Chapter 16: Intentions (Part 2)

Quick shoutouts to my new Patreons @Jaylon Cain and @Eduardo Tolentino! Your support means a lot!

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Date: August 16, 2008

Location: Downtown Gotham City, New Jersey, Old Gotham, Storage House Near Gotham Clock Tower

Time: 2:51 P.M.

Selina couldn't have put it more aptly for Dick previously at the zoo.

It took just a whiff of someone figuring out their secret identities for most heroes to become paranoid blobs of lard.

But Bruce Wayne wasn't just any superhero.

He's the man with the plan, so it's obvious that he's already accounted for if and when people ended up finding out his identity.

The only thing that annoyed him was how soon it felt.

Bruce tried thinking about what could've given him away, images of Riddler and Hush's earlier faces of recognition and anticipation flashing through his mind as the true reason behind it finally dawned on him.

'That wasn't for Bruce Wayne…' Bruce glanced at the two's backs.

'Yep.' Ben agreed. 'Edward wasn't lying when he said he was dying, but it wasn't out of boredom.'

'He recently found out that he had terminal cancer.' Ben outlined and shared with Bruce the tiny peeps he managed to capture of an X-Ray from Edward's mind. 'Currently, he seems to be healed, but I have no idea how.'

'Are your powers malfunctioning or is he somehow preventing further information from being grasped?' Bruce tensed at the unexpected info.

'None of the above.' Ben denied. 'Although very slow, I'm still gaining information. All of it is centered around Edward however since Thomas isn't really bleeding off anything.'

'Thomas…' Bruce couldn't believe Hush's true identity, still trying to come to terms with it.

Not because of the part regarding betrayal, but how the series of events didn't add up.

Thomas seemed to have died by the Joker's hands somehow, and Bruce had personally examined his friend's body to try and scrounge up some clues.

All the DNA and biometrics had checked out.

'How did he fake his death?' Bruce asked.

'I can't tell as of yet.' Ben answered, making use of the opportunity to keep his father distracted from such a depressing topic. 'All I know was that Thomas was the first person Edward went to in order to cure himself.'.

'He refused to operate on Edward due to the negative chances he believed there was for treatment.' Images of a heated argument and deranged Edward sliding surgical instruments off a table were shared.

'Edward then returned to meet him after he was somehow miraculously healed, asking for Thomas' cooperation… in dealing with you.'

'Edward shared with Thomas about how he managed to thread the narrowest connections between Bruce Wayne and Batman.'

'Due to his hatred for you, Thomas agreed, the exact details of his fake death scheme using Joker still unknown as he donned the identity of Hush in an attempt to take you down. '

'As for Scarecrow, Riddler also seems to have been the one to invite him.' Ben informed. 'So, either Riddler is the one in charge of all this and we gave him too little credit, or we're missing something.'

'What about Scarecrow?' Bruce narrowed his eyes at the aforementioned man who stood nearby him with a blank and distant look on his face. 'What did you get off him?'

'Nothing. Same yet different problem.' The situation was becoming more convoluted by the second, and Ben was getting annoyed by the discovery of yet another drawback his psychometry seemed to possess.

Other than the two men he was having trouble reading, Riddler who was giving off the barest of bare minimums and Hush who was devoid of anything to provide, Scarecrow was proving to be an issue in an entirely different way.

Although Ben met most of his father's enemies at least once, Scarecrow included, there wasn't ever a reason for him to use his powers on all of them.

Now that he was using them for the first time against Dr. Crane, the strangeness was entirely clear.

The man was emitting pure fear into the universe, not a single hint of other sentiments present.

It was like a neon light shined over his head as waves of terror came off him unevenly.

Ben couldn't think of any reason for such a sight other than the man being mentally broken since no normal person could ever exhibit something similar.

And since that was the only category of emotion to be shed off Old Peckerhead, it warped what Ben could see from the past thoughts attached tremendously.

Using his psychometry on Jonathan was like looking into the past with an extremely dirty lens and broken microphone. It's almost impossible to make out any details as the images, sensations, voices, and all other information is distorted due to the perception of the person from which it originated from.

Scarecrow was tainting the image, unconsciously photoshopping it.

'That's probably why I can't get as much information on the Green Lanterns, Sinestro Corps, and other rumored organizations.' Ben finally realized.

His library was supposed to be able to provide him with all the information gathered into the universe by all sentient races, yet he only managed to learn the bare minimum about Lanterns based on what other civilizations know instead of straight from the source.

He previously hypothesized that the Green Lantern's ring altered a fundamental aspect of its wearer's psyche or normal emotional responses, but he had no way to prove it or figure out the long-term effects if it was true.

At least now he knew a bit…

'It seems that the ring makes Willpower the core driving force in their users whether they like it or not, rewiring their emotional responses to be more predisposed to it.' Ben categorized.

'As for this guy…' Ben glanced back at the bag-headed lunatic now looking at the Clocktower from a nearby window.

Jonathan Crane was a sadistic psychopath that operated outside the normal realm of thinking, having vanquished his many fears over time.

He held no feelings for any man.

Except for one…

'This is probably the only other fascinating thing about him.' Ben noted as he looked at the undulating lines of yellow moving between Scarecrow and Bruce.

'It's like his body is sending him signals that his most feared enemy is here, but he just can't receive or interpret them.' he hypothesized even more.

-Can you stop with all these conjectures for now and focus?- ESAMAl broke his musing.

It was the right time too as Riddler started walking away from Hush to move toward the camera with his cane in hand.

'Now this guy…' Ben glanced at the walking enigma, pun intended.

How Edward was emitting the smallest amounts in EE* was also a huge mystery since although he was a genius, he didn't possess such a great identity of self.

(*EE - Emotional Energy)

'We're missing too many pieces, father.' Ben leafed through the room through Bruce's eyes for any more hints. 'There are way too many unknowns.'

'We'll deal with it as it comes.' Bruce threw his worries out the window. 'For now, we must cast off their knowledge of my identity.'

'Although I said he knows your Batman, it can only be considered a suspicion at this point for now since they don't seem to have anything substantial.' Ben clarified. 'Just a wild hunch from a source that can't even be determined.'

Bruce nodded his head before deciding. 'Then we still go with our prepared plan.'

'Contingency 47-C: If Batman, Wildcard, or Robin's identity is close to being compromised or under any level of speculation, attempt to redirect or destroy that notion by placing the characters of skepticism and their alter identities in two separate locations at similar times.' Ben rattled off.

'I know the contingency…' Bruce sighed. 'I'm asking how you're going to carry it out?'

'You'll find out soon enough.' Ben simply replied.

'Finally, the stream.' Bruce glanced at the camera and monitors out of the corner of his eye. 'Is it live to the entire city, certain social classes...?' Bruce started going for more info.

'There… seems to be a misunderstanding about an important point here.'

Although Ben knew his father wouldn't like what he was about to tell him, the saying did emphasize that "The truth will set you free."

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Date: August 16, 2008

Location: Downtown Gotham City, New Jersey, Old Gotham, Wayne Tower

Time: 30 Minutes Ago - 2:21 P.M.

Wayne Enterprises has a rich history spanning dates since before the current leader, Bruce Wayne, was even born.

It was only after being given control of the company did the mystifying man manage to build it into something even greater and awe inspiring than ever before.

The Wayne Tower was first designed by one of the the family's earlier ancestors, Solomon Wayne, and a friend of his named Cyrus Pinkney in 1888. Solomon hoped for the tower to be the main headquarters of the still blooming company at that time, its purpose eventually being fulfilled up till the present.

It was only later thanks to Solomon's son, Alan Wayne, that the tower managed to see the light of day with many renovations and additions being worked into the building after so many years.

It was thanks to the wealth and planning done by many generations of the Wayne Family that Gotham was able to be built up, Wayne Enterprises holding the majority of Gotham's citizens as it's workforce.

In fact, Cyrus and Solomon were also responsible for the designs shown in the city's predominant neo-gothic style.

This combination of rich history culminated into giving credence to the people's common saying…

"The Waynes ARE Gotham."

It was usually the family's enemies who would say otherwise.

The tower still stands tall in the most original district (Old Gotham), serving as both a reminder of the city's rich past…

…and as a haunted beacon of darkness, the dreary shadow it cast at night originally intended to haunt people onto the path of righteousness.

*BANG BANG BANG!*

Gunshots went off at the halls of the headquarter's interior, bodies aimlessly strewn all about the floor.

Most of them were either breathing faintly, denoting their unconscious status, or lying bleeding and motionless.

A familiar figure stepped inside the company's communications room, the panicking scientists forced to pause in their movements at the end of the metallic hole raised at them.

"Listen up!" Deathstroke's shout caught all attention. "Do one thing for me and you get to keep your lives. Refusal means instant death and bodies steadily dropping until I still end up getting what I want. Got it?"

…

…

…

"I've returned the favor that I owed girly." Slade sat on the room's main system, more bodies on the ground behind him. "I've held my hand since there was nothing to gain, but if you keep sending people after me… no more mister nice Slade. Got it?"

"Of course." came an accented woman's voice from his mask communicator. "Father has hereby rescinded his order for your death as promised. You'd do well not to fail in whatever task we give you next time."

"Whatever you say." he snorted. "I already warned you that the kid's dangerous. Not my problem if you don't believe me."

"Your beliefs are of little concern to us." Talia replied, ending the call.

5 minutes later, a change occurred throughout all of America.

Every news station, TV Channel, billboard, and electrical device switched over to grant the chance of baring witness to the sight of a battered, bruised, and unconscious man tied up in a chair.

Passerbys, families, workers, everyone paused whatever it was they were doing in order to take a couple of moments to discuss in absolute shock what they were witnessing.

Bruce Wayne, the famous billionaire and philanthropist, was the man in the chair.

After a couple more moments of confusion, fear, and uncertainty, the Riddler and an unknown man covered in bandages walked up onto the screen and rudely poured water over Bruce, conversing with the clearly shaken celebrity on screen for all to see.

"By Hera." Diana whispered, glued to the proceedings taking place on the computer monitor from inside her office at the Themysciran Embassy in Washington D.C.

Clark Kent was rooted in place, a stunned silence filling him and his fellow reporters, journalists, and writers inside the fairly nearby Metropolis City's Daily Planet Headquarters.

"What in the world?" he muttered. "Bruce?"

To see one of his fellow heroes… no… one of his best friends being treated in such a terrible manner…

The Zataras shared the same reaction while seated at their living room together inside the Shadow Crest Manor while watching on a recently installed TV.

A trio made up of Oliver Queen, William Harper, and Dinah Lance were trying to have a relaxing day and take a break for a change, lounging in the Arrow Cave with a box of Mario's Pizza cracked open on the table until a nearby monitor booted up and played the events for them to see.

In Fawcett City, a young boy was also lounging on a couch in front of his TV until it cut out to the image, causing him to jump up and run towards the window while a chubby set older man with white balding hair watched on worriedly from where the boy previously sat beside him.

The same actions continued to repeat itself as many heroes began to swiftly change into gear, ready to head over to Gotham and assist their comrade.

Although usually preventing them from stepping foot in his turf, Batman would usually inform everyone in the League beforehand that things were under control in order to stop them from thinking the worst.

Since they weren't given a heads up, things were definitely bad.

*RINGRINGRING!*

Everyone who was ready to swing/fly/drive/sprint into the fray paused whatever they were doing in favor of paying close attention to their private issued Wayne Tech Phones.

"This is… uhhhh… Penny-Two from the Batcave calling all Justice League members." came an unfamiliar female voice. "Are you there Justice League?"

"This is Superman." Clark answered for everyone after a prolonged silence. "I didn't know there was another Penny besides Penny-One. Can you tell us what's going on?"

"Penny-One is pretty… indisposed at the moment. I'm filling in for him while calling to inform you all that Batman has the situation in Gotham under control for now, and NOT to take action."

"Oh…" Oliver mused. "So NOW he tells us everything's A-ok."

"Are you sure that's wise Penny-Two?" Diana questioned, pausing mid-flight to listen to what she considered to be a slightly ludicrous request. "Surely such a drastic situation would require our aid. After all, the possible ramifications that would occur if this situation turned more unsightly would be disastrous."

"Apologies for the interruption, but I must request the exact condition of Penny-One!" Giovanni worriedly interupted. "Is he well?"

While a few heroes were confused as to the significance behind the query, the realization only came later for other well informed ones like Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman, causing them to feel like kicking themselves for not asking the same earlier.

If something occurred to Alfred, then no one could safely say what Bruce would do.

An unhinged Batman was an enemy no one should ever believe they are ready to face.

Bruce already proved the threat he could cause his enemies in his time aiding everyone in their own wars against crime.

If he ever switched from friend to foe...

"Don't worry, Penny-One will be fine. But as said before, he's currently not well." Julia assured, not privy to the panic she had nearly caused.

"As for the current situation Wonder Woman, Batman is too busy to speak for himself, so Wildcard asked me to inform you that he will not deny help should it be needed, asking of you to wait outside of Gotham in case it's requested."

"But unless specifically stated, please do not enter Gotham in any way!"

The reason behind Ben's decision was simple.

Bruce only ever made exceptions for letting his fellow heroes into Gotham when he made sure he could keep it on the down low away from public scrutiny.

He would only blatantly call for backup if the situation was urgent and proved to have no other solution.

If after so many years the people of Gotham saw other outside heroes having to publicly assist in taking down any of the city's villains, it would be an admittance of Batman no longer being able to take care of the place on his own.

The possible ramifications should THAT occur would definitely grow worse down the years.

"Enough about the kind of aftermath expected!" Nathaniel Adams, the Captain Atom, put his fist down to bring focus on the here and now. "We should be worrying about having the United States breathing down our necks if something happens to Bruce Wayne, not to mention the world!"

Before the contract was signed, most of the Leaguers who didn't know each other's real identities couldn't care enough to investigate, content as long as nobody stuck their noses into their own business.

Those opinions rapidly shifted when it became aware how high profile some of those faces under the mask really were.

Captain Nathaniel Adams was one of those people.

For a man who served the country with all his might, Nathaniel realized that just a ruffled hair on Bruce Wayne's head meant pandemonium erupting within the nation's ranks, bringing down everything he believed in working so hard to prevent.

Even though he was now part of the Justice League, hellbent on keeping the WORLD'S peace, it was hard to put aside the pre-biased notions established after his years on the job serving a single country.

"Again, that's why you're asked to be stationed for immediate response outside of Gotham just in case." Julia stated firmly. "Until then, please do not enter for now."

"Ok then." Clark chipped in before anyone could continue protesting the decision.

"I trust Batman to take care of the situation as usual." Clark made his faith known. "But you have to promise you'll ask for help when needed and not hold back on us." he negotiated equally firm.

A hush descended over the line as an answer was awaited.

"Don't worry." Julia soon replied. "Wildcard assures you all that should any help be required, he'll be the first person that you hear from, consequences damned."

"Now, I need to help coordinate everything on my end here. Penny-Two out."

The hush still remained even as her voice faded, everyone still traveling in the direction of Gotham, but not as hastily.

"Was that the best decision?" Captain Marvel solemnly asked.

His solid and straightforward tone managed to reflect at something greater hidden within him.

"We must trust Batman to know what he's doing." Clark reiterated his belief in the man. "As usual."

"He's been fine all these years on his own." he added. "And even though it doesn't seem like he's doing great at the moment, at least he now has others looking over him."

"You mean the two children I'm still in disagreement of for fighting such dangerous foes?" Diana harshly disagreed.

"Lighten up Lady Justice." Hal groaned before the an unseen grin seeped into his voice. "At least we'll be nearby to provide backup just in case. It's rare for us to even negotiate with Bats to get that kind of deal. I like Wildcard's style."

"...Very well." Diana soon acquiesced.

"I hope you're right Kal-El." she added to Clark at the end.

Everyone hoped he was right.

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Date: August 16, 2008

Location: Downtown Gotham City, New Jersey, Old Gotham, Storagehouse Near Gotham Clock Tower

Time: 2:54 P.M.

"Alright then folks! We've waited for Batman and his entourage for enough time now, but the party must go on!" Riddler's showmanship flaired. "Clearly they'll be dropping into our show with unexpected timing… as usual… so we'll just start without them."

"Now…I don't know about all of you, but I'm excited to be able to share my joy for riddles with everyone. Since you're all so eager to know the next location ready to go boom, let's start things off!"

"I'll begin with an easy one…"

"I am a place where you can learn and grow.

I am a place where knowledge starts to flow.

I have many rooms and many halls.

Many students hear my calls.

What am I?"

"See?" he grinned at the end. "Easy."

"Penny-Two." Ben spoke, adjusting himself on top of a skylight in an adjacent room to keep out of sight from the trio.

"Robin's already on it." came the response, Ben's meaning clearly conveyed by just calling out Julia's codename. "Based on what I'm reading on Riddler's psychological profile, he has a hatred and distaste for the Wayne family. As such, the school he should be bombing is…"

...

"The Thomas Wayne Middle School." Dick crouched on the building's rooftop.

He held a birdarang shaped radar as he watched the two horizontal and vertical lines criss-cross over the place and ping on the neon blue screen uselessly.

"Penny-Two, no dice." Dick put a hand to his ear. "There are no chemical signatures and radio waves being outputted. He's definitely shielded them."

"Dammit all to hell." she cursed. "Did he already know we would try this?"

Julia found it hard to imagine that greenly dressed Waldo having those kinds of smarts.

"You gotta give him some credit." Dick defended the man no matter how disgusting it made him feel.

To Riddler, making such a simple mistake like that would make him just as dense as everyone else.

That was a big no-no in his book.

Dick kept trying to think up a plan as he watched GCPD officers evacuate the entire building in a quick and efficient manner, calming what remained of the restless students and teachers.

"I'm still new to this whole hero business." Julia admitted easily. "I deal with those normal brained criminals who usually just place their bombs and explosives in places where they could get most coverage. If not, then they just hide them out of sight."

"Wait." Dick's teeth slowly began to show. "You're right!"

Scaling down the side of the building using the fire escape, Dick ducked through one of the open windows on the second floor and galloped down the halls.

"Um… how exactly?" Julia's tone was bewildered. "I thought you said he was smart?"

"Normal criminals would do either of the two things that you just mentioned." Dick explained, pressing a few buttons on his wrist computer as he rounded a corner. "Meanwhile, although most of the them like to think they're geniuses in every way, supercriminals really aren't that much different from common ones except for focusing more on the big things and ignoring the little ones."

The door to a classroom was kicked open and given a cursory scan before the race continued.

"They're always trying to show off their intelligence in some way and failing spectacularly. Meanwhile, Riddler tries taking that to the next level." Dick rapidly checked the floor's bathrooms. "Usually, instead of choosing one option or the other…"

"They go for the best of both worlds." Julia finished the realization.

Looking through the schematics he pulled up once more, Dick navigated through the halls with even greater ease than earlier as he pulled up towards a janitorial closet on the second floor and bashed through the door.

"Dammit!" Dick swore, slowly becoming forlorn as he looked through the room and found nothing out of the ordinary. "This is the only place where the bomb could cause the most damage while spreading the gas through the vents."

"No wait." the sound of fingers and a keyboard coming into contact echoed. "I'm looking over the building design too. There's another separate room where they hold most of their school supplies two hallways down to your right. Check there!"

Bolting in the direction he was told, Dick came up to his destination in record time, the door suffering the same fate as its previous relatives.

The Boy Wonder gave a subtle fist pump at the sight of a giant circle machine trapped by wires, terribly hidden behind a shelf with the face of a mini scarecrow spray-painted on the front in a sloven manner.

"Bingo!"

...

"Aw man." Edward grouched suddenly at the camera with a gloomy gleam in his eyes. "Guess the Boy Wonder managed to disarm a bomb in record time. I was so looking forward to it too."

Ben tried to figure out how the man received that piece of information, noticing how Edward's head constantly leaned to the right a bit. The hint couldn't be more telling, Edward's actions signifying the sign of a private conversation being held through the communicator piece inside his ear.

"Penny-Two." Ben called. "Try and see if there are any hidden frequencies going in and out around him and trace it back to the source."

"Sure, give me a sec- Oh." Julia paused after another second.

Ben guessed she still wasn't used to the Batcomputer being so fast-acting.

"What is it?" Dick questioned.

"There's an officer over there by the name of Luke Bingham…"

"Let me guess." Dick slapped his forehead. "Payroll, family being threatened, or both."

The silence was all Dick needed to know he hit the nail on the head.

Officers were currently all around Dick as they began moving away the already disarmed bomb and cordoning off the area, so just a quick scan of the given badge number was all he needed to find the name given.

Turning his head, Dick turned to the man currently in charge while the Commisioner was in treatment for fear-gas exposure, being one of James' most truster partners.

Detective Harvey Bullock, a man who's investigative eye was the only thing bigger than his beer belly.

After being caught up to speed, they both swiftly moved towards the man as a couple more officers inched forward discreetly because of the secret signal Harvey had given.

"Officer Bingham." Harvey sternly called out as he stood in front of the confused man and looked him in the eye.

Luke's eyes soon widened as he shook in realization.

The jig was up.

…

Breaths of reliefs were escaping the mouths of many people who were watching the events in their homes, some cheering at the news of the disarmed bomb, others praying in joy and happiness.

"Way to go Rob!"

Wally was completely engrossed with the phone in his hands, ignoring the helpless looks his mentor kept shooting at him.

Also standing alongside their own mentors were Kaldur and Will, the two mainly standing alert while taking short glances at the handheld device within the clutches of their wayward friend.

They were all currently perched right outside of Gotham's Brown Bridge, a direct line to the city's Downtown area by leading through an intersection between Chinatown and Lower Gotham Proper.

In the case of a call to action, Aquaman and Aqualad were ready to swim over the bay no matter how disgusting it was while Flash and Kid Flash would carry Green Arrow and Speedy right across.

It would only take the two Flashes a zip right outside Downton Gotham, perched directly in front of Brown Bridge that led to an intersection between Chinatown and the Upper West Side.

"Something's not right." Will muttered after looking over the feed for another moment.

"What's wrong?" Oliver overheard him, everyone now turning to face the two archers in confusion.

"It's like… he's happy that he failed."

...

"What will I ever do if I'm constantly blocked by Batman and his heroic sidekicks?" Riddler swooned woefully, leaning backwards with his cane for support..

"Oh wait…" he rapidly picked himself back up in delight. "Batman still isn't here now, is he?!"

Edward peered through the camera as if he was the audience member, watching as everyone glued to their screens tensed in uneasy realization.

"Where is Batman? Is he busy with something else maybe?" somebody muttered out loud on one street causing similar echoes and voices to start speaking in the surroundings around them.

"Does he…?" Captain Atom's eyes widened as he communicated with his colleagues while floating off the Atlantic Ocean and facing the City Hall and Fashion Districts.

"If he does know, then some of us are in trouble." muttered Green Lantern John Stewart in his own comm link right beside him.

"Now then folks!" Riddler cried happily. "For my next riddle while we continue to await the Dark Knight's entrance!"

"If you get badly injured, then to this place you will zoom.

They can give you treatment in the emergency room.

What am I?"

"Really? Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic?" Julia spat in disdain. "Is he just targeting everything related to the Waynes?"

Once again, she couldn't help but doubt the man's intelligence.

"Think back on everything we told you before saying to me you haven't realized it yet." Dick's disagreement also once again sent her for a loop.

"He's playing with us." Ben answered when she was unable to connect the dots.

Riddler was stalling, but Ben couldn't tell why. The man hadn't shown any kind of clue as to if somebody else could be pulling the strings.

"Moreover, even if he hates the Waynes, there's no way that would be the only type of place he would target. He could just want us to lower our guards, before blowing up a completely unrelated place." Dick continued.

"But he wouldn't be the kind of person to do something like that without giving us a chance, if only to prove just once, that we failed to beat him in the end." Ben interjected once more.

"Finally, who's to say his supposed boss wouldn't be willing to just push the button instead? Even if we have no idea if they exist or not, if they do, then we still don't know what level of nutjob they are." Dick eventually finished.

"...I have no words." Julia managed to squeeze out after a lengthy pause. "Batman taught you guys well."

Ben didn't take her comment to heart, ignoring her in favor of his senses picking up huge bursts of red light spanning a few buildings over.

'That's not normal.'

-Most definitely not.-

Ben followed the bursts up to a run down flimsy shack by the Gotham Harbor, picking up a familiar feeling alongside the rancid stench of sewers.

And in a place like Gotham, the smell of sewers meant a congregation of every other putrid scent too.

Rotting corpses, piss and feces, drugs and smoke…

And at the center of it all stood one giant mean, green snapping machine.

'Seems like Bruce was right.' Ben watched Waylon Jones, the Killer Croc, aggressively prowling around the tight fitting room.

The man's mouth salivated whenever he was close enough to hover over a bound, groggy and nauseous Selina. This occured for a few times until he would suddenly pull away from her in favor of bashing himself against the wall.

'I know Croc is slightly less intellectual due to his condition,' Ben kept observing his actions alongside the red light flooding out of him. 'But he's never seemd so… animalistic.'

Another thing of note was the man's massive increase in size.

He's seen pictures before on the Batcomputer's files, and the man's previous height of 6'5" was nowhere to be seen in front of this ten foot monstrosity.

'10.46 Feet.'

Putting a card over his chest, Ben's entire body faded with the wind as he slowly made his way to the door.

-Don't forget to mask your scent..-

Ben paused, taking out another card.

ESAMAL was right in reminding him.

Usually, his scent would be protected by the odor dampening pads he created and lined in his suit. But since Croc seemed to be so different, there was no telling how much more enhanced his already incredible sense of smell became.

'Selina.' he reached out to her through the contract.

'Fin…ally!' she gagged on her…gag. 'You couldn't have gotten here sooner? This guy smells like he was dunked in a vat of oil filled with every fried animal in existence!'

Clearly she was only just waking up, meaning that since she wasn't conscious long enough to complain she wanted to take the only chance provided to pull his leg.

'Apologies if my cautiousness in not wanting to risk anything happening to you or father until I figured out all the details annoys you.'

Ben's attempt for sarcasm only seemed to fully work when either Selina or Dick was around.

Not to mention it was always slightly amusing to see her try and fail to hide her happiness over his worry for her.

Ben swiftly walked behind the chair Selina was bound too, cutting the ropes binding her when he felt the time was right.

Before Selina could react, Ben jumped through the air once Croc heard the restraints thud on the wooden floor, a perfect straight kick angled right at the side of the man-reptile's jaw causing him to spin like a top until he smashed straight through the rickety wall.

Ben took two cards out from his pocket and promptly threw them right after.

"Flamma Explosia." (Flame Explosion)

Immediately, two swirling fireballs the size of basketballs landed on the man's face and chest, the entire shack rumbling due to the resulting explosion's force.

After the smoke cleared, it was obvious that he was finally knocked out.

-Always make sure to double-tap kids!- ESAMAL joked.

'I thought we were attacking together?' she rubbed her wrists while projecting her annoyance.

Ben turned to her, still unable to understand how these mood swings always came about.

She was only happy for one moment until the next sounds like she's ready to claw out someone's face.

'Well, plans are subject to change.' Ben calmly retorted. 'You taught me that before father in fact.'

Ben securely cuffed up the giant lizard with reinforced steel for now, hoping that he would no longer be a problem.

He would have loved to use his mirror prison spell, but there wasn't enough room to fit the giant inside of it for now.

-Just hope that he stays down long enough.- ESAMAL waved off.

'Alright.' Selina touched her toes and did a few stretches. 'I'm ready to go. Wanna fill me in on what we're doing?'

Two cards touched down on the ground in response to her words, two human shaped wooden bodies appearing right after.

'Contingency Plan 47-C.'

'I have no idea what that is, but I'm helping out either way.' she nodded.

'That's no-' her look silenced any further words of protest before they could even start.

She gets to decide what kind of actions she should take, not him.

'Listen here.' an ominous glint sparked in her gaze. 'You should know me by now and how I take my grudges.'

Ben quickly began thinking fast on a few things first before coming to a decision.

'Fine. I need you to stay here and watch over this guy for now though, without giving away your identity.'

At the nod of her head, Ben got to work.

...

"Now this is starting to get annoying." Riddler complained to the nearby mummy and scarecrow.

Another bomb disarmed, another thorn in the man's side.

But he didn't seem to care for the people's cheers.

"But again, no Batman! How very, VERY, odd." he spoke in a tone that caused people to begin growing antsy.

"I know something that none of you do~." he sang.

"Batman isn't coming… now or ever!" Edward excitedly revealed, the crowds of people tuning in suddenly going quiet.

Soon voices started complaining about how he was annoying, calling Edward a plain old liar.

"I know, I know." his reply spooked some since it seemed like he heard them. "Some of you won't believe me… but it's the truth, and the reason for that is simple."

The other heroes hearts settled deep into their stomachs at the next words spoken.

"You see, Bruce Wayne… IS BATMAN!" he shouted dramatically.

Silence greeted the people in light of his reveal, voices soon shouting out at his nonsense while others laughed in derision.

Some outright believed him, others just began thinking that he was getting somewhere.

Either way, a divide was slowly taking form.

"Use your heads and think about it for a second!" Edward manically roared. "Batman goes around in what looks like this million dollar suit, fighting crime and kicking butt."

"Have you seen any other hero work in this city? Pff. The couldn't care less what goes on in this dump. Batman obviously feels something for you people, having some sort of disgusting home-sickness."

Realization started creeping in for the majority.

"Starting to see it now huh?" Edward stuck his hands out in presentation. "Who else could fit the roster so perfectly… other than our very own Bruce Wayne!"

'Anytime now Ben.' Bruce thought to his son.

As people started believing his words, thinking that what he was saying made sense, shattering sounds occurred off screen as an explosion engulfed the camera's view.

As the villanous trio were sent flying, everyone was stunned when the smoke cleared to the image of a man standing in Riddler's former place, black cape covering his frame and two pointed ears standing atop his head.

"It's over Edward." came an unmistakeable gruff voice. "Your game's gone on long enough."

Walking up to Bruce, 'Batman' cut off his bindings as he helped steady the man.

"Is this some kind of joke?" someone wondered out loud once again.

Everyone who thought earlier that Bruce Wayne was Batman was embarrassed now.

Clearly they're two different people, or else they wouldn't be standing together.

Suddenly, Wildcard also jumped through the skylight and landed beside the two, being shown to the world as he scanned his surroundings for a moment and zeroed in on the piece of recording equipment.

The last thing the world saw was a card sent flying before every screen went back to playing their earlier scheduled programs.

"Penny-Two, what's going on?" Superman asked, everyone trying to understand what exactly was happening at the moment.

"Don't worry. Wildcard has everything under control right now." Julia replied simply.

Her dismissal only served to confuse everyone more than before, unable to understand what they just witnessed.

If Ben was supposed to dress up as Batman, the scene that just occurred would make sense. But since he appeared alongside Bruce, it couldn't have been him.

So that begged the question…

Who was Batman at the moment?

"A magician's greatest asset." everyone heard Giovanni's smile through his quiet musing.

'Good work.' Bruce nodded his head at the 'Batman' while looking at the Wildcard outfit right next to him. 'Remind me to thank the Zatara's for letting us borrow some of their faux servant bodies.'

'Make sure to thank Wyle too for the illusion.' Ben expressed, looking towards the puppet body as it dropped a card to the ground.

"Let's get you to safety Mr. Wayne." 'Wildcard' spoke, treating Bruce like the frail man he portrayed himself to be as he guided him through the portal.

This was the moment where Wyle's incredible control and ability to make use of every type of sensory input shined.

The Jackalope was able to simultaneously alter Ben's and the puppet's dimensions while altering the sound waves to make the faux servant seem more realistic. Ben added the final touch by giving the puppet a few cards.

A good trickster must be able to fool everyone in more ways than one.

"Wha-What about these men?" Bruce pretended to show concern as he looked at the three sprawled bodies.

"Don't worry, Batman and I willl return for them in a moment." 'Wildcard' assured. "Your safety is more important."

The trio swiftly entered the portal leading to a nearby warehouse, all illusions dropping as Ben stored the motionless servant's body into a card.

"Here." Ben spoke, another card dropping as a Bat suit appeared on the ground. "I thought you might like a change of clothes."

"How's Selina?" Bruce questioned as he quickly started donning his gear.

"Catwoman…" Ben emphasized. "Is watching over Killer Croc after I first had 'Selina Kyle' leave earlier."

"You shouldn't have left her with him." Bruce growled as he fixed his gloves.

"She was very adamant." Ben waved his hand.

"Very well." Bruce just dropped it for now, Ben's eyes glowing gold yellow behind his mask. "Let's get moving. This isn't over."

As they stepped through a portal once more back to their previous position…

*BANG BANG BANG BANG*

… the pair quickly jumped in opposite directions as holes formed on the ground they stood at.

"I know that Bruce Wayne was Batman! It doesn't make sense otherwise for him not to be!" Riddler raged behind the shooting Hush. "Are you trying to tell me that I was crazy and didn't know what I was saying?! ARE YOU SAYING I MADE A COMPLETE FOOL OF MYSELF?!?!"

"Oh shut your trap." the mummy man whispered harshly as Bruce darted behind a nearby crate in avoidance, abandoning the cover a moment later when a bullet ricocheted off a nearby wall and nearly drilled through his his head.

Taking out his own guns, Ben fired energy shots in return, every single one colliding with the slugs midair.

'He's not half bad.' Ben observed the man's every muscle twitch and stance. 'I'll make good use of those skills.'

Although he wasn't any Deadshot, Thomas' skills were still top notch as he was the only other person Ben's seen that could bounce bullets off walls and other surfaces.

Deathstroke was probably another person who could do the same, but he didn't the last time they fought.

"This is why I work alone." Scarecrow grumbled as he dashed to the nearby door.

Bruce, no longer being hindered by Thomas who was locked in a stalemate with Ben, charged after in order to take the man out quick.

Stumbling at the flying knee kick aimed at the back of his head, Scarecrow rolled on the ground as Bruce twirled around the claws swiping at him and punched his right ribcage.

"Thankfully, I never trusted any of you to begin with." a grin made it's way behind Jonathan's gas mask as he staggered backwards. "The extra funds were nice, but now it's time to make good use of the results."

Bruce's eyes widened as he sprinted to cross the distance spanning between him and the detonator that magically appeared in Jonathan's hands.

*CLICK*

Everyone tumbled due to the explosions that rocked the room, covering their mouths to prevent inhalation from the red gas that followed.

Everyone except for Ben.

"Ventus Infundibulum (Wind Tunnel)."

A mini tornado started siphoning all of the fire, smoke, and fear gas out towards the shattered skylight, spiraling higher into Gotham's cloud polluted skies.

-Good call.- ESAMAL praised. -Not like the atmosphere could get any worse.-

Ben moved as he helped Bruce up from the few bigger pieces of concrete and debris piled over him.

The Dark Knight grunted in thanks, batarangs sailing through the air as they clipped a few strands of hair from the escaping Riddler's direction.

"Damn you Batman!" the question marked dressed man jumped behind a pile of busted boxes.

The bottom tip of Edward's cane popped out from behind and aimed at the duo, a hole opening and allowing bullets to start randomly spewing out.

'I forgot about that.' Ben thought, keeping some focus in order to knock out the more dangerously aimed rounds.

He was caught by surprise before due to the man's high tech cane when he first made his debut...

Never again. Ben had to constantly remind himself that anything could happen in this universe, and that he must prepared for everything that will come at him.

"I believe that's enough for the moment."

The room stilled as all eyes turned to the sudden voice.

A man slowly walked out from the shadows of a demolished wall, a few flickering spotlights shining down on the feature's of both him and another giant of a man lumbering behind him.

Bruce growled when he looked into those apathetic eyes.

"We meet again, Detective."

Ra's Al Ghul. The Demon's Head.

While his father faced off with the living myth, Ben analyzed the man sticking from behind.

A mountain of muscles and fat rippled over his body as he hoevered protectively at his master's, side, a few feet separating them as he refused to stand directly beside Ra's.

"Detective." Ra's slowly walked into the room without care. "I missed you dearly. My daughter told me of her failed meeting with you. I find it truly upsetting that things haven't managed to settle between you two as of yet."

'We're gonna have a talk later about you and your secrets.' Ben passed the message over the link.

'Later.' Bruce dismissed him. 'Focus. See if anyone else is around.'

'You already know others are around.'

Bruce Wayne would never underestimate an enemy as well employed as Ra's, so Ben sometimes felt insulted at being asked to do something that his father no doubt already did himself somehow.

For a 'normal' peak human, Bruce's senses were better than even superpowered beings sometimes.

"Ra's." Bruce slowly hid his arms behind his cape. "I had my doubts, but it seems that you were involved in all of this."

"You are entitled to presume what you wish." Ra's didn't answer him. "I merely continued following your exploits closely as I've found them nearly as fascinating as my own."

Fed up and knowing this wouldn't go anywhere, Bruce tried to take a step forward, quickly having to pause when multiple ninjas slowly started coming out of the shadows in response.

"The skills accompanying your title are still as legendary and well founded as I've continued to believe." Ra's walked over to the surrounded trio of Riddler, Hush, and Scarecrow as they were pushed to their knees by some ninjas.

"You came here following whispers and answering Riddles, all to once again save this doomed haven." Ra's glanced back at Bruce as he took a sword and put it at Riddler's throat. "I came to exact punishment on a foolish interloper."

Ben narrowed his eyes as he opened up his senses to the long-lived man, stilling when he felt almost nothing coming from him.

"I got it." Ben suddenly interrupted out loud, all attention turning to him while he only looked in the non-committal Ra's' eyes.

"He used a Lazarus Pit, didn't he?" Ben glanced at the annoyed Edward.

The Lazarus Pit. A natural alchemical pool formed over the world's leylines and mixed in with some extra compounds known only by Ra's himself.

Bruce was able to analyze some of the compounds that made up the pool, but not everything was known about it yet.

Ben realized that was how Edward cured himself.

The easy to decipher riddles, the constant mumbling and random bouts of mania…

Although using the pit is said to make one smarter and provide physical enhancements upon use, it only seemed that way for those who built up a tolerance against the crazed thoughts usually accompanying it.

"So you tracked Edward back here after he somehow managed to sneak into the pit." Bruce connected a few more dots, filing away the fact that the pit could interfere with his son's powers for later. "But I don't doubt that you managed to make use of the distraction provided to carry out something else."

Ra's paused at both father and son's words, sighing out loud at their explanation.

"To think you learned the ways of teaching, bringing one such as this up to an extent." an unknown glint flashed through Ra's eyes as he gazed at Ben, a similar glint also flashing through Bruce's eyes.

"Ah. I see you've managed to figure out the truth." Ra's still noticed, the sight failing to be hidden behind Bruce's cowl. "I certainly don't envy you having to smash in the face of your child over and over… but as we both have come to know, being a parent at times means having to make difficult choices."

A Bat Glare made its appearance at those words as Bruce clenched his fists hidden within his cape.

"I must thank you from sparing me the same experience once more." Ra's turned his head to Ben. "Regardless, I've come to take our lost ward home." 'Do you know what he's talking about?' Ben privately asked his father.

Bruce remained silent, not needing to meet his son's gaze to tell that he was slightly confused behind that mask.

"You seem confused boy." another unknown voice announced the obvious. "Allow us to explain."

Ben and Bruce turned their heads at those words, being met with a party filled with multiple known and unknown faces.

'How did they just ping on my emotional field without notice?' Ben's guard shot all the way up at this point.

Although he could still make out their well trained muffled steps and near silent breathing, they were ghosts to Ben's other powered senses.

He couldn't tell anymore if this was just another problem with his powers, or something else.

Leading them all was a man dressed in a full white armored suit, a hood covering his head and a lower face mask, housing what seemed like it's own breathing system.

'Don't know him.' Ben concluded, a look at his father also providing him nothing.

Standing next to the man was a woman Ben had read files on, but never met before.

Lady Shiva. A deadly assassin and well known member of the League of Assassins. She is considered to be one of, if not the greatest martial artist, in the world. Her perfectly balanced calm yet tense state was testament of that.

Talia was also present alongside Merlyn and the man he previously met called Bronze Tiger.

Bruce turned to look at her to see if she could give anything away, but she calmly looked away from his gaze.

Ishmael was also back here, standing alongside everyone.

'I've only been in this business briefly, and I'm already tired of this constant dance in and out of what are supposed to be high-tech prisons.' Ben complained in his mind.

Two more people were also present that he had read or briefly known about, but never seen in person before.

Until now.

Recognizing the man's hockey mask, Sportsmaster finally made his appearance.

He was another well-renowned international mercenary only second to Deathstroke, known to worship only two things. His reputation, and the amount of money offered for a job.

'If it was only a suspicion before, then now there's more precedence to the League of Assassins somehow being related to Roy's disappearance.' Ben thought.

Ben came back into focus at the next face, tensing due to not expecting him at all.

Sensei. His real name was unknown, having lived a long time alongside Ra's Al Ghul as one of the few to be granted access to the Lazarus Pit.

Ben didn't need to analyze the man to tell how dangerous he was, the scars littered across his body sharing a tale filled with years of battles and experiences meant to elevate one's skills.

It's also believed that Sensei was the main trainer of most members within the League of Assassins.

Finally, there were two completely unfamiliar faces that Ben knew nothing about in the form of unknown girls.

One was standing next to Sportsmaster and wearing a grinning cat mask on her face on top of a green kimono, while the second couldn't be more than eight years old, wearing a black colored suit over her entire body completely opposite to the white clothed man she stood in between of alongside Lady Shiva.

Silence filled the surroundings, no one doing anything to break it.

"Who are you?" Bruce looked at the white clothed man.

"It seems like you've forgotten your master after so many years." came the man's reply, his hands moving to slowly peel back the hood obscuring his identity.

"Bat." a cold looking face trained it's gaze onto Bruce. "You have someone that belongs to me."

Both Ben and Bruce froze for two entirely different reasons as they fully took in his features.

'I'll teach you a whole new language.' the same voice he remembered from almost a year ago echoed in Bruce's mind once more.

Meanwhile, Ben was trying to ignore the scars covering the man's face in favor of trying to recreate an unblemished image of his cheeckbone and facial structure.

That man's face was extremely familiar... resembling his by a lot.

Unknown to everyone in the room, Ben's irises had momentarily flashed black behind his mask.

"We've come for you, Prodigal Son." the man voiced sternly, waving at everyone in the room as they started to narrow the circle formed around the father and son duo.

Ben ignored it all as he narrowed his eyes on his still motionless father. "Tell me what's going on now."

-Hey! What happened to private communication?-

Bruce turned his head to Ben, looking back at the acquaintance standing before him.

He had his suspicions about Mary's relations since last year, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to inform his son of his findings.

But even he couldn't expect the next words spoken.

"It's really simple." the man walked up to Ben's face, uncaring of the gun pointed at him in response. "This is all meant to give a grandfather some time to spend with his lost grandson."

Bruce's eyes widened at those words, teeth gritting hard as he hoarsely ground out in barely contained rage.

"David… Cain."

No amount of caution could've made Ben ready for this...

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