9511/Knightfall: The Death of Batman

Knightfall: The Death of Batman
Date of Scene:	09 October 2019
Location:	Batcave - Wayne Manor
Synopsis:	The Bat Family, locked in the Batcave and unable to aid Batman in his fight with Superman, rush to his aid in the aftermath.
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Oracle, Carrie Kelley, Spoiler, Robin (Wayne)
Tinyplot:	Knightfall

---

Batman has posed:
The time and place had been set. During the day, Batman had sent out a notification to all the members of his extended Family - a missive that asked, or ordered, them to meet in the Batcave at an appointed time. That time has now arrived, and the Cave awaits them.

Almost uncharacteristically, a conference table of sorts has been set up in the main hub. It has a bat emblem upon it (because of course it does) and an array of snacks and pitchers of water are arranged on top of it. Even Alfred is here, dutifully setting out the plates with a distant and pensive look upon his face.

No sign of Bruce, though.

Oracle has posed:
Babs wasn't typically the show up in person to these things type, but when it comes from Batman to meet at the Mansion, she forgoes her usual cautious internal designs to make her way on the back of her 2025 Black Ducati. Through the mansion, down intot he bowels of the cave system beneath the estate where the cavernous domecile of the Batman is located.

She's wearing a loose black Members Only jacket over a green tanktop tucked into skinny jeans and stylish black boots. Her hair is pulled back into a puffy red ponytail and her red framed glasses rest up on her forehead. "Am I late? Am I early? Is there dinner? I ordered Chinese and had to cancel, so there needs to be dinner."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley was still new enough to the 'family' that she knew she wasn't going to miss this once the call came. He said be here, so she was here. Thankfully without very far to go given the fact that he'd arrange for her to stay at the mansion awhile ago in spite of her protests. Logic, and stubborness, won out in the end. So while Alfred is busy setting the table she's here already standing in the cave wearing the bodysuit to her 'work' outfit and her boots. Her own hair was left to hang free, and she was even wearing her glasses instead of contacts as she often did.

Arms crossed she stands there rubbing at her chin with a thoughtful expression. Something... felt off. What was it though?

Hearing the arrival of others it draws her attention away to flash a grin at Babs. "Yeah, there's food," she assures with one hand swinging out toward the table.

... Wait. Something still wasn't... Hmm.

Spoiler has posed:
The door blocking the road in from the outside opens to admit a sleek, purple Shelby Cobra reproduction convertible. Stephanie rolls up and into a parking space, hopping out over the door rather than opening it. She leans in to pull out a cover and covers the car up. It might be the least expensive vehicle in the Batcave - not that it's cheap! - but Stephanie cares for that car better than some mothers care for their children.

Especially in Gotham.

Stephanie jogs over then, seeming in an upbeat mood. Carrie's lower ribs are given a little tickle from behind to announce Stephanie's presence. "Hey Carrie," she greets more normally. "I'm good for dinner, if there is," Stephanie says. Supporting Barbara. Because, you know. She wants to supportive.

She's also hungry.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had dressed in the armory, he was ready for war.

  Robin had approached the table and sat down, clutching a red glowing crystal in his left hand.

  Of course, something felt off as well, it wasn't felt until the others started showing up, something the boy couldn't put his finger on.

Batman has posed:
It is only when they all arrive - are all within the Batcave itself - that whatever it is causing that 'off feeling' makes itself known. Without warning, all the exists slide shut. The entrances by road, by water, by air - all of them close and a thick layer of steel drops into place over each. All of them would know well enough that this is the 'Bunker Protocol', set to protect the Batcave from an outside attack. But - in this case - it is designed to keep them in.

Once the lockdown is complete, the Cave sits in eerie silence. A moment later, Bruce appears on the massive screen of the Batcomputer - larger than life. It appears to be a recent recording, the grey hair and the stubble obvious on his face. He speaks, voice broadcast throughout the Cave.

"I'm sorry, but it had to be this way."

Oracle has posed:
Babs is grinning over at the spread of food when Stephanie arrives, headed in that direction about the time the Batcave goes into full on lockdown. The redhead perks up and glances around with her brow furrowed, "Huh..." A bit confused until Bruce's voice comes from the face on the Batcomputer.

"..."

Her jaw sets into a firm line as she shifts direction on her heels and heads directly towards the Batcomputer, pulling her glasses down over her green eyes as she slides in to the high backed chair. "Batcomputer, Oracle 117071 access protocol Bunker, deactive." She suspects it wont work, it wouldn't be that easy...

But you should always try the door first.

Her fingers flex until the knuckles pop, then uncurl across the keys of one of the keyboards. "You shouldn't have invited me if you wanted to keep us locked in, Bruce... you're getting sloppy."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley glances to the side again to nod in greeting to Stephanie as her eyes return to squinting trying, straining to peice things together. It just about clicks but mere moments before Bruce appears on the screen.

Both hands clap together suddenly as she stands straighter, eyes gone wide with realization. "He Vlad Tepes-ed us!" The yelp of realization, and odd reference, comes as she strides for the table to slam her hands down on it glaring at Alfred. Poor Alfred. ... She couldn't even yell at him given that look of woe on his face. Letting out a sigh her head drops down with a shake.

"Should have realized. When the hell does he ask US for help figuring things out? He's *always* got a plan," she utters again, annoyed.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian watches the face on the screen look at them and apologize. He slams his fist on the table and grits his teeth.

  "Computer, emergency override bunker protocol, Batman." He responds in Bruce's voice. It was a long shot as well, but his particular mimicry talent was useful for that at times.

  Damian stomps to the batcomputer, standing behind Oracle. "Throw everything you can at it, Oracle." He comments, looking around for things he could use. He even tries to activate the Redbird, but is unable to access its weapon systems. "God dammit!"

  Robin turns to Carrie and holds out that red crystal. "Stab me with this."

Batman has posed:
"This had to be done and done this way. I've prepared a private message for each of you."

The voice of Bruce continues to speak as Alfred approaches a metallic cabinet that only seems to unlock once the recording reaches that part. Inside, several parcels are arrayed neatly on shelves. Slowly he begins to hand them out, the old man's eyes wet with tears.

The attempts to unlock the bunker protocol don't seem to work. All prepared for, all considered. But the Batcomputer is, in part, Barbara Gordon's baby and as she begins to work through the back-up programs and redundancies the system attempts to fight back. A clash of the titans - but some headway is made, nevertheless.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie Brown goes over to join the others. "Oh this is so much better than Big Belly Burger," she says of the food, before the messages from Batman begin playing. The food is forgotten, the blond standing quietly and listening.

She watches as Alfred goes over to the cabinet. Her eyes dart to each of the people in turn, and as she hears Damian, Stephanie moves over a little nearer, in case anything gets out of hand.

Oracle has posed:
if eer:= t.rpcContext.stopper.runtask(
    stream.context(). "storage.protocolbunker: processing batch",
        t.rpcContext.root.runworker(xtx, func(ctx context.context)
            errCh <- func() error {

"I'm working on it Baby Bat." Babs has the prompt up, programming in a work around to the protocols framework. "I need you up here Damian, I'm going to add you a dedicated user. You're the one here sounds most like Bruce, so I'm accounting for minor deviations in voice pitch..."

//cache.ir.access
    $ commit.voice.rs BRUCE WAYNE((

"You ready Damian?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley lifts her head to watch as Damian gets just as aggitated as she was. In her case, it was for not noticing and realizing the connection of what was being done. In his? Being left behind. Again.

When the red kryptonite is offered she takes it in hand with a solemn nod, but doesn't stab him. Instead she tucks it away into her utility belt and reaches out to... pull him into a quick hug. He'd stab her later, likely.

"Give it a few, we'll work it out," she assures before releasing him so he can work with Barbara to hack the computer.

When Alfred pulls out the items, she moves over to take a few from him. "Sit down, I'll get it. We aren't going to let him do this alone much as he may try," she assures again. Even if she wasn't a hundred percent. "I'll get the medbay ready. Since he's likely doing something stupid dangerous. He'll need us ready."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian watches the chaos crystal placed in Carrie's utility belt, his white eyelets close into a scowl as he is embraced. "Kelley, Damn you! If you're not going to do it, give it back! I'll take it by force if you push me."

  But then, Barbara's asking for him, and he runs back to the batcomputer's chair. "Ready." The desperation just now starting to show in his voice.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie looks back and forth at everyone. "You know we need to let him do this," Stephanie says. She feels a chill run down her spine, but she has to say it. "If we're out there, we just become targets he has to worry about. He can't focus on doing what he has to do. I know we want to help him. But he planned this, I'm sure, to do it without distractions, without anyone that would have to take his focus away to protect them. And you know he would protect us if we were there," Stephanie says.

She doesn't expect it to be popular to hear.

Oracle has posed:
"It isn't that I think you're wrong, Stephanie." Babs says without glancing up from the black screen of varying colored codelines, "It's that he didn't give us the option. I'm tired of the decision being made for me.. So..." She plucks her pinky out and hits enter, motioning for Damian to speak clearly into the mic sitting on the desk beside her. She points up at the screen, the sentence is a wierd string of sentences that don't seem to make much sense in context.

I have two stones now, but I have to place the basket in the water.
If there is no such thing as the sun, where are the flower pots

It continues on like that for several more lines.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"I'm not stabbing you, Damian. I'll give it back when you need it for a reason other than that," Carrie calls out as she starts to light up the area of the cave often used as the medbay. It wasn't much, really, but she couldn't hack the Batcomputer. A regular one? Maybe. She had some skill there, but no where near Oracle. So she does what she can. Make sure the meds are ready. Make sure the electronic equipment was working. It's a quick check that she does over twice before glancing back to the others listening, and watching.

Batman has posed:
Carrie's parcel contains what looks to be a simple flash drive in a box, set atop a folded and handwritten note on Bruce's own stationary. When she offers to help Alfred, he simply sighs and sinks down into one of the seats at the table. After a moment, he buries his face in his hands and falls silent.

The video message of Bruce is interrupted now, the attempt to hack into the Batcomputer having stopped it. Those screens not in use by Barbara and Damian flash with a live news feed from downtown Metropolis. Video footage taken from a smartphone of Superman falling from a building and landing atop a car with a resounding crash. A moment later, Batman drops down to meet him.

The Batcomputer continues to fight back against Barbara's efforts, but it is a losing battle - Bruce may be a genius, but he lacks that natural talent that makes Oracle a cut above.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian leaned towards the mic and repeated the words on the screen, in Bruce's voice. "I have two stones now, but I have to place the basket in the water. If there is no such thing as the sun, where are the flower pots?" He continues on as the screen presents it.

  The boy does as best he can without giving off just how scared, angry, and worried he was. It wasn't that good of a job.

  The news feed on the screen makes Damian ball up his fists, his heart was racing now, it was a matter of losing his father now.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie Brown nods to Barbara, but she doesn't move to help her mentor in trying to break the lockdown. Not that she could do much anyway. Maybe hit the return key now and then when Barbara needs it?

Stephanie moves over to Alfred instead. She leans down and wraps her arms around him. "He's going to be ok, Alfred," she tells him quietly. "I know he is. He's too damn stubborn to let an alien hurt him," she says, tightening her arms for a moment.

"Which one is for me?" she asks Alfred. Giving him something to do, for she could figure it out for herself.

Oracle has posed:
//cache.ir.commit
if.true..runtask(
    stream.context(series):BRUCE WAYENE "storage.protocolbunker:processing batch"://cache.ir
(
        t.rpccontext.runworker.batch.cache(xtx, func(ctx context.cache)
eerch <- func() error {void
    protocol.bunker.end

The computer starts running a batch of variations of those seven sentences rearranged trying to find an access command line in Bruce Wayne's voice.

acc.tpr.c run.usuer.flood (
        -access:file.upload.exe.tpr.open.nil

Flooding the, understandably massive, system memory with authorized access requests.

at.apr.so (pro(end protocol).if.sys.fail. {
    run.nil.tpr
    eerCh <- func() error(end)

With the system administration code authorized to deactive the protocol in the event of a complete system failure.

If a villain ever wanted to hack the Batcomputer...

Now would definitely be the time.

She just backdoor DDOS attacked it with systems administration access. It'll require a system reboot once Babs is done, but what she has writ! She can fix!

And she might even do so.

Trap her in the Batcave, will yah? Call Geeksquad ya dick.

"He'll be okay, Damian..." Babs says to her little brother. Quietly, reassuringly, with a knowing smile on her face for him, she reaches out to lay a hand on his arm tenatively, "We'll be out of here soon, go get the Batwing ready.. I'll let you know when I've opened the skylights for you."

Green eyes to glance up at the screen herself... watching Bruce and Superman with a frown cut across her pressed together lips, trying to keep the worry out off her face for the sake of the others.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley steps slowly away from the medbay area. Now that it was fully functional she turns her attention to the flash drive and note. Maybe it would contain something to help? ... If he intended to die, she doubted it. What she saw on the screen as the news was reporting was enough to make her stomach flip.

Now was not the time to panic. Now was the time to think.

Feeling rather cold, calm, and detached in spite of the tense knot in her stomach she fishes out her phone to flip open an access port and attach the flash drive to it. There was no way she was going to use one of the stand alone computers while they worked on the central one. Her phone, an upgraded model from her old pay to go with some additions, would do the trick. Even as she waits for it to load she flips open the card to read it quickly.

"Come on you crafty jerk what'd you leave us?"

Batman has posed:
As the drive is plugged into Carrie's phone, it seems to take over immediately. A blue bat emblem fills the screen, fading away until what looks like a GPS app - though none Carrie ever installed - appears on the screen. A small, three dimensional rendering of Gotham appears on the screen with what looks like a lit path snaking through the streets towards a familiar address - the Wayne Foundation Building.

When she looks at the note, it says in Bruce's need cursive:

    For when you need to fly solo.

    Remember you always have a family, and the duties that entails.

    P.S. When you get there, say 'Kestrel'

As Barbara and Damain work their magic on the Batcomputer, the news footage shows something graver. Superman, looking badly injured and with eyes turned completely black, now has Batman by the throat. A moment later he throws him into a wall, the bricks and mortar tumbling down upon the Dark Knight.

But in spite of it, the lockdown starts to lift. The steel doors slowly begin to roll out of place, grinding in protest against the conflicting commands they are receiving. Slow going, but a step in the direction intended.

Alfred quietly reaches for one of the parcels, handing it to Stephanie. Inside is what looks to be a smartphone, and another handwritten note that reads.

Only you could live with it. I'm sorry.

As soon as the box is opened, the smartphone's screen illuminates. A prompt on the screen reads 'ACTIVATE Y / N? FINGERPRINT REQUIRED.'

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had not the words or the will to express what he truly wanted to say. Once Barbara gives him the OK, he runs over to the table and right to Carrie. "It's the same kind of crystal that killed me. The same kind of energy that revived me. I need it, if you won't hit me with it, I will...to get to him." A second passes as his breath quivers slightly as he inhales. "Please." He holds out his hand, open and shaking in a way Carrie and the others never had seen him before.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
No. No. No. No this wasn't meant to help. This wasn't some clue to pick up the peices after whatever plot he had finished. This was... This was a will. Carrie stares mortified at the screen of her phone even as the note in her other hand drops to the floor.

There's barely time to register it before Damian is back by her again. Green eyes snap to him staring with her jaw clenched tight.

But then her hand flips open the case on her belt retreiving the crystal, and without a word, she hauls her hand back to stab it into his stomach. "Bring him home, Damian," she utters with a solemn nod.

Oracle has posed:
Babs reaches for the headset Damian had used to imput the voice imprint she requested and slides it on over her head. "Computer Access Oracle 1170171 reboot, Remote access Oracle Array, full. Route functions to off-site database."

<<Thirty seconds and you're clear for take off, Baby Bird. I'm in your ear.>>

The reboot will take a few minutes, but she has access on her Promethius(tm) phone until full boot from root kernal.

She broke the Bat.... computer.

Bane of the digital world.

Do you feel in the code?

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie Brown takes the package from Alfred. Before she looks at it she gives him another tight hug. Which thankfully turns his face from the TV as Batman is thrown into the wall. Stephanie does her best not to tense at what she sees. "Thank you, Alfred. I wish I'd had someone like you around when I was growing up," she says to the Wayne family butler, smiling to him softly.

Stephanie's eyes go back to the TV, her heart aching and her desire to rush out like Damian wants to is almost overwhelming. Instead she reaches for the phone, though her hand trembles before she rubs it on herself and then finally presses her finger to the phone to activate it.

Batman has posed:
The scene on the newsfeed is a brutal one. Batman apparently had Superman on the ropes, even going so far as to crash the Batmobile into him and leave him buried beneath millions of dollars of cutting-edge technology. But Superman had hurt the Bat badly in reprisal, throwing the ruined car at him which he falls just shy of missing and is knocked bodily to the ground.

SLAM!

The Man of Steel drives the Dark Knight's body into the pavement, cracking and fissuring it as he does so.

SLAM!

They speak, though the cameras don't pick up the sound.

SLAM!

Superman's eyes glow red, a menacing and baleful glare before something stops him. He stumbles, Batman falling from his grasp.

In Stephanie's hand, the smartphone chirrups 'DRONE ACTIVATED' - real-time nosecam footage from a bat drone high above Metropolis begins to feed directly through the phone's screen. A split second later, the screen overlay declares it has picked up its target, and some small, incongruous missile is launched.

On the newsfeed, the same missile whirls through the air and strikes Superman in the back. A glowing haze of green mist surrounds him as he coughs and sputters.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian's eyelets go wide at the motion Carrie had made, the sharp sting of the crystal sliding into his body, and the dull pain it caused. The red crystal emitted a red electricity into Damian's torso and the boy gets down to his knees, he didn't care about the pain, he just needed it to be over so he could do what he needed to do.

  The arcs of red energy gave way to vapor wafting off his armor, only a guise now, as he was tougher underneath it.

  Robin breathed heavily for a couple seconds after the energy was depleted, transferred to him now. The hole in his uniform was still there, but no sign of any wound or evidence that there was once a crystal stuck right there.

  What happened next had not been known to anyone else in the Family, not even the Titans before now. He started to hover over the ground, a few inches at first, then a few feet. "Give me a location on the bat. I will exfiltrate." He said, already placing the micro-earpiece into his left ear canal. He looked to the news feed, searching for any sign of Batman there.

Oracle has posed:
<<Feeding last known to your HUD now.>>

Oracle says to Damian now that he's plugged into the Batwing. She spares a glance up at the screen just as the missile whistles down from the heavens and smashes in against Superman's back, but doesn't have time to unpack that right now. She's got to help Damian bring Bruce home.

Bring home their dad.

She doesn't dare look at Alfred right now, though. She's a tough woman, but she knows what the Family Butler had to do tonight is weighing heavily on his shoulders. Deception and the willful denial of assistance to Bruce that might have changed the course of events he now has to watch play out live on the screen?

It would be too much for her to handle, that pain in his eyes.

<<Damian you're clear to launch.>>

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Sorry," Carrie responds in a tight whisper as she watches Damian go down from the electric energy coursing through him. She couldn't afford to be weepy right now. Later, maybe, but right now... There was enough going on. There wasn't time. She stands by him waiting, watching for signs it may go wrong. It's only when he starts to float that she gives him a firm nod.

Turning away she strides toward Oracle and the computer with a grim expression. There was nothing more SHE could do.

"He won't be flying the Batwing," she explains. "Have it remote follow him, though. Just in case he needs cover fire. Or...." Her head turns toward the screen staring at the explosive green dust around the pair now.

"In case." They might need more ways to extract Bruce than just Damian. But where had that bomb come from?

Carrie's head snaps over toward Alfred realizing how awful this must be for him only to see Stephanie standing there with phone in hand as well. Her mouth opens... but nothing is said.

Spoiler has posed:
With Carrie stabbing, and Damian being stabbed, and Barbara hacking away, it's quite possible no one saw what Stephanie saw on the smart phone after she activated it.

Then again, Alfred is right there.

Stephanie's eyes go over to him for a moment and then she tilts the phone so only she can see it, though her eyes are on the TV screen. Stephanie swallows, or tries, but it just won't make it down her throat.

She watches quietly, not looking at Damian or Barbara or Carrie. She's quietly seeing someone else's face in her mind's eye. Seeing his eyes looking at her.

Oracle has posed:
"What?" Babs hasn't glanced back because Alfred, so she doesn't know what crazy ass sorcery is afoot with flying Damian electro-star. "What the fu-..." Glancing back now, she.. just stares. "Where the /fuck/ was that like.. you know what, I don't care." Hands up, then back down on the keybaord. "Always some bullshit magic."

"Remote access Batwing on flight sticks." She says to the computer, moving one hand away to begin the prelaunch junk so that it can follow along behind SUPER POWERED DAMIAN.

Because that's a thing now.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     As soon as he has the info he needs, he'll take off. Not in the batwing, this Robin was flying by himself.

  He clears the skylights, and his cape billowed in a way it never had before, Metropolis was mere miles across the river from Gotham, Damian could be there in a matter of minutes. You could bet on the fact that he was flying as fast as possible to get to the City of Tomorrow. Yes, Damian had powers, sort of. There would be explanations later, many explanations.

Batman has posed:
Batman does typically have a tracking device on him. While the rest of the Family cannot typically use it unless he wants them to, Barbara's takeover of the Batcomputer has undone all that. The feed tracks his homing beacon easily, leading to the central business district of Metropolis. But neither Batman nor Superman is there now, only the torn and shredded remains of his armored batsuit - twisted and fused together by blistering heat vision.

In the Batcave, Alfred looks up to Steph as she holds the smartphone. He regards it silently, wet and red-ringed eyes blinking owlishly at her for a moment. But, without a word, he reaches out and takes it gently from her hands. He replaces it in the box, closing the cover and rising to his feet to return it back to the cabinet from whence it came.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Long story," Carrie explains as she considers the new information she's taken in. While Damian and Babs get to getting Batman, and Alfred takes care of Stephanie, she reaches for one of the communication headsets herself tucking it quickly. "Alerting all other allies weak to Kryptonite to steer clear of Metropolis. Airborne particles are present," she informs hoping the signal gets to those others who may need to know: Don't interfere with the fight between Batman and Superman.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie Brown passes the phone back to Alfred without a word, either just looking back at him. She looks at the TV screen for a moment and the rushes to hop into the Batwing before it takes off, pulling her cowl in place as she does.

Having the purple and black mask covering her face is welcome right now. Stephanie drops into one of the pilots seats and straps herself in, but doesn't touch the sticks.

She also doesn't say a word. If people weren't so occupied they might think her comms were down.

Oracle has posed:
<<Batgirl. There is a break in in the Bowery. Gotham does not care that the Batman is indisposed. I am sending you the information to your HUD.>>

The city doesn't sleep because they're sad. Babs can be the hard task master they need right now.

<<Damian, What is your twenty?>>

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had landed at the coordinates, but he wasn't able to find anyone. Bruce was not there, only pieces of his armored suit. <<I'm here...no sign of him. Just scraps of the suit.>>

  He continued to look around as fast as he could, running with heightened speed. More and more and more he searched. <<What the hell?! He's not here. No secondary beacon?>>

Batman has posed:
No secondary beacon. Nothing.

Batman had done a great deal to prevent intercession in the fight to come, and it shows. But while he may have accounted for Damian's potential super-abilities, perhaps he had not thought he would use them.

Or maybe he simply hadn't factored in the boy's desperation?

So, as Damian searches, he does finally find him. In one of Metropolis alleyways, slumped against the brickwork, lays the Batman. His face is beaten and bloodied beyond recognition, the cowl so torn that much of his face is visible beneath. Only the undersuit of his uniform is still intact, and much of it has been torn away to reveal bloodied flesh beneath. He struggles to breathe, peering at Damian through eyes almost swollen shut.

"Ro ... bin."

Oracle has posed:
<<No. Signal is in that area. Do you see part of his cowl?>>

Babs sees the image of Batman, of Bruce, slumping against the wall through Damian's cowl cam.. and freezes. It's right there for all of them to see, really, and the state of him is not at all something easily swallowed.

There will likely be tears later.

Right now there's a clinical like resonnance that settles over the redhead.

<<The Batwing is on approach. Load him on and get back here. I am clearing the skys of air traffic above Gotham.>>

Though most of the planes have been grounded with the aerial fighting between two senior members of the Justice League. Right? RIGHT?! Think of the first class passangers and those loser plebs in coach.

Spoiler has posed:
Batgirl rises from the seat as the Batwing flies over Gotham. She pulls off a parachute and straps it on, only briefly checking the altitude to see she doesn't need an oxygen pack.

Stephanie slams her hand into the button to open the hole in the jet's floor, crossing her arms and stepping through without a single quip, or even acknowledging the Bowery assignment. Oracle will be able to tell from the monitors in her suit where she is though.

She drops out of the sky, eyes going towards the part of town the Batwing is jetting towards, the site of the fight. One last look and then she spreads her cape, helping direct herself off towards the Bowery until she's low enough to pop her chute and land on a rooftop.

Oh she hopes someone resists.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
This is where Carrie leans over just a bit to get a better view of the screen that Babs is looking at. The sight of Batman... Bruce... Sent her stomach plummeting again. A deep breath is taken, held, and then let out. Her feet kick against he floor sending the chair she'd purloined to spinning away. When it turns fully she's on her feet heading for the med area once again.

"There should be a medscan on the Batwing. Once he's loaded in feed me his vitals, injuries, everything," she requests even as she starts to get the obvious things she knew she would need ready. Painkiller. Oxygen. A few packs of Bruce's own blood kept for just such a reason. The instant they came back she would be ready to start doing what she could. "Can we get Leslie Chapel here?" They would need a real doctor here not just someone who could do first aid and some basic triage.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian stops in his tracks as he and Oracle catch sight of Batman in the alley. "Batman!" He practically screams as he moves over to the Bat, extracting his medkit, if there was anything to triage here first. <<VTOL is clear on the street. He's in bad shape.>> Yeah, no shit Sherlock.

  Damian lifts Batman into his arms, the weight of his father both hardly a physical burden and a tremendous psychological one. Once the Batwing gets close, he takes off, approaching the hyper advanced jet with his Father. He sets him down in the cockpit, and lets the machine fly off. His face showed his disgust, not with Batman, with the Man of Steel. Damian also knew he had no weapons that could harm Clark. He was powerless to do anything about this, the shittiest situation he had ever found himself in. <<Oracle, is there any inventory of kryptonite weapons left? Or reserves of the mineral itself? If he did not get the job done...we are fucked.>> He asked, taking off towards Gotham again, back home.

Oracle has posed:
<<Checking, hold for response.>>

<<Batgirl what is the situation?>>

Babs keys up the weapon payload and inventory list for material: Kryptonite. - 0.

<<All of it is gone, Damian. Bring Bruce home.>>

Spoiler has posed:
Batgirl is mechanical as she stops the robbery. In truth she won't even remember the details later. Either the report won't get filed, or she'll have to review what her costume's cameras caught.

She just knows she walked out of the jewelry store, and no one left inside was moving who shouldn't be. She turned and walked off down the street as the sound of sirens could be heard closing in over her comms.

<Situation taken care of,> she finally says softly. She's hearing Damian, listening to what he's saying. Blue eyes search the street, not really focusing on anything, before finally activating a switch on her belt. Back at the Batcave, her Batcycle suddenly deploys, driving itself out down the tunnel now that the lockdown is lifted, heading for the Bowery.

Batman has posed:
Bruce sat in the jump seat of the Batwing, slumped to one side. The seat had dutifully been converted to trauma couch mode, but the truth remained that Batman's trauma was more than simply being set right would ever fix. He rasps, lapsing in and out of consciousness. His vitals once more appear on the Batcomputer as the plane reads and transmits them, showing vital signs of a man very near to Death's door - perhaps about to pass right through it.

The trip back to Gotham is a quick one, especially as the Batwing does not need to go further than Crest Hill before it ducks down into the canopy and once more comes to land in the Batcave. As the hatch hisses open, Bruce coughs noisily - a wheezing, ratcheting breath that feels as though something vital has been knocked loose.

"Damian - " he demands, casting his eyes about frantically. Arm twitching, but unable to lift from the armrest, "Damian!"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley was already there waiting when the Batwing came back. The wind of it's descent whips her hair around her face but thankfully her glasses protect her eyes. Eyes that had gone cold and hard preparing for what might be to come.

When he starts to yell for Damian, she's already stepping up to put a light hand against his arm. "He's fine, Boss," she assures. "Coming back on his own. You need to *not move* much. We've got it from here." As if to prove her point she raises up a syringe he might recognize as a dose of painkiller he used frequently. If he didn't hold still she'd damn well make him.

Oracle has posed:
Babs reaches for her phone sitting on the corner of the Computer Terminal and thumbs over the contacts until she reaches one with UNKNOWN and a picture of a Caduceus. She keys it up and puts it to her ear, "Hey... Doctor Thompkins.. Yeah it's Barbara Gordon.." Pushing back from the computer as she stands, the Batwing left to autopilot itself back to the cave so she can be there when Bruce is being unloaded.

"..." She's quiet seeing the state of him with her own eyes. "Doc... we're going to need your services I think. I'll have a car sent around to pick you up." A glance at Carrie, then at Alfred, then back to Bruce.

"It's urgent."

Spoiler has posed:
It takes time for her remote-piloted Batcycle to reach Stephanie, and then convey her back to the Batcave. She listens over her comms, and one eyes of her cowl shows a video feed when there is video to show finally.

Eventually she arrives back at the Batcave, the cycle gliding in quietly and slow and over to the parking area. Batgirl climbs off, the automated mechanical systems beginning to service it. Stephanie removes her mask to walk over to where the others are gathered, but hangs back, watching quietly.

Batman has posed:
Batman continues to cast about frantically for Damian, still calling out for the younger Wayne even as Barbara and Carrie close on him. As Carrie inject shim with the painkiller, his thrashing stops a little, but he remains conscious - a dosage like that, coupled with his head injuries? It must be taking willpower like tempered steel to be keeping him conscious. His blue, bloodshot eyes find Carrie's and his arm moves despite the pain - grasping her around the wrist in a death grip.

"Save ... him."

Then, a slight turn of his head to Barbara and a single, gasped word: "Lead."

And then the unthinkable happens. His vitals crash. His heartbeat stops, and the man who was Batman slumps still in the trauma couch. Already the hand about Carrie's wrist begins to cool, and the Batman's eyes stare vacantly past her ...

... and out into eternity.