Behind Granite and Lime

Twenty-two hours have passed since the Court of Owls has gotten more ambitious as you could say. They tried to kill Dick and Jordan and they're trying to manipulate Tim. As the Night of the Owls approaches, the Court of Owls will continue to make more ambitious moves. Tonight, one of those moves will be made. Bruce drives his Lamborghini at nearly top speed, weaving through the heavy traffic of nighttime Gotham. He is currently late for a dinner with Lincoln March. As he gets closer to the downtown area, he receives a call. It's from the mayoral candidate of course.

"Hey, Lincoln. What's happening?" said Bruce.

"You're late," said Lincoln.

"I know. I just got stuck in a little bit of traffic. I'll be there in a few minutes," said Bruce.

"I need your funding, Bruce. If I don't get it, I will be screwed. Sharp will destroy me," said Lincoln.

"Calm down. I'll be there, we'll eat, we'll talk, and you will get your funding. I don't like Sharp. He's destroying everything Hill built up. You don't have anything to worry about," said Bruce.

"I know. I'm just nervous, that's all. Most people lie about giving you stuff that you want," said Lincoln.

"I'm not a liar, Lincoln. My father didn't teach me to be like that," said Bruce.

"Ok. I believe you. Just make it here in one piece," said Lincoln.

"I will. Who would want to kill me?" said Bruce.

Bruce shouldn't have said this. Bad stuff always happens when you open your big mouth. A car speeds up behind Bruce and zooms around him. Three more cars appear to the sides and behind Bruce. He is now trapped.

"You know what, Lincoln. Give me ten minutes. I'm getting into more traffic right now," said Bruce.

"That traffic must be bad," said Lincoln.

"Yeah. Bad," said Bruce.

Bruce hangs up as he starts to take drastic action. The cars start to try to push him off the road, but Bruce breaks out of the trap and speeds down the highway. The other cars speed up as well and try to push Bruce to the opposite side of the highway, but he escapes once again. Two of the cars try to push Bruce to the point that he will flip over, but Bruce backs up at the last minute to cause both of the cars to slam into each other and flip over. Bruce speeds up to top speed and zooms past the cars. He believes that he is in the clear until he sees three cars driving in the wrong direction. He dodges the first two, but he is hit by the third hard and flips over, losing his wheels and some parts of his car in the process. The people in the cars stop driving and hop out of their vehicles. The Court of Owls has come for Bruce Wayne. They walk towards Bruce's totaled car and pull him out. Bruce opens his eyes and sees the Court of Owls holding him.

"What the hell is this?" asked Bruce.

"An opportunity, Mr. Wayne, and one that you should be extremely grateful for," said The Court of Owls member.

Another member of the Court of Owls injects Bruce with a serum. He passes out as a member of the Court of Owls places a bag on his head. He isn't unconscious for long until he wakes up somewhere unknown. He looks up and sees a large number of Court of Owls members standing or sitting on seats above him.

"Welcome, Mr. Wayne," said the grandmaster.

"That wasn't a warm welcome," said Bruce.

"If we wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here," said the grandmaster.

"So, this is the Court of Owls. I thought you guys would look scarier. I'm kind of disappointed," said Bruce.

"You knew of our existence?" asked the grandmaster.

"My father used to tell me a poem about you guys when I was a child. I used to be scared, but I've grown up. You guys aren't scary. Just rich," said Bruce.

"As a child, you were right to fear us. A long time ago, we stood in every shadow of this city. Nothing would happen without our permission. It was a golden age," said the grandmaster.

"Golden ages always end. Your golden age ended years ago," said Bruce.

"You may be right, but we never surrendered and we are now making a comeback," said the grandmaster.

"Why now? Why do you no longer want to be an urban legend?" asked Bruce.

"We care, Mr. Wayne. Just like our fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers. We are the sons and daughters of Gotham's wealthiest. We just want the best for our city," said the grandmaster.

"In simpler terms, you want to control Gotham," said Bruce.

"Why wouldn't we? This city used to stand for something. It used to be one of the best places in the world, but it's now a shadow of its former self. Full of supervillains, criminals, and delusional vigilantes. We have an image of Gotham's future and you do too," said the grandmaster.

A hologram of Gotham's future presented by Bruce a night ago appears in front of him. A stand rises from the ground with an owl mask in a glass case. Bruce picks up the mask and looks at it.

"We want you to join our court. We want you to align your ideas with ours. We want to fix Gotham with your help," said the grandmaster.

"What about that deluded vigilante? He doesn't seem to like people like us a lot. How will you deal with him?" said Bruce.

"We are dealing with him and his lackeys as we speak," said the grandmaster.

Bruce holds the mask in front of his face and crushes it with his big hands. The Court is shocked by the billionaire's choice.

"I am intrigued by the offer, but secret societies aren't my thing," said Bruce.

"I'm disappointed, Mr. Wayne, but I understand. You can go, but don't get in our way. Boys, escort him out," said the grandmaster.

"Wait, what?" asked Bruce.

The same bag is placed on his face and the same serum is injected into his neck. He quickly passes out and is dragged out of the court.

"I am very disappointed, Mr. Wayne. Very disappointed," said the grandmaster.

In the Batcave, Jordan analyzes something that he grabbed from the hideout before it exploded. An owl mask that is worn by the members of the secret society. He suspects something is in the mask, but he has found nothing. Yin walks up to the Batcomputer with a bag of fries in her hands.

"Find anything?" asked Yin.

"No," said Jordan.

"It's just a mask for members of the Court. Nothing special," said Yin.

"This is all we got. I have to find something. The night nears," said Jordan.

"Even if there was something in that mask, it wouldn't help us much," said Yin.

"A little help is what we need," said Jordan.

"Tim will be the best information gatherer for us. He's smart, a great fighter, and the Talon likes him," said Yin.

'Yeah, but he's still a kid. He needs to be protected and watched over. Aren't you supposed to be doing that?" said Jordan.

"Well, nothing was going on, so I decided to check in on you," said Yin.

"It's useless," said Jordan.

"Huh?" asked Yin.

"Tim is the only way that we will learn anything about the Court. This mask is just a mask and we are still clueless about what they're doing. I need some fresh air. I'll be back. Just keep an eye on Tim," said Jordan.

Jordan gets out of his seat and walks towards the Batmobile. He hops in and turns the large vehicle on.

"Where are you going? Bruce isn't going to be happy," said Yin.

"None of your business. Just keep an eye on the cave," said Jordan.

Jordan moves the throttle and zooms out of the Batcave, leaving the rookie to fend for herself. Jordan pulls out his phone and looks at an old picture. The picture contains a younger version of him, his mother, and his two friends.

"Simpler times. Where are you though?" said Jordan.

Jordan pulls a USB drive and places it in the Batmobile. Images of possible locations pop up in front of Jordan. He wipes some of the locations away, but taps on two. A comic book store and his mother's old apartment.

"I'll check the store first. Hector and Daquan always loved comic books and wanted to open one. The store opened two years ago. Two years ago, they would be 18, old enough to open a business. They will be shocked when they see my face again," said Jordan.

Jordan speeds up as he savors the thought of meeting his friends again. It only takes him around twenty minutes to reach the store. He parks the large car in an alley and hops out. He walks towards the front door, but he sees no one inside. Just darkness and old comics.

"Where are they?" asked Jordan.

Jordan continues to peek through the window, but they are not hiding. They are truly not there. Jordan pulls out his grappling hook and grapples to the rooftop. He perches over the rooftop and just waits. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes. Not a single person getting close to the shop.

"They're not here. They must have turned in for the night. I knew I should have come out earlier," said Jordan.

Jordan prepares to hop off the roof until he hears two familiar voices. He looks down and sees a chubby Latino and a tall, but kind of muscular black dude walking down the sidewalk. Bags of food are held in their hands.

"It's them," thought Jordan.

"Bro, why are we going back in here. We already packed up and closed up," said Hector.

"I just have a bad feeling tonight for some reason," said Darius.

"No one will rob a comic shop," said Hector.

"This is Gotham, genius. These animals will rob anything," said Darius.

Darius pulls out a set of keys and unlocks the door. He enters the shop and turns on the lights. He starts to look for any criminals or robbers, but no one can be seen. He then walks into the back room, but he finds no one. The store is empty. Darius turns off the lights, locks up, and exits the store.

"Find anything suspicious?" asked Hector.

"No," said Darius.

"Told you. You're too cautious," said Hector.

"I just don't want this shop to be destroyed. It's our little baby, you know?" said Darius.

"The shop will be fine. Nothing will happen to it," said Hector.

"That's what everyone in this town thinks," said Darius.

"Maybe if Jordan was still around, maybe we could use him as security," said Hector.

"Jordan's been gone for years. He's living it up in Jump City," said Darius.

"Why wouldn't he? Warm weather, hot chicks, and an escape from responsibilities. It's every man's dream," said Hector.

"But, it could have been our dream. I know that we're geeky nerds who like to read and collect comics, but he could have brought us with him or come home every once in a while. He abandoned us and his mother. What a dick," said Darius.

"Who would want to stay in this dump? I don't blame him. I just wish he would have just said goodbye," said Hector.

"We aren't worth his time to say goodbye," said Darius.

"That's not true. I should have seen it coming. I can predict everything, but not this. Ironic, right?" thought Jordan.

The two friends walk down the sidewalk and almost walk past the Batmobile. The keyword is almost. They immediately stop once they see the large vehicle and run over to the car.

"Whos' ride is this?" asked Darius.

"Don't tell me that this is the Batmobile," said Hector.

"So cool," said Darius.

"Batman must be around here. I want to meet him," said Hector.

"Don't be a fanboy. He would hate us. We would just get in his way," said Darius.

"What do you mean? He would love us," said Hector.

"He already has enough sidekicks. We are not needed," said Daquan.

"Sourpuss. You have become less fun to hang around," said Hector.

"I have grown up. You should have too, but I guess some people just remain kids forever," said Daquan.

"Rude," said Hector.

"We should get home before this food gets cold. I hate cold food," said Daquan.

"What you should do is hand over the keys to that sick ride. You losers don't deserve to have that car," said the carjacker.

Daquan and Hector quickly turn around and see three carjackers holding baseball bats standing behind them.

"Who are you guys?" asked Darius.

"Nobody. We just want that car," said the carjacker.

"It isn't ours. It's Batman's car," said Hector.

"Well, maybe you can help us get inside," said another carjacker.

"This car is way too high-tech for any of us to break in. It's impossible," said Darius.

"It will be possible unless you don't want to walk anymore," said the other carjacker.

"Why us? We just want to get home and eat some grub," said Hector.

"We need that car for something that is none of your concern. Just get it open," said the carjacker.

"We don't know how," said Hector.

"Then, I guess we have to persuade you two a little harder," said the carjacker.

The carjacker gets closer to the two friends. They wave their baseball bats in the air as they walk towards their prey. Jordan won't allow his friends to be hurt and leaps off the rooftop and onto the carjackers. He starts to beat down on the criminals. He punches one in the face so hard that their nose is instantly broken and they are knocked out. Jordan then kicks one of the carjackers in the stomach and then headbutts him to knock him out. He then punches the last one in the stomach and knees him in the face, knocking him unconscious. His friends are now safe.

"Who is that?" asked Hector.

"Not Batman," said Darius.

Jordan takes one look at his friends and grapples away. He pulls out a remote and presses a button. The Batmobile zooms out of the alley and the two friends are barely able to dodge without getting hit.

"Hey! You almost hit us!" exclaimed Hector.

"No, he saved us. He seems like a cool guy," said Darius.

Ten minutes pass. Jordan zooms down the block to ignore his true feelings until a car pulls up onto the sidewalk. The passenger door on the right-hand side quickly opens and the bagged man is dropped on the sidewalk. The car quickly speeds off before Jordan can do anything about the drivers of the car.

"What was that?" asked Jordan as he pulls over.

Jordan hops out of the Batmobile and walks up to the man. He then pulls the bag off of the man's face and reveals Bruce Wayne.

"Bruce," said Jordan.

"Jordan? Where am I?" asked Bruce.

"You just got dropped off by some people. Who are they?" said Jordan.

"Court of Owls. They kidnapped me while I was on my way to meet with Lincoln. They wanted me to join their cult. I refused and they just delivered me here, but I placed a tracking device in their hideout. We now know where they're at," said Bruce.

"Good. Let's go tomorrow. You need rest," said Jordan.

"No. I'm good. We go tonight. We need to take them down before they take over Gotham," said Bruce.

"I guess that we will make the Court of Owls another urban legend," said Jordan.

"Yes, we will," said Bruce.