"President Bruce Wayne assassinated—America's most shocking mass terror attack in history! Up next, stay tuned for our in-depth analysis..."
"Around 2:30 AM yesterday, the United States Capitol was subjected to a terrorist attack, and the working President Bruce Wayne unfortunately died. The U.S. Congress spokesperson stated that this intolerable and terribly frightening act of terror cannot be allowed."
"The Daily Planet exclusively reports that, on the streets of the East Coast, bodies in tight-fitting costumes have been frequently found, the majority of which have been identified as local street heroes, their causes of death currently unknown."
From the street's giant screens that brighten the busy commercial districts to the flickering televisions in store windows, countless news reports were repeating a terrifying and tragic message—their best president in history, Bruce Wayne, had died in an indescribable terror attack.
With a click, Jason switched off the remote, turning the television screen to another program, but the news ticker at the bottom continued to broadcast the message of the president's assassination.
The Robins in Shiller's universe, who all stood solemnly in front of the television watching the news, had been entrusted to the Batman of Arkham's world by Bruce, who had gone on a business trip to the dark universe. They had been staying there for some time.
During this time, they hadn't interacted much with the Batman of this universe, as the Arkham Knight Universe's Batman had become the US President and within just a few short months had been evaluated as the best President in America's history.
Accomplishing this was certainly no easy feat, so the Batman of the Arkham Knight Universe had been quite busy lately. Except for the initial chat that the Robins had with this Batman when they first arrived, there hadn't been much communication with him since.
Instead, the Nightwing, Red Robin, Barbara, and even the Arkham Knight Jason of this universe had good relationships with them. Although the Robins didn't understand why these people didn't live in Wayne Manor, they still often gathered to eat, chat, or maintain their equipment.
Bruce's Robins had their own equipment now too, as they had grown up; Dick was in high school already, and both Jason and Tim had entered middle school. Although Bruce hadn't really taught them any combat skills or tactical thinking, he had indeed acquired a heap of strange and unusual equipment for them.
This included, but was not limited to, the Miniature Ark Reactor that Bruce had created in his spare time and a set of Nanofold Armguards he had driven, a Magic Wand from Kamar-Taj, a Miniature Freeze Pistol capable of freezing people in lethal ice, a small Darkseid Local Defense Fleet's Spaceship, a bunch of usable Yellow and Green Lantern Rings, feathers dropped by Michael, Uriel, and so on.
What about those bat-themed pieces of equipment? It can only be said that the only remnants of the Bat Equipment that Bruce himself had were the Bat Armor with only ornamental value and a few Batman darts.
Just as the Robins finished watching the Secretary of Defense's analysis of the terror attack, the mobile phone on the coffee table rang.
"Hello, this is Barbara. I'm communicating with you from the Clock Tower Base and will shortly connect the other three lines. Their respective codenames are Nightwing, Arkham Knight, and Robin. Please refer to me as Prophet."
"Sure, ma'am, but I don't think there's any need to hide our names. I trust that this communication line is secure," Dick said.
"I'm trying to build a firewall with artificial intelligence," Tim typed rapidly on the computer. "Though I'm not exactly a professional hacker, this AI used to be what Bruce used to calculate Gotham's building reconstruction plans. Its strength is in calculation, not security protection, but it's probably good enough."
"I really appreciate your help, Mr. Drake."
"Just call me Tim, Prophet ma'am. I believe you've already collected all the information about the assassination of the president. Can you briefly outline the important details?"
"Okay," Barbara's voice came through the communicator. "I guess you are packing equipment. They have also just communicated with me from the Gladiator Ring System, and this time, we will have many powerful allies on the way."
"Before you're ready, I'll gather and refine the information from every source of news as much as possible, but so far it's not complete, there's no clue about the truth, but I can take this time to tell you about what happened."
"Last night at around 2:32 AM, a significant explosion occurred on the second floor of the United States Capitol. At the time, a photography team was shooting a promotional video for the upcoming National Day, so they captured the explosion. Based on the characteristics of the explosion, the detonation point seems to have been on the corridor to the right, where the President's office is located."
"Within three hours after the explosion, all systems were continuously spreading the news to calm public panic. At 6 AM today, the US Congress and the League Investigation Bureau jointly issued a death announcement, officially informing the world that the current US President, Bruce Wayne, has passed away."
"How did they report on the killer?"
"They only emphasized that they would arrest the killer as soon as possible, but they did not mention any details about their identity, not even speculations. Both Nightwing and I think this is extremely unusual," she said.
"That's bad news," Jason said, zipping up his jacket. "But I think, soon, we will be dealing with even more bad news."
"Don't be so pessimistic," Dick told him. "I don't believe Batman really died. It could be part of his plan."
"Additionally," Barbara's voice crackled again, "the promotional team's footage shows Superman's figure appearing behind the exploding Capitol Building in the video, spanning only a few seconds, he can be seen flying toward the Capitol at high speed, but he fell."
"I processed the image specially and magnified it about 60 times, and I found an extremely small glowing object, like a sword, striking Superman in the chest."
"Just this one hit?"
"Just this one hit," Barbara affirmed, then added, "Superman looked to be in great pain, and almost immediately started to fall. During his descent, he still tried to fly towards the United States Capitol, but failed."
"Where is he now?"
"No one knows." Barbara's tone grew grave as she went on, "He's disappeared, but what we can confirm is that he's still alive. When Superman came to Gotham, Batman had monitored his physical condition. His unbelievably strong body is nearly indestructible."
Jason's uneasy premonition grew stronger, and he said, "The body may be indestructible, but what about the soul?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know much about that area," Barbara could only say. "But if you have any guesses, you're welcome to share them with us."
"This might be yet another piece of bad news."
"We're never afraid of bad news," another voice emerged in the channel, clearly that of Arkham Knight Universe's Nightwing.
"Well, if this terrorist attack was aimed at Batman, then I think the situation might still be under control, because it could be the work of his political enemies or some extremist faction."
"But the news reports said that many superheroes have died in succession, and Superman has been attacked and is currently missing. So we can infer that the aim is at all the superheroes in this universe."
"There are too many superheroes, their ideals, their range of activities, and the people they have befriended or offended are completely different. Who could indiscriminately target all of them?"
This question brought a brief silence in the channel, but soon Robin joined the channel, saying, "Even the craziest criminal in Gotham wouldn't target all the heroes in a city indiscriminately. If someone did, it means he has an intense hatred for superheroes, and it also shows he's incredibly evil."
"An explosion can't kill Batman," a deep voice sounded in the channel, evidently the Arkham Knight had joined in. "Even if he wasn't wearing the Bat Armor, even without any equipment. But after becoming president, he had installed protective measures in all areas he frequents. Those aren't something a regular explosion could breach."
"You're right, kid," a nasal voice suddenly interjected. "Batman wasn't defeated by the explosion, but by something far more evil."
All the members of the Batman Family were startled, and Barbara raised her voice, "Who are you? How did you get into our channel?"
"Firewall's fine," Tim immediately said. "This guy seems like he's always been here, even joined earlier than us."
"Who are you exactly?" Dick asked. "What's your relationship with Batman?"
"Of course, I came earlier than you guys," the voice said. "But that doesn't matter, Batman's in big trouble right now. Indeed, he's still not dead, but he's about to be."
Everyone stood up, and in Nightwing's voice was deep worry, "Where exactly are you? How do you know all this?"
"You guys should know where I am, not so long ago, each of you held me in your arms," the voice replied.
The channel fell into collective silence for a second, but then Barbara suddenly said, "Jason! Your big puppet!!"
Footsteps and rustling sounds immediately came over Arkham Knight's comm channel, indicating he was looking for something.
"Ah-ha! Congratulations on finding me!" the voice came from the Arkham Knight's channel again, sounding somewhat muffled due to the distance.
They soon heard a bang, like something heavy had hit the floor, followed by a cacophony of noises and a pained curse from the Arkham Knight.
"Jason, Jason, are you okay?" Barbara kept asking.
After what seemed like several seconds, the Arkham Knight returned to the comm channel, out of breath, "I caught him, the damn thing, I don't know how to describe it, he's like a Batman puppet come to life!"
"I just wanted to hide inside the Batman puppet and give you all a hug, but I'm not a puppet myself. My name is Bat Mite, pleased to meet you all!"
Several groups of people quickly gathered at Barbara's Clock Tower Base. Nightwing arrived in uniform, holding a weapon case in his hand. Robin did not wear his Robin costume, but he brought a computer he had obtained from Batman earlier.
Jason and company rushed over from Wayne Manor, not only wielding their own gadgets but also driving the Batmobile, and even brought along desserts freshly made by Alfred.
The only outlier was Arkham Knight, still clad in his extremely cool Armor, but incongruously holding a Batman puppet almost half his size.
How big was this puppet? A 200-pound giant Robin bird that you had to hug with both hands and even lean backward to keep it from dragging on the ground.
Arkham Knight tossed the puppet onto the sofa behind Barbara, let out a sigh, and with hands on his hips, looked at the puppet and said, "I knew Batman wasn't being nice for no reason. It took me half an hour just to get this thing down from the attic."
Just now, it was he who was talking. Jason, somewhat surprised, moved closer but found nothing unusual about the Batman puppet.
This large toy was just a very cartoonish bat shape; an elongated ellipse with two pointy ears in the center, round eyes in the middle of the ellipse, and two large bat wings on either side. The whole puppet was made of shaggy material with glossy satin fur, stitched delicately and soft to the touch, very suitable for hugging while sleeping.
The only problem was its size; it was so large that it could kick a person off a double bed, and up to now, no one in the house could see where they were going while hugging it.
The others also gathered around, touching the puppet here and there, though really there wasn't much to touch. The Arkham Knight's last birthday was celebrated at Wayne Manor, where Alfred insisted on taking it back, and he made a table full of delicious dishes.
The atmosphere during the meal was rather heavy but not surprisingly so, considering that the two protagonists on the table didn't have mouths. However, the climax of the entire banquet was when Batman pulled out the puppet from nowhere—and his move wasn't exactly graceful—everyone was stunned.
Because the thing looked too soft to touch, everyone gave it a big hug, but upon embracing it, they found it was just a larger-than-average toy with nothing special about it.
Arkham Knight waved his hand at Jason and the others to step aside, wound up his fist, and gave the Batman puppet a punch right in the center, making a 'thud' sound as he made a large indentation.
But obviously, that was not the sound a simple toy should make; indeed, something about one-fifth the size of the puppet flew out from it, holding its head and squeaking in distress.
When the little creature holding its head let go, everyone discovered that it indeed somewhat resembled the puppet, especially the head.
The creature was structured like Batman, with ears on its head and wings on its back, but with a big head and a small body; its head was an elongated ellipse, with two big eyes in the middle and a mouth below, baring two big front teeth.
"Oh! I said I was preparing a grand entrance. Why the rush?"
Arkham Knight looked intensely irritated as he replied, "What time is it now for grand entrances? Just hurry up and tell us what's going on. What in the world happened to Batman?"
"Say it again, call me Bat-Mite." The little creature rubbed its head and added, "Rude brat. If I'd known, I wouldn't have sung you a lullaby. If it weren't for Batman, I wouldn't bother with you at all..."
"Alright, Mr. Bat-Mite, um, Mister, right?" Dick looked at him and said, "We are really concerned about Batman's condition, and I suppose you are too. So why don't you talk about it now and we can figure out a solution together."
Bat-Mite immediately zipped over and hugged Dick, planting a big kiss on his cheek, exclaiming, "Sure thing, my sweet little darling."
He then glared at Arkham Knight and said, "You're not like that brat—hiding a whole collection of Batman's photos, postcards, and keychains, but still insisting on claiming yourself..."
"Shut up!!!"
The overly strong Robin, in a fit of anger, even swung the gigantic Batman puppet, sending Bat-Mite flying against the opposite wall with a bang.
The dazed Bat-Mite stuck out its tongue, seeing stars before finally getting back up and shaking its head, commenting, "No one loves a thuggish child; Batman will never like you."
Barbara also glared at Arkham Knight and sat down, catching the falling Bat-Mite in mid-air and stroking its head, saying, "Sorry, sir. Did you bump your head? Maybe you'd like to sit in the puppet for a while. That way, that guy won't be able to use it as a weapon."
"Good idea." Bat-Mite nodded. It made the giant Batman puppet levitate and dug a hole between the two ears to lie down in, turning the large toy into his throne and sitting upon it with a smug look, condescendingly peering down at everyone.
"I'm not joking. Batman is in danger right now, but probably only you can save him. Because an old nemesis of mine, actually also a friend, has been following me around. If the two of us start fighting, it would destroy all the cosmos."
"Actually, if Batman were in ordinary danger, I would not have appeared, but this time the trouble is a bit tricky. It's one of my kind, meaning a five-dimensional being. You know what that is, right?"
The group exchanged glances, the word was somewhat unfamiliar to them. Jason repeated the word and said, "Does 'dimensional' mean dimension? I think I've heard some spaceship pilots mention this before, some spaceships can jump between dimensions. It's a very magical technology."
"You're only partly right," Bat Mite said. "Indeed, there are creatures that can traverse dimensions, but they actually just briefly stop in the dimensional passages. We, the beings from different dimensions, are like natural-born fairies and demons existing in various dimensions. We are the indigenous inhabitants, not mere tourists."
"So, Batman is facing a dimensional fairy this time?"
"To be precise, a fifth-dimensional imp, like me, but not quite as saving."
"Not as powerful as me, but troublesome enough for Batman to deal with." Bat Mite shook his big head somewhat helplessly and said, "Humans are too fragile. Forget five-dimensional beings; even those from the fourth dimension, just one higher than yours, can devastate you."
Robin got a bit restless, standing up and walking over to Bat Mite to ask, "So what do we do? Will you help us? Or is there a way to defeat creatures like you?"
"Don't even think about defeating us," Bat Mite said, crossing his legs. "With the difference in dimensions, it's very hard for you to fundamentally defeat us. However, because we're not beings from this dimension and our connection to it isn't that deep, there are ways to expel us from your cosmos and prevent us from returning for a while. I suggest you use that method."
"Okay, then how can we expel the interdimensional creature threatening Batman?"
"I don't know," Bat Mite shook his head.
Arkham Knight grabbed a cushion and threw it at Bat Mite, who waved his hand and said, "I'm not fooling you. Each microbe has different rules, and their weaknesses are also not identical. Generally speaking, the more powerful the five-dimensional creature, the more difficult it is to expel them. But the one Batman is dealing with now is not that strong."
"Is there a pattern to it then?" Tim sharply focused on the key point and said, "Since it's the same kind of creature, there must be similarities in the expulsion methods, right?"
"Oh, clever little baby, you're spot on. The key to expelling five-dimensional beings lies in their names. You can consider this angle."
The group looked at each other, uncertain whether to trust this mysterious suit. But Bat Mite soon added, "Oh, I forgot to remind you of something earlier. You were wrong about one thing. It's not just the fifth-dimensional imp threatening Batman. I've heard of another poor sod who got caught a long time ago."
"Caught by whom?"
"It's hard to say because that might attract the attention of another troublesome character. I risked coming here just to inform you for Batman's sake. The rest is up to you. And I've got to stop my old nemesis from troubling Superman. That big guy isn't doing so well either."
After saying this, Bat Mite was about to fly away, but Dick suddenly stopped him and said, "Um, thanks for your help. It looks like you're fond of this puppet. We thought we might give it to you as a thank-you gift. But could you answer one last question for us?"
Bat Mite, who had been about to leave, stopped immediately. He flew back and circled around Dick a few times, then said, "My god, I'm so envious of Batman in your universe. You really are a sweetheart. Okay, what do you want to ask?"
"Is Superman still alive?"
"Of course, at least his soul is still alive."
Having said this, Bat Mite wrapped the giant Batman puppet with his suddenly enlarged cape and disappeared into thin air with it.
Arkham Knight immediately glared at Dick but was first mocked by Robin, "Didn't you say you didn't like this thing? Sending it away as a favor, and you even save on the disposal fee."
Arkham Knight turned to glare at him and even took off his mask to intensify the aggressiveness of his gaze.
"Come on, you should think about where that thing came from. There must be a factory that made it, right? So, guess where the factory is?" Dick said nonchalantly, "After this is over, I'll get you a bigger one."
Then their conversation finally got back on track. Robin speculated, "That little guy just mentioned, the five-dimensional creature threatening Batman is actually a poor devil who got caught. That means the criminal behind all this is the one who caught him."
"It looks like we are going to have to deal with..."
While they were analyzing the situation, Barbara suddenly screamed. Robin immediately went over to her, only to see Barbara staring at the tablet in her hands with disbelief.
"The latest, latest news, our great nation... will welcome the greatest... president in history... He is... Bruce Wayne!"
The pale-faced, frightened news anchor stuttered through the prepared script, but the face that appeared on the screen behind him was not the familiar face of President Wayne, rather it was a pale, evil-smiling face wearing a crown of thorns.