[30 Minutes before the siege on Wayne Tower began]
"What...proof..." The Dark Knight struggled with his words, barely able to stay on his knees. "There...is..."
"A lot...A lot of proof." The person in front of him said, standing up straight now. "Think back. KGBeast. His body was found dead and he had gone missing during your fight against him. You caused his death by enclosing him in that room, unable to escape.
"Remember the child whose parents you shot while you were working for Mother?" They continued, much to the Knight's dismay. "Basil Karlo--"
"He'll reform... he's... clay." The Knight argued.
"Oh yes, but he hasn't. He hasn't reformed, and his pile of clay is still in the same exact place you left it. Five months ago. Face it, he's dead." They responded quickly. "Victor Zsasz. Remember that part of the asylum that collapsed because of the explosives you put there to keep Killer Croc contained? Zsasz's cell was in that section of the asylum. He didn't get out in time. And you stood there and watched as he was crushed by debris.
"Solomon Grundy. You literally tore his heart out of his chest to stop him." They said to the Knight, who was now on all fours. "And people called him the monster."
The Caped Crusader finally looked up at his new adversary once more and watched as they removed their mask.
"And not last and certainly not least, Talia Al Ghūl. God, what a sight that was. Her own damn ceremonial sword. Your former lover! I don't even think Damian knows, does he? What about Nyssa?" They said to him, with an ounce of laughter in their voice. The Knight looked away in thought for a moment, but only a moment, and looked back at the person in front of him.
The woman in front of him.
"Who...are...you..?" The Knight asked, but his only response was the bottom of her boot to his face.
[Wayne Tower, Bluebird and Orphan, Now]
"Most of the people he left behind are focused on the remnants of Penguin's gang and all of Two-Face's gang. We have a small opening, but we need to get in quick and without being noticed and then find the Riddler." BlueBird explained her plan to get to the Riddler, who was now inside the Wayne Tower.
Orphan nodded and they both looked at the miniature battlefield that surrounded the flaming skyscraper.
They both observed the movements of the henchmen to find an opening, and when one appeared, they ran as fast as they could for the opened door on the side of Wayne tower.
As they entered the building, after closing the door behind them, they soon found themselves in a dark hallway, with a lit up door at the end. On the walls were doors to janitor's closets and bathrooms as well as a mailing room. At least that was what Bluebird thought it was, but she neglected to get a closer look for a good reason. What was in the room was likely useless.
Orphan and Bluebird continued walking down the hallway, both guessing to themselves as to what they'll find.
Orphan expected a moderate amount of resistance, but not too much as she knew the Riddler as a frail but smart man. She expected to win the fight within seconds. She had never seen him in person, though, all stories told by Bruce and Dick.
Bluebird, on the other hand, expected heavy resistance with high amounts of technology she may not have ever seen. She had never fought him, just like her partner, but she knew Riddler to be smart, calculated, and highly resourceful, if not crazy.
As the door approached, Bluebird felt a sense of nausea, sickening her to the point of which she fell onto her knees. Orphan took quick notice and got down with her, holding her tightly as Bluebird started to shake spastically.
Bluebird's vision was gone once again.
It showed the same scene as at the warehouse, but different. Her brother, Cullen, was still dead, nailed to a cross with his throat slit, the menacing words still painted on the ground in his blood.
Little Birdie Can't Guard The Nest.
They haunted her, brought torture just thinking about it, and now a new detail was added.
Stephanie Brown, AKA Spoiler, was also a vigilante in Gotham, and also Harper Row's best friend. They were roommates along with Cullen. She had shoulder-blade length blonde hair and a medium size body frame.
She was on the ground, sprawled beside the cross which held Cullen. She was wearing her purple and black Spoiler outfit. Surrounding her was a pool of crimson liquid, originating from her neck.
Her throat was also slit.
"S-Steph?" BlueBird asked, stammering over her words. "Stephanie?" She said louder as she approached the body, kneeling down next to her. BlueBird grabbed her friend's head and cradled it close to her as she began to cry.
She looked up toward Cullen and put her hand out toward him.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered.
She looked back down at Stephanie and saw something on her face.
It was a piece of paper taped to her left cheek.
Squashed, like a little pest. The note read.
BlueBird shut her eyes tight, and tried to suppress her crying, but she soon found herself sitting on the floor in the Wayne Tower building, in the dark hallway.
Sitting next to BlueBird, with her arms wrapped tightly around her, was Orphan. Orphan held BlueBird closely, while trying to tell her that she was going to be okay.
BlueBird looked up at her partner, who asked her a quick question. "You okay?"
BlueBird nodded.
She took her time standing up, and Orphan walked behind her, paying close attention.
They finally entered the door at the end of the hallway and found themselves at the lobby of the Wayne Tower.
"My, my," A voice called out. It's tone was light, with a slight sense of arrogance. "I guess you got my message."
The vigilantes had been expected.
"I know this may sound strange, coming from a man of my intellectual superiority, but I need help. Yours, to be specific."
Out of everything they expected and had been through since meeting while searching for mother, they had never expected to be working alongside the Riddler.m