CHAPTER 3: Spiraling Down

Batman woke with a start and looked around his cave. He tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. His ribs, limbs and whole body were broken and sore, keeping him out of commission. He lay back down on the bed in the cave, attempting to see how best he could move around. He tested his limbs, seeing what worked and what didn't. He slowly tried to rise off the bed, resting on his elbows. He got himself to sit up, one arm at his ribs. He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there, gathering strength to stand up. He tried to stand and fell to the floor. Batman pulled himself to his hands and crawled to the stairs. He looked up at them, seeing the length he would have to go. He slowly began to pull himself up one stair at a time.

It started slowly. Just one person noticing that a camera was burned out. They thought it was odd, but didn't want to risk it with all of the other cameras. No reason to try anything.

But then there was another, and another. Quickly word began to spread. Gotham was a large city, but it didn't take long before word spread across town, the cameras were out. Batman had no eyes. It was time to take the city back. Within just 24 hours, the first riots and looting began.

The lone, masked figure looked at the city, as the first fires started. It was a bold plan, taking down Batman to build up the city, but he had gone too far. He needed to be shown the error of his ways. And perhaps it was time for a new hero to take control of protecting the city.

This was only the first step. With the people free from Batman's gaze, they could start to move again, be free again without the worry of being watched all the time. True, phone calls and internet usage was still monitored, but it was a start. Within days, he hoped, the city would be completely free.

The figure moved back to his apartment, preparing for the next showdown. He knew this wasn't the end between him and Batman, and another confrontation would be forthcoming. It was time to prepare, to be ready.

Batman sat in the cave, staring at the news. He had no cameras to monitor the city, but it didn't matter. News helicopters and on scene reporters provided him more than enough footage. The city was starting to tear itself apart. Without him there to keep crime in check, it would get out of control.

But he was in no shape to take care of this problem himself. He was still healing from the crash. He had set the broken bone himself, bandaged his ribs, and was icing everything that was sprained. It would take weeks before he could go back out. But he didn't have weeks. He needed help. He began dispatching police as best he could, telling them to concentrate on the central city and North. There was nothing really worth saving in the south part of the city. He took his time getting out of his seat. He had to go out, to get help, to get his city under control.

Batman adjusted his armor around the bandages and braces, attempting to keep everything in place. He straightened his walk and tried to hide his limp. He couldn't let anyone see any weakness in him. He strode over to a Batmobile and started it up, heading out into the city to try to take it back from chaos.

Jonathan Cole sat in his office, staring out the window at the city he used to protect. It might say "Police Commissioner" on his door, but he had no more control over the police than he had control over the city. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. What had happened to this town? What had happened to his police force? Crime was down, but at what cost? With so little crime, why were there so many police patrolling? Questions circled in his head, and they always came back to one answer: Batman.

When he took over as police commissioner, he thought that Batman was dangerous, and he told Jim Gordon. Told him exactly what he thought. Too bad he didn't know Batman was right there, listening to everything. Maybe that explained the shit-eating grin on Jim's face. But he had gotten to know Batman. He had seemed to help. However, ever since the last incident with the Joker, things had changed. It was slowly at first, but Batman became ruthless, took no mercy. It was the first time Jon had seen him completely go over the edge to punish criminals. He took another long drag and a breeze blew the smoke into his office. Batman emerged from the shadows, like he always did, and threw down a file folder.

"What the hell do you want?" Jon didn't even turn to look at him.

"We have a problem. Someone has been taking out my cameras all over the city. I think this is the start of something. We need to act fast to stop whomever is doing this. In the folder are the locations he's hit and a few brief vid-caps of who it might be. I need you to get your officers to look for him." Batman was stern, showing no emotion.

"Tell them your damn self." Jon took another drag. "They don't answer to me anymore anyways. We both know that. Why did you even bother coming by?"

"We need to stop this soon, Jon. I need your help on this."

"The hell you do!" Jon stubbed out his cigarette. "You've been running this police department and damn near the entire city for almost five years now. You don't need me anymore. You have this all wrapped up yourself. You keep the mayor locked down, I'm powerless. What the hell did you expect to accomplish in coming over here." Batman showed no emotion but Jon could tell he was getting to him. "You want something done, get it done your fucking self. I'm going home." Jon grabbed his coat and walked out, leaving Batman alone.

Jon stalked to his car and drove home through the rioting streets. Yeah, the city was tearing itself apart, but with Batman still here, there was nothing he could do about it. He went into his home and barricaded it. Thankfully he didn't have a wife and kids to pull into this mess. He grabbed a shotgun from his closet and loaded it. He sat in his living room and lit another cigarette. Yeah, these things would kill him, but not if a thug did first. Jon Cole sat and waited as the city burned down around him, powerless to stop it.

Batman flew into the apartment of Barbra Gordon. He sat at the window. Most of the lights were off, save for the TV coming from the living room. He moved in and stood there, watching Barbra asleep on the couch. He reached over and turned off the TV.

"You know, you never could sneak up on me," Barbra said from the couch. She opened her eyes and sat up, staring at Batman. "Why are you here, Bruce? What do you want? I haven't broken any laws, and I'm already a cripple, so there isn't much for you to do."

"I have to find out who is responsible for these attacks on me. They are going after me, not the city. Its personal. I need your help, Barbra."

"Really, you need my help to further oppress the people of Gotham? You already have them under your iron fist and no one can move." Her words cut deep into Batman. First Jon, now Barbra. Was he the one responsible for all of this? Was the city tearing itself apart because of him? "To try to make this city safe, you have sacrificed everyone's freedoms. Yeah, there are no more super criminals, hardly any crime at all, but what has it cost the people of Gotham? Dad would be ashamed if he could see you." Barbra was relentless and knew just how to hurt him.

Batman looked around. "Where is your father?"

"He died a year and a half ago."

Batman's eyes fell. "Barbra, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, sure you are. You were so busy and keeping secluded so I figured you wouldn't care. Plus, if you wanted to say anything, you have everyone's phones tapped, you would have heard. What happened to you, Bruce? This isn't what you wanted, you've strayed off your path. I don't know whose side you're on anymore, the people of Gotham, or are you the new super criminal in town? Take a good hard look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Batman couldn't let his emotion show, but his mind was reeling from Barbra's words. What had he done to this city? Had he sacrificed everything to uphold his vow? Was his vow even worth keeping at this point, or had he become part of the problem?

Barbra rolled over on the couch, her back to Batman. "Go home Bruce. Don't come back. There isn't anything left here for you anymore. As a child, I might have thought I was in love with you, but your true colors have now come though." She pulled the covers up to her neck and kept her face hidden. She didn't want Batman to see the tears the came to her eyes as she shut him out of her life for good.

Batman did the only thing he could. He called in all of his troops, police loyal to him. They cleared the streets, moving block to block, keeping families in homes, making sure no one was out. They lined the roads, ensuring peace. There was no one they could trust. All were suspect.

Batman stood atop his perch, the highest building in Gotham, overlooking the city. He waited. His troops were stationed, ready to tip him off to any sighting. He continued to scan through what few cameras remained, looking for the next one to fail, the next one to go static.

The masked man looked around his room, a determined look on his face. This time he had gone too far. Batman had imposed his own martial law, and he wasn't going to stand for it.

The figure rose and began to don his gear. Smoke bombs, throwing blades, grappling hooks; all weapons needed to defeat his quarry. The last step, he pushed enter on his laptop and walked outside.

Every camera left in the city went to static. Every single one. How did he hack my network, Batman thought. What virus could penetrate my firewall? Its airtight.

"Be ready, its about to start." Batman gave the terse command to his men. His enemy thought he was being clever, but he gave away his moves. Everyone was on heightened alert. They waited.

Thirty minutes went by. Nothing.

Forty-five minutes, nothing.

At an hour, Batman knew something was wrong.

"Everyone, check in." Silence. "Can anyone hear me?" Again, silence. No comms, no cameras, his men could be dead. He had to do this himself.

Batman launched himself from his perch, flying over the streets of Gotham, searching. He saw his men, standing guard. So, he took out my radios, too, Batman thought. Soon, he started to see his men laying down at their posts. Winging down to investigate, Batman found them unconscious. He followed the trail. He knew it was a trap, but he had no choice. It ended at a cluster of abandoned apartment buildings. He saw a masked-figure, standing, waiting for him. He already knew he was coming. Batman dropped down and stalked towards him.

"You've gone too far. You've crippled this city," the figure said.

"I've kept this city safe," Batman replied. "No crime, no murders, people can walk the streets at night and feel secure." Who was this new criminal? His mind searched for a match to the voice, attempted to place a face to it, but nothing came to him. He had a new crime boss on his hands.

"But do they? They are terrified of you, what you know, what you can do. What is the price for their safety? Privacy, opportunity? You've squeezed this city more than any criminal you ever fought. You've become worse than they ever could."

Rage filled Batman. How dare he? How did he know? What right did he have to question his tactics? This was his city, his people to protect. The time for talk was over. Batman launched himself at the masked figure.

Catwoman lept from rooftop to rooftop, knowing Batman had to be here. She had to find him, had to help. She created him, turned him into a monster. It was her responsibility to fix what had gone wrong.

Responsibility. Who knew she would ever use that word? She had always played loose with the law, skirting both sides of it. She had never apologized for it, not even when she and Batman tried to fight crime. Honestly, it was more about being with him than joining his one-man war on crime in Gotham City. Crime made the city more fun, let the color come out, and liven up the place. But it was always about being with Batman.

It had to be Batman, not Bruce Wayne. They really were two different people. Bruce Wayne, the mask that Batman wore, was your typical socialite, rich, in charge of a billion-dollar company, and had free reign of the city. Batman had free reign of the city, but it was the power that exuded from him that attracted Catwoman. The power he had, and how he used it made her want him more.

But something changed. In the years they were together, something turned in Batman, something went dark. His one-man war became an obsession. He had no one to take up his mantle, and he drove himself to madness trying to save the city. And she helped push him along. She watched how he turned savage, ruthless, gave no quarter, no mercy, and she did nothing. She should have saved him, but she was scared of what he was becoming, and still in love with him, and completely torn. So she did what she always did, she left. She didn't know what to do and she turned her back on everything and tried to pick up her old life. It hadn't ended well.

However, she was here now. Catwoman had to do something. It had gone too far. She could no longer sit at home, watch what was happening to her city, and her love, and not do something. Maybe she could turn him around, maybe she could get through to him. Maybe, he loved her.

That was her fear, that after all of this, he would still put his war above everything else, even her. But she had to put that aside, had to help this city, try to save it. She had a responsibility. There was that word again.

Catwoman ran across the rooftops, heading towards the river. She hoped she could find Batman in time, for both him, and the city.

Batman chased his quarry across the rooftops of Gotham. His injuries had only marginally decreased his abilities. The fight was furious at first, and then the masked man ran. Heading down alleys, up fire escapes, across rooves, his quarry wasn't trying to get away, he was positioning, he was trying to get an edge on Batman, trying to find a place that would be to his advantage. The man in the black mask knew he couldn't run forever, and Batman waited to see when he would turn to make his move. It would have to be soon. The river was approaching fast.

It was sudden. His enemy ducked right behind a roof access. Batman was close and turned, only to receive a pipe to the face. The man was prepared, but Batman was more so. A quick block with his arm and Batman knocked the pipe out of his hand. It was quickly followed up with several punches to his face, throat and chest, not giving any quarter, giving Batman no time to rest. Due to his training, Batman was ready and quickly parried and blocked the fury of punches aimed at him. This guy was quick, Batman noted. And smart. He knew Batman's fighting style, and was able to anticipate each counter-strike that was thrown at him. They backed off and faced each other, each assuming a fighting stance. They quickly covered the distance between them, legs and arms flying at each other, each attempting to land a blow, and both failing.

They bounced back away from each other again, regrouping and preparing for the next fury of limbs. They faced each other and knew that neither had an advantage. They were breathing hard, each throw, each punch using all their power. They calculated, attempting to determine what the other would do when a flash of black landed on the roof in a crouch. The form rose, revealing Catwoman, ready to intervene.

"What are you doing here, Selena?" Batman demanded. He hadn't seen her since she left three years ago. Why was she interfering now? Was she working with this masked man? "You have no business in this."

"Yes I do," she replied. "It was my fault for all of this. I have to help clean it up. I have to help you!"

"What are you talking about? Help me? You have nothing to do with this, other than leaving. With you gone, I was able to reach my full potential. I can finally dedicate fully to what I was only dabbling at before." Batman caught himself. He was starting to rant. He had to reel it in, not give either a chance to strike him when he was unprepared. What was their plan here? Were they going to try to kill him, subdue him? What was their end goal?

The attack came suddenly. Both charged at him. Neither had worked together before so the attacks were sloppy, clumsy. They got in each other's way and didn't know how to coordinate. It took years to form that bond, something he had done with so many Robin's in the past.

A blow suddenly landed on the side of Batman's head. Why did he let himself be distracted by thoughts like that? It was in the past. No need to dwell on it. Batman re-doubled his efforts, striking hard and fast, giving them no advantage, pressing the attack. Punch after punch, kick after kick landed on his foes. He was wearing them down, they were weakening, they couldn't keep this up long. A duck, a parry, and Batman landed a savage kick, to Catwoman's stomach, that sent her flying off the rooftop. He ignored her yelp and pressed on the man in the black mask. He struck a final blow as the sound of a body clanging off fire escapes caught his ear. No, Catwoman is faster than that, she should be able to catch herself, he thought to himself. He turned as he heard a loud thud and crack of a body hitting pavement. He ran to the edge of the roof and saw Catwoman, sprawled on the ground, her blood pooling around here. She didn't move.

Oh my God, Batman thought. What have I done? How could I have killed her? What has become of me?

The masked man ran to the edge of the roof and jumped off, landing expertly on the ground next to Catwoman. He looked her over then looked up at Batman. He pulled of his mask, staring up into the eyes of Batman. No, they had become the eyes of Bruce Wayne, now a killer. He had only seen him once, but Bruce would never forget that face. His son, Damien. Shot by the Joker. How could he be living?

Batman backed away from the roof. His head was spinning. What was going on? Dead men coming back to life, he had taken a life, broken his vow to his parents. Batman screamed in frustration, agony, fear, pain, everything he had kept pent up over the years. He yelled and ran, tried to run back to the past, to escape, to change everything. It was a lost cause. He jumped into the air, gliding between buildings, aiming for the one place he knew would be safe, he knew he could think, organize his thoughts, be safe from the evils of the world: the Batcave.

Damien looked Selina over. She was in bad shape, but she wasn't dead. He quickly bandaged her wounds and carried her to the hospital. They immediately began working on her, unknown if she would pull through the night.

He had hurt him, Damien thought. He was injured, emotionally. He never thought to see his face again, or become so much of what he feared. Damien had heard Batman's yell as he tried to escape. It was a cry of pain, agony, being torn emotionally. Now was the time to press home the advantage, to see if he could complete what he had started.

He had never meant to kill or even hurt Batman. This was all in a way to get him to stop, to free the people from Batman's grasp. He couldn't see it, but Batman was choking the city, squeezing it to lifelessness. As his power and influence grew, the people of Gotham suffered. They feared going out at night not because of criminals, but because of Batman. Who knew what he would take offense to? Who knew what would set him off? He had held to his vow of not killing, but Batman had become crueler with each passing month. It was time he was stopped.

Damien left the hospital. There was nothing he could do here. He pulled out his phone, the only piece of technology he really had. He knew it would be tracked, but he would be long gone by the time Batman figured out where it was. He turned it on and quickly hacked into Batman's network. The cameras provided all of the programming he needed to access everything. With one keystroke, he turned off all of the cameras, disabled his network links, and prevented them from coming back on until he said so. Damien then severed the link, turned off the phone and dropped it there in the street. It was amazing what modern technology could do, and how it could be so effective.

With that step done, Damien ran towards where the final confrontation would be. He would have plenty of time while Batman searched for him. He would make sure it would be perfect, and it would end tonight.