Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 20:28:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Jason Decade Subject: Prince of Gotham 9 Disclaimer: This is a my perspective on characters who belong to DC comics. So all rights and stuff go to them except for the character(s) that I make up. Chapter 9: Father Figures "You're dead." "I can't be dead." "You are." "Then, how could I have saved those people?" "You're alive." "You just said..." "And I was right..." "You were wrong." "I'm never wrong." "Then what am I?" "Born again." "Born again?' "Reborn." "It's not that simple." "It's not that complicated." "I think maybe it is." "Why are you arguing with me?" "You're making the kind of sense that doesn't." "Nonsense?" "Now you're getting it." "You are reborn." "Iamnotfuckinreborn...am I?" "You...Are reborn." "I...am annoyed." Martian Manhunter asked. I said, confused. - - - - - - - - - - I stood, doing martial art that Bruce and some of the Justice Leaguers had taught me. I focused my mind, then pushed the air! I brought my leg up and my upper went towards the floor and did a semi-kick. I then focused my energy on jumping and flipped, landing just in front of the wall and grabbing a weapon. "You have super powers." Tim said quickly. I shook my head, " No I don't." I said "Yeah, you do. I saw you use them." Tim said, " Where do they come from?" "Magic." I said simply. "Does this mean that you're going to drop out of school and join the League?" Tim asked, " And what about the newspaper?" I stopped fighting the air with my staff, " Did they say something?" I asked, looking at him, " I don't know, I'm not a superhero." "What about the Titans?" Tim asked. "I don't think so." I said quickly, " About all of it." I added. "Oh." Tim said. "Once again, I'm not a superhero." I said, " I'm just trying to find my dad." "How's that going?" someone asked from the shadows. "Careful, one might think you're campaigning for the title of Dark Knight." I smirked, " A person might think you're Bruce." Dick walked up to me, not wearing a costume, but jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather jacket I had gotten him, " I'm nothing like him." he growled, " How are you?" "I'm a little out of it, but other...Did I save those people?" I asked. "Yes. Yes, you did. The Flash saved you as the bridge fell." Dick smiled, " It's getting rebuilt by the Justice League." "So, that's where Bruce is?" I asked. "No. But that's where Batman is." Dick said "Is there really a difference?" I asked. "Yeah." Tim said, " There's difference. Isn't there with you?" "Nope." I said unemotionally, " What about Godzilla?" "Who?" Dick asked, " Oh, the big monster, well, he's kaput." "Superman?" I asked, smiling. "Someone's got a crush." Dick chuckled nervously. "What do you mean?" I asked. "That smile. Haven't seen that in a while." Dick said, " Just thought I'd be the one to bring it back." "Oh...I think I should go and wash the batmobile." Tim said, putting his hand to his ear, " Coming Alfred." he said scurrying away. "More relationship melodrama? I thought you and me were done. You said it yourself." I said. "Sorry. It's just that being around you..." Dick stopped, " I can't stop these feelings." "Stop them." I said, " I mean, I'm not your yo-yo." Dick nodded, " Fine. Why do I even talk to you?" he asked, walking away. "Lover's quarrel?" Batman asked, making me jump. "Just the bat I was looking for, you're going to tell me right now where my dad is." I said, " I have your secret. I hate to do this, but I'm going to find him or die trying." Batman squinted, " Hard ball?" he asked, " Get dressed." I nodded, " Thank you." I said, running off to get dressed. - - - - - - - - - - We stood at the tallest building in Gotham, staring down at the city. Batman stood, not afraid of the height. I wobbled on the ledge, wondering how far I'd fall before passing out. "How do you expect to save him?" Batman asked. "Not the question that's on your mind." I said, " More like, how do you expect to stop me." "You going to rip through Gotham? Gonna take down every bad guy until you find him?" Batman asked, not looking at me. "Cliche'd but, if I have to." I said, looking outward, " You've known what he was doing since the beginning...why not just tell me?" "What that have helped?" Batman asked, " If I had told you that your father isn't as straight laced as you pretend." "Wouldn't have hurt you." I said. "It would have hurt you." he said. "Why is everyone so worried about hurting me? I'm not fragile." I growled. "You're not. If you've proven anything, it's that you are not fragile." Batman said, looking at me, " You spent all that time telling Dick and Tim that you're no superhero, yet you're here. Trying to save someone." "He's my father." I said, being met with a sigh, " He deserves to go to jail. To pay for everything he put me through." "You have no idea what you're up against." Batman said, " It's not that easy. The vengeance can run you, but it will not save you." "School is out in about a week. I figure after this is all done, I'll need some time...To adjust." I said slowly, " to move on." "He's a criminal." Batman said, " I've been his friend for a long time, he's a good man, but..." "I know." I said, " What scares me is that, maybe I'm him. I almost killed a mugger. I'm not a good person, so what's to say that I'm going to be a better person because of a cape?" "You can be whatever you want to be." Batman said, " I cannot help you. Not with this." "Be waiting." I said, walking to the edge, " I died you know." "In the alley, yes," he said, " How was that?" "That..." I said, looking over the edge, " Is another life." I said, plunging off the high building. As I fell, I pulled out a grapple hook and swung, feeling like Batman would feel. Wondering if this was how he felt. Did he feel invincible? I landed on a building right across from the building where my father was. I could feel something, calling me to the building. I swung to the building and looked down. I watched as someone flipped a switch on the side of the wall and the floor opened, allowing someone to enter. I looked to the door and made it fly open! The two guys guarding the door pointed guns at the door, but I just waited until they went to check it out. I popped open my utility belt and pulled out a small bat-like device that beeped. I pushed the little button in the middle and threw it on the glass, but the glass shattered! I waited a few minutes before the building shook and fire exploded everywhere and I ran and jumped through the open window and directly through the, now opened, hole! As I flew down the hole, thought about how I was going to land and better, where was I going? As I prepared for impact, I began to slow. I drifted down to the ground. My eyes immediately locked onto my father. "Phoenix." he said. "How..." I was about to ask. "I knew you'd come." he smiled, " I didn't know that you were going to be wearing a...costume. Can you breath in that?" "Ha ha, you wanna stay tied up." I asked. "Listen, we don't have enough time!" Dad said quickly, " When you were born, you were promised." "Huhdowhatnow?" I asked. "Your birth was prophesized. Your mother was a witch, into fast occult magic. She was powerful, but gave that all up to protect you and hide us. They came for her, so I made a deal. I made deals, I should say. Set in place to protect you, but he's found us." "Who?" I asked. "Ra's." Dad panted. "He saved me." I said. "What?" he asked. "I died. Then he brought me back." I said. Dad began to sob, " He has unleashed it. It is started." he said, " Absolute power corrupts, absolutely." "I don't feel differently." I said, " I feel like the same guy, save a few telekinetics and one hell of an entrance." "But you are." A voice said, causing me to turn. From the darkness, Ra's Al Ghul stepped and he and his daughter, Talia, stood only feet from me, " Your mother was an exceptionally powerful witch! And you will return with us." "I won't." I frowned. "You have to, kid." Talia said, " Your dad's life depends on it." "How you gonna do that when you're way over there?" I asked. In one quick succession, ninja's stepped from the shadows, their swords at my father's neck. "Don't do it. Save yourself!" Dad shouted. "Fine." I said, " Don't hurt him." "No!" Dad shouted. I turned my head to him, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it, but I couldn't. Words would just hurt. He was no longer just my criminal father, he saved me. Dying would be easy for him, but not for me. He'd go away for a while. Before I could say anything, the room went black. - - - - - - - - - - (Parts Unknown...) As they shaved my hair, I tried my powers, but nothing worked. Immediately after, they threw me into a dungeon. I slid across the floor into a heap on the floor. I pulled my knees up to my chest and exhaled, wondering when the inevitable would happen. When would they try and break me? As I fought back the tears, I saw something slip through a crack in the wall. I crawled over and picked it up and my eyes stopped as I read AISHA CHIKE FOX. My mother.... TBC - - - - - - - - - - If you like this story, please write me and tell me so.