Into The Shadows: A Batman/Assassin's Creed Crossover

Eight

When Superman agreed to let the kids stay at the Fortress of Solitude Batman finally relaxed a little. He walked over to the batcomputer and took off his mask and placed it on the counter.

"Sir, when was the last time you got some sleep?" Alfred asked.

"The day Gracier stabbed Heather," Bruce replied.

"Where are you on finding out the whereabouts of McGovern and the Joker?"

"What do you think Alfred?" Bruce sighed. "These two are like ghosts."

"Well if you find one won't you find the other?" Alfred asked.

"A man like the Joker doesn't take orders too well," Batman said. "And it looks like McGovern is the type to give them, but he knew that. The only reason he brought him back was to throw us off of his trail."

"And what about the other heroes?"

"Everybody returned to their cities to keep the thugs from taking over and to keep a look out. We have eyes all over the world and we have the tower in orbit, we're bound to find him sooner or later."

Alfred sighed and put the tray of food beside him.

"What you're doing with the "Batman" thing," Alfred paused and ran a hand over his tired face. "What you're doing as the Batman is, simply...incredible, but you're not doing the world any good by destroying yourself."

Alfred walked away to the elevator and left Bruce who was covertly spiraling into insanity in the soul crushing silence of the cave. Bruce sighed heavily and went back to typing on his mega computer. He hears a soft thud in the cave's back entrance.

"It's not nice to sneak up on people," Bruce's voice echoed throughout the cave which broke the uncomfortable silence.

"You're one to talk," Nightwing said as he walked out of the shadows.

"What are you doing here Dick?" Bruce asked tiredly.

"You need help here,"

"Your city needs your help and you abandoned them to come help me when you know damned well I don't need your help," Bruce said in a tone so dark it made the hair on his own neck stand tall.

"Well first off, I have an old friend looking after things for me and second, you're lucky I know that you're mega stressed and become an intolerable asshole when you haven't got the teeny amount of rest you do get," Nightwing smiled smugly and folded his arms and leaned against the Batmobile.

"You call me intolerable? You're the one who always did everything his way and didn't care about anyone else!"

"Hey at least I didn't take on an old persona of your main villain," Dick retorted. Dick sees Bruce turn around quickly and throw something at him. Dick barely dodges the batarang. "What the fuck Bruce!"

"He died because I couldn't save him. Never talk about my biggest failure again."

"It wasn't your fault he died Bruce! He was a hothead and took on a monster he wasn't prepared for,"

"I got there two minutes too late. He was my responsibility and I failed at protecting him. Sure he's alive, but if this is what he's going to continue to be...I wish he'd never had come back."

Bruce walked back to the computer and sat down in the black rolling chair, placing a hand over his tired face. He started rubbing his temples in effort to ease the raging headache that was caused by constant stress and three days worth of no sleep.