Gotham
Meeting in the Clocktower, the army of Gotham vigilantes were now assembled to do the impossible: save the city, rescue Barbara Gordon and kick the Riddler's ass. Many had answered Dick Grayson's call. Anyone he could assemble to follow his cause. Batgirl had made it home to get a bullet out of her upper arm with Alfred's help combined with a lot of whiskey and profanities which Alfred wouldn't have tolerated from any other Robin. Batwoman and the Question arrived not long after Steph had recovered. The bullet hadn't penetrated bone so Batgirl was fine. Dick spoke candidly to Kate and Renee upon their arrival. "Yes, I'm Nightwing," he told them, not particularly caring right now about his secret identity, "I'm sure you both guessed already, but that's beside the point. The point is that you've guessed who we all are by now, and that we need to get together and save this city and my wife before it's too late." "Your wife?" Renee said confusingly through Vic Sage's signature face mask obscuring all facial features. "He means Oracle," Batwoman told her. "Oh shit, Barbara, yeah," the Question realised, "Well look man, I kinda' guessed Wayne was Batman. No surprise that you're the first Boy Wonder then. But who the hell's the hot blonde?" Steph blushed a little and batted her eyelids at Renee which made Kate look jealous. "She's Batgirl," Dick tersely replied, "and she's only nineteen."
"No harm to look at the menu. What happened to Oracle anyway?" Renee asked. "She was ambushed here in the Clocktower," Dick replied, "All we know is the Riddler took her and we reckon by his message Scarecrow had something to do with it." Steph could see Dick was visibly upset at the prospect Barbara had been subjected to the fear gas before she was captured. She stood up and held his hand, putting her other one on his arm. "I'm sure she's alright," Batgirl reassured him, "Like you said before, she's tougher than the rest of us. She'll manage." Dick looked into his comrade's eyes and smiled a little through his own moist ones. "Yeah, I'm sure." He then composed himself and released Steph's comforting grip. "Anyway, we know that the Scarecrow is planning an attack tonight, subjecting the city to fear gas. The news is saying that President Eiling is sending in troops. We have Jim Gordon waiting on standby to seize City Hall." "Seize City Hall?" Batwoman said with an acute disapproval, which earned her a look of sagacity from Dick. "Mayor Niland hasn't even shown his face through this whole ordeal," he sternly informed her, "let alone done anything about it. I asked Jim and Harvey to…stage a coup so to speak. Just until this thing ends. That way we can better organise the police into helping people."
"Well, that…works, I guess," Renee said. "Are you serious?" Kate asked naively, "He's the Mayor, we're a democracy…" "He's an unelected jackass who didn't even get inaugurated," her ex-girlfriend reminded her, "Not to mention Jim and Harv are good men. I've had the privilege to work with both of them, and they would never do anything to hurt the people of Gotham. I'd call 'em good cops, but that's a disservice, rarity that that is these days, and believe me I know. They'd be good at anything they put their mind to because they give a damn. Better them than another shyster, parochial businessman pretending he's gonna' save the city from itself when he gets into politics." Kate bit her tongue and looked at her feet then. "Don't worry, rich girl," The Question punched her in the arm, "you've still a lot to learn, but you've still got me." Renee kissed Kate on the cheek then through her disguise.
Dick smiled at the happiness of these two, who weren't even really a couple anymore despite what Renee said, but both discovering themselves as vigilantes after the lives they had built for themselves falling apart, made their little interactions something uplifting to behold, especially when missing his own wife. Kate had been kicked out of the army for being gay, and Renee had left the police after her partner, Crispus Allen, had been killed and because she had lost faith in the GCPD with good reason. Becoming Batwoman and the Question around the same time had made the two former lovers realise how much they meant to one another, as they carried on the legacies of two people who had had an impact on their lives. Kate would never admit her admiration for her dead aunt Kathy but Renee was proud of how the dying Vic Sage had pulled her out of a personal quagmire and made her into an even better person than the valiant law enforcer she had been before she took on his mantle.
"Anyway, we need to…" The lights went off before Dick could finish that sentence. "Everyone in position!" he shouted, "Damian and Helena, to the window! Steph and Alfred to the elevator! Kate and Renee with me!" They all entered their allotted battle stances then as a voice spoke to them from Barbara's kitchen. "You shouldn't forget every avenue, Dick," a familiar voice spoke as Dick heard something slicing through the air and caught a Birdarang in his hand. "Tim?" he asked. "The one and only," a slightly cocky voice replied. "No, no I can't take this." The lights suddenly went on and Dick violently slammed Tim into the wall when he found him standing by the kitchen door. "Dick, what the—" The rest of the people there seemed startled too that Dick would assault his own brother like this. "What was the first thing Tim Drake ever said to me?!" Nightwing screamed into Red Robin's face. "I—what?" Tim stammered. "What was it?" Dick had such anger in his eyes looking at a boy he had loved for most of a decade with a fear and loathing suggesting Tim was some kind of deranged killer.
"I said that Batman needed you to become Robin again, because he had taken a turn for the worse with Jason Todd dead," Tim blurted out as quickly as he could, "And you and Alfred told me I should be Robin instead." Dick reluctantly relaxed the pressure he was applying on Tim's throat. "I'm sorry, just…" he stumbled through his distress and apology, "we don't know if Ra's had compromised you or not, or Nygma had sent Clayface after us. I'm sorry…" Tim was lying by the wall now gasping for air. "It's…it's fine. I totally understand," he earnestly informed him. Dick then walked over to the other side of the room, his hands at the back of his head crying a little that he had just hurt Tim. Damian went to comfort him for the first time in his life. "Do not be so judgmental of yourself for being security conscious, Grayson," Robin spoke, "If it were me, I would not have accepted his word so easily." Steph led Tim into the kitchen then while Dick was still composing himself. Tim couldn't look her in the eye after the last time they had seen one another. Pouring her ex-boyfriend a cup of his favourite espresso, she sat him down on the table and held his hand.
"That must have been a shock," she kindly told him, rubbing a gloved finger over the back of his gloved hand, "He's worried about Barbara, so don't let him get to you." Tim didn't respond and reluctantly drank the coffee as he finally made eye contact with Steph. "At last, he deigns to look me in the eye," quipped Batgirl, "Tim, we've known each other for years, you can say anything to me." "I…I didn't expect to see you here, that's all," he said. "What you think I'd retire in the interim?" she giggled. He gulped before even attempting to speak then. Steph continued stroking his hand in an affectionate way the Bat Clan were really starting to learn with one another. "This is about the wedding, isn't it?" she stated, seriously and calmly. "Yes," he said as quickly as Bart might have.
"Ah, Tim. What happened between us that night was amazing. I was happy that the man I've loved for years respected and loved me enough to be with me that whole night and accept my love for him when he needed it."
"Man, you loved?"
"I know, I'm not normally this corny, but I know when you Batboys get emotional language needs to be a bit plainer and more precise. I…Love…You."
"But…after what I did?"
"What did you do? You said I wasn't good enough to be Spoiler, so I took your advice and became Batgirl. And to be honest...I had made mistakes. You were a jerk then, but that's fine, you were grieving, and I know your head isn't in a good place and hasn't been since I died, has it? Or is it some grievous sin like cheating on me with Prudence or something? Newsflash Tim, we haven't really been a couple since a few weeks before my death."
"No…it's…I left you."
"Ha! Yeah, I got your Dear John letter, very poetic. You should consider it as a career…. Okay, sorry, that was mean. It was really sweet and it made me realise how much you cared for me. Above all, it made me feel special that someone thought about me that way, because my whole life I've felt like second best to the rest of our team. But one boy loved me enough to apologise for not seeing me the morning after a bit of old timey consummation of our long relationship. But do you know what it made me think really?"
"What?"
"That it wasn't written by Tim Drake. It was written by Bruce Wayne, Jr. Written by the man who put the scars on your arms which made me cry more than the fact you weren't there. All this bullcrap about how the mission comes first and you can't fall in love…What a load! That's not the Tim I've known for years. My Tim was a Robin because he wanted to be, to look after assholes like Bruce who put the mission first. You even said it to Dick right there. You wanna' know something? When I started as Spoiler, sure Batman was a huge influence, but it was mainly just to stop my dad screwing everyone all over again. But do you know who made me a better hero. Robin. My Robin. The guy who showed me that I wasn't weak for showing my compassionate side around others. The young man who made it real that Batman isn't an island and needed a bit of light in his life. Tim, I would never have been Robin or Batgirl without you, because I would have given up on being Spoiler in a few weeks if it weren't for you and Cass being my friends. I know you're important, but I love her too and credit where credit's due. Not to mention, I'm my own woman. You're hot and so fun to be around that it makes me feel so happy. I slept with you because I wanted to. Because I want you. But I don't need you, Tim. You've been a great help in my life, but I don't require you by my side all the time to make me happy. Sure, being with you is great like I said, but I am independent. And I'd much prefer a Tim Drake who didn't beat himself up about doing what I want."
"You mean the letter didn't upset you?"
"Well the melodrama was pretty funny. I know, sorry, it's your feelings. They're important. The only thing that upset me about it was how much you seemed to hate yourself. Tim, we're not a couple. We made love consensually and without baggage, at least on my part. It hurts me to know that something so…so great, something I hoped you would enjoy too has made you hate yourself. That's all. I had a great time, both before and during it. I expected you to be on your way, because you're your own man. And I do love you, but I don't need you either."
"But it's more complicated than that."
"Of course, it is. Tim, like Dick told me once we're Gotham vigilante teens. We've a bond that's going to be very hard to break. Just look at Dick and Babs. He chose her over a golden-skinned, statuesque goddess cum supermodel because that bond is so strong. I'm not saying we're fated to end up like them, but our…romantic history is always going to be complicated by that. No one's going to understand you like I do, and I think a lot of people aren't going to understand me in the same way as you, because they never saw how vulnerable I was once. Now I'm Batgirl and I'm myself. But our bond isn't going to change because I can stand on my own two feet. And if that means just being friends with the occasional screw when convenient peppered in there, so be it. As long as you're okay in that head of yours…I'll be happy."
"I…I…"
"Just shut up and give me a kiss, Boy Wonder. You're not very good at the whole talking bit anyway right now." Steph laid her lips on Tim expecting a full-on French kiss but he just felt cold. Normally, he was a great kisser but…he was so distant now. He had seemed nervous when talking to her. "I'm happy I didn't hurt you," he said before standing up and stalking his way back into the main room. Steph wanted to hate him, but she only hated herself for not being able to reach him through an act of love once more. Dumb move, Batgirl.
"The League is going to be flying USAF planes over the city tonight," Tim said without a hint of emotion this time before the entire team. Dick had composed himself slightly but was disturbed by how apathetic Tim could be. "Tim, I'm sorry—" "Apologies aren't necessary, Dick. You're just upset with everything that's happened recently. Like I said, the League are going to be spraying the fear gas over town tonight, with the help of Thawne's planes. Also, the Riddler has Barbara held in the Batcave. "Seek her at home?" He meant ours, not hers. Nygma says he'll kill her as soon as Dick shows his face. That and the Mutants are amassing in the Narrows for a massive riot. They expect one will happen when the gas is dispersed. Their leaders are making themselves known tonight. Leading the charge as it were. So, they're going to be vulnerable to attack. Not to mention all the Arkham criminals are being loosed from wherever Nygma's hiding them at once. But the Riddler doesn't realise he's screwed. His ego won't allow him to think that. Ra's' men are going to sweep away as many of the Arkham escapees they can and in the process begin their purge of the city. Ra's himself is holed up at Arkham Asylum coordinating efforts and has been for the past week. If I take him out, I may strategically seize the League and turn them to our advantage."
"The first priority is Barbara!"
"No, Dick! We'll send a team to rescue her, Cass and Cissie, of course. I recommend Steph and Helena. The former, because she's got the best resistance to Crane's gas and the latter because she's not afraid to get her hands dirty."
"Tim, what's gotten—"
"You, Kate and Renee should deal with the Mutants. Alfred can protect the Clocktower. Damian and I will deal with Ra's."
"You're seriously suggesting Damian as your partner?"
"No, Grayson," Robin piped in, "Drake's strategy is correct. This plays to all of our strengths. You and Batwoman are better suited to crowds whereas Drake and I can manage personal combat with my grandfather, who is a master of that art and will accept no less from his enemies. The Question can handle deception and working with the masses to counteract the fear toxin. Stephanie and Bertinelli can sneak into the Batcave and resist the toxin before rescuing Gordon, Jones and Cassandra."
"This is all frightfully sounding like the League. There's a good reason for that."
"That good reason being my grandfather always looked up to my father as a worthy individual among a myriad of fools in this blighted human race. They think not too dissimilarly in strategy. And my grandfather has waged successful campaigns for centuries. Thinking like him on the battlefield is not exactly a disadvantage."
Dick was stunned silent by their logic. "I should be going to get Barbara!" he passionately told them. "And I told you," Tim said with the authority of a schoolmaster, "Nygma will kill her as soon as we get there if he sees you. You can't go anywhere near the Batcave. You said the traditional route was still open, yes? Through the waterfall?" "It…it was a few weeks ago when I checked," Nightwing recalled. Red Robin nodded and looked to Batgirl and the Huntress who were beside one another as if prepared to go on a mission. "Use that as an escape route but try and get in through the manor's ruins so you can get the drop on Nygma," he told them officiously, "That is if you want to save our friends." Helena looked sarcastically and with disapproval at Tim. "Don't betray any emotion, why don't you?" Tim moved his eyes to Steph who was trying to act as tough as Helena, and somewhat succeeding, so he then turned to Batwoman before he could see any façade collapse.
"So, you two will accompany Dick to the Narrows and deal with the Mutants?"
"Um, yeah sure," Renee said almost as if she was looking at a different person. She knew this guy was the Robin she had worked with on the GCPD, but it was like she was talking to an even darker version of Batman at the moment. "Nothing else, boss?" she asked provocatively. "I'm just here to give you information and strategise," Red Robin coolly replied. "Well, we could have used you a minute ago with Oracle gone," Renee sardonically noted. Alfred put his hand on Tim's shoulder then. "Are you sure you don't want to take a minute, Master Timothy?" But then the familiar voice of terror echoed through all their communicators and Barbara's screens flashed up with the image of the Scarecrow. "Now comes the fall of this city, my children. We will rise again. The leader of the Mutants awaits you in the Narrows, Nightwing. Go to him, or your wife dies. Go, son of Batman, and prove you are worthy of defending the city your father hath bequeathed you without Oracle to guide you or his doting presence. I hope your friends can save your spouse before our Mayor is done with her."
"Our Mayor?" Dick said just as his communicator went into static and he heard Crane's voice be replaced the garbled one of his father-in-law. "Jim?" he asked upon recognising, "What's going on?" "We've taken City Hall, Nightwing," Gordon told him once the interference was down, "But…there's no mayor here. Just a dummy dressed as the Riddler laughing at us on tape and question marks all over the walls. I think…there never was a Mayor Niland." "Shit, Barbara was right," Dick said with exasperation, "Of course, he was letting the civic government go down the tube so we'd be in crisis, coupled with all the bombings. Oh, no!" "It's okay, we're sending men out now," Jim reassured him, "but…Holy hell!" Above the skies of Gotham, planes were being flown resembling crop dusters but with armed guns. They bore the insignia of the USAF but their pilots were men in dark masks. From the planes issued forth a green gas which seemed to cover the entire metropole. "Masks on!" Dick screamed as Alfred ran to a nearby cupboard and threw gas masks towards everyone there. The gas being spilled over the city of course, was Jonathan Crane's fear toxin. The night of terror had begun for the people of Gotham. The masks didn't do any good as Dick could feel punctures in them all, forgetting that Crane had already been in here. He looked to Steph, and they both nodded at one another in acknowledgment of their strengths when it came to Crane.
"Right!" Nightwing yelled, "Everyone, attack only when certain and do not trust everything you see. The gas doesn't last forever. Just make your way to your respective positions and do it! Steph, you and Helena…save my wife and those girls! Now!" Everyone made their way out of there right away as the gas seeped in from the windows. They didn't have any more time to argue with Tim's strategy and so split into their separate teams. Red Robin and Robin went for Arkham, the Huntress and Batgirl went to the Batcave with a spluttering Alfred in tow whilst Nightwing, Batwoman and the Question made their way to the Narrows to confront the Mutants. "Madams, please!" Alfred said worriedly as they were all thrust into Helena's car. "Sorry, Al," Steph said putting his seatbelt on in the back seat, "but we can't leave you to be killed by a ton of rampaging civilians." "But the bridges, ma'am!" he said in a panic. "What?" Helena asked as she turned the ignition. "The bridges were destroyed," the butler reminded them, "The only entrance to the Batcave is in Bristol, on the outskirts of the city. Off the islands." "Oh, I know that," Helena said, "we'll just have to drive really, really fast." Slamming down on the accelerator, the car skyrocketed through the now empty streets of Bleake Island.
On the back of Redbird while Tim drove, Damian radioed his old friend, Colin Wilkes, who was on the streets as Abuse at the moment. "Colin, are you alright?" "Fine, Damian," came the reply, "Just…taking down some bad guys. Oh, no. The Mutants…their leader. There's more than one!" Damian turned his communicator off so as to no longer hear his friend being taken down. Stifling tears of worry, he took a look at Tim who was still determinedly driving down the street. "You're certain my grandfather is at Arkham," he asked. "Yes," was the methodical reply. "So he already knows you've defected," Damian observed.
"More than likely."
"Does he want us to fight him?"
"Something like that."
At a special room in Leslie Thompkins' clinic, Pamela Isley was treating Alec Holland, the Swamp Thing. He was trying to regain his powers since he was drained by the Entity. Another plant based metahuman was necessary for him to do that. Leslie had been helping Pamela feed him blood transfusions for months and only now was he regaining himself. The whole ward was filled with far more ordinary patients and was fit to bursting with all the people injured in recent bombings or attacks from the Mutants. "Pamela…" the man who had once been covered in vegetation whispered, "the Green…something is…" "What do you mean, Alec?" Poison Ivy asked him. Just then a gang of Mutants burst into the clinic. "Where's the plant broad?" one shouted, "Huh? Where's Ivy?" Pamela then jumped out from behind the curtain obscuring Alec and struck them all with poisonous vines which shot up from the cracks in the tiles of the clinic. The Mutants all screamed as they felt the venom of the vines seeping into them. One had a stalk emerge from his ear caked in blood. Once the vines withdrew from their orifices, the three Mutants dropped dead in a cascading pool of their own blood. Leslie was disgusted.
"That wasn't necessary," she reprimanded the villainness. "Those men were going to murder and/or rape every one of you apes, Dr Thompkins to get to the Swamp Thing and I," Ivy noted with cool determination, "They weren't going to spare anyone. That's not their style, you've seen what they've done to innocent people here. In other words, you're welcome, meatbag." Leslie scowled then as Alec seemed to regain himself, looking like the Swamp Thing more so than he had in a long time, but still with a semblance of humanity about him. "Pamela, it is time," he slowly intoned, the wisdom of the Green seemed to have returned to him, "Bring me to the Slaughter Swamp." "Are you sure, Alec?" she asked with concern. Nodding, the Swamp Thing caused three creatures to emerge from the same thorns that Pamela had used to protect them. They seemed like faceless soldiers of plants, which they were, but intimidating enough to deter attackers. "These will guard you, Dr Thompkins, as you have guarded me," the sage avatar told his carer, "Thank you for your help. Now it is time I saved the Green and your city."
At the Narrows, people were screaming and tearing each other apart from fear. The sheer terror of Crane's toxin seeped into every inch of their psyche. Nothing was real in Gotham anymore. Only the fear of death and damnation from all their nightmares made manifest was left for them. Gotham was on fire. The Narrows, one of the dirtiest, oldest slums in America was being whipped into an anarchic nightmare with its obscene looting under the leadership of the Mutants. Their metahuman composition made the Mutants immune to Crane's toxin while Victor Zsasz just basked in seeing what it did to others. No fear really affected a man who had killed as much as he had, not even the Batman. Having butchered so many people in a variety of imaginatively cruel methods, Zsasz had nothing to fear. The Batman had arrested him enough times that what came from those arrests brought no fear. Now he had Colin Wilkes, the little boy who got away from him thanks to Robin at his mercy. "Little one, you can't escape," he icily whispered in the lad's ear, "The big bad Mr Zsasz is going to cut you up. But I want the Nightwing to see. He needs to see me kill a child. Then, he'll kill me. Hahahaha."
Stepping out of the abandoned police truck they had commandeered, Nightwing, Batwoman and the Question walked out to a scene of pure carnage that William Blake might have painted. The Mutants were beating innocent people to death. Civilians who would never hurt a fly. The worst part was how scared they all were. Nothing could prepare them for how horrific the Mutants looked, but the fear gas certainly made things worse. Dick angrily beat down the swine right before him that was strangling a little girl after throwing an escrima stick into his partner's goggle. Renee threw down her trademark gas she used to deflect her enemies before taking down more of the thugs by surprise and with martial arts. Sadly, despite their efforts, the trio were surrounded. But that didn't stop them. Dick and Kate delivered roundhouse kicks into any Mutant that came at them and didn't surrender, while Renee got them out of any deadly situation with the gas.
After a while, forty-five Mutants lay unconscious at the feet of the three of them. "Is that the best you can do?" Dick screamed manically into the air, "I am Nightwing, defender of Bludhaven and son of the Batman! I can take whatever any of you throw at me! Now where's the boss man?!" The creepy voice of Mr Zsasz resounded from all around him. "Bludhaven was so well defended when it was nuked wasn't it…Mr Grayson?" the serial killer's unhinged voice spoke from all directions. "Zsasz?" Dick said, his stomach dropping in shock at the name by which he had just been addressed, "How the heck—" "Simon and Nygma told me everything I need to know about the Bat and his family," the voice replied, "Everything. Which is why we all knew that your lovely wife was the brains of the operation. Also, why we knew an idiot like you would blunder in to save her. So, we had to make sure you'd be here instead of with her. The Mutants…well, their leader has been aching for this fight." Zsasz then walked out holding Colin Wilkes, beaten and bruised, in his original form as a child, with a knife to his throat.
"Now get the two whores to back off, or the child gets it."
"That's…that's Damian's friend, Colin. You're a real piece of work, you know that, Zsasz?"
"I am what I am, Grayson. Unlike you costumed freaks who think you do good; I give in to my natural urges honestly. You really want to kill me don't you? But no, Daddy says you can't. Still, Daddy WarBats wouldn't want you letting this little one die, now would he? But I'm not going to give you a chance, just yet. The leader wants a fight."
"Who's the leader, Zsasz?"
"Look to your right."
Dick turned around and saw a hulking figure wearing sunglasses standing above a bonfire with several of his underlings banging bin lids with crowbars chanting, "Leader! Leader! Leader!" Nightwing looked deep into the eyes of this monster through those sunglasses. He was taller than the other Mutants and stockier. Much taller and stockier at that. Almost like he was…more of a metahuman than them. "Oh no," Dick said to himself fearfully, "Not him, anyone but him." "Who is it?" Batwoman asked with concern. "Amygdala!" Dick replied.
The creature that was once Aaron Helzinger leapt down right in front of the three heroes and knocked them aside from the shockwave. "He's bigger than he used to be," Dick noted as Renee lifted him up. "There was a robbery of a shipment of Venom in Hub City not too long ago," Renee concernedly reminded her comrade, "I've got a bad fucking feeling this is what happened to it." "But that shipment was robbed by…the League, because of course it was," Dick almost laughed at how things were falling into place so horribly, "Still, that would mean…Ra's has been onto Tim all along. Shit, what are they walking into?" Amygdala advanced before them then and the other Mutants followed to deal with Nightwing's comrades. "Batwoman, Question…" he ordered the two women, "deal with them." Renee moved to intervene. "Dick, that overgrown gorilla will tear you limb from limb." "Yeah, well Zsasz said you two should back off and let me do this. Do you want Colin's death as well as mine?" Kate and Renee looked at one another with a bit of sorrow anticipating their friend's death and then ran off towards the Mutants.
"Alright, Aaron, let's do—" Dick received a kick in the gut as the childlike giant then landed on top of him. "Hey, kid, come on," he said, jumping back and avoiding a second blow after a quick recovery, "Calm down. There's a good boy." Appealing to the childish nature of Amygdala seemed to have no effect. Amygdala must have lost his infantile mental status due to being drugged up with Venom. "Pin him down, Aaron," Zsasz said through the smoke, "Let him feel the fear." Amygdala seemed to breathe out fear gas straight into the face of his victim. So, that was why the Mutants had been so successful. They spewed Crane's fear gas from their mouths. Dick had been seeing shadows everywhere but used a coping mechanism they'd all learned after years of fighting the Scarecrow. Ignore the shadows and focus on the fight. But now he was pinned down, Dick was slowly succumbing as Amygdala released him.
Except it wasn't Amygdala, it was Tony Zucco. "Stupid little acro-brat!," the mobster mocked him, "You can't save anyone. You couldn't save your mommy and daddy from me, now you can't save her…" The face twisted into that of the Scarecrow. "…from me. All your nightmares are coming true, Nightwing. You will never be able to save your wife from my clutches. Only Batman could do that. And the son of Batman is not…" The face then became Bruce's. "…Batman. You were never Batman, Dick. You'll always just be the first of the orphan boys. I am Batman. You're not even Robin. Your replacements all surpassed you, even Stephanie. You're the only Robin I've ever fired. You couldn't even make a good hero on your own listening to Clark's nonsense. You thought you could make it on your own, but you didn't. Your team fell apart at the seams all because of your own toxic relationship with that alien. Then your city died because you trusted an unpredictable murderer like Slade Wilson. Then you gave up being a hero to be with me. You always come back to me, Dick. You depend on me and then have the arrogance to think you can succeed me. And you couldn't even stick it out for one year before I had to rise from my own grave to put you back in your place. But, it's alright. Know that your death will mean less than your wife's, who was actually useful. Take comfort in your own incompetence. Let go."
As per usual when one of the Bat Clan is subjected to Crane's toxin, these words of deprecation have the opposite effect. Nightwing unleashed himself upon Amygdala with the face of Bruce Wayne, and began hitting him with almost superhuman strength, fuelled only by anger. "I am not a disgrace!" he shouted through the pain, "Bruce loves me, no matter what you say! And I was a damn good Batman! And I'm not afraid for Barbara, she's stronger than me! She's taken more crap than any of us and still she pushes through. And do you know why that is? Because she knows we all love her! I would die for my wife! I would die for my family! I am Nightwing! I AM THE SON OF THE BATMAN! Now get out of my city!" Each sentence had been accompanied by a pounding of Amygdala's head with escrima sticks until the villain lay unconscious in a bloody mess at the hero's feet. The Mutants all stared for a good thirty seconds at the bloodied, manic form of Dick Grayson. Then they dropped their weapons and shouted in unison, "Nightwing! Nightwing! Nightwing!"
Zsasz was taken aback. "That's not possible," he stammered in fear, "No one could survive that kind of pounding." "Nightwing can," the Question said as she and Batwoman approached him and Colin, "Let the kid go, Victor. Or we'll put you in the ground." "Renee, no," Nightwing pleaded, "You know that's not the solution." "Dick, he's going to kill him," Renee rejoined, angrily turning to Nightwing. "I will, don't think I won't," Zsasz was licking his lips, relishing the fact he still had control over the situation, "You may have won this fight but I'm still itching to make a mark. You're going to have to kill me."
"No, I won't!"
"Dick, stop and think!"
"Then I'm making my mark. Open wide, Coli-"
A bullet right through his head. A bullet leaving one last mark upon his skin. The mark of his own death. That was the end of Victor Zsasz. He collapsed, releasing Colin Wilkes a split second before he would have slit his throat. Dick turned to see was it one of the Mutants who had fired but all their weapons remained on the ground. He then saw who had shot the serial killer. It was Batwoman carrying a gun she had taken from one of the looters earlier that evening. "Kate," he shook his head in despair, "that's not our way." "It's my way, Grayson," Batwoman confidently reminded him, "And I just saved that kid's life. This is war, and if you're not willing to get your hands bloody you've no place fighting it." "Sounds just like something Zsasz, would say," Nightwing bit back, " I'm not Batman. I'm not going to pretend I approve, but there are more important things to do now than judge you. I've got a wife to save." Renee smirked under her mask. "Yeah, and now you've got an army to do just that."
Dick then stood atop Amygdala's comatose form. "Go, save our city!" he shouted at the horde of gangsters, "There's looting going on out there. People are afraid because of Jonathan Crane, one of them who manipulated and mutated you all! It's time to fight back and protect more of the people of this city from him. Do it in the name of the Batman! Our city's hero! The Sons of Batman!" The former Mutants all cheered raucously at Nightwing's speech to rouse them to better action. "Sons of Batman! Sons of Batman! Sons of Batman!" The gang then dispersed throughout the city as they went to help those affected by the riots. Dick looked towards Renee and smiled. "Well, when you're good, you're good," the Question laughed, "And you, Dick Grayson, are most certainly good."
At Arkham Asylum, Red Robin and Robin parked Redbird at the gate and subsequently walked through the dark doors leading into the hospital itself. The medical institution was hardly reputable before Nygma and Zsasz had staged their breakout. Now it was just a monument to Gotham's failure to handle the criminally insane. "This place truly is hell," Damian said quietly to himself, "I can see why Father does not kill his victims, when he sends them somewhere like here." "You're acting like you've never been before," Tim noted. "I have," Damian acknowledged, "it just seems so much more…evil when it's empty like this." Damian and Tim walked past the corpses of several guards strung up like trophies. The second set of staff had been massacred by the League. Yet none of Ra's' minions seemed to be here. "Why does my grandfather sit and wait here alone?" Robin wondered. "He's expecting us," Red Robin told him. "Well then, it seems I will have to show him not to be so foolish," Damian added with confidence.
"We will have to, you mean."
"I don't need your help fighting an old man, Drake."
"He's not just any old man, Damian. He's the Demon's Head."
"I am perfectly aware of the man who sired my mother and his reputation. He's an old fool that even you have managed to outwit."
"Did Dick never teach you not to be that cocky going into a fight? My friend Conner used to be like you, you know. That changed when he got Donna Troy killed. He started thinking and being patient instead of leaping into situations half-cocked."
"I am the epitome of patience, Drake. I have waited many years to face my legendary grandfather and did not seek him out. Now I finally can."
They then entered a large operating theatre, except the central table had been replaced with a throne upon which was seated Ra's al Ghul in his grand, green armour, forged from dragon scales. "Detective," he purred with that magnificent voice of his, "And my grandson. I see you didn't disappoint." "I will enjoy breaking you, Grandfather," Damian said before realising what Ra's had just said, "What do you mean disappoint?" "Timothy brought you here, Damian," the Demon's Head informed his grandchild, "So, he could kill you." Damian looked into Tim's eyes, since had now taken his cowl down. They showed a coldness which indicated Ra's had spoken the truth. "Drake, you can't—" Robin pleaded, knowing this couldn't be the case. "Just tell me one thing, Damian," Tim asked coolly, still betraying no emotion, "Do you love our family?" "I don't see—" Damian began before Tim did betray his emotions and shouted at him, veins popping from his forehead.
"DO YOU?!"
"Yes, of course, I do. Pennyworth and Grayson and Gordon and Stephanie have helped me a lot. I know Father and you can be harsh sometimes but that's okay. You still always had better intentions for me than—than he did."
"That's all I needed to hear."
With that, Tim threw one of his Birdarangs at Ra's which the Demon's Head caught instantly. "You really are arrogant aren't you, Detective?" the Demon's Head replied, indicating he had had expected this turn of events, "To think that I would forgive you for destroying my organisation and then blindly let you rise through my ranks as you did without a single kill to your name?" "I knew you had me sussed, Ra's," Tim scoffed, "I just needed to see how far you were willing to go to take this city for Thawne." "Thawne has promised me this pit you call home, Detective, and your lives," Ra's acknowledged, "I am not a vengeful man, but reason states that for my crusade to succeed obstacles like your family must be removed. The reason I have none of my men with me today is because this is a personal matter. Today, I break both of you."
"Not if we break you first, Grandfather," Damian said before lunging like a mink at his grandfather's neck, only to find his arm grabbed and dislocated instantly by the older man. "No grace," his grandfather noted with disappointment as he writhed in agony, "Do you forget everything your mother taught you, boy? Softer and weaker than your father and certainly lesser than I. No more." Ra's withdrew his sword and prepared to send it through his grandson's back, but Tim leapt upon him and began beating the Demon's Head savagely.
"Every time we have sparred, I have beaten you, Ra's. Give up, old man. You can't win. I'm younger, faster and stronger than you ever were."
"Oh, Detective," Ra's chuckled, "I wasn't even trying then. I mean did you honestly believe I was going to kill my own grandchild?" Ra's then pulled a dagger from his shirt and sliced Tim's cheek with a cut that would leave a distinctive scar. Tim flinched and fell back. Ra's then went on the offensive while Red Robin parried every single one of his blows. Damian tried to get involved but his grandfather merely kicked him in the face, knocking him out. "Your lot really have softened him, haven't you?" he noted with disgust, "His mother used to have him kill almost daily, and now he can't even fight a man several centuries older than him. Answer me this, Detective. If he had said he didn't love your family, what would you have done? Killed him and joined me?"
"No. I just wanted to get him to admit it when he was scared. Bit underhanded, but I learned from you that's not always the wrong thing."
"Ah, so Wayne's conditioning isn't permanent. Good, I thought Todd was the only one of you with a lick of common sense. Makes me proud for once."
Tim went to deflect a punch of Ra's' but for some reason his arm was more sluggish and the blow connected knocking him down. "Ra's…what have you done to me?" he asked as he realised he could now barely stand. Tim then started laughing a lot for no apparent reason as Ra's pocketed his knife and looked disgustedly at the young man. "I laced my blade with a certain toxin provided by a new ally," he said, indicating that this alliance was not one he enjoyed, "He asked only one thing of me and he would train my men in deeper and more sadistic means of pacifying the masses. A Robin for him to play with. I refused to give him my blood, since I have plans of my own for him. So, I offered him you, and do you know what he did? He smiled delightfully at the prospect. Then again, he tends to do a lot of that."
"Ha—who-is-hahaha-he-bwahahaahahah!"
"Isn't it obvious from your condition, Detective? To think I admired your perceptiveness. The Joker, of course."
"Oh, that's not—hahahahahah—good…"
"No, Bird brain. Not for you anyway," a voice straddling the thin line between sadistic glee and determined anger said behind him as he grabbed Tim by the scruff of the neck, "Oh, I'm going to enjoy playing with the clever one. Thanks, Ra's." "No—hahaha-" Tim pleaded through the laughter, "hahaha-Ra's, you can't." Ra's turned his back to Tim as Ubu entered the room and lifted Damian up on his shoulders. "Don't expect your family to save you, Detective," the Demon's Head said, almost regretfully, "This facility is too well guarded. That and the city will be in far too much panic after tonight if any of them even survive this carnage. If it's any consolation, the toxin should wear off in a few hours, so you won't find this quite as hilarious as you seem to be. Get him out of my sight, clown!"
Tim screamed and laughed simultaneously as the Joker dragged him by the cape from the theatre. "Are you—are you—going to kill me?" he asked, tears in his eyes. "Kill you?" the Clown Prince guffawed before his voice took on a more sinister tone once again, "Oh, my material is far more original than that. I've already killed one Boy Blunder. No, I've got much more fun planned for you. I'm going to take a leaf out of Bane's book. First, I'm going to break you. Then I'm going to make you like me." "No—haha—don't—haha—please—" Tim continued weeping through his pleading. "Aw, you're so thoughtful," the villain smiled, "You know I love it when you kids beg."
Coming to Slaughter Swamp, the dark green cesspit miles outside the city limits of Gotham, Poison Ivy helped carry Swamp Thing to the centre of it. Alec was weak and needing more assistance than normal but Pamela knew he wouldn't take no for an answer as to not acting tonight. "Throw me in, Pamela," Alec whispered, "I need to fully reconnect with the Green. Become one with it in order to save this city." "They're just people, Alec," she said, "The plants don't deserve what's happening to them, but those apes could care less about them." "I know they don't care," Swamp Thing sighed, "But I am human and the people of this city have helped me in this trying time. So, I must. For the city who saved me, Pamela. I'm sorry." Alec tossed himself into the nearby lagoon at the centre of the swamp and the vines of the Green surrounded him once more making him Swamp Thing again. Poison Ivy cried as through the Green, Alec reached out to every plant in the city of Gotham, and they sucked in all of Crane's fear gas from everyone therein infected or spread by the fighter planes. The city seemed to lose any trace of it all of a sudden as it entered the plants. While the fear gas overwhelmed him, Ivy felt Alec scream and go limp from the sensation the Scarecrow's patented product was giving him. Pulling him out, she cradled Swamp Thing as he experienced every night terror anyone could ever feel. But the city was safe now. Safe thanks to Swamp Thing. Who was now losing his mind and his body as his form seemed to dissolve and slither into the vines around him.
Helena had crashed the car and swam most of the way to Wayne Manor with Steph and Alfred. "Al, was the entrance behind the clock still there after the fire," she said as they came within the city limits. "It was, Miss Helena," the butler replied, " eversince I told the builders and firemen to avoid it. Master Clark helped a lot with that." "Yeah," Steph said with an air of worry as she toweled Alfred down with the first one that she could find, as they entered the charred ruins, "But knowing the Riddler he's got some kind of booby trap on that thing." "Damn, Steph, you are good these days," Huntress smiled. "Coming from the Huntress that means a lot," Steph thanked her. The three of them came to the grandfather clock behind which lay the hidden entrance to the Batcave. Bruce had covered it in asbestos after the last time Wayne Manor had been set ablaze. Turning the hands to the time of Thomas and Martha Wayne's killing, they found the main entrance to the Batcave. "No traps," Helena said poking her head in as if expecting to find a bomb rigged with a puzzle for them to solve. "Remember Nygma's not working alone this time," Steph reminded her, "Who's to say he's even here and not at Arkham with Ra's?"
"No, he's here alright. He's just not the type to leave his bait unhooked."
Helena, Steph and Alfred all tiptoed softly down the stairs to the secret warren which once belonged to Bruce Wayne. Eventually, they found themselves behind the Giant Penny, and saw Barbara, Cass and Cissie all tied up in front of the Batcomputer with Nygma and Crane standing over them. "Crane's toxin is currently being spread all over the city thanks to Eddie Thawne and the League of Assassins," the Riddler gloated to his prisoners, "The city you tried and failed to protect, Miss Gordon, is now going to die. And your husband is out there right now fighting a gigantic metahuman and being made to break his father's one rule. Oh, isn't this exquisite." "You're sick, Nygma," Babs said through gritted teeth, "sick in the head if you think you've won." "Oh, but I have," he grinned from ear to ear, "Swamp Thing may have absorbed the toxin, but the damage is done, Miss Gordon. This city is already dead. Your rescue team will be showing up any minute. And I have a little surprise for them when they do." Babs looked up at the Giant Penny worryingly. "That surprise being?" she asked, trying to distract her captor upon realising her cavalry had arrived. "That this isn't Jonathan Crane," he laughed. The Scarecrow had been completely unmoving beside Nygma, and it became apparent why when Nygma pulled the hat from it and a pile of straw collapsed before him.
Steph, Alfred and Helena all turned behind them at the sound of scraping feet only to be sprayed in the face by the Scarecrow with his toxin. Helena suddenly saw her family being murdered by her father's Mafiosi associates right in front of her. Alfred witnessed Bruce being killed along with Thomas and Martha in Crime Alley. Steph saw the faces of many dead people look up at her and point. The faces of all the people who had died in Black Mask's gang war which her actions had precipitated. "Bask in your fear, children," Crane preached in that twisted, horrific voice of his, "Let it flow through you all like the nurturing mother it is. Let it remind you how frail you all are. How nothing you do can overcome it." Steph then let her own little superpower kick into overdrive. She was Batgirl. She was a damn hero. And like before, she was more than a match for Jonathan Crane. She took him out with one punch shouting, "It's in their memory I keep fighting, Crane! Why I try and do better by this city! Why I am something and you're nothing!"
Seeing the state her comrades were in, Steph grabbed them both by the shoulder and whispered "Fight it! Crane's not here. He's gone. Those things aren't real. Come on. Snap out of it." Alfred and Helena came to their senses slightly then as Batgirl helped them up. They distinctively heard clapping from below. "Bravo, bravo," the Riddler announced with alacrity, "So brave, my little ones. Mr Wayne truly would be proud of you all." Steph and Helena grabbed Alfred and they all glided down to face the Riddler, albeit a little awkwardly with the butler in the middle. "What's your game, Nygma?" the Huntress asked violently, "There's no puzzles here. No snide little hints for us to pick up on. Just the damn Scarecrow." "That's because, Miss Bertinelli," he replied, placing his hands together, "I don't feel the need to outwit any of you. I know I'm the intellectual superior of you all. Now, the Batman, he is someone I need to prove I'm better than. Cretins like you don't matter. They never will. But a battle of wills isn't always about intellect. I will break his will before he can tax his mind, by killing all the people he loves. And since Grayson's not here, it seems I can only kill you three. Oh well, I might kill the archer and the assassin if I'm feeling up to it."
Helena punched the Riddler in the face. "Now that is rude," Nygma said, tending to his broken nose, "Just for that I'm going to have to get my friend to teach you some manners. Cyrus!" From the shadows at the edge of the Batcave, the Earth seemed to shake as if some sort of giant were advancing towards them. A grey, zombified creature of significant height made its way towards them and intoned, "Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday!" "Cyrus here has kindly volunteered to handle any violent intruders, haven't you? he asked the zombie. "Christened on a Tuesday," was the predictable reply.
"Yeah, he's not the most linguistically gifted. Still…any last words?"
"Go to hell, Nygma," the Huntress said as she knocked him out with a kick to the face, before turning to her allies, "Steph, Al, get the others to safety, I'll handle the big grey blob." "Married on a Wednesday!" Grundy said as he started charging across the cave. Before they could protest, Batgirl and Alfred were busy untying the three girls. Steph picked the two younger ones up who were slightly concussed while Alfred carried Barbara. "Thanks, Al," Oracle told him, "Now get us out of here quick." Grundy began swatting at Helena who avoided every blow and peppered him full of crossbow bolts gradually but decisively. "Took ill on Thursday!" he annoyedly shouted. "Yeah, we've all heard it Solomon," Helena rejoined with similar annoyance, "Now shut up!" Removing a grenade from her utility belt she threw it at the beast landing it in his mouth. But the explosion had no effect. Normally, Grundy could be taken down easier than this, but he seemed more impervious than usual.
Nygma rose slightly, blood running from his nose. "Ah, yes, I forgot to mention, Huntress," he smiled, "He does have some new abilities. A bit of Venom and fear gas works wonders on the undead just as it did with Amygdala." Grundy then tried to spray fear gas on Helena from his mouth but she fired another bolt into his throat to stifle the exhalation. He choked for a little and then swallowed the bolt altogether like the undead leviathan he was. "Grew worse on Friday," he bellowed nonchalantly. He then grabbed Helena and began squeezing the life from her. "Died on Saturday," were the words that came next with beastly glee. Helena was choking to death, but then she saw what lay behind her attacker. The Batmobile parked and ready. "Wayne Enterprises, override code, 010489HB. Huntress," she shouted as loudly as possible in spite of the vice like grip around her throat. The car started revving up behind Grundy as Helena added, "Accelerate now!" "Buried on a Sunday?" Grundy asked in confusion, craning his neck backwards. "Yeah, and that was the end of Solomon Grundy, you motherfucker!" Huntress laughed. The Batmobile then drove straight into Grundy and threw them both off a cliff into the waters below, the car weighing them down in the process.. Batgirl ran back inside to see her old friend seemingly plunge into the chasm below with the zombie. "Helena, no!" Steph shouted, tears falling from her eyes.
"Aw, how touching," the Riddler snickered, "Still trying to prove herself a hero after all this time, Spoiler. Kind of sad, really." Steph advanced on Nygma and began punching him incessantly when she saw fire rise from the chasm below them. "She was my friend, Nygma!" was the violent scream that left her mouth, and she punctuated each sentence with another punch in the villain's face, "She was worth ten of you. She was the only one who believed in me when Batman and Robin didn't. You're one dumb bastard for crossing our family and killing her!" The Riddler then grabbed his cane and whacked Steph on the temple, electrocuting her while insulating himself with his rubber gloves. Batgirl was out for the count. "No one talks to me like that, no one!" Nygma said, his cool finally lost, "I'm the Riddler! I am not dumb! I am your intellectual superior. I am E. Nygma." The villain then grabbed Steph by the hair and went to throw her down to Helena and meet the same fate. "Let's see how you feel when you join her, as to who's better than you, Miss Brown. Eh?" he asked sarcastically, "You're certainly not better than me. An idiot who starts a gang war to impress Batman is not better than me! No one is! I am the great intellect! I am the savant! I—" Two arrows hit Nygma in both his shoulder blades as he released Steph's hair and plunged into the chasm himself. It was Cissie. Arrowette then ran towards the cliff and picked Batgirl up as the falling Riddler took a leaf out of Deathstroke's book and activated a detonator hidden in his coat. The cave began collapsing so Cissie jumped on a nearby quad bike and drove them out of there avoiding falling rubble. Thus, Edward Nygma, Jonathan Crane, Solomon Grundy and sadly, Helena Bertinelli were all sealed in the collapse of the Batcave, a home of heroes which had fallen saving them.
"Cissie," Barbara said hugging the archer closely and taking the unconscious Batgirl from her as they emerged from behind the waterfall. They were all on a clearing just past the waterfall when Batgirl and Arrowette returned. "Where's Helena?" Babs said with a fear in her eyes while Cissie shook her head. "She wasn't even there," was all Cissie could tell her, "Or Grundy. Just a fire in the chasm." "No, oh God, no," Oracle started crying, "Shit, Helena. No!" Babs buried her face into her successor's breast as Steph awoke and with what strength she had gave the woman who originally held her mantle a stroke on the hair. "She saved you though, Babs," Steph reminded her, "Saved the city from that bastard, Nygma." Just then, a helicopter landed beside them and Nightwing, Batwoman, the Question and Commissioner Gordon emerged from within. "Barbara?!" Jim shouted, and lifted his distressed daughter from Steph's embrace and into one of his own. "Helena didn't make it, Dad," Babs wept, "And Steph nearly didn't either." She saw something then that made her perk up, her husband with a big dorky smile on his face. Dick…you're okay," she said with relief. "More than okay seeing you're alive," he replied, dropping the grin at the realisation of their friend's death, "But Helena…Barbara, I'm so sorry."
"Not now, Dick. We've got to worry about who we can save. Where are Tim and Damian?"
"Haven't heard back yet? I'll try my comms. Tim? Damian? Hello?"
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Oh God, no. Not you. Not fucking you."
"Your brothers are as good as dead, Boy Blunder the First. Come after either of them, and they're toast. Though do come after them if you want, I'd love to see the look on your face when they're dead. Hahaha!" Nightwing crushed the comms unit in his hand slowly and with anger. "Joker. The goddamn Joker," he swore to himself in anger, "As if this night couldn't get any worse. Now the cave's gone too." Babs put her hand in her husband's then. "It's alright, Dick," she said reassuringly, "We'll save them." "We have too," Nightwing replied to his wife, the righteous rage apparent on every line of his face, "Otherwise I don't know what I'm going to do with myself if we don't."