The End of the Bat Family

Chapter Eight: The Alliance

As Tim leaped across the buildings, he frew closer and closer to the shadow he had begun to follow.

Soon, he was mearly one single building away and approaching quickly. Right before he reached the mysetry person however, they disappeared.

"What the hell" he said, reaching the end of the trail in a confused state. It didn't take him long before he realised that they must have slipped into a secret passage of some sorts. "Alrighty Selina. Where did you go." he said, bending over and rubbing his fingers across scratch marks on the roof.

Tim followed the claw marks and traced them to the edge of the building. "They fly right off." he said, looking over the ledge, trying to see where they led too. He watched the flow of the claws run down the wall and suddenly stop.

"This is interesting." he said, backing up and reading himself. "I hope this works." he said, bolting towards the edge of the building. He placed his hand on the beginning to the clawed trail and followed it to a near perfection.

His fingers fell in the clawed trails and followed it as if he was creating them. Then when he hit the edge of the building, he vaulted over the edge, keeping his hand running over the ledge and down the creases going down the wall.

Tim soon approached the end of the crease when he noticed the end had deeper engravings in the wall. He quickly pulled out a shuriken and peirced the wall, keeping him hanging there momentarily.

He stared at the wall when the blade he stuck in it slowly began to fall out. "Not now." he said, taking out his bo-staff and piercing it beneath him. He slowly placed his feet on the staff, balancing himself while he searched the area more intensely.

Tim activated his detective vision and examined the wall very closely. "She must have dug her claws in the wall to swing into something. But what? And where?" he thought, running his fingers around the end of the trail.

The wall beneath him slowly began to give out, meaning Tim had to figure out a solution quickly. "She had to have entered somewhere, but where?" he thought, looking around the wall for some kind of clue.

His staff gave out however and Tim fell down. He reached out in panic and placed his hand on a brick. When he did this, the brick slowly shifted down and opened a secret passage in the wall beside him.

"Well. That makes things easier." he said, climbing up the wall and into the new found hole. As Tim crawled in, the wall closed behind him, shutting out all of the access light.

He began to walk forward when he heard voices ahead of him. "Look. We made a deal." the voice said, grabbing Tim's attention. He walked closer down the hallway when he seen stairs that led down to a walkway, where two people stood.

"Interesting." Tim said, hiding behind the door frame, peeking his head out to listen. "Who's Selina talking too?" Tim thought questionably, trying to focus in on the figure in front of her.

"Look. I gave you what you wanted. Now I want what you promised." Selina said, expecting a response tailored to her liking. "You'll get your guarantee when I'm told everything is-..." he said, being cut off by a ringing coming from his pocket.

"That must be him." the figure said, turning around and answering his phone. Tim took the chance to slip away in the shadows and moved to a higher vantage point.

The man turned around and walked back to Selina. "Your safety is guaranteed. But if you even think about helping the Bat or his brats, then your safety means shit." he said, making the terms clear as day.

Selina smiled and turned around, seeing Tim out of the corner of her eyes. She stopped and turned around, preparing to ask the man something. "Where are they all?" Selina asked, bringing curiosity towards Tim.

"We've secured all of them. We're looking for the last one as we speak." he said, turning around and leaving the room. Selina heard that and followed him to question him more, while Tim hid there beginning to panic.

"Everyone. That's impossible." he said, contacting Alfred immediately. "Alfred? Alfred!" Tim exclaimed, hoping for him to answer. However, someone else answered. "Alfred along with Ms.Gordon are in my custody. Along with the rest of your family. This legacy you brought yourself up upon ends. And once we get our hands on you, all of you will die to my hand." he said, ending the call and leaving Tim breathless.

While Tim stood there, he watched Selina walk out, so Tim followed her. Once they emerged on the roof top, Tim walked up to confront her. "Selina! What the hell was that?" Tim asked, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around.

"It's none of your business." she said, ripping her arm away from Tim and walking away. "Selina! The family is in danger. You can't let them get hurt!" he exclaimed, following her down the building.

Selina decided to ignore Tim and walk off as if nothing was happening. "What have they ever done for me?" she asked, walking further and further away from him. "Selina! Listen to me damn it!" Tim exclaimed, sending shivers down her spine.

She stopped in her tracks and waited to see what Tim would say next. "Bruce needs you. He loves you. You can't just abandon him now." Tim said, striking a nerve in Selina.

She turned around with a great raged expression on her face, beginning to storm towards Tim. "Bruce. Love me? I tried warning him. Helping him and he shut me and my offer down. Like hell that's love." she said, reaching the front of Tim.

"Selina. Did that offer include leaving Gotham while there was work to be done?" he asked, creating nothing but dead silence between the two of them. "Look. If we can end this, there isn't anything holding Bruce back from starting a life outside of 'Batman'. But we need to save him AND the family." Tim said, finally wearing Selina down.

"I know I'm going to regret this." she said, putting a grin on his face. "Great. Now this new guy. Do you know anything about him?" he asked, hoping Selina could give him some kind of information.

"I don't know anything... except that his army is the biggest thing I've ever seen. And that he knows everything about the family." she said, watching Tim turn around in an annoyed manner.

"But you already knew that." she said, following Tim. "Okay. We need to find the family. With all of us together, we stand a better chance against this Tyrant." Tim said, walking to the edge of the building and spreading his winged cape to form solid wings.

"So where are we going?" Selina asked, confused briefly. "Wayne Manor. There has to be some kind of clue in the Batcave." he said, leaping of the building and soaring into the distance.

"What have you gotten yourself into Selina?" she asked, pulling out her whip and swinging from building to building, following Tim as they approached Wayne Manor.