Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Thinking in the midnight of my dread and need

The room like a nervous birdcage around my head

And far off the war breathing live hills of steel

Tidal waves tossing beneath imagination's small bird

Sitting here alone, I ask, who is a friend, who?"

"Thinking in the Midnight."

Oscar Williams

Jack sat stunned in the back of the van. Of all of his operatives, he'd never thought that Killer Croc would be the one to die at the hands of the bat-demons. The reptilian metahuman had always seemed so strong and capable. But the demons were cunning and Waylon Jones had learned that the hard way. He had been a good man but Jack couldn't let himself linger on any one defeat for too long.

The good news from the tragedy at the water plant was that another of Wayne's minions was out of the picture. Also, they'd found the chemicals that the young woman had been planning on adding to the water supply and the scientists back at headquarters were busy analyzing them. They would go a long way towards revealing some of Wayne's plan for the city.

Jack had a feeling it was going to be a long night and he really should try to take a quick nap but he was too jittery to sleep. They'd been up most of the preceding night going over every little detail of the plan and making sure there were no loose ends. He'd learned long ago how to get by on very little rest. Eddie, on the other hand, looked in danger of nodding off over his computer despite the three cups of coffee he'd already downed. Jack put his hand on the Chief's shoulder.

"Why don't you take a rest, Eddie? I can monitor the drones for a while. I need something to keep my mind busy."

"If you insist, but wake me if anything goes wrong." The fact that Eddie didn't argue only proved how tired he was since normally he hated not being aware of everything as soon as it happened. He went up to the back seat of the van where Pam was already asleep, drew a blanket over himself and was snoring softly in a matter of minutes.

Jack sat in front of the laptop, typing away as he monitored all of the various Nygma drones patrolling the city. Any anomalous reading or sighting would be sent out as an alert to the nearest patrol unit but so far the city was quiet. It was fully dark out now and there were still three bat-demons out there including Wayne. They might strike in five minutes or five hours but Jack was sure that Bruce wouldn't want to prolong this. He would act tonight and whatever he did would probably be swift and brutal.

"Where are you Wayne? What are you up to?" Jack murmured softly to himself as his slender fingers brought up image after image from every corner of the city.

At police headquarters…

Jervis could feel his headache increasing as he surveyed the bustling infirmary. They were nearly at capacity with all the captured and transformed demons. Eight adults and two children lay sleeping in the secure ward. All of them were rescued bat-demons except for Jonathan who was still handcuffed to the bed at his own insistence. Harley was in the isolation ward with two nurses.

It was unusual for there to be this many people in the infirmary. It had been set up in police headquarters because there were times when it was needed. Three years ago, one of the bat-demons had entered Gotham General through a fifth-floor window and killed two wounded police officers who had been responsible for shooting one of it's fellow demons.

Ever since then, they'd had their own medical staff here for wounded cops or any prisoners who were deemed at risk of attack. This was the most secure building in the city, a fortress guarded against just about any conceivable attack. Still, Tetch was grateful for the armed guards and the technicians who were keeping all of the security systems up and running.

He'd downed two aspirin with his quick dinner but it didn't seem to help. His thoughts kept going back to his last week in England. Tetch wasn't sure why he kept thinking about that time but it felt like there was something important there, something he needed to remember.

When he'd given his notice to come and work for Jack in Gotham, he'd been so excited for the unique opportunities offered by the bat-demon problem. He'd spent one week tying up his loose ends and directing his colleagues to fill in for him and carry on his projects.

Then he'd spent several days just touring the familiar streets of London and saying good-bye to friends before his departure. Every time he tried to think about the details of those few days, it all seemed hazy. He remembered dining at his favorite restaurant but not what he'd had. He remembered visiting his mother but not what was said. Something wasn't right.

The more he tried to think about it, the more the details seemed to slip away from him and the more his head hurt. Maybe he just needed to take a quick break. He stepped away from the computer and went to the bathroom down the hall. Splashing water on his face seemed to help until he looked up and found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror. His face looked unfamiliar and suddenly everything around him seemed unreal.

"Through the Looking Glass." He whispered and for a moment his reflection changed and there seemed to be a giant, black, bat-shaped shadow behind him. Jervis whirled but there was no one there. A sudden blinding pain spiked though his head. He grabbed at his forehead as the room spun around him.

Jervis had the sensation of falling down a dark, bottomless hole as synapses fired in his brain, forcing his thoughts into programmed patterns. His body seized and then he came back to awareness to find himself on the floor with no memory of how he'd gotten there. The chip had been activated and Wayne's instructions were being broadcast directly into his mind. He knew now what he had to do.

If anyone had been in the bathroom with him, they might have gotten him help and stopped the Bat-Demon's plan before it ever got started but there was no one around as Jervis walked calmly back out to his desk. Everyone was at their assigned post and too occupied to notice his odd behavior. His mind was strangely empty and his thoughts were focused on fulfilling his instructions.

There were two guns in his desk drawer. Jack insisted that everyone under his command, even the civilians, be proficient in firearms for self-defense if nothing else. Jervis had never liked using them but now he picked up the pistol without hesitation, loaded it, and then concealed it in the pocket of his lab coat. The other weapon was a stun gun used to subdue unruly patients. He put it in the other pocket and headed out.

As he walked through the infirmary, all of the patients were asleep and the nurses too busy tending to them to spare him a glance except the patient near the end of the room. Jonathan Crane was wide awake and sitting up as Dr. Tetch walked by. He expected his friend to greet him but Jervis acted like he didn't even see him. There was something odd about the stiff, unnatural way he was walking.

"Jervis? Are you okay?" Jonathan's soft question made Jervis glance his way but he didn't break his stride. The psychologist gasped at the empty gaze he'd glimpsed. Something was wrong. He tried to get up and the handcuff around his wrist rattled.

After Jonathan had been rescued from captivity, he'd been terrified of everyone and everything around him. It wasn't just the memories of what had been done to him and his inability to talk about it that had made him mistrust everyone. It had been the knowledge that someone in Jack's employ was working for the bat-demons and had to be watching him and reporting back on his words and behavior.

Every glance, every time someone seemed to be going out of their way to ignore him, every loud noise kicked his fear into overdrive. It had been a long recovery and he still had a ways to go but the paranoia had never left entirely. He was always alert to suspicious behavior. But what if he was wrong? Maybe Jervis was just tired and Jonathan getting hysterical would only embarrass him. The situation needed attention but he had to be careful about his actions.

"Nurse! I need to use the bathroom, please."

Jervis headed towards the central control room two floors down. The skeleton crew worked in shifts and he didn't encounter anyone on his way there. There were two men on duty in the control room with the door locked. He knocked politely and one of them got up to let him in. They had no reason to suspect anything from the mild-mannered Doctor Tetch.

The stun gun took out the first guard before he even knew what was happening. The second fumbled for his radio, trying to get to his feet but there was nowhere to go in the small space and a second shot sent him crashing to the floor as well.

With no expression, he sat down and typed out a series of commands. Security cameras went down, every door in the building unlocked, and alarms were shut off. Security guards looked around in confusion and several of them began shouting into their radios, demanding to know what was going on. Jervis typed in further instruction which sealed off certain sections and flooded them with knockout gas. Guards dropped to the floor, clearing away any obstacles to the approaching intruders.

Jonathan had been walking back from the bathroom with the nurse at his side when someone cleared his throat behind him and he turned to see Oswald Cobblepot standing there looking rather uncertain. He'd almost forgotten that the mayor was even in the building.

"Just the person I wanted to talk to, Dr. Crane. Do you have a moment?" Jonathan glanced at the nurse who shrugged and withdrew several feet to allow them to talk.

"I'm worried doctor. I'm worried that the Commissioner is in over his head. This is personal with him and I fear he'll bring the whole city down in his quest to stop the bat-demons. I wonder if you've noticed anything about his mental state lately that would give you concern."

Jonathan had never particularly liked Cobblepot. The man was too loud, too arrogant and too quick to dismiss the opinions of others. But there seemed to be something genuine in his voice right now. He looked almost scared. Maybe it was just the knowledge that he was stuck here as much as the rest of them since City Hall was no longer safe.

Or maybe he thought the city was plunging into chaos and he needed a scapegoat to blame after everything was done. If Jack survived, it would be easy enough to claim that he'd gone too far especially if there was a large loss of life in the conflict. Oswald had always advised caution in dealing with the demons and it was this that made Jonathan look at him with disgust.

"If anything, I'm surprised at Jack's restraint. He's being very methodical and strategic and using all of his resources to the best of their abilities. But I've been handcuffed to a bed for two days so perhaps you know more than me?"

"I'm simply concerned for the citizens of Gotham who are going to be caught in the middle. I…what is that?" Both men looked up startled as the vents down the hall began to hiss out gas softly. They stared at each other for a moment in mutual horror and then broke into a run leaving the woozy nurse behind them, protesting in vain.

Two blocks away, Timothy Drake smiled as he realized his master's minion had succeeded in opening the way for him. Bruce had far more important things to do so he had sent his two remaining minions to carry out his instructions. Helena Bertinelli checked to make sure the bag strapped to her back was secure and then followed the younger bat-demon as they began a careful approach to police headquarters.

Tetch had taken out the mechanical and electronic systems but the roof top guards were still active and they couldn't just go charging in. There were four men on the roof and they were obviously on high alert. They stood in a defensive formation around the door leading into the building. All four were heavily armed and wearing body armor.

On any other night, the two bat-demons would have amused themselves by taking out the guards despite their protective measures. Despite their training, it was often easy to get them to fire at swooping shadows and break formation. But their master had stressed that they needed to get in as fast as possible and before anyone knew they were there.

Their fellow demons had failed to poison the water supply with the combined chemicals for the fear gas but Wayne always had several back-up plans in motion. A city in chaos would have been fun but that could wait for another night. Now, they were going to hurt Jack in the worst possible way and take out his base of operations at the same time. Tim only wished he could see the look on the Commissioner's face when he saw the end results of tonight.

The two bat-demons ignored the roof and crawled down the side of the neighboring building until they reached the ground. Then they simply walked in the front door without any problems. The gas had been pumped out by now but it's effects would last for much longer than they needed.

There were several unconscious humans in their path but they simply stepped over them and continued towards their goal. The infirmary was two levels up and they had to take the stairs but despite their continued caution, they met no one except the unconscious staff. Under other circumstances, they would have easily slaughtered their helpless foes but today that would only slow them down.

Jervis met them at the door to the medical wing. Their master's puppet's eyes were blank and he simply waited for further instructions. He unlocked the infirmary for them and then stood there as they entered. Helena shoved him inside and closed the doors to the most secure area of the building.

Everyone inside was as unconscious as the rest. Their former comrades lay lined up in beds in their weak human forms. Only Aaron still looked like the creatures who approached his mother's bedside. Both of them would have been happy to kill all of their former companions but their master had other plans. He still wanted his heir, the boy who would always be a bat-demon and could never be changed like the rest.

Helena threw the boy's unconscious body over her shoulder and then set off for the door to begin the second phase of their instructions. Tim headed towards the isolation ward. This was the one area that hadn't been gassed. Bruce wanted his future prisoner to see what was coming for her. When Jervis opened the door, both nurses pulled guns and stood in front of their patients. Tim pushed Jervis in front of him as a shield. They wouldn't shoot their boss and their hesitation was all the time he needed.

The bat-demon threw the blond man at the two women, knocking them down and allowing him to reach them easily. He killed both of them quickly, slashing the throat of one and then breaking the neck of the other even as she struggled to bring the gun to bear. Jervis struggled to his feet, swaying slightly as Tim approached the patient who looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"Hello, Harleen. Bruce Wayne sends his regards."

Tim advanced on the helpless woman but a bullet tore through his left leg, making him fall well short of his goal. He turned around with a snarl only to find a squat, gas-masked figure standing in the doorway with a gun aimed at his head. There was nowhere to go in the stark room but Oswald Cobblepot was a known coward. Even armed, he looked scared as he faced the young bat-demon. His eyes were wide behind the mask and his long nose was pinched against the hastily donned, ill-fitting mask making breathing more difficult.

Jonathan and Ozzie had both managed to make it to the nearest emergency station and don gas masks when the gas had started to hiss out of the vents. But Ozzie had breathed enough in to feel a little dizzy and he knew he had to end this quickly. The two of them were the only ones left to oppose the bat-demons. He couldn't let them take Harleen. The creature moved slightly, just a step to the left and Ozzie moved his gun to keep track of him.

Tim snarled at him and saw the man flinch. Cobblepot may have found a tiny bit of spine left to shoot him in the first place but his courage was wavering fast in the presence of an actual demon who was facing him and barely impaired by his injured leg. All Tim had to do was make him back up out of the door or distract him enough to risk a charge and this farce would be over.

"Jervis." Jervis lurched forward towards Oswald and the mayor's gaze turned to him. That was all the distraction Tim needed. He knocked the gun out of his hand, slamming Ozzie against the wall repeatedly until he went limp. Then, unimpeded, he grabbed his prize who barely even struggled as he hefted her over his shoulder and made his way out of the building. Just before he left, he pulled the fire alarm and then was gone out the door.

Two floors below, Jonathan was carefully trailing the female demon. She definitely knew where she was going and it didn't seem to involve leaving the building so she had to have another purpose here. Any other time, she would have heard him following her but she was too distracted by the thought of what she was going to accomplish here. Besides that, she thought everyone was still asleep so she didn't bother to take note of her surroundings.

She went into the main boiler room in the basement and put Aaron down as she pulled off the pack that was strapped to her body. Carefully, she began removing the wrapped packages her master had given her and placing them at regular intervals around the room. Then she unwrapped each and typed in the commands she'd been given. Her task done, Helena scooped up the boy again and made her way out of the building, grinning to herself at the thought of what was going to happen very soon.

Jonathan had been forced to hide in a supply closet to avoid being seen but as soon as the female demon had gone past again, he slipped out and headed for the boiler room ahead. He knew he should try and stop her from leaving with Aaron but there had to be a reason why she had taken the time to detour down here instead of leaving and he knew it couldn't be good.

He saw them as soon as he entered the room. There were nine small devices placed in a rough circle around the huge boiler. A small green light blinked steadily on each. He approached the closest one and crouched down to study it, careful not to touch it. There was a small digital readout and he felt sick as he realized it displayed a number that was counting down from twenty.

Each of the devices was a bomb and they were set to go off in just under twenty minutes. There was no way he could get everyone out of the building in that time and he had no idea how to disarm them. Jonathan stared at the devices as he tried desperately to figure out what to do.

Jack was studying a map of the drone placement when the alarm went off in his pocket. He fumbled for the device that was hooked into the security system back at headquarters. His eyes widened as he looked down at the screen of the small phone in his hand. Something was very wrong. Eddie stirred as Jack scrambled past him to the driver.

"Get to headquarters, now!" He didn't know what was going on but he hoped it wasn't what he was thinking. Police headquarters was supposed to be the most secure building in the city. Hopefully, this was a false alarm but dread was settling in as he thought of everything that could have gone wrong. "Harley." He murmered softly as he clutched the phone.

It would take them fifteen minutes to reach the building but they were going to be the longest fifteen minutes of his life. Eddie and Pam were both awake now and joined him at the computer. They couldn't patch through to any of the cameras and no one was responding to their messages. The closest drone was two blocks away but they couldn't see anything amiss through it's feed.

Eddie's cell phone rang making them all start just a little. He pulled it from his pocket and answered it quickly.

"Hello?"

"Edward. Is Jack with you?"

"Jonathan? What the hell is going on?"

"We have a problem."