Justice Lords Limitless Act 1: ReBirth

Chapter 3

Curtis sighed. Gotham was returning to the way it was before the Justice Lords – before Batman. Gotham needed Batman: his city was screaming.

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Batman sat at the Batcomputer, elbows on the control panel, fingers intertwined and his nose resting just atop them. On the screen, the same scene played out. Yes, Gotham was screaming for a hero. But he wasn't the hero Gotham deserved. As he watched the screen, a flicker of movement caught his eye. "Alfred," he broke the cave's silence, his voice echoing among the crevasses. "Split screen output. Rewind broadcast thirty seconds and then pause."

"Yes, Master Bruce." The BatCave's artificial intelligence, named in memory of his father figure and friend, quickly split the display into two images. The newer window rewound the broadcast for the specified number of seconds and then froze the feed.

There it was. Or rather, she was. A feminine figure was in the top corner of the screen mid-leap, as if soaring in from a perch offscreen. Against the cloudy, dark sky, the casual observer would have missed her. But Batman was not the casual observer. Her costume, though dark, was unmistakably theatrical and seemed to mimic his own design.

"Alfred," he spoke in a tenser tone. "Zoom in and upscale image."

Within seconds, the image was enlarged and the figure was enhanced as best the AI's algorithms could allow. Batman's suspicions proved correct; the girl had modeled her costume after his own. Grey padded suit, black mask and cape, and a belt that appeared to be some shade of yellow. Of course, there were obvious differences in design and quality, but the resemblance to his motif was nothing short of uncanny.

Batman leaned back in his chair, a hand to his chin in thought. "Alfred, loop the next five seconds." The clip played from her appearance to her disappearance over and over and he studied it intently. "Sloppy landing. Her footwork needs practice." Without even realizing it, he began to critique the woman's technique. "Has a gymnast's grace, but her footfalls look heavy. I would've known she was on the roof before she was even halfway to the access door."

"So, you are just going to let untrained children run around doing what you vowed to do?" The voice was unmistakable. It was his voice, but it was not from his mouth.

Not missing a beat, Batman replied to his dimensional double, "Surprised you could find your way back here."

The other Batman huffed and then replied, "If that is your excuse for a greeting, your social skills need more work."

"You know what I meant." Batman stood from his chair and turned to his double. "Besides, I am not worthy of defending this city against whatever may come."

The other Batman left his spot in the shadows near the dimensional portal and approached the Batcomputer. He scrutinized the scene playing out. "Those hostiles wouldn't stand a chance against you. Within minutes, the entire building would be swept and they would be in handcuffs. Your public image does not matter. You've been framed as worse things. What does matter is the mission to make certain that what happened to you will not happen to anyone else. Ever."

Batman turned away from the other. "That is impossible. There are millions of people in this city. Thousands of them are put in life-threatening situations daily."

"It all adds up."

"Never fast enough to pay back what is lost. When the Justice Lords reigned, the streets were safe."

"At what cost? The people weren't free and the law was skewed. Working in the shadows and within the spirit of the law gives hope in the darkness."

Batman paused. "Another man spoke of hope. But look at how that turned out." He leaned forward onto the table and grimaced. He knew what he was saying was wrong. He had become Batman to give hope to people; to become something incorruptible. He became a symbol, a legend. But now because of one choice, he had run his reputation into the ground and tarnished that symbol.