chapter 16 part 1

When Batman reaches the place where Rudra left both of those bastards, what he saw nearly crushed his will. His every expectation was ruined. 

He saw how hoards of people were beating the shit out of two corps. Bones were sticking out of Paul's body and Gillian's face was like a watermelon just bursted. His eyeballs were rolling on the road, and people were still pounding their bodies. 

People forgot all morals and were just venting their anger. Batman miscalculated. He never expected things to go down this fast, even Joker needed a month to pull his ship stunt. But Rudra, He just did what no one was able to do and that too in 2 days. Just 2 days.

Batman never thought things could escalate this quickly. This begs a question of how much Rudra has prepared? For how long did he prepare? How many plans did he make? Just how long did he wait? 

For others, it would look like coincidences happen to support Rudra. Like Carl's home invasion by those thugs and the biggest of all Garuda and Red Hood. Batman knew of Jason's family and they were dead already when Batman met Jason. So what happened that his son is thirsty for his blood? Just for how long has he been studying Gotham's people.

Batman's inner monologue stopped when he saw Harvey Bullock struggle to reach the centre. Batman came to reality. 

He jumped from the Bat Jet, He made a noise from his Bat Jet to divert the focus of People. He landed in the middle where people were beating the corpses of Gillian and Paul. 

Harvey just needed that much time to come to the centre. Harvey was angry and pointed his gun at the people. 

Batman's fear and Harvey's reputation as a mad cop was known by all. Though people started to take their steps back, but their eyes were that of a predator, they might have fear in them but they were ready to fight, ready to kill. And this scares both Batman and Harvey. 

The lion has tasted the meat and it will hunt again and again. This public execution by people themselves will be the spark that will light the fire that will Burn the whole of Gotham. 

Batman saw the people with blood-stained hands and spite in their eyes, spite for the criminals, spite for the judiciary, spite for law. Batman cursed himself in his mind for not capturing Rudra when he met him the first time. If he could have just captured him at that time then none of this would have happened. 

The crowd too looked into the eyes of police officers with rage in their eyes but they knew that the time for the protest was over and time for the revolution had started. Someone from the crowd looked at them and spit on the ground and started to walk. And soon the whole crowd spit on the ground and walked out. 

Some honest police officers who were watching all this felt shame and humiliation that they never felt in their life. They felt ashamed for not being able to do anything for the safety of the people that they swore to save. 

Till now they were letting things go as they were but they swore not anymore. 

Harvey and his officers till now haven't looked at the condition of the corpses. But people started to leave the site, some new officers turned back and they started vomiting right away at the sight of both the former police commissioner's mangled corpses.

The sight was horrible, These were new officers that have just recently joined the police force. 

Harvey looked at the Bat and said " Find that son of a bitch ". 

Batman didn't speak, he didn't need to; his eyes were speaking volumes. Batman just left in his Bat Jet. He has a lot on his plate, he has to find out what happened to the Justice League that they couldn't come to help him and what happens to Jason's family.

Bat Jet entered the Batcave, Bruce came out of it and saw Damien, Dick and Stephenie lying in the healing pads that contained the healing properties of the Lazarus pit albeit very weak as a counter to the psychological effect of the Lazarus pit. He installed them after Clark and Berry insisted he does so. 

He moved closure to Damien's pod and put his hand on the glass of Damien's healing pad and just kept looking at Damien's unconscious body. 

" Ribs fractured, liver Raptured, cracks in the spine and a nerve chemical used. 5 minutes late and he would have been in the same coffin that some years ago young master Jason was. "  Alfred's voice sounded from behind but this time instead of a calm demeanour, Alfred was furious. He was seething with rage. 

" Master Bruce, I don't care if you put on the mantle of the bat and run around Gotham hunting monsters in human skin, putting the fear in their hearts, I don't care anymore that you came home with wounds rather than the exhaustion of work. I don't care anymore. But if something like what happened to Jason repeated in this estate again, I will myself put a bullet in your damn head. "

" I will not tolerate another Wayne's funeral in my life. I have had enough of that when I lost Jason to your shenanigans. I will not lose any more of my grandchildren because one old man does not have enough of it."  Alfred left with those parting words. 

Julia, Tim and Barbara were stunned. They have never seen Alfred this angry. 

" He is just an emotional Bruce, he doesn't mean any of that. " Julia said to Bruce. 

" You are wrong Julia, He means every single word of it and I don't blame him, I pushed my children to the brink of death again just like last time," Bruce said with sadness in his voice as he lay his eyes on the unconscious bodies of his 3 children. 

Bruce never cries, not in front of the people at least but today. Too much happened today. 

In just 2 days Rudra has done so much harm to him and his city. He kidnapped Barbara, brainwashed Jason, created a bloody protest where people become killers, and killed his father once more.

Tim and others left him because they knew they couldn't help him. 

__________________________________

The watchtower

Around half an hour ago an unauthorised boom tube opened in the watchtower. Superman and Flash came out of it. Both were beaten down. 

Other members of the Justice League were tending to their wounds. But the scars of this defeat were not physical but instead were more psychological. 

" He didn't even think of us as a danger to his plans. He knew all about us, our weaknesses, about our powers, about our families, about their whereabouts, he knew us in a much better way than we do. " Clark said with anger evident in his eyes. 

" He will pay. " Wonder Woman said while tending Clark's wounds. 

" That he will do. " 

" Cyborg has no success in opening the boom tube in Gotham or around argh… '' Clark moaned in pain, he was still feeling the effects of kryptonite. 

" Superman!! " Wonder Woman rushed to his side. 

" Be careful, Superman, you still have the after-effects of kryptonite. "  Green Arrow said. 

" At least you can walk, Flash hasn't even awakened. " Black Canary said, looking toward the other healing pod in which flash was residing. 

" And for your question no, no success. It is like Gotham doesn't even exist in the first place. If we tried to open Boom tube anywhere near 50 k.m. of Gotham, we would be in pieces. Space is not stable around there."  Cyborg said with his face down. 

" And I am also trying to pinpoint the location of Rudra, I am in Gotham's every device but it is like he never existed. 

I couldn't find a single evidence of his existence in any way. I have searched everywhere, have run various AI's about Facial recognition on every person, heck I even hacked Facebook, Google, Wayne and Luthor's data servers. I have violated every single one of the rules that I  made regarding not misusing the power and the result, I could not find a single clue that can help us in solving this riddle known as RUDRA. " Cyborg said with guilt in his voice. 

It might seem easy for Cyborg to hack into various social media platforms and steal the data of billions but he is a hero who knew his limits when he gained his powers. He promised himself to never use it wrongly but today he broke the biggest rule and that was violating the privacy of people. 

There is a reason Martian Manhunter does use his telepathic powers to control government figures and then make them do good, he doesn't mindwipe Villains and make them good citizens because that is not how it should be done. 

Wrong is wrong, no matter how right your intentions are. 

Cyborg has done things like that but on a very superficial level, he doesn't go that deep. But what he has done now was nothing less than a crime. 

" It was a necessary sacrifice, Victor. None of us blames you for what you have to do? I… We know how hard this choice was for you and we might have not been able to help Batman or Gotham in any way but it is the effort that counts and no one here will ever forget about the noble sacrifice that you made." Black Canary aka Diana said to victor as she was the psychiatrist of the team. 

" Yes, Victor none of us has forgotten about you, you should rest for some time, you have been working nonstop. You need rest. Go sleep for some time." Superman said to Victor and everyone agrees. 

" Thank you for your support guys but people are dying and I can't afford to sleep at the expense of their lives,"  Victor said and then went to his lab leaving other members of the Justice League behind. 

" How is John ( Martian manhunter ) doing? Is he alright? " 

" He is still in a comatose state. '' Green Arrow replied with fists clenched. 

" And Kent Nilson ( Dr. fate ) " 

" He returned to fate tower and is not responding to our calls. " 

" The only question that is bugging me is How does he know so much about us and how did he have a counter ready for all of us. How did he attack Martian Manhunter? How did he do all that cause only Magic is not enough to do this much damage. " Wonder Woman raised her voice. 

" I might be able to tell you that, Diana. " Batman spoke through the speakers.