The Dark Knight - Heir to the Demon #21

Batman: Batman to all units. Report in.

 

Nightwing: East tower reporting.

 

Red Robin: West tower here.

 

…..

 

Batman: South tower, report in.

 

…….

 

Batman: What’s going on, Alfred?

 

Alfred: Difficult to say, sir. I’ll keep trying to connect you.

 

Batman: Let me know the moment you do.

 

Red Robin: Is everything alright, Bruce?

 

Batman: We can’t raise the Outlaws. Hopefully it’s just an equipment fault. East tower, give me a status report.

 

Batgirl: East tower is offline. Toxin concentration is dropping rapidly. All being well it’ll be harmless within the hour.

 

Batman: West tower?

 

Red Robin: There were complications but we managed to get it offline.

 

Batman: And Ubu?

 

Talia: ….Neutralised.

 

The slight hesitation by Talia tells me exactly what is meant by ‘neutralised’. Dead, presumably. If not then fatally wounded. If it hasn’t been too long since he was last exposed to the pit then it’s possible he’ll live but if not then he’ll be dead soon enough. Assuming that Talia hasn’t lost her touch.

 

Batman: Restrained?

 

Talia: Neutralised.

 

A far more clear and forceful declaration that the first time. That all but confirms that he's most likely dead. Talia wouldn’t have repeated her statement so firmly were she unsure.

 

Batman: Understood.

 

Nighwing: I take it this means the north tower is offline as well.

 

Batman: Affirmative. The League is moving to phase two. Having split us up across Gotham they’ve accomplished the goal that the gas was intended to distract us from.

 

Red Robin: They’ve sprung him?

 

Batman: Most likely.

 

Batgirl: That doesn’t sound like a definitive yes….

 

Nightwing: They’ll have tripped the cave’s motions sensors, that’s how he knows they’ve freed him.

 

Talia: If that’s the case, Beloved, they’ll be coming for you.

 

Batman: That’s what I’m counting on. In the meantime, the League will be moving to cripple the city so it’s unable to stop the Arkham inmates once they’re set free.

 

Nightwing Arkham? Why do they want to release the inmates at Arkham?

 

Red Robin: To do their dirty work for them. Why dirty your hands when there’s a bunch of psychos willing to do it for you.

 

Batgirl: Not to mention it avoids drawing too much attention to themselves. Helps them to remain the shadows where they’re most comfortable.

 

Nightwing: Then let’s draw them out. How long will it take you guys to make it to Arkham?

 

Batman: You’re not going to Arkham.

 

Nightwing: What?

 

Batgirl: You can’t be serious?

 

Batman: The Outlaws will deal with Arkham. I need the pair of you to reinforce the GCPD and secure the lockup.

 

Batgirl: You think they’re going to target the GCPD?

 

Talia: They’d be foolish not to. With our numbers so small in comparison to theirs, the only way we could hope to contain a breakout at Arkham is with the GCPD’s assistance. If they truly want to break us, they’ll try to take the GCPD out of the picture.

 

Batgirl: Dad…

 

Nightwing: We’re on it.

 

Red Robin: What about me?

 

Batman: I’m feeding co-ordinates to a cache near your location, there should be equipment there that you’ll both need to reinforce Selina at Gotham General.

 

Red Robin: What about you?

 

Batman: …..

 

Nightwing: You can’t be serious.

 

Batman: I have to try and talk to him. Maybe, just maybe…

 

Talia: Bruce, you can’t negotiate with someone when you’re at their mercy. You of all people should understand that……..

 

She pauses for a moment before deciding on what her next course of action will be. If you know her as well as I do, what she says next doesn’t come as a surprise.

 

Talia: I’m coming with you

 

Batgirl: Are you both suicidal?

 

Alfred: Sir, we both know there’s a good chance that Ra’s set those alarms off intentionally. If you go there alone…

 

Talia: He’s not going alone. I’m coming with you, Bruce.

 

Batman: No, you’re needed at Gotham General, Talia.

 

Talia: I’m not letting you kill yourself. I’m going with you.

 

Red Robin: Selina and I can secure Gotham General. If you’re going to face him, you shouldn’t be going alone.

 

Batman: I’ll be fine. Our priority has to be stopping them from destroying Gotham.

 

Nightwing: And how are we going to do that if you’re dead?

 

Talia: I’m on my way to you now. Don’t you dare move until I’m there.

 

Batman: ….

 

There’s nothing I can say to change their minds. In some ways I’m impressed by their determination and also proud of it. Taking a stand and doing what they believe is right. Mother and Father would have been proud of them.

 

Batgirl: Alright, Dick and I are getting ready to head over to GCPD. It’ll take us some time to get there. Tim?

 

Red Robin: The cache’s location has just been uploaded to my cowl, I’m heading there now before rendezvousing with Selina at Gotham General.

 

Alfred: Ms. Al-Ghul I’ve dispatched the Batwing to your position. It should be with you in a few moments.

 

Talia: Roger, bunker. Any word from the Outlaws?

 

Alfred: Nothing yet, I’ll keep trying and relay their orders to them once I make contact.

 

Nightwing: Let us know if you still can’t get through to them. Nightwing out.

 

Red Robin: I’ll let you know when I’m at Gotham General, Al. Red Robin out.

 

Alfred: The Batwing is arriving at your position now, Ms. Al-Ghul.

 

Talia: I see it.

 

Alfred: I’ve pre-programmed the flight path to take you straight to Master Bruce’s location. It should take you a couple of minutes at most to reach him.

 

Talia: Thank you, Alfred.

 

Alfred: Master Bruce, Ms. Al-Ghul will be with you in a few of minutes. Is there anything you need from the bunker?

 

Batman: How is Lucius’ project coming along?

 

Alfred: Slower than he’d like. He’s only managed to synthesise 3 grams of the stuff so far. At best he reckons it’s only enough for one dose.

 

Batman: Tell him to keep trying. Until then I’ll rely on Hephaestus’ sword.

 

Alfred: What happens if he can’t make more? How are going to use it if that’s all we’re going to have available?

 

Batman: You know the answer, Alfred.

 

Alfred: But are you sure about it, Master Bruce? With how reliant he is upon Lazarus to survive it’s possible that using it may well kill him.

 

Batman: It’s a risk I’ll have to take.

 

Alfred: And are you prepared to live with those consequences?

 

I hesitate to give a response. In many ways that counts as a response itself. Hesitation always highlights uncertainty. Often, it’s welcoming just as it is in this case. My reluctance to answer that question shows that despite all he’s done, I’m still not sure whether or not I can bring myself to kill him.

 

If nothing else, it’s a sign of progress since my time with the League. When Talia brought me to Nanda Parbat I was young, foolish and driven by nothing but pure rage. It’s likely that had Talia and I not grown so close during my time there that I may well have ended up killing Dusan and that man for my final trial.

 

To a person on the outside though, it probably looks like I was a man of principle. Standing by my beliefs, choosing not to take a life when it was so easy to do so.

 

But the truth is anything but. Were it not thanks to Talia I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand up to Ra’s. Does that mean I might have gone through with the final trial? Impossible to say. Which terrifies me. That’s also why I never describe myself as a hero. A hero stands by their beliefs and does what they feel is right, regardless of the consequences. That I might have compromised those ideals under difficult circumstances makes me anything but.

 

Alfred: Batwing inbound.

 

I activate the tracker built into my gauntlets and signal the Batmobile to rendezvous at my location. Given how I’ll be walking into the lions den, it’s best to have a contingency in place for when my attempts to talk Ra’s down inevitably fail. The Batwing comes to a halt next to my position and Talia quickly jumps out of it landing next to me. Her hair flows gently in the breeze caused by the Batwing’s turbines as it comes loose from its hair tie.

 

She always did look beautiful when her hair was loose and free flowing.

 

Once it’s clear that she’s safely disembarked, the Batwing departs to an elevated position over Gotham in order to survey the entire city. Whilst I’m sceptical of how much good it will do, hopefully the Batwing may be able to track the League’s above ground movements. It may give us a hint as to what their next move will be.

 

Batman: You alright?

 

Talia: Yeah. Are you?

 

Batman: I’ll live………how do you feel?

 

Talia: About what?

 

Batman: Ubu.

 

Talia: I….I don’t feel anything….and yet… in some ways…I feel good…and that horrifies me.

 

Batman: Are you sure he’s dead?

 

Talia: Yes…no….maybe…I don’t know. I didn’t mean to it just happened.

 

Batman: What did you do?

 

Talia: He was….taunting me…I had him at my mercy and yet I did it without hesitation. In the blink of an eye I….I cut his throat with my blade…..and I don’t know why.

 

The Talia I first met would be disgusted with the Talia that stands before me right now. Uncertain, unbalanced….questioning her beliefs….certainly not words that you would expect to be used in reference to a child of Ra’s Al-Ghul. No wonder her and Ra’s find themselves on different sides of this battle. I wasn’t the only one to change during my time at the League.

 

Hopefully it changed us both for the better.

 

Before I say anything else, I walk up and wrap my arms around her in order to comfort her.

 

This mess of emotions she’s feeling are almost identical to the ones that raced through me when I chose to return to Gotham without her.

 

Guilt. Pain. Sadness. Disgust. Self-hatred. I felt them all on my flight back to Gotham from Kahndaq. For the longest time I wondered whether I made the greatest mistake of my life that night. Having been confronted with Damian and knowing all that Talia had to go through following my departure, confirmed it.

 

Talia: What’s wrong with me, Bruce? Why am I so much like my father?

 

Batman: You’re not. You’re better than him. We both are.

 

Talia: You might be. But what makes you so sure about me?

 

Batman: Look at you, here you are upset because you took a life. The Talia who brought me in to the League of Assassins wouldn’t have given it a second thought. If that doesn’t mean something I don’t know what does. Your father wouldn’t care had he been the one to do it.

 

Talia: But how does that make me any different from him?

 

Batman: If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from so many years in Gotham, it’s that how a person responds to doing something wrong tells you everything about them. Your regret, your pain at losing Damian to Ra’s’ crusade, to me that shows you’ve changed so much since we first met. You’re nothing like your father. Not anymore.

 

Talia: And you, beloved?

 

Batman: Me?

 

Talia: What is it that makes you sure that you’re different to him?

 

Batman: I hurt you…..just as he did.

 

Talia: You did what you thought was right.

 

Batman: So does he. But unlike him, not a day goes by where I don’t regret what I did. I never should have left you. Everything he’s done to you since then….it’s all my fault.

 

Talia says nothing for a few moments. For a while I come to suspect that she reaches the same conclusion. But then, she holds me closer and kisses me.

 

Talia: All of this is our fault. What has happened, and what will happen is because of the choices we made all those years ago. But being here now…..with you….there’s nothing I would change.

 

For a while I consider saying the same back to her. But that wouldn’t be true, and I could never lie to her. Instead I simply hold her close as the alert goes off on my gauntlet informing me that the Batmobile is almost here.

 

Talia: No matter what happens, Beloved. Please know that I did love you……I still do….

 

Batman: ……Me too.

 

We continue to hold each other in our loving embrace until the the second alert from the Batmobile goes on my gauntlet. It’s here. With that Talia and I drop down to it and load ourselves into it. Precious moments like those rarely come around in my life.

 

If only I had more time to savour them…

Done