Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Nightwing, Robin, the Teen Titans, Justice League or other members of the Bat!Clan... sadly. Ido, however, oen a whacked-out, dark, disturbing imagination... and it just threw this chapter out there...

Please get into the foetal position...

Chapter 4: When the Question is Asked…

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It was the blank eyes that yielded the greatest answer, although all that could be found in them was a question… an eternal, unending question… Why?

Why me, why now, why? Why? WHY?

He had no answer, but there was a definite want to go outside and empty the meagre contents of his stomach noisily over the pavement, as Superboy and the Flash were doing right this instant… Nightwing seemed to have gone ridged in shocked horror, but was gradually assuming that strangely detached personality he employed when working horrific crime scenes on the Bludhaven 'Force. Robin… well, Robin wasn't sure how Robin was supposed to feel… Tim knew that he wanted to hit the floor on his knees and scream or cry, or be sick or… or-… SOMETHING… to show there was something still human inside that felt revulsion for what he saw…but Robin was being quiet.

Whatever they had anticipated finding when the quartet had speedily arrived at the secret technological lair of Oracle, the most mysterious member of the Bat-family who resided in a tower in the midst of Gotham with enough futuristic technology to launch every missile on Earth towards Pluto with the flick of a button; it had not been what was found… Then again, no one would ever expect… THAT. His stomach rebelled, did a back-flip, and reminded he was human after all… threatening to let everyone know he'd had marmalade on his sandwich at lunch yesterday…

The dawn sunlight streamed into the room, but failed to lift the heavy taint of shadows and… death, in this place. He wanted to cover his mouth with a hand, but as it drew closer, he frantically hid it from sight again… the normally black gloves were as crimson as the rest of his Robin outfit, and it hadn't been a deliberate costume change. They'd had to check… had to check if they were… were still alive, just in case… because none of them would have ever slept again if they'd just assumed… the guilt of not knowing would have haunted them forever...

The worst bit… was knowing they were still looking at them, the eyes were open, both Oracle and Huntress' wide open in accusation. They hadn't gotten there in time… too late, precious seconds too late… The creature had already been and fled. There had been no pulse when his tentative fingers had pressed against the soft, sticky flesh of Helena's torn, but still-warm throat… of course there couldn't have been, given that none of her insides were… inside… anymore. An involuntary shudder rippled through his frame at the memory. Sure, she'd tried to kill him on at least twelve different occasions, but really, she'd fought by his side at least an equal amount of time, if not more… and there was no hiding the choked-off cry Nightwing had given when he had checked Barbara's body for signs of life.

Dick had known her his entire career as Robin, and then Nightwing… more than half his life… they'd even been together together, all couple-y more than once in their lives. It had been soul-destroying to both of them when she'd been shot in the spinal column -her career as the first Batgirl destroyed in a second of sheer calculated cruelty on Joker's behalf- she'd fought through that and could still kick the ass of anyone from her wheelchair… Well, she was one of a kind, even finding a new position in Super-Society as Oracle… To discover someone that important, that wonderful, kind, clever… and all the other wonderful adjectives that described that vibrant red-head, with her heart torn out and her face nearly beyond recognition from the thing's talons…

There were no words.

This time, when the bile rose in his throat, he let it come… and painted the blood-stained room another colour… but tears would never come.

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Pervading everything was the constant hum of the artificial gravity generator, the almost inaudible hissing of the air filtration system, the imperceptible flickering of the incessantly buzzing fluorescent lights flooding every area of the Watchtower. Batman noticed them all. A cacophony of sound that broke through his normally impervious mental shield of concentration to interject on his conversation with both John Stewart –who was consulting his Lantern ring for information on any animal, creature, lifeform or entity with the capability to perpetrate the injuries he had described in circuitous detail, leaving out the who , when and how- and Zatana, who was sceptical that John would find anything, believing the creature to be magically-based in origin.

"Bats?" Green Lantern looked up at him, noticing his distraction, "Uh, wanna tell us what's going on? I mean, I realise you have this policy of not telling anyone anything, but it is kinda weird you woke us up at 4am to discuss invisible flying monsters with round jaws and lots of teeth…" Bruce was about to interject with the argument that the Lantern's description was childish and nothing like the creature he had described in detail to them… When he became aware of three things.

The first, was that both Green Lantern and Zatana were looking at him with a mixture of concern, curiosity and a stubborn expression that plainly read that the pair would not say more on their ideas until everything was explained beyond a brief description. The second thing that came to awareness was that Superman was four feet away and doing his best to seem inconspicuous, though listening in from behind a shrewdly placed pot plant… and thirdly, J'onn was trying to contact him telepathically. 'Yes, J'onn?' he replied to the Martian first, as it seemed urgent… and he had a feeling his distraction had been unconsciously blocking all attempts for quite some time.

'Batman, please come to the monitor room, there is an urgent message from Nightwing…' informed the Manhunter, the implication of his confusion at being ignored was there, but Batman shut his mind to it… breaking the connection. He turned from the room, the implication being that Green Lantern and Zatana should follow, "…and you can stop pretending you aren't listening, Boy Scout… Come along if you are coming."

Superman paused a moment as the trio left the room, then followed along curiously in their wake, never before quite so concerned for someone he considered his best friend. And that was saying something…

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"Oh Sweet & Merciful, Hera!" cried Diana as she entered the window of Oracle's tower, red knee-high boots hovering mere millimetres off of the crimson-soaked floor, slight winds from her flight stirring the pools sickeningly under her feet. No warrior should die thusly… it was truly a most terrible, cruel fate. She would ask the Goddesses to receive her sisters-at-arms when next she returned to Themyscira.

Sounds of retching reached her ears… painful and harsh in this twilight world of grim silence. Turning to find the source and noting that it seemed to emanate from both outside and in, Diana found herself observed. Nightwing watched her from the shadows, unmoving. Blood marred his normally black and blue costume; at his feet, Robin was on his knees in the crimson pools, trembling arms holding him up from where he had recently been ill…

Outside came the cries of those too ill to be sick once more and were reduced to dry heaving. Finally, the Flash appeared weakly in the doorway, holding a pale Superboy up by the back of his shirt…

"What happened here?" she asked with eyes wide, tone concerned and commanding; taking in the grouping and seeing no possible explanation for the atrocities spread amongst the groupings of high-tech computer systems packed in the surprisingly large space. Imperceptibly, a signal seemed to pass through the group until Wally nodded, stepping forwards to answer. "Look, we're not sure what's happening exactly but… there's something bad in Gotham, and it really, REALLY hates the Bat Family… We can't see it, can't touch it, can't fight it or stop it. It attacked Robin and Nightwing earlier under a guise of invisibility, and then did…well, this." He gestured widely at the carnage surrounding them without looking down.

"I've already informed Batman…" Nightwing answered her unasked question, not even looking at the Themyscirian Princess, "He's on the Watchtower, with Manhunter, Green Lantern and Zatana, they're looking through the databases for any possible creature of alien or magical origin that could have attacked us… and done this. No leads so far, but Zatana appeared quite worried, I think she knows something she's not telling. Diana… could you deal with this, please? I… can't."

With a shuddering breath to steel herself, Wonder Woman nodded back, already formulating a plan as to how she would move the bodies and dispose of them… sans costumes. As was the agreement…

There were rules to protect the remaining members of the Bat Family, should one of them fall… plans in place to dispose of their bodies appropriately so as not to cast suspicion. They all agreed to allow this to happen, and those in the Justice League let in on the secret had agreed to memorise a set series of sequences through which their former teammates might be disposed of. Diana herself thought it sacrilege, but was already formulating a plan of how to move the bodies and cast suspicion onto the wild animals roaming in a nature preserve a few miles from Gotham itself. A hunting Preserve, always fully stocked… the very idea made her ill, but now… it was practical.

With a heavy heart, she carefully began the process of stripping her sister heroes in preparation of hiding their secret identities forever… as the blood slicked over her arms, something inside went numb to cope… and when she looked up, the others were gone. She was alone…

Alone in the Dark.

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TBC...

Yes, I left it there...

See you Soooooooooon...

~*SailorSilvanesti/Phoenix Fire*~