend – who had saved the city. All Jennifer Dawes could do was think of and mourn her hero, teacher, friend, and father, who was gone from her life… forever.