A/N: I am back guys. Owe you some chapters, so expect a multi-release. Enjoy!
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Cindy's cooking skills, to say the least, were terrible. As she admitted, she had just thrown whatever vegetables she could find into the pot. Michael swore this was the worst stew he had ever tasted, and it didn't help that it was a Western-style sweet soup.
At least the turkey, likely prepared by Alfred, still had some flavor despite the hint of freezer burn.
The three ate mostly in silence, the weight of the impending mission hanging over them.
Vicki Vale, after failing to find proper hazmat suits, had managed to scavenge a few bat-branded masks. Though unsure of their original purpose, upon inspection, they did seem to have functional filtration capabilities. She handed them out, insisting everyone wear one.
The Batcave didn't offer many useful weapons either. While Batarangs were plentiful, Michael dismissed them as impractical. He grabbed a few smoke grenades and called it good.
Leaving behind the chaos in the Batcave, they loaded into the vehicle once again. Michael blindfolded the others as Cindy drove them out of the cave.
Outside, the wind had died down slightly, but the rain was now even heavier, pounding on the vehicle's roof as if trying to push them back. The atmosphere in the car was thick, somber, as Michael leaned back in his seat, resting his head on his arms and contemplating their next steps.
If Falcone and Ra's al Ghul were manageable threats, the real concern was still out there—The Batman Who Laughs and Barbatos. Michael knew their plans, but those were based on comics. In the real world, things could change, and the butterfly effect of his presence had already altered the story in ways he couldn't predict.
His knowledge from the comics was becoming less useful by the day. At best, it provided some understanding of the enemy's capabilities and motives. At worst, it was a liability.
If they had to fight The Batman Who Laughs, Michael and Cindy could probably take him down. But Barbatos? That was another level entirely.
Barbatos was no ordinary villain; he was a god-like entity from the Dark Multiverse, often referred to as the Dragon of the Dark Universe or the Bat-God. His power was multiversal, far beyond what a mere two-person team could handle.
In the comics, defeating Barbatos required special metals—metals that connected the Light and Dark Multiverses. Barbatos's plan had involved these metals, using them to cross into the main universe.
The metals had already been introduced into Batman's body in the comics, subtly guiding events toward Barbatos's grand design.
First, there was the Electrum from the Court of Owls, ingested by Batman during his battles with them. Then there was the Dionysium, a substance found in the Joker's blood, which had entered Batman's system during their many fights. Nth metal, a rare and powerful substance tied to Hawkman and Hawkgirl, had also been absorbed by Batman. And finally, there was Promethium, a metal found in Deathstroke's armor, which Batman had used to create his healing machine.
The last metal—Batmanium—was located in an ancient tomb belonging to the Bat Tribe in Earth-0's Egypt. Once all these metals were collected within Batman, he would become the key to opening the gateway between the Light and Dark Multiverses, allowing Barbatos to enter and bring ruin.
If Barbatos succeeded, all realities would be pulled into darkness.
The only weapon against Barbatos was the mysterious Tenth Metal, X-metal, said to exist in the World Forge. But its location was unknown, and worse yet, Michael had no idea how to reach it.
Even if they managed to save Earth-11 from its impending crisis, that would only buy them time. Once the Light Multiverse fell, everyone—across every reality—would be doomed.
Barbatos wasn't interested in balance or reason. He sought to pull all worlds into darkness, ruling over a desolate, eternal night. But he didn't understand the delicate balance between the Light and Dark Multiverses—52 Light and 52 Dark—each facing one another on an invisible plane. Barbatos's plan would destabilize that balance, and if all the worlds fell into darkness, the entire multiverse would collapse.
Michael knew his only chance of survival was to travel to the Light Multiverse and stop the threat at its source. But he wasn't a magician or reality-bender. How could a mercenary cross dimensions?
He hadn't figured out an answer yet.
Cindy glanced at him from the driver's seat, noticing his unusually silent demeanor. She said nothing, though, trusting that he would share his thoughts when the time came.
Outside, the rain turned the streets into rivers, and their vehicle felt more like a boat as it plowed through the flooded roads, waves splashing to either side. Inside, the atmosphere was heavy, like the calm before a storm. Everyone seemed lost in their thoughts.
Barbara was off in her own world, her face alternating between blushes and frowns as her mind drifted through a jumble of thoughts, occasionally stealing glances at Michael's back.
Vicki, on the other hand, was giddy with excitement. She carefully adjusted her bat-mask in the mirror, determined to look as good as possible for what she was sure would be a historic event. She felt like she was about to witness history in the making.
Peter? Well, he had fainted at some point.
Their vehicle was the only one on the road, its headlights cutting through the pitch-black night. The power grid in Gotham seemed to have failed in the storm, plunging most of the city into darkness, save for a few districts.
But even in the blackout, one light remained constant—the Bat-signal, still glowing over Gotham Police Department's headquarters, an eternal symbol of hope in a city that never seemed to sleep.
Michael's thoughts continued to swirl. As much as he tried to focus on the task at hand—saving Gordon, stopping Falcone, and neutralizing whatever threat awaited them at Indian Hill—his mind kept wandering back to the larger threat. Barbatos. The Batman Who Laughs.
If they could defeat the enemies at Indian Hill, it wouldn't end there. A bigger storm was brewing, and Michael had a sinking feeling that they were running out of time.
For now, though, he'd have to put those thoughts aside. One battle at a time.
For now, it was Indian Hill. Then—who knew what would come next?