Chapter Text
“Are you sure of this, sir? Are you certain that there is no chance of saving your allies? These heroes are your family. They are the hope of millions of people all around the world. If you use the Babel Protocol, it will never be the same again. You will not find forgiveness.”
“Alfred. I saw the look in Barry’s eyes as he murdered Luthor in cold blood. He enjoyed it. Revelled in it. Whatever this darkness is, it has consumed him entirely.”
“Master Bruce, the Babel Protocol is the worst of sins that you have committed in this lifetime. I understand you would not think to use it unless it was truly necessary…the last move you could possibly make. But I worry. I worry about what’s going to be left of your soul by the end of this. If you do this, there is no coming back from it. Not for you, or anyone else.”
“It’s like you said. I have no other choice.”
“Then for all our sake’s I hope you find answers to this nightmare within the mind of Mr Allen.”
“I have to be prepared to do what’s necessary if there is no cure for this.”
“Both you and I, Master Bruce.”
At the apex of the skies, peering down below at the city streets, one could almost be fooled into believing that Metropolis was at peace. Dare to look towards the sun, and the violet eyes of the doomsday machine hovered as an ominous reminder that the world had fallen.
Did mankind truly face its extinction, a prophecy of an apocalypse foretold a thousand times, or was the machine merely self-serving in its will to live?
As I gazed out at the city from the Batwing’s co*ckpit, the neon glow of the instrument panels cast a faint light over the interior. The hum of the engines was a calming rhythm. From my chair I glanced back at The Flash, subdued and still. And I wondered if Braniac could even comprehend the depths of its own evil. And what sort of evil would respond in turn.
The Batcave was at the edge of the city, and I needed to get there before The Flash’s healing kicked in. I'd done enough damage to delay it by several hours. At the cave I had an anti-speedforce prison, which would nullify his powers whilst I studied his condition.
Wonder Woman had agreed to meet me at the cave, but not before she continued her tireless war against Braniac’s forces, saving as many people as she could.
Moments after we had separated, I had wanted to tell her that I was sorry. But I didn’t. Beneath all her strength, her divine heritage and even her duty, was a deep sense of compassion that made her who she was. In that, we differed. Deep down, I was not driven by compassion.
I was driven by something darker: will.
The sheer force that it took to restrain the demon I had created, even when it begged for release. That was my compass. For whenever I dared to believe that I would lose my way, I only had to peer into that darkness, and I would know what was right.
A warning light blinked on my communications line. It was Alfred, once again.
“Master Bruce, I’m afraid I have distressing news,” his voice crackled over the speaker.
“I’m listening.”
“The cave has been compromised.”
Had I heard him correctly?
My grip on the pilot’s chair tightened, “Give me a reading on the situation.”
“A security breach, sir. I’m afraid some unsavoury characters have gained entrance into the cave. Though the perpetrators hardly seem capable of having pulled this off on their own. I heard them mention an old acquaintance of yours: Amanda Waller.”
I wouldn’t need three guesses to surmise that it had something to do with the so-called ‘Task Force X’ that Barry had namedropped earlier.
“Bring up the live feed from the cave.”
The screen flickered to life in front of me and I saw four armed soldiers flanked by Harley Quinn, Floyd Lawton, Digger Harkness and King Shark. My mind raced with the implications. What was Amanda Waller thinking, enlisting the aid of known criminals?
“Waller has obviously sent these bottom feeders to search for weapons to use against the Justice League.”
“Maybe they struck out at Lexcorp, sir. You’ve got to admire her thought process.”
“She’s gone too far.”
“You are surprised, sir?”
I said nothing.
“The protocols are safe, Master Bruce. They won’t find them.”
“No, but they are going to find me.”
I activated the Batwing’s boost and the ship surged forward and tore through a sea of clouds as I homed in on the cave.
“Open the sky latch,” I instructed.
“I admire your dedication to making your entrances rather spectacular.”
I rose from the pilot’s chair as the hatch at the bottom of the Batwing opened. The wind tore through the interior of the ship, and I became one with it as I dropped, my cape flourishing behind me. A moment of release before the world diluted into a rush of colour and blurred shapes, as I plummeted down towards the cave. Rage bubbled like a cauldron; the faster I fell, the more I plunged into its darkness. And as my cape spread to slow my descent a feral roar escaped my lips, and I welcomed what was to come.
******
When I was a young boy, my father gave me a tour of Wayne Manor. With a stint of unmistakable pride, he showed me every square inch of its magnificent architecture. Portraits on the walls revealed my lineage, rich mahogany bannisters on every stairwell posing as symptoms of decadence, and artifacts and trinkets that had been passed down through generations all became lessons for me to remember. To be a Wayne, I had to understand what the name meant, and what it would someday require of me. But I was different. I always had been. I had questions that my father could not answer. That I dared not even ask. Thus, I had always been drawn to the shadows and the truths that lurked within them, curious of their secrets; the very same ones that had led me to discover the cave, to fall into it and to meet the creatures of the night. In time, I had grown to learn that cave with a greater familiarity than my own home. And the lessons it taught me made me understand the true meaning of fear.
Perched atop a stone platform, shrouded in darkness like a wraith, I fixed my gaze on the intruders below with intent. The air in the cave was damp, clinging to my suit like a glove. Distant sounds of water dripping echoed off the walls in a steady rhythm. My cowl’s detective vision pierced the shadows, locking onto enemy positions from afar. I could visualise the dim outlines of their weapons and get a fix on their heartbeat readings and stress levels. Every muscle tensed as I hungered for their screams, longed for them even. In five years, my patience had worn thin, and I craved the sweet release of their terror.
My audio channel picked up chatter nearby from one of Task Force X’s foot soldiers.
“This cave is just creepy, man. Can you believe that we’re actually inside the Batman’s lair?”
“It ain’t so bad when you know that he’s dead.”
“You really think he’s gone?”
“What are you saying he’s like the undertaker or something? The Bat got blown up, he's as dead as the Joker is.”
“Don’t let Harley hear you say that…”
“Yeah, but haven’t you heard all the rumours about a freak dressed like a bat knocking the stuffing out of bad guys in Gotham?”
“It could be anyone under that mask, some copycat or one of the other guys in the Bat family.”
I saw the beams from their flashlights emerge out of the darkness.
“No way. I heard that one of A.R.G.U.S.’ surveillance drones saw him beat the holy heck out of The Flash.”
“Bullsh*t! The Flash is the fastest man on the planet. How could a rich guy in a bat suit take him out?”
“You mean the same rich guy in a bat suit who beat every single supervillain in Gotham over just a few nights? You know, the same guy who broke your arm in two places back in Arkham City after Hugo Strange had him surrounded by ten men with guns? That guy?”
“Shut the f*ck up!”
“You do realise Batman is a member of the Justice League, right? He ain’t there selling girl scout cookies, I can tell you that.”
“What are you silly boys babbling about? If you can’t play nice, I’m going to have to spank you! And I warn you…I use a baseball bat,” a woman called out in a sing-song voice that was instantly recognisable.
It was Harley Quinn. Once the ‘Joker’s bride’, following his death she had amassed a formidable crime expedition all on her own that had made her a force of terror in Gotham. Until she was apprehended and returned to Arkham Asylum, where Waller must have got to her. Intelligent, cunning and ruthless, it was likely that she was leading Task Force X even if they didn’t know it.
The men went quiet instantly, clearly afraid of her. Smart of them.
“I believe the meat bags were wondering if Batman is still alive,” a gruff growl spoke next.
King Shark, a humanoid shark with mystical origins. A reminder that it was foolish to underestimate Amanda Waller and her organisation A.R.G.U.S, as they had managed to capture a literal demigod. Those were Lex Luthor’s words – more or less.
“Oi, arseholes, if Batman were still alive, he’d have set a million traps for us by now.”
Digger Harkness, also known as Captain Boomerang. A charlatan with delusions of grandeur about his rivalry with The Flash. He had a talent for survival and serving up trouble. His was a loud kind of chaos that was as unpredictable as it was volatile.
“I hope he is alive. I’ve a bullet with his name on it,” a muffled, monotone voice joined in.
Floyd Lawton, an assassin who went by the codename Deadshot. He had an almost mythical skill with a firearm, and always hit his target. Almost always. We’d clashed before in Arkham City. I’d heard rumours that Waller had recruited him – the only way she’d have managed to pull him out of forced retirement would be by using his daughter as leverage.
“Well, I, for one, miss the old pointy ears!” Harley quipped.
“I thought you hated him, after Joker died,” Deadshot replied.
“Yeah well, the world became awful lonely after I lost them both.”
“Enough reminiscing guys, and tell me what the sh*t are we looking for here?” Captain Boomerang chimed in.
“Big, tasty weapons,” King Shark growled.
“I know that, you big tree, but where are we supposed to find them?”
“I am not a tree. If you call me a tree again, I will devour you whole.”
“Well, f*ck mate, it was just a joke.”
“If only his butler were around, we’d be able to break through the encryptions on his computer. He must have an armoury around here that we can make use of,” Deadshot offered.
“If Batman was alive, we could just ask him!” Harley giggled.
“Well, if he were, what are the odds we’re going to run into him?” Captain Boomerang remarked.
I’d heard enough.
From the shadows, I raised my disruptor tool and silently disabled their firearms.
It was time to make myself known.
In one fluid motion, I leapt from the platform and met the ground with a heavy impact that seemed to shake the foundations of the cave itself. The shock absorbing material in my suit embraced the force of the landing. A choir of shouts and profanities burst out at once, amidst a sea of wide eyes and frightened faces. I slowly rose to my full height and stared them down.
“You had to ask, you big goof,” Harley sighed.
“Oh my god, it’s him!” cried out one of the soldiers.
“Is that really you in there, Brucie?” Harley asked with a twisted smile.
“You’re not so scary when we know who you are under that mask,” King Shark said with a grin full of razor-sharp teeth.
Wordlessly, I began to advance towards them, each step like thunder strikes upon the ground as adrenaline coursed through my body.
“Dodge this, Batman,” Deadshot said, raising his rifle.
“Don’t do it!” Harley cried out.
The firearm malfunctioned, and a burst of sparks emitted from the muzzle and splashed over the side of his mask, causing him to cry out in shock.
“I woulda told you about his disruptor, cowboy!” Harley laughed.
“Oh god, what do we do?” shouted one of the soldiers.
“Have some goddamn balls, there are eight of us.”
“When has that ever stopped him before?”
“Guys, I don't think he cares that we know who he is,” said Captain Boomerang.
With a voice of controlled rage, I spoke.
“You can never beat me. After all these years, have you not realised that it is pointless? I am stronger than you are. Faster than you are. Smarter than you are. Every single decision that you believe to be your own, I have already anticipated it.”
“Don’t just stand there, you idiots, shoot him!” shouted Deadshot.
I came to a standstill.
“Go right ahead,” I challenged.
The soldiers were hesitant.
“I’m going to cleave you in half, Batman,” King Shark said with a menace.
“He seems different…” Harley said.
“You’re right,” I replied.
“What? Did Bats just agree with me? You all heard that, right?” Harley said.
“You can’t disable my weapon with your fancy gadgets!” Captain Boomerang shouted.
He threw his boomerang at me, and I snatched it out of the sky effortlessly, before its metallic song could even be heard through the hollow cave.
“How in the f*ck?” Captain Boomerang yelled.
I dropped the weapon, letting it clatter to the floor.
“I’m done playing games. The exits are sealed, and there’s no escape – not for you, and not for me. This time, I'm not merely going to take you down. No, I will make you suffer. I know pain. And I’m going to share it, with all of you. From this moment on, I welcome you all to hell.”
At that moment, with a trigger on my utility belt, I cut all power to the cave and melded into the darkness, savouring the sounds of their screams. Sparks lit up the interior for a single instant as two of the men tried to fire their weapons, unaware that they were disabled. I was already gone.
“I don't like this, guys. We need to get the f*ck out of here!” a soldier yelled.
“Batman never used to taunt us before. I preferred it when he didn't speak…this is just too creepy,” Deadshot said.
“I didn’t think he could get any meaner,” Harley agreed, though she was amused.
“He's just trying to scare us because we know he's a little rich boy in there, crying for his mummy and daddy!” Captain Boomerang shouted.
I spoke into my wrist guard; the sound would carry through the entire cave. To them, my voice would come from everywhere, and nowhere.
“Yet you've been beaten by me, humiliated by me, hunted by me. It always ends the same. Knowing who I am beneath this mask changes nothing about what is going to happen to all of you. The only question is…which one of you, will panic first?”
Nervous shouts, with voices overlapping each other, fighting to be heard.
“He does not scare me!” King Shark roared.
“Relax. If we stick closely together, he can’t pick us off one by one like he always does,” Deadshot said.
“What about his ice grenades, and explosive gel, and not to mention we’re in his goddamn cave where he has all his weapons?” a solider protested.
“To hell with this I’m leaving!” another soldier exclaimed.
“Stay in one place!” yelled another.
“He’s obviously hiding up there in the shadows, point your flashlights at the ceiling!”
Beams of light flooded the roof of the cave…nowhere close to me. A soldier had broken away from the group, by only a few paces. I fired my grappling hook at the roof of the cave and swung towards him, grabbing him in a rush of momentum and slamming his body into the wall of the cave at the other end with tremendous force. He dropped instantly, broken.
“Throw a grenade at him!” a soldier shouted.
“Are you crazy? You’ll bury us all alive!” another answered.
They were in my line of sight. There were ways to subdue them with minimal harm. Or I could be patient and wait for the perfect moment to strike. I dismissed those options. I hurled a smoke bomb infused with scarecrow’s toxin at the two of them. Their bloodcurdling screams echoed through the cave as I descended upon them, a demon with eyes of fire. In a dance of carnage, I snapped the first soldier’s arm like a twig and shattered his kneecap with a violent kick, subduing him. I whipped around to see the other soldier try to run in a wild frenzy, but my grapple gun caught him. Reeling him in, I delivered a haymaker to his spine with ruthless fury. He dropped, a co*cktail of agony and panic. He’d walk again in three or four months.
I returned to the shadows, but this time I stayed on the ground, where they wouldn’t be looking for me. From the darkness I watched the last remaining soldier try to flee, only for King Shark to lunge at him, grab him and rip into his shoulder, tearing his arm from his body with a single bite before tossing him aside, writhing.
“You’re next, Batman,” King Shark barked.
With another switch, I activated the low lighting within the cave; a haunting red glow swept across the interior as the emergency power turned on. To them, it was a house of horror.
“Why don’t you just come out Bats and give us all a big scare so we can laugh about it later?” Harley called out.
Wearing a private smile, I spoke again.
“You may want to check on Boomerang. He's wandered off…alone.”
“Hang on, I see a way out over here guys…” Captain Boomerang called out.
“Damnit, Boomerang, the Bat is coming for you!” shouted Deadshot into their comm line.
“Boomerang, are you still conscious?” Harley asked.
A red herring. I emerged from the abyss to grab Deadshot and pulled him into it as he cried out. But I miscalculated his reaction, when at the whims of chaos. He fired at the cave wall and the bullet ricochet, a fragment striking the side of my cowl. I growled, off balance for a moment, and Deadshot whipped around with immense speed to fire again, hitting me clean in the chest. The impact knocking me off my feet, but the suit’s armour held.
He approached me, slowly raising his gun to my exposed jaw, “The world's greatest detective…dies at the hands of the world's greatest assassin.”
With an explosion of raw, immeasurable anger, I sprang to my feet and swept my cape and forearm across my face as he pulled the trigger, deflecting the bullet with a metallic clink. I hurled a batterang with deadly precision, and it lodged into his eye with a sickening thud, blinding him in a fervour of screams and blood. I leapt at him and fractured his wrist before grabbing hold of his face and slamming him into the ground with bone-breaking force.
“Oh god…you son of a bitch…it hurts so bad…” he whimpered.
A savage strike to his temple knocked him out cleanly, and then I vanished into the grates below just as King Shark and Harley arrived at the scene. Hurrying along beneath, I soon resurfaced to spray a line of explosive gel onto a panel of weakened flooring. Within moments, a trap was set. I planted a sonic batterang against the wall, which emit a screeching pulse that would be unbearable for King Shark and his heightened senses. I laid in wait.
“What is that noise?” he roared, charging towards me.
He stopped abruptly and looked down.
“I’m not going to fall for your old tricks, Batman. I see the gel.”
He smashed the sonic batterang with his fist. I triggered the explosive – the one he did not see. Up above. A massive stalactite dislodged from the force of the blast and came crashing down on top of King Shark. Simultaneously the gel on the floor detonated, and he was sent tumbling into the rough current below. For good measure I activated the electric remote mines I’d planted within the water, hearing the cackling and seeing blue flashes illuminate through the vents. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would certainly drag him painfully out to sea far away from the cave.
“Here you are, you sneaky bastard!” shouted Captain Boomerang.
Without hesitation I threw a battering at him, but he dodged it.
“You missed!” he mocked, drawing a concealed firearm.
The batterang spun in an arc and travelled in reverse, striking him in the back of the shoulder blade. I was already onto him, shattering his nose with a monstrous impact. He howled and convulsed in pain. I ended the noise with a vicious boot to the head. His mother would recognise him again after some facial reconstructive surgery.
I heard metal dragging against the floor behind me, and I turned to see Harley Quinn looking at me with an unreadable expression. I rose to my feet and faced her.
Unexpectedly, Harley lowered her weapon, a dispirited look in her eyes.
“I…don’t want to do this, Bats.”
“You should have thought of that before you teamed up with this lot.”
She shrugged, “We didn’t have much of a choice, Bruce. You might have heard of a certain someone named Amanda Waller. Well, we’re what you’d call her Suicide Squad.”
“What does that mean?”
Harley pointed at her neck.
“The old coot stuck miniature bombs in our necks. If we don’t do what she says, well, let’s just say I won’t be able to get by on my looks anymore.”
“If that’s the case, why did the four of you choose to fight me?”
“Are you kidding, Brucie? These guys hate you. Bomb or no bomb, they'll take any chance to kill you after all these years.”
I narrowed my eyes, sizing her up.
“What about you?”
Her face fell.
“My Joker is gone, Bats. Nothing is bringing him back. But this…this isn't fun anymore.”
I scoffed, “You’re not having fun? You of all people.”
She smiled, “It’s no fun when the heroes are worse than the villains.”
Approaching her slowly, I soon towered over her. But she stood her ground.
“What is it Waller wants you to do? What is your mission?”
“She gave us a target. Someone we have to kill.”
“Who?”
Harley looked directly into my eyes, so that I would know she was telling the truth.
“Superman.”
Reaching out, I put my hand on the side of her face and held her close.
“What are you doing…?” she breathed with wide eyes.
“Hold still.”
Activating the cowl’s detective vision, I studied her neck, where I could make out a small surgical scar, lending credibility to her tale. After a few moments I released her.
“It would seem that you’re the victim of a cold, ruthless woman.”
“Who, Amanda? She's just a sweet ol’ lady!”
“This isn’t a game. Waller has offered the four of you up like cattle. That device implanted inside of you was not put there as a deterrent. It’s your purpose. Your true mission.”
“What are you saying, Bats?”
“The bomb in your neck isn't what you think it is. The explosive is laced with kryptonite.”
She looked away.
“Think about it. The four of you cannot even beat me, what hope do you have against the most powerful being on the planet? Amanda Waller knows that you've no chance of killing Superman on your own. Procuring weapons from myself or Lex Luthor was for her own sake. She wanted the four of you to get in close so that she could detonate the bombs, knowing she’d kill him at best, weaken him at worst. You were right. Suicide Squad would have been more fitting a name.”
Harley considered my words for a moment before breaking out into a smile.
“How do I know that you’re not playing me, Brucie? It is what you do best after all.”
“You’re welcome to take on Superman on your own and find out.”
Harley Quinn laughed gleefully in response.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it Bats? She’s you, if you didn't have a heart.”
I held out my hand, “Give me your communications device.”
She tossed it over to me.
“I think deep down I knew I was never going to get out of this one, Bruce.”
I turned my back to her.
“Perhaps you and I have something in common then.”
I made the call to the one person linked to the device.
Amanda Waller, the director of A.R.G.U.S, answered.
“Bruce Wayne, as I live and breathe.”
“You should have called off your lackeys before I broke them.”
“If I had done that, I wouldn’t have been able to see for myself that you are most certainly not under Braniac’s control. Although you had me guessing at times with your display of brutality.”
“Stay out of my way, Waller. This mission is mine.”
“We have the same mission, Mr Wayne. Maybe for the first time in our history, we both agree on the ends…and the means.”
Ending the call, I rounded on Harley.
“Work with me to end this or be put down. The choice is yours, Quinn. You can think about it in a holding cell.”
She giggled, “You sure know how to sweet talk a girl, Bats.”
My comm line reactivated.
“Master Bruce, Wonder Woman has arrived.”
“Unseal the cave.”
“Very good, sir. I shall convey to her that you have a mess to clean up first before you shall accompany her.”
A pause.
“What is it, Alfred?”
“I certainly hope you are ready to show her exactly how you plan to eliminate the League. And it is my wish that by the end of your demonstration, she remains your ally in this war.”
A moment of quiet reflection.
“The old lady was right about you. You really do have a plan to kill the Justice League.”
I said nothing. Hearing the weighted words on her lips produced a numbing effect. For I had silenced calamity.
Harley leaned over my shoulder from behind, playfully tapping the armour of my cowl.
“How exactly is that going to work when you don’t kill people, Batman?”
