"Remember how you had us all fooled with that apple cider? Making us think it was champagne?" Gordon muses as I down another glass of gin...my fourth.

 

"Made up for lost time I guess." I hear him mutter.

 

"Spoken to Dick lately?" Gordon asks, I give him the obvious answer of: "Not in years you know that..." 

 

"Damn shame...with what happened to Jason and all." He says.

I stand up, reach over to shake his hand, "Lets call it a night, Jim." 

 

 

I am Bruce Wayne...JUST Bruce Wayne now, and as we part ways Jim squeezes my shoulder and chuckles to me "You just need a woman." 

 

While in my gut the creature snarls and writhes and tells me what i need.

 

I'm learning to hate, this city has given up, like the whole WORLD seems to have. I'll feel better in the morning I always tell myself that. Its the night, when the city's smells call out to him, though I lie between silk sheets in a million dollar mansion miles away.

 

When a police siren wakes me and for a moment in the night, I forget its all over.

 

But if it was revenge Batman was after, he's taken it..forty years since he was born.

 

Born here...I realize I've wandered back to the place where it all happened....he's taken me to Crime Alley again.

I am Bruce Wayne, JUST Bruce Wayne....a man ten years dead.

Edited July 24, 201411 yr by Zachy1993

Batman took out several of the men, until there were only two left for him at least, the rest were screaming and sobbing that there were three demons after them inside the cloud with swords. 

 

A blond headed man with a machine gun fired blindly into the cloud of smoke, Batman fired a line that wrapped around his legs and dragged him into the cloud, while his buddy looked horrified as he screamed and clawed at the ground before disappearing from view.

 

The other backed against the helicopter and drew a pistol, as his eyes grew wide and he sweated from fear as three demons led by a massive one that resembled a hellish gargoyle with wings outstretched walked towards him. He hadn't the guts to fire even as the barrel of the pistol pressed against the monster's chest, he whimpered and shook with fear.

 

Batman took the gun from his hands as he slid down the side of the chopper, holding his head and sheilding himself as he closed his eyes tight. "What's happening!?" 

 

Batman casually responded as he opened up the helicopter alongside the three teens, "Your favorite nightmare...should be over in about an hour." That was when he saw that the bomb was live.

 

"No...." He grabbed the already terrified man and shoved his face towards the bomb, "How do I stop it!?" He demanded.

 

"S-stop it? It shouldn't be going!"  

Batman thought for a moment, "Two-Face lied to you." Batman growled at the man.

 

"He said we'd get the money and run! The bombs are just for show!" The poor shaking man said, clearly unaware that this was the actual plan.

 

Batman looked at the others, not saying anything until....something dawned on him. "He wants to die....and take thousands with him."

"Then stop it!" Riku exclaimed, "You can do that, can't you?!"

 

Lea was a bit surprised at Bruce's skill. Even as an older man who was getting into the waning years of his life, he was managing to defeat a whole group of villains without breaking so much as a single sweat. It was amazing, and Lea was almost in awe except for the fact that a bomb was currently ticking away to the end of their life. If one of them didn't act quickly, they would all go up in a fireball.

 

"I can smash it!" Sora exclaimed, before being grabbed and headlocked by Lea.

 

"You ain't smashin' anything.."

"Everyone calm down!" Clicking open a cartridge on his utility belt, Bruce pulled out what appeared to be a flash drive and aimed it at the bomb, and sprayed it with some sort of fluid that froze on impact. 

 

And just like that, the bomb stopped counting down. "Nobody takes out Harvey, understand? I have to know why he's suddenly given up. You have to understand...Harvey was once a good man...both myself and Gordon considered him a friend...so I have to know....why." 

 

That was when Harvey's chopper began taking off from the tower across' rooftop, Batman fired the line across the buildings and began making his way across the line. 

Harvey fired machine gun rounds and one hit Bruce square in the chest, he fell from the line with a grunt, thankfully....the underweave of his armor protected him. 

 

He hung there from the line, hanging on as he fired off the grappling hook at the chopper, it went taut as it made contact and Harvey staggered and fell out into open air. 

 

Tossing away the rifle, Bats thought a silent prayer, and cut the taut line between the buildings, allowing himself to be swung downward from it and be propelled directly into the falling Harvey, and through a window of the tower. Before he went through the window he managed to shout to the others, "Come on!" 

"Jesus." Lea grumbled, throwing open a Corridor of Darkness, "We'll cut through with the Betwixt!" he shouted, immediately stepping through without so much as an afterthought as to his companion's objections."What if he screws up again!?" Riku hissed, swinging his arm.

 

"Riku we don't have time! We have to help him!" Sora shouted, running through the portal as Riku ran after him. All three ran back out right beside the broken window Bruce had flown into. Already, the man was trying to go after the Two-Face person.

Batman was already on top of Harvey, ripping at the bandages that covered his face. "Show me! What did you do!?" He demanded just as the bandages came tearing off as Harvey shouted a pleading "No!" 

 

He looked...perfectly normal.

 

Bruce even seemed utterly shocked.

 

That was when Harvey turned to Batman with tears in his eyes and spoke: "I played along as long as I could...while YOU and the DOCS had your JOKE. You got everyone to smile and keep their lunches down while they looked at me! Even these three are in on it!" He pointed accusingly at Sora, Riku, and Lea.

 

"Pretending I looked...normal!" 

 

Batman looked at Harvey for a long time before speaking, "Y-You think...."

 

Harvey interrupted him, "C-Cut it out! Just look at me and have your laugh! Get it over with! At least...both sides match now right? Like the doctors and therapists said? Who are we kidding? They couldn't fix me....nothing can change what I am." Harvey just sat there and held his face in his hands as Batman stooped down to the broken man on the floor. 

"You look...fine." Sora said, walking forward, "Are you...Two-Face? I don't see...where the two faces are."

Riku and Lea wanted to halt the brown-haired boy. Keep him away from the broken, and mentally unstable man. But they were too shocked by what they had seen...by what they hadn't expected. Sora kneeled down before Harvey Dent, and smiled.

"I'm not in on anything. I'm new to this city. To me, you look like an ordinary person. No one's in on anything. You aren't Two-Face. You're...uhm...what's your name again..?"

 

Lea rolled his eyes. Leave it to Sora to mess things up a bit. Riku gently touched his face and shook his head. Leave it to Sora to completely forget who it was they were going after.

 

"Sora's right." Riku said, "We have never met you before. We barely know this town, and Batman. We aren't in on anything...and all three of us wouldn't be in on anything anyways. It's against who we are."

Harvey looked up at Sora from the floor, and his eyes seemed to have a renewed light in them. "R-really? And I'm Harvey Dent....I-I." Harvey looked in the pieces of broken glass on the floor, and for the first time in a long time, he saw that his face wasn't scarred...he was Harvey Dent...once again.

"I-I'm....Harvey....Its really....me." Happy tears started to flow down his face as he smiled up at everyone.

 

Batman was in shock, this spikey haired youth had just done what neither he nor Bruce Wayne nor anyone else had managed to do since Harvey's acid incident.

 

He might've just cured Harvey Dent of his Two-Face persona..through simple kindness.

 

Batman knelt down to Harvey and grinned, "Harvey....do you think Doctor Wolper is helping you? Would you like me to have....a transfer put in for you to one of Metropolis' centers? Given what's happened I think it would be best." 

 

Harvey looked like he was giving it some thought then shook his head, "If I run away now....I can't show everyone how ready I am to change. I'll never be able to show everyone...the new Harvey Dent, like Bruce Wayne wanted me to. Though..there is something bothering me about that place." Harvey said.

 

Batman helped Harvey up, "What is it?" 

 

"Well....before I left....when they broadcasted your return.....the Joker....woke up from his coma....I'm afraid to go back.....I'm afraid he'll do something to the other patients and the doctors." 

Lea was a little proud of Sora. From what he could tell, Bruce had gone years trying to help Harvey Dent from his disorder, but without any luck. It seemed that Harvey was forced to suffer from it for years, and that lead him to become a criminal mastermind. And Sora was able to fix that almost immediately. Lea smirked, wondering if there was some trick Sora had used, or if he really just was that special.

 

"The Joker?" Riku asked, "From what I've been hearing....he sounds even more deadly than any of the others. Why was he in a coma? Is his reawakening tied to you, Bruce?"

Before Batman could speak up, a group of police led by Gordon burst into the room, guns aimed at Harvey. "Good job Bats, boys. Now lets get him in handcuffs." A couple of police officers approached Harvey, who looked down shamefully, before Batman of all people stepped in the flabbergasted police officers' way...glaring them down...they of course backed off.

"Um....w-what are you-" The young, obviously inexperienced cop stammered at the large man standing in his way.

 

"He's going to Gordon...and he'll be escorted by us....and Gordon will be the ONLY one who will be taking him into custody...clear?" Batman growled.

 

"No way! We were sent here to-" The older cop in charge claimed.

 

"Your wife..how is she lieutenant?" Batman asked this as if he was asking about the weather to the man.

 

"W-wha-" 

 

"Be a shame if she found out about that pretty blond girl you've been seeing....every night on your route this month." Batman spoke the threat clearly....but the others could tell he was willing to provide evidence to back it up.

 

"Y-You can't possibly know-" The cop started to blush and look flustered.

 

"Try me." Bats said.

The three teens stood by as they watched Batman make severe threats. Although previously they would have stepped in....they too were siding with Harvey. They knew that a lot of people probably hated him for past crimes, so the more trustworthy people he was with, the better. Lea frowned as the flabbergasted officer stepped back, and the red-head wondered how the billionaire obtained that information. Of course, Bruce was a crime fighter. He probably kept tabs on every single elected official and police officer just to be safe. Lea admired Bruce's dedication to the cause.

 

"We need to get Harvey out of here." Riku suddenly said, glaring at the gathering of officers, "What if someone is trying to get him dead? We just stopped a bomb from blowing up this building. Who knows what else is around here. The faster we move Dent out of here and into proper custody, the better. So let the Batman do his thing. Since obviously you all are too inept to do it yourselves."

 

Lea laughed, "You go Riku! I've never heard you get so riled up like this."

 

Riku gave him a glowing glare, before shaking his head.

The younger officer looked to his commander, who sighed with a flushed face and told the others to stand down and let them pass. 

Batman nodded and slowly stepped past them.

Once they reached the exit of the tower, Batman held up a hand to signal the others to stop, and stay inside the corridor.

He heard something....something was coming....or someone.

 

"Keep Harvey inside! Protect him!" Bruce ordered just as a man in dark blue and orange armor descended from the shadows with a steel bo staff, attacking Batman.

 

Batman blocked the blow just in time with his spiked gauntlets and managed to shove the man off just in time for everyone to see him. 

 

Twirling the bo staff, the mysterious armored man pointed at Batman. "Well...it appears the game is over...before it even begins. You should've known better than to come out of your cave, Bat!" 

 

Batman grit his teeth, "Damn you...I'm not playing games here, Slade!" 

Batman lunged at this so called, Slade, gripped one side of the bo-staff, they struggled with it until Bruce delivered an elbow strike to Slade's facial plate, which knocked it clean off it was so powerful....revealing a man with an eyepatch on his right eye and white hair.

 

"Deathstroke or Slade..it doesn't matter which name I go by! YOUR methods and tactics are inferior to mine! But at least you will die with honor, on your feet....which is more than can be said for most!" 

All three instantly head their weapons at ready--all of them pointing at the newcomer. A broad-shoulders, tall man who was decked in red, wore a mask, and wore more weapons than thought possible. So they were right. Someone else was after Dent. And it was this 'Slade' person...who seemed a lot more furious than the broken and confused Harvey. This man wasn't someone Sora could easily convince. It was someone they were going to have to fight.

 

Riku was the first to act. He disappeared in a ball of darkness and suddenly appeared behind Slade. He swung high and came crashing down, hoping to take the armed man down before he could react. Lea smirked and threw his arms out. Fire surrounded them all--making a magical barrier that was impossible to escape. They weren't trapped in here with Slade. Slade was trapped in there with them.

 

"Alright!" Lea exclaimed, "Finally a good battle!"

Slade blocked Riku's blow with a katana that was unsheathed before any of them could blink an eye. "I see your abilities have not waned...Deathstroke...the Terminator." Batman glared at Slade as he rushed in, delivering an uppercut to Slade's jaw, sending him flying onto a parked car.

 

He looked around at the flames that were formed from the red headed teens' power, and another one could teleport! "Damn..." he muttered. "This wasn't in the contract." 

 

As Batman readied himself to attack Slade again, he raised his hands up. "Ease up there! I'm a mercenary not a child killer! Seems things are different than what I was lead to believe in my contract. You wanna know who hired me to kill Harvey? He's a U.S. Military General, don't know his name....but I assume you being the World's Greatest Detective and all...can find that out yourself."

 

"Keep going." Batman ordered.

 

"He's the one who supplied our friend here with the bombs and military helicopters....don't ask me why...just told me he wanted Harvey dead and the bombs and choppers retrieved at 'all costs'. And incidentally....you'll find he's supplying the Mutants with military grade weaponry as well." Deathstroke/Slade explained.

 

Batman stood there, glaring at Slade. "Son of a bitch....so that's why they're so well armed."

Lea shook his head a bit, groaning. So now what? It was political corruption behind this? Lea wished it could be something simple. A crazed man who wanted to blow something up? That was simple. One bad guy. One way to take him down. Not a bad guy being attacked by another bad guy who was employed by a good guy and funding a bunch of other bad guys.

 

"What is with this town and all the dark shit?" Lea asked, his thoughts again becoming words, "You've got bad guys outta the wazzoo and more corruption than in a den of pirates. You know what I think? I think it's the lack of sunlight. Vitamin D is good for the body, and sun's the primary way of getting it. And I can tell this town is dark 24/7. So ya'll need to move out to somewhere that gets more sun. Hell, go to the god damn beach."

 

Riku sighed, wishing that Lea would simply shut his mouth.

As if on cue, the first rays of morning light began to peek through the clouds. Batman looked over at Lea, as if to tell him that there was his answer. When Batman turned back around to Deathstroke, he had used his superhuman speed to dash away. "Damn...Guess we're on our own."

Once Harvey was safe in Gordon's custody, they got back to the cave, where Alfred was waiting for them. 

"Master Bruce...you have a visitor." Alfred told them, as a woman wearing a red outfit and had long dark black hair came forward. She was gorgeous to behold. And Bruce was quite surprised to see her, it was obvious he had the hots for her...a novice could tell that even with his  cowl on.

 

"Talia? What are you-" Bruce began.

 

"Bruce....my father....Ra's....he's been murdered." Talia said...fighting back tears.

 

Batman stood there for a moment, "Talia, what about the Lazarus Pits? That should've-" 

 

Talia shook her head, "The Lazarus Pits restore the user's youth and add longevity to their lifespan...they aren't a tool for immortality or invulnerability. The League of Assassins, some of the ninjas turned against him...double agents of the man he had been training to replace you....as his heir. The Lazarus Pits were beginning to fade and dry up....so he brought two men into the league and took them under his tutelage." 

 

Batman sighed, "Who were they, Talia?"

 

Talia looked at Bruce before saying the names, "Slade Wilson, and the man who nearly killed you and broke your spine across his knee years ago and found out your secret identity. Though his real name no one really knows.....he goes by-"  

Batman immediately knew who Talia was referring to, and spoke the name aloud for all to hear: "Bane."

Edited July 31, 201411 yr by Zachy1993

Lea almost groaned. He honestly did. Two-Face. The Joker. Deathstroke. Bane. These had to be the most vile assortment of villains ever grouped together by anyone. What was with this town, and all of these villains? At least where he came from, the villains were grouped together in a nice, orderly fashion. They were all different, and none of them were exactly evil. Except for Marluxia of course. And Xemnas. And Xigbar.

 

"How did this town get so shitty?" Lea grumbled, "It just seems odd that now that this town has some sort of savior, that all sorts of big baddies

come out. You know what I think? I bet if you, Bruce, never became Batman, none of this would've happened. I think some of these people came out and said, 'you know what I think? I don't like that bat guy. I'm gonna show him up.'" Lea said, standing up and glaring at both Bruce and Talia.

 

"Axel!" Riku yelled, "That woman's father is dead, this isn't the time!"

 

"It's Lea, and I know. I've already got that memorized. But I can't shake the thought about it."

Bruce looked over to Lea, and chuckled..shaking his head. "You think I don't realize that already? I've known it for years. But you wouldn't know that, you're just looking from the outside, you haven't been on the front lines..like I have...all this time. You're just a punk kid who is lost in MY city, and decided it would be fun to tag along and be the hero. So I don't expect you to understand Gotham, its people, and especially not me. Go and play hero somewhere else, because here...we take things seriously." 

 

Talia glared at Lea, "And do you think Gotham is the only place that has villians like this? They are all over this world! There have been ones that come from other dimensions AND other planets to threaten this ENTIRE world. And Bruce has been there along with the Justice League to stop them! Superman's city, Metropolis....has its fair share of super powered menaces...Bruce's just happen to be more bloodthirsty."

Lea shook his head in turn.

"Funny. I am playing the hero. Who do you think we three are? Sora has fought a man who successfully created a whole new world. Riku's fought a man who is literally darkness itself. And me? I've had to deal with an ugly old man and save these two's asses because them and a god damn mouse wasn't enough to stop him. So tell me again how I'm not a hero. Call me arrogant. I am going to help. I'm not 'tagging along for the ride', I'm not some child! Don't take me for that. I'm doing it because I'm a good guy. Got it memorized?"

Batman frowned, "Bragging about it isn't going to impress me. I could care less what you have or haven't done. It doesn't affect me or this world. In fact you're lucky I don't have you all sent in for a serious mental evaluation, all this talk about darkness and hearts and black monsters. You say you're a good guy, then prove it in what you DO HERE..not by telling me a bunch of stuff about things that other people have done and what you've done in the past. Here in this world, a hero usually doesn't consider himself a hero....get THAT memorized. You still have a lot of maturing to do, before I'll consider you anything but a child with a magic key." 

With that said, Batman ended their little squabble by turning to Talia, "I apologize Talia. Alfred, please escort our guests to their rooms. I need to speak to Talia in private." 

 

Alfred approached the three boys, "Come along, guest bedrooms are upstairs in the mansion. And young masters....I would like a few words with you..especially you Master Lea."

Edited August 1, 201411 yr by Zachy1993

"Sure, sure." Lea grinned, walking with the other two. Riku was not pleased that Lea had gone off like that, and potentially ruined their relationship with Bruce Wayne. He turned to Sora--the both of them talking about why their weren't any Heartless in the city.

As they were distracted, Lea glanced at Bruce with a smirk. He turned back to Alfred, seeing as now someone was watching him. He couldn't do something mischievous when he was being watched.

 

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Lea said, shrugging a bit as he sighed. He would ensure, that at some point, Bruce understood what he meant about the Heartless and Darkness.

Alfred walked with them up to their bedrooms, and turned to them. He didn't look angry, only sorrowful. He sighed. "Please try not to be angry with Master Bruce, he's......just pushing you three away because of...something that happened in the past. And I'm not talking about his parents." 

 

"Years ago....he took his second apprentice, the mantle of Robin...was given to his second adopted son....a homeless boy who Bruce had found trying to steal the hubcaps off of what Dick Grayson, the first Robin...named the Batmobile. Bruce trained him to be a warrior, he was a part of our family. He was reckless when he got into his teenage years...so reckless that Batman had to relieve him of duty, though it pained him to do so. We found out that he was searching for his long lost mother....using the Batcomputer, and had gone to Ethiopia to find a certain Sheila Haywood....who was a worker to support the starving locals through medical practices.It turned out Sheila had been blacklisted as a medical practicioner for performing illegal operations on teenagers and one had resulted in killing a patient..., and  and Joker found out....he blackmailed her into giving him boxes of medical supplies...so he could rig them with his poison laughing gas...which causes the victims to die with smiles on their faces, which he intended to unleash on the starving locals. And kill thousands."

 

Alfred shook his head, "Shiela had also been embezzling money from the company she was working for...and handed Jason over to the Joker as an extra bonus. .....Joker beat him half to death with a crowbar...filming it.....and then locked Robin and his mother in a room with a time bomb...they never made it out alive." 

 

Alfred looked pale now, "We...received the film the next day....we had to bury ashes. He's never taken another apprentice or allowed anyone to fight alongside him again."

Sora looked a little sullen. Bruce's life was just one atrocity after the other. His parents long since dead when he was a child. Any one who he could come close to calling a family member was killed by the horrible people in his life.

"Well, we've gotta help him! It's only fair! There's so much darkness in this city...we've gotta help and clean it up! I keep saying we're gonna help, and I'm tired of only speaking and not acting!"

 

"Sora's right." Riku agreed, "It's time for us to help how ever we can."

 

"Yeah, and I'd like to show that I'm not some lost child who foolishly seeks adventures...unlike some people I know." Lea said, glancing coldly at both Riku and Sora.

There was a knock at the door. In stepped Batman. "Talia's asleep, I think its time we paid the mutant hideout a visit. Once we get rid of them, I assure you all the city won't be half as bad as it is now."

 

"I assume miss Talia will be bedding with you then, sir?" Alfred asked, smiling cheekily.

 

Bruce blushed VERY red, "L-lets just get down to the cave."

"Finally!" Sora exclaimed, "I've been waiting to help you!"

 

Riku groaned, putting a hand to his face and shaking his head. He couldn't believe that Sora was this energetic. They were about to uproot a terrible, evil gang that had all of this city in the palm of their hand, and Sora was still as bouncy as a newborn kitten. And considering in the Pride Lands he was a lion cub, it made sense.

"Calm down, Sora. We'll get to it when we do."

Batman led them down into the cave, past the main part they had been in with the computers and extended technology. And to a hanger with multiple vehicles. He un-tarped a huge object, which was revealed to be a huge tank like plated object with a gunmetal color.

 

"I modified the Batmobile after some nasty riots, she holds an extensive medical bay, and the only thing that can harm her isn't from this planet...and is thankfully on our side...or at least the American government's. Of course, I hadn't factored in Keyblade wielding teens when I remodeled her. She'll stop gunfire, grenades, and rocket fire....and has been tested against all three. So whatever those punks have got....we'll be protected against."  

He pressed a panel on the side, and it opened up to reveal the huge lit interior. "Alfred? Got your ears on?" Bats called over to his butler and friend.

 

Alfred gave a thumbs up. Batman turned to the three teens, "The controls are a bit.....complex. But I'm sure you three can get the hang of them. And if not, I have Alfred on standby, he's been given...lets say a crash course."