TITLE: Lost Faith RATING: Pg-13 AUTHOR: Natasha Bennett (nbennett@islandnet.com) SPOILERS: None, but for the story people need to know that 'Mantle' is Batman's ultimate symbol. SUMMERY: Batman's identity is discovered....by everyone. Now every criminal is out for his blood and the ones he loves; Gotham City falls apart. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Generally I try not to do a lot of rewriting, but unfortunately in this case this whole story went through the grinder! It was written, rewritten, and broken apart. Some things were saved, others were deleted. People were saved, killed off, and then saved again. The whole story was deleted, restored, and written for a fifth time. The worse casualty was losing a whole chunk of dialogue between Nightwing and Robin and some actions scene of Batman because it, sadly, revealed too much of the plot beforehand. *sniff*. Eventually, things were finally sorted out. I love this story too much to get rid of it. DISCLAIMER: See the web page. *** Bruce Wayne, dressed as his alter ego, Batman, ran up the steps of his mansion. His footsteps pounded heavily against the old wood, and for once his blue eyes flickered with something extremely rare-fear. It was raining heavily outside, but Batman knew that the real storm was only seconds away. He reached up to the second floor and turned to the eighth door on the right. "Everybody, Bruce. Everyone knows who you really are. It's all over the newspapers, the T.V...everywhere. /Everyone knows your secret identity. They know that you're Bruce Wayne."/ Inside his partner in crime Tim Drake was sitting on his bed listening to music and reading from a textbook. He was wearing jeans and a dark blue jacket. Peacefully unaware that his world would soon explode into chaos. He blinked and looked up at Batman. His hand removed the headphones from his head. "What is it?" he asked. Batman tossed him a green overnight bag. "Pack it." His blue eyes were full of questions, but Tim was already quickly stuffing things into the bag. "What's going on?" he demanded. "We're leaving," Batman only said. "Take only what you need and-" he paused as he suddenly heard an explosion far off into the distance. Then another, closer this time. He barely had time to shout a warning before Tim's entire room exploded in flame. Batman was hurled against the wall and fell to the ground as smoke, dust and ash covered the room like a thick fog. "Tim!" Batman shouted, coughing.. "I'm all right!" Tim shouted, crawling out from underneath a pile of rubble. His head had a nasty cut on it, but Tim being Tim pretended that it didn't even exist. "But I think the mansion's pretty busted." "I'll buy a new one," Batman said dryly. "For now though, we have to get out of here." He lifted Tim up by the arm. Both of them climbed over the rubble that was once Tim Drake's room "Where's Alfred?" Tim asked Batman, carrying the bag in his arms. The upstairs staircase was still in one piece-though just barely. It broke multiple times as Tim and Batman ran down it. Tim could see dozens of small fires around the living room. The T.V was shattered, and the couch was overturned. It looked like they were more determined to drive them out of the house rather then blow them up. Whoever 'they' were. Tim had the feeling that blowing them up would be too easy. "He's still running errands," Batman replied. "I called ahead and told him to meet us outside the city limits. They all know, Tim." His voice was grim. "They all know our identities." Tim blinked, still astonished by the amount of ruin around them. "How?" he whispered. Before Batman could reply, he focused on more immediate matters. "What about Nightwing and Oracle? The ones trying to kill us might figure out who they are too!" "Oracle already knows. She warned me that they were coming to the mansion. I tried calling Nightwing, but I couldn't reach him. I left a message. Hopefully he'll reach it before-" he became silent. "-the end," Tim finished softly. "Batman...what are we going to do? And who are 'they', exactly!?" "First things first, Tim," Bruce said quietly. "Oracle's trying to contact everyone who knows our identities and every friend of Bruce Wayne. They have to get out of town. Meanwhile, we have to get out of here." Tim crawled up the rubble to the broken window. He could see dozens of cars parked outside. He could see Penguin, the Joker, Poison Ivy.... "Batman-" he began. The front door was kicked open. As one Tim and Batman dived behind the back of the pile of rubble, with their backs against the crumbling wall. Footsteps walked past them. Batman was glad that the foggy smoke made everything hard to see. "Come on," he whispered. "Stay as low as you can." "The Bat-cave?" Tim whispered back. "It's our only chance," Batman replied grimly. He crawled towards the familiar grandfather clock, the only entrance to his secret lair. Tim crawled across broken glass, coughing softly. "I'm so dizzy," he whispered. Batman nodded. The smoke was getting to him too. "Hang on, Tim. We're almost there." Seeing the clock, the two of them stood and scrambled into a run. They heard a shout. Tim raced through the secret passageway and down the stairs into the Bat-cave. Batman closed and jammed the heavy clock with a grunt. Pounding fists soon followed. Tim was already scrambling to the computers. Batman threw Tim's dropped bag into the backseat off the Batmobile and climbed in. "No time for that now, Tim. Let's go!" Tim shook his head as he saw the 'INTRUDER ALERT' flashing on the screen. "Batman, someone's already been in the Bat-cave!" he warned just as Batman started the engine. Batman lifted his eyes and saw a green digital clock by his hand flashing 00:005, 00:004, 00:003. Batman gasped and leaped out of the Batmobile just as it exploded in a living fireball. Tim shielded his face as dozens of expensive equipment shattered from the blast. When it was safe he lifted his head. "Batman? Batman!?" he called out. Batman stepped out of the shadows. "I'm all right," he said heavily. "But we can't leave the Bat-cave on foot. They'll catch us in no time. Tim shook his head. This was all happening so fast. "Batman, how did this happen!?" he demanded. Batman hesitated, and for a moment Tim could see a flicker of pain and the deepest confused misery on his face. All of a sudden, more then anything, Tim wanted to change the subject. "I can seal off the Bat-cave. That would prevent them from reaching the underground tunnels." Batman barely nodded. "Then do it." Tim lowered himself into the chair and frantically began typing at the keyboard, trying desperately to ignore the sound of pounding from the clock. He knew that hell was only seconds away. The rock door to the Bat-cave opened. Batman stepped through it to the outside world. "Let's go, Tim!" he shouted. Tim bit his lip. "Just let me get these lockouts in place-" The clock smashed apart. Joker, Penguin and Poison Ivy stepped through it into the bat-cave, accompanied by dozens of goons. Tim shook his head. "Screw it," he muttered, and slammed his hand on a large red button. Blue lights and sirens shrieked through the dark Bat-cave. Tim jumped over the desk and ran towards the rapidly closing rock door where Batman was waiting impatiently. Her eyes burning with green fire, Poison Ivy hurled out a vine with her arm. It wrapped itself around Tim's leg and yanked him off his startled feet. He was instantly dragged backwards into the shadows with a small shriek. Batman didn't even think twice. He ran back into the Bat-cave and smashed his fist against Penguin's hawk-like nose. At the same time his boot lashed out at a goon. There were at least twenty criminals in the Bat-cave, each and every one of them out for Batman's blood. Crackling insanely, Joker lifted his sleeve, and the Bat-cave suddenly exploded with green gas. Poison Ivy's other arm-vein lashed out like a whip and slashed against Batman's forehead. Blood dripped into Batman's eyes. Still he fought on with a bloodlust born out of the deepest well of desperation. The odds didn't matter. Nothing would stop him. But something did. The burning gas consumed his lungs and his vision. He felt a large pain in his chest, then in his legs and arms. It slowed him down, long enough for the fear to overflow his mind. Panic and weakness clouded his vision. Escape. He needed escape. Forgetting Tim, forgetting everything else, he turned back the way he came and dived through the small opening the closing door just barely had left. The door slammed shut behind him. Gasping, Batman could hear the faint mocking laughter behind him....before he heard the coughing and curses thrown at the Joker. Trembling, Batman collapsed to the ground. He had failed. ****************************** "It was the Penguin," Oracle finally said, her hands calmly folded in her lap. "Apparently he had a drop of your blood from a piece of your cape. Somehow he preserved it until he could escape from Arkhum, and ran a DNA sample." She shook her head. "Afterwards he blabbed to everyone." Batman said nothing for a moment. "So this is my fault," he said. They were both in the clock tower. The freezing rain had stopped, but it was still many hours from morning. "Indirectly. Now they're taking control of the city." She was drumming her pale fingers on the desk. "I've been monitoring their channels. They said that you ran away. In the Bat-cave." Batman hesitated. "The odds were just too many, Barbara," he replied. Barbara looked at him, and he knew that he hadn't fooled her one little bit. "Fine," she snapped. "At any rate, Tim is still alive. But I'm not sure where he is now. I have the entire network on the look-out. Want a drink?" Batman shook his head. "I don't think it's water you have in mind, Babs. I need to keep my head clear." Barbara shrugged. "Suit yourself," she moved her wheelchair over to the fridge and took out a beer and poured it into a glass. "I still haven't contacted Dick yet, but one of friends said that she saw him on the rooftops." Batman nodded. "I'll find him." Barbara turned to face him, her green eyes very serious. "Batman, you don't know what it's like out there. The city's in chaos. People...well, frankly people don't know what to do." Batman nodded, but his blue eyes were very heavy. A flash of sympathy appeared in Barbara's face. "I'll find Tim, Batman. You can be sure of that." She smiled sadly. "All-knowing, all-seeing. Remember?" ****************************** Batman traveled from one rooftop to another. Oracle was right-the city was looking pretty bad. The city was on a black-out, and everywhere it was dark. Lots of people had already fled the city. Many buildings were now abandoned. People were stumbling on the streets, drunk. Other people were being beaten up by others. It was a war zone. Batman stared at this, astonished by so much disorder could have happened...and so quickly. He remembered something Oracle had said to him once. She had told him that the police, and the city especially had adopted the legend of Batman as a popular figure in their lives. Books and comics were being written about him daily. The City had adopted Batman into their hearts, perhaps far too much. Batman was what made Gotham City so special. At the time, Batman had told her not to be ridiculous. But seeing all this destruction...perhaps he really did have no idea how much Gotham City had depended on him. Trusted him. And he had broken that trust. And their faith. He sighed and looked left and right, looking for Nightwing. He found someone else instead. Below him he could see a man loading several briefcases into the trunk of his car, cursing softly when they all fell to the icy ground. It was Jim Gordon. Batman blinked, then jumped down from the ledge. Gordon didn't have to look behind him to know who it was. He had heard the familiar swirl of the cape in the wind often enough. "I'm leaving town," Gordon said simply. "For a good, long time. Though I assume the news will go nationwide in a few days. Still couldn't hurt to get a good start." "Gordon...Jim-" Batman began. Gordon laughed. It was the sound of someone who wasn't entirely sane anymore. "Might even make the front page, though I hear there are some countries that never heard of Batman. Might only be a small little ad on page eighteen somewhere. I may get lucky." His laughter ceased and his eyes were glistening with tears. "They went after me, Batman. They went after my wife. They went after my son. They're all O.K-" he added, seeing Batman about to speak. "- but I can't stay here. I can't stay anywhere. Gotham City's falling apart, and not one person wants to defend it. Certainly not me." He paused, then resumed putting the bags in the trunk. "For the rest of my life I'll be on the run, jumping at the shadows." "Jim-" Batman tried again. Gordon whirled to face him. "You know what I regret most about this whole damning situation!?" he demanded angrily. Then his eyes softened and he smiled. "It's that I can't stay here and help you." He held up his hand. Batman hesitated, and took it and grasped it. Gordon lay his other hand down warmly on the handshake. "Who would have thought," Gordon said, his voice filled with admiration. "Bruce Wayne, millionaire social boy, defending all of us against the monsters." He abruptly turned away, rummaging in the trunk. "Here. I have something for you..." he said. He finally took out a gun and held it out to Batman. Batman was already shaking his head. "I don't use guns, Commissioner. You know that." "Take it," Gordon insisted. "Times are bad, and they're only going to get worse for you. For all of us in Gotham City, Heaven help us." Batman hesitated, then finally took it. Just to humor the Commissioner. "Good-bye, Jim." Gordon nodded. "Good luck, Batman." Batman watched as Gordon and his family drove away and gave a small wave good-bye. His heart was very heavy. He suddenly heard a sound. His head lifted and he saw a shadow moving from one rooftop to the next. One jump later and Batman was on Nightwing's trail. Nightwing was trying to avoid him, Batman could plainly see. To give him credit, he had almost fled out of sight. Then Batman called out, "Dick." Nightwing stopped, and sighing, waited for Batman to catch up. Nightwing's scowl deepened at the sight of him. "What do you want?" he snarled. "You heard," Batman said flatly to his ex-protegee. Nightwing glared at Batman and turned to face him. "Heard? No. Saw the bullets in my apartments flying towards me, if that's what you mean." A pause. "I didn't escape all of them. So who screwed up?" "It's irrelevant." "It was you, wasn't it? Figures." "I don't have time for your anger, Nightwing, especially now!" Batman shouted impatiently. Nightwing shook his head. "Well that's just too darn bad, Batman, because you're going to have to make the time. Because of you, my life is ruined....again. Now it's a mad dash to protect my friends and my family before they're blown away. Some of them I know I just can't reach in time. My days as a superhero are numbered, Batman, and so are yours!" "Dick....they've got Tim," Batman interrupted flatly. Dick stopped talking instantly. He looked away, his breath coming out in little blue puffs of ice. "Dammit," he whispered. "I was just too weak, Dick. Too weak to save him," Batman said. His voice broke slightly. Nightwing just stared at him, his face devoid of either mercy or compassion. "You left him. Just like Jason." His blue eyes were burning with icy flame. "You failed us all." Batman felt his heart clench and break under Nightwing's murderous glare. "Yes," he said weakly. "Yes, it's my fault that he's gone. Now I have to help him before it's too late." Batman looked up. "I can't do this alone. You have to help me find him." His voice trembled. "Please." At least two minutes of silence. "No," Nightwing finally said. He looked away. "I'm sorry...I can't. I simply don't have the time." Batman could feel his cheeks literally burn with rage. "I thought we meant something to you-" "-you don't," Nightwing said flatly. "You mean very little to me anymore, Batman. Tim....I do care about Tim, but he choose to follow in your...delusions." Batman glanced up sharply at the strange tone in Nightwing's voice. It sounded like...doubt. "What's that supposed to mean!?" he demanded. Nightwing just sighed. "I can't help you," he said dully. He moved to the edge of the roof, before looking back at Batman. "People fear what they can't see. Now that people know who you are...they're not afraid of you any longer. Your power has been taken away." Nightwing shook his head. "You're just a man." And he disappeared before Batman could think of a reply. Batman stared at the darkness for a long, long time. Finally he activated his intercom. "Oracle, are you still with me?" "Yes," Oracle replied. "/I heard everything. Don't listen to Nightwing, Batman. He's too angry to even realize what he's saying."/ "Maybe," Batman replied. "But he is right about one thing. I'm just a man now. A man that may have doomed a lot of people. Including you." He could also see her beautiful smile. /"Finding me and taking me down are two things not done very easily, Batman. We all knew the risks when we stared, Batman. We all knew-"/ she paused. /"-hold on. I just received a radio transmission about Tim."/ "Where?" Batman demanded. No answer. "Barbara!" Batman roared. "Old warehouse by the docks. Fifth Avenue," Oracle finally said quickly. ************************* The old door to the warehouse barely had a chance against the impact of Batman's boot. "Tim!?" Batman shouted, heedless of any dangers. "Tim, are you in here!?" He could instantly smell the scent of blood and smoke. The warehouse was fairly small, and he found what he was looking for as soon as he entered. What he saw he almost didn't recognize as Tim Drake. The boy was tied to a metal post and his pale face and arms were a combination of bruises and lumps. Blood trailed in little currents from his lip down to his chin. Burn scars ran up and down his skin, and one arm was broken. Worst of all, his chest was impaled against a metal spike imbedded in the metal grating. His head was limp against his chest, and he didn't appear to be breathing at all. Alive? Dead? Batman wasn't certain. One thing was clear-he had been beaten, tortured, and left for dead. Sudden shouts to the right. Batman didn't even think-he just took out Commissioner Gordon's gun and fired it at three men, and one woman. They fell wordlessly to the ground. The others quickly fled. For a moment he stared at the smoking gun in his hands. He had sworn never to use a gun. He barely thought about it for less then a second, however, and tossed it to the ground. He went over to Tim's side and felt for a pulse. He closed his eyes in relief. Tim had one, and the wounds weren't nearly half as fatal as Batman had originally feared, though they were still terrible. At his touch Tim groaned and stirred slightly. Batman lay a hand on Tim's shoulder. "This is going to hurt really bad, Tim," Batman whispered. "I'm sorry, but it has to be done." Before Tim could awake to full consciousness Batman pulled his body out of the spike. Tim screeched in agony. Batman bit his lip in anger and self-loathing and lay Tim's body gently on the ground. Blood was already flowing in deep puddles on the floor. Batman scrambled to the Bat-phone. ************************ Two days later Bruce Wayne walked up to Tim's hospital room. The hospital itself was a nightmare-thousands of bodies were piled in the rooms and on the floor. Most were left untreated, forgotten. The air was clogged with blood and screams shattered through his eardrums. Some of the people that saw Bruce stared at him with a mixture of awe and respect. Others, however, mostly the family of those that were hurt, booed Bruce, threw things at him... and stared at him with raw hatred. At the moment, however, Bruce cared about none of these things. He looked around the hospital room. Tim Drake sat in one of the many the hospital beds piled in the room, a tube running up from his arm. The lumps in his face had diminished considerably, and even the bruises were clear from most of his face. His blue eyes were very alert. Secretly, Bruce smiled. Tim was alive. That was all that mattered for now. He made his way through the room. Tim didn't look up as Bruce entered and sat down next to him. His blue eyes looked very thoughtful. Nothing else. "Hey, kid," Bruce began cheerfully, as though nothing bad had happened in the past few days. "Brought you some donuts in case you were hungry. I don't know how bad hospital food is, because I haven't ever been to a hospital before. You know, because I always fixed myself up in the Bat-cave. But I figured it was pretty bad anyway." Tim still didn't say anything, his blue eyes fixed carefully ahead. Bruce lowered his head and cleared his throat. "Look, Tim...I don't pretend to know what you went through back there....what they did to you. I mean, we've been in some bad situations before...but I honestly don't know how we're going to get out of this one. But we'll find a way," he added quickly. "They're not going to do this to you ever again." Tim finally struggled to speak. "Batman..." he began. Bruce leaned forwards. "What is it?" he asked gently. Tim shook his head. "You're not real." Bruce blinked, not comprehending. "You're not the defender of justice. The police are...or were. They are real. You're just a fraud. A joke," he whispered. "A grown man dressing as a bat...it's silly. Ridiculous, really," he said carefully. Bruce stared at Tim angrily. "They told you to say that," he accused. "They were angry," Tim continued as though he hadn't heard Bruce. "They were furious that they were being constantly duped by...just some guy in a Halloween costume." He swallowed. "I keep hearing people in the hospital ask me 'why did Batman fail us?' and I honestly can't answer them. We all thought that you were more then just some millionaire. We thought you were a legend. Immortal. And now...we're all paying the price for believing in a stupid dream. So many people are dying. I almost died today." He blinked. "And where is Batman?" He looked down and shook his head. "Batman isn't real." At that moment Bruce realized that Tim was afraid...deathly afraid. He was afraid of the shadows, of the night. And, Bruce saw with growing horror, Tim had utterly lost hope in Batman. Like so many others. "Tim, that's not true, and you know it!" Bruce protested. "You murdered three people," Tim continued. "You failed me. You failed Gotham City. You failed yourself," Tim whispered. He closed his eyes, and silent tears trickled down his cheeks. "I think...it would be best...if we didn't hang around each other anymore." His voice broke, and he just sounded like a scared little boy. "If people don't see me with you anymore....maybe they won't hurt me." "Tim-" Bruce began. "You're just a sick, twisted man. If anyone asks, I never once believed in Batman. The only reason I ever helped you fight crime is because you paid me money to," Tim said, his voice sounding like he believed that story more and more. "Go." Bruce felt his heart break in two. Tim's knees were huddled against his chest, and his hands were clenched into fists. "Leave. I don't ever want to see you again." Bruce tried one desperate last try. "Tim, I saved your life-" "And I wish you hadn't. Go away." "Tim, please-" "GO!" Tim's head suddenly snapped up, and Bruce saw the terrible rage in his blue eyes. His teeth were clenched. "Go before you really wish you hadn't saved me." Bruce tried, to speak, and couldn't. He finally lowered his eyes and silently left the room. At the end of the hall he saw Dick Grayson standing in the crowd, looking at him. Dick said nothing, but his eyes burned through Bruce as though to say, /'Your fault'./ Bruce left the hospital. *********************** A few hours later Bruce came back to talk to Tim, but he wasn't there anymore. He had checked out. Bruce left the front office, slamming the door behind him to face the chilly darkness of the December night. Nightwing suddenly approached him from behind. "Tim's safe," he said quietly. "He's with Oracle." His voice was laced with anger. "Just in case you were wondering." Bruce turned to face him, saying nothing. Beside them dozens of sirens could be heard. The ambulances were having a busy night, constantly coming to deliver victims, then leave to pick up more. They had been doing that, non-stop, all night. Because he had been discovered. "Gotham City is dying," Nightwing said after a moment. "So?" Bruce asked indifferently. Nightwing's voice lashed out like a whip. "So help me restore it! Help me save the people still trapped here!" His voice trembled. "Bruce...the mayor and police are gone! Criminals are struggling to gain control, and hundreds of people are being slaughtered in the cross-fire!" He clenched his fist. "Tim may hate you, but I can't afford to! We need you." Now it was his turn to beg. "Please." Bruce said nothing for a long, long moment. Then he turned to leave. "Batman!" Nightwing shouted in astonishment. "Batman is dead now, Dick," Bruce said as he walked away. "You were right. I've lost the mantle. I have no power now." Nightwing stared at him in genuine pain and disbelief. Bruce kept walking without looking back. Then he could hear, far off into the distance, Nightwing's final words. "You didn't lose the mantle, Batman. You destroyed it all by yourself." ************************ It was morning. Bruce sat on the edge of the rooftop of his ruined manor, looking down at the burnt ashes. For the past few days many people had come and scribbled graffiti on the ruined walls, posted obscene pictures of Batman. He didn't need Oracle to tell him how badly things had gotten for Gotham City. In every district the crime rate had jumped about three hundred percent. Abandoned stores were now being broken into, smashed and looted. People were being openly beaten on the streets. Garbage was littered everywhere. Fires burned unattended to day and night. There was no more police left to defend anything. They had fled town, like so many others. Only a few had stayed behind. Naturally, the places that supported Batman the most were the ones that were hit the hardest. But what hurt Bruce the most was how little people defended themselves...or him. /'Well, see, we never believed in this guy who dressed as a bat,' they would say. 'We just went along with it because it seemed like a good joke at the time. You know, no one would, ha-ha, believe in a snobby millionaire with eccentric habits.'/ Tim was following along the lines of the same story. It was simple-the symbolism of Batman was gone. The fear was gone. The Bat had been revealed. "Master Bruce?" Alfred asked respectfully, joining him. "All my money's gone," Bruce said dryly. "I don't have anything to pay you with." Alfred smiled a little. "My dear sir, with the ridiculously low wage you gave me in the first place, it's no tragic loss." Bruce had to laugh, but the somber expression was back on his face in an instant. "I choose the symbol of a bat after my parents died because a bat inspired fear," he said. "Tim and Dick...they're both right. Now that people know the man behind the mask...for them it's like waking up after a bad dream and laughing at yourself afterwards for being afraid. For believing in me." He looked down. "Now Batman is just a joke." A pause, then Alfred stepped up behind him. "Batman may be lost, sir, but Bruce Wayne still remains." "And what is Bruce Wayne?" Bruce demanded. "Just some....millionaire in a tuxedo. Ex-millionaire," he corrected himself. "I don't even have money anymore. He's just a man." Alfred hesitated. "Sir, Batman may have inspired fear and hope, but Bruce Wayne was always the driving force beneath that strength. The symbol is gone, but Batman is still the same man he was a few days ago. Strong, intelligent, and quite a force to be reckoned with." He shook his head. "Nothing is gone." "The faith is gone," Bruce said quietly. "Tim has lost faith in me, Alfred, and so has Dick." "Then it's up to you to restore it," Alfred said gently. "Restore Gotham. Prove to them and everyone else that you're still the guardian of this fair city, costume or no costume." Bruce lifted his head. He stared quietly at Gotham City. He could see the fires from here. He then realized that Alfred was right. Maybe the man was enough. ************************ That night Bruce slipped on his Batman costume. Alfred drove him to the middle of town square, where it was rumored that most of Arkhum's criminals had taken refuge. "This might be the last time I wear this, Alfred," he said quietly. "I know, young sir," Alfred replied, parking the car. "That's why you're going to be spectacular." Batman barely nodded and exited the car. His black boots echoed against the pavement. He was in a basketball court. His trained eyes instantly spotted a man who was on look-out heard him and whirled around. "Huh? I thought you had given up-" the goon began. Batman lifted him high up in the air. "I'm here to take back my city," he said coldly. He hurled the punk against the wall. The man fell wordlessly to the ground. A woman with bright green hair saw him and shrieked. Now a large crowd ran towards Batman with fists and chains swinging. Batman smiled. He threw a man over his shoulder, tucked and rolled the chains of another, and blocked a fierce kick of a woman with high heels. Never stopping, he grabbed a chain from a startled punk's grip, and snapped it against a gun just as it was about to fire. Still possessing the chain, he smashed it against the face of another punk and kicked a woman in the stomach. He grabbed an item from his utility belt and threw it to the ground. Simple sparks and fireworks, but it was enough to scare some of them away. Batman lashed out with both of his feet at a punk's chest, somersaulted backwards, and jumped to his feet. And still more kept coming. Still, he hadn't felt so good for so long. He whirled around- And saw Nightwing standing in front of him. "Nightwing," Batman began, genuine gratitude in his voice. If any time he needed Nightwing's help, it was now. He turned away. Nightwing's fist suddenly smashed against the side of Batman's jaw. Stunned, Batman fell to the dark concrete with a grunt, his vision blurred. A spotlight shined down on his body. Above could hear the Joker's crazy laugh. "You're in the spotlight, Batman!" the Joker shouted from above just as two thugs grabbed him and slipped chains on his hands and feet. Batman was dragged into the center of the square. Batman didn't resist, his eyes staring at Nightwing without comprehension. Nightwing looked away. Batman was forced on his knees and his mask was ripped from his head. Two- Face lifted it high into the air. Cheers and whistles followed. "BATMAN!" the Joker bellowed. "Who is he!? The face of all our fears? The terror in the night sky? NO! He's just a man. A simple, filthy rich multi- millionaire! He's just a human mortal like the rest of us! And tonight, fair Gotham, we are going to see if he can bleed!!!" Bruce looked up. He could see, high up on the bridge of Gotham City, thousands of people looking down at him. Some of them were chained to the bridge, a forced audience. Most, however, had simply come on their own. Out of simple curiosity. He could see some of them looking at him with betrayed hurt. Others were looking at him with hope. Batman turned his head and his eyes narrowed at Nightwing. Nightwing's eyes closed in pain and he shook his head angrily. Behind Nightwing was a red car. In the backseat of the car was Oracle, staring at Batman through the windshield. 'I'm sorry', she mouthed, but Batman could see heavy acceptance in her eyes. Beside her sat Tim Drake, his face very pale, and his blue eyes looking down at nothing. "Your word," Nightwing said coldly. "Your word that you'll let us leave town." "You have my word," Two-Face calmly replied. "Or my name's not Two-Face." Nightwing glared at him one last time before turning his full attention on Batman. "I'm sorry it had to be this way," he said. Bruce gritted his teeth. "If I ever get out of this, Dick...I'll kill you. I swear!" Dick smiled thinly. "Just a man," he replied, staring calmly at Bruce. He walked in the front seat of the car, started the engine, and drove away. "Now, my dear ladies and gentleman, it's time for the EXECUTION!" Joker bellowed. A hand suddenly clamped down on Joker's shoulder. "No," Two-Face snarled. "We agreed. He needs to have a trial first. Everyone deserves a chance to justify their deeds." The Joker sighed loudly. "Oh, very well! Even though he is so clearly and utterly guilty, let's have some fun first!" He lifted his hands. "Come, felons, and let the trial of Batman begin!" Cheers followed. *********************** Somehow sighing and yawning at the exact same time, Robin walked down the dimly-lit cavern of ice, his tired blue eyes very troubled. He approached the familiar woman who sat in front of assorted computer systems. "Any luck?" he asked quietly, leaning on a chair. Oracle stirred and shook her red head. "No. There's nothing I can do now." She glanced at him. "You should get some sleep. You've been up for the past two days." Robin sighed. "I tried. Can't sleep. Can't eat. Every time I try....I remember what happened, and I feel sick afterwards. How could this have happened to him?" Oracle's hand moved from her lap to touch his. "You did well beyond what anyone thought was possible, Tim. You and Nightwing both. Both of you got him this far, to me." "Yeah," Robin muttered, and shook his head. "But for all I know I'm just prolonging his suffering." He lifted his eyes to the small blue tank in front of them. Floating silently in below freezing temperatures, was Batman. His skin had a bluish tinge to it, and he lay sleeping. Comatose. Dead. They had borrowed the late Mr. Freeze's technology in his chambers, well underground. For two days, Tim and Oracle had waited, monitoring his life signs. "What can be taking Nightwing so long?" Robin demanded angrily. "And why did he insist that I stay here!?" Oracle smiled a little. "I've known Nightwing for a long time, Tim. He's going to find a cure for Joker's fear gas, no matter what the cost to Gotham City...or him. To do that, he's going to have to do things he probably doesn't want you or Batman to know about...some very bad things. More so, he doesn't want you involved." Robin shook his head darkly. "I still should have gone with him. Batman means just as much to me as he does to Nightwing. Maybe even more." Barbara Gordon bit her lip for a moment, then passed Tim a twenty dollar bill. "Here. Buy some Chinese food." Tim shook his head. "I told you, I'm not hungry." "Well, *I'm* starving like hell," Oracle muttered. "Besides, you need some fresh air to clear your head." Tim said nothing for a moment, then left for the exit. He turned back and glanced at the tank. "Do you think....do you think he can hear us?" he asked. Oracle sighed heavily and tapped the monitor. "His brain activity is practically nothing now, Tim. I seriously doubt if he sees or hears anything now." **************************** Bruce collapsed to the dirty ground as a boot hit the side of his head, followed by even more cheers. Hands scrambled at him and forced him to his feet, once again in the spotlight. Dozens of guns were trained on him, making escape impossible. "Mr. Wayne bleeds just as easily as you and me, it seems!" Two-face snapped. "But It's not enough that we've broken the body of Batman. We need to break his spirit as well," he hissed. Two-Face waved his gun. "I call my one and only witness!" The thugs parted as Alfred was pushed through the crowd, his forehead bleeding and his hands and feet bond with rope. "I'm sorry, Master Bruce," he said weakly. "I couldn't get away." "It's all right, Alfred," Bruce said, but his heart had fallen into a deeper pit of despair. Two-Face glared at Bruce. "Give up the Mantle." Bruce shook his head, not comprehending. "The Mantle of the Bat! Give it up," Two-Face ordered impatiently. "Give it up or the old man dies." ***************************** Nightwing entered the cavern, a plastic bag in his hands. "Got it," he said breathlessly. Tim stirred and stood out of his sleeping bag, his brown hair disheveled in all directions. His blue eyes, however were never more clear. "The cure?" he asked. "The one and only, kid," Nightwing replied with a tired grin. Barbara took the bag from him, took out a plastic vial, and carefully set it on her scanner. "Dare I ask how you managed to accomplish this little feat?" Nightwing grinned and touched her shoulder. "That, my dear, is my little secret." Tim was staring so intently on Batman that he didn't see that the touch lingered for a few seconds longer then necessary of that of two professional two crime-fighters. When Tim turned back, he saw that Nightwing had already moved away and Barbara was staring intently on the computer screen. "This will work," Barbara finally said, studying the combined atoms of the formula. "But time worries me. It took us two minutes and forty seconds to take Batman from Joker's lair to here. That leaves us about twenty seconds. I'm not sure if the formula can work that quickly." "What choice do we have?" Tim asked flatly. Barbara nodded in agreement. "Beginning the thawing process." She glanced at both of them. "Be ready." *************************** "Give up the Mantle or the old man dies," Two-Face said again. A long moment of silence stretched on as not one person made a sound. Bruce had gone deathly white, but not one word passed from his lips. The Mantle symbolized everything Batman was, everything Batman stood for. "Oh, come on!" the Joker shouted impatiently. "It's just a stupid symbol, Brucie, not too hard for you to understand! Don't delude yourself-you're going to die anyway no matter what happens!" "You've lost," Poison Ivy snapped at him. "Gotham City is dead now. There's nothing left to defend. Your friends have abandoned you! And even those left don't want your help! You're nothing! Save the old geezer!" Two-Face shook his head. "Batman commanded fear and respect. Well, we're not afraid of you anymore, Mr. Wayne. Batman is no more. Put him out of his misery." He lifted his head. "Give up the Mantle!" For a moment, no one said anything. Then someone in the crowd, a woman clutching a baby up above on the Gotham Bridge, shouted, "Give up the Mantle!" Soon all of the residents of Gotham city joined in. "GIVE UP THE MANTLE! GIVE UP THE MANTLE! GIVE UP THE MANTLE!" ********************* The ice holding Batman cracked and split in two. Batman's body pitched forwards. "Now!" Barbara warned. Nightwing caught Batman just before he hit the ground. Beside him Tim ripped off Batman's sleeve and injected him with the formula. "Formula is in!" Tim said. He glanced up. "Now what do we do?" "Pray," Nightwing only replied. ******************* Bruce slowly stared at Alfred. Alfred's face held nothing but despair. Two-Face suddenly gripped Bruce's shoulder. "Who the hell do you think you are to be worth more then a man's life!?" he shouted in Bruce's face. "You're not the savior of Gotham City! You're not all-powerful. You're just a man! Give it up!" "Give it up! GIVE IT UP NOW OR THE OLD MAN DIES RIGHT HERE!" The Joker shrieked. Two-Face stared at Bruce coldly. "Who the hell do you think you are!?" he whispered again. Bruce Wayne slowly lifted his head, the rain trickling down through his black hair, and his face. "I'm Batman," he said, as though realizing it for the first time. Two-Face stared at Bruce in astonishment for a moment and....admiration, then whirled around and shot Alfred three times in the chest. Bruce closed his eyes. *************************** "Fifteen seconds," Barbara said. "Eighteen. Twenty." Nightwing touched Batman's neck. "I'm not reading a pulse." Tim blinked and looked up in horror. "He's dead." *************************** When Bruce next opened his eyes, he was in a desert of some kind. It was very bright Beyond him stretched thousands of miles of nothingness. Of Alfred, the people, and all of Gotham city, there was no sign. The sound of empty clapping behind him. "Bravo! Well done," Barbara Gordon snarled, brushing past him. To his astonishment she saw that she was walking. She wore a simple red blouse, green pants, and high heels. "You could have given up the mantle and saved Alfred's life. You didn't. Only goes to show how pathetic and disgusting you really are." Bruce struggled to speak. "This....this isn't real..." Barbara turned to face him. "Real enough," she said coldly. "You murdered the only man who cared about you." Barbara was trembling with rage. "He was like a Father to you. The man who raised you. I don't think any of us realized what you truly are underneath that mask. I know I was wrong. You said it yourself. Bruce Wayne is dead. There's only Batman. And Batman's a monster." Bruce blinked and looked up at Barbara, as though hearing her from the first time. His blue eyes narrowed. "You were defeated!"Barbara shouted in his face. "You had lost. Yet still you would have rather let others die then be humiliated. Be proven once and for all, that you were wrong! I'm ashamed to even know you." She folded her arms. "And now there's only you and me, Batman." Bruce was silent for a moment. "Yes," he said, his voice sounding very odd. "Just you and me." And before Barbara could even blink, Bruce lunged at her. ***************************** "No heartbeat," Barbara said, her voice cracking with worry. "We're losing him!" Tim shouted. "We haven't lost...the old bastard yet!" Nightwing snapped, turning Batman onto his back. Frantically he began pumping at his heart through his costume. *************************** Bruce and Barbara rolled in the sand, fists punching. Barbara was sputtering curses. They both leapt to their feet. "So this is the way it's going to end!?" Barbara snarled. "You're going to kill me too? How many people do you have to kill-" the last words ended incoherently as Bruce's boot connected against her jaw. Barbara stumbled back a few steps, glaring at Bruce with fury. Barbara flew at him. Bruce blocked her kick, and caught Barbara's fist in his own grip. "This is just a dream," Bruce whispered. Remarkably, Barbara was laughing. "This is more then just a dream, Batman," she said. "Dreams you can live with. This is the mirror that a lost little boy is too afraid too see." The image of Barbara suddenly shifted into Nightwing. "You're nothing, Batman. And one day your identity will be discovered! And everything that's happened here today will happen!" Batman slowly lowered his fist. "No," he said. "Not even Nightwing." He gripped Nightwing's shoulder tightly. "Who are you? Why are you doing this to me!?" The image of Joker dissolved into a sad, tear-stained little boy wearing a Robin costume. Batman felt like he had been punched through the chest and sat down heavily in the sand. He looked up, starring at the Boy Wonder with....wonder. "Jason?" he whispered. When suddenly the world exploded all around him. ********************* Batman's eyes flew open. At first, he couldn't see much. Then, as his vision slowly returned he could see Robin grinning down at him in relief. "You did it, Nightwing!" "Yeah," Nightwing said, trying hard not to look glad. And failing. Batman tried to sit up. He noticed, vaguely, that he was freezing. "What happened?" he whispered weakly. "The Joker used fear gas on you while you were fighting him," Barbara said. "You almost died." Batman said nothing for a moment. Then, to everyone's utter astonishment, tears swelled up in his eyes. "You didn't leave me," he whispered. Then he passed out in their arms. ************************ Later, in Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne was explaining his dream to Barbara Gordon. "I dreamed that everyone lost faith in me and left," he said. Barbara leaned forwards in her wheelchair. "We think that Joker's gas had a side affect-it altered your mind into a trance and stimulated the emotions in your brain-specifically, your fear and despair." Bruce looked like he was about to say something, then hesitated. He stared at the bright flames in the fireplace. "What is it?" Barbara asked gently. Bruce tried to find the words. "I was....I was fighting myself. At first I didn't understand why...until I saw Jason in my dream." He swallowed hard. "Then I knew....I was punishing myself." He looked down at his mug. "I failed him. And in my dream, I failed everyone-you, Tim, Alfred and Nightwing." He didn't say anything for a moment. "I'm not afraid of people discovering my real identity. My greatest fear is failing Gotham City...and giving up." "But you didn't give up," Barbara said softly. "Even after everything you went through, you still hung onto the Mantel. You didn't loose faith. You stayed true to yourself." "At Alfred's life," Bruce said. He sighed. "And that's another thing I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life. I am Batman, and I'm not going to give that up for anything." His eyes hardened. "Or anyone." And he left out the front door before Barbara could reply. *** THE END.