Part 13, Fire in the Sky

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"A night flowing with birds, a ragged moon

And in broad day, the midnight comes again!

A man goes far to find out what he is

Death of the soul in a long tearless night

All natural shapes blazing unnatural light."

"In a Dark Time"

Theodore Roethke

Author's note: While the previous chapters were all from Jack's POV, certain sections of this and later chapters will be told from the perspective of other characters.

Gotham City appeared calm from a distance but anyone in the city itself was aware that something big was happening. Armed police officers and SWAT team members stood guard at buildings all over Gotham. Helicopters criss-crossed the air space over downtown and the docks. Most of the citizens were staying inside but the chatter on local websites was unending.

The theories ranged from all-out war on the Bat-Demons to an attempt by Commissioner Napier to seize control of the city for unknown reasons. Conspiracy theories were spouted, ranging from the police being in cahoots with the demons to ideas of bioweapons and viruses being unleashed on the city. There were medical units with each police unit so it was assumed that might mean something more serious than the almost routine demon attacks.

Most people also had their televisions or radios on, monitoring the local news anchors who were assuring everyone that there was nothing to be worried about and that this was just a routine police maneuver. Everyone was urged to stay indoors until further notice except in the case of emergencies.

It was 3:43 p.m., well after the end of the noon news, when the anchors suddenly came back on the air with breaking news. While the vast majority of Gotham watched, they played a recorded message from the head of the city. Jack Napier's familiar, clown-like visage appeared on every screen in the city.

"Citizens of Gotham, I'm here to announce that we now know the identity of the Bat-Demon. Four days ago, my operatives captured one of the creatures and managed to restore her to human form. She revealed that the original demon is none other than billionaire Bruce Wayne. Wayne has used his funding and support to develop a formula that changes people into the bat-demons and has also used it on himself.

But we have the means to stop him and save those that he has brainwashed and forced into serving him. As of right now, Bruce Wayne is to be considered a dangerous fugitive. If you see him or any of the other demons, do not approach. Instead, please contact the police.

I urge everyone to remain calm. The Gotham PD has the situation well in hand. We will not allow mass hysteria or vindictive acts against Wayne Enterprises or its employees. None of them had any idea what their employer was involved in." Jack's face went grim as everyone hung on his every word. He looked directly into the camera with intense green eyes.

"Now, a word to Bruce Wayne. You cannot escape. You cannot hide. We will find you and we will stop you. I strongly urge that you give yourself up now and make it easier on yourself. But make no mistake, you cannot win. The reign of the Bat-Demons is done. That is all."

The video ended. Everyone who had seen the video stared at their screen in disbelief, including the news anchors who had not seen the contents of the video before they aired it. Could it be true? Was the source of all their nightmares really the boring, strait-laced playboy who was a common sight at every major Gotham function?

When reality sunk in, the websites came close to crashing from the resulting pandemonium of speculation. The anchors talked about the video in shock, wondering what would happen now. At Wayne Enterprises, some employees were so upset that they had to be sent home under police escort.

In the heart of the city, Bruce Wayne watched the video with a satisfied smile. Flanked by two of his demons, he patted the vials of serum in his pocket. Napier thought he could stop the demons. Wait until he had to deal with a whole city overrun by them. Bruce didn't care if he won the war. Win or lose, it was more important to bring the city to it's knees, to make it suffer as he had suffered. And he knew just where to begin.

At Wayne Manor...

The outer walls of the mansion had been razed to the ground by Ivy's plants. Doing so had exposed a shaft that seemed to lead down to the caverns. Jack was wary of going down there until he was sure there were no more traps left. So the animated plants were tearing away everything around it in order to widen the hole.

The officers had secured the perimeter and it would be up to Jack and a small contingent of guards to enter the tunnel and find Aaron and Kirk Langstrom. There were several who had argued that Jack should stay back and let the others take the risk of entering the Batcave but he'd shot that down. He needed to be a part of this operation as much as possible. If he wanted to stay safe, he would have stayed back at headquarters.

Edward would monitor them from above. Jack and the other officers were wearing homing beacons that Chief Nigma could track so they wouldn't get lost. Pam was staying above ground, arguing that her powers were more effective here where there was abundant plant life under her control than down in a barren cave,

Part of him was interested in figuring out what kind of impact his video announcement was having on the city. It had been short work for Eddie to set up the equipment to record the message and then e-mail it to all the major news stations in Gotham. He'd already reported that the chatrooms were going wild with speculation but all Jack was concerned about was how would Bruce Wayne react?

It was likely that he would do something spectacular in its violence in order to show his displeasure. Jack had security forces deployed throughout the city. Nigma's robots covered even more ground than the human officers could manage and between the two, they would be able to respond quickly to whatever happened.

"Commissioner, we're ready to go down." Otis Flannegan, one of Stirk's team members was an expert in spelunking. He was the one who would lead the way down into the caves. Jack nodded at him to proceed. Pam's plants had moved back from the hole and the officers had to walk between them which seemed to make some of them nervous. Metahumans were still shunned by many people and they'd seen the kind of damage the modified trees and clinging vines could do. Pam seemed to be amused by their reaction.

Officer Flannegan had himself strapped into a harness and one of Nigma's men had set up a winch to lower him down. They'd secured a rope ladder to the side of the shaft as well but Flannegan's job would be to check for traps and make sure the way was clear.

They all watched with trepidation as the officer descended. A few tense seconds were broken by Flannegan radioing back that he'd reached the cave floor and was fine. He deployed one of Nigma's smaller bots that was designed to detect explosives and after a little exploration, declared the area safe enough.

Jack insisted on being the next one down. He scrambled down the rope ladder with ease and joined Officer Flannegan at the bottom. The cave stretched out before them, lit only by the two robots and the lights on the men’s helmets. It was far too large to be fully seen in the limited light and most of it remained in shadow.

He moved forward cautiously, letting the robots scout out ahead of him and the others. His officers had moved into a half-circle behind him, trying to cover the whole area as they walked further into the cave.

All of them were equipped with both handheld flashlights as well as ones on the hard hats they wore in place of the usual helmet. In the ring of wavering lights that shifted with every movement, Jack could pick out many of the features he'd seen on Nigma's laptop.

There was the bank of computers to his right. To his left were the cabinets filled with neat rows of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Metal gleamed from a hundred places where weapons, tools, and machinery were placed in every available corner. Some of them he couldn't even identify although perhaps Nigma or one of the others could.

The robot had gone ahead and was now stationed by the entrances to two tunnels that branched off of the main cave. There were other tunnels as well but the robots sensors had detected heat and possible movement down these two so they were the best place to start. Some of the other tunnels were tiny and would have to be crawled into but these two were wide enough for Jack to walk upright although he might have to duck his head in places.

They separated into three groups. Flannegan would lead a small force through one passage while Jack led his group down the other. The rest of the men would spread out to guard the area and watch for any signs of life in the other passageways.

Jack stepped into the tunnel. The main cave was oddly warm, possibly because of all the residual energy from the machines but in here it was cooler. He was grateful for that as the amount of gear and body armor he was carrying on him made him sweat as it was.

The tunnel looked natural but it showed signs of human influence where rough projections had been smoothed down and there were lights strung along one side. He didn't know how to activate them but it was better if they only relied on their own lights instead of trusting to Wayne's technology. For all they knew, the lights were really explosives or emitted gas when turned on.

The robot halted ahead of him. Its sensors were displaying thermal images of what was ahead and there were two large blobs of heat just around the curve. It might be Dr. Langstrom and his son or it might be two of the other demons. He motioned to the men to be ready. It wouldn't be easy to fight in a confined space like this but they were professionals and would manage just fine.

"Dr. Langstrom? It's me, Commissioner Napier. We're here to help." There was no point in hiding. The creatures advanced senses would have picked up the sound of their footsteps and heartbeats long before they got anywhere near. Hopefully it actually was Langstrom and they wouldn't need to fight anyone.

"So you say, Napier. I'm still not convinced but I'm going to give you a chance to prove it." It was Langstrom's voice and he relaxed slightly as the bat-demon rounded the corner. There was another demon slung over his shoulder. It wasn't his son and appeared to be unconscious.

He let the body hit the ground in front of Jack. The officers had all their guns pointed at him but he ignored them and focused only on the clown-faced man. The demon at his feet was female and still alive.

"You say you can change us back. Prove it on her and I'll believe you."

"All right. Have you found your son? Are there any other demons down here that we need to worry about?"

"My son is hiding until you succeed at changing her. She was the only one on guard duty. The rest are scattered around the city."

"Do you know their precise locations? It would be very helpful if you could tell us where they all are."

"I don't know. They're supposed to choose random spots. You're running out of time and my patience."

Jack didn't bother to reply but instead took out one of Tetch's vials from a padded pocket on his jacket. He crouched down and injected it into the woman's arm before standing back up to face Langstrom.

"The reversal will take a bit of time. While we wait, is there anything you can tell me about Wayne or the others that might be useful?"

"No. I was the only one who was never allowed to leave the cave. I was too valuable as his researcher. Tell me more about my wife. How is she mentally?"

Jack described Francine's condition as much as he dared. It went without saying that she was their prisoner and therefore restrained but he didn't bother to get into detail. It should be enough for Kirk to know that she was safe.

It was roughly ten minutes after injection that the female demon began to writhe and flail as the drug took affect. They all stepped back to give her room as her wings unfolded, flapping wildly before shriveling away. She was still unconscious through the whole ordeal but when it was done, a nude human woman lay prone on the ground with no trace of the demon she had been.

He crouched down to inspect her and then started at her familiar face. At least now he knew that Selina Kyle was alive although he couldn't guess what her mental state might be once she woke up. He motioned to one of the men who produced a blanket from his pack and together they wrapped her in it after cuffing her hands together.

"You were telling the truth." Langstrom was clearly astounded.

"Of course. I wouldn't make such a huge claim if I couldn't back it up. Now are you willing to come out with your son?"

"Yes. Wait here. I'll go get him."

They waited impatiently as Langstrom disappeared into the darkness around the corner. This could still be a trap despite the man's seeming cooperation. But to Jack's relief, Kirk returned five minutes later with a small bat-demon clutched in his arms. The boy looked at them with huge eyes and shrieked in fear, making all of the men wince. He struggled to escape his father's grasp but Kirk merely held him harder.

"It's okay, Aaron. I won't let them hurt you. We're going to go see mama." Aaron stopped struggling then but he still looked uncertain about the men or maybe just Jack.

"We can change you when we get out of here. Now that we've proven ourselves, is there anything else you can tell us that might prove useful?"

"Only that you would be wise not to underestimate what Bruce Wayne is capable of. He's insane but he's also a genius and completely obsessed with punishing Gotham for his past problems. There is nothing he won't do; no one he wouldn't sacrifice to achieve his goals. He'll burn Gotham to the ground if he thinks he won't get his way."

"But what the hell does he want anyway? How does killing random people make up for his parents death?"

"He wants control of the city and he wants everyone to fear him. But mostly he wants chaos. He wants everyone in the city to live their lives unbalanced and unsure of what might happen at any time. The Bat Demons were really just a small part of his larger plans which he has been working on for years. And I don't know what that plan entails. I only know he said it would be his masterpiece."

That didn't sound good but until he knows more, Jack had to stick with his current strategy of flooding the city with men and resources in order to flush the demons out of hiding. There was no telling what Wayne might try and it was a big city. He would just have to keep his officers stationed around the city to cover as much of it as possible.

Langstrom followed them out to the main chamber, carrying his son. One of the men carried Selina Kyle's unconscious body. The officers left to guard the tunnels started when they spotted the bat-Demon following Jack out but he signaled them to hold their fire.

"Call the other team back. We're going back outside." He instructed them to wait and led his own team back toward the entrance. Sunlight streamed down through the hole making a small pool of light on the cave floor. Once they restored Kirk, Jack would send him and his son to stay with Francine until this was over.

He knew that taking out a few or even all of Wayne's followers wouldn't stop the man. Wayne was a huge threat all on his own but every little victory would give his teams that much more confidence that this might actually come to an end. It was a big city but Wayne couldn't hide forever. Eventually, they'd drive him out into the light and take him down. Jack couldn't afford to believe anything less.

At police headquarters...

Dr. Jervis Tetch normally prided himself on being a calm, cheerful, and rational person. He had remained unruffled through years of putting up with Napier's moodiness, everyone's fear of the Bat-Demons, and hectic days of research that seemed designed to drive him insane, without batting an eye.

But right now he found himself nervous and pacing around the room. He couldn't sit still but he couldn't sit by the television screen or his laptop and wait for updates about the hunt for the demons either. The building was nearly empty and so quiet that he felt uneasy for no specific reason.

While Officer Lyle Bolton was technically in charge of the building at the moment, Jervis was in charge of his patients and he knew they were the most important things to Jack right now.

Francine and Harley were asleep. Mrs. Napier had been moved up here to the secure wing of the infirmary because Jack didn't want her to be isolated if the demons attacked. So the two women lay in beds on opposite sides of the room, each with their own personal guard at their side.

Jonathan was awake and trying to read a book but his gaze kept straying to Jervis every time the British neuroscientist checked the latest news. Dr. Crane looked pale and composed but Tetch knew the psychiatrist was just as nervous as he was. It would be a good thing to get rid of the demons but by attacking Wayne directly, Jack was probably stirring up a hornet's nest of trouble.

The nurses carried out their duties as unobtrusively as possible. Everyone seemed hushed as though they were waiting for something to happen. According to the last message Nigma had sent, Rebecca Langstrom was on her way to them and would arrive shortly. That would help break the routine as they checked her over and introduced her to her transformed mother.

Cobblepot was there as well but Jervis had sent him into another room after becoming annoyed at his constant questions. The man might be the mayor of Gotham but that didn't mean he needed to know every little detail of Jack's plan.

All told, there were only forty-two people in the entire building including sharpshooters stationed under cover on the roof and guards at every entrance armed with grenade launchers and automatic rifles. Two of Nigma's technicians were monitoring the power supply and the bank of cameras that showed everything within a block. This was probably the safest building in the city right now.

Somehow that knowledge didn't help, especially as he was also worried about his friends who were scattered all over the city fighting the war on multiple fronts. Jervis forced himself to sit down and took a sip from the lukewarm glass of water on the table. All he could do now was wait.

At Wayne Enterprises...

Harvey Dent waited impatiently for his team to finish their sweep of the entire floor. They'd found nothing in Wayne's office and would probably have to start tearing out walls to figure out how he escaped. That would require machinery and architectural experts which would take time to arrive. There was no point to it anyway. Wayne wasn't in the building any more. He was sure of it.

He wanted to get back out in the field where the real action was but protocol dictated that he remain here until his team was done. Once they had searched this floor and the ones below and above it and found nothing, then they could let the experts in to start knocking out walls. But it would probably be at least another hour or more before they were done and he was going to go crazy of boredom until then.

It didn't help that he had no real part in the search. His mission was to stay clear and report back to Jack on whatever the SWAT team might find. Most of the building was empty and only Wayne's secretary, Mary Collins, remained. The pale, nervous woman had barely said a word since they'd taken her statement and stayed close by his side as though her boss might return at any second and he alone could protect her.

"Sir, we've found something." One of the men called and he hurried over to see what was going on with Mary right at his heels. Five members of his team were clustered around the wall in Bruce's personal bathroom, just off his office. One of them had a sonar imaging device, invented by Chief Nigma, aimed at the wall to the left of the sink.

"There's a space here that can't be accounted for on the blueprints. I think there's something back there but we won't know until we figure out how to get it open."

"Give me your best guess. What does it look like?"

"It looks like a shaft but it only goes up. I checked the floor below and there's nothing that corresponds."

Dent considered this with narrowed eyes. They were very close to the top of the building and it might make sense for Wayne to make a roof-top getaway. They had assumed that any escape route would take him down into the building but if he could transform at will, then he might have just become the Bat-Demon and flown away. The only problem with this idea was that they'd had one of the helicopters over the building and the pilots should have seen anyone leaving, human or otherwise.

"Get some heavy equipment in here and start taking down the fixtures. We need to know where this goes." It could be a decoy. There could be more than one exit out of here, all cleverly concealed and possibly even booby-trapped. Wayne was one sick bastard but Harvey had to admit, he knew how to cover his tracks. He pulled out his radio and tried to contact the pilot.

"Travers? Are you there? Come in." There was only static in response and he fiddled with one of the dials and frowned in annoyance. "Travers? Can you hear me?"

"He can't hear you but I can." A deep, growling voice spoke from his comm device making him jump slightly and attracting the attention of everyone close enough to hear it. Dent felt a chill go up his spine at that familiar voice. How the hell did he hack into Nigma's frequencies?

"Wayne? I suggest you turn yourself in now while you have a chance. Because otherwise, we'll hunt you down like the animal you are." Bruce Wayne reacted to this statement with a contemptuous laugh.

"None of you stand a chance of taking me down. Maybe Jack does but I doubt he has the balls to do what needs to be done to stop me."

This was the monster who had burned half his face with acid, who had raped and beaten Harley into the state she was in now, who had tortured and murdered countless people. Any fear he'd felt melted away into anger at the arrogance of him.

"Oh yeah? And what's that, freak? Are you scared to face us on your own so you have to resort to childish taunts? Face it, Wayne. You're out of luck and out of time. You're finished in this town."

"Speaking of faces, how's the scars, Harvey? Do they still hurt? Do you wake up at night remembering the agony of that acid hitting your oh-so-handsome visage? I've considered finishing the job that was only half-done but you're more interesting this way."

"I'm not afraid of you, you son-of-a-bitch. I'm going to relish the sight of your broken body once we get through with you." Harvey had never had a problem keeping his anger in check. He was always cool and collected but Wayne knew how to push every one of his buttons.

"But you are afraid, Harvey. I can see it in your faces. And sadly for you, you won't live long enough to see anything else. Good-bye, D.A. Dent."

That didn't sound good. Harvey turned to tell the team to get out. He had just enough time to take a breath when the hidden room erupted in a spectacular fireball. The last thing Harvey Dent saw was Mary screaming and then there was nothing.

The Wayne Enterprises building was one of the tallest structures in the city and visible from a long distance away. So the explosion that took out the top six floors of the building caused immediate panic. News reports showed footage of the blackened twisted metal within minutes of the explosion and everyone in the city began wondering how things could possibly get worse.

Sitting in his private lair, the Bat-Demon smiled as he watched the news reports on the disaster. Jack thought he was hurting him by revealing his identity to the world but the truth was that Bruce Wayne was just a shell, a mask he'd hid behind for too long. How he hated every minute of playing the boring playboy while inside, his heart and mind howled for blood.

Now, without the constraint of his human identity, he was free to wage war on this city like nothing it had ever seen. It had been simple enough to fool the radar and sensors of the helicopter over his office. After all, his company had produced much of the technology that went into its make-up.

In fact, he could take down half the mechanical systems in the city with the push of a button but where was the challenge in that? Jack was going to have to learn that this city belonged to the Bat-Demon and there was nothing the Commissioner could do to stop him.

In fact, he was going to learn another hard lesson right now. Bruce leaned forward and taped a series of commands into the laptop in front of him. The screen flashed and then a mechanical voice intoned,

"Bat-cave self-destruct initiated. Sixty-second countdown engaged. Executed."

Let Jack deal with that while the Bat-Demon put his plans into motion. He wished he could see the look on the clown's face when he realized what was happening. Taking a hypodermic needle from his coat, he injected the serum and transformed smoothly into the demonic appearance that had terrorized the city for the past five years.

He'd done this so many times that it was like putting on new clothes and he barely registered the pain as his body shifted. Spreading vast wings, he signaled the three demons with him and headed out to claim his city.