Gotham in Distress Pt. 02

"Batman?" she asked incredulously.

"It's time for you to leave. Go home and leave Gotham to Ivy. For now," he said flatly.

"What? No! You're not making any sense."

"Oh, but he is," Talia chimed in. "Bruce is no longer Gotham's Dark Knight. He's mine now."

Her seductive smile mocked Batgirl, adding insult to injury. "Bruce, please don't do this! Gotham needs you! You can't abandon your work. Your city!" she screamed angrily.

"Let us pass Barbara. I don't want to hurt you."

"No! You're only saying this because this bitch has dug her claws into you."

Talia laughed. "This is Bruce's destiny and don't worry, he'll be back in time to restore the balance. Whether Gotham survives as you know it until then is up to the fates. Now let us pass or we'll just make you move."

"Never. I won't let you take him!" Batgirl stated.

"Then you'll die," responded Batman.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a treat. Four of Gotham's most infamous all looking to catch a plane," purred Catwoman.

She strode over to the group on her sharp heeled boots and saw the confusion on their faces.

"What? she asked. "Cat got your tongues?"

"Haven't you caused enough trouble tonight?" Batman demanded.

Talia drew her sword and placed it against Catwoman's throat with lightning quick speed.

"Mmm, cold steel makes me shiver," she said seductively. "You just make me feel all tingly inside."

Batgirl had had enough. She quickly threw a pair of Batarangs at Talia and Bruce, knocking them off balance and giving Catwoman the space to flip away from Talia. Batman countered with his own flurry of Batarangs and dove in to tackle Batgirl. His weight crushed her to the ground, but he was immediately lifted off of her when Catwoman slammed her boot into his head. Talia leapt into the fray, striking at Catwoman with her sword and slicing her forearm open.

"Get to the plane, Bruce," Talia urged. "These two are mine."

"Fuck you," Catwoman and Batgirl responded in unison.

The two women went on the attack, using their speed and agility to force Talia back. Batman didn't stay idle for long though and Catwoman soon found herself caught between the Demon's daughter and the Bat. Salvation came when Batgirl swept Talia's leg, dropping her to the ground. Catwoman used the short opening to crash her heel into Talia's face, throwing her into unconsciousness.

"You too fight better when you're angry," Batman said with equal irritation and respect.

"You should see what else I do better while angry," Selena growled.

"Bruce, come back with us. Your city needs you. We need you!" Batgirl pleaded.

"No! Talia set me free. It's time I face my demons and end this crusade."

Barbara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her rage was boiling over and she was losing control of her temper.

"Maybe I should just kill you like Ivy wants," said Catwoman.

"Nooo!" screamed Batgirl. She leapt forward, tears running down her face, and threw everything she had into Bruce. She attacked with a ferocity nobody had ever seen from her while Catwoman watched in stunned silence.

This Bat family has serious issues, Selena thought.

Batgirl's strength was beginning to waver and she knew Bruce would put her on her ass the second she let up. So, she mustered everything she had left and used Batman's body as leverage, flipping over his head and landing behind him. She grabbed a Tazer dot and planted the small circular device on his suit before he could turn. Electricity poured through his armored suit and into his body, stunning him and bringing him to his knees.

"I won't let you leave us," Batgirl said.

She punched him as hard as possible on the chin, finally knocking him out.

Catwoman walked over to Batman and knelt at his side. "You better get him back to wherever you hide during the day. Maybe you and your friends can fix whatever the Demon spawn did to him."

"Who's side are you really on, Catwoman?"

"Oh, that depends, but right now you don't need to worry about that, little bat."

Catwoman turned and ran off into the dark without another word, leaving Batgirl to ponder her next move.

"Well Bruce, looks like you're escape from Gotham will have to wait," Barbara said. "Let's get you home."

*****

Chapter 11: Resolve

*****

Bruce knelt on the damp pavement in shock. His heart was racing and his eyes burned from the tears streaking down his face. Two bodies lay motionless before him, both bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds with loose pearls scattered around them.

Bruce wiped away his tears and stared off into a nearby window, his eyes were rimmed with red and his tux was covered with blood. His parents' blood. It had all happened so fast, one second the family had been walking back to meet Alfred at the car and the next Bruce was shaking with fear while staring at his mother and father's lifeless bodies.

He had no idea what to do! His fear had paralyzed him and all he could do was watch them lie there. Waiting. Waiting for them to get back up? Waiting for help? Bruce couldn't have said what he was waiting for, but it was all he could think of. Suddenly, a hand gripped his arm firmly. A startled Bruce Wayne looked down to see his father looking him straight in the eyes.

"Bruce, don't be afraid," Thomas Wayne said softly. "We'll always be with you, no matter what. This is only your beginning and no matter what comes next, you can't run away."

His father's eyes closed once more and the fear returned. Bruce jumped up and staggered down the alley. His fancy shoes slapping the wet concrete as he ran and crashed through the nearest doorway. He was now in a small foyer that led to a long hallway, but there was a strange haze surrounding him and he was no longer in his blood soaked tux. Instead, he was wearing his original Batsuit with the yellow Bat symbol adorning the chest.

He strode through the familiar corridor of Arkham Asylum, glancing at the static filled security monitors and empty cells as he moved quickly to the security gate up ahead. Batman yanked the gate open and pushed through the doors and entered what appeared to be the warden's office. The room was dark, but a man was sitting at the desk with his feet resting on the top while he read a newspaper. The headline read, "Batman Gone!". The paper lowered to reveal an unmistakable face.

"Howdy Bats! What a surprise to find my number one pal back in the halls of Gotham's finest institution!" said the Joker with a cackle.

"What's going on here? How did we get here?" demanded Batman in confusion.

"Oof, sounds like you could use some time in one of these cells. Maybe the therapy will do for you what it did for me," the clown replied cheerily.

"Spit it out, Joker! What the hell happened?"

"Alright alright. Take it easy won't ya. You invited me after all."

"I what?" he asked incredulously.

The Joker hopped up and danced his way over to the Dark Knight. "My my my, Bats. You must have had one hell of a night! Tell me everything and spare no details. Whatever got the big ol Bat this out of his wits is worth more than Harley on date night. Hahahaha."

What's happening to me, thought Bruce. Have I finally lost my mind?

Batman dropped to his knees, gasping for air and struggling to make sense of everything.

"You know, I was just reading that article in the paper over there about how you decided to ditch me here in Gotham. Alone! I almost believed it until you walked in too. It really got all up in my feels, Bats. I mean, how could my oldest buddy just leave without saying goodbye?"

"Gotham keeps falling apart no matter how many times I fight to put it back together. Maybe this city doesn't need me any longer, but other places might," said Batman.

"Whaaaat? That's the whole point of our little game! Me and all of Gotham's most wanted tear shit up and you come in and save the day! C'mon Bats, this is routine by now," the Joker replied.

Batman grabbed the Joker by the neck and pinned him against the wall. "You and your friends are a disease to this city!"

"Hahahaha," shrieked the clown. "There's the real Batman! All this time you've just been a scared little boy full of rage. Hate to break your bubble Brucey, but a sad existence in this city isn't an excuse to tuck tail and run! Even if you found some ass to lure you away."

Batman loosened his grip, leaving the Joker to dust himself off and straighten his purple jacket.

"How do you know all that? asked a defeated Batman.

"I know everything there is to know about you, Bruce. I'm in that noggin of yours," said the Joker.

His bouts of laughter filled the room, but Bruce couldn't hear them. His ears buzzed and he struggled to stand upright. Flashes of his past surged forward.  His parents murder, his accidental discovery of the cave beneath Wayne manor, the training, the fighting, the loneliness.

"It's a lonely life, isn't it Bruce?"

He looked up once again and found Barbara Gordon in front of him with her soft and determined smile. The Joker had vanished.

Barbara placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's what we all signed up for. As a matter of fact, it's what you called all of us to do. We're a team, remember?"

"It's just not that simple anymore," Batman announced. "The mission never ends and nobody changes. What is there left to fight for when Gotham refuses to change?"

"Each other! That's all any of us have ever done. We fight for you and every other member of our family. Bruce, I think it's time that you remember what you started here and how much it truly matters."

She turned and began to walk away, but stopped short of the door.

"We'll always be there for you, just like you are for us."

She disappeared from sight and Bruce turned back the way he'd come, passing through the hallway and moving back to the alley where his parents lay. He kneeled by their sides and gripped his father's shoulder.

"I won't be afraid any longer, dad. This is my home and it always will be."

Bruce's vision began to blur and he could hear voices shouting around him. Everything went black and he felt as though he was on his back, the stench of damp cave and the squeaking of bats was evident. His vision finally cleared as Batman arose from unconsciousness and his friends stood around him.

"Bruce, you're awake!" said Batgirl. She leaned over and checked some readouts on a monitor next to his bedside. "You were out for awhile, but other than some strange dream activity that I saw on the computer, you're doing well. How do you feel?"

"Like I've made some big mistakes," said Batman.

*****

Chapter 12: The Cave

*****

Batgirl sighed in relief when Batman finally regained conscious and seemed to return to himself. None of the others had been confident that he'd be remotely normal after the encounter at the airport and Dick was especially doubtful. He knew all too well the power Talia held over him. Barbara however, wouldn't hear any of it. With as stubborn and as much of an asshole Bruce could be, he'd never lose grasp of himself so easily. Or so she thought at least

"We'll need to get back out there as soon as he's ready, Dick," Barbara said vigorously.

"He'll never be ready soon enough! Talia clearly broke him. You heard everything he was murmuring in that haze he was in. Even if he says it, I know he's doubting himself and it puts us all at risk," he responded.

Barbara threw her arms up in a huff and walked to the control room barrier overlooking the cavernous space below. Bruce stood on the vehicle platform performing diagnostics on the Batmobile. A task that was unnecessary, but therapeutic for the vigilante.

"Then what are we supposed to do? Ivy is out there more powerful than ever and we can't do this ourselves!"

"You act like we've never been at a disadvantage before. Besides, we have Huntress for backup," Dick assured her.

"You're an idiot. We've never dealt with these odds without his help and..."

"Without who's help?" asked Bruce from behind them.

Neither one of them had seen Bruce sneak up on their conversation and jumped in surprise.

"Bruce--we were just trying to decide what to do next," Barbara stammered.

"And we think it'd be best if we went after Ivy without you," added Dick.

"Wait, that's not..." she began.

"It's what's best," Dick said, cutting her off.

Bruce's icy blue eyes cut right through her, forcing her to avert her eyes.

"This isn't up for discussion. I'll deal with Ivy like I always have."

"No Bruce! You can't just push your way back into this. If it weren't for Babs here, you'd be running scared from Gotham with you ninja girlfriend. But you haven't bothered to consider that have you, Bruce?!"

Barbara stormed past Bruce, far too angry and confused to deal with those two pompous asses while they argued about who gets to be the hero. Barbara admired both of them in many ways, but she couldn't help but face the fact that neither one could admit they were wrong or that they weren't up to a task. Their arrogance was truly astounding.

"Fuck this," she said to the emptiness of the cave. "If they want to bicker, then I'll just do it alone."

Her motorcycle roared to life and she twisted the throttle towards full power. She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she sped through the tunnel and secret entrance and out into the chilly night air.

Her eyes stung from the cold wind, but she throttled up nonetheless, leaving nothing but blowing leaves and fear for her friends in her wake.

*****

Chapter 13: Welcome to the Jungle

*****

Batgirl swung from her perch overlooking the Gotham Botanical Gardens and crashed through the massive upper windows. She released her cable and aimed down for the moss covered floor, rolling as she landed. She could hardly recognize the building she now stood in with every surface, statue, and fountain covered in plant life. It was surprisingly peaceful though and she could hear her footsteps echoing as she strode towards the garden's center. Fireflies lit up the interior, casting a dim gloom about the large halls and carnivorous plants snapped at her when she waded through the tall grass.

"What the hell is that?" Batgirl pondered out loud as she came upon a massive flower in the center of the main square.

The bulbous flower bloomed open.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Batgirl. Why did the Bat send you in his stead? You can't tell me that he's already replaced Talia with another one of you costumed freaks."

"I felt like catching some air...and maybe bagging a maniac or two," Batgirl retorted.

Ivy padded towards her on bare feet, stopping mere inches from Batgirl and wrapping her lengthy arms around her. Batgirl ducked away and landed a punch on Ivy's delicate jaw, sending her crashing to the ground. The room erupted into chaos as the oversized plants jumped to their master's defense and struck out at Barbara. It was all she could do to avoid becoming ensnared by what can only be explained as a gardener's nightmare.

"Relax my loves," Ivy called to her creations. "This little bat is harmless and we have big bad men to deal with freaks like her."

On cue, five police officers repelled from the ceiling and took up positions around the villain.

"Glad you guys decided to show up," Batgirl said in relief. "You're under arrest, Ivy."

"Hahahaha! Am I really?"

The SWAT officers turned towards Batgirl and retrieved their stun sticks from their holsters.

Uh oh, she thoughts to herself

The men bolted forward to attack, forcing her to backflip, weave, and parry until she could launch herself off a fountain and leap over her assailants. She landed and counterattacked, jabbing, sweeping, and kicking the officers into submission one by one. After dispatching the final attacker, she spun and leapt towards Ivy, pinning her to the green floor.

"You've lost! Now it's time you fixed everything you did."

"Did you really think it'd be so easy?" she whispered in Batgirl's ear. "I thought you knew me better than that."

Batgirl looked over her shoulder to find the cops regaining their feet and several more streaming into the square.

"What can I say? These men love me," Ivy proclaimed.

"Luckily, she's not alone," came an unmistakable voice from above.

Batman activated his short range EMP, disabling the lights and leaving the fireflies and bioluminescent plants as the only source of light. He dropped down from the ceiling with Nightwing at his side and both vigilantes fired Batarangs and Wing Dings in every direction. Nightwing drew his Escrima sticks and attacked head on, while Batman used his ElectroRifle to stun the plants and vines attempting to either ensnare or eat him. Neither would be ideal he thought.

Not one to be beaten easily, Poison Ivy broke free of Batgirl's hold and used her powers to spring a nest of thorny vines from beneath them. Her eyes glowed a bright green as she used her precious plant life to shield herself and shoot spores at her masked enemies.

"Go help Nightwing. I'll take care of Ivy myself," ordered Batman.

"Hell no! You can't take her on you own right now. You need my help" she responded between punches

"Go help Nightwing dammit!" he said again.

"Fuck no!" Batgirl said as she fired her grapple gun and lifted into the air. She released her gun and dropped behind Ivy's vine shield with perfect precision, but Ivy anticipated her move and kicked her in the face upon landing. She collapsed to the ground, temporarily unconscious and swarmed by thin vines. She was securely imprisoned when she woke up moments later.

Ivy was about to kiss her with her poisonous lips when a whip flashed and wrapped around her pale neck. Ivy choked in surprise and tried to release the whip, but Catwoman landed on her shoulders and put her in a choke hold with her legs. The pair dropped to the floor and Catwoman immediately pounced on top of her friend and occasional enemy. Licking her lips in victory.

"Not so fast honey. I kinda like the little bat over there. She's off limits," Catwoman announced.

Batman and Nightwing continued to fight off Ivy's enchanted henchmen and impossibly dangerous plants, but it was becoming too much.

"We gotta go!" shouted Nightwing after he shocked a massive venus fly trap with his baton.

"We'll be right out," purred Catwoman as she restrained Ivy and cut Batgirl's bonds.

Batman, Batgirl, and Nightwing fired their grapple guns and hoisted themselves to the skylight with Poison Ivy in tow, while Catwoman took the hard way to the side entrance. Outside, Batman threw Ivy into the secured passenger compartment of the Batmobile and hopped in the front with Nightwing.

"I'll follow on my bike," Batgirl said.

"Sorry pals, but I'm gonna sit this part out. This has been enough excitement for one kitty," Selena added.

"Fine. We'll rendezvous back at base. Stay out of trouble, Selena," said Batman.

"Me? I wouldn't dream of it."

Batman gave Batgirl an icy glare before closing the hatch and speeding off into the night. Barbara was getting ready to follow when her feline associate gently grabbed her arm.

"You two have a lot to sort out."

Barbara stared down at the bat symbol on her bike's fuel tank. "This is how it always is."

"But it doesn't have to be."

Barbara was a little surprised by Selena's words, but by the time she had looked up to respond, the cat was gone.

*****

Chapter 14: Square One

*****

The rocket came out of nowhere. It didn't even show up on the Batmobile's sensors. It just flashed into existence in a split second and ripped through the front end of the vehicle.

His vision was fuzzy, but he could see Dick struggling to bust his way out of the car and the "red alert" symbols on the displays. He struggled out of his harness and crawled out the window and onto the wet concrete.

"I warned you. Capturing me was never going to be simple this time," Ivy pronounced as she seductively walked to a waiting car.