Batman Alternate Universe--Conquering the Beast

A Deal is Struck

"What do you mean go home?" Kara demanded. "What the hell's wrong with you? I'm your friend, I'm trying to help!"

Bruce shook her head. "I don't need any help. I can handle this just fine on my own."

Kara and Alfred had come down the stairs to the Batcave to find Bruce sitting in her computer chair looking even more brooding than usual. And she was acting especially unfriendly.

"Master Wayne..." Alfred gasped, staring at Bruce's face. "What happened to your..."

Bruce shook her head and held up a hand, silencing Alfred. Her look said, Not now.

"Well I don't care what you say!" Kara said hotly. "Dick is my friend too and you have no right to tell me I can't help find him!"

"Well in that case you'll have to do it apart from me, because I'm not—"

Suddenly Bruce's phone began ringing. Unknown caller.

The three girls looked at each other. Bruce snatched it up and answered it.

"Hello, Bat. Or should I zay, Bruce Wayne." The Beast said smoothly. His deep voice perforated the room, and for a moment, Bruce's heart clutched in fear before her mind told her that it was just his voice, not the rest of the dangerous package.

"What have you done with Dick?!" She snarled.

"He ez fine. For now."

"What do you want from me?!" She was clutching the phone so hard she felt she might break it.

"Your cooperation. I wanted to ensure eet by discovering your identity. But, as luck would have eet, your little friend here has told me everything and more zan I could ask for. He has been the most eager contributor of knowledge." The Beast laughed then, the sound cold and humorless.

Bruce was livid. "If you've hurt him in any way I will personally rip out your—"

"Hey, keep it PG, ze kid is right here. Besides, zere's no reason to get all worked up. He's of no use to me now."

"What do you mean?"

Kara and Alfred, who were listening because it was on speaker phone, were both waiting breathlessly.

"I'm done wiz him." The Beast said nonchalantly. "Meet me under ze Gotham bridge tomorrow at 16 hundred and I'll give him back."

"You'll give him back." Bruce said warily. "Just like that? Alive? Unharmed?"

"Of course. But don't zink zis is the end of our relationship. You and I are going to be busy after zis. What ez zat American expression? Be zere or be square? Ha!" And with that, he hung up.

Bruce put down the phone and looked at the two other girls.

Alfred was biting her lip, looking as if she wanted to feel relieved, but wasn't really sure if it was all over.

Kara was looking at Bruce with a determined glint in her eye.

Bruce frowned.

"What time is it?"

"It's 4pm, like he said, sir."

"Then where the hell is he?!"

The Bat was standing underneath the Gotham bridge, the one that allowed people from the rest of the U.S. to enter her city, and likewise allowed Gothamites an escape to another place that wasn't filled with crazy criminals.

The air was filled with the roar of traffic above her head as the Bat stood by a support beam, her foot tapping impatiently on the cement floor. This was considered the overflow area for the roaring river that went by to her left.

"There's still time for him to arrive." Alfred said anxiously through the radio in her ear, more to herself than to Bruce.

"This is bullshit! What does he think he's doing? Toying with me?!" Bruce growled, taking a few steps so she could kick a crumpled pop can.

She was about to angrily scratch a Bat-symbol into the support beam when her phone rang.

"Is is him? An unknown number?" Alfred asked nervously.

It was.

"This can't be good." Bruce said, scowling at her phone. She whipped it up to her ear. "Where are you?!"

"Change of plans, Bat." The KGBeast said calmly. "If you vant Dick you'll be coming to me."

"What the fuck?!" She exclaimed. "Stop the games! I thought you had what you wanted!"

"Oh, ze games have just begun." He said. "Ze one we're playing now is called, 'Would You Rather.' Would you rather save your little friend Dick, who thinks of you as his hero, or would you instead choose to save 200 plus people from a deadly bomb?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I have planted a bomb in ze Narrows of Gotham. It eez really such a shanty part of town, filled to ze gills with people. Should it go off, and I assure you eet will in ezactly 45 minutes, ze explosion will be devastating and take many lives.

Simultaneously, in 45 minutes, I will be murdering your little friend Dick. You have ze choice. Save your little boy, or save your city."

Bruce stared ahead of her, her eyes wide but unseeing. Finally, she found her words and rage. "How could you! Why are you doing this?!" She yelled. "I thought we had an agreement!"

"I change mind." He said plainly. "What happens now, ez up to you. One or ze other, you won't have time to do both."

Bruce's heart was racing. Save Dick and hundreds would die. Save the Narrows and Dick, her little adorable wannabe sidekick, would be murdered ruthlessly.

"I know," The Beast continued "It eez a nigh impossible decision to make, no? But I am not cruel man, I tell you where each thing is. Ze bomb is in a yellow abandoned house on 5th street, one block from ze intersection of Rouge and Bluffer. I and Dick are residing in an under construction apartment building on North Drive. So vut are you going to choose?"

"I can do both." Bruce said suddenly.

The Beast snorted. "You're insane, zere's not enough time. You vouldn't be fast enough!"

"No, I'm not fast enough. But I have friends that are." Bruce told him, her voice suddenly strong and confident. "Supergirl? Flash? Were you getting all that?"

"I'm heading for the bomb right now!" Kara said in her ear.

"Loud and clear, Bats." A blur of red came down the overflow and suddenly The Flash was standing next to her. "I'm ready when you are." He said, extending his arms, ready to scoop her up.

"When you find that bastard, kick his ass for me." Kara said heatedly.

"You cheat! Zis was supposed to be between you and me!" The Beast raged through the phone.

Bruce smirked. "I change mind."

"When you arrive, don't expect an open welcome..." He threatened.

Bruce's smile turned cold. "I wouldn't have it any other way."