The Dark Knight returns

Steadying his camera in his trembling hands, Vincent looked up to see the monstrous turtle creature raise the wolf king up in its talon, opening its beak wide in anticipation, eager to bite the wolf’s head clean off. But then something caught his ear, a loud thrumming sound like the roar of a motor off in the distance. The noise was so loud, Two-Face paused, turning both of his attentions to something charging towards them off in the distance, its high beams visible even from blocks away.

“WhAt ThE FucK Is ThAt?”

“Look up into the sky Harvey, they called him a while ago.”

Looking up at the under canopy of the world tree, Harvey’s many eyes narrowed, as hot air snorted out his nostrils. Overhead, taking up enough space to be seen by all, was the Bat Signal.

“GRRAAAAAAAAAAARGH! BLAST HIM!!!” Roared Two-Face, glaring down at his men as they aimed their weapons at the incoming batmobile that already crashed through the fence line and charged towards the massive two-headed turtle at full speed. Silver bullets specked and ricocheted off the hull of the jet-black vehicle, its engines thrumming with barely contained power as the exotic ammunition did nothing but scratch the paint job, then with a screech of metal and peeled rubber, the sleek vehicle went completely quiet. Coming to a dead stopped at the heart of the festival grounds. Hesitant, the goons looked to each other for confirmation.

“Did we get’em?”

“I don’t know…”

A hiss of air from the black painted vehicle revealed a metallic cylinder jut out of the roof, coiled in copper bands and giving off static electricity that danced across its surface. Then the batmobile began to thrum back to life, its engine roaring like a lion as the air took on a strange ozone tint and every lycanthrope nearby whimpered to a sound the humans couldn’t hear. Then it happened. One by one, the robed men and women holding firearms gasped as their pistols and semis were pulled out of their hands by an intense magnetic pull, snatching their weapons, pocket change, phones, and keys from their persons to the electromagnet on top of the batmobile.

When everyone was left unarmed and fumbling to regain their footing after their metal belongings were ripped from them, a pair of compartments opened in the vehicle, firing taser nets at the massive turtle monster, and wrapping the massive turtle in electrifying steel mesh, and forcing Harvey to let the Wolf King go as his body betrayed him and was scoured in uncontrollable pain.

Seeing their leader roll onto his side, wracked with convulsions from a jolt of 10,000 volts coursing through his gigantic body, the group looked back at the batmobile to see the cockpit open and its pilot fire out into the air. Looking up, they all saw the batman unfurl his cloak to spread out into the emblem of a bat with its wings outstretched. What happened next was a blur.

A series of punches, kicks, and the deft hands of a trained combatant wearing a cape and cowl flitted through each assailant, knocking them each unconscious and cuffing them before they even hit the ground. The trio keeping Nightwing, Starfire and Talia detained could only watch on in stunned hesitation as the Batman barreled through one of them, throwing a bola at another and spin kicking the third across the face so hard, the man hit the ground limp. Damien kept going and charged towards the other robed goons who picked up what they could as makeshift weapons to fight the man off.

“Talia! Talia, are you alright?” Called out Dick, seeing the woman still prone on the ground. No longer kept down by their attackers, Nightwing gathered up the silver crosses and pulled the robe off one of the unconscious men to use as a makeshift sack to keep them in.

Slowly coming to her senses and looking up to the man crouching to see to her safety, with Starfire looking over his shoulder, the vampiric woman slowly sat up and got to her feet, looking over to the rest of the festival to find Two-Face writhing under the taser netting, while Damien leapt from one assailant to the next. Reaching the lycanthropes pinned against the wall, the Batman was like a pitch-black blur as he attacked one robed figure brandishing silver at a weakened krypto-wolf, apprehending them and tossing the silver crosses to Dick who quickly got the idea and gathered the objects to be properly contained.

One of the robed figures charged at Damien from behind with a wooden beam in hand, the strike never making purchase as it was cut clean in two with the razor-edged blade of a sword from Damien’s back. With two more slashes of the blade, Batman cut the two by four in his opponent’s hand down until it was short and useless. With a flourish in both hands, Batman poised himself ready to slice the man in half, the act making the robed attacker gasp and bring his hands up to defend himself… only to find the blade had slipped down to cut his belt line open and force his pants to fall to his knees. Blinking down at his exposed legs, the man tried to reach for his fallen pants only for Damien to expertly twirl the blade around to strike him between the eyes with the pommel of his sword, knocking him out. A final flourish of the blade sent it back into its sheath behind his back.

Smiling, Talia looked to the massive turtle paralysed in agony and his crew detained in mere minutes. Resting her hands to her sides with an imperious grin. “My son does me proud.”

The part of Harvey’s crew detaining Harley and Pamela quickly realised their edge was gone, fumbling for the silver crosses in their robes to brandish before the two wolves, when they suddenly found their legs bound in thorny vines. Looking down, the vines continued to crawl up and bind the two down until they were forced to their knees, clutching at vines binding their arms and necks. Looking up at the red and white Wolf Queens, they cowered under their harsh gaze.

“You two can sit RIGHT there!”

“Yeah! Sit the fuck down like good little doggies! Mama’s got a few words for your boss…”

Looking out to the rest of the festival, Aloe Vera raised her claws to conjure more plant life to detain the attackers now that they were disarmed while Bruce had quickly gotten to his feet and attacked those keeping down Dracula and Selina. Knocking out the four keeping them down and kicking away the silver crosses to help the undead king and his wife up to their feet.

His vision clearing, Dracula found Batman dealing with Two-Face’s crew, the man straightened himself and checked to see that his wife was unharmed. Returning his gaze to look up at the Wolf King, the vampire smiled. The red and white wolfess quickly siding to the black wolf.

“Yours I take it?”

“One of them.” Bruce answered sternly. His attention falling on Dick Grayson as he with Starfire and Talia joined the Great Wolf and Vampire King. “The one who wanted it the most.”

With the silver detained along with those who would use it, the rest of the Lycanthropes finally stepped up to contain those who had planned to kill them. With Batman overseeing that the robed men and women were properly gathered for the authorities to take into custody. His arms crossed as he looked down at the few who were still conscious and spitting curses back at the caped crusader. Ignoring the chorus of cheers from everyone around him as he waited for the police to arrive.

“YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?! THOSE ANIMALS KILLED MY FAMILY!!!”

“THEY RUINED OUR LIVES!!!”

“HOW CAN YOU TAKE THEIR SIDE OVER US?”

“I’m not the one who tried to kill a bunch of people who’s only crime was getting super rabies.” Replied the dark knight, his attention briefly diverting to the leaders of the lycanthropes checking themselves over. “I’m sorry for your loss. But getting back at random people doesn’t avenge your loved ones, and it sure as hell doesn’t bring them back.”

Stepping away, Batman watched the tribe leaders gather to address Harvey Dent and Karn’el’s failed coup. Joining them were Kara, Lois Lane and Clark Kent, the three the new defacto alphas of the Krypto-Wolves now that Carn’el was dead.

“You need to explain yourself animal!” Accused Dracula, staring up at the towering form of Superman. “I granted you the opportunity to make your mongrels something other than a threat to me, and in taking advantage of my… ‘kindness’, you try to kill me!”

“They need not explain a thing Khaine Adamson.” Cut in Bastet, stepping between the massive, four-armed werewolf and the king of vampires. “It was Carn’el, it was always Carn’el from the very beginning. HE took advantage of his pack and of your good graces.”

Looking down at his four clawed hands, Clark made a face of confusion, still unused to his new form, his attention briefly taken to the pair of arms hugging his shoulder and finding Lois looking up at him with worry and comfort in equal measure. Smiling back down at her and looking over to Kara who rested a clawed hand at his shoulder, Superman crouched to see the Count eye to eye.

“Carn’el took advantage of a biological trait this species of werewolves has, back on my home world, these… Crag wolves produced a chemical that makes people suggestible. He had us all drugged and controlled against our will.”

Narrowing his burning red eyes, Dracula scowled. “All the more reason that you are now far too dangerous to exist, even in this sanctuary for your kind.” Turning his gaze to the blonde alpha, the man scoffed. “And I had expected YOU above all to know when one of your own is plotting against you.”

“My love, please…” Worried Selina. She wanted Carn’el dealt with, but not the rest of the Krypto-Wolves.

“No Selina… He’s right.” Sighed Kara, lowering her head in shame. “He played me, played Clark, played us all and not once did I think he was plotting all of THIS until it was too late.”

Turning his gaze to the pleading eyes of his wife and back to the towering horned wolves, Dracula’s face remained stern, but his eyes softened. “I will determine your fate in time, until then, we have THIS atrocity to deal with.”

Looking over to the giant wereturtle in both fascination and disgust, the leaders of the lycanthropes sneered.

“To think such an abomination had been hidden for so long in this city without us knowing.” Lamented Lamia, coiling her serpentine loops around her as if to shudder.

Arachne, along with Barbara and Helena hissed back at the monster taking up the heart of the festival square. “Even OUR networks did not foresee him.”

Barbara gave the two an incredulous smirk. “Welcome to Gotham, even when you think you’ve got the city figured out, something NEW crawls out of the woodworks.”

Joining the others, Damien could see Dick with Starfire and his mother come to join the meeting, with Nightwing hoisting up the full sack full of crosses for him to see. His face expressionless even when he spotted the vampire that was his mother smile back at him, almost proudly. But then he noticed her expression quickly turn to alarm, then fear as she separated from her two lovers and bolted towards the man. Acting on instinct, Damien reached for the blade behind his back, realising far too late she was too fast for even him to be ready as she grabbed him by his shoulders.

He expected the worst, until he felt her hoist him off his feet and toss him aside. Looking up from where he was being thrown, he discovered why she did what she did when he spotted the gapping open maw of Harvey Dent snap his beak shut over where he was standing, the space now occupied by his mother who sacrificed herself to save him. By the time he landed on the ground, Harvey’s beak clamped over her body.