See No Evil: Speak No Evil (ch. 64) (Patreon)

Batman was a tough person to track, when it was all said and done. Even when I had 'Concerned Citizen' drop a lead on where the Joker was, Batman came and went like a ghost. I had no idea if he was shadowing the Joker or not, but for a time, the two just glided past one another. Like two dogs running in circles, each one chasing the other, so neither of them gained any ground in their chase. Though, that was partly my design.

Time was a necessary component I needed. Yet, it was also something that got more expensive by the second.

I rolled a cigarette in my fingers. Revy had thrown a pack at me after I came back from the sewers a week ago. I think she understood my mental state better than the others. Tifa hovered, treating me like I was made of glass. She grieved for Jack's loss, but I knew they hadn't been particularly close. She grieved for me.

Smoking wasn't a vice I wanted. I still had the same issue I did with addiction. It's why I wouldn't accept pain medication back when I had been shot, or when Batman broke my arm. Yet, I rolled the cigarette between my fingers all the same, the pack weighing heavily in my coat pocket like a box of lead. I looked out at the city, at Gotham. I could practically see my influence over the city growing by the day. In the low light of dusk, the rejuvenated parts of my city were lighting up.

Street lights turned on, and lights appeared in windows. New buildings stood tall and unbroken as Gotham's skyline was being restored. With my resources, buildings were going up at all times. Skyscrapers too -- I had over a dozen going up, one on top of each entrance to Lowtown. Each one of them would be Wayne Enterprises' equal, while the first building I ever owned, the one located at Lowtown's first entrance, would be a mega building. Two hundred and fifty floors -- it would have malls, restaurants, apartments, and more. It would be a mini-city in and of itself.

It would be Sainthood Enterprises' HQ. East End would become the new Downtown of Gotham.

I let out a sigh when a hand offering a lighter appeared in front of my face. The flame danced in the bitter wind -- the worst of winter was behind us. More days than not, we were over thirty degrees, but the chill lingered to remind Gotham that winter wasn't quite over just yet. I debated tossing the cigarette over the ledge for a moment before I stuck it in my lips and put the tip in the flame. I took in a deep drag of bitter smoke, I felt the smoke fill my lungs as the lighter snapped shut.

Blowing out a cloud of smoke, I turned my gaze outward to the city once again. My gaze settled on the Wayne Enterprises building. The lone titan of Old Gotham -- the building had held up surprisingly well. I'm not sure if Bruce Wayne did something to reinforce it or not, but for an old building, it endured the quake better than most.

"Are we doing this or do you want to look contemplative and shit for another thirty minutes?" Revy questioned in a low growl, annoyed with me. She rubbed the back of her neck as we stood on the uppermost floor of my HQ. The construction still had nearly two hundred floors to go, but it offered a decent view when all the other buildings were two stories at most.

"You'll pull your stitches," I remarked to her, taking another deep drag of my cigarette. Revy flipped me the bird, but stopped scratching at the back of her neck. Though, it wasn't like I didn't understand the temptation. The back of my neck itched as well.

A small incision had been made, no more than an inch long. However, it went deep. All the way down to our spinal cords where a chip was mounted.

For the first time in weeks, I was safe inside my own head. The chips protected my thoughts -- mine, Revy, Tifa, Cassandra, and I had one to spare for Miranda. My inner circle was safe from mental intrusions, from hero and villain alike.

"And I'm not staring thoughtfully at Gotham like some old gargoyle because I want to. We're waiting," I said, and I could hear Revy roll her eyes. She crossed her arms and leaned against a support pillar, clearly annoyed. A few seconds went by before she finally snapped and bit the bullet.

"For what?" she asked, and, as if to answer her, my phone rang. A burner that only one person had the number to and whose signal was protected by Pod's ingenuity.

I flipped it open and pressed it to my ear, but said nothing. Samantha Vanaver knew I had picked up, because she spoke, her tone flat and even. "It's done," she informed me. The task that the Court of Owls had been given was completed. I expected nothing less.

"Well done," I told her. "Perhaps your value exceeds that of a pawn," I said before I ended the call, much to Revy's amusement based on her snickering. I didn't smile as I gazed at Wayne Enterprises. Instead, I dialed a number while I kept my gaze firmly on the building.

Pressing call, a signal reached out. A phone rang.

And explosions filled the unnaturally silent city of Gotham as specifically chosen floors of the Wayne Enterprises building began to explode out. It was a tall building. More than a hundred floors. The first twenty gave out, fire erupting from the windows and shattering the glass as the fire grew so hot it melted the support beams.

Then the building began to drop. I felt the vibrations where I stood, a gentle tremble as the building fell in upon itself. In moments, a huge dust cloud filled the air. If I hadn't already prepared for the event, I knew my contacts would be lighting up. Revy let out a low whistle, while I took a moment to sear the sight into my brain.

"Come on," I said, turning around. "Tonight, Batman dies." It was hardly a surprise when I saw that someone was blocking our way. Miss Martian revealed herself, her invisibility fading away as she stood in front of the exit.

"You know that we can't let you do that, Vergil. I understand you want to hurt the Joker, but taking it out on Batman isn't the answer." Megan said, a compassionate expression on her face, but there was steel in her eyes. She wouldn't let us get past her. Not if she could help it.

I met her gaze, "I like it about as much as you do, but my hands are tied." I told her, making her lips thin.

"I thought you were more than just another villain taking his anger out on the world that has nothing to do with their suffering," Megan returned. "I don't think you're a bad man, Vergil. But you are walking down a dangerous path that will destroy you."

I took in a deep drag of my cigarette, letting the smoke fill my lungs for a moment before blowing it out in a huge sigh while I looked at the burning tip, a chunk of ash hitting the ground. I seriously hated cigarettes.

"Yeah, probably," I agreed before I stepped backward, my back foot touching nothing but empty air. I felt wind rushing through my hair as I used my contacts to activate my trap. Revy fell next to me, just barely clearing the threshold as bars of fire appeared around the building's edge, going up to cover the ceiling and floor. A simple trick, really. My hard light projector made the cage, the bars of the cage were filled with a flammable gas, then holes opened up in the hard light to make a cage of fire.

It wouldn't keep her down for long. I didn't know exactly how much the fire would disrupt her powers, but even if Megan failed to escape, one of the others would free her.

But, for now, that wasn't my concern. I tore off my coat jacket, placing it under my feet while Revy fell next to me. Grabbing hold of me, we fell fifty stories like a couple of stones for a long few seconds. Then we landed on the ground, my jacket absorbing the kinetic energy from the fall, so outside of my knees bending ever so slightly, you never would have thought I landed from anything higher than a light hop.

"Don't fuck this up, Vergil," Revy informed me as the clock began ticking down. She started running in the other direction while I turned, before walking down the alleyway that we had landed in. The safety lights kept the shadows to a minimum, and with my cameras, I saw everything within my territory. My vision was filled with a half dozen feeds -- letting me keep an eye on all those that were flagged as a priority.

I saw the heroes respond to the destruction of the Wayne Enterprise building. Then to Megan's request for help dealing with her cage. They had been spread out across the entire city, ready to respond to any emergency.

Dick Grayson looked shell-shocked when he heard that I was going to kill Batman. But he recovered well. Jason was already in the sewers, chasing Batman down like he had for weeks. Barbara was with her father at the police station, planning out the next method of attack to deal with a gangster alliance. The batfamily was all accounted for.

Dick gave out the order.

And I was ready to counter him.

'Tifa, B3,' I sent her to cut off Artemis and Lagoon Boy, giving the order through my contacts. I saw Tifa nod before she took off, ready to counter the heroes on their way to stop me. They were on a collision course, just as the rest of the team mobilized. Not everyone was moving against me. Nightwing proved to be a good leader -- as much as he wanted to stop me from killing Batman, he wasn't willing to let all of Gotham be at risk. Beast Boy, Kid Flash, and Aquagirl were all placed on standby while searching the destruction of the Wayne tower in case anyone got hurt.

It left Nightwing, Superboy, Aqualad, Batgirl, Wonder Girl, Bee, Tempest -- still a rather solid roster of heroes to deal with.

They moved, some heading toward me while others went to help Miss Martian. It was a good dividing tactic, but once they freed her, the tides would turn against me. With that thought in mind, I casually walked down the middle of the street, flanked one either side by my buildings. I kept a close eye on my surroundings through my cameras -- Gotham was set up in a grid, not too different from a chessboard. All I had to do was make sure I got to the end of the board.

'Cass, D6,' I ordered Cass, giving her a waypoint as I continued to stroll through the city. It would put her in the path of Bumblebee and Tempest. It was a potentially dangerous combination, but Cass was well prepared to face both of them.

I still walked, watching as the situation developed. Tifa reached Lagoon Boy and Artemis, and began fighting them both. They exchanged a handful of words, both sides trying to convince the other to back down. Lagoon Boy, however, was not in the mood for conversation.

Tifa simply said one thing. To trust me.

I couldn't blame the heroes for not doing that.

Cassandra clashed against Bumblebee and Tempest, and by that time, Nightwing realized that his forces were being intercepted. However, he was indecisive on what to do for a long few seconds as I continued to make my way to my destination. Then he made his decision. "Superboy, Aqualad -- take down Vergil. He can drop the cage around Miss Martian."

How cold-hearted, I thought to myself. The two men exchanged a look as they hesitated to reroute towards me, leaving Miss Martian to her fate. I had been watching the heroes as much as they had been watching me -- It seems that despite breaking up with Miss Martian, it wasn't so easy for Superboy to just leave her behind.

'Miranda, C6,' I ordered Miranda, having her intersect with Wonder Girl and Batgirl. Both of which came from the police station. The news that another group of theirs found themselves under attack seemed to snap the boys out of their hesitation. With a large leap, Superboy threw himself into the air-

I looked over to see a figure sail over the top of a building. He effortlessly cleared several hundred feet with a single leap and landed heavily on the roads below. He landed Superhero style -- a knee and a fist touching the ground and, somehow, he managed to land directly in front of me. As far as entrances went, it was a good one. Before the quake, I’m pretty sure that sight would have made me actually shit myself. I had nightmares that started and ended with that shielded S on a Kryptonian’s chest.

Superboy rose to his feet, a scowl on his face that was a borderline snarl, his hands clenched at his sides -- he didn’t wear blue tights in favor of a pair of blue jeans and a black long sleeve shirt with the signature shielded S. His dark blue eyes met mine and I expected to feel that old fear. Fear of those that were so far beyond me in every physical capacity.

I did fear him. I’d be an idiot not to.

But now, Superboy was just someone that was in my way.

"Drop the cage around Miss Martian. Now." Superboy growled, striding forward with his hands clenched at his sides. He walked like he was about to stomp my head in, no matter what I said. And I really had to wonder just how easy it would be for him. Comics liked to make fun of Lex Luthor or Batman for not trusting aliens and metahumans, but I understood. It made sense. Sure, their competence took a knock because of comic logic, but they had a point.

The world simply wasn't made for people like Superboy, and he was a knock-off of what a full-blooded Kryptonian could do.

But that was fine. That was Lex Luthor's mistake. And everyone else that shook their fist at aliens or metahuman and anything else that was distinctly not human.

They were so insistent on stopping the world from changing. Instead, they should embrace it.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Superboy. A Kryptonian she might not be, but she's probably the most dangerous member of your team. I can't afford to be stopped," I said, continuing to stride forward without missing a beat. "I don't suppose you'll just step aside? It should be simple for you to free her."

Superboy narrowed his eyes, and I had my answer. He raised a fist, and even knowing that he would be holding back didn't make the sight any less daunting. "No-" Superboy began, before I heard a clap of thunder off in the distance and Superboy suddenly flew to the side, slamming into one of my buildings. He hit it hard, enough that the stone cracked, before immediately resolidifying as the damage was undone. He dropped to the ground, unconscious, but I didn't see even a drop of blood.

"Thank you, Revy," I said before I finally broke into a dead sprint to my destination. I had given Revy another gun -- something that I had been working on for a while now, but with the climax coming with the Joker, I made it a much higher priority. Revy was perched in one of my buildings with what amounted to an antitank rifle. A silenced one, though silenced didn't mean silent. I made it to deal with people like Superboy, but it didn't even break the skin. No way it would do anything to Superman.

I put a pin in the idea, intent on improving it just as Aqualad revealed himself. He stuck low, fearing the sniper. In his hands were two spiked maces of glowing water as he sprinted right for me. Dark skin, blonde hair that was cut close, and wearing black armor that left his defined arms exposed -- there was no mistaking him. He darted forward, moving in a zig-zag pattern to make him a more difficult target before he lunged for me.

Only to catch a blow from 2B in the ribs. Or, at least that's what I assumed happened when Aqualad was suddenly flung back and landed heavily on his back as he skipped across the ground. He rolled to his feet, and to my annoyance, Superboy was also getting up.

"Revy, cover 2B," I ordered as I ran. "Don't aim to kill," I said, directing it at both Revy and 2B, who wore a stealth suit like Cassandra's. It made her invisible, which I hoped would bridge the gap in power between her and Superboy. They were heroes, so they shouldn't aim for fatal shots and I didn't want to give them any additional reason to.

I got an affirmative, but by that time, Nightwing had given his own orders. Kid Flash moved out in a blur, heading right for me from across the city. But he made a mistake -- for all of his speed, it meant nothing if he couldn't touch the ground.

I smirked to myself as Haroes flew up from the sewers, catching Kid Flash in a gravity field that kept him off the ground. Nightwing sensed that the tide was moving against them, so he finally made a move himself. He began to leave the Batcave, peeling out on a motorbike, while issuing orders.

Normally, I wouldn't have been able to see into the Batcave once Batman removed all of my bugs. Instead, I had something better than bugs.

Almost as soon as Nightwing left, the Talons went to work on their mission as they made their way to the Batcomputer.

Just as my androids began theirs.

My girls, who until now, mostly fought alone, found themselves each reinforced with a team of Androids. Some fought alongside them, while others provided covering fire. My girls had been putting up a good fight, but the moment they received their reinforcements, the tide turned on the heroes. Nightwing gave his orders while he tracked me down with the tracker I allowed them to put on me.

I spotted my destination as the heroes restructured their approach. Some fought harder, others were pulling back with plans to regroup. Their plans didn't matter because I had already accomplished my goal. I tossed a card on the manhole cover and dropped down into the sewer. Even where we put our shit was better than the rest of Gotham.

I continued to run, heading towards my destination. Nightwing joined me in the sewers, intent on cutting me off, but with a single order, I forced him to take a detour. The Joker's zombies were a useful distraction. Just dangerous enough to be a threat, but not so dangerous it felt like they couldn't make it out of their situation.

The undead flooded the tunnels. Beast Boy joined Nightwing not long after, acting as reinforcements, but the distance between us was too large. Unless they started busting through walls and making their own tunnels, they were too late, because I just got an alert.

Batman and the Joker had just stepped into the ring.

I took in a deep breath, before I reached into my pocket to find the pack of cigarettes. I calmed my racing heart, feeling the pressure of what I was about to do as I calmly made my approach. I watched Batman and Joker fight, and it was a savage thing to witness. Batman was always a deadly fighter, but he always had incredible amounts of self-restraint. Not only did he not kill those that were trying to kill him, but as bad as he broke some people, every single person he ever fought managed to make a full recovery.

There was none of that restraint in Batman. He brutalized the Joker, who laughed all the while. Batman just wanted to make him hurt. If I didn't know that Bruce Wayne had that savagery in him, I would have thought that someone else was wearing the Batsuit -- he was that unlike himself.

I placed a cigarette in my mouth and lit it with a lighter that Revy had slipped into my pocket. During the fall, I think. Taking in a deep breath, I felt the edge get taken off my nerves and I hated it. But, it's what I needed. I walked forward, rolling up my sleeves as I continued to monitor everything -- the fights above, below, and Nightwing trying to reach me before I did what I did.

I spotted a red door, a door I had placed during the past week. A door that led to a trap I had made for the Joker and Batman.

I pushed it open just before I summoned Murder Weapon and Order. Both weapons felt heavy in my hands as I entered the stage I had made, walking across the walkway. Batman looked over at me just as I stepped through the barrier, as good as confirming that I had made it scot-free.

"Sorry," I stated, taking aim at the Joker, my finger curling around the trigger. The Joker tensed and so did Batman. I think he was going to jump in front of the Joker. Batman… I had been terrified of him, especially before I met him, but I knew he would take that bullet for my sake rather than the Joker's. Which made it hard to shift my aim an inch over just as I pulled the trigger. "But you were the only one that he actually loved."

Order bucked in my hand as I shot Batman in the side of the head. He dropped to the ground, falling to a knee first before landing on his side.

The Joker's jaw dropped as he looked down at Batman's fallen form. He reached out with shaking hands as he fell to his knees…

Then the most horrid scream of grief I had ever heard ripped itself from his throat as he clutched at Batman. Tears streamed from his eyes as he shook his head, "No. No, no, no, no! No! Noo! NO!" He repeated, his voice thick with emotion as he pulled Batman's fallen form into his lap as he rocked back and forth. "NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, following it up with a heart-wrenching sob. He screamed his grief, completely overcome with emotion.

It was hard to listen to. Even knowing what the Joker was didn't make it any easier. It felt like I had murdered a child before their mother’s eyes. The pain in the Joker's voice made my stomach twist into knots. The sheer heartbreaking grief and sorrow as he wailed at the top of his lungs struck a chord with me. Despite it all, I felt bad for him.

But sympathy wasn't a reason for me to stop.

I approached from behind and came to a stop behind the Joker. He clung to Batman, but his sobs died down when he heard me approach. Slowly, he turned around to look up at me and his face… was terrifyingly calm even as tears dripped down like rivers down his bloodstained cheeks.

"Vergil? Please, kill me," he requested, his voice completely devoid of life. Like watching Batman die had killed him emotionally.

"With pleasure," I agreed, placing Order to his forehead and pulling the trigger. His head snapped back and the Joker fell to the ground. This time his smile was gone from his face in death. The writhing darkness inhabiting his body slowly began to fade until it was gone entirely, leaving a perfectly ordinary corpse laying on the ground.

There. It was over.

I took in a deep drag of my cigarette before I dropped the barrier to flick it over the side. No sooner than I had, Jason approached me calmly. I met his look as he came to a stop right next to me, standing shoulder to shoulder as we looked down at the two.

"This was the only way, right?" Jason asked me, removing his mask. He looked a lot younger than normal. Either the Robin suit was made to make him appear young, or it was his bloodshot eyes.

"Maybe not the only way, but I think it was the best way," I said, sealing my weapons away. Jason took it and I wished that he could see anything other than a blank card. "The Joker was too unpredictable. The only way to make sure that he lost was to make sure he didn't want to win." I answered, running a hand through my hair.

Then, Batman began to move, a low groan escaping him as he moved over, laying flat on his back. Jason instantly dropped to a knee beside him, "B!" Jason yelled out, grabbing his hand.

"Jason…?" He asked, his voice a low murmur, sounding confused. I turned my back to the heartwarming scene as I dropped a blank card on the Joker's corpse. "What…?"

The answer was simple, I thought as I walked away. My gun was made out of Order Magic. It didn't even have actual bullets. The reason why it had been so effective on the Joker was because he had been a creature of chaos.

And who in this city was more orderly than Batman himself?

It was a gamble. I reached out to Jason to get in contact with Fate who confirmed my theory, which brought both of them into my plan. The rest of the heroes hadn't needed to know.

I needed to kill Batman. I just didn't need him to stay dead.

"Everyone, retreat," I gave the order as I walked back into the sewer, closing the door behind me. My girls fell back, as did my team of Androids. The talons gave the green light, telling me that their mission was done. I even dropped the cage around Miss Martian as a gesture of good will.

All in all, it was a mission complete. I had pulled it off. Before, I would have been absolutely ecstatic. Now?

Now, I just felt exhausted. And I think I was already developing an addiction to cigarettes, which was a problem.

I walked through the sewer, but after a moment, I heard a second set of footsteps join mine. Glancing over my shoulder, I kept the surprise off of my face by smirking when I met eyes with Klarion the Witch Boy. He walked alongside me, a bit shorter, yet he was rather lanky. He had an orange cat in his arms that he stroked, and there was an impossibly large grin on his face.

"Now, that was a finale!" Klarion cheered, his childish voice echoing in the tunnels. "I think not killing Batman for real was a little bit of a cop-out, but you sure had me going! Nine out of ten!"

I took in a deep breath, "Glad you enjoyed the show," I responded as we walked and talked. "I hope there are no hard feelings?"

Klarion made a dismissive sound, "Of course not -- the Joker was just a bit of entertainment for me. I was annoyed when he died, so when I got a chance, I brought him back. He started off so strong, but his final act… eh," Klarion dismissed before he glanced to me.

"And the wager is being upheld?" I asked, because the Joker had very easily dismissed the rules. Klarion, however, nodded.

"I'm throwing the Joker's soul into the realm of chaos, where he won't ever return from. He dispersed his copies of himself, but I would have done that for him. I like Earth. It's a funny place. If anyone is going to destroy it, it's going to be me," Klarion said, while the cat meowed approvingly.

Right. A lovely little reminder of exactly who I'm dealing with.

Then Klarion took a quick step, moving in front of me and forcing me to stop. "And, as agreed, you get one wish from me. What'll it be? Incredible magical power? A super special ability? All the money in the world?" Klarion asked, and there was excitement in his voice. I could practically see how he was going to twist each wish until it bit me in the ass.

I had put some thought into the wish I would gain for killing the Joker. I ruled out a lot of things -- like wishing for specific things or abilities. They were too easy to twist. My wish had to be something that Klarion would want to grant, otherwise, I might as well shoot myself in the foot myself and save him the trouble.

I matched his smile with one of my own and I gave him my wish.

"I… want you to be my friend," I told him, and Klarion couldn't keep the surprise off of his face while his cat meowed questioningly.

He tilted his head, "Huh? Why would I want to be friends with you?" he asked, turning up his nose at me like I smelled bad.

My smile grew a fraction as I laid my soul bare, "Because I'm going to flip this entire universe on its head, Klarion, Lord of Chaos. By the time I'm finally done, all of time can be divided into two eras -- before me… and after me." I told him, meeting his gaze as he looked back at me.

For a moment, his smile dropped as he looked at me. Then it slowly returned, tugging at the edges of his lips until his smile was every bit as insane as the Joker's was. A chuckle rose from his chest that bubbled into a laugh that grew with intensity until the tunnels were filled with the echoes of his laughter.

Between his laughs, Klarion spoke and the deal was struck.

"We're going to be best friends!"