Superman Fucks Gotham Ch. 22

"A car? A bat car?" The Batmobile crashed to the side as Batman crawled his way from the rubble. The blow seemed to have taken more of a toll than she expected, but he was nowhere near beaten. Eyes filled with rage, he leapt to the cockpit and began tearing at the covering. "Batman, created by Lord Kane, doesn't have a car! That's ridiculous!"

Though Cassandra wanted to leap to the defense of the driver, she knew her focus had been shaken and she would only get herself killed. But to her surprise, when Batman tore apart the final two pieces and tossed them away, the cockpit was empty except for an explosion that engulfed him. Remote controlled, then, which meant someone else...

At that moment one of the sleek black motorcycles from the Batcave came to a halt beside her. Cassandra leapt into the seat and drove off as soon as the autopilot disengaged.

Not far ahead, she saw Kate Kane at a console. No, several consoles, her fingers flying with startling speed. It seemed as though she'd been controlling the Batmobile and also the bike, but there was also another one that-

The Batplane plummeted out of the sky and crashed directly into Batman.

Cassandra had to duck her head as a wave of hot air rushed past her. The explosion consumed most of the building and sent rubble in all directions. As soon as she neared Kate, Cassandra turned her bike and skidded to a halt.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you for giving me time to get the vehicles into range." Kate didn't look up at her, all her attention sunk into simultaneously commanding the fleet. "But if that didn't get him, then we'll start running out of vehicles to use as ammunition."

"It didn't kill him." Cassandra took a deep breath and flattened her palms together, finding her perfect focus again. "All we can do is keep fighting."

X X X

Though she should have been looking at the inscribed circle, Barbara's attention kept flickering back to the monitor she'd attached to her wheelchair. It was painful to watch the battle as it dragged on and on. At least she wasn't seeing Superman let himself be pummeled any more, but now she had to worry that her friends could die at any moment.

When Batman stopped to pose she got another look at him. Had he slowed down, even a little? Though he was still radiating e-waves off the charts, he definitely looked battered compared to the beginning. Perhaps they were wearing him down a little at a time, but it wouldn't be enough. Assuming he had superhuman endurance, it would take far more than this.

And even if they defeated him, that didn't mean they'd survive the Reboot. Barbara forced herself to focus on the task at hand again. They'd placed the MacGuffins the way Superman had said worked, but no Writer had been summoned. That was what she'd expected, but it didn't mean they were actually on the right track. She'd sent others to different locations, but so far nothing had happened. Perhaps what they were doing was fiddling while Gotham burned, but she couldn't stay back and do nothing...

"Dammit." Barbara gripped her armrests tightly for a moment, then decided to get to her feet. She walked to the fused MacGuffins and kicked them, not that it did any good. "Stupid fucking MacGuffins. You're completely useless, aren't you?"

The artifacts didn't respond, of course.

Yet her m-wave readings did. Barbara leapt back to her monitor and began looking through them. It didn't make sense, yet... somehow she felt like she intuitively grasped the shape of what she was seeing. She stared at the waves and numbers, running calculations madly without checking any of her work.

If this was a portal, it was open, it was just that nothing was coming through. Perhaps no Writers wanted to interfere... yes, that was it. The e-waves were from their superiors, like this Lord Kane. That meant she just needed to change the MacGuffins slightly, target a different kind of energy. Perhaps contacting the other Creator was their only hope.

Somehow, she managed to reconfigure the MacGuffin. A moment later her head was spinning and she was confused about what she had just done, but she was confident she'd been correct. The MacGuffins had opened the door for e-waves... though Barbara realized that it really was just an open door. If they managed to draw Kane's attention, then perhaps she'd doomed them all.

Her hand moved back to the MacGuffin... and stopped.

A ghostly figure stood not far away. It was Batman, not the red travesty wrecking Gotham but the man she had known. His cowl was down, revealing Bruce's face. Was he somehow alive? No, Barbara immediately realized that she wasn't seeing anything like that. This Bruce was older, with heavy stubble and tired eyes.

But when he looked up at her, he smiled. "Hello, Barbara."

"Bruce? What are you doing here?"

"It's easier not to ask those questions." He slowly ran a ghostly hand through his hair. "I was... at peace, for a time. This all feels very strange, but it feels as though Clark has taken care of things."

"He has, but now..." Barbara shook her head and refocused. "Why are you here? Were you sent?"

"You could put it that way. I'm here on behalf of Lord Finger." Batman took a long, ragged breath. "The rights to this story have already been claimed, so I can't fight alongside you. But I still exist. Everything we represent and fight for still exists."

"Then what do we have to do in order to escape the Reboot?"

"Nothing. Anything. Lord Finger has given his permission so long as it spites Lord Kane, but the circle must be completed on our end. Completing all the MacGuffin sets is a good enough idea, but the Writers won't accept it. There needs to be a climax."

For a moment, Barbara took the word entirely the wrong way. Then she realized that of course he was talking about the story of their lives. "Well, there's quite a large battle going on right now. If that doesn't fit the bill, I don't know what would."

"Yes... yes, that might do..."

"But we need to get all the other MacGuffins set up, and I need to contact Superman and explain-"

"I heard." Superman abruptly loomed between them. Despite how recently he had looked tired and battered, he was practically bursting with health. Just standing there, his muscles seemed to pulse with power. Barbara bit her lip, wishing they had some time alone, but kept herself focused on the battle.

Meanwhile, Superman floated down to stand in front of the shadowy Batman. They stared at each other for a long time before they both smiled.

"It's been a long time, old friend." Batman extended a hand and Superman shook it firmly.

"When you warned me then, I can't say I imagined our world would become like this."

"But it's about to end. You need to finish the battle against... me."

Though she hated to intrude, Barbara could see another explosion on her monitor and knew time was running out. She stepped between Superman and the shadow of Batman. "Even if you have a way to defeat him, I can't set up the rest of the MacGuffins alone."

"You won't be alone."

Superman blurred out of existence for a moment and returned with a dozen women in rapid succession. Barbara immediately began distributing the MacGuffins among them, planning to cover the entire city. They all walked as if they'd been recently fucked, but they moved quickly enough.

As she gave the final orders, she found Superman floating in front of her. "I'm going to need access to one of Batman's special caches. We haven't used it, but it should exist."

"I can do my best. What do you need?"

"Armor."

Barbara raised an eyebrow. "Armor? What could you possibly need with armor?"

Batman gave a grim smile. "Heh, I see how it is." He nodded to her. "Just trust him on this one."

X X X

Intruding on a battle of this magnitude was insanity, yet Stephanie forced herself to keep moving. Even at her most suicidal, doomed by the Writers to a quick death, she'd never tried to take on someone who fought Superman. Yet here she was, tracking the battle and preparing to do her part.

She didn't have much more time. Cassandra and the others trying to hold off Wacko Batman were wearing out. Soon they'd start dying, and she didn't have the heart to wait for the plan if that meant watching them die. Fortunately, she was almost ready. Just a little more...

Stephanie hurled a Batarang as hard as she could. She worried that it would miss entirely, yet to her surprise it actually bounced off Batman's forehead, tracing a line of blood. He glowered up toward her and she immediately ran. Though she was high atop a building, he didn't move according to normal rules, she didn't have long before-

Abruptly the bright red suit was in front of her. Stephanie ducked and rolled, dodging his attempt to grab her and rushing on. Batman turned and lumbered after her with surprising speed. He was going to catch up to her well before she reached the target point, but that was fine. All she had to do was start things off.

Though she ran better than she ever had before, smoothly sliding over or around all obstacles, her pursuer kept coming at an alarming rate. One she actually felt his fingers in her hair as she dodged out of the way, and that was when she realized that she was out of time. She needed to end it soon before he got a good grip and tore her head off.

As if to confirm that thought, at that moment she realized that she'd made a mistake and skidded to a halt just before the edge of a roof. Seeing that she had nowhere else to go, Batman slowed down, shifting to the side to pin her in the corner. There was nothing to swing from nearby either, just the sheer walls.

"What are you supposed to be, girl?"

"Girl?" Stephanie felt a moment of irritation, since the way she filled out her uniform should have decidedly proved she was not a girl. She stamped one foot. "I'm Robin, duh."

"Robin?" Batman peered at her, puzzled.

"Your sidekick? Well, I have no idea what your version of Robin would wear..."

"Preposterous. Batman, created by Lord Kane, needs no such thing!" It would have been ridiculous, if not for the fact that he punctuated the statement by forming a fist that could smash through buildings.

As soon as he started to move, Stephanie hurled her smoke pellet to the ground. Though it startled him to a surprising degree, sending him staggering and coughing, he didn't stop coming at her. Stephanie jumped over the side and looked back, only to find him lunging after her.

One hand gripped her cape. She jerked to a halt, but converted her movement into a flip that tore off her cape. She managed to catch a ledge below enough to slow her fall, which let her grab the next more carefully. Stephanie dangled on the side of the building while her opponent held nothing but a cape. He peered over the edge, glowering.

"You can't hide from me, girl..."

Fortunately, Stephanie wasn't hiding.

The windows of the building exploded with vines, growing at supernatural rates in all directions. They knocked Stephanie from her position, but the vines caught her and let her down safely. She kept her eyes fixed on the roof, where monstrous plants that looked like demonic venus fly traps assaulted Batman from all sides.

They bit at him from every angle, but failed to draw much blood. Batman flailed at them wildly, breaking many but always faced with twice the number. Eventually one of them managed to swallow Batman part way down the stem and for a moment the rooftop was still.

Batman exploded from the center of the plant, wings arching high. Stephanie finally saw Poison Ivy, hiding deeper in the building. She was in a trance, focusing on controlling the potent plants. Though Batman was tearing through them savagely, they were pulling him further and further toward the target point. There, they had one more blow prepared that would knock Batman down to the street level.

And after that... she'd just have to hope Superman could end it.

When Batman finally destroyed the last of the plants, he was just over the street from where the trap had been placed. Their attacks had taken a toll, but he was just too strong. He shook the plant juices from himself and began glowering around, looking for someone to fight.

When he turned a second time, he took a hammer to the face. "Hiya, Batsy!"

"What?" Batman managed to catch Harley Quinn's hammer the second time she swung it. "What kind of fool are you? You honestly think you can defeat me with a mere hammer?"

"Yup!" A second Harley whacked him upside the head. Before he could even turn toward that one, a third hit him from the opposite side.

The swarm of Harleys battered him to the edge of the roof, then the last hit him directly in the chest. As he went over the side, Harley leapt up, every version of her flickering together into a hot white form. When its hammer struck Batman, the blow sounded like a cannon. Batman smashed down, forming a large crater in the street.

"This... this won't defeat me." Batman stumbled back to his feet, wiping blood from his lips. "I am Batman, created by... Lord..."

A heavy footstep fell, making him trail off. Batman turned and stared as Superman approached.

He wore dark bulky armor that made him clumsy and slow, but Stephanie had to admit that he looked ominous as he advanced. The armor was a dark behemoth, Superman's eyes glowing bright red through the eye slits. Wires trailed from the armor, plugged into Gotham's power system.

Stephanie didn't see what Batman's old power suit could possibly do to help Superman. Yet as she watched nervously, Poison Ivy came beside her with a calm expression and Harvey hopped next to them, tired but eagerly anticipating what was to come. And above all, Batman was staring as if he didn't understand what he was seeing.

"What's... what are you doing?" He put his hands on his hips, but it didn't look like he really believed his own bravado. "If you want to face me, Batman, created by-"

"You are nothing." Superman's voice rumbled through her soul. "Batman is more than you. Gotham is more than you. This is over."

"No! This is all mine!" Batman gave a screaming cry and charged, raising a fist. The power radiated from him so intensely that it almost blinded Stephanie, forcing her to cover her eyes.

When she looked again, Superman's fist had connected with Batman's jaw.

For a terrible moment the world was frozen, then the force of the impact swept out. Superman struck the faux Batman with all of Gotham City, sending a shockwave rippling through reality. Concrete cracked, windows shattered, and everyone nearby jolted in a moment of perfect clarity.

When the dust fell, Batman had fallen. The armor was crumbling off Superman, utterly used up, but the battle was over. Power had gone out all over the city, yet it felt at peace in a way it hadn't in a long time. Perhaps ever. Superman walked up to his fallen opponent and picked him up by his dark wings. Batman struggled weakly.

"It's... it's not over."

"Yes, it is." The voice was not Superman, but Batman.

Stephanie had known about him, but still jumped to see the ghostly old figure emerge from an alleyway. The red Batman's eyes grew wide and he struggled harder, but he couldn't escape. As the older Batman approached, his body became more solid and his voice more certain.

"Yes, you're the beginning of Batman. I'm the end."

When the real Batman drew near, everything around them began to shake, reality itself cracking. Only Superman seemed unaffected, standing calmly between them. Batman looked at him once, said something that Stephanie couldn't hear, then stepped forward toward his counterpart.

When the two touched, the world buckled. Stephanie felt power flooding into the sky all around Gotham, then her mind closed on itself like a book and there was only darkness.

X X X

Though Ivy felt the world fracture, she felt strangely secure. She'd already felt this before, let herself come apart and then back together. Her mind recovered surprisingly quickly, allowing her to look into the vortex of oblivion.

Both versions of Batman were gone, in their place a swirling energy surging from points all over Gotham. It collected for a moment, just in front of Superman, and then began expanding. Though when the wave passed the world looked little different than before, she could feel the change. When it swept over her, the sense of security multiplied.

Yes, this was the same as when Superman had taken her, long ago when it had all begun. Her world had been chaotic and now everything was calm. Except he wasn't just taking her this time, he was taking everything. The power began to accelerate as it expanded, sweeping as far as she could see over Gotham. Soon it would cover the world and beyond.

Perhaps this was what the others spoke of about alternate realities and m-waves. Ivy had never concerned herself with that, always preferring to think of herself as simply a person in a world that made sense. Or could make sense, at any rate. But whatever had just occurred, she had a feeling that the others wouldn't be worrying about such obscure terms any longer.

Superman appeared beside her, a soft smile on his lips. Ivy took a slow breath. "It's over, then?"

"Yes, it's over." He pulled her into his arms and flew higher, looking over Gotham. Many buildings had been destroyed in the battle, but they were small compared to the whole city. Insignificant compared to the change that had been wrought.

"What's that?" She leaned across his chest to point out into the night sky. The answer was obvious enough, yet she still had to ask the question. Superman looked and then smiled.

A spotlight burned against the cloudy skies, but it was partially blocked to form the Superman logo. It seemed that the source was a building near the center of the city, most likely the one where the new police force had begun regrouping.

Ivy glanced at Superman, he shrugged, then they were off. She felt the wind in her hair for a glorious moment and then they glided down toward the source of the spotlight. Commissioner Gordon stood beside it, hugging his long coat closely around him.

"Superman, glad you're here." He pushed up his glasses carefully. "I know you've just finished a terrible battle, but we need to call on you again. Lady Clayface has been spotted downtown, using your distraction to commit a string of robberies."

Despite herself, Ivy laughed. All the days of tension and uncertainty were over, yes, but she was focusing on the wrong thing. Everything else was just beginning: days without end living with the others, getting fucked by Superman, and enjoying a world that was at peace for once. They'd seen the last of their gritty murders, she was sure of that.

Superman smiled and rose back into the sky. "It's time to get to work."

*****

I hope you'll forgive me this sex-light chapter. I had a blast writing this one, but that just never felt like the focus. This is the conclusion, but it's not the end of the story. For next time I have in mind a fun epilogue and it's going to be practically all sex.