Chapter 44: When the Dust Settles

"...If you look here, you can see a symbol of the suspect. An oval with a yellow background and bat in the middle. It seems to be this persons calling card, why a bat? I have no idea. Maybe they just like bats?"

"...Yesterday afternoon, the notorious criminal, Basil Karlo was apprehended after that...display. He was found in an electrified collar that restricted his ability to manipulate his form.."

"-uy have the right to interfere in police business? No! This is America! Not one of the third-world shit-holes where violence can solve everything! I say this! Send out a warrant for this wackjobs' arrest! Unmask them for the world to see! That'll teach em! Not even Superman wears a mask, why should they? What do they have to hide?"

"..A moment of silence for the thirty odd people who were tragically killed yesterday afternoon….. Their deaths were due to carelessness and I just hope wherever they are, they're just not in pain anymore. I hope those police officers and their higher-ups face due punishment for this tragedy."

"Master Bruce." A primly dressed man with thinning black hair said carefully, his usual collected air tucked away in a box as he looked at the slouching figure of the charge he had taken care of for a majority of his life. His once healthy tanned skin now looked slightly sallow, dark bags covered the underside of his eyes and that once heavily muscled frame was beginning to show signs of thinning. "You must rest, you will kill yourself if you don't start taking better care of yourself."

Anyone could hear the concern and pain in the old man's voice, like a father witnessing their child slowly destroy themselves.

"I can't." Bruce denied after a tense moment of silence, his drooping eyes dragging themselves across the multitude of screens before him. It didn't where he looked though, they were all taking about the same thing. Him. The reactions were exactly how he had expected; some angry and wishing for his head on a silver platter, while other's thanking him for acting in the way he did. "Not yet. I'll rest then."

"It wasn't your fault, Master Bruce." Alfred said quietly, his years of experience easily cutting through the rough facade like a hot knife through butter. Seeing those large shoulders tense under his words, it only further caused concern to leak into his voice," Those deaths are not on your hands. All the blame is at the feet of those foolish officers, who immediately abused the power they were given."

"If," Bruce's voice was slightly hoarse as his blue eyes dropped," If only I used the taser sooner...none of that would've happened. I just didn't want the civilians to get caught up in the charge...but it seemed my caution only caused more misery. I should've risked it. That way, there wouldn't have been as many causalities."

'That isn't true.'

They both knew those words weren't accurate. The word 'taser' was a quite misleading when it came to describing the large mechanic gauntlets that had been used against Clayface. A normal, police issued taser normally only had around fifty-thousand volts at the very maximum. More than enough to incapacitate a human by causing every muscle in their body to seize up in unison and at such voltage was enough to possibly kill someone. But those gauntlets, that were now locked deep in the vault and all designs scrapped, had the equivalent output to an efficient power station.

If there were other people around when they were activated, it would used their bodies as lightning rods and reduce them to nothing more than fine dust. An agonizing and slow death.

Something he could've never came back from.

"I will speak to Master Lucius." Alfred said simply, his eyes flickering to an incoming call that took the majority of the screens. Two letters that seemed to be mashed together, blinking endlessly.

"Thank you Alfred...and I'll take a break tonight." Bruce nodded and with a sigh of exhaustion, slid the black cowl back over his face. Like an old knightly helmet, slamming himself off from the outside world.

Turning sharply, Alfred walked away from the obviously private 'Justice League' business. He was but a simple butler, having no place among those lofty enough to be labeled as 'Heroes' by the general populace. But despite how 'secret' that call was, he could help but hear a cheery male that immediately exitted the nearby speakers.

"HAH! Oli! Diana! Clark! You all owe me money!"

He could barely restrain a small smile that graced his lips as he heard the so called 'Guardians of the Earth' devolve into bickering like naughty school children. The previous dower mood slightly lessened as the positive vibes flowed endlessly through the dank cave. Pride etched at his old heart at that.

'It's good he has people to lean on,' Alfred thought, memories of a long gone friend that left his child in those bloodied hands,' This accursed city will not take your son life like it had you, Mister Wayne.'

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"I'm sooooo bored!" Harley whined suddenly, causing a barrage of glares to be sent her way. But she just ignored them and continued to roll around on the ground," I can't take it anymore! When is the next game?! I wanna hit some gobbos!"

"It's not done yet." Ivy drawled," Give me a few hours."

"Hours!" She gasped in shock, looking like a wounded animal in that moment," I'll die by then Red! Can't we just wing it like usual?!"

'I do plan.' The teen grumbled internally,' You just derail everything.'

Originally, Albert had planned for the group to just go on a few dungeon runs and use the loot they got from it to slowly expand the world. It wasn't his fault the blonde had somehow stumbled across a plot, that wasn't even originally there, to kidnap the princess. He just kinda went with the flow and let them arrange the story as they pleased. Chaotic yes, but still enjoyable.

But it seemed that Ivy had grown wise to her friend's antics and wanted to truly make up scenario that they could follow. A pre-planned BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy) and a plot leading to them. Honestly, it was something he was looking forward to. Anything to give him a break from the constant chaos that this group turned his worlds into.

"Hmm…" The red head paused in thought, before shrugging," Nah. You'll just have to wait."

"Awhh!" She whined again, groaning loudly into the hard concrete floor," Can't I get a little itty-bitty peek? I won't tell anyone else, scout's honor!"

"You've never been a scout though?"

"I'm a scout in here!" She pointed at her chest," That's all that matters!"

"Still no." Ivy ruthlessly denied," You'll just have to wait. Just think of it like letting a wine age, it'll taste much better to let it lie."

"Ah…." The blonde sighed longingly like in remembrance to an old lover that slipped away through her fingertips," Mama does miss wine…. Whiskey. Vodka. Beer or anything with more fire than water….Arney, please add that to our next scavenging list."

"Got it." Darnell nodded absentmindedly," But we'll only bring back one per group. We gotta stay sharp."

"Fine..." Then she snapped her head in Albert's direction," What about you? Got any schemes in your head you wanna share with Ol'Harley here?"

"Not really."

He said quickly with an edge of reproach evident in his words.

"Really..?" She asked with a sly grin on her face," You weren't as shocked as Arney here when Bat's finally showed himself, there's gotta be a story behind that!"

'..Should I just lie?'

But just as that thought entered his head, he tossed it out with the garbage as those blue orbs pierced into him. Eyes that looked ready to peel back the many layers that was him and expose that truth to the outside world. Ugly bits and all.

He knew trying to lie while Harley was around was but a fruitless pursuit, she could most likely smell lies on the air easily enough. There were a lot of things he could do, from just outright refusing to answer to telling them everything. Both had their upsides and downsides, but there was one thing that he needed more than his own anonymity. Allies. People that could aid him in this world when things get a bit too hot.

And honestly, there were very few people as loyal as Harley in the DC universe. From his own reading, he knew that while she was sadistic and had a very...different outlook on life itself, she cared deeply for those in her life. Friends especially. She subconsciously separated the world into two categories; her people and those who are not. And he also was aware than the only way to get pass Pamela's natural aversion to people, was to befriend the blonde first.

If the only price he had to pay was but a simply story to truly lay the foundations of that relationship, then so be it.

"I met him once."

The ever bored looking and aloof nymph quirked a single eyebrow at his words, most likely her own equivalent to a shocked expression in his own opinion. She had never been all to expressive, usually just having that somewhat blank expression and letting out small smiles or other facial features that somewhat made her look sarcastic. Honestly, he couldn't see this woman as being the same as that enchantress in that old Batman movie that felt like a wet dream1

But in contrast, the blonde perked right up. Her face brightening as she stared at the teen with an expectant gaze. If there was one thing the comics got right; she truly did have golden retriever energy, minus the sadism of course. Always latching onto any degree of interest that caught her attention and following it till the very end. With that analogy, it only made him feel even worst after knowing exactly how much shit she would have go through until eventually dropping the Joker.

Darnell was an old man, grizzled and worn down by the world. And didn't even really look up from his work at the confession. Most likely for him, it was just another Tuesday. The shock from the knowledge of a man in a costume running around punching clay monsters ebbing away under the endless flood of experience. After piecing together what the handyman had been through, that hadn't really shocked the teen in the slightest. He was a war veteran, his wife long gone and children gone in the wind. And now just wanted nothing more than to live his live the best way he could. Whether or not the old man had any trauma, wasn't any of Albert's business.

"Well????" Harley asked excitedly, scooting an inch closer at a time," There's gotta be more? Right? Did you get caught pick pocketing? Or did you steal candy from a baby? Jaywalk? Or were you painting graffiti and that mean old bat came to ruin your day?"

'I-' His mind momentarily short circuited under her barrage of questions,' I don't look like a crook...right?'

He sure hoped so, anyway.

"No..no." Albert said, at first somewhat befuddled and the next gaining his stride," It wasn't anything like that. He had some questi-"

"He spoke to you????!!" The blonde gasped as she tugged at Ivy's pant leg," Did you hear that Red! Ol'Bats is finally being social!!! This is big news! Maybe someone finally removed the stick from his ass?!"

"I heard."

She drawled on, not in slightest bit ruffled by the constant jerking.

"No.." He sighed," It's more accurate to say he spoke 'to' me."

"Oh," Harley dropped her excited tone, before rubbing her chin," Now that you mention it, that does more like Ol'Bat."

"Yeah…" Albert continued," I think he had assumed I had something to do with the robbery or something. Don't know why though, I was held hostage just like everyone else."

"Hostage? What do you mean?" She asked, little crumbs of concern entering her voice," I feel like you aren't too good at telling stories."

He pretended like the nods of agreement from both Ivy and Darnell didn't sting, pushing to down to stew on it later on.

'Let's see how they like a goblin swarm…'

"Well," The teen started," I was involved in that bank robbery incident, with Black Mask."

He thought it was prudent to add that last bit for a variety of reasons. One, this was Gotham after all. There was most likely more bank robberies than any other crime here. It was just a classic move. Need a lot of money quickly? Rob a bank. Easy as that. And that adding that name could help narrow it all down.

Secondly, he wanted to see how dropping the notorious crime bosses moniker would affect these three. While he didn't believe Ivy or Harley was scared of the man, he didn't want to speak too freely if Darnell had some apprehension. But surprisingly, besides pausing in his work there were no signs of the man being fearful in the slightest.

'He probably looks like a cute puppy in comparison to whatever Darnell's seen…'

"I first came to Gotham to pick up an inheritance from my grandfather." Albert thought it was prudent to start at the very beginning," It was held at Gotham National Bank-"

"The fancy bank?!" The blonde interrupted, her eyes going wide as she took another look at him in a new light," Your folks loaded or something? I heard their back halls are tiled in pure gold!"

"..It was a surprise for me too." He said truthfully," I didn't think my grandfather was rich or anything. But anyway, it was bad luck honestly. It just so happens that Black Mask was robbing the place that day and held everyone there hostage."

"That's a new record.."

Ivy whistled softly.

"Yeah," He smiled self-deprecatingly," But yeah, the manager wasn't there and so luckily indeed, the vault was locked behind a bio-metric lock. So I got dragged along with another employee. They went in, took whatever they needed and left. In one blink they were still standing and then in the next, the lights went out. And by the time they came back on, they were all knocked out. Batman was there, and I think he thought I had something to do with everything."

"Yep." Harley nodded, but all her good cheer was absent," That's classic Bats alright! Suspicious to anything that moves and/or breathes! What did Romy try to steal? I know he's gotta be absolutely loaded! So it couldn't have been anything normal!"

The flesh of bright, emerald. Shimmering ominously even without light present. A stone from a long gone world, which acted more like chains to tie down those mortal gods. To sap away at their strength and potential, turning their insides green from long exposure. To bring low such a being, to slay a god where it stood…

"I can't say."

Albert said quietly, eyes downcast to the hard concrete floor below. He had no idea the amount of shit that would fall on him if anyone were to know that there was Kryptonite in the city. And honestly, if such information were to leak; it wouldn't take long for the Dark Knight to come knocking for a 'conversation'. No matter what his goals were, he couldn't give the man any reason to come for him.

And most of all, he didn't want to get on the bad side of the League.

Instead of drilling deeper, the blonde only nodded solemnly in kind and didn't press the issue further. Despite how air headed and loud she acted, the woman was still a highly trained psychiatrist. She probably knew how to extract answers from people and most important of them all, knew when it was appropriate to do so without absolutely shattering them like a glass vase. For that, he was more appreciative than words could properly convey.

"I wouldn't take it to heart." Harley said after a few moments of silence," He's always been a bit of a hard ass. More of a punch first and ask questions later kind-of guy. I did try to tell him to find a therapist but I think he believes I'm just throwin jabs at em…. I mean I was, don't get me wrong. But still, just because I'm trying to hit em with my baby that doesn't mean I'm not throwin out helpful advice, ya know? Like seriously, he shows classic signs of-"

And on she went, endlessly chattering despite it being her 'alone' time that they had to force her to take. But no one there was going to going try and stop her this time, at least for now anyway. Which Albert was infinitely glad for. He didn't want that question to linger endlessly in the air, picking incessantly at the mind, tickling at that built in curiosity in all humans. Hybrids or not.

He's known plenty of relationships that had just fallen through because of secrets, even some of the most harmless of them could slowly open up a divide between people as wide as the Great Canyon. It didn't really matter to humans as a whole, people in general were just naturally curious. A somewhat intrinsic desire to 'know'. To understand the unknowns in the world. It was why religion was developed, why science was born and possibly would be the reason why the human race ultimately went extinct.

They couldn't help it, and he knew if he was in their position, that he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if that particular secret wasn't shaken free. But that was just him. He hadn't lived these people's lives. Nor had ever lived a life where he actually needed to keep secrets. In this life or his last one.

Darnell had most likely seen some things that this country had done off seas and spent a majority of his life with a shut mouth.

Ivy's entire existence was like one, giant secret. He was sure that if the countries of the world, truly knew the power she held that they wouldn't hesitate to either capture her or put her down.

And finally Harley… While not exactly said directly, had somewhat alluded to her truly knowing the identity of the infamous 'John Doe'.

So maybe they could understand the need to keep some cards close to their chest, for everyone's sake in a way.

"I guess I can start early…" Ivy sighed in defeat, much to the sudden glee of the chattering blonde," There's no way you guys can blow through all my preparations…"

1. There's this really old Batman movie that I thought I just imagined up from my teenage years. But turns out it was real all along! The movie features Poison Ivy being an incredibly seductive character and kinda threw a very, very erotic air into the entire movie. It's called: Batman & Robin (1997), watch it if you dare.