Chapter 80: Chapter 80 We're Going To Bialya
Like two fingers clamped against a piece of paper, the goblins were either blown to bits with blood and flesh flying in all directions or ripped into two halves the moment I snapped my fingers.
In a single second, thousands of monsters died in Gotham and tens of thousands experienced the same in the other world. It was a new experience really.
Ending so many lives in a split second. It felt...
I didn't complete that last thought. Looking at Gotham now, a sigh escaped my lips.
If Gotham before looked like a horror town with blood and limbs here and there, now it looked like it had just experienced a paint job.
Over many blocks, in many houses, on the streets, it was all green.
The change in color scheme was not what one would expect.
"If I may ask, in the process of eliminating the goblins, was your Finger snap really necessary?" The voice of Alice questioning my actions made me roll my eyes.
"Perhaps.... Perhaps not. Either way, a bit of dramatic flair never hurt anyone". I chuckled softly.
"What about the breaches?"
"Those?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Leave em there. I feel uncomfortable enough having to ..... "Help"... I think I've done enough for one day". My time was bland and indifferent.
"That is work for the JL. And I'm considerate enough not to be a job stealer". If Alice materialized, she would definitely roll her eyes.
But all jokes aside, I wasn't going to close those Breaches. It's good enough that I annihilated everything on the other side.
Meanwhile, on Batman's end.
"Oracle, did you get that?" Bruce asked solemnly.
"I.....". A slightly trembling voice could be heard from the intercom.
"Oracle?" Bruce called out again with narrowed eyelids. His tone softened ever so slightly to reveal a rare hint of concern... That only he could make out.
To others, it was still the same gruff voice that made it seem like everyone in the world owed this billionaire money.
"I'm ok". Barbara on the other end took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Just a bit startled".
On that matter, she wasn't the only one. The simultaneous deaths of the green skinned creatures had shocked even batman. Bruce's eyes displayed strong shock when it all happened.
Still....
"... If you're not ready, you should take some time to...".
"I'm fine". She cut in forcefully.
"Alright. I asked, did you get that?"
"Yes".
In the secret room behind her closet, the redhead Barbara Gordon, sitting on a wheelchair, typed furiously on the keyboard before her.
The previous scene of thousands of creatures bursting into bits almost made her throw up.
"All readings picked up indicate a large wave of invisible force acted on all these creatures at the same time".
"So you're saying one thing killed a large number of living organisms at once?"
"I'm not sure. I'm comparing it through the Bat computer files..... The readings show that it's almost similar to Martian Manhunters but on different wavelengths and on a much larger scale".
"Telekinesis?" Batman asked grimly.
"It's possible". She replied.
"Access the satellites. Pinpoint where it came from". The crisis of Gotham city was over. Now, a new possible crisis might be emerging.
Something..... Or someone just annihilated thousands of these creatures in a split second. Bruce needed to find out who or what was responsible.
The matter of where these creatures came from would be addressed right after.
"I'm on it".
She continued to type with a fully focused expression. The fact that she was now a cripple didn't dampen her enthusiasm for crime fighting.
Using the satellites to pinpoint the location, the images on the screen converged on the popular landmark known as the Gotham Globe building.
"Gotham Globe?" A look of puzzlement appeared on her features.
"Let's take a closer look". She immediately controlled a nearby drone to fly towards the building, checking for anything out of the ordinary.
"Oracle, anything?"
"Yes. The Gotham Globe building. I'm checking for any abnormalities now".
BANG!
A loud crash sounded from the distance, drawing Bruce's attention. He looked towards the noise only to find his bat jet crashed against the floor.
Looks like it lost the support of whatever was holding it in the air.
"I'm on my way".
So said the Caped Crusader. His tone a few degrees gloomier than before as he took out his grappling gun and jumped off the building.
.....
"..... It's surprising how these creatures could even move through the breaches".
"Unless you stabilize the breach from your end, you can't be granted passage".
"That's correct, but among the goblins killed, I think there was a wizard stabilizing the portal in the mix". I said nonchalantly, not wanting to continue this discussion.
"Alright, our work is done".
My body was about to blur out of this dimension when... Something caught my attention.
I raised my head up and took a look towards the sky.
"Oh..... Would you look at that". The drone flying above this building, its camera lens specifically placed on me was honestly not surprising.
"Let me guess, the Bat family". I wasn't surprised. Looking at the flying drove high up in the clouds, I raised my hand a waved lightly.
"Um..... Bruce.....". Batman frowned. He had repeatedly emphasized that whenever they were on missions, their real names shouldn't be used under any circumstances.
As a diligent partner, Barbara should know this.
This slip up that could be fatal if their comms were intercepted...
"... I found out the origin. You're not going to like it". Batgirl... Now known as Oracle, didn't realize her mistake at all and said while staring at the screen.
The eyes of the figure waving at her seemed as if they were piercing through the camera itself.
"No". Bruce's face was slightly ugly. The Joker was dead. From Barbara's tone, there were few people that could make her say such words. When paired with the unnatural display of genocide, one person topped the list.
"Not him again".
I looked at the drone and let out a sigh. That drone was definitely Batman related. Jason hadn't been adopted yet, certainly not Dick, Tim was still a kid, Cassandra... That leaves Alfred or Barbara..... Who should now be referred to as Oracle. No matter who it was, as long as this drone was here, it effectively meant....
Thud!
I heard something land behind me. Then there was quiet.
"Maybe I should have blurred away faster".
"You still can". Alice replied.
"Well....".
"Amari!" Bruce called out darkly.
"With what just happened, I should have known".
Well, who would pass up an opportunity to chat with The Dark Knight? I certainly wouldn't.
"Funny, I knew all along". I said with a chuckle at a thought Bruce couldn't understand.
"Haven't seen you around lately, Batsie, where have you been?" I turned around and asked.
"You put in coma". The gloomy tone and the expressionless face were piercing.
"Really?" I asked exaggeratedly. "I thought I was doing you a favor".
"From all the work you do, I felt you could use a vacation".
"You tortured me mentally for three days, made my mind an unstable landscape, crumbling with each passing moment, which would have left me permanently brain-dead". Bruce's face darkened.
Was this what one would call a vacation.
"Uh... I wanted it to be a particularly lengthy one". I raised my hands and shrugged my shoulders.
"...." He looked at me with a deadpan expression.
"Yeesh! Tough crowd".
"That's not funny".
"Good to know". I replied. "So did you enjoy your nap? How are you adjusting to reality now? Has your head cooled off? A lot of stuff happened while you were gone".
"I heard". He said hoarsely.
"And?"
"What are you doing here?" Bruce cut me off, taking a few steps forward, seemingly unafraid of what I had done to him before.
Does this man not feel the blowback of trauma?
"Business Ventures".
"What?" His eyes narrowed.
"Nothing. You'll know soon enough". I said while gesturing to the side.
"I disapprove of that answer". There was obvious displeasure in his voice.
"Not my problem, deal with it".
And with that, I turned away.
"Are you leaving?" He didn't move an inch, watching my back go further as further away.
"What does that mean?"
"Are you leaving Gotham?"
"What's it to you?" I stood at the edge of the roof, my sight fixed on the green blood that was almost everywhere.
"You should leave".
The reply was plain.
"Whenever you're around, something tragic always happens. It could be you, it could be something else".
"Hehehe. If you want me gone, then make me". My expressionless face showed a small smile.
"And if you consider Joker's death something tragic...".
I turned my head without turning around, revealing my side profile.
The glowing blue eye made eye contact with his.
"Then I really need to take another peek into that head of yours and see what's really going on in there".
Seeing my eyes changed color, the noticeably flinched and his eyes lowered to look at my torso.
Apparently, even he didn't find our previous encounter pleasurable.
That or he just didn't like the idea of someone getting into his head.
Honestly, I was a little curious how Batman felt concerning the Joker's death. The relationship between both sides could be described as absolutely toxic.
Two mortals battling each other in a constant duel to outsmart their opponent.
One refused to finish the Job because he didn't want to become the monster he loathed so much, the other had an extremely unhealthy obsession with the former and wouldn't kill him even if he could.
To be honest, if Superman didn't put an end to this toxic relationship, I would have done it instead in due time. The Joker just happened to sign his death warrant a lot earlier.
I saw his hand clench into a fist.
"The Joker's death isn't tragic". Batman uttered coldly.
"The fact that my partner was harmed and permanently disabled in the crossfire under your instigation, is".
Oh!
So that's what this is about.
"That sentence is debatable". I replied indifferently.
"But what's for sure is that I didn't instigate her to chase that clown down. If I remember right, I explicitly tried to dissuade her. The Joker and I had a score to settle. She would have done it with or without me being there, and the outcome would definitely be worse".
"It can only be summed up to coincidence because your League matters have nothing to do with me".
"Oh really? Then why did Superman inform me that General Wade Eiling knew about the League's plan to send our Proteges to Bialya on a secret mission?"
The cold wind blew and the rain poured. It wasn't as heavy as before but still.
Batman spoke under the rain, his Kevlar suit drenched with water.
"Or should I suppose that is a coincidence as well". His voice carried no hint of sarcasm whatsoever, like he was genuinely asking.
I stood just fine, not a single drop of rain water splashing on my attire.
"Call it what you will".
"League intelligence is supposed to be uncompromised. The military doesn't have the capabilities to know this. I find it highly likely that they were informed".
I could feel his glaring eyes, piercing into my back.
"It's also highly likely that you have a mole in your team..... Or what's left of it".
I didn't mean anything when I said this, but my words were the truth. The league had a mole, and Batman knew about it.
Batman immediately sensed something and struck while the iron was hot.
"If that were to be the case, I suppose you know who it is".
"Perhaps... Perhaps not. But even if there were and even if I knew, why should I tell you?"
"You know too much. Things you're not supposed to, things you shouldn't know".
Drops of water rolls down his chin.
"I know a lot of things".
"That fact is unsettling. No one should know so much. It could cause perpetual harm".
"Like?" Ok, I was curious to hear where he would go with this.
"If our enemies knew in advance that our Proteges were coming to Bialya, the risk to their lives will be immeasurable. All because your timely information to Wade provided an opportunity for a leak".
"Then don't let them go".
"The energy readings in that desert are extraterrestrial in origin. You think we can afford to let it slip by without knowing what it is?"
"Oh! Just like what you did to me?" The fact that they tried to break into the Axiom was something Batman would never forget. Quite literally since he almost lost his sanity and several league members disappeared because of it.
Now it appears that that lesson wasn't enough to let them mind their business.
"That aside. Any harm inflicted on them will be because of your actions".
He brushed aside what I said and continued on topic.
"Ok, so what do you want from me?" Batman was going somewhere with this. I could feel it.
The way it sounded, he wanted me to take responsibility.
Or did he just want to swindle valuable information out of me to solve some of the leagues problems?
My eyes weren't glowing anymore. I could find out if I opened them, but I didn't.
"....". He didn't answer at first.
Ok, now I knew that things were more complicated than it seemed.
"Follow them". He uttered after a while of silence.
"I'm sorry, what?" I thought I heard wrong.
"You heard me right. You caused the leak, so you should be responsible for their lives on this mission". He said candidly.
"Wade asked us to save Lane. From the looks of it, this was initially supposed to be your job. So follow them. Make sure they don't get killed in case they encounter an enemy they can't defeat. We can call it square then".
I raised an eyebrow, looking like I just heard the funniest joke of the year.
I couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"Aren't you worried I'll just kill them?"
"As much as I don't like you, from what I can tell, you're not that kind of person. Superman's cousin is all the guarantee I need".
Ok, did that blonde talk about me a lot? Since when did I have this level of credibility?
Nevertheless...
"No".
I shook my head in denial.
"I'm not a babysitter. Like I said to Wade, nothing in that country interests me, so I'll sit this one out".
"..." Bruce's eyebrows furrowed, but ultimately, he said nothing on that matter.
"Concerning the matter of the breaches, we need to talk".
Hearing his words, I could guess what he wanted to say. Like Superman, he probably wanted me to remove the Axiom to make sure this shit never happened again.
"Not now". I shook my head. "We can continue this another time. For now, I suggest you and your League find a way to deal with those breaches. I slaughtered everything within fifty miles on the other side, but that doesn't mean they are all dead. They'll come back given enough time".
I knew what I meant when I said, deal with the breaches.
Bruce's face turned slightly ugly.
"You should know where these...".
Boom!
At that moment, a loud explosion interrupted what he was about to say. He turned around only to discover that a building in the distance had exploded.
Probably due to some accident.
Seeing this, Bruce turned around…
"We're not done.....". He paused halfway as my figure had disappeared before he could turn around.
Batman's face, if possible grew darker.
"So this is what Gordon feels like whenever I disappear with his back turned towards me".
So said The Batman on the Gotham Globe roof.
...
The space swirled, and my figure reappeared in the same street where i saw the first Goblin, my mind filled with thoughts.
"Will you go along with what Batman said?"
The voice of Alice rang out in my ears.
"No Alice. I think I made that clear". I replied.
"...."
There was silence. I felt something was wrong.
"Alice?"
"You might have to reconsider?"
"What do you mean?" I asked with narrowed eyebrows.
"You said that you won't go to Biafra because there's nothing there that interests you, right?"
"Right".
"So that would change if something were to appear that would interest you, right?"
Ok, now I had a weird expression on my face.
"Right. But where are you going with this".
"Let's just say something new just arrived in Bialya".
A holographic screen appeared in my field of vision.
My eyes lit up at what I saw.
A few seconds later.
"Well then... I guess we're going to Bialya".
"Splendid..... Should I call Batman?"
"... Alice!"
"..."
...
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