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Batman: Eternal: Episode Three - Nobody

by Mockingchu

Mockingchu The Nobodies attack Gotham City, leaving Batman to scramble in order to keep it safe.

Also, I'll probably be posting more than one episode a week, because of a very special event coming up... Looking at you guys @Ry_Burst and @AuraVolt97...
Bruce crouched in a corner, and pulled out his WTPhone6. There was a large crack going up the middle of it, but it was still operational. He called Alfred.
“Master Bruce, thank goodness you’re still alive,” Alfred said, relieved.
“Yes. Thank goodness. I need you to contact the Bat Family. I’m going to need help on this.”
“On it.”
Bruce rubbed his side, where he had cut himself on a shard of glass. There was blood soaking into his blue t-shirt. He stood up, and glanced around. A regular alley. There was a fence at the other end. The side he had come in from connected with Hal Street, a street that ran through the slums. The building he was leaning against hid a meth lab. The building across from him was a homeless shelter.
Suddenly, Bruce heard footsteps. A man in a white mask ran by the alley. That’s when Bruce realized that he was in the worst possible place. The slums had to be full of people who had aligned with the Nobodies. The footsteps stopped, and the masked man walked back to the alley, and peered in. He saw Bruce. He aimed his M16 at Bruce, and fired away. Bruce ducked behind a trash bin, and prayed that the Bat Family arrived. Suddenly, he heard a blasting noise, and the gunfire stopped. He peeked out from behind the bin.
A tall figure wearing a shining steel suit with a neon blue bat symbol stood at the end of the alley. Batwing.
“Heard you needed help,” Batwing said in a synthesized voice.
“I could’ve taken him,” Bruce said.
“Sure,” Batwing shrugged, “So what now?”
“Now we take down as many of the Nobodies as we can. Keep the citizens of Gotham safe. You make sure the west neighborhoods are safe.”
Batwing nodded, and put his palms toward the ground. Blue flames shot out from his hands and feet, and he flew off.
“Why don’t I have that?” Bruce asked out loud.
“Because Luke built it for himself,” came a female voice. Bruce turned to see a girl with bright orange hair in a purple suit with a yellow bat symbol and cape. Batgirl.
“Maybe I should hire Luke as well,” Bruce said.
“Maybe so,” Batgirl nodded.
“I need you to keep the downtown area safe,” Bruce said, “I’ll send Nightwing down there when he arrives.”
“Alright,” Batgirl said. She lifted a small gray pun, and fired a grapple line up to the top of the building. She zipped up top, and ran off.
“Master Bruce, Nightwing is on his way as well as Red Robin.”
“And here I am,” said Red Robin, dropping onto the trash bin. He wore a red suit with black sides, and a yellow X across his chest, with a black and yellow insignia in the middle. There was a large black mask over his head.
“Good. You need to make sure that everyone in the east neighborhoods are safe. Go.”
“Got it boss,” Red Robin grinned, grappling back onto the roof.
“Alright Al, I have to go,” Bruce said.
“Stay safe, Master Bruce,” Alfred sighed.
“Never,” Bruce smiled, hanging up. He then found Dick Grayson’s number, and called him.
Dick Grayson had been a performer in a circus when he was young. His parents were murdered when he was fourteen by a crime boss in order to gain money from the owner of the circus. Bruce had adopted Dick Grayson, and raised him normally, while secretly fighting crime at night as the Batman. These were his first years as Batman. Then, Dick found out, and took up the mantle of his sidekick, Robin. Eventually, Dick grew out of the role, and became Nightwing on his own. Now he was twenty-one.
“Hey Bruce, I got Alfred’s alert, I’m on my way,” Dick, or Nightwing, said through the phone.
“I need you to make a quick stop at the manor and pick up my suit,” Bruce said.
“You got it,” Dick said.
So, Bruce hid out in the alley for the next fifteen minutes, waiting for Dick to arrive. But Dick didn’t appear. He pulled out his phone, and called Dick again. No answer. That was normal. It wasn’t like Dick carried his phone around when he was Nightwing. But still, Bruce was nervous. He crept out of the alley, and saw three masked people marching down the street, surveying the area. One of them shouted, and pointed at Bruce. They all raised assault rifles, and fired. Bruce dove behind an old brick staircase while bullets smashed through the already battered down bricks. This wouldn’t work as a safe place. So he ran back into the alley, and hopped inside the trash bin. He heard the masked people enter.
“You think he jumped the fence?” one person asked.
“Nah. I heard the bin’s lid slam,” another replied.
“Come out rich boy!” a third called.
“Nowhere to hide now,” the second laughed.
Bruce frantically searched through the trash in hopes of finding something to use as a weapon. Finally, his fingers ran across something cool and metallic. He gripped it around its handle. When he heard the footsteps stop, he sprang out of the bin, and saw the three people stumble back, shocked. He also got a look at the “weapon” in his hand. A rusted soup ladle. He brought it down across one head with force. He then spun, smacking another one, shattering their mask. He kicked the third in the chest, sending them flying back. Then, he brought his foot around to kick the first person in the face, immediately knocking them out. No one moved. Bruce panted, and scooped up one of the guns. An AR-15. Bruce wasn’t good with guns. In fact, he went out of his way to not use them in combat. But this was an emergency. He rushed out onto the street with the gun in his hand. He looked around, and saw people gazing at him, bewildered.
“Everyone, stay calm,” Bruce said, “We need to band together and keep our city safe.”
“Our city?” one of the people yelled, “You mean your city? Because our city and your city are distinctly separate. In your city, people live in highrise apartments. In our city, people live outside of the apartments. We’re in the same place. But we have two separate cities. So why shouldn’t I be helping these ‘Nobodies’?”
“Because if the Nobodies take over, they will just become the new one-percenters. The new rich people of Gotham. It’s a cycle. But if the good people of Gotham pull through this, I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to weaken this cycle,” Bruce stated.
The man who spoke up just glared at Bruce, but other people began to murmur in agreement.
“But you’re right, sir,” Bruce said to the man who had spoken out, “I don’t know enough about you and the people who live here. You do. So I leave you in charge of keeping this city safe.”
Bruce walked over to the man, and handed him the assault rifle. The man’s stare softened, and he smiled. He nodded, and turned to the people gathered around.
“Are you ready to take back out city?” he yelled. The crowd cheered. Bruce ran off, headed for Wayne Manor.

Alfred Pennyworth was sitting in the Batcave, tapping his foot nervously. Suddenly, he heard someone behind him. He turned around, and pulled a pistol out from his waistband. It was Bruce. He lowered his pistol, relieved.
“Thanks for the warm welcome,” Bruce said.
“Any time,” Alfred said, “I assume you’re here for your suit.”
“You would be correct in that assumption,” Bruce nodded. He walked over to the stand that held his suit, and began to put it on.
“How are things going out there?” Alfred asked.
“Not great,” Bruce admitted, slipping on his cowl, “But I think that the slums should be safe. At least until Batman arrives.”
“I don’t like it when you refer to yourself in the third person,” Alfred said.
“I don’t,” Batman said, “It’s just that there’s me, and then there’s Bruce Wayne.”
“There you go again,” Alfred sighed.
“As soon as the cowl comes on, I’m Batman,” Batman grinned, hopping into the Batmobile.
“Whatever you say, Master Bruce,” Alfred said.
“Batman,” Batman corrected. He sped off.
Only minutes later, Batman was speeding through the streets of Gotham. He passed a store with televisions in the window. They were all broadcasting an image of a person in a black mask. The voice that had proclaimed the beginning of the chaos spoke again.
“A message for Batman,” the voice said.
Batman slammed on the brake, and listened in.
“I am standing atop Wayne Tower with your friends Nightwing and Batgirl,” the voice stated, “Come on up and save them.”
Batman wove through crashed cars until he arrived at the base of Wayne Tower. He hopped out of the Batmobile, and fired a cord up to the top of the tower. Then, he flew through the air, and shot above the peak of the tower. He landed with a thud, and looked up to the the person in the black mask. Nightwing and Batgirl were nowhere to be seen.
“Where are they?” Batman growled.
“Oh they’re here,” the man in the mask said, “They’re hanging off the edge of the tower at this very moment. With bombs strapped to their chest. If I die, they die. If I hit this detonator, they die. But I’m gracious, so I’ll allow you to save one. Nightwing or Batgirl. Take your pick.”
Batman rushed over to the side of the building, and looked over. Sure enough, Batgirl and Nightwing were suspended off of the roof, with large metal blocks strapped to their chests.
“You bastard,” Batman growled.
“Perhaps,” the black masked person shrugged, walking over to put a hand on Batman’s shoulder, “But at least you can save one.”
Batman examined the situation closely. He sneakily grabbed two Batarangs, sliding them between his fingers. He knew he could easily hit the bombs on Nightwing and Batgirl’s chest, potentially deactivating them. But then there was the possibility that it would simply set the bomb off, killing them all. He clenched his jaw, racking his brain for a solution to this problem. He could knock out the masked man, without killing him, then remove the bombs from Nightwing and Batgirl. Perfect. He whirled around, and brought his elbow into the man’s temple. The man collapsed, moaning. He clasped the detonator in his hand.
“I will!” the man roared, “So choose! Now! I want to see who the Batman decides is not worthy of life.”
“That person would be you,” Batman growled, marching towards the man. The man put his thumb on the detonator, and Batman froze.
“Choose.”
There was no way out of this. Even if Batman moved as fast as he could, the man just needed to press down to kill both Nightwing and Batgirl. Batman had to choose. He wasted no time.
“Nightwing. Nightwing survives,” Batman sighed, defeated.
“And the mighty Batman takes his fall,” the masked man said, happily. He ran over to the side of the building, and pulled Nightwing up. He took the bomb off of his chest. Nightwing and Batman shared a quick look, and both nodded. Nightwing kicked the detonator out of the man’s hands, and Batman quickly snatched it. The man dodged Nightwing’s next punch, then yanked a gun out from his belt. Instead of aiming at Nightwing, he put it right up to his forehead. He pulled the trigger.
Blood sprayed out from the man’s head, and Batgirl exploded. Blood rained on the streets of Gotham. Nightwing just stared, shocked. Batman walked over to the body of the masked man, and lifted the mask.
“WHAT THE HELL!?” Nightwing exclaimed, “Batgirl! Batgirl just exploded, and her guts are raining down on Gotham! And you’re concerned about who the hell is under the mask!?”
“I’m staying focused,” Batman growled. He didn’t enjoy dealing with sass from his former sidekicks.
“Batgirl just died Bruce! She’s gone! Dead! You should have saved her! Why didn’t you save her dammit!”
“Dick, you are my son. If you thought for one moment I was going to pick Barbara over you, you are out of your mind. Now, why don’t we see who caused all this chaos?”
“I’m disgusted, Bruce. Disgusted. How do you do this? Batgirl just died, and you don’t give a shit. How do you-?”
“Why don’t we talk about this at another time,” Batman said, clenching his jaw, “We still have the Nobodies to deal with.”
Batman set the mask down, and stood up abruptly.
“What is it?” Nightwing asked.
“Nothing,” Batman said after a long, deep breath. Nightwing started towards the body, but Batman stopped him.
“It’s not for you to see. Just moments ago you dug into me about checking. Why are you so interested?”
“It’s got you worked up. Who is it?”
“Let’s go, Nightwing. The city needs saving.”
Batman rushed to the side of the building, and jumped off. Nightwing walked over to the man, and lifted up the mask. His eyes widened, and he backed away. Then, he fell to his knees, and sobbed. This man had caused Bruce so much grief, and now he would forever haunt Nightwing as well. The man who killed Batgirl. The man who killed Batgirl also killed Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Joe Chill.
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