Chapter 17

"This is Vicki Vale on the scene of tonight's chaos in Gotham. The sudden return of Batman to Gotham City, has taken a twisted turn. The battle between Scarecrow and Batman, with a stand off with Gotham City Police officers, with Mayor James Gordon, the long serving Gotham City Police Commissioner, ended in the violent murder of the Scarecrow which the entire world could see."

Harry rested in the containment unit, the toxins leaving his body slowly. Talia watched the footage on the news. The cops go after the imposter Batman, who blew up half of the roof to get away. The images of Huntress and Batwoman as they escaped from the carnage, and also to chase them down. Grim realization hit Talia.

"What's happening?" Barbara asked. "It's...he just...he just…."

"My father's plan is coming true, he intends to burn Gotham City to the ground in chaos," Talia said. "The world believes Batman is a murderer."

Sara sighed and put her hand on the containment unit with Harry. The toxins were only seventy-five percent purged from his system. They could use his help and they could use it right now. Sara pulled her hand away and turned to Barbara, as if to ask her now what.

"So, how is he?"

Helena's voice cut on through the communication link and jarred Sara out of her thought process.

"He's on the mend," Barbara answered for Sara.

"Things are getting more chaotic out here," Helena said. "The fake Batman's murder of Crane, it stirred up something."

"If that was Crane, and not a body double or some kind of other trick," Barbara murmured.

"Well, it's the belief and the perception Batman killed someone that's the problem," Helena said. "But, you're right. Everything else about this entire thing, there's a problem. And we need to...we need to cure these people before they destroy Gotham City."

"It's time to introduce the Anti-Toxin into Harry," Caitlin said.

"If it works, we'll know it will work for the rest of Gotham City," Lena said.

"It will, but we do not nearly have enough," Talia said. "Once he's out of the woods, we're going to have to make even more."

A nod came from Lena as she prepared to inject Harry with the antidote now enough of the toxins had been negated. Harry took the same amount of toxin which was intended to effect a certain part of the city.

All they would need to do now is prepare and hope that Huntress and Batwoman could catch up with the fake Batman.

"This way."

Huntress and Batwoman followed the imposter Batman. The pair of them were starting to be sick of having the runaround to try and get the imposter. He was good, but he was not Batman.

The second both of them followed the trail, they noticed a set of rocks which had been weakened. Helena stood back and Batwoman planted explosives on the rock. One trigger and the rocks exploded. The tunnel had been opened up.

"I wondered if I would be seeing his….replacements."

The various members of the League Assassins approached from their hiding spaces. Weapons drawn, and at the ready. The only reason they did not attack them, well they had been waiting for orders of some sort. And the man to give him the one and only Ra's al Ghul stepped into the picture to face Batwoman and Huntress.

"You've witnessed a small taste of the destruction which awaits Gotham City. The Light, we will rebuild the world. But Gotham will have to burn to the ground and start fresh, much like the phoenix that rises from the ashes before we start anew. I always knew that with a slight push into their most base, primal instincts, their citizens would do it for them."

Ra's eyes narrowed when Batwoman made a move. Ubu rushed in and Batwoman dodged three punches in succession. Ubu's attempts to defend his master had been met with an uppercut punch right to the chest which nailed the large men.

"Deal with the intruders." Ra's said. "The final phase of my plan must not be interrupted."

Several of the assassins dove in. Helena blocked the sharp blades of them and caught one of them with the side of her bo staff. Helena ran in and nailed them. She electrified the ground and kicked one of them in the ribs.

Batwoman flipped Ubu and used his large body as a projectile to cause the assassins to scatter. With a high jump into the air, Batwoman caught the assassins with uppercuts all over the place. One of the larger men charged Batwoman. Batwoman avoided the attack and the man caught her on the backswing in a full nelson. Batwoman flipped over the man's head and brought him down back first across her knees.

Huntress dodged a chain and wrapped it around her fist. She ran up the wall and kicked at the assassins one by one to drive them down to the ground.

She jumped onto the platform, where Ra's had been. Two more tried to nail her. Huntress knocked one of them off. She took the sword from the other and cracked him across the neck.

Huntress armed herself with the sword and eyed the one and only Ra's al Ghul. Mirth filled his eyes.

"You must jest, child?" Ra's asked. "Your father could not defeat me. What hope do you have?"

"Let's find out."

Harry's eyes opened and he woke up. The tripping nightmare he had been in, it had been over. However, there was something else. Something more prominent. Harry could hear the sound and hear the buzzing.

Something was wrong and Harry needed to save it. He punched his way through the pod.

"Harry!"

Caitlin and Lena rushed from the lab, but they were too late to stop Harry. Harry smashed through the ceiling and flew as fast as he could through the red-tinted skies of Gotham City.

"It appears my father is moving," Talia informed them. "And Harry's hearing picked up on the device being armed. The untrained ear will not be able to pick it up, but Harry's super hearing could in fact do so."

"Where is he headed?"

"Sheldon Park."

Helena backed up, as Ra's drilled her with a couple of attacks. The most violent attacks from the Demon sent Helena backtracking. Oh, she was outmatched, in a sword fight against someone who had centuries upon centuries of experience.

Ra's disarmed Helena's sword, not that she could use it much against her. His foot connected with her ribs as he threw Helena down to the ground. Batwoman almost finished dealing with the first wave of assassins down on the ground, but that would not matter.

"I've fought some of the greatest. I've trained some of the greatest. Do you really think you have the ability to fight me?"

An uppercut punch had been blocked and Ra's very nearly hit Helena in the throat with both of his fingers. He pulled back at the last second and then sent Helena flipping off of the side pedestal. The breath had been taken out of her body. Seconds before the sword slammed down into her, Helena dodged it.

"You cannot keep this up together, child. I've learned every one of these moves from a great master."

The sword came down and Helena jumped into the air. She jumped on Ra's back and stuck her fingers into Ra's eye socket before she clawed on them. The Demon screamed in agony when Helena drew blood from his eyesockets due to the fact she dug her fingers so deep.

"Mom taught me that."

Helena kicked Ra's in the shin and kicked him directly between the legs. One well placed field goal kick the testicles, even staggered the almighty Ra's al Ghul.

The sword came back up and stabbed Helena in the leg. Another stabbing blow caught her in the stomach and Ra's pulled the sword out of her, which dripped with Helena's blood.

"The time for games is over and now….."

Through the skies, Superman flew and knocked all of the League members out. Others fled to avoid being burned with heat vision. Ra's looked up only to see Harry drop down in front of them. And then Harry grabbed Ra's by the throat and strangled him to his knees. The Demon struggled until his body grew completely limp.

Harry hoisted Ra's body up over his head and threw him down and caused him to be impaled on a jagged piece of metal. The metal slammed straight through Ra's stomach.

"Master!" Ubu grumbled.

Harry tended to Helena and healed her wounds.

"They'll still sting a bit," Harry told her.

"Better than being dead."

Ubu put Ra's limp body on his shoulders and moved towards the Lazarus Pit. Harry used his super breath to cause a small controlled avalanche which caved the pit in and forced Ubu to retreat elsewhere with his master and a few loyalists who had not been knocked unconscious.

Harry disabled the second device about ready to pump chemicals into the water of Gotham City and not a second too soon. Just as the tunnel was about ready to cave in completely on them.

"Let's go."

Superman took Batwoman's hand and Huntress and flew both of them out. The rocks fell as Harry just passed the hole he created when he dropped in on Ra's.

"And now a mad alien just went on a rampage and burned up half of Gotham City. But, I'm sure you're saying, oh G. Gordon, there must have been some circumstances before. Perhaps some alien parasite. Or perhaps he was just having a bad day or something. But it just proves what I've been saying the entire time. If we do not regulate these rogue Kryptonians, like Superman, Supergirl, Power Girl, Superwoman...and there sure to be a lot of them out there these days for a planet where Superwoman swore for years she was the last of. Of course, that's not including General Zod and his loyalists invading. Sole survivor my…"

G. Gordon Godfrey stopped short of saying something that would net him a love letter from the FTC. Harry viewed the program. It shifted the footage of "Batman" snapping Scarecrow's neck.

"And this is another example of their god complex at work. Batman taking the advantage into his own hands. James Gordon should be ashamed of himself, sanctioning such a dangerous vigilante for years. He kept getting more and more violent. And instead of having due process, he goes out in murders this man. And people cheer this, while they condemn the police in Freeland for doing their job. I guess it's proof that the color of your skin gets you a pass in this country in front of the liberally minded. Would it help if Jonathan Crane was a black man? Sad."

The show wrapped up to a commercial. Harry looked up to see Talia come up.

"I had to kill him."

"Yes, with every rise, he's become more fanatical," Talia said. "And as long as there are loyalist's out there, he will be back. You'll be happy to know that the cure is being distributed and Gotham City is going back to normal."

Of course, normal in Gotham City and normal somewhere else, it was a different thing. With Harry's fear toxin induced rampage and Batman being tainted in the eyes of the law as a vigilante killer, there was a lot of damage being done.

"I'm afraid Gotham's only a test run," Harry said.

"And I'm afraid you may be correct," Talia said. "My father and Lex, they kept their cards close. And Crane, what he knew, left this plane to the grave."

Talia got a little closer to Harry as he stood up.

"As my father recovers, I'm in the perfect position to gain allies, and gain control of the League. And remove that asset from them."

Talia leaned in and kissed Harry who returned the kiss. It was long overdue, as far as Talia was concerned. She vowed to further cement her relationship with the man who would lead this world to a new age.

Grace Parker took about three steps off of a plane in Bludhaven, when a figure swooped down from the shadows. He grabbed Grace and snapped an inhibitor collar on her.

Batman, or so it seemed, Deathstroke, and Taskmaster all appeared from the shadows.

"Your travel schedule has been quite interesting, Doctor Parker," "Batman" said in a low voice. "Markovia, Kasnia, and you ended up in Latveria as Doom's prisoner."

"You have no idea what I can do."

"My employers know exactly what you could do, even before you were aware," Deathstroke said. "You have information. And we want it."

Deathstroke put his blade underneath the chin of the captive doctor.

"The whereabouts of Amanda Spence and her splinter faction of supporters from Cadmus, and who they have held captive," Deathstroke said. "Living weapon or not, I have my ways of making you….spill."

The blade edged as close to Grace's throat was possible without cutting her.

"Kasnia, she did a deal with the Kasnians...I don't know anything else, I swear."

"It's a start,' Deathstroke said. "We'll see if a few days imprisonment will jar your memory even more."

"Goodnight," Taskmaster said.

Grace Parker faded to black. The trio scooped her up and moved quickly. The test run in Gotham City proved the chemical was potent, but they had other more loftier goals in mind.