Reply To: The Genius Scientist and the God of Evil: Universe/DC Comics

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    drillmaster
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    Ch. 18.: No Need for a Black Mass

    The state in the Bat-Bunker was one of fury and rage. It was one thing to kidnap Ryoko, who admittedly has been used to kidnapping in the past, but practically killing Ryo-Ohki and kidnapping Sasami was crossing a line. Sasami was the heart of every remaining person there, save The Joker who had never met the girl.

    A few quiet, but tense hours had passed to allow time for Ryo-Ohki to be stabilized and to let the women recuperate. Alfred had been secretly contacted at this point and was following Dick’s last instruction before he himself was kidnapped: go back to Wayne Manor. The old man was devastated but could not take part in the ensuing war council, which also included a monitored Joker and Oracle.

    “We kill him!” Ryoko demanded immediately when everyone gathered around.

    “No,” Damian turned away, clenching his fist. “They wouldn’t want that…even though I…GAH!” The young boy punched a wall and started to pant. “This is infuriating! We are literally helpless until he makes his move!”

    “You HAVE gotten soft, haven’t you Rocking Robin?” Joker taunted. Robin responded with a back handed punch.

    “I choose to HONOR these people clown. It is only because of their influence that you are even still breathing right now,” Damian growled. “Same with that damn Doctor…”

    “Calm down Robin! We need to think about this! Now we know that Miss Ryoko…” Ayeka started before she was stopped by a fist actually breaking the wall.

    “Miss Ryoko knows what?!” Ryoko asked with no humor in her voice. “Is this where you blame me, call me a monster, and make me feel worse than I already am?!”

    “Miss Ryoko, I…”

    “Well you listen to me Miss High and Mighty, that asshole got into MY head! He invaded MY thoughts! Do you know how violated that makes me feel?!”

    “That’s not what…”

    “This has nothing to do with our fight for Tenchi! This is crossing a line! His men SHOT Ryo-Ohki! They burned down that girl’s house! If he harms a single hair on the Junior Princess’ head, I will tear him apart! You hear me, he will PAY WITH HIS BLOOD!”

    “Miss Ryoko!”

    “What?!”

    “I was trying to tell you I don’t blame you,” Ayeka quietly told her. Ryoko stopped and looked at her. “This has been a terrible situation for us all. Do not get me wrong, I am absolutely livid right now and I may do things I might regret later, but pointing fingers is a waste of time. I know Sasami means a lot to you.”

    “Princess…” Ryoko whispered uncharacteristically.

    “Don’t get me wrong, you are still a terrible monster woman who does not deserve my Lord Tenchi, but you are a rather close acquaintance of mine, which instantly places you under Juraian protection.”

    It was a rare moment indeed when the two women put aside their differences to focus on a common goal and be friendly to one another. Needless to say, The Joker decided to ruin that moment.

    “Aww, is that a Kodack moment or what?” Joker interjected. Ryoko took the opportunity to punch the clown so hard he flew into the wall, knocking him out cold.

    “Was that really necessary?” Kiyone asked.

    “Yes,” Ryoko, Ayeka, and Damian all responded at once.

    “Fair enough.”

    “How bad is it out there Oracle?” Mihoshi asked the computer. “By the time Kiyone and I made it back here, it looked like the city was tearing itself apart.”

    “It is,” Oracle responded. “I can’t seem to get control of Red Robin, but I called in a few of the Birds of Prey to help Dad with the situation. I’ve also gotten word that Stephanie has stabilized but is going to be monitored for a few days. Unfortunately it seems like this is a situation that needs to resolve itself.”

    Kiyone’s eyes met a small tab on the Bat Computer containing the final analysis for the viral narcotic Pyg had developed. “We only have a few hours to go before we can counter this thing. Batman and Washu believed in it; we have to as well. Did you find out anything Ryoko while you were there?”

    She shook her head. “It’s all kind of a blur. He asked a lot of questions about us and why we were here, but I’ve got nothing about a plan…except…”

    “Except what?” Damian asked suddenly.

    “I vaguely overheard him saying something about plans for Grayson that were still in play and how he wanted to reclaim his birthright,” Ryoko suddenly snapped. “He had something planned out…but I don’t know what.”

    “That’s not helpful or anything,” Damian grinded his teeth.

    “Birthright…” Kiyone tapped her finger to her cheek.

    “You seem lost in thought Kiyone. Whatcha thinking about?” Mihoshi pried.

    “Hurt’s birthright…I think he means Wayne Manor!” Kiyone snapped her fingers. “Hurt has to be the missing portrait in Wayne Manor!”

    “The what?” Ayeka asked.

    “The hell are you talking about?” Ryoko demanded.

    Of course, that comment was not meant for Ryoko, Ayeka, or Mihoshi, but rather for Damian. The boy thought about it and nodded. “I…it could be possible. Pennyworth did say that Thomas Wayne did try to offer his soul or whatever to some kind of Bat god. That would fall in line with all of that Barbatos crap the 99 Fiends believe in.”

    “And it would explain why he claimed to be Thomas Wayne. He IS Thomas Wayne, but not Bruce Wayne’s father!”

    “But then answer me this: how would a man from the 1700’s be alive today?” Damian countered. “It sounds preposterous.”

    “As preposterous as taking a dip into a Lazarus Pit like your Grandfather?” Kiyone quipped. Damian’s face flushed red in anger for not realizing the familial connection. “Alfred said it is possible that Thomas summoned a ‘bat god,’ who we can assume can be Barbatos. Barbatos may have actually been an alien or a god or…” She stopped and thought about it. “Could it have been Darkseid?”

    “*tt* Why would Darkseid want to give a human long life for no good reason?”

    “We know Darkseid has been influencing this planet for ages,” Oracle re-entered herself into the conversation. “The Crime Bible is basically a giant tool for people to worship him, albeit unknowingly. Hurt might have come in contact with it or some kind of avatar for Darkseid and influenced its popularity…”

    “Okay, enough of this crap. What the HELL are you idiots blabbering on about?!” Ryoko yelled. “What portrait? What’s Barbatos? Isn’t Darkseid that god who died? What does this have to do with that asshole?”

    “Bluntly, it means that the “asshole” may be immortal…” Kiyone explained.

    “I have no idea what’s going on!” Mihoshi started to cry. “This is all way too confusing for me!”

    “I have to agree with Mihoshi,” Ayeka sighed. “I wish this were straighter forward than what it seems.”

    “No,” Damian said. “It makes perfect sense. Makibi, you are on to something. I guess those idiots in the Galaxy Police aren’t as dumb as you made them out to be if they hired you.”

    The comment caught Kiyone off guard. When she first got caught up with all of the commotion surrounding the Anti-Life Equation, she thought the world of superheroes was a childish thing that amused Earthlings and people like Mihoshi. Yet here she was, doing everything she could to fit in this world that she herself now found interesting. To get verbal praise for Dick Grayson was one thing, but for Damian to compliment her was a whole different story. This was a kid who wanted her dead the moment he saw her and yet had grown to the point that he was seeing her as an equal ally.

    The fact she was calling an eight year old an equal was not lost on her.

    “Of all the bull…” Oracle was saying to herself, taking Kiyone out of her introspective thoughts. “You guys are not going to believe this, but I think I might have found our Doctor.”

    “Where is the bastard Gordon?!” Damian pounded his curled up hand into his fist.

    “On National Television.”

    “…what?!” Damian twitched his eye. “What channel is he on?”

    “Got it!” Mihoshi yelled, turning on another monitor. “Actually, I think he’s on a lot of channels.”

    “Good work Mihoshi,” Kiyone whispered to her partner before she listened intently to the reporter on the television introduce a man who was definitely Simon Hurt.

    “Doctor Thomas Wayne, a man presumed dead for decades, has returned to Gotham after what he described as a long coma. He is speaking to the press from his home at this very moment. Let’s listen in, shall we?”

    “What I am proposing may not be easy, but I believe Gotham’s recovery may come at a price. I will need able bodied men and women to line the streets for one giant celebration. I believe that a surge of good feelings may counteract the virus,” Simon Hurt smiled into the camera. “I have the means of providing the right materials, which I have already sent out to the streets. As I do not as of yet control my family’s fortune, I will require money from my fair city to restore it back to its natural order.”

    “It’s a trap! That’s just the plot for Ghostbusters 2!” Mihoshi pointed out instantly.

    “And how do you…actually, at this point I’d trust you,” Kiyone sighed with a smile. “But I think it was obvious that it is a trap.”

    Ayeka nodded. “Of course it is. He wants us there instead of that old Mansion. Shall we leave?”

    “Leave?” Ryoko asked. “Where?”

    “Why to the Mansion to put that foolish man to death of course!” Ayeka said offended. “Honestly Ryoko, I’m surprised you are even still here. To show this much restraint…it is commendable.”

    “Is that…it couldn’t be…” Mihoshi was saying, staring at the screen.

    “Miss Mihoshi?” Ayeka asked. “Is something the matter?”

    “I think that float has…has…just look!”

    The television was now showing an image of Downtown Gotham where the crowd of people were now gathering around the various parade floats. Some of the floats had men working on it, but others seemed to have very familiar people in very familiar clothing…

    “It’s that Pyg guy’s doll things!” Ryoko growled.

    “No, not that!” Mihoshi pointed to one particular float. “THERE!”

    The float she was referring to was that of a boat with several men on it that also were instantly recognizable: members of the 99 Fiends. But Mihoshi was not pointing to them, but rather merman attached to the front of the ship. It looked rather lifelike with black hair and closed eyes. The hands were bound together in prayer.

    Suddenly, recognition sunk in and Ayeka and Ryoko screamed. “TENCHI?!”

    “What is my Tenchi doing in America?!”

    “And how did Lord Tenchi get put on that disgusting float?!”

    “There was theoretically enough time between the moments you were kidnapped until now for Hurt’s men to fly from Japan over here if he had anyone loyal to him over there…” Oracle speculated. “He did run a drug cartel. I’m sending all available teams to Downtown so don’t worry about…”

    “He used me to get my Tenchi?!” Ryoko shrieked. “Stand back Ayeka, I’m going to save Tenchi! You get back Sasami!” With that, the space pirate flew out of the Bat Bunker and into the night.

    However, this time she was not going alone. “You get back here you vile demon! Lord Tenchi is mine to save!” Ayeka shouted into the darkness. She turned to Robin and grabbed his hands tightly. “You must save my sister and stop that foul man Damian! I beg you!”

    Damian’s face flushed red. He had never seen the Princess act this way toward him. She was placing her sister’s life in his hands. That showed how much she had to trust him. “You have nothing to fear. Now get that simpleton back so you can help me bash Hurt’s skull in!”

    The purple haired princess flew off after her rival and to her beloved. Damian moved to the Bat Copter. “Get in Makibi. Kuramitsu, grab that trash and toss him in back. We have a job to do.”

    “Can you even drive this thing?” Kiyone asked.

    “I’m the son of Batman,” Damian smiled grimly. “I can do anything.”

    *TGSTGE*

    “So much for being able to do anything!” Kiyone was yelling to Damian as the two of them were being dragged down the hall of Wayne Manor.

    “I didn’t see you do any better Detecive Sergeant!”

    The two, along with Mihoshi and a still unconscious Joker, had set the Bat Copter down on the far side of Wayne Manor. Given the current condition of the Joker, it was deemed unwise to leave him alone. Mihoshi had volunteered to keep watch over him, despite Kiyone’s concerns.

    In the end, Damian and Kiyone attempted to break into Wayne Manor to save their comrade. Unfortunately, the two were not able to overcome the half of the 99 Fiends that were guarding the mansion.

    The Boy Wonder and the Detective Sergeant were beaten, bound, and dragged down the hallway of the ancestral Wayne home. As they were dragged by two burly men, Kiyone could not help but notice the Wayne Family portraits were yet again lying on the floor, forcibly torn down. She looked to Damian and, through the domino mask, their eyes met and instantly understood the significance of the gesture.

    The men opened up the door and threw the two to the ground. However, they were not alone this time. Both Sasami and Dick Grayson were held captive in the room as well. Surrounding them were several armed Fiends, each with a weapon aimed at their heads.

    “Oh look Sasami, our Boy Wonder has finally come to rescue us! What took you so long?” Batman joked.

    “We underestimated our opponent Grayson…something I see you have done as well. Why didn’t you get Sasami out of here earlier?” Damian growled. “Have they hurt you?”

    The princess shook her head. “We’ve been kept separate from each other. We only were just brought in here.”

    “That doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t you try to escape?” Kiyone asked.

    The sound of a helicopter suddenly filled the room. The vehicle had apparently landed outside the side entrance. A voice was faintly heard gloating to himself down the hallway.

    “Because the Doctor wasn’t in and I wanted a second opinion,” Dick grinned.

    “Do you ever shut up Grayson?”

    “And ruin my trademark charm? Never.”

    With that, the doors swung open and revealed a man in a back suit, a black cape, a black mask, and black gloves. Doctor Hurt surveyed his kingdom with pride and sneered when he saw his captives all in a row at his feet.

    “You have fought valiantly Mister Grayson. You have brought this child out of the darkness and dragged him into the light! Watch now, as I will break and corrupt his very spirit before your eyes!”

    A Fiend forced Sasami and Dick’s head to the floor by bashing them with the ends of their guns, causing Dick’s mask to come off. Damian spun wildly around as he tried to escape from his bindings. “Damn you! When I get loose, I will break every bone in your body…slowly!”

    Hurt laughed a shallow laugh. “I’d like to see you try Mister Wayne. If your father could not stop me, what could a circus clown, a princess, and an alien cop hope to accomplish?”

    “You still don’t see the end picture Hurt,” Dick goaded.

    “Brief bloom,” Hurt retorted.

    “We’ve already won.”

    Simon Hurt produced two hand guns from inside of his cape. He pointed one pistol at Sasami’s head and one at Dick’s. With a single motion, he fired both weapons at the same time.

    Damian and Kiyone looked on in horror as their two friends were shot in front of their eyes. Kiyone stood still in shock, unbelieving at the sight that occurred in front of her. Damian, on the other hand, started moving violently around, trying to get free with all of his might.

    “You are dead! DEAD!” The Boy Wonder howled with blind rage.

    “It can’t be…” Kiyone started to cry.

    “The .32 pellets won’t penetrate their skulls, but they have been EXPERTLY placed to fracture the skull and cause a hematoma. In less than twelve hours, blood absorbed into the cerebral spinal fluid will result in permanent neurological damage!” Hurt laughed, waving the two smoking guns around.

    “They are alive…?” Kiyone whispered through her tears.

    Hurt kicked her in the face. “Stay down you pathetic woman! This offer is good for one person and one person alone. I am a surgeon Robin. I have the facilities here in my Batcave below to save either the alien princess or the big top trash.”

    “Offer?” the teal haired detective coughed.

    “I can save one of these fools from the fate you have brought upon them, but I do have a price…your eternal soul,” the Doctor grinned.

    “N…no Dami…Damian!” Sasami weakly spoke. It was apparent she was putting her all into the gesture as she tried to stop herself from fading away into shock. “You…r soul!”

    “I don’t believe in souls Thomas Wayne,” Damian retorted. “Yes, we know who you are! You are an idiot for coming back here today! Did you even think this plan through?!”

    “More than you think child. Today is the prophesied eclipse of Barbatos,” Hurt explained while his Fiends prepared a ceremonial altar with a candle and the Casket from the caves below. “When your soul is mine and everyone around you is at my feet, perhaps you will know by that hole in your life what it is that you have given up so freely.”

    The Fiends picked Damian up and forced him to the altar. Damian, oddly enough, did not struggle. “I am pleased boy. Have you made your choice? Together, you and I will summon the spirit Barbatos to open this casket of ancient wisdom and mystery.”

    “Robin…” Dick Grayson called to him. “Remember who left it there…stall!”

    “Who will it be child? All I need is your soul and one of them can be saved? Will it be the mentor who guided you from the dark? Will it be the girl who tried to offer you friendship? Raise you left hand and swear on…” Hurt started to announce before screaming was heard in the hall. The sounds of several people falling was heard by all. “What?!”

    A Fiend dropped to the floor as a most welcoming and famiar figure entered the room. She pointed her Galaxy Police issued weapon at Doctor Hurt and stood her ground. “Doctor Simon Hurt I must place you under arrest for kidnapping a foreign diplomat from the Planet of Jurai!”

    “Mihoshi!” Kiyone was surprised to see her partner acting so professional and saving her life…again! “How…”

    “Most of the Fiends are in here instead of patrolling the grounds,” Mihoshi sternly responded, never once dropping Doctor Hurt from her sight. “I saw you get captured and I needed to save you!”

    “What about The Joker?” Kiyone asked.

    “You are my partner Kiyone! You took priority!”

    “The bumbling detective!” Hurt yelled. “Kill her! We still can finish the Ceremony of the Bat!”

    “No you don’t!” Mihoshi fired directly at Hurt. However, the shot missed him but struck the Casket to the floor. At that very moment, the eclipse fully engulfed the sun. The time of Barbatos had arrived, but without the Casket, the offering could not be made.

    Hurt stared at the floor in horror. All of his plans had hinged on this moment. The game he had been playing for over three years hinged at the Son of Gotham, in his weakest hour, falling to the Devil. Now it was ruined by a ditzy blonde with a space gun. He went to shoot her but was instantly met by two fists intercepting his face.

    Batman had freed himself from his bindings and proceeded to join Robin in a double punch to the face.

    “How is this happening?!” Hurt stammered. “I had won! Victory was assured! You couldn’t possibly…wait…THE CASKET!”

    Hurt’s eye had been drawn to the Casket. Miraculously, the box had started to open. Hurt’s hopes were raised. Perhaps Barbatos could still come to continue the offering. However, his hopes turned into shock as the contents of the Casket revealed itself: a blinking Batarang with a note that read “Gotcha!”

    “No…it isn’t possible!” Hurt pulled himself from the floor. He saw the two Galaxy Police Officers had helped the Juraian Princess of the floor and were now all ready to confront the good Doctor. He backed away to the fireplace and searched around for his minions. “Fiends! To your master!”

    “You played a good game Doctor,” Batman cracked his knuckles in anticipation. “But we played one better. You’ve been backed up into a corner and have overlooked the one person you should never have forgotten about. You claim to be the Devil? Well, meet the Bat-God.”

    Soot flew out of the fireplace and temporarily blinded Doctor Hurt. The man started coughing as he tried to process the acrobat’s words. “What is happening?!”

    “Turn around Doctor…” an unfamiliar female voice called out.

    From the fireplace came two figures. One was a young woman with spiky pink hair and the other was the only person besides The Joker who Hurt feared the most.

    “…It’s All Over,” a second Batman announced deep within the shadows.

    Washu Hakubi had done it: Bruce Wayne had returned.