Justice Lords Limitless Act 2: EndWar

The Batwing rapidly closed in on the target aircraft. "So how are we gonna get on the plane, exactly?" Batgirl asked Robin from the seat behind him. She looked uncomfortably out the canopy at the distant streets below. The only thing that kept her from throttling him was the fact that he actually seemed to know what he was doing.

"Just you, actually," Robin corrected.

"What do you mean?"

"Can't exactly park this thing and return to it, you know?" he asked with a wry smile playing beneath his cowl. "Besides, I'm sure you're more than capable of clearing a few armed guys at 30,000 feet."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence..." She was not at all pleased with these developments. Batgirl looked out the canopy as the Batwing matched speeds with the private plane and prepared herself mentally to deal with whoever would be inside. "Question still stands: how am I getting on that plane?"

"Let's call it an air crossing," Robin replied casually.

"A what?" Batgirl was confused.

"An air crossing," Robin repeated before elaborating. "Think of it like a drive-by." He flicked a switch.

"Wait, what?" Behind her helmet, Batgirl's brow furrowed.

"In mid-air." He ticked another switch, ignoring her questions as he continued blithely explaining his made-up term.

Batgirl felt her seat slide back and rotate up slightly.

"The Batwing is the gun." Robin continued as he rolled the Batwing to the right, pointing the cockpit at the nearby plane.

"Gun? What?" Batgirl asked, incredulous.

"And you, the bullet."

Before Batgirl could object, the back half of the canopy slid forward and she was ejected from her seat into the air in an arc heading straight for the hijacked plane. After an initial exclamation, Batgirl managed to gather her wits. "Oh, I hate you, Boy Wonder," she muttered into her radio.

"It's part of my charm," Robin replied, sounding partially distracted.

Batgirl could almost see the smug smile on Robin's face and snarled. The plane was growing closer. Robin had launched her at nearly the perfect angle to intercept it. Despite the objectively great position, Batgirl couldn't help but feel rather afraid. After all, she was a good few thousand feet up in the air and falling fast toward a cruising Learjet. With a defiant growl, she pulled at all her training to handle the situation she now found herself in. She leaned into the fall and flattened her cape to her body, aiming for the main body of the plane. As soon as she was within range, she fired her grapnel gun at the cabin and reeled onto the top of the low-flying aircraft.

Once securely atop the plane, she whispered a small prayer to whoever was up above while also muttering a distinct curse on Robin before pondering the best way to get in. As she mentally checked various items off her belt, she asked Robin if any communication had been made between the plane and any law enforcement, but he didn't respond. Not wishing to wait forever for an update, she removed a pair of small explosives from her belt. This should be enough to get me in without completely ruining the cabin. Could also force the plane to land, too. She set two detonation devices on the roof of the plane and then shielded herself from the blast with her cape. "Planning on answering my question anytime soon?" she asked, again prodding for words from Robin.

"Probably not," Robin finally replied with a grimace and a strain in his voice. "I've got issues of my own."

"What issues could you possibly—"

Boom.

Batgirl was nearly thrown off the plane as an explosion lit up the night sky just off the right side. "The hell?"

The Batwing screamed overhead and then executed an aileron roll just as two more missiles narrowly missed the left wing. Following behind the Batwing was a small jet with a foreign symbol painted on the tail. Well, at least he's keeping busy. Her explosives went off and she jumped through the subsequent hole into the plane.

Batgirl landed behind a man carrying a rifle. The thug was still recovering from the concussive force of the blast when she lashed out with a fist to his face. Further down the aisle, another man opened fire with a machine pistol. Batgirl dodged behind a few seats but not before taking a shot to the back. She felt the bullet skip across her suit and a pang of panic set in as she feared the worst. Temporarily safe among the middle row, she took a moment to check herself out. No entry wound, no blood. The shot had merely winged her. Thanking Batman for the bulletproof interweave in her batsuit and cape, she threw down a flashbang.

"Oh, jeez! My eyes!" The gunman wailed out as the blinding light overwhelmed him. He clutched at his face and doubled over.

Just as the light faded, Batgirl popped up and flung a bat-a-rang at the shooter, ridding the man of his weapon... Along with some of the flesh from the top of his hand. In pain, the man clutched his hand. Batgirl was on him in mere moments, smashing his head into the bag compartment door. "How are things on your end, Robin?"

"Terrible, I think I can shake this guy, but don't know how to take him down."

Batgirl dropped to one knee and dodged a stab from a third thug wielding a knife. "Robin... Shoot him," she hissed.

"It's not that simple."

"Why the hell not? I saw those barrels on the front tip of the Batwing." Batgirl smashed through the knife-wielding goon and finally approached the hostages. "It's an experimental aerial combat vehicle, right?"

"Uh-huh. Keyword 'experimental'." In the pilot's seat, he flicked the yoke to the side to break the missile lock his assailant had on him. "Weapons are less-than-functional at the moment."

"You've got to be kidding me." Batgirl used a bat-a-rang to slice through the bonds of the captives just as another goon appeared, this one waved a rifle at not only her but the hostages as well.

He smiled at Batgirl. "You think you can throw that knife before I can pull the trigger, girlie?" His tongue ran over his top teeth. "Go ahead and try."

Before Batgirl could do anything, Robin's voice rang in. "Got 'im!"

"What?" Batgirl hissed back. She had her answer seconds later as the plane rocked to and fro as if it had been hit. The gunman lost his balance and fell forward, just enough of an opening for Batgirl to clock him across the face. As soon as the gunman was down, one of the hostages grabbed the man's weapon and pointed it shakily at him while the few other former hostages pulled on oxygen masks.

"W–we'll be fine," one of them reassured Batgirl. "Go bring down this plane! Please!"

Batgirl didn't even nod, she just left them. "What did you do?" she asked Robin as she ran past the final rows to the cockpit.

"Flares. Managed to get around and under him. Peppered his undercarriage and engine intakes with some flares. He got confused and one of his engines blew out. Clipped your plane and lost his wing and then crashed into the bay. That's two points for Robin!" Over the radio, Batgirl could hear Robin giving himself a high-five.

Seriously? She blew open the heavy pressurized cockpit door and rushed into the small space, taking out an armed man with a precise elbow strike to the side of the head before tearing the co-pilot from his chair in a head-lock. "So, here's the deal." With her free arm, Batgirl tossed two bat-shaped detonation devices onto the windscreen and then glared at the pilot. "You are going to land this plane or I snap your buddy's neck and blow the front wide open."

The pilot looked in shock at the girl in the bat costume for a moment then smiled. "You wouldn't dare..."

Batgirl applied pressure to her captive's neck. The man screamed out in anguish and pain. "Try me," Batgirl warned the pilot. "Your co-pilot here can't take much more of your posturing."

The co-pilot let out a strained scream from within Batgirl's headlock."Please, for the love of all things decent! Land the damn plane! We weren't paid enough for this!"

Unnerved, the pilot began the plane's descent.

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Something isn't right, here... Batman watched the news in the BatCave. He had managed, unfortunately, to get away from Diana to check on his charges. What he found was less-than-wonderful.

Oh, they were doing a lovely job handling the hijacked airline. What bothered him was how much attention the situation was getting. Yes, the hijacked plane was big news – especially considering those onboard – and yes, the experimental Batwing had been stolen from the cave without permission... Batman groaned again at the thought. But this was Gotham, no matter how egregious the situation, never would every news network in the city be tuned in to the same event.

"Something's amiss..." Batman minimized the feed to a smaller screen and began trawling through GCPD's dispatch log. After a good few minutes of searching, he found what he was looking for. A robbery had been reported at an antique store only for the responding officers to dismiss the call as fraudulent. Batman didn't trust the dismissal, though. The store wasn't just any antique store: it was the same antique store the Joker had stolen the Laughing Dragon from – the event that had forced an encounter with Superman and led to the two heroes teaming up for the first time. The plane must have been a diversion.

As Batman rushed to his vehicle, his thoughts drifted to Kent and, by association, Stewart. Both men were still on the run and he couldn't help but wonder just what the two former heroes were up to.

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"No, no, no!" Stewart punched the wall repeatedly, each strike more desperate than the last, but he knew it was a lost cause. The two men had been listening to the airwaves and when the reports came through of the hijacking, they both knew they'd have no better time to free Shayera than now. After a rather disgusting trek through the winding sewers beneath the city, the two renegades came across a wall that had been lined with lead, preventing Kent from peeking on the other side. With no idea as to what could be waiting on the other side, they could progress no further. Stewart eventually let his fist drop to his side as he sulked.

"This was supposed to be a quick in and out!" His forehead gently rested on the offending wall. They'd been too eager to progress and too reliant on Kent's weakened x-ray vision. But now with no insight on just what was waiting for them on the opposite side of the wall, his power ring was no more useful than a vending machine trinket. "So close!"

Kent was equally upset. The plan was to find the closest point of entry, bash in and grab Shayera, then escape while the guards were still scrambling their men. While he was sure that the two of them had enough strength to barrel through the wall, there was no way of knowing what was on the other side. And if what waited on the other side was a plethora of S.T.A.R. Labs guards, they would be starting from nothing to find her. Stewart's ring and his durability would only hold out so long as they searched for Shayera's cell: the guards would make short work of them down in these cramped corridors and sewers. Gosh, how he missed the old days. "What now?"

Stewart's jaw tightened. "Shayera is somewhere beyond this wall. I know it." He paused as he let his hand linger on the surface. "We need a new plan, one that puts the ball in our court without drawing attention too quickly."

A slow smile spread over Kent's face as an idea that didn't feel wholly his own formed in his mind. "Actually, a little attention wouldn't hurt, would it?" he slyly asked.

Thirteen minutes later, Kent, dressed in his urban Superman outfit, was back on the ground smashing cars and taking names at the facility they'd just been beneath.

"Alistair! Alistair!" A security guard screamed into a CB radio at his booth as his partner fired at Superman. "We have a 4-61b in progress!"

A static voice crackled over the radio. "Copy, James. What's your status?" Alistair asked.

James ducked as an all-terrain vehicle crashed through his booth and nearly pinned his partner against the wall. "It's Superman! He's attacking our perimeter! We need some cavalry up here, now!"

Superman squinted as a hail of bullets rained down. He could only hope that Stewart wouldn't take so long. He grunted as he grabbed a hold of another chunk of concrete and held it between himself and the incoming fire. After all, I'm not as super as I used to be.

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Below the ground, Crimson Lantern was hard at work avoiding security guards and other emergency personnel as they rushed to the conflict at the surface. In his heart, Stewart knew that Batman was away. If the Dark Knight wasn't taking care of the hijacked airplane, then he was most certainly attending to some drug trafficking ring. The man never could take a break. Even so, he thanked his lucky stars that this lab was outside of Gotham.

"I'm sure I'm close." As he rounded a corner, he tilted his head down and moved aside as a trio of armed guards rushed by him; they were too anxious to reach the surface to give the man in janitorial garb a second look. As they passed, Stewart looked down at his dark red ring for reassurance. The thin blips of light greeted him, comforting him. As long as he stayed focused, his generic disguise would hold up, he just had to keep from drawing attention to himself. He resumed his walk once the guards were well enough away.

The foundations of the sublevels shook and Stewart was certain Clark had blown something up. Stewart couldn't help but laugh to himself as he reminisced about various adventures as a member of the Justice Lords. They had blown up a lot of things in their day.

"Now, here's something interesting." A sign caught his eye: confiscated. He peeked in and found it to be a room containing various trinkets, weapons, and items on display within glass-like containers and marked with various labels denoting their origin. Fortuitously, only one person worked inside: a woman sitting at a desk and running some sort of test on a helmet of some sort, similar to the headgear he'd seen Gorilla Grodd don in years past. Among the small collection of curios, a particular weapon caught his eye. With little time, he snagged from its protective case Shayera's all-powerful mace and, after disposing of the too-curious researcher, resumed his clandestine mission to find Shayera's chamber.

It wasn't long after that that he found her cell. With the guards topside busy handling the Man of Steel, Stewart found himself with almost free rein of the facility… as long as he didn't have to get through any service doors. He grimaced at the high-tech security shielding blocking his path. He'd been quiet and patient this long, but he was running out of time. If this was when he had to make noise, so be it. He pointed both fists at the thick steel door before him and let loose a volley of energy beams. With a loud bang, the door was blown off its hinges and Crimson Lantern was inside.

"Shayera!" John announced his presence over the sound of a blaring alarm.

"John?" Shayera answered back in surprise.

As the dust settled, Stewart saw Shayera braced against the wall staring at the blown-off door now settling gently on the ground. Wires and diodes ran from her back to the ceiling. "What in blazes are you doing here?"

"Busting you out," the former marine replied tacitly. He grabbed her hand and half-dragged her to the doorway, causing the cables connected to her back to snap carelessly off. "We don't have much time before guards rush down here to deal with that alarm." He turned to her. "Can you fly?"

Shayera blushed. "Can I fly? I don't know yet, I haven't had the opportunity to try! My wings aren't what they used to be..."

The sound of footsteps marching down the main hallway made both of their hearts jump.

"Move!" Crimson Lantern's militaristic bark snapped Shayera back to the situation at hand and the two dashed to the nearest elevator shaft moments just before a squad of security guards rounded the hall from the stairs. He used his power ring to rip open the elevator doors, then said, "I need to know now whether or not you can fly, Shayera!"

Shayera frowned at Stewart. "Don't get snippy with me, Army-boy," she snapped back. "My treatments were going just fine until now."

"Treatments? What are you—" Stewart's question was cut off as Shayera grabbed his shoulder and jumped into the shaft, pulling him along for the ride. "Woah!"

"Here goes nothing..." Shayera closed her eyes and concentrated hard. She felt an uncomfortable twitching in her back. Uncomfortable, but familiar. The wind whipping at her cheeks felt almost like a taunt. She strained more and more until, finally, she felt a slight movement throughout her bird-like appendages. C'mon... c'mon! Shayera focused her mind and tried to relive her youth on Thanagar whens he first learned to fly. Her head felt like it was going to explode from mental stress.

"Uh, Shayera?" Her passenger's tone had shifted from commanding and sure-footed to more unsure and worried. "The ground's gettin' mighty close!"

Shayera blocked out Stewart's worry and only concentrated on reconnecting with her wings.

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Batman touched down smoothly on the roof across from the antique store and slowly took shape as he stood to his full height. Before him, stood Green Arrow.

"Nice entrance," Green Arrow dryly remarked.

As much as it irked Batman that the green-clad man wasn't phased by his appearance, he had to admit to himself begrudgingly that he respected the Emerald Archer's cool head. "I thought your base was Star City," Batman asked. Though it was less of a question and more of a 'go away.'

"I was in the neighborhood visiting a friend. Figured I'd extend an olive branch by checking out this call." The masked blond uncrossed his arms and approached the Dark Knight. "Got here just before the police arrived. I don't know what they are doing inside, but the crooks haven't left since I've been here."

Batman retrieved a pair of binoculars. "Are you sure they're still in there?" He put the lenses to his eyes and peered at the building across the street.

"When I got here, the last few were marching in. Thought about rushing in after them, but then the police arrived. Eventually, the officers left – didn't even get out of their squad car – so I thought about picking up their slack, but didn't see any activity inside. Yet their lookout in that building is still there." He pointed to a small apartment structure to the right opposite a crossroad. "Don't think he's seen me yet—"

"This was reported as a robbery," Batman interrupted. "Where's the getaway driver?"

"Their driver took off as the red and blue rolled up. I assume the cops probably spooked him." Green Arrow nocked an arrow to his bow in anticipation of a fight.

"You're expecting something?"

"You look like you're about to jump down and whoop ass. Figured I'd get ready to give you ranged support. Olive branch, remember?"

Batman said nothing. Instead, he stood and fired his line launcher at the building Green Arrow pointed out. "Stun him."

"Done." Green Arrow aimed and fired at the lookout just as soon as Batman was airborne. The arrow whizzed across the street and smashed into the poor lookout's face. On contact, a net exploded from the head of the arrow and entangled the man. Just as the trapped man hit the floor, Batman was through the window. Without wasting a moment, he properly bound the man's hands and feet before chucking him into a closet.

From across the street, Green Arrow flashed a thumbs up to the Bat, but when he got no response, he grumbled under his breath, "Robin's his kid? Most probably adopted."

Before slamming the door on the tied-up thug, Batman inspected his outfit. The man wore a weathered leather jacket and torn-up jeans. A handkerchief peeked out from his breast pocket. Everything about him screamed 'Burnout'. Looks like that meeting went well for them despite my warning, he thought. He closed the closet door on the man. The police would deal with him later; right now, he had more pressing matters. Batman turned his attention to the rest of the room.

He took in every inch of the small, dark studio apartment with keen eyes. Nothing escaped his sight. Day-old pizza. Numerous prepaid cell phones. Fake IDs. Flashlights. A map... With careful hands, Batman spread open the map. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a floor plan for the antique store with the most recent building owner's name printed neatly in the corner. On seeing the name, Batman came to a grim realization. He picked up one of the prepaid cell phones and dialed a number from his gauntlet.

Across the street, Green Arrow's cell phone rang. "Oliver Queen. Who's this?"

"Green Arrow." Batman's distinct voice came over the line.

"Ho, crap!" The Archer's face reddened with a mix of anger and surprise.

"Focus. I've known for a while. Not a good idea to carry your personal device at all times."

"Yeah, hit a vigilante while he's down, why don't ya?" Green Arrow leaned against a chimney stack as his heart raced in his chest.

Batman ignored the comment and continued. "You said the police showed up at the scene after you arrived. You didn't suspect anything foul when they left?"

Green Arrow nodded even though he was across the street. "They took off to the north; probably headed to the airport. Apparently, some nuts decided to hijack a private jet coming into Gotham International. Busy night."

Batman growled through the prepaid phone he was using. "You didn't find it at all suspicious that they didn't even get out of their car to check the door?"

"Now that you mention it..." Green Arrow scratched his head then straightened his hat. "It was odd, but what do you make of it?"

"Dirty officers likely taking a cut," Batman surmised. As he cradled the phone between his shoulder and head, he scrolled through recent police report logs on his gauntlet for anything related to the robbery. Only one sparse report of a false call came up for the address this night. He gritted his teeth. "They called off the report."

"What? You're pulling my leg, right?" Green Arrow seemed just as annoyed as Batman.

Batman ended the call and crushed the phone beneath his heel before firing his line launcher at the store across the street. He rode the wire not to Green Arrow's spot, but to the antique store. Without warning to Green Arrow, Batman dove in through the store's open front door and disappeared within.

"I guess I'll stay here, then." Green Arrow relaxed his hold on his bow and leaned back against the chimney stack.

As Batman stealthily moved through the abandoned store, he couldn't help but replay his first time stepping foot inside. The Joker had just stolen the Laughing Dragon: a Chinese statue of a dragon carved out of pure green kryptonite. That adventure led him to meet Superman for the first time... And it was that meeting that put both heroes on the road to crafting the Justice League. This store was the reason he had become best friends with the powerful alien.

He passed the pedestal where the dragon had been stolen from those years ago. A few watches of dubious origin now rested atop it, almost profaning the pedestal. He paused as he took a look at the spot. Times were simpler back then. He would be a liar if he said he didn't miss the days of promise for the League. Maybe one day the world would be ready for a new Justice League, one made up of fresh faces. Faces that wouldn't carry a negative stigma.

He slowly turned in a circle and looked over the showroom. "Doesn't look like a robbed storefront at all," he mused. Batman's night lenses allowed him to take in the entire scene. There was no evidence of a scuffle, no bullet holes, no gunpowder residue, no toppled stands or broken items. Nothing out of the ordinary except... Except for the door to the stockroom. It was slightly ajar.

Like a wraith, he moved to the door and saw the reason it was open: a trapdoor leading under the store was displaced and was preventing the stockroom door from closing properly. From his belt, Batman dropped a sonic bead through the trap door and waited a few seconds. A supersonic pulse was emitted from the device: ground-penetrating radar. Batman sighed as the pulse came back and the result filled his cowl's lenses. Catacombs beneath the store.

Clever. The Dark Knight slid down the depths.

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"What's taking them so long?" Superman took cover behind the remaining parked cars as a spray of bullets trailed behind him. "If this keeps up, I'll be caught for sure."

"Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?" A feminine but strong voice came from behind him.

"Shayera! About time you showed up. I was running out of collateral to damage." He grinned as he helped Shayera and then Stewart climb out of the manhole.

"In the flesh and feathers," the alien woman replied. Her sense of dry humor seemingly never left her. "Now, I hope you boys had a plan for getting out of this mess."

Crimson Lantern looked at Superman. "Not going to lie, I thought you would have made your own escape by now."

"How? Hoof it on foot? I can't fly, remember?" Superman pointed out.

"But you can still leap tall buildings in a single bound," Crimson Lantern responded. "Still very impressive in my eyes."

This garnered a smile from Superman.

"You're both oh, so powerful, yes," Shayera interrupted quickly as the hail of bullets stopped and the distance command to advance was given. "But patting each other on the back isn't going to save us."

Crimson Lantern nodded and looked at his ring. "Looks like it's on me, then. I don't know how far I can take us on my ring. Still working out the limits on the power of the infrared spectrum." He raised his fist and a dark red bubble enveloped the team. Slowly they were lifted into the air. "But I should be able to at least get us to higher ground and out of the immediate area so we can disappear a bit easier."

Various commands from the guards to halt were muffled by the orb and the three escaped Lords ignored each and every one. When it became clear to the guards that the three Lords weren't going to obey, they raised their weapons and opened fire. Bullets plinked off of the rising dark red bubble containing the three escapees as harmlessly as raindrops. Soon the trio was high in the air and rushing away from the compound. Kent watched as the facility receded into the distance and shivered unconsciously. An unsettling feeling in his gut pushed him to regret, but he managed to justify his actions. Shayera had to be freed for the reunion to work, that was the plan.

As Kent retreated into his thoughts, Stewart started up a conversation with the woman he had not seen in over a year. "You mentioned a treatment, Shayera. What sort of treatment?"

"I got off pretty light despite being charged with treason," she replied. "My connection to my wings was temporarily severed by that power-stripping weapon the other Luthor made. Once they got me below, they strung me up like a scarecrow and tried to restore that connection. I'd been on a fairly consistent physical therapy regimen for the past few months."

"But those wires you were hitched up to…"

"Just electronic diodes to stimulate the nerves and advance recovery. Batman's orders."

Kent wore a pondering face. "First Diana and now you. It seems almost like he was trying to lighten our sentences."

Stewart frowned. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now, Kent. He's the one that put us in this situation in the first place. Don't forget: you were stuck in an underground bunker being washed with red sun energy."

"No, I... I'm just not as sure about this anymore." Kent seemed lost in thought. His mind was consumed in a conflict of views. "We've got Shayera, so let's call it a win for now. Perhaps we should regroup. If we reach out in good faith, Batman may meet us on neutral ground and we could have a discussion; you know, talk it out like adults? Heck, if we don't raise hell I doubt that he'd come looking for us. We could just—"

"He ruined our lives! Took our power!" Crimson Lantern yelled out. His voice took on a darker, more alien tone.

"Your power, John," Clark corrected. "Even now, I'm still vastly more powerful than any man on this planet. Scream at me again like that and watch how fast I remove your ring. Then we will really see if you are still a Green Lantern." He turned to Shayera. "What are you aware of?"

Shayera shrugged. "Nothing."

"Absolutely nothing?" Stewart turned his head back as he guided the orb to the outskirts of Star City.

"Cut me some slack," Shayera retorted. "I've been literally living under a rock regaining my strength. The newspaper doesn't exactly deliver down there, you know." Then her tone shifted from apprehension to tenderness. "What's happened to everyone?"

Kent sighed. "The Bat recently went active in Gotham, but you know that. J'onn is... holed up in Arkham for now. He could easily break out but tells everyone his sins to the Earth have condemned him to life in prison or some bullshit like that."

"And Diana?"

"Heh, you're gonna love this," Stewart huffed. "She got off the best. A few months in a stringent women's correctional facility but then a lucky transfer to some cushy rehab center after she pleaded her case."

"And now?"

"She's living with the media whore Bruce Wayne."

"Wow. Some girls get all the luck."

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"The landing strip is in sight, Robin, and the pilot's taking the plane down. You better be there. I'd like to make a hasty exit."

"Alright, I'll swoop low to pick you up." Robin banked the Batwing to the side, up away from the landing plane. "Be ready. You'll only get one shot at it." Below he could see police lights flashing and a small crowd of media and law enforcement officers gathering at the end of the runway. For such a caper, he found its resolution unexpectedly anticlimactic. "Am I the only one weirded out that this went over so easily?"

If Batgirl heard him, she didn't respond.

"I guess so."

After the plane touched down and came to a stop, Batgirl released her prisoner and detonated the two explosives she'd thrown on the plane's windshield. With thick and fiery booms, the windscreen blew outward as smoke and material filled the cockpit. "Good luck with the police," she whispered into her former prisoner's ear. With cat-like grace, she leaped through the smoking hole and slid down the nose cone to the ground. Instantly, a familiar voice greeted her.

"Long time, no see." Chief Goren approached her from the side of a squad car. He had both hands shoved in his trench coat pockets and wore a look of restrained nervousness; it wasn't everyday that a plane was hijacked… Even for Gotham. His breath was visible in the chilled night air and swirled in clouds of vapor before dissipating. "You stopped all this racket alone?"

If Papa's trying to make small talk, he still hasn't gotten the memo: Bats don't talk. At least, not trivially. "The hostages on the plane have the weapons now and most of the hijackers are unconscious and bound. Three more are in the cockpit. One likely has a concussion. They all were hired for this job but had no plans on doing much more than cruising around. They're likely locals of Gotham's underbelly who'd been trained for this."

Goren stared into the black visor that shielded the young heroine's face, completely oblivious that he was staring at his daughter. There was an awkward silence between the two: Batgirl waiting for the right moment to make her exit and Goren wanting to talk more to the enigmatic heroine, but not knowing the right words to say.

He finally settled on a question. "We picked up the joker who'd crashed his jet in the harbor. He told us that he'd been taken down by a giant bat. Got some frantic calls from concerned citizens about a giant bat soaring overhead and chasing this plane." He shrugged in the direction of the now-subdued aircraft. "Know anything about that?"

Behind her visor, she rolled her eyes and looked to the sky. A distant dark shadow trailed by a speck of light approached just over her father's shoulder. About time. With her cape hiding her movements, she readied her bat-claw and counted down in her mind. Her father prattled on about another detail of the case, which she ignored. She had to focus, if she was off by even a second, this would be rather embarrassing.

Chief Lee stumbled over a few of his words as he stared at the blank face of Batgirl. She hadn't reacted to a single thing he'd said, standing still almost like a machine on standby with her line of sight not even meeting his. He wasn't even sure if she was breathing. He cleared his throat. "I suppose what I mean to say is, thanks. With that jet chaperoning the plane, the military couldn't get in close without risking everyone onboard. You saved Senator Gilbert's life."

The time was now. She snapped her head in her father's direction. "I'm aware of that." She drew her bat-claw and then fired straight into the air in one calculated motion.

Woosh.

Something powerful screamed overhead. Goren and his officers instinctively ducked down as wind and dust kicked up around them as if a helicopter had just dusted off. The screech had come out of nowhere and sounded one part mechanical and one part devilish. When he stood back up, Batgirl was gone. He caught sight of her further down the tarmac, airborne and rising. Her cape was fully spread giving off the bat-like effect so commonly associated with Gotham's protectors. But what took his breath away was the giant bat she trailed.

"Well, I'll be..."

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"I've got a pitstop to make," Robin spoke to Batgirl, who was finally strapping back into her seat.

"Oh for the love of Pete…" Batgirl snapped as she clicked in her buckle. "Can't you at least drop be at the 'Cave first?"

"Night's not over, Batgirl," Robin replied. "May seem still from up here, but Gotham's still awake."

"Well, aware, bird-boy. Counterpoint: you just shot me out of one airplane and into another. I think I deserve a breather."

"You're stronger than that."

Robin's words were simple but they felt so sincere that they caught her off-guard. She felt blood rush to her cheeks and clicked her tongue to disguise her appreciation. "Look, I'm tired. I'm hungry. I've got to go to the bathroom." Batgirl crossed her arms and allowed her head to thud gently against the headrest. "I'd like us to just head back, now."

She could hear him stifle a laugh over the radio. "You had ample opportunity earlier, Batgirl," he teased. "I'm sure there was a lavatory on that jet. Just settle in and let me follow up on something right quick. I'll be done before you know it."

Batgirl felt the stealth craft crawl to a stop. There was no arguing with this boy, after all, he was the one flying the craft. She was just along for the ride. Batgirl closed her eyes with a sigh. "I'll be done before you know it…" she muttered.

"I hope that's sarcasm," Robin grumbled. "Just... indulge me for a moment." He switched the Batwing to stealth mode and then to standby. With a quick check of gadgets, he readied himself to drop down to the cityscape below.

"It was a diversion, I think," Batgirl, eyes still closed, spoke up before Robin made his exit. "In response to your question earlier: it was a diversion, that's why they gave up so easily. Something else was going down tonight. They were paid to distract The Bat."

Robin was quiet for a moment as the canopy slid forward. "I know. That's why we're here." Then he jumped from the Batwing.

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"This is the quietest night in a long while."

"You and I both know that this city is never quiet." Robin dropped down behind Green Arrow.

"Well zip-a-dee-doo-dah, the night really does bring out all the wackos, huh?"

Robin smirked. "It is more comforting." He then turned his attention to the antique store across the street. "That's the place?"

"You betcha. Your mentor's been down there for at least twenty minutes now." Green Arrow propped himself up on one knee and withdrew an arrow from his seemingly bottomless quiver. "I've stopped about two mooks in that time. This area isn't frequented much."

"Doesn't your city miss you?"

"I have someone working the streets while I'm gone," Green Arrow replied, purposely cryptic.

"You've got a partner?" Robin looked at Green Arrow in surprise.

Green Arrow responded jokingly. "Well, after you turned down my offer, I had to find someone for me to boss around. Gotta fill that void, you know?"

Robin cocked his head to the side with a half-grin. "I'll find out who."

Green Arrow thought about the harrowing phone call with Batman earlier in the night and made his peace with how invasive the Gotham trio could be. "I know," he replied with an air of defeat.

"Yo, boy wonder." Batgirl's voice came over the comm. "I gotta go and I have no clue how to fly this thing."

"Just five minutes," Robin dismissed Batgirl's concerns.

"In five minutes I'll be borrowing your water bottle, so don't use it when you get back... Unless you are into that, and if so, ew."

Robin tuned her out and focused on the darkened store across the street. He caught the faintest movement after a quick flash of light. "You see that?" he asked Green Arrow.

Green Arrow squinted. "What?"

Robin didn't reply. "Batgirl, can you access the radar equipment of the Batwing? It's similar to the Batmobile's installation."

"Is it attached to a toilet?"

"This is serious," Robin warned in a slightly hard tone.

"Yeah, I think I got it." She sighed and shifted back into work mode. "What do you need?"

"Angle the radar at the buildings across from me and tell me what you read. It should be strong enough to penetrate the ground..."

There was a moment of silence over the radio and then, "I'm reading twenty– No thirty-five– Wait... Fifty. I read at least fifty heat signatures. What are you doing down there? Facing off a battalion?"

"No... I'm staring at a storefront..." Robin's voice trailed off into a subdued tone as his interest in what was happening in the closed antique store piqued. "Ready your bow, G.A..."

Green Arrow did just that. "Just tell me when to fire and I'll light 'em up with my flashbang arrow."

A tense few seconds passed with no further action coming from the store.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Robin then called back up to Batgirl and gave her the address of the store. "Tell me about this place."

"The store was built in 1895 by Randolph Moise. Passed down through the Moise family for a few generations... blah blah blah... Until 1995 when it was burnt down in a local fire during a riot... Insurance paid for the damages but the family had to sell it. It was bought by one Joseph Duley. Nothing to note until about six years ago when the Joker stole a jade statue and put the shopkeeper in the hospital for a good while... Unable to tend the store, Duley sold his shop to... Oh, get this, Mr. Henri Ducard."

"Fascinating..." Robin whispered.

"What?" Green Arrow relaxed his hand, confused.

Robin stood up straight and took a few steps back as he caught sight of a second shadowy figure moving in the store. He caught his breath. "Oh, we gotta get outta here."

"What about your mentor?"

"If they are coming up now, he's likely fine. He won't be found unless he wants to be. But if Ducard's got all those men coming up and we engage, I swear it will be the death of us!"

"What do you mean? Ducard? As in Henri Ducard, the owner?"

"Henri Ducard is an alias; a fake name."

"So who is this guy really? Who owns this store?"

Batgirl's voice broke into Robin's thoughts, "Okay, Robin. I'm telling you this not just as a partner or as Batgirl, but as a friend: Get the hell outta there. The radar just picked up catacombs under the store. Catacombs! And they're just teeming with blips. He must have at least a legion down there... But it makes no sense, more just keep popping up! Just, boom! And then there are more men!"

"Robin!" Green Arrow snapped Robin back to the situation. "Who is Henri Ducard?"

"Ra's Al Ghul."

As if he heard his name spoken, Ra's al Ghul himself stepped out of the store with a confident smirk followed closely by Azra'il and Ubu.

Green Arrow steamed. "Oh, I got a special arrow just for you, buddy," he whispered. From his quiver, he withdrew a stealth arrow with a deadly point.

"You're gonna try and kill him? Didn't we already agree on no bloodshed?"

"I'm making an executive decision. Don't like it? Leave." He drew the bowstring back and aimed.

"I'm telling you that we need to get outta here, he's got an army of honest-to-god ninjas, remember? Ninjas!"

"I seem to recall a certain situation where I promised that I would shoot an arrow between this fool's eyes. Well, here it is."

Robin aimed his bat-claw up at the Batwing but didn't fire. "I'm only staying long enough to say I told you so."

"Thanks for the moral support." Green Arrow let loose his arrow and it silently whistled across the expanse to the unsuspecting eco-terrorist. "Perfect."

Just as the arrow was sure to hit Ra's al Ghul's face, the evil man caught the arrow by the shaft just as easily as one would catch a lobbed softball. With the smirk still playing on his lips, Ra's snapped his head in the direction of Green Arrow and, across the dark, the two made eye contact. Behind him, dozens of dark-clad figures erupted from the store's entrance and flooded the streets, rushing into darkened corners.

"Well, shit."

"I told you so." Robin fired his bat-claw and was whisked up to the Batwing before Green Arrow could even turn around. As a parting gift, he emptied his entire belt of smoke pellets to at least give Green Arrow some cover to escape. "Get outta there, G.A..." Robin murmured as the scene below him rapidly shrunk.

"Great bit of detective work there. You've uncovered yet another problem." Batgirl congratulated Robin as he scurried into the cockpit of the Batwing. "Now please deduce the location of the nearest restroom before I ruin my suit and this seat."

"That doesn't make sense. How did so many men get down there?" Robin looked down but could only see the smoke clouds below him. He could only pray that Green Arrow had escaped.

"Go, Robin!" Batgirl hollered into the radio.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'!"

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The final man rushed past Batman's hidden spot. Now was his chance. He had expected the men down here, but what he hadn't expected was the sheer number. In fact, he was certain that there hadn't been this many men in the catacombs at the start. They had all come from somewhere... But where? Batman stepped out of the shadows and entered the large storeroom from which all the ninjas had come.

There was nothing special. A few boxes with old trinkets and some crates of various odds and ends. The space was definitely too small to accommodate even a fraction of the ninjas he'd seen rush by. Even so, Batman's ever-clear gaze didn't waver or drop. Something was down here; some hint at Ra's plan and, hopefully, insight into how to stop it. Whether it was in plain sight or tucked away in the darkest corner, he'd find it.

Then he saw it: a small tape recorder-like device lying on the floor, discarded. It was damaged and slightly burned but he knew what it was. He'd seen one in the Fortress of Solitude as well as in the Watchtower evidence room. It was a motherbox and it could open a boomtube: an inter-dimensional gateway that was a preferred method of travel on Apokolips. His mind instantly went to his meeting with Ra's al Ghul before Arkham was blown open. The bright light and noise that had consumed Ra's? Now he knew what it was.

He kicked the device and the motherbox flashed opening a portal linking the storeroom to the last coordinates used. Batman braced himself, for the other side could very well be a remote monastery from where all of Ra's' men had just come from or even Darkseid's hellish planet. The light faded and Batman could see again. It wasn't Apokolips. Batman inadvertently whispered thanks to above, but a few moments later he rescinded his gratitude and wished to the highest heavens it had been Apokolips. The other side of the space-time doorway was not that hellscape, Ra's al Ghul's hidden base, or even an army of assassins. There was only a malignant… thing.

The deadlights that shone from what could only be understood as the creature's eyes seemed to pierce Batman's soul. The head seemed to be a grotesque combination of a squid mantle and a humanoid skull with a sickly green hue. It existed in a seemingly endless expanse of red clouds as its numerous coarse tentacles snaked through the realm in a random pattern like mountainous elephant trunks. The horrible thing was suspended there, staring through Batman.

The Dark Knight winced at the horrible sight at first, then stood firm for he knew what the impossible entity was. When he was training under Ra's, he had heard rumors that the madman worshiped an eldritch deity from some nether-realm. It was through the knowledge and permission of the entity that Ra's had learned about the Lazarus pits. At least that is how the rumors went among the Society of Shadows. Batman had discredited even the notion that such an extra-dimensional creature could exist.

That was until decades later when he heard Shayera on the Watchtower speak of the same thing in hushed tones some nights on monitor duty. She would stare off into the vacuum of space and share with him tales of an ancient religion on her home planet of Thanagar. Though she said she no longer believed the "fairy tales" anymore, every time she uttered the horrible word used to identify the thing that had no true name, she would shudder and her voice would become a hoarse whisper.

Before Batman was the Old One. The Great Icthultu.