13 Prodigal son part 2
Pov Batman
Watching the energy build within the androids hand and hearing his own title come out of the creature's mouth he felt a small spike of pain stab into his head as he was suddenly wracked with a headache, images of a dark room, drones, and various tools flashed though his mind against his will, images that didn't make sense
That wasn't in his memory
And that cost him important time as he threw himself to the side, over the walls ramparts down onto one of the concrete supports below, and slid down it, trying not to get caught on the razor wire that was there specifically to keep prisoners going up it.
Maybe that was why he was able to get down with only a few scratches, but it didn't save him as the android, apparently expecting this fired another blast with its other hand, firing far faster than it previously had, straight into his shoulder, causing him to tumble the rest of the way down the support
That arm was out of action immediately, he felt his clavicle snap under the blast, causing him to let out a yell of pain, piercing the silent night, carried by the rain
Why was it so quiet
No guards
No alarms
They were under attack for god's sake! The android must have been blocking the signal, keeping the alarms silent, and not alarming the guards. It might have very well been doing the same to his League chip
If it was… his chances of survival just dropped majorly
Hearing the shattering of concrete he immediately began to run, keeping his footwork erratic as he moved, heading for the nearest door, if he could lead it into the prison, the same prison he had fought in a hundred times over his years fighting crime…
But the door was locked… electronically
He was trapped
He had been tricked
The android had perfectly shepherded him, guided and pushed him into the courtyard. No way out except up and without his gear, The Batman was stuck
It had planned this, knowing what he would do, counting on it
"Shit" he couldnt help but swear "maybe it really was sent by Batman"
It would make sense, memory flashes that didn't seem to make sense, how it knew everything he was going to do, his fighting styles, his location… how he thought
Did he make this thing?
If so, what on God's green earth did he create?
"Which contingency are you?" he yelled to the android, only now seeing the similarities between its craftsmanship to his own, although with marked differences
"Contingency Zero: The Dark Knight" The robotic voice of the android once more rang out "The Failsafe"
Definitely one of his creations
There was no way out of this one
…
But that had never stopped him before
Flipping the Batarang in his hand to a reverse grip, he began to approach, slowly and carefully. The Failsafe did the same although it seemed far more casual, no that wasn't right, if anything it seemed… exited
That caused a shiver
Taking the initiative Batman made the first move, darting forward, making three jabs, each testing for a weak point, the visor, the shoulder joint, and the red light coming from its chest.
All three bounced off, not leaving a scratch
In return the Failsafe swept his legs out from underneath him with a force not unequal to a truck, flipping him a coin and breaking his right fibula with an audible cracking noise. Before then surging forward with an open palm that crackled with red.
Landing on his hands and pushing away, he was able to flip away from the incoming blast of energy, landing on his feet, although now favoring his left leg. While flipping he grabbed a handful of mud from the ground and now threw it straight at the visor of the Failsafe, playing dirty and praying that whichever past version had made this thing hadn't given it more forms of vision
Alas, he was too thorough for his own good, as the failsafe simply raised a hand, easily blocking the kick that he had sent it, hoping to catch it off guard, with the same ease with which the flash could catch bullets
Next, he tried to go for the legs just like it had, spinning on his hands after his kick was blocked and lowering for a sweep, but it simply jumped backward, dodging with a precision that had left less than a centimeter between it and the kick
He wasn't going to go down without a fight!
***
…
…
How disappointing
It had expected… more
The Failsafe had sat, prepared and ready for this fight for over ten years… and it was this easy?
So far it had barely used 20% of the features that Batman, its creator had installed within its body, a mere 20% and the bat was already beginning to crumble. The fight so far had lasted only a few minutes and Batman already had multiple broken bones, a lame arm, and uncountable lacerations and bruises.
Was it a lack of gear? Prep time? Emotional investment?
This was its purpose?
To kill its creator when he couldnt even fight back?
All those years under the earth, believe in the word that Batman had told it, that he was counting on it, all the moral dilemmas over whether it could truly kill Batman once it was free.
What a waste of time…
…
Maybe it would be better if Batman only existed as data? At least within data, he could stand tall, worthy of all that pain and suffering.
…
Time to end this
***
Batman pov
He had gotten overconfident
He had gotten too self-assured
As the fight continued, as he continued in the vicious melee with the Failsafe, ducking blow after blow, landing hit after hit… he had begun to think that maybe he could whittle it down, or maybe delay it long enough for the league to arrive
And then it hit him
It really hit him
The blow came faster than even his eyes could perceive, one moment he was fighting and the next he was on the ground, the concrete shattering beneath him and his entire torso arching with pain so sharp that even he couldnt help but let out a silent scream of pain
It was over
There was no way to win this
He watched as it crouched above him, unable to perceive it as more than a dark shadow that radiated a hollow of red light, his vision blurred by blood and the rain
And he felt as its claws touched his throat
…
…
…
But then they were gone
And the light seemed to dim
"You… aren't Batman" The voice sounded, cold and robotic but it seemed to be tinged with a hint of disappointment. It sounded almost sad
…
What?
He couldn't say a word, his mouth had gone numb and he could feel blood seeping into his lungs but he could feel it move away from him, standing and looking down at his broken form
…
"I was made to kill Batman" the voice spoke again, the light from its visor seemed to glow that much brighter, and its robotic speech seemed to become faster as if had reached an epiphany "But you can't be Batman"
"You are Weak"
…
Even as his consciousness seemed to be fading he could feel it as it began to pace, circling his frame "I must fulfill my purpose… I cannot go back into the dark"
Something about the way it said that, even in his fading state, he noticed it. A hint of desperation… of fear
"So you must become Batman"
And then once more, it knelt down beside him, its visor lowering to meet his gaze, stare into his blood-filled eyes
…
"Or I will settle for a Robin"
And then all turned black
