Day 93 of No Man's Land
Gotham didn't look like a city anymore. It looked like a carcass picked clean by vultures.
The sky was permanently gray, choked with smoke from tire fires. The streets were blocked by walls of rubble, razor wire, and crushed cars.
Spray paint was the new language.
On the walls of the Financial District: A Green Question Mark. (Riddler's Territory).
On the walls of the Docks: An Umbrella. (Penguin's Trading Post).
On the walls of the Narrows: A Smile. (Joker's Kingdom).
And everywhere else... chaos.
The Bunker (Beneath Wayne Manor)
The Batcave was gone, buried under tons of rock. We had relocated to the sub-basement bunker, originally built during the Cold War.
It was cramped. It smelled of unwashed bodies, gun oil, and desperation.
Bruce Wayne stood before a large map of Gotham pinned to the wall. It wasn't a digital screen. It was paper, marked with colored pins and sharpie lines.
He had grown a beard. His tactical suit was scuffed, patched with duct tape and leather. He looked like a general at the end of a losing war.
"Report," Bruce rasped.
Tim Drake (Red Robin) stepped forward. He looked thinner. Rationing had been hard on the growing boy.
"The Blue Boys—Gordon's crew—are holding Old Gotham," Tim pointed to the blue section on the map. "But they're running low on ammo. Two-Face has been probing their perimeter near the Courthouse."
"And the North?" Bruce asked.
"Dead zone," Dick Grayson (Nightwing) said, leaning against a crate of canned peaches. "Ventilator and Killer Croc are fighting over the sewers. It's a slaughterhouse. If you go down there, you don't come back."
"And supplies?"
"Critical," Sebastian (Me) announced.
I stood by the inventory shelves. My tailcoat was gone, replaced by a black tactical vest over my dress shirt, sleeves rolled up. I held a clipboard.
"We have three days of water left," I read. "The hydroponic garden is producing, but slowly. And we are down to our last box of 9mm rounds for the perimeter turrets."
"We need to trade," Conner Kent (Superboy) said. He was sitting on an ammo crate, eating a can of cold beans. "Penguin has everything. He's running a bazaar at the Robinson Park center. Food, batteries, toilet paper."
"Penguin charges in gold," Selina Kyle said, sharpening a knife. "Or blood. We don't have enough of either."
Bruce looked at the map.
The territory marked with the Bat Symbol was tiny. Just the Manor grounds and the surrounding forest.
"We don't trade," Bruce said, his voice hard. "We take."
He stabbed a pin into the map. Robinson Park.
"Penguin is holding the relief supplies that FEMA dropped last week. He's hoarding them to control the population. That makes him a valid target."
"He's got mercenaries, Bruce," Dick warned. "KGBeast is working security for him."
"We have a Kryptonian," Bruce looked at Conner.
"A hungry Kryptonian," Conner grumbled. "I need solar energy, and the smog is blocking the sun. I'm operating at 40%."
"That's enough," Bruce said.
He turned to the group.
"Tonight, we expand the map. We take the Park. We secure the supplies. And we tag the walls."
"Tag them?" Tim asked.
Bruce picked up a can of black spray paint.
"These people need to know that the Bat isn't just a myth hiding in the woods. They need to know we're coming back."
Robinson Park - The Bazaar - Midnight
The park had been turned into a medieval market. Tents were set up everywhere. Generators hummed. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter.
In the center sat The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot). He was sitting on a literal throne made of FEMA supply crates, eating a fresh rotisserie chicken while starving citizens watched.
"Step right up!" Penguin squawked. "One diamond ring gets you a gallon of water! A Rolex gets you a pack of batteries! No credit, no checks!"
The Infiltration
I moved through the shadows of the trees. I was the ghost.
"Sniper in the tree line," I whispered into my comms. "Twelve o'clock."
"I see him," Selina's voice.
THUMP.
The sniper fell silently from the tree.
"Clear," Selina said.
"Conner," Batman ordered. "Make an entrance."
BOOM.
Conner Kent dropped from the sky, landing directly on top of Penguin's generator. The lights in the bazaar died instantly.
"Hey, Ozzie!" Conner shouted, his eyes glowing red in the dark. "You didn't invite us to the barbecue!"
"Superboy!" Penguin screamed, spitting chicken. "Kill him! Kill the alien!"
KGBeast and twenty mercenaries opened fire.
Bullets pinged off Conner's chest. He laughed, flipping a tank over.
"Is that it?"
"Now," Batman commanded.
From the darkness, the Bat-Family struck.
Nightwing and Red Robin descended on the mercenaries with escrima sticks and bo staffs. They moved with brutal efficiency. In No Man's Land, they didn't hold back as much. Broken bones were common.
Batman drove the Bat-Pod (which we had salvaged) through the main gate, scattering the thugs.
"Penguin!" Batman roared, leaping off the bike.
He landed in front of the throne.
Penguin scrambled back, pulling a machine gun umbrella.
"You can't touch me! I run the economy! If you take me out, the trade stops! People starve!"
Batman kicked the umbrella out of his hand. He grabbed Penguin by the lapels and slammed him onto a crate of medical supplies.
"The economy just changed hands," Batman growled.
He looked at the terrified crowd of citizens.
"This food," Batman shouted, his voice amplified by his cowl. "Is free!"
The crowd gasped. Then, they cheered. They rushed the crates, grabbing water, blankets, and food.
"No!" Penguin wailed. "My profit margins!"
"Sebastian," Batman said. "Load the truck. Take what we need for the Manor. Leave the rest for the people."
"Yes, Sir."
I began loading heavy crates of ammunition and fuel into the transport truck we had brought.
"You're stealing from me!" Penguin cried. "This is anarchy!"
"No, Oswald," I said, tossing a crate effortlessly into the truck. "This is a hostile takeover."
The Tag
The mercenaries were tied up. The supplies were distributed.
Batman walked to the massive concrete wall that bordered the park. It was currently painted with Penguin's umbrella symbol.
Batman took out the spray paint can.
He sprayed over the umbrella. Thick, black lines.
A Bat.
He turned to the crowd.
"This territory is under my protection," Batman announced. "If anyone tries to extort you... light the signal."
He pointed to a makeshift spotlight Tim had rigged up.
"We are watching."
The Bunker - Dawn
We returned with the truck full. Water. Ammo. Solar batteries.
Morale was high.
"We did it," Tim smiled, opening a can of peaches. "We took a sector."
"One down," Bruce said, marking the map. He replaced the Umbrella pin on Robinson Park with a Bat pin. "Twenty to go."
"Who's next?" Dick asked.
Bruce looked at the map. The blue zone—Gordon's territory—was shrinking.
"Gordon," Bruce said. "He's holding the line against the Joker and Two-Face. But he's losing. We need to link up with the Blue Boys."
"That means crossing the Joker's territory," I noted. "The Narrows."
"Yes," Bruce said grimly.
He looked at me.
"Sebastian. The Joker has been quiet. Too quiet."
"He is plotting, Sir. Chaos takes preparation."
"Get the gear ready," Bruce said. "Tomorrow, we go to war for the GCPD."
I bowed.
"I shall pack the grenades, Sir. And perhaps... a few jokes of our own."
_________________________________________________________________________
🔥 Hey legends! Quick updates! 🔥
💥 Can't wait for the next chapter? Good news—ALL advance chapters are available on Patreon for just $5! No more waiting, just pure binge-reading goodness! 🚀
👉 patreon.com/cyci07
✨ Power Stone Challenge! ✨
If we hit 100 power stones, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters! Let's see if you guys can make me suffer! 😂
💬 Enjoying the story? Leave a review and let me know your favorite moment so far! It helps the novel grow and reach more readers!
Thanks for all your support—you guys are awesome! ❤️